Chapter Nine: Lavender Town
The group stepped ever closer to the seemingly haunted town, the very air seeming to gain an arctic chill as they moved closer. Even the trees seemed to become spookier, seemingly twisting into evil figures as the town loomed closer.
Suddenly, out of the shadows phased another human. They looked at the group, their eyes hollow and soulless.
"I can see your futures," They spoke in a haunted voice, pointing at them in turn.
"You," They pointed at Pyrah. "Will face an opponent stronger than you've ever faced prior."
"Really?" Pyrah got really excited. "Awesome! I'm beginning to itch for battle!"
"Looks like Pyrah gets more battle hungry upon evolution." Moon said. "I guess her final stage does get battle hungry. Well, Pyrah, now that you're at the peak of your power, being a Charmeleon and all, how do you think you're gonna fight?"
"I'm gonna fight this opponent with all my skills!" Pyrah grinned.
Elsewhere, a being sat underneath magma, cross legged. Her eyes were closed as she meditated. However, she sensed that someone was coming soon, someone that would challenge her.
"You," they pointed at Moon. "Will find no true peace. Your battle is only beginning. You will need to fight for yourself and those nearest you."
"Odd," Moon said. "But, I guess I can live with that."
"You," They pointed at Lillie. "Will seek solace in the water in your darkest time."
"What?" Lillie asked.
"You," They finally pointed at Leaf. "Will become more than you have ever imagined. Your journey is merely beginning as well. Trust your heart and instincts, 'han kami'."
"Wh-What?" Leaf asked, becoming nervous. "Wh-What does that mean?"
The being simply vanished, leaving the group with only questions.
"I… suppose we keep walking," Moon shrugged. "We'll learn if they're right or what they meant soon."
"Wh-What did that mean?" Leaf asked Moon. "Wh-What she said about me?"
"I dunno," Moon shrugged again. "I guess we'll find out soon."
"O-Okay," Lillie nodded. "L-Let's hurry through Lavender Town."
"Right," Moon nodded. The chill had almost become unbearable when they came up to a gate that read "Lavender Town: Enter At Own Risk".
"Well, that's welcoming," Nocturna said. "So, how many ghosts do you think we'll have to beat before we leave?"
"Who knows?" Pyrah shrugged. "I just wanna fight."
"We'll probably have to," Moon said. "Let's just avoid Moémon Tower."
"Moémon Tower?" Flora asked.
"They say it's the burial place of most Moémon with trainers." Moon said. "There are rumors of some kind of zombie at the top. The story went that a person was buried alive there. It also went that they cut off his hands and they became sentient, being referred to as Dead Hands."
"Th-That sounds s-s-scary," Leaf curled up, trembling as Flora and Frieda held her.
"Hey, don't have an accident," Flora said. "Just pretend they're all full of puppies and rainbows."
"B-But, they're not," Leaf sobbed once.
"Just pretend." Flora said, becoming a bit firmer.
"I-I'll try," Leaf nodded. She gained a slightly determined look on her face, which still looked very scared.
"Now that we're ready," Moon said. "Let's enter the city."
The group stepped through the gates as the sky seemingly got darker, turning a strange and odd purple color, the color of Poison.
"This place is giving me the creeps something fierce," Nocturna said, her eyes shifting back and forth as she stood next to Leaf. "But, I suppose I can keep you company, Leaf."
She bit down on Leaf's neck, taking in some of her blood as Leaf shrieked and jumped, curling into a ball and shaking like, well, like a leaf.
"Hey, it was just me," Nocturna stood her up. "You know me, cutie."
"Y-Yeah," Leaf said, standing up and shivering, though not fully from the cold.
"Your blood tastes pretty sweet too," Nocturna winked, causing Leaf to blush heavily. "I think it tastes better than Moon's."
"Th-Thanks, I g-guess," Leaf blushed heavily.
"Someone's getting a harem," Moon muttered to Lillie, who snickered.
"So, where are we going?" Flora asked. "I don't suppose you know the way through this place, do you?"
"I think it's a straight walk," Moon said as they walked past several destroyed looking buildings that seemingly held no life.
"This place seems to be closing in on us," Lillie said. "Where could we be going?"
"Towards the heart of town," Moon said. "The source of all the stories: Moémon Tower. We have to go past it if we want to leave the town."
"That doesn't sound too fun," Lillie said.
"It's not," Moon said. "I think we should hurry and get the hell out of here."
"Agreed," Lillie nodded. "Let's go."
The group continued walking until they started to notice a tall tower that seemingly reached into the sky. It seemed to be the source of the purple sky that was blanketing the town.
"P-Please can we go?" Leaf asked, tears running down her face in her fear.
"We have to go past the tower," Moon said. "Don't worry. We're not going in. We're just gonna go past it. I promise."
"A-Alright," Leaf nodded as the group started to walk past the tower. An eerie cackle started to come from it, which shocked Lillie and caused her to pull her hat over her eyes and shiver like she was freezing. Flora comforted her, Frieda as well, both taking a hand and leading her past the tower.
"We're almost out," Moon said. "Just stick with us,"
Leaf sniffled once, nodding as they made it past the tower. They continued to walk before Moon noticed the other gate.
"There it is!" She said, pointing towards it. The others all looked a little relieved as they walked towards it, keeping a lookout for any Ghost types that might be in the area.
"This seemed easier than we expected," Flora said.
"Don't jinx it," Moon said. "That's the last thing we need."
"Oh, right," Flora said, tensing up as they all looked around.
The gate in front of them slammed shut as a lock formed around it.
"W-We're stuck in h-here?" Leaf asked, seeing it. She began to sob, Frieda pulling her into an embrace as she looked around.
"I'll try to open it," Moon said, looking at the lock. She pulled on it, but to no avail. The chain simply didn't break.
"Seems this one's made of something strong," Moon said. "I suppose we'll have to find a way to break it."
"Where would some bolt cutters be?" Lillie asked.
"We'll have to find some." Moon said. "Let's look in some of the houses."
"Right," Everyone said, nodding as they went to a house, Leaf sticking with Frieda and Flora.
However, everyone saw that the houses seemed to have no doors on them as they tried to discover them.
"Let's just break through a window," Flora shrugged. She used her vines to break a window, making sure to break all the glass so that they wouldn't cut themselves.
"You first, Leaf," Flora said. "We'll watch and follow right after."
"O-Okay," Leaf nodded, more than willing to help if it meant leaving this creepy town faster. She climbed in, Flora and Frieda helping her with vines and hands alike.
Once inside, Leaf looked around, noticing that it looked like a normal house. She began to become a little braver, standing up.
Looking around the room she was in, she discovered several pieces of clothing that belonged to a child judging from the size. She looked around, some innate sense telling her something was off, but the timid sixteen year old couldn't tell what it was. She entered the next room, feeling a cold shiver begin to creep down her spine as she saw several clothes that looked like they belonged to dolls.
"Leaf?!" Flora called. "You okay in there?!"
"Y-Yeah," Leaf said, as loud as her voice would let her, which wasn't much louder than her normal speaking volume and even then it had a squeak to it. She could hear Flora's vines snaking around the window, beginning to provide her some leverage as she hoisted herself up into the house.
Frieda entered shortly after, climbing into the second story window behind the Ivysaur Moémon.
"Leaf?!" Flora called out, Frieda noticing the ground was covered in cocoons.
A shriek replied to her, the two running into the room to see a purple mist holding Leaf in a position as if she were crucified, the mist snaking around her body and head, covering her mouth as a creepy face appeared.
The face looked like two large red eyes and a wide, face breaking grin that put the Joker's to shame.
"What the hell are you?!" Flora demanded. "And why do you have her?!"
"I've been looking for a new body to 'borrow'," The mouth spoke. Leaf's eyes widened at that statement, her breathing becoming shaky and panicked.
"The hell you are!" Flora attacked with her vines, but they passed through the mist, hitting Leaf, who yelped behind the smoke covering her mouth.
"Oh, shit, sorry!" Flora said.
Frieda held up her hand, a small burst of Psychic energy shooting out of her hand, hitting the mist. However, it didn't react at all, the face snickering as it looked at them.
"You're gonna have to do better than that if you want the girl back," The face grinned wider. "I'm gonna enjoy having fun in this body."
"Get away from her!" Flora demanded, both her and Frieda getting into fighting positions.
"Oh, please," The face snickered. "That's cute."
"So is this," A voice said from nearby. The smoke shrieked in pain as a black energy, the energy of a Dark move, enveloped her. She shuddered, twitching heavily as she nearly released Leaf.
"The hell are you doing?!" She growled as Nocturna stepped around her, wiping her mouth off with a smirk on her face.
"I just took a bite out of you," Nocturna said. "Gotta say, I've tasted way better."
"I'll show you taste," The smoke growled as it began to move itself into Leaf's mouth. The sixteen year old gagged and hacked as she tried to force it out, but without use of her arms, she had no way to fully stop it.
Nocturna moved to bite the smoke again, but it hit her with a burst of light, which blinded her, causing her to attack Flora by mistake.
"Ow!" Flora punched her. "Damn confusion!"
By this point, the smoke had fully entered Leaf's body, causing her to drop to her knees with her shoulders shuddering.
"Leaf?" Nocturna asked. Leaf's shoulders continued to shudder heavily as small giggles in a distorted version of Leaf's voice escaped from her mouth. Her mouth curved upward a little.
"Uh, Leaf?" Flora asked, confused. "You okay?"
The giggles escalated to chuckles as Leaf's shoulders moved more, and her mouth curved wider, her teeth sharpening as they became pointed.
"I don't think this is very good," Nocturna said, getting into a fighting position. "Get ready for a fight."
The chuckles became laughter as Leaf began to hold her sides from what was seemingly funny. The sixteen year old then threw her head back, downright cackling as she spread her arms out wide. Her eyes were wide and crazy looking, but calmed down slightly as she continued laughing loudly, almost demonically.
The strange, distorted voice rang throughout the house as the objects within the house began to levitate. A strange dark purple, almost black aura began to leak out from her.
"What the hell is this?!" Flora braced herself against the almost noxious aura.
"That thing's possessing her!" Nocturna said. "That aura's its aura that it's using."
"Get the hell out of my trainer!" Flora demanded as "Leaf" continued to laugh.
Soon the possessed teenager began to rise into the air in nearly the same position she was in when they'd first encountered her, but with her head back. A strange purple smoke began to surround her, distorting her body and changing its attire.
This new body was about six inches taller than Leaf was. Leaf's shoes morphed into deep purple leather like boots that went almost to her knees. The boots hugged her skin tightly, holding on just enough for her skin to breathe. They had thin black laces that wove all the way up to the top. They ended in a thin bow that went over them, drooping slightly. Two black belts were buckled around each boot near the top, tightly holding them on. The boots had two inch high platforms that were also a deep purple. They rose to form the boots into slight heels, but the platforms were flat on the ground with no rise or gap. Onto her legs formed skin tight, deep purple leggings that hugged her legs like a second skin. The leggings seemed to almost be like her flesh, but also a sort of ghostly thing that could be ectoplasm. Her skirt and top morphed into what resembled a Gothic Lolita dress that went down a third of the way down her thighs. The frills at the end of the dress were a darker purple and were almost black. Around her waist morphed a very deep purple corset that had three lavender colored bows on it that helped fasten it together. There was a deep purple lace that ran up the middle of the corset, possibly from the dress underneath. The lacey frill went up the length of the dress, stopping just under a frilly collar that appeared around her neck. A ribbon tied into a bow also morphed into place, going over the collar. Onto her arms and hands morphed gloves that went almost to her shoulders, leaving about two inches at most of skin showing on her arms. The gloves were a deep purple and hugged her skin tightly, just like the leggings. Around her wrists, frilly bands wrapped tightly around each wrist. They were a deep purple and also had a bow that was deep purple. Her skin changed from its natural tone to a pale tone, a near obvious difference. A very deep purple, cape like shawl went down her back, raising up by her shoulders almost like a vampire's. It had frilly edges and the inside was the same color. Several wide, deep purple ribbons trailed out from the dress, probably from the back of the corset. They wafted out like tentacles, seemingly possessed themselves. Her hair lengthened and changed shade and style until it was a very deep purple and went down to her knees. It was far thicker and wilder at this point, almost trailing like a gaseous cloud, though very much solid. It seemed like it was poisonous to the touch. In her hair was a purple ribbon tied into a bow at the top of her hair. Just behind that was a much larger bow that stood up on her hair. It was a bit darker purple and had very deep purple frills on the outside. Her eyes changed from their usual forest brown to a bloody ruby color, seeming more sinister at this point. Her mouth stretched into a grin that wasn't face breaking, but still wider than Leaf had done before.
"This…" Flora said. "Isn't good."
"You think?" Nocturna said with thinly veiled sarcasm. "We need to free her from that possession."
Frieda nodded in agreement, the three looking at "Leaf" with ideas trying to form in their heads about how to deal with this occurrence. "Leaf", on the other hand, was too busy looking over her body. Liking the feel of the skin and the clothes on them, she felt her arms and legs, noting the touch of the clothing on her skin. Lastly, she grabbed "her" breasts, giving them a small squeeze to test them.
"Hey!" Flora yelled. "Those aren't yours!"
"Oh, calm down, wannabe dom," "Leaf" said in an indifferent voice, which was still a distorted version of Leaf's, still looking down at "her" breasts. "I'm just seeing how this new skin feels. I'm not going to publicly do anything to it, unlike you tying her up like a pet."
"Ha!" Nocturna exclaimed. "Even the ghost possessing her body is calling you out on it!"
"I'm not a lech, you creep!" Flora shouted, both to Nocturna, and to "Leaf".
"Whatever," 'Leaf' said. "I suppose introductions are in order, considering I'm going to be in this body for a long, long time. Call me Genny."
"Stupid name," Flora rolled her eyes.
"Says the one who is literally named plant," Genny roller "her" own eyes. "I quite like the feel of this body. I wonder what I can do with it."
"Don't forget, she's sixteen." Nocturna said.
"Oh, like that stopped either of you," Genny said.
"Fair point," Nocturna conceded.
"Now, I think I'll take this body for a test drive," Genny grinned wide. "But, if you three think you can stop me, I'm more than willing to test out my powers on you. Now that I've got an anchor, I can go all out with no problems."
"Give back our trainer!" Flora demanded.
"Hmm… no," Genny snickered, holding up her hand at Flora, firing a Shadow Ball at her chest.
"Holy shit!" Genny exclaimed. "This body is awesome!"
"You won't have it for long!" Nocturna lunged for her, but Genny dodged her, smacking her away.
"Nice try, fangs," Genny snickered more. "But, you're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna beat me."
"You're not going to take her body!" Flora shouted, wrapping around her with her vines.
"Oh, like you're a challenge for me," Genny phased through the vines, gut punching Flora. "you may be evolved, but I'm more powerful than anything you've faced."
"Like that's what's gonna stop me!" Flora growled.
"Suit yourself," Genny smirked as she held up two Shadow Balls, the Ghost type attacks glowing a dark purple glow.
She threw the attacks, hitting Flora and Nocturna in the chest. Frieda leapt in to fight, Genny punching her across the jaw.
Frieda's face cracked like the shell it was, the crack spreading up her entire body. The golden yellow light of her evolution happened as the bound figure of her true form emerging as her bonds broke, revealing the Butterfree within.
"This is your last chance to surrender," She said, pointing at Genny in Leaf's body. "I won't go easy on you."
"Like you're a challenge to me," Genny shrugged, a self-confident smirk on her face.
Frieda rushed for her with a speed the possessing Ghost type didn't expect, landing a powerful blow across her jaw.
"Okay, so you're fast," Genny cracked her neck, wiping her mouth. "I'll give you that one. But, this is the last free hit you get."
"Then, fight me," Frieda said.
The two rushed at each other, grappling as they fought for dominance. Genny, however, proved to be stronger, throwing Frieda behind her. Frieda fired a powerful Confusion at her, shocking the Ghost type with her power.
"That's pretty good," Genny said. "I wasn't expecting such a fight from a little Butterfree. But, your victory ends here."
The Ghost type held out her hand, a dark purple ball of sludge shooting out of it and striking Frieda square in the chest and sending her crashing into the wall, breaking through it.
"You guys are pretty weak," Genny looked on, bored. "I was thinkin' I'd get more out of you. I mean, you guys were brave enough to walk into this place, even though it's run by us Ghosts. But I guess the only strong ones in your party are the hybrid and the Charmeleon."
"They're not the only ones," Nocturna said. "We can fight on our own as well. We can still beat you, you body snatcher."
"Right," Genny smirked. "And, I'm just gonna roll over and let you, right? Wrong! I'm not gonna give up this body! Besides, I've already bonded to her soul. You remove me, you kill her. Even if you suppress me, I'll still be here, deep down inside her."
"You bitch!" Flora lunged at Genny, the Ghost type stepping to the side and tripping her.
"You're pretty slow," Genny said. "I guess you're losing your edge, huh?"
"You won't win!" Flora attacked her with her vines once again.
"Yeah, what part of Ghost do you not understand?" Genny snickered. "You can't touch me with those vines. Sorry to break it to ya."
"You won't keep her body!" Flora shouted, Genny walking toward the door of the house.
"I think you're sorely mistaken there," Genny smirked, leaving the house. "But, don't worry. You'll be joining her state soon."
"Get back here!" Nocturna and Flora rushed at Genny, who dodged. Frieda attacked with another Confusion, but a Shadow Ball to her gut stopped that. Frieda lay unconscious as her shell pulled her back in, binding her once again as it left her outside the house.
"Weird one, that Butterfree," Genny mused. "But, no matter. I'll just have a little fun."
"Hey, what was that huge power surge I felt?" Moon asked, walking over with Lillie. "Wait, who the hell are you?"
"Call me Genny," Genny grinned wide. "You must be the hybrid."
"No, I'm not a hybrid," Moon said. "But, where's Leaf."
"I "borrowed" that scaredy cat's body to anchor myself," Genny smirked. "You wanna take her back, you gotta come get it. But, I gotta warn you: if you remove me, she'll die."
"Well, then I'll just suppress you," Moon shrugged, moving forward with speed that Genny didn't expect, slamming a fist into Genny's gut. Genny went flying into the house, propelled by the force of Moon's blow.
"Well, well, well," Genny stood up, cracking her back. "Looks like you really are the real deal. Good. Means I don't have to hold back for fear of ending it too soon."
The sick, black aura that had emitted out of the body Genny possessed prior had returned, a ghostly feel gathering throughout the area as smoke began to rise from the houses, the rest of the inhabitants of the haunted town rising to watch this battle.
"You really think you stand much chance?" Genny smirked as her hands became coated in a sickly poison.
"I've fought Ghosts before." Moon said. "But, they were way less problematic than you."
"Well, consider me the odd one out," Genny's grin widened to an almost jaw breaking level, the possessor Moémon moving towards Moon at an almost invisible speed.
Moon ducked under her punch, striking upwards with a blow that rattled the Ghost type's jaw.
"I like you," Genny grinned. "You're gonna be a fun sparring partner."
"I won't let you possess Leaf," Moon said.
"Well, I'm stuck in here whether you like it or not," Genny grinned wide, her bloody ruby eyes staring straight at Moon.
The two rushed at each other, pulling back to unleash punches at each other. Their fists collided in midair, sending out a shockwave that pushed both backwards. They both flipped around, rushing in once again. Moon dodged Genny's punch and dealt her a hard blow to her abdomen, causing her to cough out Poison.
Genny then held her hand up to Moon's face, spraying a blast of Poison into it. Moon barely had time to shield her eyes, but the Poison got on her hands and arms, hurting her.
"Seems you're weak to my Poison," Genny grinned wider. "You better not get hit again. You're lucky you didn't get Poisoned. That could hurt."
"Not that I care," Moon said. "I want my friend back."
"Too bad," Genny mocked her.
A powerful Shadow Ball hit Genny in the side. Genny shrieked in pain and turned to see who shot it. Shadow was standing there with Hikari, Hikari firing a Shadow Ball of her own. Genny growled, firing a Shadow Ball at Shadow and a Gunk Shot at Hikari.
"What are you doing here, traitors?" She spat.
"Helping out our friends," Shadow said as both she and Hikari fired another Shadow Ball each at Genny as they dodged her attacks she had fired at them.
"Laaaaame," Genny fired a small barrage of Shadow Balls at them. "Also, Shads, I can tell you were in this one. Not gonna lie, I don't mind the seconds."
"Oh god, and I thought Nocturna had some bad innuendos." Flora groaned.
"Again, you're worse than me." Nocturna and Genny both said.
"Yeah, yeah," Flora rolled her eyes, grabbing a rock and throwing it at Genny just as Moon drop kicked at her.
"What do you really think that's gonna do?" Genny smirked, throwing Moon back. "I mean, I'm one of the strongest ones here."
"Enough!" A Flamethrower slammed into Genny, sending her into the house as the form of Pyrah walked forward.
"Get the hell out of Leaf before I burn you to a crisp," Pyrah said, flames pouring out of her mouth.
"And, I just keep getting offput by a new challenger," Genny stood up and cracked her neck as the entirety of Moon and Lillie's teams joined up, all baring their fangs or claws.
"You're going down!" They said, pointing at her.
"We won't let you hurt Leaf anymore!" Skyla exclaimed, rushing forward and attacking at Genny, who smacked the Pidgey Moémon with a backhand.
"You bitch!" Katie rushed in, clamping down on Genny with a Bite attack. Genny flinched, punching Katie in the face to dispel the Dark fangs that had clamped on her wrist.
"It seems I'll have to draw a little power from my new body," Genny smirked as an emblem began to glow on her chest. However, before anything else could happen, Moon drove a punch into her jaw that seemingly knocked her out. She closed her eyes as she slumped over.
"Now what?" Lillie asked as the smoke began to gather around them.
"We need to get her away from the Ghostly energy of this town," Moon said, picking up the body of Genny as Flora grabbed Frieda. "Then, we can worry about suppressing her."
"Why not removing her altogether?" Lillie asked as they all took off toward the gate.
"Because she's fully possessed her," Moon said, looking back at the Ghostly smoke beginning to move in. "This isn't Leaf right now. This Genny has bonded to Leaf's soul permanently. It wouldn't hurt Leaf to only suppress the Ghost, but taking her out would kill Leaf."
"Oh," Lillie said. "Well, how do we suppress her?"
"Well, either Sabrina or Erica can help us," Moon said. "But, we'll have to head through Vermilion to reach either of them."
"Well, can't we just call them from a Moémon Center?" Lillie asked.
"From where?" Moon asked. "We'd still have to get to Vermilion City to reach one. Either way, we need to at least get to there. Unless the Ghostly energy here is what's giving her so much power."
"Why not just have Shadow try to eject her?" Lillie asked.
"Because she's bonded so much that even if she wanted to remove herself, she can't." Moon said.
"Wow," Lillie said. "Why would she do that?"
"Probably a lust for a body," Moon said.
"Pervert," Flora said.
"Not necessarily," Moon looked back at the Ghosts behind them. "These are all Ghosts. At one point, some of them had bodies. But, they all died and are now Ghosts cursed to wander within this town, which has so much Ghostly energy."
"We were not like that," Hikari said.
"Well, you two are an exception," Moon said as they reached the gate. "Normally, twin Ghosts aren't born, but you two are different. Shadow has no need for an anchor because Hikari is her anchor. She can possess, but she has no need for permanent possession. This Genny on the other hand needed Leaf's body to assume her true form and power once again."
"So, you're sympathizing with her?" Flora asked.
"No, I just get their stance," Moon said. "I met some Ghosts in Alola and they partially bonded so they could experience emotions and stuff. That and to play pranks on people. But, they mostly haunted a supermarket for fun with a Mimikyu."
"A what?" Pyrah asked.
"Think of an amorphous blob using a sheet made to look like a Pikachu." Moon said. "That's the gist of it. You really don't want to know what it's really like."
"Is it a demon?" Katie asked.
"Ooh, can we go fight a demon!?" Skyla asked, excited as they looked for a way through the gate.
"It's not a demon," Moon said. "But, it's something similar to a Ghost. But, that's not important right now. What is important is getting out of this gate."
"Let's go up!" Skyla said.
"The only one of us that could fly was Frieda and she's out cold and sealed in her shell," Moon said. "We have to break the gate."
"Well, it's a Ghost powered gate, right?" Nocturna asked. "Why not use Dark type attacks?"
"Try it," Moon nodded. Nocturna and Pyrah both used Bite on the gate as Shadow and Hikari used Shadow Ball. The gate shuddered and creaked under the power that was being used against it, eventually shattering as the group pushed through. As they did, the sky seemed to return to its normal color, becoming far less creepy. The smoke following them had also stopped, seeming to be restricted to the city.
Genny seemed to be still inside Leaf, the Ghost type still in the forefront of the sixteen year old's mind.
"We should get her farther away from the city," Moon said. "That might be enough."
The group ran as fast as they could away from the haunted Lavender Town. They made it half a mile before Genny's form began to fade, being replaced by Leaf's. Moon breathed a sigh of relief as they sat down and took a quick rest.
"That bitch is gone from her," Flora said.
"Not quite," Moon said. "She couldn't stabilize her form over Leaf in her unconscious state and the city had enough Ghostly energy to feed her form even if she was unconscious. If she regains consciousness, she could over power Leaf, but if Leaf is strong enough, she can resist it."
"Well, that might not happen," Flora said. "She's got some guts, but I doubt she could outfight a Ghost."
"True," Moon said. "She is very timid. Well, I'm sure she has more courage than even she knows. I mean that fortune teller did say she had some great destiny or something."
"But, that could mean anything," Flora said. "Not necessarily that she has skill as a trainer."
"True," Moon said. "But you can't doubt her skills. You'll just have to trust her to be capable and maybe give her a push if she needs it."
"Yeah, yeah," Flora sighed. "I know that."
"Good," Moon said. "Then, do it. You and Frieda have the capability. Hell, even Nocturna can do it if she wants."
"True," Flora shrugged. "Well, let's get to Vermilion City so we can call Erica or whoever."
"We also need the third Gym Badge from Surge," Moon said. "Though, I suppose that won't be hard with our tough group."
"Yeah!" Skyla grinned, putting her hands on her hips. "We're the best!"
"Let's prove it," Moon grinned. "Now, if I remember correctly, Vermilion is up ahead somewhere. It should just take some walking."
"Hey," Nocturna said. "Will we ever have to go back to Lavender Town?"
"Not sure," Moon looked back towards the haunted town. "There's a slight chance, but it certainly won't be now. Let's just worry about getting Leaf to Vermilion."
"Right," Flora nodded as the group walked toward the city in front of them. "Now, we may have to cut back through Digglet Cave to get to Pewter to get to Celadon."
"What's at Celadon?" Nocturna asked.
"Our next Gym after Lt. Surge," Moon said. "Erica's Gym. She's a Grass type, so Pyrah should have a ball there."
"I don't wanna burn her place down," Pyrah said.
"Oh, don't worry," Moon said. "She's used to Fire types coming in. She's made sure the place is fireproof. Just don't destroy her favorite plants."
"Her favorite plants?" Lillie asked.
"Yep," Moon said. "Me and her used to, uh, indulge in these berries. It was sooooooo relaxing."
"Is that like what Mallow wanted you to do?" Lillie asked.
"Yep," Moon said. "But, so much better from Kanto."
"Well, don't tell Mallow that," Lillie said.
"Oh, she gets her berries from Erica," Moon chuckled. "She knows."
"What exactly do you do?" Skyla asked, getting excited. "Do you make them into smoothies?! I love smoothies!"
"Uh, how old are you?" Moon asked.
"Sixteen!" Skyla grinned wide.
"Then, yes, we make smoothies," Moon pat her head. "Maybe she'll let you have one."
"Yay!" Skyla jumped up and down. "I'm getting a smoothie, I'm getting a smoothie!"
"It's not really smoothies, is it?" Lillie whispered into Moon's ear.
"Hell no," Moon whispered back. "We inhale 'em. Or, indulge in "Aromatherapy"."
"That's… odd," Lillie said.
"It's relaxing," Moon shrugged. "I like it and so does Erica. Hell, she's the one that got me into it in the first place."
"Huh," Lillie said. "Well, I suppose we should hurry a bit."
"Yeah," Moon nodded. "Time for us to head to Vermilion. It's not too far from here, so let's not take too much more time. We can rest in the Moémon Center."
The group got up, stretching if needed. Skyla flapped her small wings, excited to head to the new city.
"Slow down, dolt," Katie said, grabbing one of her wings.
"Heeeeey," Skyla pouted. "That's not very nice."
"That's the idea," Katie said. "Now, stay with the group."
"Fine," Skyla pouted more, crossing her arms as the group caught up to her. They continued their walk until they reached a sign that read "Vermilion City six miles ahead".
"Well, that's not far," Moon said. "Let's go, guys."
"Six miles is kinda far," Flora said.
"Oh, don't be such a pansy," Nocturna said. "We're gonna go there and chill out for a bit. Six miles isn't much if you can run fast enough."
"Says the one who can fly," Flora rolled her eyes.
"Damn right, and I'll bet I can make it fastest." Nocturna grinned.
"Let's see then," Flora and Nocturna took off moving with their preferred method of travel. Moon sighed, running after them and easily catching up to them as she blew past them, clearing a lot of ground.
"She's fast," Nocturna said. "I mean, I knew she was the fastest one of us, but I didn't think she was that fast."
"She's got some serious speed on her," Flora nodded, the two moving to no avail to catch up with Moon, who had stopped a short distance away in front of the gate of a city.
"You slowpokes coming?" She asked.
"How are you so fast?!" Flora demanded as they reached her.
"Practice," Moon shrugged. "Zuzu taught me speed."
"Of course the Zubat line teaches the speed." Nocturna smirked at Flora.
"Oh, hush, you're probably a way worse fighter than her," Flora rolled her eyes.
"Eh, Zuzu was a Crobat," Moon said. "Also, she's Champion level. That does have something to do with it."
"Yeah, I guess," Flora shrugged. "Well, what's the next thing we have to do?"
"Well, I would suspect we wait for the rest of the group to arrive," Moon said as they saw Lillie and the rest come into view.
"We're here!" Lillie called, waving at her. "Now, let's go rest up at the Center! Where is it?!"
"Should be in the middle," Moon said when they'd made it all the way there. "It's always in the most obvious place in the city to look in."
"True," Lillie nodded.
"Ooh, there's a cruise ship!" Skyla exclaimed. "Can we go on it!?"
"After the Gym, maybe," Moon said. "First, let's head to the Center."
"Alright!" Skyla skipped ahead, heading to the Center with the rest as they began to rest up for the next part of their journey.
Elsewhere
"You know what to do," Ariana spoke to the bald man.
"I know, I know," The man said. "I'll take them so that irritating hybrid doesn't interfere. She's seemingly getting so close. But, don't worry. My strongest Moémon will stop her. As soon as she leaves the City of Vermilion, I will take them."
"See that you do," Ariana said. "The boss is not going to be happy if it doesn't happen that way. You know how he gets if he's not happy."
"I know, I know," The bald man said. "But, don't worry. I have a plan that will be foolproof."
I wonder what is going to happen to the group next? Find out soon.