The Lavender Valley consisted of a canyon, straight and narrow that cut right through a massive, elevated plateau. A thick, grey mist filled the canyon and spilled over the top, rolling across the vast flat expanse of the plateau. At least, that's what Green had seen in pictures taken from the sky. Inside the Lavender Valley, Green could see nothing beyond the two or so feet she could make out around her through the fog. Beyond the mist was a void of grey, with faint shades of purple. A result of the purple moss that grew on the cavern walls, the moss that gave the Lavender Valley as well as Lavender Town their names. Green had to make sure to watch her walking pace, when the group had first entered the canyon she had walked ahead by no more than a few feet and lost all sight of them. Abby and Jackson now stayed close to her, shoulder to shoulder with her in the middle. Well, side to side. Jackson's shoulders were far lower than theirs. Although, Green swore he was just a tad taller than he had been in Pewter. Gyarados had been returned to his pokéball, the canyon was too narrow for him to pass through. Even if it hadn't been, he would still be in his ball. He, as well as Elekid, had refused to go anywhere near the mist. Gyarados had whipped up into a furious frenzy at the sight of it and Elekid had come running back to her, bawling his eyes out. Only Dratini seemed unphased by the mist, although he had been sitting upright on Abby's shoulder since they entered. Never so much as drooping his neck. His eyes scanned the fog, sparking purple occasionally. The walk had been quiet, the canyon had ruined any lighthearted vibes. The sudden appearance of storm clouds up above hadn't helped either. They had rolled in just as the group had approached the valley, thick blankets of black and dark grey. Ominous and brooding. No rain was falling, not yet anyway.
Dratini broke the silence.
"Tini…" His eyes stopped scanning, focusing on one singular point, gazing at something unseen beyond the fog.
Green shot Abby a glance, she returned the look. They said nothing, but the stiff expressions on their face spoke for them. Jackson clutched Green's arm, he was staring up at her with nervous eyes. Green smiled at him and patted him gently on the back.
"It's alright, it's probably nothing," She lied, a harmless lie.
Jackson nodded and let go of her arm, his hand stiff.
"Yeah nothing," He muttered.
Ahead, beyond the thick grey and faint purples a tall silhouette appeared. At first, it appeared like the size of a man but as they drew closer, it grew bigger. Taller and taller. Wider and wider. Until it towered hundreds of feet above them. A powerful gust of wind hit them front on and the mist thinned around them. They had arrived in Lavender Town. The tall silhouette became clear. It was a large tower with a square purple base, a towering rectangular body and with a huge cross-shaped antenna on the top. Four satellite dishes were perched on all four corners of the tower around the antenna. Even from all the way on the ground, Green could see the thick mass of grey cobwebs hanging from the dishes, littered with Spinarak. Moss, vines and cracks covered the concrete sides of the buildings. The vines obscured the many, uniform windows on the sides, reaching down hundreds of feet. The windows that were visible were clouded with dust or empty with no glass to speak of. The purple paint of the square base was chipped and flaking around the top, although that was not the case around the bottom where the paint looked newly applied. Not that you could appreciate it anyway, the clutter of rotting desks, office chairs and rusted filing cabinets surrounding the base hid most of the fresh paint. A large, yellow skip was parked beside the tower on the barren street full to the brim with much of the same abandoned office equipment.
The tower was nestled in the far, right corner of the town. Two large canyon walls hugged its back and right sides, leaving but a slither of room in between for the lower third of the tower. The rest of the tower poked up beyond the canyon, nearly touching the dark clouds above. The rest of the town was huddled into the open clearing that made up Lavender Town, surrounded on all fronts by towering canyon walls. Fog poured down over the top like waterfalls, blowing in off the flat plateau above. The constant wind blowing through the town picked it up and sent it scattering in all directions, thinning it out for the town below. The other buildings of the town, while not deprecated like the tower were all uniform. Small, single-story structures with the same doors, windows and roofs. All painted grey and purple. The streets were wide, paved with light purple bricks but very few people walked them. Green could only see two. Two women with thick, shaggy black hair coming down to the back of their knees. They wore robes of white and light grey with thin, black belts tied around their waists. Eyes, wide and piercing stared at Green and the others from behind thick black bangs. One of the women raised a hand covered the drooping sleeve of her robe to her mouth as she whispered to the other. The other woman nodded and they both hurried across the street and ducked into a house. While Green was busy staring at the peculiar women, Abby and Dratini were staring at the tower. Abby's eyes were wide and goosebumps littered the skin of her arms. Dratini was still as a statue, staring unblinkingly at the tower. Jackson was the only one who seemed excited to be here.
"I'm gonna catch a Ghastly!" He proclaimed, flashing Green a toothy smirk.
Green laughed and crossed her arms.
"I doubt it, no way you catch a Ghastly."
"I will too!" Jackson stomped his feet.
Green shrugged and began walking towards the tower.
"Alright, come on then, let's go catch a Ghastly."
She just had to see this. Jackson ran off ahead of her, giving her a weak shove as he passed. Green went to give chase but stopped as she noticed Abby was still staring at the tower, frozen on the spot.
"You coming? This'll be hilarious trust me," Green asked.
Abby's wide, open eyes blinked as if she had just woken up.
"Huh? Oh! N-no thanks. I'll just wait here," Abby blurted.
Green turned around completely now and gave her a wary look.
"You okay?" She asked, taking a step towards her.
Abby nodded and gave a thin smile.
"Yeah, the graveyard just gives me the creeps. I'll just wait down here okay?"
Green looked back up at the tower. She'd nearly forgotten that it was a graveyard again. After so many years of the Pokémon Tower being the Kanto Radio Tower, she had just gotten used to thinking of it as such. But since radio died off after the internet came to Kanto and the public outcry over, turning a grave-site into a radio station had convinced the Indigo Plateau to change it back. Plus the fact ghosts had been harassing the employees. The tower was a gravesite once again, belonging to the spirit sages of Lavender Town. A part of Green was glad it was a grave-site again. Although she did miss tuning into the radio. The signal had been stronger than the internet connection they got in Pallet.
"Hurry up!" Jackson yelled from the entrance to the tower.
Green gave Abby a pat on the shoulder, a sympathetic smile and ran off down the street towards the tower. Jackson was waiting for her, tapping his foot with his arms crossed.
"You're so slow," He complained before spinning around and pushing open the thick, stone doors of the tower.
Green followed him in and immediately covered her mouth. The air was heavy with a thick, overpowering incense that made her eyes burn. It created its own sort of fog, turned purple by the lavender candles it burned from. Jackson ran ahead, disappearing into a dark silhouette in the fog of incense smoke.
"Jackson!" She choked, "wait up!"
The rectangular silhouette of Jackson's huge hiking backpack stopped and turned around. Green staggered through the fog and caught up to him. He scowled up at her. He wasn't covering his mouth but his eyes were red and watering. His nose running. He was physically straining to keep his scowl.
"Jeez, how old are you? YOU'RE SO SLOW!" He shouted and made a show of taking long, arching slow steps as he walked ahead.
Green ignored the insult and followed, starting to regret not staying with Abby. She kept pace with him, following him up a spiralling staircase. The longer Green spent in the smog of incense smoke, the less it burned her eyes. Eventually, after some time of wandering around the first floor of the tower, she could even move her hand away from her face. The tower was utterly silent, except for the echoes of their footsteps. They passed through rows upon rows of headstones, the final resting place for the Pokémon and humans of Kanto alike. On the ground before each headstone was a small shrine made up of two lavender candles placed on either side of the headstone. Two flowers lay before the base of the headstone, one black and one red. And, a small metal box that sat before the flowers, centred with the headstone. A box Green knew contained the ashes of whoever was laid to rest here. She tried her best not to look at them. Jackson let out a huff.
"This floors a bust, let's try the next one," He turned and stomped past Green back towards the direction of the staircase through the fog.
Green followed by after only a few paces a piercing, hollering scream rang out around them. Green gasped and jumped, her heart pounded in her chest. From the purple fog, a mass of dark grey, purple and black shot past her head. Amid the mass, a black sphere whizzed around Green's head with two large floating eyes and a wide pink mouth with pointed teeth. The Gastly stopped in front of her, opened its mouth and screamed in her face. Green flinched back and shut her eyes, staggering to get away.
"Nice! Keep it still!" Jackson cheered.
Green heard the pop of him releasing a pokémon and opened her eyes to see Beedrill charging forward, drills glowing with light-green energy. He jabbed a whirring, glowing drill at the Gastly. His drill bounced off the air surrounding Gastly's head. A grey, wispy barrier pulsed around the Gastly as it was sent flying backwards. It tumbled back through the air with a cry past Green's head. It stopped itself, shook its head, blew a raspberry and disappeared in a puff. The satisfaction of being proven right overridden any fear Green was feeling.
"Told you so!" She exclaimed, grinning at him, "It takes years of experience with training to catch a Gastly!"
Jackson clenched his fists and stomped the ground.
"You're wrong! I can so catch a Gastly!" Abruptly, he turned and ran off into the fog.
Beedrill zoomed after him, leaving Green by herself.
"Shit," She hissed and chased after him, "Jackson! Wait!
As much as he annoyed her, Green wasn't about to let himself lost in the tower. Everything looked the same within the fog, getting turned around was far too easy. She found the staircase and began running up it two steps at a time. Her heavy backpack heaved with each stride.
"Jackson!" She called out again, getting no response.
On the second floor, she ran between the rows of headstones, whipping her head side to side to look for his silhouette. One moment she was running the next, the stone floor was rushing up to greet her. Her leg caught on something soft and heavy, sending her spilling onto the floor. She landed with a thud, saving her nose from breaking by getting her hands out in time. Her backpack came off her shoulders as she crashed into the floor, skidding off the side. Green groaned and pushed herself off her stomach, she had landed on her breasts. They rang with pain. She rubbed her head, feeling for any cuts as she looked back to see what she had tripped over. Her jaw dropped and she let out a horrified gasp.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed and scrambled over to the man she had tripped over.
He was sprawled out on the ground too, staring at her with a bewildered look. The shrine at the headstone he had been hunched before was scattered about the floor. Green scrambled to pick up the candles, flowers and toppled metal box. All the while apologising profusely. The man stayed quiet, not saying a single word. Only when Green had put back the shrine did she get a good look at him. He was a skinny man with ghostly pale skin dressed in a set of burgundy formal clothes. A lavish-looking suit with golden buttons and long flowing sleeves. His hair was purple, long down to his shoulders. Most striking of all, he wore a black eye mask with white patches over his eyes. Making it appear like he had no pupils. Green went to bow her head and apologise again but the man lunged at her. He grasped her by the shoulders, a wide manic grin on his face.
"It was an accident!" She exclaimed, trying to pull out his grasp.
His grasp was firm and he couldn't escape.
"An accident? No no no no! Fate my dear!" He spoke quickly, rushing his words with a stammering laugh.
He looked down, grinning at her belt.
"Yes yes yes, see! A trainer, it must be! Our meeting is no simple happenstance, you must be destined for greatness! Yes, that must be it!" He rose, pulling Green up with him.
He pushed his face into hers. Tears were rolling down from beneath his mask.
"I will help you… destiny must have sent you so I can atone," His last word droned on as he began to break down into sobs.
He fell to his knees and grovelled at Green, clawing at her as he hung his head. He was saying something but Green couldn't make it out between his crying. She took a step back and his head sharply whipped up to face her.
"No! You have to stay! I have to help you!" He screamed.
Green froze, her whole body was trembling. Her mouth felt dry and her chest felt heavy.
"I-I u-uh," She stammered.
The man waddled towards her on his knees and grovelled at her again.
"A champion! I will you make you a champion!"
The echoing of footsteps echoed behind Green. She heard a shout and they picked up, thundering as they ran. In a flash, a man with tall orange hair and a flowing, dark purple cape grabbed the other man by the shoulders and wrenched him to his feet. He slapped him.
"Pull!" Slap, "Yourself!" Slap, "Together!" Slap, "Man!"
Each slap was stiff and delivered with great force, leaving the man's face red on both cheeks. A woman, short with hair like blood and a pair of round glasses grabbed the orange-haired man's arm and yanked it away.
"Lance! Stop that," She hissed, the way a mother scolds a child.
Lance let go of him with a huff. The woman, who Green now recognised as Lorelei of the Elite Four took the man by the shoulder and gently lead him away.
"Come on Will, let's leave the poor girl alone okay?" She cooed.
Will was trembling, his mouth frozen into a twisted smile as he began to laugh. More tears rolled down his face as he did, dripping off his chin onto the ground. Lance beamed at Lorelei and stood tall over her.
"I told you he'd be here! Not the pokémon centre!" Lance proclaimed.
Lorelei shot him a thin smile.
"Yeees, you were. Good for you," Her voice was venom.
As she moved Will past Green, Lance turned to follow her. With his head held high, he took a few steps before stopping with a fright, as if only just noticing Green standing there still frozen with terror.
"Oh, yes you," He cleared his throat and draped his cape around her shoulders, "come now girl, you're safe. Lance is here!"
Green gave a quick, sharp nod as she tried to stop herself from trembling. She allowed herself to be guided by Lance, back along the rows of headstones, down the stairs and out the entrance. Her feet caught, making her stumble a few times as Lance rushed her at a speed far too fast for her in her fear-ridden state.
"Green?!" Abby cried out, rushing down the small gravel path that lead to the tower, "Are you okay?!"
Green opened her mouth to respond.
"Yes, she is fine! Don't worry young ones, you are safe with Lance!" Lance answered for her.
His eyes widened.
"A Dratini!" His grandiose persona dropped and he rushed up to Abby, bent down and pressed his face right up to Dratini's, "Aren't you just spectacular!"
Dratini beamed, his eyes flashed purple with excitement.
"Dratini!" He agreed.
Lance roared with laughter. He turned his head to face a bewildered-looking Abby, his face only inches from hers.
"And you must be an aspiring dragon tamer! Ah, I love to see young trainers taking an interest in dragons, good for you!" He patted her on the head, rustling her auburn hair.
He stood back up straight. Abby gawked at him, starstruck.
"L-Lance?"
Lance flicked his cape and grinned wildly.
"The very same! The famous dragon master of Johto!" He shouted as if addressing a huge audience, "and Kanto," he muttered under his breath quickly.
Although Green had seemingly been forgotten by the two of them, she didn't mind. The space allowed her to recover from whatever all that was back in the tower.
"Tell me uhhhh," Lance raised a finger, his face freezing as he paused.
"Abby?" Abby asked.
"Abby! Have you started your Five Pillars yet?"
Abby nodded and enthusiastically reached into her bag for her pokéballs. She held them up to Lance with a grin.
"I have three already, Gyarados," she held up his ball, "Horsea," she held up his ball, "and Dratini of course."
Lance stared at Gyarados's ball. His smile dropped, but only for a second.
"Ah yes! Amazing! A Gyarados!" He exclaimed, "at such a young age..." he muttered to himself.
He whipped up his hand, holding up five fingers.
"Well, you still need five, don't you?! You only have three!" He pointed at Dratini and Horsea, moving his finger back and forth between the ball and the pokémon, "and they're not evolved are they?!" Lance's face was stone.
Abby's grin dropped into a fearful frown.
"I-I'm working on it," She replied in a small voice.
Lance's face brightened and he laughed awkwardly. He patted her head again.
"Aha yes I'm sure you are, a few more years and you'll be a real dragon tamer!"
Abby gave a small, weary nod. She recoiled at his touch. Lance grimaced.
"I'll tell you what, I love helping beginner trainers!" He rummaged through the pockets of his dark purple cloak and pulled out a pokéball.
"Here, a pokémon I don't-" He caught himself and cleared his throat, "I think, will be a great match for you," he pushed the ball into Abby's already full hands.
Awkwardly, she accepted and fumbled the three balls. Somehow, she managed to get them under control.
"There, one step closer to your dream. Make sure you take great care of this Charmander."
Abby's eyes widened and she gawked at the ball he had given her. She looked up as if to thank him but he was already striding away after Lorelei towards the red roof of the pokémon centre. An ecstatic grin flashed across Abby's face.
"Thank you!" She called out after him.
He turned around, began walking backwards and took a bow before spinning back around. His feet caught in his cape and he stumbled. Behind Green, she heard more footsteps. Jackson came running out of the tower with Beedrill hovering behind him.
"Are you okay? I heard all this shouting and crying and stuff!" He asked, panting hard.
Green again opened her mouth to speak.
"Whoa! You've got three pokéballs now!" He rushed past Green and ran up to Abby.
Together they peered down at the ball.
"What pokémon is it?" He asked.
"A Charmander!" Abby practically squealed.
Jackson's jaw dropped.
"Where'd you get a Charmander?!"
"Lance," Green said, interrupting them.
She pointed at the pokémon centre a few blocks down just as Lance disappeared through the sliding glass doors.
"Oh my god!" Jackson exclaimed and took off after him.
He fumbled through his bag as he ran, pulling out his notepad. Green approached Abby and gave her own curious look at the pokéball.
"I'm fine by the way," She said.
Abby held up the ball.
"Green! It's a Charmander!" Abby exclaimed, as if not hearing her.
Her brown eyes were sparkling with wonder and awe. Pure, innocent glee spread across her face. Green couldn't help but smile.
"Well, get him out let's see."
Abby wasted no time and pressed the ball. A tiny rather pitiful burst of light emerged as the ball opened. Before them, a Charmander that only came up to the halfway point of Abby's and Green's shins appeared. He looked up at Abby with huge blue eyes and cocked his orange, scaled head. His tiny hands on his tiny arms fidgeted and his tail swished back and forth. The flame on the end looked more akin to a match than anything.
"Char?" He asked and took an awkward step forwards.
He held out his arms as if for balance. It did him no good. He fell forward and tears welled in his eyes.
"Charmander!" He cried and began bawling.
Abby's look of pure joy was gone. Her body was drooped, an open mouth frown on her face. She scooped up the wailing Charmander.
"Oh…" Was all she managed.
Charmander stopped crying as he was picked up. He sniffled and blinked away tears before smiling at Abby. He reached out, grabbing at her with his tiny orange arms.
"Char!" He cooed in his tiny voice.
After a moment Abby's frown disappeared. She hugged Charmander to her chest, a small smile crept back onto her face.
"He looks cute?" Green asked gingerly.
Abby nodded, with a tight smile. The corners of her mouth twitched.
"Mhm," She agreed and turned, walking after Jackson towards the pokémon centre.
Green followed after, keeping a few paces behind. She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, trying to forget about what just happened to her. Thunder clapped above and rain began to pour.