Ghost Pokémon have some of the creepiest backstories; however, Pokémon: Sun and Moon introduces one of the most sinister Pokémon, and they happen to be a pile of sand. Sandygast is a ghost ground Pokémon who resembles a mediocre sandcastle with a tunnel for its mouth and a shovel lodged into its head. Despite its subdued appearance, this Pokémon does not have a pleasant origin.
It is born from the grudges of living creatures who walk over its sand. For instance, if a Pokémon loses a battle on a beach, their anger is channeled into the ground, creating Sandygast. Along with this, Sandygast can suck life forces through its mouth, which has led to the local challenge of putting one's hand through Sandygast's tunnel to prove one's bravery; however, this poses a huge risk. By putting one's hand through its mouth or grabbing its shovel, that person becomes possessed.
In "A Shivering Shovel Search!," it's revealed that Kiawe was once possessed by this Pokémon. While his grandpa warned him not to touch the shovel, a young Kiawe did, which led to him mindlessly accumulating sand for the ghost ground Pokémon. This is common practice for Sandygast, targeting young children and forcing them to add sand to its growing body.
Sandygast's evolution, Palossand, is also sinister. Appearing like a better-constructed sandcastle, Palossand is more powerful, having the strength to possess adults. It also actively hunts for prey, using its shovel as radar and sucking small Pokémon into its vortex. What's even more disturbing is the fact that Palossand keeps the bones of its victims.
While Sandygast and Palossand are both haunting, the Alola region is home to another unsettling Pokémon. Mimikyu, a ghost Pokémon, disguises itself as Pikachu so it can make friends since its true form is so frightening that it will cause illness and sometimes death. Prior to this generation, Pokémon has had plenty of creepy creatures who can alter the minds of others. For instance, Tentacool and Tentacruel, both water poison types, exhibit in Season 1 that they can communicate to people through another living vessel. In this case, a Tentacool attaches itself to Meowth while Tentacruel talks through him to alert humans of their wrongdoings against their ecosystem.
Pokemon: Indigo League also demonstrates how Hypno, a psychic Pokémon, can use its powers to help those with insomnia fall asleep; however, Hypno's sleep waves are only supposed to work on Pokémon. By altering the sleep waves to affect adults, the side effects include unintentionally draining Pokémon of their energy and causing children to believe they're Pokémon.
Thankfully, Drowzee is able to counteract these sleep wave-lengths with its dream version, undoing the unwanted side effects. While Drowzee is the hero of "Hypno's Naptime," its pokédex entry is more unsettling. Drowzee is a dream eater and will often perch itself above a sleeping human, sucking out their dreams through its nose.
Another episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, "The Ghost of Maiden's Peak," has a Ghastly play unsettling mind tricks. Along with being able to shapeshift and deceive the townsfolk, Ghastly is able to manipulate the minds of men, James and Brock in this instance, to fall into a trance-like state for the Ghost of Maiden's Peak. In this state, the two have no sense of reason and will blindly do anything for their "beloved."
Mismagius also can manipulate humans and Pokémon, targeting their emotions specifically. Through certain incantations, this ghost Pokémon can make their target happy or sad, and they emit a cry that will give their victim a horrible headache as well as forcing them to see hallucinations. Mismagius can also send their targets into a dream-like state, as seen in "Malice In Wonderland," where a Mismagius sends Ash, Dawn, Brock and Team Rocket to a dream world that's too good to be true.
Froslass, an ice ghost Pokémon, plays similar tricks on Ash and company in Pokémon: Diamond & Pearl by casting illusions to lure humans into a trap. It is later revealed in "The Drifting Snorunt" that this Froslass only does this because she needs help finding her friend, Snorunt; however, her pokédex entry is more gruesome, explaining how she preys on men, freezes them to decorate her lair and eats their souls.
These are a handful of sinister Pokémon who can take advantage of human and Pokémon minds. Sandygast, with its ability to consume a being's life force as well as its preference for children, is beyond chilling. Sandygast and its evolution, Palossand, have added another dark chapter to Pokémon lore, and they are not going to be the last entry by the looks of it.
