Theme Song
It is time for the home stretch (Gray shows her badge case with eight badges)
For it is the final catch (Magna appears, smiles, and fades, which is repeated by Fidens, Leviculus, Decorus, Durus, and Fortis)
Your goal's right there, it is your fate (Owen and Red stare down at the championship battle of the Indigo League)
Go ahead and become great! (Fortis collides with Owen's Charizard)
No way! (2x) We won't back down! (Durus lunges at the camera and slashes it)
We will! (2x) Win that crown (Montage of Gray defeating Trentavious, Savannah, and Marcus before she looks across a battlefield and sees Owen)
This is it, the final quest (Gray looks off into the sunset with Chase, Tara, and their Pokemon)
You must do your very best... Pokemon!
What's up, people? Last chapter, Gray celebrated her victory over Trentavious thanks to the efforts of Fidens, Decorus, and Durus, and Fortis made his return! This chapter, Gray will be battling Savannah in the top 16, which will be a difficult battle thanks to Savannah being way stronger than last time they squared off. Of course, this will be a highly competitive battle, and the winner won't really be decided until I reach the end of the chapter. One of Gray's Pokemon, however, will steal the show and capture the attention of everyone. Now, let's get going!
Blaze Falcon: Durus isn't down, haha. She was just saying how exhausted the entire team was, and that they needed another Pokemon to take the load off. But you are right that Fortis will try his best to guide the team to victory, even though Gray's battle with Savannah is going to be anything but a walk in the park
CaptainPrice: Haha, that it does, and don't worry about it! In regards to Tara, I intentionally left out a bunch of details to make it look like she was trying to join back up with Team Purity. And now that Fortis is back, he's going to go nuts and pick up where he left off. Also, thank you! I finally got my medication for ADD, so I should be putting out higher quality writing
ShadowDragon9000: Haha, the streak of great openings continues XD I didn't expect to post this so soon, either, but there wasn't much to edit aside from splitting paragraphs, which is the case with just about every chapter up to the start of the league. Tara's phone call was intentionally suspicious, so don't feel stupid! As for Fortis' entrance, I couldn't think of any possible way of making it discrete, so I figured I'd might as well make it as obvious as possible, and you're right about his return not guaranteeing victory over Savannah
Defender31415: Yeah, it's great to see her team at full strength in terms of both numbers, and actual strength. Fortis is going to provide a huge boost, like any addition would, but he'll make his presence known very soon
MCMXCV: Yup! Fortis will take the pressure off of the others, and let them get some time off
Trentavious Phoenix: Haha, I'm just as happy to see him come back
MerlockVonBaron: Yeah, she'll be getting a Gligar in a little bit, but that's it
Hotrod198: I get it, and I only brought him back due to a lack of a viable replacement, and I would have him sent back, but the story's been written for a while now, and changing all of it would be too much for me to handle
Gray's team
Durus, (f), level 44, Power Gem, Feint Attack, Bite, Metal Claw, Pay Day*, Slash* - (Persian)
Leviculus, (m), level 40, Water Gun, Dig, Rain Dance, Body Slam, Mega Kick*, Ice Punch* - (Politoed)
Fidens, (m), level 42, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Ancient Power, Dragon Breath, Crunch*, Acrobatics* - (Archeops)
Magna, (f), level 39, Confusion, Yawn, Astonish, Uproar, Last Resort*, Protect* - (Chingling)
Decorus, (f), level 43, Vine Whip, Moonblast, Psychic, Magical Leaf, Grassy Terrain*, Petal Blizzard* - (Florges)
Fortis, (m), level 50, Dragon Claw, Flamethrower, Dragon Rush, Earthquake, Hyper Beam*, Boomburst* - (Flygon)
"You and Savannah are battling this round, right?" Marcus asked Gray as the two stood side by side in the trainer room inside the arena.
Gray nodded in response, and Marcus cracked his neck excitedly before releasing Lucario from his Pokeball.
"We have the night battle, so what do you want to do to kill some time?" Marcus inquired while looking at Lucario.
"Gray," Savannah called as she walked into the room with a smile, allowing Gray to walk away from Marcus, who was deep in thought along with his trusty Pokemon. "Sorry I didn't see you yesterday, my battle time got switched twice. Congrats on beating Trentavious!" the short girl exclaimed while her Wigglytuff bowed to Gray, who laughed in response.
"Thanks, Savannah. It sucks that I have to battle you, though."
"Agreed, but I'm looking forward to beating you to a pulp!" Durus said to Wigglytuff excitedly.
The two Pokemon began to bicker about who was stronger, making their trainers roll their eyes before walking away.
"I just can't believe we're battling just before the full battles start!" Savannah exclaimed, making Gray gasp in shock. Her heart nearly fell into her stomach, and Savannah looked at her rival worriedly. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Ye-yeah," Gray said while shaking her head. "I just... It's hard to believe we're one round away from being in the full battles," the girl said before sweat dropping.
Savannah laughed at Gray's reaction, but stopped when the taller girl continued.
"We should be fine, though. No matter who wins, I'm confident you or I will go far" Gray told Savannah, who beamed at the comment.
"That would not be surprising, you're a good trainer!" Savannah complimented, making Gray smile. "I'm not going to take it easy on you, though. Otherwise you'd definitely win, and I'm not looking to lose."
Gray nodded at the kind words, but stopped when the TV turned on and all of the trainers in the room turned to stare at it.
"Our first battle of the day will have Gray Plain facing Savannah London! Both trainers must report to the battlefield in five minutes!"
000
"This will be a three versus battle between Gray and Savannah where both trainers may substitute their Pokemon once! Furthermore, once all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the battle will be over! Trainers, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Hitmonlee, let's try our best!" Savannah yelled as she released her first Pokemon.
"Magna, it's your turn!" Gray shouted at the same time as Savannah.
Magna broke out of the Pokeball and jumped excitedly before locking eyes with her fighting type opponent, who was standing on one leg and kicking the air with the other, impressing Gray and her two Pokemon. Suddenly, the scoreboard lit up and Gray's picture was displayed next to Savannah's. Underneath the pictures of the girls were three empty boxes, which were separated by a one, two, and three. The empty pictures beneath those of the trainers were suddenly filled with profiles of Hitmonlee and Magna, who waited eagerly as the crowd reached a feverish pitch.
"This battle will be between Magna and Hitmonlee! Begin!"
"Magna, use Confusion and don't hold anything back!" Gray commanded while pointing at Hitmonlee, who was still swinging his leg around.
Magna's eyes flashed red before a beam of energy was fired at Hitmonlee. The strong Pokemon was hit by the super effective attack and skidded back towards Savannah, who held her breath until Hitmonlee charged towards Magna aggressively.
"Let's show them your Blaze Kick!" the redhead told her Pokemon, who nodded in response.
As soon as he did so, Hitmonlee channeled all of his energy into his foot. Much to Gray's surprise, fire appeared around the fighting type's foot, and he kicked Magna in the side of the head, sending the tiny Pokemon spiraling into the wall to the left of Gray. After falling on her face, Magna slowly pushed herself back up and glared daggers at the fighting type, who charged once again.
"Don't back down! Let loose and use Uproar!"
Magna smirked as Hitmonlee jumped into the air in an attempt to do some fancy attack, and she opened her mouth as wide as she could before screaming. Waves of sound smacked into Magna's opponent as he fell towards her, and Hitmonlee was immediately launched back to Savannah's half of the battlefield, where he landed on his back.
"Hang in there, Hitmonlee! Use Mega Kick and give it everything you've got!"
Hitmonlee surprisingly jumped back onto his feet and darted across the battlefield at a blinding speed. As he wound his leg back, Hitmonlee's foot began to glow light blue, and he swung at Magna as soon as the devastating attack was ready to be used. While Magna panicked, Gray calmly thought of a counter that could keep her Pokemon from getting clobbered.
"Protect!"
Just as Hitmonlee's foot was about to hit the Chingling, a green bubble appeared around Magna's body and stopped the attack cold. Savannah gasped at the sight and watched as Hitmonlee began to roll around on the ground in pain while grasping his foot, which was in a horrible amount of pain.
"Hitmonlee, get up! Please!"
"Magna, time to wrap this up! Astonish!" Gray ordered once she and Savannah realized Hitmonlee wasn't going to get back up.
Magna nodded and was covered in purple energy before she ran towards Hitmonlee. The psychic type leaped headfirst and slammed into the brown Pokemon's chest, knocking him out instantly. The referee quickly raised his hands once he saw Hitmonlee's eyes were closed, and Savannah cursed under her breath.
"Hitmonlee is unable to battle! Savannah, choose your next Pokemon!"
Magna grinned before wincing in pain, and Hitmonlee's picture turned black. The crowd applauded for the victorious Pokemon, and she waved in response before turning to Gray and smiling excitedly, which made the girl giggle.
"Don't worry about the result, Hitmonlee. You were at a type disadvantage and Magna's really strong," Savannah said as she withdrew her fainted Pokemon.
The petite girl quickly grabbed another Pokeball off her belt.
"Jynx, come on out!"
In a flash of light, Savannah's Jynx appeared on the battlefield and occupied the second spot on the scoreboard underneath Hitmonlee's picture. Gray immediately noticed the grin on Savannah's face, and she figured it was because both Pokemon were psychic types.
"This battle will be between Magna and Jynx! Begin!"
"Jynx, freeze the battlefield with Ice Beam!" Savannah shouted while punching her left fist into her right hand.
Jynx opened her mouth and released a zigzagging beam of light blue energy, which struck the ground and froze it instantly. Gray cursed under her breath as soon as she saw Magna slip and fall on her face, which made Durus laugh, though the feline managed to muffle the rude sound.
"Magna, use Yawn and put Jynx to sleep!" Gray ordered, knowing Magna wasn't going to be capable of moving around, given the icy battlefield.
Magna opened her mouth and released a cloud of bubbles, which slowly floated over to Jynx. Due to its slow speed, Savannah and Jynx had more than enough time to counter effectively.
"Use Psychic and redirect Yawn!"
Jynx's eyes turned light blue and she raised her left hand in front of her face slowly. The cloud of bubbles was stopped dead in its tracks and a line of light blue energy surrounded it before Jynx threw her arm forwards. With that, the sleep inducing attack was flung right back at Magna, and it hit the tiny bell, making her eyes droop slightly. Gray bit her lower lip nervously as Magna yawned and began rubbing her eyes in an attempt to stay awake, but the brunette knew she wasn't going to be able to keep her eyes open.
"Urgh... use Last Resort!" Gray yelled, remembering Magna's most powerful attack.
The exhausted Pokemon's mouth suddenly shot open as a gigantic blast of white energy escaped. The attack struck Jynx, and the ice type was blasted into the wall behind Savannah, who turned to see her Pokemon was fighting to stand up. When Jynx did, Savannah smiled and patted her Pokemon on the head before watching her walk back onto the battlefield.
"Stand strong, Jynx. Magna should fall asleep any second now," Savannah whispered to the ice type standing in front of her.
Jynx nodded, and Magna suddenly fell on her face against the ice, making Gray and Durus gasp in shock.
"Come on, Magna! Wake up!" Durus screamed to her teammate, who was snoring obnoxiously, which made Gray and her starter sweat drop.
The two immediately turned their attention to their opponents standing on the other end of the battlefield, prompting them to attack.
"Perfect. Let's finish this with Shadow Ball!"
Jynx put her hands together and a black and purple ball of energy began to form. Once the attack reached a huge size, Jynx threw her hands forwards. Gray watched helplessly as the super effective attack crashed into Magna and exploded on contact, which sent the psychic type rolling past Durus.
"Magna is unable to battle! Gray, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee shouted once he saw Magna's eyes were closed.
"You were amazing as usual, Magna, thanks."
Gray smiled at the Pokeball before looking at the scoreboard. The rookie trainer watched as her first Pokemon's picture faded to black, and she looked at her opponent's Pokemon. Gray scowled at the fact that Jynx was an ice type, and was a matchup nightmare for her two remaining Pokemon for a few reasons.
"Who do I choose? Fortis is weak to ice types, but he can also take Jynx out with a Flamethrower or two. I could send out Decorus, but all of her attacks are long ranged, and Jynx can reflect all of them with Psychic. Dammit! I'm just gonna have to trust my gut on this one!"
"Gray!"
The girl flinched at the loud voice and looked down at Durus, who was staring her in the eyes.
"Hurry up! If you don't pick a Pokemon, we'll get disqualified!"
Nodding at the information, Gray took out her second Pokeball and held it tightly before sticking her arm straight out with a grin plastered on her face. Even though she didn't have an advantage, Gray had the utmost confidence in the Pokemon resting within the Pokeball, and she hurled the spherical device into the air.
"Fortis, let's take the momentum back!"
The Pokeball Gray chucked exploded and Fortis slowly descended before landing on the ground softly. Savannah stared at the Flygon in shock before shaking her head in an attempt to overcome any fear. Gray, meanwhile, smiled at the Pokemon standing in front of her and watched as Fortis' picture appeared on the scoreboard underneath Magna's. Durus smirked slyly as Fortis began to flap his wings, creating an annoying sound that clearly bothered Jynx.
"Huh, I can't say I'm surprised she chose Fortis," Chase opined while staring at the TV, grabbing everyone's attention.
Tara, the twins, and Marcus were sitting along with Chase, and so were their Pokemon, and they all looked over at Chase in confusion. Fortis was the strongest Pokemon on Gray's team, and usually the last resort for a trainer was their powerhouse.
"Really? I would've bet my life that Gray was going to save him for last, or at least not use him against an ice type. After all, Fortis is probably the strongest of her Pokemon, and it'd be really bad if Jynx hit him with Ice Beam," Tara voiced, which was quickly met with Chase shaking his head confidently.
"Given the fact that the battlefield's covered in ice, and none of her other Pokemon can fly, that alone sold me on Fortis. Plus, she really needs this win, and Fortis is Gray's best bet. If he faints, or gets hurt, Gray probably won't be mad because none of the others are capable of beating Jynx."
"Is he really that strong? All of Gray's other Pokemon were really impressive, at least from what I've seen," Tracy asked Chase and Tara, who nodded at the same time.
"Well, I doubt he's that much stronger than the others, Tracy. All of Gray's Pokemon are really something else," Sammy said to her twin confidently.
Much to their surprise, the twins watched Marcus stand up from his seat and fold his arms over his chest.
"It's not that Gray's other Pokemon aren't that strong, because they are, it's just... Fortis is on a whole different level. He's the only Pokemon to have given my Garchomp any trouble, and that was after he took out my Lucario!"
Meanwhile, in a suite in the arena, Owen, Brooklyn, and Charizard were watching intently.
"Wow, Gray managed to evolve her Trapinch into a Flygon!" Brooklyn exclaimed, clearly impressed by the significant growth both Gray and Fortis had undergone since their meeting in Vermilion City. "Hopefully she can win."
"You don't have to worry about that," Charizard told Brooklyn confidently.
"Yeah, that's a special Pokemon Gray has. We got to see him battle back in Fuchsia City, but I'm interested to see if he's gotten any stronger," Owen added before turning back to the battlefield with a smile.
"This battle will be between Fortis and Jynx! Begin!"
"Quickly, use Ice Beam!" Savannah shouted, wanting to deal as much damage to Fortis as possible.
Jynx shared the same thought as her trainer and shot a zigzagging beam of icy blue energy at her opponent, but Fortis didn't plan on getting hit. With a powerful flap of his wings, Fortis shot into the air and evaded the super effective attack, making Jynx frown. Gray and Durus, meanwhile, stared in shock before the teenager regained her composure and smiled. Even though Fortis was only in one battle before Gray released him, it wasn't hard to see how much stronger he had become since that time. How strong he was, however, was unknown, which made Gray smile from ear to ear before she issued a counterattack.
"Let's see just how strong you've become, Fortis! Cover the battlefield in fire with Flamethrower!"
Fortis reared his head back before unleashing a wicked wave of red flames. Savannah watched as the powerful attack struck Jynx directly, making the ice type cry out in pain while the ice on the battlefield was melted. After her Pokemon got up, Savannah stared at Fortis in awe as the dragon type descended and flew a few feet off the ground in front of Gray, who was just as shocked, if not more so.
"If that won't work, let's use Psychic!"
In the blink of an eye, Fortis was covered in a thin blue line of energy while Jynx's eyes flashed the same color. The ice type held her hand straight out, almost as if she were holding Fortis with it, which made Gray curse in frustration while Durus remained silent, sensing how calm Fortis was.
"Now throw Fortis against the ground, Jynx!"
"Break free with Dragon Rush!" Gray screamed while punching her fist straight out.
Fortis roared powerfully before being enveloped in cobalt colored energy, which destroyed Jynx's Psychic attack. Before Savannah knew it, Fortis was speeding towards Jynx while the energy around his body transformed into the shape of a dragon. The Flygon rammed Jynx into the wall behind Savannah, making the psychic type cry out in pain before falling on her face.
"Hurry and fire another Ice Beam, Jynx!" Savannah commanded as soon as Fortis turned his back to her.
Jynx weakly lifted her head off the ground and released another zigzagging beam of icy energy, which struck Fortis in the back. The dragon and ground type fell on the battlefield and grunted in pain before turning around to face his opponent, who was breathing heavily in exhaustion.
"Wrap this up with Flamethrower!"
Fortis reared his head back once again and shot a wave of red flames at his opponent. Jynx's eyes went wide as she was engulfed in flames, which made her shriek in pain before collapsing. As soon as she did, the referee ran over and raised his arms in the air, making the downed Pokemon's picture turn black.
"Jynx is unable to battle! Savannah, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Wow, you weren't kidding about Fortis being really strong," Tracy said aloud while staring at the TV screen, which was showing Fortis flying over to Gray and hugging her happily.
"You can say that again," Sammy muttered.
"Fortis, come back for a quick rest," Gray told the dragon type, who nodded and walked off the battlefield, opting to stand next to Gray.
The dragon type fist bumped Durus before watching Gray take out a different Pokeball and hurl it high in the air. When it opened, Decorus was released and everyone gasped at the fully evolved Pokemon. The shiny creature landed elegantly and watched as her picture appeared in the final spot on Gray's side, but she let out a sigh of relief when she noticed Fortis was still able to battle, which made the dragon type laugh before he sat down.
"Awesome effort, Jynx, you landed some crucial hits on Fortis, so thank you. Now, Nidoqueen, let's do this thing!" Savannah shouted as she stuck her arm out and opened the final Pokeball.
Once she materialized from the light the Pokeball released, Nidoqueen looked across the battlefield and glared at Decorus and Gray before setting her sights on Fortis. The poison type began to growl lowly before stomping on the ground and roaring, wanting to show the Pokemon that had defeated her how strong she had become. Fortis simply nodded in response, knowing what Nidoqueen was trying to say through her actions, which satisfied Savannah's final Pokemon.
"This battle will be between Decorus and Nidoqueen! Begin!"
"Decorus, use Grassy Terrain to power up your attacks!" Gray commanded confidently.
Decorus put her hands above her head and a radiant ball of green energy formed. The fairy type heaved the ball at the ground and it exploded, covering the battlefield in grass and flowers, which confused Nidoqueen while Savannah cursed under her breath.
"Nidoqueen, use Earthquake and get rid of those leaves!"
The fully evolved Pokemon roared powerfully before stomping on the ground as hard as she could, making the stadium shake violently. All of the grass and flowers were killed as columns of dirt shot out of the ground, and Decorus was eventually hit in the chin by the devastating attack, sending her flying straight into the air. Gray, Fortis, and Durus stared as Decorus closed her eyes in pain and began to fall towards the ground, but the brunette quickly devised a counterattack.
"Recover by using Moonblast, Decorus!"
Decorus opened her eyes wide and placed her hands together, creating an orb of pink energy. She then threw her hands forwards, and a straight beam of pink light was fired at Nidoqueen, who looked back at Savannah and patiently awaited her next move.
"Use Hyper Beam, Nidoqueen!"
The poison and ground type stomped on the battlefield before rearing her head back, and orange particles began to form in front of her mouth. Once they formed into a circle, Nidoqueen's neck shot forward and a blast of orange energy collided with Decorus' Moonblast attack. Nidoqueen's Hyper Beam crashed straight through the fairy type attack and exploded when it made contact with Decorus, who landed on her back when she hit the ground. Before Gray could say anything, her Pokemon stood up and brushed the dirt off her body, making the trainer smile confidently.
"Now grab Nidoqueen with Psychic and throw her against the ground!"
Decorus' eyes turned blue and a thin line of blue energy appeared around Nidoqueen's body. The fully evolved Pokemon looked around in confusion as she was lifted off the ground, and Savannah stared in shock before watching Decorus throw her arm towards the ground. Nidoqueen flew straight towards the ground as a result, but Savannah was able to think of a way to prevent her Pokemon from getting hurt.
"Hit the ground with your tail and counter with Surf!"
Nidoqueen did as she was told and turned her body right side up before slapping her tail against the ground, propelling her back into the air while she raised her arms as if she were trying to lift something. Once she reached the apex of her recovery, a wall of water appeared underneath Nidoqueen's feet, and she landed safely.
"Holy crap! How did Savannah do that!?" Marcus screamed in shock as the wave began to roll across the battlefield towards Decorus, who was panting in exhaustion.
"I have no idea, but she's way stronger than before," Tara commented while staring at the sight.
Gray, meanwhile, wasn't fazed by her opponent's impressive counter, and she cleared her voice before thinking of her own clever response.
"Spring into the air with Vine Whip, and then use Magical Leaf!"
Two vines shot out of Decorus' neck and she placed them on the ground before being launched into the air. Everyone in attendance stared as Decorus was about to clear the wave by five feet, but Savannah and Nidoqueen smirked, sending chills down Gray's spine as she looked on worriedly.
"Jump and crush Decorus with Poison Jab!"
Gray gasped when she heard the command, and her heart dropped while Nidoqueen's fist began to glow dark purple. The blue Pokemon leaped off the wave and delivered a wicked tomahawk punch that smashed Decorus into the ground so hard, she wasn't able to get up.
"Now wrap this up with Body Slam!"
Nidoqueen obeyed her trainer's commands and fell straight towards Decorus while sticking her limbs straight out as far as they could. While Gray and Durus turned their heads away from the sight, Fortis narrowed his eyes and flew forwards at a breakneck pace. Before Nidoqueen could flatten Decorus, Fortis scooped the fairy type into his arms and flew back to Gray's half of the battlefield, making everyone in attendance gasp in shock.
"Wh-what just happened?" Tracy stammered while looking around at her sister and the people Gray had met during her travels.
The room was silent, and not a single word was said as the camera continued recording Fortis, who placed Decorus on the ground next to their trainer.
"Thanks, Fortis," Decorus said while blushing at the dragon type, who nodded in response before turning around and glaring at Nidoqueen, who was motioning for him to charge at her.
Fortis nearly did so, but he was held back by Durus, who managed to grab him by the tail. Thrashing, Fortis became even more frustrated when he wasn't able to shake Durus off.
"Let go of me!" Fortis demanded, though Durus didn't listen. "Durus, get off of me! I'm going to knock Nidoqueen out cold!"
Seeing how enraged her Pokemon was, Gray walked forwards and placed her hand on Fortis' head, shocking the Pokemon into silence before he looked down at the ground in shame before suddenly being overcome by another wave of anger, which he was trying to suppress by turning his back to Gray.
"Calm down, Fortis," Gray said to her Pokemon, who turned to her and softened his stance after seeing Gray's stern look.
"Decorus has been disqualified from battle due to interference! Gray, choose your final Pokemon!" the referee shouted as Decorus' picture turned black.
Durus glared daggers at Fortis, who sweat dropped in response before flapping his wings and flying onto the battlefield. As he landed on the ground, Fortis looked around at the crowd and began to feel the energy they were exerting. So much intensity was manifesting, and Fortis smirked as he began to feed off it.
"Fortis, I'm counting on you!" Gray shouted to her powerhouse, who kept his back turned to his trainer, which made Gray exchange concerned glances with Durus and Decorus. Slowly, Fortis stuck his right arm straight out, grabbing Gray's attention, and he gave her a thumbs up, making the girl and her two other Pokemon smile.
Meanwhile, in his suite, Owen grinned at the sight before turning to Charizard and Brooklyn, who were shaking their heads.
"This is going to be a great battle!" the champion of the Kalos region exclaimed excitedly before releasing his five other Pokemon.
Heatmor, Krookodile, Garchomp, Zangoose, and Gengar appeared from their Pokeballs and looked down at the battlefield curiously before turning to Owen, who was smiling.
"I want you five to watch and tell me what you think about those two when the battle's over. Okay?"
"No problem!" Heatmor answered emphatically.
"You really like Fortis a lot," Brooklyn said to Owen, who laughed at the comment. "I get that he's strong, but why do you like him so much?"
Brooklyn grew confused as Owen turned away from her and began to look down at the battlefield along with his six Pokemon quietly. He continued to do so, making the blonde feel as if she had said something to offend him before Owen finally spoke up.
"Gray and Fortis remind me a lot of Charizard and me."
Back down on the battlefield, Fortis continued to flap his wings and fly in the same place while Nidoqueen began to punch her fists together, as her loss to the Flygon on the way to Celadon City continued to fill her mind. Fortis remembered that battle vividly, as he had evolved during it and obliterated Nidoqueen, who was a Nidorina at the time. The two stared each other down even while the referee stepped forwards and raised their arms in an attempt to grab everyone's attention, making Durus and Decorus shift around anxiously.
"This battle will be between Fortis and Nidoqueen! Begin!"
"Nidoqueen, be careful. Fortis is really strong, so get ready for a tough fight!" Savannah shouted to her last Pokemon, who nodded at her trainer's words. "Okay, let's use Surf!"
Nidoqueen roared before putting her hands to the sky and acting as if she were pulling something out of the ground. Suddenly, a wall of blue water appeared and Nidoqueen rode it like a surfer, though Gray and Fortis were more than ready to counter.
"Fortis, fly straight at Nidoqueen and strike with Dragon Claw!" Gray countered.
Fortis flapped his wings powerfully before zipping through the air and towards Nidoqueen, who narrowed her eyes and prepared to lunge at her opponent. Reading her Pokemon's body language, Savannah issued an aggressive command, which caught Gray by surprise.
"Stop Fortis with Poison Jab!"
Nidoqueen leaped off the crashing wave and cocked her arm back as her fist began to glow purple. After hurling it forwards, the attacks collided and cancelled each other out, making the audience gasp. Savannah, meanwhile, maintained her focus and watched as Fortis was left completely defenseless.
"Grab his wings and use Body Slam!"
With quick twitch actions, Nidoqueen grabbed Fortis by his wings and pointed the dragon type towards the ground before laying on top of him. Gray flinched when the two Pokemon hit the ground, and Fortis looked to be in excruciating pain while Nidoqueen roared victoriously. Much to her surprise, Nidoqueen turned around when she hear Fortis grunt while pushing himself off the ground before he glared at the poison type.
"Hurry and send Nidoqueen flying by using Boomburst!"
Fortis flapped his wings as powerfully as he could, sending several razor shaped blasts of yellow energy at Nidoqueen, who was struck by the attacks. The spectators covered their ears in pain as each of the waves of energy exploded on contact and made an ear piercing sound afterwards. Savannah bit her lip worriedly until Nidoqueen stood up and dusted herself off before stomping on the ground and roaring, which made Fortis smirk.
"Time to deal some major damage. Hyper Beam!" Savannah commanded, wanting to dish out a hefty amount of damage.
Nidoqueen grinned before rearing her head back and charging a Hyper Beam attack. Several particles of orange energy formed in front of the poison type's mouth, and she shot her head forwards as soon as the attack was charged.
"Show them what a real Hyper Beam is, Fortis!" Gray countered while throwing her right arm out to her side.
Fortis wasted no time in matching his opponent's attack, and the orange rays of energy collided before exploding, covering the entire battlefield in smoke. Fortis quickly flapped his wings and cleared the smoke, revealing his opponent and Savannah, who were coughing up a storm. The two waited for Gray and Fortis to attack, but the dragon type descended and landed on the ground, respectfully waiting for them to go.
Savannah bowed thankfully to the Pokemon, who bowed in response, and she cleared her throat before pointing at Fortis.
"Use Earthquake all over the battlefield and make it difficult for Fortis to fly around!"
Nidoqueen punched the ground repeatedly, and several columns of dirt began to spring out of the ground, forcing Fortis to take to the air. Each column had to have been fifteen feet tall, and Nidoqueen hid behind one in the middle of the battlefield, making it impossible for Gray or her Pokemon to see. With quick thinking, Gray snapped her fingers and smiled before looking up at Fortis and calling out to him.
"Cover the battlefield with Flamethrower, Fortis!" Gray shouted, knowing there was no way for Nidoqueen to avoid the attack without giving her position away.
Fortis shot a stream of red flames from his mouth, and the attack struck the ground. Savannah watched in horror as Nidoqueen was encapsulated in flames and screamed in pain before dropping to one knee. While that happened, Fortis zipped towards the ground and Gray punched her left fist forwards. "Now use Earthquake and send Nidoqueen into the air!" Another column of dirt shot out of the ground and struck Nidoqueen in the chin, sending the Pokemon into the air. Fortis then took off and closed in on Nidoqueen.
"Finish this with Poison Jab!"
Nidoqueen's eyes suddenly shot open and her fist was covered in dark purple energy. The powerful Pokemon loaded her arm back and kept her eyes on Fortis, not wanting to let the flying Pokemon get away.
"Slash 'em with Dragon Claw!"
Three long claws shot out of each of Fortis' hands and began to glow neon green. With a hurried slash, Fortis managed to scratch Nidoqueen across her chest, but he was clobbered by a fearsome punch to the face. Both Pokemon were smashed into the ground as a result and they were down for the count, prompting the referee to raise his arms.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! In order to determine the winner, we will look to see which Pokemon hit the ground first!"
The scoreboard, which was displaying the pictures of the girls and their Pokemon, quickly changed and showed a video of the two Pokemon attacking each other in slow-motion.
"Come on, Fortis," Durus whispered while eyeing the video intently. "There's no way you lost!"
The video continued and showed both Pokemon spiraling towards the ground, and everyone held their breath in suspense.
"Please, please, please, Fortis. Tell me you did it," Decorus said to herself while bringing her hands up to her face.
The footage rolled on and was paused as soon as the referee saw one of the Pokemon hit the ground, and he turned to look back at the trainers.
"After review, Fortis hit the ground first! Therefore, Savannah and Nidoqueen are the winners!"
The crowd exploded with cheers as Gray ran over to Fortis and helped the dragon type off the ground while Savannah, Durus, and Decorus helped Nidoqueen.
"It sucks that the battle had to end that way, but you and your Pokemon were incredible!" Gray exclaimed while sticking her hand out.
Savannah and her Nidoqueen beamed at the compliment and the redhead shook her rival's hand. Nidoqueen and Fortis mimicked their trainers before nodding at each other out of respect, and the two sides walked to opposite ends of the battlefield before exiting.
"I'm sorry, Gray. I need to train more!" Fortis shouted before gripping his side in pain, which made his trainer giggle while Decorus looked on worriedly.
"Don't worry about it, Fortis. That was all my fault. I should've done a better job with commands, and you didn't do anything wrong. In fact, you're the main reason we almost won."
The Flygon smiled at his trainer's kind words before hugging her. Gray then helped Fortis sit down on a couch in the trainer room and patted him on the head with pride.
Suddenly, Chase, Sammy, Tracy, Tara, Marcus, and Gray's two other Pokemon walked over to Gray and Fortis with smiles plastered on their faces, which made Fortis feel better about the loss, even though he was disgusted with his performance.
"You were incredible, Fortis! I can't believe Gray has such a strong Pokemon!" Sammy and Tracy shrieked, making the dragon type laugh before high-fiving the twins.
"Yeah, it was great to see you battle again," Chase told Fortis with a smile. "I don't think I've seen a Pokemon as strong as you."
"It really brought back a lot of memories, even though you were only gone for a few weeks," Tara added, making Fortis laugh.
"Those were some awesome moves, Fortis. I wish you could've faced off with Garchomp in the semifinals. After all, he does have your number," Marcus informed his rival's powerhouse with a sly grin.
"Don't worry, I'll beat him the next time we battle," Fortis vowed with a serious look on his face, clearly not fooling around with the words he chose.
Marcus grinned and nodded in response before being called to the battlefield, leaving Gray with her friends.
"So, what are we doing now that we're out of the tournament?" Durus inquired as she laid down on the ground.
Decorus, meanwhile, sat down next to Fortis and leaned her head on his shoulder, making the winged Pokemon smile.
Gray shrugged in response and looked at Tara and Chase, who had the same reactions.
"The league's in four months, so we could always take a break for a week or two," the feline suggested, knowing that she and her teammates desperately needed to time off to recuperate from all the battles they had participated in.
"I know!" Gray shouted, ignoring Durus' idea, which made the normal type sweat drop. "We can go to Lavender Town and beat the Gym Leader there! Let's go!"
Well, it sucks that Fortis lost by a split second, but at least he showed off what he's capable of doing. Now that the Saffron City Tournament's over Gray can get back to collecting all eight badges, and she only needs two more! That's all I've go to say for now, so till next time, peace out.
1) Who do you think was the MVP for Gray's team (throughout the tournament)? Why?
2) Predictions for next arc's chapters?
Next Chapter: "The Kanto Kids": Down and out of the tournament, Gray decides to head off for Lavender Town. She's soon stopped, however, by Owen, who congratulates her on her success. Impressed by how well she did, Owen decides to battle Gray! Will the Kalos Champion be defeated?
Lavender Town Arc
Chapter 53: Healing Wounds
Chapter 54: Dancing with Demons
Chapter 55: Finishing the Job