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!
Do you know what time it is? LEAGUE TIME! God, I frickin' love writing these, and it sucks to know that they're only a little chunk of the story. Then again, the hype train is completely booked, so that's always awesome! This chapter will be the opening round of the Indigo League, and Gray will be heavily favored, as she's a three seed in her bracket, which means she's viewed as one of the twelve best trainers in the tournament. Now let's get going!
Blaze Falcon: Haha, yeah. I'm not surprised at their reactions given how goofy Marcus is, and then he's suddenly one of the top four trainers in the tournament. In regards to the bracket of the tournament, I really like the way it's set up, and Gray could have an interesting run, assuming she wins out. I'll have the link to the bracket posted on my profile soon
Defender31415: That's a solid prediction. I could see her finishing anywhere from top 8 to runner-up, so there isn't really a bad prediction unless you say she'll lose in the first round, lol. And Chase will realize what he's missing eventually, whether it's at the end of this story, or the beginning of Johto
ShadowDragon9000: Haha, I'm glad to please. For this league, I think it might have the best battle (excluding Owen vs Red) of any story I've written, and it should be coming up very soon. I agree with you that I can see Trent win, given Obama-snow, but I could also see Fortis powering her past him. And Owen will only offer her the position if she shows off really good strategies and stuff like that, though I'm not sure I'd want her to just turn down the position
Dr. Kitten Von Fangotven: Well, Ash is a different case, but I get what you're saying. Gray could win, but then why would she be going to Johto? And Durus could be the perfect counter to Abomasnow
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)
Gray slowly rose from her bed and yawned while stretching her arms over her head. The sun was creeping over the tree covered mountains, and the brunette put her feet on the floor before walking over to the window. Durus was still fast asleep on the bed, and didn't look like she was going to move anytime soon, while the six other Pokemon were out cold in the bedroom next to Gray's.
"Now let's get to our predictions for the red bracket! Mel, you're up!" a voice shouted, grabbing Gray's attention.
After getting dressed, she walked out of the guest bedroom and looked downstairs, where Chase was laying on a couch in front of the TV. Slowly, Gray made her way to the couch and sat down, though Chase didn't turn his attention away from the experts on the Pokemon Battle Network.
"Well, this group was probably the easiest to predict out of any, at least for me. All of the top seeds should have no problem running through the first round, and I see the last two trainers being Trentavious Phoenix and Gray Plain."
"Do we have any differing opinions?" the lead anchor asked the experts, who all nodded in response, making Gray scowl while Chase turned the volume up.
"I actually have Gray losing in the first round. Sure, she had some impressive results, like a win against Trentavious, another against Savannah London, and a tie with Marcus Wight, but she has a losing record overall against those three, and had lackluster showings in the Vermilion and Saffron City tournaments," an old, hairy man with a disgusting beard opined.
"Hey! Top 16 is not lackluster!" Gray screamed, waking up all of her Pokemon, who bounded down the stairs and sat in front of the television.
"I actually have her getting to the Sweet Sixteen, but that's where her luck runs out. She's a good trainer, don't get me wrong, but the committee definitely over-ranked her," a young woman informed the lead anchor, who nodded along with the opinion before turning to a fourth expert.
"Well, I see her reaching the semifinals before falling to Marcus Wight," a young man in a crappy suit announced, making everyone gasp in shock. "If you look at how she battled Trentavious in the Saffron City Tournament, it's clear that Gray could've earned a one seed if she had just advanced a bit further in either tournament. I see her riding that momentum and using it to defeat Trentavious in the quarterfinals with the help of her Flygon, Fortis."
"That's quite the bold prediction, Oliver. Trentavious is one of the favorites to win the league," the lead anchor said before turning back to the camera with a smile. "Well, you heard it here, people. Trentavious Phoenix is the trainer to beat in the red bracket, and we'll see you soon to talk about the potential Final Four."
With that, Chase turned the TV off and looked over at Gray, who was fuming. Slowly, the girl rose from her spot on the couch and took a deep breath before looking around at her Pokemon with fire burning in her eyes. Seeing the determination, all of the Pokemon hopped up and began cheering.
"They don't think we're getting out of the first round! Who's ready to prove 'em wrong?" Gray asked, wanting to see all of her Pokemon respond.
They did, and Durus was the first to speak, as she leaped on the couch and motioned for everyone to quiet down.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm pissed! We've beaten the best of the best, and yet they're saying we don't have a shot at winning this thing! You know what I say? I say they're wrong, and we'll prove it today!"
The six other Pokemon roared in response as Tara groggily walked down the stairs from her room and rubbed her eyes, looking at the group in anger.
"That' right, Durus! I want to see that kind of passion from all of you, okay?" Gray inquired, which was met with another wave of cheers. "Good! Durus, I want you to battle today, okay?"
"It'd be my pleasure," the feline replied with a grin.
000
"This will be a one versus one battle between the three seed, Gray Plain of Saffron City, and the fourteen seed, Hannah Banana of Celadon City! The winner of this will move on to the second round of the tournament and face the six seed. Now, choose your Pokemon!"
"Durus, it's your time to shine!" Gray shouted while pointing ahead.
Durus leaped forwards excitedly as he picture appeared on the scoreboard, and the red stadium began cheering for her excitedly. The feline waved in response, basking in the attention, while Gray sweat dropped at her starter. Suddenly, Durus' picture, which she had taken the day before, appeared on the scoreboard next to Gray's.
"Aegislash, pull off the upset!"
Gray and Durus turned their attention to the girl standing across the battlefield, and a strange creature floated in front of her. It looked to be a sword holding a shield in front of itself, and a deathly aura radiated from its body. Its picture then appeared next to Hannah's on the scoreboard, and Durus began to hiss at the ghost and steel type.
"Oh that's not good," Chase announced while staring down at the battlefield.
Tara, Marcus, Comis, and Savannah were sitting in the same row as Chase, and they all stared at the two Pokemon in horror. Gray couldn't have asked for a worse matchup, and of course it had to be in the first round. The crowd erupted at the sight of the Pokemon, and all of Gray's friends looked around as the chants for the underdog continued to echo.
"I don't get it. Why is that so bad?" Comis inquired, not knowing anything about Aegislash.
"Aegislash is a ghost and steel type, so it either resists Durus' attacks, or isn't affected by them, save for Feint Attack. This is really bad," Savannah informed Comis, who stared back down at the battlefield wide-eyed. "Of course, crazier things have happened, so it's not like Durus is guaranteed to lose."
After Savannah finished speaking, the referee pointed at both sides before raising his arms in the air. As he did, the intensity in the stadium increased, and Gray began to look around nervously. Her opponent, however, was keeping a lax attitude, as all the pressure in the world was on Gray, due to her being such a high seed in the tournament.
"This battle will be between Durus and Aegislash! Begin!"
"Durus, start this off with Feint Attack!" Gray commanded, rather predictably.
Obeying her trainer's commands, Durus bolted across the battlefield before smirking and disappearing. Hannah and her Aegislash weren't fazed by the feline's sudden vanishing act, and the ghost type quickly danced away from Durus once she reappeared and attempted slashing at him. Gray bit her lower lip in response as Hannah smirked, and Durus looked back at her trainer in confusion.
"Now, Aegislash, use Sacred Sword!" Hannah shouted confidently as she kicked her right leg straight out like a martial arts expert.
The blade that acted as Aegislash's body began to glow pure red, and the ghost type spun before slashing Durus across her ribs, making the normal type hiss in pain as she rolled along the battlefield. Slowly, Durus rose back to her feet and looked around while the entire audience was rooting against her, disheartening the fiery Pokemon.
"What's going on with Durus? She looks lost," Tara asked aloud while looking around at the others.
"I don't know. Maybe it's the crowd, or she just might be feeling the pressure of being a high seed. There are a bunch of different possibilities," Chase answered while scratching his chin.
"Keep your head, Durus! Use Pay Day on the ground in front of Aegislash!" Gray shouted as she punched her fist forwards.
Durus threw her head back before a gold beam of energy escaped her mouth. The surge of energy flew straight towards Aegislash, but suddenly died out and exploded when it the ground, causing chunks of the battlefield to shoot up and hit the strange looking Pokemon, who grunted in pain lowly. Durus then began to charge, and she leaped forwards while her claws began to extend and glow white.
"Send her flying with Iron Head!" Hannah countered.
In nanoseconds, the shield Aegislash was holding turned pure silver, and everyone in the stadium gasped. Much to Gray's shock, Durus' Slash attack went straight through Aegislash, and the mysterious Pokemon began to chuckle before bashing its shield over Durus' head, making her fall to the ground weakly. Suddenly, the stadium began shaking with applause, and Gray could hear every line of doubt spewing from the fans.
"You suck!"
"So much for the semifinals!"
"Choke artist!"
Each attack stung more and more, and Gray began to hang her head, but she stopped when the Persian across the battlefield rose to her feet and let out a ferocious roar, literally silencing the critics.
"That's the fighting spirit! Way to go, Durus!" Comis screamed as he hopped out of his seat and began flying around, which caught Gray's attention and made her sweat drop.
"Comis is right! Durus, keep it up! Power Gem!"
Suddenly, the jewel on Durus' head began to glow white, and she whipped her head forwards as several blasts of rocks were fired at Aegislash, who attempted to block them with his shield. Eventually, the amount of rocks overwhelmed the steel type, and he was launched back to Hannah's side. Durus grinned at the power of her attack and began swiping at the ground aggressively. The momentum then began to sway in her's and Gray's favor, and the pair began to smile at the change of heart from the audience.
"Recover, Aegislash, and use Aerial Ace!"
Before Gray or Durus could react, Aegislash sped across the battlefield like a missile and streaks of white flew off the tip of his blade. Durus was then slammed into the wall behind Gray after the force of her opponent smashing into her, and she began to roll around in pain while gasping for air, as the rest of it had escaped her lungs. Gray could only watch as her Pokemon struggled, though she eventually managed to walk back onto the battlefield, albeit with a noticeable limp.
"Durus, what do you say we end this?" Gray inquired with a smirk, which was met with a quick nod from Durus, while Gray's friends and Comis looked on in confusion.
Hannah, meanwhile, wasn't planning on sitting by and letting Gray and Durus attack, so she cleared her throat and issued another command to her incredibly powerful Pokemon confidently.
"Aegislash, let's finish this off with Head Smash!"
The floating Pokemon quickly zipped across the battlefield while radiant blue light enveloped his body, prompting Durus to start sprinting towards her opponent with a grin.
"Oh no you don't!" the feline shrieked before being shrouded in a light pink aura, which made everyone, including Gray, gasp in shock.
As Durus began to pump her legs faster and faster, she suddenly lunged headfirst at Aegislash, and they collided in the middle of the battlefield. Both Pokemon began to battle back and forth while streaks of pink and blue light flew through the air. Before anyone could say anything, Durus roared and overpowered her opponent, slamming him into the wall behind Hannah. The referee ran over to the downed Pokemon's side and quickly threw his arms in the air, signaling the end of the battle.
"Aegislash is unable to battle! Gray and Durus are the victors, and will be moving on to the second round of the tournament!"
"Wow, that was a close one," Tara said while sitting back down in her seat and letting out a loud sigh of relief. "Hopefully Gray doesn't run into any problems like this the rest of the tournament."
"You can say that again. It took Durus learning Play Rough for Gray to win, and there's no way she'll get that lucky again," Chase opined while folding his arms over his chest. "Plus, the competition's only going to get stronger from here on out."
000
"Great job out there, Durus," Leviculus told his friend while all seven Pokemon were watching the highlights of Gray's battle.
Durus smiled and bowed at the water type before stretching, and she walked out of the main room that connected the kitchen and game room, while also harboring the stairs that led to the bedrooms. As she scaled the winding stairs, Durus looked down at her teammates and chuckled before strolling into Gray's room, where the brunette was laying on her bed.
"What's up, Durus?"
"Nothin' much," Gray's starter replied, which prompted the girl to go back to studying her second round opponent. "Uhm... Gray?" Durus inquired rather uncomfortably, catching her trainer's attention. "Thanks for putting me out there today. I know you could've gone with Fortis, or even Decorus, so it means a lot that you had that much trust in me."
Gray smiled at Durus' words and patted the bed, making Durus jump up. Gray then sat up straight and stared into the Persian's eyes with a bright smile, easing Durus' nerves.
"Hey, you started this journey with me, and there's no way I'm turning to anyone other than you."
"Comis, stop flying in front of the TV!" Magna screamed, making Gray and Durus sweat drop before they walked down the stairs together.
As usual, the main character doesn't lose in the first round. I've always wanted to do that, but the thought of doing all this work just to have them lose instantly would suck :/ So, Gray is now in the top 32, and will start to face much tougher competition. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter "Shocking Showdown": Now in the top 32, Gray elects to use her more underused Pokemon. Much to her dismay, she finds herself stuck in a bind before leaning on her last Pokemon. Who is it? Will they be able to help Gray advance to the top 16?
Indigo League Arc (Titles to be revealed)
Chapter 61: Pushing Onwards
Chapter 62: Fighting to the Fullest
Chapter 63: ?
Chapter 64: ?
Chapter 65: ?