After all, she is the future Elite Four of the League, so Aoki still has to show her some respect.
He waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that it didn't matter.
Even if she wasn't a future Elite, with the increasing number of Haunter surrounding him, he still had to be respectful.
She truly had an incredible affinity for Ghost-type Pokémon.
"But this is definitely not the place you should be. Walk along the pile of rocks at the back, and you'll find your way back to the steps leading up the mountain," Phoebe pointed out the path to Aoki.
As she spoke, the surrounding Haunter slowly dispersed, and the concentration of Ghost energy in the air gradually faded.
After giving her directions, Phoebe was about to turn and leave.
"Wait a minute." Aoki stopped her just before she left.
Phoebe turned back with a puzzled expression.
If he had to search on his own, who knew how long it would take to find the entrance to the inner area of Mt. Pyre? But now, wasn't there a perfect guide standing right in front of him?
Phoebe's appearance only made Aoki more certain that the inner area of Mt. Pyre existed.
Aoki called Haunter over and said, "It's time for him to evolve, but he hasn't been able to find a way. I heard that exposure to a strong surge of Ghost energy can trigger his evolution."
Phoebe turned her gaze to Haunter, her eyes lighting up slightly.
This Haunter was exceptionally well-trained.
"So, I wanted to ask, is there a place in Mt. Pyre where Ghost energy is strong enough to help Haunter evolve?" Aoki continued.
Hearing this, Phoebe fell into deep thought.
Her grandparents had always told her not to bring outsiders into the inner area of Mt. Pyre.
They said that ordinary people wouldn't be able to withstand the overwhelming Ghost energy inside, and it could cause irreversible effects on their bodies.
But if Haunter needed a strong surge of Ghost energy to evolve, then the inner area of Mt. Pyre was indeed the best place for it.
And earlier, her Dusclops had attacked Aoki first.
Yet, he hadn't pursued the matter.
That could be considered a favor.
Her grandparents had always said that if someone does you a favor, you should repay them. That was a principle of life.
Should she bring him inside?
As Phoebe was lost in thought, the Mismagius that had been silently following Aoki couldn't hold back anymore.
"Ring, ring, ring~~" The sound of the Soothe Bell echoed through the air, crisp and melodious.
Phoebe's thoughts were interrupted. She looked up and met the small red eyes of Mismagius.
A look of surprise immediately flashed across her face, and she hurriedly ran toward Aoki—or rather, toward Mismagius.
Normally, Mismagius was quite shy and would hide behind Aoki if someone suddenly approached. Even Professor Oak had been an example of this.
But when Phoebe got closer, Mismagius didn't retreat. Instead, she simply looked at the human rushing toward her with a puzzled expression.
There was an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Mismagius didn't reject Phoebe's presence.
Her Ghost-type affinity was truly remarkable.
Aoki couldn't help but sigh.
However, just as Phoebe was about to hug Mismagius, the Pokémon dodged. Though she didn't dislike Phoebe, Mismagius still didn't enjoy being hugged by strangers.
After failing to grab hold of Mismagius, Phoebe noticed how closely the Pokémon stayed beside Aoki.
"Is this Mismagius also your Pokémon?" she asked with a shy smile, realizing her own excitement.
Aoki nodded.
Strictly speaking, Mismagius was indeed his Pokémon, but he couldn't command her in battle just yet.
"Why does she have no presence? If not for the bell on her chest, I wouldn't have noticed her at all," Phoebe remarked.
Then, she closed her eyes and used her unique Psychic powers to sense Mismagius's state.
Her expression quickly changed.
"What… what is this energy?"
Her voice was slightly unsteady.
Even if Mismagius was a Pokémon at the Elite level, there was no reason for her to react like this.
But Phoebe was a future Elite Four member.
She took a moment to compose herself before giving Aoki another glance, as if reevaluating him.
"This Mismagius… has already reached Elite level?" Phoebe asked.
Aoki nodded. "Mismagius was already at that level before following me, but she's quite simple-minded and has never battled."
"I see… then you qualify to enter the inner area of Mt. Pyre," Phoebe said.
She turned and walked deeper into the mountain, with her Banette following alongside her, looking as though it had done something wrong.
Aoki followed behind, with the watchful Haunter at his side and Mismagius curiously observing their surroundings.
"My name is Phoebe. What's yours?"
"Aoki."
"You're an outsider, right? Judging by your team, you don't seem like a Trainer who specializes in Ghost-types."
Aoki nodded.
"Aoki, is the outside world fun?"
"It is."
"Aoki, what's the outside world like? Are there a lot of Pokémon that aren't Ghost-types?"
"Yes."
"Then, Aoki, have you caught other Pokémon? Can I see them?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"..."
"Aoki?"
"..."
After fifteen minutes, Aoki felt like a mosquito was buzzing nonstop in his ear.
Phoebe, who had first seemed cold and quiet, had turned into a total chatterbox after getting comfortable with him.
Most of her questions were about the world beyond Mt. Pyre.
For a girl who had never left the mountain, Aoki couldn't really blame her curiosity.
She was knowledgeable, having learned much from her grandparents, but at the same time, many of her questions were simple—things most people would consider common sense.
Luckily, the entrance to the inner area wasn't far from where they started.
Phoebe stopped in front of a massive rock.
It looked like an ordinary boulder. When Aoki placed his hand on it, it felt just like any other rock.
But when Phoebe extended her hand, a faint ripple appeared on the rock's surface, like water, and her hand passed right through.
Noticing her movement, Aoki saw that a thin layer of Psychic energy covered her hand.
So that's how it worked?
Imitating her, he concentrated his own Psychic energy around his hand and slowly reached toward the rock.
Just like Phoebe, his hand passed straight through.
But at that moment, both Phoebe and her Banette looked at him in shock, as if they had just witnessed something unbelievable.