Chapter 133: Firefighter Squirtle (Sixth Update)

September 30th, evening.
The train finally arrived in Lavender Town.
Just as he stepped off the train, Huyan spotted the tall tower located in the northeast part of the town.
The weather in Lavender Town was somewhat gloomy, with a faint mist shrouding the streets and the sky.
Standing amidst this mist, the towering structure exuded a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
Huyan silently looked at the scene before him.
If he guessed correctly, that must be the famous landmark of Lavender Town, Pokémon Tower, right?
Pokémon Tower was not a tower where Pokémon lived, as its name might suggest.
On the contrary, it was a tower built to comfort the spirits of deceased Pokémon.
Departed Pokémon rested in peace here, with hundreds of Pokémon graves filling the interior, and many people came to pay their respects every day.
No matter where it happens, death is always a very heavy matter.
Huyan did not like this place.
He released the Cubone and asked, "Is this your hometown?"
Cubone looked at the familiar tall tower and nodded happily, "Bone!"
"Is it over there?"
"Bone!"
Having received a positive answer, Huyan glanced at the traffic coming and going on the streets and decided to take Cubone home.
Guided by Cubone, they soon arrived at the foot of the tall tower.
Cubone hopped onto the stairs and looked back at Huyan.
"Bone!"
"Go ahead," Huyan smiled gently.
Only then did Cubone turn around and happily enter the tower.
Having safely delivered Cubone to its destination, Huyan turned and left the area, heading toward the Pokémon Center in Lavender Town.
He planned to spend the night here and set off for the Power Plant the next day.
Lavender Town did not have a Pokémon Gym, so the number of Trainers visiting was quite small.
The number of Trainers in the lobby of the Pokémon Center could be counted on one hand.
With nothing better to do, Huyan used the video phone in the center to call Slowking.
Soon, Slowking's face appeared on the screen.

Huyan asked, "Wise Slow, how are the Pokémon in the sanctuary doing lately?"
Slowking nodded and replied, "The Oddish adapted to the sanctuary's environment very quickly. Every day at seven in the evening, they start walking around the park, and they don't stop to rest until six in the morning."
Oddish were nocturnal Pokémon.
During the day, their feet transformed into something resembling tree roots, which they thrust deep into the soil.
Once the moonlight shone upon them, they would wake up and actively wander about.
Oddish generally lived in grassy plains, but they could also be found in the fertile soils of tropical jungles and marshes.
The sanctuary seemed a bit too small for them.
Thinking of this, Huyan pondered the feasibility of buying them a hamster-wheel-style generator.
This would satisfy their strong urge to wander around while simultaneously generating electricity for use in the sanctuary.
"What about the Squirtle?" Having finished asking about the Oddish, Huyan inquired about the current status of the Squirtle.
Hearing this, a strange expression appeared on Slowking's face.
It said, "Those two little fellows have passed the recruitment test for the fire department and are now firefighters. They leave the sanctuary every morning at seven and return at five in the afternoon."
"Judging by what those two little ones mean, it seems they want to earn money this way to show their gratitude to you."
Huyan: "...How did they suddenly think of going out to work?"
Slowking looked perplexed. "I'm not sure either, but it seems to have something to do with the Magikarp and that school of Relicanth."
Because it saw that after the recruitment test concluded that day, the two Squirtle had gone over to the pond to lecture them for over a dozen minutes before leaving with proud looks on their faces.
(Squirtle: Now you're the ones who are just freeloading lazy fish here! We've already found jobs, and Huyan won't chase us away!)
To be honest, Huyan was quite surprised by the Squirtle's intentions.
He had originally just wanted to trick them into coming home to collect them, never expecting them to go out and get jobs.
However, there were also episodes in the anime where Squirtle worked as firefighters, and they were indeed well-suited for the profession.
Huyan thought for a moment and asked, "Do they have any thoughts of leaving the sanctuary?"
After all, he was not the Trainer of those two Squirtle. If they took a fancy to other humans and wanted to follow them, he would not stop them.
Slowking shook its head and replied, "No, they go to work on time every day, return right on schedule, and never linger outside."
"You can tell they really like this place and don't seem to have any intention of leaving."
"That's good." Huyan nodded.
After confirming that the newly joined Pokémon in the sanctuary had settled in well, Huyan said goodnight to Slowking and hung up the phone.
There weren't many Trainers in the Pokémon Center. They looked hurried and didn't seem to have any intention of battling others.
Huyan checked the time and found that it was already eight-thirty in the evening.

So he picked up a few travel guidebooks from the Pokémon Center's bookshelf and returned to his resting room.
The air conditioner in the room was set very low, making it feel rather chilly.
After taking a quick shower, Huyan dove under the covers.
Sleeping under a blanket while the air conditioner was running was simply the best!
He had expected to sleep soundly through the night, but the moment he closed his eyes, Huyan fell into a dream.
A dream about the Trial of the Rainbow Hero.
In the dream, he was sitting in a classroom.
Eight large characters were written on the blackboard in white chalk:
You should go and take the trial!
Next to the blackboard, Marshadow's figure drifted, casting a lingering gaze toward Huyan.
Early the next morning, the moment Huyan opened his eyes, he realized that the dream was Marshadow's way of reminding him.
However...
He currently had no thoughts whatsoever regarding that trial.
Mount Tensei was too far away; by the time he returned from there, the New Year would probably have already passed.
After leisurely finishing the breakfast provided by the Pokémon Center, Huyan shouldered his backpack, left Lavender Town, and followed the directions on the map toward the abandoned power plant.
He said to Gengar and Roserade on the way, "There might be a big battle coming up."
Although that Zapdos lacked a divine persona, its strength could not be underestimated.
Zapdos had a volatile temperament and possessed a very strong sense of territory.
If anyone intruded into its territory without permission, it would summon bolts of lightning to vent its anger.
Huyan recalled the descriptions of Zapdos's disposition.
Aside from that, it was also an extremely bellicose Pokémon.
Whenever it discovered a Pokémon that looked stronger than itself, Zapdos would challenge it.
This meant that if he wanted to catch it, he had to prove his strength to it.
Unlike the emotionally attached Gengar and the others, Zapdos was truly the kind of Pokémon that needed to be defeated and captured just like in the video games.
Only by defeating it could one win its recognition.