Lavender Town always had a strange reputation.
Known for its eerie tower, its history of loss, and the way the fog never quite lifted—even at noon.
But when Skylar and Misty arrived just after sunset, something felt… different.
Worse.
Wrong.
The streets were quiet.
Not peaceful—dead silent.
No children laughed. No vendors hawked their wares. The Poké Mart had its lights on, but no customers. The Pokémon Center was open, but the nurse on duty moved with the slow exhaustion of someone carrying more than medical fatigue.
As Arcanine trotted cautiously through the central square, Skylar noticed how even the lamplight didn't stretch far. It stopped—swallowed by air thicker than it should be.
Gardevoir appeared beside him unprompted, her psychic field raised defensively.
Misty released Starmie. "This place feels like it's holding its breath."
Skylar nodded. "Or like something's pressing down from above."
The first townsfolk they met were a young couple sitting outside their home, clutching each other. Their eyes were red-rimmed, their expressions vacant.
When Skylar introduced himself, the woman stood suddenly.
—"You're trainers?" she asked quickly, voice breaking.
Misty nodded. "We're here to help, if something's wrong."
The man looked around, then motioned them into the house.
Inside, the curtains were drawn tight, every mirror covered in cloth.
The woman spoke fast, almost as if afraid she'd forget.
—"It started about three weeks ago. The dreams. Everyone in the village started having them. Not just sometimes—every night."
—"Dreams of what?" Skylar asked gently.
—"A voice," the man whispered. "Calling from the tower. But not in words. Just feelings. Cold. Fear. Regret. Loss."
The woman added, "And then the children began talking in their sleep. Reciting names they'd never heard before. Describing Pokémon they've never seen."
She choked.
—"And then some of them just… vanished."
Misty stepped forward, eyes wide. "Gone? How many?"
"Four. All under the age of twelve."
The man gripped his wife's hand tighter.
—"We went to the Tower. The monks that care for it say the spirits are… restless. But they won't go any further. They say something ancient has stirred in the deepest floor."
Skylar's hand curled into a fist.
—"Why hasn't the League stepped in?"
"They did," the woman said. "A pair of rangers came last week. They went in."
She swallowed hard.
—"They haven't come back."
The Pokémon Center was nearly empty.
Skylar and Misty checked in for the night, but neither felt like resting.
Nurse Joy looked even more tired than the rest.
—"You'll stay?" she asked as Skylar handed over his Poké Balls for healing.
Skylar nodded. "Until it's solved."
Nurse Joy gave him a small smile. "You're the first to say that."
Later that night, as they sat on the roof of the center overlooking the faint silhouette of Pokémon Tower, Misty clutched her knees.
—"This is more than a haunting."
Skylar stared at the Tower's faint outline through the fog.
—"It's a message. Or a trap."
He could feel it.
A slow pulse.
Like a heartbeat.
Like something waiting to be found.
Or something that wanted to be.