Mr. Fuji: "You're traveling trainers, aren't you? Listen carefully—whatever you do, don't go into Pokémon Tower… There are real ghosts inside!"
Mr. Fuji: "A trainer came here earlier. But he was stubborn and insisted on going inside to take a look… Now he's missing."
Mr. Fuji: "Oh, I think his name was… was Green. Do you know him?"
"What did you say happened to Green?!"
Red's voice shot up instantly, filled with disbelief and urgency.
He immediately controlled Red's character and rushed toward the tower entrance—but with a loud thud, he slammed straight into a small figure standing in the doorway.
It was a Cubone.
Unlike others of its kind, it wasn't wearing a skull on its head. Instead, it had a slightly ridiculous paper bag pulled over its head, completely hiding its face.
Although the impact made it stagger, it quickly steadied itself.
Without even glancing at Red, it lowered its head silently and walked off into the shadows.
"Sigh… Red, come on…"
Rei Akagi sighed helplessly.
"Don't get so worked up every time you hear the word 'Green,' okay? Green is Green, and Green is Green! It's an NPC in the game! Got it?"
Blue seized the opportunity and burst into a string of bell-like laughter.
"Oh my~ After all, Red and Green are a pair destined by fate, right? That kind of reaction is totally understandable~"
"Th-that's nonsense! Who's destined with him?! I just… just misheard!"
Red forced himself to calm down, though his gaze still drifted toward the Cubone that had disappeared into the shadows, its head covered by that strange paper bag.
"So now you know why the games are called FireRed and LeafGreen. See? That's the reason."
"Top Ten Most Touching Figures in the Pokémon League! True bros for life!"
"Green: Don't drag me into this. I'm fishing. Keep talking and I'll release Gyarados on you."
"Having a brother you can trust enough to turn your back on… what a beautiful tragedy~"
"Wait, why is that Cubone wearing a paper bag? Where's its skull?"
Seeing the chat veer wildly out of control, Rei Akagi quickly stepped in to redirect the topic.
"Stop! Enough! Focus on the mission!"
He controlled Rei and headed toward the towering Pokémon Tower.
"Let's go find the missing Green!"
The three arrived at the foot of the tower.
The structure pierced high into the clouds. Even when they tilted the camera all the way upward, they could only see thick layers of dark gray clouds—the tower's peak completely hidden within them.
Dim light shrouded the tower. The surrounding area was eerily silent.
Even the wind had disappeared.
A stone monument stood before the entrance, engraved with the words:
Pokémon Tower
"May the souls of Pokémon rest here in peace."
They pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside.
The first-floor lobby felt unnervingly empty. The reception desk—where someone should have been stationed—was completely deserted.
Somewhere, a slightly cheerful background music track began playing.
The contrast made the atmosphere even more unsettling.
They climbed the creaking wooden staircase to the second floor.
The scenery changed instantly.
Countless gray-white gravestones stood scattered throughout the dim chamber.
Each one bore a carved image and name of a Pokémon, silently telling the story of a life that once existed.
Near the staircase stood a woman wearing a deep purple channeler's robe.
She crouched before a gravestone, muttering nervously into the air.
When the players approached and interacted with her, she gave no response.
But fragments of her whispers drifted toward them.
Strange Channeler:
"Ghosts… you need… the Silph Scope… to see them… It's wandering… watching us…"
The cheerful background music seemed to grow louder.
"This tower… something about it feels more and more wrong…"
Even Red's voice carried a hint of hesitation now.
"Don't tell me you're actually scared?" Blue immediately sneered, trying to hide her own nerves. "Let's keep going."
"Hmph! Scared already? What a coward!"
"Let's go upstairs!"
They climbed to the third floor.
Their vision was instantly swallowed by thick white fog.
Visibility plummeted.
The screen turned hazy, and only the faint outlines of nearby objects could be seen.
Walking in front, Red's character ran into several gravestones hidden within the fog.
"Ah!"
Blue suddenly let out a short scream, her voice cracking.
"W-wait! Look over there! In the fog! Is that… a shadow?!"
Rei Akagi wasn't scared by the ghostly silhouette—
but Blue's scream made him jump.
"Relax… calm down, Blue…"
Summoning his courage, Red guided his character toward the direction she pointed.
As he approached, the shape in the mist became clearer.
It was a Gastly, floating in midair and making a ridiculous face at them.
"Kehehehe!"
It cackled mischievously, clearly trying to scare them.
"Oh. It's just a Gastly."
Red sounded a little disappointed.
He had Pikachu give it a quick Thunder Shock as punishment for the prank.
Gastly vanished into the fog with a whoosh.
They continued upward to the fourth floor.
The fog grew even thicker.
Anything beyond three steps was impossible to see.
The density of gravestones increased dramatically, forming something like a maze.
As the three cautiously explored—
a distorted voice suddenly echoed from deep within the fog.
It sounded as if someone's throat were being squeezed.
"Le…ave…this…pla…ce…"
"That's Green!"
Red declared instantly, absolute certainty in his voice.
Without waiting for Rei Akagi or Blue to react, he sent Red's character sprinting straight into the dense fog.
"Wait!"
"Hey!"
Their shouts were left behind.
Moments later came the sounds of battle—
Red issuing commands, Pokémon attacks slicing through the air, and dull impacts of colliding energy.
A fierce fight erupted within the completely obscured fog.
Seriously—
The entire place was covered in fog, the voice was distorted, and it said less than five words!
And you're still 100% sure it's Green?!
Just how familiar are you with his voice, Red?!
Rei Akagi internally ranted while hurrying toward the noise with Blue's character trailing behind him like a frightened duckling.
Before they even reached the center of the fight, Red returned.
His character now carried someone on his back.
It was their rival—
Green.
"Salted Fish Teacher! I found Green! But something seems to have controlled him!"
Red's voice was filled with both tension and excitement.
Even while unconscious, Green's brows were tightly furrowed.
His body twitched slightly.
His lips trembled as broken words escaped.
Green:
"Above… ghost… dangerous… controlling… me…"
Before he could finish, his head tilted to the side.
He lost consciousness completely.
"Now that we've found Green, we have two choices."
Rei Akagi's voice became calm as he presented the options.
"One—send him back to the Pokémon Center immediately for treatment."
"Two—continue upward and find out whether there really is a ghost at the top of the tower."
"Continue exploring!"
Red didn't hesitate at all.
Battle spirit burned in his eyes.
"I want to see what kind of ghost dares to control Green!"
"No! We should send him to the Pokémon Center!"
Blue's voice carried urgency, though her confidence sounded shaky.
"Green… he's our important rival! We can't let anything happen to him!"
Her character still clung tightly behind Rei.
Seeing Blue act like a reluctant but loyal sidekick, Rei Akagi felt playful and deliberately teased her.
"Blue… you're not actually scared, are you? Too afraid to keep going?"
"H-how could I be!"
Blue reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
To prove her courage, she moved her character two big steps forward—leaving the "safe zone" behind Rei.
Her voice rose defiantly.
"Upstairs it is! Who's scared of what?!"
The decision was made.
Red carried the unconscious Green on his back.
The four of them began climbing the staircase once again—
toward the fifth floor, the final level beneath the tower's summit.
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