Leaving the Abandoned Power Plant, the group continued south.
After crossing a stretch of rocky hills, Ash and the others reached higher ground and looked ahead.
In the distance, they could already make out the outline of a town.
Thick fog shrouded the entire area. Despite it being broad daylight, that region looked as if it were enclosed by some invisible barrier—dim, gloomy, and oppressive.
Most of the town's buildings were painted in eerie shades of purple. Staring at them for too long gave an unsettling sensation, as if the town itself were watching back.
Creepy. Very creepy.
If Gary hadn't already kicked the bucket, he'd probably have loved a place like this.
Misty actually wanted to suggest taking a detour. After all, there was no Gym here, rumors said the place was haunted, and it really wasn't somewhere a refined young lady should visit. Going west toward Saffron City would be much better.
But Ash rejected the idea immediately.
Even though Gary's seventh day hadn't arrived yet, Ash still intended to visit the famous Pokémon Tower in this town and light some incense for his childhood rival.
Just as the three finished resting and were about to move on, the Pokédex suddenly emitted a mechanical sound—unusually loud and upbeat.
Ash remembered hearing a similarly cheerful tone when he unlocked the "2H Trainer" achievement before.
Beep. Congratulations, Trainer Ash. Achievement unlocked:
[Stabbed a God Once].
Ash scratched his head.
Man, this IP Pokédex really has terrible signal.
We've been walking for over half an hour and now it finally tells me I stabbed a god?
He made a mental note to swap it out for an HW-brand Pokédex when he got back to Professor Oak.
Still, the name "Stabbed a God Once" was… painfully loud on the ears.
All three immediately got interested. They decided to rest for another ten minutes and dig into this brand-new achievement.
Up until now, Ash only had a handful: Food Chain, Longevity Bond, and Path of the Acting King.
So there really were more?
They poked around the Pokédex menu, and sure enough, several new entries appeared.
[Stabbed a God Once]:
Defeat one Legendary Pokémon (1/1)
Brock nodded thoughtfully.
While Zapdos hadn't been completely defeated, Ash had earned its acknowledgment.
Close enough—rounding up, this title was justified.
The delay made sense, too.
A 2H-level Trainer defeating a Legendary Pokémon was simply too absurd.
No one would believe it if you told them.
Even the Pokédex CPU needed time to process that nonsense.
They scrolled further.
This achievement was only the first tier, much like how Pikachu was still at "Trainee Idol" within the larger Path of the Acting King achievement.
[Stabbed a God Three Times]:
Defeat three Legendary Pokémon (1/3)
[Godslayer Like Slaughtering Dogs]:
Defeat thirty Legendary Pokémon (1/30)
All three: "..."
So arrogant.
So outrageous.
Didn't this title worry at all about getting its Trainer ganged up on by Legendary Pokémon?
Seriously—could anyone achieve something like Godslayer Like Slaughtering Dogs?
Even Champions at the very peak of the Trainer world probably couldn't pull that off.
They continued scrolling and found even more branching achievements related to Legendary Pokémon.
[God Beneath My Crotch]:
Ride a Legendary Pokémon for ten minutes (0/1)
[Powerful Legendary Beast Man]:
Capture a Legendary Pokémon (0/1)
And above that sat an ultimate, borderline cursed achievement:
[Heaven-and-Earth-Hated Legendary Beast Man]:
Release all non-Legendary Pokémon.
Keep only Legendary Pokémon, with a total of ten or more.
Ash, Brock, and Misty: "..."
That just sounded… gross.
These achievements were clearly meant to be unlocked much later—after collecting eight Gym Badges and entering the Pokémon League—acting as long-term milestone goals.
Beating up humans was boring.
What was really fun was grabbing Legendary Pokémon like chickens and kneading them in your hands.
Ash's eyes lit up. Just reading these titles filled him with burning ambition as he gazed toward the horizon.
The future looked bright.
Suddenly, a crafty look flashed across his eyes. He asked tentatively:
"Hey, Pokédex. I've unlocked quite a few achievements already. You're just giving me fancy titles—how about some actual rewards?"
After traveling this long, only a fool wouldn't notice how strange this Pokédex was.
Maybe it really could give rewards.
Ash wasn't greedy.
Something like that Dragonite he'd met before—just give him a few of those.
If that was too much, a couple of Eggs would be fine. He could even unlock the "Egg-Laying Rooster" achievement.
Beep.
The Pokédex began running, as if searching through data.
Half a minute later, it spoke again.
System update successful. Beep.
From now on, each time Trainer Ash unlocks an achievement, a special reward will be granted.
Now distributing reward for [Stabbed a God Once].
Please receive.
Ash and the others were ecstatic.
A casual test—and it actually worked?!
"Ahem…"
One minute later, the Pokédex's voice changed.
It was no longer a mechanical tone, but a human voice—starting with a familiar cough.
Ash frowned. The voice sounded hoarse… and strangely familiar.
"Hello everyone, this is a special edition of Professor Oak's Lecture Series.
Today, I won't be telling jokes—I'll sing you a song."
Reward obtained: Professor Oak's Song.
Effect: Calms the mind and nurtures the spirit.
Ash, Brock, Misty: "???"
"One, two, three, let's go—my home is in the east—"
Ash's eyes erupted with killing intent.
His hand moved at lightning speed, faint green light shimmering around it. Sonic booms exploded in the air, space itself seeming to distort.
This was the fastest hand speed of his entire life—possibly a peak he'd never reach again.
He switched the Pokédex to vibrate mode.
"I don't need any rewards ever again!" Ash roared.
"Delete ALL of this crap!"
Is this a reward or an assassination attempt?!
He'd heard Professor Oak sing before.
Only Blue could smile and applaud afterward—Ash and Gary had both passed out on the spot.
Absolute Tyranitar-level damage.
"Bzzzz—bzzzz—"
Unable to speak, the Pokédex could only vibrate helplessly.
Ash was so annoyed he almost smashed it on the ground.
Damn it!
This Pokédex really IS Professor Oak's personal weapon against me, isn't it?!
In the end, Ash stuffed the Pokédex back into his pocket.
All three wore the expressions of people who'd just been force-fed protein powder and trudged toward the gloomy town.
Lavender Town.
A settlement adorned in mysterious, noble purple—
—or, in simpler terms, a ghost town.
Here, if you hadn't seen a few wandering spirits, you weren't qualified to call yourself a Lavender Town resident.
Even Ash, new as he was, felt the urge to pull Brother Red out for a walk.
Red: "..."
I feel attacked.
Arriving in a new town, the first stop was naturally the Pokémon Center.
Free healing—no reason to pass that up.
Following the map, the trio headed straight there.
Along the way, they noticed something strange.
The townsfolk didn't move with the same urgency as they did. Everyone walked slowly, hands clasped behind their backs, strolling leisurely.
The residents seemed relaxed.
Even stranger—most of them were elderly or children. There were almost no young adults or middle-aged people.
The trio didn't dwell on it. The town was small, with no remarkable landmarks—
except for a purple tower in the northeast, radiating an ominous aura.
That had to be Pokémon Tower.
But first—Pokémon Center.
As they pushed open the doors, an old bald man with white eyebrows stepped out at the same time. He looked kind and gentle.
Seeing their unfamiliar faces, he smiled.
"You three aren't locals, are you?"
"Just passing through," Ash replied honestly.
The old man nodded, unsurprised, and leaned in mysteriously.
"Then tell me… do you believe there are ghosts in this world?"
Ash answered without hesitation:
"Of course. I've got one with me."
Old man: "?"
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