We were walking along, heading to the next town. I saw a sign up ahead and once we were closer, we saw that it read that Azalea Town was close.

"I remember my mom telling me about that town. She told me that they had to save Slowpokes from Team Rocket." Michelle said, breaking the silence as we stopped by the sign.

"Yeah, the Slowpokes were from the Slowpoke Well." I added.

"What was so special about the Slowpokes?" Jason asked.

"In Azalea Town, legend says that Slowpoke's yawn has the ability to make it rain." I replied. "And the town was facing a drought at that time."

"Huh...okay, then."

"Team Rocket was planning on stealing the Slowpokes and making the townspeople charge them to make the Slowpokes yawn so that it would rain, but my mom and Adam's dad stopped them." Michelle added.

"There's also a gym here in Azalea Town. The gym leader is Bugsy, the Bug type gym leader." I said, remembering what my dad had told me.

Jason laughed and said, "I bet your mom had quite the time in that gym, Michelle."

Michelle also laughed and replied, "Yeah, if there's three things that she hates more than anything, it's carrots, peppers, and bugs!"

"Are you REALLY sure that you're not scared of Bug Pokemon? If you don't want to watch our gym battles, we'll understand."

Michelle shook her head. "I'm sure. I'm not scared of Bug Pokemon."

I remembered her telling us back on our Kanto journey that she found Caterpies cute.

"And unlike my mom, I like carrots and peppers, too." she added. "Whenever I make stew for us while we're traveling, I always add those vegetables into the mix. The peppers make the stew nice and spicy."

We were about to continue on when Jason suddenly said, "Wait! If Bugsy uses Bug Pokemon, then I need to get a new Pokemon to beat him."

Jason knew that he could only use Fearow in a type advantage battle. With Charizard gone, he only had a Flying type and no Fire type and he couldn't win with only one Pokemon.

"Could we stop and wait for me to catch a new Pokemon?" Jason asked.

"Sure, Jason. You know, A new Fire Pokemon would help you in your battle. My dad found Cyndaquil on his journey through Johto just before he reached Azalea Town. Why don't we try there?"

Jason nodded his head.

After a while of searching, we heard a noise. Looking up, we saw not a Cyndaquil, but its evolved form, Quilava.

"Nice! Golduck, go!" Jason cried, tossing his Pokeball.

The Quilava took a fighting stance.

"Hydro Pump!" Jason cried, not wasting any time. Quilava was thrown back into a tree after getting hit by one powerful Hydro Pump.

But Quilava still had some fight left in it and it used Flame Wheel, spinning towards Golduck.

"Dodge it! Then use Hydro Pump again!" Jason called and Golduck got out of the way and launched another water blast.

But Quilava was ready this time and used Quick Attack to avoid the water. Quilava then unleashed a Flamethrower attack, which Golduck disintegrated with Hydro Pump and the water blast damaged Quilava, making it fall to the ground in pain.

Jason removed a Pokeball and tossed it. If Quilava managed to break free from the capture after that last attack, I would be shocked. The Pokeball fell to the ground and wiggled once, twice, three times, and stopped.

"Yes, I got a Quilava!" Jason cried, walking over and picking up his Pokeball. He then tossed the Pokeball and Quilava appeared.

"Welcome to the team, Quilava." Jason said, kneeling down and spraying a Potion on its wounds. He then stood back up and removed his Pokedex.

"Quilava, the Volcano Pokemon. Quilava is the evolved form of Cyndaquil and is capable of incredible attacks using the flames on its back."

"We each have a Johto starter Pokemon now." I said. "Michelle, you have Chikorita. Jason, you have Quilava. And I have Feraligatr."

Michelle nodded her head. "Yeah, we do, don't we? How cool is that?"

"I think it's pretty cool." said Jason, returning his newest Pokemon.

It was awesome that we each had a starter Pokemon. My dad had each starter Pokemon when he traveled through Johto, but each of us had one instead. Similarly, on his Hoenn journey, he had Treecko, May had Torchic, and Brock had Mudkip.

While traveling through Kanto, I had caught each of the three starter Pokemon like my dad had done, while Jason had one of them and Michelle didn't have any of them.

It was late in the afternoon when we finally arrived at the Azalea Town Pokemon Center, the sun had started setting.

"Since you challenged Falkner first, can I challenge Bugsy first?" Jason asked.

"Sure, I don't mind." I replied.

We walked to the front desk and dropped our Pokemon off to Nurse Joy and asked for a room.

After settling in, we walked to the cafeteria to eat supper. We sat down at a table, sharing a large pizza and talking. After being out on the road, it felt good to eat some real food again. Michelle was a good cook and all, but there are just some foods that you can't eat while traveling.

Once we finished our supper, we headed back to the lobby to get our Pokemon. As we walked into the lobby, Michelle stopped and looked at the TV.

It was advertising a Pokemon contest, which was going to be held in three days in Azalea Town. It looked like we were going to be here longer than we initially thought.

As we left the Pokemon Center the next morning, about to head to the gym, I remembered something.

"We shouldn't head to the gym right away. There's someone that my dad knows, an old friend who lives here in town. Misty knows her, too. Why don't we say hello before we go to the gym? We'll be glad that we did." I said.

After leading my friends through Azalea Town, we stopped in front of a small house that looked more like a cottage.

"In and around Azalea Town, there are special trees that grow things called apricorns, which are used to make Pokeballs. While most companies make them into regular Pokeballs, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls, there is a special way to turn different kinds of apricorns into special kinds of Pokeballs that have different special properties for catching Pokemon. An old man named Kurt used to live here, creating these special Pokeballs. He's probably deceased now, since he was an old man when my dad met him, but his granddaughter, Maisey, may still live here and know who we are, since she met my dad, too." I explained.

I knocked on the door and after a moment, the door opened to reveal a young woman. She looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties and had straight reddish-brown hair that went down just past her shoulders and had blue eyes. She was wearing an outfit that resembled a gi that was light pink with white bottoms and a red belt was tied at her waist and white shoes were on her feet.

"Are you Maisey?" I asked.

"Yes, who are you?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm Adam Ketchum. Ash Ketchum, the Pokemon Master, is my dad." I introduced. Since Maisey had met my dad, I mentioned his name.

"Jason Oak, Gary Oak's son." Jason greeted.

"Michelle Waterflower. Misty Waterflower's daughter." Michelle greeted.

"Oh, yes! I remember Ash and Misty. I met them when I was just a little girl. Please, come in." Maisey said, stepping aside and allowing us in.

We sat down around the table and Maisey sat a few moments later.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"We're on a Pokemon journey together, like our parents. We wanted to come and say hello to you." Michelle answered.

"So what's happened since our parents saw you last?" I asked.

"My grandpa, Kurt, died when I was a teenager and I took over his job of making Pokeballs in Azalea Town. People from all over Johto come here to get one of my special Pokeballs." Maisey explained.

"It's a tradition in my family to make special Pokeballs and my family has been doing it for almost two hundred years. My grandfather taught me everything that I needed to know about making Pokeballs."

A small silence passed. I made a mental note to let my dad know that Kurt had died and that Maisey had taken over his job.

"Speaking of Pokeballs, would you three like a special Pokeball made?" Maisey asked.

"Really?"

"Of course. My grandpa made ones for your parents when they were here."

"We'd love that. It would help us a lot with catching Pokemon." I said and Michelle and Jason nodded in agreement.

"If you go into the forest and bring back the apricorn that you want, I'll make a Pokeball for you. There are seven different colors of apricorns and each one makes a different type of Pokeball. But you need to be careful when you pick them. If the apricorn is too brittle or not ripe enough, it will break when I try to make the Pokeballs." Maisey explained.

"So how will we know which apricorns to pick?"

"I have someone that can help with that. Two people, actually. Kyle! Katie! Come here!"

Two little kids, a boy and girl appeared, they looked to be six or seven years old.

"These are my kids, Kyle and Katie. As you can see, they're twins." Maisey said, introducing her children.

Kyle and Katie both had reddish-brown hair and green eyes, Katie's hair was in low pigtails and Kyle's hair was messy. Kyle was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a white tee with a Pokeball on it and sneakers. Katie was wearing a pink skirt with a white tee and pink boots. Looking closer, Katie had freckles on her face.

"Kyle and Katie are learning the basics about making Pokeballs, so they know which apricorns are good for picking. They'll help you out in the forest. I started learning from my grandfather when I was their age."

"We hope to carry on the family tradition and make Pokeballs someday, too." Kyle said and Katie nodded.

"How long will this take?" I asked, since I knew that Jason wanted to get to the gym soon.

"Only a few minutes. There are plenty of trees around."

"Alright then. We'll look after the kids."

"You two stay safe." Maisey said to her children.

We walked out of the house, the twins leading us.

"We have a White apricorn tree growing in our backyard." Katie said.

"White apricorns make Fast Balls. Fast Balls are good for capturing fast Pokemon or Pokemon that usually run away from battle." Kyle explained. "Do you want one of those?"

We shook our heads, none of us wanting a Fast Ball. So we walked into the forest.

"So where's your dad?" Michelle asked.

"He works in Goldenrod City, the largest city in Johto. He commutes from here to there every day." Kyle explained. "So what are you three doing on your journey?"

"Jason and I are trainers and will be challenging the Azalea gym leader for our badges. Michelle is a coordinator and is participating in the upcoming Pokemon contest here." I explained to the kids.

"Here's a Red apricorn tree." Katie said, stopping at a tree.

"It makes Level Balls, which are good for capturing weaker Pokemon." Kyle explained.

We shook our heads and continued on.

"A Green apricorn tree." Kyle said, pointing to the tree.

"They make Friend Balls, which makes Pokemon more friendly towards you when they're caught." Katie explained.

"I'll take that one." I said, thinking that it would come in handy.

The kids found an apricorn that was good to pick and handed it to me. We then continued on.

"Here's a Yellow apricorn tree." Katie said, stopping.

"Yellow apricorns make Moon Balls, good for catching Pokemon who evolve using Moon Stones, like Clefairy and Jigglypuff." Kyle explained.

We shook our heads. We had no plans for capturing any of those Pokemon right now.

"Here is a Pink apricorn tree." said Kyle.

"Pink apricorns make Love Balls, good for catching Pokemon that are the opposite gender of your Pokemon that's battling." Katie explained.

We shook our heads and moved on.

"Here is a Black apricorn tree." said Katie.

"They make Heavy Balls, good for catching heavy Pokemon." Kyle explained.

"I'll take that one." said Jason.

They found an apricorn that was fine and handed it to Jason.

"And lastly, we have a Blue apricorn tree." Kyle said.

"Blue apricorns makes Lure Balls, good for catching Water Pokemon." Katie explained.

"I'll take that one. My mom also had a Lure Ball made when she was here." Michelle said.

Katie reached up, trying to get an apricorn for Michelle, but the branch was too high for her to reach. Luckily, Michelle wrapped her arms around Katie's waist and picked her up, lifting her up to the branch so that she could get the apricorn.

Katie smiled as Michelle put her down. "Thanks, Michelle." Katie said, handing the apricorn to her.

Michelle smiled back and said, "You're welcome, Katie."

We returned back to Maisey's house and gave her the apricorns that we had gathered.

"I'll need a day or two to make the Pokeballs, so come back then." she said.

"Okay, we have to go now. Thank you all for helping us and it was nice meeting you." I said.

"Michelle, I'll come and watch you compete in your contest here in Azalea Town." said Katie.

"I'll make sure to put on a performance that you'll never forget!" Michelle said confidently.

We then said goodbye to the three of them and headed for the gym.

Jason's POV

We walked into the gym, which was full of trees, bushes, and grass. It was like being in a forest while indoors. We continued walking until we came to the battlefield and spotted Bugsy sitting in a tree. Bugsy was in his mid-thirties now.

"I'm here to challenge you." I said.

"The Pokemon League accepted me as a gym leader when I was just a kid, making me the youngest gym leader in history. That shows you just how strong my knowledge of Bug Pokemon is and how powerful of a trainer I am. I accept your challenge." Bugsy said, climbing down from the tree and taking the field.

Adam and Michelle walked to the stands.

"The battle between the gym leader, Bugsy, and the challenger, Jason, will now begin. Each trainer will use three Pokemon and the battle will be over when the Pokemon on one side are unable to battle. Begin!"

"Ariados, go!" Bugsy cried, tossing his Pokeball.

"Fearow, let's go!" I cried, tossing my Pokeball.

"Use Pin Missile!" Bugsy cried.

"Fearow, fly up and use Agility!"

Fearow was able to avoid the Pin Missile.

"Use Aerial Ace!" Fearow shot towards Ariados.

"Poison Jab!"

Both moves successfully hit their marks.

"Drill Peck!" I cried, since Fearow had recovered before Ariados could.

"Dodge it!"

"Loop around with Aerial Ace!"

Fearow circled around and struck Ariados from behind after it dodged the first Aerial Ace.

"Ariados is unable to battle. Fearow wins!"

Bugsy returned his Pokemon and removed his next Pokeball.

"Butterfree, go!" He cried.

"Agility!"

I had a type advantage over Butterfree, but I needed to be careful. I had learned my lesson in the Pokemon League when Fearow had lost against a Butterfree.

"Supersonic!"

"Dodge it!"

Fearow was unable to dodge. Bugsy's Butterfree was quick to use its attacks. Fearow was now flying in a dazed state.

"Now use Poison Powder!" The powder coated Fearow and he cried out in pain as the poison took effect.

"Now use Psybeam, Butterfree." Bugsy wasn't letting up on the attacks.

"Fearow, dodge!" I cried. Fearow snapped out of its confusion and managed to avoid the attack.

"Now use Aerial Ace!" I cried. Fearow managed to land the hit, but right after that, the poison took effect.

"Stun Spore!" Fearow was covered by the powder.

"Let's finish this, Butterfree. Use Psybeam." Fearow was helpless, since he was unable to move due to the status effects. Fearow fell to the ground and fainted.

"Fearow is unable to battle. Butterfree wins!"

I removed my Pokeball and returned Fearow. "Great job, take a rest." I said, hooking the Pokeball back to my belt.

I removed my next Pokeball. It was time to see what Quilava was made of.

"Quilava, go!" I cried, tossing the Pokeball.

"Use Psybeam!"

"Flamethrower!"

The two moves collided with one another and canceled each other out.

"Now use Stun Spore!"

"Oh no you don't! Use Flamethrower!" I cried. I wasn't about to let my Pokemon be hit by another status effect.

The Stun Spore was burned away by the Flamethrower, which hit Butterfree.

"Quick Attack!" I cried, since Butterfree was still recovering from the fire.

"Use Poison Powder!" Bugsy cried once Butterfree had recovered.

"Burn through it and use Quick Attack!"

Quilava's Flamethrower burnt the attack and Quilava slammed into Butterfree, who fell to the ground.

"Butterfree is unable to battle. Quilava wins!"

I was amazed at Quilava's strength. He hadn't been an easy Pokemon to catch, but I was now seeing the real extent of his power.

Bugsy returned his Pokemon and removed his final Pokeball. "Impressive so far, but let's see how you do against my strongest Pokemon." Bugsy said as he tossed his Pokeball.

"Go, Scyther!"

"Flamethrower!" I cried, not wasting any time.

"Swords Dance!"

To my shock, the Flamethrower never touched Scyther as it spun around in a circle so fast that the fire couldn't get through.

After countless attacks, Quilava was reaching his limit and I had barely damaged Scyther. It was Swords Dance that kept me from getting in a hit. Unless...

"Quilava, jump and use Flamethrower from above!" Finally, Flamethrower hit its mark!

"Fury Cutter!"

"Double Edge!"

The two moves collided with one another and once the smoke cleared, both Pokemon were lying on the ground.

"Both Quilava and Scyther are unable to battle. Since all of Bugsy's Pokemon are defeated, the winner is Jason!"

I returned my new Pokemon, thanking him and hooking the Pokeball back onto my belt.

When I looked up, Bugsy was gone. Adam and Michelle ran onto the field.

"Great job, Jason!" Michelle cried.

"Good battle, Jason. Your Quilava is a real powerhouse!" said Adam.

"Thanks," I said.

Bugsy walked over with the cushion in his hands.

"Well, you beat me. I present to you, the Hive Badge. Great battle, Jason."

"Thanks. Scyther is a tough Pokemon." I said, taking the badge.

"Yeah, he's my strongest Pokemon."

"Get ready, Bugsy. Because I'm challenging you next." Adam said confidently.

"I'm looking forward to it. If you're anything like your dad, I'm going to have to be at the top of my game."

Author's Note: Jason catches a new Pokemon and uses it to help him win his badge. The kids also meet Maisey, Kurt's granddaughter, and her twin children. Michelle seems to have hit it off with Maisey's daughter, Katie. Maisey has also agreed to make each of them a special Pokeball.

Be sure to stay tuned for Adam's gym battle with Bugsy in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!