Chapter 25

Rested and refreshed, Ash and Brock made their way through the center of Azalea Town. Brock had spent quite a bit more time here than Ash while he was assisting Kurt while waiting for the Pallet Town Trainer to show up, so he turned out to be the perfect guide to the Gym. It seemed that they were leaving the residential area of Azalea behind, and as they continued south, the more trees began to surround them.

"The second Gym in the Johto League: the Azalea Town Gym!" Brock said. He sounded almost as pumped up as Ash was.

"Yeah!" the boy answered.

"I'm curious to see how you've grown as a Pokémon Trainer since I've seen you last," the former Gym Leader told his friend. "You mentioned that Charmeleon evolved into Charizard; do you think it will help you in this Gym match?"

"Actually, I left Charizard to train at the Charicific Valley," Ash admitted, but took out a Poké Ball. "Charizard may be gone, but... Cyndaquil's got plenty of firepower!" He then looked at Brock with a confident smirk. "Not to mention, even if I get into trouble, I'll have Blastoise to back me up."

The concrete path had long since turned into dirt, but mostly as a path where the grass had faded away due to heavy foot-traffic. There wasn't a single house to be seen along the way, and finally, at the end of the track was the first sign of civilization they had seen in a long time. "Well, this is it!" Ash declared. The large building looked to be more of a large greenhouse than a Gym, especially from the outside, and it didn't even have a front door. "Hello, is anybody here?" When no one greeted them, he frowned and turned to his traveling companion. "Brock, are you sure this is the Gym? It looks more like a garden to me."

"It may look like a garden, but it is definitely the Gym," Brock confirmed.

"C'mon, let's have a look around," Ash suggested, and the pair entered the yawning maw of the entryway. They followed where the trees parted, but there was no path inside as there was outside to really lead them in a correct location, but there was still no sign of life. "The Gym Leader's gotta be around here someplace..."

"I know we're inside, but it feels like we're in a forest," Brock commented, looking at the tall trees staring down at them all around. And though there wasn't a hint of fear in his body, when Ash heard a little rustle in the trees behind him, he couldn't help but jump a little. Thinking that may be it was the Gym Leader, Ash turned around, but came face to face with a pair of large dark eyes looking curiously into his own.

This time when he jumped back, it was out of instinct more than anything, but a cry of surprise erupted from the back of his throat. But once his brain started to process the scene in front of him, he quickly calmed down. The pair of eyes belonged to a green worm-like Pokémon hanging from a string of silk coming out of its tail. "Sorry, Caterpie," Ash apologized to the small Bug-type. "You frightened me by coming out of nowhere."

"Well you definitely scared it," a new voice called from above. They both craned their necks to look up, and saw a young boy they hadn't seen until he spoke up. Of course, the reason they didn't see him in the first place was because he was sitting on a branch all the way at the top of the tree. Though Ash couldn't see his features, he saw the green uniform and the deep purple hair that almost reached the young man's shoulders. "You're lucky it didn't shoot its String Shot at you."

"Hey, who are you?" Ash shouted, but the boy simply shrugged.

"I don't have to tell you who I am; you're the ones who ought to be telling me who you are!" The boy's attitude rubbed Ash the wrong way, but he swallowed his annoyance and stepped forth.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I came here to have a match with the Azalea Town Gym Leader." Instantly, the tension on the boy's face dissipated.

"Oh, you're another challenger!" he realized, and stood up from his seated position. "I'm Bugsy, the Azalea Town Gym Leader. Bug Pokémon are my specialty, and I know just about everything there is to know about 'em." The mention surprised Ash slightly.

"Another challenger?" Ash repeated, and then his eyes lit up in realization. "Have you had a battle with another Trainer from Pallet Town?"

Bugsy's lips pursed together in thought. "You know, now that you mention it, someone came in yesterday from Pallet Town. He was pretty strong, and managed to get one of my Badges, but it wasn't surprising considering he told me he had been the Champion of last year's Indigo Plateau Conference."

That settled it – the familiar fires of rivalry burned in his chest and pulled his eyebrows together. "Okay! Let's battle!" Ash challenged.

"I accept all challengers: that's the job of a Gym Leader!" The two stared at each other for a long moment, letting the tension heat up the greenhouse even further. "But before we start..."

"Yeah?"

"Could you get the ladder? I'm stuck up here," he asked, pointing straight down. Ash's eyes followed the end of the Gym Leader's finger and found a tall wooden ladder laying on its side and almost camouflaged by the bushes around it. Going from such a serious, tension-filled situation to an embarrassing question like that made Ash and Brock stumble in the air.

Recovering as fast as they could, the two hurried over and balanced the tall ladder on the branch that Bugsy had been trapped on, and after a few moments, the Bug-type Gym Leader had climbed down and back onto the grass before them. "Thanks, guys," he thanked.

"You need to be more careful, Bugsy," Ash replied with a lighthearted smile. "If we weren't here, you'd still be stuck up there."

"The only reason I knocked the ladder over was cause you guys yelled and surprised me," Bugsy shot back, folding his arms over his chest. "It was your fault I got stuck in the first place."

"Our fault?!"

"Settle down..." Brock mediated, slowly moving his hands back and forth as if to push away the tension that sparked between them. Thankfully it worked, and Bugsy gestured for them to follow him. Moving through the trees, they reached the center of the greenhouse, and the purple-haired Gym Leader went off to speak to the referee that joined them while Ash and Brock marveled at the huge clearing.

"Hey, what's this?" Ash questioned rhetorically as his eyebrows rose slightly. The grass and trees had been cleared away from this center area, and a battlefield of dirt stretched out far. But trees rose up all around them and even some of their branches hung over the battlefield, looking as if they were signifying a barrier of some kind.

"Now I understand! He uses Bug Pokémon, and they like to live in the forest!" Brock realized as Bugsy finished his conversation with the orange-shirt referee and took his side of the battlefield. "So that's just where Bugsy built the Gym and the battlefield!"

Ash's eyes lingered on Brock for a moment longer, though his eyes showed that he was a million miles away. With home-field advantage, Bugsy's Bug-type Pokémon might actually be a lot more harder to beat than he originally thought. But the Pokémon Trainer from Pallet pushed away these negative thoughts and took his own side of the battlefield opposite Bugsy, and the referee began. "This official Pokémon battle between Bugsy – the Gym Leader of the Azalea Town Gym – and Ash Ketchum – the challenger from Pallet Town – is about to begin. Each Trainer may use three Pokémon! A Gym Badge is at stake! Are the Trainers ready?"

"I'm ready when you are!" Ash said with resolution.

"Ash, before we start, I want to ask you something," Bugsy spoke up.

"Yeah? What?"

"Have you ever heard the saying 'The Trainer who learns the rules of the Bug Pokémon learns to rule the Bug Pokémon'?"

"No; who said that?"

"Me, weren't you listening?" For the second time that day, Ash's chin dipped down to his chest and he let out an exasperated sigh.

"That Bugsy sure got Bug Pokémon on the brain..." Brock commented quietly just loud enough for Ash to hear him from the sidelines.

The young Gym Leader took out a Poké Ball from his many pockets and held it up. "I'm gonna start off with one of the strongest competitors in my Bug Pokémon arsenal!" he declared, and then threw the Poké Ball onto the battlefield. "I choose Spinarak!" The ball split open down the middle and from the light that emerged, a green spider-like Pokémon flew through the air and landed gracefully onto the dirt.

"Spinarak!" it uttered.

"What is that thing?" Ash asked aloud, and took out his Pokédex to learn more.

"Spinarak, the String Spit Pokémon. Spinarak can climb any surface easily, and shoot a strong web from both the front and back of its body. Its prey is caught and held tight in its web."

The Pokédex entry was a little frightening, but Ash's eyebrows only furrowed together as he replaced the red electronic device with a Poké Ball. "In that case, I know just the Pokémon I'm gonna choose!" Without a second thought, he threw the ball onto the battlefield. "I choose you! Cyndaquil!"

"Cyndaquil!" Ash Fire-type squeaked as it appeared on the arena.

Seeing Ash's choice, Bugsy frowned in distaste as he looked down at the Fire-type, but opposite him, Brock grinned wide. "Ash made a good decision! This should be an easy win," the Pokémon Breeder stated. However, all of his enthusiasm seemed to disappear instantly when Cyndaquil threw its head back and gave a loud yawn.

"C'mon, Cyndaquil! Let's get that flame lit!" its Trainer encouraged it. Cyndaquil peered over its shoulder, giving Ash a tired look and letting out another yawn, almost as if telling him it was too tired to produce a fire. "Well, then we'll have to get you warmed up, right?"

"Cyndaquil!"

"Spinarak, use String Shot!" Bugsy began, and his Pokémon didn't even utter a word before shooting a silk string from between its mandibles out at Cyndaquil.

"Dodge it, Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil gave a cry of response and jumped out of the way, just in time for the end of the String Shot to dig into the ground right where Cyndaquil's lead foot had been.

"Keep it up, Spinarak!" Bugsy relented with a hand forward.

"Spinar!" the String Spit Pokémon cried, and jumped into the air before letting out another String Shot.

"Cyndaquil, just keep dodging its String Shot attacks and we'll wear it out!"

"Quil!" And as Cyndaquil landed, it had to quickly lunge to its left as another String Shot hit the ground where it was supposed to land. It then ran on all fours to the left as Spinarak unleashed String Shot, one after another, in Cyndaquil's direction.

"Spinarak and I aren't gonna let you off that easy," Bugsy smirked. "Spinarak, cover the whole field with String Shot!"

"Spina!" Opening the yellow mandibles on its face wide, Spinarak let out five streams of silk at once high into the air. The light, sticky silk flew out over the battlefield and drifted down with the consistency of a floating leaf flowing in the wind. As such, this made it very difficult for Cyndaquil to dodge, as the erratic way the String Shot was falling made it almost impossible to predict its trajectory. Ash and Cyndaquil both realized this, and gave loud gasps of surprise.

Still, Cyndaquil tried its best as the lasso-like silk descended upon it. Squeaking in fear, it weaved back and forth, attempting to avoid the white string at all costs. It managed to do quite a good job for the most part, jumping and flipping between the string, but soon it was ensnared in the sticky thread, and flailed as it attempted to break free. "Cyndaquil!"

"We caught 'ya!" Bugsy said with a satisfied smirk. And for good reason, too. It seemed like the more Cyndaquil tried to fight to break out of the String Shot attack, the more sticky it became, and soon, Cyndaquil's foot seemed to be glued to the battlefield's floor.

"Come on! Use your Flamethrower!" Ash told it. The Fire Mouse Pokémon nodded in understanding, and then raised its arms.

"Quiiiiilll!" it cried, but the only thing that came out of the red spots that produced the flames on its back were four puffs of smoke, as well as a small puff of smoke coming out from the back of its throat.

A gloved hand ran through the dark locks sticking out from Ash's hat. "I guess it takes while for Cyndaquil's flame to kick in," he stated.

Bugsy, however, took advantage of the lack of attack. "Spinarak, Poison Sting attack!" His Pokémon reacted quickly and let out a spray of glowing white needles at Cyndaquil. The Fire-type Pokémon let out a cry and the force of the attack knocked it backwards. It also tore at the String Shot and the poison burned at them, tearing them like fabric and sending Ash's Pokémon flying back.

"Cyndaquil, no!"

"Okay Spinarak, let's end this! Poison Sting!" Once again, Spinarak opened its mouth and sent out a stream of white needles out at Cyndaquil, but this time, Ash whipped out his arm and held out Cyndaquil's Poké Ball.

"Cyndaquil, return!" he cried, and the red recall beam hit Cyndaquil and pulled it inside the capture device. The Poison Sting attack that was directed at Cyndaquil bounced off the ground harmlessly, and Ash let out a sigh of relief. He had gotten it just in time.

"Well, I guess retreating's better than losing," the Gym Leader shrugged as his Spinarak landed on the ground in front of him.

"He's in trouble, cause Cyndaquil's the only Pokémon he's got who's strong against Bug-types," Brock commented quietly, rubbing a finger against his chin.

"Maybe not, but I've got Blastoise," the Pallet Town Trainer said surely, and took out Blastoise's Poké Ball from his belt. "I choose you! Blastoise!" Leaving his fingertips, the red and white orb flung out onto the battlefield, and popped open, releasing the Water-type's massive figure.

"Blaaast!" his starter Pokémon roared.

"A Water-type Pokémon is an interesting choice, but it's still going down!" Bugsy said with a confident smirk. "Spinarak, String Shot!"

"Blastoise, use Dig!" the dark-haired Trainer countered. As Spinarak fired a thick webbing of thread from its mouth, Blastoise drew its cannons into its shell and punched the ground at its feet. Moments later, the Water-type Pokémon was fully swallowed up and left behind by a large hole on Ash's side of the battlefield, and the Bug-type attack hit the upturned dirt uselessly.

"If you think you can hit Spinarak with a Ground move, think again! We'll just retreat up into the trees! Spinarak, use your String Shot!" As soon as the words left Bugsy's mouth, Spinarak aimed up into the branches overlooking the battlefield and sent out a String Shot from its mouth. The sticky silk hit the bark of the branch, and it began to pull itself up, but Ash smirked.

"My Blastoise is a lot more faster than you think!" he stated confidently. Underneath Spinarak's ascending body, the ground burst and Blastoise shot through the air. Both Spinarak and Bugsy's eyes widened in surprise, but the Bug-type Gym Leader barely had time to enunciate before Blastoise swatted Spinarak out of the air with a closed fist and sent it straight to the ground by Bugsy's feet.

"Are you okay?" the Gym Leader asked, his voice filled with worry as he bent down to cradle his fainted Pokémon.

"Spinarak is unable to battle! Blastoise wins!" the referee declared.

"We did it!" Ash cheered upon the announcement. "You did great, Blastoise!"

"Blast!" the Water-type responded with a curt nod in Ash's direction.

"Blastoise seems to be stronger than ever," Brock said from the sidelines as Bugsy pulled his Spinarak back into its Poké Ball and retreated back to the Trainer's box.

"I cant believe you beat my first Pokémon, but this one's gonna be harder," he said. "In fact, this one's gonna be a lot harder! Metapod, go!" His next choice of Pokémon came out of the Poké Ball he threw onto the battlefield, and this one formed into a green cocoon-like Pokémon.

"Metapod," it uttered without opening its eyes.

"A Metapod?" Ash questioned, both confused and surprised at the same time.

"That Metapod must be super strong, or he wouldn't use it in a Gym match," Brock warned, but Ash sent a smirk over his shoulder to the older boy.

"We can handle this," he assured him, and then faced forward and clenched his fist. "Blastoise, let's make this two for two!"

"Blastoise!"

"Sorry, Ash, but it's not gonna be that easy." There was a sly smile curling Bugsy's lips, almost as if he was thinking of a joke that Ash didn't know. This only egged Ash on, and he pointed forward.

"Okay Blastoise, Hydro Pump attack!"

"Stoise!" Blastoise cried, opening its hydro cannons and aiming them at Metapod before firing a pair of Hydro Pumps straight at Metapod.

"We can't stand still for this kind of thing! Metapod, jump now!"

"Meta-pod!" Just then, Metapod's eyes shot open, and the bottom of its hard body bent slightly. Before Ash knew it, the Bug-type Pokémon launched itself high into the air, successfully dodging the Hydro Pump attack.

"Oh, no!" Ash exclaimed, unable to believe his eyes.

"Metapod, Tackle attack!" Bugsy ordered, and Metapod, using gravity to its advantage, descended upon Blastoise.

"Catch it, Blastoise!" Ash countered, and his starter Pokémon quickly put its hands up in front of it in preparation. Seconds later, Blastoise's claws managed to connect with Metapod's hard shell, and though it managed to push the Water-type backwards, Blastoise was able to repel Metapod's attack and sent it back to the ground where it all began. "That can't stop us! Use Hydro Pump to wash it away!"

"Blast-toise!" With a guttural cry, Blastoise fired forth another blast of water from its hydro cannons.

"Metapod, use Harden now!"

"Metapod!" The Cocoon Pokémon gave a small and quick cry of its name before its shell shimmered and glowed white for a fraction of a second. But it was in vain, as Blastoise's Water-type attack hit it and sent it flying backwards. The water rushed across the dirt, giving the impression of the tide hitting the sandy beach, and like seaweed, Metapod was pushed against Bugsy's feet on its side. It didn't stand a chance.

"Metapod!" Bugsy exclaimed.

"Metapod is unable to continue," the referee announced, raising his hand in Ash's direction. "Blastoise wins!"

Despite losing his second Pokémon in a row, Bugsy didn't seem to worried as he pointed Metapod's Poké Ball at it and pulled it inside. "You battled great, Metapod. You deserve a good rest."

"Ash and Blastoise make a really great team," Brock complimented with his arms crossed over his chest while he observed Ash give his starter Pokémon a nod.

"We did it again, Blastoise," he praised.

"You're good, Ash!" Bugsy acclaimed. "You're the first Trainer who's lasted to the third round in a match with me without losing a single Pokémon for a long, long time. Lucky for me I saved my best Pokémon for last." Retrieving a Poké Ball and drawing it like a samurai would draw his blade, Bugsy didn't have an ounce of worry on his face as he pressed the center button and made it grow in his palm. "The Bug Pokémon warrior! I choose you, Scyther!"

Ash's eyebrows raised and his mouth opened slightly as the plasma that emerged from Bugsy's Poké Ball formed into the familiar green mantis-like Pokémon. "Scyther! Scy!" it screeched.

"Oh, no! A Scyther!" Brock yelled, vocalizing what had been echoing in Ash's head.

"Don't let it scare 'ya!" Ash coached his Pokémon. "Use Hydro Pump, Blastoise!"

"Blastoise!" the Shellfish Pokémon roared, and aimed its water spouts at Scyther before unleashing a blast of water from them for the third time that day. Scyther, however, looked on with confidence and its dark eyes flashed.

"Scyther, use your Swords Dance!" Bugsy called, and instantly, his Pokémon crossed its blade-like arms and began to spin around and around.

"Scyther-scyther-scyther-scyther!" it chanted, spinning so fast that it resembled a green cyclone. The water soared across the battlefield and hit the Bug-type Pokémon, but it was spinning so fast that the water seemed to be repelled off it.

"No way!" Ash exclaimed, pulling out his Pokédex.

"Swords Dance, Scyther's special attack. Scyther spins furiously to focus its energy and increase its attack power."

"I don't believe it! Scyther is spinning so fast that it repelled Blastoise's Hydro Pump!" Brock cried in disbelief.

"Scyther, use your Double Team now!" Bugsy commanded. Scyther opened its maw and let out a cry, and soon began to move rapidly side to side, and eventually, moved so fast that it created three other after-images. The four Scyther all cried out at the same time and lunged at Blastoise. "Scyther, use Slash attack!"

"Scyther!" the army of Scyther shrieked, and readied their scythe-like claws.

"Don't let 'em fool you, Blastoise! Hit 'em all with your BubbleBeam attack!" Ash countered quickly. There wasn't an ounce of fear in Blastoise's eyes as it took in a deep breath and expelled it in a stream of blue bubbles. The bubbles shot at one Scyther, and the after-image disappeared. Blastoise dragged its head and hit another one, and that one disappeared as well. Now there was only one left, and Blastoise smirked and released a final BubbleBeam attack. But, instead of knocking Scyther back, the attack hit the Mantis Pokémon and it disappeared as well.

Now Blastoise's eyes widened, and it gasped. "Blast?!" it exclaimed in pure shock.

"Fury Cutter!" Bugsy ordered. Suddenly, Bugsy's ace Pokémon appeared in a flash behind Blastoise, and the Shellfish Pokémon turned around just in time for Scyther to hack and slash at Blastoise with both of its claws. The attack made Blastoise cry out and stumble backwards, but Scyther kept continuing its attacks.

"This is bad!" Brock cried out. "Every time Scyther's Fury Cutter hits, the damage to Blastoise is doubled!"

"Ah, Blastoise!" Ash yelled after hearing this, and turned away from Brock and back to the arena just in time for Blastoise to fall flat on its stomach at Scyther's feet.

"Blastoise is unable to battle! Scyther wins the round!" Scyther stood proudly over Blastoise, and exchanged a look with its Trainer, who nodded back to it.

"Okay! You did great, Scyther," Bugsy praised with his arms crossed. As his Pokémon went back across to its own side of the battlefield, Ash ran out and knelt down beside his starter Pokémon.

"Blastoise, are you okay? Say something, buddy."

"Stoise, blas..." the Water-type managed to utter out, glancing up through exhausted eyes. Seeing that his Pokémon was all right, he chuckled and gave his first Pokémon a reassuring smile.

"You did a real great job, Blastoise. You just take it easy for a while," he said, and pulled out Blastoise's Poké Ball. "Return." Once Blastoise was pulled back into its Poké Ball to rest, Ash made his way back to his own side of the field, his eyebrows furrowed from thought.

"The match is still in Ash's favor, but that Scyther sure is strong," Brock commented quietly. Silently drawing a Poké Ball from his belt, he held it up, and it opened. The figure that formed from the light inside was none other than Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil!" it cried in a high-pitched voice upon release.

"C'mon, Cyndaquil – I need you to light your flame or we're gonna lose for sure!" Ash cajoled.

"We don't need a strategy against a Pokémon that won't even attack," Bugsy said, his balled up fist resting comfortably on his hip. "Scyther, end this with Fury Cutter!"

"Scyther!" the Bug and Flying Pokémon cried, buzzing forward and raising one of its claws in preparation for its next attack.

"Cyndaquil, get away!" Ash shouted, and as Scyther's claw jabbed down at the Fire-type, Cyndaquil bounced away, and the tip of its claw sank into the dirt that had been softened from Blastoise using its Dig attack. Pursuing Cyndaquil, Scyther repeatedly hacked at the Fire-type, but the Fire Mouse Pokémon jumped and flipped nimbly between the Fury Cutter attack. "Nice work, Cyndaquil! Keep dodging, just like that!"

"Scy! Ther! Scy! Ther!" Scyther wasn't backing down now, but none of its attacks were landing or even coming close. Just then, Ash saw something bright spark on Cyndaquil's back, and soon, red and yellow flames jutted out of the spots on its back.

"All right! Its flame finally kicked in!" Ash cheered. Unfortunately, this alerted Bugsy to the danger as well, and the Azalea Gym Leader reacted quickly.

"Scyther, Double Team attack!" Stopping in place for just a moment, Scyther moved rapidly back and forth just as it had done earlier, and it created three other doppelgangers. The four Scyther them bum-rushed the smaller Fire-type, each of them attempting to hack at it with Fury Cutter and confuse it all at once. But Cyndaquil was able to move faster and weave through the six pairs of claws slicing the air around it. Bugsy's plan had backfired – and now the fire totally enveloped its back.

"Now that Cyndaquil's fire is back, Bugsy's Bug Pokémon don't stand a chance against me!" Ash said with a confident smirk. "Cyndaquil, Flamethrower!"

The eruption of fire from Cyndaquil's back forced Scyther and its doubles backward, and upon its Trainer's order, Cyndaquil ran toward it before opening its mouth and fired a powerful blast of flames from the back of its throat. One by one, the Flamethrower took out each of the Double Team doppelgangers, leaving only one left in the rear. "There, Cyndaquil! That's the real one!"

"Scyther, time for Swords Dance!" Bugsy commanded with a smile. Like before, Scyther crossed its scythes in front of its face and began to spin rapidly like a tornado. And like before, the fast speed that it was moving repelled the Fire-type attack.

"Quil?!" Cyndaquil cried, reeling back in shock of having its attack stopped.

"Not Fire attacks, too!" Ash shouted with his eyebrows touching the top of his head. And while both Pokémon and Trainer were distracted, Scyther dashed forward and struck out with a Slash attack, sending Cyndaquil rolling to the dirt. "Cyndaquil, can you still battle?!"

"Cyndaquil!" the Fire Mouse Pokémon affirmed, and jumped back onto its feet and lit its flame once again.

"Great! That's the spirit!" Now that the battle could continue, Ash now had a decision to make. "Hey, if we use Flamethrower again, Scyther will just blow it right back at us like before..."

"It's no use, Ash!" Bugsy called, seeing the thought process dancing across Ash's face. "I know Fire attacks are a Bug Pokémon's greatest weakness – that's why Scyther and I came up with a perfect way to repel every one of them. There's no way to get past my Scyther's Swords Dance attack."

"I see now," Brock realized. "While Scyther builds its strength for Swords Dance, it spins like a fan that repels attacks!"

"There's gotta be some way to bring that Scyther down..." Ash murmured, the image of it hitting the spinning Scyther flashing through his head. And then, like a bolt of lightning, something struck in his brain. "Wait! That's it!"

"Scyther, end it with Fury Cutter!" Bugsy commanded, eager to get rid of the Fire-type enemy once and for all.

"Okay! Get your Flamethrower ready!" Ash ordered.

"That's a bad decision," Bugsy countered. "Scyther, Swords Dance now!" The change in direction didn't affect Scyther at all, and it simply crossed its scythes in front of it before spinning around and around.

"Scyther-scyther-scyther-scyther!"

"All right, Cyndaquil! Jump right above Scyther!" As strange as Ash's orders were, Cyndaquil obeyed without question and rushed at the spinning Scyther on all fours. With a loud cry, it pushed off the ground and soared high above until it was above the Mantis Pokémon.

"Quillll!"

"Cyndaquil, point your body straight down!" And just as Cyndaquil was beginning to descend, it pointed its nose down and began to spin like a falling top, and eventually, it was spinning in time with the Pokémon below it – though not nearly as fast.

Still, it was enough to gain cries of surprise from the onlookers. "What's he...!" Bugsy cried with widened eyes.

"Doing?!" Brock finished.

"Quick, Cyndaquil! Use your Flamethrower right now!" Continuing its spinning descent, Cyndaquil let loose a powerful stream of red-yellow flames, and these began to spin as well, looking almost like a Fire Spin attack. But the Flamethrower shot down like a fiery tornado nevertheless and enveloped Scyther from above.

"Scyther!" Bugsy exclaimed. When Cyndaquil stopped the flames and jumped onto the battlefield beside the hole that Blastoise had dug, Scyther's body was charred, and swaying as its spin lost its power. It finally stopped completely and its body was covered with burns as it attempted to stay on its feet.

"Quick, Cyndaquil! Use your Tackle attack!" Ash commanded, and his Pokémon launched itself off the ground and at the defenseless Bug-type. The attack scored a direct hit, and Scyther let out one final cry before it fell on its stomach.

"Scyther is unable to battle! Cyndaquil wins the round! The victory goes to the challenger from Pallet Town!"

"We did it, Cyndaquil!" Ash cheered excitedly. The Fire Mouse Pokémon's flames went out on its back, and it turned around and had a wide smile under its long snout.

"Qui-ui-uil!" it gave back, and rushed up to Ash. It jumped into his open arms and accepted a warm embrace just as Bugsy was pulling his Scyther back into its Poké Ball.

"Great job, Scyther; take a good rest now," he said to the capture device before putting it away, and looked across at Ash grinning from ear-to-ear while holding his Pokémon.

"Cyndaquil did a great job!" Brock complimented, smiling down at the Fire-type Pokémon. But instead of accepting the compliment, the Fire Mouse Pokémon opened its mouth and gave a loud yawn, and both Ash and Brock's head dipped in embarrassment.

"Thanks, Cyndaquil – I knew you'd come through," Ash thanked.

"Well, Ash," Bugsy said as he approached the pair. "Coming into this match, I thought there was no way Scyther would lose to a Fire Pokémon. But you came up with a really great strategy. You deserve to win." Reaching into the breast pocket of his uniform, Bugsy extended his open palm toward Ash. "Here, this Hive Badge is yours."

Ash's eyes looked hungrily upon the round badge in Bugsy's hand. It was mostly black, but the bottom half was red, and had several black spots on it as well, resembling a ladybug that shimmered in the sunlight. "Thanks a lot, Bugsy; this one means a lot to me," he replied, taking the Badge between his thumb, middle, and index fingers before his excitement took over, and he held it forward for the Fire-type to see. "All right! We did it, Cyndaquil! A Hive Badge!"

"Cyndaquil!" it cheered with its hands in the air.

"Hey Ash, maybe if you and your friend ever come back to Azalea Town, you could give me a rematch!" Bugsy offered.

"Sure! That'd be great!" he replied, and then smirked smugly. "But you better watch out, cause I'll be an ever better Trainer than I am now!"

Instead of taking the words harshly, Bugsy chuckled and nodded. "And I hope I will be, too."

The two raised their hands simultaneously and shook their hands with a friendly rivalry now sparking between them. "Thanks again, Bugsy."

"Good luck, Ash."

o 0 o

Now that the Hive Badge was pinned on the inside of Ash's jacket – beside the Zephyr Badge of course – it was time to leave Azalea Town behind. The sun was starting to set between the mountains in the distance, the mountains that Ash and Gary had traveled through, leaving the sky a bright amber color. With backpacks secured tightly over their shoulders, they turned around and gave one last look at the old-fashion town below. "Well, I guess it's time to say good-bye to Azalea Town."

"It sure was worth coming here and waiting for you with Kurt, but I'm happy to get back on the road," Brock told Ash with his hands on his hips. Suddenly, he froze with his mouth open, and then let out a sudden yelp.

The mention of Kurt also jogged Ash's memory as well, and he mimicked the Pokémon Breeder's yell. "We never got our Apricorn Poké Balls from Kurt!" he realized.

"Ash! Hi, Brock!" a cute voice filled their ears, and running up the hill from the town was Maizie, the granddaughter of Kurt. She was running toward them with her hand in the air in greeting, and her curled pigtails bounced back and forth with each step. "How'd the Gym match go?"

"It went great!" Ash answered as she reached them. "I won a Hive Badge!"

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Maizie," he said with a ear-to-ear smile. "Hey, did you just come out here to congratulate me?"

"Nope!" Maizie said with her nose in the air and a knowing smile on her face, and reached into the pocket of her skirt. "Grandpa said these are for you!" In each hand, she held a special Poké Ball.

"Hey, look Ash! Poké Balls!" Brock said, bending down to get a closer look as Maizie held the two capture devices out.

"The one with the little bubbles is a Heavy Ball," she explained, referring to the dark gray Poké Ball with four blue orbs sticking out of the cap. In her right hand was a teal-colored Poké Ball with a red zigzag design down the middle and three orange stripes reaching down to the button on its face. "And the greenish one is a Lure Ball."

"It was really nice of you to bring them to us." And so, the Pokémon Breeder reached down and plucked the gray Poké Ball from Maizie's hand. "I think I'd rather take the Heavy Ball."

"And I'm gonna take the Lure Ball that's left," Ash said.

Once the respected Poké Balls were put away, Maizie spoke up again. "Oh yeah! Grandpa told me to thank you for the GS Ball."

"Hey, it was no problem."

"Has he found out anything new about it since we've left?" Brock asked the younger girl.

"Grandpa hasn't figured out the GS Ball yet," she replied. "But he told me to tell you he's still working on it. And to even stop by again on your way to Pallet Town."

"Thanks! We'll try, Maizie," Brock thanked, and gave a wave to the young girl.

"We'll see 'ya, Maizie!" Ash waved, and both of them continued down the path away from Azalea while Maizie returned their wave.

"Bye-bye, Ash! Bye Brock!"

Ash:

Party:

Blastoise (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, BubbleBeam

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Tackle

Heracross (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Horn Attack, Leer, Take Down, Fury Attack

Chikorita (Poké Ball)

Moves: Razor Leaf, Tackle, Vine Whip

Cyndaquil (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Tackle

At Professor Oak's Lab:

Tauros (Safari Ball) x2 (m)

Moves: Fissure, Horn Attack, Take Down

Kingler (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Water Gun, Bubble, Crabhammer, Hyper Beam

Muk (Poké Ball)

Moves: Poison Gas, Sludge Bomb

Primeape (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball) (f)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Double-Edge

Stantler (Poké Ball)

Moves: Hypnosis

Training at Charicific Valley:

Charizard (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Slash

Kanto Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Soul Badge

Volcano Badge

Earth Badge

Diamond Badge

Indigo League Rank: Top 4

Johto Badges:

Zephyr Badge

Hive Badge

Brock:

Party:

Onix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig

Psyduck (Poké Ball) (m)

Moves: Scratch, Water Gun, Disable, Confusion

Vulpix (Poké Ball) (f)

Moves: Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Agility, Quick Attack