Chapter 147 It Is Said

"Sorry, with the weather today, the chances of an accident are simply too high. Even with Dewgong, I cannot take this risk..." the boat owner explained helplessly to Misty.

The weather at sea was truly fickle.

It was still fine around Maiden's Peak town, but looking eastward across the sea, a massive dark cloud was clearly visible right at the mouth of the strait, sealing off the entire exit completely!

Under such weather warnings, even the boat owner who boasted of having three Dewgongs did not dare to venture out to sea.

All other routes were naturally suspended as well...

"It's fine... Actually, I was planning to let you know today, Uncle, that you could stay for another couple of days and not rush to set sail." Misty certainly had no intention of mocking the captain.

Moreover, last night... no, to be precise, early this morning, after that incident occurred, Misty hadn't planned on setting sail today anyway.

For everyone else on the island, although the weather outside the strait was bizarre, the island itself remained relatively fair and sunny with just a stronger breeze, so they continued to "play the music and dance on."

After all, the festival still had two days left, and very few tourists had planned to leave the island today anyway. The tiny fraction of tourists who were delayed and unable to leave smoothly adjusted their moods and decided to stay and enjoy themselves for two more days.

Only the cursed Brock and Shin-chan...

No, to be exact, only Brock's companions and Shin-chan's parents were extremely anxious at the moment, terrified that something else might happen tonight.

As for Brock and Shin-chan, despite being terrified earlier in the morning, they had already plunged back into the logic that "lust is greater than the heavens."

It was hard to tell whether this was entirely due to their inherent nature or if they had been "hypnotized"—it was impossible to define!

As for Arthur, he had already arrived at the Maiden Shrine.

Since the second day of the festival had begun, there was a temple fair during the day as well, so there weren't many people inside the shrine; everyone was busy along the festival street.

Tomorrow, on the actual day of the festival, corresponding events would take place within the shrine.

Walking all the way in, Arthur did not see a single soul until he reached the main hall... where he spotted the old woman from before.

She was currently praying before the statue, and this so-called "statue" was none other than the prayer statue of the maiden.

"Granny, early this morning, my friend... and a little kid, encountered something," Arthur took the initiative to say.

The old woman turned her head, glanced at him, and said, "Come inside and sit."

Without standing on ceremony, Arthur found a cushion and sat right down.

"I said before, any man who sees 'her' will go missing within these three days!" the old woman said in a stern, raspy voice.

"However..." Arthur evidently still felt that Goh had a point.

If it were just an unverified ghost story, it wouldn't matter, but if people really went missing every year, the League and Officer Jenny would have come to investigate long ago, and might even have canceled the festival altogether.

"What I said was... they go missing *within* these three days," the old woman emphasized specifically, seeing that Arthur hadn't been frightened.

"Huh?"

"That is, they disappear one after another over these three days, usually found after the festival ends, and remain out of their minds for a few days..." the old woman said matter-of-factly.

Arthur: ......

Just that?

Looked at this way, that Gastly was truly just putting on a bluff!

If they only went missing for two or three days, it certainly wouldn't cause a massive uproar. After all, in the Pokémon world, there were plenty of "mysterious events" of this magnitude; if anything, it might end up boosting Maiden's Peak's reputation.

"Then, regarding the legend of the maiden..." Arthur still wanted to confirm whether there were any hidden details to this matter.

"A thousand years ago, the Kanto region was in great turmoil. Everywhere there were factions divided by clans, driving Pokémon to attack one another. And the clan that occupied this place back then, while not as powerful as the Senju or Uchiha, was still a heavyweight.

Similarly... while the Uchiha and Senju were plotting the power of legendary Pokémon, the clan here was also acting with a legendary Pokémon as their goal!" The old woman leisurely recounted these records of unknown origin.

"Then, what was the clan here..." Arthur wanted to ask for their specific name.

However, the old woman shook her head and said, "It is already forgotten! Because of that failure a thousand years ago, the elite of the clan here were completely wiped out. Thus, when the era of shinobi villages arrived, they became obscure, and their descendants all perished during the several great wars of the shinobi village era. Otherwise, even without the power of legendary Pokémon, they surely would have been an important clan in Konoha."

Completely wiped out? That sounded rather ominous...

Arthur couldn't help but ask, "Then what legendary Pokémon were they targeting?"

"Celebi," the old woman knew this much at least.

Yet upon hearing this answer, Arthur was completely bewildered—the adorable "Celebi"? The number one "easy to bully" cute legendary Pokémon across various movies?

Even if things in this world couldn't all be referenced from the original work, still...

Was Celebi that ferocious?

"Celebi, the one legendary in myths capable of traveling through the long river of time, absorbing and utilizing time ripples?" Arthur double-checked.

Perhaps picking up on the tone of skepticism in Arthur's voice, the old woman elaborated further: "According to legend, the clan that occupied this place back then dispatched all their elites to a certain small island not far overseas... It is said that time ripples appeared there at the time, and Celebi would manifest there as well!

Yet afterwards, no one knew what happened, except that not a single person returned. And the stone statue you saw by the shore is not some ordinary maiden gazing toward the eastern sea out of love for her partner; she was the chosen one deemed by the clan at that time to be capable of bearing Celebi's power!

Much like... Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha.

There is also another saying that she was naturally able to perceive the power of time ripples, and it was she who sensed the location where the time ripples appeared!

Among those fallen elites, there indeed existed her lover. Some say he was the leader of the clan at the time, others say he was the strongest trainer in the clan, and still others say he was an obscure clansman... In any case, to guide their way back, she over-stimulated the power of the time ripples, resulting in her petrification."

Hearing this, Arthur understood—if this was the final embers of a once-powerful clan, it was hardly surprising that this past had been passed down as a "legend" to this day.

"Then... what do you know about that Gastly?" Arthur suddenly asked.

"Oh my? What Gastly? I know nothing about it..." the old woman said, clearly being disingenuous.

Seeing Arthur remain silent, she added, "Never mind, just wait a couple more days, and your friend will be found..."

"Huh? Wait, my friend didn't go missing. I actually... drove that Gastly away!" Arthur corrected her.

"What?" The old woman suddenly widened her eyes and stared at Arthur, appearing utterly astonished.

After a long while, she slowly withdrew her look of shock and muttered, "So... that's how it is."

Seeing that she seemed to be deep in thought, Arthur did not disturb her. After a moment, the old woman said nothing, stood up straight, and retrieved a small box from beneath the statue...

"It is said... that affair happened exactly one thousand years ago today. And it is said, using this... one can find the place where the time ripples appear. And it is said... the warriors who vanished back then have not yet truly rested in peace."

The old woman handed the box into Arthur's hands, and without another word, she resumed her prayers to the statue, paying him no further heed...

Arthur opened the aged wooden box and peered inside, discovering a headband within. Although shinobi villages did not exist back then, the custom of tying family crests around one's head was already established... Unfortunately, Arthur did not recognize whose clan crest this abstract, minimalist ghost drawing belonged to.