Chapter 142 Celadon Gym, Erika
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
The next day, Primeape temporarily left the team, and Ash returned the secret manual for Ultra Instinct to Shandou.
After walking for another half a day, the group successfully arrived at a large city.
Celadon City.
From the outside, the city's scale was not much smaller than Saffron City, similarly boasting a large number of skyscrapers.
However, the degree of greenery was much higher than in Saffron City. Ancient trees and lawns were everywhere, and even the air carried a faint, fragrant aroma.
They entered the city.
As it was nearing noon, the group first found the local Pokémon Center, ate a free lunch, and ensured all the Pokémon they carried were in peak condition.
Ash planned to challenge the Celadon Gym in the afternoon. He had heard it was a Grass-type Gym, so his confidence was high.
"Huh, where's Misty?"
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Ash and Brock, picking their teeth, realized that Misty was nowhere to be seen.
Walking out of the Pokémon Center's main entrance, a cutesy, pink-decorated shop across the way caught their attention. The melodious sound of women's happy chatter and laughter drifted out from within, and a familiar voice seemed to be mixed in.
Curious, the two approached. Through the display window, they could see several women inside holding small bottles and chatting. Misty was right there among them.
"Society is truly in decline, this is an affront to public decency…"
Brock's eyes narrowed, a deep look on his face, drool nearly escaping his mouth. The women inside were scantily clad; a gust of wind might even reveal things that cannot be described. Looking at them all, was Misty's crop top and shorts actually the most conservative?
Filled with righteous indignation, the two pushed open the door, carrying the air of an official anti-vice raid.
The women: "?"
The women inside were startled by the two men who had suddenly burst in, staring at them with bewildered expressions.
"What is it, gentlemen? Do you need to buy some men's perfume?"
"Men need to be exquisitely well-groomed even more than women~"
Though bewildered, the women still approached out of professional habit to sell their perfume.
That's right, in Celadon City, the perfume industry was definitely a specialty. It was also the only sector in this city that Team Rocket had not set foot in.
One must know that Team Rocket completely controlled the economic lifeline of this city, with the sole exception of the perfume industry.
"Perfume?"
Ash frowned. So it was a legitimate business, something he hadn't expected. Still, he spoke with a hint of disdain:
"Men's perfume? Do men actually wear perfume?"
A strong man should be fierce, vibrant, and muscular. Perfume is an insult to men!
Seeing this, the boldly dressed women instantly lost interest in Ash. A large proportion of the male population did indeed look down on perfume, lacking any sense of style. In their eyes, these people were not their target audience.
"Besides, haven't you heard the song, 'Perfume is Poisonous'? This stuff has no reason to exist. I suggest you all change careers immediately. If that's not an option, go back to school and make something of yourselves."
Ash continued his tirade:
"A woman's real skill is having a strong body. All these other external things are wicked temptations."
The women: "!"
They could have let the other comments slide, but this clueless youth dared to insult perfume. This was no different from insulting their faith.
"Young man, stop your nonsense!"
Just as tensions were about to boil over, a low shout came from behind Ash. A woman in a kimono slowly walked in through the doorway. She was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a beautiful and gentle face, and she wore her silky blue hair short, with a light red hairpin in her bangs.
Unlike the others, she was dressed in a traditional kimono. Her long skirt was orange-red, while the upper part was a tranquil and elegant emerald green, making her appear grand and refined.
This person was the owner of this perfume shop.
"To say that perfume is meaningless is simply too rude. Perfume not only smells fragrant, but it also has the effect of healing the spirit and relaxing the muscles, allowing one to be full of energy."
The shop owner explained, a hint of anger in her voice.
Ash said disdainfully, "Who needs to wear perfume for that? I'm always full of energy."
"True, that's the only thing you have going for you," Misty chimed in from across from him, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"In short, perfume is just something women use to bewitch men! Say something, Teacher Brock! Use your Rock-Solid Will to enlighten them!"
Ash was just about to rally his great backup, but he was shocked to find that the space behind him was suddenly empty.
And behind the shop owner, a dark-skinned fellow had suddenly appeared.
"Hello, my name is Brock. I merely entered the shop at the same time as this ignorant youth. I don't know him," Brock decisively drew a line in the sand. He then sidled up to the group of women, flashed a brilliant white smile, and said:
"Sisters, would you recommend a few men's perfumes for me?"
Ash: "?"
Seeing this, the shop owner turned her cold gaze to Ash. "Since you look down on perfume, please leave."
She was already trembling with anger from Ash's rude words. Despite the hot day, a cold sweat broke out on her skin, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.
"Such a dense, straight man!"
"No girl will ever like you in your entire life!"
A few of the shop assistants also chimed in, making Ash's face flush red.
Soon, Ash was unceremoniously thrown out of the perfume shop, all alone.
"Tsk, I was going to challenge the Gym anyway. I wasn't here for some perfume shop."
He stubbornly retorted, heading off in one direction with Pikachu.
Three hours later, Ash arrived in front of the Celadon Gym. Even with the Pokédex guiding him, he still wandered around Celadon City in circles a few times before finding his way.
"So this is the Celadon Gym."
Ash's energy was still boundless. He took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the Gym.
For a Gym, it looked more like a giant greenhouse. A massive, curved glass structure enveloped the building, and countless unknown plants could be seen growing inside.
He pushed open the main doors. Although it was indoors, many plants were still growing, and the scent of perfume seemed even stronger. Ash promptly shouted:
"Hey, hey, hey! I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge the Celadon Gym!!"
Every time you challenge a Gym, you must first display the presence of taking over the place. A strong presence means victory in the battle!
Soon, a few young women who worked as greeters came forward.
"Welcome to the Celadon Gym—hey, why is it you!"
"Our Celadon Gym doesn't welcome dense guys like you!"
Their expressions changed in a flash.
Ash took a closer look. The two women before him were the same employees he had met at the perfume shop. They were about to throw him out of the Gym's main entrance once again.
"Stop!"
A sharp cry made the two of them freeze. Following the source of the voice, Ash once again saw the owner of the perfume shop.
"Challenging a Gym is the right of every challenger. As long as he is not a criminal, we should not refuse him."
Erika, dressed in her emerald kimono, walked over slowly. Her expression held a hint of reprimand as she looked at the two women. Only then did she turn her gaze to Ash, her tone gentle and dignified, her eyes calm.
"Although you are a rude person, I still accept your challenge. I am the Celadon Gym Leader, Erika."
These words actually made Ash feel a little ashamed, and he scratched his head in embarrassment.
So this woman named Erika was this broad-minded?
But then Erika's tone suddenly hardened, and her gentle face grew stern.
"But I will use my full strength to teach you a lesson!"
A Gym challenge, in the end, was just a method of assessment. Except for a pushover Gym like Cerulean Gym, one couldn't expect a new Trainer to defeat a Gym Leader who had been training for years right from the start.
A qualified Gym Leader's job was to use different levels of strength against different challengers to stimulate their potential and fighting spirit.
But she was a woman who held a grudge. Today, she couldn't care less about stimulating a challenger's potential!
She was going to thoroughly crush this rude, clueless youth before her.
Hearing this, the endless flames of battle ignited in Ash's eyes, and he couldn't help but clench his fists.
"I couldn't ask for more!"
(end of chapter)