Chapter 31: The Two Girls’ Fear!

In the spooky setting of the abandoned Oldale Town, Ash had already made the final decision to stay. Despite Misty and May's reluctance, they had no choice but to stay in the ghost town. "It's terrifying here," Misty and May both murmured. "Misty, May, you both have a lot to work on. Places like this are usually haunted by playful Ghost-type Pokémon causing mischief. There's no need to be scared," Brock said as he prepared dinner, while Ash fed the Pokémon. At this point, Brock, Misty, and May had already noticed Ash's special ability: he seemed to have a knack for pulling various items from his bag like magic. However, they had a mutual understanding not to ask questions, respecting each other's secrets. Ash, finishing the feeding, wondered to himself, "I wonder where the next check-in location will be. It's been a while since I last triggered a check-in." After the Pokémon were fed, Brock's dinner was ready: a simple meal with a soup, two dishes, and a dessert. The four shared the meal together. Munchlax's appetite was, as always, insatiable, and Ash knew he'd need to help May prepare some Pokéblocks later. As they enjoyed the meal, Team Rocket's trio, who had been tracking Ash, arrived in the town. "Oh, I can't walk another step, meow! My feet are killing me!" Meowth complained, collapsing on the ground. "Get up, Meowth! It's starting to rain. We need to find somewhere to take shelter!" Jessie commanded. "Jessie... I'm starving. Hey, there's a small town up ahead! Let's go!" James pointed out. Team Rocket soon entered Oldale Town and found a mine entrance, using it as shelter from the rain. "Where did those twerps go? This is the umpteenth time we've lost them!" "Forget about that for now. We need to eat first, or I'll starve!" Meowth whimpered. Just then, Wobbuffet popped out, and a sudden, eerie howl echoed from behind them. "Hoho... hahahaha..." Out of nowhere, a gigantic, terrifying Haunter appeared, conjured by the Ghost-type Pokémon. "Aaaaah! A ghost!!" Jessie, James, and Meowth fainted on the spot, leaving Wobbuffet alone. Meanwhile, in another room, Ash and his friends were just getting ready for bed when Misty and May perked up. "Wait... did you hear something? Like someone screaming?" Misty said, feeling goosebumps. "Ash, can we leave first thing in the morning? I don't want to stay here any longer," May added. Ash suspected the Ghost-type Pokémon were playing pranks on Team Rocket. "You all stay here; I'll go check it out," Ash said, wanting to help mediate between the Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon in the area. But Misty and May were insistent that he not go alone, so he decided to wait until daylight. Just then, they heard strange sounds outside again. Eventually, Misty and May edged closer to Ash with their sleeping bags—almost to the point of sharing the same one. Though Ash enjoyed their company, he decided to explain the situation to them. "So that's the story—I learned about it from another source," he said, explaining the origins of the Ghost- and Psychic-types' dispute. After hearing Ash's explanation, Misty, May, and Brock agreed to help the Pokémon. Meanwhile, outside a window, Wobbuffet found itself enchanted by the sight of a beautiful Kirlia dancing gracefully to music. Wobbuffet's eyes turned into heart shapes, utterly smitten. Suddenly, there was a loud noise! Team Rocket had woken up and realized it was the Ghost-types playing tricks. They decided to capture the Psychic Pokémon with the help of the Ghost-types and brought out a robot named "Ghost Robo Taro." The Ghost Pokémon used their Confuse Ray to make the robot appear as a giant Haunter to scare them off. -------------- T/N: Access 30 Chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals (Replace '@' with 'a')