Episode 33:
The Gift

When Icy finally opened his eyes, he saw all his friends gathered around him. What happened, he thought. They were relieved to see his eyes again. Insane, and Icy’s parents helped him up. He was still a Pikachu. Everything about what he had seen was all just some big dream. But why then, did it seem so real to him? Icy had to find the answers somehow and knew just the right person to talk to. He got ready to leave the house when his friends stopped him.

“Icy, wait! Where are you going?” they asked.

“I have to see Sabrina. I need to talk to her about something.” He was already out the door before they could respond. Icy ran towards the gym, dodging people in the street. << I have to find out what those visions were about. >> Finally, he reached the gym.

He didn’t wait for anyone to direct him as he raced sown the hall towards the main gym. He opened the large doors and saw Sabrina taking care of an Abra. “Sabrina! I need to talk with you,” Icy shouted.

Startled by this, Sabrina replied, “What is it Icy? What do you to speak with me about?” She sensed Icy’s anxiety and quickly realized what was going on. “I understand what’s happening to you Icy.”

“You, you do?” Icy moved closer to his former teacher. She recalled the Abra and sat next to Icy.

“Yes Icy. I know exactly what’s going on. Icy, you have a unique, how to put it, talent, that from my knowledge, no one else possesses.”

“What do you mean? What talent?”

“You experienced many visions from the past. They felt real, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then you saw visions that seem to be in the present since they were new to you, correct?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“Please Icy. Don’t insult me.”

“I’m sorry, please continue.”

“These weren’t just images Icy.”

“They weren’t. What do you mean?”

“You were actually in those things you saw. Do you understand?”

“I’m not sure I can. How could I be in those events then all the sudden be in an event that took place months later?”

“You did. You were using this talent, this gift.” The word suddenly sparked Icy’s memory. ‘Gift’ was the word the mysterious voice had said to Icy over and over during the dream.

“But what is this gift?”

“It is an ability called ‘phasing’. It allows one to ‘phase’ in and out of time itself. One of the effects it can have is sending you to a different period of time. That is how you ended up in places from the past.”

“Are you saying I can travel through time?”

“In a sense, but it’s not that simple. Time travel, as far as we know, is generally impossible. But being able to leave time and re-emerge does bring in the possibility.”

“But why couldn’t I stay in one place. The images I saw kept changing from one point in time to another.”

“You haven’t learned to control this ability yet. Maybe I can help you with it.”

“Sabrina, do you have this ability?”

“No Icy. You are the only one. I have heard about it. Many years ago, I did a study on the ancient civilizations that possessed psychic members. It was from that research that I learned about this ability.”

“Oh. What else does phasing do? Is it like teleporting?”

“In a sense, but on a larger scale. When you teleport, you are concentrating your energy to convert itself into pure atoms, then sending them to a new location to be put back together. With phasing, you simply vanished into non-existence for a short period of time.”

“But my friends were with me the whole time and it seemed I was go for hours. But to them, I was only asleep for a few seconds before I woke up.”

“I’m no expert on temporal physics Icy, but did read somewhere that while to an observer, the person seems like they were always there, but the person actually spent many hours in a different point in time. It’s very weird and complicated.”

“Ok. So, how do I use it?”

“Let me think. If I remember correctly, all you need to do is blank your mind of any thoughts. Then use the same techniques you would normally use to teleport.”

“Ahh, I get it. Instead of concentrating on a specific location, I think of nothing.”

“That’s correct. Icy, you shouldn’t over use this ability. Because you are still young and your mind is not strong enough yet, you could be putting yourself at risk.”

“I understand. Does it require a lot of energy to perform?”

“I believe it does. Only another reason to seldom use it. I can’t be certain whether one can be trapped inside the void by mistake.”

“The void?”

“The place that exists outside of time. We call it the void because it represents nothingness.”

“Oh. Thank you Sabrina. I’m off to Lavender Town with my friends.” Before Icy could leave, Sabrina stopped him.

“Hold on. Icy, I think it would be best we kept this a secret until we are both sure what we are dealing with. Team Rocket could be very interested in this if they understood its power. Promise me you won’t repeat anything we said here to anyone, not even your friends or family.”

“Ok Sabrina. I promise.” He ran out the door and headed home. Sabrina went back to caring for the Abra. She wondered if Icy would ever realize the true power that he possessed.

Icy made it home in a matter of minutes. His friends and family were happy to see him. When they asked him what he went to see Sabrina about, he told them it was about tips for battling in the pokémon league. They believed him and got things packed for their journey to Lavender Town. “I hear that the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town is haunted by ghost pokémon,” Insane said.

“Great, maybe we’ll be lucky enough to capture some.” His friends admired his courage as they finished packing.