Chapter 13 — The Other Jin
The air suddenly became heavy.
Not physically.
Dimensional energy itself was changing.
The four power systems installed across Dimensional Island began reacting.
Deep beneath the mansion, the Mega Evolution Chamber activated.
The Z-Power Shrine began glowing.
Dynamax energy surged through the island's underground network.
The Tera Crystal Cavern illuminated the walls with multicolored reflections.
The system began reporting rapidly.
[MEGA ENERGY: ACTIVE]
[Z-POWER: ACTIVE]
[DYNAMAX ENERGY: ACTIVE]
[TERA ENERGY: ACTIVE]
[DIMENSIONAL POWER: 63%]
[WARNING]
All regional power systems responding to unknown Administrator signature.
Jin looked at the stranger.
"You're doing this?"
"No."
The other Jin shook his head.
"They're recognizing me."
Cynthia narrowed her eyes.
"Recognizing you as what?"
The stranger looked at her.
"An Administrator."
Silence.
Ash blinked.
"Wait. So you're another Administrator?"
"Not exactly."
Leon crossed his arms.
"That's not a very reassuring answer."
The other Jin laughed quietly.
"I'm not here to attack you."
Steven's Metagross continued scanning him.
Steven looked at the readings.
"That's strange."
"What?" Jin asked.
Steven stared at the Metagross.
"It can't determine his energy type."
Clemont adjusted his glasses.
"That's impossible."
"Apparently not."
Clemont rushed toward the device.
"Let me see that!"
Bonnie grabbed his sleeve.
"Clemont, don't get too close!"
"But this is scientifically fascinating!"
Bonnie sighed.
"That's exactly why I'm worried."
Ash's Pikachu stared at the stranger.
"Pika…"
Large Pikachu answered.
"Pika."
Ash looked between them.
"Uh…"
Jin translated instinctively.
"They're arguing."
Ash blinked.
"What are they saying?"
Jin looked embarrassed.
"I don't know."
Large Pikachu turned toward Jin.
"Pika pika."
[He's lying.]
Jin froze.
"What?"
Everyone looked at Pikachu.
The stranger smiled.
"So the island's Pikachu can detect it."
Jin's eyes narrowed.
"Detect what?"
Large Pikachu stepped forward.
Her cheeks began glowing.
"Pika…"
[His heart.]
The stranger's smile disappeared.
The Heart That Wasn't There
Large Pikachu stared directly at the second Jin.
Then she slowly turned toward Jin.
"Pika pika."
[His heart is incomplete.]
Jin's expression hardened.
"What does that mean?"
Aster answered before Pikachu could.
"It means he isn't entirely human anymore."
Everyone turned toward him.
Aster struggled to stand.
Astra immediately moved beside him.
"You shouldn't be standing."
"I've been imprisoned inside a dimensional corruption field for years."
Aster looked at her.
"I can survive standing for another minute."
He looked toward the second Jin.
"I recognize that energy."
The stranger's eyes narrowed.
Aster continued.
"It's the same energy that corrupted the Guardian."
The enormous creature outside the mansion—once called the Null King—roared.
The sound shook the chamber.
[GUARDIAN REACTION DETECTED]
The second Jin looked toward the ceiling.
"So he's still alive."
Jin stepped forward.
"You know the Guardian?"
"Yes."
"How?"
The stranger's expression became distant.
"Because I watched him die."
Large Pikachu's cheeks sparked.
"PIKA!"
Thunder exploded across the chamber.
Jin immediately raised his hand.
"Pikachu, wait!"
The lightning stopped inches from the stranger.
The second Jin looked at Pikachu.
"Good."
Jin stared.
"Good?"
"He should have attacked me."
Pikachu's eyes narrowed.
"Pika?"
[Why?]
The stranger answered quietly.
"Because if he had attacked…"
He looked at Jin.
"…I would have known this wasn't the right world."
The First Attack
A pulse of darkness suddenly erupted from the World Three gate.
The chamber shook.
Cynthia immediately shouted:
"Everyone back!"
Garchomp moved in front of her.
Steven's Metagross floated upward.
Ash grabbed Pikachu.
"Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
Leon threw a Poké Ball.
"Charizard!"
The massive Pokémon emerged.
Diantha's Gardevoir appeared beside her.
Serena sent out Sylveon.
Clemont released Luxray.
Misty and Brock prepared their Pokémon.
Even the alternate versions of Ash and his companions raised their Poké Balls.
Jin looked at the gate.
"What is that?"
The second Jin answered.
"Something that followed me."
The gate exploded.
A wave of black creatures poured through.
They looked like Pokémon.
But they weren't.
Their bodies were incomplete.
Some had no faces.
Some had too many eyes.
Some had limbs that constantly changed shape.
The system identified them.
[UNKNOWN DIMENSIONAL ORGANISMS]
Classification: VOID LIFEFORM
Origin: WORLD THREE
Threat Level: HIGH
Quantity: 312
Objective:
CONSUME ADMINISTRATOR
Jin's expression changed.
"They followed you here."
"Yes."
"And you brought them to my island."
The stranger's eyes hardened.
"No."
He looked toward the creatures.
"They followed you."
Jin froze.
"What?"
The stranger pointed at Jin.
"They aren't interested in me."
The creatures suddenly turned toward Jin.
Every single one.
Their mouths opened.
A distorted scream filled the chamber.
"ADMINISTRATOR…"
Jin took a step backward.
"…Oh."
The stranger sighed.
"That's what I was trying to tell you."
The Battle Begins
"Everyone!"
Jin raised his hand.
"Protect the mansion!"
Thousands of Pokémon responded.
"PIKA!"
The island erupted into movement.
Dragonite took to the sky.
Metagross formed a defensive line.
Gardevoir created psychic barriers.
Lucario moved between groups of enemies.
Machamp carried wounded Pokémon away from the battlefield.
Blastoise unleashed Hydro Pump.
Venusaur covered the ground in vines.
Electivire redirected the island's electrical network into the defensive barriers.
The creatures attacked.
BOOM!
A void creature slammed into a barrier.
The barrier cracked.
Another creature jumped over it.
Garchomp intercepted it.
"Garchomp!"
CRASH!
Garchomp slammed the creature into the ground.
Ash pointed forward.
"Pikachu! Iron Tail!"
"Pika!"
Pikachu charged.
His tail glowed silver.
BAM!
The creature flew backward.
Ash smiled.
"Great!"
Jin watched.
Then he noticed something.
The creatures weren't disappearing.
Their bodies regenerated.
Cynthia noticed it too.
"They're healing."
Steven's Metagross scanned one.
"They aren't healing."
Cynthia looked at him.
"What?"
"They're restoring their dimensional structure."
Jin immediately understood.
"They aren't biological."
Aster nodded.
"Exactly."
Jin looked toward the system.
"Can the island capture them?"
[CAPTURE: IMPOSSIBLE]
[PHYSICAL CONTAINMENT: TEMPORARY]
[DIMENSIONAL CONTAINMENT: POSSIBLE]
Required:
Administrator authority.
Jin raised his hand.
"Then let's contain them."
A strange blue light spread from his palm.
The entire chamber lit up.
The second Jin stared at him.
"You can already use it?"
"Use what?"
"Dimensional Authority."
Jin felt energy move through his body.
The island responded.
Walls appeared.
Barriers formed.
The battlefield itself changed.
The creatures suddenly found themselves surrounded by geometric fields of light.
[DIMENSIONAL CONTAINMENT ACTIVATED]
One by one, the creatures became trapped.
Ash stared.
"That's incredible!"
Jin smiled.
"Not bad."
The other Jin shook his head.
"You still don't understand."
Jin looked at him.
"What?"
"You're treating the island like a weapon."
The stranger pointed toward the mansion.
"It's not."
Then he pointed toward the Pokémon.
"It's not an army."
Then toward the gates.
"And it's not a fortress."
Jin frowned.
"Then what is it?"
The stranger answered:
"It's a bridge."
The Four Keys
The system suddenly activated.
[DIMENSIONAL ADMINISTRATOR INFORMATION UPDATE]
The four regional power systems are confirmed as Dimensional Keys.
Mega Evolution — Bond
Z-Power — Will
Dynamax — Scale
Terastallization — Identity
Combined Principle:
Connection
Jin stared.
"Connection…"
The second Jin nodded.
"That's why you're different."
"Different from you?"
"Yes."
The stranger looked down at his own hands.
"I tried to control the dimensions."
Jin stared at him.
"And?"
"I failed."
His fingers trembled.
"I thought power would solve everything."
The stranger looked toward the Pokémon fighting around them.
"I was wrong."
A faint smile appeared.
"You made friends instead."
Jin didn't answer.
Ash suddenly shouted.
"Jin!"
A massive void creature had broken through the containment field.
It was enormous.
Nearly the size of a Dynamaxed Pokémon.
It charged directly toward Jin.
"Jin!"
Cynthia's Garchomp rushed forward.
Steven's Metagross followed.
Leon commanded Charizard.
"Gigantamax!"
A massive red beam surrounded Charizard.
BOOM!
Gigantamax Charizard emerged.
"G-Max Wildfire!"
Flames engulfed the creature.
Cynthia shouted:
"Garchomp!"
Her Key Stone flashed.
"Mega Evolution!"
Light surrounded Garchomp.
MEGA GARCHOMP!
Steven followed.
"Metagross!"
His Key Stone shone.
MEGA METAGROSS!
Ash raised his Z-Ring.
"Pikachu!"
Pikachu's cheeks sparked.
"Let's finish this!"
The power surged.
[Z-MOVE DETECTED]
[10,000,000 VOLT THUNDERBOLT]
Lightning filled the chamber.
Serena stepped forward.
"Sylveon!"
A brilliant crystalline aura surrounded Sylveon.
[TERASTALLIZATION]
"Go!"
Sylveon transformed into a Fairy-type Tera form.
Four different power systems activated simultaneously.
The enormous creature roared.
And Jin felt something inside himself awaken.
The Fifth Key
His vision suddenly went white.
The battlefield disappeared.
The mansion disappeared.
The Pokémon disappeared.
Only darkness remained.
Then Jin heard a voice.
Not the system.
Not Pikachu.
Not Astra.
His own voice.
"Why do you think you were transported here?"
Jin looked around.
"Who are you?"
"You."
"That's not an answer."
"It is."
A figure appeared in front of him.
It was the second Jin.
But younger.
Much younger.
Then another appeared.
And another.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Different versions of Jin.
Some were adults.
Some were children.
Some wore Pokémon trainer clothing.
Some wore futuristic armor.
Some wore ordinary clothes.
Some stood alone.
Some were surrounded by Pokémon.
One Jin carried a sword.
Another wore a laboratory coat.
Another stood on a ruined planet.
Another sat inside a classroom.
Jin stared in disbelief.
"What is this?"
The second Jin's voice echoed.
"Possibilities."
Jin looked around.
"Alternate worlds?"
"Not exactly."
The visions began collapsing.
One by one.
Until only two remained.
Jin.
And the other Jin.
"You aren't my alternate self."
The stranger smiled.
"Correct."
"Then what are you?"
The stranger stepped closer.
"I am what remained behind."
Jin's heart stopped.
"Behind what?"
The stranger touched his chest.
"When you left your world…"
He pointed toward Jin.
"…something stayed behind."
Jin stared.
"My soul?"
"No."
"My memories?"
"No."
"My body?"
"No."
The stranger smiled.
"Your possibility."
Jin's eyes widened.
The Missing Possibility
The stranger continued.
"When you were transported here, your original world's dimensional structure tried to correct itself."
Jin listened silently.
"Something had to remain."
A strange crack appeared across the stranger's chest.
Dark energy leaked from it.
"That something became me."
Jin clenched his fists.
"So you're…"
"A discarded possibility."
The stranger looked toward the dimensional gate.
"Your world created me."
Jin's expression softened.
"You've been alone."
"Yes."
"For how long?"
The stranger looked at him.
"I don't remember."
That answer hurt more than Jin expected.
Then the system appeared.
[CRITICAL DISCOVERY]
Secondary Jin classification updated.
Entity Type:
DIMENSIONAL ECHO
Relationship:
Administrator Origin Fragment
Threat:
Unstable
Purpose:
UNKNOWN
Recommended Action:
DO NOT DESTROY
Jin looked at the stranger.
"You're not my enemy."
"No."
"Then why did you come here?"
The stranger smiled.
"To warn you."
"About what?"
His expression became serious.
"The thing beyond World Three."
Jin felt cold.
"The thing beyond?"
The stranger nodded.
"The Eraser wasn't the enemy."
Jin's eyes widened.
"The Null King wasn't the enemy."
The stranger continued.
"Even the dimensional collapse isn't the real threat."
Jin whispered:
"Then what is?"
The stranger looked behind him.
Beyond the World Three gate, something enormous moved.
The gate was far too small to reveal its entire body.
Only one eye became visible.
A massive white eye surrounded by endless darkness.
The entire island shook.
Every Pokémon stopped fighting.
Even the Guardian froze.
The system began malfunctioning.
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
[ERROR]
ENTITY CANNOT BE PROCESSED.
ENTITY CANNOT BE NAMED.
ENTITY CANNOT BE OBSERVED.
ENTITY CANNOT BE DEFINED.
Jin stared at the eye.
The second Jin whispered:
"It found us."
The Guardian Kneels
A tremendous roar echoed from above.
The Guardian descended into the underground chamber.
The massive creature landed between Jin and the World Three gate.
Its silver markings glowed.
For the first time since Jin had met it…
The Guardian looked afraid.
It slowly lowered its head.
Then—
It knelt.
Jin stared.
"Guardian?"
"Pika…"
Large Pikachu stood beside him.
[It's afraid.]
Jin looked toward the eye.
"What is that?"
The Guardian answered with a trembling voice.
"Pika…"
[The thing that existed before dimensions.]
Jin's blood ran cold.
The second Jin stepped beside him.
"We have maybe one chance."
Jin looked at him.
"What chance?"
The stranger smiled.
"For once…"
He extended his hand.
"…let's work together."
Jin looked at the hand.
Then at the island.
At Pikachu.
At Ash.
At Cynthia.
At the Champions.
At the Pokémon who had accepted him as their Administrator.
At Astra.
At Aster.
Finally, Jin looked back at his own dimensional echo.
He took his hand.
The moment their hands touched—
BOOM.
A massive pulse of energy spread across Dimensional Island.
The four power systems activated.
Mega Evolution.
Z-Power.
Dynamax.
Terastallization.
Then something beyond all four awakened.
[DIMENSIONAL POWER]
[100%]
[FIFTH KEY AWAKENED]
[ADMINISTRATOR CONNECTION ESTABLISHED]
[SECONDARY ADMINISTRATOR FRAGMENT ACCEPTED]
[NEW AUTHORITY UNLOCKED]
DIMENSIONAL LINK
Jin's eyes glowed.
The second Jin's body began transforming into streams of light.
"What are you doing?!"
The stranger smiled.
"I'm going home."
Jin grabbed his arm.
"Wait!"
The stranger looked at him.
"Don't worry."
He smiled.
"You'll see me again."
Then he disappeared into Jin's body.
Silence.
Jin stood frozen.
The system spoke.
[DIMENSIONAL ECHO INTEGRATION COMPLETE]
[ADMINISTRATOR CORE EVOLUTION]
Previous Authority: 100%
Current Authority: ???
Dimensional Power: UNLIMITED
Warning:
Administrator existence now connected to multiple worlds.
If Administrator dies…
all connected worlds may experience dimensional instability.
Jin stared at the message.
"…That's not reassuring."
Ash scratched his head.
"Yeah."
Cynthia looked toward the World Three gate.
"But there is one good thing."
Jin looked at her.
"What?"
Cynthia pointed.
The enormous eye beyond the gate was disappearing.
But before it vanished completely…
A voice entered everyone's minds.
"FOUND."
The gate closed.
The chamber became silent.
Jin slowly looked at Pikachu.
Pikachu looked back.
"Pika."
[Master.]
Jin swallowed.
"What?"
Pikachu's cheeks sparked.
[We have a very big problem.]
Jin sighed.
"Of course we do."
Then the mansion's alarm began screaming.
[NEW WORLD DETECTED]
[WORLD FOUR APPROACHING]
[CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN]
[LIFE SIGNATURES: HUMAN]
[POKÉMON SIGNATURES: NONE]
[DIMENSIONAL DISTANCE: 0]
[WORLD FOUR HAS ARRIVED.]
Jin stared at the system.
"…A world without Pokémon?"
Aster slowly looked toward the ceiling.
"No."
Jin turned.
Aster's expression was grim.
"It's worse."
The lights throughout Dimensional Island suddenly went out.
And somewhere beyond the mansion…
A human voice whispered:
"Jin…"
The voice sounded exactly like Jin's.
But this time—
it wasn't coming from another version of him.
It was coming from inside the island itself.