Mayu - Adventure Thread (Kanto)

Well, the only other prominent landmark (if it can be called that) is the Fuji House of Adoptions. The place is named for the late Mr. Fuji, who took care of orphaned Pokemon (primarily Cubone) back during Team Rocket's heyday. Obviously the local Cubone population recovered after Team Rocket was destroyed, thanks to the efforts of Pokemon Rangers and in no small part due to Mr. Fuji's efforts as well.

The name of the place is otherwise rather self-explanatory. It's a place one goes to in order to adopt orphaned or unwanted Pokemon. If a person is unwilling or unable to take care of their Pokemon any longer, whatever the reason, the Fuji House will take it in. They also tend to elderly Pokemon; like a Pokemon retirement home. This usage is much more rare, owing to the fact that most elderly Pokemon are either Wild, thus being almost never seen in the first place, or human-owned, allowing for at-home care whenever possible.

Ever since the incident 30 years ago with Team Rocket, security was stepped up quite a bit within the Tower. While all levels are still open for visitation (so long as one is respectful), and Ghost Pokemon do indeed hang around, the spiritualists who care for the tower and its inhabitants watch incoming trainers closely. If a Ghost-Type approaches you, you may, of course, attempt a battle with it. So long as you are careful not to damage anything during the fight. Thankfully, that is rather difficult to do without deliberate effort. Nonetheless, the receptionist at the base of the tower informs all who visit of these rules.

If you came for a Ghost-Type Pokemon, take care with the how of your quest. Antagonizing the living Pokemon, or disturbing the peace of those who came here to grieve or pay respects will not be tolerated. The Cubone of Lavender Tower are a protected species. You may defend yourself if attacked, but you may not capture them. If you want a Cubone that badly, there are some up for adoption at the Fuji House; or you could trade for one; or even go spelunking within Rock Tunnel to find one. They live in there too, and are not protected like the Tower Cubone.

As for proper Ghosts, the spirits of the departed may indeed linger on the upper stories. However, they are not Ghost-Type Pokemon. These specters, should you happen to encounter one, can only be fled from if antagonized.

A sojourn into the Tower's upper levels nets some encounters with curious Ghost-Type Pokemon, but beyond that, all Mayu can feel is a strange pressure that weighs on her mind more and more as she ascends. It abates appropriately with each level descended. There is no obvious cause for this, though nobody else seems afflicted, so it may be due to Mayu's Ghost typing.

No, apparently ordinary Ghost-Type Pokemon don't feel anything like that. For all that they do not understand human concepts, Pokemon are often more intelligent than some give them credit for. As such, one of the older ones speculates that it's because of Mayu's dual nature. In the Pokemon world, such a thing is probably considered an 'abomination' by the more ancient spirits that dwell here. They are likely trying to drive Mayu out. Of course, this is pure speculation. Mayu would have to track down other human-Pokemon hybrids and question them/get them to ascend the Tower in order to test this. Something that would take exorbitant amounts of time for the payoff of "satisfying one's curiosity".

The closest thing Mayu encounters to a 'true ghost' is some weird hybrid girl she comes across wandering the uppermost levels with a red-colored Honedge. When pressed, the girl says that yes, she has felt it too, but her Bonded Pokemon (the Honedge) protects her from the worst of it. Turns out that she's not a "real" hybrid, merely a human with special abilities gained by either a lifetime of exposure to Ghost-Type Pokemon and highly spiritual places, or by way of the 'special bond' she shares with her Honedge. She isn't sure which is the truth, and doesn't really care either way. She just helps the spirits that linger here to pass on when she can.

It is later revealed to Mayu that that girl doesn't live/work here. She's apparently a lingering spirit herself, though nobody knows why she is here or for what reason she lingers. It is speculated that Lavender Town (or the area that it used to be) was her home, and she doesn't want to leave it. Others believe that she, like many other spirits, merely has unfinished business. However, it's rare to see her in the first place, and rarer still to get her to talk to you. Mayu ought to consider herself very lucky for having been able to do both.

It is rather late by the time Mayu makes it to Cerulean City; she immediately heads to the Pokemon Center to get her Pokemon healed and collapse in the guest quarters. The next morning, she rises a little later than usual, finds a few local trainers up for a few sparring matches, and then heads southwest towards Celadon City. 

The Celadon Gym is open, but the room is darkened. The only source of light is from the currently open door; a door which closes on its own shortly after Mayu has fully entered the building, cutting off visibility until her vision adjusts.

There is some faint, giggling laughter somewhere in the darkness. A voice calls out, encouraging you to come find its source.

The voice snickers softly. Somehow, Mayu can hear it as though it were very close, but that would require the being in question to be very close to, if not within the small light radius granted by Sigma's fire stick. The light seems to have difficulty penetrating the gloom. Normally this is a thing reserved for Dark-Type Pokemon, but there's nothing saying a Ghost couldn't do it too. Add to that the fact that the Kanto-native Gastly line are part Poison, and things may begin to make sense. Then again, Mayu could very easily be overthinking this whole affair. It's a bad habit that anyone could slip into.

In any case, the voice seems to be at once nearby and far away as it continuously taunts you; luring you this way and that in the darkness.