VIRIDIAN CITY — New Leader of the Viridian City Gym Barry is looking to put the rumors to rest. Ever since he reopened the gym with his new lineup of only Lickitung, some questions have been raised among the locals. Is it a kink thing?
“We’re not judging, it’d just be nice to know. I mean every so often kids will go in there to battle. If it’s a kink thing I think we should put up some signs or something, just so everyone knows” Said concerned Mother Grace. “Again he can do whatever he wants in the privacy of his own gym, we just don’t want anyone to wander in there unprepared”
Gym Leader Barry insists there is nothing nefarious going on within his gym.
“Do you think I set off to do this? After I got my third Lickitung I knew people were going to start making assumptions. But they’re genuinely amazing creatures and our record speaks for itself. Since we’ve moved in, not a single trainer has moved on. The local economy is booming. It’s my belief that anyone who thinks I am doing anything inappropriate with my team, only thinks so because they themselves have some sick desires they desperately need to address.”
Other members of the community are less willing to hear Barry’s side of things.
“More than anything it’s the smell. Lickitung saliva has an incredibly strong odor and since he’s moved in the whole block has slowly been consumed by it,” said Tim, owner of the Cafe. “The smell coming off of him is by far the strongest though. He used to come in every morning for a pastry, but people couldn’t eat with him in the place so I had to tell him to take his pungent sticky business elsewhere. If you ask me I think he should take all that nonsense to Cerulean City where it belongs!”
When presented with photo and video evidence collected by the townspeople implicating him in some questionable situations with his Pokémon, Gym Leader Barry had this to say.
“Yeah they lick, big surprise. Are we surprised when someone’s Mr. Mime does some object work from them? Of course my three Lickitungs are working me over tip to tail day and night, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a sex thing. I think people are just on edge after what happened with the last Gym Leader Giovanni and his Dugtrio. But I can promise everyone this is nothing like that.”
At press time, Barry and his six Lickitungs were last seen checking into a private cabin in the Viridian Forest.
