When you would ask little Falkner about Ghost Pokemon, he would tell you that only bad people or creeps would own them. That you just don't catch or own Pokemon with such a strange story about them. Like Banette, a doll coming to life to kill his former owner who threw her away. Or Drifloon, the balloon Pokemon, who takes childeren with him who think that they are balloons. Not even to speak about the Litwick family. a group of Pokemon who sucks out the life force from people for their flames. And if that wasn't enough, then there was the Legendary Ghost Pokemon Giratina. The Pokemon who was banished for his violence.
So Falkner believed that people with Ghost-Pokemon where bad news. He still believed that until he met the Ecruteak gymleader, Morty.
At first when he saw the gymleader, he was surprised as he didn't look like a bad person nor did he look like a creep. It was his first gymleader meeting and he was immediately one of the group. They accepted him like he was a gymleader his whole life. He noticed one of the gymleaders standing against the wall. One foot on the floor and the other against the wall. His arms crossed while looking through the room. His eyes rested on Falkner for a few seconds and then he closed his eyes, smiled and nodded and then opened his eyes again and focused on other things. He knew the other gymleaders. They were Bugsy, Whitney, Jasmine, Pryce, Chuck and Claire. The only one he didn't met yet was Morty the 4th be honest Falkner was quite happy with that because Morty was a Ghost trainer and Falkner didn't want to do anything with those kind of trainers. Yet from everyone he had met yet, he felt most intrigued by the person who didn't act like the others. Falkner looked to his side and gave a little jump when he saw Whitney.
"So I see you have found Morty. Have you two already talked?" When Falkner shook his head, Whitney clapped in her hands. "Wonderful! Come with me." She grabbed Falkner's hand and pulled him towards Morty. She either didn't notice the young boy's struggling or either chose to ignore pulled him towards the Ghost Gym leader and stopped when they arrived.
"Stop talking to your Ghosts Morty. You will freak the new Gym leader out." Said Whitney on a joking tone. Morty smiled and Falkner noticed that the smile was empty, but reassuring. Like Morty had no emotions and was completly hollow inside. He saw a Haunter appearing and grinning like he was planning something.
"Don't even think about doing that Haunter. Do that only to Eusine. He likes it." Said Morty stern and the Bird trainer found out that Morty's voice sounded wonderful. Calm, soft but firm. However Falkner could still detect some of that emotionless in it. Like he had practiced his voice or something. Morty himself was like he practiced every step he took. Yet nobody minded or noticed it. Maybe they didn't care?
Falkner saw the Haunter dissappear and a little Misdreavus came and sort of hugged Morty, because she had no arms, before she dissappeared too. Whitney began to speak about everything that happened in Goldenrod City and Morty smiled, frowned, nod and shook whenever was needed, but didn't really spoke. When Jasmine called Whitney, she left Falkner alone with Morty.
"I'm sorry for Whitney, she is quite an energetic girl. You can go if you want. Your face litterly screams 'Get me away from him!' So you can go if you want." Said Morty calmly.
"I do not look like that." Grumbled Falkner while looking at Morty who just stared at him.
"No indeed. Your face doesn't show anything. It is quite unnerving, but it is your eyes that speak. You don't really like me or you don't like my Ghost Pokemon. There are like any other Pokemon you know?" Answered Morty calmly and with the same careless voice.
"Oh like you are not unnerving. You are almost like a dead person. No emotion at all, not in your face, eyes, voice and not even in your attitude. You know nothing of me, but at least I am not an emotionless freak." Said Falkner angrily. He looked at Morty and saw those empty eyes fill up with emotion. He looked down so that his hair was making a shadow over his eyes. His mouth turned into thin lines and his whole body stood still like Morty didn't really lived. Finally he heard Morty speak.
"An emotionless freak huh? Well that is not even a new one. I will tell you as I told the others. I have my reasons to be like this and like you said. You know nothing about me. Nothing at all and I don't see a chance that you ever will." The Ghost trainer said on a very sinister voice. Then he moved his head up and tried to control his features and then nod once at Falkner and walked away.
The bird trainer looked after the ghost trainer and then focused on the other gym leaders. He saw Whitney and Jasmine look after Morty and then the 3th leader gave him an evil eye. He saw Jasmine look sad and both the girls went after Morty.
He didn't saw any of them the rest of the day. When he went home he saw Morty standing against a tree. It didn't seem like he noticed Falkner instead he looked at the Bellsprout Tower. The bird trainer walked silently to him and jumped when he heard Morty voice.
"The Bellsprout Tower looks beautiful in the moonlight." Morty looked behind him at Falkner. "What did you expect that I didn't hear you. I hear almost my Ghost Pokemon move. You are louder then that." Said the blond to the suprised gym leader.
"Is your hearing that good then, I thought I was quite silent. Do you have super hearing powers or something..." Said Falkner sarcastic while looking away. Suddenly he heard the blond laugh. Not loudly, but just hard enough and he looked at the ghost trainer. "You should laugh more often. Sounds more real then you are normally." The moment that Falkner said that he knew that the said something stupid. He looked at Morty and saw the stone face again.
"Then I should not laugh again. Don't want to become real now would I." He answered with squinted eyes.
"I didn't mean it like that. Man are you always like that. I didn't mean to attack you verbally. It is just you are acting so much. Like you have no emotions or refuse to show them. Like you are afraid to be hurt or something." Defended Falkner himself.
"I am not afraid of anything. You don't even know me so why do you think that you know if I am acting or not?" Said the Ghost trainer posionous.
"Because your eyes betray you! I see things in your eyes. I almost can see the way how you feel I only can not decipher it. Now it plain as day that you are angry even when you face is as stony as ever. All I have to admit that your voice betrays you too right now." Said the Bird trainer on a matter of fact tone. Suddenly Ghost Pokemon appeared behind Morty and the young gymleader took a few steps back. Morty seemed to notice that.
"So the new gym leader is afraid for the evil Ghost Pokemon. And here I thought that you just didn't want to be around me during the meeting. Wait that is true too because I have Ghost Pokemon." Said the Ghost leader with a grin and Falkner thought that he would use it against him. Then he saw Morty look away, almost thinking. The Ghost Pokemon came closer. A Misdreavus, Haunter and a Ghastly slowly floated to him. Falkner took more steps back until he stumbled over something. It was then that Morty looked up and shooed the Pokemon away. He walked towards Falkner and hold his hands out so that he could get it to stand up. Falkner grabbed Morty's hand.
"I am sorry. That was rude of me. I just got lost in a few thoughts. You don't have to be afraid. They only wanted to play or tease you. They aren't all evil you know. A Pokemon is in their nature never truly evil. It is the trainer who can change that." Said the blond wisely with a smile.
"Said the one who was angry at me a few minutes ago." Said Falkner.
'True that was me. Don't be to angry however at that. I don't like it when people try to read me. It is nothing personal. I swear." Said Morty while holding a hand up. He then smiled and said "Sqouts honour." That itself made Falkner smile a little. Maybe Morty wasn't so bad as he thought.
"So tell me mre about the Bellsprout Tower. You as the Gym leader of this town must know more about it then I do." Said the blond trainer and Falkner looked from the Bellsprout Tower to Morty. Then he nodded and began to tell the story about the Bellsprout Tower. Morty deemed to be a good student as he ask questions and nodded to some things Falkner said.
When they part ways Morty said one last thing.
"You know Falkner maybe one day you and I can actually be friends. You don't seem to horrible to be with." With the last sentence he smiled and Falkner saw that he was joking.
"Who knows. Maybe one day I actually am in the same room as your Ghost Pokemon." He said and then he gave a small wave and walked away. Morty did the same. Little did they know that later they both were more then friends and that Falkner dared to be in one room with ghost Pokemon.