Cursed

~ Moonshine, The Most Ninetails ~ Link to original could be found here.

Cursed
An old woman knelt in front of the grave, a bouquet of violets in her arms. Her body shook with sobs, and there was a small, wet stain on the floor where her tears had fallen. A carved Ninetales was crouched on top of the stone in front of her, and an inscription was carved into it in slanted, elegant letters.

"Here lies Moonshine, the best Pokémon her owner could ever ask for."

The Ninetales's eyes were a pair of blue gemstones, and the tips of its tails were covered in slightly rusted copper. It was beautifully detailed, with each little claw carved out, each strand of fur visible if one looked hard enough.

Only the best for her little Ninetales.

Oh, what she wouldn't give to see her again.

-~-~-

It was Eve's tenth birthday, and around the table were scattered presents, their wrapping paper covered with intricate designs, shimmering bows stuck onto each of them. The little girl squealed excitedly, almost shaking from anticipation. She couldn't wait!

After snapping several pictures, her parents finally allowed her to open one of her presents. Inside was a large shoulder bag with multiple pockets. She explored them to find multiple different items hidden within it; a potion here, a handful of Poké balls there. Her eyes sparkled. It was perfect.

The second present contained a few TMs, and a case to hold them, which she quickly slipped into her bag. The third was a bag of Pokémon food, which basically looked like brown kibble. The fourth had a hat in it; a white sun hat with golden embroidery along the edges. The fifth had a pair of running shoes. Finally, she came to the sixth and final present, which had holes in the top. The wrapping had a flame design on it.

"A Vulpix?! Great Arceus, thank you so much!"

Her parents beamed at her proudly. Ninetales was her favorite Pokémon of all time, and to have a Vulpix was more than she could have even dared to dream of. "A Vulpix!" she cried. "My very own Vulpix."

"What are you going to name her?" asked her mom.

"I think I'll name her... Moonshine," Eve replied. The Vulpix stared at her for a moment with her round, auburn eyes, then buried her muzzle into her shirt, cooing softly. Eve smiled and rubbed the Pokémon behind her ears. "She's perfect."

"Mom and I have been thinking, and we've decided it's time for you to head off on your Pokémon journey."

"R-really?" Eve's eyes grew wide. "I can go? With my very own Vulpix?"

Her parents nodded, and then Eve tackled each of them with a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is the best birthday present ever!"

She let go of her mom and picked up Moonshine. "When do I start?"

"Tomorrow."

Eve let out a squeal as she ran to get her things ready.

-~-~-

Moonshine trotted happily about Eve's feet as she headed down the dirt path. It had been three days since they had started their journey, and they were well on their way to Pewter City. Eve had caught a female Pidgey, whom she had named Flight, and a male Pikachu, named Sparky. They were in the middle of Viridian forest, and already she was sick of Caterpie and Weedle. At least Moonshine was a fire-type, so they breezed through it. Eve was proud to say that she hadn't lost a single battle yet.

A bug catcher caught sight of them. "Hey! You! Wanna have a battle?"

Eve grinned at her Vulpix. "Sure," she said. "Go! Moonshine!"

The bug catcher sent out a Caterpie, and the battle began.

"Caterpie! Use string shot!"

"Moonshine! Quick Attack!"

Moonshine darted over to the Caterpie and slammed into it, knocking it over. The Caterpie tried to get up, but Moonshine attacked it again, successfully fainting it.

"Hey! No fair!" cried the bug catcher. "I didn't get a turn!"

"Moonshine! Stop!" cried Eve as Moonshine got ready for another attack. "You can't attack them like that! You have to give other trainers a turn!"

Moonshine shuffled up to her, her head down and her tails dragging. She made a whining noise in the back of her throat.

"I'm terribly sorry! I guess she just went out of control... Here, don't worry about paying me. I'll pay you. Then we'll be even." She handed the bug catcher some Poké, and he smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," he said.

"No problem!" Eve replied.

She and Moonshine started away again, Moonshine's ears drooping. A whimper escaped her. "Don't worry, Moonshine; I'm not mad at you. You just need to be more careful." Moonshine lifted her head cautiously, and then perked up again. "There. That's more like the Vulpix I know!"

---

They had finally arrived at Pewter city, and it took Eve's breath away. The buildings were huge compared to the little houses and shops of Pallet Town and Viridian City. They hurried quickly to the gym, only to run straight into a woman exiting it.

She was obviously very rich, as she had a fur coat on, and a fancy hat, also made of fur. However, she was probably one of the ugliest people Eve had ever seen. A Venusaur came to mind as Eve stared into her piggy eyes.

Moonshine started growling, which snapped Eve out of her temporary shock. "Oh, dear! I'm so sorry!" she cried. "Moonshine, be quiet," she added. Then she froze as she saw what kind of fur the woman's coat was made of.

It was made of Vulpix fur.

Eve instinctively scooped up Moonshine and stepped aside. However, the woman just turned to face her. "Your Vulpix has beautiful fur," she said. "You wouldn't consider selling it, would you?"

Eve glared at her. "Not for a million bucks," she replied.

The woman smirked at her. "We'll just have to do this the hard way, then," she said, and tossed a trio of Pokéballs at her. Out came three Houndoom, all of which looked around before setting their sights on Moonshine. They began growling at her, saliva dripping from their jowls.

"Three against one? No way!" cried Eve, sending out Flight and Sparky.

The woman perked up at the sight of Sparky. "Oh? A Pikachu?" More glaring from Eve. "I'll make you a deal. If I win, I get to take your Pokémon. If you win, I'll give you one of my Houndoom." She smirked as Eve began to object. "It's not like you have a choice. I could easily call backups and take your Pokémon immediately."

Looking closer, Eve noticed there were black collars on each Houndoom's neck, each adorned with a large, red R. Team Rocket! Eve had heard of this criminal gang, but hadn't come across them yet.

"Moonshine! Quick Attack! Sparky, ThunderShock! Flight, Peck!"

Her Pokémon didn't need to be told twice. Eve had already spent enough time with each of them that they had begun to trust her, which amounted to more power in their attacks, and more cooperations between them. They might not win against three fully evolved Pokémon, but they still had a pretty good chance. Eve hung onto this chance like a lifeline.

"Houndoom! Bite, Ember and Thunder Fang!"

Eve's Pokémon may have coordination, but that was nothing compared to the Houndoom. They leaped in unison, managing to avoid even Moonshine's Quick Attack, landed behind them, and used their attacks. Flight was knocked out immediately by Thunder Fang, and Moonshine and Sparky's health were quickly draining.

"Moonshine, Sparky, repeat!" she shouted, and each Pokémon managed to catch the Houndoom this time. It didn't seem to do much, though, and Eve's face began turning white. "Great Arceus, please help us," she whispered.

The next turn left Sparky fainted and Moonshine barely hanging on. The woman had decided to make her victory "fun," which meant torturing both Eve and her Vulpix by making Moonshine's defeat incredibly slow and drawn-out. She closed her eyes and waited for the end of her journey, but it didn't come. Instead, she heard a yelp from one of the Houndoom.

she dared to open her eyes to see a Scyther standing over one of the Houndoom, who was sprawled out on the floor. It made quick work of the other two, and the woman was forced to turn tail. She didn't give Eve a Houndoom, as she had promised, but Eve didn't care. Her Pokémon were safe. She immediately ran up to Moonshine, and then hugged the shivering Pokémon, grinning as she got a lick in the cheek.

Then she returned Moonshine to her Poké ball, and then turned to the Scyther, tackling it with a hug. "Oh, thank you so much for saving them!" she cried. The Scyther wrapped its scythes around her, sideways so as not to cut her with the blades. She finally let go, and the Scyther was beaming at her.

"Do you have a trainer?" Eve asked.

The Scyther looked defeated for a moment, muttering "Scythe." Then it looked up, its eyes carrying a clear message. "Will you be my trainer?"

Eve smiled and nodded, holding out a Poké ball. The Scyther disappeared inside of it, turning into the red aura that all Pokémon became when captured.

Who cared if she didn't get a Houndoom? She had a Scyther, and Scythers were better anyways.

-~-~-

"Hero! Moonshine! Quick Attack!"

A green and orange blur darted behind the Starmie and Staryu, ramming into them from behind. The blur stopped suddenly, revealing Moonshine and the Scyther. Eve had decided to name him Hero, due to the fact that he had been her hero before. The two seemed to get along well, and they worked together like one Pokémon. She loved having double battles every chance she could.

"Heah!" cried the Starmie. Their two opponents skidded across the floor of the gym, whirling around when they came to a stop. A glint came from the Staryu's red center.

"Starmie! Use Hyper Beam! Staryu! Water Gun at Vulpix and finish them off!" Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader shouted.

"Hero! Protect and block Moonshine! Moonshine, use Flamethrower!" Eve had used two of the TMs she got for her birthday, Protect and Flamethrower, on Hero and Moonshine, respectively. They came in handy in more than one situation.

Staryu was the victim of Moonshine's attack, and it clearly wasn't anticipating it. It fainted, slumping to the ground. "Staryu! Return!" cried Misty. "Starmie, use Bubble Beam!"

"Hero, Quick Attack! Moonshine, Flamethrower!"

Too late. Moonshine fainted upon being hit by Bubble Beam. Hero managed to get a Quick Attack in, though, which KO'd Misty's last Pokémon.

"Good battle," said Eve, shaking her hand after returning Moonshine.

"You fought great!" replied Misty, handing her the Cascade Badge. "Thanks for the fun battle."

"The pleasure was all mine," replied Eve, smiling good-naturedly.

She and her Pokémon were well on their way to the Pokémon league.

-~-~-

"Moonshine, what's wrong? You've been acting weird lately, almost depressed." Eve was huddled next to the campfire her Vulpix had started, rubbing her hands for warmth. There were multiple fire pits along each route, so that trainers could camp out for the night. She had laid out a sleeping bag for herself, but her Pokémon just slept on the ground. They seemed to like it better that way, anyways.

Moonshine simply turned away, an expression of sadness and defeat creeping across her face. Whenever Eve or the other Pokémon tried to comfort her, she would ignore them. Whatever the problem, there was obviously no way to cheer her up.

"Well, when you decide to let us know what's going on, we'll be here to listen."

"Vulp," she replied quietly.

Eve shot her a worried glance before drifting off into the clutches of sleep.

-~-~-

Eve noticed that Moonshine was fine during the day, but she cried whenever she thought everyone was asleep. Each night, the crying got just a tad louder, and each night her owner would listen as the poor Pokémon sobbed herself to sleep. Eve didn't want to ask her why she was crying again, because then she might stop, and she cried so much that it was obvious that she needed to.

One day, though, it just became too unbearable. Eve could barely stop herself from joining in on the heart-shattering sobs.

"Moonshine," she asked as she walked down the road, "why do you cry at night?"

The Vulpix froze in mid step, her eyes following her trainer, who turned around and stopped too. Moonshine shook her head and bounded up to her trainer. "Vulp, vulpix!" she cried. She was trying to convey the message that she didn't cry at night, but Eve didn't believe her.

"Moonshine, tell me the truth."

Moonshine put on a fake look of puzzlement. "Pix," she whined.

Eve sighed. "Well, I tried," she said quietly.

Moonshine made a note to herself to stop crying.

-~-~-

Saffron City, and Eve had finally obtained a ThunderStone and a FireStone.

All of her Pokémon were assembled in front of her, looking at her with expectant eyes. Hero, the Scyther. Moonshine, the Vulpix. Flight, the Pidgeotto. Sparky, the Pikachu. Finally, the newer additions to the team; Venom the Ekans and Rage the Magikarp. A strange name for such a weak Pokémon, but Eve knew that he would evolve into a Gyarados someday.

Eve placed the stones in front of Moonshine and Sparky. "Are you two sure you want to evolve?" she asked. Both Pokémon nodded. "Alright, then. Let the evolution begin!"

Moonshine walked up to the stone and cautiously tapped it with her nose. Nothing happened. She began to wonder if it was a fake, when she began glowing. She felt herself lifted off the ground by an invisible force. Her tails grew longer and were joined by another three, she felt her fur growing into a mane around her neck, and her body be came more lithe and graceful. She landed softly on the ground, a fully evolved Ninetales.

She looked around; everythIng seemed smaller than it used to. Sparky was different too; he had become a Raichu. Moonshine closed her eyes, content with the world. She was fully evolved! Now she could do more for her beloved trainer.

The other Pokémon came over to her and Sparky, congratulating them on their evolutions. "You're beautiful, Moonshine," sighed Hero. "I wish I could evolve, but then Eve would have to trade me away. And anyways, I don't like Scizor much."

"Aww, Hero, thank you! I wish you could evolve, too; then we could be fully evolved together!"

Hero smiled at her. "I'm happy I can just be with you," he said softly.

They didn't even notice that the other Pokémon were staring at them, silently cheering them on. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Even Eve had caught on, and had her hands curled into fists. She was in the same position when she was begging her Pokémon to make the final blow that would win the battle. The pair looked up, bewildered, as Venom accidentally let out the word in a tiny whisper.

Kiss.

All of the Pokémon, as well as Eve, burst out laughing. Even Hero and Moonshine were chuckling. They had completely forgotten that the others were there. "Oh, Venom," said Sparky, "you blew our cover!"

That remark made those who could understand it crack up even more, and Eve couldn't help but laugh with them. Laughter is contagious, after all.

That night, Moonshine had no desire to shed a single tear.

-~-~-

It was Lavender Town where Moonshine finally broke.

It had nothing to do with the countless legends or rumors that surrounded the place. True, it took a brave soul to venture into the town, but Moonshine had confidence in her trainer, and she didn't really believe myths like that, anyways.

Instead, it was the graves of the Pokémon.

Moonshine had been holding back her tears for more than a month now, and now she finally had something to cry about. But then, her mind wandered back to the woman with the fur coat. Did those Vulpixes get proper burials? Probably not. They were used as tools for human pleasure. She had almost ended up like them.

It was all for the selfishness of humans. Didn't they have any empathy? Any at all? How would they like to die a horrible death for no good reason, and then not even be appreciated? They thought of Pokémon as mindless beasts, created to serve the sole purpose of being their slaves.

How disgusting, humans were.

All of them.

She vowed to get rid of every last one.

-~-~-

"Moonshine? I know you want to stay longer, but we have to go. We need to continue our journey."

Moonshine sat, motionless, staring over the rows of tombstones before her.

"I wonder if any Pokémon you knew before are here. I never did know about your past."

No answer.

"At least they rest here in peace."

"Not all rest in peace," a voice growled.

Eve was bewildered at first, then gasped in shock as she realized the voice had come from Moonshine. "Wh-what... what do you mean?"

"Remember that woman? The one with the fur coat that we met in Pewter City?" Moonshine asked via telepathy. "Those Vulpix didn't get put to rest. They will never rest in peace."

"There's nothing we can do about that, Moonshine. I feel sorry for them too, but what can we do to help?"

Moonshine whirled around. Her eyes were glowing, and her fangs were bared in a snarl. "That's the sickest part about it!" the Ninetales spat, her tails lashing in frustration. "We can't help them! And it's all because of your kind, Eve! Don't you see?

"We Pokémon have been your faithful servants for centuries, and look at how you treat us! Look at it! It's disgusting! You treat us like filth, like we're lower class. We are equals! We are the same!"

"I love you as a partner," replied Eve, "as a sister. Not all humans treat Pokémon like scum. Your rage is making you blind!"

Moonshine pretended that she hadn't heard her. "I might as well be dead to you, and you wouldn't care! You'd cry for a bit, then forget about me and move on. No one would care! No one cares any more! This world is crashing down, and everyone is oblivious to it but me! Why don't you see? Why don't you see?"

Eve released one of her Pokémon; Hero. "Can you talk some sense into her?" she pleaded. Hero nodded.

"Moonshine, you're going mad. Calm down. I agree that nothing is worse than watching a Pokémon suffer at the hands of humans, but most of them aren't like that."

"You're wrong." Moonshine's voice shook.

"No, you're just desperate to blame someone. Please, calm down! If not for Eve, then for me. Please."

"No, Hero. I need to make you see. I need to make you all see!" She howled in her rage, and people came running up and down the stairs To see what was going on. "You will all die!" she screamed. "I will kill you all personally!"

"Please, Moonshine!" Hero began crying, begging her to stop. "Snap out of it!"

"No! This needs to be done!" she snapped. The humans couldn't tell what Hero was saying, but Moonshine obviously did not approve. Moonshine took a step towards Eve. "No... I won't kill you. But I will lay a curse upon you! You will be forced to suffer!"

"I won't let you!" Hero stepped in front of Eve, crossing his scythes in front of him. "You can't force her to suffer for something she didn't do!"

"Try me." Moonshine's eyes blazed with anger, and her teeth were bared in a snarl. She lunged forward, knocking Hero aside like a twig. "Who's the hero now?" she hissed.

Eve backed up, only to find herself against a wall. Still, Moonshine crept forward, stopping only when she was close enough to  touch her trainer. "From this day forward, for a thousand years, you will weep at my grave, which you shall have erected here. I am dead to the world now. Even after you have died, your spirit will remain here, trapped until your curse is ended. You will be unable to say anything but positive comments about me, your... beloved Ninetales. If you attempt to tell others about this curse, no words will come.

"The same goes for all of you!" Moonshine whipped around to face the crowd gathered around her. They shrunk back, fear draining their faces of color. "None of you will be able to say anything about me, or the curse! Nothing about what you witnessed tonight! Is that clear?

"If it isn't, no matter, for you are already cursed.

"I shall be seeing you soon."

-~-~-

The death count in Lavender Town rose dramatically over the next two months with no explanation. They abruptly stopped after the deaths of nearly fifty people, all murdered by what appeared to be a Pokémon. Each had a clean set of toothmarks in their necks, with no other evidence to speak of. Furthermore, the friends and family of the victims reported that the dead seemed to be unable to tell them something, performing strange behaviors and moving their mouths with no sound coming out.

In addition to this, a young girl's Ninetales died just before, and she had moved to Lavender Town to weep. Every day, the girl visited her beloved Pokémon's grave, but when asked why she doesn't continue her journey, she refused to reply. Her Scyther had also been reported dead, but she seemed to pay no attention to it. Her friends and family say that she was very attached to the Scyther, and that it is rather odd that she wouldn't care about him.

Lavender Town had been hosting some strange happenings, that was certain.

-~-~-

Eve knelt in front of the grave, an old woman now, a bouquet of crumpled and broken violets in her arms. Her body shook involuntarily with sobs, and there was a small, wet stain on the floor where her fake tears had fallen. A carved Ninetales loomed over her from the top of the stone in front of her, and an inscription was carved into it in I'll-fitting, elegant letters.

"Here lies Moonshine, the best Pokémon her owner could ever ask for."

The Ninetales's eyes were a pair of malicious blue gemstones, and the tips of her tails were covered in rusted copper. It was overly detailed, each little claw sharp enough to pierce skin, each strand of tangled, matted fur visible if one looked hard enough.

Only the worst for her demonic Ninetales.

Was there anything she would give to see her again?