Pokémon Tower

(Lavender Town, Pokémon Centre.)

Noah once again thanked Officer Jenny for the ride and entered the Pokémon Centre. He looked around for any signs of Leaf but was, unfortunately, the lobby was empty. He guessed that she was on her way here or somewhere around town.

Noah walked up to the counter and rang the bell. After a moment, Nurse Joy stepped out of the nearby office.

"How can I help you?" Nurse Joy said with her signature smile.

"I'd like to rent a room and have my Pokémon examined," Noah said as he took out his Pokedex and handed it over to her.

"Certainly. A moment please," Nurse Joy said as she inserted the Pokedex into the terminal and after a couple of moments, returned it to him. She then reached below the counter and took out a tray that had six indentations. "Mr Oak, please place you Pokeballs here and I'll make sure that they are well taken care off."

"O-Okay." Noah stuttered slightly at her politeness before he took out his Pokeballs and placed them into the tray. He then looked around again before asking her a question, "Has a trainer named Leaf checked in here?"

"Yes. She checked in earlier in the morning and left to explore the town." Nurse Joy said as she handed him a key card.

"Is that so? Well if you happen to see her later, could you tell her that I've checked in?" Noah politely requested.

"Of course," Nurse Joy smiled and grabbed the tray. "Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. If you need anything else, then ring the bell on the counter. Now, if you will excuse me."

Noah yawned before took the elevator the living quarters to drop off his equipment and freshen up. After doing so, he headed back downstairs to have a meal in the cafeteria before going to sleep.

…

(Pokémon Tower, Top Floor.)

An extremely large Gengar silently observed a Pokémon wrapped up in blankets sleeping next to it. The Pokémon would occasionally twitch uncomfortably as if it was cold despite the many blankets surrounding it and this caused the Gengar to frown unconsciously.

Two Haunter's suddenly appeared in front of the Gengar and looked at the sleeping Pokémon in similar worry. They carefully placed the food and blankets they stole down on the ground and waited for Gengar to address them.

"What took you two so long?" Gengar asked, its deep voice reverberated around the room and contained none of the mischievousnesses its species is known for.

The two Haunter's looked at each other before recounting the entirety of the events that occurred earlier.

"So, you're saying this human paid the shopkeeper so that you could keep the goods and bring them here for Misdreavus?" Gengar asked in doubt.

"That is right boss. He asked us why we were stealing and when we explained, it was as if he understood us. He somehow found out that we were taking care of a Pokémon and told us to keep the stuff and that he'll pay for it. He also said that he'll visit tomorrow with medicine so we shouldn't bombard him with Sludge Bombs." The first Haunter explained in detail.

"How interesting… Tell me you two, do you think this human can be trusted?" Gengar inquired after a moment of deliberation.

"We do, boss." The second Haunter said whilst the first continued, "Besides, Misdreavus has been ill for over a week now and everything we have done to help has failed. Maybe it's time to bring some outside help before the situation becomes serious."

"Very well. Tomorrow, I want the two of you to wait by the entrance and escort the human directly to this floor." Gengar said before he dismissed them. He then turned to face the sleeping Misdreavus and continued to observe its condition.

…

(The Next Day.)

Noah awoke to the sound of someone knocking on the door. He checked the time on his watch before grudgingly getting up to answer the door.

"Who visits someone this early in the morning?" Noah muttered and opening the door only to meet with a grinning Leaf.

"Noah!" Leaf exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around his body, "I'm so glad to see you again. How have you been? Catch any new Pokémon? When are we going to battle?"

"Woah there, Leaf." Noah grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away, "Take a moment to calm down. Although I'm glad to see you, it's still early in the morning and I'm sure the other trainers would appreciate it if you keep your voice down."

"Hehe." Leaf giggled before making her way into Noah's room and laid down comfortably on the bed.

Noah smiled wryly at her behaviour and closed the door before taking a seat next to her, "So, why did you come here so early in the morning? I know I may not look it but I do cherish the times I can sleep on an actual bed."

"Sorry about that," Leaf said sheepishly, "Nurse Joy let me know of your arrival yesterday but it was already late into the night when I got back so, I decided to visit you early in the morning."

"I see…" Noah sat back, "To answer your previous questions. As you can see, I'm doing well; since we've met last time, I've captured three more Pokémon and we can battle later in the afternoon, I have to head to the Pokémon Tower first."

"Hmm? So, you have a total of five Pokémon? Well, I have three so we can do a three-on-three battle later." Leaf said before she processed the rest of Noah's sentence, "But how are you going to get into the tower? I heard that it was blocked off."

"That would normally be true but if everything goes well, then I'm sure that I'll be allowed to enter today." Noah smiled.

Leaf's eyes sparkled with excitement, "Then would you let me go with you? I've been searching for a Ghost-type Pokémon for a while now but I've had no such luck."

"Uh, sure. Let me go get ready first and then we'll head out." Noah said before he went to collect his cleaned clothing from the dryer and headed into the bathroom.

"Sure, don't mind me. I'll wait here for you." Leaf nonchalantly as she relaxed on the bed.

…

(Pokémon Tower.)

Noah and Leaf arrived at the main entrance of the tower. Instead of receiving the infamous Sludge Bomb, the doors creaked open and revealed the two Haunter's from yesterdays ordeal. Noah, by now, was used to their presence but the same couldn't be said for his companion.

"Eeep!" Lead screamed at their sudden appearance and hid behind Noah.

Noah released a long breath and turned to face her, "It's okay. These two are the reason we weren't attacked and can enter the tower."

"Oh… Hehe…" Leaf laughed it off and came out of hiding.

Noah shook his head and turned to face the two Haunter's, "I hope you two don't mind that I've brought a friend with me."

The Haunter's looked at each other and shook their heads, signalling that they didn't mind, before gesturing for them to follow. Noah gave Leaf a reassuring look before following the two into the tower.

As they made their way up the stairs, Noah stopped and looked at the hundreds of graves lined up next to one another. His thoughts drifted back to what he felt yesterday before taking a deep breath to clear his mind. He then continued to follow the guides but his actions did not go unnoticed by the group.

…

(A While Later.)

Upon reaching the room at the top floor, the two Haunter's carefully opened the door and everyone was greeted with an odd sight. A Gengar, no less than nine feet tall, was cradling a very small Pokémon that Noah recognized as a Misdreavus.

The sound of the creaking door alerted the occupants' in the room. Whilst Misdreavus looked at them with curiosity, Gengar, on the other hand, gave them a maniac like grin. This caused the hair on the back of Noah's head to stand to no end whilst Leaf shivered uncontrollably.

Thankfully, after a moment of amusement, Gengar stopped smiling and gestured for Noah to approach it.

Noah suppressed his fear and carefully walked towards Gengar, "Hello, I'm Noah. I heard that there was a Pokémon here that was being taken care of so, I've brought some medicine with me."

Gengar looked at him for a moment before its eyes shone slightly. Noah looked at Gengar in confusion before a message appeared in his mind, "Baby… Sick… Treatment…"

Noah understood what it wanted and turned his attention to the baby Misdreavus. After observing it for a couple of moments, he diagnosed that it had a common cold.

Noah took a Full Heal out of his bag and explained its usage, "This here is a Full Heal. It can clear the status conditions of a sick or injured Pokémon. However, I still recommend that you let me take this little guy to the Pokémon Centre for a more thorough check."

Seeing Gengar giving its approval, Noah walked forward and carefully sprayed the potion on Misdreavus. The Pokémon in question mostly ignored the potion and observed him with what seemed like curiosity.

After administrating the Potion, Noah looked at its expression and couldn't help but break into a smile. He then rummaged through his bag and took out some Pokémon food in the shape of kibble, "Here, taste this and tell me what you think about it."

Misdreavus looked at the kibble and then moved its curious eyes to Gengar. Under such a gaze, Gengar could only helplessly agree to its demand. Misdreavus sniffed the kibble a few times, failing to notice the small line of drool dropping out of its mouth, before opening its mouth and eating the kibble.

Not even a moment later, its eyes lit up in amazement and exclaimed, "Meee!!"

Gengar watched the expression on Misdreavus' face and seemed to have come to terms with something before it transmitted another message to Noah, "Please… Take care of… Baby…"

"Hm?" Noah hummed in confusion and turned towards Gengar, "You want me to take this little guy with me?"

"Yes." Gengar nodded slowly.

"It's not that I don't want to take it with me but I want to know why? Wouldn't it better for it to stay in the tower to be taken care of its own kind?" Noah's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"Tower limits… You remind me… Of previous… Trainer." Gengar transmitted as its face showed a nostalgic look.

Noah took in a deep breath to calm his turmoil mind and think through the situation. After a few moments of deliberation, he looked Gengar in the eyes, "Then. I'll make sure that it grows up to be a strong and healthy Pokémon."

"Thank you." Gengar nodded and was about to say something else before a scream interrupted their discussion.

"Ahhh!!" Leaf screamed and jumped up as a Haunter tickled her from behind.

"Hehehe!!!" Haunter laughed uproariously before it looked towards Gengar with slightly lit up eyes.

Gengar's expression exhibited a hint of sadness before it transmitted a message to both of the trainers, "Haunter here wishes to journey with the young lady. Are you willing to let him accompany you through your journey?"

Leaf was stunned at the sudden voice that appeared in her head and looked to Noah for answers. Having understood that look, he took it upon himself to explain to her Gengar's ability.

"Gengar has the ability to communicate with humans," Noah explained before continuing with a slight smirk, "Now, what do you think of the proposal? You did say that you wanted to capture a Ghost-type Pokémon earlier."

Leaf gave Noah the 'look' before falling into deep thought. After a couple of moments, she took out an empty Pokeball and smiled, "Well, if he wants to join me then I'll happily welcome him."

"Huahehe!" Haunter laughed mischievously as his hand touched the Pokeball. A beam of red-light covered his body before he was absorbed into the ball and almost immediately, the ball clicked, signifying a successful capture.

"Congratulations on the new member of your team." Noah smiled before he knelt to pick up Misdreavus and cradled it in his arms.

Gengar was surprised at how easily Misdreavus closed its eyes and enjoyed the gentle rocking that it was getting from someone that it had recently met. However, this one action from Noah helped resolve any doubts that Gengar had about leaving it with a stranger.

"Thank you, Noah." Leaf smiled sweetly and kept playing around with Haunter's Pokeball.

"I'll leave Misdreavus and Haunter in your care. I'll allow entry into the tower for all after your departure." Gengar transmitted and slowly began to sink into the shadows but before he did, he left some parting words, "May your journey bring you fortune, young ones."

Noah looked down at the shadows that Gengar disappeared in and sighed before turning to Leaf, "Let's head back to the Pokémon Centre to get Misdreavus checked out. Then we can have that battle you wanted."

"Sure, I've been wanting to see just how strong the grandson of Professor Oak is." Leaf said with a wide smile.

"So, you found out?" Noah smirked as he left the room and walked down the stairs, "But that doesn't matter. I just hope that you can give me a satisfying battle."

"Look at you talking all big, just you wait." Leaf pouted before she followed along.