Riolu pushed against a dense wall of bramble, struggling to pass through until he stumbled out into a clearing on the other side. Pikachu emerged just behind him, a small treasure pack slung across his back. The two ‘mon were rookie adventurers, having registered as an exploration team with their local guild several weeks before. Both wore a bandana around their neck, a common choice of attire for their line of work. They were searching through an untamed forest for a small trinket, a memento that they were tasked with returning to a client of the guild. It wasn’t a difficult job per se, but it brought them to territory they were unfamiliar with.

        Pikachu took their map out of his pack and scanned across it for a few moments. “Uh, if this map is right… He said he lost it around this area.” The yellow ‘mon said, rolling the map back up and looking around at the greenery.

        “Well, let’s get looking. Maybe we can find it before trouble finds us.” Riolu said. Pikachu nodded in agreement, and they began the tedious process of searching in every bush and beneath every stone.

        After looking for a while, Riolu saw a twinkle out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look at it, squinting as he tried to make out what it was from a distance. Intrigued, he pursued the glimmer, then crouched down to pick the object up. It was a silver locket, still shining in the sunlight despite being covered in dirt.

        “Pikachu! I think I found it!” Riolu shouted, attracting the electric type’s attention. His face lit up and he jogged over to his friend to see for himself.

        “Looks like a necklace or something. That’s gotta be it, right?”

        “Yeah, it’s gotta be. Here, you hang onto it.” The canine said. He handed it to his partner, who quickly stowed it in his bag.

        “Let’s get outta here. Maybe we can make it back in time to finish another job or two.” Pikachu mused. Riolu agreed, and they set off in the direction they had come from.

        As they neared the edge of the forest, the bushes before them rustled and shifted. The explorers stopped in their tracks, then took a few steps back and assumed combat positions in preparation for a fight. A few seconds later a short skunk-like Pokemon revealed itself, hopping out from the bush and into the open. The Stunky squinted at them and took a wide stance, clearly looking to start a fight.

	The Stunky stamped his feet against the dirt, glaring at the duo with malicious intent. The team kept their guard up and were ready to attack, but their expressions revealed great confusion at their assailant’s behavior. The stunky then hopped up into a handstand, arching his back to point his butt at them.

        “W-What’s he doing?” Pikachu asked, taking a step back as a bead of sweat formed on his head. His partner was just as clueless; they had no idea what the strange looking ‘mon was planning, but they could sense that it wouldn’t be good.

        The stunky squinted an eye shut as he leveled his aim, then sprayed a torrent of opaque purple gas out from beneath his tail. The cloud expanded rapidly, engulfing the adventure team and filling their noses with a pungent stench. They took the full force of the spray, both Pikachu and Riolu blinking tears from their bloodshot eyes while they coughed and clutched at their throats.

	Shortly after being expelled, the concentrated blast of skunk spray dispersed itself, leaving behind a purplish haze that hung heavy in the air throughout the entire forest. Pikachu rubbed his eyes as he gagged on the all-consuming stench, the adventurers finding themselves suffocating in a toxic cloud that burned their eyes and throats.

	The stunky strode toward them on his front legs, maintaining his handstand without effort as he closed in. Riolu was oblivious as he came within a few feet, being too distracted with the overwhelming stench and the accompanying blindness to notice him. The vile torture was promptly multiplied as the stunky sprayed him directly in the face, eliciting a broken yelp as he stumbled backward and clutched his nose. He retched violently, having received a potent mouthful of the hazardous gas in the process. The taste was just as bad as the smell, leading him to drop to one knee while spitting and gagging, desperate to get it out of his mouth.

	While not targeted by the second blast, Pikachu was filled with dizziness from the intensifying odor and struggled not to succumb to it. The sulfuric stench of the skunk’s musk had since doubled and, despite its apparent futility, he clung to his nose with both hands to block it out as best he could.

	The stunky turned to Pikachu next, aiming his backside at him as he sprayed the yellow Pokemon’s face with the last of his perfume. Pikachu saw it coming a moment before it happened and held his hands out to block it, but the gesture proved futile as he was doused with skunk musk regardless. Pikachu’s cheeks were drenched in tears from the acid-like sensation the gas provoked in his eyes, and his nose dribbled like he’d eaten a hot pepper. As he dry heaved, he felt thankful that he’d had a light breakfast that morning.

	Satisfied with the havoc he had caused, the stunky lowered himself out of his handstand and smirked as he watched the two adventurers wheezing on his poisonous gas. While they were still distracted, he trotted right past them, leaving without a word.

	After a few hellish minutes trapped in the gas cloud, Riolu gathered himself enough to grab his partner’s hand and lead them away from the scene. They escaped from the forest then stopped in a quiet clearing to catch their breath. Both panted laboriously for several minutes before speaking, badly winded from the encounter but relieved to be breathing clean air.

	“Huff… Huff… What was that thing?!” Pikachu asked, slumping to the ground on his butt. “I’ve never smelled anything so rotten in all my life!”

	“M-Me neither…” Riolu said. “I thought for sure I was gonna hurl.” He panted like a dog, tongue lolled out as he leaned forward with his hands on his knees. As the effects of the poisonous gas began to set in, their guts churned and gurgled and they were filled with nausea. “Ugh… that stench is still wearing down on me. Did we pack any pecha berries for poison?”

	“I’ll check.” Pikachu said, unslinging his treasure bag from his back and dropping it on the ground in front of him. He rummaged through it, then pulled a large pecha berry out. They looked relieved, then split the fruit and ate it, clearing the harmful poison out of their systems and relieving their nausea.

	“Okay, okay. Now I need to wash off. I can still feel that stuff clinging to my fur…”

	“Yeah, me too. Let’s find some water.” Pikachu said. After collecting their bearings, they explored the surrounding area until they came upon a small lake.

	The ‘mon deposited their belongings into a pile before climbing into the water. There, they scrubbed themselves vigorously, working over their fur and rinsing their mouths out with the water. The smell was stubborn, however, and refused to fade with any amount of washing. After a short time it became clear the practice was in vain, so they trudged back out to dry off and collect their things. As they geared back up they noticed that some of the reeds on the pondside wilted, and a few dead fish floated to the surface in the area where they tried to clean off. Nature itself seemed to reject their newly acquired fragrance just as much as they did.

	“I hate smelling like this.” Pikachu said, wrinkling his nose. “What are we gonna do when we get back to the village? It will be humiliating!”

	“I don’t know. We don’t have a choice, though. At the very least, we have to turn in this job. We’re already done with the hard part, right?” Riolu said, shrugging.

	“I guess you’re right. Let’s go, we shouldn’t put it off any longer.”

	Riolu nodded and they set off in the direction they came from, back toward their home. It wasn’t a long journey, about a half an hour of walking, but it felt like much longer while suffering under the oppressive stench that was inflicted on them. When they finally arrived on the outskirts they took a deep breath and began their walk from one side of the village to the other.

	The aura of skunky odor that surrounded them acted as a strong repellent to all the other ‘mon around, driving them away as though the two were inside an invisible bubble. Riolu blushed and looked at the ground as he walked, while Pikachu stared ahead and avoided eye contact with passersby. The only bystander that reacted differently was a travelling Muk, who seemed unphased by the pungent skunk musk they brought with them. He paid them no mind, continuing on with his day.

	In the village square, an anxious Aipom awaited their arrival. He was their client, and had given them instructions to meet him there when they had completed their task. He spotted the two adventurers in the distance and his face lit up as he gave a friendly wave. As they neared, though, his face fell and he clasped his tail over his nose, grimacing.

	“Eugh… you guys smell like you just crawled out of a sewer.” He said, his voice warped as a result of blocking his nose. “Did you find it?”

	Pikachu rummaged through his treasure bag and took out the object in question, presenting it to its owner. Though he was repulsed by the smell, he gave a relieved smile as he took it from him.

	“Thank you so much! I already gave your payment to the guild, so they should have it.” He said. “And, uh… you should probably take a bath.”

	“We did. It didn’t help…” Riolu said, sniffing the fur on his arm to confirm the smell hadn’t changed. He couldn’t help but cough a few times afterward, regretting the decision.

	“Strange. Maybe you should ask Wigglytuff about it, he might know what to do.” The Aipom suggested. “Good luck!” He yelled as he hurried off, in a rush to escape the smell.

	“That’s not a bad idea.” Riolu said, turning to Pikachu. The smaller ‘mon nodded, and they followed the path that led to the guild. They climbed down the entrance ladder and filed into Wigglytuff’s office with haste, their scent drawing a few dirty looks from the other explorers.

	Wigglytuff was looking away from the door when they entered, busy rummaging around in one of his many chests. He was struck by the smell before he noticed them, and sniffed the air in confusion. He stopped what he was doing as the smell rapidly intensified, and he looked over his shoulder to see the exploration team standing before him. He then turned around to face them properly.

	“What in good lord is that smell?!” He asked, as shocked as he was concerned.

	“We were attacked!” Riolu explained. “I don’t know what it was, but it smelled awful. We were going to fight it, but then it sprayed us with some kind of gas.”

	“Hmm... What did this Pokemon look like?” The pink ‘mon asked, tapping at his chin.

	“It had purple fur and a big stripe down its back. It wasn’t very big either, maybe half as tall as Riolu.” Pikachu said. “Oh, and it did a handstand while it… uh, sprayed us.”

	“Mhm… Sounds to me like you two ran into a stunky, and not a friendly one at that.” Wigglytuff said. “Well, I happen to know how to fix it. Tomato juice should neutralize the smell. You need to mash some tomatoes up and scrub your fur out with them.”

	Riolu and Pikachu looked at each other and tilted their heads, confused. Wigglytuff cleared his throat to rein in their attention.

	“There’s a patch where they grow near this village, to the South. Go there and pick as many as you can carry, then return and use them to wash off in the river. Downstream of our village, if you will. I wouldn’t want you to taint our drinking water.”

	The two guild members nodded. “Thank you, guildmaster.” Riolu said.

	“Yes yes, now please shoo to some place that’s more ventilated. I have no doubt you’re bothering the other members by being here.” He said, pinching his nose shut.

	The adventurers didn’t wait to be asked twice. They excused themselves and hurried back out the way they came, then emerged on the surface, glad to be back outside.

	Filled with hope that they may be free of the noxious smell, the duo parted with the village and set off toward their destination. They spotted the patch after a while, bearing countless wild tomatoes that were waiting to be picked. They worked eagerly, filling up their arms with as many as they could reasonably carry. After collecting the fruit, they went back the way they came.

	The two males approached the village river and carefully piled their tomatoes on the ground beside it. Peculiar as the remedy was, they did as they were told and squashed the red fruit with their paws before lathering themselves with the resulting juice. Once covered in the messy substance they waded into the river and washed off for a second time. Although it took a while, the smell eventually faded and the ‘mon were blessed with lungfuls of clean, untainted air.

	“Finally! I can’t believe it worked.” Pikachu said, relieved.

	“Yeah.” Riolu said, sympathizing with his friend. “I think we should steer clear of that forest next time a job comes around. Just to be safe.” Pikachu nodded in agreement, and they crawled out from the river to dry off.