When you get here, everyone you meet will be accompanied by one or two Ghost-type Pokémon more or less.
But these Trainers who specialize in Ghost Pokémon always have a very tired look and thick dark circles under their eyes.
They are not like the Trainers of other regions, who smile at each other even if they don't know one another. When they see other Trainers, they often avoid eye contact and calmly go about their own business.
Therefore, Trainers who specialize in Ghost Pokémon have more or less some habits that ordinary people find unusual.
Moreover, the number of Trainers specializing in Ghost Pokémon is the smallest among all types.
Aoki didn't let Haunter hide in the shadows anymore, allowing him to follow alongside him.
The Haunter, now in this environment, became very active, and the Ghost energy filling the area made him feel comfortable.
Stepping up the stone steps leading directly up the mountain, although the sun was still high in the sky, the atmosphere always felt a bit gray, and the sunlight lacked warmth.
Aoki knew that Mount Pyre should have an inner area. If Haunter was to evolve properly, then it was best to enter that area, where the Ghost energy would be even stronger.
This place was still considered the outer area of Mount Pyre. While the Ghost energy here was already far richer than in other locations, for Haunter, it only helped with faster recovery. The Ghost energy absorbed from the black stone pillars on Trial Island was much denser.
In other words, the quantity here was sufficient, but the quality was lacking.
When he reached the mountainside, Aoki suddenly stopped.
Taking the stone steps up to the mountain's peak was the easiest route, but so many people had passed through this path without discovering a way into the inner area. Clearly, continuing this way would not yield anything.
Ignoring the sign beside the steps that read "Do not enter unknown areas casually," Aoki stepped off the main path with Haunter.
Walking on the soft grass and glancing at the scattered tombstones, Aoki noticed that the temperature here was noticeably colder than on the steps.
"Haunter, do you sense anything here?" Aoki asked as he glanced at the Pokémon floating beside him.
"Jie Jie~~" Haunter shook his head.
"Then let's keep searching for an area with stronger Ghost energy."
As a Psychic, Aoki could faintly perceive the Ghost energy in the air.
Instinctively, he felt a slight repulsion, but it wasn't enough to stop him from continuing forward.
In the previous areas, there had still been a few people around, but after moving deeper in, the presence of other Trainers became almost nonexistent.
Aoki's heart skipped a beat.
"Misdreavus" he called softly into the air.
"Woo~~" Upon hearing Aoki's call, Misdreavus, who had been hiding in the shadows, eagerly emerged.
When Aoki had first approached Mount Pyre, Misdreavus had already sensed the shift in the surrounding energy and had wanted to come out.
But after the terrifying experience of encountering that Dragonite before, Misdreavus had obediently stayed in hiding, only appearing now when Aoki called her.
Looking at Misdreavus with the Soothe Bell hanging from her chest, Aoki smiled and gently patted her head.
The bond between Misdreavus and Aoki had grown strong, and she wouldn't refuse if he asked her to do something simple.
"Misdreavus, look around and see if there's a place where the Ghost energy is especially strong." Aoki requested.
"Huh?"
Misdreavus blinked in surprise before closing her eyes to sense the surroundings.
Aoki didn't disturb her and let her concentrate.
"Woo!" Suddenly, Misdreavus opened her eyes, looking excited.
She immediately floated in a particular direction.
Aoki, seeing Misdreavus' reaction, didn't hesitate and followed with Haunter.
Soon, after about a minute of floating, they arrived at the location Misdreavus had sensed.
However, it wasn't the entrance to the inner area of Mount Pyre as Aoki had expected, but rather a dark, shadowed section of a rocky outcrop.
A massive boulder stood there, its backside untouched by sunlight for a long time, making it bitterly cold.
The rock's surface was covered with damp moss.
The Ghost energy that Misdreavus had sensed was indeed stronger here than in other areas.
But that was only relative.
"Huh?" Misdreavus began circling around Aoki excitedly.
Seeing her seeking praise, Aoki sighed helplessly and took out a few Pokéblocks to reward her.
It was his fault for not being more specific in his instructions.
However, just as Aoki was about to leave, a shadow suddenly appeared.
Two arms extended forward naturally, with a single red eye in the center, and its entire body was grayish-white.
A Duskull!
It was quite eerie how it just appeared in a place like this.
Previously, on his way here, Aoki had encountered Ghost Pokémon, but most of them were Gastly, Shuppet, or Banette. This was the first time he had seen a Dusclops.
After a brief moment of surprise, the Dusclops suddenly attacked Aoki, only to be blocked by Haunter, who had been following closely.
The System activated immediately, scanning the Dusclop's data.
Pokémon: Dusclops (Green)
Gender: Female
Level: 37
Type: Ghost
Ability: Pressure
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Pain Split, Astonish
Basic Moves: Shadow Punch, Future Sight, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Gravity, Bind, Mean Look, Night Shade, Disable, Spite, Detect, Shadow Sneak, Pursuit, Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray, Curse
Learnt Moves: Snore, Snatch, Grudge
TM Moves: None
A level 37 Dusclops with a green potential rating.
From Aoki's knowledge, Duskull evolves into Dusclops at level 37.
However, Dusclops isn't its final evolution. If a Dusclops is lucky enough to obtain a Reaper Cloth, it can evolve into Dusknoir, a powerful Ghost-type Pokémon.
Dusknoir is also one of the few Ghost Pokémon that excels in physical attacks and dual defenses.
The spot Misdreavus found had abundant Ghost energy. Perhaps this Dusclops evolved here because of it.
Or, alternatively, the Ghost energy in this area might be slightly stronger due to Dusclop's presence.
"Haunter, swap Abilities and use Psychic! Dusclops is slow—keep your distance and don't engage in close combat." Aoki commanded.
"Jie Jie!" Haunter cackled, using its speed to maintain distance from Dusclops.
Then, it activated Skill Swap to switch Abilities with Dusclops.