With the spirit’s passing, the aggressive Pokémon dispersed, and Trevenant no longer had a reason to attack. Even if Pryce’s march passed near this place, neither Trevenant nor the Gym Leader would need to go after one another.
So, Sam and everyone else left.
Porygon flashed to bring them away.
And Sam was hit with intense nausea when they landed in the Pokémon Center. Yes, landed, as something about Porygon’s use of Teleport was off with transporting three people.
Xavier also stumbled, but Redi looked completely fine. Sam knew Porygon still struggled to make decisions on its own, but it seemed to have no problem prioritizing Redi’s comfort over that of everyone else.
“Eurgh...”
He pushed up from his hands and knees, sitting on his feet as he did his best to will that dizzying feeling away. Thankfully, they had managed to gather up all of their Pokémon before they left, and the Gastly in Sam’s shadow had gathered and been counted.
(Okay, sure, Sam’s shadow might have now contained a few extra heads, but the Gastly that desired to stay had stayed. A sparse few had left to explore and live in Route 42’s forest, because what else was Sam if not public transportation for Ghost Types?)
“...yes, a note on my page. If you look at what’s written under Porygon...”
Redi, able to move, did her best to explain the need for discretion to the local nurse. New species weren’t discovered every day, and she was trying to set up a similar situation to what had happened with Porygon back in Goldenrod City.
Right now, however, as Sam knelt on the Pokéball-patterned tiles of the Pokémon Center floor, the other trainers around the room watched him nervously. Likely, they had been waiting for news from Pryce’s expedition. Three trainers landing on the Pokémon Center floor should have meant something, but Sam just shook his head, disappointing them, while Xavier stood completely still next to him.
Yet, for some reason, the dismissal didn’t cause the other trainers to look away.
“Sam,” Xavier said cautiously.
Xavier spoke with an unexpected level of control and concern. Turning his head, Sam glanced over to where Xavier was looking, finding a Gengar leaning over him to inspect Quil— Typhlosion’s Pokéball at his waist.
“Oh, go away,” Sam grumbled. “Get back to haunting the Pokémon Center.”
He waved a hand at it, and the Gengar let out an echoing laugh. It bounced back into the air to fade away into nothing, and several of the other trainers in the room became extraordinarily pale.
“Samuel?” the nurse finally said, her voice a mixture of uncomfortable and confused. “We’re ready to take your Pokémon. So, if you’ll just follow me...”
Sam pushed to his feet, stumbling as his balance failed to return to him. He sent a questioning look to Xavier, but Xavier declined.
“I’ll wait outside.”
And then the other boy left through the Pokémon Center’s entrance, moving to its side to stop, stand, and stare up at the growing black of the night sky.
It took a few seconds for Sam to reach the nurse as he had to fight to maintain his balance before he was able to walk normally again. Once he reached the counter, she directed him to move around its side to follow her into the hallway with the Pokémon Center’s treatment rooms.
“I’m coming too!” Redi said.
Both of them chased after Nurse Joy inside.
Moving ahead of them, this younger nurse held her head high, but she sent frequent glances back to Sam and Redi. Her arms were held stiff at her sides.
“This room should be available,” she said.
On the way in, they passed a Chansey carrying a roll of paper that would cover an examination table. Once it had left, Nurse Joy let them step inside first, where she closed the door behind them and took a moment to breathe.
“Alright. Ignoring everything else that’s going on, you said you have a new Pokémon? Something undiscovered? Now, of all times?”
“It’s technically been discovered, it just used to be extinct,” Sam said. “It’s a variant of Typhlosion from Hisui. She managed to evolve into it after months of effort!”
The nurse slowly nodded and gestured to an empty space on the floor.
“Send her out,” she said.
Sam paused.
“But she’s injured?”
The nurse took several seconds to process Sam’s words before sighing and rubbing her brow.
“Sorry. It’s been a stressful few days. Please, hand me her Pokéball so I can scan her into our system.”
Sam passed over Typhlosion’s Pokéball to let the nurse slot it into the nearby computer. Redi let herself fall into a metal chair pressed against the wall. She looked exhausted after today’s constant running and battling, but Sam didn’t feel the same need to sit as her. He was still high off of that second wind that had come from witnessing Typhlosion’s successful evolution.
The computer whirred and sent a beam of light passing over Typhlosion’s Pokéball. Above it, a monitor on the wall flashed to ready its display. As the nurse typed, the device finished scanning, and Sam almost laughed at the banner that passed over the screen.
NEW POKEMON.
It was almost like a congratulations or an announcement. The nurse went completely still.
“You weren’t kidding,” she mumbled.
After wiping her forehead, the nurse began to type even more so than before. Sam looked at Redi, who returned his smile with an even brighter one, and they both waited for the nurse to finish her preparations.
“A few of Typhlosion’s ribs are cracked—but that’s nothing serious for a Pokémon. It’ll take a week or two for them to heal naturally, but we’ll get her right as rain in the next few days,” the nurse said, still focusing on her computer. “Everything else seems to be in order, but...”
“But what?” Sam asked.
“She’s a new species,” the nurse replied, turning around on her stool. “We can compare her readings to that of a normal Typhlosion—er, a Johtonian Typhlosion—but she’s... some kind of Ghost Type now?”
He nodded.
“That was the plan.”
The nurse bit her lip and returned her gaze to the computer’s monitor, reading through the data and its many, many nearly unparseable lines.
“...If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I think I need to make a call,” the nurse mumbled.
“Okay?” Sam said.
The nurse briskly stood up from her stool to walk out of the room, but once she opened the door, she paused to lean against its edge.
“You can send out your Pokémon if you want to talk to her,” she said, only half-paying attention while looking back at Sam. “Just make sure to not put pressure on her side and try to avoid having her do anything too intensive.”
She left after that, closing the door to give them some privacy. Alone, Sam and Redi exchanged a single look before Sam hurriedly snatched Typhlosion’s Pokéball away from the machine and released his friend and starter into the center of the room.
Typhlosion was big.
She was no longer the small, little ferret-like Pokémon she had been as a Cyndaquil and a Quilava. Now, standing on her hind legs, the top of her head reached above Sam’s own when she didn’t fall into a slouch.
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Sam looked her over, almost having trouble believing what he was seeing, and Typhlosion shook herself awake as if just coming out of a nap. Her ears weren’t the largest ears among Pokémon, but they still slapped the sides of her head when she shook.
She only realized Sam was there after taking a moment to rub her eyes. Noticing him, Typhlosion greeted him with a proud smile.
“You did it,” Sam said again.
Grinning, Typhlosion brought back her head to cry out her name, once more declaring her victory to the world.
A Johtonian member of her species possessed light-colored stomach fur with dark, heat-proof fur on its back. For Typhlosion, a Hisuian Typhlosion, her dark fur stretched around the front of her neck, almost resembling a collar or some sort of plated necklace. At regular intervals in a circle just above her shoulders were dark purple divots. Each of those holes could ignite with fire, and from what Sam had seen in the grove, he knew they could burn with a red-purple flame unique to her variant species, making it seem as though she wore some sort of grand, flowing scarf.
Seeing just what Typhlosion had become, Sam had to rub the blurriness out of his eyes. It had taken months to reach this point, and they never once had a guarantee. Typhlosion was an impossible Pokémon, yet here she was. She stood before him, staring back with just the biggest smile on her face.
She really evolved.
Before he realized it, Sam had already thrown himself forward for a hug. Typhlosion’s fur was coarse on his arms but became soft as soon as he pressed past that exterior layer. Temperature-wise, the immediate surface of her body was cold, but she was comfortably warm like a heated blanket directly underneath.
As Sam squeezed, Typhlosion said her name, her voice deeper and lacking the squeak it used to carry. She hugged him back, able to do so now that she was around his height. He shoved his face into her fur, his entire being filled with both relief and joy. However, he had to pull back pretty quickly when he felt Typhlosion wince.
“S-sorry,” Sam said while wiping his eyes. “Your ribs are cracked. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just... I’m so happy, y’know? You’re amazing. You really know that, right?”
Typhlosion replied with a chuff, sticking her chin into the air out of pride.
The squeak of rubber on tile brought Sam’s attention away, and he looked over to Redi who leaned back and watched this all take place.
“So what’s next?” she asked.
Sam grinned as he once again took in the fully evolved form of Typhlosion.
“I have to call my mom. She needs to know everything that happened! Morty, too, but he already knew we were going to succeed. I’m not really sure who else—Violet City’s Nurse Joy? Oh, Quilava’s, er, Typhlosion’s grandfather! And maybe I should also—”
He stopped.
Redi sent Sam a flat stare, and he knew that hadn’t been the answer she was looking for. Specifically, Redi wanted to know what Sam had planned for his team.
And to that, his grin only deepened.
“Ghost Type moves,” Sam said. “So, so many Ghost Type moves. Evolution always means a dramatic increase in strength, and after all of Typhlosion’s practice with Curse and Will-O-Wisp, learning more moves to match her new Type should come super fast.”
Sam swung his backpack around to his front and reached in. Typhlosion was able to watch him dig through from a completely different angle than before. She tilted her head to the side as he retrieved the New Pokédex and flipped to a certain, extremely familiar entry that they had never directly used before.
Never directly used until now.
“There we go. Typhlosion. Hisuian Typhlosion.” Sam laughed to himself as he saw the familiar sketch that started this all. “I’m thinking we pick up everything. Your new moves don’t even seem that difficult for you, Typhlosion. You can get Confuse Ray. Hex. Shadow Ball. Night Shade. Maybe even a physical attack like Shadow Claw?”
He paused to let Typhlosion consider her options.
“I mean, from here, the possibilities might as well be endless. I can’t even imagine what you’ll be capable of now! Well, I absolutely can, but what I’m trying to say is that you’re going to be even more amazing! There’s so much we can do, but before then—”
He stopped himself before he got distracted. There was something else he wanted Typhlosion to try, first.
“Hey,” Sam said, slowing down before he could fall into a lecture. “That move you used to illuminate the tree. It wasn’t just a Will-O-Wisp, was it? I bet it was something more—Infernal Parade, Hisuian Typhlosion’s signature move. That was it, right?”
As Sam named the brand new move, Typhlosion furrowed her brow in thought. The New Pokédex said her species instinctively understood how to use Infernal Parade, but it seemed she hadn’t even realized that possibility until now.
Slowly, as if to test the idea, Typhlosion held up a paw and cupped the air in front of her chest. Carefully pulling it away from her, a single, flaming wisp sparked up above her palm. The move resembled a Will-O-Wisp, but it didn’t carry the usual shade of red Sam had come to expect. Instead, it was made of that same, flickering purple that could burn around Typhlosion’s neck.
Sam realized he recognized it. Partially, at least. Whenever Quilava had used Will-O-Wisp while under the effects of Curse, the edges of her motes had been tinted with hints of that same purple.
“Infernal Parade is similar to Hex but slightly weaker,” he said quietly, staring at the flames of Typhlosion’s new attack. “Its damage potential is ever so slightly lower, but like Hex, it doubles in power when damaging a target with a status condition. However, its real strength comes from a combination with that trait. What I mean is, Infernal Parade can inflict a burn all on its own.”
Typhlosion suddenly breathed out of her nose, causing the flames to vibrate from the rush of air. Lowering her paw, she controlled the wisp to keep it hovering in place. All it took was the slightest bit of her focus to have it move around the room.
Sam watched her control it with ease before continuing his explanation.
“Even though Infernal Parade deals less damage than Hex, it’s a better move all around,” Sam continued, whispering as he watched Typhlosion practice. “Instead of needing to use Will-O-Wisp and then an attack to take advantage of that, you can just use Infernal Parade twice to deal more damage overall.”
“Really?”
Sam winced at Redi’s question, breaking out of his trance. Redi was still watching the moving flame, looking almost enthralled by the fire.
“Kind of,” Sam said, shrugging, nonchalant. “Infernal Parade is a Ghost Type attack, so its fires aren’t as strong as Will-O-Wisps. Burns are common but not guaranteed. Still, I think the damage more than makes up for that.”
Typhlosion’s ears stood straight up as she focused on moving around the single mote. It built up speed as she grew in confidence, and it zipped back and forth, side to side, and eventually, up and down.
That was a mistake.
As soon as her mote neared the ceiling, a blaring, beeping noise shook the very air. The smoke detected blasted out its warning, and Typhlosion had only seconds to put out her attack before the sprinkler system activated.
She did so, but she didn’t snuff it out the way Sam expected.
Rather than dropping the control of her move and letting it dissipate, Typhlosion acted on some unknown instinct, snapping out at the mote with her mouth. She chomped down on the fire, consuming her attack.
The beeping stopped. Everyone in the room froze.
Typhlosion burped, smoke coming out of her mouth.
“Gross!” Redi said, waving her hand in front of her face and bursting into laughter.
Sam couldn’t hold back his laughter, and he teased Typhlosion until a Chansey carrying a fire extinguisher rushed into the room. The next few minutes were spent frantically apologizing and assuring the nurse Pokémon that everything was okay.
“So how long ‘til you’re able to take on Pryce?” Redi asked, sliding back onto her metal chair once the Chansey had calmed and left.
“Hm. As soon as we can? Typhlosion’s super strong now, and she’s already so familiar with Ghost Type energy that she’ll pick up new moves in no time at all,” Sam said, walking around his newly evolved friend while she wiggled under the attention. “We’ll need to spend a few days healing and then a few more days after that just getting her used to her new body. Past that, practice. This is going to be a great time to spar with the rest of the team, so I see us winning against Pryce in, let’s say, two weeks?”
He stopped walking to smirk at Redi, who replied with a roll of her eyes. Two weeks was the exact amount of time until Sam’s scheduled Gym Battle would take place.
“You know,” Redi started, “Pryce is still out there, isn’t he? He’s hunting for Trevenant with the rest of the trainers under him. Trevenant’s not going to attack—not now—so Pryce isn’t going to do anything, but what’s going to happen to it after everything else?”
When Sam didn’t immediately respond, Redi dropped her gaze to the floor, and the mood fell into a solemn silence. Sam had no reason to believe Pryce would do anything to Trevenant after everything that happened, but he was worried. Primarily, even though Trevenant had calmed down, he just hoped the wild Pokémon would be okay.
Lost to his thoughts, Sam only looked up when he felt something hit his shoulder. Glancing over, he saw Typhlosion staring at him with a paw on his arm. With her new evolution and new body, she did her best to send him the best approximation of a thumbs-up she could.
She looked goofy, especially since her paws didn’t quite match the digits of a human hand and because of the way her sharp teeth messed with her smile. Sam laughed, despite everything that had gone on.
For the first time in a while, he felt as though everything would be okay.
“I’m glad you could help it,” he said.
She nodded and let herself drop to the ground. While Typhlosion could walk on their hind legs, they were faster when running on all fours. She hadn’t yet had much time to get used to her new size, so Typhlosion went through a few stretches—basic ones, given the status of her ribs—and tried to familiarize herself with her longer limbs.
With her on the ground, Sam could see a clear resemblance to how she looked as a Quilava. He’d been worried about changes that’d come from a change in Type, but Typhlosion was still herself.
She was just... bigger.
“Nurse Joy’s been gone for a while, but Xavier’s still outside,” Sam leaned against the room’s examination table. “I know she’s probably going to be back soon, but I don’t want to make him wait. I’ll check on him once the nurse returns and Typhlosion starts getting healed.”
Redi nodded, and they waited.
Minutes passed. Their room continued to go undisturbed. Typhlosion went through all the stretches she could without disturbing her ribs.
Click.
A single noise came from the hallway.
“...Did you hear that?”
Redi sat up in her chair, and Typhlosion jumped to her feet. Her eyes locked onto the room’s door, the sole entrance and exit to this enclosed space.
Click, the noise rang out.
Click, the noise came again.
Click, and the room was dead silent save for the regular sound of something hard hitting the Pokémon Center’s floor.
“W-What is that?”
Every time the noise repeated, Sam’s heart skipped in his chest. A cold sweat formed on the back of his neck, but he felt none of the chill that would have signaled this as coming from a Ghost Type.
Click.
Redi was out of her chair. She positioned herself under a small, box-sized window at the top of the wall. She looked ready to climb out the moment anything went wrong.
Click.
And Typhlosion joined her, fur standing on its ends. As thin tendrils of smoke began to trickle out from her neck, she was just as ready to scramble out even with her current injuries.
Click.
“I... I don’t know what that is,” Sam whispered.
Click.
The noise continued at a constant, regular pace.
Each tap was louder. Each tap was closer. Each time the tap came, Sam was ready to jump.
His instincts screamed that he needed to leave.
Click.
“R-Redi,” Sam stammered. “S-send out Porygon. Now. Please. Before it gets here. We can’t let it get to us. We can’t let it get in here. We can’t let it get to us before we—”
CLICK.
The noise stopped.
Whatever had been causing it was now right outside their door.
The room fell into an impossible silence as everyone refused to breathe. No one let themselves twitch even an inch or make the slightest of sounds. Redi’s hand was frozen halfway to Porygon’s Pokéball at her belt, and Sam’s shadow looked completely normal. It was as if every Ghost Type inside had drawn itself back to hide from whatever was out there.
An eternity passed.
A metallic squeak pierced the air.
As the door’s handle slowly turned, whatever it was began making its way in. Sam had never been so sure of something in his life; whenever the source of that noise stepped inside, his entire existence would end.
“Oh, that’s enough out of you,” a voice said, and the feeling drew itself back. Sam suddenly found himself able to breathe. “There we go. Is that a dramatic enough entrance for you? I’ve seen your battles and assumed you might find something like this amusing.”
There, as the door opened up, Sam was met with the sight of a short woman resting her hands on a wooden cane that had likely been the source of those clicks. The woman wore an almost frumpy, lavender dress that had a short apron tied to its front, and her hair had greyed into an impossibly light blonde. Her eyes, however, were still sharp and full of energy despite the wrinkles that decorated her face.
Redi gulped as she attempted to gather herself now that that terrifying aura had disappeared.
“W-who’s this old—”
“You won’t finish that sentence if you know what’s good for you,” the woman said, and Redi snapped her mouth shut.
Sam finally let himself exhale as he realized who, exactly, he was staring at.
“Agatha,” he said, naming the woman standing before him. “You’re Agatha, Ghost Type Master and the longest-standing member of Indigo’s Elite Four.”
“Indeed. I am she,” Agatha said, stepping into the room as the door closed itself behind her. “Now then. I was told my presence was required, and I can already see why.”
She hummed, looking over Typhlosion. Typhlosion tried to avoid the old woman’s stare, but no matter how much she shrunk in on herself, she was unable to hide from the Elite trainer’s discerning gaze.
“Oh ho, a new species? No, a variant. That’s it? Hmph. How droll.”
The strongest Ghost Type trainer in the world shook her head.
“Amusing, but disappointing. I understand why I was contacted, but I didn’t expect it to be over something so utterly mundane.”