Grim and his Pokémon left  goodbye to ash and his friend a couple of days ago. Grim was doing last minute reading with scraggy and zorua. Scraggy and zorua grew stronger. Then zorua battled gligar. His powers of illusion grew stronger. He created multiple copies of its self tricking gligar. Then it unleashed a a dark wave hitting everything. Zorua looks around to see everyone on the the ground.  

Grim: sweet zorua you learned snarled. That's great.

Zorua: zor

Zorua chuckles as scraggy jumped up and down, practicing with his knees.

Grim: I guess you want to train 

Scraggy: scrag, scrag

Grim: alright let's train then.

???: out of the way, out of the way, out of the way!

They look and see Bianca running out of control. She crashed into grim as they fell to the ground. Grim looks to see Bianca getting up rubbing her head.

Bianca: ow, 

She looks down and sees grim. 

Bianca: oh hi Grim.

Grim: hey Bianca, weren't you heading to the next gym.

Bianca gets up as does Grim.

Bianca: oh I was but I maybe got sidetracked.

Grim: yeah I guess we're in the same boat. Been training with my Pokémon.

Grim Pokémon have a shout out. Bianca was amazed.

Bianca: wow so many Pokémon. Oh a zorua

Bianca grabs zorua and starts cuddling it.

Bianca: such a cutie

Zorua: zorua!

Zorua snuggled up to Bianca as grim chuckled. Bianca then got idea.

Bianca: hey grim, let's battle.

Grim: you sure

Bianca: yeah

Later, they readied themselves for a battle.

Bianca: alright pignite come on out.

Pignite gets on the field.

Pignite: pignite!

Grim: well than, Axew get ready to rumble.

Axew appeared on the ground

Bianca: pignite, flame charge

Pignite: pig pig pig pig pig

Pignite charges at Axew.

Grim: Axew, dragon claw

Dragon claws blocks the attack. Pignite slides back.

Bianca: take down let's go.

 Pignite tackles Axew and sends him through the ground.

Bianca: alright pignite use heat crash

Pignite: pignite!

Pignite jumps into the air and forms heat crash. 

Grim: Axew dragon rage

Axew: Axew!!

Axew fires dragon rage at ti causing an explosion. Then pignite falls to the ground and fainted.

Bianca: pignite return. Wow Axew is really strong

Grim: I know it all to well.

Bianca: alright go minccino 

Minccino comes out an faces Axew. Grim returns Axew as he chose gligar. Gligar jumps onto battle.

Bianca: use hyper voice

Minccino let out a massive scream causing gligar pain. 

Bianca: use double slap.

Minccino charges at gliagr delivering two slaps to the face. 

Bianca: now use tickle.

Minccino: Cino cino cino

Minccino tickles gligar as he couldn't help but laugh.

Bianca: I improved minccino tickle, what you think 

Grim: impressive, but remember I strengthen my gligar.

As minccino continued to tickle gligar. He mange's to grab minccino tail. Minccino looks at gligar, as he had a dark aura and red eyes.

Grim: gligar brick break, 

Gligar: gligar!

Gligar strikes minccino head. The attack causes a one hit no as minccino fainted.

Bianca: oh man, minccino returns. 

Grim: wow Bianca, I must admit, your Pokémon are strong, I'm glad I got to battle you

Bianca: thanks you too

They enjoyed each other company as they ate as well as their Pokémon. Zorua got pamper treatment, as Bianca brushed his fur. Soon it was night and Bianca fell asleep on grim as he fell asleep to. The next morning he and his team wave Bianca goodbye.

Bianca: see yah grim.

Grim smiles. He then notice his other Pokémon smirks at him.

Grim: it's nothing.

The team laughs as they returned to their Pokéballs. It took awhile but they finally made it to nacrene city, it was sunset and as grim and gligar walked to the gym, they see ash and his friends.

Grim: hey ash

Ash: hey it's grim

Pikachu: pika

Gligar: gli

Iris: did you just arrive

Grim: ye I'm here to challenge this gym

Ash: well this is what your after.

Ash shows him the gym badge.

Grim: wow you won. Well you just watch my battle and I'll win.

???: is that so

Grim looks and sees a woman.

Lenora: well I'm the gym leader, lenora, I can't wait to see what your made of.

Grim: alright 

Lenora: let's have the battle tomorrow my Pokémon need rest.

Grim: alright.

Later grim decide to get training done at the battle club. 

Don: so you want to challenge the nacrene gym, well your gonna need speed

Grim: okay

Grim and the others follow don into the training rooms. He had grim and zorua run on a treadmill to improve their speed. Then with grim and scraggy, they were in a room fit for fighting types.

Ash: wow grim you got a scraggy and zorua.

Grim: yep, now just wait to see what they can do, let's go scraggy

Scraggy: scrag 

Scraggy and grim how to run on a treadmill too. But unlike with zorua dodging balls made to be like shadow ball. Scraggy had to hit a dong way up in the sky and doge large cutouts of Pokémon.

Don: fighting type Pokémon need tone full center, they need both speed and power to be great. And your scraggy already has power. We'll need to work up its speed.

Grim: alright you ready scraggy

Scraggy: scrag scrag

Grim and scraggy run on the tread mill, they take out some cutouts but fail to hit the dong. They kept trying, each time improving scraggy speed.

Scraggy: scrag scrag scrag scrag scrag, scraggy!

Scraggy jumps into the air with high speed and his knee glows orange red. He spins and hits the dong.

Don: scraggy just learned hi jump kick.

Grim: wow way to go scraggy

Ash: so cool

Pikachu: pika pi 

Scraggy jumps down and stiles a pose. The day came for grims gym and lenora and her husband, hawes, has a test for grim. They enter a gym which was also a museum. They enter further into a large library.

Lenora: as you known, I like to know information, and I want to know what each trainer is. So time to hit the books.

Lenora turns hitting run of the books

Grim: really, fine.

Grim walks around but then stops.

Grim:[thoughts] wait why would books have anything to do with a gym battle, each gym is different and each leader wants the challenger to push them to the edge. So she wants me to find a book but really she telling me which book to pull.

Grim wants back to spot and pulls the book lenora hit. The wall of books move up and reveal a hidden staircase.

Lenora: I can already tell your smart, and forward, you realized that it was a trick and found the way to the gym field. Most trainers look for the book interest them and think to literal of what I say,

Grim: well I'm not most trainers

Gliagr: gligar

Lenora: heh, your just like ash, now come on.

They enter the gym field. Ash and the others stood on bleachers, hawes was the referee of the match.Hawes explain the rules.

Hawes: it will be a two on two match, both may substitute Pokémon. The challenger wind when all the gym leaders Pokémon are unable to battle.

Cilan: I wonder strategy grim has cooked up.

Iris: I say he'll go with scraggy, he is a fighting type.

Ash: I just can't wait 

Pikachu: pikachu 

Lenora throws her two Pokémon herdier and watchhog 

Herdier: Herd

Watchhog: watch

Lenora: herdier will be you first opponent.

She sends back watchhog

Grim: scraggy get ready to rumble.

Grim throws out scraggy as it chuckles.

Iris: see I told you

Ash: I don't know, since when did scraggy chuckle

Herdier: herd 

Scraggy: scrag scrag

Lenora: your scraggy got spirit!

Hawes: let the battle begin.

Grim: scraggy use shadow ball

Scraggy throws shadow ball. 

Lenora: herdier use protect.

Herdier blocked the attack

Lenora: now shadow ball.

Herdier: herdier

Herdier fires multiple shadow balls

Grim: then we use protect 

Scraggy used protect and blocked it. Scraggy rushes at the herdier.

Lenora: show em what we made of use roar

Herdier: herd

Herdier glowed red and let out a fearsome roar. It stops scraggy in its tracks and forced it back in its Pokéball.

Iris: it happens again.

Cilan: I wonder if grim prepared for it

Then out of grims pocket one of his Pokéballs send out a Pokémon. But it was scraggy again. This one with a glare.

Scraggy: scraggy!

Iris: what but grim doesn't have to scraggy.

Cilan: maybe grim has a hidden flavor.

Lenora: well that's interesting, we'll switch out too.Watchhog come on out.

She returns herdier and brings out watchhog.

Watchhog: watchhog

Lenora: watchhog use mean look.

Watchhog: Chog

Watchhog eyes glow red and through scraggy perspective, a dark Aura form around watchhog and left forming into a giant eye. Then the room filled with eyes and send a dark purple aura around scraggy.

Grim: look like we staying in this fight. I like your combination.

Lenora: thanks

Grim: scraggy use headbutt

Scraggy: scrag scrag scrag scrag

Scraggy charges at watchhog

Lenora: watchhog dodge it

Watchhog jumps but scraggy was to quick. Watchdog gets hit but lands perfectly.

Lenora: scraggy is fast

Grim: yep and check out our new move. Scraggy, hi jump kick.

Scraggy jumps towards watchhog and spins. He knees watchhog in the gut sending him flying. He falls and gets up slowly.

Watchhog: watch

Lenora: watchhog confuse ray go

Watchhog fire confuse way at scraggy. Yellow orbs spun around him and hit causing him to be confused.

Lenora: now use thunderbolt

Watchhog fires thunderbolt as it hits. He slides back and snaps out of the confusion.

Lenora: watchhog finishing it with thunderbolt.

Scraggy jumps into the air and towards watchhog with hi jump kick. Watchhog fire thunderbolt at scraggy. He gets hit but doesn't stop him from landing a hit. The dust settles and and both Pokémon were  fainted.

Hawes: watchhog and scraggy are both unable to battle! 

Ash: way to go grim

Grim: thanks

Cilan: scraggy's fierce determination and grims calm thinking makes them a recipe for success.

Iris: now they're down to run Pokémon each. Wonder if it's the scraggy again.

Ash: go grim

Pikachu: pikachu!

Grim: thanks scraggy, you deserve rest. You earned it.

Lenora return her Pokémon as well.

Lenora: I'm surprised that scraggy won against watchhog. But time for your luck to one out. Go herdier.

She calls herdier. And grim calls, scraggy.

Grim: alright time to call off the illusion.

Scraggy chuckles and does a back flip. He turns into a purple flamewheel and changes into zorua.

Iris: it's zorua, so that means I was wrong.

Cilan: zorua illuison does come in handy, but a risky flavor in showing your other Pokémon.

Ash: wow.

Pikachu: pika

Lenora: so your first scraggy was just zorua in illuison, impressive

Grim: you ain't seen nothing yet. Use shadow ball.

Lenora: protect now

Zorua fires shadow ball but herdier protects. Itself.

Grim: shadow ball again, multiple

Zorua smiles. It creates multiple shadow balls and fires them.

Lenora: protect again

Herdier use protect.  It the shadow balls went right through protect and him. Herdier was confused as he dropped the protect. But then the last shadow ball hit and it was real. Herdier slid back and growls.

Lenora: wow you trained zorua well.

Grim: thanks.

Cilan: amazing turning illuison into attack is exquisite.

Grim: zorua use shadow ball again

Lenora: herdier counter with shadow ball

The attacks counter but some of herdier hit zorua. Zorua got up and was tired.

Grim: you till good Zorua

Zorua: zorua!!

Lenora: amazing, you may I just got zorua, but I can see he wants to live up to your expectations. No matter the cause. But I much hold my title as the nacrene city gym and live to my expectations. To give it my all. Herdier gigs impact.

Herdier charges at zorua with a intense aura. It hits Zorua as he falls to the ground. Zorua gets up and growls

Lenora: herdier shadow

Grim: Zorua dodge it

Zorua does so again hung some inner strength.

Lenora: herdier hugs impact

Grim: wouldn't expect it any other way. Zorua now, use snarl

Zorua: zor!!!!!

All: go Zorua!!

Herdier charges as Zorua let's loose a massive dark shockwave and creating a massive explosion. When the smokes settled Zorua was left standing as herdier fainted.

Hawes: herdier is unable to battle, Zorua is the winner which means the victory goes to grim.

Grim: oh yeah. 

Grim runs over to Zorua. And hugs him.

Grim: you did great for your gym battle.

Zorua: zor

Ash: way to go grim

Iris: yeah scraggy and zorua were amazing.

Cilan: zorua snarl was excellent.

Lenora: connoisseur boy is right, you just ash, grim, full of surprises.

Grim: thanks

Hawes:  yeah to who would've use the ability illusion as an attack.  You caught us by surprise.

Lenora: anyway, I admire your battling style. Here's this is the basic badge good luck in future battles and keep believing in all your Pokémon 

Grim:  I will

He takes the badge and cheers.

Grim: this is great, I just got the basic badge.

Gligar: gli!!!

Scraggy: scraggy!

Zorua: zor!!

They all laughed. At the Pokémon center, grim gets his Pokémon from nurse.

Nurse: I'm happy that to say your Pokémon and doing great

Grim: thanks

Grim walks out of Pokémon center then.

Ash: hey grim

Grim: yeah ash

Ash: why don't you come with us

Grim: really

Cilan: yes your battle styles are compatible with ash and will spark a unique flavor. 

Iris: plus the Pokémon have grown to like you.

Axew: ew Axew

Grim: well how can I say no to that. Alright let's do it

Gligar: gligar!

They headed out to ash next gym battle in castelia city. As the journey continues.

Boom that's it for the chapter, grim and Bianca battle. And grim won against his second gym battle. Now he joins his new friends on their journey. Next chapter, finally made it but trouble spreads through the city in, Vinipede Stampede.