"Meow!" Meowth cried out in fright.
"I want to see you, I want to see you." The maiden's soul glowed with faint white light waves, and at the same time, her voice echoed from an unknown source.
When Meowth heard this voice, he seemed to be hypnotized, his eyes gradually losing their focus.
"What exactly is that, Meow?" Meowth said, then fell back into sleep. "I really want to see you."
"Huh? Who is it? Who is it?" James opened his blurry eyes and looked down.
The maiden's soul stood there silently, not speaking.
"It's you! So, it was you!" James's eyes lit up. Wasn't this the maiden he saw at the dock? Meanwhile, Brock was still sitting in front of the stone statue, his brows furrowed, recounting a two-thousand-year-old myth.
Suddenly, Brock turned his head and saw the Ghost-type Maiden.
"It's you, isn't it? It's you, right?" Brock said with surprise.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time. I've been waiting for you here," the Ghost-type Maiden nodded.
Alex Carter, who was at the Pokémon Center, also heard this summons. He didn't understand why the Ghost-type Maiden's soul, which only called James and Brock in the original story, was now calling him.
"It's over. I'll just have to go with this Ghost-type Maiden." With that, Alex followed the Ghost-type Maiden out. The next morning, Ash discovered that Brock and Alex were missing, so he and Misty went out to look for them.
At the same time, they ran into Team Rocket, who were looking for James.
"Brock, Alex, where are you? Answer if you can hear us."
"James, James, where are you? James?"
As fate would have it, the two groups met in front of the shrine.
"Ah, you, who are you?" Ash asked, puzzled.
"Since you asked so sincerely, then I shall mercifully tell you..."
"It's a bit lonely to say it alone, isn't it?"
"To protect the world from devastation,
To unite all peoples within our nation,
To denounce the evils of truth and love,
To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
James suddenly chimed in when Jessie got to the third and fourth lines.
At this time, Ash, Misty, Jessie, and Meowth were all searching for James.
When the last line was spoken, James suddenly flew out of the shrine.
Then Brock was also thrown out.
Both of them had silly smiles on their faces.
"Brock, pull yourself together."
"James, what's wrong with you? James?" Jessie asked anxiously, shaking James's shoulder.
"My fear has indeed come true."
At this moment, an old voice came.
"Old Woman?" Ash, Misty, and Jessie all asked in confusion.
"Those two have been possessed by the maiden's ghost."
"The maiden's ghost?" Everyone asked in surprise.
"The maiden's ghost? What is that?"
"I really want to see her, I really want to see her," Brock and James both said, looking entranced.
Then the two of them held each other, lost in their own world.
"Strange, why isn't Alex here?" Misty looked around, didn't find any trace of Alex, and said worriedly. Everyone then went to the Old Woman's house.
"Every year around the festival, male travelers are attacked."
"And their physical and mental energy are completely drained, eventually turning them into mummies."
"Later, they are found in the temple. This is all the work of the maiden's ghost who died unjustly, waiting for her lover."
The Old Woman turned around and said angrily.
"But if I could be with her..." Brock still said, entranced.
"Terrifying, so terrifying, so terrifying!" James shook his head in horror.
"However, it's not hopeless. I have this." With that, the Old Woman placed two talismans on James's and Brock's faces.
"These are demon-exorcising talismans, but..."
"But my demon-exorcising talismans cost money."
"Since this is the only way, then let's stick them everywhere." Ash and Misty covered the outside of the shrine with talismans.
"Sigh, is it really effective?" James asked, watching Jessie stick talismans on him.
"Your mouth is too loud, shut up." Jessie said, then stuck a talisman on James's mouth.
By evening, Brock and James were sitting in the middle of the shrine.
Ash and Jessie were hiding to the side.
"Will it really come?" Jessie asked, looking at the Old Woman who was writing talismans in front.
"It definitely will, Meow."
"But if it comes, where will it come from?"
Suddenly, a strong demonic wind blew, scattering all the talismans stuck outside the house.
At the same time, the talismans on Brock and James inside the house were also blown away.
"It's here!" the Old Woman said with a serious expression.
Even the flames inside the house were extinguished.
Suddenly, the maiden's soul reappeared at the doorway.
"You, who are you?" Brock looked up at the Ghost-type Maiden.
"Ah, so scary, so scary." James cried.
"I've been waiting for you here. I really want to see you." Although the Ghost-type Maiden's mouth wasn't moving, a voice came through.
"Right, I have the same premonition."
After that, Brock and James both floated up and drifted outside.
"What's going on? Didn't I stick talismans? Why is it still like this?" James said, hugging a pillar.
"It's just as expected, because those talismans were free," Jessie and Meowth said helplessly.
"Free? Why free?" James asked, puzzled.
"Because those talismans were just leftovers after they haggled, and they gave them to us," Jessie said, pointing at Ash and Misty.
"Leftover talismans?" James glanced at Ash and the others.
"Sorry, we don't have any money after all," Jessie said apologetically, raising her hands.
"What? Because I used their leftover talismans, I'm going to be taken away?" James said sadly.
"Are you so unwilling?" Jessie said suspiciously.
"You and I aren't just ordinary acquaintances. I don't want to break up with you, I don't want to leave you," James said, clenching his fists, then his body also floated out.
"Don't go! What are you trying to do?" Ash and Misty each grabbed one of Brock's legs and pulled him back.
"Huh? You, you all..." Brock looked down at Ash and the others.
Just as James was about to float to the Ghost-type Maiden's side.
Suddenly, a cannonball hit the Ghost-type Maiden.
Although it only scattered the maiden's form for an instant before it reassembled.
But James fell down because of it, no longer floating.
"Miss, don't go too far. That guy already said no," Jessie said angrily, holding up the cannon.
At this moment, James suddenly crawled up and said emotionally, "Jessie~"
"Don't misunderstand. As a woman, I get angry when I see a woman treating a man like this, clinging on and not letting go."
"Even after being dumped, it's just bad luck. After crying for a while, they move on to a bright tomorrow."
"This is a woman's dignity."
"What is this person trying to say?" Meowth spread his paws helplessly.
"I don't understand either, but for those who get in my way..." the Ghost-type Maiden said.
Suddenly, her hair stood on end, and at the same time, a strong storm was released from her body.
After the storm stopped, at its end, countless ghostly faces appeared.
"Ah, what is that?" Misty said in horror, hiding behind Ash.
"Is it a Pokémon?" Ash said, taking out his Pokédex.
"No Pokémon detected," the Pokédex's mechanical voice replied.
"Huh? It's not a Pokémon."
After that, those ghostly faces began to scatter, rushing towards Ash and the others, flying and swirling around them.
"Pokémon detected." Suddenly, the Pokédex rang.
Ash pointed the Pokédex at the maiden's ghost, and the Pokédex rang again: "Pokémon detected."
"Gastly, that's a Ghost-type Pokémon. It's usually invisible, and Hypnosis is its specialty."
"Gastly? Are you a Pokémon?"
"There's nothing I can do if I'm discovered. Sometimes I'm a legendary maiden, sometimes I'm a mysterious fortune-teller, and then sometimes I'm a pale and withered Old Woman..."
As she spoke, the maiden suddenly transformed into the Old Woman's appearance.
"And my true form is... that's right, it's me, Gastly."
After that, the Old Woman's figure flickered in the air, turning into Gastly's appearance.
"It's a Pokémon, so let's battle with Pokémon! Go, Pikachu!" Ash said.
"Hmph, Hypnosis is effective even on Pokémon. You're an electric mouse, right? You need a mousetrap to deal with a mouse!"
Gastly said, then suddenly transformed into a giant mousetrap and began chasing Pikachu, snapping at him. Pikachu was so scared he ran around frantically.
"In that case, it's my turn!" Meowth said, extending his sharp claws.
"Give the cat gold coins, give the cat catnip," Gastly said unhurriedly.
Meowth, while charging, suddenly picked up the catnip and began playing with it happily.
"Arbok, go!"
"To deal with a snake, you need its natural enemy, a mongoose." After that, Arbok ran back in fright.
"Tag!" Jessie said, slapping James's hand.
"Koffing, use Poison Gas attack!" James said.
"I have a gas mask," Gastly said with a laugh.
"Charmander! I choose you!"
"To deal with fire, you need a fire extinguisher!" Gastly transformed into a fire extinguisher and began chasing Charmander.
"Alright, what else do you have?" Gastly said mockingly.
"Squirtle, Bulbasaur, both of you go!"
"Too much trouble, I'll Slack Off a bit and use this."
Gastly said, then transformed into Venusaur and Blastoise.
"Bulbasaur's evolution, Venusaur, and Squirtle's evolution, Blastoise, and a big fusion!"
With that, Venusaur and Blastoise suddenly merged into one, with Squirtle's shell becoming Venusaur's back.
"How about we name this Venusaur-Blastoise?"
After that, Bulbasaur and Squirtle also ran back in fright.
"There's no way to fight like this," Ash sighed.
"Then try this!" Misty took out a cross and pointed it at Gastly.
"I have plenty of other treasures, like garlic, peach wood stakes, and iron spikes."
"I'm not a vampire, what are you doing?" Gastly shouted.
"If only Alex were here, his Pokémon is Haunter, he could definitely beat it," Ash thought to himself.
"Stop, Gastly!" Alex shouted from behind Gastly.
Alex was seen running towards them with Haunter.
"Gastly, stop it. Don't do anything foolish anymore. Isn't your goal to make everyone remember this place, the legend of the Ghost-type Maiden? Now everyone already knows, so don't scare them anymore," Alex said to Gastly.
"If I have to fight, I won't be afraid of you. You definitely won't be able to beat my Haunter," Alex said with a smile.
After hearing what Alex said, Gastly quietly disappeared, and at the same time said its last words, "Before next summer arrives, you must not forget the legend of the Ghost-type Maiden!"
"Alex, what happened? Where did you go? Why weren't you with Brock and James? You didn't run into any trouble, did you?" Misty asked worriedly.
"I'm fine. After I went out that night, Haunter noticed something unusual, so I chased it into the forest and got lost. I just heard some unusual sounds over here, so I thought you guys might be here, and came to check." Alex scratched his head.
After speaking, he gave Jessie a complex glance, but it was so subtle that no one noticed. "During the Obon season, many deceased people return to visit their relatives, and then ride the lantern lights back. This is a very old legend of our port," Officer Jenny said to Alex and the others who were releasing lanterns into the river.
"I really didn't expect that the secret of the maiden's ghost was Gastly," Ash exclaimed.
"That's not it at all," Alex snorted inwardly.
At this moment, on the maiden's stone, the maiden's ghost appeared and thanked Gastly.
"This summer has ended, and your legend will probably continue in the future, but it seems there's no need for that anymore, after all, that child already knows about you," Gastly said.
"Thank you, Gastly," the Ghost-type Maiden said.
"Not at all, you're too kind. I just work once a year to keep the legend of the Ghost-type Maiden from being forgotten, and at the same time, wait for someone who can know your story to appear. Oh, and that long-haired girl, she's very cute."
"You won't have to trouble yourself after next year. My wish has been fulfilled." The maiden's ghost smiled contentedly, then disappeared.
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