The Ghost Specialist

“So ghosts are real.”

Morty refused to speak. He dropped a world-shattering revelation on Sam, and then he stayed quiet until he fulfilled his duties at the local shrine. There, the Gym Leader put on a show for the crowd gathering around him, going through the motions of bowing, praying, and donating to the monks that stood guard outside the path to Ecruteak’s historic Bell Tower.

Of course, when Morty started to make his way back to the Gym, that was when Sam pounced. The Gym Leader headed down a side street instead of traveling down the festival path. The area around them was virtually deserted—but not deserted in the same way that alley had been. Neither of them were too worried about being overheard, and Sam absolutely could not wait until he was back at Ecruteak’s Gym.

“Maybe,” Morty said, which just served to annoy Sam with the half-hearted response. “Or maybe it wasn’t a ghost, but an illusion put on by a pair of Gastly brothers that have been quite the pain in my side? They put on shows like that to scare anyone that passes through their territory. As a Gym Leader, we have an agreement for me to bring them one victim a week so that way they’ll leave everyone else alone.”

Sam furrowed his brows and stared at Morty, but the man kept a faint smile on his face. He looked far too amused, and the explanation was far too mundane. His delivery came with such ease and with such casualness that the explanation felt like it absolutely had to be the truth.

Except, Sam knew Morty was lying. There wasn’t anything Pokémon-conjured about that woman in the alleyway. He could tell what Morty was doing; this Gastly story was a lifeline Sam could clutch to if he wanted out. If he didn’t want to believe in ghosts, if he didn’t want to believe in the supernatural, then of course a pair of Gastly had done it! That woman was just an illusion, and since she was just an illusion, Sam could go on to live the rest of his life not worried about what might lurk in the dark!

Yeah, right.

“So ghosts are real,” Sam stated again, making sure his tone absolutely carried the proper amount of conviction.

Morty let out a sigh.

“Yeah,” he said, no longer lying, “they are.”

Sam smirked, smug, and he turned back to the direction they were heading. The roof of the Ecruteak Gym poked out above the buildings around them. It’d be a few minutes before they actually arrived.

As they walked, too many thoughts flowed through his head to ignore. Words started to pour out of his mouth without him able to stop.

“So if ghosts are real, what does that mean for us? And for Pokémon?” Sam asked. “Are Ghost Types spirits of Pokémon? Or are they still Pokémon, but just with those spiritual powers you mentioned? Or maybe they are ghosts but Pokémon at the same time, so then ghosts are Ghost Type people but people don’t have types so they’re actually just ghosts—wait! What about all those stories I’ve read? How many of those are true?”

Morty let loose a laugh that was a mixture of a sigh and genuine amusement. He shook his head and adjusted his scarf as they continued down the empty street.

“How familiar are you with Hoenn?” Morty asked.

Sam blinked at the sudden change of topic.

“I’m actually from Hoenn. ...Sir,” Sam said.

“Good! That’ll make things easier. Somewhat.” Morty cleared his throat. “If you’re familiar with the species of Dusclops, you should know that it’s capable of evolution. Known primarily in Sinnoh, its evolution, Dusknoir, tends to take on a role handling waywards spirits. Some people are born with the ability to communicate with ghosts and Ghost Types, and they try to lure out questions from experienced Dusknoir to piece together the truth.

“Yet, unfortunately, those Pokémon tend to be rather tight-lipped about certain truths. We don’t know if ghosts are actually lost human spirits or masses of negative emotion tied up to create some kind of semi-conscious phenomena.”

Sam needed to pause for a few moments just to take that deluge of revelations in.

“So that woman...”

“She’s a real ghost, yes, or she’s whatever ghosts truly are,” Morty answered. “Though, I’ll note she’s relatively harmless if you know how to handle her. Responding to her question can lead her to becoming aggressive, but apologizing and stating you’re expected elsewhere usually lets you go free. Just in case, I do have some trained Ghost Types stationed nearby to maintain illusions that keep people away. They also help any unintentional ‘visitors’ escape, and then usually that Gastly story is enough to explain away any lasting trauma.

“As for why she’s there...” Morty looked at Sam before a furious blush appeared on his face. “She used to be a performer, of sorts, until she was attacked in that very alley. It wasn’t until a few decades after she passed away that sightings of her apparent ‘spirit’ began to appear. Enju—Ecruteak—has always been the heart of spiritual phenomenon and Ghost Types in Johto. We’ve been keeping her at bay for years.”

Sam let everything sit for a few moments again. It was like every sentence turned the world on its head. He really wanted the chance to just sit down and think.

“Huh,” Sam eventually replied. “So then why don’t you get rid of her? Shouldn’t you, I don’t know, help her move on?”

Morty grimaced.

“That ties back to what I said about not knowing if ghosts are actual spirits or not. Actually getting one to move on is difficult, and it usually deals with helping them resolve unfinished business. If we don’t know what that unfinished business is...”

Morty sighed, running his hand through his spiked, blonde hair. The man looked tired, far more tired than he ever looked before.

He never completed his statement, but Sam could put two-and-two together.

If you can’t resolve their unfinished business, the spirit can’t move on.

“Thankfully, true ghosts are exceptionally rare,” Morty continued several seconds later. “Not even a thousandth of a percent of people will ever encounter one. But when they do show up, they need to be handled. Usually, only trainers who have been recognized as skilled with the Ghost Type are allowed to do so, and they usually need to earn four or five Gym Badges, first.”

Sam stumbled for a second. He glanced up at Morty, surprised.

“But you told me,” he said.

“Yeah,” the Gym Leader replied. “I have a gut feeling you’ll get there one day. That declaration you gave me in the Gym, the sheer amount of knowledge you had on a rare Pokémon like Mismagius, and then your discovery of Hex...”

He chuckled, shaking his head.

“If you don’t become at least a basic Ghost Type specialist, I’d be genuinely surprised. Believe me, you have potential with the Ghost Type. A bit of work, a bit of extra research, and you’ll be comparable to some of my best Gym Trainers in no time at all!”

Sam sniffed.

Something warm stirred in his chest.

Morty wasn’t just a Gym Leader, he was a premier expert in the Ghost Type, and here he was, telling him that he could be a true specialist!

Despite everything he had just gone through, and despite all this information being dumped on him, he couldn’t resist a smile.

“I’ll be giving you some assigned reading about ghosts,” Morty said. “Since you now know, it’ll be best to make sure you’re prepared. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to help you more than that—I do have a Gym to run, after all—but I also think it’s best to not hand all the answers over to beginning trainers. For now, remember what I told you earlier, and train your team the best you can. After today, I want you to stay safe, okay? Not everyone knows what you know, and I’ve found that people who are aware of real ghosts tend to encounter them more frequently than others.”

“Thank you,” Sam said genuinely.

Morty smiled and loosely waved away Sam’s thanks with a casual chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s only right I support a trainer as helpful as you. Plus, this gives me an excuse to set up an exceptionally difficult trial for when you take on my Gym! Those are always the most fun!”

Sam outright grimaced.

Upon arriving back at Ecruteak Gym, Morty dumped a stack of three tomes into Sam’s arms. He made sure to profusely thank the man before saying goodbye and parting to head to the nearest Pokémon Center. There, Redi was waiting for him, annoyed but still having gone through the process to reserve them their own rooms. Sam apologized but assured her that everything was alright before heading upstairs to rest.

This Pokémon Center was nicer than most, giving trainers individual rooms complete with a closet, a desk, and their own personal bathroom. The space was cramped, but it was far better than camping. After everything that had happened today, Sam took one look at a specific piece of furniture in the room and smiled.

A bed. A real bed.

He sent out his Pokémon before collapsing into the bed’s fluffy embrace, thankful that he could sleep inside for once. For the first time in a long time, he passed out right away. As he drifted off into a deep slumber, his mind was filled with all of his plans for training as well as thoughts about real, actual ghosts.

Sam sat on a foldable chair outside of Ecruteak while Pokémon trained around him.

“Listen to this, Redi,” he started, eyes locked onto the book in his lap. “It’s about a specific type of held item. Tags, they’re called.”

He cleared his throat.

“Tags, sometimes known as Ofuda or Seals, are paper talismans said to be infused with spiritual energy. While there is no measurable proof of that energy, their effectiveness on Pokémon cannot be dismissed. Created by Channelers, these Tags affect nearby Pokémon with an enhanced effect on Ghost Types. Cleanse Tags, also known as Purification Seals, ward away hostile intent while also weakening nearby Ghosts. Their opposite, Spell Tags, also known as Cursed Seals, both lure and enhance nearby Ghost Types, and are therefore highly valued by related trainers.”

Sam grinned and looked up from his book. The text was dry but flowing with information. It took the concept of actual, physical ghosts and tackled their existence from an academic standpoint. The same was true about the other two books next to him. One cataloged known, historical sightings of spiritual phenomena, and the other collected witness accounts and journal entries of people who claimed to have seen those spirits in the past.

These texts were one of a kind and were even partially handwritten. He had seen rare books back at home, but nothing had ever been too valuable since he did live on a relatively isolated island. These books, however, contained information that he couldn’t have even dreamed about before! They were so rare that Morty had gone as far as to make it clear that Sam wasn’t allowed to leave Ecruteak before passing them back over.

He was absolutely loving all this otherwise unobtainable information. It reminded him of the New Pokédex, but instead of impossible information about Pokémon, it contained information about real ghosts.

Redi looked far less impressed, however. She was listening but was more focused on helping Teddiursa practice his moves. Standing over him like a coach, she carefully analyzed each and every swing of Fire Punch in an attempt to guide him into quickly transitioning between that attack and Fury Swipes.

“So Cleanse Tags bad for ghosts, Spell Tags good,” she said, mostly distracted. “Isn’t this a little too specific to matter right now?”

“Nothing is ever too specific!” Sam cheerfully replied. “And your summary is a bit off. Cleanse Tags are too weak to have an effect in battle, but Spell Tags are strong enough to be a damage-increasing held item. I think the important lesson to take from this is that there are spiritual effects out there that humans can create to affect ghosts. Isn’t that cool? Doesn’t it make you want to figure out ways we can use this to help our Pokémon?”

She merely grunted. Of course, Sam had told her about the existence of real ghosts—it wouldn’t have been fair to keep traveling with her without at least giving her a warning—but she hadn’t been blown away by the revelation like Sam had. To Redi, real ghosts were just another threat to beat up like aggressive wild Pokémon.

“You can at least try to pretend to care,” Sam said, putting on a fake pout.

Redi finally looked away from Teddiursa, blinking at Sam as if caught off guard.

“No, no! It’s not that I don’t care, it's just that we got a Gym challenge coming up, yeah? Gotta train if we want to do well!”

Sam scoffed.

“We’re Pokémon trainers. We’ll always have a Gym challenge coming up.”

She grinned cheekily at him and returned to helping Teddiursa.

Sam went back to his book while his Pokémon trained around him. It kind of felt like he was sending them off to practice on their own, but building up his mind was just as important as them building up their bodies.

Cyndaquil had temporarily transitioned back into using Curse. Like how she had practiced training her fire, she was working on the feel of Ghost Type energy coursing through her. Curse, when used repeatedly, significantly slowed her down, requiring each movement to be completely intentional and precise in order to not lose the effect. In exchange, Curse filled her with physical power, and practicing with the move would help her minimize the speed loss in battle.

As for Mankey, the monkey Pokémon kept huffing, annoyed. His fist punched through the air in mimicry of Teddiursa’s own attack, but he kept failing to ignite his hand in the way Fire Punch required.

Yet, as his Pokémon trained, Sam's mind started to drift more and more away from the topic of his book.

Morty did mention that my Gym challenge is going to be more difficult...

Sighing, he closed the old tome and put it aside for now. He had a team to train in preparation for the Gym, and the New Pokédex held secrets he wanted to apply.

“Can both of you come here?”

Cyndaquil released a breath, letting the built-up Ghost Type energy drain out of her. Mankey stopped punching and stared at his fist, annoyed. His fur stood on its ends from the building frustration about his constant failures.

“I’m changing up how we’re practicing,” Sam said once his Pokémon moved closer. “Morty gave me a lot to think about, and I finally have an idea for a specific strategy for our team.”

Mankey perked up, and Cyndaquil squeaked in congratulations. Nearby, Sam saw Redi turn her head to let her better listen in.

“Morty talked about three potential ideas we could work on. We could focus on a strong offense, we could build our team around sweepers, and then we could also wear down our foes through a variety of weakening effects—status moves. Between the two of you, we have already a strong special attacker and a strong physical attacker—”

Both Pokémon preened at the praise.

“—But I don’t think going all in on offense is the solution. With some of the moves I’ve been reading up on, I think we should try focusing on those statuses Morty mentioned.”

It took Morty going over potential strategies for Sam to realize he already had been using one of his own. Back against Buck, he had relied on a burn to win. Against Redi, he tried to do the same but failed. Against Jasmine, he had done something similar but slightly different, using Smokescreen to an impressive effect.

He didn’t have as much of a power-oriented mindset as Redi did. Instead of immediately calling out attacks, his first thoughts were more focused on how to open up a foe’s defenses. Ghost Types had so many options available to them for this strategy—Will-O-Wisp was a guaranteed way to burn for starters, and even the weak Lick had a chance to paralyze. Sam actually felt like this idea had potential.

And even if it doesn’t work out, we have time. Widening our movesets won’t hurt if we have to change our strategy at a later date.

The New Pokédex had extremely in-depth entries. All it took was a casual browse to identify which moves he wanted his team to focus on, instead.

“Cyndaquil, you’re easy. Your move set is already strong enough for our level with both Ember and then Curse-boosted Flame Wheel. I would have you work on Quick Attack if Ghost Types weren’t already immune. Instead, in line with your practice controlling fire, I think we should work on Will-O-Wisp alongside your practice with Blaze, striving for easier burns.”

She squeaked, effectively saying, “I can do that!” Sam smiled at his Pokémon.

“As for you, Mankey...”

Mankey stood at attention, ready for orders.

“I think we should give up on Fire Punch—only for now!”

Mankey immediately deflated in disappointment. Literally every other Pokémon here had some sort of fire in their moves. Teddiursa had figured out the elemental punch, and Cyndaquil was literally a Fire Type! It was like Sam was trying to purposefully exclude him, except, he wasn’t.

“Even with status effects, you don’t have too many options to let us build around that,” Sam started to explain. “Your potential moveset is all about offense, so instead of inflicting a status on an enemy, you’re going to take advantage of whatever the rest of the team managed to inflict.”

The monkey tilted his head to the side, and Sam pulled out his personal journal to point to a move he had identified previously.

“Assurance,” Sam said. “It’s a Dark Type move. A bit above your level, but if Teddiursa can learn Fire Punch, you absolutely can learn this attack!”

Sam went on to explain exactly why Assurance was perfect for the team’s planned strategy. The attack wasn’t just super effective against Ghost Types, but it carried the added effect of being stronger if Mankey’s opponent took damage right before he used it. That let it combine well with Will-O-Wisp, as a burn dealt damage over time. That meant, if timed well, he could capitalize on any status effects to have stronger attacks.

Yet, while Mankey was outright grinning at that proposition, Sam couldn’t help but to feel like he was dropping a lot on his team. Figuring out a strategy, albeit basic, was a start, but there was so much his Pokémon already had to develop as it stood.

Between their abilities, their expanding movesets, and their eventual evolutions, Sam was starting to doubt that he would be able to do it. However, Redi quickly walked over to pat Sam on the back.

“Oh, don’t look so down! You finally figured out a plan! That’s a huge development!”

“But we have to work on Quick Attack and Blaze and Anger Point and Fire Punch and everything else I just mentioned and then so much more,” Sam groaned.

Redi just casually shrugged, her usual grin still on her face.

“Yeah? But that’s the whole point of becoming a trainer, isn’t it? Sure, our end goal is to become unbeatable, but half the fun is all the training along the way.”

Sam couldn’t help but to chuckle. She was right; Pokémon trainers couldn’t just skip to the end. They had to put in the work to get there, which was something even Morty had said.

“You’re right. We should better get started, then.”

He had a Ghost Type Gym to conquer.