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 (Charizard, Feraligatr, Sceptile, Infernape, Snivy, and Greninja fade out and replace each other)
And when it's done, you'll move on... Pokemon! (Owen vanishes and a girl with gray eyes and brown hair replaces him)
Well, now that we've got a break in the action, Owen will take this chapter to look back on his failures in past leagues while also preparing for his championship battle with Larenz! Also, a familiar face will meet with Owen and give him some words of advice before the battle, so let's get going!
guest: Thanks! Gengar will definitely be evolving in the championship (duh), and I really loved writing about Owen's strategy, though it felt kind of spammy with Skarmory. Then again, who cares? He won!
DaStrawHatReject: Haha, I'm still hiding more, but you'll just have to wait for them to be revealed ;)
Blaze Falcon: Well thank you :) And haha, the title of last chapter was meant to trick you guys, but it was referring to Tyler's journey coming to an end, because he is the main character in monfernofreak's story
Guest: Your apology is not, nor will it ever be accepted. It's a petty attempt, and it made me laugh that you think I would forgive you for your obnoxious review. Do yourself a favor and never review this story again
Owen's team
Greninja, (m), level 51, Water Shuriken, Smack Down, Extrasensory, 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 56, Shadow Punch, Mean Look, Dark Pulse, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch*, Shadow Ball*
Butterfree, (f), level 40, Tackle, Silver Wind, Psybeam, Gust, Poison Powder*, Sleep Powder*
Tyrantrum, (m), level 47, Earthquake, Thrash, Stealth Rock, Crunch, Ancient Power*, Dragon Tail*
Pikachu, (m), level 45, Iron Tail, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Nuzzle, Electro Ball*, Double Team*
Hawlucha, (m), level 46, Wing Attack, Karate Chop, Flying Press, Aerial Ace, Bounce*
Slurpuff, (f), level 46, Fairy Wind, Fake Tears, Cotton Spore, Draining Kiss, Energy Ball*
Chesnaught, (m), level 47, Mega Drain, Needle Arm, Rollout, Vine Whip, Spiky Shield*, Seed Bomb*
Owen sat in his chair staring out at the moon and sighed before looking over at the stadium he would be battling in. The teen then looked over at his eight Kalosian Pokemon and smiled as they talked to each other as they normally would, almost as if they were unaware of the championship bout that was scheduled for the next night. He had been thinking about his team for the next day for almost an hour, and everyone in the apartment had gone to bed, leaving Owen all by himself. Charizard and Blaziken were sleeping in the fifteen year old's room because they wanted to be well rested for the exciting championship.
"Everyone, listen up for a second," Owen called to his Pokemon, making them huddled around the large table. The eight Pokemon stared at their trainer and waited for him to speak up, but it took Owen a while as he circled the table several times. "We're in the championship round tomorrow night, and we're going to battle Larenz, so it's going to be a tough battle."
The Pokemon nodded and continued watching their trainer as he sat down in an empty chair.
"I know you all want to battle, but only six of you can. Those six will be the whoever battle Larenz in Coumarine City, except Chesnaught will be switched for Slurpuff," Owen informed the group of Pokemon. They all nodded in response, though Chesnaught and Hawlucha seemed disappointed they weren't going to be involved in the battle. "That's about all I have to say, so let's call it a night," Owen concluded before withdrawing all of his Pokemon. After doing so, the teen sighed and went to walk back into his room before stopping.
"What if I lose again? No, I can't think like that," Owen thought to himself as he sat down in his chair once again. "What can I do differently this time around?" The trainer's mind raced back to his five previous leagues and each of the battles he won, which brought a smile to his face. Even though he was only ten in his first league, Owen had managed to reach the quarterfinals, and he should've advanced further had he decided to use his six strongest Pokemon. He then thought of every battle he lost in, remembering the ending to each vividly.
"Cover yourself in Flamethrower, and then use Aerial Ace!" Charizard replicated Flame Wheel, and both Pokemon collided. BOOOOOOOOM! Smoke covered the field, and nobody could see a thing. A moment passed and both Pokemon were still standing as the smoke faded. "Use Aerial Ace!" Charizard flew over to the defenseless Pokemon, but fell down mid flight!
"ICE PUNCH!" they both screamed in unison. Squirtle and Feraligatr swung at one another and the moves collided. BOOOOOOOOOOM! The smoke left the field, and both Pokemon were staring at one another. Feraligatr and Squirtle grinned at each other slyly, before Feraligatr collapsed.
"Solarbeam/Aura Sphere!" BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Owen had never seen such an explosion before. A green and blue tornado covered the entire battlefield and went at least 400 feet high. Again Owen removed his arm from his eyes to see both Pokemon struggling to stand. SMACK!
"Garchomp, Giga Impact!" Garchomp quickly turned into a purple sphere of energy and he zipped towards Sceptile. Just before Garchomp could hit his opponent, Sceptile fired off the Solarbeam and the two moves exploded instantly. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! Owen looked up and saw that the entire stadium was covered in smoke, and he could barely breathe. The smoke quickly cleared, and Owen couldn't believe what he saw.
"Earthquake!" Heatmor was struck by a column of rocks that shot out from the ground and hit him in the chin, and the anteater Pokemon was launched into the air. Owen stared helplessly as Heatmor slammed into the ground, and a cloud of dust shot up around his body.
"I think I know why," Owen muttered to himself.
"What are you talking about?" Owen turned to see Brooklyn walking towards him with a confused expression on her face. "You know, you should really get some sleep for your battle tomorrow."
"I know, but I was just thinking..." the Kantonian paused before taking a breath and continuing. "I was thinking about why I lost in each league, and I know the answer." Owen's girlfriend sat down in the chair next to him and looked into his eyes, waiting for an answer. "In Kanto, I shouldn't have used Hitmonchan. In Johto, I had Tyranitar sit out. Zangoose didn't battle in Hoenn. In Sinnoh Floatzel got hurt before the championship, and the same thing happened to Krookodile in Unova. I have to use my strongest Pokemon," Owen stated, now knowing why he had lost five times prior.
"If you want to win so badly, why not use Charizard and Blaziken?" the girl questioned logically. Owen quickly shook his head and looked int this room where the two brothers were passed out on the floor.
"The others deserve to battle here."
"That's an honorable thing to do," a voice said, making Owen and Brooklyn jump with fear. The couple then watched as a Charizard carried a teen onto the deck, and the two landed across from Owen and Brooklyn. "You might not want to focus strictly on power, though." The person stepped forward and smiled at Owen, who stepped back in shock upon recognizing the teen's face.
"You're... Red!"
The older boy simply nodded, and Owen beamed at the fact he was talking to the World Champion.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at some Champion meeting?" Owen inquired, to which Red laughed.
"Nope, I'm finally free from them," he said jokingly, making Owen and Brooklyn laugh. "But in all seriousness, I hope you really think about how you can prepare for this battle. That Larenz kid isn't someone to take lightly."
"Don't worry, I know that. He kicked my butt when we battle a couple months back," Owen responded seriously. "So, why exactly are you here?" the fifteen year old asked the strongest trainer in the world.
"Well," Red started, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. "I kind of told the others that you'd win the whole thing." Owen jumped in shock, nearly fainting before Brooklyn caught him. "You see, it was all because of your opening battle with Charizard and Blaziken. I remember meeting you and your Charizard during the Vermilion City Tournament about a year ago, and since that day I was waiting to see you in a league."
"Wait, that was you!? Oh wow, you don't know how crazy this is to hear!" Owen exclaimed, making Red laugh along with Brooklyn, who had never seen Owen so starstruck before.
"Haha, I call it as I see it. Just so you know, you have the attention of every other league. Don't be surprised if you get calls after your battle tomorrow," Red informed Owen before climbing onto his Charizard's back. "Make sure you stick to your style, Owen. If you do, you'll win." With that, Red flew away on his Charizard and left Owen and Brooklyn staring in awe.
"So, what now?" Brooklyn asked before yawning.
"I don't know, but I won't lose tomorrow!"
Well, that was a lot shorter than expected. Anyways, next chapter will be the championship round, and (as stated in the title) Gengar will Mega Evolve. Will it be enough to help Owen beat Larenz? No idea. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Go Go, Gengar! Mega Evolution Awaken!": Owen's championship battle with Larenz begins, and the two give it everything they've got! Will Owen finally be able to capture his first league title?
Final Competition Arc
Chapter 78: Changing Styles
Chapter 79: The Grand Festival Begins!
Chapter 80: Semifinal Mayhem
Chapter 81: Added Incentive
Chapter 82: Molding a Winner
Chapter 83: Reaching for Dreams
Chapter 84: Pushed to the Limit