The sun rose on another beautiful day. I got up early, racing out onto the deck with Luxio and Pikachu. We stared out past the front of the ship, and I spotted a landmark. "Hey, I can see the port!" I cheered.
"That's Maiden's Peak, the place we're docking at," Paul said, coming up beside me.
"How much longer until we get there?"
He grinned. "Might want to tone down the excitement. They said it'd be another hour until we're fully docked and able to leave the boat."
"Another hour?!" My head fell on the handrail. "That's just great. I'm tired of being out on the water."
"Well, no matter how much you complain—which is a lot—the ship can't go any faster."
I sat down right on the deck. "Thanks for cheering me up."
He grinned. "No problem, Girlie."
I tried kicking his leg, but he stepped out of the way. "Don't call me that!"
"Whatever." He set his bag down beside me. "I'm gonna get some breakfast. Any requests?"
"Lots of fruit. I want to get my pineapple fill while it's still summer."
"Got it. Be back in a bit." He walked away.
Propping myself on my arms, I sighed. "He's a handful."
Luxio and Pikachu curled up at my sides, agreeing with slow nods.
Unfortunately, Wartortle popped out of his Poké Ball. He brought an interrogation upon me, demanding to know why I haven't talked to Paul yet. "You know why. It's not a very easy discussion, you know. I mean, I'm practically asking him to be my friend."
He raised his eyebrow.
"Yes, it is difficult! I don't have the level of charisma that you do, apparently."
Wartortle asked the worst that could happen.
"Geez, I don't know. He could refuse, and insult every ounce of my being. Man, I'd settle for him just calling me pathetic. It seems to be gentler than the rest of his vocabulary." I looked at the second bag lying at my side. "I'm terrified. I've never asked anyone to be my friend, or at least, I've never done it and had it go well."
Wartortle wanted to know what I meant.
Luxio explained to him my bullying problem as a child.
Suddenly, Wartortle looked a tad guilty.
I rubbed his head. "It's alright. I know you're just trying to help. You and I both understand that Paul is a decent guy. He'd be someone very fun to have as a friend, and we all trust him enough. Plus, whether he admits it or not, he's actually pretty decent towards Pokémon.
"Look. I'm just scared because I don't want to be rejected. It's a common fear, I know, but we all get why it's so common. Rejection is scary. What if Paul can't look at me the same after I ask him? I feel like we're at a point where he's not constantly sneering in my direction, and vice versa..."
Pikachu suddenly jumped in my face, startling me.
After a long staring contest, she made an evil grin. My cheeks heated up. "No, we all know that has nothing to do with it! This is just friendship we're talking about. Nothing more!"
I sighed. "Just asking someone to be my friend is stressful enough. I can't even imagine what I'm going to be like asking another person out on a date in the future. Love is just a stupid curse that I'd rather avoid."
I looked at all three Pokémon, who returned full gazes.
"It's true! Love is a curse."
They refused to break eye contact with me, making me sweat bullets. Though my beating heart started to ache, I admitted defeat. "Fine. I'll do it when we get off the boat. No promises about the outcome, but I promise I'll try."
"You'll do what when you get off the boat?" asked a voice.
I jumped ten feet into the air.
Paul stood behind me, laughing.
I sternly glared at him with the intent to kill. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry, scaredy cat." He held out a plate of food.
Grumbling, I stuffed my face with a chocolate chip muffin and lots of pineapple, hoping to calm my nerves.
Another hour went by, just like Paul said, before the ferry docked at the pier.
Leaving the boat, a voice boomed overhead to welcome us into town. "Welcome, travelers from Porta Vista! Right now, Maiden's Peak is in the midst of the Summer's End Festival. We invite you all to attend and have fun!"
"A festival?" I muttered.
"We should check it out," Paul suggested.
My eyes widened. "Really? You want to stick around and have fun?"
He made a face. "Well, it sounds like the festival is almost over, and when is the next time we'll be in Maiden's Peak anyway?"
I laughed and walked off. "Who are you and what have you done with Paul?"
"I'm still me, Girlie. Now let's go."
"Don't call me that." Wartortle let himself out of his Poké Ball again, and I nearly ran into him. He folded his arms but remained silent, making me frown. "Okay, okay." I took a deep breath. "Here goes." My head turned slightly to project my voice towards the guy. "Hey, Paul. I need to ask you something."
Not hearing a snarky comment, I fully turned to my side hoping to see his stupid face. I didn't see any sign of him. "Paul? Where'd you—?"
Wartortle tapped my side, pointing back near the boat.
Paul stood still as a post, staring off into the distance.
We approached him. "Uh, Paul? Are you okay?"
"Who's that?" he muttered.
Hearing him, I gazed in the same direction. A woman stood on the dock with a red flower in her long hair. She wore a beautiful, white dress, and had her back turned to us, her gaze falling on the ocean waves twisting the horizon line.
Paul spat out, "Wow, she's gorgeous!"
Before I could say anything, a crowd of tourists came racing off the boat. I jumped out of the way in time, but Paul barely noticed; he got trampled by the herd of people. After they left, I rushed to make sure he could get back up again.
Rising to his feet, Paul stared in the same direction as before. "Hey, she's gone."
I looked out and noticed that the mysterious woman disappeared. "Weird."
He made a frown. "I wonder where she went."
"Oh, cheer up, Paul! You're the one who wanted to check out the festival! Let's have some fun!" I dragged him off.
We kicked the day off right with carnival games, contests, and thrilling rides. A music stage hosted local superstars and singing groups, all of which performed with super-flashy outfits. Beautifully decorated vehicles, pampered Pokémon, and more flashy outfits paraded through the center of town.
Everyone had a blast, except the one person who suggested checking out the carnival in the first place. Paul stayed down in the dumps the entire time. It started to get to me around lunchtime, so I hoped that getting him some carnival food would cheer him up.
Paul didn't even accept the cotton candy I bought for him. He only thought about the girl from the docks.
Luxio and Pikachu ate the cotton candy instead.
Meanwhile, I put a hand to my hip. "I know you really liked her, but who knows if you'll ever see her again?"
"She was really pretty though," Paul mumbled.
I looked away and frowned.
When Luxio caught my sad look, he asked about it.
I faked a smile. "Oh, I'm fine. Just considering whether to get a corn dog or a chili dog."
A woman's voice called to us, "Hey, you there!"
Paul spun around with a smile. "Are you the—" He fell back in shock after coming face-to-face with a short, old lady. "You're not the beautiful..."
"Who's not beautiful? Go on, say it!"
He didn't say anything more.
The old lady examined Paul with a magnifying glass. "Beware. Not an old beauty like me, but of a beautiful young woman, or you'll meet a cruel fate."
"Pretty girl? You mean her?" Paul replied, pointing back at me.
Did he just...? Blushing, I turned away to hide my face. "Well, pretty or not, I would never do anything to hurt Paul."
The old lady glared. "I was talking about an elegant, young woman. Not some bratty, little twig!"
"Brat?!" I snarled.
"Very twiggy," Paul smirked.
I angrily flipped around and sent my fist into his face. "Speaking of which, you're a brat boy who no girl will ever fall in love with! Come on, let's go already! I'm not going to stand around and be insulted!" I hauled him away from the old lady.
Paul mumbled to himself. "Beautiful woman... A cruel fate... If it has to do with that girl from the pier, I can take it."
It made me frown. What's gotten into him? And why is it so upsetting?
We went to a shrine near the base of Maiden Rock, a cliff where the petrified body of a girl sat at the very top. Obviously, the city also got its name from the rock formation. This shrine had been there for thousands of years, and today, something important was happening around it. "There's a ton of people here. What's going on?" I said.
Paul and I pushed our way to the front of the crowd.
A short, old mustached man with white hair stood near the entrance of the shrine, right beside a canvas covered by a tarp. After a few moments, he called to the crowd, "Welcome, everyone! To celebrate the Summer's End Festival, we will now display the Shrine of the Maiden's greatest treasure!
"For 2,000 years, this painting has hung within the shrine. Once each year, it is removed from the shrine and displayed to the public during this festival. As I unveil the painting, please gaze upon it with reverence." The exhibitor ripped off the tarp.
The audience gazed in awe. The portrait contained a beautiful girl with long hair and a lengthy, sleeveless, silk gown. She wore a flower in her hair. The artwork of the maiden took my breath away. It seemed so real, like I'd seen her before.
Quickly coloring in the girl's features, I stared out in surprise. The girl from the docks?!
"But it can't be," Paul gasped, staring at the portrait.
I watched Paul take a step towards the painting, completely bewitched. "Uh, Paul?"
"She's so incredibly beautiful..." He started to irritate me, the way he moved forward like a zombie.
Paul advanced towards the painting, but the old man blocked him. "Stand back! The girl in this painting perished over 2,000 years ago."
My eyes widened. 2,000?!
"The girl had a brave and handsome lover. But that man left for war on a ship. The girl waited. She waited, and waited, and continued to wait. But the man didn't come back.
"Even so, the girl continued to wait. She waited for the man for so long that her body merged with the same cliff that she waited on, her body becoming the statue that you all see at the top of the cliff. They say she's waiting for that man, even today. It's a 2,000 year old legend."
"Where's that rock right now?!" Paul asked.
The exhibitor gave us directions up the cliff. We went to take a closer look, finding the maiden statue just beyond an old log cabin. The statue sat apart from the cliff, no way to physically reach it unless one figured out how to cover a distance of thirty feet in one jump. "So, that's Maiden Rock," Paul muttered. "It's beautiful."
I crossed my arms, not able to believe that Paul fawned over a dead 2,000 year old woman. "It's just a rock."
"I don't care if she's made of stone. I'm still in love with her."
I suddenly felt an odd pain in my chest. "Paul, you're completely—"
Paul suddenly jumped out at the rock. I quickly grabbed his jacket, keeping him rooted to the ground. "If she were my girlfriend, I never would've left her side! Nobody could've ever taken us apart, no matter what!" His hands flailed dramatically.
Luxio, Pikachu, and I exchanged looks. "What should we do?"
★
We waited on that cliff until well after sunset. I saw the moon high above us, shining down with a peaceful light. Yawning, I went over to Paul, who sat and gazed over at Maiden Rock. "No matter how long we sit here, it's just a rock. Let's go back to the festival. This is kind of boring," I said, slinging my bag over my shoulder.
Paul stayed on the ground with his legs crossed, eyes fixed on the statue. "Why don't you go on ahead? I want to be here a little longer."
"You know where we're staying tonight, right?"
"At the Pokémon Center near the port. I'll head back before curfew. Just go without me."
I frowned. "You sure?"
"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He never even turned to look at me.
My heart felt funny, but I ignored the feeling and headed off.
Suddenly, I heard Paul say, "What is it, Pikachu?"
I whipped around. The yellow Pokémon stepped in front of Paul. She brought her right paw down on Paul's head lightly, in a chopping motion. Paul looked very confused. Pikachu took her paw away, and looked at Paul with a concerned frown, pointing back at me.
"What's she saying?" Paul asked.
I frowned. "She's letting you know that one of us will hit you, if you're even a minute late."
Paul scratched Pikachu's head. "I'll be fine. And I'll make it back so Rosa doesn't hit me."
Clenching my teeth, I aggressively yanked Pikachu out of his reach. "Let's go!" I stormed down the hill, very upset.
Luxio commented on how I didn't correct Paul.
"I don't care." We didn't say anything else.
I thought it best to return to the Pokémon Center. When we did, I asked Nurse Joy to take care of my Pokémon while I took a quick bath. After, we sat on a bench to wait for Paul's return. Unfortunately, he never showed up. Before I knew it, the clock above our heads announced the time at eleven o'clock.
"It's curfew," I muttered, staring at the doors. "And Paul's nowhere to be seen."
Suddenly, we heard the doors lock. Large metal shutters covered the windows. "Wait a minute! Paul is still out—"
Nurse Joy grabbed my shirt, keeping me back. "It's bedtime for you, missy!"
"But..."
"I'm in charge here! Staying up late is bad for your skin. It makes you irritable and it ruins your appetite. I won't allow it. Now get to bed this instant!"
Unable to fight Nurse Joy, I retreated to my room. While Luxio and Pikachu fell asleep in seconds, I never got a wink of rest that night. I worried too much about Paul, hoping he'd still be on that cliff in the morning.
★
The minute I woke up, I got dressed and rushed out to Maiden Rock, to the spot where Paul had been the night before. To my horror, we couldn't find him. Luxio, Pikachu, and I searched everywhere. "Paul! Hey Paul! Where are you?"
I hoped maybe he fell asleep behind the bushes, but when we searched the trees nearby, we found no sign of our friend. Someone locked up the cabin from outside, meaning he couldn't have gone inside. "Oh man. I hope he isn't just trying to pop out and scare me," I groaned.
Luxio and Pikachu both shot me skeptical looks.
"Of course I'm not worried about him! Why should I? Clearly, he has more important people to gift with his attention." Of course, I still frantically looked about. "He could've at least said bye."
I approached the front of the cabin. "Paul! Paul! If you're not there, say so!"
A woman yelled, "James! Where'd you run off to now?"
Turning, I found myself face-to-face with Jessie and Meowth. "You guys!" I growled.
"Yuck!" Jessie hissed.
"Double yuck!"
"I finally found you," she then backtracked herself, "grr, wait, damn! You're not the one we're trying to find."
That caught my attention. "Are you looking for someone too?"
Jessie folded her arms. "Prepare for trouble, and make it double," Jessie tried to deepen her voice. It made her frown. "Doing this alone is a real drag. Anyways, to protect the world from devastation!" She literally spun in a circle before filling in James's lines for their motto. "To unite all people's within our nation! To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!" a muffled voice called from nearby.
"Jessie?"
"James!" the voice responded.
Meowth and I turned our heads left and right to see where James's voice came from.
Jessie hollered, "Uh, Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light?"
"Surrender now!" The cabin's front doors burst open. A disoriented James came flying out. "Surrender now," he crashed into the ground in front of us, "or prepare...to fight...!"
We all looked at him in shock. "You look awful!" Jessie said.
"Worse than usual," Meowth said.
Paul suddenly flew out of the cabin, landing beside James disoriented. "I'm here too," he muttered.
I could've sworn those doors locked from the outside!
I grabbed Paul's shirt and shook him around. "Hey, Paul, what happened? Where the hell were you?" He gave me no response. "Pull yourself together!" I pulled him up into a sitting position while supporting his back.
"Stupid men! Hey, snap out of it!" Jessie barked, slapping James when he hugged her leg.
An old lady stepped up to us and said, "So everything turned out just as I predicted."
Jessie and I stopped beating up our companions to acknowledge the stranger; well actually she wasn't a stranger at all. "It's the old lady!" Jessie, Meowth, and I all shouted at the same time.
She pointed her cane at Paul and James. "Obviously, those two idiots have both seen the Ghost of the Maiden and become possessed by her."
We all repeated, "The Ghost of the Maiden?"
Paul and James both seemed lost in their daydreams. They chanted over and over how they wanted to see the beautiful maiden again, going on about her beauty and how much they loved her. They broke out of our grip and started hugging each other, to everyone's shock and disgust.
I couldn't handle the creepiness, and motioned for Jessie and Meowth to get back. "It can't stay like this! Pikachu! Luxio!"
They attacked the two men with a powerful Thunder Bolt combo.
Paul sat up first, looking around like he'd just woken up. "Wha... What's going on?"
I crouched beside him, waving a hand in his face. "Hey! Do you know who you are?"
Annoyed, he grabbed my hand. "Uh, just what kind of stupid question is that, Girlie? I'm Paul, from Veilstone City."
"He's back!" I cheered.
Paul gave me a look. "Huh?"
The old lady took us inside the cabin to explain the situation. "Every year, around this time, all men who pass this way get attacked by the Ghost of the Maiden. They fall under her spell, and get everything sucked out of them. It's always the same story, over and over. We find them here in the temple, left in mummy-like states babbling like idiots.
"It's the doing of the ghost of that girl who continued to wait for her lover until death. It's just as I warned you all!"
"Even so, if I could be with that girl..." Paul muttered.
I waved a hand in his face, not getting a single reaction. "Ah! I've lost him already!"
"I'm scared! I'm really, really scared!" James cried out.
"It's not like I don't have a solution," said the old lady. We all looked at her. She held up a stack of anti-ghost stickers and placed one on each of the boys' heads. "Ofuda, to ward off any spirits, including the Ghost of the Maiden. However..."
"However?" I asked.
She pulled out a cash box, grinning. "Money is needed to make more."
I fell over in shock.
Nevertheless, Jessie, Meowth, and I both purchased a large quantity of stickers. Then I went to post stickers all over the outside walls of the cabin. Jessie and Meowth covered the inside plus the two boys themselves.
Stepping inside to check on Paul, he sat up against James. They both looked like children waiting impatiently to go play. "Well, if she thinks this will work, then we'll post them, post them, and post them some more," I muttered, making sure Paul had enough stickers on his back. Pikachu slapped a final sticker on his head.
Paul glared at me. "This is a waste of time, Rosa. Just let us go already. I have to see the maiden again."
Still irritated, I smacked a sticker over his mouth. "Shut up."
Stepping towards the door, I felt a book of stickers in my hand and looked at them. "I sure hope these stickers actually work."
"Me too. The last thing I want is for that 2,000 year old hag to win." Jessie came up beside me, placing one final sticker on the door.
I looked back at the boys. "You think they'll be safe?"
"Only one way to find out." She grinned slightly. "But either way, we're not just going to hand them over."
"True."
Meowth suddenly ran up to us. "Hey, don't you go forgetting about Meowth!"
I glared at both Team Rocket members. "Just so we're clear, this doesn't excuse anything you three have done."
"We wouldn't want it any other way," Jessie replied, "so let's show that ghost who truly rules the roost!"
I nodded. "Right!"
★
Soon, it was nighttime again. The old lady sat with Paul and James, performing some quick ritual to bless the stickers. Jessie, Meowth, and I locked up the front doors. Then we sat back in a corner to watch the events of tonight unfold.
"I wonder if she'll come," Jessie whispered.
"She better!" Meowth replied.
"If she comes, we'll be ready," I said. They both agreed.
The wind suddenly kicked up outside. We heard the stickers get ripped off the outside walls.
When the door blew wide open, we all screamed.
"She's here!" announced the old lady.
A woman stepped into the cabin, looking identical to the maiden in the picture, just more like a transparent ghost than an actual human. She destroyed the rest of the stickers, including the ones that layered James and Paul.
Reacting quickly, Paul got to his feet. "It's you!" he gasped, staring at the woman.
She gave a big smile. "I've been waiting for you."
"And I you."
James started crying. "I'm scared! I'm scared! I'm so very scared!"
"I wanted to meet you," said the ghost. Then she left the cabin.
Suddenly, Paul floated into the air and headed after the ghost. "Paul!" I yelled, chasing after him.
The ghost moved to her statue, hovering above it. Paul floated in her direction, moving farther and farther from the ground.
Rushing forward, my hand darted up and clamped onto Paul's foot. "Paul! Get back here! Don't go!"
"Hey, let me go!" He grabbed at my wrists, trying to break my hold on his leg.
Refusing to let go, I bit down on his hand. "I'm not letting go, Paul!" My feet hooked against the guardrail to prevent myself from getting pulled into the air. "Listen! I don't know what I'll do if that ghost gets you, but I promise to do everything in my power to stop that from happening! You don't need a girl like that! You don't need anyone, really, but especially someone like her! You're just so strong all by yourself! You should know that!
"So, I don't want to let you go to someone who isn't worth your time at all! We're friends, right?! Friends who don't leave each other behind! Those kinds of friends, the ones who enjoy meals together, and learn together, and go on adventures together!"
What's going on with me? Why am I holding onto him so tightly?
"You can't leave now! I want to stay your friend! Don't you dare leave me for that...that bitch!" I kept a tight hold on his leg, absolutely refusing to let go. Paul's lack of a response didn't totally surprise me, considering he remained under the ghost's powerful spell.
"Stop interfering!" barked the ghost, pulling harder on Paul.
I glared at her, tightening my grip. "You stop! I can do this all day!"
Suddenly, James flew past me. I wanted to grab his foot too, but I didn't react fast enough. "No! Not him too—"
The ghost suddenly had a massive hole blown in her stomach. She lost all concentration, releasing her grip on both men. James fell over the side of the cliff. The momentum of my pull on Paul's leg sent him flying straight into me. We both crashed into the ground.
Tossing a bazooka aside, Jessie scowled at the ghost. "Hey, girl! You can't take him! He just told you to leave him alone, didn't he?!"
James somehow crawled up the cliffside, gazing at Jessie. "You really do care!"
"It's not because of you. Girls like her disgust me. Always waiting around for her man, as if she were his faithful pet. She can't stand the thought of losing him, so she cries. I'd say see ya later! There are plenty more fish in the sea!"
"I could sure go for some fish," Meowth said. James ran over to Jessie and hugged her tight. She nearly pummeled him to death.
I helped Paul sit up. "Paul, are you okay? You hit your head pretty hard just now."
He rubbed his head. "I'm... okay... I think." Then, he looked up at me. "Rosa, where am I anyways?"
"You don't remember?" My eyes widened. "Does that mean you're back?!"
"You said that earlier too. Do I keep going somewhere?"
I shook my head and laughed. "You keep going crazy."
The ghost moaned. "I've been waiting. You cannot interfere!" The ghost used her powers to summon several skull-like apparitions, which laughed maniacally.
The hairs on my neck spiked up.
I recoiled in fear, hiding behind Paul. "What are those things?" I squeaked, watching Jessie, James, and Meowth move behind me.
"Maybe Pokémon," Paul muttered.
He pulled out his Pokédex. However, it just said, "No Pokémon data."
"Or maybe not." The skulls started attacking us, flying out and trying to bite with their pointy teeth. I closed my eyes, screaming and clutching Paul's arm for dear life. He glared at me. "You really are afraid of ghosts, aren't you?"
"Shut up! It's not that weird!"
The Pokédex suddenly said: "Signs of a Pokémon present." We looked at each other, and then Paul frantically moved his Pokédex around. It wasn't Luxio, Pikachu, or Meowth that it detected. When he pointed the Pokédex up at the ghost, however, it went off again. "Gastly the Gas Pokémon. It is usually invisible, but it can also take on other forms using illusions."
"You're a Gastly?" Paul asked.
The ghost laughed. "It's no use if I've been found out. At times, I'm the legendary maiden, and at other times, I'm the mysterious old hag." It changed into the old lady. "But my true form is..." It bounced around in the air, collecting all of the gaseous skulls into one large mass. We finally stood against the Pokémon from the picture in the Pokédex. "...Gastly, of course!"
"If you're a Pokémon, then we can have a Pokémon match!" Paul barked, grabbing a Poké Ball. "Grotle, standby for battle!"
"My illusions work as attacks too. You're a Grass-type, right? Then I'm sure you'd do well to avoid any forest fires." Gastly turned into a flamethrower, launching a powerful stream of fire at Grotle.
Grotle jumped into its Poké Ball. "Grotle?!"
"Fire's no match for us! Pikachu go!" Pikachu dashed out to attack.
"And you're an electric mouse Pokémon, so I'll use a mousetrap." Gastly turned into a giant mousetrap. Pikachu turned and ran away as fast as possible.
Meowth jumped forward. "Mouse traps don't work on Meowth!"
"You too, Luxio! Try using Spark!" Luxio nodded and raced for Gastly, covering his body in blue sparks. Meowth readied a Fury Swipes attack.
"Do you throw coins before cats, or perhaps cat food? How about a ball or two?" Gastly made the illusion of two balls of yarn. Like giving candy to a baby, Meowth and Luxio were overjoyed to kick around the balls.
Jessie sent out her Ekans, but it got repelled by the illusion of a mongoose, a snake's natural enemy. When they attacked with Koffing, the mongoose simply put on a gas mask and pressed Koffing into the ground with its foot.
"Looks like Team Rocket's smoked out," I muttered.
"Who shall I defeat next?" Gastly taunted.
Paul grabbed another Poké Ball. "Rosa, send out your Wartortle!"
"Right. Let's go!" I called out Wartortle alongside Paul's Ivysaur, making it two completely different enemies. "Two heads are better than one!"
"What an eyesore," Gastly said. "Skipping ahead, we get..." He created two illusionary Pokémon that towered over our own, though they weren't necessarily giant. "Ivysaur's evolved form, Venusaur, and Wartortle's evolved form, Blastoise. And finally, adding to that, they fuse." The two evolved Pokémon grabbed hands and lit up in a bright light.
"Fuse?" Paul and I repeated.
When the bright light faded, we all saw a Pokémon that looked like Blastoise but with Venusaur's pink flower on its back. "Its name is Venustoise! How's that?" Wartortle and Ivysaur hugged each other before running away.
"It's no good. This match is getting us nowhere," Paul frowned. Team Rocket cowered behind us.
I quickly ran into the cabin and retrieved a few items. "Then how about this?" I yelled, holding up a golden cross.
"Is that a cross? Really?" Gastly asked.
"That, and garlic, a stake, and a hammer."
"Do I look like Dracula to you?"
"Close enough! Vampires and ghosts don't like a lot of the same things."
"I'm not a vampire, you know—" Suddenly, a bell rang off in the distance. Gastly closed its eyes and shuddered.
"What's wrong?" Paul asked.
"Even though I'm not a vampire, I do admit that neither of us like sunlight. Please don't forget about the Ghost of the Maiden by next summer." He vanished into thin air.
"Where'd he go?" I asked.
"Who knows?" Paul said.
"Hey, it's morning!" Meowth cheered.
The sun peeked up over the horizon line with no clouds obstructing its view. We all sighed in relief now that our encounter with the Maiden's Ghost ended, watching the sunrise.
★
The following night, the town celebrated the final day of the Summer's End Festival. The townspeople made little lantern boats and placed them in the water, watching them float out to sea.
"What's this?" I asked.
"During the Summer Festival, people who have passed away come to see us, and then they're guided back home by those lamps," said Officer Jenny. "That's an old tradition at this port."
I turned to her. "Officer Jenny, is there any way I can send out a boat too?"
"Of course. Nurse Joy has plenty of extras."
With Jenny's help, I obtained a wooden boat from Nurse Joy, and she put a tiny lantern in the center. They both told me to place any items around the lantern as gifts to spirits before sending it off.
I stepped closer to the waters, trying to find the perfect spot. A little farther down the shore, away from the main crowd, Pikachu helped me set the boat into the water. "Okay, hold it there," I muttered, digging through my bag for some gifts.
We heard the crunch of grass behind me. "What are you doing, Rosa?"
"Participating in the festival. It's a lot of fun. Do you want to try? I can get you a boat too."
"No thanks. I mean, it's only to honor those who've died, right? I don't know anyone..."
"Oh. Well, okay." I continued my project. We created a small origami flower, placing it at the bow. It looked cute, but we needed something more. I looked at Luxio and asked, "Okay, what else?"
"You should put this on there." Paul knelt down beside me and held out a rice ball shaped like a Meowth.
"You sure? You look like you'd rather eat that."
"I can get more. Here." He gently put the snack into my hands.
"Okay, thanks." I set the rice ball onto the boat. Lastly, my hair clip from Delia also went into the collection.
Paul seemed surprised. "I thought you liked wearing that thing?"
"I do, but this is more important to me. Besides, I can get a hair clip like this just about anywhere." Thinking my item selection was sufficient, I called out my fire lizard and used her tail to light the candle. "Okay, everyone ready?" My Pokémon all agreed. Luxio and I put one hand each on the boat. "One, two, three! Go!" We pushed on the boat, and it sailed into the bay.
I stood back and watched the boats with the crowd. "Look at them all! So pretty!"
Paul muttered, "Yeah...," sounding upset. I didn't bother him about it.
After the lantern lighting, the town held the final celebration in the park. They decorated the grounds with bonfires and paper lanterns. Performers played music on drums and flutes for the many attendants.
The event planners encouraged all guests to wear traditional clothing. I borrowed a yukata from Nurse Joy: dark green with a red-and-white flower pattern, and a yellow obi. Then, I styled my hair a little more than usual, and put on wooden sandals.
Nurse Joy, Luxio, and Pikachu all thought I looked gorgeous when I stepped down to the lobby. Luxio claimed I looked even better than the Maiden herself.
"That's not true," I muttered with a scarlet face.
"And this goes with the outfit." Nurse Joy handed over a daisy hair clip.
I gazed at it and said, "It's gorgeous," before clipping it onto my head.
When I got to the park, Luxio and Pikachu helped me look for Paul. In my search, I found Jessie, James, and Meowth playing drums alongside the other musicians. "Well, it seems like they're back to normal," I said with a laugh.
Luxio called to me, pointing into the forest.
Running towards the water, I found Paul standing against a tree, the same spot where I sent off my lantern boat. He had a perfect view of Maiden Rock sitting just across the bay. "If only you were 2,000 years younger..."
"Are you seriously gonna wait that long for me?" I asked.
"I wasn't talking about you. I was—" He looked over at me, and his face burst into flames. His previous train of thought left the station.
His expression made my face heat up. "What are you staring at? It's just me."
"No, I know. It's just... By the way, I heard what you said earlier."
"You heard?"
"When Gastly tried pulling me away, you said you didn't want me to leave. You wanted us to stay together, because we're friends. Friends who don't leave each other behind. You didn't want to leave me with her. Do you really care that much?"
Suddenly put on the spot like that, I forgot how to speak, blushing like mad under his stern gaze. After a second, I took a breath. "Truthfully, Paul, I cared ever since you first saw that ghost, and when you wanted to stay up at Maiden Rock the other night. I was so scared when that ghost Pokémon got to you I thought I'd lose you forever. I just..."
This is it. Wartortle will come out and kill me if I don't do it now!
I took the biggest breath ever and gazed at him. "I just didn't want to lose my friend!"
He stared at me. "Your...friend?"
"Listen, Paul." My hands got really sweaty all of a sudden. "I really like you. You're a great Pokémon Trainer. You're funny, and nice, and a terrible jerk and I have so much fun arguing with you! So, what I'm trying to say... I want to stay friends with you! You're the first friend I've had in a while, next to my Pokémon, of course. That's why I really, really didn't want you to—"
Paul pulled me into his arms.
My hands trembled at my side. "Paul?!"
"You haven't lost me. I'm still here, and I plan to stay."
"You plan...to stay?"
He nodded, and then pulled away to look at me. "Listen. I was thinking of going to Saffron City for my next Badge. Did you have a plan for yours?"
I shook my head. "Not really. I haven't had time to think about it."
"Well, if you want, I suppose we could go there together, as friends."
My eyes widened. That's what I was just about to ask him! "Real...Really?"
He suddenly stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I mean, it's not like I'm asking you to journey with me. I just thought, after all the trouble I caused you today, I could pay you back."
Grinning, I folded my arms. "And I did give you a Gyarados."
"You said there wasn't any catch involved with that!"
I laughed. "At the moment, there wasn't a catch. But I can still use it as leverage!"
He frowned. "You suck."
"I know." After a moment, Paul held out his hand. I stared at it. "What?"
"What do you mean 'what?' Are we going to go dance now or what, Girlie?"
I smiled, happy that he returned to normal, and took his hand. "Let's go!"