I am the one that lives in the darkness,
overcome by death and despair.
I am the one that hides in the shadows,
warning others of this eerie air.
I am the one that feeds on agony
of lost souls that refuse to leave.
I am the ghost of Lavender Town,
as you and I continue to grieve.
*•*•*•*
The translucent figure wandered through the streets of Lavender Town, her back hunched. She crept through the night as the shadows of lampposts consumed her. Living souls were never awake at this hour, nor the souls of the dead.
She glided across the rugged cement, her tattered skirt hovering over the damp ground. The jagged blades of water that shot down from the gloomy, never-ending sky plummeted through her body and littered the pavement. The harsh wind had no effect on the girl, as she was merely a manipulation of matter that ceased to exist in this world. She was otherworldly.
The eerie air enveloped her in a thick shroud of fog. Her emotionless façade obscured all the pain and agony she would continue to endure for the rest of her days. She clutched her hat and hugged it against her chest, memories gnawing at her heart. Even though it was an exceedingly chilly night, puffs of air never seeped from her chapped lips. The art of breathing was merely a memory by now.
She quickened her already rapid pace, the longing urge to arrive at the tower affecting her more, and more, as each second ticked by. Tick, tock, tick, tock...
Every single day, she longed for him. He was the reason she still appeared each night, scaring away the outsiders that entered this cursed, isolated town. Protecting the Pokémon Tower was her purpose in this world, and she couldn't forget him—not after all the pain they overcame together, and all the choices they made throughout their great adventure in the vast region of Kanto. The girl didn't know if she could bear to see him again, even if she yearned to do so. However, she couldn't control her hunger for lost souls, and the hunger for payback against the citizens of this wretched town.
Standing in front of the gigantic tower was a little girl, her rubber boots creating ripples in the icky puddles of rainwater. She never entered the tower because guarding it seemed to be part of her daily routine. Her eyes were as dull as the current mood of the sky as she gazed off into the distance, a petite smile delicately painted across her pale lips. Her knotted, pastel pink hair vigorously twirled in the wind, and it shielded her fragile face.
The translucent figure finally made it to the building, and it towered over her remarkably. Her unkempt brown hair was twisted into complicated knots, and her wrinkled blue shirt still had remaining splatters of the horrendous crimson liquid she loathed to the very core. She seemed unperturbed by the little girl that stood near the tower.
When something at the entrance of the town caught her eye, however, a twisted grin slowly snuck onto her lips, her dull eyes now brimming with unexplainable lust.
*•*•*•*
The boy, who recently entered Lavender Town, ran as fast as his legs could carry him, eager to get to her resting place—the place where they painfully parted ways.
I'll never forgive you, Team Rocket, he thought to himself, gritting his teeth. His nails dug into his flesh and formed crimson crescents. Each step of his foot created loud bursts of sound throughout the town, yet all the houses remained dark and unfazed, no lights daring to be turned on.
He was haunted by the eerie feeling of being watched, persuading him to run faster. His red eyes darted around, making sure he was alone. Rain continued to fall from the swollen clouds above, and the sound of it smashing into the ground somewhat soothed the boy. His hat flew off his head, but he didn't care. Mistaking the feeling of being watched for some odd hunch was a brutal mistake on his part, for he was indeed being followed.
His eyes could make out the shape of a little girl through the misty fog. The harsh wind deafened him temporarily and caused shivers to course through his body.
He knew about the ghosts in the tower. They were the most active on this day—the day of his best friend's death.
It all happened three years ago when Team Rocket invaded the tower. They were the reason she had to sacrifice herself to save the souls of the resting Pokémon.
She was the queen of ghosts; the master of the tower; the one who watched over the souls; and those souls were grateful, yet they continued to grieve over an innocent young girl's death. She didn't deserve to die, and this young boy knew that all too well.
Team Rocket was never up to any good. They planned on removing the sacred graves of the fallen Pokémon for profit. She just had to get in the way. She was too pure-hearted, too innocent, too selfless. Her death haunted the young boy every single day.
Today was the anniversary of her death—the day the souls were possessed by bloodlust and revenge. It was time to end the ghost of Lavender Town once and for all. She caused the citizens so much pain every year. He knew what he had to do.
He approached the young girl in a cautious manner. "Get away from the tower!"
The little girl didn't listen. Deafened by the wind, the boy continued to scream, his lungs aching miserably. Soon, the souls of dead Pokémon would arise from their graves, and possess all the citizens who couldn't afford to move anywhere else—just like the past two years. They sought revenge for the killing of their newfound guardian, and thrived under her leadership.
All the little girl did was look right into his red orbs, pink, disheveled hair shading her vision, eyes dull and empty as the night sky.
"Do you believe in ghosts?"
The answer was obvious, but she seemed unaware of what would happen tonight, so he lied through his teeth to protect her innocence and naïvety by saying one word:
"No."
For some mysterious reason, a cheerful, wide smile crept up her lips. Her eyes brightened up, and chills edged down the boy's spine.
"Yeah, you're right," she stated. "That white hand on your shoulder... I'm just imagining it."
The boy's head turned so fast that he almost got whiplash. His black hair whipped across his pale complexion; he expected to see her.
But he didn't.
With a sigh of relief, he turned around only to see that the little girl was gone.
What's happening? the boy thought furiously. He was completely dumbfounded, and he despised it.
"Red..." a melodic, haunting voice danced and twirled around him. It was almost soothing, but Red shook it off, determination overpowering aggravation. He couldn't reveal any weaknesses. He couldn't let his soul and mind wander off. Stay focused, stay focused, stay focused! Red repeated in his mind. Don't let her get to you!
"Why are you here?" the hypnotizing voice cooed as the figure brushed her invisible, pale fingers across Red's cheek. However, he couldn't see her, and winced as the air swirled around his face.
He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "No, Leaf. You can't do this anymore."
Even though Red couldn't see her beautiful face, he knew he was slowly getting to her — toying with her emotions and calming her lust for another lost soul. Even the mention of her name caused Leaf to remember why she sacrificed her life.
"You didn't die to haunt and take lives of the citizens of this once-peaceful town," Red reminded her, following the trail of air that danced gracefully around him in a circle. "You died to protect these precious lives and to protect the souls of the deceased Pokémon. You knew of Team Rocket's plans to steal the ancient graves, and you stopped them."
The wind became stronger and stronger with each word. Leaf's torn clothes began to morph; an outline of her hat that Red gave her appeared above her head.
Red gave a sad smile as Leaf's translucent body became visible once again. Tears cascaded down her light complexion, and her eyes glistened with a hint of humanity and emotion.
"I know why you're still here, Leaf." The boy reached his hand out towards her face. "You have to let me go now. You can't cause pain and grief to the people of this town just because I'm alone and grieving as well.
"Innocent people shouldn't have to feel the pain and sorrow I go through. My pain will end once I know you're resting peacefully. I know you fear that one day I'll forget about you, but I won't. I could never forget about my childhood friend, and the one person I will continue to love until my dying days."
Red wiped the fresh tears that coated Leaf's cheeks. The girl wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him with all the emotion she could muster. For just one moment, he could feel the warmth of her touch, and the comfort of her embrace.
"You won't have to worry about the Pokémon anymore," he began. "I'll take care of them."
Red closed his eyes, and, for one last time, heard Leaf's sweet voice as it gradually disappeared into the night.
"Thank you."
The dawn of a new beginning had finally arrived in Lavender Town.
*•*•*•*
I was the one that lived in the darkness,
overcome by death and despair.
I was the one that hid in the shadows,
warning others of this eerie air.
I was the one that fed on agony
of lost souls that refused to leave.
I was the ghost of Lavender Town,
and a peaceful end I did achieve.