I've always loved the Bug-Catching Contest in the Johto games. It was a nice challenge to figure out which Pokémon could win me the first prize, which is why Ashley will catch a new Pokémon in this chapter. What Pokémon is it going to be? Read to find out.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!
Chapter 21: The Bug Stops Here
It was now May and the weather was getting warmer. We had left Goldenrod City a couple of days ago, heading toward our next destination; Ecruteak City for the fourth badge. Whitney's uncle gave us some bottles of Moomoo Milk before we left the urban city as a thank you gift for protecting his farm. I wasn't a big fan of milk drinking it on its own, but I enjoyed it in Brock's special stew.
It was almost lunchtime when we came upon a national park that was famous in Johto. It appeared to be an event going on because it was packed of people and Pokémon alike. There was a long line in front of a tent where people signed up for something.
"I wonder what's going on", Misty said when we approached the gate.
"Togi?" Togepi chirped confusedly and tilted her head to the side.
"Let's ask the guy in the Venomoth costume", Brock said.
"Thank goodness it's just a costume and not a real bug…", Misty sighed in relief.
"Venomoth does look a little scary for real…", I mumbled to myself.
Ash jogged up to the man in the Pokémon costume. "Excuse me, sir. What kind of event is this?"
"It's the Bug-Catching Contest that's strictly for kids under the age of sixteen today", the person replied. "The Trainer catching the best appealing bug Pokémon wins a special prize and the Top 3 people get to keep the Pokémon they've caught."
"Ugh… Bugs… I'm gonna pass this", Misty gagged by the thought of bug-type Pokémon.
"But I'm not gonna pass the opportunity on getting a special prize and keeping a free Pokémon!" Ash cheered happily. "I'm gonna win this for sure!"
"Pika!" Pikachu grinned, eager to take part of the contest.
"Umm… I have a question, sir", I spoke up, feeling a little shy since I was still not so comfortable talking to strangers. "Only bug-type Pokémon counts for this contest, right…?"
"That's right, miss", the man nodded. "For an example, Pidgeys or Sunkerns do not count since they aren't bug-type."
"Thank you…", I nodded softly.
"Let's go and line up for the contest!" Ash cheered.
"You can find the registration tent by that long line and you better hurry 'cause the contest will begin soon", the man in the costume explained.
"Thank you, sir!" Ash nodded before he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the line. "C'mon, Ashley!"
"W-Wait, Ash!" I shrieked softly before I laughed at my brother's antics. He could be a little restless, but he was always gentle with me.
The line was getting smaller by the time we made to it. The person in front of us had a Chikorita with a headband that looked familiar. "Pika? Pi pikachu!" Pikachu chirped when he recognized the Pokémon and jumped down to greet it.
"Chiko? Chiko chiko!" Chikorita chirped happily and nodded its head to him.
"What's wrong, Chikorita?" its Trainer said before they turned around, revealing their face. They gasped loudly in surprise when we made eye contact. "Ash! Ashley! I can't believe you're here too!"
I recognized her immediately. It was Casey, the young girl we met shortly after we left New Bark Town after somebody stole the Totodile from Professor Elm.
"Hi, Casey! It's been a while", Ash greeted.
"How have you been?" I asked.
"I've been doing great!" Casey replied enthusiastically. "Since our encounter, Chikorita and I have been on a winning streak just like our favorite baseball team; the good old Electabuzz!"
"You sure love baseball, do you, Casey?" Misty giggled when she and Brock joined us by the line.
"Of course I do! I'll even sing you the Electabuzz team's new fight song of the season!" Casey said before she cleared her throat to sing.
"How about you sing us the song after the contest?" Brock suggested. "The line's getting short."
"Oh, okay…", Casey's mood dropped before the fire returned in her eyes. "Let me guess; are you two gonna take part of the Bug-Catching Contest too, Ash, Ashley?"
"We sure are!" Ash replied. "And I'm gonna win!"
"Not so fast, Ash! I'm gonna be the winner and get the special prize by catching a Pokémon of the Weedle evolution line so I can have a beautiful yellow and black striped Beedrill!" Casey exclaimed. "Right, Chikorita?"
"Chiko!" Chikorita nodded determinedly.
"We'll see 'about that!" Ash smirked in response.
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, his cheeks sparkling by electricity to show he was serious about the contest.
"What about you, Ashley?" Casey asked. "Wanna make a personal contest with us?"
"I don't know", I shook my head. "I just want to have fun and catch a new Pokémon."
"Well, then let's do our best to make it to the Top 3!" Casey cheered and pumped her fist in the air. "For the Electabuzz team!"
"Chiko ko!" Chikorita waved its leaf around in the same beat as Casey pumped her fist.
When it was our turn to register, we learned we could only use one Pokémon for the contest, so we had to be strategic about choosing the right Pokémon that could help us catch bug-type Pokémon. I ended up picking Hikaru because of his Thunder Wave move. If I find a good bug-type Pokémon that's fast, it could get paralyzed before it has a chance to run away.
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Misty and Brock went to the large stands that had a huge screen that showed live footage from different parts of the national park while Ash, Casey and I gathered in a large grass field next to the stands. The main judge stood on a tall pedestal so we could all see and hear him.
"Welcome to the Bug-Catching Contest, everyone!" the male judge announced through a loudspeaker that was, thankfully, not so loud it would hurt my ears. "I'm happy to see so many enthusiastic Trainers participating today! Now, here are the rules for the contest. Trainers are only allowed to use one Pokémon each. And to catch a bug Pokémon during the contest, you must use the special Park Ball." The judge held up a pretty green Poké Ball that was painted like a flower. "You can only catch one bug Pokémon each, but if you'll change your mind, go to one of the many stations that are scattered across the national park and ask the staff to exchange the Park Ball you've caught the Pokémon with a new Park Ball."
A group of staff walked around the crowd to hand every participant a Park Ball. I got mine which I studied a little closer. At the first thought, the design resembled a flower, but now seeing it close up, I could now see it was supposed to look like a bug with four green wings and a pair red eyes.
"The time you'll get is sixty minutes", the judge continued. "When the time's up, the judging committee will decide the winner."
"Only an hour…?" I mumbled, thinking it was too short of time to explore the whole national park.
"Now… Let the Bug- Catching Contest begin!"
The Trainers ran off toward the woods with their Pokémon, including Casey and her Chikorita. "See you when it's over!" she shouted with a wave.
"Good luck, Casey!" Ash waved before he turned to me. "How do you wanna do this, Ashley? Shall we go together?"
"Well…", I mumbled, feeling a little anxious. I was used to be by my twin's side all the time because he was a safe zone to me. But… Maybe it was time for me to try standing tall on my own without being around him twenty-four seven.
I took a deep breath and made my final decision. "I… I'll go on my own", I replied.
"You sure?" Ash asked.
"Y-Yeah, I think I'll be fine", I nodded and glanced down at Hikaru who stood next to me. "I've got Hikaru by my side, so…I can do this."
Ash got a little teary-eyed by my small independence. "A-Ashley… You're growing up", he sobbed before he wiped his eyes clean and replaced the proud smile with a determined glare. "Alright! If you ever feel uncomfortable, call me or head back here, but I know you can do it, Ashley. Believe in yourself!"
"I'll do my best…", I laughed sheepishly.
"Let's go, Pikachu! We can't let Casey get a head start!" Ash told his partner.
"Pi pikachu!" Pikachu nodded.
We split up and ran in different directions of the national park. I lost sight of the other contestants, so I was alone in the woods with Hikaru. I did find a few bug-type Pokémon like Caterpie, Kakuna and Paras, but I didn't want to catch any of those. The Caterpie family line was out of option because I didn't want to replace my own Butterfree, Honey, with a new one. I didn't want to copy Ash and his Beedrill, so the Weedle line was also out.
I stumbled upon a Venonat, which I highly considered, but decided to skip it. I wanted to scout the park and see what other Pokémon lived here for the first thirty minutes. I even set up a timer on my PokéGear so it could ring when there was only fifteen minutes left of the whole contest. I wanted to get back to the gathering spot in time.
"Do you see any other Pokémon we haven't met yet, Hikaru?" I asked after we took a short break in a small clearing.
"Flaa-ffyy", Hikaru shook his head, not seeing any new Pokémon.
I hummed to myself and crossed my arms to think. Hikaru was still in good shape after we had battled some bug Pokémon that got hostile against us, including a Pinsir. Pinsir was an option to catch, but to be honest that Pokémon was a little too creepy to my taste. Now I was starting to think like Misty about bug-type Pokémon. The thought made me giggle, which made Hikaru a little confused.
"Flaaa?"
"It's nothing", I smiled at him. "Just thinking about something funny."
"-rita, use Razor Leaf!" Casey's voice echoed not so far from us.
"Casey?" I blinked before Hikaru and I ran toward the source of her voice. A couple of Razor Leaves flew out from some bushes and came toward me, so I quickly took cover behind a tree with Hikaru. The leaves got stuck on the trunk of another tree, showing how sharp they were. Thank Arceus I didn't get hit by them.
I peeked from the corner of the tree and saw Casey and her Chikorita battling a wild Scyther. Casey was really into the battle mode, but I noticed how worn out Chikorita looked compared to when I last saw it ten minutes ago. Did Casey push it over its limits in such a short time?
"C'mon, Chikorita! Don't give up now!" Casey shouted, not seeing her Pokémon's condition. "Use Razor Leaf again!"
"C-Chiko… Chiko!" Chikorita struggled to stand on all four while sending a new wave of Razor Leaves. The wild Scyther used its scythes to bounce the leaves back at Chikorita. Chikorita didn't have enough strength to dodge the counterattack, so it got hit by its own move and crashed onto the ground.
"Oh no!" Casey gasped. "Chikorita, hurry and get up before Scyther runs away!"
"Is she out of her mind…?" I mumbled angrily to myself. Couldn't she see how exhausted Chikorita was? She was pushing her Pokémon too hard. Seeing poor Chikorita made my heart ache for its health.
"Scytheer!" Scyther hissed as it flew toward Chikorita. The little grass Pokémon used its last strength to jump onto Scyther's head and held onto it while blocking its vision. Scyther slashed its sharp scythes around it, trying to shake Chikorita off of it. Chikorita was barely holding on. I could tell it was slowly losing its grip on the bug Pokémon.
"This is it, Chikorita!" Casey encouraged her Pokémon. "You're not out of the inning yet!"
That's it! I had enough watching this torture! "Stop it, Casey!" I yelled as I ran to her with Hikaru right behind me.
Casey blinked confusedly at my presence before she frowned. "Why should I stop when Chikorita's doing great?"
"Are you seriously that blind?!" I shouted at her, unconsciously raising my voice at her. She flinched back in surprise by my change of tone. "You're pushing Chikorita way over its limits! You've already exhausted it!"
"What are you talking about?" Casey asked sincerely. "Chikorita's gonna do whatever I tell it!"
"So you're gonna treat Chikorita and the rest of your Pokémon like they are machines?!" I retorted, hating Casey's childish way of thinking. "Pokémon are living creatures! They get tired too when they get pushed to the point of exhaustion!"
"Chiko-ooo!" Chikorita shrieked when it got knocked off Scyther and was thrown into a tree.
"Chikorita, no!" Casey gasped in horror as Chikorita slid down to the ground with Scyther standing in front of it, ready to finish it.
"Hikaru, use Thunder Shock on Scyther!" I yelled.
"Flaa…FFYYY!" Hikaru sent a lightning bolt at the wild Scyther, electrocuting it before it could hurt Chikorita even more. Scyther turned around and glared at Hikaru when the move was over, switching its target to my partner.
"Scytheer…!" Scyther hissed aggressively.
"We'll take care of Scyther! You go and give Chikorita some rest before you do anything else with it!" I told her strictly and ran to Scyther. "Scyther, we are your target now! Come and get us!"
"Scyyyt…!" Scyther hissed and flew toward me and Hikaru.
The plan was working. Hikaru and I ran away from the clearing with Scyther chasing after us, giving Casey and her Chikorita some space to rest…hopefully she would listen to my advice. She reminded me of the few reckless Trainers I've met on my journey, especially rookies. Some treated their Pokémon terribly, like they were fighting machines and didn't regard their feelings in battles, pushing them beyond their limits. That's what Casey was doing, but I don't think she was doing it intentionally.
We reached a field with lots of rose bushes and no one was nearby, not even wild Pokémon, so now Hikaru and I had a chance catching Scyther. "Hikaru, use Cotton Spore!" I shouted.
"Flaaffyyy!" Hikaru inhaled deeply and blew cotton from his mouth at Scyther. The cotton got stuck on its feet, lowering its speed, and some even got in its eyes.
"Scy scy!" Scyther shrieked as it tried getting the cotton off its eyes.
"One more Thunder Shock, Hikaru!" I shouted.
"FlaaFFYYY!" Hikaru fired a new lightning bolt and electrocuted the wild Pokémon.
"SCYTHEEER!" Scyther screeched while the electric move hurt it so much its scales started sizzling. It collapsed onto one knee when the move was over and panted deeply.
"Okay! Park Ball, go!" I yelled, throwing the special capture device. The green Poké Ball hit Scyther and opened up to absorb the wild Pokémon. Scyther got smaller and went inside the Poké Ball before it closed and landed on the grass. Hikaru and I eyed the wobbling Park Ball and waited anxiously until it stopped moving and the button quit blinking red.
"Alright! We caught a Scyther!" I cheered happily and picked up the Park Ball. "You were amazing, Hikaru!"
"Flaaffy flaa!" Hikaru chirped with a big happy smile.
"Great job, sis!" Ash called behind me, scaring the wits out of me.
"Ash?!" I shrieked in surprise, not expecting him and Pikachu. "Don't scare me like that!"
"Flaaffy fyy!" Hikaru bleated irritably at my brother.
"Sorry!" Ash laughed sheepishly. "I didn't mean to."
"Pika pika…", Pikachu stood next to his Trainer, mumbling unamusingly.
"You've caught a great Pokémon, though", Ash praised me.
"Thank you", I nodded and gently caressed Hikaru, being careful not to touch his wool. "It was all thanks to Hikaru."
"Flaaa!" Hikaru bleated.
"Have you caught a Pokémon yet, Ash?" I wondered.
"Yep! I've caught a Beedrill", Ash replied, holding his Park Ball.
"A…Beedrill?" I mumbled, surprised to hear Ash had caught a duplicate Pokémon.
"Yeah, a swarm of Beedrill attacked us, so after Pikachu shocked them away I decided to catch one just to have something", Ash explained, scratching the back of his head.
"That's better than returning emptyhanded", I nodded and eyed the Park Ball in my hand. "I feel good with Scyther, so I'm gonna stick with it."
"Same with my Beedrill", Ash nodded while I pocketed the special Poké Ball. "Shall we head back to the gathering spot?"
"Sure."
We took just a few steps heading back to the main spot when the ground gave in under us. I shrieked as we fell into a large hole and landed on top of my brother and Pikachu. I didn't have enough time to comprehend the situation until a cage appeared around us and trapped us inside of it. The next thing we knew, the cage was lifted up by a hook attached to Team Rocket's balloon!
"Team Rocket?!" Ash and I exclaimed in shock.
"Hi again, twin twerps!" Jessie laughed. "We expected you to drop by and say hi!"
"What do you guys want?!" Ash growled, clutching onto the bars.
"Pika!" Pikachu hissed aggressively.
"What else? Your Pokémon, of course", James replied. "Especially Pikachu."
"We tried catching some bugs, but they were bugging us too much so we decided to return to the original plan", Meowth added.
"Flaaffyyy!" Hikaru bleated in frustration and tried tackling the cage. The bars didn't even get dented by his Tackle attack.
Pikachu decided to try next and used Thunder Shock to destroy the cage. The bad news was the cage didn't get any damage and Ash and I got electrocuted by the move. This was one of the very few times I accidently got hit by an electric move and it was not a pleasant feeling. I thought my organs were going to give in by the attack, but thankfully none of that happened. I lied on the cage feeling the body tingle by the remnants of the Thunder Shock. My muscles didn't want to listen to my brain's commands to get up. Is this what it feels like when you're paralyzed?
Team Rocket laughed at our Pokémon's failed attempts to break the cage. "Nice try, but we've learned from our past mistakes!" Meowth shouted. "The cage is insulated, so electric moves don't work!"
"Now you know how we feel like whenever we get a taste of Pikachu's Thunderbolt!" Jessie snarled at us.
I couldn't argue about that.
"Time to scram and shake the Pokémon out of you!" James declared.
Ash grunted as he got over the paralysis and rubbed his head. "We've gotta get out of here and fast…!"
"Ash! Ashley!"
I forced myself to get up on my elbows and looked down seeing Misty, Brock and Casey run after the air balloon. Casey's Chikorita was riding her shoulders as they chased Team Rocket.
"Let them go, Team Rocket!" Casey shouted at the bad guys. "You're even worse than before, kidnapping our friends!"
"That's how we roll!" Team Rocket retorted simultaneously.
"We don't roll in baseball! We pitch and strike!" Casey shouted. "Chikorita, use Razor Leaf on the balloon!"
"Chiko!" Chikorita jumped up from Casey's shoulders and fired some Razor Leaves at the balloon. I expected the air balloon to crash, but nothing happened.
"Nice try, but the balloon is made of a stronger material, so a weak Razor Leaf can't cut it!" Meowth laughed.
"Chikooo…!" Chikorita growled angrily before its body began glowing. I watched in awe as the Pokémon got taller and evolved into a Bayleef!
"Bayleeeef!" Bayleef screeched.
"Is that Chikorita's evolution?" Ash asked while he grabbed his Pokédex.
"Yes…", I nodded, sensing the tingling feeling was fading away, my muscles finally working at my will.
"Flaaffyy!"
Bayleef, the leaf Pokémon. Grass-type. The evolved form of Chikorita. A spicy aroma emanates from around its neck. The aroma acts as a stimulant to restore health. Somehow, sniffing it makes you want to fight.
"Bayleef, let's serve our last ball to save the twins! Use Razor Leaf!" Casey shouted.
Bayleef swung its leaf, now larger than before, and sent a swarm of new Razor Leaves toward the balloon. However, this time they were aimed at the rope with the hook. I held onto the bars with Hikaru, Ash and Pikachu as the cage fell down to the ground. It was going to be a tough landing, unless…
"Hikaru, use Cotton Spore toward the ground!" I quickly shouted.
Hikaru tried poking his mouth out between the bars and fired a large amount of cotton toward the ground where the cage was going to crash. A large pillow was formed by the move and cushioned the fall off the cage, the top part falling off so we could climb out.
"Are you okay?!" Misty shouted as she and Brock ran to us.
"Togiprii?" Togepi chirped concernedly.
"Yeah, we're fine!" Ash nodded after we climbed out. "Let's clutch this off, Pikachu!"
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, eager to join the party.
"Oh no!" Team Rocket screeched in fear.
"Thank you for saving us, Casey, Bayleef", I thanked the duo.
"You can thank us after you finish Team Rocket", Casey smirked.
"Alright! Pikachu, knock them out of the park with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
"Hikaru, help out with Thunder Shock!" I shouted, wanting my own revenge.
Our two electric Pokémon unleashed their moves and combined them into one yellow and blue lightning bolt. It electrocuted Team Rocket who screamed in pain before the air balloon exploded, sending them far away through the sky.
"LOOKS LIKE TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"
"We did it!" Ash cheered and hugged Pikachu to celebrate the win.
"Pi pikachu!"
"You were great, Bayleef", Casey caressed her newly evolved Pokémon. "I'm so sorry I was too hard on you. Now I've learned my lesson."
"Bay bay!" Bayleef smiled and nuzzled its face against Casey's cheek.
"A good happy ending", Brock nodded.
The ringtone from my PokéGear snapped us out from the happy moment. I picked it up and saw we only had fifteen minutes left of the contest. "It's not a happy ending yet", I argued. "We need to go back to the park for the contest."
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about it…", Ash laughed sheepishly.
"Me too", Casey laughed in the same tone.
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We returned in time for the judges to analyze every participant's captured bug-type Pokémon. It took some time until the Top 3 Trainers were called out, two of them being me and Ash. I ended up getting in third place and got to keep Scyther, which I decided to nickname Axel. As for Ash, he became the winner of the Bug-Catching Contest and won not only his Beedrill but also a Sun Stone, which he gave to me so we could share the prize.
After the closing ceremony, we ate a late lunch together with Casey and Bayleef. Once the food was down in our stomach, it was time for us to move on with our journey.
"It's been fun", Casey said as we stood outside of the gate of the national park. "It stings a little for not winning, but you two deserve it, Ash, Ashley. Congrats."
"Thank you, Casey", I nodded. "But you kinda won by Chikorita evolving into Bayleef."
"Yeah, I guess that makes kinda sense…?" Casey mumbled confusedly before she got over it and smiled at her partner who smiled back at her. "We're gonna train harder but in a totally different way than before! I'm gonna become a better Trainer tomorrow than what I am today!"
"Baay!" Bayleef chirped.
"That's the spirit, Casey", Brock nodded.
"It's always a good thing to learn from your mistakes", Misty smiled.
"Priii!" Togepi chirped in a happy voice.
"And you know what, Casey…", Ash began before he held out a Poké Ball. "You should have this Beedrill."
"W-What?" Casey stuttered in shock by my brother's generosity. "B-But you caught it!"
"I already have a Beedrill and I think this Beedrill will suit you and your team", Ash smiled. "It's yellow and black striped just like the Electabuzz team. You deserve it."
Casey's cheeks blossomed into a soft pink color as she shakily accepted the Poké Ball from my brother. "T-Thank you…!" she sniffed and quickly wiped the fresh tears off her eyes. "I always wanted to have a Beedrill! I promise I'll take great care of it, Ash!"
"I know you will", Ash chuckled.
Casey pocketed the Poké Ball and smiled widely tear-free. "And to thank you, I'll sing you the Electabuzz team's new fight song! After all, I did promise I was gonna sing it for you!"
It was the last thing we wanted to hear, but we couldn't say no to Casey now.
One serenade later, we said our goodbye, promising we would meet someday again before the Johto League.
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I had the fortune luck to play on a day for the Bug-Catching Contest in the game and came in third place with a level 13 Scyther which I named Axel from Kingdom Hearts.
I actually tried looking for a shiny during the remaining time, but a wild Pokémon knocked out Hikaru when I had just five minutes left on the clock.
By the way, which evolution do you think Axel will evolve into later in the series? Scizor or Kleavor?
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Ashley's party:
Cedric the Larvitar (male)
Trica the Furret (female)
Hikaru the Flaaffy (male)
Mystic the Togepi (male)
Victor the Houndour (male)
Axel the Scyther (male)
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Ash's party:
Ivysaur (male)
Pikachu (male)
Chikorita (female)
Cyndaquil (male)
Totodile (male)
Shiny Noctowl (male)
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Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:
Heracross (male)
Wartortle (male)
Tauros (male)
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Misty's party:
Goldeen (female)
Staryu (genderless)
Psyduck (male)
Togepi (female)
Poliwhirl (male)
Chinchou (female)
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Brock's party:
Geodude (male)
Onix (male)
Zubat (male)
Vulpix (female)
Pineco (male)