After a mad dash on Dodrio, Cole and Sabrina arrived at Lavender before dark.
"Perfect timing!" Sabrina said, looking at the setting sun.
Nightfall was exactly when Ghost-type Pokémon became active.
Lavender was a small town with a distinctive style — purple dominated its color scheme. The roofs, walls, and even the paving stones were purple, giving the town a somber yet dignified atmosphere.
This was because Lavender housed a famous Pokémon cemetery, where a seven-story Pokémon Tower stood as a resting place for deceased Pokémon.
The Pokémon Tower naturally attracted many Ghost-type Pokémon. Normally, these spirits wouldn't leave the tower, and dedicated channelers kept watch over them.
Under Sabrina's guidance, Cole visited the Pokémon Tower for the first time. It stood quietly in the town center, sharing the same purple color scheme as the surrounding buildings.
The tower was a typical ancient octagonal structure with seven floors. It was said that beyond the first and second floors, the remaining five floors housed many different types of Pokémon.
As they arrived at the entrance, several channelers in monastic robes emerged.
They bowed respectfully to Sabrina and said anxiously, "Gym Leader Sabrina, those Ghost-type Pokémon have escaped again!"
The lead channeler was a man in his fifties with a crew cut. His eyebrows and beard had turned white, and he spoke weakly, as if he might collapse at any moment.
"I understand!" Sabrina replied expressionlessly. She directed her Dodrio to turn around and released an Alakazam as she departed.
Cole quickly urged his own Dodrio to follow.
Sabrina's Alakazam had begun using its Psychic Powers to search for the Ghost-type Pokémon. Both Sabrina and Alakazam's eyes glowed with purple light as they swept the area with their mental powers.
They only stopped when they reached the Pokémon Center.
"Found them!" Sabrina said grimly, "Last time it was the police station, this time it's the Pokémon Center. You've really done it now!"
Her anger was palpable.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
"Chansey!!!!"
Suddenly, screams from Nurse Joy and Chansey erupted from inside the Pokémon Center, causing Sabrina's expression to change dramatically.
"Wait here for me, I'll be right back!"
After saying this, she rushed into the Pokémon Center with Alakazam, leaving Cole standing there bewildered.
Soon, a series of crashes echoed from inside the Pokémon Center. Sabrina was clearly battling Pokémon inside.
Moments later, Nurse Joy and Chansey burst out, their appearances disheveled and tears streaming down their faces. They had clearly been terrified.
Cole dismounted from Dodrio and ran to Nurse Joy, "What's happening in there?"
"Are you a trainer?" Nurse Joy grabbed him desperately, "Please help Gym Leader Sabrina — she's in trouble!"
Cole's expression changed instantly. Without hesitation, he released Bayleef and Heliolisk and rushed into the Pokémon Center with them.
As soon as he entered the lobby, a Shadow Ball flew toward him. Bayleef leapt forward, shielding Cole with its body.
"Bay!!!"
The impact jerked Bayleef's head to the side with a painful cry. Immediately after, a white light emanated from its body, healing its injuries instantly.
More Shadow Balls emerged from the darkness, but this time Heliolisk was ready.
The Pokémon Center floor suddenly glowed golden as Heliolisk's electricity flashed, illuminating the entire lobby.
In the light, Cole could clearly see the situation. Several Haunter floated in the air, while two Shuppet and two Duskull hid in the corners.
On the lobby sofas lay several unconscious trainers and their Pokémon — likely guests staying at the Center.
Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh~
Multiple Shadow Balls flew toward Cole and his Pokémon simultaneously, but Heliolisk's lightning bolt instantly neutralized them all.
The Ghost-type Pokémon faltered at this display of power, backing away involuntarily. The Haunter retreated directly into the walls.
After a moment's hesitation, Cole decided to ignore these Ghost-type Pokémon and head straight toward the sounds of battle.
After passing through a long corridor, they arrived at a room. Black mist seeped through the cracks of the tightly closed door.
Just as Cole was about to push the door open, a loud bang echoed as the door bulged outward, as if something had crashed into it.
He instinctively stepped back, and an Alakazam burst through the door, falling into his arms. Fortunately, Cole caught it with his Psychic Powers — otherwise, both would have been badly hurt.
The Alakazam was Sabrina's!
It had already lost its ability to battle. Cole placed it on Bayleef's back before charging into the room with Heliolisk.
Bayleef followed closely, pausing to give Alakazam a Heal Pulse.
Inside the room, thick Ghost-type energy floated everywhere. A red-eyed Gengar glared at Sabrina, who sat in a corner with blood at the corner of her mouth.
When she saw Cole, Sabrina looked anxious, "Why did you come in? Get out quickly — it's dangerous here!"
Clearly, this Gengar's strength had exceeded Sabrina's expectations!
"Gen!!! Gen!!!"
Gengar raised its hand and hurled a Shadow Ball toward Cole and Heliolisk. Heliolisk countered with Dragon Tail, swatting the Shadow Ball away before launching a Thunderbolt at the opponent.
Dense pillars of lightning trapped Gengar, but it remained calm. Its body erupted with black energy, and rippling black waves instantly shattered Heliolisk's Thunderbolt.
Heliolisk set up an Electric Terrain and raced around the room at high speed. Combining Quick Attack and Magnet Rise, it moved so fast that its body became a streak of golden light.
Gengar's eyeballs followed the gecko, nearly making it dizzy. Frustrated, it concentrated and hurled numerous Shadow Balls.
To its surprise, the Shadow Balls passed right through Heliolisk's body without causing any damage.
Heliolisk wasn't just an Electric-type Pokémon, but also a Normal-type — and Normal-type Pokémon are immune to Ghost-type attacks!
Gengar's expression stiffened as it studied this unfamiliar Pokémon. Realizing its disadvantage, it switched to Poison-type Acid Bomb attacks instead.
However, compared to its Ghost-type moves, Gengar's Poison-type techniques were clearly weaker and couldn't even hit Heliolisk as it darted around at high speed.
While evading attacks, Heliolisk used Thunder Wave to harass Gengar, but the opponent was equally fast, making the Thunder Wave difficult to land.
The battle reached a stalemate!
This Gengar was clearly stronger than Heliolisk, and as the fight continued, Heliolisk occasionally took hits from Acid Bomb or Sludge Bomb, even falling into a poisoned state at one point.
But it had Bayleef supporting it from behind! Bayleef's Heal Pulse restored its strength, while Aromatherapy cured its poison status, allowing Heliolisk to fight with increasing vigor.
In contrast, Gengar grew increasingly frustrated, its stamina deteriorating rapidly.
Eventually, Heliolisk completely depleted the Shadow Pokémon's poison reserves. Gengar's final Acid Bomb was practically useless — just a few drops trickling out, not enough to form an attack.
Gengar was absolutely furious! If Ghost-type moves weren't ineffective against this opponent, how could it be in such a pathetic state?
It descended from the air, panting and glaring at Heliolisk, then began sinking into the ground — planning its escape.
At that moment, Bayleef used Sweet Scent, and the fragrance immediately enveloped Gengar.
How intoxicating!
Gengar's consciousness faltered, making it react half a beat slower. Seizing this momentary delay, Heliolisk landed a Thunder Wave on the opponent, paralyzing it.
BOOM!!!
With a thunderous roar, the Thunderbolt engulfed the immobilized Gengar. When the lightning dissipated, the Pokémon lay fainted on the ground.
Seeing Cole defeat Gengar so easily, Sabrina stared at him in disbelief, "You're this strong?"
"Strong? I'm just average." Cole decided to show off a bit.
"Why didn't you tell me you were this strong earlier when you claimed you needed my protection!" Sabrina wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her face flushing red.
However, due to the darkness surrounding them, Cole didn't notice her blush.
"I never said I needed your protection!" Cole shrugged, "Are your injuries okay?"
Sabrina reached into her pocket, took out a bottle of pills, swallowed one, and shook her head, "It's fine, just minor injuries. Thank you — if it weren't for you, I would have been in serious trouble."
Without Cole's intervention, she would have suffered an unprecedented blow from Gengar, and Alakazam would have been critically injured, perhaps beyond recovery.
Upon returning home, guilt would have driven her to train her Psychic Powers relentlessly, ultimately causing her to become emotionally closed off due to her haste. This would have triggered a series of events that would even cause Ash difficulties during his journey.
However, these things would no longer happen thanks to Cole's involvement.
As the two approached the unconscious Gengar, considering whether to return it to the Pokémon Tower for sealing, the Ghost-type Pokémon Cole had encountered earlier in the lobby suddenly appeared.
They positioned themselves protectively in front of Gengar, trembling and prostrating on the ground, repeatedly bowing to Cole and Sabrina.
Sabrina couldn't understand Pokémon language and hadn't learned telepathy, so she couldn't comprehend what the Ghost-type Pokémon were saying. Cole, however, heard them clearly.
They weren't just pleading for Gengar's safety — they were seeking help from the two trainers.
"You dare to appear again!" Sabrina was furious and immediately reached for another Poké Ball, intending to deal with all these "wretched" Ghost-type Pokémon.
"Wait!" Cole stopped her just in time, "Let's ask about the situation first."
These Pokémon had already lost their will to fight.
Cole turned to the Ghost-type Pokémon and asked, "Tell me why you attacked the Pokémon Center!"
Several Ghost-type Pokémon immediately began chattering in response.
According to them, they hadn't attacked the Pokémon Center at all. They had come seeking help from Nurse Joy, just as they had previously visited the police station for Officer Jenny's assistance.
Neither the police nor the Pokémon Center staff could understand them, and instead attacked them first, forcing them to defend themselves. They insisted they had only knocked people unconscious without causing any actual harm.
After hearing their explanation, Cole remained skeptical, "But you've been causing trouble around town recently, making all of Lavender anxious!"
Several Pokémon vigorously shook their heads. They indicated it wasn't them causing trouble in town, but another group of Ghost-type Pokémon — which was precisely why they had sought help at both the Pokémon Center and police station.
These Ghost-type Pokémon explained they had originally lived peacefully in Pokémon Tower, until one day when a group of people attacked the tower and captured the channelers who guarded it.
Later, those people began capturing Pokémon from the tower and controlling them through special means. Only Gengar, the strongest, managed to escape with a few Ghost-type Pokémon.
"Are you saying the channelers currently in the Pokémon Tower are imposters?" Cole asked in disbelief.
Several Ghost-type Pokémon: (●´﹏`●)
They nodded with tears in their eyes.
The fake channelers had released another wave of Ghost-type Pokémon to cause trouble in Lavender, then framed Gengar for it — all to capture the powerful Pokémon.
Their plan was to attract the League to capture and seal Gengar back in Pokémon Tower, where they could then easily catch it.
"Is everything you're saying true?" Cole asked, his expression serious.
The Ghost-type Pokémon nodded repeatedly, nearly moved to tears that someone could finally understand them.
"What are they telling you?" Sabrina asked.
She had grown frustrated watching the one-sided conversation, and was surprised that Cole could understand Pokémon speech without using telepathy.
Combined with his battle strength... he was truly a mysterious man!
Cole explained what the Ghost-type Pokémon had told him. After hearing it, Sabrina was dumbfounded.
"I've been used!" She exclaimed.
"Do you know who attacked Pokémon Tower?" Cole asked the Pokémon again.
The Ghost-type Pokémon said a name.
"Team Rocket?"
Cole uttered this name, and after exchanging glances with Sabrina, they both fell silent.
✲✲✲
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