There was a dull thump as Brock slammed the bottom of his fist against the reinforced door of the Spectator's Room, which was locked and barred. He was angry. Furious. Not only at Team Rocket but himself as well.
He had met Giovanni. Sat next to him in the last few Gym Leader meetings, called at least once a year by the Elite Four to discuss matters pertaining to the Gym Circuit. He had been one of the first to vote confidently for Brock's right to serve as the Pewter City Gym Leader once his father had disappeared.
And now they learned that man was the very leader of Team Rocket. The biggest criminal organization in Kanto. Led by one of their own—and right under their noses.
He slammed his fist against the door again harder this time.
"Brock, it won't do anyone any good if you hurt yourself," Misty said. She was on the other side of the room, facing their only viewpoint into the battlefield just beyond the looking glass. "I'm just as upset as you are, but right now we need to come up with a plan before it's too late."
The battle had concluded with Raticate and Pikachu's victory. But Team Rocket had made it clear they didn't intend to let them go. Not that Misty or Brock expected them to. They knew too much at this point.
The moment they got word to their families and the Elite Four it would be over for Team Rocket—they would be crippled if not removed entirely.
She looked over to the seat next to her where two poké balls were set into their active state and shaking. The ones containing Kadabra and Haunter. She had hoped that they could teleport or phase through them to escape the room, but she should have known modern balls were designed to prevent that sort of thing. "If only we could disable that jammer—"
CRASH!
Misty's voice cut out as she reflexively ducked down, tucking her head behind her arms in the process, as the sound of glass shattering rang out at that very moment. At the same time, Brock spun towards the window as his fight-or-flight instinct kicked in. Both spotted Raticate, her luminescent fangs fading as her focus shifted towards her feet. She then wheeled around and immediately darted out of the newly made opening.
Brock didn't hesitate to act on it. He enlarged and tossed out a pair of balls towards the opening. The moment they breached the opening and escaped the effects of the jammer, both pokémon emerged from their confinement. "Onix, subdue Team Rocket's Pokémon! Geodude, shatter the rest of the glass!"
The Rock Snake Pokémon immediately slithered over as a scream rang out from the Challenger's Box. Seeing Pikachu let loose a merciless Thunderbolt that riddled Arbok with ribbons of electricity and paralyzed the serpent, the Rock-and-Ground Type chose to go after the Gas Bag Pokémon. Weezing was in the process of increasing its production of poisonous fumes so Onix swatted the Poison-Type into the ground as hard as possible before it could get out of hand. It was then followed up by conjuring massive stones to bury it beneath the crushing weight of a Rock Tomb.
Misty, meanwhile, grabbed hold of Haunter and Kadabra's balls before getting clear of her seat. The moment she did, Geodude shattered the window enough for them to escape. The Rock Pokémon then gave her a lift out past the broken glass as Brock climbed over, but no sooner than they managed to get free did they hear… it.
The scream. The raw, pained, scream. The sound clawed its way out of Gina's throat and tore its way into their skulls. Not just through their ears but echoing in the very depths of their minds.
And not just theirs. Geodude, Onix, and Pikachu flinched. They too felt what could only be described as pure, unbridled anger and sorrow lacing the psychic shriek. It was enough to stall their suppression attempts regarding Team Rocket and fixate their attention on their surroundings as three things happened at once.
The first was that Ash's voice rang out. It drew their eyes upwards as a ripple of cerulean power billowed outwards. That wave of power sent Ash flying over the edge and toward the ground below.
The second was that, as Ash was about to hit the ground, Kadabra's ball suddenly burst open. The Psi Pokémon emerged, immediately brandishing his spoon as a focus. The falling trainer ended up floating midair mere centimeters from hitting the ground headfirst, much to the relief of the others.
And third was that Team Rocket suddenly started screaming. The thieves had been getting ready to prolong their defeat by calling out Victreebel and Hitmonlee. However, the same ripple of psychic power that bowled Ash over entrapped the pair in the cerulean hue. Unable to move as they were seized in place, they started screaming in confusion.
Yet, even as Kadabra's psychic grasp was released, Ash's immediate concern upon touching the earth was clear. "Gina, there's still time to help Raticate! You have to stop!"
Brock turned his attention towards Gina and saw the girl from Pallet Town was now floating in the middle of the air. There was a cloak of psychic power draping her, eyes completely drowned in the cerulean hue as she cradled Raticate's body in her arms. Tears rolled down her cheeks as veins bulged from beneath her skin while she focused on the pair of thieves whose bodies she had seized control of.
"Gina's got psychic powers?" Misty's confusion turned to horror when the sound of stone shifting drew her attention back towards the battlefield. The remnants of the Stone Edge, the many pieces of rubble strewn about, had begun floating up and angling themselves toward the pair of stationary targets. Blood ran from Gina's nose as it became clear what she exerting herself to do. "She's going to crush them!"
"Onix, wrap them up!" Brock snapped out as quickly as he could. The Rock Snake Pokémon obeyed, putting its long body around the pair as the stones flew toward them at a dangerous speed. They shattered against the bulwark of its rocky hide instead of battering soft flesh and breaking their bones, but more were beginning to rise in their place.
That was when Kadabra suddenly blinked out of existence with Teleport. And Misty realized that Haunter's ball was no longer in her grasp. The Psi Pokémon then reappeared in the air next to Gina, one hand touching Raticate's body while Haunter's Pokéball was floating next to him. "Dabra!"
The Gas Pokémon emerged at the prompt while Kadabra vanished with Raticate, leaving the suppression of the grieving trainer to the Ghost-Type. Haunter then swelled in size before doing the same thing he'd done to Sabrina to stop her rampage, pulling her into his engorged mouth and then swallowing her whole before curling over into a dark sphere. All traces of psychic power vanished, leaving the remaining stones and the thieves free of her manipulation as the gaseous sphere drifted down to the ground.
"Gina!" Ash ran over to the sphere as the darkness bled away, seeping into the cracks in the artificial soil and leaving her unconscious body behind. He crouched down and took her into his arms. "Wake up!"
Misty hurried over and asked, "Is she okay? What happened?"
"Raticate got hurt badly saving Gina from being electrocuted." His voice was shaky as he felt her pulse and checked her breathing. "Gina realized what happened and then…"
"Let's assume that Kadabra teleported her to the Pokémon Center," Brock began once Ash trailed off. "Right now, our focus should be on getting Gina to a hospital and having Team Rocket taken care of. Misty, call the local Officer Jenny and then your sisters. We have to get word to the Elite Four before they have time to go to ground."
"Not so fast, twerps…" Jessie struggled for words as she and her accomplice remained firmly within the coils of the Rock Snake Pokémon. Onix was keeping them pinned before they could attempt another escape. They had gone too far this time to be allowed to get away. "Meowth, open the cages and let out the rest of the pokémon to attack them!"
This was Team Rocket's headquarters. The Gym had been modified for all kinds of situations, from having the Spectator's Room rigged with a jammer for hostage-taking to having the Challenger's Box rigged with a shock brace. So, it shouldn't have been a surprise when the entire battlefield shook as panels on the floor surrounding them pulled back and revealed lifts that contained cages of other pokémon they'd leashed to be used as attack animals…
Except for the fact that all of them were already unconscious in their cages.
A final panel slid open from in front of the ruined remains of the toppled Gym Leader's box. The living shadow that was Haunter emerged from the depths, waving one claw back and forth to the gathered. And in his other was the unconscious and pale body of the Scratch Cat Pokémon. "Haunt!"
"Haunter put them to sleep and keep them that way," Ash ordered while rising to his feet with Gina in his arms. "It's over for good this time, Team Rocket."
[-oOo-]
It was a long day in the aftermath of the Viridian City Gym fiasco.
Once they had made sure Team Rocket wouldn't cause any problems and turned them over to the police, they'd been forced to split apart to deal with the plethora of follow-up issues. Brock and Misty had to inform their families and the Elite Four members who they were connected to, rather than allowing the police to be the sole source of information. Team Rocket's leadership had been in question for a long time, but Giovanni being a Gym Leader meant that it was now squarely within Elite Four's jurisdiction to deal with.
Ash had instead been tasked with getting Gina to a doctor, which was why they were currently in a hospital room. Both of them had been electrocuted, but Ash was relatively fine and wasn't even in any pain. He chalked it up to previous exposure to Pikachu and generally being in good shape for his age, though the doctors seemed skeptical when he'd said as much.
They tested him regardless and found that he was still relatively healthy. The same couldn't be said for Gina. It had been hours since then and she showed no signs of stirring even a bit after they had treated her injuries.
Sitting on a chair next to her bed, Ash brushed his hands over his eyes. He was tired and night had fallen long ago. But he fought off the fatigue that had left Pikachu currently asleep on the nearby nightstand, next to his prized cap, as he waited for Haunter to return from his search for Kadabra.
They confirmed that the Psi Pokémon had taken Raticate to the Pokémon Center before he vanished. Nurse Joy had resuscitated Raticate, but her condition was unstable and required critical care. It could go either way at this point and they could only hope for the best.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Ash straightened upon hearing the soft knocking at the door. Misty entered the room and took the seat next to him. Brock followed her into the room and quietly shut the door, looking as tired as Ash felt. "You guys done?"
"We've done all we can…" Misty's eyes shifted from him to Gina and then back. "She still hasn't woken up?"
Ash shook his head. "The doctor said that it's probably something to do with her psychic powers, and they would need to consult an expert. Professor Oak agreed as well once I told him."
"Makes sense," Brock said, crossing his arms. "It's not a common enough occurrence outside of maybe Saffron City, since most psychics in Kanto congregate there."
"Even so, who could have guessed that she had psychic powers to begin with?" Misty clasped her hands together in her lap. "And is Kadabra still missing too?"
"Haunter would have sent word if he found him," Ash said. "He doesn't usually go that far away from Gina if he can help it though."
Brock brought a hand to his chin in thought. "Considering how attached Kadabra is to her and how he reacted the last time Gina was in a bad state, I can only assume he's off doing something he feels will help. The question is what that ent—"
His words died when the air shifted in a corner of the room. Space itself twisted before returning to normal, only with three additional figures within the room. One of them was Kadabra's unconscious body, levitated by what appeared to be his evolved form known as Alakazam. And next to them was Sabrina, the raven-haired Gym Leader whose eyes shone with cerulean psychic power.
"Kadabra!" The spike in Ash's voice roused Pikachu from his slumber. The moment his gaze fell onto the unconscious Psi Pokémon, Pikachu rose onto all fours and sparked his cheeks. Ash held a hand outward before he could do anything. "No electricity here! We're in the hospital!"
The Electric Mouse Pokémon stopped sparking but still stood alert. "Piiii…"
"…My apologies for the unexpected intrusion," Sabrina said as the cerulean light faded from her eyes. "I know you might still be on edge after what has transpired, but I came here to help Miss Oak."
The building tension petered out as Ash met her gaze and felt a sense of sincerity. He let himself relax and, in doing so, Pikachu also settled down. "What happened to Kadabra?"
"Exhaustion," she answered. "He came to us in Saffron City, but teleporting so far in such a short time was more than he could manage even using micro-jumps. He was barely conscious by the time he made it to the city boundaries and reached out to my mind, passing along visions of Miss Oak using her powers."
"How much do you know about the situation based on that?" Brock asked.
"Kadabra was in her head the entire time you had his ball in an active state." She looked back to Alakazam, who nodded in response to the unspoken message and deposited Kadabra next to Gina on the bed. "Alakazam probed his mind for the rest, so I'm aware of everything that happened in the Viridian Gym. My father should have gotten in touch with Agatha by now since she happens to be the overseer for it as much as she is the Saffron Gym, so expect her to appear very soon as well. Has Miss Oak shown any signs of waking up or rampant psychic outbursts since she collapsed?"
Ash shook his head. "Nothing. The doctors treated her injuries but said whatever was keeping her asleep had to do with her powers. They didn't have the instruments or the expertise to proceed further without consulting someone who did."
Sabrina turned her attention to the slumbering trainer and narrowed her eyes for a moment. They took on a soft hue once more. "I see. It isn't just fatigue from using them the first time; she's already developed her own Shadow, and it's trapped her in her own head."
"What do you mean?"
"Becoming a psychic creates a wider gap between the conscious mind and the unconscious mind, the Ego and the Shadow. That border between them is where that power is generated and dwells, splitting off into outward and inward expressions—"
"Please," Brock interjected. "Simplify it."
"In simple terms, what happened to me only on an internal and singular scale. It's not an uncommon experience for a newborn psychic that awaken their powers via traumatic experience, hence why we usually try gentler methods of testing to coax someone who is nascent into awakening their gift along with therapy. You know, things like picking the right card from a facedown pile?"
"Did you know she was a psychic?"
"I told her she might be when we last met," Sabrina said. "Right now, she blames herself for Raticate's death. Her rational mind understands that it was Team Rocket's doing, but her unconscious mind is directing that blame towards her. Not uncommon in this sort of situation, but the problem is that it's happening while she's manifesting her powers. Her subconscious mind has already become distant enough to separate itself as a separate identity, thus forming into a fully realized entity rather than simply being the subconscious part of her mind."
"Raticate's still alive," Ash pointed out.
"We know that, but she's not conscious enough to recognize that." Sabrina's eyes stopped glowing. "If we don't do something soon, even though she won't suffer physical harm, it could be devastating to her mental health. It might even push her towards the dissolution of the Ego."
"Will it be a situation like yours?" Brock asked.
"Worse." Sabrina brushed the bridge of her nose. "You have to understand, as far human psychics go, I'm among the most powerful in the region so what happened to me was an extreme case. Even then I was still conscious and aware of myself the entire time my Shadow was in control of my body; I just couldn't do anything about it until Haunter intervened by destabilizing the physical manifestation. It was broken down, reconstituted into my subconscious mind, and my Ego was allowed to retake control of my body."
She paused for a moment to let that sink in before gesturing to Gina. "Miss Oak, on the other hand, is an untrained psychic who is currently being picked apart by every fear and insecurity she has in the face of a traumatic experience. She's effectively pushing herself to a point where she doesn't want to be who she is anymore. And soon she won't be."
Ash didn't want to think about that. "How do we stop it?"
"She needs to reconstitute the Shadow back into being a part of herself as her subconscious mind rather than an individual entity," Sabrina explained. "There's no physical manifestation for your Haunter to strip of substance, it needs to be done by her coming to terms with it rather than letting it beat down on her. She needs both of her identities otherwise she won't be who she is."
"Can you help her do that?"
Sabrina shook her head. "Father has a psychology degree and specializes in this sort of thing. But my power leans towards physical expression and even peering past her mental defenses was a strain given I haven't regained my full power. Not to mention she naturally would be opposed to my presence in her mind considering what happened last time. It would run the risk of exacerbating the problem… unless…"
"Unless what?"
Sabrina pointed towards Ash after a moment of thought. "Unless I send your consciousness into her mindscape first. You're basically a skeleton key in that regard. You can reach her without issue and I can slip in afterwards. I suspect I don't need to tell you why at this point?"
Ash had an inkling as to why when he considered their last confrontation. But if it was something he could do then there was no point in hesitating. "What do I need to do?"
Slender digits extended out towards him as her eyes shone with cerulean power once more. "Relax your mind. I'll guide you through what you need to know."
Ash felt his consciousness being wrapped up. Bundled in a soft sensation that could be mistaken for a cloud. It was so soft that he felt himself getting sleepy as words—instructions—started flooding into his mind while he drifted off into what felt like a dream…
[-oOo-]
Gina found herself standing at the entrance to a stadium.
The roar of the crowd in anticipation had reached its peak. At the center of the stadium, she saw a stage with her grandfather and friends, holding a trophy and medal in their arms. And the one she loved was beckoning her forward in recognition of her triumph in finally conquering the Indigo Conference.
It was everything she ever wanted. The destination she had set out to reach after so long was finally in front of her. All she had to do was walk towards it and she would finally have achieved her dreams.
…Yet she couldn't shake the feeling of something being wrong. Something out of place. And that feeling was what caused her to take a step back from the entrance, away from the prestige and glory and love she had longed for.
"What are you waiting for?" A singular soft voice drowned out the roar of the crowd around her, all other sounds being pushed to the background until it blended into a low amorphous drone. "You wanted everything. There it is. Take it."
Gina turned towards the voice and found that behind her the corridor had slowly eroded into a void without light. Endless darkness stretched beyond the boundaries of her vision. And before that abyss was a singular, shadowed figure from which it stretched: a child.
A young girl to be more specific, if Gina had to guess by the voice. She was perhaps around half Gina's size, features hidden by the impenetrable darkness. It was almost like a living silhouette, a shadow that had peeled itself off the wall it had been cast upon after coming to life.
Gina took a step back. She felt something about the child was uncanny to the point of going on the defensive. "What are you?"
"You know what we are," said the child in a monotone voice. "But you've been doing your best to push me to the back of your mind until now. Because you were afraid of how he would look at us if he knew. And I was fine with that—letting you pretend I didn't exist so that we could stay with him."
The silhouette took a step forward. The light from the mouth of the entrance pushed back the obscuring darkness, revealing the truth. The child was… her.
Or rather Gina at half her current age. Not an exact copy of how she looked back then, given her face and pallor were pale and gaunt. But close enough that the uncanniness of her appearance was pushed over the edge the moment Gina noticed that from her eyes ran ink instead of tears, oozing down her cheeks and adding to the depths of the shadows behind her as she clutched tight to a Poké Doll that was pressed against her purple shirt for the warmth she seemed to be lacking.
"But then you messed up… and she died." Tiny arms tightened around the doll, which was modeled in the design of a Mouse Pokémon. "So… I'm not letting you pretend anymore."
Remember.
Memories flashed in her mind of where she had been prior. The Viridian City Gym. Team Rocket. Electrocution. Freedom. Death. Anger. Power. Shadow.
A lump formed in Gina's throat as she found herself staring down at the Poké Doll that suddenly seemed to be directing its gaze straight at her. She felt it swelling, stopping her from catching her breath. Collapsing to her knees, she brought her fingers to her throat and struggled for air.
"He warned us," said the child with that same voice devoid of emotion. "Everything about the situation felt wrong. I wanted to leave. You wouldn't listen. Because you wanted the badge. Because you wanted to be with him. And she paid the price for that. The first pokémon we caught—who we loved."
The world around Gina was swallowed by the darkness that ran from her other self as she released her grasp on the Poké Doll. The stadium was drowned out by the void, leaving only herself and her other self. Then a singular spotlight shone from above with the unmoving facsimile of the first pokémon that Gina had caught through her own efforts, which now stared at her in silent accusation.
"Starter Pokémon are conditioned to love us. But she met us, who had challenged her, head-on. She never once resented that we beat her. She sought to become stronger, and because of that, we shared that dream. To prove ourselves the strongest by climbing the heights of the Indigo Conference."
It was true. Even as a Rattata, she was so prideful and confident in her strength. The rest of her kind fled when Squirtle approached, but she alone was more than willing to fight rather than run away. So small, but so brave and proud. It was like looking in a mirror at times as far as Gina was concerned.
Their pride was what made them both who they were, a connection that they shared. It was what would push them into being the very best. To reach the same height her grandfather had and then go even further by conquering the Champion to become a Pokémon Master.
And because of that Gina knew better than anyone how the Mouse Pokémon loathed being forced to bow her head in defeat. How her pride had been trampled by being forced to return on the S.S. Anne by her evolved form. How easily her confidence had been crushed by Primeape when it went on a rampage. Gina knew that Rattata would never forget those losses and would strive to make sure that she would never be defeated in such a manner again.
"She hated weakness. She sought strength where others would settle. She pushed herself beyond what we expected. And her ambition and efforts were rewarded. She was amazing."
The solution Raticate had reached was not to refine her fangs. She honed her speed beyond the threshold instead. She internalized the energy that would normally propel her forward using Quick Attack. Strengthened her muscles and heart to avoid them tearing themselves apart under the strain. And reinforced the entirety of her skeletal structure in the same manner she would her fangs during Hyper Fang, so they didn't shatter under the weight of her own momentum and acceleration.
"But because she loved us, she died." Her other self had begun to weep anew, oozing tears adding a fresh layer of the abyss that rolled forth like a wave and swept up Gina's lower body as she remained fixated on the Poké Doll. "Because of you."
Gina couldn't breathe as the memories played over in her head again and again. Raticate's burned body. Her struggling for breath. Her final whimper. They kept haunting her as the darkness slowly swallowed her more and more, robbing her of feeling as her body sank beneath the black.
All while the child with the void running from her sockets endlessly watched. "I don't need you anymore. Or him. Or them. Or that dream. Not when it cost her everything. All of it can just…"
Disappear.
The darkness came to life once that unspoken command crossed her mind. It felt like dozens of hands were reaching out from the depths below, pulling Gina downwards until she was beneath the surface. And bathed in the darkness she felt the essence of grief, shame, misery, and despair soaking into her and melting away who she was from the inside as her vision began to tunnel—
"GINA!"
—and then as quickly as it had swallowed her up the black tide vanished with the heralding voice that managed to breach its depths. The numbness that had taken root deep within her body melted away under a firm, warm embrace. Her vision expanded and she found herself being hoisted within the arms of a familiar face. "…A…sh…?"
"That was pretty close," Ash said. "Are you okay?"
She couldn't find the words to respond. Her mind was still filled with the lingering despair and grief that stemmed from the depths of the blackest parts of her heart. It had hollowed her out to the point she could only meekly curl up against Ash to feel an ounce of warmth.
In contrast, the child with ink running from her eyes was less pleased at the new arrival. "Why are you here?"
"You're Gina's Shadow, aren't you?" Ash stared at the child, who refused to respond to the question. He pressed on regardless. "Why are trying to make part of yourself vanish? You need both halves to be who you are, right?"
"I don't need her anymore. She could not protect her. And you stopped me from getting revenge for her. So, I don't need you either."
"You're upset about Raticate. I get that." Ash took a step forward. "But she's alive. And she wouldn't want you to hurt yourself over what happened."
"Liar!" The child shook her head over and over again, each motion causing the black tears to gush out tenfold. "Liar! Liar! Liarliarliar! I felt her disappear! She's gone!"
"What do you mean their minds must have been connected?" Ash murmured as if he was talking to someone else. Then he straightened up. "Listen to me! Kadabra got her to Nurse Joy. She'll pull through, so—"
"LIAR!" Gina's Shadow gestured and the Poké Doll warped as the shadows that had been like water seeped into it, causing it to swell in size until it was as large as the Tentacruel they had seen previously. More than that, it seemed to come to life as a massive and horrific shadowed version of the Mouse Pokémon, with rows of undefined teeth more than capable of tearing him apart. "I will not let you interfere with us anymore! Leave! Or else I will get rid of you too!"
Gina could tell the threat before them was monstrous. Overbearingly so. A nightmare made manifest from the recesses of her darkened mind. One that threatened to swallow his consciousness whole. She probably deserved to vanish, but not him. "Ash… escape…"
He instead tightened his grip on her. "I'm not going anywhere. Not until I help both of you."
"Then you can disappear with her!" The living mass of darkness lunged for the pair with its maw opened, ready to devour them whole. But before it could connect running light lanced from the expansive void like a shooting star. It smashed into the construct of malice and misery before it could touch the pair, scattering the ink-like fluid elsewhere. Much to the child's surprise. "What?"
A tawny-furred sentinel skidded to a stop before them as the light petered out, fangs bared.
Gina fought through the despair that had overtaken her to gaze upon the pokémon she never thought she would see alive again. "Rati…cate?"
The Mouse Pokémon looked over her shoulder and gave a slight incline of the head.
"I invited her here," another voice chimed in as the air distorted next to them. Empty space was filled as a new figure appeared. It was a little girl dressed in white and sporting a matching wide-brimmed hat. "Hello. It's been a while, Miss Oak."
Gina was stunned for obvious reasons. Likewise, Gina's Shadow stirred uncomfortably. Her gaze shifted between the psychic and the pokémon who had come at her behest with uncertainty.
Ash just settled for asking, "Why do you look like that?"
Sabrina turned her attention back to him and met his gaze. "It's her mindscape. Miss Oak subconsciously and inherently sees me in this form in her mind due to the influences from the last time."
"You tried to change our memories…" Gina's Shadow looked over to Raticate. "And now you bring a fake of her to try again."
"I'm here because your Kadabra wanted me to help you," Sabrina pointed out calmly. "And you would know if I tried to create a falsehood here, hence why I did not try to reassert my true appearance. I simply traced the connection you had with Raticate previously upon hearing you were connected and then pulled her subconsciousness in before you could do something you would regret. If you still doubt my words, then you are free to attempt to dismiss her as you tried to do the others."
Ink-stained eyes peered towards Raticate, who stood without a hint of fear or meekness at the prospect. For a moment the darkness beneath them stirred to life. But just as quickly it ebbed and solidified, creating solid footing for them to tread on instead.
"We… I… felt you leave us… me…" Gina's Shadow wavered as she took a step forward. "But it is you, isn't it?"
Raticate skittered forward until she was standing before the child and pressed against her leg in a show of affection. She was still a part of Gina, after all. "Rata."
Even though there was no attacking strength behind it, it still caused the child to collapse to her knees. She then scooped up the Mouse Pokémon in place of the doll she had crafted in her image previously. "Why… why didn't you leave us back then?"
Raticate shook her head. "Rata. Ra."
"But we wanted you and the others to be safe. You should have left us to—"
Raticate cut her off with a sharp rebuttal. "Ra-Rati! Cate!"
Ash stood there looking partially confused at the one-sided dialogue that he assumed was her being chastised. "She can understand Raticate?"
Sabrina nodded. "In the first place, words are a construct of the conscious mind because we need to consciously understand each other. The subconscious mind doesn't need any of that since it's the part of you that unconsciously picks up patterns, emotions, and tones. And since I pulled Raticate's subconscious into her mindscape, it's natural that they can communicate with each other as such."
Gina fought through her own doubts and lethargy. She had her memories toyed with time and again before, so she naturally was reluctant to trust anything that came out of the mouth of a thing that looked like a little girl. "Is it… really… her?"
"I would not have been able to pull her in if she weren't," Sabrina answered. "And that was only possible because your mind happens to be oddly familiar with touching minds with your pokémon on some level. I assume you had help from Kadabra with that?"
Gina nodded slowly while she leaned more into Ash's chest. Normally she would be reluctant to curl up into him, but right now she lacked the strength or drive to push him away for any reason. "She's… me…?"
"Indeed," Sabrina answered. "The influences of my shadow are present, but what shapes her form are also the emotions that stirred her into awakening as such. If I had to guess, she would be the part of you who loves pokémon above all else. That would explain why what happened to her hurt you so dearly that you intended to be rid of everything that resulted in the pain. But so much of your past and who you are happen to be tied to pokémon that you wouldn't be the same person."
Combing through her mind, Gina couldn't find fault in her words. Her grandfather's accomplishments in the past. Her desire to take part in the conference and succeed him. Her desire to be with Ash and the others. Those were all tied to her love for her pokémon as a trainer.
But being a trainer entailed having them fight. And when they fought, they could get hurt. Unable to protect one of her pokémon from suffering in her place and unwilling to let the rest get hurt, it was natural to think that casting away everything that caused her pain would shield her from experiencing it again.
But what would be left of her if that was the case?
Gina didn't know the answer. She couldn't. Because if she did then she wouldn't be who she was now. And that thought terrified her.
"Rata." Wriggling free of Gina's Shadow, Raticate herded the child over towards the other three and then gestured. "Cate."
The child reluctantly bowed her head in apology. "I am sorry I tried to make you disappear. I will be good and become us again. But… don't pretend I don't exist. Or else we will become you and I again."
That said, the child turned into little sparkles that flowed into Gina once more. It felt like everything that had been melted by the darkness had returned to her. And with that came her sense of embarrassment from having Ash cradling her.
She quickly separated from him and then fought off her own trembles before turning to Sabrina. "Okay, how do we get out of here?"
Sabrina smiled from beneath her broad-brimmed hat. She then brought her middle finger and thumb together. With a—
SNAP.
—Gina suddenly found herself staring at the white, tiled ceiling of a hospital room. She slowly turned her head towards the soft snoring next to her. There she found Kadabra lying next to her for the second time, sleeping soundly this time at the very least.
And on the other side was Ash, slowly rising from his slouched posture in the chair next to the bed. He yawned as he stretched his arms above his head, getting the stiffness out of his muscles. Then he brushed the lingering sleep from his eyes before spotting that Gina was awake.
He smiled. "Morning."
"…Good morning," Gina returned to him with a smile of her own. "And thank you. For everything."
[-oOo-]
Things picked up once Gina was awake in a lot of ways. Everyone was happy to see her, and they had confirmation that Raticate had stabilized. It would be a while before she was cleared to leave the Pokémon Center, but she was out of the worst situation.
Things were better now… for the most part.
"Why is there so much paperwork!?" Gina complained, which was uncharacteristic of her. It spoke of how frustrated she'd become since this morning, after going through and filling out a battery of documents stacked over her was so frustrated that it was followed by a brief flicker of cerulean in her eyes. "Not again!"
Ash caught movement in the corner of his vision. A glance in that direction showed that a flower vase was currently in the air. Then it began to free fall, only to be slowly lowered as Kadabra telekinetically placed it back on the table against the wall.
"I wasn't even looking at that this time!" Gina snarled in annoyance. Adding to her troubles with the paperwork, or rather being the cause, was that since she had been awake there had been little mishaps like that. Things would suddenly start to move randomly, usually just small things like his hat. Or Pikachu, who Ash sent off with Misty and Brock to eat with the others while he stayed behind.
"Even if you aren't consciously paying attention to it, you want to take your frustrations out on something due to the amount of paperwork involved in registering you as a Psychic Trainer," Sabrina explained. The Saffron City Gym Leader had opted to remain after Gina had awoken, formally explaining the circumstances that she now found herself in. "It's completely normal."
"If it's that frustrating, do you have to do all of it now?" Ash asked. "Couldn't you do it little by little or something?"
Gina shook her head. "Conscious or not, I did attack people with these powers and I'm aware of them now. Even with the circumstances partially justifying it, they need it on record and applied to my license as soon as possible otherwise they might suspend it entirely."
It was in the police report. She had attacked Team Rocket out of her own control and in self-defense, but considering they had already been pinned down by Brock it would have been considered excessive trying to crush them with the boulders. That was why Brock had prevented her from going any further.
"Of course," she continued, "it also means every official battle I have will basically have a sensor or psychic pokémon trained on me to make sure I'm not cheating by reading my opponent's mind or moving something. That's going to be annoying to deal with."
The very thought of being put under so much scrutiny when she wouldn't need any of that to beat her opponents was also a source of frustration. So Ash wasn't surprised when a nearby chair started to float off the ground. He just put his hand over the seat to keep it in place until it stopped. "It'll be fine. Once you're cleared to leave, we can try to get the rest of our badges and then go to the Indigo Conference."
The doctors had wanted to make sure that she would be well enough to move about without further risk of injury. So, Gina was stuck here for another day at least. Not that big a deal compared to before.
However, it was then Ash noticed Gina had stopped writing rather than agreeing with him. Instead, she sent a glance to the Gym Leader. Though he couldn't see any movement between them, he got the distinct impression that they were speaking to each other with their minds.
Then Gina sighed. "Ash, about th—"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three knocks on the door, followed by the hinges squeaking as they opened, interrupted her. Pikachu scurried inside through the widening gap and clamored up his leg, settling onto the usual perch that was Ash's shoulders. Misty and Brock followed, both looking serious as another person entered.
She was an older woman, probably around Professor Oak's age or older. She had faded blonde hair that came to her shoulders, curling upwards at the bottom and pulled back to display her weathered face. Her purple dress was adorned with a collar and apron, with a jewel stone on the collar. She also had a cane with a Poké Ball atop it.
"Miss Agatha," Sabrina said, inclining her head respectfully. "I apologize if the word sent so suddenly by my father caused you any trouble. But it was an urgent matter."
"Spare me the pleasantries, child," Agatha responded before taking the nearest seat. "What is said here doesn't leave this room. Understand?"
Tense nods followed.
"First is the matter of Giovanni being the leader of Team Rocket," she began. "We have verified this and all his known assets within Kanto were frozen. However, the last known location thought to be their base of operations was recently destroyed by something. He is currently missing, but to avoid discourse from this moment forth his identity and everything surrounding it is considered classified information. The only reason I am informing you is that you are directly tied into the matter in several existing cases, and the Old Duff would start prying otherwise."
Ash's brows furled. "Old Duff?"
"She means Gramps," Gina explained. "They were rivals once before he won the League Championship. I heard her call him that the last time they spoke over a videophone call. He asked for her input on the entries for Ghost Pokémon since she's the most prominent specialist in Kanto."
Agatha huffed. "I couldn't get him to leave me alone back then and now he spends all his time on that Pokédex project of his. He used to be so tough and handsome decades ago, and now he's just another coot locked up in his lab complaining about the lack of good help. Then the audacity to contact me only when it concerns his project or his grandchild. Bah."
He… wasn't sure how to respond to that. Or if he should. And judging from the pensive expression on Gina's face, he got the impression she was struggling to do the same.
"Back on topic," Agatha said, turning her attention to Brock and Misty. "There'll be a meeting called very shortly with the remaining Gym Leaders. You two will be expected due to your affiliation with the Cerulean and Pewter Gyms, along with your involvement against Team Rocket. I would suggest making haste to return there."
"Understood," Brock said promptly. "I'll depart tomorrow."
"Me as well," Misty answered, albeit a little more reluctantly.
"Good." She huffed and then held her hand out. From her shadow came a blob of darkness that assumed a bipedal form with red eyes, a grinning smile, and short arms and legs. The Shadow Pokémon handed two small cases into her waiting grasp before slinking into her shadow again, leaving Ash confused as she held them out for him to take. "These are for you two."
Ash looked them over until Gina claimed one for herself. When he opened his he found inside a metal badge shaped like a green plant. Or maybe a feather. It was hard to tell.
"I thought the Viridian Gym Badge would be invalidated considering Team Rocket's involvement," Gina said, staring up from the badge towards the Elite Four member. "Because you couldn't risk them getting competitors who could hold influence into the League."
"Normally, it would," Agatha stated. "However, as the overseer of the Viridian Gym and Saffron Gym, I'm authorized to issue them in lieu of the Gym Leader. Those are now the last Earth Badges that will be issued until the next year when a new Gym Leader is put into place."
"What about the other participants who came before us?" Gina looked over to Brock and Misty. "They pointed out that badges could be used to influence things, and now that we know that Giovanni was their leader that means he could have handed them out to recruits or other participants."
"That is part of why I am issuing them to you now," Agatha stated. "Your exploits have made it clear you are firmly not Team Rocket plants. Having you participate in the Indigo Conference betters the chance that if any did get in, you'll be competent enough to eliminate them rather than me needing to go through every applicant who earned an Earth Badge when I'm busy cleaning up this colossal mess. Provided you can earn the remainder on your own accord."
That last part was addressed to Gina. As of that moment, Ash had met the qualifications to enter the Indigo Conference with it being his Eighth Badge. Gina still needed to earn hers, and while she could find a pair of minor gyms to replace earning the Marsh Badge, she had been clear she intended to return to face Sabrina as the last one she would obtain in the two months before the conference.
"Between the Old Duff and the reports, I understand your situation. However, rules are rules." Agatha looked Gina right in the eyes. "You will have to undergo proper training for those powers of yours and have a passing evaluation before you are allowed to participate in any more League-sanctioned battles. That badge doesn't handwave that."
Ash frowned. It was the first time he had heard of that. "Wait, wa—"
"We've been discussing the matter," Gina said while holding a finger up to Ash's mouth to silence him. "It'll be tight, but it should be possible if I start tomorrow onwards. The evaluation happens the day before the close of the season and the opening of the Indigo Conference. If I pass it in the first go, then I can earn my Eighth Badge and qualify right before the deadline."
"I'll be giving her personalized lessons to ensure she has the best opportunity," Sabrina added. "However, as per my role as a Gym Leader, I will not show favoritism or hold back considering she would be an Eighth Badge Challenger. If she cannot meet the challenge, then it will just be an unfortunate turn of events."
That seemed to meet the old woman's satisfaction as she rose from her chair. "Very well then. I'll take my leave. Best of luck, children."
The moment that she was gone, Ash turned directly to the pair of psychics. He had caught onto what they had been purposefully talking about telepathically at this point. And he wasn't happy learning about it last.
"I was going to tell you," Gina began, only to stop when multiple things in the room started floating. She screwed her eyes shut, trying to will herself to calm down, before continuing. "Psychic Trainers are expected to pass an evaluation to make sure they have enough control over their emotional state to make sure… this doesn't happen during a battle."
"Pokémon battles are high intensity by nature," Sabrina added. "Especially during the Indigo Conference. And with how strong her abilities are she could be a very real danger to the crowd and her opponents. Two months isn't nearly enough time to teach her how to perfectly control them, so much as it is to make sure she doesn't have fluctuations like this during a battle and doesn't entirely lose control. Otherwise, she'll be disqualified."
"But…" Ash fought to find the words. They were so close. They had even told one another they would make it to the Conference, where they would settle things. Only for this to happen. "That's not fair."
"If not for the fact that we got the Earth Badge like this, I wouldn't be able to participate at all," Gina pointed out. "This was probably her way of genuinely thanking us for exposing Team Rocket without compromising their rules. She couldn't have been happy considering she was overseeing him and only now did it come to light. And Sabrina is taking her time to personally instruct me, so it's not impossible to hit the deadline on cue."
"What about your pokémon?" Ash asked. "You had plans to train them over the break, right? You can't do that if you're not with them."
"She can use the Saffron Gym facilities," Sabrina stated. "Psychics under my tutelage are allowed since often we have them use Psychic-Type Pokémon to help them with their abilities. Simple sparring matches against Gym Trainers aren't a problem since they aren't official, and all of them are better-trained psychics."
"And it isn't like most of my pokémon don't know how to train on their own," Gina added. "I can move them back and forth from Gramps' place and instruct them as needed where they can't manage on their own. We can still make it there if nothing goes wrong and I don't spend time doing anything else outside of psychic training and pokémon training for the next eight weeks. So that's what I'm going to do from now on to keep the promise I made."
Her voice carried with it the message that there wasn't a choice in the matter. Not only because of circumstances, but because she fully intended to keep up the promise she had made with her pokémon. It had already been decided in her mind since she'd woken up.
"We hate to leave you both, but we don't have a choice either," Misty said. "I might not be the current Gym Leader, but I'm still in line for it as a Gym Trainer. Plus, my sisters were already on my case for getting involved in yet another incident, and Auntie Prima would be expecting me too."
"It's my direct responsibility," Brock added. "While I let my father take back the position and Forrest is considered next in line, I was still the Gym Leader for a good portion of the year. Not to mention we also have to decide on a replacement Gym Leader for the Viridian City Gym and that process involves both the Gym Leaders and Elite Four. I'll be lucky if I'm free before the Conference starts, but at the least, I'll make sure to be there to cheer you both on."
"I will too," Misty promised. "You both worked hard and went through a lot, so I'm sure you'll make it. Then we can catch up on what everyone's doing."
Gina looked Ash in the eyes. "Don't slack until then, Ash. Because if you lose before we face each other then I'll be disappointed."
"That's my line," Ash told her. "Make sure you're there so we can settle everything—answers and all."
The declaration of war was made. Two months. At the Indigo Conference. There, with all of Kanto bearing witness to their clash, the two would wager their ideas and convictions in a legendary battle.
And they would settle things once and for all.