PO02

At the Pokémon Center in Lavender Town, Red overhears talk of a ghost appearing in the Pokémon Tower and decides to investigate. Before doing so, he is advised to visit the Pokémon House. Here, he learns of a baby Cubone’s ordeal at the hands of an evil organization known as Team Rocket. Who are these villains, and what is behind the haunting at the Pokémon Tower?

Red facing Misty

After defeating Brock at the Pewter Gym and winning a Boulder Badge, Red continues his journey to complete the Pokédex. He purchases a Magikarp from the Magikarp salesman on Route 4; battles a Fossil-hogging Super Nerd in Mt. Moon; encounters a crime syndicate called Team Rocket and recovers the TM for Dig, which they stole from a man in Cerulean City; defeats the Cerulean Gym Leader Misty, winning a Cascade Badge; evolves his Charmander into Charmeleon; receives an Old Rod from the Vermilion Fishing Guru; cures the captain of the S.S. Anne of his seasickness and is rewarded with HM01 (Cut); defeats the Vermilion City Gym Leader Lt. Surge and wins a Thunder Badge; receives a Bike Voucher from the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman; and rides his new bicycle through Rock Tunnel to Lavender Town.

After arriving in Lavender Town and healing his Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, Red overhears two people saying that the Pokémon Tower, the town's Pokémon graveyard, is haunted. Red asks if this is true; they insist it is. One of the people, a woman, asks Red if he believes in ghosts; he says that he does not think they exist. The woman says that the white hand on his shoulder must be fake too, then; Red turns around and sees nothing; when he turns back around, he finds that both people are gone without a trace.

Baby Cubone

The Pokémon Center lady asks Red if he plans to visit the Pokémon Tower; he says yes, and she says that he should go to the Pokémon House first. When Red arrives at the house, he is greeted by one of the volunteers there, Reina. She shows him around, and she explains that the house was founded by an elderly man named Mr. Fuji and takes in orphaned and abandoned Pokémon to take care of them; Red comments that all of the Pokémon in the house look happy - all except an angry baby Cubone. Reina explains that the Cubone only gets along with Mr. Fuji but is hostile toward anyone else. Red asks why, to which Reina responds it is Team Rocket's fault.

She explains Cubone's story to Red: A trio of Team Rocket Grunts was poaching Pokémon near town, and captured a Mankey, a Raticate, a Sandshrew, and a Sandslash. One Grunt noticed Cubone attempting to run away, and the others almost netted it, in hopes of selling it for a high price; however, an unknown Pokémon tackled them to protect it. The Pokémon was soon revealed to be Cubone's mother, a Marowak, who told her child to run. Cubone was hesitant at first, but soon ran off. One of the Grunts, infuriated by Marowak's intervention, pulled out a stun baton and beat her to death. The orphaned Cubone was found by Mr. Fuji and given a loving home.

Red soon finds out that Team Rocket has taken over Pokémon Tower and made it their base. Mr. Fuji had gone to the tower to tell them to leave days ago, but had not returned. Red volunteers to find him, and says that he is more than capable due to his having three badges. Blue, however, overhears the whole conversation and decides to do the same thing as Red so that he will be the hero.

The ghost appearing before Blue

That night, Team Rocket is in the tower. One of the Grunts says that there are rumors of the tower being haunted. Another hopefully says that they are just Ghost-type Pokémon. The Grunt says that the weird part is that they are actually real ghosts. The other is worried; the same Grunt who killed Marowak tells him to stop being a baby as they have the Silph Scope, which can identify ghosts. Red, also now in the tower, finds a young lady who is there to see her Nidoran's grave. She informs him that the ghost only appears towards the top. As he proceeds, he does not realize that Blue is ahead of him. Blue sees the ghost and runs; his screams catch the attention of Team Rocket, several floors above. The same worried Grunt from before thinks that the screams were because of the ghosts. The same Grunt that killed Marowak decides to go investigate.

Below, Blue runs into Red, and warns him about the ghost, which unexpectedly appears. Blue wants to run, but Red decides to stay and fight. Blue decides to go find Team Rocket. Red sends out Charmeleon, who attacks several times in a row to no avail. Blue, almost at the top of the stairs, is caught by the Rocket Grunt. He sends out his newly-evolved Wartortle to attack the Grunt himself. Meanwhile, Cubone is trying to break out of its playpen at the Pokémon House. Reina goes to check on it, but as soon as she unlatches the gate, Cubone runs toward the Pokémon Tower. Reina, worried about the little Pokémon, chases after it. It runs up the stairs in the tower, apparently curious about something, with Reina still trying to catch up to it.

Jolteon fighting Koffing

Blue runs down the tower's stairs and gives the Silph Scope he took from Team Rocket to Red. Red, wondering what it is, puts it on. The ghost is unmasked and revealed to be a Marowak. Red realizes that this is the same Marowak that was killed by Team Rocket. She warns Red not to go further, as Team Rocket is up the stairs. Cubone suddenly runs in, yelling for its mother, with Reina coming in soon after. Cubone hugs the ghost, causing Red to decide not to continue fighting. Marowak, realizing her son is safe, can finally rest in peace, and moves onto the afterlife. Blue decides not to stay any longer and leaves.

Up the stairs, Team Rocket is confused as to what happened to the Silph Scope. Red, realizing that the Scope is what they were after, throws it to them and tells them to get out. They refuse, and one of the Grunts sends out his Koffing. Red sends out his new Jolteon and battles the Grunt. Koffing covers the field with Smog, causing trouble for Jolteon. However, Cubone uses Bonemerang to clear the Smog, giving Jolteon the opportunity to defeat Koffing with Thunderbolt. Team Rocket leaves, while Red and Reina advance to the top floor. There, they find Mr. Fuji tied up. He is relieved to see that Reina and Cubone are alright and quickly becomes acquainted with Red. He soon realizes that Marowak can rest in peace because Cubone is okay.

The next day, at the Pokémon House, Mr. Fuji gives Red a Poké Flute to wake up sleeping Pokémon, as well as a pair of mysterious stones. Red asks if Fuji really wants to give him these valuable gems. Fuji explains that they have no value as gems, but that Red will soon find out what exactly they are.

Cubone is now friendly towards humans and makes fast friends with Reina. As Red leaves Lavender Town to continue his journey, everyone says goodbye, and Mr. Fuji says that Red is welcome back anytime. As Red passes a tree, he hears Blue's voice up in the tree. Blue tries to take credit for the events of the night before, but Red comments that he was screaming the whole time. Blue denies everything as Red rides away on his bicycle. The episode ends with Red saving his game.

• Red buys a Magikarp from the Magikarp salesman.
• Red encounters Team Rocket for the first time.
• Red defeats Misty, earning the Cascade Badge.
• Red's Charmander evolves into Charmeleon.
• Red obtains an Old Rod from the Vermilion Fishing Guru.
• Red obtains HM01 (Cut) from S.S. Anne's captain.
• Red defeats Lt. Surge, earning the Thunder Badge.
• Red obtains a bicycle.
• Red arrives in Lavender Town.
• Red meets Blue again.
• Red is revealed to have obtained a Jolteon.
• Blue's Squirtle is revealed to have evolved into a Wartortle.
• The spirit of the Marowak is calmed thanks to her Cubone baby.
• Red rescues Mr. Fuji from the hands of Team Rocket at the Pokémon Tower.
• Mr. Fuji gives Red the Poké Flute and a pair of mysterious stones.

Humans

• Red
• Blue
• Misty
• Lt. Surge
• Magikarp salesman
• Reina
• Mr. Fuji
• Pokémon Fan Club Chairman
• Pokémon Center lady
• Vermilion Fishing Guru
• S.S. Anne's captain
• Cerulean City burglar
• Super Nerd Miguel
• Lavender Town residents
• Team Rocket Grunts

Pokémon

• Charmander (Red's; evolves)
• Charmeleon (Red's; newly evolved)
• Magikarp (Red's; new)
• Jolteon (Red's)
• Starmie (Misty's)
• Raichu (Lt. Surge's)
• Koffing (Team Rocket Grunt's)
• Cubone (Pokémon House)
• Oddish (Pokémon House)
• Growlithe (Pokémon House)
• Vulpix (Pokémon House)
• Rattata (Pokémon House)
• Marowak (ghost)
• Raticate (flashback)
• Mankey (flashback)
• Sandshrew (flashback)
• Sandslash (flashback)

The white hand on Red's shoulder

• The Pokémon Fan Club Chairman uses the same design as in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
• When Red is talking to the two people at the Pokémon Center, a white hand can be seen over his shoulder, referencing an NPC from Lavender Town in Pokémon Red and Blue.
• During the flashback of Marowak confronting Team Rocket, Cubone is shown to be wearing a skull, even though its mother is still alive.

Errors

• In one scene, Raichu's whole tail is yellow, instead of just the lightning bolt-shaped tip.
• In one scene, Mankey's right leg is completely colored brown.
• When Cubone was running away from the Team Rocket Grunts, one of Cubone's dorsal spikes on its back is briefly colored the same way as its skull. The same error repeats only twice.
• As Charmeleon is about to hit the ghost of Marowak, it can be seen without its cream underside for a brief moment.
• After Marowak's spirit departs, Red turns his hat forwards. However, in the very next shot, it is backwards once again.
• When Red is looking at the Poké Flute, the bottom of the Poké Ball is at the bottom of the flute, but in the next shot, it is the other way around.

• 

  Raichu's tail error

• 

  Mankey's miscolored leg

• 

  Charmeleon without its cream underside

Dub edits

• During the flashback revealing Cubone's past, it was originally stated that Team Rocket wanted it because Cubone skulls sell for high prices. In the dub, the reference to selling Cubone's skull is removed, instead referring to Cubone itself being the sellable object.
• In the original Japanese version, Reina directly states that Marowak was killed; in the English dub, she says that Cubone lost its mother.
  • In the Italian dub, it is explicitly stated that Team Rocket killed Marowak.
• Marowak's scream when it is killed by Team Rocket is toned down in the dub version.
• In the original Japanese version, Marowak continues to speak even after it has been identified. It returns to making animalistic grunts in the dub.