Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Pokémon or any of its parent companies. I am merely a humble storyteller. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this journey with me.

Note: I am English, so some of the wording, spellings, and expressions will be those commonly used in England.

Chapter Forty-One: To the Top of the Tower!

Red came across several more grateful Channelers who quickly went off to the section of white magic after thanking him profusely.

Lo's Thunder Wave proved exceptionally useful, enough to compensate for Lo's weak Thunder Shock, and Charmander got in on the action too, his Flame Charge combining with Metal Claw for decent results, although not used as much as Lo. Charmander's higher battle experience compared to Lo would come in useful should they run into Team Rocket. He just wished he knew the reason why Charmander was struggling to use Ember out of the blue.

Red crept up the stairs, the creaking of these steps louder than all the other ones he had scaled thus far. The air grew mustier, but through the staleness was the scent of something sickly-sweet. It made Red's head spin and he swallowed back the bile building in his throat.

And then, when his foot settled on the new floor, his trainers bringing up a cloud of dust, he saw them emerge from the shadows: Team Rocket.

Oh yes, here they were again, dressed in black, that red 'R' adorned on their chests, that black cap that was part of their uniform perched on their heads. But it was not them too, inwardly that was. It was obvious they were possessed, sharing the same blank, pupil-less eyes as the Channelers, but there was also something else there, something… worse, scarier.

Their grey faces were contorted in agony, bloody lips pulled back and teeth yellow and bared, sweat pouring off them, hair limp and lifeless hanging like threadbare string. Shadows were stamped beneath their empty eyes, a purple so dark it was almost black. From their throats came a guttural moan that sent icy needles prickling Red all over on his skin.

It was clear to see they had it worse than the Channelers. Maybe it was because of their evil intentions, or maybe it was because it was the Channelers' own Pokémon who took them over, but the Rockets in front of Red were in a place that would send anyone insane just by witnessing it for half a microsecond. If Red closed his eyes, he could get a hint of what they were suffering through, and it turned his stomach. Despite whom they were, he pitied them.

But whether they could be saved or not was not his priority. As harsh as it sounded, it was true. He could do nothing for them, and if they wanted to act as a barricade, then he would bulldoze his way through them and suffer no regrets.

One of the Rockets clumsily pulled out a Poké Ball, barely able to hold onto it, and a Zubat appeared, ashy grey instead of blue, flight pattern lethargic and awkward.

Lo appeared before Red the next second, a tad wobbly, the previous battles already having taken a lot out of it.

"We haven't got far to go, Lo," Red said. "We've just got to get past these guys, I'm sure of it. You ready to do this?"

Lo squeaked affirmatively and oozed over to the Zubat when it paused. It let out a horrified squeal and fled back to Red.

"Lo, what's the matter?" Red said. "I know they're possessed, but we've already defeated the Channelers, haven't we? Come on, you have to –"

Oh. There it was. That ol' knock to the noggin when you realise something. Sometimes it feels great when you get it and you become more enlightened, no matter how small or large the difference may be, and then there are other times when you get it and you feel stupid for not understanding it right away. Red did not fall into the latter category, but he was close.

"I'm sorry, Lo," Red said, kneeling by his Pokémon, appreciative of the fact the Rocket was not attacking them yet. "I know these guys are part of the same group that stole your friends, but you can't let your fear stop you. Trust me, if I did that then I would've stopped my journey even before getting my first Badge. You can do this, Lo. Do this and we'll be one step closer to being strong enough to save your friends."

Lo's faceless face stared at its feetless feet, pondering Red's words for what seemed like an eternity. Then, with movement caught between the greatest reluctance ever and the most stirring determination one had ever seen, it oozed over to the Zubat.

"Nice one, Lo," Red said. "We're getting through to the end together."

The Rocket grunted something and Zubat flapped its wings. Thin blades of solid air raced towards Lo, pinging off its metallic nut-shaped head.

"Hit back with Thunder Wave!" Red ordered.

The Thunder Wave connected with its target and Zubat dropped like a stone, and Lo finished it off with a Headbutt, Red inwardly thankful he was able to save Thunder Shock now.

But that Zubat was just the starter. The main course was to follow.

Lo took down a colourless Rattata and suffered not a single shred of damage from a sickly Grimer, but by then the game became a lot more serious. Team Rocket – or what possessed them – were not satisfied with a fair one-on-one fight. Why should they be confined to the fair rules of the living? It did not make one lick of sense, did it?

Soon, Red and Lo found themselves surrounded by two dozen wan Pokémon, the poor odd organism shrinking back, Charmander's Poké Ball clutched as tightly as humanly possible in Red's hand.

"This might be bad," Red muttered to Lo. "But we've got no choice but to fight. Well, technically the other choice is to lay down and die, but that doesn't sound as nice."

The Rockets and their Pokémon closed in around them. Red prepared to release Charmander, for the three of them to make a last stand, when…

"Blast them back with Scald!"

A Koffing and Geodude who had launched themselves forward with Tackle were knocked away by a stream of boiling water. The Geodude barely hung on while the former winced as its dull purple skin turned bright red where it was hit.

"What?" Red whispered. A Water-type move? No, it couldn't be?

He swivelled around. There was Blue standing at the top of the staircase, grinning from ear to ear, Wartortle and Meowth by his side. Oh, Red thought it was Misty. That would have been such a surprise, wouldn't it? Still, Red would take a Mr Blue Oak in this dreadful situation any day of the week. Except for Mondays. Those were bad enough as is.

"You came back," Red said. "Why?"

Blue shrugged. "I was halfway to the Pokémon Centre when I thought that maybe whatever was happening here would be something gramps would want to hear about, so I came back to get first-hand information for him. I guess you're lucky I appeared, eh, Reddy?"

"More than you'll ever know, Blue," Red said.

"So," Blue said, his cocky aura not entirely hiding the seriousness beneath the surface as he eyed the controlled Rockets. "Possessed, huh? Guess that Reina girl was dead on with that assumption. I never would have thought – Wartortle, use Scald!"

Wartortle blasted the Geodude with a jet of steaming water as it rolled towards them. It stayed down this time.

"A lot of these guys," Blue said. "At least the Koffing's burned so we won't have to worry about physical attacks as much. Still," he flicked back his fringe and scoffed, "it doesn't matter how many of them there are, I can defeat them all by myself."

It took a moment for Red to register what he was saying. "By yourself? There's no way you can do that. There's too many! And what about the ghosts up there!"

Blue's eyes glanced upwards before flickering back to Red. He smirked. "These guys are just nobodies with weak Pokémon. They can't compare to me. And as for the ghosts, well, I'd like to see them try to possess me." Blue took out a second Poké Ball. "Besides, who said I had to use just one Pokémon?"

Materialising onto the Tower floor was a light blue Pokémon with dark blue patches, standing at almost three foot in length. The spikes on its back extended upwards, it scratched at the floor, and it beheld the Rockets and their Pokémon with a fearsome stare from its red eyes.

"You've got a Nidorina?" Red said.

"Yep," Blue said. "I was going to use her against you before we ended our battle. Have a Nidorino too. Yep, I'm going to be relying on Wartortle and Nidorina mostly here on out."

Of course, he would. His Pokémon were just as banged up as Red's, and Exeggcute and Vulpix were in the same state as Beedrill and Clefairy.

"Okay," Red said. "Let's take them down."

"Hold on, Reddy," Blue said, hastily telling Nidorina to knock back a Machop with Double Kick. "Didn't I say I was going to defeat them all by myself? And haven't you still got to find that old coot? Go and get him while I finish these losers."

"Look how many there are though."

"So? Just because you're nowhere as good as me at battling doesn't mean I'm going to suck too. Besides, these pitiful Pokémon should give my team decent experience going forward, and I don't want to share. Another thing, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, but it would be embarrassing to team up with you and you'll probably bring down my performance anyway. Just go on, Reddy. Or do you enjoy standing around looking gormless?"

"Er…"

Blue rolled his eyes as Wartortle formed a transparent blue shield around himself, protecting him from a couple of Oddishs' Absorb. "Just go. You're ruining my vibe."

His Nidorina swiped at her pre-evolution with Scratch and Meowth joined in, using one of Team Rocket's Pokémon as a scratching post.

Well, if Blue was certain…

"I'll be as fast as I can," Red said, returning Lo and darting off. "Don't worry."

Blue was too engrossed in his battle to reply.

A couple of the possessed Rockets made languid grabs at him but missed, and Red was free to rush to the other side of the floor and leap up the stairs three at a time.

And what he was greeted by was not the old man he expected to come across. Okay, he did spy an old man, but he was also greeted by a chill so frigid it burned his skin and passed through his teeth and seared his chest. He dry-heaved and dropped to his knees, black spots forming before his eyes.

What was this sensation? What was making him feel so? Was it the cause of all the horror within the Pokémon Tower? It had to be. In his mind's eye, Red pictured an energy atop the Tower, its negative influence cascading upon everything below it like a waterfall, a stream of malice corrupting the Ghost-type Pokémon, both wild and caught.

His eyes were blurring, and a shadow appeared in front of him. Was it a ghost? Was it something worse? Red reached for a Poké Ball, but his sweaty fingers slid right off.

He tried to shout 'Leave me alone!', but the nightmarish atmosphere had numbed his tongue and robbed him of speech, only a strangled moan able to pass through his lips. He attempted to push the shadow away, but it was too strong. It overwhelmed him. Something touched his palm and his fingers were forcefully closed around it. The something felt like cloth.

At once, amazingly, Red's breathing eased, his strength returned, his eyes refocused, and he was able to ask, "What is this?"

The old man's eyes crinkled as he smiled. "It's called a Cleanse Tag, son. It will protect you from spirits that may want to do you harm. It also makes wild Pokémon more wary to encounter you, which can be useful in its own right." The old man tapped his chest where another Cleanse Tag was hung around his neck.

"The Cleanse Tag's protecting me?" Red said.

"That's right, son. And as long as you don't have any Ghost-type Pokémon on you, then your party will be fine. I assume you have Pokémon on you judging by the Poké Balls on your belt." He chuckled.

The old man spoke with such reassurance, such gentleness, that Red felt he was five years old. He made him feel safe and had such kindness in his eyes that, even though he had only known him a few seconds, Red felt as if he had known the old man for years.

"Are you Mr Fuji?" Red asked.

The old man smiled. "Indeed, I am. A pleasure to meet you."

"Er… Mr Fuji, I was sent by Reina to rescue you."

"Rescue me?" Mr Fuji said. He chuckled pleasantly and Red found himself desiring to talk to the old man for hours on end. "No, I'm not in trouble. I came here because of the disturbances, but no harm has come to me. Although, my guest there may not want that to stay true."

"Right you are, old man."

Red jumped, almost dropping the Cleanse Tag. Leaning on a headstone was another Rocket, although he was obviously not possessed. However, the crazy gleam in his black eyes informed Red that ghosts and spirits did not need to have control of him.

The Rocket swaggered over to them, running a hand through his purple quiff, the purple 'R' on his chest sending a chill down Red's spine: he was a Team Rocket bigwig.

"Yo, I recognise you," the Rocket said to Red. He wagged his finger at Red as though he was a disobedient child. "You've been causing us a lotta trouble. We've got pictures of you everywhere! Hmm, I'd ask for an autograph, but it wouldn't do my rep any good."

The Rocket grinned, showing too much teeth, and jabbed a thumb at himself. "The name's Petrel and I'm a Team Rocket Executive. Pretty cool, right? And I'm in charge of this here mission. Been having a hell of time until all this stuff* started happening."

(*He used another word that begins with 's'.)

Red flared his nostrils. "The Cubone skulls, right?"

"The kid shoots and he scores!" Petrel whooped, jumping in the air and waving his arms around. "Yeah, we're taking Cubone skulls. Do you know how much they go for? A LOT. We'd be stupid not to take advantage of it."

"You guys are just plain stupid for doing it," Red said, so much venom in his voice he became a Poison-type. "You're hurting these Pokémon. You're hurting everyone in Kanto!"

"Yo, dude, if I'm not gonna listen to my own mother, I'm not gonna listen to you." Petrel scratched his chin, ruffling his goatee. "Dude, they're just Pokémon, no big deal. But if you wanna throw down, then I'm gonna send you the same way as that damn Marowak."

Mr Fuji stared to the heavens, tears in his eyes. The numbness that had taken over Red's tongue returned, this time enshrouding his entire self.

"You… you killed a Pokémon?" Red said, his voice hushed, his eyes having lost the ability to blink. "Because of your greed and evilness, you killed an innocent Pokémon?"

Petrel puffed out his chest. "Yep. To be fair, it wasn't that innocent. Attacked us, you know, when we were trying to capture one of the Cubone. Had it coming. Meh, not like it was the first time I've done it. Like I said, dude, they're just Pokémon."

"'Just Pokémon'?" Red repeated. "'Just Pokémon'! There's no such as thing as 'Just Pokémon'! They're living creatures just like you and me! They have feelings like us! They get scared, they get angry, they become happy JUST! LIKE! US! They don't deserve to be treated like that! Not a single one of them deserves to be treated so cruelly just because morons like you want everything in the world!" Red pulled back his sleeve and revealed his scar. "I'll go to the ends of the world for Pokémon, and that makes me better than you! And I bet you had your cronies back you up against one Marowak! You were probably too weak to do it yourself! I bet you're a coward! No, scratch that: I KNOW you're a coward! You're nothing but a dirty coward like the rest of your lousy syndicate, and your boss too!"

The nightmarish atmosphere evolved and became something akin to Hell.

"What did you say, kid?" Petrel whispered. "Did you call me a coward? Did you call our leader a coward?"

Red did not cower. "Are you deaf as well as stupid?"

Petrel's face twisted with rage. He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled it, tugged at it until the roots strained. His gaze remained on Red and Mr Fuji, but he was not looking at them, lost somewhere else, here and not here.

Then he returned. He leered at Red, his pupils dilated, saliva falling from his lips.

"I'm going to make you regret that, kid," he hissed, pulling out a Great Ball. "I'm gonna tear you limb from limb and bury you in an unmarked grave."

"Good luck with that," Red said, his heart thumping in his ribcage.

"Weezing, let's end this brat."

And released into the world was a purple Pokémon that consisted of two differently sized spheres connected to each other with faces on them. The larger head had a skull-and-crossbones pattern below its face while the smaller one had a ring. Protrusions marked its head like a pox, expelling foul-smelling gases. Courtesy of Red's friendly neighbourhood Pokédex:

Weezing, the Poison-type Pokémon and the evolved form of Koffing. This Pokémon lives and grows by absorbing poison gas, dust, and germs that exist inside garbage.

A Poison-type. Then, Lo was the way to go. But Charmander had already taken down a Koffing before. Wouldn't that experience serve him well here? But who was to say Petrel did not have a Ground-type in his back pocket, something that would take down both Charmander and Lo with potentially super-effective ease? What were the other members of his team?

Red peered closer at Petrel's belt. No, if he had other members he could use, then he would have not brought out Weezing first; the other Balls attached to his belt were Poké Balls, usually a decent indicator as to the strength of a Pokémon they contained. Possibly, they were already knocked out. Or maybe they were simply empty. Either way, Red was positive Weezing was the only wall they had to break down. It was just a shame he did not have his reliable Pikachu or Beedrill as an option.

He made his decision.

Charmander exhaled embers from his nostrils, yet beheld Weezing with a hint of trepidation. Petrel snorted.

"What's that going to do against my Weezing?" he asked. "Is this one of the Pokémon you've been using to mess us up?" He rolled his eyes. "I suppose it'll be worth taking from your lifeless hands. I'll train it into a Charizard personally. And if it refuses to listen," Petrel's eyes took on a savage, crazed look, "well, Charmander skin will make mighty fine boots."

Charmander's legs shook, but it stayed standing. Red glared at Petrel. "Don't you dare threaten my Pokémon," he said, his voice so icy frost might have leaped off his tongue.

"I just did."

"Mr Fuji," Red said to the old man without turning around. "Charmander and I are going to try our best to not damage any graves, but I can't make any promises."

A gentle hand fell on his shoulder. No words.

Two pairs of eyes were on Red, but almost dozens more were as well; the ghosts were circling overhead, spectators to an event they had no real inclination to watch. However, there were one other pair too, eyes that seemed to want to burn everything they lay themselves upon. Red could only hope none of these unearthly beings decided to join in the battle.

Petrel started things off, ordering a Sludge Bomb. From the mouth of its larger face, Weezing spat out a ball of globular sludge at Charmander, missing as the fire lizard leapt backwards, instead making the floor give off a slight sizzle.

"Nice one, Charmander," Red said. "Now, hit it with Flame Charge."

Charmander stamped his feet on the floor, heating his body up until it became consumed in flames. He charged at Weezing.

"Double Hit!"

Weezing blocked the attack with its larger head and knocked Charmander back with its smaller one. It added another Sludge Bomb for good measure, blasting Charmander away and leaving him covered in purple goop. Fortunately, he showed no evidence of being poisoned. Unfortunately, that Sludge Bomb already did major damage to him.

"Use Flame Charge again!" Red shouted.

Charmander engulfed himself in flames once more and rushed at Weezing, who prepared to use Double Hit. It bore down on the ignited Fire-type.

"Get behind it!" came the next command.

At the very last second, Charmander ducked under Weezing and, without even losing a wisp of flame, rammed into the Poison-type from behind.

Petrel's jaw twitched. "Double Hit!"

Weezing swivelled around and, using the momentum of the swing, tried to strike Charmander, 'tried' being the key word here; the speed and agility boost from the Flame Charge allowed Charmander to easily manoeuvre around the Normal-type technique before offering up a Metal Claw to the smaller head's face. Another Sludge Bomb proved to be just as ineffectual.

Red grinned. Just that little bit of added speed, that wonderful enhancement from that nitro energy, and Charmander could not be touched. They would strike and run. It was not the most honourable method in the world, but in a battle of life and death anything and everything was fair game. Besides, Dig was useless thanks to the current location, and even if Charmander could use it, Weezing was immune to it thanks to its Levitate ability. This strategy was simply levelling the playing field.

Charmander slashed at Weezing with metallic claws, hitting and dodging, hitting and dodging, chipping away at its health. And after one particular Metal Claw, Charmander's arms appeared to gain a bit more depth and muscle, and Weezing recoiled in more apparent pain.

Yes! This was it! These stat boosts had put them in an almost unassailable winning position. If they kept this up, then victory was assured. Granted, Charmander's defences had not risen, but that did not matter provided none of Weezing's attacks connected.

Red spared Petrel a glance, wanting to drink in the abjectness in the Rocket Executive's visage. But… there was none. On the contrary, he was grinning from ear-to-ear. Red could not make sense of why this deranged man was smiling so when the Rocket called out another attack, and Red's stomach dropped:

"Use Haze."

Weezing expelled a thick, grey smoke from every orifice, cloaking the entirety of the Tower floor in it. Red's eyes watered and his throat burned, and he spluttered and coughed, hacked and gagged as the fumes overwhelmed him.

From within the vapour, Charmander coughed. Then Charmander screeched.

"Charmander!" Red attempted to scream, only getting out the first syllable before descending into a coughing fit.

Luckily, all the windows were open and soon the Haze lifted, scarpering into the evening. And once it completely disappeared, a Weezing squashing a Charmander into the floor was revealed.

"Yes!" Petrel exclaimed. "Keep going, Weezing! Double Hit! Double Hit! DOUBLE HIT!"

Weezing crushed Charmander into the floor, bouncing upon the now powerless lizard repeatedly, first the large head then the smaller head, scarcely giving Charmander an opportunity to roll out of the way.

"Charmander!" Red screamed. "Come on, get out of there!"

Charmander tried his best to squirm out the way of Weezing's frenzied attack, swiping at it with Metal Claws, but the constant Double Hits just did not stop.

"Am I weak, brat?" Petrel roared. "Am I a coward? You can't say anything to me if you can't stand up to my power! Keep going, Weezing!"

Red flinched as Charmander took another pummelling. That Haze had robbed Charmander of his stat boosts, leaving it powerless against the brutal Weezing. He peered around at Mr Fuji, who was shaking his head forlornly. This could not go on.

He held out Charmander's Poké Ball: "Charmander, return."

"Weezing, Smokescreen!" Petrel said.

Weezing emitted more smoke, this time black and so thick it could be sliced with a blade. The red laser from the Poké Ball bounced off the quickly spreading cloud and Charmander disappeared from view once more.

If Haze was bad, it had nothing on Smokescreen. At least the former allowed some silhouettes to be seen, but the latter stole everyone's sight and made breathing even harder. Although, Petrel had to be used to it as he called out, "Yo, how do you like that, brat? Don't think I was gonna let you save your Charmander." His voice deepened. "You haven't suffered nearly enough. Sludge Bomb!"

Charmander screamed from within the smoke, and Red screamed too, about to run into it. But Mr Fuji held him back.

"Don't be rash, son," he said. "Wait for the Smokescreen to clear."

"I can't," Red said, staring pleadingly at the old man. "Charmander's suffering."

"Wait for it to clear," Mr Fuji reiterated. "I believe that cruel man wants you to run forward. I know it's hard, but please endure."

Oh, how Red desired to push Mr Fuji away and save his Charmander. But something in the old man's expression and voice pacified him, kept him rooted to the spot. Reluctantly, Red waited for the Smokescreen to clear, digging his nails into his palms and drawing blood as Charmander continued to take a beating.

And clear the Smokescreen did, rushing out the windows like its gaseous sibling did earlier. Red's bottom lip quivered as a bruised Charmander stirred feebly on the floor, the flame on its tail no bigger than one on a candle. Yet, before Red could return him and save him from more of this horror, Weezing walloped him again, throwing him at Red's feet.

"Charmander," Red whispered, picking him up and cradling him. "Charmander, I'm so sorry."

Petrel cackled. "Aww, has your Pokémon had enough? Does he wanna rest? Not surprised considering he's got such a weak Trainer. You gonna bring out your other Pokémon, then? Have ya got anymore? I can do this all day. Come on, don't be a party-pooper. Seriously, dude, where's that tough guy act gone? I mean, I can give you a thrashing if ya like. Like Trainer, like Pokémon, right?" He smiled another stretched, vindictive smile.

Petrel's words fell on deaf ears as Red held Charmander close to him. "I'm sorry," Red said, barely moving his lips. "It's because of me you're this hurt. I should've realised this was too much for you to handle…"

Charmander's flame flickered.

"… and I shouldn't have underestimated this guy. If only we had Pikachu or Beedrill…"

The fire grew.

"… but I rushed into this. But we can get through this, okay? We know all that Weezing's attacks now. He can't touch Lo. You can rest, Charmander. You did so well though and – ouch!"

Charmander's flame swelled and caught Red's hand. Red instinctively dropped Charmander on the floor, who proceeded to rise to his feet, the simple act of breathing putting his lungs through the ringer. He inched his way back over to Petrel and Weezing.

"Charmander, what are you doing?" Red asked. Realisation smacked him like Weezing's Double Hit. "You want to continue battling?"

The little Fire-type nodded.

"You can't!" Red shouted. "That Weezing's just going to wreck you again! Let Lo handle it. You know what," he pressed the button on his Starter's Poké Ball. "Return!"

The laser connected with Charmander, yet he did not disappear into his Poké Ball. His body was outlined in red as all Pokémon were when returned to their Poké Balls, but it did not dematerialise him, did not send him to his bedroom. Charmander roared and the light vanished. He turned back to Red and screamed at him, unleashed a tirade in his Poké language. He stamped his feet, blew smoke from his nostrils, and whacked his tail on the floor.

Red allowed his Pokémon to unleash his frustrations on him, an event so unprecedented even Petrel and his Weezing watched on, engrossed.

Even though Red could not understand Pokémon speech, he perfectly understood what Charmander was telling him. It was a heart-to-heart, a form of communication only those truly connected can speak with, a form of love, the language of a strong bond, a bond Red now felt he had not lived up to.

"I see," Red said, smiling sadly. "I've not been showing much faith in you, have I? And when I've used you in battle, we haven't done much together. Not since Brock. A couple of random Trainers here and there but nothing worth writing home about. A few losses as well." He lowered his head, the brim of his hat covering his eyes. "I'm sorry, Charmander."

Silence. Even the ghosts watched, intrigued. Even the malevolent force quelled a tad.

Red jerked his head upwards and grinned, his eyes glistening with tears. "Then this is where we start over, buddy. Let's get rid of this guy and work towards getting stronger, okay?"

Charmander returned the grin and curled his claws into a fist.

However, Petrel burst out laughing. "Dude, what was that? Do you honestly think the power of friendship works? You don't get a power boost just 'cause you have a revelation or all that garbage. Your Charmander got thrashed by my Weezing. Do you think it's gonna be any different now? Your Charmander's gonna do worse than a Bellsprout in a volcano."

Red stared at Petrel so hard the Rocket Executive had the inexplicable urge to avert his gaze. "We'll see about that." He punched his fist into his bloodied palm. "Let's heat things up, Charmander!"

Charmander roared, but this roar was the not the same as its previous ones; it was raw, wild, deeper, almost like something else was trying to burst forth from his soul. He charged at Weezing. Intense fire engulfed his body, burning so greatly the flames reached the ceiling, scattering the spirits.

"What the heck*?" Petrel said, hiding his eyes from the blazing brilliance.

(*We all know what he said here.)

"Blaze?" Red wondered, equally perplexed.

The inferno blackened some of the gravestones, set the wooden floor and ceiling alight, as though it was a monster that desired nothing more than to devour the whole Tower.

Maybe that was it. Maybe this is where the story ended. Except, we know that is not the case, don't we?

The flames soon shrunk, absorbed back into the space where Charmander stood, even the wood no longer burning. It diminished until the only flame left was at the end of a tail, a tail that did not belong to Charmander, for he was gone. In his place was a creature that looked like a bigger Charmander, with red scales as opposed to orange, a cream belly, a hooked snout, longer limbs, sharper eyes that kept their blue hue, and a horn that protruded from the back of its head.

"Charmeleon," Red said softly. Louder, he repeated it, "Charmeleon!"

The new Pokémon roared and thumped his chest.

"Y-You evolved. You evolved, Charman – er, Charmeleon!"

"What you see there is your Pokémon's experience, determination, and love for you enabling it to cross the threshold of evolution," Mr Fuji said. "Do you feel it, son? That relief. Charmeleon's wanted this for the longest time."

"Whatever, old man," Petrel shouted at him. "All this means is that it'll be less of a hassle for it to evolve into a Charizard now after I take it. Weezing, use Double Hit!"

Weezing floated forwards, perhaps with a degree of caution, but Charmeleon, without even waiting for a command from his Trainer, slashed at it with Metal Claw, sending Weezing pinballing off the gravestones.

Petrel gave a strangled cry. "What the –"

"Whoa, your Metal Claw's so powerful now," Red said, almost shaking his fists in giddiness. "All right, Charmeleon, end it with Ember."

However, instead of performing Ember, Charmeleon shook his head. He pointed at his mouth and shrugged his shoulders.

"Wait," Red said, piecing it together. "You don't know Ember anymore, do you?"

A thumbs-up confirmed that fact.

"That's no problem," Red said. "Use whatever move replaced it. I want to be surprised."

And Charmeleon did. Instead of raining down fiery embers upon Weezing, he fired a steady stream of flames that slithered through the air and coiled around his opponent, trapping it within a sizzling cyclone.

"It's Fire Spin!" Red whooped.

Yes, it was. It was not as intense as Blue's Vulpix's, more controlled, although that may have been because of the graves. Nevertheless, it still imprisoned Weezing, eating away at its health, a slow end for the Poison-type.

"Damn it," Petrel growled as the Fire Spin finally ended and his scorched Weezing plopped onto the floor. "Damn it!" he yelled. "You worthless Pokémon! How'd you lose to this brat! Just return! I'll deal with you later."

Petrel looked up, his sweaty hair hanging down his face, hiding one eye; Red and Charmeleon glared at him.

"You think this is over?" Petrel asked. "Not by a long shot."

Red stepped forward. "You've lost. You're going to go to prison. Deal with it."

"Nah," Petrel said, shaking his head slowly. "Nah, dude. You may have lucked out today, but I'll get you next time."

"You can't escape."

Charmeleon also took a step forwards, his unblinking eyes those of a predator.

"One thing you're gonna learn about me," Petrel said, edging nearer to a window, "is that I'm an awesome climber."

Before anyone could react, Petrel clambered through a window and disappeared into the night.

"He's not seriously going to climb all the way down, is he?" Red asked incredulously.

"I'm afraid he is," Mr Fuji said with a sigh. "He wouldn't have attempted it otherwise."

"So, he escaped, then," Red muttered.

"For now," Mr Fuji said. "But you did so well, son. You and your Pokémon." He craned his neck. "It's just such a pity that we can't do anything about the restless spirit that influences the others." His gaze returned to Red. "Let's leave. There's nothing more we can do here. But rejoice in your newly evolved Pokémon, for when a Pokémon evolves so does the Trainer!"

"Really?"

"That is what I believe."

Red knelt next to Charmeleon and rubbed his head. It was hot. "Yeah. You did so well, buddy. Evolution and a new attack just by watching Vulpix, eh?" He pulled Charmeleon into him and gave him a squeeze. "I'm sorry I made you feel bad. But we're going to get better and better and defeat everyone that comes our way from here on out."

Charmeleon returned the hug, still battered and bruised but whose fire burned brighter than ever.

o~o~o~o~o

"Nah, old man, thanks for the offer, but I have to refuse."

Blue leaned against the doorframe as Red, Reina, and Mr Fuji sat in the latter's living room.

All of Red's Pokémon were out of their Poké Balls, coated in medicine, finally on their way to full health. Except Pikachu, that is. Apparently, the white magic area had healing properties. That would have been good to know. Pikachu was conversing with Blue's Meowth; Clefairy was sleeping next to Lo on a resting Beedrill; and Charmeleon was showing off to Wartortle, as though saying 'Well, what do you think of me now? Finally caught up to you and Ivysaur. And I'm going to end up surpassing you both, just you wait and see'. Wartortle merely humoured him and hardly responded. A Pokémon wielding a bone that belonged to Mr Fuji – light brown skin, a tail, two spikes on its back, and a skull that concealed its face – watched on, besotted by the surrounding Pokémon.

"Oh, that's disappointing," Mr Fuji said. "A place to stay for the night is the least I can for you for helping out at the Tower."

"My stuff's at the Pokémon Centre," Blue explained. "Can't stay here when it's all there, can I?"

"I understand, young man," Mr Fuji said. "But allow me to thank you again for helping us in our hour of need." He bowed his head.

Reina did the same. "Yes, thank you, Blue."

Blue scoffed. "They were just Rocket Grunts. Meh, at least they're in captivity now, but I think they'd have rather gone to prison than an insane asylum."

He turned on his heels. "Anyway, I'm out of here. Come on you two. Old man, girl whose name I forgot, Reddy, smell ya later."

Yet, as he made his way to leave, Red called out to him. "Blue!"

Blue paused. "What's up, Reddy?"

"You can be a real jerk sometimes."

"Oh, really?"

"Actually, it's more like most times."

"Keep the flattery coming."

"But seriously, thank you. Thanks for coming back."

Blue lowered his head and all he said was, "The next time we battle, I want you to use Charmeleon now it's miraculously evolved. Anyway, smell ya later."

Then he left with Wartortle and Meowth at his heels.

And there ended the first time Red and Blue teamed up on their journey.

Will it happen again? Who knows? But for now, they would venture forth on their respective adventures, earning Badges and catching new Pokémon.

There was still a long way to go.