EVERYONE: - Ongoing The Social Insect Project (The Bugsy Pairing Challenge)

[RichestAirPirate]

MATURE Themes

1. No MATURE Themes Apply

TEEN Themes

1. Strong Language or Profanity

EVERYONE Themes

1. Mild Violence
2. Mild Mature Themes

Other Content Warnings

Each fic is warned individually, but this series is generally rated E. However, this rating is subject to change as the series progresses.

Good morning/afternoon/evening/day, Bulbagarden! So, Azalea Town Gym Leader Bugsy is my personal favorite Pokémon character and one of my favorite characters period. One of the reasons I love him so much is because I find him rather simple and charming to write! That definitely helped me write so much about AdvantageShipping lol.

I wouldn't call myself a Bugsy multishipper but I believe that you can pair him with almost any character and make it work at least decently. So I decided to challenge myself in a way. I will try to write a series of fic that pair Bugsy with one female from every single main series region. I may even include any bonus regions or places depending on how I feel about it! I'll try to keep this updated, but I can only do so much, y'know.

Fics posted in this thread will be tagged and warned individually. The general tone for this series will be fluff, slice of life, and generally lighthearted stuff. It might have some romantic/shipping tones here and there but yeah. I just wanted to make a series to kinda test myself and entertain y'all.

So, sit back, relax, chill by your fireplace or heater or whatever with your breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack, and enjoy the tales of everyone's favorite bug catching dork.

 

[RichestAirPirate]

I would usually start with Kanto and Johto, but I frankly have already written about AdvantageShipping (see the majority of my work) and PlainHiveShipping (The other best Bugsy ship, in my humble opinion). So, we'll be getting to Kanto and Johto later.

So we skip right to Hoenn and pair Bugsy with Roxanne! This ship is apparently known as BugsRockShipping and I really like the sound of it. Both Bugsy and Roxanne are rather nerdy folks. Bugsy's an entomologist and Roxanne's an honors student/teacher that studies rocks. Plus, Roxanne's Japanese name, Tsutsuji, sounds a little similar to Bugsy's Japanese name, Tsukushi. Hey, and wouldn't ya know it, Tsutsuji is the name for Azalea flowers. So how about that?

Anyway, this entry is technically a repost of a fic I made a month ago in my main fanfic thread. So basically, I deleted the post that contained this fic and moved it here. Don't worry. I'll make an actually new fic in this series soon enough.

So anyway, let's get this series a rollin', shall we?

Rating: E for Everyone

​

Spoiler: CW: None

My Fellow Scholar​

Slateport City, Hoenn Region, 10:47am​

---

The morning shined brightly on the bustling port city that Roxanne roamed. The long road of academic and scholarly matters is winding, rough, and not for the faint hearted. However, she’s been walking it for a long time. Even after becoming a trusted tutor at the trainer school due to her graduating with honors, this young lady’s still hard at work for her degree.

The rock expert waited at a table, staring out at the glimmering blue sea. She killed some time at the Battle Tent earlier that day and figured that some rest was much needed. Although, her mind wandered to her most recently completed assignment. A collaboration project with a fellow person of letters. Now that the assignment was turned in and completed, she had arranged to meet this person in Slateport City.

Her PokéNav Plus began to buzz. A quick check of it revealed a text was sent from her partner. “Almost to Slateport!” the text said. Roxanne quickly tapped the buttons to forge a reply back. “Good. I’ll be waiting for you.” She quickly sent her reply before putting the device away again. Back to waiting.

It wasn’t that long till her partner arrived. “Hey! Roxanne!” The young man’s voice was youthful but still had a bit of maturity in it. However, a peculiar amount of nerdiness was in his tone too. Roxanne could recognize it.

“Hello Bugsy. Pleasure to meet you in person.” Roxanne said. Despite only knowing him from the PWT and the assignment collaboration, She analyzed him with hands propped on her hips. He was foiling around in tall grass earlier, wasn’t he? “Your knowledge on Bug Pokémon is quite thorough. And you must have a very hands-on approach to your studies.” She said upon completing her analysis of his form.

“Well yeah, as a bug catcher, you gotta get a little dirty. And they don’t call me the Walking Bug Encyclopedia for nothing, you know!” Bugsy explained as smacked his slightly wet knees to clear them from the bits of sand and grass. “But your knowledge on Rock-type Pokémon is amazing! Never seen such commitment!”

Roxanne cracked a smile. “I’m a trusted trainer school tutor for a reason, Bugsy.” She boasted a bit as she adjusted her tie a little.

Bugsy was intrigued. “Really? Well, can you give me a little advice?” He asked as he pulled out a Pokéball and sent out one of his Pokémon, an Armaldo.

“Raaaaarrrh!” Armaldo let out a roar of sorts upon his release.

“An Armaldo?” Roxanne rubbed her chin a bit. “You have good taste in Pokémon. I knew you had another Bug-Rock-type in your possession, based on what you wrote in our project. Shuckle, wasn’t it?” She asked. “I didn’t know you had an Armaldo as well! Would you kindly allow me to examine it?”

Bugsy nodded. “Mhm! Go ahead! Anyone’s welcome to check out my bug Pokémon!”

Roxanne approached Armaldo carefully. She always saw the species more as a rock-type than a bug-type. To see one in the possession of a bug trainer intrigued her a lot. “Hm…” She walked around the prehistoric bug. The amount of grassy bits on his armored skin and razor claws were evidence of how Bugsy raised him. “I see you’ve been raising him well. Very much like a bug-type.” She commented.

“He’s got the sharp claws of a grade-A bug Pokémon!” The bug expert said before lightly knocking on the armor of the fossil Pokémon. “And his body’s tough too. Reminds me of the sturdiness of other bug types!”

The rock scholar inspected closer, noticing signs of previous attacks on Armaldo in the form of scratch marks. “A large amount of battle damage on his armor… You haven’t been making the most of its rock-type qualities.” She summarized. “My Armaldo has its share of permanent scars, but yours has many more.” She added.

Bugsy chuckled nervously. Guess he was caught red handed there. “Yeah. Been making good use of Swords Dance before striking with strong bug-type attacks and I make use of its natural defense when needed.” He confessed.

“And there’s your issue.” Roxanne pointed to Bugsy before reaching for her own Pokéball. She sent out her own Armaldo. A little smaller than Bugsy’s but had notably less scratch marks on her armor. “My Armaldo here has utilized two different strategies. Curse to enhance its defense and Rock Polish to improve its speed.” She explained. “Although it has evolved to live on land, Armaldo is a species that’s much faster in the water.”

“That’s why I use Aqua Jet for quick movements.” Bugsy quickly interjected.

“A fine workaround for the poor agility, but not the only solution.” Roxanne said with a hand propped on her hip and an index finger pointing up. “Rock Polish will smoothen its body to make it more aerodynamic and much faster. Alternatively, if you don’t worry about mobility, Armaldo can use Curse to sacrifice speed in exchange for increased offense and defense.” She knew she sounded like a scholar, and she always felt like her pose helped her appear more serious and firm, if a little nerdy. Not that it helped keep attention on her. She knew some folks tended to stop paying attention to her.

“Whoa! You really know a lot about how to work a Rock-type!” Bugsy commented with a smile.

Wait, he actually listened to that? That’s… surprising. Not a lot of people actually pay attention to Roxanne’s sermons about stones. To have someone outside of her sphere of rock pals made her feel a little touched. “W-well, it’s just the result of all my studying.” The scholar said before recalling her fossil Pokémon.

Bugsy recalled his Armaldo. “Have you ever thought about becoming a professor?” He asked.

“A professor?” Roxanne repeated before shaking her head. “No. Never thought that far ahead. I’m more focused on getting my teaching degree for now.”

“Well, I’ve been going the distance for my professor’s degree! I wanna know more than just bug Pokémon… I wanna know about Pokémon of all kinds!” The bug expert proclaimed. “Been working on it for years! So far, I’ve been rewriting the book on bug-Pokémon! Literally! I wrote a book!”

Roxanne rubbed her chin for a moment. A book… Then her fingers snapped in realization. “You wrote that book?! Getting The Bugs Out?!”

“Mhm! That was all me!” The Johtonian said.

“Wow… How could I not realize it? That book has been in the trainer school’s library for a while now. Teachers have been praising it a fair deal too. To think it came from you! An admirable effort!” Roxanne said. “You could be a tutor yourself!”

“Aw shucks, you’re gonna make me blush!” Bugsy chuckled a little, already blushing. “But um, being a tutor? I haven’t really done that before, except for teaching this one class at Celadon University, but that was just for one day and only because I volunteered for it. I don’t think I could do teaching full time. Not until I become a full professor!”

Roxanne nodded. “I see, I see. You have your commitments, and I have mine.” She could respect Bugsy’s steadfastness in his goals. Bug-types are known for using harden, after all. Their sturdiness could rival Rock or even Steel types by doing so.

“Y’know, maybe you could visit Johto sometime and I’d be able to show you my research in more detail.” Bugsy suggested. “So long as you don’t mind me talking for hours about ‘em.”

Roxanne laughed a bit. “Oh no no no. I wouldn’t mind. I have a similar habit when discussing my own studies.” She said as she twirled a finger around one of her pigtails. “Although, my studies have indicated there once existed a rock-type evolution of-”

“Scyther?” Bugsy interjected. “You mean Kleavor! Yeah! I’ve caught one at the Blueberry Academy in Unova!”

“Blueberry Academy… I’ve never been to that place, but if they managed to preserve the species in some way, I would like to go there and obtain one myself! I just have to! It’s almost like a fossil Pokémon, much like Armaldo!” Roxanne grew a bit eager. That’s what happens when the idea of rock and fossil Pokémon are brought up. “Another place I’ve been wanting to visit is the Galar region. I hear that they’ve somehow found a way to revive enough fossil Pokémon for them to roam the wild like they did years ago!”

“Visiting Galar’s on my list of things to do someday too!” Bugsy said. “I gotta see what bug Pokémon they have there!”

Their conversation lasted for god knows how long. They’ve done a few things together along the way. Visit Mauville City’s shops, hunt for treasure in Shoal Cave, and even study and catch Pokémon in the Safari Zone. Only when Roxanne checked her PokéNav Plus did she realize how much time they’ve burned. “Oh my! It’s late afternoon already! I have to get to Rustboro! I shall excuse myself, Bugsy…” She sent out her Aerodactyl and hopped on its back.

“Wait a sec!” Bugsy quickly spouted before releasing his Yanmega. He jumped on the bug’s back. “Mind if I come along?”

Roxanne tilted her head. “Sorry, but I think you should get going as well. You’ve got your own things to do, surely.”

Bugsy shook his head. “Today’s my day off, Roxanne. If I had things to do, I wouldn’t have spent today with you!” He chuckled. “But I think I’d just work a night shift at my gym even if it wasn’t my day off.”

“Ah. I see. Well then, care to accompany me in my classroom for a special collaboration lesson?” Roxanne suggested.

“Sure! I’d be happy to share the fruits of my labor!” Bugsy smiled.

“In that case, follow me.” Roxanne said before tapping Aerodactyl’s side, signalling it to take to the sky and soar off to Rustboro.

“Right behind ya!” Bugsy pointed at the flying fossil Pokémon, hinting to Yanmega to fly after it. And so, the dragonfly did.

Roxanne wasn’t expecting to find something of an equal in Bugsy. Not that she saw herself as above him, she just didn’t expect a fellow scholar to be so eager and passionate about studying. She wasn’t going to complain however. In fact, she was going to hope that they kept studying and learning more about Pokémon together.

 

[RichestAirPirate]

And now, we're off to the Sinnoh region. Here, I paired Bugsy up with Maylene for ChildrenShipping. Odd ship name imo, but alright.

There's some potential in this pairing if you were to squint hard enough. I've heard this ship be jokingly called PlainHive but Whitney is replaced with an imposter. I just find that funny. Ironically, Maylene shows up in HGSS and participates in the Pokeathlon, just like Whitney, so how about that? However, Maylene is not Whitney. And this ain't about ol' Akane. This is about Sumomo-sama. I have written Maylene before, but it's been a long while since then, and this is probably the most I've written using Maylene.

I had fun with this one. And I'm looking forward to writing Unova too.

Rating: E for Everyone

Spoiler: CW: Gambling Addiction, Maylene's got money problems

Home In on Your Honey​

Route 214, Sinnoh Region, 8:40pm​

---

There’s many things Maylene wasn’t 100% sure about. She wasn’t entirely sure how being a gym leader works, but she felt like she got it down enough to do the job well. She didn’t know much about fashion, but she was more than comfortable in her usual clothing of a purple sleeveless shirt and plain white sweatpants. Her martial arts skill was near unparalleled in the region, although it was a mix of several other styles overall.

If there was one thing Maylene was 100% unsure about though, it was romance. She’d known Bugsy for a while, long enough for Candice to suspect them of being an item. Maylene was a little hesitant to confirm that, because she just found her focus falling apart when around Bugsy. He was always teaching her something new. Whether it be about bugs or nature or fighting strategies, Maylene tried to focus on what he was saying, but said focus always slipped. Sometimes it deteriorated bit by bit, sometimes it shattered in an instant. Things were no different on this special evening, where the Johtonian treated her to a camping trip.

“I always wanted to catch a Heracross of my own.” Maylene said as she snacked on a quesadilla Bugsy made. This was probably her 4th one for the night. Wasn’t her fault that this guy could do some kind of black magic around a fireplace.

Bugsy raised an eyebrow. “You never caught one? Well, lemme show you how we do it back in Johto!” He walked up to a nearby yellow-leaved tree and sent out one of his bug-types, Beedrill. “Beedrill! Headbutt!” He commanded.

Beedrill focused and thrusted himself at the tree’s trunk, slamming it with his head. The impact shook the leaves, but Beedrill scrambled right back to his trainer. “Ack… Ough…” It seemed to be in pain.

“Hm? You okay, Beedrill?” Bugsy asked as he inspected his bee buddy’s noggin carefully.

Maylene was able to explain, luckily. “Oh, we don’t do that here.” She said with her mouth full of food since she was still eating her quesadilla. “The trees are too thick and sturdy for that. We smear honey on them instead.” She said before swallowing. She reached into her bag of items and pulled out a half empty jar of honey. “I um… ate a lot of it before I came here.” She confessed before using a slathering brush to smear the honey on the tree’s trunk.

While he applied an ice pack to Beedrill’s head, Bugsy felt the need to ask a question. “Hey Maylene, you seem to eat a lot. Why is that?” He asked.

Maylene stopped her honey smearing and turned to him. “Um… that is… that’s because I don’t… have a lot of money.” Her face turned sappy as she gave a vulnerable look towards him.

“How come?” The insect head asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

The barefoot fighting genius lightly kicked the ground. “My dad doesn’t make a lot of money consistently because he spends a lot of time at the Game Corner’s casino section. I live on my own and sometimes have to lend him some money. That’s what family’s for, right? But in doing so, I um… I don’t have that much to spend for lunch and stuff.” She sighed.

“Oh. You’re…” Bugsy didn’t expect that to be the reason. “I’m… sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be. I’m fine. I’m fine. I’ve been trying to go on a Medicham’s diet and consume only one meal or snack a day but…” Maylene looked at her stomach and figure. “Sometimes I feel like it’s not good for me. Even Candice is aware of it.” She sighed before sitting down on a log. “Sorry to ruin the mood, Bugsy. Your cooking is really good and filling and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea-”

“Oh no no no! It’s okay! It’s okay!” Bugsy quickly interjected, “I just… I didn’t know you were in that bad of a spot. I wanna help you, if I can. I know Johto’s really far from Sinnoh, but I still wanna try to help you in some way.”

Maylene looked at the bug catcher in confusion. “Like what, are you gonna start transferring money to me? Are Johto’s PCs even that advanced?” She tilted her head.

“I uh… I’ll think of something!” Bugsy said while rubbing the back of his head. He wasn’t the richest trainer in the world, but he still had the heart to try something.

After a bit, Bugsy showed Maylene how to make a s’more. Well, she already had a basic idea of how to do so, but hearing an expert explain it did help. To her surprise, she managed to make a near perfectly roasted marshmallow on her second try! And the taste was ultra satisfying. Next thing the fighting expert knew, she was asking a question of her own. “Hey Bugsy, how come you’re not in the Pokéathlon?”

“I’m not built for it.” Bugsy answered.

Maylene shook her head. He can’t really mean that, right? “Falkner can do it just fine. Jasmine can do it too. Whitney as well. And me too! Why can’t you?”

“I’m not the most athletic fella around, Maylene. There’s no way I could keep up with the others.” The entomologist admitted while twiddling his thumbs. He was always someone to try new things, but he knew he’d be really outclassed in the sports department.

Maylene elbowed him a bit. “Don’t say that! Your bug Pokémon really have potential there. Scyther has great speed, Scizor has great stamina and power, Butterfree and Beedrill have great jumping ability… You guys could do great!”

Bugsy raised an eyebrow. “Um, how do you know tha-” And then he paused upon realizing how stupid that question was gonna sound. The way Maylene looked at him with a face that just said ‘...really?’ only added to that realization. “Y’know, maybe… I could learn something new about bug Pokémon by doing so… but I’m more than comfortable just sitting in the sidelines to cheer my friends on…” His foot began to twitch in thought. “Although…”

The martial artist roasted another marshmallow. Well, not another. She roasted 4 all on a single stick. She prepared the s’mores for herself and the bug catcher. “Just give it some thought, okay?” She asked.

The purple haired young man took a moment but grabbed one of the treats. “I definitely will.” He said before stuffing his face. The smile that followed was wide. “Wow Maylene, you really know how to focus on something! A whole 4 marshmallows at once, all perfectly done!” He added.

The pink haired girl blushed a bit. Her? Focused? Well, she can focus on some things. “I’m just doing my best here! That’s… kind of my motto since I became a gym leader.” She said while tapping her finger tips together. “But I wanted to make those ones right because um… well, we both like s’mores, right?” She couldn’t state the real reason. She couldn’t find the guts yet.

After some more s'mores were eaten and time had passed, Bugsy put out the campfire and led Maylene into the tent, only lit up by a single lantern. Their sleeping bags were relatively close to each other. Neither party minded that too much. The two nestled within the bedrolls. “So, got any plans for tomorrow?” Maylene asked.

Bugsy looked upward. “I kinda don’t have any. Well, we gotta check on the honey tree and then pack up the stuff and go. I might also visit Eterna Forest or Route 229 to check out their bug Pokémon with Aaron…” He began playing with one of his bangs using his right hand, unaware of the fighting specialist awkwardly reaching her arm over his chest to grab his shoulder. When he did notice, he was a little confused. “Um… what are you doing?” He asked.

Maylene’s cheeks went bright red. “I… um…” Her mind then flashed the word focus into her memory. “My dad told me that he managed to not gamble all his winnings away today and wants to celebrate by going out to dinner tomorrow. He’s even letting me invite friends too!” She smiled.

“Really? Well, that’s great! I hope he holds onto it for a while!” Bugsy smiled too.

That charming grin made the Sinnohian girl blush and lose focus. However, she had to snap out of it. She had to push through. “...Wanna go out to dinner with me?” Maylene asked, finally getting some sort of courage in her.

Bugsy laughed a bit. “You said that like it was tough to say!”

Maylene’s blush only grew brighter. “B-Because it was! Y’know you and I have known each other for a while! Even Candice is saying that we’re dating and-” Then she facepalmed, realizing that she’s just saying too much! Now Bugsy’s blushing!

“Well, if I get to spend more time with you Maylene, I’d like to join you for dinner!” Bugsy answered.

Maylene raised her face out of her palm. Did he really just reply to that so naturally? “...Really? Um, thanks! My dad’s a nice person, despite his issues. I’m sure he’ll like you!” She explained.

“Hope he doesn’t mind me talking about bug types.” Bugsy chuckled.

The Veilstonian girl scooted a little closer to the Azalean boy. “Thanks for taking me out tonight, Bugsy. I had fun.” She leaned into him a little before her eyelids began to get heavy. “Goodnight…” She managed to get out during her yawn.

The Johtonian smiled warmly. “Goodnight, Maylene.” He put the lantern out before looking down at her. He didn’t really mind her nuzzling on him. He could get used to it. If it makes her happy, then he’s happy too.

 

[RichestAirPirate]

Sorry for the long long wait. I've been going through quite a bit lately, but I'm still alive and writing. This project is still going. So, we head to Unova to pair Bugsy with Roxie! Here's where we meet a problem that I didn't realize about this challenge. Not all the pairings I have planned have ship names! So I had to ask for help with coming up with names. For now, we have Bugsy x Roxie under the temporary name of EarwormShipping.
This is another good pairing for Bugsy, honestly. A nerdy entomologist and a loud punk rockstar? A little odd at first, but recall that bug has been paired with Poison a handful of times. Also, since Masters showed Bugsy is interested in music stuff, I suppose he could learn a little something from an actual musician.

Rating: E for Everyone

Spoiler: CW: Semi Frequent Usage of strong language

Musical Mushi Muse​

Virbank City, Unova Region, 11:53am​

---

Roxie wasn’t a popular musician. Well, that was an understatement. She wasn’t the biggest musician. Not as big as she wanted to be anyway. For what was basically a garage band, she was quite popular. However, she wanted to make it big. She wanted to be recognized for more than that little Pokémon jingle that she played in Unova. She wanted to make an album. Or an EP.

With the goal of cooking up a great jam, Roxie sat down at one of the tables that littered her gym/music club, pulled out a pencil, looked at a near completely empty notebook, and got to song writing. It shouldn’t be that hard, right?

Well, it wouldn’t be that hard if she knew what to make the song about! Everytime she got to writing a decent idea, something in her made her reject the idea. “Uuuuugh! God damnit!” She groaned and flopped her head into the notebook after she threw a crumpled ball of paper that contained lyrics to what felt like her 10th draft that day.

“Roxie, you alright?” Nicky, the band’s drummer, entered alongside Billy Jo, the band’s electric guitarist. “Looks like you’ve been at that desk for a while.”

Roxie shifted her head to glance at her bandmates. “Because I have! I dunno where to even fuckin’ start!” She shouted.

“Well, think about some things. Know a Pokémon you like?” Billy Jo asked.

A Pokémon she liked? Well, Roxie liked poison types. Scolipede was probably her favorite. “A song about Scolipede could be pretty rockin’. But where do I start with that?” She tapped her chin. “What do I make the lyrics about? Its poison abilities? My bond with it?”

“How about all about its behavior?” A newcomer asked. The band looked over and found that a purple haired young man in green boy scout attire came in with bags of Mexican fast food.

“Well Roxie, your favorite bug boy is here.” Nicky joked with a smirk.

The poison specialist blushed profusely. Yeah, it wasn’t the biggest secret that Roxie was at least a little fond of Bugsy, but she still didn’t like Nicky or Billy Jo pointing that kinda thing out all willy-nilly. “Bugsy! Uh… hey!” She said to the bug catcher, doing her best to ignore the drummer’s comment.

“And you brought Taco Bronzong. Sweet.” Billy Jo said.

Bugsy set the food down on an empty table. His interactions with Roxie all started with his wish to help with music theory, and since Roxie was the colleague of a trusted friend, Burgh, he figured going to her to learn about music would be good. “I think a song about Scolipede’s biology would be pretty cool!” He said.

Roxie rubbed the back of her head. A song about Scolipede’s biology. Sounds cool and could work… if she knew much about Scolipede’s biology. Well, she wasn’t clueless about its capabilities, it was her signature Pokémon, but she didn’t know it entirely that well. “Yeah, but where can I find information on Scolipede that can be useful? Do I just go to a library or-” She stopped herself when she realized how stupid that question was. Her hand quickly slammed itself into her face. The answer to her problem had just entered the room.

“Hey Bugs.” Billy Jo turned to Bugsy before gesturing to the stressed Roxie. “Lay it on her.”

The Johtonian was happy to oblige. He pulled a chair to Roxie’s table so he could sit down next to her. “Do you need help, Roxie?” He asked after tapping her shoulder.

The Unovan pulled her face out from her palm before looking at the entomologist with a somewhat sappy face. After a sigh, she gave a nod. “Yes… but I don’t want it! I wanted to do this on my own! Write a huge hit with no help! But I just… I don’t even know, Bugsy.” She slid the pencil over to him, knowing that his skill with a writing utensil beat hers any day.

Bugsy looked at the pencil and slid it right back. “Hey, it’s your song. You should be the one writing it. I’m the one with the bug knowledge, you’re the one with the music knowledge, so you should write it.” He commented.

Roxie took the pencil back and looked at Bugsy while he dug into one of his satchels. “...You sure?”

The bug catcher nodded. “Yeah. Now, I’ll try to go slow on my explanations. Are you ready?” He asked.

The rockstar gave a nod. “Mhm. Get started.” She said as her head went down and her pencil pressed on the paper, ready to write.

Bugsy went on for what felt like an hour or two. Okay, it was definitely more than that. But Roxie did her best to keep up with his words. After a while of writing the lyrics, the notes, and all the other stuff, Roxie put her pencil down. “Whew! Done!” She said after wiping her brow.

“Can I view it?” Bugsy asked.

Bizarrely, the rocker recoiled and held the notebook close to her chest. Her cheeks turned extra red. “Um… N-No! Not yet! We gotta uh… play this first, y’know-” She was cut off by Nicky just yoinking the notebook from her grasp. “Hey!”

“Lemme check your work real quick.” Nicky said with a little grin before clearing his throat and using his free hand to hold back a Roxie that was desperately trying to get the papers back. “Whoa-hoa. Sweet lyrics! Aggressive horn attacking… Mind warping mega venom… and-” His eyes widened and his grin grew wider. “Ohohoho!”

“Lemme see that!” Billy Jo took the notebook and had a look. Her eyes also expanded a little. “The music going slow and the lyrics calling out an entomologist for studying the bug? That’s our ending? Roxie, just make a love song at this-”

Roxie snatched the notebook back. “I-It’s not important! I just wanted to add it, that’s all! And I couldn’t get this song written if it wasn’t for… for…” She was caught up on those words, afraid to let them out. “...for him.” She let the words slip at last.

Bugsy looked around before pointing to himself. “Me? Really?” He was being mentioned in the song? That… wasn’t expected. He wasn’t complaining, he was just surprised.

“I just figured you were a lil brave for studying bugs for a living, especially when they can be pretty damn tough and dangerous. I bet it ain’t easy.” Roxie confessed as she rubbed the back of her head.

“It’s a kinda thankless job sometimes, especially when bug is an underestimated type. However, somebody’s gotta do it.” The bug catcher smiled. “Also, I just like hearing your music! Helps me learn about music too! Maybe one day, I’ll write a song for you!”

The poison expert cracked a smile. “I think I see why Burgh likes you so much. You rock, Bugs. I don’t think you get told stuff like that too often.”

She's using that little nickname too? For him? That made ol’ bug boy blush and laugh, his dorkish charm showing. “Just happy to help!” He said. “Wanna head to Pinwheel Forest? Bet we’ll find some good stuff for inspiration there!”

Billy Jo lightly slapped Roxie on the shoulder. “You two go on ahead. We’ll catch up with y’all later.” She said with a cheeky grin.

“You sure? I mean, you guys can come if you want.” Bugsy offered to Roxie’s bandmates. “Butterfree and Venomoth should be able to transport you guys just fine-”

Nicky shook his head before giving a grin of his own. “Nah. Wouldn’t wanna get in the way of your date.”

Roxie pouted a bit at the accusation of the outing being a date, but it was only a brief pout. She ended up getting her smile back too. “I could use a little time away from you two trying to say me and Bugs are an item.” She laughed before picking up the notebook and pencil. “C’mon Johto boy. Let’s go.”

Bugsy nodded before opening the gym’s exit door for Roxie. “After you!”

As the two gym leaders left, Billy Jo and Nicky chuckled, knowing that Roxie was gonna have a hard time beating the allegations.

 

[RichestAirPirate]

And we're back. And this time, we're taking a detour to Johto to pair Bugsy with Whitney!

Ah, PlainHiveShipping. In my opinion, this is one of Bugsy's best ships, period. Contender for THE best ship for him. It's another opposites attract type deal. The sunny, go-getter-y, and somewhat airheaded Whitney + the dorky, nerdy, and somewhat lonely Bugsy. It's adorable! Plus, Azalea and Goldenrod are pretty close by. Just a short route and a forest away. The anime intro shows the two sitting together and they do appear in the Masters story side by side fairly often. The stars align well for this pairing.

So, allow me to get this show back on the road.
Whitney surprises Bugsy with some sweet treats after a long day! Anything for the cutest fella in Johto, right?
Rating: E for Everyone

Spoiler: CW: None

Kisses, Cuddles, and Cookies for the Cutest​

Goldenrod City, Johto Region, 8:09pm​

---

There’s many ways to show affection. Many ways to show you care. For Bugsy and Whitney, one having a glance at the other in any way was good enough to bring a smile to their face. The leaguemates almost always saw each other at least once per day. Whether it was just passing by or actually having a conversation, it became a bit of a routine thing.

This evening was different though. A very event filled day for both parties. Bugsy had to work on his research, watch over Maizie while Kurt was running errands, manage his gym, and start writing the songs for this year’s holiday season on Pasio. Whitney had to exercise for the Pokéathlon, milk the Miltanks on the Moomoo Farm, manage her gym, play baseball with the locals, and handle the milk deliveries around Johto.

Whitney still had enough energy in her to whip up a little something for Bugsy. She usually had enough energy for anything, really. With a crack of her knuckles, she got to work on a little something special. She pulled out some extra Moomoo Milk bottles, poured them into a blender, added a scoop of strawberry ice cream, some crumbled cookie pieces, and then let the machine work its magic.

When the doorbell rang and the door opened, Whitney immediately knew who it was. And it was good timing too. She just put some cookies in the oven a bit ago. However, her mind dropped the thought of cookies in favor of greeting her guest.

“Hey Whitn- Whoa!” Bugsy was cut off by a quick hug from the normal expert. He knew Whitney was fast but he still gets stumped by her speed sometimes.

“I missed you, Bugsy!” Whitney said as she squeezed her favorite bug catcher tightly. “You must be all tuckered out from workin’ all day!”

Bugsy nodded as he nuzzled himself into Whitney, wrapping his arms around her too. “I missed you too, Whitney. And yeah, I’m pretty exhausted.”

Whitney guided him to her couch and ruffled his head. “Just wait here. I’ll get ya something! Put on a TV show or something!” She advised as she went to the kitchen.

“Okie dokie.” Bugsy answered before reaching for the TV remote. His instincts made him channel surf to a documentary channel, but a part of him made him change it to a channel that was playing a romantic comedy movie.

When Whitney returned, she had a tray of strawberry cookies and cream milkshakes and freshly baked cookies. “Here ya go, Bugsy! A little treat for ya!” She placed it down on the table in front of the couch before noticing “Oh! You’re puttin’ on a movie for us?”

Bugsy nodded. “I thought you’d like a movie. Although, I hope ya don’t mind romcoms.”

Whitney smiled as she sat down right next to him. “Good thing I’m fond of ‘em too!” She replied.

Bugsy leaned forward to grab a cookie and have a bite. “Oatmeal Raisin?”

“What gal would I be if I didn’t remember your favorite flavor?” Whitney giggled.

“Thanks Whit.” Bugsy said as he scarfed the sweet down before having a sip of milkshake. He recoiled once the flavor hit his tastebuds. “Hey!”

“What’s up?” The Goldenrodian tilted her head. “Don’t like it?” She asked, curious about his reaction. “I just figured that you’d like it since we tried that one Strawberry Cookies and Cream Milkshake flavor at that one ice cream parlor in Driftveil the other day but-”

“You copied the recipe?” Bugsy asked as he pointed to the shake.

“Yeah. Did I… Oh darn!” Whitney slapped her forehead. “I done messed up the recipe, didn’t I?”

“It… tastes better when you make it, honestly.” Bugsy said before sipping again, taking a much longer time savoring the flavor. “Mmm…”

Whitney’s cheeks went a little red at the compliment but it wasn’t long before she smiled once more. “Thanks Bugsy. I really really tried my best for you!” She said before tossing a cookie in her mouth. “How was work for ya?”

“I was gonna ask you that!” Bugsy said when he removed his mouth from the straw. “But to answer, it was a little tiring, but exciting as always. My next big study is understanding what Bug-Type Terastallization does to a Pokémon. Does it affect behavior? Can a Pokémon achieve a full on different form via Terastallization?” He rubbed his chin a little.

“You think the little hats Tera Pokémon get look cute?” Whitney interjected.

“You mean the Tera Jewels?” Bugsy asked.

Whitney nodded. “Mhm. They look pretty, but I think they’re kinda cute too! And I feel there’s a lot you can do with ‘em!” She added. “Can you imagine your Heracross with one of them on?”

Bugsy thought for a moment. He actually didn’t think about the cute factor of the Tera jewels. Nor did he ever Terstallize his Heracross. However, the idea of it becoming a far stronger Bug or Fighting-type… he felt a minor case of goosebumps. “It would be even stronger, but I think it could look a little silly with a Fighting Tera jewel on its head.” He chuckled.

The Normal-type expert snorted. “Imagine it with the giant shining Fairy-type heart…” She said before belting into a giggle.

“Oh! Wait! Clefable! Clefable could become a Normal-type!” Bugsy pointed out.

Whitney gasped at that realization. “Oooooh! It could be Normal-Type again! Kick it like how it used to back in the old days!” Her feet kicked the air a little, a sign of just how giddy the idea made her. However, she quickly calmed herself down with a sigh. “I really missed you, y’know that?”

Bugsy chuckled a bit. He knew Whitney was probably overexaggerating when she said that. She’s not fully reliant on him. Far from it. She can more than handle herself. In fact, sometimes he feels like he needs her more often than she needs him. Still, he wasn’t gonna lie and say he didn’t miss Whitney too, even if they see each other daily. “I missed you too, Whitney. Sorry I didn’t see you much today.” He apologized.

“I get it. You’re busy, I’m busy, we all get busy.” Whitney leaned into the bug catcher, her cheeks resting in his soft mess of purple hair. Her arm wrapped around his midsection and pulled him closer. “But still, maybe you could just send a text or message to my Pokégear on days like this?”

The bug lover hugged Whitney in return, nestling himself into her. “I think a voicemail would do good. You get to hear me, and I get to hear you.” He smiled.

The Goldenrodian’s grip grew a little warmer once the Azalean suggested that. “Sounds good to me!” She pulled away slightly and pecked into his violet locks.

The bug expert’s cheeks went red upon his hair making contact with Whitney’s lips. “Hey Whitney? Can you um…” After the surprise she just gave him, he realized that requesting something of her at this point would be greedy.

“What’s up, Bugsy-boo?” Whitney tilted her head.

“Can you… do that again? Aim for… my face this time.” Bugsy’s blush deepened.

Without any hesitation or confirmation, Whitney brought her lips to Bugsy’s forehead, giving him a smooch there. “Mwah! Just say when, B!” She giggled.

“Wait, what do you mean- Wah!” Bugsy got glomped and hugged tightly as Whitney smothered him with kisses all over his face. Good thing Whitney removed any lip gloss when she came home, otherwise he’d have to spend a while cleaning up his face.

Bugsy didn’t know how long he let Whitney’s affection assault go on. Maybe 20 seconds? 30? 60? However, he had to say when. “Okay okay! Stop it! You can stop now! Ahahaha!” He laughed out.

Whitney pulled away with a bright smile, looking down at the slightly exhausted but very cheered up Bugsy trying to collect himself. “You’re adorable! Just the cutest!”

“I think… you’re cuter, Whitney…” Bugsy said.

“Nooooo… that would be you!” Whitney rebutted.

They went back and forth before Bugsy suddenly slipped a cooking into Whitney’s mouth to quiet her. However, in a sudden move of bravery, his lips met with hers before he used his teeth to break the treat in half. “Nope. You are.” Bugsy said with his mouth full of cookie.

Whitney was taken aback. She still chewed and swallowed her half of the baked sweet, but she still had to take time to admire Bugsy’s smooth move. Ultimately, she gave in to his argument. “...Okay, maybe I am cuter. But you’re smarter. And probably stronger too!” She lightly punched his shoulder.

“Thanks Whit. You’re always in my corner.” Bugsy said after swallowing.

Whitney winked at him. “Well, if I’m not, who will?” She replied.

Bugsy leaned into her side, more than happy to have someone as loyal as Whitney by his side.

 

[RichestAirPirate]

Alright. Time to dust off this series.
I initially planned to write Korrina for Kalos, but at the time, the Mega Dimension DLC was pretty new. So I had to put Korrina aside and play that in case anything new about the character was revealed. In her place, I put Viola. Buuuut Mega Dimension is about a month old now and I played through it, yet I already settled on writing Viola. So let's just say that we'll get to Korrina at another time.
So for now, we pair Bugsy with Viola for ShutterbugShipping, and hey, this pairing works really well. It's even in Pokémon Masters! I also saw some fanart of the two and was really charmed by it.
This fic, I feel I could've done better, but I'm still glad I got it out the door.

Bugsy doesn't fit into fancy or high class places, but if he can support someone he cares about, then he'll do what he can.
Rating: E for Everyone

Spoiler: CW: None

Bug Buds​

Battle Chateau, Kalos Region, 5:54pm​

---

Bugsy always felt like he never fit in with high class areas. That feeling stemmed from a few things: the fact that Johto didn’t have a Battle Chateau equivalent where everybody had fancy titles like Baron, Viscount, or Duchess, and the fact that he hardly has any dapper wear in his wardrobe, mainly consisting of a variety of his signature boy scout style attire, and the fact that he just didn’t like the atmosphere that much.

While Bugsy was not a regular at the Battle Chateau and felt like he stood out like a sore thumb, he had to be here. He’d gladly put up with a dark green suit and slacks, yellow skinny tie, and brown oxford shoes if it meant he could support one of the regulars. He quickly looked at his reflection in the lake that surrounded the building to check his appearance. He looked good enough, if a little uncomfortable. Suddenly, the doors opened slowly.

“Excuse me, young man.” A maid peeked out from the open doors and spoke. “Are you a baron here?” He asked.

Bugsy shook his head. “Oh no. I’m just here to see a friend. I heard their promotion battle was today.” He said.

“Oh! Well, come in, sir. There’s a battle occurring already.” The maid stepped aside to let Bugsy in.

The Johtonian stepped into the building “A battle? You mean-”

BOOM! SLAM! POW! BUZZ! CRASH!

The sounds of many attacks came from the back of the chateau. It frankly startled Bugsy, but it gave him an idea. “Oh man! I’m late!” He speedwalked his way to the back, since he felt like running wasn’t allowed.

The balcony at the back of the chateau had many people watching the battle in the courtyard. When Bugsy himself took a look, he witnessed Korrina and Viola locked in battle. Mega Lucario vs Mega Beedrill. He really was late, huh?

“Power-Up Punch!” Korrina ordered, throwing a punch to the air.

“Grrroof… Krah!” Lucario lunged out with a hardened fist.

“Fury Cutter! Again!” Viola countered, giving a swift chop through the wind.

“Drrrrzzah!” Beedrill slashed with one of its stingers, parrying the punch from the Steel-type.

Korrina laughed briefly before palming her fist. “This is it! With this many Power-Up Punches ready, we’re wrapping this up!”

Viola wiped her brow, feeling the intense heat of a battle between two Mega Evolved Pokémon course through her. She’s not skilled with using Mega Evolution yet, which might explain why Korrina wasn’t showing anything resembling strain or tiredness at all. “Hang in there, Beedrill! We got this!” Viola called out.

Bugsy was on the edge of his seat. He could tell that Viola was on the backfoot, but he doubted the power of Bug Pokémon before, and he wasn’t going to now, especially when a Bug-type gym leader was commanding them.

Korrina gave a swift axe kick through the air. “Blaze Kick!” She commanded.

Lucario’s feet burst into flames before it charged ahead quickly, mixing up its approach with weaves to the left and right.

With the pressure on Beedrill, Viola had to think fast. “Ngh…” And then a snap of her fingers signaled that something in her head clicked. “Beedrill, String Shot, now!” The photographer directed.

“Got it. Bzzzzh!” From the stinger on its abdomen, Beedrill unleashed a stream of silk at Lucario. While it missed a few shots, it landed one square in the jackal’s eyes on the third attempt.

“Grhrh! Ack!” The blindness caused Lucario’s Blaze Kick to miss. “Hrrrgh…”

Viola cracked a smile. “Fantastique!”

Korrina shook her head. “Blinding us and slowing us down won’t help you!” She declared. “Lucario, Aura Sphere! Give ‘em all you got!”

Lucario harnessed aura between its palms, channeling it into an orb. It then split the sphere into two smaller parts before throwing them at Beedrill. “Kaaaaaaah!” It was a whole barrage of Aura Spheres!

“Now Fury Cutter!” Viola instructed.

Beedrill flew back before diving down with its poised to slash once again. “Trrrzzzah!” It sliced and diced right through the Aura Sphere storm, ready to leave a good mark on its jackal foe.

“Meteor Mash!” Korrina called out.

Lucario readied a steel hard paw, using the location of Beedrill’s aura to be its vision. It raced ahead towards the incoming bee. “Hrrrr… KRAH!” In a swift motion, it threw out its attack!

The booming sound when Fury Cutter and Meteor Mash collided had everyone amazed. When both monsters passed each other, there was a brief pause, silence born from many held breaths.

“...What timing…” Bugsy murmured, for he was able to pinpoint the accuracy of the blows.

Lucario growled in pain and crumpled to one of its knees. Now’s Beedrill’s chance! “Drill Run!” Viola shouted out.

Beedrill looped around before charging at Lucario, spinning its body like a drill to slam into the steel type’s body. “Hrrrzzz!!!”

“LURAAAAH! Aaaah… Ugh…” The impact of Drill Run sent Lucario flying back, its mega form being knocked right out of it. Lucario was unable to continue fighting. Beedrill is the winner.

“The winner of this battle is Marchioness Viola!” The battle’s referee announced, sparking applause and cheers from the spectators.

Once Beedrill reverted to its base form, Viola breathed a sigh of relief and clutched her chest, feeling the intense weight of Mega Evolution finally come off her shoulders. “Phew… Great job, Beedrill!” She said before petting the bee gently.

After praising her partner and recalling it to its Pokéball, Korrina approached the photographer and offered a fist. “Awesome fight, Viola! How’s that Mega Evolution working out for you?” She asked.

Viola accepted the offer, bumping Korrina’s hanging fist with one of her own. “I still need to work on it, but I feel like I’m getting the hang of it… Oooh, but the strain is a lot on me.” She commented with a smile.

And so, Viola was promoted from Marchioness to Duchess and received much praise from spectators. While that praise was welcomed, Viola still valued some quiet times to herself, especially after an intense fight like that. So she took refuge in one of the chateau’s much less active rooms. Although, it wasn’t long before she had company.

“Viola!” Bugsy said.

“Bugsy!” Viola replied upon turning around and seeing his face.

Bugsy closed the door behind him and walked up. “Sorry I came late. I uh, I got sidetracked in Santalune Forest and had to wash up and change in a Pokémon Center before arriving here!” He admitted with a faint blush on his cheeks.

Viola let out a brief giggle. “Yeah, I can tell you rushed yourself.” She bent down a little to fix up Bugsy’s tie, noticing it was slightly askew. “But really, thank you for stopping by! I actually was hoping you would!” She added.

“You were?” Bugsy asked, the blush on his cheeks growing brighter.

Viola nodded. “Who else would’ve inspired me to use Beedrill?” She joked. “While Beedrill was Mega Evolved, I felt in sync with it. I felt a little bit like you too. So, I tried a strategy that I felt you would use.” She explained.

“You mean String Shot?” Bugsy asked. “Well, I mean, you could’ve achieved a similar tactic with Sticky Web.”

“Maybe, but String Shot is more immediate with its effect, right? That’s what your studies told me.” The photographer replied.

Okay, there was no hiding it. The bug catcher was super flustered at this point. He really inspired her? She actually felt like him? He put his hands behind his back. “I-I… um… yeah, they did.” His leg twisted back and forth as he stared down at the ground.

Viola used the tips of her fingers to tilt Bugsy’s head up, making eye contact with him. “Bugsy, you’re not yourself today. Something up?” She asked, her green nails pinpointing his chin.

“I just… I dunno, Viola.” Bugsy fixed up his posture before looking out the window. “I’m not good in high class places like this. I’m a bug catcher, Viola.” His face turned into a slight frown as he tapped the windowsill. “This isn’t my natural habitat. I feel like a Beartic lost in Olivine City.” He sighed as he toyed with his fringe. “I feel like I’m giving you a bad look.”

Viola took a moment but she slowly reached out to place a hand on the Johtonian’s shoulder. “Mon cher, Hector.” She addressed him by his Kalosian nickname. “You’re just fine. In fact, I’m glad you came out here in the first place. But if you really felt this way, why did you come?”

“Because you mean a lot to me.” Bugsy confessed.

Well, that startled Viola. Even managed to get her blushing too. But Bugsy was always an honest fella. She liked that about him. “Aw… Bugsy…” She cupped his cheek gently. “Thank you. Really, thank you.”

Bugsy tried to put together a more prideful exterior, straightening his back and clearing his throat, but Viola was quick to pick up on his attempt. “Non non non! Be natural!” She advised, patting his cheek lightly. She sounded just like a photographer directing her subject.

“Sorry.” Bugsy said as he fixed himself back to a more standard position. “I guess being natural is sort of your motto.” He smiled.

Viola nodded before reaching into her purse and pulling out her camera. “Mhm. Mind if I get a quick shot of you, Bugsy? Act naturally, but give me a good expression.”

Bugsy propped his fists up onto his hips and held his head up, looking like he just accomplished another step in his bug studying journey. That was just the expression that Viola wanted.

Click!

“Fantastique! You look handsome, Bugsy!” Viola said as she examined the photo.

Him? Handsome? First time someone called him that today! “Well, thanks! You look really pretty too!” Bugsy replied.

“I needed to hear that, Bugsy.” Viola smiled. “I was starting to think this dress and ponytail was getting old!”

Bugsy laughed slightly. “You've always looked pretty! At least, to me." He admitted before smiling again. "If you ever need me to say or do something for you, you can always call me, y’know that? You’ve had my number ever since Pasio.”

Viola nodded. “And you just reminded me why.” She was about to rejoin the rest of the chateau’s trainers, but not before bending down and giving a small peck on Bugsy’s cheek. “Thank you, Bugsy. If you need me, well, you know what to do.”

The small kiss left a bit of a green mark on Bugsy’s red cheeks, but he didn’t mind that. “Eheheh… Of course!” He said with a little chuckle before offering his arm. “May I?”

Offering to escort her back? Someone’s got their confidence back. “You may.” Viola said as she carefully grabbed the arm of her bug loving confidant, letting him lead her out the room.