On the way, Misty pulled Delia along as they chatted enthusiastically with Erika.
"Manager, how long have you had this shop?"
"I've been in charge for a few years," Erika said with a smile. "I've loved perfume since I was a child, and this was started by the elders in my family."
"Then, isn't it exhausting for you to manage the shop and attend classes at the same time?"
"It's alright," Erika said gently. "When it's something you love, you don't feel tired doing it."
Delia asked from the side, "Manager, you mentioned earlier about using materials from Pokémon to formulate perfume. Is it really possible to formulate it oneself?"
"Of course," Erika nodded. "As long as you master the methods, you can formulate simple perfumes even while traveling. Moreover, perfume made from your own Pokémon's materials will be much more meaningful."
Delia's eyes lit up as she listened, nodding repeatedly.
The group chatted and laughed, soon arriving in front of a building.
It was a small three-story building that looked quite ordinary on the outside, no different from the surrounding structures.
The only special thing was the sign above the main entrance: Celadon Gym.
Misty looked up and was stunned.
"Wait." She stopped in her tracks. "This is... the Gym?"
Erika nodded with a smile: "Yes, the Celadon Gym."
"Then, Manager, you..." Misty's eyes widened.
"I am the Gym Leader of Celadon Gym, Erika," Erika said softly.
Misty: "!!!"
Delia also had a look of surprise on her face.
A young girl nearby explained with a smile: "Our manager is indeed Gym Leader Erika. The perfume shop was opened by the Gym Leader, and we are all apprentices of the Gym. We usually study Gym battles while also learning about perfumes."
Erika nodded with a smile.
Misty took a deep breath and then quietly looked at Roy, signaling with her eyes: This is the person you have to challenge tomorrow!
You'd better watch closely in a bit!
Roy smiled and nodded; he was already watching closely—at Gym Leader Erika.
While the two were exchanging glances, Erika had already pushed open the Gym's main doors.
"Please, come in."
The group walked inside.
Instantly, a fresh scent of greenery and wood wafted toward them.
The interior of the Gym was a completely different world from the outside.
In the spacious hall, green plants were everywhere.
Tall and short, large and small; some were planted in the ground, some hung in the air, and others climbed all over the walls.
Sunlight spilled down from transparent skylights onto those plants, making the entire space lush with greenery and bursting with life.
The air was filled with a faint, fresh scent of vegetation, mingled with some ethereal floral fragrances.
Misty's mouth hung open: "Wow... this is just too beautiful, isn't it?"
Delia was also dazed, unable to resist taking several deep breaths: "What a comfortable scent."
Erika walked in front, introducing softly: "Celadon Gym is a grass-type Gym, so we try our best to create a natural environment. These plants were all planted by me and my Pokémon together, and they are usually cared for by them as well."
She pointed to the plants: "There are many types of flowers and herbs here; some are important materials for perfume, while others are simply for aesthetics. My Pokémon love it here and spend a long time here every day."
As she was speaking, a small head suddenly poked out from the nearby grass.
It was an Oddish.
With its blue body, green leaves, and round eyes, it looked adorably dazed.
Seeing so many people, it blanked for a moment and then shrunk back into the grass.
Delia's eyes lit up: "So cute!"
Erika smiled, crouched down, and gently parted the grass: "Don't be afraid, they're all friends."
The Oddish poked its head out, looked at everyone, and then slowly walked out.
Next, several more Pokémon emerged from the grass.
There was a Gloom, a Weepinbell, as well as a Tangela and an Exeggcute.
They looked curiously at the group of strangers, but none of them seemed afraid, clearly accustomed to visitors.
Delia stared at that Gloom, somewhat unable to believe it: "Is this a Gloom? It... it doesn't smell bad at all."
Erika laughed: "Gloom only release a foul odor when they feel threatened or nervous. Usually, they are very clean and even emit a faint fragrance."
As she spoke, she beckoned with her hand.
That Gloom walked over and gently rubbed against her hand.
Erika stroked its head and said to Delia: "Here, you try."
Delia carefully reached out her hand.
The Gloom looked at her and then also gently rubbed against her hand.
Delia was so excited her face turned red: "It's so well-behaved!"
Erika nodded with a smile: "It likes you."
Misty watched from the side with envy and also leaned over to pet the Oddish.
The Oddish enjoyed being petted and gently shook the leaves on top of its head.
"So cute!" Misty's eyes were shining.
Roy stood to the side, watching this scene and silently taking notes.
The living environment of grass-type Pokémon, the types of plants, and their habits...
These were all important references for tomorrow's Gym challenge.
Although he didn't think he would lose, it was never wrong to be well-prepared.
At that moment, Erika stood up and clapped her hands: "Alright, let's begin the lesson. Everyone, follow me."
The group followed her through the hall to a room further inside.
This room was like a small botanical museum, with transparent glass walls on all four sides through which various exotic plants could be seen.
In the middle of the room were several tables with various tools and materials laid out.
There were distillers, beakers, test tubes, and all sorts of bottles and jars.
The air was filled with various fragrances, which mixed together without seeming cluttered.
"Please, take a seat anywhere," Erika walked to the front. "Tonight we will cover some basic knowledge about perfume, and then I will give a simple demonstration on how to formulate perfume using materials from Pokémon."
Everyone sat down on the lawn.
Misty and Delia sat at the very front, looking expectant.
Roy sat in the back, looking leisurely.
Pikachu lay on his lap, its little nose twitching before it let out a yawn.
Erika stood at the front and began her explanation.
"The main components of perfume are alcohol and essence. There are many sources for essence; it can come from flowers and herbs, fruit, or even substances secreted by Pokémon..."
Her voice was gentle and pleasant, and her explanation was clear and organized.
Misty and Delia listened intently, nodding from time to time.
As Roy listened, he started to space out a bit.
It wasn't that she was teaching poorly.
It was just that he truly wasn't very interested in these things.
However, this Erika person was actually quite interesting.
While explaining, she would occasionally walk among the students to show some materials up close.
The hem of her dress swayed gently, and as her slender waist twisted, she carried an air of elegant charm.
The faint cleavage under her V-neck would occasionally become more apparent with her movements.
Roy's gaze swept over her, thinking to himself that this Gym Leader was indeed quite a figure.
Beautiful, with a great figure, talented, and powerful.
A perfect persona.
Just as he was thinking this, Erika finished the basic knowledge and began the second part.
"Next, I'd like to talk about perfume and my Pokémon."
She walked to a cabinet on the side and took out a small bottle.
The bottle contained a pale yellow liquid that looked somewhat viscous.
"This is an essence I formulated using Gloom's secretions." She opened the cap and gave it a gentle shake. "You can have a smell."
She handed the bottle to the students in the front row.
After smelling it, the students all expressed their amazement.
"So fragrant!"
"This scent is so special!"
"It smells even better than the perfumes in the shop just now!"
Erika took back the bottle with a smile and continued: "Many people think Gloom only emit a foul smell, but that is actually a defense mechanism they only release when dealing with attackers. Normally, they secrete a very fragrant substance, which is an excellent material for making perfume."
Delia raised her hand to ask a question: "Gym Leader Erika, I have a question."
"Please, go ahead."
"I have an Oddish." Delia was a bit embarrassed. "I always thought that after it evolved into Gloom, it would become very smelly. Hearing you say this, is that actually not the case?"
Erika nodded with a smile: "Yes. Gloom only release a foul odor when they feel threatened. Normally, as long as you raise them well, they won't just not smell bad; they can even secrete very fragrant substances and become great helpers in making perfume."
Delia's eyes lit up: "Then how should they be raised?"
Erika thought for a moment and said gently: "That's a very good question. If you're interested, I can chat with you privately after class and teach you some methods for raising an Oddish. As long as the methods are proper, you'll be able to use your own Oddish to formulate simple perfumes while traveling in the future."
Delia was so excited her face turned red: "Really?! Thank you so much!"
Erika waved her hand with a smile: "It's nothing. I'm also very happy to meet a Trainer who both likes perfume and owns an Oddish."
She paused and added: "Moreover, your Oddish seems to be very well cared for; it should be able to evolve soon. When that time comes, you can personally formulate your very own perfume."
Delia nodded repeatedly, her eyes full of anticipation.
...
At the front, students interested in perfume like Delia and Misty had plenty of interaction with Erika.
But Roy, who knew nothing about perfume, now only wanted to say one thing.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Erika's gentle voice drifted around his ears like a soft spring breeze, but to Roy's ears, it was no different from a monk chanting scriptures.
"The top notes of a perfume usually last fifteen minutes to two hours, the heart notes are the soul of the perfume and can last three to five hours, and as for the base notes..."
Roy's eyelids began to fight to stay open.
He tried hard to keep his eyes wide, pretending to listen intently, even nodding from time to time to show he understood.
But in reality, all he could think about was—what should I eat tonight?
Pikachu, sitting on his lap, was quite energetic, its little eyes darting around as it watched its Trainer's head.
When Roy nodded, it also nodded.
When Roy shook his head, it also shook its head.
Pikachu's eyes followed Roy's head as it swayed back and forth, back and forth...
As it turned, Pikachu felt the world spinning; its little head tilted, and with a 'plop', it fell onto Roy's lap, four paws in the air, completely dizzy.
Roy glanced down, his mouth twitching.
Up front, Misty and Delia were listening as if entranced.
Delia would raise her hand to ask questions from time to time, and Erika would always answer patiently, as gentle as a kind older sister.
Misty was also nodding repeatedly beside her, looking as if she were benefiting greatly.
The other apprentice girls were also fully focused, some even taking notes in small notebooks.
Only Roy sat at the very back, feeling like he was listening to a foreign language.
He felt like he was back in math class, with the teacher lecturing on trigonometric functions while his soul left his body.
The key was that he couldn't sleep.
What if Erika caught him dozing off, thought he was being disrespectful, and kicked him right out of the Gym?
He still had a challenge tomorrow.
So Roy continued to sway his head and nod like he was pounding garlic.
He put on a very serious act.
Pikachu finally recovered from its dizziness, climbed up to look at Roy, then looked at Erika teaching at the front, and scratched its head with a little paw.
Couldn't figure it out.
Humans are truly strange.
Just as Roy was about to be unable to keep up the act any longer.
BOOM!!!
A loud explosion suddenly came from deep within the Gym.
The entire ground shook.
"Ah!!!"
Several apprentice girls in the front row screamed in terror; Delia also let out a cry, subconsciously hugging Misty.
Misty's eyes widened: "What's the situation?!"
Roy was instantly energized!
His sleepiness vanished, and his eyes shone.
It's here, it's here! Finally, something to do!
Erika's brow furrowed slightly, and she turned to look in the direction the sound had come from.
That way is...
Her heart sank.
The Core Botanical Garden.
"Leader!" An apprentice girl with a ponytail turned pale: "The sound seemed to come from the Core Botanical Garden! Gloom and the others are all there!"
Erika's expression changed slightly.
The Core Botanical Garden was where she cultivated rare plants and perfume ingredients, and it was also where the Gloom usually rested.
If something went wrong there...
Roy stood up with a start: "Let's go, we'll go check it out first!"
Erika glanced at him and said softly: "No need, you all wait here. I'll go take a look myself. It might be an accident; it's safer for you to stay here."
Roy said solemnly: "I am also a Trainer. If there's any trouble, I can help."
Pikachu also jumped up, patted its chest with its little paw, and wagged its tail rapidly.
Indicating its combat power was top-notch.
Erika looked at the serious pair of human and pet, blanked for a moment, and then nodded with a smile: "Alright, then I'll trouble you."
The two quickly headed out.
Before leaving, Erika turned and instructed the ponytail apprentice: "Take everyone and stay here, don't run around. If things don't look right, organize an evacuation immediately."
"Yes, Leader!" The ponytail apprentice nodded repeatedly.
Roy followed Erika through the hall, running toward the Core Botanical Garden.
Along the way, he noticed the plants becoming more and more numerous and dense, and the fragrance in the air became increasingly heavy.
Passing through a glass door, they reached a corridor.
At the end of the corridor was the Core Botanical Garden.
While running, Roy pulled a Poké Ball from his waist.
"Gastly, come out."
A flash of white light, and Gastly floated in the air.
"Go ahead and scout the situation," Roy pointed to the end of the corridor. "Pass through the walls and see what's happening inside."
Gastly nodded, gave a 'hehe' mischievous laugh, twisted its body, and passed directly through the adjacent wall, vanishing from sight.
Erika glanced at Roy, somewhat surprised: "Gastly? A Ghost-type Pokémon; passing through walls is indeed very convenient."
Roy nodded: "It can scout the situation faster..."
The two made arrangements and continued running forward...