Chapter 143: Please Be Kind to Every Fat Person
By Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
The Celadon Gym's training field was built on a grassy area, essentially a semi-grassy field.
At this moment, Erika and Ash stood at opposite ends of the battle arena, engaged in the important pre-battle glaring contest, attempting to overwhelm each other with their Aura.
A crowd of onlookers had already gathered, mostly women in revealing outfits, many of whom were employees from the perfume shop earlier.
It was precisely because the Pokémon League and an official Gym served as their Backstage that the perfume shops in Celadon City could still operate normally under Team Rocket's rule.
Brock and Misty were also mixed in with the crowd.
Although the two had previously claimed not to know Ash, they had quickly informed Erika of his intentions afterward. This was how everyone returned from the perfume shop to the Celadon Gym, waiting for Ash to arrive.
Though the wait had been a bit long.
"It's that rude brute."
"He's still just a kid, and he's already taunting us Sisters!"
"Miss Erika has to teach him a good lesson!"
The young women in the crowd had an extremely poor impression of Ash and were muttering about him with considerable displeasure. As a member of Ash's Supporters, Brock could only bite the bullet and step forward, trying to stick up for him.
"Ladies, Ash has already forgiven himself, so what reason do we have not to forgive him?"
The women: "?"
They scratched their heads. That logic seemed to check out...
"Celadon Gym Challenge Rules: a 3v3 Battle! When one side has completely lost its Combat Power, the other side wins!" a young female referee announced.
The two opponents nodded, familiar with the routine.
The Battle began. As the Gym Leader, Erika was the first to throw a Poké Ball.
A red light flashed, and a Pokemon that was half-plant, half-animal with a blue body appeared. A bright red flower bloomed on its head, and the eyes beneath its petals were squeezed shut in a wry shape, with a trail of drool at the corner of its mouth.
It was a very dopey-looking Pokemon.
"Pokedex Beep. Gloom, the Weed Pokemon. When provoked, it releases a Stench to drive away enemies. What drips from the corner of its mouth is not drool, but highly nutritious nectar, which is lickable."
The Pokedex automatically provided the information.
"Sister Erika sent out Gloom as her first Pokemon!?"
"That used to be Sister Erika's Ace Pokemon for dealing with Fodder Trainers."
"A bit of Trivia: in our Celadon Gym, Sister Erika has always been the stingiest one, hehe."
Erika's brow furrowed. She made a mental note of the Sister who said that last line; she could forget about her bonus for the next six months.
Ash also frowned. The Gloom before him didn't have a strong Aura, and from the surrounding chatter, he knew it was just a Pokemon used to deal with Fodder Trainers. This meant the woman still wasn't using her real Strength.
*How dare she look down on me?*
"Then it's decided, it's you, Pidgeotto!"
Ash decisively sent out his signature powerhouse.
Flying-type has an advantage over Grass-type. The Challenger is allowed to choose their Pokémon after the Gym Leader, giving them a chance to select a suitable counter. This was considered a courtesy to the Challenger.
"Pidgeotto, Fast Attack Strategy, use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded, taking the initiative.
"Pidgeo-o-o!!"
Pidgeotto's speed was immense. It shot forward, cloaked in a dazzling white light, its sharp beak striking Gloom squarely in the stomach. The powerful force sent the latter stumbling backward.
"Such speed..."
Erika's expression remained unchanged. Her Gloom's stats were actually average; its Combat Power was even lower than a typical Gloom's.
Its outstanding feature, however, was the Stench it could emit from its petals, which was several times more potent than that of its peers. This was the key to how it could crush Fodder Trainers.
"Gloom, use Stench!" Erika instructed.
"Gloo~"
Gloom squatted slightly, striking a posture like it was on the toilet. With a slight strain, a hazy yellow gas began to emanate from the petals on its head. In an instant, a foul and bizarre odor filled the entire Celadon Gym.
"So smelly."
A sour, pungent smell assaulted his nostrils.
Ash quickly waved a hand in front of his nose. Even though the visible yellow gas hadn't fully spread, the smell was already overwhelming.
And this was the owner of a perfume shop? Wasn't she afraid of customer complaints?
"Pidgeotto, purify the air! Use Defog!"
Pidgeotto, whose head was spinning from the Stench, beat its wings forcefully. The edges of its wings glowed with a pure, purifying light. With a single sweep of its wings, a large gap was torn in the hazy yellow smoke and dust.
The move was effective. Pidgeotto continued to flap its wings, and the power of Defog not only dispersed the surrounding Stench but, with its relentless offensive, even purified the concentrated source of the Stench on Gloom's head.
Instantly, the entire air cleared up. Ash took three deep breaths.
"Good job, Utility Bird!" he called out cheekily.
"Pidgeo-o-o!"
Pidgeotto responded with a spirited cry. Dispelling the overwhelming Stench had put it in a good mood, so it didn't notice Ash's sneaky nickname.
Then, Ash's eyes sharpened. He pointed a commanding finger at his target.
"Now, let's finish it! Pidgeotto, use Aerial Ace!"
Pidgeotto beat its wings hard, abruptly accelerating in mid-air with a piercing roar. Its entire body, with its beak at the forefront, was enveloped in a sharp, brilliant white light.
Swoosh!
Its figure suddenly vanished, reappearing the next second directly in front of Gloom, charging forward with Aerial Ace.
*Schlick!*
Gloom was sent flying several meters. Before it could even react, the double blow of a piercing impact and type effectiveness completely robbed it of its ability to fight, sending it tumbling through the air. Super Effective!
"Gloom is Unable to Battle! Pidgeotto wins the first Battle!" the Referee announced in shock.
Erika also looked at Ash with a hint of astonishment. She hadn't expected the Stench to be neutralized so easily.
After all, this was the Kanto region. Everyone understood the basics of type effectiveness, but her Gloom had defeated at least fifty, if not a hundred, Pidgeotto. A normal Gust would take several minutes to blow the Stench away.
"A Pidgeotto with Defog is just absurd."
She was a little speechless.
It seemed this rude, dense guy did have some Strength. At least he wasn't your average Fodder Trainer. With this thought, she silently recalled her Gloom.
With a victory right out of the gate, Ash rubbed his nose with a smug look and couldn't resist a taunt.
"That's it?"
Those words made Erika's brow twitch. She felt like she'd heard a similar line in a similar tone from a trainer three days ago.
Unlike Ash, however, that trainer had bought a cartload of men's perfume and souvenirs.
He was a big spender.
She could tolerate arrogance from a sponsor—a girl's gotta eat, after all. But someone like Ash...
Erika's displeasure deepened. Without further hesitation, she threw her second Poké Ball.
A red light flashed. With a loud "Thud!", a giant Pokemon appeared before Ash, landing heavily.
This Pokemon had a massive body, standing over two meters tall like a little giant. Its body was covered in blue vines, through which one could only vaguely glimpse a black body and a pair of large, round eyes peeking out from the center of its head.
Two long, thin vines grew from its sides like arms, giving it a powerful presence.
"Pokedex Beep. Tangrowth, the Water Ghost Pokemon. It excels at using the move Vine Whip. It is said that a certain gluttonous fat man once accidentally fell into a river, was entangled by the weeds at the bottom and suffocated to death. The next day, he became a Tangrowth."
The Pokedex automatically provided the information, accompanied by an eerie BGM.
"Pokedex Beep. Friendly reminder: please be kind to every fat person."
Ash: "..."
(end of chapter)