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echnically, she was out in the forest to look for lost trainers. Apparently one of Dizhen’s usual “caretakers” had come down with a cold (story went she had found a trainer who was being chased by a pack of growlithe, and she and her empoleon had heroically fought them off - only to be bested by a chest cold the next morning), and since she was passing through anyway, the others asked if Jodie could pitch in for the day. Reality was, Jodie was taking this opportunity to dress up in all black so she could sneak up on the trainers who were down on their weekly dose of jump scares.
So she’d ditched her usual gym leader outfit for a black sleeveless and equally dark jeans she could tuck into her boots. Colorful strings removed from her bag, black scarf wrapped ninja-style around her neck, Jodie felt at one with the shadows. And then there was Eddy. The newly evolved gengar was the night. The glowing set of eyes wandered farther from his trainer than Jodie had ever seen - before returning from the shadows to check on her progress.
Because she was sort of looking for people, Jodie stayed closer to the path than she normally would have. She kept the dirt road that wound through the the forest was always at least within ear range, even as she wandered through the underbrush and uneven rock, stepping lightly like a predator of the night.
Which, actually, it was not. Jodie had eaten lunch before she set out, and perhaps only, oh, and hour and a half had passed. The trees above were so exhaustive in their leaf cover that little light found its way down to the floor. That’s why Eddy was out and about - Jodie was running on her hearing and the couple of meters she could see ahead of her. She’d cover listening for the noisy trainers, and Gengar would keep an eye out for pokemon. Hopefully they wouldn’t be taken by surprise.
Then again, nothing would be more exciting than meeting her stealthing match out in the cold, dark woods.
words counted: 353
Note: In Jodie's timeline, Eddy evolves into a gengar either during "A Walk in the Woods" or very soon after - since this thread happens afterwards, Haunter is now a Gengar.
Inside a rotting log a large Parasect slowly pulled bits of fungus infested bark off the fallen tree and into its mouth. It ate slowly and without purpose, almost as if it no longer thought about what it was doing. As the Gengar passed by what looked to be just a large mushroom at first glance the Parasect perceived its presence and moved slowly from inside the log. It stared at the Gengar with its glazed over milky white eyes, showing no sign of movement or emotion. This pokemon lead a hollow life here in the forest but for a Parasect that was about as good as it got. They lived only to continue living.
odie was considering climbing a tree when she realized she hadn’t seen the set of red eyes for a while now. She did a quick look around. No gengar to be found.
“Hope he hasn’t fallen down anything.” Jodie muttered to herself.
Backtracking when it’s basically night out and your much more dark-intuitive partner isn’t helping is like trying to do a math test in a swamp - it’s all just a mess of trial and error. Thankfully, the two hadn’t parted ways that far back.
“There you are, Eddy.” Jodie said, coming upon the ghost type. He seemed to be trained on something. “What’re you looking at?” She asked, as if she were expecting an answer. The gengar glanced briefly at her, and looked back at the point of significantly more interest. Unable to make out anything in the undergrowth, Jodie fished in her pocket for a flashlight, and popped it on.
A pair of empty, white eyes stared back into hers. “Oh, it’s a parasect. Yes, very interesting Eddy, good job.”
The ghost gave her a weird look and lazily drifted up into the tree branches.
An idea dawned on Jodie. “Say, Mr. Parasect, I’ve got a proposal for you.” Jodie grinned and put a hand on her chin. “I’m a gym leader, see, but I need a new team. You look strong, and I like the look in your eyes. You, me, Gengar, Beldum; we could take on anything.” Once again, from her pocket, Jodie pulled out a pokeball. Gengar floated back around behind the grass type. “So, whaddaya say, want to join us?”
The pokemon continued to stare blankly as the trainer arrived. It didn't react at all to Jodie's presence or proposition. Instead the mushroom pokemon continued to look ahead, as if it was looking right through the trainer. Slowly it brought a bit of soggy bark up to its mouth before turning and wandering back to the log, methodically picking at it with its claws. It clearly wasn't interested in talking, or in much of anything really with the exception of the rotting log.
odie frowned. The air smelt like rot. She followed behind the parasect, walking in this tame wild pokemon’s footsteps. He seemed like the sort of pokemon to have some sort of deep intellectual secret, hidden here in these woods or behind those cold, white eyes.
… No, it was just a rotting log. Jodie, disappointed, sighed and lifted herself up onto the log. It was kind of squishy and smelled like the basements of old houses. Eddy hovered above in the trees.
“So, what even do you do all day? Eat rot?” Jodie asked the parasect. “Well that sucks. Here, I’ve an idea.” Sliding her shoulder bag into her lab, Jodie dug through her various odds and ends until she found what she was looking for. She drew out a plastic container. “I know it’s made more for ghost types, but it’s got to taste better than aged tree.”
The container lid made a popping sound. Jodie took a handful of the little grey-brown pellets of pokemon food and, brandishing a smile, held it out to the parasect. “Hopefully you’ll like it. Beldum doesn’t really, but I still haven’t figured out what they even eat. Or if they eat.”
Daniel had heard mixed rumors about this area. All intrigued him. Pokemon that inhabit the shadows...and whatnot.
Daniel had no worries. His pokemon were enough to well at least comfort him.
Maybe that was a deceptive sense that lies to help s consciousness. But still. He de ided it was time to get more training done. He was comfortable with Manetrics progress and aron alkng with klink were okay. Klink still had work to do on its charge beam. However they could fight okay anyway. Budew was simply a wreck.
A wreck that haddent even tried to hide itself.
But budew had hope yet. Manetric and Daniel both worked with it every day Today was the big day. So Daniel was finally out and about.
The sounds of nature excited and bogged his mind. But alas he moved forward.
It may come as a surprise to the trainer that the pokemon did indeed eat rot all day, though it wasn't opposed to eating other things. The pokemon meandered its way over to the trainer and used its claws to shovel the pellets into its mouth. It may not be a ghost pokemon, but pretty much anything tasted better than rot. After it had finished with the food provided it reached out and closed its claw around the plastic container, pulling on it and staring at Jodie with its hollow lifeless eyes. The pokemon wanted more, it always wanted more.
mischievous grin came with the success of the food treaty. Jodie, wishing to keep negotiations going, relinquished the container of food to the parasect. “See? There’s a reason us trainers don’t carry around moldy bark for our pokemon. Well, reasons.”
Something rustled in the forest. The quiet forest amplified the sound of feet crushing falling leaves, and it was coming from what she remembered to be the direction of the trail.
“What could that be?” Jodie mused aloud. Gengar floated down to her side, his focus also on the new sound. “If it’s a trainer I should probably go say hello and actually do my job.” Jodie sighed and looked up at the trees. “But if I leave now, parasect’ll probably run off, and he’s already eaten our food so we’ve got some investment in this.”
Jodie weighed doing her job versus continuing her efforts to catch the parasect. “I’ve an idea.” She realized, clapping her hands together. “Eddy, would you go check it out?” The gengar nodded and departed into the trees. This was a good plan.
Jodie turned back to the parasect. “I’ve got more where that came from. First rule of trainerdom, always carry lots of pokemon food, because you never know when you’ll run out of protien bars. Or run into a hungry wild pokemon. But, you know, this is the food for ghost types. Have you ever had food made for grass types? Or bug types? It’s like rotting tree but at least a thousand times better.”
She reached again into her bag, returning her previously obtained objects and retrieving a new one. “Sadly, I don’t have any of that with me right now, but I know exactly where we can get some. There’s one condition, though.” Jodie held out a dusk ball, a friendly smile on her face. “You’ve got to come with me.”
Before long, the ghost type came upon the source of the noise. Floating in an unmaterialized state in the trees above, the gangar found it was, indeed, another trainer. Jodie had been rather vague in what to do once this information was gained, and now the gengar was stuck in the position where he wasn’t entirely sure how to proceed. From what he remembered his trainer doing, this was the part where you greeted the other party.
It was as good an idea as any. The pair of red eyes drifted down out of the trees before the trainer and took form, purple body forming around what he meant to be a benevolent smile.
Daniel was pulling out a bag of gummies for budeew when he felt the food air. That was before he saw the eyes....he didn't know the origin but he knew it was a ghost Pokemon. The eye shape was very familiar but his train of thought changed as budew popped out and began to run away with the gummies. To think Daniel was gonna reward her for good behavior.
Daniel recalled his Manetric and began running after the infantile grass pokemon.
Daniel inore the bizare face and began to run after his misbehaving pokemon when Daniel heard a feminine voice. A human one.
It was then I wmelt a familiar scent. The scent of a mature parasect.
Daniel saw that budew had tripped and spilt out the bag of candies. Inside were a combination of grass electric and steel gummies.
It was also then he saw the parasect with a female trainer.
In most cases he try o battle it. B t Daniel saw that the woman was trying to befriend it. It wasnt his duty to interfere.
"My apologies mam..." Daniel said as he picked up and recalled his budew. Then he collected the candies and began to leave. He slipped the bag for nto the side pocket of his coat.
He began to walk away then.
Daniel paused swiveling on the round of his foot. He liked parasect...but this one was simply Hungary and could care less about anything else as far as Daniel could tell. And was disinterested in the food the trainer had..." Not only that but the trainer was trying to win it over without a battle.
Daniel shouted "mam. I doubt that'll work. You'll most likely have to battle it. Of course if you don't want it...I'll catch it...", he said smiling.
He knew that pokemon found gummies irresistible especially the traditional pokemon gummies that came from some where that had yet to be discovered.
Daniel tossed a hand full of gummies towards the parasect landing just a foot shy.
odie frowned at the newcomer, coming in and messing up her master plan. And then he went on calling the master plan he’d just ripped up a bad one. Well yeah, now that he’d gone and stomped all over it, scattering his sweet treats all over the place, of course it was in shambles.
The guy was probably source of the noise she’d heard in the woods just before. And now he’d come to steal Jodie’s prey. As if she was just going to let him battle the parasect when she had 100% seen it first. “You can totally catch a pokemon without battling it. Just ask Eddy here.” Jodie said, pointing behind her. The gengar re-appeared from the forest at a ninety-degree angle from her thumb. Jodie felt defeated.
But Jodie could still win the parasect with the great and almighty power of food, if the guy didn’t interfere. She put her hand on her hip and stared at the other trainer from her comfy seat on the log. “There’s no way I’m just gonna let you come in here and catch it, you know. Forest’s rules: first come, first served. But I guess you’re not just going to leave me alone, are you?” Jodie sighed. “This is a conflict of interests.”
An idea came to Jodie’s mind and sly grin came to her face. “Tell you what, let's battle. Winner gets full right to try and catch the parasect.” Gengar, on cue this time, grinned as well. This guy didn’t look so tough; the two of them could take him, no problem. “Deal?”
He didn't care about the parasect. If anything he was trying to help...but that was where it got him.
He had not done a trainer battle since back in rustburo.
Daniel smiled till it almost matched Gengars. He forgot how freaky it looked when he did it in the mirror.
"A battle well. That is more than enough to beckon me. As for the parasect...we will see how it goes at the end."
The bug pokemon was on the line but it had nothing to do with that It was a chance to use the pokemon he had been working with. A gangar was a poison and ghost type. Not much in terms of what Daniel had in stor. But he was more that willing to try.
"You'll use Gengar...well well do 1on1 winner is decided upon the other person's pokemon being no longer fit to battle."
Daniel had a important decision to make. Many of his team were in need of much more training for a fight like this. Maybe 2 or 3 in his team could hold out on this pokemon. His lead pokemon would put up a good fight.
Daniel reached from ball to ball trying to decide. Eventually he decided on klink. Who was of all pokon his starter.
It had ALOT of work to do But it was the priority in his team.
link, huh? Good choice.” Jodie said, hopping down off the log. Every single one of Gengar’s attacks would do significantly less damage. However, the trainer’s pokemon looked young. Perhaps it was just because klink was on their first evolutionary stage. Gengar was on his last, newly evolved after just under a year and a half of training.
“One on one it is.” Jodie continued. “This’ll be your first battle as a gengar, won’t it?” The ghost-type’s smile widened. Jodie looked back to the trainer, who had a similar grin on his face. “Name’s Jodie, by the way,” she said quickly before cutting in with, “Gengar, shadow punch!”
Having been waiting for his command, the gengar vanished instantly into the shadows of the thick forest. Several moments past. Then, without warning, the gengar leaped out of a shadow lain by a tree behind the klink, his ghostly aura swirling around his outstretched fist.
he trainer’s array of pokemon were diverse - the gym leader in Jodie nodded in approval. Especially at the yamask. She did have to wonder, though, why he chose the klink over his evolved manectric. It wasn’t that she disagreed with the choice, just that, while typing did have advantages in battle, sometimes experience wins over all.
“I’m your first trainer, huh?” Jodie asked. “Lucky me!”
Gengar’s shadow punch appeared to hit, but in getting close, the klink was able to trap the ghost type in its twisting gears. Gengar’s brow furrowed as he tried in vain to escape the pokemon’s grasp. Due to his movepool and particular style, Eddy preferred to fight from a distance. Being literally on top each other was not at all optimal.
“Not a bad move.” Jodie said. But that wasn’t to say Gengar couldn’t fight close range. “Shadow ball! Between you!”
The ghost type raised his little stubby arms above his head, where a ball of ghostly energy formed and began to pulse. With the speed that would normally carry it across the battlefield, he shot the sphere of energy down at the klink, aiming just above where the steel-types gears locked the pokemon together, hoping the shot would loosen the klink’s grip enough to let the gengar slip through.
Daniel smiled as the genger tried to loose the attached pokemon. It was as Daniel had expected.
Klink continued to tighten until it was loosened. But even so Daniel was a risk taker.
Daniel told klink repeatedly not to loose grip but either way his plan was even more likely to come together.
Daniel figured that getting close to gengar would be best for a inaccurate move. One that if it hit would be devastating to most pokemon. Even the strongest would feel pain from it.
Manetric began barking excitedly again. Clearly wanting to help klink.
"Okay klink you know what I'll be saying next. Do it." Daniel shouted.
"My first trainer outside of the gym battles yes. But far from my first trainer battle I'm general."
Klink let off a close range charge beam aiming strait at Gengars face. Daniel had been training Klink for this tactic for weeks. Maybe the pokemon finally had it under control. Time would tell.
Static was thick in the air. Even Manetrics coat crackled.
odie could feel the static in her hair as the klink fired off a charge beam. With the gengar still stuck in the gears of the other pokemon, the electricity had so little distance to travel that she saw only a flash of light and then felt all the hair on the back of her neck stand up. The air crackled with the remnants of the attack. Gengar had only a moment to brace for the attack before it hit the ghost type in the face. Now he really wanted to back out of melee.
“Whoa, that charge beam had some power to it!” Jodie called. Her long scarf sparked against her shirt. “No wonder you’ve taken on the gyms! Who’ve you beat?”
Though she’d taken advantage of the lull in the battle to chat, Jodie wasn’t about to miss her turn. She had to get Gengar out of the klink’s grip - that, or knock the little pokemon out quickly. “Gengar, payback!”
The ghost type happily obliged. Channeling his anger from the last attack into a dark aura which surrounded his fist, Gengar braced against the klink with one hand and brought the other back and then down at the steel type.
Daniel smiled he hadn't battled any gyms here yet. She clearly misunderstood.
Pulling out his Pokemon ID Card which also had a solid silver frame embedded into card. Silver was for substitute gym leaders only. Not as prestigious as gold or platinum but still.
"Eh don't don't to excited."
"Klink use charge followed by thundershock And fall back." He ordered.
The pokemon was to release as he knew pay back would likely hurt klink alot.
"I wasnt the challenger at the gyms I was at...I was the person to be challenged...."
engar was so relieved to be free of the Klink’s grasp that the move dissipated before it could hit the steel type. The instant he could, the ghost type slipped out from between the gears and shot upwards, gliding back until he hovered a few meters away from his enemy and a few feet off the ground.
But in the time it took for that to happen, the klink had both charged and fired off their attack. Gengar was struck with a bolt of electricity. His hair stood on end, and he was beginning to look annoyed. Most battles were over at this point, and really, he just wanted to go float with the leaves again. Now with this klink… he was feeling tired.
Jodie decided to switch tactics. “Gengar, confuse ray and hypnosis!” Gengar shuttered, happy to be a distance away this go around, but still not pleased with the prospect of continuing the battle. But, these well practiced moves wouldn’t be too much trouble. First came a beam of multicolored light, a focusing of scattered thoughts. Next a wave of drowsiness, harnessing his own. That one was easy.
Jodie put her hands on her hips and leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the card. “Oh ho, you don’t say.” She said with mild surprise. No wonder the guy was good. “You from a different region? I’ve never heard of you, and I like to think I’m pretty in the know. Here. At least. But, wait.” Jodie paused, taking a moment to slide off her bag and rummage through it. “If you’ve not fought a non-gym battle,” at last, she found and drew out her own trainer card. She held it out to the other trainer. “Does this still count as one?” She tilted her head to the side. “No, I assume not, I’m not giving out badges right now.”
“Rip Mercy, ghost gym leader and semi-sole resident of the Lost Shrine, pleased to make your acquaintance and such.” She said formally. “What’s your full title, oh mysterious gym leader of these many fine pokemon?”
Klink may have been fast but as he ordered a charge beam, the combination of status attacks took their toll. Klink was a sleep. Essentially ending the match. "Well looks like someone won."
"Daniel of Rustburo City, Substitute Gym Leader. But upon arrival I will gather my gym team and return to take the seat of Leader. My gym team is awaiting me back home."
Pulling out a photo from his wallet that contained a Solrock, a Lunatone, and Kabutops.
"When Klink awakes ill have to reward it for its effort." Daniel said.
