[ POV Change ]

[ Saffron City - Pokemon Center ]

Austin stepped out of the showers, droplets of water cascading down his physique. As he reached for a towel, his hand brushed against his long, dark hair. He paused for a moment, staring at it in the mirror, contemplating whether or not he should cut it.

His hair had grown wild and unkempt, falling in loose waves past his shoulders. It was a stark contrast to the rest of his appearance, which was adorned with the aura tattoos that covered his entire body. But as he stared at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but wonder if his hair was becoming too much of a distraction. He ran his fingers through it, feeling the weight of it as it fell around his face.

" So are you to make your presence known or not ?" Austin exclaimed as the sound of something teleporting echoed throughout the room.

" And lose my free eye candy." A feminine voice called out.

" You know I am underage right? You can be put in jail for this."

" And I am also underage, so what does that make you ?" Sabrina asked in a monotone voice.

" A victim."

" .... " Sabrina's lips flared up before coming down as if she was forcefully controlling her emotions.

" Long hair, isn't your style?"

" Good to see you, face to face."

" Your words are unneeded and I have brought you the items you wanted."

" Hmm, you seem different."

" What do you mean ?"

" In the dreams, you seemed .... childish."

" Ha, I assure you that was just a moment of frustration. A psychic of my level needs to control her emotions."

" Good to know."

" Can I ask, why are you helping me ?"

Sabrina paused before saying," I don't know what you are going to do next but I have sensed that it will change the entire world it could result in your death and that is what I am afraid of?"

" Weird but thanks for caring so much."

" Hmph, why would I care about you? I am afraid of what would happen to this world without the chosen one."

" You could have said it a little nicer," Austin said as he glance out the window before backing to Sabrina.

" It is not my obligation to care for your feelings."

Sabrina's eyes glowed for a moment as she carefully considered her words. "Ash Ketchum, let us first explore what it means to be bonded with a psychic pokemon ?"

" Hit me."

" I don't wish to hit you."

" .... " Austin's eyes twitched as Sabrina was so different from his dreams, she was just like the anime version with some hints of the manga version.

" Is there some problem ?"

" No, just tell me."

" You have been bonded with Abra so changes will begin to occur in your mind."

Austin's mind went blank for a moment. " What?"

Now it made sense; Austin knew. It was possible, he couldn't deny that. He could feel a difference in his mind, he hadn't been entirely sure what it was, but he had known something was off from the moment he woke up.

"Abra has bonded his life energy with yours, accidentally, whilst, bonding your soul with his as well. All psychic types process the energy around them differently from the rest of the world. You have heard of the Four Realities Theory, correct?"

He had, Cynthia was very vocal about her interest in the theory. The Four Realities Theory was the idea that there were four separate realities at all times, intertwining together in the reality that the world knew. Supposedly, they worked like a rope of sorts, each reality twined around the other, but still staying separate enough that they could be detached from each other.

According to most professors who had studied the phenomenon, these separate realities at one time were nowhere near the reality that he lived in. The first and most well-known reality was known as either the Afterworld or the Distortion World. This was the place where souls lived, as well as the place where ghost-type Pokémon originated from. The next one was the Mirror World, where psychic type Pokémon came from. It was known as the one that was the most closely related to their own. Third, was their reality, the one that everyone knew and lived in. Finally, as if an afterthought to most people, there was what was known simply as the Abyss, where dark types had their original home.

Some people liked to think that the only people who could survive in the Abyss were dark-type trainers who had dedicated their lives to the typing while being washed in the energy of it often enough that their aura shifted to favor the darkness.

It was rumored that Sabrina had spent a year in the Mirror World, enhancing her gifts to an otherworldly level, while Agatha spent a season every year, Winter, in the Afterworld to renew her bonds with her ghosts.

"The Afterworld, Mirror World, Mundane World, and the Abyss," Austin whispered to himself.

To be fair, it was a strange, 3 unique realm that had too little information for him to know what kind of terrors lay waiting

Even with his meta knowledge, Austin hesitated to even touch upon this subject.

It was less strange to think about than some other well-accepted theories, such as the fact that fairy-type Pokémon came from space, and it was likely that dragon-type Pokémon did as well. Personally, Austin wasn't sure if he believed it or not. He knew that the distortion realm was the realm but the others were a mystery to him if he went by anime logic then those 3 realms also exist.

The most interesting rumor in relation to the theory was that all four realms had one Pokémon that ruled them. The mirror world was said to be led by Mew which he flat-out refused to believe, the Afterworld had some unknown legendary which Austin knew very well was Giratina, while the Abyss was under the iron fist of Darkrai.

"Indeed. Occasionally, there is a Pokémon born here that is more of one reality than another. If it happens to be a psychic type, and its connection is stronger to the Mirror World, then its power is more intense, while its control is usually lacking. If it is more of this world than the other, then it may have less raw energy, but it does have the finesse to control what it does have better than others of its species."

Austin frowned at the words but tried to understand what the gym leader was saying without words. "Abra has a stronger connection to the Mirror World." His words were not a question, but a fact, earning him a slight nod of Sabrina's head.

"Abra is a child of the Mirror World." She agreed. "He is also lacking when it comes to his control. You must understand, once a psychic Pokémon decided to bond with a human, they are never able to part. They become one. They become a part of us, and we become a part of them. These bonds usually form over a period of weeks, months, or years, depending on the power of the Pokémon, as well as the adaptability of the human. Sometimes, though, things can go wrong."

His head tilted to the side slightly, trying to remember the moment before he passed out. "Something shattered."

"There is usually a barrier in place, in all human minds, that keeps them from becoming a part of one of the other realities permanently. From what I can feel before you went to Abra, your pokemon Musharna attempted to disrupt the energy flow but it respects into an outburst of psychic energy. When Abra sent its last wave out, while being captured, the two energies fought in your mind. The barrier that keeps you restricted to this world shattered under the strain of two other realities energies."

Dread grew in Austin's stomach as his mind whirled through what that could mean for him. Was he now not connected to this world at all? Did it mean that his lifespan had been affected? Was there something in his mind that tilted the favor of one of the other realities over the others?

She locked eyes with him, frowning heavily. "Abra's lifespan is linked to yours. His soul is intertwined with your own to the point that trying to make you two souls again would kill both of you," Austin's stomach sank more when he realized the implications that he couldn't go back without killing Abra.

" If I am correct, it's possible for you to visit the Mirror world now, though you will need Abra to guide you. It could," Sabrina paused for a moment, seemingly uncomfortable, before forcing her way through the thought. "It could be possible that you will feel the call of the Abyss more so than the call of the Mirror. I have no idea if you will be able to visit the Afterworld as well since I know so little about it. I must warn you not to give in to the call of the realms. Nothing that goes to those realities ever returns to our own."

" You can say that again," Austin whispered mostly to himself.

"So you're saying that Abra and I are stuck together for the rest of eternity, I might be able to visit the theorized other realities, and if I get dragged into the Abyss, I'm probably going to end up dead, or worse." He deadpanned. "Great. Are there any other changes I need to look out for that might kill me, or is it just the one?"

" No, that is all," Sabrina said before her eyes glanced to the side.

" Your companion is quite dangerous."

" That's why I asked for your help."

" You know I told you that I have a lot of duties to fulfill, I can't go and train your companion."

" Any help would do, journals, book, etc."

Sabrina nodded and flashed the peace sign as she teleported away leaving behind only a note.

Austin picked up the note that read," I will be watching you."

" That's kinda hot, not gonna lie." Austin said with a chuckle before exclaiming," Lucario, come out."

The shadows turned as Haunter appeared beside a make-up-covered Lucario who held the dark-type projection device.

" Not gonna lie, looks good on you," Austin said with a chuckle causing Haunter to blush as she did the makeup.

" Don't patronize me," Lucario growled out," So are you done meeting with the psychic?"

" You sound upset."

" ( ~ Sigh~ ) I don't like psychics. Before the war, Sir Aaron met up with a psychic who gave him a prophecy about his role in the future. I know it isn't their fault but I blame those psychics, but if it wasn't for them maybe Aaron could have found a different way."

" Don't worry, it's natural to project your hatred and anger onto something."

Austin and Lucario sighed simultaneously as they bumped fists.

" Can you go stop your maiden and rat ?"

" What happened?"

" Squirtle and Ninjask managed to convince everyone to have a dance and now your maiden and rat have a dance or are they trying to shake their heads off, I can't tell. Does this generation even know how to dance they are blasting that dastardly loud music and I hate it? Go stop them." Lucario said as Austin and Haunter looked at him incredulously.

Taking Lucario with a lot of makeup seriously was hard.

Austin opened the door to the living room and was greeted by a chaotic scene. The room was dimly lit, with only a few flickering lights casting shadows on the walls. Heavy metal music blared from a stereo in the corner, the bass vibrating through the floor and rattling the windows.

Austin's eyes were drawn to yellow who was dancing wildly in the center of the room. She was dressed in a leather bodice and tight black pants, her long blonde hair whipping around her face as she moved.

However, his surprise was interrupted by the sound of Pikachu crying on the floor, the small creature was lying on his back, arms and legs flailing as if it was in defeat. Austin looked on in disbelief as he saw Yellow's head spinning around in a cyclonic motion her long blonde hair followed as she danced to the incredibly loud heavy metal music.

" Well." Lucario asked as Austin turned and asked," I mean this with every ounce of disrespect, I want to join them. Is that alright with you, generation dead ?"

Lucario's eyes glowed blue in response to Austin's words.