Erika stiffly recalled her Gloom, her emotions tangled and conflicted.
She'd actually been swept 3-0… by a rookie trainer… using Grass-type Pokémon. Her own specialty.
Argh! So embarrassing!
What do I even say when I hand over the Rainbow Badge?
"Good job"? "Nice strategy"? But looking at this guy… it's obvious he knows how to train Grass-types better than I do!
Kazuki, you jerk!
How did you really go and sweep my whole team with just one Pokémon?!
I… I used to be the genius Grass-type girl all the elders praised!
The normally elegant and poised Erika now felt like a teenage girl flustered in her first crush—nervous beyond belief.
She looked at Kazuki like a boyfriend who'd just made her angry. It was a mix of admiration… and exasperation.
Admiring his brilliance.
Annoyed that he just had to show off.
"Gym Leader! Gym Leader! Emergency—someone tried to break into the gym and nearly set the greenhouse on fire!"
"What? Who? Contact Officer Jenny at once! Let's—let's go put it out!"
Thankfully, the sudden crisis gave Erika something to redirect her focus and ease the tension.
"No need, Gym Leader! A Pokémon discovered the intruders just in time and stopped the fire!"
The staff member pointed to the wall—where Gastly floated in, looking quite pleased with itself.
"Gastly?" Erika looked surprised. "That species doesn't even have a natural habitat around City…"
"Wait… has my gym gotten so full of tall plants it's turned into a haunted forest?"
"Nice job, Gastly!" Kazuki stepped forward, smiling, to clear up the confusion.
Gastly floated over happily to Kazuki's side.
"It's yours? What's going on?" Erika blinked, now more curious than confused.
"Oh! Let me explain. When I entered the Celadon Gym earlier, I saw three shady-looking figures sneaking around."
"They reminded me of Team Rocket—the trio I've encountered before on my journey."
"But I couldn't confirm it at the time, so I didn't want to sound the alarm prematurely."
"So I asked Gastly to go check it out."
"Sorry if it was roaming your gym without permission!"
"No, no! Don't apologize! I should be thanking you! Your quick thinking saved my gym!" Erika gave a grateful bow.
All her earlier grumbling about getting swept was instantly wiped away.
"Ohhh, so that's why you only used Bulbasaur!"
"Pikachu's an Electric-type—not ideal."
"Gastly was out scouting…"
"You really didn't have a choice, huh?"
"Well, you've got the strength and the integrity. You're worthy of the Rainbow Badge!"
Erika had, in fact, noticed the three other Poké Balls on Kazuki's belt earlier.
But now, with her staff watching—most still stunned by the 3-0 sweep—Erika had the good sense to help Kazuki save face with a graceful excuse.
"You're incredible, Erika," Kazuki said sincerely. "I wasn't confident using any of my other Pokémon. Bulbasaur's been through special training. Giving it my all was the only way I stood a chance."
As he accepted the Rainbow Badge, Erika's dignity remained intact.
Just then, Misty rushed down the steps and, worried Kazuki might be in trouble, grabbed his arm and pulled him protectively behind her.
"Thank you so much for the perfume lesson, Erika! We'll be back another time!"
"Wait, hold on!" Erika called just as Misty tried to bolt.
Crap! Crap! Misty took a deep breath, bracing for a scolding, then slowly turned back around with Kazuki.
"No hitting the face, okay…"
Misty shielded her head and crouched defensively.
"What—no! I wasn't going to hit you." Erika covered her mouth and chuckled. "We're perfume-loving ladies here at the Celadon Gym. No violent matches allowed."
"I just wanted to thank Kazuki properly for helping protect my gym."
She waved a hand, and Gloom waddled forward with two elegant little perfume bottles.
"These are very rare—only eight bottles exist in total. Each has a subtly unique scent. I usually save them as special gifts."
"Limited edition perfumes?" Misty's eyes lit up the moment she saw the delicate glass vials. It was like she'd been hit by Hypnosis.
Erika handed the pale blue one to Misty and the red one to Kazuki.
"A little goes a long way—each spray lasts up to 48 hours."
Kazuki accepted his bottle and, listening to Erika's description, suddenly thought of… certain mysterious oils.
"Thanks, Erika! You really saved us there!"
Misty had been about to ask Erika for more perfume tips, but when she looked around and saw how the other shop girls were now staring at her with serious jealousy… she wisely changed course.
"We'll be back another time to learn more! We need to collect more badges and prepare for the Indigo League. See you, Erika!"
Misty pulled Kazuki out of the gym at top speed.
It wasn't until they'd put several blocks between themselves and the Celadon Gym that they finally stopped.
"Phew~ That was amazing! Not only did we not get smacked, we got limited edition perfume!"
"Kazuki, you're incredible! You actually used your Grass-type Pokémon to defeat a Grass Gym Leader!"
"That was just… so, so cool!"
Now that they were alone, Misty let loose all the excitement she'd bottled up earlier.
Kazuki closed his eyes, basking in her praise. Then tilted his head toward her with a smirk.
"Is that all I get? Just words?"
Misty glanced sideways at him, lips twitching into a coy smile.
Then—muah muah muah!—planted ten quick kisses all over his cheek.
"That's all?" Kazuki teased.
Misty frowned slightly, eyes flicking up and down, then gave him a playful smack on the arm.
"Geez! We're in public, you know! Don't be shameless."
"Alright, alright. Tonight, when we're resting… I'll properly reward you."
"You really were amazing today. And you even got me this perfume I couldn't buy anywhere!"
She cradled the bottle in her hands like it was a priceless treasure, clearly pleased—and willing.
Kazuki leaned close and whispered something in her ear.
Her cheeks flushed bright red. "Ah? W-wait… You…!"
"I—! You're so shameless! You perv!"
But she didn't say no. Just twisted away, stomped her foot, and jogged a few paces ahead—flustered and glowing.
Kazuki smiled. Didn't think Misty could act so shy…
Last time, when they first crossed that line, Misty hadn't been flustered at all. She'd even wagered bets with him over how long they could last.
This time, though, she clearly hadn't expected things to move this fast.
Still, that contrast was part of the fun of being in love.
Kazuki let her simmer in her own blush for a bit while he sorted through the day's rewards.
[Congratulations! You've defeated Celadon Gym Leader Erika, earned the Rainbow Badge, and completed the Perfume Class mission!]
[Premium Perfume ×1 has been added to the System Inventory]
[Grass-type Enhancement: Bulbasaur's Legendary Miracle Seed unlocked!]
Kazuki compared the Premium Perfume from the system with the exclusive one Erika gave him.
On the outside, the bottles looked about the same.
Spritz, spritz… He sprayed a tiny amount and sniffed carefully.
"Okay, not the same. Good thing Misty doesn't know much about cosmetics. Otherwise she'd turn this into another rivalry topic!"
Satisfied, he stashed both bottles safely and checked his active missions.
[Ding! Mission complete! Please designate a Grass-type Pokémon to receive the level-up bonus.]
Grass-type? He only had one.
[Pokémon: Bulbasaur | Level: 38]
Thanks to the mission bonus, Bulbasaur had now become the highest-level member of his team.
With the Legendary Miracle Seed, its Grass moves now had a terrifying 60% power boost.
That was even stronger than most Abilities.
Pair that with the Overgrow boost at low HP, and Bulbasaur could dish out damage rivaling a critical hit—perfect for surprise one-shots.
I can already hear my opponent's confused screams now: "Huh? How'd I get one-shot with full HP?!"
And now that Bulbasaur was at level 38, it had learned its family's ultimate move—
Solar Beam.
Despite its name, it was pure Grass-type and received full boosts from Overgrow and the Legendary Miracle Seed.
With a whopping 210% power, even high-level Pokémon with type advantage might not survive.
Its only drawback was the charge time. If it could fire instantly? It'd be broken.
Kazuki finished organizing his loot and closed the system, only to notice Misty had crept closer again. She seemed to be waiting, but too embarrassed to say anything.
"Heh… tsundere." Kazuki grinned and took a bold step forward to walk beside her.
"Eek—uh, yeah! The Pokémon Center's this way, right?" Misty quickly latched onto his arm, playing it off.
Kazuki glanced at her rosy cheeks.
Yup. She's definitely still flustered from earlier.
"Yeah, that's the way." He pretended not to notice, keeping the moment light.
As Misty leaned in, she caught a whiff of his scent.
"Wow… You smell amazing! Did you spray your perfume already?"
"Just a little—to test it out."
"You're using something that rare just for a test? But… it really does smell nice."
Without thinking, she pressed her body even closer to him.
"What are you doing? Weren't you shy just a minute ago?"
"What? I'm your girlfriend—I can't hold your arm?"
Her cheeks were still faintly pink, but her grip didn't loosen.
At that moment, Kazuki realized girls on the street kept turning to look at him.
Huh? Is my outfit weird today?
He glanced down—nothing out of the ordinary.
Wait… could it be the perfume?
I only sprayed a little, but the effect is this strong?
He looked at Misty, still clinging tightly to his arm, and thought—
This perfume's gonna come in handy.
---
Back at the Pokémon Center, they joined Nurse Joy for dinner. Normally, Misty was too shy to show affection in front of Joy.
Later that evening, the scent finally began to fade. Not that it mattered—Kazuki and Misty didn't need help moving things along.
"Ahem. Pikachu, you'll sleep in the Pokéball tonight!"
Pikachu: ??? Fine, fine, whatever!
Pikachu sighed and wandered off, leaving the humans to their… private time.
Once inside the room, Kazuki locked the door behind them.
He reached for the light, but Misty turned it off.
"…What are you doing?" Kazuki grinned.
"You know what, perv." Misty kissed him, her hand already slipping to his belt.
What happened next left Kazuki stunned.
"…Wait. What are you doing down there?"
Turns out his playful comment earlier in the day? Misty had really been thinking about it.
"Shhh. Quiet!" she whispered. "Couples aren't even allowed to share a room at the Pokémon Center."
"If Nurse Joy catches us, don't blame me if your rewards get revoked!"
She took a deep breath, glanced up at him…
And then her fingers found his belt.
----
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