Foreword
Yes, I am skipping Island of Giant Pokémon, Beauty and the Beach, and Tentacool and Tentacruel.
Also, mild sexual themes in this chapter. Reader, and listener discretion is advised.
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Chapter Sixteen: The Maiden's Peak Ghost.
After an extremely close bout, Crash is able to secure a victory over Sir Reginald Silverton's Raticate.
He's soon reunited with his friends, but his joy is short-lived as Team Rocket storms the cruise ship and the leader of the operation; Proton, enrages a Gyarados, which wrecks the ship.
Crash and friends, along with Larry Oak and Sir Reginald, are able to put a stop to them and escape back to Vermillion City from the sinking ship in time.
Now, after saying their farewells to Daisy and Sir Reginald; Crash, Brock, Misty and head towards Saffron City.
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"Ugh… we've been walking for hours…" Misty complained as she dragged her feet. "Just how far is Saffron City?"
"It took us over a week and a half to make it to Vermillion City from Cerulean City." Brock replied. "I'd imagine it may take us longer."
That sentence made Misty groan in irritation.
"Are you kidding me!? I can't take any more of this!" She screamed, startling the nearby Pokémon. "We need a shortcut! Follow me!" She turns and stomps towards a different direction.
"This is a shortcut Misty." Crash said as he scanned the map meticulously. "Besides, weren't you mad that I got us lost on the way to Vermilion City, and now you're walking off in a different direction that could get us more lost?" Crash gave a smug smile, which served to further irritate the redhead.
"Crash has a point, Misty…" Brock nodded. "Daisy gave us this map and said this was a shortcut to Saffron City. If we stop following it, we could get more lost."
Misty angrily sighs in defeat. "Ugh! We've been walking for hours and there has been nothing but trees, Pidgey and Weedle for miles!" She falls to her knees. "I'm just tired, Ok?"
Crash sighs and walks towards her. "I know Mist, I'm tired too. But there's a town up ahead. And if we keep going, we'll reach it soon."
Misty looked back at him. "Really? You're not trying to trick me right?"
Crash shows her the map. "If what Brock taught me is right, it'll take about an hour until we reach it!"
Misty sprang back to her feet. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get moving!" She sprang up and began to jog along the path.
"Are we really that far?" Brock asked, sounding surprised.
Crash nodded. "Yeah! This curve on the map is where we are right now." He pointed at the road they were on. "And if we continue straight we should reach a town called 'Thistle Town'."
"Wow Crash. I didn't know you could read maps." Brock nodded, very impressed.
"I can't. I'm just keeping an eye on the map and seeing if we make any turns to keep track of where we are." Crash said bluntly.
"But stuff like that goes into reading maps. That's still very impressive Crash."
"Hey!" Misty called out to the two as she jogged in place. "Are you guys coming or not? I wanna get to the next town before sunset!"
"Don't worry Misty, we're coming!" Crash sprinted after her, quickly out pacing her.
"Hey! You're not passing me that easily!" Misty began sprinting as well.
Brock laughed and did the same, sprinting after his friends as the three all raced to the next town.
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It was about midday as they reached the outside of Thistle Town, with Misty leaning against the side of a tree, breathing heavily.
"I made it first!" She said, sounding proud of herself. Crash ran and propped himself on his knees beside her, also panting.
"No fair Misty!" He said between breaths. "You got a head start."
"It wouldn't matter to a guy who wants to be a Pokémon Master right?" Misty laughed and turned to him. "Besides, it was close."
"Hey! We're finally here!" Brock said as he finally caught up. The younger trainers looked at the hamlet before them.
The architecture followed an oriental style. From what Crash could tell, it was about as big as Pallet Town.
"Looks a bit old timey…" Misty remarked.
"Yeah, but in a cozy way." Crash commented. "Sorta like Pallet Town."
As they entered the town, they found that it was highly decorated with talismans placed on buildings, paper lanterns hanging from buildings, and multiple stalls with food carnival games.
Crash began to beam with excitement. "Woah! Look at all the people here!"
"There's way more people than I'd thought there'd be," Said am overwhelmed Misty. "But why?
"They're getting ready for some sort of celebration." Brock surmised. He turned and saw a beautiful girl with elbow length lavender colored hair. She also had a bright red tropical flower in her hair.
"Wow…" Brock said as he stared, completely enamored with her. "She's a total knockout."
"What?" Crash turned to Brock. "What're you talking about Brock?
"That beautiful girl over there." He replied as he kept his eyes on the beauty, pointing at her. Crash and Misty exchange looks between each other, clearly not proud of their older companion.
"I'm gonna go say hi." He smiled and began to approach her until he was trampled by a stampede of people. Brock managed to look where the girl stood, but she seemingly vanished from where she stood.
"She's gone?" He gasped. He jumped to his feet and frantically looked around. "Wh-what? Where'd she go?"
"Guess she sensed you coming and ran away." Crash snarked as he and Misty shared a hi-five. Brock hung his head in despair, letting his arms hang limply from his side.
"Let's find a food stall or something to eat at." Crash said, acknowledging his growling stomach. "I'm getting hungry."
"Same here." Misty nodded and began following Crash, but Brock remained standing in place, not moving.
"She was so beautiful. If seeing her again was a crime, I'd serve a life sentence without parole." Brock said as he continued to stare where the woman once stood.
Misty walked over and began to drag Brock by the back of his collar, startling him.
"Ok Mr. Poet, whatever you say." Misty smiled as she marched behind Crash. "There'll be plenty of other girls that can reject you, so get over it." Brock groaned.
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Crash and company exit a food stall, all eating a kabob.
"Man, these are good." Crash said as he chewed. "Getting these skewered Smoketail was a good idea Misty!"
"Thanks!" Misty smiled with pride as she bit off another piece of her skewer. "Smoketail is a bit of a favorite in Cerulean, so it's only natural."
As Crash and Misty talked as they ate, Brock sadly trailed behind them, twirling his skewers in his hands as he continued to think about the girl he had seen before.
"Hey Brock? Is everything okay?" Crash turned back to the aspiring breeder.
Brock sighed. "It's just… that girl-"
"Is just a girl, Brock." Misty interrupted, growing frustrated with him. "She's a girl, I'm a girl. You'll have more chances with them than you think."
Brock sighed. "I guess you're right…"
"Ok, now hurry up and eat!" Misty said, giving an encouraging smile. "We only have a few hours until we have to go to bed and continue to Saffron City."
"Aww! Darn it!" A voice shouted from a carnival stall. Misty and Brock looked over and saw Crash losing at a carnival game.
Misty sighed. "I'll go get him." She got up from her seat as Brock took a bite of his skewer.
"I was so close that time! I wanna try again!" said a clearly displeased Crash.
"Kid, there's a whole line of folks behind you." the stall owner pointed before Crash. As the boy from Pallet Town looked behind him, he saw a line of people getting impatient.
"O-oh, sorry." Crash turned beet red and stepped aside, completely embarrassed.
"So how'd it go?" Misty looked condescendingly smug as she approached him.
Crash crossed his arms, obviously frustrated. "That stall is obviously rigged. I hit those bottles straight on!"
"Or maybe you're just bad at carnival games." She retorted.
"I'm not!" Crash pouted.
"Whatever." Misty giggled. "Are we gonna see what this festival is about, or not?"
"Sure. Sounds like a plan." Crash shrugged.
They soon approached a local and asked about the festival. They learned that it was called the Summer's End Festival. This caused Brock quite a lot of distress.
"The Summer's End Festival?" The Rock specialist screamed.
"What's wrong Brock?" Misty turned to him, surprised by his over the top reaction.
"Yeah Brock." Crash said, just as surprised. "I mean, summer's ending, but that's not an entirely bad thing."
Brock began to laugh and held Crash by his collar, leering at the boy intensely. "Not an entirely bad thing? Oh Crash, you don't understand… This isn't just bad, This is absolutely horrendous!"
"Like how you're acting right now?" Misty raised a brow. Brock ignored her, his gaze still fixed on Crash.
"How is this bad Brock?" Crash asked, disturbed at how he was acting. "We've had loads of fun adventures!"
"Yeah. But that's what summer is to other kids. Summer to me…" He drops Crash and clasps his hands together. "Is a bunch of gorgeous girls in their beautiful bathing suits!"
Crash and Misty looked at their companion, completely speechless. "What?"
"And now that bikini season is over, I have to wait a whole nother year to meet any beautiful girls now!" Brock falls to his knees, defeated.
Misty rolled her eyes.
"Well we can try and let summer end with a bang, right?" Crash asked.
"I guess so." Brock moped.
Misty noticed the villagers walking towards a shrine. "Hey, the villagers are gathering for something."
"Let's go see what it is." Crash said as he made his way to the crowd, Misty following close behind as dragged the depressed teenager behind her.
"Welcome! To celebrate the Summer's End Festival, we will now display the shrine of the Maiden's greatest treasure!" Said a village elder.
"For 2,000 years, this painting has hung within the shrine of the Maiden. Once, ever year, it is removed from the shrine and publicly displayed to the public. As I remove this veil, please gaze upon it with reverence."
He pulls the sheet off, revealing a painting of a young lady, as everyone is looking at the picture in awe.
"Whoa. She's pretty." Said Misty.
"Yeah, really pretty." Crash nodded in agreement.
Brock stared in disbelief. "Her? But… It can't be." He slowly approached the picture to get a closer look. "She's the same girl I saw before. She's just as beautiful as I remember."
Before he could get closer, the elder firmly placed a hand to distance Brock from the painting.
"Stand back!" The elder said. "You may look, but from a more reasonable distance."
"The woman in this painting perished 2,000 years ago." The Elder continued.
"2,000 years…" Brock parrotted.
"She fell for a brave and handsome young man, but he left her to go fight in a war. He made a promise to return and take her hand in marriage."
The elder looked down solemnly. "Her beloved never returned, but she remained standing, waiting for the moment he'd return to her. She soon turned to stone, still waiting for his return to this day, on that very same cliff."
"Where is this cliff?" Asked an excited Brock.
"Maiden's Peak is not far from here." The elder replied as he pointed at a cliff. "Just go up that cliff, and you'll find it."
"Thank you!" Brock respectfully bowed and bolted up the cliff face.
"Brock! Hey! Wait for us!" Crash exclaimed he and Misty ran after him.
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It was sunset as Crash and Misty reached the cliff. They saw Brock leaning on railing and gazing at the statue, utterly enamored with it.
"She's so gorgeous…" Brock smiled.
"There you are Brock." Said an aggravated Misty as she panted with her hands on her knees. "Don't just run off like that!"
"Yeah!" Agreed an annoyed Crash.
"Sorry." Said an embarrassed Brock. "I guess I was so excited to see her, I'd forgotten about you guys."
The two trainers rolled their eyes, but turned their attention to the statue of the Maiden herself.
"It looks just like her." Misty marveled.
"It does…" Brock nodded. "This is the most beautiful rock I've ever seen."
Crash side-eyed Brock. "Is it because she's a rock? Or is it because she's a beautiful girl?"
"Yes." He grinned.
The three trainers stared at the statue for a while until Crash and Misty got bored.
"I'm getting kinda bored just staring at this statue." Crash sighed.
"Yeah." Misty nodded. "Let's go check out the festival." She and Crash both stood up and made to leave, but stopped.
"Hey Brock, you coming?" Crash asked.
"You two go on ahead. I'll stay here a while longer."
"Ok Brock." Replied a reluctant Misty. "But do you remember where we're staying?"
"The Pokémon Center located at the southernmost part of the city, I remember."
"Ok. Don't stay up so late." Crash warned as he and Misty went back down to join the festival.
As they left, Brock smiled to himself. "I'd thought they'd never leave. Now that we're alone…" Brock sat his bag down and pulled out a box of tissues. "I can do this."
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After a fun filled night during the festival, Crash and Misty made their way to the Pokémon Center to turn in for the night.
"That was really fun! Crash said as he sighed exhaustively as he sat down on his bed.
"Yeah." Misty nodded as she did the same. "I really think I danced my legs off at the Festival." She scanned the room and frowned.
"But Brock hasn't come back yet." She pointed out.
"Yeah, and it's almost curfew." As Crash spoke, an alarm clock sounded.
"Curfew Time, curfew time!" Said a high-pitched robotic voice.
"Hey wait!" Crash exclaimed as he ran for the door, but he was grabbed by the back of his shirt by the town's Nurse Joy.
"And where do you think you're going?" She asked him as she held him tightly.
"I'm gonna go find my friend." He answered.
"Not at this hour you're not." She replied sternly. "It's 11 o'clock at night and staying up isn't good for growing boys like yourself!" She began to physically drag Crash to his room.
"H-hey!"
Misty ran after Crash as Nurse Joy dropped him off in their room.
"But I gotta look for my friend." Crash begged the pink-haired woman. But she didn't budge.
"You can look for them tomorrow," Nurse Joy said with finality. "Now go get some rest, it's late."
She walks out the room, leaving the two trainers by themselves.
"We'll… look for Brock tomorrow Crash, don't worry." Misty said, trying to cheer her friend up as she tucked herself in. "Besides, we know that he's still at the statue, so we'll look there, first thing in the morning."
"Yeah, you're right." Crash nodded as he too, tucked himself in.
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(Brock's PoV)
"Ahh… that felt good." I sighed happily as I cleaned myself up with tissue paper. The statue was so beautiful, I couldn't help myself.
"My love, I'm waiting for you." Said an ethereal voice from behind. I looked around and saw…
"I've been waiting for you… for such a long time." A beautiful girl with elbow length lavender colored hair gave a gentle smile.
"You! You're-" I stammered. It was the Maiden herself! And boy, her picture and statue didn't do her justice. "It's you! You're the girl I saw earlier!"
She smiled sweetly and nodded. "Follow me…" She beckoned. I felt my body going limp as I followed her every step.
She then stepped towards a small shrine near the statue. The door opened by itself as she stood near the building, waving her hand towards me, beckoning me inside.
I walked towards the building and stepped inside. I heard the door close behind me as I entered.
"Come to me, my love." She spread her arms out, inviting me over to go and hug her, so I walked over to embrace her, and I felt a strange warmth wash over me.
I felt as if I was getting more and more tired as we continued to hug. And before I know it, I black out.
(Brock's PoV end)
It was now morning and after a quick breakfast, Crash and Misty went back to the statue to check on their friend, only to find that he wasn't there.
The two trainers panic and begin to search for the aspiring breeder, even calling out his name.
"Brock! Hey, Brock!" Crash yelled.
"Where are you Brock?" Misty joined. "Where could he be?" She turned to Crash.
"Why don't we check that shrine over there?" Crash said, pointing behind her. Misty raised a brow and turned, a shrine right behind her.
"Was that alway here?" Misty blinked. Crash just shrugged behind her wordlessly. Misty approached the shrine and slid the door open. As she did, Brock stumbled out of the building, startling her.
"Gah! Brock!" Misty jumped back. "Are you ok?" Brock only lay on his back and giggled.
"Ha…ha…ha…" Brock said languidly with a wide smile on his face. "So… pretty…"
"Hey, snap outta it!" Crash grabbed Brock by his collar and shook him, trying to snap him out of it. Brock only gave a tipsy chuckle, that only freaked Crash out even more.
Crash let go of Brock and stepped back, even more disturbed at how his friend was acting. "Mark! Snap him out of it with Thunderbolt!"
Mark fired the bolt of electricity at Brock, causing him to twitch and fall to the ground. When he got up he held his head, feeling quite dizzy.
"Brock! You're ok!" The two trainers hugged their confused friend tightly.
"Ahh… What happened?" He groaned as he rubbed his temples. "My head's spinning…"
"You didn't come back to the Pokémon Center last night, so we got worried." Misty explained. Brock immediately jumped to his feet.
"Where is she?!" He asked frantically, searching for someone or something.
"Where's who?" Crash raised a brow in his companions direction as Brock turned to him.
"I saw her! The maiden!" Brock exclaimed before he jumped up on his feet. "I was with her the whole night! She led me inside the shrine and hugged me."
Crash leaned closer to Misty and whispered. "I think he's spent too much time near that statue."
"No, this is the spirit of the maiden's doing!" a raspy voice spoke up.
The trio looked behind them and saw a very short old woman. She had long white hair and was dressed in a purple dress while holding a wooden cane that was taller than her.
"The spirit of the Maiden?" They said in unison.
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 lead him into the afterlife. Though most of her victims have managed to escape, there have been a few who did not have the same fortune…"
Crash shuddered with terror. "Y-you mean… she's after Brock!?"
"Looks like it." She nodded as she held her chin.
Brock looked to the ground and mumbled sadly. "The maiden must be so lonely, even as a spirit…"
"Is there anything we can do to stop the spirit of the maiden from taking Brock away?" Misty asked.
The old woman chuckled softly before she picked out a handful of tags with odd symbols from a pocket on her dress. "These Cleansing tags should do the trick. If you place them on the shrine and on your friend, it'll ward off any manner of spirits, the Maiden herself included."
"Well these really work?" Crash asked, both skeptical and scared.
"Who's the expert here boy?" The woman barked.
"You are…" Crash hung his head in defeat.
"Good." She turned to Misty. "Now about the tags. They aren't free…"
"We have to pay for them?!" Misty exclaimed in disbelief. "But our friend's life is in danger!"
"But of course! Nothing is free in this world", the old woman giggles mischievously. The laugh caused Crash to shudder, as if a chill went up his spine. "Besides, I still need to make a living and doctors make a living saving lives, don't they?"
Misty sighed and pulled out her wallet, as did Crash. They paid the woman and she gave them the tags as promised and immediately stuck them all over the shrine and Brock.
"Somethings up with that lady…" Crash said, feeling uneasy.
"Really?" Misty turned to Crash. He nodded.
"Her suddenly showing up out of nowhere, her laugh." He shuddered as he remembered how it sounded. "It sounded creepy. Like a ghost's laugh."
"Her laugh is what has you so scared?" She snickered. "Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts, Crash."
Crash shook his head rapidly. "N-no! I'm not! I just think she's a bit… creepy."
"Who's creepy?" The woman asked, appearing behind the boy, causing him to physically jump back.
"Gah! Where did you-" Crash screamed in fright.
"If you have time to comment on a woman's appearance," She bonked Crash on the head with her cane. "Then you have time to put those tags up!"
As she walked away, Crash shot Misty a look, as if the old woman proved his point. Misty rolled her eyes.
"Crash, you had your back turned, of course she'd surprise you." Misty laughed as she gave him a reassuring smile. "You're just paranoid. Even if the Maiden's ghost is real, these tags will protect Brock from her."
Crash nodded. "Yeah… you're probably right."
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Once they finished, the woman told them to let Brock stay in the shrine, as the multiple tags on it would be more effective and it would be more efficient to have the Maiden return to the shrine.
Due to this, Crash and Misty opted to hide in a corner of the shrine, waiting for the Maiden's spirit to arrive.
All of a sudden, the wind outside blew the twin doors open causing the trainers to jump. Crash and Misty turned to the door and saw a white transparent feminine figure floating to the threshold with a soft chuckle.
"It's… It's the…" Crash stuttered in fear.
"Ghost of the Maiden." Misty whispered. "She's really real."
"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.
"What do we do?!" Crash hissed in a whispered voice.
"Don't worry, the tags will stop her. We didn't waste our money on those for nothin
"Then let us go and be together forever…"
The spirit waved her hand before Brock, including blowing the tags off him and levitating him from the floor and floating out of the shrine.
The trainers ran after their friend and the ghost. "THOSE TAGS DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Misty growled angrily as they ran out the shrine. "WE GOT SCAMMED!"
They caught up to the spirit, which floated to the Maiden's rock while Brock appeared to be absolutely possessed by it, but before he was out of reach, the two trainers managed to grab Brock's feet.
"Hey! Let go of me!" Brock yelled as he struggled against their attempts to free him.
"Mark!" Crash said as he grunted with effort, trying to keep his grip on Brock. "Use Thunderbolt on the ghost! Hurry!"
Mark fired the bolt of electricity at the spirit, causing her to scream in pain. This breaks her hold on Brock and causes him to snap out of it, and also fall to the ground, and over the railing near the statue.
As the trainers pulled Brock back to solid ground, Misty stopped and noticed something was off.
"Wait… Did that Thunderbolt hurt her?" She asked, shocked.
"Yeah? I think it did." Crash nodded. He froze in realization. "Wait. Thunderbolt hurt the Maiden's ghost?" His eyes narrow.
"Something is up!" Misty said as she stood up. She pointed her index finger at the spirit. "You're not the Ghost of the Maiden, are you?"
The maiden was silent for a second before she started to chuckle darkly, creeping Crash out. "I guess the Meowth is out of the bag."
The Maiden began cackling maniacally, spinning and creating a small whirlwind as her form changed from human shaped, into a black ball surrounded by purple gas.
"A Pokémon?" Crash raised a brow as he pulled out his Pokédex.
Dexter: Gastly, the Gas Pokémon. Ghost and Poison type.
Its thin body is made of gas. It can envelop an opponent of any size and cause suffocation. But when exposed to a strong wind, the gaseous body quickly dwindles away.
"So you're the one who's been tricking the other men that old woman told us about?!" Growled a furious Crash.
"Why yes", Gastly chuckled. "How else could I keep the legend of Maiden's Peak alive?
"So the spirit of the Maiden was just fake the whole time!" Misty turned to Brock. "You were tricked by a Gastly, Brock!"
"Tricked by a Gastly… No way…!" He gasped in disbelief
"And not just the Maiden's form either!" It transformed into the old woman who had given them ghost tags!
"Gastly was that old woman too?!" Misty gasped in shock.
Gastly morphed back into its true form, chuckling. "Now that you've seen my true form, I'm afraid I cannot allow you to leave here without wiping your memories."
"Wipe our memories?" Crash asked, raising a brow. "Why?"
"If you leave, you will tell everyone about the truth behind the legend, and no one will believe in it anymore!" The ghost type explained. "Therefore, I must erase your memories!"
"Well you can try!" Crash said, looking to his starter, who stepped up to battle.
"Don't count me out, Crash!" Misty said as she sent out her Starmie.
Gastly chuckled. "If you wish to battle me, then so be it!"
"Mark, Thunderbolt!"
Mark released a powerful lightning bolt at the Gastly, shocking it. The Gas Pokémon hissed in pain as the electric attack struck it. Though once the move stopped, Gastly seemed more annoyed than hurt by the attack.
"Your Pikachu is quite powerful." Gastly commended the boy. "However, I'm far stronger."
"We'll see about that!" Misty retorted. "Starmie, use Bubblebeam!"
Gastly's eyes glowed blue as it floated Mark off the ground, and used him as a shield. Mark cried in pain as the bubbles hit him.
"Mark! Starmie, stop!" Misty ordered. As the barrage of bubbles ended, Gastly dropped the mouse Pokémon to the ground.
"Mark!" Crash yelled worriedly as he dove and caught the electric mouse, cradling him in his arms.
Gastly cackled. "Is that all? I expected better from you."
"I'll show you!" Misty scowled. "Starmie! Back to Bubblebeam!"
"Not so fast!" Gastly said as it fired a sinister ray of multicolored light at Starmie. The light hit Starmie before it could act, stunning it.
"Starmie! Is everything ok?" Misty asked, as her Pokémon stood still.
Starmie began to fire Bubblebeams in random directions, causing everyone to panic.
"It's confused!" Brock said as he dove for cover.
"Starmie, return!" Misty said as she retrieved her Pokémon.
"Ok! Come back out!" She sends the Star-shaped Pokémon back out.
Brock turns to Crash. "Crash, send out Wormwood! Gastly is part poison type, so it's Confusion will be super effective!"
"Right!" He hands Mark to Brock and sends out his Bug type.
"Starmie! Use Bubblebeam again!"
The Water and psychic type shoots another barrage of bubbles at the ghost type.
"Hah! That won't work! I'll just counter back with another Confuse Ray." Laughed the ghost type as it prepared the move.
"Wormwood! Intercept Gastly with Confusion!" The wave of psychic energy clashes with the ray of multicolored light, creating a smoke cloud.
The bubbles tear through the smoke, causing the Ghost type to panic and dodge the attack.
"Wormwood! Do it again! Confusion!"
As Gastly dodges the bubbles, Wormwood flies up to the Ghost Pokémon and fires the wave of psychic energy at its target. The move lands, causing the Ghost type to scream in pain.
"Alright! A direct hit!" Crash pumped his fist in excitement.
"Nice one Crash!" Misty cheered. "That attack seemed to hurt!"
"You… You brats! Then I just have to use my Hypnosis on you!" Gastly growled as its eyes began to glow in different colors.
Wormwood is hit by the move and falls asleep as he falls, but Crash catches the bug type before he can hit the ground.
"Wormwood? Are you ok?" Crash asked as he cradled his Butterfree. The Butterfree turned its head as it slept. Crash sighed in relief and returned Wormwood to his Pokéball.
"I've had enough!" Gastly said as it fired a Confuse Ray at Starmie again while the trainers were distracted, confusing it.
"That trick again?" Misty scoffed. "That won't work this time!" She retrieved her confused Pokémon, but before she could bring it back out, she felt her arm stopping in place.
"What?" She said in disbelief. "My arm…" She tries to move it, though her attempt fails.. "It won't move!"
Gastly laughed darkly. "All my doing." Before she knew it, she stood up still and straight, her arms by her side and unable to move.
"Hey! What's going on?" Misty asked as she struggled.
"I am holding you with my Psychic powers." Gastly laughed.
"Oh that's it you-" Crash made to throw a Pokéball, but Gastly chuckled and caught him and Brock in its Psychic hold. "No you don't!" Gastly said as it levitated them up to it.
"It's time to end this!" Gastly chuckled.
"Stop!" a gentle feminine voice called out.
A spirit emerged from the maiden's rock and floated between the three trainers and Gastly. Brock gasped loudly at the sight of the spirit. "It's the Maiden's ghost!" he exclaimed. "She's just how I remember her."
"The actual maiden?" Misty gasped. "You mean it wasn't all just an act from Gastly?"
The spirit of the maiden nodded to the three trainers before turning to Gastly. "Gastly, I appreciate you looking after me and the shrine, but you cannot hurt these children."
"B-But, my young maiden," the Gastly stuttered.
"They might tell the villagers about me keeping the legend alive…"
"I believe they won't tell anyone about this." The maiden said as she turned back to the trio. "Right?" They nodded fervently.
Gastly sighed and slowly put them back to the ground. Once the trio were set back on the ground, Brock took a few steps towards the true ghost of the Maiden.
M-Maiden…", Brock stuttered as he approached her. "I…"
"Please forgive Gastly and myself for causing so much trouble for you all." She bowed apologetically to the traveling trio before turning to Brock.
"However, you are not my true love just as I am not your true love."
"Oh…", sighed a downcast Brock.
"But I believe your true love is out there somewhere waiting for you", the maiden said in a soft, reassuring tone. "Do not give up hope and wait patiently for her… just as I patiently wait for my brave lover's return."
Brock's mood shifted instantly "Don't worry! I will! I won't give up!" he said determinedly.
"Good." The maiden giggled softly before she looked at the ocean, noticing that the sun was about to rise. "Oh my, it is time for me and Gastly to leave now. May the stars guide you all to your hopes and dreams!"
"Wait a minute!" Misty yelled angrily. "What about the money we paid for those fake tags?!"
"I cannot return your money to you as it will go to the shrine for future repairs", Gastly explained, bowing his head apologetically. "The money will go to a good cause. It was never to satisfy my own greed."
"That's fine I guess…" Misty grumbled.
The maiden and Gastly faded away just as the sun rose over the horizon, while the trio bid the two spirits farewell.
"Now that that's over…" Crash fell on his butt. "Can we head back to the Pokémon Center? I'm bushed…"
Brock yawned. "Yep. After everything that we've been through last night, I think we're overdue for some rest."
"Good." Misty said, sounding sleepy. "A girl like me needs her beauty rest."
"Not sure about beauty…" Crash snarked. His face met the ground as Misty hit him with a fist to the back of the head.
As the trio stumbled into the Pokémon Center, they laid their Pokéballs at the front desk, and sleepily sauntered into their rooms and collapsed onto their beds.
Once the trainers woke up, they ate lunch, retrieved their Pokémon from Nurse Joy and continued their journey to Saffron City. Though Brock was surprisingly cheerful.
"You're surprisingly upbeat Brock." said Misty.
"Of course I am." He answered with a large grin on his face. "The ghost of the Maiden said I'd meet my true love one day, and I can't wait for that day to come!"
Misty and Crash both sigh, but both are happy Brock is in higher spirits.
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After not only meeting A ghost Type Pokémon, but an actual ghost, Crash and friends continue to Saffron City. But they still have a ways to go.
What adventures do you think they'll have on the way there? Hang tight, as their journeys continue…
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I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and the changes in the story so far. If you did, make sure to check out the forum for this fanfic, where you can ask questions or make suggestions for the story going forward…
And be sure to read yonas813's Pokémon Neo Platinum! It's a good read! Catch ya later, Pokéfans!