After around fifteen minutes at a brisk walk, Blue came to the gate of Lavender Town. He glanced down at Cubone. "Here it is. There should be a Pokémon Centre just through here."

Cubone planted its bone on the ground, keeping itself upright.

Blue knelt beside it. "You can go back into your Poké Ball, y'know."

Cubone shook its head.

"You sure?"

"Cu."

Blue shrugged. "Alright. Let's go, then." He stepped onto the indigo asphalt that covered the majority of Lavender Town. It had dried a lot faster than the grass, and Blue was grateful that his feet were no longer being soaked by damp blades.

A few metres away, to the right, the windows of the red roofed Pokémon Centre glowed a warm yellow. Perfect. Blue just had to hope the nurse wouldn't ask for a trainer card or Pokédex. "There it is," he said. "You're gonna have to go back in your ball now, 'cause-"

A shout from behind cut Blue off. "Hey!"

He turned. An old man with no hair and large eyebrows was running towards him. What was he doing out this late?—or early, depending on the perspective. "Who are you?" Blue asked.

"My name is Mr. Fuji," the man said, but he seemed to be speaking more to Cubone than to Blue.

"Look," Blue said. "If you need something, ask me quick, 'cause I need to get my Cubone to the Pokémon Centre."

Mr. Fuji met Blue's eyes. He squinted in a way that might have just been due to the darkness, but struck Blue more as suspicion. "Where did you find this Cubone?"

Blue stepped between Cubone and Mr. Fuji. "Just outside of town," he said. "Why? You know it?"

Mr. Fuji nodded. "Yes. Do you mind coming with me a moment?"

Blue crossed his arms. "Didn't you hear me? Cubone needs treating. I'm not going anywhere except in there." He gestured to the Pokémon Centre.

Mr. Fuji frowned. "I'm something of an expert regarding Pokémon. I'm sure I'll be able to help."

Blue sighed. He supposed it couldn't hurt to see what this guy was after. If he tried anything, Blue wouldn't have a hard time overpowering him. "Fine."

"Good. Follow me."

Blue scooped Cubone into his arms, and Mr. Fuji lead him across the street towards a large, purple house. Light shone from behind curtained windows. A sign beside it read 'Pokémon House. Volunteers Welcome'.

Blue stopped, leaning under the crackling flame of a street lamp. The metal was damp and cold, but Blue's adrenaline was wearing off so he decided he was too tired to care. "This the place?" he asked.

Mr. Fuji turned around. "Yes. I live here, but it is also a rescue centre for injured or abandoned Pokémon. Come inside."

Blue stepped through the door and set Cubone down on a sofa covered by a plastic sheet. He took off his bag and leant it against the door. It was 3:00 in the morning and he was soaked through, but he forced his eyes to stay open. "Before I answer any questions, you're gonna help Cubone. Otherwise I'm going straight to the Pokémon Centre."

Mr. Fuji motioned to pick Cubone up, but it swatted his hands away with its bone. "What are you doing?" Blue demanded. Cubone glared at the man, echoing the same question.

"I was trying to put Cubone into a proper nest where it can sleep better. I apologise for not warning you."

Blue lifted Cubone from the sofa. "Nest?"

Mr. Fuji gestured to a circular mound of straw in the corner of the house. A couple of other Pokémon lay nestled in similar mounds beside it.

Blue met Cubone's eyes. "You okay with that?"

The Pokémon gave a contented cooing that Blue interpreted as a yes. He crouched beside the nest and set it down. Cubone crawled into the straw, burying its body until all that was visible was the white mask sticking from the structure. The Pokémon hadn't let go of its bone and held it against its chest like Blue remembered Daisy doing with her old stuffed Clefairy. He sighed. His bedroom back in Pallet Town seemed a long way away.

Mr. Fuji grabbed a Super Potion from the shelf and handed it to Blue. He sprayed it against Cubone's forehead, inciting an indignant huff and a quick retreat deeper into the straw. "Cold?" Blue asked. What he could see of Cubone's head nodded in agreement.

Blue turned to Mr. Fuji. "It'll be okay, right?"

The man nodded. "It's just exhausted."

Blue felt a smile pull at his face. "Right. So what did you want to say to me?"

"Just that you might want to reconsider your decision to capture that specific Cubone."

The smile faded. Blue wasn't likely to let this old guy take Cubone from him. "Why would I do that?"

"That particular Cubone had taken residence in the Pokémon Tower with its mother. It has a general dislike for people, and hardly ever leaves its home."

Blue glanced at his Pokémon. "Are you sure we're thinking of the same Cubone?"

Mr. Fuji sat on one of the plastic-covered sofas, watching Cubone in the straw. "Around the time you met Cubone, did you see a large, black van?" he asked.

Blue eyed Mr. Fuji. How did he know about that? "Yeah I did. Why?"

"For a few months now, Lavender Town has been experiencing issues around a group of criminals called Team Rocket. They poach and steal Pokémon from Route 12, the Rock Tunnel… even the Pokémon Tower itself. Recently, Cubone's mother has begun chasing after these criminals, attempting to free the captured Pokémon. If you found this Cubone on Route 8, it's likely that it was following its mother."

Cubone spun around in the nest, pushing its head out of the straw pile. It seemed tired, so Blue resisted the urge to pet it. "And you want me to release Cubone so it can go back to its home in the Pokémon Tower," he said.

Mr. Fuji nodded. "Yes, exactly."

Blue stood up. "And Cubone's mother would be… Marowak."

"That's right."

Blue fought back a few tears. "Marowak… Marowak is dead."

"What?"

"I found the body out on Route 8. It had been attacked by some kind of poison type Pokémon."

Mr Fuji sighed. "That can only have been Team Rocket. So you found Cubone and decided to take it in?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry. I misjudged you. Many trainers simply don't look after their Pokémon properly." Mr. Fuji gestured to the nest beside Cubone. "For instance, this Charmander was left to die because it's trainer didn't consider it strong enough."

"That's horrible."

"Quite. I assumed you were just another trainer after a rare catch." Mr. Fuji stood up and opened the door to another room. "If you don't want to bother waking Cubone to carry it to the Pokémon Centre tonight, you can use the spare room I keep for my volunteers to sleep in when they're taking care of a Pokémon overnight."

Blue nodded. "Thank you."

"Just out interest, what's your name?" Mr. Fuji asked.

Blue looked up. He didn't want to say anything that Daisy or Gramps could use to find him. But, just his name couldn't hurt. "Blue," he said. "I'm a Pokémon trainer."

"You don't look sixteen."

He shrugged. "Everyone says that. Makes buying Poké Balls a real pain."

Mr. Fuji nodded. "Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight."

"Morning, Blue!" Daisy said, pushing open the door to her brother's room. "Or rather, afternoon. It's 12:00!"

Blue didn't respond. Not even to tell her to stop bothering him. "Blue?"

Daisy stepped over to his bed. It was empty. It didn't even look slept in. Daisy felt a cold fear in the pit of her stomach. She shot the prospect down. No. No, he must have managed to get up without her noticing.

Daisy ran downstairs and threw open the kitchen door. Nothing. Garden? Nothing. Blue's bedroom again—just to make sure. Nothing.

"Gramps?" Daisy said, failing to conceal the rising heat of terror in her voice.

Her grandfather emerged from the living room. "Daisy? What is it?"

Daisy clenched a fist. Her nails dug into her skin, but it was the only thing she could do to keep her voice somewhat steady. "I-I can't find Blue. Have you seen him?"

"Not since yesterday."

Daisy's panic reached a boiling point as she scrambled to recall the last time she had seen Blue. He had been standing by the door to his room, and… and she hadn't really registered it before, but there had been a backpack slung over his shoulder.

Daisy stepped over to the door, fighting to contain the mixture of fear and frustration bubbling within her.

"Daisy?" Gramps said. "Where are you going?"

"To-to look for Blue. I think he's run away."

Daisy pushed her way outside before Gramps had a chance to stop her. She'd go to the police. Blue couldn't have gotten far in one night. She ran through the city, not stopping until she reached the police station.

Daisy stepped up to front desk. "Please," she said, "you've got to help me!"

The receptionist looked up. "What is it?"

"My brother, Blue. He's disappeared."

The receptionist faltered for a moment, then nodded. "I'll file a report. Can I get a description?"

"He's fourteen years old. Brownish hair. Brown eyes. Probably carrying a backpack."

"Right. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

"A-A few days ago, a friend of his was murdered. He… he might be trying to find the culprit."

"A murder? That was reported, right?"

"I tried. Not that- not that anyone believed a word I-I said." Daisy felt the emotion rise in her again. Fear, anger, everything just welling up. She pushed her face into her arms and did her best to hold back a sob.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" The receptionist asked.

Daisy forced herself to meet his eyes. "Y-Yeah. It's just…"

She was cut off when the door swung open. "Daisy!"

She turned. It was Gramps. Daisy crossed her arms and fixed him with a cold glare. "What."

"Please, just calm down," he said. "Are you absolutely sure that Blue has run away?"

"Yes!" Daisy said. Of course she was. Why wouldn't anyone take her seriously?

"And you've reported it?"

"Yes. I'm not completely useless."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. Please. Calm down."

"Nothing to worry about?" Daisy repeated. "There's a murderer out there!"

Gramps watched her, a concerned expression on his face. "Yes. You've said."

"I saw it, Gramps. Right in front of me! Why can't you just believe me?"

Gramps put an arm around Daisy's shoulder, and she resisted the urge to throw him off. "Daisy. Celebi is a myth. If a Pokémon with that kind of power truly existed, we would have seen it by now."

"I know what I saw."

"And it must have been rather traumatic for you. But pretending like there's some murderer out there for you to seek revenge on isn't going to-"

"I am not crazy! Gramps, I… I…" Daisy felt the tears begin to flow again, and she couldn't do anything to stop them. Nobody believed her. She was right! She knew she was, but nobody believed her. And now Blue was in danger.

"I- I can't just sit here and do nothing." Daisy stood. "I'm going to look for him."

"No. The police will do a much better job than you could."

"…Fine. Fine. But if Blue isn't back by tomorrow, I'm going. And there's nothing you can do to change my mind."

Blue awoke to the sharp sound of a siren. For a couple of seconds, he wasn't completely sure where he was. Then it all came rushing back. Cubone, Marowak… Red. Blue sighed. Running away to find the truth behind his death had sounded like a brilliant idea the night before. Now... now he was just tired. Tired and completely alone.

The door to Blue's room slowly opened, and Cubone stepped through. "Cuu?" it said.

A smile broke onto Blue's face. Maybe not completely. He lifted it up. "Hey. You doing all right now?"

Cubone rubbed its face against his. "Cuu!"

Blue laughed. "Y'know… I was thinking maybe… maybe striking out on my own wasn't such a good idea. We could-"

Blue's train of thought derailed as the siren cut out and a knock came at the door. He froze. What were the police doing at a rescue centre? Was Mr. Fuji some kind of criminal?

Blue recalled Cubone, picked up his backpack and edged towards the side window. He heard the door swing open.

"Hello?" Mr. Fuji said.

"Hello. We're investigating the whereabouts of a missing person. Somebody at the Pokémon Centre saw you conversing with a boy matching his description last night."

Blue froze. He should have anticipated this. Stupid. Of course Daisy or Gramps would report him missing. He pulled the backpack over his shoulder and slid the window open.

"That boy…" Mr. Fuji said. "Is his name Blue?"

"Yes, that's the one. Do you know where he is?"

Blue pushed his hands against the windowsill, preparing to jump, but something made him hesitate. Would being found by the police really be such a bad idea? He hadn't done anything illegal. They'd just escort him home and things would be all over.

"Yes, he's just in here," Mr. Fuji said.

Blue's instincts took over and he vaulted out of the building. After scrambling on the gravel which had been a little closer than anticipated, he took off down the road. It took a moment for his brain to catch up and realise why it wanted to get away so much.

Sure, Blue would be home again, but would things just go back to normal? Gramps would be mad at him for running away and stealing Poké Balls, and Daisy… would she be able to forgive him for just disappearing like that? Especially so soon after Red.

No. Better to just stay away. Blue would avenge Red's death, then go home. No way his family would let him chase after the murderer if he went back. This was the only way.

After running for around ten minutes, Blue finally slowed. He was coming out of Lavender Town. That should be far enough to avoid the police who were no doubt looking for him there.

The sign by the end of the road read 'Silence Bridge' and the name seemed pretty accurate. The only people around were a few fisherman sat by their lines on the damp wooden structure. It seemed a safe enough place to rest.

Blue walked a few feet across until he was just behind the tree line. He fished Cubone's Poké Ball from his pocket and released it.

Cubone materialised on the slightly wet undergrowth. It glanced at the sea stretching out to the west, then threw Blue a quizzical head tilt. "Cuu?"

"Sorry," he said. "We had to get outta there quickly. We should be safe here if you wanna sleep for a while."

Cubone shook its head, waving its bone in the air. "Cuu!"

Blue pushed down a smile. Cubone seemed so serious, but it was too cute for any kind of intimidation. "What do you mean?"

Cubone stepped over to him and began poking at his ankles. "Cuu! Cuu!"

"You… want us to hurry up and go after Team Rocket?"

Cubone nodded vehemently.

Blue stood up. "Well first of all, the two of us are gonna have to do some training. As much as I hate to admit it, Team Rocket'd wipe the floor with us as we are now."

Cubone lowered its bone, deflated. "Cuu."

"If I've got my geography straight, I think there's a gym in Vermillion, north of here. I say we take that on first."

Cubone nodded.

"Do you wanna go back in your Poké Ball or walk along with me?"

Cubone gestured to the ball.

"Yeah, that's fair. Come on then." Blue recalled Cubone again and turned back to the bridge. Time to test his skills.