After being interrupted so thoroughly, Green seemed to lose any remaining interest in paying his respects. He turned as if to leave Pokémon Tower.
"Something upstairs isn't behaving itself,"
he added casually before disappearing into the thick fog.
Honestly, there was no need for the warning. In this world, there was probably nothing that could truly block their path forward. Red didn't take it to heart.
Frankly, even if Giovanni himself were waiting upstairs, they'd still bulldoze right through.
Ash regained full control of his body and began searching through the fog for the stairs leading to the fourth floor.
Cubone was growing more and more agitated—clearly, its destination lay ahead. Its target was likely on the fourth floor, while Mr. Fuji's promised reward waited on the fifth.
Ash tightened his grip on Cubone and quickened his pace.
Pokémon Tower – Fourth Floor
Within the fog—
A young man with purple hair wandered about casually.
He was lean, with a single flamboyant cowlick standing upright on his forehead, half-lidded dead-fish eyes, and a distinctly sleazy expression. A small purple goatee clung to his chin.
Calling him "young" was a stretch—he looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, with an oily, prematurely aged air.
He wore a flashy black uniform, emblazoned with a large red "R" on the chest.
Trailing behind him was a grunt-like subordinate in standard low-ranking Team Rocket attire. A black cap shaded most of his face as he stood respectfully behind.
The purple-haired man spoke softly, his voice carrying a feminine lilt.
"Xiao Hei," Lambda asked lazily,
"do you think we should convert Pokémon Tower directly into a radio station… or just tear it down and rebuild?"
"Either works,"
Xiao Hei replied with a deep bow, not daring to give a real opinion.
The two were representatives of the so-called Rainbow Group, here to conduct an on-site inspection of Pokémon Tower.
What was the point of burying the dead?
Scatter the ashes into the sea and use the land to build a radio station instead.
Broadcast the names of Rainbow Group, Kanto's most charitable public-interest enterprise, and Team Rocket, the most environmentally conscious organization in the region, on every radio frequency—
Wouldn't that be perfect?
"Tch. That idiot Apollo," Lambda scoffed.
"It's already the modern era, and he's still robbing the rich like some caveman. No sense of corporate culture at all."
He shook his head disdainfully.
What good was raw cash these days?
Traffic.
Reputation.
Public image.
Those were the real assets.
"Xiao Hei," Lambda continued casually,
"after we finish this job, I'm thinking next year I'll be the new boss of Team Rocket. What do you think?"
Xiao Hei shuddered.
The boss wasn't even gone yet, and the generals were already eyeing the throne?
"Purely as a passerby… honestly,"
he said weakly,
"you're not wrong."
"Hmph. Still," Lambda muttered, scanning the fog with narrowed eyes,
"I've heard Pokémon Tower's been acting up lately. What kind of monster dares block my rise to greatness?"
Flattening Pokémon Tower was already part of the plan—but something here had recently begun interfering with progress.
That was why Rainbow Group had sent Lambda, one of Team Rocket's top commanders.
Team Rocket had four core executives, second only to Giovanni himself. Each possessed power rivaling an Elite Four member.
In most regions, the Pokémon League was overwhelmingly dominant.
But in Kanto—
The top powers were split between one League and one criminal syndicate, with no absolute gap between them.
"This fog is disgusting."
Lambda casually tossed a Poké Ball.
A flash of red light, and a massive bat Pokémon appeared—wide wings spread, mouth gaping open, sharp fangs glinting with venomous cold.
"Golbat, use Defog!"
Golbat beat its wings, releasing a strange force that swept the dense fog away in moments.
The fourth floor of Pokémon Tower instantly became clear.
This wasn't some utility Pokémon—just a natural move.
"There it is. The stairs to the fifth floor."
With the fog gone, the empty graves were revealed, and the upward staircase stood clearly in the corner of the room.
Lambda smirked and led Xiao Hei forward.
But before they could approach—
A sudden cold wind howled.
Dense fog surged back, this time condensing only within a three-meter radius around the staircase.
Black energy gathered within the mist, forming a half-human-sized shadow.
Its shape was unstable, edges trembling violently, its form indistinct.
Yet the chilling aura and faint crimson malice radiating from it made one thing clear—
This was no ordinary presence.
"A-a ghost?!"
Xiao Hei swallowed hard.
Not a Ghost-type Pokémon.
A real ghost—one sustained by powerful resentment after death.
"So this is it…?"
Lambda wasn't afraid at all. Instead, a greedy glint flashed in his eyes.
Ghosts weren't rare.
He suddenly hurled a Poké Ball, attempting to capture it.
"Whoosh—"
The ball passed straight through, completely ineffective.
Poké Ball technology wasn't advanced enough to deal with true spirits.
"Tch. Then we'll try Team Rocket's black tech!"
With a snap of his fingers, Xiao Hei produced a mechanical visor from his pack.
Unlike Apollo's battle scanners, this device resembled a gemstone analyzer—more like night-vision goggles.
One of Team Rocket's Top Ten Black Technologies:
the Special Detection Visor.
It could perceive all anomalous existences.
Ghosts included.
Lambda slipped it on.
Through the lens, the black mist slowly resolved into a clear form—
A bipedal stance, brown body, a skull perfectly fitted over its head, and a massive bone club gripped in its hands.
However, the skull on the right side was cracked badly, as if it had been shattered while alive.
"…Marowak?"
Lambda's interest immediately dropped.
Marowak wasn't particularly rare.
As a ghost, it might have some research value—but if it couldn't be captured, it was mostly useless.
Still, Marowak's skull was valuable—like Slowpoke Tails, a high-priced commodity.
Team Rocket dealt in those.
Come to think of it, just last week, a pair of Marowak and Cubone had escaped during a poaching operation outside Lavender Town.
The mother's skull had been shattered in the struggle, killing her value—so they'd lost interest and let them flee.
"…So it's you."
Lambda sneered.
Golbat understood immediately.
Its wings snapped forward, slicing the air as multiple sharp wind blades shot out.
Air Cutter!
If it was already dead, it should stay dead.
No ghost was going to stand in the way of Team Rocket's scientific, green development.
"Marooowak!!"
The Ghost Marowak desperately swung its bone club, barely managing to block the incoming blades.
Large chunks of black energy were carved away from its form.
It stared at its own weapon in shock.
Something was very wrong.
"Hmph. That's Team Rocket tech for you,"
Lambda sneered.
The Special Detection Visor didn't just detect.
It severely weakened whatever it analyzed.
That was its true function.
Each of Team Rocket's Top Ten Black Technologies was the result of countless brilliant minds—none of them trivial.
"Finish it," Lambda ordered coldly.
"Golbat—use Wing Attack!"
Golbat's wings gleamed as it lunged.
Marowak raised its bone club again, bracing desperately.
"Maroo…"
It was clearly losing ground, forced back step by step.
"Cubone!"
Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out from the side.
A small white bone club flew through the air, smashing into Golbat's head and forcing it back.
The damage was negligible—but the shock was real.
"What was that?!"
Lambda snapped, turning angrily.
A Cubone stepped into view behind him, catching the returning bone club in its hand.
Its small body stood firm on the cracked floor, eyes blazing with determination.
Ash strode forward behind it, completely fearless, shouting:
"What demon dares harm the innocent?!
Sir, don't be afraid—I specialize in ghost exorcism!"
As he spoke, Ash pulled the exorcism fan from Gengar's extra-dimensional body and pointed it menacingly at the ghostly figure.
Lambda: "?"
Ghost Marowak: "?"
Cubone at his feet: "?"
Ash's entrance completely stunned both allies and enemies alike.
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