Here we go! It's time for Owen's fifth gym battle, which will be against the mighty Clay! Going back to last chapter, Owen and Akito tied in their battle thanks to Snivy's monster performance. And this may sound a little ridiculous, but sorry for not getting multiple chapters up today. I had to do a ton of work around the house, and I had to practice my driving too (only fifteen, but I'm taking my permit test soon). And please excuse any spelling errors. My laptop broke so I'm doing this on my iPad, which is really trippy with auto-correct.
tepigsfire758: Those have to be two of my favorite characters too! When it comes out we should play some time :) PM me if you're interested in playing when it comes out
Beastmode456: Dude, you have no idea how excited I was to see C.F get revealed, and Charizard as a standalone is great. We should play too :) PM me if you're interested in playing when it comes out
NodokaLover: Thanks and feel free to PM me
FlamingGreenArrow: Don't worry, Snivy will get a lot more training soon!
Owen's team
Snivy, (f), level 23, Tackle, Leech Seed, Mega Drain, Vine Whip, Leaf Tornado*, Leaf Blade*
Tranquill, (f), level 26, Detect, Air Cutter, Gust, Quick Attack
Heatmor, (m), level 30, Flame Burst, Tackle, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel, Fury Swipes*
Krokorok, (m), level 33, Bite, Dig, Dragon Claw, Bulldoze
Muk, (m), level 37, Sludge, Body Slam, Protect, Poison Jab
Prinplup, (m), level 33, Bubblebeam, Peck, Metal Claw, Whirlpool, Bide*, Brine*
With Professor Juniper
Zebstrika, (m), level 30, Quick Attack, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, Flame Charge
Puff, (f), level 29, Dynamic Punch, Sing, Rollout, Pound, DoubleSlap*
Owen, Fate, CJ, and Rebecca stood on the elevator that would bring them to the battlefield, which was hundreds of feet underground. Snivy waited eagerly for the elevator to reach the battlefield while conversing with Leaf, Wotter, Excalibur, Hez, and Deerling.
"Have you decided on who you're going to use besides Snivy?" Rebecca asked curiously.
"Definitely Prinplup, but I haven't decided on my third choice," Owen answered. "I think I'll probably choose Tranquill, but I'm not sure."
"Ling!" Deerling exclaimed as he ran over to Rebecca's side. The normal and grass type looked up at Owen excitedly while wagging his stubby pink tail. "Deerling!"
"Haha. Sorry, Deerling. I know you like battling, but I can't use you," Owen told the four legged Pokemon kindly. Deerling frowned in disappointment, but nodded at Owen's response respectfully. Suddenly, the elevator stopped its descent, and the doors in front of the group opened. The familiar walkway appeared with bright stones lighting the way. Owen led the charge down the path and into the small share room where he was injured.
"What do you want?" an old man in a cowboy suit asked without looking at the four trainers,
"I'm Owen Plateau and I'm here for a gym battle!" Owen exclaimed with Snivy by his side. The old man turned and took a step back when he recognized Owen's face.
"Ah thought you were in the hospital. What'er you doin' in mah gym?" the man asked with concern in regard to Owen's health.
"Like I said, I'm here for a gym battle," Owen answered. The burly man shook his head at the teenager's stupidity, but he decided to accept the challenge. A referee was called into the room and he was wearing a mining outfit, similar to what Roark wore in Sinnoh.
"This will be a three versus three gym battle between Owen and Clay, and only the challenger may substitute Pokemon! Furthermore, once all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the battle will be over! Clay, choose your first Pokemon!" the referee ordered.
"Okey dokey. Golett, go get 'em!" Clay shouted while throwing his first Pokeball onto the battlefield. A strange, blue, statue like Pokemon appeared in front of the southern man, and it had a pair of white eyes. Assuming it was a ground type, Owen looked down at the Pokeball in his hand, and then at Snivy.
"Snivy, you're up first!" Owen exclaimed while pointing at the battlefield. Snivy ran forward with a pep in her step before stopping and glaring at her strange foe. The referee looked at both trainers and their Pokemon before putting his arms in the air.
"This battle will be between Golett and Snivy! Begin!"
"Snivy, use Leech Seed!" Owen ordered. Snivy jumped in the air before firing a tiny brown seed at Golett. The seed hit the manmade Pokemon, and several vine sprung out and wrapped around Golett. A sudden flash of red light appeared around Golett's body, causing the ghost and ground type to let out a robotic grunt.
"Hit 'em with Shadow Punch!" Golett immediately threw its arm forward and a dark fist was sent flying towards Snivy. The grass type was struck by the surprising attack and sent skidding several feet back.
"Now let's use Leaf Blade!" Owen commanded. Snivy began running towards Golett while the Leech Seed zapped its health away, and she jumped in the air. Golett looked up to see Snivy spinning like a wheel while her tail was glowing green, and she slammed her tail over its head. Once Snivy landed on the ground, Golett reached out and grabbed her before throwing her against the ground.
"Bulldoze!" After slamming its foot against the ground, a wave of energy flew over the battlefield and clobbered Snivy. After recovering from the attack a blue ring of energy spun around Snivy before vanishing into thin air.
"What did that just do to Snivy?" Rebecca asked while turning to CJ, who seemed to know everything about battles.
"Bulldoze is an attack that also reduces the speed of the target. It looks like Clay is trying to keep Snivy from being faster than all of his Pokemon."
"That's not good for Snivy, or Owen. If she goes down, then he doesn't have too many options. He doesn't have any Pokemon suited for this kind of battle," Fate opined. Deerling looked at the three trainers before turning his attention to the battle. It looked so thrilling to be out there, and it was even more boring sitting on the bench and having to listen to the conversations his trainer was having.
"Snivy, send Golett flying with Leaf Tornado!" A powerful wind circulated around Snivy's tail while dozens of leaves appeared inside the wind. Snivy then pointed her tail at Golett, and the odd Pokemon was trapped inside the super effective attack. With a quick upward flick of her tail, Snivy hurled Golett against the ceiling before it crashed back down against the floor.
Seeing the opportunity presented with Golett's position on the ground, Clay shouted, "Use yur Rollout attack!" Golett's limbs were retracted into its circular body, and the Pokemon made from stone began to roll towards Snivy at a quick pace.
"Grab and then throw it with Vine Whip, Snivy!" Owen countered. Before the rock type attack could hit Snivy two of her vines shot our from her neck, which she wrapped around Golett's spinning body. The blue Pokemon was stopped dead in its tracks, and Snivy hurled it back to Clay's side of the battlefield.
"Shadow Punch!" Clay commanded as Golett began to fall towards the ground. Golett fired a shadowy fist towards Snivy after having its health zapped away by Leech Seed, and Snivy was hit. The grass snake began to roll back to Owen, but she pushed her tail against the ground and skied into the air.
"Use Vine Whip one more time!" Snivy's vines shot out of her neck again, and she began whipping Golett powerfully. Golett let out a low groan before falling onto its back while its eyes turned black.
"Golett is unable to battle! Clay, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Great job, Golett. Palpitoad, get out here!" Clay shouted while throwing his second Pokeball. A large blue toad with a cream colored stomach appeared in Golett's place. It had several strange bubbles on its head and back along with a large tail and eyes.
"This battle will be between Palpitoad and Snivy! Begin!"
"Palpitoad, use Bulldoze!" Clay yelled while slamming his foot on the ground. A sudden wave of energy flew across the battlefield and struck Snivy, sending her flying into Owen. After helping his Pokemon up, Owen saw another blue ring of energy spin around Snivy before disappearing. A grin appeared on Clay's face, causing Owen to feel uneasy, but he didn't understand why the middle-aged man was looking so confident.
"Snivy, use Leaf Blade!" Owen shouted while throwing his arm forward. As Snivy took off running, Owen gripped his stomach in pain at the wild movement from his arm, but he fought through the pain and looked up at Snivy. Much to his surprise, Owen saw that Snivy was moving at a much slower speed than normal.
"So that's why he was grinning. Damn. Snivy's entire battle strategy is predicated on her speed!"
"Palpitoad, use Mud Shot and keep 'er away!" Clay boomed while pointing at the sluggish Snivy. Owen gagged when he saw Palpitoad's elastic tongue shoot out of her mouth, and several bullets of mud were sent flying towards Snivy. Due to her lowered speed from the Bulldoze attacks, Snivy was unable to dodge the attack. Even though it wasn't very effective Snivy was still thrown back to Owen's half of the battlefield.
"Snivy, land a long range Leech Seed!" Owen commanded, while grabbing his stomach again. Snivy fired a small brown seed from her mouth and it struck Palpitoad. The water and ground type instantly had her health taken away once the vines spread around her body and a flash of red light appeared. Palpitoad winced at the pain, but shrugged off the attack while Snivy looked like she was regaining health.
"Use Supersonic!" Owen and Snivy were caught off guard by the command, which led to it landing. Snivy's eyes suddenly turned into swirls and she began to stumble around. Owen bit his lip while trying to think of way he could help Snivy without returning her, but his brain came up empty.
"Snivy, use Vine Whip!" Snivy's vines appeared, but she began to smack herself violently. Owen cringed at the painful sight while Clay and his Palpitoad looked relieved. However, Palpitoad was zapped in a bright red light, and Snivy's health was slightly restored.
"Palpitoad, use Mud Shot again!" Clay barked. Palpitoad's disgusting tongue was released from her mouth, and several bullets of mud were sent flying towards Snivy.
"Snivy, dodge it!" Owen countered. Snivy continued to whip herself with the two vines from her neck, and then she was pelted by Palpitoad's Mud Shot attack. The grass type was knocked onto her back, but she suddenly snapped out of her confused state. Owen pumped his fist victoriously, but his celebration was cut short when he heard Clay's voice from across the battlefield.
"Hydro Pump!" Owen turned his attention to the large toad that sprung into the air, and she unleashed a wicked wave of water towards Snivy. The grass snake was hit by the attack before being sent rolling into Owen, who picked up his fainted Pokemon.
"Snivy is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Way to give it your all, Snivy," Owen told the exhausted Pokemon while carrying her over to the bench. "Would you mind keeping an eye on her?" he asked Fate while holding Snivy out.
"Not at all," Fate replied before taking Snivy and resting her on her lap. Snivy waved to Owen while he walked back to his trainer box, and the teen waved back to his starter.
Deerling looked at Owen and Snivy before glancing at Rebecca, who had turned to look at Fate and CJ.
"Who is he going to use now? I doubt he'd pick Prinplup."
"I don't know. There's not a right choice in this case," CJ replied with Leaf, Wotter, and Excalibur nodding at his response. Everyone turned back to Owen and saw that he was looking down at the ground while trying to decide which Pokemon to pick. Deerling looked around at the three trainers on the bench again, and then at Snivy. The two grass types exchanged looks before Snivy nodded, prompting Deerling to leap off the bleachers and run onto the field.
"Deerling!" Rebecca shouted as the normal and grass type ran over to Owen and tapped his leg. Owen looked at the four legged deer and back at Rebecca, who was clearly worried about her Pokemon's actions. Deerling looked over at his trainer and gave her a confident look, which made her sigh. "Owen, you can use Deerling! Just make sure he doesn't get hurt!"
Owen nodded and looked down at the energetic Pokemon before scanning him with his Pokedex.
"Well, I guess we're actually going to do this," Owen said to himself before pointing towards the battlefield. "Deerling, go!" Deerling quickly turned around and sprinted forward before glaring at Palpitoad and Clay.
"Well ah don't think ah've ever seen this before. Are you sure you wanna do this?" Clay asked Owen and Deerling. The two looked at each other before nodding at the man in a cowboy suit, which made him shake his head.
"This battle will be between Palpitoad and Deerling! Begin!"
"Use Bulldoze, Palpitoad!" Clay shouted. Palpitoad slammed her feet on the ground, causing a wave of energy to speed across the battlefield and towards Deerling.
"Stay calm, Deerling," Owen told Rebecca's Pokemon. Deerling nodded before taking a deep breath, which led Owen to his next command. "Jump over the attack and then use Double Kick!" Deerling galloped towards the wave of energy before breaking into a dead sprint. He then leaped over the ground type attack while his hind legs were glowing white, and landed to powerful kicks.
"Palpitoad, use Headbutt on 'em!" Palpitoad suddenly shot forward and slammed her head against Deerling's, causing both Pokemon to rub their heads in pain.
"Now's our chance! Use Energy Ball!" A large green ball consisting of solar energy appeared from Deerling's mouth, and he fired it at Palpitoad. The large blue amphibian was sent flying back after the Energy Ball exploded, and she looked to be at the very end of her will.
"Don't cha give up, Palpitoad! Use Ice Beam!" Owen gasped as Deerling was hit by the super effective attack, and he froze immediately. Rebecca, CJ, Fate, Snivy, and the other Pokemon looked on nervously as Palpitoad continuously struck Deerling while he was unable to move or defend himself, and Owen raced through ways to break Deerling out of the ice.
"Deerling, channel all of your energy into your legs and keep using Double Kick!" Owen yelled. Deerling remained still, allowing Clay and his Palpitoad to attack once more.
"Use Hydro Pump!" Owen cringed as the block of ice was blasted by a jet stream of water. After inspecting the block of ice closely, Owen saw a small crack in the front by Deerling's face, which caused a lightbulb to flash above Owen's head (metaphorically speaking, of course).
"I know you can do it, Deerling! Use Energy Ball!" Again, nothing happened inside the block of ice, and Clay prepared to yell another attack. Before he could do so, however, the ice shattered and a large green ball of solar energy struck Palpitoad. The water and ground type let out a muffled cry as her face skidded across the rocky battlefield, and she hopped back up very slowly.
"Palpitoad, use Ice Beam again!"
"Deerling, charge through it and use Double Kick!" Owen screamed. Deerling put his head down and began running towards Palpitoad, who unleashed a thin light blue beam of energy from her mouth. The super effective attack struck Deerling, but he trudged through and kicked his back legs forwards as they began to glow white. Palpitoad was clobbered by the fighting type attack and fainted instantly. After grinning proudly, Deerling's legs gave out and he fell to the ground.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Way to go, Deerling. You were really great out there," Owen told the grass type while Rebecca carried him off the battlefield. Deerling nodded thankfully, and Owen turned his attention back to Clay, who had his third and final Pokeball in his hand.
"Thank ya, Palpitoad." The water and ground type was zapped back into her Pokeball, and Clay took a deep breath before throwing his final Pokeball. "It's time to get serious. Excadrill, take over the battle!"
A large mole with metallic claws appeared in front of the burly man, and it began slashing the air viciously. Owen stared at the large Pokemon in front of him and pulled two Pokeballs off his Pokebelt. The one in his left hand was burning with a fiery desire to win, while the other felt damp but it also had the same passion to win. After a long argument with himself, Owen put the hot Pokeball back on his belt and threw the damp one in the air.
"Prinplup, I choose you!" Prinplup materialized from the white light that the Pokeball released and he waved to the group that was on the bleachers. He then turned to face his opponent and squawked at the mole. Excadrill glared at Prinplup and began snapping his claws, causing Prinplup to back away in fear. Owen immediately face palmed and cursed under his breath for not picking Heatmor.
"This battle will be between Excadrill and Prinplup! Begin!"
"Prinplup, start off with Bubblebeam!" Owen ordered. He knew Prinplup didn't have the raw power to attack from close range, so he'd have to settle for using Prinplup's two water attacks. Prinplup jumped in the air while his beak turned blue, and he released a steady stream of bubbles that were aimed towards Excadrill. Prinplup and Owen both waited for the attack to strike, but Clay and his Excadrill weren't about to let that happen.
"Slash through it!" Excadrill began to pop every single bubble going his way with no effort, causing Owen and his Pokemon to look on in terror. "Now use Earthquake!" After slashing through the last bubble, Excadrill dug his claws into the ground and began to roar. Suddenly, the ground began to shake and a pillar of rocks suddenly shot out of the ground and launched Prinplup into the air.
"Prinplup, recover and use Whirlpool!" Owen shouted. Prinplup quickly formed an enormous vortex of water with his flippers before flinging the attack at Excadrill. The ground and steel type turned to Clay with a look of boredom, and Clay nodded in agreement before Excadrill looked back at the incoming Whirlpool.
"Slash through it again and then use Drill Run!" With lightning quick reflexes Excadrill slashed through the Whirlpool and began running towards Prinplup. The blue penguin looked at his opponent in fear before preparing to counter the incoming attack. After jumping forward Excadrill pointed his claws towards Prinplup and he began to spin like a drill.
"Prinplup, use Metal Claw!" Owen shouted desperately. Prinplup grew three silver claws from his flippers and he charged at the speeding mole that had taken the shape of a metal drill. Prinplup threw his right flipper forward, but it was no use. Excadrill easily overpowered him and slammed into Prinplup before crashing into the wall behind Owen and to his left. A cloud of dust shot up around the two Pokemon before Excadrill appeared and walked back to Clay and acted as if the battle was over. After the dust settled, Owen saw Prinplup laying on the ground with cuts all over his body.
"Return, Excadrill," Clay said while zapping the Pokemon back into its Pokeball. "It's over, kid. Ya battle yur hardest, but it's over." Paying no attention to the naysayer, Owen ran over to his injured Pokemon's side.
"Prinplup, please get up!" Owen begged. The battered Pokemon continued to try and push himself up, but the unfathomable amount of pain running through his body prevailed. His flippers gave out, and Prinplup's face hit the ground. Owen hung his head in shame as he took Prinplup's Pokeball off his belt to withdraw the downed water type.
"Plup," Prinplup muttered. Owen looked up and saw the Pokemon attempting to get back up again. Clay and the referee watched in admiration as Prinplup eventually managed to stand on his two feet with a weak grin on his face. "Priiin!" Suddenly, Prinplup was engulfed in a blinding white light and he began to take a new shape. Everyone gasped in shock once the light faded, which revealed a new Pokemon. It had a large white gut along with a gold face that was in the shape of a trident. His wings were significantly larger and also appeared to be armored.
"Empoleon, the Emperor Pokemon. If anyone were to hurt its pride, it would slash them with wings that can cleave through an ice floe. New move learned: Drill Peck." Looking over at Owen with a reassuring grin, Empoleon walked back towards the battlefield and waited for Clay to call out his Excadrill. Stunned by the unfortunate turn of events, Clay tossed his Excadrill's Pokeball. Excadrill appeared and gave Clay a puzzled look before turning to see Empoleon standing at the other end of the battlefield. The referee pointed towards Owen and nodded, signaling that the teen had the first move.
"Empoleon, use Bubblebeam!" Owen shouted. Empoleon fired a wave of bubbles at Excadrill, but the steel mole slashed through each one of them with ease. "Now use Brine!" Empoleon's face turned a deep blue before he shot a powerful blast of water towards Excadrill.
"Counter with Flash Cannon!" Excadrill had little time to fire the silver blast of energy, which allowed Brine to push through and strike Excadrill. After getting back on his feet, Excadrill shook his body to get any remaining drops of water off. He then looked back at Clay and the two exchanged a nod before Clay called his next attack. "Get up close and use Metal Claw!"
"So you want close range fight? Well we'll give it to you! Empoleon, use Metal Claw too!" Owen roared. Empoleon ran towards Excadrill while his flippers were covered in silver energy, and the two Pokemon began beating each other savagely. Neither gave an inch, and they continued their duel before their attacks collided, which resulted in both Pokemon being blown back to their trainers.
"Excadrill, let's end it here. Use Drill Run!"
"We're not gonna lose! Empoleon, Drill Peck!" Both Pokemon began running towards each other and jumped at the same time. Excadrill pointed his claws straight at Empoleon and began to spin, while the water and steel type's head turned into the shape of a glowing white beak before he began to spin. The two steel types collided in the middle of the battlefield, and an explosion occurred instantly. BOOM! A cloud of smoke covered the battlefield for what seemed to be hours before finally clearing. Both Pokemon were revealed, and they were standing still with their arms hanging limply by their sides. The two fully evolved Pokemon then smirked at each other before Excadrill collapsed with his eyes shut tight.
"Excadrill is unable to battle! That means Owen is the winner!" the referee boomed while raising his hands.
"Alright!" Owen screamed before running over to Empoleon and tackling the gigantic penguin. Empoleon happily caught Owen and began to swing him around excitedly before stopping when he saw Excadrill and Clay walk over.
"Very impressive performance, Owen. You too, Empoleon," Clay told the trainer and Pokemon while tipping his cap. Excadrill bowed to Empoleon respectfully before looking at Owen and doing the same thing.
"Thanks! You guys were really good too. If Empoleon didn't evolve, then you would've won." Clay laughed at the response before handing Owen a small piece of metal, which he gleefully excepted. Snivy and Deerling made their way over to Owen and Empoleon and looked at the badge before cheering happily.
"That there is the Quake Badge. You earned it."
"I just got… The Quake Badge!" Owen exclaimed while Snivy, Deerling, and Empoleon jumped in the air excitedly. The blonde haired trainer immediately put his fifth badge in his badge container before shaking Clay's hand and turning to leave the gym.
"Good luck the rest of the way!" Clay yelled while waving with Excadrill. Owen and the three Pokemon that battled waved back before exiting the room and making their way to the elevator.
"You were awesome out there, Deerling. I didn't know you liked battling that much," Rebecca told her star Pokemon. Deerling nodded excitedly and then ran circles around Owen as the elevator began to head to the surface.
"Me neither," Owen said to the deer. "If you didn't jump out there, I would've sent out Krokorok, and who knows how that would've gone?" Owen asked rhetorically before shaking his head while picturing Krokorok refusing to listen.
"Well, now that you have your badge we need to go to Mistralton City for my contest," Fate announced while petting Hez.
"That's where Owen's gym battle is too," CJ told Fate while looking at a map on his Pokedex.
"Woohoo! I can't wait! Watch out Mistralton City, Owen Plateau is coming for his sixth gym badge!"
000
"You've got to being kidding me."
"What is it now?"
"He just won his fifth fricking badge! How!?" Ariel screamed while looking down at her Pokedex, which she was using to look at Owen's Unova League info. "I don't get it. His team is absolutely awful. Who would pick such bad Pokemon?" Ariel spat while looking up at the sky, as if there was someone sitting in his room and controlling Owen's actions from a computer, or iPad.
"I don't get why you're checking his team. You know just as well as I do that every Pokemon, no matter their species, can become powerful," Blaziken preached. Ariel glared at her starter before spitting on the ground in disgust. "If you're right about his Pokemon, then maybe he is who you think he is." Blaziken looked at his trainer and waited for her to respond, but she didn't. Instead, she fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist, which had a strange stone resting inside. The fire chicken looked at his forearm while examining the black sleeve, which had a similar stone inside. Even though it didn't seem like he and Ariel were close, they were nearly inseparable.
"I hope so."
Wow, that took way longer than expected. Owen managed to win his fifth gym badge thanks to Snivy, Deerling, and Empoleon! Originally, I was going to have Heatmor beat Excadrill, but he's going to get a lot more screen time when the group arrives in Mistralton. Looking forward, expect to see a lot more development for Heatmor, Snivy, and Tranquill, an intense contest for Fate, a really confusing situation at a party, Team Solar, and another Heatmor meltdown! Till next time, peace out.
1) Are you surprised Deerling would jump into the middle of a gym battle?
2) Hmm… what exactly is that bracelet Ariel is wearing? :3
3) Predictions for the next chapters?
I decided I'll give you guys all of the chapter titles that'll take place in Mistralton. Depending on how closely I follow these, I'll continue to do this for each city. And if I change the chapter, I'll notify you guys ASAP. Remember, THESE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Next Chapter: Pledges of Allegiance
Chapter 33: The Sky Warrior
Chapter 34: A Catty Contest Bout
Chapter 35: The Face Behind the Masquerade (It's not Surskit's evolution, just incase you were wondering :P)
Chapter 36: Sky Battle: Puff vs Swanna?
Chapter 37: Solar Power
Chapter 38: Sharing Secrets