Chapter 82: Heading Toward Celadon City

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Liam was thrilled. After the recent battle, he had earned the trust of the Onix, who had agreed to follow him and grow stronger by his side. 

With a smile on his face, Liam busied himself applying various potions to help Onix recover from its injuries.

Arbok, looking somewhat sulky, slithered over and nudged Liam with its head, its large, watery eyes staring at him innocently.

Liam couldn't help but chuckle. He knew Arbok was worried about not getting its share of Moomoo Milk, which was why it was acting so clingy. 

Otherwise, Arbok was usually quite aloof.

Liam also knew that Arbok had played a significant role in helping him capture Onix. It was Arbok's display of power that had impressed Onix and made it willingly submit. 

A reward was definitely in order.

So, Liam exchanged some points for two bottles of Moomoo Milk and handed them to Arbok. Arbok's eyes lit up, and its thick tail deftly coiled around the bottles before it happily slithered away to enjoy its treat.

Liam then turned back to continue treating Onix's injuries, his hands gently rubbing over Onix's rocky body as he inspected it.

[Ding!]

Pokemon: Onix

Type: Rock/Ground-type 

Species: Rock Snake Pokémon. 

Ability: Rock Head 

Nature: Serious 

Gender: Male

Base Stats: Total 385/385 

HP 35 

Attack 45

Defense 160 

Sp. Atk 30 

Sp. Def 45

Speed 70

Moves: Mud Sport, Tackle, Harden, Bind, Rock Throw, Rock Tomb, Stealth Rock, Smack Down, Slam, Screech, Sand Tomb, Dig, Dragon Breath.

Egg Move: Heavy Slam.

Evaluation: Excellent! Outstanding defense and strength, with remarkable potential. Highly recommended for training.

After reading Onix's stats, Liam nodded in satisfaction. As expected of the leader of the Onix pack, its attributes were truly impressive. 

He felt like he had struck gold once again.

Liam happily continued treating Onix's injuries while chatting with it.

"Onix, from today onward, we're partners. So, as per tradition, let me give you a ceremonial nickname."

"Ggrrrr..."

"Haha, alright then. How about 'Pojun'? It's the name of a star in the sky. Doesn't it sound majestic?" (From the Chinese System of Astrology)

"Roarr!"

"Oh! Since you like it, from now on, your nickname will be Pojun. Let's work well together, Onix."

"Kaaah..."

As they chatted, time flew by. By the time Liam finished treating all of Onix's injuries, he noticed that Onix had already fallen asleep, clearly exhausted from the earlier battles. 

Liam didn't disturb it and instead recalled it into a Heal Ball.

He then recalled Arbok into its PokeBall, took out his Bike, and set off toward Saffron City.

By the time Liam returned to Saffron City, it was already dusk. 

He handed his PokeBalls to Nurse Joy and went back to his room to rest, preparing to recharge for the journey to Celadon City the next day.

Early the next morning, Liam packed his belongings, retrieved his PokeBalls, had breakfast, and hopped onto his Bike, heading toward the next destination: Celadon City.

The road between Saffron City and Celadon City wasn't particularly long—shorter than the route to Lavender Town, in fact. 

Along the way, Liam encountered many wild Pokémon, though none were particularly rare. Most were common species like Pidgey, Bellsprout, and Rattata. 

He did come across an Abra at one point, but before Liam could even make a move, the Abra used Teleport and vanished, leaving no opportunity for capture.

Liam wasn't too bothered, though. At its current stage, Abra couldn't use any moves other than Teleport, making it difficult to train without a stockpile of TMs. 

Without significant effort, it wouldn't be battle-ready, so Liam didn't dwell on it and continued toward Celadon City.

Before long, Liam had traversed the road between Saffron City and Celadon City, arriving in the vibrant and harmonious Celadon City.

Despite it being late autumn, the streets of Celadon City were still lush and green, as if adorned with evergreen plants. 

As soon as Liam entered the city, it felt like stepping into a thriving natural paradise, a refreshing and pleasant experience.

After asking for directions to the Celadon Gym, Liam rode his bike toward the destination. Soon, he arrived at the entrance of a botanical garden.

Liam parked his Bike and approached the gate, pressing the doorbell on the wall. He waited quietly, and within seconds, a pleasant voice came through the intercom.

"Hello, today is the botanical garden's closed day for maintenance. If you're here to visit, we apologize for the inconvenience."

Liam was used to Gym Leaders having side businesses, so he calmly replied, "Hello, I'm here for a Gym challenge. Does that mean I'll have to wait as well?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a surprised voice came through the intercom.

"Oh! It's been so long since anyone came for a Gym challenge that I almost forgot I'm a Gym Leader! My apologies for the confusion. Please come right in."

The intercom clicked off.

Liam's face twitched slightly as he waited for the somewhat scatterbrained Gym Leader to open the door.

After about a minute, Liam faintly heard footsteps approaching from inside. He straightened his clothes and stood ready, waiting for the person to arrive.

"Ouch!"

However, what Liam heard next was a pained cry, followed by silence. He began to worry if something had happened, wondering if the person had fallen and hurt themselves.

"Hello? Is everything okay in there? Do I need to call for help?"

When no response came, Liam grew anxious and knocked on the door, calling out.

Finally, there was movement from inside.

"Oh no! Mom, mom! Why did you fall asleep on the floor again? This is so troublesome! Ugh, you're so heavy! Fine, Vileplume, it's your turn!"

A sweet, childish voice echoed from inside, followed by a loud, agonized scream.

"Ahhh! It stinks! It stinks! My nose! I can't feel my nose!"

Liam: "..."

Liam stood there, his face darkening as he listened to the commotion. He couldn't help but think that the Gym Leaders in Kanto might all be beyond help.

Creak...

The sound of the gate opening snapped Liam out of his thoughts. The first thing he saw was a mature woman in a kimono, her appearance elegant and approachable. 

She was pinching her nose, looking somewhat embarrassed as she stepped out. Behind her, a young girl in a smaller kimono peeked out shyly, her short hair framing her curious face as she studied Liam.

Liam forced a smile and took a step back, his eyes locked on the Pokémon in the girl's arms. He screamed internally, "Kid, can you please put that Vileplume away? It's going to kill me with the stench!"

At that moment, Liam understood why no one dared to challenge this Gym.