"Why did you save me?!" Sabrina's voice trembled as she looked at Ash cradling her. Her eyes flickered with confusion.
No matter how many times she had apologized before, Ash had always brushed her off indifferently, making her believe he didn't care. But now, in this critical moment, he had stepped forward without hesitation.
"You're so troublesome. Your psychic powers are a pain—always causing problems!" Ash grumbled, panting as he carried Sabrina in his arms. He was only eight years old, and while his body was strong from training, even he had limits.
To make things worse, all his Pokémon were at Professor Oak's lab for checkups today. Bad luck really piled on at once.
Behind them, an Onix and a Golem were barreling after them, the ground trembling with each step. With no other option, Ash veered into a rugged, narrow path in hopes of shaking them off.
"Let me down! They're only after me!" Sabrina said, guilt creeping into her voice as she noticed Ash drenched in sweat, struggling to keep going.
"Shut up! Ever since you showed up, nothing's gone right for me!" Ash snapped, his breathing ragged, but his pace quickened again.
"Ugh—dammit, it's a dead end!" Ash skidded to a halt. Before them was a sheer cliff; they'd run straight into a trap.
"Hey! Can you teleport us away or something?" he shouted over his shoulder.
"I don't know... I can't control when my powers go out of control!" Sabrina answered, fear slipping into her usually calm tone.
"ROOAAARRR!!!" The Onix and Golem roared, eyes glowing red. As they charged, Ash noticed something strange in their movements. The moment he saw the ground beginning to crack, it clicked.
"They're using Stomp to break the cliff edge!"
BOOM!
As soon as the words left his mouth, the ground beneath them gave way. The cliff collapsed entirely under the combined force of the Rock-types, sending Ash and Sabrina plummeting toward the forest below.
"I'm gonna die—I'm actually gonna die!" Ash's pupils contracted as the world slowed. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, everything around him moving in sluggish silence.
CRASH!
A heartbeat later, they slammed into the dense forest below. At the last second, Ash had twisted his body to shield Sabrina, taking the brunt of the impact himself.
Luckily, the forest floor was covered in thick, soft grass—if it hadn't been, the fall would've been fatal. Ash's arms went limp around her, and his eyes stared blankly ahead as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Ash! Ash!!" Sabrina's voice cracked as she shook him desperately, panic overtaking her. Though she hadn't been harmed thanks to his protection, the impact had still nearly knocked her out.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!" Sabrina's voice echoed through the woods. She didn't even know why she was crying so hard.
After wiping her tears, she lifted Ash as best she could. Her eyes glowed blue as her psychic powers activated. Though not yet mature, her abilities were strong for her age—enough to levitate him slightly and reduce his weight.
It took her over an hour, but finally, Sabrina arrived at the Oak Research Lab. Once they understood what had happened, Professor Oak and Delia rushed Ash to the nearest Pokémon Center, their faces pale with worry.
"Will Ash be okay?" Delia asked through tears in the hallway outside the treatment room. She clutched Professor Oak's sleeve tightly, unable to stop shaking.
"Don't worry. He's a tough kid—he'll pull through," Professor Oak replied, trying to reassure her. But truthfully, he wasn't certain either. Falling from a cliff was no small thing.
"Grandpa, Aunt Delia… I'm sorry. This was all my fault." Sabrina bowed her head, her voice thick with guilt, her parents standing behind her.
Neither Delia nor Professor Oak blamed her. They both knew Sabrina couldn't control her runaway psychic episodes, and accidents happen. Besides, it was Ash who had made the reckless choice to shield her—a fact that both moved and terrified them.
After this incident, Delia began watching Ash's whereabouts more closely. She wouldn't let him out alone at night again—not until she saw him asleep with her own eyes.
Ding~!
The red light above the treatment room turned green, and Nurse Joy finally stepped out.
"How is he? Is my grandson alright?" Professor Oak asked immediately, voice trembling.
"According to the results of the examination, Master Ash's body has no major injuries. However, the impact to his head was quite serious. While it's not life-threatening, it may result in selective amnesia," Nurse Joy reported calmly after reading through the diagnostics.
Upon hearing her words, both Delia and Professor Oak let out a sigh of relief. Given the circumstances, amnesia wasn't the worst possible outcome.
Ash was still young—his brain adaptable. Even if some memories were lost, it wouldn't affect his overall well-being or future growth too severely.
As it turned out, Ash did indeed suffer from selective amnesia—but it wasn't total. He only forgot a specific incident: the moment he risked his life to save Sabrina.
To Ash's mind, Sabrina remained the distant, cold girl he couldn't easily forgive. As for what truly happened, only a handful of people knew the truth: Sabrina and her parents, Delia, and Professor Oak.
No one else was informed about Ash's memory loss, and naturally, Ash himself remained unaware.
Perhaps it was because of this guilt, or perhaps something deeper, but ever since that day, Sabrina had been paying closer attention to Ash. That concern, once quiet and restrained, had grown into something much more over time.
—End of Flashback—
"Damn it… was that a memory from a past life, or is something wrong with my head?" Ash muttered, frowning as he tried to recall the flickering images that had surfaced moments ago. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't grasp them clearly.
Ding~!
[Host's mental power fluctuation detected. Would you like to activate sleep mode?]
At that moment, the system's voice echoed in Ash's mind. It had picked up the unusual spike in his brain activity. Fortunately, the fluctuations weren't as severe as last time. Rather than forcing sleep mode on him, the system gave Ash the choice.
...
TN:
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