The temple fair in Maiden Gorge was bustling with all sorts of things, and Xiao Zhi, the ultimate big spender, was going all out. Xia looked at a small trinket? Buy! Xiao Huang glanced at a piece of craftwork? Buy! Xiao Ju looked at a Pikachu plushie? Buy! Anything a girl looked at, Xiao Zhi would buy it. Because of this, Xiao Zhi and his companions were the most welcome guests in the shops. There was no other way, this guy was a big shot.
“Meowth, do you feel like we might have forgotten something?”
“Don’t know meow, can the boss give us another five skewers of fish?”
“No problem, boss, another five skewers!”
“Right away!”
As Xiao Zhi and his friends were having fun, a voice called out to Xiao Zhi.
“Young man, wait a moment.”
“Huh? Old lady, what do you need?” Xiao Zhi turned around and saw the Ghost-type Pokémon playing the role of the old lady. The old lady was using a magnifying glass to carefully examine Xiao Zhi’s appearance, even going so far as to sniff his scent.
“It can’t be, it really is you?”
“I said, old lady, what’s the matter…” Xiao Zhi was speechless as the Ghost-type kept observing him. Was it attracted to handsome guys? After Xiao Zhi reminded her, the old lady finally reacted, saying, “Young man, it’s not that I have something to tell you, but that you have something to worry about! I can see bad things, you’ve been targeted. Remember my words, be careful of beautiful women!”
As soon as he heard the old lady’s words, Xiao Zhi immediately picked up Xiao Huang and moved a little away from Xiao Ju and Xia.
“My wife and Xia are going to do something bad to me?! It seems that the adorable Xiao Huang is the most reassuring, after all?!”
Xiao Huang blushed at what Xiao Zhi said, while Xiao Ju and Xia, faces red, pinched Xiao Zhi’s soft flesh and said, “What do you mean we’re going to do something bad to you?!” *2
Although they said this, Xiao Ju and Xia were in a good mood. After all, they were called beautiful women by Xiao Zhi. The Ghost-type playing the old lady looked at this dazzling flashbang with a speechless expression.
“Damn it, I don’t like eating dog food…” Then, it silently walked away.
Although Xiao Zhi was curious why the Ghost-type was looking for him, he decided not to think about it since he figured it was a good guy. Later, Xiao Zhi and his friends finally ran into Xiao Gang, but Xiao Gang’s expression was a bit dazed. Though they were curious about what was wrong with him, they continued sightseeing as he seemed fine. Next came the main event, and Xiao Zhi’s group went to a storyteller and fortune-teller to hear the legend of Maiden Gorge.
“Open for business! The legend of Maiden Shrine, passed down for two thousand years! Please enjoy!” The fortune-teller spread out a piece of paper with a portrait of a young girl on it. Upon seeing the portrait, Xiao Zhi felt a headache, but it quickly subsided.
But Xiao Gang, who had been dazed earlier, and Team Rocket’s Kojiro were completely mesmerized. If the fortune-teller hadn’t been holding their faces, Xiao Zhi suspected they might have licked the portrait.
The fortune-teller held their faces as he said, “This maiden is the one from Maiden Rock, someone from a thousand years ago.”
“A thousand years ago?” *N
“That’s right, a long time ago, before there were Poké Balls. The maiden had a man she loved dearly, but he left for something more precious. The maiden waited for him, hoping he would come back, but he never did…” The fortune-teller stopped there. Xiao Zhi raised his hand and asked, “So, what was this so-called more precious thing?”
“The world…”
“The world? Dominating the world?” Xiao Zhi was confused. His question struck a chord with everyone, but the fortune-teller shook his head and said, “No, that man loved this world dearly, so he sacrificed himself for the world, bringing peace.”
Xiao Zhi was even more interested. This didn’t seem to match what he remembered. Maybe his memories were scrambled?
As Xiao Zhi was thinking this, the fortune-teller said, “That man was actually very famous, he was the Aura Warrior Arang. He and his Lucario stopped the war, but the cost was his own life. As he was about to fade away, ‘God’ asked him why he had made this choice, and the man just smiled and answered, ‘Because I love this world so much, so what’s the matter with paying for my love with my life?’”
“Oh, Aura Warrior Arang? But wasn’t that a fake name?” Xiao Ju seemed to know something and shared what she knew, and the fortune-teller nodded. “That’s right, no one knows Arang’s real name. Some legends say Arang himself was brought here by God, and God sent him back. Who knows? But since you guys seem to know a lot, I’ll show you. This is Arang’s portrait that was preserved, preserved by Pokémon using a special method!”
The fortune-teller brought out a portrait of a man, but upon seeing it, Xiao Ju and the Team Rocket trio were stunned.
“Xiao Zhi/Xiao Zhi-ge/Stinky Brat?!” *N
That’s right! Arang’s appearance was exactly like Xiao Zhi’s now, except for the hat, but it was more like how he would look in a suit, because that unique mature aura coming off the portrait was only present in Xiao Zhi after he changed clothes.
Looking at the portrait, Xiao Zhi couldn’t help but say, “He’s pretty handsome, but he was a fool for not cherishing his life.”
The fortune-teller didn’t get angry at Xiao Zhi’s words, but said meaningfully, “Maybe you’re right, maybe he was a fool.”
In the end, they didn’t figure out what was going on, but the fortune-teller told them to go see Maiden Rock. Xiao Zhi went there, but he was fine, while Xiao Gang and Kojiro became obsessed with getting closer to Maiden Rock. Xiao Zhi, Xiao Ju, and the others were helpless.