And it's time for the quarterfinals! Now that I've got my permit, I don't have anything else to do other than write, so let's recap what happened last chapter. Owen managed to defeat Astral after Heatmor beat Tyrouge, but Krookodile broke his leg near the end of the battle, and he is now out for the tournament. Even though Owen has lost a major piece to his team, another Pokemon will step up to the challenge of filling in for Krookodile. With the A/N out of the way, it's time to start the top 8!
Guest: As much as I'd love to do that, but I don't think it'll happen. Thanks for the input! :)
tepigsfire758: I never thought of that. But Charizard won't be battling during the league
Nodokalover: No to Fletchling, Froakie, Flabebe, and Skiddo. The team has already been decided.
Spear2: …Maybe :P
Owen's team for battle
Snivy, (f), level 38, Tackle, Leech Seed, Grass Pledge, Vine Whip, Leaf Tornado*, Leaf Blade*
Heatmor, (m), level 47, Inferno, Flamethrower, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel, Fury Swipes*, Fire Pledge*
Empoleon, (m), level 42, Water Pledge, Drill Peck, Metal Claw, Whirlpool, Bide*, Brine*
Druddigon, (f), level 46, Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Crunch, Revenge
Muk, (m), level 43, Sludge, Body Slam, Protect, Poison Jab
(Undecided)
"Everyone, I know you all heard about Krookodile's injury, and he's officially out for the rest of the league," Owen told his eight other Pokemon. All eight of the Pokemon were shocked by the news, and turned around as Krookodile walked into the room on crutches. He had a large white cast around his broken leg, and his teammates patted him on the back. The red crocodile frowned about not being able to battle, but he clapped to pump up his teammates.
"Now, more than ever, we need to come together and give this battle everything we've got, otherwise we're going to lose," Owen stated bluntly, which worried his Pokemon. "Druddigon, you're going to open the battle for us. Are you ready?" Owen quizzed. Druddigon roared excitedly, and Owen zapped all of his Pokemon back into their Pokeballs except for Krookodile and Snivy. With that, Owen walked towards the tunnel that would lead him to the battlefield, and he took a deep breath before stepping outside.
000
"Welcome, one and all, to the quarterfinals of the Unova League! We have an exciting matchup this afternoon between two young trainers, so let's start this up! The trainer in the left trainer box is Owen! And in the right is Blake!" The crowd screamed for both trainers, who waved back thankfully.
"You know, Owen should really use Charizard if he's in a pinch," Rebecca suggested as she looked down the bench and at Charizard, who was talking to Krookodile.
"This will be a full battle between Owen and Blake! Trainers may substitute their Pokemon in-between rounds, but not during! Furthermore, once all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the battle is over! Trainers, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Druddigon, let's start this off right!" Owen yelled as he chucked his first Pokeball forward. Druddigon erupted from the hi-tech device, and she roared as her picture appeared in the first spot of Owen's lineup on the scoreboard.
"Lucario, let's give this our all!" Blake yelled as he tossed his first Pokeball in the air. The crowd cheered as Lucario, one of the most popular Pokemon in the world, appeared on the battlefield and on the scoreboard.
"This battle will be between Druddigon and Lucario! Begin!"
"Use Earthquake!" Owen ordered. Druddigon stomped on the ground with both of her feet, causing the ground to shake mightily. Shortly after, a column of rocks shot up from underground and it hit Lucario in the chin, sending her flying into the air.
"Lucario, recover and use Aura Sphere!" The fighting and steel type began spinning in the air acrobatically before firing a series of blue spheres of aura.
"Slash through them with Dragon Claw!" Owen countered. Druddigon's claws began glowing light blue, and she began slashing through the first round of Aura Sphere attacks. After slashing through four, Druddigon was overwhelmed by a wave of six other Aura Sphere attacks, and she was hit by all of them.
"Now use Bone Rush!" In the blink of an eye, Lucario ran over to Druddigon and a blue staff formed in his paws. He then began to whack the rough skinned dragon with the rock hard club.
"Druddigon, use Revenge!" Just before Lucario could hit Druddigon, the dragon type was surrounded by red energy. Once she was hit, Druddigon wound back and punched Lucario in the face, sending the fighting and steel type bouncing across the battlefield. Once he got back up, Lucario stuck both of his arms out and let out a loud grunt.
"Aura Sphere!"
"Use Earthquake to block it!" As Lucario sent a flurry of light blue orbs of energy out of his paws, Druddigon stomped on the ground and a pillar of rocks appeared in front of her.
"That's a smart idea," Orange said in a complementary tone. As soon as he said that, the several balls of aura slammed through the rock pillar and exploded once they hit Druddigon. The powerful Pokemon was launched back into her trainer and her eyes were closed, which resulted in her picture turning black.
"Druddigon is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"You were saying?" Brooklyn asked Owen's longtime friend, who rubbed his neck sheepishly in response.
"Way to fight out there, Druddigon. Empoleon, come on out!" Owen yelled as he threw his second Pokeball into the air. Empoleon hopped out of the Pokeball and locked eyes with Lucario as his picture took the spot underneath Druddigon's.
"This battle will be between Empoleon and Lucario! Begin!"
"Lucario, use Force Palm!" Blake ordered. Lucario sprinted across the battlefield while both of his palms began glowing yellow, which made Empoleon start running forward.
"Intercept with Drill Peck, Empoleon!" The water and steel type began to spin like a drill while his beak was glowing white, and he slammed into Lucario as the aura wielding Pokemon threw his palms forward. Lucario's palms exploded with energy, which sent Empoleon rolling back towards Owen, which gave Blake another chance to attack.
"Keep up the pressure with Close Combat!"
"Jump away and fight back with Bubblebeam!" Just as Lucario prepared to unleash a barrage of punches and kicks, Empoleon popped off the ground and fired a cloud of bubbles. Despite this, the fighting and steel type ducked under the attack before hitting his opponent ferociously. "Hang in there, buddy! Use Brine!" Empoleon shot a large ball of water from his mouth, but Blake and his Lucario were too quick to hit.
"Deflect it with Bone Rush!" Lucario swung the light blue club in his hands, and the Brine attack was sent right back at Empoleon. "Now use Aura Sphere!" After he was hit by his own attack, Empoleon's eyes shot wide open when he was hit by an Aura Sphere attack, which did massive damage.
"Empoleon, don't give in! Use Drill Peck!" Owen demanded as Empoleon tried pushing himself off the ground. The fully evolved water starter got back on his feet and obeyed Owen's command as he began spinning like a drill while his beak turned white and extended.
"Lucario, strike with Force Palm!" Lucario dashed towards his spinning foe while his palms were engulfed in yellow energy, and the crowd began screaming in anticipation of a collision. For the second time, the two Pokemon hit into each other, and the two attacks cancelled each other out. Much to Empoleon's dismay, he saw Lucario's other palm was glowing. With a swift thrust of his arm, Lucario's palm hit into Empoleon's chest and it exploded. Owen's jaw dropped as he watched Empoleon slam against the ground with his eyes shut.
"Empoleon is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Good job, Empoleon." Owen took a deep breath and looked down at Snivy worriedly. The grass snake, however, looked at a certain Pokeball on Owen's belt, prompting the teen to grab it and nod. "Heatmor, I need your help!" With a flick of his wrist, Owen watched as Heatmor erupted from the Pokeball, and he was met with a burst of cheers.
"Lucario, return. Braviary, go!" Owen and Heatmor turned their attention back to Blake as he withdrew his first combatant and chucked his second Pokeball into the air. A Braviary took to the sky and squawked at Heatmor while both of their pictures appeared on the scoreboard while Lucario's turned blue.
"Why is he using Heatmor so early? Shouldn't Owen save him for later?" Brooklyn asked the others, who all scratched their heads at Owen's decision to send out his powerhouse.
"Well, without Krookodile he doesn't have a fallback option. And if he lost another round here, that gap would be insurmountable," CJ explained, albeit with confusion. Krookodile and Charizard both watched Heatmor intently as he glared at Braviary after seeing that Owen was already down 2-0, which brought grins to both of the spectators' faces.
"This battle will be between Heatmor and and Braviary! Begin!"
"Heatmor, use Flamethrower!" Heatmor reared his head back before shooting a wave of fire at the flying eagle. Because the attack was traveling so quickly, Braviary was fried by the intense flames. Because of the power behind the attack, Braviary fell to the ground, but managed to land on his feet.
"Damn, that was strong. Braviary, use Aerial Ace!" Blake commanded. Braviary quickly took off into the air and swopped down towards Heatmor while white streaks of light trailed off his beak and body. Owen and Heatmor, however, grinned at the command, because they wanted Braviary to be close enough to get hit by physical attacks.
"Use Hone Claws and then grab Braviary by his wings!" As Braviary continued to soar across the battlefield, Heatmor's claws flashed white, and a ring of red energy circled around his body before disappearing. Braviary then stuck his wings out just before he hit into Heatmor, so he anteater Pokemon grabbed both of them, which stopped Braviary dead in his tracks. The crowd cheered frantically as Braviary attempted to break away, but was unsuccessful.
"Wow! That's impressive!" Rebecca exclaimed excitedly.
"That's Heatmor, for ya," Fate replied with a smile.
"Braviary, use Peck to break Heatmor's grip!" Blake shouted desperately. Braviary's beak began to glow white, and he tried jabbing Heatmor in the arms. The attack failed, however, thanks in part to quick reactions from Owen.
"Dodge and use Fury Swipes!" Heatmor let go of Braviary's wings and his claws extended as he slashed the normal and flying type repeatedly. Braviary screeched in pain as Heatmor's swipes became stronger and stronger.
"Counter with Wing Attack!" Braviary suddenly jerked back as his wings began to glow white, and he zipped towards HEatmor with the intent to crush the fire type.
"Flamethrower!" Braviary's eyes went wide open as Heatmor released a wave of fire towards him. Because the attack and Braviary were traveling so quickly, they collided and the eagle was launched back towards Blake. The referee looked over at the downed flying type and saw that his eyes were closed, which made his picture on the scoreboard turn black.
"Braviary is unable to battle! Blake, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Excellent work, Braviary. Golurk, let's do this!" The entire stadium watched as a large stone creature broke out of the Pokeball and landed on the ground forcefully. Owen had recognized the manmade Pokemon from his first battle with Blake and his gym battle with Clay, and he knew Heatmor was in for a tough battle. The fire type, however, had yet to suffer any damage, and his confidence was through the roof.
"This battle will be between Heatmor and Golurk! Begin!"
"Start off with Flame Wheel!" Heatmor began spinning like a wheel as he wrapped himself in fire, and he took off towards Golurk at a blistering pace. Blake bit his lip as Heatmor zipped across the battlefield at a speed he had never seen before, but he issued a counter attack to his sluggish Pokemon.
"Don't let Heatmor get close! Knock him away with Shadow Punch!" Golurk threw its right arm forward, and a large shadowy fist flew towards Heatmor, who was somehow able to see despite spinning and being covered in fire.
"Jump up and keep going!" the fire anteater heard Owen scream. Heatmor hopped over the ghost type attack, and he slammed into Golurk's chest, which knocked the ghost and ground type back.
"Golurk, don't back down!" Blake instructed the large Pokemon as it backed away from Heatmor. Golurk made a low beeping noise before walking towards Heatmor, which made Blake laugh to himself. "Use Shadow Ball!" Golurk put its hands together in front of its chest, and a large purple ball was formed quickly. Golurk then threw the attack at Heatmor, but the fire type was more than ready to counter.
"Blast straight through it with Flamethrower, Heatmor!" The aforementioned Pokemon reared back and unleashed the strongest Flamethrower he could, and it overpowered Golurk's Shadow Ball. The enormous Pokemon was then hit by the attack and thrown into the wall behind Blake.
"Golurk!" Blake shouted as his Pokemon dropped to the ground, with no intentions of moving. Seeing this, Owen and Heatmor took advantage of the situation.
"Wrap this up with Flame Wheel!" Heatmor began spinning head over heel while covering himself in fire, and he sped across the battlefield before slamming into Golurk and knocking him out cold.
"Golurk is unable to battle! Blake, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee announced, which made everyone watching go crazy. Heatmor beamed at the positive attention and waved back to the screaming fans, who all nearly fainted after seeing the Pokemon thank them.
"Return, Golurk. It's time to send out my strongest, too! Arcanine, go!" Blake roared as he chucked his third Pokeball out. Arcanine appeared and let out a mighty roar after locking eyes with Heatmor, who unleashed a powerful flame from his tail.
"So they're both using their strongest Pokemon in the first half of the battle. Interesting," CJ said to himself. Krookodile and Charizard both looked at Heatmor and Arcanine, who glared at each other.
"This battle will be between Heatmor and Arcanine! Begin!"
"Heatmor, use Flamethrower!" Heatmor quickly shot a powerful wave of fire towards Arcanine, but the four legged fire type and Blake weren't going to allow the attack to hit.
"Hold nothing back, Arcanine! Use Flamethrower, too!" Following his trainer's commands, Arcanine shot a beam of fire towards Heatmor's, and the two attacks collided. The combating Pokemon both amped up the power of their attacks, causing a ball of fire to form in the middle of the battlefield before exploding and covering the lower level of the stadium in smoke. After about ten seconds, the smoke cleared and both trainers were ready to resume battling.
"Now get in close and use Fury Swipes, Heatmor!" Heatmor bolted towards Arcanine while his claws began glowing white, and he started slashing the fire dog. Arcanine refused to back down from Heatmor, and he took the brunt of every scratch from Heatmor.
"Counter with Iron Tail!" Blake yelled as Heatmor wound his left arm back in preparation to attack. Arcanine acted quickly, and his tail turned a metallic silver. Then, he slammed his tail against Heatmor's stomach, sending the bipedal fire type flying across the battlefield.
"Fire Pledge!" Owen screamed as Heatmor began rolling backwards. As he was, Heatmor's stomach began glowing orange and he punched the ground. Seeing Heatmor's incredible effort to perform the attack, Blake issued a command for his Arcanine.
"Arcanine, use Fire Blast!" The Legendary (according to the Pokedex) Pokemon opened his mouth quickly and shot a star shaped flame towards Heatmor. After doing so, a column of fire shot up from the ground and engulfed Arcanine, which led to Owen pumping his fist emphatically. What he didn't see, though, was Heatmor getting hit by Arcanine's Fire Blast. The fourteen year old frowned as the anteater got back up while panting heavily, just like Arcanine was.
"Are you okay, Heatmor?" Heatmor nodded and released a steady amount of fire from his wrists and tail, signaling he still had enough energy to continue fighting.
"How about you, Arcanine?" Arcanine roared back in response before swiping at the ground as he prepared to charge at his bipedal opponent.
"Heatmor, give 'em a full power at Flame Wheel!"
"Arcanine, use Extremespeed!" Both Pokemon obeyed their trainers' commands, and they noted towards the middle of the battlefield. The fire types collided and battled back and forth before an explosion occurred. BOOOOM! Both Heatmor and Arcanine were launched across the battlefield and landed on the ground with their eyes shut, which resulted in their pictures on the scoreboard turning black.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Oh no. This couldn't get any worse for Owen," Fate opined.
"At least he took care of Arcanine. Heatmor did everything Owen could've asked for, and more," Brooklyn responded as Owen and Blake withdrew their fainted powerhouses.
"Thanks for the help, Heatmor. Muk, I choose you!" Owen threw his fourth Pokeball forwards, and it revealed Muk. The happy go lucky Pokemon roared lowly with a smile as he turned and looked at Owen and Snivy. He turned back around and looked up at the scoreboard, which showed Owen was trailing 3-2.
"Eelektross, you're up!" Muk turned once again, and watched as his electric type opponent occupied the other half of the battlefield. Both Pokemon were incredibly slow, which meant the battle was going to be decided in a long-range fashion.
"This battle will be between Muk and Eelektross! Begin!"
"Eelektross, use Thunderbolt!" Eelektross was suddenly covered in yellow energy, and it was sent towards Muk.
"Block it with Protect, and then use Sludge!" Owen countered. Muk put both of his hands in front of his face, and a green bubble shielded him from the zigzagging beam of lightning. Once Protect faded, Muk opened his mouth and fired a large ball of poison at Eelektross, who braced herself for the attack.
"Take it head-on and charge at Muk while using Thunderbolt!" Eelektross started trading towards Muk before being hit by the Sludge attack, but she continued running while being covered in electricity. Then, she zapped Muk with a wicked lightning bolt that caused the blob of toxic waste to roar in pain lowly.
"You've got this, Muk! Poison Jab!" Muk lunged forward while his arm began glowing bright purple, and he loaded his arm back in preparation for a devastating blow.
"Thunder Punch!" Eelektross acted quickly and her fist was covered in electricity. Then, she threw her arm forward and crushed Muk with the powerful attack, sending him flying backwards.
"Muk, use Body Slam!"
"Shock 'em with Thunder!" Muk sprung twenty feet into the air after recovering from the powerful Thunder Punch, and everyone watched ineptly as he crashed towards the ground. Eelektross, however, shot a devastating bolt of electricity upwards, and it zapped Muk. The heavy Pokemon then dropped to the ground as his eyes closed, and he smacked against the battlefield, completely unconscious.
"Muk is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"You did a great job, Muk. Snivy, I need you to battle." Snivy looked up at her trainer and saw a look of desperation in his eyes. She nodded at the teenager and walked forward as her picture appeared in the fifth spot of Owen's lineup.
"This battle will be between Snivy and Eelektross! Begin!"
"Eelektross, use Thunder Punch!" The electric eel's fist was instantly covered in electricity, and she charged towards her much smaller opponent. Snivy turned back to Owen, waiting for a counter, but the order didn't come until Eelektross was a few feet away.
"Dodge it and use Leech Seed, Snivy!" The unevolved grass starter hopped backwards and shot a small brown sapling at Eelektross, which hit and wrapped around the slow Pokemon. Shortly after, a red light appeared around Eelektross and zapped away some of her health while restoring a little bit of Snivy's.
"Fight back with Thunderbolt!" Blake commanded while pointing at Snivy. Eelektross fired a bolt of lightning at the tiny snake after retreating to her trainer's half of the battlefield, but that only hurt her chances of damaging Snivy.
"Redirect it with Leaf Tornado! Then slam Eelektross against the ground!" The crowd watched in awe as a powerful wind circulated around Snivy's tail, and hundreds of leaves appeared from thin air. Snivy quickly pointed her tail at the incoming attack, and the Thunderbolt was fired straight back at Eelektross. Once the electric attack hit, Snivy pointed her tail at her foe, and Eelektross was lifted into the air by the Leaf Tornado. After a few seconds, Snivy slammed her tail against the ground, and Eelektross followed suit.
"Hang in there just a little longer! Use Thunder!" Eelektross quickly fired another bolt of electricity at Snivy, but Owen managed to counter the attack with quick thinking.
"Snivy, use Vine Whip to jump forwards!" Snivy placed both of her vines on the ground and used them to launch herself forwards. The grass snake managed to jump over the attack, causing Blake to flinch in shock.
"What the?"
"Grass Pledge!" As Snivy began falling towards the ground, her stomach started glowing green. Then, she punched her fist against the ground, and a column of green energy shot up and around Eelektross. The electric eel cried out in pain before collapsing on the ground face first, and laying motionlessly.
"Eelektross is unable to battle! Blake, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thanks for the effort, Eelektross. Flygon, it's time to end this!" Blake screamed before throwing his fifth Pokeball. A Flygon appeared on his half of the battlefield and in the last spot of Blake's team on the scoreboard.
"He's definitely withdrawing Snivy," Orange stated confidently while watching Owen look at the sixth Pokeball on his belt.
"Nope," Fate told the fourteen year old as Owen looked back at Snivy and took a deep breath.
"Keep it rolling, Snivy!" everyone on the bench heard Owen exclaim. Orange hung his head dejectedly, causing Charizard and Krookodile to laugh at him.
"This battle will be between Snivy and Flygon! Begin!"
"Snivy, use Leaf Blade!" Owen commanded while punching the air with his right fist. Snivy ran towards Flygon as her tail started glowing green, and she jumped in the air while spinning like a wheel.
"Counter with Dragon Tail!" Blake shouted. Flygon began to fly around in a circle while his tail started to glow turquoise. Then, he whipped his tail forward and spiked Snivy into the ground, causing the battlefield to crack slightly.
"Snivy, bounce back by using Vine Whip on Flygon's wings!" Snivy slowly recovered from the Dragon Tail attack, and she fired her two vines into the air.
"Let Snivy grab onto you, and then swing her around!" Owen gasped as he heard Blake's counter, but he was too late to stop Snivy. The grass snake had already wrapped her vines around Flygon's wings, and she was being dragged around like a rag doll as Flygon sped around the battlefield. After Flygon made a sharp turn, Snivy lost her grip and smacked into a wall on the side of the battlefield.
"Snivy!" Owen yelled worriedly as he saw his starter struggling to get on her feet.
"Finish this with Fire Blast!" Owen turned his attention back to Flygon and covered his eyes when he saw a gigantic star shaped flame hit Snivy. The grass type was engulfed in flames before collapsing on the ground with her eyes shot, which made her picture turn black.
"Snivy is unable to battle! Owen, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Amazing job, Snivy." Owen slowly picked the injured Pokemon up off the ground and walked her over to the bench. After he placed her next to Krookodile, Owen smiled at her and placed his hand on Snivy's head. "Don't worry… we're not going to lose." The grass type nodded at her trainer's promise, but didn't believe it in the slightest, even though she wanted to. With Heatmor fainted and Krookodile out, who could take down Blake's last two Pokemon?
"Whoe else does he have that can battle?" Orange whispered to CJ.
"Unfezant, Zebstrika, and Puff. It looks like this is the end of the road," he told Orange and the others before shaking his head disappointedly. Krookodile shot up from the bench and glared at CJ, who backed away from the crippled Pokemon in fear.
"I'm not going down without a fight, Blake!" Owen informed his rival.
"Good! I wouldn't want it any other way!"
Owen grinned after his rival's response, and he grabbed the last Pokeball on his belt. After taking a deep breath, Owen looked over at the bench and grinned. "Charizard, I choose you!" he exclaimed while pointing at the winged lizard. Charizard immediately shot off the bench and landed on the ground in front of his trainer before roaring and releasing a Flamethrower into the air.
"Wh-what? He picked Charizard?" Rebecca asked in shock. "Isn't that against the rules?"
"Nope. I'm surprised Owen hasn't used any of his other Pokemon throughout an entire league," CJ answered.
"Is Charizard really that strong? I mean, stronger than Heatmor?" Brooklyn asked. None of the other trainers responded, which made her look over at the battlefield intently.
"Flygon, return. Lucario, go!" Blake shouted as he withdrew his Flygon, which made its picture on the scoreboard turn blue. Lucario then broke out of his Pokeball and stared at Charizard, whose picture occupied the sixth spot in Owen's lineup.
"This battle will be between Charizard and Lucario! Begin!"
"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!" Blake commanded, not thinking much of Owen's final Pokemon. Lucario fired several Aura Sphere attacks in succession, but Charizard scoffed at the move. Krookodile and Snivy stared at the fire and flying type, and then looked at Owen when they heard him speak over the crowd.
"Dodge it and use Flamethrower, Charizard!" Charizard shot into the air at a blinding speed, which resulted in a collective gasp from everyone in the stadium, including Blake and his Lucario. Then, Charizard swooped down and shot a wicked Flamethrower that charred Lucario to a crisp. The fighting and steel type dropped to the ground as soon as the flames ceased, leaving Blake staring in awe.
"Lu-Lucario!? Get up, please!" Blake told his Pokemon. Lucario got back on his feet, but his legs were shaking violently while Charizard was flying through the air casually. CJ and Fate then looked at one another - after seeing Owen and Charizard lock eyes and nod - because they knew what was coming next.
"Now, Charizard, use Seismic Toss!" Before Blake or his Pokemon could do anything, Charizard grabbed Lucario and zipped high into the air. Everyone watched as Charizard began spinning in the air before doing a nosedive while still holding Lucario. Just before he was about to hit into the ground, Charizard threw Lucario and flew back to Owen. The fighting and steel type was knocked out as soon as he hit the ground, and the spectators went in to a frenzy.
"Lucario is unable to battle! Blake, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Oh my god! That's absurd!" Brooklyn screamed as Charizard slowly walked back to Owen with a bright grin on his face. Snivy and Krookodile continued to stare at their trainer and his first Pokemon with their jaws against the ground, and Fate and CJ just laughed to themselves after seeing everyone's reactions.
"Lucario, I'm sorry for not helping. Flygon, it's time for our final fight!" Blake tossed his last Pokeball forwards as Lucario's picture turned black, and Flygon's picture returned to its normal colors. The dragon and ground type stood in front of Blake with its arms crossed while Charizard turned and released fire from his nostrils.
"This battle will be between Charizard and Flygon! Begin!"
"Charizard, use Dragon Claw!" Owen ordered aggressively. Charizard zipped through the air as his claws began to glow blue, and he prepared to deal a one hit K.O to Flygon, who didn't seem aware of Charizard's power.
"Flygon, block it with Dragon Tail!" Blake yelled timidly. Flygon took to the air as his tail started to glow turquoise, and he whipped it forwards as soon as Charizard was close enough to be hit. Everyone stood up to cheer for Flygon, but Charizard grabbed the dragon type's tail with his left hand. Then, he used his right hand to spike Flygon into the ground, much to Blake's dismay.
"Charizard, are you ready to end this?" Owen asked his first Pokemon as Charizard flew back to him and landed on the ground. The fire and flying type nodded anxiously, and he began to roar intimidatingly.
"Flygon, use Fire Blast!" Flygon got back on his feet and shot a star shaped flame at Charizard, who had reared his head back while charging an unordered attack. Orange, Brooklyn, and Rebecca scratched their heads in confusion because they didn't know the upcoming attack, but CJ and Fate did.
"Charizard, wrap this up with Blast Burn!" The fire lizard opened his mouth and a bright red fire began growing in his mouth. As the Fire Blast made its way across the battlefield, Charizard began to roar as the Blast Burn reached its maximum size. Then, Charizard whipped his head down and unleashed a horizontal tornado of fire. The Blast Burn smashed through the Fire Blast and exploded once it hit Flygon. The referee quickly ran over to the dragon type's side and saw his eyes were closed, which made Flygon's picture turn black.
"Flygon is unable to battle! That means Owen will be moving on to the semifinals!"
"YEEES!" Owen screamed as he ran to Charizard and hugged the winged lizard. Charizard roared powerfully as Snivy and Krookodile made their ways over to him, and they bowed in respect. Charizard smiled at the two Pokemon and gave them a thumbs up while Owen walked across the battlefield and extended his hand.
"Man, I wish you never had that Charizard. Oh well, good luck the rest of the way," Blake told Owen after shaking his hand. "You better win this thing." With that, the two trainers walked off the battlefield, and Owen and an ear to ear grin on his face.
"There's no way we're losing next round. Not when we're so close to the championship!"
And Charizard wins the battle for Owen! That's right, I lied about him not battling! Next chapter, Owen will be taking on yet another rival in the semifinals, but Charizard will not be there to bail his trainer out, nor will any of Owen's other Pokemon from previous regions. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: Heatmor vs Aura: A Battle for the Ages!: After barely escaping the quarterfinals, Owen is matched up against Dante in the semifinals! Both trainers are vying for a spot in the championship, and are giving the other everything they've got. Will Owen prevail? Or will he fail to reach the championship?