Chương 38: Chapter 36.5

5 5 - Three Calls and an E-mail All Gym Leaders had their share of responsibilities. For Morty, that included managing his Gym, keeping an eye on the local ghost population, and protecting places of spiritual importance, which included both the Burned Tower and the Bell Tower. However, he had one more responsibility, as mandated by the Pokémon League. All Gym Leaders were required to regularly meet to stay informed about developments across the region.

The meetings historically took place twice a year, but with rapid increases in technology, the schedule increased to one a month before settling into an every-other-week schedule. For these meetings, Morty liked to be punctual—if not to let him be on time, then to give him a chance to slack off. He was almost always one of the first Gym Leaders to join the call, and if he was alone, he would be able to spend a few minutes browsing the Ghost Type forum online.

If he didn't have those few minutes to spare, then he could always chat with whoever was also there. Either way, it was a way to relax before the greater responsibility. Today, Morty leaned back in his desk chair as the video phone screen flashed to make the call. Owning a personal video phone was expensive but necessary. The Pokémon League had covered the costs of its installation, as it was policy to have each Gym have the most up-to-date method of communication.

Behind him, his Pokémon played, most of them invisible to the phone's camera. As Morty waited to connect, Gengar manipulated shadows, Banette tried to interfere, Dusclops stared out the window, Mismagius practiced with her tea. They knew not to interrupt, as this was both Morty's personal time and a very important call. Still, sometimes his camera would pick up a shift in the background or a flick of a shadow, and sometimes another Gym Leader would notice.

It was always funny to see the color drain from their face—even among Gym Leaders, Ghost Types had earned their reputation of being scary. He chuckled to himself, remembering one moment where Jasmine had gone silent mid-sentence when Gengar floated past Morty's head. The Pokémon had shown up as a shifting shadow, and Morty never answered whether or not it had been his Gengar or a real ghost. Soon enough, a beep. The call connected, and the image of another person appeared on his screen.

Morty was a little disappointed he wouldn't be able to sit back for a bit, but he was also a bit surprised about who was there, waiting for him.

"Aha! I knew you'd be here! So, Morty. What did you do?" He winced when Whitney's voice caused the phone to whine in his ear. He pulled it away from his head until the sound stopped before sighing and focusing back on the screen.

"Hello, Whitney," he said, a polite smile returning to his face.

"Don't play coy with me! You know exactly what you did!" Morty kept his expression placid, pausing briefly to think. He'd been so concerned with local matters, that he had absolutely no clue what she could mean.

"Alright." Morty pinched his nose.

"I don't suppose you could—""That boy. The one you taught?" Whitney asked.

"He took out my poor Clefairy with a Ghost Type attack! You know that shouldn't be possible! Normal Types should be immune to Ghost Type moves!" Ah. Morty understood. Whitney's question was about Sam. He couldn't stop himself from smirking, which caused Whitney to scowl.

"It was just a bit of tutoring," Morty said, waving her off.

"A few tips with a few moves, and a little bit of team-building advice. Plus..." He paused. Whitney glared at him, daring him to continue.

"Clefairy is a Fairy Type," Morty said anyway.

"Of course a Ghost Type move would hit." Whitney huffed and crossed her arms. She refused to look at him through her screen.

"No such thing as a Fairy Type," she immediately replied.

"Clefairy is a Normal Type."

"Sure, sure," Morty said, chuckling as he did. Whitney was in a tough spot both politically and socially. She was Johto's newest Gym Leader, and she was struggling to prove her strength. The last Goldenrod Gym Leader had been an indomitable man with several powerful Normal Types to back him up. Whitney, however, took a much "cuter" approach, relying on kind-looking Pokémon that were deceptively powerful.

She was even lucky enough to have a family farm full of Miltank behind her as well as a befriended colony of the Clefairy. The problem with her situation was that the public expected Gym Leaders to stick to one Type. She hadn't known her beloved Pokémon were Fairy Types when accepting the job, and now if she ever admitted to it, there'd likely be a public outcry regarding her speciality. What made matters worse was the conservative faction led by the Blackthorn Clan's elders.

If a Gym Leader ever publicly acknowledged the Fairy Type, especially one that used so many of them on her personal team— Morty chuckled again. Lance would absolutely make a public announcement supporting Whitney. In a way, he already has. But if he ever does voice his support, I imagine the elders of the Blackthorn Clan would absolutely use that against him. Whitney's days would be numbered, and they'd dangle that over his head.

Thankfully, the clan was rather insular, so she wouldn't have any problems if she didn't make waves. As long as she never admitted to the existence of the Fairy Type—even in private situations, just in case—she would have time to gain the support she needed while acceptance of the Fairy Type slowly grew.

"You'll get there eventually," Morty said, smiling.

"The whims of the public may be varied, but they're ever-changing. You'll get your support soon enough."

"... And what's that supposed to mean?" Whitney grumbled with a huff. A beep—another Gym Leader connected to the call. This one with blue hair and an imperious expression on her face. However, when she noticed Whitney, that expression softened with a slight smile.

"Whitney! How goes it?" Clair said. The Normal Type Gym Leader sniffed.

"Awful," Whitney said.

"I was publicly crushed by a single Pokémon, and then I lost a back-to-back challenge without any of the challengers' Pokémon fainting. One of them even managed to use a Ghost Type move against me!" Clair raised an eyebrow. From her reaction, Morty could tell she had already forgotten about him. She had taken it upon herself to mentor Whitney, Johto's newest Gym Leader. Clair was a rising star when it came to Dragon Type trainers, and it helped that she herself was the Champion's cousin as well.

"Hm. What level were your challengers?" Clair asked, rubbing her chin.

"Three-stars, all of them. But I messed up and thought one was two-star since she only had one Gym badge but both of her Pokémon were three-stars and totally beat my team!" Clair brought up her chin, and Morty braced himself for another lecture.

"You need to project your strength! Find a new challenger and crush them publicly!"

"... Aren't I supposed to help growing trainers?" Whitney asked.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter here. Consider this—encourage an Ace Trainer to battle you, and then destroy them with your core team," Clair said with a smile. Morty tuned out the rest of the conversation. He wasn't needed anymore. Whitney got her complaints in, and now Clair was here to provide advice—or, at least, provide what she thought was advice. To Morty, it felt more like a one-sided lecture and a list of demands, but Whitney seemed to appreciate it.

His thoughts wandered back on the boy who caused all of this in the first place—Sam. He never once thought he would meet the person who suggested Hex, nor did he ever expect them to be so young. Morty had been more than happy enough to give Sam advice, especially with how valuable Hex was as an attacking move. It was stronger than Shadow Ball at times, for goodness' sake! However, what was strange to Morty was the boy's choice of team. Why a Cyndaquil? Why a Mankey?

Well, Morty at least now understood why Sam had a Cyndaquil. It had taken a bit of research, but he found a few sparse mentions of an ancient variant of Typhlosion said to be a guide for wandering spirits. He wouldn't be surprised if Sam was intending to obtain that vaunted variant, but he wouldn't be surprised if the boy failed, either. Still, there wasn't anything wrong with having such a strong Starter Pokémon on his team.

The kid had potential, but he needed experience and a bit more hands-on practice to get up to par. Morty planned to watch the kid's career with interest, as he did with most Ghost Type specialists that wandered through Johto. Few ever figured out something as incredible as Hex. The last person to do that was a certain old woman he refused to think about. Another beep—another Gym Leader joined the call. Jasmine quietly greeted everyone before Clair quickly resumed her lecture. Others slowly connected.

The boisterous Chuck. The intimidating Walker. A representative for Azalea. Arriving a few minutes late, as part of his usual silent form of protest, was Pryce. He joined the call as the final Gym Leader to arrive. With his presence, Clair stopped her domineering lecture before clearing her throat and addressing every Gym Leader at once.

"Good. Everyone is here."

"... Is Champion Lance not coming?" Jasmine asked, voice just barely above a whisper.

"No. Lance is busy. Kanto's been experiencing a wave of crime, and he's actively trying to tackle that. In his place, he's asked me to lead this meeting." The small smile on her face told Morty that Clair considered that a point of pride. After all, the Champion had asked her to take charge. The fact that they were cousins didn't seem to have much weight in her mind.

"So! The purpose of today's meeting is to address that very issue," Clair continued.

"The Champion wants all of you to be on high alert. Warnings have already been sent to precincts across Johto, and you need to pass a few more details to your local Ace Trainers and Gym Trainers..." Shadowy figures stalking alleys. Black-uniformed individuals stealing rare Pokémon. It spoke of an organization, which was worrying. No one here wanted them to extend their reach into Johto. Clair talked about signs to look out for, directing everyone to their recently-sent emails as she did.

Morty took note and planned to send some Ghosts Types out to act as watchdogs across Ecruteak. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. But, this was primarily a Kanto problem. Other than putting the right people on high alert, things would continue on as usual in Johto. More Gym Battles, more Gym Trials, more training of Pokémon— But Lance is trying to fight that organization himself, huh?

Something about Lance's actions appealed to Morty—the idea of the raw strength possessed by Champion Lance and his team. It was more of a team of Flying Types than Dragon Types, but Morty would never say that to the Champion's face. The man boasted incredible power; power that Morty was now starting to want to test. How much of a difference would Hex make? If he took on the Champion, how would he and his team fare? Gym Leaders could always request private matches, and the idea was tempting.

Rather tempting, in fact. If Morty defeated Lance, he could finally prove himself to be truly powerful. And if he proved himself to be truly powerful— Then the tale will come true, and I might finally catch a glimpse of Ho-oh.

"... absolutely massive!" Sam exclaimed.

"But Cyndaquil held her ground, and she incinerated that Miltank until it fell! I swear, the ground shook when it finally fainted!" Amanda smiled at her son. She was glad to see his journey going so well. Even after a month of tutoring him and preparing him, she had been so worried when he and Cyndaquil had left on that boat. She wasn't ready for him to go, and she didn't know if he was ready, either. But, she was his mother. She would never be ready to see her son leave her home.

Amanda took comfort in how Sam and Cyndaquil were together, and she took comfort in how they were no longer alone. Already, they had such a big group of friends traveling with them! Just through the video screen, she could see the little group that had formed around them. Mankey hung off Sam's shoulder and peeked at the monitor. Gastly hovered behind Sam's head and watched curiously.

And then Redi—an actual, human friend —loitered against the wall in the back, likely waiting for Sam to hang up so they could return to training.

"Congratulations, sweetie," Amanda said.

"It sounds like it was an incredible battle. And that was your third badge?"

"Yeah! We're almost halfway through!" Sam's smile was as radiant as the sun, and Amanda almost melted at his confidence. He took so much after both her husband and father, and he didn't even realize it. That level of courage he held. The sheer dedication he had to his dreams. Three badges in roughly three months was an incredible feat. Her own journey had been wrought with struggles and challenges, but Sam wasn't her, was he? She chuckled as Sam's Pokémon reacted to the call.

Mankey lifted up a hand to throw out a "V" for "Victory" while Gastly sent her a spine-chilling smile. Cyndaquil kept herself close to his chest, and even Redi smiled to herself in the background. It made her feel a bit lonely, but she had her own Pokémon, too. Her sweet Delcatty laid on the ground at her stool's side, eyes closed to rest but obviously paying attention based on how she held her ears high. Meanwhile, Sableye sat on the videophone's desk, also paying attention but not intending to go for a scare.

If she judged his personality correctly, this was part of a prank; Sableye planned to let the call pass through uneventfully to make her son that much more paranoid next time. Subtly, Amanda took a small bit of quartz out of her pocket and placed it on the table. Sableye snapped a hand forward to gobble it up, and Amanda held back a chuckle.

"You plan to head to Azalea Town next?" she asked.

"Yup. Gonna have to go down Route 34 and Ilex Forest to reach there. The Route will be easy enough, but I'm not sure about the forest—""Ilex Forest doesn't have a road," Redi called out from behind.

"We've got a wide area to travel. Less patrolled by Rangers and more infested with strong Pokémon. It's gonna be a whole experience!" A wild smile stretched across the girl's face. Sam looked to consider Redi's words as he nodded. Amanda could tell he was already considering what might jump out at him in the forest. The small smile on his face told her he was obviously thinking of potential Ghost Type encounters. He really does know what he wants, doesn't he?

"Anyway, yeah. Azalea Town and the Bug Type Gym next," her son continued.

"Cyndaquil's going to be big against it! Right, Cyndaquil?" The Fire Type weakly squeaked. Amanda frowned.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"... I think so. Cyndaquil really pushed herself in her battle yesterday, so she's still recovering." Through the screen of the phone, Amanda looked over Cyndaquil a bit more carefully. Some of the Fire Type's usual energy was missing. Although, it was less like she was tired, and more like she was... holding something back? Amanda's eyes widened imperceptibly before she quickly schooled her expression. She didn't want to give even a hint away.

"You said Cyndaquil really pushed herself?"

"Yeah?"

"And she was really tired afterwards?"

"Um, yeah. Big battles tend to cause that, right?" Amanda giggled.

"Yes, they sure do!" she said, sending a pointed glance to Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, I hope you get better. And I don't think you need to worry in the slightest!" The Pokémon replied with a strained smile, pushing closer to Sam's stomach. It was a little worrying how Cyndaquil seemed almost against the idea, but sometimes Pokémon just needed to wait. Amanda didn't plan to say anything. It would be up to her son to figure it out and have a chat. There was actually a lot she wasn't telling Sam.

She didn't want to overwhelm him with advice, but she was also getting up to a few new hobbies after he had left. The store had felt so empty without him around, so Sableye had been a welcome addition—greedy or not. But, after spending an entire month lecturing and training him... Well, there was currently an advertisement pinned not too far away, on the job board of Dewford's Pokémon Center. She advertised her name and address, and low level trainers could approach her for some basic tutoring.

The additional funds helped support the shop, too. She and her son chatted a bit more. Her son talked about all the plans for his team and hinted at Redi's newest team member without stating explicitly what it was. It sounded like he really had a strong plan for how he wanted his team to develop. She was impressed, and had no doubts he'd make it to the Conference. Plus, with the New Pokédex providing supplementary information along the way—"Ah!" A memory came to mind.

"Before you go, in that one book of yours—""The New Pokédex," Sam said.

"It's alright, Redi knows." Amanda sent him a curious glance about how much he already trusted his friend and filed that information away for later.

"Do you mind doing something for me?" she asked.

"Can you tell me what page Dratini's entry is on, and then the same for Sentret's entry?"

"... Sure? But why?" She chuckled and waved him off.

"Idle curiosity. I just want to make sure my copy is organized correctly," she lied. Her son's brow furrowed in confusion, but he still reached into his pack to retrieve that old tome. Amanda had made a copy of it to keep at home, and then she had made a copy of that to store elsewhere just in case. She didn't want any of the New Pokédex's impossible information to ever be lost. Sam quickly flipped through the book and read out the page numbers—roughly 147 for Dratini, and roughly 161 for Sentret.

They lined up with the species' numerical positions in the Pokédex. Whoever the author was, they had gone through a great effort to keep each entry on a single page.

"Thank you! I'll stop taking up your time. I love you!"

"... Love you too," Sam mumbled. Right before the call ended, her son suddenly stiffened as he looked over his screen with suspicion. However, the call ended without Sableye making an appearance. The second the screen went black, Sableye cackled. His usual grin curved up into an even greater show of malicious glee.

"Oh, you. You know one day he's going to get you back," she chided. Sableye shrugged and stood up. He held up a hand as if to ask for another crystal to munch on, but she clicked her tongue and took a step back. He already got an extra piece a few minutes ago.

"Now, come on, you two. We've got orders to unpack." Sableye hopped down to walk alongside Delcatty. The feline's tail lightly hit him on the arm, teasingly. He grumbled a bit and glared at her, but Delcatty merely strutted away. Leaving the Pokémon Center, Amanda hummed on the way back home. She greeted her neighbors and had pleasant conversations with frequent customers along the way, but the question she asked Sam remained at the forefront of her mind.

She had asked for Dratini and Sentret specifically because their entries were far enough apart to not make her suspicion immediately apparent. She didn't want to distract Sam while he was busy on his journey. Sometimes, it really felt like he had a terminal case of Ghost Brain—he tended to miss the obvious thanks to his obsession with the Ghost Type. It took hardly any math to see the numbers didn't line up—which told Amanda her thoughts were true. The two evolved forms of Dratini were the last entries in Kanto.

Yet before Sentret, there were only the nine Pokémon that made up the Starter lines of Johto. Together, that was eleven entries, but according to the New Pokédex's page numbers, there should have been thirteen. Sam had confirmed it for her. Two entries were missing. And if her theory was correct, someone had purposefully removed them before sending the book to her father. The depths of Ilex Forest were dark and riddled with Bug Types. Every step seemed to alert the nearby insect Pokémon.

Most merely watched, but others were far more aggressive.

"Again, Yanma," Xavier said. A Whirlwind comparable to a hurricane's gale shook leaves of the trees that towered above them. Xavier's dragonfly Pokémon flapped its wings so intensely that an audible buzz filled the air. In the distance, a swarm of Beedrill rapidly approached with every stinger aimed for a painful jab. But, that Whirlwind blew the entire group away. Xavier watched carefully to make sure the swarm did not continue its chase before he resumed his search. He scoffed as his eyes scanned the forest.

Of course untrained Pokémon had been dealt with so easily. Xavier stepped over a thick root and walked over the forest's muddy floor. His Yanma flitted downwards to hover behind him, and his Donphan trundled along at his side. Standing on nearby branches, Weedle and Caterpie alike poked their heads out to glance at his group, but each and every one was sent back into hiding from the sharp gazes of his Pokémon.

Most Pokémon trainers would feel proud that their Pokémon were strong enough to inspire such a reaction, but Xavier knew it wasn't enough. Weedle and Caterpie had potential in their final forms, but they were weak. He had to keep pushing. He had to keep training his team, and he had to keep searching.

"Yanma," he said.

"Your Whirlwind needs to come out faster. A Pokémon with Quick Attack would have been able to get close if they were prepared." A buzz, and Yanma bobbed up and down in acknowledgement.

"Donphan, continue your role. Try to track anything nearby through vibrations in the ground. Do you see anything?" Donphan grunted and closed his eyes. A second later, the pachyderm opened them back up and shook his head. Xavier sighed and resumed walking forward.

"Keep trying. Once you get it down, we'll be able to use that technique to win battles." Donphan grunted his name much more happily and returned to his slow walk forward. The purpose of this trip was to add a new Pokémon to Xavier's team, but he didn't want just any Pokémon to join them. They needed to be dedicated. Powerful. Determined to throw everything into training like his three combat-ready team members. For that purpose, he traveled the edge of the "safe" area of Ilex Forest.

Likely, strong Pokémon would wander nearby. Yanma's Compound Eyes made him the perfect candidate to search their surroundings. Similarly, Donphan's connection to the Ground Type let him extend his senses in a more unusual direction. Xavier kept his ear out for anything that stood out. A Noctowl would be a skillful companion. An Exeggcute could evolve into the powerhouse that was Exeggcutor. If he was lucky, a Scyther or a Heracross would appear.

Though Bug Types, those two species stood above the rest with their potential. This forest held the key to improving his team by leaps and bounds. A sudden beep sent a jolt through Xavier's body. Stiffly, he shoved a hand into his pocket to retrieve his Pokégear, a hi-tech device capable of making calls, serving as a GPS, telling the time, and sending and receiving emails.

"Hold," Xavier said, raising up his arm. His two Pokémon loyally stopped where they were following. Their readiness to follow orders allowed Xavier to gain a small smile on his face. However, the notice of a message on his Pokégear caused that smile to fade away. What? Too busy to call? Didn't want to hear my voice? It took a few seconds for Xavier to realize he was frowning. He wiped away even the slightest sign of emotion as he accepted the message.

The email was from the expected sender, because why would anyone else want to contact him? Ignoring any burgeoning feelings of dread, he read it quickly.

"Saw your announcement. Big words. You better not let us down." A growl escaped Xavier's throat as he shoved the Pokégear back into his pocket. The email was as much of a warning as it was a dismissal. It was too much like how his journey had started. When he didn't place high enough, Phanpy had been shoved into his arms and he was told to go "explore the world."

"We're not getting second place," Xavier said, snarling.

"We're not getting third. Or fourth. Or anything else! The only thing that'll matter is if— when —we win." Failing to place in the region-wide test? That would never happen again. Getting second place in a major tournament? A fluke. In the future, his team would stand at the top. He would not be dismissed so casually in the future. He would not be tossed to the side as if he was nothing. People would look at Xavier and his team and understand that they were to be remembered.

Xavier glanced at his Pokémon before stomping forward.

"We keep going. We keep training, and we keep pushing forward." His Pokémon let loose a cheer as they chased after him once again. Xavier planned to never lose. He would make sure of it. Matilda did her best to keep a professional expression on her face. She stood tall in the door to the kitchen, trying to hide how her gaze kept lingering on the people in the room. She didn't just have one customer today, but two! Oh, she wanted to scream, she was so happy!

Okay, sure, one of those two customers was the kind-of-rude berry seller taking advantage of discounted meals as per their agreement, but the cheap Tamato Berries they were able to buy in exchange more than made up for her frequent visits! No, what was truly important was that there was a new customer, a man sitting at a table eating a meal of his own. He had tired eyes alongside a lazy smirk. His straight black hair and grey suit made him the picture-perfect example of a generic businessman.

It took Matilda an incredible amount of effort to not rush to his side and ask for his thoughts on both his food and the restaurant. No, Matilda! Bad! No more bothering customers! Even though her father had firmly established she was to not comp meals for anyone. She still had the mindset that friends eat free, and who was someone who had a polite conversation with her if not a friend? The only reason this restaurant was still afloat was the occasional group of sailors that made their way here.

This restaurant was the only Kalosian restaurant in Olivine, so this was the only place they could eat meals they enjoyed when traveling abroad. Income was tight, but if they could get just a few more customers like that man— Matilda stood at attention, going on high alert when the man's phone rang. She was a bit disappointed when he put down his fork to answer the phone. At least he was comfortable enough to answer the phone within the restaurant. That showed he liked the place, right?

The man's eyes narrowed as he glanced around at the two other people here. He seemed to consider getting up, but he chose to stay. Staring at his phone, he mumbled something impolite as he ran a hand through his generic mop of black hair. For some reason, Matilda could have sworn she saw the faintest bit of purple flash from underneath.

"Yello?" he said, answering the call. He jerked, a thump causing his utensils to clatter on the table. The man looked like he was trying to stand to better focus himself, but that was a difficult task considering he was actively sitting for a meal.

"Ah, I'm, uh, on my break, sir! Just enjoying a meal, sir! Taking a break from casing—" He coughed.

"Bit of scouting. Too many Tauros and a ridiculously strong Fire Type to make any... battling worth it without a larger investment." Matilda did her best to keep her face level. So he's a Pokémon trainer? That made sense, she supposed. The man looked like he was nothing more than a businessman, but he could be storing Pokéballs in his pockets.

"Olivine, sir. It was nearby," the man continued. He then nodded along—which looked a little silly since he was on a video-less phone—but then his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Taken?" he asked, speaking as if repeating a word.

"After I...? And you want me to—" He winced and held the phone away from his head. A second later he brought it back to his ear. His smile returned—casual yet cocksure. Something glinted in his eyes, as if he was looking forward to whatever he was being told to do.

"Retrieval. Got it." Placing the phone between his shoulder and his ear, he took out a pen and scribbled a few words on a nearby napkin. Matilda was curious, but the other customer, the berry vendor, shouted for assistance.

"I'm out of bread," the woman said. Matilda replied with a pleasant smile.

"I'll get right on that!" She took the basket and hurried back to the kitchen. When she came back out, the man was gone. Left on the table was a thick wad of cash—both payment and a tip—which Matilda was a little offended he left but she wasn't going to complain about extra money. The sole other customer got her bread and finished her meal, paying the exact amount and no more. After she left, the restaurant was once again empty, meaning it was time for Matilda to clean.

However, as she began to wipe the tables and grabbed the tablecloths to clean and replace, she paused. When the man had written his note, some of the ink had bled through onto his tablecloth. Most of the words were illegible, but one stood out.

"Huh," she said.

"I wonder what 'Porygon' means?" Matilda shrugged and went back to work, her thoughts solely on the cheer that came with a new customer and not the strange word washed clean from the table.