Hey hey hey, everybody! Time for chapter numero 44, and Owen's seventh gym battle! Last chapter, Owen lost to Blake despite the efforts of Empoleon and Druddigon, but he's looking to rebound in a big way. Will Owen bounce back from last chapter's loss? Or will he crumble? Let's find out!
Dragon66: Good luck, man! I hope you do well with where you're moving :)
P.S: I forgot to give Muk and Druddigon level boosts after they beat Snivy and Empoleon, so that's why they gained an extra 3
Owen's team
Snivy, (f), level 26, Tackle, Leech Seed, Grass Pledge, Vine Whip, Leaf Tornado*, Leaf Blade*
Heatmor, (m), level 38, Flame Burst, Tackle, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel, Fury Swipes*, Fire Pledge*
Krookodile, (m), level 42, Bite, Dig, Dragon Claw, Bulldoze, Hyper Beam*, Stone Edge*
Druddigon, (f), level 43, Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Crunch, Revenge
Muk, (m), level 40, Sludge, Body Slam, Protect, Poison Jab
Zebstrika, (m), level 30, Quick Attack, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, Flame Charge
With Professor Juniper
Puff, (f), level 32, Dynamic Punch, Sing, Rollout, Pound, DoubleSlap*
Unfezant, (f), level 32, Detect, Air Cutter, Gust, Quick Attack, Aerial Ace*
Empoleon, (m), level 39, Water Pledge, Drill Peck, Metal Claw, Whirlpool, Bide*, Brine*
Owen stood in front of the Pokemon Center and had all six of his Pokemon standing in a line. He was having a tough time deciding who to use for several different reasons. Snivy and Zebstrika both needed to level up, but there was a huge risk in using them both. He still hadn't battled with Krookodile since he evolved, so Owen was unsure of his changed attitude. Heatmor was at a type disadvantage, and so was Druddigon. Muk seemed to be the only one guaranteed to fight, which irked Owen.
"Muk, you're going up first," Owen told the glob of poison. Muk nodded and was zapped back into his Pokeball, leaving the other five feeling a level of uncertainty. "Zebstrika, I want you to battle too," Owen informed the electric type, who wagged his tail excitedly while being withdrawn to his Pokeball.
Heatmor, Snivy, Druddigon, and Krookodile waited anxiously to be picked for the gym battle while Owen rubbed his chin and thought over his options.
"Krookodile, are you going to listen to me?" Owen inquired. Had Krookodile said no, he wouldn't have been picked for the battle. Much to Owen's surprise, Krookodile nodded emphatically, which gave Owen the third Pokemon for his battle. Now - only needing one more - Owen thought over his remaining choices.
Heatmor stepped forward boldly and stared Owen in the eyes before pointing at himself. Owen looked over at Snivy and Druddigon to see if they agreed, and both Pokemon nodded.
"Okay. Heatmor, you'll battle too." With that, Owen zapped Heatmor and Druddigon back into their Pokeballs while Snivy hopped on his shoulder.
"Are you ready?" Rebecca asked while she, CJ, and Fate stood behind Owen and Snivy. The pair nodded in response, prompting the group to begin traveling to the gym.
"I heard this gym leader specializes in dragon types, so you're going to be in for a tough fight," CJ told Owen, who shrugged in response.
"So? We're totally going to win," Owen replied while pulling off the four Pokeballs - of his competing Pokemon - off his belt and holding them outwards. Snivy nodded in support of her teammates abilities, causing everyone to laugh.
"Apparently the gym leader here was offered to be a member of the Elite 4. His apprentice even became the champion for a few years until the old one returned," Fate announced while looking at her Pokedex.
"Awesome! This gym battle is gonna be intense," Owen opined while walking up to the gym. There were two large statues of dragons, one white and the other black, while the gym itself was in the shape of a castle. Brown bricks were used to build the structure, giving it an old rustic feel.
"This place is intimidating," Rebecca muttered as the group walked into the gym. After passing through the waiting room - which seemed to be common in all of the Unova gyms - the four trainers and Snivy walked through another door and saw a dark room, which was where the battlefield was located. Suddenly, the lights flashed on, and a man with a white beard walked into the room.
He wore a white dress shirt, which had the sleeves roles up, a pair of grey parents that were held up by purple suspenders, purple gloves, and purple shoes. He also had slightly tan skin and a full head of white hair.
"Welcome to the Opelucid City gym. My name is Drayden, and I'm the leader of this gym," the man greeted with a booming voice.
"The name's Owen Plateau, and I'm here for my seventh gym badge," Owen greeted with Snivy, who waved to the old man. A referee soon walked into the room and stood on the pedestal over by the side of the battlefield, and Fate, Rebecca, and CJ walked over to the bleachers.
"This will be a four versus four gym battle between Owen and Drayden, where only the challenger may substitute Pokemon! Furthermore, once all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the battle will be over! Drayden, choose your first Pokemon!" the referee ordered.
"Fraxure, go!" Drayden yelled while throwing out his first Pokeball. A Fraxure appeared in front of Drayden and it roared while glaring at Owen and Snivy. Drawing his first Pokeball from his belt, Owen tossed it in the air and caught it before hurling the spherical device forwards.
"Zebstrika, come on out!" Zebstrika took Owen's half of the battlefield and began swiping his hooves against the ground, readying himself to charge. Fraxure did the same thing with her two feet while snarling at Zebstrika.
"This battle will be between Fraxure and Zebstrika! Begin!"
"Fraxure, use Dragon Claw!" Drayden barked, causing Owen and Zebstrika to flinch at the outburst. In a matter of seconds, Fraxure had darted across the battlefield while her claws began to glow light blue while Owen and Zebstrika prepared to stop the attack.
"Dodge it and use Flame Charge, Zebstrika!" Owen countered. Zebstrika hopped back while Fraxure's claws slammed into the battlefield and became stuck, leaving her open to being attacked. That's when Zebstrika ran forward while being engulfed in fire, and he rammed into Fraxure, sending her rolling across the battlefield.
"Hold on, Fraxure! Use Dragon Dance!" After getting on her feet, Fraxure was surrounded in a double helix of crimson energy which made her roar. Despite this, Owen didn't pay any attention to the dragon type's powerful roar, so he issued another command.
"Let's use Thunder Wave!"
"Dodge and use Headbutt!" Once Zebstrika shot a jolt of electricity towards Fraxure, the bipedal dragon ran away from the attack and smacked her head against Zebstrika's. Both Pokemon stumbled around while holding their heads in pain until Owen shouted to Zebstrika.
"Hang in there and use Quick Attack!" Snapping out of her daze, Zebstrika sprinted forwards and hit right into Fraxure's gut. The dragon type instinctively grabbed a hold of Zebstrika's mane, causing him to try to pull away.
"Fraxure, use Dragon Claw once more!"
"Shock Wave!" As Fraxure reared her arm back to slash Zebstrika across his face, the large zebra's stripes flashed yellow and a wicked bolt of lightning zapped Fraxure until she fell to her knees and collapsed. The referee walked over to Fraxure's side and saw that her eyes were closed, and Zebstrika hobbled back to Owen with a bright smile on his face.
"Fraxure is unable to battle! Drayden, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thank you, Fraxure. Zweilous, go!" Owen, Snivy, and Zebstrika saw a two headed dragon - similar to Rebecca's Deino - standing in front of Drayden while growling at Zebstrika. The four legged zebra turned around while sighing tiredly, but he put on his game face and readied himself for battle.
"This battle will be between Zweilous and Zebstrika! Begin!"
"Zweilous, use Dragon Pulse!" Drayden ordered aggressively. The two headed dragon fired two different beams of spiraling energy, which flew across the battlefield at a blistering speed.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack and then use Flame Charge!" Owen commanded while pointing at Zweilous. Zebstrika dashed off to the side of the battlefield while a white light trailed behind him. Then, he was encapsulated in fire and he began to charge towards Zweilous. In the blink of an eye Zweilous was hit by the attack that wasn't very effective, which allowed Drayden to counter with ease.
"Shake it off! Fight back with Bite!" Zweilous quickly recovered and he bit Zebstrika with his two heads, dealing double the damage to the electric zebra.
"Get him off with Shock Wave!" Owen demanded while Zebstrika cried in pain. After failing to break the dark and dragon type's grip, Zebstrika released an immense amount of lightning, which made Zweilous twitch after being struck.
"Zweilous, are you okay?" Drayden inquired. His second Pokemon slowly got back up and nodded, giving Drayden a sense of relief. "I must say, that was quite an impressive Shock Wave," Drayden complimented while bowing to Zebstrika.
"Thanks! Now, Zebstrika, use Quick Attack!" Owen roared. Zebstrika sprinted over towards Zweilous, but Drayden knew just how to counter the weak attack.
"Dragon Rage!" he screamed while pointing at Zebstrika, who had a streak of white light trail behind his body. Zweilous launched two huge spheres of orange energy towards Zebstrika, and they exploded on impact. The four legged zebra was sent flying back to Owen and Snivy, and both the trainer and his Pokemon frowned sadly when they saw Zebstrika had fainted.
"Zebstrika is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Great job out there, Zebstrika. Muk, I choose you!" After throwing his second Pokeball forwards, Muk appeared on Owen's half of the battlefield while letting out a low roar. The large poison type looked excited to be in his second gym battle, but Zweilous seemed determined to defeat his blob of a foe.
"This battle will be between Zweilous and Muk! Begin!"
"Muk, use Sludge!" Muk's mouth opened a few feet and he fired a large ball of poison at Zweilous, but Drayden refused to allow his Pokemon to be hit by the STAB attack.
"Block it with Dragon Rage!" The two heads from the tiny dragon's body fired two spheres of orange energy covered in flames crashed through the Sludge attack and struck Muk, who roared in pain.
"Now try Poison Jab!" Owen yelled, hoping Muk would be able to dish out heavy damage. Muk's fists began to glow purple as he slid across the battlefield, and he punched Zweilous in both of its mouths. The two heads, however, bit Muk's hands right after and immobilized him. Had it been any of Owen's other Pokemon, he would've been worried. Muk, however, was normally stationary during battles so it didn't matter if he wasn't able to move.
"Now use Hyper Beam!" In a split second Muk was hit by two powerful beams of orange energy, and he was sent flying through the air. After landing on his head, Muk got back up and looked back at Owen while rubbing the injured section of his body. Owen saw the angered look in his Pokemon's eyes and understood what attack Muk wanted to use.
"Body Slam!" The large mass of poison sprung into the air, causing the referee and everyone on the bench to gasp - even though they had seen him jump before - while Drayden and his Zweilous kept their cool.
"Don't back down, Zweilous. Use another Hyper Beam!" Zweilous launched two beams of surging energy at Muk, and the normal type attack landed. Everyone gasped when Muk was sent flying through the air while groaning in pain, and he smacked against the ground, which led to Owen running to his side.
"Muk!" he screamed while kneeling down next to his fainted Pokemon. Muk didn't make a sound or move the slightest inch, prompting the referee to rul him ineligible to battle.
"Muk is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thanks, Muk. You gave it your all, just like you were supposed to." Owen zapped Muk back into his Pokeball and he looked at Snivy. The grass starter pointed at the Pokeball on Owen's right leg, and he nodded in agreement while taking it off his belt. "Krookodile, I chose you!"
"Krooka!" Krookodile roared as he appeared from the Pokeball. He and Zweilous glared at each other until the referee spoke up, which grabbed the attention of both Pokemon.
"This battle will be between Zweilous and Krookodile! Begin!"
"Zweilous, use Dragon Pulse!" The blue and black dragon fired two spiraling beams of energy towards Krookodile, but the red crocodile snickered at the attack before turning around and waiting for Owen's counter.
"Dodge it and use Dragon Claw, Krookodile!" the fourteen year old ordered. Krookodile happily obliged and jumped over the dragon type attack. Then, while his claws were glowing blue, he slashed Zweilous across the chest and sent it flying back to Drayden, who had an impressed look underneath his white beard.
"Recover and use Dragon Rush!" Drayden shouted. Zweilous managed to land on his feet and skid across the battlefield before charging towards Krookodile. Then, a blue dragon head appeared around his body and surged towards Krookodile, who was ready to take the dragon type attack head-on.
"Dodge by using Dig!" Owen yelled. Krookodile reluctantly dug underground as fast as he could, making the Dragon Rush attack miss.
"Try to sense where Krookodile is coming," Drayden whispered to his Zweilous as it ran back to his side. The dragon nodded at the man's orders, and Zweilous began sniffing the air in an attempt to find Krookodile.
"Krooka!" Krookodile roared as he shot out from the ground and uppercut both heads of Zweilous. The dragon and dark type flew into the roof before falling back down and crashing into the hard floor. The two headed dragon was down for the count, and the referee threw his arms up to signal the end of the match.
"Zweilous is unable to battle! Drayden, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Wow. Krookodile is really strong!" Rebecca exclaimed. CJ and Fate both nodded in agreement with the statement while watching Krookodile celebrate with Owen and Snivy.
"Definitely. Now that Krookodile is listening to Owen, it looks like he's got a really strong team," CJ opined while thinking of Owen's Pokemon.
"Wonderful job, Zweilous. Dragonair, go!" Owen and Krookodile watched as Zweilous was withdrawn to his Pokeball and a Dragonair appeared in his place. The serpent like dragon slithered towards the middle of the battlefield and Krookodile growled at her intimidatingly, but he was stopped by the referee speaking up.
"This battle will be between Dragonair and Krookodile! Begin!"
"Dragonair, use Twister!" Dragonair's tail began to glow white and she whipped it forward, causing a twister to appear and move over towards Krookodile.
"Stay in the ground with Dig!" Owen countered. Krookodile dug a hole in the ground and waited for the Twister attack to dissipate, but it went right over the hole and sucked him upwards. The three spectators and Snivy all gasped in shock while Krookodile roared in pain. The powerful circulating winds cut his skin, causing him to grunt angrily.
"Now use Iron Tail and hit Krookodile out of the Twister!" Dragonair zipped through the air while her tail turned silver and became metallic, and she slammed it against Krookodile's chest. The ground and dark type was thrown out of the Twister attack and hit against the ground. Despite the pain in his back, Krookodile got back up with a determined look on his face.
"Krookodile, use Hyper Beam quickly!" Owen commanded while Dragonair slithered back to Drayden. Krookodile reared his head back and unleashed a massive wave of orange energy towards Dragonair, and the blue dragon was launched against the wall behind Drayden. The old man looked at Krookodile with a grin underneath his strange beard, and he was shocked by the Pokemon's strength.
"Dragonair, take to the air and use Ice Beam!" Dragonair took to the air and released a zigzagging beam of light blue energy at Krookodile. Before the attack was close to hitting him, Owen gave Krookodile another command.
"Dodge it!" The red and black crocodile rolled away from the ice type attack and began panting once he stood back on his feet. Owen and Drayden both noticed the tired looks on the faces of their Pokemon, but they refused to let the other know.
"Dragonair, finish this with Dragon Tail!"
"Krookodile, wrap this up with Dragon Claw!" Both Pokemon barged towards each other while Dragonair's tail was glowing turquoise and Krookodile's claws were glowing light blue, and they struck each other forcefully. Both Pokemon were launched back across the battlefield and slammed into their trainers, who were both knocked down by the force of the impact.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your last Pokemon!" the ref shouted while looking at both Pokemon, whose eyes were shut tight. Owen got back up and patted Krookodile on the back before zapping him into his Pokeball.
"Awesome job, Krookodile. Heatmor, it's all up to you!" Heatmor appeared from Owen's fourth and final Pokeball, and he released a flame from his tail. Snivy began cheering for him, and Heatmor waved back to Owen's starter, causing her to blush.
"Well done, Dragonair. Haxorus, this is the final battle!" Drayden yelled while throwing his final Pokeball. A large bipedal dragon appeared in front of Drayden and it leered at Heatmor. It had yellow skin along with two axe blades on the sides of its face, and it also had a long yellow tail.
"Haxorus, the Axe Jaw Pokemon and the evolved form of Fraxure. They are kind but can be relentless when defending territory. They challenge foes with tusks that can cut steel," Fate's Pokedex announced.
"It looks like Haxorus thinks Heatmor's trying to take his territory," Fate whispered while watching Haxorus swipe the ground with his feet. The enormous Pokemon let out a menacing roar, but Heatmor refused to back down.
"This battle will be between Haxorus and Heatmor! Begin!"
"Heatmor, use Flame Burst!" Owen shouted, hoping to keep a distance from the incredibly powerful dragon. Heatmor quickly shot a large bullet of fire towards the bigger Pokemon. The orange bullet exploded when it hit Haxorus, causing the large Pokemon to stumble backwards while rubbing its chest in pain.
"Haxorus, use Dragon Claw!" Drayden commanded. The giant Pokemon ran forwards while its three red claws began to glow blue, and it jumped at Heatmor. The yellow dragon slashed Heatmor across the chest, sending him flying back to Owen's side. "Now use Headbutt!" As Heatmor got back up, Haxorus slammed its head against Heatmor's causing the fire type anteater to drop to his knees.
"Fury Swipes!" Owen barked. Heatmor's claws began to glow white and he tried slashing Haxorus. The larger Pokemon, however, took no damaged and he slammed his tail into Heatmor's chest. The bipedal fire type slammed into the wall behind Owen, and he began to stumble around while holding his head.
"Heat," Heatmor mumbled while feeling a sudden burst of energy flow through his body. Then, he dropped to the ground and a thin coat of fire appeared around his body while the colors on his body began to change.
"Heatmor, stay calm! Don't let the anger take control of you!" Owen advised while Heatmor's entire body began to alternate colors. The injured Pokemon looked up at Owen and began to shriek in pain while holding his head. He stopped, however, when he saw Snivy and the other trainers cheering for him from the bleachers, and the colors of his body slowly changed back to normal. The thin coat of fire still surrounded his body, but his rage was suddenly gone.
(Strong and Strike Extended begins to play. Listen to it if you want to)
"Mor," the anteater grunted while looking at Owen with a grin. He then walked back onto the battlefield and glared at Haxorus, who was confused by the fire around his body.
"Here we go, Heatmor. Use Flame-" Owen was cut off by Heatmor releasing a wave of fire from his mouth, which engulfed Haxorus's body. The yellow dragon fired out in pain while his scaly body was burnt by the horribly powerful fire. After the flames ceased, Haxorus stared down at Heatmor, who had a confident smirk on his face.
"Haxorus, use Dragon Pulse!" Haxorus reared back and fired a swirling beam of energy towards Heatmor. The fire type suddenly vanished from sight as the attack hit where he had stood, making everyone look around in confusion. Then, a cloud of dust started circling around Haxorus, and the yellow dragon began to turn around and attempt to follow the speeding cloud of dirt.
"Fire Pledge!" Owen roared. In a split second, Heatmor reappeared in front of Haxorus and a pillar of fire shot up and engulfed the fully evolved Pokemon, causing him to roar in pain. "Now use Flamethrower!" Owen shouted as he remembered that Heatmor had just learned the attack. Heatmor then reared back and unleashed a wave of fire that struck Haxorus and sent him rolling across the battlefield. Heatmor ran back to Owen's side as Haxorus got back up, and the two Pokemon locked eyes.
"Haxorus, use Dragon Rush!" Drayden yelled while pointing at Heatmor. Haxorus began to trudge towards Heatmor while a blue dragon head appeared in front of his large body.
"Heatmor, use Flame Wheel!" Owen shouted. Heatmor began to spin while covering himself in fire, which became much larger and more intense than normal. He then bolted towards Haxorus, and the two attacks collided in the middle of the battlefield. Two flashes of blue and red light flashed in the air, causing everyone to shield their eyes. The two Pokemon continued to battle back and forth before Heatmor finally prevailed and rammed Haxorus into the wall behind Drayden. The larger Pokemon fell on the ground face first with its eyes shut, signaling the end of the battle.
(Strong and Strike ends)
"Haxorus is unable to battle! That means Owen is the winner!" the referee shouted while throwing his hands up. The coat of fire surrounding Heatmor disappeared as he ran over to Owen, and the two hugged each other. Drayden withdrew his Haxorus back to its Pokeball and looked over at Owen and Heatmor in awe. For being so young, he was shocked by the powerful Pokemon he had on his team. What was even more surprising was that the Pokemon actually listened to Owen.
"That was a great battle, Owen. Take this as a sign of victory at my gym," Drayden told Owen while handing him a small piece of metal. "That is the Legend Badge. You earned it," Drayden complimented.
"Thanks," Owen replied while Heatmor bowed to Drayden. Snivy did the same, causing the man to release a powerful laugh. He waved to the group of four trainers and their Pokemon while they walked out of the gym. Owen put the badge into his badge case, which only needed one more badge.
"Way to go, Heatmor. You were all great!" CJ exclaimed. Heatmor beamed at the compliment as the group walked into the Pokemon Center and sat down at a booth in the dining hall.
"Well, now you only have one more badge to go until you're in the Unova League!" Rebecca shouted while throwing her arms in the air excitedly.
"And Fate only needs one more ribbon to qualify for the Grand Festival," Owen added after ordering his lunch. "You better win tomorrow," he told the girl.
"Don't worry. We will."
There is the end of Owen's seventh gym battle! Thanks to Heatmor controlling his anger and Krookodile listening to him, Owen was able to win! Now that Fate's contest is coming up next chapter the group will be looking to move on to Humilau City for Owen's eighth and final gym battle. Till next time, peace out.
Taming the Beast Within was scrapped, btw
Next Chapter: Grand Festival, Here I Come
Chapter 46: Recognizing Romance
*Chapter 47: High Tide Part 1
*Chapter 48: High Tide Part 2
#Chapter 49: Appealing to the Judges
#Chapter 50: A Poisonous Pair