"gkd, gkd," Brock kept urging Ash and Misty to speed up along the way.
He had done his homework. The Pokémon Tower was guarded by a shrine maiden who had been passed down from generation to generation.
What is a shrine maiden? She wears a white robe, a red skirt, with an elegant look, and a mysterious and noble temperament. She also smiles gently when facing guests. Just thinking about it made Brock excited.
"Big sister, here I come!"
The three of them quickened their pace.
The Pokémon Tower, from a distance, looked more like a cathedral—a wide and tall building. The fog here was the thickest, and it was so eerie that the three of them standing outside could easily notice it.
Seeing Misty and Ash standing timidly at the door, Brock pushed them in.
"Gee, the first floor is safe, there's nothing to be afraid of!"
The three of them entered the Pokémon Tower.
Looking around, the first floor was vast, so much so that you couldn't see the end at a glance. It was brightly lit, which gave the three of them some courage.
The floor was paved with purple and white tiles in a strange pattern, which was a bit creepy if you looked at it for too long.
However, the first floor was just an empty space without any tombstones, so it seemed they had to go up further to offer sacrifices.
The most surprising thing was that not far away, in the middle area of the room, there was a green square of nearly 3 square meters. The green light rose from the floor to the ceiling, forming a strange barrier-like column of light.
"Hello, three guests," a voice came from the side, and Brock's eyes widened as he turned his head.
It's the shrine maiden!
White robe, red skirt, long silver hair. But in the next second, his eyes nearly popped out.
"Witch."
"Grandma?"
What?!
How had the elegant shrine maiden turned into a seventy or eighty-year-old grandmother?
The old shrine maiden had a slightly hunched body, thin skin, droopy eyes, and a scary hooked nose. She was holding a candle in her hand and looked like an old witch straight out of a horror book.
Ash scratched his head. The place was already brightly lit. Why was she holding a candle and burning incense? Was it supposed to look more down-to-earth?
"Guests from afar, let me take a look at you."
The shrine maiden wasn't shy either. She held the candle in one hand and touched Ash's chest with the other, smiling suddenly, which startled him into stepping back.
"The young man has nice chest muscles and is full of passion. It's rare to see such a pure heart."
Hearing this, Ash's impression of the shrine maiden immediately improved. He scratched his head and responded shyly, "Old lady, you speak so well. Can you say a few more nice things?"
The next second, the shrine maiden's eyes suddenly turned sharp. The way she looked at him made Ash feel as if even the color of his underwear could be seen. He couldn't help but shiver.
"I must have been mistaken. I didn't expect to meet a guest with two hearts today."
The shrine maiden sneered and picked up a paper fan from the table. Four large characters reading "Demons, Go Away" were written on it, making it look like a magical artifact.
"Do you need exorcism services? I'm also good at banishing foreign spirits."
Ash's alter ego, red, was taken aback.
Connected through Ash's soul perspective, red could feel the shrine maiden's gaze and even sensed the eerie power of the paper fan that slightly confused his concentration.
*Danger!*
This old woman must be something else.
But what did she mean by "again"?
"No, no, I am a firm believer in materialistic science. I don't believe in ghosts or spirits!" Ash quickly distanced himself.
Could this old woman actually help red ascend?
On second thought, after red ascends, Ash would be able to inherit his power legitimately. That didn't seem so bad.
Chi was speechless.
This wasn't the first time he had heard the word "inheritance."
Seeing this, the shrine maiden put down the fan and reached out to stroke Pikachu's chin, her expression full of admiration.
"This little electric mouse will achieve great things in the future and is destined to soar."
"Pika~," Pikachu scratched its head. It always knew it was destined for greatness, but it felt good hearing it.
The shrine maiden then looked at the cubound next to Pikachu.
"This must be one of that old guy Mr. Fuji's Pokémon, right? Tsk tsk, he starts doing good deeds right before he dies. How disgusting."
The three were confused. Isn't Mr. Fuji a kind-hearted person?
The shrine maiden continued circling around Ash and finally gazed at Misty with her penetrating eyes. Her cold stare made Misty shudder.
"Granny, I'm a good person," Misty said weakly.
The shrine maiden chuckled and rubbed Misty's head.
"Haha, pure and romantic, with a beautiful blue will."
Hearing this, Misty relaxed, and her impression of the shrine maiden skyrocketed.
"As for you..."
The shrine maiden's gaze fell on Brock, who was standing at the back, and her expression suddenly became extremely serious.
Brock swallowed nervously and took a few steps back.
"Honest and simple, kind and resolute, with a noble character."
Brock's spirits soared hearing that. But before he could say anything, the shrine maiden continued.
"But your will is clouded by impurity, and your future is worrying. If you don't rid yourself of this impurity, I fear you'll end up in trouble, maybe even jail."
Before Brock could protest, Ash jumped in.
"Hey, old lady, I don't like what you're implying. My friend has a will as solid as rock. What impurity? Don't make things up!"
Impurity? What did she mean? Was Brock hiding something?
Before Brock could explode, Misty quickly dragged Ash away, embarrassed. "Old lady, you're absolutely right. Brock is great in every way except for his, uh, impurity. Could you help purify his mind?"
Brock: "??"
The shrine maiden smiled. "Since the young lady insists, young man, you should stay here and let me cleanse your soul."
"I—"
Before Brock could finish, the shrine maiden took out a seal and, with lightning speed, stamped it on his forehead.
As the seal was removed, Brock instantly lost consciousness, his eyes closing as he fell asleep while standing. His forehead now bore a red seal with two large characters: "Abstain."
"Don't worry. I'll just send his soul to a sacred place in the East. There, his soul will be purified."
The shrine maiden laughed.
Ash and Misty, relieved, figured as long as Brock was safe, it was fine.
"As for you two..." the shrine maiden said.
Ash quickly replied, "Oh, we're just taking Caracara up the tower to burn some incense for my best friend, Gary, who passed away not long ago."
The shrine maiden raised an eyebrow. The guest she'd received three hours ago, who also had two hearts, was also called Gary, wasn't he?
Is this how youngsters make friends now? Even if he's still alive, they burn incense for him to express their friendship?
Weirdly touching.
"But the Pokémon upstairs haven't been friendly lately. If you find yourselves in danger, that green barrier will protect you."
Before they left, the shrine maiden suddenly sighed.
No wonder the Pokémon were rioting. Those with Psychic and Ghost attributes can foresee danger, and recently, members of the Rainbow Group had come to town. They said the Pokémon Tower was unlucky and wanted to tear it down to build a radio station to spread positivity.
Even her psychic abilities couldn't stop the power of capital.
As the two climbed the stairs, the shrine maiden suddenly felt a cool breeze, and her eyes blurred. When she looked at her desk again, something was missing.
"Hey, where's my fan?"
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