Welcome back, everybody! It's been a while since I last updated, but I'm still alive and writing. So… this chapter will revolve primarily around Sawk and Blitzle, who will both play big roles in this battle against Lenora. Now, let's get to it!

Owen's team

Snivy, (f), level 10, Tackle, Leer, Absorb, Vine Whip

Pidove, (f), level 14, Tackle, Growl, Gust, Quick Attack

Blitzle, (m), level 10, Quick Attack, Shock Wave

Sawk, (m), level 23, Brick Break, Bulk Up, Mega Punch, Blaze Kick

"Listen up, guys," Owen said to his four Pokemon as they all stood outside the gym. The four Pokemon looked at their trainer with looks of excitement, except for Sawk, who seemed to be calm as ever. "We're gonna win our second badge so then we can go to Castelia to watch Fate's contest and then win our third badge right after! Blitzle, I want you to start this battle for me. Are you up for it?"

"Blitz!" the electric type responded merrily. Owen nodded before looking at his other Pokemon, who waited to see if they would be battling or not.

"Sawk and Snivy, you two will battle also. Pidove, I want you to be ready for our next battle in Castelia," Owen announced. Pidove hung her head disappointedly before lifting her head back up and patting Snivy on the back.

"It looks like everyone's really excited for this," Fate said aloud while glancing at Owen's four Pokemon.

"Except Sawk. Are you sure he even wants to battle?" CJ asked Owen. His question was answered when Sawk began to punch and kick the air at a rapid pace before turning to face CJ and then bowing.

"Alright then. Let's go!" Owen cried before running into the museum while withdrawing Pidove, Blitzle, and Sawk. As the group of three trainers walked through the museum and up a case of stairs, they were met by a pasty white man wearing glasses and a lab coat.

"Hello. Are you here for a battle?" he asked while looking at Owen, Fate, and then CJ.

"Yeah! I'm here for my second gym badge!" Owen roared while throwing his fists in the air. Snivy nodded while sitting on his head, causing the man to laugh.

"Right this way," the man told the group before walking into a hallway that was right in front of the top of the staircase. The three teens followed and soon arrived at a plain ol battlefield with a wooden bench right behind the trainer's side. Across the battlefield was a tall and dark skinned woman. She had teal hair and a pair of large hoop earrings. She wore a tan apron over a pair of worn out jeans, and there was a confident look on her face.

"What's your name, challenger?" the gym leader quizzed while eying Snivy as she hopped off of Owen's shoulder and landed right next to her trainer.

"The name's Owen Plateau! Glad to meet you," Owen replied politely in an excited manner.

The nerdy man walked over to the referee box and held up two flags: one was red and the other was green.

"Are you sure you're ready for this gym battle?" the woman asked Owen, almost as if she was trying to waver his confidence.

"Why would I be standing here if I wasn't?" was his response. The woman chuckled before looking over at the referee, who seemed to be losing his patience.

"This will be a three versus three battle between Lenora, the gym leader, and Owen Plateau, the challenger! Both sides may substitute Pokemon! Furthermore, once all Pokemon on ones side are unable to battle, the battle is over! Trainers, choose your first Pokemon!" the referee yelled while flailing his arms about.

"Here we go!" Owen shouted while grabbing the Pokeball that was on his left hip. "Blitzle, come on out!" Blitzle appeared from the thrown Pokeball with an intense look on his face. Owen grinned at how focused his Pokemon was for their gym battle, causing him to gain confidence.

"Herdier, it's time to battle!" Lenora shouted while tossing her first Pokeball in the air. A tall dog, around Blitzle's height, stood in front of Lenora with an intense look on its face. It had brown fur on its head while its face was covered in heavy white fur. It also had a shaggy back with dark purple hair, yet the four legged Pokemon seemed to be quite nimble just from the way it was built.

"This battle will be between Blitzle and Herdier! Begin!"

"Blitzle, use Quick Attack!" Owen commanded while throwing his right fist straight forwards. Blitzle obeyed by dashing straight towards his normal type foe, but Lenora and her Pokemon seemed to be expecting the fast paced attack.

"Herdier, roll to the right and then use Take Down!" As Blitzle lunged forwards to ram into Herdier, the normal type dropped to its side and rolled to its right. Then, it hopped up and started running towards Blitzle with a semicircle of white light surrounding its head. Once Herdier collided with Blitzle, the electric zebra was thrown forward violently.

"Roll with the floor, Blitzle! Then get back up and use Quick Attack again!" Owen advised. Blitzle followed his orders perfectly as he began to roll like a wheel before turning around and checking Herdier towards Owen. Both Pokemon were panting, and rightfully so. The battle had been so incredibly fast paced it was tough to keep track of whose turn it was to attack.

"Herdier, don't back down! Use Bite!" Owen snapped out of his daydream once he saw Herdier lunge towards Blitzle and bite him right on his side, causing the electric type to cry in pain.

"Blitzle!" Owen shouted from across the gym. The only move he could remember that Blitzle used was Quick Attack, which caused Owen to pull out his Pokedex as quickly as he could and scan Blitzle in order to know his attacks.

"Oh no! It looks like Blitzle's going to faint!" CJ whispered loudly to Fate. Snivy turned around to see Owen's two pessimistic friends whispering to one another, causing the grass snake to cross her arms angrily. She then looked back at the battlefield and winced. The mere sight of battle was a bit too hideous to her, but when she saw one of her friends being beaten to a pulp was worse.

"Not on my watch!" Owen cried, causing Snivy to look up at her trainer with a newfound look of passion. "Blitzle, use Shock Wave!" Blitzle began to stomp his hooves on the ground furiously before crying out his name.

"BLIIIITZ!" The entire room was engulfed in a bright yellow flash, causing everyone to shield their eyes. After pulling his arm away from his face, Owen saw Blitzle stumbling back towards his half of the battlefield while Herdier skipped over to Lenora's.

"Wow! That definitely left a mark!" Fate exclaimed while clapping for Blitzle. Hez nodded in agreement along with Leaf, both of whom were watching the battle very closely.

"Blitzle, let's finish this right here! Use Shock Wave!" Owen yelled powerfully. Blitzle nodded in response before stomping his hooves on the ground. He then threw his neck up and began to cry his name out again, but not a single bolt of electricity appeared.

"Wha-what just happened?" Fate asked in confusion. She looked over at CJ, hoping the older boy would give an answer.

"It seems like Blitzle can't store that much electricity. And when her discharges it, he can't regenerate the electricity fast enough," CJ thought aloud. Owen bit his bottom lip in panic before pulling out Blitzle's Pokeball.

"Blitzle, return! I'm gonna need you for later," Owen said to Blitzle's Pokeball. He then grabbed the second Pokeball off of his Pokebelt with a calm expression on his face. "Pidove, it's show time!" As Owen threw Pidove's Pokeball, the flying type emerged from the small spherical device and gave a happy chirp before puffing her chest out in preparation for battle. Herdier began to growl at its opponent, causing Pidove to step forward angrily.

"This battle will be between Pidove and Herdier! Begin!" the referee announced.

"Herdier, use Take Down on Pidove's head!" Lenora demanded strategically. Herdier barked in response before bounding towards the airborne Pokemon. Pidove simply twirled away from Herdier as he jumped in the air, leading to the normal type dog to bark at Pidove bitterly. Pidove then turned around and squawked at Lenora's first Pokemon before hearing Owen call her name.

"Pidove, use Gust on the ground in front of Herdier!" Pidove's wings began to glow a light blue as she began to flap them in Herdier's direction. The hairy dog quickly jumped out of the way of the attack, but a large cloud of dust shot up from the battlefield, blinding the grounded Pokemon.

"Very clever, Owen. I haven't had a challenger use a normal old battlefield to their advantage before. I'm impressed," Lenora complimented.

"Thanks. Now do a nose dive and use Quick Attack!" Pidove did as she was told, and the flying type smacked her head into Herdier's gut, causing the Pokemon to yelp while trying to clean his eyes.

"Herdier, use your nose to sniff Pidove and then use Take Down!" Lenora shouted emphatically. Herdier looked straight in the air with his closed eyes before his nose twitched. The four legged Pokemon then darted towards Pidove and decked her with a powerful Take Down. However, Herdier winced in pain as he landed due to the recoil damage from Take Down.

"Pidove, can you keep fighting?" Owen asked as he eyed the small pigeon, who was flying much lower to the ground after the awfully painful Take Down attack. Pidove chirped back in response while flying towards Herdier with an enraged look in her eyes. "Okay! Use Gust!" Pidove flung her wings forwards, creating a massive wind that sent Herdier flying into the wall behind Lenora. As he slid down to the ground, the referee saw that Herdier had fainted.

"Herdier is unable to battle! Lenora, choose your next Pokemon!"

"Herdier, return. You were magnificent out there, thank you so much. Now, Patrat!" Lenora's second Pokeball opened and a Patrat took her side of the battlefield. Both Owen and Snivy made eye contact with the Pokemon at the same time, and they immediately recognized the Pokemon.

"Did you just recently catch that Patrat?" Owen asked.

"Yup. I found this little guy after some lightning bolt flew through the air in the middle of the day," Lenora replied, not knowing that the lightning had been Blitzle and that Owen was trying to catch Patrat. The normal type stared at Owen and Snivy before letting out a deep breath. It then glanced over at Pidove, and the two locked eyes instantly.

"This battle will be between Pidove and Patrat! Begin!"

"Patrat, use Iron Tail to jump in the air. Then use Fire Punch!" Lenora yelled. Patrat pushed his tail against the ground before using it to spring high into the air. Everyone watched in awe as the tiny brown rat managed to get above Pidove, but then Owen realized he was in the middle of a battle and countered.

"Pidove, use Gust to blow Patrat back!" Pidove flapped her glowing blue wings towards Patrat and stirred up a powerful wind. Patrat managed to counter it, though, by spinning like a torpedo and cutting straight through the winds. He then tomahawked Pidove with his blazing fist which sent Pidove crashing into the ground.

"Now, Patrat, use Iron Tail and start spinning like a wheel!" Lenora commanded. As Patrat descended towards Pidove, his tail turned a bright silver and he began to spin so fast that all the eye could see was a spinning silver light.

"Pidove, get up and dodge with Quick Attack!" Owen dictated. Pidove looked up and then flew away from the powerful steel type attack. Then, she turned back towards Patrat and knocked the normal type Pokemon over with Quick Attack.

"Hang in there and use Headbutt!" Before Pidove could fly away from Patrat, the brown rodent ran towards her and then jumped before slamming his head into her chest, causing Pidove to squawk unintentionally. She then crashed to the ground back first, but still tried pushing herself up.

"Pidove isn't looking too good right now. Owen needs to think of a better strategy if he wants to win this battle," CJ opined while rubbing his chin.

"You can say that again. It doesn't look like Pidove has anything left in the tank," Fate agreed.

"Patrat, finish this up with Iron Tail!" Lenora yelled.

"Pidove, dodge it and use Tackle!" Owen countered. Just before Patrat's metallic tail could hit her, Pidove moved out of the way. Then she slammed into Pidove with her side, but the brown Pokemon wasn't pushed back very far because his feet were planted into the dirt battlefield.

"Patrat, use Headbutt!" Patrat then used the force he stored up from the Tackle attack and sprung towards Pidove. The two smacked heads, and Pidove instantly fell over motionlessly while Patrat scampered back to Lenora.

"Pidove is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee yelled.

"Thanks, Pidove. You deserve a long rest." Owen looked over at Patrat and then at the Pokeball in his left hand. He then let out a deep breath like Patrat did before he battled Pidove, and then Owen threw the red and white ball. "Blitzle, it's round two!" Blitzle appeared and began stomping on the ground while electricity sparked from the white stripes of hair on his body.

"This battle will be between Blitzle and Patrat! Begin!"

"Blitzle, let's use Tail Whip!" Owen ordered. Blitzle turned his back to Patrat and began waving his stubby tail at the brown Pokemon, causing Patrat to get angry and his defenses to lower.

"Strike with Headbutt, Patrat!" Lenora ordered while pointing at Blitzle. Patrat ran towards Blitzle before jumping headfirst like a bullet. Blitzle was knocked back by the strong normal type attack, and he seemed to be nearing his end.

"Use Quick Attack as fast as you can, Blitzle!" Owen yelled, hoping he could deal a few quick blows to Patrat.

"You do the same, Patrat!" Patrat blazed towards Blitzle, and the two Pokemon collided head first, sending both of them rolling back towards their respective trainers. Owen cursed under his breath after seeing Blitzle get up but hunch over while breathing heavily. He knew he had to end this battle as fast as he could, but he wasn't sure if he should risk it with one move.

"Now, let's use Quick Attack one more time, but run in a circle!" Owen shouted without even thinking. Blitzle nodded and dashed around Patrat, which made the bipedal Pokemon uneasy. Blitzle could attack at any time, he just didn't know when.

"We're not going to sit back and let you dictate the battle! Patrat, use Fire Punch!" Lenora shouted.

"Shock Wave!" Owen exploded. As Patrat jumped in the air, a tornado of electricity engulfed him. After a few seconds, the attack faded, and Patrat landed on the ground with his eyes shut tight. Blitzle grinned happily and turned back to Owen to celebrate, but as he did, he collapsed also.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your last Pokemon!"

"Thanks, buddy. I appreciate everything you did out there, and it won't go in vein," Owen whispered as he withdrew Blitzle back to his Pokeball. Lenora did the same, and then she threw out her third and final Pokeball. A much taller and skinnier version of Patrat stood in front of Lenora, except its fur was brown, and there were horizontal yellow stripes across its chest.

"Watchog, the Lookout Pokemon. Watchog are said to possess 20/20 vision and the ability to see clearly in the dark," Owen's Pokedex stated before he put it away.

"This is it, Owen. You've got the perfect Pokemon for this," Fate told her friend confidently. Owen turned and nodded before looking down at Snivy. The grass snake eyed the Pokeball on Owen's Pokebelt and nodded for him to use the Pokemon.

"Here we go! Sawk, it's up to you!" Once Owen's third Pokeball hit the ground, Sawk exploded from the device and looked right at Lenora's Pokemon. He then bowed respectfully before cracking his neck and putting his fists up in a boxing stance.

"Your Sawk looks very strong. We can't wait to test its strength," Lenora told Owen. Her Watchog breathed heavily in agreement before looking over at the referee.

"This battle will be between Sawk and Watchog, which will determine the winner of the battle! Begin!"

"Watchog, use Retaliate!" Lenora shouted. Watchog darted across the battlefield while being enveloped in yellow energy. The rodent then jumped towards Sawk, but the blue Pokemon and his trainer were fully prepared to counter.

"Block it with Brick Break and then throw Watchog across the battlefield!" Owen commanded. Sawk threw both of his glowing white fists at Watchog, and an explosion occurred. Both Pokemon backflipped away from each other before running back towards the middle of the battlefield.

"Watchog, use Iron Tail!" Lenora told her Pokemon while pointing at the ground.

"Sawk, use Blaze Kick!" Sawk went to duck under the steel type attack, but was pummeled when Watchog swung her tail straight down on Sawk's back. Sawk shot a deadeye at Watchog, causing the Pokemon to freeze in fear. Then, Sawk's foot caught on fire, and he slammed it against the side of Watchog's head. The normal type rolled like a rag doll while Sawk clenched his back in pain.

"Watchog, keep fighting and use Retaliate!" Sawk looked back up just in time to see Watchog crash right into him, sending the blue fighting type rolling across the battlefield. Both Owen and Snivy eyed the Pokemon laying on the ground, but Sawk gave them a stern nod before jumping back up. He then cracked his neck and tied his robe even tighter, letting both Lenora and Watchog know that he was getting serious.

"Sawk, use Mega Punch!" Sawk nodded and then sprinted across the battlefield while his fist was covered in swirling white energy. He then punched Watchog in the face as hard as he possibly could, and the normal type was sent flying into Lenora. Both the woman and her Pokemon dusted themselves off after standing back up, and they prepared to launch another powerful attack.

"Watchog, use Giga Impact and wrap this battle up!" Watchog nodded as she was encapsulated in bright purple energy with spiraling orange streaks flowing across. Watchog then flew into the air before diving down towards Sawk, who shifted his feet wide apart, and his two arms were positioned like a diagonal helicopter blade: his left arm was in between his bent knees, and his right arm was bent straight back behind his head.

"Sawk, use Mea Punch at full power!" Owen screamed. Sawk's right hand was covered in swirling white energy before he swung it at the enormous purple and orange ball of energy that was speeding his way. The two attacks collided and began battling back and forth. For a second Sawk would start pushing Watchog away, and then another second Watchog would start pushing Sawk back. "You can do it, Sawk!" Owen cheered.

"Yeah! Finish this right here, Sawk!" Fate and CJ chanted in unison.

The blue Pokemon's eyes shot wide open, and his fist broke through the Giga Impact attack, and it connected with Watchog's face. The normal type Pokemon was sent flying through the air, and hit the ground head first. The referee then walked over to Watchog's side and saw that her eyes were shut tight.

"Watchog is unable to battle! That means Owen is the winner!" the referee decreed.

"YES!" Owen shrieked gleefully as he ran towards Sawk with Snivy following close behind. Owen then hugged the tall blue Pokemon, and Sawk began to laugh happily.

"I never would've thought I'd see Sawk smile this entire trip," Fate told CJ.

"I know, right? He and Owen are complete opposites, but I guess that's what makes them a good team."

"Owen, congratulations on your victory. You and your Pokemon fought valiantly, and are awarded with this!" Lenora exclaimed as she held up a rectangular badge. "This is the Basic Badge, which is proof that you won against me in my gym."

"Thank you!" Owen told the woman as he took the badge from her hand and held it up to Sawk and then to Snivy, who had climbed up on to his right shoulder.

"Good luck with the rest of your journey!" Lenora shouted as Owen, CJ, and Fate walked out of the gym.

"Alright! Now we're off to Castelia city where I can get my third gym badge!"

"And where I can get my very first ribbon!" Fate squealed. The three trainers and their Pokemon exited the museum and began walking down the road that led to Castelia city with goals waiting to be achieved.

That's a wrap! So Sawk won Owen his second gym badge, and we found out a little bit more on Blitzle and his issues with Shock Wave. Now headed to Castelia city where tons of new rivals, team members, and even a new traveling companion looming, what's in store for our heroes? Till next time, peace out.

1) How do you feel about Diance? Do you think Volcanion and Hoopa will be released too?

2) Any predictions for next chapter based off the title?

Next Chapter: Different Hobbies, Same Rival