Chapter 20

Celadon City was known for two things: its tall buildings, and its scents. Apparently. That's at least what the brochure on the map told Ash and Brock as they stood in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle. While not quite as large or busy as Saffron City, it was a lot more lively here with shops as opposed to offices. While Ash could definitely see the first one with his own eyes, it was Brock who noticed the second.

"Something smells heavenly," he commented, sticking his nose out and sniffing the air while closing his eyes.

"Hey, what's going on?" Ash asked him. But the Pokémon Breeder didn't answer him, and instead stumbled forward with his nose out, as if something invisible had captured him by the nostrils and was pulling him down the sidewalk. "Wait, Brock! Where're you going?!" The Pokémon Trainer had to hurry to keep up with his traveling companion, but he only traveled just a block and a half before Ash found him pressed against a window of a shop. The look on his face made him look like a zombie that had died of happiness, and Ash couldn't help but laugh at it. "Who are you making faces at, Brock?"

"My nose tells me that this is my kind of town!" Brock replied finally, peeling his face from the glass.

"Huh?" They both turned to look into the window of the shop once again. It was a perfume shop, and there were three girls at the counter by the cash register. All of them were pretty and wore the same kind of store uniform, and were huddled around and giggling with each other. They hadn't noticed the pair, as they were too into their own conversation.

"I-I think we should stay here a while," Brock said as though he were in a trance.

"Well, if you want to waste your time," Ash replied with an eyebrow cocked, and pulled away from the window. Perfume wasn't his thing, and he had better things to do than stare through a window. Like finding the Pokémon Gym. "I'm gonna get moving. See ya, Brocko." He gave Brock one last look, but Brock was pretty much a window cling at that point, and some passersby looked at him strangely as they walked past. Not wanting to be associated with Brock when he was like this, Ash disappeared into the crowd to find his way to the Pokémon Gym.

o 0 o

The Celadon City Gym was located all the way south of the city, and Ash gazed up at the building with his mouth slightly open in awe. It was circular and giant, and in the middle of a huge park surrounded by trees. The building itself was shaped like a flower of some kind, with orange leaves sticking out of it near the roof.

Excitement and determination flooded Ash's body as he walked up the steps to get to the front doors. After today, he would be caught up with Gary and the others. At long last, he wouldn't be too far behind. This thought brought a smile to his face as he walked in through the automatic glass doors, and the fresh, cool air of the air conditioners hit him as he walked in through the lobby. Inside, there were girls at the front counter as well, but they were brown uniforms like they worked in a state park or safari. Various trees and plants dotted and lined the lobby, and some even grew from the ground where soil was planted instead of linoleum tile.

"Hello. I'm here to challenge your Gym Master to an official battle to win a Badge," Ash greeted to the pair of girls who were standing by the entrance to the Gym. The blue haired girl looked him up and down and looked as if she wanted to say something, but chose not to and gestured toward the front desk.

"Come with me," she told him. With her in the lead, she led him to the front counter, where she took his information and typed it into the computer.

"Um, where is Erika, the Gym Master?" Ash had briefly heard the name mentioned when he was asking around for directions of the Gym.

"You'll meet her soon," the Gym Trainer told him briefly. She finished typing on the keyboard in front of her, and stood back up from the chair. "Okay, Ash. The Gym Leader is out at the moment, but she will be back in the evening. Please come back then."

"What?" That wasn't the answer he was expecting, and his eyebrows rose up to his forehead.

"Erika has other duties other than the Gym. That's why there are so many of us." The girl gained a hardened look on her face, which intimidated Ash slightly and told him she had a short fuse. "The Pokémon Center will be a good place to wait if you haven't been there already, and there is plenty to do in the city as well. I'm sure you can pass the time somehow."

Ash let out a sigh of defeat, and knew that opening his mouth would only get the girl more irritated with him. He would come back in the evening. And it would be then that he would get his Badge.

o 0 o

It was quite lonely without Brock at his side. After getting his Pokémon checked out at the Pokémon Center by Nurse Joy and getting a big meal in before his match, he expected Brock to at least show up there when he didn't see his traveling companion at the Gym. But after getting confirmation from the pink-haired nurse that his Pokémon were battle-ready, the Pokémon Breeder wasn't anywhere in sight, so Ash went to the huge shopping center to get various supplies he needed to restock for his journey. Unfortunately, that was also Brock's department as well, and Ash only left by replenishing his stock in Poké Balls.

Finally, the sun was starting to set, so he found it appropriate to head over to the Pokémon-shaped Gym to wait out his remaining time there until his scheduled time. Upon walking in through the front doors, he was met this time by another girl, this one with olive-colored pigtails. Instantly, Ash recognized her – mostly from the bright uniform she wore – as one of the girls from the perfume shop from which he had lost Brock both physically and mentally. She smiled at him upon his arrival, almost as if she were awaiting him.

"Good evening. I'm betting you're Ash," she greeted. When the Pallet Town Trainer confirmed her suspicions, she retrieved a clipboard with his information on it and stood from her seated position. "You have good timing. The Gym Leader is finishing up a class. You're welcome to come observe the rest, if you'd like."

"Sure," Ash replied, trying to hide his excitement. It would now only be a matter of moments before he had his fifth Badge pinned under his jacket. His only disappointment was that Brock wouldn't be here to see it.

He had heard that Erika trained Grass-type Pokémon, and when the girl led him to a large greenhouse area, he could see that rumor was true. Many girls in brown uniforms were scattered and tending to a wide variety of plant Pokémon, some which Ash could recognize while others he hadn't quite seen yet. A girl in the corner was giving an Oddish exercising lessons, while another was wiping the spit off the corner of another Pokémon's mouth. Ash stared in wonder, wanting to scan every single Pokémon with his Pokédex but instead opting to follow the girl to the back of the greenhouse where a large gathering of young girls about Brock's age were kneeling in the grass like a kindergarten class would. They were sitting with some other Grass Pokémon as well, and they were all facing a young woman with blue hair that barely reached her chin and was parted by a red headband. Beside her was a blue Pokémon that wore a flower on its head that Ash realized was the basis of how the Gym was designed.

But what really caught his eye was the single male that was sitting in the front row of the class – Brock. Dark eyes sparkling in recognition, Ash dare not say anything too loud as him and the olive-haired girl stood in the back of the class where the young girl with blue hair was reading a story with picture slides that featured a blue Pokémon with a spiraling shell looking out into the ocean. "Uh oh, how'd Brock get here..."

"And so, Omanyte bid farewell, and promised to one day return to visit the friends who changed his life on that faraway beach. The end," the girl concluded.

"Great story..." Brock commented, his voice shaking as he brought a handkerchief to his eyes.

"Trainer Erika!" the counter girl piped up as the teacher put away her slides.

"Erika...!" Ash whispered, looking at the young woman in the green dress in a new light.

"I'd like to introduce a new challenger."

"Oh, welcome!" she greeted, standing up and smiling at him warmly. The group of students before her all turned their heads and drew their eyes at Ash as well, and suddenly, Ash felt strangely self-conscious before Brock spoke up.

"Hey! Ash!" Brock stood up and shifted through the other students before walking up to his friend. "I was wondering when you would get here."

"That makes both of us," Ash replied. "How did you end up here?"

"That perfume shop that we found is also run by the girls here at the Celadon Gym!" the Pokémon Breeder replied.

"We manufacture the perfume right here in the Gym!" one of Erika's students added with a smile.

"So you're Ash. Brock has told me a lot about you. It's nice to meet you," Erika said sweetly, her porcelain face painted with a light smile as she walked up to the pair. Wanting the small talk out of the way, Ash donned a determined look on his face and clenched his fists.

"Erika, I challenge you to a battle!" he declared. The girl looked sweet, and also seemed like she was a pushover. Getting a Badge from this Gym would be a piece of cake.

In response to his challenge, Erika nodded, and turned back to her students. "Anyone who would like to observe may watch," she told them, and the group exited the greenhouse and headed to a room in the middle of the Gym, where they emptied out into a large stadium. Both sides had large trees growing by the Gym Leader and challenger boxes that reached the ceiling, and on either side were bleachers where Erika's students and Brock sat and watched. Even some of the workers in the Gym sat to watch the battle, including the front counter girl who had brought Ash to meet with Erika.

One of the students turned the heavy switch, giving light to the stadium below as both Ash and Erika took their own sides of the battlefield. Erika's eyebrows drew together, donning a hardened mask as her voice echoed in the large room. "I accept your challenge! It's my duty under the league rules. We'll each use three Pokémon!"

"Right!" Ash agreed, and twisted his cap backwards on his head to show he was ready for battle. "I'll use my own Grass Pokémon against yours!" Drawing a Poké Ball from his belt, he reared his arm back and threw the red and white sphere forward. "Bulbasaur, I choose you!" The ball burst open in the air, and from the light that flowed down from inside like a waterfall, forming into the blue and green Seed Pokémon.

"Bulbazaur!" it cried as it was released.

"This ought to be easy," Erika said confidently with a sweet smile, holding a Poké Ball by her face at the ready. "Tangela, I choose you!" Throwing the ball underhand, the metal sphere opened, releasing a strange Pokémon whose body was covered in blue vines. The only thing that could be seen was its eyes peeking out from underneath, and the red boots it wore, and it gave a mysterious cry as it appeared.

"What's that?" Ash questioned, identifying it mentally as one of the Pokémon he saw in the greenhouse just some time earlier. But not knowing exactly what it was, he pulled out Dexter to give him more information on it.

"Tangela, a Vine Pokémon. Its body is wrapped in vines. The rest of its form is hidden beneath these vines."

"That doesn't tell me much," Ash commented as he closed the cover to his Pokédex and placed it back in his jacket pocket. "All right, we'll attack from a distance! Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!"

"Bulba!" his Pokémon agreed, and a pair of green vines extended from underneath the bulb on its back and snaked their way across the battlefield at the Grass Pokémon before it.

"Tangela, Constrict!" Erika countered with a wave of her arm and a smirk. "Resist it from pulling you in!" It was obvious that her Tangela was trained very well, because as soon as Bulbasaur's vines were just about to wrap themselves around the blue Pokémon to grab it, Tangela spun on a single foot like a top, both succeeding in turning Bulbasaur's attack to help itself and blocking the attack. The vines were already tangled around Tangela, so Ash's Pokémon couldn't even pull away from its opponent, and grunted as it attempted to resist being dragged closer to Tangela. Resistance was futile in this case, and Ash let out a cry of horror as Bulbasaur was pulled across the stadium.

"Tangela, now's the time to hit it with your Stun Spore," Erika commanded, closing her eyes and holding her hands above her head as if she were a ballerina performing on stage. With Bulbasaur now in close, Tangela stopped spinning, its body wrapped up in Bulbasaur's vines as well as its own, and it began to rock its body back and forth like a bell would toll. Waves of shimmering bronze powder came pulsing out of Tangela's body, and Bulbasaur's eyes widened as the powder covered its skin and worked its magic through its skin, sinking in and causing the Seed Pokémon to seize up and quiver as it became paralyzed.

Knowing he was beat, Ash frowned and held out Bulbasaur's Poké Ball. "Return, Bulbasaur!" His words caused a red beam of energy to shoot out and hit Bulbasaur, recalling the Pokémon back into its Poké Ball. With the Pokémon gone, the vines that both trapped Tangela and held Bulbasaur in place disappeared, and the Vine Pokémon landed gracefully on the ground without a bit of damage inflicted upon it.

"Poor Bulbasaur," Erika said with worry on her face and a single hand drew up to her mouth in concern. "Later I'll give you some Paralyz Heal to make your Pokémon better."

"Thanks, but no thanks; I don't need your help!" Ash retorted angrily. He wasn't sure what he was more mad about: the fact that he had grossly underestimated Erika or the fact that she was so sweet about it. Either way, he quickly whipped out another Poké Ball. "I choose Mankey!" Suddenly, logic sunk in, and he was instantly reminded of the last time that he had sent Mankey out after capturing it. It was back on Route 7 in the canyon just after catching it, and it had greeted his warm welcome with a slug to the face. Instantly, his hand lowered with a frown. "Uhh... maybe I better not..." Replacing the red and white ball one final time, he tossed the newly selected Poké Ball out onto the stadium. "Charmander, go!"

The plasma that came out quickly formed into Ash's Fire-type Pokémon, who smiled widely upon being selected. "Charman!"

This time, it was Erika who recalled her Pokémon, and quickly produced another Poké Ball in its place. "This should be easy! Weepinbell, go!" The Poké Ball that was thrown from her palm released a plant-like Pokémon that looked like an upside-down bell.

"Bell!" the Pokémon moaned as it was released, giving Ash's Charmander a blank stare.

"Weepinbell, Razor Leaf, now!" Now gaining a determined look, Weepinbell started to spin around and around, and as it did, a flurry of leaves smaller than the ones on the sides of its body soared towards Charmander like green spinning blades. But Ash wasn't scared in the slightest.

"Charmander, Flamethrower! Full blast!" he countered. Charmander let out a loud cry and opened its mouth, releasing a blast of fire from its mouth into the oncoming storm of leaves. The flames engulfed the Razor Leaf attack, and when it stopped, the leaves were now ablaze, and falling harmlessly onto Erika's side of the battlefield. Except it wasn't harmless for Weepinbell, whose weakness was fire, and was dancing back and forth on the stadium floor with a worried look on its face to try and not get burned by the flames. Erika gasped in horror at the sight of what had just happened, and Ash saw his opportunity with a smirk.

"Yes! Way to go!" he said excitedly. "Now let's just finish it up! Skull Bash, now!" With Weepinbell distracted from the falling flames, Charmander dashed towards it with its head lowered, and before Weepinbell even looked back at the rushing Fire-type Pokémon, it collided into Weepinbell's forehead with a powerful headbutt that sent it flying back and skidding across the battlefield in a heap in front of Erika.

Erika gasped, looking with concern at her fainted Pokémon, and held out its Poké Ball that was still in her hand. "Weepinbell, return now!" One command later, and her Weepinbell was safely recalled into its Poké Ball.

"Ash is doing well!" Brock commented on the sidelines, surrounded by the girls in the pink uniforms from the perfume shop.

"He might actually win!" the girl with the olive pigtails from earlier added in shock.

"Yeah, he's a lot more impressive than he looks!" another girl piped up, and inwardly, Ash could feel his ego begin to rise. That round was a piece of cake; now it was time to turn it around.

Perhaps Erika was thinking the same thing, however, as she wore a knowing smile on her face despite the loss. "Your battle skills are impressive, Ash," she complimented. "But there's one thing you don't have: empathy with your Pokémon. Without it, you'll never become a great Pokémon Trainer like me!" She retrieved a third Poké Ball from her dress and held it up near her face. "Now I'm going to give you a lesson in empathy. Gloom... go!" Throwing the ball with an underhanded swing, the Poké Ball bounced off the pressed dirt of the stadium and the top opened. Within moments, the blue Pokémon with the flower on its head that sat beside Erika when Ash had first arrived in the greenhouse appeared.

"Glooooom!" the Weed Pokémon said in a sing-song voice. Both Ash and Charmander looked on in confusion about what Erika had said, but the Grass and Poison Pokémon soon leaned forward, and released a thick smog from the pistil located in the center of the flower. As soon as the smog enveloped Charmander, the Fire-type Pokémon gave an alarmed cry, and immediately slapped both of its hands over its nostrils. It was already too late, and though it jumped in the air and swung its legs wildly from the terrible smell, it still fell onto its back in defeat, unable to take it.

Before the smell disappeared, Ash caught a whiff of it, and immediately recoiled. He now understood why Charmander had collapsed. It was one of the worst smells that he had even breathed in, and it couldn't exactly be described, but even he threw his fingers up to plug his nostrils. Waiting a moment for the smell to disappear, Ash held out Charmander's Poké Ball and pointed the button at him. "Charmander, return!" Seconds later, and the Pokémon disappeared back into its Poké Ball.

"Poor Ash!" Erika teased, laughing with a delicate hand covering her mouth. "Your Pokémon could use some more training!"

Ash ignored her words and nervously glared at the Poké Ball in his hand in thought. If Gloom beat Charmander, what Pokémon can I use next? He closed his eyes and lowered his head, wracking his brain to think of a strategy. Wartortle, Pidgey, or Krabby couldn't take that terrible smell! It seemed as though his back was against the wall – Charmander was a Fire-type Pokémon that was strong against Gloom, and it was defeated without even using an attack.

But what was he supposed to do? Give up? He was teetering on the fence, and whichever way the wind blew, he would either win or lose. Wind. A nervous smirk came to his face. He wasn't about to let some stupid Gloom stop him from earning his fifth Badge, and it was the only idea he had.

Pulling out a Poké Ball like he was drawing a sword, he took a deep breath and felt the orb grow larger in his hand once he pressed the button on its face. The ball weighed a hundred pounds as he pulled back his arm, and finally, he threw it forward. "Pidgey, I choose you!"

"Pigee!" the Tiny Bird Pokémon cooed as it flew out of the glowing plasma released from its Poké Ball. Across the battlefield, Erika had no reaction other than a small smile. It uneased Ash slightly, but he ignored it. Before he could open his mouth to command Pidgey and try to get the first attack in, he heard Gloom cry out.

"GLOOOOOMMM!" His eyes shot over to the Weed Pokémon where it was bent over and releasing the foul smog from its pistil. Quickly throwing his hand over his mouth and nose, Ash's neck craned as he looked up at his Pidgey, who was going airborne to avoid the smell.

"Pidgey, blow it away with Gust!" he commanded through his hand. Pidgey gave a cry and started to beat its wings. A wind started to pick up from them, and soon the smell being produced by Gloom started to waft away from Ash's side of the battlefield. But surprisingly, Erika didn't look concerned at all. While everyone on the bleachers had their hands over their noses, she didn't seem to be fazed at all, and instead laughed at Ash's efforts.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that, Ash!" she teased. Gloom let out another cry, and gave another blast of odor. The stink fought against the Gust attack that Pidgey was producing, battling back and forth for dominance, but soon the smell broke free of the wind and rose into the air, as if being carried by the updraft being produced opposite of the Gust.

"Pidgey!" Ash cried as the foul-smelling fog surrounded his Flying Pokémon. The Pokémon recoiled and gave a startled cry before its eyes rolled back into its head and it plummeted to the ground where it fell in a heap. His heart sank in his chest – he was going to lose another Gym battle. And all over a Gloom's bad smell.

"Sorry, Ash!" Erika called, but the bright, bubbly look on her face showed her words didn't have any heart. "Looks like in the end-" Suddenly, she cut herself off with a gasp and looked at Ash's side of the battlefield with her mouth open. Ash followed her gaze, and looked down at Pidgey. Surprisingly, the Tiny Bird Pokémon was glowing white.

"What's going on?!"

"Pidgey's evolving!" Brock exclaimed from the bleachers, standing up to view the scene better. Whilst glowing, its body got bigger, and its head plumage grew longer. Finally, when the glow faded, a new Pidgeotto stood in Pidgey's place, giving a loud, shrill cry and waving its wings upward. Doing so produced a blast of wind that separated the odor around it.

"Pidgeot-toh!" his new Pidgeotto cried, lifting off the ground and soaring into the air.

"Gloom!" Erika said, urging her Pokémon to produce the smell again. And it did so, lowering its head and pointing its flower up at Pidgeotto. The Bird Pokémon looked on as the thick smog floated up towards it.

"Pidgeotto, Whirlwind attack!" Ash commanded. Pidgeotto shrilled and with a powerful flap of its wings, the blast of wind let out from the new wide wingspan was able to cover more distance, and the smell soon stopped in its tracks, now floating harmlessly in midair. "Now use Gust!" Another flap of its wings, this time more powerfully, and the fog went blasting back at Gloom. Pidgeotto continued its attack, and Gloom was now struggling to stay grounded as the wind threatened to send it away.

"Gloom, Petal Dance, now!" Erika ordered. A surge of hope fluttered in Ash's chest. If Erika was telling Gloom to use a move, then her back was against the wall.

"Glooooomm!" the Grass-type Pokémon called, jumping high in the air and spinning its body like it was a ballerina. Suddenly, pink petals puffed out around its flower and spiraled their way toward Pidgeotto. But as with the smell, Pidgeotto released another Gust attack, which stopped the petals from reaching it, and Erika let out a gasp.

"Great job, Pidgeotto! Now, Wing Attack!" Diving down at Gloom, who was descending through the air from using its attack, the Bird Pokémon opened its wings, and flew past Gloom while slicing the Grass and Poison Pokémon with its wing. Unable to stop its attack, Gloom flew backward where it landed on the ground.

"Gloom! Are you okay?" Erika called with worry as her Pokémon slowly attempted to get up. Pidgeotto curled in the air, heading back to Ash's side of the battlefield, but its keen eye saw that Gloom was getting up.

As if reading its mind, Ash waved his arm and gave one final order. "Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!" Tucking in its wings, a flash of light formed at its beak as it shot down at Gloom like a missile, and fire formed at its beak and spiraled around its body from the speed it soared down.

"Gloom, Petal Dance!" Gloom pulled its head up and saw Pidgeotto shooting at it, but it could only widen its eyes wide like saucers in fear before the attack connected. The attack struck with the force of a truck, and Gloom was taken off its feet and soared backwards, past its Trainer where it crashed into a tree in the back of the stadium. When Erika turned and looked with horror on her face, Gloom was laying on its back in a small pond at the base of a tree, and loose leaves from the tree that were knocked down scattered down over it.

After a few moments, it was clear that Gloom wasn't pulling itself back up, and one of the girls, the one with the blue hair that had first set Ash up with the Gym appointment, walked up to the side of the arena and raised her hand toward Ash's side of the battlefield. "Gloom is unable to battle. Thus, the winner is Ash from Pallet Town!" Erika recalled her Gloom as Ash pumped his fist in the air, a genuine smile forming on his face.

"All right!" he declared, and as his Pidgeotto came down to celebrate with its Trainer, Ash wrapped his arms around it and grinned from ear to ear as it landed and perched on the ground. "Man you were awesome, Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto shared its Trainer's happiness, and gave a coo of happiness.

"Very well," Erika stated, and Ash looked up to see the teal-haired Gym Leader was walking up to Ash. She wore a faint smile on her face that was masking her sadness, and her hands were folded in front of her body. "As proof of your victory at the Celadon Gym – and by the authority of the Pokémon League – I now present you with the Rainbow Badge." Erika held her hand out and unfolded her dainty fingers, revealing in her palm a Badge that resembled a flower, but each of the petals around the middle was colored with a different color of the rainbow.

A breath of air was let out of Ash's mouth, and he picked up the Badge from her in between his thumb and index finger. Unable to contain his excitement, he folded his hand over the Badge, and still feeling it in his palm, pumped his fist in the air again. "I just got a Rainbow Badge!"

"Pijo-toh!" his Pidgeotto added. He sent one more smile of thanks to his Pokémon and recalled his newly-evolved Pokémon back into its Poké Ball.

"Congratulations, Ash!" Brock stated, walking up to his traveling companion with a smile spread on his face and putting a hand on the younger boy's shoulder.

"Thanks!"

"How many Badges does this make?" Erika asked as her challenger lowered his arm.

"It's my fifth one," he answered, opening his jacket to reveal the set of other Badges he had underneath it. Erika looked at them and gave him a light smile.

"I look forward to you winning all eight, and entering the Pokémon League!" she said sweetly, and Ash gave her a nod.

"Thanks! I'll do my best!"

-end-

Ash:

Party:

Wartortle (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Dig, Water Gun, BubbleBeam

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Wing Attack

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf

Charmander (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Leer, Rage, Skull Bash

Krabby (Poké Ball)

Moves: ViceGrip

Mankey (Poké Ball)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick

Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Brock:

Party:

Onix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig

Geodude (Poké Ball)

Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle

Zubat (Poké Ball)

Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic