Theme Song
You're on your journey with your friends from the start (shows the group walking down a road together laughing)
There will be bonding and broken hearts (Owen puts his arm over Brooklyn's shoulder)
The power inside will make us strive... (Charizard starts to Mega Evolve)
For greatness! (Split screen of Owen at the Kalos League and Daniel and Brooklyn at the Grand Festival)
Put in the work and you will go far (Haunter evolves, Gengar's face is covered in shadows and she throws a Shadow Ball at the camera)
But what happens when we're torn apart? (Ariel and Blaziken look up at the moon)
A threat will rise, but we'll realize (Frank and Dragonite squaring off with Owen and Charizard)
We can do it together... Pokemon! (Group stands together with their Pokemon)
You know what time it is. That's right, it's Owen's sixth gym battle! Last chapter, Owen battled Maria and lost, though Chespin did evolve. Now, he'll take on Valerie and her vaunted fairy types, though how he'll fare is unknown. Let's get going!
guest: Yeah, our stories aren't canon at points, but they intersect when we have crossover chapters, which is why Maria and the others didn't say anything about Owen being public enemy number one
The 6th Spectral King: Man, you really love guessing, lol. To save your sanity, I won't tell you who his father is (I've decided he'll be in the story) until I feel the time is right, so there won't be any clues as to what his occupation is
MCMXCV: You should guess more often! Your first few were really good (the rival battle won't be with Larenz, though), but the last few were a little off. The titles are kind of tough to guess, in regards to the two talking about the 'beasts', so I understand what you were thinking with those :)
Elodus: Don't worry about it, I tend to get caught up in my own stories or others that I really love, so I get where you're coming from
Defender31415: Yeah, but the question is when will they?
SinnohBlaze (guest): No offense taken :) I don't think the battles are meant to throw you guys curveballs, so if something throws you off I never intended for that
ShadowDragon9000: I didn't really expect Chespin to evolve either, haha. Sometimes I like to throw my planning out the window and go with the flow of the story, so expect a few more evolutions and some intense Team Grim stuff
SomeGuy (guest): Chesnaught is really awesome! And I do see what you meant with the translator and how it would make Charizard a full-fledged main character. Also, I would pass along the comment on Maria (which is my fault because I don't think I'm doing a great job of showing off her personality), but her creator, tepigsfire758, deleted her stories and isn't writing anymore :(
Owen's team
Greninja, (m), level 39, Water Shuriken, Smack Down, Round, Quick Attack, Water Pulse*, Smokescreen*
Charizard, (m), level 71, Flamethrower, Dragon Claw, Seismic Toss, Blast Burn, Aerial Ace*, ?*
Haunter, (f), level 38, Shadow Punch, Mean Look, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch*, Payback*
Pikachu, (m), level 35, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Nuzzle, Electro Ball*, Double Team*
Slurpuff, (f), level 37, Fairy Wind, Fake Tears, Cotton Spore, Draining Kiss, Energy Ball*
Butterfree, (f), level 34, Tackle, Silver Wind, Psybeam, Gust, Poison Powder*, Sleep Powder*
Tyrantrum, (m), level 39, Dragon Claw, Stomp, Stealth Rock, Crunch, Ancient Power*, Dragon Tail*
With Professor Sycamore
Quilladin, (m), level 38, Mega Drain, Needle Arm, Rollout, Vine Whip, Energy Ball*, Seed Bomb*
Hawlucha, (m), level 40, Wing Attack, Karate Chop, Flying Press, Aerial Ace, Bounce*
"Are you three sure you're ready?" Owen asked, looking at Pikachu, Butterfree, and Haunter. The three Pokemon nodded, reaffirming Owen's confidence as he withdrew them and walked into the gym, where everyone was waiting excitedly. Charizard and Blaziken were both in their Pokeballs, much to their dismay, giving off an empty feeling.
"It's been a while since I saw the inside of this place," Catherine said to herself as Owen checked in for his gym battle before being escorted through a tall pink door.
"Same, but it wasn't this ugly," Ariel added as the door led to a large room, which had a grey tree stump in the middle of the battlefield. Several purple and pink flowers were scattered around the ground, which would give smaller Pokemon camouflage. At the opposite end of the room was a young woman with incredibly creepy eyes that were completely purple, and she wore a purple and white kimono.
"Welcome, Owen, to the Laverre City Gym," the gym leader told the teen while looking down at a piece of paper, which had all of her challengers names on it. "My name is Valerie, and I specialize in fairy types."
"So I've heard," Owen responded while stepping into his trainer box with Greninja by his side. The water type looked around at the creepy room and chills ran down his spine when he locked eyes with the weird gym leader. Greninja immediately ran over to the bleachers and hid behind Brooklyn and Daniel, making the two teens laugh while Owen shook his head. While that went down, a gym leader walked through the pink door and stepped into her referee box while raising both arms in the air. She stopped, however, when Valerie continued speaking.
"Pokemon, not just fairy types, are works of beauty and something that I've always admired," the gym leader said robotically while flapping her arms around, which were covered in strange sleeves that looked like wings. "Sometimes, I like to imagine I'm a Pokemon, and I wish I was one of these magnificent creatures." Everyone stared at the weird gym leader, but the referee brooke the silence.
"This will be a three versus three gym battle between Valerie 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! Valerie, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Granbull, lend me your assistance!" Valerie shouted while tossing a Pokeball forward. Everyone watched as a bipedal, and rather buff bulldog landed on the flowery battlefield, and it began to bark at Owen angrily. The teen looked at the fairy type in fear, but he took a deep breath when he pulled his first Pokeball out and chucked it.
"Pikachu, let's do this thing!" Owen yelled while Pikachu appeared. The electric type landed on his feet and looked around the strange gym before sneezing due to the flowers scratching his nose, which Owen didn't realize were bothering the rodent.
"Interesting choice," Ariel said aloud while the two Pokemon stared at each other.
"Why's that?" Cindy asked, looking over at Owen's sister.
"Pikachu doesn't have the defense to take that many hits from Granbull, but if he uses Iron Tail, this could be a really short battle," Catherine answered knowledgeably before turning to watch her son's battle.
"This battle will be between Granbull and Pikachu! Begin!"
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack and then Iron Tail!" Owen commanded. Pikachu quickly dropped to all fours and attempted to run towards Granbull, but the tall flowers covering the battlefield slowed him down drastically, giving Valerie more than enough time to counter.
"Granbull, use Headbutt!" Granbull, being taller than Pikachu, had no issue with the flowers and ran forward before slamming its head against Pikachu's, sending the electric type flying across the battlefield.
"If we can't get in close, we'll just use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu jumped in the air and fired a bolt of electricity at his fairy type opponent, who was zapped by the attack and slumped over in pain while Pikachu smirked proudly.
"Hmm... that was a strong attack. Roar!" Owen flinched at the command and watched as Granbull roared powerfully, forcing Pikachu into his Pokeball. Then, one of the other Pokeballs on Owen's belt opened, and Butterfree appeared in the air.
"Fweeh?" the bug type grumbled while looking around at her surroundings, not sure why she was out of her Pokeball so early in the battle. Her confusion was answered by Granbull growling and punching its fists together, while everyone on the side looked at the two Pokemon.
"That was such a dumb move," Ariel said while looking at Valerie, who was tracking Butterfree's movements closely. "Pikachu could only attack from a distance."
"This battle will be between Granbull and Butterfree! Begin!"
"Bite Butterfree's wings with Fire Fang!" Granbull nodded and disappeared in the flowers before shooting into the air while its mouth was covered in flames. The fairy type attempted to bite Butterfree, but the bug and flying type flew out of the way quickly and Owen countered within nanoseconds.
"Send Granbull back down with Silver Wind!" Butterfree whipped her wings repeatedly, creating several silver crescents of energy towards the bulldog. The powerful bug attacks landed and smacked Granbull into the ground while also tearing some of the flowers.
"Quickly, recover and use Ice Fang!" Owen and Butterfree were shocked by the speed of Granbull, who hopped back up and jumped in the blink of an eye, and she bit Butterfree while releasing icy energy from her teeth. Butterfree cried out in pain as her fairy type opponent let go and landed on the ground, barking as she did so.
"Don't hold anything back, Butterfree! Use Psybeam!" Owen commanded while pointing at Granbull. Butterfree, who had fallen on the ground, nodded and unleashed a beam of multicolored energy straight forward, destroying all of the flowers in her path, and Granbull was crushed by the powerful psychic attack, which sent her rolling back into Valerie.
"Land another Fire Fang, Granbull!" Valerie commanded while whipping her weird sleeves around. Granbull charged across the battlefield and jumped in the air while her mouth was covered in fire.
"Stop Granbull with Gust!" Owen countered quickly. Butterfree flapped her wings violently, creating a powerful whipping wind that sent Granbull spiraling into the ground while also tearing all of the flowers out of the ground, revealing a normal battlefield.
"Granbull is unable to battle! Valerie, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee announced while Granbull landed on the ground face first, laying motionlessly.
"Nice job, Butterfree!" Owen cheered while the bug type circled around his head. Butterfree landed on her trainer's head while Valerie withdrew her fainted Pokemon with a creepy look on her face.
"I forgot how strong Butterfree was. It seems like it's been forever since she battled," Brooklyn said to Eddy and Cindy, who nodded excitedly.
"She definitely looks like a formidable Pokemon," Daniel opined, while looking at the bug type's stats, which didn't resemble those of a bug type. Catherine, meanwhile, watched in silence while beaming about her son's victory.
"You may have won the first set, but my desire to be like my Pokemon will prevail!" Valerie screamed, freaking everyone out while she threw her second Pokeball as hard as she could. "Mr. Mime, show them the strength of our bond!" Owen and Butterfree stared as the creepy mime native to the Kanto region stood in front of Valerie and began to pretend like he was stuck in a box.
"This battle will be between Mr. Mime and Butterfree! Begin!"
"Let's start off with Poison Powder!" Owen ordered. Butterfree took off towards Mr. Mime before releasing a cloud of purple toxins, which made the teen and his supporters smile.
"Mr. Mime, use Psychic and send the poison back at Butterfree!" Everyone gasped when Mr. Mime's hands were outlined in blue energy and he pushed the cloud of poison back to Butterfree, who inhaled the poisonous air. Suddenly, Butterfree was covered in purple static and she cried out in pain while Owen bit his bottom lip nervously.
"Butterfree, are you okay?" the Kantonian asked while Butterfree fell to the ground. The fully evolved Pokemon weakly nodded back to her trainer and attempted to fly back in the air, but Valerie was too quick to allow that to happen.
"Take this opportunity to use Dazzling Gleam!" Mr. Mime placed his hands together and threw his arms forward, releasing a ray of pink energy that engulfed Butterfree and sent her rolling across the battlefield.
"Answer right back with Silver Wind!" Owen shouted, not wasting a moment. Butterfree slowly stood on her large blue feet (which looked really weird), and she flapped her wings powerfully, firing silver crescents of energy at her bipedal opponent.
"Dazzling Gleam once more!" Mr. Mime unleashed another ray of pink energy that crashed through Butterfree's Silver Wind, and the butterfly was knocked out as soon as she was hit by the blast of fairy energy.
"Butterfree is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee ordered when Butterfree hit the ground.
"Great job, Butterfree, you did everything I asked for," Owen said while withdrawing his fainted Pokemon. The teen quickly scanned the battlefield and smiled while grabbing his second Pokeball. "Pikachu, you're back in!"
"Pikachu should be way faster now that the flowers are gone," Eddy stated as the yellow rodent released sparks from his cheeks while glaring at the mime standing on the other half of the battlefield.
"This battle will be between Mr. Mime and Pikachu! Begin!"
"Mr. Mime, use Dazzling Gleam repeatedly!" Valerie demanded, wanting to see if Pikachu would counter with Thunderbolt. Much to her dismay, Owen didn't fall for her trap, and he snapped his fingers while smirking confidently.
"Dodge with Double Team and then charge with Quick Attack!" Valerie cursed under her breath when ten more Pikachu appeared along with the real one, and they all sprinted towards Mr. Mime, who was looking around nervously.
"Throw the one on the left at the others with Psychic, Mr. Mime!" The fairy type managed to stop the Pikachu clone to his left and he whipped his arm to the right, sending the clone through all of the others. The real Pikachu, however, was trailing the group, so he wasn't hit and had the perfect opening to deal massive damage.
"Hit 'em with Iron Tail!" Owen roared while punching the air. Pikachu leaped forward and began spinning like a wheel while his tail turned silver. He then whipped his tail to the left, smacking Mr. Mime across the face and knocking the fairy type to the ground.
"That's got to hurt," Ariel muttered while Mr. Mime rubbed his face in pain after the super effective attack while Pikachu ran back to Owen, panting in exhaustion.
"Grab Pikachu with Psychic and throw him against the ground!" Before Pikachu or Owen could react, Mr. Mime lifted the rodent into the air and then slammed him into the ground forcefully. Everyone looked on in concern while Pikachu struggled to get back on his feet, but he began to release electricity from his cheeks to show he was still ready to battle.
"Way to show your fighting spirit! Use Thunderbolt!" Pikachu quickly fired a zigzagging bolt of electricity at Mr. Mime, making the mime cry out in pain while falling to the ground. Both Pokemon locked eyes and so did their trainers, who shouted at the same time.
"Dazzling Gleam!"
"Thunderbolt!" The two attacks collided in the middle of the battlefield, and an explosion occurred. A wave of energy launched both Pokemon across the battlefield, where they laid unconsciously.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Wow! This is just like the battle Owen had with Maria yesterday," Cindy exclaimed upon realization while the two trainers withdrew their fainted Pokemon.
"Hey, you're right! But now they only have one Pokemon each. Owen needs to pull this out," Daniel said as the fifteen year old grabbed a Pokeball off his belt and stared at it. Upon doing so, Owen turned to look at his friends and family, who were all smiling and giving him a thumbs up, except Ariel, who was leaning back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Ninja!" Greninja grunted loudly as he hopped off the bleachers and ran over to Owen. The water type looked at the Pokeball in his trainer's hands and shook his head rapidly. Before Owen could do anything, Greninja pointed at one of the Pokeballs and nodded before running away.
"That's a weird choice," Owen muttered while putting the Pokeball he picked back on his belt. He then picked the one Greninja pointed at, and he looked at the water type in shock, who grinned and nodded, prompting Owen to sigh and nod back.
"It's time we settle this battle and see who the real Pokemon is," Valerie said to Owen as she pointed her last Pokeball at the battlefield. The device opened and Owen stared as a Sylveon occupied her half of the battlefield.
"That's fine by me. It's all up to you, Slurpuff!" Owen shouted, throwing Slurpuff's Pokeball straight in the air. The device opened and Slurpuff materialized from the white light, smiling as she was freed. "Slurpuff, I need you to focus, this is a winner take all battle," Owen informed the fat fairy type, who nodded excitedly before turning to face Sylveon, hissing as she did so.
"This battle will be between Sylveon and Slurpuff! Begin!"
"Slurpuff, use Energy Ball!" Owen commanded. Slurpuff quickly opened her mouth and fired a large ball of solar energy at Sylveon, who was struck by the grass type attack, though it didn't look like any damage had been done, unnerving Owen and Greninja while everyone else looked on in awe.
"Strike with a Quick Attack, Sylveon!" The fairy type eeveelution darted across the battlefield and slammed into Slurpuff headfirst, but when Sylveon tried running away from Slurpuff, the tiny Pokemon grabbed the ribbons on Sylveon's ears.
"Nice catch, Slurpuff! Swing Sylveon around and throw him against the ground!" Slurpuff smirked devilishly as he slammed Sylveon against the ground to her left and then right repeatedly, making dents in the ground.
"Sylveon, break free with Dazzling Gleam!"
"Throw him and block it with Fairy Wind, Slurpuff!" Owen commanded. Slurpuff opened her mouth and released a pink wind of energy towards the ray of pink energy that was fired from Sylveon's mouth. The two attacks collided and an explosion occurred, causing a cloud of smoke to cover the battlefield.
"Man, Slurpuff is strong," Brooklyn said to herself while Slurpuff laughed and clapped her stubby hands together while Sylveon started panting tiredly, worrying Valerie.
"Strike with Swift, Sylveon!" Valerie commanded while pointing at Slurpuff, who smacked her stomach and prepared for the flurry of golden stars, which were fired from Sylveon's mouth.
"Slurpuff, dodge it and charge at full speed!" Owen countered, grinning as he did so. Slurpuff shared a similar grin, piquing everyone's interest. Suddenly, Slurpuff bolted to her left at a faster speed than Pikachu, leaving everyone speechless.
"Dazzling Gleam, Sylveon!"
"Energy Ball!" Slurpuff opened her mouth and unleashed a large green ball at the ray of pink energy from Sylveon, and the attacks collided in the middle of the battlefield. Energy Ball eventually prevailed, crashing through the burst of fairy energy, and it exploded when it hit Sylveon. The four legged Pokemon was launched into the wall behind Valerie and its eyes were closed, prompting the referee to raise her arms in the air.
"Sylveon is unable to battle! That means Owen is the winner!"
"Way to go, Slurpuff!" Owen exclaimed as he ran towards the tiny Pokemon. Slurpuff jumped into Owen's arms and licked his face, making the trainer scowl as he wiped the slobber off his face.
"Gren!" Greninja exclaimed as he ran over to his trainer and teammate, celebrating with Slurpuff while Valerie walked over to Owen.
"Wonderful job, I guess I need to focus more on being a human and not a Pokemon. Take this, it's the Fairy Badge." Owen carefully took the tiny piece of metal and placed it in the sixth spot in his badge case, marveling at his collection before putting it away. With that, Owen walked out with his friends and family, and they went back to Catherine's house, where Owen and Ariel released Charizard and Blaziken from their Pokeballs.
"Awesome job, Slurpuff," Charizard said to the fairy type while patting her on the back, making the fairy type smile happily.
"That was an impressive battle, Owen. You reminded me of myself out there," Catherine said, remembering when she traveled through Kalos seventeen years prior to her child.
"Thanks!" Owen replied as he packed his things up and looked at the map next to the TV. "So Anistar City is where my next gym battle is, right?"
"Yeah, and then Snowbelle City is the last gym," Ariel informed her brother while throwing a backpack over her shoulder.
"We should probably head out now. We'll be able to sleep in the morning and travel at night," Owen suggested while his friends waited in a different room with their Pokemon. "Are you coming?" Owen asked Ariel, who shook her head in response.
"No, I'm going to stay here and train for a while. Besides, Team Grim's going to be looking for us, so I think it's best if I stay on the down low," the girl answered, making Owen nod. "Don't worry, we'll meet up soon." Owen nodded at Ariel's comment, and the two hugged quickly before Owen walked towards the door.
"Make sure to stay safe, and take this," Catherine said while handing Owen a tiny bag. The teen quickly opened it and saw a Mega Stone that was colored purple and red, making him look up in confusion. "That's for your Haunter when, or if she evolves."
"Thanks, mom," Owen said, hugging the woman, which caught her by surprise. The fifteen year old quickly turned and walked out of the house while Greninja, Slurpuff, and Charizard followed him. Charizard quickly turned to Blaziken, and the fire types fits bumped before Charizard walked out of the house with Owen and his friends.
"Are you ready for your next gym battle?" Eddy asked while the group began to walk towards the exit that would take them to Anistar City.
"No, but I'm ready to see one of these two qualify for the Grand Festival!" Owen exclaimed while looking over at Daniel and Brooklyn. "Now let's pick up the pace. We need to get to Anistar City!"
Man, Slurpuff is a beast! She's going to be one of the stronger members of the team (if you could consider any of them weak), and the team is only going to get stronger in this next arc. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Defying all Odds": When the group begins traveling during the night, a terrifying Pokemon follows them. When Owen is faced with challenging the Pokemon, he turns to Haunter. When she's pushed to her limits, Haunter does the unthinkable! What's in store for the group?
Anistar City Arc
Chapter 54: Grim's Final Steps
Chapter 55: A Colossal Evolution
Chapter 56: A Shot at Redemption
Chapter 57: The Slumbering Beast
Chapter 58: Brawn vs Brain
Chapter 59: Starring in Anistar!
Chapter 60: Waking the Beast