Welcome to the Toxic Garbage Dump, an abandoned landfill many miles north of Unova which was my home for many years, ever since I woke up one day and found myself lying against one of its many heaps. I don’t remember how I got there or how long I’d been sleeping… in fact, I actually don’t remember anything at all before that moment. Not even how I came to be…
Anyway, this dump used to be an active landfill that was used by all areas of Unova to keep the streets clean and keep everyone’s waste far away from everyone’s sight. Despite its huge size, the dump is so far away from even the northernmost Victory Road that nobody in Unova can see or smell it, and most people don’t know it exists. This has made it the perfect place for Poison Pokémon like me to call home… which is just as well, because other than the occasional truck still delivering waste now and then, there isn’t really much else in terms of life here in the dump. There’s even a rumour that toxic waste was once dumped here, leading to the dump being contaminated and declared too dangerous for people to visit, which isn’t exactly good for tourism. Maybe that’s why I have a strange metal barrel sticking out of my left side… hmm…
However, one day, I became curious. I wanted to see beyond the walls of the dump, and find out about the world beyond. So, on September 9, 2009, I found my way out of the dump, and began to explore. Little did I know what I was in for…
It turns out, being made of garbage isn’t exactly the most appealing thing to many Pokémon or people. Most people ran away from the sight of me, or they relentlessly bullied me. The worst was when I bumped into a really mean Trainer who decided to force me into a rigged battle, making me fight an unfair fight against his entire team. I ended up with permanent burns on my back and fighting for life; and I still remember the way the Trainer taunted me as he left me for dead: “You’re the stinkiest Pokémon to have ever lived!”
It turns out, he had a point. Although I didn’t know it back then, my body is filled with even higher levels of toxins than is typical for a Garbodor, giving me a stench far greater than any of my kind, and perhaps more than any Poison Pokémon of any species. My stench was so bad that I accidentally caused many Pokémon and Trainers to faint just by getting near them!
But then, a stroke of luck. I came across a good Trainer, one who didn’t judge Pokémon by their appearance or their smell. The Trainer saw I was broken and injured; and decided to help me. Firstly, he taught me techniques to help me control the release of my toxins through my body. This allowed me to maintain a level of cleanliness and odour that would be less harmful and disgusting to people. Then, he provided me with Pecha Berries, deodorants and soaps, and got me into a cleaning regime. I couldn’t ever get rid of my odour or make myself not disgusting, but I now had the ability to control it, even if only temporarily.
With his help, I started to come out of my shell. I learned that not every Pokémon and Trainer is bad; and I gained confidence. I decided to name myself “Mallow”, after the soft, cloud-like sweet; and fashioned a heart-shaped blob in the middle of my chest, both things I hoped would show people I was friendly. Then, the Trainer did the best thing of all. He introduced me to a different world, one where people value Pokémon and don’t judge others on superficial matters. That world was an online game called Pokémon World Online.
Ever since, I have found myself constantly moving between Pokémon World Online and the Toxic Garbage Dump, treating both as my shared home. With the help of the PWO Community and the Poison Pokémon I live with at the dump, I have learned to embrace who I am. To show my new-found confidence, I decide to take the name that evil trainer called me and adopt it as my nickname, calling myself “The Stinkiest Garbodor”; although I still maintain Mallow as my real name. I’ve also decided to stop being embarrassed about being stinky and gross; and nowadays, I actively embrace my horrendous odour and filth, and love to find new ways to make myself even more disgusting, knowing that my true friends will put up with me no matter what 😉
So… will you be my friend as well? If you’ve managed to endure my toxic odour for this long and have heard everything I have to say, and still don’t feel like running away from me, I will take that as a yes ^^ Perhaps you might even feel brave enough to let me give you a hug? I promise, you will never find anyone friendlier, stinkier, or more loyal than me!