(Grey's POV)
The aftermath of the Tower incident left me with a strange, lingering restlessness. After sleeping off the initial exhaustion, I decided to spend my remaining time in Lavender exploring the outskirts. The fog was still there, but it felt less like a predatory weight and more like a natural part of the landscape.
I spent the morning putting my team through their paces. We ran into the usual local populations—Oddish hiding in the tall grass and the occasional Gastly flickering through the trees. My Pokémon fought with a new kind of intensity. The raid had changed them; their movements were sharper, less like a sport and more like a survival instinct.
Eventually, I ran into a couple of Hex Maniacs. They had been battling each other in the clearing, but the moment they saw me, their pale eyes lit up with interest. I took them on one by one.
I managed to sweep the first few, but then I met a trainer named Left. He was the only one around my age—maybe a few years older—and he carried himself with a quiet confidence that the eccentric "oldies" of the Hex circle lacked.
The battle was an absolute grind. Left sent out a Dusclops, a Pokémon I knew wasn't native to Kanto. It was a brick wall. Meowth's Night Slash barely dented its hide, and the ghost responded with a relentless stall strategy: Will-O-Wisp to sap our strength and Pain Split to keep its health topped off. Unlike Axew, Meowth didn't have a setup move to break through that kind of bulk. I lost that match, but even in defeat, I could see Meowth had earned the guy's respect.
"Gift from my father," Left told me after the match, recalling his Dusclops. "He brought it back from a trip to Hoenn." He looked toward the Tower, which was still cordoned off by police tape and flickering sirens. "We're all stuck out here until the surveillance ends. Good luck, kid. You fight like someone who's seen the bad side of the mist."
As I headed back into the town to wait for the League's official response, the atmosphere shifted again. The "outsider" tax was officially gone. Everywhere I went, random citizens stopped me. An elderly woman handed me a silk ribbon—a Focus Sash—with a trembling hand. "For the boy who didn't run," she whispered.
I received a strange locket containing a Togekiss feather, said to bring luck, and a variety of specialized incenses and rare candies. One old man I specifically remembered shielding during the raid caught up to me near the fountain. He pressed a cold, jagged stone into my palm—a Dusk Stone.
He'd found it in the Tower just before the Rockets struck and felt it was only right that his savior kept it. None of my Pokémon could use it yet, but it was a high-value item I could potentially trade later for something my team desperately needed.
My next stop was the Pokémart. The clerk, who had been so dismissive before, practically beamed when I walked in. Apparently, I had rescued his cousin during the fray.
"Everything you've got, I'll take at a premium," he said, tapping the counter.
I unloaded the loot I'd scavenged from the Rocket grunts. It was a massive haul—bulk Pokéballs, stacks of Antidotes, and various Silph Co. supplies they'd stolen from citizens. Because of the recent trauma, the demand for protection and capture gear in Lavender had skyrocketed.
The clerk, being a shrewd businessman, knew he could flip my "battle trophies" for a massive profit. By the time the transaction was finished, I walked out with over 50,000 Poké-dollars in cash.
The weight of the wallet was a surreal contrast to the hollow feeling in my chest.
I found myself drawn back to the Pokémon House. I met Selina, the attendant I'd spoken to briefly before. She told me that Mr. Fuji had wanted to thank me personally, but the authorities had whisked him away for questioning while I was still unconscious.
"He wanted you to have this," Selina said, holding out the Spook Badge, the official mark of the Lavender Gym. "You did more for this town than any trainer who ever 'won' a match here. Please, take it."
I looked at the badge—the purple, ghostly emblem. It would have been my third. But I shook my head and pushed her hand back. "No. I didn't earn this in a battle. Taking it now... it wouldn't feel right. I want to earn my badges, not receive them as a thank-you note."
Selina looked surprised, then nodded with a new kind of respect. She went into the back room and returned with two TMs. "Then take these instead. Reusable TMs for Shadow Claw and Shadow Ball. Fuji-san only gives these to those who truly understand the spirit of the Tower. If you won't take the badge, take the knowledge."
I accepted them this time. As we talked, I noticed a lone Cubone watching us from the corner of the room. Its eyes were red-rimmed, its small body shivering occasionally. Selina explained that Fuji's entire team was made of abandoned Pokémon—including the Marowak that had died. This Cubone was her child.
I felt a surge of sadness, but I knew I wasn't the right person to comfort it. I was a recluse, a trainer who pushed his team through the grinder every single day. I couldn't give this Cubone the jolly, healing environment it needed. I wasn't going to catch it just to put it through more trauma.
Before I left, I called the Cubone over. It approached with heavy reluctance. I pulled out my Strength HM and pressed it gently to its forehead, guiding it through the mental imprint of the move.
"Why that?" Selina asked, confused.
"If he ever feels like the world is too much," I said, looking at the small Pokémon, "he can use this move on the trees outside. Vent that anger. Get stronger on his own terms. He needs a distraction right now, more than he needs a hug."
I told Selina to make sure he got the League-mandated therapy, then I turned and left before I could get any more attached.
My final stop was back at the Pokémon Center. A man in a sharp, grey suit named Raigo was waiting for me. He was a representative from the Pokémon League.
"For your bravery and the prevention of irreparable damage to the Kanto infrastructure," Raigo said formally, "the League awards you 50,000 Poké-dollars."
He also handed me a specialized digital map. "Officer Jenny mentioned your interest in the minor gyms. Most people don't even know they exist, but this map contains the encrypted locations of every sanctioned gym in the region, major and minor."
I thanked him, watching as he released an Alakazam that whisked him away in a flash of blue light.
I stood in the town square, looking at my balance. Between the Mart and the League reward, I had over 100,000 Poké-dollars.
A small, cynical part of my brain whispered that looting Team Rocket was the most profitable business in Kanto. But then I remembered the cold barrel of the gun and the sound of the Marowak falling.
The money was good, but the risk of dying was even higher. I wasn't going to hunt them, but if they got in my way again? At least now I had the funds to make sure they'd regret it.
With the Shadow Claw TM in my bag and a map to every gym in Kanto, I turned my back on the purple roofs of Lavender. It was time to find Lieutenant Surge. It was time for Vermilion.
Author's Note: Upload schedule is back to 3 days per episode due to work and busy schedule .