Tis the season to be jolly! It's time for Owen's battles in the top 128 and 64, and the Unova League is officially beginning! Now, because there is nothing left to say, let's start the league!
P.S: For what seems to be the millionth time, I forgot to mention the creator of yet another OC. Thanks, Iggy Marshall, for the submission of Orange!
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
"Look, guys, I'm depending on both of you to really step up during these next two weeks. I know that everyone is really strong, but we're only going as far as you two can take us. Are both of you okay with that?" Owen asked while looking down at Heatmor and Krookodile. The two Pokemon nodded emphatically, taking Owen's speech as a compliment. "Good. Krookodile, I want you to battle in this sudden death round. Are you up for it?"
"Krooka!" Krookodile exclaimed. Heatmor hung his head in shame because he wasn't selected, but he felt Owen's hand fall on his shoulder.
"Heatmor, I want you to be ready for the next round, okay? I'm going to need you," the amber eyed teen told the fire type. The anteater Pokemon beamed at his trainer's words as he was zapped back into his Pokeball. Owen then zapped Krookodile into his Pokeball, and he released Snivy from her spherical prison. "Let's go, Snivy."
000
"Welcome to the preliminary round of the Unova League! My name is Greg, and I'll be your host for the tournament! This round will feature battles where trainers may only use one Pokemon! If your Pokemon faints, your hopes of winning the Unova League are gone! Now, let's introduce our two trainers!" Greg screamed, causing the yellow stadium to shake.
"In the left corner, we have James!" A green haired boy walked out of the left tunnel and onto the battlefield while waving to the crowd. "And in the right corner, we have Owen!" Owen and Snivy walked onto the battlefield and waved to the intense crowd before stopping once they reached the trainer box.
"This will be a one versus one battle between James and Owen! Once either Pokemon faints, the battle is over! Trainers, choose your Pokemon!"
"Magmortar, let's go!"
"Krookodile, come on out!" The two fire types appeared in front of their trainers, and their pictures appeared on the four large scoreboards that were located on the top of the stadium.
"This battle will be between Magmortar and Krookodile! Begin!"
"It looks like Owen's got the advantage here. Ground type attacks are super effective against fire types," Rebecca announced while looking down at Krookodile.
"Don't be too sure about that. Trainers that make it to the league tournaments are way tougher than you think," CJ told the younger girl.
"But Krookodile's probably Owen's strongest Pokemon, CJ. He shouldn't have much of a problem with that Magmortar," Fate countered, causing CJ to shrug.
"Krookodile, use Bulldoze!" Krookodile grinned and slammed his foot against the ground, sending a wave of energy flying towards Magmortar. James watched as the bulky fire type was hit by the super effective attack, and a spiraling ring of blue energy appeared around Magmortar's body before disappearing.
"Magmortar, shake it off and use Flamethrower!" Magmortar nodded at her trainer's words, and she aimed both of her arms at Krookodile. Her hands suddenly disappeared and she fired two waves of fire towards Krookodile. The speed of the attack was too quick for Owen or Krookodile to react, which led to the ground and dark type being charred by the fire type attack. After the attack ceased, Krookodile roared angrily, which brought a grin to Owen's face. Snivy cheered for her battling teammate, and so were Owen's friends.
"Way to hang in there, buddy! Use Stone Edge!" Krookodile nodded and sprinted towards Magmortar while several dozen sharp stones circled around his body. Krookodile then jumped into the air and threw his hands forward, which sent the sharp rocks flying towards Magmortar and James.
"Use Fire Spin to block it, Magmortar!" The fat Pokemon stuck her arms out and moved them in a circular motion, causing a spinning wave of fire to appear and block the powerful rock type attack. After Krookodile landed, he glared at his opponent, but he turned when Owen shouted to him from across the battlefield.
"Dig a bunch of holes and then resurface!" Krookodile quickly dug a large hole, and popped up a few feet away. He continued digging holes all around the battlefield and continued popping up randomly while sticking his tongue out at Magmortar, who began to stomp on the ground angrily and shoot random Flamethrower attacks at the holes.
"What is he doing?" Brooklyn quizzed while turning to the other teens. Everyone shrugged at the question because they had no idea why Owen was using such a strange tactic, and they turned their attention back to the battle. The crowd began to laugh at Magmortar's inability to hit the ground and dark type, making her and her trainer even angrier.
"That's not going to help you!" James shouted once Krookodile resurfaced again. "Lava Plume!" Magmortar's hands disappeared again, and several large red rocks were shot towards Krookodile. The red and black crocodile's eyes went wide open, but he calmed down once Owen's voice echoed in his ears.
"Krookodile, dodge it and use Dragon Claw!" Krookodile disappeared underground as the fire type attack exploded across the battlefield, and he shot out of the hole closest to Magmortar while his claws were glowing blue. The ground and dark type then slashed Magmortar across the chest, sending the fire type stumbling back towards James. "Now go underground!" Krookodile hopped back into the holes on the battlefield, and everyone in the stadium watched as James and his Magmortar looked around worriedly.
"This is it," Orange told the others. "Owen's ending the battle right here," he predicted.
"After him, Magmortar!" Magmortar trudged over to the hole Krookodile had dove in to, and she jumped in. The one problem, however, was that Magmortar's stomach was too big to pass through, immobilizing her.
While she struggled to get out of the hole, Krookodile hopped out and ran to Owen before turning around with a proud smirk on his face. "Hyper Beam!" Owen commanded as he pointed at Magmortar. Krookodile nodded and reared back while charging the devastating normal type attack. Magmortar tried pushing herself out of the hole, but was unable to do. Krookodile then unleashed a powerful orange beam of energy, which struck his fire type opponent. Magmortar was sent flying across the battlefield and into James while her eyes were closed, which made the stadium explode with cheers.
"Magmortar is unable to battle! That means Owen will be moving on to the top 64!" the referee announced.
"Alright! Way to go, Krookodile!" Owen exclaimed as the ground and dark type made his way over to Owen and Snivy. Krookodile nodded calmly as if his performance was no big deal, but he did a poor job hiding his excitement. Owen waved to James, and James waved back before the Kantonian walked into the trainer room.
000
"Krookodile did an awesome job earlier," Brooklyn told Owen while she, Fate, CJ, Rebecca, Orange, and Charizard sat in the trainer room in the yellow stadium. The group was waiting for Owen's upcoming battle in the top 64, which he was having difficulty with. He knew Heatmor was going to battle, but deciding on his other two Pokemon was more than tough.
"And when you had him hide in all of the holes was a great idea," Orange complimented. Charizard nodded at his trainer, causing Owen to smile slightly.
"Thanks, guys. Now… how about these two?" Owen asked himself while looking at two Pokeballs in front of him. He had taken six Pokemon - including Snivy - with him just incase he changed his mind during the middle of the battle. The other three were with his parents in the stands, while everyone else would be sitting on the bench on the battlefield.
"Owen Plateau, please report to the battlefield," the same robotic voice from the Grand Festival ordered over the intercom. Owen looked around at his friends as Snivy hopped on his shoulder, and Charizard walked by his side. The five other trainers walked towards a different tunnel that would take them to the bench, and Owen walked onto the battlefield after his name was called.
"And our second trainer, Rita!" A girl with rainbow colored hair walked out from the other end of the battlefield, and she skipped into her trainer box. Charizard looked over at Owen as if they were being punk'd, but he realized Rita was serious when the referee stepped onto the battlefield and began to speak.
"This will be a three versus three battle between Owen and Rita! Neither trainer may substitute their Pokemon! Trainers, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Unfezant take to the sky!" Unfezant zipped out of her Pokeball and flew through the air before landing in front of Owen, Snivy, and Charizard.
"Jumpluff, let us frolic in the meadows of friendship!" Rita sang before opening the Pokeball manually. A Jumpluff skipped onto the battlefield just like Rita had earlier, causing Owen and his three Pokemon to sweat drop.
"This is going to be bad," Fate opined while shaking her head. "I feel bad for this girl." Everyone nodded along with Fate's statement, and the referee walked back onto his pedestal.
"This battle will be between Unfezant and Jumpluff! Begin!"
"Unfezant, use Aerial Ace!" Owen shouted while pointing at the Johto Pokemon. Unfezant flew across the battlefield while white streaks of light flew off her beak, and she slammed into Jumpluff. The super effective attack dealt massive damage to the weaker Pokemon, and Jumpluff began falling to the ground like a sack of bricks.
"Counter with a soothing Headbutt!" Jumpluff suddenly shot up and rammed into Unfezant's stomach, but the fully evolved bird grabbed the top spore on Jumpluff's head with her feet, drawing praise from the crowd, Charizard, and Snivy.
"There you go, Unfezant! Use Air Cutter!" Unfezant flung her legs straight up, sending Jumpluff flying into the air above Unfezant. The normal and flying type then formed a swirling ball of wind in-between her wings, and threw it at Jumpluff. The fully evolved grass type was hit by the powerful attack, but somehow managed to stay conscious.
"Jumpluff, use Giga Drain!" Jumpluff threw its spores forward, causing a green tornado of energy to appear and strike Unfezant. The health restoring attack did very little damage, which didn't heal Jumpluff as much as it needed to.
"Now use Gust to change Jumpluff's elevation!" Unfezant whipped her wings forward and a powerful burst of wind began to push Jumpluff back while also slashing its body.
"Jumpluff, descend!" Rita shouted, falling right into Owen's trap. Jumpluff dropped towards the ground in an attempt to get away from the super effective attack that was hurting him so badly.
"Wrap it up with Aerial Ace!" In the blink of an eye, Unfezant had zipped down and slammed into Jumpluff while white streaks of light trailed behind her body. Jumpluff was launched into the ground, and part of the battlefield cracked after the force of the impact. The referee ran over to the fainted Pokemon and raised his hands to signal he was no longer able to battle.
"Jumpluff is unable to battle! Rita, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Good try, Jumpluff. Crobat, let our friendship prevail!" Rita yelled as Jumpluff's picture on the scoreboard turned black. A Crobat appeared above Rita's head, and she occupied the second spot on the scoreboard.
"This battle will be between Unfezant and Crobat! Begin!"
"Crobat, use Toxic!" Crobat flew through the air at the speed of light and shot a ball of poison at Unfezant. The normal and flying type was struck by the status inflicting attack, and purple electricity flashed around her body. Unfezant let out a pained cry, but regained her composure and flew towards Crobat. Snivy began cheering for her friend loudly, but the audience drowned her out.
"Unfezant, stay strong and use Quick Attack!" Unfezant tucked her wings in to her sides as a trail of white light appeared behind her body. Before Crobat could react, she was crushed by Unfezant's speedy attack, but Crobat regained control of her body quickly.
"Now strike back with Aerial Ace!" Rita yelled to her second Pokemon. Crobat slammed into Unfezant and sent her crashing into the ground. Unfezant then rolled across the battlefield before stopping in front of Owen and his two starters, who cheered for her to get back up.
"Hang in there, Unfezant!" Owen shouted over the crowd as Unfezant pushed herself back up to her feet. Despite her efforts to get back up, Rita refused to let Unfezant get back into the air, so she issued another attack for her Crobat.
"Crobat, keep attacking! Use Wing Attack!" Crobat swooped down while her wings were glowing white, and she prepared to smack Unfezant repeatedly.
"Unfezant, dodge with Detect!" Unfezant's eyes suddenly flashed gold, and she began dodging each and every attack of Crobat's, but the poison and flying type continued attacking. Owen bit his lip, realizing that Crobat was eventually going to prevail, but there was nothing he could do.
"Crobat, finish this with Aerial Ace!" Crobat flew back a few feet before flying forwards and slamming into Unfezant, whose eyes had returned to their normal color. The normal and flying type was knocked out instantly, and she was withdrawn to her Pokeball before the referee could say anything.
"Unfezant is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thanks for the effort, Unfezant. Muk, come on out!" Muk appeared from the second Pokeball Owen had thrown, and he occupied the second spot beneath Owen's picture on the scoreboard. Muk stared at the crowd and waved with a bright smile, which made the fans cheer for him.
"This battle will be between Crobat and Muk! Begin!"
"Muk, use Sludge!" Owen shouted while pointing at Crobat as if he were aiming for Muk. The large poison blob opened his mouth wide and shot a large bullet of poison at the four winged bat, and the attack hit. Despite not being very effective, Crobat fell to the ground and rolled around in pain before taking off to the air and flying towards Muk.
"Crobat, fight back with Air Cutter!" Crobat created a ball of swirling air in-between her wings, and she threw it at Muk. The attack struck the large purple Pokemon, and Muk roared out in pain before locking on to his winged opponent.
"Stay strong, Muk! Use Body Slam!" Muk nodded and sprung into the air. Everyone gasped at the sheer height of the jump, as Muk managed to reach a higher altitude than Crobat. The lone person not fazed by Muk's jumping ability was Rita, who countered the normal type attack in a split second.
"Dodge it and use Aerial Ace!" Crobat flew a few feet back, causing Muk to crash against the ground. The bat then swooped down while white streaks of light flew off her body, and she slammed into Muk, causing Owen and Snivy to smirk. Rita noticed the looks on Owen's and Snivy's faces, and she realized why they were so happy once she saw Muk's body had covered Crobat's wings and kept her from flying away.
"This is it, Muk! Poison Jab!" Muk's left fist began glowing bright purple, and he grabbed Crobat with his right. Then, he punched her in the face as hard as he could, sending the bat bouncing across the battlefield.
"Sky Attack!" Rita shouted to her injured Pokemon. Crobat flew off the ground and zipped towards Muk while her body completely turned white. As the poison and flying type flew across the battlefield, Muk began to roar and punch his open fist, signaling what attack he wanted to use.
"Block it with Poison Jab!" Owen ordered. Muk smirked and he wound his right arm back as it began to glow bright purple. As Crobat was about to strike him, Muk threw his arm forward and the two attacks collided. BOOM! Both Pokemon were sent rolling across the ground before stopping in front of their trainers, causing the crowd to roar excitedly.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Well done, Crobat. Machamp, destroy them with love!"
"Heatmor, it's all up to you!" Owen and Rita threw their final Pokeballs forward at the same time, and their last Pokemon appeared on the battlefield. Both Pokemon's pictures appeared beneath the blackened photos of Crobat and Muk, and Heatmor looked around at the stadium nervously. Everyone could see him shaking, so Charizard decided to speak to him.
(Switch POV)
"Heatmor, listen up," the larger fire type demanded. Heatmor turned to face Charizard, and he continued to shake. "Remember what I told you back in Vermilion City?"
"Uh… ye-yeah," the anteater stuttered.
"Take a deep breath, and focus. These people want to see you. And Owen needs you right now. Don't let this crowd get to you."
(Switch POV)
"Finally! I've been waiting to see Heatmor battle!" Rebecca shrieked excitedly as Heatmor turned his back to Charizard and took a deep breath.
"Why? What's the big deal about Heatmor?" Orange quizzed, not knowing anything about Owen's Pokemon.
"Just wait," CJ told the younger teen, who nodded and stared at a the anteater Pokemon.
"This battle will be between Machamp and Heatmor! Begin!"
"Heatmor, Flamethrower!" Owen commanded aggressively. He knew Heatmor couldn't match up with Machamp in a close range fight, so he'd have to keep Heatmor at a distance. The fire type reared back and unleashed a wave of fire towards Machamp, but the muscular Pokemon took the attack head-on and showed little signs of injury, causing Heatmor to look back at Owen and Charizard nervously.
"Machamp, use Brick Break repeatedly!" Machamp charged forwards while all four of his hands began to glow white, and he started swinging at Heatmor. Lucky for Heatmor, he had an experienced trainer that was able to issue a command despite being in a tight spot.
"Dodge it and use Flame Wheel on his legs!" Heatmor dropped to the ground and began to spin while covering himself in fire. Machamp missed his first two punches, and grabbed his knee once Heatmor slammed into it. The large fighting type started hopping on one foot while grabbing his knee in pain, but he stopped jumping when Rita screamed from across the battlefield.
"Don't slow down, Machamp! Keep using Brick Break!" Machamp began to charge at Heatmor again, and he managed to hit the fire type multiple times, causing the anteater to cry out in pain. Despite the countless punches he took, Heatmor refused to back down, which Owen sensed after seeing the anteater block one of the Brick Break attacks.
"Heatmor, get away from Machamp by using Flame Burst on the ground!"
"Machamp, use Submission to finish this!" Before Heatmor could shoot the large bullet of fire sat the ground, Machamp put him into a headlock and dropped to the ground, causing Heatmor to start gasping for air.
"Heatmor!" Owen shouted to the flailing Pokemon. Heatmor continued to try to break Machamp's grip, but he wasn't nearly strong enough to do so, causing Owen's mind to race.
"This isn't looking good," Brooklyn opined as Heatmor's face began to turn blue from a lack of oxygen. "There's no way he can break free!"
"Heatmor can do this. You just have to see for yourself," Fate told her rival.
"I've got it! Heatmor, use Fire Pledge!"
"What? Heatmor can't learn Fire Pledge! And even if he could, that would hurt Heatmor too!" Orange shouted as he hopped off the bench.
"Heeee!" Heatmor screamed as he slammed his hand against Machamp's arm while his stomach was glowing bright orange. The crowd went silent, but the exploded when a column of fire shot up and engulfed both Heatmor and Machamp. The power of the fire caused Machamp to let go of Heatmor and run to Rita's half of the battlefield. Both Pokemon began panting heavily and exchanged glances, which their trainers noticed.
"Heatmor, use Flame Wheel!"
"Machamp, Brick Break!" As Heatmor began spinning towards Machamp while being engulfed in fire, the larger Pokemon ran forward with all four of his hands glowing bright white. As Machamp swung down to strike Heatmor, the fire type hopped up and slammed against Machamp's chest. The fighting type was knocked onto his back, and his eyes were shut tight.
"Machamp is unable to battle! That means Owen will be moving on to the top 32!"
"Woohoo! Nice job, Heatmor!" Owen shouted as he ran over to his fatigued Pokemon. Heatmor flashed a bright smile and gave a thumbs up before his legs gave out and he hit the ground. "Haha. Return, buddy." Owen zapped Heatmor back into his Pokeball and headed into the trainer room, where all of his friends were waiting.
"Damn. I didn't think you'd pull that off," Orange admitted with a sheepish grin.
"Me too," Brooklyn said while raising her hand. "I'm impressed that you won."
"Thanks! Now let's go get some food. I'm starving." Owen and the others walked out of the yellow stadium and headed for the Pokemon Center to eat dinner. After signing dozens of autographs, Owen and his friends disappeared inside the building and from two pairs of eyes across the street.
"It's only a matter of time, Blaziken. He's going to know who we are."
Damn, that was tough to write. So, Owen managed to advance to the top 32 thanks to the heroics of Krookodile and Heatmor. I might be able to get another chapter up tonight, but don't hold your breath. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: Keeping the Streak Alive: Owen faces a tough opponent in the top 32, but he aims to reach the top 16 for the fifth time in a row. Can he do it?
*Chapter 55: Begin the Full Battles!