Trouble in Lavender

(Lavender Town.)

Noah reached Lavender Town after exiting the Rock Tunnel and stared at the seven-floor building enveloped in fog. This was the Pokémon Tower that housed hundreds if not, thousands of graves for deceased Pokémon.

He couldn't imagine the pain that the owners of those buried Pokémon went through and he hoped he would never have to.

However, this train of thought brought about memories of his family.

This caused Noah to wonder. Wonder if his parents and siblings were doing well. Wonder whether he truly died or merely swapped places with the original Noah Oak. And if he did die, he wondered if his sudden departure caused his family grief.

Without even realising it, tears began to pour out of Noah's eyes. It wasn't that he never thought about his old family, he did but he tried to always 'look at the bright side of things' rather than let the situation bring him down.

This, however, changed at the sight of the Pokémon Tower. After personally experiencing the joys and wonder of raising his Pokémon, the mere thought of losing one of his Pokémon caused Noah's heart to ache and if this is how he felt after being a trainer for no more than a couple of months, what did his family go through after his departure?

Noah wiped his tears away and took a long, deep breath. 'This isn't the time to think of such things. The best thing I can do now is to keep moving forward and maybe one day, I'll have the chance to meet them again…'

After re-affirming his resolve, Noah entered the town and was welcomed with a worn-out sign that had 'Welcome to Lavender Town' written on it along with a map of the area attached underneath.

Taking a closer look at the map, Noah found the route to the Pokémon Centre and began to make his way towards it.

…

(A While Later.)

As Noah made his way through the fog-covered town, he heard a lot of noise coming from one of the local shops.

He turned towards the direction of the noise and spotted two Haunter's – with arms full of food – hightailing it in the direction of the Pokémon Tower and were followed by an angry shopkeeper cursing profusely at them.

Noah's footsteps came to a halt and watched the situation in interest. He figured this was a daily routine given the shopkeeper lack of fear towards the Ghost-type Pokémon and opted against involving himself in such a situation.

"You damn phantoms! Stop stealing food from my shop!" The shopkeeper screamed as he chased after the culprits.

"Hehehe!/Hahaha!" The two Haunter's laughed as they stuck their tongues out at their prey and dissipated from the area.

"Damn it!" The shopkeeper cursed and turned to leave but then noticed Noah, "Huh? More trouble makers from out-of-town. Why can't you leave out small town alone? We already have enough trouble to deal with."

"What did you say?" Noah's eyes narrowed slightly. He would have usually ignored such remarks but given the turmoil he had gone through not too long ago accompanied by someone taking things out on him because he happened to be here at the wrong time was not something he appreciated, regardless of the situation.

The shopkeeper flinched and took a step back. Before he could have the chance to reply, they both heard the sound of a motorbike and sirens blaring not too far away from them.

The two looked to the side and were confronted by a blue-haired woman in a police uniform. Noah immediately recognized her as one of the hundreds of Officer Jenny's stationed throughout the region.

"Mr Simmons, can you tell me what happened here?" Officer Jenny asked as she surveyed the surroundings.

"It's that annoying duo again. This is the seventh time they've stolen food from my shop and it's driving me insane…" Simmons vented his frustration as he explained the situation.

"I'll try to get to the bottom of this, Mr Simmons. For now, I'd like for you to file an official complaint with the league to reimburse you for the damages." Officer Jenny stated before turning her attention to Noah, "And who might you be?"

"Ah, I'm Noah Oak." Noah said as he took out his Pokedex and gave it to Officer Jenny to verify his identity.

Officer Jenny checked the information on his Pokedex and returned it back to him, "Okay, you're all clear. I'd like to apologize for suspecting you, Mr Oak. Team Rocket has been rather active lately and the Pokémon League ordered us to check the identity of all those who enter populated areas."

"It's not a problem. In fact, I appreciate all the work you're doing." Noah said with a smile.

"I'm glad that you understand." Officer Jenny said in relief and gave Noah a beaming smile, "I want to thank you for helping my cousin out in Cerulean City. I heard the Pokémon League had located and raided several Team Rocket hideouts because of the information they received from the recruiter you captured."

"I-I see…" Noah hung his head down and muttered, "I should have asked for more rewards…"

"Hmm? Did you say something?" Officer Jenny said with a knowing smile.

"Ahem, nothing." Noah scratched the back of his head and tried to steer the conversation away, "Could you tell me why the Ghost-types are stealing from the locals?"

Officer Jenny looked at Noah for a moment before explaining the situation, "As you know, Ghost-type Pokémon are not uncommon here in Lavender Town and we're used to the odd scare or prank. However, a week ago, two Haunter's were spotted around town stealing food and blankets. They normally hang out in the tower but in the last week, the tower has been under lock and key, not even the caretaker can get in without being blasted with Sludge Bombs."

Noah fell into deep thought. He knew the Pokémon Tower was famous for its Ghost-type Pokémon – after all, he was here to catch one for his team – and he would have to face the two Haunter's at some point if he wanted a chance to get into the tower.

'Might as well take care of the trouble now and make my way to the tower tomorrow.' Noah thought as he looked towards the Pokémon Tower. He then turned back to Officer Jenny, "Officer, would you allow me to help you with this problem? I plan to head to the tower soon and finding out why these Haunter's are acting like this beforehand will be helpful."

Just as Officer Jenny was about to reply, she heard a loud noise coming from a couple of streets down.

"Then, I'll take you up on that offer." Officer Jenny said as she boarded her motorbike and gestured to the sidecar on its side. "Come, let's go see what caused such a racket."

Noah nodded and hopped on the motorbike before Officer Jenny drove towards the disturbance.

…

(A Moment Later.)

Noah and Officer Jenny got off the motorbike in time to witness the two Haunter's running away from the scene.

Noah reached into his belt and threw a Great Ball into the air, "Magneton, paralyze them with Thunder Wave."

"Netonn." Magneton appeared in a beam of red light and released blue streams of electricity from the ends of its magnets. The electricity curved around and tied the two Haunter's, preventing them from moving.

"Good job, buddy," Noah said before he released Shelgon and made his way to the captured perpetrators. "Alright you two, spill it. Why are you stealing food and clothing from the residents of this town?"

"Hauu, ahau, huu…" The two Haunter's were still suffering from the effects of static and were having trouble giving an answer.

Noah looked to Shelgon for answers. Out of all of his Pokémon, he felt that he understood Shelgon the most.

"Shei, eeii, shee…" Shelgon explained as he made several gestures with his two front legs.

Noah took a moment to comprehend what Shelgon wanted to convey and looked towards the two Haunter's. "So, you're stealing food and clothing because you're trying to care for a Pokémon in the tower?"

The two Haunter's looked at each other in confusion before they both turned to Noah and floated in front of him.

"Hauunt?/Haauu?"

"No, I can't understand you. I just put two and two together." Noah said as he waved them off, "Tell you what; I'll pay for the items you need, at least then you won't get into too much trouble. I plan to head into the Pokémon Tower tomorrow morning and I'll bring a few medicinal items with me so, make sure the door isn't blocked off."

The two Haunter's looked at Noah for a couple of moments before nodding their heads in approval. The two then floated off towards the Pokémon Tower.

"Haa…" Noah released a breath and turned towards the shopkeeper, "Here's $500 Poke Dollars. This should be enough to cover for the stuff they stole."

"T-thank you." The shopkeeper bowed before accepting the payment and went back into the store to clean up.

"I've got to say, that was impressive." Officer Jenny, who was standing to the side, complimented and made her way back to her motorbike, "How about I give you a lift to the Pokémon Centre? It's the least I can do after helping me with this case."

"Thank you." Noah smiled as he returned his Pokémon and once again sat on the sidecar of the motorbike.