If you're interested, you can subscribe to my Patreon to access more advanced chapters.
Thank you, fellow cultivators～
———— 🌟 ————
Gastly told Ash and the others the story of the so-called haunting by the young girl's ghost, but Ash knew that all of this was just Gastly's way of keeping the legend of Shion Town alive.
Under Ash's watchful gaze, Gastly pulled out a stack of talismans and said, "If you want to avoid trouble, use my talismans. But they're not free."
"I'll take all the talismans you have. So, how do you want to be paid? Card or cash?"
When Gastly saw Ash's black card, it was overwhelmed by the aura of wealth.
"Thank you for your patronage!"
After that, Ash and his three companions, along with Team Rocket's Meowth and Jessie, began pasting the talismans all over the shrine. Since Ash had bought so many, the shrine was almost completely covered, and Brock and James were wrapped up like mummies.
At night, Ash and the others hid inside the shrine, watching Brock and James, waiting for the so-called ghost girl to appear.
"Will she show up?" Misty looked at the time, worried they might have been tricked. Elesa also checked her watch and said, "It's almost midnight. If it's a ghost, she should appear soon."
Ash, who was standing protectively in front of Elesa, Misty, and Yellow, said, "Charmeleon, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, watch the back. Chansey, Meowth, Growlithe, keep an eye on the right. Pikachu, Kirlia, focus on the center. Team Rocket, you guard our left. This way, we can prevent any sneak attacks."
"Kid, don't scare us like that, meow!"
"Yeah, you're really putting the pressure on us…"
As they spoke, a strong wind blew through, extinguishing the flickering candles, leaving only Charmeleon's tail to provide light. Then, the pale ghost of the young girl appeared.
"I want to see you, I really want to see you."
Seeing this, Ash immediately shouted, "She's here! Full-on light attack!"
At Ash's command, everyone pulled out flashlights and shone them directly at the ghost, who seemed uncomfortable under the intense light. The ghost then tried to control Brock and James and make a run for it.
"Not so fast! Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip! Bring them back!"
"Bulba!"
Bulbasaur's Vine Whip quickly pulled Brock and James back. Ash then turned to the ghost and said, "Enough already. I think it's time you revealed yourself, don't you?" As he spoke, Ash pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it at the ghost. The Pokédex immediately announced, "Gastly, the Ghost Pokémon…"
Realizing it had been exposed, Gastly stopped hiding and revealed its true form.
"So you figured it out. That's right! Sometimes I'm the fortune teller, sometimes the old woman, and sometimes the ghost girl. I'm Gastly!"
Seeing Gastly's true form, Ash turned to Team Rocket and said, "Team Rocket, it's your turn for revenge. Take it from here!"
Team Rocket, who had been expecting Ash to handle it, was stunned. Jessie pointed at herself and asked, "Us?"
"That's right! Can't you see I'm busy?" As he spoke, Ash glanced at his arms. He was indeed occupied, as Elesa, Misty, and Yellow were huddled in his arms, frightened by the earlier scare, and Ash was protectively holding them.
"Uh, alright, Meowth, go!"
"What? Me?!"
"What do you think? Go!" With Jessie's kick, Meowth was sent flying toward Gastly, who laughed and said, "Meowth, since you're a cat, I'll use a dog!"
Then Gastly transformed into an Arcanine.
"Yikes!"
Seeing the Arcanine with its mouth wide open waiting for him, Meowth instantly ran back. Jessie, frustrated with Meowth's lack of courage, threw her Poké Ball and said, "Ekans, use Wrap!"
"To deal with Ekans, I'll use Zangoose!"
With Gastly's transformed Zangoose using Cross Chop, Ekans was knocked out instantly.
"Koffing, use Smog!"
"Koff!"
Koffing spewed out a cloud of toxic gas, but Zangoose, wearing a gas mask, batted it away.
"Thanks for the gas, Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!"
"Char!"
The crimson flames ignited the gas, causing a massive explosion. However, Gastly remained completely unharmed.
"As expected, this Gastly, being a thousand-year-old entity, isn't so easy to deal with. Pikachu, Thun—"
Seeing Pikachu charging up, Gastly quickly said, "Wait! Wait! I was just playing around with you. No need to get so serious…"
Seeing Gastly suddenly act this way, Ash, though confused, held back from ordering the attack. Instead, he tightened his hold on Elesa and the others and asked, "What's your real goal? Can you tell us now?"
"My goal? Honestly, it's quite simple—to keep the legend of the ghost girl alive. But now, I've found something even more interesting."
"Huh? What's that?"
"You're Ash, right? Haven't you been hearing it? The girl's call to you?" Gastly looked at Ash with a nostalgic expression.
"What are you talking about?" Ash had a vague suspicion but still couldn't be sure.
"You should understand by now, right? Is Ash really your true name? It seems the gods have erased your memories, Sir Aaron!"
Hearing this, Elesa stepped forward and confronted Gastly, "What do you mean by that? Is Ash dead?"
"Of course not, young lady. What I mean is clear—Ash is Sir Aaron, the Aura Guardian from a thousand years ago."
"Are you sure? Could Sir Aaron be Ash's past life?" Misty thought it was more likely that Ash was Sir Aaron's reincarnation, as Ash clearly couldn't be a thousand-year-old monster. However, Gastly shook its head and said, "No, no, no. A reincarnated person wouldn't have the exact same Aura. Besides, I'm a Ghost Pokémon, and I can see people's souls. Now I realize that Ash is indeed Sir Aaron from a thousand years ago. That explains everything. Fine! Let me show you what I witnessed!"
As Gastly's smoke spread, scenes began to appear, and everyone saw the journey of the hero Sir Aaron and Lucario as they tried to stop a war.
'Sir Aaron, it seems someone is following us.'
"Ah? It's fine. They mean no harm; they're just hungry. I don't know if this will work, but I'll leave some incense for you. Go ahead and eat."
After Sir Aaron burned three sticks of incense, he and Lucario left, while a Gastly eagerly appeared and began to feast on the aroma.
Once it was full, Gastly secretly followed Sir Aaron and Lucario, witnessing their battles and the hero's final fate.
Sir Aaron, while Lucario wasn't paying attention, sealed him inside a gem. Then, smiling at Mew, he said, "Sorry, but if Lucario stays outside, his Aura will be drained. It's time to end this pointless war. The power of Aura resides in my heart. Take my Aura, my life, and end this meaningless conflict."
Sir Aaron's Aura was completely absorbed by the World Tree. In his final moments, he leaned against a tree trunk and looked at Gastly.
"Ah, it's you. I'm sorry I can't prepare any more food for you. But the world should be better now, right? I hope Xiao Zi won't wait for me anymore... Oh, and I don't have the strength to release Lucario anymore. But when he comes out, he'll surely be pleased with the world, right? After all, our efforts were worth it…"
"Gastly…"
"Don't be sad for me. I should thank you. Thank you for witnessing my adventures with Lucario. It was truly wonderful to journey with him…"
At that moment, a creature resembling a llama appeared. Sir Aaron looked at it and smiled, "Oh, so you were here. I wouldn't have gone this far if I'd known."
Arceus looked at Sir Aaron and asked, "Why did you go to such lengths?"
"Why? Because I love this world deeply. Isn't it normal to give everything for love?"
"I see. Your feelings have also reached the World Tree. The war is over. This world, which I had decided not to interfere with, has changed because of you. This time, you've won. Thank you. Thank you for loving this world so much. Now, return to the side of those who care for you. As for that girl, don't worry. You'll meet her again. This is part of my gift to you."
Then, with a flash of light, everything disappeared. Gastly said, "That's my memory."
However, at that moment, another light flashed, and the subsequent scenes appeared, showing what happened between Arceus and Sir Aaron.
The hero Sir Aaron gradually shrank, and then Ash appeared before everyone's eyes. Immediately after, Ash closed his eyes and returned to Meowth and Pikachu.
When Ash opened his eyes, he just looked around in confusion.
"What's wrong, boss, meow?"
"Not sure. I feel like I've been gone for a while or something?"
"Pika pika?"
"Never mind. The Magikarp still need their calcium supplements. Let's go."
"Boss, are we having fish today?"
"Depends on whether I can catch one."
"Pika pika!"
"I get it. Tomato lasagna, right? The ingredients are ready, don't worry."
And so, Ash, Meowth, and Pikachu walked off into the distance, while Arceus watched them from afar.
"Your story hasn't ended, Ash. It's just beginning."
———— 🌟 ————
ps:Support and join my Patreon
patreon.c@om/chenc11 Remove @
You can read up to 20 premium chapters.