Chapter 66: Shall I Send You to a Purity Camp?

"Hurry up, hurry up..."

Along the way, Brock kept urging the other two to quicken their pace.

He had done his homework thoroughly; the Pokémon Tower was guarded by generations of shrine maidens.

What was a shrine maiden?

White robes, red skirts, gentle and refined expressions, coupled with a mysterious and noble aura, and offering a soft smile when facing visitors—just the thought of it made him overwhelmingly excited.

Big sisters, I am coming!

The three of them had no choice but to quicken their steps.

...

Viewed from afar, the Pokémon Tower looked more like a grand cathedral, wide and tall. The fog here was also the thickest, and an eerie chill could be easily felt even by the three standing outside.

Seeing the other two standing hesitatingly at the entrance like cowards, Brock gave them both a hard shove inside.

"Hurry up, the first floor is completely safe, what are you chickenheads afraid of!"

The three of them stepped into the Pokémon Tower.

Looking around, the space on the first floor was vast, stretching beyond the limit of sight. It was brightly lit, which somewhat restored their courage.

The floor was paved with purple and white tiles in a strange pattern, somewhat unsettling to look at for too long.

However, the first floor was just a spacious open area with no tombstones in sight, which meant memorial rites must be held on the upper levels.

Most surprisingly, not far away in the middle section of the room, a green square nearly three square meters in size was actually engraved on the floor. A green light shot straight up from the ground to the ceiling, seemingly forming a bizarre barrier of light.

"Greetings, three guests."

A voice came from the side. Brock whipped his head around, his tongue practically hanging out.

It was a shrine maiden big sister!

White robe, red skirt, long silver hair...

The next second, his eyes popped out of his sockets.

Shrine maiden.

Big... granny?

Damn it!

How did the graceful shrine maiden big sister he was promised turn into an old granny in her seventies or eighties!

This old shrine maiden had a slightly hunched posture, withered and skinny skin, drooping eyes, and a frightening hooked nose. She was holding a candle in her hand, making her look like an old witch straight out of a ghost storybook.

Ash scratched his head. Wasn't this place brightly lit? Why on earth were you holding a candle like you were burning incense for the dead?

Was she trying to be more down-to-earth?

"Travelers from afar, let me take a look at you..."

The old crone stood on ceremony with no one. Holding the candle in one hand, she reached out her other hand to pat Ash's pectoral muscles, her mouth suddenly parting in a chuckle that scared Ash into retreating repeatedly.

"The young man has fine pectoral muscles... passionate and full of vigor, rare to possess such a pure and innocent heart..."

Hearing this, Ash's favorability rating for the old crone maxed out instantly. He scratched the back of his head and said sheepishly:

"Granny, you sure know how to sweet-talk. Why don't you say a few more nice things?"

In the next second, however, the old crone's gaze abruptly shifted, becoming piercingly sharp. An inexplicable sense of being X-rayed made Ash feel as though even the color of his underwear had been seen through, sending chills down his spine that made him shiver uncontrollably.

"My old eyes must be failing me... I didn't expect to encounter another guest with two hearts today..."

The old crone couldn't help letting out a cold chuckle, raising a paper fan-like object from the table. The characters "Exorcism of Demons and Evil" were written across it in bold, making it look like a magical artifact.

"Do you require exorcism services? I am quite adept at delivering wandering souls to salvation..."

Red: "!"

He was connected to Ash via soul perspective, and even he felt a creepy sensation of having his underwear X-rayed under the old crone's gaze.

Especially that paper fan—it was extremely bizarre, capable of slightly disrupting his mental focus.

Danger!

This old hag probably really knew some tricks.

However, what did she mean by "another"?

"No need, no need! I am a successor of materialism and grand science; I don't believe in ghosts, gods, or supernatural powers!"

Ash hastily leaped back. Judging by the old hag's posture, could she actually manage to grant Big Brother Red a premature ascension?

Still, putting that aside, once Big Brother Red ascended, he would be able to legitimately inherit his legacy. Wasn't that actually not such a bad thing?

Red: "..."

This wasn't the first time he had heard the phrase "inheriting his legacy"...

...

Seeing this, the old crone lowered the paper fan, stretched out a finger to hook Pikachu's chin, and wore an expression of admiring a precious treasure.

"This little electrical mouse is destined for extraordinary achievements in the future, bound to soar into the highest heavens..."

"Pika~"

Pikachu scratched its head. Although it was already destined for greatness, hearing someone say it aloud felt pretty good.

The old crone then looked at Cubone standing beside Pikachu.

"This must be that old fool Fuji's Pokémon, tsk tsk, only starting to do good deeds right before death, truly sickening."

The three of them were clueless. Wasn't Mr. Fuji a great philanthropist?

Next, the old crone bypassed Ash and cast her X-ray gaze upon Misty standing behind him, her gloomy look sending a shiver down Misty's spine.

"Granny, I'm a good person..."

Misty prompted weakly.

The old crone smiled softly and rubbed her head:

"Hehe, pure and innocent, possessing a beautiful blue will..."

Hearing this, Misty instantly relaxed, her favorability toward the old crone shooting straight to the maximum.

"As for you..."

The old crone shifted her gaze to Brock at the very back, her expression instantly turning exceptionally solemn and stern.

Brock: "..."

He swallowed hard, took several steps back, and squeezed his eyes into tiny slits in fright.

"Sincere and rustic, kind and steadfast, possessing lofty morals..."

These words made Brock's blood boil with passion. Just as he was about to say something, the old crone continued speaking.

"Yet you are deluded by a yellow will, with a grim and uncertain future. Unless this yellow will is eradicated, you will never progress further in this lifetime, and may even face imprisonment..."

Before Brock could retort, Ash had already jumped in ahead of him.

"Hey, granny, I don't like hearing you talk like that. Teacher Brock is a man with a rock-solid will; what yellow will are you talking about? Don't just spout nonsense!"

Obsessed with yellow?

Was Brock secretly skilled in the Electric type?

Utter gibberish!

Just as he was about to blow his top, Misty quickly dragged hotheaded Ash away and said apologetically:

"Granny, you are so right. Brock is great at everything, except his yellow will is simply too strong. Please use your heaven-reaching methods to thoroughly purify his soul!"

Brock: "?"

"No, I..."

"Since the young lady has said so, young man, stay right here and let the old me properly purify your soul..."

"I am..."

With that, the old crone pulled a stamp out from beneath the cabinet and, before Brock could finish speaking, struck with lightning speed, pressing it right onto his forehead.

As the stamp was lifted, Brock instantly lost consciousness, closing his eyes and standing upright in deep sleep.

Whether he was actually asleep was hard to tell, but his eyes were clamped shut in his usual crescent shape.

Yet on his dark forehead, a red stamp had appeared, bearing two characters written in peculiar ancient scripts:

*No Lust.*

"Do not worry, the old me is merely sending his soul to a mysterious place in the Eastern realm, where his soul will eventually attain sublimation."

The old crone smiled.

Hearing this, the two of them felt relieved. As long as he was fine, it was all good.

"As for the two of you..."

Ash quickly replied:

"Oh, oh, we're just taking Cubone up the tower, and by the way, burning a stick of incense for my dear departed friend Blue, who just died not too long ago."

Hearing this, the old crone's mouth couldn't help twitching downward.

The guest she had received three hours ago, who also possessed two hearts, seemed to be named Blue, right?

Was this how the younger generation made friends nowadays? Burning incense for someone even before they died to express deep affection...?

Rather touching, indeed.

...

"However, the Pokémon on the upper floors haven't been acting very friendly lately. If you encounter danger, that green barrier will protect you..."

Before they set off, the old crone suddenly offered a reminder, and a frown wrinkled her aged brow.

It was no wonder they were growing restless. Pokémon like Psychic and Ghost types were mostly capable of foreseeing danger.

Recently, several members of an organization called Team Rainbow had come to town, claiming that the Pokémon Tower was inauspicious and demanding it be torn down to be rebuilt into a broadcasting station to propagate red positive energy.

They wanted to spread the light of righteousness across the entire Kanto region.

This was undoubtedly an attempt to destroy the very foundation of the spirits, so frequent riots were entirely logical.

Yet, in the end, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Who could possibly stand against the power of capital?

Even with her spiritual powers, the shrine maiden couldn't help letting out a sigh...

Watching the two ascend the stairs, she suddenly felt an inexplicable cold breeze. Her vision blurred, and in the next second, something seemed to be missing from her desk.

"Huh, where is my fan?"

It was enough to give the old crone a headache...

----

(Last day today, begging for recommendation votes and collections!! Please!!)

(Trivia: In the Johto arc, the Pokémon Tower was indeed converted into a radio station...)