Hey hey hey, it's already time for Owen's third gym battle? Oh well, I guess that's kind of important. Anyways, last chapter had nothing important, but it focused on the relationships of Owen's Pokemon. Now, let's go!
Guest: Yeah, the gym battles are going to be spaced out, for the most part. There will most likely be a situation similar to now where they'll be within five chapters of each other, but they'll go back to be pretty spaced out soon.
Emboar-Man: I have heard of Negima, though I'm not a very big fan of anime. I did watch Naruto when I was younger, and I'm planning on giving anime a try because I haven't heard any real critiques about it. If there are any like Naruto (I'm mainly interested in action), I'd be more than happy to watch them :)
MCMXCV: It's comforting to know that some people (yourself and guest included) didn't hate the blandness of last chapter. And Butterfree is one of my favorite Pokemon because she's always such a beast for me in nuzlockes.
Guest: Don't worry, Charizard will get to battle a Mega Pokemon next chapter. And he'll learn Mega Evolution isn't unbeatable sometime near the sixth or seventh gym. Thanks for reviewing!
Elodus: Thanks for the compliment! And I like the predictions, one of which will happen soon ;)
Defender31415 (guest): Thanks for the compliment and sticking through the crappy stories that are Kanto, Johto, and Unova! Owen's journey is definitely going to get a lot crazier during the next arc, so stay tuned!
Owen's team
Frogadier, (m), level 26, Pound, Lick, Round, Quick Attack, Water Pulse*, Smokescreen*
Charizard, (m), level 70, Flamethrower, Dragon Claw, Seismic Toss, Blast Burn, Aerial Ace*, ?*
Butterfree, (f), level 34, Tackle, Silver Wind, Psybeam, Gust, Poison Powder*, Sleep Powder*
Pikachu, (m), level 23, Thundershock, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Nuzzle, Electro Ball*, Double Team*
Tyrunt, (m), level 24, Tackle, Stomp, Stealth Rock, Bite
Hawlucha, (m), level 30, Wing Attack, Karate Chop, Flying Press, Aerial Ace
"This is it, you three. We've got an important gym battle today, and I'm confident that you guys will pull off the win. I know that some of you may be questioning why you were picked, but that doesn't matter. I believe in you three, so let's go win our third badge!" Owen exclaimed as he pumped his fist in the air emphatically. The three Pokemon before him all had different reactions to the speech. Frogadier cheered ecstatically, Tyrunt looked like he was about to faint from nerves, and Hawlucha seemed disinterested.
"He sure knows how to give a pep talk," Eddy said to the two girls standing next to him, and they both nodded, but stopped once they realized what the other was doing.
"I'm not going to question his decision, but why would he choose Hawlucha over Butterfree? She's the highest level and she doesn't have an attitude," Brooklyn asked as Owen walked over to them with Frogadier walking by his side. Charizard stepped away from the girls and stood by his trainer's side, and the teen was radiating confidence as he inspected each of the Pokeballs on his belt.
"I chose Hawlucha because I need to train the others instead of Butterfree," Owen answered. "Besides, I think Hawlucha is going to do really well!" After talking for a bit the trainers headed off for the gym. Upon arriving, they stopped to take in the design of the building, which seemed rather bland. It was built in the shape of a circle, and there were three pointed portions of the roof with three separate arches that acted as doors. Slowly, Owen and the others walked into the building while looking around for the battlefield.
"Huh?" a girl said to herself as she turned around and saw the group walking in. She had pale skin and sandy blonde hair. Her eyes were a pale blue, and she looked to be no older than seventeen. "Can I help you with something?" she asked as a Lucario stood by her side.
"Yeah. Do you know where the battlefield is? I'm here for a gym battle," Owen replied. Frogadier nodded in confirmation of the statement while Owen waited for a response, which the teenage girl answered.
"Sure, just follow me. By the way, I'm Korrina," the girl greeted as she and her Lucario led the group down a dimly lit hallway, which was reminiscent of the middle ages.
"I'm Owen, and these are my friends; Brooklyn, Cindy, and Eddy."
"It's nice to meet you," the aforementioned travelers told Korrina as they walked into a large room. It was completely empty, and the battlefield was raised twenty feet above the ground, and there was a strange hallway carved into the wall. A case of stairs allowed people to access the hallway, which was where Brooklyn, Eddy, Cindy, and Charizard were escorted by a referee.
Owen followed the referee before turning and walking up to the battlefield with Frogadier, who waved to Charizard and the others before looking ahead and waiting for the gym leader to reveal their identity. Much to his and Owen's surprise, Korrina and her Lucario walked into the other trainer box, and the gym leader had a toothy grin on her face.
"This will be a three versus three gym battle between Korrina and Owen where only the challenger may substitute Pokemon! Furthermore, once all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the battle will be over! Korrina, choose your first Pokemon!" the referee that had escorted Owen's companions shouted as he pointed at the young gym leader.
"No problem. Machoke, show your fighting spirit!" Korrina yelled as she threw out her first Pokeball. The red and white sphere opened and a Machoke landed on the ground heavily, which created a mini earthquake. "So, Owen, who are you going to chose?" Korrina quizzed, waiting for Owen to send out his first Pokemon.
"How do you feel about going first, Frogadier?" Owen whispered as he crouched and stared at his starter. Frogadier glanced over at Machoke and saw the fighting type punching his fist into his open hand, and he ran forward quickly.
"It looks like Owen has the advantage here. Frogadier's way too fast for Machoke!" Cindy analyzed before looking down at Litleo, who roared in support of the water type.
"He can even immobilize Machoke with his frubbles, but that doesn't guarantee the win," Brooklyn told the younger girl as her three Pokemon standing next to her were cheering for Owen and Frogadier. Charizard was the only one not cheering, though his quiet nature wasn't exactly new to anyone. In fact, they expected Charizard to sit in silence throughout the entirety of the battle.
"This battle will be between Frogadier and Machoke! Begin!"
"Frogadier, use Quick Attack!" Owen commanded. He wanted to control the pace of the battle and make it as uncomfortable for Korrina and her Pokemon as he could, but the gym leader and her Machoke didn't seem fazed by the attack. Frogadier nodded and bolted towards his bulky opponent, and a gust of wind blew to his sides as he traveled at such a ridiculous speed.
"Machoke, Counter!" Korrina ordered simply as she threw her arm forward. Machoke flexed as he was shrouded in a strange cloud of grey energy as Frogadier rammed into his pecks. Machoke swiftly struck Frogadier with a punch to his gut that sent the frog flying into the air, but Owen was quick to respond.
"Throw your frubbles at Machoke and then hit him with Water Pulse!" Frogadier's eyes shot wide open as he began to fall towards the ground headfirst, and he flipped in midair while throwing the frubbles from his neck at Machoke. The bipedal Pokemon smacked away each of the foam bubbles and he started to charge towards Frogadier as the water type chucked a ball of water.
"Return Water Pulse by using Karate Chop!" Machoke closed his hand into a fist and he punched the ball of water back at Frogadier, who was clipped by the attack. "Follow it up with Power-Up Punch!" Machoke's right fist suddenly turned into a red bullet with orange streaks of light spiraling around the front of it, and he clobbered Frogadier. As Owen's starter tried pushing himself back up a red ring of energy surrounded Machoke's body before disappearing.
"Frogadier, get in close and use Lick!" Frogadier got back on his feet and ran towards Machoke as he opened his mouth. Frogadier then attempted to lick his larger foe, but Machoke and Korrina were too quick to be hit.
"Grab his tongue and throw Frogadier in the air!" Machoke's arm shot forward and he grabbed Frogadier's tongue, causing everyone to gasp in shock as he was hurled straight into the air. Then, Machoke jumped after Frogadier, who was as limp as a rag doll.
"Use Round to keep Machoke away!" Owen shouted to his barely conscious Pokemon. Frogadier was somehow able to perform the sound based attack, and a ring of yellow energy was sent towards Machoke. The buff Pokemon was struck by the powerful attack, but his trainer's words pushed him to continue.
"Fight through it and use Power-Up Punch!" Machoke's fist was covered in bright red energy making his arm look like a bullet, and he punched Frogadier into the roof. Once he hit the ground, Frogadier's eyes were closed, and the referee raised his arms to stop the battle.
"Frogadier is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Damn, that thing is strong!" Cindy exclaimed as Owen bit his bottom lip and pulled out his first Pokeball to withdraw Frogadier.
"You can say that again. I don't think Owen has a Pokemon that can match Machoke physically. Especially after those two Power-Up Punches," Eddy remarked as he thought about each of Owen's Kalosian Pokemon. Charizard shook his head in disagreement as he pointed at the battlefield, making Eddy focus on Owen's next Pokemon.
"Great job, Frogadier, you deserve a long rest. Tyrunt, I'm counting on you!" Owen threw his second Pokeball in the air and Tyrunt landed in front of him. The tiny t-rex stomped on the ground energetically before roaring at Machoke.
"Maura!" Amaura cheered for Tyrunt as the referee raised his arms in the air to begin the battle.
"You've got this, Tyrunt!" Eddy cheered along with the Pokemon.
"This battle will be between Tyrunt and Machoke! Begin!"
"Let's start off with Stomp!" Owen shouted to his newly acquired Pokemon. Tyrunt roared as he charged towards Machoke, who bent his knees and prepared for Tyrunt's attack. The rock and dragon type jumped in the air and fired his foot at Machoke, who was overwhelmed by the fossilized Pokemon's strength, resulting in the fighting type being kicked in the face.
"Wow, that was powerful," Korrina said to herself. Her Lucario nodded at the statement, but didn't seem impressed by Tyrunt, who ran back to Owen's half of the battlefield. "Now use Karate Chop, Machoke!" Machoke trudged towards Tyrunt as he reared his arm back in preparation for his attack.
"Duck and use Bite on Machoke's arm!" Owen countered quickly. Korrina flinched at the strategic command as Machoke whiffed on his max-effort attack, leaving him defenseless. Tyrunt took advantage of the opportunity and he snapped his powerful jaws on Machoke's arm, making the muscular Pokemon cry out in pain before he began striking Tyrunt in the face. The tyrannosaurus refused to let go of Machoke, fueling an explosion of cheers from the spectators.
"Machoke, use Power-Up Punch!" Korrina demanded loudly. Machoke wound his arm back and it was engulfed in red energy before he slammed over Tyrunt's head. The rock type still didn't let go of Machoke, and he bit him even harder as a red ring of energy started to spin around Machoke before vanishing.
"Tyrunt, knock Machoke off his feet with your tail!" Tyrunt suddenly let go of Machoke's arm - which was bleeding slightly - and he whipped his tail against Machoke's legs, making him fall over.
"Machoke, roll away from Tyrunt!" Korrina screamed frantically as Tyrunt jumped in the air right above Machoke.
"Not on our watch! Finish this with Stomp!" Owen roared. Machoke's athleticism quickly took over and he pushed himself ten feet back just before Tyrunt's foot slammed against the ground, creating a small dent in the battlefield. "Dammit. Use Stealth Rock, Tyrunt!" Owen told his tired Pokemon, who stomped on the ground in response. Suddenly, several boulders floated around his body and they hovered around Korrina's head before disappearing in thin air.
"Use Power-Up Punch, Machoke!"
"Tyrunt, use Tackle!" Both Pokemon ran as fast as they could while readying their attacks, but Owen smirked as Machoke's arm flew back to add more strength to his attack. Just as he threw his arm forward, Tyrunt juked to the left and then rammed into Machoke's stomach. Once Machoke stopped rolling across the battlefield, he was ruled unconscious, prompting Tyrunt to roar in celebration.
"Machoke is unable to battle! Korrina, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Woohoo! That's how you do it, Tyrunt!" Brooklyn cheered along with Fennekin and Smeargle. Amaura was the most vocal out of the four, as she began chanting for her friend. Tyrunt waved back at his cheerleaders before focusing his attention on Korrina, who had a smile on her face.
"I've never seen anyone overpower Machoke like that. Impressive," the gym leader complimented as she looked at Owen and Tyrunt.
"Thanks!" Owen exclaimed as he bowed. "We've been training hard for this battle, so I'm glad to see it's paid off."
"We'll just see about that. Lucario, go!" the older girl ordered. Tyrunt lowered his body as he glared at the Lucario opposing him, but the fighting type to reciprocate the highflying emotion. Suddenly, the rocks from before appeared and slammed into Lucario, who didn't flinch when they crashed down on him.
"This battle will be between Tyrunt and Lucario! Begin!"
"Tyrunt, use Stomp!" Owen shouted, ignoring the obvious signs of fatigue Tyrunt was showing. The tired Pokemon also shrugged off his panting as he ran towards Lucario, but he was significantly slower than before, allowing Korrina and Lucario to strike with ease.
"Lucario, dodge and use Force Palm," the gym leader ordered calmly. As Tyrunt jumped, Lucario quickly sidestepped away while his right paw was glowing with energy. As soon as Tyrunt turned to see Lucario, the aura wielding Pokemon placed his palm on Tyrunt's stomach. There was a sudden explosion of energy that launched Tyrunt through the air and he hit the ground hard.
"Come on, Tyrunt! You can do this!" Cindy shouted enthusiastically as Tyrunt stood back up.
"Tyrunt, use Tackle!"
"Aura Sphere," Korrina replied quietly. As Tyrunt sluggishly moved towards Lucario, the fighting and steel type placed both of his hands by his right hip, and he created a ball of energy in-between his paws. Then, he threw it forwards and Tyrunt was crushed by the impact of the fighting type attack. The dinosaur crashed into Owen and nearly knocked him off the battlefield, but Owen managed to hang onto the edge.
"Tyrunt is unable to battle! Owen, choose your final Pokemon!"
"You were amazing, Tyrunt." The experienced trainer patted his fainted Pokemon on the head and smiled as he withdrew Tyrunt back to his Pokeball, and he stood up. "Hawlucha, it's all up to you!" In a flash of light, Hawlucha materialized from the light that exploded from the Pokeball, and he looked around before setting his eyes on Lucario. The two Pokemon glared at each other, making Korrina grin.
"Interesting choice," Korrina told Owen as Hawlucha locked eyes with Lucario. Both fighting types lowered their stances and narrowed their eyes, giving every attention that they would leave everything they had on the battlefield. "I'm surprised that you'd bring a fighting type into this gym, but I can tell this is going to be a good battle. Lucario, Mega Evolve!"
("Unstoppable" - Epic Fight Beat starts to play)
The girl tapped the bracelet on her wrist, and a rainbow colored stone began to glow. Lucario was engulfed in a bright pink cocoon before it exploded with energy. Lucario's hair turned into several black strands that fell to his back, and they were red at the end. All four of his paws were also red, and there was a large amount of yellow hair puffed out behind his back.
Lucario began to smirk smugly at Hawlucha, who scowled in response. The referee looked at both Pokemon and their trainers before raising his arms in the air with a look of pity directed towards Owen.
"This battle will be between Hawlucha and Lucario! Begin!"
(Music stops)
"Hawlucha, use Karate Chop!" Owen shouted, unaware of the exponential increase in Lucario's strength. Hawlucha had a different plan, however, and he charged towards Lucario while his leg began to glow white. He then dropped to the ground and attempted to knee Lucario in the chin, but the powered up Pokemon blocked the attack in the blink of an eye.
"Lucario, use Close Combat!" Lucario suddenly began to punch and kick Hawlucha at a ferocious pace, and the smaller Pokemon was crushed by the powerful barrage of forceful blows. Lucario finished the sequence with a wicked kick to Hawlucha's chin, sending him into the air.
"Aerial Ace!" Owen commanded as he recognized he and Hawlucha had the upper-hand because they hawk was able to fly. Much to his dismay, Owen watched as Hawlucha disobeyed yet another attack. The fifteen year old frowned in disappointment as Hawlucha's body was covered in a thin coat of white light, and he spread his wings out while trying to crush Lucario.
"Wait for Hawlucha to get in close and then use Metal Claw!" Korrina countered. Just as Hawlucha was about to crash down upon Lucario, the dog grew three claws of steel on both of his paws and he began to slash Hawlucha repeatedly, sending Hawlucha flying back towards Owen.
"Hawlucha, you need to listen to me!" Owen shouted. as Hawlucha crashed against the ground. The fighting and flying type charged towards Lucario without a care for his trainer's words, frustrating the teen.
"Lucario, end this with Force Palm!" Lucario sprinted forwards and his palm hit against Hawlucha's stomach. Then, it exploded with energy, and Hawlucha was knocked out cold.
"Hawlucha is unable to battle! That means Korrina is the winner!" Owen withdrew Hawlucha with a frown as Lucario reverted back to its normal form. The two walked over to Owen while his friends made their way down the stairs and onto the battlefield.
"That was a great battle," Korrina told the younger teen even though she didn't mean it. Owen nodded as Charizard placed his hand on his shoulder, comforting the trainer.
"Thanks. We'll be back soon, after some intense training," Owen replied as he bowed graciously. A smirk suddenly appeared on Korrina's face, stopping Owen from turning around and walking out of the gym.
"Some intense training, huh? I think I can have a little something arranged to help you out." Everyone stared at the gym leader in shock, including her Lucario and the referee. "Do you know anything about Mega Evolution?"
So, Owen lost to Korrina, but he'll be practicing Mega Evolution next chapter as a consolation. Also, Hawlucha will learn how to listen to Owen soon, but you'll have to wait a little longer for that. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: Mastering Mega Evolution!: After his loss to Korrina, Owen is introduced to Mega Evolution! However, the Master of Mega Evolution doesn't believe Owen and Charizard are worthy of learning such a sacred technique. When they are forced to challenge the pessimistic man, will Owen and Charizard's bond prove him wrong?
Shalour Arc Chapters
Chapter 26: Straying from the Pack
Chapter 27: Go Go Gogoat
Chapter 28: Forming an Alliance
Chapter 29: Mega Destruction