My Pokémon Anime Journey | BOOK ONE: KANTO

A Bud Omen

There was a wonderful scent upon the air in Celadon City. Ari's senses were spoilt, between the sweet, lavish aroma and the bright colours from the flowers adorning every windowsill in the small metropolis.
"Something smells heavenly," Brock commented.
"It's perfume!" Misty said, pointing excitedly to a nearby store.
What's gotten into them? Ari thought. Perfume did have an appealing scent, but it just didn't make sense to spend money on smelling a little nicer for a few hours at most. It just seemed vain and unpractical - just like Misty.
The group entered the perfume shop, where Misty was quickly approached by an employee.
"This 'Daffodil Dream' scent is one of our most popular," the employee elucidated, giving Misty a spritz.
Misty gushed, "It smells just like a garden!"
"You have your pick of gardens right outside, Misty!" Ari burst out. "Don't buy this, it's a waste of money!"
Misty looked highly affronted. She wasn't alone; Eevee stopped sniffing Misty to give her Trainer a disapproving look, while the employee was furious.
The manager, who must have overheard the exchange, strode over. She was a woman with bluebell hair, her kimono the vibrant colours of spring. Her naturally kind face was, in that moment, tainted by righteous, focused anger.
Ari gulped. This seemed like a bud - sorry, a bad - omen.
"Are you accusing me of overcharging my customers for inferior perfume?" The manager's nostrils flared.
"No, ma'am," Ari said. "I just really don't see why anybody would buy this stuff, or why anybody would want to sell it! All perfume does is inflate girl's egos - they see how it turns guys into zombies and think it's actually a credit to them. It's utterly pointless."
"If you object to our products so strongly, perhaps you should leave." The manager's voice was as soft and cold as a layer of snow frosting a field.
Ari recieved no sympathy as she shamefully left - even Eevee remained with Misty.

Ari sulked outside, waiting ten whole minutes until Brock and Misty re-emerged, laden with shopping bags.
Eevee happily lept onto Ari's head, already over the prior exchange. Misty was not as forgiving as the Evolution Pokémon.
"I hope you're happy," she condesencingly told Ari.
"You clearly are, though I can't imagine how," came Ari's glum reply. "You've gotten what you want. Let's just get to the Pokémon Gym, so I can get my Badge."
"Ah, yes. The thing you want - but will never have," quipped Misty.
Ari was spared from reply by Brock's interruption. "I don't believe the Gym is very far from here." As they set off down the street, Misty enamoured by one of her new perfumes, Brock whispered to Ari. "I know you feel strongly about things, but perhaps you could try and be more respectful in the future."
Ari sighed, "I know... I just think there's better uses of time and money. Actually helpful things."
"Happiness is it's own pursuit and reward," Brock said wisely. "Everybody has their own definition. What makes you feel good about yourself won't always apply to everybody else."

Ari didn't have much time to ponder Brock's sentiments before they arrived at Celadon Gym, a building modelled after the Pokémon Gloom.
Misty and Brock were allowed inside, but the young woman at the entrance impeded Ari from following Eevee.
"I wouldn't let you inside if you were the last Trainer on earth!" The woman said.
"What?" Ari felt indignified.
"Nobody who slights the perfume we make as a 'ripoff' is coming in here," clarified the woman.
"This can't be allowed! I said some things I probably shouldn't have, but I've done nothing to insult you, or whoever the Gym Leader is! When I tell the Pokémon Inspection Agency-"
"I'm sure your father will love to hear about the scene you caused by insulting a local business unprovoked," interjected Misty.
"Please let me in! Pretty please, with a cherry on top?" Ari begged the young women, ignoring Misty's unessecary input.
All the woman did was stamp Ari with a red 'X'. As the door was slammed in her face, Ari mouthed, help me, to Brock, but found his face quite unreadable.

Team Rocket paused behind Celadon Gym's back window to relish in their latest plot.
"Once we break inside, we'll steal their secret perfume formula," said Jessie.
"When we sell it, we can pass enough money onto the boss to buy a country!" James celebrated.
"Or enough grub to last all nine of my lives," joked Meowth.
The crooks managed to enter the Gym undetected.
"Where could the secret formula be?" Jessie wondered.
A Gloom sleeping nearby awoke at the sound of her voice; Team Rocket were compromised.
James drew a Poké Ball. "Koffing, Posion Gas."
The cloud of poisonous fumes only briefly concealed the trio, because Gloom inhaled the smog and exhaled it back into Team Rocket.
Even Koffing passed out from the stench.
"It reaks like rotten eggs!" James sobbed.
"My nose is on fire!" Meowth panicked.
"You have a nose?" Jessie said.
"It makes sense, but the character designers never gave me one." Meowth groped at his face. "It's probably here somewhere."
The commotion drew the attention of the Gym staff, who swiftly escorted Team Rocket off the premises - which is the polite way of summarising how Jessie, James, and Meowth each had their faces stamped with a red 'X' before being bound to the height of a tree outside.