The Ghost Specialist

Sam wasn’t sure how he could comfort Redi, so he ended up walking with her back to the Pokémon Center in silence. She was at least maintaining her usual grin, but there was something about the look in her eyes that told him she was still bothered.

After all, she hadn’t lost in any usual Pokémon battle, but she had lost to the premise of the overall Gym Trial.

He only had experience comforting Cyndaquil, as when she was upset, Sam would make sure to keep her close and feed her sweet foods—her favorite. He couldn’t do the same with Redi for obvious reasons, but as they waited in the Pokémon Center lobby for Teddiursa to be healed, he came up with a great idea.

“Let’s do a job together!”

Neither of them had spoken for several long minutes, so when Sam blurted out his idea, Redi turned to him and blinked.

“Huh?”

“Yeah! Let’s do something fun and earn money doing it. You and me, let’s see what jobs are available, and then let’s take one on together!”

She stared at him and tilted her head to the side.

“I’m not really sure—”

“Don’t you wanna make money?”

She snapped her mouth closed and looked away. The furious blush on her face told Sam she really did.

He got up and walked over to the Pokémon Center’s hanging corkboard, with Redi hesitantly following. Ecruteak City was somewhat packed, but it wasn’t going through the same initial crush Olivine had experienced. There were still a few jobs hanging up, but pickings were slim.

“A store is getting a large delivery that needs unpacking... Someone has a bunch of stuff they need burned... There’s a job to take out a Spinarak nest?”

Sam turned to Redi in hopes one of those options appealed to her. None seemed to gather her interest until she leaned forward to pluck a different piece of paper.

“How about this one?”

Sam leaned over to read the job’s description.

“Pond fishing?”

“Apparently there’s a few Grimer that got in that the client wants removed. This was a common issue back in Vermillion. And...” Her face flushed red again. “I used to go fishing with my dad, sometimes. I’d know what to do.”

“Then let’s do it!”

Sam elbowed Redi in the arm, trying to cheer her up. She rolled her eyes, but she had a slight smile on her face.

Shortly after, the nurse called Redi up to collect Teddiursa, and she took the chance to accept the job before heading out.

Their destination was a small Goldeen pond, a decorative pool meant to show off the prized and well-bred fish. It wasn’t too large, located within the walled grounds of an old-fashioned, Johtonian home. Unfortunately for its caretakers, the water was too murky to see into, and the plants were dying off. All the Goldeen and the sole Seaking had been recovered and placed into their Pokéballs. It was up to Sam and Redi to clear the place out so the Pokémon could be returned.

“Here,” Redi said, handing Sam a rod from a stack. “They’re providing us fishing rods since we don’t have any Water Types that can enter the water. We just have to beat up any Grimer that come out. They should learn that they’re not welcome here once they lose a fight.”

Sam took the offered rod and sat on a foldable chair at the edge of the water. Cyndaquil came out to curl up next to him, and Mankey walked over to poke at the pond’s edge. Gastly wasn’t the biggest fan of bright days, so he was trying to hide in Sam’s shadow. Unlike more powerful Ghost Types, he didn’t yet have the capability to go inside of the shadow, so he was just appreciating the shade, half-phased into the floor.

Redi was a bit less relaxed. She cast her rod and stared at the water with a determined focus. To Sam’s amusement, Teddiursa was doing the same with a rod of his own.

A faint breeze blew through the area, stirring the leaves of the nearby trees. Ripples shifted across the water, but the three floating bobbers were left undisturbed.

“So, did you go fishing with your dad often?” Sam asked, breaking the ongoing silence.

“When I was really young, yeah. It was mostly just something we did when Mom was too busy. I liked to try to help out, but I think my parents didn’t want to risk a young kid on a construction site.” Redi giggled fondly. “The same was true for Teddiursa. He’d come with us since he didn't have the same sturdiness of a young Fighting Type, like our Machop.”

Teddiursa snorted next to her. Redi puffed up, almost indignantly.

“Of course you could handle it now!” she said. “There’s no way you wouldn’t be able to take a brick to the face!”

Sam wanted to comment but chose not to. Teddiursa preened under the unusual praise.

“How about you? You lived on an island, right? Did you fish?” Redi asked.

“Oh, uh, I didn’t. Sorry, but I mostly just sat inside and read.”

She glanced at Sam out of the corner of her eye.

“Really? I wouldn’t have been able to guess. It’s not like you still do that all the time.”

Sam snorted just like Teddiursa, but then Redi suddenly yelped. She immediately yanked her fishing rod back and began to rapidly reel in the line.

“Get ready, Teddiursa!” she shouted.

The bear stabbed his rod into the ground and stood in front of Redi.

Giving it one last, violent tug, the surface of the water broke as a purple glob of muck was ripped free into the air. The wild Grimer grabbed onto the end of the line and seemed to be trying to climb up. Eyes poked through its soggy gunk and widened at its sudden position above the surface. The arc at which it was pulled sent it flying towards the shore, where Teddiursa pulled back a fist and prepared a Fire Punch.

“Now!” Redi yelled.

He struck it in the side, causing the living gunk to bend inwards. Despite its amorphous shape, it held a basic form pretty well. When it hit the ground several feet away, it didn’t get up. Teddiursa’s attack caught right when it least expected it, and it was now utterly unconscious.

“That was—”

“It wasn’t that violent when I fished with my dad,” Redi said, pride clear in her voice.

She opened her mouth to speak further, but her face scrunched up in disgust.

“Urgh! Let’s move to a different spot before we continue.”

Sam wanted to respond, but when he got a whiff of the stench drifting off of Grimer, he closed his mouth and nodded his head to agree without risking breathing in any more of the smell.

They moved several feet away, upwind where the Grimer wouldn’t pollute their breathable air. Once it woke up, it would likely run away, but for now, they would have to ignore its body unless they wanted to catch it.

(They didn’t.)

“So reading,” Redi continued.

“Yeah,” Sam replied. “I had this little overhang right above the shop’s front doors. I had to climb to get to it, but it gave me a view onto the street, the sun provided just the perfect amount of light, and I smuggled pillows up so that way Cyndaquil could sleep next to me while I read. It was a little cramped, but it helped keep in all of her warmth.”

He did most of his reading there, and when it got too late at night, he moved inside to lurk on the Ghost Type forums so he didn’t have to try to read in the dark. That little nook was his favorite place in the world, and since it was technically inside of the shop, he could easily hop down to help his mother whenever she needed it as he was right there.

“That actually sounds pretty nice, but I can’t imagine staying in one place for too long.”

“Unless you’re fishing,” Sam pointed out.

“Unless I’m fishing,” Redi repeated with a snort.

This time around, Teddiursa got a tug, and Sam prepared himself to fight.

“Gastly, can I get your help for this?”

The Ghost Type peeked up out of the ground and grinned. Mankey slumped in disappointment, but Sam assured the monkey that he could get the next one.

“Hypnosis!” Sam ordered.

When the second Grimer was pulled into the air, it was more prepared to act. An arm extended out of its blob-like body in an attempt to hit its reeler—Teddiursa—with a Pound, but Gastly positioned himself right there to catch its gaze when it looked over.

Hypnosis required eye-contact for the move to settle in. In battle, it was usually difficult to land, but when a foe had such an obvious path, it was easy to ensure that Grimer hit the ground and didn’t get up, settling down with a snore.

“Let’s move again,” Sam said through a pinched nose.

Redi was already walking away.

This third time they sat down, Sam didn’t feel the need to speak, and it seemed that neither did Redi. They let the silence last, appreciating the relaxing environment while also doing their best to ignore the lingering smells of the two unconscious Grimer.

Unfortunately, something pulled at Sam’s fishing line before too much time could pass.

“I think it's my turn to bring one in,” he mumbled.

He tried following the same motions both Redi and Teddiursa had gone through—pulling the rod back and trying to reel it in—but as he pulled, the Pokémon fought him. Nothing left the water.

He chuckled nervously and tried again. Redi put her fishing rod down and stepped over.

“Let me help.”

She grabbed on and worked with Sam to pull in unison. The fishing rod bent enough to form a full arc, but no matter how hard Sam reeled, nothing was coming out.

“Am I just really bad at this?” he said unhappily.

Redi helped him yank again.

“No, I think this one might just be really big.”

The knuckles on their hands turned white as their arms shook with strain. Teddiursa rushed over, and then Mankey clutched the bottom of the pole. They served as a brace at the bottom to help with how hard they were pulling.

“On the count of three?” Sam asked.

“Yeah. One. Two...” Redi breathed free. “Three!”

All four of them yelled, pulling the rod up with all of their might. The water seemed to bend outwards until there was a pop, and something was dragged to the shore.

The Pokémon that left the water was large. It was almost identical to the previous Grimer, except its size made it clear it was a different species. Globs of gunk dripped off its body as it seemed to be in the constant motion of flow. Two eyes peeked open to take in everyone here.

It was a Muk, the evolved form of Grimer.

“...I don’t think they were aware there was a Muk here,” Sam said nervously.

“That, or they were trying to downplay the difficulty of the job,” Redi replied.

A line stretched across the Muk’s face before opening up into a gaping mouth. Like saliva, slime from its body dripped within, and when it groaned its name, globs splattered over the ground in front of it.

There was no way they’d be able to leave without a fight.

“Back up! Hyp—Hypnosis! Cyndaquil, go for a burn!” Sam shouted.

“Distract it, Teddiursa!”

“Help him, Mankey!” he added.

Pokémon leaped into action.

Thick arms extended out of the Muk’s body to drag itself forward. The sounds it made were like popping groans as it glared at its incoming attackers.

Gastly, with his speed, moved first, his eyes locking onto Muk's. Unfortunately, the much larger Pokémon brought a heavy arm up, swinging for a sweeping Pound.

The Normal Type move phased through him ineffectively, which surprised the Muk and opened it up to a retaliatory Ember from Cyndaquil. The smell of burning garbage filled the air as her attack hit its side, and then both Mankey and Teddiursa leaped in to attack the Poison Type with their hands.

“Get back!”

Redi called for the same.

Both Pokémon tried to leave, but as Muk was quite literally made up of muck, their hands sank into it and they found themselves unable to pull away.

From the Pokémon’s large mouth, gas seeped out like pus from a decaying wound. It coiled around Mankey and Teddiursa’s bodies, but while Teddiursa held his breath, Mankey’s anger meant he was breathing too heavily to do the same.

He lurched. The move, Poison Gas, poisoned him to hurt him over time.

“How do we do this?” Sam said quickly.

Redi looked around desperately. Despite having such a clear understanding of her personal strategy, this was not an opponent she could punch in the face.

“I think... I think we...!”

Another sweep of the arm for another sweep of Pound. Both Mankey and Teddiursa were struck by it, but they were at least knocked away.

Redi looked overwhelmed. She had lost in the Gym, and now she was about to lose in battle. However, Sam wasn't willing to be defeated here. He already promised his team he wouldn't lose again.

“Our goal is to weaken it! Open it up to Hypnosis!”

Gastly moved back, readying himself with an excited grin on his face. Mankey might have been poisoned and now covered in gunk, but his anger fueled him enough to let him push off the ground.

Meanwhile, Cyndaquil was already preparing for a new Ember, and Teddiursa bared his claws.

“Fire!” Sam ordered.

Cyndaquil unleashed her attack. Ember struck Muk as it brought up an arm in an attempt to defend.

“Mankey! Let Teddiursa hit but pull him away!” Redi shouted. “You can’t afford to let either of you get stuck again!”

Mankey looked annoyed that he was both being told not to attack and that it was Redi, not Sam, giving him orders, but he still complied.

With Muk distracted by Cyndaquil’s ongoing Ember, Teddiursa had free reign to come in and punch with a flaming fist. While he did get stuck again, Mankey hopped over to yank and pop him out before any retaliation.

The Muk was growing angry. This was a Pokémon that had been “peacefully” sleeping at the bottom of a pool, and now it was under attack. Its body inflated and undulated, going through a noisy regurgitation. Its cheeks puffed up before a new move burst free from its mouth; Muk spat up a Sludge aimed at Sam and Redi’s combined teams.

“Flame Wheel! Gastly, Lick!” Sam yelled.

Cyndaquil understood quickly. She pulled herself into a Flame Wheel and jumped towards the attack. Using the move’s burning momentum, she was able to burn away and knock back a decent chunk of the incoming Sludge.

As for Gastly, he also understood and moved in, even with the awfulness that Sam’s order entailed. He floated up and swiped at the gunk with an extended tongue, catching it inside of his mouth. He chewed on it for a second before bobbing up and down, implying the taste was just “alright.”

“Yuck,” Redi said. Her face tinted green.

“Gastly is fine. A lot of people forget his species is also part Poison Type.”

Redi looked at Sam, disappointed.

Sam didn’t order a new move, but there was a follow up. From where he floated above everyone else, Gastly proceeded to continue forward to rush right at Muk.

“Wait, don’t!

His Ghost Type didn’t listen. Muk turned Gastly’s way. Sam briefly thought this was an attempt to land a Hypnosis, but that move was never used. Instead, a greyish beam left his eyes to strike Muk in the face.

“What was that?” Redi asked.

Sam gained a bright smile.

“Confuse Ray! Yes, I knew it was simple! He worked out how to turn Hypnosis into a Ghost Type, confusion move!”

Confuse Ray meant Gastly inflicted Muk with illusions that interfered with its senses. Rather than continuing to attack, it started to swing its arms around it at random.

“Cyndaquil, I think it’s your turn,” Sam said.

She picked herself off the ground from where she had landed and let her back blaze at full blast. From her mouth, an onslaught of flecks of flame burned through the air, searing the defenseless Muk’s side.

Gastly remained around his foe, merrily bouncing in the air and staying in front of its face to ensure the confusion never dropped. A few times, Muk seemed to regain its focus, but then another Confuse Ray would hit its face and send it back into a world of illusions.

Sam, Redi, Mankey, and Teddiursa had no reason to interfere, watching Gastly keep Muk busy while Cyndaquil furiously unleashed Ember after Ember. Mankey sat back and started to wipe gunk off of his fur, and Sam knelt down to treat him with an Antidote from his and Redi’s emergency supplies.

Redi watched the two Pokémon work in unison. The slightest of frowns appeared on her face.

“I think... I think I’m going to wait to take on Ecruteak Gym,” she said.

Sam snapped his gaze to her. “What? You sure?” he asked. “You know that means that after I win, I’ll always be one badge ahead.”

“Psh. Only until we loop back around. That was always in the plan!” She said, crossing her arms. “And it doesn’t matter if you’re one badge ahead if I can still beat you in a fight. Gym Badges are Gym Badges, but what about a team’s inherent strength?”

She grinned at Sam, almost in challenge, and Sam could see that this grin was finally genuine. He smirked at her right back, willing to meet her in battle if she so chose, but then a shout from Muk drew his attention as Gastly cackled, victorious.

The large Pokémon collapsed downwards into a pool of gunk. Its eyes were unfocused and stared up at the empty skies. Gastly rushed over to give Cyndaquil a high five.

Or at least, he tried to. He didn’t have hands, and Cyndaquil was exhausted after pushing herself so hard. The two ended up doing a sort of headbutt. It wasn’t violent like a usual headbutt, but Gastly pulled back and laughed to cheer.

“...Yeah, I definitely need to take a second look at how Teddiursa and I are fighting. There’s no way we could have beat Muk on our own.”

“So that means I could beat you, right?”

“You wish. Teddiursa could destroy your team.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Sam replied.

With the Muk defeated, the remaining Grimer proceeded to rush away, recognizing they stood no chance against a group that could beat that. Thankfully, none of them recognized just how exhausted everyone was, and they left without a fight.

The job paid well, and Sam felt the experience was worth it. After all, Redi was in a much better mood, and Gastly had figured out Confuse Ray. There was only one thing left to do in Ecruteak, and he wasn’t going to wait.

His Gym Battle with Morty rapidly approached.