The small Pokémon craned his neck up to see a familiar face. He couldn't believe it. It, it had been so long. He was a grown man now, his eyes now darker than ever. He was tall, and any baby fat that had been on his face had disappeared. And he still wore the same kind of clothes; red and white.
The boy— man, looked down at him with surprise. No doubt the memories of their meeting were coming back full swing.
"I thought it'd be nice for you two to meet again."
Touko held the super rod in her hands while her feet swished back and forth in the water, her shoes and socks on the dock next to her. The giant of gas was hovering overhead, making waves quiver in unnatural ways. It was getting more difficult to hold the fishing rod, with sweat coating her hands and the radiating heat draining all her energy. Even the fishing line seemed droopier than usual. Touko lifted her feet from the only saving grace at Route 12.
"Screw this, I can try again later," she muttered as she pulled up her feet from the water unto the dock. She slipped on her dirty socks (which now became wet, to her unsurprised agitation) and shoes and walked off. A cold shower was needed; it was needed now. Good thing she didn't wander too far off from the nearest town. It was creepy, but civilized all the same. Wooden panels creaked per step towards the vision of a tower.
Soon, the still heat changed to a gentle cool as she walked into the small town. The sun's fever faded and bloomed into an invisible sweater in the frosty air. Lavender Town always seemed colder than the rest of Kanto, and there was always a purple hue that misted in the air endlessly, Touko had noticed. That wasn't even what weirded out many people in the area, though.
It was the tower.
Lavender Tower stood tall with an unusual pride. Several windows were now broken, a satellite was discoloring green and brown while vines had crawled up and claimed it. Another had fallen down seven levels and onto the rocky earth with electrical wires snaking out like entrails. The machine door was reportedly jammed in, and black hollowness was all that could be seen, almost sucking in the warmth that could've been in the town. The outer shell of the building was slightly rusted, turning grey and iron red. Yet the color of the tower, though faded, was overall dark and resilient.
Touko gave it another observant glance before making her way to the Pokémon Centre. The tower seemed to have eyes that moved when she did. The seven floors seemed like seventy, with the building blocking the sun and modeling a shadow. Walking in that shadow felt like trudging through ice. It was a wonder to her that she didn't mind it nearly as much as she thought she would.
The blue sliding door opened, and Nurse Joy almost jumped in surprise. "Touko? You're here again?"
"Yeah, just took a stab at fishing, though everything feels like it's on fire." The trainer stepped forward to the desk, handing her Pokéballs over, though they only battled once. After a few jovial beeps, they were handed back.
"We-We have water if you need some!"
Touko smiled. "That would be awesome. Thanks."
The medic scurried through the door in the back while Touko leaned the counter. She then backed off remembering all the sweat on her arms. The sound of shoes on the tiles made Touko look over to the nurse coming through with a water bottle in her extended hand.
"Thanks." After the cap went off Touko drank nearly half of it. Nurse Joy still stood there. "Do you have a place to shower?"
"Yes! I mean, yes. We have rooms with bathrooms and beds; all of which are vacant."
"Great, where do I sign in?"
"You don't have to." The medic ushered her to the door on the far right of the centre and swung it open. She held it open, much to Touko's surprise.
"It's okay, I got it," she said trying to push her hand past Nurse Joy's arm.
"Okay. If you need anything, please let me know!"
With a click on the door, Touko was alone in the small, comfortable hotel style-like room. She placed her Pokéball belt on the creaky twin bed and sauntered to the bathroom.
What the hell happened with the tower? I'd seen pictures of it when it was a landmark with many visitors, she thought while the water forced itself out of the shower head, but now, it's a wreck. She needed to go visit it, she decided. It piqued her interests, and besides, N could've stopped there. It was a burial place for Pokémon. Countless trainers would want to go pay their respects, and N sure wasn't an exception.
After the cool, soapy shower, Touko changed into her usual attire. Looking down at her vest and shorts, she decided against it though, knowing it'd be too cold for just that. She settled for a blue sweater and jeans from the bottom of her bag. She let her hair down, removed some sweater fuzz from her pants, put her belt back on, and opened the door again. Nurse Joy was still in the lobby, dusting. The older woman turned, and smiled, again.
"May I help you, Touko?"
"Actually," she hesitantly began, "Can you tell me about the Lavender Tower?"
Touko looked down at the wooden sign reading "Lavender Volunteer Pokémon House." It was one of three buildings that looked like one could live in. Nurse Joy told her to see Mr. Fuji, and insisted on it and nothing else. It was a small house, single story with a couple of windows. Touko knocked. The hinges gave a wry hello as a teenage girl with pink hair opened the door, a Psyduck waddling by her leg.
"May I help you?"
"Yes, I'm looking for Mr. Fuji, is he here?"
The girl at the door smiled. The water type at her feet quacked. "No, he's at the tower at the moment. But please come in; we can feed your Pokémon and let them play with some here. My name's Dinah."
"Touko." Said woman stepped inside, and the door clacked when closed. Psyduck quacked again and waved. Touko waved back with a playful wink and looked around. Next to the door were two plants on each side, their necks becoming limp and brown. There was an adolescent boy playing with a Nidorino and a coffee table with Pokémon Magazine wide open on top. A play pin with fake grass was in the far right corner and ball containers were next to it. There was a sink, a green bookcase and TV. Walking around, Touko could only describe the floor being the kind for pet training; one that put friction on your feet.
She walked towards a wall with a drawing of a Cubone sleeping on its side, holding a long bone close to its chest. The only part of its face that be seen was its closed eyes; two lines that weren't forced shut. Its paws were loose around the bone and its feet were limp on the ground. The drawing was framed and the plaque read "Pokémon Fan Magazine Monthly Grand Prize Winner; 'First Time in a Long Time.'"
"Who drew this?"
The preteen boy glanced up from the poison type and said, "Mr. Fuji! He submitted that years ago."
"He's an artist?"
"Oh nah, it's just a hobby of his. He still shows off that thing like it was a Nobel Prize."
Dinah walked over with Psyduck in her arms while stroking its forehead. "You can let out your Pokémon at the play pin. As long as it's not a Wailord or Snorlax, I think we'll be fine."
The pops of the Pokéballs were heard five times as the two Pokémon stared at the foreign arrivals. Dallas, the Samurott quickly sat on his bottom and clawed at his white beard. A glowing Charizard named Lucius spread his wings slightly while standing tall. A giggle could be heard, and when Dinah glanced over she could see Annabelle, a Banette with her hands to her sown mouth.
Dinah smiled.
Gregor the Megnium, after being released, walked over to the wilting plants near the door and breathed on them. It was only moments before they retained their vigor and colour. A cry could be heard by Touko when a, surprisingly, short Pokémon named Theo was released. The Lucario closed his eyes for a few moments before frowning. He kept his eyes closed.
"You have one left." Dinah pointed to her belt.
Touko scoffed. "Zeus is too big."
Dallas scratched behind his ear with his back leg while Lucius straightened his neck, trying to appear larger. Gregor sniffed Nidorino whose nose wriggled back.
Annabelle morphed into a purple shadow and slid on the side of the wall and sank into the ball container. A quiet rumbling later a ball spouted up and she molded back into a doll in the air. She latched onto the ball and leapt to the coffee table. Looking at the Pokémon in Dinah's arms she walked over. Psyduck blinked and gave a staccato quack. Annabelle tossed the ball to herself and caught it and tilted her head. After another quack, her sewn-in smile stretched, bordering on tearing. Annabelle tossed it to him, and the water type hit it with his beak. Dinah put him down on the floor and the two would glide, waddle, and run around the establishment with the ball in an endless loop of constant whirling. Often a quack or cackle could be heard.
The trainer was still looking at the drawing, seeing the care Mr. Fuji had taken to it. The shading was gentle, and the lines soft still from lead. The paper behind the glassy layer was still flat, no folds or crumples. The texture looked airy at some areas and sharp lines at the face, to distinguish features of the Pokémon.
"Touko, was it?"
The young woman blinked hearing her name. Dinah was beside her with a slightly unnerving twinkle in her eye.
"Yeah."
"What brings you to Lavender Town?"
"Oh, well I'm looking for someone; an old friend. He really loved Pokémon; I figured I'd stop by and see if he'd made a visit here."
"Ah," Dinah sighed. "Well, I can't be of much help. I'm not here as often as Mr. Fuji is. He's up at the tower. He goes up there every day to keep the spirits at bay."
Touko nodded. Annabelle's cackling could be heard after the rumbling of a toy box.
"Do you believe in ghosts?"
Touko couldn't say that was a surprising question. She looked at the drawing again, and it seemed less comforting than moments before. Now, it was bittersweet. "Yeah, I do." After hearing Lucius bump his tail into the ball container, making all its contents break out and tread on the floor; she sighed. "Okay, time to go. Let's pick up the toys, guys."
Dallas attempted to use his mouth to help, but his spear on his head kept digging in the scratchy ground. Lucius picked up his slack, careful with his tail. Gregor's vines slipped under the coffee table to retrieve the rolling rebels. Annabelle was able to get most of them. She seemed to make it into a game; constant shifting into a shadow, jumping, catching, and shifting again. Psyduck's head that kept following her like a laser pointer was beginning to have a headache.
"Quack!"
Dinah took him up again and rubbed his forehead. "It'll be okay. It'll be okay."
Touko returned her Pokémon back into their capsules but Dinah stopped her at the last one.
"Keep your Banette out; she'll be able to see the ghosts in the tower."
"Thank you, Dinah," Touko picked up the doll Pokémon into her arms. Annabelle waved to the mentally pained water type across from her. "I'll see you two around."
The preteen nodded. Dinah still had a twinkle in her blue eyes. Touko felt slightly uncomfortable under her gaze, and fast walked out of the Pokémon House.
"So there are believers."