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!
Sorry for the long delay, everyone! I figured since it's summer, there's no better time to take a break from writing, but I'm back and will attempt to get back in to the swing of things. Last chapter, Chase tried asking Gray out again, but was denied by Leviculus. Then, Tara tried taking Chase out, but he declined, and it was revealed that she has feelings for him. Now, this chapter will be about Gray taking on the Lavender Town Gym Leader, who'll be a frustrating opponent, to say the least. Let's get going!
ShadowDragon9000: Haha, I'm rooting for Tara, too. And your prediction is as good as mine with the G.B's and judging by the titles of the upcoming chapters, I don't think I really need to tell you if you're right or not, lol. As for the Pac 12 League, it sucks you can't join, but it'll be really fun to write, and I can tell you right now the main character's team is going to be really, really strong
Blaze Falcon: Nah, Gray's not going to be involved with Chase romantically, so that sets up a probable match with Tara. And Gray will struggle a bit with one Pokemon in particular, though I won't say exactly who it is, and it's not a Hypnosis strategy she'll have to worry about
Trentavious Phoenix: Call Alabama whatever you want, you're just jelly neither of the Mississippi teams have won in over 50 years :P And I know that feeling, too, and you're right; it does suck eggs. And there will be back-to-back G.B's, so I think it's pretty obvious what the results of those will be
CaptainPrice: Haha, I wanted to add a little more pizzaz (no autocorrect?) to the group, so Tara getting rejected had to happen. I don't really think Gray will have a particular strategy heading into this battle even though she was studying up on the leader, but she will show some cunning in one matchup in particular
Defender31415: Yeah
SinnohBlaze (guest): Isn't it always? Haha. This leader will be replacing Blaine (hence the title "Victory in Viridian"), and I see Gary and Blue as two different people, because I usually don't use the anime, but I figured I'd make an exception
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)
"This is it, guys. Let's go out there and give this battle everything we've got!" Gray exclaimed while pumping her fist in the air excitedly.
Durus nodded while the five other Pokemon cheered along with Gray, and they were zapped back into their Pokeballs. The trainer then handed Tara two Pokeballs, which contained the Pokemon Gray weren't going to be using, and they walked into the Gym.
"Are you sure about this, Gray?" Tara started after yawning. "This is the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto, so maybe you want to take some more time to train."
Gray shook her head adamantly before cracking her knuckles, and she turned back to face Chase and Tara.
"My Pokemon and I are ready to win now, so we're going through with this!"
The two teens nodded at Gray's proclamation and followed the girl down a dark hallway that was dimly lit with creepy candles. After reaching the end of the hallway, the group walked into a room that was much bigger than one would expect, judging from the exterior of the building.
"This is giving me the creeps," Durus muttered before walking to the side of the battlefield with Chase and Tara while Gray stepped into her trainer box and waited for the Gym Leader to appear.
Suddenly, a cold gust struck her face, and Gray watched as a girl no older than twenty appeared from the shadows. She was wearing all black, and there were a pair of black wings attached to the back of her dress. Her eyes were dark purple, and she had pale skin that made her look like a vampire. An equally creepy referee appeared and bowed to Gray warmly, settling the girl's nerves.
"You're Gray Plain, right?" the Gym Leader asked while looking at a piece of paper with a bunch of names scribbled on it.
Gray nodded, and the leader cracked her neck before clearing her throat to speak.
"My name is Raven, and I'm the Gym Leader of Lavender Town. I specialize in ghost types, and have the lowest losing percentage among all Gym Leaders in Kanto. Are you sure you wanna battle me?"
"Definitely! If I want to become the champion of Kanto, I can't dance around anyone that's strong!" Gray responded, making Raven smile.
The woman looked over at the referee and nodded, prompting the man to speak up and raise his arms in the air.
"This will be a three versus three gym battle between Raven and Gray where only the challenger may substitute her Pokemon! Furthermore, once all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the battle will be over! Raven, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Drifblim, take them to a world of darkness!" Raven shouted while dropping her first Pokeball in the ground.
Gray narrowed her eyes when a large, purple Pokemon floated into the air. It looked exactly like a balloon, but it clearly wasn't.
"So, Gray, what Pokemon are you going to use in an attempt to defeat my Drifblim?" Raven asked tauntingly, wanting to see how the sixteen year old would react to such a question.
"Fidens, I choose you!" Gray shouted, ignoring the Gym Leader, which made Raven smirk.
In a flash of light, the prehistoric Pokemon landed on the ground, and Tara released the two Pokemon from the Pokeballs Gray had given her. Decorus and Magna materialized from the light and eyed the battlefield intently before turning to see Durus sitting close to Tara, and she was trembling at the sight of the ghost type.
"This battle will be between Drifblim and Fidens! Begin!"
"Quite the interesting choice. No matter, we will defeat you! Drifblim, use Thunderbolt!" Raven commanded confidently, making Gray's eyes shoot wide open.
Drifblim ascended before being covered in yellow electricity, and then she fired a zigzagging bolt towards Fidens, who clearly wasn't expecting his opponent to use such an attack.
"Dodge it, Fidens!" Gray countered while throwing her left hand to her side.
Fidens attempted to jump away from the attack, but Drifblim continued firing zigzagging bolts. Eventually, Fidens was hit by one, and he squawked in pain before slumping his shoulders.
"Hang in there and fire away with Ancient Power!"
Fidens' head suddenly shot up as five boulders began to revolve around his body, shocking Raven. Then, he stomped on the ground, and each of the rocks were hurled at Drifblim. The ghost type attempted to evade the attacks, but was unable to do so.
"Drifblim, spin and use Ominous Wind!"
Drifblim did as her trainer ordered, and she began to spin, which allowed her to regain control of her flight pattern. Then, she flapped the string-like appendages on the lower part of her body, and a powerful gust of purple win was created. With quick thinking, Gray was able to counter the attack, and Fidens grinned as soon as he heard his trainer speak.
"Run away with Quick Attack, and then strike with Acrobatics!"
The rock type took off running to his right, and a streak of white light trailed his body. As he began to pump his legs faster and faster, Fidens took to the air and spread his wings before gliding over to Drifblim and preparing to unleash a devastating barrage of punches and kicks.
"Send Fidens flying with Shadow Ball, Drifblim!" Raven demanded, making Gray gasp in shock.
Before she or Fidens could react, Drifblim created and fired a ball of purple and black energy. The ball slammed into Fidens and sent him crashing into the battlefield, and he let out a weak squawk as the dust settled around his body.
"That had to have hurt," Chase stated while watching Fidens rise to his feet.
The rock and flying type was clearly in pain, but he refused to back down.
"Definitely, but there's no way Fidens would get knocked out by that!" Magna exclaimed confidently. "Come on, Fidens! You can do this!"
"You can say that again. Fidens really can take a hit with the best of them," Decorus complimented while resting her head in her left hand. "Knock 'em out cold, Fidens!"
"Fidens, are you alright?" Gray asked the injured Pokemon.
The bird nodded in response and began charging at Drifblim, making Gray smile.
"Okay, use Crunch!"
Fidens smirked as he bent his knees and sprung into the air at a high speed, catching Raven by surprise. Fidens then chomped down on Drifblim's head, and the ghost type began to fly around in pain, flailing uncontrollably in the process. The Gym Leader, however, smirked and punched her left fist forwards excitedly.
"Blast him off of you with Ominous Wind!"
"Finish this off with Wing Attack!"
Before Drifblim could attempt to attack Fidens, the prehistoric Pokemon's wings began to glow white, and he smacked his opponent over the head as hard as he could. Drifblim was smashed into the ground as a result of the powerful attack, and Fidens landed shortly afterwards with a confident expression plastered on his face.
"Drifblim is unable to battle! Raven, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee shouted as he pointed at Raven.
The Gym Leader nodded and zapped her Pokemon back into its Pokeball, whispering words of encouragement.
"Fidens, come back for a little bit," Gray called to the Archeops as she zapped him back into his Pokeball.
Smiling, Gray took out her second Pokeball and chucked it in the air violently.
"Leviculus, come on out!"
After jumping out of his capsule, Leviculus landed and began dancing happily, making Raven and the referee laugh while Decorus shook her head at the Politoed.
"Trevenant, use your strength to turn their dream into a nightmare!" Raven yelled as she dropped her second Pokeball.
A gigantic tree with arms appeared, and it had one gigantic, red eye. The imposing Pokemon glared at Leviculus and roared, though the toad wasn't intimidated in the slightest. Durus, on the other hand, jumped at the sight of another ghost type, and she hid behind Decorus and Magna, making the two other females laugh.
"This battle will be between Trevenant and Leviculus! Begin!"
"Trevenant, use Trick Room!" Raven commanded with a smirk.
Trevenant threw his arms forwards and a box of energy appeared around the battlefield. Gray bit her bottom lip in response, remembering the move from her battle with Trentavious back in the Vermilion City Tournament. Suddenly, Trevenant began to move around quickly, while Leviculus appeared to be sluggish.
"Cover the ground with Water Gun and slide around on your stomach, Leviculus!" Gray shouted, remembering that her Pokemon's speed could be boosted by sliding around.
Leviculus reared his head back and blasted the battlefield with a powerful blast of water, which confused Raven and her Pokemon. Suddenly, Leviculus began to slide around on his stomach, and the effects of Trick Room were negated. "Now use Ice Punch!" Leviculus slid headfirst towards Trevenant while his fist was shrouded in icy energy, and he prepared to strike.
"Dodge and perform Curse!"
Leviculus gasped in shock as his opponent disappeared from sight, and reappeared right in front of Gray, who jumped in fear. The brunette watched as Trevenant raised his arms in the air and a needle passed through his body, making the tree grimace in pain. Suddenly, a strange bubble of gray energy flew out of Leviculus' head, and he looked around in confusion. Suddenly, his eyes went white and Leviculus let out a horrifying scream of pain, and he fell to one knee in pain.
"That's not good," Tara muttered as Leviculus pushed himself back up weakly. "Curse is going to take away huge chunks of Leviculus' energy, but at least Trevenant had to give up half of his health.
"Let's finish this up nice and quick! Get in close and use Ice Punch!" Gray commanded after hearing Tara's words.
Leviculus nodded before running and diving. The toad began to slide around the battlefield and his fist was covered in icy energy once again. Raven smirked and began to laugh to herself as Leviculus closed in on Trevenant, who readied himself to attack.
"Counter and use Wood Hammer, Trevenant!"
Trevenant quickly grabbed Leviculus once he tried to swing at him, and the tree slammed Leviculus against the ground viciously. All of a sudden, Trevenant's right arm started to glow light green, and he smashed his long limb against Leviculus' stomach, making the fully evolved Pokemon gasp in pain.
"Leviculus, use Dig and wait to strike!"
Within nanoseconds, Leviculus dug a hole in the ground and hid from Trevenant, who's eye shifted left and right. The room went silent as everyone waited for Leviculus to resurface, but it didn't look like Gray planned on giving another command, prompting Raven to speak to her Pokemon.
"Trevenant, use Destiny Bond," Raven whispered to the ghost type, who nodded in response.
Trevenant slowly stuck his arms out and grunted loudly as he prepared to counter Leviculus' next attack. Seeing the uneasy look on her opponent's face, Gray grinned and threw her right arm to her side energetically before calling out to her Pokemon.
"Now, jump out and hit 'em with Ice Punch again!"
Leviculus suddenly shot out of the ground and delivered a devastating uppercut that launched Trevenant into the air. When Trevenant hit the ground, Leviculus began to cheer, but he stopped when a flash of dark energy appeared around his body and made him collapse face first. Gray and her Pokemon gasped in shock, and the girl ran to her Pokemon's side while the referee grinned at Raven.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Both sides must choose their next Pokemon!"
"What just happened? Why did Leviculus just faint?" Durus asked Chase, who rubbed his chin before looking over at Audino, who shrugged.
Musharna, meanwhile, floated over to the feline and sat down next to her in order to explain what had just happened to the Politoed laying down in front of Gray, who was still in shock.
"Destiny Bond is a move that can take out the opponent if the user faints in the next turn. It's a really useful move if you know your Pokemon's going to faint."
Durus scowled at Raven as she withdrew her Trevenant, and the Persian shook her head in disgust. Even though Destiny Bond was a legal move, it just seemed so cheap and anyone with half a brain could use it to win.
"Thanks for the great effort, Leviculus. Take a long rest."
Gray smiled at the fainted Pokemon as he was zapped back into his capsule, and the girl walked back to her trainer box slowly, still confused about her Pokemon fainting.
"Fidens, you're up again!"
Fidens leaped out of his Pokeball once it reached its apex, and the rock type landed on the ground with a squawk.
"Great work, Trevenant. Now let's make this battle as terrifying as possible. Dusknoir, time to bask in the darkness!" Raven yelled while dropping her third and final Pokeball.
Slowly, a shadow crept out of the device, and a Dusknoir popped out of the ground before locking his sights on Fidens. Gray and her Pokemon had chills run down their spines as Dusknoir continued to stare at them, and Durus hid behind Chase, who she used as a shield just incase Dusknoir would try to attack her for whatever reason.
"This battle will be between Dusknoir and Fidens! Begin!"
"Fidens, charge and use Acrobatics!"
Fidens did as he was told and began running across the battlefield at his usual speed, which was impressive, to say the least. Suddenly, Fidens leaped forwards and smirked before rearing his wings back as he usually did before striking his opponents. Raven picked up on the slight opening and capitalized immediately, and her Dusknoir seemed to be just as ready.
"Grab Fidens and use Ice Punch, Dusknoir!" Raven countered.
Dusknoir's left arm shot forwards and he grabbed Fidens by the neck, making the winged Pokemon squawk in fear while he tried to flail out of his opponent's grasp. Suddenly, Fidens bit Dusknoir's hand, and the ghost type let out a low cry before his other fist was shrouded in light blue energy. After rocketing his arm forwards, Dusknoir landed a powerful punch on Fidens' face, shooting the bird across the battlefield at the speed of a bullet.
"Get up and retaliate with Wing Attack, Fidens!" Gray shouted while her Pokemon struggled to get off the ground.
Once he did, Fidens' wings began to glow white and he bolted across the battlefield. As he did so, Raven snapped her fingers, and Dusknoir suddenly disappeared into the ground, making Fidens stop dead in his tracks. Laughing at the sight, Raven snapped her fingers once again, but she spoke up this time.
"Now use Shadow Sneak!"
The shadow on the ground flew across the battlefield and towards Fidens, who stared at it nervously. Gray, on the other hand, immediately thought back to her battle with Owen, and how the Kalos champion predicted where Durus was going to appear with Feint Attack. Smirking, Gray punched her left fist forwards and shouted.
"Turn around and use Crunch!"
Fidens, though confused by his trainer's orders, turned around as quickly as he could and lunged. Much to his surprise and Raven's dismay, Fidens bit Dusknoir, who had shot out of the ground and attempted to punch Fidens. The ghost began to grunt in pain lowly, and Raven spat on the ground angrily.
"Damn! Fight through the pain and use Ice Punch again, Dusknoir!"
Dusknoir somehow ignored the pain surging through his hand, and his other hand was shrouded in icy energy. He then threw his arm forward and clobbered Fidens, who was launched across Raven's half of the battlefield. Gray, Durus, Decorus, Magna, Chase, and Tara stared in shock as Fidens was down for the count, and the referee raised his arms in the air.
"Fidens is unable to battle! Gray, choose your last Pokemon!"
"You were amazing, Fidens. You should be proud."
Gray smiled at Fidens' Pokeball before clipping it on her belt, and she took a deep breath before eyeing Dusknoir and Raven. The woman and her fearsome Pokemon calmly locked eyes with Gray and waited for her to reveal who her final combatant would be. Meanwhile, everyone on the bench smirked in anticipation of the reveal.
"It's time for my last Pokemon. Fortis, come on out!" Gray screamed before heaving her final Pokeball as far as she could.
Suddenly, the device broke open, and Raven grinned at the sight of the Flygon as Fortis landed on the ground while roaring powerfully, which made the room shake. Dusknoir slowly turned to his trainer and began to crack his knuckles, which made Gray scratch her head in confusion while Rave laughed.
"That's quite the Pokemon you've got. Dusknoir doesn't get too excited about battling, but it looks like your Flygon did just that," Raven complimented, which prompted Fortis and Gray to bow thankfully.
"Thank you, but don't think we're going to take it easy on you! Right, Fortis?"
"Right!" the dragon type answered loudly, making Raven chuckle while Dusknoir punched his left fist into his right hand.
As the two Pokemon continued to stare each other down, the group on the sidelines began to talk about how excited they were for the final round of the battle.
"I can tell this is going to be really awesome!" Audino exclaimed while looking around at the others. "Hopefully Fortis pulls it out in the end."
"Definitely. Both Fortis and Dusknoir are really strong, so this should be a tossup," Scyther responded while crossing his arms over his chest. "But my money's on Fortis."
"This battle will be between Dusknoir and Fortis! Begin!"
"Flamethrower!" Gray barked aggressively.
Fortis reared his head back as a ball of fire began building in his throat, and then his neck shot forwards. A wave of blistering hot fire flew through the air and struck Dusknoir, making him cry out in pain before floating away from the powerful attack. "Now fly and use Dragon Claw, Fortis!" Obeying his trainer, Fortis flapped his wings before soaring through the air. His claws suddenly extended and began to glow neon green, and he prepared to slash Dusknoir savagely.
"Duck and land an Ice Punch, Dusknoir!" Raven countered tactically.
Dusknoir put his hands up like a boxer and somehow managed to avoid being slashed by Fortis, who's eyes shot open in shock. In one swift motion, Dusknoir threw his arm down and punched Fortis in the back of the head, sending the dragon type spiraling into the ground. A cloud of dust shot up right after, but Fortis cleared it with his wings before flying back to Gray's side and waiting for his next order.
"Fortis, use Dragon Breath on the ground!" Gray demanded.
Fortis took to the air once again and released a wave of green flames from his breath. Raven smirked at the command and snapped her fingers, prompting Dusknoir to vanish into the ground. Gray cursed under her breath as soon as her opponent disappeared, and Raven grinned before speaking up.
"Shadow Sneak, Dusknoir!"
As Dusknoir flew through the ground, he suddenly screamed in pain when Fortis' Dragon Breath engulfed the battlefield, shocking everyone, especially Raven, who had never seen something like that happen before.
"What!? How did that happen!?" Raven screamed in disbelief as the shadow on the ground stopped moving.
Gray grinned and issued another command as quickly as possible, not wanting to waste the momentum she and Fortis had gained.
"Perfect! Now use Earthquake!"
The Flygon descended at a breakneck pace before smashing his feet against the ground, causing the entire room to shake violently. Suddenly, a column of dirt shot out of the ground and struck Dusknoir in the chin, taking him out of his defensive position and into the air. Fortis then zipped after his opponent aggressively, and Raven began to panic.
"Dusknoir, fire a Shadow Ball to keep Fortis away!"
"Slash through it with Dragon Claw!"
Fortis grinned and his claws extended while glowing neon green. As soon as the ball of purple and black energy was fired, Fortis sliced the attack in half with little effort, making everyone on the sidelines cheer. Raven and her Dusknoir, on the other hand, weren't close to celebrating, and the woman ordered another desperate attack.
"Ice Punch, Dusknoir!"
Dusknoir reared his fist back while it was covered in light blue energy, and he prepared to deal the finishing blow to his flying opponent. Once he swung at Fortis, the dragon type shot straight into the air at the speed of light, evading the attack completely. Dusknoir looked straight in the air in disbelief before seeing Fortis crashing towards him, and Gray punched her fist forwards.
"Finish this with another Dragon Claw!"
Fortis smirked as his claws began to glow neon green, and they extended drastically. With one violent swipe, he sent Dusknoir crashing into the ground, and a cloud of dirt shot up around the ghost's body. Fortis took the time to flap his wings and clear the dust, allowing the referee to make his decision. After seeing Dusknoir's eye was closed, the man raised his arms in the air.
"Dusknoir is unable to battle! Gray and Fortis are the winners!"
"Way to go, Fortis!" Gray screamed as she ran towards her Pokemon and jumped into his arms.
The two began to cheer excitedly while Durus, Magna, and Decorus appeared alongside them and began cheering, too.
After feeling she had spent enough time celebrating, Gray walked away from her Pokemon and over to Raven, who was smiling at the group of creatures while helping her Dusknoir off the ground.
"Great battle, Raven!"
"Thanks, Gray. You're Pokemon were all great, and you earned the Skull Badge!" the young woman informed Gray while handing her a small piece of metal that was a skull with crossbones.
Gray sweat dropped at the design, but put the badge in her badge case, which only had one empty spot remaining. Seeing that, Raven smiled at Gray.
"There Viridian City Gym's going to be really tough, ya know. Then again, if you beat me, you should beat that leader," Raven said with a grin before extending her hand.
"Right," Gray replied before shaking Raven's hand and walking out of the room with her friends and Pokemon.
While inspecting her badge case, Gray beamed and looked up at the sky once she exited the Gym. Only one challenge remained, and there was no way Gray was going to be denied an opportunity to compete in the Indigo League.
Wow, Gray just won her seventh badge and is only one away from being able to compete in the Indigo League! Next chapter will be the start of the Pre-League Arc, and Gray's eighth Gym Battle is up next, and that will wrap everything up. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter "Victory in Viridian": Gray quickly makes her way to Viridian City and takes on the eighth and final Gym Leader in a two versus two duel! Will she be able to win and enter the Indigo League?
Pre-League Arc
Chapter 56: The Great Gligar
Chapter 57: Pre-League Festivities