25. Hive Badge

Professior Oak's mission here is completed, and the drought in Azalea Town has also passed, which is an added bonus.

The Azalea Gym has reopened, and now it's finally time to challenge the Gym.

"Is this really the Azalea gym? It looks like a botanical garden from here." Standing at the entrance of the gym and walking slowly inside, Misty still didn't know what she would face next.

Ash couldn't help but remind her, "Um, Misty, you do know what type of Gym this is, right?"

"What?"

Ash and Brock didn't need to answer, Misty had already reacted.

This Azalea gym is a Bug Type Gym!

Before she could make any move, Catterpie and Metapod suddenly hung down from the tree and appeared directly in front of her.

"There are insects here!!!"

Misty knew it subconsciously, so she threw herself on Ash's back and hid behind his head, not daring to look directly at the Bug Type Pokémon around her.

She has always been close to Ash and her reliance on him his getting more and more.

Ash couldn't help but smile bitterly, Misty was deathly afraid of bug Pokémon, of course they knew that.

However, seeing these Catterpies, he still missed his. Butterfree, who flew away with his girlfriend, he doesn't know what he was doing now.

"I'm sorry, you see my companion is very afraid of insects!"

Gently patting Misty's arm, Ash looked at the boy who appeared from behind the tree.

"It's okay, but don't you think Bug Pokémon is the best Pokémon?" the boy said.

"I think Pokémon in itself is the best. I like insect Pokémon and I also like bird Pokémon." Ash replied.

"No one is qualified to impose his own preferences on others, and force others to agree with his own preferences, right?"

Hearing what he said, the boy took another look at Ash and finally nodded, "Yes, that's true. I should say sorry for this!"

"Hello, I am the Leader of the Azalea Gym, call me Bugsy, I'm the Bug Pokémon Encyclopedia. Please to meet you all!"

"I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge the Azalea Gym!"

The battle begins like this!

The Azalea gym is very much like a botanical garden. The battle site is in the middle of a dense forest, surrounded by trees. It is obviously very beneficial to bug Pokémon.

"Now begins, the official competition between Azalea Gym Leader Bugsy and challenger Ash from Pallet Town, with the HiveBadge as the challengers prize! The number of Pokémon used is limited to three!"

"Ash, let me tell you something, whoever catches Bug Pokémon can conquers the world. Have you ever heard of this sentence?" Bugsy asked again before the battle began.

'That's too dumb for me to even comprehend, what the heck does it even mean?' Ash was just having his inner monologue.

Until now, the two Gym Leaders in the Johto Region are quite strange. One is obsessed with bird Pokémon and the other is obsessed over Bug Type Pokémon.

But before he could answer, Bugsy had already sent out his first Pokémon.

As a rule of the gym challenge, the Gym Leader must send out their Pokémon first, so that challengers can adjust their strategies based on their first Pokémon.

"The Silent Warrior of Bug Pokémon, go ahead, Spinarak!"

Of course, Ash is very familiar with Spinarak. During his time in that strange place where the Officers of that place had to have a Spinarak as their partner, during that time they also partnered with a Spinarak to arrest the Rocket Trio.

That was also the most comfortable period of Ash's journey.

Coincidentally, Team Rocket was about to break into the Gym when they were caught again by the Bug Type Pokémon in the gym.

"It's up to you, Slowpoke!"

Neither Misty nor Brock expected that Ash would actually send out the the Psychic type Slowpoke that he had just captured.

But seeing this Slowpoke, Bugsy's expression changed, "I didn't expect you to be recognized by the Slowpoke God! Ash, facing you, I must use my full strength!"

The problem is, Slowpoke is a Water-type and Psychic-type Pokémon, and Bug Type attacks are super effective against it!

"String Shot!"

The String Shot attack of the Spinarak easily hit the Slowpoke. No matter how different this Slowpoke was, its speed was still its major weakness.

"You can't move!" Bugsy thought he had a chance to win, "Use Poison Jab!"

"Slowpoke, use Water Pulse!"

Water Pulse did not hit the Spinarak, but was thrown to the ground by Slowpoke. Then, Water Pulse turned into a wave more than two meters high, and turned into a shield to block Poison Jab.

"My turn, Confusion!"

Slowpoke is a water and psychic type Pokémon. Perhaps it was because of Ash's Psychic that he accepted Ash as his trainer.

Its eyes flashed with a pink light, enveloping the Spinarak.

"Spinarak!"

The Spinarak has been unable to move, and Bugsy has nothing to do. It is not good at physical strength and can't break free from the comfort of Confusion!

Bugsy could only watch as Slowpoke smashed his beloved Spinarak to the ground and then lost the ability to fight!

"Ash's Slowpoke is so strong!" Misty compared her Psyduck, both of them knew how to use Confusion, and they both looked dumb. Why is there such a big gap?

"Come back, Slowpoke!"

After all, Slowpoke is still stuck to the web made by Spinarak, and may be much easier to beat in the next battle.

Seeing Ash take back the Slowpoke, Bugsy glanced at him and said, "My second Pokémon is the most proud Shield of Bug Pokémon, Shuckle!"

Ash's expression changed when he saw this Pokémon. For no other reason than Shuckle's species strength distribution was very disgustingly defensive.

The attack and special attack are extremely low, but the defense and special defense are extremely high to the point it has higher defensive stats than most legendary Pokémons.

If paired with another move like Power Trick or Body Press. . .

"So it's a Shuckle, then it's up to you, Bayleef!"

After Bayleef came out, she got used to returning to her trainers side, "Please!"

Of course Ash loves his little Pokémon who also loves him very much.

"Ash, are you looking down on me? Facing my Bug Type, you still dare bring out grass-type Pokémon to challenge me?" Bugsy was a little angry, and Ash took out a Pokémon restrained by Bug Type one after another.

However, Ash shook his head, "Of course I have my own plans for using Bayleef, come on!"

Sure enough, Bugsy's first command was the Psychic skill, "Shuckle, use Power Split!"

This skill can force the attack and special attack capabilities of both the enemy and themselves into an average value.

Shuckle, whose own attack and special attack are very low, suddenly became on par with his Bayleef.

However, Shuckle's defense and special defense have not changed, they are always stupidly high!

However, Ash himself allowed Bugsy to level the attacks of both sides, and at the same time let Bayleef use her move, "Poison Powder!"

The purple powder enveloped Shuckle almost at the same time. No matter how high its defense was and it fell into a poisoned state, its health would continue to be deducted throughout the ordeal!

"I understand, Ash used Bayleef just to poison Shuckle!" Brock finally came to his senses.

I didn't expect Ash to use this stall tactic to defeat his opponent! Ash is no longer the newcomer who only knows how to attack and no other tactics!

In this Bug Type Gym challenge, Ash can be said to be fighting against the typing's to the very end.

The battle continued where Bayleef to just circle around Shucke while it can't do anything because of its low speed.

It got knocked out because of being poisoned at the beginning of their confrontation.

Bugsy didn't like that and looked very pissed.

They both returned their Pokémon to have some rest. Now for the last one.

Facing the third Pokémon sent by Bugsy, Scyther, Ash actually sent out his Heracross, which was also a Bug type.

Instead, the Fire type Quilava had no chance to battle.

However, Scyther is of Bug type and Flying type, while Heracross is of Bug Type and Fighting type, so it has it's advantages there.

"Strike first, Scyther, use Quick Attack!" Bugsy let Scyther take advantage of her speed and rush forward first.

But seeing this scene, Ash smiled instead.

Facing Heracross, Bugsy only used Quick Attack to attack. This shows that this Scyther has no Flying skills at all!

"Heracross, you know what to do!"

Scyther's is also very cool, with two sharp scythes standing upright, turning into a flash and charging towards Heracross.

His Heracross's eyes were fixed on Scyther's figure, and then, his strong arms easily held Scyther's scythe, forcibly fixing its figure.

"How can it be?!"

Bugsy couldn't believe the scene before him, but Heracross's attack hadn't started yet!

"Heracross, use Mega Horn!"

The very first move he used was one of Bug types strongest move. Heracross's big horn flashed with the dazzling Bug green light, knocking Scyther away.

"Scyther loses the ability to fight and Heracross wins, so the winner is the challenger, Ash from Pallet Town!"

"Scyther, come back, you did a good job, but the challenger is too strong for us!"

Bugsy took Scyther back and looked at Ash, "Ash, you are really powerful. One of the strongest I have fought with. This Hive Badge is yours!"

"The Hive Badge is now ours!"

"Pikachu!"

Slowpoke: 135/180

Bayleef: 195/215

Heracross: 145/250