The Ghost Specialist

Morty first heard the story soon after he became Ecruteak’s Gym Leader. The average person was more focused on the story’s conclusion, but his position allowed him to learn of the events that transpired along the way.

Red was a household name back then. Less so now, but it used to be that every aspiring trainer kept that name on the forefront of their minds. He was a boy, barely a teen, who somehow managed to sweep through every Gym of Kanto and utterly demolish the standing Elite Four, becoming the strongest trainer around within a single season.

A prodigy, he was called. A master, he was declared. Given that Red achieved this while testing Professor Oak’s Pokédex, demand for the device skyrocketed soon afterward.

Lorelei was never the same after a single Pikachu swept her team. Bruno began to strive to get even stronger, and Agatha simply harrumphed and carried on like nothing had happened. Lance, however, took Red as a sign for change. There’d been no Indigo Champion until then. The previous Champion stepped down without a successor, wishing for Johto and Kanto to heal without a single individual dictating their fates. The Elite Four had served as a guiding council for decades, and that kept true until Red made his grand appearance.

Though there were grumblings in Johto, Lance hailed from the region, and he was the one to push for the boy to ascend into that role. People questioned why someone as young as Red was being given a position of such responsibility, and Lance answered that Red would grow into his duties. He didn’t need to do everything right away.

Support from every member of the Elite Four alongside every Gym Leader across both regions quieted down the criticism. One of the first things Morty had done as Gym Leader was help in that regard.

It wasn’t until after Red disappeared into seclusion that details about the boy’s journey spread. With only his team of six by his side, Red had swept through the burgeoning Team Rocket and prevented the criminal organization from expanding further.

No one was sure how he managed to do it, but given Team Rocket effectively fell apart after his journey, the events were believed. Conspiracy nuts threw out so many wild theories about Red’s disappearance that the news was impossible to follow for weeks, but Lance was so genuinely distraught, that Morty believed his claims that Red left on his own discretion.

But with that sudden gap, Lance was forced to take up the role of Champion—a reluctant transition, surprisingly enough—and the chaos slowly died down. Without a peep from the League about Red’s whereabouts, people stopped thinking about the young prodigy. It all happened so quickly that the story seemed to have faded from public memory. The sole fact that remained was that Lance was Champion now, and he was likely here to stay.

Currently? Team Rocket was back. Out of nowhere, the criminal organization reappeared, and it was rapidly growing in both power and influence. For years, it had been nothing but a rumor, existing only as whispers of remnants popping up here and there. No one had realized that Red only sent the organization into hiding. Team Rocket hid, reorganized, and came back stronger.

As for Lance, he refused to let Team Rocket win. He was simultaneously a member of the Elite Four and the Champion of Indigo, and that came with expectations. Though he had the strength, he needed to prove he could live up to the precedent set by Red before him.

Lance’s goal was to utterly tear apart Team Rocket. Ascending to the role of Champion due to Red’s disappearance meant his authority had tenuous backing. He strove to prove his critics wrong, assisting on the front lines of assaults while also doing his best to organize counter-operations and investigations across the rest of the region. Lance needed that win, but more importantly, he needed to keep Indigo safe.

And now, with someone like Petrel showing up in Johto, of all places, Lance was utterly infuriated. As Morty’s assistance had already been requested, the Champion had gone ahead to personally order Morty to capture Petrel at all costs.

“Oh, Walker,” Morty sighed, adjusting the goggles on his head. “Couldn’t you have been around for this? Did you really need to be out of the city while we know Team Rocket is around?”

Morty’s scooter zoomed towards Violet City. Drifblim had taken him most of the way, but his entrance would be far less assuming on the back of a scooter rather than inside a basket attached to a foreign Pokémon. In his current outfit, no one would recognize him. He wore a leather jacket, a proper helmet, goggles, and a thick scarf that covered his lower face.

(His usual, far more recognizable scarf had been left at home.)

Morty was heading to Violet City a full day after being contacted, unfortunately needing the delay to ensure nothing would be disturbed by his sudden departure. Thankfully, it wasn’t too uncommon for a Gym Leader to become “inspired” and schedule a surprise trip for training purposes, especially since Morty had been training his team far more often this season. No one blinked an eye when he said he planned to leave for a few days, and heading out like this was a good excuse to give his Gym Trainers practice running the Gym on their own.

But Morty wasn’t here to train. He was here on a job, one critical to the fate of Johto. The responsibility was weighing on his shoulders, the Champion was breathing down his neck, and he was dealing with the stress that came from leading a major operation away from his hometown for the first time in... well, ever.

In the past, Morty had only ever left Ecruteak for a quick trip or to help deal with an aggressive, wild ghost. Ecruteak City was easy. While large, its people were tied closely to the going-ons of the city. Outside of Azalea Town, it had the lowest amount of crime per capita—helped by the large Ghost Type presence, if he had to be honest. While Morty couldn’t begrudge being brought onto this task, he couldn’t lie and say he didn’t want to be home training with his team right now.

Zooming into the city, Morty soon found himself stuck behind a large truck. The heavy vehicle slowed him to a crawl with how it trudged down the road.

Thankfully, this was an opportunity, and with his mouth hidden by his scarf, he began to whisper short commands.

“Start heading out,” he said quietly, his voice drowned out by the engine of the truck for anyone not nearby. “Each of you start claiming city blocks, and double up if you run out of available room. Listen to Gengar, Gengar, and Sableye. Those three are in charge for now.”

On the road, a car passed him, going the other way. As it did, shadows peeled off from under Morty’s scooter to slip under the other moving vehicle. Carrying capacity for Ghost Types was... complicated, to say the least. Morty intended to bring only the five remaining members of his core team with him, but it wasn’t like he could stop anyone else from tagging along if they so wanted.

Riding his scooter, Morty took a circuitous route through Violet City, not heading straight to the Gym, but going from street to street and moving out from behind that annoying truck. He covered as much land as possible as more and more Ghost Types split off to follow through with their job.

Eventually, Morty was left with only two Pokémon—Drifblim, resting in his Pokéball after traveling such a long way, and Mismagius, who preferred to keep near Morty just in case. While the rest of his team searched the city and directed the weaker Ghost Types that had come along, those two would serve as his support as well as his main battlers if he ever found himself caught in a fight.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, turning left on the road into a garage.

A low purr came out alongside the humming of his scooter’s engine. Mismagius had been one of the first Pokémon to join him, and Morty appreciated her willingness to stay.

His team was currently at nine-stars, up from their peak eight-stars at the end of the previous season. Star ratings for high-level trainers were a bit different, as they tended to be both more rigid and more flexible at the same time. Strength was strength; it became harder and harder to overwhelm opponents of a higher level. However, as Pokémon developed, they gained more options in battle, which meant more ways to win and more ways to “punch upwards,” so to speak.

As he parked his scooter in a spot reserved for League employees, Morty mused on a certain challenge coming up at the end of the season.

Overcoming a multi-star difference isn’t common, but it is possible. Lance’s team is rated to be at almost thirteen stars, but the right moves and the right strategy can let us cross that difference. Beating him would be definite proof of my skill as a trainer. And then if I prove myself to be truly powerful...

He shook his head to refocus himself, and he used his ID to unlock the electronic lock of the door leading into the building.

Morty wasn’t in the Gym just yet, but he was in a complex located on the same block, which was entirely owned by the League. This place offered cheap yet quality housing for Pokémon League employees and their families. After all, there were more than just trainers who worked for the region-wide organization.

He walked through the complex’s lower hallway, and he walked through a small, park-like courtyard behind it. A few Flying Types nested in trees watched him pass, and a pair of sliding glass doors allowed him to enter the Gym itself through a less public entrance.

A trainer in this private, back lobby immediately stood up when Morty entered. Morty probably had several years on the boy, who wiped blue hair out of his eyes and approached him, bowing deeply in respect once he neared.

“Morty. Welcome!” the trainer said, bringing himself back up with a smile. “My name is Falkner. Walker is my father. He’s put me in charge of the Gym while he’s gone.”

“...Pleasure to meet you,” Morty said, politely tilting his head back. “So Walker really hasn’t returned? I thought he’d try to be here for something as important as this.”

Falkner wasn’t able to hide his wince, and he tried to avoid Morty’s eyes.

“He’s... out,” Falkner said, tense. “Walker’s on the trail of a rare Flying Type, and he assured me that we’d be able to handle this, especially since you’ll be involved. He seemed to think he wouldn’t be needed.”

Morty frowned, but he held back any improper comments. He held the correct opinion that Gym Leaders should be the trainers that led the protection of their cities. Walker might have been strong, but strength shouldn’t have been the only factor. Gym Leaders needed to be responsible. If anything, Morty believed that trait was preferred.

Walker’s gotten worse. He’s always left on trips before, but being out during a critical period like this is really something else.

“He’s rather flighty, isn’t he?” Morty quipped, attempting a light-hearted joke.

Falkner didn’t laugh. He merely turned and motioned for Morty to follow.

“This way,” he said flatly.

Morty grimaced.

Maybe now’s not the time.

This back entrance was a lobby and reception of its own. It wasn’t here to let trainers register for the Gym, but the sheer size of the Gym building itself meant it doubled as an office for the League’s non-battling staff. Silver Town and Indigo Plateau weren’t the only places the Pokémon League handled its business. It had offices throughout Johto, as it was responsible for every trainer and Pokémon in the region at once.

Though, Morty didn’t see any other people around. Even the receptionist’s desk was empty, but there were a few wooden stands upon which Hoothoot perched and watched Falkner and Morty pass.

“They’re... observant,” Falkner said, pausing to choose the right word. “They’re trained to inspect and remember anyone who enters the building. The Hoothoot are a security measure.”

Morty purposefully stayed quiet, recognizing the seriousness of their current situation.

An elevator brought them up to the appropriate floor. This back part of the building had its floors in the shape of large “U”s, with the battling portion of the Gym existing in a tall, open-sky shaft placed towards the building’s front. To Morty’s understanding, there was a battlefield platform that could be raised up and down within it, but most of the local Flying Type trainers preferred the open air when training with their teams.

A ding signaled the opening of the elevator doors, and they walked through an empty office space. Morty took a moment to reflect on how much more modern this place was compared to Ecruteak’s Gym.

“In here,” Falkner said.

The boy knocked on a closed door and waited. A trainer in a red vest—an Ace Trainer—opened it up to let them inside. A long table with a glass top stretched out before them. Five other Ace Trainers alongside the city’s head nurse, Nurse Joy herself, stood around its sides.

“Hello,” Morty said, receiving a smattering of tense greetings in return.

Falkner led him to the end of the table before very purposefully standing at Morty’s side. Everyone else had papers before them, and an extra packet was passed along to Morty.

As Morty started to skim through, Falkner cleared his throat, speaking up while Morty familiarized himself with what the League currently knew.

“Team Rocket is in the city,” Falkner announced, cutting to the chase. “We’ve been informed that a man strong enough to be one of the organization’s lieutenants is present, and he’s already attacked a pair of kids. Champion Lance has ordered us to capture him and prevent Team Rocket’s expansion into Johto. Morty is here to assist. He’ll be serving as the lead for this operation.”

There was a small keyboard built into the table, and Morty stepped aside to let Falkner type. To Morty’s surprise, the glass top of the table lit up. It wasn’t just a screen; the light passed right through to align itself into images that floated in the air.

And we’re still using projectors in Ecruteak.

Morty kept his expression serious as he finished skimming through.

“The lieutenant called himself Petrel,” Falkner continued. “He has a Golbat, a Raticate, and an unknown number of Koffing under his command. According to our estimates, expect a seven-star level of strength, but there’s no way of knowing that for sure given he’s also been reported to be extremely skilled at disguise.”

Pictures flashed through to show a few different people from all around Johto. None seemed to have anything in common outside of being male and having been seen near scenes of crimes. They stood at differing heights and had differing haircuts and even several different colors of eyes. Knowing about Petrel had let the League’s analysts put the clues together, but Morty had trouble believing that these were all photos of the same guy.

My Pokémon can tell if someone is disguised, but they aren’t able to find out until they try a more... direct approach. This is going to be difficult.

He put down the papers and turned to Falkner, who went quiet when he saw Morty was prepared to talk.

“Before I begin, I need to know, how much leeway is Lance giving us for this task?” Morty asked.

Falkner frowned, pressing his lips together into a thin line.

“He didn’t state any limitations,” the younger trainer said slowly. “He said he’d take responsibility for any trouble we make. He’s refusing to let Team Rocket get a start in Johto. As far as I could tell, he cited Goldenrod as a mistake not to be repeated.”

“Still sour about that, huh?” Morty mumbled.

The Goldenrod Game Corner hadn’t been Team Rocket-owned, but it had been Team Rocket-affiliated. While the League knew poachers had been involved, they hadn’t known who those poachers were involved with until now. Petrel’s attack allowed an unfortunate number of puzzle pieces to fit together far too well.

“In the past, my Pokémon and I have searched cities for hidden actors,” Morty said, keeping the details vague. “Since we have the experience, I’m asking you all to rely on our skills. I’ve already begun setting up a web to lock down parts of the city, and my Pokémon will be sweeping through obvious areas sector by sector. What steps has Violet Gym put in place so far?”

One Ace Trainer locked eyes with Morty, and Morty tilted his head slightly to permit them to speak.

“We have Noctowl on rotation guarding our streets. We’ve increased the number active and randomized their schedule to prevent prediction. They’re supported by a few other species on less regular patrols—Pidgeotto, Fearow—but Noctowl’s Foresight specifically should allow them to pierce through any disguises.”

“And how many Noctowl do you have trained?” Morty asked.

“Thirteen,” came the answer.

That's not enough. No wonder they need support.

Thankfully, with carefully plotted patrols, thirteen Flying Types would be enough to tell if anyone tried to leave the city while in disguise.

There’d been no such person so far.

“Do we have any protections against teleportation?” Morty asked.

“We’re pretty sure that Petrel is traveling on foot or via his Golbat, but we still have a few safeguards in place just in case. Nothing to outright stop teleportation, but our Xatu will be able to detect anyone teleporting in and out.”

As far as Morty knew, there was no such thing as a dual Dark and Psychic Type in Johto, so they didn’t need to worry about any use of Teleport going unnoticed. The number of species that could use Teleport was higher than one would think, but only Psychic Type Pokémon had the skill to bring themselves and their partners more than a few hundred feet at a time. Even then, such use involved enough energy that the League would know if someone tried to move cross-region.

“Anything else I should know?” Morty asked for a final question.

“The leader of Kanto’s Ace Trainer forces, Giovanni, has thankfully stepped in and provided us with a few places to keep an eye on,” the same Ace Trainer answered. “Throughout Johto, the League has people watching ports, radio towers, and the under-construction bullet train that’ll connect Goldenrod and Saffron. However, there’s nothing inside Violet City. As far as we can tell, Petrel doesn’t have many reasons to be here.”

That meant the criminal had two main goals—expanding Team Rocket and recapturing a certain rare Pokémon.

“I won’t be changing your strategy just yet,” Morty started. “You know your city better than me, and I trust that you know what defenses need to be in place. What we need to worry about is our lack of information—we simply don’t know enough about Petrel to make any other moves. My Pokémon should be able to finish discovering any key hiding places or gaps in your patrols by the end of today. We’ll wait until tonight to adjust our strategies.”

He got a round of confirmations in response. It was nice to see that even if Walker was gone, the trainers stationed in the city all seemed to be capable.

Morty shared a bit more about how his Ghost Types would act. Primarily, Ghost Types instinctually liked to hide, which meant they were exceptional when it came to discovering ways others were trying to stay unknown. After searching through Violet City, they’d report to Morty and tell him all of the best places they’d found. That, and they’d also be able to detect any flaws with the defenses currently in place. Morty doubted they’d find Petrel outright, but they’d help set up everything just right to force the man in the direction they needed him to go.

“This will be a long process. Until we capture Petrel or confirm he’s left the city, we’ll stay on high alert. Are there any questions?” he asked.

Everyone seemed to understand what they needed to do. Morty nodded once, satisfied.

“Then, for now, report to Falkner to continue managing your Flying Types. Falkner, you’ll report to me if anything seems off.”

The younger trainer stiffened at being singled out, but he stood at attention and saluted Morty, which made Morty chuckle. He proceeded to dismiss everyone here—it didn’t make sense to keep them in a meeting when they could be searching. As they left, he tiredly leaned back where he stood.

Everyone else exited the room to return to their usual tasks with Falkner leading from the front. However, one person stayed behind—Nurse Joy. She didn’t say anything, but Morty could tell she wanted to speak to him. He smiled, having a feeling why, and turned to her way to talk.

“How are they?” He asked. “I hope Dusclops has been behaving well.”

Nurse Joy replied with a small smile of her own and laughed lightly, amused.

“They're not too happy about being stuck in the Pokémon Center, but I've assigned my boys to protect them, as requested. Those two will be able to keep an eye out for them, I’m sure. As for what they've been getting up to...”

She moved over to where Falkner had managed the table's display and typed a quick command. The few pictures they had of Petrel changed. With her authority as the head nurse, she brought up a recording of the Pokémon Center’s courtyard.

On it, it was dark, but the first traces of light were beginning to peek through from above. Likely, this had been recorded early this morning, and the trainers and Pokémon on it looked tired enough to have stayed up all night.

There was no sound, but Morty recognized who was being displayed. He could see Sam throwing his arm out, doing his best to keep himself awake as he ordered his Pokémon to go through with a move. His Primeape raised both hands and Sam’s friend, Redi, had her Ursaring do the same as well. Both Pokémon slammed their arms down, and a shower of tiny pebbles followed in the limbs’ wake.

There was a stunned pause before the elated trainers threw themselves at their Pokémon. Despite their exhaustion, they looked overjoyed to see a successful attempt, even if the attack wasn’t anywhere good enough to use in battle just yet.

“Rock Slide?” Morty asked.

Nurse Joy nodded to confirm.

“They spent all night working on that move. Rock Type energy is rather stubborn. If they hadn’t spent so much time dedicating themselves to their practice, I doubt their Pokémon would have been able to figure out the move so quickly.”

Undoubtedly, Rock Slide would be crucial for Violet City’s Gym. However, Morty was a Ghost Type trainer at heart, and as the recording stopped once it reached its end, he searched the frozen screen for where the rest of the Pokémon were.

Quilava and Porygon were obvious, as both kept near their trainers’ sides. Sam’s Misdreavus was less obvious, as it appeared as a thick, floating shadow next to the boy’s head. The one Pokémon on Sam’s team that Morty was most familiar with, Haunter, was hardly visible at all. He had to search for it, and he only saw it thanks to his familiarity with the Ghost Type.

Haunter appeared as a wispy blur not too far away from everyone else. If Morty hadn’t known what to look for, he could have easily mistaken Haunter as nothing more than a glitch in the recording.

“And Dusclops?” Morty asked.

“Inside, keeping guard, but he was splitting his focus to help them train.”

Morty snapped his gaze over to Nurse Joy, who now had an amused look on her face.

“You’re kidding me. Play the clip again?”

This time, he watched more closely, and he took careful note of the two Pokémon’s strain.

Reminds me of the stress from a Macho Brace or a Power Item. Wait, are they really—

“They’re using Dusclops’s Pressure as a training aid?” he asked, laughing.

“Yes. They’re having him maintain his ability while their Pokémon practice their moves.”

Morty never had his personal team go through that kind of training in their practice, but a high-level Pokémon using Pressure was a great way to familiarize weaker Pokémon with fighting at a disadvantage.

“I can see the benefits of it. This is something they’ll only be able to do at their current level. High-level Pokémon can resist Pressure too easily—it’s only an ability. But if they want to make their Pokémon’s attacks stronger, that’s a great way to do it.”

He had heard of other trainers doing something similar with Gravity in the past, but that tended to have varied effects depending on the species. For this form of training, he imagined it’d work better with Ghost and Psychic Type moves over other moves, but he wasn’t surprised it had helped with the stubborn Rock Type.

He smiled as the scene paused once again, the recording coming to an end to show the group’s celebration. He had received a phone call about Sam recently; a reporter had tried to ask questions about his ‘apprentice.’ Of course, he’d quickly corrected that notion as he and Sam didn’t have such a relationship, but it was still a funny thought. Something about how the reporter believed that spoke a lot about Sam’s current level of strength.

But, as he turned to Nurse Joy to comment, Morty froze. Even as a Gym Leader, he had no resistance to a nurse’s withering glare.

“I haven’t missed how you assigned my Pokémon to protect them,” she said tersely. “While I can relent that my boys will benefit from being able to explore the region, you know they won’t be enough to protect that group.”

“They’re a safeguard,” Morty said quickly. “They’re just there to detect ambushes so they can—”

He winced as Nurse Joy glared even harder.

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry. Yes, I could have assigned one of the Gym’s Pokémon, but...”

“It’s about Petrel,” Nurse Joy finished for him.

Morty reluctantly nodded his head.

“I imagine they figured me out already, huh?” When she confirmed that, he sighed. “Yeah. I figured. I didn’t have a choice. You know how determined Lance is to stop Team Rocket. Assigning a stronger Pokémon would have risked Petrel deciding that sticking around wasn’t worth it and running away. A different Pokémon could protect them, but you’ve seen how well they fight. It’s not those two that we’re worried about. Petrel’s potential to expand Team Rocket is a threat to the entire region.”

“I don’t like it,” Nurse Joy said, frowning. “You’re risking such young trainers—”

“But they aren’t inexperienced trainers,” Morty pointed out. “They're decidedly above average and are ahead of others at their level. Sam won that recent tournament, and he’s even managed to help a true ghost enter its final rest—an achievement few ever have, or are even capable of achieving. As for Redi, well, I can’t say I’m too familiar with her, but given a certain assumption...”

He chuckled to himself.

“When facing Petrel, I doubt she was able to have her Pokémon use Hyper Beam inside Sprout Tower.”

Nurse Joy responded with a reluctant huff.

“I trust them,” Morty continued. “They’re stronger than you think. Petrel has a seven-star team, but those two work well together. I have no doubts Sam and Redi will be able to find a way to make up the difference.”

And the gap between five and seven stars is a lot smaller than nine and thirteen, too.

Though Morty was confident, Nurse Joy still ended up shaking her head. She was a woman who dedicated her life to helping Pokémon. No matter how much Morty tried to reassure her, she’d always be worried about something like this.

“Can you at least tell me what you plan to have them do?” she asked.

“They have three days. That’s how long it’ll take my team to do a full search of the city and put a proper capturing strategy in place,” Morty answered. “If we can’t find Petrel by then, we’ll be forced to lure him out—which will probably include a few different possible ambushes, but Sam and Redi will likely be involved with at least one. In that case, we’d inform them, have them leave the city, encourage them to look as vulnerable as possible, and follow them from a short distance away.”

Morty brought his gaze back towards the screen. He took in Sam, Redi, and all of their Pokémon. In that motionless scene, they looked exhausted, but they were also proud.

“They’ll need to hold off Petrel for only a few minutes,” he said softly. “They won’t need to win, they’ll only need to delay. Petrel won’t be able to risk letting them escape his clutches. Not when they suddenly go off on their own and leave the rest of us behind. I can admit that nothing is ever guaranteed, but if we want to capture that Team Rocket lieutenant, we’ll need to rely on them to prevent the organization from spreading any further.”