After a few minutes of a pleasant walk, we arrived at a clearing. I had been talking to my team along the way, so everyone knew exactly what we were going to do. Haunter immediately flew off among the trees to gather wood. Meanwhile, I laid out a blanket, water, bowls, and pans for lunch—even though it wasn't time yet, I wanted to make things easier for myself in advance.
On the way to the Pokémon Center, there was a stone wall to our left, a sort of elevated ridge. To the far right of the clearing stood a few trees, but between them lay a section made entirely of stone. That was exactly what we were going to use for training.
After the old man's advice, today's goal was clear. Both Squirtle and Houndour were in good physical condition, but we seriously needed to work on their aura techniques.
After a while, Haunter returned and stacked the wood in the fire pit exactly as he had yesterday. Although it was warm, the fire added the right atmosphere, and it also allowed us to quickly prepare food during training. Once Houndour lit the fire, we got down to business.
"Alright guys, training time!" I led them over to the stone wall. "Houndour, stand here, facing the rock. Yes, at this angle," I adjusted him into the position I had envisioned.
Houndour stood obediently. From his spot, I counted out about ten long strides—calibrated to my shoulder width—to check the distance. Once I was sure, I turned to Squirtle.
"Face the same way as Houndour, target the wall," I commanded. He immediately dropped into a battle stance; one eye on me, the other on the wall, as if expecting an attack.
I stepped into the middle between them, right up to the rock, and used my dagger to carve a barely visible letter 'P' into it.
"Okay, can you both see the 'P' on the wall?" I turned back to them.
"Squirtle!" "Houndour!" they both nodded in agreement.
Haunter watched with interest, curious about what I had come up with for them and waiting for his turn.
"Houndour, aim your Ember at that 'P'. You, Squirtle, aim your Water Gun at the same spot. To build a foundation, count to two in your heads and then release the technique, even if you're low on energy. Two seconds is ideal in a fight. Once we train the basics, we'll move on to improving power, speed, and manipulation," I ordered. "Ready?"
I received two determined nods. Squirtle sized up Houndour provocatively, but Houndour, tongue lolling out, completely ignored his gaze and calmly waited for my command.
"Start!" I barked, now standing safely behind them next to Haunter.
"Haunt, Haunter, Haunt!" Haunter remarked mockingly, gesturing with his hands toward Squirtle.
"Yeah, I noticed," I replied with a laugh.
Both timed the release of their techniques according to my orders. Squirtle's attack was significantly more powerful. When both streams met at the center point, there was only a brief hiss, and nothing remained of the fire. Houndour's Ember was still too weak and thin. Seeing that everything was going well, I signaled to my starter for us to move away. We walked to the edge of the clearing where there was only a small stony patch—more grass than stone, really, but we had no choice.
"Acid Spray on that stone section," I commanded Haunter.
He grinned at me and immediately began to puff himself up. After two seconds, he spat a spray of purple liquid onto the stone surface, but of course, it hit the surrounding grass as well. It immediately began to hiss, turn black, and die off.
It was an extremely dangerous technique, as the Primeape that had challenged Haunter could testify. Acid Spray wasn't just poison; it was a corrosive that decomposed and poisoned simultaneously. What was fascinating, however, was how this technique affected the ecosystem. A long time ago in school, a professor told us that poison used this way actually helps in the long run. It burns and decomposes whatever is in its path, but as soon as the corrosive evaporates, substances that promote regeneration are released. At least, I think that's what he said—I slept through half the class.
Did Pokémon come into existence when humans destroyed the world with nuclear weapons in the past? Terms I knew intimately surfaced in my mind, even though they hadn't been mentioned in school. Radiation, for example. Lindsay mentioned the word once but didn't explain its meaning to me. I, however, knew it perfectly.
I quickly pushed the thoughts away. "Great job, Haunter. You've really improved." I nodded appreciatively. "Admit it, you were training last night, weren't you?" I accused him playfully.
Haunter raised his claws, palms toward me in a sign of surrender, accompanied by his typical laugh. I didn't feel like scolding him, so with a sigh, I let it be.
"Are you interested in improving this technique further?" I asked.
"Haunter?"
Occasional cries from my Pokémon and the hissing of fire meeting water echoed through the clearing; Houndour and Squirtle were working hard.
"You have Hypnosis, which is a psychic technique, Acid Spray as poison, and Shadow Ball as ghost. As you know, you're strong for your aura level," I began to explain. "But that Kadabra wiped us out almost instantly. I'm wondering if we should improve the techniques you already know or move on to others. What do you think?"
"Haunt, Haunter, Haunt?" he asked curiously, pointing a claw at me.
"It would be useful if you knew a Dark-type technique. Houndour could help you with that later, once we get to it."
"Haunt?" he asked thoughtfully. "Haunter haunt!"
"No, a Dark technique wouldn't just be for offense, but defense too." I paused for a moment, thinking. "I saw Agatha on TV with her Gengar. It used Shadow Claw to nullify enemy attacks—it simply deflected psychic and ghost techniques with them. Also, Dark Pulse is extremely useful at a distance, though Shadow Ball would remain our main weapon."
"Haunter haunt!" Haunter shook his head and then nodded.
"You want to learn it, but you think you should continue training Shadow Ball instead?"
"Haunter!" he nodded firmly.
I nodded understandingly. "On Earth, there was once a powerful guy named Bruce Lee. He had a quote that I think has something to do with this." I teased him a little; I enjoyed his curious look. When he'd had enough and was about to poke me with a claw, I laughed and finished: "I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times."
"Haunteeeer!" he cried out, overly motivated, clenching his hand into a fist and raising it victoriously into the air.
„If he had legs, he'd probably kick too," I thought amusedly. I could see he already wanted to start creating a Shadow Ball, so I continued: "But watch out, there are other techniques that could be useful."
He was still riding that wave of motivation, but he beckoned me with interest.
"There's Confusion, which confuses the opponent... But honestly, it's a status effect and I don't know how you'd use your ghost energy to cause confusion. Maybe just focus on the intent and use raw energy?" I suggested thoughtfully.
In the world of Pokémon, various techniques existed, and trainers certainly didn't share them just like that. If someone invented a powerful technique, it was their trump card. Sharing it would be like shooting themselves in the foot. Specific training methods were strictly guarded, and there was also a mentorship program. Of course, only for those with deep pockets. Usually, family members helped each other, or you paid for the help of an experienced trainer and their Pokémon.
Personally, I wasn't exactly the strategic type. Hit fast, hit hard, and don't get hit. And if something does hit you, redirect the energy elsewhere or absorb it with a durable part of your body. So, the techniques we had so far suited me. But a combination of Hypnosis, followed by Acid Spray, and then a Shadow Ball? That was devastating. I was sure that at my current level, Haunter could carry me through the first few gyms easily.
"Haunter?" he interrupted my thoughts impatiently.
"Sorry. So, Confusion... that doesn't seem very useful to me, but there are other things for which this technique can be the foundational building block."
"Haunter!" he nodded understandingly.
"There's Spite, which aurically blocks the opponent from using energy. Temporarily—it depends on the strength of the Pokémon how long it lasts. Then there's Curse, which gradually attacks the opponent's aura energy. With large power differences, it can even kill a Pokémon."
"Haunter, haunt!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.
I understood why Curse caught his interest. As a ghost, he had a different relationship with death, after all.
"Then we have Hex. If the opponent is poisoned or under another status effect, this technique massively increases its effect through aura energy. Theoretically, it should be stronger than Shadow Ball. But it's definitely harder to learn," I added. "This is just the beginning. Later will come things like Destiny Bond and Dream Eater."
It seemed he wasn't interested in the "fateful" technique, but rather in eating dreams. So I started explaining it to him: "Dream Eater is a psychic technique... First, you use Hypnosis, and then you simply feed off the Pokémon. You create the worst dreams in its head—a total buffet," I concluded playfully.
Haunter licked his lips ostentatiously, and when I laughed, he showed me his sharp teeth, his amused laughter echoing through the clearing.
"So, we're continuing with Shadow Ball?" I asked him. "And later Houndour will help you with Dark techniques?"
"Haunter!" he nodded determinedly.
"Good, next time you're hunting in the forest, try to create Confusion," I suggested. "Now, to work, you have your target."
A Shadow Ball immediately began to form in his claws. With swirling movements, he materialized it in a second, but kept making it larger. After another second, he hurled it at the wall. Upon impact, a dent a few centimeters deep appeared at the point of contact, but the rest of the technique dissipated into the cold stone. That was the main advantage of Shadow Ball—it largely ignored physical resistance and attacked the "core" directly, even though its physical effect was smaller. Exactly like when it literally tore through a Beedrill's fragile wing.
"Great, you've visibly improved."
His power and precision were constantly growing. For essentially being an amateur trainer, I was beyond satisfied with our progress.
While Haunter continued his training, I glanced over at Houndour and Squirtle. They were working hard, full of energy. Thanks to the two-second rule, they weren't putting an extreme amount of energy into the techniques, so they had stamina, and more importantly, it was functional training for a real battle. They couldn't spend ten minutes creating a technique—an opponent wouldn't wait.
I didn't want to be the weak link of the team, so I started running around the clearing to warm up. Then I thoroughly loosened up my head, shoulders, and joints. According to my memories, there is nothing worse than starting to work out while stiff. The "other guy" didn't warm up in his youth and suffered later. I moved every muscle and tendon, from top to bottom, and then I started shadowboxing. I imagined empty people with a large red 'R' on their chests and threw combinations that even the Tyson from my memories wouldn't be ashamed of. After shadowboxing, I pulled out my sword. When I already felt fatigue in my shoulders and back, I moved on to the strength part: clap push-ups, jump squats, and crunches.
We interrupted the training at lunch and tucked into some quality food—fresh Magikarp fillets. While we ate, we all sat together on the blanket. Houndour rested to my right, and Squirtle to my left, joining us like this for the first time. Only Haunter was still working, since he didn't need to eat.
"Haunter, come over here!" I shouted across the clearing. "Come get some rest."
"Haunt, Haunter, Haunt!" he started explaining that he didn't need it, but I didn't care.
"That was an order! Rest. You're going to undergo some important training with us," I commanded strictly.
"Haunt?!" As soon as he heard the phrase "important training," the forming Shadow Ball vanished in his claws and he flew to us immediately.
We were all full. Of course, Squirtle and Houndour finished significantly earlier than I did, so we were ready for this phase of the day. I pointed up at the pleasantly blue sky with a pair of white clouds. My entire team looked with interest to see what I saw, and after a moment, they all spoke at once:
"Squirtle?" "Haunter?!" "Houndour?"
"Everyone is required to watch the clouds! Part of the training, half an hour!" I ordered with a smile and flopped onto my back on the blanket.
"Squirtle, Squirtle, Squirt!" he began to object. I suspected he was saying something about his uncomfortable shell.
"You'll manage, don't worry. Belly up!" I told him cheerfully.
Houndour flopped onto his back beside me without any trouble and contentedly watched the sky with me. After a moment, Squirtle joined in, and finally, with a sigh, so did Haunter. It was the kind of sigh only an old man could manage when thinking something about "today's youth."
I'll admit, the planned half-hour turned into an hour and a half of sleep. But the midday siesta clearly did me good, and no one from my team complained... well, except for Haunter, who had slipped away to train while we slept.
"Wake up," I started waking the two little sleepers by my side. "We're continuing the training, exactly as before."
Squirtle and Houndour slowly got up with yawns and headed back to the stone wall. Soon, the hissing of water meeting fire echoed through the clearing again. Haunter noticed we were awake, so his training also picked up in intensity; his Shadow Balls began hitting the rock with increasing power.
I decided to go for another run and then stretch, so I wouldn't just stand there like a stiff board. But while they had the energy and kept grinding, I had honestly had enough. I spent the rest of the day just watching them from the blanket. I simply couldn't keep up with them physically or energetically, no matter how hard I tried.
Before I finally called off the training and started preparing dinner, my Pokédex rang. Calmly and without haste, I checked who was calling. It was Professor Oak.
I answered the call immediately: "Professor?"
His camera was off, so I knew he wasn't calling from the lab and maybe not even through a standard Pokédex network. When his voice came through, I froze instantly.
"I don't know how to tell you this, Patrik..." He paused for a moment and then continued with undisguised regret in his voice: "Lindsay is dead."
***
Author's note:
This chapter is dedicated to the master of the grind, Bruce Lee! :D
Haunter is currently on a completely different power level compared to the new team members, but they're finally starting to put in the work on their special techniques.
And then there's that bombshell at the end... What do you guys think happened to Lindsay? Let me know your theories in the comments!
***
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24. A World in Monochrome
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