Theme Song

It is time for the home stretch (The Indigo League stadiums are shown)
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're y'all doin' right now? Today marks the start of the Indigo League, and boy are things going to get intense! I can guarantee one of the battles I write will be the best I've written out of all the stories, excluding Owen vs Red, because that was a whole different animal. Going back to last chapter, Gray's Pokemon talked about how they were feeling about the league, and Marcus and Savannah showed up at Gray's party. After that, Fortis talked to Gray about the pressure he was feeling, and Trentavious reappeared to inform Gray he'd beat her. Now, let's get going!

ShadowDragon9000: Thanks! Obama-snow will definitely be a challenge for Gray if she ends up battling him, and I like the prediction! I could definitely see Gray being a semifinalist or runner-up, and if she had a second Pokemon like Fortis, she'd be a near lock to win it. Then again, I screwed Owen out of winning the Unova League with Krookodile getting hurt, so you never know

Defender31415: That could be possible, but then why would she be traveling to Johto? And Trent may not seem like the type of guy to have strong bonds with his Pokemon, but every time he's battled Gray he always compliments his Pokemon on how they do

Blaze Falcon: Thanks! I'm glad someone liked Fortis' humility and lack of confidence(?) about being the strongest and all that. Depending on how the bracket turns out, Gray could or couldn't make it to the quarterfinals, and Trent's Mega Abomasnow could present a massive challenge if Gray has to battle against it

Trentavious Phoenix: Not a clue, haha. There won't be an explanation because I think it'd seem really forced if I just decided to add it in to one of the chapters (all of which are already written), but I think there's enough evidence to support his strong ties with his Pokemon

Dr. Kitten Von Fangtoven: I'm really considering (and have been) giving Fortis a Mega Evolution, though if I did it wouldn't happen until Johto. And it feels like such a long time since Fortis was the newbie on the team, even though it has only been a few months

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)

"Hold on, we need to take a picture of this!" Gray shouted as she, Savannah, Marcus, Tara, Chase, Durus, and Comis appeared at the foot of a staircase.

Large columns of marble were sticking out of the left and right sides of the staircase, and arches connected the magnificent stones.

"Come on, everyone!"

Despite the protesting, Gray eventually got everyone lined up, and she set a timer on her Pokedex. Sitting in the front row, from left to right, were Chase, Tara, Durus, and Comis, while Savannah, Gray, and Marcus stood in the back. After the picture was taken, Gray grabbed her Pokedex and set it as her background before running after her friends.

"I feel like these stairs take a few lives every year," Durus muttered as she struggled up the massive incline, making Comis chuckle before he sprung into the air and opened his wings.

Everyone else looked to be doing just as poorly, if not worse than Durus, except for Comis, who was gliding along the wind.

"That lucky son of a-"

"So what are we gonna do when we check in?" Chase inquired, cutting Durus off before she could curse. "I vote for getting some food first!"

As soon as he said that, Chase grabbed his grumbling stomach, making Tara laugh while Gray and her rivals were focused on literally scaling their latest obstacle.

"I'm not sure what they're going to do, but we could always get food, Chase," Tara suggested while blushing slightly, which made Scyther shake his head alongside Audino.

The boy nodded emphatically, making the blonde blush even more as she turned away from him, but Chase didn't notice, which made Audino sweat drop. After a few more minutes of struggling and climbing, the group reached the top of the stairs and marveled at the location of the Indigo League, which was at the bottom of a hill, thankfully.

Hundreds, if not thousands of stands were set up for tourists to buy useless junk, and there was one gigantic arena in the middle of everything. Four smaller arenas were set up, and they were each different colors. The stadium closer to the left was red, while the front right stadium was yellow. The back right was green, and the back left was blue, while the middle was white. Four enormous scoreboards were hung at the top of each end of the rectangular structure, and Gray stared in awe. Rows and rows of lights seemed to hang from the sky, and the smaller stadiums also had hundreds of lights around the top of the walls.

"This is so cool!" Marcus screamed before flying down the hill, leaving everyone in the dust.

As he did, Comis reappeared and landed on Gray's head with a smile, making the girl giggle before she and the others followed after Marcus. Once they reached the base of the hill, millions of conversations and voices echoed through the air, and Savannah led the way towards a sign that pointed trainers in the direction of the residential area.

"Well, it shouldn't be too much longer until we get to the houses," the redhead announced as Marcus flew by and tripped over a pebble.

After skidding several feet along the ground face first, the energetic trainer slowly rose to his feet and stared at the laughing crowd of people, including his friends.

"I'm never running around this place again, no matter how excited I am!" Marcus proclaimed while stomping on the ground angrily.

"Good. Now we don't have to chase you to the housing complex," Tara said after breathing a sigh of relief.

Much to her dismay, the girl watched as Marcus' ears perked up at the mentioning of the living area, and he bolted down the road, leaving a cloud of dust behind him once again. Everyone sweat dropped at his actions, but they continued their way towards the houses and eventually reached a gate.

"Trainer identification," a robotic voice said through an intercom.

Suddenly, a touch screen appeared and it seemed to be the exact size of the Pokedex. Savannah and Gray swiftly scanned their hi-tech devices, and were admitted into the area along with Chase and Tara. As soon as the gates slammed shut behind them, the four teens looked around in shock.

There were four rows of buildings set up like a diamond with a courtyard in the middle. The front left building was red, while the building behind it was blue. The far right building was green, and the front right was yellow.

"I guess we're being housed based on the stadiums we're competing in," Savannah muttered as she began walking towards the courtyard in the middle of all four buildings.

Gray followed with Durus and Comis while Tara and Chase decided to go out for lunch, which was free due to Gray competing.

"Gray, check this out!" Savannah shouted while pointing at a small, circular building in the middle of the courtyard.

Gray ran over to her friend's side and stared at the structure in confusion.

"What the hell is that?" Durus quizzed.

"It looks like a big bubble," Comis opined, which made Durus roll her eyes.

"That's the Pokemon Center. We're supposed to register there!"

Savannah and Gray dashed towards the building and arrived while a bunch of trainers were sitting around with their Pokemon and talking about strategies. Despite the large size of the building, it felt a bit empty, given the ample amount of space and how little of it was being used.

"Wow, I thought there'd be a lot more people here."

"Nope. Only 64 trainers were admitted into the Indigo League, so you're looking at the cream of the crop," Marcus said as he ran over to the two girls while holding his Pokedex in his hand. "When you sign in, there's this really cool thing that makes your face pop up on this bracket, and it gives you your seed for the tournament!"

Gray and Savannah exchanged shocked glances before staring at Marcus, who didn't understand the hint.

"What seed did you get?" Gray inquired, hoping Marcus wasn't a low seed.

The teen uncomfortably shifted around and dug his hands in his pockets before looking away from the girls, which confused them.

"Hah! You got a bad seed!" Durus mocked before being slapped by Gray.

"No, it's the opposite, actually," Marcus replied awkwardly. "I... got a one seed."

"WHAT!?" Gray, Durus, and Savannah screamed in unison, making Marcus sweat drop.

Meanwhile, all of the trainers in the Pokemon Center glared at them, and they walked over to Nurse Joy and her Chansey.

"Welcome to the Indigo League. If you're here to sign in, scan your Pokedex on any of the available screens," the pink haired woman instructed while pointing at a bunch of unoccupied screens.

Gray and Savannah quickly moved over to two that weren't being used, and they placed their Pokedexes down. After a few seconds, a loud ringing noise escaped the screens, and both girls picked up the devices.

"Gray Plain, age sixteen from Saffron City, has been registered."

"Savannah London, age sixteen from Cerulean City, has been registered."

Both girls smiled at the announcement, but quickly turned their attention to the screens once they saw the tournament bracket appear. Savannah's picture popped up on the two screens, and it suddenly landed in the bottom right corner of the bracket with a 2 next to her name.

"Holy crap! That's awesome!" Savannah exclaimed while pumping her fist in the air. "I'm a two seed!"

All of a sudden, Gray's picture appeared on the scoreboard and flew towards the bottom left, where it landed and appeared with a 3 next to it. The brunette let out a sigh of relief before looking over at Durus, who was content with their seeding. She soon noticed a familiar face sitting at the top of her group, and it belonged to none other than Trentavious.

"We did it!" Comis exclaimed proudly.

Gray and Durus exchanged glances, not wanting to ruin the Pokemon's upbeat attitude by telling him he didn't do anything.

"So if we're a three seed, doesn't that mean you're considered one of the top twelve trainers in the tournament?" Comis inquired, making Gray's jaw drop.

"That's awesome!" Durus cheered while running circles around Gray.

Savannah and Marcus laughed at the sight before walking into the dining hall with Gray, who continued to remain silent in shock.

"Wait. If we win out, that means we'll battle Trent in the top 8, right?"

"That's right," Marcus answered almost as if he were singing. "And then you'd get to face me in the semifinals, and the winner of that would battle Savannah in the championship round. Boy, that would be so cool if that happened!"

"You can say that again," Savannah said while smiling. "If all three of us could reach the semis, that would be incredible!"

"It's not going to happen, though."

The three trainers groaned at the familiar voice they had grown to hate, and they scowled when Trent walked over to the table. Durus hissed at the seventeen year old immediately, and he laughed in response. Comis, meanwhile, laid on Gray's head and glared at the boy he didn't know.

"If Gray makes it to the semifinals, she'd have to beat me, and she knows she can't do that."

"Watch it, bub," Comis warned comically.

Trent scoffed at the Gligar before continuing his verbal attack.

"Besides, when I reach the semis, I'll dismantle you."

Marcus growled as Trentavious pointed his finger at him, and then he turned to Savannah.

"And if you get to the championship, I'll have lost all faith in this world. See ya later, losers."

With that, Trentavious walked out of the dining hall, leaving everyone in various states of rage.

"He's not worth our time, guys. Let's just kick back and relax until the meeting tonight," Gray suggested as she rose from her seat and began to walk back to the healing center, where she'd get the keys to her room.

As she began to walk away, Nurse Joy called the girl back to her desk, and Gray looked at the older woman in confusion.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you that your Pokemon must have their pictures taken," the nurse informed Gray. "These pictures will be used when you send your Pokemon out for battle."

"That sounds neat!" Comis exclaimed as he hopped off Gray's shoulder and landed on the ground. "I wanna go first!" he shouted, making Gray giggle while Durus rolled her eyes.

"Sure thing, Comis. Now, everyone, come on out!" Gray yelled while tossing five other Pokeballs in the air.

After multiple flashes of light, Leviculus, Fidens, Magna, Decorus, and Fortis appeared and looked around happily. They could tell, just by looking around at all of the other trainers and their incredibly powerful Pokemon, that they had arrived at Indigo Plateau; a place they had been dreaming of for the past few months.

"Smile!" Nurse Joy said, grabbing the gang's attention.

A camera light flashed in Comis' eyes, and the flying type cried out in shock before the picture appeared on the screen next to Gray. The brunette tried not to laugh at her Pokemon's picture, but the stupid look on Comis' face, combined with his eyes being closed and tongue sticking out was too much.

"Wow," was all Durus could say before she fell on her back laughing, making Comis' face red. "You look so stupid! Hahaha!"

"Shut up! I didn't know cameras flashed!" Comis shot back while glaring at Durus. "Besides, it's not like anyone's gonna see this. Gray said it herself; I'm not going to battle."

"That doesn't change the fact that you look like an idiot," Durus replied while wiping a tear from her eye.

Shortly after their altercation, which was stopped by Decorus, Gray and her Pokemon had their pictures taken. Once they were content, the group walked out of the Pokemon Center and towards their apartment without a care in the world.

000

Meanwhile, Chase, Tara, Scyther, Audino, and Musharna sat at a table near their apartment and chowed down on the free food. Everything they ordered seemed to be top of the line, and none of the food tasted like garbage, which was a huge plus considering they had been eating canned dinners for almost an entire year. For the most part, the two had sat in silence while enjoying their meals, and their Pokemon talked amongst themselves.

Tara slowly looked away from Scyther and glanced at Chase, who was stuffing his face with chicken fingers, and when he looked up with four in his mouth, the girl giggled and blushed slightly at being caught, which, clearly, Chase didn't understand because he gave Tara a confused look before continuing to stuff his face.

"You know, if you keep eating that fast you're going to get sick," the blonde informed Chase, who shrugged nonchalantly in response.

"I can't help it. This food's way too good!" Chase answered enthusiastically before continuing his demolition of the food on his plate.

Tara giggled the entire time until Chase nearly choked on his food, which made Audino roll her eyes before performing the heimlich maneuver on her trainer. Scyther shook his head as Tara stared at the stupid boy dreamily, and eventually, Chase realized she hadn't looked away for several minutes.

"Are you okay? You've been staring at me for a while," he said, making Tara laugh sheepishly while blushing.

"Hahaha I'm fine!" the blonde replied nervously as she rubbed the back of her head, making Scyther sweat drop while Audino and Musharna looked at Chase and shook their heads. Was he really that oblivious? If he was, they knew they had to do something about it.

000

"Are you ready for this?" Gray asked as she turned to Savannah.

The shorter girl nodded, and then Gray looked over at Marcus, who did the same. The trio of teens turned their attention back to the stage, which was still empty, prompting Gray to speak once again.

"Wooh, I can't wait to hear the format for this thing."

The crowd began to roar as Charles Goodshaw suddenly walked onto the stage with Red and Owen by his sides, and he waved with a bright smile.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Indigo League!" the old man shouted into the microphone, making the crowd explode. "Hahaha, it's good to see everyone's excited for this, because I have a feeling this will be one of the most competitive leagues we've ever seen! Now, I don't feel like cutting into anyone's night, so let me get through the rules as fast as possible. The first round will be one versus one sudden death battles. The second round will be three versus three battles, the third round will consist of best of three battles, and then the quarterfinals will mark the start of the full battles! The bracket has already been set up, and trainers should know where they are seeded. If you somehow don't, let's take a look!"

The four scoreboards at the top of the perimeter of the stadium flashed on, and they showed the four different groups of the bracket.

"Each bracket is color coded, and trainers will battle at the arena that matches the color of their bracket! Failure to arrive to matches on time will result in disqualification, and I can't wait to see how this tournament unfolds! Now we have a special announcement from the champion of the Kalos region, Owen Plateau, who competed in the Indigo League seven years ago!" Charles screamed before handing the microphone off to Owen, who shook the man's hand before speaking.

"What's going on, everyone? Like Charles, I'll try to make this as fast as possible. As most of you know, the Kalos Elite 4 still has an opening, and I'm going to be keeping an eye on everyone here to see if you have what it takes to be a member. You don't have to win to prove you deserve a spot, though it will help significantly. Thanks for listening, and best of luck to all the competitors!"

000

"The time is coming. The time is coming. The time is coming."

Slowly, a skinny arm rose up and purple aura began to radiate from the creature's body. A wispy moan escaped the creature's mouth before a slight smirk crept across his face. The aura began to spiral around the creature's body until it threw its arms out to its sides, causing the energy to vanish. Upon raising its arms slowly, the creature began to grunt as enormous boulders all around were suddenly lifted in the air. With a simple squeeze of his hand, the white Pokemon destroyed every single boulder instantly, causing him to laugh maniacally.

"The time is coming. The time is coming. The time is coming."

Alright, it's time for the Indigo League to get started! Oddly enough, these intro chapters are always my favorite, along with the battles where the main character loses. Weird preferences, I know, but what can I say? I'm a weird guy, lol. So, Gray earned herself a three seed, but she's ranked lower than Trentavious, Marcus, and Savannah, who earned one, one, and two seeds, respectively, and some strange creature appeared at the end. Till next time, peace out.

1) I know I already asked, but now that the seeds have been released, how far do you think Gray will go? If you think she'll lose, who do you think will knock her out?

2) Out of Gray's Pokemon, who do you think will do the best throughout the tournament? My vote goes to Comis XD

Next Chapter "Passing the Test": With the Indigo League now under way, Gray is forced to decide between a few Pokemon to use in her opening sudden death match. After picking, Gray finds herself in a tough spot when her Pokemon is at a significant type disadvantage. Will Gray be upset in the first round, or will she be able to advance to the top 32?

Indigo League Arc (Titles to be revealed)

Chapter 60: Shocking Showdown
Chapter 61: Pushing Onwards
Chapter 62: Fighting to the Fullest
Chapter 63: ?
Chapter 64: ?
Chapter 65: ?