MarkL1987
Pokémon Trainer
- Pronouns
- He/him
Episode 19: The Ghost Of Maiden's Peak
A figure stood on a high peak during a moonlit night. It was a stone figure of a young woman with a red flower in her hair. The same girl then appeared outside the statue, but in the form of a ghost.
"I've been waiting for you." Said the ghost. "Come back to me. Return to your beloved. I'm waiting for you." As the ghost said these words, it transformed into a round ghost and changed its voice, indicating that things weren't as they appeared to be.
Meanwhile, Ash and friends were on a ferry sailing from the resort of Porta vista to continue their Pokemon journey. Misty suddenly spotted a landmark.
"Hey! Look over there!" she cried Pikachu looked with her, as did everyone else.
"Great. That must be Maiden's Peak!" cried Ash. "That's where we get off. We'll be landing soon."
"It must be that time of year again." Said Lucy. "Summer's end." Brock let out a sigh.
"It wouldn't matter to me if I never saw land again, I just wasted another summer." He said.
"But we had a whole summer full of adventures." Said Lucy. "There was the whole being shipwrecked experience, our stay at Porta Vista, and much more."
"For kids like you, summer means playing on the beach, splashing around and having fun." Said Brock. "But for me, summer means bathing suits and beautiful girls to wear them! Now bikini season's over and I'll have to wait another year to meet a girl!"
"Over dramatic, much?" said Lucy.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket was slowly sailing along in the ocean.
"We're really tied to the end of our rope." Said Meowth.
"No room, and no room service." Said James.
"Stop whining." Said jessie. "We don't have a cent, and at least this beats swimming."
Later, the ferry made landfall.
"Maiden's peak welcomes the passengers arriving from Porta Vista!" cried the announcer. "We invite you all to attend our annual Summer's End festival, now in progress!"
"Cool! A festival!" cried Ash.
"It looks like fun." Said Misty. "Let's check it out!"
"I'll ride the Ferris wheel all alone." Said Brock.
"You don't have to go alone." Said Lucy. "I'll go on the ride with you." But just then, she, Brock, Pikachu and Eevee noticed someone off to their left.
"Who's that?" Brock asked. They saw the maiden standing still and looking towards the ocean.
"Whoa. What a knockout." Said Brock.
"Yeah, Eevee, I think we'll definitely have to go on the Ferris wheel with Brock so that he has some company." Said Lucy. Brock was getting knocked down by people getting off the ferry. Pikachu then noticed that the girl turned into a ghost again and disappeared with a smile.
"Hey, she's gone." Said Brock.
"Pikachu?" asked Pikachu, which meant 'What was that?'
"Eevee." Said Eevee, which meant 'I have no idea.'
"Cheer up, Brock!" cried Ash. "We're at a festival!"
"Ash is right! No need to be a party pooper." Said Lucy.
"Yeah! Let's have some fun." Said Misty.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket pulled themselves up onto the dock.
"There's a festival!" cried James. Jessie let out a chuckle.
"People spend a lot of money at these festivals, but they never pay attention, so they drop their change all over the place!" she exclaimed.
"Meowth want a cotton candy!" cried Meowth.
"Money is sweeter." Said James. He looked to his left and saw the same girl that brock had seen.
"Sweet!" he cried. Jessie gave James a light smack.
"Stop daydreaming!" she cried. "Stop daydreaming! That festival is waiting and I can smell money!" Meowth ran off with jessie.
"I can smell corn dogs." He said. James turned to look at the girl again, but she had disappeared. At the festival, a parade was going on and everyone in Ash's group was having a great time. Everyone except for one, that is.
"She was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Said Brock. Everyone looked to him and wondered what he meant when an elderly woman appeared.
"Hey, you!" she yelled. Brock turned instantly.
"Are you the…" he said. But instead of the girl he had seen, he instead saw the face of the elderly woman, which made Brock scream.
"You're not the beautiful…" he said.
"Who's not beautiful?" said the elderly woman. She got a magnifying glass and used it to get a closer look at Brock.
"Beware, not of an old beauty like me, but a beautiful young woman. Or you'll meet a cruel fate." She said.
"That girl on the rock! I have to meet her!" cried Brock.
"I must be the beautiful girl he's talking about." Said Misty. "But I'd never hurt Brock."
"I was talking about an elegant young woman, not some scrawny little blabbermouth like you!" cried the woman.
"Scrawny?!" cried Misty.
"Real scrawny." Said Ash. That remark was greeted by a whack from Lucy.
"I don't have to stand here and be insulted!" yelled Misty. "Let's get out of here!" Misty grabbed Brock and Ash and walked off angrily, with Lucy following behind.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket was looking around for dropped change.
"Nothing! There's no money anywhere at this festival!" cried Jessie.
"Not a quarter, nickel or dime." Sighed James. "Not even a penny."
"What kind of cheap festival is this?" asked Meowth. "We have to keep looking until we find something!" Sure enough, James found something.
"A penny!" he cried.
"Hold it right there!" yelled the elderly woman. James thought someone wanted the coin, but ended up seeing the old woman instead.
"I dropped this." Said James.
"I've been watching you." Said the woman. "You're up to no good! And there's no good in your future."
"Who? The police? The sheriff? The FBI?" said James.
"I see a young and beautiful woman who will lead you to a cruel fate." Said the elderly woman.
"I don't need a fortune teller to know that." Said James. "Some woman is always causing me trouble, it's a curse." He let out a sigh.
"Who do you mean?" asked Jessie. A familiar voice was soon heard.
"Good afternoon." Said Officer Jenny. "I'm with the local police department and I know exactly what you all are doing." Team Rocket let out a panic.
"I see you found some change that someone dropped." Said Jenny. "Whenever any amount of money's lost, even if it's just a penny, it must be reported to the authorities." James put the penny in her hand.
"Thank you for being an observant citizen." Said Jenny. "Now, if you'll just follow me, we'll file a report at the station."
"The station?" James asked worriedly. Jessie panicked because she knew jenny would pull up their files and arrest them upon realizing that they were Team Rocket members.
"We don't want to get in your way, so just go ahead and file it without us and keep the change, okay? Bye-bye." She said. She grabbed James and Meowth and quickly ran off.
Meanwhile, at the fabled Maiden's Peak…..
"Welcome! To celebrate the Summer's End Festival, we will now display the Shrine of the Maiden's greatest treasure! For two-thousand years, this painting has hung within the Shrine of the Maiden. Once each year, it is removed from the shrine and displayed to the public during this festival. As I unveil the painting, please gaze with reverence." Said an unknown voice. The painting was unveiled, and everyone in attendance was amazed.
"Who's that?" asked Jessie.
"She's cute." Said Meowth. James gasped.
"It's her!" he cried.
"But it can't be!" cried Brock. Both James and Brock were shocked that the girl in the painting was the same one that they had seen earlier.
"She's so incredibly beautiful." Brock remarked.
"Brock always does this around a girl, so what makes this one any different than all the other girls he's seen?" said Lucy.
"Eevee." Said Eevee, which meant 'There's literally no difference at all.'
"Exactly, Eevee." Said Lucy.
"She's the girl of my dreams, don't wake me up!" cried James. He and Brock tried to approach the painting for a closer look, only to be stopped by the announcer.
"Stay back! The woman in the painting perished over two thousand years ago!" he cried.
"Two thousand years?" Brock repeated.
"She was in love with a brave and handsome young man, but he left her and sailed away to fight in a war." Said the announcer.
"I'll wait for you forever!" cried the maiden. "Come back to me! Farewell!"
"And she did wait for a very long time, hoping to see his ship on the horizon." Said the announcer. "But her true love never returned to that place again. Still, she waited and waited, never moving from that spot. Until, finally, her body was turned into stone, just like the cliff upon which she stood. To this day, she waits for her love to return."
"Just tell me, where is this rock?" asked Brock.
"Maiden's Rock isn't far from this shrine." Said the announcer.
Later, the heroes and Team Rocket were looking at Maiden Rock.
"So that's Maiden Rock." Said brock. "It's the most beautiful rock I've ever seen!"
"I don't care if she's made of stone or not, I'm still in love with her!" cried James.
"If she was my girlfriend, I'd make sure she was never out of my sight!" cried Brock.
"No one would even steal from me! Not even team Rocket!" cried James. "I'll fight them to keep her safe!" Jessie held onto him to keep him from falling over the ledge.
"James, you're insane!" she cried. "Why would we steal a thing like that?!"
"We could steal that other thing!" cried Meowth.
"What thing?" said Jessie.
"Pokemon are valuable, but so are works of art." Said Meowth. "Let's swipe the painting!"
"If we grab that painting, we could make a bundle." Said Jessie.
"Jessie! Before you grab it, gab hold of me!" cried James. Jessie grabbed James, only to be pulled down into the water with him.
"Team Rocket is really slipping." Said Meowth.
Later that night…
"That statue isn't going anywhere, Brock." Said Lucy.
"No matter how long you wait, a rock is a rock, Brock." Said Ash.
"Yeah, let's go back to the festival." Said Misty. "This is boring."
"Why don't you all go back?" said Brock. "I want to stay here a little bit longer."
"You remember where we're staying tonight, right?" asked Lucy.
"The Pokemon Center near the port. I'll make it back by curfew." Said Brock. Ash picked up his backpack and looked at Brock strangely.
"Are you sure you want to hang around here still?" asked Lucy.
"Don't worry about me, Lucy." Said Brock. "I'll be okay."
"If you say so." Said Lucy. Dark clouds passed by the moon.
Later, the clock struck eleven, which was curfew time at Maiden's Peak.
"I'm getting worried, guys. Brock still isn't back yet." Said Misty.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Said Lucy. The gates over the Pokemon Center windows and doors began to close, as per curfew orders.
"Wait!" cried Ash. "Lucy, let's go out and look for him." However, they were stopped by Nurse Joy.
"Hold it! Don't you kids realize that it's your bedtime?" she asked.
"Yes, but….." Ash started.
"Staying up late is bad for your skin, makes you irritable and ruins your appetite. I won't allow it." Said Joy. "Now get to bed this instant!"
Meanwhile, at the Shrine of the Maiden, Meowth's alarm went off, telling him that it was heist time.
"Wake up you two! Time to steal the painting!" he cried.
"Our beauty sleep…." Murmured Jessie.
"Beautiful. I must meet you. I'm coming to you." Said James. The wind quickly picked up and clouds rolled over the moon. The doors to the shrine then blew open, and the Maiden's ghost appeared.
"What's that?" cried Meowth. The ghost spotted Meowth after he spotted it. He screamed in fright.
"Must be dreaming." He said. "Back to sleep, Meowth."
"My love, I'm waiting for you." Said the maiden. The ghost's voice woke up James.
"Who said that? Who are you?" said James. The ghost smiled at him.
"It's you! So it really was you!" he cried. The ghost nodded.
The next day, team Rocket and the heroes were looking for their missing group members at the shrine.
"Brock?" called Ash.
"Brock, where are you?" Misty called.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Where are you, Brock?'
"This is no time to be playing hide and seek!" cried Lucy.
"James?!" cried Jessie. "James?! If you're not here, at least tell us!"
"That's right!" cried Meowth. Both parties soon met up.
"Oh." Said Jessie.
"You guys again!" cried Ash.
"Yuck!" cried Jessie.
"Double yuck!" cried Ash.
"I finally found you!" cried Jessie. "Oh wait. None of you are who I'm looking for."
"Are you looking for somebody too?" asked Lucy. Jessie cleared her throat.
"Prepare for trouble, and make it double." She said. "Doing this by myself's a real drag. 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." Said James. Jessie suddenly stopped upon hearing James' muffled voice.
"Jessie?"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"He looks awful." Said Jessie.
"Worse than usual." Said Meowth. Brock soon came flying out of the shrine.
"Brock, what happened?" asked Ash. James grabbed a hold of Jessie's leg.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Jessie. Right then and there, the elderly woman showed up.
"So, everything turned out just as I predicted." She said.
"Huh?" everyone asked.
"It's the old woman." Said Lucy.
"Obviously, these two have both seen the ghost of the Maiden." Said the elderly woman.
"Ghost of the Maiden?" they all asked.
"I love her. I love her. I love her." Said James with a big smile.
"Me too. Me too. Me too." Said Brock, who was smiling from ear to ear.
"They're possessed, Pikachu." Said Ash. Pikachu used a Thunder Shock attack on both Brock and James to get them out of their possessed state.
"Uh, who am I? I'm Brock." Said Brock.
"Brock's back!" cried Ash.
"Thank goodness." Said Lucy.
"I'm James from Team Rocket." Said James. He got up and started acting strange.
"He's back." Said Jessie.
"But not to normal." Said Lucy.
Inside the shrine…
"All men who pass this way fall under her spell." Said the elderly woman. "It's always the same story over and over, we find them here acting like zombies with the life sucked out of them, babbling like idiots. It's the work of that maiden's ghost! Still waiting for her young soldier to return! It's just as I warned you."
"Pretty bizarre, huh, Eevee?" said Lucy. She saw Eevee all curled up in fear. "Oh my." She comforted Eevee.
"It's all right, Eevee. I'm here. There's nothing to worry about." Said Lucy.
"So what? Who cares as long as I can be with her." Said Brock. Ash waved his hand in front of Brock.
"He isn't cured at all." Said Ash.
"GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF, BROCK!" yelled Lucy. "YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE WITH HER, EVER! JUST ACCEPT THAT ALREADY!"
"I'm scared! You have to do something!" cried James.
"There's only one thing we can do." Said the elderly woman. "We have stickers." She put one on James, and the other on Brock.
"These are anti-ghost stickers." She said. "You can all have one yourselves. However…"
"What's the catch?" asked Lucy. A cash register appeared out of nowhere.
"I can't just give these away for free." Said the elderly woman. Ash and Lucy fell over in disbelief.
Later, the heroes were placing stickers all over the shrine.
"I still can't believe that we had to pay for all of these." Lucy grumbled.
"Well, if it's the only thing that'll help." Said Ash.
"We'll stick stickers all over the place." Said Misty.
"This'll really work, right?" said James. Jessie placed a sticker on his mouth.
"Shut your mouth." She said.
Soon, night fell.
"Let's hope these stickers work." Said Lucy.
"Will she come?" asked Jessie.
"Oh, she'll come." Said Meowth.
"This better work." Said Ash.
"Let's hope." Said Misty. Outside, the wind picked up heavily, blowing away everything on the door and outside walls of the shrine and signalling the maiden's arrival.
"She's here!" cried the elderly woman. The door blew open, extinguishing the fire and sending the stickers on James and Brock flying.
"It's you!" cried Brock.
"I've been waiting for you." Said the maiden.
"Yes, and I've been waiting too." Said Brock.
"I'm scared! Really scared!" cried James.
"I wanted to meet you." Said the maiden.
"And I you." Said Brock. He and James started levitating towards the ghost.
"Brock!" cried Lucy.
"Why aren't the stickers working?" cried James.
"Maybe because…." Said Meowth.
"We got them…." Said Jessie.
"For free." Said Jessie and Meowth.
"Free? What do you mean free?" asked James.
"A two for one deal." Said Jessie. "We got one set free for every set they bought. It was a real bargain."
"You used freebies?" said James.
"Oops." Said Jessie.
"I can't believe you're letting that ghost get me just because you're both so cheap!" cried James.
"You don't want to go?" said Jessie.
"Of course I don't want to go!" cried James. "I don't want to go! I don't want to go!" He let go of the barrier and started floating away.
"Grab him!" cried Ash.
"Wait, Brock!" cried Misty.
"Pika!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Brock!'
"Hey! Let me go!" cried Brock.
"No, we want you here with us!" cried Lucy, who had grabbed a hold of Ash's waist.
"I don't want to go!" cried James.
"Hey, girl! You can't take him!" cried Jessie. "You haven't got a ghost of a chance!" Everyone then heard a sound, which was James rapidly climbing up the ledge. He spooked Misty upon reaching the top once he heard what Jessie had said.
"You really do care!" cried James.
"It's not cause of you." Said Jessie. "Girls like her disgust me. Always waiting around for her man as if her was her faithful pet. She can't stand the thought of losing him. She cries. But I'd say, "see ya later!" There are plenty more fish in the sea."
"I could sure go for some fish." Said Meowth.
"Yeah, great thinking, Jessie." Said Lucy. "But you're forgetting two important details about this girl. One, she's got psychic powers. Two, she's a ghost. That means no attack can hurt her!"
"I've been waiting! You cannot interfere!" cried the maiden. The ghost used her powers to call out evil spirits to frighten the entire group.
"What are those things?" asked Lucy.
"Not any Pokemon that I know of." Said Ash. He quickly got out his Pokedex.
"No Pokemon entry found."
"They're not Pokemon?" cried Lucy. The spirits continued to swirl all around everyone.
"Still searching." Ash pointed his Pokedex all around until it landed on the maiden.
"Pokemon entry found. Gastly, a Ghost Pokemon. It is usually invisible. It's specialty is hypnosis."
"Gastly?! You're really a Pokemon?!" cried Ash.
"And one that, besides Meowth, knows how to talk?" said Lucy.
"Excuse me!" cried Meowth.
"What? I consider that to be a good thing." Lucy said to Meowth.
"So you finally figured it out." Said Gastly as the maiden. "Sometimes I'm the ghost of the two thousand year old maiden.." (He turned into the elderly woman) "and sometimes I'm the mysterious old woman! But no matter the disguise, I'll always be….." Gastly revealed its true form.
"Gastly." Said the ghost type.
"Well, Gastly, time for a battle!" cried Ash. "Pikachu!"
"My hypnotic powers can work on other Pokemon too." Said Gastly.
"Pika." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Really? How?'
"Stop a rodent with a mousetrap!" cried Gastly. He turned into a mousetrap, which made Pikachu run away in fear.
"Mouse traps won't hurt Meowth!" Meowth cried.
"So, Meowth, you want to play games with me?" said Gastly. "Here's a cat toy that I think you'll enjoy!" He made a ball appear, which distracted Meowth since cats like playing with cat specific toys.
"Go, Ekans!" cried Jessie. Ekans charged.
"A snake's natural enemy is a mongoose!" cried Gastly. He transformed into a mongoose.
"Dinner time!" he cried. Ekans ran away in fear after coiling around Gastly.
"Your turn, James." Said Jessie.
"Uh, Koffing. Poison Gass attack!" said James. Koffing sprayed its gas. Gastly, however, stomped its foot on Koffing while wearing a gas mask.
"Smoking is prohibited!" he cried.
"My turn now." Said Ash. "Charmander, I choose you!" Charmander materialized from his Poke Ball.
"Char! Char!" cried Charmander.
"Well now, here's something for a fire type like you." Said Gastly. He turned into a fire extinguisher and started spraying, making Charmander run away in fear.
"Gastly has a counter for anything we throw at it. Including fire Pokemon!" cried Lucy. Gastly turned back into its original form.
"Who shall I defeat now?" he said.
"Squirtle, Bulbasaur, attack together!" cried Lucy. The two starters materialized.
"Attack together!" Lucy ordered. Squirtle and Bulbasaur charged at Gastly.
"What a bunch of nuisances." Said Gastly. "This should be easy." He made a giant Venusaur and Blastoise appear, freaking out Bulbasaur and Squirtle.
"Here are Bulbasaur and Squirtle's evolved forms." Said Gastly. "And just for fun, I'll combine them into one super Pokemon, Venustoise!" The two Pokemon fused together to make a mutant Pokemon.
"Try that on for size!" cried Gastly. After the fusing had finished, the Pokemon that had been sent into battle ran in terror.
"We can't win. It's too strong." Said Lucy. Misty stepped in holding something.
"Then how about this?" she said.
"What's that?" asked Gastly.
"It's a cross." Said Misty. "I also have garlic, a stake, and a hammer."
"What do I look like? A vampire?" asked Gastly. Bells started ringing in the distance.
"What's happening?" asked Ash. Gastly withered in pain from the bells.
"I may not be a vampire, but I hate sunlight." Said Gastly. "It's time for me to go until the next festival!" Gastly slowly started fading away.
"Don't forget the ghost of the Maiden. She and the old lady will return next year too!" he cried. He completely faded away right as the sun rose.
"Hey, look! The sun!" cried Meowth.
Later, the town's citizens and the heroes set boats with lanterns on them out to sea as part of a festival tradition.
"At the end of every summer, the visitors send out these tiny boats." Said Officer Jenny. "Each one has a candle to help light the way for any wandering spirits who can't find their way back home." On one of the boats, Gastly sat in the form of the maiden, but he then turned into the elderly woman.
"This summer is over, but your legend will continue to live on." Said Gastly. The real ghost of the maiden then appeared from her stone statue.
"Thank you, Gastly." Said the maiden.
"My pleasure." Said Gastly, who then turned back into his original form. "I enjoy keeping alive all the old legends that people have forgotten over the years. And if I do a good job of it, I make a few bucks as well." A cash register materialized.
"I'll see you again next festival." Said the maiden. "I'll be waiting until that day when my true love returns to me at last."
"Well, I am a ghost Pokemon." Said Gastly. "Perhaps one day, I'll meet the young man you love. And if I do, I'll remind him that his maiden still longs for him to return."
"Thank you, and goodbye." Said the maiden. She disappeared back into her statue.
Meanwhile, Brock looked at Maiden's Rock one final time.
"If only you were two thousand years younger." He sighed. "Maybe next year."
At the festival, the heroes and Team Rocket were celebrating the last day of the summer festival. Jessie and James were playing the drums and Meowth was playing the flute.
"I think I'm doing a bang-up job." Said James.
"Let's drum up some fun." Said Jessie.
"Do de do de do de do…" said Meowth. Nearby, Ash and Lucy were both looking at the entries for ghost types in their Pokedexes.
"A ghost Pokemon. Gastly." Said Ash.
"Pikachu." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Pretty spooky.'
"Eevee." Said Eevee, which meant 'Gastly frightened me.
"I know how you feel, Eevee." Said Lucy. "That Pokemon actually creeped me out a bit too. I'm not sure if I want to catch one for Professor Oak." Misty soon showed up wearing a beautiful outfit.
"Sorry I'm late." She said. Ash and Lucy were amazed at how gorgeous Misty looked. She was wearing a pink flower kimono with a big red bow and she had a fan in one hand.
"Come on, you guys. Let's dance." She said.
"Uh, sure." Said Ash. Misty extended her hand to Lucy.
"You want to dance?" she asked.
"Don't mind if I do." Said Lucy. "Eevee, you and Pikachu dance with us too!"
"Pika!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Okay!' He grabbed Eevee's paw so that they could dance with each other. They all danced together towards the crowd. And with that, the summer festival ended. Fall's in the air now, which means Brock won't be able to get back to the beach until next year. Keep your chin up, Brock. A lot can happen in a year. But for now, new adventures await our heroes just over the horizon.
TO BE CONTINUED
Ash's Pokemon: Pikachu, Spearow, Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Clefairy, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Krabby
Lucy's Pokemon: Eevee, Beedrill, Bulbasaur, Clefairy, Squirtle, Staryu
A figure stood on a high peak during a moonlit night. It was a stone figure of a young woman with a red flower in her hair. The same girl then appeared outside the statue, but in the form of a ghost.
"I've been waiting for you." Said the ghost. "Come back to me. Return to your beloved. I'm waiting for you." As the ghost said these words, it transformed into a round ghost and changed its voice, indicating that things weren't as they appeared to be.
Meanwhile, Ash and friends were on a ferry sailing from the resort of Porta vista to continue their Pokemon journey. Misty suddenly spotted a landmark.
"Hey! Look over there!" she cried Pikachu looked with her, as did everyone else.
"Great. That must be Maiden's Peak!" cried Ash. "That's where we get off. We'll be landing soon."
"It must be that time of year again." Said Lucy. "Summer's end." Brock let out a sigh.
"It wouldn't matter to me if I never saw land again, I just wasted another summer." He said.
"But we had a whole summer full of adventures." Said Lucy. "There was the whole being shipwrecked experience, our stay at Porta Vista, and much more."
"For kids like you, summer means playing on the beach, splashing around and having fun." Said Brock. "But for me, summer means bathing suits and beautiful girls to wear them! Now bikini season's over and I'll have to wait another year to meet a girl!"
"Over dramatic, much?" said Lucy.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket was slowly sailing along in the ocean.
"We're really tied to the end of our rope." Said Meowth.
"No room, and no room service." Said James.
"Stop whining." Said jessie. "We don't have a cent, and at least this beats swimming."
Later, the ferry made landfall.
"Maiden's peak welcomes the passengers arriving from Porta Vista!" cried the announcer. "We invite you all to attend our annual Summer's End festival, now in progress!"
"Cool! A festival!" cried Ash.
"It looks like fun." Said Misty. "Let's check it out!"
"I'll ride the Ferris wheel all alone." Said Brock.
"You don't have to go alone." Said Lucy. "I'll go on the ride with you." But just then, she, Brock, Pikachu and Eevee noticed someone off to their left.
"Who's that?" Brock asked. They saw the maiden standing still and looking towards the ocean.
"Whoa. What a knockout." Said Brock.
"Yeah, Eevee, I think we'll definitely have to go on the Ferris wheel with Brock so that he has some company." Said Lucy. Brock was getting knocked down by people getting off the ferry. Pikachu then noticed that the girl turned into a ghost again and disappeared with a smile.
"Hey, she's gone." Said Brock.
"Pikachu?" asked Pikachu, which meant 'What was that?'
"Eevee." Said Eevee, which meant 'I have no idea.'
"Cheer up, Brock!" cried Ash. "We're at a festival!"
"Ash is right! No need to be a party pooper." Said Lucy.
"Yeah! Let's have some fun." Said Misty.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket pulled themselves up onto the dock.
"There's a festival!" cried James. Jessie let out a chuckle.
"People spend a lot of money at these festivals, but they never pay attention, so they drop their change all over the place!" she exclaimed.
"Meowth want a cotton candy!" cried Meowth.
"Money is sweeter." Said James. He looked to his left and saw the same girl that brock had seen.
"Sweet!" he cried. Jessie gave James a light smack.
"Stop daydreaming!" she cried. "Stop daydreaming! That festival is waiting and I can smell money!" Meowth ran off with jessie.
"I can smell corn dogs." He said. James turned to look at the girl again, but she had disappeared. At the festival, a parade was going on and everyone in Ash's group was having a great time. Everyone except for one, that is.
"She was the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Said Brock. Everyone looked to him and wondered what he meant when an elderly woman appeared.
"Hey, you!" she yelled. Brock turned instantly.
"Are you the…" he said. But instead of the girl he had seen, he instead saw the face of the elderly woman, which made Brock scream.
"You're not the beautiful…" he said.
"Who's not beautiful?" said the elderly woman. She got a magnifying glass and used it to get a closer look at Brock.
"Beware, not of an old beauty like me, but a beautiful young woman. Or you'll meet a cruel fate." She said.
"That girl on the rock! I have to meet her!" cried Brock.
"I must be the beautiful girl he's talking about." Said Misty. "But I'd never hurt Brock."
"I was talking about an elegant young woman, not some scrawny little blabbermouth like you!" cried the woman.
"Scrawny?!" cried Misty.
"Real scrawny." Said Ash. That remark was greeted by a whack from Lucy.
"I don't have to stand here and be insulted!" yelled Misty. "Let's get out of here!" Misty grabbed Brock and Ash and walked off angrily, with Lucy following behind.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket was looking around for dropped change.
"Nothing! There's no money anywhere at this festival!" cried Jessie.
"Not a quarter, nickel or dime." Sighed James. "Not even a penny."
"What kind of cheap festival is this?" asked Meowth. "We have to keep looking until we find something!" Sure enough, James found something.
"A penny!" he cried.
"Hold it right there!" yelled the elderly woman. James thought someone wanted the coin, but ended up seeing the old woman instead.
"I dropped this." Said James.
"I've been watching you." Said the woman. "You're up to no good! And there's no good in your future."
"Who? The police? The sheriff? The FBI?" said James.
"I see a young and beautiful woman who will lead you to a cruel fate." Said the elderly woman.
"I don't need a fortune teller to know that." Said James. "Some woman is always causing me trouble, it's a curse." He let out a sigh.
"Who do you mean?" asked Jessie. A familiar voice was soon heard.
"Good afternoon." Said Officer Jenny. "I'm with the local police department and I know exactly what you all are doing." Team Rocket let out a panic.
"I see you found some change that someone dropped." Said Jenny. "Whenever any amount of money's lost, even if it's just a penny, it must be reported to the authorities." James put the penny in her hand.
"Thank you for being an observant citizen." Said Jenny. "Now, if you'll just follow me, we'll file a report at the station."
"The station?" James asked worriedly. Jessie panicked because she knew jenny would pull up their files and arrest them upon realizing that they were Team Rocket members.
"We don't want to get in your way, so just go ahead and file it without us and keep the change, okay? Bye-bye." She said. She grabbed James and Meowth and quickly ran off.
Meanwhile, at the fabled Maiden's Peak…..
"Welcome! To celebrate the Summer's End Festival, we will now display the Shrine of the Maiden's greatest treasure! For two-thousand years, this painting has hung within the Shrine of the Maiden. Once each year, it is removed from the shrine and displayed to the public during this festival. As I unveil the painting, please gaze with reverence." Said an unknown voice. The painting was unveiled, and everyone in attendance was amazed.
"Who's that?" asked Jessie.
"She's cute." Said Meowth. James gasped.
"It's her!" he cried.
"But it can't be!" cried Brock. Both James and Brock were shocked that the girl in the painting was the same one that they had seen earlier.
"She's so incredibly beautiful." Brock remarked.
"Brock always does this around a girl, so what makes this one any different than all the other girls he's seen?" said Lucy.
"Eevee." Said Eevee, which meant 'There's literally no difference at all.'
"Exactly, Eevee." Said Lucy.
"She's the girl of my dreams, don't wake me up!" cried James. He and Brock tried to approach the painting for a closer look, only to be stopped by the announcer.
"Stay back! The woman in the painting perished over two thousand years ago!" he cried.
"Two thousand years?" Brock repeated.
"She was in love with a brave and handsome young man, but he left her and sailed away to fight in a war." Said the announcer.
"I'll wait for you forever!" cried the maiden. "Come back to me! Farewell!"
"And she did wait for a very long time, hoping to see his ship on the horizon." Said the announcer. "But her true love never returned to that place again. Still, she waited and waited, never moving from that spot. Until, finally, her body was turned into stone, just like the cliff upon which she stood. To this day, she waits for her love to return."
"Just tell me, where is this rock?" asked Brock.
"Maiden's Rock isn't far from this shrine." Said the announcer.
Later, the heroes and Team Rocket were looking at Maiden Rock.
"So that's Maiden Rock." Said brock. "It's the most beautiful rock I've ever seen!"
"I don't care if she's made of stone or not, I'm still in love with her!" cried James.
"If she was my girlfriend, I'd make sure she was never out of my sight!" cried Brock.
"No one would even steal from me! Not even team Rocket!" cried James. "I'll fight them to keep her safe!" Jessie held onto him to keep him from falling over the ledge.
"James, you're insane!" she cried. "Why would we steal a thing like that?!"
"We could steal that other thing!" cried Meowth.
"What thing?" said Jessie.
"Pokemon are valuable, but so are works of art." Said Meowth. "Let's swipe the painting!"
"If we grab that painting, we could make a bundle." Said Jessie.
"Jessie! Before you grab it, gab hold of me!" cried James. Jessie grabbed James, only to be pulled down into the water with him.
"Team Rocket is really slipping." Said Meowth.
Later that night…
"That statue isn't going anywhere, Brock." Said Lucy.
"No matter how long you wait, a rock is a rock, Brock." Said Ash.
"Yeah, let's go back to the festival." Said Misty. "This is boring."
"Why don't you all go back?" said Brock. "I want to stay here a little bit longer."
"You remember where we're staying tonight, right?" asked Lucy.
"The Pokemon Center near the port. I'll make it back by curfew." Said Brock. Ash picked up his backpack and looked at Brock strangely.
"Are you sure you want to hang around here still?" asked Lucy.
"Don't worry about me, Lucy." Said Brock. "I'll be okay."
"If you say so." Said Lucy. Dark clouds passed by the moon.
Later, the clock struck eleven, which was curfew time at Maiden's Peak.
"I'm getting worried, guys. Brock still isn't back yet." Said Misty.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Said Lucy. The gates over the Pokemon Center windows and doors began to close, as per curfew orders.
"Wait!" cried Ash. "Lucy, let's go out and look for him." However, they were stopped by Nurse Joy.
"Hold it! Don't you kids realize that it's your bedtime?" she asked.
"Yes, but….." Ash started.
"Staying up late is bad for your skin, makes you irritable and ruins your appetite. I won't allow it." Said Joy. "Now get to bed this instant!"
Meanwhile, at the Shrine of the Maiden, Meowth's alarm went off, telling him that it was heist time.
"Wake up you two! Time to steal the painting!" he cried.
"Our beauty sleep…." Murmured Jessie.
"Beautiful. I must meet you. I'm coming to you." Said James. The wind quickly picked up and clouds rolled over the moon. The doors to the shrine then blew open, and the Maiden's ghost appeared.
"What's that?" cried Meowth. The ghost spotted Meowth after he spotted it. He screamed in fright.
"Must be dreaming." He said. "Back to sleep, Meowth."
"My love, I'm waiting for you." Said the maiden. The ghost's voice woke up James.
"Who said that? Who are you?" said James. The ghost smiled at him.
"It's you! So it really was you!" he cried. The ghost nodded.
The next day, team Rocket and the heroes were looking for their missing group members at the shrine.
"Brock?" called Ash.
"Brock, where are you?" Misty called.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, which meant 'Where are you, Brock?'
"This is no time to be playing hide and seek!" cried Lucy.
"James?!" cried Jessie. "James?! If you're not here, at least tell us!"
"That's right!" cried Meowth. Both parties soon met up.
"Oh." Said Jessie.
"You guys again!" cried Ash.
"Yuck!" cried Jessie.
"Double yuck!" cried Ash.
"I finally found you!" cried Jessie. "Oh wait. None of you are who I'm looking for."
"Are you looking for somebody too?" asked Lucy. Jessie cleared her throat.
"Prepare for trouble, and make it double." She said. "Doing this by myself's a real drag. 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." Said James. Jessie suddenly stopped upon hearing James' muffled voice.
"Jessie?"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"He looks awful." Said Jessie.
"Worse than usual." Said Meowth. Brock soon came flying out of the shrine.
"Brock, what happened?" asked Ash. James grabbed a hold of Jessie's leg.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Jessie. Right then and there, the elderly woman showed up.
"So, everything turned out just as I predicted." She said.
"Huh?" everyone asked.
"It's the old woman." Said Lucy.
"Obviously, these two have both seen the ghost of the Maiden." Said the elderly woman.
"Ghost of the Maiden?" they all asked.
"I love her. I love her. I love her." Said James with a big smile.
"Me too. Me too. Me too." Said Brock, who was smiling from ear to ear.
"They're possessed, Pikachu." Said Ash. Pikachu used a Thunder Shock attack on both Brock and James to get them out of their possessed state.
"Uh, who am I? I'm Brock." Said Brock.
"Brock's back!" cried Ash.
"Thank goodness." Said Lucy.
"I'm James from Team Rocket." Said James. He got up and started acting strange.
"He's back." Said Jessie.
"But not to normal." Said Lucy.
Inside the shrine…
"All men who pass this way fall under her spell." Said the elderly woman. "It's always the same story over and over, we find them here acting like zombies with the life sucked out of them, babbling like idiots. It's the work of that maiden's ghost! Still waiting for her young soldier to return! It's just as I warned you."
"Pretty bizarre, huh, Eevee?" said Lucy. She saw Eevee all curled up in fear. "Oh my." She comforted Eevee.
"It's all right, Eevee. I'm here. There's nothing to worry about." Said Lucy.
"So what? Who cares as long as I can be with her." Said Brock. Ash waved his hand in front of Brock.
"He isn't cured at all." Said Ash.
"GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF, BROCK!" yelled Lucy. "YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO BE WITH HER, EVER! JUST ACCEPT THAT ALREADY!"
"I'm scared! You have to do something!" cried James.
"There's only one thing we can do." Said the elderly woman. "We have stickers." She put one on James, and the other on Brock.
"These are anti-ghost stickers." She said. "You can all have one yourselves. However…"
"What's the catch?" asked Lucy. A cash register appeared out of nowhere.
"I can't just give these away for free." Said the elderly woman. Ash and Lucy fell over in disbelief.
Later, the heroes were placing stickers all over the shrine.
"I still can't believe that we had to pay for all of these." Lucy grumbled.
"Well, if it's the only thing that'll help." Said Ash.
"We'll stick stickers all over the place." Said Misty.
"This'll really work, right?" said James. Jessie placed a sticker on his mouth.
"Shut your mouth." She said.
Soon, night fell.
"Let's hope these stickers work." Said Lucy.
"Will she come?" asked Jessie.
"Oh, she'll come." Said Meowth.
"This better work." Said Ash.
"Let's hope." Said Misty. Outside, the wind picked up heavily, blowing away everything on the door and outside walls of the shrine and signalling the maiden's arrival.
"She's here!" cried the elderly woman. The door blew open, extinguishing the fire and sending the stickers on James and Brock flying.
"It's you!" cried Brock.
"I've been waiting for you." Said the maiden.
"Yes, and I've been waiting too." Said Brock.
"I'm scared! Really scared!" cried James.
"I wanted to meet you." Said the maiden.
"And I you." Said Brock. He and James started levitating towards the ghost.
"Brock!" cried Lucy.
"Why aren't the stickers working?" cried James.
"Maybe because…." Said Meowth.
"We got them…." Said Jessie.
"For free." Said Jessie and Meowth.
"Free? What do you mean free?" asked James.
"A two for one deal." Said Jessie. "We got one set free for every set they bought. It was a real bargain."
"You used freebies?" said James.
"Oops." Said Jessie.
"I can't believe you're letting that ghost get me just because you're both so cheap!" cried James.
"You don't want to go?" said Jessie.
"Of course I don't want to go!" cried James. "I don't want to go! I don't want to go!" He let go of the barrier and started floating away.
"Grab him!" cried Ash.
"Wait, Brock!" cried Misty.
"Pika!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Brock!'
"Hey! Let me go!" cried Brock.
"No, we want you here with us!" cried Lucy, who had grabbed a hold of Ash's waist.
"I don't want to go!" cried James.
"Hey, girl! You can't take him!" cried Jessie. "You haven't got a ghost of a chance!" Everyone then heard a sound, which was James rapidly climbing up the ledge. He spooked Misty upon reaching the top once he heard what Jessie had said.
"You really do care!" cried James.
"It's not cause of you." Said Jessie. "Girls like her disgust me. Always waiting around for her man as if her was her faithful pet. She can't stand the thought of losing him. She cries. But I'd say, "see ya later!" There are plenty more fish in the sea."
"I could sure go for some fish." Said Meowth.
"Yeah, great thinking, Jessie." Said Lucy. "But you're forgetting two important details about this girl. One, she's got psychic powers. Two, she's a ghost. That means no attack can hurt her!"
"I've been waiting! You cannot interfere!" cried the maiden. The ghost used her powers to call out evil spirits to frighten the entire group.
"What are those things?" asked Lucy.
"Not any Pokemon that I know of." Said Ash. He quickly got out his Pokedex.
"No Pokemon entry found."
"They're not Pokemon?" cried Lucy. The spirits continued to swirl all around everyone.
"Still searching." Ash pointed his Pokedex all around until it landed on the maiden.
"Pokemon entry found. Gastly, a Ghost Pokemon. It is usually invisible. It's specialty is hypnosis."
"Gastly?! You're really a Pokemon?!" cried Ash.
"And one that, besides Meowth, knows how to talk?" said Lucy.
"Excuse me!" cried Meowth.
"What? I consider that to be a good thing." Lucy said to Meowth.
"So you finally figured it out." Said Gastly as the maiden. "Sometimes I'm the ghost of the two thousand year old maiden.." (He turned into the elderly woman) "and sometimes I'm the mysterious old woman! But no matter the disguise, I'll always be….." Gastly revealed its true form.
"Gastly." Said the ghost type.
"Well, Gastly, time for a battle!" cried Ash. "Pikachu!"
"My hypnotic powers can work on other Pokemon too." Said Gastly.
"Pika." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Really? How?'
"Stop a rodent with a mousetrap!" cried Gastly. He turned into a mousetrap, which made Pikachu run away in fear.
"Mouse traps won't hurt Meowth!" Meowth cried.
"So, Meowth, you want to play games with me?" said Gastly. "Here's a cat toy that I think you'll enjoy!" He made a ball appear, which distracted Meowth since cats like playing with cat specific toys.
"Go, Ekans!" cried Jessie. Ekans charged.
"A snake's natural enemy is a mongoose!" cried Gastly. He transformed into a mongoose.
"Dinner time!" he cried. Ekans ran away in fear after coiling around Gastly.
"Your turn, James." Said Jessie.
"Uh, Koffing. Poison Gass attack!" said James. Koffing sprayed its gas. Gastly, however, stomped its foot on Koffing while wearing a gas mask.
"Smoking is prohibited!" he cried.
"My turn now." Said Ash. "Charmander, I choose you!" Charmander materialized from his Poke Ball.
"Char! Char!" cried Charmander.
"Well now, here's something for a fire type like you." Said Gastly. He turned into a fire extinguisher and started spraying, making Charmander run away in fear.
"Gastly has a counter for anything we throw at it. Including fire Pokemon!" cried Lucy. Gastly turned back into its original form.
"Who shall I defeat now?" he said.
"Squirtle, Bulbasaur, attack together!" cried Lucy. The two starters materialized.
"Attack together!" Lucy ordered. Squirtle and Bulbasaur charged at Gastly.
"What a bunch of nuisances." Said Gastly. "This should be easy." He made a giant Venusaur and Blastoise appear, freaking out Bulbasaur and Squirtle.
"Here are Bulbasaur and Squirtle's evolved forms." Said Gastly. "And just for fun, I'll combine them into one super Pokemon, Venustoise!" The two Pokemon fused together to make a mutant Pokemon.
"Try that on for size!" cried Gastly. After the fusing had finished, the Pokemon that had been sent into battle ran in terror.
"We can't win. It's too strong." Said Lucy. Misty stepped in holding something.
"Then how about this?" she said.
"What's that?" asked Gastly.
"It's a cross." Said Misty. "I also have garlic, a stake, and a hammer."
"What do I look like? A vampire?" asked Gastly. Bells started ringing in the distance.
"What's happening?" asked Ash. Gastly withered in pain from the bells.
"I may not be a vampire, but I hate sunlight." Said Gastly. "It's time for me to go until the next festival!" Gastly slowly started fading away.
"Don't forget the ghost of the Maiden. She and the old lady will return next year too!" he cried. He completely faded away right as the sun rose.
"Hey, look! The sun!" cried Meowth.
Later, the town's citizens and the heroes set boats with lanterns on them out to sea as part of a festival tradition.
"At the end of every summer, the visitors send out these tiny boats." Said Officer Jenny. "Each one has a candle to help light the way for any wandering spirits who can't find their way back home." On one of the boats, Gastly sat in the form of the maiden, but he then turned into the elderly woman.
"This summer is over, but your legend will continue to live on." Said Gastly. The real ghost of the maiden then appeared from her stone statue.
"Thank you, Gastly." Said the maiden.
"My pleasure." Said Gastly, who then turned back into his original form. "I enjoy keeping alive all the old legends that people have forgotten over the years. And if I do a good job of it, I make a few bucks as well." A cash register materialized.
"I'll see you again next festival." Said the maiden. "I'll be waiting until that day when my true love returns to me at last."
"Well, I am a ghost Pokemon." Said Gastly. "Perhaps one day, I'll meet the young man you love. And if I do, I'll remind him that his maiden still longs for him to return."
"Thank you, and goodbye." Said the maiden. She disappeared back into her statue.
Meanwhile, Brock looked at Maiden's Rock one final time.
"If only you were two thousand years younger." He sighed. "Maybe next year."
At the festival, the heroes and Team Rocket were celebrating the last day of the summer festival. Jessie and James were playing the drums and Meowth was playing the flute.
"I think I'm doing a bang-up job." Said James.
"Let's drum up some fun." Said Jessie.
"Do de do de do de do…" said Meowth. Nearby, Ash and Lucy were both looking at the entries for ghost types in their Pokedexes.
"A ghost Pokemon. Gastly." Said Ash.
"Pikachu." Said Pikachu, which meant 'Pretty spooky.'
"Eevee." Said Eevee, which meant 'Gastly frightened me.
"I know how you feel, Eevee." Said Lucy. "That Pokemon actually creeped me out a bit too. I'm not sure if I want to catch one for Professor Oak." Misty soon showed up wearing a beautiful outfit.
"Sorry I'm late." She said. Ash and Lucy were amazed at how gorgeous Misty looked. She was wearing a pink flower kimono with a big red bow and she had a fan in one hand.
"Come on, you guys. Let's dance." She said.
"Uh, sure." Said Ash. Misty extended her hand to Lucy.
"You want to dance?" she asked.
"Don't mind if I do." Said Lucy. "Eevee, you and Pikachu dance with us too!"
"Pika!" cried Pikachu, which meant 'Okay!' He grabbed Eevee's paw so that they could dance with each other. They all danced together towards the crowd. And with that, the summer festival ended. Fall's in the air now, which means Brock won't be able to get back to the beach until next year. Keep your chin up, Brock. A lot can happen in a year. But for now, new adventures await our heroes just over the horizon.
TO BE CONTINUED
Ash's Pokemon: Pikachu, Spearow, Pidgeotto, Butterfree, Clefairy, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Krabby
Lucy's Pokemon: Eevee, Beedrill, Bulbasaur, Clefairy, Squirtle, Staryu
