Chapter 37 (Old)

This is the old version of Chapter 37. Make sure you read the correct one here.
=========================================================================

Sam knelt to the side of a gravel path while Redi read off a checklist. Both of them dug through their packs as their Pokémon practiced behind them.

“Sleeping bags,” Redi said.

“Check,” Sam replied.

“Portable tent?”

“Check.”

“Food and cooking gear?”

“Check, as well.”

“Flashlight?”

“Check, and that’s not necessary with our Pokémon’s flames.”

Redi hummed and scanned over the list once more.

“That’s good, that’s good. What about TMs?”

Sam almost began to search before Redi’s words properly sunk in. He pulled back to stare at Redi, rolling his eyes at her cheeky grin.

“You know I already used them,” he said. “Heck, we turned used discs in for a bit of cash back.”

“Yeah, but it’s not fair! If I had remembered I already got you that Curse TM, I would have tried harder to buy one of my own!”

Sam had used three total TMs compared to Redi’s big fat zero. She wasn’t actually that bothered by it, but she wasn’t willing to pass up a chance to complain.

“I purposefully chose moves that your team can learn, you know.”

Redi sniffed.

“Doesn’t matter. I should have used one.”

“But it was Cyndaquil who won the battle.”

“I placed the bet!”

“You placed the bet on my team.”

She wasn’t going to win this argument, but they both knew it would be Redi’s turn to buy a TM next. Between their winnings from the Gym and their supplementary income from taking on jobs, they had a cent amount of money to support their journeys. It helped that both Gastly and Porygon hardly ate, which cut back on costs.

Standing up and turning to his Pokémon, Sam watched his team practice their newly learned moves. The two TMs he acquired were used on Mankey and Cyndaquil, which would assist both their training and their power in battle.

Mankey sparred against Teddiursa, with both of them using a different elemental punch. A Fire Punch just barely missed Mankey’s snout, and Mankey’s Ice Punch just barely missed Teddiursa’s chin.

Sam bought the TM for Ice Punch to increase Mankey’s Type coverage while also assisting Teddiursa.  Redi’s Pokémon had more easily learned Fire Punch thanks to Cyndaquil’s understanding of fire, and Thunder Punch would hopefully be similar once Porygon learned an Electric Type move and gained more independence. Already knowing an elemental punch would help Mankey pick up the others, too.

As for Cyndaquil, her TM move was defensive. Against Gastly, her eyes flashed with insight and let her duck underneath a Hex that Gastly sent her way. Most people preferred Protect to Detect, as Protect blocked all damage while Detect simply assisted its user in avoiding it. For that reason, the TM had been discounted, and it was likely going to be discontinued soon.

The act of using Detect also helped Cyndaquil learn the best ways to move her body to dodge, but she looked to be having trouble doing so. Each small movement caused her to pant, and she held her head low in exhaustion.

Is she still tired after facing Whitney? That was several days ago.

“Come here, Cyndaquil,” Sam said, stopping her practice.

Gastly ceased his use of Hex to allow Cyndaquil to relax. She breathed out, and Sam carefully picked her up, depositing her into his hood.

“Rest here, alright?”

She winced a little before laying her head on his shoulder. Sam was worried about her, but the Pokémon Center said she was in perfect health. He planned to let her take it easy for their trip south, and she’d hopefully feel better.

“You got Porygon’s food too, right?” Sam said, turning back to Redi.

She scoffed.

“Of course. A one time purchase for infinite meals? No way I’m going to pass that up.”

Unlike other Pokémon, Porygon didn’t eat “real” food. Instead, the artificial species seemed to need to eat data to survive.

That information had come about in a strange way; Porygon had started to slow down and act with less energy. It took a bit of time to realize it was because Porygon wasn’t eating. Unsure what to do, Redi gave Porygon the order to find food.

The Pokémon immediately went downstairs to enter the Pokémon Center lobby. There, it entered a video phone—appearing on the screen like some kind of high quality sprite—and the device started to become wrought with static. Redi quickly called for Porygon to leave the device, and they got the nurse when they realized the video phone could no longer make any calls.

One call to tech support later, and a promise to never let Porygon do it again, and Sam and Redi realized Porygon had “eaten” that phone’s programming.

The solution to future meals came in the form of a quick purchase, affordable with the money that remained after the discounted Detect TM. The PI-89 graphing calculator, named after the Pokémon Instruments company, was both solar powered and could install various programs off of the internet. All it took was plugging the calculator into a public computer and navigating to a dedicated site to find downloadable programs for Porygon to eat. To prepare meals, all Redi had to do was load up the calculator with stuff she could just download again, later.

For some reason, eating programs from a graphing calculator had improved Porygon’s aim, too.

“Is there anything else we need before we head south?” Sam asked.

“I think we have everything. Azalea Town won’t have as many stores, but keep an eye out for any Apricorns along the way!” Redi said. “Azalea is famous for its Pokéball makers. Some of them will make you a free Pokéball if you give them a rare Apricorn in exchange.”

Sam nodded along. “Got it,” he said. “We’ll still have to go through the Ilex Forest, first.”

“Psh. That’ll be easy. Just a few days on Route 34 to reach it, then about a week more to get through. It’ll be a fun trip! Lotsa chances to practice.”

She picked up her pack and stood head south. Sam waved for their Pokémon to follow.

“And maybe we might see some Ghost Types, too,” he mumbled to himself. “A dark forest like that has to have at least something.”

__________________________________________________________________________

The Ilex Forest didn’t have any set path or a worn road like normal dedicated Routes. The forest stretched across a large swath of southern Johto, and it instead had a designated “safe area” for travelers to pass through. Rangers patrolled the area, ensuring no too-strong wild Pokémon threatened anyone within. Still, the place had stronger than average Pokémon. Trainers were recommended to have at least two badges before entering here, but there were no explicit requirements.

“I’ve done some reading on the Ilex Forest before,” Sam said. “Mostly to see if it has any Ghost Types.”

“Of course,” Redi replied.

“The Ilex Forest is older than Johto itself. The trees here have outlasted several eras of human history. I mean, look how large they are! And there are places deeper in where they’re even taller!”

Walking underneath such enormous boughs was like traveling through Goldenrod’s many skyscrapers. The Ilex Forest wasn’t a normal forest, but an ancient forest. Some of these trees had trunks thicker than the average house.

Their leaves stretched up at least a hundred feet over Sam’s head, shrouding the sky with their dense foliage. An occasional, more sparse section of branches created areas of natural light, but the rest of the place was cast into near darkness.

“The most likely Pokémon we’ll face are Bug Types,” Sam said, humming as he took out the New Pokédex, “but there are definitely Ghost Types here, too. Expect species like Gastly, but there also are reports of Misdreavus! And after reading ahead, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are some lesser known, ‘foreign’ Ghost Types living off-route.”

Sam was mostly thinking about the Phantump and Poltchageist lines, two Ghost Types that wouldn’t necessarily be out of place in a deep forest like this. Phantump and its evolved form, Trevenent, were literally possessed trees. As for Poltchageist and its evolved form, Sinistcha, those species were possessed cups of tea. Those Ghost Types were also part Grass Type, which told Sam they might exist here somewhere. Although, a tea cup would be a little out of place in a forest.

Maybe there’s some kind of old, abandoned home deeper in?

“Do we need to worry about being attacked?” Redi asked as Sam browsed those species’s entries.

“Maybe?” Sam shrugged. “Like I said, Bug Types for sure, but we should be fine as long as we stay away from their nests. Ghost Types shouldn’t be a problem, but, um... Hm.”

Some of the books Morty had lent Sam implied ghosts tended to be drawn to ghosts. The Ghost Type had a strange affection for itself in that it was super effective against fellow Ghost Types. It took spiritual power to handle spiritual power, and since Sam had Gastly with him, there was a higher than usual chance for a Ghost Type to go after their group.

“Probably,” he settled on. “Gastly, you’ll be on guard for any Ghost Types that might attack us, right?”

Gastly idly drifted around the rest of the group, hovering in the air as he stared up into the depths of the towering trees. Hearing his name be called, he turned and sent Sam a confident smile. Although, with how Gastly went right back to looking at everything in awe, Sam had a few doubts about the effectiveness of Gastly’s watchful eye.

“...Keep a heads up, just in case,” Sam said to everyone else.

He didn’t mention the easy solution, however. He still had the Cleanse Tag from Morty in his backpack. The item, when displayed, would calm and dissuade any wild spirits from attacking, but Sam kept it shoved deep into his backpack.

He really wanted to encounter another Ghost Pokémon.

Fallen leaves crunched under their feet, most having decayed from how long ago they had fallen. The forest floor was mulch, and several times they had to climb over tall roots to continue traveling south.

Cyndaquil remained in Sam’s hood, and the rest of their teams lingered at their sides. Teddiursa specifically would frequently run ahead and dig through piles of leaves. Occasionally, he’d find a berry or two hidden by a wild Pokémon, which Redi would either let him eat or put in a container to save for later.

Being that they were currently in their third month of their Pokémon journey, Sam wanted to reach Azalea Town before they entered their fourth month. Nine months in a season was more limited than people usually thought. Early Gyms came quickly, but it took longer and longer to train and prepare for the higher level ones.

Uneventful hours passed as the group trudged along through the forest. They did stop to practice and rest a few times, but it was less than usual to let them keep up a decent pace. After a while, the enormous trees around them stopped feeling so enormous and felt more just like background details. They had a long way to go to reach Azalea Town. They’d be seeing the relatively same sights of the forest for a long time.

Sam missed the city.

It was just before dusk when the group began to look for a place to camp. It was near mandatory to stop before night fell. They needed light to set up their tents.

However, as they searched for somewhere flat and dry to rest for the night, a chill went down Sam’s spine. He could have sworn he heard giggling somewhere, and when he breathed out, mist left his mouth.

“Gastly, do you feel that?”

The group halted when Sam asked his Pokémon that question. Gastly turned to him, nodded, then turned his gaze back to the forest.

Redi bit her lip as everyone immediately went on guard. Frost coated Mankey’s fist while flames blazed on top of Teddiursa’s claw. 

“You think it’s a ghost?” Redi said.

“A Ghost Type? ...Yeah, I do,” Sam whispered.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on its ends. Something deep, deep inside of him screamed that he was being watched.

Then, a shout. A dark blur raced towards Sam from within the depths of the woods.

“Hex, Gastly!” Sam shouted.

Purple flames rushed to intercept the attacker, but it easily rolled in the air to avoid them before pulling back to look down at them from above.

Red and yellow eyes curved up, as if amused. Wispy hair drifted behind it in a non-present wind. Overall, the Pokémon was rather squat, but it was undeniably a Ghost Type.

“A Misdreavus,” Sam identified. “Ugh! I should have bought an extra Pokéball!”

The wild Ghost Type turned to Gastly. There was something in its gaze that seemed to question his use of that attack. Mankey took a step forward, as if ready to fight, himself, but Gastly purposefully moved to float between the Misdreavus and the rest of the group.

This was his fight, and the grin on his face said that he was looking forward to it.

The wild Misdreavus’s gaze panned over everyone here. It took in each and every Pokémon and trainer before it settled its eyes on Sam.

It practically ignored Gastly as a smile crept onto its face. That same chill went down Sam’s spine as he took an unconscious step back.

“I don’t like how it’s looking at me,” he said. “Gastly, feel free.”

Gastly attacked, once more using Hex. The Misdreavus’s eyes widened as it pulled back and up to dodge higher into the air.

“Hypnosis!” Sam shouted.

The Misdreavus closed its eyes to render the move a miss.

“Confuse Ray!”

Even in its temporary blindness, it still managed to duck under the greyish beam.

“Mean L— Wait, no. Don’t use that.”

Mean Look could prevent a Pokémon from fleeing, essentially trapping them in a battle. However, trapping moves tended to fail to affect Ghost Types, and it was much better to force Misdreavus to run, anyway.

Instead, Gastly used Hex, and more purple flames sparkled into existence before rushing forward.

Mankey and Teddiursa shouted as the fight progressed, cheering their names in support of Gastly. Gastly smiled and pushed even harder. However, the Misdreavus frowned and easily dodged the attack once more.

Turning its full attention onto Gastly, the Misdreavus opened its mouth. Bits of darkness started to flick into existence in the shape of a sphere—

“Shadow Ball?” Sam said in disbelief.

Pulsating darkness coalesced in front of the Misdreavus’s head. Gastly yelped and tried to dart away, but the attack was unleashed with a speed that outpaced his own.

He was hit, the super effective damage slamming into him. The attack carried his body away into the thick trunk of a nearby tree.

“...Gastly?”

The Misdreavus giggled and resumed its float towards Sam. It only had eyes for him, once more not bothering to look at anyone else here.

“Fire Punch!” Redi called out.

Sam snapped into focus.

“Incinerate. Assurance!”

Three Pokémon unleashed their attacks.

Cyndaquil, while still tired and still in Sam’s hood, unleashed a powerful Incinerate that didn’t speak of her level of exhaustion. The temperature of the move turned the area sweltering as the Misdreavus dodged once more moving underneath the flames.

However, by ducking under the Incinerate, it opened itself to attacks from other Pokémon. Mankey and Teddiursa leapt, hands ready to strike. To put even more pressure on the Misdreavus, Redi called for Porygon to use Psybeam at the same time.

Unfortunately, while Misdreavus was caught off guard by that combination, it had a defense ready in the form of a Psychic Type move. Its eyes glowed blue. A telekinetic Confusion caught both jumping Pokémon. Mankey was unceremoniously tossed into the ground, and Teddiursa was used as a shield to block Porygon’s attack.

Redi chuckled nervously.

“Sam, I thought you said Ghost Types wouldn’t be a problem?”

He was already furiously digging his pack to try to find and retrieve the Cleanse Tag.

“I know! I know. ...I knew one would probably come, but it should never have been this strong!”

Misdreavus looked annoyed. It obviously wanted to reach Sam. He didn’t miss how its gaze never left him, and he hurriedly stepped back only for his foot to hit a root and send him tumbling to the ground.

The contents of his backpack spilled everywhere, and he tried his best to dig through the junk. Terrified, he watched as the Ghost Type crept closer and closer.

But then another use of Hex forced it to pull back.

Gastly burst from the tree, phasing through while panting and looking injured. However, the usually relaxed yet curious expression on his face had been replaced with that of utter annoyance.

Another Hex, and another dodge. It was like the Misdreavus knew exactly how he would attack.

“Cyndaquil,” Sam whispered, “do you think you could—”

He was interrupted by a bright white glow.

Words caught in his throat, Sam stared at Gastly. The Ghost Type was angry, but most importantly, that glow was coming from him.

“No way,” Redi breathed.

Sam’s eyes went as wide as they could.

“Of course,” he said. “Pokémon always grow the most when stressed. There’s a reason most evolutions happen in the middle of battles—why wouldn’t one happen right now?”

Within the light, Gastly changed. His ambient gas sucked into him, and the sphere that was his body grew and reshaped. Points poked out across his back, and a wispy trail emanated from his base. As for his mouth, it became fanged, and at his sides, two blobs split off to become clawed hands.

When the light broke, Gastly was no longer Gastly. Instead, he was a Haunter, the evolved form of his species. In the face of a difficult opponent like Misdreavus, his determination had carried him to an evolution.

Sam was quick to capitalize on the moment—evolving usually came with a burst of increased energy.

“Shadow Punch!” he yelled.

The move was something most Haunter could understand intrinsically, and more importantly, the attack homed.

Haunter’s disconnected hands curled into fists and left his sides, sailing through the air like rockets aimed right at Misdreavus. The wild Pokémon’s eyes went wide in panic as it tried its best to dodge like it had before.

Except, in this case, Haunter could still control his hands, and he changed their course to manage a hit. One slammed into Misdreavus’s side, and the other slammed into its face.

He cackled happily. Briefly, Sam was reminded of how his own punch had caught Haunter in the first place. 

Haunter slowly drew back his hands. Though super effective, he still wasn’t a great physical attacker. The Misdreavus looked hurt but was still conscious.

However, it also looked completely and utterly betrayed.

Pain that was more than just physical crossed Misdreavus’s face as it seemed to look around it panic. Tears welled up in its eyes as it glanced around at the group. It was no longer able to even glance at Sam.

“Wait—”

Instead of some tough, final battle, Misdreavus turned and fled back into the woods. Haunter was left behind, blinking and confused.

“What was that about?” Redi asked.

Sam didn’t know, and something twisted in his chest.

Still, Gastly—no, Haunter—had evolved. He was the first Pokémon out of all of their teams to do so. Pushing past the despondent confusion, Sam smiled.

“You did it! Congratulations! I should have known you were getting close to your evolution!”

Haunter smiled and pumped his fists, replying with a cheer. On the ground, Mankey and Teddiursa shouted for his attention. Both of them held up their hands.

With Haunter’s evolution came an added bonus—a set of hands he did not have before. Both Mankey and Teddiursa had tried to hi-five him in the past, but he had been unable to do so without palms.

Happily, Haunter floated down to reach the two Pokémon. Both Teddiursa and Mankey stood tall in pride. He smiled and them and brought his hands up to hi-five them back.

Then he smacked both of them in the face.

Haunter cackled as the two Pokémon shouted at him, annoyed. They called for him to get back here, but Haunter stayed in the air and laughed at his prank.

Sam chuckled but wasn’t bothered—it was a harmless bit of revenge.

“I should have bet on which of our Pokémon would evolve first,” Redi grumbled next to Sam.

“Wait, why?” He blinked. “Wouldn’t I have won?”

“Yeah, but I would have bet on your team getting an evolution first. Congratulations, by the way.”

Sam sent her a sharp smile back.

“Yeah! And now that Gastly, sorry, Haunter has evolved, that means we’re in pace with Xavier’s team, too!”

The other boy had a Donphan, the evolved form of Phanpy. Sure, he had that Pokémon a while ago, but now Sam had an evolved Pokémon of his own!

Redi shook her head.

“That’s ridiculous,” she said, a little exasperated. “Whatever. As long as we get to spar against Haunter later.”

“For sure, but, uh...” Sam looked around. “Maybe we should find a campsite before it gets dark? I don’t want to get caught out here if that Misdreavus returns.”

Redi’s eyes widened, and she quickly called for her Pokémon to resume the search.

Sam did the same, moving to assist. As he did, Cyndaquil squeaked a congratulations to Haunter. 

However, as Sam worked with everyone else to find a campsite, something about Cyndaquil’s squeak felt off to him. Haunter’s evolution should have been a cheerful moment, but for some reason, her squeak almost sounded conflicted.

============================================================================
Author Note:

Regarding evolutions, they tend to happen a bit slower in this world, taking more dedicated effort to build up the power needed to reach that next stage. There’s no such thing as “Cyndaquil evolves at Level 14” or “Gastly evolves at Level 25.” Pokémon evolve when they’re ready rather than after some set level of strength.

I still owe you a chapter, but after everything that happened this week, I’m tired. Normal schedule resumes on Monday, with that extra chapter sliding in once I have the time.

Pokémon included in this chapter:
Misdreavus
Phantump / Trevenant
Poltchageist / Sinistcha

Link to Master List of Chapters