stonecrandall Chapter 158 Ghosts? Sealed Pokémon?
Chapter 158 Ghosts? Sealed Pokémon?
About an hour's drive from the pontoon bridge, there is a little-known village.
The village is so small that you can see its entirety from flat ground.
Moreover, although this is a village, judging from the dilapidated houses and the surrounding conditions, it is likely that no crops such as grains are produced here. The villagers probably buy their daily necessities in the town further ahead.
Of course, it's unclear what this small village was like before.
"As expected, a reward has been posted."
Standing in front of the village, Xiao Gang immediately spotted the reward notice posted on a dilapidated wooden sign.
The portrait on the bounty notice looked like a child's scribbles, revealing no information whatsoever. Below the bounty notice, the only words were simply "ghost."
As for the reward... well, a bag of rice and some vegetables?
Although it may seem a bit outdated in today's era, looking at this dilapidated village, the bounty seems quite reasonable, doesn't it?
Just as Ash and his friends were about to enter the village to ask around, a hoarse voice suddenly came from beside them—
Are you here to accept a commission?
"?!"
Startled by the sudden sound, Ash and his friends took a step back and looked down.
The speaker was an elderly woman, leaning on a cane, her mouth barely containing any teeth, as she continued:
"So what exactly is your answer... um? Pikachu?"
"Skin??"
Pikachu's ears twitched when it was suddenly called. It looked at the old man with some confusion, thinking it had done something wrong. It wanted to shrink behind Ash, but the old man picked it up first.
"It really is Pikachu... So, young man, are you this Pikachu's trainer?"
"Well, it's me."
After seeing the old man, Xiao Zhi probably remembered what exactly happened.
The ghost the village was talking about must be a Rockruff, right? Ash vaguely remembers that when the Rockruff escaped from here before, it was their fault, but this time they'd only just arrived and the Rockruff had already run away. That means...
Were there other people who destroyed that pile of stones?
Although he didn't really want to think in that direction, Xiaozhi felt like he had already guessed who the murderer was.
But before Xiao Zhi could think any further, the old man in front of him exclaimed in delight:
"As expected! I never imagined that the story that unfolded here hundreds of years ago would be repeated right before my eyes!"
The story is...
"what?"
"Pikachu?"
Aside from Ash, who knew the general situation, the other three, including Pikachu, were somewhat confused.
Seeing this, the old man patiently explained to them:
"Actually, a very dangerous Pokémon was sealed near our village, and just yesterday, the seal was broken for some reason...!"
Legend has it that this Pokémon, while wandering the world, came to this place and wreaked havoc. Just then, a Pokémon with Pikachu arrived. Seeing the Pokémon's evil deeds, the Pokémon fought alongside Pikachu and ultimately sealed it within the Spirit Stone.
"Waveguide Messenger? What's that?"
Xiao Gang was still gathering information from the old man's speech, while Xiao Guang directly raised his hand and asked what he didn't understand.
However, the old man's answer left Xiao Guang somewhat dumbfounded.
"do not know."
The old man sat on the rock, placed his cane beside it, and shrugged, indicating this.
"To put it simply, they should be considered as people with special abilities... After all, the world is so vast, it is inevitable that some very special individuals will appear, just like the most well-known superpowered individuals now."
"I see."
Xiao Guang nodded, muttering to himself in a somewhat bewildered manner.
Xiao Guang, who didn't understand auras, could only make a rough guess based on the old man's explanation, but Xiao Zhi, Xiao Gang, and Pikachu nodded in agreement.
"So you're the Waveguide Messenger."
"If his partner were Lucario, it would fit the image of a wave guide even better."
"Pikachu~"
Xiao Guang: "Huh? Huh—"
After all that, Xiao Guang realized he still didn't know what a waveguide messenger was, and his expression immediately became tense.
However, the old man ignored Xiao Guang's panic and nodded, continuing the conversation:
"Now that you all know what a waveguide messenger is, things will be much easier."
The old man jumped down from the not-so-high rock and picked up his cane again.
"Come with me."
After saying this briefly, the old man began to walk into the nearby forest.
Ash, Dawn, and the others looked at each other, and finally Dawn spoke first, albeit timidly:
"By the way, that old lady seems to think we're here to help..."
Although the other party was right, Xiao Guang still felt that something was a little strange.
"In that old man's view, it was probably more like fate."
Xiao Gang crossed his arms and said softly in a serious tone:
"Didn't she just say that thousands of years ago, when that Pokémon wreaked havoc in the village, it was a Pikachu-wielding Aura user who sealed it away? So, in the old man's opinion, now that the seal is broken, Ash, who brought Pikachu here, might very well recreate that scene—"
"Ah! So this is the concept of fate?"
Xiao Guang clapped her hands; only then did she finally understand the old man's intention.
"So it seems the older folks in this village have more outdated ideas, which is why the young people seek Officer Jenny's help, while the older folks choose to post a reward."
After understanding a little bit, Xiao Guang's mind was suddenly opened up.
However, there's still one thing Xiao Guang doesn't quite understand.
"By the way... why did that old lady know it was Pokémon causing the damage, but in the bounty and the information that was spread, she said it was a ghost?"
"Oh, this..."
Xiao Gang was eventually stumped by Xiao Guang's question. Although it seemed like the best course of action to ask the question to the old man in front of him, the old man's constant hurrying along the way made it impossible for Xiao Gang to ask. So he could only pass the question to Xiao Zhi.
"Who knows!"
Xiao Zhi shrugged helplessly and said:
"Perhaps things are more complicated than we think? For example, could that Pokémon really turn into a ghost, or even an evil spirit?"
"Alright! Stop talking!"
Hikari immediately understood what Satoshi meant.
Although Ash has always had a terrible sense of direction, his premonitions in this area, even if they are just casual remarks, could very well come true. Dawn didn't want to fight evil spirits, so she quickly interrupted Ash.
However, at their destination, which was above the forest clearing where the sealed stones were scattered, the seal stones were scattered.
Dark clouds are quietly appearing and gathering.
.......
P.S.: Daily gift request!
(It's strange, I used to not feel anything when I made 4K or even 6K a day, but now I feel so difficult to make 2K a day...)