"What's wrong? Take your time," Erika said, looking at the apprentice to comfort her.
The Ponytail Apprentice bit her lip: "The latest batch of Fragrant Essence Extract... it seems to have been stolen. It's the batch we were preparing to use for next year's limited edition perfume, the one kept in the safe..."
Erika's brow furrowed slightly.
That batch of essence extract was indeed precious; it was extracted from rare plants she had spent half a year meticulously cultivating, and it simply couldn't be bought on the market.
But...
She looked at the Gloom in her arms, then at the rescued Pokemon around them, and smiled slightly.
"It's alright, as long as the people and Pokemon are unhurt. Things like perfume can always be made again."
Her tone was gentle, carrying a sense of relief.
The Ponytail Apprentice was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Gym Leader, you are truly open-minded..."
The other apprentices also showed looks of admiration.
Just then.
A figure suddenly drifted out from a wall.
Gastly.
It gave a weird, cackling laugh and floated in front of Roy, carrying a small bottle.
The bottle contained a pale golden liquid that shimmered under the reflection of the firelight.
Roy took the bottle and glanced at it: "What is this?"
Gastly shook its body triumphantly: "Jie jie jie..."
It pointed towards the Core Botanical Garden, then at the bottle, and then made a stealing gesture with its claws.
Roy understood.
"You mean, you swiped this back from those thieves?"
Gastly nodded, laughing even more proudly: "Jie jie jie jie jie~"
He held the bottle and handed it to Erika: "Gym Leader Erika, see if this is what you lost?"
Erika took it and looked, her eyes instantly lighting up.
"This is... the Fragrant Essence Extract?!"
She opened the cap and took a sniff; that familiar fragrance wafted towards her.
"That's it! This is the batch of essence!"
Erika held the bottle, looking up at Roy, her eyes slightly reddened.
"Roy-kun... how... how did you find this?"
Roy pointed at Gastly: "It wasn't me, it was him. I sent him in earlier to scout the way, and I didn't realize he'd swiped this on the way out."
Gastly floated in the air, cackling weirdly with an expression that clearly said 'praise me, praise me quickly.'
Erika looked at Gastly, then at Roy, an indescribable wave of emotion rising in her heart.
Just now, Roy had braved the sea of fire to rush in and save her.
Now, his Gastly had helped her recover the lost essence.
Although she had said she could make more of this essence, in reality, it had taken half a year to extract from rare materials; every drop was worth a fortune.
If it were truly lost, the loss would have been quite significant.
Moreover, most importantly, this was her flagship product for next year; if it were lost, the entire Gym's economic plans would be thrown into disarray.
But now, it had been recovered.
Erika held the bottle and looked at Roy, her voice a bit choked: "Roy... really, thank you so much..."
Roy said with a smile: "It's all Gastly's credit."
Gastly drifted back and forth nearby, looking immensely proud of itself.
Erika took a deep breath, calmed her emotions, and then looked at Gastly with a gentle smile: "Thank you, Gastly. You really are a clever little fellow."
Gastly was so pleased by the praise that it started spinning in circles in the air.
At that moment, the Ponytail Apprentice ran over again, looking puzzled.
"Gym Leader, if the essence is here... then what did the bad guys steal?"
Everyone looked at each other.
That's right, since the thieves stole something, what they took should have been this bottle of essence.
But if the essence is here, then what did the thieves take?
Erika was also stunned for a moment, then shook her head: "Forget it, never mind. As long as the essence is back, it's fine."
She looked at Roy, her gaze so gentle it could practically melt into water.
"Roy, it's really thanks to you today. Once the Gym is sorted out, I must thank you properly."
Afterward, Roy helped Erika clean up the scene after the fire.
...
Meanwhile.
In the Celadon City sewers.
In a dark and damp corner, three figures were crouching on the ground, rubbing their hands excitedly.
"Quick, quick, quick! Take it out and let's see!" Jessie urged.
James pulled an exquisite wooden box from his chest, his hands shaking with excitement.
"Here it comes, here it comes! The Celadon Gym's perfume essence!"
Meowth perched on his shoulder, his eyes gleaming: "We're rich, we're rich, meow! With this, our future living expenses and the costs for catching rare Pokemon are all sorted, meow!"
"Hahaha! Great, just great!" Jessie laughed until she couldn't close her mouth: "This rotten banana is the treasure of Celadon Gym!"
James also laughed wildly: "Exactly, exactly! This rotten banana..."
Halfway through their laughter, the three of them suddenly froze.
Rotten banana?
What rotten banana?
Jessie was the first to react, her expression changing: "Wait... what did you say about a rotten banana?"
James was also dazed: "I... did I just say rotten banana?"
Meowth's eyes widened: "Both of you said it, meow! What rotten banana? We clearly stole the perfume essence, meow!"
The three of them looked at each other, then simultaneously looked at the wooden box in their hands.
Inside the box, lying quietly, was a...
Rotten banana.
That's right, it was just an ordinary rotten banana, its skin already black, emitting a faint foul odor.
Jessie: "..."
James: "..."
Meowth: "..."
Silence.
A deathly silence.
Three seconds later.
"Aaaaaaaah!!!!!!"
A world-shaking scream erupted in the sewers.
"Who turned my perfume essence into a rotten banana?!"
"Where's my million-dollar perfume?!"
"My living expenses! My rare Pokemon catching funds! All gone, meow!"
...
At this moment, Gastly, drifting happily beside Roy, cackled even more joyfully...
...
As the sun set, golden light filtered through the dome, spilling over the ruins of the Core Botanical Garden, lending it a touch of warmth.
Roy wiped the black soot from his face, his hand instantly turning pitch black.
Seeing him like this, Erika instinctively wanted to wipe it for him, but seeing his official girlfriend approaching not far away, she pulled her hand back and said gently.
"Roy, you've really worked hard today. How about... staying for dinner? I know a good restaurant nearby and I want to thank you properly."
She spoke with expectation in her eyes.
She was still draped in Roy's jacket, wrapped tightly; she looked petite and gentle.
Roy looked at her, then at Misty and Delia nearby, and smiled as he waved his hand: "Gym Leader Erika is too kind, but we've already made plans for tonight to have dinner at a friend's house. Next time, I'll be back tomorrow anyway."
"Tomorrow?"
Erika's eyes lit up.
"Yes, for the Gym challenge," Roy winked and joked, "How about taking it easy on me tomorrow?"
"Huh?" Erika was taken aback for a moment.
"Hahaha, just kidding. If there's any 'water' to spare, better save it for other uses," Roy smoothed over the joke.
Erika was amused by him and chuckled, covering her mouth: "Alright, I'll see you at the challenge match tomorrow!"
She spoke with a hint of tenderness and anticipation in her eyes.
It was great that she could see Roy again tomorrow.
"Then we'll be going now." Roy waved to her and turned to walk toward Misty and Delia.
Misty was standing not far away, arms crossed, looking at him with a face full of disdain.
Delia was smiling gently, with Pikachu and Eevee following beside her.
"Let's go, let's go, you're filthy," Misty curled her lip. "Look at you, your face is covered in black soot, you look like a calico cat."
Roy gave a cheeky grin and walked up to her.
Then, he raised his hand.
His soot-covered finger swiped directly across Misty's cheek.
A black mark appeared.
Misty froze.
"Aaaaaah!!!!"
She touched her face, looked at the soot on her finger, and completely lost her temper.
"Roy! What are you doing!!!"
She shrieked and raised her hand to hit him.
Roy had expected this; he laughed and jumped back, dodging her palm.
"You stay right there!!!"
Misty chased after him in a huff, the black mark on her cheek particularly conspicuous.
Pikachu and Eevee watched from the side and joined in the run, chirping and calling out.
Delia couldn't help but laugh at the scene.
Under the sunset, the three figures chased and played, their laughter carrying far away.
Erika stood in place, watching this scene, a hint of envy showing in her eyes.
She gently pulled the jacket tighter around her.
The jacket still held Roy's warmth and a faint scent of sweat.
Watching his retreating back, a complex set of emotions suddenly welled up in Erika's heart.
Although she wasn't the type of Academic Faction Trainer who only read books—she had also gone out for field training for a period of time—
Ultimately, her life's path had long been laid out for her.
Inheriting the family perfume business, managing the Celadon Gym, and researching the diversity of grass-type Pokemon.
Every step was methodical and followed the rules.
Like Roy and the others, playing and joking with friends, traveling freely, challenging Gyms to become stronger...
That kind of life was something she seemed never to have experienced.
Even though they were just rookie Trainers without any powerful Pokemon battle strength, that kind of happiness was truly beautiful.
Erika watched the three figures getting further away in the sunset, her lips unconsciously curling into a gentle arc.
It wasn't until the three figures completely disappeared around the street corner that Erika snapped out of it.
She looked down at the jacket she was wearing and was stunned for a moment.
Ah, I forgot to give it back to him.
She instinctively wanted to call out to Roy, but just as she opened her mouth, she stopped.
Never mind... he's coming to challenge the Gym tomorrow; I'll just give it back to him then.
Thinking of this, Erika pulled the jacket a bit tighter.
The smile on her lips grew even gentler.