Pokemon: Spiritual Master

"You are...?"

Morty's gaze swept past Gengar to see Johan standing inside the Burned Tower. A hint of surprise appeared on his face.

"Professor Johan?"

"You know me, Gym Leader Morty?" Johan was equally surprised.

Morty chuckled and said, "I recently watched your speedrun live streams of the Battle Frontier. Your Gengar's 45 consecutive victories at the Battle Tower left quite the impression."

As a fellow trainer specializing in Ghost-type Pokémon, Morty naturally paid close attention to this.

Johan smiled in realization.

It seemed his Gengar had gained some fame, even among experts like Morty.

"So, Professor Johan, are you here in Ecruteak City to collect the Gym Badge?" Morty asked.

Hmm?

Did Morty really just use the word "collect"? That phrasing was... a little too apt.

"No, we're just here as tourists," Johan replied with a laugh.

Morty looked slightly disappointed. As a Ghost-type trainer, he had hoped to battle Johan.

Meanwhile, Gengar was busy.

"Ka-kaah~~"

"Ka-kaah?"

Morty's Gengar finally realized that the figure that had startled it earlier was another Gengar.

Curiosity sparked in its eyes as it looked at Johan's Gengar.

The two purple troublemakers stared at each other, their grins identical. Morty's Gengar looked intrigued, while Johan's Gengar's grin carried a playful tease.

Suddenly—

Thunk.

A scorched wooden plank fell from somewhere inside the decrepit Burned Tower.

Without missing a beat, Johan's Gengar darted over to the fallen piece of wood.

It stepped on the plank, crossing its arms and tilting its head upward at a dramatic 45-degree angle as if whistling nonchalantly.

The problem?

Though Gengar was hefty, its feet weren't very large. The wooden plank beneath it was much bigger, leaving most of it visible.

Morty's Gengar walked over, glancing down at the exposed plank and then up at Johan's Gengar. Its expression grew comically puzzled.

"Ka-kaah!"

Johan's Gengar growled lowly at Morty's Gengar, adopting a mock-ferocious look.

Don't look at me like that, or I'll knock you out!

Johan had explained earlier that the Burned Tower, despite its damaged state, was protected by the Pokémon League as a historical structure. They couldn't just take anything from it.

Since they couldn't pry anything loose, Gengar figured they could only wait for something to fall on its own.

And now, such a perfect piece had fallen—how could it resist?

Morty couldn't help but notice.

"Professor Johan... what is your Gengar doing?"

Johan covered his face with his hand.

"Long story short, here's the deal..."

He gave a brief rundown of their visit to Ecruteak and their purpose: finding burned wood imbued with spectral or fiery energy.

Morty listened with interest. He didn't press for further details about what the wood was for, as that was clearly Johan's business.

"I see... wood that has been burned and retains some Ghost or Fire energy," Morty murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "If that's all you need, there's plenty at my Gym."

"Huh?" Johan blinked.

Morty smiled.

"The Burned Tower frequently sheds charred pieces of wood over time. I've been collecting them at my Gym for years."

No wonder the Burned Tower seemed so clean, Johan thought.

He had initially expected the place to be littered with charred debris and figured they could simply gather what they needed.

Instead, the tower was clean despite its age, its floors clear of scattered wood or rubble. Morty had evidently "beaten them to it."

At that moment, one of Johan's Poké Balls clicked open.

"Goka!"

Charcadet appeared beside him, tugging on Johan's pants and gesturing toward a corner of the tower.

"What is it?" Johan asked.

"Goka!"

Charcadet gestured again, motioning for him to follow. Then it dashed toward the deeper parts of the Burned Tower.

Although the tower's upper floors were mostly collapsed, its ground level and basement were still intact enough to traverse. Charcadet led them cautiously down creaking stairs that groaned with every step.

They arrived at a dimly lit corner of the basement. The air was heavy with ash and soot, faintly laced with an eerie chill.

Charcadet stopped before a scorched wooden pillar.

Embedded in it was a jagged, palm-sized shard of wood, clinging precariously to the beam. It seemed ready to fall at any moment.

"Wait, is that...?"

Johan narrowed his eyes, noticing a faint glow—a nearly imperceptible flicker of fire still smoldering within the shard.

Even after over a hundred years, some vestige of flame lingered, defying time itself.

What's more, this sliver of flame seemed to carry traces of life.

Morty stared in astonishment.

"The flame... is still alive?"

His disbelief was evident. Although Morty often visited the Burned Tower, he rarely ventured into its basement due to safety concerns. He never imagined something like this had endured.

Heavy footsteps echoed as Johan and Morty examined the shard.

"Ka-kaah~~"

Johan's Gengar strutted around the basement, loudly humming as if taking a casual stroll.

Morty's Gengar, intrigued, mimicked its behavior.

"What are they doing?" Morty asked, perplexed.

Johan sighed. "Gengar said it's just 'stretching its legs.' Don't worry, it won't damage anything."

Charcadet, however, wasn't about to miss the fun.

"Goka! Goka!"

It joined the Gengar duo, marching in exaggerated steps.

"Oowoo..."

Watching this spectacle, Ninetales blinked in realization. It flicked its tail to nudge one of Johan's Poké Balls.

Thud.

A heavy sound reverberated through the basement.

"Cha?"

Tinkaton appeared, hammer in hand, surveying her surroundings with curiosity.

Understanding the situation, Tinkaton grinned, adjusted her grip on her hammer, and joined the procession.

Unlike Gengar's and Charcadet's lighter steps, Tinkaton's movements were anything but subtle.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Her hammer struck the ground with each step, causing faint tremors. Dust and ash began to rain down from the fragile ceiling.

Morty looked alarmed.

"The stairs will collapse if this keeps up!"

Fortunately, Tinkaton's heavy steps soon had the desired effect.

Clatter! Clatter!

Pieces of charred wood fell from the pillar, including the shard carrying the faint ember.

Johan's Gengar caught the shard with a smug grin.

"Ka-kaah~!"

You saw that, right? It fell on its own. Not my fault!

Morty stared, speechless.

Back at the Gym, Johan inspected Morty's collection of charred wood.

"Your Gengar..." Morty began, his tone uncertain.

"What about it?" Johan asked, confused.

Morty hesitated.

"Is it always... like this?"

Johan shrugged. "Isn't that just how Gengar are?"

For Johan, his Gengar—and even Elite Four member Agatha's—behaved in much the same way.

On their way to the Gym, Morty silently reflected on his own approach to training Gengar.

Unlike Johan, who embraced Gengar's mischievous nature and guided it toward balance, Morty often tried to suppress his Gengar's antics.

Watching Johan and his team, Morty couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Professor Johan truly lives up to his reputation as a Pokémon psychologist. I've learned something new today."

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Powerstones?

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