The Ghost Specialist

“What.”

Sam stared at Redi, and his flat response brought her gaze back down to earth. When her eyes met his, she paled, now recognizing what she had just said out loud.

“You want to steal a Dragon Type,” Sam repeated. “You. Redi. Someone who’s ranted about how much she hates poaching in the past. While in the middle of Blackthorn City! The literal hometown of the Blackthorn Clan! You know, the one full of elite Dragon Tamers?”

His words snapped her out of her trance, and she waved her hands in a panic, rushing to emphasize that she didn’t mean anything like that at all.

“Wait, wait, wait! I didn’t mean it like that, I just— I— Y-you... Shh!” She looked around for anyone else here, but she breathed out once she confirmed they were alone. “Yeah, I know what I said, but I don’t want to literally steal a Dragon Type. It’s more like...”

Redi bit her lip and clenched her hands at her side.

“You wanna sit down?” Sam asked.

“...Yeah. I need a moment,” Redi said with a sigh.

A metal bench had been set up at the edge of the training ground. On it, Redi plopped down next to Sam.

She didn’t speak right away, which gave Quilava plenty of time to hop up and rest her head on Sam’s leg. She stared at Redi, unblinking, and Redi wasn’t able to meet her in the eye.

“So... Alright,” Sam said when Redi didn’t speak up. “What I’m getting is that you want to steal a Pokémon without stealing it. Like what happened with Porygon?”

Redi winced.

“N-not exactly. Dragonair doesn’t need rescuing. I just want her to—”

“Dragonair?” Sam interrupted.

Redi sent a wistful look into the sky.

“Yeah. Dragonair,” she said softly. “Y’know. One of the Dratini we helped rescue—the one we saw the other day. She... she came here. We fought—sparred, I mean. I think at the start she just wanted to show off, but...”

That morning, when Redi parted with Sam, she desperately wanted to get her mind off of things. She could spend hours stressing about calling her family, but she didn’t want to deal with that stomach-churning stress until it was time to actually make the call.

For now, she would focus on training her team.

Usually, trainers followed an obvious path when teaching their team new moves. Pokémon frequently learned weaker attacks before moving on to stronger ones. For something like the Electric Type, Thunder Shock was a good lead into Thunderbolt, and then Thunderbolt was a good lead into Thunder. Each successive, more powerful attack required a better understanding of the Type.

But Redi liked to skip ahead.

Sure, it would take a bit longer to figure out those high-powered moves first, but why bother learning weak attacks when you could just gain the same level of mastery by practicing strong attacks instead? When Ursaring was still a Teddiursa, she had him jump into learning all the elemental punches with that mindset, and she hadn’t even blinked at how that TM for Hyper Beam technically taught him a move above his level.

For his expected Normal Type attack progression, Thrash was supposed to be the next major move he learned. They’d already been working on it for a bit, but since she really didn’t want to think about anything else, Redi decided to take things one step further—Giga Impact. That move was a slam that carried the same strength as a Hyper Beam, just in physical form.

She solidified her decision for the day on her way out of the city, and when she saw signs directing trainers to practice fields at the city’s edge, she practically skipped the rest of the way there.

She sent Ursaring out, front and center, and had him try breathing in to hold the energies of his Hyper Beam. She also made sure that Porygon floated beside her, and she had them watch carefully. Porygon could pick up new moves quickly if they understood the related Type, and she hoped the Normal Type Hyper Beam would be such a case.

“What we need to focus on is the draw of the move!” Redi called out to her Pokémon. “You already know Hyper Beam, Ursaring! You just need to build up that energy and direct it somewhere else!”

The glow in his throat was visible through his fur, and when he next used Hyper Beam, he brought his head back as if trying to breathe in. Yet, no matter how forcibly he tried to shut his jaw, Hyper Beam was simply too powerful.

He released it, having no choice, and a section of this dirt training field was scorched black.

“Hm.”

Redi brought a fist to her chin and knocked on her cheek as she carefully looked over Ursaring. She took in how his shoulders heaved up and down, and she took in how such a powerful move forced him to stay still and recharge.

That Dragonite from the other day never got stuck recharging. Its Hyper Beams weren’t back to back, but it didn’t need to take such a big break between uses.

She knew Ursaring could push himself to keep moving in a fight, but his attacks didn’t often come out after a Hyper Beam, and even if they did, they were always weaker and had to be forced.

“...I don’t suppose you’ve figured it out yet, Porygon?” she said to her side.

She glanced down to her Pokémon. Porygon did nothing.

“Use Hyper Beam?” she ordered.

Even when prodded for a reaction, nothing happened. Redi frowned and collapsed to the floor. She bought up a hand to rub her Pokémon’s back.

Porygon didn’t nod, but they did keep staring as Ursaring built up and failed to hold a Hyper Beam back once again. Redi only paid attention to him out of the corner of her eye, as she was staring at Porygon as the Pokémon watched.

It pained her to see how they still lacked visible emotions. She prayed they’d be able to evolve soon. Her deepest desire was that, as a Porygon2, Porygon would gain the ability to act more independently.

It hurt to know how easily someone could turn them into a tool.

Ursaring’s practice continued. He made sure to take long breaks between each use of the move. Hyper Beam was incredibly draining, and it was unreasonable to ask for a Pokémon to use it more than five or so times in battles. However, this wasn’t a battle. This was just practice. With such a heavy focus on developing his control over the move, he was able to use it more carefully than in the stressful environment of a direct fight.

But it was when he was recovering from his seventh use that a hiss came out from nearby.

“Gas.”

Redi immediately hopped to her feet and snapped her gaze to a nearby shadow. From there, she followed Fibula’s gaze into the sky.

“Back!” Redi shouted.

Ursaring jumped back, but the incoming bolt of lightning struck nowhere nearby. Over a dozen feet away, static electricity burst out in a cloud, and a blue, serpentine Pokémon raised its head high.

“Draaaaa-gon!” it cried.

Dark eyes glimmered with excitement. The Pokémon’s body whipped out only to coil around itself in the opposite direction. The Dragon Type then lowered its eyes in challenge, never once looking away from Redi for even a second.

“...Dragonair?” Redi asked.

This wasn’t anything like the Dragonite’s attack. This Dragonair had showed up and was waiting for Redi to make the first move.

As she called out its name, wings on the side of Dragonair’s head flapped in excitement. Redi quickly recognized the Pokémon as the smaller Dragon Type that had been with Clair.

“Wait, does Clair want something, or—”

The Pokémon huffed.

It brought its head around, electricity crackling over its scales. A thin bolt, the same that had just helped it make its dramatic entrance, jumped off its body to enter the ground several feet away.

From there, the Dragonair lowered its head and hissed, but it was no longer looking at Redi. It used a Leer that Redi could admit was decent, though she could tell it wasn’t as effective as Quilava’s. After, it coiled itself tight, and when it released that tension, powerful winds whipped up to demonstrate a Twister that picked up leaves from the edges of the field.

Dragonair zipped forward, using two simultaneous attacks toward the imaginary target ahead of it. It showed off that same Wrap that restrained the Dragonite from the other day, and its tail hit the ground in a heavy thud that could only have been a Slam.

It called out for a final time, and the Dragonair brought its head back up. It was breathing a bit heavily, but the way the wings at the side of its head stood straight up told Redi it was excited.

“Hm. Those were all your moves?” Redi asked. “That Twister was pretty strong.”

The Dragonair cried out happily. Its voice was melodic and reminded Redi of Lapras.

But, Dragonair didn’t pull itself away, and it didn’t move itself back, either. It stared directly into Redi’s eyes with a small smile on its face.

Honestly, Redi felt stupid for missing the point until now.

“Oh? So you’re challenging us, are you?”

She grinned.

She had no idea why this Dragonair had been sent here in the first place, but if it wanted to battle, she wasn’t going to pass up a chance for a fight.

“Let’s do this!” Redi called out. The Dragonair began to race forward. “Ursaring—Rock Slide harass, right into Ice Punch!”

Ursaring threw down his arms, throwing out a rain of stones that hurtled toward Dragonair. The Pokémon responded by ducking and weaving between each projectile, showing off the agility that came with its flight and serpentine form.

But, it chose to focus on its movements. It laughed as it completely avoided Ursaring’s attack. It glanced up with a smirk on its face only to see a heavy bear Pokémon rushing right its way.

With a yelp, electricity crackled across its scales, but Ursaring didn’t bother to defend himself. He was hit by the Thunder Wave, and though pulsing electricity stiffened his muscles and subjected him to paralysis, the condition only made him grin.

His Ice Punch came out regardless of the effect Dragonair had inflicted on him. Ice coated his paw as a fist smashed into Dragonair’s face. Not only was it super effective, but Thunder Wave meant Ursaring’s Guts had been activated. The adrenaline boosted the power of his attack, and his second ability, Quick Feet, meant there was little effect on his speed thanks to that same adrenaline.

Dragonair hit the ground several feet away, and Redi couldn’t help but wince when the Dragon Type cried out. Yet, it didn’t linger on the ground. It quickly lifted its head.

Despite that punch, it was smiling, enjoying itself. Only one attack might have landed, but it was quite a satisfying attack.

Redi was smiling, too.

“Again!” she shouted.

The wings on Dragonair’s head pulled out, becoming a glider that let it control its movements even greater than before. As Ursaring raced toward it with an increased speed, it dipped beneath the successive punch and used the extended limb as an opening to coil around him, using Wrap.

When it squeezed, Ursaring roared in pain, but Redi already had a counter in mind.

“Fury Swipes!”

He might not be able to escape, but he could at least punish Dragonair for restraining him. Claw swipes left grooves in its scales, and he even continued the attack through a Slam to his stomach that knocked the air right out of him.

Eventually, the Dragonair was forced to let go or risk fainting. Both Pokémon were panting. Ursaring grinned, wiping a claw across his face. Dragonair chose to mimic his action, using its gemstone-lined tail to swipe across its snout in a nearly identical action.

“We’re finishing this! Hyper Beam!” Redi yelled.

The Dragonair pulled itself high into the air, and it pulled itself into a spiral to prepare its sole Dragon Type move.

Ursaring breathed in, and the same move he had just been practicing glowed within his throat. Next to Redi, Porygon’s treads spun at a greater speed, and the Dragonair let itself snap out of its coil.

It sent its Twister forward, but a Twister simply did not carry the power to stop a Hyper Beam.

The attack was pierced through and disrupted, and then Dragonair was struck.

“Oh, shoot.”

We went too far.

Redi raced to where the battle was taking place, and Dragonair hit the ground, unconscious, from where it had been hit in the sky. Ursaring wobbled on his feet and grinned at Redi. She made sure to congratulate him as she ran past, but she also returned him to his Pokéball.

He could be put into stasis to prevent his injuries from getting worse, but the same wasn't true for Dragonair.

Quickly, Redi kneeled down and placed a berry in front of Dragonair's face before hurrying to pull out a potion from her backpack. She searched for where Dragonair was the most wounded—scrape marks from Fury Swipes as well as a few burns from Hyper Beam—and quickly began to shuffle up and down Dragonair’s body to spray where she could.

Thankfully, the potion was effective. The Dragonair’s eyes fluttered open as it snapped awake.

Its bite onto the berry was sudden and violent. Redi froze, now realizing she had placed herself inches away from a Dragon Type that had just lost a battle.

She knew how prideful Pokémon of its Type tended to be, and she remembered just how much of an effort it went through to show off its moves. Still kneeling on the ground where she had been treating it, she had no choice but to watch as Dragonair raised its head to tower over her.

It looked down at her.

Redi stayed perfectly still.

Then, after what felt like forever, the Dragon Type lunged.

“Ah! Wait—”

But before Redi could jump back, Dragonair had already pressed its head into her stomach, and the Pokémon made a trilling noise that wasn’t unlike a purr. It was like the rest of the world no longer mattered. Redi was overwhelmed by surprise.

Her hands were up, and she wasn’t even sure what to do with them. She thought she had been about to be attacked, yet this Dragonair was affectionately rubbing its cheek against her. And it looked so happy as it did.

Do I...?

Redi couldn't stop the giggle that left her.

Slowly, she lowered her hands to bring them across the scales on Dragonair’s head.

They felt weird. Redi knew Dragon Types were supposed to be tough, but Dragonair’s scales were smooth. They felt as though they had a natural polish to them. When she pushed her hand down, the scales didn’t bend, but there was a give. Honestly, with how closely Dragonair were tied to weather, she half expected the scales to be wet.

But they were just comfortably cool.

“That was a good battle,” Redi said.

The Dragonair opened up its—her—eyes to look up at Redi, and she smiled.

This whole encounter had been really confusing. Dragon Types weren’t Pokémon to be so happy after a loss. Yet, Dragonair looked at Redi with such affection.

“Did you really just want to fight?” Redi asked, almost whispering.

It was hard to see Dragonair’s mouth from here, but Redi could somehow tell she had on a smile.

Slowly, the Pokémon brought her head back to stare Redi in the eye. Unlike last time, this wasn’t a challenge. It was more like she was trying to get Redi’s measure.

Redi knew there was something about staring a Dragon Type in the eye, but she couldn’t remember if she was supposed to look away or meet it. Either way, she chose to stare back. In the moment, it simply felt right.

“Nair,” the Pokémon said.

Slowly, she moved forward until she was inches away. After a moment’s pause, Dragonair pressed herself against Redi’s cheek.

Then, in an instant, Redi was completely bowled over. Dragonair cried out her name and happily rubbed against Redi, squirming and cheering her name.

“That tickles!” Redi laughed. “Come on, quit it!”

The Pokémon was heavy, but she never once let herself crush Redi. She certainly kept her against the ground as they both laughed, and eventually, Redi’s protests were enough for Dragonair to pull back with a huff.

But she was smiling, and so was Redi. Redi had to wipe her eyes from how hard she’d been laughing.

“But you’re Clair’s Pokémon. Did you sneak away just for me?”

Dragonair looked away. A purple blush crossed the Pokémon's face.

“Hah! I knew it,” Redi said with a grin. “But I... I kind of get it, too. Clair has a bunch of other Dragon Types, doesn't she? How often do you get the chance to battle someone one-on-one?”

The sigh that left the Dragonair’s throat told Redi she was right, and Redi let herself fall back with her arms crossed, nodding her head.

“Yup. I get why that might be a bit smothering. Or limiting, I guess? Clair has a bunch of Pokémon she’s responsible for as a Gym Leader. If I was you, I’d take the opportunity, too.”

Redi paused and then looked at the ground.

“I guess I did take this opportunity once before, huh?”

Dragonair wiggled, and once more, she pressed her head against Redi’s stomach. Redi leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Dragonair’s head, and then they sat there for a while. Just sitting like that.

And Redi... thought. She thought about why Dragonair was here, with her.

To this Pokémon, Redi wasn’t just anyone. She was Redi. She had helped Dragonair escape Goldenrod. It knew who she was, and all this time, she had a feeling part of its training had been to impress her.

“Thank you.”

She wasn’t sure why she said that.

Dragonair pushed deeper into her stomach, and Redi hugged her a bit tighter.

“Hey, Dragonair?” Redi started. “I know that you’re technically already Clair’s, but she has such a big team. If you really want to, would you be interested in joining—”

She didn’t get to finish.

Redi felt Dragonair’s wings snap to attention, and the Pokémon yanked back to stare at the sky, eyes wide. Redi couldn't hear anything, but Dragonair could. Her expression almost immediately fell.

“Wait, you don’t have to leave just yet!”

Redi never expected to see a Dragon Type look so guilty.

Dragonair had heard something that was calling her back, and she launched herself into the sky. Redi tried to run after it, returning Porygon to let herself gather speed, but a flick of Dragonair’s tail conjured a gust that caused Redi to stumble.

The Pokémon’s expression was downcast as Redi slowed to catch herself, and Redi could only watch it go as it disappeared into the blue of the sky.

Standing alone on that empty battlefield, Redi wasn’t sure how long she stared.

Redi shook her head before turning back toward Sam. Her expression was hard. Determined.

“She’s joining my team,” Redi declared. “I don’t care that she’s being trained by Clair. I don’t care how the Blackthorn Clan might react. Dragonair deserves more. She’s too limited here. Dragon Types are supposed to be big and strong and stand all the way above everyone else, but how is she supposed to do that here? She’s just another Dragon Type on a Gym Leader’s team. She’s being taken for granted, and I want to give her the chance to see the world and have us conquer the League together.”

Sam met Redi’s gaze. Her mind was made up. Dragonair had been so eager to greet her the other day only to be pulled back by Clair’s Dragonair. It had taken this chance to meet with Redi uninterrupted. Yet, the outcome of this...

Redi wasn’t going to let them leave it here. Just as much as Dragonair liked Redi, Redi liked Dragonair.

But we were both in that warehouse the day Dragonair was freed. Why does Dragonair want to be with Redi more than me?

He ignored the thought that passed through his head and pushed away the pang of jealousy in his heart. Sure, Dragonair was a super strong and rare Pokémon, but the species wasn’t a Ghost Type. To make up for it, he would just need to find something of a similar strength in exchange.

But he’d take what he could get.

Sighing, Sam rubbed his temples.

“So that’s why you want to steal a Dragon Type,” he said.

“No, I’m not stealing, I’m gonna find a way to convince Clair to let Dragonair join my team,” Redi countered. “She didn’t even seem that attached. Not in the same way as her starter Dragonair, I mean. I kind of feel like she was just... going through the motions? Dragonair is getting her help to be stronger after being kidnapped, but Clair’s just fulfilling a task. She’s not actually that bonded—look at how she reacted to Dragonite. She was upset he was leaving, but not about him, specifically. She didn't like that he was leaving in general.”

“I feel like that’s different,” Sam mumbled. “Gym Leaders train and pass over Pokémon all the time.”

Several people in Dewford had started their journeys after receiving Fighting Types trained personally by the Gym Leader before Brawly.

“But if she can send a Pokémon to Lance, why can’t she send Dragonair to me?” Redi asked.

Maybe because Lance is the Champion? And you’re just an average trainer?

Not to mention Dragonite’s a Pseudo-Legend. I can’t imagine how the average person might react to you having that, especially once we start figuring out those extra evolutions for our teams.

Dragonair, as a species, was special. Not every Dragon Type species carried as much potential power. Its evolution, Dragonite, was said to have strength comparable to weaker Legendary Pokémon. A Dragonite could fight a Legendary Pokémon like Latios or Latias and have decent odds of coming out on top. And because of that strength, people referred to it and several comparable species with a specific term—“pseudo-legendary,” as Sam had called it himself.

That term might not have been a scientific term or even anything official, but so many people had used it to describe species like Metagross, Garchomp, and Dragonite that it might have well been those species’ true classification. Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon were insanely rare, insanely powerful, and insanely in demand. The Pokémon League was forced to go to great lengths to make sure wild Pokémon of their lines were safe from being poached. Actually getting one was nearly impossible, especially true for Dragonair as this one already belonged to the secretive Blackthorn Clan.

Sam wanted to rant at Redi. He wanted to go into detail about how absolutely insane her desire was. Except, he couldn’t bring himself to. All he could think about was what he’d do if this was his team.

What if Misdreavus belonged to someone else but snuck out to train with me? What if Quilava belonged to her ranch, but we still grew up together?

He knew what he’d do. He’d fight to travel with them—they were his friends, after all. And if he wasn’t able to do that diplomatically, then he’d do so through other means.

“But, uh, I kind of need to ask...” Sam started. “I thought you wanted to be a Normal Type trainer? And keep your team small with cheaper Pokémon?”

Redi looked away to hide her blush.

“I do!” she said hurriedly. “Dragonair can’t be too much more expensive than Ursaring, especially once he evolves. And, I mean, I do like the Normal Type, and I do plan to try to catch only Normal Types, but I can’t say I’m wholly dedicated to it. Not like you and the Ghost Type.

“And then when it comes to the Pokémon on a specialist’s team...” She paused, pursing her lips. “Well, whatever! They have exceptions all the time! Just look at Lance! He’s supposed to be a Dragon Type Master, but his team is full of Flying Types.”

Redi smirked at Sam, smug that she figured out such a strong example, but Sam replied to her with a flat look of his own.

“Sure, but you realize all of Lance’s Pokémon at least resemble Dragons, right?”

Redi threw her hands into the air.

“Then let’s just say I specialize in strong Pokémon! Ursaring. Porygon. And now Dragonair. I’ll specialize in Pokémon I think are cool, just with a preference for the Normal Type.”

Then, after crossing her arms, Redi mumbled under her breath. “It’s not like a trainer’s specialty is mandated by the League, either.”

“I—” Sam glared at her. “Stop being so convincing.”

“No.”

Redi stuck her tongue out at him.

I can’t really argue against an exception, either. Even if I never found out about Hisuian Typhlosion, Quilava was always going to be on my team.

But this is... It’s just such an uphill battle. She’s trying to ask for a Dragon Type from the Blackthorn Clan, and even if they aren’t really talked about in Hoenn, Drake’s gone on record to discuss how he hates how secretive they are.

He took a while to consider it. Sam ran his hand through Quilava’s fur.

“I’m just hesitant,” Sam eventually said. “Porygon was one thing. But Dragonair is...”

He breathed out.

“It’s going to be hard.”

“So you’ll help me?” Redi asked, sitting up.

He glanced at her.

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because you’ve been way more serious recently,” she said. “I thought you’d say it was impossible and that I’d need to do something else.”

Sam scoffed.

“Redi, I’m fifteen. I’m basically an adult, and that means I have to be more serious. That, and think about everything that’s happened recently. The Violet City Tournament, all of our Gym battles, traveling off-route, challenging Clair, and then Petrel?”

Redi laughed a little awkwardly.

“Yeah. That’s... a good point,” she said. “But I appreciate it. Thanks, Sam.”

“No problem,” he said, trying to hide his smile.

Redi hopped up off of the bench and began to pace. Her usual, slight smirk had finally returned to her face, and he could tell that thoughts and plans were racing through her mind at a mile a minute.

“So how are we going to do this, anyway?” Redi asked.

Sam paused.

“You don’t have a plan?”

“Why would I have a plan? You’re the one with all the strategies!”

“Don’t look at me! I’m not trying to steal a Dragon Type!”

“But I’m not either!” she shouted. “You’re the one with all the experience! You have a way bigger team!”

Sam blinked when he found he was pointing at her, and Redi was pointing right back at him. Silence hung in the air between them as they both looked down. They then both burst into laughter.

We’re stupid.

“Okay, okay.” Sam wiped his eyes. “So now that we’ve established that we’re both dumb, we need to figure out a way to do this.”

“Hey!” Redi whined.

Sam ignored her.

“I think on the bright side, we have an obvious first step,” he said, leaning back on the bench. “Since we don’t know what to do, that means we need to gather information.”

Redi replied with a thoughtful hum, audibly thinking about how they’d tackle this.

“I might be able to ask around to see how locals usually obtain their Dragon Types,” Redi said. “At least someone will know something, and then you can do whatever lame stuff you do in libraries.”

“You mean go through records? I guess the League archives might have something,” Sam mumbled.

Redi shrugged, unsure. He didn’t think she ever went out of her way to browse anything online.

“But the most important thing we can do is not let the Blackthorn Clan find out about our plans,” Sam said, picking up Quilava as he stood up. “I can’t say I know that much about them, but everything I have heard about them makes them seem... stuck up. They’ll probably shut us down hard if they find out what we’re doing.”

Redi nodded.

“Yeah. Definitely,” she said. “But that doesn’t matter, I’m not going to let them stop us! Dragonair’s absolutely going to join my team!”

She hopped forward to put her foot on the bench and strike a dramatic pose. Sam snickered, and, in his arms, Quilava let out a snort as she rolled her eyes.

“Your motivation’s great, but you’re forgetting something,” Sam said.

“What?”

“You still need to call your family,” he pointed out.

Redi opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Her pose fell, and she dropped onto the bench, defeated and in a slump.