Roy walked into the small wooden cabin with composure.
Pikachu followed curiously at his feet, its ears perked up, its small black eyes darting around the dimly lit room.
The room was dimly lit, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the cracks in the wooden boards. The air was filled with the mixed scent of incense ash and dry grass.
Wooden shelves were lined with various bottles and jars, some containing strangely colored powders, others holding dried plants.
A few wind chimes and talismans hung in the corner.
"Pika?" Pikachu jumped onto the table, curiously sniffing a stack of yellow talisman paper.
The Old woman behind the table, or rather, the Thousand-Year Gastly transformed into an Old woman, slowly turned around.
She wore a kind smile on her face, but her eyes were unfathomably deep.
"Young man, what would you like to buy?"
Roy stood firmly in front of the table, hands in his pockets, speaking casually: "I'd like to buy a package."
"Oh? What kind of package? Personal protection, or family safety?"
Roy smiled: "The package I want is a bit bigger."
He paused, looking directly into the Old woman's eyes: "The kind that ensures the safety of everyone in Maiden Gorge during this Summer Festival."
The smile on the Old woman's face instantly froze.
Her eyes sharpened, a flicker of eerie blue light flashing in her murky pupils as she scrutinized Roy.
The air in the room seemed to grow colder by several degrees.
Sensing something amiss, Pikachu jumped off the table and stood guard at Roy's feet, tiny electric sparks crackling from the electric sacs on its cheeks.
"Young man," the Old woman's voice changed, no longer hoarse but carrying an ethereal echo, "your appetite... is quite large."
Roy shrugged: "Can't help it, my ideals are rather grand."
"What ideals?"
"World peace."
"Heh..." The Old woman let out a low, mocking laugh, the sound echoing eerily in the cramped wooden cabin: "Sorry, you have such grand ideals, but I don't have such great abilities."
"You might not be able to handle the world," Roy took a step forward, his tone still casual, "but Maiden Gorge and the Summer Festival should be within your capabilities, right?"
He stared into the Old woman's eyes, enunciating each word:
"Gastly."
The moment the words fell, the room fell dead silent.
All expression vanished from the Old woman's face.
She stood there, her eyes empty, all the wrinkles on her face seemingly frozen into a mask.
Then... "Giggle... giggle..."
An eerie laugh emerged from her throat.
It wasn't an old person's laugh, but a bizarre, layered chuckle mixed with countless voices of men, women, and children.
"You kid..."
The Old woman's lips didn't move, yet the voice came from all directions: "Your insight... is surprisingly sharp!"
A sudden gust of wind, from nowhere, swept through the entire wooden cabin!
The wooden door slammed shut automatically with a "bang"!
The interior instantly plunged into darkness, with only two eerie blue lights glowing in the Old woman's eyes, like Will-O-Wisps floating in the dark.
Pikachu's fur bristled all over, the electric sacs on its cheeks erupting with dazzling electric light, instantly illuminating the room.
In that flickering moment of light, Roy saw clearly—there was no Old woman before him!
Hovering in mid-air was a mass of purplish-black, constantly twisting and shifting mist!
At the center of the mist was a ferocious ghostly face, its eyes glowing with an eerie blue light, its mouth stretched to an impossible width, revealing sharp, pale teeth.
The Thousand-Year Gastly revealed its true form!
"Kid!"
Gastly's voice sounded as if countless people were speaking simultaneously, layered and resonant, making the wooden cabin hum:
"If you're here to cause trouble, I'll deal with you first!"
Its massive ghostly face lunged forward, almost pressing against Roy's face:
"I see you have no idea how powerful ghosts can be!"
Before the words finished, Gastly suddenly opened its mouth wide!
The mouth grew larger and larger, until it occupied the entire space of the room!
Its pitch-black throat was bottomless, like an entrance to hell!
A foul wind rushed toward them!
Without hesitation, Pikachu leaped up, shielding Roy.
The little creature erupted with dazzling golden electric light, Thunderbolt ready to unleash.
"Electric mouse?"
Gastly's voice was mocking: "For a mouse, a Mousetrap will do!"
Snap!
A giant Mousetrap, appearing out of nowhere, suddenly materialized under Pikachu's feet!
The Mousetrap was ten times larger than normal, its rusty iron teeth gleaming coldly.
"Pika?"
Pikachu had no time to react before its entire body was caught with a "crunch" by the Mousetrap!
"Pika... pika..."
The little creature struggled in the trap, but the iron teeth held fast, unmoved by its electric discharges.
"Now, it's your turn!"
Gastly floated in front of Roy, its eerie blue eyes fixed on him:
"Prepare to face the punishment of the Maiden Ghost!"
Countless translucent ghostly figures began to materialize in the room.
There were weeping Maidens, Headless Warriors, crawling Infant Spirits... They surrounded Roy, emitting mournful wails, reaching out with pale hands to drag him into hell.
Roy stood in place, not even frowning.
"Gastly."
"I'm not here to break your promise."
Gastly's movements paused.
"I'm here..."
Roy looked up, staring directly into those eerie blue ghostly eyes:
"To negotiate."
"Negotiate?" Gastly's voice was full of mockery, "What could a human kid like you negotiate with me?"
Roy spoke unhurriedly:
"Every year during the Summer Festival, you cause disappearances, just to perpetuate the legend of the 'Maiden Ghost,' maintaining that tragic story of waiting for a lover for a thousand years, right?"
On Gastly's ghostly face, its expression shifted slightly.
"I can help you," Roy said, "As long as you don't cause trouble in Maiden Gorge or create disappearance incidents."
"I can help promote the legend of the Maiden Ghost. Those terrifying, dreadful festival traditions, I can find ways to help you continue them."
"Even," Roy paused, "I can help package it more tragically, more movingly, so the story spreads further."
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
The ghostly illusions still floated, but their wails grew quieter.
"You?"
Gastly floated closer, its ghostly face almost touching Roy's nose:
"Who are you? Why should I negotiate with you?"
Roy smiled.
He reached into his backpack and pulled out a stack of something.
Not talisman paper, not a weapon.
But a thick stack of brand-new alliance coins.
Tap.
Roy placed the money on the table.
Gastly's eyes, those eerie blue Will-O-Wisps—instantly brightened.
But then, it let out a disdainful scoff:
"Offering money? Hehehe..."
Gastly floated to the table, looking at the stack of money, its tone fierce:
"What do you think I am, a greedy ghost? I've guarded a vow for a thousand years! My promise with that Maiden, can it be measured by your petty money?"
Roy said nothing.
He pulled out another stack from his bag.
Same thickness, same denomination.
The second stack was placed next to the first.
Gastly's eyes brightened again.
It stared at the two stacks of money, the eerie blue Will-O-Wisps flickering.
Its tone... softened slightly:
"Wh-what nonsense... This is a very, very deep promise... It's not about money..."
Roy continued pulling out money.
A third stack.
Gastly's tone noticeably softened:
"That's... a thousand-year wait... That Maiden waited until she turned into a statue for her lover's return... Such a tragic love story... How can it be bought with money..."
Roy's hand reached into his backpack again.
A fourth stack.
Gastly fell silent.
It floated there, its ghostly face showing a complex expression, if a mass of mist could have one.
Its eerie blue eyes were fixed on the four thick stacks of bills on the table, filled with struggle.
Roy's hand reached toward his backpack once more.
Fifty thousand alliance coins were neatly arranged on the wooden table, gleaming temptingly in the dim light.
Gastly: "..."
It floated to the table, leaned close to the money, its eerie blue eyes almost pressed against it.
Then... "Hahaha!"
The eerie laughter suddenly turned into hearty laughter!
All the ghostly illusions in the room instantly vanished!
The darkness faded, and sunlight once again filtered through the gaps in the wooden boards.
The huge Mousetrap "poofed" into a wisp of smoke.
Pikachu fell to the ground, climbed up looking utterly confused, glanced around, and realized it hadn't been caught at all.
"Pika?"
The little guy scratched its head, completely baffled by what had just happened.
Meanwhile, the Thousand-Year Gastly floating in mid-air, its purple-black mist rapidly contracted and transformed.
In the blink of an eye, it changed back into the Old woman wearing a kimono.
She smiled and landed on the ground, walked to the table, and began brewing tea with practiced ease.
"Young man~"
The Old woman's voice regained its kindness, even carrying a hint of flattery:
"You truly are a handsome Trainer! Come, sit, sit!"
She pulled over a chair and wiped it with her sleeve:
"Have some tea! Premium green tea! Let's chat slowly, and tell me your specific plan~"
The terrifying atmosphere in the room vanished completely.
As if nothing had just happened.
Roy chuckled inwardly.
He had already guessed it would be like this.
Everything just now—the gale, darkness, ghostly faces, Mousetrap, ghost army—were all illusions created by this Thousand-Year Gastly using Hypnosis!
With its thousand years of experience, its Hypnosis had long reached a masterful level.
Not to mention ordinary people, even average Trainers and Pokemon would unknowingly fall for it, mistaking the illusions for reality.
Unfortunately, it encountered Roy.
Protected by Aura Power, Roy had clearly "seen" from the start that it was merely an intricate energy illusion.
Pikachu had actually been standing safely on the ground the whole time, never caught.
Those ghosts were just energy projections in the air.
That's why he remained so calm from beginning to end.
"Pikachu, come here." Roy beckoned.
Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, still a bit dazed, but nuzzled Roy's cheek to show it was fine.
Roy sat down at the table.
The Old woman eagerly handed him a cup of tea.
"What's your name, young man?"
"Roy."
"Roy, little devil, oh no, young man~" Gastly smiled kindly, if one ignored the eerie blue light occasionally flashing in its eyes, "What you said earlier... how exactly do we do it?"
Roy took a sip of tea.
The tea was indeed good tea.
"Simple," he put down the teacup, "This year's Summer Festival, you stop causing disappearance incidents."
"In previous years, those 'temporarily missing' tourists were actually hidden by you using Hypnosis to create panic and maintain the heat of the ghost legend, right?"
Gastly chuckled twice, tacitly agreeing.
"Don't do that this year," Roy said, "If disappearance incidents escalate, the alliance will eventually send experts to investigate. When that happens, you, a thousand-year-old ghost, will be exposed—either captured or driven away. How could you live as freely as you do now?"
Gastly's expression turned a bit more serious.
This hit its weak spot.
The reason it transformed into an Old woman to sell ghost-repelling items was to earn money, maintain the legend, and avoid drawing the alliance's attention.
"Then what do you suggest?" Gastly asked, "If the legend fades, and no one comes to the festival, how can I keep my promise..."
"Who says the legend will fade?" Roy smiled, "I'll help you promote it."
"How?"
"While handing out safety flyers, I'll proactively tell tourists the 'Maiden Waiting for Her Lover' story. Make it poignant and moving."
"We can even arrange a theatrical performance during the festival to reenact the scene of the Maiden waiting for her lover."
Roy listed them one by one:
"This way, the legend won't disappear; instead, it'll spread more formally and widely."
Gastly's eyes grew brighter as it listened.
But soon, it frowned again: "But this... isn't scary enough. Without disappearance incidents or real terrifying experiences, the legend will lose its deterrent power..."
"Says who?" Roy raised an eyebrow, "I can help you set up the scary atmosphere."
"You can do that too?" Gastly was skeptical.
"Easy," Roy took out a small notebook from his bag, flipped it open—it already had a plan written inside.
"First, install special audio equipment at those 'haunted' spots, play eerie cries and women's sighs at night, remotely controlled so they can be turned off anytime."
"Second, use holographic projection technology to cast a faint Maiden silhouette in the mist, appearing and disappearing—scarier than a real ghost showing up."
"Third, set up sensor devices on the cliff walkway so when people pass, a sudden cold wind blows, paired with lighting effects..."
"My own Pokemon are also great at playing ghosts."
As Roy spoke, Pikachu beside him pulled at its cheeks and cooperatively made a funny face.
Gastly listened, dumbfounded.
Having lived for over a thousand years and pulled pranks for centuries, it had always done everything itself, using Hypnosis to create illusions.
It had never imagined so many "high-tech" methods?
"Th-this... must cost a lot of money, right?" Gastly hesitated.
"I'll cover the costs," Roy tapped the alliance coins on the table, "This fifty thousand is the down payment. I'll handle all setup expenses during the Summer Festival."
"After the festival ends safely and tourists respond well, with the legend spreading further, I'll pay you another fifty thousand."
"A total of one hundred thousand alliance coins, to buy your cooperation this summer—no mischief, just help me put on a good show."
Roy leaned forward, staring at Gastly:
"How about it?"
Gastly didn't speak.
It stared at the money on the table, its eerie blue eyes gradually turning the pupils into alliance coin symbols.
After all, every year, transforming into an Old woman to sell homemade ghost-repelling items, it barely earned ten thousand alliance coins.
Now, just by not causing trouble this summer and cooperating with some acting, it could get one hundred thousand?
One hundred thousand!
How many delicious treats could that buy?
This Thousand-Year Gastly didn't want to be captured, enjoyed the human world's food and fun, and had to earn money itself for entertainment.
That's why it had grown so fond of money.
"Deal!"
Gastly slapped the table, making the teacups jump, then picked up the money and started counting briskly:
"Fifty thousand down payment... let me count... one, two..."
That greedy look—where was the dignity of a thousand-year-old ghost?
Roy leaned back in his chair, watching it count money, feeling a mix of emotions.
"Hehehe..." Gastly finished counting, grinning from ear to ear, carefully tucking the money into its chest—though as a wisp of mist, who knew where it kept it.
"Roy, it's settled then!"
It patted its chest and promised:
"This year's Summer Festival, I absolutely won't cause disappearance incidents! Won't scare tourists! At most... occasionally use small illusions to complement your scary atmosphere setup, add a bit of fun!"
Roy nodded: "Fine. But remember, only scare, no harming people, and no real disappearances."
"Don't worry, don't worry!" Gastly chuckled, "I've lived over a thousand years; I know my limits!"
It paused, then added:
"But Roy, little devil, you have to keep your word too. You must help me promote the Maiden's legend well. That girl waited for her lover for over a thousand years... this obsession shouldn't be forgotten."
As it said this, Gastly's gaze grew profound.
For a moment, Roy saw genuine vicissitudes in its eyes.
"I will," Roy nodded seriously, "Poignant love stories always have an audience."
"Good then..." Gastly smiled, this time with less flattery and more sincerity.
Roy looked at the chuckling Gastly before him and couldn't help but reflect:
Money really can make ghosts turn millstones!