Apparently, a well was a place like where MunchMunch had been born. Which meant it was dark and scary - so MunchMunch didn’t like it.

  It also had steps that weren’t steps that went straight down. MunchMunch didn’t like those at all, but his Trainer had put him back inside his red and white egg. It felt safe, just like his first egg, but MunchMunch didn’t want to be in an egg - he wanted to see what was happening!

  So he was super happy when was suddenly outside the egg. He didn’t know how he broke it this time, but it worked.

  “Munch!!” He screamed in victory when he appeared. They had magically ended up at the bottom of the not-stairs that Gastly called a ladder. The ground was kind of soggy and wet - like the water that came from his eyes when he hurt a lot or got really, really good food.

  It was kind of fun to walk in, so he plopped down in it. It made funny squishing sounds. Teddy looked like his foot had been squished by a rock - but when MunchMunch checked, he didn’t see one there. Gastly was cackling like usual though.

  MunchMunch grinned, taking a bite from his forever-snack. Seeing new things with Teddy and Gastly was great - and he hoped he got another one of those blue berries again soon. It was soooo good, and juicy —

  “Thinking about food again?” Gastly poked him in the side.

  “Yep!” MunchMunch grinned. “Thanks for telling me to come with you, I’ve had so much different food, and it’s all so yummy!”

  Gastly grinned, her big eyes glowing purple for a moment. “It’s time for us to fight now, MunchMunch!” She cackled gleefully.

  “Fight?” MunchMunch asked fearfully, remembering that first Zubat.

  “Yes, this is how we train — this is how we get strong,” she responded. “You are still a baby, so you can just watch me — I will show you what to do.”

  MunchMunch took a big bite from his forever-snack in agreement. Watching sounded much more fun than doing. He reached up to grab his Teddy’s hand so they could walk together. Gastly floated in front of them, keeping watch.

  There were Pokemon here too, but they stayed away from them. It was probably because Mama Gastly was so cool and strong. MunchMunch happily took another bite as he waddled along.

  “—and that is why we must never lose,” *Mama* Gastly said. Then she peered at Munchlax, and realized he hadn’t heard anything at all. Probably thinking about food.

  If she had hands, she would have drawn them slowly and dramatically across her face. She saw Teddy do it when Munchlax plopped in the mud, and it was so perfect she just had to do it. She couldn’t wait until she became a Haunter. She cackled before turning back to their little eating machine.

  “Food,” she said. His eye immediately gained focus, staring at her with a single-minded intensity.

  Yes, she thought, I am just that good. I would make a great teacher.

  “Food is why you must never lose.”

  When Mama Gastly said losing had something to do with food, MunchMunch did his best to listen. It sounded super important after all.

  “If you win, Teddy gets things that let him buy you more food,” Gastly said, “But if you lose, he loses those things and he won’t be able to get you food,” she finished with great sadness.

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  MunchMunch cheered and then gasped. Winning sounded really good, but losing…

  MunchMunch frowned as he walked — he didn’t know what a frown was, but it was the first time he had ever felt his face like this. But he wasn’t thinking about that.

  No. MunchMunch realized something.

  “I will never, ever, ever lose,” he promised, “No matter what.” And he finished with a bite from his forever-snack to prove it.

  Gastly smiled. Teddy would never know what she had just done for him. But that was ok. She was the First. It was her job to make sure their team became the strongest. Yes, because she wanted to be strong — but also because that is what her Trainer wanted.

  And she had decided she liked her Trainer very much.

  ____

  It wasn’t much longer before they came across their first two-legs. He was wearing all black, and had some red on his head-fur holder. Gastly could tell he was bad news at first glance.

  “Ok Munch — watch closely,” she said while her Trainer and the other two-legs yelled at each other. “I will show you how to win, ok?”

  “Win food?” MunchMunch asked.

  “Yes, win food — and get strong enough so you can have all the food you want,” she grinned.

  “Strong,” MunchMunch said thoughtfully, munching on his Leftovers. “Ok!”

  “Gastly!” Their trainer called out, and Gastly happily floated on to the field. The other two-legs threw one of the red-and-white eggs, and out popped a Zubat!

  Munchlax frowned. Was that how he got out earlier? He thought he had broken the egg. He looked down at his arm, seeing if he could see a muscle — but there wasn’t one there.

  He looked back up to watch Gastly. Maybe if he got strong he would be able to let himself out.

  The Zubat looked meaner and stronger than the one that had hurt MunchMunch the first time. When he showed up, he started screeching right away, and it hurt MunchMunch’s ears. But Mama Gastly just started cackling and cackling, and eventually she cackled louder than the Zubat.

  Then their Trainer shouted something, and Gastly zoomed forward super fast and licked the Zubat with her great big tongue! It tried to flap its wings, but instead kind of twitched and fell to the ground.

  MunchMunch cheered. Gastly continued cackling, assaulting the Zubat on the ground. Eventually, it fell asleep and the other two-legs threw the PokeEgg back out and the Zubat disappeared.

  Mama Gastly had never stopped cackling, even once. “Go Mama Gastly!” MunchMunch cheered, “Send the big meanie back to the PokeEgg!”

  “It’s just Gastly sweetie, and it’s called a Pokeball,” she called back.

  Oh. That made so much more sense. The thing Chansey gave him was called an egg, and it was not shaped like the Pokeball. Mama Gastly was super smart.

  Then the bad two-legs sent out another Pokeball, and this time a purple Pokemon with four legs came out!

  “Ratttatttatttta,” it screeched, but its screech didn’t hurt as bad as the Zubat’s, MunchMunch thought.

  He rewarded himself with another chew.

  Then the Rattata moved super fast, faster than anything he had ever seen before. MunchMunch was worried it was going to hurt Mama Gastly, but Gastly didn’t even try do dodge! She just sat there…and then the Rattata went right through her and ended up on the other side. It looked very confused.

  “Confuse Ray,” Teddy said calmly. MunchMunch didn’t know what that meant, but the other two-legs (maybe he was called a trainer too?) started shouting at his Rattata. Gastly just started cackling again. Then her eyes started flashing purple and then white and then purple again! It was really pretty, but made MunchMunch’s head hurt a bit.

  The Rattata got up and started yelling, raising a fist.

  It punched itself in the face. MunchMunch didn’t know why it would do that. He didn’t like pain, but maybe the Rattata did? But then it kept happening. The Rattata would bite its own tail, or run into a rock, or scream madly. And every time it stopped, Gastly would flash her eyes again (MunchMunch learned not to watch and then his head wouldn’t hurt). MunchMunch realized Gastly was making it do it, and it wasn’t an accident.

  It was both scary and cool!

  Finally, the Rattata fainted, and the enemy trainer recalled it. Gastly had never even hit it.

  MunchMunch was enamored with this thing called strength. He was going to get it too.