Chapter 65 (Patreon)
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Samâs alarm woke him up exactly at midnight. It was a compromise from when he had woken up a few hours later the last time he had done something like this. While slightly earlier, it was still deep enough into the night that the moon was at its peak, but this way, he wouldnât need to sleep in as late the next morning. He'd still have most of the day to do as he wished.
He rolled out of the PokĂ©mon Center bed, stretching to regain wakefulness and grabbing the clothes heâd laid out a few hours before. Tossed over the back of a chair were pants, a shirt, and his usual jacket. They fit him a lot better than the oversized outfit he had worn during the tournament.
As Sam threw on his clothes and let out a yawn, truthfully, he was a little disappointed. Itâd been a few days since his teamâs victory, and he hadnât been recognized anywhere near as much as he wanted. He had packed away his tournament outfit and had gone back to wearing his normal clothes while out and about Violet City. Despite placing first in the tournament, that was apparently enough for people to not know who he was. The Violet City Tournament was still just a local tournament. Important battles took place all the time, and given the one he won took place several times a year, it didnât have the same relative importance as what an annual tournament might have had.
A few people had pointed him out to friends, but they never approached. The rest didnât even send a glance his way.
I might not be a famous trainer yet, but I guess Iâll be able to enjoy anonymity for a bit longer, I suppose.
Sam didnât know anyone who didnât want to be famous. There wasnât anything wrong with having that fantasy for himself.
Despite that relative lack of interest, his light practice with his team garnered a different kind of reaction whenever he went out behind the PokĂ©mon Center to train. Given theyâd spent a week throwing themselves into training, he was only having his PokĂ©mon practice their moves and keep in shape with daily exercises. However, while going through their more relaxed routine, Samâs PokĂ©mon tended to gather a few observers.
Outside of Hex, he had nothing to hide. Without a tournament over his headâonly an upcoming Gym BattleâSam didnât feel the need to hide his teamâs capabilities on the nearby route. The space behind the PokĂ©mon Center was good enough. A courtyard battlefield hidden by the other buildings of the city block gave them plenty of room to practice.
But other trainers practiced there, and a few of them actually recognized him. Specifically, they realized who he was when he sent out the Pokémon on his team. Most stood off to the side and tried to hide the glances they sent his way, but a few had actually asked him to battle. However, when it came to those matches...
Well, they had won the Violet City tournament for a reason. His Pokémon won every match.
Smiling to himself, Sam zipped up his jacket. He could still feel the warmth that stemmed from the pride of victory. His team had utterly crushed the Violet City Tournament. They were unbeatable! Theyâd defeat anyone who came their way!
He coughed into a hand.
At least, thatâs true for trainers of our current level. We might be taking it easy for now, but we canât slack on practice for too long. Everyone else is still getting stronger, and thereâs still just under half the season to go.
Sam remained staring ahead at the real goal: Johtoâs Silver Conference. Itâd be embarrassing if he failed to become strong enough to at least make it past the preliminaries.
His quiet musings filling the silence as he slowly woke up, Sam waited to put on his shoes. He needed to make sure his PokĂ©mon were all awake as well. A street lamp outside the roomâs window might have provided a soft glow, but the only source of light came from a lamp that he clicked on.
Haunter had been lazily floating in the corner, and the flash of the light caused him to snap his eyes open. He immediately recognized what was going on and started to zip back and forth through the air rather excitedly. Sam had of course informed him of their plans for tonight, and Haunter had been impatiently waiting in a trance that wasnât quite sleep.
Torpor, maybe?
The rest of the team wasnât anywhere near as prepared as him.
Quilava was still passed out on the bed. Her paws were stretched out to her front and her back. Unconscious, she smushed her face down into her legs, causing her skin to bunch up to make her look completely different.
Next to her was Misdreavus, who had woken up when Sam had woken up, but she hadnât left the bed. When Sam rolled away, she moved away from where she had rested on a pillow of her own to lean against Quilava, who had been sleeping pressed parallel to Samâs legs.
Misdreavus blearily blinked open her eyes, and she started to slowly nudge Quilava awake. He left them there for now, going to Primeape, who had claimed a high-backed chair for himself. Sam poked the Fighting Type, but Primeape responded by flopping a hand up in an attempt to wave him away. A harder poke saw a grumble. Primeape tried to tell Sam to leave him alone.
âYou know this is the perfect time to practice, right?â
And Primeape hopped off the chair in the very next moment.
He stretched, bringing his arms out and punching the air to wake himself up. He had a smirk on his face, already thinking about the ways he could get stronger. Behind, Quilava let out a soft mumble as Misdreavus finally managed to wake her up.
She raised her head, tiredly trying to open her eyes before snapping them the rest of the way open in sudden remembrance. Sam lunged towards and wrapped a hand around her mouth as excited eyes stared his way. Misdreavus entered the air to look at both of them, more than just confused, but he stopped Quilava from saying anything but holding a finger to his mouth to shush her.
âNot today, alright? Iâm getting too old for that.â
Quilava despondently nodded her head, clearly disappointed.
Thankfully, the only other PokĂ©mon who had heard Sam speak was Misdreavus, who glanced between both him and Quilava. He pretended that nothing had happened as he helped Quilava onto his shoulders. She let herself hang around his neck as Misdreavus positioned herself in the air to his side, where sheâd be able to stay close and whisper to Quilava whenever she wanted.
Primeape was still shadowboxing to make sure he was awake, and Haunter continued to zip through the air in excitement.
âEveryone ready?â Sam asked, getting several short, excited cries in response. âStay quiet to not wake anyone up. Weâll be heading out right now.â
After slipping on his shoes, Sam and his entire team crept out of the PokĂ©mon Center hallway to head out into Violet Cityâs streets. He pulled his jacket tighter around him as Quilava warmed herself up to help ward off the cold. Once again, this was a moment to explore a city at night. Itâd be less exciting to do so this âearly,â but it was a nice way to start off today of all days.
Violet City wasnât the same as Azalea Town. The last time they had gone for a middle-of-the-night walk, they had done it in a sleepy little settlement. People were still up, mostly those who had gotten lost trying to find the bottom of a bottle. The usual PokĂ©mon of the witching hour werenât all present, but there were still a few species that made themselves known now that there were less people about.
Walking through the streets with his team, Sam kept his eyes out. Rattata continued to be ubiquitous. Similarly, Sentret were a species specific to Johto that were almost as common. This time around, there werenât any Spinarak, and this city wasnât big enough to sustain maybe more than a handful of wild Houndour, but he did see them occasionally stalking through a wide alley. What he didnât see, however, were Pidgey, or even Murkrow.
Sure, he saw one or two, but there was a strange lack of Flying Types in a town so dedicated to the Flying Type. The skies were empty save for the occasional Noctowl, but those kept to set paths over the streets. Likely, they were on some sort of nighttime patrol for the local Gym.
There was one flock of Pidgey that slept within the dense branches of a street-side tree, but any more seemed to be absent. Sam found that to be weirdly confusing until he stumbled on something else soon enough.
âBellsprout. Escorted by Gastly!â
He and his team stepped to the side of the street to watch a parade of Pokémon that had suddenly appeared.
Spindly Grass Types that were more root than leaf walked down the road and picked up the rare piece of refuse that had failed to be thrown away. Gastly drifted above and around them, the Ghost Types behaving as if on protection duty.
Watching them, Sam engraved what he was seeing into his mind. His books never once mentioned anything like this. Haunter and Misdreavus waved to the Ghost Types, receiving wary but respectful nods in return. One Bellsprout split off from the rest to try to grab at Samâs shoelace, but he took a step back and apologized.
Heâd never received a dirty look from a Grass Type before. He almost felt guilty he hadnât let it steal part of his shoes.
Almost.
âThey arenât trained, but theyâve definitely received some kind of training,â Sam whispered as about two dozen PokĂ©mon walked down the road. âThey arenât behaving like a trainerâs PokĂ©mon, but thereâs definitely an order to them you donât really see in the wild.â
Flying Types would have likely gone after the Bellsprout if it werenât for the Gastly. Meanwhile, while a few following Gastly were obvious, the Bellsprout themselves were enough of a distraction that the more clever Gastly among them could get off a few scares.
Sam could put the clues together and know that these PokĂ©mon were from Violet Cityâs famous Sprout Tower. It was as much of a historical site as it was a religious site. The place also occasionally saw low-level PokĂ©mon battles take place in it.
Except it was closed the moment the sun went down. Sam wouldnât be able to head there and ask about the parade.
Knowing that witnessing something like this could only ever happen in Violet City, Sam watched the train of Pokémon continue on their path through their city. It was only after they were gone and once Sam returned to quiet meandering that he started to see a few Murkrow, Flying Types, start to return.
âMy best guess is that this lets the PokĂ©mon of Sprout Tower get some exercise while also helping clean Violet Cityâs streets,â he whispered to the team.
There was still so much to learn about the Ghost Type. He really wanted to figure out how the monks of the tower set all of this up.
From there, Sam resumed walking with his team, wandering through the city. He quickly ran out of city blocks that contained more office-like buildings, and he started to reach more residential districts containing rows of complexes and houses with people sleeping inside.
He didnât see much more, but he enjoyed being able to spend this quiet time with his team. Misdreavus stayed by his side. Quilava remained on his neck. Primeape was following along with his eyes closed. He wasnât sleeping, but he was trying to meditate.
For his last team member, Haunter was off... somewhere, but he was definitely sticking nearby. Getting the feeling he wouldnât be seeing much else tonight, Sam spoke up, keeping his voice quiet to not disturb the sanctity of the night.
âSo Iâve been watching the recordings of our battles and taking notes,â he said, recognizing how their time out was reaching its end. âI think I have some pretty solid ideas for our next goals. Do you want to hear my thoughts?â
Misdreavus bumped into Samâs arm, smiling at him to encourage him to speak. A noise from above told Sam that Haunter was somewhere above their heads, and both Primeape and Quilava made soft noises to say they were interested.
âWeaker moves,â Sam said. âThatâs my biggest takeaway from the tournament. As an overall lesson, I mean. It sounds strange, but I actually think practicing low-level attacks could help you out in a pinch.â
He didnât plan to incorporate any truly weak attacks in their strategies. No, he wanted his team to have something they could use quickly that didnât take much effort.
âWe used them once or twice across all of our recorded battles, but from what Iâve seen, they can come out fast. At your level, thereâs almost no need for a build-up, and they require so little energy that you can use them back-to-back. Sure, something like an Incinerate or Hex might be better for damage, but a surprise Ember? It could make a charging opponent back off.â
Quilava made a noise on Samâs neck. Sheâd practiced Ember before she had evolved, but even then, Incinerate, Will-O-Wisp, and Curse were her bread and butter at this point. Similarly, Primeape had moved on from attacks like Karate Chop and Low Kick in favor of his elemental punches and his newly acquired Brick Break and Rock Smash. As for Haunterâs Lick, it had been ignored since day one.
However...
âLick can cause paralysis,â Sam pointed out, glancing upwards.
Haunterâs eyes widened. He suddenly looked much more ready to practice the move.
âWeâve been taking it easy these past few days, as per Nurse Joyâs orders, but I think we can start picking up the pace. Working on weaker moves can be a decent transition before moving onto individual training.â Sam smiled to himself. âAnd boy do I have plans for that.â
He asked Quilava to step down for a moment, and he crouched to take out his personal journal from his backpack. He had brought along specifically for this moment.
âRight now, all of you are strong. Weâve spent months making sure you have a solid baseline, which means we should be fine coasting on passive growth for a bit. The most important thing we can work on is improving what moves you know and continuing to improve our strategies.â
Sam stood up, making sure Quilava could return to his shoulders as he did. He flipped through his journal, reading its pages thanks to a small, rechargeable book light. It was something he had brought from home, and he had many fond memories of using it to secretly read when he should have been asleep in bed.
He looked around before continuing, eyes locking onto a small bench at the side of the road. Sitting, Quilava shifted to lay across his lap, and he used her side to prop up his journal. Everyone else gathered around him.
âWeâll go in order of capture. That means weâre starting with you, Quilava,â Sam said. âFor you, your training will be pretty simple: just Flamethrower and maybe Double Team. Flamethrower is a more targeted Fire Type attack than Incinerate, but itâs way stronger. Double Team will help you dodge without needing Detect, and itâd pair well with Haunter and Misdreavusâs Confuse Ray.â
Quilava nodded. She didnât need to do anything more than that for Sam to know sheâd have no trouble learning those moves.
âPrimeape,â Sam said next. âYou have a much longer list: Rage. Bulk-Up. Shadow Claw, maybe. Power-Up Punch, an even bigger maybe. You know our true goal is for you to figure out Rage Fist, but I want to set everything else up to make doing so easier.â
Sam had already discussed Shadow Claw in the past; while it was nice if Primeape figured it out, he already was familiar with Ghost Type energy thanks to Curse, and Rage Fist would ultimately replace it. It wasnât necessarily needed. No, that attack would be a bonus to everything else. The only new goal was the last move he shared: Power-Up Punch.
Like Hex, Sam only knew of it thanks to the New Pokédex.
Power-Up Punch was somewhat like Haunterâs Acid Spray in that successive uses let it hit harder. Something about how the move worked meant it temporarily increased the userâs strength whenever it landed, but outside of how it was unknown, it was also a TM move. Not only would it require extra effort to train, Sam wasnât sure how it worked either. Still, if Primeape could figure out a move like that out, he could probably also figure out Rage Fist in his sleep.
Sam wanted Primeape to figure out Power-Up Punch for that reason, and he hoped that it would be a good, default attack to rely on before Primeape eventually managed to evolve.
âThink youâll be able to figure it out?â Sam asked, glancing at Primeape after sharing his thoughts.
Primeapeâs determined expression was answer enough; he would do it. His previous goals might have already been difficult enough, and this was yet another goal on top of that, but Primeape wasnât one to give up in the face of a challenge.
He nodded once, saying his name as he did. Sam knew he could trust his Pokémon to learn it.
âThank you,â Sam said before glancing up at the pair of PokĂ©mon hovering in the air. âNow for you twoâthis is what Iâm really excited about.â
Two Ghost Types stared back down at him, both Misdreavus and Haunter looked on curiously. Sam didnât even need his notes for this. He knew the plans for his Ghost Types by heart.
âHaunter, our end goal for you is to make you the ultimate status-setter. Weâll make use of your speed and all of your utility moves to make you an absolute nightmare to fight,â he said, grinning. âAnd speaking of nightmares, thatâs the exact move I want you to learn: Nightmare. That, and Dream Eater. They pair perfectly with how you can put opponents to sleep.â
Haunter grinned, exposing his teeth in an expression befitting a malicious specter. Dream Eater would let him eat the dreams of opposing Pokémon to damage them while simultaneously recovering his stamina. Nightmare, meanwhile, was a passive condition he could inflict on a sleeping opponent. As long as his target remained asleep outside of their Pokéball, the condition would wear away at their health and eventually cause them to faint.
âBut Shadow Ball has the priority, first,â Sam said, rubbing his neck.
Haunter deflated. Hex was better for his place in their teamâs strategy, but Shadow Ball was needed for their other battles and for when opponents werenât affected by status conditions.
âAnd finally, you, Misdreavus,â Sam said, glancing to where she had lowered herself beside him. âAre you excited?â
Her eyes curved up alongside part of a smile as she trilled her name, floating higher in the air. Her voice came out light, almost melodic. The tension that she used to have before joining the team had completely vanished.
âNasty Plot,â Sam started, locking eyes with her. âThen Will-O-Wisp. Hex. Psybeam.â
Misdreavus cocked her head to the side.
âPsychic. Power Gem. Pain Split. Payback,â Sam continued. âMisdreavus, youâre strong, but we have a lot we need to work on. I have a good idea where you stand, and youâre definitely in pace with the rest of the team. However, what you have in power, you lack in technique. That, and the variety of moves you know. I plan to fix that.â
He cleared his throat before jumping into an explanation.
âWill-O-Wisp pairs well with Hex, and it can devastate a physical attacker. Pain Split and Payback arenât moves to rely on often, but theyâre great at punishing anyone who actually manages to land a hit. Everything else I listed are all attacking moves that would help you with coverage. All of them except for one: Nasty Plot.â
Sam gave that a dramatic pause.
âDo you want to guess my plans for your place on the team?â
Misdreavus looked at him curiously but shook her head. She didnât have any guesses, and Sam stared straight ahead with a small smile on his face. He could already picture how all of their strategies would slot together.
âQuilava wears down our opponents as a special attacker. Haunter inflicts conditions and tires out everyone he fights. Primeape handles anyone they canât handle with his powerful, melee attacks. But for you? Nasty Plot helps you think of all the little ways you can cause your opponent the most pain with your special moves. It buffs your damage, which means we can combine it with all your other attacks. In other words, I can send you out once our opponents are too exhausted to fight back. With that kind of power, youâll be able to âsweep them upâ and finish off anyone thatâs left.â
There were stars in Misdreavusâs eyes. She said her name softly and in awe. She looked at Sam, hesitating for only a single second before rushing forward to press into his chest.
He laughed and easily hugged her back.
After a few seconds, she pulled away, and Sam looked over his team once more. Everyone looked more determined than ever, Samâs plans for them giving them clear roles to chase after. Their win in the Violet City Tournament wasnât anything to grow arrogant about. They still had so many more battles theyâd face in the future.
âWeâll be fighting Walker soon, but thereâs no rush for that. Weâll be able to train as much as we need before signing up. Just continue to trust me, and continue to train. While you work on your skills in battle, Iâll work on my skills as a trainer, and Iâll create a strategy thatâll carry us straight into an easy win.â
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When Sam woke up late the next morning, he didn't bother going through his usual routine. He threw on a shirt, put on some pants, and after waking up Quilava, he went for a jog through Violet City's streets.
This wasn't something he did often, but it was something his mother heavily encouraged. While it tended to initially tire him out, going for a run usually woke him up and gave him the energy heâd need for the rest of the day. Outside, he took in the differences between the nightâs empty streets and late morningâs lively crowds. He watched people go about their business, and he watched the numerous Flying Types going in and out of the top of Violet City's Gym.
When he got back, he showered before going outside to lightly train his PokĂ©mon. Quilava worked on Ember once again, Haunter tried to harass Primeape with Lick, and Misdreavus practiced one-on-one with Sam. With ease, she fell into the routine of practicing her moves, understanding more about Samâs strategies, and figuring out the first steps sheâd need to take to learn new moves. While neither of them wanted to train Hex while being watched, Sam did try to help her figure out Will-O-Wisp. He also considered asking Redi for help with converting Psywave into Psybeam, as Porygon was an absolute master with that move.
But they didn't train for too long, mostly just getting in a bit of practice and warming up. When that was done with, Sam headed back into the Pokémon Center and found Redi in its lobby, chatting animatedly with another trainer. She waved at him as he moved to stand in line, as it was the norm to give Pokémon a brief check-up after training. He wanted to make sure they were in perfect health, as he did have a few different plans for today.
I'll need to call Mom first, but I definitely want to head back to the library. I've already been using its computers to watch archived battles, but Iâll be able to hopefully find a good book, too. I have a bunch of funds from winning the tournament. I bet there's a bookstore I can find. It'd be a pain to carry a few extra books and the New PokĂ©dex, but it'd be nice to be able to get some light reading done while on a route.
Heâd only buy one short series. Maybe two. Though, if he bought too many, he'd need to buy an extra bag. Something he could hold in hand, separate from his back.
Or I can buy a larger backpack?
He considered it as his place in line crept closer to the front counter.
No. Actually, I should buy a crowbar. I don't want to experience something like the Ruins of Alph ever again.
Considering his plans, he eventually reached the nurse on duty in the mornings. He smiled and greeted her, recognizing her as the one who had healed his team at the tournament. As per usual, four Pokéballs were passed over alongside his trainer ID.
Except, he thought of it too late. The moment he realized his mistake, the nurse had already read through a certain set of numbers displayed on the card. She looked up at him and smiled.
âOh!â she said much too loudly for his liking. âHappy birthday!â
Sam wasnât able to stop his wince as a gasp rang out from behind. Turning around, he saw Redi marching right at him. The chilling expression on her face told him he had messed up, big time.
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Author Note:
Tomorrow, at the usual posting time, Iâll be posting a poll on Royal Road that contains the vote for Samâs next team members. Again, the winners arenât guaranteed a spot, rather, theyâre much more likely to have a spot. You can read more about it in the post-chapter author note here.
Pokémon included in this chapter:
Bellsprout
Gastly
Murkrow
Noctowl
Pidgey
Rattata