Here we go! Here we fricking go! It's time for the introduction to the Unova League, and this is where things get rocking! There won't be any battles this chapter, but I'm combining the first two rounds and that'll be next chapter. So, Destiny won the Grand Festival last chappie (not a typo, FYI), and Brooklyn has decided to stay with the group for the remainder of the league! Now, let's get going!

Owen's team

Snivy, (f), level 29, Tackle, Leech Seed, Grass Pledge, Vine Whip, Leaf Tornado*, Leaf Blade*

Heatmor, (m), level 41, Flame Burst, Flamethrower, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel, Fury Swipes*, Fire Pledge*

Krookodile, (m), level 45, Bite, Dig, Dragon Claw, Bulldoze, Hyper Beam*, Stone Edge*

Puff, (f), level 35, Dynamic Punch, Sing, Rollout, Pound, DoubleSlap*

Unfezant, (f), level 32, Detect, Air Cutter, Gust, Quick Attack, Aerial Ace*

Zebstrika, (m), level 36, Quick Attack, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, Flame Charge, Stomp

Empoleon, (m), level 39, Water Pledge, Drill Peck, Metal Claw, Whirlpool, Bide*, Brine*

Druddigon, (f), level 43, Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Crunch, Revenge

Muk, (m), level 40, Sludge, Body Slam, Protect, Poison Jab

"This is where it all starts," Owen said to himself while standing on the deck outside his room. Snivy was resting on his shoulder while the eight other Pokemon stood alongside their trainer. The teen and his Pokemon were staring at the arena in the middle of the complex, which was where the semifinals and championship were taking place. Even though he had watched the Grand Festival in the enormous arena, Owen was anxious to get there and experience the atmosphere from a competitor's point of view.

"Owen, we're going out for breakfast. Do you want to come?" Rebecca asked as her head popped out the door.

"No thanks, I already ate. I'll meet up with you guys later tonight," Owen responded without turning. Rebecca nodded and closed the door behind her, and the Kantonian watched as CJ, Fate, Brooklyn, and Rebecca walked down the street and towards the complex.

"Sni," Snivy said to Owen. She hopped off his shoulder and landed on the table behind her trainer. Coincidentally, there were ten chairs, and all of the other Pokemon followed Snivy and sat down in the chairs. Owen laughed at his Pokemon that were looking at him with smiles - even Krookodile - and he walked over to the rectangular table, knowing that they were waiting for a speech.

"Well, we did it. Thanks to all of you guys and girls, we qualified for the Unova League. Tonight is the introduction, where we'll learn about the format of the tournament. I'm going to leave all of you here, but you can watch the intro on the TV in our room. I know I've told some of you about my past, but I figured I might as well tell the rest of you," Owen told the group of nine, who were all watching intently.

"I started competing in leagues about five years ago in Kanto, which is where I'm from. I went through the Indigo League, Silver Conference, Ever Grande Conference, Sinnoh League, and now I'm here. Last year, I was the runner-up in the Sinnoh League, and I had a bunch of awesome Pokemon that you're all going to meet in a couple of weeks. Anyways, I tried finding why I never won a league, and I finally found the answer, which is why I came to Unova. I realized that I wasn't strong enough. All of my Pokemon were incredible, but I let them down. This time, I won't do that. You guys are the best group of Pokemon I could've asked for," Owen stated with a warm smile.

"Even though we haven't had the smoothest journey, I'm glad to say we're all friends. We've gone through so much together; evolutions, battles, releases," Owen said while looking at Krookodile, who laughed at the comment, "and friendships. You guys may not have liked each other at first, but now you're one big family."

The Pokemon began cheering, which Owen sensed was them wanting him to finish the speech.

"So, I want you all to give this everything you've got, because I know I will. And remember, no matter how well we do, I'm going to be proud of you guys."

The nine Pokemon exploded with cheers and they hopped out of their chairs and hugged Owen, which made him laugh.

"RAWR!" a strange creature roared, causing everyone to stop hugging. Suddenly, the strange Pokemon landed on the deck and it hugged Owen tightly, which made it difficult for the blonde to breathe. The Pokemon noticed this and let go while rubbing its neck sheepishly while Owen gasped for air. After he regained his breath, Owen looked up and his eyes went wide upon seeing the familiar creature in front of him.

"Charizard!" the fourteen year old exclaimed before hugging his first Pokemon. Charizard roared happily after Owen pulled away and looked at the Unova Pokemon. "Charizard, I have to introduce you to three Pokemon you didn't get to meet. This is Muk," Owen told the fire and flying type. Charizard waved to Muk, who happily waved back to the winged lizard. "Druddigon," Owen continued while pointing to Druddigon. The rough skinned dragon nodded at Charizard, who nodded back. "And lastly, Krookodile."

"Krooka," Krookodile grunted as he extended his hand. Charizard examined the red crocodile carefully before shaking his hand with a grin.

"So how did you get here? Gary has to be worried sick."

"He came with us," a pair of voices answered in unison. Owen turned to face the door, and his parents appeared with bright smiles.

"It's so great to see you, honey!" Owen's mother exclaimed while squeezing him in a tight hug. After pulling away, Owen laughed at his mom, and then hugged his dad. "We're so proud you made it this far."

"Thanks! I'm so happy to see you all," Owen told his mother, father, and Charizard, who all smiled at the comment.

"We also brought someone else," Owen's dad informed his son, who looked puzzled by the information. Before he could ask a question, Owen turned his attention to the door as a boy his age walked out. He had shaggy, long, raven black hair and hazel eyes. He was just an inch taller than Owen at 6'1", and he wore a long navy blue jacket, orange T-shirt, dark blue jeans, orange sneakers, and a tangerine beanie.

"Orange!?" The two teens walked over to each other before hugging, but they pulled away after a few seconds.

"What's going on, dude?"

"What are you doing here? I thought your mom wouldn't let you go on an adventure," Owen said to Orange.

"Well, she changed her mind when I turned 13, and Professor Oak even gave me a Pokemon!" he exclaimed. "I wish I had gone with you and Burt, though. We could've traveled together!"

"I know. We really need to catch up."

000

After they arrived back at the house, CJ, Rebecca, Fate, and Brooklyn were introduced to Orange, and then Brooklyn and Rebecca were introduced to Owen's parents.

"So you two grew up together?" Fate inquired while looking at Orange and Owen. The two teens nodded in confirmation, causing Fate to lean back in her chair in shock.

"We were supposed to get our starters with Burt, but my mom thought it was too dangerous for a ten year old to travel around, so I had to stay in Pallet until I was 13," Orange informed the four other teens he had just met.

"I hate to cut this reunion short, but the league introduction starts in an hour," CJ informed Owen. The unaware trainer shot out of his seat with a worried expression on his face, and he ran upstairs to get changed. Before anyone could say anything else, Owen was putting his shoes on and bolted out of the house, causing everyone to sweat drop.

000

Owen managed to arrive on time, and he found his spot in the lineup of 128 trainers, who were all waiting for Charles Goodshaw's speech. After arriving in his spot, someone tapped Owen on the shoulder, prompting him to turn around.

"Dante? Astral? It's awesome to see you!"

"Thanks, man, we were waiting for you to get here, but we thought you weren't gonna show," Dante joked with his typical grin.

"Have either of you seen Akito around? The last time we saw each other was at Driftveil City," Owen asked the two boys. Dante shrugged and looked over at Astral, who nodded his head.

"Yeah, he's up in the front row. Apparently he was the first trainer to get eight badges," Astral informed both Owen and Dante, who gaped at the impressive feat.

"Owen! Hey!" Owen, Dante, and Astral turned to see Blake making his way through the rows of trainers, and he stopped once he reached the group. "This place is crazy! Everyone keeps asking me for my autograph!" The teen stopped talking to Owen when he saw Dante and Astral staring at him, so he rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Blake, meet Dante and Astral. Guys, this is Blake," Owen announced as he introduced his rivals to each other. Blake shook Dante's and Astral's hands, but he turned around when Charles Goodshaw spoke up.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Unova League! I'm excited to get this tournament underway, so let me explain the format of the league. The first round will consist of 64 battles where both trainers will only use one Pokemon. Those who win will compete in three versus three battles in the next two rounds before full battles begin in the top 16. From there, a bracket will be created, and that will determine the winner!"

"Simple enough," Astral muttered.

"Good luck to everyone competing! I look forward to seeing many excellent battles!"

Time to start the Unova League! Owen's parents, Charizard, and his friend, Orange, will be watching the Unova League along with his companions, and all of Owen's rivals (with the exception of Akito) were introduced. Next chapter will be the top 128 and 64, so get ready! Till next time, peace out.

Next Chapter: Survive and Advance: With the Unova League underway, Owen faces a difficult task in deciding who he should use in his first battle. After that, Owen takes on another tough opponent in the top 64. How will he fare in the tournament?

*Chapter 55: Keeping the Streak Alive

*Chapter 56: Begin the Full Battles!