"Sleep Mode—engage..."
Feeling his mind spiraling into chaos, Ash had no choice. He activated hibernation once again. His eyes slowly closed, and his body relaxed as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Ash, what's wrong with you?!"
Cynthia rushed forward in concern, catching him from behind and gently laying him on the ground, resting his head in her lap.
"This... doesn't make sense." Sabrina frowned as she watched.
With Ash's level of psychic power, something like this shouldn't happen so easily.
"Ash's psychic abilities come with heavy side effects," Brock explained, pulling a painkiller from his bag. "Over time, they've put a serious strain on his body. At this point, unless he fully activates his powers, he can barely even see what's in front of him."
Sabrina's eyes widened at the revelation. A soft blue glow surrounded her as her psychic powers activated, scanning Ash's body in response.
"What are you doing?!" Cynthia immediately grabbed a Poké Ball from her belt, glaring at Sabrina. If she dared to hurt Ash, Cynthia wouldn't hesitate to act.
Sabrina, strong as she was, had only reached the level of an Elite. Against a Champion's Pokémon, she'd be overwhelmed quickly, especially with the gap in physical endurance.
"Relax. I'm not going to harm him. Just follow me," Sabrina said calmly, levitating Ash's unconscious body as she floated toward the backyard of the Gym. Cynthia and Brock, though wary, followed close behind.
Inside a quiet room behind the Gym, Sabrina carefully laid Ash on a bed. She turned to the others.
"When did this start? From what I understand, unless his mental energy is pushed beyond its limit, this shouldn't be happening."
Cynthia hesitated. Something about Sabrina's concern felt genuine. And in the end, she wanted answers too.
So she explained everything about Ash's chakra awakening and the strange mutations in his psychic abilities. There was still a chance Sabrina could help.
"I see..." Sabrina's expression darkened slightly. "That mutation… it enhanced his powers far beyond normal limits, but it came with equally dangerous side effects."
It made sense. Ash's current symptoms matched what Sabrina had seen before. In rare cases, people who awakened psychic powers suddenly—without proper balance or control—ended up paying the price later.
"You seem to know Ash quite well," Cynthia remarked, watching Sabrina closely.
"Of course I do," Sabrina replied softly. "He may not remember, but I could never forget. If it weren't for him... I might not be alive today."
A rare smile appeared on Sabrina's usually expressionless face.
"He doesn't remember? Are you saying Ash lost his memory?" Cynthia asked, eyebrows furrowing. From everything she'd seen, Ash seemed completely normal. Besides, she'd heard that Ash and Sabrina had met seven or eight years ago.
"If he truly had amnesia, he wouldn't forget everything about the Dragon Clan," she added, clearly skeptical.
"It was selective amnesia," Sabrina replied quietly. "To be exact—he only forgot one day."
"Just one day...?" Cynthia's eyes widened slightly. That one day must have meant everything to Sabrina.
Saying nothing more, Sabrina floated silently from the room. She had no intention of arguing. Right now, she had only one goal—to find a way to stabilize Ash's powers.
Spiritual Space
"Damn it, it hasn't even been a full day and I'm back in this weird white zone again!"
Ash stood in the middle of the empty spiritual space, arms crossed and thoroughly annoyed.
"System! What's going on with my brain? Is this some kind of side effect from unlocking the Sharingan?!" he shouted, more frustrated than worried.
Ding~!
[System diagnostic complete. Host's brain is functioning normally. This has nothing to do with the effects of the Sharingan. Please resolve the issue independently.]
Ash groaned. "Great. If I could fix it myself, I wouldn't be stuck in this broken mindscape in the first place!"
He flopped down onto the white ground, arms behind his head. His expression turned thoughtful as memory fragments began flickering again in his mind—faint, half-formed impressions of things he might have done.
"They felt… real. Almost too real."
He closed his eyes, replaying those fragments. It wasn't just a dream. Something inside him knew it had happened.
"Could it be… memory loss?"
Ash suddenly sat up, a realization striking him. The strange gaps, the unplaceable familiarity—he couldn't shake the thought that he'd forgotten something. Not everything, just... something specific.
"No, that doesn't make sense. I remember my childhood just fine."
He quickly dismissed the idea of full amnesia.
His memories of being young, growing up with Delia, meeting Professor Oak—they were all there. It didn't feel like something was wrong with his entire memory. No, if anything, it had to be just a single day or event missing.
Which, of course, made it even harder to notice.
"System, if I really have amnesia, can you detect it?" Ash asked aloud, hoping the ever-present voice in his mind could offer some clarity.
Ding~!
[Amnesia does not disrupt the normal function of the brain. The system only monitors physical health and organ status. Memory loss outside of neurological damage cannot be detected.]
Ash let out a sigh. So much for relying on the system for this one. It seemed that even technology had its limits.
"Whatever... just wake me up already. It's not like missing one memory is going to kill me."
Since he couldn't change anything, he decided to stop worrying. Whatever it was, if it mattered enough, it would come back.
Reality
Ash's eyes slowly fluttered open. As he tried to sit up, he immediately felt pressure on his abdomen—something was pinning him down.
He glanced down—and blinked. Cynthia was asleep on top of him, her head resting gently against his chest. From the looks of it, she'd been watching over him for quite a while and must have dozed off.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Ash's lips. Gently, he ran his fingers through her soft, golden hair.
So you can look like this too, he thought. Not at all like the Champion I used to imagine ten years ago.
Just then, a calm voice interrupted the moment.
"I didn't expect you to show that kind of expression. I thought you were still the same as you were ten years ago."
Ash's body stiffened. That voice—it was unmistakable.
He turned his head slowly.
Sabrina stood at the doorway, her face as unreadable as ever, but her tone carried something... warmer.
"This is your room?" Ash asked, glancing around. The furnishings were lived-in, personal—this wasn't a guest room. The furniture had just enough wear to suggest long-term use.
Considering Sabrina's loner personality, it was highly unlikely she shared her space with others. That meant only one thing.
"This room belongs to you," he concluded.
...
TN:
Hope you Enjoy~😊
⚡ Support me on P-com/LordMerlin (+50 Chaps Available!)