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 (Owen hoists the Kalos League trophy over his head)
Stay strong, go ahead and attack! (Mega Fusion Charizard collides with a Pokemon covered in fire, and an explosion occurs)
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, Sceptile, Zangoose, Garchomp, Heatmor, and Gengar appear next to Owen, smiling)
And when it's done, you'll move on... Pokemon! (Owen vanishes and a girl with gray eyes and brown hair replaces him)
Well, last chapter was pretty eventful, if I do say so myself. Both Brooklyn and Daniel fell in the semifinals of the Grand Festival, and the stomach pains Brooklyn was experiencing turned out to be a baby! That's right, she's preggers, so Owen's really going to need to beat Red if he wants to have the money to take care of his newborn. Now, this chapter will be about Owen trying to build a sense of unity with his Pokemon before they take on Red, so you'll get to see how they really interact now that the focus is on them. Also, a quick side note: This chapter will take place four months after the Grand Festival, so everyone will be a year older, and the Pokemon will gain levels. Adding onto that, this chapter was inspired by the episode where Has brings back Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charizard for his battle against Brandon. Let's get going!
guest: I think it's safe to say all the training will only make Owen's chances of winning better
MCMXCV: Yerp. A few of the characters (Cindy and Eddy) will basically be the same people while Owen and Brooklyn will be much more... mature?
Guest: I get the frustration, but try to think of it like this. Brooklyn's role in the story is Owen's love interest, and his partner. While Catherine and Ariel served very important roles, their deaths were partially due to my need to have Frank kill someone (if it were Cindy or Eddy, that wouldn't have had much of an impact). By annihilating those close to Owen before dying, Owen was left with no direct family, but now he has one with Brooklyn and their child. Believe me, writing Ariel and Catherine's deaths almost didn't happen just because I didn't want them to leave the story, but they had to. Hopefully you understand, and thanks for letting me know your opinion :)
Defender31415: Well, she wasn't technically in labor, but you're right in that she was stupid for trying to compete. And they "you know'ed" in chapters 48 and 56, with a few other references in other chapters (maybe. I don't really feel like looking through the entire story to find small details)
ShadowDragon9000: XD I loved the Zelda reference, and some of them aren't really great (Ocarina of time, doe). And Brooklyn becoming pregnant was somewhat intentional, but I went back and forth on the idea until Gengar evolved. I figured it would give some kind of reference to Owen's parents, and how he'll strive to be the complete opposite of Frank. As for Owen's reaction to the pregnancy, it won't be shown, but I think you'll see how he and Brooklyn are holding up
Guest (SomeGuy, I'm assuming): Anytime, buddy ;) Also, I'll be the first to admit the G.F was very underwhelming, though I would like to (pathetically, in some opinions) say that the story isn't focused on contests, so that's the explanation for its quick ending
Shion Rasenka: Yeah, history really is repeating itself. And, to his defense (assuming you were serious), Owen didn't know his parents were so young when they got together, but he's still stupid XD And the battle is the longest one I've written in the series (it's already done, but I can't update the doc because it's over 10,000 words), and the chapter after that is the longest individual battle between two normal Pokemon (excluding Reshiram and Zekrom). It's weird, though. Even though there were close to 20 commands, the battle doesn't feel long enough, so I'm probably going to add onto it
chaos02: Thanks, but please refrain from one words reviews. Again, thanks for the compliment :)
Owen's team
Charizard, (m), level 75, Flamethrower, Dragon Claw, Seismic Toss, Blast Burn, Aerial Ace*, Thunder Punch*
Sceptile, (m), level 66, Leaf Blade, Quick Attack, Solarbeam, Aerial Ace, Leaf Storm*, Double Team*
Zangoose, (m), level 66, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, Hyper Beam, Swords Dance, Crush Claw*, Giga Impact*
Garchomp, (m), level 70, Draco Meteor, Dig, Giga Impact, Dragon Rush, Earthquake*, Stone Edge*
Heatmor, (m), level 67, Inferno, Flamethrower, Hone Claws, Flame Wheel, Shadow Claw*, Fire Pledge*
Gengar, (f), level 65, Shadow Punch, Mean Look, Dark Pulse, Confuse Ray, Sucker Punch*, Shadow Ball*
Four months later...
"Garchomp, use Stone Edge! Sceptile, block it with Leaf Storm!" Garchomp spring into the air while dozens of sharp rocks revolved around his body, and he threw them at Sceptile. The grass type countered by sending a storm of leaves, that had been spinning around him, at the stones. The powerful attacks collided and caused several mini explosions along the battlefield, and Owen grinned as he walked out of his trainer box and patted Sceptile on the back. Garchomp quickly ran over to his trainer and grinned as Owen patted him on the head, but a fight ensued as Sceptile bumped into Garchomp while walking off the battlefield.
"Man, even after four months his Pokemon aren't getting along," Daniel muttered from inside Catherine's house. Eddy and Cindy nodded in agreement while Brooklyn walked into the kitchen with bags under her eyes and her hair all over the place. "Wow." Daniel gasped as soon as he saw the sleep deprived teen sit down at the island (the table thingy) and lay her head down.
"Rough night?" Cindy quizzed. Brooklyn slowly lifted her head off the table and glared at the thirteen year old. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Waah! Waah!" a voice cried on a monitor, which Brooklyn had brought with her. The girl groaned while bringing her hands to her face, and she waited until the crying ceased.
"Oh thank god. You have no idea how much sleep I've lost the past few months," the girl said to her traveling companions. "Between this and the fact that Olivia won the Grand Festival, it's been a long four months. I don't get how Owen hasn't crashed yet."
"What do you mean?" Eddy quizzed, still looking at the ongoing brawl between Sceptile and Garchomp.
"I mean, he's up longer than me, he goes out and trains twelve hours, deals with the media, plays with Molly for three of four hours, and then repeats the same thing everyday. I don't think he's slept in three days," Brooklyn answered before yawning. "This whole parent thing isn't suited for me."
"I don't think it's for anyone. Being a parent is the hardest thing in life," Daniel opined, drawing an annoyed look from Brooklyn.
"Thanks for the reinforcement, but you don't know the half of it."
"What's up, everyone?" Owen quizzed as he walked into the house, covered in bruises and cuts. Everyone looked at him and waited for the sixteen year old to explain the injuries, and he did once he realized they were present. "Oh, that's what happens when you try to stop a Sceptile and Garchomp from killing each other," the trainer joked before laughing in exhaustion. He looked like he was in even worse shape than Brooklyn, as his eyes were bloodshot with bags, and it didn't look like he had showered in weeks.
"Waah!" a baby cried through the baby monitor that was resting on the island. Slowly, Brooklyn reached out to grab the device, but Owen was quicker.
"It's fine, I'll take care of it," he informed his girlfriend before walking out of the room, muttering something under his breath that wasn't appropriate for younger children. The teen slowly made his way up the stairs and walked into a pink room next to his and Brooklyn's. A baby was laying in its crib, and the exhausted teen slowly took the child in his arms and cradled her. "What's the matter, Molly? Are you hungry?" The baby continued to cry as Owen grabbed a bottle of milk, but she stopped when she began drinking.
Owen made his way down the stairs once again and sat down in one of the chairs at the island, and he continued to cradle his daughter while yawning.
"Man, I can't believe you two are parents," Cindy muttered. Both Owen and Brooklyn glared at the thirteen year old, which made her slink out of the room, but the peace was destroyed when Owen's Pokemon barged into the room. As usual, Garchomp was fighting with Zangoose, who was being held back by Sceptile, while Heatmor and Gengar were trying to keep Garchomp back. Charizard, meanwhile, shook his head at the antics of the younger Pokemon, and Molly began crying.
The five Pokemon continued to fight until Brooklyn handed Owen their child and she walked over to them. After tapping Garchomp on the shoulder, Brooklyn waited for the dragon type to turn around. When he did, the girl gave Garchomp the most terrifying look he had sever seen, and the angered teen walked outside with Owen's Pokemon.
"I'm sick and tired of all you idiots doing nothing but fighting and making me lose sleep! I don't care if you don't like each other, or whatever it is, but you're not going to wake up my daughter and keep me from having some peace and quiet! Do you understand!?" Owen, Eddy, Cindy, and Daniel all stared at Brooklyn in shock as she walked back into the house, acting as if nothing had happened, and she sat down next to Owen before laying her head against his shoulder.
"Remind me to never speak... again," Charizard whispered to Owen before walking outside, and he began thanking Arceus for not having him be a part of the brawl. After arriving on the battlefield, where Owen's five other Pokemon were sitting in silence, Charizard looked at his teammates and shook his head in disgust. "You guys make me sick."
"Oh shut up," Garchomp shot back as he rose to his feet. The dragon type looked around at his teammates and took a deep breath before speaking again. "I don't like you guys, and I don't respect you," Garchomp stated, looking directly at Charizard. "I'm going to win this battle for Owen, so the rest of you can get out of my way."
"Garchomp, you idiot, we're all trying to help Owen win this battle! None of you get that!" Charizard shouted angrily, stomping on the ground to add emphasis. "Do you have any idea how important this is to him? Even if you don't like each other, we need to get along for Owen's sake."
"Why? what's so important about this battle?" Heatmor asked, not understanding the ramifications of a potential loss. "Can't Owen just go to another region?"
"He has a family, and he doesn't have a way to support them! If he doesn't beat Red..." Charizard stopped and shook his head at the idea. "We can't let that happen," the winged lizard said, looking around at the others.
"And we won't," Zangoose proclaimed while folding his arms over his chest. "I'm in, no matter what it takes."
"Me too," Sceptile added confidently.
"Count us in," Gengar and Heatmor announced in unison, leaving Garchomp as the lone member yet to respond. The five other Pokemon stared at the Sinnoh powerhouse, and he rolled his eyes.
"Fine, I'll do it for Owen."
000
"Can you hand me a diaper?" Brooklyn asked as she stuck her arm out while still looking at Molly. Owen quickly handed his girlfriend a diaper and he continued to look at videos of Red's Pokemon battling. "How's the research going?"
"Not well. It's almost like his Pokemon are unbeatable," Owen answered after Brooklyn gave the infant its pacifier. She then walked over and sat on Owen's lap while the sixteen year old continued to watch the video. "They barely lose, if ever."
"You'll do fine. There's no need to worry. You still have a month to train, it's not like the battle's tomorrow," Brooklyn said rationally, making Owen nod in response.
"I get that, but I don't think I've actually had a legit day of training. They're always getting in fights or something stupid, and I don't know what to do about it." The teen sighed and looked back at the crib his daughter was sleeping in, and he ran his hands through his hair. "I have to win. We need the money."
"Well, I could always try to straighten them out for you," Brooklyn joked, laughing while doing so. Owen chuckled at his girlfriend and slowly stood up before cracking his back. The two teens then walked out of the baby's room and sat on the couch in front of the TV downstairs. Surprisingly, Owen's six Pokemon were waiting for him, and they stood in a line.
"Owen, we want to tell you something," Charizard started with a smile. "We've put our differences aside, but the only way we can really do that is if we go out and travel together. That's why Sceptile and Zangoose have such a good relationship, so we need to do that as soon as possible, unless Brooklyn has to take care of Molly by herself." Owen and Brooklyn exchanged glances before smiling at the six Pokemon, which confused the animals.
"Guys, I really appreciate that, but I can't just leave Brooklyn here by herself. I don't think we can do that," Owen answered sadly, but Brooklyn shot off the couch and stared at her boyfriend.
"Hold on, you were just complaining about how they weren't working together, and now that they want to, you're not on board with it? Just go! I'll be fine," the blonde reassured Owen as she looked at her Pokemon. "If anything, I should be more worried about you getting into trouble with these guys."
"...Okay! I'm going to get my stuff ready, and we'll head out tonight!" Owen exclaimed, making his Pokemon cheer before they headed outside and waited on the battlefield while their trainer packed his things quietly, hoping he wouldn't wake up the sleeping baby. After he was ready, Owen walked downstairs and kissed Brooklyn before heading out with a smile on his face.
"So, what are we going to do?" Charizard asked Owen as they, along with the five other Pokemon, began to make their way into the woods.
"I don't know, to be honest. Let's just stay out here for the night, and the following night so then we're forced to work together," Owen answered, which his Pokemon nodded at. After about an hour of walking, Owen and his Pokemon decided to set up camp when there was a clearing they had reached. "Okay, Charizard, Gengar, Zangoose, I need you all to get firewood. Sceptile, Heatmor, Garchomp, could you find some leaves? Grab as many as you can."
The two groups quickly split up while Owen searched for berries everyone could eat. As he did that, Charizard, Zangoose, and Gengar made their way towards a large group of trees.
"Okay, I think the best way to do this would be for me to slash those branches," Zangoose informed the two other Pokemon while his claws began to glow light blue.
"And we can reach the branches at the top," Gengar said while looking at Charizard. The three nodded at the same time before Gengar and Charizard took to the air while Zangoose cribbed up the tree and began slashing the branches. Not surprisingly, the powerful normal type's claws were more than strong enough to slice the branches off the tree, and they fell on the ground. Charizard and Gengar, meanwhile, slammed into several branches multiple times before they fell off and landed on the ground, forming a large pile along with the branches Zangoose had gotten.
"I think we have enough!" Zangoose shouted to Gengar and Charizard. The two Pokemon quickly stopped their efforts and landed on the ground alongside the one eyed Pokemon, and they all grabbed as much wood as possible before they started walking back to the campsite.
Meanwhile, Sceptile, Garchomp, and Heatmor weren't enjoying even close to as much success as the other group.
"Why don't you get the leaves, grass boy?" Garchomp asked Sceptile angrily. The Hoenn starter glared at the landshark and the two lunged at each other. Surprisingly, both were sent flying in opposite directions by Heatmor, who had thrown them.
"Guys, stop!" the fire type shouted while looking at both Pokemon. "We're supposed to be working together, not trying to kill each other!" With that, Heatmor rolled his eyes and walked over to a tree and tried climbing up it. Much to his dismay, his claws weren't sharp enough to get a good grip, but he continued to try and scale the tree. Garchomp, meanwhile, scoffed at Heatmor's inability to climb, and he walked over to the shorter Pokemon.
"Let me show you how it's done," the dragon type said before slamming his claws into the base of the tree. He then flew up the tree at a breakneck pace and began to stomp on each branch as hard as he could, making hundreds of leaves fall at the same time. Heatmor watched Garchomp in awe before he heard Sceptile walking over.
"Big deal, I can do that," the grass type stated before hopping into another tree and using Leaf Blade to slice all of the leaves off the branches, creating a clean pile of leaves next to Heatmor. Seeing Sceptile's efficiency, Garchomp began to speed up while Heatmor collected the falling leaves. Sceptile then stopped and took a deep breath before hopping out of the tree, and he looked at Garchomp, who had made a four foot tall pile of leaves. The dragon and ground type then landed on the ground and smirked at Sceptile before picking up his enormous pile.
"Impressive," Sceptile admitted before putting a twig in his mouth. Garchomp looked over at the pile Sceptile had created and saw it was just as tall, if not taller, and he frowned.
"Likewise." Garchomp then extended his hand and locked eyes with Sceptile, and Heatmor looked at the two Pokemon nervously. Much to his surprise, Sceptile shook Garchomp's hand, and the two Pokemon smiled. With that, the group picked up all of their leaves, and they walked back to the campsite, where the other group was waiting with hundreds of pieces of wood.
"Have you guys seen Owen yet?" Heatmor asked as the six Pokemon sat together peacefully.
"No, we thought he was with you guys," Gengar replied. Charizard's eyes suddenly shot open, as he remember what used to happen to Owen back when he traveled through Kanto. As if on cue, their trainer screamed and ran towards his Pokemon while carrying a truck-ton of berries in his arms, and a swarm of Beedrill chased after him, making Charizard sweat drop before he and the others sprung into action. Before Owen could say anything, Charizard and Heatmor unleashed a combined Flamethrower, Sceptile began slashing violently with Leaf Blade, Zangoose followed Sceptile's lead and used Crush Claw, Garchomp use Dragon Rush to blow through, and Gengar unleashed a barrage of Shadow Punch attacks.
The six Pokemon continued their defense until all of the Beedrill were either defeated or fled, and they turned to Owen, who was panting in exhaustion while laying on the ground.
"Thanks, everyone, I owe you guys." Slowly, Owen got off the ground and handed a dozen berries to each of his Pokemon, making them all smile. "Once we're done eating, we'll start working on beds, and then we can go to sleep." The six Pokemon cheered in response before chowing down on the assortment of berries, and Owen watched while smiling.
"That was an awesome Flamethrower, Charizard and Heatmor. I'm glad you didn't hit me," Sceptile said while laughing.
"Thanks," Heatmor replied cheerily while Charizard nodded. "Your Leaf Blade was really working out there. I lost track of how many Beedrill you crushed after twenty."
"It doesn't matter, because I definitely had more than you," Zangoose told Sceptile while nudging him with a grin. Sceptile shook his head in denial before laughing, and he turned to Gengar.
"That was a strong Shadow Punch you dished out. I actually felt the breeze from one of them."
"Haha, thanks!" The praise continued to go on and on amongst the Pokemon until they finished their food, and they all rose to their feet along with Owen, who quickly made his way to the piles of wood and leaves.
"Alright, we're going to put the wood in squares and then fill each up with leaves. Is everyone ready?" the teen asked, which was met with a wave of cheers. "Okay, let's get this over with." The teen and his six Pokemon worked quickly as they wanted to go to sleep, and the only way they could was if they worked together. After another hour or so of constructing their beds, the group had finished, and they laid down.
"Great work today, guys. Tomorrow we'll start working on some strategies, and then we'll head back home." With that, Owen and his Pokemon went to sleep under the night sky.
000
"Keep it up, Gengar! You can do it!" Owen chanted. Gengar continued unleashing waves of Shadow Punch attacks at a cliff she was facing, and there was a large hole forming. Gengar quickly reared her arm back and delivered one final punch that caused part of the cliff to collapse, drawing attention from the other training Pokemon.
"Damn," Garchomp muttered before continuing his assault on a boulder that was taller than him. Sceptile was opposite Garchomp and was working on dealing precise blows with his Leaf Blade attack, and there were several cuts in a thick tree. Charizard and Heatmor had decided to train the old-fashioned fire type way, which was the two Pokemon standing their ground and hitting each other with Flamethrower attacks. Zangoose, meanwhile, was working on his agility and countering imaginary attacks.
"Great work, Gengar, take a short break and get some water." The ghost type simply nodded, opting to not use her translator as she walked over to the water supply and began to drink. Owen then turned his attention to Charizard and Heatmor, laughing when he saw the antics of the fire types. Something caught his eye, however, when Heatmor would unleash his Flamethrower, prompting the teen to stop the showdown. "Hey, Heatmor, can you come here for a sec?"
"Yeah, what's up?" the anteater asked as he strolled over to Owen.
"You know how you have those holes on your wrists, and they release fire?" The fire type nodded, and Charizard walked over as Owen continued speaking to Heatmor. "I've been thinking about this for the past month or two, so hear me out. Use Fire Pledge quickly."
"What are you doing, Owen?" Charizard inquired curiously as Heatmor's stomach began to glow orange and he slammed his hand against the ground, causing a wave of fire to shoot out of the ground a few feet away.
"It's something I think all of you can do. Heatmor, channel that energy into your hands, and then pretend like you're using a whip," the teen ordered. Heatmor scratched his head in confusion, but obeyed his trainer when he saw the serious expression on Owen's face. After a few seconds of silence, Heatmor's claws began to glow orange, and the other Pokemon gasped in shock while Owen beamed. Heatmor then flung his arms forward, and whips of fire shot out of his claws, which caught the fire type by surprise.
"Wow! How did you know that was going to happen?" Heatmor asked Owen while the others began to huddle around their trainer.
"Well, you do the same thing with your wrists and tail, so I figured it would do the same thing. Now, I'm not sure if the rest of you can do it, but I think it's worth trying," Owen announced while looking at Charizard, Sceptile, Zangoose, Garchomp, and Gengar. "All you want to do is feel all of the energy in your stomach buildup, and then transfer it to your fingers."
Each of the five Pokemon closed their eyes and inhaled calmly before exhaling. Despite their concentration, none of the Pokemon were able to replicate Heatmor's fire whips, but that didn't stop any of them from trying, which made Owen smile. The Pokemon continued to practice for hours, and some were able to grasp the technique while others couldn't. Zangoose and Garchomp were the only ones that couldn't pull of the energy whips, while Charizard, Sceptile, Gengar, and Heatmor could.
"This is stupid," Garchomp muttered before stomping on the ground. "Why can't I do that?"
"Garchomp, it doesn't matter if you can do that," Owen informed his Pokemon. "You're the enforcer of this team, and you're going to be going right at Red's Pokemon while the others aren't going to be nearly as physical." Garchomp grinned at Owen's comments, and he pictured himself crushing one of Red's prized Pokemon with a Giga Impact.
"That's right. We're going to wear them out for the others, Garchomp," Zangoose said while putting his hand on Garchomp's back. The dragon and ground type nodded and fist bumped Zangoose before walking over to the campsite, where they sat down with the others before eating.
"Hey, everyone, do you mind listening up for a second?" Owen asked as he walked over to his Pokemon, who stopped eating and turned to face the sixteen year old. "I know there's only a month until we battle Red, and one final press conference, but we just have to keep working as hard as we can. If we do that, there's no doubt in my mind we can win. Are you with me?"
"Yeah!" the six Pokemon cheered together before smiling at each other. Owen nodded with a stupid grin on his face, and he cracked his knuckles.
"Alright, let's get back to work!"
Well, it looks like Owen got his Pokemon to work together, and he picked up a new technique that will really come in handy. Next chapter will be the group arriving at the Indigo League arena, Owen's press conference with his Pokemon, and that's about it. Till next time, peace out.
Next Chapter: "Reaching for Dreams": Owen's last interview before his battle has arrived, and things get interesting when his and Red's Pokemon are involved. What kind of responses will the Pokemon give?
Final Competition Arc
Chapter 83: Pushed to the Limit
Chapter 84: Mega Fusion vs Mega X!
Chapter 85: Finito
Epilogue Chapter 1: Fighting for a Title
Epilogue Chapter 2: A New Generation!
Epilogue Chapter 3: 15 Years Later