"You're telling me that you confronted Lorelei of the Elite Four?!" Ariana questioned, her voice echoing through the room which made Butch and Cassidy shake in fear before they nodded. "Y-yes, ma'am. She was accompanying the commissioner's daughter and the Cerulean gym leader."

The red haired woman hummed, realizing from their recent operations and missions that Mr. Green's daughter has been becoming more present as an opposing force, something that does not bode well with her. "We will need to take her out as soon as possible. Any more reports?"

"Yes, the kid that you mentioned. The one in red clothing, Red Fires was there." Cassidy stated which caught Ariana's attention as she turned towards the two with a raised brow and clenched fists. "Hmm? Are you sure? Does he carry around a slingshot and has weird glowing eyes?"

"I-I'm not sure about the eyes but he does indeed carry a slingshot. A quiet kid, you can barely hear what he's saying…if he even says anything." Butch stated, angered by how the two teens got the better of him at their confrontation in Rock Tunnel.

"This isn't good." Ariana mused on the list of potential threats, biting her nail in frustration when she noticed they are all near the location of one of their current missions. "Should've killed him when I had the chance. The boy has now become a huge liability and he needs to be removed. Imagine his progress if he was a part of us…"

"I-If you don't mind me asking: why is it such a bother? The boy is weak, he needed help to damage Butch's Aggron during our fight and it's not like he did that much considerable damage. We should be more focused on Lorelei." Cassidy questioned which got a scoff from her partner.

"The problem isn't his strength, it's his efficiency. Despite the large strength difference, he managed to cripple our mission at Mt. Moon and also completely postponed the mission with Zapdos as well according to Proton. If he is left unsupervised, he may become a huge threat to our plans." The admin answered the woman while looking at a group of files on her desk. She then put a hand on her head before

"Thank you for your report. You will be rewarded accordingly. Dismissed." She finished, the two grunts bowed before exiting the room. She then picked up her phone and dialed a number, waiting until she heard a click. "Petrel! I need you to give Butch and Cassidy a promotion please. I've seen their stats and their success rate is impeccable."

"Got ya, madam. Heard about lil' ol Lori nearly fuckin' up shit for them. Shouldn't we be tellin' Archer about that since he's in the area?" Said the voice on the other line, now known as Petrel, in a cowboy-like tone, much to Ariana's chagrin. 'He's using that damn voice changer again. Another headache.'

"I'm planning to but knowing her, she may inform the League before taking action. One of the cons of being an Elite Four member honestly. Plus, she's likes to play safe. But enough of that. I'm going to need you to look into someone for me."

"No problemo, so who's the lucky stud?" Petrel said, his voice changing to that of a high pitched woman, the tone slightly unnerving Ariana which made her silently cringes before answering.

"Red Fires."

After saying that name, there was only silence, this confusing the red haired woman before the man gave his answer in his normal voice which had a nervous tone. "No problem…Ariana. Consider it done."

Upon finishing her call, she stared at the phone with a bewildered expression, wording her thoughts aloud. "Strange…he's never nervous about searching a case before. Maybe he's testing out his tones. He always liked pushing people's buttons, including the boss'. I'm honestly surprised he's not fired or killed yet."

She then made another phone call to request a ride before she got up and went to the streets of Celadon City. She then went deep into thought, realizing that they can't risk any more failures on their missions. Ariana was then knocked out of her stupor when a red car was waiting for her, entering the van where the chauffeur looked at her through the front mirror, pulling up the tinted windows before asking. "Where to, madam?"

"Set a course for Lavender Town!" She said, her grip crushing the pen in her hand before she threw it in the bin. The car came to life before they drove off, leaving Celadon City when the lady checked her Pokeballs, a frown on her face. 'He may not like it but Archer will need some help with this operation if Lorelei is there.'

Leaf's eyes fluttered open, stretching herself from her bed to see the sunlight peering from the opening of the tent. She then turned to her left, expecting to see Red but instead saw his bed rolled up and his bag on the ground. She immediately got up and dashed out of the tent in a panic, hoping that he was not taken when she saw that his Pokeballs were on the ground. Once she was outside, she let out a sigh of relief when she found Red with his Pokemon watching the view of Lavender Town as it is being overlapped by the color of the sunrise, his hair dancing in the wind.

"Hey." Leaf said quietly which made him turn to her and then waving at her with a smile on his face, the girl noticing the slight bags under his eyes. "You alright, sweetie? Did you get any sleep?"

He nodded but this did not ease her worry. A rumbling sound echoed through the area, everyone's eyes landed on Leaf who blushed and released a shaky laugh. Hearing the sound, Red chucked before he got up to cook but he was stopped by her who swiped his cooking utensils from him then gently pushed him back to his seat. "I'll cook up something for the both of us. You just stay there and be cute."

The boy insisted on helping but he had ultimately gave up, Buneary hopping on his lap and Swablu on his head, the bunny saying. 'You know when she gets like this, there's no stopping her. But please please please tell me you still have those Poffins, they tasted delicious.'

'That is reserved for us, rabbit. If you want any, ask your own trainer.' Meowth said, earning a glare from the brown rabbit. She quickly jumped up to Red's shoulder before hugging his face. 'Don't act wise with me, cat! Isn't it good to share?'

The cream colored cat chuckled darkly, making all the male members of Red's and Leaf's team step back from her when she unsheathed her claws. 'Someone doesn't remember their place on the food chain, do they?'

Red decided to quickly diffuse the quarrel, giving all of them the leftover Poffins he had with a content expression on his face as they happily ate them. After a while, Leaf called Red for breakfast, the both of them eating and talking until Buneary gave the raven haired teen a peck on the cheek as thanks before leaving. Red simply chuckled, saying it was nothing until he turns to see a jealous Leaf, her eyes twitching violently despite the smile on her face. She then calmed down, making Red release a sigh of relief as they finished and packed up, ready to continue their journey. While on their way to the city, Leaf read some articles on her Pokegear. "Man, Team Rocket is cruel. They killed a Marowak around here. Why must they be like this?"

Seeing the look of anger on Red's face, she stopped speaking and then racked her brain for any ways to change the topic, starting to speak about the Cubone line, commenting on how morbid it is that they need to wear the skull of their mother.

"They don't." Red answered in a matter of fact tone. Leaf laughed until she realized what he said, looking at him with a blank stare. "What?"

"Cubone doesn't wear the skull of its mother. Its skull is actually made out of a hard clay like mineral that only their evolution line can produce. Why do you think the thing can act as a lightning rod? Bones don't do that." The teen explained, a hand on his chin in deep thought before snapping his fingers. "Now that I think about it. It almost looks like a baby Kanghaskhan without the skull but brown."

"But didn't the Pokedex say…" Leaf was about to say but Red cut her off, waving his hand. "Yeah. That was a bad Halloween joke that the Professors decided to pull on the trainers. Professor Oak stated that it got out of hand and now most people think this is the case now including professors who changed its name from the Clay Skull Pokemon to the Lonely Pokemon along with most of its Pokedex entries."

"It's…crying…"

"All Cubone start out with the move Growl. Apparently all the cries is it trying to perfect the move before using it in the wild. They think the night is the best time to use it when most of its predators, apart from Mandibuzz, is asleep."

"Why are most of them lonely then?"

"They mostly train with their fathers, the mother staying back to take care of the den. Father makes them train hard by themselves to let them build strength which leads some of them to cry until they harden their emotions."

The brunette was now shell-shocked at the new information presented to her with her mouth slightly opened, thinking about what Red said before a question came to her mind. "How do you know this?"

"Professor Oak actually brought us on a trip to show us about Pokemon biology. It made me realize how some of the Pokedex entries on some Pokemon needs to be updated but everyone's too lazy to do it." He said before a frown came on his face. Luxio, who was walking beside him, noticed this. 'You alright?'

Looking at the lynx and the bandages all over his body made Red feel guilty, frustrated with himself at how his curiosity cost him dearly. Not wanting to worry the Pokemon, he smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine."

'That trip was the last time that I went anywhere again with Blue and Yellow.' He then looked up into the sky with a melancholic expression. 'Wonder how they're doing. Hope Blue is holding up after the tournament and patched things with Yellow.'

Reaching at the entrance of Lavender Town, he smiled before noticing Leaf is several steps behind. Running to the brunette, wondering what's wrong with her. "Leaf, you good?"

This snapped her out of her thoughts and made her jump before she composed herself. "Y-yeah…yeah, I'm fine."

"C'mon. Let's go. You're gonna love Lavender Town." Red entered the town, looking everywhere with enthusiasm while his not so eager friend followed him. After a while, he realized her change in attitude before he stopped and looked at her with a worried expression. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I-I'm sorry, Red. I just heard…so many urban legends about this town. I can't help but being scared." This caught Red by surprise because he always saw Leaf as fearless. He never expected that Lavender Town would manage to scare her like this. A nervous Leaf is a new experience for him.

"O-oh. Sorry about that. Apart from the Ghost types, most of the urban legends are mostly pranks. The people really love pranks." This earns him an incredulous look from the brunette while they traversed the town. Making their way to the Pokemon Center and checking around town, Leaf glanced at Red to tell him something but what she saw surprised her.

His eyes are glowing eerily and his pupils starting to turn white. She was about to questioned about it butwas interrupted when they arrived to their destination.

"Welcome!" Nurse Joy said before turning towards Red, squinting her eyes to the teen. After a while, her eyes widened in awe before she hugged him. "Little Scarlet! I can't believe it, look at you. You have grown so big and handsome!"

"Little…" Leaf started.

'Scarlet?' Poli finished while looking at Vulpix, both of them sharing confused looks until Red returned them, putting them along with his other Pokemon in a tray for Nurse Joy to heal them. "It's good to see you again, Ms. Joy. Sorry that I wasn't able to visit lately."

"You're here right now and that's all that matters."

"Oh…I see."

"Yep! I'm just happy to see you're ok. And is that three badges on your jacket?" The Nurse said while taking up his tray, gesturing Leaf for her Pokemon, the brunette quickly complying before she leaves to get them healed. Leaf looked around to see some of the residents waving and greeting Red, some of them giving him hugs like he was a long lost friend. Seeing this, her eyes widened as she noticed another big thing. The shy Red that she knew. The Red that will stutter and mumble to himself and hide his face.

He is not doing that. He is not hiding his face. He is speaking to them without mumbling and most of all, he is smiling.

No one was crept out by it. Even Misty and Lorelei were a bit spooked by his eyes and the crimson orbs were nowhere as pretty, or by their words, scary as they are now. She was knocked out of her thoughts when Nurse Joy called to them, giving them back their Pokemon before the Nurse hugged Red again. Watching the scene made Leaf jealous while the conversation between the residential nurse and friend continued, her Buneary popping out of its Pokeball and observing the interaction in confusion. This did not go unnoticed by the woman who had a devilish smirk before nudging the boy. "Hmmm. To think our sweet little innocent Red would have a girlfriend. I knew you would be a heartbreaker."

This statement made both Red and Leaf blush furiously, the woman enjoying their reactions until Leaf beat Red to the punch, locking arms with him and putting her hands on her hips. "T-that's right. So how do you know him anyways?"

"Red's a bit of a celebrity around here. Visit us very often with his parents. Plus, how could you forget a face like that? It's too adorable." Nurse Joy explained, cooing while pinching one of Red's cheeks, Leaf joined in, giving the woman a thumbs up. "I know right. He's like a Pokemon. Clearly you're a woman of culture."

They continued their conversation with enthusiasm, much to Red's embarrassment until he had enough, dragging Leaf out of the building as Nurse Joy waved with a smile. "They grow up so fast."

During their exploration of the town, Leaf noticed that despite being an eccentric group, the people of Lavender town are kind individuals that have a vast amount of knowledge about the history and the urban legends of Kanto. After a while of walking, she sat by a bench to take a rest, Red bringing their ice cream from a wandering vendor which she happily accepted. They both enjoyed their ice cream until a girl appeared in front of them, surprising Leaf before the girl shakily waved. "H-hey there."

"Do you believe in ghosts?" The girl asked blankly, the question catching the brunette by surprise before she started stammering. "Uhhh…"

"Yep." Red said, breaking any tension in the air and causing the little girl to smile.

"Oh." She said before putting a hand under her chin which made Leaf raise an eyebrow. "There are believers."

The little girl then walked away, Leaf pulling Red closer to her then whispered. "What if I said no?"

"Then that white hand on your shoulder must be my imagination…" The little girl reappeared which made Leaf nearly fall off the bench while looking at her shoulder until she heard laughter coming from the little girl which made the brunette about to chase. "You little…"

"Calm down, Leaf. It's just a joke. It's kinda a Lavender staple." He chuckled nervously, trying his best to hold back his friend. She then let out a breath and calmed down, making him let go. "What do you mean staple?"

The raven haired teen started scratching his cheek, letting out a nervous chuckle. "The people here likes to make jokes about the urban legends and mysteries of the town. The ghost hand prank is one of them. I didn't know that they still had that around."

"Huh?" She looked at him with a brow raised.

"Yeah. They always have a kid do it to catch tourists off guard. I used to do it years ago. It was a lot of fun." Red scratched his cheek, Leaf looking at him with furrowed brows before going back to enjoying her ice cream.

After their break, they continued exploring, the brunette noticing how knowledgeable her red capped friend is of the town until they stop at a building, the sign showing Volunteer House, some of the words covered with crayon markings. Upon looking at the building and going to enter, she heard Red muttering. "This place hasn't changed one bit."

When they went through the entrance, Leaf's eyes widened at the scene, seeing Pokemon everywhere, some of them covered in bandaged and sleeping under blankets along with people taking care of them. She then sees a woman and a black haired girl her age come up to them before bowing down. "Welcome to the Volunteer House. Home to the abandoned, sick and injured. How may we help you today?"

Leaf was about to ask a question until the girl her age looked at Red, her eyes widened before enveloping him in a hug which he reciprocated much to the brunette's confusion. After a while, a Pawniard joined her in the hug, unaware of the pain that it is causing him.

"Hey, Rina…hope that you're doing alright." He said out of breath, tapping the girl's back to let him go which made him able to breathe again. Rina giggled when she saw Pawniard still hugging his leg, rubbing its face against it. They then spoke with each other, talking about their daily lives and Red introducing Leaf to them, the brunette waving at them. 'Wow, they are all like a family.'

Seeing that they were very busy with taking care of the Pokemon, Red and Leaf decided to help the people there who were glad for the extra help. After an hour of helping out, Leaf took a break, sitting down and watching the red capped teen calm down a Nidorina before skillfully wrapping a bandage around its hind leg. She did not notice Rina right beside who made her presence known by asking. "Like our resident mystery kid?"

"Mystery…kid?" Leaf repeated in a confused tone, the raven haired girl looking at her with a brow raised before she realized something.

"Oh?" She looked down in melancholic before turning back to Red while he is laughing and playing tag with some of the baby Pokemon, Poli and Vulpix joining in on the fun. "I see he hasn't told you yet."

"Told me what?" Leaf was getting frustrated at this point, everyone knowing Red like he was a local and no full explanation on why. After what Nurse Joy said, it looks like he visited this place multiple times in the past, his father was a miner so it would make sense with Rock Tunnel being so close. She then got her answer when Rina opened her mouth. "He actually was born here. The dork is a Lavender baby, believe it or not."

This caught Leaf by surprise before she looked at Red and then Rina who started laughing.

"Thought the eyes would give it away." She said with a giggle, an Eevee jumping on her head while she folded some of the blankets, Leaf offering some help. "Really? I thought…"

"He came from Pallet? Nope. He's weird. Just like the rest of us." After hearing that and seeing him work in the Volunteer House, things started making sense for Leaf like his rather good knowledge about the Pokemon behavior and his unnaturally good cooking skills. She was about to ask some more questions until something else got their attention.

"Where's Grandpa?" Red asked, surprised when he did not see the man at his office. Upon hearing the question, everyone's expressions softened which made Red assume the worse until Rina comforted him. "He…went to the Pokemon Tower a few days ago. The spirits were more intense than usual."

He raised a brow before returning back to work, helping Leaf with lifting some boxes that has Pokemon food. "Seriously, never expected ghost trouble to take him so long."

"Yeah. However, you know him, Mr. Fuji usually gets too absorbed in his work." One of the ladies said, gaining a collective nod from the others. Red then looked around the group of Pokemon as well, noticing something. "I don't see Zori around. It must be serious if she accompanied Grandpa."

"Yeah! She left after him yesterday to make sure that he's ok. It's weird. After some people arrived to bury their Pokemon, the tower carries a heavier pressure than before."

Red had an uneasy look, more worried about the wellbeing of the elder as he looks at the tower then looking at his Pokemon, Leaf shaking her head upon seeing the expression on his face.

"You want me to go and check on him?" Red said, much to the dismay of Leaf.

"Nah, he's good." A blonde woman said, taking care of a baby Cubone in her hands. Red looked at the Cubone before he looked back at the tower through the window, taken out of his thoughts when Rina had her hand on his shoulder. "No need to worry."

"That's when I worry the most. But alright." Red sighed before nodding, returning back to providing assistance. After a day of helping out, both trainers returned to the Pokemon Center, renting a room after they had their dinner before going to sleep. After a couple days of spending in the city, Leaf noticing Red being restless, confronting him about it but he only smiles and says he is fine. This was the case until one night, she woke up out of her sleep to see the window to their room open which made her confused, going over to check on Red only to see his bed empty and bag missing, much to her surprise. Connecting the dots, the brunette cursed under her breath before she got ready to chase after him.

Wind passes through the Lavender Town as Red arrived in front of the Pokemon Tower, finding it odd that he did not see any guards at the entrance. Feeling the night wind passing through him that soothed his nerves, he took a step inside before a voice stopped him.

"Don't you dare, Red Fires?" He turned to see Leaf who was panting with a slightly disheveled look and her Buneary beside her, its eyes glowing. "Red! You heard that he's gonna be ok. So-"

"What am I supposed to do, Leaf? Wait until days after?! Usually Grandpa does not take so long to do anything in the tower. Plus, Team Rocket has been in the area and if Rock Tunnel is anything to go by, they don't care what or who get in their way! Grandpa has been up there for days and hasn't come out!" Red yelled in frustration before he realized what he did looking down to the floor. "I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm just…"

"I know. I would feel the same way if my dad went missing." She said, getting closer to him and holding his hand. "Just know that you're not alone in this."

Red looked at her before lowering his gaze to the floor, letting out a huge exhale. Leaf then hugged him, patting his back. "Thanks. It's just…he's been like a grandpa to me. He…always takes care of me when my parents aren't there. The same with everyone in this town. I don't want to see him hurt or worse."

Leaf put her chin on her chin before she ran her fingers along Red's black locks. "Just let it out."

"They're like family to me." The red capped trainer then looked towards her with a smile on his face. The brunette then gave him a smile before putting her forehead on his. "It's ok. I'm here with you."

"Got it. Let's go, Leaf." Red said with a determined tone from him while he looked at the building. Leaf smiled at him, holding his hand. "R-right behind ya!"

Yes! We're here! Finally, it took me a minute but we're here. References galore cit- I mean town. I decided to change Cubone's Pokedex description because I'm gonna be honest, the original one is stupid. You're gonna just make me believe that the moment every Cubone is born, their mother just…dies. That's completely messed up and I'm not believing it. Also, I made the people of Lavender town weird people that would pull off pranks which would explain most of the rumors surrounding it because they're trolls. I can honestly see it. Being surrounded by ghosts is gonna make you a bit too used to anything gory or within that category. Also, yes! I had written this for a long time but Red is from Lavender Town. You will learn more about my boy once this story continues. Thanks for your guys support and I may go on a little hiatus but not to worry. Hope you all stay safe and keep being awesome! Enigma out!