Pokémon : Forced to Be a Ghost Champion

c12: Departure

Alex and his Pokémon woke up right on time the next day. After yesterday's well-earned rest, today they returned to their sharp and disciplined routine.

Alex stared at his reflection in the mirror.

"Hmm, somehow I look even more handsome… but a bit gloomier overall."

Still, he didn't mind. As someone who had bonded so deeply with Ghost-type Pokémon, a faint aura of gloom was hardly surprising. More importantly, he felt no discomfort in his body, just a growing connection to the eerie presence that lingered around him, much like Morty's spiritual calm in Pokémon Adventures.

"Phantump, come here. This is for you." Alex handed over a Miracle Seed, an item he had found during their forest journey before reaching Rustboro. It was a shimmering green orb pulsing faintly with life energy, known for enhancing Grass-type moves. While Haunter technically could learn Grass-type coverage through Giga Drain via TM, it wasn't a natural fit. Phantump, on the other hand, could make excellent use of the boost with its natural access to Leech Seed and Wood Hammer.

Alex mentally noted that Haunter would be better off holding something aligned with its true strengths perhaps a Spell Tag, or if he ever came across one, a Gengarite.

"Let's go wait for Lu Chi," he said, tossing a few Ghost-type Energy Cubes to his team. Unlike Dragon-types.whose Energy Cubes required rare, expensive ingredients like Dragon Fangs or Salac Berry extracts, Ghost-type Cubes were made from common sources like Grepa Berries and Moomoo Milk infused with spectral dust. Cheap, effective, and perfect for his lineup.

They arrived on the roadside in Petalburg City, and Alex grabbed a simple breakfast from a corner café Oran Berry toast and Moomoo Milk latte then found a shaded bench where he could wait for Lu Chi.

After finishing his meal, something caught his eye in the display window of a training item boutique.

A smooth, egg-shaped object nestled among Power Items and training gear.

"…Isn't that a Lucky Egg?" Alex's eyes widened.

According to the Pokédex database, Lucky Eggs are rare items rumored to be linked to Chansey's blessing, increasing the experience Pokémon earn in battle. With his specialist Ghost-type bonus, giving this to Dreepy could supercharge its training. Evolution was still far off Dreepy wouldn't evolve into Drakloak until level 50, and then into Dragapult at 60 but every bit helped.

Alex entered the shop and marveled at the inventory. There were Power Weights, Exp. Shares, Choice Specs, and even a Focus Sash or two. But the prices were criminal.

The Lucky Egg cost 10,000 Poké Coins almost his entire allowance of 11,000 (which was originally just 3,000, until he started defeating enthusiastic roadside Trainers and looting their prize money).

Still, it was an investment.

Alex grit his teeth and handed over the cash.

"One Lucky Egg, please…" he said, almost crying inside. "Guess I'll have to grind my way up again…"

Now down to a mere 1,000 coins, Alex left the shop and spent the next few hours battling in the outskirts of Petalburg, easily defeating a few beginner Trainers with Haunter's status trickery and Phantump's sneaky Sucker Punch. By the end of the grind, he had recouped 3,000 Poké Coins.

With no pressing plans before Lu Chi arrived, Alex wandered into the tall grass near the port to begin focused training for Dreepy.

"Dreepy," Alex called, holding out the Lucky Egg now fitted onto a necklace, "take this. It'll help you grow faster. You've got a long journey ahead—your first evolution is at level 50."

"Dree…py?" The tiny dragon-ghost tilted its head.

It didn't quite understand what Level 50 meant, but it instinctively knew that its own evolution was far off. Still, it trusted Alex completely and accepted the necklace, wrapping it around its neck carefully with its small claws.

The Lucky Egg, polished and egg-white, had been specially made into an accessory by the store. The moment Dreepy put it on, a warm glow emanated from it, and its eyes lit up with determination.

From the shadows, Haunter and Phantump looked on. Though they were both more battle-experienced, they respected Dreepy's eagerness. Even Haunter gave an approving nod before vanishing mischievously into the ground with a ghostly chuckle.

Alex smiled faintly. Each of his Pokémon had their own quirks, struggles, and aspirations. But in this moment, watching them train under the Petalburg sky, he felt the bond between them quietly deepen.

"As expected, you get what you pay for. This Lucky Egg is rated top-grade in the system," Alex mused with satisfaction. "Looks like I won't have to stress too much about Dreepy's evolution for now."

After a solid morning of training the trio, it was close to noon when Alex finally spotted a familiar figure Ruby.

"Oh my, I thought I'd have to swing by the Pokémon Center to find you, Alex, but I didn't expect you to have such a responsible side."

"Oh, come on, Lu Chi, you big softie. Always putting romance before your bros. You avoid calling me 'Xiao Xingzi' in front of Haruka, but the moment she's not around, you let it fly."

"Stop bickering, Xiao Xingzi," Lu Chi said with a grin, brushing aside the nickname controversy. "You've been talking my ear off for the last two and a half years I've developed immunity. Let's go find Haruki already."

Alex chuckled and returned his Pokémon to their Poké Balls, leaving only Dreepy riding comfortably on his shoulder as they followed Ruby toward the docks.

"Old man! It's Ruby! The one who helped save your Wingull!" Lu Chi called out in front of a cozy coastal shack.

"Hey~ coming, coming." The door creaked open to reveal a stout, bald old man with a snow-white beard and a Wingull perched proudly on his head.

Ruby quickly explained their errand delivering the Devon Corporation letter and requesting a ride to Dewford Town.

"Oh~ so you're heading to Dewford Island to deliver the letter and then to Slateport City?"

"That's right. Can you take us?" Ruby asked.

"Of course! Wingull, time to ride the waves!"

With that, Alex and Ruby boarded Haruki's small but sturdy pleasure boat and set sail across Route 106 toward Dewford Town.

After about two hours of smooth sailing across the Hoenn sea, the boat docked, and both trainers disembarked. Haruki assured them he'd wait at the harbor, and offered his cabin as a rest point.

Dewford Island called Wudou Island by locals was famous for Granite Cave, rich in minerals and home to many Rock, Ground, and Steel-type Pokémon. The letter Ruby had to deliver was meant for Steven Stone, the enigmatic Hoenn Champion, known for his obsession with rare stones and evolutionary minerals, as frequently portrayed in Pokémon Adventures.

Before heading into the dark depths of the cave, Ruby had to conquer the Dewford Gym, a Fighting-type Gym led by Brawly (known as Fuji Kina in the manga). The cave was pitch-black, and without the Flash TM, it would be impossible to explore. A helpful Hiker outside the cave gave Ruby the TM as a reward for defeating the Gym.

Alex, on the other hand, didn't need Flash—Phantump could manipulate Will-O-Wisp flames to illuminate the cave, much like how Ghost Pokémon lit up dark spaces in the Adventures manga. Still, Ruby's pride flared, and he headed to the Gym first to "do things the proper way."

Alex took this time to train inside the Granite Cave. He first checked the current levels of his team: Haunter, the powerhouse of the squad, stood at level 28; Dreepy, thanks to the Lucky Egg boost, had skyrocketed to level 32; while Phantump, though a bit behind, had now reached level 20.

Although the Dewford Gym specialized in Fighting-types, and such moves couldn't hit Ghost-types, Alex didn't let his guard down. Brawly was no amateur—he might use dual-type Pokémon or coverage moves like Knock Off or Foresight, which could negate Ghost-type immunity. Alex had studied the Adventures version of Brawly, who was a surfing martial artist with unorthodox tactics.

He focused training on Phantump. It had just learned Hex, a Ghost-type move that doubled its power when the target had a status condition. When paired with Will-O-Wisp, it became a deadly combo.

But Phantump's control over Hex was still clumsy, so Alex decided to let it learn by observing Haunter who had already mastered Hex back at level 24, before evolving.

"Haunter, come over here."

"Heheheh!"

Haunter floated over gleefully, and before Alex could speak, it spat out twin spirals of black and crimson flames above its head.

"Wait, what—Is that Will-O-Wisp!?" Alex blinked in surprise.

Haunter explained, in his own ghostly way, that he had learned it that morning while leveling up. Inspired by Phantump's use of Will-O-Wisp, he'd tried mimicking it and succeeded.

Even more surprising, Haunter shared that Dreepy had also mastered Will-O-Wisp. Apparently, after watching Haunter use Hex, Dreepy had spent days pondering it and eventually figured it out on its own.

"It's honestly unbelievable," Alex muttered. "Are my Pokémon just naturally gifted to the point where they learn moves just by watching?"

He was, of course, delighted. With all three of his Pokémon now able to combine Will-O-Wisp and Hex, his team synergy had reached new heights.

Phantump, never one to fall behind, mimicked the others and quickly refined its Hex usage through practice.

After a while, Alex let the three Pokémon spar against each other under supervision. The experience helped them learn to anticipate timing and status interplay.

When the session ended, it was already past 2 p.m.—time to eat.

Dreepy had climbed to level 36, Haunter to 31, and Phantump to 26. Satisfied with the day's training, Alex brought them to the Dewford Pokémon Center for lunch. As the saying goes: If you're not hungry after training, something's off.

Each Pokémon eagerly devoured a custom blend of Energy Cubes—Haunter's with bitter notes, Dreepy's rich in spicy-sweet Dragon-type flavors, and Phantump's infused with earthy tones.

Now refreshed and well-fed, Alex looked at the time.

Time to challenge the Dewford Gym.

---