After evolving Spearow, Eric spent a little time confirming a few things with Maverick, then he decided to return. He had a new destination he needed to go to.
Lavender Town!
Gastly was going to evolve soon, and he needed resources to prepare for it. Meeting Maverick gave Eric a lot of pressure, but he gained a lot of insights as well. He now had a clearer idea of how he was going to go about training his Pokémon.
Once he was back in Redwood, Eric didn't waste any time. He vacated his residence and stocked up on supplies he would need. Then, he asked around for the best way to reach Lavender Town. Luckily, a bullet train left for Lavender Town today, so it worked out perfectly for Eric.
Everything he needed was stored in his spatial watch, except for Growlithe's egg, which can't be stored in a spacial device. It was the only thing in his backpack.
Eric boarded the train and reached Lavender Town in just 2 hours.
He hadn't even reached town yet, and Gastly was already brimming with excitement. The ghost-type energy in the air had spiked, putting Gastly in a good mood.
"Good for you, isn't it, Gastly?"
"Gas!"
Gastly nodded in excitement. He felt great.
The train soon arrived in Lavender Town and Eric deboarded.
Once he exited the train station and entered the town, he immediately felt something was off about this place.
Everything looked normal at first glance, but the whole vibe felt off.
As he walked around, he noticed that the town was a lot emptier than Redwood. There were no huge crowds, and the people he did see walked around in a slow, laid back fashion. Nobody was brimming with energy.
It was quiet. Despite it being daytime, it was quiet.
It gave off very much a haunted town vibe.
Once he reached the Town square, an elderly man who was sitting on a bench near him, hunched over a wooden cane carved with strange symbols, called out to him.
"Ah...You've arrived?"
"...? You're talking to me?" Eric asked, confused and wary.
He then paid attention to this man. He wore an old black coat and a hat that pulled over his eyes. His eyes were pale grey, almost colourless, and they seemed to see through Eric rather than at him
"Who else is there. I've been expecting you." The man replied with a mysterious smile.
"Expecting me? Who are you? I'm certain I don't know you, nor have I been in Lavender Town before."
The man chuckled.
"In Lavender town, we are always expecting someone. The question is...were you expecting us?"
"You're not making any sense."
Eric tensed up as he tapped his foot. This was a signal he had practiced with Gastly, telling him to stay alert and ready.
The man played with his cane, and spoke in a mysterious voice.
"It doesn't need to make sense for now. Just know, I have been expecting you. Also, a helpful piece of advice while you're here...Beware of the shadows, for you never know from where they'll strike."
"...can you just drop the act and get to the point?"
The man did not reply to Eric, as he looked down and played with his cane.
"Why are you ignoring me now?'
Eric was starting to get irritated with this old geezer.
"Um…are you okay?"
Someone spoke behind Eric, causing him to turn.
"I am. What do you want?"
His irritation could be felt from his words.
"O-oh. Nothing at all. I just saw you talking with yourself, and wanted to see if you're ok."
"What do you mean talking to my-"
Eric turned around, only to find out that the old man had vanished, and the bench was now empty.
"..."
"A-anyways, you seem fine so I'll take my leave."
The boy said as he quickly made his escape. He was a little scared of Eric.
Eric sighed.
"Let's ignore that and go find a Pokemon Center."
This felt like a cliche anime plot to Eric.
He went to the Pokemon Center and asked Nurse Joy about some information about this town.
"Aah...you probably met an eccentric Ghost-type trainer. There are many of them in this town. They are a little too enthusiastic about Ghost-type Pokemon, and tend to act in a weird manner. You can just choose to ignore them if you want."
Nurse Joy replied to Eric with a helpless smile after hearing his story.
The trainers in this town were truly a little too eccentric. Even she felt uncomfortable here. She's asked the Joy family for a transfer many times, but there was no one else who wanted to go to Lavender town. She just got unlucky.
---
Eric relaxed a little after talking with Nurse Joy. In the end, Lavender town was one of the hotspots of Kanto. So obviously the league ensured their are no major problems here. Just that the Ghost type energy here is much more thicker than anywhere else, causing a bunch of trainers who specialized in that type to settle here.
Eric then decided to visit the Pokemon Tower. He had 2 reasons. One, it was an important landmark in the game and he wanted to see it in person. Two, Maverick had told him an expert in the Gastly line could be found there.
Pokemon Tower is a cemetery, but it's also a place where Ghost-type energy is very dense. Many ghost type Pokemon are born there due to the excess energy. The League had divided the tower into sections. One is a normal cemetery, which comprises the first 2 floors of the tower. They are secluded by a barrier, ensuring no wild ghost pokemon is born there. The remaining 5 floors are filled with ghost type Pokémons and is a very good training spot.
It's a bit morbid when many people go their just to mourn, and others go to capture ghost Pokemon or train them. But it is also essential. If left unchecked, the amount of ghost Pokemon there will reach an unmanageable level.
Perhaps Lavender Town was so rich in ghost type energy because of this tower.
Eric entered the tower, and could see a lot of people mourning their Pokemon at their graves. But as he reached the second floor, he saw another trainer pass him by and descend to the first.
Eric was momentarily stunned when he saw him. There is no way he would forget that look as a Pokemon fan.
'Was that Blue?'
Eric was stunned as he saw the one and only Blue Oak in person.
'Did he lose a pokemon too?'
Eric then remembered there was a theory that Blue's Raticate died, because he wasn't in his party when the player fights him in the Pokemon Tower.
After looking at all these people in mourning and seeing Blue, Eric felt that he would never want to experience losing a Pokemon. He felt even more resolved about getting stronger.
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I updated the cover image!
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