The two Gloom felt incredibly sad, but the sadder they became, the more intense their emotional fluctuations grew, and the stronger the foul odor releasing from their bodies became.
Furthermore, they ran all the way toward their room. The companions they encountered along the way did not know they had evolved from Oddish, so they wanted to step forward and ask who they were.
Conversely, before anyone could even get close, they were overwhelmed by the dense stench. Despite this, they all covered their noses and ran away.
Seeing this scene, the two Gloom felt even more disheartened. They ran into their room with tears streaming down their faces, then closed the door, locked it, and hid inside, never coming out again.
After a while, because they were worried about the situation of the Gloom, the two Shroomish called over a Paras to check on them together.
Kino, kino~
One Shroomish knocked on the door and called out to the Gloom, but no movement came from inside.
The Shroomish and Paras exchanged looks, their eyes revealing deep worry.
Para, para~
At this moment, a Paras also stepped forward and knocked on the door. It told the Gloom that the Shroomish knew they were wrong and were willing to give them all of their treasured snacks as an apology.
The two Shroomish thought, Hey, hey, hey, we didn't say that!
However, they let it go. As long as the Gloom could cheer up, it would be fine.
After a short while, one Gloom slowly opened a crack in the door, tears hanging from the corners of its eyes.
Hana~ Really? You're really giving all the snacks to us?
Paras was just about to reply, "Really."
Suddenly, a terrible stench drifted out from the room. The words froze in Paras's mouth, and it turned its head around to start vomiting uncontrollably.
Although they had listened to Shroomish's warning and prepared themselves mentally before coming, they couldn't hold it in. They really couldn't hold it in!
The Gloom instantly froze in place, then slammed the door shut with a loud bang.
Kino, kino~ Seeing this, one Shroomish yelled angrily at that Paras.
Para, para~ Paras looked deeply aggrieved. It wasn't like I did it on purpose, the smell was just too overwhelming.
Now, it was even a little worried about how it would return to the room to sleep tonight.
The six of them lived together, and now the Gloom refused to open the door to let them in.
Furthermore, even if they opened the door, they would probably find it very difficult to restrain their physiological reaction to the foul odor. If that happened, the Gloom would probably become sad again.
What a worry!
For a moment, the two Paras and two Shroomish lined up in a row, crouching at the entrance of their home and sighing.
After eating lunch at noon, Ange moved two lounge chairs to the entrance, then lay down with Bruno, feeling drowsy.
Diancie sat next to him knitting a sweater, and two Spinarak lay obediently nearby.
Not far away, by the edge of the Flower Garden, Mareep stood by its drawing board, completely focused on painting.
Mareep truly possessed a talent for drawing. After only a short period of practice, its painting already looked decent, completely unlike a beginner's work.
Munchlax grunted as it carried out bags of harvested Rolycoly beans one by one. Then, Gengar and Inteleon spread out plastic sheets on the ground. The three fellow disciples combined their strength to pour the Rolycoly beans onto the plastic sheets to dry.
Rolycoly beans were very important ingredients. The household's Bean Paste, tofu, bean sprouts, soy milk, and tofu pudding all relied entirely on them.
Meanwhile, Magearna was holding a water hose to spray water onto Volcanion, then lathered shower gel all over its body.
Today, it wanted to give Volcanion a thorough bath, cleaning every nook and cranny of its body.
After applying the shower gel, Magearna took a brush and started scrubbing Volcanion's body. Since Volcanion had thick skin and flesh, there was no need to worry about hurting it, so Magearna scrubbed exceptionally hard.
The spots Magearna scrubbed immediately became shiny, as if a beauty filter had been applied.
In no time, Volcanion let out a series of groans.
"Magearna, not there... not there either, don't... it tickles... ahaha~~ haha... it tickles!"
Pawmot, along with Bruno's Machamp, Hitmonlee, and Hitmonchan, crowded together on the ground, whispering about who knows what.
"How peaceful," Bruno remarked, rocking slightly as he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Yeah," Ange agreed.
Right at that moment, he vaguely seemed to receive a system notification. He opened the system to take a look and saw that an entry had been added to the Mission List.
[Temporary Mission: Help the two Gloom regain their confidence—Pending]
Ange subconsciously looked at Diancie and saw Diancie smiling and winking at him.
"Did our Oddish evolve into Gloom?" he asked.
"Yes! They evolved this morning while playing Poké-Soccer," Diancie replied.
"Did something happen?" Ange asked again.
If nothing had happened, the system wouldn't have suddenly popped up with such a mission.
Therefore, Diancie told Ange about how the Gloom were disliked by everyone because of their foul odor.
After listening, Ange said helplessly, "So that happened!"
Bruno, who was nearby, overheard the conversation between Ange and Diancie, so he sighed with emotion, "The more Pokémon you have, the more problems arise. You're going to have a headache, Ange."
"Tell me about it," Ange replied.
After resting until mid-afternoon, Ange practiced martial arts with Bruno for a while. Subsequently, he found the Shroomish and Paras, learning from them that the two Gloom had locked themselves in their room.
Because of this, Paras and Shroomish hadn't even eaten lunch.
Consequently, Ange brought Paras and Shroomish to the staff dormitory and knocked on Gloom's room door.
"Gloom, are you there? It's me, Ange."
However, there was no response from inside the room.
Seeing this, Ange spoke again, "You won't even see me? That makes me so sad. I thought Gloom liked me the most. It seems I was just flattering myself. Sigh~~ I guess I'll just leave, lest I bother someone who doesn't want to see me."
At this moment, the room door finally opened slightly, and the two Gloom showed their faces through the crack.
Looking at their appearance, Ange was greatly shocked. Not only were their eyes red and swollen, but because they had cried for too long, their bodies had lost moisture. Their originally plump and round bodies were now dry and shriveled.
"You... how did you two end up like this?" Ange showed a look of heartache, then quickly lowered his head to tell the Shroomish and Paras, "Quick, go pour some water for the Gloom."
Kino~
Para~
The four Pokémon nodded repeatedly, then quickly ran away.
Next, Ange waved at the Gloom, "You two come out quickly."
Hana~ However, the two Gloom shook their heads frantically. They were afraid that Ange would also dislike them.
Ange said, "I won't dislike you, don't worry."
Hana? The two Gloom were a bit skeptical.
Ange said, "Silly children, do you think that because everyone dislikes the smell you emit, it means they don't like you?"
Hana? The two Pokémon looked puzzled. Was it not?
Ange explained, "Disliking a foul odor and disliking you are two completely different things."
The smell emitted by Gloom was indeed very unpleasant. It smelled like leftover food left covered in the summer for ten days to ferment.
No wonder everyone couldn't stand it.
Especially since one of the Gloom had the Stench ability, the odor it released was particularly intense.
Ange had actually smelled it the moment they opened the door, but he had been enduring it all along.
He was confident that his endurance was definitely much better than that of the Pokémon.
Ange then said to the Gloom, "The smell on your bodies isn't something you emit on purpose, it's natural. How could everyone hate you because of that?"
Hana~ Hana~ The two Gloom half-understood.
At this moment, Shroomish and Paras returned out of breath, carrying cups of water.
Ange pointed at them, covered in sweat, and said, "Shroomish and Paras have been worrying about you since this morning. Looking at them, do they look like they hate you?"
Kino~ We like Gloom the most.
Para, para~ Mmhmm, Gloom are our best friends.
Hearing Ange's words, Shroomish and Paras quickly chimed in to support him.
Looking at the concerned gaze of Shroomish and Paras, Gloom couldn't help but be moved.
Ange took the water cups from Paras and Shroomish, placed them in front of each Gloom, and said, "Come, drink some water first."
Hana~
The two Gloom nodded, holding the water cups and gulping it down.
They were indeed incredibly thirsty, and a cup of water was quickly drained until not a single drop was left.
While watching them drink water, Ange said, "Actually, as long as you always keep a calm mind, the smell on your bodies will be contained."
Hana~ Really? Gloom asked, setting down the water cup.
Ange nodded, "Of course, have I ever lied to you?"
Hana~
Hana~
The two Gloom shook their heads.
"You can try it," Ange said.
Hana~ The two Gloom nodded, then began to try hard to calm their emotions.
Despite trying for a long time, they ultimately failed. Because their emotional fluctuations had been too large before, trying to become calm all of a sudden was something they simply couldn't do.
Hana~
Hana~
The two Gloom grew anxious and started crying again.
Seeing this, Ange couldn't help but get a headache, so he said, "Actually, there is another way to change your dilemma."
Hana? The two Gloom stopped crying and looked at Ange in confusion.
Ange said, "And that is to evolve!"
Evolve! The two Gloom's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
Ange added, "Your evolution can happen immediately as long as you have a Sun Stone or a Leaf Stone."
Hearing this, the two Gloom instantly looked disappointed. They didn't have a Leaf Stone, nor did they have a Sun Stone.
Ange shook his head helplessly and said, "How about I take you to buy a Leaf Stone and a Sun Stone?"
Hearing this, the two Gloom immediately held hands and jumped for joy. As soon as they became excited, a powerful foul odor rapidly expanded.
Ange thought, Blegh~
Shroomish thought, Blegh~
Paras thought, Blegh~
The two Gloom looked down sadly.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the Royal Capital to buy a Leaf Stone and a Sun Stone," Ange said to the Gloom after he finished vomiting.
Hana~ Hana~
The two Gloom nodded. As long as they evolved, everything would be fine.
Subsequently, they followed Ange home.
"Diancie, I'm taking Gloom to the Royal Capital," Ange called out to Diancie before leaving.
"Understood!" Diancie replied.
It needed to help cover for Ange, otherwise it wouldn't be good if Bruno discovered the secret of the space portal.
Through Munchlax Home, Ange and the two Gloom arrived at the Royal Capital.
While passing by a patch of tall grass, the two Gloom dashed inside.
"Hey~ What are you doing?" Ange asked, puzzled.
Hana~ Hana~
Before long, the two Gloom emerged from the grass. Their bodies were wrapped tightly in green grass leaves, looking exactly like two large rice dumplings.
Ange didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Are you afraid that passersby will smell you?"
Hana~ Hana~ The two Gloom nodded repeatedly.
Ange said, "What cute little fellows."
Saying that, he untied the grass leaves from the Gloom's bodies. "Isn't it uncomfortable to be wrapped up like this? We'll take paths with fewer people, so we won't affect others."
Besides, the organs that emitted the foul odor were the pistils on top of their heads, so what was the use of wrapping their bodies?
After untying the leaves, Ange smiled and said, "Let's go."
In fact, after Ange said he would take them to the Royal Capital to buy evolution stones, their mood had become cheerful, and the smell on their bodies was no longer that intense.
Hana~
Hana~
The two Gloom followed behind Ange, specifically choosing secluded paths to walk, rarely encountering any passersby.
Although it was a slight detour, both Ange and the Gloom found a bit of fun in it.
It felt like they were on an adventure, seeing the unknown side of this city and witnessing many Pokémon living in the corners of the city.
Hana~ Hana~ Ange, look!
Ange looked in the direction Gloom was pointing and saw a Talonflame taking a rest with a few Fletchling on a roof.
"Shh~~" Ange made a quiet gesture to the Gloom, signaling them not to disturb the Talonflame and the others' rest.
While passing by a corner, they saw a Paras and a Parasect inside a pile of ruins.
Before the two Gloom could make a sound, Ange placed his finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet again, and stepped away quietly.
While passing by an abandoned waterway, they saw a Magikarp swimming in the water, as well as a Shinx and a Starly resting by the water's edge.
The two Gloom greeted them, and they also responded warmly to the Gloom.
Leaving the waterway, Ange and the others entered an alley. Suddenly, a Mismagius and two Misdreavus leaped out from a corner, scaring the two Gloom into hiding behind Ange's back.
"Jie jie jie~~~"
Seeing the frightened Gloom, the three Ghost-type Pokémon burst into laughter, then hid back into the darkness with satisfaction.
After a novel adventure, Ange and the others finally arrived at the Pokémon Mart.
The place Ange came to this time was a large store in the Royal Capital, not some small roadside shop.
The inside was a dazzling display of various Pokémon supplies, ranging from different colored Poké Balls, medicines, and Pokémon food, to held items, various evolution stones, spatial backpacks, bicycles, and so on.
Not only were the Gloom bewildered by the variety, but Ange himself was also a bit dazzled.
However, they did not forget the purpose of their visit. After walking around, they quickly found the area specialized in selling evolution stones.
The Sun Stone and Leaf Stone were placed together.
Ange pointed at the green stone with leaf vein patterns and said to the two Gloom:
"Look, this is a Leaf Stone. It can make you evolve into Vileplume."
Saying that, he searched for a picture of Vileplume to show the two Pokémon and introduced:
"Vileplume is a powerful Flower Pokémon. It can release strong Stun Spore, Poison Powder, and Sleep Powder. It is an existence that strikes terror into enemies in the forest."
Hearing these words, the Gloom with the Chlorophyll ability couldn't help but brighten its eyes, a flash of longing appearing on its face.
Next, Ange pointed at the Sun Stone in the display case and introduced:
"Now, this piece is a Sun Stone. It can help you evolve into Bellossom."
Saying that, he searched for a picture of Bellossom to show the two Gloom and introduced it to them:
"Bellossom is a beautiful Flower Pokémon. After bathing in sunlight, the flowers on their heads become bright and beautiful, and they can even sing and dance..."
After listening to Ange's introduction, the Gloom with the Stench ability showed joy on its face.
"Alright, if you have decided which form to evolve into, choose your evolution stones accordingly."
Ange handed the right of choice over to the Gloom themselves.
There was more than one Leaf Stone and Sun Stone in the display case. Even if the two Pokémon chose the same evolution form, there was no need to worry about not having enough stones.
Of course, the two Pokémon did not choose the same evolution stone. The one with the Chlorophyll ability chose the Leaf Stone without hesitation, while the one with the Stench ability chose the Sun Stone without hesitation.
Ange asked, "Are you sure? Once you evolve, there's no going back!"
Hana~
Hana~
The two Gloom nodded firmly.
"Alright then!" Saying that, Ange looked at the salesperson nearby, "Please give me one Sun Stone and one Leaf Stone."
"Alright, please wait a moment," the salesperson said.
Saying that, he quickly took out the evolution stones and intended to pack them up for Ange.
Seeing this, Ange quickly said, "No need for packaging, we're going to use them in a moment anyway."
"Alright, customer." Saying that, the salesperson handed the two evolution stones directly to Ange.
Ange took the Gloom to pay the bill, then walked straight out of the store.
As soon as they stepped out of the store door, the two Gloom tugged at Ange's pant legs, looking up at him with expectant faces.
"Alright, alright, here you go." Ange smiled and handed the two evolution stones to them respectively.
Hana~
Hana~
The two Gloom couldn't wait to take the evolution stones and hold them in their arms.
The moment they touched the evolution stones, a bright light lit up on the stones, and the light spread all the way onto the two Gloom until it completely enveloped them.
Within the light, the forms of the two Gloom rapidly underwent changes.
The one with the Chlorophyll ability grew in size, and the flower bud on its head bloomed rapidly. When the light dissipated, a bipedal flower-like Pokémon appeared in front of Ange.
It possessed an indigo bulb-like body with hands and feet, and atop its head sat a huge spotted flower petals. With its movements, the petals shook slightly, and yellow powder faintly drifted out from them.
This was one of Gloom's evolved forms, Vileplume, a Grass and Poison-type.
Meanwhile, the other Gloom with the Stench ability grew taller quickly within the light, and a skirt-like petal bloomed below its body. When the light dissipated, it became a cute Pokémon wearing two red flowers on its head and a yellow-and-green striped grass skirt.
Bana~ Bana~ As soon as the evolution succeeded, it spun around cheerfully.
This Pokémon was Gloom's other evolved form—Bellossom, a pure Grass-type Pokémon.
"Congratulations, Vileplume, Bellossom!" Ange said.