When I woke up my mind was almost completely blank. I looked around and saw that I was in a bed, in a room with several other empty beds. Slowly I began to remember where I was, and then the memories came crashing in. Memories of my mother leaving me, memories of a woman in Team Rocket who hated taking care of me, memories of drowning and thinking I was dead. I curled up in a ball on the blanket and sobbed.
Gradually, the memories began to recede, and I began to try to focus on what I was doing here. It was late at night, Karl was probably asleep and his power over my mind was probably lessening. I started to try to remember less distressing things: winning a Pokemon battle against Mondo's ditto, the Lugia business, getting my Growlithe back... I didn't dare think too much about James; that only reminded me that I didn't know what had happened to him. I looked for my pokeballs. To my surprise, I still had Arbok and the Sonans. The other pokeball had either been lost or taken.
After a while I found I was able to leave my curled-up state and walk. I had to constantly keep my mind on task though. I decided that it was time to confront Karl, and then I could find out what had happened to James and Meowth. I was weak but I wasn't going to get any stronger.
Finally, after a few stops to collect myself and fight the thoughts Karl was putting in my brain, I found the main gym room. Karl was sitting there in a throne-like chair like Sabrina's, staring straight ahead. Beside him stood his Alakazam, and in front of the Alakazam was Meowth. Meowth was spitting and scratching at an imaginary opponent.
Karl turned to look at me. "You fight my mind that well?" he said. "I'm impressed."
I threw my pokeball and shouted for Arbok to attack him. He chuckled, and Arbok went flying across the room into the wall. But I noticed that his control on my mind lessened as he fought Arbok. Sabrina had told the truth, he was powerful but he wasn't unstoppable.
I threw the Pokeball with Sonans, and Karl kept it pressed against the wall also, but clearly it was costing him some effort. But I was out of pokeballs, and I was beginning to wonder what to do next.
From a door in the side the room I could see some of the Karl's blank-eyed followers, staring at us. Karl's mental control over them must have decreased as well. But I still didn't know which of us they were most likely to attack.
Suddenly I heard a noise behind me. I turned and saw James. He was blinking and looked confused but he advanced along the corridor. Karl turned toward him and said "Fear." James sat down suddenly, but he didn't fall unconscious. He took out a Pokeball and threw it, and my Growlithe appeared and ran at Karl.
The Growlithe bit Karl before Karl could stop it. Then Karl, clutching his bleeding hand, called for the Alakazam to fight the Growlithe. But as soon as the Alakazam turned, Meowth jumped at it and gave it a savage fury swipe on the back.
I was calling to the Growlithe to attack Karl again when a gunshot rang out. Karl fell to the ground, and the Alakazam fell at the same time. I saw that one of the followers was holding a gun.
I began to back up slowly, afraid I might be the next one to be shot. Then James called out Victreebell and sent it to stun the gunman and the others. They didn't even move to avoid it, just slipped to the ground. The pokemon stunned Karl and the Alakazam also, then James returned it to the pokeball.
I said something to James and Meowth, something about being happy they were alive, and then went to Karl. I could see he had been shot in the side. He probably wasn't losing enough blood to die, but I couldn't tell what had happened to his internal organs.
I sent James to get some bedding to use as bandages. I used to be a nurse, and I don't think I could just leave a wounded man to die; not even someone like Karl who I would have shot myself. Anyway, I had a strong feeling Sabrina didn't really want her brother dead.
Then I went to find a phone, hoping I could convince the local emergency services to come deal with everything. The emergency operator asked for 20 explanations of the situation. Finally when I offered to drag Karl's bleeding body over to the screen he agreed to send an ambulance.
After the ambulance arrived and everything was in someone else's hands I almost collapsed. I just sat down on the ground outside the gym and cried. James came over when he saw me and clasped my hand. Eventually I stopped crying and looked up at him. "You managed to overcome your fear after all," I said.
He nodded. "I had to," he said simply. "When I found the pokeball with your Growlithe in it, I was afraid for you more than I was of anything else. Are you going to be O.K.?"
"I'm O.K.," I said. "I had to deal with a bunch of memories I didn't want to deal with, but I'll manage."
James nodded. Eventually Meowth came over to us. The Alakazam had tormented him for hours but he seemed to be recovering well. It had mostly controlled Meowth's movements, not his emotions.
"They're taking all the people and pokemon to the hospital. The police want to talk to you but I told them they'd better wait until tomorrow.
We checked into a motel in the nearby town and waited to find out what would happen.