Ghastly Adventures: Boulder 1.3 (ch. 3) (Patreon)

I figured that I had gotten the better end of the deal. I got to live out in a fantastical world filled with pokemon and adventures and what have you. I felt bad about the original Blair, but that mostly stemmed from the fact that I just assumed that we traded places. Because… why wouldn't we? I got pulled across the multiverse and deposited into his body that had a hole in its heart. Why wouldn't Blair find himself in my body back on earth, patched up after getting hit by a truck to live out my mundane life?

I didn't at all think that he would be… stuck here. As a ghost. As a Phantump. Fuck me. I really got the better end of the deal.

“Are these common?” I asked as Phantump approached, floating before me. It wasn't hostile, at least. Did it remember that this body once belonged to it? Did ghost pokemon have residual memories of their life before?

“I've heard about them, but I don't think they are,” Brawly said, pretty much killing any hope that it was just pure luck that the phantump just so happened to be here, where I- he died. “I think it wants you to capture it,” he prompted and I licked my lips.

“I- uh, I don't have a pokeball. I used my last one on Mimikyu,” I replied. Mimikyu locked eyes with Phantump and I glanced at Mimikyu, “Would you be okay with Phantump coming with us?”

Mimikyu was silent for a moment. “Mimikyu?” He directed at the rogue pokemon, sounding decidedly neutral. I don't think he was a fan -- Mimikyu liked being an only child.

“Phantump,” Phantump replied, his voice echoey like… well, a ghost.

That sealed the deal for Mimikyu, and he offered me a small nod with an accompanying, “Ku.”

“Here,” Brawky said, passing me a pokeball. “You can pay me back with some of my money later,” he remarked, sounding enthused. I accepted the pokeball from him with some reluctance, my gaze never leaving the red eyes of Phantump.

This was… kinda really fucked up, wasn't it?

“Welcome aboard, Phantump?” I said, pressing the ball against him and he vanished in a flash of red light. He didn't even try to get out. Just like that, I caught my second pokemon, who I'm all but certain was a reincarnation of the previous owner of this body.

“I've never seen that before,” Brawly remarked, sounding enthralled. “You said Mimikyu was a Ghost Type too? You must have a real affinity with them,” he observed.

It was because I died, wasn't it? I didn't say the words out loud, but I felt it in my borrowed bones that I was right on the mark.

“Maybe? Thanks for the pokeball, but I think we got a little distracted?” I ventured, trying to change the subject. Brawly’s eyes widened and I realized he completely forgot about why we were here in the first place.

“Oh! Right!” He laughed, “You got attacked at night, right? So, let's do a quick look around to see if we find anything that brought them to the area. Team Rocket isn't above attacking a lone trainer if the opportunity is there, but they're more… goal-oriented. So, they were likely here for a reason.” That made sense to me.

“Pewter Gym is the first stop for a lot of trainers,” I ventured, my gaze sweeping the field before I looked down at the pokeball in my hand. “They could be picking off newbies.”

“Maybe. Sponsored trainers tend to have rarer pokemon and at the start of a Journey, they'll generally be at their weakest. I wouldn't put it past them,” Brawly said as we began to search the area. My gaze went to the spot that I woke up at, idly noting that there was hardly a bloodstain left. It took me a moment to tear my gaze from it, and only with Mimikyu rubbing his head against my cheek.

Huh. “Would Mimikyu fit that description?” I wondered, and that seemed to trip Brawly up. He paused, tilting his head at us. I looked to Mimikyu for an answer, the idea just now occurring to me. Had I- the other Blair saved Mimikyu? Is that why he stayed near my body and joined me so easily once I woke up?

“Mimikyu,” Mimikyu replied.

“Not the case? You found me when I was… unconscious?” I echoed his answer, thinking that I had something there. Though, that still meant that Team Rocket had attacked me for something and Brawly's theory helped solidify my thoughts. However, in the hour that we spent searching around the clearing, we didn't find anything of note.

Except for one thing. “There were three of them, and they were joined by a nidoran -- male,” Brawly said, finding what was left of the tracks that I followed. “I don't see anything on the road, so they either flew away or teleported.”

Or, as I knew, continued on to Pewter city. Because Carr was seen going that way.

“I’m sorry,” Brawly offered as we began to make our way back to the village. “I thought… well, I thought we would find a little more,” he admitted.

I waved him off, “It was worth the trip,” I told him, holding up my new pokemon. I was still pretty torn on how to feel about the turn of events, but I was looking for a silver lining. “And I'll track Team Rocket down on my own time. Or they’ll come to me -- Mimikyu and Phantump are both right up their alley.” An unknown pokemon and a rare one?

Brawly grimaced while I smiled a nasty smile, “You're probably right about that. So, how about we travel together?” He asked, making me blink at the offer. “You could use the backup. And I've never seen a pokemon just let itself be captured like that before -- even the ones that are willing to join make you fight them first.” He added, all smiles.

Ash did that pretty often, though? Then again, he was literally the God chosen savior of the world, so maybe using him as the standard was a bit foolish.

“If you want to, then that’d be great,” I agreed easily enough. He wasn't wrong -- it would be nice to have some backup when Team Rocket did come for me. I was also interested in what tricks he could show me for training since he had apparently been taught by a member of the Elite Four.

Beyond all the advantages, though, Brawly struck me as a genuinely good dude.

“Then it's settled! Let's head back to the village and we’re off to Pewter city! And then Cerulean city! It's been way too long since I've seen the ocean,” he set our course with a wistful sigh while I just chuckled, following in step.

…

Pokemart had just about everything that you could think of when it came to pokemon care, needs, and training for a general populace. I'm sure there were higher brands that probably cost a lot more, but even the general supplies were stupidly expensive. I had a cool four thousand in my account after winning the gauntlet of trainers, but after even a quick shopping trip, I found myself with less money than I started.

Basic supplies came first -- tent, sleeping bag, compass, map, and food for both me and the pokemon. It looked a bit like dog food, which prompted me to grab a guide to berries; where to find them, what they did, and what types of pokemon benefited the most from eating each kind.

That, in turn, led me to grabbing a training guide for Grass and Ghost Type pokemon. Well, training guide was a bit generous -- it was more of a set of recommendations, tips, and a list of behaviors to expect, and a very long list of things to avoid. Which also led me to purchasing a trainer guide book to help flesh out the information the guides had.

Lastly, I bought some training equipment. A sunlamp that was made for Grass pokemon, to help them photosynthesize when in subterranean tunnels for an extended period of time. And, to my immense amusement, it came with several sets of instructions on how to charge the battery, of which you could use an electric pokemon. I didn't have one, so I was stuck with a hand crank method and solar power. It helped that I now had a grass type, but it served a secondary purpose for helping Mimikyu train his shadows.

With my new gear, and now broke as a joke once again, Brawly and I set off to Pewter city. We made small talk through the trip, trading bits of information back and forth. I mostly had to deflect or fib a bit when it came to my backstory -- after all, the only reason why I knew the name of my hometown was because it was written in my profile page.

However, it was during the first day of traveling that I began to notice something… off.

I wasn't tired. Physically, I was a little tired but mentally, I was completely fresh. Pulling an all nighter wasn't exactly uncommon for me -- I had an on and off again relationship with insomnia, but this wasn't like that. I was up for a full twenty-four hours and I felt like I could go for another twenty four with no problem. It made the tent a somewhat unfortunate purchase in hindsight as we set up camp just off the main road.

Brawly released his pokemon -- a machop and a tyrogue, while Makuhita was reintroduced. I did the same for Phantump, and the ghostly pokemon stuck close to me. Brawly's pokemon didn't seem to know what to make of Mimikyu, even as he tried his best at socializing. The attempts weren't going… great, if I was being completely honest.

“Hey, Mimikyu -- how about we do a little training?” I asked, trying to cut things off before Mimikyu got hard rejected. “I think I found a way to up your power,” I told him and that got him rushing over as I set up the lamp. Phantump circled around, watching on while Brawly did as well.

I set the lamp up so it hung over Mimikyu's head and took out a can of biodegradable spray paint. “Okay, first, I want you to extend your shadow as much as you can in a complete circle around you,” I instructed, making Mimikyu nod as his shadow did exactly that. I noticed something interesting right off the bat -- I had seen him stretch it further in a single direction. Too early to tell if that was a wrench in my plan or not.

After marking the distance with a circle, I walked over and turned on the lamp. Instantly, the shadow shrunk down, telling me that its strength was related to light. So, this method of training was viable. I marked down his new range, and then I took a knee before Mimikyu. “This is an experiment, so I’ll need your feedback on if this will actually help you get stronger. The goal I want you to work towards is to strengthen your shadow -- make it darker, more dense -- until you can stretch it to that mark.”

“Mimikyu!” Mimikyu said, determined. It was impossible to actually read his face given that it was hidden, but I liked to imagine that he had one of immense concentration. Looking down at his thin shadow, which had all but retreated down to the fringe of his costume, I saw that it was already trying to inch forward but seemed to sizzle in the light of the lamp.

“Now, for you Phantump, I have a few ideas,” I said, looking at my new pokemon. I had to swallow my discomfort because I was all but certain that Phantump didn’t remember. He might feel some degree of an affinity for me, as Brawly said, but he didn’t know the reason for it. So, I had to deal with my shit and train him up to the best of my ability.

“Phantump?” Phantump questioned, seemingly realizing that training would apply to him.

“I intend to be a pokemon trainer, and I’ll be hitting the gyms. Which means battling other pokemon and becoming stronger. Is that something that you want?” I asked him directly, making Phantump blink owlishly at me for a moment.

Then he nodded, “Phantump!”

Perfect. I knew less about Phantump than I did Mimikyu, but I did have some ideas kicking around. He was a Gen Six pokemon, a Ghost and Grass type -- meaning that I had to take a different approach than I was with Mimikyu. Grass types had some nice offensive moves, such as Solar Beam and Razor Leaf. “Have you ever been in a battle before? Do you think you could show me any moves you know?”

“Phantump?” Phantump tilted his head like he wasn't quite sure what I was asking, which was less than promising.

“I can help with that,” Brawly informed before taking out his pokedex and pointing it at Phantump. “Just let me scan him…”

His pokedex chimed and then with a mechanical voice uttered, “Phantump. This pokemon knows: Tackle, Confusion Ray, Growth, and Leech Seed.”

“That's pretty useful, but… how does it know that exactly?” I asked, not able to make any sense of that. Brawly just shrugged, telling me he was similarly clueless and never bothered to question it until I mentioned it. “Huh. Still good to know. What would it take to get one of those things?” I asked, mulling over what it told me.

“I think you can buy them for ten thousand dollars,” Brawly informed, and that was a real blow. “They're pretty useful,” he continued, somewhat apologetically. Ash got his as part of the deal of being a sponsored trainer, so I guess that was just another perk.

Well, that was a problem for another day. Turning my attention back to Phantump, I said, “Confusion Ray and Leech Seed are going to be your bread and butter, so I think we need to work on your accuracy first and foremost. I'm going to set up some targets for you, and I want you to nail them.” That should buy me some time to figure out how to teach him more Grass type moves and find a way to intensify the effects.

“Phantump!” Phantump cried, all for it as I spray painted a target onto a tree. He decided to use Leech Seed first, and one of the little leaf buds on his horns shot out a seed at the target, and missed the tree entirely. Immediately, I saw that pissed him off, and he was quick to spit out another.

Leech Seed had my interest. Pokemon abilities were more than just biological functions. Take mankey for an example -- they were basically just monkeys, but they could learn elemental attacks. Sure, they came in the form of Ice Punch, Fire Punch, etc. A pikachu probably had some organ that produced electricity. A mankey didn’t. More than that, in the anime, pokemon were shown conjuring elemental attacks from nothing -- fire, lighting, rock.

Which led me to believe that the ‘energy’ was the main component of an attack. The more ‘energy’ that you had, the stronger the attack. So, a seed that could siphon off that energy and give it to another had potential. If I could find a way to increase the amount that it took, or maybe use that stolen energy to increase the power of another attack…

“Are you that worried about Brock?” Brawly asked, taking a seat around a campfire that he got going while his pokemon were sparring with one another. No abilities, just throwing some punches and kicks. “Not to toot my own horn, but if you could beat me, then you could probably walk away with the Boulder gym badge. It's not like you’d be fighting his elite team or anything.”

I was that worried about Brock. Or, in particular, his onix. Ash managed to get away with being given the badge, but I doubt that would happen for me. Meaning that we needed to topple his onix, and at the moment, I wasn't seeing the raw power needed. “His elite team?”

“Did you seriously think Gym leaders were going to send their heavy hitters against fresh trainers?” Uh… yeah, kinda. “It'd be impossible to win a badge in that case. Gyms have a bunch of pokemon of various levels of strength -- in our case, since we don't have any badges, we’ll be facing his weakest and he won't be allowed to use some high damage moves.”

Wait… was this why Gym leaders had different lineups in the games when you had a rematch? “Could we face his stronger pokemon?” I asked, just curious. I'm not sure what this meant for Brock in the anime.

“You can ask. Badge four is generally where they’ll stop fighting with the gloves on, and I think you can get a special badge if you challenge their elite team. But, you don't really get anything out of it beyond bragging rights,” Brawly said, offering a shrug of his shoulders. “From what I've seen, Mimikyu could get you through the first badge, no problems.”

That was actually reassuring to hear. “In that case, we’re training for the badges that come after.”

That seemed to fire up Brawly’s competitive spirit because he ended up joining his pokemon for training. It went on for a few hours, until late into the night. Mimikyu seemed spent by the end of it and quickly passed out against my backpack. Phantump lost steam as soon as he did and quickly joined him.

I tried to fall asleep. Only I couldn't. It felt like trying to go to bed in the middle of the day -- I just wasn't tired at all. I was forced to give up after an hour, leaving my tent to take a seat at the small fire between our tents.

“I suppose I'll do a little of my own training,” I whispered, not sure what else to do. Wasn't like I had a computer to kill some time on while I waited for the others to wake up. And it was actually a great opportunity for me, I knew, I just didn't understand why I couldn't sleep.

Aura. It would be a lie to say I fully understood it. My general impression was that it was magicky bullshit that provided a powerboost to the user and his pokemon, letting them fight longer and harder through their aura connection along with some handy abilities. Abilities that I would like to have.

Supposedly, only a few had access to their aura and as arrogant as it might sound, given my circumstances, I'm pretty sure I had it. Part of that was the general isekai package coming with an OP ability. The other part was Phantump's reaction to me.

I died and came back to life. This body was surely dead with a hole in the heart. Now, that could mean that I had no aura at all, given that whole death thing. Or, it could mean something else. That I had aura, and it was attracting Ghost Types.

I had no evidence to support the theory. It was just guesstimations and a gut feeling. And, honestly, if I didn't have an additional eight hours to burn, I probably wouldn't bother trying my hand at it. Too much of a time investment, not enough evidence that I had it. But, I did have those eight hours, so I crossed my legs and tried to meditate. To reach inside of myself and search for this mythical power.

By the time dawn came again, I had no idea if I was any closer to finding it, but if nothing else, I managed to burn the time.

…

It took another three days to reach Pewter city. Each day was something of a cycle -- we'd walk, take a break, do some training, walk some more, take a break, do some training, then we'd walk a little more, then pick out a spot to camp where we did some more training. The only deviations came when we came across trainers that we either making their way to Pewter City, from it, or they were feeling out the competition. Slowly, Brawly's pokemon were getting used to Mimikyu, much to the pokemon's delight.

His training was already seeing some results as he was able to extend his shadow two inches beyond the circle he started at. And without the lamp, his range extended a full foot. The intensifying of his shadow strengthened his attacks too. It was progress. Phantump was coming along, mostly working on his aim and he was hitting the bullseye more often than he wasn't now.

It was around noon that we crested the final hill that allowed us to overlook Pewter city.

It was quite the sight -- Mt. Moon hung back in the distance as a silhouette, the buildings weren't particularly tall at two or three stories. The city itself was nestled in a valley between large hills. From where I stood, on the outskirts, I saw the building. It stuck out like a sore thumb -- it was shaped to be a large stack of boulders. Which fit the theme of the gym, it was just a very eye-catching aesthetic choice.

“How long has Brock been the Gym Leader?” I asked Brawly as we made our way towards the city itself. We'd register for a match, then enjoy the comforts of civilization while we had the chance. After two days of camping out, you didn't know how much you missed a shower until you went without.

“This is his second year, I think. There was a bit of a scandal last year when the previous Gym Leader up and left,” Brawly said with a frown. “Flint. His dad. Brock became the Gym Leader without ever even going on his own Journey. Things were rough for him last year, but given that he's still the Gym Leader, I guess he must have smoothed things out.”

I felt for Brock. The anime had really brushed over that whole ‘Flint abandoned his ten children, and a teenage Brock was left raising his nine siblings’ thing. Like… damn. I would have murdered Flint rather than let him come back.

“I'm surprised you keep up with that kind of thing,” I admitted, making Brawly shrug.

“I want to be a Gym Leader back home, so it's important to know that kind of stuff,” he replied. “I'm going to set up somewhere near the ocean where I can catch waves every day. Down by the beach. I found this perfect spot before I left for training -- it'd be perfect. Hope no one snagged it…” he sighed, sounding worried.

The conversation distracted me because the next thing I knew, we had arrived at the Gym. The doors slid open for us, revealing a mundane looking lobby. However, the moment that the doors opened, I heard the loud chattering of a lot of people. The secretary behind the desk seemed to notice, and she offered a kind smile. “Gym Leader Brock is battling a trainer at the moment. You're welcome to watch, of course! You just have to buy a ticket.”

A ticket? Brawly and I both traded looks and we both quickly paid. Luckily, I had just enough money left in my account to cover the ticket, even if it left me closer to zero than I had ever been. The secretary wore a practiced smile as she presented our tickets to us, “Enjoy! Oh, and you're ahead of the pack because we can fit you both in the schedule tomorrow. Come a day later, and you probably would have had to wait a week!”

After getting registered for our matches, we were allowed in the back where the Gym battle was getting ready to take place. The gym ring was massive -- a high rise roof, a long field that had boulders sticking out almost at random. Flanking the sides of the field were rather full stands of people. Families that were treating their kids, die hard fans of Brock and the Gym. Locals, if I had to guess. Then I saw trainers like us, who were watching the match carefully.

We were late arrivals and the show was already about to begin by the time we found our seats on the challenger side. My gaze went to Brock, who stood on the platform that was raised above the ring -- his arms crossed, wearing a green vest over a peach colored long-sleeve. He was naturally tanned, his hair a shaggy brown, and I was faintly amused to see that his eyes seemed to be closed.

The other thing that struck me was how young he was. He was around our age -- fifteen. I couldn't imagine raising nine kids at his age.

“WELCOME LADIES AND GENTLEMEN FOR THE FIRST BATTLE TONIGHT!” An announcer shouted out over a mic. “ON THE LEFT IS PEWTER CITY'S VERY OWN GYM LEADER! THE ROUGH, THE STURDY, THE DEPENDABLE AS STONE… BROOOOOCK!!!” Brock pretended to ignore the room filling with cheers, people chanting his name and stomping their feet. The most fervent came from the Home side that was filled with locals. Though, I did see that Brock was fighting a smile off of his face.

“AND IN THE RIGHT, HIS CHALLENGER! A FAMILIAR FACE FOR SOME OF YOU WHO PAID ATTENTION IN THE KALOS LEAGUE, WHO PLACED SIXTEENTH! LET'S HEAR A YELL FOR… MARNIE!” The announcer yelled, still hyped to the point I was shocked a speaker didn't bust, but not as hyped as he had been to introduce Brock. I hadn't paid the challenger any mind until that moment, only having eyes for Brock.

I knew the name and I was surprised to see it was someone I recognized. Marnie from Sword and Shield stood on the challenger platform, wearing a white blouse, a leather half jacket, a pair of ripped up blue jeans and a pair of boots. Her expression was completely blank, ignoring the cheering and some even picked up chanting her name.

I think I spied the founding members of Team Yell.

She was around our age, maybe a year younger. Dark hair, heart shaped face -- I had absolutely no clue why she was here. Had she mentioned going through the trainer circuit in the games? Though, I suppose it would explain why Marnie had a fanatical fan club by the time that game started? I was completely lost.

“Go, Geodude!” Brock called out, throwing a pokeball.

“Impidimp!” Marnie replied, throwing out her own pokemon that materialized on the field. I leaned forward, finding myself far more interested and Mimikyu seemed to sense my anticipation.

“Match… BEGIN!”