Journey Through Johto |Discontinued|

Chapter 2.12: Bugging It Out At the Azalea Gym

"The grass looks so fresh around here." Emmy commented as they walked over the bridge, crossing a river, leading into Azalea Town.

"I heard there was a really rough drought around here recently for months before a boy and his friends came along, saving the Slowpoke from some pokenappers. Then the Slowpoke summoned back the rain with their yawning. Never caught their names, though." Zia told them, shrugging at the end.

They continued on through the town, noticing the amount of Slowpoke lying around. It seems the citizens here really do worship the water-types. Eventually, they reached what appeared to be the Azalea Gym according to the map.

"You sure this is a gym? Seems more like a garden." Sky said, peeking inside as the entrance didn't have a door. "Even so, it's a nice one." Emmy complimented, gazing at the plants and trees. The Serperior slithered inside, wanting a closer look.

"Emmy? Maybe we should wait out here." Zia said to her. "Nah, the entrance is wide open. And the gym leader must be around here somewhere." She replied, going in deeper. Zia and Sky looked at each other before sighing and following after the third in their trio.

"It does feel like a forest in here, even if it's inside." Sky stated, the enclosed space filled with flora. Emmy was smiling happily as she went around. The grass-type loved it in here.

But suddenly, something lowered down in front of her. "A bug-type." She stated, glaring at the Caterpie that came down on its string from a tree. It stared back at her with its beady little eyes that made a shiver crawl up the Serperior's back.

She huffed before turning the other way, only to run into a group of Metapod. She hissed warningly at them, narrowing her eyes. "I never realized what a dislike for bug Pokémon you had." Zia said as she and Sky caught up to her.

"Well, I got over it when Gunnar was around, but I've never really liked them. They're natural enemies of grass-types, always thinking it's alright to go around gnawing on us and taking our space in the forest." Emmy grumbled. Zia hummed, you learned something new every day.

"I can tell your Pokémon doesn't like the bug Pokémon, miss, and that's pretty ignorant of it. Everybody knows bug-types are the best Pokémon in the world." A new voice stated as they looked up to see a boy sitting on a tree branch. He had purple hair and was wearing a green outfit with shorts. Emmy hissed angrily at him, "Ser! Ser Serperior Ser!"

"Well, that's your own opinion, but okay. And sorry to barge in. I'm Zia, and I came to challenge the Azalea Gym." Zia introduced politely. She's learned to never give into people's provocation, as it would only give them the satisfaction they were seeking from your reaction.

The boy stood up on the branch. "Another challenger. I'm Bugsy, the Gym Leader of the Azalea Gym. Bug Pokémon are my specialty. And I know just about everything there is to know about them. But before we start the battle..." He trailed off. Zia tilted her head, waiting for him to go on.

"Could you get that ladder? I'm stuck up here." He admitted, pointing down to the fallen ladder in the bushes. The three on the ground sweatdropped as Zia put the ladder back up, allowing the boy to get down.

The group then moved to a battlefield in the middle of the greenhouse/gym. "The battle between Bugsy, the Gym Leader, and Zia, the challenger, is about to begin. Each trainer may use three Pokémon. A gym badge is at stake. Are the trainers ready?" A referee explained the rules as he stood in between the two.

Getting confirmation from both sides, he asked both to send out their first Pokémon. "I'm going to start off with one of the strongest competitors in my bug Pokémon arsenal. I choose Spinarak." Bugsy said, releasing it. It was a green spider Pokémon, but only had six legs, which were black and yellow. It had a small nub on its head, almost like a horn.