The next day.
9 a.m.
Silas and the three girls finally woke one after another.
They were staying in a family-style hotel, so as soon as Silas stepped out of his room, he saw the three girls already up.
"Morning," Suzie said cheerfully from the couch.
"Morning." Silas replied weakly, flopping down onto the sofa. He was wiped out—ever since he got out of the police station yesterday, he'd been tied up at the hospital, sorting out all the compensation for the injured. Thanks to Tyranitar, there were just too many victims to count, and he'd ended up negotiating late into the night!
"Did you settle the compensation issues?" Lorelei asked with a gentle smile, peering over her newspaper as she eyed Silas sprawled out on the sofa.
"More or less." Silas sighed. "Everyone's been paid… except Erika."
"Erika?" Suzie asked curiously. "You mean the gym leader?"
"Yeah." Silas nodded, still slumped. "Doesn't really matter, honestly—I was planning to challenge Celadon Gym today anyway, so we'll have to meet. I'll just pay what I owe and apologize at the same time—kill two birds with one stone."
Giselle rolled her eyes. "Seriously, who the heck apologizes and challenges a gym leader at the same time? Are you picking a fight or making amends?"
"I…" Silas pointed at himself.
"…." Giselle.
"…." Lorelei.
The two girls were left speechless, while Suzie just grinned. "Sounds like a plan. I'll order breakfast now—eat up and then let's hit the road!"
...
After breakfast, the four set out from the hotel.
Celadon City was huge—it took them a full hour of walking to finally reach Celadon Gym.
Honestly, Silas thought calling this place a "gym" was almost misleading—a more accurate name would be "Rainbow Perfume Shop."
There were just so many perfumes, lining every wall and every display, it was impossible to count them all. Lorelei and the other two were instantly captivated, diving straight into the scented displays and chatting excitedly about every little bottle, leaving Silas completely ignored.
Watching the girls get sucked into the whirlwind of perfume shopping, Silas muttered to himself, "Guess perfume really is every woman's kryptonite…"
"No kidding."
Just as Silas finished, a melodic voice chimed in beside him. He turned to see a stunning girl standing close by—her looks just as striking as Lorelei's, but with her own gentle, graceful aura, much like Suzie.
The beautiful girl smiled, "Perfume really is irresistible for women. After all, don't we all want to look—and smell—our best?"
"And you are…?" Silas arched an eyebrow.
"Erika!" The girl replied brightly, offering her hand—her right wrist bandaged. "I'm the owner here, as well as the gym trainer. Nice to meet you, Silas."
"You know who I am?" Silas shook Erika's hand, a little surprised. "I'm pretty sure this is our first time meeting."
Erika nodded with a soft laugh. "True, but your name's spread among all us gym leaders by now. So when I ended up getting battered by that mutant Tyranitar yesterday, I had a hunch it was you."
As soon as Erika brought up yesterday, Silas's expression turned awkward. "Sorry about that! I'll cover your medical—"
"No need." Erika cut him off, glancing at the three girls lost in perfume hunting. "It was just a minor incident. There were reasons for what happened—no apology necessary. As for covering expenses… judging by how much perfume those three are buying, I think their purchases will more than cover my hospital bills."
Silas could only offer a helpless smile. Erika was obviously sharp, and he never did well with shrewd women. He decided silence was the better part of valor.
But Erika wasn't one for silence. She smiled and suggested, "How about having your gym match now, while your friends are busy picking out perfumes? I'd guess you're here for the badge, right?"
"Is that really okay?" Silas smiled awkwardly.
Erika laughed. "It's just my hand that's injured. Besides, our Pokémon are the ones battling, not us. And even if I didn't bring it up, you would have—so why waste each other's time?"
Silas was embarrassed, but she wasn't wrong. Even if Erika didn't mention it, he'd planned to. So he dropped the act and said, "Thanks—let's do it."
"No problem." Erika nodded. "Follow me."
She turned and led the way. Silas hurried after.
As Erika led him deeper into the gym, Silas couldn't help feeling like this place was more a greenhouse than a battle arena. Sure, grass gyms had flowers and plants, but Celadon Gym took it to another level—hundreds of plants everywhere, the battlefield itself tucked off to the right, the entire place resembling a thriving floral conservatory.
Once both sides took position, Erika explained, "Here, the rules are one-on-one. If you can knock out even a single one of my Pokémon, you win the Rainbow Badge. No issues?"
"Nope," Silas replied, already choosing a Master Ball from his belt.
Erika saw he was ready and tossed out her own Pokéball.
At the same time, they both called, "Go—Pikachu! / Go—Gloom!"
Gloom?!
A classic Grass-type—decent stats, neither too strong nor too weak, but infamous for its absolutely horrendous stench!
The facts about Gloom flashed through Silas's mind. He shot Erika a look—who'd have thought someone like her would train such a foul-smelling Pokémon?
Sensing his surprise, Erika smiled. "Gloom's saliva is actually the best ingredient for making perfumes."
Gloom's… saliva?!
Silas glanced at the thick drool clinging to Gloom's lips, then pictured smearing that stuff on a woman. He nearly gagged. "Let's just battle!"
"Alright." Erika nodded, immediately taking the offensive. "Gloom, the opponent's tough—use Sleep Powder!"
Sleep Powder?
"Gloom~"
But Gloom made it clear right away: dazzling clouds of blue Sleep Powder spilled from the bloom atop its head. As the powder drifted, Gloom spun elegantly, sending clouds fanning across the battlefield, like a ballerina scattering pollen.
Seeing the cloud of Sleep Powder rolling toward them, Silas's face paled. Sure, Pikachu was pretty much unbeatable short of an Elite Four's Pokémon, thanks to his enhanced, crystal-boosted Electric moves—but he'd never trained Pikachu's mental resistance. If Pikachu inhaled that powder, he'd be out cold within seconds. Silas barked, "Pikachu—Thunderbolt, full area defense!"
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu reacted instantly, sparking electricity across his fur.
Searing arcs of lightning whipped from his cheeks, racing wild as stallions, circling him in a crackling barrier that vaporized every speck of Sleep Powder before it could even draw close.
Monster!
Erika was stunned at such a brutally effective defense. Pikachu's method looked simple, but most elite Pokémon couldn't pull that off at all.
She didn't give in though. "Gloom, use Bullet Seed!"
"Gloom!"
Gloom opened wide, spitting hundreds of gleaming seeds, each streaking like a bullet at Pikachu!
"…." Silas.
It was almost laughable—regional moves, signature techniques, weird hybrids—just how talented was this Gloom?
Baffled but unfazed, Silas called out coolly, "Pikachu! Quick Attack to dodge, then Double-Edge at Gloom!"
"Pika!"
In a flash, Pikachu became a streak of white, his small figure weaving through the barrage untouched. As he closed in on Gloom, he suddenly accelerated—
The white glow vanished, replaced by surging electricity!
Lightning crackled around Pikachu's body, transforming him into a living thunderbolt as he rocketed toward Gloom!
"Protect!"
At the crucial moment, Erika gave her command.
"Gloom!"
Gloom cried out as a green energy shield formed instantly!
Double-Edge vs. Protect!
Pikachu smashed into the barrier, and for a moment, the two moves were deadlocked. Pikachu's lightning sizzled and spat, while Protect's glow flickered, both beginning to wane.
"Pika—!"
Pikachu gasped, finally blown backward by the impact.
But Gloom didn't look much better—Protect's defense was strong, but Pikachu's attack was even stronger. The shield held, but Gloom was sent skidding back several steps.
"Poison Powder!"
"Thunderbolt!"
At the same instant, both Trainers spoke.
Petals on Gloom's head burst into thick purple mist, spreading across the field.
But Pikachu was even faster—in barely two seconds, blinding lightning shot straight for Gloom—
BOOM!
Thunderbolt blasted Gloom, exploding with force.
When the smoke cleared, Gloom was out for the count. Pikachu, though not fainted, had inhaled some of the poison—he toppled over, but stayed awake.
"Wow…" Erika sighed, seeing Pikachu still conscious. "I was hoping we'd both knock each other out and call it a draw, but I didn't expect your Pikachu's electric reserves to be so crazy—he's still standing, even poisoned!"
"You're strong," Silas said simply. "A lot tougher than the other gym leaders."
"Can I take that as a compliment?" Erika asked, eyes twinkling.
"Sure." Silas nodded. "Definitely the toughest I've fought so far."
"I see." Erika's face blossomed into a grin as she tossed Silas two items.
One was a Rainbow Badge—the other, a small spray bottle. Silas eyed her curiously. "What's this?"
"Antidote." Erika answered, already busy treating Gloom. "It's my own formula—just have Pikachu snort a little and the poison will vanish. It even works on most non-Gloom poisons."
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