Welcome back, everyone. I know I said I'd include the finals, but I feel like it deserves its own chapter. So, this chapter will NOT have the championship. The first semifinal will be between Owen and CJ, while Brooklyn and Fate will close the chapter out. I don't have anything else to say… so let's get this chapter started!
Owen's team
Snivy, (f), level 10, Tackle, Leer, Absorb, Vine Whip
Tranquill, (f), level 19, Tackle, Growl, Gust, Quick Attack
Blitzle, (m), level 13, Quick Attack, Shock Wave
Sawk, (m), level 26, Brick Break, Bulk Up, Mega Punch, Blaze Kick
Heatmor, (m), level 18, Flame Burst, Tackle, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel
"Remember what we went over, guys. We need to make sure to execute the counters and combos we practiced if we want to make it to the championship and win that ribbon. Owen's really unpredictable, so stay on your toes at all times. Wotter, I really need you to take this seriously, otherwise we'll look like idiots out there. Leaf, make sure to cover Wotter against Shock Wave."
Wotter and Leaf listened to every word their trainer said, and were pumped up for their battle against Owen. After facing him before his first gym battle, Wotter was excited to see how much Owen and his Pokemon had grown. Leaf, meanwhile, knew exactly how the teen battled and was not looking forward to facing his unorthodox style.
"Now let's go out there and make it to the championship!"
000
"I know we've only practiced together once, Heatmor, but we both know experience is overrated," Owen fibbed in an attempt to raise his Pokemon's spirit. Heatmor nodded and shot a wave of fire out of his mouth energetically. "Blitzle, I want you to start the battle off with Shock Wave," Owen told the electric zebra. Blitzle, Snivy, and Sawk were all thrown off by the idea while Heatmor scratched his head in confusion.
"Blitz?" the Pokemon asked cautiously.
"Don't worry about it. Heatmor will cover you until your electricity levels are off the charts. When that happens, I want one of you to give me a signal. Can you do that?"
"Blitzle!/Heatmor!" the electric zebra and fire anteater replied.
"Great! Heatmor, when Blitzle uses Shock Wave, you have to protect him from every attack that goes his way. Okay?"
"Heeee!" Heatmor roared powerfully, causing the four other Pokemon to start cheering. Heatmor and Blitzle darted for the hall while Snivy made her way onto Owen's left shoulder. The teen then withdrew Tranquill, and tried withdrawing Sawk, but the fighting type put his hands up.
"What's up, Sawk?" Owen asked the karate Pokemon.
Sawk pointed towards the stage, and then back at himself.
"Sorry, buddy, Heatmor and Blitzle are already getting ready to compete. How about you go in the championship? You can even pick your partner," Owen offered.
Sawk grinned at the proposal while bowing to his trainer thankfully. Owen smiled at his Pokemon while returning Sawk back to his Pokeball, only to be pulled towards the tunnel by Heatmor and Blitzle. With a bright smile on his face, Owen withdrew the two performing Pokemon and headed for the stage.
000
"It has to be hard picking someone to root for," Brooklyn said aloud in an attempt to strike a conversation. Looking around at the coordinator room, she saw that the only people there were herself and Fate.
"Yeah, from a friend's view and a competitor's."
"I don't think so. CJ has such a better grasp of the performing and Owen just seems like he battles," Brooklyn countered.
"That's why I think he's going to win.," Fate answered back. "CJ's probably going to be too conservative, and Owen will pounce right on him. If CJ can counter him, then he'll win."
000
"Welcome, everyone! These semifinal battles and the championship are actually being broadcasted on national television thanks to the stunning performances from yesterday! Now, we have our first pairing of the battle rounds! Our first competitor reigns from the Kanto region and takes an artistic approach to his performing. Please welcome Cody Johnson!" Julia announced as CJ walked onto the stage while waving to the crowd. He was still wearing the same outfit from the day before, which made some members of the audience cringe.
The boy let out a deep breath and watched the tunnel on the other end of the stage, waiting for Owen to appear.
"Our second competitor also comes from the Kanto region! He brings a balanced blend of power and beauty to his performances! Please welcome Owen Plateau!" The crowd cheered loudly as Owen walked out of the tunnel with Snivy on his shoulder, so the two waved to the crowd excitedly.
"In this round, the coordinators will have timed battles in which they are given a certain amount of points. For each counter, or combination performed, your opponent will lose points. If your Pokemon fail a combination or are overwhelmed by any attacks, then you will lose points! Do you two understand the rules?" Julia asked the two teenage boys.
"Yes," they responded in unison.
"Alright. Let's put time on the clock!" Julia shouted while pointing to the two jumbotrons at the top of the north and south walls of the dome. A timer for five minutes appeared in the middle of Owen's and CJ's pictures. Upon further inspection, Owen noticed there were two yellow bars beneath his and CJ's pictures, which represented the points they currently had.
"Bring out your Pokemon!"
"Leaf, Wotter, let's rock!" CJ threw both of the Pokeballs in his hands as far as he could. Once they opened, Leaf stood confidently while Wotter was laying on his stomach, which caused the entire stadium to erupt in laughter. "Wotter, stop being lazy and get up!" CJ hissed. Wotter lifted his head and shot a Water Gun off of his scalchop, which hit CJ in the face.
"Heatmor, Blitzle, let's give them a show!" Owen hurled the two Pokeballs high in the air, and his tandem of Heatmor and Blitzle occupied the other half of the stage. Wotter remained laying on the ground with a tired look on his face, causing Heatmor and Blitzle to look at each other in confusion while Leaf tried pulling his teammate up.
"Begin!"
"Blitzle, use Shock Wave on Wotter!" Owen commanded while throwing his right fist forward. CJ was so surprised by the attack that he couldn't issue a command, causing Wotter to get zapped by the wicked bolt of electricity. The otter Pokemon slowly rose to his feet with a look of pure evil, causing Blitzle to back up slowly before dropping to the ground in exhaustion. Heatmor quickly jumped in front of his fatigued partner, allowing CJ to attack.
"Now's our chance! Wotter, run around Heatmor and use Water Gun on Blitzle! Leaf, use Vine Whip on Heatmor's arms to keep him from stopping Wotter.!" CJ ordered tactically. Wotter darted to the left of Heatmor before making a sharp turn that lined him up perfectly with Blitzle, while Leaf jumped in the air and fired two vines towards Heatmor's arms.
"Heatmor, grab the vines and throw Leaf into Wotter!" Owen countered. Heatmor threw his arms towards the two vines and snatched them. The crowd gasped in amazement, and CJ watched as a quarter of his points fell. Heatmor then swung Leaf like a rag doll while Wotter was rearing back to use Water Gun. Before the water type could hit his target, Leaf slammed into him, causing the Water Gun to shoot straight in the air.
Seeing an opportunity to use the water to his advantage, Owen shouted to Heatmor.
"Heatmor, use Flame Burst on the Water Gun!" Heatmor kept his eyes on Wotter and Leaf as he unleashed a gigantic oval of fire into the sky. The fire type attack struck the Water Gun, causing a fog-esque steam to fall over the battlefield.
CJ's points slowly trickled at the combination, but Owen wasn't done.
"Now pickup Blitzle and hide in the fog!" Heatmor did as he was told and dashed into the fog and disappeared from Leaf's and Wotter's sight.
"Leaf, use Vine Whip and start spinning! Wotter, stand on top of Leaf and use Water Gun!" The two starter Pokemon obeyed their commands, and Leaf began to spin while Wotter jumped on his back. They then used their attacks, and the steam was cleared from the stage, exposing the whereabouts of Heatmor and Blitzle. Owen's points dropped about a fifth of the way, but he held a significant lead over CJ with just two minutes remaining.
"Heatmor, stay in front of Blitzle!" Owen told the fire type from across the stage. Heatmor nodded at his trainers orders, and he stuck his arms out as if he were a shield. Subtly, Blitzle poked around Heatmor's body and nodded at Owen, telling his trainer that he was able to use Shock Wave once more.
"Let's wrap this thing up! Wotter, use Water Gun on Heatmor!" CJ demanded. Wotter jumped high in the air before firing a powerful burst of water from his mouth, which caused Owen to grin.
"Now use Hone Claws to block Water Gun!" Without hesitation Heatmor generated sparkling silver claws from his hands, and slashed at the water type attack. The crowd gasped as glittering drops of water fell to the ground while Heatmor stuck his chest out proudly. "Use Flame Burst on the ground in front of Leaf!" Heatmor reared back before shooting a bullet of fire towards Leaf, so CJ reacted quickly.
"Leaf, jump over it by using Vine Whip and then use Razor Leaf on Blitzle! Wotter, use Tackle on Heatmor!" Leaf sprung into the air with the assistance of two vines shooting out of the bulb on his back, and Wotter sprinted towards Heatmor. Leaf then fired a powerful Razor Leaf attack towards Blitzle.
With a simple snap of his fingers, Owen watched as Blitzle and Heatmor dodged both of the attacks, which left CJ with an eighth of his points remaining. "Here we go. Heatmor, light a small flame on the ground in front of Blitzle!" Heatmor did as he was told, so Owen continued his commands. "Blitzle, use Quick Attack straight through the fire! Heatmor, stay by Blitzle's side with Flame Wheel!" Blitzle dashed through the small fire, and his body was engulfed in flames. Heatmor then spun like a wheel and covered himself in fire before rolling alongside Blitzle.
"Leaf, use Solarbeam! Wotter, hit Blitzle with Water Gun!" CJ countered. Leaf angled the bulb on his back so that it was pointing straight at Heatmor, while Wotter fired another Water Gun attack at Blitzle.
"Blitzle, jump over the Water Gun and use Shock Wave!" Owen shouted. With perfect timing, Blitzle hurdled the powerful water attack, and a yellow light flashed through his flame covered body. Before Leaf could fire a Solarbeam attack, Blitzle's Shock Wave danced across the air while covered in flames, and CJ's two Pokemon were sent flying up against the wall after being hit by the attack.
Suddenly, CJ's points dropped to zero, so Julia ran on to the stage.
"Our first winner of the battle rounds is Owen Plateau!" she announced while pointing to the jumbotrons, which both had Owen's, Heatmor's, and Blitzle's pictures displayed.
"Way to go, guys!" Owen told his Pokemon as they ran around excitedly. The boy then made his way to CJ and shook his hand.
"Nice battle… or contest thing. I don't really know what to call it," CJ joked while he patted Leaf and Wotter's heads. The two Pokemon didn't seem tired from the contest battle, but they were excited for Owen and his championship appearance.
"You two did really well, too," Owen said aloud as he looked at CJ's Pokemon, which made the grass and water starters smile.
The two trainers then walked back into the coordinator room while bumping into each other in a friendly manner while Snivy held on to Owen's shoulder with her vines. After the two boys stopped the slight shoving, Snivy smacked Owen in the back of the head with Vine Whip, causing Heatmor and Blitzle to laugh at their trainer's expense.
"Hey, you don't see me laughing when you get hit during a battle," Owen jokingly told his Pokemon, who continued to act in a playful manner. Even Snivy laughed at Owen's joke.
"That was a great battle," Fate told Owen and CJ once they sat on one of the couches that was in front of a large television. Fate had watched her friends' contest battle and was wowed by Owen's tactfulness. She had expected CJ to outwit Owen, though she wasn't surprised that Owen had such an unexpected approach to the battle.
"That's the problem. There were maybe two or three counters during the entire battle, but I'm not surprised," Brooklyn said constructively. "You're lucky you've got good Pokemon, Owen."
"Thanks… I guess?" Owen said in response to the backhanded compliment.
"Would Fate Flores and Brooklyn Moore please prepare to appear on the battlefield?" a man with a body builder figure asked. His hair was dark brown and pointed at the front while he also wore a pair of tinted glasses that masked his eyes.
"Good luck, Fate," Owen and CJ sang in unison.
"And you too, Destiny," CJ told the blonde. Owen, meanwhile, acted as if he was too preoccupied to say anything to the girl he had met just three days ago. He released Sawk and Tranquill from their Pokeballs without saying a word to Brooklyn, which infuriated the girl. Brooklyn refused to show the anger she felt, so she stormed away to the entrance CJ walked through.
"Well, I guess I should get going," Fate told the two boys slowly while she watched Brooklyn disappear around the corner, which would lead her to a prep room. Fate mimicked her opponent and began walking down an empty hallway before seeing a door labeled "Coordinator Prep Room".
When she opened the door, Fate was met by a huge room that resembled a professional sports team's locker room. The ocean blue carpet on the floor was softer than a cloud, there were two large whiteboards used for strategizing nailed to a green wall, and there was also a video chat monitor. Fate sat down on a leather chair in the middle of the room while throwing two Pokeballs forward.
Angel and Daisy appeared in front of their trainer while exchanging solemn glances. Angel then looked over at Fate, disgusted with the girl. She wanted to perform with Hez because of her respect for him, but she was stuck with an Eevee. The most bothersome part of the pairing was that Angel had never actually talked to Daisy before. With the combination of her hatred for Fate and not knowing anything about Daisy, a growing feeling of doubt began to poison her mind.
"I know you two haven't worked together before, but I'm confident we'll win this. Just remember, Brooklyn is a really good coordinator, and I bet her Pokemon are just as good. Be on your guard at all times and make sure to help each other out." Daisy took every word to heart, but Angel rolled her eyes after Fate's speech. The teenage girl withdrew both of her Pokemon and let out a deep breath when the huge man from earlier gave her a signal to head out onto the stage.
Meanwhile, Owen and CJ turned their attention to the television as soon as it turned on. The two teens and seven Pokemon began to cheer as Fate was introduced to the stage. The dull dress she was wearing gave the feeling of a funeral, but the look on Fate's face was one full of energy and confidence. Brooklyn was then announced to the stage, and the crowd began to roar for the top-seeded coordinator. Her dress made her look like a princess, and her face showed a poise that few could.
"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the second semifinal match of the battle rounds! Our two competitors will be battling for the opportunity to face Owen Plateau in the finals, which is sure to be an incredible bout. Now, let's put time on the clock!" Julia shouted. Five minutes appeared in-between the pictures of Fate and Brooklyn. Two yellow bars were also displayed underneath the girls' pictures.
"Bring out your Pokemon!"
"Angel and Daisy, it's time to steal the show!" Fate yelled while throwing both Pokeballs with her left hand. The crowd cheered as they laid their eyes on the cute tandem of a Tepig and Eevee. A wave of confidence surged through Fate's body after hearing the cheering crowd, but her two Pokemon were terribly nervous. Daisy hadn't seen a crowd so large because she was rarely used in battle, which also held true to Angel.
"Dewott and Woobat, take the stage!" Brooklyn sang as she hurled the two hi-tech spheres high in the air. Opposing Angel and Daisy were a Dewott and Woobat respectively. The crowd began chanting for Dewott, remembering the water type's masterful performance during the appeal round.
"Begin!"
"Dewott, use Water Pulse on Daisy!" Dewott put his hands together at chest level while a sphere of water was generating. Once it reached max size, Dewott threw his arms forward, sending the sky blue ball right at the four legged Kanto Pokemon.
"Daisy, counter with Shadow Ball! Angel, use Ember on Woobat!" Fate ordered. Daisy stuck her nose straight in the air before throwing her head back down as a ball of purple energy sped towards the Water Pulse. Angel then jumped in the air while her red snout began to glow a vibrant fiery orange. A wave of small orange bullets flew towards the winged pig-bat before Angel landed back on the ground.
The Water Pulse and Shadow Ball collided in the middle of the battlefield, causing an explosion to occur. Both coordinators lost an equally small amount of points, but neither noticed.
"Woobat, use Whirlwind to send Ember right back at Angel and to clear the battlefield! Then get in close and use Razor Shell on Daisy, Dewott!" After hearing the long commands from their trainer, Woobat and Dewott fought back. With a powerful flap of her wings, Woobat sent a powerful burst of wind towards the cloud of smoke and the Ember attack. The bullets of fire were thrown right back at Angel, pummeling the fire pig while the cloud of smoke rose to the top of the arena and disappeared into the air vents.
"Daisy, start dodging Razor Shell and wait for an opening!" As Dewott grabbed the two scalchops off his thighs, a thin blue light trailed behind them. The evolution of Oshawott began to slash at Daisy furiously, but the Eevee managed to jump away from all of the attacks. Brooklyn looked up at the scoreboard to see her points dropping after each successful dodge from Daisy, but the blonde remained calm. "Now, Angel, use Tackle to get Dewott away from Daisy!" Brooklyn gasped in shock as she watched Angel turn to her right and slam into Dewott's ribs, flinging the water type into the wall on the side of the battlefield.
"And Fate's Pokemon are showing great teamwork in the early stages of this battle!" Julia said as she held the tiny microphone up to her face.
After rubbing his right side in pain, Dewott made his way back to Brooklyn's side of the battlefield. "Dewott, use Water Pulse on the ground!" Brooklyn yelled, not giving the evolved starter a chance to rest. Without any signs of pain or fatigue, Dewott jumped as high as he could before throwing the aquatic ball at the ground right in front of Angel and Daisy.
The result of the cunning move was a wall of water shooting up roughly seven feet high. Brooklyn then whispered to her Woobat, but Fate's vision was blocked by the water. After the few seconds of temporary blindness, Fate looked around the battlefield in confusion. Angel and Daisy looked around nervously in anticipation of an unseeable attack. The cunning move left Fate with a half of her points remaining, but she refused to give up when she saw that Brooklyn only had a slim lead.
"Where did they go?" Fate asked in shock. There were no holes in the flat stage, but the crowd seemed to find Brooklyn's Pokemon with little effort. Fate tried listening to the cries giving away the location of the two Pokemon, but there were so many people yelling different things that she couldn't make out any specific words. Due to her frenetic searching and her Pokemon beginning to lose their composure, Fate lost a quarter of her points.
"Now use a double Razor Shell!" Brooklyn commanded. In the blink of an eye, Dewott fell from the air and slashed both Pokemon in different directions. After hitting the walls to the left and right sides of the battlefield, Angel and Daisy shakily got back up on their feet.
"Damn. This isn't looking too good right now," Owen remarked. Sawk, meanwhile, was mesmerized by the battle. Snivy, Tranquill, and Blitzle all watched intently while Heatmor began to practice his punching and kicking. Sawk turned his attention to the new Pokemon with intrigue. Though no one knew Heatmor well, Sawk felt a strange connection with the fire type. Heatmor continued throwing punches at a fairly quick pace, but Sawk became bored with watching the training session. He then looked back at the television, not wanting to miss anymore of the battle.
"Now use Air Slash on Daisy, Woobat!" The eyeless blue furred Pokemon whipped its small black wings forward, sending several blades of air at high velocities. With quick thinking, however, Fate was able to counter the powerful flying type attack while also leaving Brooklyn with an eighth of her points remaining.
"Daisy, dodge it with Double Team!" Before the blades of air could hit Daisy, she made six copies of herself. The copies were destroyed by the Air Slash attack, but the real Daisy remained unharmed. "Now fire a Shadow Ball back at Woobat!" Daisy nodded at her trainer before preparing to hit the psychic and flying type with the super effective Shadow Ball attack.
"Dewott, finish use Razor Shell to slash Shadow Ball in half! Then finish Daisy off with an Ice Punch!" Before Daisy could unleash the powerful attack, Dewott ran at mach speed while his right fist was surrounded with a bright blue color. As the attack was being fired towards Woobat, Dewott pulled the scalchop off of his left thigh and sliced the attack in half, leaving Fate with a sliver of her points remaining. Then, Dewott punched Daisy and she landed just in front of Fate. The small fox-like Pokemon's eyes were shut, and she laid on the ground without moving a muscle.
"Daisy is down for the count, leaving it all up to Angel!" Julia announced while looking at the clock that showed a minute and thirty seconds remaining. Brooklyn was leading, but not by much.
"Angel, use a max power Tackle on Dewott!" Angel slammed her head into Dewott's right side. The blue Pokemon smacked against the wall and struggled to get back up on his feet while gripping his side in pain.
"Woobat, end this with Air Slash!" Fate's eyes locked on to Woobat as she threw her wings towards Angel, so she countered as quickly as possible.
"Angel, sprint towards Woobat and use Tackle again!" Seeing the attack moving towards her, Angel questioned listening to Fate. Even though she refused to do so, her brain took control of her body. The fire pig dashed under the Air Slash that was angled downwards before springing into the air and hitting her head into Woobat's face. The small blue Pokemon then slammed into the wall behind Brooklyn with an unconscious look on her face.
"And Angel takes Woobat down! Only thirty seconds remain in this intense semifinal!" Julia screamed excitedly while watching Dewott dash to Brooklyn's side, and Angel made her way to Fate's.
"Dewott, stay calm and use Aqua Jet!"
"Angel, wait two seconds before rolling to your left!" Fate told Angel. Suddenly, everything went in slow-motion, and Angel began to think.
"I know I'm a good battler, but should I really trust Fate? Well, let's do this thing!"
As Dewott closed in, Angel counted to two in her head before rolling to her left. To her surprise, Fate was right. Angel turned around as fast as she could and saw Dewott struggling to get up after he had crashed into the wall.
"Ten seconds remain!" Julia informed the two coordinators, both of whom were tied with a minuscule amount of points.
"This is it. We've only got one shot at this, and we're not losing!" Fate thought.
"Angel, Tackle!" Fate shrieked.
"Dewott, use Razor Shell!"
The crowd watched as Dewott got back up and grabbed both of his scalchops, while Angel began trudging towards her foe. Dewott then threw both of his arms forward, and Angel was quickly overpowered. The fire type Pokemon was sent rolling like a tire as the buzzer echoed through the stadium when the timer hit zero. Angel's eyes were closed, signaling the defeat of Fate's last Pokemon.
"Angel can no longer battle, meaning both of Fate's Pokemon have fainted! Brooklyn will advance to the finals and face Owen for the Castelia City Ribbon tomorrow night!" Julia screamed over the buzzing crowd. Fate rushed over to Angel's side and picked up the barely conscious Pokemon carefully.
"Angel, you were so incredible out there. I know you don't really like me, but I really appreciate everything you did to try and help me win." The teenage girl then smiled at her Unova starter after withdrawing Daisy.
Angel looked up at her trainer weakly before smiling back at Fate, surprising the fourteen year old girl. Angel's eyes then closed again, prompting Fate to return the fire type back to her Pokeball.
"Great battle, Fate. I'm sure we'll face each other again," Brooklyn told Fate with a smile as they shook hands.
"I look forward to it," Fate replied. "But I'll win next time."
"Maybe," Brooklyn responded before walking off the stage. Fate did the same, and walked into the coordinator room where Owen and CJ were waiting.
"That was the best battle I've ever seen," CJ told the girl. Fate blushed at the comment and looked away from CJ, confusing the fifteen year old.
"Definitely. And I'll make sure to win tomorrow," Owen added with a confident look on his face. Sawk, standing by Owen's side, nodded in agreement solemnly. Fate grinned at the promise before walking out of the arena with Owen, Snivy, and CJ. Even though she exceeded her expectations, Fate couldn't help but feel deflated. She had lost by the narrowest of margins, and was one win away from reaching the championship. She then looked down at Angel's Pokeball and remembered the look Angel had given her after the battle.
She had reached through to her starter.
And that is the conclusion of the semifinals! Owen managed to beat CJ thanks to Blitzle's power and Heatmor's speed, while Brooklyn barely escaped with a narrow win over Fate. Next chapter will be the championship and the group setting off for a tournament. You'll also get to know Heatmor a little better, and so will one of Owen's Pokemon. Till next time, peace out.
1) Were you surprised by Owen's strategy against CJ?
2) How important will Angel be to Fate's success now that they are working together?
3) Is there anything about the contests that needs to be improved on? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated
Next Chapter: Beauty vs Power