As the resident Ghost expert of Galar, Allister had always heard about the Haunt. Everyone had. A yearly gathering of the greatest Ghost-type trainers in the world locked in together in a special location (this year they’d snagged the Old Chateau in Sinnoh) on the spookiest night of the year: Halloween. He’d always wanted to go.

But until tonight, he’d never been able. There were only two criteria to be invited: you had to be an internationally-recognized trainer of the type.

You also had to be of age.

(No one knew what type of party the Haunt was, but that second criteria inspired a lot of whispers.)

Allister had finally reached adulthood, and true to form, his invitation had come in the mail on October 1st. Both nervous and excited, he’d RSVP’d and arranged for travel to Sinnoh.

He’d never been to Eterna Forest before. It was the sort of place most people would probably be leery of—shaded, misty, with pokemon like Gastly and Murkrow lurking in the corners, their eyes gleaming. The average Joe would be wary of setting foot there, especially after dark, but to a Ghost user like Allister, it felt comforting—like coming home. The Old Chateau was even greater: a monument to decrepit glory, creaky in its gloom, its old Victorian charms faded into a sharp, pleasant impishness.

The person who met him on the steps was an old friend.

“Ally!” Acerola beamed. She raced off the steps and tackled him with a hug. “You made it!”

Acerola was a former Trial Captain and current Elite Four member of the Alola region. Trial Captains could only serve until nineteen, so she’d aged out, but she was still young and perky and perennially dressed like she’d stepped out of an old-timey orphanage. She’d been a friend and mentor to Allister.
“You nervous?” she asked, pulling back from the hug. Despite the mask he wore to hide his face, she had no trouble reading him. “Yeah,” she appraised, “you’re nervous. Hey, I was pretty nervous my first time last year too, but…” She smiled devilishly. “It was a real treat.”

She led him inside, where the Haunt was ready to go underway. Allister recognized most of the others there: Johto’s Morty, Hoenn’s Phoebe, Unova’s Shauntal, and Sinnoh’s very own Fantina, who had secured the Chateau for their use tonight.

With him and Acerola, that made for every Ghost-type Gym Leader or Elite Four member in the world, except…

“Where’s Agatha?” he asked.

“She’s a bit too old for this,” Phoebe replied, clapping his shoulder with a laugh as she sauntered past. “She bowed out but sends her regards. But now that you’re here…”

She clapped once, briskly, and the small murmuring conversations died out. “Everyone! I’d like to welcome you to this year’s Haunt. Today is extra special because for the second year in a row, we get to welcome a newcomer to our midst—Allister!”

He was thankful for the mask covering his blush as a hearty round of applause filled the room, the other Ghost experts swimming him with praise: “Good to have you!” “More new blood, huh?” “Tres magnifique!”

Perhaps recognizing his dislike for being the center of attention, Acerola gave his hand a relieving squeeze, smiling at him. He was grateful for it.

“Now, I know most of us are already familiar, but for the newcomer… it feels appropriate to talk about just what the Haunt is. As Leaders and Elites, we all know that closeness with pokemon is necessary to truly work with them as trainers. The Haunt is an opportunity for us to shed society’s taboos and obtain a more—intimate look at our beloved ghosts.”