Grey's POV
After the match, I went to the Pokémon Center to have my Pokémon healed and spent some time there thinking about which Pokémon I could use for the Gym battle tomorrow and what strategy I could use.
The thing was, items were now allowed for the match, and I decided to give the Flame Orb to Heracross so I could activate its Guts ability.
As for what other Pokémon I would use, I was still undecided and wanted to keep my options open. To be fair, Charmeleon would have a great opportunity to train. The only problem was that if Flint made the battle too difficult, Charmeleon might struggle against his Gym team. But then again, that could also make it great training for her.
Persian would definitely be part of the team I would use to face Flint. I had spent all that time training it to learn several super effective moves against Rock-types, and not using it in a Gym battle where those moves would actually be useful would make all that training somewhat redundant.
I would also use Cloyster. It hadn't gotten a chance to participate in a Gym battle after evolving, and this might be a good opportunity for it to finally show what it could do.
As for the rest, that would depend on what kind of match Flint decided to go with. It could be a 4v4, a 5v5, or he could keep it at 3v3.
I would have to wait and see.
For now, I decided to take a rest for the day.
It had been quite a hectic day, after all.
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Grey's POV
The next day arrived, and I decided to spend most of it training. There wasn't much else to do before tomorrow's Gym battle, so I wanted to make sure everyone got in one final productive session.
Most of my attention went toward Persian. I had Cloyster relentlessly bombard it with Icicle Spears and Water Pulses while Persian focused entirely on evasive maneuvers. The goal wasn't just to dodge anymore. I wanted Persian to weave through the barrage before immediately retaliating with Water Pulse, Iron Tail, or Dig whenever it spotted an opening. If Flint's Pokémon could pressure Persian the way Cloyster was doing now, then this training would be invaluable.
On the other side of the field, Heracross and Fraxure were engaged in another one of their now routine duels. Both of them mainly used their Fighting-type moves, constantly clashing with Brick Breaks and Rock Smashes while trying to overpower one another. Ever since Heracross's battle against Sudowoodo yesterday, it seemed to have found a new motivation to become stronger. It was training with even more enthusiasm than before.
Though...
It had also started doing some weird things.
Every now and then, Heracross would suddenly bow respectfully to Fraxure before charging back into the fight again. I had absolutely no idea where it had picked that habit up from, but Fraxure seemed to accept it as completely normal, so I decided not to question it.
Meanwhile, Exeguttor and Charmeleon continued their own training.
I had already told both of them that they most likely wouldn't be part of the team against Flint if he decided on a 4 vs 4 battle.
Charmeleon hadn't taken that news very well.
She clearly wanted to fight.
It eventually fell on Exeguttor to calm her down before she challenged half the team out of frustration.
Originally, I had planned on helping Charmeleon learn a new move. I even had Solar Beam in mind, but after checking, I realized that Charmeleon couldn't actually learn it at this stage. She would only be able to after evolving into Charizard.
So, I decided it was better for both of them to continue refining the moves they already knew.
Eventually, I planned to teach Charmeleon Shadow Claw through Persian, Brick Break from Fraxure, and if I could somehow get my hands on the Thunder Punch TM, that would also become part of her arsenal.
The problem was that, while my team was incredibly motivated, there were still some issues with team cohesion.
Persian wasn't exactly Charmeleon's biggest fan.
Then again, Persian wasn't really the biggest fan of anyone except maybe Fraxure and me.
Heracross, on the other hand, seemed weirdly enthusiastic about training. I guessed I had somehow ended up catching another training maniac, just like Fraxure and Exeguttor.
Still, despite all their different personalities, my two newer Pokémon had settled into the team surprisingly well.
Each of my Pokémon was different.
Fraxure was disciplined.
Exeguttor was calm and mature.
Persian preferred keeping to itself.
Charmeleon was fiery and competitive.
Heracross was... well, Heracross.
And Cloyster quietly supported everyone whenever it could.
Yet despite all those differences, they all shared one common goal.
To become stronger.
And somewhere along the way, they had also become willing to protect one another without hesitation.
It was honestly a little strange.
They had only been together for a few months, yet they already fought like companions who had travelled together for years.
Watching them train under the afternoon sun, I couldn't help but smile.
Eventually, the exhaustion from the previous day's battles started catching up to me.
I felt my eyelids becoming heavier and heavier.
With everyone still busy training, I found a comfortable spot beneath a nearby tree and decided to take a short afternoon nap, leaving my Pokémon to continue training for as long as they wanted.
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Pokemon POV
Fraxure was feeling nostalgic today.
As he watched the rest of the team train, he couldn't help but think about how far both he and his trainer had come. Maybe it was because of the bug. Watching Heracross train with such determination reminded Fraxure of himself back when he had still been an Axew. Before he knew it, his thoughts drifted back to a memory of his father.
Flashback
A young Axew was practicing Dragon Dance under the watchful eyes of his father, a mighty Dragonite.
"Father," Axew asked curiously between breaths, "why do I have to leave with this Lance guy and start a journey with some unknown kid?"
Dragonite smiled before answering.
"Because only by experiencing the outside world can a dragon truly become stronger. I also started my journey as a little Dratini alongside Lance. It was only after traveling, battling, and seeing the world that I became this strong."
Axew looked at his father with nothing but admiration.
To him, Dragonite was invincible.
He was still skeptical about this whole trainer business, even if he trusted his father's judgment completely. He wasn't exactly the biggest fan of his father's trainer either.
One day, puffing out his tiny chest, Axew declared confidently,
"Then one day... I'll become stronger than you!"
Dragonite simply laughed.
"I'll be waiting for that day."
Not long afterward, Lance came to take Axew away so he could eventually be partnered with a new trainer.
Flashback Ends
Thinking back now, Fraxure was honestly glad that trainer had ended up being Grey.
With Grey by his side, he could actually see a path where one day he might challenge his father's team.
Fraxure knew Lance possessed a team of monsters. He had seen every single one of them when he was little. They were unbelievably powerful.
Yet...
He also believed that Grey's current team wasn't any less talented.
To be frank, Fraxure was thankful that, whether through fate, destiny, or whatever mysterious force governed the world, Grey had become his trainer. He still remembered the day when four different trainers had come to choose their partner Pokémon.
He had quietly observed all of them.
None of them seemed bad.
But only Grey had given him the feeling that he would truly understand him. The others probably would have treated him well too, but Fraxure doubted they could have connected with him the same way Grey did.
There was also something else.
Grey carried an energy that reminded Fraxure of dragons.
It was strange.
Almost as if Grey himself was a dragon trapped inside a human body.
The feeling reminded him a little of Lance, though Grey's aura was far more subtle.
Fraxure looked toward the rest of his teammates and smiled.
Every single one of them belonged to a different species.
Every single one of them had wildly different personalities.
Yet...
Every one of them was dependable.
Cloyster and Exeggutor immediately came to mind.
Those two never stopped arguing.
"Want to go again, you shitty marimo?" Cloyster would yell.
"Bring it on, you stupid bivalve!" Exeggutor would instantly fire back.
Anyone watching them would assume they hated each other.
Fraxure knew better.
When it truly mattered, those two coordinated perfectly.
He still remembered the battle in Mt. Moon. When Rhydon had nearly overwhelmed him, Cloyster and Exeggutor had worked together without hesitation, buying him enough time to stand back up and continue fighting.
Looking back...
That battle had been both his most humiliating moment and one of the proudest moments of his journey.
Then there was Persian.
Despite the sassy personality it had developed...
Actually, no.
Meowth had always been sassy.
It had simply stopped hiding it after evolving.
Still, Persian's speed and versatility were incredible. Sometimes Fraxure felt like the cat could learn almost any move if it put its mind to it. Even though Persian had complained nonstop while trying to learn Water Pulse, Fraxure knew there was no way he himself could have never mastered the move that quickly even if he could learn it.
Persian had also solved one of Grey's biggest early problems.
Money.
At first, Fraxure hadn't understood why humans cared so much about it. It wasn't until Grey explained that more money meant better food, better medicine, and better training resources that he finally understood its importance.
Fortunately, money didn't seem to be much of an issue anymore.
Unlike Lance, who had already been an established Champion, Grey had started from humble beginnings.
Somehow...
That only made Grey work even harder as his drive to become stronger felt more.
The newer teammates were talented as well.
The princess, Charmeleon, was incredibly strong despite her young age. Though Fraxure probably shouldn't be calling himself an older brother when they were barely months apart in age, he still couldn't help but feel protective of her.
Then there was the newest teammate.
Heracross.
...
Fraxure sighed.
He knew he probably shouldn't think this.
But something was mentally wrong with that Bug-type.
Not in the sense that it lacked determination.
Quite the opposite.
Heracross was every bit as stubborn and hardworking as Fraxure himself.
The problem was...
Sometimes the bug would say things that made absolutely no sense.
Just a few minutes ago, Heracross had asked him whether Fraxure thought he would reach the heavens first, and whether he had already surpassed the Body Tempering Realm.
Fraxure had absolutely no idea what any of that meant.
He wasn't even sure Heracross knew what it meant.
Arceus only knew what was going on inside that bug's head.
Still...
Fraxure let it be.
You couldn't exactly correct someone's personality.
Besides...
Out of everyone on the team, Fraxure secretly believed Heracross might possess the greatest raw potential.
Even he had been surprised by how powerful Heracross became after activating Guts. Just a week earlier, it had struggled against Charmeleon.
Now?
The Bug-type had become dramatically stronger in such a short amount of time.
It might never evolve.
But honestly...
Fraxure thought that was perfectly fine.
For Pokémon like Heracross, evolution wasn't everything.
The bug was already becoming stronger at an astonishing pace.
Not long afterward, Fraxure noticed Grey beginning to stir awake from his nap.
Without saying anything, he quietly walked over and sat beside his trainer.
Seeing Grey's back had mostly recovered from the S.S. Anne incident made Fraxure feel relieved.
...
Then Team Rocket crossed his mind.
Immediately, his blood began to boil.
One day...
If they ever met those humans again...
Fraxure would make sure they regretted ever laying a hand on his trainer.
Author's Note: Yes its a fraxure special chapter, small backstory and his thoughts about the team. Next chapter would be Flint vs Grey, it would be the 100th chapter for this fic, I still cant believe we are reaching 100 I never thought I would right this much but here we are.