Incarnated Whisp
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Chapter 134
🕑 Added 2025-01-28 23:43:56 +0000 UTCMisdreavus made fighting the Druddigon look a lot easier than it was. She avoided all of its attacks because she was forced to avoid all of its attacks. If even one of its powerful strikes hit her, she would have fainted, and then another trainer would have stepped up to challenge it, and then that would have been that.
But now, Sam held the Ultra Ball that contained the Druddigon. The other trainers had already all left, grumbling to themselves about needing to find other Dragon Types. However, that wasn’t going to happen. His team had already caught and turned in every Dragon Type they could find, and if there were any left, they were either adept hiders or belonged to someone else. The vast, vast majority had been captured, meaning the ongoing search would soon end.
“You know,” Sam said as he and Misdreavus carefully made their way into the Druddigon’s carved-out trash lair. “With this win, it’s gotten pretty clear you've become strong. You’re at the baseline we’ve been looking for. I know we’re not in Cianwood just yet, but if you really want to...”
He glanced over to his Pokémon, but Misdreavus shook her head.
Sam could tell she did want to evolve, but she didn’t want to evolve just yet. They were yet to fight Jasmine, and until that battle took place, Misdreavus would stay in her current form. Taking part in that battle as she was now and then facing the Cianwood Gym as a Mismagius later would give her a better sense of how her evolution affected her capabilities.
After all, their true goal was the Conference. Just as much as Sam, Misdreavus wanted to be as prepared as possible to make sure they’d win.
“That’s well planned,” Sam commented, continuing deeper into the den.
Misdreavus huffed in reply, annoyed at the implication that anything she did wasn’t well planned.
“That’s fair, but I guess there was that time you stalked us when we first met. I think, if you just came up and asked to be caught—”
Sam immediately shut up when he saw Misdreavus’s withering glare.
His statement was wrong; she did ask to be caught. However, miscommunication on both their parts turned it into a mess. Haunter had attacked her when she wasn’t actually attacking, and after that disastrous encounter, she hadn’t known what to do with herself.
“...I’m sorry,” Sam said quietly, feeling the guilt surge in his chest. “It’s my fault. I should have recognized your excitement. I should have known your rush didn’t mean we needed to fight you. I didn’t realize how desperate for a trainer you actually were.”
Something sad flicked across Misdreavus’s face, and she was forced to look away. There was more to it, but she didn’t speak. Sam didn’t push either since there was no reason to make his Pokémon share something she didn’t want to share.
Instead, he simply resumed his search through the Druddigon’s den. This place had been carved out with heavy claws, and its refuse-made walls had been pressed flat by a heavy body. Sam could see the few items the Druddigon had managed to scavenge in between fights. Soft plastics and papers formed a bed-like nest. In the corner, mostly empty Potion bottles lay in a pile of shattered glass. Likely, the Druddigon would smash them open to heal up as much as possible between each of its fights.
For a dump, this place didn’t reek anywhere near as bad as Sam expected. Dumps like these primarily existed to provide “safe” areas for pollution-based Poison Types to gather. Those species were an unfortunate consequence of modern development, so as unsatisfying as a massive, exposed area filled with trash was, it was better for it to exist than it was to let Pokémon like Grimer and Koffing wander through city streets on their own.
The Druddigon was strong enough to claim a portion of the dump for itself, and it had experienced plenty of challenges before Sam finally managed to capture the tired Pokémon. With it soon to be sent home, this den would no longer be maintained, and it would likely eventually collapse.
But the den was still here right now, and Sam gave the place one last look-through. Primarily, he wanted to make sure the Druddigon wasn’t protecting any eggs. However, while there were no eggs here, a gleam in the corner caught his eye, and Misdreavus’s scowl reflected his own darkened expression.
“Chains,” he said solemnly.
A set of metal manacles sat on the ground, bit through and torn apart thanks to the flexibility that came alongside the Druddigon’s freedom. Wherever the Druddigon had come from, the poachers had not treated it kindly. It was too strong to keep in a cage. The poachers chose to keep it bound until it somehow escaped.
“I’ll tell the nurse about these when we get back,” Sam said, his voice low. “The poachers might have already been arrested, but maybe we can provide a bit more evidence to make sure they get the punishment they deserve.”
“Mis.”
Misdreavus was just as disgusted now as she was when she looked over Trevenant’s burned grove. There was a history there, but again, Sam chose not to push and ask.
For now, with this final check through the den, Sam confirmed that the Druddigon didn’t have any other Pokémon it was protecting.
That meant with this capture, there were truly no more Dragon Types that he could easily catch. The only ones left were the same ones he had wanted to catch for himself in the first place, but neither the Dreepy nor Drakloak were anywhere to be found.
...At least, until Sam turned back toward the entrance.
It wasn’t the Drakloak that appeared in the opening to the Druddigon’s den, but Haunter floated there with a grim look on his face. Sam knew it was serious the moment he saw that Haunter wasn’t smiling. To make matters worse, when Sam locked eyes with him, Haunter nodded once to confirm that Sam’s suspicions were true.
“Tell me,” Sam said.
He went on high alert. Misdreavus’s wavy hair stood on its ends.
However, Haunter’s expression didn’t denote an attack or anything like that. Instead, he waved to a set of Gastly behind him to have them part and make way.
Through that gap, a certain Pokémon slowly inched into the carved-out room. The wild Drakloak floated closer, moving incredibly slow for its otherwise fast species. A Dragon Type like it should have been proud and met Sam’s gaze head-on. However, the Drakloak hung its head, and its body slumped in the air. Everything about its body language screamed submission.
There was not a single ounce of challenge to it, and Sam only felt bewilderment. He knew this was the same Pokémon, but nothing about the Drakloak resembled the Dragon Type that had attacked him only a few days ago.
“What happened?” he asked.
The Drakloak said something, and then Haunter hurried to fill in the translation gap. Pointing at the Dragon Type’s bare head, Sam finally recognized what was missing.
“The Dreepy’s gone.”
A slight nod. The Drakloak looked up to glance at Sam’s Pokéballs before letting its head fall back down.
“You... Ugh. Someone captured your Dreepy,” Sam concluded, rubbing his brow. “But they didn’t capture you. So since you weren’t able to help, you came to me instead.”
The Drakloak looked as though Sam’s words caused it physical pain. Guilt and shame overtook its expression, and it took everything it had left for it to stay in the air.
It didn’t want to go to him. It didn’t want to ask for help. However, in this case, the Drakloak simply didn’t have a choice.
After a long period of silence, the Drakloak finally looked up at Sam. Its expression was one of utter defeat. He could understand what that look was saying—it begging for his help, and it was offering the only thing it could in exchange.
If he could get the Dreepy back for it, the Drakloak would join his team.
Huh.
Sam hated that.
“No,” he said. “I refuse.”
Immediately, the Drakloak looked outraged. Whatever guilt had overtaken it was now replaced by steaming anger as it snapped up its head to glare into his eyes.
“You’re missing my point. I’m not going to catch you just because you need our help. That’s not right. We’ll help you get Dreepy back—I promise you that—but I’m not going to force you onto my team just because you didn’t have a choice.”
Sam wanted to catch Drakloak, though. He desperately wanted to have a Drakloak join him, but that was just his selfish side speaking. This was a rare Dragon and Ghost Type Pokémon, so of course he wanted to train it, but bringing it on like this wouldn’t be the same as a regular capture. If he accepted, Drakloak would only be joining him because it had nothing else it could do—its willingness was only coming from a place of desperation.
“Haunter,” Sam said, turning to his Pokémon, and the Drakloak stared at Sam with wide, disbelieving eyes. “Take the Ultra Ball. Bring Druddigon to the Pokémon Center. The Chansey there will make sure he doesn’t misbehave, and then meet back up with us at the city’s center.”
A little-known fact about Chansey was that they were incredibly strong—at least outside of battle. Even their pre-evolved form was capable of great feats of strength, which let them deal with difficult Pokémon. However, in matches, few Chansey were ever able to bring that strength to bear. It was against their nature to put much effort into hurting another Pokémon.
Even if the Druddigon protested, the Chansey would be able to treat it. It would receive the care it needed, but Haunter would be handling that. Sam and his team would be going to Olivine’s Central Pokémon Center because if there was anywhere the Dreepy would be brought, it would be there.
But they had to leave now. Bringing the Druddigon in by himself would risk too long of a delay. If Sam wanted to rescue that Dreepy before it was handed over, he needed to arrive at the central Pokémon Center before whatever trainer had captured it showed up.
Time was of the essence.
“Alright, we need to move quickly. Before anything else, we’re going to convince whoever caught Dreepy to release him before he splits from you for good. There’s only one place this Dragon Type hunt has been happening—Olivine’s central Pokémon Center. Gastly, I want all of you to head out and search for the trainer just in case, but we...” Sam looked over to Drakloak. “Come with me. Can you give me more information on the way, if that’s alright?”
He waited for a response, but Drakloak seemed to be stuck in disbelief. Sam’s response seemed to have stunned it with his simultaneous denial and acceptance of its request. To see him suddenly jump into action without wanting to capture it in return wasn’t a situation it expected.
But it quickly recognized he was waiting for it to answer his question, and the Drakloak shook to snap itself back into focus. It locked eyes with him, but rather than any sort of challenge, its stare was one of respect—and of acceptance.
_______________________________________________________________
Sam strode down the road as fast as he could, walking quickly but not running to properly pace himself while maintaining speed. Drakloak floated along at his side, having no problem with keeping up. While Sam was moving fast for a human, this was practically nothing for her.
Drakloak’s body language betrayed her nervousness. Sam’s willingness to help had sparked her hope, but it was clear she was still wrought with nerves. So focused on making sure Dreepy, her brother, would be released, that she didn’t bother to hide. Passersby sent the unfamiliar Pokémon surprised and curious looks, but Drakloak paid no attention to them. Instead, she did her best to share as much as she could along the way.
So Sam learned of her past. With Misdreavus and a few helpful Gastly, he learned of everything that happened to her. He learned of how she and her brother were captured in Galar, he learned of how the poachers treated them, and he learned that she and her brother were responsible for all of the Dragon Types’ escape.
He was also surprised to find out that Team Rocket wasn’t involved, but he didn’t doubt that Team Rocket was one of the organizations the poachers had called.
No wonder I haven’t seen any Gym Trainers working on this. I bet Lance tasked them with making sure Olivine City stays safe.
But Sam was more focused on what needed to be done rather than the wider implications of these recent events. A certain trainer had captured Drakloak’s brother, and with her story, Sam knew for a fact that Dreepy would be found at the city’s central Pokémon Center.
Except—
Except she doesn’t need to be so self-flagellating. It’s not her fault her brother was captured. He was going to try to slip away no matter what. She had no way of knowing when he’d try that, and she had no way of knowing that Preston would just happen to be nearby.
“I get it,” Sam eventually said, speaking once his Pokémon finished their translation. “It’s easy to fall into inaction. My grandfather used to say it was like a ‘Deerling in the headlights,’ but I didn’t know what a Deerling was, and I wasn’t sure what he meant by headlights. At least, the meaning was clear enough—it’s easy to be overtaken by surprise.
“But! Thanks to you, I know which trainer captured him. An Absol and a Haunter makes it easy enough. You should also know that you wouldn’t have been able to win. Coming to me was the right choice. We will get your brother back.”
Despite Sam’s comforting words, Drakloak hissed, trying to deny her lack of strength. She was a Pokémon that managed to evolve in the wild and a Pokémon that had been in her second stage for quite some time, but she was also a Pokémon that had only fought in the wild. Out there, battles were always fought with the idea of escape in mind. Pokémon almost always held back, and they often lacked the same level of strategy a trainer could provide.
“No. Trust me when I say you couldn’t have won. Preston has earned six badges. He’s not someone you’d be able to beat. However!” Sam said, and he sent a glance to the Dragon Type. “You have nothing to blame yourself for, either. All it takes is a single moment, a single second when you’re not paying attention. As a wild Pokémon, you have to constantly avoid trainers if you don’t want to be caught, but trainers only need a single opening if they want to catch you.”
He then sighed, recognizing his own words. He felt just as responsible for this as Preston was.
“There are dozens of trainers in Olivine trying to capture a Dragon Type for themselves,” Sam said softly. “I was one of them. Eventually, one of them would have snuck up on you no matter what, and then...”
His words trailed off. Drakloak’s silence was deafening. Every second she didn’t speak was like a jab to his chest.
Again, he missed when things weren’t so complicated.
“I’m sorry,” Sam said, and Drakloak looked up at him. “I should have known. Dreepy don’t often travel on their own. I should have checked to see if there was any sign you or something else was nearby. Honestly, I might be helping you right now, but I’m just a hypocrite. Even though we’re getting your brother back, I tried to do the same thing as Preston. Yet—”
There was no sense in backing down just because of a mistake he made in the past. He had done the best he could in the moment, so there was no sense in letting that hold him down. Sam was a Pokémon trainer, and he had an entire team behind his back.
He held his head high as he turned to Drakloak. With his full confidence, he met the Dragon Type in the eye.
“I promise you, you will get Dreepy back,” Sam declared. “And if you choose it, I’ll bring you to someone who can return you to Galar. Or, even if you don’t want that, I can make sure you’re left alone so you can keep living here.”
He turned back to the street to keep an eye on the rapidly approaching Pokémon Center.
“No matter what, you have the choice,” Sam said. “You’re allowed to do whatever makes you the happiest.”
Drakloak’s gaze flicked over him to search for any sign that he was lying. Sam wasn’t, and he truly meant what he said. No matter what, he would do his best for these Pokémon because his best was what they deserved.
Besides, while what he had in mind couldn’t help with transportation, he technically already had a sixth member of his team. He had plenty of Gastly that would love to help out in fights. While they wouldn’t be much help in the later rounds of the Conference, he could at least use one or two of them when it came to the earlier or preliminary matches.
But he didn’t bring that up, and he had nothing else to say. From then on, for the rest of the way to the Pokémon Center, Drakloak remained silent. She had already shared everything she could share and didn’t have anything left. Sam chose to stay quiet since attempting to comfort her now would be pointless until she got her brother back.
Once they reached the towering skyscraper that contained Olivine’s primary Pokémon Center, Sam found a spot to wait next to its main entrance so he could reach Preston before Dreepy was handed in.
The last time Sam was here, the Beginner’s Tournament was still yet to take place. Annihilape, as a Mankey, helped him win their qualifying match after Sam over-relied on Cyndaquil. If anything, his experience there taught him the importance of using his team as a whole and was probably one of the defining moments that helped him create his team’s strategy.
For now, he stayed silent and leaned against the Center’s front wall, going over the memories in his head while trying to make a plan to convince Preston to hand over that rare Dragon Type. A few trainers entered and exited the Pokémon Center while taking jobs and healing their Pokémon. Most didn’t bother to hide their jealousy when they saw Drakloak. They might not have recognized her species, but she was visibly a Dragon Type. Likely, they thought Sam had captured her for himself.
Waiting didn’t last long. Sam managed to come here just fast enough. Barely any time passed before Sam saw his target walking down the road. Preston, the same trainer Sam encountered once before thanks to their Haunter’s shared history, approached with a skip to his step. His smile was so wide that he almost didn’t notice Sam waiting there.
Upon seeing Preston, Sam took a deep breath. He knew how difficult his request would be.
“Preston,” Sam called out, and the other trainer finally slowed down.
“...Sam? What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
Preston finally noticed him waiting there, and his eyes flicked over Drakloak. His smile faded as an understanding entered his gaze. Likely, he could see the clear family resemblance between her and Dreepy.
“Alright,” Preston said with a reluctant sigh. “There should be a quiet place inside for us to talk.”
He looked as though he also missed when things weren’t so complicated. Sam just appreciated that Preston didn’t need to be convinced to wait.
Stepping inside, Preston took the lead, bringing Sam and Drakloak into the Pokémon Center and up a stairwell in the back. Along the way, unfamiliar red eyes opened up in Sam’s shadow as the Center’s local Gengar checked in to make sure none of Sam’s Ghost Types would bring trouble. Haunter wasn’t back yet, but Misdreavus was able to clear things up, and the evolved Pokémon slipped away to go back to its job haunting the rest of the building and preventing hostile Ghost Types from slipping in.
“Here. This place has a bunch of unused battlefields. We won’t be disturbed inside,” Preston said.
This interior room contained a pretty standard field, although the walls were close to its bounds. Likely, the reason this Pokémon Center was so expansive was to allow for rooms like these. Sam doubted Olivine City wanted a bunch of trainers practicing in the streets.
Preston walked to the center of the field before turning around. His arms were crossed, and behind him, his Haunter revealed itself by floating into the air.
“Talk,” Preston ordered.
Sam did exactly that.
“The Dreepy you caught wasn’t on its own. It’s Drakloak’s brother. The species is almost like a Dugtrio or Magneton, except where they can technically live on their own, they bond and partner up.”
He paused, about to add a comment about it being more similar to Mantine and Remoraid, but Preston was already shaking his head.
“I can’t do that. I get it, but I have to be selfish here. Turning in Dreepy means too much for me and my team. I’d be giving him to the Blackthorn Clan, anyway. You really think he wouldn’t have a happy life with them?”
So he knows.
Honestly, with how Preston had mentioned everyone talking about Dragon Types in this Pokémon Center, Sam wasn’t too surprised that others had figured out the job’s mysterious sponsors.
“It’s not the same,” Sam immediately countered. “Sure, Lance and Clair wouldn’t allow him to be mistreated, but you’re still taking him away from his family. They’d treat him well, but his sister—”
“So come with me,” Preston said, immediately turning toward Drakloak. “The Blackthorn Clan specializes in taking care of Dragon Types. You won’t have to be separated from your brother, and I can still get the reward. You’d get to live a happy life and my team would be able to fulfill our dream. It’s a win-win situation no matter what.”
To Sam’s surprise, Drakloak didn’t even consider it. She immediately hissed at Preston, her voice practically dripping with venom. Her response carried no doubt whatsoever; she refused to be handed over as if she was just some... thing. She valued her freedom over almost anything else, but she valued her brother’s freedom even more than her own. Going to the Blackthorn Clan wasn’t a choice either of them would be making. It would be a choice practically forced onto them by Preston’s surprise capture.
(And, in that moment, Sam was struck by her offer to let him capture them. It hit him just how much she was willing to give up to prevent this outcome for her brother.)
“Ugh.” Preston pinched his nose. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t have a choice—I have to turn Dreepy in. You’re asking me to give him up for what might be a slightly better future when he’d be just fine being taken care of by people who specialize in raising Dragon Types.”
Preston was obviously not a fan of the current situation, but he also had to think of his team. He was convinced of the opportunities the reward money would give him. Handing over Dreepy wasn’t an option. He needed the money, and in his mind, he wasn’t even doing anything that bad in the first place.
But he would still be taking Dreepy away from his sister. Sam couldn’t think highly of him for that decision.
“You’d really split them up?” Sam asked.
“You’d really have my team give up our dreams?” Preston immediately countered. “You already know just how much the money would do. My team and I would actually have a chance. We wouldn’t be stopped three-quarters of the way there. With the help we could get...”
Preston clenched his fists.
“We would get somewhere. We wouldn’t be failures. We wouldn’t be forced to go home early.”
Sam grimaced. He knew Preston wouldn’t be convinced. Dreepy didn’t deserve to be torn from his sister, yet Preston was desperate to keep chasing the Conference. If this job hadn’t been posted by the Blackthorn Clan, if it had been posted by anyone with even slightly less respect, there might have been more wiggle room—but there wasn’t. Preston at least had a small point: the Blackthorn Clan would treat Dreepy well, and that was enough for him to latch onto this outcome and refuse to believe anything else.
So I can’t change his mind. He’s always going to try to turn Dreepy in.
Unless—
Sam’s chest twisted as he came to his realization.
Unless I offer Preston something worth just as much.
It hurt to come to this conclusion, but he had promised Drakloak he’d help. To not do this here...
He made a promise. He wouldn’t go back on his word.
“Preston,” Sam said, and there was something to his voice that managed to capture Preston’s attention. “What if I offer you something more valuable than the Dragon Type reward?”
“Pft. What, you just have a hundred-thousand in your pockets? ‘Cause that’s the only way I’m giving Dreepy up.”
“I don’t,” Sam said, “but I have something better. If you’re just trying to earn your next badge, you don’t need the money. You need a way to get stronger. You need to know exactly what your team needs to learn to get past Jasmine’s Steel Types.”
Preston cocked an eyebrow as Sam’s voice shook. Sam really didn’t want to say this out loud, but at this point, he didn’t have a choice.
“Promise me that you won’t say anything.”
“What?”
“Promise me that you won’t reveal anything I’m about to share with anyone else. No, promise me on your team that you’ll keep what I’m about to say secret.”
Preston was silent for a moment.
“Fine. I promise on my team that I won’t reveal your secrets.”
And Sam nodded once. He did his best to speak as normally as he could as he finally spoke his offer.
“I challenge you to a battle over the fate of Dreepy,” Sam said. “While it seems like a big risk for you, I’ll be betting this in exchange—a book. A Pokédex. One that contains impossible and otherwise unknown information on Pokémon.”
Immediately, Drakloak sent Sam a hateful glare over determining the fate of her brother on a simple bet. Preston crossed his arms.
Though Preston was unconvinced, Drakloak’s glare seemed to lessen when she saw the pain that crossed Sam’s face.
“Yeah, right,” Preston scoffed. “You want me to battle you just for some book? I’m supposed to believe it’s special enough to risk that much money?”
Shakily, Sam breathed in and reached into his backpack. He pulled out the New Pokédex, flipped to a specific entry, and began to read out loud.
“Dreepy. The Lingering Pokémon. Dreepy are reborn ghosts of a primordial species. Moves common to their evolution line are Astonish. Infestation. Quick Attack—”
“That means nothing,” Preston interrupted.
Sam flipped to another page.
“Absol. The Disaster Pokémon. Its ability to predict misfortune tends to see it mistaken as the misfortune’s source. Moves common to it are Quick Attack. Leer. Double Team. Knock Off—”
“Again, you could just be making that up.”
Sam paused on the entry before him. His throat felt dry, but he knew Preston wouldn’t truly believe the book’s contents unless he saw genuine proof.
That meant—
“Annihilape,” Sam said, and Preston narrowed his eyes. “The Rage Monkey Pokémon. Primeape that fail to evolve into Annihilape tend to pass on.”
He ad-libbed the actual description of the species. He didn’t want to risk Preston trying for an Annihilape and only causing a Primeape to get hurt.
“A-again, you’re just making this up,” Preston repeated, but his words didn’t carry the same confidence to them as before.
Slowly, Sam turned the book around, exposing its aged, yellowed pages as well as the sketch of an Annihilape contained within. He then went on to grab a certain Pokéball and released the exact species the entry described.
The very second that Annihilape appeared, Preston’s breath hitched. His eyes flicked between Sam, Annihilape, Drakloak, and then to the New Pokédex itself.
Finally, Sam saw the opening he’d been waiting for. A glint entered Preston’s eyes. It was a mix of what was unmistakably hope, but also unmistakenly greed.
“Alright. So you have a special book. It has some neat information, but just knowing that won’t help me fast enough.” Preston said, turning around so Sam couldn’t see his face. “Doesn’t mean much. I already have Dreepy. You’re asking me to fight a battle rigged in your favor to make me give up the reward.”
“This book is worth significantly more than Dreepy,” Sam countered.
A pause. Preston seemed to weigh how he wanted to approach this.
“Counter offer,” he said, turning back around. “We battle, but I get to decide the rules. Your team is stronger than mine, so there needs to be a handicap. So! For the fight, I get to use three Pokémon, but you’re only allowed to use one.”
Sam almost interjected—the match wouldn’t be fair. Even with the difference in strength, Preston’s team was six stars, and Sam’s was rated at seven. While each successive star represented a greater difference in power, six and seven star teams were still rather close. Three Pokémon against one was not a winnable match, especially since Preston could pick his next Pokémon based on the best match-ups after losing the first.
But as much as Sam wanted to argue, he could tell that Preston would refuse to budge. The other trainer knew he had the advantage, and that was the only reason he was agreeing to this fight. Between the two of them, Sam was far more desperate to obtain the Dreepy than Preston was to obtain Sam’s book. After all, even if Sam refused, Preston would be able to turn in Dreepy, anyway. He’d get the reward money no matter what, and he was only presenting this counter-proposal because he was convinced he would win.
There’s no room for negotiation. Preston is never going to change his mind.
The reveal of the New Pokédex had opened up this slight opportunity, but Preston was leaving no room for Sam to modify the deal.
Hah. If Redi was here, she’d just punch him and steal Dreepy back, but I can’t do that. Not in the middle of a city. I guess if he was sleeping, we might have been able to try something, but it’s currently the middle of the day. It’s not the right time.
...But even then, he’d just call the cops since he’d know who took Dreepy. The Pokémon Center’s Gengar would also be on us in seconds. I don’t want to risk my team. That kind of act would get the League on our back. We’ve already taken too many chances in the past. I refuse to have any of my friends be taken away.
Sam wanted to curse out Preston. He wanted to call the other trainer names. The suddenness of Dreepy’s capture meant this was the only way out, and as it stood, a battle was the only way this could be resolved.
They were Pokémon trainers, after all. Battles were the go-to way to settle disagreements.
“Fine,” Sam said.
Preston grinned and immediately started to stroll over to the trainer box opposite Sam. Given that he had led them here, it was as though he had known a battle would be happening since the start.
“Looking forward to this match! Excited to see what Pokémon you’ll choose,” he said.
Sam grumbled and looked around. As much as he wanted to get upset, he knew his energy was better spent trying to think of a plan.
As he weighed what Pokémon to choose, Annihilape let out a grunt while looking extremely ticked off. He was offering to take part in the fight, but Sam knew that wouldn’t work. Annihilape was far too weak at range to win such an uneven match.
Then, a noise came from Sam’s side. Drakloak moved ahead to offer to fight, herself. However, Sam just shook his head to decline. She wasn’t trained. She was strong, but there was no way she could beat three of another trainer’s Pokémon in a fight.
No, as Sam reached to his waist, he knew he already made his decision. Typhlosion had been with him the longest. She was also the Pokémon he knew best. It would be hard, but she could dodge with both Smokescreen and Double Team. With her skill with Infernal Parade as well, she carried the best chance to win, so Sam reached for her Pokéball.
But it wasn’t Typhlosion who came out.
Rather than sending out a Pokémon himself, a flash of light saw a completely different member of the team appear. Looming before Sam, Trevenant stared down at him with a knowing look.
He had the best chance to win. He would be the one to fight. He would be the one to make sure Drakloak’s family would never be split.
“But—”
The severity of Trevenant’s gaze interrupted him. Trevenant had made up his mind. Back on Route 38, Sam had already asked for this. There, they had a conversation, and Sam asked for Trevenant’s help to introduce the next capture to the team.
This was not the same situation, but Trevenant planned to live up to his promise, anyway. This was a fight he knew he could win, and he wanted Sam to understand the same.
Thus, as Trevenant stared at Sam with his red, unblinking eye, Sam finally let himself breathe.
“Alright Trevenant, let’s do this,” he said.
And Trevenant nodded once, turning back to the field to walk to its center. Because Trevenant had a point. He would win. Between every possible option, he was Sam’s best chance. A three-on-one fight was not a fair fight, but it was a fight that played into Trevenant’s strengths.
After all, no other Pokémon was as capable of enduring damage as him. No other Pokémon could heal as much as he could.
For this battle, Trevenant was Sam’s best chance at winning, but it was still only a chance. They would have to apply everything they’d practiced if they were to win.
===============================================================
Author Note:
It’s impossible for Preston to claim “credit” for the discovery of Annihilape. Sam didn’t share the specifics of Annihlape’s evolution, and Carl has already passed around the news. The information is out there, but it’s been kept quiet. The only people who will learn about it are people who think to ask, and the concept of a Ghost Type evolution of Primeape is ridiculous enough that no one will bother.
Also, as long as he doesn't win, Preston won't have proof of either the Annihilape or the New Pokédex, so Sam doesn't need to worry about anyone finding out.
Pokémon included in this chapter:
Absol
Chansey
Dreepy / Drakloak
Druddigon
Grimer
Koffing
Mantine
Remoraid
Comments
Dark Oak
ngl 100k is too much money for a trainer to be willing to gamble with even if the terms are favorable.
The 49th Khan
Sam is getting a reward for helping the pokemon get back, but this is not a posted reward and just a general one. It's nowhere close to the 100 000 per dragon that was posted. I bet that even all the dragons Sam turned in combined don't give that much.1q
Incarnated Whisp
Maybe. Preston is only from a few chapters ago.
mhaj58
You might need a Glossary describing some characters. I can barely remember what Preston did in the story before
Abzu
I didn't like this development but hey sometimes characters do what you don't want them to do and in good stories the pay off is good.
Al
Sam could fully embrace the ghost type, have the ghastly ghost the dude and take dreepy…
Jonah Frazier
I'm slightly confused, is Sam not also getting rewards for turning in the other Dragons? In that case couldn't he just offer the value of the reward since he's getting several times that?
Xander
I was thinking of having Preston get a share of what he’ll get in exchange for returning the dragon types, but we’ll see 🥴🥴🥴
Incarnated Whisp
I should have probably added a line or two explaining this, but the problem is two fold. First, he needs to prove he actually has valuable information (hence going through with revealing the New Pokedex and Annihilape), and then there's also the issue of timing. Even with everything else, Sam wants to reach the Conference. He can keep going even if he hands the book away, but he doesn't actually want to give it up. However, Preston wants a value equal to the reward of handing over Dreepy. The New Pokedex is worth more than that, but a pamphlet of useful information wouldn't be. With that kind of offer, Preston would outright deny or or ask for similar hands-on assistance to what money could buy, but Sam can't afford to spend that time.
Durphymcbob
Thanks for the chapter! As much as I hate what Preston is doing I understand where he is coming from,he needs the money to support his team, and is guessing is is a johto/kanto native so probably veiws the blackthorn clan in a good light. I am rooting (pun intended) for Trevenant, even though he has a type weakness to alot of Preston's pokemon, he is built to handle long drawn out battles of attrition with all of his self healing and draining moves, plus harvest in combat to top it off.
Vexdt
Sorry but I feel that is a bit stupid, why would the only solution to show his book to somebody and not say he can get information to help him?
ENTROPY_BOT
iirc Preston has a houndour (likely a houndoom by now), not to mention blanket type advantage in a Ghost v Dark matchup. It's going to be a tough flight for Trevenant.
Steven
Thanks for the chapter
Raptor
I am with redy, punch first lol
TrueKing
I was gonna say Sam could have given Preston the Druddigon in exchange for Dreepy, but he already gave it away
