I've been looking forward to work on this chapter, because it will reveal a weak side Ashley has and why she has it.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 15: The Ghost of Maiden's Peak

My friends and family stood on the deck of the ferry that was heading toward Two Island of the Sevii Islands. The weather was beautiful with a clear sky and a warm sun; a perfect summer day. It was weird to think that Ash and I started our journey in the spring a few months ago and we have already gone through so much. I had also done so many things outside of my comfort zone and nothing negative had happened to me…yet.

"Look! There's Two Island!" Misty exclaimed as the island was appearing by the horizon.

"Awesome! And we're right on time for the festival!" Ash added.

"I've heard about a legend of the island, so I'm curious to see what it could be about", Professor Oak said.

"This will be a perfect first summer vacation with my twins in their first year as Pokémon Trainers", Mom sighed softly while she held Pikachu. "I wish your father were with us."

My smile dropped while I held Luna. "Yeah…"

Ash looked down with a sad expression when Mom mentioned Dad. My brother and I had barely interacted with Dad when we were children because he went on a journey as soon as we were old enough to talk and walk.

"Fairy…", Luna chirped as she looked at me.

"Yeah, I'm sad too…", Brock mumbled lowly as he rested his arms on the railing. "I want a nice date with a lovely girl…"

"Oh, Misty…", Misty sweat dropped sheepishly.

"Fairy?" Luna tilted her head to the side in confusion.

I was actually getting a little nervous for the festival. There were going to be crowds again and probably loud noise around me with people talking and music. That sort of combination could tire me out way faster than usual. I was relieved to have Mom because she was one of my biggest comfort zones.

"I…would rather see what kinds of Pokémon are living on the island", I spoke softly.

"I might try catching one Pokémon or two to have a better balance with my party too", Gary spoke up behind me.

I jumped in surprise since I didn't sense him coming up from behind. I turned around and took a few quick steps back to see he was dressed in his usual outfit. He had a nonchalant look while his hands rested on the hips. His cheerleading squad stood behind him, looking pretty as usual.

"Gary! Where did you come from?" I asked as soon as I calmed down.

"I was right here the whole time", Gary replied. "You just never noticed it."

I was ready to get an insult, so I got very surprised when he didn't say anything hurtful to me. In fact, his whole behavior seemed different than usual.

Professor Oak chuckled softly before he walked to his grandson and patted his shoulder. "I'm glad to see you've matured since the first day of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, Gary. You didn't insult the twins."

Gary rolled his eyes and turned away while crossing his arms. "Sometimes it's just a waste of time."

Ash gave Gary a raised eyebrow, but then shrugged his shoulders and looked at the islands. I walked to my twin brother and stayed close to him. I stared at the island when I suddenly felt a shiver run down my spine.

Was something going to happen again? But why did it feel different compared to the other events? The feeling resembled the first and last time I watched a horror movie featuring ghosts…

XXXXXXXXXX – Ash's POV

The ferry made it to its assigned dock and let the passengers get on land. I could already hear the music from the streets of the ongoing festival.

"I want to check out the festival right away!" Misty said joyfully.

"Me too!" I nodded while Pikachu jumped onto my shoulders.

"Pika pika!"

"Hah! While you go and be lazy, I'll just train my Pokémon for our next battle!" Gary exclaimed amusingly.

"Do you ever relax every once in a while, Gary?" I retorted calmly.

After hearing Gary's insults for years, I have kinda grown immune to them. Being a Pokémon Trainer didn't mean you had to catch and train Pokémon twenty-four seven.

"I will relax…after a nice long day of training! Smell ya later, Grandpa!" Gary waved before leaving with his squealing cheerleading squad.

"Be careful and I'll see you at the Pokémon Center in the evening!" Professor Oak called.

"Is it just me or has Gary changed a little bit?" Mom spoke up.

"Which part of him has changed, Mom?" I asked, getting a little grumpy that she was paying attention to my rival.

"Who is that beauty?!" Brock suddenly exclaimed.

I turned to my left and saw Brock was staring at something. I looked over Ashley's stiff shoulder to see nothing that looked beautiful. "Umm… Brock, what are you looking at?"

"That beautiful girl over there!" Brock turned to me with a frustrated expression while pointing at an empty dock.

"Brock, there's no one standing there", Misty added with an unamused expression.

Brock turned back and his chin dropped to the ground. "B-B-But I saw her! A lovely girl with lavender hair and white dress! Oh, she's my true love!"

"Guys, I think Brock's got a screw loose", Misty said.

"Or perhaps he's suffering from a heat stroke", Professor Oak spoke up before he used his hand to shield his eyes from the sunlight. "The sun is quite strong today."

Mom walked to Brock and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Cheer up, Brockie. Let us all go and enjoy the festival. Who knows; you might see that girl again."

"Yeah… I hope so", Brock mumbled in defeat.

It was only then I noticed Ashley had grown very quiet. She was just standing there while her shoulders were shaking. I walked around her to see her eyes were hazy and her face had grown pale. She was in a trance.

"Ashley? Are you with us?" I asked while trying to hide the panic in my voice and waved my hand in front of her face.

"W-What…?" Ashley blinked, her eyes no longer hazy.

"Clefairy?" Luna said confusedly.

I sighed inwardly in relief. "You okay? You got in a trance just now."

"I-I did?" Ashley stuttered while she hugged Luna closer to her. "I-I just thought I saw a…a…ghost…"

"A ghost?" I blinked confusedly before looking at the dock which both Brock and Ashley had stared at. "There are no ghosts here, sis."

"B-But I s-saw one…", Ashley's voice shook while she was going back into a trance.

"Ashley, stay with us!" I panicked and grabbed her shoulders, blocking her view. "There are no ghosts here."

"Fairy?"

"What's happening?" Misty asked confusedly.

Mom hurried to me and took my place before she gently grabbed Ashley's shoulders. "Ashley, dear. Everything is okay. No one is going to hurt you."

Ashley snapped out of it and took deep breaths as if she was going through a panic attack. "M-Mom…"

Mom wrapped her arms around my sister, forcing Luna to jump out of her arms. "I'll bring Ashley to the island's Pokémon Center and stay with her. Ash, why don't you go with Pikachu, Misty, Brock, and Professor Oak to enjoy the festival?"

I wasn't sure about it after seeing Ashley in her current condition, but Mom was with her, so everything should be fine, right?"

"Okay…", I nodded hesitantly.

"Don't worry about your boy, Delia. I'll look after the children", Professor Oak said.

"Thank you, Professor Oak", Mom smiled before looking at Ashley who had wrapped her arms around her. "Let's go, Ashley."

"Mm…", my sister nodded against Mom's chest.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was a little hard to let go of my worried thoughts of Ashley. I guess it was my twin brother blood that made me feel like this. Ashley and I had done everything together, so it felt odd to be apart from her. I just hoped she was feeling better with Mom by her side.

The streets by the docks were really lively with street dancers and booths selling souvenirs, food, and drinks. Pikachu, Misty, and I enjoyed the festivities, but Brock was still sulking and mumbled about that girl he saw.

We stumbled upon a very short old woman with long white hair and a purple dress, saying Brock had to be careful if he saw a beautiful girl or he was going to get a cruel fate. I assumed this was about the girl he saw before, but how did this all go together?

When we caught the word of a shrine was going to display a painting of the legend Professor Oak heard about, we got curious and went there. A priest outside of the shrine revealed an old painting of a girl with long hair and dress praying with sad eyes. The priest added the maiden lived two thousand years ago, but her body turned into stone while waiting for her lover to return from a war. That rock was still standing on a cliff right next to the shrine, now known as Maiden's Peak.

Brock said the girl he saw before at the docks was the maiden! But that couldn't be possible; the maiden was no longer alive, yet Brock insisted he saw her real form. He decided to stay by the shrine and just stare at the maiden rock all day long and into late night.

"Come on, Brock! You can't stay here all night long", Misty told him as the moon was decorating the dark sky.

"I can do that and I will do that", Brock said while he sat on the ground, his eyes never leaving the maiden rock. "You guys can go to the Pokémon Center and get to bed. I'll be there before curfew."

"Okay…", I said hesitantly.

I didn't like the idea of leaving Brock like this, but I guess I was worrying too much again. He was older than me, so he could probably take care of himself. Was he really so much in love with a girl that he was willing to stay here and just stare at the maiden rock? What kind of things did adults do when they were in love? I never had a crush before, so this was an unknown territory for me.

"Let's go and see if Ashley is better now", Misty said before she placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm still worried about her."

"Me too", I nodded.

"Chu…"

XXXXXXXXXX

We met Mom and Professor Oak just as we entered the Pokémon Center. They were talking about something while having concerned expressions.

"Mom?" I called as I hurried to her.

"Ash, Pikachu, Misty", Mom smiled hesitantly. "I'm glad you made it before dinner."

"Where's Brock?" Professor Oak asked.

"He said he will come here later", Misty said.

"How is Ashley?" I asked worriedly.

"Pikachu…?"

"Ashley is asleep now, but she's much better than before", Mom replied with a concerned expression. "It took some time to calm her down from her panic attack. Still… She kept saying she saw a ghost and she wasn't hallucinating."

"A ghost…", I mumbled, suddenly feeling the gears in my head moving.

"What is it with Ashley and ghosts?" Misty asked.

"A couple of years ago, Ash and Ashley watched a horror movie featuring ghosts", Mom explained. "It really frightened her and since then, she hates ghost and ghost-type Pokémon."

"Oooh…!" Misty said in realization. "It's like me and my fear for bug-type Pokémon!"

"Ghost and the maiden…", I mumbled softly while thinking deeply. "And that old woman's warning… Why does it feel like they are all connected?"

"Pika?"

"Oh, so you're finally using your head for once, Ash?" Gary's voice spoke up behind me.

I growled softly before turning around and faced my rival. "Yeah! Got any problem with that?"

"Not at all!" Gary said arrogantly before looking around. "Where's Ashley?"

"She's already in bed, so leave her alone!" I told him.

Gary shrugged nonchalantly. "Like I wanted to do something to her."

Mom clapped her hands loudly. "Okay, everyone! It's late and everyone must be hungry, so let's get something to eat before bedtime."

Mom really knew how to break the tense moment, and I was tired to kick up a fuss with Gary. But I still couldn't get the thoughts out of my head.

A ghost.

A maiden.

A warning.

What if the maiden that Brock and Ashley saw was her spirit? Or was it a ghost playing tricks on them? I had no idea, but now my stomach was growling for food.

XXXXXXXXXX – Ashley's POV

I felt refreshed after yesterday's panic attack, but I got scared again when I heard Brock didn't return the night before curfew. Ash said the last place they saw him was by the shrine of the Maiden's Peek, so we went there to look for him. Mom and Professor Oak went to check the streets of the festival to see if they could spot Brock.

"Brock!" we called his name.

"Brock, where are you?!" Misty yelled.

"Brock! Brock!" Ash shouted.

"What's it with you wailing for the last few days, guys?" Gary appeared out of nowhere, this time without his fangirls.

I jumped back again in surprise by his sudden appearance. "Gary?!"

"We're looking for Brock, Gary, so beat it!" Ash growled.

"Boys, don't fight now! We've got bigger issues going on here!" Misty said as she got between my brother and our rival.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded in agreement.

I suddenly heard a noise coming from inside the shrine, so I opened the twin doors and got knocked down to the ground with Brock on top of me.

"Ow!"

"Brock!" Ash and Misty exclaimed.

"Get him off of me!" I grunted as I tried pushing the rock-type Gym Leader off of me.

My brother, Misty, and Gary joined together to pull Brock off me so I could sit up. I hissed in pain as I tried rubbing my back before I got up on my feet. Brock was unconscious, but he had a big goofy and creepy smile on his lips.

"What's with him?" Gary asked.

"He's not being himself!" Ash exclaimed.

"I'll handle this!" Misty said before grabbing a Poké Ball. "Staryu, I choose you!"

"Kraa!"

"Staryu, use Water Gun on Brock and wake him up!" Misty told her Pokémon.

Staryu sprayed water straight on Brock's face, which made him snap out of his dream, but he then looked around frantically. "W-What?! What's going on?! Where's girl?! My maiden!"

"Brock, you've been gone the whole night! What happened?" Ash asked worriedly.

"I saw her! The maiden!" Brock exclaimed before he jumped up on his feet. "I was with her the whole night!"

"I think Brock's got too much sea water in his brain", Gary shrugged.

"No, this is the spirit of the maiden's doing!" a new raspy voice spoke up.

I looked up and saw a very short old woman, even shorter than Brutella, walk up to us. She had long white hair and was dressed in a purple dress while holding a wooden cane that was taller than her.

"You're the woman we met yesterday at the festival!" Misty gasped in realization.

"D-Did you just say spirit…?" I mumbled in fear, starting to cold sweat already.

The old woman nodded, "Yes, it's said that every year, during the festival, the spirit of the maiden leaves her petrified body to search for a young man who resembles her lost love. She will make him fall under her spell so she can absorb the man's spirit and make him join her. Unfortunately, most of her victims have managed to escape, but there has been a few who did not have the same fortune and never returned to their families."

I was shaking like a leaf after hearing that. I didn't want Brock to fall under the maiden's spell and never return to his family who was waiting for him. And I didn't want any one of us get hurt by the maiden. Pikachu jumped into my arms so I could hug him and try calming down.

"The maiden must be so lonely, even as a spirit…", Brock mumbled sadly.

"What can we do to prevent the spirit of the maiden to take Brock away?" Ash asked.

The old woman chuckled softly before she picked out a handful of tags from a pocket on her dress. "With these anti-ghost tags. If you place them on the shrine and on your friend, the maiden will give up chasing him."

"Are you sure those will work?" Gary asked.

"Are you doubting a wise old woman's words?!" the old woman yelled at him.

Gary flinched by the verbal assault and took a step back in fear. "N-No…"

"Hrm! Thought so!" the old woman snorted. "However, these tags won't be given to you for free."

"We have to pay for them?!" Misty exclaimed in disbelief.

"But of course! Nothing is free in this world", the old woman giggled like a mischievous ghost.

We ended up buying two sets of the anti-ghost tags and got a third for free after paying five thousand Poké Dollars. It was a good thing we saved the money we got after the beauty contest back on One Island.

We worked together to place the tags on the shrine outside and a few on Brock's body. Weirdly, Gary helped out without throwing any complaints like he used to when he got forced by Professor Oak to be nice to me and Ash or help us out with something.

While I was placing tags on the shrine, my sixth sense was trying to warn me again. It was something about the old woman; sometimes I caught the smell of a weird odor coming from her. Was it her unique smell or was it something else?

XXXXXXXXXX – Ash's POV

We followed the old woman's instructions and made Brock stay inside the shrine, which was now covered by the anti-ghost tags, for the night. The rest of us hid in a corner as we waited for the spirit of the maiden to arrive and get affected by the tags and, hopefully, leave Brock alone. The old woman hid in another corner, so we couldn't see her.

One thing I didn't like about this was Gary decided to stay with us.

"Don't you have anything better to do, Gary…?" I whispered irritably.

"Hey, I'm on this because I think the spirit of the maiden could actually be a Pokémon…!" Gary retorted.

"A Pokémon…?" Ashley and Misty repeated confusedly.

"Yeah, 'cause there's no way spirits are real…", Gary nodded.

"Well, if it is a Pokémon, I'll catch it…!" I declared.

"No way, 'cause I'll get to catch it…!" Gary argued. "I was the one who said the spirit might be a Pokémon…!"

"Guys, you're being too loud…!" Misty hissed before shushing us.

Gary and I glared at each other before we turned away and crossed our arms.

"Chu…", Pikachu whimpered in Ashley's arms.

"Ash… If it is a ghost-type Pokémon, please don't catch it…", my sister begged.

All of the sudden, the wind outside got so strong it pushed the twin doors open and blew the tags off Brock's body. A white transparent figure floated to the threshold with a soft chuckle. Ashley tightened her hold on Pikachu as she started looking a little pale by the sight of the maiden's spirit.

"It's you!" Brock exclaimed in joy at the sight of the spirit.

"I've been waiting for you…", the maiden's voice echoed.

"Yes, and I've been waiting too", Brock nodded.

"Then let us go and be together forever…"

The spirit waved her hand before Brock levitated from the floor and floated with her out of the shrine.

"Brock!" Misty, Ashley, and I yelled as we ran after them.

"I knew those tags were bogus!" Gary exclaimed irritably behind us.

The spirit floated to the maiden rock while Brock appeared to be absolutely possessed by it. Misty and I managed to grab his feet before he was out of reach.

"Brock, snap out of it!" Misty yelled.

"That spirit won't let you reunite with your family again! They're more important than a girl!" I shouted.

"My family…", Brock mumbled confusedly.

"Wartortle, use Water Gun!" Gary shouted behind us.

A big water beam hit the maiden, making her shriek in pain as if she really got hurt. However, it was enough distraction to make her lose control over Brock. He stopped levitating, but he fell on top of us.

"Ow!" Misty and I yelped in pain.

"Oh… Sorry!" Brock snapped out of it and got off of us.

"Are you three okay?" Ashley asked worriedly.

"Hah! I knew it!" Gary exclaimed, getting our attention. "If you really were a spirit, you wouldn't get hurt by a simple Water Gun! Show your true self, Pokémon!"

"Wartor!" Wartortle growled.

The maiden was silent for a second before she started chuckling darkly. "I guess Meowth is out of the bag."

The wind started blowing again as the maiden shapeshifted into a black ball with purple gas around it. A pair of eyes opened on the ball before it started laughing.

"It's a Gastly!" Gary shouted.

"So the spirit was just a fake the whole time! You got tricked by a Gastly, Brock!" Misty said.

"A Gastly… No way…!" Brock gasped in disbelief.

Ashley screamed at the sight of Gastly and got down on her knees and tried curling herself into a ball. "Make it go away! Please, make it go away!" she yelled hysterically.

Pikachu barely made it out of her arms before she hugged him too tight. "Pika pika!"

Misty hurried to my sister and wrapped her arms around her while I grabbed my Pokédex to check Gastly's data.

Gastly, the gas Pokémon. Ghost and poison-type. When exposed to a strong wind, a Gastly's gaseous body quickly dwindles away. They cluster under the eaves of houses to escape the ravages of wind.

"So you're the one who's been tricking the other men that old woman told us about?!" I shouted irritably.

"Why yes", Gastly chuckled. "How else can I keep the legend of Maiden's Peak alive? Well, I guess I am able to do it when I'm in this form!" It transformed into the same old woman who tricked us with those cheap anti-ghost tags.

"Gastly was that old woman too?!" Misty gasped in shock.

Gastly transformed back into its true self while chuckling. "Now that you've seen my true self, I'm afraid I have to make you forget about this moment."

"Why?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"If you dare to tell everyone about the truth behind the legend, no one will believe in it anymore! Therefore, I must erase your memories!"

"No one will mess with my memories!" Gary shouted. "Wartortle, use Bite!"

Wartortle jumped up and opened his mouth, ready to bite Gastly. However, the wild Gastly countered back with a Shadow Ball. Gary's Pokémon was hit and got thrown back on the ground. Wartortle had some serious bruising on its plastron.

"Wartortle!" Gary shouted worriedly as he ran to his Pokémon.

"Pikachu, it's our turn!" I called.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded and turned to Gastly.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu released a lightning bolt at Gastly and shocked it. The wild Pokémon hissed in pain until the attack was over. The Thunderbolt had barely done any damage to it.

"Your Pikachu is strong, but I'm stronger than him!" Gastly laughed before firing a new Shadow Ball.

Pikachu didn't have time to dodge it, so he got hit hard. He cried in pain as he got thrown to the ground. "Chaaa!"

"Pikachu!" I yelled worriedly.

Brock was faster than me and picked up my partner. "I'll take care of him, Ash! And use Squirtle against Gastly!"

I nodded, getting what my friend meant, and grabbed Squirtle's Poké Ball. "Squirtle, I choose you!"

"Squirtle squirtle!"

"Squirtle, shoot yourself up with Water Gun!" I shouted.

Squirtle sprayed Water Gun on the ground, which made him fly to the air to reach Gastly.

"Hah! That won't work! I'll just counter back with another Shadow Ball!" Gastly laughed before using said move.

"Squirtle, keep using Water Gun with Rapid Spin!" I yelled.

Squirtle pulled his head and limbs inside his shell and spun around while still using Water Gun, making a water shield that bounced the Shadow Ball back at Gastly. The wild Pokémon panicked for a second and quickly floated aside, making its own move miss itself.

"Now, use Bite!" I shouted.

Squirtle popped his head out and landed a great Bite on Gastly.

"AAAAHHH!"

"Awesome!" Misty yelled happily. "Dark-type moves like Bite are super effective against ghost-type Pokémon!"

"You persistent rodent! Then I just have to use Hypnosis on you!" Gastly growled before its eyes glowed in different colors.

Squirtle got hit by the Hypnosis and slowly fell asleep while losing his old on Gastly. I ran and jumped up to catch Squirtle before he could hit the ground. "Squirtle, are you okay?!"

The only response I got was a snore from my sleeping Pokémon. Besides that, he looked like he was okay. I sighed in relief and called him back into his Poké Ball.

"That Gastly is way too strong for us!" Gary called. "We have to run!"

"But Ashley won't budge at all!" Misty yelled.

My sister was still in the same position, almost petrified with her head down to the ground while hugging herself for comfort. I hurried to the girls and see if I could snap Ashley out of it.

"It's time to end this!" Gastly chuckled.

"Stop!" a gently feminine voice called out of nowhere.

A colorful spirit came out from the maiden's rock and floated between us and Gastly. Brock gasped loudly at the sight of the spirit. "It's the maiden!" he exclaimed.

"The actual maiden?" Misty asked.

Ashley finally lifted her upper body so she sat on her knees. Her face was stained by dried tears, snot, and some dirt and grass after she had tried to bury herself into the ground. She looked very exhausted after her hysteric attack.

The spirit of the maiden nodded to us before turning to Gastly. "Gastly, I appreciate you looking after me and the shrine, but you cannot hurt these young people."

"B-But, my young maiden, they might tell the islanders about me keeping the legend alive…", Gastly stuttered.

"I believe in them", the maiden said before turning back to us. "I believe they won't tell anyone about this."

"M-Maiden…", Brock stuttered as he took a few steps forward to reach her. "I…"

"Please forgive Gastly", the maiden told Brock. "And forgive me for making you infatuated with my trapped spirit. However, you are not my true love just as I am not your true love."

"Oh…", Brock gasped before looking down with a sad expression.

"But I believe your love is out there somewhere waiting for you", the maiden spoke softly. "No matter what, do not give up hope and wait patiently for her…just as I am patiently waiting for my brave lover's return."

Brock's mood quickly changed when he heard those encouraging words. "I will! I know I will find her someday!" he said determinedly.

The maiden giggled softly before she looked at the ocean. "It is time for my spirit to return to my immobilized form. May the stars guide you all to your hopes and dreams! Farewell and good luck!"

"Wait a minute! What about the money we paid for the fake tags?!" Misty yelled.

"I cannot return the money to you because they will go to the shrine for future repairs", Gastly explained before bowing his head. "The money will only go for good cause. It was never for my own greed."

The maiden and Gastly faded away just as the sun was coming up at the horizon. None of us said a single word as we tried comprehending the situation.

But, in the end, we all chose to keep our promise to stay silent about the truth of Maiden's Peak.

XXXXXXXXXX – Ashley's POV

On the last evening of the festival and the last day on Two Island before we were to return to the mainland, we got to make small boats with lanterns to set them in the water and let them sail off to the ocean to guide the lost spirits back to their home. It was a tradition on the island.

We got to paint the lantern in any way we wanted, so I decided to draw Gastly and the maiden to honor them for keeping the legend alive and somehow help the maiden's lost love to return.

I got really shaken up by this incident, but I slowly got over it after I heard the maiden's sad love story. Perhaps my interpretation of all ghosts being harmful was wrong… Maybe there were nice ghost Pokémon who were by the lost spirits' side to give them comfort and help them move on.

I wanted to try overcoming my fear for ghosts, so you could say this was a good start, even though I got pretty hysterical. We didn't tell Mom or Professor Oak about the incident and Gary also kept his mouth shut for once.

Mom helped me and Misty get dressed up for the festival. I was dressed in a royal blue yukata with red rose pattern and a blue obi while Misty's yukata was mainly pink with a red obi and small bubble and pink Seaking silhouette pattern.

It was too loud by the dance scene, so I went to the docks and called out my Pokémon to have a moment of silence. I could see the lights from the small boats far out in the ocean, traveling to an unknown destination.

"In the last few days, my brother, friends, and I had quite the adventure", I told my Pokémon while Luna sat on my lap. "I had to face my fear and it kind of failed. But, one day, I will conquer that fear and not hesitate to face every obstacle that will stand in my way. Will you all help me out with it?"

My Pokémon replied gladly with smiles and nods. I returned the smile and looked up at the sky and its million stars. Perhaps one of those stars was my guiding star to my goal to become the best dragon tamer.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Firered the Charmeleon (male)

Bruce the Mankey (male)

Honey the Butterfree (female)

Luna the Clefairy (female)

Kobra the Arbok (male)

Wanda the Gyarados (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Bulbasaur (male)

Pikachu (male)

Pidgeotto (male)

Beedrill (male)

Charmander (male)

Squirtle (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's Pokémon at the Lab:

Squirtle x4 (males)

Krabby (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Starmie (genderless)

Horsea (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)