.

The Soul

"How can I go, meeting and exorcising my own ghosts here! I've made some new ones now."

–Sylvia Plath

"Move on? No, no, no," Misty said, moving to stand protectively in front of Ash, just as Pikachu and Noir also poked their heads through the wooden wall. "No, these are my friends. We're not trying to send them anywhere."

"Do you know how to?"

"Yes," Misty snapped defensively. "I do and I've done it. That's not the issue here, and it's not what I came here for. I didn't even know that you had the Connection—I was just traveling with my friends."

Morty stared at Misty for a long moment, his eyes flicking only once to the group of ghosts flanking her.

"Misty, if you have this ability, then it's your duty to help wayward souls," he stated. "Don't you know that?"

Misty took a step forward, hands clenched, but she felt Pikachu's tiny paws tapping at her wrists before backing off. She took a deep breath and bit her words back. "I know what I'm doing."

"…I see," was all Morty said in response. "I can have an arena prepared for us downstairs. One of my Gym Trainers can be put in place should any challengers arrive. I will look forward to seeing you down there shortly."

As Morty left the room, the tension still reverberated inside Misty, like a little Joltik tap dancing on her nerves. Her arms had raised wide in front of her friends and she only just lowered them, tingles of adrenaline draining out and numbing her fingertips. Alarms were blaring in her ears, telling her to get out, that this had all been a mistake and she should return to Kanto. Or perhaps that was just her ears still ringing.

What had that been? A dozen questions rose to the top in Misty's mind, thick and pressing against the subtext of all Morty had said. He hadn't seemed the least bit surprised when Misty had given herself away by looking at Ash. Had he suspected that she had the Connection? Was wanting to visit his Gym too much of a giveaway as a Water Gym Leader?

And what about how confident he'd sounded, informing her of her duty? As though he was some authority. As though maybe he knew more than she did. But how could he?

"Misty, it's fine," Ash said, stepping fully through the wall. "If he has the same ability as you do, of course he'd assume we're trying to move on. Isn't that what you help ghosts do?"

"Yeah," Misty said, furrowing her brow and shaking her head. Right, of course he would assume that. She'd do the same thing in his position. "Yeah, you're right. I'm gonna go down and see what he wants to do."

"We'll stay back," Ash offered. "Check in after a while?"

Misty smiled, grabbing her pack. "Sounds good."

Misty retraced her steps back downstairs and to the first arena that she'd seen Morty battling in. There were now Gym Trainers standing by, as he'd said.

The Cerulean Gym had no need for Gym Trainers, since there were four Gym Leaders—at least in theory. Of course, there had been times where Misty had felt she was doing it all on her own, and now it was just her sisters, but nevertheless in theory there were four of them to divide the challenges, four of them to raise up teams of Pokémon to be available on standby. The inclusion of Gym Trainers made more sense at a Gym like Morty's where he was the solo Gym Leader. It made for a filtering process where any Trainer who didn't defeat their Gym Trainer wouldn't get to progress to the Gym Leader. Pretty vital during the busy season.

She walked down the row and found another arena, this one small but clean compared to the dust and residue still being cleared from the first one. When she slipped in the door, Morty was spraying a Potion over Haunter's body. It seemed there wasn't enough time to stop by the Pokémon Center either.

"Oh, you're here," Morty said, pocketing the medicine. "Alright, let's see what you've got."

"What I've got?" Misty asked.

"What Pokémon you have," Morty clarified. "Banette and…?"

"Oh, Noir isn't my—" Misty cut herself off, deciding it wasn't worth explaining that Daisy actually had technical ownership over Noir. "Er, we've never participated in an official Battle."

"Alright." Morty nodded. "What else?"

Misty looked out at the arena space. A dry, dirt field and more of that wood around the exterior. It was doubtful that there was a pool of any kind on the premises. Plus, Ecruteak was one of the most landlocked cities in the region, either having to trek northeast to the Lake of Rage or southwest to Route 40 to find any water. Misty compromised and pulled out her PokéBalls but left her Pokémon within.

"I have Staryu, Goldeen, Gyarados, and Jellicent," she said. "There are more Pokémon at the Gym, but these ones are mine."

"Jellicent…" Morty mused. "Your Frillish has evolved?"

Morty had done his research, evidently. Misty raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"Yeah, maybe a week ago," she replied.

"That's good," Morty said, his expression more open, eyebrows less heavy. "Send him out."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot upstairs," Morty said, his expression not particularly repentant, or much changed at all. But his voice was humble, trustworthy. "You're here to learn about Ghost Types. No better way to learn than to Battle."

Jellicent could float on land. Frillish could too, but Misty had never taken advantage of it. There was no need with the pool, and it was worse for his stamina and health, not to mention the strength of his Water Attacks. But it was a necessary step forward in training.

"You got it," she said, enlarging that 'Ball and pocketing the rest. "Jellicent, go!"

Morty began walking backwards as Jellicent emerged, and Misty was surprised he didn't trip on the long, frayed cuffs of his jeans. All his clothes were so big and loose—her sisters would never approve. "Just a quick Battle. No items, no switches, just a test. Haunter isn't at a hundred percent anyway."

"You'll wish it was," Misty taunted, standing to the side to see around Jellicent's enormous head. Another thing she didn't have to worry about when he was submerged.

"Well, see," Morty said, a slight smirk tugging at half his mouth. "Sucker Punch!"

"Rain Dance!" Misty yelped reflexively, watching as the priority move made super-effective contact before Jellicent had hardly begun to move.

She winced. That was a good hit, weakening him right out of the gate. With Jellicent lacking the mobility of the water, there was no avoiding an Attack like that. Even if Jellicent were a Ghost Pokémon with the power to go incorporeal, Haunter could have just followed him there. At least there were some thin clouds forming overhead, beginning a misty drizzle. That would do something for Jellicent's health.

Haunter flicked around the room, restored of the energy she'd seen it missing by the end of its fight with Butterfree. Apparently the Potion had served it well. "Sucker Punch again!" Morty yelled.

"Water Pulse!"

The spurt of water managed to slow Haunter down a bit, but the Attack still landed. Jellicent kept up the stream, though, even in Haunter's retreat. When the Attack trickled out, Misty called for it again.

The move came in bursts as Haunter teleported around the arena. Not the concentrated water pressure that the Attack maintained at its most powerful, but it was still landing hits. At the cost of exhausting Jellicent more every moment.

"Keep it up a bit longer!"

Misty grit her teeth, watching Haunter's status. After a while, the teleporting slowed, and she saw the first glimmers of what she hoped would happen. Haunter's movements were growing jerky. His body flickered in and out of bad teleportations, not going far so that he looked like the bouncing image of a bad connection on a video phone. And when he was upside down and twirling like a top, she knew she had him.

Haunter was confused.

"Yes!" Misty yelled, grinning behind Jellicent. "Great job! More Rain Dance now."

They had time to recover now that Haunter was out of sorts. Or so she thought, until suddenly his disembodied hands were right up beside Jellicent, dangling in space while Haunter's body held back. All three shapes were twirling in the air, but Haunter was making ragged noises, eyes and tongue popping out of and back in its face. It would laugh and then dart somewhere else.

"Sucker Punch."

The hit came right from those close-range hands, the body nowhere in sight. Misty gaped as Jellicent fell to the ground, damp body coating thicky on the bottom with dirt. Meanwhile, Haunter's body was laughing hysterically in front of them, spinning and slapping its tongue out of its mouth.

It was using the Confusion to distract her, throw her off. It took her strength and contorted it before throwing it back at her.

And it had succeeded, it seemed, as Jellicent slumped on the floor like an upturned bowl of jam.

"Three super-effective hits are a lot to take," Morty said as he returned Haunter to its 'Ball.

"That was brutal," Misty said, doing the same of Jellicent.

Morty shook his head. "Not really. You were out of your element on land, Jellicent is newly evolved, and my strategy was high risk, high reward. Haunter teleporting like that takes a lot of energy and we wouldn't have been able to keep it up if the match hadn't ended fast. And we could make better use of the Typing."

"No, you're really good," Misty said. "But thanks."

Morty had the kind of eyes that looked like they were always narrowed at her, studying her for some purpose she'd never be let in on. She was nearly recoiling under his gaze when he began to speak again.

"I don't think you know what Ghost Pokémon are truly capable of," he said, fishing out another PokéBall. "You should at least get a taste while you're here."

With a click of a button, Morty's Gengar, a Pokémon so famous even Misty knew about it, was on the Gym floor, grinning at her. The purple of its skin was so dark Misty's eyes nearly dilated looking at it.

Gengar was an impressive Pokémon, yes. Large and intimidating and infamously hard to train, or even obtain. But Misty wasn't sure how it was supposed to be more impressive than Phoebe's Dusknoir, or even any of her other Pokémon. Even a Gym Leader's ace might not be as strong as the lower-tier Pokémon in an Elite's lineup.

Morty must have seen the skepticism on her face, because he only said, "Just wait," a smirk on his face has he lifted his fingers to a pendant resting on his chest.

As soon as he touched it, Gengar began to glow. Not the blinding light of evolution, but a more opalescent warping, something Misty could squint at and barely make out before her. Within the light, Gengar began to warp, and suddenly Misty remembered Phoebe and her Sableye from her Gym.

"Mega Evolution," Misty whispered, and Morty's smirk grew.

When the transformation finished, Gengar had gone black before Misty's blinking eyes. The room had just been so bright and now Gengar's changed shape was nothing but a shadow before her, slowly revealing itself to have a red glow emanating from the base of three fat limbs. Like this new, Mega-Evolved Gengar was looking into the depths of hell…and liked it, judging by that same grin it wore.

"Gengar, Shadow Ball."

With no opponent, Gengar lazily opened its mouth and lolled out its tongue as a light-warping ball began to form within. As Misty looked into that deep, cavernous mouth, she wondered if it was like Dusknoir's—able to connect to the Spirit World. There wasn't much time to think about it though, because soon the ball blocked out the Pokémon's whole mouth, only to shoot out with incredible speed. Misty had to cover her ears when the Ball suddenly exploded in mid-flight, sending a cloud of dirt up into the air.

Gengar must have been able to do that on command, otherwise the ball shouldn't have exploded until it connected with something. But Misty supposed that Morty wanted to limit damage to his Gym.

"A Special Attack with all that physical strength," Morty said, gaze rising as the dust plume thinned and danced in the arena's flood lights, almost like a ghost itself. "Ghosts aren't to be trifled with, Misty."

Misty appreciated the statement as Gengar cackled its agreement, but her mind fell to the bottom of her bag, where some 'Balls had been rolling around beside her PokéBalls. She reached in and stretched her arm to the elbow in her bag, feeling around for the smooth marbles at the bottom. Incredible gifts she'd nearly forgotten about.

When she pulled them out, Morty's eyes widened in surprise, his hand automatically reaching out to touch them before he contained himself and retracted. "A Banettite."

"And a Key Stone," she added, looking at both.

"I thought you said you'd never used Banette competitively?" He cocked his head at the Banettite. "Though, I guess that's why it's in your hand and not on your Pokémon."

"They're pretty new," Misty said. "Even if they weren't, though, I have no idea when I'd use them."

"Right now," Morty said, like it was obvious. Like there was no room for questioning.

Well. She supposed this was what she was here for.

"Noir!" Misty called, also trying to call her in her mind. Focus on her presence in this room. She couldn't be far anyway.

It only took a moment for Noir to show up in the arena, and Morty seemed pleased to see it. Perhaps he didn't think her totally incompetent.

"Okay, give her the Banettite," Morty said. "You'll need to make a chain or another accessory for her to wear it with, but this'll do for now."

"Noir?" Misty asked, holding the Banettite out in the palm of her hand like it was a simple Oran Berry. "Do you wanna try Mega Evolution?"

Noir shrugged, aloof as ever, but her eyes were wide as she looked up at Misty.

"That's as close to a yes as we'll get."

"Okay, so what you'll do is hold up your Key Stone, and command that Noir Mega Evolves," Morty explained. "If your connection supports it, the change should happen immediately."

"Alright," Misty said, looking down at the Key Stone and biting her lip. A couple weeks ago, Misty would have had no doubt that hers and Noir's connection was the strongest it could be. That if any person and Pokémon could pull this off, it would be the two of them. But that connection was shakier now, wasn't it? If it didn't work, what would that mean for them?

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Misty nodded down at the Key Stone before lifting it up, "I am. Noir, Mega Evolve!"

And light took over the arena. A blush pink blew Misty's eyes out, but the corners sparkled with tinges of magenta as Noir grew behind the glow. Misty could already make out hints of a bloomed out lower half, but she wasn't prepared for what the light revealed.

Noir was unzipped, unveiled with huge, magenta-clawed hands, and similar longer feet poking out of a zipped skirt. She was gorgeous, like her zippered mouth was now grinning all over the newly zipped and unzipped parts of her body.

"Oh, wow," Misty said, flushed pink herself that their bond had been strong enough to work. "Noir, how do you feel?"

Just as Gengar had, she put her hands together and a dark ball began to form. After only a moment, she released it into the air with a cackle, and Gengar popped off another of its own to nullify the huge Attack

"I think she feels good," Misty said to Morty, unable to quash the grin on her own face.

"Agreed," Morty said. "You should try actually battling with her more. Do publicity with Jellicent at the Gym and transition to bringing Noir into Battles."

"What are you talking about?"

"Public classes, for example," he suggested. "This is how you train a recently evolved Pokémon. For Jellicent. Then, This is how Water and Ghost Types can battle."

Misty cringed. "Uh, publicity is more my sisters' role,"

"Not true," Morty stated, taking Misty aback. "You just did an interview with DJ Mary. That was publicity."

That interview felt like ages ago, but it had only been weeks. But it had been before leaving town, before meeting Ash, before meeting Phoebe. Practically a lifetime ago.

"Fair," Misty said. "I guess I'm not sure that I want to use Noir in Battles."

"You really don't have to worry so much about Type," Morty said, taking a seat on the bleachers. Misty followed, the steel cold against her thighs. "Claire's team is only half Dragon. Jasmine is as known for her Ampharos as her Steelix or Magnemite. It's not a big deal."

"It's not that…" Misty started, although that wasn't quite the case. She could force herself to grow comfortable with people seeing her with a Banette—she was already trying to hide Noir less and be less secretive about her abilities. But it was currently a slow, slow process. "I'm not sure that it's entirely fair for me to use Noir."

"Because you can see her?" Morty asked, immediately reminding Misty that she'd just essentially insulted his whole status. Implied that what he did was unfair. "I don't see it as unfair at all."

But how could it not be? There was no other Pokémon Type that supplied such an advantage. Even if there were people with secret abilities like her, it's not like the ability to walk through a Fire Type's Attacks or breathe underwater with Water Pokémon would provide any tactical advantage.

"It's a skill," Morty explained. "It may not be 'fair' that I can understand my Pokémon's tongues so we can communicate privately during Battle, but that's a skill we've developed. I don't see how it's any different than that of a Battle between a Trainer who's unbonded with their Pokémon and one who's very close. Besides, I still lose sometimes."

That was the first smile Misty had seen on Morty's face since the genial one he'd pasted on when shaking the hand of his challenger and when first greeting her. This one was more genuine, making it up to his eyes and warming them.

He hadn't been anywhere near defeat in his earlier match, but then again, it was a product of the early season. That challenger had probably been a youngster, training his Caterpie from the field next to where he'd gotten his starter.

Perhaps Noir could be a new ace she brought out only for experienced Trainers. It would be a surprise, something they hadn't strategized for.

"I'm sorry, before I start giving advice, I should probably ask what you're intending to get out of your stay," Morty said. "It's bad pedagogy for me to just thrust my ideas upon you without meeting you where you are."

"Ah," Misty started, scratching the back of her head. Strands of hair fell out of her ponytail, and she realized she was picking up one of Ash's mannerisms. "The truth is, it wasn't my idea to come here. Brock brought it up, then my sisters and Phoebe encouraged me."

"Phoebe?" Morty asked.

"Of the Hoenn Elite Four?" Misty clarified. "You probably know her—she's a Ghost Trainer as well."

"I know her alright," Morty said, his tone flat and unreadable. "Did you talk with these people about what you wanted?"

"I guess they just want me more comfortable with Ghosts," Misty said. "They're not my affinity Type, but obviously there's this Connection…"

"Which it sounds like you need no help in."

Misty paused, restraining from sneering excuse me at the guy. "It's not that—I just don't want to exorcize my friends. I didn't even know you had the Connection. Is it an unspoken rule that every Ghost Trainer does?"

"Well, there's me, Phoebe, and Agatha," Morty started. "I don't know about any others, but it's certainly possible."

Agatha, Misty remembered, suddenly recalling Professor Oak's tacit assessment that she was great with Ghosts, but otherwise perhaps not his favorite person. It was absolutely unbelievable that yet another person had the same Connection she did. She'd wonder if the world wasn't crawling with them were it not for all the confused and needy ghosts she came across.

"I thought I was the only one," Misty confessed. "And here there's a whole club."

"I wouldn't go that far," Morty said. "But there are definitely a few of us, and it's easier to learn with others. What is it that you know about the Connection?"

"Oh, well, we can see ghosts. Obviously. Touch them. See Ghost Pokémon in second plane," Misty started. "Ghosts are here for unfinished business and we can help them move on. Um, 'calling' ghosts to us. And a kind of…teleportation."

Misty was reminded of how faint and dizzy she'd been when trying out that last ability, unsure if it had all been a result of the poison or if that kind of activity was, in fact, something humans were not supposed to do. Maybe Morty would know. Morty, whose head was tilted, and his eyebrows and eyelids falling along with it in a look of almost pity. Misty recoiled back from the expression.

"What?"

Morty sighed. "There's quite a bit more than that. Phoebe didn't tell you?"

Now, Misty truly recoiled, setting a hand behind her on the bleachers, its metal ridges digging into her palm. "No? What are you talking about?"

"Different teaching styles," Morty said. "I guess she didn't want you to know."

Misty scoffed. "Sorry, but the Phoebe I know is the most candid person ever."

"Or she's just loud," Morty said. "And thinks she knows what's better for you than you do."

That…did have a kernel of truth to it. Maybe a whole corn cob of truth. Actually, when it came to it, Misty had little doubt that Phoebe would withhold anything from Misty in order to make the point she most wanted to make.

"Alright," Misty said. "What exactly are all these things that you know?"

Morty smirked, but his expression didn't carry it well. He was too quietly confident, not having the cocky smarm for the smirk to look like much more than a half smile. "So you do want to learn."

"I don't want to be left out of things that are my right to know."

Morty glanced toward the window. The buildings nearby were lit up with bright amber tones on the old wood walls. The long morning of travel had faded away into a warm sunset, casting buttery light onto the floor of the Gym.

"I agree," he said. "But not now. And we can take our time. You don't have to learn everything today."

"You can at least tell me everything today," Misty argued, a bit of petulance squeezing her voice, making it shrill.

"I could," Morty stated. "We'll see where the night goes. Or do you need a rest?"

Misty's body was tired, but her mind was up and running, tugging at her to find answers. "I don't need a rest."

"Okay," Morty said. "Lessons start tonight. After the Gym closes. This arena is fine, and you can feel free to bring your friends."

Misty crossed her arms skeptically. "You're not going to use them as test dummies?"

"No." Morty smiled. "They're not going to be test dummies."

"I'm not sure about him," Misty whispered as she walked down the stairs, Ash just next to her and Pikachu and Noir floating behind.

"If it was because of earlier—" Ash started, but Misty cut him off with a tug to the arm.

"Shh!"

She glanced at the walls, looking for any lavender gas or violet fingers. She saw none, but kept Ash close, right in whisper range. What else could so do with Ghosts in the walls, from whom Morty could understand every word? It was surveillance, and she had no idea what would make it back to him. There was probably no whisper at a low enough decibel to make sure he didn't hear. If it weren't for how respected Morty was, she'd have high-tailed it to the Pokémon Center already. Right now, she was simply remaining cautious.

Ash seemed to catch on. "If it was because of earlier, I don't think you gotta worry about that."

Morty's knee-jerk reaction to seeing her friends still pissed Misty off, but it wasn't that alone. Frankly, it was too soon to trust anyone, but especially someone who knew her secret. And who hadn't said a word about what this upcoming training session would entail.

When Misty made it downstairs, she realized how lively the Gym had been during the day. The walls had done nothing to dampen the chatter of the students and Gym Trainers. There had been phone calls and referee shouts and Pokémon Attacks cracking through the air. Now, there was nothing.

Perhaps this Gym was a bit spooky.

Misty slid aside the heavy door leading to the smaller arena, and when she did, she was greeted with the sight of Morty and Haunter yet again. Misty touched the PokéBalls in her pocket, making sure they were still there. Luckily, she'd run to the Pokémon Center earlier for Jellicent's sake.

"Oh good," Ash said. "Misty said you had a match, and we missed it! Now we get to see!"

"Not exactly," Morty said, staring Ash down. "This'll be something different."

"No battling?" Misty asked, taking her hand from her pocket.

"No," Morty said. "This will be a bit of a trust exercise."

Misty prickled. And she must have worn it on her face, because Morty continued talking.

"It's not me you have to trust. I understand we just met and got off on the wrong foot." Morty stepped aside and gestured to Haunter. "It's Haunter you have to trust."

Haunter was grinning in a way that would have been wholly untrustworthy on a human. No one could have such a big grin with those angled eyes without looking truly menacing, but for Haunter it was just how the species looked. Earlier, it had battled competently and fairly, but that was all Misty knew.

"You can have your ghosts talk to it if you want."

Misty looked over to Ash. Ash could certainly speak to Haunter in the same way Morty could, and Noir would be a skeptical vetter for sure. She waved them as well as Pikachu on.

The four chattered and Misty returned her attention to Morty. "What are we doing?"

"Have you tried the teleportation technique before?"

Answering a question with a question wasn't exactly what Misty was hoping for, but she answered anyway. "Once."

"How?"

"Phoebe has a Dusknoir," Misty answered. "His stomach opened up and…ate us."

"Dusknoir is said to be the connector between the Spirit World and our own," Morty explained. "It's a Pokémon that can help ghosts move on as well."

"Right…" Misty said. "What does that have to do with what we're doing tonight?"

"The supposed lore around Haunter isn't as nice, or as accurate as that around Dusknoir," Morty said, still skating around her questions. "It's said that Haunter want to sap our life source or at least play endless tricks on humans. But that's not true and they're capable of much more."

"Like what?"

"They can take a gentle hold of your soul," Morty answered. "Dusknoir took your whole body, right? Haunter can do the same with just your soul."

Misty looked back at Ash, grinning at Haunter as though they were really getting along. Wasn't Ash just a soul separated from his body? Wasn't that what all ghosts were?

"Won't that kill me?" Misty asked.

"If you were separated forever, yes," Morty said, finally giving an answer that was transparent. "That's why it's important that you trust Haunter."

They stood and watched as Haunter seemed to joke and josh with Ash, Noir, and Pikachu. It was making some of the same faces it had exploited in its Confusion during their fight, but without the unnerving quality. Perhaps there was some truth to the wives' tale about Haunter being pranksters, but that didn't mean it came from a bad place.

"You can definitely trust it," Ash said after a while, a refreshed smile on his face like he only got when Pokémon were involved. Haunter was the first new Pokémon Ash'd had to talk to in a while, unless he'd been befriending the other Ghosts in the walls while he'd been exploring. Which, honestly, he probably had.

Misty looked to Noir for confirmation. She trusted Ash with her life, of course. She had to at this point. But he was friendly and trusting of all Pokémon, if slightly more reserved with humans. But it was obvious that he wanted to just get along with everyone if he could. Noir, however, would always be known to Misty for her grudge, even if Misty had forgiven her for it.

"Noir?" she asked.

A pulled-zipper grin. "Bay bay!"

That left no doubts in her mind.

"Okay, let's do it," Misty said. "What do I have to do?"

"You're going to want to lie down," Morty said, kneeling to the ground himself. "You'll lose control over your body when Haunter takes hold of your soul, so already lying down keeps you from falling."

It was strange to lie down in the middle of an arena. Despite being devoid of spectators, and after-hours for any workers or visitors, it felt terribly exposed. Then again, Misty wasn't sure that she'd prefer to do this in her bedroom either.

So she laid down in the dirt, as did Morty. She was still wearing her sweaty outfit from walking, and was in desperate need for an evening shower anyway, so she ignored the powdery soil making for a dirty pillow for her head and put all her limbs flat down.

"Haunter," Morty prompted, and Misty tucked her chin as she watched what happened.

Haunter floated over, both hands outstretched and reached toward Morty. Its fingers sank right into Morty's body and gripped. When they pulled back, it was with a ghost version of Morty in their grasp, glowing and lively while his body lay comatose on the ground. When she looked really closely, though, she could still see a subtle rise and fall of his chest.

"See," Morty—the ghost—said, gesturing out with his hands in what Misty could appreciate as a last attempt to ease her mind. "Totally fine."

Misty smiled and gave a slight nod before closing her eyes and awaiting a similar fate.

The fingers were cold, sticking out individually as little shiver-inducing probes at every entry point around Misty's chest. The discomfort only lasted a moment, though, her body not even able to work up a single shiver before temperature became irrelevant to her. Her skin became neutral, not hot nor cold, clammy nor dry. It was like temperature-devoid water, all smoothness with none of the sensation.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing at her normal height, red sneakers disappearing into the middle of her body, though she couldn't feel a thing in her gut nor around her feet or ankles. Nevertheless, she quickly sidestepped, eyes never leaving her body.

"The Connection is in your soul," Morty explained, having walked—or floated?—over to her. "Not your body, which is why you can't touch it. If I were in my body right now, you'd be able to touch me the same way Ash can touch and interact with you. But right now we'll pass through our bodies just like a ghost would any other human."

"Weird," was all Misty had the bandwidth to say, still staring at herself.

She wasn't dead. She knew she wasn't dead. But it was unsettling nevertheless to see her body, prone and unmoving as it was. Actually, it was strange to see it regardless. This wasn't the mirror-image of herself she saw in the vanity, but a symmetrically flipped stranger. The changes were so slight, but off-putting, filling her with a lack of confidence she used to get from interactions with her sisters. After a moment too long of staring into the uncanny valley, she had to turn away.

"There are a number of things we can do in this state," Morty said once Misty had gotten her bearings a bit, looking at easy things like the reflection of the room's many lights in the dark windows, and even at the lights themselves. They didn't make her eyes hurt quite the way they did when she had to squint at them when in her body.

"Like fly?" Misty asked, and she was surprised when Morty chuckled. The sound was surprisingly chesty and open.

"Yeah, that," he said. "But there are more interesting things. We can interact with ghosts on an equal level. If they're difficult, we don't have to worry about our bodies getting hurt—unless they target them, of course. You'd never want to do this without your body being in a safe place, and I'd always have some of my Pokémon guard my body."

There was another difference between Morty and Phoebe, Misty noted, surprised to find the common ground with Morty. Phoebe had seemed to think that physical altercations with ghosts were totally unnecessary and avoidable, but it seemed Morty thought differently, as though he'd had experiences like Misty had. Maybe there was no escaping the occasional angry ghost, even with all the mediation in the world.

"We can also go to the Spirit World, and use that to teleport, just like our Ghost Pokémon do," Morty continued. "Dart between the worlds or just explore."

"How do we do that?" Misty asked.

There hadn't been any roadmap when Dusknoir had taken her there the first time. She'd just appeared in third plane, not been sucked through any portal or anything memorable. But it didn't sound like Haunter was the one who had to shepherd the trip.

"Just imagine it," Morty said. "You've seen it twice, right? So just imagine that space."

Misty wasn't sure why Morty thought she'd seen the Spirit World twice, but it didn't much matter at the moment. The place was recognizable enough after a single stay, with its swirling black and purples, the disorientation that was already making Misty dizzy again. Or it would have, if she'd been in her body. But as she imagined the place, she was fine. So too was she fine when she opened her eyes and found herself once again there, floating in the great nothingness.

The Gym was gone, but one by one, Ash, Pikachu, and Noir all floated into the space, and Morty was already nearby, looking pleased with her accomplishment.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu exclaimed, flying over to her.

Misty outstretched her hands, catching Pikachu's as they twirled around together. Like this, they could float up and down, spinning in every direction until Misty lost track of which way had been the ceiling and which way had been the floor. But still no dizziness. No headache.

"And you get back by imagining the same," Morty explained. "You can imagine the exact spot you left, or imagine someplace else. Whatever you want, though the further you go, the more energy it'll take."

"Energy?" Misty asked.

"You'll see what I mean when we're done," Morty said. "Why don't you just try for the other side of the arena."

Misty nodded, deciding to imagine the bleachers. They were specific in her mind, with their shine under the lights. She could even feel their cool metal, though she wasn't sure if that would help with the accuracy of her picture. There didn't seem to be an exact science to this, but then again, that was probably the only thing Misty had known to begin with.

When she next opened her eyes, it was from the bleachers, with her body many meters away on the ground. She automatically went to it, Morty nearby with Ash, Pikachu, and Noir popping up one by one after.

"Nice work," Morty commended. "Not too hard, right?"

"Not when the image is clear enough, I guess," Misty replied.

"That's the tricky part," Morty said. "Unless you have a really clear image, you might need something like a photograph to make sure you get it right. Otherwise, you'll probably just end up lost here or in the Spirit World."

"That sounds dangerous."

"It would be," Morty said. "But everyone has at least a few places they can imagine perfectly, and so long as your body is in one of those places, you'll never lose it. Or, you can always have a Pokémon like Haunter help you."

"Do I need it to get back into my body?"

"No," Morty replied. "Your body wants you in it, so it'll accept you if you just lie down in it. But, of course, Haunter can do it too."

"Okay," Misty said. "I think I'd like to go back now."

"Sure," Morty said, gesturing to her body. "This is more than enough for a first lesson."

That was all the permission she needed. With a light touch, she stepped where her shoes were and sat down like a kid finding their mat for naptime. When she lay down fully, she closed her eyes and felt the coolness of air over her fine, blond arm hairs. Then the floor became hard beneath her shoulders and her rump and the heels of her shoed feet, and she was back.

A/N: Idk about you, but I enjoyed this one! Morty is such a fun character to me. Grounded yet unreasonable and knowledgeable and skeptical. I'd honestly forgotten just about all the details in this chapter and it was fun to see them come up. Fun battle! Fun fight off of the cliffhanger. And we get some of Misty's canon attitude in this chapter that I don't think I've included enough. Since this chap was written quite a while after the Cerulean chapters, I'd forgotten that Misty wasn't the one who'd caught Noir, so I had to change that line, haha. Writing a story over 8 years brings endless amusement. Hope y'all enjoyed this one!