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!
All I have to say is damn, last chapter was tough. I didn't expect to kill of Ariel and Catherine, but I felt it needed to happen, because they didn't have roles in the rest of the story, so that's the way the cookie crumbles. It does suck to see Owen's only remaining family member be Frank, but I don't think anyone really expected that to happen. Now, let's get going!
midnightrebellion86: I'd love to tell you that I'll honor the request... but I can't. I think the idea of Owen joining Team Grim would be cool/funny, given how much he hates Frank and all. Maybe I'll write an epilogue chapter about that...
Trentavious Phoenix: I didn't even think about Catherine's Pokemon, lol. That's an interesting idea, too, though I don't think they'd be used in a league battle. Will they be used in a battle? Possibly. As for the OC for the league, I won't be taking one, but I'll PM you about something else I could use one for
SomeGuy (guest): Haha, yes and no. I didn't want to kill Ariel or Catherine, but I felt like it needed to happen. Thinking about Blaziken being Batman makes me laugh for some reason, even though it's badass. And Catherine's Pokemon will definitely be going back to Oak's ranch, and they'll probably get to be involved in a battle
chaos02: Thank you!
guest: Well, aside from Oshawott, Tepig, and Fennekin, you are correct. Personally, I've always wanted Owen to get a Blaziken, but the opportunity had never occurred like it has now, so it's more than likely Blaziken will join his team
ShadowDragon9000: Well thank ya, kind sir. I was really conflicted about killing Owen's family (I had two other characters I was thinking about getting rid of), but in the end it happened. And the battle's ending was kind of foreshadowed in the beginning of the story, and during the chapter where Frank and Team Grim make their way to Lumiose City
dunastann: Good point, but I could probably make something up if no one wanted to see Blaziken join
Owen's team
Greninja, (m), level 39, Water Shuriken, Smack Down, Round, Quick Attack, Water Pulse*, Smokescreen*
Charizard, (m), level 72, 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*
"Please, just leave him alone!" Brooklyn begged as she tried to break out of the metal cuffs around her wrists. Frank turned his attention to the fifteen year old and he slowly started moving towards her. As he did, Owen's head slowly lifted off the ground and he looked up at his father with an expression that looked like he was on the verge of expiration.
"If you lay a finger on her, I'll kill you," he coughed while trying to move his limbs. They refused to work, however, yet he continued to try and fight to stand. A wicked smirk spread across Frank's face and he began to shake his head while laughing to himself. Brooklyn continued to try and break free from the cuffs, but she wasn't strong enough to do so.
"Words are cheap," the smug man told Owen as he began to walk towards him slowly, his boots smacking against the metal as he did so. The people watching from the ground all stared as every screen in Lumiose City was showing live footage, and they remained silent, praying that the teen they had been hunting and forced to hate would kill the sick man that had singlehandedly shredded the region to pieces. Suddenly, Frank swung his leg back and kicked Owen along his left side, making the fifteen year old grunt in pain as he rolled onto his right side before receiving another kick, this time to his stomach.
"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Brooklyn screamed as tears rushed to her eyes. She could only watch as blood shot out of Owen's mouth after another vicious kick to his stomach. After Owen stopped moving and responding to several other kicks, Frank wiped the sweat from his brow and made his way towards his remaining prisoners. Brooklyn, who was still staring at her boyfriend, didn't realize Frank was standing in front of her with an enraged expression.
"You know, I really hate when people scream obnoxiously," Frank said to her before slapping Brooklyn across the face, making the watching crowd gasp as the girl's head whipped to the side before hanging.. Frank turned away from the girl he didn't know and looked around at the other children next to her, who remained silent and looked petrified.
"Draga," Dragonite said to Frank while punching one fist into the other, but a weak voice spoke up before Frank could, drawing the tyrant's attention.
"I'm... never giving... up," Owen stated weakly as he rose to his feet. The contusions and blood covering his body made Owen unrecognizable. He had a black eye, his mouth was bleeding slightly, his arms had cuts and burns all over them, and his clothes were torn slightly, but the fire in his eyes was still burning. With every second he managed to keep standing, the Kantonian gained more energy, and he stood straight up before sticking his right fist out at Frank. "I made a promise to the people I love."
Owen's father turned to his Dragonite and cackled while the dragon removed himself from the situation. The Pokemon had to give Owen credit for being so resilient, and he just wanted him to roll over so Frank wouldn't torture him. Frank slowly began to clap sarcastically with a condescending smile on his face, and Owen began to take small steps towards the man standing between him and peace.
"You're blind. Love only cripples you, just look. I have the upper hand because your friends are in my control. If you were smart and separated yourself from all bonds, you wouldn't be in this situation," Frank said as he cracked his knuckles.
"I wouldn't be able to stand if it weren't for them, and mom, and Ariel," Owen shot back. "I'm not going to let you hurt anyone else!" With that, Owen charged at the larger man and prepared to punch him, but Frank delivered a swift and powerful jab that knocked Owen to the ground. Brooklyn and Daniel watched in terror as Frank placed his foot on Owen's neck and began to apply pressure, choking the boy. The sixteen year old tried pushing the man's foot off, but he didn't have enough energy to do so, making Frank cackle once again.
Slowly, Frank revealed the gun he had shot Owen's sister and mother with, and he pointed it at Brooklyn.
"I guess this battle's over. It was fun while it lasted, but as always, I get the last laugh." Frank chambered the round and aimed at the girl's head, and he slowly placed his finger on the trigger. As he did so, Owen began to push mightily, lifting the man's foot off his throat before coughing violently. "Say goodbye to your little girlfriend."
"NO!" Owen screamed. He suddenly shot up from the ground and tackled Frank as hard as he could, knocking the man off balance. Owen's heart dropped when he felt his momentum carry him farther than he wanted, but he held onto Frank as tightly as possible.
"Aaaggh!" the man screamed as he and Owen danced on the edge of the platform before gravity decided to work its magic. Suddenly, both trainers found themselves falling, but Owen refused to let Frank die without any pain. The teen quickly grabbed his dad's shirt and began punching him in the face while they approached the ground. Frank fought back and delivered several punches to Owen's face and stomach, knocking the wind out of the teen. The man then looked up to see Dragonite was speeding towards them, and he stuck his arms out to try and grab Dragonite.
"You're not getting away that easy!" Owen screamed, yanking Frank's arms back and pushing him. The two were only a mere hundred feet away from the ground, and Dragonite was closing in at a furious rate. The dragon type suddenly stuck his arm out and grabbed a hold of the falling body closest to him before easing up and watching the other smack against the ground. The crowd of people surrounded the body on the ground and looked up at Dragonite, cheering.
"Wh-why did you save me?" Owen asked the dragon type, who flew back to the top of the tower. When they landed, Dragonite freed Owen's friends from their handcuffs, and he helped Charizard up before taking his translator and putting it on.
"This isn't the first time I've done that, kid," Dragonite replied like an elderly man while Owen's friends embraced him, but they stopped when they realized how much pain he was in. "I kept Frank from killing you when you were a baby. He always used to tell me to protect you and your sister at any cost, but I failed. I wasn't about to let you die, too."
Owen stared in shock as Dragonite slowly looked away from him and glanced over at Charizard, who was starting to become fully conscious.
"I can't thank you enough, Dragonite," Owen told the dragon type, walking over to the Pokemon and hugging him. Dragonite smiled and hugged Owen back, but the embrace ended when Owen fell to the ground in pain.
"Owen, take it easy," Daniel instructed while helping his friend walk over to Charizard. Owen slid down and sat next to his starter and smiled at the fire type before looking at Dragonite, who seemed lost.
"What are you going to do now, Dragonite?" Eddy asked the Pokemon, who shrugged in response.
"I don't know. Being the Pokemon of a tyrant's kind of stressful," the dragon type joked, though no one laughed. "Owen, Charizard, please forgive me for our past encounters. I was only doing what Frank ordered me to do, and I figured acting the part would change my stance on fighting you two."
"Apology accepted," Owen answered while Charizard nodded solemnly. Dragonite bowed thankfully and handed Charizard his translator. The pseudo-legendary then waved to the five trainers and flew away from Prism Tower, leaving Owen and his traveling companions. "Now what are we going to do about Blaziken and the others?"
000
"I'm so sorry for your losses," Brooklyn said to Owen, leaning against his shoulder as he sat in his bed in the Lumiose City hospital. The teen didn't say anything as his brain replayed the images of Ariel and Catherine dying.
"Thank you," Owen finally said before hugging Brooklyn. Owen's Kalosian Pokemon were all sitting in the room while Charizard was being tended to, and they sat in silence. "It's just..." Owen paused, holding back the tears he knew would ultimately prevail. Suddenly, he began to cry, and he put his face in his hands. Brooklyn could only try to comfort her boyfriend while he struggled dealing with the losses of his family, but he eventually stopped crying and looked up at her. "I came here to find my parents, and now them and my sister are dead."
Brooklyn didn't know what to say, and she looked away from Owen before rising to her feet.
"They may not be here anymore, but you can always carry them in your heart." The words shocked Owen, and the teen looked out the window to his right while Brooklyn walked out of the room, leaving Owen with his Pokemon. Suddenly, the Pokemon all walked over to Owen and hugged their trainer, making him smile.
"Thanks, guys. Could you go check on Charizard and Blaziken? I want to make sure they're okay." The six Pokemon nodded and dashed out of the room to find the fire type Pokemon, and Owen continued to stare out the window, thinking of his sister and mother. His thoughts were cut off, however, when his six Kalosian Pokemon stormed into the room once again, this time with Charizard and Blaziken in tow. Catherine's six Pokemon were also standing outside the door and smiled at the teen.
"How are you holding up?" Charizard asked Owen while walking over to his trainer.
"I'm fine, thanks. How are all of you doing?"
"We're good," Blaziken replied before wiping his eyes with his right arm. "I think I speak for myself and those guys when I say we didn't expect things to go the way they did." Owen nodded in silence while he and the fourteen Pokemon looked at the ground at the same time, thinking about Catherine and Ariel.
"So... I was talking with Blaziken and the others, and they'd like to tell you something," Charizard informed Owen, who looked up from the ground and stared at the seven fire types, who were smiling.
"Well, you're the only family we have now that..." Blaziken paused. Tears began to roll down the faces of all the Pokemon effected by Frank's actions. "We don't have anywhere else to go, so we'd like to join you." Owen stared at the Pokemon in disbelief before nodding slowly, and they all erupted with cheers. "Great! We'll leave you alone, now," the fire and fighting type said as he walked out with all of the other Pokemon, leaving Owen by himself. Once again, the teen looked out the window and thought about his mother and sister as tears began to roll down his eyes.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect either of you. I promise I'll make you both proud."
I don't think I did too good a job of capturing the true emotions of Owen in regards to the deaths of Ariel and Catherine, but that's the best I could do. Even though I won't mention their passing in any of the future chapters (with the exception of some chapters during the Kalos League), I want you all to know Owen won't suddenly act like it never happened. He's going to be focused a lot more on making them proud, as evidenced with the last sentence of the chapter, so if you're going to say "Oh, you're not talking about Ariel/Catherine dying", shut up. As for Dragonite just leaving, do you honestly expect me to have him join Owen (or something equally ridiculous)? I did mention that Dragonite kept Frank from killing his kids in an earlier chapter (don't remember which), so it does make sense for him to not be evil. Anyways, next chapter will kick off the newest arc and then the Kalos League will begin! Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "A Game of Cat and Mouse": After arriving in Anistar City, Owen takes on Olympia for his seventh badge. Will he be able to overcome the psychic master's Pokemon?
Interlude Arc
Chapter 68: Starring in Anistar
Chapter 69: Weathering the Storm