CH15 (76), Bug Catcher Meruem (2)

"Bug Catcher Meruem and Bug Catcher Samurai please proceed to Court No. 2. I repeat, would Bug Catcher Meruem and Bug Catcher Samurai please proceed to Court No. 2" I hear from the loudspeakers and am a bit surprised. 'Seems like my opponent decided to use an alias as well.' I think to myself before remembering something.

'Wait a minute, a bug-type trainer near Viridian Forest that's called Samurai. This is not the guy with the Pinsir and Metapod, is he? I am probably overthinking, but in case I am not, he would be the first known character from my previous "playthrough" that I have personally seen.

At least it shouldn't be too hard to beat him if he is that guy. I mean, that dude was a joke.' I think to myself while walking towards Court No. 2. As soon as I enter the room I am surprised by what I see. My opponent looks just like Yajirobe from Dragon Ball.

He looks like someone in his mid-twenties, is somewhere around 165 and 170 cm tall, has black eyes, long, untidy black hair, and looks overweight. He wears a kabuto helmet, sleeveless, knee-length red yukata with black stripes, a black obi/belt with 6 Pokeballs, black wristbands, black shin bands, and straw sandals. What's more surprising is the f'king Katana hanging from his sides.

'The hell is that guy doing here? Besides the kabuto helmet, he looks just like Yajirobe. Did he get lost? I thought getting lost was more like the green-haired swordsman's thing.' I think to myself, after checking him out, while walking towards him and the referee.

"I have seen you looking at my Katana. You do not have to fret over it, for I have a permit to carry it around." He says as soon as I stand in front of him. "My given name is Kinji but please call me Samurai." He continues and offers me a handshake, which I reciprocate. "Meruem," I tell him my alias.

"Well met, Meruem. I have just finished my secluded training inside the Viridian Forest and have come here to test my prowess, after hearing of it. This is my third fight so far and the previous two were a bit lackluster, so I hope to have a good fight with you." He says and listening to him I get more sure of my previous assumption.

'He might really be the guy from the anime. Well, more like a Terran version of him, that looks a lot like Yajirobe.' I think to myself, after which the referee cuts in to give his regular spiel.

"You may have heard these before but I am obligated to say them anyway, so listen up. Here are the ground rules, the battle is going to be 1 vs 1. In case I decide that one of the Pokemon is unable to battle then the fight is over. Attacking after I declare the battle over is forbidden and may result in a fine or worse. Attacking the trainer or referee is also forbidden and will definitely result in a fine or worse. Understood?" He looks at us but especially Samurai and we confirm our understanding.

"That's good! Now, let's talk about the wager. Do you want to put up a wager?" He asks us and Samurai answers first. "I do not wish to gamble on the outcome of my battle," he says and the referee turns to me at that. I simply nod accepting Samurai's declaration. If the guy does not want to bet some money that's okay.

"Alright, since both of you agreed, there will be no wager. After I am done talking please go to your side of the field, then once I give my signal, release your Pokemon. The battle starts as soon as your Pokemon appear on the field." The referee instructs us. Samurai gives me a nod, which I reciprocate and then we walk to our sides.

Upon the signal of the referee, we simultaneously release our Pokemon. On my side, Butterfree appears, as usual, and on Samurai's side a larger than average Metapod appears. 'He might be as weak as both of his counterparts after all' I think to myself, before checking out his status.

'Species: Metapod

Gender: Male

Type: Bug

Potential: Deep Green

Stage: Bronze-stage (high)'

Once I see his status all my previous thoughts of contempt are gone. 'Damn! That's one hell of a Metapod. Not nearly as awesome as my Mothra, but then again no one is. Still, damn.' I think to myself when I hear Samurai addressing me from across the battlefield.

"Don't underestimate him just because he is a Metapod. He may currently be my weakest Pokemon, but he is still plenty strong, and he easily beat our previous two opponents. So, give it your best shot." He says and I can only think to myself, 'that's his weakest Pokemon. It looks like he is strong after all.'

This is followed by, 'Looks like I am the one being underestimated here. Even if I actually don't want to fight against his other Pokemon if that is his weakest, since I want to win. At least this way I have a chance of winning.'

"We'll do our best," I answer him and give my first command. "Use Fast Asleep followed by Air Slash," I tell Butterfree, but Samurai does not stay idle. Upon seeing the powder cloud moving towards Metapod, he gives the command, "String Armor", after which Metapod covers itself in a few layers of String Shot. Effectively keeping the Sleep Powder, and any other powder for that matter, from touching him.

He follows the command with another one. "Dodge the Air Slash and then use Shooting Star." He says and I see Metapod dodging Butterfree's Air Slash, using String Shot, while completely ignoring the Sleep Powder cloud. Metapod is aiming his String Shots at the ceiling and the walls to swing around the place like a certain spider.

"Tail Wind," I order Butterfree to give him a speed boost, because whatever Shooting Star is, it does not sound like something I want Butterfree to get hit by, which is why I follow up that with, "after that dodge everything he throws at you."

My order is not a second too soon, because I can see how Metapod, after dodging Butterfree's Air Slash using String Shot, gains a metallic glint, which I assume is because of Iron Defense.

Then it uses a few more String Shots to turn itself into a surprisingly fast missile. Butterfree, who has completed Tail Wind by that time, smoothly dodges Missilepod, who crashes into the ground after missing his target.

Metapod created a decent crater in his crash site and all I can think seeing that is, 'that would have definitely hurt if it had hit'. While Metapod is recovering from his crash landing, I tell Butterfree to use Air Slash. The move hits, it first cuts through Metapod's String Armor and then hits Metapod directly, which causes him to grunt.

"Keep it up," I tell Butterfree, while Samurai gives his own order. "Endure it. This is nothing you can't take. Start dodging again and then use the battering ram maneuver." Metapod follows his orders and starts swinging around, trying to crash into Butterfree mid-swing, and simply swinging away if he misses.

After that happened a few times I told Butterfree while Metapod was mid-swing to use Bug Buzz, which he promptly did. While Metapod was distracted by the pain and noise Bug Buzz was causing, ordered Butterfree to cut Metapod's string causing it to crash once more, hurting as well as distracting it some more.

"While it is down keep hitting it with Air Slashes," I tell Butterfree and he does. The first hit causes Metapod to release a cry of pain. The second does as well, and just as I was thinking that we had this thing in the bag, Metapod started to shine, which forces my Butterfree to stop attacking.

All I could think at that moment was, 'really, you're going to evolve on me right before our victory. Are you for real? What bullshit, now, Metapod is going to get a second wind thanks to his evolution.' I think to myself when I see Samurai running onto the field, rushing towards his evolving Metapod. I can see him taking out a few things and tossing them around his Metapod.

While he is taking out a bottle to feed it to Metapod the Referee interrupts him. "Bug Catcher Samurai, you're actions are actively interfering with the battle. So, if you do not remove those objects and still try to feed that liquid to your Metapod, then your actions will be considered as you forfeiting the fight." He warns Samurai, who simply waves him off.

"Metapod's future is more important than the battle. So you can declare the fight over," he says while pouring the liquid on Metapod. The referee nods with a respectful look on his face. "Bug Catcher Samurai has interfered with the battle, due to the evolution of his Metapod, which equals him forfeiting the fight. This means Butterfree automatically wins and Bug Catcher Meruem is the winner."

After saying that all of us quietly watch the evolution, while Samurai assists his Pokemon with materials. Before long the evolution is over and the light recedes. At the spot where a Metapod had been, a Butterfree can be seen hovering. It is a bit smaller than mine, but still much bigger than the average. We all give our congratulations to Butterfree and Samurai and I use the chance to check out its status once more.

'Species: Butterfree

Gender: Male

Type: Bug, Flying

Potential: Light Blue

Stage: Bronze-stage (high)'

'Holy Shit! His potential increased to light blue.' I think to myself. I can't stop myself and approach Samurai who is currently inspecting his new Butterfree and talking to it. I can hear him congratulating his Butterfree and after waiting a moment for Samurai to finish his sentence, I clear my throat.

"Congratulations on your Metapod evolving," I tell him. "Thank you. The fight against you gave him the last push. He had been near evolution for while now, and only a small push had been missing. So you have my thanks." He answers me. "No problem," I tell him, before asking the question that had made me walk up to him.

"Could you tell me what those liquids were, that you used on your Metapod? Naturally, only if you are okay with it." Samurai gains a pondering look for a moment before he answers me.

"Sure, no problem. Those bottles contained the heart blood, and refined blood of Silver-stage as well as Gold-stage Bug-type Pokemon that fell to my Pokemon during my stay in the Viridian Forest." He tells me.

'The guy has taken down Gold-stage Pokemon! Thank Mew, he did not use any of his other Pokemon, or I would have most likely gotten curb-stomped,' is what I thought immediately after hearing his answer.

"Oh wow, your other Pokemon must be really strong," I tell him. "I can see you have 5 more Pokemons with you. Would it be alright if you told me what they are?" I ask him straight after, which causes him to chuckle a bit. He recalls his Butterfree and I do the same with mine. "Sure, I've got no problem with telling you about my loyal partners." He begins.

"These six are my only Pokemon because I decided to focus on them before thinking about catching any more Pokemon. Butterfree was actually my newest and thus weaker Pokemon. Besides him, I have a Beedrill, Forretress, Leavanny, Scyther, and Pinsir. All of them can be found in the inner area of the Viridian Forest. That place is really a Paradise and simultaneously a Hell for us Bug Specialists. There is a large variety of bug types there, but the danger of the place makes it a risky move to enter the place." He tells me and I thank him for the information.

Before we separate I tell him that I will re-challenge him after training my Pokemon and he tells me he always welcomes a good challenge. Afterward, I go to the counter to check up on my status. The lady at the counter informs me that I received 4000 Poke for my 15-wins streak and that I was promoted to Bug Collector for winning 15 times in a row.

She asked for my card to update the information on it and a short while later my member's card showed my rank as a Bug Collector. Happy with my achievement I decided to go home a few hours early today. The meeting with Samurai had been quite a surprise, but I was happy that it happened.

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