Theme Song
The dark has lost and peace has won (Owen and Charizard look out at Lumiose City from the top of Prism Tower)
Push ahead, go on and run (Owen hops on Charizard's back and Charizard uses Flamethrower on the camera)
Your family's gone, you must stand tall (Ariel and Catherine look like ghosts and put their hands on Owen's shoulders, and he's smiling while tears come to his eyes)
The love's still there, so you won't fall (Brooklyn and the others stand by Owen's sides, and they start running towards the championship stadium at the Kalos League/ Grand Festival)
Make them proud and don't look back (A short manage of Owen battling his rivals with Chesnaught, Greninja, and Tyrantrum celebrating)
Stay strong, go ahead and attack! (All ten of Owen's Pokemon jump in front of him)
And when it's done, you'll move on... Pokemon! (Owen turns around and sees all of his old traveling partners and Pokemon)
Damn, writing that was horrible. I wish you all could see the other themes I made and we could all share a laugh. Anyways... last chapter, Owen killed Frank, Blaziken and Catherine's Pokemon decided to join him, and now he will be challenging Olympia for his seventh gym badge. This arc will go by very quickly and will only consist of Owen's two gym battles, and the final contest for Brooklyn and Daniel, with a trip back to Shalour finishing the arc before the Kalos League starts up! Now, let's get going!
Defender31415: Pretty much. I might throw in an epilogue chapter about them officially disbanding, but that's the last of Team Grim
SpunkySamurott (guest): Nice call. I'm surprised you managed to guess correctly, though
MCMXCV: I thought about having Dragonite join, but it would've been overkill, given the additions of Blaziken and Catherine's Pokemon, despite the latter not participating in any battles
guest: Owen already having a Dragonite definitely did factor in to Owen not getting Dragonite, but I also liked the idea of Blaziken joining more than I did Dragonite because of Owen's relationship with Ariel. And Blaziken's going to battle a lot sooner than you think ;)
SomeGuy (guest): Eh, the cliche portion just felt right, lol. In regard to the hospital idea, I didn't even think of that
Trentavious Phoenix: Haha, they kind of are chopped liver, but I wouldn't consider Dragonite to be a lackey of Frank's, more of a servant
Breana (guest): Yeah, it stinks they had to die, but at least Owen and avenged them and has a new motivation to push him to win the Kalos League
ace trainer (guest): If I decide to make a new region, Brooklyn definitely will travel with Owen, and I'm pretty sure this is going to be the last story involving Owen
Elodus: Some people definitely are upset (whether they say it or not), and that is exactly my plan. Writing fillers with two separate arcs before reaching the Kalos League is a bit ridiculous, so the league's coming early!
Owen's team
Greninja, (m), level 39, Water Shuriken, Smack Down, Round, Quick Attack, Water Pulse*, Smokescreen*
Charizard, (m), level 73, Flamethrower, Dragon Claw, Seismic Toss, Blast Burn, Aerial Ace*, Thunder Punch*
Blaziken, (m), level 73, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut, Flamethrower, Brave Bird, Brick Break*, Mega Punch*
Gengar, (f), level 41, Shadow Punch, Mean Look, Night Shade, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch*, Payback*
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*
Pikachu, (m), level 39, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Nuzzle, Electro Ball*, Double Team*
With Professor Sycamore
Hawlucha, (m), level 40, Wing Attack, Karate Chop, Flying Press, Aerial Ace, Bounce*
Slurpuff, (f), level 43, Fairy Wind, Fake Tears, Cotton Spore, Draining Kiss, Energy Ball*
Chesnaught, (m), level 41, Mega Drain, Needle Arm, Rollout, Vine Whip, Spiky Shield*, Seed Bomb*
Owen stood in front of the Anistar City Gym while Greninja and Charizard stood by his sides, and he smiled at the two Pokemon. There were still bandaids covering the cuts on his body, and his eye was still puffy, and his heart wasn't entirely into the idea of battling yet.
"Are you sure you want to battle already? It's only been a week since you got out of the hospital," Daniel asked Owen, who nodded confidently while stepping into the gym. Cindy and Eddy were both convinced by the answer while Brooklyn looked at the Kantonian skeptically, though she didn't bother saying anything, at least not now.
"We're fine, right guys?" Owen asked his starters. Greninja nodded and punched the air furiously before finishing with a karate kick, while Charizard simply nodded with a smile. "That's the kind of attitude I like to see." With that, Owen checked in with the receptionist, and he was escorted to the battlefield along with his traveling companions, who sat on the side of the battlefield.
"So where's the gym leader?" Eddy inquired as Owen and his two Pokemon stepped onto the battlefield while the gym leader and referee were nowhere to be seen. "They're usually waiting for the challenger."
"Sorry I'm late!" a voice shouted as a woman ran into the room, panting once she stepped in the other trainer box. She had dark skin and purple hair, and wore a one piece black dress. There were also two large hoops around her wrists and a third around her neck, and she had a cape on her back that was white on the outside, but looked like space on the inside. "My name is Olympia and I'm the gym leader of Anistar City. Oh! You're that boy who saved Lumiose City!" the gym leader shrieked with a cheesy grin, making Owen and his friends sweat drop.
"Yup, that's us," Owen replied sheepishly. "So what are the rules?" he asked the referee, not wanting to talk about the previous week.
"This will be a three versus three gym battle between Olympia 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! Olympia, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Right. Sigilyph, you're up first!" Olympia shouted while throwing her first Pokeball in the air. Greninja nearly exploded with excitement when he saw the psychic type, but Owen tossed his first Pokeball before Greninja could walk on the battlefield.
"Butterfree, let's start this off right!" Owen called while releasing the bug type from her Pokeball. Butterfree gracefully flew through the air before settling on the ground just in front of Owen.
"Why would he choose Butterfree, a bug type, against Sigilyph, a flying type?"
"Who knows? Owen always goes with weird match-ups," Cindy replied as the two flying types locked eyes, prompting the referee to raise her arms in the air.
"This battle will be between Sigilyph and Butterfree! Begin!"
"Butterfree, use Silver Wind!" Owen commanded, pointing at his opponent. Butterfree flapped her wings powerfully so she could fly, and then she started flapping her wings at Sigilyph. Several crescents of silver energy cut through the air and slammed into the psychic type, who fell to the ground in pain after being struck by each of the crescents.
"Get back up and use Psywave, Sigilyph!" Sigilyph shot straight into the air and several rings of blue energy were fired from its eyes. Each of the attacks struck Butterfree, and she cried out in pain before flying away from the psychic move. Owen bit his bottom lip while Butterfree landed on the ground with some bruises on her body, but the bug and flying type didn't look like she was ready to quit.
"Stand strong, Butterfree! Use Gust!" Butterfree nodded and flapped her wings once again, this time creating powerful bursts of wind that cut Sigilyph's body. The psychic Pokemon took to the air and managed to escape the painful flying type attack, but Butterfree was quick to pursue her opponent, despite it being Olympia's turn to attack.
"Use Psychic to stop Butterfree and then throw her against the ceiling!" Olympia shouted to her first Pokemon. Before Owen could do anything, Butterfree's body was outlined by a thin blue light, and she was thrown against the top of the room harshly. The teen watched as Butterfree fell to the ground and landed face first while Sigilyph returned to Olympia's side, staring at Butterfree.
"Fweeh!" the bug type cried as she pushed herself back up before flying once again. Owen smiled at the resilient Pokemon before focusing on Sigilyph and Olympia, who were both ready to attack.
"Finish this with Aerial Ace, Sigilyph!"
"Block it with Silver Wind, Butterfree!" The two Pokemon attacked at the same time; Sigilyph zipping towards Butterfree while streaks of light flew off its body, and Butterfree flapping her wings while firing silver crescents of energy. Sigilyph was quickly overpowered by the bug type attack and was launched across the battlefield. The flying type hit the ground in front of Olympia with its eyes closed, and the gym leader sighed disappointedly.
"Sigilyph is unable to battle! Olympia, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Sigilyph, return. Slowking, come on out!" the psychic master shouted. Owen covered his eyes until the light from the Pokeball faded, and he frowned when a Slowking was standing in front of Olympia. The water type was the closest thing to a special tank one could get, and Butterfree only had special attacks, which was a bit of an issue. As Owen went to grab Butterfree's Pokeball, the bug turned and nodded at her trainer, making him nod back confidently.
"This battle will be between Slowking and Butterfree! Begin!"
"Strike Butterfree with Hydro Pump!" Slowking opened its mouth and fired a high-pressured blast of dark water across the battlefield, and Butterfree was crushed by the attack. Despite this, the bug type continued to fly through the air and sped towards her sluggish opponent. Seeing the opportunity to chip away at Slowking's health, Owen smirked and threw his arm out to his side.
"Let's use Poison Powder, Butterfree!" Butterfree spread her wings as wide as she could and a cloud of purple gas engulfed Slowking, who inhaled the harmful chemicals. Suddenly, the water and psychic type was shocked by a purple jolt of static, and the Pokemon slouched over in pain while Butterfree cheered about her attack hitting its target.
"Don't hold anything back! Ice Beam!" Suddenly, Slowking opened its mouth and shot a zigzagging beam of ice at Butterfree and the flying type fell to the ground after being struck. Owen watched as the fully evolved Pokemon slowly got up for the millionth time, and she prepared to attack Slowking once again.
"Use Silver Wind and give it everything you've got, Butterfree!" Owen demanded. Butterfree nodded and flapped her wings repeatedly, firing several silver crescents of energy at her psychic opponent. After being pummeled by the bug type attacks, Slowking shook its head to recover from its dizziness, and then it trudged towards Butterfree.
"Grab Butterfree with Psychic and slam her against the ground!" Olympia ordered. In nanoseconds, Butterfree's body was covered in a thin line of blue energy, and she was smashed against the ground repeatedly before finally fainting.
"Butterfree is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thanks for the great work, Butterfree." With that, Owen withdrew the fainted bug type and grabbed a second Pokeball off his belt. Before he could, Greninja hopped in front of his trainer and began to punch the air aggressively. "Okay, Greninja, you can go."
"So he's going for the type advantage this time," Daniel started. "I wonder how Greninja's speed is going to work against Slowking?"
"That doesn't even matter. Slowking won't be able to use Psychic against Greninja," Brooklyn informed the other coordinator, who nodded at the statement. While the two continued to talk about the matchup, Greninja walked forward confidently before placing one hand on the ground, and he glared at Slowking.
"This battle will be between Slowking and Greninja! Begin!"
"Slowking, use Hydro Pump in the air and control it with Psychic!" Slowking quickly unleashed a blast of water, but it managed to control the powerful attack by using Psychic. Owen, Greninja, Charizard, and the others watched as Slowking pulled apart the Hydro Pump and formed three balls of water. Then, the psychic type hurled the three orbs at Greninja, who was more than fast enough to dodge.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack, Greninja! Then use Round!" Greninja's legs began to move at the speed of light as he dashed across the battlefield while a ray of white light trailed his body, and he stopped right in front of Slowking, who he grabbed by the neck. Then, Greninja began to hum loudly before a circle of white energy surrounded him, and the energy was launched at Slowking. The bulky Pokemon was sent skidding back to Olympia with a pained look on its face, but the psychic type continued to stand tall while Greninja hopped back to Owen.
"Hang in there, Slowking! Strike with Power Gem!" Suddenly, Slowking pushed its arms forwards and large white rocks shot out from the ground and it sent the rock type attack at Greninja, whose eyes went wide. There were dozens of rocks flying his way, and he had no idea how he was going to get away from them. Thankfully for him, Owen maintained his composure and had no issue giving another command.
"Cancel it with Water Shuriken!" Without thinking, Greninja formed and fired several shurikens of water at the rocks, causing several mini explosions that eventually combined to form one large cloud of smoke. Once the battlefield was cleared of the thick, black smoke, Olympia gave her bulky Pokemon another attack.
"Hydro Pump again!" Slowking reared back and unleashed a high-pressured blast of water at Greninja, despite him being a water type. As the attack cut through the air and went across the battlefield, Owen laughed to himself before pointing his index finger straight in the air.
"Jump over it and use Smack Down!" In the blink of an eye, Greninja sprung off the ground and the Hydro Pump hit the wall behind Owen. The water and dark type then opened his mouth and a large boulder was fired at Slowking, who was clobbered by the attack.
"Slowking, no!"
"Wrap this up with Quick Attack!" As soon as Greninja landed on the ground, he sprinted towards Slowking while a white ray of light trailed his body. Once Slowking got back on his feet, Greninja checked the pink Pokemon and sent it rolling past Olympia, who had a look of shock on her face when the referee raised her arms to signal the end of the battle.
"Slowking is unable to battle! Olympia, choose your last Pokemon!" the referee shouted while Olympia took out Slowking's Pokeball and withdrew the fainted Pokemon.
"Return, Slowking. Meowstic, you're all that's left!" In a flash of light, a white, bipedal cat appeared in front of Olympia. Owen and Greninja looked at each other as if they were being pranked while the others on the bench looked on in confusion.
"That doesn't look like a strong Pokemon," Cindy opined while crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.
"But it is," Blaziken stated, drawing everyone's attention. "I remember when Ariel and I battled Olympia. That Meowstic nearly wiped out our entire team. Owen needs to be careful here," the fire and fighting type concluded.
"This battle will be between Mewostic and Greninja! Begin!"
"Greninja, use Water Shuriken!" Owen commanded while pointing at the tiny cat. Greninja nodded and hopped in the air while spinning. Suddenly, a large, spiraling blade of water appeared in-between his hands and the water type chucked the shuriken at his opponent. Much to everyone's surprise - excluding Blaziken - Meowstic batted the attack away with her tail before charging towards Greninja.
"Meowstic, use Disarming Voice!" Once Meowstic was within inches of Greninja, the cat opened her mouth and screeched. A pink blast of energy shot out of her mouth and launched Greninja into Owen, who got up slowly after his Pokemon bolted back onto the field angrily.
"Use Quick Attack!" Greninja slammed into Meowstic as hard as he could and sent the cat skidding back to Olympia's half of the battlefield, but she grinned at Greninja and motioned for him to charge. Despite Owen's orders, Greninja charged at the annoying feline and prepared to deal a devastating blow.
"Dodge it and use Iron Tail!" Meowstic effortlessly dodged Greninja's rage-fueled attacks before slamming her metallic tail over his head. Greninja's face smacked against the ground, but he hopped back up despite an immense amount of pain plaguing his head.
"Use Water Pulse, Greninja!"
"Disarming Voice!" As Greninja formed a ball of water in his right hand, Meowstic opened her mouth and let another pink blast of energy loose, sending the water and dark type flying through the air limply. When he hit the ground, Greninja didn't move a muscle, and the referee raised her arms in the air while Owen zapped his starter back into his Pokeball.
"Greninja is unable to battle! Owen, choose your last Pokemon!"
"Wow, you weren't lying," Daniel said to Blaziken, who nodded in response. "I don't know who Owen's going to use. Meowstic managed to outspend Greninja, of all Pokemon."
"Just wait, he's got a faster Pokemon," Brooklyn replied, thinking of one of Owen's more underused Pokemon.
"Great job, Greninja." The teen slowly looked up to see Olympia and her Meowstic standing imposingly on the other side of the battlefield, but Owen wasn't intimidated in the slightest. "This is it. Pikachu, let's go!" Suddenly, Pikachu appeared from his third Pokeball and he landed on the ground in front of Owen, releasing electricity from his cheeks.
"This battle will be between Meowstic and Pikachu! Begin!"
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Owen demanded, not holding anything back. Pikachu hopped in the air and started spinning before firing a zigzagging bolt of electricity at the psychic cat. Before Olympia could counter, the electric type attack zapped Meowstic and she fell to the ground in pain while static wrapped around her body. Pikachu, meanwhile, smirked at the damage he had done.
"Grab Pikachu with Psychic and throw him against the ground!" the gym leader ordered while pointing at Pikachu. Meowstic's yellow eyes flashed blue for a second and then a line of blue energy appeared around Pikachu's body as he was lifted into the air before being thrown against the ground repeatedly.
"Use Iron Tail on the ground to break free and then hit Meowstic with Nuzzle!" As he was about to hit the ground, Pikachu's tail turned silver and looked like iron. The electric type then smacked his tail on the ground, keeping him from taking damage while also helping him break out of Meowstic's control. Then, the yellow rodent dashed across the battlefield and lunged at Meowstic headfirst. His face connected with her's causing Meowstic to become paralyzed, and she dropped to one knee.
"Damn, that was clever. Meowstic, use Psyshock to knock Pikachu out cold!"
"Dodge it with Double Team!" As Meowstic fired a weaving beam of pink energy, Pikachu copied himself and the group of Pikachu evaded the attack. "Now swing yourselves like a whip!" Each Pikachu grabbed another by the tail until the one without a grip on its tail began to swing the others around, and everyone stared in awe.
"Use Psychic to knock them down!" Olympia commanded, knowing that if she didn't act quickly she'd lose the battle. Meowstic's eyes flashed blue, but she was too late, as Owen was already issuing his final command.
"Let go and wrap this up with Electro Ball!" The Pikachu that was the second from the top let go of the real Pikachu, and he soared through the air while Meowstic destroyed all of the clones. Then, a ball of electricity formed on the end of Pikachu's tail as he crashed down towards Meowstic. With a violent whip of his tail, Pikachu hurled the attack at Meowstic, who was clobbered and launched into Olympia.
"Mewostic is unable to battle! That means Owen is the winner!" the referee declared.
"Yeah! Way to go, Pikachu!" Owen cheered as he ran over to the rodent and hugged him. Pikachu let out a victorious cry as Charizard and Blaziken were the first to reach Owen. The two fire types then celebrated along with Pikachu while Olympia walked across the battlefield with a smile on her face.
"That was a well deserved win, Owen. Here, this is the Psychic Badge," the woman stated while handing Owen a tiny piece of metal. The teen bowed thankfully before taking the badge and placing it in his badge case, leaving one spot empty. "The final gym is in Snowbelle City, which is east of here. I wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you!" Owen exclaimed as he walked out of the gym with his Pokemon and friends. "We only need one more, guys!" Owen cheered while looking at Blaziken and Charizard, who had different reactions. Charizard cheered excitedly along with his trainer while Blaziken simply looked off into the distance, as if he had seen someone. "Are you okay, Blaziken?" Owen quizzed, snapping the fighting type out of his daze.
"Yeah."
"So your contest is tomorrow, right?" Eddy asked Brooklyn and Daniel, who nodded at the same time.
"We're heading for Snowbelle as soon as we're done," Brooklyn informed the others, who nodded. With that, the group checked into the Pokemon Center, and Brooklyn and Daniel began preparing for their contest, both hoping to qualify for the Grand Festival.
Only three chapters stand between Owen and the Kalos League, and they should all be up within the week or so, assuming I can finish the contest on time. So, Owen defeated Olympia with Pikachu defeating her Meowstic, and only one badge remains for him. As for Brooklyn and Daniel, only one contest remains (because I'm too lazy to write another), and then there won't be another until the end of the Kalos League. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Starring in Anistar": Brooklyn and Daniel are delighted to hear that they're final contest requires them to work with a partner, but will they qualify for the Grand Festival?
Interlude Arc
Chapter 68: Weathering the Storm