“Red, if you can, I hope you can help find Mr. Fuji. He suddenly disappeared yesterday, and everyone is very anxious!” Reina said, looking at Red with a pleading gaze.

Just then, the door to the Pokémon House flew open. “Everyone, we found Mr. Fuji!” a middle-aged man shouted, his tone frantic, his eyes wide with fear.

“Where? Where is he?” the volunteers asked hurriedly.

“It’s the Pokémon Tower! Someone saw Mr. Fuji enter the Pokémon Tower alone yesterday!” the man recounted.

“Why would he do that?” a volunteer asked, puzzled.

“Of course, it’s because of Team Rocket!” another volunteer chimed in. “He must have gone there to negotiate with them and was captured!”

“But they’re clearly not the kind of people who can be reasoned with!”

“Could it be that the Pokémon Tower has been occupied by Team Rocket?” Red asked.

“That’s right,” Reina explained, her expression grim. “Those guys from Team Rocket unilaterally occupied the top floor. They showed up uninvited, took over the tower with trucks, and rudely drove out anyone who came to pay their respects! Since that day, no one has been able to go inside!”

To prevent the residents from calling the police, Team Rocket had threatened to destroy the tombstones in the tower. The threat worked, forcing the townspeople into a helpless silence, as none of them could bear to see the resting places of their former partners desecrated.

“Team Rocket is truly lawless,” Red said coldly. If Lavender Town had a police station, they wouldn’t be so rampant.

“Not only has Team Rocket occupied the tower, but ghosts have appeared inside!” a female volunteer said in a panic. “I’m not lying! Some time ago, I snuck in at midnight to pay my respects, and a malevolent spirit suddenly appeared and drove me away. To this day, I’m still terrified of its appearance!”

“If we can’t enter the Pokémon Tower, this town will be finished!” the middle-aged man said. Most of Lavender Town’s income relied on visitors to the tower. If it remained occupied, the townspeople would have no choice but to leave and seek new opportunities.

“Let’s all go save Mr. Fuji!” Reina urged.

“Team Rocket is stationed there! It’s impossible!”

“Those Team Rocket members are strong! We’re no match for them!”

“And there are ghosts! I’m definitely not going!”

Though they hated Team Rocket, most of the people lacked the courage to act. The organization’s notoriety was already deeply imprinted in their hearts.

“Then what should we do? Mr. Fuji went there for all of us! Should we just ignore him?!” Reina said angrily.

“It’s not ignoring him…”

“Team Rocket will probably release him eventually. Let’s just wait a few more days!”

The crowd offered weak excuses, their fear of Team Rocket evident.

“Everyone is so indifferent!” Reina said in disappointment, resolving to go to the Pokémon Tower alone to rescue Mr. Fuji.

“I’ll go,” Red said at that moment. “I was planning to defeat Team Rocket anyway.”

“You’re going? That’s too reckless!” a volunteer advised. “Even the adults in Lavender Town can’t beat Team Rocket!”

“Exactly! Even if you go, it might not solve the problem!”

Though fearful themselves, they kindly stepped forward to persuade Red not to be impulsive.

“Don’t worry,” Red said. “I’m quite confident when it comes to Team Rocket.”

To convince them, Red pulled open his jacket, revealing the five Gym Badges pinned beside his collar. The sight of the badges made everyone realize the young boy before them was not so simple. Coupled with the previous display of his psychic power and his formidable Scyther, everyone momentarily placed all their hopes on Red.

Late that night was the best time to sneak into the Pokémon Tower. Having learned from Reina that Team Rocket didn’t guard the entrance at night, Red took advantage of the dark and windy evening, arriving at the foot of the tower with Cubone in his arms.

“Come out, Gengar, Dratini!”

Red threw out two Poké Balls. The Millennium Gengar and the Shiny Dratini appeared. Dratini immediately came to Red’s shoulder, curling up to act as a scarf and occasionally licking his cheek with its tongue, which made the Cubone in his arms look on with bright, curious eyes.

“The moon is dark and the wind is high… a perfect night for some action!” the Millennium Gengar murmured, then turned to look at Red. “Boss, sending me out at a time like this… seems the work ahead won’t be simple!”

“To deal with evil people, one must use even more brutal methods,” Red said coldly. The Cubone in his arms also had a ferocious expression, determined to tear Team Rocket to shreds.

(It seems this is all for this little one’s revenge…) Gengar looked at the smaller Cubone. Although he felt reluctant to see such a child consumed by revenge, if that hatred wasn’t overcome, the path of growth ahead might be even more difficult.

Pokémon: Dratini (Shiny: Purple)

Type: Dragon

Ability: Marvel Scale (When affected by a status condition, its Defense is boosted.)

Known Moves: Dragon Breath, Twister, Wrap, Dragon Tail, Extreme Speed

Personality: Enjoys napping, especially around Red’s neck; very dependent on Red.

Profile: Its father is the current leader of the Dragonite clan on Dragonite Island. It has inherited an excellent bloodline and absorbed a trace of the Ancient Dragonite’s power during its egg stage, allowing it to master a pure Dragon Breath. It is still an infant and has not yet fully grown.

Pokémon: Millennium Gengar (Shiny: Gray)

Type: Ghost / Poison

Ability 1: Levitate (Floats, granting immunity to Ground-type moves.)

Known Moves: Shadow Sneak, Hypnosis, Mean Look, Confuse Ray, Perish Song, Hex, Dark Pulse, Dream Eater, Psychic, Disable…

Personality: Witty and eccentric; dislikes being restrained; cares about its companions’ opinions.

Profile: Possesses a thousand years of experience. Once gave up evolution for a promise with the Maiden’s Ghost. Possesses superb psychic power not inferior to that of Psychic-type Pokémon. Its previous antics were to gain Red’s attention, and it feels jealous that Red trains Milotic separately while neglecting him.

“What’s wrong, Boss? You’re looking at me so strangely!” Gengar asked, puzzled. He didn’t seem to have offended Red recently, so why was his gaze so twisted?

“Nothing. I just think you’re quite innocent,” Red joked. After learning about Gengar’s disposition, he understood its temper better; he was simply an old rascal craving attention.

“What do you mean?” Gengar scratched his head, confused, but was too lazy to ask further. Since Red had entrusted him with the first battle, he naturally wouldn’t disappoint.

“Wait a moment, I’ll add an ability for you,” Red called out as Gengar was about to sneak into the shadows. He placed his hand on the ghost’s body.

[Ding! Cursed Body ability superimposed!]

(Cursed Body: When this Pokémon is hit by an attack, there is a 30% chance of disabling the move that was used.)

“Huh? I seem to have a new ability!” Gengar observed his body back and forth in surprise. He only knew that his strength seemed to have increased even further.

(As expected, the Boss’s power is not simple!) Gengar thought, his recognition of Red gradually turning into admiration.

“Dra! Dra!”

The Dratini that had been napping around his neck woke up. Seeing Gengar gain a new ability, it also pestered Red to give it one too.

“Alright, alright, you little guy. Focus on training your strength first. We’ll talk about it when you grow up.”

Red stroked Dratini’s jealous face. Currently, Dratini’s primary goal was to build its strength; another ability was just icing on the cake. A solid foundation was key.

Thus, taking advantage of the night, Red held a flashlight, with Dratini hanging around his neck, Cubone in his arms, and Gengar lurking in his shadow, and stepped alone into the Pokémon Tower.

***

(End of Chapter)

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