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! (Comis practices with Durus and gets crushed)
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 everyone doing this fine day? Last chapter, Gray's mother gave her a Gligar, who she nicknamed Comis, and he will now join the team! Of course, there was some backlash, and it had to come from Durus, who's kind of jealous of Comis. This chapter will focus on where Gray's at mentally, in regards to the league, and how her Pokemon are feeling, along with everyone else. Now, let's get going!
Blaze Falcon: Meh, editing's not that difficult, so I'd say expect about two or three more chapters within the next day or so. Comis is probably one of my favorite (then again, they all are), and you're spot-on with Durus and how far she's come in regards to her relationship with Gray
Defender31415: Yup, I actually didn't lie about her getting Gligar :3 And don't worry, none of her Pokemon are going to be released, because Comis is such a low level and he wouldn't be able to replace any of them. As for your question, I was thinking of it more like your typical animal shelter where they put them down if they can't find a taker by a certain time, even though Pokemon are capable of taking care of themselves in the wild
guest: Editing wasn't too difficult, and it wasn't a matter of me wanting to end the badge hunt, it was more of there not being much of a point in having a huge arc dedicated to Gray getting her eighth badge. And I confirmed her going to Johto back in chapter 47
Trentavious Phoenix: Comis will be Gray's starter for Johto, and he'll definitely be pretty interesting considering how different he'll be compared to Durus. Plus, he'll be the leader of the team given the personalities that'll be present
Dr. Kitten Von Fangtoven: He's more on the team right now as a precursor to Johto and to give him some kind of experience with battling and motivation to be stronger. I'm not sure exactly what you mean by him being a little bugger later on, but he'll definitely be a really strong member of the Johto team
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 54, Dragon Claw, Flamethrower, Dragon Breath, Earthquake, Hyper Beam*, Boomburst* - (Flygon)
Comis, (m), level 10, Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Harden, X-Scissor - (Gligar)
"Aww, come on! I want to train, too!"
Gray wiped the sweat off her brow and fell on her backside while panting. She and her Pokemon had been training for the past month or so, and today was no different. Normally, trainers would make their Pokemon go through workouts, but Gray was in the party that believed in leading by example, so she would workout with her Pokemon. Each of the Pokemon would go their absolute hardest, except for one, who wasn't allowed to, due to the intensity of the training.
"I know you want to, Comis, but the Pokemon you'd go up against would..."
Gray paused while looking at her newest Pokemon, who was watching his teammates, or friends, as he'd call them, dying of exhaustion. The Gligar stared at his trainer, not knowing what she was trying to avoid saying, though the others did as they walked over.
"Would?" Comis inquired, trying to get the answer out of Gray, who hung her head before responding.
"Well, they'd kind of crush you."
Comis fell back in shock before hopping up and storming over towards Gray with a pseudo-angry look on his face. The others, meanwhile, cracked up at his reaction, and he glared at Gray, who couldn't make eye contact with the goofy Pokemon because she feared she'd laugh.
"Hey, that hurts! Especially coming from you, of all people."
Comis crossed his arms over his chest and turned his back to Gray, who sweat dropped at the Pokemon's obliviousness. Slowly, she tried to place a hand on Comis' back, but Chase and Tara came to her aide.
"Don't take it personally, Comis," Chase started, grabbing the ground and flying type's attention. "It's not because you're not strong."
The Gligar eyed Chase, not believing what the boy was saying.
"It's the opposite, really," Tara continued, trying to help Chase. "The Pokemon at the Indigo League are some of the strongest in the world, so it's no joke."
Comis slowly unfolded his arms, and he looked back over at Gray, who smiled.
"They're right, Comis," Fidens stated as he walked over and patted the young Pokemon on the back. "We're going to have a lot of trouble going up against those guys, and we've been training for this for a long time."
Gray nodded at Fidens thankfully before he walked away to converse with the others, and Comis walked over to Gray while hanging his head.
"I'm sorry for getting angry, Gray," the Pokemon apologized cutely, making Gray giggle along with Tara.
Chase shook his head while laughing at the Pokemon's apology, and he watched as Gray hugged her Pokemon.
"Don't worry about it, Comis. You'll get your shot eventually. I just think it'd be a bad idea for you to go out there right now. You could get really hurt."
Comis nodded understandingly before walking away to talk to Fortis, whom he had grown quite attached to over the past month or so.
"I can't believe how well everyone's doing. I don't think we've ever worked this hard before."
"Yeah, you smell disgusting," Tara joked, making Gray stick her tongue out in response.
Tara laughed at her friend's reaction, and she glanced over at Scyther, who was laughing along with Fidens, Audino, and Musharna.
"Everyone's getting along, too. There hasn't been a fight in a while."
"Don't hold your breath," Chase joked, making the two girls laugh as they remembered the countless arguments Gray's Pokemon had gotten into over the course of their journey across Kanto. The root of all of them was Durus, though she had been quite content with how her teammates were training and none of them were getting on her nerves.
"Well, I'm gonna head back to the apartment and shower. I'll text you guys when to come over," Gray said as she headed off towards the building with her Pokemon.
Chase and Tara followed shortly after, not wanting to smother Gray. Once the girl reached her living space, she opened the door and quickly made her way to the shower while her Pokemon relaxed in the living room.
"So, have you guys thought about the league at all?" Decorus quizzed as everyone sat in silence.
The shiny Pokemon looked around to see most of her teammates shaking their heads, except Leviculus and Magna. "What're you two thinking?" Both Pokemon were shocked by the question, and they looked at each other before Leviculus decided to speak up.
"I'm kinda worried, to be honest. I know we've been working really hard, but there's still some doubt in the back of my mind," Leviculus admitted while looking around at the others.
Everyone nodded to let the Politoed know they were listening, and he leaned back before sighing.
"Sorry if I'm not sounding all that hyped about it, guys. I just don't want to let you and Gray down."
"That's exactly how I'm feeling," Magna told Leviculus with a reassuring look on her face as she sat next to Fidens. "It's not that I'm expecting us to blow through everyone, but it just seems like this whole thing would be a waste if we don't win."
Fidens and Leviculus nodded at Magna's words while Decorus and Fortis remained silent. Comis and Durus, meanwhile, seemed like they were ready to explode with words.
"I get where you guys are coming from, but you can't think like that," Durus announced as she stood up and took a stoic pose like Captain Morgan. "Sure, if we lose that'd suck a lot, but it's not a waste. I know this is going to sound weird coming from me, but think about how much we've had together! None of us would've explored Kanto without Gray, and we wouldn't have met each other."
Everyone stared at Durus in shock. Of all the members, she was the least likely to give a speech about how tight everyone was, or how things would be different without Gray. The power with which she spoke kept everyone quiet, and she continued after taking a deep breath.
"Look, I know I've fought with most of you at some point or another," the Persian stated while looking at Decorus, Fidens, and Magna. "But..." she paused, trying to force the last few words out of her throat.
She couldn't, however, as she didn't want to be viewed as soft. Lucky for her, Fidens knew exactly what she was wanted to say.
"That's what family does. They argue, and move past it."
Durus nodded at the winged Pokemon before sitting down next to Comis.
"And that's why we're going to win. With you two having our backs and closing out battles, I don't see how anyone could best us once we get to the full battles," Durus stated while pointing at Decorus and Fortis.
The shiny Pokemon smiled and nodded at Durus for the compliment while Fortis looked away, which Durus noticed.
"And remember, if any of you don't feel like battling, I can come in there and kick some butt!" Comis exclaimed, making everyone except Fortis laugh.
The dragon type continued to look away from his family as his mind remained unsettled. Before Durus could say anything to him, Gray walked into the room and stretched her arms over her head excitedly.
"You guys ready for the party? Marcus and Savannah said they'd stop by, so there'll be a bunch of people to talk to."
The Pokemon cheered in response before Gray sat down on the couch and turned the TV on.
000
"It's so nice to finally take a break from training," Gray said aloud before leaning back in her chair.
She, Chase, Tara, her mother, and Billy had rented out the back space at their favorite restaurant in the city, and all of the Pokemon were out of their Pokeballs enjoying themselves. Friends and extended family had flown in from all across the world for the party in Gray's honor, and she was overwhelmed by the amount of support she was receiving. Family members she hadn't seen in years, or even met, were letting her know how proud they were. Of course, most of it meant nothing, but the girl was still thankful for the support.
"Man, talk about a party," Chase said to Tara as they watched more and more people flock over to Gray, who was laughing nervously at the attention.
Durus was by her side in an attempt to alleviate the awkward encounters, but she only made it worse. Little kids were constantly trying to hop on her back and ride her, and Gray wasn't able to do anything about it due to having to deal with an onslaught of questions about her travels.
"Yeah. Who would've known this many people would be here. I thought it'd only be us and some really close friends," Tara replied before shaking her head.
Suddenly, she turned to see Durus hiss at a few kids that were latching onto her, and Leviculus quickly came to her aide. Fidens and Magna were busy entertaining a whole other horde of people, Decorus was lifting kids in the air with Psychic, and Fortis was nowhere to be seen.
"What's up, guys?" Chase and Tara smiled at the sound of the friendly voice, and they began laughing when Marcus walked in alongside Savannah. "How's the party going?"
"Take a look for yourself," Chase replied jokingly while pointing at Gray being mauled.
Marcus and Savannah laughed immediately, but stopped when they decided to continue their conversation with Gray's friends.
"So how long has Gray had all eight badges?" Savannah inquired.
Tara and Chase looked at one another before shrugging. Before either could answer, Durus stumbled over to them and slammed her face against the ground in a panic.
"You've gotta hide me! Those kids are savages!" the feline shouted at Chase and Tara.
She sweat dropped as soon as she saw her trainer's rivals staring at her, and she bowed immediately.
"Nice to see you two again. How were your travels after the Saffron Tournament?" Durus inquired politely.
"Great, actually," both trainers replied in unison before laughing.
Marcus then motioned for Savannah to continue, and she did.
"Marcus and I actually traveled together for the last leg of our journeys, so it was a lot more fun than the other eight months," the redhead answered with a smile. "We've been battling each other for a while now, so it's been really helpful for both of us."
"And hopefully we don't face-off in the Indigo League, otherwise I'd lose," Marcus said while rubbing the back of his head and laughing. "Savannah's got my number, haha."
Chase and Tara laughed at the comment while Durus walked away in shock after hearing the incredible information. While she went to get Gray, she found that the girl had managed to get away from her family, and she knelt down to pet Durus.
"What's up, Durus? You look weird," Gray said to her starter, who shook her head to snap out of her shock.
"Savannah and Marcus are here, and apparently they've been traveling together the past month."
Gray shrugged at the information, prompting Durus to continue. "Apparently Savannah has more wins," Durus informed her trainer, who didn't seem shocked.
"Yeah, Savannah's really strong. Why is that so surprising?"
"Think about it! All of Marcus' Pokemon are so strong, and Savannah's are... not," the Persian said, making Gray laugh as she shook her head. "You may think I'm crazy, but everyone else will agree with me."
With that, Durus walked over to Leviculus to tell the Politoed about Savannah, while Gray shook her head and began walking towards her rivals.
"Hey, guys! It's great to see you again!" the brunette exclaimed while smiling.
Marcus and Savannah smiled back at Gray as they hugged, and then the girl looked at Chase and Tara.
"It's a good thing I got out of there. I didn't even know half of those people."
"Yeah, and Durus was getting mauled by those little kids," Tara said, which made Gray nod. "So, Savannah and Marcus, when are you guys leaving for Indigo Plateau?" Tara inquired.
Gray's rivals looked at each other before shrugging, and they looked around at Gray's Pokemon.
"I'd figure it'd be in a few days. I mean, we still have two weeks to get there, but it's going to be a really long walk," Marcus told Tara, who nodded at the statement.
"There's no need to walk. There's a train tat connects Saffron City to Pallet Town, so we could get on that and then walk from Pallet Town, which would only take three days," Chase informed Marcus, who beamed at the information.
"Gray!"
Suddenly, Gray was attacked by a fairly heavy person or Pokemon, and she turned around. Comis was standing in front of her with a worried look on his face, and he hopped onto the girl's head.
"Those people keep trying to talk to me, and I don't know them!"
Everyone laughed at Comis, and he looked around before settling his sights on Savannah and Marcus.
"Who are they?"
"Oh, I totally forgot to introduce you," Gray said to Comis as she pulled the Gligar off her head. "Savannah, Marcus, this is Comis. Comis, these are my friends, Savannah and Marcus."
"Hi! It's nice to meet you, Comis," Savannah said while extending a hand to the flying type.
Comis smiled stupidly and shook the girl's hand before shaking Marcus' hand.
"So are you planning on using him during the Indigo League?" Marcus quizzed, not aware of Comis' low level.
"Nope. You see, my mom got Comis from another Adoption Center, and she gave him to me as a gift for getting all eight badges. He's strong, but he's only a level ten," Gray informed the boy, who nodded in response before smiling at Comis.
"That's good. I wouldn't want to have to battle against you, Comis."
The Gligar beamed at the compliment and nodded his head thankfully.
"Maybe we could have a battle when I get stronger! Could we do that, Gray?"
The trainer laughed at her Pokemon's enthusiasm along with everyone else before nodding, and she placed Comis on the ground. The young Pokemon waved at Marcus and Savannah before running over to the other Pokemon, but Decorus came over right afterwards while looking around the room frantically.
"Is everything okay, Decorus?"
"Not really. None of us have seen Fortis for the past couple of hours. Did you talk to him?"
Everyone shook their heads, making Decorus curse before she attempted to run away. Gray, however, grabbed her shiny Pokemon's arm and smiled at her reassuringly, easing Decorus' nerves.
"Don't worry, Decorus. I'll go outside and look for him."
Gray quickly made her way out of the restaurant after telling her mother about the missing Pokemon, and she began to walk around the streets of Saffron City, not knowing where to go. Suddenly, she remembered how much Fortis had loved the complex full of battlefields, prompting her to head towards them.
After a few minutes of walking, Gray arrived at the complex and, sure enough, she saw Fortis sitting by a tree near the battlefields. Slowly, the brunette walked over to her Pokemon and sat down next to him. Fortis continued looking up the sky, though he acknowledged Gray's presence by sliding over to make room for her so she could lean against the tree.
"Are you okay, Fortis? Everyone was really worried about you when they realized you weren't at the party," Gray said to the powerhouse of her team.
Fortis shook his head and continued looking at the moon before sighing. Gray didn't know how to act or what to say to Fortis, as she had never seen him in this kind of state. None of the other Pokemon had acted like this, either, so Gray was completely inexperienced in dealing with emotions like those Fortis was displaying.
"Gray, what if we lose?"
The girl snapped out of her thoughts and stared at the Flygon she was sitting next to. His words were sharp, cutting through the air like throwing knives. Fortis shifted around before finding a comfortable spot, and he continued to stare at the large, white circle in the sky.
"We're not-"
"Cut the crap, Gray!" Fortis shouted as he turned to his trainer, who flinched in a mixture of shock and fear. "I knew I couldn't talk to the others about this, but I didn't think you'd give me the same answer!"
Fortis rose to his feet and took two steps forwards before putting his hands on his head and screaming.
"Aaagggh! I can't take it!"
"Fortis, what-what's wrong?" Gray asked nervously.
Fortis spun around and locked eyes with the trembling sixteen year old before him. Seeing how scared Gray was, Fortis hung his head in shame and took a deep breath.
"It's just... everyone's counting on me to make sure we win. We were talking while you were in the shower, and Durus said there was no way we'd lose with me closing the battles out."
"Hey, don't get freaked out by that. You know Durus well enough to know she thinks she's the strongest on the team."
"But she said that, and everyone agreed!" Fortis screamed again before falling on his rear-end and he covering his face with his hands.
As he cried, Fortis felt a hand rest on his back, and he looked to see Gray smiling at him warmly.
"Why are you smiling?" the dragon type asked in confusion.
Gray giggled at the question, stopping Fortis' tears. Slowly he stood up before turning around to eye his trainer, who was still giggling.
"Fortis, you don't know how strong you are, do you?" the sixteen year old quizzed rhetorically.
Fortis simply stood and stared at Gray like an idiot. The brunette quickly pushed the hair out of her eyes and tucked it over her ear while smiling at her Pokemon.
"Tell me this: how many Pokemon have beaten you since you evolved? Nidoqueen doesn't count, because she fainted, too."
Fortis looked up at the sky and tried to think of how many battles he had lost as a Flygon, and he locked eyes with Gray when he settled on an answer.
"One."
"That's right. And the only reason you lost that battle was because you had to battle Marcus' Lucario before facing off with his Garchomp. Plus, your training at the Pokemon Reservoir has made you stronger than ever! You stopped a Horn Drill, and drew praise from a former champion, and a current champion!" Gray shouted emotionally, making Fortis smile. "Let's say you do lose, for a second. Do you really think any of the others would be mad at you, or think they could've won?"
"I... don't know," Fortis replied, not wanting to give Gray his honest answer.
"They wouldn't."
Gray paused and stared at the Pokemon standing before her. He had grown so much since the start of their journey, more than any other Pokemon on the team.
"I'm only going to say this because no one else is around, and I don't want you telling anyone that I said this," Gray muttered as she stared right into Fortis' eyes, making the Pokemon nod obediently. "You're the strongest. I know it, the others know it, and even though you won't admit it, you know it."
Fortis stared at Gray in shock.
"Did she really just say I was the strongest? No, that can't be true! Gray would never put one of us over the others, so she has to be lying! Or maybe she isn't. I mean, everyone else keeps telling me how strong I am, and I kinda do thing I'm the strongest, but I'd never say that. Oh shit, she's telling the truth!"
"I just don't want to let you down," Fortis whispered while looking at the ground.
Before he could react, Gray hugged him tightly, and Fortis hugged back.
"None of you guys could ever let me down, Fortis. As long as you try your hardest, I can't be mad or disappointed at you."
"Well isn't that sweet?"
Gray and Fortis quickly pulled away from each other and looked around before seeing Trentavious walk out of the shadows with a sly grin.
"That was a little too sappy for my taste, but that was pretty touching."
Gray blushed instantly while Fortis glared at the arrogant trainer. Seeing how defensive Fortis was acting, Trent stuck his hands up as if he were trying to tell the Flygon he didn't mean any trouble.
"What are you doing here, Trentavious?" Gray spat while glaring at her rival.
The older boy began tossing a Pokeball up and catching it with one hand as he leaned against a tree.
"I was just passing through. I'm on my way to the Indigo League, and I'm assuming you are, too, judging by that conversation."
Once again, Gray blushed in embarrassment, but she cooled down quickly.
"I heard you're feeling pressured to carry your team the whole way, and I can help out with that," Trent told Fortis while pointing at him.
"How would you do that?" the dragon type asked skeptically.
"Well, you're not going to win, so don't get worried about making it that far. My Pokemon and I will make sure you and your band of misfits don't raise that trophy. We've been training for our shot at you, and when we get it, you won't know what hit you."
"Is that so?" Gray asked rhetorically while Trent snickered to himself.
Before Gray could say anything, Fortis stepped forwards and glared at the boy, who scowled upon seeing the dragon's angered expression. Without a word, Trent released a Pokemon from the Pokeball he was tossing, and an Abomasnow appeared by his side. Fortis began to growl at the ice type, who folded his arms over his chest.
"You know what to do, Abomasnow."
Suddenly, Trent revealed his left arm and placed his right hand over his left wrist. A bracelet was around it, and Abomasnow was wearing an armband with a stone in it. The colorful stone flashed brightly, and Abomasnow was encapsulated in a bright pink ball of light. Once it faded, the ice and grass type looked completely different than before, as all of his hair was sticking straight out. The powerful Pokemon was also leaning on his hands, and he roared powerfully.
"What did you do?" Gray interrogated while stomping on the ground.
Trentavious cackled at the question before cracking his knuckles.
"It's none of your business."
With that, Trent withdrew Abomasnow and began walking away from Gray and Fortis, but he stopped and turned around with an evil grin plastered on his face.
"You may have beaten me once and kind of earned my respect, but I promise I'll squash you like a bug."
Trent turned his back to his rival once again and walked away into the darkness, leaving Gray and Fortis seething.
"We'll prove him wrong, Fortis."
"Right. I won't lose to that guy."
Well, it looks like Fortis' freak out was stopped by Gray, and now they have their sights set on knocking Trentavious out of the tournament. Thinking about it, it seems Fortis has two rivalries with Pokemon belonging to Gray's rivals, those being Trent's Abomasnow and Marcus' Garchomp. Anyways, next chapter will be the beginning of the Indigo League Arc, and it'll be the usual introduction to the league. Also, expect another chapter or two later today. Till next time, peace out.
1) How far do you think Gray will make it?
2) Which of Gray's rivals do you think poses the biggest threat?
3) Any bold predictions for the league?
Next Chapter "The First Hurdle": After arriving at Indigo Plateau, Gray and her Pokemon roam the complex before the mandatory introduction speech, where the rules of the tournament will be explained and the tournament seeding will be revealed. Where will Gray stack up amongst the field?
Indigo League Arc (Titles to be Revealed)
Chapter 59: Passing the Test
Chapter 60: Shocking Showdown
Chapter 61: Pushing Onwards
Chapter 62: Fighting to the Fullest
Chapter 63: ?
Chapter 64: ?
Chapter 65: ?