Gold- A Pokémon Story

Chapter Eight: Bugged

Silver and I pushed the doors open to the gym. Immediately as we stepped in I felt a wave of humidity wash over me.

The air was damp and the room was densely packed with trees and various fauna. Large windows allowed light to seep in from the ceiling and the gym gave off a greenhouse vibe.

"Woah! This place is like a jungle!" Silver remarked. We followed a path partially overrun with plants to the center of the gym. It was a mostly clear grassy battlefield surrounded by all sorts of plants.

Perched on one of the tree branches was a young boy with unstyled purple hair. He was dressed in green scouts gear and had a bug-catching net clutched in his hands.

He noticed us and grinned. "Heya! Welcome to the Azalea Town gym!" The boy said, sliding off of the tree branch. He had a wide grin and pretty energetic mannerisms. "I'm guessing you're here for a battle, right?"

We nodded. "Yep! And I'm going to go first!" Silver said.

"Coolio!" He gave Silver a thumbs up. "I'm Bugsy, and I use the coolest type ever! Bugs! As a matter of fact, some call me the Bug Master!"

"The name's Silver! Also, Bug Master, aren't you just a kid?" Silver asked.

Bugsy rolled his eyes. "I get that a lot, but I'm more than capable. And I'll prove it too. The referee doesn't like to stay in here but we don't need him. It'll be a three on three battle and only you can switch your Pokémon. Ready?"

Silver nodded and tossed a Poké Ball into the air, sending out his Zubat. "Ready!"

Silver had managed to beat Bugsy's first two Pokémon with ease thanks to Zubat's type advantage. However, Bugsy's last Pokémon finally wore down Zubat and even managed to knock out Eevee leaving just his Totodile.

Bugsy was using a Scyther. It was a powerful bug Pokémon that stood tall on two legs and giant sharp arms. Its body was green and the Pokémon had two large wings coming out from its back.

"Totodile, let's wrap this up. Use Water Gun and charge forward!" Silver told his Pokémon. Totodile rushed at Scyther while blasting water in its face.

Scyther raised its scythe arms to block the aquatic onslaught while Totodile closed the gap between the Pokémon. "Now use Bite and throw him!"

Totodile stopped firing water at the enemy Pokémon and he leaped into the air, chomping down on Scyther's arm and threw it into a tree.

Scyther collided with the wooden mass and rag-dolled as it landed on the ground. Bugsy sighed and returned his Pokémon. "Great job! I guess I still have a bit to learn about bugs. You're a really good trainer, so take these." Bugsy handed Silver a Pokémon badge and a TM.

As this exchange happened, Totodile began to glow. As it was glowing its body grew and sharp scales grew on its tale, back, and the top of its head. After he stopped glowing he had changed into a Croconaw.

"Totodile... evolved?" Silver whispered. He threw his arms around the Pokémon and smiled. "That's awesome! Great work, Croconaw!"

Bugsy then turned to me. "You're up next, yeah? I've got a healing machine in the back of the room so we can battle real quick!" He told me and turned to run into the bushes.

"That was awesome, Silver!" I told my friend. "And your Pokémon evolved too! Great job, man!"

Silver's face flushed red and he began to fidget his hands. "Really? Well, I'm sure you'll do great too!"

I nodded. "After seeing his team I'm sure I can do it! Spinarak, Butterfree, and Scyther! Easy!" I recalled the strategies Silver had used to easily cut through Bugsy's team.