As The Maiden drifted away through the bushes, her image fading, the
talking Gastly's frown quickly reversed itself, as though the girl had
never been there. The other Pok'emon simply stared, having no idea what he
and the human had been talking about.
"So, we haven't been properly introduced, have we?" said the talking Gastly promptly.
"No...But, uh, who was that?"
"Her? Well, only the most famous person in town. 'Course, nobody know she's real. Heh heh...But her legend is the reason for this place's name, 'Maiden's Peak'..."
There was a pause.
"So...?" urged the forest Gastly.
"So basically her true love left her to fight in a war, she promised to wait for him forever, he never came back, she was left waiting day and night without food or sleep, never moving from that spot, until finally her body turned to stone and her spirit was doomed to wait for all eternity for his return," he said casually.
"That's terrible!" she replied.
"Well yes, I suppose it is quite terrible, but did you honestly expect a happy ending from a ghost story?"
She didn't know why, but the forest Pok'emon thought she heard a note of annoyance in his voice.
"Excuse me if I seem morbid; it's just that after two thousand years you'd think he'd have come back by now..."
"So...What about you? I've never met a Pok'emon that could speak Human before. I didn't think it was possible," she said, trying to change the subject.
"Oh, it is. It's a whole lot of hard work, but it's possible. I've even met another Pok'emon who can speak their language. A Meowth."
What was he thinking about, she wondered. He no longer faced her, but was staring off into the empty air, as if something troubled him. This had to be the strangest Pok'emon she had ever met...
"Have you heard of Aristel Forest? That's where I'm from. I was...part of a clan of Gastly. The Pok'emon there all have their own clans there; even evolved forms are in separate groups."
"Is that how you got that?" said the other simply.
"What?"
"That cut around your mouth."
She had almost forgot about that.
"Oh. Well what do you mean 'is that how I got it'?"
"You tell me. Some battle between clans or something?"
"I...got kicked out."
"So we're in opposite situations, I guess. You couldn't stay and I can't leave..."
"What...? What do you mean?" she asked.
"Can I ask you a favor?" he said, looking away again.
**Author's Note: So you do understand what's going on, right? Because I might skip a little ahead in the next chapter. You know, to skip past all the conversation about what the forest Gastly is supposed to do, why the other Gastly can't go find The Maiden's lost love himself, etc. That's only a "maybe" though, because there is some stuff that's important to include...
By the way, thanks to the people who finally reviewed my story! "I've been waiting for you..."
Also by the way, "Aristel" is pronounced as "eris-TELL".
My internet's not working right now, so I'll post this chapter later...
"So, we haven't been properly introduced, have we?" said the talking Gastly promptly.
"No...But, uh, who was that?"
"Her? Well, only the most famous person in town. 'Course, nobody know she's real. Heh heh...But her legend is the reason for this place's name, 'Maiden's Peak'..."
There was a pause.
"So...?" urged the forest Gastly.
"So basically her true love left her to fight in a war, she promised to wait for him forever, he never came back, she was left waiting day and night without food or sleep, never moving from that spot, until finally her body turned to stone and her spirit was doomed to wait for all eternity for his return," he said casually.
"That's terrible!" she replied.
"Well yes, I suppose it is quite terrible, but did you honestly expect a happy ending from a ghost story?"
She didn't know why, but the forest Pok'emon thought she heard a note of annoyance in his voice.
"Excuse me if I seem morbid; it's just that after two thousand years you'd think he'd have come back by now..."
"So...What about you? I've never met a Pok'emon that could speak Human before. I didn't think it was possible," she said, trying to change the subject.
"Oh, it is. It's a whole lot of hard work, but it's possible. I've even met another Pok'emon who can speak their language. A Meowth."
What was he thinking about, she wondered. He no longer faced her, but was staring off into the empty air, as if something troubled him. This had to be the strangest Pok'emon she had ever met...
"Have you heard of Aristel Forest? That's where I'm from. I was...part of a clan of Gastly. The Pok'emon there all have their own clans there; even evolved forms are in separate groups."
"Is that how you got that?" said the other simply.
"What?"
"That cut around your mouth."
She had almost forgot about that.
"Oh. Well what do you mean 'is that how I got it'?"
"You tell me. Some battle between clans or something?"
"I...got kicked out."
"So we're in opposite situations, I guess. You couldn't stay and I can't leave..."
"What...? What do you mean?" she asked.
"Can I ask you a favor?" he said, looking away again.
**Author's Note: So you do understand what's going on, right? Because I might skip a little ahead in the next chapter. You know, to skip past all the conversation about what the forest Gastly is supposed to do, why the other Gastly can't go find The Maiden's lost love himself, etc. That's only a "maybe" though, because there is some stuff that's important to include...
By the way, thanks to the people who finally reviewed my story! "I've been waiting for you..."
Also by the way, "Aristel" is pronounced as "eris-TELL".
My internet's not working right now, so I'll post this chapter later...