After hanging up the phone, Ash wiped the non-existent sweat off his forehead and muttered, "Is Professor Oak exaggerating a bit? Are these two Gyms really that terrifying?"
"I don't know about the Saffron Gym, but the reputation of the Viridian Gym is just as Professor Oak said." Misty lightly touched her fair chin, a thoughtful look on her face.
"The leader of the Viridian Gym is called Giovanni. Besides being a Gym Leader, he's also an entrepreneur. It's said that things like Pokeballs and Space Backpacks all have Giovanni's investment, and his strength is always hidden beneath the surface. From the strength he's occasionally shown, he's at least at an Elite Level Trainer."
"Moreover, everyone who has challenged the Viridian Gym says Giovanni is gentle and teaches during battles. Every Trainer who has battled him, win or lose, feels they've benefited greatly, as long as the gap in strength isn't too large."
"There's also a rumor that Giovanni makes charitable donations from time to time and supports Trainers from poor backgrounds, making him seem like the perfect man."
Misty rattled off the information about Giovanni as if she were reciting from memory, leaving Ash and Pikachu dumbfounded.
From Misty's description, Giovanni doesn't seem to be just a Gym Leader. In terms of personality, role, and strength, he's a flawless man. If a new Trainer's first Gym is against someone like him, it could definitely cast quite a psychological shadow.
"Forget it then. Let's go to another Gym. The nearest Gym to here is… the Pewter Gym. Misty, do you know anything about the Pewter Gym?" Ash looked at the map Miss Joy gave him and found Pewter City, the closest city to Viridian City, which also had a League Gym there.
"The Pewter Gym, huh? I remember that Gym specializes in Rock Type Trainers. Typically, Rock Types have some Ground Type attributes or skills. Ash, you only have Pikachu, right? Challenging the Pewter Gym with just him would be tough~"
Versatile Misty provided information about the Pewter Gym. Although Ash didn't know where Misty got her intelligence, her information was generally reliable, rarely missing the mark.
"Plus, Gym battles are usually two-on-two or three-on-three. If you only have one Pokemon, unless you can do one-on-two or one-on-three, it's better not to challenge the Gym."
Misty's words left Ash deep in thought. Pikachu's current strength was significantly better than the average Newbie Pokemon, so handling the most basic Gym difficulty shouldn't be a problem—in a one-on-one situation.
If the opponent has two or even three Pokemon, then Pikachu really can't handle it.
Moreover, the Pewter Gym might have Ground Type Pokemon, and Ground Type Moves not only counter Pikachu, but Pikachu's Electric Type Moves are completely ineffective against Ground Types. It's disadvantageous from all angles.
Originally, Ash didn't understand much about attribute counters, but the big shots in the group analyzed Pikachu's attributes, so Ash knew what Electric Type counters and what counter Electric Type.
"What about this place, the Cerulean Gym is also nearby. What type of Gym is the Cerulean Gym?" Ash pointed to Cerulean City on the map.
However, Ash, focused on the map, didn't notice that when he mentioned the Cerulean Gym, Misty's expression suddenly stiffened.
"Ceru... Cerulean Gym is Water Type, but I don't recommend you go challenge the Cerulean Gym!"
"Why? If it's Water Type, my Pikachu would be perfect for it, right?" Ash was somewhat confused. For him, with only an Electric Type Pikachu, a Water Type Gym is just what he needs, isn't it?
"Pika Pika!!" Pikachu also patted his tiny, non-muscular arm, indicating that he would shine brightly in the Water Type Gym and cut down the opponents.
"Because... there's... no... no real challenge! That's right, there's no challenge. Think about it, you set out on an adventure to challenge unknown and stronger things, right? What's the point of going against a Gym with a suitable attribute? If you want to fight, it should be against a negative attribute! I think the Pewter Gym is a good choice."
Misty spoke with great conviction, nodding in agreement with her own reasoning.
Ash looked skeptically at Misty, feeling her excuse was too awkward, as if she didn't want him to challenge the Cerulean Gym.
"But didn't you just say that the Pewter Gym is a bit difficult for me?"
"Difficult? Where's the difficulty! I didn't say that. I only mentioned it's a bit disadvantageous. After all, you only have one Pikachu! But if you're going to Pewter City, you'll pass through Viridian Forest. If you capture one or two Pokemon that can counter Rock Type in the Viridian Forest, then you're all set!"
Ash: ...
"But you just said that negative attributes have a challenge..."
"One negative attribute and one suitable attribute are fine! Why are you being so stubborn! Anyway, I don't recommend you to the Cerulean Gym, but it's up to you whether you go or not!" Misty snorted, turning her head away, ignoring Ash and Pikachu.
Ash and Pikachu exchanged a glance. Both felt somewhat baffled, not knowing why Misty seemed a bit angry.
"Alright, let's head to Pewter City then and set off now!" Ash shouldered his backpack and prepared to continue his journey, but Misty immediately pulled him back.
"Wait! Didn't I say just now? We have to go through Viridian Forest, and Viridian Forest is vast. You can't get through it in a day or two, so we need to buy some camping tools unless you already have them?"
Ash shook his head. His mom had prepared a bunch of stuff for him, but not much of it was useful, just a sleeping bag, some instant food, and general Pokemon food, while the rest was basically useless.
"If not, then let's buy some at the Viridian Mall. The most important thing is to buy plenty of insect repellent; there are lots of bugs in the forest!" Misty's words trailed off, her voice trembling especially when she mentioned bugs.
"Got it, then let's head to the Viridian Mall!" Ash nodded in understanding and then led the way out of the Pokemon Center, with Misty following closely behind.
As they left the Pokemon Center, Ash brushed past three figures who were fully wrapped up. Feeling something, Ash turned his eyes to those figures; they were two taller and one shorter figure.
"What's up, Ash? Do you know those three?" Misty followed Ash's gaze and saw three people completely bundled up in coats, their appearances completely obscured.
Not to mention whether Ash knew them, with them covered up like that, could Ash's eyes be eagle-eyed to recognize them?