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! (Gray throws a Pokeball forwards and it opens)
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!
How's it going, people? Last chapter, Gray and Savannah dueled in the top 16, and Savannah ended up pulling out the victory by a hair, as her Nidoqueen hit the ground a split second after Fortis did. The group will be heading for Lavender Town next chapter, but for now they'll remain in Saffron City, and Owen will be coming back along with a few of his Pokemon! Now, let's get going!
Defender31415: Thank you! And it does suck that Gray lost, and your prediction is very likely, but I don't feel like answering it because there wouldn't be much of a point in reading the chapter
Dr. Kitten Von Fangtoven: Technically yes, but screw technicalities! She hasn't battled at night, at least not "onscreen," but if I wanted Magna to evolve, she would've already. The team is set in stone, with an addition that I've spoken about a few times
CyberPorygon (guest): I've already answered your question
MCMXCV: Wow, thanks for the high praise! And lol, I've realized I always end up putting the strongest Pokemon last in battle and wanted to switch it up, so that's why Fortis went second instead of last.
guest: Thank you, and I'm glad you understand why he was brought back. Thinking about it, Gray would've done horribly at the league had she not had Fortis, because his replacement (would've been a Shelgon) was only going to serve as a wall, and nothing else. As for your annoyance with everyone (what I'll call) fanboying over Fortis, I totally get it and will try to dial it back. There'll be some chapters where it will happen, like this one, but my reasoning for including that is to show his significance to the team, and I wanted to have him and Gray mirror Owen and Charizard (who was grossly under appreciated in Kanto due to a lack of writing skills) when they first started
Blaze Falcon: Thanks! Fortis will continue to showcase his newfound strength - even though he's getting his ass kicked this chapter, it'll still be kind of easy to see how much he's improved - and he'll continue to prove his worth. Savannah's Nidoqueen is a beast, too, and could definitely give Fortis a run for his money if they battle again, just like Garchomp has/could
ShadowDragon9000: Thanks! My favorite is still Fortis vs Garchomp, but Gray vs Savannah is a close second, at least for now. And there is an extremely high chance she loses to Owen, assuming he uses legitimate Pokemon and not ones that were terrible (Hitmonchan... oh dear god why did I have him get that)
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 42, Confusion, Yawn, Astonish, Uproar, Last Resort*, Protect* - (Chingling)
Decorus, (f), level 45, Vine Whip, Moonblast, Psychic, Magical Leaf, Grassy Terrain*, Petal Blizzard* - (Florges)
Fortis, (m), level 51, Dragon Claw, Flamethrower, Dragon Breath, Earthquake, Hyper Beam*, Boomburst* - (Flygon)
"Are you sure you want to leave so soon? You've only been here for two weeks," Gray's mother asked her daughter worriedly.
The younger girl waved off her mother's concerns and watched as her Pokemon sat around the entertainment room laughing and talking with Billy.
"Yeah, we're gonna head out, but we'll be back as soon as I got my eighth badge," Gray informed her mother with a smile before hugging the older woman tightly.
Once they broke apart, Gray walked towards the door and her Pokemon followed, waving to Billy before following their trainer outside, where Chase and Tara were waiting with their Pokemon.
"We're going to Lavender Town, right?" Tara inquired, which Gray and Chase answered emphatically with nods. "I heard the Gym Leader there specializes in ghost types and always uses status inflicting moves to overwhelm their opponents," the blonde informed Gray as they stood in the elevator and reached the lobby of the building.
Gray turned with a funny look on her face, making Tara laugh.
"Who told you that?"
"The league website. A bunch of trainers submitted complaints about how the leader uses 'gimmicks' to win, and that there isn't any skill involved. I guess they're just mad about losing."
"You can say that again. It says here that only ten percent of challengers manage to win the badge on their first try. That's a lower percentage than any other Gym in Kanto!" Chase exclaimed while pointing at the statistic being displayed on his Pokedex.
Audino and Musharna gasped in shock before turning to Gray and Durus, who didn't seem fazed by the staggering number of losers.
"We're not intimidated. I know all six members of the team could win in that place, and I'm confident that we'll win!" Gray replied cheerily.
Durus, meanwhile, nodded solemnly with a confident grin.
"I'm not gonna lie, Gray, ghosts creep me out. I don't think I can battle," the Persian informed her trainer, who smiled kindly and placed her hand on Durus' head.
"Don't worry about it, Durus. Thanks for letting me know," the brunette said to her starter, who nodded in response before walking ahead to talk with Audino, Musharna, and Scyther. "I didn't even plan on using her," Gray whispered to Chase and Tara, making the two teens laugh. "Anyways, if we go this way we should get to Lavender Town in two days tops!"
Before Gray could start running, a blast of fire exploded right in front of her and her friends, making them turn around angrily. Much to their surprise, a Heatmor stood in front of them and smiled.
"Hi! I saw you battle yesterday, and you were great!" the Heatmor exclaimed while looking at Gray, who blushed at the compliment before smiling. "My trainer should be right here... but I guess he fell behind. My name's Heatmor, by the way," the friendly Pokemon greeted.
"Heatmor, did you find them?" a familiar voice asked, grabbing everyone's attention.
The three teens and all of the Pokemon looked to see Owen walking forwards with an excited look on his face, and he bowed to Gray, Chase, and Tara immediately.
"Sorry about having Heatmor stop you guys, I just wanted to see you before you left for whatever town or city you were going to visit."
"Don't worry about it. What's up?" Gray asked while Durus walked to her side and stared at Owen intently.
Before the seventeen year old could answer, Durus interrupted excitedly.
"Can we battle? I've been itching for some real competition!"
Owen laughed at the feline's comments before walking over and petting her head. Durus purred in response and Owen stood up with a smile on his face.
"You know what? Let's do it. I was going to let you know how impressed I was with your showing, but I guess this is good, too," the champion said before chuckling as Heatmor returned to his side.
Durus jumped up excitedly and began running circles around Owen, making Gray sweat drop while Heatmor decided to speak up.
"You might want to switch some of the guys you have right now," the fire type suggested, not wanting to give his opinion about how Gray and her Pokemon would get destroyed.
Owen nodded, understanding what his Pokemon was inferring, before turning his back to Gray.
"I'll meet you at the back of the Pokemon Center in twenty minutes."
With that, Owen opened a Pokeball and flew away on his Charizard.
"Holy crap! You're getting to battle Owen frickin' Plateau! That's so cool!" Chase screamed while Gray couldn't stop smiling stupidly.
000
"Hey, I didn't think you'd show up," Owen joked while Gray ran towards the battlefield he was standing on. "I switched up my team just for this, and I'll let you take your pick of who you want to battle, but on one condition."
Gray's ears perked up at the older boy's words, and she turned to Chase and Tara, who were standing off to the side of the battlefield.
"Fire away."
"I want Fortis to battle against Charizard... if you're cool with that."
Gray narrowed her eyes in response before putting her hand over Fortis' Pokeball. Why exactly did Owen want his first and strongest Pokemon to battle Fortis? Gray couldn't think of an answer, and she nodded with a grin.
"That's fine. Come on out, everyone!" Gray shouted as she hurled five Pokeballs in the air. Leviculus, Fidens, Magna, Fortis, and Decorus appeared in front of her, and Durus ran onto the battlefield and sat next to Leviculus with an anxious smile.
"Okay, I'll send my Pokemon out, too!" Owen yelled.
In six flashes of light, Charizard, Feraligatr, Swampert, Lopunny, Muk, and Hawlucha appeared and eyed Gray's six Pokemon intently.
"Take your pick," the Kantoian said while pointing at all of his Pokemon, who were radiating power intimidatingly.
"Wow, all of Owen's Pokemon look so strong!" Tara said loudly.
Scyther stared at the Pokemon quietly along with Audino and Musharna, who were too wowed to speak. Chase, meanwhile, marveled at the shape each of the Pokemon were in, and then looked at Gray's band of misfits. The only Pokemon that looked to be in any kind of shape, at least compared to Owen's Pokemon, was Fortis, and that was because he had been protecting the Pokemon Reservoir for nearly a month.
"Hmm... Durus, who do you want to battle?" Gray asked her starter, who eyed each of the Pokemon intently.
The champion's team stared right back at her with the utmost confidence, which was much different than all of the other trainers' Pokemon Gray had met and battled during her trek across Kanto. Usually, most Pokemon were uncertain of how strong their opponents were, but it seemed as if Owen's Pokemon didn't care, or maybe they just knew how much stronger they were.
"Whoever's the strongest. That's who I'll take on!"
Decorus face palmed at the answer while Leviculus, Magna, and Fidens cheered in support of their teammate, who had no idea what she was getting in to.
Owen shrugged and looked at all of his Pokemon except Charizard and allowed them to decide before Feraligatr stepped forwards and snapped his jaws powerfully, sending chills down Gray's spine. The water type, who was Owen's starter in the Johto region, quickly glanced back at Charizard and flashed a thumbs up at the lizard before turning back around and roaring.
"I'll be the referee," Chase announced while raising both of his arms in the air. "This battle will be between Durus and Feraligatr! Owen, you have the first move," Chase told the older trainer, who nodded in response before grinning.
"Feraligatr, start by using Hydro Pump!" Owen commanded powerfully, his voice booming.
Feraligatr leaned back before shooting a dark blue blast of high-pressured water from his mouth, and it struck Durus. The normal type was sent flying past Gray, and the girl stared in shock as her Pokemon attempted to walk back onto the battlefield, though she had trouble doing so.
"Durus, answer right back with Feint Attack!"
"Turn around and use Ice Punch, Feraligatr!" Owen countered immediately.
Gray's jaw fell as Owen's Johto starter turned before Durus could reappear, and his fist was covered in icy energy. As soon as Durus appeared, Feraligatr unleashed a devastating punch to the Persian's face, sending her rolling past Owen, who looked on worriedly, but didn't say anything. The champion's Pokemon, meanwhile, roared powerfully and began to smile at his trainer until Durus bounded towards him, hissing angrily.
"Show them your Slash attack!" Gray ordered while punching her fist straight forwards.
Durus leaped forwards while her claws extended and began to glow white. As soon as she threw her arms forwards, Feraligatr opened his mouth and chomped down, catching Durus' claws and immobilizing the four legged Pokemon. Every one of Gray's Pokemon gasped in shock while Owen's Pokemon remained calm, and the seventeen year old cracked his neck.
"Throw Durus and use Superpower!"
Feraligatr hurled Durus straight into the air and she began to flail around like a rag doll while Feraligatr was enveloped in dark red energy that was radiating immense waves of strength. Once Durus was right in front of him, Feraligatr punched her in the stomach and sent her flying into Gray, who was knocked onto her back as a result of the impact. Chase ran over to Gray's side and helped her onto her feet before raising his arms in the air to signal Durus couldn't go on.
"Durus is unable to battle! Owen and Feraligatr win this round!"
"Are you okay, Durus?" Gray asked worriedly as she knelt by her starter's side.
Durus looked up and coughed weakly, but she managed to smirk in response, easing Gray's nerves.
"Yeah... but I didn't think he'd be that strong."
Gray shook her head at Durus' words along with Decorus, who helped Durus over to the side of the battlefield, where the rest of Gray's Pokemon were standing along with Owen's.
"Awesome job, Feraligatr. Take a long rest over there."
Feraligatr nodded at his trainer's words before walking over to his teammates and waiting for the next two Pokemon to be selected, though they all knew exactly who Owen was going to pick.
"Charizard, come on over here," the teen ordered, which made his other Pokemon roll their eyes due to how easy it was to predict his decision.
The winged lizard wasted no time in flying over to his trainer and landing powerfully with a mighty roar, similar to Feraligatr, who was staring at Charizard in admiration.
Gray stared at the Pokemon in awe before glancing over at her Pokemon and locking eyes with Fortis. The dragon type didn't seem fond of battling Charizard, as he could sense how powerful he was, but Fortis flew over to Gray when she motioned for him.
"Fortis, let's give this our all!" the girl exclaimed before hearing her other Pokemon cheer.
Charizard and the others, meanwhile, remained silent while Chase prepared to speak up.
"This should be an interesting battle," Lopunny opined while sitting down lazily alongside Hawlucha and Muk, who nodded in agreement.
Gray's five Pokemon looked on in intrigue before Lopunny continued speaking, and she turned to them.
"Owen and Charizard keep raving about that Flygon and your trainer. It was starting to get on my nerves," the bunny informed the younger group of Pokemon, who laughed in response before hearing another of Owen's Pokemon speak.
"Yeah, but whenever those two get excited about a Pokemon or trainer, they're usually really good," Hawlucha added with a smirk. "Here's to hoping they're right again!"
"Wahoo! Come on, Fortis! Show 'em just how strong you are!" Leviculus cheered along with Magna and Fidens, who were screaming like banshees.
Decorus and Durus, meanwhile, remained silent and eyed Charizard intently. There was something different about the fire type, something neither Pokemon had come across before. It almost seemed as if Charizard knew he was going to win, and that he was unbeatable, or as close to it as one could get. Owen had the same aura about him, but the pair was incredibly grounded.
"This battle will be between Fortis and Charizard! Gray, you have the first move," the teen informed his childhood friend, who nodded in response before cracking her knuckles anxiously.
"Show off your Flamethrower, Fortis!" Gray commanded, wanting to show Owen and Charizard just how strong she and Fortis were.
Fortis quickly reared his head back and unleashed a wave of red fire at the Kalos champion and his starting Pokemon, who didn't seem to be worried about the incoming attack, which unnerved Gray and Fortis. Owen's Pokemon noticed this and they shook their heads immediately, catching the attention of Gray's Pokemon.
"You use Flamethrower, too, Charizard!" Owen countered, not wanting to be outdone by Gray and her powerhouse.
Charizard effortlessly matched the power of Fortis' Flamethrower, and the two waves of fire collided in the middle of the battlefield and exploded. Charizard roared in response while opening his wings, and Fortis did the same before hearing Gray's voice ring in his ears.
"Now take to the sky and use Dragon Breath!"
With a powerful flap of his wings, Fortis shot into the air like a rocket. He quickly followed that up by releasing a wave of green fire from his mouth, and it looked to have much more power than the previous Flamethrower attack, though Gray didn't notice. Owen and Charizard, on the other hand, did, and they narrowed their eyes at the same time.
"Speed right through it with a spinning Aerial Ace!"
Charizard grinned before soaring right at the dragon type attack, and Gray smirked confidently. There was no way Charizard would be able to power through the attack, that much was certain. Much to her dismay, Gray watched as Charizard started spinning like a drill, and white streaks of light flew off his face as he cut through the Dragon Breath attack. Before he knew it, Fortis was crushed by the speedy attack, but he quickly regained control of his flight.
"Start slashing Charizard with a series of Dragon Claw attacks!"
"Counter with your own flurry of Dragon Claw slashes!"
The two Pokemon roared and their claws extended while glowing neon. In the blink of an eye, both Pokemon were slashing at one another, and the attacks collided repeatedly. Eventually, Charizard wore Fortis down and began to overwhelm the younger Pokemon with a vicious barrage of slashes, and Gray began to bite her lip in concern while trying to think of a way to get her Pokemon away form Charizard.
"Cover yourself with your wings, Fortis!" Gray shouted desperately as her Pokemon continued taking a beating from Charizard.
Fortis rushed to cover his body with his wings, and Charizard's onslaught was stopped cold, presenting Gray and Fortis the perfect opportunity to counterattack.
"Now blow Charizard away with Boomburst!"
Fortis' wings shot open and a ring of yellow energy slammed into the winged lizard, exploding on contact. Charizard was shot back to the ground, but he recovered and landed on his feet with a large exhale. Fortis also landed on the ground and locked eyes with Charizard, who began to release embers from his nostrils in anticipation of finishing the battle.
"Charizard, are you ready to finish this?" Owen asked his starter, who flashed a thumbs up without turning around. "Good. Use Aerial Ace to get in close!"
Charizard roared before flapping his wings, and he took off towards Fortis. The dragon and ground type smirked and began to flap his wings in an attempt to fly at his opponent, but he stopped when Gray's command was different.
"Intercept with Dragon Claw!"
Fortis' claws extended while glowing neon, and he attempted to scratch Charizard, who was speeding towards him. As he threw his right arm forwards, Fortis gasped when his attack missed, and Charizard was suddenly standing right in front of him with a confident look on his face.
"Grab Fortis' arms, Charizard!"
Charizard did as he was told and shot into the air at the speed of light, catching Fortis and Gray off guard. Meanwhile, everyone on the side of the battlefield was watching the battle as if their lives depended on it.
"No way! Those reflexes are insane!" Decorus shouted in disbelief before shaking her head. "I guess that's what happens when your the champion's strongest Pokemon."
"Let's wrap this up with a flaming Seismic Toss!" Owen commanded.
Charizard roared and began to use Flamethrower while flying in a circle, and a ring of fire appeared in the air. He then nosedived towards the ground, and it looked like a meteor was crashing towards the Earth. The two Pokemon collided against the ground and a blast of fire shot straight into the air until Charizard stood up and roared proudly. Fortis, meanwhile, was lying on his back and fighting to get back on his feet. Before he could, Chase raised his arms and spoke up.
"Fortis is unable to battle! Owen and Charizard are the winners!" Chase announced while Owen walked over to his starter and hugged him.
"Thanks for the great work, Charizard."
"No problem," the fire type replied before he walked over to Gray alongside Owen, who was smiling at the girl.
Gray turned to the champion and his group of Pokemon and smiled as she helped Fortis to his feet. The Flygon weakly eyes Charizard and nodded respectfully, prompting Charizard to do the same before Owen decided to speak.
"You showed a lot of guts and skill, Gray. I'm impressed by how much you've improved over the past couple of months," Owen informed the girl, who beamed at the compliment before bowing thankfully.
"Thanks! Is there anything we should work on, or did we just lose because you and your Pokemon are that strong?" Gray asked seriously, making Owen scratch his chin.
Before his trainer could say anything, Charizard stepped forwards and smiled.
"Keep doing whatever it is that you're doing, because it's working. Having Fortis use his wings as a way to knock me away was really clever, and it's impressive that you were strong enough to do that," Charizard said as he looked over at his opponent with a grin.
"Thanks, Charizard. If we get to battle again, I'm going to push you to the limit," Fortis informed the older Pokemon confidently, making Charizard and everyone else laugh heartily.
"I look forward to it."
The two Pokemon then shook hands, and so did the trainers, though they stopped when Durus spoke up.
"We should probably head off for Lavender Town now. If the Gym Leader's as tough as Tara said, we're going to need a lot of time to practice," she stated, trying to get Owen to talk about the Gym Leader.
Her plan worked, and the seventeen year old ran a hand through his hair at the thought of the leader.
"Yeah, you're going to have a tough time with her. All of her Pokemon use status inflicters, and they change your stats a lot. Be careful when you face her, that's all the advice I can offer," the champion said to Gray before withdrawing all of his Pokemon except Charizard. "I'll see you three around, hopefully. Till we meet again!"
With that, Owen hopped on Charizard's back, and the winged lizard flew away while roaring goodbye.
"That guy's so strong, it's hard to comprehend," Chase muttered while shaking his head. "He's only a year older than us, too. Imagine that, Gray; being a champion in a year!"
Gray shook her head at the unfathomable idea, and she turned to her six Pokemon with a bright smile.
"We may not be there today, but with enough work, we can be champs by the end of the year! Who's with me?"
"Yeah!" all six of Gray's Pokemon roared in response.
Well, Durus and Fortis got their butts handed to them by Feraligatr and Charizard, respectively, but what else would you expect from a champion's Pokemon, let alone two of his starters and powerhouses? Owen also complimented Gray's skills along with those of her Pokemon, and now the group is off for Lavender Town, where they will be next chapter. Also, Mewtwo won't be making another appearance for a while, so don't worry, I didn't forget about him. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter "Healing Wounds": With Saffron City and all of its drama behind them, the group arrives in Lavender Town for Gray's seventh Gym Battle! While taking time to rest and relax, Audino and Musharna try to discourage Chase from taking another crack at asking Gray out, but he refuses to shy away from his feelings. Will Gray finally say yes?
Lavender Town Arc
Chapter 54: Dancing with Demons