Chapter 30: The Test of Courage Event
Night fell, and lights flickered on one after another.
Inside the rented house in Vermilion City, the whole place glowed warmly.
On the dining table, pasta and two types of sauce were set out.
Ash and the others gathered around to eat.
"Pikachu~" Pikachu hugged the ketchup bottle and squeezed a ridiculous amount onto its plate.
Ash casually placed an oil lamp next to himself.
"Hey Ash, what's this for?" Verity asked while tying a bib around Piplup.
"Heh, this is the key item for our after-dinner activity."
Ash smiled mysteriously. "Eat first—you'll see afterward."
"So secretive…" Verity muttered, then twirled up some pasta and slurped it into her mouth. Her eyes sparkled instantly.
"Mmm! Delicious!"
Sorrel ate elegantly and nodded.
"As expected of Ash—your cooking never disappoints."
"Still worse than the teacher who taught me," Ash sighed. "Not spicy enough."
After everyone finished eating, Sorrel handled the dishes.
Verity sat at the table, staring at Ash expectantly.
"Okay—now you can tell us. What's the after-dinner event?"
WHOOSH—
A cold gust of wind swept through the room.
The ceiling light crackled—flickered violently—
and with a loud pop, went completely dark!
"What the—!?"
Sorrel's voice came from the kitchen. He wiped his hands and returned calmly, scholar-like as always.
Ash quietly lit the oil lamp under his chin.
"Well then—tonight's special event… the Test of Courage… officially begins~"
"GYAAAH!!"
Verity screamed the moment she saw Ash's face illuminated strangely.
Sorrel chuckled.
"Haha, not bad, Ash. Does this mean it's time for ghost stories?"
"W-wait—WHAT!?"
Verity grabbed Piplup tightly. Those two together still didn't make one brave soul.
"Verity… don't tell me… you're scared?"
Ash raised an eyebrow.
As if she would back down—Verity, who dreamed of becoming a strong trainer? Impossible!
"C-come… COME ON! If I get scared—I'm a cowardly girl!!"
Verity declared, legs trembling violently.
"Uh… but like… Verity, you are shivering…"
Sorrel said blankly.
"Don't sweat the details!" Ash waved his hand dismissively, glancing at the dark corner where a shadow twitched.
"So—who's telling the first ghost story?"
"Me!!"
Verity volunteered immediately, determined not to let the boys scare her first.
"Alright~ Begin your performance~" Ash clapped lightly.
Verity gulped and began:
"A long, long time ago… in an abandoned room…"
…
"Suddenly! The cabinet moved!!"
Right on cue, the cabinet in the room slammed loudly.
Sorrel's eyes widened.
"Whoa—!"
"IT REALLY MOVED! I QUIT! I QUIT!!"
Verity nearly burst into tears.
"Okay! Verity is out!
Next is Sorrel!"
Ash looked at him with competitive fire.
Boys were weird sometimes—once Verity got eliminated, Sorrel's fear suddenly disappeared.
Now his competitive spirit was ignited.
"Fine! Prepare yourselves for my terrifying tale!" Sorrel said confidently.
As someone who studied myths and legends, Sorrel believed his story would scare Ash to death.
Ash picked his nose slightly.
Too bad… he's not afraid.
"Legend says… if the Rainbow Hero falls into darkness, the guardian Marshadow will emerge from its shadow to judge—"
"And then I just punch Marshadow, catch it, and get another mythical Pokémon, right?"
Ash smirked.
Sorrel froze.
"No—Marshadow punishes you…"
"So I punch it first. Problem solved."
"That's NOT how the legend goes! Marshadow attacks while the Rainbow Hero sleeps—"
Sorrel was completely serious.
Ash was fully entertained.
Verity, however, was dying inside.
SWISH—
A shadow streaked beneath Verity's feet.
Then—
"Marsha!! (Get out! This is MY territory!)"
BOOM!
A chubby purple figure was blasted across the room by a Shadow Punch, hitting the floor with a thud.
All three silently looked under the table.
"Marsha! (oДo*)!"
Marshadow froze—
Mission failed.
Stealth observation failed.
"Ahem—We can pretend we didn't see anything," Ash said calmly. "But since you're staying here, you should pay a little rent occasionally, yeah?"
Gengar's CPU nearly overheated.
But after Ash promised not to influence its decisions, it reluctantly slapped his hand in agreement.
Then it dove straight back into the shadows and vanished.
"Ash—you're the Rainbow Hero!"
Sorrel cried out.
"Huh? I didn't say that already?"
Ash took out the Rainbow Feather and waved it casually before storing it away again.
"I… forgot!"
Sorrel looked overwhelmed.
"To think I'd meet the Rainbow Hero in person… incredible. When will you challenge Ho-Oh?"
(ps: actually the silly author forgot—so Sorrel takes the blame.)
[TL: PS is not me btw. IDK what the author had drunk while writing this but this ch is a little*fill in the blanks*?]
"Someday. I don't like battles I'm guaranteed to lose.
So I'll train until I know I can actually beat Ho-Oh. Then I'll go."
Sorrel nodded resolutely.
"Alright! Until then, I'll always stay by your side!"
At this point, in Sorrel's eyes, Ash wasn't a human anymore—
He was the subject of his future thesis.
Anyone who dared lay a hand on Ash would be sent flying rhythmically.
"Um—aren't you two forgetting about the Gengar that got blasted across the room?"
Verity pointed at the poor purple ghost still lying there with its eyes spinning.
Ash snorted.
"That was unexpected. I didn't think it would jump straight into Marshadow's arms…"
He crouched beside the purple blob and poked it.
"Gengaaa!"
Gengar jolted awake and backed into a corner cautiously.
"Don't be scared—if we wanted to hit you, we would've done it earlier. Why wait?"
Ash patted its belly gently.
"Let me guess… you stayed here because someone abandoned you, right?"
"Geng… ga…"
Gengar's mouth drooped, eyes filled with anger and resentment.
Sorrel explained:
"According to records, the Gengar line unconsciously absorbs a Trainer's energy to restore their own stamina.
So Trainers who keep a Gengar often feel cold, tired, or drained.
Some people become afraid of them.
But in truth, this species is extremely gentle and loyal."
Ash nodded, then offered a Tamato Berry.
"Gengar, my body's strong—I don't mind the cold. And I think you're pretty cute.
So… what do you say? Fate brought us together.
Want to come along with me?"
Gengar looked into Ash's sincere eyes—
Then grinned widely.
And punched Ash in the face.
POW!
Ash sat up clutching his nose.
"Gengar… that was uncalled for."
"Kyahahaha~"
Gengar tossed the berry into its mouth, laughed mischievously, and vanished.
"It ran away!" Verity shouted.
"Nah. It'll come back."
Ash wiped his nose.
That punch hadn't used any real strength.
"So this is the origin of the haunted house rumors."
Sorrel finally understood.
"You knew all along?"
Ash smiled.
"Can't say~ can't say.
Alright! Test of Courage is over. Time for bed!"
Late that night—
Under the bright moon—
Gengar clutched the Tamato Berry, peeking down from the rooftop at Ash.
Seeing the human sleeping sprawled out and unguarded,
Gengar bared its teeth and chuckled mischievously again…
To be continued…
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〔TL〕
Every 100 powerstones = 2 bonus ch.
Every 2 review after 100 ps = 1 bonus ch.
Srsly, I forgot to upload.