That night, after buying supplies and packing everything I owned, I arrived at the eastern torii. I wasn't surprised to find that – even though I was early – I wasn't the first to arrive. Quinton was whispering to his Moemon as I approached, and when he saw me he stood up and waved.

"You're all ready, then?" He asked.

I nodded, tightening the straps on my backpack. "Straight shot, then?"

"As few detours as possible. We should make it to Lavender Town before dawn."

And so we left Vermilion City. We stepped underneath the torii, fully committing to severing ties with our friends. It was a hard decision, but we both knew it had to be done.

We moved in silence through the darkness, our path illuminated by the clear, brilliant night sky, our flashlights, and Christine's flame. We could barely see more than a few feet in front of us, but we had navigators guiding us. Stacy's amazing eyes saw our path clearly, and Melody was able to sense sleeping trainers nearby and steer us away from them. With them on our side, we traveled through Route 11 without any delays.

We decided on this path because our watches had required places to visit underneath one of the Nuzlocke Rules, and the routes east of Fuschia City – Routes 13, 14, and 15 – and the routes east of Cerulean City – Routes 9 and 10 and the Rock Tunnel - were among those locations which had already been greyed out. It was, therefore, the fastest path through the few required places on the east side of Kanto that we had to visit.

"Is that really necessary?" I muttered in exasperation as we approached the route's checkpoint. We couldn't move around it due to the tall fence that lined the route. I was worried that the door wouldn't open and our path would be blocked.

Quinton walked up to the door and gave it a tug. The door swung open freely as if to calm my nerves. He shrugged and walked inside, and the rest of us followed.

It was unimpressive outside, being a plain brick building without any interesting features. It was even less so inside. There was a single unmanned deskto our right and a set of stairs to our left leading to the second floor. The entire building was completely empty, although it was clean enough to be occupied during the day. Quinton motioned to the stairs.

"Do you want to look through the telescopes?" He asked.

"Would we even be able to see anything?" I replied, but we went up anyway.

It was a waste of time. It was so dark out that we couldn't see across the region. The sky itself, though, was beautiful, and I admittedly spent a few moments just staring at the stars. Once that was done, we exited the building.

Immediately, we were hit with the smell of seawater. The checkpoint exited onto a steel bridge extended just over the water. It forked, but we knew the region enough to turn left. Thankfully, there was no Snorlax blocking our path, and we were free to move uninterrupted.

As we moved along the bridge, listening to the waves crash against the pillars beneath us, I grew uneasy with the silence.

"Garrett was upset," I said, referring to our conversation that afternoon. Once we'd decided on our departure, we spoke to Garrett and told him our plan. He barely said a word, simply staring at us as we explained, and when we finished he just wished us luck. "I feel bad."

"As do I," Quinton sighed. "I fear he'll start to listen to the others about you."

"He was on our side," I reminded him.

"That was before Hunter X entered the building. I have no idea how that will affect their opinions."

I bit my lip. I hadn't told anyone about what Hunter X told me. Thankfully, nobody had asked, but I didn't know if I actually would tell them the truth.

"Would they really turn on me because of that?" I asked.

"Even Thomas and Max were discussing the possibility that you were on the Bounty Hunter's side," Quinton replied. "The idea is in their heads, and that seed will only grow with time."

"Is the idea in your head?"

Quinton smiled to himself. "No, Arthur, because I know you too well. You're irrational at times, but you certainly wouldn't betray us."

"Then why would Garrett listen to the others?" I asked. "He knows me just as well as you do."

Quinton paused. "That is a fair point, I suppose. You may have nothing to worry about."

But that made me laugh. "Oh, yes, absolutely nothing."

As we moved north, above the mountain range ahead was the outer glow of a bunch of bright lights. We began to hear faint screams. The lights grew brighter and brighter until we no longer needed the flashlights. We began to see signs hanging out of the water on metal posts. One was advertising a carousel named "Lavender Lion" and another advertising the "Moemon Tower of Terror".

"There's an amusement park in Lavender Town," I said, putting the clues together.

"It's the first I've heard of it," Quinton replied. "I suppose they remodeled Lavender Tower again."

"Into an amusement park, though," I said. "Isn't this town supposed to be a town that respects the dead?"

"Maybe not in this world. Maybe Moemon don't need to be buried in a tower when they die. Maybe they're simply buried like humans in graves, so the tower becomes superfluous."

"Why would it exist in the first place if it wasn't needed?" I asked.

Quinton shrugged. "It was converted into a radio tower in the games. Maybe they moved to a better location or maybe the tower wasn't needed for radio anymore. I don't know, Arthur, I've been here as long as you have."

"Yeah," I muttered. "But you're smarter than me, and those answers make sense."

"Hush," said Melody suddenly. We stopped immediately, looking around as if we could see anything in these conditions.

"You sensed someone?" Quinton whispered.

Melody nodded. She pointed to the coast to our left. "Someone suddenly appeared. Someone with a Psychic Moemon at their side."

"If we can sense them, they can sense us," Quinton reasoned. "They're no doubt looking for us."

"We're completely exposed on this bridge," I said. "We should just run for the town."

Quinton nodded, and we ran. We ran until we were away from the ocean and into the valley south of Lavender. When Melody said through panting that she couldn't sense the trainer, we slowed to a walk. The screams from the amusement park were much clearer now. We could see the lavender torii illuminated by the park's lights. We crossed underneath, and several of us stopped immediately.

I turned to Christine, who'd donned a worried expression. "You felt that, too."

She nodded. "I've never felt anything like that."

"What did you feel?" Annie asked. She looked up at Rose, who'd also stopped.

It was hard to explain. The children – Annie, Minnie, Mary – didn't understand why the rest of us had paused. There was an ominous presence in the area, and when we crossed it felt like that presence was trying to warn us against entering. Like a soft whisper in our ears, but we couldn't tell what it was actually saying, so all we could feel was a cold breath entering us.

"We're not staying here long," I said. "Let's get to the Moemon Center."

We rushed to the Moemon Center, maneuvering our way through small houses to reach one of the few lit buildings. We entered to find it filled with beds, all of which were occupied. Instead of having a lounge in its side room, it had rows and rows of hospital beds. There were a few people sleeping on the sofas in the main room, and much of the floor was covered with people in sleeping bags. Thankfully, they left a path leading directly to the desk, so we walked up to the nurse who was smiling at us.

"Hello," she said. "Would you like some sleeping bags?"

"Are there no motels nearby?" I asked.

"All of them are occupied, of course," she replied. "Are you new to the region? Would you like a pamphlet of Lavender Amusement?"

Quinton took one. I pulled out Olivia's Moeball. "I have a Moemon who needs special attention. Could we go to the backroom?"

She hesitated, looking strangely after our no doubt unusual request. She relented, moving with us to one of the rooms. I sent Olivia out, and she appeared sitting on the floor.

"Oh, are we here?" She muttered to the floor. Christine and I took her arms and gently set her up onto the bed. When the nurse saw Olivia's eye, she stifled a scream.

"What the… did you do this?" She asked, turning to me accusingly.

I glared at her. "How could you think that?"

"Only humans can hurt Moemon permanently like this!" She exclaimed. "It's usually the trainer who does damage like this!"

That was the first I'd heard of something like that. It, of course, wasn't the truth, and in the moment I didn't want to tell her the truth. I shook my head and said, "I didn't do it."

She continued to glare at me, but she turned back to Olivia and her expression softened. "Where did you come from? I need to make a phone call."

"Vermilion City," I replied. "The nurses there worked on her for a while."

She rushed out of the room. I took Olivia's hand and rubbed it. She didn't look much better than she had when we left.

"I don't like this place," she whispered. "I don't like this feeling."

"We're all feeling it," I said. "We won't be here long. A day at most. We just need to get you to rest."

"I understand you're in a rush, but I would like to spend some time sightseeing tomorrow," said Quinton.

"We don't need to visit the amusement park," I said. "It probably costs way too much, anyway. What else is there to do?"

Quinton was looking through the pamphlet. "I'd like to visit Rock Tunnel."

I blinked. "Seriously? That place of all places?"

He handed me the brochure, pointing to the section on the Moemon Tower of Terror and then the one about Rock Tunnel. As I read through it, he summarized: "The Moemon Tower of Terror used to be the Moemon Tower. It wasn't a burial site, but it was a haunted radio tower that played songs throughout the year. Ghost Moemon occupied it for years until it was renovated a few years ago. The Moemon were relocated to the Rock Tunnel, where they now reside."

"A haunted radio tower," I repeated.

"It sounds ridiculous," Quinton nodded. "But the brochure wouldn't lie."

"You want to visit the Rock Tunnel to find a Ghost Moemon?" I asked.

Again, he nodded. Before I could reply, the nurse walked back into the room looking a lot calmer.

"I apologize for blaming you," she said to me. "You have to understand, we don't get many Challengers here. I've never tended a Moemon in this condition who hadn't been attacked by a trainer."

"It's fine," I said, although the accusation still stung. "Just make sure she's comfortable. She's still weak."

"You should have stayed in Vermilion," the nurse continued. "She was in no condition to travel even in a Moeball."

"We had our reasons," I said. She turned only to see me glaring at her and turned right back.

"There are sleeping bags in the next room over. There may not be much room, but you can squeeze."

"Thank you."

I didn't sleep well. I had that same nightmare about the eyes. I hadn't had it since the night of the battle, but it came back full force tonight. I woke up freezing, my eyes darting around the room as dark figures struggled to take shape in my head. Christine was at my side immediately, hugging my tightly to warm me up.

"I really don't like this place," I whispered. "I had the nightmare…"

She didn't say a word. She just pressed her body against mine until I calmed down and went to sleep. Even when I woke up she was next to me. All I remembered from my nightmare was a single flame keeping the eyes from smothering me. I was still surrounded, still staring at my remorse, but it didn't suffocate me. I was able to fight it.

People were up and about when we all woke up. It took until morning for me to realize just how many people were crammed in this building. We had managed to find a relatively empty corner, but there were dozens of people standing and walking around even as dozens more were still struggling to sleep. Conversations babbled everywhere, muddling together so much that I couldn't understand the people next to me. I heard "amusement park" and little else.

Quinton was forced to lean close to me to get me to hear. "What are you going to do?"

"When are you leaving?" I asked.

"After I eat."

"Wait for me," I said. "I'll check on Olivia and join you."

Olivia was sleeping soundly. Her face was much more flushed and her breathing steadier. The nurse told me that she worked on her most of the night, but she'd recommend staying another day.

"We weren't going to stay here long," I said. "We didn't like the feeling of the place."

"Few do," she replied. "However, the amusement park brings in travelers all over the world. They ignore the presence to enjoy the attractions."

"So we weren't imagining it!" I said.

"It's been there since I was a little girl," she replied. "You never quite get used to it. However, it's harmless. It's simply a remnant of the town's history."

In the brightness of day, the town was a lot clearer. Numerous small houses created a grid like pattern separated straight pathways. The houses themselves were all nearly identical, painted with the same shade of light purple with rooves that were a darker shade. The main source of identity through which the houses could express themselves were the small gardens. Some had lawn ornaments scattered around, some had inflatable pools, but the most impressive were those with beds of gardens.

The disappointing thing about the amusement park was that it was relatively small. It took up a third of the town which was already cut off by the mountain range, so there was little room to develop. Aside from the tower and the carousel, there were only around five rides, and they were all fairly tame, standard rides. The rollercoaster that was the source of the constant screaming was noticeably small and compact, barely reaching the halfway point of the tower before dropping.

The houses took up most of the town's remaining space, so there were few unique structures. Aside from the Center and the amusement park, there was a rather large building which had the most traffic of any area aside from the park itself. The building's sign read "Lavender Town Souvenirs" with a painted cartooned drawing of the Moemon Tower of Terror. There was a statue in the center of town of a kindly looking old man with a pair of girls smiling at him. The plaque underneath the sign mentioned the man as Mr. Fuji, who'd passed away a few years ago.

The town was as crowded outside as it was in the Center, with people lining the streets so thick that there was little room to maneuver. The crowds were thickest closest to the park, but even on the other side of the town there were numerous people traveling in all directions. Most of them were wearing Lavender Town merchandise and had a confused tourist look about them.

We moved to the single café in the entire town only to find it as crowded as the rest of the place. We were told there would be over an hour wait and immediately left.

"This place got too crowded for its own good," I muttered. "The people here must be desperate for entertainment if they're willing to suffer this for a few boring rides."

"There's nothing similar to the park on the entire continent," said Quinton. "They likely were only able to build this thanks to the nearby power plant. The idea of an amusement park must be new to them."

"They need to expand," I pointed at the western entrance, where a busload of people had entered the city. Many of them were excited kids looking in awe at the tower. "This place can't handle this many people."

"Take your complaints up with the town mayor," Quinton replied. "Otherwise, there isn't much that we can do about it."

We decided to cook some of our own food in peace. We went north, crossing underneath the torii and immediately feeling the presence disappear.

"I suddenly feel free," I said. The chill that – despite it being sunny out – prevented me from getting warm had gone away. Being able to feel the sun's heat was a welcome feeling. "We should spend as little time in town as possible."

Quinton nodded. It took a while before we were able to find a reclusive clearing. The mountain range towered above us and surrounded us, and it tightened the path so much that we had to travel single file to get through it. When the path mercifully forked, it opened into a large hill that led to the southern entrance of Rock Tunnel. By the time we reached that point, it was nearly midafternoon, and we were so far away from the town that the screams barely reached us.

As we ate our brunch, I saw Quinton fiddling with his watch. "You've been getting angry calls?" I asked. My watch had been surprisingly silent.

Quinton nodded. "One from Drew telling me that I was making a mistake. He wished me good luck, although he warned that he wouldn't be happy the next time he saw me. One from Max warning me to stay away from some of the others. And one from Eric calling me just as bad as you."

"Sounds lovely," I muttered. "I guess I should consider myself lucky no one's said anything to me."

"Give it time for everyone to realize we're gone," said Quinton. "I doubt you're safe from them."

"Have they been training any harder now that they know they're behind?"

"Not that I can see. Nobody's fought Lt. Surge in a rush to catch us."

"They may travel as a group," I said.

"They'd never catch us if they did," Quinton replied. "They'd travel too slowly and waste too much time."

"So you think they'll separate."

"Eventually. If not now, then soon. They can't afford to go at the same pace; their skills are too uneven."

"If I… if I hadn't made an ass of myself, would we be with them?"

"I think so," Quinton said thoughtfully. "I would have gone ahead eventually, but I would have waited until we were past Saffron City to do it."

"Because of the Bounty Hunters," I nodded.

"Because we're safest from them when we're all together," added Quinton.

I turned to Melody. "Is that trainer still around?"

"I haven't sensed him," Melody replied. "However, I don't believe we have lost him."

"We can only assume that whoever followed us is a hunter, and he'll be following us until he confronts us."

"That's the safe bet," I said. I wasn't willing to put my guard down just because we couldn't sense him. He had a Psychic Moemon too, so he knew where we weren't, and he could guess where we were.

We finished our meal and continued up the hill. We'd seen signs along the path warning us of the dangers of Rock Tunnel, advising us to turn around. There were potential rockslides and cave-ins, and several signs mentioned that the Ghost Moemon weren't to be disturbed. We ignored all of those until we were close to the entrance.

"Turn around!" A high-pitched voice shouted suddenly. We all jumped. We'd all heard it as clearly as if the voice was in our own heads. "Go away!"

"Who's out there?" I shouted. "Where are you?"

"Leave us alone!" The voice shouted. "We don't want you here!"

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"There's a Moemon speaking with us telepathically," Melody replied. "She's nearby."

"Go find her," I said.

"You're evil!" The voice shouted. "We hate evil!"

Stacy nodded at the pair of trees near the entrance. "She's watching us," she whispered. "She'll know when we come."

"How fast can you get there?" I asked.

"Not fast enough," she replied.

"We'll distract her. You get there."

She nodded and leapt high into the air, out of sight of all of us. The Moemon no doubt saw her and was keeping an eye on her.

"Who are you?" I shouted at the voice. I made sure to look away from the trees, feigning like I didn't know where she was. "We don't want to hurt you!"

"You make us sick!" The voice shouted after a moment. I gave a small sigh of relief. Our plan was working. "You think you're so strong and smart! You don't know anything! We'll make you pay! We'll make you all pay-"

The voice cut out. Stacy had landed in the tree from above, and after a scuffle crashed to the ground with the perpetrator in her arms. We ran over to the trees and saw Stacy struggling to hold on.

"Let go! Let go of me!" The Moemon shouted. "I want to be free! I want to make you pay!"

Stacy was looking at me for a command. I hesitated. I didn't know to do. She'd done nothing but shout at us and make threats, but if we just let her go then she'd do it to some other poor people wandering this way. I couldn't tell what she was. I looked at Quinton.

"Your Moemon attacked her," he said. "It's your fight."

"That's not how it works," I said. "I caught Mandy after Garang fought it."

"But he couldn't catch another Moemon on that route. It must have counted as him fighting her and then running away. I still want to find one of my own."

"Are we letting this one go?" Stacy asked. "Or will we catch her?"

"If you catch me, you'll rue this day!" The Moemon shouted. "I'll make you all suffer!"

It'd been three days since I refused to catch the Venipede. I'd recovered from Mandy's death. I'd grieved, but I'd grown. I was ready to replace her. I just didn't know if this one, this Moemon who seemed to hate my existence, was the one to do it.

But everyone was watching me, and many of them had wanted a new family member. I wasn't going to disappoint them. Wasn't going to let her go. I pulled out a ball and nodded. Stacy grabbed her head and slammed it into the ground, dazing her, and I threw the ball against her head. She disappeared; the ball dropped to the ground, rolled around, and stopped.

"What'd I even catch?" I asked, picking up the ball.

"A Banette," Quinton replied.

Arthur:

Christine the Charmeleon

Stacy the Staravia

Rose the Roselia

Olivia the Dewott

Annie the Aron

Banette

Quinton:

Melody the Metang

Wendy the Quagsire

Lucia the Riolu

Willow the Sudowoodo

Mary the Flaaffy

Minnie the Mienfoo