After the farce ended, Ash and his friends followed old man Fuji to a house.
This house was much larger than the surrounding houses, with excellent greenery. From time to time, a few small Pokémon ran out of the door, laughing and playing.
Oddish, Bellsprout, Venonat, and other baby Pokémon appeared.
"We're here. This is my home. If you don't mind, come in and have a cappuccino," old man Fuji smiled.
Although he liked to play pranks on outsiders, he saw it as a friendly gesture. He didn't care if others agreed or not.
As they entered, it looked like a large pet breeding area inside, divided into several sections, with more than a dozen baby Pokémon resting there.
"Mr. Fuji, are these your Pokémon?" Ash asked.
Old man Fuji shook his head. "These are Pokémon whose parents or trainers can't take care of them, or they were lost or abandoned. So, I opened a Pokémon home to take care of them until they can live on their own."
In other words, it was an orphanage.
There was also a Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town where many souls were buried—this city symbolized death. But where there is death, there is also life, leading to a large number of baby Pokémon being born in Lavender Town—far more than in other small towns.
Hearing this, Ash and his friends looked at old man Fuji with respect. Although he had a quirky personality and was bald, his character was noble.
"So, what's the reason you brought us here?" Ash asked, puzzled.
Earlier, at the Pokémon Center, Mr. Fuji had said he needed their help. Could it be that he was asking for help with the baby Pokémon?
"Woo woo!!" A sudden low growl came from the side of the house, and a small brown Pokémon wielding a large bone club suddenly rushed out. Before Ash and the others could get a good look at it, they heard old man Fuji shout, "Stop it!"
Ash instinctively blocked the path of the rushing Pokémon with his body.
"Woo woo!!"
The brown Pokémon showed no hesitation, lifting its large bone and jumping up to strike Ash's knee.
*KANG!*
There was a metallic sound, followed by a spring-like recoil as Ash's leg shot out, kicking the little Pokémon several meters away.
Ash scratched his knee, confused—how did his leg move on its own?
"Woo woo."
The small Pokémon, evidently still very young, was knocked out from the kick and lay on the ground.
Upon closer inspection, they saw that it was a Pokémon with an earthy yellow body, and a large skull covering its head entirely.
"Cubone, an orphan Pokémon, is born without parents. The skull it wears is that of a relative, and the bone club it holds is often used as a weapon," the Pokédex explained.
A skull?
Ash, Brock, and Misty were intrigued. Ash was especially tempted to pull the skull off, but just as he reached out, Cubone woke up, angrily wielding its bone club toward him.
"Calm down, they're guests," old man Fuji said, picking up Cubone and soothing it. After a while, the little Pokémon finally stopped moving but still looked angry.
"Haha, this is who I need your help with," old man Fuji said, placing Cubone on the ground.
"I heard at the Pokémon Center that you were going to the Pokémon Tower. Could you take Cubone with you?" he asked.
Ash nodded. It sounded simple enough, but Ash was puzzled. The old man seemed strong—couldn't he handle it himself?
"Haha, I'd go myself, but I'm not able to. The tower is no simple place," Fuji admitted sheepishly.
The trio exchanged glances. A local who couldn't climb the local tower? That was odd.
"Wait, Mr. Fuji, I have a question," Misty suddenly interrupted.
"Are there really ghosts in that tower? I mean, real ghosts—not Ghost-type Pokémon," she asked, shuddering at the thought.
"Haha, of course there are," Fuji chuckled. "The Pokémon Tower is where the deceased are buried. There are many Ghost-type Pokémon, but there are also real ghosts. I'm not joking."
He explained how spirits with strong attachments, whether human or Pokémon, could evolve into ghosts after being buried in a place with heavy negative energy. Over time, however, these ghosts usually disappeared with the worship and prayers of their loved ones.
"But recently, something strange has happened. A particularly vengeful ghost has appeared between the fourth and fifth floors of the tower, blocking the way," Fuji said, frowning.
The Pokémon Tower had five floors. The first was a place for prayers and rituals, while the upper floors housed ghost Pokémon—and, apparently, real ghosts. Due to the presence of this powerful ghost, even the wild ghost Pokémon had started to riot.
"This Cubone keeps trying to go up the tower, but none of the local trainers are strong enough to help it," Fuji sighed.
He didn't know why Cubone was so determined, but it was clear that wandering around angrily wasn't helping. If it tried to go alone, it would be dangerous.
In fact, a young trainer from out of town had visited earlier but declined Fuji's request, saying he had more important matters to attend to. Now, Fuji had turned to Ash and his group.
Looking at Pikachu on Ash's shoulder and the plump Gengar by his side, old man Fuji thought they seemed strong enough.
"As a reward, if you can take Cubone to the top of the tower, I'll give you a rare stone I collected during my travels," Fuji added.
Hearing this, Ash's eyes lit up, and despite Cubone's resistance, he picked it up.
"Haha, don't worry, I'm just doing this to help Cubone!" Ash grinned, before adding, "But since you offered, I'd hate to be rude!"
Fuji tried to interject, but Ash was already running off, dragging Misty and Brock along.
After they left, old man Fuji's smile faded, and his face turned serious.
"Strange… Why does that kid smell like that Pokémon?" he muttered, frowning.
As the creator of that Pokémon, he could recognize its scent even through a Poké Ball.
After thinking for a while, Fuji hurried inside and made a phone call.
The line connected, and a familiar voice came through.
"Fuji! Long time no see. Running an orphanage these days?"
"Cut the nonsense. Do you remember the Pokémon we created?" Fuji asked gravely.
There was a pause.
"Hey, didn't you say you'd never care about that Pokémon again? Why bring it up now?" the voice asked, confused.
Fuji took a deep breath and sighed, "I think I may have met it."
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