.

Line of Contact

"The ghosts you chase, you never catch."

–John Malkovich

Misty was waiting her turn.

The rest of the day before had been a wash. Misty had gone out to a restaurant, somewhat in a daze. She hadn't eaten since breakfast and by any measure should have been hungry. Crying one's eyes out was exhausting after all. But the twist and churn of her stomach had been entirely emotional, not biological. Yet she'd sat down to a big helping of warm soup and stayed a while before returning to the Gym and holing up in her room for the night.

Morty's lesson had been more than enough for the day.

Now she was waiting for today's lesson.

The Gym was overrun with Trainers, young ones who seemed to have decided to hit Ecruteak first instead of Violet or Azalea. Kids who, at best, were local and—bless them—hadn't made it very far yet or, at worst, who had gotten lost and decided to try their chances anyway.

She was observing the rapid-paced Gym Trainer Battles while Morty was occupied with a worthy challenger. The larger arena was split in half and two Battles were happening at the same time with two referees. Misty, meanwhile, was on the bleachers, watching the madness, wondering if the hubbub was hurting the poor youngster's chances. Then again, if they couldn't handle a bit of confusion, they couldn't handle Morty's Ghosts.

At least the kids didn't have quite the view that she had. As the Battles whirled beneath her, the Ghosts of the Gym were cackling above. Not interfering too much, as the Gym Trainers' Ghost Pokémon could see the Haunter and Gastly that flitted about in second plane, but they added to the chaos for Misty. Distracted her in the mental fog she'd been in since yesterday.

One match was finishing up with the challenger at the advantage. Their Quilava had done a number on the Gym Trainer's Misdreavus, who could hardly able to keep itself in the air. Meanwhile, there were a couple more Trainers waiting outside. Perhaps they'd come in a group. The Bayleef and Croconaw in front of her hinted to that possibility. Once the match was called in the challenger's favor, another Trainer proceeding to Morty, Misty stood up.

"I'll take the next one," she called, taking large strides down the bleacher steps.

She wasn't sure to whom exactly she was delivering those words. The referee, perhaps, or maybe the Gym Trainer who'd just been defeated. They'd need to heal their Pokémon anyway.

"You," Misty said, pointing to one of the Haunter who was circling the arena in second plane. "You're battling with me."

The Haunter gave a little cackle and phased into first plane, following after Misty. She had no idea if all of the Pokémon who haunted the Gym were trained in battling, nor had she ever fought using a Haunter in her life. But she'd seen Morty work with his Haunter more than any Gastly and hoped that would give her a clue. Mostly, though, she was just hoping that falling into the rhythm of a match would clear her head a bit. Get her back on track.

She feared that Fleur's travel through the planes yesterday had tired her, and that running to Cerulean and calling her back so soon would be bad news. So Misty was determined to wait, just a little while, before trying to call her in front of her sisters. To give them their best shot.

"Who's next?" Misty asked once she hit the dirt of the battlefield—her half at least. The white lines were powdered over with brown dirt, but still clear enough to do their job. There were no big construction issues to address, like that from a Dig or Earthquake Attack. So the field was fine for an immediate second Battle, by Misty's standards, at least.

"Are you sure?" the referee asked after swigging from a bottle of water. "Ms. Waterflower?"

She was a Gym Leader—surely she had the credentials to be demoted to a Gym Trainer. That combined with the fact that she'd chosen Haunter, a slightly stronger Pokémon for a first test, would be evened out by the fact that this wasn't her Pokémon or her Type specialization.

"If the Battle isn't up to your standards, you can do a redo," Misty offered. She didn't need the Battle to count—she just needed the distraction.

The girl who was brought to the other side of the field was small, probably another young one, though Misty wouldn't judge her competency based just off of that.

The match was called to be a one-on-one Battle. That worked for Misty and the one Pokémon she'd pulled from the sky. When she called Haunter forth, the challenger called on a Bayleef. Misty had seen many of every Grass starter at the Cerulean Gym, and was arguably more familiar with it than she was with the Haunter. But she stood her ground and went into Battle mode.

"Battle, begin!"

"Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!"

Sharp leaves whipped from Bayleef's head and Misty made a snap decision. If it was moral for Morty, it was moral for her.

"Haunter, fade back and dodge!"

Haunter took on a slight glow and teleported a meter or two up as the challenger looked around the arena, scanning for where it had gone. But, naturally, she was never going to find it.

"Okay, Sucker Punch, Haunter!"

It was so great to be the one using that move instead of being on the three-time receiving end of it. It'd only be neutral against Bayleef, but Misty had seen the power in that move, regardless of its super effectiveness against Jellicent. But the sight of one of Haunter's detached fists flying forward never came.

It didn't know the move.

Misty's cheeks burned. This was the issue with using a Pokémon that wasn't her own. Much more room for embarrassing fumbles.

"Razor Leaf again!"

Haunter dodged without Misty's command—either good instincts or a lack of obedience, but Misty would take it. It nearly worked until one broadly-shot leaf grazed one of Haunter's pointed fingers, and then it was snapped back into first plane, just like Misty's practice back in the Viridian Forest with her own Pokémon.

Shoot, what other Attacks did Haunter know? Misty racked her brain before landing on another one she'd seen Morty use. "Lick!"

It was close-range—not a Ghost's most strategic place to be, but it was the best Misty had. Haunter moved in and licked the broad length of Bayleef's neck, causing full-body shudders, shaking Bayleef's leaves. The success painted a cool balm over Misty's previous embarrassment, brain working double time to keep up the momentum.

"Poison Powder!"

Haunter cackled, darting about like a kid in snow as soon as the purple spores erupted from Bayleef's body. It stuck its tongue out to catch some and blew others away, though not particularly towards Bayleef.

"I think you've forgotten that Haunter is a dual-Poison type!" Misty called as the challenger gaped at the move's lack of effect. "Lick again!"

After the third Lick Attack, Haunter managed to land Paralysis on Bayleef, easing the path to victory. At some point, Misty remembered the move Shadow Punch, and that ended the match.

Despite her win, it didn't look like she was a moment closer to her next lesson with Morty. While her Trainer dejectedly returned her Bayleef, the Battle next to her had ended in the Croconaw's favor. Simply having Bite in your arsenal seemed to go a long way in this Gym, and so that was another three-on-three Battle for Misty to wait through, unless Morty decided to call it a day and have these challengers come back tomorrow.

To heck with it.

The antsiness that had been tingling across Misty's muscles as she waited that had only just been wrung out by the Battle was already creeping back up. The urge to lock and unlock her knees, bounce up and down on her toes, just to keep her body active in the hopes of slowing down her mind was immense. Instead, she walked out.

"Haunter, follow me, please."

She climbed to the bedroom she'd had yet to have a decent night's sleep in and grabbed her bag before turning on her heel and heading back out. It only had her 'Balls, some water, some food bars—basic traveling accouterments. It was all she'd need as she headed back downstairs.

She breezed past reception, saying, "I'll be out for maybe a couple hours. Morty knows how to reach me."

If he finished up and wanted to quickly move on to their lesson, he'd send a Ghost after her as a kind of telegram, she was sure. But she wasn't going to just sit around and wait. That was hardly the point of a journey.

Two days ago, Misty had come into town from Ecruteak's south side. This time, she was headed east. She called her crew as she walked. Eyes open, taking in the sights of the historical town, all its neat architecture to her left, the thick forest to her right. All she had to do was paint Noir then Ash and Pikachu on top, and within moments, they were there.

"Woah, where are we going?" Ash asked as he floated down to walk at Misty's pace. "And who's this?"

It was different. Seeing Ash after having sobbed into his chest the day before. It put her back on her guard, but she didn't really have to think about it at all if she just kept going forward. Didn't look at him too hard, didn't let her mind wander to yesterday. If she just kept with her plan, it was fine.

"We're going to better prepare ourselves, Ash," Misty answered as she marched. "This is a Haunter from the Gym."

She could skip the Pokémon Center but made a left turn to the PokéMart. It was a relief to see the familiar building, LED lights bright red at the front and the decidedly unnatural blue roof. It was a beacon taking her right back to Cerulean.

"Stocking up?" Ash asked.

"Just a little."

She'd be better prepared if she grabbed one of everything in this store, but it would weigh down her bag too much. Part of traveling was being prepared, but another was not breaking her back. There was only one thing she really needed.

Misty grabbed a case of PokéBalls off the shelf and made a beeline for the checkout. "Interesting," Ash said as he followed behind.

"Is it?" Misty replied as she walked up to the counter. From there, she snagged a few Potions for good luck.

"I'm sorry?" the cashier asked.

"Sorry, not you." Misty grinned. "Just these."

She checked out and continued her path east. The city quickly gave way to wood entirely, only to open up into grass, mountain, and water. As usual, Misty had no interest in grass or Mt. Mortar. She only wanted the water.

Idly, Misty wondered if this very act of arming herself was just another thing to take her mother further from her. If she'd have more time if instead she awaited Morty's call from her room, flipping the pages of a good book or painting her nails.

"If I just wait, I'll go crazy," Misty said, the grass tickling her ankles as she headed for the smell of petrichor. That spot where the lake's tides eroded the grassline, leaving exposed, soaked silt to fill her nostrils.

"Are you o—" Misty whipped her head around to look at Ash, but her eyes must have been sharper than intended, because he flinched back, hands up. "Stupid question."

"No, it's fine, I just, ugh." Misty pressed her hands to her face and let the growl clear her throat. She wasn't underdressed for the day in shorts and her thin sweater, but her hands were still pleasantly cold against her warm face. That was something. "This is a freaking powerless situation and I just need to do something so I don't just have to sit here hating it so much."

"Okay, so what are we doing?"

Misty approached the water's edge, stopping when her shoes began sinking in mud. "We're going to catch a Marill."

The nice thing about being in a city that extolled history as much as Ecruteak did was that one couldn't help but trip over a guidebook at some point in their stay. There had been one in her room, and a recent publication to boot. And included in the book were the local wild Pokémon. Including Marill on Route 42.

"Oh!" Ash said, brightening. "Awesome!"

"Yeah, it will be," she said, reaching into her bag. "Goldeen, go!"

Goldeen landed in the water with a splash, diving down before popping its horn back out of the water. "Deen!"

Honestly, Misty should let all of her Pokémon into this lake for a hydration session. Before reading the guide book, she hadn't realized that there was water so close to the city. It wasn't much, but it'd be enough for even Gyarados to get a soak, even if he couldn't exactly swim laps.

"We're hunting for Marill," Misty said, holding the guide book out toward Goldeen to see the picture. "If you find one, battle it."

Goldeen nodded at the instruction and dove underwater while Misty patrolled the land. Marill had handy floatation devices on their tails that she'd be able to see if one was just below the surface. But they'd do nothing for her if they were deeper down—that was for Goldeen.

"We can look too, you know," Ash said, thumbing towards himself. "Don't have to worry about breathing. Or getting water in our eyes."

Misty considered the prospect for only a moment. "You know what? Sure. Noir can battle if you find anything."

"You got it!"

As the gang was about to dive underwater as well, Misty pointed at Haunter directly. "Not you, though. You stay up here."

The Haunter seemed to shrug, flipping both hands up before pulling back. It seemed like it might have been relieved not to have to do more work. Misty reached into her bag again and pulled out a Potion. Haunter hadn't been particularly weakened by the Battle against Bayleef, but it was the responsible thing to do. After all, this wasn't her Pokémon, and Misty had no idea how often the Gym Pokémon received medical treatment. It was unclear if they were all used for battle or if some just hung out around the Gym. They might not even be officially captured.

"Here," Misty said, stepping over to Haunter as she uncapped the medicine. "Just to give you a boost."

Haunter accepted the treatment easily, despite having no real reason to trust her. She supposed she had no idea how much she'd been observed by this particular Haunter over the past couple days, though—maybe it had even spoken with her friends. And it actually made her feel good, for just a moment, to extend a little kindness to this Pokémon.

"Deen goldeen!"

"Misty!"

Misty turned back to the water and saw that Goldeen had fought a Marill to the shore. She had no idea if it had been an extended struggle or if no Attacks had been landed yet. Regardless, the job was done.

"Great! Fall back, Goldeen!" Misty yelled before turning back to Haunter. "Haunter, can you create an illusion of an Attack? Like some vines? Don't let Marill see you."

Haunter cackled from second plane before disappearing from Misty's sight entirely. All that remained was a patch of vines moving toward Marill, snapping like a good Vine Whip Attack.

Marill hopped to face Haunter, expression not so different from Pikachu's when he was fired up. Narrowed eyes and a downturned mouth, ears pointed up and ready for action. It tried a Water Gun, but Haunter dodged, better than it had during their earlier Battle. Misty was unsure how Marill would take to the vines moving on their own from the ground, but it mostly just seemed focused on its enemy. That worked for Misty.

"Keep it up!" she shouted, staying back and observing the Battle, watching for any change.

But there was none. The Marill kept shooting Water Gun Attacks until one hit, knocking Haunter out of the illusion. It wasn't exactly conclusive, but it didn't pass her test.

"Let it go," she called at that point. It'd be better to move on to the next than waste their energy. "Look again, Goldeen."

Haunter faded comfortably back into regular second plane and approached Misty, grinning. It seemed as though the Pokémon had enjoyed partaking in the illusion, at least, if just for the fun of it.

The illusion itself was interesting. It didn't seem as though Haunter was actually shapeshifting, and yet it couldn't extend the illusion much past its body. The vines definitely stretched longer and narrower, but Haunter didn't seem able to throw the illusion or project it somewhere else. It was just like the flooding illusion from the other evening. There had been many Ghost Pokémon on the floor, not one doing all of the work.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked as Goldeen's tail disappeared under the water once more. Pikachu and Noir followed, but Ash lingered behind.

"I have a plan," Misty said. "Just need to find the right Marill."

Ash glanced between her and Haunter. "Alright."

It didn't take too long for her Pokémon crew to splash another Marill up, but a minute with Haunter proved it to be another dud. It was so adorable, with its slippery, round body, and its rodent-like face, but Misty had to let it go. She couldn't just capture one that was cute.

The third time was the charm, though. Haunter's phony Vine Whip cracked toward the third Marill, and in only a moment it was releasing the same red beam that Morty's Sentret had used. Haunter was brought to the surface right away, and Misty was not going to miss her opportunity.

"Lick!" she shouted as Ash let out a groan of realization beside her. "Lick until it's paralyzed!"

She was just opting for the same strategy she'd stumbled upon in the Gym, but it would be enough to work. A weakened Pokémon was easier to catch, and a status-affected Pokémon even easier. And none of her Pokémon knew a move that could accomplish that.

It was obvious when the Paralysis hit. Marill's already crimped tail seized up, bobbing in close to its body as it fell into motionlessness. Misty wasn't entirely sure how weak it had gotten, but this was close enough.

"PokéBall, go!"

Misty bit her tongue as the 'Ball opened and took Marill inside. It fell to the ground before swaying right, then left, then right again. It would be fine. If Marill broke free, she still had five more PokéBalls, and could use any of her Pokémon to weaken it more. Not like Marill would be much of a threat under Paralysis, as it was.

She didn't have to worry, though. Only a moment later, the 'Ball stopped, latching shut with a satisfying click. And Marill was hers.

"Whew," she breathed, more a sigh than a cheer. "Thank goodness."

"Really wanted a Pokémon with Foresight, huh?"

Misty picked up the 'Ball and relaxed down on a moss-covered rock. Adrenaline had run out of her body and now she was just weak. And once again, her distraction was gone.

"It seemed necessary," she said, switching out Marill's 'Ball for Goldeen's, about to return the Pokémon. Then she thought better of it, slipping it back in her pocket and reaching for her other 'Balls.

She released her Pokémon one by one. Jellicent first, then Gyarados, then Staryu, all straight into the water. They could all use the soak before returning to the Gym. If the water weren't assuredly cold, she might have gone for a dip herself.

"I think it's a great idea," Ash agreed, and Misty nodded.

"If I'm being targeted," she began, "by someone. Like Morty said. The least I can do is protect myself a little better against it."

"You really think you are?"

Misty chewed on that. She had since Morty had said it. There had been times on her journey thus far when it had certainly felt like it. If all the Trainers passing through Morty's Gym today had been through what she'd been through in just the past few weeks, she was certain that she'd be training with Morty right now in a near-empty Gym instead of just outside of town surrounded by Pokémon and ghosts.

"I do kind of wonder…if this wasn't the first time," Misty admitted.

"Really?" Ash asked. "What else has happened?"

Misty thought back. There had been her unfortunate first meeting with Daniel and Fay, but they both had been the obvious cause of everything that went down then. And then there was the torrential storm in the boat off of Fuschia City. But that had been different than the other night. The ship really had been struggling to drain, and Jellicent really had soaked up water and sprayed it off the side of the boat. Just a bad storm.

But she thought back to the Bugs that night in Cinnabar. How they had disappeared so quickly, a matter of seconds during the time she'd called Noir. Her eyes had been closed—they'd been going after her so doggedly and then to turn back when she wasn't looking? It didn't make sense. And Noir hadn't so much as seen them scurry into the bushes.

And the fire. Way back before Pallet Town, back with Molly. The trees had been fine. Not a scorch mark to be seen. Right? Or was she making up that it had been made up?

"I don't know," Misty admitted. It was just impossible in hindsight to tell if something had been an illusion or not. It was something she had to figure out in the moment, which is why she had Marill by her side now. In fact, she wanted to get Marill on her side as soon as possible.

Misty found Marill's PokéBall again and released it. Already, the new Pokémon wasn't running away, just standing in place and watching Misty skeptically. Though maybe it was just the Paralysis. Misty fully diverted her eyes as she looked in her bag for another Potion. When she brought it out, she turned back to Marill, looking for any visible injuries. Since Haunter had mostly used Lick Attacks, there didn't seem to be any, which would make the Potion painless.

"Just two seconds," Misty said before spritzing the medicine onto Marill's skin.

Marill flinched back but didn't move. The potion would do nothing for the Paralysis, but floating in the water some was bound to do the Pokémon some good. Though they'd have to stop by the Pokémon Center before making their way back.

"Staryu!" Misty called. "Make friends!"

"Hyaa!" Staryu called, coming to the water's edge as Misty tenderly picked Marill up and carried it over. She dipped it in the water, and it floated easily on the surface, beside Staryu, sure to be fine in a few minutes.

Staryu was an easy entry point. Non-threatening, and an old-timer on Misty's team. Goldeen was non-threatening as well, but still so new. Jellicent and Gyarados, meanwhile, were much more intimidating, literally so for Gyarados. Noir and Pikachu were in the mix as well, but, of course, they'd be of little help with Marill.

"This is something constructive," Misty continued as she returned to her mossy rock, as though the conversation had never broken. "This might be important."

"I can keep a better eye out too," Ash offered. "Now that we know it's happening, we'll know to look deeper at anything suspicious."

Misty smiled. Geez, when had Ash become so sweet? He'd been so closed off at first, for what had felt like forever. But now it seemed like forever that he'd been helpful and bright and open. But it hadn't even been a month, so how long had it been of either side of him, really?

"I appreciate that," Misty said. "We'll have to be alert."

That alertness was already thrumming through her, bouncing her legs up and down once again. So she stood up and walked around the side of the rock, next to Ash. Standing still wasn't active enough. She needed to swim laps, or hike the mountain they were at the base of. Something.

"You okay, Misty?" Ash asked. "I mean, I know you're not but. Is there anything I can do?"

There was that sweetness again, turning the rich soil smell around them to something deep and molasses-filled. It stuck to the back of her throat.

"It's plenty just to be here," Misty said quietly. She hardly heard herself over the splashing just across the way. "I thought it'd be more awkward, but I guess I've gotten used to you."

"Aw, that's good," Ash said, reaching out an arm and pulling Misty close around her middle. "It's hard to imagine not being together with you now."

Misty's breath hitched at the sudden contact. His arm placement was so similar to when he'd lifted her in the past, except what had once been a tight squeeze was now a tender brush. And, Misty remembered all at once, that it was indeed under her clothing. His arm sunk right through her sweater and lay on the bony flesh of her upper hip. And despite her body cooling down after the walking and the battling, her cheeks grew hot.

Still, it was…nice? Her focus narrowed in on that spot of skin his hand was on, with half a mind reserved for the whole wrap of his arm around her back. As her body grew flustered, she couldn't help but notice that the spot was somehow warm. Despite Ash's body not carrying any particular heat, this bit of contact was warm.

Misty leaned into it, so that her shoulder was just under his, their hips meeting just slightly on the side.

She wanted to talk, wanted to say something, but there were no words. Just hundreds and hundreds of thoughts. Not the least of which was touch him back.

With a surprising amount of inner strength required, Misty lifted her arm and wrapped it around Ash as well. Her touch was met with that of ghostly fabric, much to her relief, though it was obviously what she'd expected, known. The new contact had their sides touching from their upper ribs down to the point where their thighs tapered off. All points were covered by Ash's clothes but still, the warmth captured Misty's attention.

"This is nice," Ash said, leaning his head towards Misty so that they were touching even there as well. Crown to crown. "Watching the Pokémon."

"Yeah," Misty agreed, her voice breathier than intended. Her throat tightened up, like it knew her next words were going to be a lie, but she pushed through to tell it anyway. "Watching the Pokémon."

It had been a couple hours more before Misty was called back to the Gym. She and Ash had lost track of time out by the lake, and her Pokémon had been nearly too happy for Misty to want to give it up. But Marill needed a trip to the Pokémon Center and Misty needed to return to the Gym. And return the Haunter she'd all but stolen.

The Gym was empty of visitors—even the front desk was unmanned when Misty returned. It was only mid-afternoon, so it was probably a product of too many battlers. Too many fainted Pokémon, too much damage to the arenas. They'd have to start again tomorrow.

Misty walked into their usual arena, the one Morty had been using for Gym matches today while the larger one had been split in half. Haunter had disappeared as soon at some point during Misty's climb up the massive staircase, so it was only Ash, Pikachu, and Noir behind her.

"Long day?" Misty asked when she saw Morty sitting silently on the bleachers.

"Only expected," he replied. "This is what April is like."

There were a ton of Trainers to be sure. More than Misty had seen in months, what with the off season being so slow this year. But levels were probably similar over at the Cerulean Gym and Misty just hoped her sisters were faring okay.

"I heard you battled with one of our Haunter," Morty said, standing up. He glanced at Ash, Pikachu, and Noir only once before focusing on Misty. "That's really good."

"It wasn't anything impressive," Misty said. "I didn't know any of its moves."

"And yet you won," Morty stated. "That's enough for me. You might be more of a natural with Ghost Pokémon than you've given yourself credit for."

Or it was just that battling advantage of being able to see what her opponents couldn't. But still, she'd take it.

"Thanks," she said quickly. "So, what's the lesson today?"

Morty paused, offering nothing but a sigh at first. His gaze was still on her, but it seemed to go straight through her for moments at a time before returning.

"I…" Morty steepled his hands in front of his mouth, a gesture Misty had only known to indicate heavy thought. Some of the day's anxieties bubbled up in her again, but with a slightly different flavor. Morty began again, "I believe that you should know all that you're capable of."

Misty expected more, but silence fell again. "Thank you?" she tried.

Morty sighed again, but his eye contact was clearer. "But just because you know you can do something doesn't mean you should do it, right?"

Misty cocked her head just slightly, squinting her eyes skeptically. "Yeah, of course."

Did he think she was stupid? Of course Misty didn't do everything she merely could do. She could call her mother back right now. She could pass through third plane to rush back home to Cerulean just to do it. She wasn't going to. She could empty an entire ice cream shop by herself, but today wasn't the day, no matter the appeal.

"And it isn't just a matter of not doing it right now," Morty continued. "Some things you should never do."

"Right," Misty agreed. "I know. What's your point?"

"No official research has been done on people like us," Morty said, veering in a different direction. "There's no way to know if there's anything physically different about us after we gain the Connection. But even without research I think it's clear that some of the things we can do are damaging. Remember the headache you had after going into third plane?"

Misty nodded, unsure where this was going.

"That's the most I think we should do," Morty stated. "I don't think we should teleport with our whole bodies. Like I said before, it's like enduring what Pokémon go through but without their ability to heal. What do you think that headache means?"

"I don't know," Misty said. She'd had too many headaches in her life to give it much thought. Lots from a simple lack of sleep, but those weren't bad to push through. Concussions were minor brain damage, and that was about the worst she'd ever experienced.

"I don't either," Morty admitted. "But I have to assume it's damage of some kind. Probably not tissue damage, since our bodies were safe, but perhaps something to do with brain cells. Or it could just be disorientation. It's not bad enough that I'm especially concerned."

"Okay," Misty drawled, unsure if Morty was saying that tiny bits of brain damage were okay or if he really thought it was harmless. If the latter, then why all the warnings?

"Like I said," Morty said, perhaps reading the skepticism on her face, "this is the thing that I think is the most harmless. There's no telling what bringing our whole bodies into the Spirit World can do, since there's not even a Pokémon precedent for it. But there's one more thing that we can do that you absolutely should not do. Do you understand, Misty?"

"No," Misty answered bluntly. "But I'm sure I will."

"Right," Morty said. "Well, if traveling through third plane with our bodies allows us to move through space, what else do you think it might allow us to do?"

The answer crept up on Misty through her frustration with Morty's indirectness. But…no, that couldn't be right, could it? It was absolutely insane, and the implications were…no. Surely Morty meant something else.

"What is it?" Ash asked as the silence drew too long.

Morty only kept his eyes on Misty, his eyebrows raising just slightly.

"…Time travel," Misty said quietly, not wanting the embarrassment of being wrong to hit her. But that awkward flush never came.

"Right," Morty said. "Each of these things does increasing amounts of damage. Even Ghosts don't time travel, to my knowledge. Maybe they can and have no use for it or, more likely, they simply can't. So again, there's no precedent—it's not something bodies are meant to handle."

"What do you mean?" Misty asked. "Is it just a worse headache?"

"I've never done it," Morty admitted. "But my teacher has and…I do believe it has deteriorative effects. And more than that…"

Morty's heavy eyelids drooped, darkening his expression. Gosh, he looked tired, the skin under his eyes dark and bruised. Probably from the business of the season, and yet he was making all this time for Misty. She should be doing more around the Gym, maybe officially take on more Battles.

"More than that," Morty continued, "it just can't bring about anything good. If you're traveling back in time, trying to change the past…it won't solve your problems. There's something in your real life that needs fixing, not something in your past."

The concept made sense to Misty. As much as she might have wished in this moment to go back in time and save her mother's life, there was nothing she could really do. Cancer certainly couldn't be stopped. Of course, she could just spend more time with the live version of her mom. She could also remake her relationship with her sisters, apologize a long time ago for the things she'd only been able to verbalize as of last week.

But no. Who knew what she'd screw up now by going back and tampering with her own life? Misty glanced at Ash and Pikachu. If she fixed her relationship with her sisters, there was no way she would have set out on her own from Cerulean. No way that she would have met these two. And that didn't really feel worth sacrificing.

"Okay," Misty said. "Understood. I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for screwing up the past. So…are you gonna tell me how to do it?"

"I can't be certain, because I don't know the details," Morty said. "But that's good, because neither of us have any reason to ever do this. As far as I know, you go to the Spirit World just like you would for traveling through space. But you need to be able to imagine the past. Which is much harder than imagining something you just saw. An object linking to the past seems helpful, but I don't know the specifics. That's all I know."

Misty couldn't imagine relying on that to do something as serious as changing something in the past. Someone would have to be desperate beyond belief to try it with only that much information. Then again, maybe someone out there knew more than Morty did.

"Who did you say your teacher was, by the way?" Misty asked.

"Agatha," Morty said. The name left his lips in a grimace, lips buttoned tight.

Misty should have known. It was the only other name that had come up when Morty had listed the people he knew with the Connection, and it had been made clear enough that Phoebe wasn't someone he'd trust to be his teacher.

Misty looked back to her friends. This wasn't a particularly entertaining lesson for them, was it? "You guys can head off," Misty said. "Pull a prank on the Ghosts in the walls."

Noir headed off right away. Honestly, it was nice that she'd been so present since they'd arrived in the city. It was unlike her but not unwelcome. Ash, and therefore Pikachu, meanwhile, lingered a moment longer. A look passed between the two of them, but Ash took it and walked away with it. Then it was just her and Morty. She turned back to him, wanting to pick up where he'd left off.

"Did you…not like her or something? Agatha, I mean?"

Professor Oak hadn't spoken especially highly of her either, to Misty's recollection. It was hard to believe that an Elite, and one who'd been in the game for so long, could be so disliked.

Morty's expression leveled out a tad, like the taste of sour lemon was leaving his mouth. "She's not a beloved figure in Johto."

Misty frowned. "She's an Elite."

"That's not all she's known for," Morty spat. "Some people only remember that, but they've forgotten our history."

Morty's face was growing red, his voice loud with passion. He'd been so even-keeled thus far that Misty didn't know what to make of this angry man in front of her. She didn't feel any reason to be frightened of him, though, so she remained intrigued. If anything, this made him more real.

"She's a deserter," he hissed, spitting the word like a curse. "I know you're a Kantonian, so you have no reason to care, but we were annexed. We didn't want to be one country, and she was on our side, one of our best in the military, and then she left. In the middle of that last battle with the mysterious Pokémon. And now she gets to sit on top of Indigo—the only dual part of our supposed single country—as royalty. As though we don't know what she did."

Misty gulped. It seemed as though Brock had missed some details in his crash course history lesson. Shame heated her cheeks at the chastisement—she never did think about how Johto had been annexed. Kanto usually talked about how generous they'd been to Johto at war's end, but it made sense that Johto didn't necessarily see it like that.

"She's unwell," Morty continued, now in a softer tone, as though he'd stepped off his soapbox. "She thinks she saw her own death and is obsessed with it. She knows about Ghosts alright, but she's self-obsessed. Not the best teacher. Not the best person."

Did that mean that Agatha had time traveled and tried to change her past? Seen her death for herself? That was an incredible power, probably one that no one should have. But Misty thought of her mother, passing at such a young age, and wondered if she'd have liked to have known earlier. Then again, Agatha was quite old, wasn't she? So had she succeeded in changing her fate?

"Noted. I guess I'll just stick with you and Phoebe then."

Morty's lips tightened at Phoebe's name as well, but she decided to let that one go. He seemed to be in a talkative mood and there other threads dangling that Misty wanted to pull at. Things she'd thought about her whole life but hadn't thought there'd been any way of answering. Now, suddenly, those threads had destinations. End points right in front of her.

"I have a question," Misty said, her voice calmer than she felt.

"That's what I'm here for," Morty replied.

"I wanna know," Misty started, taking a deep breath in between, "if there's any way to keep someone from moving on."

Morty seemed to consider the question, but Misty had no idea how or what or why. It was a yes or no question at its core—it shouldn't take a long pause to work out.

"Really, it's like the time travel, Misty," Morty said finally. "It's something you can do, but you shouldn't."

"What, why?" Misty asked, affronted. "What are you talking about?"

"You have to let Ash and Pikachu go, Misty," Morty said calmly. Easy to be calm when he was having a totally different conversation than Misty was having. "It's not right to keep them around."

"They—That's not what I'm talking about," Misty said, voice rising. "What are you talking about?"

"Ghosts are not meant to be in this world," Morty said firmly. "I'm sure that Phoebe convinced you that it's okay, but it is irresponsible of us to make them feel as though they should stay for us."

"What does Phoebe have to do with this?" Misty asked, reeling.

"Phoebe has been keeping her sister around for what? Ten years?" Morty said, and Misty didn't feel like correcting him that it had only been eight. "Can you imagine ten years in purgatory? Only able to talk to one person?"

Misty thought back to her upbringing with Noir as her only confidant, but that wasn't quite the same, was it. She'd talked to other people every day. Gym Challengers, Nurse Joy, her vendors, even her sisters most days, even if they weren't good conversations. And goodness knew she'd felt more alive these last weeks of traveling and really talking to people than she had back then.

"Isn't it their choice?" Misty rebutted. "Phoebe's sister could leave whenever she wants. Ash said he doesn't want to leave. Why should we make that decision for them?"

"Because if they are choosing to stay, then they're staying for us," Morty answered. "Phoebe's sister wouldn't be staying if it weren't for her. And Ash wouldn't be staying if it weren't for you."

"Hey, you don't know him," Misty defended. "He's been around a lot longer than just the time we've known each other."

"All the more reason for you to help him," Morty insisted. "He's stuck. And now you and your relationship has given him something more to stick to."

"Our relationship?" Misty shrilled, incredulous. "What?"

"C'mon, Misty," Morty said, that tiredness from under his eyes seeping into his voice. "He was in your room late at night when that Ghost illusion happened. He's hanging off of you all the time. You're saying there's nothing happening between you?"

"Of course there's nothing!" Misty exclaimed. "How would someone be in a relationship with a ghost?"

"The same way you're in a friendship," Morty said. "They're not that different. And fine, if you're not in a relationship, don't get into one. That's the worst thing you could do to him and yourself."

"Pff, obviously," Misty scoffed. "I'm not stupid enough to date someone who's dead."

The line of contact across her body and around her back from earlier that day burned at her words, though. Like the Spirit World itself didn't believe her.

"Let's hope not," Morty said. "Because then there'll be no reason to keep him around, and grow attached to someone who's not even supposed to be here."

"Who put you in charge of the rules?" Misty snapped. "Like it's your say whether they should be here or not."

"You told me you know how to help ghosts move on," Morty said. "If you've done that, then you know what kinds of things keep them tethered here. Unresolved business. Mistakes. Trauma. These are things that living people go to therapy to work through. That we're supposed to heal from. Keeping a ghost here is keeping them in their trauma and that's not fair."

Misty didn't think her mom had any trauma. Well, a young death from cancer was bound to be traumatic, but Misty didn't know of the kind of trauma that Morty spoke of having anything to do with her. Could it be something like that that was keeping her here instead of Misty?

But then there was Ash. Ash who had fought and died in a war. Ash, who had been so tight-lipped at first, and who still didn't talk about his past very much, who had rejected the idea of confronting it just a few days ago. He was the kind of guy who probably did have trauma, though Misty wasn't about to give Morty the satisfaction of knowing that.

"Well, you can sit on your high horse," Misty said finally. "I'm going to listen to what ghosts tell me and trust them. If they wanna live in purgatory, that's their choice."

Morty had the nerve to scoff. "You sound just like Phoebe."

"Good," Misty said, turning on her heel to go. "I'd rather be like her than you."

A/N: This chapter's kinda funky. It's kinda disjointed, but idk, I think it works? It felt okay upon this reread, but in my email about this chap, I described it as "barreling along" ahahaha, as if anything in this fic is barreling along. The stuff with Haunter is fun and kind of reminiscent of the original anime, which I don't think was on purpose, but this was a year and a half ago, so who knows! And hey, Misty has another new team member! Marill was such a standout Pokemon from Gen2, back at the very beginning. I remember Christmas 2000, I think? Making a Marill out of styrofoam balls and pipe cleaners. I might still own it, haha. And more Pokeshipping happening? It's more likely than you think.