In Pokémon Crystal and Generation IV, the player won't be able to challenge the Ecruteak Gym when they first arrive in Ecruteak City, as Morty is with Eusine at the Burned Tower, searching for signs of the Legendary beasts. As soon as the player has awakened Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, Morty will return to the Gym, allowing it to be challenged.
Generation II
Ecruteak City Pokémon Gym Leader: Morty
The Mystic Seer of the Future
In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the Ecruteak Gym has an invisible floor which can cause many problems for someone who doesn't know what they are doing. The body of Morty's Gym is a dark pit. If a challenger steps in the wrong place, they will be sent back to the beginning of the path. Trainers appear to float in the air, standing on an invisible floor. A challenger able to navigate along the invisible floor using trial and error can safely reach Morty and challenge him.
Ecruteak City Pokémon Gym Leader: Morty
The Mystic Seer of the Future
In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Ecruteak Gym has changed significantly. Flames light up some dim patches within the Gym. While there is still one path to Morty, sections are lit up, revealing Trainers that must be battled in order to reach the Gym Leader. In addition, when a Trainer is defeated, the lights will go out at the section where the player is standing on, forcing them to navigate through the dark patch with the help of their memory.
Trainers with a telephone symbol by their names will give their Pokégear number to the player, and may call or be called for a rematch with higher-level Pokémon.
Trainers with a telephone symbol by their names will give their Pokégear number to the player, and may call or be called for a rematch with higher-level Pokémon.
The Gym also appeared in For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!. Eusine, an expert on legendary Pokémon, was in Ecruteak learning about the Tin Tower. After Team Rocket stole the bells in the tower, Ash and his friends met up with Morty to find out what was going on. When a swarm of Bug-type Pokémon began covering the tower in String Shot, everybody took cover in the Gym. It was also where Eusine challenged Ash to a battle, claiming the young Trainer was lying about seeing both Suicune and Ho-Oh.
Morty sent out his Gastly as the first Pokémon he used in his match against Ash. Ash started with Noctowl, using Foresight to make Gastly vulnerable to physical attacks, but switched for Pikachu shortly afterwards. Gastly defeated Pikachu easily, but was then defeated by Ash's Cyndaquil.
Haunter was the second Pokémon Morty used against Ash. It used Mean Look to force Ash to stick with Cyndaquil, and with Hypnosis and Lick, it won the round. Ash now had only Noctowl left to battle with. Things looked bad for Ash when Haunter managed to confuse Noctowl with its Confuse Ray, and was ready to finish it with Night Shade, but then Noctowl learned how to use Confusion, and beat Haunter with one try.
Gengar is always out of its Poké Ball and hiding in the shadows, always coming out whenever Morty needs it. It loves to play tricks on people, especially on those who enter the Burned Tower. When Team Rocket tried to steal Ash's Pikachu as usual, Morty used Gengar to blast them away with a powerful Shadow Ball attack.
Morty used Gengar in the Gym battle against Ash in From Ghost to Ghost. Gengar was shown to be a formidable battler. It is able to attack opponents even when it is invisible, making it almost impossible for its opponents to find it. Ash's Noctowl was able to reveal Gengar's location by using Confusion through the whole building and then using Foresight to keep Gengar visible. It then finished Gengar off with a Tackle attack and Ash got the Fog Badge.
Trivia
All of the Trainers in the Gym, Morty included, use only the Gastly evolutionary line, despite Misdreavus being available in Johto.
