The chapter was inspired by Episode 2: Cubone from "Pokémon Origins". Am I the only one who cried tears while watching that episode?

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 17: The Tower of Terror

We arrived to Lavender Town one week after we left Vermillion City, and it had been four days since I released Honey. Speaking of, the wild Oddish that came to the camp and sat down on my lap had remained by my side since, so I caught and nicknamed him Oliver. Shortly after that, he evolved into a Gloom after some training with Ash's Bulbasaur.

After we healed up our Pokémon, we looked for Mr. Fuji's house. The people in the town were kind and showed us the way to the old man's house. It had a sign on the front that said "Pokémon House".

"Is this really the place?" Misty wondered.

"According to the townsfolks, this is Mr. Fuji's home", Brock nodded.

"I wonder what kind of Pokémon he has", I said. "This place must have something to do with them."

"Then let's go and find out", Ash smiled.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu nodded.

Ash walked up to the front door and knocked on it. "Hello! Anybody in there?"

A cute girl with brown hair tied up into two side tails, dark indigo eyes, pale skin opened the door. She was dressed in a pink top and a white two-layered skirt. She appeared to be one or two years younger than me and Ash.

"Hi", the girl smiled. "Welcome to the Pokémon House. Please, come in."

The girl opened the door wide enough for us to walk inside. The first room was like a traditional reception area with low tables. There were a few mugs with tea resting on the tables, some of them empty.

"I'm Reina. Nice to meet you", the girl introduced herself. "I heard from Mr. Fuji he's expecting guests. I guess that's you four?"

"Yes, we are", Ash nodded. "My name is Ash and this is Pikachu."

"Pikachu!"

"I'm his twin sister; Ashley."

"I'm Misty."

"And I'm Brock."

"Your Pikachu is so cute", Reina said in awe at the sight of Pikachu. "And it looks really healthy. I can tell you take good care of it."

"Yeah, Pikachu and I are really close friends, but so are my other Pokémon", Ash blushed modestly.

"If I may ask, what is this Pokémon House?" Misty asked.

"You mean you don't know? This house is an orphanage for orphaned and abandoned Pokémon", Reina explained with a slight sad expression.

"Abandoned Pokémon…?" I repeated with a low tone.

"That's right, young lady", an old voice spoke up.

An old man with bald head walked out from another room before joining us. "Mr. Fuji! I believe these are the guests you told me about", Reina said.

"So you're Mr. Fuji?" Brock asked.

"Yes, that's me", Mr. Fuji nodded. "I heard about you four from Professor Oak. We've been friends since we were teenagers. Would you like to take a look around?"

"Y-Yes please…", I stuttered slowly.

Mr. Fuji and Reina led us to another large room where there were other people taking care of Pokémon. I spotted a Growlithe, a Vulpix, an Oddish, and other tiny Pokémon. They were all in their own playpens while they were being fed and taken care of.

"Shortly after my retirement, I couldn't find peace with myself, so I decided to rebuild my house into an orphanage for abandoned Pokémon", Mr. Fuji explained. "But sometimes it is too much for me to handle by myself, so that's why I asked for volunteers to come and help me."

"And I'm one of them", Reina pointed at herself. "I've been here since last year and I enjoy taking care of the Pokémon. This is like training for me before I turn ten next year and I can finally go on a journey."

I looked in one of the playpens where there was a Rattata being fed with a bowl of fresh berries. I noticed it had some scars on its back that looked like it had been caused by a whip. How could someone hurt their Pokémon like this?!

"I heard from Professor Oak you're on a journey to enter the Pokémon League?" Mr. Fuji asked, snapping me out of my anger.

"Yeah, that's me and Ashley", Ash nodded. "My goal is to become a Pokémon Master and the first step is to enter the Pokémon League and win!"

Mr. Fuji laughed heartedly. "I can see your passion, son. But you still have much to learn. That's why I want to ask you four a favor."

"A favor?" Misty blinked confusedly.

"Would you like to help me out for one week?" Mr. Fuji asked. "I can give you advice on how to take proper care of your Pokémon and, in return, you help me look after the Pokémon in the house."

"That sounds like a great idea", Brock nodded. "My dream is to become a Pokémon Breeder, so I'd love to learn everything about Pokémon care."

"I don't mind playing with all of these adorable Pokémon", Misty giggled softly.

"I…would love to help too", I nodded before turning to my twin. "We're not in a hurry with the Gyms, right, Ash?"

"Yeah. Although, I'd rather challenge the next Gym, I have to hold back a bit and learn more about Pokémon", Ash said sheepishly before rubbing the back of his head.

"The next Gym would be in Saffron City", Mr. Fuji told us. "That Gym specializes in psychic-type Pokémon. That's all I can tell you."

"Psychic-type? That means Squirtle's Bite attack is super effective against them!" Ash said in realization.

I heard a growl from another playpen and saw a Cubone that sat in the corner while glaring at us. It held its Thick Club tight as if it was ready to attack someone.

"What's wrong with this Cubone?" I asked.

"Oh, that little one…", Mr. Fuji sighed softly before entering the playpen.

Cubone stopped growling when the old man picked it up. It clung onto Mr. Fuji's shirt and sobbed softly. Ash grabbed his Pokédex to check its data.

Cubone, the lonely Pokémon. Ground-type. It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly. Because it never removes its skull helmet, no one has ever seen this Pokémon's real face.

"Why is Cubone so sad?" Misty asked.

"I brought Cubone here a couple of days ago…after Team Rocket killed its mother", Mr. Fuji explained with a sad expression.

"What?!" my brother, friends, and I exclaimed in shock.

"Team Rocket was recently spotted nearby the Rock Tunnel north of Lavender Town", Reina told us with a sad voice. "I heard they caught many Pokémon and even killed a few that resisted them…including Cubone's mother, Marowak."

"Cuuu…", Cubone whimpered softly.

"I can't believe it! I thought Team Rocket only stole Pokémon, but they actually have the audacity to kill them?!" Ash growled angrily.

"Ika!" Pikachu growled.

"That's not right! Pokémon are like humans!" I added, feeling anger toward Team Rocket. "They have feelings, dreams, and will like we do! I hate people who hurt Pokémon!"

"I'm relieved to see you care so much about Pokémon", Mr. Fuji chuckled softly as he cradled Cubone. "It warms my old heart to know you are good Trainers."

"Did the police ever arrest Team Rocket?" Misty asked.

"No. They got defeated by them", Reina shook her head. "In fact, a group of grunts has occupied the Pokémon Tower."

"The Pokémon Tower is the gravesite for deceased Pokémon, right?" Brock asked.

Mr. Fuji put down Cubone before walking out of the playpen. "Follow me."

We followed the old man to a window where we could see a tall tower that was hiding in the early evening fog.

"The Pokémon Tower is where people go to pay their respect for their lost partners", Mr. Fuji explained. "However, because of Team Rocket occupying it, no one is allowed inside. Some of the local Trainers have tried confronting them, but they ran away because they got scared by a ghost."

"G-Ghost…?" I repeated as I started cold sweating.

"Are you sure it's not a ghost-type Pokémon?" Ash asked. "We recently saw one that…enjoyed playing tricks on people."

"No, they're saying this ghost is unaffected by any types of attacks", Reina answered. "They tried using dark-type moves, but they weren't effective at all."

"So… It's a real ghost?" Misty asked.

I said nothing as I was starting to shake like a leaf. Pikachu jumped into my arms before I could lose it and get a hysteric attack like the one I had on Sevii Islands Two Island.

"I haven't seen it with my own eyes yet, but that's what everyone says", Mr. Fuji said.

"But why is Team Rocket in the Pokémon Tower in the first place?" Ash wondered.

"I heard from Officer Jenny that Team Rocket's goal is world domination, so I guess they're trying to occupy Kanto by spreading the grunts around in the region", Brock said.

I tightened my arms around Pikachu while different emotions built up within me. Fear for the ghost, anger toward Team Rocket, nervousness at the thought of the evil organization trying to occupy Kanto, and more.

"There's nothing we can do right now. Now, please follow me and I'll show you to your rooms", Mr. Fuji said softly. "I've had them prepared for your arrival."

XXXXXXXXXX

For the next few days, Ash, Misty, Brock, and I learned a lot from Mr. Fuji while taking care of the orphan Pokémon. I loved playing with all of them, but I was still a little sad that Cubone didn't want to get touched. He kept staying in the corner of his playpen twenty-four seven and growled at everyone, except Mr. Fuji.

When Reina learned Ash and I were Trainers, she asked us different questions on how to be a good Pokémon Trainer. I felt a little embarrassed but happy at the same time that someone looked up to me. I wasn't used to it because I was usually being looked down on. I guess things will change in due time.

I was first scared that ghost-type Pokémon would fly around in Lavender Town, but my heart calmed down when I saw none of them. In fact, I heard the ghost-type Pokémon had left the Pokémon Tower after being forced out by Team Rocket.

Team Rocket… Why were there so many bad and cruel people in the world? Why couldn't we live in harmony with Pokémon? I guess the yearning and greed can overtake someone and make them get out of control.

XXXXXXXXXX

One week later, it was time for me, my brother, and our friends to leave Lavender Town and go to Saffron City. Last time, just before I went to bed, Mr. Fuji went out on a walk, but he hadn't been seen since. We didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to him, so we waited for his return the entire day until early evening.

Reina and the other volunteers came to take care of the orphan Pokémon, but they were worried as well about the elderly man.

"Are you sure he didn't say where he was going?" Reina asked me.

"He said nothing", I shook my head before sipping my mug of green tea. "But he had a determined expression as if he was going to do something."

"I hope he didn't get hurt", Misty sighed softly.

"He also said he had something for us, so we can't just leave", Brock added.

Ash sat on the floor with his legs crossed which Pikachu rested on. "I hope he's okay…"

"Chu…"

The front door was harshly opened by one of the regular volunteers. The man panted deeply as if he had run a marathon. "Everyone, I know where Mr. Fuji is!"

Everyone got up on their feet and ran to the man. "Really?! Where is he? Is he okay?!" one of the women asked worriedly.

"He's in the Pokémon Tower!" the man said.

"Pokémon Tower?!" the volunteers exclaimed in shock.

The man nodded, "Someone saw Mr. Fuji heading that way yesterday! Then he saw him go into the Pokémon Tower!"

"Why would he go there by himself? Team Rocket is occupying the tower!" another male volunteer said.

"He must've tried to tell them to leave the town", Reina said sadly. "Now… They might be holding him hostage! We have to go and save him!"

"But how? None of us are strong Trainers who can take on Team Rocket!" another woman said.

"Then I'll go!" Ash declared determinedly.

The volunteers turned to my brother with surprised expressions. Ash adjusted his cap before Pikachu jumped up on his shoulders.

"I'm a Pokémon Trainer with three Badges and a complete party!" Ash bragged softly. "I have confidence in my skills in Pokémon battles! I'll go and save Mr. Fuji!"

"Are you sure you can do it by yourself?" the first male volunteer asked. "Who knows how many grunts are in there and how strong their Pokémon are?!"

"I'm going too!" Misty nodded before standing next to Ash. "There's no way I'm letting Ash go and save Mr. Fuji by himself!"

"As the former Gym Leader of Pewter City Gym, I can't ignore the crimes happening in this town!" Brock joined in. "We'll go together and bring back Mr. Fuji and chase Team Rocket out of town!"

"We're gonna show them their evil deeds are no good and kick them out before they knew what hit them!" Ash added as he clenched his hand into a fist.

Reina looked hopeful for a second before she walked up to my brother and grabbed both his hands. "Please, Ash… Save Mr. Fuji and get rid of Team Rocket!"

"I will, Reina", Ash grinned brightly. "That's a promise from the future Pokémon Master!"

Reina giggled softly with pink cheeks in response. Misty suddenly got a weird look on her face, but she relaxed as soon as Reina let go of my brother's hands.

"Ashley, will you come with us?" Ash asked.

"I'll stay here", I shook my head. "I…really don't want to see that ghost."

"Okay, then stay here and protect the Pokémon House", Ash nodded. "We'll go right away to the Pokémon Tower!"

XXXXXXXXXX – Ash's POV

The sky was dark by the time we reached the Pokémon Tower. It looked a little frightening from the outside and I swore I felt a chill in the air. It was a good thing Ashley decided to stay behind; this was like a scene directly out from a movie.

"This is it…", I said nervously.

"It is a little scary, but we have to do this", Misty said. "Don't chicken out of us, Ash."

"Of course I won't!" I growled irritably.

"Hey, you can have your love quarrel after we save Mr. Fuji", Brock said as he flipped on a flashlight. "Let's go."

"Love quarrel?!" Misty and I exclaimed simultaneously in surprise.

"Pika pi", Pikachu shook his head.

We opened the front door as quietly as we could to not make any noise and get Team Rocket's attention. The volunteers said the evil grunts were staying at the top of the tower, which was the seventh floor.

It was dark and ominous on the first floor, so I called out Charmander to use the fire on his tail as a torch while we walked up the stairs to the second floor. We were very cautious and looked around for grunts jumping out of the shadows or the mysterious ghost the townsfolks were talking about.

We reached the third floor and that was when we had our first encounter. A Haunter appeared out of nowhere in front of us, making a scary face as if it was going to devour us. We screamed in fear and jumped back while Pikachu and Charmander rushed forward to attack it.

"Pika pika!"

"Char char!"

"Haunter! Haunter haunt!" the wild Haunter flew back while waving its large hands frantically.

My Pokémon relaxed as they listened close to the wild Pokémon.

"W-What are they doing?" Misty asked with a shaking voice while holding onto my arm.

"I think this Haunter is friendly, but we have to stay cautious", Brock said as he stood in front of us.

I picked up my Pokédex to check Haunter's data.

Haunter, the gas Pokémon. Ghost and poison-type. The evolved form of Gastly. If you get the feeling of being watched in darkness when nobody is around, Haunter is there. Because of its ability to slip through block walls, it is said to be from another dimension.

"From another dimension…?" I repeated hesitantly.

"Relax", a woman's voice spoke up. "This Haunter wishes no harm."

A woman dressed like a channeler appeared from the shadows. Brock would usually go all loco whenever he saw a woman, but he didn't lose his compose this time. I guess he had some respect for these people.

"Are you a channeler?" Brock asked.

"Yes", the woman nodded. "My sisters and I were chased out by Team Rocket after they defeated us. However, we still try to keep our duty by sneaking into the Pokémon Tower in the middle of the night. When we heard about the mysterious ghost, we tried to get rid of it, but failed so far."

"So… That ghost is still around?" Misty asked while she tightened her grip on my arm.

"Unfortunately", the channeler nodded. "However, this ghost is different than anything I've seen since I became a channeler ten years ago."

"Is it a Pokémon or not?" I asked.

"I'm not certain, but I believe it's a spirit that hasn't found peace yet and is causing trouble for the visitors", the channeler replied. "Weirdly, it hasn't managed to scare away Team Rocket. I think I heard them mention they have a device that lets them see the true form of unidentifiable ghosts."

"Maybe they've seen the ghost's true form and didn't get scared of it and are actually using it to keep everyone away from the tower during nighttime!" Brock figured it out.

"Say, are you three Pokémon Trainers?" the channeler asked.

"Yes", I nodded. "We're here to save Mr. Fuji and get Team Rocket out of here."

The channeler gasped in shock. "They got Mr. Fuji?!"

"Yeah", I nodded.

"Team Rocket are despicable!" the channeler growled. "How can they keep Mr. Fuji captive? Please, I beg of you, save Pokémon Tower and Mr. Fuji for me, my sisters, and the people of Lavender Town!"

"That's what we're here for!" I nodded determinedly.

"Thank you, young Trainers", the channeler bowed before turning to the wild Haunter that was still with us. "This Haunter is very friendly and he can show you the way to the top of the tower. I have to return to my sisters before they get worried."

"Oh… Then why did the Haunter scare us?" Misty asked.

"Haunter likes to scare and prank people whenever he feels for it", the channeler giggled softly. "But he means no harm. You can trust him."

"Haunter haun!" Haunter nodded.

"Okay, Haunter! Lead the way!" I told him.

"Haunt haunt!"

XXXXXXXXXX – Ashley's POV

I waited anxiously with Firered by my side in the Pokémon House. The volunteers had left after checking the orphan Pokémon, but Reina stayed behind to keep me company. She was playing with Luna while I looked out the window. Clouds were covering the sky, making it extra dark and scary outside.

"I hope Ash and the others are okay…", I mumbled to myself.

"Charrr…", Firered rumbled softly.

"Me too", Reina nodded. "But I believe in them. Why didn't you go with them, Ashley?"

"I…I'm very scared of ghost-type Pokémon and ghosts", I explained. "I started fearing them after watching a horror movie years ago."

"Oh… So you have phasmophobia", Reina stated.

"Phasmophobia…? Is that the word for fear of ghosts?" I asked.

Reina nodded, "Yeah, it's a word I learned early in life by my parents. Some of the children in Lavender Town have phasmophobia too, so they can't wait to turn ten and go on a journey."

"I see… I do want to get better and not fear for the ghost Pokémon, but… It's going to take some time", I sighed deeply.

"Mr. Fuji said once everything takes time and you get better as you get older. I'm sure you'll accept ghost-type Pokémon someday."

I smiled softly by Reina's encouragement. "Thank you, Reina."

We jumped up on our feet when we heard noise coming from the room with the playpens. We ran inside and saw it was Cubone that was tackling the fence gate of its playpen. The other orphan Pokémon had woken up by the commotion and looked confused of what was going on.

"Cubone, what's wrong?" Reina called before she stepped into the playpen to stop the baby Pokémon.

Before we knew it, Cubone snuck out of the playpen and ran out of the room to the reception room. Firered and Luna barely had time to register what was happening and were surprised to see the baby Pokémon running away.

"Cubone, come back!" Reina yelled.

We ran to the reception room and saw the front door was open. It had a large dent on the surface which must have been caused by Cubone's Headbutt attack.

"Cubone ran out!" I gasped.

"Oh no! Maybe it got worried about Mr. Fuji and ran to rescue him!" Reina said worriedly.

"Then we have to go after it!" I said determinedly.

"Char!"

"Fairy!"

"Are you sure? Can you handle the Pokémon Tower, Ashley?" Reina asked.

"I have to try", I replied. "If there are ghosts there, Pokémon or not, I'll just try and not look at them. I'm more worried about Cubone than my phobia."

"Okay", Reina nodded.

XXXXXXXXXX – Ash's POV

We made it to the fifth floor without bumping into ghosts or Team Rocket grunts, but the air started getting very cold it gave me goosebumps.

"Brrr…! It gets colder for each floor", Misty shivered.

"We must be close", Brock said. "Watch out for Team Rocket."

"Haunter, are we close?" I asked.

"Haunt", Haunter nodded.

"Get out…!"

We looked around when we heard the chilling voice. The atmosphere started getting thick by a mysterious fog that appeared out of nowhere.

"W-W-What's going on?!" Misty shrieked.

A shadow with red eyes glowed in the foggy darkness. Pikachu, Charmander, and Haunter growled at the ghost as it slowly came closer.

"Get out…! Leave this place!" the ghost screamed.

"It's the ghost!" Brock shouted.

"So it was true the whole time!" Misty added.

"Guys, I'll distract the ghost! You two head upstairs and take care of Team Rocket and grab that Rocket Scope the channeler mentioned!" I told my friends.

"Got it!" Brock nodded.

"Just be careful, Ash", Misty said concernedly.

I turned my cap backwards before facing the ghost. "Okay, you ghost! It's time to battle!"

"Pika!"

"Char!"

"Haunter hauun!"

"Get out…! Get out!"

XXXXXXXXXX – Normal POV

While Ash's Pokémon, including the wild Haunter, battled against the mysterious ghost, Misty and Brock used the fog to their advantage. They carefully snuck past the ghost on their four limbs without getting its attention while hiding behind tombstones. As soon as they reached the stairs to the sixth floor, they stood up and looked over their shoulders. The ghost still hadn't realized they had snuck past it, so the coast was clear.

The two Gym Leaders hurried up the stairs and almost made it to the top when a flashlight shone upon them. They briefly shielded their eyes from the sudden light before they got used to it.

"Hey! What are you doing here?!" a male Rocket grunt with a black outfit yelled. "This place is off-limits, so get out!"

"Oh no, you're the ones who has to leave!" Misty growled as she grabbed a Poké Ball from her pocket.

Brock nodded as he grabbed one of his own Poké Balls. "Leave now or face the consequences!"

"Pah! You don't scare me!" the Rocket grunt spat before grabbing one of his Poké Balls. "I'll chase you two out of here!"

XXXXXXXXXX – Ash's POV

I was very frustrated. None of my Pokémon's attacks were working on the ghost. What in the world was it?! Couldn't Misty and Brock hurry up and get that Rocket Scope so I could figure out what the ghost was?

"Get out…! Get out!" the ghost kept repeating over and over again.

And there was another thing; the ghost never attempted to attack us. Something was definitely off.

"Pika…", Pikachu panted weakly.

"C-Chaar aar…", Charmander panted as well.

"Haunter haun!" Haunter still had some energy left.

"Ghost, what do you want?" I asked, trying to use another tactic. "Why are you telling everyone to get out of the tower?!"

"Ash!"

I looked at the stairs behind the ghost and saw Misty with a device in her hands.

"We got the Rocket Scope! Catch!" she yelled before throwing the device.

The Rocket Scope flew past the ghost and landed straight in my hands. I quickly strapped it onto my head and looked at the ghost. It took some time for the scope to analyze the ghost before it shapeshifted into…

"A Marowak?!" I gasped. "Wait… That must be Cubone's mother!"

Cubone's mother's restless spirit must have remained in the mortal world because she was worried about her baby, and she wanted to warn everyone about Team Rocket. That explained everything!

"Get out! Leave this place!" Marowak's spirit shouted. "You shouldn't get close to them!"

"Cubooon!"

I turned around and saw Cubone running toward the ghost with Reina, Ashley, and Firered following it. Cubone ran into its mother's arms, which calmed Marowak down. She dropped her Thick Club to embrace her baby.

I removed the Rocket Scope and saw the ghost had transformed into Marowak's spirit form. "Pikachu, Charmander, Haunter, come back. There's no need to battle anymore."

The three Pokémon headed back to me while Marowak and Cubone hugged each other the best they could with the mother's transparent spirit. Reina, Ashley, and Firered joined us while watching the little family reunion.

"Is that…Marowak?" Reina mumbled in disbelief.

"It must be…", Ashley nodded. "Cubone must have sensed its mother's presence and wanted to see her one last time."

"Chaar…", Firered rumbled.

Marowak glanced at us before nodding. She let go of her baby Cubone and floated up in the air before slowly leaving the mortal world. Cubone wailed for its mother before it stopped sobbing. It wiped its tears before picking up the Thick Club it had dropped when it hugged Marowak.

"Marowak must've been so worried about her baby she didn't want to leave until she was sure Cubone was okay", Reina said.

"Yeah…", I nodded before I realized something. "Hey, Ashley… How did you manage to get into the tower? You're scared of ghosts."

"Yeah, but I was too worried about Cubone to think about the ghosts", Ashley nodded.

"Haunter!" the wild Haunter flew to us and gave my sister a huge grin.

"AAAHHH!" Ashley screamed at the sight of Haunter and turned away before crouching down with her hands resting on top of her head. "GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"

"Haunter…", Haunter looked sad by her reaction.

I couldn't help but laugh sheepishly. "You're still my sister, alright."

"Ash, hurry!" Misty called from the stairs while waving her hand. "Brock's got three of the Rocket grunts, but they're saying there are two more who are watching Mr. Fuji!"

"Okay!" I shouted. "Ashley, Reina, hurry and get the police! We'll take care of the rest!"

"Okay!" Reina nodded before she picked up Cubone. "Be careful."

"And stay safe…", Ashley mumbled softly before Firered grabbed her hand and led out toward the stairs.

I nodded and turned to my Pokémon. "Let's go, you three!"

"Pika!"

"Chaar!"

"Haunter!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty and I went to the top floor while Brock kept watching the now tied up Rocket grunts on the sixth floor. We saw one woman and one man with a Raticate and a Primeape by an altar and Mr. Fuji sat in a corner all tied up.

"So you managed to get past our colleagues, huh?" the female grunt with blonde hair snorted. "I can't believe our boss, Giovanni, sent us such weak allies!"

"You're the ones who are pathetic for occupying the Pokémon Tower where many Trainers' Pokémon are resting!" Misty shouted angrily.

"It wasn't us who decided to use this place as our base", the male grunt shrugged his shoulders.

"Shut it, Butch!" the woman growled. "We have to kick these twerps out of our base!"

"Yeah, yeah, Cassandra…", Butch waved his hand.

"It's Cassidy, you idiot!" Cassidy yelled angrily.

The way they interacted with each other reminded me of Jessie and James minus Meowth.

"Starmie, I choose you!" Misty yelled, throwing a Poké Ball.

"Kruuu!"

"Charmander, go!" I shouted.

"Chaar!"

"Raticate, use Hyper Fang on Starmie!" Cassidy yelled.

"Primeape, use Mega Punch on Charmander!" Butch shouted.

"Charmander, use Smokescreen!" I quickly shouted.

Charmander released thick smoke from his mouth before Team Rocket's two Pokémon could harm us. The smokescreen even enveloped Cassidy and Butch and I could hear them how they were coughing.

"T-That's cheating…!" Cassidy coughed.

"Starmie, use Swift!" Misty yelled.

Starmie sent star-shaped rays into the smokescreen before we heard Raticate and Primeape's painful cries. I knew Swift was a move that could never miss, so this was a great combo.

"Nice, Misty!" I praised her.

"Swift can penetrate Smokescreen moves like this, so we make a good team!" she winked.

The smoke cleared up and revealed Team Rocket's two Pokémon that were covered in soot and had some visible bruises. Even Butch and Cassidy were dirty by the Smokescreen.

"You think you're smarter than us?! Raticate, use Bite on Starmie!" Cassidy commanded.

"Primeape, try Mega Punch on Charmander one more time!" Butch shouted.

"Charmander, use Flamethrower!" I shouted.

Charmander cried loudly as he breathed a large beam of fire. The fire swallowed Raticate and Primeape, causing them to cry out in pain again. All of the sudden, Charmander's body started glowing while still breathing fire!

Misty and I gasped in surprise at the sight while Pikachu, Haunter, and Starmie watched in awe of how Charmander's body grew in the light.

"Charmander is evolving!" Misty exclaimed.

"Wow… Awesome!" I smiled widely.

My Pokémon stopped glowing just as he stopped breathing fire. Charmeleon roared so loud it echoed around us. Team Rocket blinked their eyes in shock while both their Pokémon were down for the count.

"No way! A Pokémon evolving in the middle of a battle?!" Butch said in disbelief.

"And our Pokémon got defeated in the blink of an eye?! This isn't right!" Cassidy growled angrily.

"It's over, you two! The police are on their way to arrest you!" Misty announced.

"The police will never catch us!" Cassidy retorted before she pulled out a grenade from her uniform.

Just before she could activate the grenade, Haunter used his powers to immobilize Team Rocket and made them levitate in the air. "Haunter haunt!"

"H-Hey, let us go!" Cassidy struggled to move and drop the grenade.

"No way! You're staying here until the police arrive!" Misty told her.

I ran to Charmeleon and got down on my knees to give him a hug. "Congratulations for evolving, Charmeleon."

"Chaar!" Charmeleon smiled while nuzzling on my chest.

I then hurried to Mr. Fuji and untied him. "Are you okay, Mr. Fuji?"

"Yes. Thank you for coming and rescuing me", Mr. Fuji smiled as he rubbed his sore wrists.

"Of course, Mr. Fuji. We couldn't leave the town without saving you first and get rid of Team Rocket", I grinned brightly.

XXXXXXXXXX – Ashley's POV

After the police arrested the Rocket grunts, everything returned back to normal in Lavender Town. The Pokémon Tower was reopened after fixing some repairs from the battles Ash, Misty, and Brock got involved with, but luckily they didn't have to pay for it. The wild Haunter that had joined forces with my brother to chase out Team Rocket wanted to stay with him. Ash decided to keep Haunter on his team for the Gym battle in Saffron City, so he sent Beedrill to Professor Oak's lab to make space in his party. I didn't like the idea, but I had to try and accept that Haunter was part of the group now.

Ash, Misty, Brock, and I stood outside of the Pokémon House with Mr. Fuji, Reina who was carrying Cubone, and the other volunteers. I held the Poké Flute that Mr. Fuji had given to us. Since I was the musical one between me and my brother, I got to keep it for future use.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality, Mr. Fuji", Ash bowed softly. "We've learned a lot while staying here."

"If you're ever nearby Lavender Town, please drop by and say hello", Mr. Fuji chuckled softly.

"We will", Misty nodded.

"I hope the recipes for Pokémon food will be good use for the orphan Pokémon", Brock said.

"Good luck on your journey", Reina said. "Next year, I'll go on a journey with Cubone."

"Bon cubon!" Cubone nodded.

Reina and Cubone had gotten really close after the events in the Pokémon Tower, so it was no surprise Cubone was going to be her first Pokémon.

"Maybe we'll meet again and then we can have a battle", I suggested.

"Sure! I'd love that!" Reina giggled softly.

"Thank you again for saving Mr. Fuji and our town from Team Rocket!" one of the volunteers said in relief.

"No problem! We'll always defeat Team Rocket no matter what!" Ash nodded.

"Goodbye, everyone!" I waved my hand before we walked away.

"Stay safe and healthy!" Misty added.

"Goodbye!" the others called back.

We waved to them until they were out of sight and we were out of town. With new experience and knowledge in our bags, we headed toward our next destination; Saffron City.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Firered the Charmeleon (male)

Bruce the Mankey (male)

Luna the Clefairy (female)

Kobra the Arbok (male)

Wanda the Gyarados (female)

Oliver the Gloom (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Bulbasaur (male)

Pikachu (male)

Pidgeotto (male)

Charmeleon (male)

Squirtle (male)

Haunter (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:

Squirtle x4 (males)

Krabby (male)

Beedrill (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Starmie (genderless)

Horsea (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)