Chapter 16:
Bug Type Alert!
Location: Castelia City
"You promised WHAT?!" Cheren asked as we walked down the Castelia Streets.
"It was for Bianca's sake" I replied. "I promised Bianca I would retrieve Munna, and I did. I want to take them down, I really do. But I really don't want to break a promise with Ghetsis, even if one of those men want me to."
Cheren stopped me in my tracks by stopping in front of me. "Hilbert Whittaker. We made a promise in our early days at Striaton Daycare that we would stop evil in their tracks no matter what. Last time I checked, Team Plasma are evil. Me, Bianca and the rest of Unova are partially relying on you to finish the job. There must be some sort of workaround."
Cheren always has a plan, but he also likes to take his time with thinking of one. If Bianca had a plan, she could just brainstorm it in an hour and it might just include us rushing into the Team Plasma Base Leeroy Jenkins style, which wouldn't work. Cheren may be a bit of a know-it-all, but he's easily the most optimistic of the lot us and when he has the plan ready, it's usually a brilliant one.
"You work on it" I said. "For now, I'm gonna take on the Gym. That will get my mind off everything."
Cheren adjusted his glasses. "Go get em! You'll give Burgh a match he won't be forgetting!"
Location: Castelia City Gym
Well, this Gym felt like I was in a hive. The first room was in the shape of a hexagon, and honey was dripping down the side. In front of me was a thick wall of honey.
"Try it son!" the Gym guide told me.
I reluctantly scraped some honey off the wall with my finger, then licked it. It tasted delectable. Honey is my 4th favourite ice cream flavour, and it was just as, if not more, delectable than that.
"Okay son. Burgh uses Bug Types. They're weak to Fire, Flying and Rock Types." He then handed me some Fresh Water. "Just in case you get tired. Okay. Get ready for a creepy crawly melee!"
The only way I would be able to get to the next room would be to walk through the thick wall of honey. I stepped into it and pushed my way through. It took a solid minute of pushing through before my sticky self emerged from the other end. I love honey, but getting covered in it? That's a different story.
The room was also hexagonal, but was connected with three other rooms. The thick wall was barricaded by a gate with two good stands next to it. In front of me was a button on the floor, so I pressed it. One of the green lights next to me flicked on.
I walked passed and found another switch. However, this one had a harlequin, dressed in yellow and red and balancing two Pokeballs, in front of it. Regardless, I walked in front of him.
"Oh ho ho!" he said. "Come to challenge Burgh have we? Well, challenge me first!"
Hilbert Vs. Harlequin Mel
"I choose Pidove!" I shouted.
"Sewaddle, come on out!" Mel shouted, as the yellow crawly Bug Type emerged.
"Okay Pidove, Air Cutter!" Pidove shot streaks of air at Sewaddle. Despite being a Critical Hit, Sewaddle hung on. "What?!" I yelled.
"My Sewaddle is holding a Focus Sash!" Mel told me. "It keeps the Pokémon at 1HP against a strong move, just like Sturdy. Now Sewaddle, use Bug Bite!" Sewaddle started nibbling on Pidove's wing, but it didn't do much, even with the Swarm boost.
"Quick Attack Pidove!" Pidove dashed quickly around the room, forcing Sewaddle to let go and fall to the ground, giving me the victory.
"Venipede, go!" Mel said, sending out his other Bug Type.
I recalled Pidove. "Go Pansear!" I shouted as it leaped into battle. "Use Incinerate!" Pansear shot a flame at Venipede, doing a lot of damage to it.
"Venipede, Poison Tail!" Venipede's tail started to glow purple. Then, it hit Pansear with it. Upon impact, Pansear was poisoned.
"We can still take it down. Pansear, Incinerate again!" Pansear fired another flame, finishing off Venipede.
"Nice one!" he said. "Okay, you can step on the button."
I indeed step on the button, and the other light turned on. The metal gate retracted into the floor, allowing me to walk through the sticky honey once again.
On the other end, I saw another switch in front of another wall of honey. Well, there were two, and one of them already had a light on. "Easy!" I said.
However, instead of a light turning on, a Harlequin appeared in front of me.
"Oh dear, you pressed one of the fake ones!" he said. "That means you get to battle me! Hooray!"
Hilbert Vs. Harlequin Bob
"I choose Pidove!" I yelled.
"Go Dwebble!" Bob shouted. He sent out an orange crusty Pokémon with sharp claws and a shell that was a grey rock.
Dwebble (イシズマイ)
063
Bug/Rock Type
Rock Inn Pokémon
1'00" (0.3 m)
32 lbs (14.5 kg)
It makes a hole in a suitable rock. It that rock breaks, the Pokémon remains agitated until it located a replacement.
Deciding that a Flying Type against a Rock Type wasn't the best idea, I switched into Dewott.
"Dwebble, Rock Polish!" Dwebble's shell suddenly gleamed in the light, raising its Speed. "Now use Faint Attack!" Dwebble, from out of nowhere, attacked Dewott. Faint Attack is a Dark Type move that never misses.
"Dewott, Razor Shell!" Dewott sliced Dwebble with its scalchops, almost knocking it out. Dwebble hung on with Sturdy.
"Now use Smack Down!" Dwebble fired a small rock at Dewott. It was almost at red HP.
"Use Water Gun!" Dewott fired a jet of water at Dwebble, knocking it out.
"Oh, you can get tricked by a fake switch but you can't get tricked in battle. You may have a chance of beating Burgh!"
There was another switch on the other side of this joint room, so I pressed it. It lit up the other wall of honey, not the one in front of me when I got into this room. The other switch in the room did the same thing, slowly the gate slid down.
I went over to that wall of honey and pushed my way through. There it was, the final switch.
And a Harlequin was in front of it ARE YOU JOKING?"
I walked in front of the Harlequin.
"Let's have one final laugh before facing Burgh!" he said,
Hilbert Vs. Harlequin Herschel
"Go Pidove!" I shouted.
"I choose Swadloon!" Herschel replied. Swadloon was a yellow Pokémon with a frown expression with was covered up in two large leaves like a blanket.
Swadloon (クルマユ)
047
Bug/Grass Type
Leaf-Wrapped Pokémon
1'08" (0.5 m)
16.1 lbs (7.3 kg)
Forests where Swadloon live have superb foliage because the nutrients they make from fallen leaves nourish the plant life.
Sewaddle -Lv 20- Swadloon
"Pidove, Air Cutter!" Pidove's streaks of air hit Swadloon, almost finishing it. This didn't have a Focus Sash; it just had impressive Defense.
"Use Grass Whistle!" Swadloon started making a whistling noise with its leaves. Pidove heard this and fell asleep.
"Uh oh" I thought.
"Now use Bug Bite!" Swadloon nibbled on Pidove. It didn't take much damage. Neither did the next one, or the next one. At the same time, Pidove was getting weaker by the nibble.
"Oh no!" I said, just as Pidove woke up. "Alright! Now use Quick Attack!" Pidove dashed into Swadloon, knocking it out.
"Well, look who get's to fight Burgh?" Herschel said spinning.
Pidove flew on the spot, smiling at me.
"You did good" I told it, just as Pidove started to glow. My mouth dropped; Pidove was evolving!
The glowing died down and Pidove was bigger, had red over its eyes, a sharper beak, bigger wings and a long feathery tail.
Tranquill (ハトーボー)
026
Normal/Flying Type
Wild Pigeon Pokémon
2'00" (0.6 m)
33.1 lbs (15 kg)
It can return to its Trainer's location regardless of the distance separating them.
Pidove -Lv 21- Tranquill
"Amazing!" I yelled, realizing the potential that Tranquill had.
I stepped on the button and heart the gate next door withdraw. Was I going to take on Burgh at that minute? Well, I quickly rushed back to the Pokémon Center first.
Location: Castelia City Pokémon Center
Can't go battling a Gym Leader on dodgy health, particularly when one of the team members has a status condition.
I handed my Pokéballs to Nurse Joy and she healed them. As I retrieved them, I was greeted with a familiar face.
"Well!" Professor Juniper said. "Look how far you've come!"
I smiled. "Things are going great!" I got out Dewott's Pokéball. "See for yourself!" I showed her my Pokémon. "Oshawott evolved!"
Juniper gleamed back. "That's great! Anyway, I don't want to interrupt your Gym battle, so I want to make this quick." From her bag, she gave me an envelope. "In here is a Liberty Ticket. If you're not busy tomorrow, could you come to Liberty Garden with me tomorrow? Come to Liberty Dock first thing in the morning. I want to research something."
Well, looks like I would be staying in Castelia City a little longer. But it was time to return to the Gym.
After I got changed out of my sticky clothes.
Location: Castelia City Gym
Through the honey I pushed until I got to the only wall I hadn't been through. This was the thickest wall yet. This took about a minute and a half to push through, but once I was through, Burgh was waiting for me. He had his head in a canvas and was painting a picture. It looked familiar…
"Ah, Hilbert!" he said. "Welcome to Castelia Gym! My name is Burgh, an Artist and a lover of Bug Types. I saw you take on Team Plasma twice, but regardless whether that is the end of that road or not, I would like to thank you with a battle to be remembered, like a beautiful piece of art in a Gallery!"
Hilbert Vs. Gym Leader Burgh
"You're first Tranquill!" I yelled.
"Go Whirlipede!" Burgh replied. He sent out a round purple Pokémon with red circles around it. There were eyes on the side of it.
Whirlipede (ホイーガ)
050
Bug/Poison Type
Curlipede Pokémon
3'11" (1.2 m)
129 lbs (58.5 kg)
Protected by a hard shell, it spins its body like a wheel and crashes furiously into its enemies.
Venipede -Lv 22- Whirlipede
"Start with Air Cutter!" Tranquill fired streaks at Whirlipede, but it had high Sp. Defense and took the blow.
"Use Poison Tail!" Whirlipede hit Tranquill with one of the streaks going of its body. Thankfully, Tranquill wasn't poisoned.
"Another Air Cutter!" More streaks were fired. One more and Whirlipede would be finished.
"Screech!" Whirlipede made a piercing noise that lowered Tranquill's Defense. What was he planning?
"One more Air Cutter!" Whirlipede couldn't take anymore; it was down.
"Dwebble, you're next!" Burgh said. Thankfully, I had a plan.
"Tranquill, Roost!" Tranquill settled on the ground, restoring health.
"Smack Down!" Dwebble fired a rock at Tranquill. Tranquill survived due to the Flying Type being taken away that turn, though the Screech from before almost made it fall.
"Air Cutter!" Tranquill fired more streaks at Dwebble. As hard as its shell was, it couldn't resist Special Attacks that well.
"Struggle Bug!" Dwebble, resisting, attacked Tranquill for the last time, knocking it out.
I didn't need to sweat too much, though I was concerned as to what the last Pokémon would be. Better to focus on the now though. "Dewott, go!" I yelled. "Give it a dose of Razor Shell!" Dewott sliced Dwebble. Dwebble fainted.
"Well, it seems this painting is almost finished" Burgh said. "Go Leavanny!" Leavanny was an upright, green Pokémon made out of leaves with a yellow head and arms with razored leaves on them.
Leavanny (ハハコモリ)
048
Bug/Grass Type
Nurturing Pokémon
3'11" (1.2 m)
45.2 lbs (20.5 kg)
It keeps its eggs warm with heat from fermenting leaves. It also used leaves to make warm wrapping for Sewaddle.
Sewaddle -Lv 20- Swadloon -Happiness- Leavanny
"Leavanny, Razor Leaf!" Leavanny fired sharp leaves at Dewott, leaving it hanging by a thread.
"Get a Fury Cutter in Dewott!" Dewott sliced Leavanny for little damage.
"Another!" One more set of leaves and Dewott was down.
"Drilbur!" I yelled. I was aware of Type advantages, but if I could whittle down Leavanny, I knew I could win.
"Razor Leaf!" Drilbur took the leaves. It was a miracle it survived.
"Use Rock Smash!" Drilbur punched Leavanny. It did very little, but its Defense was lowered.
"Now use Struggle Bug!" Resisting, Leavanny attacked Drilbur. It was down.
"Audino!" I yelled as I sent it out.
"Razor Leaf!" This Razor Leaf didn't even do half. Good sign.
"Audino, Secret Power!" Audino took in the environment, then slammed Leavanny. A fair bit was done.
"Use another!" Disaster. The Razor Leaf was a Critical Hit. Audino was down.
"Help me Pansaer, you're my only hope!" I shouted. Pansear was one of the ones I was really betting for, but now I was really crossing my fingers.
"Razor Leaf!" Being a Fire Type, Pansear more than took them.
"INCINERATE!" The flame that Pansear shot was a direct hit. Leavanny was down.
"And the piece of art is finished!" Burgh said. "I'm impressed Hilbert. You really gave it your all, like a paintbrush on a canvas you had a smooth, non jagged piece of work which you played along with." He took the canvas and showed me the painting.
It was of me and Dewott! In the background was Pidove (hey, he had been planning this for some time so being a bit outdated was forgivable), Audino, Pansear and Drilbur.
"Thank you!" I said. I felt like I was going to cry.
Burgh then handed me the next Badge. It was green and looked like Leavanny's hands. "This is the Insect Badge, proof of your victory at the Castelia City Gym. It also allows Pokémon above Lv 30 that were traded to you to obey you. Finally, this." He handed me a TM. "TM76 contains Struggle Bug. Fairly weak, but it can lower Sp. Attack. It may come in handy down the road. Oh, and this picture? I'm putting this up in my Gallery!"
Location: Castelia City
Bianca was waiting outside for me with Iris and Cheren.
"And?" Bianca asked.
I showed them all my Badge Case, now with three Badges inside.
"So shiny!" Bianca yelled. "Cheren, can I take Burgh on tomorrow? Pleeeeaaasseee?"
Cheren sighed. "Okay Bianca. If you insist. What about you Hilbert? Nimbasa City is next, you heading over there tomorrow?"
I shook my head. "I have a task with Professor Juniper tomorrow. Plus, I might just stay for a day afterwards. Castelia City is a great place and we won't be coming back for a while after we leave. Route 4 is a desert. Might want to be prepared."
Bianca adjusted her hat. "Then before we leave, I challenge you to a battle! Two days time!"
I put my thumb up. "Yeah… sure."
Cheren adjusted his glasses. "Don't worry. I'll spend tomorrow thinking of a way around the Team Plasma promise. Just enjoy your time with Professor Juniper tomorrow."
What a day! Badge #3 is mine for the taking! But yeah, not only do I have a few errands to run, but I really like Castelia City. I want to see what Unova has to offer, but what's the rush?
