Episode 13: Art of the insect
Niko arrived back at his apartment and sat down on the couch in his small living room. Summoning all three of his Pokémon, he showed Roggenrola the area and then began making dinner after sitting around for nearly an hour.
"Hey guys, tomorrow we're going to challenge another Pokémon gym. You guys think you'll be up for it?" He asked, turning to look at his foot-tall Pokémon team, all of whom looked up at him with mixed reactions.
Rufflet was excited as usual; Snivy looked determined and nodded with a smirk; Roggenrola simply looked confused. Addressing this, Niko explained a gym battle to Roggenrola, with Snivy and Rufflet trying to add things that Niko didn't understand at all. After a couple more minutes, Roggenrola seemed to understand and suddenly found himself excited, which made Niko smile.
After dinner, he sat down and watched television with his Pokémon for some time before doing some packing up and then heading to bed, with his Pokémon all falling asleep around the same time he did.
The following morning, Niko woke up and continued packing things up before going eating a bit and then heading off towards Unity Pier to meet up with Charlotte. On the way, he thought about his strategy against the Castelia Gym Leader. He remembered once overhearing a conversation about the Gym Leader—Burgh. Supposedly he specialized in bug types, which would give Niko the advantage, since he had Rufflet and Roggenrola. Earlier in the morning, he took some time to train briefly with Roggenrola, trying to understand the Mantle Pokémon's moveset. Ultimately, he felt confident with his chances, but knew from experience that he shouldn't feel overconfident. That's usually when he would lose.
"Niko!" Charlotte said, waving to him from the same café they met at the previous day. Her mother—Emily—was standing with her, typing on a phone. "So…? What did Warren say?"
"Warren is good to go whenever, and he's excited that you're coming with us. So, I've decided today to challenge the Castelia City Gym."
"I figured you would. So my Mom wanted to come along. It isn't too far—it's in the central park of the city. And I've heard some things about the Gym Leader. I think you'll do well!"
"He uses bug types, so yes, I think I'll be fine." Niko said, smiling and tapping Charlotte on the shoulder. "Anyway, Warren and his girlfriend Sydney are joining us, too. I told them to meet us here."
Just as he said that, Warren and Sydney appeared from around the corner. Everyone exchanged greetings, and then they all walked from the café towards the Castelia City Gym. The trip to the Pokémon Gym didn't take too long, since Unity Pier was just down the street and a few blocks away. Once they reached the central park in Castelia City, the gym wasn't difficult to find—it was a lilac-colored building with massive glass windows on the walls and roof and a plant pattern above the front door. The path leading up to the front door were camouflage tiles, with a variety of different shades of green randomly scattered across each tile.
"It looks lovely." Sydney said, looking up at the glass windows angled up towards the sky above her. Warren then led the way in entering the gym, with Niko, Sydney, Charlotte, and Emily following in behind.
The inside of the gym was just as impressive as the outside, possibly more so. There was a botanical garden surrounding the front room to the gym, with a path through the garden for the group to walk along. As they did so, they all noticed the wide variety of bug types—both domestic and foreign—living in the area. Niko noticed Sewaddle and something that looked similar to a Whirlipede, but also Caterpies and Weedles, Wurmples and Burmys.
At the other end of the path was a standard-size battlefield, with foliage surrounding it. As Niko was busy examining his surroundings, he heard a voice calmly address him and his group from their left.
"Welcome. I take it I have a challenger today?" A tall man with a lime green V-neck shirt, red and dark gray pants, and a red scarf said as he approached Niko and Warren. His hair was brown and wavy, curving widely around on the sides and curling inwards towards his face. "Hi, I'm Burgh, the Gym Leader of Castelia City. And you are…?"
"Niko. Niko from Pallet Town." Niko said, extending his hand to shake Burgh's. "And yes, I'm asking to challenge you for your gym badge."
"Of course. I have a free half-hour anyways. Are you comfortable with a three-on-three battle?" When Niko nodded, Burgh looked up to address a man in a referee's outfit who was sitting on a bench nearby. He looked up at Burgh and nodded instantly. "And you're my only challenger?" Niko nodded again. "Indeed. Your friends may take their seats near the referee, and we can begin in a moment."
Burgh then consulted with the referee while Niko took his spot on the end of the field opposite Burgh, while his friends seated themselves. As usual, Warren summoned his Pokémon so they could also watch Niko's battle. Charlotte did the same with Smeargle. Eventually, Burgh also took his spot opposite Niko, and pulled out a pokéball. Niko waited to see what he summoned before he could use his own.
"Shelmet, I choose you!" Burgh shouted, summoning his first Pokémon—a small snail-like Pokémon that seemed to live in a knight's helmet.
"Shelmet, the Snail Pokémon. Bug type." Charlotte's pokédex said. "When it and Karrablast are together, and both receive electrical stimulation, they both evolve."
"Roggenrola, I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning his new rock type. "Let's start off with sand attack!"
"Shelmet, acid!" Burgh commanded, and his Pokémon obeyed, spitting purple liquid from its mouth towards Roggenrola, who simply stood there, kicking sand into the air. Fortunately, the sand attack negated the effects of acid, and hardly seemed to affect Roggenrola. "Hmm. Use mega drain instead!"
Shelmet dashed forward with an unusual amount of speed, launching itself into the air and landing on Roggenrola, puckering up to the Mantle Pokémon's head and starting to glow a bright green color. Roggenrola shifted around, trying to throw Shelmet off.
"Sand attack!" Niko commanded a second time. Roggenrola kicked sand into the air, trying to hit Shelmet, who was still stuck on him. Eventually, Shelmet got off on its own accord, which in hindsight ended up being a mistake for the Snail Pokémon. "Now, rock blast!" Niko shouted, thrusting his fist forward.
Roggenrola conjured rock after rock, slamming them into Shelmet and progressively knocking it backwards. Niko then shouted for Roggenrola to use headbutt, and the Mantle Pokémon charged forward, rushing through an acid attack, and slamming powerfully into Shelmet. The bug type attempted to use mega drain once more, but took a rock blast to the face, launching it in an archlike motion across the battlefield. It crashed in front of Burgh's feet, unable to battle.
"Shelmet is unable to battle, Roggenrola is the winner!" The referee announced. "Leader Burgh will now send out his second Pokémon!"
"Dwebble, I choose you!" Burgh said calmly, throwing out a second Pokémon, this time containing a small hermit crab-like Pokémon. Its body was orange with black eyes. Its shell was a charcoal gray color.
"Dwebble, the Rock Inn Pokémon. Bug and rock type. When it finds a stone of a suitable size, it secretes a liquid from its mouth to open up a hole to crawl into."
"Dwebble, use faint attack!" Burgh commanded.
"Roggenrola, rock blast!" Niko commanded. The Mantle Pokémon shot out rock after rock at Dwebble, who spun around to use its shell to block the attacks. Then, suddenly, it disappeared into the field. Niko expected this—he's seen faint attack several times before this. "Watch out, Roggenrola…Dwebble can come out of nowhere at any time."
"Niko seems really focused now…" Sydney observed. "You're right, Warren, he's good."
"Of course he is." Warren said with a smirk.
Dwebble then reappeared and struck at Roggenrola from the side, to which the Mantle Pokémon responded by using sand attack, kicking dirt into Dwebble's eyes. The Rock Inn Pokémon crashed to the ground, trying to rub the dirt out of its eyes.
"Rock blast!" Niko shouted, thrusting his palm forward now. Roggenrola nodded, summoning another series of rocks at Dwebble, who took each rock in turn, wincing with each attack. Eventually, Dwebble rubbed the dirt from its eyes, and attacked once more with faint attack. This time, the force of the attack nearly knocked Roggenrola off of his feet, causing the Mantle Pokémon to wobble left and right. "Use mud slap!"
"Dwebble, use rock polish!" Burgh commanded. Dwebble start shining brightly, rubbing its shell across the dirt to polish it, which somehow worked. "And smack down!"
The Rock Inn Pokémon charged forward, ignoring the mud slap and bashing into Roggenrola, picking up the Mantle Pokémon and then slamming him back into the ground.
"Finish it off with faint attack!" Burgh commanded. Dwebble disappeared a third time and proceeded to reappear behind Roggenrola, slamming into it and finally knocking its opponent over in defeat.
"Roggenrola is unable to battle, Dwebble is the winner!" The referee declared. "Challenger Niko will now send out his second Pokémon!"
"Snivy, I choose you!" Niko said without hesitation. "Use leaf tornado!"
"Dwebble, struggle bug!" Burgh commanded. Just as Snivy unleashed a twisting gust of leaves at the Rock Inn Pokémon, the latter surrounded itself in a red aura. Just as the leaf tornado was about to hit, Dwebble crouched down into its shell a little, and the red aura became more and more prominent. Moments later, a massive burst of energy shot out of Dwebble, ripping through the leaf tornado and hitting Snivy square in the face, knocking her backwards.
"Snivy, let's keep going, you got this." Niko said as the Grass Snake got back up. "Use vine whip!"
"Dwebble, use struggle bug again!" Burgh commanded, but this time Snivy was faster, engulfing the Rock Inn Pokémon and lifting it into the air. "Faint attack!"
"Be ready, Snivy." Niko said cautiously. "Keep light on your feet, and be ready for an impact from anywhere."
Snivy quickly looked all around her, waiting for Dwebble. Fortunately, she saw Dwebble coming, using a leaf tornado on herself to minimize the damage. Niko didn't intend to use this move, and found himself impressed by Snivy's intellect. There's no way I would have thought of that…He said to himself.
"Great job, Snivy!" Niko said, proudly waving a fist in the air. "Now let's win this! Use vine whip!" snivy charged forward, leaping into the air and slapping her opponent with green vines originating from her neck. Dwebble winced a little from each attack. "Now, finish it off with leaf tornado!" Niko shouted finally. Snivy obeyed, spinning through the air over Dwebble and launching a final leaf tornado to through the Rock Inn Pokémon into the air and across the field, eventually landing it near Burgh's feet, just like Shelmet before it.
"Dwebble is unable to battle, Snivy is the winner!" The referee stated. "Leader Burgh will now send out his third and final Pokémon!"
"You're proving to be a very capable trainer, Niko." Burgh said, looking pleasantly surprised. "But the battle ends here. If you cannot learn the art of the insect, you won't be able to defeat my most powerful Pokémon. Leavanny, I choose you!" Burgh said, summoning a yellow and green bipedal insectoid Pokémon. On the top of its head it had a broad, split leaf around its large, round head. There were long antennae that end in semicircles. It had red, beady eyes. Its upper arms are also leaf-like, but with a vein of yellow at the top. Its thin legs were yellow with dark green, thick segments around its upper legs, which made them appear armored.
"Leavanny, the Nurturing Pokémon. Bug and grass type. Upon finding a small Pokémon, it weaves clothing for it from leaves by using the stick silk secreted from its mouth."
"Alright. A Leavanny. Snivy, I think this is what Swadloon evolves into. Think you can do it?" Snivy turned to Niko and nodded quickly before turning her attention back to her new opponent. "Then let's win this. Snivy, use leer!"
"Leavanny, string shot!" Burgh commanded. The Nurturing Pokémon opened its mouth and spat out a long string of silk, quickly and efficiently tying up Snivy while she leered back. "Now, use cut!"
"Snivy, block the attack with leaf tornado!" Niko commanded, using the same strategy as his Pokémon in the previous battle. However, this time it wasn't as successful, since Leavanny was hardly affected by the leaves, and cut through at Snivy all the same, breaking its own silk and launching Snivy past Niko and into a tree behind the battlefield. "Snivy!"
"Leavanny, don't hold up! Use struggle bug!" Burgh commanded. Like with Dwebble before it, a red aura surrounded Leavanny and, moments later, it unleashed that aura energy in the form of a concentrated beam of energy, directly at Snivy, who was laying at the base of the tree. Upon colliding with Snivy, the struggle bug attack broke the trunk, caused the tree to collapse backwards, and defeated Snivy.
"Snivy is unable to battle, Leavanny is the winner!" The referee declared. "Challenger Niko will send out his next Pokémon!"
"Snivy, return. You taught me something knew, and I thank you for that. But we still need to win this." He pulled out Rufflet's pokéball. "It's all up to you, Rufflet! I choose you!" He shouted, summoning the Eaglet Pokémon. "Let's go! Rufflet, use wing attack!"
"Leavanny, string shot!" Burgh commanded. Like before, Leavanny opened its mouth and unleashed a quick stream of fresh silk at Rufflet, who cut through with wing attack and continued to dive down at his opponent. "Razor leaf!"
Once again, Rufflet tore through the sharp leaves and finally collided with Leavanny, knocking both of them into the ground and causing a cloud of dust to erupt, with only Rufflet making it out. Moments later, Leavanny slowly got back onto its feet and glared up at Rufflet.
"Struggle bug!" Burgh commanded. Leavanny waited for Rufflet to dive back down with wing attack before committing to struggle bug.
"Dodge, Rufflet!" Niko commanded. The Eaglet Pokémon shifted to the side just as Leavanny unleashed its attack, continuing to dive down with wing attack.
"String shot!" Burgh called out a second time. This time, Rufflet got caught in the silk and fell to the ground, unable to move. "Now, use cut!"
Leavanny's right arm began to glow bright white as it slashed downwards at Rufflet like it was a scythe, or a guillotine. Like with Snivy, though, Rufflet used the opportunity to let the attack slice through. Rufflet then quickly reared himself backwards a little to lift his talons upwards and grab onto Leavanny's arm.
"Now, use peck!" Niko shouted, thoroughly surprised by Rufflet. The Eaglet Pokémon let go of Leavanny and leapt upwards and forwards, slamming his beak into the Nurturing Pokémon's face. Leavanny recoiled from the force of the attack, grabbing its eyes and trying to recover.
"Use struggle bug!" Burgh shouted, less calmly this time. It was clear that he was just as fired up as Niko and their Pokémon were by now. Leavanny listened, unleashing as beam of energy from its body directly at Rufflet, who once more dodged by spinning to the side, opening his wings, and bursting forward at Leavanny.
"Use wing attack!" Niko shouted, thrusting his hand forward. Rufflet's wings began to glow and he struck Leavanny in the side, causing the Nurturing Pokémon to double over and take a knee on the ground. "Now finish it off with peck!"
"Leavanny, don't give in! Razor leaf!"
"Fight through it, Rufflet! Just like you always do!" Niko shouted. The Eaglet Pokémon charged forward through the air, pecking Leavanny in the side of the head, but also feeling the cuts from razor leaf. Both Pokémon fell to the ground from the force of their attacks. Leavanny fell backwards and crashed onto the floor of the battlefield, while Rufflet crashed and rolled across the field before getting back up, ready for another round. Leavanny, however, wasn't so lucky.
"Leavanny is unable to battle, Rufflet is the winner! And the victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town!" The referee declared.
Niko let out a great sigh of relief before watching Rufflet glide over to him and land on his shoulder, also breathing out a deep sigh, only this time out of exhaustion. "You did good buddy. That wasn't an easy battle. I'm really proud of you." Rufflet cawed happily, rubbing his head against Niko's.
Burgh and his referee approached Niko just as the latter's friends also joined in. Warren slapped Niko across the back and Sydney congratulated him and Rufflet by petting the Eaglet Pokémon. Charlotte gave him a high-five and Emily verbally congratulated him on his victory.
"Niko, your battling was impressive. I'm glad to have been your opponent. I know Shelmet, Dwebble, and Leavanny enjoyed it as well. Here," He pulled out of his small pant pocket a badge that was shaped like a bright green heart divided three parts. They looked more like the wings and body of an insect, though, which made sense given Burgh's specialty. "I award you with the Insect Badge, as proof of your victory in Castelia City. If you continue challenging gyms, then I wish you the best of luck."
"Thanks, Burgh. I enjoyed the battle, too. And I certainly learned a thing or two from it." Niko said, eying the Insect Badge—his third. Turning to his friends, he nodded happily, and spun around on his feet to leave the gym—and Burgh—behind.
"Niko, that's three badges now! Good work!" Warren said, again slapping his roommate on the back. "Now, where next?"
"You tell me, man." Niko said. "We haven't even decided on when we'll leave yet."
"How about in a few days? Does that work for you too, Charlotte?" Warren said, turning to their third companion.
"Yeah, that works for me. Gives me some time to figure out what I can and want to take."
"And it gives me time to pack up my own stuff, too." Niko said, looking again at the Insect Badge. He was officially on a journey again. The single thing he didn't want to get absorbed into. But for the first time in months, he felt better about it.