Yo! Chapter 38 is here, and it'll be filled with nothing but conversations. Seriously, I'm not joking. What kind of things will be talked about? Let's find out!
Pokebat: Indeed
tepigsfire758: It's not the last time you'll se Team Solar, but they won't be around much longer
Nodokalover: Maybe, maybe, and maybe
Dragon66: Lol. When you put it like that, it really doesn't make any sense. And you'll find out about Snivy this chapter
Owen's team
Snivy, (f), level 26, Tackle, Leech Seed, Grass Pledge, Vine Whip, Leaf Tornado*, Leaf Blade*
Tranquill, (f), level 29, Detect, Air Cutter, Gust, Quick Attack, Aerial Ace
Heatmor, (m), level 38, Flame Burst, Tackle, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel, Fury Swipes*, Fire Pledge*
Zebstrika, (m), level 30, Quick Attack, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, Flame Charge
Puff, (f), level 32, Dynamic Punch, Sing, Rollout, Pound, DoubleSlap*
Krokorok, (m), level 33, Bite, Dig, Dragon Claw, Bulldoze
With Professor Juniper
Muk, (m), level 37, Sludge, Body Slam, Protect, Poison Jab
Empoleon, (m), level 36, Water Pledge, Drill Peck, Metal Claw, Whirlpool, Bide*, Brine*
"So, Heatmor, tell me what makes you do things like that," Owen ordered. He, Heatmor, Snivy, Tranquill, Zebstrika, Puff, and Krokorok had been sitting out at a table behind the Pokemon Center late at night. After the events unfolded at Celestial Tower Owen and his Pokemon had walked back to the gym with Mark and Dante, who had successfully defeated the two women from Team Solar and had them arrested.
Heatmor remained silent and looked away from his trainer, not wanting to talk about his past. Owen and Snivy understood why he was so reluctant to answer.
"I guess I'll tell you guys why I came to Unova," Owen said to the group of Pokemon sitting around him. They all looked at Owen intently while Krokorok crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, clearly not in the mood to hear Owen's story. "As most of you know, I've traveled around other regions and competed in a couple other leagues. I've met a lot of other people and a lot of great friends, and some of us have had really close relationships," Owen told his Pokemon while looking around at them.
Each of the six Pokemon, even Krokorok, stared at their trainer.
"I met a girl named Janine almost five years ago, and I guess you could say we had a thing." The Pokemon laughed at Owen's statement, causing him to chuckle slightly before continuing his story. "Well, after I lost in the Indigo League we didn't talk after. Then when I was in Johto, there was this group of thugs called Team Rocket, who also caused some problems in Kanto. Janine decided to work with them and act as a hit man. She tracked me through Johto and Hoenn, but protected me from anyone that could've killed me."
The Pokemon looked on in shock. They knew very little about Owen's past, and now he was telling them everything he had gone through in a few minutes.
"After I got seven badges in Sinnoh, this organization called Team Galactic tried taking control of the world by summoning Arceus. Janine and I battled their leader, and he crushed us. Janine, however, refused to let him summon Arceus, and she tried to stop him from doing so. After a couple of tries, the leader ordered his Houndoom to…" Owen trailed off and looked up at the sky.
The six Pokemon waited for Owen to regain his composure, and he let out a deep breath before revealing what happened.
"He made his Houndoom throw her off the top of the mountain." The Pokemon all gasped in shock while Heatmor stared at his trainer, who was clearly shaken by the scarring event. A knot in his stomach kept him quiet while Owen looked around at each of the animals sitting in front of him.
"I didn't go home for six months because I vowed on her grave that I'd win the Sinnoh League, but I lost in the championship. I kept thinking about what I had done wrong on my journeys because all of my Pokemon have given everything their all, and they're all really strong. Personally, I don't think I'm a bad trainer, and we've all had good relationships, so I thought about why I lost until I finally stumbled on the answer."
"Sni?" Snivy asked, wondering what the answer was.
"It was me. I didn't let my emotions show when I went through Sinnoh. I tried being someone I wasn't," Owen answered while looking at his starter. "I tried making my Pokemon like me, but now, I honestly don't care if you hate me," Owen stated, causing Krokorok to look at the teen nervously. "If you don't like me or want to be here, then why should I make you suffer through this?" Owen asked rhetorically while looking at the Pokemon.
"Quill!" Tranquill exclaimed while puffing her chest out and putting her right wing over her heart. Owen laughed at the flying type as she bowed at him and sat back in her seat.
"Anyways, that's why I'm traveling through Unova. I want to redeem myself and get back to my old habits. And I'm glad all of you are here to help me win this league! I know we're gonna do it!" Owen proclaimed while throwing his arm in the air. All of the Pokemon except Krokorok and Heatmor cheered excitedly while running/flying around the teen.
"Heat," Heatmor said to the group, grabbing their attention and quieting everyone down. He turned to Owen and nodded at his trainer, singling that he was ready to tell his story. After seeing Owen talk about the death of someone so close to him, Heatmor felt as if he had to the weight off his chest.
Owen handed the fire type his Pokedex while turning on the translator, which would let him understand everything Heatmor said.
"Hello?" Heatmor said into the Pokedex. Upon hearing the mechanical voice, Heatmor jumped back in shock, causing everyone to laugh at him. "Uhm… I'm Heatmor, but I guess you all knew that. Anyways, none of you know this about me, but I have this switch that goes off in my mind, and I'm overwhelmed with anger and blackout. It's almost like something posses me and takes over my body," Heatmor explained while looking at his teammates.
The five other Pokemon and Owen looked at the fire type and nodded at him, allowing him to continue.
"When I first joined the team, I was a shell of myself. I had been living in Castelia City on my own for nearly five years, right around the time you had become a trainer," Heatmor said to Owen and his teammates. "Now, I'm way more talkative compared to when you met me, and it's almost like we're a family. But…" Heatmor trailed off and looked down at the Pokedex. He was caught off guard by feeling a hand rest on his back. He looked at Owen and saw the teen give him a reassuring look.
"You don't have to keep going if you don't want to, Heatmor," Owen told the anteater Pokemon.
Heatmor ignored his trainer's words and spoke into the Pokedex. "I used to have another trainer before I met you, Owen. I still remember the first day we met," Heatmor told the group.
A yellow haired boy ran into the Pokeshelter and looked around at the tiny cages all of the baby Pokemon were in. Pokeshelters were quite common in Castelia City because there were so many Pokemon that had been abandoned by their trainers or families. A man and woman walked into the shelter behind the boy and looked around at the crummy building and exchanged worried glances as their son continued to search the cages of Pokemon.
"Chris, are you sure you want a Pokemon from here? We could call Professor Juniper or a breeder and you could pick one of their Pokemon," the woman offered.
"No way! These Pokemon need a home, and I know whoever I pick is gonna be my best friend for life!" the yellow haired boy named Chris replied.
"Chris," the man said to his son while walking over to him, "none of these Pokemon are healthy. We're going." The man grabbed his son's arm and began to pull him towards the door, but Chris planted his feet and pulled away.
"Let me look for two more minutes. If I can't find a Pokemon, then we can leave," Chris proposed.
"Fine," his father replied while crossing his arms angrily. His wife, however, patted him on the back and smiled at her son. Chris ran around the room and searched each of the cages thoroughly and hoped that he'd meet his starting Pokemon.
"Heat," a weak voice cried. Chris ran over to the cage and saw a tiny Pokemon curled up into a ball inside a cage that was far too small for his body. When Chris knelt down to the cage on the ground, the small Pokemon looked at the ten year old and gave him a tired look.
"Hi, little guy. My name is Chris, and I'm going to be a Pokemon trainer. Would you like to be my Pokemon?" the yellow haired boy asked, getting straight to the point. The Pokemon in the cage nodded frantically, and Chris opened the cage. Heatmor ran out and tackled the young boy before licking his face excitedly. A small burst of fire was released from his tail, and he helped Chris back to his feet.
"A Heatmor?" Chris's mother asked as she walked over to her son and the Pokemon. "That's a very interesting choice, Chris." Chris nodded at his mother's statement and hugged Heatmor, who beamed at the warm embrace. Chris's parents smiled kindly at the sheltered Pokemon and paid a small fee for Heatmor.
000
"He chose me, and he wanted me. When we were traveling, Chris caught some kind of virus, but we didn't think anything of it. After we got back in Castelia for our third gym battle, Chris collapsed during one of our training sessions, and I carried him to the hospital. I still remember him telling me that everything would be fine, but after a few days things took a turn for the worse. Chris went into a coma, and surgeons had to perform on him because his body had stopped responding to the treatment. Me and his parents watched the surgery, and that's when it happened."
"What happened, Heatmor?" Owen asked after the Pokemon stopped and hung his head.
"His heart stopped. I remember his parents bawling, and I just had to get out of there. I haven't seen his parents since," Heatmor told the group while wiping a stream of tears from his eyes. "That's why I go crazy like that when I see anyone close to me get hurt." Heatmor looked up at Owen, who bent down and hugged the crying Pokemon.
"I'm so sorry, Heatmor," Owen whispered while the fire type put his face against his trainer's body and tried to stop crying. After they pulled away, each of the other Pokemon hugged Heatmor until only Krokorok was left. The ground and dark type stared at the fire type he that he hated, and immediately felt bad for him. Slowly, Krokorok and Heatmor hugged while patting each other on the back before pulling away.
000
"How are Muk and Empoleon doing, Professor Juniper?" Owen asked while looking at the monitor. After the emotional storytelling, Owen withdrew all of his Pokemon except Snivy and called Professor Juniper to check in on his two other Pokemon.
"They're doing really well. They've been training with each other to keep up with the rest of your Pokemon," Professor Juniper answered with a smile. "By the way, did you get the Dark Stone from Mark?" the professor asked worriedly.
"Yeah. Why did you send that to me? It doesn't do anything," Owen told the woman while pulling out the aforementioned rock. As he did, Professor Juniper pressed her face against the screen and stared at the rock.
"Put it away!" Owen listened to the command and looked back at the woman timidly. "Sorry about that. Just keep that safe, and you'll find out what it does in time. I don't know when, but it will be soon."
"One more question, Professor Juniper," Owen told the busy woman. "Why hasn't Snivy evolved yet? She's almost at level thirty, so am I doing something wrong?" Owen asked. Snivy looked at the screen worriedly while hopping off Owen's shoulder and landing on his lap.
"Oh dear, I knew you'd be asking soon. You see, Snivy has a strange DNA mutation, which doesn't allow her to evolve," the woman answered while rubbing her head. "I didn't tell you because Professor Oak told me that you were a very accepting trainer, and I figured you and Snivy would be a perfect match."
"So she'll never evolve?" Owen inquired while looking down at the grass snake, who looked like she could cry at any second.
"No. But her skills will grow just like they would if she did evolve. Have you noticed her gaining a significant amount of strength lately?"
"Yeah. Is that because she would've evolved at whatever level?" Owen quizzed, which was answered by Professor Juniper nodding. "Snivy, don't be sad. You're still my friend, and we're only gonna get stronger!" Owen told the grass type. Snivy looked up, surprised by Owen's reactions. The countless other trainers that she had met were disgusted by her not being able to evolve, which was why she was never picked. "Thanks, Professor Juniper. I'll call you once I get to Icirrus City."
"Bye, Owen! Bye, Snivy! Good luck with your gym battle!" Professor Juniper exclaimed before ending the video chat. After the screen went black Owen leaned back and stretched his arms over his head.
The day had been nothing short of eventful, and his adventure was only going to get crazier.
Sorry if this was poorly done. I wasn't feeling this chapter, but I knew I had to get it out of the way if I wanted to move on to Icirrus City and the rest of Owen's adventure. Also, I'm going on vacation Thursday, so I'm most likely not going to get any chapters up for an entire week. I'm still shooting for my goal of finishing this story before the end of August, so it looks like I have a lot of work to do. Till next time, peace out.
1) Predictions for the next chapters?
Next Chapter: No Gym Battle? No Problem!
Chapter 40: The Dragon of Dragonspiral Tower
Chapter 41: Light vs Dark: Heroes Clash!
Chapter 42: See Ya, Krokorok