Chapter 142

"Hey! Why are you so calm!"

This guy really doesn't know the significance of Ho-Oh and Lugia; Steel really can't figure out why Ash can be so calm.

"It's just feathers from Ho-Oh and Lugia; there's nothing worth making a fuss about," Ash said, scratching his head.

This is nothing; if Steel knew he had not only seen Ho-Oh but also made a battle pact with it, would Steel jump straight up?

As for Lugia, he had even fought side by side with it.

"Can you temporarily leave Ho-Oh and Lugia's feathers with me?" Steel requested. "Perhaps I can use them to unravel the mystery of the GS Ball."

Ash trusted Mr. Steel enough; with almost no hesitation, Ash agreed to Steel's request.

Leaving Mr. Steel, Ash headed straight for the Bug Catcher Gym; he had already received news from Officer Jenny that the Gym Leader, Bugsy, had returned to Azalea Town.

The exterior of the Bug Catcher Gym looked like a huge oval greenhouse; the bottom was ordinary walls, while the top used transparent glass to better absorb sunlight.

Pushing open the door to the Bug Catcher Gym, Ash and the others entered the gym.

The scene inside the gym surprised everyone; rather than looking like a gym, it looked more like a botanical garden.

Looking out, trees were everywhere.

As soon as they entered the Bug Catcher Gym, Misty's nerves were completely tensed; she had investigated thoroughly that Bugsy was a Bug-type Pokémon specialist trainer, and the Pokémon he used were mostly Bug-type Pokémon.

Although preparations were made very thoroughly, while walking through the Bug Catcher Gym, Misty was still terrified.

Bug-type Pokémon were everywhere in the botanical garden, making Misty run herself ragged.

In the end, Misty basically leaned on Ash, able to walk only with Ash's support.

May: "Right, right, Misty, that's right; take advantage when you should, and bring out a girl's advantages."

Rose: "I have to say, our Misty's acting is getting more and more exquisite; she acts just like the real thing."

Ash: "Huh? Misty was acting? I thought she was really scared."

Sakura: "You are still too innocent, Ash; this won't do; if you are this innocent, strange big sisters will take advantage of your money and lust."

Misty: "The strange big sister you mentioned is yourself! And can you all stop talking nonsense! I wasn't acting; absolutely not!"

Erika: "I also believe Misty wasn't acting; judging by Misty's intelligence, she probably wouldn't even think of that."

Misty: "Are you complimenting me or insulting me?"

"So you are Ash?" The voice came from a tree.

Purple short hair, green short sleeves and shorts; he was a typical Bug Catcher.

After confirming the person coming was Ash, Bugsy jumped straight down from the tree; he grabbed Ash's hand and said gratefully, "Thank you so much!"

"Thank... you?"

Bugsy's action left Ash completely confused; he and Bugsy were meeting for the first time today; what did Bugsy have to thank him for?

Seeing the confusion on Ash's face, Bugsy also explained the reason for his gratitude to Ash.

It turned out that during this period he was not at the gym; he went to catch Bug-type Pokémon, and worse, he hadn't even asked the League for leave.

If during the days he was away, Team Rocket really kidnapped all the Slowpokes in the Slowpoke Well, he would be guilty even if he died ten thousand times.

By then, not to mention the League, even the residents of Azalea Town would not let him off; after all, in Azalea Town, Slowpoke is a respected deity.

Falkner: "So to say, if it weren't for Black Ash, Bugsy would have to pack up and leave?"

Misty: "Isn't that a bit exaggerated? Is the League that strict?"

That shouldn't be; if the League were really that strict, our Cerulean Gym would have had its gym status revoked long ago.

Bugsy: "Definitely; did you forget how fanatical the residents of Azalea Town are about Slowpoke?"

Ash: "It seems that's the case; we just accidentally stepped on a Slowpoke's tail, and the residents already attacked us. If all the Slowpokes in the Slowpoke Well were taken away by Team Rocket..."

... then there would be no need for the League to dismiss Bugsy from his position as Gym Leader; the residents of Azalea Town could devour Bugsy alive.

Dawn: "But Mr. Bugsy wasn't in the town, right? And he has nothing to do with the whole incident?"

Brock: "He has something to do with it; how could he not? Gym Leaders bear the responsibility of guarding the town. Failing to guard Azalea Town's precious Slowpokes is indeed Bugsy's responsibility."

"Good! To thank you, I have decided to go all out in this match!" Bugsy's eyes began to sparkle with golden light.

Whitney: "???????"

Morty: "Hey, Bugsy, do you want to listen to what you are saying? If you want to thank Ash, shouldn't you just give the badge to Ash directly?"

Bugsy: "The person who should listen to what they are saying is you. Come on, that's Black Ash; with his strength, if I gave him the badge directly, he would think I was insulting him. Going all out is the respect for him! Besides, do you think I can win against Black Ash even if I go all out?"

Will: "Bugsy has a very clear understanding of his own strength."

In reality (the moneyed one), it was indeed as Bugsy said; even if he went all out, he was no match for Black Ash; the two differed by at least two orders of magnitude.

Bugsy's first Pokémon was Ariados, while Ash chose Butterfree.

Because the opponent was Bug-type specialist trainer Bugsy, Ash specially brought Butterfree over from Professor Oak's lab.

Seeing Butterfree, Bugsy was also very excited; an internal war among Bug-types was his favorite kind of battle.

"Hehehe, when it comes to knowledge of Bug-type Pokémon, I will not lose to anyone," Bugsy said confidently.

"Ariados, use String Shot."

As a spider-type Pokémon, String Shot was Ariados's specialty; in the wild, Ariados was best at using sticky threads to bind opponents.

"Butterfree, use Psychic."

Ash: "Psychic? Butterfree can use Psychic?"

That's not right; Butterfree's moves aren't just Hypnosis Powder, Stun Spore, and Fly?

Misty: "That's Ash's Butterfree!"

Only Ash's Butterfree would have such monotonous moves.

Will: "Not all Butterfree can learn Psychic; Black Ash's Butterfree has excellent talent; it actually learned Psychic without any teacher."

Without any teacher?

Don't be joking.

Psychic-type skills are a real pain to learn — without a proper training environment, it's basically impossible to pick up telekinesis.

Ash's Butterfree only managed to learn telekinesis thanks to Sabrina's painstaking coaching.

To help Butterfree learn telekinesis, Ash had once specially sent Butterfree to the Saffron City Gym.

The Saffron City Gym — that was absolutely an unforgettable experience.

Just thinking back on those days makes Butterfree shiver uncontrollably.

That woman is an absolute devil. If Butterfree had a vote on who Ash picks as a girlfriend, it would absolutely cast a veto against Sabrina!

Sabrina was brutal — twenty-four hours in a day, and Butterfree had to train for twenty of them. Even worse, Sabrina herself didn't sleep, just kept staring at it the whole time. She's not even human!

(Second update!)

131: Celebi and the GS Ball — Dark Ash wants to catch Celebi?!

【End of flashback. Butterfree throws itself wholeheartedly into the battle.】

【The telekinesis didn't go straight for Ariados. The chosen target was String Shot — Butterfree's head was clear: Bug-type Pokémon resist Psychic-type moves.】

Misty: "Ash, take a good look — even Butterfree knows Bug resists Psychic! Why didn't you use Butterfree when you challenged Sabrina back then?"

Ash: "?????????"

Brock: "Let me say something on Ash's behalf here. Before we reached Saffron City, hadn't Ash already released Butterfree?"

Misty: "Huh? Seems like that's right. It's all your fault, Ash — you've got me all confused."

Ash: "???????"

Wasn't it the case that he hadn't said a single word, yet every fault was his?

Sure enough, women are completely unreasonable.

【The telekinesis was just showing off — the real killing move was still the Flying-type skill.】

【Butterfree flapped its cicada-thin wings, and a gale rose in an instant.】

【Tailwind.】

【Whips up a fierce whirlwind, raising the Speed of all allies on the field for a while.】

【Already holding a type advantage, and now boosted by Tailwind, Butterfree grew increasingly composed in battle.】

【"I won't let you win this one so easily."】

【Having been suppressed by Butterfree since the start of the match, Aibi couldn't take it anymore — he began to bring out his real ability too.】

【This was his home turf.】

【Using the lush trees on the battlefield, Ariados began its performance — first it hid among the branches and leaves, then, catching Butterfree off guard, launched a surprise attack.】

【Ariados dropped from the sky, its two pairs of legs clamping down hard on Butterfree, giving it no chance to resist. Then it sank its venomous fangs into Butterfree and injected poison. Under this double blow, Butterfree quickly went down.】

Atsushi: "Not bad, Atsushi — you actually won the first match!"