Yes, Falkner and Korrina are Butch and Cassidy. Yes, Mega Evolution exists in this universe. No, Korrina does not have access to it (at least not yet).

In other news, Pokeswap now has a page on TV Tropes! A huge thank-you to uztgft, who made the page in the first place, and to NitroIndigo, who helped a ton with links and cleanup. Feel free to contribute to it if you want!

"So this is Maiden's Peak," Ash murmured as he, Clay, and Cyrus stepped into the town in question. "It looks really beautiful!"

"Naturally," said Cyrus. "It is the Summer Festival, after all."

"Oh, right!" Ash slapped his forehead. "I forgot! So what's the celebration going to involve?"

"It says here," Cyrus informed, reading off a screen, "that the Maiden's Peak Summer Festival involves games, performances, sailing lantern-equipped boats across a lake, brightly-colored clothing, and a vengeful ghost."

"Sounds cool," said Ash, though he was disappointed by the lack of battling. He then blinked. "Wait, what was that last one?"

"I'd like to know that myself," said Clay.

"Apparently," Cyrus explained, "legend tells of the ghost of a woman who haunts Maiden Peak every Summer Festival. Any young man who enters the town falls under its spell."

"Well, I ain't no spring chicken," said Clay. "And Ash is more a boy than a man."

"Hey!" Ash cried.

"I myself am not on the younger side," Cyrus added. "I doubt any one of us will be afflicted by the ghost's curse - if that even exists."

"Yeah," said Clay. "I myself don't believe in ghost stories. Most of the time, it turns out to be some Ghost-type pulling a prank."

Ash nodded - and at that moment, someone put a pair of hands over his eyes and yelled "Boo!"

"AH! IT'S THE GHOST!" Ash jumped, twisting and waving his hands in a desperate attempt to ward off the creature that had assailed him. He stopped upon realizing that what had snuck up behind him was not, in fact, a ghost. What had snuck up behind him was a girl with blue hair that came out in points on either side of her head, wearing a blue skirt, a black vest with a white long-sleeved undershirt, and a bright red necktie.

"I'm not a ghost," the girl said, crossing her arms. "Not last time I checked, at least."

"Miette!" Ash cried. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for the Summer Festival," Miette replied as Cyrus and Clay exchanged glances at the name. "I didn't expect to find you here! But, now that we have run into each other…I think you know what we have to do."

"You bet!" Ash grabbed one of his Pokeballs (he didn't know which one). "I, Ash Ketchum, challenge you to a battle!"

"Challenge accepted," Miette said with a smirk. "But you'd best be prepared to lose, 'Ash Ketchum'."

Ten minutes later, Ash, Clay, Cyrus, and Miette had found a rather empty field to battle in. Cyrus had agreed to referee the fight, and both his and Clay's teams were watching from the sidelines, accompanied by Clay.

Miette had requested a four-on-four battle; since Ash didn't want to use Genesect or Aegislash, and didn't know where he could find a phone or radio to arrange a transfer from Professor Archie for Scizor or Kricketune, that left him with Litleo, Hisuian Growlithe, Tympole, and Kubfu to use. Thanks to Archie, Ash knew Miette had chosen Squirtle, but the other three members of his rival's team were strangers to him.

This would definitely be tricky. He would have preferred to fetch Kricketune for Squirtle - the Bug-type's Grass moves would help out a lot in that regard - but without it he'd have to use either Tympole or Kubfu to counter the Water-type Starter.

Miette had lost the coin toss, meaning she'd have to release first. This didn't seem to be bothering her, though, considering the grin on her face as she fingered her Pokeballs. Ash eyed her, waiting for a decision, and was rewarded with a wink as Miette saw him watching. "Impatient, aren't we?" Miette asked. "Well, I hate to disappoint, so let's get this started! Go, Slurpuff!"

Ash's gaze shifted to the squat, pudgy Pokemon that appeared on the field in front of Miette. Slurpuff was pink and white - definitely a Fairy-type - and was staring across the field with her tongue lolling out of her mouth. Ash hesitated for a moment - either Hisuian Growlithe or Litleo would be decent leads - but soon made his decision. "Hisuian Growlithe, you're up first!"

Hisuian Growlithe bounded forwards, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Miette. "Starting off with your Starter, are we?"

"You know Hisuian Growlithe's my Starter?" Ash asked.

"Granddad told me," Miette explained. Ash frowned - had Professor Archie given his granddaughter any other information about his team?

"This will be a four-on-four battle between Ash and Miette, both of Pallet Town," Cyrus stated, interrupting Ash's nervous thoughts, "with switches allowed. Both sides will battle until four Pokemon on one side have been knocked out, at which point the other Trainer will be the winner. You may begin."

The lack of enthusiasm behind Cyrus's words meant that Ash didn't realize what that last sentence had been until Miette had already given her first order. "Slurpuff, start out with your perfect Round!"

"Puff!" The pink blob of a Pokemon spoke, and from that noise came an expanding wave of sound that swept swiftly towards Hisuian Growlithe. "Counter with Flamethrower!" Ash cried; Hisuian Growlithe was quick to obey, and his stream of flames was sufficient to blast apart the incoming Round.

"Now Ember!" Ash called.

"Fairy Wind!" Miette retorted. "And then forward!"

Again the two attacks dissipated against one another. Slurpuff charged forwards, her bulky body lumbering across the ground towards Hisuian Growlithe. "Meet her with Tackle!" Ash cried.

"I don't think so, Ash!" Miette cried, her voice semi-taunting. "You've walked right into my trap! Slurpuff, Cotton Spore and dodge to the left!"

Ash blinked, not knowing what Cotton Spore was, and in doing so lost any opportunity to counter. Slurpuff fired a wave of fluff at Hisuian Growlithe, drastically slowing the Fire/Rock-type's charge completely as his body sank into the cottony substance. Slurpuff easily dodged the slowed-down Hisuan Growlithe, and Ash's command for an Ember came too late; the Fairy-type unleashed a point-blank Round, knocking Hisuian Growlithe off his feet.

The Fire/Rock-type rolled back upright, not too badly damaged by the resisted attack, but some of the cotton had clearly come with him. Growling, he tried to shake it off, but it was stuck to his body. Ash grimaced as he realized that the cotton was slowing Hisuian Growlithe down; any more and his mobility would be completely tanked, enabling the slower Slurpuff to run circles around him.

"Aww…" Miette giggled. "He's so cute! Let's try and make him even cuter, shall we? More fluff, Slurpuff!"

"Burn that cotton off with Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.

Hisuian Growlithe glanced at his own flank and opened his mouth. What emerged, however, was not a Flamethrower, but a disc of fire that swiftly wrapped around the Fire/Rock-type's entire body, burning away all of the cotton stuck to Hisuian Growlithe's body.

"That's Fire Spin!" Ash realized out loud. "Nice job, Hisuian Growlithe!"

Hisuian Growlithe wasn't finished yet, though. He glared at Slurpuff, who was firing another wave of cottony spores at him, and unleashed the still-spinning Fire Spin towards the Fairy-type. "Counter with Round!" Miette called; Slurpuff stopped short and unleashed another wave of noise in the direction of the oncoming Fire Spin just as the swirling disc scythed through the wave of cotton, and the two attacks collided and dissipated once more.

Ash frowned. Her Rounds can counter all my attacks…I'm going to have to play this smart if I want to win. He raised his voice. "You've got this, Growlithe! Fire Spin and then charge again - don't let her hit you with Cotton Spore!"

Hisuian Growlithe summoned another ring of fire around himself and then charged, his body a fiery comet as he surged towards Slurpuff. "Counter with Tackle!" Miette called; Slurpuff rose to meet Hisuian Growlithe, aiming to use her sheer bulk to overpower Hisuian Growlithe's charge.

It didn't work.

A fiery explosion burst forth as the two connected, sending Slurpuff staggering backwards with a pained cry. "Slurpuff!" Miette cried.

"Finish with Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.

Slurpuff couldn't recover in time to avoid the oncoming surge of flames. The Fairy-type let out another cry as she disappeared in the swath of fire, and when the flames cleared Slurpuff was down, her eyes swirling.

"Slurpuff has been defeated," Cyrus announced. "The score is 4-3 in Ash's favor. Miette, please send out your next Pokemon."

Miette smirked. "Good to see my rival is keeping up in strength…it'll make it all the better once I beat you! Go, Wartortle!"

Ash winced as the evolved Water-type Starter appeared on the field, clearly aching to avenge its teammate's defeat. Wartortle was a terrible matchup for Hisuian Growlithe. Switches are allowed, he reminded himself. But let's see if I can't deal some damage first.

"You may begin," Cyrus stated.

"Water Pulse!" Miette cried immediately. "Flush it away!"

"Dodge!" Ash ordered unnecessarily; Hisuian Growlithe was already leaping away from what was practically a cannon shot of water. A spray of earth was blasted up behind the Fire/Rock-type as he just barely leaped clear. "Try a Fire Spin!" Ash called.

"Again!" Miette called; the Fire Spin was drowned in another Water Pulse, and again Hisuian Growlithe only barely evaded the blast. Ash frowned. The only move he has that won't be blasted away by a Water Pulse is Tackle…which means he has to get in close.

Accordingly, he raised his voice once more. "Keep dodging, Hisuian Growlithe! Get in there and use Tackle!"

"Not happening, Ash!" Miette retorted. "Water Gun, Wartortle! Rapid-fire!"

"Tortle!" Wartortle unleashed a barrage of Water Guns, peppering the field with sprays of dirt. HIsuian Growlithe yipped in surprise as he dodged and wove through the blasts. A few came terrifyingly close, and one even grazed him, eliciting a sharp bark of pain, but Hisuian Growlithe kept running.

Miette's eyes narrowed. "Meet it with Rapid Spin!"

Wartortle lunged forwards, twisting as it did so, and spun his tail right into the oncoming Hisuian Growlithe. There was a loud crack as both stumbled from the impact. "Water Pulse!" Miette cried.

"Dodge!" Ash cried, but Hisuian Growlithe was still stumbling, and Wartortle had already recovered. The Fire/Rock-type was helpless to avoid the watery blast. Hisuian Growlithe was flung away like a ragdoll; Ash swiftly recalled him before he hit the ground.

"Hisuian Growlithe has been defeated," Cyrus announced. "The score is 3-3. Ash, please send out your next Pokemon."

"Kubfu, I choose you!" Ash cried. The decision was fairly easy - Litleo would fare about as well as Hisuian Growlithe had against Wartortle, and Tympole's Water-type attacks were less powerful than Wartortle's, putting him at a disadvantage.

Miette's smirk grew wider. "You certainly have some strong Pokemon, Ash!"

"You may begin," Cyrus announced.

"Let's see if they can keep up!" Miette finished. "Water Pulse, Wartortle!"

"Dodge and Focus Energy!" Ash called. "Then go in with Rock Smash!"

Kubfu leaped out of the way of the Water Pulse and immediately charged, following the same sort of line as Hisuian Growlithe. Both Ash and Kubfu had realized that Wartortle's Water Pulses were powerful but slow; the Water Gun barrage immediately afterwards was similarly unsuccessful, as Kubfu was even quicker than Hisuian Growlithe and thus effortlessly dodged each watery shot.

"Dodge with Rapid Spin!" Miette called.

Kubfu's fist shot out, but Wartortle was quicker; he spun out of the way of Kubfu's fist, leaving the Fighting-type striking empty air. "Now Bite!" Miette ordered.

"Aerial Ace to the side!" Ash countered.

As Wartortle twisted and opened wide for a Bite, Kubfu unexpectedly threw himself sideways, ramming his shoulder into Wartortle's jaw. Wartortle staggered backwards, and Kubfu twisted and followed up with a well-placed Rock Smash to the face. "Water Pulse!" Miette cried; Wartortle raised his hand and tried to do the same thing he'd done to catch Hisuian Growlithe, but Kubfu was too quick and not stumbling; the Fighting-type managed to dive out of the way and leap back in, hammering Wartortle with another Rock Smash.

"Rapid Spin forwards!" Miette cried.

Obediently, Wartortle twisted with the blow, maneuvering his body into a spin, and came back around with a whirling punch to Kubfu's face. "Now Water Pulse!" Miette called.

"Dodge with Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered.

But Kubfu was in the same situation that Hisuian Growlithe had been in - caught stumbling, he had no way to dodge the Water Pulse in time. Ash winced as Kubfu was blasted away from Wartortle, flying a good ten feet before landing back on the ground. Thankfully, Kubfu was quick to rise back up, but Ash could tell the Fighting-type had taken quite a bit of damage from the powerful attack.

Wartortle seemed equally injured; Kubfu's pummeling had done a number on the evolved Water-type starter, and Ash could see some injuries that would definitely bruise without prompt treatment. "You can do this, Wartortle!" Miette urged. "Charge and fire your Water Gun!"

"Dodge and attack with Aerial Ace!" Ash countered.

Wartortle and Kubfu lunged for one another, the former firing off several watery shots, all of which the latter dodged. "Rapid Spin!" Miette cried as the two closed in on one another.

Ash grinned. "Endure!"

Miette's eyes widened as the two Pokemon came together in an explosion of energy. Ash knew exactly what the result of the clash had been, and sure enough, as the energy cleared, Kubfu was standing over the body of Wartortle, trembling but triumphant.

"Great job, Kubfu!" Ash told his Fighting-type, who bowed his head at the praise. "Come back and take a good rest!"

Cyrus raised his voice as Ash recalled Kubfu. "Wartortle has been defeated and Kubfu has been recalled. Kubfu is not counted as defeated due to switches being in place. As such, Miette, you will release your next Pokemon before Ash's.

Miette locked eyes with Ash and gave him another cheeky grin. "Come on, smile a little more!" she called. "Aren't you having fun? I know I am!"

Ash was having fun, and so he for once obeyed, letting a grin of his own cross his face despite his dislike of Miette. "Sure thing, Miette!" he called back. "It'll be a lot more fun once I win!"

"In your dreams, Ash!" Miette replied. "That Kubfu of yours is on its last legs; it's still basically a two-on-two! And my next Pokemon is sure to clinch things in my favor! Go, Espurr!"

"I'm glad it's this type of rivalry," said Sandile, "and not the other type. Friendly competitions are always a lot more fun to watch than not-so-friendly ones, in my opinion."

"Eh," Drilbur grunted. "Sure, friendly rivalries are more fun for the rivals in question. But the audience always loves to see a nice grudge match, myself included."

"Seriously?" Sandile glanced over at Drilbur. "You'd rather all rivals be jerks?"

"That feels like the whole point of a rival," Drilbur pointed out. "A match with a jerk of a rival carries tension. A match with a friendly rival is not nearly as tense. Honestly, having a friendly rival is like having your own personal cheering squad."

"Yeah, well, friendly rivalries are more healthy," Sandile retorted. "Having a personal cheering squad is a lot better for younger people. Positive reinforcement and all that."

"Well," said Drilbur, "I don't think - ooh, Ash just sent out Tympole!"

All traces of the conversation were forgotten immediately as Drilbur and Sandile locked eyes on their former teammate. "I heard he did well on the S.S. Anne," said Drilbur.

"Wish I'd seen it amidst all the chaos," Sandile replied. "Oh, well. We'll get to see how he does here."

"You may begin," Cyrus announced.

"Fake Out!" Miette called immediately.

Espurr swept out a paw before Tympole could do anything; Tympole flinched backwards as a jolt of energy assailed his mind. Ash grimaced - it wasn't much damage, but it demonstrated that Espurr had quite a bit of control over her Psychic powers.

This was going to be an uphill battle.

"Bounce back, Tympole!" Ash cried. "Use Bubblebeam!"

"Counter with Confusion!" Miette ordered.

Ash grimaced again as Tympole's stream of bubbles was frustrated by Espurr's Psychic blast. Definitely an uphill battle. "Tympole," he called, "Echoed Voice! You'll be able to overpower her eventually!"

Miette's smirk grew even wider - did she have some sort of plan for that? Regardless, she simply called out, "Block it with Disarming Voice, then fire off another Confusion!"

Espurr and Tympole both let out screeches, taking the form of soundwaves that slammed into one another. On the heels of Espurr's soundwave came another blast of Psychic power, one that Tympole's low speed couldn't evade in spite of Ash's command to dodge. Again Tympole flinched backwards, this time clearly in much more pain.

"That's okay, Tympole!" Ash cried. "Echoed Voice again - no way she'll block it this time!"

Miette let out a giggle as Tympole screeched once more. "Espurr, Protect!"

Protect? Ash's eyes widened. She's been using TMs?

Espurr waved one hand, raising a barrier of green energy in front of her; Tympole's Echoed Voice dissipated uselessly against the impenetrable facade of Protect. Miette's voice rang out over the deteriorating soundwaves. "Confusion now!"

"Bubblebeam!" Ash called; as the two attacks broke against one another, he was already racking his brain for a plan. Protect was a perfect ace in the hole for Miette; with it, Espurr would be able to deflect Tympole's Echoed Voices no matter how strong they were. Tympole was already weakened, and without any way to hit Espurr, he'd eventually lose the battle of attrition.

"I've already told you, Ash," said Miette, "your Pokemon can't hope to defeat my perfectly crafted team! All right, Espurr, just keep firing, and use Protect when I tell you to!"

As Ash ordered more Bubblebeams and another Echoed Voice, he was continuing to try and make a plan. His one advantage over Espurr was that Miette had already used all four of Espurr's allotted moves - Fake Out, Protect, Confusion, and Disarming Voice - whereas Ash had only had Tympole use Bubblebeam and Echoed Voice. He still had two moves available. The problem was that none of them would do much. Mud-Slap and Mud-Shot were just more ranged attacks lost in the exchange of energies, Growl wouldn't really do much to a special attacker, and-

Ash nearly slapped his own forehead as he remembered that Tympole did, in fact, have a useful move. "Echoed Voice again!" he yelled.

"Come on, Ash, try something new!" Miette called. "Protect, Espurr - follow up with Confusion and Disarming Voice!"

As the Protect went up, frustrating the Echoed Voice (which by now was powerful enough to blast up a spray of dirt in front of the Protect), Ash grinned back at Miette. "I already am, Miette! Tympole, use Supersonic!"

Tympole inhaled, and then let out a horrifyingly loud screech. Ash, Clay, Cyrus, and the watching Pokemon had known what was coming, and so clapped their hands over their ears in time, but Miette and Espurr certainly had not. Miette covered her own ears, wincing at the noise, but Espurr's reaction was far more pronounced; she stumbled backwards, her Confusion dissipating into tiny shreds as she fell into, ironically, confusion.

"Now Echoed Voice one more time!" Ash ordered.

"Espurr, Protect!" Miette cried desperately, but Espurr was too busy shaking her head to try and clear the noise, her hands clasped tightly to her ears. The Echoed Voice slammed into her with explosive force, throwing her right past Miette and about twenty feet beyond that. Espurr landed on the ground, twitching feebly; the powered-up Echoed Voice had been sufficient to defeat the Psychic-type by itself.

"Nice job, Tympole!" Ash praised; the Water-type gave him a grin and a tired nod in response.

Miette recalled Espurr as Cyrus announced her defeat, then looked at Ash with a somewhat pained expression. "All right, perhaps your team isn't as moderate as I thought," she admitted. "But this battle isn't over! Let's see your Tympole beat my Roselia!"

"Tympole, return," Ash said immediately as the Grass-type hit the field. He knew Tympole could win - after all, Echoed Voice was powered up as high as it could go at this point, and he was fairly certain Roselia wouldn't have Protect - but he wanted to give his last Pokemon a turn.

Miette chuckled. "Roselia may not be the strongest of my team, but she's got quite the type advantage against your remaining members. Like I said, this battle isn't over yet - I still have a fighting chance, Ash, and I'm not going to just give up!"

Ash smirked back at Miette. "Go, Litleo!"

Miette blinked. "…oh."

"Now that's just cruel," Zubat murmured as he watched Litleo torch Roselia with a barrage of Fire Spins and Flamethrowers. "He's just rubbing it in at this point."

"Yeah," said Murkrow. "So?"

"She's been mocking him this entire battle," Sneasel pointed out.

"And you have to admit, Litleo's firepower is pretty impressive," said Houndour.

"Yeah, I guess some gloating is merited at this point," Zubat admitted. "Oh, hey, looks like Litleo set Miette's skirt on fire."

With the battle ended, and Miette's flaming skirt put out by Tympole, the two rivals met up to discuss their journeys so far.

"I see you're traveling with a Gym Leader," Miette noted.

"Two, actually," Ash replied.

Miette eyed Clay. "He's a Gym Leader too? Which Gym is he? Fifth? Seventh?"

"It's complicated," Clay told Miette from where he and Cyrus were standing nearby.

"So you've beaten three Gyms too?" Ash asked.

"Actually, I've beaten four," Miette responded, her smirk returning. "Though admittedly the second one pretty much just gave me the badge. And besides, considering you beat me, you shouldn't have a problem against the next Gym."

"I bet you beat Cyrus with Slurpuff," said Ash, earning a nod from Miette and a disgruntled snort from Cyrus. "How'd you beat Spenser?"

"Roselia," Miette replied. "I caught her in Spenser's flowerbed, actually. Ivysaur couldn't do a thing to her, and then I used Slurpuff again to beat Shiftry. I'd ask how you beat him, but the two Fire-types answer that one well enough."

Ash chuckled, deciding not to correct Miette on that front.

"So," said Miette, "have you heard about the Ghost of Maiden's Peak?"

Ash stared at her. "This again?"

"You should take it more seriously," Miette advised. "You are a very nice young boy - you'd be the perfect victim!"

Ash wished he couldn't hear Cyrus and Clay both snort. "Like Clay said earlier," Ash retorted, "the Ghost of Maiden's Peak isn't real. It's probably just a Ghost-type Pokemon playing a prank. How would you know so much about something like that, anyway?"

"Granddad used to tell me ghost stories all the time," Miette replied. "Said sailors do it all the time. The Ghost of Maiden's Peak was one of his favorites."

It was Ash who snorted this time. "Professor Archie telling stories doesn't make me believe in ghosts any more than I already did - and that wasn't much at all."

Miette looked at him sorrowfully. "Well…then all I can say is 'good luck'," she murmured, before her voice abruptly brightened once again. "Well, I'd better be off. See you around, Ash - good luck with the fourth Gym!" Twirling, she sped off towards a nearby alleyway.

Ash looked after her. "So, that's Miette," he said, raising his voice so that Clay and Cyrus could hear.

"Honestly, seems like a good rival," Clay observed.

"She mocks me at every turn!" Ash cried.

"During the battle, yes, she likes her trash talk," Clay pointed out. "But that trash talk was firing you up during the fight, right?"

"Yeah," Ash admitted.

"And ain't that a good thing?" Clay asked. "To be fired up?"

"I guess," said Ash.

Clay smiled. "That's the mark of a good rival - one who enhances that competitive fire of yours. With any luck, you'll run into her again during the League."

Ash smirked at the thought. "I beat her today. I can beat her again there, too!"

"That's the spirit," said Clay. "Now what say we explore the festival."

"All right!" Ash raced off towards a nearby cluster of tents with Hisuian Growlithe (now healed) at his side, leaving Clay and Cyrus behind.

"And there he goes," Cyrus muttered. "The boy is quite excitable."

"Ain't much of a problem to have, at least to me," said Clay. His eyes narrowed; he nudged Cyrus's shoulder and pointed to a shadow-shrouded form sneaking after Ash. "Any idea what that could be?"

Cyrus peered closer. "Miette, I believe. She appears to be following him."

Clay nodded. "All right, good."

"Did you honestly think it might be the Ghost of Maiden's Peak?" Cyrus asked.

"No," Clay said, a little too hastily and a little too harshly.

Ash could honestly say he was enjoying the festival.

He hadn't really expected that. When he'd first heard of the activities - most notably that they didn't involve battling - he'd expected to find the festival boring. But the games were actually fun! He'd even won one, causing the owner of that particular stall to drape both him and Hisuian Growlithe in colorful flowers - something that Ash couldn't help but chuckle at as he watched Hisuian Growlithe struggling not to trip over his new flowery necklace.

I should probably be getting back to my friends, Ash thought to himself. He began to glance around, looking for either Clay or Cyrus - and at that moment, someone put a pair of hands over his eyes and yelled "Boo!"

Ash sighed as he turned around to see a familiar blue-haired figure. "Miette, I'm not falling for that again. You really need to…"

He trailed off as he realized that Miette (a) was sporting a pair of pupil-less white eyes, (b) had a faint spectral aura about her, and (c) was holding a bloody knife in one hand.

"I love you, Ash," Miette(?) said, her shape changing as she spoke. Her hair changed color from blue to purple, growing in length as it did so; her body grew taller and thinner, her facial features morphing as well as she raised her knife. "Let's be together…forever."

Ash screamed. Hisuian Growlithe dove in front of him, letting out a loud bark; the girl (who Ash could now reasonably claim was definitely not Miette) snapped her fingers, and a squirt bottle appeared in midair in front of her and began to spray water at the Fire/Rock-type. Hisuian Growlithe stumbled backwards, snarling in surprise and pain as the spray struck him. An evil cackle emanated from the girl's mouth as the knife rose higher.

"RUN!" Ash screamed, scooping up Hisuian Growlithe and fleeing. The girl did not pursue; rather, she turned and scampered away, laughing all the way.

Unbeknownst to the still-running Ash, as the girl fled towards the treeline, still cackling, a certain blue-haired girl detached herself from the shadows of a nearby alleyway and sped after it.

Gastly, otherwise known as the (fake) Ghost of Maiden's Peak let out an exhausted chuckle as he drifted slowly through the trees, allowing his latest disguise to dissolve. He was tired, to be sure, but he was also very much satisfied. Another day, another round of scares to keep the myth alive. Maybe that last one had been a little overkill - a little less blood on the knife would've probably been fine - but he was fairly certain that trio of unbelievers would now be reconsidering that lack of belief.

"Huh. I guess Ash was right after all."

Gastly jumped about a foot in the air, twisting to see the exact blue-haired female he'd just disguised himself as. Uh-oh. At once he began to summon a meat cleaver - one of his favorite basic illusions for when he didn't have a specific fear to draw on.

The blue-haired female held up a hand. "Relax, I'm not here to fight. My name's Miette."

Gastly did not unsummon the meat cleaver, but he did stop moving. "Get out of my forest," he ordered, "or I'll chop you in two."

"You can speak?" Miette asked.

"Of course," Gastly growled. "If you were following me, you heard me speak to that boy back there. Why were you following me anyway?"

"Because he didn't believe in you," said Miette. "I had a feeling the Ghost of Maiden's Peak would show up to prove him wrong - and once she did, I guess I just wanted to see the truth behind the legend."

Well, now you have." Gastly looked away. "Like you said, that boy was right. I'm not the Ghost of Maiden's Peak - I'm just a Ghost-type pulling a prank."

Miette paused before speaking again. "So why do you scare people like that? What do you get from it?"

Gastly glared at Miette. "The Ghost of Maiden's Peak is a legend that so far has been passed down through history. All I want is to prevent it from disappearing. So I come out every Summer Festival, hypnotize a few young men, scare a few festival-goers."

"So that's it," said Miette. "You want to keep that myth alive."

Gastly nodded. "And that's why I don't want to let people know I'm a Gastly. Because people are scared of ghosts, sure, but a Ghost-type? That's just another Pokemon that can be caught and trained and used in battle. Nothing special, and certainly nothing scary."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," said Miette. "Those illusions - that cleaver, the squirt bottle you used on Hisuian Growlithe - how do you create them?"

"Night Shade," Gastly replied. "And a lot of experience. They're not as damaging as the real article - this cleaver, for example, would do some damage but wouldn't cut your head off. Usually, though, the threat's enough."

"Well," said Miette, "a Gastly that can create practically any illusion it wants seems plenty special and scary to me."

"Really?" Gastly asked.

"Really," said Miette. "And that's why I want you to join my team!"

Gastly sighed. "There it is. I figured that was coming. I already told you that a Gastly on a Trainer's team isn't-"

"Isn't special, I know," Miette interrupted. "I've already told you that you are, but putting that aside…you want to keep the legend of the Ghost of Maiden's Peak alive, right?"

"That's what I said," said Gastly.

"And," Miette continued, "you can only really do that on one day of the year, right?"

"I mean…that's kinda the point of the legend," said Gastly.

"What if," said Miette, "you were able to keep the legend alive every day of the year? By, I dunno, being on the team of the best Trainer in all of Kanto!"

Gastly sighed; the girl was making sense, and he hated that he was actually pondering the merits of that. "You don't understand," he said. "No matter how special or scary I am, I'm not the Ghost of Maiden's Peak. I'm just a Gastly playing a part. And if I join your team, then everyone will see that. There won't be a legend, just a really powerful Gastly."

"Not if I twist the legend," said Miette. "I can say that you, the Gastly, were always the Ghost of Maiden's Peak. The maiden reborn in Pokemon form! And your illusions and sheer power will be able to perfectly sell that tale! You're only really known in this part of Kanto, but I'll make sure your legend is known throughout all of Kanto! The tourism to Maiden's Peak will skyrocket! And, just to sweeten the deal, I promise I'll make sure to let you visit Maiden's Peak every Summer Festival, so you can keep doing what you've been doing in addition to all of that! I promise you this, Gastly - if you join my team, the legend of the Ghost of Maiden's Peak will not just live on, it will become a household tale. Won't that be just perfect?"

And with that, Gastly's resolve broke. Another sigh escaped his ghostly mouth as he dissolved the meat cleaver. "All right, you have me convinced," he muttered. "But I'll hold you to that, all right? If I find you're just trying to use the legend to boost your own fame, I'll be out of here before you can blink."

"Deal," said Miette, raising a Pokeball. "Welcome to my team, Gastly! I promise you won't be disappointed."

I always felt a Gastly who could do things like speak to humans and create illusions that could scare and defeat an entire Pokemon team was completely wasted in canon. Hence the absolutely ridiculous decision to give him to Miette. Keep in mind that this guy beat Ash, Misty, Brock, and Team Rocket by himself in the original episode - Ash is certainly going to be in for a surprise next time he fights Miette!