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!
What's going on, people? Last chapter was a huge turn in a different direction with Frank murdering the entire Elite 4, including Diantha, publicly, and he is now targeting Catherine! There isn't much else to say other than please read the end of the chapter A/N for some very important information regarding this arc. Let's get going!
Defender31415: It's possible, but you'll meet the father much sooner than I originally anticipated
SomeGuy (guest): Please, don't be afraid to criticize constructively, I really enjoy reading your reviews, so I don't hate you for not liking a chapter. I didn't even think of describing the Elite 4 due to my being a Pokemon fan so I already know who they are, so I agree with you wholeheartedly with my not describing them and having them be more involved hurting the emotions the reader feels. And I had originally planned for the group to get through Anistar before the actual announcement occurred, but I'll be changing the rest of this arc and making it shorter, so the Grim Arc is going to be coming up sooner than expected. And I do have reasoning for killing off the entire Kalos Elite 4, which isn't because of me disliking them (though I did/do think they're weaker than other Elite 4's)
ShadowDragon9000: That was 100% the intention of the chapter, and you're kind of right in regards to the second question, though it's a lot more specific than that, so I don't really expect anyone to hit it right on the head
guest: All very valid points for the deaths being unexpected, but Team Grim did pop up at the Pokemon League unexpectedly, so that's about the only argument I can think of. And just like I said to ShadowDragon9000, you kind of got the second question, but the answer's a little more specific
MCMXCV: Yeah, two points (guest being the first) in favor of Frank being a badass! Haha, and Spike's a pretty nonchalant guy at times, but he seems like a less extreme version of Frank. And he'll definitely get to face off with Daniel next arc, but that's about all I can say in regards to that
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*, ?*
Gengar, (f), level 41, Shadow Punch, Mean Look, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch*, Payback*
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*
Quilladin, (m), level 38, Mega Drain, Needle Arm, Rollout, Vine Whip, Energy Ball*, Seed Bomb*
With Professor Sycamore
Hawlucha, (m), level 40, Wing Attack, Karate Chop, Flying Press, Aerial Ace, Bounce*
Pikachu, (m), level 39, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Nuzzle, Electro Ball*, Double Team*
"How the heck did you even evolve?" Tyrantrum asked Gengar while they were outside their Pokeballs along with their teammates. The trainers, meanwhile, were still sleeping due to their rough night of traveling, so the Pokemon knew there wasn't going to be much activity for the day.
"Yeah, aren't you supposed to evolve after getting traded or something?" Butterfree quizzed. Gengar shrugged and looked around at the others, who had broken into groups talking about different things.
"I saw Owen was in trouble, and something kind of took over me, and then I just evolved. That's as simple as it can get," the ghost answered nonchalantly, not wanting to say that she felt a strong bond with Owen. The other two Pokemon nodded, but the peace was broken when Slurpuff walked over.
"Hey, guys!"
"Eeek!" Tyrantrum screamed, hiding behind Butterfree as he did so. All of the Pokemon stopped their conversations and looked over at Tyrantrum before laughing hysterically. "What is that thing?"
"You can't be afraid of a little fairy type, Tyrantrum," Quilladin mocked as he rolled over to the growing group of Pokemon. Tyrantrum glared at the fat grass type and shook his head furiously, refusing to admit he was terrified of Slurpuff. "Okay, then why don't you introduce yourself to Slurpuff?" The dragon and rock type slowly turned to face Slurpuff and cringed when he saw the chubby Pokemon waving with a stupid smile.
"I'm Slurpuff! Nice to meet you!"
"Aaaagh!" Tyrantrum screamed, running away from the fairy type, who thought Tyrantrum was playing a game, so she chased after him. Everyone cracked up as Tyrantrum continued to run away from Slurpuff, but when she decided to kick it into high-gear, Slurpuff jumped onto Tyrantrum's back and the large Pokemon fell over. The ground shook violently, shaking the five tents the trainers were sleeping in, and every one of the Pokemon stopped and waited for one of the trainers to wake up.
"What the hell are you doing?" Brooklyn asked as she walked out of her tent, rubbing her eyes groggily.
"What are you doing?" Charizard shot back, hoping his childish response would somehow work. Brooklyn tensed up at the question and laughed nervously as she backpedaled into her tent, disappearing quickly. "Did that actually work?"
"Morning, everyone," Owen muttered as he walked out of the same tent Brooklyn had just gone back into. Charizard's face burned bright red, and so did Owen's when he realized all of the Pokemon were giving him the same stares of shock, and he bolted into a tent that was across from Brooklyn's.
"I think we know why she didn't answer," Braixen whispered to Greninja, who nodded slowly, still in shock.
"I don't get it. Why were they in the same tent?" Axew inquired, sitting on Aerodactyl's back. Quilladin laughed silently at the question as Axew looked at the older Pokemon, who didn't know what to say. Charizard, Aerodactyl, and Dragonair tried to think of an answer, but Gogoat was the first to answer.
"I think they were trying to make an egg."
"Shut up!" Butterfree shouted, not wanting to hear Gogoat's thought. The grass type closed his mouth immediately and looked at his three teammates, who nodded at him.
000
After an hour or two, Owen was the first to leave his tent and hang out with the large group of Pokemon, mainly his. The teen sat along with Charizard, Butterfree, Tyrantrum, and Slurpuff, while Greninja was talking to Braixen and Dragonair, and Quilladin was training with Gengar.
"So what do you guys want to do today?" Owen asked while looking at his Pokemon. Butterfree, who was perched on his head, flapped her wings and landed on the ground in front of her trainer, and she took a battling pose. Slurpuff did the same thing while Tyrantrum nodded in agreement with the smaller Pokemon.
"I wouldn't mind training, either. Should I wake someone up?" Charizard asked excitedly. Owen shrugged and called his other Pokemon over, and they slowly walked towards their trainer.
"We're gonna train today, so do you want us to wake someone up?" Quilladin, Gengar, and Greninja shook their heads emphatically, and Owen rose to his feet after their responses. "Okay, I guess we'll have some practice battles," Owen muttered.
"I'm up, if you want to battle," Daniel said as he walked over to Owen, who jumped in shock.
"What do you guys say? Do you want to battle Daniel?" Owen asked his Pokemon, who cheered in response. After setting up a makeshift battlefield, the two teens stood on opposite ends with their Pokemon sitting on the sides.
"Do you mind if we have a double battle first? I want to work with Axew and Aerodactyl," Daniel requested, which Owen allowed. "Come on over, you two. Let's show Owen and his Pokemon how strong we are!" Daniel exclaimed. Aerodactyl and Axew rolled their eyes before standing in front of Daniel, and Owen looked over at his Pokemon, who were all grinning.
"What's so funny?" the Kantonian questioned. Greninja ran over to his trainer's side and pointed at Tyrantrum and Slurpuff repeatedly before running back to his teammates, who continued to laugh. "Okay, I guess. Slurpuff and Tyrantrum, let's go!" Tyrantrum gasped in horror before shooting a nasty look at the others while he and Slurpuff stood in front of Owen.
"You can have the first move," Daniel proposed.
"Sounds good. Slurpuff, hop onto Tyrantrum's back just like Axew!" Slurpuff nodded and sprung into the air, landing on Tyrantrum's head. The dragon type roared in fear and began to flail violently while Slurpuff held on for dear life, and everyone except Owen began to laugh. "Tyrantrum, calm down! Slurpuff's on your team!" The dragon type slowly calmed down and took a deep breath, fighting every fiber in his being to send Slurpuff flying into space. "Great! Now use Ancient Power! Slurpuff, speed it up with Fairy Wind!"
"Take to the sky, Aerodactyl!" Daniel commanded. Aerodactyl refused to listen, however, and he decided to try and take the combination head-on. After Tyrantrum roared and hurled five boulders, Slurpuff jumped and opened her mouth, releasing a pink wind that wrapped around the rocks and sped them up. "Axew, destroy the boulders with Dragon Rage!" The tiny dragon realized the attack was aimed at Aerodactyl, so he hopped off his friend and unleashed several Dragon Rage attacks that collided with the rocks, but they were overpowered due to Fairy Wind. Both Axew and Aerodactyl were clobbered by the attacks, but they refused to back down.
"Charge and use Dragon Tail, Tyrantrum! Slurpuff, jump and use Draining Kiss on Axew!" Tyrantrum ran across the grass towards his fellow prehistoric Pokemon, and his tail began to glow turquoise before he whipped it at Aerodactyl. Meanwhile, Slurpuff hopped off Tyrantrum's head and kissed the air, sending a large kiss mark of energy to fly through the air.
"Aerodactyl, grab Axew and fly away!" Even though he didn't want to listen to Daniel, Aerodactyl decided to obey the trainer because he didn't want Axew to get hurt. He was too slow, however, and Tyrantrum slammed his tail over Aerodactyl's head, making the rock and flying type cry out in pain. Axew turned to try and help his friend, but Draining Kiss struck him and made him fall the the ground.
"Keep it up, you two! Slurpuff, use Energy Ball! Tyrantrum, Dragon Claw!" The two Pokemon began charging their final attacks, but they stopped when Daniel raised his hands. When Owen's two Pokemon stopped, Daniel walked forward and knelt down next to Axew and Aerodactyl with a smile, and he began petting both Pokemon, who looked at him strangely.
"I think that's enough for now," Daniel told Owen as he helped his two Pokemon off the ground, escorting them to Dragonair and Dedenne's side. Axew and Aerodactyl continued to look at Daniel in confusion after he thanked them for their efforts, and he walked back to where he was standing during the battle.
"Awesome work, Slurpuff and Tyrantrum," Owen said while giving both Pokemon high-fives. Slurpuff jumped up and licked Owen's face and he wiped the sticky saliva off his face in disgust, but he smiled when he saw Slurpuff hop on Tyrantrum's back and the two complimented each other before walking back to the side.
"So do you want to have a one on one battle? I think it'd really help us for our contest just incase one of my Pokemon faints during the battle rounds."
"I don't have a problem with that," Owen answered with a grin while Daniel nodded.
"Dedenne, do you want to battle?" Daniel asked the tiny fairy and electric type, who dashed forwards without hesitation. "We're ready to go!"
"That's the spirit! Quilladin, I choose you!" Owen shouted without looking at the grass type. Quilladin, though shocked at first, quickly rolled over to his trainer and hopped up, landing on his feet lightly while glaring at Dedenne. The tiny rodent dropped to all fours and prepared to attack Quilladin when Owen allowed Daniel to have the first move.
"Dedenne, use Play Rough!" Dedenne sprinted across the grass while her body was covered in pink energy, and she slammed her head into Quilladin's stomach, sending the circular Pokemon rolling back into Owen before popping up athletically.
"Smack 'em with Vine Whip before Dedenne can get away!" Owen countered. Two vines shot out of Quilladin's neck and he slapped Dedenne violently, but the electric and fairy type sprinted away.
"Now use Thunderbolt, Dedenne!" Daniel commanded, throwing his right arm to his side. The orange rodent hopped in the air and unleashed a zigzagging bolt of electricity that zapped Quilladin, making the grass type cry out in pain before falling over. Sensing his teammates staring at him, Quilladin forced himself to get back up, resulting in everyone cheering for him.
"That's what I like to see, Quilladin! Use Rollout!" Quilladin nodded and began to roll like a wheel towards Dedenne, who was steamrolled by the super effective attack, which made Dragonair wince along with Aerodactyl and Axew. After turning and rolling back to Owen, Quilladin stood upright and flexed proudly while Dedenne and Daniel took advantage of his celebrating.
"Parabolic Charge!" Dedenne opened her mouth and fired a ball of electricity that sent Quilladin flying through the air. When he smacked against the ground, Dedenne's health was restored, and all of Owen's Pokemon began cheering encouragingly for their teammate, who slowly pushed himself back up despite the pain surging through his body.
"Quilla-Din!" the grass type cried as he was suddenly enveloped in a blinding white light, forcing everyone to cover their eyes. Quilladin's legs suddenly grew substantially while his arms also grew in length and width. A large shell grew on his back while he slouched over, and several large spikes shooting out of it. His brown hair quickly turned white, and the large Pokemon roared menacingly.
"Chesnaught, the Spiny Armor Pokemon. When it takes a defensive posture with its fists guarding its face, it could withstand a bomb blast. New move learned: Spiky Shield."
Owen looked up at the enormous bipedal Pokemon and grinned, remembering how strong Maria's Chesnaught was, and the fighting type began to punch his fists together intimidatingly, making Dedenne sweat drop.
"Chesnaught, use Seed Bomb!" Chesnaught grinned and he threw his hands forward, releasing several white balls of energy into the air, which all descended like bombs and exploded when they hit the ground. Dedenne was quickly launched into the air and Chesnaught continued his onslaught without hesitation. "Use Vine Whip to throw Dedenne into the ground!" Two vines shot out of each of Chesnaught's arms, and the grass and fighting type wrapped his vines around Dedenne. With a powerful flick of his vines, Chesnaught slammed Dedenne into the ground, cracking the earth beneath the electric type.
Much to everyone's surprise, including Chesnaught, Dedenne was down for the count, and the grass type's teammates ran over to him and celebrated excitedly. Greninja was the most excited of the Pokemon, as he jumped on Chesnaught and nearly brought the grass type to the ground, but Chesnaught managed to recover just in time.
000
After the battle, Owen, Daniel, and their Pokemon walked back to the campsite where Brooklyn, Cindy, and Eddy were standing. When the three saw the teenage boys, they immediately ran over worriedly, confusing Owen and Daniel.
"What's up?" Daniel asked in confusion before Brooklyn threw her PokeGear in his face, and the headline grabbed everyone's attention.
"Elite 4 Executed Publicly" was what the title was, and Owen nearly fell on the ground.
"That has to be some fake website. There's no way the entire Elite 4 got killed, if any of them," Owen denied, refusing to believe something fatal had happened to any of the strongest trainers in Kalos.
"It was Team Grim," Cindy stated coldly, making Owen's heart stop.
"What did they say?" Owen inquired, looking at the three who had already read the article. Eddy was the one to speak up, and his words sent chills down Owen's spine.
"Frank said he was going after your mom."
Dun dun dun! So it looks like Owen's got his work cut out for him, and boy is he going to need some help when the epic Grim Arc rolls around. Originally, I wanted him to get his seventh badge this arc, but I've decided (as usual) to really switch things up and throw you all a curve ball! I'm going to go back and rename this arc as soon as possible, and the Anistar Arc will begin after these two. So, this arc will mainly be the buildup for the Grim Arc, while Anistar and Snowbelle will end up being combined. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Mother-Daughter Bonding": While Frank's execution goes on, Ariel and Catherine spend a day out on the town bonding. Their day is ruined, however, when they go home to see the broadcast. Now facing the looming threat of Team Grim and Frank, Ariel and Catherine begin to pack up their things and hit the road in hopes of finding Owen and the others.
Acerbus Arc
Chapter 57: Daddy was a Rolling Stone
Chapter 58: Family Reunion
Chapter 59: Countering Grim Reversion!
Chapter 60: Owen's Promise: A Vow of Love!
Chapter 61: Vanishing Act