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!
So... it's flashback time, I guess. Last chapter, Ariel and Catherine talked briefly about Ariel's past, which included Ariel being a member of the Elite 4 for a brief period of time before losing her position, and then they watched Frank's 'show' before fleeing Laverre City. Catherine then told Owen and Ariel, along with their traveling companions, that Frank was their father! So many questions, a decent amount of answers, and I'm pumped, mainly because I just drank my first ever cup of coffee, but that's not important. Let's get going!
guest: The drama was really difficult to pass up, and I didn't feel that introducing another character would've been a smart decision, given the abundance of characters already present in the story
MCMXCV: Bruh, it's going to be awesome to write! It'll kind of be a few small things that eventually push him over the edge, though I'll probably throw in some stuff that comes to me while writing
SomeGuy (guest): Dude, feel free to shout it to the heavens! And thank you! I'm thinking the Grim Arc will be between 5-7 chapters, and I'll probably have one of this be about Frank reflecting on his past or something along those lines
SinnohBlaze (guest): Lol, I figured the lies would throw you guys off, but I guess not. And I haven't read Artemis Fowl, but that idea sounds pretty interesting, so I'll see if I can make it work. And no problem for answering your questions, it's one of the more enjoyable things to do on this site (not saying this site isn't fun, just saying I really like interacting with readers). As for your question, there will be a betrayal, but I doubt anyone will guess who will join forces with Owen and co.
Defender31415: Well shucks. And don't worry, I won't use the "Owen, I am your father" line, it'll basically be Frank trashing him instead :)
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 43, 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 42, Dragon Claw, Stomp, Stealth Rock, Crunch, Ancient Power*, Dragon Tail*
Chesnaught, (m), level 41, Mega Drain, Needle Arm, Rollout, Vine Whip, Spiky Shield*, 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*
"That sick monster's my dad!?" Ariel screamed, falling off her seat. Catherine sighed and nodded as Ariel stood up in rage and screamed while pulling her hair. Everyone else sat in silence for different reasons, but they waited for Catherine to build upon her confession.
"He used to be a lot different when we were younger," Catherine tried telling Ariel, who refused to listen, resorting to plugging her ears with her fingers. Blaziken, meanwhile, stared in shock along with Charizard. The two fire types were sitting next to Owen, who buried his face in his hands, not uttering a word. "Those pictures I showed you of the Elite 4," Catherine started while pulling the book out of her backpack. "The boy I was standing next to was him." She showed everyone the pictures once again, which showed a young girl blushing while a teenage boy that looked almost exactly like Owen had his arm wrapped around her shoulder, giving a peace sign to the camera.
"He looked so much more... not evil?" Brooklyn opined, trying to think of a word to describe the teen in the picture, failing to do so. "What exactly happened to him? What was he like as a father?" the blonde inquired.
"Well," Catherine said, humming the word. "I guess I'll just tell you the story of how I met him and then go from there," the woman informed Brooklyn, looking around at the others. Her kids, however, didn't seem interested in the story as Ariel continued to plug her ears while Owen's face was still covered.
"I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just gotten my starters, Flint and Amber, and I was walking towards the Tower of Mastery, because I lived in Shalour City. I was dead-set on telling Gurkinn that I was going to collect all eight badges and become a member of the Elite 4, because he had taught me everything I could about Pokemon, but when I found out he wasn't there, I figured Amber and Flint wouldn't mind spending a day at the beach. We played and played while the tide began to grow, though none of us seemed to notice."
"Sorry to interrupt, but when is Frank going to come in?" Cindy asked eagerly, making Catherine laugh.
"Actually, right about now."
"Like I was saying before, the tide began to reach further, and it eventually swept Amber up and began to drag her into the water. I tried to swim after her, but the tide was too strong, and she started drowning. Then, all of a sudden, I saw a boy and his Dratini dive into the water and swim after Amber. I don't know how, but he managed to save her and pull her back to land."
"So Frank saved Amber's life?" Daniel quizzed, which was answered with a simple nod. Owen slowly uncovered his face and looked at his mom, wanting to hear more of the story. Ariel also took her fingers out of her ears, and she slowly sat down next to Blaziken, leaning against the fire and fighting type.
"I kept thanking him after he sprayed Amber with a Full Restore, and he was really modest about it, saying that it wasn't a big deal or anything. To make a long story short, we decided to travel Kalos together and we fell in love."
"Wait, if you two traveled together, how did you both get into the Elite 4? Only one of you could've won the Kalos League," Eddy said.
"You're right about that, but the rules back then were different. The four trainers that made it to the semifinals would battle against each member of the Elite 4, with the winners taking the place of the Elite 4 member they beat. Frank and I both won our battles, so we both got accepted into the Elite 4."
"Wow," Eddy mumbled in awe. For knowing so much about Pokemon and league histories, he had never known about the old rules Kalos had.
"If that's how you two met, how did you get pregnant?" Ariel asked.
"It's simple really. When a man loves a woman-" Blaziken was cut off by Ariel slapping his arm, making the fire type chuckle at his trainer being embarrassed. Charizard laughed alongside his brother while the others laughed, but Catherine was the first to stop.
"Well, when you're living with someone you really like and you spend all of your time together, something's bound to happen," Catherine told Ariel bluntly. Both Owen and Ariel's faces scrunched up in disgust at the thought while Brooklyn blushed and looked over at Owen. Charizard glanced back at the girl and grinned slyly, making Brooklyn's face burn, and she turned away from the laughing Pokemon.
"Did either of you think about how young you were?" Owen asked like a parent would their child.
"Of course, but when you're young and in love you do stupid things," his mother answered, making Owen blush slightly while looking over at Brooklyn, who had the exact same reaction. "We didn't think much would come of it, and we both knew we'd get married, so it wasn't a big deal."
"But you were sixteen!" Ariel screamed.
"Looking back on it, it was definitely a stupid decision, but now I have you two, so it all worked out," the thirty three year old said to the twins wholeheartedly.
"Could you tell us what Frank was like as a father? Or at least what pushed him over the edge?" Cindy questioned.
"Sure."
"We had been dating for three years when I found out I was pregnant, and both of us were really nervous about raising a kid, let alone two. But we figured there wouldn't be an financial issues because we were making really good money, and Frank's salary alone was more than enough. After these two were born, I had to take a leave of absence from the Elite 4. They decided to not fill my spot, opting to go with three members and the champion instead, but there were some issues because the champion had retired and I was supposed to take his spot. Even with Frank's constant working, he was an incredible father, always playing with both of you and taking care of you whenever you'd cry in the night."
"Then what happened? He sounds like he was a great guy and now he's a genocidal maniac!" Owen exclaimed while jumping from his seat. Charizard and Greninja nodded at their trainer's statement, remembering when the man nearly killed all of them during their first day traveling in Kalos, which was something they'd live with for the rest of their lives.
"Well, there were a few things that didn't sit well with him."
"After I was cleared to rejoin the Elite 4, I decided not to because I had to take care of both of you, which I was more than happy to do. Frank, however, was annoyed that I had put you both in front of my career, probably because I would've made a lot as the Champion, but that's beside the point. After that, the league decided to vote on who the new Champion and members of the Elite 4 would be, and Frank was sure he was going to be elected, but he wasn't. Something about him changed that day when he came home, because he stopped paying attention to both of you, and he began focusing solely on his career and how he'd become the Champion."
"Wait, he's what he is now because he wasn't voted the Champion? What an ass," Ariel spat in disgust. "You were supposed to be the Champion in the first place, why was he so angry?"
"I don't know. I guess his ego got the best of him."
"Anyways, I decided to confront him about not spending anytime with his kids, and that was the last straw. He snapped and went on a rampage, almost injuring both of you. Thankfully, his Dragonite kept him from doing anything, and that's when I knew it wasn't safe for either of you to be in Kalos, so you were put up for adoption."
"Wow, that's so sad," Daniel said, which made Catherine, Owen, and Ariel nod.
"Is that why he's going after you?" Eddy asked the older woman, who shrugged in response.
"Probably. There's no telling what Frank will do." With that, the woman stood up and looked around at everyone sitting near her, and she put her hands on her hips. "There's only one way to stop him and the rest of Team Grim, and that's by taking action."
"What do you mean?" Brooklyn quizzed nervously, hoping Owen's mother wasn't going to say what the teen expected.
"No one else is going to try and stop them, so it's up to us!"
"That's what I like to hear," Ariel told her mother as she punched her right hand into her left. "I've always wanted to crush some Grim skulls." Blaziken nodded along with Ariel and Catherine while Owen and his companions looked at each other nervously before Eddy and Cindy stood up energetically.
"Let's do it!" the youngest members exclaimed, leaving Owen, Daniel, and Brooklyn left to think about their decisions.
"I guess you're right about us being the only ones left. I'm in," Daniel informed the others, who cheered in response. Brooklyn quickly looked over at Owen and watched as he glanced at Greninja and Charizard, who looked torn about whether they wanted to get involved or not.
"I'm up for it. Let's take down Team Grim," Brooklyn stated, trying to convince Owen. The fifteen year old looked around at everyone, as they were all staring at him, and he placed both of his hands on Charizard and Greninja's heads.
"If this is what it takes to save Kalos, count me in."
"Great! Now all we have to do is train so we can beat Grim Reversion!" Cindy cheered excitedly, though everyone else - excluding Catherine - looked crushed by the mentioning of Grim Reversion.
"Don't worry, I know exactly how to beat that, and you're the one that'll do it, Owen."
Well, that's all I've got for this chapter. I didn't dive too deep into Catherine's past because I think it'll be more powerful if you get Frank's side of the story, so there's my explanation/excuse for the chapter being so short. Till next time, peace out.
1) What do you think Catherine has in store for Owen?
Next Chapter: "Countering Grim Reversion!": While the group tries to formulate a plan to vanquish Team Grim and Frank, Catherine attempts to train with Owen and his Pokemon, teaching him and Charizard a sacred technique only she knows. What exactly is this technique? Will it be enough to trounce Grim Reversion?
Acerbus Arc
Chapter 59: Owen's Promise: A Vow of Love!
Chapter 60: Vanishing Act