Sam realized he must have been making a face because Morty chuckled at his reaction.

  “Yeah, Destiny Bond,” Morty said. “I guess you don't need a description?”

  “Destiny Bond causes its target to faint if they knock out its user,” Sam said. “It's like a trade—one knock-out for another.”

  Sam hadn't bothered to teach Destiny Bond to any member of his team just yet. Their strategy was about weakening their opponents, but the cost of Destiny Bond felt too high. Yes, it could allow for a quick takedown of a very tough foe, but it just wasn’t worth the consequence most of the time. Sam would rather his Pokémon stay conscious than guarantee the knock-out of another.

  Then again, that's only true in most situations. I've traded faints before. We took out Clair’s Gyarados when Porygon used Discharge and fainted Haunter at the same time.

  Sam glanced up at Morty to see the Gym Leader smiling at him, amused.

  “We can get into it later. With how well you've been doing, I figure it's time I introduce you to a few advanced strategies. However, we should probably talk about expectations and responsibilities, first.”

  Sam grumbled, and Morty chuckled again, leaning forward against the back of his chair. He rested his head on his crossed arms as he looked over Sam. Noticeably, his eyes lingered on Sam’s shadow, which Sam was pretty sure was empty at this point.

  “How many Gastly do you have with you?” Morty suddenly asked.

  “None, I think? They all should be—”

  “The number of Gastly that have been following you,” Morty said, interrupting Sam by raising a hand. “How many are traveling with you without being a part of your team?”

  Sam hummed.

  “I want to say... A bit under two dozen? I started with just a couple after Violet City because of...” Sam didn’t finish the thought. “And then more have been joining up since then, but they come and go pretty frequently so I can't really count.”

  “I can tell. I saw a lot of different reactions when they came out for the party,” Morty said, nodding. “Most of them seemed excited about my Pokémon and even seemed to expect them—so those were the ones that have stuck around the longest? Others seemed a bit more surprised and cautious—new joiners, most likely.”

  “Probably,” Sam said.

  Morty closed his eyes, rubbing his chin as he considered the situation.

  “But you do understand what having so many Gastly with you means, right?” he asked.

  “That I’m a Ghost Type specialist?” Sam replied hopefully.

  Morty sent Sam a look.

  “It means that since you’re the one bringing them around, you’re the one responsible for them. But also, that’s a lot more than six Pokémon. You should know the rules on team limits by now, Sam.”

  Sam immediately felt the blood drain from his face. He had never gone out of his way to recruit Gastly—except for the few times he did—but he hadn't ever caught any of them. He hadn't ever tried to amass a swarm outside of that first encounter with Petrel, either.

  “I...”

  “Stop.” This time, Morty interrupted him right away. “You aren't in trouble. I’m not trying to call you out. This is a big part of what I wanted to discuss; you can't just ignore those Gastly. Since you’re bringing them around, you’re also responsible for them, so they need to be trained. But really, I’m bringing this up because...”

  He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled.

  “Well, you should know that Ghost Type specialists aren’t really limited by team size restrictions, anyway,” Morty said.

  Sam paused as he looked over the Gym Leader for any sign of this being a joke. Team size limits were hard limits set by the League; even the Champion himself never brought more than six Pokémon with him. There were countless reasons for the League to limit the number to six, both for safety, practicality, and tradition.

  For Morty to say Ghost Type specialists weren’t restricted by team size was ridiculous. To that, Sam responded with the only word he could.

  “What.”

  He stared at Morty and waited for the Gym Leader’s reply.

  “No, really!” Morty chuckled with a small, awkward smile on his face. “Well, it’s not common knowledge, and it’s only that we aren’t technically limited. Obviously, trainers can’t use more than six Pokémon at a time, but it’s not like we can stop Ghost Types from doing what they want, either? The result is that Ghost Type trainers like you and me tend to have more than six Pokémon with them at once.”

  “...Can’t stop Ghost Types from doing what they want,” Sam repeated. “Isn’t that your whole job?”

  Morty looked away, scratching his cheek.

  “Think of it like this: Ghosts attract Ghosts. If we scare some off now, is that a permanent solution? Or, given your team, are more just going to show up later? And even then, you’ve been carrying a Cleanse Tag with you. Tell me how much that’s been keeping all of those extra Gastly away.”

  Sam stayed silent.

  “Exactly.” Morty nodded. “Between the ease with which Ghost Types can avoid detection and their ability to phase through most physical effects, they can’t be captured or forced away unwillingly. So, you need to make sure that the Pokémon with you are trained. Not necessarily for battling, but just so they don’t cause unwarranted chaos.”

  “But it’s still against the League’s rules,” Sam said.

  Morty shrugged far too casually.

  “You don’t need to worry. This exception isn’t anything explicit, but it’s still a commonly accepted, unspoken rule among higher-level trainers. We aren’t really supposed to spread that fact around, but you aren’t going to be harassed by Pokémon Rangers or Ace Trainers for having so many Pokémon with you. Well, as long as you keep those Gastly under control,” Morty said, emphasizing the need for Sam to train those ‘extra’ members of his team.

  As it stood, Haunter had already been making sure that the Gastly didn’t get up to too much trouble, and Misdreavus had been helping him with that. However, if the difference in numbers ever got too large or if the Gastly decided they didn’t like the setup anymore, Sam would no longer be followed. He’d be actively haunted.

  Thinking about it, I’m thankful I already started talking to them on the way to Blackthorn. If I’d been ignoring them...

  He shook his head.

  Ugh. I need to give them more attention soon. I never thought I’d need to train a swarm of Gastly when I first left home.

  As Sam tried his best to think of a plan to handle the growing number of Ghost Types, Morty suddenly stood up, swinging a leg back over his chair. The Gym Leader paused briefly to stretch before walking over to the room’s back wall. There, he pulled open a previously hidden panel and exposed an old-fashioned breaker box with a radio hooked next to it.

  He grabbed the radio to speak a message into its crackling static.

  “Can Gengar and Dusclops come down here? Over.”

  It clicked off with a final burst, and Morty walked back over to lean against his chair.

  “Usually when I have this talk with up-and-coming Ghost Type specialists, I tend to give a demonstration to show off just how hard it is to pin down a Ghost Type. Really get into their head just how difficult it is to pin down even just one Ghost Pokémon, which is why specialists are so crucial. Enough Gastly can do whatever they want, so we have to instill at least a little bit of order. But you already know that. I can at least show off a few more advanced ideas before we continue, hm?”

  Morty’s eyes flicked over to the window, and the shine in his eyes made him look genuinely excited. The maze-filled room below was large enough to support quite the fight.

  As he walked over to stand before the window and stare out into the room, Sam got up to join Morty, momentarily blinking when the Gym Leader glanced behind him with a smirk.

  When he checked where Morty was looking, he was met with a floating grin and red eyes hovering in the darkness. He didn’t flinch—maybe only a little bit—and a Gengar pulled itself away, snickering to itself, to float over to Morty. There, Morty patted it fondly and whispered something into its ear.

  “Now, off you go,” Morty said once he was done whispering. “Dusclops should already be waiting for you out there.”

  The Gengar phased right through the windows with a mid-air jump, plunging into that darkened room. Immediately, its body seemed to lose all coherence, appearing as nothing more than a purple-grey mist.

  As it moved into position, Morty walked back to the breaker box to flick on a switch, and something akin to UV lights turned on. Their glow revealed Gengar’s true form rather than just the ghostly haze it mimicked.

  And, beneath the window itself, a pool of inky blackness spread out to allow a certain Dusclops to rise onto the top of one of the walls. Given how strong this Dusclops had been when Sam trained against it in Violet City, he knew he was about to witness a high-level fight.

  “Alright, Gengar, Dusclops. This is a demonstration for Sam here, so make sure to strut your stuff,” Morty said into the radio, his voice echoing out into the room. “Gengar, your goal is to come back here and reach us in this room. Dusclops, you’ll do everything in your power to stop Gengar from succeeding.”

  Gengar saluted to the window, whereas Dusclops didn’t react at all. Morty glanced out to make sure his Pokémon were ready before slotting the radio back onto its hook and returning to Sam’s side.

  “Our system’s a bit dated, but it’s good enough for what we use it for. If you’ve noticed the lights, they help expose Ghost Types, but otherwise, the room is in total darkness,” Morty said. “If you haven’t noticed it before, I’ll point it out now—when a Ghost Type stands completely still, they’re generally indistinguishable from a shadow.

  “It’s only when they move that they become more obvious,” Morty continued. “It’s why Ghost Types are seen as flickering shadows in the corner of your eye more often than not. After all, it’s only when they’re moving from hiding spot to hiding spot that people tend to notice. Even the best Ghost Type specialists struggle to notice them when they’re standing still. ”

  Sam could already think of several times in the past he’d noticed that kind of movement. He also remembered what had happened to his shadow when Agatha “visited” him in Mahogany.

  There, all the Ghost Types with him had done the equivalent of “holding their breath.” Staying completely still, his shadow had appeared completely normal. It was only when they resumed moving around again that he could tell he had more than just darkness beneath him.

  But it does make me wonder. How many times have I had Ghost Types watching me without me noticing?

  “They’re starting,” Morty suddenly said. “Watch closely.”

  The demonstration began.

  Right away, Gengar seemed intent on moving forward, zipping through the air to try to use its impressive speed to slip past Dusclops. Dusclops, however, acted at that same moment. It might have been slow in general, but it had no intention to let Gengar win.

  For this, all it needed to do was draw back a hand and punch.

  With that basic attack, a hand left the side of its body to fly out in a Shadow Punch. However, it didn’t stay as a simple “missile” like the Shadow Punches Sam had seen Haunter use. No, the Ghost Type attack engorged itself on the room’s darkness, quickly scaling up to become a massive wall of a fist to block Gengar’s path.

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  Gengar’s expression flickered with surprise, and it immediately pulled away from the incoming fist. Shadow Punch tracked its target, however, and Gengar was forced into a hasty use of Shadow Ball to impact and disrupt the move.

  “If it wasn’t for Dusclops, Gengar could have phased right through the window to return to us, as you’ve already seen,” Morty said. “Ghost Types are exceptional at corralling Ghost Types, but pay attention. Ghosts can’t be pinned down.”

  As if reacting to Morty’s words, Dusclops’s singular, burning eye suddenly increased in ferocity. Gengar was immediately consumed by a red glow that momentarily seemed to stick.

  “Mean Look?” Sam asked.

  “Correct! Normally, it prevents its target from fleeing or switching out, but it’s unfortunately useless here.”

  In the air, Gengar merely shivered to shake that red glow off of it as if the move had been nothing more than dyed water. It then responded to Dusclops’s attempt by sticking out its tongue with a teasing laugh.

  “Keep this in mind; Ghost Types can never truly be trapped. Mean Look prevents most Pokémon from escaping, but that’s only true for untrained and unaware Ghost Types. Once they figure out the true strength of their Type, all Ghosts can easily shrug off any trapping effect.”

  Unimpacted by that Mean Look, Gengar proceeded to fire off a Confuse Ray, but Dusclops ignored the illusions. Its successive, repeated Shadow Punches tracked Gengar regardless of whatever Dusclops saw.

  From there, the battle became one of two different defenses. Dusclops’s attacks forced Gengar away, and Gengar had to spend all of its energy disrupting those moves without managing to continue forward.

  “Man,” Sam said, seeing just how oppressive Dusclops was against this Gengar. “Dusclops was holding back against us, wasn’t he?”

  Morty just smiled. In the room below, the Gengar grew more and more annoyed at its lack of progress.

  Disliking its situation and its lack of a trainer to help it strategize, Gengar glared at Dusclops and seemed to decide that it had enough. It reached into the air, a hand disappearing into a shadow torn into nothing at all. From within that darkness, it then pulled out a cruel, jagged nail, cloaked from all forms of light.

  Gengar proceeded to use that nail to stab itself in the stomach.

  “What was that?” Sam asked, rubbing his eyes to make sure he hadn’t been subjected to a Confuse Ray.

  “Easy. That was Curse,” Morty answered with what felt like a completely incorrect amount of confidence. “It’s an interesting choice on Gengar’s part. He’s sacrificing his health to lay a damage-over-time effect on Dusclops, which I suppose makes sense given Dusclops’s otherwise impenetrable defense.”

  Sam looked on closely. This Curse had been so different from every other time Typhlosion and Primeape had used the move in the past. Non-Ghost Types benefitted from how the energy of Curse boosted their physical power, but the same technique hadn’t worked when Typhlosion used it after she evolved.

  The move was supposed to change when used by a true Ghost Type, so maybe...

  Typhlosion needs to take that same energy and use it to hurt herself, Sam realized. Curse has always been internal, but maybe she needs a target to trigger a sympathetic effect? We need more practice, but this is a good hint.

  Though Gengar winced under the pain of the nail, its Curse had succeeded. Dusclops’s wrappings seemed to wither, and Gengar took advantage of the hesitation that came with it to conjure one last Shadow Ball.

  “There we go,” Morty suddenly said. “Dusclops wins.”

  Gengar released its attack, and at the same moment, a shadow snapped out of Dusclops’s shadow to merge with Gengar’s own. When Gengar’s move hit Dusclops, it put up absolutely no defense and fell back, fainted.

  Yet, as it fell, Gengar went completely still. It then fell out of the air like a stone, its unconscious body falling from the sky.

  “...Destiny Bond,” Sam whispered. “A guaranteed win, like you said.”

  Morty’s expression was unreadable as he stared out at his two Pokémon with a surprising amount of intensity.

  “I told Dusclops he had to stop Gengar from reaching us, but I didn’t limit him in any way. Gengar resorted to Curse quickly enough, so why wouldn’t he take advantage of that to secure himself a win?”

  Below, nothing stirred for several long seconds, but Gengar did soon wake up. Destiny Bond might have fainted the Pokémon, but rather than falling unconscious due to direct damage, the move had caused some sort of system shock that overwhelmed it with a sudden, drastic drain.

  Gengar looked annoyed, but it shook its head to cause a neutral-ish expression to return. Sluggishly, it floated over to Dusclops, where it grabbed one of those strips of fabric coming out of Dusclops’s back, shaking with a wince.

  Something about touching that fabric allowed Dusclops to unconsciously use Pain Split. The remaining vitality between the two Pokémon was equalized, allowing Dusclops to wake up.

  “Thank you, you two. Feel free to get yourselves some Sitrus berries out of storage,” Morty said into the radio.

  Gengar’s smile returned and it waited no time to dive into the floor. Dusclops had no visible reaction, but Sam felt as though it sank back into its puddle of darkness faster than it would have otherwise.

  “The thing about Destiny Bond is that it’s a victory at a cost,” Morty said now that the demonstration was over. “I didn’t expect it to be used here, but it lets me make a point.”

  He cleared his throat.

  “The cost of Destiny Bond isn’t that your Pokémon faints. Destiny Bond comes at the cost of the entire battle before it. Any moves that were exchanged become pointless, and the battlefield is effectively reset—both sides lose any present advantage.

  “It’s great at maintaining a lead or allowing you to take out a troublesome opponent. However, all it does is trade knock-outs. It does nothing to progress the status of either side of the battlefield, it only removes options from play.”

  Sam went quiet as he sat on the idea. There’d been a lot of wisdom in Morty’s words—more than just his thoughts on Destiny Bond.

  He talked about Destiny Bond’s use in battle in reference to the state of the battle as a whole. When considering it as a move in a one-on-one fight, the obvious answer was that it guaranteed a trade of knock-outs, but how did it affect the chances of victory overall?

  Any buffing moves would vanish. Any debuffs would no longer apply. Of course, that was true because both Pokémon fainted, but Sam knew that knocking out an opponent wasn’t always the correct answer. In his battle against Pryce, he had won when Misdreavus swept most of the Gym Leader’s team after Haunter put Pryce’s Cloyster to sleep.

  It’s not like an attacking move. It’s not something to rely on all the time. So, Morty is trying to say there are specific situations where Destiny Bond is best. Otherwise, since it faints its user, using it would only hurt your team’s chances to win the fight.

  “Hold on. Earlier, you said that Destiny Bond could let you win a battle without fail as long as you had even the slightest of advantages,” Sam said. “So, then, if you have even one more conscious Pokémon than your opponent, you could use Destiny Bond to win you the rest of the match, right?”

  “Right,” Morty said, though his proud smile seemed to carry mixed feelings behind it. “That’s definitely a strategy you could use to win an official fight, but only official fights. Destiny Bond can faint any Pokémon, but as you saw with Gengar, it’s not the same as wearing them down in a battle. Pokémon recover quickly after fainting from Destiny Bond, so it’s not as useful in the wild.

  “Also...” Morty sighed, and the man looked somewhat pained. “As much as I enjoy that kind of strategy, it’s not something we can use often. It’s just not respected. Over-relying on Destiny Bond is against the spirit of a Pokémon battle, isn’t it?”

  “What do you mean?” Sam asked.

  Gathering his thoughts, Morty rocked his chair.

  “Let’s say every Pokémon on your team knows Destiny Bond. You use switches to make sure everyone stays conscious before the first of your opponent’s Pokémon faints. From there, your Pokémon purposefully take hits to trade knock-outs with every single Pokémon they face. At the end of the match, you’ll have one Pokémon left, allowing you to win, but tell me... How much of that was an actual battle?”

  “All of it,” Sam answered confidently. “There’s no way Destiny Bond can be used that much, that easily. It takes skill and careful planning to pull it off successfully five times over, especially since your team members are constantly fainting. You have to carefully choose who you send out to make sure you don’t lose, instead.”

  Morty smiled.

  “You’re smart, Sam, but you’re overthinking it,” he said. “The battle isn’t a battle because your Pokémon won’t be fighting to cause a faint. Every knock-out would only come from a trade caused by Destiny Bond, effectively making your victory come from solely tricks.

  “We might recognize how much skill that strategy would take, but over-relying on Destiny Bond turns the match into a puzzle rather than a true fight. While it requires a skilled trainer, it isn’t something that proves a team’s strength. Destiny Bond can ‘punch upwards,’ so to say, but without any direct knock-outs, you’re only showing off your skills to give commands instead of anything you and your Pokémon have developed together.”

  “...So it’s not popular,” Sam grumbled.

  “If you use that strategy in a Gym battle, most Gym Leaders would refuse to give you your badge. If you use it in a major tournament or the Conference...” Morty laughed. “It’s happened before. People were not pleased.”

  Sam went quiet, dwelling on the state of the move. It was useful, but it wasn’t something to use too often in a match.

  “So it’s best kept to limited scenarios. Instead of basing a strategy around it, it’s better to use Destiny Bond to turn a loss into a tie or take out a tough Pokémon on your opponent’s team,” Sam said.

  Morty nodded.

  “You got it. Destiny Bond is probably the most powerful tool in a Ghost Type specialist’s playbook, but we have to use it carefully. Not more than once or twice a battle, I’d say. Of course, I’ve mostly just discussed outside perception and reaction to the move, but also keep in mind that it becomes exponentially more difficult to pull off once your opponent is aware of it.”

  Sam could see why Morty was both enthralled and disappointed by Destiny Bond. It was definitely key to “advanced” strategies, but there were too many small details that limited its usefulness.

  In a critical battle, Sam could trade his entire team to guarantee a win—but then his entire team would be down, and there was no telling what the reaction would be to that kind of a match. However, using it to guarantee a knock-out against a specific opponent could make an entire battle easier.

  Though, even if a low-level Gastly used Destiny Bond to knock out a fully evolved foe, it’s not like anyone would suddenly think that Gastly is stronger. They would just think it’s capable of a neat trick it can use to win.

  “So, the purpose of that demonstration...” Sam started.

  “Huh? Oh, sorry. I let myself be distracted. I really like Destiny Bond, but it’s risky. The point of the match was just to show off how hard it was to stop a Ghost Type, but I didn’t expect Dusclops to use Destiny Bond like that.”

  Morty finally sat back in his chair. Thankfully, he sat like a normal person this time around.

  Sam sat down, too.

  “Gengar was only stopped when Dusclops took a risk, but Gengar is only one Pokémon. Imagine trying to stop an entire swarm of Gastly!” Morty said with a laugh. “Even outside of battle, Ghost Types can simply phase right through traps nine times out of ten. That’s why you need to train those Gastly at least a little bit, Sam. Better to make sure they’ll listen to you now instead of waiting too long and having them create a mess.”

  Sam nodded as he leaned back in his chair. For some reason, all the talk about Destiny Bond had felt heavy.

  “So,” Morty continued. “You also wanted help with Typhlosion’s evolution, right? My advice on what to do about the knowledge of it and showing her off in general?”

  “Yeah. I know I need to share how she evolved eventually, but I don’t want to put her at risk. I know we should and could share it, but there was already that trouble with Porygon, and... I just don’t want to encourage low-level trainers to head out to fight real ghosts.”

  Morty hummed as he nodded along. Sam wrung his hands together while staring at the floor.

  “We spent a lot of time trying to make sure we were successful,” Sam said quietly. “I like the idea of this evolution being ours and I want to use it as a surprise in the Conference, but I’m just not sure if that’s right. Back in Mahogany Town, Agatha said that we should—”

  Morty shot up in his chair.

  “Agatha?” he repeated, eyes wide. “Elite Four, Agatha?”

  “Y-yes?” Sam said, blinking. “It was right after Typhlosion evolved. The nurse there didn’t know how to treat her, so she sent a message that saw Agatha come in and talk to us.”

  After looking Sam up and down and coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t lying, Morty fell back into his chair, breathing out in what was likely reluctant acceptance.

  “I wasn’t informed of that,” he said quietly. “Come to think of it, I wasn’t told Typhlosion had evolved from anyone other than you, either.”

  “Were you supposed to?”

  Morty shrugged, but there was a slight hesitance to the motion.

  “Most new evolutions aren’t shared unwillingly. They’re left to the discoverer to decide on how to handle that knowledge. Ghost Types can cause problems, however, so I have to be informed just to make sure nothing related to Ghosts goes wrong. The Dragon and Poison Types have similar situations, but it’s never the method that’s shared, just the fact there’s a new species of a Type that can cause problems.”

  “But you didn’t get a report on Typhlosion?” Sam asked.

  “I didn’t,” Morty answered, “which is strange. Someone in the League should have told me, even though I... Even though we felt... Hm.”

  He hummed.

  “What did Agatha say to you, anyway?” Morty asked.

  Sam went on to walk him through Agatha’s visit, speaking about her terrifying introduction and successive inspection of Typhlosion. He spoke of the advice she gave, bringing up how she mentioned handling Ghost Type energy as an aside as well as her short speech at the end, where she had advised him to not advertise Typhlosion just yet.

  “...I see.” Morty didn’t look away from Sam for even a second as he talked. “Then, if all of that’s true, I can’t help you. Well, I can’t give you advice that’s better than hers.”

  Sam said nothing. Morty attempted to re-enter a comfortable position in his chair.

  “For all of her faults, Agatha is still a Ghost Type Master. If she thinks you should follow that path of action, then I’m going to have to agree. Do what she said; keep Typhlosion’s evolution quiet. Don’t advertise it until the Conference. You’ll be safe as long as word of her doesn’t spread, and then once you show her off in such a widely watched public tournament, you can use that sudden popularity to keep you two safe.”

  “But what about until then?” Sam asked. “We can’t guarantee she stays unseen.”

  “You’re... Ugh. You’re safe,” Morty pinched his brow. “I can’t explain why, but if I didn’t get information on Typhlosion’s evolution, no one else will, either. Just don’t go out of your way to tell a bunch of people about her, and you’ll have no problems in the months until then.”

  Sam breathed out in relief.

  “And her advice on handling Ghost Type energy?”

  Morty blinked as if surprised he had completely skipped over that.

  “Oh. I suppose her advice works, but dealing with Ghost Type energy is something managed on a personal basis. I’ve never had a problem with it since I grew up surrounded by it. But... Agatha’s advice is at least a starting point. If you make a set of rules for yourself, I’ll just add that it’s worth remembering that you’ll always be surrounded by friends.”

  With that, Morty stood up, stretching once more. Sam followed his lead and left his chair.

  “For now, we should probably stop here. I could spend hours and hours talking about the Ghost Type, but it’s better for you to learn as much as you can on your own. Teaching your Pokémon Destiny Bond will give you a good trump card, but it’ll also do you good to remember that every move can be useful. Until then...”

  Morty smiled.

  “How about we return to the party? I’ve been keeping you away from Typhlosion for long enough.”

  When Sam and Morty returned upstairs, Typhlosion didn’t wait to rush Sam, breaking away from a pair of the Gym’s Haunter and looking utterly relieved. She sniffed him over to make sure he was okay, and he laughed at the ticklish feeling before falling forward to bring her into a hug.

  “Sorry about that. Ghost Type specialist stuff, yeah? Neither of us thought it would take so long. You’ve been enjoying the party, right?”

  He pulled back to look her over, and Typhlosion grinned, exposing her now much sharper teeth.

  “I’m glad,” Sam said. He scratched behind her ears, causing her to shake with a happy noise at the touch.

  The music was still playing from the gramophone in the corner, and the Ghost Types around the room were just as enthusiastic as before. The ceiling almost resembled the night sky with how many shadows from Gastly flickered about, and Sam’s team had split apart to mingle.

  Misdreavus now had a certain Mismagius lecturing her—for a reason Sam had a feeling he knew—and Primeape was passed out from a food coma right in front of that long table. Even Trevenant seemed to be at ease in this room, though he was back to trying to hide in the corner. However, he was no longer alone. Morty’s Dusclops had appeared at his side, and the two Pokémon stood in silence while watching the rest of the Pokémon celebrate.

  “Where’s Haunter?” Sam asked.

  Typhlosion pointed down to her shadow, where Haunter peeked out from within. He waved to Sam before sinking back inside. Apparently, he was enjoying being on bodyguard duty for her.

  Sam laughed, and Typhlosion chuffed in amusement. She blushed somewhat when Sam sent her a smirk. She didn’t often get big parties being thrown on her behalf, and as embarrassing as all this praise was, she did appreciate the recognition being sent her way.

  After a few more seconds of leaning against one another, she pulled back to give Sam a chance to stand on his own. From there, he looked around, but he quickly realized what was missing.

  Redi’s Pokémon were absent.

  The girl herself, however, was still here. Redi stood in the dead center of the room, staring directly at Morty without looking away.

  For some reason, Typhlosion looked excited.

  “Morty! Ecruteak’s Gym Leader,” Redi called out, and her voice was a knife that cut through the noises of the ghostly festivities.

  Morty glanced over. The party seemed to stop. Redi puffed up her chest, doing her best to appear brave despite all the shadowy eyes staring her way.

  “I lost the last time I challenged your Gym, but I’ve been training myself and my team ever since. Sam has seven badges. I have six. But that’s not due to a difference in strength! We’re just as strong, and now, we’re going to prove that!” she exclaimed.

  “Oh, really?”

  Morty turned away from a shadow he’d been whispering into to take a step closer.

  Redi began to grin.

  “We’re not going to wait! My team and I have trained long enough! So... Morty!” she shouted. “We challenge you to a Gym Battle! Right here and now, let us prove ourselves! We’re going to show everyone that we’ll always win!”

  At the end of her declaration, the room fell into a perfect silence as all of the Ghost Types, Typhlosion included, looked at Morty to see how he’d react.

  There was a pause, but a smile of his own appeared on his face.

  “I accept,” he said, earning him the cheers of every Ghost Type in the room. “At least, if that’s okay with you, Typhlosion.”

  She huffed in response. Of course, it was okay with her—she and Redi had already talked while Sam and Morty were out of the room.

  “Huh. So it seems we’ll be having a battle today,” Morty said, properly facing Redi. “That’s great. A party and entertainment. What better way to celebrate Typhlosion’s evolution if not this?”

  really like the move.

  Sam’s Team:

  Badges Earned: 7 (Mineral, Fog, Plain, Hive, Zephyr, Rising, Glacier)

  Approximate Team Strength: 6 Stars

  (Fire / Ghost Type, Female, Timid Nature +Spe/-Atk)

  Abilities: Blaze

  Held Item: Charcoal

  Moves: Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen, Ember, Flame Wheel, Curse, Will-O-Wisp, Incinerate, Detect, Quick Attack, Swift, Flame Charge, Flamethrower, Double Team, Infernal Parade, Confuse Ray, Hex, Shadow Ball, Night Shade, Shadow Claw

  (Fighting Type, Male, Impish Nature +Def/-SpA)

  Abilities: Anger Point, Vital Spirit

  Moves: Scratch, Leer, Low Kick, Karate Chop, Fury Swipes, Assurance, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Cross Chop, Curse, Brick Break, Rock Smash, Rock Slide, Bulk Up, Rage, Rage Fist

  Haunter (Ghost / Poison Type, Male, Naive Nature +Spe/-SpD)

  Abilities: Levitate

  Moves: Hypnosis, Lick, Confuse Ray, Spite, Mean Look, Hex, Shadow Punch, Night Shade, Acid Spray, Ominous Wind, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Nightmare

  (Ghost Type, Female, Hasty Nature +Spe/-Def)

  Pokéball: Friend Ball

  Abilities: Levitate

  Moves: Growl, Psywave, Astonish, Confusion, Confuse Ray, Mean Look, Night Shade, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Ball, Nasty Plot, Psybeam, Will-O-Wisp, Psychic

  Trevenant (Ghost / Grass Type, Male, Quiet Nature +SpA/-Spe)

  Pokéball: Moon Ball

  Abilities: Harvest, Frisk (Developing)

  Moves: Horn Leech, Tackle, Confuse Ray, Astonish, Growth, Ingrain, Leech Seed, Forest’s Curse

  Redi’s Team:

  Badges Earned: 6 (Mineral, Plain, Hive, Zephyr, Rising, Glacier)

  Approximate Team Strength: 5 Stars

  (Normal Type, Male, Adamant Nature +Atk/-SpA)

  Abilities: Guts, Quick Feet

  Moves: Scratch, Fury Swipes, Fire Punch, Baby-Doll Eyes, Slash, Ice Punch, Focus Energy, Thunder Punch, Hyper Beam, Rock Slide, Swords Dance, Giga Impact

  Porygon (Normal Type, Genderless, Quirky Nature +-n/a)

  Abilities: n/a

  Moves: Tackle, Sharpen, Conversion, Psybeam, Thunder Shock, Charge Beam, Discharge, Tri-Attack, Charge, Teleport, Recover, Thunder Wave

  (Dragon Type, Female, Rash Nature +SpA/-SpD)

  Abilities: Shed Skin (Developing)

  Moves: Wrap, Leer, Thunder Wave, Twister, Slam

  Auxiliary Pokémon: x2 (Tibia and Fibula), a decent number of wild (variable)

  At Home (non-battlers): ,

  Pokémon (and people) included in this chapter:

  Dusclops

  huge thank you to everyone reading! Your support keeps this story going.