The characteristic of Dusclops is a relatively rare sense of oppression. From the beginning of the battle, Haunter felt a heavy pressure on him, preventing him from exerting his full power, making him feel powerless.
But after completing the Ability swap, that feeling disappeared.
Dusclops now bore the pressure that had been weighing on Haunter.
Then, a strong psychic fluctuation surged through Haunter's body.
Black spheres formed around Dusclops' body, and under Haunter's control, they shot forward in unison.
"Roar!!"
Dusclops howled in pain.
Haunter had already learned how to use Psychic, but since the team already had a Pokémon proficient in psychic powers, there had been little opportunity for Haunter to use it.
Moreover, after spending so much time with Slowking, Haunter had learned a lot about controlling Psychic through observation.
Dusclops' fists condensed a dark, trap-like energy and swung straight at Haunter.
"Slow speed, high physical and special defense, strong physical attack—definitely a unique Ghost-type Pokémon."
Even as Aoki analyzed the situation, he didn't delay his command. "Keep your distance! Use continuous Shadow Ball attacks!"
With Haunter's speed, dodging Dusclops' attack was relatively easy.
Especially since this was a wild Dusclops—without a Trainer to direct it, there were no tactics. It simply attacked on instinct.
This may have also been due to the innate nature of Dusclops.
Haunter widened the distance again and formed two dark energy spheres in his claws.
Ghost-type Pokémon and Dragon-type Pokémon are the only ones weak to their own typing.
A Shadow Ball from Haunter would deal double damage to the Ghost-type Dusclops.
With Haunter's speed advantage,
The slow-moving Dusclops, lacking any specialized battle techniques, quickly fell to Haunter's attacks.
As Aoki watched the defeated Dusclops collapse, he frowned.
Not because it was strange for Haunter to defeat Dusclops, but because the surrounding Ghost energy seemed to be growing stronger.
And as time passed, the energy of the Ghost-type only became denser.
As a psychic, Aoki could perceive these shifts.
"Jie Jie!!"
As a Ghost-type Pokémon, Haunter was much more sensitive to environmental changes than Aoki.
He floated close to Aoki, ready to react to any unexpected situations.
Misdreavus, on the other hand, acted like a carefree child, its small red eyes flickering as it curiously glanced around.
"Woo~~"
Suddenly, Misdreavus pointed at something.
Aoki followed its direction and spotted a figure standing atop a pile of rocks nearby. Though the figure's face was unclear, its posture suggested that it was watching him.
Frowning, Aoki considered whether this figure had anything to do with the increasing density of Ghost energy.
As if to confirm his suspicions, Ghost-type Pokémon began appearing around him.
Gastly, Haunter, Banette, Shuppet, and even their evolutions, Dusclops and Dusknoir.
Their numbers were growing, keeping their distance but surrounding Aoki's group.
The Ghost Pokémon wore their usual eerie grins, as if they had discovered something fascinating.
The figure slowly approached Aoki.
As they closed the distance, Aoki was able to make out their appearance.
A pair of blue eyes, short black hair, and two red flowers tucked near their cheeks. They wore a long blue robe and walked barefoot.
Most notably, their complexion was darker than usual.
No wonder Aoki had trouble seeing them earlier.
In this dim environment, a person with their skin tone could almost blend into the shadows—like a real ghost.
However, upon recognizing the attire, Aoki's pupils shrank slightly.
When he first entered Mt. Pyre, he had considered the possibility of running into Phoebe, one of the Elite Four of Hoenn.
He had merely entertained the thought—but now, here she was.
Phoebe's deep blue eyes showed no trace of warmth as she steadily approached Aoki.
She stared directly at him, wrinkled her small nose, and asked in a questioning tone, "Why did you attack Xiaoling? Don't you know this area is off-limits?"
Xiaoling?
Was she referring to the defeated Dusclops?
The fallen Dusclops slowly opened its eyes.
It no longer held its previous hostility. Upon seeing Phoebe, it looked as if it had found salvation and quickly floated over, chattering and complaining.
Listening to Dusclops, Phoebe frowned. "Hey, I asked you, why did you attack Xiaoling? She said it hurt."
Aoki frowned, pondered for a moment, then finally said, "Ask her who made the first move."
Phoebe turned to Dusclops, her eyes suddenly glowing red.
Upon seeing the red light in Phoebe's eyes and sensing the familiar fluctuations of psychic energy, Aoki understood.
It turns out that after becoming an Elite Four member, Phoebe wasn't simply communicating with Ghost-type Pokémon through some mysterious power or because she was rumored to be the 'daughter of ghosts'—she was actually using Telepathy.
Dusclops looked flustered at being questioned.
But in the end, she told the truth.
After hearing Dusclops' explanation, Phoebe scratched the back of her head, looking a little embarrassed. "Ah… so Xiaoling was the one at fault. This little one just finished evolving and got a little too excited. I kept telling her to stay put, but she ran off on her own. When she saw you, she wanted to battle, but she got defeated instead."
With that, Phoebe quickly bowed to Aoki and said, "Sorry! I apologize on Xiaoling's behalf."
Hearing Phoebe's explanation, Aoki understood why the Dusclops had fought so chaotically.
It had been battling blindly, using whatever move came to mind—without any strategy to counter Haunter's attacks.