Hey guys and girls, what's up? This chapter that you're reading at this moment was actually written in between chapters 23 and 24. I'm kind of impressed with myself and how long this chapter is. And I'm in complete shock when I see that this chapter is a fourth/fifth of Kanto and Johto at over 10,000 words! This exceeds my longest chapter by about 100% and it makes my story seem so much longer than it actually is! And now I'll take this time to talk to my future self if I'm even reading this.

Future me, hopefully you've made your chapters more descriptive other wise I'll go forward in time and punch you in the head!

Owen watched as Kane walked away and into the sunset along with his Infernape while waving to Owen and his Infernape. Owen and Infernape both walked back to the league house that they were sleeping at, and they both sighed in disgust. Penny and Talon looked away from the TV as Owen walked in, and he was greeted by his ten other Pokemon. Staraptor, Torterra, Lopunny, Floatzel, Electivire, Garchomp, Gallade, Skunktank, Bronzor, and Prinplup all ran towards Owen as they cheered for their trainer.

Even though they had gone through plenty of difficult, and in some cases extreme challenges, they managed to prevail, and they were now standing at the top of the mountain. However, Owen was quickly brought back down to earth when Talon called his name.

"Owen! Check it out! They're talking about you versus Taylor!" Talon screamed excitedly as he pointed at the TV which had the PBN on. The screen quickly flipped to show Taylor scolding his Drapion after he managed to sweep Kane's team. Owen spat in disgust at the fact that Taylor was moving on to the championship round. He then frowned and looked at Garchomp, who seemed to be the most frustrated out of all of the Pokemon.

"So now the final battle of the Sinnoh league begins tonight! This heated battle will be between Owen and Taylor!" Penny turned and looked at Owen, who was clearly fired up by his upcoming battle against Taylor. Floatzel, Torterra, and Lopunny lazily looked up as they all looked like they were still crippled by their injuries from their previous battles.

Lopunny had taken serious injury from Xavier's Infernape and Floatzel was still struggling to move since his battle against Shadix's Dewott. "So who are you going to use?" Talon questioned as his eyes were still glued to the screen.

Owen rolled his eyes, and he looked at his nine healthy Pokemon. "Infernape, Staraptor, Garchomp, Gallade, Electivire, and Skunktank." Garchomp punched his hand into his open palm as he couldn't help but get angered about Taylor making it so far in the Sinnoh league. Ever since Taylor said that he was a waste of a dragon type, Garchomp couldn't stop training. Owen constantly had to stop the powerful Pokemon from exhausting himself prior to every battle, but Garchomp always managed to look like he was fighting fit.

"It's crazy to think that you're one win away from winning the finals," Penny stated as she and Talon began to get up for Owen's battle. Owen shrugged and attempted to maintain a level head. Every time he or someone else had said something like that, he lost that round. Except this time around, he wouldn't let that happen, because now… he was in the finals.

"I won't lose. I promised Jet, Shadix, Kane, and Janine that I'd win it all." Owen withdrew his five Pokemon for his final battle, and Infernape walked to his side while he watched Owen send Lopunny, Floatzel, Torterra, and Bronzor to Professor Oak's laboratory. "Let's go keep our promise, Infernape."

With that, Owen and his Sinnoh starter walked out of the house and looked up at the night sky. The stars burned brightly, and there was also a full moon. Owen then looked down and saw families walking through the streets of the complex, and he grinned.

"Owen," a voice called. The teen turned to the left, and saw Cynthia walking down the street with her Garchomp by her side.

"Hi, Cynthia."

"I just wanted to wish you good luck before your battle. I'm hoping you win so then we could battle for the title of Sinnoh champ." Owen and Infernape grinned at the compliment and nodded.

"I do too."

•••

Owen sat in his trainer room where he anxiously waited for his battle to start. Infernape sat on the bench next to his trainer, and he stared at the ground as he tried to calm himself down for the biggest battle of his time in the Sinnoh region. A man appeared and motioned for Owen and Infernape, and they walked through the tunnel. As they made their way to the battlefield, a dim beam of light turned into a blinding sight as Owen was greeted with thousands of cheers.

"Welcome to the championship round of the Sinnoh league! The winner of this battle will be facing the legendary Elite 4 of the Sinnoh league, and possibly the champion, Cynthia! After many impressive wins by both trainers, only one will be able to walk away with the opportunity to potentially join the Elite 4. Trainers, please walk to the middle!" Greg ordered. Owen walked forwards, and he stared at Taylor while Infernape stood in Owen's trainer box.

"You're going down, loser." Owen glared at the teen that brutally defeated his friend. His mind rushed back to the first time that they had met, when Taylor told Owen that his Pokemon were all worthless. "You can't beat me with all of those pathetic Pokemon you have," Taylor spat as he was a few inches away from Owen's face.

"You little piece of shi-" Owen was cut off as the referee blew his whistle and looked at him and Taylor. The crowd was feasting off of the hatred between the two trainers, and the referee stepped in between the two. Infernape glared daggers at Taylor, and the boy actually seemed intimidated by the fire monkey, much to Owen's surprise.

"Trainers, this will be a full battle, and you both may substitute Pokemon freely! This battle will be fought on a normal field, and both trainers will send their first Pokemon out at the same time!" the referee announced as Owen and Taylor made their ways back to their trainer boxes. Infernape looked up at Owen, and he began to shake with nervousness and excitement as the atmosphere began to toy with his emotions. "Trainers, choose your first Pokemon!"

"Go, Skunktank!" Owen cried. Skunktank appeared, and she took in the sight of hundreds of thousands of spectators watching her. She looked over at Owen, and was calmed by his solemn look which masked his fear. Infernape had the same look on his face, and he gave Skunktank a thumbs up, which gave her even more confidence than before.

"Go, Mightyena!" Mightyena appeared, and both Pokemon looked at each other at the same time, and they growled viciously. Owen smirked as the somewhat newly evolved Pokemon radiated with new found strength, and Taylor frowned as he realized that he was at a type disadvantage. Penny and Talon sat on the sidelines along with Nick, Jet, and Zayne.

"Let's go Owen!" Talon screamed as the crowd had just recently turned silent, causing everyone to laugh. Owen face palmed, and he looked back up at the battlefield. The referee stepped forwards and looked at both sides before nodding. Skunktank's picture appeared in the first spot next to Owen's picture, and Mightyena's appeared in the first spot next to Taylor's picture.

"May the final battle of the Sinnoh league… begin!" The crowd began to roar as the referee threw his hands down, and the first commands of the championship match were underway. There were deafening roars throughout the stadium, and Owen struggled to hear himself think through all of the madness in the stands.

"Skunktank, use Sludge Bomb!" Owen shouted as he tried to start off the battle at a quick pace. Skunktank quickly fired bullets of mud at Taylor's Mightyena, who barely managed to dodge the incoming attack. Taylor's Mightyena snarled and lunged at Skunktank, who was paralyzed with shock as the dark type Pokemon quickly attacked her.

"Mightyena, use Bite!" Mightyena chomped down on Skunktank's tail, and she began to cry in pain while attempting to shake the foe Mightyena off of her tail. Owen bit his lip as he tried to quickly devise a plan to help his Pokemon. Everyone on the bench gasped as Skunktank was unable to shake off the powerful dark type foe.

"Skunktank, use Sludge Bomb and fire it in the air!" Owen shouted. Skunktank shot a series of large bullets of mud into the air, they it quickly descended towards the two Pokemon. Mightyena attempted to dodge the attack, but Owen knew exactly how to counter. "Wrap your tail around its head and throw Mightyena into the Sludge Bomb!"

"Tank!" Skunktank grunted as she hurled Taylor's Mightyena into the powerful poison type attack. Taylor winced as his first Pokemon was hurled back onto his side of the battlefield. Skunktank quickly retreated back to Owen, and she waited for her next set of commands.

"Let's end this with Sludge Bomb!" Owen yelled as he pointed at Mightyena. Skunktank shot multiple bullets of mud at Mightyena, but Taylor managed to counter the attack rather quickly.

"Mightyena, dodge it and use Swagger!" Taylor shouted angrily to his Pokemon. Mightyena got back up and jumped into the air, quickly avoiding the poison type attack. Mightyena then shot an orange cloud at Skunktank, and it popped as it made contact with her. All of a sudden, Skunktank began to sway back and forth as she completely lost her balance. Oblivious to the effects of the attack, Owen irrationally called out his next command.

"Skunktank, spring in to the air and use Body Slam!" Skunktank swayed back and forth before slamming her head into the ground at full force. Owen looked over at Infernape, and he saw that the fire and fighting type had fear trembling in his eyes, causing Owen to whip his head towards the battlefield.

"Mightyena, use Take Down!" Mightyena sprinted forwards and rammed into Skunktank, which sent her flying through the air. Skunktank hit the ground hard and she got back up, still swaying back and forth. Infernape cheered for his teammate, but Skunktank continued to slam her head against the ground as hard as she could. The crowd began to chant for Mightyena and the momentum began to swing Taylor's way.

"Skunktank, use Sludge Bomb!" Owen pleaded. His pleas were not heard, and Skunktank continued to hurt herself much to the amusement of Taylor and his Mightyena. Owen frowned and he continued looking at Skunktank, who was still swaying back and forth.

"Wrap it up with Dark Pulse!" Taylor yelled. Mightyena fired a spiraling beam of black energy that hit Skunktank, and it sent her rolling across the battlefield as clouds of dust followed her. She was unconscious, and Owen looked at Infernape. The fire and fighting type stared blankly at the battlefield. The crowd erupted and Owen looked around, not seeing a single fan for him.

"Skunktank is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!" the referee demanded. Skunktank's picture turned black as Owen slowly took out her Pokeball, and withdrew his first and fainted Pokemon. He turned and looked at the bench, but he still felt like there wasn't a single person that was cheering for him.

"I wonder if he can come back from such a rough start," Penny started. She had never seen Owen look so overpowered in a battle before. Either strategically or in terms of strength, Owen was generally of equal power with his opponents.

Everyone on the bench stayed quiet until Zayne spoke up. "Dont worry about. Owen has this in the bag." Almost everyone except Jet agreed, and the group looked back at Owen. The boy continued to peer at the battlefield before he took out his second Pokeball.

"Gallade, come on out!" Owen yelled as he threw out his second Pokeball. Gallade appeared, and he confidently stood on Owen's side of the battlefield. The crowd made a few small chants for Gallade, but they were quickly consumed by cheers for Mightyena.

"Good choice. Gallade has a type advantage here," Talon observed. Gallade's picture appeared underneath Skunktank's black picture, and the referee stepped forward.

"This battle will be between Gallade and Mightyena! Begin!"

"Gallade, use Poison Jab!" Owen commanded. Gallade gracefully jumped through the air, and he punched Taylor's Mightyena with a purple fist, which sent the dark type skidding backwards across the battlefield. Taylor dead eyed his Mightyena, and looked annoyed at the Pokemon.

"Use Shadow Ball and don't miss!" Taylor demanded as he stomped on the ground bitterly. His fatigued Mightyena shot a large purple and black ball at Gallade, and it hit the psychic and fighting type. Gallade landed on his back, but he got back up quickly.

"Gallade, try a Brick Break barrage!" Owen suggested loudly. Gallade nodded and sprinted towards the foe Mightyena while his fists were glowing white. He then punched Mightyena repeatedly before sending the dark type Pokemon flying into the air.

"Mightyena, use Dark Pulse!" Mightyena fired a ray of black and purple energy that hit Gallade, and it exploded on contact, sending Gallade rolling across the battlefield. Infernape cheered his teammate on, and Gallade managed to push himself back up. The crowd began to cheer for Gallade loudly, and Taylor looked around angrily, clearly letting the audience get to his head.

"Gallade, hit the ground with Brick Break as hard as you can!" Owen shouted. Gallade slammed his fists against the ground, and the battlefield began to shake. Suddenly, volcano like columns of dirt shot up from the ground, and they hit into Mightyena, hurling the injured Pokemon into the air.

"Mightyena, use Shadow Ball!" Mightyena fired another Shadow Ball at Gallade, but Owen knew exactly how to counter the powerful incoming attack. He quickly snapped his fingers, and then pointed at the incoming attack while yelling,

"Use Psycho Cut!" Gallade sent blue lines of energy towards the incoming attack of darkness, and everyone on the bench and in the crowd couldn't help but second guess Owen and his tactics.

"What does he think he's doing? It's not like a psychic type move will effect a dark type," Jet stated. Everyone on the bench shrugged except for Nick. The older and more experienced trainer sighed as he was disappointed by the lack of knowledge on the bench.

"He's not trying to hit Mightyena." Everyone stared over towards him after what he had just said. "He's trying to cancel out the Shadow Ball without having to dodge it." BOOOM! They then stared up, and saw Owen smiling stupidly. Soon, they all knew that Nick was correct.

"It's about time we finished this! Mightyena, use Take Down!" Taylor shouted impatiently. Owen grinned as the dark type ran towards its eventual doom. Just before Mightyena lunged, Owen whispered to Gallade.

"Detect." Gallade's eyes flashed gold, and he suddenly grabbed Mightyena by the tail after acrobatically dodging the attack. The entire crowd gasped, and Gallade held Mightyena victoriously. "Let's use Brick Break to end this!" Gallade reared back with his other hand and he nailed Mightyena with the super effective attack. The dark type rolled across the battlefield, but still didn't have swirls for eyes.

"Mightyena, use Dark Pulse!" Mightyena quickly got back up, and a ray of darkness was fired across the battlefield. Gallade was hit by the attack, but he stood his ground. The crowd watched intently as Owen countered Taylor's attack.

"Gallade, use Poison Jab!" Gallade darted across the battlefield while his fist was glowing purple, and he swung at Mightyena. Dodging the attack, the dark type Pokemon bit Gallade's arm maliciously. The fighting and psychic type only shrieked and tried prying his arm loose of Mightyena's grip.

"Now use Swagger!" Mightyena fired a small bubble at Gallade, and Owen watched in terror as his second Pokemon became confused just like Skunktank. Gallade then began to punch himself in the face before Mightyena finally let go.

"Gallade, use Brick Break!" Gallade's fists began to glow white, and he began to swing his arms violently in every direction, occasionally hitting himself in the face.

"Mightyena, hit Gallade in the arm with Take Down!" Mightyena sprinted towards its target, and then pinpointed Gallade's arm that was previously bitten. Mightyena lunged forward and slammed into the injured arm, sending Gallade into a frenzy with the unbearable pain.

"Finish this up with Brick Break!" Owen shouted as Mightyena was hobbled by the recoil damage of Take Down. Gallade threw his fists forward angrily, and in a stroke of luck, Mightyena was launched back by the super effective attack.

"Mightyena, return!" Taylor called. He withdrew Mightyena quickly before the Pokemon could faint, and Owen saw this as a sign of weakness. He felt Taylor beginning to crumble under the pressure, and he was as calm as ever.

"Way to go Owen! Kick that jerk's a-" Jet was cut off by the deafening roar of the crowd and everyone sweat dropped as the angry girl sat back down. Owen was able to hear Jet's voice, and he laughed lightly as he looked at Infernape confidently.

"You piece of trash," Taylor muttered to Mightyena's Pokeball before he grabbed a different one from his Pokebelt. Mightyena's picture turned light blue, and the focus shifted on the spot below it. "Let's finish this battle right here. Drapion, go!" Taylor yelled as he threw out his second Pokeball. A Drapion appeared and it roared at Gallade, sending waves of energy throughout the stadium. The crowd gasped in awe as they felt the strength from the Pokemon just through the air. Owen appeared to be slightly wavered by his opponent, and he quickly looked over at his Sinnoh starter.

"Wow," Owen muttered. He remembered watching the scorpion Pokemon singlehandedly take out Kane's entire team in the semifinal round, something he didn't want happening to him. Infernape nodded and Drapion's picture appeared beneath Mightyena's picture. The large scorpion angrily looked down at Gallade, and it kept pinching its pincers while looking at the fighting and psychic type. Owen gulped slightly, but he quickly regained his confidence when he saw that Gallade didn't appear to be frightened at all.

"This is bad news," Jet stated as she stared at the large purple scorpion on Taylor's side of the battlefield. A few members of the bench looked over at Owen's rival and they waited for an explanation.

"Why is that?" Penny asked. Jet shuddered as she continued looking at the gigantic Pokemon that was facing off against Owen. She vividly remembered her defeat at the hands of the powerful Pokemon and she explained slowly.

"That thing is probably one of the strongest Pokemon I've seen, and it's not even Taylor's strongest Pokemon. He still has two more that are way more powerful than that Drapion." The listening members on the bench stared at the large Pokemon, and they too shuddered.

The referee stepped forwards and looked at both sides before nodding. "This battle will be between Drapion and Gallade! Begin!" the referee announced while throwing both of his hands into the air.

"Gallade, use Psycho Cut!" Owen started. Gallade fired blue lines of energy at the large opposing Pokemon. Taylor seemed amused by Gallade's efforts and he snapped his fingers. His Drapion whipped its tail forwards and the attack was clobbered, causing Owen and his two Pokemon to freeze with fear of their foe.

"Now use Cross Poison!" Drapion nodded and it fired a large pink 'X' towards Gallade. The psychic and fighting type quickly jumped into the air, and Taylor snapped his fingers again. This time, Drapion shot out toxic spikes and the battlefield flashed pink before returning to its normal color. Gallade landed on the ground, but immediately cried in pain once he was poisoned.

"Gallade!" Owen cried. The ex Team Aqua member fell to one knee in pain as the poison's damage had been dealt for the turn. Owen looked up at Taylor and saw him laughing to himself, causing Owen to clench his fists in rage. "Run towards Drapion!" Owen growled. Gallade slowly got back up and he sprinted towards Drapion. Taylor laughed to himself again before ordering Drapion's next move.

"Pin Missile," Taylor told Drapion nonchalantly. Drapion fired tons of white arrows from its body and they all went flying towards Gallade. The crowd wowed as Drapion fired what seemed to be hundreds of arrows at Gallade, who was charging into the attack.

"Use Detect and jump above Drapion!" Owen commanded. Gallade's eyes flashed gold and he swiftly dodged the Pin Missile attack. He then jumped above Drapion and Owen knew exactly what to do. "Psycho Cut!" Gallade fired lines of energy towards Drapion, but they were blocked by Drapion's tail! The group on the bench gasped and looked over at Jet, who struggled to continue watching the battle between her two rivals.

"Grab Gallade with your tail," Taylor muttered. Just as Gallade was about to land on Drapion, Drapion's tail quickly grabbed Gallade by the neck and it pulled him upwards. Gallade struggled furiously as he tried to break free of the strangle hold, but his efforts were futile. Gallade then cried in pain from the effects of the poison, and he stopped trying to break free. "Cross Poison!" Drapion turned and fired a Cross Poison attack at Gallade, and there was a large explosion.

"Gallade!" Owen shouted in fear. Gallade was immediately thrown across the battlefield, and he had swirls for eyes. Owen looked up at Taylor and his Drapion and he withdrew Gallade, causing his picture to turn black. Owen had never seen Gallade be defeated with such ease, but he was sure that it was just a stroke of luck.

"No way. There's no chance Gallade just got beaten down like that," Penny stated as she tried denying the fact that Gallade had just been obliterated by Taylor's Drapion. Talon repeated exactly what Penny said and Jet spoke up.

"I don't get why he's trying. It's no use," she mumbled, struggling to watch the battle. No one spoke up, and the bench full of Owen's friends fell silent and they went back to watching the battle.

"Gallade is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!" Owen looked at the battlefield and remembered that it had been poisoned, causing something inside his head to click as he hurled out his third Pokeball.

"Staraptor, come on out!" Staraptor appeared and she flew through the air while squawking at her opponent, who she recognized to be Taylor. "Staraptor, don't touch the battlefield! It's poisoned!" Owen told his Pokemon. Staraptor nodded and she looked at Taylor's Drapion with little to no fear.

"This battle will be between Staraptor and Drapion! Begin!" The crowd began to cheer excitedly as they thought of how Drapion could handle an aerial assault. Staraptor's picture appeared underneath Gallade's, and the battle began.

"Staraptor, start this off with Aerial Ace!" Owen shouted. Staraptor nodded as she flew through the sky, and zipped towards Drapion. The large poison and dark type bent its body like rubber, and Staraptor completely missed her target.

"Now, bring Staraptor down with Pin Missile!" Taylor ordered coldly. Drapion fired tons of white arrows at Staraptor, and they struck her. Staraptor was brought down to the ground, and she was poisoned immediately while letting out a cry of pain. The crowd gasped, and they had received the answer to their question.

"Staraptor! No!" Owen shouted to his now poisoned Pokemon. Staraptor cried in pain again as pink static surrounded her body. Taylor and his Drapion maintained straight faces, but Owen could tell that they were holding in their smiles. Owen glared at the two, and then he looked over at Staraptor, who was struggling to get back in the air.

"Drapion, use Cross Poison!" Drapion fired a large pink 'X' at Staraptor, but she managed to fly away from the wickedly powerful attack. Owen watched as Staraptor panted heavily while she flew high into the air. He didn't know how to land a hit on Drapion, but he knew he had to think of something quickly.

"Staraptor, use Brave Bird!" Owen shouted. Staraptor flew high into the air and she was covered in flames. As she descended, her body began to glisten light blue, and she flew down towards Drapion. Drapion ducked and Staraptor missed her attack. Suddenly, Drapion's tail snatched Staraptor, and it held her tightly. Staraptor began to struggle just like Gallade did, and Drapion turned its head 180 degrees.

"Drapion, use Cross Poison!" Drapion slowly began to generate a pink 'X' and Staraptor continued to struggle in Drapion's grasp. Owen looked over at Infernape and saw him punching and kicking the air in anxiety. Something clicked in Owen's head, and he shouted to Staraptor.

"Staraptor, use Close Combat on Drapion's tail!" Owen yelled loudly. Staraptor began to furiously punch and kick Drapion's tail until it let go of her, and she quickly flew upwards as Drapion fired its Cross Poison attack. The Cross Poison attack hit Drapion, but it didn't seem fazed by its own powerful attack.

"Drapion, use Pin Missile!" Taylor hissed bitterly. Drapion fired tons of white arrows at Staraptor, but Owen knew exactly how to counter the attack. With a quick snap of his fingers and Infernape's cheers, Owen screamed to Staraptor.

"Staraptor, dodge it and use Aerial Ace!" Staraptor attempted to use the blindingly fast attack, but she was halted by the effects of poisoning. Staraptor cried in pain, and then she was hit by the multiple white arrows. She was then slammed against the ground and her eyes were shut closed. Owen and Infernape looked at one another, and they both knew that this battle was surely their toughest test.

"Staraptor is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!" Owen withdrew Staraptor and he thought about his final three choices to battle against Drapion. He didn't want to send Infernape out until he had to, and Garchomp didn't have any defensive moves.

"Electivire, let's go!" Owen shouted. Electivire stepped onto the battlefield, and he was hurt by the poisonous area of ground. Electivire's picture appeared, and Taylor looked at the powerful electric type while he withdrew his Drapion from battle. Drapion's picture turned light blue, and the slot below Drapion's picture lit up.

"Rhyperior, let's go!" Taylor threw out his third Pokeball and his Rhyperior appeared. The giant rhino was inflicted by the poison, causing it to roar angrily while punching the ground. "You know what to do," Taylor muttered to his Pokemon. Rhyperior nodded and roared into the air. Rhyperior's picture appeared in the empty lit up slot, and the referee stepped forward.

"This battle will be between Electivire and Rhyperior! Begin!"

"Rhyperior, use Dig!" Rhyperior quickly dug underground and the crowd went silent. "Now use Fire Blast!" The battlefield began to turn red, and the poison from the battlefield was gone. Rhyperior reappeared on Taylor's side of the battlefield and Owen questioned what Taylor was up to.

"Electivire, use Brick Break!" Electivire ran towards Rhyperior while his fists were glowing, and he jumped into the air. He then landed on Rhyperior's shoulders and he swung at the rock type Pokemon. The crowd began to laugh as Rhyperior swung Electivire around violently, but the electric type managed to hold on.

"Block it!" Rhyperior grabbed Electivire's arms, and it halted the fighting type attack. Electivire began to struggle tremendously, and he was thrown onto the ground powerfully. Electivire got back up slowly, and he backpedaled away from Rhyperior. "Now use Fire Blast!" Rhyperior fired a star shaped flame at Electivire, and the electric type fell over while trying to dodge the attack.

"Electivire, use Protect!" A large green bubble covered Electivire, and the Fire Blast attack exploded as it hit the shield. A cloud of smoke appeared around the shield, causing Electivire to look at his surroundings in an attempt to see where everything was. When the smoke disappeared, he and Owen realized that Rhyperior was gone.

"Finish this with Dig, Rhyperior!" Taylor yelled. Suddenly, Rhyperior appeared underneath the shield and it hit Electivire with the super effective attack. Electivire was sent flying into the air, and he hit the ground hard. Electivire got back up and he winced in pain as he retreated back to Owen.

"Electivire, plant your tails into the ground and use Thunderbolt!" Owen shouted. Electivire did as he was told, and he began to grunt quietly as he slammed his two tails into the rock hard ground of the battlefield.

"What is he doing this time?" Zayne asked out loud. Nobody on the bench had a response, and they watched the championship battle unfold.

"Elec-tivire!" Electivire grunted loudly as he released a powerful Thunderbolt underground. Parts of the battlefield shot up and they hit Rhyperior, dealing a small amount of damage. The large and powerful Pokemon roared angrily while stomping on the ground, causing Electivire to freeze up in fear.

"Rhyperior, use Horn Drill!" Rhyperior roared and turned into a drill. It then flew like a torpedo towards Electivire, and the electric type didn't know what to do. Owen acted quickly and he called out a command for Electivire.

"Electivire, use Protect!" Owen shouted. Electivire generated a green bubble that blocked the one-hit KO attack. However, Rhyperior continued to drill a hole in the shield and it crushed through the large green bubble. Electivire was hit by the attack, and he was knocked out instantly.

"Electivire is unable to battle! Owen, choose your next Pokemon!" Owen withdrew Electivire, and his picture turned black. Owen then looked up at the scoreboard, and he saw that he only had two Pokemon remaining while Taylor had all six. Owen hung his head and he knew that he was overwhelmed.

"My god, I've never seen anyone dominate Owen like this!" Penny shouted as she took her eyes off of the battle. "Especially during this league." The group was silent and the atmosphere was dead.

"This battle is just about over," Jet stated as she shook her head disappointedly. Nick looked at everyone and he shook his head angrily. He then stood and spoke up against the negativity that Owen's friends were generating.

"He still has two Pokemon! It's not over yet!" he argued. Talon quickly jumped to Nick's side and agreed with the powerful trainer. Zayne agreed too, but the two girls didn't seem as optimistic as the three boys.

"Yeah! He still has his two strongest Pokemon left. There's no chance that Infernape and Garchomp will lose this." Penny and Jet continued to disagree with Talon, Zayne, and Nick, and they all looked back at the battle.

"Infernape, I need you to go in," Owen told his Pokemon. Infernape nodded and he jumped forwards while staring Rhyperior down. Infernape's picture appeared on the scoreboard, occupying the fifth spot on Owen's team. The large rock type Pokemon was withdrawn back to its Pokeball, and Taylor looked at Owen and Infernape condescendingly.

"Weavile, I choose you!" Taylor shouted as he threw out his third Pokeball as Rhyperior's picture turned light blue. An evil looking Weavile appeared, and it glared at Infernape with a disgusting look in its eyes while its picture appeared beneath Rhyperior's. The referee stepped forwards and looked at both sides before nodding.

"This battle will be between Infernape and Weavile! Begin!"

"Infernape, use Flamethrower!" Infernape reared back and he unleashed a powerful burst of flames that engulfed Weavile. Taylor smirked and the flames were thrown off of Weavile, who had its arms crossed over one another.

"Weavile, use Ice Beam on their side of the battlefield!" Taylor yelled. Weavile shot a zigzagging burst of light blue energy that froze Owen's side of the battlefield. Infernape slipped on the ice and he did a full split, which caused him to cry in pain while covering his nether region.

"Infernape, stop screwing around and use Focus Blast!" Infernape quickly got back up and sprinted towards Weavile while a small yellow sphere f energy was created in Infernape's palm. The ice and dark type was blown back by the powerful fighting type attack, and it rolled across the battlefield. Weavile didn't get up, and Taylor began to insult the injured Pokemon.

"Weavile, get up you piece of trash!" Weavile slowly got back up even though it didn't look like it was able to battle. However, it continued to press on because of its trainer's insults. "Now use Dark Pulse!" Weavile shot a weak ray of black and purple energy at Infernape, but Owen reacted quickly.

"Infernape, use Flamethrower to cancel out Dark Pulse!" The Flamethrower obliterated the Dark Pulse and Weavile was hurled into the wall behind Taylor. Struggling to get up, Weavile looked at its trainer. Taylor glared at the injured Pokemon, and Weavile mustered up the strength to push itself back up despite, the fact that its legs were shaking violently.

"Weavile, use Faint Attack!" Weavile disappeared and then reappeared behind Infernape before striking the fire and fighting type weakly. Infernape turned around and his fist was glowing light blue.

"Infernape, use Close Combat!" Infernape punched and kicked Taylor's Weavile as hard as he could, and the ice and dark type slammed against the wall behind Owen. Weavile slowly pushed itself back up, but Taylor stomped on the ground furiously.

"Weavile, return!" Weavile's picture turned light blue, just like the other Pokemon that he had called upon, and Taylor withdrew the barely conscious Pokemon. He then began to insult Weavile as he put the Pokeball back on his belt. After that, he grabbed a different Pokeball and tossed it in the air.

"Rhyperior, get back out here!" Taylor shouted. His Rhyperior reappeared, and it slammed on the ground. Rhyperior then locked eyes with Infernape, and the two growled at one another. Rhyperior's picture turned back to its normal color, and the crowd began to cheer. While the two Pokemon stared each other down, the referee stepped forward and looked at both sides before nodding.

"This battle will be between Infernape and Rhyperior! Begin!"

"Rhyperior, use Dig!" Rhyperior quickly dug underground and disappeared from eyesight. Owen and Infernape looked around the battlefield, but they couldn't find the giant rock type Pokemon. Rhyperior immediately appeared underneath Infernape and uppercut the fire and fighting type in the chin.

"Infernape, bounce back and use Focus Blast!" Owen yelled. Infernape landed and then sprung forwards while his a yellow ball of energy formed in his palm. Infernape then slammed the attack in Rhyperior's face, causing the heavy Pokemon to fall over.

"Rhyperior, get back up!" Taylor ordered intimidatingly. Rhyperior struggled to get back up, but when it did, it began to roar into the air. The crowd was wowed by the strength of the Pokemon, and Taylor smirked.

"Infernape, use Close Combat!" Owen commanded. Infernape lunged at Rhyperior and began to punch and kick the bigger Pokemon repeatedly, but Rhyperior managed to fight back and hit Infernape once or twice. Infernape somehow manages to land a ferocious punch that knocked Rhyperior backwards, and the crowd exploded with cheers.

"Rhyperior, use Fire Blast!" Rhyperior shot a star shaped flame at Infernape, who reared back and shot a Flamethrower without Owen's orders. The two moves collided and exploded immediately. BOOOOM! As the smoke left the battlefield, both Infernape and Rhyperior appeared to be fatigued. Owen was relieved when he saw Infernape, but he was also worried about his starter's health.

"Infernape, use Close Combat!" Infernape sprinted forwards and struck Rhyperior with a powerful punch that sent it flying into the air, not allowing Infernape to continue his assault. Rhyperior landed on the ground and roared angrily after Infernape's swift punch to his chest. The fire and fighting type ran back to Owen's side of the battlefield, and he waited for his opponent to strike.

"Rhyperior, use Earthquake!" Rhyperior stomped on the ground and a column of rocks shot up and it hit Infernape in the chin, sending him flying high into the air. Owen watched as Infernape smacked against the ground, and he shattered the ice on Owen's side of the battlefield.

"Rhyperior, use Horn Drill!" Rhyperior turned into a drill, and flew like a torpedo towards Infernape. The drill was green and there were shreds of white light that spilt off of the spiraling attack. The crowd oohed and awed as they watch the powerful attack cut through the air and fly towards Infernape.

"Infernape, counter with Flare Blitz!" Infernape began to cover himself in the fire from his head, and the fire turned blue. Infernape then rammed into Rhyperior head on and the two moves began to battle back and forth. BOOOOOOOOOM! Both Pokemon were thrown backwards, but only Infernape laid on the ground. The fire on his head burned lowly, and he was unconscious. Owen couldn't believe that his Infernape had just fallen to the lethargic Pokemon that he thought was no match for his starter.

"Infernape is unable to battle! Owen, choose your last Pokemon," the referee ordered as he looked at Owen. Staring down at the ground, Owen walked towards Infernape and picked him up. Placing him down behind the trainer's box, Owen took out his sixth and final Pokeball. Looking at the scoreboard, he realized the referee wasn't kidding, and that he was down to his final Pokemon, while Taylor still had all six of his Pokemon remaining. Realizing that two of the remaining Pokemon still hadn't battled yet, Owen seemed emotionally distraught.

"Rhyperior, return." Taylor looked at Rhyperior's Pokeball and he surprisingly didn't have anything to say to the large Pokemon. "Drapion, get back out here!" Taylor's Drapion appeared, and its picture turned from light blue back to its normal color. Owen looked at the intimidating Pokemon, but he knew that his final Pokemon could defeat this monstrous foe.

"He's done," Jet murmured as she put her head into her lap as she couldn't watch the battle anymore. The group on the bench stayed silent, and not a single person believed that Owen could mount the improbable comeback.

"Just wait," Talon told the group as he knew how powerful Owen's final Pokemon was. The group looked at him, and then at the battlefield. They saw Owen staring at his last Pokeball that would either win him six straight battles, or fall trying.

"Garchomp, you're all that's left!" Owen shouted as he threw out his sixth and final Pokeball. Grachomp appeared and he roared into the air. Taylor began to laugh to himself as he saw Garchomp, and the dragon and ground type shot a Dragon Rage at Taylor, barely missing the now enraged trainer.

"Since when did Owen have a Garchomp?" Jet questioned as she tried remembering if she battled a Gible or Gabite when she faced Owen. Not a single memory of the dragon type occurred, and she waited for Penny or Talon to speak up.

"He never used him against you. He said he wanted to save Garchomp for your league battle against him," Penny answered. Jet nodded, slightly breathing a sigh of relief that she didn't have to battle Owen's Garchomp. The dragon and ground type stomped on the ground heavily and let out a loud roar that echoed through the stadium.

"This battle will be between Garchomp and Drapion! Begin!"

"Drapion, use Cross Poison!" Drapion fired a pink 'X' at Garchomp, but the dragon type dodged the attack with ease. Taylor seemed care free, almost as if he didn't have to worry about Garchomp in the least bit.

"Garchomp, use Dragon Pulse!" Garchomp fired a light blue horizontal tornado at Drapion, and the poison and dark type was blown backwards by the powerful attack. Taylor still didn't seem concerned about Garchomp, and he lazily gave Drapion its next set of commands.

"Drapion, use Pin Missile and wrap this up," Taylor ordered quietly as he put his arms behind his head. Drapion fired tons of white arrows at Garchomp, and the dragon and ground type stared as he was overwhelmed by the amount of missiles flying at him.

"Garchomp, use a Dragon Countershield!" Garchomp dropped to the ground and he began to spin while firing a Dragon Pulse attack. The Pin Missile attack was cancelled out instantly, and Garchomp hopped back up to his feet.

"What? Drapion, use Cross Poison and finish that waste of a dragon type!" Taylor grunted, realizing that Garchomp was much stronger than he thought. As Drapion fired the powerful poison type attack, Garchomp saw red. Before Owen could command him to use Dragon Rage, Garchomp jumped up into the air and he generated a blue dragon head. He then crashed through the Cross Poison attack and slammed into Drapion's back. The scorpion-like Pokemon cried in pain, and Garchomp landed back on Owen's side of the battlefield.

"Wow! Garchomp just learned Dragon Rush!" Nick exclaimed. Everyone began to become more excited on the bench, and they started to cheer for Garchomp. Drapion appeared to be hampered by the strength of the Dragon Rush attack, and it moved around slowly.

"Garchomp, wrap this up with Dragon Pulse!" Owen shouted. Garchomp reared back and fired a full power Dragon Pulse attack and it exploded on contact with Drapion. The poison and dark type was hurled backwards, but somehow managed to get back up.

"Drapion, return," Taylor called. The large purple scorpion was withdrawn back to its Pokeball, and Taylor took out another one of the hi-tech devices. Drapion's picture turned light blue, but Taylor and everyone in attendance didn't seem to notice. The crowd was still quiet, but a few people began to cheer while Garchomp stood calmly in front of Owen.

"Taylor, choose your next Pokemon!" Taylor muttered something under his breath and he threw out the Pokeball in his hand. As it opened up, Owen was met by a familiar Pokemon. One that he had seen quite a few times during Sinnoh.

"Go, Torterra!" A Torterra occupied the fifth picture on Taylor's side of the screen, and it looked far more powerful than Owen's Torterra. The crowd cheered as the referee looked at both sides and nodded, signaling that the battle would be starting in a matter of seconds.

"This battle will be between Garchomp and Torterra! Begin!"

"Torterra, use Leaf Storm!" Taylor shouted angrily. Torterra stomped on the ground, and the tree that was its tail began to glow light green. The Sinnoh starter shot a horizontal tornado of leaves at Garchomp, and the dragon and ground type was pummeled by the countless number of leaves.

"Garchomp, counter with Dragon Rush!" Owen shouted as he punched his fist forwards. Garchomp nodded and he generated a blue dragon head before charging into Torterra. The large turtle was flipped over, and it landed on its head. Garchomp quickly retreated back to Owen, and Taylor's Torterra stared at the powerhouse of Owen's team.

"Torterra, use Earthquake!" The foe Torterra slammed its front feet on the ground, and a column of rocks shot up underneath Garchomp. The dragon and ground type was sent flying into the air, and Owen saw his title hopes slip away. "Now use Leaf Storm!" Taylor's Torterra fired a horizontal tornado of leaves that slashed up Garchomp, and the dragon type hit the ground with cuts and bruises all over his body.

"Garchomp, get back up and hit Torterra with Dragon Pulse!" Owen ordered. Garchomp quickly got back up and fired a light blue horizontal tornado of energy at Torterra. The grass and ground type was blown backwards by the attack, and Torterra began to pant heavily. Garchomp, on the other hand, seemed to be fine as he brushed the dust off of his shoulders.

"Torterra, use Solarbeam!" Torterra threw its head straight up, and it began to take in energy from the bright lights that were on the top of the stadium. It then unleashed a powerful yellow beam of light that struck Garchomp, and the energy began to push the powerful Pokemon backwards. Garchomp managed to plant his feet into the ground and, he pushed his palms up against the powerful grass type attack. When Torterra finally finished, Garchomp still stood perfectly upright and, he glared at Torterra, his eyes now red with anger.

"Garchomp, use Draco Meteor!" Owen shouted. Garchomp nodded and fired a large orange ball high into the sky. It then broke apart into tons of smaller spheres, and they exploded as they hit the ground. Torterra was struck by multiple meteors, and its legs began to shake violently.

"What? Torterra didn't faint?" Talon screamed as he threw his arms around while being caught up in the incredible match between Grachomp and Torterra, just like the others, who were still fully aware that Owen was going to lose. It was just a matter of time.

"Torterra, let's finish this with Frenzy Plant!" Torterra stomped on the ground and roared as gigantic vines began to shoot up from beneath the battlefield. The large vines began to smack Garchomp, and the dragon type threw his arms up in self defense. Owen watched as Garchomp took a beating from the attacks by the vines, but then an idea struck him like lightning.

"Garchomp, use Giga Impact!" Owen screamed. Garchomp roared a deafening cry, and he turned into a large purple ball of energy that had streaks of orange energy spiraling around it. The powerful normal type attack slammed through all of the vines, and then Garchomp crashed into Torterra, causing a massive explosion. Owen tried to find Garchomp through the smoke, but he was unsuccessful.

"Well, I guess this battle is over. Let's get going," Zayne muttered as he began to walk away from the bench, still not knowing if Garchomp had fainted. Lucy and Alice both looked up at Mint and shook their heads as Andy joined in on the departure too.

"Look!" Nick shouted as he pointed at the cloud of smoke. Everyone looked and saw that Garchomp was standing over Torterra victoriously. The crowd cheered happily, realizing how much effort Garchomp was putting forth to make the battle bearable, and Torterra's picture turned black. Taylor stared at Garchomp and couldn't believe that the so called 'waste of a dragon type' managed to ignite a spark in the crowd in a battle that was already over. He looked at the referee who walked forwards, and stared at Garchomp and Owen.

"Taylor, choose your next Pokemon!" Taylor stared at his next Pokeball and then back up at Owen and his Garchomp. Despite all of the cuts and bruises, Garchomp still looked like he could fight the other five Pokemon with energy to spare, which struck the fear of god into Taylor.

"It's time to end this battle! Sceptile, show them your strength!" Taylor's Sceptile stood confidently on the other side of the battlefield, and Owen instantly thought of his own Sceptile and how powerful he was, which caused Owen to become nervous. Garchomp and Sceptile both glared at one another and they began to growl, vividly remembering the first time that they met one another.

"This battle will be between Garchomp and Sceptile! Begin!"

"Sceptile, use Bullet Seed!" Sceptile fired small yellow pellets that struck Garchomp, but it did little damage. Garchomp smirked and roared powerfully. Taylor's Sceptile didn't seem fazed in the least bit, and it waited for Garchomp's attack.

"Garchomp, use Dragon Pulse!" Owen shouted. Garchomp fired a horizontal tornado of light blue energy at Sceptile, but it didn't seem as powerful as before. Taylor and his Hoenn Pokemon actually seemed slightly pressured by the new cheers and chants, but the teenager quickly countered Owen's attack.

"Sceptile, dodge it!" Taylor countered. The foe Sceptile jumped up over the Dragon Pulse attack, but it was left defenseless. Taylor saw Owen and Garchomp smirk, and he was worried immediately.

"Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!" Owen screamed. Garchomp howled into the air and generated a blue dragon head, ramming straight into Sceptile. The Hoenn Pokemon was sent flying into the wall behind Taylor, and the cheers from the crowd became louder. However, they were now for Taylor to finish the mediocre battle. Taylor's Sceptile got back up quickly, and it glared at Garchomp bitterly.

"Sceptile, use Quick Attack!" Sceptile sprinted towards Garchomp, and Garchomp quickly jumped over the normal type attack. This time, Owen saw Taylor and Sceptile smirk, causing him to feel worried. "Now use Solarbeam!" Sceptile fired a yellow beam of energy at Garchomp, but Owen quickly countered.

"Garchomp, use Dragon Pulse to cancel Solarbeam out!" Owen roared. Garchomp fired a powerful Dragon Pulse at the Solarbeam attack, and there was a massive explosion. Both Pokemon were hurled to the opposing trainer's side, and they glared at one another. "Garchomp, use Draco Meteor!" Garchomp fired a large orange sphere into the air, and then it broke apart. The multiple orange spheres crashed on top of Sceptile, and there were a series of explosions which began to destroy the battlefield.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade!" Sceptile sprinted forwards and slashed Garchomp across the chest, sending him tumbling backwards. Garchomp then quickly ran back to Owen, and he stared Sceptile down.

"Dragon Rush!" Garchomp was shrouded in a blue energy that turned into a dragon, and zipped towards Sceptile. The grass type Pokemon quickly side stepped, and Garchomp slammed into the wall behind Taylor. Garchomp then landed on his back with his head against the wall, and Sceptile walked towards him.

"Sceptile, pin it down." Sceptile slammed its foot down on Garchomp's chest, and the dragon type was pinned to the ground. "Finish it with Leaf Blade!" Sceptile smirked evilly, and the leaves on his forearms extended and turned a brighter shade of green. The grass type swung his forearm forwards and Owen screamed to Garchomp.

"NOOO!" A large explosion occurred, and Owen hung his head as he realized that Garchomp fainted. The crowd went silent, and everyone stared as they waited for the clouds to disperse.

"Well I guess that's it. There's no way Garchomp survived that," Tlon assumed as he looked at the cloud of smoke that surrounded the two Pokemon. Nick smirked and spoke up, as he had a gut feeling that the battle wasn't over.

"I'm not too sure about that," he said as he pointed at the now fading cloud of smoke. Garchomp was holding onto Sceptile's forearm, and he slowly stood up while still holding on to the grass type Pokemon.

"Garchomp, throw Sceptile against the wall!" Owen screamed with new life as he saw that Garchomp was still standing. Garchomp roared and hurled Sceptile against the wall before he quickly retreated to Owen. Sceptile was now laying against the wall, and Taylor turned to the grass type Pokemon.

"Sceptile, get back up and use Leaf Blade!" he exploded. Sceptile got back up and charged at Garchomp with his forearm leaves glowing light green and extending. Garchomp began running towards Taylor's Sceptile, and Owen screamed instantly.

"Garchomp, use Giga Impact! Full throttle!" Garchomp roared and was covered in a pink ball of energy that had orange streaks of energy circulate around Garchomp. The two moves collided, and Garchomp quickly overpowered Sceptile, sending the grass type flying into the wall behind Taylor. The crowd exploded with cheers for Garchomp and pleas for Sceptile to get up that mixed with one another, which caused the bench to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Now Garchomp only has four to worry about," Zayne stated as he looked at the scoreboard, but then he saw the condition Garchomp was in. The powerful Pokemon had cuts and bruises all over his body, and he panted heavily while gingerly putting pressure on his left leg.

"Look! Sceptile is getting back up!" Lillian gasped as she and the others saw that Taylor's Sceptile was standing back up. The evil looking Pokemon cracked its neck and then sprinted towards Garchomp with a fearless look.

"Sceptile, use Quick Attack and finish with a close range Solarbeam!" Taylor shouted to his Hoenn starter. The grass type rammed into Garchomp and hit him upwards. Sceptile then reared back and fired a Solarbeam that hit Garchomp directly. The dragon and ground type smacked against the ground, and the referee quickly ran over as Garchomp's picture turned black.

"Garchomp is unable to ba-" the referee was cut off by Garchomp using all of his might to stand back up. Owen watched as the seriously injured Pokemon continued to fight for his trainer with no thought of his own well being, causing Owen to feel bad and happy at the same time. His picture returned to its normal color, and the crowd began to clap for Garchomp.

"Garchomp, show them your strength and use Dragon Rush!" Owen commanded. Garchomp roared into the air and generated a large blue dragon head. He then rammed into Sceptile, and the Hoenn Pokemon rolled across the battlefield. "Wrap this up with Dragon Pulse!" The dragon type Pokemon unleashed a wickedly powerful Dragon Pulse, and Sceptile's body was limply laying on the ground after taking the attack head on.

"Sceptile, get up and use Leaf Blade!" Taylor countered angrily. Sceptile shot back up and swung at Garchomp, but he managed to avoid the signature attack of the grass type.

"Garchomp, use Draco Meteor!" Garchomp nodded and he fired off a large orange ball of energy into the air. It then exploded and multiple pieces of the energy crashed into the ground, but not a single one hit Sceptile.

"Sceptile, wrap this up with Solarbeam!" Taylor shouted. Sceptile reared back and began to absorb the energy that was needed to charge his attack. Owen's eyes widened and he went in for the finishing blow.

"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.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOM! 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.

"That's it," Talon announced as he and everyone else stared at Garchomp. He had swirls for eyes, while Sceptile struggled to stay standing. The crowd exploded with cheers and chants, and Owen looked around the stadium with his eyes wide open. He couldn't describe how he felt, nor would he. The referee simply stared at the powerful pseudo legendary, who managed to ignite the crowd in an already decided battle. If Taylor hadn't withdrew all of his Pokemon, then Garchomp most likely would've won the battle for Owen. Taylor didn't move, and he too couldn't describe how he felt. Infernape managed to watch the battle that had just taken place between the two powerful Pokemon, and he couldn't believe what he saw. Owen continued to listen to the deafening chants of the crazed fans, and he took one more look at the humongous stadium.

Charles Goodshaw and Cynthia both walked onto the battlefield, and they saw the unreal effort of Garchomp. They walked onto a pedestal, and Charles was given a microphone. He cleared his throat and tapped the microphone to make sure it was working.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say, that was a great battle, and one of the greatest efforts we've ever seen from a single Pokemon! Both trainers would have made great opponents for Cynthia, but as we all know, there can only be one champion. I'd like to congratulate both of you on your success, and I wish you the best of luck on your future journeys. Now… the winner of the Sinnoh league tournament is Taylor! He will be battling Cynthia tomorrow night, right here in this exact stadium!" Owen couldn't look up, but he withdrew Garchomp back to his Pokeball. He didn't know how to react, so he walked off of the battlefield while hearing Taylor calling him a loser alng with most of the crowd.

"Owen! Wait up!" The runner up didn't bother turning around, but he did stop in his tracks when he heard the voices of his friends. There was an awkward silence before he turned and looked up. His eyes were bloodshot, and there were tears streaming down his face. Nobody spoke up, and Infernape quietly looked at his emotional trainer. Without a word, Owen sprinted out of the trainer room with Infernape chasing after him. The two disappeared from eye sight, and the group of kids was left looking around the room. Silently, they all walked out of the enormous stadium.

•••

"Infernape, we were obliterated," Owen told his Sinnoh starter through tears as he looked up at the stars. The fire type didn't make a noise, but he nodded. Owen began to punch the ground furiously before throwing his face into his hands, and he began to cry again. All six Pokemon from the battle stared as they couldn't help but feel bad about not helping their trainer reach his goal of winning the league. Garchomp sat with his head hung as he couldn't help but remember the final commands. If he had just given a little more effort, then he would've beaten both Sceptile and Drapion. If that happened, there's no telling how the rest of the battle would have panned out..

The boat rocked back and forth on the rough waters as Owen, Penny, Talon, and the others all were headed back to Twinleaf town for Owen's departure. The boy looked up at his eleven Pokemon, and they all looked at him with a look of extreme disappointment. (Switch to Pokemon POV)

"Garchomp, it's not your fault," Infernape told the powerhouse Pokemon. Garchomp glared at the second strongest member of the team and he sighed sadly. "If I had managed to knock out some members of that jerk's team, then we could have won."

"But I was the one that lost last. I should have crushed that Sceptile, and that Drapion!" Garchomp spat bitterly as he punched his leg in frustration. After an awkward moment of silence, Garchomp sighed as he looked at the bright water. "Just leave me alone." Infernape reluctantly nodded, and he walked over towards the other Pokemon.

"You did the best you could," Lopunny stated as she tried comforting the fire and fighting type. Infernape nodded and knew what Lopunny said was true. He gave more energy in that one battle than he did in the entire Sinnoh league up until that point. "Besides. If you couldn't take down a single Pokemon, none of us could!"

"Well, except for Garchomp," Gallade stated. He took a quick nudge to the ribs from Floatzel, and Infernape shook his head. The silent deck rocked up and down on the now calm waters, and the Pokemon could tell that they were nearing their destination.

"Let's look on the bright side. We made it to the finals! I don't think any of Owen's teams have done that before," Torterra stated. The other Pokemon nodded, and quickly stopped their conversation when Owen walked past them. They followed their trainer into his room, and watched as he collapsed on to his bed. They all followed suit and fell asleep. Then, everything went black.

•••

The following morning, the group arrived at their destination. Owen managed to put on a fake smile as he waved goodbye to Nick, Jet, and Zayne as they left for the Battle Frontier.

"So this is finally it," Talon started as he looked at the massive ship. Owen nodded and so did Infernape. "Well, good luck with whatever you do. I expect to see you on TV next year for a league tournament!" Owen nodded and then looked at Penny.

"Make sure that those guys don't tear up Professor. Oak's lab," Penny told Owen as she tried to make a joke while pointing at her friend's Pokemon. Owen smiled slightly and nodded before he walked away and waved to his two friends from Sinnoh.

"So are you ready to go back to Pallet town?" Talon questioned as Owen walked on board. Owen shook his head before he continued on to the ship

He wasn't in the mood to talk, so he stuck to nodding and shaking his head in response to yes or no questions.

"I just can't wait to go back home," Owen replied. Suddenly, the boat began to set sail, and he watched as Penny and Talon waved to him. He waved back in response, and then stared at the water. Owen maintained a straight face the entire trip, and he continued to stare at the water that was in front of him.

A few hours later, a small town came into sight, and all of the Pokemon perked their heads up as they stared at their destination.

The ship stopped at the port at the south end of the town, and the teenage trainer and his Pokemon walked onto the Kanto soil. Staraptor and Bronzor flew around happily while the other Pokemon began to run around, except for Infernape and Garchomp. The group proceeded to walk towards the laboratory, and they reached the colossal building in a few short minutes.

"Well, I guess I should check on my old Pokemon before I go home," Owen said aloud. He walked slowly, and then scaled the stairs with ease while his Pokemon followed behind him. As Owen opened the door, he was greeted by Feraligatr tackling him to the ground joyously. The Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn Pokemon poured out of the door, and they all seemed to be delighted to see Owen and a few new Pokemon.

"Owen! You're back!" Owen looked up and saw that Professor Oak was standing over him while trying to pry Feraligatr off of his trainer. Owen got up and dusted the dirt off of his clothes, and he nodded while looking at all of his Pokemon.

"Yeah. I lost," Owen answered while sadly looking at all of his Pokemon. The Sinnoh Pokemon all looked just like their trainer, and they all slouched over disappointedly as they almost tasted the victory of the championship round.

"I know. But that was quite an impressive run you had. You're only the third trainer ever from Pallet town to reach a league championship. And Garchomp… that was an incredible stretch of battles you had during the tournament! Everybody in Pallet watched and cheered for you, Owen. Now you're recognized as a hero around here." Owen winced slightly before he looked up at the professor. All of the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn Pokemon stared at their trainer, and they waited for his response.

"I lost in the championship round. My opponent had four or five of his Pokemon left, yet people still think of me as a hero?" Garchomp slouched over and looked beyond angered. The Kanto professor seemed to understand Garchomp's actions, and he immediately quieted down. The other Pokemon from Owen's previous journeys were wowed at how well their latest comrades performed, especially the Kanto team.

"Well, I have an interesting offer for you. A colleague of mine is in a land known as the Unova region. She was very impressed with you and invited you to go to their for the Unova league!" Professor Oak exclaimed. Owen stared blankly at the professor, before sighing and then glaring at the man who had given him his first Pokemon.

"No." Professor Oak was completely thrown off by Owen's response. The boy stared at the elderly man with a blank face that masked his depression. Professor Oak stood still as he saw that the normally energetic boy had turned into a dark void of bitterness and sorrow.

"Well that's a shame. I'll call her and say that you need some time to think about it. After all, going on back to back journies through foreign regions is difficult. I tried it once, but it was more than I could handle."

"I don't care. Tell her I don't want to go. I'm done," Owen spat. With that, he walked away and all of the Pokemon watched as he disappeared over the hill that led to his house. Sadness swept over all of his Pokemon who watched him leave. Professor Oak sighed and watched as Owen disappeared over the hill and towards his house.

"We'll just see about that."

With that, Owen's journey comes to a disheartening close, and he is now off the grid. I will let you all know what my plans are for the next story of this series or something else as soon as possible, so stay tuned.

I'd like to thank all of my reviewers, people who favorited me or this story, and/or followed me or this story, and to all of you who read. Remember, without any of you, I wouldn't be writing this. So for the last time in Sinnoh,

Peace out.