"Why are we up here, Ash? We're in the opposite direction of Vermilion City…" Misty asked.
"Professor Oak asked me to stop by on Bill and make sure he wasn't going too crazy on his research. That's where we're heading. Besides, we have plenty of time to collect badges for the Indigo League."
"Well, whatever…"
"Hey Ash?"
"Yea, Brock?"
"I'm curious. Why do you not catch as many Pokémon as other trainers do? Most trainers would have 20 or 30 at this point in the journey."
Ash tilted his head. "Well, I personally prefer to have a small group of Pokémon that I personally watch over myself. Catching a lot of Pokémon would require me to divide my time among all of them equally, which is something I'm not sure I could do at the moment…"
Misty thought about it for a moment. "What if you don't have to?" she said, a light bulb lighting above her head.
"What do you mean?"
"Have your other Pokémon help you train the Pokémon you have at the ranch. That way you have a large variety of Pokémon that you can use. I'm sure Professor Oak would appreciate having them available to study."
"Hm…Lucario would probably enjoy having something to do. That should actually work pretty well. Thanks, Misty!"
…..
When the group reached the area that Bill's lighthouse was around, Ash caught a rather large Krabby, which was sent off immediately back to the Ranch. He established a mental link with Lucario and discussed the idea with him. The Aura Pokémon thought it was a good plan.
Immediately following the phone call, he Teleported back to the Ranch. Using a connection of Aura, he gave Lucario access to his memories to gain the knowledge that he had on Pokémon. Though, of course, his memories of his past life were sealed by Arceus herself.
Ash returned to Misty and Brock quickly, heading over to the lighthouse to meet Bill. He pressed the doorbell device.
"Hello, who is it?"
"Hey Bill, it's me, Ash."
"Oh, Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town? That young boy that was very enthusiastic about the study of Pokémon?"
"Yes, the very same."
"Oh, how wonderful it is to see you again! Come on in!"
The giant stone door opened slowly, allowing the group to go inside.
"I should probably call Professor Oak and tell him that we're here," Ash murmured.
He dialed in the number on his Pokégear and waited for the Professor to pick up.
"Oh, hello Ash! How is your journey?"
"I'm at Bill's Lighthouse now. Did Krabby make it over safely?"
"He made it over perfectly fine! Lucario led it off to train, apparently. Was that orchestrated by you?"
"Yes, I took the advice of Brock and Misty and decided to have Lucario train my Pokémon at the Ranch."
"Oh, that's great, Ash! Does that mean you'll be catching more Pokémon now?"
"Maybe, maybe not. How're Jessie, James, and Meowth doing?"
"Oh, they're performing perfectly! Jessie and James were quick learners and are great when they set their minds on doing something. Meowth is being very helpful in my communication to the Pokémon. Thank you for sending them!"
"No problem, Professor, I'm glad they're doing well. I'll be going now, I still haven't found Bill quite yet."
"Goodbye Ash! Good luck on your journey!"
"Goodbye, Professor." Ash closed his Pokégear and turned back to his two companions. "Alright, let's get going. I'm guessing that Bill got himself trapped doing something."
After a bit more exploring, Ash and co. found a giant Kabuto sitting in a room.
"Bill, is that you?"
"Ash!" a voice shouted from inside. "Yes, it is me. Would please tap the button on the bottom right section of the abdomen?"
Ash complied and pushed the button. It blinked blue a few times and some light escaped from the inside of the shell as it unlatched. The arms detached and human arms popped out. Eventually, Bill worked his way out of the costume.
"Ah, thank Arceus. I was trapped in there for a solid few hours. Ah, Ash, it has been a long time. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well, Bill. I'm on my journey as a trainer now. These are my friends Misty, a former gym leader of Cerulean City, and Brock, the former Pewter City gym leader."
"Ah, you are a trainer now? What a shame, I was hoping that you would pursue the path of a Pokémon researcher. Regardless, since you are a trainer, I have a device that you might appreciate. Follow me," Bill gestured, walking out of the room.
"Hey Ash, who is Bill?" Misty whispered.
"Bill is the one who developed the Pokémon Storage System and a rather renowned Pokémon Researcher," Ash answered.
"…"
"What?"
"A beginner trainer who is on good terms with Professor Oak and somebody like Bill…you're pretty lucky, aren't you?"
"I guess so."
"We're here!" Bill exclaimed.
They stopped inside what appeared to be Bill's lab. He walked over to a table and picked up a small device. It was rather simple-looking device, just large enough to insert a Pokéball into. He could tell that there was a lot packed into the small thing.
"What is that?"
"This, Ash, is a portable Pokémon transfer machine!"
Ash raised an eyebrow. "That's a very valuable piece of equipment then…"
"Yes, and it's the only one currently! I'd like for you to have it," Bill stated.
"Why me, of all the trainers you could give it to?"
"Other trainers were not the ones who rescued me from a misunderstanding Rapidash, Ash. And other trainers have not displayed to me their pure intentions towards Pokémon and determination in becoming a Pokémon Master. Now, take my gift, Ash. I will not take no for an answer."
Ash sighed, but smiled thankfully at Bill. The group took a short break in the lighthouse, cooking a meal to eat together, before departing. This time, they were actually heading to Vermilion City.
…..
A/N: Not sure if you particularly noticed it yet, but I'm not exactly following the level regulation of when moves are learned by Pokémon. It'll just be whatever, really. Reasonable, of course. I'm not giving Ivysaur Petal Blizzard or crazy stuff like that. Of course, TM moves will just be whenever, just as they are in the games. And I think I'll be allowing Egg moves to be teachable.
The group made it to Vermilion City soon enough, in under half a week. They stopped by the Pokémon Center first, just to make sure that his Pokémon were fine. Ivysaur, Squirtle, and Charmeleon were all walking alongside him, talking to Pikachu, who was, as always, on Ash's shoulder. The four Pokémon had come together splendidly after Squirtle joined the team. They were constant sparring partners for each other, helping each other train to resist their own weakness and for combat ability in general.
"My, your Pokémon are all unbelievably healthy! You must take very good care of them constantly for them to be in such good condition!" Nurse Joy said.
"Ah, thank you. Yes, I try my best to take good care of them."
"Hurry!" they heard a kid shouted nervously. "You'll be ok, Rattata! Hurry!"
Ash turned to see a rather burnt mouse Pokémon being wheeled past by a Chansey on a stretcher.
"Oh dear, that's the fifteenth one this month…" Nurse Joy said sadly.
She followed the stretcher into a back room. Misty, Brock, and Ash followed as well, curious to learn more.
They came into a room with multiple children nursing Pokémon all with similar wounds.
"What happened to them?" Ash asked in concern.
"Lieutenant Surge, the gym leader of Vermilion City. He always overdoes it when he battles trainers and the more un-experienced ones always end up with their Pokémon like this."
Ash clicked his teeth. "He doesn't seem like the kind of guy I'd like…I'm going to go challenge the gym now. Regardless of what he's trying to prove, there shouldn't be a need to injure them this much."
"Anybody who goes this far in a battle is just being a bully," Misty agreed.
"A gym leader should show more control than this," Brock stated in agreement.
"Lieutenant Surge, the leader of the Vermilion City Gym. He uses Electric-Type Pokémon. You ready to go, Pikachu?"
"Of course I am!" Pikachu said with spirit.
"Good. Let's go."
…..
Ash entered the gym and found two other trainers standing in the front.
"What do you want, kid?" the guy wearing biker clothes asked.
"I'm here to challenge Lieutenant Surge for the Thunder Badge," Ash replied.
The woman and man both smirked. "Hey boss, there's another victim for the emergency room here for ya," the guy called back.
"Which one?" a voice called out from the back. Lieutenant Surge stepped out from the shadows. He was wearing an open coat and a necklace.
"I'm the challenger," Ash said, unwavering.
Lt. Surge chuckled. "Okay baby, I'll take your challenge." He glanced at Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. "Ha, a baby bringing along a baby Pokémon!" He started laughing along with his two lackeys.
Ash raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess I know why the other people got their Pokémon hurt. It's hard for a gorilla to control their Pokémon's power when they lack to brains to do so."
Lt. Surge went silent for a moment, glaring at Ash. Ash stood still, arms crossed and bored expression on his face. Then Lt. Surge smirked again. "Hah! I like your spunk, kid. Let's see if your bite meets your bark. Come on."
The tall gym leader led the group into another room. Surge walked to the other side of the room. "Go, Pokéball!"
A white silhouette popped out of the ball. A Raichu. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and faced the larger Pokémon. It looked condescendingly down on its pre-evolution.
"Surge, how many Pokémon do you have on you right now?"
"Two, why?"
"I want to challenge you to a two-on-two battle. If I win, I'd like for you to stop purposefully injuring the Pokémon of younger Pokémon."
Lt. Surge laughed. "Ha, I don't have anything I need to promise you…but I'll consider it if you beat me. I'll have you know that I do it with a purpose though."
Ash nodded. "That's fine." He called out the rest of his Pokémon to watch. "Let's get started."
"Alright Raichu, let's show them our power with a Thunderbolt!" Surge shouted, raising his fist.
The powerful lightning attack jetted from Raichu and slammed into Pikachu. To no effect. Surge and Raichu both looked thoroughly confused.
"Pikachu has the Lightning Rod ability. Any electric moves you use on him will just power him up more. Pikachu, Electro Ball!"
"What?" Surge exclaimed. That was an advanced move.
The ball of electricity slammed into Raichu and exploded, knocking it back. It grunted in pain.
"Fine, if we can't use electricity, we'll just overpower you! Raichu, Mega Punch!"
The Pokémon charged at Pikachu with a glowing fist, but it was easily evaded by the smaller, more nimble Pokémon.
"And this is a major weakness of yours. A nimble Pokémon and a strong trainer should be able to run circles around you. Let's humor you, however. Pikachu, Iron Tail with Agility!"
Surge smirked. "Big mistake, baby! Raichu, Mega Kick!"
The two electric mouse Pokémon charged at each other, glowing limbs at the ready, and they collided. A mini-dust cloud erupted upon contact and a half-second later, Raichu came flying out of the cloud and landed on its feet. It was panting heavily.
"Holy Arceus, how are you that strong?!" Raichu shouted.
Pikachu landed on the ground at the point of collision. "Lots of training."
"Alright Pikachu, let's end this. Double Team and Iron Tail!" Ash shouted. He followed up with a whisper. "Dig."
Multiple copies of Pikachu appeared, readying Iron Tails to strike at Raichu.
"Raichu, Thunderbolt and get rid of those copies!"
Lightning streaked over the field, phasing through all of the clones. None remained. Surge was confused.
"Where did he go…? Damn it! Raichu, move!"
"Too late."
Pikachu emerged from the ground, slamming his head into Raichu's stomach and whipping him to the ground with a quick Iron Tail. It collapsed with swirls in its eyes.
Surge clicked his teeth in annoyance. "Return, Raichu!" There wasn't anything he could say. Ash had won with tactics, but apparent strength. "Magneton, it's your turn!"
Ash raised an eyebrow. "Magneton? That makes sense, I guess. Squirtle, you're up!"
The Water-Type looked at his trainer in surprise.
"I-It's my turn? Alright! Let's do it!" he shouted, pumping his fist.
"Go get 'em, Squirtle!" Charmeleon cheered.
"You can do it!" Ivysaur shouted.
Pikachu tagged out with Squirtle and the Turtle Pokémon took his place. Misty looked worried.
"Is he sure about this? I know Ash has done it before, but this seems dangerous."
"Technically, Squirtle will be able to do a good amount of damage with Water-Type attacks, as they're normally effective against the Steel/Electric-Type. I think Ash can do it," Brock analyzed.
"Squirtle, open up with a Water Pulse!"
"Magneton, Thunderbolt!"
The electric attack sliced through the orb of water. It splashed onto the floor.
"Protect!"
"Thunderbolt again, Magneton!"
"Jump up and Water Gun, Squirtle. Angle it at the puddle!"
The spectators were confused by the orders, but Squirtle followed diligently. He shot the stream of water directly into the puddle, propelling himself diagonally and into the air. The Thunderbolt inched closer to the stream of water.
"Close your mouth, Squirtle. Cut off the water!" Ash shouted as the Thunderbolt was an inch away from the stream. "Rapid Spin on Magneton!"
The electricity ran into the stream of water and disappeared, channeling itself through the stream of water and into the puddle. The Magneton buzzed in annoyance as Squirtle bumped into the Pokémon.
Surge smirked. "Magneton, Take Down!" he shouted.
"Withdraw and Iron Defense." A blue outline appeared around Squirtle as he retracted into his shell. The attack did little to no damage. "Point-blank Water Pulse!"
The globule of water shot violently from Squirtle's mouth, knocking it back and onto the ground in a daze. "Finish with Aqua Tail!"
Water shrouded his tail and he slammed it into the Magneton, slamming it into the ground further. When the smoke cleared, swirls were in its three eyes.
"Great job, Squirtle!"
"…I did it!" he cheered happily. A white light enveloped him as he began to evolve.
Charmeleon, Ivysaur, and Pikachu smiled, happy that their friend was evolving. "Congratulations Squirtle!" they cheered.
Wartortle emerged from the light, hands raised triumphantly. "Alright!"
Lt. Surge sighed in defeat. "Hmph, well you beat me fair and square. Here," he said, tossing a token at Ash, "the Thunder Badge."
"Thank you. Will you consider my request?"
"Right. Well, it's not like I do it without a reason…I'm trying to teach the kiddies that the world of Pokémon's a hard place. If they move onto the harder gym leaders, their Pokémon will get hurt a lot more than what I do to them."
"I can understand your intent, Lt. Surge, but you can get the same message across without seriously injuring them like you have. Just intimidate them, get your message across. It shouldn't take that much to do it to younger trainers and you can use your power for the more arrogant, older ones. It's simple."
"Hmph…well, I'll think about it."
Ash nodded. "Well, I think we're done here. Goodbye, Lt. Surge."
"Heh, good luck on your journey, kid. You'll go far, I can tell."
The group left, Butterfree and Pidgeotto returning to their Pokéballs. The starters stayed out to talk with Wartortle, chatting about evolution.
"So, where're heading next, Ash?" Brock asked.
"Well, I'd like to go to Saffron City gym next. The rumors I've heard have personally interested me in there…but it might be nice to take a break first," Ash stated. He reached around into his pack and pulled out three tickets. "Right before we left, Bill gave me some tickets for the S.S Anne, which is a cruise on its way to Porta Vista. I thought it might be a nice place to take a little break."
Misty clasped her hands together and her eyes started glittering. "A cruise out in the ocean? And a beachside town? That sounds wonderful!"
"Sounds perfect! I wonder if there will be any attractive ladies on-board…" Brock said, expression wandering and drooling slightly.
Ash palmed his face. "Snap out of it, Brock. Come on, let's get going. We wouldn't want to miss the ship."
…..
The cruise was rather relaxing. The group took the chance to hang back and rest. Ash told Lucario to take a break at the Ranch and everybody took their time to have fun.
Charmeleon, Wartortle, Ivysaur, and Pikachu ran around, drawing the attention and interest of many people on-board.
Butterfree just spent time with her favorite trainer while Pidgeotto basked in the feeling of the ocean air. They had fun.
When they eventually arrived in Porta Vista, they played on the beach, swapping into their swimsuits.
"Hm, you should try this, Misty. I think you'd do well," Ash said, handing over the piece of paper.
She grabbed it. "What's this? Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume Contest?" She blushed. "You really think I would do well in this?"
"Of course you would! You're really pretty Misty," Ash replied with a reassuring smile.
Misty smiled brightly. "Thanks Ash. I think I'll take a shot at it."
…..
A/N: Right, not sure if I clarified it or it was obvious enough, but rather than the "We don't know about the other region" approach that the first season of Pokémon takes in the show, knowledge is traveling around from the other regions. While it may not all be communicated in between, there won't be as much unknown as there would technically be otherwise.
Ash watched the contest in the stands alone, holding his egg. He heard a voice call out.
"Ash, dear!"
He turned and found his face planted into somebody's chest.
"Hi mom! You can stop strangling me now!"
Delia released her son from her motherly embrace, giggling.
"I'm sorry dear, it's just been so long since I've seen you! Professor Oak is also here," she said, moving aside to show the smiling and waving Professor.
"Hello, Ash! It's great to see you," the Professor greeted. He noticed what Ash was holding. "Is that a Pokémon egg?"
"Yea, it is. Why?"
"It seems to be a rather unique egg," he hummed.
"It might be, but you're not touching it!" Ash said protectively. "Anyway, what're you guys doing here?"
"We came with our tour group, the Pallet Town Volunteer Patrol," Delia responded. "Why are you watching the contest?"
"My friend Misty is in the contest. Brock and I came to support her and watch. Brock got reeled into announcing for the event, so I'm just here watching."
"Oh, really? Gary actually entered the contest as well, with his little entourage of fans," Professor Oak said off-handedly.
Ash sighed. "Well, this might turn annoying."
He returned his attention to the contest.
Misty strolled down the walkway with a cute red swimsuit on. She blushed nervously as Brock introduced her to the audience and she found Ash in the audience. He smiled and waved at his friend. She relaxed from his gesture alone and continued with her performance.
Charmeleon, Ivysaur, Wartortle, Starmie, and Staryu came onto the stage. Staryu and Starmie shot Water Guns, frozen by Wartortle's Ice Beam as it spurted. The basis of a sculpture formed, a platform and shape upon it created.
Charmeleon and Ivysaur got to work with carving the sculpture carefully, wanted image burned into their minds. Charmeleon made liberal use of his flames to melt off chunks of ice at a time, Ivysaur whipping curves onto the ice sculpture.
"This is an amazing performance, ladies and gentlemen! While slightly unorthodox in terms of this contest, it's gorgeous nonetheless! And it seems they've finished it! It's a beautiful sculpture of Articuno, the Legendary Bird of Ice!" Brock announced fervently.
The audience clapped fervently and cheered, impressed by the display of skill. Misty bowed and walked back into the waiting area. The sculpture of Articuno was taken by the town committee, having asked for permission to keep it for as long it lasted.
The next 'performance' barged right onto the stage without much introduction. Gary Oak.
"Here is a surprise appearance by Gary Oak, an up-and-coming Pokémon trainer, accompanied by a squad of his adorable fans!"
Ash sweat dropped. Gary put the mic to his mouth.
"Ash, I know you're out there somewhere! But I didn't come here just to make you jealous of me!" he said through the microphone. "I came here so my fans could make you jealous of me!"
"Right, good luck with that Gary."
Gary looked around in confusion as the voice came out of seemingly nowhere.
"Get out here in the open, Ash!"
"You realize that I'm standing right next to you…" Ash said, suddenly appearing on the stage. Gary jumped backwards in shock. Gary's bikini-wearing cheerleaders glanced between the two boys.
"It seems that the one that Gary Oak called out has appeared on the stage undetected! Ash Ketchum, another up-and-coming Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town!" Brock announced.
"Hmph, there you are Ash. Did you see those messages I left you?" Gary sneered.
"What, like the one you left at Mt. Moon? You really need to grow up Gary. I'm sure you could be a good trainer and good guy, but you're so immature sometimes," Ash responded.
Gary fumed and stomped the ground, pointing his arm at Ash.
"I challenge you to a Pokémon battle! I'll prove that I'm better than you once-and-for all!"
Some murmuring and dialogue by Brock later, they relocated to the beach, the audience from the contest following along.
"Alright, Arcanine, I choose you!" Gary shouted.
"Wartortle, battle ready!"
Ash's Pokémon relocated to behind him, Pidgeotto and Butterfree still in their Pokéballs. Wartortle moved to face Arcanine.
"Arcanine, Take Down!"
"Wartortle, Aqua Tail!"
Arcanine dashed towards Wartortle quickly, but not quickly enough. Wartortle jumped up and slammed the attack into Arcanine's face.
"Arcanine, Bite!"
"Withdraw!" Arcanine clamped his jaws right onto Wartortle's shell. "Rapid Spin!"
Arcanine widened his eyes, but before he could let go, his mouth erupted in pain and he was knocked back.
"Finish with Water Pulse!"
The orb of water slammed into Arcanine's side. He was knocked out.
"I'll swap first, Gary. Wartortle, come back. Charmeleon, your turn." The turtle Pokémon tapped out with its friend. "Good job Wartortle."
Gary smirked. "Ha, that was a bad choice, Ashy-boy. Go, Wartortle!"
His own turtle came out from the Pokéball. Ash and Charmeleon grinned to themselves.
"What're you smilin' at?" Gary asked.
"Oh, nothing, don't worry about it. I'll make the first move then. Charmeleon, Slash!"
"Wartortle, Withdraw. Then, Water Gun!"
"Charmeleon, disperse it with Swords Dance."
Wanting to find an easier way to just deflect projectile moves, Ash spent some time practicing with Charmeleon and Wartortle to do so. Swords Dance seemed to work well enough in their experimenting.
"Hm, can deflect physical attacks well enough and fire won't work very well. Charmeleon, Dragon Pulse!"
Gary gaped. Charmeleon opened his maw and a turquoise ball of energy shot from his mouth. "Wartortle, Water Pulse!"
The turtle futilely attempted to deflect the attack, only to have the ball of water ripped through by Charmeleon's move. Wartortle was promptly knocked out.
"Nice job, Ash!" Misty cheered.
"Hm…he was able to teach Charmeleon Dragon Pulse. That takes a great amount of effort and practice on the Pokémon's part and understanding and knowledge on the trainer," Professor Oak commented.
Before the two trainers could proceed with their match, Ash turned out to the ocean.
"What is that?" he said, squinting his eyes.
Everybody else looked out to see a small figure approaching the beach rapidly.
"I think that's a Horsea! Aw, it's so cute!" Misty gushed.
"…It also has a pod of Tentacool chasing it. They look pretty mad."
The audience screamed and ran off the beach in fear of the raging Pokémon. Gary backed off with his cheerleaders. Professor Oak and Delia Ketchum were also safely back on the street.
"Where's Ash?" Delia asked in concern.
"It appears that young Ash is still on the beach," Professor Oak said, pointing at the boy facing the incoming Pokémon.
…..
"Um, Ash, why are we still here?" Misty asked nervously. She liked Water Pokémon, but enraged ones were scary nonetheless.
"Well, they're obviously mad about something. If we don't do something about it, they'll just attack the town. Besides, I was thinking about catching a Tentacool," Ash answered with excitement.
"Oh, it looks like those Tentacool are trying to stop my business again!" a shrill voice shouted from the shore side.
Ash turned to see an old and short woman with wrinkly skin and ponytails. "What're you talking about?" he called back.
The woman crossed her arms. "My name is Nastina and I'm trying to build a resort for where tourists can relax and look at the coral reefs! Those Tentacool keep attacking the construction and scaring away my workers!"
The crowd murmured. "How horrible…" "Those are some evil Pokémon!"
Ash narrowed his eyes at the woman. She recoiled at the glare. "You're not telling all there is to it. Most Pokémon don't naturally attack humans unless they get disturbed in some way. Tell us the truth!" he shouted, eyes glowing with psychic energy.
Nastina yelped and shrunk back under his glare. "I-I may or may not have destroyed a few of their homes during my construction," she said nervously.
The entire crowd turned as one to glare at her. Ash palmed his face in frustration. "And this is why some Pokémon hate humans. Because of people like you."
The Tentacool came ever closer to the beach. Ash's Pokémon lined up on the beach against them. They stopped. A single Tentacool came forward.
"Get out of our way. Humans have desecrated our home and we must have retribution."
"Tentacool, we are sorry for what one of our own have done to you and your species. We understand that we've hurt you. We've captured the one responsible for destroying your homes and we'll punish her harshly."
Ash gestured for Misty to speak as well.
"We're really sorry, Tentacool. Please, we won't destroy you homes any more. We didn't know what was happening before. So, please don't take out your anger on the innocents," Misty pleaded. "You're all beautiful Pokémon, please don't mar your image because of that vicious and cruel woman."
Tentacool stared at the two humans facing him. He could see easily enough that the lined-up Pokémon had full trust in their trainer as well. He turned away.
"Fine…I will leave the town alone. If this ever happens again, however, we will not hold back our fury."
Ash nodded and Misty sighed in relief. The Tentacool departed, leaving the Horsea alone in the sea. Ash turned around to face his mother, her hands on her hips and an angry expression on her face.
…..
After a thorough scolding and a few hugs of worry from his mom, Ash and Misty were thanked thoroughly for fending off the Tentacool attack. The Horsea from earlier even joined Misty after she had nursed it back to full health.
Brock was thanked for his help in the contest and they were each given some money as thanks and rewards.
Nastina was arrested for purposeful endangerment of Pokémon.
Eventually, Ash teleported back to Vermilion City with his two companions and Pikachu, the others returning to their Pokéballs. They headed off towards Lavender Town.
"Why are we going there first? The place kind of creeps me out," Misty said with a shudder.
"The Saffron City gym is a Psychic-Type one, so I could say that I want a Ghost-Type for an advantage. Personally, I'm just looking for a friend I made there once. I promised that I'd come back for her once I started my journey. We should be there soon enough."
…..