Gengar Busters
Alfred and his sister were frantically shouting as they tried explaining to Officer Jenny what had occurred the previous night.
"That big meanie of a Ghost type locked me inside the haunted house and laughed at me throughout the night! There was no escape and I-I only got away because he got bored and flew off!"
"It's true, officer! My sister is no liar, I tried getting her out but the door just wouldn't budge!"
"So you mean to say that you two trespassed on private property?" Officer Jenny asked as she placed her hands on her hips while giving them a rather stern look.
The two kids nervously sweated as Officer Jenny shook her head and uttered a faint sigh. "Oh get out of here, I'll let you off with a warning this time." Though that Gengar certainly was trouble, the owner of the property frequently complained about potential buyers being scared off by a 'ghost' and a few teenagers snuck into the place to make out and do unmentionable deeds only for Gengar to appear and send them screaming off as well! Wild Pokemon were certainly welcome to reside within the city, there were plenty of stray Meowth about after all but Gengar was anything but peaceful and needed to be relocated although a lot of the proper services were currently busy on account of Lance and his mysterious associate 'Looker' discovering a bunch of caged Pokemon beneath a Celadon Game Corner which apparently doubled as a front for Team Rocket's operations. There was close to a thousand Pokemon and even with the Elite Four member offering his assistance, they were quite backed up! She certainly didn't want to put a halt to the operation as those poor Pokemon were locked up and imprisoned for Arceus knows how long and Gengar was more of a nuisance than a threat but perhaps there was another way to deal with the problem.
"And so we're issuing a free pass for any and all aspiring trainers who are interested, to capture the Gengar residing in the abandoned manor!" Officer Jenny pointed towards the abandoned building as the crowd began murmuring, most of them sounded terrified as they heard some frightening rumors about what Gengar was capable of. "So is anyone interested?!"
"I am!" Gary Oak pushed his way through the crowd, a cocky grin spread across his face as he turned to face the crowd. "I'm Gary Oak, the grandson of Professor Oak and the son of former Elite Four member Blue, and as your future Champion I swear to you all that I'll capture Gengar and prove myself to all of you!"
The crowd cheered with Gary's cheerleaders being the loudest.
"Gary, Gary he's our guy if he can't do it nobody can! Gary, Gary!"
"Man Gary's sure gotten a big head..." Chloe narrowed her eyes. "Just how many badges does he have?"
"Oi Oak, you've got to get through me as I intend on capturing that Gengar ta secure myself a Mega Evolution!" Gloria rudely pushed her way through the crowd, pushing a few people to the ground as she didn't pay much mind to the force of her movement.
"G-Gloria?! What are you doing here?" Gary's eyes widened from surprise rather than fright. "I thought you were in Galar!"
"That I am, I just came here to unlock the secrets of Mega Evolution! Ya see the role of Champion hardly matters to me as it's the World Champion title I'm really after and I'll certainly need Mega Evolution if I intend on beating Cynthia's Garchomp, Steven's Metagross, and Lance's own Charizard!" Gloria boasted as she tapped her chest. "You see unlike z-moves and Mega Evolutions, ya can't Dynamax outside of Galar so I intend on capturing Gengar to net myself a Mega Evolution!"
"Ha as if, I'm gonna catch this one!"
"Says the guy with three badges," Gary's eye twitched from her remark. "I've got six!" Gloria whipped out a medallion that looked to have a few shards missing from it. Ash tilted his head as he wondered if that was how Galar Gym Trainers displayed their badges rather than utilizing a badge case.
"Six?!" Gary threw back his head and laughed causing Ash to feel rather uneasy as he began wondering just how many badges Gary possessed. Gary whipped out his badge case displaying a whopping count of ten badges! The crowd gasped and began murmuring in excitement as Ash went pale and Gloria's jaw dropped from shock. "I've got ten!"
"G-Gary has ten badges?!"
"Pika pi?!"
"I recognize the Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Rainbow, Soul and Volcano badge but I don't recognize the rest." Brock commented.
"S-Show off!" Gloria snarled.
"Hey you started it!" Gary smirked.
"Galar only has a maximum of eight Gyms, I can't possibly top that but you bet your arse I'd have more badges than you if I was competing in the same League!" Gloria shouted with a clenched fist.
"Yeah right, none of my rivals are even close to the amount I have!" Gary laughed.
"As if those cheerleaders weren't enough now I have to deal with Gary interacting with somebody whose ego matches his own!" Leaf clenched her fists as she appeared next to Ash before quickly making her way towards the front of the crowd. "Screw it, I have no interest in catching a Ghost type but I'll be darned if I lose Gary to that Galar girl or those cheerleaders! Catching Gengar will surely get him to notice me!"
"Well good luck with that cause I'm competing as well!" Ash remarked as he pushed through alongside her.
"D-Does that mean we have to go inside that place too?" Chloe couldn't help but shiver as she turned her gaze towards the 'haunted' manor.
"Don't worry Chloe, you've got me and Ash with you. We'll make sure nothing happens to you!" Brock stated with a friendly smile as he rested his hand on Chloe's shoulder.
"Oh look there's Ashy boy, hey Ash how many badges do you have?!" Gary shouted as he flashed another smirk resulting in Ash uttering a light growl as he made his way to the front.
"I have three but I won't let that stop me from beating you to Gengar!"
"Sure Ash, sure!" Gary laughed. Leaf narrowed her eyes as he apparently didn't even take notice of her, she let out a cough to get his attention. "Hm? You okay there, Leaf?" Gary turned to her with a look of concern resulting in Leaf's cheeks burning lightly.
"Uh yeah, j-just a cough that's all!"
Gary smiled at her before resuming his cocky expression. "I bet I can beat both of you with one hand tied behind my back!"
"Ha, that's a laugh! I don't even need hands!" Gloria laughed.
"Oh really? Well why don't you prove it?" Gary laughed. "I'd like to see you try and capture a Ghost type with no hands!"
"You're on!" Gloria threw a ball into the air. "Inteleon let's show these Kanto fools that we're the top dogs around here!"
"Intel, Inteleon!" A tall and slender blue and black chameleon Pokemon burst out in front of her, holding it's fingers in a finger gun stance as the crowd murmured excitedly.
"Inteleon?" Ash quickly pulled out his Rotom Phone, Leaf looked over his shoulder while Gary flashed Ash a light teasing smirk but could be seen leaning closer as he listened in.
"Inteleon the Secret Agent Pokemon and the fully evolved form of the Galar starter Sobble, it's nictitating membranes let it pick out foes' weak points so it can precisely blast them with water that shoots from its fingertips at Mach 3!"
"Inteleon tie up my hands!" Gloria ordered as she whipped a strand of rope out of clean air.
"Intel?!" Inteleon's eyes widened from shock.
"Do it!"
Inteleon hastily tied up her hands as Gloria flashed Gary a smirk. Gary, Ash and Leaf all stood there in shock as they couldn't believe Gloria was either brave or stupid enough to do that!
"Yeah well I'm only tying up one hand as I'm not stupid enough to let Ashy boy walk away with the prize! Blastoise tie me up!"
"Blastoise!" The fully evolved Water type burst out and tied his trainer's right arm behind his back without question.
"Hey!" Leaf clenched her fists as once again Gary didn't acknowledge her.
"Well if you're all tying your hands then I'm not allowing myself to have an advantage!" Ash quickly handed Brock some rope. "Tie up my right arm just like Gary!"
Leaf couldn't help but shake her head. "I swear you three can be so childish at times!"
"Is that everyone?!" Officer Jenny called out to the crowd.
"I'd be honored to embark on this quest!" Samurai stepped forward.
"Uh Samurai, Gengar's not a Bug type." Chloe quickly pointed out.
"He's not?! Well then I'll allow you all the honor of catching the Ghost!" Samurai lifted a hand as he turned his back to them and promptly left.
"I'm interested!"
"Oh no." Chloe sighed and upon turning around she'd see what was obviously Jessie, James and Meowth in disguise but as usual she was the only one that took notice of it.
"I Jessilina intend on capturing that Gengar to further booster my Contest career!"
"Wynaut!" Wynaut burst from his Pokeball to chime in causing the trio to flash their newest member a look of surprise before Jessie quietly returned him to his Pokeball.
"And my associates Jameson and Meowthew will assist me!"
"Right!" James and Meowth quickly nodded.
"Well okay then," Officer Jenny took a quick look around the gathered trainers. "Just know that once you're inside you might remain locked in until Gengar is captured, it's not my doing in anyway the Ghost just as a habit of doing that to unsuspecting visitors. You all still okay with going in?"
"No!" James cried, attempting to make a break for it before Jessie grabbed the back of his jacket.
"We're ready!" She proclaimed.
"So are are!" Ash shouted.
"Pika pi!"
"I'm ready ta kick that Ghost type's butt!" Gloria exclaimed with clenched fists.
"I'm always ready!" Gary laughed as he flashed a brief smirk.
"Gary Gary he's our guy, if he can't do it no one can! Gary, Gary!" Leaf shot the cheerleaders a murderous scowl before giving Officer Jenny a quick nod.
"Alright then, let's get you all inside!"
"Growlithe!"
Sure enough once the large party stepped foot into the manor, the door slammed shut behind them!
"Eeee!" James and the cheerleaders screamed in terror.
"Meowth that wasn't funny, stop scaring James and open the door!" Jessie shouted.
"Meowth, I'm standing right beside you Jess!" Meowth cried out. The Rocket trio quickly turned and saw nobody was close to the now closed door, James began sweating a storm before bolting for the door.
"Let me out, I'm too young to die!" He cried.
"Calm down James, it's just a Gengar not like we're locked in with a Dusknoir!" Jessie rolled her eyes.
"I don't care, I knew it was foolish to agree to come here! I'm-what's this?" James paused as Jessie held out a unique looking bottlecap in front of him.
"I believe this is one of the bottlecaps that your collection is missing? It's yours as soon as we add Gengar to our roster!" James began drooling as his eyes locked onto the bottlecap, he quickly did a one eighty as he leaped up and courageously shouted. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Right!" Jessie and Meowth shouted.
"Wynaut!" Wynaut burst out once more to chime in. The Rocket trio gave him a look of surprise and Jessie quietly returned him before the three shot off down a random hallway.
Gloria shot a quick glance around the room before turning around to face Ash and Gary. "Well I wish the two of you good luck cause once I find that Gengar, I'm capturing him! Inteleon, let's roll out!"
"Inte!" Inteleon hastily followed after his trainer as she darted down a different hallway without a word.
"Don't worry about her Ashy boy, I'm the one you've got to look out for!" Gary smirked as he thumbed towards his chest.
"Um hello? I'm here too!" Leaf shouted with an annoyed tone as she was tired of Gary not acknowledging her as a rival.
"Oh hey Leaf, you're welcome to join me if this gets too scary for you!" Gary offered with a smile, his tone much different than how it'd been towards Gloria and Ash.
Leaf clenched her fists as she shot him a harsh glare. "I'm not scared and I'll prove it to you by capturing Gengar before you do!" Gary watched Leaf go stomping down a hallway before turning towards Ash and Chloe.
"What's her problem?" Gary asked.
Chloe facepalmed. She swore that even boys like Gary could be incredibly dense sometimes!
"Ignore her Gary!"
"Yeah, we'll stick with you Gary!" The cheerleaders huddled around Gary causing his smirk to quickly return.
"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's catch ourselves a Ghost type!" Gary raced down another hallway leaving only one remaining.
"Well I guess we'll go down this one!" Ash chuckled. Thankfully neither Chloe nor Brock seemed interested in catching Gengar.
"Best be careful though, we don't know what Gengar's capable of. Some Ghost types can be pranksters while others get off on harming others, it sounds like Gengar might just be a prankster but we can't be too careful!" Brock lightly warned.
"Right," Ash began walking up the set of stairs to the remaining passageway as Gengar rose up from the ground behind the group, a playful smirk appeared across his face as he uttered a light cackle. Lifting up a hand and Brock and Chloe would soon wind themselves walking continuously on the staircase and no matter how fast they moved or how many steps they took with each step, the stairs seemed endless as they couldn't reach the top of the stairs where Ash was! "Come on guys it's not a good time to mess around!"
"Pika!"
"Ash we're not messing around, G-Gengar must have done something to this staircase!" Chloe exclaimed.
"Croa!" Croagunk cried out.
Brock attempted a leap only to wind up on the exact spot as before causing him to form a look of annoyance, he quickly turned around and leaped off the stairs where he successfully landed on the ground. He shot a glance around before looking up at Ash. "Well we can get off just fine, you should go on ahead! Chloe and I will try and find a different way up!"
"You sure?" Ash called down as he attempted to take a step forward towards the stairs. "I can just go down there-"
"No!" Chloe cried out. "Ash, Gary and Gloria already have a head start! Just go on, we'll be fine I promise!"
"Eevoi!"
Ash paused for a moment, he didn't want to leave his friends behind but at the same time he didn't want to lose to Gary and Gloria!
"Don't worry about us Ash, we'll just be in different rooms besides I have Eevee with me!"
"Eevoi!"
"And Croagunk!" Brock exclaimed as Croagunk silently croaked out.
Ash was about to take another step forward before he felt himself pushed into the next room by an invisible force, was this felt Psychic felt like?
"Gengar!" A few minutes prior to that, Gengar could be seen flying in the hallway in front of Gloria and Inteleon.
"Gengar gen gen!" Gengar cackled as he shot the two a quick glance.
"Gengar your time is up, Inteleon use Snipe Shot!" Gloria shouted.
"Tel!" Inteleon aimed it's finger at Gengar and closed an eye as he took aim at the Ghost before firing a shot of water right out the finger tip, blasting Gengar directly and knocking the Ghost out of the air and to the floor!
"Alright, now for-oh bloody heck! I can't get loose, I'm gonna miss my shot!" Gloria shouted as she struggled to untie herself. "Inteleon you tied it too tightly!"
"Intel!" Inteleon began heavily sweating as he apologized while racing forward to help his trainer get free.
"Alright now for-" Gloria grabbed a Pokeball only to discover that Gengar had vanished.
"Oh come on!" Gloria threw her hat to the floor and began repeatedly stomping on it as she swore up a storm!
"Intel..." Inteleon sweated, feeling thankful that the others weren't around to see that.
"Gengar!" The Rocket Trio simultaneously shouted as the Ghost type came into view.
"Go Ekans!"
"You too, Koffing!" Jessie and James threw the Pokeballs containing their trusty Pokemon forward.
"Ekans!"
"Koffing!"
"Gengar!" Gengar merely flashed them a smirk before firing a singular ball of black-purple static energy, blasting Ekans and Koffing back towards their trainers as Gengar's eyes glowed blue. "Gen...gar!" He lifted his arms and sent them all blasting straight through the roof!
"No fair, looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!"
"Wy, Wynaut!" Wynaut cried as they all flew off into the horizon!
"Gary!" A ghostly wail could be heard through the hallway causing Gary and the cheerleaders to tense up.
"T-The ghost knows your name!"
"How's that possible?!" The cheerleaders shivered.
"Oh don't be ridiculous, t-that's just... the wind, yeah! We just imagined that!" Gary laughed as he forced up some courage.
"Gary! Did you miss me Gary?"
"T-That voice..." Gary stuttered, slowly turning it around before going pale as the cheerleaders all let out a frightened scream as a zombified version of Blue stood before them. "D-Dad?!" He recognized the voice from old battle footage.
"I'm out of here!"
"Yeah, see you Gary! I don't want my brains eaten!"
"Bye!" The cheerleaders all bolted for it, leaving Gary behind as he shivered and tensed up at the sight of his father's apparent ghost. Every instinct in his body was telling him to run but he found himself locked in place.
"W-What are you doing here? Y-You're supposed to be up there!" Gary nervously pointed upwards.
"I was but I've come back for you Gary, we can be together again!"
"No... no this can't be real! Humans can't become ghosts!"
"Believe it, your eyes don't deceive you! Embrace it Gary, leave behind this pitiful plane of existence and join me in the next life!"
"N-No... you're not real! Leave me alone!" Gary shouted though he found himself unable to move and summon a Pokeball as the 'ghost' moved closer and closer.
"Beat up!" A Kangaskhan led the charge as Venusaur, Rapidash, Poliwrath and Wigglytuff all simultaneously tackled the 'ghost'. A cloud of dust could be seen as a ghostly cry could be heard, this one much different than Blue's as the ghost revealed her true form.
"M-Mismagius..."
"Mismagius! O-Of course!" Gary stuttered with a light shiver before turning to face his savior. Leaf quickly raced towards Gary and threw her arms around him as she pulled him into an embrace.
"Oh Gary I was so worried about you!"
"I-I was scared too, Leaf... too frightened or shocked to move..." Gary felt ashamed of himself and humiliated. He was almost a man yet he had to be rescued by his female friend!
"I'd never let anything happen to you Gary," Leaf leaned her head against his before pulling away. "But first we've got to capture that Mismagius before it torments the others! Pokeball go!" She hurled a Pokeball at Mismagius only for it to bounce right off much to Gary and Leaf's shock. Mismagius woke up and flashed a smirk before phasing through the wall as she disappeared from sight!
"Huh?!"
"S-Somebody else is in here with us..." Gary looked around with an uneasy expression. "P-Perhaps we should find the others and get out?"
"G-Good idea!" Leaf couldn't help but shiver, hastily returning her Pokemon apart from Kangaskhan before they bolted it back to the others!
As they left, Mismagius phased back into the room alongside a masked figure whom held onto her. His body was covered entirely by a long torn black cloak, almost resembling something from a horror film while long white hair flowed freely due to the chill Mismagius' presence brought to the room. The mask itself was enough to intimidate as although it was a simple white color, the mouth and eyes were covered with black one way glass allowing for him to see out while restricting anyone from discovering his true identity.
"Blue's son won't be a threat to our plans, that's for sure. He may be powerful but his spirit is too weak, he'll be easily crushed!"
"Mismagius!" Mismagius cackled.
"Come Mismagius, I do believe that Red's son needs examining!"
"Mismagius!" The two phased through the walls of the manor as they attempted to locate Ash!
"Gengar!" Gengar cackled as he and Ash stood face to face.
"So it was you?! I'm guessing that you want to battle, right?"
"Gengar!" Gengar smirked as he hastily nodded.
"Alright cause I wasn't gonna leave without one, Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash threw his arm forward as Pikachu leaped off it, Pikachu's cheeks sparked with electricity before promptly blasting Gengar with a powerful dose of electricity!
"G-Gengar!" Gengar's eyes grew wide from shock and pain as the electricity surged through him.
"Fascinating..." The Masked Man muttered as he and Mismagius stood at the far end of the hall, completely invisible thanks to Mismagius' illusion casting. "That Pikachu has to have been blessed by a higher power of some sort, it's electric bolts are vastly stronger than Rex's Pikachu was at this point in his journey."
"Mismagius!" Mismagius nodded in agreement as the two watched, deciding it best not to interfere as the battle with Gengar was proving to be enough of an examination!
Gengar's eyes glowed a bright blue color as he lifted his hands resulting in a similar glow surrounding Pikachu before the electrical mouse found himself repeatedly slammed against the ground as Gengar cackled!
"P-Pika!"
"Pikachu use Splishy Splash!" Ash shouted taking the Masked Man by surprise.
"S-Splishy Splash? What the heck is that?" The Masked Man scratched at his head before receiving his answer as a large wave of electrified water formed beneath Pikachu. Gengar's cackling came to a halt as he looked up with widened eyes and took a shocked stance.
"G-Gengar?!" The force of the water knocked him off his feet and left him laying face first against the ground.
"That attack... I've never seen anything like it!"
"Alright, great job Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
Ash quickly enlarged a Pokeball and threw it towards the downed Gengar only for Gengar to shoot right back up mere seconds before it struck, the ghost Pokemon's eyes glowed blue once more as he broke the ball in two proving that he still had fight in him!
"Okay Pikachu, let's try-" Ash paused as he felt movement inside his bag causing him to grow pale. "Oh no, not right now not here!" He quickly removed his bag and opened it, hastily opening it to check on his egg which was bouncing and shaking and starting to crack!
"Nonono, just wait one more minu-" But it was too late as a small green reptilian Pokemon stared up at him.
"Larvitar!"
"Y-You're a Larvitar! I've heard about you!"
"Pika pi!" The two were momentarily distracted from the situation at hand as excitement filled their bodies.
"Gengar?" Gengar tilted his head and slowly flew through the air as he went to investigate what the two found so fascinating! "Gengar?" Gengar came into Larvitar's sight and the reptile quickly tensed up before uttering an ear shattering screech!
"Larrrr!"
"Ah!"
"Pika!" Ash and Pikachu covered their ears while Gengar copied their actions before attempting to phase through the ground, unfortunately he found himself phasing directly into Ash's shadow and oddly found himself trapped.
"G-Gengar?!" Gengar attempted to free himself but found his attempts futile, perhaps he ought to try again later.
"Gah my ears!" The Masked Man grabbed hold of Mismagius as the two made a hasty retreat.
Larvitar calmed down as soon as Gengar vanished. Once he went silent Ash took a quick look around before lowering his head in disappointment. "I guess Gengar's gone..."
"Pika..."
"Larvi..." Larvitar hanged his head.
"Don't blame yourself Larvitar, it's not your fault!" It technically was but Larvitar didn't know better, he was just a baby after all! Ash pet Larvitar's head before extending an empty Pokeball to him, thankfully he had a slot on his team free as he made some changes prior to leaving the Pokemon Center that morning. "Larvitar this is a Pokeball, I don't expect you to live in there right now but I do need you to go inside for a bit just to ensure nothing happens to you. Think you can do that?"
"Lar, Larvitar!" Larvitar headbutted the Pokeball, allowing for the red beam to engulf his body. The ball shook in Ash's grasp before quickly chiming to mark the capture a success!
"Larvitar the Rock Skin Pokemon, a Pokemon that eats soil. Once it has eaten a large mountain it goes to sleep so it can grow!"
"Alright Larvitar, come on out!"
Larvitar burst from the ball once more as Brock and Chloe entered the room. Chloe's eyes widened before she quickly raced forward.
"No way, your egg hatched!"
"Lar, Larvitar!" Larvitar happily cried as he reached out to hug Chloe.
"Did yours?" Ash couldn't help but ask. Chloe quickly shook her head.
"Some eggs take longer than others though perhaps Larvitar was born earlier than mine, his species usually take longer to hatch." Chloe noted as she held Larvitar in her arms. "Hey there Larvitar, I'm Chloe!"
"Eevoi!" Eevee cried out in greeting.
"Lar!" Larvitar gazed fondly in Chloe's direction, eyeing her in the same manner that he viewed Ash in.
"And I'm Brock pleased to meet you!" Brock attempted to introduce himself only for Larvitar to harden up and grow silent.
"Y-Yeah I think Larvitar may be shy, he sort of scared away Gengar." Ash nervously chuckled.
"Well regardless if Gengar's still here or not, we need to go! Some maniac is in here with a Mismagius and who knows what else, it's not safe!" Gary shouted as he and Leaf came into view.
"I'm not scared of this maniac, I dare him to come out and face me so I can kick his arse!" Inteleon sweated as his trainer punched the air in front of her. "You see me?! You're a coward hiding in the shadows, come out here and face me!"
"Gary's right, we need to go!" Leaf grabbed hold of Gloria's arm only for Gloria to push her off.
"Get your hands off me, lassie! I don't swing that way!"
"I wasn't-" Leaf rolled her eyes. Apparently Gary and Ash weren't the only ones that had problems reading interactions properly. "Never mind, stay here if you want but you won't like what happens when Officer Jenny orders you to leave and you disobey!"
Gloria released a long drawn out sigh before reluctantly nodding her head in agreement as the group took their leave and began making their way towards the Vermilion Police Station while Gary and Leaf explained what happened, Leaf of course helped cover for Gary by making it sound like he fought back against the ghost! Gary shot her an appreciative look causing her face to light up brightly. Larvitar sat in Ash's grasp as they walked along however they couldn't help but overhear a conversation as a young couple stood outside a diner, the male spoke in an accent that sounded quite familiar that it made Ash doubletake as he thought Damian had escaped prison for a moment.
"It's quite strange being back in this dump, I remember ditching a Gengar here a few years back promising to come back for it. I wonder if that cursed freak is still hanging around that disgusting manor, serves him right for losing all those battles and holding me back!"
"Right Johnny, you're so amazing!" His girlfriend cooed as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a kiss before Gloria rudely forced them apart!
"Oi did I hear correctly?! You released that Gengar? He's still up in that manor waiting for you to come back!"
"Yeah well I lied!" Johnny laughed before giving Gloria a harsh glare. "Now beat it girly, the adults were talking!"
"Yeah, beat it!" Johnny's girlfriend chimed in only for Gloria to harshly shut her down.
"Shut the heck up ya floozy, and you ya sound just like that Damian prick!"
"Damian? My pipsqueak of a brother's a trainer?" Johnny laughed.
"G-Gengar...?" Gengar slowly emerged from Ash's shadow causing Ash and the others to leap from surprise as tears began to fall from Gengar's eyes.
Johnny shot Gengar a smirk. "Yeah, I lied big shocker! You were nothing but a curse to me, I was constantly losing battles left and right but once I dropped you I started winning! I still have yet to gather eight badges but I'll get there someday!"
"G-Gengar!" Gengar's eyes glowed blue as he threw Johnny through the diner's window before flying away!
"Gengar come back!"
"Pika pi!" Ash and Pikachu quickly chased after Pikachu while Johnny rubbed his head as he stood back up.
"That hurt..."
"Yeah well I'm about to bring you a world of pain, buster! Get over here!" Gloria raced towards Johnny with a raised fist causing him to let out a cry of terror before racing down the street as Gloria gave chase. "Get back here and take your beating like a man ya coward!"
"I see Gloria's the same as ever." Gary sweated as he recalled Gloria beating Damian up back in Summer Camp, apparently Damian hadn't changed either based on what he heard from his grandfather.
"Yeah, some people never change." Leaf spoke up.
"Gengar..." Gengar cried as he flew back towards the manor.
"Gengar come back, we'd gladly welcome you to our team if you'd take us!"
"Pika pi!"
"Larvitar!"
Gengar either didn't hear them or ignored them as he kept on flying towards the lab. A vacuum sound could soon be heard as they got closer and Gengar was sucked right out of the sky!
"Huh? What happened?!"
"Pika pi?!"
"Hahaha!" A familiar set of laughter could be heard as the Rocket trio came into view, James currently wore a strange device that resembled the one from the Gengar Busters movie Ash recalled watching at one point with Chloe and her father, apparently the Rocket trio or James at the very least were fans of the film!
"G-Gengar!" Gengar cried as he pounded at the glass.
"Don't tire yourself out, this glass is made specifically to keep Ghost types out!" Meowth laughed as he flashed Gengar a smirk. "Ya ain't breaking out of there!"
"Team Rocket, let that Gengar go he's suffered enough!"
"Pika pi!"
"We've suffered too!" Jessie shouted.
"Yeah on top of you constantly beating us we all have tragic backstories that we haven't told you yet!" James shouted.
"That's right!" Meowth shouted.
"Wynaut!" Wynaut burst out causing the trio to give him another look of surprise before returning him to his Pokeball.
"And we aren't going to tell you today cause the boss is gonna pay us top dollar for bringing him this powerful Gengar!" Meowth exclaimed with star filled eyes. "I can just picture it now, the boss is in the middle of a heist with his closest associates but winds up trapping himself in the vault. His attempts of blowing the door up are futile and just when he's about to give up hope, down comes Gengar ready to lend a hand and phase him outta there and then ya know what he's gonna say? 'I'd never have stolen this mountain of gold if it weren't for that Gengar that Meowth and his friends brought me, I ought to give them a cut!"
"We'll be rich!" James exclaimed with an excited shout.
"I can buy the latest fashion!" Jessie cried.
"Well I still can't let you get away with Gengar, Pikachu use Thunderbolt!"
"Eee!" The Rocket trio quickly hugged one another as the electrical blast came flying towards them!
"Wynaut!" Wynaut quickly burst out, a red glow surrounded his body as he quickly repelled the blast and knocked Pikachu right off his feet!
"Chaaaa!" Pikachu laid on the ground as swirls filled his eyes.
"D-Did we...?" Jessie started
"Just beat...?" James continued.
"Pikachu?!" Meowth finished. The three looked surprised before grinning.
"Well done Wynaut!" Jessie praised.
"Wynaut!" Wynaut was engulfed in a bright blue light as his body began morphing into what resembled a blue blob!
"Wobbuffet!" The newly evolved Pokemon cried as he turned and gave his family a salute.
"Well done Wobbuffet now attack the twerp with Psychic!"
"Wobbu!" Wobbuffet hastily shook his head.
"What do you mean no?!"
"Wobbuffet doesn't know offensive attacks, dummy!" The Rocket trio's Rotom Phone chimed in.
"Dummy?! Listen here you-" Jessie attempted to grab the Rotom Phone from Meowth only for him to leap away.
"I know it's rude but we might need it, Jess!"
"Oh fine then we'll simply use Ekans and Koffing as usual-aahhh!" The Rocket trio and Wobbuffet cried out as while they were distracted, Charmeleon burst out and attacked them with Flamethrower shattering the containment unit, freeing Gengar while a light explosion occurred which sent the Rocket trio blasting off!
"Twice in one episode? This is rigged!" James shouted.
"Yeah, when's it gonna be our turn for focus?!" Meowth shouted.
"Oh quiet you two, our turn will come soon enough!" Jessie shouted.
"But until then Team Rocket's blasting off again!"
"Wobbuffet!"
"Gengar..." Gengar sat on the ground, staring blankly at his feet as Ash approached.
"Gengar, I'm sorry about what your old trainer did. It wasn't right of him to do that, it was just unnecessarily cruel!"
"Gengar..." Gengar sighed before looking up as Charmeleon approached, the lizard extended a hand to him as he began talking to him.
"Char Charmeleon char char, Charmeleon cha char!" He explained how the two came from similar backgrounds, back when he was a Charmander he was consistently beaten and abused by his trainer for losing repeatedly before ultimately being abandoned and left for dead in the rain which is where he'd surely have perished on account of his Stockholm syndrome had Ash not come to his rescue and made him see the light. Thanks to Ash he'd grown into a powerful Charmeleon and had won quite a few battles and though he still lost on occasion, Ash never berated him for it or hit him. He always gave kind words regardless of his performance and made Charmeleon feel welcomed for the first time in his life! "Char Charmeleon!" He finished by stating that Gengar could feel the same way if he joined up with Ash!
Gengar looked thoughtful for a moment.
"We've given you a choice Gengar, you're welcome to take as long as you like. We won't take offence if you don't join us but know that you'll be amongst friends if you do!"
"Pika pi!"
"Larvitar!"
"Charmeleon!"
Gengar looked thoughtful for a few moments longer before eventually nodding in agreement.
"Gengar!"
Ash, Pikachu, Larvitar and Charmeleon formed a smile as Ash extended an empty ball to Gengar.
"Welcome to the team Gengar!"
"Gengar!" Gengar tapped the ball and a chime could immediately be heard!
"Gengar the Shadow Pokemon, Gengar can pass through dimensions and appear almost anywhere. Since Gengar absorbs any warmth around it, the temperature suddenly drops wherever it appears!"
The ball disappeared moments after as it was transported away to Professor Oak's lab. "I'll see you soon Gengar,"
"Y-You caught Gengar? W-Way to go!" Chloe and Brock were out of breath as they finally caught up to him. However something else got Chloe's attention as she noticed a familiar figure removing the 'For Sale' sign from the haunted manor. "D-Dad?!" She quickly sprang forward, Eevee hot on her heels as Cerise turned before giving his daughter a wave as a smile quickly crossed both their faces.
"W-What are you doing here?!"
"Buying a lab, it won't be long before I'm a proper Professor and need a place of my own!" Cerise explained. "And with you now traveling, I don't have to worry about tearing you and Ash apart from one another."
"But we're not da-"
"Chloe please, I'm your father. I know you love him and I approve, at least I don't have to worry about you falling for somebody unflattering." Cerise smirked before uttering out a light sigh. "I planned on surprising you tomorrow at the Contest though, I guess it's ruined."
"Oh don't be sad, dad! I'm just glad to see you again!" The two hugged one another while the Masked Man watched the group from atop a nearby roof.
"That Ketchum boy is definitely worth keeping an eye on, he could be problematic to my goal."
"Pi?" Pikachu's ear twitched before he quickly glanced towards the rooftop but the Masked Man had already vanished!
Oh man that was longer than anticipated but yeah rather than Ash being the key influencer I let Charmeleon play a key role in getting Gengar to join up with them! We'll still see Lavender Town but it will be similar to the games rather than the anime, so as cool as Ash becoming a ghost was it ain't happening here sorry!
And Masked Man makes his debut but just what is his allegiance and his goal?
Freaking stoked for Hisui Zorua! When we reach Sinnoh you can definitely count on it being on the main cast, might not be Ash though!
"Wonder if Chloe will have rivals that we know of?"
Apart from Jessie there is one you're familiar with. One whose had a few Contest circuits under her belt when she was initially introduced but just getting started when we see her here.