When Ash and his group finally rode their bicycles to the border of Gringey City.
A strong wind swept past. An indescribable stench—a mixture of rot, chemical agents, and heavy mildew—slammed into them like a solid wall.
Is this normal? This is very wrong!
Theoretically speaking, the technology in this world is very advanced. After the Pokémon League passed its initial period of chaos, even industrial cities like Gringey City should have started governance and cleanup efforts.
In other words, the situation should be getting better and better, not worse and worse. So, something absolutely must have happened!
"Uwah! What is this smell!" Misty immediately covered her nose and mouth tightly with her hands, her pretty face scrunching up into a ball, feeling her stomach churn violently.
This was far more intense and complex than the odor emitted by any Grimer or Muk she had ever seen. It was even worse than a Gloom.
Retches—
Ash also furrowed his brows tightly; the smell was so pungent it made his eyes sting slightly. Pikachu on his shoulder let out a miserable "Pika!" and then pinched his own nose with his small paws, the electric sacs on his cheeks twitching slightly from the discomfort.
Even the usually composed Brock looked grave, his voice deep as he said, "It seems we have entered the range of Gringey City. This air... truly lives up to its reputation."
"Mai mai..." Misdreavus couldn't stand it at all.
Misdreavus liked the scent of perfume and absolutely hated bad smells. With a light touch of her forehead against a Poké Ball, she retreated inside amidst a flash of red light.
QAQ Misdreavus: [Sorry everyone...]
QAQ Misdreavus: [I'm hiding first...]
QAQ Misdreavus: [I can't take it anymore.]
Although she could block out her sense of smell, just the thought of living in this kind of air made her unable to bear it. Theoretically, Ghost-types born naturally wouldn't generally care about foul odors, but Misdreavus's living environment had always been too good.
Ash: "..."
Misty: "..."
Brock: "..."
Pikachu: "..."
Pidgeotto: "..."
Charmeleon: "..."
Although everyone was speechless, they let it slide.
Looking out, the scenery of Gringey City was hardly any better than its terrible air. What came into view was a mass of abandoned factories.
Those giant chimneys towering into the clouds were like silent giants; many no longer smoked, were covered in rust, and their outer walls were riddled with stains and peeling paint. The city's buildings generally appeared dilapidated, with many broken windows, and scattered trash and debris were visible everywhere on the streets.
However, in sharp contrast to this scene of decay was the clamor coming from inside the city.
It wasn't the noise of a bustling market, but a mix of angry Pokémon roars, nervous human shouts, and the occasional muffled sound of moves exploding.
Even more striking was the presence of police everywhere on the streets. They weren't acting alone but were leading a considerable number of Trainers dressed in various outfits. They formed squads to patrol and set up checkpoints, trying hard to maintain an order that was on the verge of collapse.
Obvious traces of battle could be seen at some street corners. The scorch marks on walls, craters in the ground, and solidified purple or brown stains all declared that this place had just experienced, or was currently experiencing, some kind of chaos.
"What on earth... happened here?" Misty whispered in disbelief, looking at the chaotic scene before her.
Ash's gaze swept over the Trainers and police on the street, who clearly wore expressions of exhaustion and tension. He decisively took out his Poké Balls. "Pidgeotto, Charmeleon, return and rest for now."
Two red lights flashed as he recalled the two Pokémon, who were unsuited to be exposed to the current environment for too long. In this polluted atmosphere filled with the unknown and chaos, it was safer for them to stay inside their Poké Balls.
In fact, any biological Pokémon would be constrained by the environment. Whether the temperature was too high or too low, or if it was too smelly or the air composition was wrong, Pokémon that needed to breathe would feel very uncomfortable.
Theoretically, the most reliable one right now was actually Misdreavus. Because Misdreavus didn't need to breathe. But Sister Misdreavus had already... well, never mind.
Aside from her, the most reliable one now was Brock. Many Rock-type Pokémon didn't have a sense of smell. Whether it smelled bad or not didn't matter to them.
"We need to get to the Pokémon Center first," Brock judged. "That should be the hub for information, and it can ensure our Pokémon are maintained in their best condition."
The three of them pushed their bicycles, carefully avoiding obstacles on the street and the crowds rushing about, heading in the direction where the Pokémon Center was usually located in their memories. Whenever conditions allowed, Pokémon Centers were built in similar locations in every city.
However, they hadn't gone far when an Officer Jenny, accompanied by a Growlithe and looking exhausted but sharp-eyed, blocked their path.
"Halt! Are you three outsider Trainers?" Officer Jenny's voice carried a hint of hoarseness, but her tone was very serious. Her Growlithe also crouched low vigilantly, its nose twitching constantly as it sniffed the anomalies in the air.
In such a harsh environment, Ash felt this Growlithe must be suffering greatly. Or perhaps it was a locally specialized breed? After all, if you smell something for a long time, you adapt until you can't perceive it anymore.
"Yes, Officer Jenny," Ash stepped forward and responded frankly. "We are Trainers who just arrived from the direction of Celadon City. We were just preparing to go to the Pokémon Center to register."
Officer Jenny carefully sized up the three of them. Her gaze lingered for a moment on Pikachu on Ash's shoulder and Geodude at Brock's feet.
Just as Ash's Misdreavus couldn't stand the smell, Brock's Vulpix couldn't stand it either. So, what was at Brock's feet right now was Geodude.
Geodude: You only think of me when things are bad.
Geodude: (Annoyed/Speechless)
Officer Jenny looked at their travel-worn appearance again, and the tense look on her face softened slightly, replaced by an expression mixed with apology and urgency.
"Trainers, I am very sorry to make a request as soon as you've arrived." Officer Jenny's tone was very sincere. "But Gringey City is currently facing a serious crisis of order, and we are severely short-handed. Could I... trouble you to assist us in maintaining the city's order?"
Although Officer Jenny had the right of mandatory conscription, it was better not to use it when possible. Why use a command for a problem that can be solved with a request?
Ash, Misty, and Brock looked at each other without any hesitation.
"Of course!" Ash answered on behalf of the three. "Maintaining peace in the city is also a Trainer's responsibility. However, we might need to go to the Pokémon Center to complete registration first, and could you explain what exactly happened here?"
He pointed to the chaotic scene around them and the stench lingering in the air. Theoretically, there shouldn't be such a severe smell. High-tech waste disposal requires sealed environments. It is impossible to emit such a pungent odor during the process. That was a problem caused by obsolete technology from a long time ago.
Hearing the three agree so readily, Officer Jenny said happily, "That's great! That is truly wonderful! Thank you so much!"
She signaled a colleague to come over and temporarily take over her duties, then began to explain:
"To tell you the truth, due to Gringey City's remote geographical location and this environment... well, you can smell it, it's really not good, so very few powerful Trainers are willing to stay long-term or visit. This leads to us being stretched thin whenever a problem arises."
This was a very realistic problem. Ace Trainers didn't mind protecting their own cities, but generally, they wouldn't go to a place with a terrible environment to suffer.
"The root of this chaos is, to speak of it, somewhat... awkward. It's because of the garbage management issue."
Officer Jenny led the three to a relatively quiet street corner and began to explain the situation in detail.
"Garbage management?" Misty repeated in confusion.
"Yes." Officer Jenny sighed. "In recent years, the League has been promoting environmental governance. As an important waste processing terminal for the Kanto region, Gringey City has also started implementing more efficient and environmentally friendly waste disposal methods. The amount of garbage shipped to traditional open-air landfills has been drastically reduced."
This was unavoidable. Although garbage-type Pokémon needed garbage, they couldn't directly process it all away. The garbage eaten would become part of the garbage-type Pokémon's body. Perhaps a portion would truly be consumed in the process, but the majority would definitely accumulate on the garbage-type Pokémon.
Plus, these garbage-type Pokémon needed enough trash in their living environment, which would make the environment increasingly worse—the trail of a normal Muk could prevent grass from growing for three years, and the crystals falling from an Alolan Muk were highly toxic pollution sources.
In the end, even Gringey City, as an industrial waste city, couldn't take it anymore. Citizens couldn't give up their city and yield it to Pokémon. Especially now with garbage recycling, secondary processing, and reprocessing. Although profits weren't large due to the League's severe overcapacity, it was better than nothing.
—The products of this world are overly abundant, so things like waste incineration for power generation have no future.
—Saffron City and Celadon City preferred to ship garbage away directly rather than build waste treatment plants in their own cities.
—After all, the Power Plant utilizes various Electric-type Pokémon and natural energy generation machinery.
Of course, this was the reason on the surface. As for the hidden reasons...
Brock looked thoughtful: "I understand... This touched the interests of those Pokémon that rely on garbage to survive."
"Exactly!" Officer Jenny nodded vigorously, her face written with helplessness. "Those garbage-type Pokémon living around the landfills—mainly the Trubbish clans led by Garbodor, and the Grimer clans led by Muk. Of course, there are also large numbers of Weezing and other Poison-type Pokémon living in the dumps. They are very dissatisfied with the reduction of garbage."
"These past few days, they started leaving the landfills in organized groups, entering the city, attacking transport vehicles, storming the waste processing stations that are still operating, and even... attempting to snatch garbage directly from residential and commercial areas."
In short, it seemed increasingly ridiculous the more she spoke, but it was the reality. In a sense, garbage was also a resource. It's just that... starting a battle to snatch garbage is really too absurd.
Officer Jenny pointed to the distance where black smoke was still rising: "Most of the destruction you see was caused by them. They tear apart trash cans and rummage through trash heaps, trying to transport more garbage back to their 'territory'."
Officer Jenny didn't know how to express it. In short, this reason. It could only be called a sign of the changing times.
After all, before the League's technology developed, garbage was mostly handled by landfill and incineration, and the chosen terminus was Gringey City. It was also just right for Poison-type Pokémon to live here. But now wasn't the past.
"This..." Ash didn't know how to evaluate this for a moment. He understood Pokémon fighting for survival resources, but attacking a city for garbage sounded truly somewhat absurd.
Officer Jenny saw their thoughts and smiled bitterly: "Sounds incredible, right? But the problem is that these garbage-type Pokémon mostly possess the Poison type themselves. They carry huge amounts of bacteria and viruses on their bodies. Their secretions, and even the gases they exhale, can cause pollution to the environment or make other Pokémon and even humans sick."
"Handling them is very troublesome. We can't simply beat them back or disperse them like ordinary wild Pokémon. We need to be very careful to avoid causing large-scale pollution diffusion or angering them into more violent resistance."
If you win, there's no benefit. If you lose, there's no benefit. In short, it highlights the concept of [Filth Monsters].
Officer Jenny rubbed the space between her eyebrows, appearing very exhausted: "So regarding this matter, if you say it's serious, it is indeed serious; the entire city's operations are almost paralyzed, the residents are in a panic, and the environmental health risk is huge. But if you say it's not serious, it indeed hasn't reached a devastating level; at least there haven't been severe casualties yet."
"We have already requested assistance from League Headquarters, but mobilizing support forces takes time, and..." Officer Jenny's voice lowered, carrying some bitterness, "And... to be honest, many powerful Trainers, upon hearing they have to come to Gringey City to handle this kind of 'dirty work' and deal with Muk and Trubbish... their enthusiasm isn't high. After all, this place is a 'garbage dump'."
She raised her head, looking at Ash and his friends with anticipation: "So, Trainers like you who are willing to proactively lend a hand are truly a timely help for us! Every bit of strength is crucial right now!"
At least on the surface, all of this was reasonable and logical. Theoretically, this wasn't an attack by an evil organization in the traditional sense, but a rather thorny ecological conflict triggered by environmental changes.
But Ash remembered the information Meowth had given him before and felt it couldn't be this simple. Team Rocket is here; would the situation be only this?
You are underestimating Team Rocket!
"We understand, Officer Jenny." Ash nodded solemnly.
"After we finish registering, we will immediately join the ranks of maintaining order," Misty said very actively.
"Please tell us, where should we go now, and what should we do?" Brock's attitude was even more active. "Even if it's just for Officer Jenny, this humble one will work hard!"
"..." Officer Jenny: "Thank you, three."
Officer Jenny was a bit unaccustomed to Brock's enthusiasm.
*
[Grimer (Alolan Form)]
After being irradiated by X-rays from the moon, polluted seabed sludge turned into Grimer. Its whole body is made of rotten mud, surrounded by deep purple stripes. It has hands but no feet, moving by squirming. The Alolan Grimer changed from purple to gray-green, and the stripes surrounding its body also turned deep green. The things that look like teeth are actually crystals formed from the toxins excreted after the Grimer eats garbage and they harden. If they fall from Grimer's body, they will leak lethal toxins.
Currently, people have not yet mastered a method to decompose these crystals; merely touching them is dangerous. However, because Alolan Grimer and Muk produce and store toxins inside their bodies, unlike Grimer and Muk from other regions, one will not smell a disgusting odor even when close to them.
Grimer loves dirty things very much and leaks fluid full of bacteria from its body, appearing in filthy places.
The traces it passes are all bacteria, so no grass can grow. Parts of its body left behind after crawling will generate new Grimer, causing the surroundings to become even stinkier. No matter how small the crack, its slimy and soft body can squeeze in. It gathers in filthy places to breed the bacteria in its body; if the bacteria decrease, it will die. When Grimer stick together, their bodies merge, thereby generating new toxins.
Sludge and wastewater discharged from factories are its main bait, and it will dive into sewer pipes to drink dirty water. In clean places, it will die because the bacteria in its body cannot grow. Recently, the wastewater flowing from factories has become too clean, leaving it with nothing to eat, and it is said to be on the verge of extinction.
[Detailed Description]
[Muk]
Muk is rotten mud all over its body. Obviously, after evolving, its mouth became larger and fiercer, and its arms became longer. The body fluids seeping from it emit a highly toxic stench that can numb a nose; just one drop can make the water in a pool turn murky and stink, and plants will wither instantly upon contact. The Alolan Muk's color is no longer the previous purple; its body color is extremely vivid because the garbage it eats frequently causes chemical reactions inside its body.
The things that look like teeth or claws are actually toxin crystals. You will be poisoned just by touching them, so approaching it is very dangerous. Because Alolan Grimer and Muk produce and store toxins inside their bodies, unlike Grimer and Muk from other regions, one will not smell a disgusting odor even when close to them.
Muk usually blends in with the ground and cannot be seen; touching its body will cause erosion by severe poison, leading to fever and being bedridden. It is covered in sludge from head to toe. Just touching its footprints will result in an invasion of toxins. The traces it passes have severe poison seeping in, and grass will not grow for three years. Because it loves dirty things very much, Muk will gather in towns where people litter on the streets, making the vicinity smell even worse.
It likes warm land with high moisture. In summer, the toxins in its body become stronger, emitting a smell like rotten kitchen waste. Because it spreads pathogens, it has always been driven away by people, and as a result, its numbers have decreased sharply. Now, after environmental governance, their figures are obviously no longer seen, and it is said they will go extinct sooner or later.
To prevent its extinction, people have started creating artificial sludge ponds. Its smell is stifling enough to suffocate, but due to the degeneration of its nose, it cannot smell it at all. However, there are some Muk enthusiasts who think this smell is quite nice.
Alolan Muk is unexpectedly calm and friendly, eating anything casually. It often casually eats things around it continuously, and once it feels hungry, it will run wild. If not given garbage to eat for a long time, it will start destroying furniture to eat as food. It is the natural enemy of Garbodor. When Trubbish breathes, it leaks toxic gas; smelling this, Muk will come rushing over while drooling.
People believe this appetite is because Alolan Muk cannot maintain energy without continuously replenishing toxins. Because it constantly eats various types of garbage and artificial objects, toxins accumulate in its body; those toxins change through chemical reactions, subsequently creating brand new toxins. It has over 100 types of toxins in its body, and the chemical reactions between toxins are the source of its life.
When a Muk can enjoy its favorite garbage to the fullest, the patterns on its body will become more vivid. Muk possesses the same toxin crystals as Grimer, but not just in the mouth area; crystals also emerge from within its body. Muk uses these crystals as teeth or claws to attack.
____
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