“After bidding farewell to Professor Bill and getting lost again and again, Vermilion City is finally here!”
Yu Feng didn't pay any attention to the slightly teary-eyed Ash and the others, recounting recent events.
After saying goodbye to Professor Bill, who wasn't acting like a human, and the Giant Dragonite, who had latched onto Professor Bill for help finding its kin, they walked for a long time, finally emerging from their lost state into Vermilion City's urban area.
Aside from Yu Feng, the rest of the group had dust covering their faces and clothes, looking quite disheveled.
“Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!”
Ash, Brock, Xiao Xia, and Yu Teng Sheng Dai cheered with their hands raised, finally arriving in a proper city, completely oblivious to the looks of bewilderment from the people around them.
What did they understand? They had been lost for several weeks before finally finding Vermilion City. If they weren't excited, how could they feel this hard-won Joy?
“We really want to take a shower!”
Xiao Xia and Yu Teng Sheng Dai had become close at some point. Their faces were pressed together, hands tightly clasped, and their eyes sparkled as they gazed at the entrance to Vermilion City.
Who knows what karma they had accumulated? Even with the best sense of direction, traveling with Ash could lead to getting lost. Look, even Yu Feng, a Psychic, was led astray, though he might have enjoyed it?
But at least it had been over ten days since they had encountered a water source. They couldn't shower or wash their clothes, and even Yu Teng Sheng Dai, who was usually so particular about her appearance, had become grimy.
“I want to wash my clothes too.”
For someone like Brock, who took care of others to the highest standards, not having washed clothes for so long was truly agonizing. The unpleasant smell was one thing, but seeing his light-colored clothes covered in dust was incredibly uncomfortable.
Ash, however, wiped his nose, ready to challenge the Vermilion Gym. After all, for him, challenging a Gym was far more meaningful than washing clothes. Clothes could be washed anytime, but a Gym couldn't be challenged just anytime.
Just as Ash was confidently preparing to challenge the Vermilion Gym, four hands simultaneously reached out from behind, grabbing Ash's collar to stop him from rushing into a Gym challenge on a whim.
“What are you doing?”
Ash was very confused as to why his travel companions were stopping him from challenging the Gym. He could understand the others, but why was Yu Feng, who also wanted to challenge the Gym, stopping him? Could it be that Yu Feng wanted to challenge the Gym before him and then show off?
Glancing at Ash, whose expression was rapidly changing, Yu Feng didn't even need to use telepathy to know he wasn't thinking anything good. He didn't say much, just pointed downwards, signaling Ash to look first before saying anything else.
Following the direction of Yu Feng's finger, Ash saw Pikachu lying on the ground, tongue lolling out, looking listless.
“He's too hungry. He hasn't eaten well in two or three days.”
Brock sounded a bit helpless. They had been lost for too long and hadn't had much good food. Even with Yu Feng's Indeedee constantly bringing back food, it wasn't quite enough.
After all, it was impossible for one Pokémon to bring back enough food for five people and at least a dozen Pokémon. That wasn't a realistic expectation.
“Seriously, Pikachu, you have no ambition. A battle won't be lost to hunger.”
Ash condemned Pikachu's cowardly behavior, though it would have been better if his own stomach wasn't growling.
Ash seemed to sense the subtle glances from everyone, but being thick-skinned, he just scratched his head and changed his mind about challenging the Gym directly. He turned towards the Pokémon Center to get something to eat first.
After a citizen, holding his nose, told them how to get to Vermilion City's Pokémon Center, they quickly arrived at the Pokémon Center, which was shaped like a crab with an open mouth.
Suppressing the urge to comment on the builder's aesthetics, Yu Feng followed them into the crab's mouth... the Pokémon Center.
After placing all their Poké Balls in the pre-prepared trays, the group took their trays to the front desk to register their information.
“Please take care of them.”
Handing his tray to Nurse Joy in order, Ash sincerely asked Nurse Joy to heal his Pokémon.
Of course, this was in addition to them staring intently at Nurse Joy, as she was yet another Nurse Joy who looked exactly the same.
“Ah? You're not going to say that I look a lot like my sisters, are you?”
Looking at their expressions, Joy knew what they were thinking. They must be very surprised by her appearance, right?
“I'm the older cousin of the one in Pewter City and the younger cousin of the one in Viridian City, but don't you think I'm the prettiest of them all?”
This Nurse Joy had a great fondness for Ash and the others, who had met her other sisters. She began to incessantly praise herself, though it would have been even better if her gaze wasn't fixed on Yu Feng.
“Cheer up, Rattata, you will be saved!!”
An anxious voice interrupted their conversation. A Chansey pushed a dark-colored Rattata past them.
Beside the Rattata, its Trainer, who looked much younger than Ash, was desperately calling out to his Pokémon.
“Oh, this is the fifteenth one this month.”
Seeing Ash and the others' expressions, Nurse Joy knew what they were going to ask. They looked like they were also going to challenge the Gym, and she also had to go and treat the Pokémon, so she simply led them towards the infirmary to take a look.
Upon entering the infirmary, Ash was startled. Beds were filled with Pokémon wrapped in bandages.
Caterpie, Oddish, Sandshrew, and the recently brought-in Rattata all lay miserably on the hospital beds.
“Everyone here was defeated by Lt. Surge of the Vermilion Gym. He's quite heavy-handed.”
Looking at the infirmary full of Pokémon, Nurse Joy felt very distressed. Although she had seen such things many times, Lt. Surge's heavy-handedness still made them very uncomfortable.
“He... he's that strong?”
Seeing the miserable state of the Pokémon before him, Ash stammered a bit. He had been excitedly planning to challenge the Vermilion Gym earlier. If he had gone, Pikachu would probably be in a terrible state too, right?
“Hmph, if you ask me, Lt. Surge went easy on them.”
Yu Feng looked at the Trainers and Pokémon before him, his tone full of disdain.
“What are you saying! Apologize to us immediately!”
Yu Feng hadn't spoken particularly quietly, so his voice was audible to all the Trainers present. Yu Feng had truly incurred public wrath; everyone glared at him, demanding an apology.
“Apologize? Do you deserve it? With your strength, do you even have the nerve to challenge a Gym?”
