The Ghost Specialist

“At a later date? If we’re invited?” the boy in the jacket repeated. “Yeah, right. And you want us to respect you. Well how about you do something worthy of our respect instead of just demanding it for no reason at all!”

He spat on the ground and marched into the woods. The Blackthorn Clan elder impassively watched him leave. The middle-aged man’s gaze flicked over the rest of the small crowd before he resumed his walk into the cave.

Sam felt sick. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. He had no clue how everything had turned on its head so, so fast.

Why me and not Redi?

Redi was the one who had an explicit goal. Redi was the one who needed this Trial to be in her favor. Sam was only here for a casual desire and as a show of support. She was trying to get approval to add Dragonair to her team, but him?

He only wanted information—information he could probably find if he went out and tried hard enough to find it.

As he stood up from the stone, Eliza yelped when shadows rejoined the one under Sam’s feet. The flames of the torches at the sides of the cave’s entrance flickered as Sam looked around. The Blackthorn Clan elder stood just past the entrance, waiting for the three chosen trainers to join him before moving on.

But Sam turned toward Redi, instead.

“Redi—”

“Just... go,” she said, looking away. Sam was unable to see her face. “Clair was right. If I can’t even recognize why I wasn’t allowed to move on, there’s no way I can do anything for...”

Redi shook her head.

“Not now, at least,” she mumbled.

She tilted back to stare at the stars of the night sky, and Sam heard the two other trainers begin to approach the awaiting elder. The girl in the puffy dress practically skipped toward the entrance, whereas the Ace Trainer walked with confident and even strides.

Sam hesitated. He didn’t immediately move. He lifted up a leg to step closer to Redi, but she snapped around, throwing an arm out to her side.

“Go!” she shouted. “I can try again, but don’t lose this chance for yourself!”

It took only a single look at her red eyes for Sam to make up his mind.

“I’ll find out everything I can. Everything and anything that will make sure you move on next time.”

“...You don’t need to do that,” Redi mumbled, facing away once more.

Sam hurried after everyone else who was already heading in. Jogging, he was only a second behind once they all reached the elder. The middle-aged man nodded once before moving to the front and leading the group further into the cave.

A dark tunnel sloped down, heading beneath the earth. The occasional torch attached to the wall provided just enough light to see.

Sam wanted to get upset. He wanted to rage and snap at the elder for not letting Redi continue. But he forced himself to stay quiet.

What would be the point?

He was upset. Redi should have been moving on, not him. Yet, acting out here would only be a mistake. Just as much as he wanted to learn what the Blackthorn Clan knew, he also wanted to learn what he could on her behalf.

So, Sam breathed in and out, centering himself to focus. Annoyance bubbled up inside him, but he pushed that feeling to the side and did his best to ignore it.

As their smaller group neared the bottom of the tunnel, the first thing Sam noticed was the sound of dripping water. A regular drip, drip, drip from many different stalactites echoed out before Sam ever stepped into the depths of the cave. But pretty soon, he emerged into an underground cavern. A pool of water—a lake smaller than the one on the surface—stretched across the entire space, filled up by the droplets falling from the ceiling. At the back, more torches flickered. Just as some illuminated this side of the shore, others illuminated the far side.

“The next stage will take place there,” the Blackthorn elder said. He withdrew a hand from his robe to point at a hard-to-make-out building.

Squinting his eyes, he could make out a few details past its silhouette. A shingled roof. A dark, wood exterior. The classic shape of a shrine’s building, one of many that had been constructed in Johto in the past.

The entrance faced the back wall, where the building connected to a stone shore via a thin peninsula. With an entire underground lake between them and their destination, Sam couldn’t see any obvious way across.

No boat. No bridge. And there was no walkable path around the lake’s side.

“So we need to figure out a way to cross the water?” Sam mumbled.

The next stage takes place there? No. We’re in the next stage right now, aren’t we?

The Ace Trainer took only a second to look around the room before moving to the lake’s edge. He retrieved a blue Great Ball from his waist before releasing a Pokémon in the water before him.

“Seadra!”

The blue Pokémon floated at the water’s surface. Shaped like a seahorse, an open snout vibrated alongside a call of the Pokémon’s name. Fins on its head flapped, resembling wings, as it patiently awaited further commands.

“Come on, buddy. We’ll get you that Dragon Scale,” the Ace Trainer said.

The Seadra was somewhat large, being about just under four feet tall. There was just enough room for the Ace Trainer to step on its back, crouching and balancing on it like it was some kind of surfboard.

And then, the pair took off. The Seadra shot over the water’s surface with a speed that left mist in its wake. With no source of light over the lake itself, they disappeared into the darkness. The steady drip of water from the ceiling meant the noise of their swimming faded away, mixing into the other echoes that filled the air of the cave.

“Phooey. You’d think that as an Ace Trainer, he’d try to help us out.”

Sam glanced at the girl standing next to him. That was the first thing she’d said all night.

“Cassandra!” she said, identifying herself when she saw him glance at her. She twisted to face him, and the sudden movement caused her puffy dress to bounce side-to-side. “Mind if I get your name?”

“...Sam,” Sam replied.

He glanced back to the entrance of the cave to look for the Clan elder, but the middle-aged man was gone.

So this is part of the Trial.

“You know,” the girl giggled, “I didn’t ask to tell me your name, but I asked to get your name. I guess this means I can go by ‘Sam’ now, right?”

She smiled at him. Sam just let out a sigh.

He stepped away to approach the sharp edge of the stone shore to stick his hand into the lake’s water.

He just as quickly drew it back.

That’s way too cold to swim!

He grimaced as he felt his options narrow.

“I just want to point out that I never actually agreed to any deal like that,” Sam said, standing up. “All I said was ‘Sam.’ I never said I was handing my name over, and I didn’t say if that was really my name, either.”

The girl stuck her tongue out at him.

“You’re no fun,” she said. “But that’s fine. I’m fun enough for everyone here!”

He ignored her. He was too busy trying to solve this puzzle.

My Pokémon can’t swim, and they aren’t the type to carry me over the lake. With no path around the sides, there has to be something else here we can use to move across.

“So... He mentioned a Dragon Scale. Do you think that Ace Trainer guy is trying to evolve his Seadra?” Cassandra asked.

“Probably.” Sam stood in place and looked at their immediate surroundings—nothing but stalagmites and a sloped shore that stretched wall-to-wall. “The Blackthorn Clan definitely has an easy supply of Dragon Scales. He’d need one if he wants a Kingdra.”

Cassandra whistled before hurrying to catch up to Sam as he started to walk towards one end. She kept her hands behind her back as she skipped along.

“Wow!” she said. “That’s pretty rare knowledge you have. You know you’re more well-informed than you look!”

Sam paused, turned to her, and was met with a smug smile. The compliment felt like it was half an insult on purpose.

He didn’t know if she was purposefully taunting him or was just trying to tease him.

Either way, he didn’t want to deal with this right now.

Moving to the water again, he crouched again to let himself speak to his team. Cassandra stayed back to watch silently.

He whispered, hoping that she wouldn’t hear his words.

“Do you guys mind helping me out again?” he asked. “Just search around to see if you can find a boat or anything like that.”

Shadows split off, though he saw only two leave. Likely, the wild Gastly weren’t interested in assisting for such a boring task like that. Only Haunter and Misdreavus bothered to head out and search the hidden locations of this side of the shore.

“You train Ghosts?”

He held back a curse when he saw Cassandra tilting her head at him.

“I do,” he admitted. “But they can’t really help me across. None of them are species someone can ride.”

Cassandra giggled.

“Yeah,” she said with a sigh. “I have an Arbok and a Graveler on my team, but neither are good in water.”

“Wait, Arbok and Graveler? Aren’t you a Fairy Type trainer?”

“I am!” She almost sounded offended. “I have a Jigglypuff and Clefairy, too! I just felt like it’s a good idea to have options in battle. It’s nice to see my opponents get scared.”

Returning to his search, Sam walked along the shoreline, and Cassandra followed. He desperately wanted to find a way across. It would really suck if this portion of the trial was some kind of dumb test of swimming ability or something like that.

“Everyone here is trying to get something,” Cassandra commented, idly speaking as she followed along. “That Ace Trainer is searching for a Dragon Scale. I’m trying to get a pair of Moon Stones. What are you looking for?”

“Information,” Sam replied.

“Oh! On Ghost Types?”

“Sure. We’ll go with that.”

He knew he was being terse. But he also knew he was annoyed. He was actively trying to find a solution, whereas this girl seemed more interested in talking and doing nothing herself.

Cassandra continued to ramble at him, now talking about her team. Apparently, she had been the winner of a local tournament in Mahogany Town, a settlement located to the west of Blackthorn itself. The size of the tournament was smaller than the one in Violet City, but the competitors seemed to be just as strong.

Also, the trainers there were just as vulnerable to sleep as Sam’s opponents were. Between her Jigglypuff and Clefairy, Cassandra was able to wipe the floor with anyone whose team couldn’t withstand her Pokémon’s sleep-inducing Sing.

“Drea!”

Finally, Sam had a reason to turn away, as Misdreavus called out her name from behind a nearby column of rock. Cassandra, unfortunately, heard Sam’s Pokémon as well and continued to follow after him, jogging over as Sam ran Misdreavus’s way.

It was hidden by a fence-like wall of stalagmites, but there was a small cove a few feet down from the stone. If it wasn’t for Misdreavus, Sam would have moved around this place without noticing.

An old, rickety boat floated in the hidden pool of water. Unfortunately, with how it was shaped, anyone that wanted to use it would need to row.

“...I’ll get one side, you get the other?” Cassandra offered weakly.

Sam grimaced once he was done thanking Misdreavus.

Well, if she’s finally willing to help out now, it doesn’t make sense to disagree.

Haunter and Misdreavus dragged out the boat so it could be accessible from the shore, moving it to a place where there would be less of a drop to get inside. It rocked back and forth as Sam stepped into it, and Cassandra moved after him to sit on the same interior bench, placing herself a foot to his side.

Haunter hid in the shadows that coated the boat’s floor. Misdreavus settled at the back to ride along.

As they dived into the darkness, Cassandra’s gaze flicked toward both of them, and, for an obvious reason, the smile on her face started to look much more forced.

“Primeape,” Sam said.

Sam released his Pokémon at the front of the boat. It tilted up, but it didn’t capsize with how everyone was arranged to balance it out.

“I’m expecting this to not be that easy. Defend us from anything that attacks, okay?”

The Fighting Type rolled his shoulders, eagerly nodding at this chance to help. Sam grabbed the oar that had been laid across the bottom of the boat, and he messed with a slot to the side to get it properly secured within a hole.

“Let’s go.”

Sam had never rowed a boat before, and it was clear that Cassandra hadn’t either. It took them a few attempts to get everything timed correctly so they moved in a straight line instead of a circle.

Eventually, they managed to begin traveling across the lake.

Cassandra tried to talk, but the act of rowing was more intensive than either of them expected. She went quiet quickly, putting all of her effort into just moving the oar through the water.

Travel was slow—or at least it felt slow. Rowing across this underground lake meant traveling through darkness. There weren’t exactly any visible landmarks for Sam to use to gauge their speed. There was the torchlight toward where they came in, and there was the torchlight at the shrine on the other shore. Sam wanted to glance over his shoulder to see how much farther they had to go, but he had a feeling that if they lost their momentum, they’d struggle to get going at the same pace again.

Primeape stretched to warm himself up as they moved, and several pairs of red eyes stared up at them from within the base of the boat.

When one of the Gastly moved, Sam heard a short squeak. He tried not to smirk when he caught the faintest of frowns on Cassandra’s face.

After who knows how long of traveling over the water, the first sound other than splashing came from Primeape.

He grunted.

Their pace slowed as Primeape leaned over the side to stare into the water. With a hard breath out, Cassandra stopped rowing.

“What is it?” she asked, breathing heavily.

Sam recognized the movements of Primeape’s silhouette. The Fighting Type started to prepare himself with a Bulk Up.

“...We’re in the Dragon’s Den,” Sam said. “I guess they aren’t going to make this easy. Given where we are, I bet we’re about to be attacked by a dragon.”

He wasn’t sure why he was so calm. Maybe it was because he already experienced something similar, or maybe it was because he still only really felt that annoyance that had started up when he first joined with the Blackthorn elder in the tunnel leading down into the cavern. Sam hadn’t seen or heard anything happen to the Ace Trainer during that man’s trip over.

But the Ace Trainer was an Ace Trainer. He didn’t exactly need to prove his strength, but Sam and Cassandra likely did.

Something to their side caused the water to bend upwards. Even in this extremely dim light, Sam could still make out the shape of something dark and massive pass underneath them.

Cassandra’s grip tightened on her oar. Primeape’s use of Bulk Up picked up the pace.

Sam whispered a quick word of advice to Primeape—Ice Type moves were super effective against Dragon Types—and then he cautiously turned around.

Though Cassandra held a Pokéball in her hand, she wasn’t able to release her team member before the aquatic species broke through the surface of the water. A massive head left the depths of the lake to stare down at them.

Its jaw was large enough to swallow either of them whole.

A pair of whiskers hung off the bottom of its face, and its eyes were locked into a permanent glare of rage. The fins on its head and spine stuck out to aid its intimidation.

It didn’t roar. It didn’t need to.

The sheer presence of the Gyarados alone was intimidating enough.

“Now!” Sam yelled.

He grabbed the side of the boat as Primeape’s leap saw it teeter back and forth. A red flash of light and something pink saw Cassandra glow blue as whatever Pokémon she released made sure she didn’t fall out.

Primeape soared through the air.

An ice-covered fist smashed into the sea serpent’s face.

“PRIME!” the Pokémon shouted. He bounced off only to grab the Gyarados’s whisker and pull himself back in for a second punch. “APE!”

An echoing roar came from the Gyarados as it reeled backward. Primeape landed at the front of the boat, and Misdreavus quickly used Confusion to prevent water from getting in.

Reflecting light from the far shore, a chunk of the Gyarados’s head was now covered in ice. Quickly, the massive Pokémon dived back into the water.

They sat there, tense, waiting for it to show back up, but the Gyarados never returned.

“Good job, Primeape.”

The ape Pokémon hooted at him happily.

“Alright. Now that that’s taken care of, let’s keep moving,” Sam said.

As he grabbed his oar and placed it into the water, Cassandra stared at him. It took her a few seconds for her to ready herself. A Clefairy sat in her lap.

“That was...”

She pursed her lips together and shook her head. Grabbing her oar, she returned to rowing, and both of them continued to bring themselves across the lake.

This underground lake was definitely lake-sized, but it wasn’t as large as the one on the surface, and it didn’t take too long for them to reach the other side. Honestly, given that this was the third underground water feature Sam had seen this year, he was starting to think that locations like this existed under every major body of water.

They were either natural, or Pokémon went out of their way to carve places like these.

Once they reached the opposite shore, two members of the Blackthorn Clan were already waiting for them. Sam felt exhausted after all of that rowing, but the awaiting pair thankfully helped them out of the boat.

Sam returned Primeape with another quiet thanks, and Cassandra’s Clefairy disappeared into a white Premier Ball. Right as Sam turned around, however, he heard a voice speak up.

“Trainer Cassandra.”

A third member of the Blackthorn Clan, one bald and somewhat pudgy, waited a few feet away. Sam could tell that the two that had helped them out of the boat were likely just general members. This man was clearly another elder.

“The Blackthorn Clan is willing to provide you with the Moonstones you seek, but we wish to come to a deal, first,” he said.

“Oh, I love deals! Thank you!”

“Wonderful. Please, follow me.”

The Clan elder dipped his head before turning to walk along a brick path built into the ground. Cassandra skipped along to follow him, but she stopped before she got too far away.

“I can’t believe I almost forgot. Thanks for the date, Sammy!” she called out. “We should do this again sometime!”

She giggled. Sam ignored her. There was a certain point where teasing was teasing, but there was also a point where teasing was just saying something inappropriate to someone you hardly knew.

If this is how a Fairy Type trainer acts, I can’t say I’m a fan.

“This way.”

One of the two people who had helped him out of the boat beckoned for him to follow them toward the opposite direction. Sam approached the entrance of the shrine itself, whereas Cassandra was led through an opening in the cave wall against the back.

A pair of finely carved, wooden doors stood between Sam and the inside of the building. They were styled like a pair of dragon heads glaring down at anyone who dared to make their way inside.

Sam didn’t immediately enter. Placing his hand on the door’s bronze handle, he paused to reflect on how he was the last one left.

The Ace Trainer had vanished. If Cassandra was in the middle of making a deal, she was effectively out. And then everyone else outside never got to continue in the first place.

Redi is probably back at the Pokémon Center.

It was just Sam and whatever was past this entrance.

Pulling the doors open and stepping inside, the interior of the shrine reminded him of Sprout Tower. It had the same, exposed interior structure that many buildings built in the past tended to possess. The wood in here was just as obvious as it was outside. Paper dividers lined its sides. A pair of flaming, metal braziers in the back illuminated the space.

With that light, Sam could see the faint silhouette of someone kneeling behind one of the many paper walls. With how often Sam found himself needing to carefully analyze shadows, it was pretty obvious to him that the silhouette was that of the Ace Trainer from before.

But that man wasn’t the only person in this room. In the back, between the braziers on a raised section of the floor, was yet another Blackthorn Clan elder. Unlike the others, this old man’s face was absolutely covered in wrinkles. He was by far the oldest person Sam had ever seen, but he didn’t seem to possess the frailty that came with old age.

“Sit.”

This elder’s voice was hoarse.

Carefully, Sam made his way over to a cushion in front of the man and kneeled down.

As he sat, the elder peeked open an eye to look over Sam. Sam had no clue how many times this man had done something like this before. It was a discerning look—one that was likely trying to figure out more than just his appearance.

He waited patiently for what felt like forever. Eventually, the elder closed his eyes once more and smiled.

“What are Pokémon to you?” the elder asked.

Sam blinked.

A test? Or some kind of quiz.

On the shore, he’d been told the next stage of the Trial was to take place here, but crossing the lake had been a stage in itself. He couldn’t exactly take the elder’s question at face value. They were definitely trying to imbue a sense of mystery and intrigue into this whole process.

He needed to figure out the exact answer the elder wanted.

Upon hearing the question, Sam’s immediate thought was still to answer it literally. It’d be easy to define “Pokémon” and explain what one could do. However, he doubted that would bring him further. The elder probably wanted something from the heart.

Sam took a few seconds to consider his words, and he spoke carefully in reply.

“Friends. Partners,” came his answer.

He paused.

“Beings capable of channeling specialized energy to conjure effects humans are unable to reproduce,” he added quickly, unable to resist.

The old man nodded along to his first two words, but he cocked his head to the side as Sam followed up with the textbook description.

“Correct, I suppose,” the old man said, chuckling. He had no facial hair, but he rubbed his chin as if it had once supported a thin beard. “Now then, what is most important when it comes to winning battles?”

“Knowledge.”

Sam didn’t hesitate to speak this answer. He knew in his heart that knowledge was the number one way to succeed as a Pokémon trainer.

Although, he knew knowledge wasn’t everything. Training was key. Practice was key. Honing instincts to understand how to react to unexpected circumstances was also necessary if a trainer wanted to do well in high-level battles. However, without knowledge backing a trainer up, they wouldn’t know how to achieve any of that or even what goals they needed to chase in the first place.

Knowledge had guided Sam through his journey so far. He’d even started out thanks to the knowledge contained within the New Pokédex. All of his training was fueled by what he knew about the Ghost Type or the desire to find out more. He had even decided to travel with Redi since the two of them had gaps in their knowledge the other filled.

And now I’m here to find out what the Blackthorn Clan knows about the Ghost Type. That, and...

He still needed to find out how Quilava was meant to evolve.

As Sam grew more and more confident about his answer in his head, the elder slowly nodded, humming as Sam clenched a fist in victory.

A moment passed as the old man shuffled on top of his cushion. He slowly weighed Sam’s words, tilting his head back to stare down at Sam with a pair of half-lidded eyes.

“There are five tests within our Trials,” the elder croaked out. “As it stands, you are on stage three. The first test is a simple test of respect. Show courtesy to us, and we will show courtesy to you.”

...You’re kidding.

The elder spoke as if that was just a casual comment, but the words made Sam reel. He gripped the fabric of his pants in his kneeling posture and took a deep breath.

When he first arrived here, he had nodded at the elder on guard, and so had the Ace Trainer. Cassandra had probably done the same as well.

But Redi hadn’t.

So she wasn’t able to move on.

That can’t be it. He’s joking, right?

Sam looked at the elder.

No. He’s completely serious. It really was just a test of respect.

They held her back for something as dumb as a nod. He said trainers needed to show courtesy, but that goes both ways! They need to respect their challengers, too!

He fumed, but he fought to not show that on his face. He wasn’t sure how well he was succeeding given the churning he felt inside.

People are allowed to be nervous, ever thought about that! Heck, I’m sure even Eliza would have nodded, but she got distracted by a friendly face!

Clair was right. This Trial is biased.

It didn’t feel fair at all.

“The second test is a test of capability,” the elder continued, unaware of Sam’s reactions. “When faced with an unexpected challenge, how does a trainer react? Not everyone takes the boat. Our Pokémon do not always block a trainer’s way. Your Primeape is impressive, especially for an exception on a specialist’s team. It’s good to see that you rely on your Pokémon and to see them rely on you in return.”

A pause. The old man seemed to try to gauge Sam’s expression, but Sam was forcing his face to be unreadable and flat.

“What is most important when training a Dragon Type?” the old man asked.

“Strength,” Sam answered. He didn't care to put in more thought than that at this point.

“Wrong,” the old man said. “The answer is heart. A dragon must respect its trainer, but they cannot be distant. There must be a sense of trust between them. Dragon Types are the Type by far most bound by emotion. It is up to the trainer to know how to properly react.”

Sam chose to say nothing. He had a feeling most specialists thought their Type was the Type most bound by emotion.

He was pretty sure that was just a trait of Pokémon in general.

“Samuel Greyson. Of Dewford Town, Hoenn. Aspiring Ghost Type specialist with a team that half-lacks the Type,” the old man declared. “What are you searching for?”

“Information,” Sam said, forcing his anger back down. “I want anything and everything the Blackthorn Clan has on the Ghost Type. If I have to be more specific, I want access to your historical records of Ghost Types sightings across the region—not just the ones seen on routes.”

And maybe you have records of Hisuian Typhlosion, too.

The old man tilted his head to the side, considering the request, before replying with a single nod.

“We can assist. Providing you with that information is well within the Blackthorn Clan's power. The next stage of these trials would have seen you face the other participants, but I can see this is where your participation will end,” the old man said. “You did well, but this third stage is not a test of knowledge, but a test of heart. I cannot speak to your experiences so far, but your perspective is far too literal. If we were to continue this, all we would learn are logical answers rather than the emotional truths we seek.”

Yeah? Whatever.

If the Blackthorn Clan was trying to impress him with their “generosity,” they weren’t doing a good job of it. They were trying to present themselves as some great organization, but it felt like they were just having people scramble for their table scraps.

Still, he wasn’t going to object to getting more information—they’d already outright said they’d provide him with what he wanted to know. As for Redi, Lance had only obtained his Dratini after several attempts at these trials. Redi would try again, and Sam would provide her with the expected format the Trial followed.

“However,” the old man continued, “before we arrange anything between us, I would like to request an answer to one final question. It’s a personal question from me, not one asked on behalf of the clan. You are a Ghost Type specialist not of our region, so I wish to know something.”

Sam sat up straighter.

“The Trial has concluded, so please speak honestly. Given your favored Type, tell me, what are your thoughts on Elite Four Agatha?”

Sam blinked.

What?

The elder stared down at him impassively, waiting for a reply.