"So, what do you think? Pretty impressive, isn't it? Our Celadon Gym?"
The interior of Celadon Gym felt less like a traditional battle facility and more like an enormous botanical garden. Maki's first impression was that it bore a striking resemblance to Professor Oak's laboratory, which he had visited before.
Compared to this place, Sabrina's gym in Saffron City felt completely lackluster—there was simply no contest!
"Yeah, it definitely looks way better than Saffron Gym," Maki nodded in agreement without thinking, completely unaware of the potential disaster if these words ever reached Sabrina's ears.
Speaking of Sabrina, Maki suddenly remembered something important.
"Miss Erika, if I were to buy a perfume as a gift for a girl, do you have any recommendations?"
He had originally planned to check out the Celadon Department Store before leaving, but since he had an expert right in front of him, it made perfect sense to ask now.
"Oh? Perfume?"
Erika blinked, clearly not expecting Maki to bring up the topic. However, as this was part of her expertise, she quickly composed herself.
"Why? Are you buying it for your girlfriend, Maki?"
Maki wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he had the distinct feeling that Erika's eyes sparkled as she asked the question. Even Jasmine, who had been quietly following along without saying much, suddenly leaned in, ready to eavesdrop.
Is gossip just a natural instinct for women?
"W-Well... sort of."
Maki answered with slight hesitation. Why were these two so interested in this? It was just a simple perfume purchase!
"Do you have a particular type in mind? Or do you know what kind of perfume your girlfriend likes?"
Despite her curiosity, Erika remained professional and asked seriously.
"She doesn't really dress up much..."
Maki thought for a moment. He had never seen Sabrina use makeup, and even her clothing choices remained mostly consistent—only changing when he visited. Most of the time, she simply wore her Gym Leader's uniform.
"I see…"
Erika lowered her head in thought, seriously considering the matter.
"I'm not sure if she'll like it, but I can't think of anything else to get her. I'll just buy it and see."
Maki shrugged nonchalantly. Erika, however, lifted her head with absolute confidence.
"Don't worry. No girl can resist the charm of my perfumes!"
"That's right! Erika's perfumes are famous!" Jasmine added enthusiastically.
As they continued deeper into the gym, the sound of crisp footsteps echoed from the other side of the hall.
"Erika."
"Mother!"
Maki turned his gaze to see a woman in a green kimono approaching them. Erika smiled and greeted her warmly.
Judging by her youthful appearance, Erika's mother looked as if she were in her twenties, making it hard to believe she had a grown daughter. The resemblance reminded Maki of Lusamine.
For a brief moment, he even entertained the thought that the reason Erika's father wasn't around might be because he had already been 'taken care of.'
"Lady Leah," Maki greeted politely.
"Aunty Leah," Jasmine added with a friendly smile, clearly familiar with her.
"Oh? Jasmine, I thought you had already gone back?" Leah asked with mild surprise.
"I decided to stay a little longer and have some fun," Jasmine replied.
"That's fine. You're always welcome to visit whenever you want to see Erika," Leah said with a gentle smile.
Then, shifting her gaze to Maki, she looked him over and raised an eyebrow playfully.
"Aren't you going to introduce me? This handsome young man—is he someone special you secretly met outside, Erika? Your boyfriend, perhaps?"
Maki instantly realized that Leah was indeed Erika's mother—her tone, her teasing nature—it was all identical. She enjoyed messing with people, even her own daughter.
Perhaps this was the reason behind Erika's mischievous streak. With a mother like this, how could she not develop that trait?
"Mother, stop it. He's a Gym challenger. I happened to meet him outside, and he also helped Jasmine out a lot. That's why I brought him here."
Erika, who was usually the one teasing others, actually blushed slightly.
"Oh, a challenger?"
Leah gave Maki an intrigued glance, though she wasn't particularly surprised. Celadon Gym, unlike Saffron Gym, received a fair number of challengers.
"So, handsome young man, what do you think of Erika? This girl of mine does nothing but tend to flowers, make perfumes, and train Pokémon. As her mother, I do worry about her future, you know."
Leah sighed dramatically.
"Ah, well, actually, I…"
"He already has a girlfriend! Mother, please stop teasing him!"
Before Maki could even finish, Erika cut in and answered for him.
"Oh? He does? What a shame!"
Leah sighed again, looking genuinely disappointed, as if she were truly worried Erika would never find someone.
"Well then, if it's a Gym battle you're here for, let's discuss the rest on the battlefield."
Maki nodded in agreement, and Leah led them to the Gym's battle arena, calling for an official referee on the way.
Gym referees were usually appointed by the Pokémon League and only appeared when challengers arrived for battles.
Of course, Saffron City was an exception… Given the sheer lack of challengers throughout the year, it would have been a waste of resources to station an official referee there. That manpower would be better used in the Battle Tower.
Jasmine, looking excited, was clearly here just to watch the upcoming fight unfold.
"The challenger gets to choose the battle format: single battle or double battle? And how many Pokémon do you want to use? Oh—wait, I forgot to ask—how many Gym Badges do you have, young man?"
As she began discussing the battle rules, Leah suddenly realized she had forgotten to ask Maki about his badge count.
"I don't have any badges yet," Maki admitted with a shake of his head.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Leah glanced at Maki's Charmeleon. From her perspective, judging purely by its strength, Maki should have had at least three or four badges already.
After all, for challengers with fewer than three badges, the Gym rules allowed them to compete using only a single Pokémon.
However, beyond that point, they were required to use at least two Pokémon, though a confident trainer could still attempt a one-on-two battle if they wished.
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