The Alola region takes great pride in their unique traditions. Whereas other regions test their trainers through the familiar old Gym system, sending ambitious young upstarts trekking overland to endure puzzles in far-off towns only to throw down with Leaders wielding teams of powerful battlers, Alola does things a little bit different. Here, the whole region believes that loyalty towards, and coexistence with, wild pokemon is paramount. The people of Alola proudly live side-by-side with wild pokemon even in their very cities, and instead of Gym Leaders, they have Trial Captains—trainers who work with and alongside wild pokemon to provide a different sort of challenge for up-and-coming trainers.

The novelty of this setup attracts talented trainers from around the world, and one such trainer goes by the name of Steph Larussa. A native of Kanto and Johto, the closeness between pokemon and people in Alola appealed to him; he settled down on Ula’ula, staking a claim as a Trial Captain specializing in Dark-type pokemon.

His work with the pokemon of the region, helping them grow in strength and power and nurturing them to serve as worthy trials for new trainers testing themselves across the island, quickly led to a widespread respect for the young man across the wilds of Ula’ula, especially among the Dark-types whom he worked closest with.

But little did he know he had admirers of a different sort as well.

Ula’ula was home to more pokemon than just Dark-types; the area’s penchant for attracting ghosts and spirits was well-known, and trainers of all sorts knew to stay away from places like Tapu Village or the ruins of the Thrifty Megamart, where the tapu’s anger still seeped into the land like arsenic. Tales abounded of clouded skies through which no light could shine; objects levitating on their own; mocking laughs coming from right behind a trainer’s hapless neck.

But not all ghosts were malicious. In fact, most Ghost-type pokemon are little more than harmless pranksters, carrying along in the shadows and deriving joy from jokes and japes. They have their own delights. Some can be mischievous, some aloof…

Some are even what you might call ‘lovey-dovey.’

She was a wild thing, a Mismagius who had picked up on the way that the pokemon of Ula’ula spoke of the new Trial Captain, a specialist of Dark-type pokemon. Intrigued, she drifted her way across the island to find this new human. Why wouldn’t she? When you’re an everlasting spirit, you truly do have all the time in the world.

The specter found Steph on the edge of his trial site, and would you believe it was love at first sight? Of course, stories abound of humans who find themselves inexplicably drawn to the rough wildness of a Lucario or the sensual grace of Milotic, but it cuts both ways. Plenty of pokemon have the hots for humans, too.

And this little spirit was absolutely smitten.

She watched quietly from the shadows, always from afar.