Natsui and the others also joined the crowd, moving slowly along with the other tourists.
Along the street were two rows of stalls selling all sorts of delicious snacks and other trinkets. Natsui, seeing that Ash seemed interested, bought a few things to share with everyone.
And when he saw Misty stop in front of an accessories stall and then walk away quietly, Natsui went over to the stall, carefully chose a hairpin, and gave it to Misty as a gift.
Misty smiled; although she didn't say much, you could see from her expression that she loved the gift.
The festival, as every year, was very lively. They walked a bit further and even saw an elegantly dressed woman who, to the sound of music and people's cheers, was performing an exotic-style dance.
But unlike the relaxed attitude of Natsui and the other two, Brock was in no mood for fun. He walked behind them with his head down and a look of longing, clearly unable to forget the woman on the pier. He was even muttering something under his breath.
"Wait a moment!"
An elderly, yet vigorous voice suddenly sounded from behind them.
Natsui turned around and saw a white-haired old woman, less than a meter tall, holding a staff and wearing a purple robe.
The old woman had a large mouth and very dry skin, and her eyes, in particular, seemed quite piercing.
Brock, who was still absorbed in the beauty of the other woman, turned around and was so startled by the old woman's appearance that, caught by surprise, he fell and sat on the ground.
"Whoa! A... a wrinkly old hag appeared!"
"Who are you calling a hag!?" the old woman retorted grumpily, and then her gaze swept over Natsui and Brock before saying mysteriously, "Listen well, you must be very careful with beautiful women, or you will have very bad luck today!"
"What are you talking about!" Misty pouted, glanced quickly at Natsui, and said shyly, "How could I possibly bring him bad luck!"
"You fool!" the old woman shouted. "I was talking about beautiful women, not a brat like you!"
"What!? You called me a brat!" Misty instantly flared up; it was obvious those words had hit a nerve.
To the side, Brock grew thoughtful upon hearing the old woman's advice. Only Natsui, who knew it was actually a disguised Gastly that now had its sights on them, smiled and didn't pay her words much mind.
But Misty didn't want such a special trip to the festival to be ruined by this old woman.
"Pure nonsense! Well, let's not pay her any more attention, let's get out of here."
With that said, she pushed Natsui's back with one hand and pulled Brock's ear with the other, turning to leave.
The final stop of the festival was a shrine at the end of the town.
When Natsui and the others arrived at the shrine with the crowd, they saw an old priest ring a bell to mark the hour.
"Everyone quiet down, the treasure of the Maiden's Shrine will now be exhibited!"
Next to the old priest, there was a rolled-up scroll, but it was covered with a white cloth, preventing anyone from seeing what was painted on it.
The people surrounded the shrine, listening as the old priest continued, "This painting is a secret treasure that has been passed down in the Maiden's Shrine for two thousand years. It is only displayed once a year, during the summer festival. Now, I ask all our guests to gaze upon it with attention!"
Saying this, he tore off the white cloth, completely revealing the painting to the crowd.
The image showed the portrait of a woman. Her eyes gazed forward and her hands were on her chest, as if she were praying.
Although the painting was only in black and white, with no other colors, it still conveyed the woman's beauty and a deep sadness.
To the side, Brock was very surprised, because the beautiful woman in the portrait was the exact same woman in the white dress he had seen on the pier at noon!
The old priest's voice echoed in people's ears like that of a storyteller: "Two thousand years ago, there was a young couple deeply in love. But due to the war, the man was drafted and had to leave to fight at sea with the army. Before he left, he promised he would return victorious when the war was over."
"And so, the woman waited for many years, but in the end, her beloved never returned. The endless, bitter wait turned her to stone, standing tall on the cliff, where to this day, she continues to wait for her man."
.
It was certainly a sad legend, and after hearing it, the people's spirits fell.
And Brock, as if bewitched, suddenly asked, "So, where is that rock now!?"
"Huh?" the old priest was surprised. "You don't know of Maiden's Rock?"
...
Night covered the land.
On a cliff by the sea, a wooden hut stood alone.
When Natsui and the others climbed the cliff via the steep path and went around the hut, they immediately saw a stone statue of a woman, situated on a crag separate from the coast.
Who knows how many years had passed, but the statue seemed to have merged with the crag.
The waves crashed against the rocks. In the distance, the countless lights of the town of Maiden's Peak could be seen. Although they were far away, the cheerful sounds of the festival could still be faintly heard.
And this place, just like the legend, was filled with loneliness.
Looking at Maiden's Rock, Misty whispered, "Do you think this rock is really the woman turned to stone?"
"Who knows," Natsui shook his head. "At least I don't see any signs of it being artificially carved."
It was already ten o'clock at night. Dark clouds suddenly covered the moon in the sky, and a breeze brought with it a cold air.
On intuition, perhaps sensing that something was about to happen, Natsui took out two Poké Balls. With a flash of blue light, Charmander and Jolteon appeared at his feet.
The flame on Charmander's tail and the electric currents that occasionally sparked from Jolteon's body not only illuminated the surroundings but also gave him an extra sense of security.
"There's not much to see here, let's go back to town."
Compared to the lively streets, Misty naturally didn't want to stay here for long. But to her surprise, just as she turned around, she saw that the door of the hut behind her was slowly opening.
Creak…
At first, she thought the wind had blown the door open, but the next second, a blurry, glowing human figure floated out from inside.
"Aah! A ghost!!"
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