Mina, having secured Dr. Oak's reluctant support, dragged Ash away without saying anything. Their journey began with silence.

  Dr. Oak waved after them, but as they vanished from view, he collapsed to his knees, trembling.

  "I've been studying Pokémon my entire life, and I've never seen one that frightened me like that... "Please come back alive, Ash Ketchum."

  ---

  Ash followed Mina with confusion. His thoughts kept returning to Pikachu—the day they first bonded.

  Mina looked at him and scoffed, her voice breaking through the silence. "So... You were not friends with that Pokémon. They are barely allies.”

  She said in a mocking voice.

  "What a joke."

  Ignoring her, Ash gestured toward a far-off hill. Lightning struck the soil, scorching it.

  “After the Spearow attacked us, Pikachu began to trust me. “

  He Blinked, recollections rushing back.

  “Hold on... I recall passing out. Rain was falling. There was lightning. How did I make it to town while carrying Pikachu?”

  Mina's eyes narrowed as she made a silent calculation.

  Ash forced a shaky smile, breaking the tense silence. "Well, it might not be anything. I'm still here, am I?”

  Although Mina remained silent, a glimmer of uncertainty darkened her eyes.

  ‘Lightning? Rain? This kid making it through that? And in a single day, going to the next town? No. That impossible.’

  ---

  Ash passed out later that night from fatigue and starvation.

  “Hungry! I wish Brock as my travel buddy!”

  Mina was a little upset when she heard Brock's name, but she sighed and shook her head. "You are a childish Werido."

  After searching her bag, she threw something pink at him and curled up.

  That is Slowpoke tail Ash tentatively caught it. "What sort of Slowpoke is that?"

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Food for emergencies, not Galar. Just eat. “

  Her voice was flat and uninteresting.

  Ash reluctantly bit into it. It was... odd. Not good, not bad. Strangely addictive, though.

  Mina watched him as she slowly chewed her own piece.

  After a moment of silence, Ash said softly, "By the way, are you from Kanto? You were aware of Dr. Oak and Pallet Town.”

  Mina grinned, but it was not visible to her eyes.

  "Kanto? Yes. It's where I was born. However, I currently reside in Dark Town.”

  "Dark Town?" Ash's gaze expanded. "I've never heard of that."

  "Obviously not."

  With a low, menacing voice, she licked the tail.

  “It's a dump composed of abandoned Pokemon. A city with a black market. mercenaries, smugglers. The League and people forgot. exactly as they desire.”

  Ash's eyes glistened with an odd mixture of excitement and fear. "That sounds... interesting?"

  Mina's smile was twisted and cold. "You will see it soon, Ash. You can go sooner than you think."

  Ash's eyelids drooped as exhaustion took over. He drifted off.

  Pikachu, who was concerned about him, she said to him in the center of the area where they had previously been struck by lightning.

  "Remember Pikachu? because you were positioned as the strongest Pokémon in the world.

  Mina was attacked by Pikachu using electricity, but she was protected by the Dittos on her body.

  "Your reality is no longer your own. You're trapped inside that fool's dream, not yours—and it happens whether you want it or not."

  Ditto also explained.

  "Your phenomenon is called the 'Dream Link,' and Pokémon trainers and Pokémon are meant to dream of merging together." Pikachu is told the same thing.

  Pikachu appeared perplexed, so Mina started to go into further detail.

  "You probably resisted and disobeyed your trainer in the beginning because you were breathing the air outside without entering the Pokéball again."

  Pikachu started to object. The Ditto gives it a nod and say it.

  "When struck by the lightning, you kept your trainer on your will, so this is his dream and your dream is same...."

  Mina continued her conversation.

  "That's a nice word, but thinking real, PokéBall was created by humans, that mean still Pokémon is a tool for humans."

  "Pokémon caught in Pokéballs are designed to obey—to the point they can't even hurt their trainers."

  Pikachu at last comprehends Ash's

  appearance and why, despite the amount of electricity, he is not die.

  She bursts out laughing as she sees his frightening face.

  "This is the real world—not some cheerful little journey from your memories."

  Mina smiles bitterly as she speaks.

  "Pikachu! Without the Pokéball chip in your brain, Before you met that idiot, what was your dream?

  Pikachu tried to consider his dream carefully, but when he saw Ash sleeping like a complete idiot, his heart started to tremble.

  Mina says, glancing down at Pikachu.

  "You have a straightforward dream: a free world where Pokémon can build their own utopia Is it incorrect?”

  Pikachu appeared to strongly deny her thoughts, sleeping by Ash's side as though he no longer wanted to hear them.

  Mina murmurs,as she kicks her tongue.

  " I'll start the great war for everything, so don't worry."

  As dusk fell, her body weakened. She grumbled at Ditto.

  "The sun rising and setting repeatedly makes it seem like the day doesn't change, and time doesn't go by unless you change the battery of previous games."

  Dittos murmur cold.

  "Don't you need a little sleep, boss?" So far, you haven't much slept. Regardless of how much of a Dittos body you possess."

  Mina appeared too irritated to even go to sleep, but when she did, her body began to droop and turn into a Dittos as though she couldn't.

  Mina said and sighed

  "You want to rest, to be precise. Okay, good. Get some rest, tools. "

  ---

  At last, Now mostly merged with Ditto, her body fell limp to the floor. She started to lose consciousness.

  She had a dream.

  of a friend who committed suicide by hanging.

  of treachery.

  About the girl she was.

  The shadows were chased away by the dim light of dawn that filtered through the broken window.

  —-

  The delicate silence was broken when Ash gave her a gentle shake.

  "You had a bad dream. Aren't you?

  She turned away with a frown.

  "Shut up!" Her eyes flickered with something unsaid, but her voice was sharp.

  Ash firmly stated, "I don't care if you think I'm na?ve," as he took a step closer.

  "But I'm not letting you drown—not when I still see your hands above the water," he said softly after pausing to examine her face.

  She silently gazed at him while the surrounding The walls surrounding her shook.

  He waited.

  At last, in a barely audible whisper, she said,

  "People must heal wounds caused by people."

  "What?" Startled, Ash blinked.

  She gave a small murmurs, her lip trembling between her teeth.

  "In the end... everyone will be forgotten."

  Ash noticed her murmuring and asked,

  "What are you talking about?"

  She gave a bitter smile and replied loudly.

  "You're still such a kid, Ash."

  As the sun slowly rose, the first city began to appear in the distance.