Chương 144: Chapter 138

Chuck knelt on his knees, hands pressed against his legs. He kept his back perfectly straight as if at attention but hung his head as low as it could go.

"I'M SORRY!" His voice wasn't sad, desperate, or anything that apologetic. Sam honestly thought it sounded more like a shout from a drill instructor. It was something that had been demanded to be repeated, so his voice carried volume more than it did emotion. The opposite was true of the response. A brown haired woman stared down at Chuck with a raised, twitching eyebrow.

"Oh? You're sorry?" came her reply.

"You really think a simple sorry is going to cut it? Think about this from my perspective: I'm cooking dinner, you get a call, then you yell something about bringing a guest over, and now you're suddenly back here without any notice." The woman before him crossed her arms, glaring at him while waiting for a reply. The entrance to Chuck's home had a lowered wooden floor, which meant she stood a full foot above him. The elevation difference gave her a towering presence that made her seem all the more imposing.

"I—""No, Chuck. Don't think you're getting away with this with just a few sweet words. You're sleeping on the couch tonight." The shirtless man slumped.

"And no second helpings at dinner."

"Yes, ma'am," he mumbled, somehow even more depressed than before. From there, the woman turned her gaze away from the Gym Leader to where Sam stood behind Chuck. Sam froze the second her attention landed on him, but her expression immediately turned soft.

"I'm so sorry about my poor husband's impulsive actions. He tends to act without much thought. Quick to think, quick to act. There's a reason he's so fond of that Primeape of his." She chuckled to herself as Sam hurriedly nodded.

"Don't think you're required to stay just because my husband asked, but his invitation does hold. You're welcome to rest as long as you need. We have plenty of food to spare for both you and your team, and as for your clothes..." A hint of disapproval flickered over her face.

"If you stay, leave them out and I'll wash them for you. They'll be nice and clean by the morning."

"No, no. It's fine, really. I bring soap with me when I travel so that when we pass by any water—""You're staying here tonight. Your clothes will be clean by the morning," she said. Sam gulped.

"Yes, ma'am." She sent him a sweet smile before turning around and marching back to the kitchen, where a pair of Primeape were helping her cook dinner. As the strong scent of fresh food drifted out, Chuck finally let himself breathe, and a cheeky smile crossed his face as he scratched at his beard.

"I love that woman," he said. Sam proceeded to have the most awkward dinner he'd ever had in his life. He, Chuck, and Chuck's wife sat around a table and ate a protein-rich meal. Nearby, a massive pot simmered on the stove, but it didn't stay there for long. Those two Primeape helpers grabbed it and left through the front door, likely bringing it to wherever Chuck's team members were staying. But since Sam was a guest, they fed him first, and they offered to feed his team, too.

Except, even though he knew his team would appreciate the food, most of them didn't eat, and there was also the problem of the "reveal" that releasing his team members would entail. So he ate in silence. Alone. (Mostly.) Chuck's wife glared daggers at her husband, and her husband sent googly eyes right back. Sam knew Chuck's name, of course, but Chuck's wife never introduced herself.

At this point, he'd been in their house for too long to ask, so he just sat in awkward silence and refused to reveal that he still didn't know. At least the food was good. And Chuck ate fast enough that the meal ended quickly. As soon as that happened, the Gym Leader practically ran outside. He shouted to his wife that he'd get the dishes later, and she sent him a thin-lipped stare before disappearing somewhere deeper inside. Sam followed the Gym Leader out back.

"Whew. Alright. Didn't mean to strong-arm you there. Sorry about that—didn't think you wouldn't want to come!" Chuck's house wasn't located within Cianwood but a bit off to its side. It connected to a rocky, cliffside beach and a path that led into the forest. Sam didn't see any Pokémon out here, but there was a weight bench on the sand. Chuck immediately approached it, picked up a weight, and then put it down so he could grab a bag of sweets hidden beside it.

He popped one into his mouth before holding it toward Sam.

"Want one?" Chuck asked.

"... Sure." Sam cautiously took the dried, sugar-coated piece of fruit and almost grimaced when he bit down—it was far too sweet. Chuck happily chewed on his and then took one more before putting the bag back down.

"So! You were told to check out Johto by Brawly himself, and then you never questioned why a Hoenn Gym Leader told you to visit a different region, hm?"

"Well, there was the Beginner's Tournament—""I trained him!" Chuck boasted.

"I made Brawly into the powerful Gym Leader he is today!" Chuck bent down to grab that same weight he'd moved over and began doing curls. Honestly, Sam wasn't sure if the man was in shape or not. He was somehow both covered in muscle and filled out with fat.

"A while back, Brawly called to explain all of the nasty details. He felt bad about how a trainer supposed to be his treated you so improperly—but honestly, that man was just a holdover from the last Gym Leader's Gym! But Brawly wanted to do something but has his limits due to being new to the job. He called me up to ask for a favor—sent you here to make sure Chuck would treat you right!" The heavy man let out a boisterous laugh before changing which arm was curling the weight.

He grunted while working up a slight sweat, and Sam shifted awkwardly on his feet.

"So, um, training? Do you... want me to lift weights?" Chuck laughed again.

"No, of course not! Brawly was impressed with that Cyndaquil of yours. Or, I suppose it'd be a Quilava by this point. The plan was that when you came here for your first or second badge, I'd give you a few tips and tricks. You'd then move on with a much stronger team, ready to complete Johto's Gym Circuit and reach the Conference!" Chuck grinned before leaning back. He placed the weight down and started to bench press a heavy bar—without a spotter.

"But why did you think I'd come here first?" Sam asked.

"Well, Cianwood is right next to Olivine, and—""Except that path doesn't make sense. Think about it; I'd have to go back through the same city I just left if I did that. Or I'd have to take a boat to Goldenrod and skip Ecruteak's Gym." After a few more reps, Chuck grunted and put the bar back on the bench.

"But you could have just taken on Ecruteak last?" he countered, sitting up as he spoke.

"I wanted to see its Ghost Types, and Johto's shaped like a circle. The path I took made sense, even if I almost messed up when it came to the strength requirements for Clair's Gym." The moment Sam mentioned Clair, Chuck groaned and smacked his forehead.

"Ah, Clair!" he shouted, just now making the connection.

"Our plan would have never worked! With her limits on challengers—" He paused.

"Wait, hold on. You beat her?" Sam nodded and quickly explained what happened with Redi and Clair. He went over the quick story of their double battle, purposefully leaving out details on Dragonair and his brief trip to the Sinjoh Ruins. As Sam finished, Chuck hummed approvingly.

"How many badges do you have?" the Gym Leader asked.

"Seven."

"Huh. That makes sense. I just don't know whether to be insulted or complimented that you saved me for last." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Chuck rubbed his chin, and Sam awkwardly continued to wait where he stood. While he was thankful that Brawly tried to set this up, if the two men wanted him to come here for extra training, they could have at least told him to head to Cianwood first.

But I ended up making a connection with Morty instead, and I learned about ghosts— real ghosts. Every choice I made led up to Typhlosion's evolution, and I wouldn't have met most of my team if I had taken a different path. He was happy about his journey. He had no reason to dwell on what-ifs. As far as he was concerned, he made no mistake when choosing to head to Ecruteak for his second badge. He might have missed out on some early training, but Chuck specialized in the Fighting Type.

While help with Mankey might have been nice, he wouldn't have been able to provide much else when it came to Sam's desire to train Ghost Types.

"I do have to ask," Chuck said, still somewhat humming to himself in thought.

"Would you still want that? My assistance with training your team?"

"Maybe? It's complicated." Sam rubbed his arm.

"I mean, it might be helpful for at least one or two of my team members, but I'm trying to be a Ghost Type specialist. For basically my entire team, what we really need is..." Shadows. Darkness. An area attuned to their ghostly nature that'd allow them to truly master their Type. I can't deny a Gym Leader's expertise is invaluable, but Chuck could only really help Typhlosion, Annihilape, and maybe Trevenant. But we need to focus on everyone's shared Type instead of just physical moves.

Our strength will lie in techniques only Ghost Types can master. If we can get deep enough in, the Ilex Forest is the perfect place for that. Sam knew that returning to the Ilex Forest was critical for the future strength of his team.

Everything about it practically screamed that it was the perfect place to train: it was where he had caught Misdreavus, it was a location ripe with Gastly, its darkened depths could maybe help Haunter evolve, and if there was ever an area more Trevenant could be found, it would be somewhere like within those ancient woods. Nodding to himself, Sam reaffirmed his decision to leave Cianwood as fast as possible. Chuck looked over him and let out a sigh.

"Ah. Ol' Chuck got to you too late. You already know how to fight with your team. There's not much I can do to help. You've already been through almost an entire journey all on your own."

"Not on my own. With my team," Sam corrected, and Chuck gained an approving smile.

"But don't get me wrong! I appreciate the offer. It's just... Like I said, I train the Ghost Type."

"Yeah, Chuck understands," Chuck said.

"I might be a Gym Leader, but my Pokémon are all about their physical power. We could try to show you the wonders of physical conditioning, but that... doesn't apply.

"A trainer needs to be strong, but Ghost Types and special attackers need to be clever more than anything else," he said. Chuck then stood up and stretched, swinging his arms. Sam didn't miss the implication that Chuck thought himself not clever enough to help out with that.... But Chuck was a Gym Leader. If he thought he wasn't clever, then his team's strength laid somewhere else. Likely, given everything else, his team's physical power was incredibly high.

"Alright. I can at least offer a few of my thoughts. A handful of tips and tricks based on your team!" Chuck practically roared.

"Send out your Pokémon! I can tell you what I've seen other trainers do and fulfill Brawly's request in a different way, hm?" His eyes bore into Sam. Sam nervously bit his lip. He didn't reach for his team's Pokéballs. Once more, he awkwardly rocked on his feet.

"My team is... special," Sam said.

"Every trainer's team is special. Everyone has their own secrets. Trust me when I say that I won't reveal anything. I have plenty of other secrets I won't be sharing with you."

"It's not that," Sam said.

"It's just..." How do I phrase this?

"I... used to have a Primeape on my team," he ended up going with.

"Oh? You traded it?" Chuck asked, his voice curious.

"N-no." Sam couldn't meet Chuck's eyes.

"My Primeape. He, uh, evolved?" He looked up after speaking that final word to find Chuck staring at him with unblinking eyes. The Gym Leader didn't move in the slightest for several long seconds before he clutched his stomach and laughed. But Sam wasn't laughing. Chuck just as quickly schooled his expression.

"You're kidding."

"Why would I joke about this?"

"You evolved a Primeape. You're saying a Primeape can evolve. And now you don't want to show it to me, the Gym Leader known for training Primeape?" Chuck was a Fighting Type specialist, but he was pretty unique among Gym Leaders. Most Gym Leaders specialized in a single Type and had an Ace Pokémon, but Chuck actually had two Ace Pokémon—his Poliwrath and his Primeape. Honestly, Chuck was even someone Sam could ask for advice when it came to ranching all of those Mankey back at Carl's, but Sam didn't see the point.

If he wanted a Gym Leader to take care of his Pokémon, he'd just talk to Brawly. In that case, the Fighting Type Gym would be closer to home.

"Sorry," Sam said. He wasn't sure what else to say. Chuck was frowning as he looked over Sam, but then an excited glint entered his eyes.

"Hold on. If you have seven badges... I need to know: you were the one to challenge Jasmine, weren't you?" Sam paused as well.

"A lot of people challenge Jasmine," he said cautiously.

"If you mean her core team—""Oh, that little... No wonder she was so vague!" Chuck couldn't stop his laughter.

"It all makes sense! Everything! You are the surprise she was talking about!"

"Excuse me?" Chuck saw Sam's bewildered expression and quickly explained how he knew—apparently, Olivine shipped a lot of goods to Cianwood, and Cianwood provided medicine in return. Certain healing plants only grew on this island, and due to that connection, Olivine and Cianwood Gyms were in contact more often than any other two Gyms in the region.

"You might not have beat her, but I did hear about the battle. She refused to speak much about her 'mysterious challenger's' team, but she did say she encountered a few surprises I'd enjoy."

"So what does that mean?"

"Can't lie, your team would beat mine at your level," Chuck answered.

"Maybe not my core team, but definitely my eight-star one. After all, most of your Pokémon could just phase through everything. It wouldn't be a challenge, especially if you managed to defeat Jasmine's Steelix! So I might as well just give you the Storm Badge—""What? No. I refuse. Our Gym Challenge is not ending like this," Sam immediately interrupted.

"I'm not going to accept getting my final Gym badge like this just because we can technically beat you." And Chuck grinned.

"Good. You have fighting spirit. If you had accepted my offer there, I wouldn't have given you the badge!" Chuck laughed once more at Sam's flat expression.

"No. I'm allowed to change around my challenges as I will, so with your kind of team... Hm. If you have an evolved Primeape, I don't want to see it anywhere else but in battle, so let's do this differently:"We won't have a full team match. I'll test your Pokémon one by one. We'll have a series of independent matches whenever you're ready. You'll be allowed to use as many Pokémon as you want as long as you include no repeats, and you'll earn my Storm Badge once you defeat three of my own."

"What's the catch?" Sam asked.

"The catch? There is no catch," Chuck answered with a small smile.

"Well, there might be one: these are one-on-one matches. So they don't have to all take place at once. But like I said, you won't be allowed to use the same Pokémon more than once." Chuck maintained a feral smile, and Sam could tell he was looking forward to this challenge. However, Sam didn't accept it right away. There was only so much time in the season. Taking on an extended fight like that would reduce the time spent training in the depths of Ilex Forest.

"Can I have time to think?" Sam would come to the decision in the morning. He hadn't planned to take Chuck on until tomorrow, anyway.

"Of course!" Chuck slapped his legs and stood up.

"Works for me—sleep on it! For now, I have Pokémon to feed! And just so we don't have to do any too-early reveals, I'll bring some food out here for yours, too!

"Take as long as you want, and don't feel like you have to accept this offer," Chuck continued.

"Even if you choose not to accept this, a normal Gym Battle is perfectly fine, too—just know that I won't go easy on you!" The man exposed his teeth with a wide grin before slapping Sam on the back, causing Sam to stumble forward. Chuck was too busy laughing to notice Sam's near-fall, and then he marched back inside to gather the food—and likely to clean the dishes, just as he promised.

Sam trained with his team to the north of Chuck's home the day after, practicing where the island's deciduous woods gave way to a short, rock-covered beach. It almost, almost reminded him of the time he went out exploring with Cyndaquil before they started their journey, but back then, he only rarely ventured out into the woods in search of Ghost Types, and he frequently preferred indoor research over anything outdoor or practical. Out here, he wouldn't be bothered.

Most trainers in Cianwood practiced to its west, deeper into the island. Many often trained within a nearby cave—again, not unlike Dewford. Route 47 was technically to the west as well, but it didn't lead anywhere. Some big construction had been taking place at its end, but that construction hadn't been finished for years, and most people weren't even sure what it was supposed to be.

But that still meant the vast majority of trainers were elsewhere, giving Sam a quiet moment to think—as quiet a moment as training could be. In front of him, Annihilape whaled against Trevenant's bark, the two of them practicing melee offense and defense respectively, and Typhlosion and Misdreavus played a game where they sent wisps at one another in geometric patterns. The other Pokémon was meant to match the pattern with their wisps to negate it or risk getting hit.

As for Haunter, he was involved with one other Pokémon, laughing alongside many of the Gastly, ignorant of the withering glare being sent at him from the shadows. Using his floating hands, he would scoop up Dreepy, bring him back, then chuck him forward as fast as possible only for Dreepy to zip back and squeak out a sound that could only be, "Again! Again!" All the while, Sam watched, silently going over Chuck's offer as well as his plans for his team.

He did want to head out as fast as possible, but he didn't want to pass up the growth that'd come from a more difficult Gym challenge. With time running out, he had a hard balance to strike, but he eventually made his decision.

"Misdreavus," he said. He looked over to the Pokémon in question while calling out her name. With his call, Annihilape froze mid-punch. Haunter paused right after chucking Dreepy one last time. In the shadows, Drakloak turned her gaze to look on curiously, and Typhlosion let her wisps fade to give Misdreavus the freedom to leave.

"Mis." Misdreavus knew why Sam had called her over, and the team went silent as she approached. Sam reached into his pack to retrieve a certain item, and then he looked over every Pokémon here.

"Chuck presented us with a challenge," he said, his voice slow and serious.

"A series of battles. Six one-on-one matches. All to see if we can get three, individual wins and earn our final badge." His eyes met those of every Pokémon on his team. Drakloak tried to pretend she wasn't involved, but Dreepy was listening as seriously as he could, so she drifted out of the forest while trying to pretend as if she was still staying behind.

"However, the problem with this challenge is that a full team match would be faster," Sam continued.

"And if we have a normal match, we could leave Cianwood as soon as tomorrow if we win. And we would win. Chuck already admitted that. The point of this modified challenge would be to push us even harder, but it would also take up more of our time.

"Every moment we spend here is one less moment we'd be spending in the Ilex forest. It's one less moment we'd be mastering the Ghost Type, and it's one less moment we'd be trying to get Haunter to evolve—which we know will take a long time." Sam clutched the Dusk Stone in his hands. Misdreavus patiently waited at his side. He wanted his team to come to a decision, and he wanted everyone to have time to think. In the meantime, however, there was something else that needed to be done, and Sam held out the Dusk Stone.

Misdreavus's eyes gleamed as she beheld the item presented to her in the air. For a second, it looked as though she was hesitating, but she was just taking the moment in. Once she was satisfied, she rushed forward and pressed her forehead to the darkened shard's jagged tip. The very instant she touched the Dusk Stone, it was like the night contained within rushed out to join with her.

It left behind a fragile, dull grey stone that reminded Sam of quartz, and he had to reposition his grip to not shatter it in his hands. Misdreavus, however, changed with that infusion of energy. Under the light of a brilliant glow, she grew taller, and her hair shifted around to reshape itself into a witch's hat. She gained a proper body instead of a short dress that flowed beneath her, but more importantly, when her evolutionary light broke, she now had a proper set of arms.

"Mis, mis!" she said cheerfully. Her voice almost resembled a cackle.

"Mismagius!"

"Congratulations, Mismagius," Sam said.

"You've finally evolved." Mismagius grinned at him, and the gemstones embedded in her chest seemed to sparkle alongside her emotions. Typhlosion let out a celebratory roar, and the rest of the team shared congratulations of their own. If anything, Mismagius's evolution seemed to affirm their shared decision. She and Typhlosion shared a look—reaching the Ilex Forest was important—but none of them wanted to pass up the chance at taking part in a tougher fight.

"Alright, but we also have to recognize this will be against the Fighting Type. All of you would be immune to most of what they can do." Sam paused for dramatic effect.

"So I'll be making a request to fix that," he continued.

"I'll want Chuck to use Foresight. Plenty of Fighting Type Pokémon can learn that move, which outright causes Ghost Types to lose their immunity." Without asking for that added challenge, his team would just be able to phase through most of Chuck's Pokémon's attacks. Even if Chuck's team members used something like Dark Type moves, they wouldn't be as effective as if the Pokémon stuck to their favored, Fighting Type attacks. But now, his team would actually need to worry.

They wouldn't be able to glide to an easy win by just bouncing around in melee. There'd need to be more of a strategy involved to maintain a win. Fighting in a tough battle with that handicap would make the delay worth it.

"Our goal isn't earning us the Storm Badge. It's to fight in the Conference. Most of the trainers there will have defeated Chuck, so we're not trying to just beat him; we're trying to beat everyone who already earned this badge.

"It'll be a challenge, but we will win. It's only a matter of having the proper plan," Sam continued.

"I'll tell Chuck that we'll be accepting his challenge, albeit with that caveat, once we reach his Gym, however..." Drakloak froze when Sam met her gaze.

"Drakloak, do you want to fight with us?" he asked. Everyone turned her way. Momentarily, she was surprised to be called out like that, but Dreepy didn't hesitate to shout his encouragement. She turned away with a purple blush that crossed over her face, but she still nodded in the end. Sam smiled.

"Thank you. Then, we'll be facing Chuck soon, and I'll want to call on you for your help once we're more fights in. However, it's still morning. Let's get some last-minute training in before we head to our final Gym Badge battle."