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Although Sato wasn't sure whether the middle-aged man in front of him was truly insane or just pretending, from the current situation, he found himself surprisingly invested as an observer, quietly listening to the man recount his story of lingering bonds between the living and the dead.
In truth, Sato didn't think the man was crazy. Rather, the man seemed to severely lack a sense of security. He was usually quiet and withdrawn, cooped up alone in that gloomy, chilling house—his emotions had clearly been repressed for far too long.
Now that he had arrived at this place, one he built with his own hands, he probably felt a rare sense of safety. Coupled with having Sato as an audience, the urge to finally open up became irresistible.
Sato guessed that even if he hadn't shown up today, the man would've acted the same once he arrived. It looked like he was talking to Sato, but in truth, it was more like talking to himself.
This was likely the method the man used to relieve his inner pressure—perhaps the only reason he hadn't mentally broken down yet.
Sato knew well that people who dealt with Ghost-type Pokémon like this man rarely met a good end. They either lost their minds early or died young.
After all, when you hang around the riverbank long enough, you're bound to get your feet wet. Ghost-types are not to be trifled with. Once haunted by a true specter—a thousand-year-old ghost—an ordinary person can't rely solely on Pokémon to fend off those evil spirits.
So, while playing the part of a thoughtful listener to the middle-aged man, Sato also quietly observed the collection of Ghost-type Pokémon housed in the underground museum.
So far, three Ghost-types had drawn Sato's attention. Unsurprisingly, these three appeared to be the most outstanding specimens in the entire collection.
The details of the three Ghost-types were as follows:
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Pokémon: Shuppet
Level: 17
Type: Ghost
Ability: Insomnia
Gender: Female
Known Moves:Knock Off, Screech, Grudge, Night Shade, Shadow Sneak, Will-O-Wisp
Egg Moves:Scary Face, Confuse Ray
Tutor Moves:Phantom Force
TMs: None
Held Item: None
IVs: (out of 31)
HP: 30
Attack: 31
Defense: 26
Special Attack: 30
Special Defense: 28
Speed: 30
Overall IV Rating: Gold (Total IV: 175)
.....
Pokémon: Duskull
Level: 28
Type: Ghost
Ability: Levitate
Gender: Male
Known Moves:Leer, Night Shade, Disable, Astonish, Foresight, Shadow Sneak, Pursuit, Will-O-Wisp
Egg Moves:Destiny Bond, Grudge
Tutor Moves:Shadow Ball
TMs: None
Held Item: None
IVs: (out of 31)
HP: 31
Attack: 29
Defense: 31
Special Attack: 28
Special Defense: 31
Speed: 30
Overall IV Rating: Gold (Total IV: 180)
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Pokémon: Phantump
Level: 13
Type: Ghost/Grass
Ability: Natural Cure
Gender: Female
Known Moves:Tackle, Confuse Ray, Astonish, Growth, Ingrain
Egg Moves: None
Tutor Moves:Giga Drain, Seed Bomb
TMs Taught: None
Held Item: None
IVs: (out of 31)
HP: 30
Attack: 30
Defense: 29
Special Attack: 29
Special Defense: 30
Speed: 28
Overall IV Rating: Gold (Total IV: 176)
.....
Among the three, Duskull was clearly the best in terms of raw potential. However, its level was too high compared to Shuppet and Phantump, which significantly limited its room for growth.
Since Sato possessed the Grimoire of Dark Spirits, his ideal Ghost-type partner needed to be not only high in potential but also highly moldable.
With that in mind, Duskull was the first to be eliminated.
Next came the comparison between Shuppet and Phantump. When it came to long-term potential, Shuppet, which could eventually Mega Evolve, clearly outclassed Phantump, who only had a two-stage evolution line.
But Sato felt a strong personal dislike toward Shuppet, a Ghost-type that fed on human grudges.
According to what he had read in the Grimoire of Dark Spirits, among all Ghost-type Pokémon species, Shuppet's line produced the most rebels and traitors.
It made sense: Pokémon that grow by feeding on human resentment naturally harbor deep hostility toward living beings. No matter how kind their Trainer is, it's extremely difficult to change their nature.
As for Banette, Shuppet's evolved form—it was downright malicious. A naturally malevolent Ghost-type, it bore animosity toward all living things and often engaged in cursing others just to cause harm, even at no benefit to itself.
Out of ten Trainers who raised Shuppet, at least half would end up being betrayed or harmed by it. In simple terms, this species was born to bite the hand that feeds it.
And so, Sato decisively eliminated Shuppet from his list.
That left only Phantump.
Sato had a relatively positive view of the Ghost/Grass-type Phantump. Among Ghost-types, they were among the more approachable ones.
Thanks to their Grass-typing, Phantump could live healthily just by drawing nutrients from the soil and through photosynthesis, without needing to drain life energy from other beings.
Moreover, their kind often helped protect forests and the creatures living within, so both Pokémon and humans generally viewed them as benevolent spirits.
However, raising this species was extremely risky. No—more accurately, it was dangerous in the extreme.
While Trevenant, Phantump's evolved form, was also not innately evil, if it ever tasted life energy even once, its once-benign nature would begin to erode. It would slowly become bloodthirsty and malevolent.
Stories of tree witches from otherworldly realms often referred to Trevenant. To them, life energy was like a drug—once addicted, they couldn't stop.
A corrupted Trevenant could wreak havoc across an entire region. Any living being that entered its forest territory would be drained into a desiccated husk, and their souls would be eternally bound to its branches.
Unless the Trevenant was killed, those trapped souls would never find peace, suffering torment day and night.
These tormented, twisted souls would often give rise to even more malicious Ghost-types, drawing flocks of other Ghost Pokémon to join the corrupted Trevenant.
A single fallen Trevenant could quickly destroy an entire forest, transforming it into a paradise for evil Ghost-types.
And thanks to their access to moves like Phantom Force, Trevenant could even drag their ghostly paradise into an alternate dimension, making it near impossible for outsiders to find and eradicate them.
That's why the Grimoire of Dark Spirits explicitly warned future generations never to raise this species.
Consequently, the book contained very little information on how to train Phantump—aside from detailed warnings on the dangers they posed.
In the end, Sato could only sigh and eliminate Phantump from consideration as well. Just like that, he had ruled out all three Gold-ranked Ghost-types in the underground museum through sheer process of elimination.
"As expected… among Ghost-types, the most worthwhile to raise are still members of the Gastly line. But what's going on here? Out of more than a hundred Ghost-types, there are only three from the Gastly family—and their levels are ridiculously high."
Sato mentally grumbled as he crossed off the last of the three Gold-tier Ghost-types. He glanced around at the Ghost-types displayed in glass cases nearby, feeling somewhat exasperated.
Perhaps it was because Gastly were considered the most common and cheapest Ghost-types—ironically, they were also the least represented in the middle-aged man's collection.
Ultimately, Sato shifted his focus to another Ghost-type that he believed had great potential. In his memory, this one wore a necklace of shiny beads around its neck and had a slightly mischievous look to it.
Currently, this Pokémon was only Level 1.