The Ghost's Sacrifice

Of course, Pokémon didn't have to eat Pokéblocks. Ordinary Berries would do, but they weren't nearly as nutritious.

Besides, Dian's Pokémon had battles to fight, training to do, and skills to use. They burned through so much energy every day that Pokéblocks were essential to keeping up their strength and nutrition.

Beedrill's stingers also needed to be rubbed down with Pokéblock powder, while Hoppip's leaves needed good nutrient water to stay hydrated.

Looking from one Pokémon to another, Dian had thought Misdreavus was the cheapest to care for. At least, he had at first...

But this Misdreavus was a glutton. When she worked up an appetite, she could eat two meals in one sitting.

Noticing Dian watching her, Misdreavus tilted her head, then went back to studying the meal ticket in her hands.

The red beads around her neck had grown much duller again.

She still looked as lively as ever, but Dian couldn't help worrying.

That was why he needed to leave soon. He had to find a way to get Misdreavus another meal.

It looked like his meeting with Azisa would have to wait a little longer.

"Ah!"

Screams rang out across the forest.

"Last time, a herd of Stantler charged at anyone they saw. What is it now?!"

The red-haired boy had just been about to have a picnic. After grumbling, he reluctantly stood up. The one screaming was his traveling companion, after all.

He glanced regretfully at the Antler Town specialty in his hand: Stantler Crackers, a delicacy said to have an unbelievable flavor.

He had spent half the day in line just to get a pack...

"Shameless merchants, pulling a purchase-limit stunt! Did they think that would make me line up like a good little customer?"

That was what Dark had thought at first. In the end, he had lined up anyway.

He carefully placed the Senbei in his backpack, even cushioning them with a layer of soft cloth so they wouldn't break.

They were a famous local specialty. If he didn't get to eat a pack intact, he knew the craving would drive him back to buy another.

Dark pushed aside the branches ahead and found his companion Ailan staring forward in terror. The light had almost gone out of her sky-blue eyes, and her body wouldn't stop trembling.

He frowned. What could have frightened her that badly?

"D-D-Dark," Ailan said, her voice shaking. "Guess what I just saw?"

Then she cried out in delight, "A ghost! It was a ghost!"

Ailan sprang to her feet, suddenly radiating excitement. "I knew it! Those apparitions from before had to be the ghosts of Stantler! This is amazing! I love it here!"

Dark's face twitched. He wanted to turn around and enjoy his food. His fantasies about pretty girls had long since been shattered.

He offered up a silent prayer. Ho-Oh, did I pluck your feathers in a past life? What did I do to deserve this?

He had once been a model young man with romantic dreams. Weren't pretty girls supposed to be well-mannered, gentle, kind, and charming?

Why wasn't his traveling companion like that?

When they first met, Dark had thought luck in love had finally found him. It hadn't taken long for him to realize there was something strange about her.

By day, she was listless, uninterested, and unmotivated. But the moment night fell, she came alive, talking to empty air and sometimes even breaking into bizarre dances.

Just as Dark was getting thoroughly creeped out, she had finally explained herself: she was obsessed with ghosts and had no interest in any other living beings. Dark included.

The reason she had chosen to travel with him? He looked rather like a sacrifice... and might attract a ghost's attention.

Dark felt as though the experience had changed him forever. From then on, he kept his distance from pretty girls.

He remembered something his father had once told him in secret: "Dark, never trust what a girl tells you when you're away from home! Especially a pretty one."

His father had looked pained when he said it, as though remembering something he would rather forget.

Dark could almost hear him muttering again. "Damn it, my secret stash is gone again... 'Confess and we'll go easy on you'? More like confess and lose every last penny."

Smack!

While Dark was lost in thought, Ailan seized his hand in an iron grip. "Ailan... I've got something else to do..."

"No!"

Gone was the fragile girl who had been on the ground moments ago. Ailan's expression darkened, though an unreadable smile still lingered on her face. "Dark, you're my precious sacri—companion. How could I leave you behind?"

Dark tried to yank his arm free, but she wouldn't let go. Precious companion? She had meant sacrifice!

Ailan raised an eyebrow and promptly pulled out a Poké Ball painted pitch-black. "Carnivine, Vine Whip!"

A flash of red light revealed a Grass-type Pokémon that looked remarkably like a Venus flytrap and stood nearly as tall as a person.

"Eee!"

Carnivine's white eyes gleamed. Two vines shot out and bound Dark, thoughtfully gagging him as well.

Ailan smiled in satisfaction and patted Carnivine's green head. "Good job. Keep him tied up like that."

With her sacrifice taken care of, she hurried deeper into the woods.

In her years of experience, ghosts usually appeared at night, especially in places far from other people.

She needed to find a good spot at once, then prepare the site and an altar. Only then could she show the ghosts how deeply she revered them.

Dark twisted with all his might, but it did no good. The vines only tightened around him.

He kept struggling, occasionally brushing against the thorns on the vines. An odd expression crossed his face.

Only after they disappeared did Dian step out of the shadows. He stared after them, expressionless and at a loss for words.

The world was full of strange things. If you hadn't seen any, you simply hadn't seen enough.

Should I head back to Misty Forest and gather some more? For a town famous for its Stantler legends, this place has no eerie atmosphere at all. It's taken ages to collect this little energy.

That was what Dian thought, but he was actually fairly satisfied. The beads around Misdreavus's neck had turned red again.

Misdreavus, however, was less pleased. Those two had provided far too little fear.

Despite everything Ailan had said, she really was a little scared. That was why she had insisted on bringing Dark along.

Dark hadn't understood what was going through her mind at all. He truly thought she intended to offer him up as a sacrifice, and it had scared him half to death.