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)
It's contest time... ugh. It's not that I don't like doing contests (I don't, really, but sometimes they're fun to write), I just want to get to the league already, and it's so damn close! Do you know what that means? This is going to be a short chapter, basically, because I'm not in a creative mood to come up with combinations, so it's only going to be Brooklyn and Daniel's performance. Anyways, last chapter Owen defeated Olympia and earned his seventh badge, and now Brooklyn and Daniel will pair together in their final contest! Let's get going!
SomeGuy (guest): I hate the fact that the end of the Grim Arc had the most action in the story, so now it'll be really tough to come anywhere close to that, given the rest of the story is really just the Kalos League and Grand Festival. And the idea for the Blaziken chapter will happen at some point during the Kalos League (it'll probably be mentioned after the first round and brought up near the end)
ShadowDragon9000: I know exactly how you feel. As much as I loved writing the Grim Arc because I could step outside of the childish (not meant to be offensive) boundaries of the Pokemon universe, it was really mentally taxing having to write about so much violence. I guess people are right when they say it takes more effort to hate than love (does that make sense? I feel like it does, but not really)
Breana (guest): Haha, I enjoyed the impersonation, because I go to school with people like that and boy do they piss me off ;)
Emboar-Man (guest): Eh, I'm not a whole fan of letting Pikachu decide because that plays too close to the anime, and it would feel really out of place
Shion Rasenka: Tl;dr. Just kidding, I really appreciate the review and thank you for being such a dedicated reader! Hopefully you get hired and kick some ass!
guest: Uhm... I'm not sure if any of his Pokemon will return for the league. I like the idea, but this league is going to be shorter than the others in terms of trainers (64) and full battles (starting in the top 8), so I think that would end up taking time away from some of the Pokemon. I'm not entirely opposed to the idea, as I think I could (and probably will) end up bringing back a Pokemon or two, though they'll probably be some of Owen's forgotten Pokemon
Defender31415: Thanks! Owen's going to go through a barrage of battles starting soon, so brace yourself ;)
Owen's team
Greninja, (m), level 42, 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 40, 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 42, 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*
"Are you sure you're going to win this?" Charizard asked Brooklyn while she and Daniel walked into the contest hall. Owen, Blaziken, Eddy, and Cindy were already in the coordinator room waiting for the competitors to arrive.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Now let's go sign up," Brooklyn replied, brushing off Charizard's concern about the contest. The two teens walked up to the receptionist and began the process of signing up for the Anistar City Contest.
"Hi, we're here to register for the contest," Daniel informed the woman behind the counter. She quickly spun around in her chair and smiled at the two coordinators and Charizard, and they all smiled back politely.
"Sure, no problem. I'll just need the name of your partner, and we're good to go." Daniel and Brooklyn gave the woman quizzical looks, making her laugh before grabbing a piece of paper before she handed it to them. "Because there are so many coordinators with two ribbons, the committee for the Grand Festival decided to make these next few contests double performances. Basically, two coordinators team up and they both win ribbons if they win the contest."
"Oh, that sounds great!" the coordinators exclaimed in unison before filling out their paperwork and agreeing to be partners. Once they finished, the receptionist nodded at them, and the two were permitted access to the coordinator room.
"Wait, if we had to sign up to get into the coordinator room, how did the others get in there?" Charizard asked in confusion. Daniel and Brooklyn shrugged as they walked into the room, and they were surprised about the lack of people there. Only three other groups of coordinators were present, and Owen's Pokemon filled up the rest of the room.
"Hey, what took you guys so long?" Eddy asked as the two coordinators walked over in their performance outfits.
"We told you, we had to get dressed," Daniel replied while shaking his head at Eddy's listening abilities. The eight year old grinned sheepishly while rubbing his neck, but the conversation was stopped when Owen yawned and stretched his arms over his head.
"What's with the groups over there? Is this some different kind of contest?" the Kantonian asked tiredly, to which Brooklyn nodded.
"Yup! We're partnering together and we're going to win our third ribbons!" Brooklyn proclaimed confidently while Daniel nodded in agreement. Charizard and Blaziken, meanwhile, walked away from the trainers and began talking with their teammates. "It looks like Blaziken's fitting in pretty well with the others."
"Of course he is. It's not like Owen caught him in the wild," Cindy replied. Owen scowled at the conversation and walked over to his Pokemon, not wanting to hear anything that even remotely had a connection with Lumiose City. "Oh, I forgot about that."
"How?" Daniel asked the twelve year old, who shrugged in response. "Anyways, we need to go over our strategy," the sixteen year old said to Brooklyn, who nodded. The two then walked towards a different area of the room, and Cindy and Eddy walked over to Owen and his Pokemon.
"Wait, the eighth gym specializes in ice?" Owen asked Blaziken, who nodded. "Hmm... maybe you two might get to battle, if that's okay with all of you," Owen said while looking at the Kalosian Pokemon, who all nodded in agreement. The two brothers grinned at the information and they released fire from their wrists and nostrils.
"Would group number one please report to the stage?" a woman asked as she walked into the room, looking for the first group. Two random coordinators walked towards the woman and headed down the hall that led to the stage, and Owen watched as Brooklyn and Daniel made their way towards him.
"How long do you think it'll take to get to Snowbelle City?" Daniel asked the Kantonian, who looked over at Blaziken and waited for an answer.
"It depends, really. If you fly, it should only take a few hours." Owen beamed at the information and punched the air above him victoriously. "I doubt it'd take much longer than that."
"Awesome! that means we'd still have three weeks to train for the Kalos League!" Owen exclaimed. "And you two could train for a month!"
"Oh yeah! I totally forgot the Grand Festival is after the Kalos League. That's kind of weird, though. The Grand Festival is usually before the league competition," Daniel said while scratching his chin.
"Whatever. As long as we all make it there, I don't care when it starts."
000
"Everyone, please give a warm welcome to the third group, Brooklyn and Daniel!" the host of the contest shouted while pointing at the hallway. The aforementioned teens appeared on the stage and waved to the crowd before stopping in the middle of the stage. "Please, begin when you're ready," the host told the competitors before walking over to the three judges.
"Braixen, take the stage!" Brooklyn yelled while throwing Braixen's Pokeball in the air. The bipedal fox landed in front of her trainer and waved to the crowd before Daniel released his performing Pokemon from its Pokeball.
"Dedenne, let's give 'em a show!" In a burst of light, the electric and fairy type broke out of his Pokeball and released jolts of electricity, and the audience applauded for the two Pokemon before being quieted.
"Begin!"
"Braixen, use Countershield Flamethrower!" Brooklyn commanded with a grin. Braixen nodded and fell on her back before spinning and releasing a Flamethrower, making it look like several whips of fire dancing through the air. The crowd stared at the technique and took their eyes of Dedenne, who hopped onto Braixen's stomach and launched himself into the middle of the fire.
"Spin and use Parabolic Charge, Dedenne!" Daniel shouted. Dedenne began to spin like a wheel and looked like a bladed tire. The bolts of electricity and bursts of fire collided repeatedly, causing balls of fire covered in electricity to hit the ground. Eventually, the stage was covered with electrical fire, and the two Pokemon turned to their trainers and waited for the next set of commands.
"Spilt the fire with Psychic!" Brooklyn said to Braixen, who nodded and grabbed the stick out of her tail. The fire type then whipped the stick around the air like a magic wand, and the fire covering the stage was spilt in half, creating a walkway down the middle.
"Now use Play Rough on the middle of the stage, Dedenne!" The electric and fairy type was shrouded in pink energy and he slammed against the ground, causing a gust of pink wind to shoot in all directions, putting out the fire instantly.
"Will-O-Wisp!" Braixen whipped her hands around before four spheres of purple fire appeared around her body and began to spin at a rapid pace. "Use Psychic to turn them into a shield!" Braixen's eyes turned blue and the spheres of fire around her began to spin so quickly they turned into rays of blue energy that also surrounded Dedenne. Then, Braixen lifted herself and Dedenne into the air while the rodent unleashed a powerful Discharge.
The crowd erupted with cheers as the two Pokemon landed on the ground and Braixen curtsied with Brooklyn while Daniel and Dedenne bowed. The two then walked off the stage and made their way back into the coordinator room, where they would wait for the announcement of the winning duo.
000
"After a quick and unanimous decision, all three judges decided that Daniel and Brooklyn were the winners of the Anistar City Contest! Congratulations to the winners!" the host announced as Brooklyn and Daniel walked back on the stage to receive their ribbons. The two waved to the crowd until they were escorted off the stage. Once they were in the coordinator room, the two teens cheered excitedly while their friends and Pokemon surrounded them.
"Congratulations, you two!" Blaziken exclaimed with a smile.
"That wasn't even close," Charizard and Cindy said in unison before looking at each other and laughing.
"Thanks, everyone. Now I can finally take a step back and just relax," Brooklyn said while laughing as Owen put his arm around her and smiled. "And now you have to go win your eighth badge so you can qualify for the Kalos League."
"Oh, I plan on winning," Owen informed his girlfriend with a grin. "There's no way we're losing, right, everyone?"
"That's right!" Charizard and Blaziken exclaimed in unison while the other Pokemon cheered.
"What are we waiting for?" Cindy asked. "Let's go!"
Meh. Contests, am I right? Whatever, I should probably start talking about the chapter. So, Daniel and Brooklyn won, as you all should've expected, and the group will head off for Snowbelle. They will already be there next chapter, and Owen will take on Wulfric for his eighth and final gym badge! Till next time, peace out.
1) Predictions for the Kalos League?
Next Chapter: "Weathering the Storm": Owen and his Pokemon take on the ice master, Wulfric, and his powerful Pokemon in what Owen's hopes will be his last gym battle of Kalos! Playing by Wulfric's two versus two rules, Owen turns to Charizard and Blaziken to melt their ice type opponents. Will they be able to win?
Final Competition Arc (More to Come!)
Chapter 70: Introducing the Competitors!
Chapter 71: First Round Flares
Chapter 72: Mega Showdown
Chapter 73: Heavyweight Bout
Chapter 74: Greninja's Time to Shine