Contrary to popular belief, no one has ever actually been burnt by the eerie lights of a Shiinotic. Although these pokemon resemble the wisps ghost and fire pokemon so often use to wound and weaken their foes, one can not only approach a Shiinotic's lights, but even pet the shining portions of their mushroom heads, without suffering a single injury or detecting the slightest change in temperature. But perhaps it would be better if Shiinotic were mere will-o-wisps, for while the burns of the latter can be healed at any pokemon center, a Shiinotic's light guides those who stare too closely into the afterlife.
It can not be verified that Shiinotic, as in legends, truly guide souls to the afterlife, or that once someone dies, their spirit walks on a forest trail ringed with Shiinotic lights. And even near-death experiences which suggest such events can be dismissed as hallucinations sparked by the expectations of those who barely manage to survive. But Alola's forests have long been known for their danger, and more than a few travelers speak of companions who followed strange lights from Shiinotic and never returned – until their bodies, years later, were found floating in one of said forest's many marshes or rivers.
Yet while Shiinotic have long led men and women to dangerous fates, they remain pokemon, and humans have learned to master their power. Some have even suggested that Shiinotic, far from preferring watery and dangerous places to grow, are placed there by murderous bandits who abscond with the possessions of dead travelers. Others have used their Shiinotic as a sort of anti-beacon, warning people away from dangerous areas – or, when people followed them anyway, to show them the path to safety.
Humans are fools to mock Dustox for flying into flames and lamps!