Twilight Bugs Out
“Finally, it feels like we were wandering around that stupid forest forever!” Rainbow Dash declared loudly as the path she, Twilight and Spike were following opened up onto a grassy plain. “Seriously, I like trees and all but it has been way to long since we could see open sky.”
“I agree that did take a bit longer than I had anticipated,” Twilight replied. “But, on the bright side our time in the forest was highly productive. Based on how much stronger Charmander has become I should have no difficulty overcoming the gym leader in Aurum Town, which will be the first step in getting everypony back home to Equestria.”
Rainbow Dash blanched at Twilight’s mention of her intent to challenge the Aurum Town gym. “Uh, Twilight, are you sure you’re ready to take on a gym? I mean, you saw how tough that Ferris guy was.”
“True, but Ferris himself pointed out that one of the main reasons that you lost was because you tried challenging him without training first. With all the training I’ve done with Charmander this should be a much more even fight. Plus,” Twilight added, “I have a plan. Before I actually go to the gym I intend to investigate this gym leader to determine what kind of Pokémon they use. Once I’ve gathered superior intelligence on my opponent I should have no difficulty defeating them.”
“Yeah, I don’t think it’s going to be as easy as you think it is,” Rainbow Dash replied. Anyway, before you start snooping around the gym we should probably get to the town’s Pokémon Center.”
“Of course, the local Pokémon Center should be the best place to find out what I need to know,” Twilight agreed.
“Plus, once we get there we can finally get some decent food,” Spike added cheerfully, eliciting stares from Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “What? We haven’t had anything to eat but that weird food we had in our backpacks and some of those berries we found.”
Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other for a moment before they both burst into laughter. “He’s got a point, Twi, it’ll be nice to be able to get a decent meal.” Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of her own rumbling stomach cut her off.
“I guess we all could use a good meal,” Twilight admitted as she started to blush. “In any case, the first thing we need to do is actually make it to Aurum Town itself. If I read the map correctly the sown should be just an hour’s walk down this path.”
“So, what’re we waiting for? Let’s get moving!” Rainbow Dash promptly charged down the dirt road, forcing Twilight and Spike to rush after her.
*********
Aurum Town, as the group discovered, was a fair-sized town apparently surrounded by a ring of trees, like some sort of arboreal wall. Most of the buildings themselves were constructed of dark stained wood which blended in with the bark of the surrounding trees, giving the town the sense of being a natural extension of the forest.
“Yeesh, it’s too bad Applejack on Fluttershy aren’t here,” Rainbow Dash said as the group made their way into the town’s Pokémon Center. “Y’know, ‘cause they’re so big into trees and stuff.”
“The people of this town do seem to prefer to blend their buildings in with the natural environment,” Twilight said. “It’s actually a nice change of pace from the other human buildings we’ve seen so far. If we were here under different circumstances I’d probably want to –, “ Twilight abruptly cut off mid-sentence almost as soon as she stepped inside the Pokémon Center.
“Uh, Twilight? You ok?” Rainbow Dash asked her dumbstruck friend. Twilight, however, gave no indication that she even heard Rainbow Dash as she swiftly marched up to the Pokémon Center’s welcome desk.
“Nurse Joy? What in Equestria are you doing here?” Twilight exclaimed.
“Twilight, do you know her or something?” Rainbow Dash asked as she rushed up to Twilight’s side.
“She’s the nurse from the Pokémon Center in Mercury City. At least, she was when we were there. But now she’s here, and…”
“Oh, you’re probably confusing me with my older sister. That sort of mix-up happens all the time.”
“Older sister?” Twilight asked as she gave the smiling nurse a look of utter bewilderment. Eventually Twilight simply took a deep breath before moving on. “Anyway, I’d like you to give my Pokémon a checkup.”
“Certainly,” Nurse Joy replied as she handed Twilight a tray with six rounded depressions in it. “Just put your Poke Balls in here and we’ll take care of them for you. Is there anything else I can help with today?”
“Actually, there is. Is there anything you can tell me about the Aurum Town Gym leader?” Twilight asked as she returned the tray holding her two Poké Balls.
“You mean Arnold? Well, I can tell you that he specialized in Bug-type Pokémon. Why do you ask, are you planning on challenging him?”
“Mmhm,” Twilight replied as she stowed away her Pokémon. “This is going to be the first gym battle I’ve participated in so I want to be prepared as possible.”
“Oh, this is going to be your very first gym challenge?” Nurse Joy asked with a mild tone of concern. “If that’s the case I do have one small bit of advice for you. When you see Arnold, be careful with what you say to him. He can be a little sensitive about the idea that trainers may think his gym is an easy place to earn their first badge.”
*********
“So, what exactly do you think that nurse meant by saying that this gym leader specialized in “bug” Pokémon?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well, if had been reviewing the information available in our Pokédexes you’d know that Pokémon can be divided into eighteen different ‘types’ based on their physical makeup and characteristics,” Twilight said as Rainbow Dash braced herself for the oncoming lecture. “For example, Tank Jr. would be a water type Pokémon, while my Charmander would be considered a fire type.”
“I guess that does kinda explain how Tank Jr. can shoot all that water from his mouth,” Rainbow Dash conceded. “So, does that mean that this Arnold guy’s Pokémon can shoot bugs out of their mouths or something?”
“No! Well, probably not, anyway. As far as I can tell Bug Pokémon mostly bear a strong resemblance to insects or arachnids. The important part is that knowing what type this gym leader specializes in also tells me what their vulnerabilities are. And, as luck would have it, Bug-type Pokémon are particularly susceptible to Fire based attacks. So, based on that I’d estimate that Charmander should have no difficulty in handling anything that gym leader is likely to throw at us.”
“I get it’s kind of weird for me to be the one saying this sort of thing, but don’t you think you’re getting a little too cocky here?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I appreciate your concern, but this isn’t the same situation. My Pokémon should be approximately as strong as the gym leaders’ as it is, the fact that I’ll have an edge type wise is just icing on the cake.”
“If you say so,” Rainbow Dash replied, clearly not convinced.
“Hey, we’re here!” Twilight and Rainbow Dash both turned towards Spike, who had been leading the group via the directions on his Pokédex. The building they found themselves in front of was every bit as large and imposing as the gym they had encountered in Mercury City. Aurum Town’s gym, however, looked more like a library or university when compared to the industrial façade of its Mercury City counterpart, its walls comprised of the same dark wood found on the rest of the town’s buildings. The only other point of interest on the gym’s exterior was a tent-shaped skylight which appeared to protrude up from the center of the gym’s roof.
“Well, at least it looks a little more inviting than the las gym we were at,” Twilight said as she walked up to the entrance, only to hesitate for a moment as she reached the door. “Ngh, I can do this. I have to do this,” Twilight muttered to herself as she pushed open the doors and stepped inside. In sharp contrast to the Mercury City Gym, the lobby of the Aurum Town Gym resembled an office waiting room, complete with a few overstuffed couches and an assortment of potted plants. The most striking aspect of the room was the back wall, which was comprised of glass panels. Behind the glass was what looked to be an indoor forest, complete with a dirt path running between the trees leading deeper inside.
“Whoa, just look at this place!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “You know what all this reminds time of?”
“The hidden gardens of Bakci Ayal from Daring Do and the Forgotten City?” Twilight replied excitedly as she peered through the glass. “I know, this is incredible. I’ve seen greenhouses before, of course, but never anything remotely on this scale. I wonder why they built something so – Augh!” As Twilight spoke, a massive, blue, beetle-like Pokémon emerged from the brush on the other side of the glass. The Pokémon’s sudden appeared caused Twilight to stumble backwards and fall onto the floor. The vicious looking Pokémon silently regarded Twilight for a moment, crackling arcs of electricity running along its massive mandibles. After a few seconds it seemed to lose interest, however, quickly turning and flying off back into the indoor forest. “What. In Equestria. Was that?” Twilight gasped.
“Spectacular, isn’t she?” a small voice said from nearby. Twilight and Rainbow Dash turned to see a bespectacled girl seated at a small reception desk to their right. “That was our new Vikavolt, she just came in a few weeks ago from the Alola Region. Oh, I’m Arachne, by the way.”
“Hi, I’m Rainbow Dash, he’s Spike, and that over there’s Twilight Sparkle. Twilight’s here to take on your gym leader.”
“Really? You’ll want to talk to Arnold then. If you follow me I can take you to him, he’s probably in his office right now.” Arachne moved out from behind her desk and walked up to a keypad attached to one of the panel frames and entered in a few numbers. As she finished, one of the glass panels slid to one side, allowing entrance into the inner greenhouse. “Well, come on,” Arachne said as she motioned for the others to follow her inside. “Arnold’s office space is set up inside the enclosure.”
“Are you sure it’s safe in there?” Twilight asked as she hesitated, glancing nervously at the section of brush that the Vikavolt had disappeared into.
“Oh don’t worry, the Pokémon we have here are perfectly docile,” Arachne cheerfully assured Twilight. “Honestly, Bug Pokémon aren’t nearly as scary as a lot of people seem to think they are.”
“Yeah, come on, Twilight, you aren’t seriously scared of a few bugs, are you?” Rainbow Dash asked mockingly as she followed Arachne inside.
“No,” Twilight protested as she reluctantly entered. “At least not regular bugs anyway. Giant, people-sized bugs with mandibles the size of my arm, on the hand…” Despite Twilight’s continued mumbled protests, the trio followed Arachne into the indoor forest, the glass panel closing behind them with a soft click. Twilight was immediately struck by how hot and humid it was inside. “Is it always so hot in here?” Twilight asked.
“Hmm? Oh, right, sorry for not giving you a heads up about that. Most Bug Pokémon prefer this kind of environment and I’ve gotten used to it since I’ve worked here for so long, but I sometimes forget how uncomfortable other people find it. If it makes you feel better we’re almost to Arnold’s office. We just need to take a right at the fork in the path up ahead.”
Twilight and Rainbow Dash merely nodded their heads as they followed along, Twilight not wanting to invite anymore teasing from Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash herself, meanwhile, didn’t want to admit the heat and humidity were starting to get to her as well. Spike, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered in the slightest by the temperature. Indeed, the dragon-turned-human seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. “Wow, this place is awesome! And you’ve really got a bunch of Pokémon living in here?”
Arachne nodded. “We have over a dozen different Pokémon species living in the enclosure. Most of them tend to stay back from the main path, but we’ll probably see a few once we get to Arnold’s tree.”
“Wait, his ‘tree’?” Twilight asked. “I though you were taking us to…his…oh.” As Twilight spoke, Arachne led the group out into a small clearing. Standing in the clearing’s center was a particularly massive tree whose top branches brushed against the glass roof of the enclosure. As set of stairs wrapped around the trunk of the tree leading up to platform that sat roughly level with the tops of the other trees. “So, Arnold’s office…”
“Is right up on that platform,” Arachne said. “Arnold likes to be able to observe the Pokémon in the enclosure while he works.” As Twilight followed Arachne up the steps to the platform where her opponent awaited she quickly understood why this Arnold had set up his office there. The view of the enclosure was spectacular, even from only partway up the tree.
“This place is huge, you could fit the whole Ponyville town square in here, easy!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “And look, they’ve got a whole bunch of butterfly Pokémon over there. Man, it’s really too bad Fluttershy isn’t here to see this.”
“Those would probably be our Vivillon. Pretty, aren’t they? We’ve been doing some research on the effects that differing climates have on their wing patterns.”
Intrigued, Twilight was about to aske Arachne to elaborate when she heard a young man’s voice coming from the platform above. “I get what you’re saying, Mort, believe me, but you’ve got to be patient with this stuff. The league’s only just started approving transfers from the Alola Region and neither of the two you’re talking about are going to be easy sells to have processed. Heck, I had to call in some major favors from Sparky to get Vikavolt as quickly as I did.” Quickly moving the rest of the way up the stairs to the platform itself, Twilight saw that the owner of the voice was a squat, sandy-haired young man whose face was dominated by a massive pair of coke-bottle glasses. “Hang on a sec, Mort, it looks like I’ve got some company, so I’m gonna have to call you back. So,” the young man said as he spun his chair around to face his visitors. “What brings you all to our little gym?”
“This girl would like to challenge you for the Scarab Badge,” Arachne replied as she gestured towards Twilight.
“A challenger, eh? Sounds good to me.” As Arnold spoke he rolled himself over to what appeared to be a filing cabinet of some sort. “So, which badge number is this going to be for you? Second, fourth, eight?”
“Actually, this will be my first actual gym battle,” Twilight admitted.
As soon as Twilight said that she was challenging Arnold for her first badge his entire body seemed to stiffen up. “Your very first badge, huh?” Arnold said before smacking his lips as though he had just tasted something unpleasant. “Out of curiosity, was there any particular reason you decided to come to this gym for your very first challenge?”
“No, there wasn’t any specific reason,” Twilight replied. “Though, the leader of the Mercury City Gym did suggest –“
“I KNEW IT!” Arnold roared as he launched out of his chair, face beet red with rage. “Oh, so you’re a new trainer? Why don’t you just head over to the bug gym for a nice easy win? Well, sorry if some of us train Pokémon who aren’t just floating blobs of solid metal!” By the time Arnold was finished with his rant he was breathing heavily.
“You all right there?” Rainbow Dash asked cautiously as Arnold stood there panting.
“Gnh, I’ll be fine. I’m just so sick of that elitist jerk treating my gym like a joke just because I happen to specialize in a type that’s popular with beginner trainers. I swear, as soon as Larvesta finally evolves I’m going to flash fry his entire team,” Arnold added under his breath before letting out a deep sigh. “Anyway, as the leader of the Aurum Town Gym I hereby accept your challenge. Arachne, could you show them to the field? I’ll be with you in just a bit.”
“Right, of course. Everyone, if you’ll follow me I’ll show you to where you’ll be having your gym battle.”
*********
The field, as it turned out, was a section of the enclosure that had been largely cleared of trees, roughly the same size of the arena they had seen in the Mercury City Gym. The most notable difference here was the presence of a pair of platforms overlooking the field at either end.
“Actually, that’s really clever,” Twilight remarked as she looked over the setup. “Having the trainers stand up on these platforms would give them a much better view of the battle while keeping them out of harm’s way.”
“Glad you approve,” a sardonic voice called out from the surrounding woods as Arnold stumped into view. “So, this will be a two versus two match, first trainer to have both of their Pokémon rendered unable to battle loses. Any questions?”
“No, I think I understand,” Twilight replied.
“Good, let’s get this started then.” Arnold quickly made his way to the platform on the other end of the field and began climbing up to the top. Twilight likewise climbed up the platform on her end and soon the pair were staring each other down from across the field. “Alright, let’s get this started! Joltik, go! The red light from Arnold’s Poké Ball coalesced on one of the stunted trees dotting the field into what looked like a tiny yellow blotch.
“What in Equestria…?” Twilight said as she squinted in an effort to make out her Charmander’s opponent. “What is that thing?”
Joltik, the Attaching Pokémon. Unable to generate electricity on its own, Joltik will either feed off the static electricity of larger Pokémon or absorb energy from electrical outlets.
Twilight glanced down to see Spike standing at the base of her platform, his Pokédex out and pointed at Arnold’s Joltik. “So, it’s a bug that eats electricity. Whoa, freaky,” Spike concluded succinctly.
“And also very good to know,” Twilight muttered to herself as she tossed her own Poké Ball into the field. “Go Charmander!”
“Ooh, a fire type. What a shockingly unexpected development this is,” Arnold said in an exaggeratedly sarcastic monotone.
Twilight, however, ignored Arnold’s commentary, instead focusing her attention entirely on his Pokémon. “Hmm, if this Joltik is a parasitic species than it likely relies on engaging in close quarters.” Twilight though to herself as she swiftly devised a strategy. “Charmander, use Ember! Keep that Joltik at a distance whatever you do!”
“Char!” With a shout of acknowledgement Charmander began snapping its tail forwards, sending out showers of cinders that enveloped the opposing Joltik.
Arnold, however, seemed rather unimpressed with Charmander’s efforts. “Joltik, get out of there and hit it with your Thunder Wave.” In a flash, Arnold’s Joltik began leaping from tree to tree, rapidly closing the distance between itself and Charmander. Once it was close enough, Joltik leapt into the air and spat out several expanding rings of crackling electricity at Charmander. Several of the rings struck home, leaving Charmander shaking as arcs of electricity crawled over its frame. “Good work Joltik. Now, use Screech before it can recover.” Before Twilight could even process what was happening, Joltik let out a horrible, piercing shriek.
“Gah!” Twilight cried out as she held her ears in a futile effort to block out the noise. “Charmander, do something. Ember, Scratch, Smokescreen, I don’t care, just make it stop!” Charmander, as desperate to end the din as Twilight, began flailing wildly about with its tail, sending streams of burning cinders in every direction. Luckily, one such shower clipped Joltik and ignited some of its fur.
Arnold watched impassively as his Joltik began frantically scurrying and rolling about the field in a desperate attempt to put itself out. Eventually, the unfortunate Pokémon did manage to extinguish itself, only to promptly collapse and roll over. “Joltik is unable to battle,” Arachne declared as Arnold recalled it to its Poké Ball.
“Good work Joltik, you did everything you needed to,” Arnold said as he stowed Joltik’s Poké Ball and took out another. “Now all I have to do is finish what you started.”
“Aren’t you being just a little overconfident?” Twilight snapped. “I only need to defeat your next Pokémon to win, after all.”
“Typical rookie,” Arnold sneered. “Take a closer look at your Charmander; thanks to Joltik it can barely move or defend itself properly. Finishing what Joltik started won’t exactly be difficult and since I’m guessing you’re the type of trainer to lead with her ace I doubt you have any other Pokémon that’ll even be half as threatening.”
“Is every gym leader here a complete jerk, or did we just get lucky with you and Ferris?” Rainbow Dash asked angrily.
“Man, if you think I’m bad then you would not be able to handle Mort,” Arnold retorted. “And speaking of things that you won’t be able to handle, go Pinsir!” The flash of light from Arnold’s Poké Ball revealed a monstrous, insect-like creature standing nearly five feet tall. What’s more, almost a foot of said height consisted of a wicked pair of spiked horns which twitched menacingly as the Pokémon glared at Charmander.
Pinsir, the Stab Beetle Pokémon. Pinsir’s massive horns are immensely strong, able to shatter thick logs and tear its prey apart.
Twilight could hear Spike saying something as his Pokédex finished reading Pinsir’s entry, but her mind was too preoccupied with her Charmander’s plight to process it. “Charmander, quick, use Smokescreen!” Twilight frantically yelled as she tried to think of an actual plan to deal with this new opponent.
“Heh, running scared already? Well, I can’t really blame you,” Arnold said with a grin. “Pinsir, there’s no need to rush this, why don’t you use Focus Energy.” Arnold’s Pinsir appeared to tense itself up in response as its body was suffused by a vivid blue glow. Twilight’s Charmander, meanwhile, struggled to cough out a torrent of black smoke, eventually managing to cover a full quarter of the battlefield in a thick haze. “Alright Pinsir, let’s wrap this up. Use Vice Grip!” Pinsir obediently lowered its head and charged into the smoke, its viscous horns snapping eagerly.
“Charmander, look out! Get out of the way and try using Ember!” Twilight cried out. As Twilight watched through the smoke, Charmander struggled to move quickly enough to avoid Pinsir’s assault. Luck seemed to be on its side, however, as Charmander stumbled and fell backwards just as Pinsir’s horns snapped at the empty air where Charmander’s neck had been. Furthermore, as Charmander rolled out of the way to escape, the burning end of its tail smacked into Pinsir’s side, eliciting a roar of pain from the rampaging Pokémon.
“Well, that could have gone better,” Arnold grumbled as he watched the two Pokémon stumble out from the smoke. “Alright, screw it, we’re going with plan B. Pinsir, let’s show ‘em what we can really do!” As Arnold spoke he crossed his arms in front of his chest, displaying a bracelet on his right arm similar to the ones Twilight and her friends had received when they first arrived. Arnold then proceeded to thrust both of his arms out in front of him before striking a pair of strange poses, with Pinsir mimicking its trainer’s movements. Adding to the spectacle, Arnold was soon surrounded by a bright, golden-orange light which burst out from him and streamed towards Pinsir, soon surrounding Pinsir by an intense aura of the same color. “Pinsir, Savage Spinout!” Arnold roared as he completed the strange ritual. Simultaneously, the aura surrounding Pinsir seemed to explode in a blinding flash of light as it disgorged a torrent of white threads from its mouth. As Twilight watched in horror the threads surrounded Charmander, wrapping around it until it was completely encased in a cocoon with a length of threads tethering it back to Pinsir. Before Twilight could fully make sense of what was going on, Pinsir grabbed hold of the tether and yanked it into the air. Twilight could only watch helplessly as Pinsir swung her cocooned Charmander wildly about, smashing it into several trees before finally slamming it into the ground with a stomach-churning thud.
With Pinsir’s attack finished, the threads of the cocoon dissipated to reveal a badly battered Charmander. “Charmander is unable to battle,” Arachne declared.
“Yeah, no kidding,” Rainbow Dash snapped as Twilight recalled Charmander to its Poké Ball. “Just what kind of crazy attack was that, anyway?”
“That was a Z-Move,” Arnold retorted. “It’s what happens when a Pokémon and their trainer are so completely in sync with each other that their power combines to unleash an unstoppable attack. Learning how to deal with attacks like that is part of completing the Javik League challenge.” Arnold added as he looked back over to Twilight. “Hey, you’ve still got one more Pokémon before you’re through, so send whatever it is out already!”
Twilight nodded nervously as she took out her Venipede’s Poké Ball. “Alright, here goes nothing. Venipede, go!”
“Huh, you’re using a Venipede?” Arnold said as Twilight’s Venipede appeared on the field. “And it looks like a pretty impressive specimen, too. Not exactly what I would have expected, but we’ll see if its enough to win. Pinsir, use Vice Grip.”
As Pinsir lowered its head to charge at its new opponent Twilight wracked her brains to thing of an option. It wasn’t until Pinsir’s horns were about to close around Venipede that an idea suddenly popped into her head. “Venipede, quick, use Rollout!” Venipede promptly curled itself into a ball, just as Pinsir’s horns snapped shut on it. As Pinsir lifted its opponent into the air, however, Venipede began spinning rapidly in place, enabling it to slip out of Pinsir’s grip and roll down its back onto the field.
“So it knows Rollout. Terrific,” Arnold growled as he watched Twilight’s Venipede cut a hairpin turn through the grass to come back around towards Pinsir. “Pinsir, we’ll need to finish this quickly. Hit it with another Vice Grip when it tries to come at you again.” Pinsir nodded and readied itself to launch its attacks, though as it bent down it cringed and clutched its side.
“Isn’t that the spot where Charmander hit Pinsir with its tail?” Spike asked as he watched the fight unfold.
“I think you’re right,” Twilight said. “Charmander’s last Ember must have hurt Pinsir more than it first appeared. I guess your Pokémon aren’t the only one’s who can set their teammates up for success,” Twilight added with a note of pride as she turned back to Arnold.
Arnold, however, appeared to be paying little attention to Twilight’s comments. Instead, Arnold was fixated on Twilight’s Venipede as it hurtled towards his Pinsir, a look of dawning horror slowly spreading across his features. “No, that thing’s definitely getting faster. But that would mean…aw crud, this isn’t good,” Arnold muttered to himself. Arnold’s mood soon soured even further as Pinsir’s effort to catch Venipede in its horns failed. Instead, Pinsir’s horns sliced through empty air as Venipede rushed past and bowled Pinsir over. Before Arnold could issue another command Venipede bounced off of a stump and ricocheted straight into Pinsir’s face just as it was standing back up, sending Pinsir crashing to the ground.
“Pinsir is unable to battle,” Arachne called out as it became clear that Pinsir was at its limit. “As the gym leader has no more Pokémon the winner is the challenger, Twilight Sparkle!”
“All right Twilight!” Spike cheered as Arachne made her declaration. “Way to go, that was awesome!”
“Yeah, you really showed that guy,” Rainbow Dash added as she turned to Arnold, who was climbing down off the platform after having recalled his Pinsir. “Still think Twilight’s just some rookie?”
“Hmph,” Arnold grunted as he waited for Twilight to descend down as well. “I’ll admit that that Venipede at least has some serious potential. You really lucked out to find own with the Speed Boost ability.” A few moments of awkward silence passed before Arnold brought his hand to his face in exasperation. “Oh for the love of – you have no idea what I’m talking about, do you? Alright, the short explanation is that ‘abilities’ refer to special qualities that all Pokémon can have. My Pinsir, for example, has the Hyper Cutter ability, which means it’s able to resist techniques that would cut its physical offense. Now, your Venipede, on the other hand, has a fairly rare ability called Speed Boost.”
“Which I’m guessing increases its speed somehow,” Twilight said as she finished climbing down. “I’ve noticed that happening while I was training it but I never understood why before.”
“Well now you know. Anyway, before you leave I need to give you this,” Arnold said as he pulled out a small square box and handed it to Twilight. Confused, Twilight opened it to reveal a small, blue and gold beetle-shaped pin along with a yellow-green crystal. “Those are your rewards for beating me,” Arnold explained. “One, you get the Scarab badge. In addition, you also receive a piece of Bugium-Z, that’s the crystal you’d use to perform Savage Spinout. First, you’ll need to insert it into the slot on the Z-Ring you got when you first arrived here.”
“You mean that strange-looking bracelet?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah, that’s it. Then, once you’re ready to use the move you’d perform the ritual poses to activate the crystal’s power. I’ll give you a demonstration, so watch closely.” Arnold proceeded to perform the series of movements he had used to trigger the brutal finishing move his Pinsir had used on Charmander during their battle. In the absence of the glowing auras and adrenaline, however, the sight lost a fair bit of its impact.
“So, Twilight would seriously have to do all that whenever she wanted to use that move?” Rainbow Dash asked as she tried and failed to suppress a snickering fit.
“Yes, and I’d strongly recommend practicing the movements when you get the chance,” Arnold huffed. “Being able to reliably perform Z-moves is one of the first steps to being able to complete the Javik League.
“Yeah, yeah, sure it is,” Rainbow Dash replied dismissively before turning back to Twilight. “So, what do we do now?”
“Well, the first thing we need to do is head back to the Pokémon Center so Charmander can be treated. After that…I’m not really sure to be honest. Head to another town and challenge another gym leader, I guess.”
“Assuming you’re not planning on heading back to Mercury City to go after Ferris you might want to try heading east out to Mesa Town,” Arnold suggested. “Just a fair warning, though, now that you have your first badge your next gym challenge is going to be a lot tougher.”
“I’ll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it,” Twilight replied. “Thankfully I should be able to focus on by training on my way there. It’s not as though there’s going to be all that much to distract me, right?”
*********
“Just…stay…in the stupid…ball,” a rather disheveled Trixie panted as she watched the Poké Ball on the ground violently wiggle back and forth. Finally, after several nerve-wracking seconds the ball came to a rest and let out a chime to signify that its occupant had ceased its efforts to escape. “Haha, finally! You were a worthy adversary, but now your power will be added to the team of an ever Greater and more Powerful Trixie!” Trixie paused for a moment as if she expected the forest to suddenly erupt in rapturous applause. To Trixie’s disappointment, however, the only sound that followed was a particularly loud snore from the direction of her campsite. Letting out a sigh, Trixie walked over to the Poké Ball containing her new teammate and picked it up, clasping it in her hands as she cackled evilly. “Soon, princess, you’ll finally be forced to admit that you’re second to the Great and Powerful –“
“Snrrrrrk!” The sound of Starlight’s snoring echoed into the night.
“- Trixie.”
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Oh yeah! Twilight wins her first badge! I thought about the main theme song of Pokémon Season 4 when she won.
Well Arnold can take solace in the fact that at least he lost to a bug pokemon. Twilight is the type who's going to learn the strengths of her pokemon regardless of type.
9187667
More like to learn the weaknesses of her opponent's Pokemon. The only conscious decision she made, that allowed Venipede to get the edge on Pinsir, was using a Rock-type move. Venipede kept the edge because Charmander had previously got lucky on a 1/10 chance to burn, and because it had an Ability that Twilight only kindof understood.
9188007
I think she's smart enough to do both.
No she is getting cocky.
You should work on your gym battles.
Having them show up at a gym and beat them in one chapter is just a waste.
You are giving the gym leaders very flat personalities.
I got a perfect gym leader for either number 7 or 8. If you're interested?
Work on your gym battles.
The gym leaders are to two dimensional and the battles are let downs.
Twilight is ignoring bonds with pokemon and concentrating only on types.
I like this, but some criticism -
1. Like many others, Arnold's personality seems a little flat - same with Ferris, but we sure haven't seen the last of him, I'm sure. I would've loved to see Twilight lose to Arnold, do some training, and return to win. It would've been much nicer to see.
2. Twilight seems too focused on theoretical training rather than doing more battle - learning how to make decisions in the heat of battle, thinking outside the box and using attacks for purposes that are not their own (Stuff from the anime, like counter-shield, thunder armor, etc.).
Overall, I like this fic and I can't wait to see what comes next!
Arnold is just as strong as ferris but Arnold uses a team appropriate for no badge trainers while ferris decided to use a six badge or four badge team on rainbow dash just to be a jerk. Ferris cares much about battling but is a type elitist for his own type.
9255773
No, the team Ferris used against Rainbow Dash was in fact his 1st badge team; a level 14 Magnemite and a level 13 Honedge. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was challenging a gym leader with a level 5 Squirtle who had never been actually trained while having no idea how Pokemon battling worked beyond it being a thing.
For his part, Arnold is mostly insecure about being a Bug-type specialist, a type typically seen as weak, and his proximity to the Javik region's entry point means that he winds up being badge number 1 for a significant percentage of trainers.
9246177
Twilight's being too focused on the analytical side of battling is actually somewhat intentional; it's a consequence of her character and is a flaw she'll be forced to deal with as the story progresses.
9256001
yeah but the first gym badge would have been ferris if it was not for the fact that he set himself up right at the gate so that new trainers have no time to actually train.
I have a feeling that Spike is acting like Cilan if he would be a Pokemon Connoisseur someday.
Except for ladybugs. Don't forget about the ladybugs.
(Yes, I'm aware that this story was published before that short came out; I'm just pointing out a discrepancy I found funny).
Dear lord, Twilight, you don't just do enough training to have your Pokèmon merely rival the gym leader's in strength. You overtrain ridiculously, to the point in which it evolves twice (final form), then kick the crap out of the gym leader with extreme prejudice.
Also, the assistant just ignored Dash's very loud and clear declaration involving their hometown name, Ponyville. That...should probably either be explained or changed, Alabenson.
9187512
You know you're a fan of the Pokemon anime when just reading the words 'main theme song of Pokémon Season 4' makes that song play in your head.
Edit: Nevermind it was the season 3 theme, but close enough.
9495252
But that's the point.
He's there like a warning.
"Cocky trainers that don't know what they are doing won't get far here."
By the time they get to the bug gym, they probably got some training done, and maybe caught another pokemon to help.
Either that, or they get that lesson from Arnold instead.