c6: Energy Balls and Sludge Bombs
Victreebel began the training session for Gastly and Dreepy, though when it came to Dreepy... well, there wasn't much to offer offensively. For now, he could only learn Protect and Substituten both valuable, if defensive.
Given that both Victreebel and Gastly shared the Poison-type, and considering Gastly's high Special Attack potential (something that Alex had already scanned using his Pokédex's IV-check tool), Victreebel made a clear decision: it would teach the mischievous little gasball Energy Ball and Sludge Bomb, both solid Special Attacks.
Gastly was still low-level, so overwhelming it with too many techniques would just lead to fatigue. Two powerful moves were enough for now, any more and the little ghost might start leaking ectoplasm.
Dreepy, on the other hand, learned Protect and Substitute fairly quickly. The fact that almost every Pokémon species can learn those made it easier, but Dreepy's 6V talent also made him a natural learner. Even if he'd slacked off in the past, this wasn't something he'd fall behind on.
"Jie jie..."
Gastly hovered in place, watching Victreebel warily, gauging whether trying to prank him now would get him the dubious honor of becoming the first Ghost-type to get ghosted literally.
But Victreebel ignored Gastly's internal panic entirely, closing its eyes as it began to gather a rich, natural energy. Green light bloomed at its leaf tips, slowly converging into a small, concentrated sphere: Energy Ball. As the move fully formed, it floated forward and hovered just in front of Gastly.
Gastly trembled, but to prove himself, he didn't dodge. He braced and absorbed the Energy Ball head-on.
"Jie jie..."
The moment it entered him, Gastly felt it: a lush, vibrant memory of forest life, the rustling of thick canopies, Bug-types chirping in the underbrush, Bellossoms dancing under dappled sunlight. It was peaceful, calm… and for a mischievous ghost, unexpectedly soothing.
As the sensation washed over him, Victreebel began explaining in great detail probably tips and techniques for harnessing Energy Ball effectively. However, his speech was completely in Pokémon language, full of rustling syllables and vine-whistle inflections. Alex stood to the side, completely clueless.
Ruby nudged him and whispered, "Hey… do you think I could still ask Victreebel to teach my Treecko?"
Victreebel turned to him with a long, disdainful look.
Victreebel: (Glance that said: "You had your chance, kid.")
Ruby collapsed theatrically.
"*Wuwuwu… Alex, you're not even human."
Alex: "Huh? You're the one who didn't react in time."
Even if Victreebel's explanation was lost in translation, Gastly didn't let it go to waste. Despite his prankster nature, when it counted, he showed his focus. Just minutes later, the shimmering outline of Energy Ball formed between his fangs—concentrated, tight, and clean.
And once he got the hang of that, learning Sludge Bomb came even faster. Unlike the foreign sensation of Grass-type energy, Poison-type energy was his birthright. Sludge Bomb came to him like muscle memory though, in Gastly's case, it was more like fog memory.
Several days passed in this rigorous training, and Victreebel's trial finally began.
In that time, both Pokémon had fully internalized the moves they were taught. Dreepy could fade behind a Substitute and shield himself with Protect like a true defensive scout. Gastly now had a solid ranged Grass move and a STAB Poison nuke—he was no longer just a shiny face.
Meanwhile, Ruby had already gone ahead to Guchen Town. While he had agreed to help the professor locate Haruka (May), Alex wasn't keen on being the third wheel if things turned romantic. So he stayed behind, allowing Ruby to scout ahead.
In the days that followed, "training" became synonymous with "enduring daily beatings from Victreebel."
To call them sparring sessions would be generous. It was more like structured humiliation, a battle dojo run by a level 70 wild Totem Pokémon who thought pain was the best teacher.
Still, there was progress. The two Ghost-types had grown more resilient, and their ability to endure both physically and mentally had improved drastically.
Victreebel had forged them through combat, and now...
Its trial was about to begin.
The first task in Victreebel's test was deceptively simple:
To retrieve a specific type of Berry that grew only in very high, hard-to-reach places.
For Victreebel, this was trivial. With his long vines and natural agility, he could scale trees and cliffs like a walking jungle. But for the two tiny trainees?
Well… this was going to be interesting.
To make things even more challenging, Victreebel had declared a specific restriction:
"No flying allowed."
It sounded ridiculous especially for two Ghost-types who literally hovered all day but Victreebel was serious. According to him, they had to "earn their altitude."
When they reached the site, Alex stared up at the sheer cliff wall, spotting a solitary Berry glistening on a crooked branch. It looked like an Aguav Berry, useful for stamina recovery—rare in the wild and even rarer at this altitude. The tree was rooted right into the cliff face, its branch extending several meters out over thin air.
Alex observed the setup, frowning.
"This has to be connected to the moves and techniques Victreebel taught them…"
He knelt beside Gastly and Dreepy. "Tell me everything it taught you."
Gastly wobbled excitedly and began recounting all the insights he'd gained from Victreebel's lectures: how to concentrate Grass-type energy, how to manipulate Poison-type particles for long-range attacks, and how to maintain energy stability during condensation. Victreebel had taught him not just moves, but the principles behind them.
Dreepy, on the other hand, had nothing more than Protect and Substitute in his arsenal. Solid moves, but not particularly useful for scaling cliffs. Still, Protect could be used creatively for timing or shielding, and Substitute well, that might come in handy if weight manipulation became part of the strategy.
Alex's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"Grass-type, huh… That might actually work."
He recalled legends from Johto about Frenzy Plant, the move capable of raising titanic vines to crush enemies or grow through rocky cliffs. In Pokémon Adventures, the dex holders had used type energy creatively before—Gold's Aipom using Double Team mid-air to increase mobility, or Sapphire's Grovyle using Leaf Blade as footholds. If they could mimic that kind of synergy…
"Gastly," Alex said with sudden energy, "Try channeling your Grass-type energy into the soil. Focus it downward. Think growth, not attack."
Gastly let out a long, uncertain "Jie jie…" but hovered into position. He focused his energy, summoning the memory of the forest essence he felt when learning Energy Ball.
Then
"Jie jie jie jie jie jie—!!"
His body began to glow green as he summoned all his focus. His gaseous shape pulsed wildly as he strained to concentrate the energy downward.
"Jie jie…"
His eyes scrunched shut. His ectoplasmic form began to twitch. His face twisted with effort, turning into an expression of sheer spiritual constipation. His gaseous aura flared red from exhaustion, and for the first time… he actually looked like a ghost possessed.
Then—
Swoosh!
A single blade of grass sprouted from the dirt.
It stood about two or three centimeters tall.
Alex blinked.
"Cao?!"
(An exclamation rich with meaning: grass, pain, shock, defeat, cosmic betrayal.)
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