The exit of Rock Tunnel had left us scarred and destitute from the encounter of the Triad leader. Cubone was taken from us. Our supplies were limited after navigating the canyon on Route eight, our morale was low and none of us really said a word to each other the whole hike down.

Route eight had many different rock formations and cliffs that were similar to Route nine that were pleasing to look at, but it was definitely the shortest route that we were on. This path in particular, lead us to a little town over a small hill overlooking a valley of buildings.

Lavender Town.

Just as soon as we approached the hill it was dark and there was a wispy fog that had overrun it. You could faintly see lights flickering within the fog, indicating that we were close, but you could also see a spire that was peaking over the clouded valley. Like a monolith looking down upon it's inhabitants with fierce judgement.

Pokémon Tower? Lieutenant Surge is in there.

Surge wanted me to fight him there, but as far as we were concerned. We were hungry, cold, and defeated from Surge's altercation. Our Pokémon were not in the best of spirit's either and it was almost as if the town was giving off this energy of despair and all of us felt the effects like it was sucking the life out of all of us.

Descending down the gradual hill before us. We approached a Pokémon Center to the west of town. We still couldn't make out what was in front of all of us, but we relied on following the light that was glowing through the mist.

The town felt empty, there was hardly anyone around us and as soon as we approached the medical building. The sliding doors of the center opened upon command, but there was no one, not a soul inside of it.

Where is everybody? I thought with an anxious heart.

This feeling of unease, the fact that both Teams could get the jump on us at any moment was weighing on my mind. The nurse receptionists were not at their cubicles and there was not a person occupying the empty space of the lobby of the Pokémon Center anywhere around us.

"Where do you think they could have gone?" Inquired Misty to break the silence to Brock.

"They must have gone home for the night. I know sometimes the Pokémon Center has varying operational hours in different places."

"This place gives me the creeps." I noted to the two already beginning to speak.  It was pretty dark inside, you couldn't see anything else other than a neon hue that strobed across the glossed tile floor.

"Agreed, but it's probably the safest place we are gonna have to stay for the night." Added Brock to my concern.

If there was somewhere else I'd rather be it was not the Pokémon Center. A hotel, or a close resident of the town would have done better, but Brock was our pack leader. We would follow him wherever we went. They were the ones that were more familiar with the Kanto region then us basic trainers.

"Any particular reason why a Pokémon Center would just leave it's doors open for unsuspecting guests?" Inquired Blue to Brock.

"It could be an error in forgetting to lock the door."

"Yeah, but it's rather strange that if it's supposedly open twenty-four hours a day that it would not have any clerks available to take our Pokémon?" I pondered in thought while also looking at the operational hours on the door frame.

"It is rather strange, at any rate, Misty and I will find the locking mechanism to the sliding doors. If any of the Nurses plan on opening the center for business. They have key's to open it. Right now, we've been through a lot going through that cave and I know many of us are injured. But if we get rest, we'll feel a lot better in the morning." Smiled Brock with as much enthusiasm as he could for all us broken trainers.

Very glad to have a leader like him on our team.

I honestly wouldn't know what we would do without him. It was comforting knowing the dangers that we could somehow face them with a boy of charisma and charm. Brock was the oldest out of all of us and it was nice to have someone as mature as him with a good sensible head, he would be the one that would lead us toward safety and security with his knowledge of the region.

Reluctantly, we each dropped our bags on the hard-tiled floor and unzipped them to pull out our bedsheets. Blue had unfurled his before mine and laid it out in preparation for the night. Our eyes were bagged and tired from walking these long distances. Depleted of our energy from fighting off the bad guys who were desperate to try and take Pokémon away from us.

"Hey Blue?" I asked to the boy next to me who was willing to at least listen to my query, but nodded while trying to yank out his fluffy pillow from his bag.

"I really want to save them; I am worried that us being sitting ducks would cause them more harm."

The boy shook his head and laid across his brown, sleeping bag up against the pillow, looking towards the ceiling in contemplation.

"You need to give it time, you won't be able to fight them in the state you and I are in." Assured Blue.

"I know." I said as I laid prostrate alongside my pink sleeping bag next to him.

"But I just don't want anything to happen to that Cubone. He's the one that I fear would be hurt the most."

"I understand." He smirked.

"It's hard doing nothing, but if the body needs just a few hours of sleep. Then it will be easier for you to find the energy to take them on."

"Leaf, they are in danger but we need to be patient. That's what Team Love likes to do best, make the trainer feel weak, like they are unable to do anything. Corner them until they have nothing left to give. Once their Pokémon is depleted then they have their perfect getaway. That's how they and Team Rocket tactically move about and take from other unsuspecting Trainers and get away with it."

"When we are rested up we are going to be climbing up that tower over there." He pointed my eyeline directly toward the spiraling tower that seemed to be the only thing that spired toward the atmosphere outside the massive east window of the Pokémon Center

This tower was pretty old by my observation. It looked to be lit up from the inside like there was someone inside it navigating it's corridors. I didn't like the fact that the one man who had the Cubone in his possession would be the one responsible for all of these issues, yet I had to wonder.

What is he doing in the Pokémon Tower? Just what does he want?

All those questions that had all the answers I sought. Lay within the mausoleum of the massive Pokémon graveyard described by Jack when he initially tortured me with the Pokémon I had in my possession.

The Pokémon Tower had old brick that was laid all throughout the cylindrical spire. This tower seemed to climb seventy feet above the roofline of all these buildings in town combined. It had many varying gothic textures, a monolith of a building that looked to have seen better days.

Statues of Rhydon, and Charizard lined each floor leading up to the spire. The only building that seemed to point with a tiled roof above it.

In front of the entrance. I observed out the window, a graveyard. Tombstones all laid at the front entrance leading up to it, set the tone of how haunting this place was.

Misty had located the lock near the cubicle and turned the key to automate the doors locking mechanism.

"Found the key." Smiled Misty.

"Perfect, alright guys, once my alarm clock goes off; we'll be better off to face Team Rocket in no time!" Emphasized Brock as he lay in his comfortable, fur blankets while waving his white, and red Electrode alarm clock. Indicating the time at which we were to wake up around seven.

All four of us, nestled our bodies within the covers of our sleeping bags on the floor. My eyes drifted into the land of dreams. Every one of us were very tired after a long journey through the land of the living.

The land of the dead came to life at the bewitching hour of midnight and we all fell into a very deep sleep that we didn't have for many hours in that cave. All except Blue who was beginning to wind down last from all of us.

Suddenly, Gastly's Poké Ball started rolling out of my bag. I was unaware while asleep, but Gastly shook himself free from the capsule by turning the ball in the forward position and pressing the button to detach himself. His mass shook free from the roll and started to roam about.

"Gassss." He proclaimed as his ghostly frame floated above the floor.

Blue being the only human awake in the land of the living had his one eye open. Watching Gastly as he zipped from the desk and towards the window that observed Pokémon Tower's dominance.

There was a thunderstorm that started coming through the town and lightening started to flash about the room.

"Gasss?" Tilted Gastly as he looked out into the flashing misty night.

After the storm clattered with exuberant power. Gastly could indistinctly see a shadow of a very small boy that seemed to peak through the window. You couldn't make out the boy's ghostly features, but the shadow was enough to paint a picture of a figure to the boy's mind.

Blue jolted up out of his covers and watched as Gastly started to chuckle and laugh to himself along with this ghost who prominently faced against the window.

"Gass-gass-gasss-gasss!"

"......"

Then as soon as another lightening strike flickered in the darkness. The shadow and the Pokémon disappeared into the night.

Blue after observing this strange phenomena desperately ran after the automated locking mechanism of the sliding doors and opened them to make a desperate attempt after them.

Cubone and now Gastly were being taken and Blue wanted to make sure his attempt in being able to stop whoever this ghostly apparition was, was subdued. He wasn't sure if this person took him or if the Pokémon followed after him. But knowing Team Rocket, being taken was a big possibility.

The chase ensued and there was not a physical manifestation to tell Blue where they went. His instincts directed him toward the very tower that seemed to call out to all of us.

A tower which had the very power to make all of us feel a sense of dread.

His courage was all that he could wear on his sleeve to continue forward. Blue couldn't sit around and wait now that Gastly was also missing. Time was running out and our Pokémon were in more danger than ever before.