IMPORTANT NOTCIE: Reviewer number 100 will get to ask me any question they'd like about the story, and I will answer it!
It's time for Owen's third gym battle! After catching a Muk in the previous chapter and restoring the power in Castelia City, Owen is ready to take on Burgh in what should be an intense gym battle. Now, let's get going!
tepigsfire758: Very good guess. We'll have to find out soon ;)
Pokebat: Yeah, it was really tough trying to make it work, but I just couldn't. And I think I've got some pretty interesting twists in store for you, so get ready to have your mind blown! Not really though, but I hope you like the rest of the story :P
Owen's team
Snivy, (f), level 16, Tackle, Leer, Absorb, Vine Whip, Leaf Tornado
Tranquill, (f), level 26, Detect, Air Cutter, Gust, Quick Attack
Blitzle, (m), level 24, Quick Attack, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, Flame Charge
Heatmor, (m), level 30, Flame Burst, Tackle, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel, Fury Swipes
Prinplup, (m), level 24, Bubblebeam, Peck, Metal Claw, Whirlpool
Puff, (f), level 23, Dynamic Punch, Sing, Rollout, Pound
With Professor Juniper
Muk, (m), level 34, Sludge, Body Slam, Protect, Poison Jab
"Don't worry, Owen, Muk is with me and he's getting along with everyone here at the lab," Professor Juniper told Owen. The teenage boy grinned after hearing the good news and placed Tranquill's Pokeball in the transfer machine.
"I'll send Muk back as soon as the battle's over," Owen told the young professor, who nodded in acknowledgment before placing Muk's Pokeball in the transfer machine. After a flash of light, Owen received Muk, and had successfully sent Tranquill to the Unova professor. "Thanks, Professor," Owen said before ending the video chat. After getting up from his chair, Owen clipped Muk's Pokeball onto his belt and Snivy hopped onto his shoulder. The Kanto native then walked over to the lounge area, where CJ and Fate were sitting, and he motioned for them that it was time to leave.
"So you're not going to use Tranquill?" CJ asked as he, Fate, and Owen walked through the busy streets of Castelia City. Wotter and Leaf were walking by his side happily, while Angel and Hez stayed close to Fate.
"Nope. I know just who to use for this," Owen replied. As the group reached the end of the street and turned right, Owen laid his eyes upon the gym. It was an enormous building with a statue of the league's symbol outside and near the entrance. Once the group arrived, they were surprised to see Rebecca sitting out front. A grin spread across her face when she saw the group, but frowned when she and Fate made eye contact.
"Rebecca, what are you doing here?" Fate asked aggressively.
"I figured I'd watch Owen's gym battle since I don't have anything going on today," the girl replied. Fate rolled her eyes and the group of four headed into the gym. The room they walked into was similar to a waiting room in a doctor's office, and Owen walked up to the man working behind a counter.
"Excuse me?" he asked, grabbing the man's attention. "I'm here for a gym battle." The man pointed to his right, where there was a door that presumably led to the battlefield. Owen, Rebecca, Fate, and CJ walked through the door and walked into a dense forest. As they walked down the path, Owen took notice of all the bug type crawling in the trees. There were tons of Spinarak, Ledyba, Wurmple, and one of Owen's favorite Pokemon, Caterpie. After another ten seconds of walking down the grassy path, the group reached a clearing in the forest.
A man was standing at one end of a battlefield, and he greeted the group warmly.
"Welcome to the Castelia City Gym. My name is Burgh, and I'm the gym leader," he greeted. Owen took notice of the man's awful sense of fashion. He wore a green button down shirt and a pair of pants that had alternating navy blue and fiery pink stripes. Had Burgh not been looking, Owen would've gagged.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Owen Plateau, and I'm here to win my third gym badge!" Owen responded. Snivy folded her arms and nodded along with her trainer's words, making Burgh laugh.
"I love the enthusiasm! I can already tell this is going to be a great battle." A referee, who had been standing with Burgh when the group arrived, stepped onto the battlefield and spoke loudly to grab everyone's attention.
"This will be a three versus three gym battle between Owen and Burgh, and only the challenger may substitute Pokemon! Furthermore, once all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the battle will be over! Burgh, choose your first Pokemon!" the referee ordered.
"Okay. Scyther, go!" Burgh called while throwing his first Pokeball froward. The Pokeball opened and a Scyther stood in front of the wavy brown haired man while slashing the air in an attempt to intimidate Owen.
"Prinplup, you're up first!" Owen shouted while throwing the water type's Pokeball forwards. Prinplup stood on the grassy battlefield in front of Owen and took a boxing stance after seeing Scyther slashing at the air in front of itself.
"This battle will be between Scyther and Prinplup! Begin!" the referee shouted while throwing both of his hands up.
"Scyther, use Fury Cutter!" Burgh shouted. Scyther sprinted over to Prinplup and slashed the water penguin while his arm was glowing light green. Prinplup stumbled back, but felt little pain from the attack. The Sinnoh starter began laughing at Scyther, angering the bug type.
"Prinplup, use Bubblebeam!" Owen commanded. Prinplup's beak began to glow blue before he fired a high speed wave of bubbles towards his bug and flying type opponent. The Kanto bug type was pelted by the water type attack, but began slashing at the bubbles in an attempt to stop them from inflicting any more damage.
"Scyther, use Agility and follow it up with Fury Cutter!" Burgh yelled. Scyther crossed his arms in front of his chest like an "x", causing a blue ring of energy to spin around his body before disappearing. The insect bolted towards Prinplup at a much faster speed, catching Owen and his Pokemon off guard. Prinplup was slashed across the chest again while Scyther's arm began to glow a more vibrant green, and Prinplup landed on his back as result.
"Prinplup, don't give in! Hit 'em back with Metal Claw!" Prinplup shot back up and ran towards Scyther, whose arms were still glowing the same vibrant green. The two Pokemon then slashed at one another, Prinplup with his metallic claws, and Scyther with his arms that were blades. Eventually, Prinplup landed a powerful strike to Scyther's face, which sent the rare Pokemon stumbling back to Burgh.
"Scyther, use Fury Cutter once again!" Burgh ordered. Owen didn't understand Burgh's strategy in the slightest, but his refusal to lose kept him from succumbing to his opponent's tactics.
"Use Whirlpool as a shield!" Owen countered. Prinplup's body was absorbed in the colors of the rainbow while a ball of water formed in-between his flippers, which were over his head. The penguin then threw the attack at the ground, creating a wave that swept Scyther away from Prinplup. "Now use Peck!"
"Use Detect and then Fury Cutter!" Just as Prinplup jumped to attack Scyther, the bug type's eyes flashed gold and he jumped out of the way of Prinplup's glowing white beak. Then, he slashed Prinplup with a blinding green light covering his arm. Prinplup was smacked straight against the ground, but he managed to recover by sweep kicking Scyther's legs out from underneath him.
"Prinplup, use Peck!" Owen shouted. Prinplup's beak began to glow white while extending, and he jabbed Scyther in the abdomen. The bug and flying type let out a cry of pain before kicking Prinplup back to Owen's half of the battlefield made out of grass, and he hot back up and retreated back to Burgh.
"Scyther, wrap this up with Fury Cutter!" Scyther's arm was enveloped in a neon green energy that extended past the end of arm and had a pointed tip. The green Pokemon then ran towards Prinplup, hoping to end the battle with one final move. Prinplup was hoping the same thing, except he'd be winning the battle.
"Counter with a full power Metal Claw!" Prinplup grew metallic claws from the ends of his flippers, and he ran at Scyther at full speed, preparing to deal the final blow. The two Pokemon slashed at one another and slid a few feet each before both of their legs began to tremble. Then, Scyther let out a groan before collapsing on the ground with his eyes shut.
"Scyther is unable to battle! Burgh, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee shouted.
"Woo! Way to go, Prinplup!" Rebecca cheered, causing Fate to roll her eyes. "Man, Owen's a really good trainer," the girl remarked while turning to CJ and Fate.
"One of the best I've met," CJ replied with a smile before turning back to the battle.
"That was an excellent battle, Scyther." Burgh withdrew his fainted Pokemon from the battlefield before grabbing another and chucking it in the air. Heracross, it's battle time!" After the light from the Pokeball disappeared, Owen saw the familiar Johto Pokemon opposing him.
"This battle will be between Heracross and Prinplup! Begin!"
"Prinplup, get up close and use Metal Claw!" Owen ordered while pointing at Burgh's Heracross. Prinplup dashed forward with his glowing claws and slashed at the blue beetle, but Heracross ducked out of the way.
"Strike back with Brick Break!" Burgh yelled to the powerful Pokemon. Heracross's fist began to glow white and was launched straight up at Prinplup. The blue penguin was sent flying into the air before falling and hitting the ground violently. The water type got back up, however, and had a pained look on his face.
"Shake it off, buddy! Use Bubblebeam!" Prinplup jumped back before unleashing a flurry of blue bubbles at Heracross, who was hit by the water type attack. After he landed, Prinplup threw his flippers to his sides, preparing for another Brick Break attack.
"Keep up the pressure, Heracross! Use Aerial Ace!" Heracross darted towards Prinplup while lowering his head before white streaks of light began to fly off his horn.
"Use Whirlpool to counter!" Owen retorted. While Prinplup began to form the spinning vortex of water in his flippers, Heracross jumped and hit into Prinplup like a torpedo. The water type starter was launched through the air before hitting against the ground once again, worrying Owen.
"Now follow up with Close Combat!" Burgh ordered. Before Prinplup could get back on his feet, Heracross ran over and unleashed a wave of wicked punches that dealt major damage to Prinplup. Once he finished his devastating attack, Heracross picked Prinplup up off the ground and threw him into the air, which gave Owen and Prinplup a perfect opening.
"Use Peck and do a nosedive!" Owen yelled. Prinplup's beak glowed white and extended slightly before he crashed into Heracross's back, which pinned the bug and fighting type against the ground. "Now use Metal Claw!"
"Throw him off and counter with Brick Break, Heracross!" Heracross rolled like a wheel, leading to Prinplup falling off his opponent. The beetle's hands then began to glow white, while silver claws grew out of the ends of Prinplup's flippers. Just like in his battle with Scyther, Prinplup exchanged blows with his opponent. This time, however, Prinplup was the once to get knocked onto his back.
"Fire a Bubblebeam!" Owen shouted to the downed Pokemon. Prinplup did as he was told, but Heracross managed to avoid the STAB attack with ease.
"Finish this off with another Close Combat!" Heracross threw both of his hands against the ground, but Prinplup jumped up and away from the attack. After dodging the first few punches, an unexpected kick from Heracross led to a barrage of punches landing and knocking Prinplup out. The water type fell to the ground, prompting the ref to run over to Prinplup's side.
"Prinplup is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Puff, I choose you!" Owen shouted without hesitation. Fate's former Jigglypuff appeared on Owen's side of the battlefield while waving to her ex-trainer, who waved back with an excited smile. Puff then turned her attention back to the Heracross she would be battling after placing an angry look on her face.
"This battle will be between Heracross and Puff! Begin!"
"Puff, use Sing!" Owen shouted quickly. Puff began to sing a low tune, causing music notes to fly across the indoor forest and towards Heracross. The fighting beetle, however, punched through each music note before flying towards Puff by using the hidden wings on his back.
"Use a Brick Break barrage!" Burgh ordered, thinking that Puff wasn't capable of countering the fighting type attack with a move of her own. Owen grinned at the attack and so did Puff, who loved hand-to-hand combat.
"Counter with a Dynamic Punch barrage!" Owen retorted while also catching Burgh off guard. Puff's fists were shrouded in crimson energy, and she began to swing at her opponent. The two Pokemon throwing punches were almost like boxers; using their arms to protect their bodies, delivering swift jabs, and fighting through any bit of pain in their body. Eventually, Puff prevailed in the taxing fight, but she was badly bruised and was panting heavily.
"Keep on the attack, Heracross! Use Aerial Ace!" Heracross took to the air once again before flying towards Puff. White streaks of light trailed behind his body, and Heracross grew a confident grin.
"Intercept it with Rollout!" Owen yelled to the normal type Pokemon. Puff inflated her body and began to spin like a wheel before taking off towards her bug and fighting type opponent. Both Pokemon collided in the middle of the battlefield and battled back and forth. One second Puff would be pushing Heracross, and then the next was Heracross pushing Puff back. Suddenly, a bold smirk appeared on Burgh's face, making Owen feel worried for his battling Pokemon.
"Heracross, get as low to the ground as you can and throw Puff in the air with your horn!" Owen's eyes shot wide open at the gym leader's command, impressed by his cunning tactics. Heracross retreated his wings and landed on the ground while still pushing Puff. As he was doing that, he lowered himself before flinging his head upwards. Puff was sent flying into the air, and she began free falling in a matter of seconds.
"Use gravity to your advantage, Puff! Inflate and use Rollout again!" Owen yelled to the Pokemon that was trying to move away from Heracross. After hearing Owen speak, Puff did as she was told. Her size doubled, and she began to barrel towards Heracross, who was now paralyzed in fear of the enormous Pokemon that was crashing down towards him.
"Use Brick Break to knock Puff away!" Heracross's hands began to glow white, and he angled his body so that he could hit Puff back to Owen. However, due to his not being under Puff, Heracross was hit by the powered up Rollout. Both Pokemon were hit by their opponents' attack, and were sent flying back to their trainers at the same time. Slowly, both Pokemon got back up and locked eyes before running towards each other speedily.
"Dynamic Punch!"
"Brick Break!" Heracross's glowing white fist collided with Puff's glowing crimson fist, causing a massive explosion. BOOM! Both Pokemon were hurled back and a cloud of smoke appeared on the battlefield. After waiting a minute, the smoke cleared and revealed both Pokemon. They were unconscious, and clearly unable to battle.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Owen and Burgh, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Damn, this is intense!" Rebecca exclaimed. "Why aren't you guys excited?" the younger girl asked the fourteen and fifteen year olds.
"You get used to it after a while," CJ replied casually before leaning back on the bench.
"Yeah. Owen does this every time. It always comes down to the last Pokemon on both sides whenever he's battling," Fate added while stretching her arms over her head and yawning.
"Leavanny, let's win this battle!" Burgh cried.
"Muk, it's time for your first battle!" Owen roared. Burgh's face scrunched up in disgust as the pile of poison landed on his grassy battlefield. Muk let out a powerful roar while making eye contact with his opponent. It was a strange, bipedal, mantis-like bug that was also wrapped in leaves in multiple locations throughout its body.
"Wait a second, when did Owen catch a Muk?" Fate asked CJ.
"When we went into the sewers. He only did that so we could fix the generator, but apparently he's keeping it," the teen replied after yawning alongside Wotter. The two then closed their eyes and fell asleep.
"How do you put up with those two idiots?" Fate asked Leaf. The Bulbasaur shrugged his shoulders before whipping CJ and Wotter with his vines, waken both of them up immediately. Fate and Rebecca laughed at the disgruntled teen sitting next to them and his unhappy Pokemon, who was standing on CJ's head to get a better view of the battle.
"This battle will be between Leavanny and Muk! Begin!"
"Leavanny, use Energy Ball!"
"Use Sludge Bomb to counter it!" Owen shouted while looking at his Pokedex, which displayed Muk's moves. Muk's jaw unhinged like a snake's, and he released a series of poisonous bullets at the incoming grass type attack. As the moves cancelled each other out, Burgh snapped his fingers and twirled like a ballerina, causing Owen and Muk to sweat drop.
"Now get in close and use Leaf Blade!" Leavanny ran over to Muk while his arms were glowing green, and he began to swing at Muk. The pile of toxic waste simply absorbed each hit, and Leavanny's arms were quickly covered in Muk's slimy body. The grass and bug type tried pulling away from the stationary poison type, but was unable to do so.
"Haha! Way to go, Muk!" Owen laughed."Now smother Leavanny!" This time, Muk began to laugh lowly before his body began to fall on top of Leavanny, bringing the frail bug type to the ground. Leavanny began to flail violently, but Muk's body managed to completely cover and immobilize the mantis's limbs, leading to Leavanny screaming to Burgh for help.
"Get out of there with Energy Ball!" the man shouted while throwing his hips forward, again causing Owen and Muk to sweat drop. Thanks to Muk's attention being diverted, Leavanny managed to hit him in the face with a pointblank, Energy Ball, causing the bulky Pokemon to release Leavanny from his powerful grip. After shaking his aching head, Muk saw Leavanny jumping away, and he began to roar angrily.
"Shake it off, Muk! Use Sludge Bomb again!" Owen instructed. Muk nodded before happily firing a series of poisonous bullets towards the foe he so desperately wanted to destroy. Despite his desire to strike Leavanny, Muk was disappointed when he heard Burgh's counter command.
"Dodge it and use a supercharged Leaf Blade, Leavanny!" Leavanny managed to weave through the Sludge Bomb attack while his arms began to glow neon green. Owen didn't understand why Burgh was attacking Muk with another physical move, but he was happy about the gym leader's mental lapse. As Leavanny swung both of his arms at Muk, Owen shouted to his newly caught Pokemon,
"Grab Leavanny's arms and then use Poison Jab!" Muk's left hand suddenly shot straight forward and he managed to grab both of Leavanny's arms. Everyone, even CJ and Wotter, gasped at Muk's lightning quick reflexes. The typically sluggish Pokemon let out a deep laugh before loading his right fist back as it began to glow purple. Muk then clocked Leavanny right where its nose would be if it had one, and the mantis was sent rolling across the battlefield.
"Leavanny, hang in there! Use Struggle Bug!" Burgh ordered while throwing his right hand straight out to his side. Leavanny used his arms to spring into the air before firing a spiderweb at Muk, who smirked at the useless attack. He had been in enough battles to know when his opponent was desperate, and right now, Burgh was just that.
"Muk, use Protect and then jump in the air!" Owen called. Muk slammed his hands against the ground, and a green bubble suddenly appeared around his body. The net was destroyed by the forcefield, and once it faded, Muk launched himself thirty feet into the air. Owen and Snivy stared at the Pokemon in awe, clearly unaware of Muk's strength. CJ, Leaf, Wotter, Fate, Angel, Hez, and Rebecca all had their jaws hit the ground when they saw Muk spring into the air, and so did Burgh, Leavanny, and the referee.
"Wha-what!? How can Muk jump that high!? Whatever. Leavanny, use Leaf Blade!" Burgh stammered in awe before refocusing on the battle at hand. Leavanny snapped out of his trance too, and his arms began to glow as he prepared to attack the descending Pokemon. Leavanny then jumped into the air to slash Muk, but the enormous Pokemon managed to trap Leavanny underneath his body while still falling.
"Body Slam!" Owen screamed. Muk smashed against the ground and stayed still for a few moments before sliding off his opponent. Once the referee was able to see Leavanny, he noticed the bug and grass type's eyes had rolled into the back of its head, and its legs were twitching.
"Leavanny is unable to battle! That means Owen is the winner!"
"Alright! Way to go, Muk!" Owen exclaimed before running over to the poison type and trying to hug him. Much to his dismay, Owen felt Muk's weight collapse on top of him, and he began to fight for air while the newly caught Pokemon continued to cheer happily. Thankfully for Snivy, she had managed to hop off Owen's shoulder just in time, so she wasn't nearly dead from Muk's enthusiastic celebrating.
After escaping from Muk's powerful grasp, Owen was approached by Burgh, who was holding a small piece of metal in his hand.
"Congratulations on your victory. As a sign of your victory, here is the Insect Badge," the gym leader told Owen while placing the small piece of metal in his hands. "Good luck with the rest of your travels!" Burgh shouted as Owen and his friends headed out of the gym. The winning trainer waved back to Burgh appreciatively while making his way towards the exit.
"That's three down, and five to go," Owen remarked after the group made it to the crowded streets of Castelia. "Great job, Muk. Return," Owen told the high leveled Pokemon before zapping him back into his Pokeball. "It's a good thing you two made me catch him," Owen joked while looking at CJ and Rebecca. The two laughed along with Owen while Fate waited for their joke to end.
"Can we get going now? I want to be in Nimbasa tomorrow," Fate whined. The three other teens stopped laughing and turned to Fate.
"Sure. I'll go book our rooms at the Pokemon Center," CJ told the girl as he began to walk towards the aforementioned Pokemon Center.
"Hold on. You guys can come stay at my place if you want. My parents are on a business trip for the entire month, so I have my entire apartment to myself," Rebecca offered.
"I don't know. The Pokemon Center's pretty comfor-"
"Sure," Owen replied while cutting Fate off. The black haired girl smacked Owen upside the head angrily, drawing an enraged look from Owen.
"I think that'd be awesome!" CJ exclaimed while walking back to the group.
"On second thought, I'd love to stay at your house!" Fate told Rebecca right after hearing CJ's preference. Owen looked back at the Hoenn native and gave her a devilish look that screamed 'I'm gonna tell CJ!', which made Fate nearly punch him in the face.
"So it's settled. Let's get going. It's only a block away" Rebecca told the three teens. The group of four walked together down the street and made their way towards Rebecca with the intent to set off for Nimbasa the following morning.
(Meanwhile, in Pallet Town)
"Excuse me, ma'am, do you happen to know anyone by the name of Owen Plateau?" a girl asked an elderly woman. The girl had straight brown hair that reached her shoulder blades, and she had plastic hair straightener that she wore right above her forehead. She also had fair skin and amber eyes. She wore a white long sleeve shirt and a skirt along with a pair of brown boots that went up to her knees.
"Of course! Everyone in Pallet Town knows Owen," the grandma replied.
"Would you happen to know where he is? I need to tell him something important," the girl quizzed politely.
"Are you his girlfriend? Oh that's so sweet. He's lucky to have such a pretty girl," the woman said before the girl could respond. "I remember his parents saying he left for Unova, but that was almost two months ago."
"Thank you for the help, ma'am," the teenage girl told the elderly woman before walking down the dirt path at the outskirts of Pallet. After a few more minutes of walking, the brunette reached the famous hill overlooking Pallet. "Blaziken, come out." The girl tossed a Pokeball in the air, releasing a Blaziken.
The fire and fighting type stood by the girl's side and looked at the town with his trainer, waiting for her to speak.
"He's in Unova," she informed the Hoenn starter.
"What do you suggest we do?" the fire starter asked thanks to a translator that was strapped on his neck.
"We have to keep looking. That's the only thing we can do at this point," she replied.
The cool spring breeze blew in their faces as the two looked down at the tiny town below them. The girl sighed before turning her back to Pallet Town in disgust, which her Blaziken caught note of.
"Is something bothering you?"
The girl remained silent.
"It's him, isn't it?" the knowledgeable Blaziken asked like a psychiatrist.
"…Yeah. None of this would've happened if he would've died," the girl spat in disgust. "We need to find him, and soon." With that, the girl walked away from the town and pulled out another Pokeball.
"Wait," Blaziken said to the girl. When she turned, Blaziken saw a fire burning her eyes. Oh how he hated it when she got that look. That always meant she was going to do something extreme, and he'd be dragged into it whether he wanted to or not. "Think this through before you act rash."
"I have, Blaziken. Every time I go to sleep, I think about ending him and his pathetic life." With that, the girl began to walk down the road that led to Viridian City. "Are you coming or not, Blaziken?" she asked bluntly without turning around.
Blaziken looked out at the beautiful view of Pallet Town before shaking his head and turning to follow his trainer.
"I'm coming, Ariel."
Bam! Chapter done. Now that Owen managed to earn his third gym badge, he, CJ, and Fate will be heading off to Nimbasa City, where the next member of Owen's team waits. Make sure to stay tuned, because this new addition is going to wreak some havoc on Owen, and his opponents. Getting back to this chapter, a new character named Ariel (who I've been waiting to introduce since Johto) is searching for Owen while traveling with her Blaziken. Apparently, she wants to kill someone and dreams about it every night, and boy do I feel sorry for that guy, because a) Ariel is a badass, and b) she's going to do it. Again, I'm dropping some MAJOR hints for Kalos! Till next time, peace out.
1) (This isn't the actual question, but): Is Muk a beast or what? (Real question): Would you like to see Owen keep Muk? I'm kind of torn on the decision because he's too damn strong!
2) Would you like to see Ariel appear (like how she did in this chapter) throughout the story?
3) Who do you think Ariel is? Who do you think she wants to kill?
Next Chapter: Redstone to the Rescue!