Chapter 23: The Bug-Catching Contest

Roku's P.O.V.

National Park

"OK, Trainers! Let's get today's contest started!"

A few hours later, the rest of the contestants had entered, and the contest was ready to start. There were ten of us in total; Calem and Zuki decided to sit this one out. Most of the contestants were Bug Catchers, but I did see a couple of girls who weren't afraid of Bug-type Pokémon, which was very uncommon, especially in Johto.

"For those of you who are new to the contest, your task is simple!" the announcer shouted. "Using the 6 Park Balls you were provided with, you will capture a Bug-type Pokémon for comparison with the other competitors. The biggest Bug Pokémon wins!"

We were allowed to take at least one Pokémon with us as a partner. I looked down at Luna and nodded. She returned the gesture with a confident smile.

"You may have beaten me in the Pokeathlon," Reia said confidently. "But you're not gonna get lucky again!"

"Bring it on!" I shot back with a smile.

"OK, let's get this show on the road!" the announcer said, holding up the starting pistol. "Three…two…one…GO!"

Once we heard the bang of the starting gun, we ran off into the forest to root around for Pokémon. Reia caught some attention immediately, running up to the tree line and jumping into the trees.

"Sheesh…monkey," I said to myself.

Luna and I ran farther in, and the first time we searched the bushes, a nice, plump Spinarak jumped out at us.

"OK, Luna! Nail it with Swift!" I shouted.

Luna took the frontlines and slammed the Spinarak with the infamous star attack, throwing it against a tree. I lobbed a Park Ball at it, hitting it and pulling it into the virtual area. Three wiggles later, it clicked, signaling a complete capture.

"Alright! That was a nice catch!" I complimented myself, picking up the Ball.

Suddenly, a sharp green flash pierced my peripheral vision. I looked over to my left to see a green Bug Pokémon jump into the overgrowth.

"Whoa! Was that a Scyther?!" I asked myself.

"Whatever it was, it was massive!" Luna said, awe-struck. "We gotta catch up to it!"

I nodded and ran off in the direction the Scyther was headed.


Reia's P.O.V.

National Park Forest

WHOOSH!

Reia felt a sharp wind blow by her, surprising her enough to fall out of the tree she was perched in.

"Hey, you all right?!" Lyra said, jumping down after Reia and landing beside her.

"What just blew by us?" Reia asked, rubbing her sore head.

"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now," Lyra said, looking around. "C'mon, let's keep looking."

The two got up and started walking when they heard someone calling Reia's name. She whirled around to see Roku and Luna running up to them.

"Hey, Roku," Lyra said. "Find anything?"

"Yeah, and we're still after it," Roku said, looking around. "Say, you wouldn't have happened to see a Scyther fly past here, would you?"

"You saw it too?" Reia said.

"Yeah, that's what we're after," Roku said. "C'mon, let's go after it!"

The two nodded, forming a temporary alliance in terms of the competition, and ran off after the Bug Pokémon that caught their eye.


Gordon's P.O.V.

National Park Forest

"Gahh…where's that damn Scyther?!"

Gordon continued to search for the Pokémon he wanted to call his new partner. He knew that Scyther would be a piece of cake in his level, but if he managed to evolve it into Scizor, he could have a Pokémon to help him unlock the secrets of Mega Evolution.

Suddenly, he stopped cold, for he heard a voice that made the rage boil up inside him.

"C'mon, let's go after it!"

Gordon poked his head through the trees and saw the two Trainers that had tricked him at the Slowpoke Well. An evil grin spread across his face.

"Looks like I'll be getting my revenge after all…" he said to himself before backing into the forest.


Roku's P.O.V.

National Park Forest

Reia and I had run off to search for the Scyther we both wanted so badly. I could already tell that we were only teaming up until we had found and captured the Scyther. After that, it would be a battle to determine who got to keep it.

And if it comes to that, I thought to myself, I won't lose.

We kept running until we had reached a decent sized clearing. Standing there was the Scyther we had been running after, blades out in a battle stance.

"OK, I'll make this easy for you noobs," Scyther scoffed. "One of you will fight me, one at a time. But are you going to be able to catch me?"

I stepped up and said, "It's not common for a wild Pokémon to challenge a human, let alone someone like me. I will be your first opponent."

Luna stepped up and went into a battle stance.

"Prepare to lose!" Luna challenged.

The Scyther went into a stance similar to that of a ninja and said, "Go ahead. Show me what you've got!"

Luna wasted no time at all, immediately streaking towards Scyther with a Quick Attack. But Scyther nimbly sidestepped the attack and whirled around, using Fury Cutter with a direct hit to Luna's spine. She screamed out in pain, the attack nearly crippling her. Since Luna was a Dark-type Pokémon, she was weak to Bug-type moves, which meant that we were at a serious disadvantage.

Luna stood up and turned to face Scyther, breathing heavily and shaking slightly.

"You may have gotten me with that last attack, but that's not gonna happen again!" she shouted confidently before dashing at him with another Quick Attack. Scyther got ready to hit her with another Fury Cutter, but before he could swing, Luna rolled to the side and fired a Swift attack, dealing some considerable damage to the unsuspecting Bug Pokémon.

"Gah! Why you little...!" Scyther cursed before dashing at Luna with a Quick Attack of his own. Luna smirked and did the same. It was pretty much a giant game of chicken. But the two didn't look like they were going to let up anytime soon.

I growled to myself. Right now, I was pretty much wasting time, and Luna was practically fighting by herself. Besides, as far as I saw it, Reia needed the Scyther more than I did. I eventually decided to give up.

"Luna, fall back," I said reluctantly.

Luna whirled around and looked at me. "What?!"

BAM! Luna was then struck by Scyther's Quick Attack, sliding back to me.

"Well,I didn't mean literally, but, whatever," I joked.

Luna looked back up at me, giving me a look that would kill if it had the chance. Then she slumped to the ground, unconscious. I returned my fallen partner to her Poke Ball and looked at Reia.

"Well, looks like I'm out of the competition," I said to her, cracking a smile as I did it. "Think you'll be able to catch it?"

Reia lightly pushed me aside and said, "Step aside and let a pro show you how its done."

Reia stepped up in front of me, sending her partner into battle. As hard as it was to admit, Reia had a better advantage than me. Hell, I didn't even have an advantage.

You better seal this capture, or you're gonna feel my disappointment, I thought to myself.

Lyra started the battle by throwing a Confuse Ray into the Scyther's face, causing it to stumble around like a drunken master. Lyra continued the onslaught with many Ember attacks, scorching the Bug Pokémon until he was on the ground, almost fainted. Reia wasted no time in throwing a Park Ball at the Scyther, getting a complete capture without any trouble. Reia walked up and claimed her prize.

"And you were having trouble with this one," Reia bragged. "Pathetic."

"Well, I wasn't exactly in the same predicament as you," I huffed. "You were using a Fire-type, you cheater."

"Well, well! Looks like you just made my job easier!"

Reia and I looked on as a familiar burly figure emerged from the bushes.

"Gordon!" I shouted, stepping back. "What do you want?!"

"Well, first and foremost, I'd like to ring your little necks, but I'll spare you if your girlfriend there gives up the Scyther," Gordon said casually.

I stepped in front of her and drew my sword, saying, "You'll have to get past me first."

Gordon laughed and cracked his knuckles. "I was waitin' for an excuse to beat up a little kid! Even better, because it's you!"

I then had at least 300 pounds of pure muscle charging at me. I ran at him as well, not worrying about getting smeared into the ground. All I could think about was protecting Reia at all costs.

I slid under him, jumping back up and connecting my hilt to the back of his head. The behemoth slammed into the ground face first, knocked out.

"Damn, if I knew it was gonna be this easy, I would've done this a long time ago," I scoffed, sheathing my sword.

"Where in the hell did you learn to fight with a sword?!" Reia asked, dumbstruck.

"Latias and I actually used to spar before she left," I explained. "I got pretty good at it."

All Reia could do was give me an odd look. It was almost like she was scared of me.

"C'mon, if I was gonna kill you, I would've done it already," I said. "Anyway, the memo for the end of the contest came across already. We should head back."

Reia nodded, and we made our way out of the forest and back to the park fountain.


Later...

"Alright, contestants!" the announcer boomed. "Time to announce the winner!"

After the judges were finished comparing the Pokémon the contestants had captured, we stood in front of the park fountain, awaiting the announcement for the winner.

"Third place goes to Kyle with his whopper of a Weedle!"

The Bug Catcher waved his hand, disappointed that he only got third, but happy that he even placed at all.

"Second place goes to Roku and his sultry Spinarak!"

Damn. Second Place. Oh, well. I saw that one coming, especially since Reia managed to capture a Scyther. I waved my arm and accepted the ruling.

"And finally, the winner of today's contest with a massive Scyther...Reia!"

As soon as those words were shouted, I already knew that Reia was going to eat her heart out. She stepped out and waved real big, putting on a victorious smile. I shook my head, thinking, you are so pathetic.

Oh well. I probably would've done the same thing.

Reia got a shiny medal and a Sun Stone, which was mostly used to evolve certain Bug Pokémon. Pretty typical for a Bug Catching competition. After the festivities were over, we rested for the night and planned on heading out the next day.


Latias' P.O.V.

Legend Keeper HQ

Latias dialed Roku's number once again. She knew it was late, but she had to talk to him. She had no idea where this persistence came from, but she didn't care.

After a few rings, the image of a black-haired, sleepy eyed teenager answer with a slow "Hello?"

"Hey. Sorry, did I wake you up?" she asked caringly.

"Latias!" Roku said in surprise, snapping awake almost instantly. "Well, yeah, but it doesn't matter. What's up?"

"Well, I tried to reach you earlier, but you weren't answering," Latias said. "I was really worried about you."

"Well, I kinda had a run in with an angry colony of Trapinch, but, no big deal," Roku said casually.

"What?!" Latias cried. "A-are you OK?!"

"I told you, it was no big deal," Roku began. "I went to blow off some steam and I ended up falling into a Trapinch pit. Luna and the others came to my rescue, and everything turned out fine."

Latias had a horrified look on her face. "You should tell me about these things, Roku! I don't want to lose you!"

"It's OK, Latias, I'm fine," Roku said softly. "You don't have to worry about me. We'll be heading out for Ecruteak tomorrow, so we'll see each other soon, alright?"

"...OK," she said eventually. "See you soon."

Latias hung up and left Roku to rest up for tomorrow.


Author's Note: Sorry it took so long for this update. There has been so much shit going on lately that I haven't had any time to write. But now, I can write on my tablet, so I should be able to write anywhere.

Anyway, here's the newest installment. Strato Abyss signing out.