The Ghost Specialist

Redi’s battle against Jasmine went about as Sam expected; repeated use of Fury Swipes meant the Onix was eventually worn down. The outcome was impressive, but the battle itself ended up being rather straightforward. It was hard for Onix to react to Teddiursa clutching its horn and tearing into its face.

That same day, Sam and Redi then moved on, entering Route 39 as Sam’s first jaunt into true wilderness. He, alongside Redi, would travel through the woods, encounter wild Pokémon, and experience camping without any amenities of a city.

Except, the immediate area was still rather settled. Stepping onto the route, Sam was met with rolling fields framed by woods and the mountains of a valley. Well-worn dirt served as a road that stretched into the far distance, and the occasional truck drove down that path to transport the goods produced by nearby farms and ranches.

So close to Olivine, urbanization was still rather common, yet Sam wasn’t disappointed at all. It’d be a few days of travel before they hit true wilderness, but he was still rushing forward, encouraging Redi to follow as he took the lead.

“I can’t believe I forgot about this place! I had no clue it was here until Mom told me!” he said excitedly. “Man, it’s been years. I wonder if he’s still...”

He let his voice trail off, eyes flicking about to locate the path he was told to find. Feeling similar to him, Cyndaquil wasn’t even properly in his hood; she was leaning forward and half-standing on his shoulder.

“What? What is it? What’s so exciting about a buncha dumb farms?” Redi asked.

Sam rolled his eyes before locking his gaze onto a small sign on the side of the road. It wasn’t anything special; it merely pointed to a nearby homestead, but Sam still grabbed Redi’s arm and ran forward. She yelped in surprise but still allowed herself to be dragged along.

This was the place.

“It’s this way,” Sam said. “It’s a ranch—a Pokémon breeder.”

Redi exhaled and pulled her arm back, slowing. Her face was now tinted red.

“Like a daycare?” she asked.

“Better!” Sam replied. “They’ve specialized!”

A winding stream of gravel brought them forward, with every footstep causing it to crunch under their weight. It curved around fields of growing rice, sparse groves of berry trees, and fenced-off, open areas where Tauros and Miltank grazed.

At the top of the hill, a small, wooden cabin. Nearby, a barn with a few Tauros lingering outside.

“Here we are. This is it!” Sam said.

Redi gave Sam an exhausted look.

“A milk farmer?” she asked flatly.

Sam made a point of ignoring her to go right up to the front door and adjust his clothes. He took a deep breath to settle any nerves before knocking. Opening up the door was a thin man in overalls wearing a cap backwards on his head.

“Yeah?” the man said.

“I— I’m Sam?” Sam said. “My grandfather used to work with you.”

He looked up at the ranch owner hopefully. The man’s gaze lazily drifted from Sam to Cyndaquil, where it suddenly sharpened, and he stood up a bit straighter..

“Oh, you’re... You’re!” The man slapped his hands together, a genuine grin appearing on his face. “You’re Richard’s kid! Oh, man! You’ve grown so much.”

“It’s only been four years,” Sam replied, a bit embarrassed.

The man reached out with a gloved hand to scratch under Cyndaquil’s chin. She leaned into his touch and kicked her back leg in pleasure.

The sound of a foot stomping the ground interrupted the conversation.

“Alright. Tell me what’s going on or I’m going to sic Teddiursa on you,” Redi interjected.

Sam turned to face her as the man smiled at Redi.

“This is Carl. Carl runs the place and takes care of all the Pokémon here. Carl, this is Redi. She’s a friend. We’re traveling together,” he stated.

“Well, howdy!” Carl said. “Nice to meet ya, Redi!”

Redi cautiously took his hand while eyeing him up and down.

“...Nice to meet you too?”

The friendly ranch owner seemed to delight in her reaction.

“Like this’un said, I run this ranch, and I used to be friends with his grandfather before he passed. Few years back, one of his Pokémon was sent to me, and I’ve been taking care of ‘em ever since.”

She nodded a little warily, seemingly uncomfortable with this situation. She sent a glance to Sam, but he nodded his head to confirm the validity of the situation.

“Come on in. I’ll show you to the proper ranch,” Carl said. “It’s through my back door, so follow me.”

Sam eagerly stepped inside, making sure Redi would still follow behind just in case. The interior of the small home was cozy, filled with furniture with thick cushions and decorations hung up like trophies. Fallen horns and sheddings of rare species hung on his walls, abstract artwork and designs filled the space next to them. What drew Sam’s attention the most were the pictures that had been pinned underneath them.

He heard a gasp from behind him.

“Is that... Are you shaking hands with Lance?!”

Redi stopped where she was walking to stare at a certain picture on the wall. Sam stopped too to see what exactly she was looking at.

The picture was of a younger-looking Carl, wearing the same outfit, shaking hands with a teenaged Champion Lance before he ascended into the role.

Redi’s mouth was agape. Sam glanced between the photo and the very same man. He hadn’t realized just how well-connected Carl was.

“Ah, yeah, well, that photo’s a bit misleading,” Carl said, taking off his cap to scratch his balding head. “We were in discussion about a breeding program for a Pokémon of his. Unfortunately, they got a bit too testy once they evolved, so we couldn’t go through with it considering the Pokémon we already got here.”

“...What was that species?” Redi asked cautiously.

“Charmander,” Carl replied far, far too casually.

Redi fell into silence, and Sam chose not to say anything. Carl went on to lead the group out his back door, where a path stretched into the nearby woods. Following it, they soon plunged into shadow, the canopy blocking out the midday sun.

Sam had a spring to his step despite the relative gloom. Redi shivered, though.

“Work’s been well,” Carl started as they walked. “Our long-standing contract with Elm is still going. Haven’t really had any problems with poachers save for a few pokin’ around, but they won’t be getting close with some of the Pokémon we got staying here.” He smacked his lips in thought. “We mostly work with Tauros and Miltank, ‘specially Tauros since they’re so good in battle. One trained with moves like Blizzard and Hyper Beam, and whew! You got yourself an ace Pokémon!”

He grinned, and Sam couldn’t resist grinning too. He wanted to have his own Pokémon learn such powerful moves.

Ahead, a bit of light started to poke through the trees as their destination neared. He was almost ready to start running forward, but that was when the sound of cracking twigs ran out.

A dark shape rose up out of the woods, red eyes glinting, obscured by shadow. The group froze for the briefest of seconds before the creature rushed forward and tackled Sam.

Sam was absolutely consumed by the assault, being bowled over onto the forest floor. Redi shouted in alarm, and Cyndaquil started to squeak repeatedly.

Except, she wasn’t worried. She was giggling. Carl chuckled, too.

“I missed you too, buddy,” Sam said, hugging the Pokémon back.

Moisture swiped across Sam’s face. Warm, dry fur pressed into his body like a blanket. He wrapped his arms around the Pokémon’s side as it pulled itself back. Sam followed and made sure to scratch the Pokémon’s head.

“This is Typhlosion!” Sam said, introducing the Pokémon to Redi. “He’s my grandfather’s Pokémon. And he’s Cyndaquil’s grandfather, too.”

Typhlosion was big for a Pokémon of his species, standing several feet taller than Sam. However, despite his relative size, his age was also apparent. The tan fur on his chest and face had become almost white over the years, and the color of the blue on his back had mellowed out to have a silver tint.

Redi blinked at the beast, but Cyndaquil had a much happier reaction. She jumped off of Sam’s shoulder to land on Typhlosion’s back, where she climbed up his fur to rest on top of his head.

“...Wow,” Redi said. “I think he might be able to beat Mama in a fight.”

Typhlosion grinned, exposing sharp teeth. He then leaned forward to swipe his tongue across Redi’s face while she laughed.

“Everyone else is just a bit ahead,” Carl said, rejoining the conversation. “Though, it’s technically a secret, so make sure to not let word spread too far, got it?”

“Got it!” Sam cheered.

Typhlosion joined the group as they continued down the path. There, once they reached its end, the forest opened up into a wide, open grove filled with foliage both living and burnt.

Pokémon ran around, laughing and shouting their species’s name. The smell of smoke was a constant presence, as flames occasionally flickered to burst out off their backs. Cyndaquil immediately hopped down to run forward and join where three other, nearly identical Pokémon were playing tag.

She approached and let her back flare with fire. The three other Cyndaquil stopped running to stare at her display of control with awe.

“Outside of Tauros and Miltank, we breed Cyndaquil,” Carl said. “This place serves as a retirement community for old trainers' starters, too. Got a lot of Typhlosion and Quilava here that have come just to rest. Lotta the Cyndaquil here are their offspring, which are given out to trainers across the region to let them gain partners of their own.”

The evolved forms of Cyndaquil lazed around and enjoyed the sun. Quilava sat on rocks and Typhlosion slept within patches of dried grass. It was surprisingly peaceful here even with all the young Pokémon running about.

“Can we...” Sam started.

“Go ahead and send your other Pokémon out, if you want,” Carl said, chuckling. “It’s always good to let everyone here get some exercise.”

Mankey was released from his Pokéball. Teddiursa’s nap was interrupted as he appeared on the ground with a yawn. Cyndaquil beckoned them over to introduce them to the youngest generation, and then all three Pokémon became caught up in games.

Behind Sam and Redi, Typhlosion chuffed proudly. Some of these Pokémon here were members of his family, though he had taken on a purely protective role in his old age.

“Let me give you a tour. It’s always nice when one of the little’uns’ trainers stop by!”

Carl showed off all the amenities here. There were gardens, fire-proof sheds, caves for nesting, and a section filled with fine dirt that allowed the Pokémon to bathe without water.

During this tour, both Teddiursa and Cyndaquil primarily just showed off. Cyndaquil was more than willing to demonstrate her Flame Wheel, and Teddiursa demonstrated just how easily he could cut chunks out of stone. As for Mankey, that Pokémon was a different story. He was a bit too boastful in his demonstrations, and an annoyed Quilava challenged him to a fight.

He lost.

That Quilava was a veteran of a journey of its own. It might not have evolved into a Typhlosion, but it had been in countless battles before being passed over for a comfortable retirement.

“This place is incredible,” Redi said. “How come I haven’t heard of it?”

“Like I said, it’s on a pretty need-to-know basis,” Carl replied. “Trainers with the Cyndaquil line are kind of the exception, since their Pokémon all grew up here. Taking care of Pokémon once your journey ends can get expensive, so this place helps meet all of their needs. And don’t worry, we got phones set up, and we get visitors all the time.”

“It’s still sad, but it is unavoidable,” Sam said. “My mom and I couldn’t afford to take care of Typhlosion with how much he eats.”

Typhlosion was still following them, and he snorted as if to ward away any accusations of him being fat.

Redi was captivated, eyes still locked onto the members of these rare species gathering around Teddiursa and the rest.

“Yeah,” she mumbled. “That’s why I don’t want too big of a team. Doesn’t make sense to not keep them around later.”

“But you’ll have to catch another Pokémon eventually,” Sam said.

She shrugged and turned away.

The tour continued as their Pokémon continued to play. More of the ranch was shown off, including the spaces where Tauros and Miltank were raised and bred outside. By the end of it, it was nighttime, and Carl invited them in to stay.

Rather than camping, Sam would spend the night in someone’s home—and he couldn’t exactly say he regretted how he spent his first day away on a Route.

The moon was full, with Carl’s home illuminated in its pale light. A warm glow left the house’s windows, and laughter rang out from outside.

Cyndaquil was not with them. Her attention took her outside, to where the cold night air chilled her and where the stars stretched out across the night sky.

She sat on the top of the hill and stared out at the fields. A pasture made up most of the ranch, with dozens of Tauros and Miltank sleeping within it.

Today had been fun, but she was now filled with deep nostalgia and... other thoughts. She hoped to get her mind off everything by taking some time to herself and by watching the creatures that were so common here that had been absent in her new home.

Fireflies.

They flitted about empty-mindedly. They weren’t Bug Types, but actual bugs. A halo of yellow surrounded their rears as too many to count drifted throughout the nearby fields.

These creatures seemed impossible to Cyndaquil. She had trouble understanding how such small forms of life could exist. They lacked the same Type energy that fueled Pokémon. Not just that, but they behaved solely through instinct rather than any form of conscious thought.

Fireflies were unnatural, but they were still beautiful. One ended up drifting over and landing on the tip of her snout.

Its glowing thorax faded in and out as it held its wings out to rest. Her thin eyes took it all in, memorizing every detail the best she could, before there was a twitch.

An itch.

Cyndaquil sneezed.

The bug was blown far off, sailing into the distance before catching itself in the air. It did not return, and she couldn't help but sigh.

A subdued laugh rumbled next to her.

She looked over to see her grandfather, the hulking and battle-experienced Typhlosion. Normally, she would have over run to greet him excitedly, but now, she just wasn't in the mood.

Cyndaquil remained sitting, and the Pokémon rumbled again before ambling over to join her. He let the front of his body hit the ground and stretched out before he scooted over to let his side press against her back.

“Typhlosion,” he grunted.

“Quil,” Cyndaquil replied.

She turned her back gaze up to the stars, and Typhlosion shifted to curl and place his head on the ground next to her.

He looked at her pointedly.

Cyndaquil looked away.

It wasn't that she was avoiding him, it was just that she...

She sighed.

Coming back brought up a lot of memories. This was where she had hatched. This was where she had been raised. She had spent months of her life here before eventually meeting with Sam, and now—

Typhlosion chuffed.

Cyndaquil could no longer sit up as straight as before.

To tell the truth, Cyndaquil was afraid.

She was afraid of losing. Afraid of being weak. Afraid of not being able to stand up and face those that threatened her best friend—but most importantly, she was afraid of letting him down.

She let her worries pour out of her all while Typhlosion silently listened in. She got up to pace, needing to move, and she squeaked frantically to share everything that had been weighing on her since the start of her journey.

Then, right as she started to speak about how she wasn't sure if she had really stopped shaking out of fear or if she had just got really good at suppressing it, Typhlosion sat up.

Cyndaquil shut her mouth.

The large Fire Type started to trot into the woods, looking over his shoulder to bid her to follow.

She did, almost needing to run to keep up with the much larger Pokémon’s strides. They left the area of the house, they left the open plains, and they entered the forest, where he took her quite a ways in.

They didn't arrive at the same grove where the rest of the Cyndaquil lived. Instead, Typhlosion brought her to the base of an enormous tree that covered several others with its shade.

Moonlight poured in through its branches, illuminating the foliage-sparse space around it. A few scarred boulders lingered about. In the base of its roots, there was a hole that smelled like Typhlosion.

This was his home. It was peaceful. A Pokémon as old as him needed a quiet place to rest at times.

But, the old Pokémon didn’t go inside. He wasn’t trying to brag or trying to take Cyndaquil away. Instead, he had merely wanted a private space to show something off, and this space around the tree already had all of its plants burned away long, long ago.

He let the flames around his neck come alight. The area was cast in hues of reds and yellows. His fire started up without any effort at all, as if it was easy.

Even though this wasn’t what he wanted to demonstrate, Cyndaquil was already impressed.

Continuing, Typhlosion pushed off the ground to stand on his back legs. He groaned a bit, his bones creaking in his old age. The flames on his back grew stronger as the clearing lit up brighter than before.

A wink. Typhlosion grinned. He opened his mouth and let loose an earth-shaking roar.

This was not a sound that should have come from a Pokémon. It was the roar of a volcano given life. With his cry, his fire became a furious blaze that should have set the forest on fire, yet all it did was lick harmlessly around its branches. Even from several feet away, and even though she was a Fire Type, Cyndaquil still found herself taking a step back to avoid Typhlosion’s sweltering heat.

Then, one more cry, and an attack tore out of him. It wasn’t just fire, it was an explosion slicing through the air. A river of flame burst forward to strike a large rock that sat close by.

Right away, the stone glowed red hot. Parts of it started to melt, the attack was that strong. Cyndaquil’s jaw dropped as Typhlosion let his move end.

This move was called Eruption.

Typhlosion grunted to say it was an attack that only the strongest of Typhlosion could command. One day, Cyndaquil would grow powerful enough to use it herself, too.

Except, the demonstration didn’t cheer Cyndaquil up. She pulled her front paws closer to her chest. Then, she shifted on her back feet, looking away from her grandfather.

“...Typhlosion?” he asked.

She didn’t meet his eyes.

“...Cynda. Cyndaquil,” she said.

She wasn't going to become just any Typhlosion. With Sam, she was going to reach an alternative, final form.

Typhlosion blinked, and he let his fire peter out. The aged Pokémon's expression softened as he trotted back to her side. Cyndaquil didn’t want to look up at him out of guilt, but then he went ahead and curled around her regardless.

The thing about Hisuian Typhlosion....

He snorted.

He told Cyndaquil that far back in the past, he once tried to evolve into one.

Cyndaquil snapped her gaze to him. She looked at him in honest disbelief.

The old man closed his eyes. He recalled fading, fond memories of his journey with his trainer. Becoming a Hisuian Typhlosion wasn’t something they worked for, simply a concept that was brought up when he was near evolution. It was too little, too late. The base effort was there, but he had reached his line’s usual evolution regardless of their shared attempts.

But!

Typhlosion opened his eyes to stare at Cyndaquil.

Neither he nor his trainer begrudged one another for their failure. Instead, they were partners, and partners never abandoned each other.

He pushed his nose forward and nuzzled Cyndaquil’s chest. She giggled at the warm feeling as he rumbled affectionately.

They sat there for a while, simply enjoying one another’s company. Cyndaquil hadn’t seen him in years, and it was nice to know he was still around.

After a while, Typhlosion started to hum once again. He mused that if Cyndaquil was working on achieving her final evolution now, instead of when she became close to evolving—

“Cyndaquil! Where are you?”

Interrupted, his point was never made.

Cyndaquil sat up and climbed onto her grandfather’s back, using the old Pokémon’s large size to gain the height needed, peering into the woods. With her increase in elevation, she saw a faint, moving light in the distance.

Sam.

He was carrying a flashlight in his hand while crying out her name.

The sight made something stir unhappily inside Cyndaquil’s chest. She was the one meant to provide her trainer light. Not some dumb, human-made device!

Leaping forward, she jumped off of her grandfather, squeaking to thank him one last time for all of the support. He smiled at her and pushed off the ground, beginning to return to the hole he called home.

Cyndaquil’s flames lit up at full blast as she charged right at her trainer. She was an isolated point of light in the forest, a star that immediately drew his attention.

“Cyndaquil!” Sam said, eyes lighting up the second he saw her.

Not waiting even a second, she jumped up to be caught by a set of welcoming arms.

“Hey, Cyndaquil,” he said softly, Cyndaquil letting her flames die back down so as to not burn him. “I got worried when you didn't come back And then we heard a roar—but that was Typhlosion, wasn't it?”

She giggled, not telling, and pressed closer to her best friend's chest. Sam pulled her in a bit tighter, too, and he began to run his hand over her head.

“Come on. Let’s get out of this cold. Carl made a pie. It's filled with Oran Berries, so I know you'll like it. Mankey already ate a bunch, so we better get back before that little glutton finishes off the rest.”

She let herself relax as she was carried back towards the light of the cottage. For all her worries, she was feeling better. Cyndaquil took comfort in knowing that Sam would always be by her side.