Chapter 70 Battle Against Bugsy

Chapter 70 Battle Against Bugsy

Upon arriving at Azalea Gym—though called a Gym, it looked more like a botanical garden—Ron quickly found the Gym Leader, Bugsy.

"Please wait a moment. Let me finish feeding the Bug-type Pokémon, then we can begin our Gym battle," said Bugsy.

After feeding a large group of Bug-type Pokémon, Bugsy turned to Ron and said, "You're Ron from Pallet Town, right? I've heard some rumors about you. Did you bring your Beedrill? I'd really love to see Beedrill's Mega Evolution. Bug-type Pokémon are truly fantastic!"

"Sorry, Beedrill is currently undergoing special training at home," Ron said. "But I do have another Bug-type Pokémon with me. Would you like to see it? It's currently one of my main Pokémon."

"Oh, really? Then I'll use my ace as well. I had to apply to the Pokémon League for a long time before finally getting it. Right now, it's the strongest among all my Pokémon," Bugsy said, leading Ron to the battlefield. "A three-round match, is that okay?"

"No problem, let's start," Ron replied.

An official referee approached, nodded to both trainers, and announced, "The Gym battle officially begins."

"Go, Ariados!" Bugsy sent out his first Pokémon.

"I'm counting on you, Gengar," Ron said as he sent out Gengar.

"Take the initiative, Ariados, String Shot!" Bugsy commanded.

Ariados shot white silk threads from its mouth, quickly weaving a messy web above the battlefield.

Ron frowned slightly and said, "Gengar, Shadow Ball."

Gengar put its hands together and then pushed forward, firing a scattered version of Shadow Ball. Countless small, blackish-purple energy balls flew toward Ariados. Ariados moved swiftly along the web, easily dodging the attacks. Its speed on the web was more than twice its usual speed.

"It's no use, Ron. As long as there's a web, my Ariados won't lose in terms of speed," Bugsy shouted. "Ariados, use Agility and Signal Beam from multiple directions!"

Ariados immediately sped across the web, appearing and disappearing unpredictably, firing off Signal Beams while constantly changing its position.

"Heh, same old trick," Ron said calmly. "You're just relying on terrain advantages. Without the web, you have nothing. Will-O-Wisp."

Gengar laughed wickedly, first using Pain Split to drain a significant amount of Ariados's health. Then ghostly flames quickly surrounded the web, setting it ablaze. Ariados was forced to drop directly from the burning web.

"Oh no! Ariados, String Shot!" Bugsy yelled.

"Too late. Hypnosis, then Dream Eater to finish it," Ron ordered.

Gengar instantly disappeared. Just as Ariados was preparing to use String Shot to escape, Gengar appeared face-to-face and used Hypnosis at point-blank range. Ariados fell asleep, and Gengar turned into a black shadow, diving into Ariados's body. By the time it emerged, Ariados had already fainted.

"Come back, Ariados," Bugsy said. "Such a troublesome Pokémon. Your turn, Shedinja!"

Looking at the floating Pokémon in front of him, Ron wanted to ask: Are you serious?

"Don't underestimate this Pokémon, its defenses are incredible!" Bugsy shouted. "Shedinja, Safeguard!"

Incredible defenses, my foot! Did Bugsy really think he didn't know about this Pokémon? With only 1 HP, it would be completely useless if not for its Wonder Guard ability.

"Gengar, finish it with Shadow Ball," Ron said, covering his face, unable to bear watching.

Gengar scratched its head, puzzled. Finish it directly? Still, it trusted Ron and pushed its hands forward, firing scattered Shadow Balls at Shedinja.

"Shedinja, dodge!" Bugsy cried. He had momentarily forgotten that Gengar was a Ghost-type Pokémon, making Shedinja an easy target.

Shedinja wasn't particularly fast, and after dodging a few shots, it was hit by a small Shadow Ball and fainted immediately.

"Come back, Shedinja," Bugsy sighed. "Ron, are you familiar with this Pokémon?"

"Yes, I know it. It's a special Pokémon from the Hoenn region," Ron nodded. "This isn't your ace Pokémon, is it?"

"Of course not. Ah, I should've sent out Ninjask," Bugsy regretted. "But the next one is truly my strongest Pokémon. Come out!"

With Bugsy's Pokémon appearing, a fiery whirlwind rose on the battlefield. Ron thought for a moment and muttered, "Fire and Bug-type. Could it be that one?"

As Ron expected, once the flames dissipated, a Volcarona appeared on the field.

Volcarona resembled a moth, with white fur around its neck and a pair of red antennae surrounding its cheeks. It had three pairs of reddish-brown wings with black spots, indicating the scales on its wings. Its body appeared full, and its wings—large, medium, and small—were arranged like petals of a flower.

"How about it? This is my strongest Pokémon. Let's go, Ron," Bugsy said seriously.

"Come back, Gengar," Ron recalled Gengar. "Out of respect, let's have a battle between Bug-type Pokémon. Go, Pheromosa."

Pheromosa appeared on the battlefield, standing with one hand on her hip, arrogantly staring at Volcarona. Bugsy's eyes sparkled excitedly upon seeing Pheromosa.

"Strike first, Triple Kick!" Ron commanded.

Pheromosa instantly appeared in front of Volcarona, kicking out sharply. However, Volcarona twisted its body into a strange position, narrowly evading the attack. Its wings fluttered, quickly creating distance from Pheromosa.

"What incredible speed! It rivals my Ninjask at its fastest," Bugsy commented seriously.

Ron secretly admitted he had underestimated Bugsy. Since Bugsy trained a Ninjask, whose speed surpassed even Pheromosa's due to its Speed Boost ability, it was impossible he hadn't trained his other Pokémon's reaction speed. This battle just got tougher.

In terms of raw speed, Deoxys's Speed Forme was recognized as the fastest Pokémon, followed by Ninjask, then Pheromosa. Although Ron had maxed out Pheromosa's effort values, Ninjask's Speed Boost ability theoretically allowed infinite acceleration, limited only by its physical capability.

"Fiery Dance!" Bugsy called out.

"Quiver Dance!" Ron responded.

Volcarona was enveloped in flames and performed an ancient and elegant dance, sending fiery ribbons of flame toward Pheromosa. Pheromosa also tiptoed elegantly, gracefully dodging Volcarona's attacks with light movements. Her special attack, special defense, and speed increased greatly.

"Try again now, Agility and then Bounce," Ron commanded.

"Looks like I'm at a disadvantage. Heat Wave!" Bugsy shouted.

Pheromosa instantly accelerated, powerfully leaping to the top of the botanical garden, then quickly propelled herself downwards toward Volcarona. At the same time, Volcarona's wings stirred, unleashing a scorching wind at Pheromosa.

"Break through it and keep going!" Ron shouted.

Unable to change direction in midair, Pheromosa endured the intense heat, landing a heavy kick on Volcarona's wings.

Both Pokémon were severely injured. Panting heavily, Pheromosa stood burned all over, occasionally with flames flickering across her body, indicating a burn condition. Volcarona's wings drooped weakly, unable to move temporarily.

"Flamethrower!" Bugsy shouted.

"Swift!" Ron called out.

The two Pokémon used their last bit of strength. Their attacks crossed paths, simultaneously hitting each other. Both Pokémon collapsed at the same time, fainting together!