Ash's Pokémon Travel Has Big Problems

Although she can block out her sense of smell, the thought of living in this kind of air makes it impossible for her to lose weight.

Theoretically speaking, Ghost-type creatures born normally shouldn't care about the stench.

However, the dream demon's living environment has always been too good.

Xiaozhi: "..."

Xiaoxia: "..."

Xiaogang: "..."

Pikachu: "..."

Pidgey: "..."

Charmeleon: "..."

Although everyone was speechless, let's just let it go.

Looking around, the scenery of Black Cloud City is not much better than its terrible air quality.

What comes into view are numerous abandoned factories.

Those towering chimneys, like silent giants, many no longer emit smoke, are covered in rust, and their exterior walls are covered with stains and peeling paint.

The city's buildings generally appeared dilapidated, with many broken windows and litter and debris scattered everywhere on the streets.

However, in stark contrast to this dilapidated scene, bursts of noise emanated from within the city.

It wasn't the hustle and bustle of a busy city, but rather a mix of angry roars from Pokémon, tense shouts from humans, and the occasional muffled thud of a skill being unleashed.

Even more striking is the presence of police officers on the streets.

They did not act alone, but led a considerable number of trainers dressed in various costumes.

They formed small teams to patrol and set up checkpoints, striving to maintain order on the verge of collapse.

Some street corners still show obvious signs of fighting.

The charred walls, the potholes on the floor, and the solidified purple or brown stains all indicate that this place has just experienced, or is currently experiencing, some kind of chaos.

"What...what happened here?" Xiaoxia whispered in disbelief, looking at the chaotic scene before her.

Ash glanced at the trainers and police officers on the street who looked visibly tired and tense, and decisively took out a Poké Ball: "Pidgeotto, Charmeleon, come back and rest."

Two red lights flashed, and he recalled the two Pokémon that were not suitable for being exposed for too long in the current environment.

In this unknown, chaotic, and polluted environment, it's safer to keep them in their Poké Balls.

In fact, all biological Pokémon are subject to environmental constraints.

Whether the temperature is too high or too low, or the air smells bad or the composition of the air is wrong, it will make Pokémon that need to breathe feel uncomfortable.

Theoretically, the most reliable one right now is actually the Dream Demon.

Because drowsy monsters don't need to breathe.

But Miss Dream Fairy has already...

Forget it, just don’t say it.

Besides that, Xiaogang is the most reliable person right now.

Many Rock-type Pokémon also lack a sense of smell.

Whether it smells bad or not doesn't matter.

“We need to go to the Pokémon Center first,” Brock judged. “That should be the center of information, and it can also ensure that our Pokémon are maintained in the best possible condition.”

The three pushed their bicycles, carefully avoiding obstacles and hurried crowds on the street, heading towards the Pokémon Center they remembered.

Pokémon Centers are built in similar locations in every city, whenever possible.

However, they hadn't gone very far.

A tired-looking but sharp-eyed Officer Jenny, accompanied by a Growlithe, blocked their path.

"Halt! Are you three trainers from out of town?" Officer Jenny's voice was slightly hoarse, but her tone was very serious.

Her Growlithe also crouched low, its nose twitching as it sniffed the air for anything unusual.

Ash felt that Growlithe was suffering terribly in such a harsh environment.

However, it could also be a locally modified variety?

After all, you get used to bad smells after a while.

“Yes, Officer Jenny.” Ash stepped forward and answered frankly, “We are trainers who just came from the direction of Celadon City and are about to register at the Pokémon Center.”

Miss Officer Jenny carefully examined the three of them.

His gaze lingered for a moment on Pikachu on Ash's shoulder and Geodude at Brock's feet.

Just like Ash's Misdreavus couldn't stand the smell, Brock's Vulpix couldn't stand it either.

So Xiaogang is standing on a small rock right now.

Geodude: You only think of me when nothing good is going to happen.

Small Geodude: (?Benefit?)

Miss Officer Jenny glanced at their travel-worn appearance, and the tension on her face eased slightly, replaced by an expression that was a mixture of apology and urgency.

"Trainers, I am very sorry to make this request so soon after your arrival."

Miss Officer Jenny's tone was very sincere.

"But Black Cloud City is currently facing a serious crisis of order, and we are severely understaffed."

"Could you... please help us maintain order in the city?"

Although Miss Officer Jenny has the right to compel conscription.

However, it's best to avoid using it if possible.

Why use commands when a request can solve the problem?

Xiaozhi, Xiaoxia, and Xiaogang exchanged glances without hesitation.

"Of course!" Ash replied on behalf of the three.

"Maintaining peace in the city is also the responsibility of trainers."

"However, we might need to go to the Pokémon Center to register first and find out what's going on here?"

He pointed to the chaotic scene around him and the lingering stench in the air.

Theoretically speaking, there shouldn't be such a strong odor.

High-tech waste disposal requires a sealed environment.

It's impossible for such a pungent smell to be emitted during the processing.

That's a problem caused by outdated technology.

Hearing the three of them agree so readily, Miss Officer Jenny said happily, "That's wonderful! That's really wonderful! Thank you so much!"

She gestured for a colleague to come over and temporarily take over her duties.

He began to explain:

"To be honest, Black Cloud City is located in a remote area, and the environment... well, you can smell it too, it's not very good, so very few powerful trainers are willing to stay or visit for a long time."

"This means that we are short-handed when problems arise."

This is a very real problem.

Advanced trainers don't mind protecting the city they live in.

However, generally speaking, people won't go to places with terrible environments to suffer.

"The root of this chaos is, to put it somewhat...embarrassing."

"It's because of the garbage disposal problem."

Officer Jenny led the three to a relatively quiet street corner and began to explain the situation in detail.

"Garbage cleanup?" Xiaoxia repeated, puzzled.

“Yes.” Officer Jenny sighed. “In recent years, the Alliance has been promoting environmental governance. As an important waste disposal terminal in the Kanto region, Black Cloud City has also begun to implement more efficient and environmentally friendly waste disposal methods, and the amount of waste transported to traditional open landfills has been greatly reduced.”

There is nothing we can do about it.

While those junk-type Pokémon need junk, they can't directly dispose of it.

The garbage that is eaten will become part of the body of the garbage-type Pokémon.

Perhaps some will be lost in the process, but most of them will definitely end up on trash Pokémon.

In addition, these trash-type Pokémon need an environment with enough trash to live in, which makes the environment worse and worse—the traces left by ordinary Muk can leave no vegetation for up to three years, and the crystals that fall from Alolan Muk are a highly toxic source of pollution.

Even Black Cloud City, an industrial wasteland, couldn't take it anymore in the end.

Citizens can't possibly give up their city and let Pokémon do the work.

Especially now with waste recycling, secondary processing, and reprocessing.

Although the alliance's profits are not significant due to severe overcapacity, it's still better than nothing.

—The world is too rich in resources, so things like burning waste to generate electricity are not very promising.

—In Golden City and Rainbow City, people prefer to transport their garbage directly away rather than build garbage disposal sites in their own cities.

—After all, the power plant mainly consists of various lightning-type Pokémon and various natural energy power generation machines.

Of course, this is the obvious reason.

The underlying reason...

Xiao Gang pondered for a moment: "I understand... This has touched the interests of those Pokémon that rely on garbage to survive."

“That’s right!” Miss Officer Jenny nodded vigorously, her face full of helplessness.

"Those trash-type Pokémon that live around the landfill—mainly the Blister Pokémon led by Mt. Dust and the Muk Pokémon led by Muk."

"Of course, the junkyard is also home to a large number of Weezing and some other Poison-type Pokémon."

"They are very unhappy about the reduction in waste."

“These days they’ve started leaving landfills in an organized manner and entering cities, attacking transport vehicles, storming still-operating waste treatment plants, and even… attempting to steal waste directly from residential and commercial areas.”

In short, it may seem like the more you talk about it, the more far-fetched it becomes, but it is a reality.

In a sense, garbage is also a resource.

only……

Fighting each other just to steal trash or something, that's really ridiculous.

Officer Jenny pointed to some areas in the distance where black smoke was still billowing: "Most of the destruction you see was caused by them."

"They dismantle trash cans and rummage through garbage heaps, trying to transport more trash back to their 'territory'."

Miss Officer Jenny didn't know how to express herself.

In short, this is the reason.

It can only be said that times have changed.

Before the alliance's technology was developed, waste was mostly disposed of through landfill and incineration.

The chosen garbage terminal is Black Cloud City.

This is also a good place for Poison-type Pokémon to live.

But things are different now.

"This..." Xiao Zhi was at a loss for words.

He understands Pokémon fighting for resources to survive, but attacking cities for trash sounds rather absurd.

Miss Officer Jenny saw through their thoughts and smiled wryly:

"Sounds incredible, doesn't it?"

"But the problem is that most of these trash Pokémon are toxic. They carry a lot of bacteria and viruses, and their secretions and even exhaled gases can pollute the environment or make other Pokémon or even humans sick."

“It is very troublesome to deal with. It cannot be dealt with as simply as repelling or driving away wild Pokémon. We need to be very careful to avoid causing a large-scale spread of pollution or provoking them to fight back more fiercely.”