"Where's your Tentacruel?"
"Defeated by a Wailmer…"
Ethan's brow arched. "Hmm. Very professional."
The bronzed young man turned red and looked like he wanted the waves to swallow him whole. Being rescued by the same person he'd mocked earlier felt worse than drowning.
Ten minutes later, both returned to the seaside hotel.
The landlady blinked when she saw them walk in together. "How did you two end up side by side?"
Her eyes darted between Ethan's calm smile and the diver's flushed face. "Ah… I see. One of you nearly drowned, and the other dragged him out." She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "And we both know who did the saving, don't we?"
She looked pointedly at Ethan.
Ethan didn't bother to answer. Instead, he turned to the bronzed youth with a faint grin.
"Well?"
The young man shifted from foot to foot, unable to meet anyone's eyes. "This… that… actually…"
"Ashan, why are you stammering? That's not like you," the landlady frowned. "Where's all that confidence? You're always calling yourself a professional."
Ashan flushed deeper. Finally he blurted out in one breath, "It was me—he saved me!" Then, without waiting for a reply, he bolted for the stairs, fleeing as though chased by a pack of Houndoom.
The landlady covered her mouth in shock, staring at Ethan, who only shrugged, enjoying her wide-eyed disbelief.
"This feeling," he thought with a smirk, "isn't half bad."
Back in his room, Ethan collapsed on the bed with a sigh. He hadn't laid down properly in days. The mattress felt like heaven.
After resting, he pulled the Silver Feather from his pack, holding it up to the light. Its glow was steady, its energy palpable even through the glass windowpane.
"Stable," he murmured. "This will bring me to Lugia one day. Flying on its back… that's something worth waiting for."
He allowed himself a brief smile at the image, then carefully tucked the feather away and drew out the ancient Poké Ball.
The orb was rough and heavy, its surface scratched and worn, a crude switch on top instead of the sleek button modern Poké Balls used.
"Is there really a Pokémon inside?" he muttered.
Just in case, he released Snorlax into the room. The big glutton blinked, then patted its belly with a reassuring grin.
"Snorlax," Ethan said seriously, "if something nasty comes out, protect me."
"Snorrr!" Snorlax thumped its chest proudly, eyes promising nothing would get past it.
Charizard would have been too big for the room, and Annihilape… well, one angry punch from that thing would bring the hotel crashing down. No, Snorlax was safest.
Ethan exhaled and turned the switch.
Unlike modern balls, which released Pokémon with a single press, these ancient models used a twisting mechanism—like turning a faucet. If a trainer died without ever opening it again, the Pokémon inside would be sealed for eternity.
Click.
A thin wisp of violet smoke seeped from the ball.
Ethan stiffened. "No way… there really is something."
The temperature dropped sharply. His breath fogged.
"Hehehehehehe~"
A chilling laugh echoed through the room. Ethan instinctively stepped behind Snorlax, every hair on his body rising.
The smoke swirled and thickened, condensing into a shadowy form. A moment later, a ghostly Pokémon hovered in front of him.
Haunter.
And not just any Haunter—a Shiny one, its body gleaming in hues of dark blue and violet.
The system window flashed:
Pokémon: Haunter (Shiny)
Level: 60 (stagnant; has not grown stronger in a century)
Rank: Champion
Intimacy: –30
Ability: Levitate
Gender: Male
Known Moves: Hypnosis (85%), Confuse Ray (85%), Mean Look (85%), Mimic (85%), Payback (85%), Spite (85%), Skill Swap (83%), Curse (84%), Nightmare (84%), Dark Pulse (84%), Shadow Ball (84%), Destiny Bond (83%), Dream Eater (83%), Psychic (80%).
Description: This Haunter was separated from its trainer by an accident one hundred years ago. It has been trapped in solitude ever since, longing for its master.
Ethan's jaw slackened. "Level sixty… Champion rank… Shiny?"
He had never seen anything like it. For a heartbeat, pure joy surged through him.
But it didn't last.
The Haunter's eyes glowed, and Ethan's vision blurred. A wave of exhaustion slammed into him, heavy as lead.
"No…" His knees buckled. "Too soon to celebrate…"
He collapsed onto the bed, darkness closing in.
"Snorrrlax!"
Snorlax panicked, raising its stubby fingers. Its body glowed, Metronome activating—
"Hissss."
Haunter's eyes narrowed. A pulse of ghostly energy rippled out, and Snorlax slumped to the ground, snoring instantly.
The room fell silent.
The ancient Haunter floated above them both, its grin wide and eerie, laughter echoing faintly.
The hunter had become the haunted.