Xia You and the others also entered the crowd, slowly moving forward with the other tourists.
The street was lined with two rows of stalls selling various delicious snacks and other trinkets. Seeing Ash's interest, Xia You bought some snacks to share with everyone.
When he saw Xiao Xia stop in front of a jewelry stall and then quietly leave, Xia You walked to the stall, carefully selected a hairpin, and gave it to Xiao Xia.
Xiao Xia had a smile on her face. Although she didn't say much, her expression showed that she really liked the gift.
This year's festival, like previous years, was very lively. They walked a bit further and even saw a woman in elaborate attire dancing an exotic dance to the music and the cheers of the crowd.
However, unlike the relaxed Xia You and his two companions, Brock was not in the mood to play. He followed behind with his head down, looking lovesick, clearly still thinking about the woman at the pier. He was even muttering something softly to himself.
"Please wait a moment!"
A old yet strong voice suddenly sounded behind them.
Xia You turned around and saw an Old Woman with white hair, less than a meter tall, holding a cane, and wearing a purple robe.
This Old Woman had a large mouth and very dry skin, and her eyes, in particular, looked quite sharp.
Brock, who was still immersed in the woman's beauty, was startled by the Old Woman's appearance when he turned around. Caught off guard, he fell backward onto the ground.
"Wow! A dry... shriveled old Kappa appeared!"
"Who's a Kappa!?" The Old Woman snapped, then her gaze swept back and forth between Xia You and Brock, and she said mysteriously, "Listen up, you must be very careful of beautiful women, or else you'll have bad luck today!"
"What are you talking about!" Xiao Xia pouted, quickly glanced at Xia You, and said a little awkwardly, "How could I possibly bring him bad luck!"
"Idiot!" The Old Woman shouted, "I'm talking about beautiful women, not a wet-behind-the-ears little girl like you!"
"What!? You call me a little girl!" Xiao Xia instantly bristled, clearly, this remark hit a nerve.
Meanwhile, Brock looked thoughtful after hearing the Old Woman's advice. Only Xia You, knowing that she was actually a fake form created by Gastly, and that she was merely targeting them, just smiled it off and didn't pay much attention to her words.
However, Xiao Xia didn't want such a rare festival trip to be ruined by this Old Woman.
"What nonsense! Alright, let's not pay any more attention to her, let's just leave quickly."
Saying that, she pushed Xia You's back with one hand and tugged Brock's ear with the other, then turned and left the area.
The end point of this festival was a shrine at the end of the town.
When Xia You and the others arrived at the shrine with the crowd, they saw an Old Shinto Priest striking the hourly bell and drum.
"Everyone, quiet down! The treasure of the Maiden's Shrine is about to be displayed!"
Next to the Old Shinto Priest, a scroll was erected, but it was covered with a white cloth, preventing anyone from seeing what was painted on it.
People surrounded the shrine, listening as the Old Shinto Priest continued, "This painting is a secret treasure that has been passed down in our Maiden's Shrine for two thousand years. It is only exhibited once a year during the summer festival. Now, please enjoy it, esteemed guests!"
Saying that, he pulled off the white cloth, fully revealing the scroll to everyone.
The painting depicted a full-body portrait of a woman. Her eyes looked forward, and her hands were placed in front of her chest, as if she was performing some kind of prayer.
Although this painting was only in black and white and lacked other colors, it still made people feel the woman's beauty and deep sorrow.
Beside them, Brock was greatly surprised because the beautiful woman in the portrait was the very same woman in the white dress he had seen at the small pier that afternoon!
The Old Shinto Priest's voice, like a narration, echoed in people's ears: "Two thousand years ago, there was a young couple who loved each other deeply. But because of war, the man had to be conscripted into the army and went to sea to fight. Before he left, he promised that he would return triumphantly after the war was won.
And so, the woman waited for many years, but in the end, her man never returned. The endless waiting caused her to turn into a rock, standing on the cliff, still waiting for her man to this day."
This was indeed a sad legend, and after hearing it, people's moods couldn't help but become somber.
At this moment, Brock, as if possessed, suddenly asked, "Then, may I ask, where is that rock now!?"
"Huh?" The Old Shinto Priest was surprised, "Don't you know Maiden's Rock?"
...
Night covered the land.
On the cliff by the sea, a wooden house stood alone.
When Xia You and the others walked up the rugged mountain path to the cliff, and bypassed the wooden house, they immediately saw a stone statue of a woman situated on a detached cliff face.
After an unknown number of years, this stone statue seemed to have become one with the cliff.
Waves crashed against the reefs, and in the distance were the myriad lights of Maiden's Peak town. Even though they were far from the town, they could still faintly hear the festive and joyful sounds of the festival coming from there.
And here, it seemed, just like the legend, was filled with desolation.
Looking at Maiden's Rock, Xiao Xia whispered, "Do you think this rock really is that woman transformed?"
"Who knows," Xia You shook his head, "At least I don't see any signs of artificial carving."
It was already ten o'clock at night. Dark clouds suddenly covered the moon in the sky, and a gentle breeze blew, bringing a chilling coolness.
Following his intuition, perhaps feeling that something was about to happen, Xia You took out two Poké Balls. With a flash of blue light, Charmander and Jolteon appeared at his feet.
The firelight on Charmander's tail and the occasional flashes of electricity on Jolteon's body not only illuminated their surroundings but also made him feel especially at ease.
"There's nothing to see here anyway, let's go back to town."
Compared to the lively street, Xiao Xia naturally didn't want to stay here long. However, she didn't expect that as soon as she turned around, she saw the door of the small house behind her slowly opening.
Creak...
At first, she thought the wind had blown the door open. However, in the next second, a glowing, blurry figure suddenly floated out from inside.
"Ah! It's a ghost!!"