The Ghost Specialist

Sam felt sore when he entered his home and mother’s shop. Most of his free time was spent sitting around and reading, not running and hiking and fleeing and dealing with all of that back at the mansion.

Cyndaquil, being a small enough Pokémon, had curled up behind Sam's head within his hood. She didn't perfectly fit, but that meant the fabric was tight against her, creating the perfect nest for her to rest in.

But even with all that exhaustion Sam currently faced, walking inside immediately filled him with relief. A chime above the front door of the bookstore rang to signify his arrival, and Sam took in a deep breath, tasting the smell of new books in the air.

Shelves lined the floors, and books lined those shelves. Stories of every genre were out for potential customers to browse, and displayed in the front window were spinning racks filled with colorful comic books.

“I’ll be right there!” his mother called out. Sam didn't see her until she left the door just behind the checkout counter, where she smiled upon noticing his face. “Sam! You’re back! I was worried I’d need to head out to find you. We just got a delivery in. I've been busy unpacking it all.”

“I'll help,” Sam said immediately, offering his assistance despite his exhaustion.

“Oh? You know you don’t need to.”

“Sure, but I want to.” Sam shrugged. “Can't a boy want to help out his mom?”

Sam's mother shook her head, amused, and she moved back through the doorway while waving for Sam to follow. She looked a lot like him, having similar facial features and the same pure black hair, but she kept her hair longer and tied up in a bun. The main difference between them were actually their eyes. Sam’s eyes were a grey that had come from his late father, whereas his mother’s eyes were a deep shade of brown.

This side room was filled with boxes, just as his mom said. There were a few extra shelves filled with their own books, but those books weren't on sale; they had already been purchased by people waiting who would soon come to pick up their orders.

“The ship from Rustboro came in today,” his mother said while cutting through mailing tape. “Brought in the usual orders, but we got the shipment, too!”

“The shipment?” Sam asked.

“The shipment,” his mother specified. “You know, the one that comes at the start of each year?”

Sam’s eyes widened, and he rushed forward. His mother chuckled as he moved, and he did his best to not blush. He had to admit that the news was making him act like a little kid again. Yet, he couldn’t help it. He only got to experience this once a year.

Meanwhile, as Sam knelt in front of the very important box, Cyndaquil stretched to wake up and hopped out of his hood. She landed on the ground and trotted over to the corner, where a Pokémon bed was laid out and where a purple-and-tan cat was napping within.

Cyndaquil didn't wait to join his mother's Delcatty in her own restful slumber. As she curled up next to it, the large feline moved its head to press against Cyndaquil’s back for warmth.

“So, to be clear, these are Pokédexes, right?” Sam asked.

“Yup!” His mother cheerfully replied. “The newest editions. Most will go to the local Gym, but we'll leave a handful here for others to read and hopefully buy.”

Sam couldn’t stop himself from grinning as he picked up the thick tome. When his mother wasn't looking, he sniffed its pages. It had the exact new book smell he had come to love. Then, he opened it up and browsed the table of contents. Right now, the number of species listed within neared over four-hundred.

Trainers used written Pokédexes like these as guides on their journeys. Pokémon Gyms would hand them out to all of their hired Gym Trainers, and Pokémon Centers tended to keep one or two publicly accessible for people to browse in their waiting rooms.

Written Pokédexes contained the sum knowledge humanity had on Pokémon—or at least the knowledge they had on the species native to closeby regions. This was the Hoenn version, primarily authored by the up-and-coming Professor Birch. Its contents focused on Hoenn, but it contained supporting information on Pokémon from places like Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh.

Sam knew that he had come here to help his mother unpack all the books that had arrived via boat, but he ended up sitting back and reading through the Pokédex, looking for what had changed.

“So, anything new?” his mother asked several minutes laters, an amused smile on her face as Sam continued to be utterly enthralled.

“Professor Birch managed to narrow down a lot more abilities,” Sam said. “They're passive effects some Pokémon have due to either their biology or instincts, but they have to be trained to be usable in battle. Some species actually have two listed, but do you know Banette? Apparently they've included the species's tendency to search people as an ability! It has a weird name. They called it ‘Frisk.’”

“Oh? And you just happened to notice a change in a Ghost Type first, hm?” his mother said in a teasing tone.

“That means nothing! I just like the Type! It's cool!”

She snorted once. Sam felt the heat from his face turning red.

“I know. I just find it funny that the first change you notice is of the Type you're obsessed with.”

Sam held up the book to hide his expression. He didn't want his mother to know he had flipped to the Ghosts first, but she was also completely right.

He went on to skim it a bit more, but he also recognized he was slacking, Sam did eventually get up to help his mom take out and organize the rest of the new books.

Most of these orders came from people who lived on the island, as actually getting specific books was hard without the same supply network mainland cities boasted. Ships brought books like these about once a month, or every few weeks if they were lucky. It had taken his mother years to build up her connections, and when it came to deliveries to the city, there was always a small section of those boats reserved just for this shop.

He would never admit it (Sam was a teen boy), but he was proud of the level of dedication his Mom had to her interests. She was commanding in conversation and always seemed to know exactly what to do. Considering it was just them, Cyndaquil, and Delcatty, Sam and his mom were rather close.

“...Alright.” His mom heaved one final book onto the shelf with the rest. “That should be it. Now we just need to wait for—”

The chime of the front door went off, and Sam’s mom grinned.

“That must be them. Coming!” she shouted.

Sam’s mom hurried back out to stand in the entrance of the shop, and Sam himself followed.

Entering the shop was a tall man with rippling muscles and tanned skin that glistened with sweat. He had a cocksure grin on his face as he strode forward and leaned against the front counter. At his side, there was a secondary set of lighter footsteps, and Sam leaned over to see what creature it was.

This Pokémon was short, fat, but still muscular and covered with yellow skin. It was one of the few species almost exclusively found on the island: a Makuhita. Though it was heavy like a sumo-wrestler, its padded fists could pack quite the punch.

“Sup,” the man said.

Sam was already leery of how the man was smiling at his mom.

“I’m Buck. Recent shake-ups at the Gym means I took over as the one responsible for all its public dealings. You’re Amanda, right?”

“Call me Mandy,” his mother replied with a smile.

Sam didn't bother to hide his scowl. He was more than willing to show his displeasure at the shameful flirt as he exaggeratedly crossed his arms.

“Anyway, new Gym Leader means new systems being implemented. I’m here about the books.”

“Yes!” His mother’s expression turned to excitement. “This year's edition of the Pokédex! They've just come in, so I can go grab—”

Before she could turn around, the buff man, Buck, sucked in air through his teeth. Sam's mother stopped where she was, quick to narrow her eyes.

“What is it? New... systems, you said?” she asked.

“Well, you’re quick to figure it out. Things have changed at the local Gym.”

Sam’s mom was already tapping her foot. The mood was quick to sour.

“And?”

“You might have made that deal with us for new Pokédexes, but that was with the last Gym Leader,” Buck said. “We’re doing a bit of a rework while everything’s being transitioned. As it turns out, we already have new Pokédexes! And these are far better than just a few books!”

“Yeah?” his mother replied testingly. At this point, she had a completely emotionless look on her face. Sam knew that meant she was ready to blow.

“See, they're electronic, and they come with all these neat little features that make books obsolete,” Buck continued. “Their inventor, some guy named Professor Oak, managed to put in a Pokémon scanner, a text-to-speech program, habitat listings, team summary, storage connection, automatic updates—”

“So what?” Sam's mother snapped.

Silence permeated the air. The excitement Buck displayed only a second ago immediately cooled down.

“So, I've come to tell you we won't be going through with our usual deal. Sorry about that,” he said.

Sam’s mom opened her mouth, closed it, and then seemed to come to the conclusion that she wouldn’t yell about this. Instead, she took a singular, deep, calming breath, then released it slowly before talking once more.

“We had a deal,” she said calmly.

“Deal’s off,” came his reply.

“I was explicitly told you’d be making this purchase last year. You’ve already given us some of the payment upfront.”

Buck shrugged.

“We won’t be paying the rest, then.”

Sam’s mom looked at the Gym Trainer like he was the biggest idiot in the world.

“Why?”

“Why not? We don’t need the books, so we don’t need to spend the money. ‘Sides, if you ask me, it’s better if our cash is used on more important purchases anyway.”

Sam’s mother tensed, her bottom lip curling up. As for Sam himself, he stared at the man, an understanding coming to his eyes.

The guy’s a meathead.

He might have worked for the Gym, but Buck clearly thought books weren’t meant for trainers that specialized in the Fighting Type.

Yet, as soon as Sam had that thought, he realized this was an opportunity. Mind already on the subject after everything he went through earlier, he blurted something out, and the sound of his own words shocked both him and Buck.

“Battle me!”

Everyone looked Sam’s way.

Sam reacted by freezing up, gaping like a fish, and staying motionless until Cyndaquil yawned and trotted over to poke at his leg.

“...Huh?” Buck asked.

“You're a Gym Trainer, right? That means you're great at Pokémon battles. Sure, you don’t need to accept my challenge, but what if we put the status of this purchase on the line?”

Buck raised an eyebrow, and the man crossed his arms which served to cause his muscles to bulge that much more. At his side, the Makuhita let its hands rest on its stomach. The weighty Pokémon stood in a distinct contrast to its well-built trainer.

“...Go on,” Buck said.

“I have a Pokémon, and you do too—a Makuhita. Three days from now, we'll have a one-on-one match. If I win, you make the purchase anyway. And if you win—”

“What if we get all your Pokédexes for half off?”

Sam went silent. He had only come up with this idea for a Pokémon battle as a way to show off to his mom. If he beat this Gym Trainer, he’d prove his worth, and then she’d have to say yes to him heading out.

However, while Sam had brought up the concept of betting the book sale, the full implication of the idea hadn’t settled in until now. With the number of written Pokédexes the Gym usually bought, there would be a lot of money on the line. Not just that, but since the Gym was so well-liked, the negotiated profit margin was thin, too. Accepting this match and losing would mean he’d force his mother to take a major loss.

Yet, she was here too, quietly listening in. Sam was too nervous to properly respond, and in the end, it was his mother who made the final decision.

She silently stood there and took in both Sam and Buck. An unfamiliar look entered her eyes as she seemed to analyze everything these two had to offer.

“...Alright,” she said. “Your terms are fine.”

“Great!” Buck’s grin was far too wide. “Then I accept your challenge! Three days ‘till our battle—I’ll meet you outside of the Pokémon Center at noon!”

Buck practically strode out of the bookstore, walking with a skip to his step. His Makuhita loyally followed, but when Sam picked up Cyndaquil for comfort, the two Pokémon stared off before the Makuhita finally stepped outside.

“...Why did you accept that?” Sam quietly asked.

“Why did you challenge him?” his mother replied.

Sam didn’t have a proper answer, but then strangely enough, his mother grinned. Almost immediately after, she proceeded to snort then laugh, too.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting something like this today, but it worked well enough. Good job, Sam! Written Pokédexes haven’t been selling well lately. That order wouldn’t have gone through without you. You’ve just made sure we’ll get a lot of stock off our shelves!”

“But what if I lose?”

“Then we’ll be forced to sell them at a loss and I’ll have to budget for the next month,” she said all too nonchalantly.

Sam froze up.

“But that’s only if you lose,” his mother said. “You want to be a Pokémon trainer, right? Wouldn’t this be a good first step?”