Chapter 8: Lavender Town
"So you're from Hoenn? What's that like? What brought you here? Is Hoenn going to help us defeat the Rockets?" Ash asked anxiously.
"Woah, woah slow down kid. One question at a time." Leaf said back as she sat down. They had spent the day marching the rebels they had "captured" to the Pokemon Center in Lavender town, and devising a plan with their leader, Hitoshi, on how they could escape without Leaf and Ash's cover being blown. Ash wasn't much help with this plan, so instead he had spent the time in a room at the Pokemon Center, doing as much research as he could on Hoenn and Shiftry.
Now, finally Leaf was done with her plans and they were free to have a conversation. Leaf had found Ash and brought dinner, and since Ash knew they were staying the night in the Pokemon Center, he figured he would have ample time to get his questions answered.
"Yes, I'm from Hoenn. I'm here to pick up the pieces and take out Team Rocket once and for all. Nobody else from Hoenn will be coming, they have their hands full." Leaf responded.
"Wait so you're the only one? Why isn't anyone else coming? What do they have their hands full with?" Ash asked back. Sure, Leaf was strong but she couldn't be that strong!
"We have our own struggles in Hoenn. The old Elite Four assassinated most of the Gym Leaders as well as the Champion before turning on themselves. The result was two of them dead, with the other two starting rival crime syndicates. Hoenn was a dark place for years but we have them on the defensive now. Steven and I, along with a few others have successfully pushed Aqua and Magma into the shadows. It won't be long until Steven has both of their leaders behind bars." Leaf said grimly.
Ash thought about all that she said before responding. "Wow, that's… a lot. I always figured the other regions wouldn't be having problems like that. Of course, I used to think we didn't either…" Ash trailed off.
"Look kid, I know it's a lot to take in. The whole world isn't a nice and peaceful place, but there are enough of us trying to make it that way. We will overcome this, and when Team Rocket goes down I will be here to pick up the pieces." Leaf said smugly.
"So you want to become the next Champion? Is that why you're here?" Ash asked.
"Kanto needs a Champion doesn't it? There's no reason for me not to be at any rate. Steven is the Champion in Hoenn and he isn't going anywhere for years so… yeah, Kanto is my best shot. And hey, if I take out Team Rocket I'll deserve it won't I?" Leaf asked back.
Ash got a feeling it wasn't much of a question. "So you really think you can take out Giovanni and that crazy psychic type he's got?"
"Ash, I'm a dark type master. If I was afraid of a psychic type I wouldn't be worth much more than a 3 legged Rattata."
"But that thing is crazy powerful! It took control of Lance and Sabrina and who knows who else!" Ash exclaimed.
"I have some tricks up my sleeve too. I'm not naïve enough to think it's just an overpowered Alakazam. Whatever it is I won't underestimate it, but I'm confident in my team." Leaf said, seemingly rehearsed. It sounded like she had had this conversation many times already.
"Okay, so what's the plan? I have a parcel that needs to get to Samuel Oak. I have no idea what's inside of it, but I think it's very important. Can you take me to him?" Ash asked
"You'll have to show me that in a little bit. I wish I would have known about this before I sent Honchkrow back to Oak. As is, my only flying type is already in Cinnabar. I was planning on trekking on foot down to Fuschia before surfing to Cinnabar. If you stick with me for a few weeks you can surf out with us."
"I would much rather do that then try to go by myself. And maybe you can help train my Pokemon some?" Ash asked. If the two Pokemon Ash had seen of Leaf's were any indication, he could definitely learn a lot from her.
She laughed, "I like your attitude kid. We can make that work. I'll tell you what. Take tomorrow to explore Lavender town. I have to make sure that none of these Rocket's put my name down on any of the transfer papers. We will leave here the day after tomorrow. Sound good?" Leaf asked as she stood up to leave.
"Sounds good." Ash replied. For the first time in a long time, Ash felt totally secure. With Leaf's help, he would deliver the package to Oak and be able to enjoy his team without having to worry about Team Rocket.
X
Ash woke up late the next day, but that didn't bother him. He ran down to check on his Pokemon, and he was ecstatic when Nurse Joy told him that they were all ready to go. She told him that she was originally afraid that Buzz had pushed himself too hard, as even after the healing he was still terribly exhausted. However, once she realized that he had an electric ability (she went into a lot of biology that went right over Ash's head) she had recharged him and he was as good as new.
She also suggested that Ash have Buzz charge up every time he was in a Pokemon Center, as it would refresh him and increase his electrical storage. Ash thanked Nurse Joy profusely for this advice, and gladly took his four Pokeballs before walking out of the center.
Ash had planned on finding an open area where he could release his team and talk with them, but he found himself staring up at a massive tower that was in the center of town. Ash felt like the tower was calling to him, but he shook off the feeling and turned around to find somewhere to release his team.
A half an hour later he found himself staring up at the massive tower again. This confused Ash because he didn't remember turning around, or getting closer to the tower at all. It was as if he had been walking away from the tower, and then all of a sudden it was right in front of him again. This happened two more times before Ash released Buzz.
Buzz appeared with a chitter as he instantly began flying.
"I don't know what it is bud, but we are going in this tower." Ash said to the Beedrill as he walked towards the entrance.
Buzz let out a cautious noise as he followed Ash into the building.
The first thing that Ash noticed when he entered in was the eerie silence. Ash was in a large room with only a few other people in it. There were stones coming out of the ground at regular intervals, but Ash had no idea what they were for. Ash began to walk through the large room, heading towards the back where he saw a staircase. He didn't know why, but he knew that he needed to get to the top of this tower.
As Ash cautiously made his way through the large room, he cautiously began looking at all of the stones lining the ground. He realized with horror that these weren't regular stones, but tombstones. He read names and dates and names and dates as he made his way past the endless rows of graves.
Buzz instinctually flew low, trying to be as respectful as possible to the dead. They approached the stairs and Ash began to climb, eager to get out of the cemetery that he was in. He had no such luck, as the next floor was similarly covered in the gray tombstones.
Ash also noticed that this second floor was covered in a strange mist. He remembered it being a nice day outside, so he had no idea where the mist was coming from. The mist must have been playing with his mind, because he could have sworn he saw a face staring at him, but the mouth was much too large for it to have been real.
Buzz must have seen it too, as he was looking agitated and flying real close to Ash.
"It's okay buddy, this mist is just strange. Nothing here but us, let's just keep climbing. I don't know why, but I think something is waiting for us at the top." Ash said, trying to feel confident. He knew he needed to climb the tower, but he didn't know why.
With each floor that he climbed, the mist grew thicker and thicker. By the time he was at the 6th floor he could barely see his outstretched arm in front of him. Ash had to rely on sound to locate Buzz, as he couldn't see the bug-type anymore.
As Ash walked through the mist it suddenly cleared, leaving him alone in the room with a person right in front of the staircase to reach the next floor. She was bending down next to one of the tombstones, having just left a bouquet of flowers at it. She had auburn hair, and was about the same height as…
"Mom? Is that you?" Ash asked shakily. Delia turned and nodded, before gesturing for ask to join her at the tombstone. Ash quickly did, excited to see his mom but confused on why she was here. Ash reached his mom and wasn't sure of what to say, so instead he just looked down at the tombstone, content to let her speak first. The tombstone just had two words on it, but those two words made all the difference to Ash.
Ash Ketchum
"Mo-mom, what's the me-meaning of this?" Ash stammered. He turned to look at his mother and watched as she just smiled back. Ash watched in horror as the smile continued growing up the side of her face, stretching much farther than any human mouth could.
Ash shrieked and fell backwards, terrified of what he just saw. He lay there, watching as his mother's eyes turned from their loving amber to a deep red. All the while the smile grew bigger and bigger as her body began to change.
Ash began to crawl backwards away from this, thing, as he tried to call for Buzz. The words were caught in his throat, as the monster continued to change form into its true identity. His mom's arms and legs began to shrink as the face and body morphed together. The human flesh melted off of this creature as a gross purple fur covered what was underneath.
Ash was finally able to let out a choked cry for Buzz, to which this thing cocked its head as it peered down on Ash, having finished its transformation. The creature looked terrifying, and yet somehow quite familiar to Ash. A voice in the back of Ash's head began,
Gengar, the ghost-poison Pokemon
Gengar are a rare and dangerous Pokemon, preferring intimidation and violence over friendship. Gengar in the wild have almost never been successfully brought on to a trainer's team, although one raised from a Gastly or Haunter are much more likely to accommodate travelling with other Pokemon.
Ash suddenly realized this wasn't some terror of the night, but rather a Pokemon. Although it was a ghost Pokemon, and fully evolved, this realization of what it was suddenly brought a spark of courage back into Ash and allowed him to get to his feet and release Clefairy from her Pokeball.
"Clefairy, use Dazzling Gleam!" Ash said as he pointed towards the Gengar. He scrambled to open his backpack and grab his other two Pokeballs as he called again for Buzz.
Clefairy responded by firing a brilliant Dazzling Gleam straight into the Gengar's chest. It simply laughed an eerie laugh as it took the hit and then fired a Dazzling Gleam right back at Clefairy. The attack surprised Clefairy and hit her head on, knocking her a couple feet back from the impact.
Ash was surprised by the use of the fairy type move, but it seemed to only upset Clefairy as she let loose a battle cry before firing another blast at the ghost Pokemon.
Ash finally found his other two Pokeballs and released Blizz and Totodile, intent on overpowering the opposing Pokemon by sheer numbers.
"Blizz, Icicle Spear! Totodile, Water Gun! Buzz, we could really use your help!" Ash called out.
Blizz and Totodile responded immediately, providing cover fire for Clefairy so that she could dodge the Dazzling Gleam that was being shot back at her. Ash wasn't sure why the Gengar wasn't using ghost moves, but he hoped that it wouldn't start.
The Gengar took the first round of hits before cocking its head towards the new attackers. Suddenly it vanished into the shadows, and they all stopped attacking as they tried to locate it. Ash watched the shadows intently, not certain how to track it but determined to not let it gain the element of surprise.
His determination was useless, however as it jumped out of Blizz's shadow and landed a nasty Ice Punch that sent the little Pokemon flying. It let out what Ash could only guess was a victory shout, but sounded much more like a dying Meowth to Ash. The cry didn't last long, however as it was blasted in the back by both Clefairy and Totodile.
It growled and sent another Dazzling Gleam towards Clefairy before sending one of its fists racing towards Totodile. The small Pokemon shrieked as it tried to run away, but the fist followed its target perfectly and landed a solid punch that knocked Totodile out cold.
Ash recalled Totodile and yelled out, "Buzz, we could really use you! Clefairy keep hitting it, Blizz, give it some more Icicle Spears!"
Clefairy was looking pretty beat up at this point, but returned fire nonetheless. After all, she was the only one allowed to use fairy type moves. Blizz for his part was looking very healthy, as the ice type move he was hit with did very limited damage to his ice-steel hide.
The Gengar constructed a Protect to block Clefairy's attack, before diving back into the shadows to avoid the icicles coming its way. "We've got it on the run now! Blizz, Iron Defense then hit it with Iron Tail if it comes close!" Ash called out. He was hopeful that it would try to attack Blizz again, instead of going after Clefairy.
Sure enough, it appeared from Blizz's shadow and laid another Ice Punch into the Sandshrew, which Blizz took without moving at all thanks to Iron Defense before lashing out with Iron Tail and hitting the ghost Pokemon.
This caught the Gengar off guard, and it was taken back a step as Blizz decided to charge it with an Iron Head. It dipped back into the shadows, causing Blizz to miss before staring into Blizz's eyes. Blizz was trapped in the Hypnosis, and would have been a goner if Clefairy hadn't blasted the Gengar with another Dazzling Gleam. The Gengar turned around, enraged that the Clefairy would hit it in its back. For her part, Clefairy didn't seem the least bit intimidated as she fired another Dazzling Gleam. Ash could see that her attacks were much weaker now, a combination of her injuries and general exhaustion from the duration of the battle. He really needed to increase their stamina, he thought to himself.
Gengar summoned up another Protect to block off the Dazzling Gleam before firing one of his own back at her. She was barely able to dodge it, but was hit square on by the second one he sent out towards her. It sent her plummeting back, where she lay in a heap, unable to get back to her feet. Ash recalled her as Blizz finally snapped out of the Hypnosis and fired more Icicle Spears at the Gengar.
It turned around and loaded up another Ice Punch to hit the small Sandshrew with. Blizz tried to use Counter to redirect the blow, but the fighting type move went straight through the Gengar's body as it slammed its fist into Blizz.
Blizz simply grunted as he took the punch, which the Gengar saw as an invite to continue wailing on the smaller Pokemon.
"Iron Tail!" Ash yelled towards Blizz, but the Alolan Sandshrew didn't listen. Instead, it tanked more and more of the punches until finally he released a burst of energy back towards the Gengar.
The Bide passed harmlessly through the attacking Pokemon, who apparently decided he was done playing games and ended his onslaught with a couple of Shadow Punches. These sent Blizz flying through the air until he landed in a heap on the ground, unconscious.
Ash cursed to himself as he recalled the little Pokemon and yelled for Buzz again. "Could really use you now buddy! Where you at Buzz?"
The Gengar now turned back towards Ash and the giant smile was on its face again. It didn't even bother trying to use the shadows to get close, but rather walked towards Ash with that sadistic smile still on its face. Ash was frozen in place from the stare, unable to move as he watched the Gengar get closer and closer.
Suddenly a Beedrill burst free from the mist and charged directly at the Gengar. It swiveled its head and scratched through the bug type, which immediately disappeared. Ash was freed from his paralysis as the Gengar broke eye contact, and he began calling out orders.
"Let's go Buzz! Surround it with a volley of Twineedle and Poison Sting, follow up with Electroweb once you get a good shot! It can move through the shadows so be careful!"
A whole army of Beedrill suddenly appeared and began firing at the Gengar on the ground. It roared back its challenge as it began launching Shadow Balls into the Beedrills around it. They hit with uncanny accuracy, and soon there were only a few copies of Buzz left.
The Gengar's grin seemed to grow wider as set its aim at the few remaining Beedrill. What it wasn't expecting was a giant Electroweb launched straight into its back from close range, which Buzz shot as he dropped the clones to put more energy into the web.
The Gengar shrieked a nasty sound as it tried to free itself from the web. Ash looked around for some way to escape before spotting the staircase leading upwards behind where the Gengar had been earlier.
"Put a couple more webs in him then let's go! That won't hold him forever, we have got to get out of here!" Ash said to Buzz as he ran towards the stairs. Buzz spat a couple more webs at the enemy before flying after Ash.
Ash turned to see the Gengar writhing around in the web, desperately trying to get out. Whether it was truly in pain or just enraged by being captured, Ash didn't know and he wasn't about to find out either. He ran up the stairs as fast as he could, hoping that whatever was on the other side wasn't worse than what he was leaving.
Ash and Buzz raced into the next room, searching for an exit other than the stairs they had just come through. Ash was glad that the mist wasn't on this level, as he could see the whole room.
"Come on Buzz, there must be an exit on the other side of this room! Let's keep moving." Ash called out to Buzz as he ran across the open room. He could have sworn that he saw another staircase on the far side….
The mist suddenly surrounded Ash and he tripped over his feet. He tried to get up but the mist was so thick he couldn't even see the ground. Ash was finally able to get to his feet and called out to Buzz to make sure he was safe.
Ash heard a chitter next to him and was glad that Buzz was safe. Ash was trying to figure out a way to get out of the mist when suddenly it disappeared. Ash gaped as the room cleared of the mist and was instead replaced with hundreds of eyes.
Ash turned in a circle only to realize that the eyes were everywhere, with the incorporeal bodies of Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar filling the space around them. Ash and Buzz looked in horror as they realized they were surrounded with nowhere to go.
The ghosts began circling as they opened their mouths and let out a shriek that dropped Ash to his knees. Buzz was likewise incapacitated, and they writhed together on the ground. Ash couldn't think or move as the ghosts drew closer and closer.
"Recall your Beedrill or it will join the dead" Ash heard a raspy voice say.
"Wha, who's there?" Ash yelled out. He could barely think from the pain of the shrieks.
"I SAID RECALL YOUR BEEDRILL!" The voice screamed into Ash's head. He didn't have much of a choice so he did as requested. As soon as Buzz was recalled the terrible shrieking subsided. Ash sagged from the relief.
Now, what are you doing here?
Ash looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. All he could see was the ghosts, who had stopped circling and were staring at Ash, mouths still wide open.
"I uh, I don't know. I just felt like I was supposed to come up here. I don't even know what this place is." Ash responded, trying to find the man who was speaking.
Ah, so the old crone is still having some fun. Very well. Morty! Did this one pass your test?
Ash realized that the voice wasn't coming from in the room, but rather from inside his own head.
Ash shivered as the Gengar from the last floor walked right up to Ash, smiling the whole time. It stared into Ash's eyes, and once again he felt himself lock up in paralysis. Something deep inside Ash wanted to cry, to scream, to run and hide underneath his bed.
His bed. At his house. His mom, who this monster had pretended to be. The thought awakened something deep inside of Ash, an anger that fueled him. He looked back at the Gengar and stared into its eyes as he smiled right back.
The Gengar smiled and clapped its little hands as it turned around and nodded towards the horde.
Very well, very well. Now, who are you boy?
"My name is Ash. Ash Ketchum."
I didn't ask you your name. I asked who you are.
"Oh I'm… I'm uh, I don't know? I think I'm Ash Ketchum?"
Hmmph, honesty. Think on an answer to that question, it will help you when you need it. After that moment you will come to a time
When the trust is low
And you have nowhere to go
Show them the stone
And ask for the Revenant Crone
Ash waited for the voice to say more but that was it. "What does that mean? I don't get it. What's the Revenant Crone?"
I said what I said. Now be-gone! The voice cried out as the ghosts began circling again. Ash watched as they floated around him, picking up speed until they appeared to all be connected. They e began to shriek again and Ash fell to the floor, covering his ears.
The noise was more than he could bear. He could have sworn his ears were bleeding. He knew this was the way he was going to die. He had no ho-
Ash jumped awake with a scream. He had sweat covering his full body, and was breathing rapidly.
He looked around his room at the Pokemon Center before realizing the whole thing was just a dream. He let out a deep breath as he called out to Buzz, "Hey buddy, you won't believe the dream I just had."
But Buzz didn't answer. Ash looked around and realized Buzz wasn't in the room, and neither was any of his other Pokemon or their Pokeballs. Ash frantically got up and began to change clothes before realizing that he was already in his full Team Rocket uniform. Ash shook his head and quickly ran downstairs to Nurse Joy.
"How can I help you today?" Nurse Joy said from behind the counter.
"Hey, um yeah I was hoping that I brought my Pokemon here to you to be healed?" Ash asked, trying not to sound desperate.
"Why of course you did! Come right this way," Nurse Joy said as she led Ash around back.
Ash let out a sigh of relief as he followed Nurse Joy around the counter to where they couldn't be seen by anyone in the lobby.
"Your Pokemon are healed up fully. Now, tell me, did you visit Pokemon Tower?" Nurse Joy asked as she eyed Ash.
"How could you guess?"
"When you came in here and dropped these Pokemon off, it definitely wasn't you in control. Whatever was walking you just dropped all five Pokeballs on the counter and then headed upstairs. I haven't seen that in a quite some time. The ghosts have been less and less active since Team Rocket took over." Nurse Joy finished.
"Five Pokeballs?" Ash asked, stuck on her words.
"Did I say five? I meant four. Sorry, a lot has been going on today." Nurse Joy responded.
"So you've encountered the ghosts before? There was one that had a voice that said 'When the-"
"No, no, no. That's not for me to hear," Nurse Joy said as she cut Ash off. "That's not for me to hear, those words were for your ears only. Or, I guess your head only," Nurse Joy chuckled.
Ash realized she knew that the voice hadn't spoken audibly but rather in his mind. "What is that thing?" Ash asked.
"That…. That is a difficult question to answer. Let's just say that there are some powers that are ancient. The Pokemon Tower was built a long time ago as a shrine for it. Most people only know Pokemon Tower as a cemetery, which it most certainly is, but the truth is that whatever that thing is only grows stronger as more Pokemon are buried underneath it. It's not a ghost type Pokemon per say, but I believe it is what spawns new Gastly and Haunter in the Tower. There have been very few trainers who have talked to it and walked away sane. Consider yourself lucky, and remember what it told you. That information is important." Nurse Joy said with a finish.
Ash took a moment to soak in all the information. There were so many mysteries, so many things he didn't understand. "I also saw a giant Clefable in Mt. Moon that seemed to have complete control of Metronome, is that something similar?" Ash asked, hoping for answers.
"I'm not certain. My cousin would be much more familiar with that, but I'm assuming that one is actually a Pokemon. Clefable in the wild can live for… well no one really knows. It's possible that the Clefable you saw has lived for hundreds of years and totally mastered its abilities." Nurse Joy said after a short pause.
"Hundreds of years? That's crazy!" Ash exclaimed. He couldn't imagine a Pokemon living for that long.
"Yeah. And that thing you saw, it dates back at least 500 years." Nurse Joy said as someone called her back to the front desk.
Ash stood there, blown away by what he had just heard. He had just spoken with a 500 year old Poke- thing, and it had given him some kind of riddle to solve. This was all too much for him, and Ash grabbed his Pokeballs and went up to his room. Once he was inside his room, he released his team and told them what he had learned.
X
"So where did you get the Team Rocket uniform from?" Ash asked Leaf once they had gotten out of earshot of anyone else. It was the following morning, and Ash and Leaf had left the Pokemon Center and were headed west on Route 8.
"I took it off of some girl who tried to take my Pokemon away when I first landed on the mainland. I think she said her name was Domino. She's actually the reason Honchkrow is with Oak, I sent her back for questioning." Leaf said with a smug.
"And the white sleeves? Are those your personal accessories?" Ash asked. He had been wanting to ask that question since he first met Leaf but hadn't had the nerve until now.
"These? NO I thought they were a required part of the uniform! Are you telling me I don't have to wear this?" Leaf asked incredulously.
Ash started busting out laughing as he shook his head no. The look of disgust on Leaf's face as she tore off the sleeves was well worth the punch on the shoulder Ash received when he didn't stop laughing.
"And the socks and the skirt too? I'm guessing this was just personal flair as well?" Leaf asked.
"Definitely not a required piece of the Rocket uniform." Ash responded, still chuckling.
"Oh! I can't believe none of the Nurse Joys have said anything! This whole time I've been walking around in this get up and I don't even have to!" Leaf went off as they continued walking out of town.
"So, uh, where are we going?" Ash asked after a comfortable silence. He enjoyed traveling with Leaf, but he still had no idea what the plan was. As far as he could tell, they were heading right towards Saffron city, which was where Sabrina was located.
"There's a secret tunnel about three days journey from here that will take us past Saffron and straight into Celadon. We will be meeting a few friends that will be going to Celadon with us, and then from there we will go down route 17 and enter Fuschia and head to Cinnabar after that."
"Okay cool. So the next few days will be just us then?" Ash asked.
"That's right kid. I made sure to pack extra revives so we can test out your little team. If you're going to be travelling with me then we will need to make sure you're up to par." Leaf said with a smirk.
"You saw Buzz take down that Officer's team!" Ash paused. "Oh yeah, by the way, how did you know we were going to be able to do that?" He had been meaning to ask her but hadn't found the right time yet.
"Oh that?" she chuckled, "Let's just say we had been on Route 9 for a few weeks before you guys showed up. Willow saw you training a couple of times when she was scouting out the Route. From what she said, it sounded like your Beedrill could handle itself."
Ash thought back to his time on Route 9. "I thought I saw something in the woods! I thought it was a Sudowoodo but I never got a clear view!" Ash exclaimed. He knew it!
"Good eyes kid. Willow isn't easy to spot. You'll figure that out once we start training. Let's get some more miles in and then after dinner we'll start training." Leaf said.
Ash nodded his head and continued walking down the trail. He was brimming with excitement at the idea of training with Leaf and getting stronger and stronger.
XX
Well there it is! Hopefully you all enjoyed this one! It was a little different but I liked it! Next chapter will be a lot of training, but I'll make sure to get in a few battles in there. Things are starting to speed up for Ash! Leave a review and let me know what you all think!
PKZ'S Ghost: Very good so far, I like the idea of this AU, and can't wait to see more! I like the team and the way you structured the Rocket ranks. I hope you continue the story, and if you need some team recommendations for Ash, maybe a ghost would fit him well...
Thanks! Sorry for the tease with the ghost, I just don't feel like I would be able to write a ghost well. No hard feelings!
I love reading123453: i like this keep up the good work
Thank you!
KuraiArcoiris: Thanks for the review! It was too long to post, but I appreciate your input! Let me know what you thought about this chapter, thanks so much!