Pokémon : Forced to Be a Ghost Champion

c20: Violet Gym! Surge of Electricity!

After Alex calmed down, he realized that this chat group actually didn't have much practical use. After all, it wasn't likely that a handful of mysterious Ghost-type trainers even legendary ones would help him with personal training dilemmas.

At best, he could ask about breeding mechanics or Ghost-type compatibility builds, but these masters probably wouldn't share their deeper insights. After all, everyone had their own signature techniques honed through years of battle.

He equipped Duskull with a Power Weight to start building its HP Effort Values. Although Alex had no plans to grind levels right now, the item was essential to prep early on.

Alex looked around. Since he'd released his Pokémon in the backyard of the Pokémon Center in Mauville City, he figured it was a good opportunity for bonding.

"Hey! My little rascals, this is your new little brother, okay? Treat him well especially you, Gengar. No pranks."

Gengar, since evolving from Haunter in a prior battle at Mt. Pyre, had grown more powerful and more mischievous. Trevenant's ghostly arms, however, rose ominously as if to warn, "Second Brother, how about a nice Sucker Punch to keep you in line?"

Trevenant was the only one capable of keeping Gengar in check now. Sucker Punch was no joke especially coming from a fully grown Ghost/Grass-type like him.

However, no one knew what Dreepy, the eldest brother, would be like after evolving.

Years into the future, a Dragapult hovered over his younger siblings and joked, "So... who wants to try catching a Dragon Darts from me?"

But that was for later. For now, Alex didn't need to worry about future battles. Still, he knew that once Dreepy evolved, he'd gain access to one of the strongest pseudo-legendary evolutions ever known. Dragapult, with its blistering Speed and dual Ghost/Dragon typing, was once referred to by the Kalos Battle Chateau as the "King of the Pseudo-legends."

"Hehehe (Well now, little bro, aren't you just adorable…)" Gengar sneered, floating close to Duskull. But before he could finish the tease, Duskull's singular eye shifted into a devious crescent.

Gengar blinked. "That grin… Wait a sec… Why does it look so familiar?!"

Alex watched the exchange and suddenly gasped, "Oh no... This Duskull has a Naughty nature?!"

The little brother had arrived, and he seemed to carry the same mischief DNA as Gengar. Trevenant could sense it too.

Thankfully, Duskull wasn't obsessed with pranks like Gengar, it just had a bit of a sly streak. Most of the time, it was a quiet, withdrawn little guy who tended to float around silently, a little socially anxious.

After letting the team bond and interact for a bit, Alex recalled Gengar and Trevenant. Dreepy, ever the loyal shoulder-floater, settled down comfortably.

As Duskull was still adjusting to his new environment, Alex let it drift quietly behind him.

He opened the PokéNav Plus and followed the Gym path toward the Mauville Gym. This time, Ruby was nowhere to be found.

Pushing open the Gym door, Alex immediately noticed the floor layout: bright yellow pathways with sparking electric currents zipping across coils. Gym Trainers stood guard at each switch panel.

This was clearly a Volt Switch-style electric maze. The Gym's layout was an electric-type puzzle challenge Alex would need to defeat each Trainer to activate switch nodes and eventually reach the Gym Leader.

Two Trainers blocked the first control panel. One of them stepped forward.

"Let's make it a Double Battle! You're not getting past us so easily!"

"Magneton, let's go!"

"Go, Electrike!"

Their Pokémon materialized on the field Magneton floating with magnetic pulses, and Electrike crouched low, sparks crackling from its fur.

"Gengar! Trevenant! You're up!" Alex responded confidently, releasing his two ace Ghost-types. Duskull hovered nearby, quietly spectating. Dreepy clung to Alex's shoulder.

"Gengar, Sludge Bomb on Electrike! Trevenant, Phantom Force on Magneton! Watch out for any Thunder Wave!"

Gengar moved first classic Speed control. It launched a toxic Sludge Bomb with pinpoint accuracy. Meanwhile, Trevenant melted into a black vortex, its spectral arms trailing behind as it vanished into the shadows.

Before Electrike could even spark a Thunderbolt, it was instantly overwhelmed by Gengar's attack. The Electrike crumpled to the floor, unconscious. On the opposite side, Magneton tried to fire a Thunder Wave but the target was gone.

Suddenly, Magneton was struck by a violent burst of Phantom Force. Trevenant emerged from the void like a ghostly fist, delivering a critical hit that ended the fight.

"Hehehe (Okay… why is his Phantom Force so much flashier than mine?)" Gengar muttered, deflated.

"Come on, Gengar. You're more of a special attacker anyway," Alex laughed.

Trevenant struck a triumphant pose, only to scratch its head awkwardly. "Being cool is just part of my aesthetic, okay?"

Alex pressed the switch, moving deeper into the maze. Up ahead, he could vaguely see Wattson's unmistakable silhouette the wild gray hair and huge laugh visible even through the electric walls.

Alex followed a detour and encountered another Gym Trainer with a punk aesthetic dyed hair, ripped sleeves, the works.

The punk Trainer rapped mid-battle as he sent out his Pokémon: a rare Alolan Graveler, sparking with Rock/Electric energy.

Alex wasn't fazed. "Trevenant, Wood Hammer!"

The attack bypassed Sturdy, slamming hard into Graveler. It countered with a Thunder Punch, but the damage wasn't enough. Alex followed up with Horn Leech super effective, knocking Graveler out while restoring Trevenant's HP to full.

He pressed the next switch, and the final gates powered down.

Waiting at the arena center was Wattson also known as Tie Xuan in the Hoenn League files.

"Hahahaha! So you've made it at last! Did you enjoy my electric maze? Hahahahahaha! Come! Let's battle with lightning in our veins!"

Alex could barely keep up. The Gym referee sighed. "Leader Wattson, please begin the official battle."

"Ah! Right, right! Official battle! Mauville Gym rules 3-on-3 format!"

Alex sweatdropped. This guy's more spark than strategy, he thought.

"Alright then! Go, Voltorb! We never underestimate a challenger!"

Wattson threw a Level 41 Voltorb onto the field.

"Go, Dreepy! You haven't battled in a while!"

"Dreepy!" the little dragon squealed, spinning in the air with excitement.

Dreepy had reached Level 49 just shy of its evolution point. Alex had prepped this battle specifically as Dreepy's evolution milestone.

The Lucky Egg he had equipped combined with his innate Ghost affinity and extensive training had supercharged Dreepy's growth. He figured that after reaching the next Gym in Petalburg and defeating Norman, Dreepy would reach its final form.

But even Drakloak, Dreepy's first evolution, would bring enormous stat boosts.

"Voltorb, Thunder Wave!"

So annoying Wattson started with paralysis. But Alex was prepared.

"Dreepy, use Substitute!"

The decoy absorbed the Thunder Wave, allowing Dreepy to stay agile.

Then came the classic trap: "Duraludon, use Infestation!"

Although Duraludon remained off the field, the move had been taught and transferred earlier. Dreepy launched a ghostly net of energy Infestation slowly wore down the frail Voltorb, who failed to break the Substitute.

Combined with Bite, Dreepy's next strike took Voltorb down cleanly.

"Dreepy!" It cheered, its trainer's pride radiating through it.

Bathed in light, Dreepy began to glow evolving mid-battle!

The form that emerged was taller, sharper, and now boomerang-shaped. A second Dreepy fluttered down and perched on its head.

Drakloak had arrived.

With the evolution, Alex's Pokédex rang with newly learned moves up to eight of them, unlocked through Dreepy's powerful bloodline.

"Oh-ho! An evolution during battle? Fantastic! Go, Magneton!" Wattson unleashed his Level 45 Magneton.

Alex grinned. With the Substitute still active, it was time to push the tempo.

"Alright! Dreepy—no, Drakloak! Use Dragon Dance!"

Drakloak swayed gracefully, performing Dragon Dance. Its already razor-sharp speed and solid physical power surged again. The opposing Magneton responded instantly with Thunderbolt the electric beam tore through the air and shattered Drakloak's Substitute. But by then, Drakloak had already completed its stat boost.

"Nice timing! Drakloak, go in with Phantom Force!"

Swirling with a dark aura, Drakloak vanished into the void, leaving behind a ripple in the air.

Inside his Poké Ball, Gengar grumbled, "So I'm the only Ghost-type whose moves don't look like they came from a theatrical production? Everyone else's move effects are ridiculous…"

Magneton let off another Thunderbolt, but it sailed uselessly past where Drakloak had been, sizzling into the floor.

"Magneton, Substitute! Don't let it hit directly!" Gym Leader Wattson Tie Xuan in Hoenn—barked, his eyes gleaming.

Magneton quickly created a decoy using part of its HP, but it was too late. A crack of darkness split the floor. Drakloak surged out like a missile from the shadows, Infiltrator ability fully activated straight through the Substitute, and into Magneton itself.

"What in thunder ?!" Wattson recoiled in surprise. "That shouldn't have landed!"

Alex calmly explained, "You might not be familiar with Drakloak, Gym Leader. Its ability, Infiltrator, lets it bypass barriers like Substitute, Reflect, and Light Screen. This isn't your typical pseudo-legendary."

"Hah! Well now, that's quite something! I've gotta admit, I'm falling behind the times! Let's see how your little dragon handles this! Go, Manectric!"

The Poké Ball exploded with electricity. A proud, muscular Lv. 49 Manectric landed with a roar, fur crackling with raw voltage. It was the strongest Pokémon Wattson had in this Gym—young, elite, and dangerous.

But it wasn't enough.

Drakloak's stats were already boosted by Dragon Dance, and it still had momentum on its side. Another surge of shadow enveloped it as it vanished again. Manectric growled and tried to react but too late. With a flash of purple-black energy, Drakloak emerged and slammed Manectric square in the side, sending it crashing into the wall.

The Electric-type collapsed with a final spark.

"YEE-HAW! Now that's a proper battle!" Wattson burst into laughter. "You've got a real fire in your belly, kid! Here's your prize—the Dynamo Badge! And this TM: Volt Switch! Use it well!"

"Thanks for the match and the lesson, Gym Leader." Alex took the badge and TM. That made three badges now—each won decisively.

"Dus~kull!" Duskull hovered beside him, eyes sparkling with admiration. Its older brother was incredible! It couldn't help but imagine the day it would evolve too and what kind of Pokémon it would become.

At the Mauville Pokémon Center, Alex restored his team and headed to the back garden, where he released them all again for a break.

"Drak!" Drakloak roared with pride. It had just carried the whole Gym battle and reclaimed its leadership within the team. Its body exuded confidence and from its head, a small Dreepy poked out and waved.

That wasn't just for show. According to Pokédex entries, Drakloak would launch Dreepy from its head during battle as part of Dragon Darts. The small one would become the ammunition, the spirit soldier in Drakloak's future fights.

Alex checked Drakloak's level: still 50. Just one level post-evolution, as expected from a pseudo-legendary. Even with his Ghost-type bonus training and the Lucky Egg, growth had clearly slowed down. From experience and manga logic, pseudo-legendaries always had a much steeper growth curve especially after their first evolution.

"Alright, let's get you a new trick," Alex said, pulling out a glimmering silver TM disc. "Drakloak, return for a moment. You're learning Steel Wing."

Steven Stone had gifted him the reusable TM. As Drakloak returned to its Poké Ball, Alex inserted the disc into the system. It rotated with a click, transferring the data instantly. When Drakloak emerged again, it flexed its arms, already testing out shimmering metallic projections. It had learned the move but clearly needed practice to master it in combat.

Satisfied, Alex opened his system interface. He now had 35 event points.

After a quick look through the store, he selected an upgrade he'd had his eye on: the EV Tracker. For just five points, it added a function to inspect each Pokémon's effort values a major advantage in optimizing growth.

Purchase complete. EV Tracker activated.

Alex got to work checking his team.

Drakloak's EVs were perfect, Speed and Attack maxed thanks to targeted use of Power Anklet and Power Bracer.

Gengar's Special Attack was at max from Power Lens training, but its Speed was underdeveloped, it had too much HP EVs from earlier battles. That needed fixing immediately; Gengar's strength lay in its blazing Speed and high Special Attack, not bulk.

Trevenant had strong HP and Attack training through Power Bracer, but it had accumulated some Special Defense EVs, possibly from wild battles. That wasn't terrible, but it wasn't ideal either. Its build should focus on maximizing Attack and HP.

Then there was little Duskull currently Level 10 and completely untrained. It was time to map out its growth plan soon.

Alex began rearranging held items to match their updated goals.

Drakloak, with perfected EVs, now held a Spell Tag to boost its Ghost-type moves.

Gengar held Black Sludge for recovery and now a Power Anklet to train Speed efficiently.

Trevenant carried a Miracle Seed for powered-up Horn Leech and a Power Bracer to complete its Attack EVs.

With adjustments made, Alex turned to planning his next steps. First up: restocking on supplies. Then, he'd begin the long trek northwest through Fiery Path, across the wilderness, toward Fallarbor Town. His ultimate destination: Lavaridge Gym, the fourth badge.

It would be a rugged route. No Pokémon Centers along the way just a single healing hut maintained by an elderly woman near Route 113. According to the Hoenn manga, even seasoned trainers like Ruby and Sapphire had struggled with this leg of the journey.

Alex smiled to himself. A new challenge meant more training opportunities. His team would only get stronger and Duskull would begin its own growth soon.

The path ahead was hot, wild, and uncertain but Alex welcomed it.

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