The setting sun washed Maidens' Cape in a warm orange glow.
The S.S. Anne slowly eased into the old-fashioned harbor.
The ship's horn and the distant clamor of the festival blended together, announcing that they'd reached their destination.
At the front of the pier, the famous rock formation shaped like a young woman gazing out to sea stood quietly in the twilight.
It really did look like she was waiting for a lover who would never return, giving this little port town an air of age-old mystery.
This wasn't a big city, but it was a very well-known tourist spot.
After all, not every legend could be told for two thousand years and still sound this convincing.
The only pity was that the League didn't dare overdevelop the place.
Ghost-type Pokémon lived long, were powerful, and their abilities covered all sorts of weird niches… it sounded like all pros, but there were plenty of cons too.
For one, their brains tended to get stuck on one track.
Ghost-types had what humans called "obsessions."
They might act carefree, flexible, even silly most of the time—
But touch what they truly cared about, and they could be more stubborn than anyone.
Long story short, most Ghost-types' values did not line up neatly with human ones.
What's that?
You say you know a Ghost-type that gets along great with humans?
Ever consider that maybe that Ghost-type is even more mentally ill?
Didn't take its meds today~
Feeling kinda cute~
Crowds of tourists poured down the gangway, eager to fling themselves into the late-summer festival.
Many had already booked inns ashore, planning to stay the night and soak up the atmosphere to the fullest.
Anyone who took this specific cruise route was obviously here to play.
They'd come all this way—why hold back now?
Satoshi, Misty, and Brock stepped onto the soil of Maidens' Cape with everyone else.
"Wooow, it's so lively!" Misty was instantly captivated.
"But… why does it feel like there are so many pretty girls here?"
She scanned the street—beautiful women everywhere, in all kinds of styles…
Honestly, the density was starting to feel unnatural.
Stalls lined both sides of the road.
Lanterns were being lit one by one, the smell of food mingling with barkers yelling for customers and cheerful festival music.
The air was thick with that special kind of energy only a summer fair could have.
Sure, the bustle couldn't compare to Vermilion City's.
But everyone had been cooped up on the ship for days.
Just getting off and walking on solid ground felt like happiness.
What was that phrase again?
Happiness is relative.
As long as you've had a "down" period, the upswing feels amazing.
This was one of those times.
"Pika pika!"Pikachu, perched on Satoshi's shoulder, pointed excitedly at a stall selling candied apples.
Pikachu was also a big fan of human snacks.
"Okay, okay, we'll buy some later." Satoshi laughed, his mood pulled up by the festive atmosphere.
The three of them melted into the streaming crowd.
Finally, some real downtime.
Brock walked with his hands in his pockets, fingers wrapped around his Poké Balls.
He looked relaxed, but his always-squinted eyes were working overtime, occasionally letting out heartfelt sighs of appreciation:
"Oh! That young lady in the lavender yukata—those hydrangeas in her hairpin truly match her gentle aura… ♡"
"And that red-skirted girl at the goldfish stand—such graceful, precise movements, truly impressive… ♡"
"Ah! And that one eating takoyaki—just the way she blows on the hot piece is bursting with vibrant charm! ♡"
His running commentary was as insightful and… endless as ever.
Clearly, years stuck in the Gym had repressed him hard.
Ever since leaving, he'd been in permanent "unleashed" mode.
"Hey, Brock, your eyes are about to turn into heart-shapes!" Misty snapped. "Dial it down!"
But then Brock sighed, just a touch.
His tone shifted—like a wise man seeing through illusions—as he murmured to his companions:
"Still… as beautiful as they are, truth is, at least half of the pretty girls catching our eye on this street…"
He paused, gaze seeming to pierce through the laughter.
"…are actually Ghost-type Pokémon illusions."
Brock had been a Gym Leader for years.
He really had seen a lot.
Brock: I can tell at a glance you're not human.
Brock: Now help me on my path of training.
Brock: Great Heavenly— …nope, wrong show, my bad.
Brock: Anyway, assist my training now.
"Huh?" Satoshi blinked, and looked around more closely.
"I just felt something was a bit off here, but I couldn't tell what."
"I thought it was just the noise, or that I wasn't used to the crowd."
"There's no sense of danger, though…"
This was his first time truly running into Ghost-types in this life.
More importantly, he didn't feel hostility.
"Pika?" Pikachu pricked up his ears and focused.
Now that it was paying attention, it really could sense faint Ghost-type energy mixed in among the crowds.
Those "people" perfectly mimicked human girls' laughter and chatter, blending into the festival with almost zero seams.
All veteran actors, clearly.
This was obviously not their first performance.
"So that's what it is," Satoshi remembered Lt. Surge's intel.
"This must be the 'fun-loving old-timer' and its buddies at work, huh?"
"Pika pika…" Pikachu tilted his head, trying to distinguish the subtle different energies in the air.
Unlike Satoshi, who usually didn't need to fight on the front line, Pikachu did have to worry.
If they ever had to battle Ghost-types, it needed to be ready.
Pikachu: …this "see through illusion" skill is really hard to learn.
Yeah.
He hadn't figured it out yet.
"Half of them are ghosts?" Misty stopped in place.
She was, honestly, a little scared.
Ghost-types did not have the best reputation.
Sure, some got along well with humans.
But the ones with the biggest "fame" were usually infamous.
Like the Chandelure line—
Those really did eat souls.
"Probably," Brock nodded, his gentle smile back.
"But don't worry. They don't seem hostile."
"They're just enjoying the festival and playing along with everyone."
"Come on," Satoshi said, more excited than ever.
"Since we're here, let's enjoy this 'humans-and-ghosts-together' festival!"
"Maybe we'll even run into that 'legendary' maiden." His eyes drifted toward the girl-shaped rock, now even more mysterious in the dusk.
He vaguely remembered: in the original anime, a Gastly had pretended to be the ghostly maiden—
But in the ending, an actual ghost girl had appeared?
It was all very confusing.
In any case, now that they knew the Ghost-type here wasn't hostile, the League had already verified the situation, and the festival had been running peacefully for two thousand years—
That basically meant it was 99% safe.
They could relax and play.
The three of them walked deeper into the lantern-lit streets, swallowed up by the crowd and noise.
Just how much of this gorgeous festival scene…
Was built out of the illusions of Gastly and its friends?
Illusions that could blend seamlessly with reality, tricking every sense.
Well, it was a two-thousand-year-old spook.
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