The Very Best

by God of Sun

What if Ash never overslept? With his brand new Pokémon partner, Squirtle, he is going to go on a journey to become the next Champion of the Kanto Region! However, his journey is not going to be even remotely easy. Ash will have to deal with powerful enemies, new friendships, and to learn how to become someone that is worthy of being called a Pokémon Master!

20. The Town Of Silence

Hello there.

In case you couldn't tell, we are going to be at Lavender Town this chapter. Ash will be getting a Ghost-type, and actually keep them this time, but it won't be Haunter. I decided to do something with Ash getting his new Pokémon this time around, and I hope y'all will at least find it partially humorous. Our next Elite Four member will be making an appearance, and I don't think I have to tell you who it might be.

I'm glad that you guys liked Dratini finally hatching in the last chapter! I have a unique plan for the Dragon-type, and will grow the relationship between Misty and Ash. Enough talk, though. Let's start!

The Very Best:

Chapter 20:

The Town Of Silence:

Opening (If you want to): Fly High! (From Haikyu!, performed by BURNOUT SYNDROMES)

---

"Drati?" Dratini pointed at the sky, wondering what the white thing that floating past was.

"Well, that's a cloud." Ash explained to him, having the baby Dragon-type close to him. "It's basically evaporated water that has been condensed up there." Dratini looked at the cloud passing by, seeing just how fluffy it was from the ground.

"If you want to know, I can give you a more scientific answer on their formation." Lillie kindly offered the Dragon-type.

Two days had passed since the adventure back in Rock Tunnel. Dratini was a timid girl, needing time to truly get to know everyone. Everyone had fallen in love with the sweet dragon, Chimchar and Ponyta the most excited to meet her. All the Pokémon went gaga for her, though Dratini got extremely scared at seeing how big Onix was. Dratini was curled up in the hood of Ash's jacket, being the perfect spot for her to be close to Ash.

"Ini?" Dratini suddenly pointed to a patch of grass, seeing it being a yellow color instead of green.

"That's because that grass right there doesn't have a lot of water." Ash told the Dragon-type. "Plants need water in the ground to live, otherwise they start to dry up."

Dratini heard this answer, suddenly looking at herself. "Dratini tini?" She innocently asked if she was a plant, causing the group to lightly chuckle.

"No, Dratini, we aren't plants." May kindly told her, bopping her nose in a playful manner. "Trust me, being a plant isn't as excting as you might think." She was lucky Bulbasaur was out to hear that.

Brock and Red were in the front, since most of the group had wanted to spend quality time with the newest member. "Have you been Lavender Town, Brock?"

"No, and the stories I've heard about don't paint the brighest picture." He admitted, knowing about the scary myths and stories about that part of Kanto. "Plenty of Ghost-type live there, and I heard it's a very unnerving place."

"I've been there once. It was... calming." Red responded. "The silence there is said to mollify people."

Ryan was ticking Dratini's head, her weak spot as she burst into laughter. She struggled to stay in one place, Ryan laughing as well at seeing how happy she was. The boy eventually stopped, looking around as she started to notice something. "Does anyone see fog?"

"I do." Lillie looked around, wondering where this fog could've come from. "This fog doesn't feel right."

Red turned to face the group. "I advise caution, everyone. Lavender Town is a place with constant, thick fog all year around." He told them. "We're only five minutes away, and the fog will only become thicker as we enter Lavender Town."

"A town entirely covered in fog?" Ryan asked in an unsure tone. "Yeah. That's not creepy at all."

Misty just smirked at hearing that. "Well, it's going to take a lot more than fog to slow down Misty the mighty!" She declared in a proud way.

"Like what? Bugs?" Ash asked, causing the group to laugh at the joke the eleven-year-old made. Ash was suddenly smacked on the head. "Ow!" Misty smiled to herself, seeing Ash rub his head in pain.

"It's okay, Ash. Misty is just mad that you're right." Brock was quickly treated with the same treatment, the girl having a surprisingly strong slap. Misty looked around, having her hands ready.

"If you have anything to say, don't be afraid to." She told in a cheerful way. "Plenty of slaps for everyone." Red felt actual fear, reminding himself and Pikachu not to get on her bad side. May suddenly cleared her throat.

"Do you think they'll have a Pokémon Contest there?" May asked, Misty toning back her menacing presence at hearing the legitimate question. "I'm excited, but also have no idea what to expect."

Misty gave a smile to her. "Don't worry about it. Your last performance was... not the best." She was being honest, before giving real encouragement. "But now, you can finally give your best now!"

"We're all going to support you, May." Ryan said as well, the two sharing a nice high five.

May looked down. "I want a challenge, but I also want something that will be beginner friendly." She realized her conflicting sentence. "I hope I'm making sense."

"You'll nail your first Pokémon Contest, May!" Ash said in a sure way, looking ahead at the thickening fog. "As for me, I'm going to get a Ghost-type from here. Going to need one if I want to have a chance at beating Sabrina later on."

"War to Wartortle!" Wartortle said in agreement, knowing he had his Bite attack at the ready. Dratini didn't know what they meant, mostly because she had been wondering what this whole fog thing was.

"You really have all this planned out, don't you?" Ash nodded at Brock's question. "Being prepared is always a good trait to have."

"Thanks. I learned it from the best, and this my plan since I left Pallet Town." Brock gave a small smile at hearing that, Ash looking to Red with excitement. "Want to catch a Ghost-type of your own, Red? We can do it together."

"Hmm. No thanks." Red said, surprising everyone by his decline. They would've thought someone as smart as Red would do the same thing as Ash. "While a Ghost-type would be helpful, I feel a Dark-type would be a far easier and better type to use."

Ash sighed, seeing Red's point. "That sucks. I thought we could do something together before you decide to leave today."

"Maybe on another day, in another month."

Ash suddenly groaned at hearing that. "You always say when you don't want to do stuff, ever since we were kids." He complained. "Can you at least say something different?"

"...Maybe on another day, in another month." Ash slapped himself in the face, knowing he walked into that. The group shared a good laugh, even Wartortle and Dratini laughing at their Trainer's mistake.

Red had a small smile as Pikachu laughed loudly on his shoulder. "Pi! Pi! Pi!"

---

Lavender Town wasn't the most welcoming place in Kanto. The town was very much functional, and the people were welcoming enough, but the thick fog that encased this place gave a very bleak feeling. No roads were here due to how thick the fog was, and getting lost was common. Everyone walked into this place, sticking close by one another. They had just walked past their third cemetery as they tried to find the Pokémon Center.

"Ugh!" Misty looked at the fog, disliking how thick and humid it was. "This fog is giving me the creeps."

"I completely agree. I can't imagine living with this kind of weather every day." May muttered, shivering a bit at how little she could see in front of her.

"What happened to not being scared?"

Misty gave a slight glare to Ryan. "I'm not scared, I'm just a little weirded out." Red studied his surroundings, finding solace in how silent this place was. In his opinion, he thought the fog improved the atmosphere of this place.

Ryan looked around, wanting to find the Pokémon Center as quickly as possible. "Might be a good idea to bring out our flashlights." He muttered.

"You want to use a flashlight in the middle of the day?" Brock asked him, both knowing how stupid that idea was. The group looked around, suddenly seeing tall coming up. There was a building becoming visible through the fog, and its sheer size alone made the group stop. "Wow,"

The tower they saw had seventy floors, all of which being wide and spacious. It had a nonagon shape with four entrances on the ground floor, all leading to a rather dimply lit place inside. Seeing the top was impossible with all this fog in the way. There also seemed to be a very chilling presence coming from this place, like joy and happiness weren't permitted anywhere in this tower's grounds.

The largest building in all of Kanto, the Pokémon Tower.

Ash looked at the tower, in awe at the place he had heard so much about. "So this... is Pokémon Tower." He remarked, seeing the massive burial ground before his eyes.

"I knew it was tall, but I didn't expect it to be so massive." May remarked. Ryan was simply left without words, and Lillie felt somber at seeing how big the graveyard of a tower was.

Red simply remained silent, because he knew there was nothing to say. "Pika kachu..." Pikachu looked on with a sad face, the boy gently comforting him by petting his head. Dratini was silent, for she felt scared at seeing the scary place in front of her.

Dratini suddenly got out of Ash's hoodie, going into the boy's hands. Ash quickly adjusted, seeing the Dragon-type go into his arms for protection. Ash quickly comforted her. Wartortle saw how Dratini felt, deciding to change the subject. "Wartor ort tl e artor tortle." He told them they should keep going, and that was something everyone agreed on.

They all walked away from the tower, knowing that they would see it again. "Thank you, Wartortle." Ash thanked his partner for clearing the situation, Dratini looking at the Water-type with slight fear.

Wartortle just shrugged. "War tor ortle." He said he was happy to help. The group walked around for a bit more, eventually finding the Pokémon Center they were searching for. Everyone gave a great sigh of relive at seeing the familiar place.

They all entered the Pokémon Center, being met with a very roomy reception room. They noticed Nurse Joy wasn't at the front desk. "Probably just taking care of other Pokémon." Brock told the others. "Get your Pokémon ready for when she comes."

Lillie sat down on one of the couches, feeling her back relax at the soft cushions. "Ahh. This feels nice." Ryan sat down beside her, having the reaction she had.

"Dang. This is pretty comfy."

Ash and Brock we're getting their trays ready, as May was off getting a sugary snack and drink to quell her sweet tooth. Ash looked at Dratini in his hoodie, seeing the Dragon-type be nervous about this. "Why are you so scared Dratini? It's just Nurse Joy." He told her, May already having five snacks in her hands in the background.

Brock calmly reassured her by holding her gently. "Nurse Joy is a very helpful girl. She always makes sure that our Pokémon are in great health, and she will not treat you any differently." Dratini curiously listened at this. "And besides, how could you say no to a girl as beautiful as her?"

Wartortle and Ash gave each other a look of disbelieve the Water-type coming to Dratini. "War tor ortle art or tle ortle ar." He told her. Dratini was gently placed on the ground as she wrapped around Wartortle's arm. She wasn't trying to attack in anyway, because this is simply how she feels safe with Wartortle. "Art ortle ar tor!" Wartortle gave his iconic goofy smile.

Dratini was still hesitant after all this. "If you really don't want to, then you can say it now." She looked up, seeing Red and Pikachu now standing beside her. "You have not been through any battle, so you have not been harmed in anyway."

"Pika akchu Pikachu pik!" Pikachu still told the girl to give it a try, Dratini still being in fear. She decided to simply do this, but only if Wartortle was going to be by her side the whole time. They looked at the front desk, still missing Nurse Joy.

"Shouldn't she have come out by now?" Ash asked the group. "I hope it's not too serious."

Brock placed a calm hand on Ash. "Be patient, Ash. It's rude to hurry someone doing their job." They heard a door suddenly open, the boy smiling at being right. "You just sometimes have to wait one more minute."

"Sorry about the hold up," A familiar voice expressed as she came. "Thought it would be another without a Trainer."

"That's alright, Nurse-" Everyone suddenly became silent, being stunned at the girl she saw in front of them.

It was a Nurse Joy but looked so different compared to all of the others the group met. Her iconic pink hair was instead a light green, and the hairstyle was changed entirely. Gone was her hat, and her hair was in a wolf cut style. Her outfit was mostly the same, though there seemed to be a few badges and pins on her dress. She wore black stockings, and her look was completed with her right ear having a green earing.

Everyone was quite confused, even Red was caught off-guard by this. They thought they were just seeing things, because no other Joy had looked like this. "Ahh. Look at that cute pair." She said with a sweet smile, placing her hands on her knees to see Dratini and Wartortle. "Might have to take a picture of you together after this."

"...War?" Wrtortle looked side to side, Dratini having her body tighten on his arm.

Brock was trying to think of what to say, but realized he had idea what kind of input he should give. "Uh... Nurse Joy?" He called out in an unsure way.

"Hmm?" The woman proudly stood up. "That's my name! Don't know your name, but it would be nice to know."

"B-Brock. Brock's my name."

"Brock? The Gym Leader?" She asked before laughing. "You can't be Brock. You're too handsome to be that guy." brock instantly became flustered, not expecting that at all. The poor boy was as frozen as a statue.

Red tied to take control of the conversation. "If I may, Nurse Joy. Could you heal our Pokémon for us?" Despite her appearance, she still seemed just as skilled as any other Nurse Joy. Joy gave a slight groan.

"All business, huh? Thought we could enjoy a nice chat." She complained, knowing that she would have a lot to do with this group. "You're pretty thin, kid. Might want to fix that." She said rather honestly, taking Brock's tray first as she went off.

Brock was still stunned. "Did... did a girl really say that about me?" He thought, angry that he didn't give a witty remark of his own. The rest of the group were still surprised by Nurse Joy, not sure what to think of the girl.

"I don't mean to be mean, but I don't think that's Nurse Joy." May remarked, knowing she was being a bit harsh. She bit into her chocolate bar.

"No. It's clearly Nurse Joy, she just looks a bit different." Lillie quickly corrected her, furrowing her eyebrows. "I have never seen a Joy like her before, though. Is it a Kanto thing?"

Misty shook her head. Ash was still surprised, but still kept his optimistic look. "Well, she is still offering to help heal our Pokémon. No reason to complain about that."

"Can we complain about her hair style then?" Misty brought up, not liking it at all. "It looks fine on her, just not with the color."

"Personally, I think the earrings are the issue." Ryan countered, Nurse Joy coming back into the room. Joy would quickly take everyone's trays and get them all healed up, though it would take some time. Everyone had decided to sit on the couches, knowing they had some time to kill.

"Have you guys heard about that fashion tour Lorelei was on in Paldea a few weeks ago?" Misty asked, geeking out about her personal idol. "I heard her stop in Levincia was to die for!" Her excitement was met with rather blank faces.

"That's nice. Although, I think Lorelei can be a bit overbearing when it comes to her shows." Brock said honestly, hearing about how many people would come to see her. Max capacity was guaranteed with her.

Red decided to shift the conversation. "Are there any notable places around here, besides what we had already seen?"

"No clue. Don't really know much about this place." Brock said, before he recalled something. "I think that Mr. Fuji lives here, but I'm probably thinking of a different town."

"Mr. Fuji? The famous Pokémon caretaker?" Lillie asked in shock.

"I think he might be here, but I could be very wrong." Ash heard this, finding this a good idea for his friends to do.

"Well, why don't we go see if he's in town?" Ash suggested in a positive way.

Ryan nodded. "That's a great idea. Sure, we have to deal with some scary and thick fog, but I think we should go meet him." He said, the rest of the group not finding much of an issue with this plan. Ryan looked at Ash. "So, Ash. Where exactly could you find a Ghost-type Pokémon?"

Ash tried to think. "I heard you could find a Ghost-type in cementaries, or the darkest places in town." He simply said.

May had all the joy sucked out of her by hearing that. "Oh... h-how lovely," She remarked with full sarcasm.

"It's okay, May. If you're too scared, just say it now." The girl quickly defied this claim.

"I'm not scared of some ghost!" She said determinedly, Ash's sentence working on her. "In fact, I bet I could easily beat one of them on my own." She fully believed, despite her team not having much against Ghost-type.

"Well, you're not going on your own Ash." Brock told the boy. "We're going to go with you, since I refuse to not let you go on your own in these conditions." Ash didn't mind this, since he wouldn't want it any other way.

Surprisingly, Lillie was fully ready to do this. "I've dealt with a few Ghost-types in Alola. If you need advice, just ask." She kindly offered. She then faced Red. "Red, do you want to get your gift from here."

Red nodded. "I told you that you didn't have to, but if you truly insist."

"Gift?" Ryan raised his eyebrow. That is when Ash remembered.

"Red! I just realized; your birthday is less than a week away." Ash blurred out; a bit ashamed that he actually forgot about that date. "Happy early birthday, man." Everyone was surprised by this revelation.

"You having your birthday soon? Then, good on you for making it to eleven." Ryan complimented Red.

"Another year under your best." Brock remarked, sharing a fist bump with the boy. "Well, guess who's going to be making your cake?"

May was super excited for Red. "How exciting! Birthdays are the best holiday, in my opinion."

"Dang. I'm actually kind of jealous." Misty gave a soft smile. "Happy early birthday."

Red giving a small smile of his own to the group. "Thank you, everyone. I appreciate the words that you have given me." He spoke honestly. "Although, I rather it just be me and Lillie on that day."

Everyone was surprised by that request. "What?" May asked out loud. "You don't want a fully on party for your birthday."

"Not really. I find them to be too noisy, and I don't want to make you pause on your journey." He explained. "I've never really enjoyed my birthday all that much. I just want to keep it simple."

They all heard this. Though they still didn't fully get it, they understood that this is what Red wanted for himself. "Well, we should still get you a gift." Brock declared, since he always took birthdays seriously. "Just name what you want, and we'll hopefully get it."

Red shook his head. "Please. I don't want to-"

"Too bad, because were not accepting that answer." Misty interrupted, in the same boat as Brock. "You're about to reach double ones. You are going to get a gift."

"If you insist." Red remarked. He didn't want to be a bother, but it seemed like they wouldn't take no for an answer.

Nurse Joy would eventually be done, having their trays laid out. Ash and Ryan offered to go get the Pokémon as they came over. "Hello," Ash kindly greeted.

"Hey, squirts," Nurse Joy greeted, giving them their trays. "Everyone's healed up and good to go. Now time to pay up."

"Huh?"

Nurse Joy just laughed. "Just kidding," The two calmed down, Ryan taking two trays with him to the table. "It was good to meet you."

"You too," Ash replied. He looked at Nurse Joy, knowing he had to ask the question they all wanted to know. "So... why do you-"

"Look different than my sisters?" She finished for him. "Well, I decided to try my own style. I decided to be the oddball of the group, and to be someone different than my family." She explained, looking at Ash with an annoyed look. "Sorry that I'm not a exact replica like my family."

Ash shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that. I'll be honest, I think you look good." Nurse Joy smiled, finding it reassuring that someone said that about her appearance. "Thank you for healing my Pokémon."

"It's my job, kid." She simply replied, Ash leaving with a few trays, along with the pair of Wartortle and Dratini. Ryan suddenly came over.

"Nurse Joy," Ryan got her attention. "Brock wanted me to tell you something."

"Hmm? Out with it?"

Ryan cleared his throat, reciting the exact sentence that Brock told him. "Tell her that she looks great, and that her hair smells like some kind of flower. Compliment her earring as well." Ryan smiled after saying that, Joy being a bit stunned after that sentence. "Have a great day,"

"Uh. You too?" Joy was left to her own thoughts as Ryan happily walked back. The boy was then met with an annoyed Brock.

"Ryan, what was that?" He asked in a strict way.

"What? You told me to say the exact words you told me." Ryan was just doing his job, a bit literally. Misty and May entered a laughing fit as poor Brock had his hands slowly slide down his face. Everyone else got a good chuckle out of this, Dratini joining in because that was what everyone else was doing.

"Don't worry, Ryan," Misty assured him, the two sharing a high-five. "You did the best you could have done."

---

Our group looked around for a bit as they tried to search for Mr. Fuji, becoming slightly easier to see with the sun so high up. Brock, Ash, and Misty managed to get the gift that they thought Red would like, promising to only give it when all this was over. They looked around eventually stumbling across a small building in this gloomy town.

"This it?" Misty asked as she looked at the building in front of her. Brock and Lillie smiled at seeing the sign.

"Yup. We found it!" The building was slightly bigger than a normal house, with it having a bigger attic than most. It had a nice purple roof, a large chimney, and massive windows in the front. It seemed to dark on the inside, and the answer was made clear with a sign on the front door.

"Aww. It's closed for today." Lillie said in a rather disappointed tone. Red looked closely through the window, seeing that there seemed to at least be one person in there. Ash saw it too, banging on the glass to get their attention.

"Ash!" Misty quickly called out.

"What? I'm trying to get Mr. Fuji outside so we could meet him." Ash simply explained.

"If it's closed, then we should just leave it alone." Brock told Ash in a brotherly way. He wanted to meet the old man, but it's fine if he couldn't. That is when the door suddenly opened, and an older man stepped outside.

"Oh. Welcome," A thin man with gray hair kindly greeted them. He wore simple black pants, a long white shirt, and some simple sandals. His white eyebrows were in a unique shape, his eyes simply being black. "I hate to be this way, but we're closed today."

Brock quickly dragged Ash away. "Sorry to disturb you, sir. My friend was just very excited to meet you." He apologized, Fuji lightly chuckling at hearing that.

"That's quite alright. I actually wouldn't mind some company right now, especially since my granddaughter is not with me this week."

Lillie quickly stepped forward. "Hello, Mr. Fuji. My name is Lillie." She introduced herself. "It's a pleasure to meet you." The old man gave a kind smile.

"Same to you. I must say, you look quite pretty for your age." He complimented, Lillie happily taking it. "You seem like someone who would want to volunteer here."

Ryan quickly stepped forward. "You can say that about everyone here." He smiled, seeing how kind-hearted this old man was. "Anything we can do to help out?" Red was a bit annoyed, not wanting to waste time.

Fuji shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm quite alright now." He then looked to see Dratini inside Ash's hoodie, seeing how small she was. "My. That's a young Dratini you have there."

"She just hatched a few days ago. Although, she's a bit shy of new people." Ash saw how Dratini was hiding from the man, gently petting her. Mr. Fuji gave a fatherly look to her.

"Well, maybe she just need some more time in this world." He suggested to Ash. "Do take care of her, okay?"

"I promise to do that, and more!" Fuji felt relived at seeing the young man being so adamant about the Dratini. Lillie suddenly held out her notebook.

"Could you please sign this, Mr. Fuji?" She quickly became nervous. "If it's not too much trouble."

Fuji took the book, signing his name on it, and then gave it to her. "No trouble at all. It was nice to meet you all, but I have to go finishing making my dinner." He was about to go back inside, but a Pokémon suddenly called out from the inside.

"Cubone!"

A Pokemon came to the door, extremely quick as it tried to escape. Everyone saw a Cunbone try to leave the front door, but Mr. Fuji quickly snatched him. "No, Cubone," He told the Ground-type. "I told you to stay inside."

"Bon bone one!" Cunbone growled, trying to get out of the man's hands. Cubone was a small, bipedal, dinosaur-like reptilian Pokémon with a light brown hide that covers most of his body, except for his cream-colored belly. Two small claws, one on each hand, served as his thumbs, and one large nail on each foot made up his toes. he had two small spikes on his back and a short tail. he wore a skull on his head, only revealing his eyes. The skull has two rounded horns on the top and a tooth-like point on the lower sides. He was also wielding a little bone, which he was using to hit Fuji's hand.

"Ow!" Mr, Tried to keep the Ground-type under control, but Cubone was not listening to what he was doing. "If you'll excuse me," Fuji suddenly closed the door, leaving the surprised group outside.

"What was that?" Misty questioned, wondering where that Cubone just came from.

"That Cubone didn't seem happy at all." Lillie remarked, seeing how angry he was. "Do you think he's here against his will?" Fuji suddenly came back out, readjusting his shirt.

"Sorry you had to see that." He apologized, giving a tired sigh. "That was one of the Pokémon that we have taking care of, Cubone. What you saw was unfortunately pretty common for him."

"It looked like he wanted to leave. Why's that?" Ash could tell Fuji was not one to abuse Pokémon.

Fuji tried to think of the best way to say it. "Cubone's has been trying to escape lately because he think that someone he knows is here. He keeps trying to find his mother," Fuji didn't want to say the last part. "But she's... she's..."

Brock knew what he was trying to say. "Gone?" Fuji slowly nodded. Everyone became silent after that, feeling instant sympathy for poor Cubone.

"Oh no..." Lillie muttered in sadness.

"Cubone thinks that his mother is here, and he's been adamant about leaving this place. We think he's just in deep denial." Fuji suddenly opened the door, ready to go back inside. "I'm sorry, but you should go."

Ash quickly interjected. "No. Can we try to help Cubone?" Ash would not be comfortable until Cubone was okay, a trait Dratini was trying to copy.

"Dra tini drat tini rati."

Fuji felt glad to have the kid say that, but he decided. "This is not your problem. We can handle it, okay?" He kindly waved at them. "It's been an honor meeting this fine group. May we see each other on another day."

"Goodbye, Mr. Fuji," The old man went back inside, locking the door behind him. Everyone was left in a rather down move after hearing that. May quickly spoke up, trying to make everyone positive again.

"Hey, what's with the sad looks?" She asked them with fake anger. "Let's keep exploring this place."

Ash and Wartorlte were in full agreement. "Yes. After all, I got to go catch a Ghost-type." Ash was back to his old self. The group quickly agreed, going back on their travels through the fog ridden town.

"Poor Cubone..." Lillie still felt extreme pity for the poor Ground-type. Red and Pikachu quickly comforted the girl, both feeling sad for the lonely Pokémon. Ryan was the most emotional, being very silent after hearing about the loss of Cubone's mother.

Ryan looked at the ground, his breathing also being very quiet. "Is everything okay?" Misty asked in slight concern at seeing Ryan. The boy quickly looked up, giving a fake smile.

"Yeah. Just... feel bad for Cubone, that's all." Misty could see that the smile he gave wasn't genuine. She gave a comforting smile to the ten-year-old.

"Well, if you're ever brave enough to tell us, then I'll be here to listen to you." She winked at him. "That's what a good friend does, right?"

Ryan felt touched after hearing that. "Yeah. I am pretty lucky to have a great friend." He replied.

---

Ash stared at Pokémon Tower in front of him, Dratini cowering a bit. He gently petted her. "Don't worry. We'll be alright, me and Wartortle."

Wartortle send her a thumbs up. "Tor!" Lillie, Misty, and Brock stood by Ash.

"All three of us can handle this" Misty said confidently. "Be nice to May and Ryan out here, alright?"

"Trust me, Dratini. This is going to be boring." Brock lied to her, the Dragon-type slithering into his arms.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu complained, noticing he had been left out.

"And you as well, Pikachu. I know you can take care of yourself." Misty quickly corrected; Pikachu satisfied with that answer. She looked at Red, Ryan, and May. "You three can handle Dratini?"

"Yeah.I would love to spend some time with her." May said in an excited way. "And also, I'd rather peacefully tonight. Still trying to get over that war we were almost part of with Haxours."

Red looked calmly at the group. "Good luck, Ash."

"Thanks. Sure wish you could've joined, though."

Ryan sent them a smile. "We'll check up on you in thirty minutes, or just scream loudly to call us." He then realized how part the second idea was. "Actually, you'll probably just make the problem worse if you yelled. Just... come back in one piece."

Brock smirked. "You got it, boss." The two boys shared a high-five, and Brock handed Dratini to him. "You already know to keep her safe."

"I'll guard her with my life!"

Ash smiled at hearing that. "And you were worried that you wouldn't be a good uncle." Ryan blushed a bit, taking great pride in hearing that. The traveling group looked at the tower, still feeling the chilling presence around it. Lillie gave a small smirk.

"Let's go right in."

"Hey! I was supposed to say." Ash joked, the seven going right into the tower. The four watched as they entered the dimly lit place, watching the massive wooden doors close with a loud bang.

Ryan looked on, wishing that he was more confident to join them. Dratini felt sad at seeing Ash go. "Don't worry. Uncle Ryan and May will make sure your happy," He tickled her, Dratini laughing loudly.

May nodded after hearing that. "So, anyone want some Salty Patch Kids?" May suddenly asked, offering a bag to the group. Red quickly took the bag, allured by one of his favorites. "Excuse me?"

Ash's group entered into the tower, and they were met with a rather comfort sight. There were a few people walking around the rather empty bottom floor, a desk with a young woman working it, and stairs that led to the second floor. "Oh. This is somewhat nice," Misty said in mild surprise.

Ash looked around, knowing what his plan would be. "We better get to the top, since that is where the Pokémon will probably be."

Lillie went to the receptionist. "Excuse me. Is there an elevator here, or just stairs?"

"There is an elevator, but it's on the second floor." She explained. "I wouldn't go past the twentieth floor, since that is where you'll encounter wild Pokémon." Everyone heard this, going up the stairs. The steps creeked each time they stepped on it.

"These stairs could use some work," Brock muttered, Pikachu fully agreeing with that sentiment. They reached the second floor, and they saw a rather grim sight. Misty and Lillie gave a light gasp.

All around there were dozens upon dozens of tombstones, all lined up in an orderly fashion. Each of them had their own unique names and descriptions on them, talking about the poor soul that wasn't around anymore. They saw a lot of people and Pokémon near these graves, some grieveing at the ones they lost. In a rare moment, Ash had nothing to say.

Everyone just agreed to stay silent, and to just go to the elevator.

They passed through the rows of graves, Misty looking around at the stones etched with words. She felt particularly bad about a Pokémon that only lasted a month. Brock kept looking ahead, handling it the best out of everyone. He wanted to help the boy and Ratata crying at one of the graves but knew that it simply wasn't his problem to heal. They entered the elevator that had a marveled floor. They quickly crowded in.

The elevator doors closed, Ash pressing the twenty second button out of thirty-five. They felt the elevator moving, a calming music playing. The music was soothing. No said anything, but Lillie suddenly cleared her throat. "You have to admit, this elevator is pretty nice."

Brock looked at her. "The music isn't the best, but it's not too bad." He tried to engage with conversation with her, trying to break the silence strangling the group. "Imagine the view all the way at the top of this place."

Misty had a smile at the thought. "I bet it would be great. Maybe we can finally see something that isn't that horrible fog." Ash suddenly gained a smile, feeling a lot better now at seeing his companions be happier.

"Better be ready, Wartortle!" He said in an excited tone. "Brock says that Ghost-types are very sneaky Pokémon." Wartortle saluted, fully ready to take down one for Ash. The elevator suddenly stopped, opening up.

There was little light on this floor, with less than twenty graves scattered around the floor. "It's so dark," Lillie took out her flashlight, glad that she kept it with her. Ash did the same as everyone moved ahead.

Misty stepped out last, as a fun idea came to her mind. "Would it make me a bad person if I just pressed random buttons on the elevator?" Brock gave her an unhappy look. "What? I wasn't actually going to do it."

The elevator closed behind them, the flashlights being the only way they could see now. They stuck close by as they searched around, seeing the floor cracked in a few spots. The graves had some dust on them. It wasn't the general atmosphere of this place that unnerved everyone, it was the silence up here.

"It's way too quiet up here." Brock said softly, seeing if he had missed anything. "How can we tell if there's a Ghost-type, Lillie?"

"Well, Ghost-types tend to only appear when you least expect them. They may not even try to attack you at first." She explained, recalling her time Acerola back in Alola. Acerola was very bizzare, but Lillie was grateful for the advice she gave.

Wartortle looked around, trying to see if he noticed anything weird. "Art..." He tried to sense around, feeling a Pokémon was actually close by. Ash looked around, holding his flashlight close to him. He was very focused for what may come.

He was so fixated on his surroundings; he didn't even feel his hat slowly float off him.

Ash's hat was suddenly lifted off, floating higher up into the air. Pikachu had all the air taken out of him when he saw it. "PIKA!"

Everyone looked at the floating hat, not believing what was happening. "Ash! Your hat!" Ash tried to quickly jump up, but something caused it to go even higher. Pikachu would give it a try, but the Electric-type barely missed it.

The hat suddenly started to float away, twirling around as if it was mocking the group. "Hey! You're not allowed to fly away!" Ash quickly chased after the hat, everyone following him. The hat quickly went up the stairs on the floor.

"Chasing after a floating hat in a creepy tower with graves?" Misty remarked on how nonsensical this scenario was. "What has happened to your life, Misty?"

The hat went to the middle of the floor as it suddenly stopped, laughing could suddenly be heard. "Gar! Gar! Gar!" All of a sudden, three Pokémon suddenly materialized in front of them. Ash stopped as he saw who had stolen his hat was.

The one holding the hat was a well-known Ghost-type, Gengar. Gengar was a dark purple, bipedal Pokémon with a roundish body. He had red eyes, a wide mouth and pointed ears. On his back were numerous spikes, and smaller spikes on top of his head similar to tufty fur. His arms and legs were short with three digits on each part, a stubby tail completing his look.

The second member was a Haunter, a purple Pokémon with a gaseous body. She had a round head flanked by three large, spiked protrusions on each side. Her eyes were triangular, with small pupils, and a mouth with a long tongue. The gas formed several pointed teeth, and disembodied hands with three clawed fingers each floated in front of her body.

Finally, there was a Gastly. He looked like a black, spherical Pokémon surrounded by a purple haze. Gastly has a wide, pink mouth with two visible fangs. His sharp eyes were very big. "Gastl gas Gastly?" He asked in an excited tone, looking at Gengar with a smirk.

"Gar gen Gengar ar!" He said in triumph, holding the hat he snagged up in the air. That when the group finally caught up to them, Gengar looking at the pervious owner of the hat.

"If you think you get to steal my hat, think again!" Ash told the Ghost-type, pointing a finger at him. "We don't have to fight over this."

Brock stepped forward. "Return that hat, and we can both go our separate ways." Gengar gave a mighty groan, finding this group dreadfully boring.

"Haunt! Haunt!" Haunter stuck out her elongated tongue at the group, making Misty take a step back. Haunter wagged it around, essentially mocking them. Gengar put on the hat, being comically small on him.

Gastly looked at him, liking the new look. "Ly gast!" Gengar didn't need to be told that, but he took it anyway. The group clearly saw that these three Ghost-types aren't interested in talk.

"I would've let you try it on, if you asked." Ash quickly told them, getting into his fighting stance. "You know what to do, Warotrtle!"

Wartortle charged straight forward, getting his teeth ready to use Bite on Gengar. The three Ghost-types quickly moved out the way, Gastly laughing at seeing a challenge after so long.

"Haun aunter Haunter hau Haunter." She told Gastly they should leave, quickly phasing through the ceiling. Gengar simply couldn't phase away, because then he would lose this new hat he just got.

Gengar had a bright idea, smiling at the group. "Gen gar Gengar en gar?" He asked if they wanted to play tag. Gengar didn't even give them a chance to answer, quickly pointing at them. "Ge eng ar en!" He said they were it, quickly running off with his hat.

"Pika kachu!"

Ash growled but was quickly stopped by Lillie. "Ash, don't." She told him, knowing what these three were doing. "They're trying to instigate you, making you waste your energy and time on their games."

"She's right." Brock reached the same conclusion. "A few of my siblings are like this. They're trying to make you upset for their entertainment, and they want you to use up all your stamina chasing them down." Ash looked down, knowing they were right.

"But that's my hat. I can't just let a Gengar run off with it." He said, wanting his hat back. Lillie was surprised by how determined Ash was.

"Is the hat that important to you?"

Ash looked at Lillie. "I worked so hard to get that hat. It's an official Pokémon League hat, and I was lucky enough to get it when I was seven." Lillie began to understand after hearing what kind of hat it was.

"If you saw how much those things are worth, you'd be upset as well." Brock told the girl. They had to go after that hat, but they simply couldn't just go in there with furry. "We need to be calm about this. Let's take deep breaths and go at a slow pace."

Ash took the advice, he and Wartortle taking deep inhales. They exhaled deeply, Ash becoming tamer. "Sorry for getting mad like that."

"Don't be. Just save that anger for when we get to Gengar, alright?" Misty suggested, Ash finding that a far better idea. The group would speed walk to the stairs Gengar went up, seeing the darkness in the ascending floors. Misty just shrugged at seeing it. "No point just looking at it."

"Not like there's anything to look at," Lillie joked, trying to lighten the mood. They went up the stairs, coming across a floor with even fewer graves than before. They searched around, spliting up into two groups.

Lillie and Misty grouped up together, while the boys were in their own group. Lillie and Misty stuck close to each other, Lillie trying to sense if she felt any unfamiliar presence around her. Misty looked at the graves, seeing all of their names. The flashlight suddenly stopped on one of the graves, Misty giving a sad look at it.

It was tombstone for a Shuckle that was nicknamed 'Tabitha', and that she only lived for six years. "Aww. I'm so sorry," She said to the tombstone in a somber way. Lillie looked at the grave as well, sending her sympathy as well.

"It's a shame that she didn't live for long." Misty looked at Lillie, since that is not what the girl was talking about.

"What? I agree with that, but I was talking about the unfortunate name she was given." Misty said rather bluntly. "You cannot convince me that name was good on Shuckle."

Lillie was surprised at the misunderstanding. She kept repeating the name in her mind, realizing how bad it sounded. "Oh. You're right, that name was not the best." Lillie had to admit.

"No way we'll find a name worse than that." Misty looked at the other graves, quickly stopping when she looked at one. It was a tombstone for a Qwilfish called 'Yudy', the Water-type having lived for over a decade. "...I'm so sorry, Qwilfish." She apologized to the grave.

Lillie also hated the name, glad that she had never thought of these for her Pokémon. "With names like that, I wonder if these Trainers actually loved them." Lillie said honestly, causing Misty to chuckle at that rather dark sentence.

"Hey, if I had a name like that, I'd disobey my Trainer." Misty said honestly. "Good thing that us girls have amazing names."

Lillie made a so-so face. "Your name is only okay, at least to me."

Misty put her hands on her hips, feeling slightly betrayed. "And to think that I actually loved your name." She said rather dramatically, the two sharing a good laugh. They both knew they were just kidding around, going back to the other group. "We found nothing. Or rather, nothing related to the Ghost-types."

"Neither did we," Brock muttered, looking upstairs. "Well, all we can do is keep going up... not really, but they're probably not downstairs." They went up the stairs, ready to keep looking.

Suddenly, their flashlights began to lose their light.

"Huh?" Ash looked on in fear as the flashlights suddenly went out, leaving them in complete darkness.

They all screamed out loud, Lillie giving off the loudest. They looked around, seeing nothing put pure darkness around them. Ash heard shuffling all around him, moving his arms all over the place. He suddenly grabbed something, causing a scream to ring out. "Ahh! Something grabbed my arm!" Misty said in fear.

"It's me!" Ash quickly assured her, now hearing other kinds of noises around him. He felt a familiar arm touch his leg, suddenly grabbing his and Misty's ankle. "Wartortle," He said in joy.

"War!" The Water-type confirmed, the trio feeling glad that everything was okay. A pair of smaller arms grabbed him, feeling that Pikachu was now with them. "Warotrtle!"

"Pikachu kachu!" Ash felt relieved that the Electric-type wasn't harmed either.

Misty suddenly felt a hand grab her shoulder, the girl thinking that Brock had found them as well. "Oh, Brock. Glad to feel your safe." No reply came, but instead some kind of small laughter came. Laughter that wasn't even remotely familiar. "B-Brock? That's you touching my shoulder, right?"

Ash's flashlight suddenly began to flash back on, light finally illuminating the area. Ash, Misty and Wartortle were all by each other, but the hand that touched Misty wasn't Brock. Misty quickly jumped back at seeing who had been touching her, Gengar giving her a little wink. "Geng gar en!"

Ash pointed at Gengar. "You!" Gengar made a scary face at them, running away with the still stolen hat. Chasing him down was tempting, but Ash realized something as he looked around. "Where... where's Brock and Lillie?"

The two were missing, not leaving any trace of what happened to them. "War tort Wartortle?" He looked around. He didn't hear them run off or go for the stairs. Pikachu quickly checked downstairs, then upstairs.

Pikachu was silent as he came to them, not seeing the two at all. "Kachu." He said, not being able to sense either of them. Misty felt a wave of fear hit her like a boat.

"Uh oh..." Misty said in dread, now feeling very alone right now.

---

"Ash!" Brock called out, looking around the level he and Lillie were on. The floor had stairs leading up, but there seemed to be no way to get down. "Misty!"

Lillie went to the place the stairs leading down would be, finding nothing but pure floor there. Dread began to slowly grow in her. "There's way down. But we're not on the first floor."

Brock tried to think about what happened, remembering how the darkness had completely covered them moments earlier. "It's okay, Lillie." He tried to calm the girl, placing her hand within his. He looked around. "I think this might be our minds tricking us."

Lillie looked around. Everything looked and felt real, but she started to see it as well. "Those Ghost-types must've put us in some kind of illusion. It makes no sense for their being downstairs." She looked around, trying to find any sings of the three Pokémon. "Don't see anything odd,"

Brock looked at the stairs, wondering where it would lead. "Is that flashlight all we have?" He pointed to Lillie's hand.

An idea suddenly came to her. "I have Bobby! We could use him for light!" She took out a Great Ball, calling out her Electric-type. "Light our way, please!"

A pink, bipedal, ovine Pokémon came out. He had thick, conical ears with black stripes on the sides of his head and small, blue eyes. A white mane of wool covered his head and upper body. He had stubby arms and one nail on each foot. His long tail has black stripes, ending with a blue orb. The Flaffy looked around at the darkness, hating how dark it was.

"Flaf!" The orb on his tail suddenly turned on, generating a light better than the flashlight. Bobby looked around, wondering where they were.

Lillie turned off the flashlight. "Hi, Bobby!" She kindly greeted. "I hate to ask this of you, but we need you to light this place for us. No pressure, or anything." Flaffy gave a mighty salute, ready to be their guide.

Brock looked at the stairs. He knew he shouldn't trust it, but it's like there was anywhere else to go. "Let's go up, Bobby," Bobby nodded, using his tail to keep it bright as they went up the stairs. The second floor was slightly smaller. The graves were arranged in a certain pattern, but neither of them made a comment. They went to the third level, seeing the graves in a certain pattern.

As they were about to go all the way, Brock stopped them.

"Wait a minute..." He paid close attention to the arrangement of tombstones, quickly checking downstairs to confirm his suspicions. "The graves are in the exact same format for both of these levels." He revealed, standing by them.

Lillie looked around, noticing how the walls seemed to have closed in a bit more. "Is it more, or does it keep getting smaller as we go up?" They tried to go back to the first floor, until they ran into an issue.

The stairs they used to ascend; all that was left was just floor.

Bobby widened his eyes, taking a step back in fear. Lillie quickly went to the area, seeing that it was like there was never stairs there in the first place. "This is definitely an illusion." Lillie confirmed, standing up. "We need to find someway out of here."

Brock tried to think. "I have no experience with Ghost-types, and I can tell that going all the way up might not be the answer." Suddenly, Haunter materalized behind him. Bobby screamed in fear.

"Flaf ffy Flaffy!" Brock quickly turned around, letting out a scream as he quickly stepped back. Haunter simply laughed, finding the three very enjoyable. She suddenly took out a hammer.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Brock told the Haunter wielding the weapon. The Ghost-type raised it up, Brock ready to dodge.

Haunter suddenly hit herself on the head with the hammer, making a rather goofy sound from it.

The trio were left confused, Haunter laughing loudly as she made the hammer disappear. She looked at her audience, expecting great laughter. Instead, she was met with stunned silence. "...Haunt ter aunter, au nut?" She told these jokes don't write themselves.

Brock looked from side to side. "I don't get it." He lowered his guard, seeing how Haunter was deep in thought. "Are you trying to make us laugh?"

Haunter suddenly snapped her fingers, signaling for them to stay as she turned around. "Haunt!" She turned back around, as her eyes were now bouncing up and down on her long tongue. This actually caused Lillie to chuckle.

"I found that kind of funny." She told Brock, who was surprised that she found amusement with Haunter. The Ghost-type was ecstatic about hearing laughter, getting ready for her next act. She grabbed the top and bottom of her mouth, stretching it out. The mouth went back into place with a loud snap.

She looked at them. "Ter aunt?" Lillie actually gave a genuine laugh, even Bobby decided to join in. Haunter wasn't extremely funny, but the two found some enjoyment out of the Ghost-type. Lillie actually laughed hard enough, accidently snorting.

She quickly covered mouth; her eyes wide in complete embarrassment. "You... didn't hear that, right?" She asked the group in mild panic. This caused Bobby and Huanter to laugh, and even Brock couldn't hide the smile.

Haunter had her good laugh, glad to see this group wasn't as dull as she thought. "Flaf ffy Fla." Bobby complimented, Haunter taking great pride in her work.

"That was not too bad," Brock said honestly, an embarrassed Lillie still beside him. "As fun as that was, can you please let us out?" Brock pointed to the tower around them. "This is clearly not the tower we know."

Haunter sighed, expecting that request. "Haunt te aunt er ter aunt er au nuter ha un, Haunter er ter aun te." She expressed her desire to make others laugh, saying that being up this high is very boring, even with her two best friends. She winked at them. "Haun unt er aun aunter." But since this group enjoyed her humor, she'd let them out of Gengar's illusion.

Brock sighed. "Thank you. I'm sorry that you don't have people that like your humor." Haunter just brushed it off, already accepting that fact.

"Flaf ffy Flaffy, fl affy." Bobby told Haunter not to play around about this, with Haunter just giving him a big smile. She grabbed Lillie right hand, and Brock's left hand. The two Trainers each grabbed one of Flaffy's arms, ready to finally be free of this. Haunter suddenly took a deep breath.

"HAUNT! HAUNT! HAUNT!" She began to chant in a booming voice. Haunter put all of her passion into her voice, looking up to the ceiling above. "AUNT! AUNT! TER! TER!" She suddenly stopped, calming down. Lillie looked around, seeing that there was no difference in their surroundings.

"...Nothing happened."

Haunter suddenly laughed. "Haun aunt er te aunt er hau." She admitted that her chanting was just for fun. She decided to go through with her deal, the world suddenly going black for the three she let out.

---

Misty began to fear that Brock and Lillie had just vanished, the worst-case scenarios coming to her mind. "Ash," She called him out. "What if we can't find them?"

"That's not going to happen. We will find them," He said in a completely sure way. Misty was scared, breathing heavily. The idea that they had lost two close friends, and now stuck in a place very unfamiliar to them, made Misty begin to panic.

Wartortle noticed how fast Misty was breathing in and out. "Pikachu?" Pikachu called her name, Misty breath and vision becoming more unstable. "Pika pi kach achu?" Misty suddenly leaned against the wall.

Her breathing was extremely heavy. "What do we do? We need to get help, but what if Brock and Lillie get hurt?"

Ash looked at the panicking girl, seeing the trouble his friend was in. "Misty. You need to breath." He told her, knowing that it becoming more unstable wasn't going to help.

"I'm scared. What if we get stuck here as well. What's going to happen if-"

"Misty!" Misty suddenly snapped out of her panic, seeing a worried Ash gently look at her. He offered his hand. "I'm still here. Everything's going to work out, but you need to calm down." He promised her.

"Wartor tor ortle..." Wartortle suddenly hugged her legs, holding them in a tight embrace. He told her to not be afraid, and feeling his familiar touch was soothing for her. Pikachu followed this example, showing his support as well.

Misty began to slowly come back to reality, realizing how her panic wasn't going to help her. "I...I..." She tried to think of the right words to say, her mind slowly starting to clear up. "I'm sorry. I just..."

"Hey," Ash said softly, still holding out his hand for her. He offered his goofy smile. "The Misty I know wouldn't be afraid. She'd yell at those ghosts." He told her, Misty knowing that is exactly what she would do.

She reached her hand out, becoming calmer at Ash's touch. She took a deep, well controlled breath. "Come on, Misty! You're better than this!" She told herself, giving herself encouragement. She looked at Ash. "Um, thank you for the safe."

Ash just shrugged. "It's what I do," He said proudly, Misty giving a smile at seeing how upbeat Ash still was. "Let's look for our friends and find those ghost that you can yell at." Unknown to them, Gastly was watching the group. He found it really heartwarming how much the group cared for each other, almost feeling bad that they caused them so much trouble.

"Pika pika ka kachu!" Pikachu was pumped after hearing that.

Misty nodded confidently, but she realized something. "We're going to need some help. It would be nice if we had three people downstairs that could help us." She didn't want to drag the three up here, but they needed all the help they could get.

Ash didn't want to send anyone down from the group, that is when he got a good idea. He took out a Poke Ball. "Come out, Pidgey!" The Flying-type emerged, feeling good about being out. That is when she took a good look at her surroundings.

"Pidg gey ey?" She asked Ash, wondering what horrible place they walked into.

"Long story. We need your help, Pidgey." He pointed to the elevator. "I need you to get downstairs, get everyone outside to come in and help us. Brock and Lillie are missing, and we need all the help we can get."

Despite how outlandish the request was, Pidgey gave a nod. "We're on the twenty-fifth floor. Thank you for doing this." Misty told the Pokémon, watching as she flew off to the elevator. Pidgey struggled with pressing the button, her beak not strong enough to actually press it.

"Gey ge!" She said in anger, trying to press the button. Misty walked over, pressing the button for her. "...Pidg dge." Pidgey thanked, embarrassed that she needed help for such a simple task.

"It's okay," Misty assured her, going back to the group. The elevator would open after a minute, the Flying-type going right in.

The doors closed behind her, pecking at the first button. The same issue suddenly occurred, where she was unable to actually press the button. Pidgey growled at herself, wondering why she couldn't simply click the button. She tried multiple times, the pressure of helping her best friends starting to get to her. She couldn't fail them, and Ash had picked her for a reason!

She suddenly began to glow white in the cramp elevator.

---

Ryan was playing with his longer hair, giving a bored sigh. "So... do you guys want to play another round of I Spy?" He asked them, seeing how drained May seemed to be. Dratini smiled, wrapping herself around Ryan's arm.

May took a deep breath, finding it exhausting not doing anything. "Alright," She pretend to look around. "I spy with my little eye this boring fog." She finished, slightly annoyed.

Dratini quickly responded. "Dra tin ini dr?" She asked if it was the bush.

"...Sure," May leaned against the wall. "Maybe I should've joined Ash up there. At least getting scared is more fun than just sitting around out here." She looked at Red. "How come you aren't complaining?"

Red simply looked at her. "I find comfort in this silence." He admitted, looking around at the fog slowly becoming darker. "I enjoy simple moments like this, since they're had to come by in this loud world."

May gave a slight frown. "Well, I don't think that way." She looked at the door, trying to look past her fear. "I could easily go in there and help out."

"Be patient. It's most likely that Ash is going to emerge from those doors in a few minutes, and you would've made yourself look like a fool." Red warned her, May not really paying attnetion to him.

Ryan smiled at Dratini, seeing how sleepy she was getting. "Looks like someone wants a nap." He said in a sing-song tone. "You can fall asleep on my lap, but you might miss out on Ash if you do." Dratini wanted to see her parental figure again, so she tried to act like she wasn't tired at all.

Misty walked up to the doors. "I'm going to go find Ash," She declared, looking at the group. "Come on, boys! Let's not be cowards anymore!" She opened the doors, and she was met with a Pokémon running into her. "AHH!"

Red quickly stood up, seeing May on the ground with the Pokémon. "Oh no!" Ryan quickly helped May up. "Are you okay?"

May gave a slight groan. "Just got hit by a Pokémon, so not really." She said, looking at the Pokémon she had bumped into. "Where did you come from?"

Red was confused by the sight. "A Pidgeotto? Here?" The Pokémon slowly stood up, looking at the group liked she had known them the entire time. Red quickly realized who this was. "Pidgey?"

Pidgeotto was far larger than her previous self. She was now a raptor-like avian Pokémon. Brown feathers covered her body, and her face, underside, and flight feathers were cream-colored. A crest of pinkish-red feathers rested on her head and black, angular markings behind her black eyes. The plumage of her tail was alternating between red and yellow feathers with ragged tips. Her beak and legs were pink. Two of her toes pointed forwards, while one pointed backwards. Her talons were far sharper as well.

Pidgeotto brought her wings out wide, declaring who she was in pride. "Pidgeot to geo tto, Pidgeotto!" Dratini was scared of the unknown Pokémon, since she still didn't about how evolution worked.

Ryan was amazed at her new look. "You look really cool, Pidgeotto!" Ryan said with stars in his eyes, loving her new appearance. "Your outside finally matches your inside!"

"I have to say, I really like the crest at the top." May complimented.

Pidgeotto happily took the praise. "Pidgeo tto pid pid ge." She said that she always looked this good. She quickly shook her head, knowing what she needed to say. "Pidgeotto o Pidgeotto pid ge eott to! Pid eo geotto Pidgeotto idge tto!" She explained the situation.

While none of the three understood, Dratini reaction gave it away. "Dratini?" She asked, worried about the other members.

"Ash needs help?" Red's questioned was met with a quick nod, the quite boy concerned for what had happened to Ash. "Is everyone alright, and how did this occur?"

"Who cares how it happened? We need to go help them!" Ryan told him off, everyone quickly agreeing. The four rushed inside, knowing they had to put aside their feelings for Ash. They charged right in, following Pidgeotto to the second floor.

A elderly woman watched them run, seeing the same Pidgeotto that flew by earlier. In her hands was a bouquet of lavender flowers. "Huh?" She looked at the group, wondering what happened with them. "Those moppets seem to be in a rush." She quietly followed after them.

The group quickly went to the elevator, all of them trying to go in at once. "Hey, I need to get in!" May complained.

"So do the three of us," Red deadpanned. They were all able to get in, taking up most of the space in the elevator. Pidgeotto quickly pressed the button, proud that she got in her first try. She was never going to admit the only reason she evolved was to press the button on the elevator.

"Let's go!" May said optimistically, watching the doors gently close.

"Wait!" A female voice called to the group. Ryan quickly placed his hand to stop the machine, looking to see who it was. An old woman came, a brown cane in one hand and flowers in the other. Her yellow hair was short, and she wore a long violet dress with sleeves. She also wore a whit skirt, and gray leggings with purple shoes. She gave a sweet smile to them. "Can the old lady join with you?" She asked in a very grandmotherly tone.

Ryan looked at the ground. "Uh, sorry. We're in a rush." He tried to tell her, not wanting to be mean. Suddenly, she pushed the boy aside with her cane. "Ahh!"

"Too bad, sunny. I'm taking 'no' for an answer." She sounded so threating, yet so sweet at the same time. She smiled as she walked in. "I appreciate it," Red suddenly gave a sharp gasp, realizing who it was in the elevator with them.

"You're Agatha,"

The elderly woman faced the kid, giving off a small smirk. "My. You're a smart cookie, aren't you?" She asked the boy. "Or maybe my young appearance gave it away."

Ryan looked at the old woman. Agatha seemed so relaxed, as if she wasn't one of the most powerful Trainer's in Kanto. "Y-you're the Agatha?" He said in shock, the old woman looking at the kid.

"Did you not hear the kid, you moppet?" She asked rather grouchily, Ryan stunned by how blunt she was. Agatha laughed at seeing how frozen the boy was. "I'm just kidding, but you better not forget my name."

May looked on with a wide mouth. She was surprised by how different this woman was compared to the respectful Lance. That is when she realized, they could use Agatha to help them. "Hi, Agatha," May kindly introduced. "I hate to ask this of you, but we need your help?"

"Hmm? You must be desperate if you're asking the old lady for help." She smiled.

"Please, Agatha," Red said respectfully. "Our friend send his Pidgeotto down to get us. He was trying to catch a Ghost-type, but we can only wonder what may have happened to him."

Agatha heard the sob story, looking at Pidgeotto. "I was wondering why a Pidgeotto was just flying around." She gently petted her, the Flying-type surprised by how gentle her touch was. "Eh. If I'm allowed to beat some Pokémon, then count me in."

Everyone was grateful for hearing that. "Thank you so much, Aga-" Before May could finish, Agatha placed a finger on her mouth.

"Shh! I know I'm amazing, and I know you're eternally grateful." Agatha said for her, not too keen on listening to their gratitude. May looked at Agatha, wondering how Lance and Agatha actually got along.

"Geo tto!" Pidgeotto said they had arrived, the elevator stopping as she said it. The doors opened as she quickly flew in. Agatha was adamant on getting out first, blocking everyone with her cane.

"Hmm. If only this place was darker and drearier." Agatha remarked, liking her surroundings well enough. Misty, Ash, and the two Pokémon came up from downstairs. The girl was quickly relieved at seeing them.

"Yes! You got the message from... Pidgey?" Ash suddenly stopped as he looked at the Pidgeotto that came to him, looking at him like she had known him all this time. "Is that you, girl?"

"Geotto!" Pidgeotto raised her wings, showing off her new form to the four. Misty was impressed with her new look, while Pikachu was not the biggest fan of it. Wartortle and Ash looked on in amazement, but the eleven-year-old suddenly got upset.

"Oh man! I wasn't there to see you evolve." Ash realized, giving an apologetic look to his Pokémon. "I'm sorry, Pidgeotto. I should've been there for you." The Normal-type wasn't bothered, going up to her Trainer in affection.

Wartortle smiled as he hugged, feeling how soft her feathers were. "Wartortle arto ortl." The three shared a nice hug together, wishing they could actually celebrate a great moment like this.

"Thanks for coming to help, Red," Misty thanked the boy in a swift way, suddenly realizing the elderly woman that had come with them. "Who is thiiisss..." Misty felt dumb for not recognizing her immediately. "You're Agatha!"

Agatha sniggered. "You seem a bit slow, but you got the right answer." She said to Misty, the girl frowning at being called that. "Don't give me that sour look, Missy."

Ash couldn't believe who was in front of him, not much taller than he was. The biggest smile grew on his face, eagerness taking over with one of his idols being here. "Ms. Agatha! Hi!" He exclaimed in joy, waving at her.

Agatha took a look at the young Trainer. "You're a bit loud, but you seem to respect me." She pointed out, getting that first impression from him. "Keep your voice in check, capuche?" Ash nodded, wanting to make Agatha like him.

Ryan looked at Ash and Misty, giving Dratini to her owner. "What has happened? Where are Brock and Lillie?"

"That's the reason why we called you up here," Misty responded. "We lost them, and we worry the Ghost-types did something bad to them. Ash thought we could use the extra help."

"Lost your buddies, eh?" Agatha gave a small smile. "Good thing I'm here to help you find your friends. You could do it yourself, but I'll help out." She partly chastised them, but the Elite Four member was more than willing to assist them.

"I can't how express how grateful we are," Agatha just laughed after Misty said that.

"Then don't," She simply advised. "Don't waste energy on long words." Agatha face suddenly became still, her mouth becoming a straight line. She looked around her, confusing everyone as to what she was doing. "Hmm. There's a Ghost-type in this room, looking at us." She mumbled.

Agatha suddenly pointed to a specific spot near them, the woman doing it with such fierceness. The group saw that there was no Pokémon there, until something began to materialize. Gastly popped up to them, figuring that he should stop playing games with this group. "Gastly!" He proudly declared, looking at the woman who caught him. "Gas tl ly ast astly a."

Agatha smirked at the compliment she got. "I've been around a lot longer than you have, and I know all your Ghost-types trickery." She looked at the group, letting out a small scoff. "So, you gaggle got outwitted by this single Gastly?"

"He was part of a trio," Ash pointed at Gastly, deciding that being nice wasn't going to work anymore. "Listen here: give my friends and hat back, and I won't try to catach or hurt you. Can we agree on that?"

"War tor?"

"Pika achu kachu pi!" Pikachu and Wartortle stood by his side, ready to make Gastly spit out the answers. To their surprise, Gastly actually agreed.

The Ghost-type had realized how harmful his group was being, and he decided that they should give these kids back their stuff. "Gastly ly," He nodded, looking up into the roof. "Gastly!" He called out for Haunter.

"Think this might be a trick?" Ryan questioned, wondering if this might be a trap.

Agatha gave a smile to the Ghost-type. "No. I think our little Pokémon has finally decided to stop being infuriating." Haunter came up from the ground, a big smile on her face as she looked at Gastly.

"Gas stly tly ast ly Gastly." Haunter laughed loudly, giving a thumbs up to his request of freeing the pair.

"Haunt aunter Haunter er aun te ter!" Haunter divulged how she had already freed the two Trainers, suddenly pointing up. "Haun ter te aun!" She used her other hands to hold up three fingers.

Red quickly figured out her answer. "Three levels about us?" Haunter gleefully nodded. Ash could tell Haunter wasn't lying, and Ash quickly made his way for the stairs.

"Wait for us!" Everyone scrambled to run up the stairs, while Agatha simply just watched how impatient these kids were. They quickly dashed through the floors, climbing up three flights of stairs. When they reached their destination, it turns out that Haunter was telling the truth.

"Brock!"

"Lillie," Ryan and Red quickly ran to their missing friends, finding the two leaning on the wall on the ground. They looked fine from the outside, and it seemed like they were actually asleep. Red quickly checked on his companion, seeing her sleep peacefully. He shook her awake.

Lillie slowly began to open her eyes, feeling how tired her body was. Her vision was blurry, but she still recognized who was in front of her. "Red?" She mumbled.

"Pika!" Pikachu suddenly landed on her lap, making the girl fully wake up in a startled way. "Pik achu ka chu Pikachu?" He asked her.

"Pikachu," She smiled at the familiar Pokémon, hugging him tightly. Her head was slowly starting to wake up. "I'm fine, but I feel so dazed." She complained, Red helping her to her feet.

"You got me worried. I was so scared for you." Red expressed in the most monotone voice possible, but he was actually happy that Lillie was fine.

Brock stood up as well, not feeling too good in the head. "How long have we been asleep?" He asked no one in particular, looking at Misty helping him. "You guys okay?"

"We should be asking you that," Misty told him. "You made Ash and Wartortle scared. Luckily, I was able to help them out." Ash and Wartortle gave the biggest eye-rolls possible, but they weren't going to call Misty.

"I'm so glad your safe, Brock. I'm sorry this happened to you both." Ash felt responsible for this happening to the pair, but Brock waved his hand off.

"Don't be. You didn't tell those Pokémon to do this." He shook himself awake, feeling energized again. "Speaking of which, where is that Gengar?"

"Yeah. I have a few unfriendly words for him." Lillie was not going to be friendly to a Pokémon like these three anymore. Suddenly, elderly laughter came.

"My. I like this girl's spirits." Agatha, now having come out of the elevator, walked up. To say Brock and Lillie were shocked was a grave understatement. "Although, all white is never the best way to go."

"Agatha!" Brock had his eyes wide, looking at the old woman he had met once. "You're here! Like, really here." The old lady just smirked.

"Look at you, Brock. You've grown, and actually lost some of that baby fat." Agatha pulled on his cheek, almost like they were family. She suddenly pulled hard, finally stopping after the boy cringed. "You still have a long way to go, junior."

Lillie looked at the woman, not expecting this from an Elite Four member. "Trust me, I didn't expect her to act this way either." Lillie saw one of the most powerful Pokémon Trainers in Kanto talk with much dryness, not afraid to personally attack the group with brutal honesty.

Ash was glad that everyone was safe, but there was still one issue. "We're still missing my hat. I'm not leaving until I get it back." They suddenly heard Haunter laughing as she floated upstairs.

Haunter came to the level, the hat in her hands. Gengar was floating behind her, wanting the hat he snagged back. "Gen gar ar ga gen en!" He grumbled to Haunter, actually wanting to keep the hat. Haunter just shook her head, handing it over to the original owner.

"Thank you," Ash placed his hat back on his head, now feeling complete after so long. He looked at Gengar, deciding to forgive the Ghost-type despite everything. Unfortunately, Brock and Lillie didn't think that way.

"Was trapping us in an illusion some kind of sick joke?" Brock demanded from him, not having the patience anymore.

Lillie crossed her arms. "We're not going to let you off the hook," Pikachu was standing right beside her, releasing some electricity from his cheeks in an intimidating manner.

Gengar gave a massive sweat drop, realizing how many people he had angered. "Gen ga. Gen ga," He raised his hands, trying to calm down the group. "Gengar gar a en gen g en." He tried to say it was all just a prank, but his pathetic lie wasn't working.

Gastly suddenly materialized next to Gengar, giving his best friend an annoyed look. "Ast ly ast ga astly ly tly." Gastly told Gengar to just apologize, since it was the least he could do. Gengar turned his head away in childish defiance.

Agatha suddenly walked over, giving them a maternal smile. "Aww. You're just lonely all up in this tower, and you just wanted to play with you." Gengar was surprised by how Agatha identified his problem. "It's pretty lonely with no one else to mess with." She placed a kind hand on his head.

Gengar smiled, glad that someone actually understood him. "Gen gar enga Gengar ar a Gengar." He expressed. Agatha sent a gentle smile to him, everyone confused by where this was going.

"Why is she sympathizing with him?" May thought in disbelief.

"That's no reason to hurt people, though. Now, I believe you should give these kids an apology." Gengar shook his head, having no interest in that. Suddenly, his head was painfully held in Agatha's tight grip. Gengar let out a small cry of pain. "That wasn't a request, but a threat." Agatha didn't change her tone, looking darkly at the Pokémon.

Gengar had to admit this woman's grip was killer. "Gen ga engar gen!" He yelled that he would do it, Agatha finally letting him go. He had to walk over to the group with a frown, all while Haunter and Gastly laughed at what their friend just went through. He stopped in front of Ash. "Gen gar engar gen ge ng a ar Gengar, e a gen engar eng a." He apologized for everything he did, actually being partially genuine about it.

Lillie could tell that Gengar was slightly remorseful for his actions. She undid her crossed arms. "Well, I guess no physical harm was done. Alright, I accept." Gengar was actually surprised.

Brock shrugged. "I know people out act when their lonely, just don't be this extreme again." Gengar felt relief at being forgiven, but he didn't show it.

Misty looked at Agatha, seeing how effective her method was. "You're scary," She simply stated.

Agatha just smirked. "You sound like my family, girly,"

Ash suddenly walked over to Gengar, the Ghost-type looking at him. "Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot. If you are so bored being here, then maybe you should be outside and explore the world." Gengar raised his eyebrow, wondering where he was going with this. "I'll be honest, I came here looking for a Ghost-type Pokémon. Maybe we can both get what we want if we traveled together." He suggested, sticking his friendly hand out. "Do you want to be my Pokémon, Gengar?"

Gengar was surprised by this request, while the group was rather divided about this decision. "Really, Ash?" Misty asked him. "You're going to trust him after everything?"

Surprisingly, Brock was okay with this. "I'm not happy with this choice, but I know you could teach him to better." The boy knew that Ash could bring out the best of Gengar, even if it seemed impossible. "If Gengar is willing to put in the effort."

Gengar looked at the hand offered, then up at Ash. "It's up to you. You might be able to try my hat again if you behave." Gengar suddenly gained a big smirk, taking the hand Ash offered.

"Gar," He decided, the Pokémon and Trainer shaking hands.

Everyone was happy for Ash, but also a bit annoyed that Gengar was now going to be with them. "Oh, yay," May tried to be excited, forcing a smile. "I'm so glad you could be with us, Gengar."

Agatha suddenly scoffed. "Hey! I was expecting a fight between you two!" She complained, feeling robbed of such an opportunity. "I hate it when people do these things without battling."

Gengar continued to smirk at Ash, the boy about to reach in his bag. "Alright. You just have to get into-" Ash wasn't allowed to finish his sentence, as Gengar suddenly jumped at him. "WAH!" Ash quickly blocked himself with his face, ready for the worst of it. That is when nothing happened, and Ash looked around in confusion.

"Huh?" Ryan saw Gengar jump at Ash, and suddenly disappear. "Where did he go?" Everyone looked around, not seeing any sign of Gengar around.

Lillie looked at Ash's shadow, suddenly seeing it begin to move. "Ash! Your shadow!" Ash quickly turned around in slight fear, seeing Gengar's face suddenly stick out of his own shadow. Gengar began to laugh out loud, sticking his tounge out at Ash.

Misty was scared for Ash, worried that something bad has happened to her best friend. "Are you okay, Ash?"

"I... feel fine," He slowly realized, seeing the Pokémon now in his shadow. "Cool trick you got there."

Gengar just laughed. "Gen ga gar eng a ng Gengar." He suddenly began to explain, taking a arm out of the shadow to point at the kid. "Gengar ga ar en ga ga r eng. En g, gar ar geng gen r en g!" He proposed a simply challenge to Ash. If he could handle Gengar being in his shadow for some time, then he'll join without issue. All Ash had to do was play this game, and to simply not quit out of it.

Ash looked at Gengar. "What is this?" Brock questioned Gengar, wondering what the Ghost-type was plotting. "You really had to go and make this more difficult than just a simple Pokémon battle."

Ash looked at Gengar, giving a determined look. "Alright," He gave a sure nod, surprising Lillie. "I'll play your game. And besides, I'll have a new friend that's always with me." Ash focused on the positives. Gengar was a bit confused by how well he took this, but a day with him will make the kid change his mind.

Haunter just happily waved at Gengar. "Haunt Haunter!" Suddenly, both Gastly and Haunter stuck out massive tongues out. Everyone was a bit grossed out by how wildly the tongues moved, except for Agatha and Lillie who found it humorous. Gengar just brought his hand from the shadow, sending them a thumbs up. The two Ghost-types then floated away, having their fun for the day.

Everyone was now left alone, with Ash poking at his new shadow companion. "So... we done here?" He asked eagerly.

Red stretched himself out. "Well, Ash technically got a Ghost-type Pokémon. I'd say we're done here." He patted Ash on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Ash nodded, looking at Gengar in his shadow. Wartortle looked at the Ghost-type, giving a no nonsense look to him.

"War tor ortle ar rtort le tle." He told the Pokémon that there would be no funny business, and Gengar just gave a snicker at the order. There seemed to be no reason to remain anymore, and no one wanted to be in this dark tower anymore. They all went for the elevator but saying their goodbye and appreciation for Agatha.

"Goodbye, Agatha," Lillie kindly waved goodbye to the woman, lucky enough to have the woman's autograph in her book. Ryan, Misty and Ash also got their autographs, but that is all the old woman was willing to give out.

She smiled at the attention she got, but also got annoyed it. "Alright, scram. I can't just be sitting here all day writing away on some papers." Everyone went to the elevator, giving her one last wave of goodbye's. "Don't be a cynic!" Was the ultimate advice she gave.

Ash smiled at Agahta. "It was an honor to meet you, Agatha." Ash and Wartortle gave a respectful bow. "I promise to see you again at the Indigo Plateau!" He promised her, Agatha just smirking.

"I don't you want to promise me anything but do it instead."

Brock gave a firm handshake with the Elite Four member, looking at her flowers. "May I ask what those are for?" Agatha held the flowers, having a soft smile on her face.

"They're for an old friend. One that I haven't seen in some time." She simply spoke, the three boys knowing what she meant by it. "Definitely doesn't concern you."

Brock and Ash respected her wish, giving one last bow. "May you be happy, Agatha," Brock told her, Agatha giving a bow of her. She looked at the Dratini with Ash, then at the boy.

"She's young, but I can tell you're doing something right." She remarked, offering a motherly smile to the little Dragon-type. "You look a bit too alive, girl," Dratini curled closer to Ash, Agatha giving off a small laugh. Gengar also found the joke funny enough.

The two would part ways, everyone going into the elevator as they were finally allowed to leave this place. Agatha watched on with a slight smile, glad to have met kids such as them. When the doors closed, she looked at the lavender flowers she held in her hands. She had come for a special person that she had once known, someone that she loved.

---

"Ahh!" May yelled wit energy, popping her neck. "So glad we can finally get away from that scary tower, and also this town." The girl was rather cheerful about finally saying goodbye to Lavender Town. "Goodbye, city I couldn't see anything in!"

"I completely agree. This fog is getting on my nerves." Misty looked distastefully at the fog, noticing how it was starting to become less thick as they approached the outside of the town. She looked at Red. "Don't know how you managed to enjoy this fog."

Red looked at her. "I never said anything about the fog of this place. I merely said that I enjoyed the silence of this place." He corrected, since the boy was getting bored by how foggy it really was. Pikachu never even liked it in the first place.

Wartortle closely watched Ash's shadow, waiting for the moment Gengar would do something to Ash. "So, Gengar is just going to hang out in your shadow for the time being?" Ryan asked, looking at the eleven-year-old. "Seems a bit scary."

Ash was still confident. "Don't worry. Me and Gengar are going to be great friends!" Ash said with confidence. Gengar still found this idea funny, but he didn't want to break the kid's spirits so quickly.

"You're handling this pretty well."

"I know Gengar wouldn't actually hurt me, and I have you guys to help me out." May suddenly became nervous at hearing that.

"Um. Do I have to help with Gengar?" She whispered in fear. Brock placed a comforting hand on her.

"Don't worry, we can handle Gengar." He was right, since he had a Dark-type at the ready for Gengar. "Besides, you don't exactly have anyone that could really help out. You might want to learn some moves that could protect any Ghost or Psychic-types we'll run into."

"You're definitely right,"

Ryan excitingly came over. "We can train together, May." May was happy with the idea, since Ryan was her favorite training buddy.

Ash was in the back, sensing the Gengar was looking at him. "I didn't realize my head was so interesting to you." He joked to his shadow partner, Gengar just laughing at being called out.

"Gen en ga ar gar en gen Gengar." Gengar teased that he was just looking out for his Trainer, the last part having air quotes around them. Wartortle looked at Gengar going back in the shadow, coming to Ash.

"War tortle art otle war wa Wartortle." He was blunt in his distrust of Gengar, because the Ghost-type didn't even try to respect Ash. "Wartot ortl le tle ortle." he suggested.

"We're not going to fight him unless we have to." Ash was adament about this choice, because he wanted to show Gengar how wrong he was. "Also, you do realize he is listening to everything we're saying?"

"War tortle. Warotl tor Wartortle." Gengar gave a fake look of sadness when Wartortle said he didn't care. The Ghost-type was already making plans on messing with the Water-type first.

Misty suddenly came to them, having a friendly smile to her. "Yo," She quickly greeted, suddenly looking up at the sky. "So, can we talk about something?"

"I'm all ears," Ash saw how Misty seemed a bit embarrassed by something, wondering what this was.

"I... just wanted to thank you about calming down in that tower." She told him, still upset about the moment she had there. "I was under a lot of stress back there, and you were able to help me out of my fears. Sorry you had to see that."

Ash gave a caring smile to her. "Of course. I know you would've done the same for me, and I hate to see my best friend like that."

"I would try to calm you down if you began to panic like that. Although, I'd slap you out of it when words wouldn't work." Misty knew that's exactly what she would do, Ash giving a slight frown.

"Well, that's certainly a way to do it," He muttered. "Just remember to take deep breaths if that happens to you again."

"I will," Misty promised, looking at Ash. "And also, could you not tell anyone about what really happened? I worry they'll judge if I tell them."

"What?" Ash was confused by why she would even request this. "I'm not that kind of friend, and we're not the kind of people to judge you. Do you really think that way?"

"War tortl?" Wartortle was also wondering why Misty would think like this.

The girl shook her head, realizing how stupid her request was. "You're right. I should've known to not for something like that." She looked at him. "Let's just keep quiet about it. All three of us."

"Gengar!" Gengar shouted, taking offensive at being left out.

"You are not part of this conversation!" Misty quickly rebutted, paying no mind to the Ghost-type. Gengar gave a frown, actually impressed by that response. Ash nodded to her.

"Won't even tell a piece of wood about that moment." Misty gave a grateful look, glad to have someone like Ash to be so understanding. The Ash played around a bit with Dratini, wishing that her first adventure could've been better than place. Gengar heard all of this, seeing how close those two were, but also not really caring.

The group would continue walking, since they'd rather rest in the woods than this town. The edge of the town was within sight, the fog slowly starting to fade away. "I can see the sun!" May shouted in joy, seeing the familiar star in the sky. It would be two more minutes before they finally reached the border of Lavender Town.

The thick fog was no longer an issue, looking ahead to see the path lead into some thick woods. The sky had become orange now, with the sun only about an hour from completely going away. Everyone just took a moment to breath, glad that they didn't have to deal with the awful fog anymore. Gengar actually popped his head out of the shadow, admiring the view he had never seen before.

Red was calm as ever, releasing a controlled breath from his nose. He looked to Ash. "This is where we part way, Ash." He told the boy. "We'll see each other again in Celadon, I'm sure of it."

Ash knew this was coming but wanted to spend more time with his best friend. "I hate to see you three go. But, if that's what you want." He offered his hand to Red. "See you soon, Red!"

"Same with you," Pikachu and Wartortle shook hands as well, wishing that it didn't have to end so soon. Dratini was wondering why Red had to go, the calm boy looking at the Dragon-type. He cupped his hand together. "May I hold you?"

Dratini slithered into his arms, the boy looking at the small Dragon-type. He held her close, with Pikachu smiling to her from his shoulder. Lillie went over, gently petting Dratini. "I'm going to miss you, Dratini. I can tell that this group will raise you well." She told her, smiling at the group. "It was really great to see you again!"

"I had fun. Despite everything we went through, I somehow enjoyed it all." May revealed, glad to have actually spend these days together. Brock smiled at hearing that.

"Good for you, May," He was glad to hear that from the girl, seeing how much she had changed. He looked at Red, the boy returning Dratini to Ash. "Since you're birthday is coming up, we got you something."

"Wow. Who would've guessed that was the reason we stopped at that store for an hour, and I wasn't allowed in?" Red knew about this, since they weren't even trying to hide it.

Ryan gave a sweat drop. "Sorry about that. But either way, Ash got you something that he knew you would like." Ash took something out of his bag, holding it out wide with both hands.

Red gave a small gasp at seeing it. "Since we won't be there for you on that day, let's give you something worthy of a birthday gift." A surprised Red reached out his hands, holding the item in his hands.

"It's... really great," Actual emotion entered his voice, seeing something he always wanted. It was just a simple orange scarf, nothing really unique about it's design. "It looks like the one I always when I was younger."

Ash smiled, seeing how grateful Red was. "There's wasn't a lot of options, but I knew you would like this one." Ash nervously scratched the back of his head. "I know it's still summer, but now you have something for later on."

Red looked at scraf, wrapping it around his neck. One long end hanged off his back. "Pi..." Pikachu was closely examining the thing, making minor adjustments on the piece of clothing. "Pika achu!" He shouted, finding it really good on the boy.

"I think it looks good on you, Red," Lillie complimented.

Misty was still not sure with the gift. "Personally, I think that Arcanine shirt we found would've been ten times better. But, you do look good with it." Ryan quickly took a wad of cash out, handing it over.

"And of course, here's some money to go along with it." Red took the money, counting it up. The kid received thirty thousand Poke Dollar. "You could spend it on a scarf collection. Although, you're smarter than that."

Red looked at the group, giving them a small smile. "I'm grateful. I truly am."

"I'm glad you liked the gifts, but we're not quite done here." Red saw how Brock looked at everyone, a knowing smile on his face. "Everyone ready?"

"Always am!" Ryan said confidently.

"Just to warn you, I don't have the best singing voice." May quickly told them, everyone gathering up together. Pikachu jumped off Red's shoulder, joining everyone for what they were about to do.

Wartortle looked at Dratini. "War tort ortle arto ortle?" He asked if she remembered the lyrics, to which she nodded. Wartortle nodded back. "Wartortle art or ortle artortle." He apologized in advance for how loud this might be. Brock raised three fingers, then two, then one.

Everyone began to sign happy birthday to Red, their voices filled with joy as they sang the iconic lyrics. It didn't matter that today was not the day, or that there was no cake, because Red deserved a proper celebration. The boy looked around, his soft eyes seeing how everyone came together for this. Even Dratini had learned the lyrics quickly just for this moment. The smile on Red slowly grew, the boy seeing just how lucky he was to have this. To have someone like Ash and Lillie.

Red would never say, but he almost teared up in that moment.

END OF CHAPTER 20

---

Plot twist! Did you think that I was just going to give Gengar to Ash? Our eleven-year-old is going to have go through some time bounding with Gengar, because our boy needs to be challenged in some way. Gengar is now part of the group, just not in the way you might think. Bringing Agath was something I've planned since the start, and I feel like I wrote her character well enough. I did plan for Brock's Zubat to evolve in this chapter, but I figured that would be best suited for next chapter.

I know most expected the whole Cubone storyline. I will include it later, but not at this time. Trust me, this is not the last time we'll be in Lavender Town.

Since people are going to ask, I'll say that Ash still doesn't fully own Dratini. He doesn't count amongst his team due to not being captured yet, and I will keep it like this for some time. Celadon is within reach, and I have some plans when we reach that location. Celadon should mark the 1/3 story mark, and I will stop following the anime so closely after those chapters come out. It really doesn't feel like a lot, but I'm satisfied with how this story is turning.

Ash's Team: Wartortle (M), Pidgeotto (F), Nidorino (M), Bulbasaur (M), Chimchar (M)

Misty's Team: Starmie (N/G), Azumarill (M), Horsea (F), Magikarp (M), Jigglypuff (F), Squirtle (F)

Misty's Other Members: Seaking (F)

Ryan's Team: Pinsir (M), Butterfree (M), Jangmo-o (M), Oddish (M), Slowpoke (M), Ponyta (Galarian, F)

Brock's Team: Graveler (M), Onix (M), Zubat (M), Eevee (M), Houndour (F)

May's Team: Beldum (Shiny, N/G), Charmander (M), Noibat (M)