James stepped into the eerie, dimly lit Saffron Gym. The modern glass doors closed behind him with a soft click, yet the atmosphere inside felt ancient… almost sacred. Psychic energy pulsed through the walls, humming softly like whispers in a forgotten tongue.
A sudden spotlight blinked on in the center of the room. Beneath it stood a girl about his age—ten years old, with long dark green hair cascading down her back and expressionless crimson eyes. In her hand, she held a faceless doll that, disturbingly, resembled James.
"You came. Good," she said in a flat voice, not a hint of warmth or excitement. "I don't get visitors who interest me."
James tensed slightly, but he kept his composure. The air around her felt heavy, crackling with raw, unchecked psychic energy.
"I'm Sabrina," she continued. "Daughter of the current Gym Leader… though I'm not allowed near anyone. My parents fear me."
She raised the doll slightly, letting it tilt forward. "I sensed your aura the moment you entered Saffron. It's strange—Fire, Psychic, Normal… It makes you unique. I wanted to see what kind of toy you'd become."
James's fingers twitched, the urge to summon one of his Pokémon briefly rising. But he resisted.
'She's not attacking me… yet.'
His Psychic Aura activated instinctively, flaring around his body like a soft, dark pink flame. It clashed gently against Sabrina's oppressive presence. The floor beneath them glowed with radiant sigils—ancient patterns of psychic resonance.
"I challenge you," Sabrina said, stepping forward slightly. "Not your Pokémon. You."
A system notification flashed in James's mind.
[Warning: High Psychic Pressure Detected.]
Before James could respond, Sabrina's eyes glowed brilliantly, and the world shifted.
Suddenly, James was no longer in the gym.
He stood in a twisted dollhouse version of the Pokémon world. The buildings were miniature. The people—wooden puppets with stringed joints and hollow, glassy eyes. Even his Pokémon appeared—but they were mute, stiff, and expressionless.
'This… isn't real. A mental illusion? Or another dimension.'
Further ahead, he saw her—a younger Sabrina, sitting in a corner of the distorted world, surrounded by dolls. She threw two into a toy cage with an annoyed pout. A small, childishly written board read:
"Sabrina's Mom and Dad are sentenced to jail for training her all the time and never letting her make friends."
Beside it stood a police doll, as if officiating the fantasy punishment.
James's chest tightened as he walked through the world, absorbing it all. Every puppet, every scene—fragments of Sabrina's childhood. Cold. Lonely. Controlled by parents.
'She's just like me…'
Tapping into his meditation training, James steadied his breathing. His Psychic Aura flared around him, stabilizing his mind and preventing the illusion from warping him into a doll.
"Charmander! Wynaut! Eevee!" he shouted.
The three doll versions of his Pokémon twitched. Their heads tilted toward him—faint recognition flickering behind their glassy eyes. James focused his aura outward, sending pulses of aura towards them. The dolls responded, fighting the psychic hold of sabrina to stop their transformation into dolls.
James sprinted deeper into the realm, toward the center—a massive cage hung in the air, surrounded by a dense cloud of swirling psychic energy.
Inside sat another doll—Sabrina, smaller than before, knees tucked to her chest, silent tears on her cheeks. The metaphor hit James like a truck. She was a bird in a cage. Locked away even inside her own mind.
James reached for the cage, but the moment his hand touched it, he was thrown backward violently.
He rolled on the ground, coughing.
"I know how it feels to be treated like nothing more than a tool!" he shouted, stumbling to his feet.
He charged again, and again the aura blasted him away.
"I know what it's like to be neglected… to be used by people who only care about your power!"
His Fire, Psychic, and Normal Auras surged together, converging into a powerful storm of energy, responding to James feelings.
He pushed forward again, shielding himself with the tri-colored aura. This time, he touched the bars of the cage—and held on.
A link uncouncioisly formed.
Sabrina's mind was pulled into James's. Her wide eyes watched helplessly as his memories flooded into her: the loneliness, the bullying, the emotional neglect… everything. He was just like her.
Except the system. It remained hidden, blocked by an invisible wall crafted by the system itself.
James gritted his teeth. "If you want to play… If you want a friend—then I'll be your first!"
With a mighty roar, his aura flared, bursting out in a brilliant fiery pink explosion. The cage shattered, psychic chains dissolving. James grabbed the doll-Sabrina, holding her gently.
"You're not alone. I will be with you from now on!"
The doll world exploded in rainbow lights.
James's eyes fluttered open.
He was back in the gym—sweating, breathing hard. And he wasn't alone.
He blinked in confusion. Sabrina was in his arms. Her legs had instinctively wrapped around his waist during the chaos. Their faces were mere inches apart.
"Wha—wha—I swear, this is a misunderstanding!" James stammered, blushing madly as he tried to explain.
Sabrina slowly slid down from his grasp. Her expression, usually blank, now carried something rare: a small, genuine smile.
"You better not break the promise," she said softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
James chuckled nervously, but then smiled sincerely. "We both went through a lot. Different stories, same pain… Let's stick together."
She nodded, her smile matching his. The last remnants of the 2 broken dolls—the emotional replica of James and Sabrinas memories—crumbled to dust between them.
The gym grew quiet, the oppressive energy fading.
In his mind, the system chimed.
[Psychic Illusion Shattered: Dimensional Aura Absorbed.]
[Psychic Aura upgraded: Beginner → Adept.]
[Type Master Perk Triggered.]
[Type Master: Grants user compatibility with all 18 Pokémon types. Each bond allows use of the corresponding elemental aura.]
[Current Auras:
– Fire: Beginner
– Normal: Beginner
– Psychic: Adept]
James exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow. He has just made his first friend. The first real friend who might truly understand him.