Hey, all. This chapter will be the first (of three) rounds of the Vermillion City Tournament, which is going to be intense! With the departure of his strongest Pokemon, does Owen still have a chance at winning? Let's find out!
Owen's team
Snivy, (f), level 10, Tackle, Leer, Absorb, Vine Whip
Tranquill, (f), level 23, Detect, Air Cutter, Gust, Quick Attack
Blitzle, (m), level 15, Quick Attack, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave
Heatmor, (m), level 21, Flame Burst, Tackle, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel
Prinplup, (m), level 21, Bubblebeam, Peck, Metal Claw, Whirlpool
Puff, (f), level 20, Dynamic Punch, Sing, Rollout, Pound
"Neither of you signed up?" Owen asked angrily as he prepared to take his spot on the competing trainers' bench. Both CJ and Fate shook their heads, causing Owen to fume. Knowing he'd have no one to talk to during other trainers' battles was something he didn't want to happen.
"Didn't Dante and Astral both say they were competing?" CJ countered while putting on a pair of sunglasses. He was planning on tanning during the first round or two of the tournament, so he wore a pair of swim trunks and nothing else.
"Oh yeah! I totally forgot about that!" Owen exclaimed. Snivy, who was sitting on Owen's shoulder, looked petrified at the information. Seeing Dante and his powerful team beat Owen with relative ease made her feel nautilus. "I'll see you guys later," Owen said while waving to CJ and Fate as they began walking away from the stage that was set up above the battlefield area.
"There you are, Owen!" Professor Oak shouted happily as he made his way over to the fourteen year old. Though he was old, the professor had no trouble pushing through the wave of people hoping to collect his autograph. They all took a seat after the elderly man hopped onto the stage and some pouted dejectedly.
"What's up, Professor?" Owen quizzed. Owen took a quick glance behind Professor Oak to see a clock that was counting down from five minutes, which was the amount of time before the tournament would commence.
"I wanted to let you know that Charizard and Gary have arrived back at the lab, and all of your Pokemon wished you the best of luck," Professor Oak replied with a bright smile. As he turned to walk away, Professor Oak's attention was caught by a trainer walking by Owen and towards the bench that the other trainers were sitting on, which included Dante and Astral.
"Colman, over here! I'd like you to meet someone!" Owen looked at the professor before turning to see a boy standing by his side. He wore a navy polo shirt, a pair of blue jeans, black and orange runners with white socks, and an analog Sandshrew watch. He also had clean cut blonde hair, and he had one brown eye while the other was green. He had a similar skin tone to Owen, but slightly more tan.
"Colman, this is Owen. Owen's traveling through Unova and received a Pokemon from me four years ago. Owen, this is Colman, a trainer who recently received a Pokemon from Gary. He's competing in the Indigo League," Professor Oak told the two boys. Owen turned to face Colman before flashing a friendly smile. Colman grinned back before speaking up to introduce himself again.
"Nice to meet you. The name's Colman Calhoun, and I'm from Pallet Town."
"I'm Owen Plateau. Nice meeting you, too. I'm also from Pallet Town."
"Well, boys, good luck to both of you," Professor Oak said after noticing there were only two and a half minutes before the start of the tournament consisting of eight trainers. The two boys also noticed the time so they made their way over to the bench. Owen sat to the left of Dante, while Colman sat to the right of Astral.
"Dante, Astral, this is Colman. He's from Pallet Town, and is competing in the Indigo League," Owen told the two older boys.
"Nice to meet you," they greeted in unison. Colman nodded at both of them and then looked into the audience, which was a few feet lower than the stage was. He then waved to someone, or some people before turning back to the three older boys.
"So, are either of you first time trainers?" Colman asked curiously while focusing on Dante and Astral. Dante quickly spoke up, cutting Astral off before he could say a word.
"I am, but these two have been at it for a while." Colman seemed to become more excited after learning he'd be facing stiff competition, which impressed Owen. Normally, a trainer with Colman's experience would be intimidated by this level of competition, but the boy he had just met seemed to be different. "It's no big deal, though," Dante continued. "I beat this guy over here just a couple of days ago. Isn't that right, Owen?" the loud teen joked.
"Shut up," Owen responded while rubbing his aching head. Dante laughed at the response just as a man in a hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts appeared from underneath the stage. The timer struck zero and began ringing over the talking audience, which quieted everyone down immediately.
"Welcome, one and all, to the first ever S.S Anne Tournament! My name is Joseph, and I will be the host of this inaugural tournament!' the man screamed into the mic. The crowd cheered back in response, but Joseph spoke over them. "This tournament will consist of eight trainers, and will be single elimination. The first two rounds will be three versus three battles, while a full battle will be held for the championship!"
Another wave of applause broke out so Joseph waited until it died down. He turned to his left and pointed at all the trainers, and a whiteboard was wheeled over to the center of the battlefield.
"Using a system that featured each trainer picking a random number out of a hat, we have officially made the bracket! In the first subdivision, the first battle will feature Owen and Rebecca!" Owen waved to the crowd and then received nods of luck from Dante and Astral. Owen looked over and looked at his opponent, who seemed bothered by the attention. He saw that she had long black hair, wore three quarters pants, a pair of beat up white sneakers, and a green t-shirt. She was also fairly average height, had long black hair, green eyes like grass, and freckles.
"Next, we have Dante and Astral!" Dante jumped up and began motioning for the crowd to cheer louder, while Astral bowed to the spectators. After writing down their names, Dante took notice of the next round he could compete in.
"Yo, Owen. If I win, then I'll face you again!"
"And the first battle of the second subdivision will have Colman versus Jeremy!" Colman nodded his head confidently before being patted on the back by Dante.
"And the last battle of the first round will be between Rose and Kevin!" Owen looked down the bench to see a girl sitting next to Colman wave to the crowd, while a boy in a vampire outfit hissed loudly. The girl he was battling moved away from the creep sitting next to her before she noticed Owen. The teen looked away immediately, and so did the girl.
"Owen and Rebecca, please report to your boxes!" Joseph told the two trainers. Owen and his opponent rose from the uncomfortable wooden bench and made their way to the battlefield. Owen stepped into his trainer box and Snivy hopped off his shoulder before stretching for battle. The boy looked to his left to see his parents and Professor Oak sitting near him, so he waved. His parents waved back excitedly, and Professor Oak nodded back confidently.
"Trainers, this will be a three versus three battle with no substitutions! Please choose your first Pokemon!"
"Blitzle, come on out!" Owen shouted while hurling the electric type's Pokeball into the air. The zebra stomped on the ground energetically while his stripes flashed yellow. Snivy cheered for the four legged Pokemon, and he nodded back at the smaller Pokemon thankfully.
"Deino, go!" Owen turned his attention to his opponent's Pokemon, which was a small blue dragon that stood on four legs. It's face was covered in black skin, and its eyes weren't noticeable. Blitzle seemed a bit intimidated by the Pokemon until he saw that the Deino began rolling on the ground playfully. "Get back up," the girl whined. Deino looked up at Rebecca and turned to face her before sitting down, causing the young girl to pull at her hair.
"This battle will be between Blitzle and Deino! Begin!"
"Here we go, Blitzle! Try a Quick Attack!" Owen shouted. In the blink of an eye Blitzle sped towards Deino while white light trail behind the electric zebra's body. The six other trainers on the bench took note of Blitzle's speed, which they would need to counter if they faced off with Owen later in the tournament.
"Deino, keep Blitzle away with Dragonbreath!" Rebecca countered. The four legged dinosaur's jaw dropped and a greenish cloud of energy flew towards Blitzle. Before Blitzle could be struck by the STAB attack Owen tried giving his Pokemon another command as fast as he could. The Dragonbreath hit Blitzle and sent him skidding back towards Owen, and the teen scowled at not being able to help Blitzle avoid the attack.
"Don't slow down! Be fearless and use Quick Attack again!" Owen ordered. Without a second thought, Blitzle sprinted towards Deino for a second time, causing Rebecca to laugh.
"Do you really think that'll work? Use Dragonbreath again!" she told her Pokemon in a very city girl-like voice, causing Owen to cringe. Again, a cloud of greenish energy was shot at Blitzle, so the electric type improvised. Blitzle darted around the attack and threw himself into Deino's side headfirst, knocking the dragon off of her feet. Blitzle made his way back to Owen's side and waited for his trainer's next order while Deino tried pushing herself up.
"Blitzle, get ready to use the new move you learned, okay?" Owen whispered to his Pokemon. Blitzle nodded and stood still, prompting Rebecca to attack once Deino was back on her feet.
"Deino, charge and use Bite!" Deino began trudging over to Blitzle, and she opened her mouth to show her teeth after reaching Owen's half of the battlefield. Blitzle watched nervously as his opponent came closer and closer until he heard Owen's reassuring voice pierce through the air.
"Now's our chance! Thunder Wave!" the fourteen year old commanded. Blitzle's stripes turned yellow along with his hair before a bolt of electricity shot straight towards Deino. The attack hit, and Deino's legs stopped instantly, causing the unevolved Pokemon skid across the ground face first.
"Deino!" Rebecca called angrily. "Come back and use Dragonbreath!" she ordered, clearly not aware of the effects of Thunder Wave.
"Alright, buddy, use Shock Wave!" Owen told Blitzle loudly. The electric type excitedly began to stomp his hooves on the ground while electricity began to dance around his body, wowing the spectators. Blitzle locked his eyes onto his target and unleashed the wicked electric attack. Deino took the brunt of the attack and let out a cry of pain before her head dropped to the ground.
"Deino is unable to battle! Rebecca, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee ordered after Deino remained motionless for five seconds.
"Return." The girl zapped her first Pokemon back into her Pokeball, and she threw a second out quickly. "Oshawott, go!" Owen watched as the all too familiar water type appeared on Rebecca's half of the battlefield while jumping up and down energetically.
"What's with all the Oshawott?" Owen asked under his breath. CJ, Brooklyn, Dante, and Rebecca all had the water type starter, and even though Brooklyn's was evolved, Owen had battled against each and everyone of them. The familiarity of the opponent gave him a great sense of comfort in Blitzle, despite the recently used Shock Wave. He looked over at the electric type and saw him hanging his head while his stripes flickered yellow.
"This battle will be between Blitzle and Oshawott! Begin!"
"Oshawott, use Aqua Jet to knock Blitzle over!" Rebecca shouted to the energetic Pokemon. Oshawott encapsulated himself in water before launching himself towards Blitzle like a bullet.
"Use Quick Attack to knock him back, and then use Thunder Wave!" Owen told the low-leveled Pokemon. Blitzle darted towards the speeding bullet of water before the two Pokemon collided in the middle of the battlefield. Water began to soak the battlefield due to the collision, and Blitzle eventually overpowered the tiny otter Pokemon. Oshawott bounced back to his trainer's side, but got up quickly. The tiny otter's eyes shot open as a bolt of electricity flew towards him, but Rebecca countered the attack tactfully.
"Oshawott, use your scalchop to shoot Thunder Wave back at Blitzle!" Oshawott ripped the scalchop off his chest and stuck his arms forwards. Everyone gasped as the Thunder Wave was deflected back to Blitzle, and the electric type was hit by the attack. Rebecca began to smirk victoriously until she noticed that the electricity was absorbed by Blitzle's stripes, causing her to scowl.
"Try another Thunder Wave!"
"Dodge it, Oshawott!" This time Oshawott hopped to his right and managed to avoid the status inflicting move with ease, causing Owen to bite his bottom lip. He looked over at Blitzle, who was starting to look winded, but Oshawott looked just as winded. Owen then noticed that Blitzle's stripes began to flash a more vibrant yellow, which meant that Blitzle was ready to use Shock Wave again.
"Thunder Wave isn't gonna work from this far," Owen muttered. "Quick Attack!" he shouted. Blitzle made his way towards Oshawott and closed in on the water type, which was what Owen wanted. If Blitzle was close enough, Shock Wave could end the battle. He snapped out of his strategic idea and watched as Rebecca and Oshawott fell right into Owen's trap.
"Oshawott, jump and hop on Blitzle!" Owen's eyes flashed with excitement as he watched Oshawott successfully jump over Blitzle and land on his back. Before Owen could say anything, his plan was foiled. Blitzle began thrashing about wildly in an attempt to shake off the small Pokemon, but Oshawott held on as tight as he could.
"Blitzle, use Shock Wave!" Owen shouted. Blitzle, however, was so caught up in his current situation that he didn't listen to Owen. Instead, he began using Quick Attack and running around, hoping Oshawott would let go.
"Oshawott, hold on and use Water Gun!" Rebecca ordered. Oshawott miraculously held onto the electric type before hitting him with a powerful blast of water, which snapped Blitzle out of his nervous action. He then heard Owen give him another command, which seemed like a desperate move to Rebecca.
"Hurry, Blitzle! Use Shock Wave!" The younger girl was dead wrong about the attack not working, and she watched her Oshawott get zapped horribly. The Pokemon was then thrown off Blitzle's body, and landed with his eyes shut tight.
"Oshawott is unable to battle! Rebecca, choose your last Pokemon!" the referee shouted into the air.
"Return, Oshawott." The girl looked at the Pokeball angrily before taking out her last. She threw the tiny sphere forward and cried, "Get out, Deerling!"
"Deer!" the Pokemon cried. Owen looked at Rebecca's final Pokemon closely. The deer had pink hair on its back and head along with a cream underbelly and legs. It was taller than Blitzle, and looked to be much more muscular, which looked like the result of intense training. The four legged deer looked at Blitzle with a confident straight face before swiping the ground with his front left leg.
Owen then looked over at Blitzle, who seemed to be exhausted after using Shock Wave for a second time. He began slouching and his legs wobbled violently, which were telling Owen that this would be a short battle.
"Come on, Owen! Just one more!" Owen heard his mother cheer, causing him to sweat drop in embarrassment. He turned back to the battlefield as if he didn't hear his mother, and watched as the referee stepped forward.
"This battle will be between Blitzle and Deerling! Begin!"
"Blitzle, use Quick Attack to set the pace of the battle!"
"…" Rebecca remained silent as Blitzle continued dashing towards Deerling at a breakneck pace. "Double Kick!" she shouted. Just as Deerling lunged at his grass and normal type opponent, Deerling rolled onto his back and launched his hind legs into Blitzle's stomach, sending the electric type flying through the air. Blitzle crashed against the ground violently before getting back up while panting heavily.
"Blitzle, use Thunder Wave!" Blitzle fired a bolt of electricity at his opponent despite his body swaying back and forth. Rebecca, however, didn't allow the attack to come anywhere close to her final Pokemon.
"Deerling, use Faint Attack to dodge!" Deerling stuck his head up and disappeared from eyesight within nanoseconds. He then reappeared next to Blitzle, causing the electric type to jump in fear. "Finish with Headbutt!"
"Blitzle, watch out!" Owen called out too late. The teen watched as Blitzle's head was slammed into by Deerling's, which caused Blitzle to fall to the ground instantly.
"Blitzle is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thanks, Blitzle. You were incredible," Owen told the electric type, who was no longer able to battle as he carried him back to the trainer box. Blitzle smiled at his trainer's words before being placed next to Snivy. Owen then drew a different Pokeball from his belt and chucked it forward. "Puff, let's do this!" Owen shouted. Puff shot out of the Pokeball and looked around at the audience. She then began to dance for the crowd, unaware of her opponent waiting on the other side of the battlefield. The crowd cheered for the adorable Pokemon, but Owen's words overpowered the applause. "Puff, we're in the middle of a battle!"
The normal type instantly put on a straight face and glared at the Deerling standing across from her. If any random person were told that a Jigglypuff and Deerling were battling, they'd laugh hysterically. These two Pokemon, however, had such ferocious looks on their faces and power radiating from them, they could've been mistaken for two Dragonite.
"This battle will be between Puff and Deerling! Begin!"
"Puff, use Rollout!" Owen yelled to the pink circle. Puff began spinning like a tire and flew across the battlefield. Despite the speed Puff was traveling with, Rebecca had adapted to Blitzle's, which was far superior, making it easy for her to counter Puff's incoming attack.
"Use Leech Seed to stop it!" Owen's jaw dropped as Deerling shot a small seed from his mouth, and it hit Puff. The seed shot open, and vines wrapped around Puff's spinning body. Suddenly, a flash of red light surrounded Puff's body, causing her to let out a cry of pain and slow down drastically.
"Power through!" Owen instructed. Puff instantly reached her top speed before striking Deerling, which knocked the grass and normal type back. "Nice job, Puff!" Owen exclaimed as the pink Pokemon rolled back to his half of the battlefield. The circular Pokemon stopped spinning and cheered excitedly before hearing Owen issue another attack. "Use Rollout again!" As Deerling got back up, he was faced with another Rollout attack, but it was much stronger than the first. This time, however, Leech Seed zapped Puff's health away and stopped the attack, giving Rebecca an opening to attack.
"Perfect. Use Double Kick!" As Puff got back to her feet, Deerling's back hooves flew into her face, sending her into Owen and knocking him over. Owen rubbed his head in pain and got back to his feet along with Puff, and they both readied themselves for battle.
"That did a lot of damage," Owen noted while watching Puff breath rapidly. "Get even and use Sing! Then follow it up with Dynamic Punch!" Owen screamed. Puff began to sing a soothing song, which caused a music note to fly through the air and towards Deerling. While her opponent was too focused on avoiding the sleep-inducing move, Puff started running forward while her fist began glowing red.
"Deerling, dodge it!" Rebecca shouted. Deerling jumped away from the music note and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, a wave of pain surged through Deerling's face as he was launched behind his trainer. After getting up Deerling saw that Puff's hand was thankfully losing its red energy, and the pink Pokemon was zapped by the Leech Seed, giving Deerling more energy for the fight.
"Way to go, Puff! Now use Rollout again!"
"Deerling, stop it with your head!" Deerling braced himself as Puff sped his way. The deer lowered his head and began putting all of his weight into his hind legs before throwing it towards Puff once she was a foot away. The two Pokemon fought back and forth with all their might before Owen called to his Pokemon.
"Now use a barrage of Pound attacks!" Deerling felt all of his weight fly forward, but he recovered quick enough to see Puff had gotten behind him. After jumping on Deerling's back, Puff unleashed a flurry of powerful punches, causing Deerling t cry in pain while flailing around like Blitzle had against Oshawott.
"Launch her of with your back legs and then use Headbutt to knock her away!" Puff's eyes went wide when Deerling threw his back end straight up. As Puff fell to the ground, Deerling dashed forward and rammed into her. Puff bounced against the battlefield lowly before skidding to a stop. As she got up, Leech Seed inflicted even more damage, and Deerling looked ready for another battle. Owen noticed the condition of the two Pokemon and reluctantly decided to go for broke.
"Dynamic Punch!" Puff nodded and began running towards Deerling while her fist was engulfed in red energy.
"Double Kick!" Deerling took off towards Puff before turning and throwing his hind legs forward. Puff didn't even get the opportunity to strike with Dynamic Punch, and she was thrown across the battlefield by the super effective attack. The crowd gasped as the Jigglypuff remained motionless, while a look of confidence was being displayed by Deerling and Rebecca.
"Puff is unable to battle! Owen, choose your last Pokemon!"
Owen made his way to Puff and picked her up carefully before laying her down on the ground next to him. "Hey, don't be sad, Puff." The pouting Pokemon looked up at her new trainer, who smiled down at her warmly. "You tried your hardest, and that's all I could ask for." The boy then patted the normal type on the head gently. "We're gonna win this. And you're battle will be why."
"Jiggly!" Puff exclaimed proudly.
Owen turned and reached for his third Pokeball slowly, thinking over his two options. "Should I pick Tranquill? She's been the strongest out of anyone, but I don't think she's able to match up with Deerling's strength. If I choose Heatmor, he could freak out. And I haven't even worked with him aside from the contest. Prinplup hasn't battled with me either, and he has a type disadvantage. Damnit! If only I had Sawk. Puff's an awesome battler, though. If I could've have both of them, that'd be a huge help."
"Sni?" Snivy asked Owen while pulling at his jean leg. The boy looked down to his starter, who gave him the look of a fighter. "Snivy!" Snivy shouted.
"Hmm… Snivy really wants this. She hasn't even won a battle! If I want to win, I can't pick her." Owen turned away from his starter and prepared to throw out a third Pokeball, but he felt sick to his stomach doing down at his starter and into her eyes, Owen saw a look of fire. He hadn't seen that from her before, nor had Snivy ever felt like that. Watching her teammates fall to Deerling and seeing her trainer struggling was the perfect formula to pump her up. "That's selfish of me. I believe Snivy can win! No, I know she will!"
"Get out there, Snivy!"
"Why wouldn't he have picked Heatmor?" Owen's mother asked the Kanto professor sitting next to her. The old man looked at Owen's demeanor and Snivy's confidence before smiling. The two were doing this together, and for each other.
"Owen's told me of Snivy's struggles in battle," Owen's father started. "I'm just as confused as you are."
"Look at your son," Professor Oak instructed. The two parents turned and eyed their growing son, who was standing about fifteen feet away from them. A look of confidence was present on his face, and he looked like he was having fun with the battle. "Now look at Snivy." The adults turned to look at the grass snake, and were shocked at what they saw. Snivy had the exact same look that Owen did, so Owen's parents turned to one another and shook their heads while laughing.
"Do you see? He knows how to bring out the best in his Pokemon, no matter how strong or weak they are. That's a gift very few trainers are born with. Even fewer trainers actually develop that skill like Owen has…" Professor Oak said before taking a gulp of water from the water bottle he bought at the concession stand and turning to sign an autograph for a little boy. "He must've gotten that from his parents," the professor said aloud, but Owen's parents didn't hear.
"He certainly is special. I wish I could've been as good as him. Heck, I wish I was a trainer," Owen's dad said in-between laughs.
"I feel the same way. He's the greatest thing we could've asked for," Mrs. Plateau said to her husband while watching Owen wide-eyed and in awe.
"This battle will be between Snivy and Deerling! The winner of this battle will move on to face the winner of Dante and Astral's match! Begin!"
"Let's get this started fast! Sprint towards Deerling!" Owen ordered with a newfound sense of energy. Snivy dashed towards Deerling at light speed, but Rebecca refused to be scared of the unintimidating Pokemon.
"Use Headbutt and charge to deal more damage, Deerling!" the thirteen year old girl called to her last Pokemon. Deerling sprinted towards the smaller grass type and smirked as he lunged forward to strike the speedy foe.
"Snivy, slide and take Deerling's front legs out with Vine Whip!" Deerling's smirk disappeared instantly as Snivy vanished from his sight. His face slammed against the ground, causing the deer to see everything around him. "Now use Tackle!" Owen shouted, which gave Deerling a terrible headache.
"Get up and hit back with Double Kick!" Deerling heard Rebecca shout angrily. Without even looking Deerling kicked his back legs out, and they struck Snivy's face. The grass snake was sent rolling towards Rebecca, which generated a question from her worried trainer.
"Snivy, are you alright?" Snivy pushed herself back up with ease, answering Owen's question and causing him to chuckle. "Use, Leer and follow it up with Tackle!" Owen commanded, forcing his laughter to cease. Once Deerling was back on his feet and turned towards Snivy, the grass starter fired her opponent a scary look, but Deerling wasn't fazed. After that, Snivy ran towards Deerling, and she lowered her head to inflict more damage.
"Deerling, Leech Seed Snivy to immobilize her!" Snivy felt herself trip over a vine that wrapped around her body tightly, which lowered her speed dramatically. Despite this, Snivy got back up and prepared to strike Deerling. Snivy was then zapped by Leech Seed, forcing her to drop to one knee in pain.
"Crap! Now Snivy can't get in close with her lowered speed! It looks like we're going to have to attack from afar," Owen thought to himself. "Power through the pain and use Vine Whip as hard as you can!" Snivy happily obliged with the attack, and she fired two vines out of her neck. Then, she began whipping Deerling as hard as she could, causing the bigger grass type to drop to the ground in pain.
"It's not super effective Deerling! It doesn't hurt!" Rebecca shouted at her Pokemon that was in distress. Owen, disgusted with the girl's words, decided to take advantage of Rebecca's scolding.
"Snivy, wrap this up with Tackle!" Owen's order snapped Rebecca out of her anger, leading to her countering Owen's attempt at landing another attack.
"Whatever. Use Double Kick to send Snivy in the air!" Rebecca demanded. Owen prepared to throw his fist forward victoriously, but he was stopped when Deerling managed to kick Snivy straight in the air, despite being on the ground. "Follow through with Headbutt!" As Snivy started her descent, Deerling hopped up and charged towards her. Before Snivy hit the ground, Deerling's head slammed into her back, launching her into the netting behind Owen.
Owen turned around and looked at his battered starter. "Snivy, please, you have to get back up!" Owen pleaded. Puff and Blitzle looked over at their downed teammate covered in bruises and began to cheer loudly in hopes of Snivy getting back up. Despite feeling nothing but sharp pain plaguing her ailing body, Snivy used her stubby arms and her vines to stand up weakly.
Owen's parents and Professor Oak stood up to clap for the struggling Pokemon, and so did Astral. Dante stood on top of the bench and began screaming in support of Snivy wildly, which infected everyone watching. The entire crowd stood and clapped, and so did the other competing trainers.
Snivy looked around at the people applauding for her and she began to walk back onto the battlefield. With each passing second, she began to feel stronger. When Leech Seed zapped away at her health, Snivy wasn't fazed because she was brimming with confidence and hope. Deerling didn't look anywhere near as injured as Snivy, but his energy was nowhere near here's.
"This battle has gone on long enough! Deerling, Headbutt!"
"Vyyy!" Snivy shrieked as dozens of leaves began circulating around her tail. As Deerling began closing in, the leaves flying around Snivy began to rise higher into the air before taking the shape of a tornado. The smaller grass type threw her tail forward, stopping Deerling dead in his tracks. Snivy swung her tail around before slamming the tornado against the ground powerfully. Once the leaves fell to the ground, the referee walked over to Deerling's side and saw that he was unconscious.
"Deerling is unable to battle! That means Owen Plateau is advancing to the second round!" the referee shouted while throwing his hands up to officially end the battle. As soon as she heard the ref's words, Snivy bolted over to Owen, who was kneeling, and jumped into his arms ecstatically.
"Snivy, you were amazing!" Owen told his starter, who he was holding out in both of his hands. Snivy flashed a bright smile and hopped out of her trainer's hands to celebrate with Blitzle and Puff, despite all three Pokemon nearing the brink of exhaustion.
Owen withdrew Puff and Blitzle after they finished celebrating, and Snivy hopped onto his shoulder happily. The two smiled at each other without saying a word as they made their way back to the trainer's bench. Once he sat down, Owen saw Rebecca withdraw Deerling without saying anything despite his incredible efforts. He turned in disgust, and saw that his name was being written on the next line, showing he'd be advancing to the semis.
"Nice job, dude. Your Pokemon were awesome!" Dante complimented while giving Snivy a high-five.
"Agreed. They gave it their all out their," Astral added. Owen nodded at both of the compliments before Dante and Astral were called to the battlefield.
"Good luck, you two. I can't wait for our battle in the semis," Owen told his two rivals as they walked to the battlefield. Both trainers waved in thanks before the referee stepped forward.
"This will be a three versus three battle between Astral and Dante! Neither trainer may substitute his Pokemon, and the winner will face Owen Plateau in the semifinals! Trainers, choose your first Pokemon!"
So… Owen will be advancing after facing Rebecca and her powerful Deerling! Snivy also managed to get her first win, and learned Leaf Tornado in the process! With the semifinals approaching, can Owen manage to advance again? Find out next time, and PLEASE REVIEW! The more reviews I get, the faster chapters are posted! Till next time, peace out.
1) Will Owen face Astral or Dante?
2) Are you happy Snivy finally beat one of her opponents?
3) Will someone step up and take Sawk's role as powerhouse? If so, who and why?
Next Chapter: Riding on the Wings of Victory