A stands for Aromatherapy.
A soft exhale could be heard as the woman opened up the door to her home. "I'm home!" shouted Erika as she entered her condo. She switched on the lights and a familiar creature walked out of the bathroom. "Glooooom!" greeted her partner with a smile at her face. "I'm glad to see you too Gloom" replied the female, a happy smile gracing her face. She locked the door after she had put down her handbag.
It had been a rather busy day at the gym today with two challengers. One of them was a female trainer who had used a vicious Staraptor plus a well-trained Gothorita against her team. The foreign trainer came out victorious, but that was no surprise. Number two was a guy who tried to outmatch her with a Marshtomp and a Gurdurr. The former Pokémon was no match for her Tangela while the second was a bit trickier. Another thing that had taken up time on her agenda was the perfume business. After Elesa as well as Sabrina announced the names of their perfumes to the press, the sales had skyrocketed. But this had put more pressure on the black haired lady to produce more of the scented liquid that her fellow gym leaders claimed to use daily. A part of her was thankful since this income was good news to her business. But a much more tired aspect of her mind wished that she could clone herself so she could get some rest. Being an executive plus a gym leader was taking a toll nowadays.
"Crikey…I'm so tired" muttered the woman as she headed straight for the bathroom. She did not bother to close the door since it was only her Pokémon were the only ones who lived with her. Erika changed from her kimono to a pair of navy pajama bottoms plus a cobalt blue T-shirt first. After she had hung up her kimono on a hanger, she went straight to the living room. It was time to start her relaxation ritual that usually helped her unwind after a long stressful day. 'Let's see…which scent should I choose?' pondered the 30-year old as she looked at the different scented candles. Her eyes scanned the different containers that stood at her shelf. Being surrounded by perfumes all day long had given the female a good understanding of what kind of effect different smells could have. Having grass type partners helped her out quite a bit as well. The gym leader found oils to be too strong, so candles were the best option for her. Slim hands picked down four candles that were supposed to boost relaxation and her mood. Her nose sniffed at the four different containers. Her face grimaced at the cinnamon scent; it was a bit too sharp for her current mood. The candle with orange scent would not provide her with the relaxation she needed either. But the lavender however made the woman lower her shoulders by just sniffing it. 'I think I'll go with this one. And the patchouli one' decided Erika after some contemplation. She ignited both of the candles after she had put away the other two.
The woman was about to measure up some water in a water bottle when she felt something poke her leg. "Glooooom" sighed her partner with a smile on her face. "You like the smell too huh? That's good. Just stay away from the flames – you know you can't handle them very well" warned the grass type lover. There had been a situation where her Pokémon had touched a candle while she was cleaning up her room. Needless to say, Gloom had to go straight to the Pokémon center straight afterwards with a couple of nasty burns. The poor Pokémon plus the kitchen had escaped unharmed that time – but the female knew it could happen again. She placed both of the candles far back on the kitchen counter so her partner would not get hurt.
"Let's see what the radio station has to offer" said the inky-haired kimono user while she gave Gloom a silly smile. She turned on the radio after placing the water bottle in the freezer. A soothing sound that consisted of a bamboo fountain combined with a rainfall made the atmosphere in the small condo much more relaxed. The young woman laid down at the sofa and felt the build-up tension in her body go away. She inhaled through her nose while relaxing the muscles in her legs as well as her back. A smile formed at her face as she could feel the small aches go away. The combination of lavender plus patchouli made her brain stress down as well. It was just something about floral or natural types of scents that made her body relax. 'No wonder I'm so attracted to grass Pokémon. They're probably acting as a natural stress relief for me sometimes' mused Erika as she glanced over at her partner. The Pokémon was laying down in a medium sized basket that had been remade into a bed. Gloom was not far off from dozing off judging by its calm breathing pattern. It was a bit odd that simple pleasures like these could relax both humans and Pokémon. Nice scents, a soft sofa plus a calming melody on the radio as well as a nice cup of tea was just what the duo needed.
"You know what Gloom…this is really nice" muttered the woman as she glanced over at her partner. "Glooooom" sighed the Pokémon as it rolled over on its back. The gym leader felt her heartbeat and her breathing calm down. All of the stress she had felt earlier was now a distant memory as her senses was fully taking in the relaxing environment. The 30-year old was half asleep when she started to feel thirsty. 'Looks like it's time for me to get my water. Better get up I suppose' decided the female as she got up from her sofa. Her eyes glanced at her watch; she had been dozing off for nearly half an hour. Erika blew out the candles after she had removed the water bottle from the freezer. She sat down again and took a solid gulp of the ice cold liquid. The thirst vanished instantly while the chilly temperature made her mind wake up a little. "Here Gloom. You can take the rest" told the woman before she changed the radio channel. The small session of aroma therapy had calmed down her nerves quite a lot. The gym leader felt a smile form at her face once more; this was exactly what she needed in order to prepare herself for the upcoming week.