Theme Song
From light to dark, it seems you've lost (Frank smirking in his office while looking down at Lumiose City)
Can you repair hope, or is this the cost? (The group stares off into the sunset, minus Ariel and Catherine)
Show them your strength, and don't you wait (Greninja throws a Water Shuriken while hopping off a tree, and Charizard collides with Dragonite)
The prize goes to the one who doesn't hesitate (Camera zooms in on Ariel, transitions to Catherine looking at Owen and Ariel's baby pictures)
Some may fall, (The people of Lumiose stare in horror while a body falls off the top of Prism Tower)
But that's what must happen to save them all (Children are running around the various cities playing with Pokemon)
Which power will rise? Is this the demise? (Split screen of Owen and Frank glaring at each other)
It's too late to go back, you must go on (Brooklyn and Daniel battling against Spike and Viviana)
Keep your head up and remain strong! (Freeze-frame of Owen standing with his Pokemon, which includes Gengar and Chesnaught)
It's all or nothing, let your life go... Pokemon!
First, I'd just like to let you know I came up with the theme song in less than three minutes, so don't hate :3 Anyways... last chapter featured Owen beating Valerie for his sixth gym badge, which was won by Slurpuff crushing Sylveon. Also, Catherine and Ariel are staying back in Laverre City, but they will make their returns soon. Now we're starting the Anistar City Arc, which is going to build up to what I think will be the best arc of the entire story, but I can't tell you what it is. Just kidding, it's Snowbelle, but you'll have to wait for that. I'm going to cut it off here, so let's get going!
Defender31415: Thank you :)
The 6th Spectral King: Maybe she is evolving then, or maybe she isn't. I guess you'll just have to wait and see
guest: I'm hoping to get Butterfree some more action, though I need to give some battle time to Tyrantrum soon, along with Greninja. And Pikachu won't be evolving, because I like to give Owen's team some balance in terms of agile and lethargic Pokemon
FlameStriker123: Her Mega Evolving won't be happening for a little while and there might be (because I'm not sure if it will happen) something that will prevent it from happening
MCMXCV: Thanks! The next two gym battles should be just as good, if not better
Guest: Haha, I figured someone would bring this up. It will be explained in the next training chapter, which should be pretty soon
SinnohBlaze (guest): The idea of Slurpuff's saliva being sticky could be a really funny idea, so I'll try bringing that in the next time it happens, and Valerie creeped me out the very first time I saw her. And I didn't think of that before, given their different personalities and battling styles, but I can see it now that you mentioned it. It's good to see you can't guess the chapters, either :P
SomeGuy (guest): The review is appreciated, and I'll be sure to add in a chapter focusing on Ariel in this arc, plus A:TLAS is the best cartoon ever!
ShadowDragon9000: Lol, Slurpuff is going to be a beast, so she won't have too many issues with her opponents throughout the rest of the region, though she'll obviously lose some battles
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 39, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Nuzzle, Electro Ball*, Double Team*
Slurpuff, (f), level 40, Fairy Wind, Fake Tears, Cotton Spore, Draining Kiss, Energy Ball*
Butterfree, (f), level 37, 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*
Owen looked around quickly while a figure followed right behind him. Greninja stepped in front of his trainer and hopped into a tree above his trainer's head. The snow on the ground was making traveling by foot extremely difficult, but the water frog and Charizard, who was flying, didn't have to suffer through the terrain. Brooklyn, meanwhile, was saddled on Owen's back, slowing the teen down even more while everyone else walked past them.
"Why can't you walk on your own?" Cindy asked the older girl angrily. The older girl made an offensive gesture with her finger, making Daniel laugh while Cindy glared at Brooklyn.
"How far away did Ariel say Anistar City was?" Eddy inquired while a gust of snow hit him in the face, much to his dismay. Owen quickly opened his PokeGear and looked at the text his sister had sent, and he held it out to Eddy, who groaned after reading the message. "Another couple of hours? I can't keep traveling like this," the eight year old complained.
"Well, we can only travel in the night because of Team Grim, so go complain to them," Cindy spat in agitation as the five trainers and Owen's two starters continued their trek through the snow. Greninja happily led the trainers by using his incredible acrobatic skills while Charizard trailed behind, making sure no one would sneak up on his trainer or the others.
"Are you sure it's only a few more hours? It doesn't feel like we're getting close," Charizard said, his translator making him sound like a robot. Owen stuck his thumb out instead of turning around, but Charizard wasn't convinced by his trainer's response. "Let's take a break. I can light a fire for you guys," Charizard offered, which was met with a resounding roar of approval from the freezing humans. After finding a cave to sit in, Charizard spit embers out of his mouth and the ground caught fire, though it wasn't getting out of hand because Greninja made sure to make a ring of water sit around the fire.
"Why can't we just travel like we used to? We haven't seen anyone from Team Grim since Lumiose City," Cindy said to the three older teens, who all looked at each other before shaking their heads in unison.
"As much as I want to, we have to stick to this schedule if Owen wants to be safe," Daniel replied, which resulted in Cindy cursing under her breath. "Speaking of Team Grim, why exactly do they want to kill you and Ariel so badly?"
"I wish I knew," Owen answered while leaning against the wall, sighing after doing so. "It all started with me battling Frank on my way to Santalune City, so I guess it's because I've tried to stop them from accomplishing whatever it is they want to."
"That's right. What I don't get is why Frank decided to spare us when he could've killed you, Greninja, and me," Charizard said to Owen, who he was sitting next to. Greninja nodded along with Charizard's words while Brooklyn leaned against Owen's shoulder in exhaustion.
"Are you feeling alright?" the blonde's boyfriend quizzed.
"I'm fine, don't worry about it. Once we get out of this place, I'll be fine," Brooklyn answered quietly, worrying Owen. The fifteen year old motioned for Charizard to move his tail closer to Brooklyn so the fire could warm her, and the lizard obeyed, making Brooklyn smile.
"Ja!" Greninja grunted while throwing a Water Shuriken at the entrance of the cave, making everyone flinch in shock while the water type took a battle stance and growled lowly.
"What's the matter?" Eddy asked the fully evolved Pokemon, who didn't move a muscle while still glaring at the entrance. Greninja quickly muttered something to Charizard, who stood up and began to release embers from his nostrils intimidatingly.
"There's something out there waiting for us. I felt its presence when we left Anistar," Charizard announced. Everyone looked at each other nervously, but Owen rose from his seat and began to walk towards his two Pokemon.
"We'll go out and check, Charizard. I want you to stay here and make sure everyone's okay." The fire lizard looked down at his trainer and nodded reluctantly while Owen and Greninja began to walk out of the cave slowly. "Tyrantrum, come on out!" Owen shouted once he and Greninja were back in the snowstorm. The menacing t-rex roared powerfully when he escaped his Pokeball, and he looked at Owen with a smile. "Tyrantrum, apparently there's something following us, so I want you to stay out of your Pokeball to intimidate them."
"Rum," Tyrantrum replied quickly. Suddenly, the dragon type looked around and began to growl while Greninja created two large Water Shuriken attacks in his hands. While Owen looked around nervously, he screamed when a ghostly had reached out to grab him, but it was stopped by Greninja throwing both of the shurikens.
"Noir!" Suddenly, another fist came out of nowhere and struck Tyrantrum in the leg, making the Pokemon fall in pain while roaring.
"Are you okay?" Owen asked Tyrantrum while running to the dragon type's side. Tyrantrum tried reassuring his trainer he was fine, but the Pokemon grimaced in pain, forcing Owen to withdraw him.
"It's alright, Tyrantrum, return." When Owen clipped the rock type's Pokeball on his belt, he rose to his feet and stood by Greninja's side. "Greninja, use Smack Down!" the teen shouted when a dark red light flashed in front of him. Greninja opened his mouth and fired a large rock towards the light. Much to his shock, Owen watched as the attack bounced off the light and knocked Greninja into the snow.
"Gren," the water type muttered while wiping the snow off his body, and he looked around after losing the unknown opponent.
"Noir!" Two large hands clamped around Greninja's body, and he was lifted off the ground by his attacker. Owen turned upon hearing the wild Pokemon, and he stared in shock as a Dusknoir tossed Greninja in the air and landed a vicious Shadow Ball that launched the water starter several yards behind Owen.
"Greninja!" Owen shouted while running towards his Pokemon. He was stopped, however, when a suction-like force began to pull him towards Dusknoir. The teen turned and saw Dusknoir's stomach had opened and a tiny black hole was present. Screams could be heard escaping the ghost type's stomach, and Owen tried clawing at the ground to gain a grip, but the snow didn't allow him to do that.
"Nin!" Greninja sprinted forwards and threw a Water Shuriken at Dusknoir, but the ghost knocked the attack away and struck Greninja with a Shadow Punch that knocked him unconscious immediately.
"No no no. Come on out!" Owen shouted after randomly grabbing a Pokeball and throwing it in the air. Pikachu landed in front of Owen and he immediately fired a Thunderbolt at Dusknoir, who was unable to block the attack. Due to the power of Pikachu's Thunderbolt, Dusknoir's stomach lost its ability to pull Owen, and the teen ran several feet back and withdrew Greninja to his Pokeball while Pikachu began to release electricity from his red cheeks.
"Dusk," Dusknoir muttered before disappearing into the darkness. Pikachu and Owen looked around rapidly until Dusknoir appeared right in front of Pikachu and grabbed him. The electric type attempted to break free of the ghost's grip, but he was thrown against the ground before being struck by a Shadow Ball that launched him into the air. Owen took a few steps and caught his fainted Pokemon, looking back up in fear while Dusknoir began to float towards him.
"Don't come any closer!" Owen screamed at the ghost, though the Dusknoir didn't listen to him. "That's it! Haunter, I need your help!" Owen chucked another Pokeball forward, and Haunter appeared in front of her trainer. Dusknoir immediately stopped in his tracks, and he glared at Haunter, who began to crack her knuckles. "Shadow Punch!" Haunter reared her hand back and fired a fist towards Dusknoir, who countered with his own Shadow Punch. The two attacks collided, causing an explosion to occur, which sent Haunter rolling back towards Owen.
"Duuusk." Owen and Haunter looked up to see Dusknoir was floating right above Haunter, and he grabbed the purple ghost violently. The Hoenn Pokemon then started shaking Haunter before slamming her against the ground. Then, Dusknoir loaded his arm back and attempted to punch Haunter. The attack didn't strike, though, because Owen tackled the powerful Pokemon, knocking him off Haunter.
"Haunter, use Night Shade!" Owen commanded as he was thrown back towards his Pokemon. Haunter quickly grabbed her trainer and then fired a vertical line of purple energy at Dusknoir, who crushed the attack with a Shadow Ball. Haunter was sent flying back, leaving Owen by himself. Without thinking, the teen tried to reach for another Pokeball on his belt, but Dusknoir reached forward and grabbed Owen's arms.
"Noirrr." Suddenly, Dusknoir's stomach opened and it began to pull Owen in, but the teen slowed down the process by fighting back. While that was happening, Haunter slowly got off the ground and turned to see her trainer being sucked into Dusknoir's stomach.
"Let go of me!" Owen roared before biting Dusknoir's arm, making the ghost cry out in pain. Enraged by Owen's actions, Dusknoir wrapped his hand around Owen's neck and lifted him in the air. He stopped, however, when a growing noise rang in his head. The fully evolved Pokemon looked past Owen and saw Haunter slowly floating forwards, and she reared her arm back before firing a Shadow Punch. Dusknoir was hit by the attack and let go of Owen as a result of the force, but he got back up.
"Haaauunnteeerrrr!" the ghost boomed while glaring at Dusknoir. Owen watched in confusion before gasping when Haunter was enveloped in a bright light. Her large hands disappeared and were replaced by two arms with four fingers on the end of each, and she grew legs. When the light faded, the newly evolved Pokemon turned its head slightly and nodded confidently before looking back at Dusknoir.
"Gengar, the Shadow Pokemon. Hiding in people's shadows at night, it absorbs their heat. The chill it causes makes the victims shake." Owen looked up from his Pokedex and stared at the Pokemon in front of him in awe. Something about Gengar seemed so much more powerful than Haunter, namely its confidence.
"Geng!" Owen snapped out of his thoughts and watched as Gengar threw her fist forward and clobbered Dusknoir with a wicked Shadow Punch, sending the taller ghost into the air. Gengar quickly pursued and managed to fly above Dusknoir, and she unleashed a devastating Shadow Ball that caused Dusknoir to slam into the ground. While Dusknoir tried to get up, his efforts were stopped when Gengar dropped from the air and slammed down on her opponent violently. The Kanto Pokemon grinned wickedly as she put her hands together and an orb of red energy appeared in-between her hands. A ray of red energy was fired, and Dusknoir let out a pained roar as Gengar grabbed him by his head, and she began to spin around rapidly before hurling him a country mile.
After watching her opponent disappear, Gengar turned to Owen and helped the teen off the ground. The ghost and poison type smiled at Owen, who hugged the Pokemon in response, catching Gengar by surprise.
"Thank you, Gengar. I would've been done for if you didn't save me." Gengar nodded at her trainer and suddenly grabbed him before somehow flying through the air. After a minute or two of flying, they arrived back at the cave, and Owen walked inside with Gengar walking right next to him.
"There you are! We were so worried!" Brooklyn shouted as she hopped off the ground and hugged her boyfriend, who hugged her back tightly. Charizard followed close behind the girl and hugged his trainer once Brooklyn walked back to the fire.
"How's she evolve?" the lizard asked while pointing at Gengar, who snickered at the question.
"I'll tell you later. Right now I just want to go to sleep," Owen answered, walking past Charizard as he did so. The fire and flying type nodded and followed Owen with Gengar, and the group sat around the fire before falling asleep, except for Charizard and Gengar. The ghost had decided to guard the cave just incase any intruders decided to try their luck, and Charizard looked at her with a smile.
"She's going to be special. Owen's got himself one hell of a Pokemon."
Hmm... Charizard's impressed with Gengar. If only he saw her destroy that Dusknoir, but whatever. So, Owen battled a freaky Dusknoir and Haunter evolved to save Owen and defeat Dusknoir. She's definitely going to be a major powerhouse, so it looks like Owen's team is set. Also, I'll explain why Gengar was able to evolve next chapter. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Grim's Final Steps": With their goal of taking over Kalos all but complete, Frank and his admins discuss their future plans of how they're going to deal with Owen and Ariel. What exactly do these evildoers have up their sleeves?
Anistar City Arc
Chapter 55: A Colossal Evolution
Chapter 56: A Shot at Redemption
Chapter 57: Mother-Daughter Bonding Time
Chapter 58: The Slumbering Beast
Chapter 59: Brawn vs Brain
Chapter 60: Starring in Anistar!
Chapter 61: Waking the Beast