“Hey, Morty?” Nina began.

“Sup?”

“I gotta ask, are you from a clan of ninjas?”

The handsome Gym Leader laughed. “What gave it away?”

“I dunno. Just the general vibes. I have a friend who was a Koga ninja and you kind of remind me of him a little. He also once told me about a clan of Johton ninjas called the Iga or something?”

“Haha. Well, I can tell you that I don’t identify as an edgelord — life’s too short to brood it all away. Nah, while our clan was affiliated at some point, the actual descendants of the Iga are actually Pryce’s lot. Which ties back to that whole brooding thing really, no one can brood as hard as that grumpy old fart.”

Nina chuckled. “Yeah, Hattori does like to brood a lot. I wonder if it’s just an occupational hazard.”

“Heh. I did get a chance to meet that new Lady Koga. Woweee! Talk about daddy issues.”

“Pretty sure she’s into the broken and alcoholic type.”

“Ahh… The ‘I can fix him’ sort of gal huh? That tracks.”

Nina liked Morty. He was a really chill and laidback guy, very unlike all the other Gym Leaders she’s met. She could easily see why someone like Zuki, who had been raised in such a stringent household, would fall for him.

“Miss Jones, your transfer is ready!” The Nurse Joy at the counter called.

“Finally!” Nina got up and headed over to retrieve her Ultra Ball. The girl was currently cashing in on Morty’s offer to help tame Dhelmise.

The Pokemon that was transferred away was Sir Clodington again. Not because he was her least favourite or anything. But because the Clodsire was the most mentally mature out of all her Pokemon.

Espy might never admit to it, but she loathed being apart from Nina. Not to mention, having a Psychic around was just convenient.

Sir Clodington might have an irrational attachment towards Nitey, but nothing bordering on severe separation anxiety like his liege. If anything, he was just happy to be given a purpose. Even if that purpose was to stand guard over Nina’s belongings for hours on end.

So in that sense, he was the least likely to kick up a fuss for being transferred away. Especially if he could get some training done in the Cerulean Gym while he was at it.

***

“Thanks again for helping me out, Morty. Are you sure you shouldn’t be back at your Gym?”

The duo were currently deep within the forest, in a suitably dark and gloomy area abundant with shadows — exactly the sort of environment that a Ghost Pokemon would favor.

“Nah, it’s all good. Sabrina’s busy right now so I’m the best chance they’ve got of cracking Giovanni. I’m probably gonna be on call for a few more days at least until she comes back. Anyways, enough of that. Lemme see this little troublemaker of yours.”

Nina obliged by throwing out her Ultra Ball to a safe distance. Aside from Haunter, she didn’t have any of her other Pokemon out under Morty’s assurance, and couldn’t help but feel nervous about it.

“Oh wow! Gotta say. I’ve never had the chance to see one of these little suckers before… Look at how gnarly those seaweedy bits are. And the size of that anchor…” Morty whistled. “That can definitely take down a Wailord alright. You said you found this Dhelmise deep in the ocean right?”

“Yeah, it was nesting in the cabin of a fishing boat.”

“That makes sense then. I’m sure you already know this, but Ghosts aren’t big on sunlight. And for a little shut-in like your Dhelmise, summoning it under bright sunlight might as well have been a big ol’ middle finger to the face.”

Nina gasped in realization. “Is that why! The first time I released him was on the sunny beaches of Route 32! But isn’t Dhelmise part Grass Type though?”

“Heh. Look, it’s easy, right? Pull up your Pokedex and look up all the known Ghost and Grass hybrids. We’ve got the Trevenant line, the Gourgeist line and Decidueye. Now obviously, we’re gonna strike out Decidueye. So what’s left? Do you think that a Trevenant and Gourgeist will do well under sunlight?”

Nina frowned. “No, the two species are known to be nocturnal…”

“Ding dong! So now take a good look at your little anchor boi, see the difference?”

Nina nodded. Dhelmise’s seaweed parts were still writhing as usual, occasionally reaching out to get a feel of its surroundings. But they do seem calmer than normal, almost like its demeanour when it was focused on feeding as opposed to the wary aggression that it showed whenever Nitey and Charizard were around.

“Look, the biggest mistake you can make when it comes to Ghost Types is generalizing them. Not your fault of course. Ghosts are dangerous and we intentionally obscure the sort of information you can casually find online to deter any dumbasses from killing themselves. Kind of like Dragons in a way.”

“What do you mean by generalizing?”

“Aha! Now this is where we get into insider territory. Tell me Nina, how many types of Ghost Types do you think there are?”

Nina tilted her head in confusion. “Like the total number of species or are we talking hybrid combinations?”

“Tut-tut…” Morty wagged a finger at the girl. “See, this is the sort of mistake a newbie would make. So let me ask you this instead, do you think that your Haunter and your friend’s Alolan Marowak are the same? And I’m not just talking species here.”

“I mean… Obviously not. Kaipo is alive and Azzy is… well, not dead, but not exactly alive either? Not in the conventional sense anyway.”

“Bing bong! Right again! You may not know it, but you just accidentally bumped into the fundamental difference between different Ghost Type species.”

“You mean… the state of their being?”

Morty snapped his fingers into a gun before raising it up to form a one. “Exacto! You see, Ghost Type Trainers like myself typically divide Ghost Pokemon into three kinds — I know we just said not to generalize, but I was more so talking about the Ghost Typing as a whole.

“Anyways, the first kind is what us humans traditionally associate as being ghost-like. Or what I like to call spirit type Ghosts. So think Pokemon like your Haunter, Misdreavus or Duskull and the like.”

Nina nodded. The girl had taken her notebook out at some point and was scribbling furiously in her notes.

Morty then raised another finger to indicate two. “The second type would be like your friend’s Alolan Marowak. More commonly known as living Ghosts.”

Nina nodded once more. That was a term that she was already familiar with.

“So tell me, Nina. Would you treat your Haunter the same as you would treat your friend’s Marowak?”

“I mean, yeah? I love them both the same. But if we’re talking fundamentals then obviously Kaipo as a biological being has different needs than a dream eating spirit like Azzy.”

Morty groaned. “Oh ancestors, no wonder the Professors like you so much. Look, lemme just spell it out for you. When you train Kaipo, you would focus more on their physical attributes and their Fire element right?”

The girl nodded once more. “Naturally. Kaipo’s Ghost Energy manipulation isn’t as potent as her other aspects. Not that Kerry and I wouldn’t try our best to bolster it, it’s just not as efficient.”

“Exactly! Now think about your Haunter — a Ghost and Poison Type. How would you go about training them?”

“Well, with Azzy, it’d be the opposite. Her elements are pretty balanced, all things considered. But there is still a visible bias towards Ghost Type… Ohhhh!”

“See, you get where I’m going with this? This is what I meant by generalization. Most trainers just treat all Ghost Pokemon as either Ghosts (spirit) at the detriment of living Pokemon or Ghosts (living) at the detriment of spirit Pokemon.”

Nina nodded in understanding. “It’s the difference between the primary element and the secondary element… But then, what is Dhelmise? Wouldn’t the seaweed main body make it a living Ghost?”

“Aha!” Morty exclaimed with a grin before raising a third finger. “See this is where we go into the third type of Ghosts — the possession type.”

Nina’s eyes widened in realization. “Aegislash, Honedge, Chandelure…”

Morty gestured towards the bundle of shipping implements and seaweed with a swirly finger. “And also… Dhelmise.”

“Possession implies that the main crux of the Pokemon lies in its spirit. So I should treat Dhelmise as a spirit Pokemon and focus on its ghostly aspects then.” Treating it as a typical Grass Type who loved sunlight would be wrong. “But then it also has a physical form…”

Morty chuckled. “You see… The biggest mistakes that trainers make when it comes to possession type Ghosts is in obsessing over the physical hosts. A trainer of a Honedge for example, might go to great lengths and do all sorts of stupid shit just to turn their Honedge into the ultimate blade or whatever.”

The Gym Leader scoffed. “But none of that matters. Because even if a Honedge were to be broken into pieces, it would still be functional. In fact, what if I told you that there’s been instances where a Honedge has been known to transfer mediums?”

Nina furrowed her brows at the implications. “That would mean that possession type Ghosts are functionally immortal…”

“Heh. You could say that about most Ghosts. No, they are undead, but it does not mean they are immortal. Exorcists do exist, you know? And so do Rotoms. But you are right that you should be treating your Dhelmise like a spirit rather than a living organism. Don’t let those Grassy bits fool ya. Your Dhelmise is a lot more resilient than you might think but also, more constricted at the same time. It can’t dive into the shadows at will — gotta use Phantom Force for that.”

Nina nodded and finished up with her notes. “So now I know how I should go about training Dhelmise. But that still doesn’t change the fact that I can’t communicate with it.”

“Have you tried?”

Nina nodded and relayed her initial experience delving into Dhelmise's mind.

Morty whistled. “Damnnn. You’re ballsier than I thought, girl~ And damn lucky that you didn’t go all cuckoo.”

“Was I not supposed to do that?”

“I mean, would you dare let your Haunter into your dreams?”

“Err… Yeah? Why not? Azzy and I play in her dream world every night.”

The Ghost Specialist flinched, like he was looking at some sort of alien lifeform. “Seriously? Oh wow, you and your Haunter must be close. Most trainers would put up dream talismans to stop that from happening. It’s real dangerous, you know? The minds of the dead and the living are fundamentally different and wholly incompatible. More often than not, the living gets devoured, as you yourself have already experienced with Dhelmise.”

Nina smiled. “Nah, Azzy is a sweetheart and would never hurt me. Isn’t that right, Azzy?”

“Haunt…” Nina’s shadow writhed as a ghostly hand reached out to caress Nina’s.

Morty let out a warm smile. “That’s good to know. Most people are so afraid of Ghost Pokemon that they just keep them at arm’s length. But just so you don’t make the same mistake as Dhelmise again, I’ll teach you the proper way to communicate with spirits… Ever heard of Limbo?”

Nina nodded. “The realm beyond the shadows, the border of life and death.”

“Yuuup.” Morty drawled with a little pop. “It is also where our souls are exposed in their truest form. If you ever become strong enough, you may consider delving into the shadows to have a glimpse at what your Dhelmise really looks like.” He then leaned in and looked Nina right in the eyes. “Just… be careful not to get nightmares for the rest of your life.”

There was something about the sudden severity in the man’s tone that sent shivers down Nina’s spine. Morty’s eyes, originally a radiant baby blue, turned dark and fathomless, like staring into the Distortion Realm itself.

“Hehe. Just messing with ya!” The Ghost Pokemon Master gave the girl a hearty pat on the shoulder to shake her out of her stupor.

“Anyways, I’m gonna teach you how to communicate with Dhelmise now. So watch carefully.”

Morty walked away and sought out a patch of sunlight shining on the ground. The man then held a hand up in the ray of light and began miming all sorts of shapes in the shadows. Almost like… “Shadow puppets!” Nina gasped.

“That’s right. Zuki told me you do whistles and telepathy in battle? Well this is similar, but for Ghost Type Pokemon.” Morty smirked right as Dhelmise began to reach out, not physically, but through the shadows as the surrounding darkness began to writhe.

Dhelmise’s shadow enveloped Morty’s, but not in an aggressive way. In fact, it almost seemed… curious, genial.

“Sound doesn’t transmit into Limbo, you see. Not if your Pokemon’s fully immersed. To date, your Haunter’s been having to keep an ear out for your voice — leaves ‘em vulnerable to the people who know exactly where to hit. And for mutes like that Dhelmise, the Signs are like gestures. Kind of like how every human understands what a smile or a shrug means, y’know?”

Nina felt an explosion in her mind. “It’s a form of sign language…” This was it, the final piece of the puzzle that she was after. If she could figure out the logic behind this method, she could finally communicate with Dhelmise!

“Thank you, Morty,” said a sparkly-eyed Nina. “I… I don’t know what else I can say besides… If you ever need anything in the future, whatever I can do to repay you for your lesson, please just let me know and I’ll try my best.”

The affable Gym Leader guffawed at Nina’s intensity. “Haha! Oh come now! Don’t get all stiff on me. I did promise you I’d do everything in my power to help you with this. And speaking of… Here.” Morty flicked open his Pokedex and poked around a bit.

“You a good reader? I just sent you a little ebook from the clan’s archives — strictly on the down low of course. The thing that I did just now is called Shadow Signing. Now, usually a rookie trainer will just have to experiment on their own to come up with a unique set of signs. But what I just sent you is a collection of effective signs that we’ve gathered over the years. No guarantees it’ll work on every Ghost, so you’ll just have to play around with it and see.”

Nina stuttered. “I… This is too much Morty. There has to be something I can do for you.”

The man chuckled. “Heh. Well if you really insist. There is something you can do.”

“M-May I ask what that is?” Nina asked cautiously, worried that she might have unwittingly fallen into a trap.

“Simple really. Next time you get the chance, just glaze me up in front of Falkner will ya?”

Nina almost fell over in disbelief. “Really? That’s it?”

Morty chuckled in a self deprecating manner, his jovial expression suddenly turning solemn. “Yeah… That’s it really. Thing is, I know I don’t have the best reputation when it comes to women. But me and Zuki… We’re serious about each other. Heck, I don’t think I’ve felt this way with anyone else really.” He sighed.

“The two of us, we’ve been ready to take the next step for ages now. I am ready — ready to spend the rest of my life making her as happy as she can be. But Zuki, she…”

“Lady Zuki is beholden to her family.” Nina continued on his behalf.

Morty sucked in a deep breath. “Yeah… So until Falkner gives the okay. She ain’t gonna budge.”

“You know, you could just consider cleaning up your act in front of him. No need to strain yourself, just be all noble and stoic whenever Falkner’s around. Shouldn’t be that hard.”

“Heh. it might be easy for you legacy kids. But I’ve always been a bit of a delinquent. Guess I just can’t stand being all fake like that. Makes me feel all itchy inside, y’know?”

Nina sighed. She wanted to say that she wasn’t a legacy, but it likely wouldn’t matter. She did spend the majority of her previous adult life faking it in a corporate environment after all. So putting on a mask and feigning cordiality came second nature to her.

“Arceus knows I have way too many secrets…” Oh how she wished she could just leave Giovanni in that time loop. But that whole domain was established purely to save Ash’s life. “Not to mention Giovanni’s already developed some instinctual awareness of it, which meant it was only a matter of time until he broke out on his own.” Better to arrest him now and hope the League doesn’t screw up in his containment.

“Alright. I’ll put in a good word with Falkner next time. But I won’t force it. Otherwise it’ll make you look bad.” The girl eventually answered.

“Heh! I knew I could count on you. Now why don’t we try working directly with your Dhelmise for a bit before they find out where we are.”

“Wait! Did you not tell anyone about what you were doing today?!”

***

Author's note:

Sorry. I knew I forgot something today. Turns out I forgot to schedule the public release of this chapter.

And speaking of forgetfulness, I finally recall the author's note that I had meant to include in one of the previous chapters as well;

The time loop was something that was there since the beginning. BUT, the one thing that I was never really decided on until it was too late was whether or not it was Red and Giovanni trapped within, stuck in an eternal battle of epic proportions, or... What you just read -- Ash's perpetual cycle of being Gliscor kebab-ed.

I did originally mean for only one of either Red or Ash to be in this story. Hence why I might have been a little too vague about their existence back in Part One. In fact, any mention of them in those early chapters were retconned in and wholly absent in the original Patreon release.

Anyways, what tipped the scales for me was coming up with that battle between Red and Nina. I wrote that chapter in a feverish haze and it turned out too good for me to just discard. So I made the executive decision to just include both of them in this story.

Had to move some stuff around and ultimately allow some jank but it does work on a conceptual basis. Especially given what I have planned for Ash at the end of Part Three...