Chapter 242: Face Attracts Heart

The way Perfume-sis searches for wild Pokémon is quite unique.

It was also thanks to this chance that Baimu learned through the narration why she could always find injured Pokémon.

First, in the past when gathering herbs, she would always discover various nests left behind by wild Pokémon, and sometimes there would even be injured Pokémon coming to snatch them away; she summed up her experience from this;

Second, it was her nose — she could easily distinguish a hundred kinds of herbs and pick out the subtle differences in perfume essence. Enough to smell the special scent carried by injured Pokémon.

So when she walked into the forest, she didn't do anything extra.

【You begin using your sense of smell to search for wild Pokémon nearby】

"What kind of nose is that, a God's Nose?" he quipped, though he didn't underestimate Perfume-sis and Roselia's combat ability — after all, the previous medical rescue had already proven plenty.

But what surprised him was that although Perfume-sis clearly discovered many wild Pokémon, every time she would only stop and watch for a while before leaving.

Not satisfied?

The narration gave the answer.

【You see those Pokémon leisurely soaking in the hot springs, free and at ease without illness or disaster, and simply can't bring yourself to disturb their good mood. You give up】

The forest near Lavaridge Town had many, many open-air hot springs, and wild Pokémon especially liked going there, because, just as it advertised, they could cure all ailments.

Watching Perfume-sis stare as a Pokémon walked toward the hot spring without stopping it.

Baimu knew it was the effect of the 【Kind Hearted】 talent.

Looks like Perfume-sis would have a hard time catching Pokémon through normal means — probably either by giving them away, or by the Pokémon volunteering themselves—

Huh? Face Attracts Heart!

He suddenly thought of this talent, remembering the description said it would attract Pokémon matching one's looks.

How was Perfume-sis's looks?

Baimu studied her pixel face for a while, completely unable to tell whether her looks were high or low, but figured they probably weren't bad... probably.

While thinking this, Perfume-sis walked out of the forest in a foul mood, the bubble over her head full of messy squiggles, and even the Roselia beside her was in a bad mood.

But before the screen could pan out, an exclamation mark suddenly popped up at the edge of the forest.

Then a Beautifly ran out, holding a pale pink glass bottle in both hands, and trotted all the way to Perfume-sis's side.

【You see Beautifly holding the perfume essence it made, and belatedly realize something fell, which fills you with gratitude toward it】

Perfume-sis took the perfume essence from Beautifly, then pulled out another bottle from her bag and opened it.

【To repay Beautifly, you show it your latest creation. The fresh, fragrant scent makes Beautifly unable to resist dancing】

This! This is!

Baimu's eyes went wide, seeing Beautifly finish its dance, Perfume-sis finish applauding and prepare to leave, and the former hurriedly chase after her — he couldn't help blurting out, "Holy crap!"

Face Attracts Heart activated so fast!

The narration popped up to show its presence.

【You notice Beautifly seems to want to follow you, which surprises you immensely — you never expected perfume essence to have such an effect】

No way! It's coming for your looks!

He gripped his teacup tightly, his heart restless. Beautifly — beautiful — looks like Perfume-sis's looks had already been settled.

Just based on this beauty that could make a Beautifly throw itself into her arms, he believed the next Pokémon wouldn't be "ugly" either.

But a Grass-type Pokémon though...

Baimu saw Perfume-sis joyfully catch Beautifly, and felt worried for her — how could two Grass-type Pokémon challenge a Fire-type Gym?

Right now she was still missing exactly one, hopefully Perfume-sis would get one that countered Fire-type later.

【You return to Lavaridge Town and tell your friend the good news of gaining a new companion. Your friend is initially very happy, but upon hearing you were turned away at the Lavaridge Gym, flies into a rage】

In the scene, Perfume-sis returned to Lavaridge Town and shared the good news with her friend. The friend was happy at first, but later a string of cross-mark patterns popped up in the bubble over her head.

She directly dragged Perfume-sis charging to the Lavaridge Gym, kicked the door open with one foot, and caught the Gym Leader training Pokémon inside on the spot.

【You hear your friend furiously going after the Lavaridge Gym Leader, and only then learn they were childhood friends. Your friend had long mentioned your existence, and demanded the Lavaridge Gym Leader look after you】

Childhood friends—

Baimu took a careful look at Perfume-sis's friend's hair color, and only then noticed it was actually dark red — so Yasha's hair color was inherited from her grandmother?

The narration continued outputting.

The Lavaridge Gym Leader had naturally heard his childhood friend's instructions, but he was a rigidly proper stickler, stating that three Pokémon to challenge was already the lowest standard — for anyone else, they'd need at least five Badges before being allowed to challenge his Gym. Friends? Friends don't count either.

His dead-serious manner made Yasha's grandmother so angry steam came out of her head, and Perfume-sis timely stepped out to smooth things over and play peacemaker.

【You calm your friend, and apologize to the Lavaridge Gym Leader again, saying you just wanted to see Pokémon not found in the Hoenn region】

Fortunately, the Lavaridge Gym Leader was just proper, not stupid — upon hearing Perfume-sis's words, he directly invited her to see that Pokémon — the Unova region's Darumaka.

In Perfume-sis's era, the Unova region was a very distant concept. Especially for someone like her who rarely left home and quietly did research, unfamiliar Pokémon were simply thrilling.

The Lavaridge Gym Leader saw her excitedly pull out bottles and jars, thought she was plotting something against the Darumaka, and only later realized she was mixing a perfume essence to make it feel comfortable.

【You tell the Lavaridge Gym Leader your dream of creating a perfume essence suitable for all Pokémon】

The Lavaridge Gym Leader watched from the side for a while, then suggested she challenge the Gym and then enter the League Conference — the League Conference gathered trainers from all over Hoenn and even the world, and she could see all kinds of different Pokémon there.

"Asura Martial God"

【You hear that you can see Pokémon from all over the world, and your heart, already intending to travel, instantly boils over. You make your decision almost without hesitation】

Perfume-sis's unhesitating manner made Yasha's grandmother a bit worried — the latter couldn't be sure the former would be interested in Pokémon battles.

Through the narration, Baimu learned that Pokémon battles had not yet swept the world, and the Hoenn League Conference was only on its fifth iteration.

Perfume-sis, however, said not to underestimate her, and completely set the Gym Challenge journey in stone, driven by the desire to see more Pokémon and create a perfume essence suitable for all Pokémon.

"So this is the prelude? It's a bit long..."

Baimu shifted into a more comfortable position to lie down.

But even at this point, the Lavaridge Gym Leader still wouldn't budge, still insisting on three Pokémon as the absolute minimum.

However, he hinted that Gyms in other cities might not have such strict requirements.