Lavender Town is a small town located in the northeastern part of the Kanto Region. It is famous as a Pokémon graveyard, where all burial and mourning ceremonies are held in the town's Pokémon Tower. According to local legend, the ghosts within the tower are the spirits of Pokémon that have passed away or were killed.
After obtaining the Gold Badge at the Saffron Gym, Red left Saffron City and headed toward Lavender Town.
Lavender Town is best known for the Pokémon Tower where departed Pokémon are laid to rest. Even while Red was still in the forest not far from the town, he could already faintly sense a desolate atmosphere. Due to the area's unique geographical structure, a white mist lingered all around, causing many fearful travelers to turn back.
After half an hour of walking, a quiet and solemn town appeared before Red. Since Lavender Town mostly handled burial and mourning ceremonies, crimes were rare here, and there was no Officer Jenny stationed in town. However, there was still a Pokémon Center established specifically for traveling Trainers.
"Welcome. I didn't expect a Trainer to pass through here!" Nurse Joy at the front desk said in surprise as she registered a room for Red. Because so few people passed through this place, the Lavender Town Pokémon Center felt unusually empty, with most of the visitors being local residents.
"My Pokémon… why did it have to die like that…" A townsman broke down in tears, never expecting that the Pokémon who had accompanied him for so many years would pass away just like that.
"Every living being reaches the end of its life someday…" Red murmured softly, unable to help being affected by the sorrowful atmosphere of Lavender Town.
"If you plan to visit the Pokémon Tower, I suggest you check out the Pokémon House first!" Nurse Joy recommended. The Pokémon House was also one of Lavender Town's well-known places. It provided shelter for abandoned or unowned Pokémon—a home dedicated to caring for them.
After registering his room, Red headed alone to the Pokémon House. From time to time, he heard the cries of people mourning their departed Pokémon. Lavender Town was a place where Trainers could release their emotions, so many wept openly.
Compared to the other buildings, the Pokémon House felt oddly out of place, radiating a warm and comforting aura. The moment Red stepped inside, a young girl came out to greet him.
"Hello, welcome to the Pokémon House. Are you a Trainer just passing through?" the girl asked.
"Yes. I'm Red from Pallet Town. I came specifically to visit the Pokémon House," Red explained his purpose so the girl wouldn't feel so cautious.
"I see. My name is Rena. I'm a volunteer here at the Pokémon House!" Rena introduced herself and began explaining the origins of the place.
"Mr. Fuji, who founded this Pokémon House, once said that there are many people in this world who treat Pokémon as tools or accessories. This used to be his home, but he remodeled it for the sake of Pokémon!"
Rena led Red through the rooms where Pokémon were being raised. Most of them were small, young Pokémon—many abandoned by Trainers due to their weak strength.
"That Mr. Fuji really is a gentle person," Red said.
"Yes. That's why the townspeople all come here to volunteer and help him!" Rena smiled.
"Every Pokémon here looks very happy," Red said with a smile. However, a small Pokémon curled up in the shadows, staring with hatred-filled eyes, caught his attention.
"This Cubone is still just a baby, isn't it?" Red said softly. A typical Cubone stood about 0.4 meters tall, but by his rough estimate, this one was only around 0.3 meters.
"That's right. This Cubone is still a child. It only approaches Mr. Fuji and stays wary of everyone else," Rena explained.
Red seemed to guess something but still looked at Rena questioningly.
"It's because of Team Rocket," Rena said in a low voice. "That day, Cubone was playing near the town when Team Rocket, who happened to be passing by, set their sights on it. To protect her child, the mother Marowak faced Team Rocket's attack alone. And in the end…"
At this point, Rena couldn't hold back her tears, grieving for Marowak's tragic fate.
(Was she killed? Cubone's mother…)
Red lowered his head, pressing down the brim of his cap, remaining silent.
"Cubone was found by Mr. Fuji by chance. Since then, this child refuses to get close to anyone except him," Rena explained.
(A gaze filled with vengeance… Even such a small baby wants to avenge its mother!)
Ignoring Rena's attempt to stop him, Red walked up to Cubone. Having never seen Red before and harboring hatred toward humans, the frightened Cubone immediately attacked him with the bone club in its hand.
"Red, be careful!" Rena cried out in worry.
"It's fine. Compared to the pain in Cubone's heart, this injury is nothing," Red endured, telling Rena not to approach. He then released the Power of Viridian to soothe Cubone's emotions.
"You want to avenge your mother, don't you? I can give you the power to take revenge on Team Rocket," Red whispered into Cubone's ear.
"Cubone!"
Cubone's once dim eyes suddenly brightened for a moment, only to fall back into darkness. Though it felt the healing of the Power of Viridian, it still believed the red-capped boy before it didn't have the strength to help it achieve revenge. The old man who had taken it in had also advised it to let go of hatred and focus on growing stronger.
"Want to see my strength?" Red smiled. Under Rena's puzzled gaze, he threw the Poké Ball in his hand. As the white light faded, a powerful, imposing Scyther appeared before them.
The sudden appearance of Scyther made the other volunteers uneasy. The smaller Pokémon trembled in fear under the pressure radiating from it.
"Red?!" Rena looked at him with slight fear, not understanding what he intended to do.
"Don't worry, Rena. I just want Cubone to see my strength. I want to understand its heart. I want to avenge it," Red explained.
The small Cubone stared fixedly at Scyther's tall figure, unable to look away. It fell into a fantasy—if this red-capped boy truly could avenge it, what should it choose to do?
"Red, this is too dangerous!" Rena stepped forward to stop him. "Team Rocket isn't something you can oppose. They're an evil organization that even the League authorities find troublesome. Ordinary people like us can't possibly stop them!"
(That's right… Whether revenge is even possible is still uncertain…)
The heart-dead Cubone fell into confusion once more. It had witnessed its mother's tragic death with its own eyes. Its heart was already filled with hatred for Team Rocket, yet at the same time, a shadow of fear had taken root within it.
"What if I were a Psychic?" Red said calmly. His eyes glowed blue as everything around them began to float into the air. The volunteers were stunned—they had never seen such a scene before and couldn't help but feel fear at Red's power.
"Cubone!"
Cubone clung tightly to Red's leg. It saw hope in him. Whether it was Scyther's overwhelming strength or Red's extraordinary abilities, both shone like a light of vengeance before it. Cubone wanted to grasp that light, even if it meant sacrificing its own life.
"Cubone… I didn't expect you to hold onto revenge all this time…" Rena said painfully. She could see the flames of vengeance burning in Cubone's eyes, and once such a fire was ignited, it would never easily go out.
Seeing the determination in Cubone's gaze, Rena knew she could not stop what was to come. All she could do was silently pray for Red and Cubone, hoping they would return safely.