It's time for the semifinals! Last chapter, Owen managed to defeat Blake, thanks in part to Heatmor and Charizard! Now, facing Dante, will Owen be able to advance to his second straight championship appearance? I can tell you right now, this is going to be one close battle, and there is only one more chapter left in the story, so hold onto your hats. Now, let's get this chapter going!
Spear2: The real question is, can Owen do that again?
Pokebat1: Thanks! And damn, you have a really good memory to know Charizard's level. To be honest, I didn't even remember :P
Nodokalover: No, she doesn't
Owen's team for battle
Heatmor, (m), level 56, Inferno, Flamethrower, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel, Fury Swipes*, Fire Pledge*
Puff, (f), level 38, Dynamic Punch, Sing, Rollout, Pound, DoubleSlap*
Unfezant, (f), level 38, Detect, Air Cutter, Gust, Quick Attack, Aerial Ace*
Zebstrika, (m), level 36, Quick Attack, Shock Wave, Thunder Wave, Flame Charge, Stomp
Empoleon, (m), level 42, Water Pledge, Drill Peck, Metal Claw, Whirlpool, Bide*, Brine*
Druddigon, (f), level 46, Dragon Claw, Earthquake, Crunch, Revenge
"Welcome to the semifinals of the Unova League! My name's Greg, and welcome to the first of two semifinal battles! Our two battles feature four incredible trainers, and we're sure to be in for some incredible battles! Now let's introduce our four trainers!" Greg shouted into his microphone.
The young man walked over to the four trainers, who were all standing in a line, and he began introducing each of them.
"Here, we have Akito Burns! Akito has absolutely dominated during the tournament! He has only had two Pokemon faint, at most, in a battle! Akito will be battling in the first matchup, and now we'll meet his opponent!"
"Yo, Owen, good luck," Dante whispered to his rival, who was standing at the end of the line. "Whoever's winning this is gonna have to go up against Akito," he continued.
"Thanks, you too. Let's give these people the best battle they've ever seen," Owen whispered back. He looked around at the stadium he was standing in, and was blown away by its beauty. The arena seated at least 150,000 people, and hundreds of lights were hanging from the roof. Four scoreboards were also hung from the roof, and were boxed together like a cube.
"And our third trainer is Dante! After struggling early on in the tournament, Dante has really come on since the beginning of the full battles. Using a mix of power and speed, Dante will be a tough opponent for our fourth and final trainer!" Greg announced before walking over to Owen's side.
"Sni," Snivy muttered angrily as she sat in Owen's trainer room. Each of the four remaining competitors were assigned to their own rooms, and Owen's was filled with all nine of his Pokemon, Charizard, Fate, CJ, Rebecca, Brooklyn, Orange, and his parents. The large group watched the television intently as soon as Owen appeared, and they listened to Greg's introduction carefully.
"Owen is our last trainer, and will be battling Dante in the second battle of the night! Owen has been a part of several thrilling battles throughout the Unova League, and had a dramatic comeback during the quarterfinals! Owen uses his strong bonds with his Pokemon to conquer any but of adversity, and will look to do that tonight!"
Greg patted Owen on the back and walked away from the four remaining trainers while a referee walked onto the battlefield and stood on his pedestal.
"Owen and Dante, please leave the battlefield! Akito and Chelsea, please report to your trainer boxes!" the referee ordered. Owen and Dante both nodded at each other before walking towards their trainer rooms, but Owen was stopped by Akito, who he had seen very little of during the league.
"Hey, you better win. I want to face you in the finals," Akito told Owen with a smile before patting him on the back.
"Thanks. You better win, too," Owen replied with a grin as he walked into his trainer room, which was located behind Akito's trainer box.
"This will be a full battle between Akito and Chelsea! Trainers may substitute their Pokemon in between rounds, but not during! The winner of this battle will advance to the championship round, where they will battle for the right to challenge the Elite 4! Trainers, choose your first Pokemon!"
000
"Good luck, man. You better make it to the finals," Orange told his friend. Owen nodded at Orange and turned to face CJ and Fate, who were acting like a couple, but they stopped and blushed after realizing Owen had seen them.
"You're going to do awesome out there," they said in unison.
"And make sure to not hold back at all!" Rebecca added. Owen laughed at the comment and began walking towards the battlefield, but was stopped by his parents.
"Owen, we'll be proud of you no matter what," his dad said while putting his hand on Owen's shoulder.
"And if you lose terribly, we'll be here to cheer you up!" his mother exclaimed.
"Thanks?" Owen responded before laughing at his mother. "Everyone, return," Owen said as he zapped his six competing Pokemon back into their Pokeballs while Snivy hopped on his shoulder.
"Owen…" Brooklyn started while looking at the taller teen, "you have to win. I don't want to see another loss in the finals like mine." Owen nodded at the comment, and he began walking down the tunnel. He stopped and turned, however, and waved to everybody in the room. Krookodile, Charizard, Muk, and the humans waved back, prompting Owen to walk down the tunnel and onto the battlefield.
000
"Please welcome Owen and Dante to the battlefield!" Greg yelled. Owen and Snivy looked around at the dome and saw the entire crowd rise to their feet and scream/cheer/ clap or wave their shirts in the air. Even people in the nosebleed seats were bending over and looking down as Owen and Dante walked towards their trainer boxes. Once the two teens arrived at their destinations, they nodded at one another, and the referee made his way to the middle of the battlefield.
"This will be a full battle between Owen and Dante! Trainers may substitute their Pokemon in between rounds, but not during! The winner of this battle will advance to the championship round, where they will battle for the right to challenge the Elite 4! Trainers, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Empoleon, let's start off right!" Owen yelled as he threw out his first Pokeball. Empoleon shot out of his Pokeball and his picture appeared in the first of six spots beneath Owen's picture on the scoreboard.
"Dew, take control of the battle!" Dante shouted while throwing his first Pokeball. In a burst of light, Dante's Samurott took the other half of the battlefield and the first of six spots beneath Dante's picture on the scoreboard.
"This battle will be between Empoleon and Dew! Begin!" the referee yelled, and an explosion of roars followed after.
"Dew, use Razor Shell!" Dante ordered while slashing the air as if his arms were swords. Dew bolted across the battlefield and hopped into the air. As he did so, Dew pulled the two scalchops off his forearms, and blue energy appeared, acting as the blade.
"Empoleon, get in close and use Metal Claw repeatedly!" Empoleon managed to dodge the powerful attack, and he grew three silver claws at the end of his flippers. The two water starters began slashing at each other, and the attacks collided repeatedly before Empoleon finally landed a powerful Metal Claw that slashed Dew's face. The four legged otter skidded back towards his half of the battlefield, but that was exactly what Dante wanted.
"Hit the other half of the battlefield with Ice Beam!" Dew quickly released a zigzagging beam of light blue energy that struck Owen's half of the battlefield, causing it to be covered by slippery ice.
"So you want to immobilize us, huh? Too bad Empoleon's a penguin! Use Water Pledge on Dew!" Empoleon nodded and dropped to his stomach before sliding across the ice. Once he hopped off the ice, Empoleon's stomach began glowing blue and he hit the ground with his right flipper. A blast of water shot up from the ground and struck Dew, dealing a decent amount of damage.
"Wow, that was really dumb of me. Dew, use Air Slash!" Dew shook off the pain from Empoleon's Water Pledge, and he charged towards the bulky penguin. As he leaped into the air, Dew's horn was covered in spiraling air. He then jabbed Empoleon in the stomach, which knocked the steel type back slightly. He wasn't pushed back enough, though, which gave Owen the perfect opportunity to counter.
"Don't hold anything back, Empoleon! Use Brine!" Empoleon quickly fired a ball of water at Dew, and the Samurott was sent flying across the battlefield before landing in front of Dante. The older teen bit his lip as Dew shakily got back to his feet, but he let out a sigh of relief once Dew managed to get back up.
"Dew, use Mega Horn!" he commanded energetically. Dew nodded and his horn began to glow light green as he charged towards Empoleon, who was sliding around on the ice.
"Empoleon, Drill Peck!" Owen shouted. Empoleon snapped out of his skating, and he flew towards Dew while spinning like a drill. As the two Pokemon collided in the middle of the battlefield, Empoleon began to spin faster and faster before overpowering Dew and hitting him across the battlefield.
"Dew is unable to battle! Dante, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee yelled as he saw Dew's eyes were closed. Dante frowned as his Samurott's picture on the scoreboard turned black, but he grabbed his second Pokeball and chucked it.
"Blade, rock and roll!" A Gallade appeared from the Pokeball, and Owen took a quick glance at Empoleon before deciding to keep him in the battle. Once the referee raised his arms, Blade's picture appeared on the scoreboard beneath Dew's.
"This battle will be between Empoleon and Blade! Begin!"
"Blade, use Psycho Cut on their side of the field to destroy the ice! Then use Leaf Blade!" Blade sprung into the air while his arms were glowing blue, and he threw them forwards. Crescents of blue energy appeared and crashed against the ice that Empoleon had used to his advantage, and the slippery terrain was broken apart. When Blade landed on the ground, his arms began to glow green and he sprinted towards Empoleon.
"Use Metal Claw to counter just like we did before!" Owen yelled. Empoleon nodded and grew three silver claws from the ends of his flippers. Then, he and Blade began swinging at each other. After landing a successful hit, Empoleon was overwhelmed by Blade's quickness, resulting in him being crushed by a series of Leaf Blade attacks.
"Now use Close Combat, Blade!" Suddenly, Blade's arms stopped glowing and he began punching and kicking Empoleon. The bulky penguin was unable to block the super effective attack, and he was knocked on his back after Blade kicked him in the chin.
"Empoleon, use Whirlpool!" Owen shouted. Empoleon quickly recovered and formed a large, spinning body of water with his flippers. Then, he threw the water at Blade, and it swept the psychic and fighting type to the other side of the field.
"Don't let up! Use Psycho Cut!"
"Dodge and use Drill Peck!" Owen ordered. As Blade fired a series of blue crescents towards Empoleon, the large blue penguin began to spin like a drill while his beak turned white and extended. Then, he sped towards Blade as he was falling while avoiding each of the Psycho Cut attacks, but Dante was quick to counter the super effective attack.
"Jump and use Leaf Blade on Empoleon from above!" With perfect timing, Blade hopped over Empoleon while his arms began to glow green, and he slammed them against Empoleon in a tomahawk motion. The water and steel type was spiked into the ground and was knocked out cold by the powerful attack, causing Owen to bite his lip as Empoleon's picture turned black.
"Empoleon is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!" Owen withdrew Empoleon from the battlefield and smiled at his Pokeball thankfully.
"You were awesome, Empoleon. Thanks for the hard work." He then placed Empoleon's Pokeball on his belt before grabbing a different one and throwing it forward.
"Let's mix it up! Zebstrika, come on out!" Once the Pokeball opened, Zebstrika hopped out and stood in front of Owen while his picture appeared beneath Empoleon's.
"This battle will be between Zebstrika and Blade! Begin!"
"Blade, use Night Slash!" Dante's Gallade darted across the battlefield while his arms began to glow purple, and he slashed at Zebstrika. The four legged electric type was knocked back by the attack, but he managed to stay on his feet. Then, Zebstrika charged towards Blade as he tried retreating back to Dante's side.
"Zebstrika, nail 'em with Flame Charge!" Zebstrika nodded and was suddenly covered in fire while galloping towards Blade. Once the psychic and fighting type turned around, Zebstrika lunged forward and his head rammed into Blade's stomach. The bipedal Pokemon dropped to the ground after having the wind knocked out of him, but Zebstrika retreated after Blade rose back to his feet.
"Let's use Psycho Cut!" Dante shouted while slashing the air with his arms. Blade jumped in the air as his arms turned blue, and he began swinging them as quickly as he could. Several crescent of blue energy flew down towards Zebstrika, whose stripes began to flash yellow. Owen picked up on the subtle sign Zebstrika was giving him, and he pointed at Blade.
"Show them your Shock Wave!" Zebstrika grinned slyly before being covered in electricity. Everyone in attendance watched in awe as Zebstrika's Shock Wave crashed through each Psycho Cut before zapping the enemy Gallade. As a result of the powerful attack, Blade fell to the ground and landed on his side.
"Blade, keep it going! Use Leaf Blade!" Much to Owen's and Zebstrika's surprise, Blade hopped up and landed on his feet. Then, he sprinted towards Zebstrika while his arms were glowing green, and he landed a much needed attack. Zebstrika was sent skidding on his side, but he hopped back up with the help of this tail.
"That's the way to battle, Zebstrika! Use Flame Charge!" Zebstrika quickly dashed towards Blade while he was covered in fire, and his head slammed into Blade's back. The psychic and fighting type slid across the battlefield on his face before finally getting up, albeit weakly.
"Blade, use Night Slash!"
"Run and use Stomp!" Owen shouted loudly. Zebstrika began running towards Blade, and Blade took off while his arms turned purple. Blade wound back to slash Zebstrika, but Owen yelled to his Pokemon before he could get hit. "Jump!" Zebstrika quickly leaped off the ground and evaded the ghost type attack. Then, he slammed his hooves down on Blade's neck, knocking the psychic and fighting type out instantly.
"Blade is unable to battle! Dante, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thanks, Blade. You did really well." Dante slowly pulled out his third Pokeball and threw it in the air before it opened. "Rue, let's show them some real electricity!" Owen frowned at the comment as an Eelektross took the field and her picture showed up beneath Blade's, which had turned black.
"Zebstrika, return. I'm going to need you for later," Owen told his second Pokemon. Zebstrika nodded before being zapped back into his Pokeball, and Owen threw out his third.
"Puff, energize the crowd!" As soon as Puff appeared, she waved to the crowd, which led to a deafening chant for the inflatable Pokemon. Once Puff turned her attention to Rue, her picture appeared on the scoreboard while Zebstrika's turned blue.
"This battle will be between Puff and Rue! Begin!"
"Rue, let's start aggressively! Use Flamethrower!" Rue opened her mouth wide and released a steady stream of fire, which hit Puff. The tiny normal type cried out in pain before running away from the attack with burn marks all over her body. Owen frowned at the significant amount of damage, but he knew Puff would be able to take several more hits.
"Way to stand strong, Puff! Use Rollout!" Puff nodded and angrily steamrolled across the stage, but Dante and Rue weren't ready to allow Puff to land a successful attack.
"Rue, dodge with Acrobatics!" The large and slow electric type hopped in the air while doing a flip, which generated several thousand cheers from the audience. Owen, however, wasn't going to let them dodge.
"Inflate! Then strike with Dynamic Punch!" As Rue reached her peak height, Puff inflated to nearly quadruple her size. Then, she rolled over Rue before deflating. After that, Puff's fist began to glow crimson, and she punched her larger opponent as hard as she could. Rue was sent flying back towards Dante, but she planted her hands on the ground and recovered skillfully.
"Strike with Thunderbolt!"
"Dodge it and use Sing!" Puff tried to get away from the electric type attack, but she was unable to do so. After getting off the ground, Puff began to sing, causing several colorful music notes to fly towards Rue. The sluggish Pokemon was hit by the music notes, and she fell asleep, causing Dante to stomp on the ground like a little kid.
"Rue, you have to wake up!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. He was unsuccessful, however, prompting Owen and Puff to attack once again.
"Let's wrap this up! Use Dynamic Punch!" Owen shouted while punching the air with his fist. Puff nodded and charged towards Rue while her fists turned bright crimson. After hopping in the air, Puff fell towards Rue and landed a devastating Dynamic Punch that sent Rue flying into the wall behind Dante.
"Rue is unable to battle! Dante, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Sorry for not helping more, Rue. Asura, take this battle over!" Owen, Puff, and Snivy watched as a strange Pokemon stood in front of Dante with an angered look on his face. It had a strange rib cage, which looked like metal blades acted as its ribs, its arms also looked like knives, and its body was predominantly red, with smaller spots that were black and gold. Its picture occupied the fourth spot on Dante's team, right beneath Rue's black picture.
"Bisharp, the Sword Blade Pokemon. This pitiless Pokémon commands a group of Pawniard to hound prey into immobility. It then moves in to finish the prey off," Owen's Pokedex stated. The fourteen year old looked down at Puff, and decided to keep her in the battle.
"This battle will be between Puff and Asura! Begin!"
"Puff, use Sing, and follow it up with Dynamic Punch!" Owen commanded. Puff began to sing, which created several colorful music notes. Dante and Asura both watched every note that moved across the battlefield, and they prepared to counter the sleep inducing attack.
"Slash through all of the notes with Shadow Claw! Then use Iron Head!" Asura's white arms turned dark black, and then three black claws extended from his arms. He began slashing through the dozens of music notes coming his way, and then the dark and steel type ran towards Puff while his head began to glow silver. Owen could only watch as Puff was clobbered by the attack and sent flying through the air before finally slamming against the ground.
"Can you keep going, Puff?" Owen inquired. Puff slowly got back on her feet and waved to the teenager, so he continued to issue attacks. "Alright! Use Dynamic Punch!"
"Block it with X-Scissor, Asura!" Puff charged towards Asura while her stubby arms turned crimson, and Asura ran towards the normal type while his arms began to glow light green. The two attacks collided in the middle of the battlefield, and the crowd started cheering for both Pokemon. After realizing Puff was much stronger than he expected, Dante gave Asura another command. "Kick Puff's legs out!" The taller Pokemon quickly swung his leg at Puff's and tripped her, presenting the perfect opening for an attack.
"Puff!" Owen cried as the normal type landed on the ground and tried to get away from her dark and steel type opponent.
"Iron Head!" Before she could get up, Puff was crushed by Asura's Iron Head attack, and the ground cracked underneath her. The referee jogged over to the downed Pokemon, and he put his arms in the air once he saw her eyes were shut.
"Puff is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thanks, Puff. You gave it your all," Owen told the fainted Pokemon while withdrawing her back to her Pokeball. Owen looked up at the four scoreboards and watched as Puff's picture turned black. He then took a deep breath and grabbed his next Pokeball.
"Zebstrika, it's time to shine!" Owen shouted. Once the Pokeball opened, Zebstrika reappeared and his picture went from being blue to its normal colors. As that happened, Asura began to crack his neck while glaring at Zebstrika, who was swiping his hooves on the ground.
"This battle will be between Zebstrika and Asura! Begin!"
"Use Flame Charge to deal some major damage!" Owen commanded while thinking of Asura's typing. Zebstrika nodded and charged towards his dark and steel type opponent before being encapsulated in fire. After reaching the middle of the battlefield, Zebstrika ran at his top speed, but Dante was ready to counter the super effective attack.
"Guillotine!" Owen gasped along with the rest of the crowd once Dante issued the attack, and Asura was more than willing to listen to the attack. Suddenly, his arms began to glow bright white, and Zebstrika attempted to turn away, but Asura had already leaped into the air. Once he slammed his arms against Zebstrika's body, the electric type's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed.
"Zebstrika is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"No way! Owen just lost his lead!" Rebecca shouted as the television showed a quick shot of the scoreboard. Both Owen and Dante had three Pokemon remaining, and the atmosphere was becoming more and more intense.
"Even so, he's still got Heatmor and Druddigon. He should be fine," Owen's father opined. Krookodile, however, stared at the TV blankly before sighing.
"Thanks for the work earlier, Zebstrika. Druddigon, I need your help!" Owen roared as he threw out his fourth Pokeball. Druddigon slammed on the ground after materializing from the Pokeball, and she roared before looking at the scoreboard. She saw that her picture was the fourth on Owen's team, and her opponent was also the fourth Pokemon. Asura, meanwhile, began cracking his neck again before grinning at his opponent.
"This battle will be between Druddigon and Asura! Begin!"
"Let's finish this off as fast as we can! Use Guillotine!" Dante commanded. Asura nodded before bolting towards his dragon type foe, who was shocked by Asura's speed. Despite this, Owen wasn't fazed by the unstoppable Pokemon, and he shouted a counterattack.
"That's not going to happen again! Druddigon, use Earthquake!" Druddigon quickly punched the ground with her fist, which caused the dome to shake. Just before Asura could hit Druddigon, a rock shot up from the ground and struck Asura in the chin, sending him soaring into the air. "Way to go, Druddigon!" Owen cheered. Snivy also cheered for her teammate, and Druddigon turned to the two while smiling.
"Twirl in the air and use Shadow Claw!" Druddigon turned around in the blink of an eye and watched as Asura began spinning like a gymnast. Then, his arms turned black, and he grew long black claws on the end of his arms.
"Counter it with Revenge!" Owen ordered. Druddigon nodded at the attack, and her body was suddenly covered in red energy. Asura and Dante were unable to hear Owen's counterattack due to the crowd screaming, so Asura struck his rough skinned opponent. As soon as he did, Druddigon wound back and punched him in the face, dealing massive damage to the already fatigued Pokemon.
"Hang in there, Asura! Use Iron Head!" Asura quickly hopped off the ground and sped into Druddigon while his head was glowing silver. The dragon type was knocked onto her back, and she let out a grunt of pain before getting back on her feet. Her trainer, however, noticed she was hunched over and panting wildly.
"Druddigon, are you okay?" Druddigon roared in response, which gave Owen a surge of confidence. "Alright, use Crunch!" Druddigon took off towards Asura, and bit the dark and steel type's arm once she reached him. Despite crying out in pain, Asura regained his composure and stared at Druddigon, who was biting him as hard as she could.
"Quick, Asura! Use Guillotine!"
"Earthquake!" Owen screamed once he heard Dante. Druddigon slammed her left foot on the ground just before Asura hit her with the instant K.O attack, and she dropped to the ground. Just before the referee spoke up, a rock shot out from underground and hit Asura in the chin, which knocked him out too. The referee stared at the two Pokemon before sticking his arms in the air, and their pictures turned black.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your next Pokemon!"
"This is really coming down to the wire! It sucks that Krookodile can't battle," Brooklyn stated as she fell into a char in front of the television.
"I don't think I've ever seen such an even battle before. I can't tell whose going to win," Owen's mom announced.
"Owen is! There's no way he's losing!" Orange proclaimed.
"Thanks for the awesome job, Druddigon. Unfezant, take to the skies!" Owen shouted as he threw his fifth Pokeball into the air. Unfezant zipped out of the spherical device and through the air while her picture appeared beneath Druddigon's.
"Asura, you were unbelievable out there. Brago, show them your strength!" Dante's Braviary appeared in the air and his picture was underneath Asura's. The two flying types locked eyes while flying high in the air, and they saluted to each other before the referee stepped forward.
"This battle will be Unfezant and Brago! Begin!"
"Brago, start off by using Crush Claw!" Dante yelled. Brago flew through the air at a quick pace, and his claws turned bright red. The eagle Pokemon slashed Unfezant with the powerful normal type attack, but Unfezant recovered right after being hit.
"Unfezant, fight back with Air Cutter!" Owen demanded. Unfezant nodded and formed a ball of spinning wind in-between her wings, and then threw it at Brago. The larger flying type was struck and blasted back by the powerful attack from Unfezant, but Brago recovered just as quickly as his opponent.
"Now use Superpower!"
"Dodge with Detect and then use Gust!" Brago turned bright red and swooped down towards Unfezant, who was at a lower altitude, but the smaller Pokemon's eyes flashed gold. She then backed away just before Brago could hit her, and Unfezant quickly flapped her wings as hard as she could. A blast of wind was created, and it slashed up Brago's body.
"Brago, use Aerial Ace!" The Braviary quickly flew forward and tucked his wings into his sides in an attempt to gain more speed. White streaks of light flew off his beak, and Brago hit into Unfezant, and continued flying into the ground. Unfezant let out a squawk of pain as she slammed against the ground, and so did Brago. The bigger Pokemon had slammed his wing against the ground, when Unfezant crashed, and both Pokemon were having a difficult time getting back up.
"Unfezant, I need you to give this next attack everything you've got, okay?" Unfezant nodded back at her trainer, and slowly took off into the air.
"Brago, don't let them beat you here! I know you can win!" Dante exclaimed encouragingly. Brago grinned and ascended to Unfezant's height, where both Pokemon locked eyes and began growling lowly.
"Use a spinning Aerial Ace!" Owen shouted while pointing at Brago.
"Crush them with Brave Bird!" Dante yelled while pointing at Unfezant. Unfezant began flying towards Brago, and she tucked her wings into her sides while spinning. White streaks of light twisted around her body, and she let out a loud squawk. Brago, meanwhile, flew towards the smaller bird and was covered in fire. Suddenly, the fire turned into a shining blue coat of energy, and the two Pokemon collided in the middle of the battlefield. BOOOOOM! Both flying types were thrown towards the ground, and they crashed while their eyes were shut.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Seriously!? Back to back draws!?" Fate shouted at the television screen.
"And now it all comes down to this. I hope Owen doesn't act recklessly," CJ said to the others. Charizard roared back at the older boy, and Krookodile followed Charizard's reaction while Muk cheered for his trainer.
"I don't think he'll let this get to him. Owen's already been to the finals before, so he should be way calmer than Dante," Brooklyn opined, which everyone agreed with.
"It doesn't matter if he's calm or not! Owen's winning this battle!" Orange proclaimed once again.
"Thank you, Unfezant. That was an awesome battle." Owen withdrew the fainted flying type and looked down at Snivy while he grabbed his last Pokemon. "Heatmor, it's all up to you!" Heatmor shot out of the sixth and final Pokeball, and he looked around at the dome in awe. All 150,000 people were staring right back at him, and his picture appeared in the final spot of Owen's team, which made Heatmor's heart race.
"I knew it'd come down to this. Aura, this is it!" Dante exclaimed while tossing his last Pokeball into the air. Owen, Heatmor, and Snivy stared as Dante's starter appeared on the opposite end of the battlefield and scoreboard. The Lucario locked eyes with Heatmor, and bowed respectfully to the fire type. Heatmor bowed back, remembering the one time he had talked to Aura during the Vermilion City Tournament.
"Yes! He has the type advantage!" Orange shrieked happily while jumping around. "He can't lose!"
"Orange, shut up! You might jinx Owen!" Rebecca shouted at the energetic teen.
"This battle will be between Heatmor and Aura! Begin!"
"Aura, use Aura Sphere!" Dante shouted over the energized crowd. Aura ran forward and threw a blue sphere of energy at Heatmor, but Owen managed to counter the attack with little effort.
"Blow it up with Flamethrower!" Heatmor reared back and shot a Flamethrower attack at the incoming Aura Sphere, and the two moves exploded on impact. BOOM! A cloud of smoke covered the battlefield, and prevented Owen, Heatmor, Dante, and the crowd from seeing. Aura, however, was able to sense where Heatmor was due to her ability to sense auras.
"Find where Heatmor is and use Blaze Kick!" Dante yelled. Aura nodded - even though no one saw - and she jumped in the air while her foot caught fire. After finding Heatmor's aura, the enemy Lucario swung her foot as hard as she could, and it connected with the side of Heatmor's head. The anteater Pokemon was thrown towards the side of the battlefield, and the smoke suddenly disappeared.
"Get even with Flame Wheel, Heatmor!" Owen demanded. Heatmor shot off the ground and spun like a wheel while releasing a large amount of fire. As he rolled across the battlefield, Dante and Aura both grinned slyly before the teenager spoke up.
"Stop it with Psychic, and throw Heatmor against the ground!" Aura stuck out her left arm, and her eyes suddenly flashed blue. Heatmor was stopped dead in his tracks as a blue line of energy appeared around his body, and he was lifted into the air. Then, Aura threw her arm down, and Heatmor was slammed against the battlefield. The fire type cried out in pain before getting back up slowly, and he started to pant.
"Heatmor, hang in there! Use Fire Pledge!" Owen ordered. Heatmor nodded as his stomach began to glow orange, and he punched the ground. In the blink of an eye, a burst of fire shot out from the ground and engulfed Aura, who roared in pain before dropping to one knee. The fighting and steel type suddenly began to pant like Heatmor, but she looked up at her opponent and smirked. Heatmor did the same thing and nodded at Aura before she was given another command by Dante.
"Aura, use Flash Cannon!" Aura rose to her feet and stuck both of her arms out before unleashing a blast of silver energy from her palms. As the attack closed in on Heatmor, Owen shouted to his last Pokemon as fast as he possibly could.
"Dodge it and use Flame Wheel!" Heatmor ducked under the steel type attack and began to cover himself in fire before spinning over to Aura. As he did, Dante and Aura smirked again because they thought Owen was becoming desperate. What they didn't know, was that Owen figured out exactly how to counter Aura's Psychic attack.
"Throw Heatmor with Psychic again!" Dante yelled, falling right into Owen's trap. Heatmor was stopped dead in his tracks for a second time, and he was lifted in the air. Once Aura threw her arm downwards, Heatmor was thrown towards the ground. Owen, however, smirked once that happened, which unnerved Dante.
"Now roll and use Flame Wheel again!" Just before Heatmor landed on the ground, he began spinning like a wheel, and he was suddenly covered in fire. In the blink of an eye, Aura was crushed by Heatmor, and she was knocked over. As soon as that happened, Heatmor ran back to Owen's half of the battlefield and began panting heavily, just like Aura.
"Aura, Flash Cannon!" Dante shouted.
"Heatmor, use Inferno!" Owen screamed. Aura unleashed a blast of silver energy from her palms, and Heatmor reared back before unleashing a wave of blue fire. The two attacks collided in the middle of the battlefield and began battling back and forth. The crowd began screaming for each Pokemon, and Aura suddenly began to overpower Heatmor. "Heatmor, I know you can do it! Give this everything you've got!" Owen screamed again. Heatmor's eyes suddenly shot wide open and he began to use all of his energy.
"HEEEEE!" the fire type roared as Inferno plowed through Flash Cannon and engulfed Aura. The fighting and steel type cried out in pain, but she remained standing even after Heatmor's attack stopped. Due to using all of his energy, Heatmor dropped to the ground and began panting. The referee began to put his arms into the air, but stopped when he saw Heatmor's eyes were still open. The spectators looked around at each other in confusion, but they all stared back at the battlefield when Aura began walking forwards.
"Aura, finish this with Aura Sphere!" Dante shouted. Aura stuck out both of her arms and began to generate an Aura Sphere attack, which made Heatmor try to get back on his feet. The fire type, however, was unable to do so, and he remained laying on the ground. Heatmor then saw Aura smirk, and she collapsed to the ground. The referee ran over to the Lucario's side and threw his hands in the air.
"Aura is unable to battle! That means Owen is moving on to the championship round, where he will face Akito!"
"Heatmor!" Owen screamed as he ran over to his Pokemon and picked him up off the ground. Heatmor smiled weakly at Owen and watched as Aura's picture on the scoreboard turned black. The fire type then went unconscious, and Owen withdrew him back to his Pokeball. Then, he walked over to Dante and the two hugged quickly.
"Great job, Owen. Now go out there tomorrow and win this thing!" Dante told Owen.
"I'll do my best," Owen responded with a grin. "I'll see you around, Dante."
000
"I can't believe you actually did it!" Fate shrieked while hugging Owen. "Back to back championships? That's incredible!"
"Dude, I called it," Orange bragged with a bright smile.
"Would you shut up about that?" Brooklyn asked rhetorically. Orange frowned and the blonde haired girl, but kept his mouth closed.
"Krooka!" Krookodile exclaimed as he walked over to Owen and gave his trainer a high five. Muk than ran over and embraced Owen, who began laughing at the poison type's actions.
"We did it! We're going to the finals!" Owen screamed while throwing his fists into the air. Krookodile, Muk, Snivy, and Charizard all cheered along with their trainer, and everyone walked out of the stadium. They didn't know what the result of the championship battle would be, but they did know it was going to be an incredible battle.
Wow! Owen won, and will be squaring off with Akito in the championship round! Next chapter will be the last, with the exception of an epilogue (I don't count that as an actual chapter), and then Kalos will start! Till next time, peace out.
P.S: I know I didn't say Akito won in the beginning of the chapter, and that's because I wanted to keep it a secret. And Kalos won't revolve around Owen competing in the Kalos League, FYI
1) Who do you think did the best on Owen's team?
Next Chapter: Can't Beat the Heatmor!: Now facing Akito in the championship round, Owen faces an incredible challenge in defeating his rival for the first time. With a chance to battle the Elite 4, will Owen finally defeat Akito?