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After hanging up the phone, Ash wiped the nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead and mumbled, "Is Professor Oak exaggerating a bit? Are those two Gyms really that terrifying?"
"I don't know about Saffron Gym, but Viridian Gym's reputation is indeed as Professor Oak said." Misty lightly tapped her delicate chin, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"The Gym Leader of Viridian Gym is Giovanni. Besides being a Gym Leader, he is also an entrepreneur. It is said that Poké Balls, spatial backpacks, and other items all have Giovanni's investment and involvement. His strength has always been hidden, unfathomable. From the strength he occasionally displays, he is at least an Elite Four level Trainer."
"Furthermore, everyone who has challenged Viridian Gym says that Giovanni is gentle and gives guidance. Every Trainer who has battled him, regardless of victory or defeat, feels greatly enlightened, provided the difference in strength isn't too vast."
"There are also rumors that Giovanni frequently makes charitable donations and supports Trainers from impoverished backgrounds, etc. He truly seems like a perfect man."
Misty rattled off Giovanni's information as if listing her family treasures, leaving Ash and Pikachu stunned.
From what Misty said, Giovanni seems to be more than just a Gym Leader. From his personality to his public image and his strength, he is a flawless man. If a new Trainer were to face such a person for their first Gym, it would indeed cause a significant psychological shadow.
"Well, in that case, let's go to another Gym. The closest Gym from here is... Pewter Gym. Misty, do you know anything about Pewter Gym?" Ash looked at the map given by Joy, finding the city closest to Viridian City, Pewter City. There was also a League Gym in Pewter City.
"Pewter Gym, huh... I remember that Gym seems to be a Rock-type specialist Gym Leader. Generally speaking, Rock-types will have some Ground-type attributes or Ground-type moves. Ash, you only have Pikachu, right? Challenging Pewter Gym like that would be very disadvantageous, you know~"
The all-knowing Misty provided information about Pewter Gym. Although Ash didn't know where Misty got all her information, her intelligence was usually spot on, almost never wrong.
"Moreover, Gym battles are usually two-on-two or three-on-three. If you only have one Pokémon, unless you can handle two or three opponents, it's best not to think about challenging a Gym."
Misty's words made Ash fall into deep thought. Pikachu's current strength was considerably stronger than that of an average beginner Pokémon, so handling the initial Gym difficulty should be no problem—in a one-on-one situation.
If the opponent had two or even three Pokémon, Pikachu really wouldn't be able to handle it.
Furthermore, Pewter Gym might also have Ground-type Pokémon. Ground-type moves not only counter Pikachu, but Pikachu's Electric-type moves are also completely ineffective against Ground-types. No matter how you look at it, it's a complete disadvantage.
The original Ash didn't really understand type advantages, but the seniors in the group had analyzed Pikachu's type, so Ash knew what types Electric-type countered and what types countered Electric-type.
"Then what about this one? Cerulean Gym is also very close. What type of Gym is Cerulean Gym?" Ash's finger pointed at Cerulean City on the map.
However, Ash, focused on the map, didn't notice Misty's suddenly stiff expression when he mentioned Cerulean Gym.
"Hu... Cerulean Gym is Water-type, but I don't recommend you go to Cerulean Gym!"
"Why? For my Pikachu, Water-type should be very useful, right?" Ash was a bit confused. For him, who only had the Electric-type Pikachu, wasn't a Water-type Gym just perfect?
"Pika Pika!!" Pikachu also patted his not-so-muscular arm, indicating that he would surely shine in a Water-type Gym and defeat his opponents.
"Because... that... there's... no challenge! That's right, there's no challenge! Think about it, aren't you out on an adventure to challenge the unknown and stronger things? What's the point of fighting a Gym with a favorable type? If you're going to battle, you should definitely battle against an unfavorable type! I think Pewter Gym is very good, mhm."
Misty said with a serious expression, and by the end, she herself nodded in agreement, indicating that what she said was perfectly reasonable.
Ash looked at Misty suspiciously. He always felt that her excuse was too clumsy, as if she didn't want him to challenge Cerulean Gym.
"But didn't you just say that Pewter Gym would be a bit too difficult for me?"
"Difficult? Where did I say it was difficult! I didn't say anything like that, I just said it was a bit disadvantageous, since you only have one Pikachu! But if you're going to Pewter City, you have to pass through Viridian Forest in the middle. You just need to catch one or two Pokémon in Viridian Forest that can counter Rock-type, and you'll be fine!"
Ash: ...
"But you just said that an unfavorable type is more of a challenge..."
"Can't one be an unfavorable type and one be a favorable type! Why are you so stubborn! In short, I don't recommend you go to Cerulean Gym, as for whether you go or not, that's up to you!" Misty huffed, turning her face away from Ash and Pikachu.
Ash and Pikachu exchanged glances, both feeling a bit bewildered, seemingly unsure why the other seemed a little angry.
"Alright, then let's go to Pewter City first. Let's leave now!" Ash put on his backpack and was about to continue his journey with Pikachu, but Misty immediately pulled him back.
"Wait a minute! Didn't I just say? We have to pass through Viridian Forest. Viridian Forest is very large, and it's impossible to get out of it in one or two days. So we need to buy some camping equipment. Do you already have some?"
Ash shook his head. His mom had prepared a lot of things for him, but not many of them were actually useful, at most a sleeping bag, instant food, and some universal Pokémon food. The rest were basically useless.
"If you don't have any, then let's go buy some at the Viridian City mall. The most important thing is to buy plenty of insect repellent, there are a lot of bugs in the forest!" Misty emphasized the latter part of her sentence, especially when she mentioned "bugs," her voice seemed to tremble slightly.
"I understand," Ash nodded in understanding, then took the lead out of the Pokemon Center, with Misty following close behind.
As they walked out of the Pokemon Center, Ash brushed past three people who were completely wrapped up. As if sensing something, Ash's gaze turned to the trio—two relatively tall figures and one relatively short figure.
"What's wrong, Ash? Do you know those three people?" Misty followed Ash's gaze and saw three people completely covered by coats, their faces completely hidden.
Never mind whether Ash knew them or not, to be able to recognize people completely wrapped up like that, did Ash have hawk eyes?