Chapter 84: Gastone

“Ulterior motives? If anyone has ulterior motives, it’s you! Where’s Anzu?” Misty challenged at once after hearing Gastly’s words.

At the same time, she released both Starmie and Psyduck from their Poké Balls.

“You despicable humans… You must be up to something, Gastly!” Haunter retorted, no less forceful in its tone.

At that moment, Amu interrupted the increasingly tangled exchange between Haunter and Misty, asking directly, “What exactly did you discover? Did you notice anything wrong with Miss Anzu?”

“Hmph! She… she wants to go into Mt. Moon, Gastly…” Haunter’s bravado seemed to falter as it spoke.

“So what if she goes into Mt. Moon? I’m going in too!” Misty shot back immediately.

“I… you… That’s not the same, Gastly!” Haunter looked quite flustered.

“Alright, calm down a little, Haunter…” Amu attempted to soothe it using his Animal Empathy.

But the initial affinity bonus granted by the Beast Tamer ability had little effect on a Pokémon as shrewd and perceptive as Haunter. It worked much better on those dopey, instinct-driven creatures.

Especially this particular Haunter—it was exceptionally worldly, almost like a seasoned trickster!

“Mt. Moon… Is something going on right now?” Amu recalled that Professor Ogi had specifically emphasized mid-May, which surely carried some significance.

Originally, Amu hadn’t given it much thought, assuming it was simply the local wild Pokémon’s breeding season.

But with Anzu’s arrival, Amu felt compelled to pay closer attention—Anzu’s father, Koga, the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City, was nothing remarkable in the games and anime. However… in the manga, especially the Special arc, Koga was actually one of Team Rocket’s top three executives!

Even Anzu herself was a member of Team Rocket in the manga. That made her motives here worth watching.

Of course, Amu couldn’t be sure whether Koga and Anzu in this world had any connection to Team Rocket…

“You really don’t know, Gastly? Tsk tsk, on the full moon in May, the foolish Clefairies and the foolish Haunters of Mt. Moon all undergo mass evolution, Gastly!” Haunter sneered.

“Mass evolution? Wait, but Clefairy needs a Moon Stone to evolve, doesn’t it? And for Haunter to evolve…” Amu’s face showed a trace of confusion.

For Haunter to evolve into Gengar, the process was even more complicated.

According to trainers’ accumulated knowledge, you had to let Haunter dwell in your own shadow for extended periods…

By keeping Haunter in constant contact with the aura of life, there was a chance it might eventually acquire a physical form and evolve into Gengar—both Gastly and Haunter were nearly weightless, but Gengar, in its final form, would possess a solid body, averaging around forty kilograms.

“Primeval Evolution.”

Not only did this require the trainer to have a particularly strong life force, but the bond between them had to be deep enough as well!

Otherwise, after a few days, the trainer would become frail and sickly, unable to endure the strain…

As for wild Gengar, they were exceedingly rare—there was still no consensus on how they evolved in the wild. In fact, most wild Haunters had no idea how to evolve at all.

This particular Haunter seemed to know something, but had no intention of explaining.

“Foolish Haunter?” Misty looked at the Haunter who had just insulted her in bewilderment.

Haunter, who had been silent, quickly retorted angrily, “I’m talking about the other Haunters, not myself, Gastly!”

“So… besides Clefairy, there are a lot of Haunters in Mt. Moon? What’s going on with the other Haunters and Clefairies?” Amu pressed, puzzled.

Haunter shot him a glance, then beckoned him closer with one floating ghostly hand.

Though Amu hadn’t managed to communicate with Haunter through Animal Empathy, he could at least sense it meant no harm, so he approached under Misty’s worried and dissatisfied gaze.

Haunter’s head drifted close to Amu’s ear and whispered slyly, “None of your business, Gastly!”

Amu: …

“Hehehehe…”

Seeing Amu’s speechless expression, Haunter cackled with delight.

“Gengar, prepare a Shadow Ball…”

“Wait! Haunter’s actually a good kid!” The innkeeper suddenly called out.

Amu glanced at the old lady, flipping the Poké Ball in his hand.

“Hey! I’m not some Ghost-type Pokémon in disguise! Boy, don’t be so rude!” The old lady bellowed at once.

“How could I ever think such a thing… Hahaha.” Amu turned his head aside.

Truthfully, he had just suspected that for a moment.

“So this is a den of thieves and murderers, isn’t it!” Misty accused immediately.

“You little brat, don’t go making wild accusations! Our inn has been open for a hundred years, and not a single person has ever died here!” the old lady declared indignantly.

Amu: …

Not a single death… Isn’t that a rather low bar to set?

Unless you regularly host Detective Conan, is that really something to brag about?

Supporting her back, the old woman continued in a gentler tone, “When I was little, I lived here at the foot of Mt. Moon with my grandparents, who opened this inn…”

Just then, the real Tsukihi—the old woman’s granddaughter—came out as well, flashing Amu and Misty a sheepish yet playful little tongue.

Indeed, Tsukihi did exist as they had seen earlier—Haunter’s illusions weren’t so much tricks as they were manipulations of the mind, usually not able to conjure a whole person. When a full head appeared, it was its doing.

“Huh? There really has been a hundred years?” Amu had always suspected the old lady was bluffing.

After a glare from the old woman, he fell silent and let her continue.

In truth, the hot spring inn had stood for a full century.

In the early days, few people came to Mt. Moon. A hundred years ago, Pewter City was still a small town, the surrounding fossil pits hadn’t been excavated, and the population centers in Kanto lay much farther south than they do now.

Back then, the Yuusen Hot Springs Inn was one of the few places at the base of Mt. Moon where travelers could rest and resupply. For generations, they had been close to the Clefairy and Gastly families who lived on the mountain.

Sometimes Gastly, Haunter, or even Gengar would hide in the inn, scaring off Pokémon hunters with questionable intentions…

But as human settlements expanded—especially after Pewter City’s rise—Mt. Moon saw increasing foot traffic, and about thirty years ago, a precious mineral was discovered in the mountain, creating a mining district.

This, in turn, disrupted the Clefable and Gengar families in the mountain.

At first, they drove off the miners with mischief. But in time… there were even cases of miners falling from cliffs!

Though no one died, there were incidents of serious injury and disability.

After an investigation by the Officer Jenny clan, the mining district was permanently shut down and the interior of Mt. Moon was designated a protected area.

That much was known to the outside world, but as a long-time resident, the innkeeper knew the inside story.

The one who incited the worst of the incidents was this very Haunter before them. Still, it was only trying to protect its home from disturbance, so it never accepted the blame from its fellow ghosts. In a fit of anger, it left Mt. Moon entirely…

Rumors of ghosts at the inn spread, and gradually fewer people stayed there. Naturally, no other Gastly or Haunter bothered hiding out to scare people.

But a few days ago, this Haunter had apparently heard something and returned to the Yuusen Hot Springs Inn, hoping the innkeeper would help it…