The morning after the incident, Ash Ketchum and Mina began walking back toward the village without saying a word. Ash wasn't free to travel, and Mina found Ash’s "light" disgusting.
'The Core of the world... huh?' Mina muttered, suddenly awakened by Ditto.
"Boss?" Ditto asked, concerned.
The Ditto, disguised as Ash’s choker, spoke to Mina. Pokémon and trainers could usually communicate loosely even without words, but Mina and her Ditto spoke in a different way.
Eighty percent of Mina's body was composed of experimental Ditto, making their communication almost seamless.
"What's the matter?" Mina said calmly, continuing the conversation.
‘What do you sense? The “contradiction of light”? Or the “core of the world”?’
"It’s hard to explain. But I sense both in him. That guy... the ‘contradiction of light’ feels like looking at a thousand broken barriers through a single crack."
While Ditto and Mina discussed whether Ash could be the Core, Ash, completely unaware, smiled and turned to her.
“Hey, uh... do you mind taking this choker off? I mean, we're friends now, right?”
At that pure and honest request, Mina almost cursed. She wasn’t foolish enough to be deceived by such na?veté.
‘Tighten it. He’s clearly not awake yet,’ she commanded silently to the Ditto.
Though Mina didn’t move, Ditto obeyed her mental command. The choker tightened. Ash grabbed at it, trying to loosen it, but the harder he pulled, the more it choked him.
“All right, all right! I take it back—we're not friends, just—just stop!”
“Don’t ever call me your friend again,” Mina snapped.
“Okay, buddy?”
Mina glared. According to Hex’s records, Ash was the type who would risk his life for a friend. His sincerity might be a weapon, or a weakness.
‘Maybe if I exploit that... I’ve got a good chance at becoming Champion.’
Releasing the choker, Mina forced a smile.
“T.h.e.n. y.o.u’r.e. a. f.r.i.e.n.d, m.y. f.r.i.e.n.d. W.o.w.”
Ash tilted his head. “You don’t have to force it. We'll become friends through the journey, naturally.”
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That revolting positivity made her stomach churn. And yet... something about him reminded her of light struggling through darkness.
---
They returned to the place where Pikachu and Ash had first met in Pallet Town—where their so-called legend began.
“I was late that day,” Ash explained. “So I couldn’t get Charmander, Bulbasaur, or Squirtle. Dr. Oak gave me the troublemaker, Pikachu.”
Mina already knew. Her body remembered. This was where she had met her first Pokémon: Bulbasaur.
“MINA?”
Ash shook her gently. She had been staring at Pallet Town with a faraway, sorrowful look. She snapped out of it quickly.
“How about we say hello to Dr. Oak before we leave?” she said. “It’s polite, and... I owe him.”
She walked ahead slowly, as if familiar with the road. Though the sun was beginning to set, in her mind, the last time she walked this path was morning.
As they approached, Bulbasaur ran out to greet Ash. The moment Mina saw Bulbasaur leap into Ash’s arms, she froze.
‘That Pokémon… it’s Bulbasaur?’
“Mina? Are you okay?”
She didn’t answer. In her mind, she was back to a time when she had embraced her Bulbasaur with joy. Her heart trembled. Her hands clenched.
“Mina?”
“Oh, no! I’m just—” She trailed off, unable to finish.
She had seen many Bulbasaurs in Dark Town. She never reacted to them. But this one... Ash’s Bulbasaur, smiling, welcoming, innocent.
She burst into tears.
Ash didn’t understand. Just yesterday, this girl had threatened his life. Now, she was crying. Quietly, he said:
“I don’t know what Bulbasaur means to you, but... if it helps, you can hold him.”
His Bulbasaur let her embrace him. Mina hugged him tightly and wept, stroking the little sprouts on his back. No words came. Only pain.
And then... she gently placed Bulbasaur down.
She shed tears of blood and swore to herself once more — that she would never grow weak again.
---
Dr. Oak returned from work after Ash had requested a visit. When he saw the girl next to Ash, he froze.
“Guys!”
They sat down. Dr. Oak, still stunned, brought them tea.
“It’s been a long time, Mina. Five years?”
“Yes... a long time, Professor.”
Her forced smile made Ash chuckle awkwardly.
“How have you been? Is Bulbasaur doing well?” Oak asked gently.
“Yes... very well.” Her voice faded near the end.
Oak seemed to realize what had happened. His expression fell. He turned to Ash.
“Ash, could you give us a moment?”
Ash looked puzzled, but nodded. “Sure. I’ll check on my Pokémon.”
As Ash left, the tension rose.
“Who are you?” Oak asked quietly.
She gazed forward with a look more wicked than any villain — and a big smile, like that of a kind child.
“I’m Mina. You know me, right?”
“No... No, you're not. The Mina I knew had life in her eyes. Her hands didn’t smell of blood.”
Her eyes glinted with madness for a second before she burst into a sharp, cruel laugh.
“Ha! Doc, you’re sharp. I didn’t expect you to figure it out so fast.”
Oak wasn’t amused. His face darkened.
“I’m sorry you have to see her in me. But she’s not coming back,” Mina said. “She crossed a river she can’t return from.”
“What have you done to her?”
She pulled a tar-flavored lollipop from her coat and sucked on it in place of a cigarette.
“I don’t know. Maybe... gave her a new life.”
“You... You think that's acceptable?”
Oak’s fists clenched. Mina’s arm transformed instantly—into a blade resembling Zacian’s Sword.
“Stop. Dittos,” she said.
The transformation halted.
“Human life? What would your grandchildren say if they heard that?”
She threw something on the table: her fake Pokédex. Numbered 152.
“I’m the missing piece in Kanto’s Pokédex. Interesting right?”
Oak staggered.
“152...? That’s impossible. How...?”
“It’s simple. My body is made of Ditto. A Pokémon that shouldn’t exist, yet it does.”
Oak raised a fist, trembling—but couldn’t strike her. She laughed again.
“Even now, Doc, you can’t hit me. You value Pokémon more than humans, don’t you?”
Oak didn’t deny it.
Mina grabbed his hand, firm but calm.
“Then help me become Champion of the Kanto/Johto League.”
Oak opened his hand and saw the Pokédex—one he had given her long ago.
She smiled.
“I’m looking forward to your choice, Doc. Will you help me become Trainer Mina again, or expose me to the world? Either way, your move.”
She gazed at Dr. Oak with a look more wicked than any villain — as if she knew the nightfall of this world was about to begin.
