What's going on, everyone! It's time for one final story, and this will be focusing on an entirely new character. That's right, Owen won't be competing in any league in this story, but he and some of the other characters from previous stories will make appearances. Also, the unnamed Pokemon is eventually revealed, just incase anyone was confused by that. Now, I know this is going to feel weird, but let's get going!

"No way, Wallace is the cutest!"

"Nuh uh! It's definitely Red!"

"Would both of you shut up!? I'd like to have a peaceful walk home for once." Three girls traveled down a sidewalk on the busiest street in the city, something they were used to, having traveled back and forth the route for roughly eight years.

"What else is there to talk about? All you want to do is homework," a girl remarked. She had curly red hair and pale skin, but there was a goofy smile plastered on her face that made her seem approachable. She - along with the two other girls - was wearing a black vest over a white dress shirt, a black skirt, white knee socks, and dress shoes.

"She's got a point, you know," a second girl added. "You need to start getting some other interests. After all, aren't you going to be a trainer?" She had straight black hair and tan skin with bright green eyes. Her fingernails were painted red and white like Pokeballs and she had a quizzical look on her face while looking at the girl standing in-between her and the redhead.

"Well... yeah, but that's not the point!" a third girl, the one who had just ended the previous debate, explained before sighing. Her fair skin made her look good in her school uniform, and she had wavy brown hair. The wind suddenly picked up and blew her hair into her eyes, prompting the girl to move her hair. Her eyes were gray, something that had stuck with her since she was two.

"Typical Gray," the redhead muttered. "As I was saying, Wallace is the hottest Champion, Sammy!"

"No! Wallace is a jerk and you know it, Tracy!"

"Guys! I'm not doing this again! Shut up!" Gray shouted, hoping to end the argument. Her protesting was ignored, however, as Sammy and Tracy continued to bicker all the way back to the apartment the three girls lived in with their families. Gray rolled her eyes after stepping out of the elevator - which was on the third of six floors, at the moment - and she turned to see her friends still arguing about the champions.

"Those two are idiots," the sixteen year old thought while shaking her head with a slight grin. After reaching the end of her hall, Gray pulled out a key from her crammed backpack and unlocked the door to her apartment. As soon as she stepped foot in the living space, a loud scream rang in her ears while she threw her backpack on the floor.

"Gray!" A little boy who was sitting on the couch glared at the older girl as she walked past the TV and paid him no attention. "Mom called and was asking about you. She said something about visiting a Pokemon store or something," the younger boy, who was maybe twelve or thirteen shouted to his sister.

"Anything else?" the brunette asked as she sat down on the couch next to her little bother while kicking her shoes off and leaning back. The younger boy shook his head and turned the volume up on the TV as an interview came up.

"It's been several years since the greatest battle broadcasted, and we finally get to have an interview with the two who competed, though our second guest will be appearing a little later in the show. Champion Red, it's great to see you once again," the interviewer said while bowing to the man, who bowed back respectfully. "First, I'd like to ask how you're doing? Being a Champion is pretty stressful work."

"You can say that again," Red grumbled, making the other reporters laugh while the woman conducting the interviewer seemed annoyed at Red's joking. "In all seriousness, everything has been great these past few years. Ever since we upped the age for new trainers to 14, and them having to pass testing, I think all of Kanto has been safer and the skill in trainers is higher than ever before."

"Definitely," the woman agreed while nodding emphatically. "I'm actually stationed here in Kanto for the year because of the age restriction, and it's fascinating to see how mature these trainers are."

"Well, that's what my colleagues and I were going for. I know some of the younger kids are annoyed at the age change, and I get it, but please know that we're doing this for your own safety," the man said, looking into the camera.

"Wow! This guy is so full of it right now!" Gray's little brother screamed at the TV in rage. "If only there wasn't an age restriction. Then I could challenge him to a battle and prove how wrong he is about this whole age thing!"

"Don't you think people should leave Red alone? I mean, he's trying to protect the younger trainers who aren't ready to go on journeys yet," Gray asked her brother, who simply shrugged as if he didn't care. "Whatever. Billy, tell mom I went to go visit the store," the sixteen year old told her little brother, who nodded in response before listening to the interview once again.

After making her way down to the lobby and out of her apartment building, Gray walked down the busy streets of Saffron City and passed by the gym and fighting dojo. Screaming men and Pokemon could be heard across the street, even with cars passing, which always piqued Gray's interest, but she never decided to go into the dojo. Another couple of minutes passed, and the girl arrived at a tiny building that had a sign which read "Pokemon Adoption Center". Gray walked into the building at her usual lackadaisical speed, and she was met by an older woman with brunette hair.

"Hi, honey! Billy told me you left a little while ago, but I didn't expect you to be here this quickly," the woman said to Gray as the two walked over to a desk.

"Well, you know me. I'm always one to be on time," Gray said with a sarcastic tone behind her voice, making the woman laugh. "So why'd you want me to come down here?" The sixteen year old waited for her mother to reply, but she was left disappointed when the older woman paid no attention to the question. "Mom? Are you there?"

"Hold on one second, Gray," the woman said as she feverishly checked a piece of paper that had a list on it. After scrolling through the list a few more times, Gray's mother dropped the paper on the ground and nearly pulled her hair out. "Damn it! That thing got out again!"

"What are you talking about? Did Goodra get out again?" Gray asked, referring to her mother's Pokemon. The woman shook her head and picked up the paper before pointing at a specific Pokemon, one that didn't seem like a big deal. "So? What's so great about that Pokemon?"

"I was going to give it to you today! Go figure, the one time I want that little pest around-"

"Mom, calm down. It's probably at the Pokemon Center," Gray told her mother confidently, making the older woman sigh. "I'll go check on it right now." With that, Gray walked out of the Adoption Center and made her way towards the Pokemon Center, which was in the heart of the city. She had always enjoyed walking by her lonesome after school and found it interesting that everyone she passed had somewhere to go or something to do. In a way, it was like a colony of ants all living together, but without having to directly work with each other. As Gray continued to walk down the bustling streets, she eventually stopped when she reached the Pokemon Center. Once she stepped towards the building, Gray smacked into a taller, more muscular person.

As she shook her head and looked up, the girl blushed when she saw a boy extend his hand with a sincere look on his face. She gratefully accepted the help and quickly rose to her feet with a smile.

"Sorry about that, Gray. Nurse Joy's got me running around the entire city delivering medicine to sick Pokemon," the boy explained nervously while bowing repeatedly, making the girl laugh.

"It's fine, Chase. I should've watched where I was going. Say, have you seen this Pokemon around here?" the sixteen year old quizzed while holding up a picture of the Pokemon her mother lost. Chase's eyes lit up after looking at the picture, and he nodded frantically before running inside.

"Come quick! I know exactly where it is!" Gray rolled her eyes before running after the boy, but she gasped when she saw the Pokemon her mother was freaking out about. "See? It's been running around attacking everyone that tried using the battlefields. It even knocked out my Audino," the teen said before sighing, remembering his defeat.

"Sorry about that. You know my mom, though, she's a bit of a klutz," the girl said, to which Chase nodded with a slight grin. "Now how exactly am I going to get this thing?" the girl asked herself, sighing. Before she could do anything, Chase ran towards the Pokemon and let out a battle cry, tackling it. Once he stood up, the sixteen year old held the feisty Pokemon by its tail, and he began to laugh victoriously.

"Here you are, little lady. Heh, you're not so tough now, are you?" the teen asked jokingly while looking at the enraged Pokemon. In a matter of nanoseconds, the feline slashed Chase across the face, making him lose his grip, and he fell on the ground while the Pokemon attempted to claw the boy to death.

"Woah woah woah!" Gray shouted while running to Chase's defense. The small Pokemon turned and hissed at the girl, stopping her dead in her tracks. "Take it easy, girl. I'm just here for my friend, okay? I'm not here to hurt you," Gray iterated while taking small steps towards Chase, who was somehow pinned under the angered Pokemon.

Just as Gray took another step, the Pokemon lunged at her and attempted to scratch her face. The sixteen year old ducked as quickly as she could and bolted for the Pokemon Center doors with Chase following close behind, but the angry Pokemon pursued.

"I don't want to die!" Chase screamed in terror as he and Gray sprinted through the busy streets. The two teens glanced back repeatedly and screamed every time they saw the Pokemon chasing them, but that's when Gray formed an idea.

"Chase, follow me! We're going to the Adoption Center!" Gray screamed before darting across the street. The blonde teen simply nodded at the girl before nearly being clobbered by a taxi. After falling on the ground and dusting his clothes off, Chase sprinted after Gray while the tiny Pokemon began to gain on him. Chase managed to reach the Adoption Center, and he hid behind a desk while the tiny Pokemon sprinted into the building. As soon as it did, its eyes went wide and it tried running back out, but Gray's mother closed the doors.

"Haha! You're not going anywhere!" the mother exclaimed before picking up the Pokemon and putting it in a large cage, where it had enough room to move around and talk to other Pokemon. After the Pokemon was put away, Chase and Gray walked over to Gray's mother with proud smiles on their faces, making the woman laugh. "Thank you so much for the help, Chase. Tell your parents I said hi."

"No problem, ma'am. I'll see you in school tomorrow, Gray," the tall boy said before heading towards the door. He stopped, however, when his PokeGear went off, and he screamed after reading the message he received. "Crap! I forgot to deliver the medicine!" With that, the blonde bolted out of the Adoption Center while Gray and her mother laughed, but they turned to stare at the Pokemon that had ran away.

"Wait, you said you were going to give me that Pokemon?"

"I'm second-guessing it now, but I did say that," Gray's mother replied sheepishly as the Pokemon hissed viciously. "I don't have any others available, but you could always wait a little while." Gray walked towards the cage of the Pokemon while her mother spoke and she knelt down next to the creature before opting to let it out of its cage. "What are you doing!?"

"I want to see if she'll attack if we let her know we won't do anything," the sixteen year old replied before walking over to her mother. The Pokemon slowly crept out of its cage and sniffed the air before glaring at Gray and her mother. After several minutes of walking around the room, the Pokemon yawned and laid down on the ground, and Gray pumped her fists victoriously. "I'll take it!"

"You know, if you decide to be a trainer, this thing's going to be difficult to raise," Gray's mother warned. "I don't want you calling me up in the middle of the night crying about how it doesn't listen to you."

"Well, every trainer has to deal with a difficult Pokemon at some point, right? Why not get that out of the way right now?" the girl replied while her mother pulled out a box of supplies from her desk. "What's all this?"

"Some Pokeballs, translators, and a belt," the older woman said while handing the supplies to her daughter. "And here's Meowth's Pokeball." Gray graciously accepted the device and turned to the sleeping normal type, and she walked over to the Meowth before withdrawing it.

"Thanks mom. Now all I have to do is get through graduation tomorrow, and I can go on my adventure!" the sixteen year old exclaimed before walking out of the Adoption Center and back to her apartment.

000

"Man, it all starts tomorrow. To think I'm going to finally travel Kanto... it's just incredible!" Gray thought to herself while laying in her bed. She slowly turned to her left side and looked out her window at the moon and smiled as she glanced over at Meowth's Pokeball, which was lying on her dresser. While doing so, she looked back on an event that had occurred several years ago, where she was sitting across a table from a boy, who had an excited look on his face.

"I'll be the greatest trainer the world's ever seen, and no one's going to stop me! I'll do it for him."

Alrighty, that's all I've got for now and I'll probably go back and edit some stuff that either I or you guys don't like, but for now it'll remain as is. Next chapter will be Gray's graduation party-thingy and that will take place in Pallet Town, which is where she'll also meet her first rival! Also, all of her Pokemon will receive nicknames (unlike Owen's Pokemon), which will all be latin-based. Till next time, peace out.

1) First impressions of Gray and the others? (I know it's early, but I love seeing what you guys think about stuff like this)

2) How do you think Gray and Meowth will get along?

3) Predictions for next chapters?

Next Chapter: "Graduation Fiasco!": While attending her graduation to officially begin her journey, Gray runs into an arrogant, obnoxious trainer. The two trainers eventually decide to duke it out in front of Oak's Laboratory, but Meowth refuses to listen to Gray! Will our heroine be able to pull off a stunning victory?

Coeptum Arc

Chapter 3: Voyaging to Viridian
Chapter 4: Enter Leviculus
Chapter 5: When Bonds Prevail!