After appeasing the coquettish Phoebe, the two old men kept their eyes on Aoki and nodded incessantly.
At first glance, he looked pretty good.
Aoki felt a little embarrassed and couldn't shake the feeling that there was something odd about the way these two elders were looking at him.
"I just heard from Phoebe that you're here to help your Haunter evolve into Gengar?" the old man asked. Though his voice was aged, it carried an undeniable energy.
Haunter hovered beside Aoki, observing the surroundings.
Haunter knew exactly why Aoki had brought him here. Watching his teammates evolve one by one had made him envious. Having spent so much time lurking in Aoki's shadow as a guardian, he had started to feel a bit distant from them—even Skorupi, whom he had watched grow up, was beginning to catch up in strength.
Yet, Haunter never complained and diligently fulfilled his duty as Aoki's protector.
Although mischievous in play, he was always reliable in crucial moments.
"Yes, I wanted to ask the two elders if there's a place where Ghost-type energy is particularly abundant, so Haunter can complete his evolution," Aoki asked respectfully.
The two old men exchanged glances again, and a strange fluctuation passed between them.
Aoki subconsciously furrowed his brow.
They were using telepathy, but there was no detectable psychic power radiating from them.
Was their ability truly not a form of psychic power?
Yet, it functioned much the same.
After a few seconds, the white-haired elder rose from his chair and said, "Young man, come with me."
Aoki hesitated.
Was it really that simple?
With a hint of caution, he followed the old man into a cavern.
The moment he stepped inside, the air grew thick with resistance, far beyond normal levels. It reminded Aoki of the oppressive space beneath the black stone pillar on Trial Island.
Mismagius floated ahead of Aoki and the others, eyes gleaming with delight, as if returning home.
"You must have encountered this Mismagius in a place brimming with Ghost energy, correct?" the elder asked.
Hearing the old man's words, Aoki suddenly understood why Phoebe and her grandparents had been so accepting of him—it was because of Mismagius.
"Yes," Aoki replied honestly.
These elders, being so experienced with Ghost Pokémon, had likely already discerned Mismagius's origins. There was no need to conceal anything.
The old man nodded in satisfaction.
They didn't elaborate further. Silence fell over them, broken only by the soft scuffing of their footsteps on stone and the occasional chime from the bell on Mismagius's neck.
The environment here was strikingly similar to that dark space from before, though the Ghost energy wasn't as thick. At least now, with Aoki's current psychic abilities, he could walk through it unhindered.
Haunter and Mismagius naturally began absorbing the surrounding Ghost energy.
Surprisingly, the cavern wasn't as deep as Aoki had expected. Within three minutes, they had reached its deepest chamber.
The Ghost energy here was indeed strong, but Aoki had no idea how it was forming or gathering in this place.
The elder pointed to a small elevated platform in the center. "That's where the Ghost energy is at its densest. If you want your Haunter to evolve, this is the most suitable place."
However, Aoki didn't let Haunter approach immediately. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "May I ask, elder, what is this place? Is it any different from the location where I first encountered Mismagius?"
Hearing Aoki's question, the old man's eyes held a distant look, as if recalling old memories. He made no attempt to hide the truth and answered directly, "This is the heart of Mt. Pyre, or rather, a separate space within it. Long ago, a powerful Pokémon lived here, and this was its home. That high platform is where it once absorbed energy."
"A powerful Pokémon? A legendary Pokémon?" Aoki's heart skipped a beat as he asked.
The old man nodded. "A legendary Pokémon. It has since left, but this place remains. This cavern is the perfect site for Ghost Pokémon to evolve. The Ghost energy across all of Mt. Pyre will gradually gather onto that high platform."
"But don't worry—this energy has accumulated for countless years. Even the legendary Pokémon couldn't absorb it all. At most, Haunter's evolution will only slightly thin the energy here. However, the benefits Haunter will gain are beyond your imagination."
The elder patiently explained everything.
Aoki was naturally wary of outsiders, but for some reason, he sensed no malice from this old man.
Perhaps it was his psychic intuition.
Still, Aoki had to ask, "Pardon my forwardness, elder, but why are you helping me? Do you need my assistance in return?"
His wording was already quite tactful.
The old man's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled. "It's not because of you personally, but rather the legendary Pokémon's connection."
Glancing at Mismagius floating freely in the cavern, he continued, "Your Mismagius is special. It carries the aura of that Pokémon. Though faint and dissipating, we have lived here long enough to still sense it."
"It is a unique ability of ours—outsiders call it psychic power, but it has been intertwined with Ghost energy for so long that it has transformed."
"We can still use telepathy and common psychic techniques, but in essence, our power has changed."
"We call it the power of the Ghost."
Ghost power?
It was essentially a psychic mutation.
A shift in nature itself.
Was it the result of psychic power and Ghost energy merging over time?
Aoki's mind raced. He was well aware of his own psychic talent—one that was unlikely to develop further in the future.
Could this Ghost power help him break past that limitation?
However, Aoki kept these thoughts to himself.
For now, his telepathy was sufficient.
And it seemed Mismagius's presence carried more weight than he initially thought.