The Ghost Specialist

“Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?!”

Sam winced as he turned away from Redi, choosing to look at the nurse instead. The woman silently nodded to confirm that his Pokémon would be healed, but she didn’t fully meet his eyes.

He didn’t want to turn back and face Redi’s pleading expression, but given the topic of the conversation, he knew he had no choice but to do so.

“Celebrating birthdays is more of a thing for kids,” Sam said, moving to stand at the edge of the front lobby. “I didn't want to hog the spotlight, and I figured since I was turning fifteen—”

He was interrupted by a snort of disbelief.

“Everyone deserves to have a birthday party,” Redi declared. “Back in Vermillion, my mom, my dad, all of our Pokémon, and even Teddi—I mean, Ursaring—got to have parties! What’s the point if you don’t get to dedicate the day to yourself? I mean, what did you even do when it was your birthday back home?”

Sam knew the answer. Birthdays were quiet. Either he or his mom would bake (or try to bake) a cake, and they’d eat it in the living room while watching a movie on the TV. They always got food ordered in too, so the only actual effort they needed to expend was with the cake in the kitchen. Quilava and Delcatty celebrated their own birthdays as well, and his mother was great at preparing Pokémon-friendly desserts.

“We mostly just sat around and watched movies,” Sam said with a shrug.

Redi looked utterly aghast at Sam’s nonchalance.

“Nu-uh. I refuse. Since you're traveling with me, you need to have a proper birthday party, with cake and decorations and music and—”

Her eyes widened as she came to a realization. Her mouth hung open as she stared at Sam.

“Gifts,” Redi whispered.

Immediately, her gaze snapped to the Center’s door before snapping back to Sam. She looked like she wanted to run, but she froze in place while gears obviously turned in her head.

“You won’t mind if I throw you a party, right?” she asked.

While he had his own plans, he trusted his friend. Sam let out a short laugh.

“Go ahead.”

“Great!” Redi immediately began to grin. “I’ll be right back! I gotta get everything set up! Meet back here in... two hours! No, a single hour! Wait, give me an hour and a half!”

Before Sam could say anything else, Redi dashed to the front counter, slipping in to ask the nurse a question without waiting in line. She got a glare from the person who was supposed to be up next, but her exchange lasted a total of only three seconds.

The nurse nodded, and Sam heard Redi thank the woman behind the counter. Within the next second, Redi was out of the building. A few trainers off to the sides laughed to themselves after witnessing all of... that.

“Okay?” Sam said.

Personally, he wouldn't have minded an easy day, which was what he had been working towards setting up. However, he wasn’t going to object to Redi throwing a party for him. He didn’t want to admit it, but he kind of liked the idea of having today only be about himself.

But the last time I had a proper birthday party...

Sam moved to sit on a waiting room couch.

The last time I had a proper celebration with cake, balloons, other people, and actual festivities, I was a lot younger.

It was back when his grandfather was still alive.

Sam rubbed his eyes and let himself shift deeper into the couch's cushioned seat. He chose not to think about anything, leaning back to relax while he waited for his Pokémon to be healed.

When his name was called up and after he had grabbed his team’s Pokéballs, he didn’t leave the Pokémon Center as planned. Instead of heading out for the day, he stepped out back. The moment he stepped to the side of the door to the courtyard, light flashed from his waist, and his entire team appeared around him without personal action needed.

“I—”

Primeape huffed and pointed at Sam accusingly, holding up a gloved hand to mimic pointing a finger. Misdreavus hummed in agreement, and Haunter crossed his “arms” as if to make a point.

Sam avoided their glares, turning towards Quilava instead, but she was looking at the floor. He could tell she was a little guilty; she had gone along with his plan to hide his birthday.

“So you all heard that too?”

Sam received confirmations from each of the Pokémon before him.

“Look, it’s not like I was planning to leave you guys out of it, I just didn’t want to make it a big deal,” he said. “And we did already celebrate together, remember? I set things up so we were out on a nighttime walk the moment today started.”

Haunter made a noise as if he just now realized why Sam decided to leave at midnight instead of anytime later. Misdreavus sent Haunter a look as if she couldn't believe that realization took him so long.

“Redi’s already setting things up, so we’ll be doing something for my birthday no matter what,” Sam said. “We’ll have a party. We’ll celebrate. And I trust her to keep it small. She understands people like that, y’know?”

Quilava looked a bit less guilty after his words.

“But... I don’t know. What about you all? Sure, it's my birthday, but you know we’ve never celebrated any of yours, either.”

The three Pokémon blinked in unison. Primeape grunted to himself in realization, and the two Ghost Types in the air suddenly looked rather sheepish.

“...Wait, do you not know your birthdays?” Sam asked.

All three of them replied with the negative. Birthdays weren’t something wild Pokémon tended to do, and after being caught, it was simply never brought up.

There was also the problem that none of them actually knew the exact day they were born. While the concept of four seasons to a year was pretty universal, months and actual dates were more of a human thing. Pokémon, at most, recognized when a certain season had passed and understood that they had become older.

“Alright. We’re fixing that,” Sam announced. “To celebrate my birthday, we’re determining yours as well.”

Primeape was still cagey about his background, and so was Misdreavus. Unfortunately, there would be little clues for any of their specific dates of birth. Primeape grew up in the wild, and then both Misdreavus and Haunter likely coalesced into being rather than being hatched from an egg. A birthday for any of them was less about figuring out when they first came to and was more about choosing a specific date.

“Quilava, can you—”

She was already on it, rushing forward over to help the three Pokémon figure out when they would want to celebrate. She squeaked her name and started to talk quite animatedly. Recognizing this would take a while, Sam moved over to lean against the wall and relax.

I can’t believe that worked.

They weren’t discussing his birthday anymore. They were instead discussing theirs. He was happy they had a chance to figure this out, but he was also more than happy to take the focus off of himself. It wasn’t that he disliked the attention—he had plans to become wildly famous, after all—it was just that it felt childish. As a real Pokémon trainer, he needed to approach the idea of a birthday with the appropriate amount of maturity.

Although...

He was still plenty excited to see what Redi would come up with. Unfortunately, there was still a while left before she said she’d be back. In the meantime, he could still go through with his previous plans and browse for new books, but there was something else that was starting to appeal to him even more.

“Let’s buy gifts,” Sam said, interrupting his team’s conversation. “Not just for me, but for all of you, yeah? It might be my birthday, but it’s my first birthday as a Pokémon trainer. I think it would be fun to get everyone something, especially since we’ll be making up for lost time.”

All of them agreed in an instant, and they rushed to gather around him. His Ghosts dived into his shadow, Quilava let herself be picked up and deposited around his neck, and Primeape purposefully positioned himself to be ready to walk by Sam’s side.

Sam laughed. He really liked his Pokémon. Smiling, he started to head out.

Redi didn’t want to say anything, but she was honestly a little frustrated. Who did Sam think he was? To not tell her, his friend, about his birthday like that? Everyone should celebrate their birthday! Redi personally looked forward to her birthday every day of the year.

...Except Sam did say he wasn’t a fan of big parties. She could recognize that people had different preferences, so she made sure to keep her plans small.

It still took a lot of stuff to get a party started. Streamers and decorations would have been a little much, but she could at least buy a handful of balloons to keep around their table. She planned to use part of the small eating area inside of the Pokémon Center for the setting of the party—she had even asked Nurse Joy for permission—and getting a cake took hardly any effort. One stop at a bakery, and there was an ice cream cake out on its way for delivery.

But, really? Birthdays are only for kids?

Redi scoffed for what felt like the hundredth time as she ran through Violet City’s streets. She wanted to make this birthday perfect, but hadn’t yet managed to do the most important part:

Finding the right gift.

Sam would probably get annoyed at her if she got him more than one thing, and Redi was fine with choosing a single item instead of a bunch of little ones. She felt the best gifts were gifts that came from the heart, and buying too many items would mean lugging all of them down routes while traveling. The gifts would become more like a curse than anything else.

No, her gift for Sam needed to be small, special, and something he would really like. Basically, Redi had to follow the advice her mother had given her:

“It’s the thought that counts, and it's the count that... thoughts?”

“That’s not it,” she grumbled to herself.

She ran between all the people walking through Violet City and did her best to search for the right kind of store. She finally found one right at the edge of the central district: a bookshop. It was built into the base of a taller complex that stretched a few stories above it.

Stepping inside, Redi could immediately understand why Sam liked his mother’s bookstore so much, especially if it was anything like the place she had just entered. Rows and rows of shelves displayed books of all ages and sizes, and there was a cozy feeling to the air that made it seem as though she could get away with sitting down for a while just to read.

She wasn’t going to do that. She still didn’t really enjoy reading, and she didn’t have even a minute to waste.

Redi hurriedly went to search through the shelves, looking at the titles and covers of all the thick tomes to see what Sam might like. She saw textbooks and adventure books and encyclopedias and even old copies of the Pokédex, but she couldn’t find anything to buy. The big problem was that she wasn’t sure what Sam had already read, and she wasn’t sure what he would read.

Her first instinct was to buy him another Pokédex, but what would be the point of that? He had the New Pokédex, which would probably be better until whatever future it had come from eventually passed. She was then tempted to buy an encyclopedia on ghosts—real ones—but as she picked it up, she realized it was just a work of fiction that had no truth to it. Books were definitely not her strong suit, and after spending an entire ten minutes inside, she ended up marching right out.

There was a park nearby with a wide pond in its center. Children ran across its shores, playing with tame, wild Poliwag. A bridge across the water connected a path to an old-fashioned, wooden tower. Robed monks led crowds of tourists around its base through its wooden doors.

My family could build a tower better than that one.

Redi collapsed onto a bench, covering her eyes with an arm. Not too far away, she could hear the sounds of the children as well as the groups of excited tourists.

Really, she only stopped here because she was annoyed at herself for jumping into this without much prior thought. Sure, she got Sam’s permission to throw a party, but she wasn’t sure what he’d consider to be the perfect gift.

A TM, maybe? But what TM?

Sulking in the park was just wasting her time, but it helped her feel a little better. It gave her a bit of time to think, too. She had gone fast enough that she could pretend to afford a few minutes here, but what she really needed was a. Single. Good. Idea!

“Hello?”

Redi snapped her eyes open, head turning towards a man suddenly standing before her. Normally, being approached by a middle-aged man while alone in the park would raise a red flag in her mind, but he wasn’t just anyone. He was one of those monks from the tower.

His head was shaved, and a blue kimono hung loose on his arms. Around his neck was a series of large beads, and he had a perfectly amiable smile on his face that also spoke of concern. Monks, also known as sages, were supposed to be above most material matters. They dedicated their lives to service, and with that service came wisdom.

If there was anyone who could give her advice, it would be someone like him.

“What could bring you to mope so sullenly on a day as fine as this?” the monk asked.

“I’m not moping. I’m thinking.”

Redi crossed her arms in a huff, much to the man’s amusement.

“Oh? And what is it that you’re thinking about?”

She hesitated for only a second.

“A... gift. For a friend,” she said. “I just don’t know what to do.”

The monk nodded in understanding. He took a brief step forward before a pause.

“Do you mind if I sit down?”

“Go ahead. It’s a public bench.”

He sat a foot away.

“My apologies if I’m disturbing you, but I didn’t expect to see someone looking so upset while out on one of my walks. I help maintain Sprout Tower. You can see it just over there.”

Redi glanced back over to the weird building on the other side of the lake.

That’s Sprout Tower?

The man chuckled, seeing the disbelief in her eyes.

“That’s Sprout Tower,” he said, somehow answering her unspoken question. “I imagine it must not look that impressive to you, given what it is. Construction techniques have vastly improved over the years. Sprout Tower is but a shadow to the skyscrapers of the modern age.”

Redi’s mind flashed to what she’d seen in Goldenrod as well as all of the apartment complexes her family had helped build in the past.

“You can say that again,” she mumbled.

Amused, he shook his head.

“Think of it like this,” he started, pointing up with a finger. “Sprout Tower was built over a hundred years ago. It’s impressive to have stayed standing for that long, is it not?”

She hummed, considering his words. There was some inkling of truth to the idea.

Sprout Tower was old. Worn. Ancient. But somehow, it was still standing even today, even though it was probably built without modern methods.

“So you were considering a gift? For a friend?” the man asked, bringing Redi back to the problem she had been stuck on since she first sat down.

“Yeah. I am,” she said unhappily.

“Wel, I can’t help you much, but... Does this gift need to be an object? Or perhaps you could offer him something more... eventful?”

Redi eyed the robed man sitting next to her. He was staring at her with a knowing smile.

“You’re offering to give us a tour,” she stated.

The slow and controlled way he nodded his head made it almost seem like he just bowed. He had a certain gleam to his eyes, apparently satisfied that Redi had caught on.

“I’ve always found that exploring historic locations can be enlightening. Perhaps your friend would enjoy learning more about our storied past?”

For the briefest of moments, Redi could have sworn he smirked, but the man was only maintaining his friendly smile.

I probably missed some kind of inside joke.

“So how late do the tours go? And how much do they cost?” Redi asked.

“They are free, but we appreciate donations. As for the time...” He rubbed his chin. “Normally we run tours every hour until sunset, but if this is a gift, I can offer you something more private. Would you be interested in a tour that’s later in the night?”

Redi’s eyes widened.

“Hold on, hold on!” she said. “If it’s a night tour... Doesn’t Sprout Tower have ghosts in it?”

He paused for a moment.

“...Yes?” he said, almost sounding unsure.

“That’s perfect! Sam would love a tour like that!”

Redi hopped off the bench, beginning to pace, thinking about how perfect this was in her head. Sam would not only have a chance to explore an environment full of Ghost Types, but Sprout Tower was old. Maybe someone there knew something to help him out with Quilava?

“How do we set this up?” Redi asked, excitedly turning back to the man.

He stood up as well, hands straightening out his robe. He turned towards Sprout Tower, staring at it and the crowds surrounding it while spending a moment in deep thought.

“Three hours after sunset,” he said. “That is when I’ll be able to guide you.”

“That’s awfully late. Isn’t it supposed to be closed?”

“It has to be that late, otherwise we risk disturbing the other sages,” he said. “This isn’t something I can offer often, but if it’s to cheer up someone who looked as crestfallen as you... Well, I’m just happy to see you’ve regained your smile.”

Redi stood up a bit taller.

Genuinely thankful, she brought herself into the deepest bow she could manage without falling over. She profusely thanked the man for dropping the perfect solution in her lap. It might not have been anything physical, but with how often Sam wrote in his notebook, she knew he would remember a private tour like this for a very long time.

She was just about to run off to gather everything else she needed for the party when a thought suddenly hit her.

“Wait, so how would this actually work?” she asked.

“Show up on time, and I’ll be there. If you can’t find me, you simply need to ask. But, if there’s no one else around, just call my name.”

“And what’s your name?”

A pause.

“You can call me Pete,” he said, smiling a rather unmonk-like smile.