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 mantage 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)
When it's lost your bond grows strong (Gengar slowly gets off the ground and Mega Evolves)
Don't second-guess you aren't in wrong (Owen's six strongest Pokemon stare across a battlefield with grins)
And when it's done, you'll move on... Pokemon! (Owen vanishes and a girl with gray eyes and brown hair replaces him)
Again, I decided to tinker with the intro, so yeah. Welcome to the top 16 of the Kalos League, everyone! This will be a very close battle between Owen and Maria, and hopefully I can post the top 8 tomorrow, if not tonight. Last chapter, Gengar won Owen his top 32 battle by defeating a Mega Salamence, and that's about it. Let's get going! Also, make sure to check out challonge . c-o-m (it won't let me put in the normal url) to see the Kalos League bracket!
Defender31415: Thanks! And the bold predictions are starting to come out... which I love!
warriorofdark: Even though I PM'ed you and wanted to make our conversation private, your constant disrespect made me not care about your privacy. What I find funny about your "review" is that you said you were considering reading my story, but you reviewed Chapter 72, complaining about how I apparently spoiled the ending. One, I'm pretty sure there are 71 other chapters you're supposed to read before that one, but I guess I'm an idiot for thinking that. Two, I don't mind if you hate the story (in fact, if you really do, I applaud you for having the guts to tell me that), but at least have some sort of valid reasoning for your disdain, as opposed to throwing expletives into the sentence every other word just for the sake of coming off as angry or intimidating
MerlockVonBaron: I can't either! The main character will be similar to Owen in certain aspects, but a lot different in others
ErsonThaCarter: Eh, what can I say? I flipflop on ideas almost all the time, and I figured I'd keep writing until I hit the end of my senior year, so you've got me for a few more months ;)
SomeGuy (guest): I aim to please :P And I wasn't exactly sure how to go about Gengar's inability to Mega Evolve, so I decided I didn't want to beat around the bush. I'm pretty sure I said (if I didn't I guess I have Alzheimers or something) Gengar wouldn't be able to M.E right away and that she'd struggle with. It'll be addressed a little later in the tournament
guest: You were, in fact, the 500th! Thank you for the congrats, by the way! And Gengar's inability to M.E will be explained within the next few chapters
Breana (guest): Uhm... I wouldn't say something happened, rather something didn't happen, which caused the "little" problem
ShadowDragon9000: Oops, too late XD Thanks for the compliments, and Gengar will eventually be able to M.E, it's just a matter of when she'll be pushed to her limits. Either that, or I could decide to solve the problem a little earlier, which I probably won't do :P
MCMXCV: Don't worry, Gengar will definitely M.E later, just not now.
Shion Rasenka: Well thank you, and I can tell you right now Gengar using her Mega will be epic (given the circumstances)!
Blaze Falcon: Thank you, very much! And they really have been through a lot together considering the whole Team Grim things and all that other stuff
The 6th Spectral King: Thank you, and no problem :)
FlameStriker123: I was actually thinking about bringing Heatmor and/or Garchomp back, but they won't be in the league. Definitely an epilogue chapter, but not the league
guest: I doubt it. One will be about 20 years into the future, and the other one will be a lead into my new story
Owen's team for battle
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*
Slurpuff, (f), level 43, Fairy Wind, Fake Tears, Cotton Spore, Draining Kiss, Energy Ball*
"It's time to unveil the bracket for the top 16!" Charles Goodshaw announced in front of a camera, which was streaming footage to all four mini stadiums. The sixteen remaining trainers, who already knew where they were supposed to be, watched as the bracket was revealed, and Owen gasped when he saw that he was matched up against Maria, who was at the other end of the room with Inferno and Nova. The two older boys walked over with Maria and smiled at Owen and his companions before Owen extended his hand to the girl.
"Good luck, Maria," he said with a smile. The girl smiled back and shook Owen's hand as he rose from his seat.
"Same to you. I hope we have a great battle!" the girl said with an excited look on her face. The two trainers locked eyes and nodded at the same time while their friends sat together and watched as Owen and Maria were escorted to opposite hallways, Owen being forced to walk to the one further away. Greninja followed his trainer with an excited grin on his face the entire walk, but he frowned when Owen released the three Pokemon that would be battling. Tyrantrum, Pikachu, and Slurpuff appeared in front of their trainer with smiles, but they didn't make a sound.
"Listen closely, I want you all to give this battle everything you've got. We're going up against Maria, so this is going to be the toughest battle so far, and I need you all to be on the top of your game. Are you ready?" Owen asked the three Pokemon, who all nodded in response. "Good, now return!" The three Pokemon were zapped back into their Pokeballs and Owen glanced at Greninja, who was scowling.
"Ja," the water frog muttered while looking at his trainer in frustration, which Owen understood immediately.
"I know you haven't gotten to battle yet, Greninja, but I promise you'll battle next round, assuming we get there," the fifteen year old assured his starter before heading down a hallway. Greninja nodded, knowing his trainer was telling the truth, and they walked out to the battlefield. The crowd cheered excitedly as Owen and Maria appeared at the same time, and their pictures occupied the scoreboard while three Pokeballs appeared next to their pictures.
"Please welcome Maria and Owen!" the announcer screamed as both trainers waved to the crowd while Greninja walked with his arms folded over his chest. "Both trainers have displayed tremendous skills in their first two battles of the Kalos League, but only one will advance to the quarterfinals!" Both Owen and Maria stopped walking when they reached their trainer boxes, and they looked at the referee, who raised his arms.
"This will be a three versus three battle between Maria and Owen where both trainers may substitute Pokemon once! Furthermore, once all Pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the battle will be over! Trainers, choose your first Pokemon!"
"Riolu, I choose you!"
"Tyrantrum, let's start this off right!" In two flashes of light, a Riolu appeared in front of Maria and struck a karate pose while Tyrantrum landed in front of Owen and roared powerfully. The pictures of the two Pokemon then appeared next to their trainers' pictures, and the referee looked at both sides.
"This battle will be between Riolu and Tyrantrum! Begin!"
"Use Ancient Power, Tyrantrum!" Owen commanded while pointing at the bipedal dog. Tyrantrum roared and slammed his right foot on the ground before sending a flurry of boulders at his fighting type opponent, prompting Maria to counter.
"Destroy the rocks with Force Palm!" the thirteen year old ordered. Riolu nodded and attempted to destroy the rock type attack, but he wasn't strong enough to do so. Each boulder struck the unevolved Pokemon and sent him rolling back to Maria's side, and the crowd clapped for Tyrantrum, who waved to the people thankfully before focusing on the battle at hand.
"Now use Stealth Rock!" Tyrantrum threw his head in the air, causing four large blocks of white energy to shoot out of the ground and spiral around him. Then, they flew towards Riolu and began spiraling around his body before disappearing, confusing the aura Pokemon while Maria bit her lip at the tactical move.
"Riolu, use-"
"Tyrantrum, return!" Owen called to the large Pokemon, cutting off Maria. Tyrantrum frowned as he was zapped back into his Pokeball, and the crowd began to whisper in confusion as Tyrantrum's picture turned blue. Owen didn't pay any attention to the confused people, and he grabbed a second Pokeball before chucking it. "Slurpuff, come on out!" The fat cream puff materialized from the Pokeball and she waved cutely to the crowd while her picture appeared in the second spot next to Owen's while Maria groaned at the type disadvantage.
"This battle will be between Riolu and Slurpuff! Begin!"
"Strike with Quick Attack, Riolu!" the rash girl commanded, wanting to outspend her chubby enemy. Slurpuff tracked Riolu's movements as the fighting type bolted across the battlefield, and she managed to spin away from the blue, bipedal dog. The crowd cheered for the fairy type and watched as Owen snapped his fingers. Slurpuff then lunged at Riolu and tackled him to the ground.
"Strike with Draining Kiss!" Owen shouted to his Pokemon. Slurpuff grinned and a pair of pink lips floated towards Riolu, who tried to break free with all his might but was unable to. The super effective attack landed and dealt massive damage to the Sinnoh Pokemon, who cried out in pain as a result.
"Get Slurpuff off you by using Force Palm against the ground!" Maria demanded, thinking fast on her feet. Much to Owen and Slurpuff's surprise, Riolu managed to break free after the massive blast of energy sent him flying into the air. "Great job! Now use Close Combat!" Once he landed, Riolu ran up to Slurpuff and unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches, dealing bits of damage to Slurpuff.
"Blow Riolu back with Fairy Wind!" Owen yelled. Slurpuff opened her mouth and unleashed a gale force wind of pink energy that slashed Riolu's body and sent him rolling across the ground. Maria looked on in concern as her first Pokemon struggled to get on his feet, but Owen and Slurpuff waited patiently for their opponents to attack.
"Riolu, please, you have to keep going!" Maria pleaded to the injured Pokemon, whose legs were shaking violently as he continued to stand. Riolu turned to face his trainer and smiled, but he soon collapsed face first on the ground, prompting the referee to raise his arms in the air while Riolu's picture turned black.
"Riolu is unable to battle! Maria, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Thanks for the help, Riolu," Maria said to the fainted fighting type while withdrawing it to its Pokeball. She then looked up at Owen and Slurpuff before tossing out her second Pokeball. "Charizard, go!" Owen gasped when he saw the winged lizard stand in front of Maria while his picture occupied the second spot on the scoreboard.
"Wow, it looks like her Charmander got a lot stronger since the last time we met," Owen said to himself before looking over at Greninja, who nodded in agreement. Slurpuff, meanwhile, hissed at the fire type. She stopped, however, when Charizard was crushed by Tyrantrum's Stealth Rock, and the fire type cried in pain before looking back down at Slurpuff.
"This battle will be between Charizard and Slurpuff! Begin!"
"Charizard, slash 'em with Metal Claw!" Maria yelled while punching the air above her. Charizard zipped forward while his claws extended while glowing with a metallic sheen, and he reared his arms back before slashing Slurpuff across the chest. The fat cream puff cried out in pain as she was sent rolling back to Owen and Greninja, but she got back on her feet and glared at the flying Pokemon.
"Slurpuff, use Fairy Wind on the ground to get into the air!" Everyone watched as Slurpuff stared at the ground and opened her mouth, releasing a powerful blast of pink wind that shot her into the air, wowing the audience. She then latched onto Charizard's back, and the fire and flying type began to roar angrily.
"Shake Slurpuff off and then use Metal Claw again!"
"Hang on and use Cotton Spore, Slurpuff!" Owen countered. Charizard began to flail violently while Slurpuff continued to hold onto his neck, and she was surrounded by four large, white balls. The balls of cotton then spun around Charizard's body, and a ring of blue energy appeared around the winged lizard. Maria watched in shock as Charizard's flying speed decreased drastically, but that change made Slurpuff lose her grip, and she began to fall towards the ground.
"Finish this with Flamethrower!" Charizard looked down at the falling Pokemon and he reared his head back before unleashing a blast of red flames that engulfed Slurpuff as she hit the ground. A loud cry of pain echoed through the air but eventually stopped when the Flamethrower attack ceased, and the referee stared at Slurpuff, whose eyes were shut.
"Slurpuff is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!"
"Damn, Slurpuff didn't stand a chance!" Cindy exclaimed while looking over at Blaziken and Charizard, who were watching the battle intently.
"Well, even if she didn't, she set Owen's next Pokemon up really well. Cotton Spore should definitely keep Charizard from flying around at high speeds," Brooklyn informed the younger girl.
"Great work out there, Slurpuff, you deserve a long rest," Owen said to the fainted fairy type while withdrawing her to her Pokeball. As he did so, her picture went black, leaving Owen with two choices, prompting him to grab a Pokeball off his belt and stare at it for a moment. "You're up, Pikachu!" Owen yelled while chucking his third Pokeball. The yellow rodent from Kanto appeared and the crowd cheered like crazy when his picture showed up on the scoreboard.
"This battle will be between Charizard and Pikachu! Begin!"
"Start off by using Double Team and then use Quick Attack!" Owen shouted to the electric type. Pikachu nodded at his trainer's commands and he sprinted across the battlefield while a white streak of light trailed his body, and then he began to make copies of himself. Charizard and Maria glanced back and forth at the ten Pikachu in confusion before the girl snapped out of her funk and pointed at the herd of mice.
"Blast them with Flamethrower!"
"Pikachu, jump on one of the clones and latch onto Charizard!" Owen yelled. As soon as Charizard released a wave of fire, Pikachu hopped onto his clone's tail and used it as a springboard before grabbing a hold of Charizard's left wing. The fire starter roared angrily as he started to punch the electric rodent, but Pikachu refused to let go of Charizard. "Now use Nuzzle!"
"Knock him off with Mega Punch, Charizard!" Maria screamed to her fully evolved Pokemon. Charizard's fist was suddenly covered in white energy and he swung at Pikachu, but he wasn't quick enough to stop the attack. Pikachu just managed to rub his face against Charizard's wing before being clobbered by the Mega Punch, which sent him flying through the air. When he hit the ground, Pikachu looked up and saw bits of static flash around Charizard's body, which brought a smile to his face.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Owen yelled. Pikachu quickly fired a zigzagging bolt of electricity at Charizard, but the fire type fell on the ground in an attempt to avoid the attack, which was successful, making Owen curse under his breath.
"Let's give this everything we've got, Charizard! Use Flamethrower!"
"Don't back down, Pikachu! Electro Ball!" The two Pokemon rose to their feet and began charging their attacks before smirking at each other, bringing an added intensity to the air. As Charizard released his Flamethrower, Pikachu hopped and launched Electro Ball, making the two attacks miss each other. Both Pokemon were then struck by the powerful attacks and they were knocked out cold.
"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Trainers, choose your last Pokemon!" the referee shouted as the pictures of the two Pokemon turned black.
"Well done, Pikachu, I couldn't have asked for anything more."
"You were awesome, Charizard. Thank you so much." The two trainers slowly put their Pokeballs back on their belts and they locked eyes for a second before smirking. "It all comes down to our last Pokemon, for the third time," Maria said to Owen, who nodded at the younger girl's words. "It's only fitting I leave this up to my first Pokemon. Chesnaught, let's do this!" Owen watched as his rival's starter appeared in front of her, and he roared after seeing Owen. He stopped, however, when Stealth Rock crashed into him.
"Tyrantrum, it's all up to you!" Owen yelled as the dragon type's Pokeball opened. The bipedal dinosaur occupied Owen's half of the battlefield and slammed his feet on the ground powerfully, locking eyes with Chesnaught as he did so.
"This battle will be between Chesnaught and Tyrantrum! Begin!"
"Use Dragon Claw, Tyrantrum!" Owen yelled. Tyrantrum gladly obeyed his command and charged at his equally imposing opponent while his claws extended while glowing blue, and he leaped in the air. Despite the prehistoric Pokemon's ridiculous vertical, Maria wasn't fazed and focused on countering the attack.
"Block it with Wood Hammer!" Chesnaught's arms were engulfed in bright green energy as he swung at Tyrantrum, and the two moves collided. Blue and green sparks of energy flew into the air as the two Pokemon continued to battle back and forth, and they both eventually landed hits on the other. The audience began to cheer while the large Pokemon glared at each other and began sprinting, prompting their trainers to give another set of commands.
"Use Dragon Tail on the ground!"
"Rollout, Chesnaught!" As Tyrantrum's tail began to glow turquoise, he slammed it on the ground, causing the battlefield to shake. Meanwhile, Chesnaught curled into a ball and began to spin like a wheel. Due to the ground shaking so violently, Chesnaught's Rollout was stopped, giving Owen and Tyrantrum the perfect opportunity to attack.
"Use Stomp on Chesnaught's stomach to pin him to the ground!" the fifteen year old commanded. Tyrantrum roared as he lifted his foot and stomped on Chesnaught's stomach, making the grass and fighting type gasp as all the air in his stomach flew out of his mouth. "Now use Crunch!" Without hesitation, Tyrantrum leaned down and bit Chesnaught's right arm, making the grass starter cry in pain while Maria watched in terror, not knowing what to do.
"Chesnaught, break free by using Vine Whip to take Tyrantrum's legs out!" the thirteen year old shouted, clearly flustered by the mounting pressure. Chesnaught attempted to yank Tyrantrum's legs, but the pain in his arm was too great to not pay attention to, so he tried to pry Tyrantrum's mouth open with his vines. The tactic didn't work, however, as Tyrantrum simply lifted his head and stomped on Chesnaught, knocking the wind out of the starter Pokemon.
"Use Dragon Claw!" Tyrantrum's claws extended while glowing blue and he slashed Chesnaught across the chest. The pain flowing through Chesnaught's body forced the Pokemon to faint and lay on the ground limp like a bag of bricks, prompting Tyrantrum to roar victoriously while Chesnaught's picture turned black.
"Chesnaught is unable to battle! That means Owen will be advancing to the quarterfinals!" the referee announced while Owen's picture occupied the scoreboard along with those of his three Pokemon. The teen quickly patted Tyrantrum on the head and complimented his efforts before walking over to Maria and extending a hand with a smile.
"Great battle. That Charizard is really strong," the older trainer complimented, making Maria smile.
"Thanks! Your Pokemon are way stronger than last time. I guess we didn't do to great a job of training," the younger girl said before sighing at the fact. "Oh well, at least one of us got to move on!" she exclaimed, making Owen, Greninja, and Tyrantrum laugh as they walked off the battlefield. Once they arrived in the trainer lounge, all of their friends were waiting, not knowing how to react to the situation.
"You guys looked really good out there," Nova said, trying to break the ice. Maria waved him off with a sly grin, while Tyrantrum bowed to the boy respectfully.
"So what are you all going to do now?" Daniel asked the three trainers, who all shrugged in response while Owen withdrew Tyrantrum. "You can't leave now."
"That's right! The battles only get better from here on out!" Eddy proclaimed loudly while sitting on Blaziken's shoulders. The fire chicken nodded in agreement with the statement, but the three friends didn't seem interested in staying.
"I've had enough traveling for a while. I just want to get back home, relax, and then head off to another region!" Maria announced excitedly. "Owen, good luck the rest of the way. You better win this thing!" she said before shaking Owen's hand.
"You've got it!" Owen cheered before Maria, Inferno, and Nova walked out of the arena, waving to Owen and his friends. Soon after, the group of five left the arena to watch Owen's rivals battle on TV. Both Tyler and Moe had won their battles, and Larenz was slated for the last battle of the day. Sighing, Owen kicked his feet up on the table in front of the couch and he cycled through the channels, trying to find something that wouldn't bore him.
"Hey, Owen, have you seen the bracket lately?" Eddy quizzed while looking at a computer. Owen shook his head and walked over to look at the screen, and he scratched his head when he saw the picture.
"What's the big deal?"
"You're battling Moe tomorrow night at the main stadium, and there's a meeting you have to go to tomorrow morning!" Brooklyn shouted after seeing what Eddy was referring to. Owen shrugged, trying to act cool at the news that frightened him to death. Moe was going to be his opponent in the first round of the full battles, and he wasn't someone to be taken lightly.
"I guess I'm going to have to start strategizing soon. I'm not sure how I'm going to beat him," Owen muttered while crossing his arms over his chest.
"Why don't you bring some of your old Pokemon back? There's no way Moe knows anything about them," Daniel opined, which made Owen beam.
"Thanks for the idea! I'm going to go call Professor Oak!"
So Owen won his top 16 battle against Maria, and now he'll take on Moe in the quarterfinals! How will their full battle play out? I know, but you don't :3 Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Greninja's Time to Shine!": Owen take on Moe in the top 8, the first round of full battles, and he turns to some old Pokemon for help. With his back against the wall and Greninja by his side, will Owen be able to defeat Moe and his mighty Clauncher?
Final Competition Arc (More to Come!)
Chapter 75: The End of a Journey
Chapter 76: Reflecting on Failure