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Ethan pulled out a Poké Ball and slowly extended it towards Gastly. Gastly didn't hesitate. Its body touched the Poké Ball's button, and with a flash of red light, it entered the Poké Ball.
The Poké Ball wobbled slightly, then with a soft thump, it became completely still.
It actually worked!?
But before Ethan could even celebrate, the freshly caught Poké Ball suddenly opened, and Gastly flew out on its own.
"I can't stand the environment in there, it's so dark and cramped," Gastly complained, swaying its body. "I'm used to being free; I prefer to stay outside without restraint."
"Then don't go into the Poké Ball," Ethan said indifferently. "Actually, I don't like traveling alone either. It's much better to have Pokémon accompanying me."
Gastly nodded, then floated to Maiden's Rock again. "This year's Summer Festival has ended. Your legend will probably continue to be passed down in the future."
A translucent female figure floated out from Maiden's Rock—it was the real ghost of the woman!
The ghost softly said, "Thank you, Gastly."
"Oh, no problem at all," Gastly chuckled. "I just wanted to help revive this gradually forgotten legend in people's memories."
The ghost moved aside slightly, allowing her to see Ethan. Gastly said, "I'm sure you heard what just happened. From now on, I'm going to travel. Perhaps I might meet your lover somewhere, and when I do, I'll definitely convey your feelings to him!"
"Thank you so much!"
The woman's ghost's tone was much livelier. Saying this, she drifted backward and dissipated back into Maiden's Rock.
When Ethan returned to the Pokémon Center, the sky was already faintly lit. Having forced himself to stay awake, the moment he stepped into the warm room, he instantly felt his eyelids grow incredibly heavy. Ash was sleeping soundly, while Brock, having slept too much during the day, opened his eyes upon hearing the noise. His complexion, after sufficient rest, was much better than before.
"Why are you back so late?"
Yawning, Ethan said, "I took care of the ghost situation while it was still night."
"Oh, right," Ethan suddenly remembered something and said to Brock, "Gastly was a bit rude earlier. How about it apologizes to you?"
Brock asked in surprise, "You caught it?"
Ethan didn't speak. From his shadow, a black orb enveloped in purple gas suddenly floated out.
"Wah~"
Brock was startled, crying out. Hearing the sound, Pikachu rubbed its eyes, peeked its head out, and looked curiously, but Ash merely rolled over and continued sleeping soundly.
"You squinty-eyed man, besides being a lecher, you're not very brave either," Gastly chuckled. "What happened earlier was just a prank. Don't take it personally."
Brock's temper was inherently very good. He hadn't been too bothered by the incident to begin with, and now hearing Gastly apologize, his annoyance completely vanished.
Ethan took out his phone and checked the time.
"I don't know how long I'll sleep. When Ash wakes up later, you two should leave first. I'll be staying here for another day or two. If we have a chance in the future, we'll meet again."
"The situation's over, isn't it? Why are you staying here?" Brock paused, but seeing Ethan offer no further explanation, he nodded. "Alright then, we'll leave first."
After a quick wash, Ethan collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep. When he opened his eyes again, it was already afternoon. The excessive exhaustion of the past two days, being active at night and sleeping during the day, had completely messed up his body clock. Even now, his mental state wasn't fully restored.
Ash and the other two had already left hours ago. Misty had heard Ethan wanted to stay a few more days and had wanted to stay with him, but since Ethan didn't explicitly ask, she had no choice but to give up. She kept looking back as she set off again with Ash and Brock.
The reason Ethan wanted to stay here was, naturally, his hope that this beautiful legend would be better preserved. Being personally involved in the event made him believe that a love called 'undying devotion' truly existed in the world. However, Gastly's previous methods were not ideal. They were inefficient and simply couldn't achieve effective dissemination.
Now that Gastly had become his Pokémon, Ethan believed he could do his best to help with this matter. He wrote down what happened after arriving at Maiden's Peak. He also went to Maiden's Peak Shrine and learned about the two thousand years of love and hate from the old priest. He then combined all this information, editing and refining it into a beautiful yet poignant short story of over six thousand words.
Recalling a previous conversation with Koharu where he learned that her mother, Yoshino, had taught herself to paint and dreamed of becoming an illustrator, he sent the story to Koharu via email and asked her to convey his request: he hoped Yoshino could add some illustrations to the story.
Koharu replied with an 'OK' emoji.
Soon, an unfamiliar number called. He answered the phone. On the other end was a woman's cheerful voice: "Hello, this is Sakuragi Yoshino. May I speak with Mr. Ethan?" (Here, Yoshino is her given name, not a common surname, and originates from 'Somei Yoshino,' a type of cherry blossom.)
Knowing this was Koharu's mother, Ethan quickly replied politely, "Hello, Auntie. I'm Ethan."
Sakuragi Yoshino said, "Koharu just told me about you. That story is very well written. I'd heard the legend of Maiden's Rock before, but I never imagined it was true!"
Ethan chuckled, "Although it's quite unbelievable, I truly saw the ghost of that woman with my own eyes. But please, Auntie, keep this a secret. Otherwise, that Maiden's Rock could attract the attention of ill-intentioned people."
Sakuragi Yoshino: "I know. It's like some of my husband's research; it needs to be kept secret. I heard from Koharu that you need my help with some illustrations?"
"Yes," Ethan hesitated. "I apologize for the trouble, Auntie. After delving deeper into this, I also believe it's necessary to pass this legend down."
Sakuragi Yoshino laughed, "It's nothing, you don't need to be so polite. After all, you're a member of the Sakuragi Institute too. But I think it would be better as a manga than just illustrations."
Ethan has successfully captured Gastly, who has voluntarily joined his team! Gastly, being able to speak human language and having its unique abilities, will certainly be a powerful and interesting addition to Ethan's journey. Ethan has also taken it upon himself to preserve the legend of Maiden's Peak in a more accessible way, collaborating with Koharu's mother, Yoshino, to create a illustrated story or manga.
What kind of adventures will Ethan and his unique team embark on next? How will Gastly's personality and abilities influence future events, especially now that it's part of Ethan's team and can speak?
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Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 55 on my patreon, go check it out
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if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Every 10 Power Stones==Bonus Chapter