Haunter stared at the small, pink Poffin resting on the dusty mahogany table.
Then, Haunter slowly looked up, his hollow, sorrowful eyes locking onto Eric.
When Eric spoke the exact same words as his master, it finally clicked for him. His master was long gone.
The illusion the ghost had been maintaining for nearly a century finally cracked.
"HAAAAAAAUNT!"
It wasn't a roar of anger, nor was it a battle cry. It was a sheer, agonizing wail of pure, unadulterated grief. The sound tore through the dilapidated mansion, vibrating the cracked windows and sending a shockwave of sorrow through the Eterna Forest.
It was the sound of a loyal companion finally accepting the absolute, undeniable truth. The Master wasn't coming down the stairs. The little girl wasn't hiding in the attic. The butler wasn't preparing tea in the kitchen.
They were gone.
The wail lasted for nearly a full minute, shaking the very foundations of the Chateau. Eric stood his ground, letting the shockwave of emotion wash over him, while Cynthia watched with glossy eyes.
And then, slowly, the wail died down.
The chaotic energy in the air settled as Haunter calmed down.
It floated down, gently picking up the Poffin and taking a small bite.
A faint, tired, but incredibly relieved smile formed on his jagged mouth.
From the corners of the foyer, dozens of small, spherical shadows began to peek out. Wild Gastly, sensing that the volatile atmosphere had calmed, floated out from the walls, their gaseous bodies shifting curiously.
Cynthia wiped her eyes, offering a soft, melancholy smile as she watched the swarm of Gastly huddle around the giant Haunter.
"I wondered why the Haunter didn't just chase them away, considering how protective it was of this chateau," Cynthia whispered to Eric. "But it makes sense. The Master didn't chase him away when he first barged in. So he just... made room for them, too."
Eric nodded. It was a beautiful, tragic cycle of inherited kindness.
He quietly opened his system,
---
Pokémon: Haunter
Gender: Male
Level: 59
Type: Ghost/Poison
Ability: Levitate
Held Item: None
Potential: Blue
---
'Level 59. One step away from the King class,' Eric noted, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Eric wondered why Haunter hadb't evolved even though it was a this level. But then he figured it probably absorbed an Everstone. Perhaps so that it could keep the exact physical form it had when the Master was alive.
"Gardevoir," Eric said softly. "Ask him what he plans to do now."
Gardevoir's eyes glowed with a warm, pink light as she established the psychic tether. A moment later, she turned to Eric.
'He says he will stay,' Gardevoir translated, her voice echoing in Eric's mind. 'This is still his home. The memories no longer chain him, but he wishes to look after the place. And...'
She glanced at the dozens of Gastly bobbing happily around the giant Haunter.
'He says he is no longer alone.'
Eric looked at the small, makeshift family of ghosts and smiled faintly. "It's not a bad choice."
BZZZT!
A sudden, sharp crackle of electricity interrupted the quiet moment.
From the rusted chandelier above, a spark of orange plasma shot downward, doing a rapid, mid-air spin before hovering directly in front of Eric and Cynthia. It had a plasma-like body enveloped in a highly energetic, blue-and-orange aura.
"Is that... a Rotom?" Cynthia asked, her eyes widening in genuine surprise. "They are incredibly rare to find in the wild!"
'So it is here,' Eric thought, a wave of nostalgia hitting him. In the original games, the Old Chateau was famous precisely because it housed a television containing a Rotom.
---
Pokémon: Rotom
Gender: Genderless
Level: 35
Type: Electric/Ghost
Ability: Levitate
Held Item: None
Potential: Deep Blue
---
"Bzzzt! Ro-tom!"
The plasma ghost zipped around Eric's head, entirely unaffected by the heavy emotional atmosphere. It darted over to the giant Haunter, poking him playfully in the cheek with a spark of static electricity, then spun around a group of Gastly, chasing them in a circle.
It was acting purely as a mischievous, hyperactive child trying to force everyone to play. It had likely sensed the heavy shift in Haunter's mood and, in its own feral, chaotic way, was trying to uplift his spirits.
Eric watched the Rotom zip around the room, evaluating its data.
A Level 35 Rotom with Deep Blue potential.
Rotom were undeniably incredible Pokémon. Their ability to possess motorized appliances and shift their typing and stats made them one of the most versatile and tactically unpredictable Pokémon in existence. Having one on his team would provide a massive edge in utility and type coverage.
And not only that, he remembered how the anime and games created things like the Rotom Dex or the Rotom Phone. Since Cynthia just said they were quite rare, Eric wondered how they became so widespread that almost everyone had them.
Was it not the case in this world, or...or did someone manage to artificially create or clone them? Eric felt like he arrived at the answer. He put these thoughts at the back of his head for now.
Eric wanted to catch it. But he wasn't going to force it into submission. Not that he could even if he wanted to with Haunter there. He would just ask it later.
Eric and Cynthia ended up staying in the Old Chateau for a few hours. The giant Haunter seemed to deeply enjoy the human company, hovering near them while Cynthia inspected some of the ancient architecture, and Eric fed the swarm of Gastly.
Eric's Haunter also spent some time talking with the giant Haunter. Its story had inspired him. The giant Haunter taught him a little and gave insights on how he could improve his energy control.
As the afternoon began to fade, Eric pulled out his phone and his Pokétch, placing them on the table.
Instantly, the Rotom zipped over, its eyes wide with absolute fascination. It buzzed aggressively, circling the advanced technology like a moth drawn to a flame. The old, rotting television upstairs clearly wasn't cutting it for the tech-junkie ghost anymore.
"You like those?" Eric asked, leaning against the table.
"Ro-tom!" Rotom nodded vigorously.
"This mansion is quiet," Eric said, his tone casual but sincere. "There's no electricity here anymore. No new technology. If you stay here, that old TV is all you'll ever have."
Rotom paused, its plasma body drooping slightly at the harsh truth.
"Come with me," Eric offered, tapping his Poké Ball. "The world outside is full of incredibly advanced technology. Things you've never even dreamed of possessing. I can show you all of it. In exchange, you lend me your strength."
Rotom hovered in the air, clearly torn. It looked at the high-tech smartphone on the table, then looked back at the giant Haunter.
The giant ghost drifted over. He didn't look sad. With a slow, rumbling chuckle, the giant Haunter raised a massive hand and gently nudged the Rotom forward. It was a clear, unspoken blessing. The young, hyperactive ghost belonged out in the fast-paced world, not rotting in an empty mansion.
Rotom let go of its hesitation and buzzed happily, doing a joyous spin in the air before diving headfirst into the button of Eric's Poké Ball.
Click.
Eric picked up the ball, adding another high-potential partner to his roster.
"Well," Cynthia smiled, walking over. "It looks like your trip to the Old Chateau was incredibly fruitful."
"It was," Eric agreed, securing the ball to his belt. "But I haven't forgotten my main objective."
He looked up at the giant Haunter. "Gardevoir. Ask him about the energy. Tell him why we came here. My Haunter needs a highly concentrated Ghost-type energy field to evolve, something deeper than the ambient aura here."
Eric's Haunter released his aura, showing off its Quasi-Grade 5 energy.
The giant Haunter's eyes widened slightly upon feeling the density of Eric's Haunter's core. He hummed thoughtfully, before communicating with Gardevoir.
'He says the energy your Haunter is radiating... it feels very familiar,' Gardevoir translated, her elegant voice echoing in Eric's mind. 'He says it is nearly identical to the dark aura radiating from the ancient ruins located just a few miles behind this estate.'
Eric's eyes narrowed instantly.
His mind immediately went to the Red Shard Haunter had absorbed back in Lavender Woods. If there was a ruin nearby emitting that exact same frequency...
'Could there be another fragment here?' Eric thought, his brows tightening.
Since Eric didn't know what it was, he was cautious about it even if it ended up helping Haunter.
"A ruin behind the Chateau?" Cynthia spoke up, her grey eyes immediately shining with interest.
"That must be the same ruins I came here to investigate. Because there is only one ruin near the Chateau as far as I am aware."
She looked at Eric, "If the energy there is dense enough for your Haunter's evolution, and it holds the historical answers I'm looking for... it seems our paths are aligned once again."
"Looks like it," Eric said, nodding at the giant Haunter in gratitude. "Let's not waste any time."
The two bade Haunter farewell and stepped back out into Eterna Forest, heading straight for the unknown ruins.