Chapter 244: The Invincible Healer

In Cianwood City, Aroma Lady welcomed her fourth Pokémon.

A Water-type Vaporeon.

To be precise, this Vaporeon had been abandoned by its Trainer. At the time, Aroma Lady was treating a male Trainer's Pokémon for heatstroke, when somehow a female Trainer showed up and mistakenly assumed the two of them were involved.

She would have to battle her afterwards.

Aroma Lady did explain the real situation, but the other party simply refused to listen, so she had no choice but to agree.

During the battle, Roserade won with ease — but who would have thought the opponent would simply release the Vaporeon that lost the match, then turn around and run off with that male Trainer.

Leaving her no choice but to take in this bewildered little one, whose body still bore injuries from Roserade's Petal Dance.

【You obtained Vaporeon. A traveling companion has joined you.】

"What the heck, another early-game Shinji-type loser." Baimu cursed under his breath — watching the simulation had really pissed him off.

Fortunately Aroma Lady loved Pokémon just like Ash did, and took in the Vaporeon; otherwise the world would have gained one more Pokémon harboring hostility and hatred toward humans.

After being stirred up like that, Aroma Lady's mood wasn't exactly pleasant either — thankfully she had Perfume to help her relax.

Not lingering any longer in Cianwood City, she set off for the city where the third Gym was located.

The process wasn't any different.

Treating and healing Pokémon, striving to improve her own battle awareness.

Not long after, she arrived at the location of the third Gym. This time it was a place Baimu didn't even know the name of — probably a small town that only existed in the anime's background, and naturally the Gym Leader was also a complete stranger.

They still used Grass-type Pokémon, and she took them down smoothly relying solely on Masquerain and Roserade.

And in this small town where flower beds and thickets could be seen everywhere, Aroma Lady obtained her fifth Pokémon… an Egg?

She treated a Pokémon inside a flower shop that was allergic to pollen, and gave the shopkeeper some Perfume that could alleviate allergy symptoms. As thanks, the shopkeeper entrusted a Pokémon Egg to her.

Saying it was an Egg of Chikorita, one of the Pokémon designated for new Trainers in the Johto region, and believing that a Trainer as beautiful and kind-hearted as her should be able to take good care of it.

Baimu: "!"

Is being good-looking really this unfair?

Starting off with two flowers, and all her Pokémon just come to her door or get given away. Aroma Lady's journey has been plenty comfortable.

The fourth Gym afterwards was located in Greenfield Town. Checking on her phone, it was likewise an old establishment that had closed down over a decade ago — but correspondingly, Greenfield Town had gained a "new" Gym with twenty years of history. Looks like the old one got driven out of business.

"Heavenly Descent" (The Descent of the Gods)

Aroma Lady took it down smoothly, obtaining her fourth Badge and meeting the prerequisite to challenge the Magma Gym.

The Pokémon Egg also successfully hatched into a Chikorita.

【You obtained Chikorita. A traveling companion has joined you.】

However.

Although Greenfield Town was extremely close to Magma Town, Aroma Lady didn't head there immediately. Instead, she changed course toward the western side of the Hoenn region and arrived at Kanaz City, which symbolized Hoenn's high technology.

Clearly Aroma Lady hadn't forgotten the goal of her journey — to see more Pokémon. Challenging Gyms and participating in the Conference was merely one means to that end, not the purpose of her travels.

【You have arrived at Kanaz City. The modernized style, utterly unlike most towns, the skyscrapers visible everywhere, the trams running through the city — all of it amazes you. The many unfamiliar Pokémon also make you feel the trip was worthwhile.】

Thanks to her identity as a Trainer, Aroma Lady quickly integrated into Kanaz City's Trainer circle, and her accumulated breeding experience along with her truly outstanding Perfume made her famous.

She even attracted a television station's interview.

To promote the Perfume she had developed, Aroma Lady quite decisively accepted.

【Your interview has been enthusiastically received by the people of Kanaz City. Your name is spreading across the entire Hoenn region. The television station, wanting to learn more about you and your Perfume, has chosen to do a feature interview with you.】

Looks like Aroma Lady really hadn't come to the wrong place. As her fame spread, many perfume companies came to invite her as a consultant, and many factories hoped to mass-produce the Perfume she had developed.

But she knew her Perfume hadn't matured enough for mass production, and she didn't have that much energy to fuss over manufacturing and selling for the time being.

Although she could completely entrust it to others, her shrewd self understood that without her own oversight, quality would likely be hard to guarantee.

One step before producing the product, Aroma Lady stopped. The efficacy of her Perfume having been verified already satisfied her; she didn't want to rush the next steps.

So, to escape the endless stream of people, Aroma Lady took a boat to Battle Island Town.

At this time, Battle Island Town, being a small town on an island, had an extremely small population and rather scarce medical resources. Aroma Lady's arrival in the capacity of a Pokémon Doctor was met with great enthusiasm.

And Aroma Lady also stayed here for nearly a month before leaving, treating many, many sick Pokémon every day during that time.

Her Pokémon, serving as her nurses, were likewise busy running about everywhere, and the newly hatched Chikorita even evolved.

【Your Chikorita has evolved into Bayleef.】

"Isn't this basically a record of a barefoot doctor practicing medicine?"

Baimu complained inwardly, but he knew Aroma Lady actually had the relevant Pokémon Doctor certification — the narration during the Kanaz City interview had stated so.

The scene shifted.

Aroma Lady finally returned to Magma Town.

Her friend had long been waiting.

【Your friend tells you that your name and Perfume can even be seen in Magma Town, which makes you very happy. But she also brings bad news: only three months remain until the Conference opens, and you must hurry to obtain the remaining four Badges.】

Aroma Lady had spent too much time in Kanaz City and Battle Island Town, causing her Gym-challenging schedule to become somewhat tight.

As someone who liked to see things through to the end, Aroma Lady naturally wouldn't just throw in the towel and drop out. She immediately went to challenge the Magma Gym.

And this was a relatively difficult win for her — Fire-type Pokémon were quite the counter to her team, with only Vaporeon having the advantage.

But under the fierce Harsh Sunlight, Vaporeon's condition also became precarious.

Fortunately, over these past days, Vaporeon had absorbed from its seniors the experience of how to handle patients. When Aroma Lady had a flash of inspiration and shouted "Prepare to treat," Vaporeon immediately treated the opposing Magcargo as a patient.

Charm dulled its spirit, Fake Cry made it let its guard down, and a finishing Yawn — Magcargo fell asleep on the spot, leaving itself at the mercy of Vaporeon and Aroma Lady.

Even the Magma Gym Leader was stunned — "How are you so skilled at this!"

The fifth Badge was thus smoothly taken.