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Everyone dragged their tired bodies back to their rooms and quickly fell asleep. Ash woke up late the next day.
Firstly, it was because he had consumed too much energy the previous day, and secondly, in a city like this, even getting up to do morning exercises felt pointless. The air was thick with pollution, every breath filled with harmful exhaust fumes.
For some, after experiencing the chaos of Team Rocket's actions, the city had lost its charm. They wanted nothing more than to leave as quickly as possible and move on to the next destination.
After waking up and packing their travel supplies, the group went to retrieve their Pokémon from storage and prepare for departure. Nurse Joy greeted them warmly and thanked them profusely for their efforts the day before. She explained how their actions had safeguarded the power plant and even gifted them some special Pokémon medicine in gratitude. Before leaving, Ash took a moment to call Professor Oak.
"Who's calling so early?" Professor Oak grumbled, clearly still half-asleep. He looked like he had stayed up late the previous night and was groggy.
"Professor, it's me!" Ash announced cheerfully.
"Ash? Oh! Did you send that Muk yesterday?" Professor Oak's voice rose, his usual calm demeanor replaced by exasperation.
"Uh… yeah," Ash replied, scratching his head sheepishly.
"What were you thinking, Ash?! That Muk smells terrible! It took me ages to get the smell out of the lab!" Professor Oak's expression twisted as he seemed to relive the unpleasant ordeal.
"But Muk is supposed to be smelly," Misty interjected.
"That's not entirely true," Professor Oak corrected. "While Muk naturally emits a stench due to its diet of garbage—expelling harmful substances in the process—its smell can be minimized with proper care and regular cleaning. It's all about proper training and maintenance."
Ash listened with curiosity, realizing he'd overlooked these aspects of training Muk. In fact, he found it strange that in the anime, Muk's odor was emphasized at first but later seemed to go unnoticed by him or Professor Oak. Perhaps they had become accustomed to it, or maybe Muk had received better care since then. Regardless, Muk's smell didn't seem like something one could easily get used to—certainly not in the way one adapts to less overpowering odors.
"So Muk has such a use!" Misty exclaimed, her initial disgust giving way to intrigue. While she still found the idea unappealing, she began to see why Ash had caught Muk in the first place.
And Muk is actually similar to humans—it depends on what they eat! The gases they emit vary depending on their diet.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I just tamed Muk. It had been living in industrial wastewater," Ash admitted apologetically, feeling a bit guilty for causing trouble.
"That explains it," Professor Oak said with a small sigh. "Muk does prefer places like that. But never mind. It's not a big deal now. Were you calling to check on Muk's situation?"
Ash nodded slightly. "Yes, how is it doing? Has it settled in well?"
Before Professor Oak could respond, a loud and familiar cry echoed through the call. Suddenly, a massive figure appeared on the screen. Muk rushed toward Professor Oak with its soft, gooey body, wrapping around his shoulders in an enthusiastic embrace.
"Uh... Haha! Muk, I'll play with you later! I'm on the phone right now!" Professor Oak stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he tried to speak quickly and regain control of the situation.
But Muk ignored him, its excitement overflowing. It stretched its body further, completely enveloping Professor Oak in a squishy, affectionate hug.
"Ah!!!" Professor Oak let out a muffled scream as he was knocked over. The screen wobbled as the scene unfolded, leaving Ash, Misty, and Brock staring awkwardly. It was clear the Professor wouldn't be able to continue the conversation.
"Muk, listen to the Professor and get along well with everyone there!" Ash called out, knowing it was best to end the call. He gave Muk one last instruction before hanging up.
"!!!" Muk squinted its eyes, letting out a cheerful cry as if to say, "Got it!" Ash realized Muk's affection for Professor Oak might have stemmed from the care he'd given it, even going as far as cleaning up its strong odor.
"Well, Professor, that's it for now. I'm hanging up!" Ash said with a small smile. Watching Muk shower the Professor with love, he decided to leave them to it. He ended the call, leaving Professor Oak in Muk's enthusiastic embrace.
"Wait a minute! Wake up your Muk!!!" A panicked scream echoed from the laboratory just before the call ended.
Ash sighed as he hung up the phone. "Well, that's that," he muttered, feeling a little bad for leaving Professor Oak to deal with Muk's overenthusiastic affection. Brock and Misty exchanged amused looks, unable to suppress their laughter. Despite finding the situation funny, they also couldn't help but feel sympathy for the beleaguered Professor.
After confirming Muk's situation, the trio got ready to set off officially. They made their way to the door, and as it slid open, a strong, unpleasant smell wafted in.
"Huh? What's going on? It smells awful!" Misty exclaimed, covering her nose reflexively.
"Wow, wow, wow!"
The three of them looked up to see a number of Grimer slithering down the street, their slimy bodies squirming and oozing as they moved. Misty jumped back in alarm.
"Ah! Grimer's attacking the streets again?!" she cried, her voice tinged with panic.
"It doesn't look like it," Ash said, shaking his head slightly. He noticed the Grimer didn't seem aggressive. Instead, they appeared to be moving with purpose, but without hostility.
Just then, Officer Jenny rode up on her motorcycle and stopped in front of them. She removed her helmet, flashing a smile of recognition. "Oh, it's you three!" she said warmly. "Thanks again for your help yesterday. I've been meaning to catch up with you."
"Officer Jenny, what's going on here?" Misty asked, gesturing at the Grimer with a look of confusion.