Chương 182: Chapter 175

Sam wasn't entirely sure how he got here, but if his mother was going to present him with a challenge, then he was not going to let her down. He had faced Redi, Eliza, Xavier, and even Victor. He had placed at an incredible top eight in the Conference. His achievements were immense, and his team's power was great. But he knew nothing about how his mother fought or even just how strong Delcatty and Sableye actually were.

"Alright, sweetie! For this match, we'll have a double battle! So, I want you to send out two Pokémon to face me, alright?"

"... Alright," Sam repeated slowly. He watched his mother press an arm out to her side to stretch, and in the distance, a lone jogger ran alongside a sweatband-wearing Granbull. A grid of practice fields stretched out around them, but without the Conference going on, no one else was out here to train.

"Right! Here goes!" his mother shouted.

"Come out, Delcatty! Get ready, Sableye!" Appearing on the field were the two Pokémon Sam expected to see: Delcatty, nobly holding up her head as if to show off her pristine coat, and Sableye, scratching at the ground as if not interested in anything going on, but he still shot Sam a look, and there was a certain glint to his eyes that spoke of wanting a good fight.

Sam could see his mother smiling, and she maintained that expression while placing her hands on her hips, waiting for him to send out the two Pokémon he'd use.

"Don't hold back! Treat us like any other opponent! You'll be surprised by just what we can do—so choose your Pokémon carefully!" she called out to him. Sam knew that his mother had earned a handful of Gym Badges on her journey years ago, and he also knew that Delcatty had once worked alongside his father as a Pokémon Ranger. Delcatty had absolutely dominated Typhlosion back when she was a Cyndaquil getting ready for her journey, but that was basically a year ago at this point.

There was no telling what Delcatty could do right now. Weighing his options carefully, Sam knew he wanted to see just how much both sides of this battle had improved. And, since this was his mother he'd be facing, he knew he wouldn't have this battle proceed in any other way.

"Typhlosion!" Sam yelled, as he knew his starter Pokémon deserved to be here.

"You too, Mismagius!" These two worked well together, but as his mother watched them, she gained a curious smile.

"Choosing your first two Pokémon, hm?"

"I caught Annihilape and Gengar way before Mismagius," Sam said.

"She's not one of my first."

"No, but you told me the story yourself," his mother replied.

"You caught Mismagius far before even Typhlosion, didn't you?" Sam sent a glance to the floating Pokémon, and Mismagius seemed to be having a staring contest with Delcatty. A mischievous grin had crept onto the Ghost Type's face, and Delcatty was almost acting as if that look was a challenge to her authority that she could not let go unpunished.

"Yeah," Sam said quietly, watching the Pokémon he had gone through the Ilex Forest with so many years before.

"I did, didn't I?"

"Now then," his mother said, completing her stretches and righting her stance.

"Since I was the one to present you with this challenge, I'll let you choose what move to use first!" Her expression was kind, but this offer was anything but. Both of them knew that Sam would hesitate to initiate any too-powerful moves against Pokémon that he wasn't sure of their strength.

"Sure," he said, thinking quickly. Right now, this battle was the only thing that mattered.

"Typhlosion, start with a basic Flamethrower. Mismagius, I want you to stay in the back and focus on boosting yourself with Nasty Plot." Right away, Mismagius darted backward to make room between her and her opponents, and Typhlosion positioned herself close to the field's center to purposefully serve as a barrier for anyone who tried to reach her partner. As Mismagius's eyes narrowed, her mind became filled with differing methods of inflicting pain, and Typhlosion breathed in to build heat.

A powerful exhale saw a gout of flame shoot outward to threaten to burn anything in its path. However, even with all of the power her attack possessed, this Flamethrower was a deliberate move with an obvious path. Delcatty and Sableye jumped out of the way with ease, splitting off to leap to opposite sides of the field. So far apart, Typhlosion would not be able to track both of them at once.

"Here we go, Delcatty!" Sam's mother yelled.

"Start with Foresight on both of them! And Sableye—you know what you need to do to shut them down!" Sableye was no longer staring at the dirt. His gemstone eyes locked onto Mismagius in the back, and his grin exposed his sharpened teeth. Typhlosion snapped her head to him, recognizing him as the more immediate threat to her partner, and she breathed in to prepare another Flamethrower while Mismagius continued to build in the back.

However, Sableye looked utterly unconcerned, and all he had to do was snap his clawed fingers to cause her move to sputter out in her throat. Then, Mismagius suddenly let out a frustrated wail. She practically threw her arms out to her sides. In an instant, her Nasty Plot failed. Sam had trouble believing his eyes.

"How did he do that? That was two moves at once!"

"Was it?" his mother replied almost tauntingly.

"Or was it just Disable and Torment, used back-to-back?"

"No, that's not true. He only snapped his fingers once!"

"Huh," his mother said, putting on a curious tone while obviously lying.

"How strange. Now that you point it out, I think you're right." Disable removed the possibility of any further Flamethrowers, and Torment prevented Mismagius from using any back-to-back moves. For now, Sam didn't want to rush into this too quickly, so he had Mismagius continue to hang out in the back while he focused on Typhlosion using her attacks.

"Incinerate. Ward away both of them."

"Thunderbolt!" his mother shouted to Delcatty.

"Into Thunder Wave! Then, run to the back!" Letting out a loud meow, Delcatty jumped at Typhlosion, and Typhlosion spat out a glob of fire. Sableye took a step to the side to avoid the bursting flames, but Delcatty chose to strike straight through this move. Her fur radiated with energy, but it was not anything Electric. A lightning bolt shot off of Delcatty, but she was using energy only in its rawest form.

Somehow, her Thunderbolt was a Normal Type attack, not an Electric Type attack, and her Foresight let it hit Typhlosion. The shared Type alongside the conversion gave this move extra power, and even though Typhlosion was able to withstand it, she was still pushed back. That moment was all Sableye needed to run past her side, but Typhlosion was not in a position to stop him without using her full speed. Still holding back, all of her attention was sent toward Delcatty instead.

That feline Pokémon started to charge her, letting Sableye slip into a shadow to slide across the field in a transparent Shadow Sneak.

"Hex, Mismagius," Sam ordered.

"Typhlosion, Incinerate again." Wisps formed around Mismagius as a defense, and Typhlosion spat out another glob of flames. Rather than continue his approach toward Mismagius, Sableye's eyes flashed for a Detect that let him weave through the incoming move. Meanwhile, Delcatty jumped to the side with a Quick Attack to avoid the Incinerate, and then raw energy radiated off of her again. This time, her move was not meant to deal damage but pulse through Typhlosion.

Typhlosion did her best to block, but she wasn't running off just yet, and the Thunder Wave was able to paralyze her immobile form.

"Quash. Make an opening," Sam's mother ordered next. With his Detect just now wearing off, Sableye slipped right under where Mismagius was floating to suddenly jump up and slap her on her back. With Torment preventing her from using the same move again, she had been preparing a Mystical Fire, but Quash made her move stall. With Typhlosion paralyzed, Delcatty had the freedom to run and charge at Mismagius in the back. Then, just like Typhlosion before her, Mismagius was hit with a Normal Type Thunderbolt.

Sableye's Quash prevented her from going through with any defense in time, and the move's force slid her back.

"I see. I get it," Sam said.

"I get why you wanted to have this fight."

"Tell me, then," his mother replied. Sam's eyes flicked over the current state of the field, and he let out a slight sigh.

"It's a reminder," he answered.

"You're purposefully using tricks and strategies no one else has ever used. Delcatty has her Normalize ability trained—and I'm pretty sure that hasn't been discovered yet. And Quash? That move? Has anyone ever seriously used that?" His mother inclined her head while holding back a laugh.

"You're using things from the New Pokédex to redirect my focus," Sam continued.

"You're trying to show me that we might have made it to the Conference, but there are so many things we still stand to learn about how to fight." As his mother started to radiate pride, she paused. Sam's expression changed.

"Except, you've made a mistake," he said.

"How so?" his mother cautiously asked.

"You challenged me to a battle to try to get me back to normal, and now, after seeing all of this..." Sam smiled.

"I really want to win our fight." His Pokémon had been holding back. Typhlosion hadn't moved or used her speed at all to counter Delcatty's charge. Meanwhile, Mismagius had barely received any commands, which had given his mother plenty of room to act. Now that he'd seen his mother's tricks, Sam was going to stop holding back. He had some tricks of his own that he wanted to demonstrate.

"Mismagius, grab Sableye!" he shouted.

"Typhlosion, you already know what to do!" Mismagius lunged, and there was nothing Sableye could do to defend against this. What Mismagius did wasn't a move using energy that could be shut down. She simply rushed the smaller Pokémon to yank him into the air within her ghostly grip. He immediately squirmed in an attempt to escape, biting and tearing into her to try to get her to let go, but Mismagius was able to offset all of that just by maintaining a low use of Pain Split.

Delcatty was getting ready to help her partner, but Typhlosion still didn't even need to move. She just needed to use Swift. Hearing the stars coming from behind her, Delcatty shifted gears in an attempt to run but failed to outpace them. They slammed into her and Mismagius, but since Mismagius was immune, they simply phased through her, letting her angle her victim to use him as a shield against this attack.

Of course, as a fellow Ghost Type, Sableye was immune as well, but Swift hadn't been used with the intention of dealing damage. With ease, it guided a Will-O-Wisp to both of Typhlosion's opponents at once. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"There," Sam said.

"Now both Pokémon are burned." His mother opened her mouth to reply, but stayed quiet instead. She chose to merely watch this battle in silence for now.

"Both of you, we're finishing this!" Sam yelled.

"Finish off Sableye with Hex, and we'll focus down Delcatty after!" With a burn, Hex would faint Sableye quickly, and even if he used Detect, he would not be able to maintain that protection for long. As for Delcatty, her power was much less than either Typhlosion's or Mismagius's, and as unfair as it was, Sam was willing to take advantage of that by having his Pokémon ignore her until it was time to finish her off.

The purple wisps from Hex spread out in every direction, and they were like floating daggers ready to stab down into Sableye. He stopped struggling in Mismagius's grip, looking up in what was both awe and fear. As the wisps crashed down toward him, they never actually hit. Sableye was suddenly sucked away, turned to red light, and Delcatty was returned right afterward.

"Alright. Enough of that. You beat us, Sam. We surrender." It took a moment for Sam to process his mother's words before he could awkwardly laugh.

"Uh, yeah. That makes sense. I might have gotten a bit too intense there."

"It's fine! That was what I was looking for!" His mother crossed the field to walk up to him, stopping only slightly to give an affectionate pet to Typhlosion. Both she and Mismagius let out sighs as their adrenaline wore down. Sam's mother was smiling when she reached him, and he had so many questions. However, she spoke up before he could ask any of them.

"Let's get something to eat."

"R-Right," Sam said quickly.

"But I want you to promise that you'll tell me more about Delcatty and Sableye's strategy. I want to know everything you've taught them!" His mother laughed.

"Alright. I promise." She bought him ice cream. His mother hadn't bought him ice cream since he was a child. Except, she didn't just buy him ice cream. She bought his entire team ice cream. With the city so empty, the little ice cream shop had a section of unoccupied tables out front. All of Sam's Pokémon had space to come out, and an entire swarm of shadows was able to enjoy a chilly, late afternoon treat. Gengar practically swallowed his in seconds, and then he started to stalk around, excitedly looking for more.

All of the Gastly and Haunter got their own little trays, and Mismagius kept an eye on all of them, making sure none ever stole any from their neighbors. Not a fan of freezing temperatures, Trevenant passed up the ice cream, but he got a nice paper cup of berry syrup to drop into his mouth and chew. Annihilape, meanwhile, sat on a fence and held a dripping cone while glaring at anyone who just happened to pass by.

But Typhlosion, Sam, Delcatty, and Sam's mother all sat around the same table like they would at home so many times before. This time around, Typhlosion was large enough to have her own chair. She wasn't that interested in the cold treat of ice cream, but Sam had a few extra dried berries in his pack that she could have. Delcatty shared a bowl with his mother, but the feline Pokémon wasn't truly interested. It was more like she was just taking the occasional lick just because she could.

"For the past while, I've been tutoring and rebranding, in a way," his mother said to him in between small bites of ice cream from her bowl.

"After training you at the start of the season, I realized I missed that kind of work. So, I put up a notice in the local Pokémon Center, and while running my shop, I've been taking requests to tutor new trainers alongside Delcatty and Sableye.

"It's been paying surprisingly well," she continued after taking another bite.

"We still have our usual business, but this side job has been giving us an unexpected amount of extra cash." Delcatty let out a meow in support.

"We've even had a few trainers that we tutored continue to stop by and browse our books," his mother said.

"They make purchases and spread word of mouth. It's like they never fully realized just how much information a book could hold—" She paused briefly.

"And then, there's you," she said.

"Me?" Sam asked, stopping with a spoon halfway to his mouth.

"Yes, you!" his mother answered with a laugh.

"In your own way, you've been helping our little bookstore. People are curious about how your team got so strong. When word got out that you'd be competing in the Silver Conference, more and more people started to stop by. They wanted to see if I could share any tips, and they wanted to see if there were any tricks to your success contained within our store.

"That's why I didn't brush off Redi's idea for expansion," his mother continued, and she held up the bowl to let Delcatty take one more lick.

"I like the idea of getting one or two more stores set up in Hoenn, and I like the idea of going through a bit of rebranding. We keep the place as a bookstore, but one with a heavier focus on Pokémon and training. Make it less of a place to just shop and more of a place that can offer more." Her gaze shifted as she looked out into the distance.

"Somewhere to read and chat," his mother said softly.

"Somewhere people can go to exchange information. A place where people can relax and learn more about Pokémon. Maybe with a little section out back that novice trainers can use to practice moves?" Sam could picture it almost as a cafe, but instead of drinks, it'd be a business that provided books and tips instead. He couldn't picture that kind of store getting extremely popular, but he could picture it as having very loyal customers. It would not make much money, but profit wouldn't be the point.

It'd make enough to sustain itself, and its real purpose would simply be to have a place everyone could enjoy.

"I... like that," Sam said.

"I like that a lot, actually." His mother smiled at him, put her spoon down, and ran her fingers through Delcatty's fur.

"I'm glad."

"But, uh, speaking of those tricks people ask you about," Sam said.

"Are you finally going to tell me what was going on with Delcatty and Sableye?" His mother blinked, and Sableye cackled his name from where the Ghost Type was hiding under the table.

"Oh! Oh, yes!" his mother said, her eyes widening with excitement.

"So, I might have been cheating a bit by using information from my copy of Dad's book. Sableye has some interesting abilities—and instead of stating them outright, let me ask you: do you know what they are?"

"Stall, Keen Eye, and Prankster," Sam answered. He'd long since memorized the entries of just about every Ghost Type.

"Stall makes a Pokémon always move last, Keen Eye helps a Pokémon aim their attacks, and Prankster lets a Pokémon use their status moves extremely quickly."

"Correct on all fronts," his mother said proudly.

"But, here's a follow-up question: what happens when a Pokémon has all of those abilities together?" Sam frowned. Some Pokémon had obvious synergies with their abilities, with the most obvious in his mind being Zangoose. That Pokémon might not have been a Ghost Type, but its interaction with poison had stood out to him. Its Immunity ability made it immune to being affected by poison, but while poison was in its system, its Toxic Boost ability would see its physical power massively increase.

However, that synergy was based wholly around a single effect. He couldn't think of how a Sableye's abilities would interact, especially with how Prankster and Stall seemed to do almost the exact opposite thing.

"They shouldn't do anything," Sam answered, though he wasn't confident in his words.

"Stall slows a Pokémon while Prankster speeds up a Pokémon, so they should cancel. It's kind of like using a Water and Fire Type move at the same time. Neither move gets to happen; they just wash the other out."

"Do they?" his mother asked as she leaned back in her chair.

"Or, would a Water and Fire Type move together create steam, instead?" He stared at his mother, and she sent him a cheeky smile. He tried to open his mouth to argue, but then he truly considered her words and went quiet in thought.

"So you're saying that ability combination results in a secret, third option," he said. Proud once again, his mother nodded her head.

"Prankster and Stall are less about affecting a Pokémon's speed and more about affecting when a Pokémon uses its moves. Sableye's Stall means that he's exceptionally skilled at knowing when to move last, and his Prankster ability means that he's exceptionally skilled at knowing when to move first. So, when combined with the accuracy of Keen Eye, what do those combined skillsets get?"

"A Pokémon that... always knows exactly when to move?"

"A Pokémon that's exceptionally skilled at proper timing," his mother confirmed.

"Sableye's speed doesn't matter. He can choose whenever he wants to attack." In the battle, Sableye had used Disable and Torment almost simultaneously, and he had used both moves with nothing more than a single snap. He was able to shut down Mismagius with a clever use of Quash, and, honestly, Sam was pretty sure that one trick was the entire reason his mother had requested a double battle fight.

"With that kind of power... Sableye could completely shut down anyone he fights," Sam whispered in amazement.

"He could constantly use moves to prevent other moves, giving him complete freedom to act."

"Not... quite," his mother said with a slight frown.

"Using everything together requires a lot of focus, so it tires him out pretty fast."

"But with enough training, he could combine so many moves together and have his opponents unable to do anything to stop him! Encore, Disable, Taunt, Torment—he could become an absolute menace! Like, he doesn't even need the strength to use any direct attacks if he can just force his opponents to struggle until they faint!" But his mother shook her head.

"He'd still need to carefully select each move perfectly, and a Pokémon's Struggle can still damage its foe," she countered.

"A Sableye doesn't have much stamina, even if heavily trained. Eventually, Sableye's opponent would be able to break through."

"Sure," Sam replied, "but he's..." He couldn't deny what his mother had said. Sam knew she was right, at least partially. A Sableye could withstand a few hits, but they were Pokémon more skilled with moves rather than a species with a high innate power. They weren't Pokémon great at direct battles, but hearing how his mother had applied this combination made Sam want to know just how far it could be taken.

Right now, he really wanted to train with Sableye just to see how far that strategy could be pushed with proper training.

"And, of course, Delcatty's attacks were just an application of her Normalize ability, like you already said," his mother added right after.

"She can empower her attacks and use them without the need for anything but Normal Type energy. Combined with Foresight, that means moves with potential immunities like Thunderbolt will always hit, even against Ground Types."

"So that's why you taught her Thunder Wave," Sam said, looking up.

"It always hits, Delcatty has decent speed, and paralyzing her foes helps with that." Delcatty meowed as if to brag.

"You understand, but of course you do. This strategy was actually inspired by you," his mother said. Sam felt a warmth grow in his chest as he heard his mother's words. Knowing that his team had inspired one of his mother's strategies was... actually really nice. It felt like proof that he was already a trainer others could look up to. But there was still so much he stood to learn, and what he had heard about Sableye was only just the start of it.

As much as he had the information from the New Pokédex, he hadn't yet had the chance to experience the true implications of everything in there, and there were so many more Ghost Types he was yet to encounter or even see in battle.

"Ugh." Sam let his spoon drop and held his head in his hands.

"You're talking about all of these plans and strategies, and you're trying to get me excited, but I'm just not... as focused as you. Hearing about how you're so put together doesn't feel like anything I can do. I'm just... here. At the end of the season. At the end of my journey. I've had such a straightforward goal to reach the Conference that now that we've made it, it feels like—""Like you don't know what to do next?" his mother asked. Unfortunately, Sam's silence seemed to all but confirm it for her.

"... You feel as though this chapter of your life is at its end?" his mother asked next. Sam wasn't sure what else to say at that, but he ended up whispering the truth about what he was feeling.

"I think that's why I haven't picked a sponsor. If I choose one, aren't I just admitting that all of this is... over?" His mother hummed, watching him, and she gave him time to digest the full weight of what he had just said. However, after only half a minute, Sam suddenly heard a loud squeak, and he looked up far too late to see Dreepy hurtling straight at him from above. In an instant, the little Dragon Type hit the table and slammed into Sam's bowl of half-eaten ice cream.

It went flying with a spoon spinning high through the air. Typhlosion tried to stand up to catch it, but the spoon was snatched away by a rushing Gastly, and then the bowl slammed onto the ground, its chilly interior spreading out into what would soon melt into a sticky puddle. But Gengar appeared and licked all of that away with a single swipe of his tongue.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked, turning back toward the table. He was less concerned about the ice cream and more concerned about how Dreepy was rubbing his head. However, hearing that unexpected question, Dreepy suddenly looked up in shock before truly realizing just where he was. He let out a hurried squeak as if to try to assure Sam that he was okay, but then a shadow fell over the two of them. Everyone here looked up—and up, and up—at the towering form of the pseudo-Legendary Dragapult floating right above them.

But rather than fall into any intimidation or annoyance, that fully evolved Pokémon just dropped her head to let out a surprisingly soft chirp. She was extremely apologetic. While "practicing," she had gotten distracted and accidentally sent Dreepy this way.

"It's alright. As long as Dreepy is okay," Sam said. Quickly, Dreepy dashed back up to his spot on his sister's launcher, and Dragapult sent Sam a quick smile before shooting back up in the air. As a Dragon Type, ice cream was not in her interest, and she had taken to practicing close to the roof of the ice cream shop, instead. She wasn't truly practicing. She was just playing.

At her brother's insistence, she was launching him short distances at high velocities, and each and every time, he let out a delighted scream. And it wasn't just him—a few Gastly were involved too. As if she were some sort of theme park ride, the Gastly were orderly lining up for the chance for Dragapult to launch them next.

"Your Pokémon are well trained." Sam blinked and brought his attention back to his mother to see that she was smiling at him.

"You're a good trainer."

"Thank you."

"But can I ask you a question?" Her voice became serious, and Sam found himself awkwardly shifting around in his seat. With the ice cream gone, he no longer had any way to distract himself. Quietly, he replied with a "Sure." And his mother asked, "Why does it have to end?"

"Why does what have to end?" Sam repeated.

"No, I mean, why end?" his mother continued.

"Why do you think that making a choice means all of this is going to stop? Why do you think that choosing a sponsor means your journey is going to be over? Even if this phase of your life is about to reach its conclusion, won't this all keep going? Won't your travels continue, even if you're not in Johto?"

"I know. I know!" Sam grumbled.

"It's just... I guess I'm just worried. I don't know what's going to happen next." And to that, his mother replied with a soft smile.

"So? Does that matter? I know you. You'll figure it out. It's not hard to imagine what you'll get up to. You'll see new Ghost Types. Encounter new people. Make so many more friends, and probably have a few adventures along the way.

"This might be the end, but it's only the end of your travels through Johto," she said.

"You still have an entire world to see! Even if this part of your life is over, there's still so much more to experience."

"I know," Sam said quietly, "but if I do that, then that means... I won't be going home." Delcatty jumped off her lap. Solemnly, Sam's mother leaned forward to rest a hand on his.

"I know, but it'll be okay. I had the chance to visit you here, and we'll always be rooting for you, no matter what. But what truly matters right now is the chance you've earned. You have all the freedom in the world to make the decision that makes you the happiest."

"Even if I..." His mother nodded.

"Even if you go to Kanto," she finished for him. Sam blinked at her, mouth open, and she brought herself back to laugh.

"You saw through me that easily?" Sam asked numbly.

"You're my son! Of course I did! As much as you have so many potential paths ahead of you, you still want to resolve everything with the New Pokédex, hm?" Sam could only let out a short laugh of disbelief as he thought back to that one paper contained in the packet. Between all of the various offers and requests, the one that had stood out the most was the letter containing nothing more than a basic invitation.

"I think... the other half of why I've been so stuck is because I don't actually have the information to make a decision yet," Sam said quietly, deep in thought.

"I haven't done any research. I've just been skimming through the offers. I need to figure out which companies I'd even want to consider giving my support, and I'd need to figure out which people I'd want to meet."

"And your first step?" his mother asked, knowing that he'd already partially made up his mind.

"Before anything else, I'm going to have a conversation," Sam told her, looking her in the eye.

"Before I make any decision, I need to do something I've been putting off for some time. I really need to talk to someone I've already met, and I really need to figure out what I'm doing with the New Pokédex, like you said. So, I'm going to..." Sam looked up at the sky. The sun was setting. Today was about to end. But even if today was almost over, tomorrow would still come just the same. He knew what he had to do.

"I'm going to Pallet Town," Sam declared.

"I'm going to meet with Professor Oak." There was one more conversation he needed to have, and he could no longer avoid it if he wanted to move on.