The Ghost Specialist

Sam held the New Pokédex in one hand as he narrowed his eyes, carefully taking in every slight detail of Mankey’s ongoing spar with Teddiursa. The little bear had a smug smirk on his face, a single paw blazing with the Fire Type energy of Fire Punch. Swing after swing, Mankey was forced backwards, and the strikes he aimed never got a proper chance to land.

You’re so close...

Sam didn’t want to speak. There was something about the look in Mankey’s eyes that was absolutely malicious. It’d only been a handful of days since the talk that established their current strategy, but they wouldn’t be able to tackle Ecruteak Gym until Mankey learned a move that could actually damage a Ghost Type.

Redi yelled something, and Teddiursa lunged. The flames on his paw winked out as he aimed a dual-clawed Fury Swipes. Mankey just barely managed to duck under the attack, desperate to avoid taking more damage. As he pressed his body to the dirt, he kicked out a leg to trip Teddiursa and send him falling to the ground.

That was enough. Too many failures had built up around Mankey. He had yet to learn Assurance, but Teddiursa had learned Fire Punch. And in this battle, the little bear Pokémon was practically dancing circles around him.

A hollering screech echoed through this impromptu training ground as Mankey rushed to capitalize on Teddiursa’s fall. Unable to bear his lack of success, he threw himself against his opponent. Two palms struck the vulnerable Teddiursa, and his chest compressed downwards with all the air leaving his lungs.

Notably, there was a dark tinge to the strike. It was nothing strong enough to create an aura of Type energy, but it definitely hadn’t been a basic attack.

Mankey stood there, blinking and staring at his open hands. Teddiursa remained on his back and wheezed while Mankey seemed too shocked to follow up with another move.

“That was it! Do it again, quickly!” Sam shouted. “Attack the air!”

Mankey cautiously brought his arms back before thrusting out his palms. A weak darkness tinged his skin, and Sam erupted into cheer.

He rushed forward, putting down the New Pokédex and picking up Mankey to hold him and spin.

“Assurance!” Sam said, naming the move. “You finally got it—and you managed to figure it out faster than Teddiursa and Fire Punch!”

Sam stopped spinning, which allowed Mankey to send a smug grin right back at Teddiursa. The bear grumbled as he pushed up, sticking his tongue out at the monkey.

Sam did make sure not to comment about how Fire Punch was a TM move, but Assurance wasn’t. While it wasn’t conventional knowledge by any means, according to the New Pokédex, Assurance was on Mankey’s base learnset. While something he could inherently learn, the move wasn’t commonly taught to his species, and most other Mankey weren’t aware of the attack to bother practicing it.

“Congrats, Mankey! So does that mean you two are going to go do your ‘exceptionally difficult’ trial now?” Redi asked. She approached Teddiursa to make sure he was okay.

As she checked over her Pokémon—he was fine, just winded—Sam knelt down and placed Mankey on the floor. Cyndaquil ambled over at the same time, and Sam patted both of them on their heads.

“Yeah, I think so,” he replied. “Assurance means Mankey can actually attack Ghost Types, and he has plenty of experience in close-up fights as it is. Cyndaquil might not have Will-O-Wisp down, but their abilities have started to develop, which means we should be prepared enough for the Gym.”

That was kind of the trick of this practice; learning these moves also trained their abilities. Will-O-Wisp required a perfected control over flame, similar to Blaze, and both Anger Point and Assurance were built around Mankey’s anger. Although, that was somewhat of a stretch since he only needed that negative emotion to tap into Dark Type energy.

Of course, those two abilities weren't completely trained. Actually getting an ability in a mastered state took months of practice. Instead, both were merely developing. Cyndaquil and Mankey could somewhat make use of their abilities in battle, just to a far lesser extent.

Sam stood up, stretching his back.

“We'll head out once we’ve taken a break and made sure Assurance can be repeated. And you, Redi—”

“Still a bit of a crush this early on, but it’s dying down. Our Trial is scheduled in two days,” she said cheerfully.

That wasn't what Sam wanted to mention, but he let it slide for now. Part of their agreement for traveling together was that Redi would help Sam with training, and he would help Redi learn more about Pokémon outside of brute strength.

Except, as much as he was trying to encourage her to branch out to more effective, anti-Ghost Type moves like Lick and Feint Attack, Redi had ignored his advice in favor of going all in on Fire Punch.

That probably would have been fine in any other situation, but Sam was growing worried about Redi’s chances. She only had one viable move on one viable Pokémon. He wasn't sure how she planned on getting through so many fights with such a singular team.

“I'm going to take Mankey to the Pokémon Center for a check-over before heading out,” Sam said. “Do you want to come with?”

She hummed.

“I want to work with Teddiursa a bit more. I’ll meet up with you after!”

Mankey practiced Assurance a few more times, better familiarizing himself with the Dark Type energy he had stumbled upon. As much as more practice might have benefited him, the best place to get a better handle on moves was in a high-stakes battle—in other words, a Gym fight.

The nurse gave both Mankey and Cyndaquil a brief check-up before confirming they were ready to battle. Then, Sam took a deep breath and headed to the local Gym. Thanks to how this was a special Gym Trial planned for him by Morty, the usual waiting list didn't apply.

He went into the Ecruteak Gym and informed the front receptionist he was ready. The Gym Trainer checked a few papers before telling him to come back that night.

...That night, Sam returned only to find the front doors locked. There, taped to the entrance, was an envelope with his name on it.

He sent out his Pokémon, pulled it away, and read its contents out loud.

“Hey, Sam! Your Gym Trial will be held elsewhere. I’ve written down directions on the back to get there.

“The basis of the Trial is simple: enter and catch a Ghost Type, just like you wanted. There’s nothing more to it than that. I expect great things from you!

“-Morty.”

Sam blinked and flipped the letter around. Then, he flipped it back and double-checked the text.

“Wait a second, if this is right...”

He grabbed his Pokémon—Cyndaquil going into his hood and Mankey hanging off his shoulder—before he burst into a dash.

Block by block, street by street, he followed a surprisingly familiar path. He had taken this route before, just in reverse. In no time at all, Sam arrived at where his second Gym Trial would take place.

The Burned Tower.

The area was deserted. Not even a single tourist lingered around. The space around the fallen tower was nothing more than a sparse field with bits of old, worn stones that hadn’t been moved in over a century.

Sam inched forward as Mankey jumped off his back. Cyndaquil stayed in his hood as Sam cautiously looked around.

“...There's no one here.”

His voice was a whisper, but it came out with an echo. A slight breeze chilled him as he kept his eyes peeled.

“I'm going to keep both of you out,” he continued, keeping his voice low. “Cyndaquil, get ready to attack at range, and Mankey, use Assurance to ward off anything that gets too close.”

The monkey grunted in acknowledgement, already holding up his hands. Cyndaquil let Sam carefully retrieve her from his hood before he placed her back on the ground.

“Stay on high alert. We're going in.”

There was no buff guard blocking the front door. No Noctowl flew through the air trying to scare Sam away. The open entrance was pure black, but the light of Cyndaquil's flames pierced the darkness. With its perfect emptiness, it almost felt like it was waiting for him. Beckoning him. Begging for him to step inside.

He did.

The Burned Tower was made of wood, blackened and aged, that creaked under Sam's feet. Enough of its walls and rubble remained that the space was otherwise enclosed. Half of the sky was obscured by a yet-to-fall floor. Trees poked out past the top of the walls. In the center of the room, past a few scorched and fallen wooden beams, Sam could just barely make out a hole in the floor.

The night made it hard to see, with only a few yards around Cyndaquil being truly visible. It almost seemed, even after all these years, faint wisps of smoke were still drifting off the burned wood.

Sam reached into his pocket to take out a Pokéball. This was the spare he bought right when he entered town. He had more than earned this purchase, as Redi ensured he made up the cost by helping him collect jobs he could take on. Those had helped with a bit of training, but most importantly, they had helped make cash.

He shook his head, trying to properly focus as he kept to a side wall. His team stayed by his side. He didn't want to risk falling through the hole in the center of the room, and even though the moon was climbing in the sky, it felt like it was getting darker.

“Hold on. Is it actually getting darker?”

Cyndaquil stiffened as Sam looked around.

He realized that he could no longer make out any stars in the sky. The trees that once poked up past the walls were now shrouded by darkness.

It really was getting darker.

“Morty's up to something. I think he has Pokémon controlling the light.”

Almost as if to check, Mankey struck out at the air. There wasn’t anything there, so all he did was create a slight breeze.

Sam breathed out at that, chuckling, and he saw his breath appear as mist. He pulled his jacket in close, and Cyndaquil increased the power of her flames.

He waited. Nothing happened. They remained alone.

“...Keep moving. There has to be more to this,” he said.

He was walking a little faster now. He kept looking behind him.

The part that was bothering Sam the most was how empty this place was. This was meant to be a Ghost Type trial, one that Morty said would be extra hard.

Minutes passed as the relative silence around them continued. While the stars were obscured, the moon wasn't. The darkness stopped growing at this point.

Then, still following the edge of this large room, Sam saw it. There was a faint light closer to the center.

“There,” he whispered. “If that's not a hint, I don't know what is.”

Then again, Sableye had been tricky back in Granite Cave. What if it's a lure—a trap?

For a few seconds, he didn't move his legs. He debated whether or not it was worth approaching the obvious light, but eventually, he managed to build the needed confidence by throwing that wariness away.

“Screw it! If it's a trap, it's a trap, but this time my team has actually had practice! We're heading in, you two, and keep in mind that we're absolutely going to be attacked by ghosts along the way.”

A nervous whine left Cyndaquil's throat, but Mankey stomped forward in challenge. Sam kept his head high as he followed.

He left the safety of the wall to march straight there.

He wasn't traveling through the center of the room, but just off to the side. The light from Cyndaquil’s flames just barely illuminated the edge of the central hole, which revealed a long and likely painful drop to the tower’s basement.

The glowing light was only a few feet away at this point, and Sam blinked at what it was. The object was a piece of paper, framed by foil and pinned against a still-standing pillar, with the blocky text of the old Johtonian language written in red ink on its face.

“A Tag,” Sam said. The item was perfectly lit up by moonlight. “...It's either a Cleanse Tag or a Spell Tag. I don't know if it's luring or warding away Ghosts.”

Cyndaquil squeaked, and Sam pulled his gaze down to see what she was pointing at. Leaning against the base of the pillar was what looked to be a ragged, cloth doll sitting slump on the floor.

He didn't wait.

“Ember!”

Sam wasn't dumb. He knew his Ghost Types. There was no way a doll that looked like that was entirely mundane.

And when Cyndaquil's Ember hit, he was proven exactly right.

The doll pulled off the ground, barely avoiding the flames by bringing itself into the air. It levitated less on its own power and more like it was being carried by a nail that pushed up through the center of its head.

Blue and yellow eyes opened up as a smile crept onto the creature’s face. It wasn’t a Pokémon native to Johto, but one common to Hoenn.

“Shuppet,” Sam said.

Briefly, he thought back to how Morty seemed upset he wasn’t allowed to use “foreign” Pokémon in low level challenges. This was a Gym Trial, but it wasn’t, really? Morty had said this would be special, after all.

The Shuppet—not wild, it was far too focused on this upcoming battle to be anything but trained—giggled as the space around it tinted dark. The attack was Night Shade, a move intrinsically tied to its own power. Thankfully, at this level, it wasn’t very strong.

“Don’t let it get close, and harass it with fire!” Sam shouted.

Shuppet wasn’t the fastest Pokémon in the world, so when Cyndaquil ran, the Ghost Type was easily outpaced.

Unfortunately, the Burned Tower was in ruins, and it was not set up for Pokémon battles. Between all the rubble and fallen lumber, there wasn’t much room for her to actually run away. More used to fighting in open spaces, Cyndaquil soon found herself cornered. She turned around only to see the Shuppet right on her. It approached and let the Night Shade twist over her, dealing damage like some sort of Ghost Type aura.

“Brace with Curse and prepare to use—”

He cut himself off when he saw a red light glow near the floor.

“Assurance!”

Mankey, still at Sam’s legs, snapped his gaze over where a white skull peeked out from behind a pile of blackened splinters. Two holes served as its eyes, and a single, red wisp glowed from the space behind them.

The Pokémon, a Duskull, tried to float up as Mankey chased after it. He grabbed pieces of wood sticking out to use as handholds as he leaped into the air. Flinging himself forward, his hands struck down.

Assurance might not have received the boost of prior damage, but it was still a strong, super effective move.

Duskull was far more tanky than any Shuppet, and while it recoiled from the hit, it was still decently healthy. Mankey fell to the ground while it lingered above him. He needed another way into the air if he wanted to strike again.

Then, Cyndaquil cried out, and Sam looked over. She was crouched in one place, still using Curse, and Sam realized he had never called for a Flame Wheel.

“Flame Wheel!” he shouted.

She pulled herself in and tried to roll towards the Shuppet, but Sam had given the order too late.

Cyndaquil had used Curse one too many times. While Flame Wheel burned incredibly bright from the boosting power of Curse, Cyndaquil wasn’t actually moving fast enough to chase after her foe.

And then for Mankey, the Duskull had him trapped. Yes, his agility could bring him up into the air, but how could he attack when a Disable prevented the use of Assurance, and how could he approach when an Astonish made him flinch whenever he was close?

Two battles were taking place at once. Sam had never practiced ordering more than one Pokémon, and he felt his nerves fray.

To make matters worse, he saw the faintest bit of movement off to the side. Just barely visible from Cyndaquil’s harsh, flickering flames was a dark shape hiding behind a different pile of rubble, watching the fight, entertained.

A faint gas drifted around it. Its actual body was a face on a darkened sphere.

A Gastly.

It wasn’t approaching, but it had been lured by the sounds of fighting. There was a lack of focus to it that made Sam absolutely confident the Pokémon was wild.

Having his attention drawn three different ways was overwhelming. He took a deep breath, then he forced himself to figure out everything that was here.

Cyndaquil, too slow to attack the Shuppet.

Mankey, consistently outplayed by the Duskull in the air.

Then, there was the unknown Tag pressed against the pillar, and the Gastly that was hiding nearby.

Sam decided to risk it. Taking a step forward and preparing to run, he shouted a simple, one-word command.

“Switch!”

Mankey pulled back and blinked, but Cyndaquil immediately understood. While it would take a while for the effects of Curse to wear off, she could at least still attack from range.

She unleashed an Ember, not against the Shuppet, but against the unsuspecting Duskull. Since she was so far away, it couldn’t stop her with Astonish, and it was already maintaining its Disable against Mankey.

Except, that Disable failed when Cyndaquil struck it. Flames licked up its body, causing its focus on the move to fade. Mankey tore his gaze away from the Duskull and towards where Shuppet had once been taunting Cyndaquil, not too far off the ground.

He screeched. Mankey flung himself forward, hands held out. Shuppet turned too late; the Assurance struck. The super effective move slammed the Ghost Type into the floor.

Meanwhile, while all of this was happening, Sam was running hard. He wasn’t running towards the Gastly, but he was running towards the Tag. He grabbed it and ripped it free from the wall before pushing away to turn around.

In one hand was the Tag, and in the other hand was that Pokéball.

Despite appearing like nothing more than a mundane piece of paper, there was something inherently calming about the item he now held. Right away, Sam knew what it was—a Cleanse Tag. Likely, it was here both as a lure and to keep away any stronger, wild Ghost Pokémon.

So the Duskull and Shuppet were distractions, huh? Keep me here instead of anywhere else where a wild Ghost Type might show up?

His eyes snapped to the wild Gastly, and the Pokémon was too distracted by the ongoing fight to care about what Sam was up to.

Once more Sam charged. Around him, the battle progressed. Mankey tore into Shuppet on the floor. Cyndaquil’s Ember harassed the Duskull in the air.

The Gastly didn’t notice Sam’s approach in time for it to escape. Its eyes, curved up in amusement, drifted over to see him right on top of it the very moment he arrived.

Sam slapped his hand forward, and the Cleanse Tag hit the Gastly’s body. Instead of his arm passing through, the spiritual seal allowed him to actually touch the Ghost, and the Cleanse Tag stuck to its side.

“Go!”

Sam shouted it not to command his own Pokémon, but to properly psych himself up. He thrust his other hand forward, striking the wild Gastly in the face, and the Pokémon turned to red light before being sucked into the Pokéball he held in his palm.

“Come on...”

He pressed the two halves together, squeezing it in hopes the Pokéball would stay closed. This strategy was insane—who ever tried to catch a Pokémon without weakening it first?

Except, Sam was weakening it. Kind of. Cleanse Tags didn’t have much effect in battle, but part of the effect that kept ghosts away was due to a minor, passive draining effect. By sticking it to the Gastly, that was at least one way it would be weakened. Likely, not much to affect it in a battle, but enough to make a difference in a capture.

The sounds of battle faded away as Sam held the Pokéball close. His heart seemed to shake in line with every shake of his ball. He was even holding his breath.

And then, a miracle.

The Pokéball clicked.

Sam breathed in, feeling like he was on the verge of passing out. The Pokéball was utterly still, marking a successful capture.

But he wasn’t done. He still needed to escape. The time to celebrate was later.

Turning around, he found his Pokémon waiting for him. At their side were their opponents, who did not look great.

The Shuppet wasn’t moving. Its eyes were spinning after the assault Mankey had unleashed upon it. As for the Duskull, it wasn’t in any state to battle. Injured, it was hiding behind a pile to avoid any more flames, no longer willing to risk Cyndaquil’s Ember.

Mankey flexed his arms to brag, and Cyndaquil did her best to smooth out her fur. Between the two of them, they had won.

Sam smiled.

“And now, we have a new member of our team.”

Getting out of Burned Tower was a different story. It was like the darkness became even more oppressive than before. The Cleanse Tag would have likely warded it off, but it was currently locked inside of Gastly’s Pokéball.

Instead, Sam carried Cyndaquil in his hands while Mankey hung off the back of his neck. All her practice with the Fire Type meant she had enough control over her flames to not burn them.

He didn’t want to risk any of them separating, so Sam had his Pokémon hold on to him. Such low visibility forced him to travel slow, careful not to trip or fall into any unexpected pit. Even though Cyndaquil put her everything into maintaining her light, the aura of visibility around them could be measured in inches. What made matters worse was how, now that the fight had ended, the space was utterly silent.

Yet, Sam was still able to make it out. They found a wall, followed it, and broke through the open entrance, otherwise unharmed.

He laughed.

Sam let himself fall to the ground, where he laughed and laughed out of a Gym Trial well done. Mankey cheered while Cyndaquil just breathed out and let herself fall back into Sam’s arms. Nearby, someone clapped.

“Man. Good job! I honestly didn’t expect you to solve it like that.”

Sam looked over to see Morty standing there, grinning. Behind him were two of his Gym Trainers attaching Pokéballs back to their belts.

“What was I supposed to do?”

“Well, not use a Cleanse Tag to catch a Pokémon, for starters.” Morty shook his head.

“That was supposed to be both a trick and a solution. Sure, a Cleanse Tag keeps Pokémon away, but that means it also keeps away any potential catches. And then at the end—”

“Night Shade?” Sam asked.

Morty nodded.

“I had some of my stronger Pokémon keep the area in darkness without actually damaging you. The Cleanse Tag would have let you lighten that up a little bit—grabbing it before you got out would have helped. And then for your actual capture...”

The Gym Leader sighed.

“You were supposed to go into the basement.”

With that explanation, Sam couldn’t help but to laugh again. This was his victory. This was his entire team’s success! His smile deepened when he remembered a certain Pokémon contained within a ball in his pocket.

A Ghost Type.

A real Ghost Type.

Somehow, Sam finally added one to his team.

Well, he still had to convince it to stay, and he wondered if Gastly would even want to stick around after that highly unusual capture.

He’d get to it at a later date.

Sam went ahead and laid on his back, staring up at the full moon in the sky. Cyndaquil joined him at his side, and Mankey walked over to sit next to his head.

“Thank you,” he said. “Without you two, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve anything like this.”

Cyndaquil squeaked her name, scratching at her face, obviously embarrassed. Mankey took the compliment in stride, snorting as if to say the outcome was obvious.

Sam was happy. Satisfied. He still had a Gym Battle to get to, but plans for that could wait.

He needed to celebrate. He needed to meet Gastly. He needed to tell Redi of his victory.

But, for now, Sam was simply content to remain on the ground and stare at the stars with his Pokémon by his side, completely and utterly victorious.