Tabitha Morgenstein

Tabitha Morgenstein is a character in Pokemon: Indigo Stories, Pokemon: Indigo League Victors and Pokemon: Seasons. She is notable for being on of the top 32 trainers in the 2019/2020 Indigo League Season. She is currently travelling with Ryan Fairchild and her boyfriend, Aiden Kobayashi.

Character

Tabitha is a peppy and optimistic girl; she maintains a positive attitude and is generally cheerful and enthusiastic. She is compassionate, open-minded, and supportive to both her friends and complete strangers. Tabitha may be upbeat and free-spirited, but that doesn't mean you should underestimate her. She is quite intelligent and resourceful, able to use her natural charm and way with people to her advantage when they let their guards down. This can be anything from just making up random shit and trying to make you believe it, to swindling people out of money or clothes (when she's just feeling playful).
Tabitha is friendly and welcoming to strangers, and is quick to give people the benefit of the doubt. She's not a pushover, though, and if you get on her bad side or somehow violate her trust she won't be quick to forgive you. She dislikes people who are selfish or people who don't have a sense of humor about life; people who take things way too seriously drive her nuts.
She is charismatic and very talented at reading people and sussing out what it is they think or want. While most people just see her as a cute, bubbly girl, assuming she doesn't have a lot going on up in her noggin, Tabitha is quite cunning in reality--and she's more than happy to use that to her advantage. Tabitha is known for swindling people out of money or other supplies through clever bets and a remarkable skill at gambling. Aiden has commented that while she doesn't often use this skill to rob people anymore, she still does it to fuck with people sometimes, such as by suggesting something like strip poker and walking away the only person not to have lost a hand. Many people are surprised at this aspect of her personality, but it just goes to show that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
Tabitha is a free-spirit and is confident in herself, her abilities, and her appearance. Tabitha has had a difficult life that has made her tough, resourceful, and self-reliant. She doesn't stress about much. Indeed, Tabitha tends to take most things in stride, generally believing that it's best not to lose yourself worrying about things that you can't change. Things tend to work out if you just keep at it, and if it doesn't then it's probably for the best. This laid-back attitude, combined with her tendency to hope for the best, allows her to make it through extremely dangerous and sometimes terrifying situations with determination and a smile; she may be scared and she may worry for her friends, but she never gives up and always has a smile for someone who needs it.
She is a caring person who has little issue showing affection to others. Tabitha is quick to offer compliments, lending her things, loudly cheering in support of her friends during battles, and so on. She goes out of her way to keep in touch with people regularly, and loves to listen to people talk about their passions--even if she has no earthly idea what they're talking about. Tabitha is definitely a hugger; she hugs her friends (and sometimes people she just met) often, sometimes for no real reason other than she's happy to see them. She's very comfortable with PDA in general; she thinks people expressing love or affection is sweet, and such displays rarely make her uncomfortable. With Aiden, she is often seen holding his hand or leaning against him with her arms wrapped around him. She savors such closeness, finding that connection to be surprisingly intimate. Overall, Tabitha is a physical person when it comes to expressing her affection, and quality time and touch in general are important to her.
Tabitha is a nurturing and loving person. She isn't a "den mother" type, but she tries her best to be helpful, supporting, and compassionate. She'll always volunteer to help with chores, offer an ear if you need to talk, and simply hold your hand and be a shoulder to cry on if you need that. With Aiden, this is even more apparent. She is tender and gentle with him, offering warmth and understanding. She works every day to make sure Aiden knows that he is loved, and wants him to feel happy, comfortable, and most of all safe with her.
Another aspect of this part of her personality is her soft spot for kids. She is extremely protective of children, and one of the quickest ways to drive Tabitha into a rage is to threaten or harm a child. She is a natural caregiver to kids, who are drawn to her bubbly and upbeat personality. She tries to be a role model for them, and gives off a lot of "cool, weird aunt" energy. The best example of this is Tabitha's friendship with Aiden's little sister, Haru; Tabitha adores Haru and the two share a close bond. Haru, in turn, sees Tabitha like a big sister of sorts, and has stated a desire to be like Tabitha. Knowing this, Tabitha really tries to be a good role for the younger girl.
Tabitha had a very difficult past involving addiction and involving herself with bad people. She made a lot of bad decisions that she isn't proud of. While it's extremely painful to think about, Tabitha recognizes that it was that history and those experiences that led her to become the person that she is today. Her compassionate nature is a direct result of those experiences--she knows how hard and unfair and horrible life can be, and she tries to be the kind of person that the younger her needed.
She was homeless for most of her life, and her family lived out of their car in utter destitution. Growing up in an unstable environment was difficult to young Tabitha, who always tried to make the best out of her situation. Due to the fact that she had nothing while growing up--often times not even having the basics like food or access to a shower--Tabitha has a tendency to really appreciate the comforts of life, and likes to have "things". Not to say that she's materialistic, though; the financial security in being able to purchase and own things of her own without having to worry about where her next meal is coming from is important to her. Because of this she has a habit of holding on to things long past the time it would make sense to get rid of them; she has a hard time letting even simple or damaged things go. She has a number of ripped or worn out clothes, old shoes, broken sunglasses, defunct electronics, and mysterious chargers and wires that she keeps "just in case".
This has also given her a slightly skewed sense of money. She knows how little money you actually need to just survive, and as a result she's kinda...bad with it? Unlike many from similar backgrounds, Tabitha does not hoard money but instead tends to splurge on sweets and things she doesn't need; she has a habit of weighing her bag down with candy, mementos and new clothes, and is very susceptible to impulse purchases. However, this also means that Tabitha is extremely generous, especially to her friends. She is happy to loan her friends money or something of hers if they need it, and loves buying people silly little presents, or coffee, or food, or some other tchotchke that reminded her of them. She is also generous with her time; she strongly believes that the only way people can really thrive in the world is through helping each other and community, and so she often lends a hand to others, even strangers.
Tabitha is still a party girl and a free spirit at heart; she lives life the way she wants and with whom she wants, and doesn't sweat the small stuff. She doesn't do drugs anymore but still enjoys drinking, dancing, partying, and playing life fast and loose. Tabitha takes Pokemon Training seriously, of course, but she believes that there isn't much of a point to living life if you don't stop to look around and enjoy it once in a while.

Appearance

Tabitha is an attractive young woman, with a lean build, long legs, and large, expressive pale blue eyes. She is a bit tall for a girl, standing at just under 5'10" (one of the few things she's a little self-conscious about). She has fair skin with a healthy tan from her travels, with freckles across her cheeks and nose. On the bottom of her left wrist, she has a crude tattoo shaped like an asterisk. She's skinny with broad shoulders and a curvy figure. She has a big, warm smile that tends to brighten a room and sends a little glint in her eye.
She has long, thick, brown hair that she usually touches up with color; in Indigo Stories, when she and Aiden first met in Lavender Town and through their adventures in Johto, her hair was dyed blue (with her roots more apparent during the latter story). During Indigo Victors, her hair had bubblegum pink highlights. When she appeared in Pokemon: Seasons, her hair was closer to its natural color with blonde highlights.
Overall, Tabitha dresses in trendy, secondhand clothes. She likes bright, pastel colors, especially pink and yellow. She favors clothes that accentuate her features but are still comfortable and easy to move in. She likes to feel cute and often wears things like a bow or ribbon in her hair, or a colorful bracelet, and so on. She also tends to favor sleeveless shirts and tank tops, usually worn under a jacket or button-up shirt.
Her main outfit is a denim jacket covered in pins, worn over a pastel yellow sleeveless t-shirt with a black skirt and ratty sneakers. During the Reversal Mountain arc in Pokemon: Seasons, she wore a black tank top and denim shorts, with her denim jacket tied around her waist.
When going clubbing or doing something that requires her to gussy up a little, Tabitha has a pink party dress that she wears with either her sneakers or a pair of heels that she legitimately carries around with her (depending on the context or not).
Her pajamas in Indigo Stories and Indigo Victors were a black tank-top and cute pink shorts. As of Pokemon: Seasons, Tabitha's pajamas amount to one of Aiden's t-shirts that she stole and yellow shorts.
Tabitha wears jewelry, but nothing terribly ostentatious. Mostly just bracelets and "fun" earrings; things she thinks are cute. Too much jewelry is tacky, she feels, but there's nothing wrong with having a little bit of fun, right?

History

^{Main Article: Detailed History (Tabitha Morgenstein)}

Pre-Series

Tabitha was born in Silver Town, Kanto, but spent much of her childhood in Rocky Village, a suburb of Silver Town. Her parents were lifelong drug addicts, and were ill-equipped to raise a child. Despite a few attempts over the years to try to get clean and be a "real family", it never stuck.
Tabitha's childhood was tumultuous; it lacked any real sense of safety or stability. She and her parents constantly broke up and got back together, and would move between Rocky Village and Silver Town at least once or twice a year. Most of their money was spent on drugs. This meant that when they DID have a little money, it went toward drugs. Despite the occasionally stay in a hotel or a local shelter, they lived out of their car and survived thanks to the kindness of strangers.
Through this utter destitution, Tabitha still managed to get by. She tried to look on the bright side of things, and tried to keep a positive attitude. She didn't go to school consistently, but during the periods where she could go she found it to be a safe and stable place. Even though she regularly switched schools due to her family's tendency to move around, it was still a sort of sanctuary for her. While she proved to be smart and determined, though her home life meant that she still didn't get great marks in school.
She didn't do well socially. She was cheerful and friendly, but many other kids stayed clear of her; she was homeless and "smelled like outside", not to mention that her parents had a reputation around town as known "Druggies". Her one friend during this was named Quinton Pear. They were inseparable through most of elementary school, even when they weren't going to the same school; whenever she and her family were in Rocky Village, Tabitha would stay over at Quinton's house. His parents were compassionate, understanding her situation, and welcomed her any time she needed. They offered help more than once, with Tabitha always refusing.
Since she was a kid, Tabitha has loved listening to DJ Mary on the radio. Considering how much time she and her family spent in the car (they lived there) she tuned in to the show nearly every night. It was one of the few luxuries she had. When she was nine years old, Tabitha actually managed to call in and told DJ Mary about how she wanted to have Pokemon some day.
"That's exciting. What kind of Pokemon do you want, then?" asked DJ Mary.
"I don't know...something cute. But there's not many cute Pokemon where I live; the Pokemon here are so chunky."
"Chunky? What does that mean, Tabby?" DJ Mary asked with a chuckle.
"Chunky. Big and rough, like rocks and stuff. There should be a pink one with a floral pattern!"
There WAS a Pokemon like that, of course, and DJ Mary told her all about Munna. Nine year old Tabitha squealed with delight! The clip would become a minor viral hit for a while, and it's still circulated around a bit today (mostly to express how dumb the current generation is).
The older she got, though, the more difficult life became. She ran away from her parents right before she turned 14, and to survive after that she did what she had to in order to survive. She fell in with a group of other homeless teenagers, led by a guy named Nathan and his sister, Kendra. They took her in, giving her a sense of family and belonging that she'd always craved. She dropped out of school soon after. Despite swearing she'd never touch the kind of drugs her parents had wasted their lives with, Tabitha found them to be a welcome escape from the struggle to survive she endured day in and day out, and would slide into addiction herself.
Tabitha was especially close to Kendra; she was two years older than Tabitha and was cool, tough, and street smart. Kendra often stuck up for Tabitha, who in turn developed a fierce loyalty to her. They would quickly begin a fairly tumultuous relationship. They were both passionate people and they would often argue, shout, break up, and eventually get back together. In the meantime, Tabitha couch surfed and found comfort wherever she could. But no matter what happened, Tabitha would always go back to her.
Drugs are expensive. In order to keep up the habit, Tabitha needed money. Nobody would hire a homeless teenager, though, so had to take up stealing it instead. She wasn't a pickpocket, however. Instead she got money through street cons: sweet-talking, swindling, sleight of hand, and hustles. She got very good at it, too: Tabitha was cute and played up being a ditzy girl, so people always underestimated her. By the time she walked away with someone's wallet and a wad of cash they barely knew what had hit them.
In December of 2018, when she was 15, Tabitha and Kendra had broken up rather explosively (as was the norm), and while she was out looking for marks she happened to run into Quinton's parents doing holiday shopping. They were just as warm and compassionate as she remembered, and somehow, Mr. Pear could tell that she was using. While she initially denied it, she quickly broke down into tears. The Pears offered to take her in and help her get clean. She was still a friend of their family, and they missed her after nearly two years.
Tabitha was resistant, but something about Mr. and Mrs. Pear was comfortable. Given that she had nowhere else to go, really, she relented and accepted the help. It lasted about two weeks--and she really did try to get clean. Withdrawlas hit her hard, and she secretly pawned some of the Pears stuff to get enough money to buy "just enough to get by". She and Quinton reconnected, despite a slightly awkward start, and she ended up getting physical with him. But he inevitably found the drugs in her coat pocket and confronted her about it. She suggested they use together, and Quinton refused (of course). They fought about it, and it came out where she'd gotten the money.
Ashamed and angry, Tabitha stormed out, only to come back later to steal more stuff to pawn before going back to Kendra and the others, and falling right back into the lifestyle. During the next few months, she'd go with Kendra and the others to break into cars and steal their radios--or whatever else they found that they could sell. She learned how to hotwire a car from Brick, one of the other guys in the group. When Tabitha and Kendra broke up next, Tabitha actually ended up hooking up with Brick and Kendra lost her shit and kicked Tabitha out. That last about a week and a half before Tabitha wound up back with the group.
In early July of 2019 she was busted for one of her street hustles and taken in to the local station. It wasn't her first time being picked up, technically, but it would be a moment that changed her life. She was in holding for a few days. Between her erratic withdrawal fits, the officer who booked her would talk to her. He wanted to understand why a smart kid like her would be involved in the kind of stuff she was doing.
"I'm not smart." she said but the cop didn't buy it.
"Tell that to the people you swindled. You show a lot of resourcefulness, Miss Morgenstein, and a lot of creativity. Sure, you're applying it to the wrong things--but that doesn't mean that it isn't there."
Tabitha was initially resistant, given the fact that she hated cops, but he eventually got her to be real with him and they ended up talking for a long time. Recognizing that there was a lot of potential in her, the cop let her go--but before she left, he told her to think about what they talked about, and that she was capable of a lot more than the life she was living.
"There's a better life out there, Tabitha. All you gotta do is reach for it."
That would end up sticking with her, but it didn't settle in right away. She went right back to Kendra and the others. After two weeks, they were all just sitting in a Woopies. Brick and his sister Jade were going to try to earn some money through Battling. Brick had an Onix and Jade had a Munna. Se was cruel to it, describing how she'd kick it and yell to get it to try to fight for her. Tabitha lost it; she slapped Jade and screamed at her in the middle of the Woopie's, accusing Jade of being an "abusive bitch" who "didn't deserve a sweet and gentle" Pokemon like Munna. Kendra and Nathan broke up the fight.
That night, on impulse, Tabitha snuck into Jade's room and stole Munna. As she held Munna's Poke Ball there in that room, she found herself thinking about that phone call to DJ Mary. Her old dream of traveling, catching cute Pokemon, and making friends. She thought about the kindness of the Pears and the words of the police officer.
There was a better life out there. She just needed to reach for it.
So she packed a bag, stole the coffee can where she and Kendra pooled their money together, and left without saying a word an hour before dawn. She didn't know where she was going or what she was doing, but it was time to make a change. She found herself at the bus station, bought a ticket for Mulberry Town, and never looked back.

Indigo Stories

Tabitha made the decision to follow her old dream and became an actual Pokemon Trainer after that. She would catch a Meowth, a Burmy, and Hoothoot outside of Mulberry Town. She proved to have an actual talent for battling, earning her Blank Badge on the first try. Collecting badges became her goal. It gave her something to work toward and got her mind off of drugs and her old life. She worked hard, transforming herself into someone healthier and more compassionate than she'd been.
She hopped on a train to Cerulean City after that with the aim to get the Cascade Badge. She caught a Pikachu here, and with his help she earned her Cascade Badge. More adventures followed as she took a train to Vermillion City, where she befriended Barnabas "the Heartbreaker" Rhames (it wasn't a romantic thing at all). They traveled together briefly, though Barnabus ended up falling for a girl at the Rainbow Gym and stayed behind in order to pursue that. So she continued her journey by herself, traveling east until she arrived in Lavender Town.
With her current gym options, she came to realization that Silver Town would be her best bet. She could try the Midnight Gym but she knew that between Raichu and some of her other Pokemon, the flying-type Aero Gym were her best bet. Around Halloween, she went to the Pokemon Tower to pay her respects to fallen Pokemon. While she was there, it was attacked and taken over by criminals known as Team Rocket; their grunts were spread throughout the place. The channelers and sages on-site commented how the attack was stirring the spirits there to anger: things were going to get very bad if they weren't stopped soon.
Enraged at this injustice, Tabitha called upon a well of courage she didn't know that she had and decided that she had to do something about it. She snuck upstairs to the next level of the Tower, doing her best to creep past the Rockets--though she found four of them who had ganged up on and were basically just bullying a young Cubone. Tabitha confronted them, but there were four of them and they were stronger than she was. Fortunately, she was saved by the arrival of another trainer who had an idea to hers--Aiden Kobayashi. He was intense and angry and aggressive--they quickly found that neither of them liked the other. But they worked well together when they handled the quartet of grunts--even if she didn't exactly approve of how he broke that one dude's arm. Tabitha would bring the little Cubone along with them, unwilling to just let him wander around by himself and maybe get hurt again. They would be attacked soon after by a cloud of angry spirits, led by a vicious and violent ghost of unknown origin. Aiden was able to lead them to a Purified space where they could catch their breath, and they exchanged what they knew. Tabitha had overheard that the Rockets had a hostage at the top level, and Aiden had dealt with Team Rocket before. Tabitha reluctantly suggested that they team up in order to clear the back guys out of the Tower. Aiden initially refused, but Tabitha convinced him that they'd have a better chance doing it together then they would alone.
Together, they would ascend the tower. Tabitha and Aiden would discover the angry, violent ghost that had been attacking them was the spirit of a Marowak who had been murdered by Team Rocket while trying to protect its child--the Cubone Tabitha had been caring for. Tabitha reached out to the ghost, offering it sympathy and compassion and reunited it with her baby, allowing the Marowak's spirit to pass on. At the top of the Tower, Tabitha and Aiden would defeat the Rocket Agents ultimately in charge of the attack---ending with Aiden delivering an actual, physical beating that left the lead agent bloodied and unconscious. Tabitha knew she should feel horrified by the display, but she couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for a monster like that.
Mr. Fuji, the hostage, profusely thanked them both. The two were pure of heart, he said, and he felt they were trustworthy enough to bring one of the orphaned Pokemon he had been looking after with him. She chose the Cubone she had been caring for and Aiden would take a stubborn, unruly, and aggressive Galarian Zigagoon.
Afterward, Tabitha once more suggested that they stick together--at least as far as Silver Town. Aiden once more refused, but Tabitha managed to convince him that they'd probably make it farther by working together than sticking it out alone. They were a pretty good team back at the Pokemon Tower, right? Aiden reluctantly accepted. She wasn't sure why she wanted to stick with Aiden. He was arrogant and mean, but he was also a little strange; Aiden different from other people. Through their adventure in the Pokemon Tower Tabitha could tell there was something more to him than it appeared on the surface--and Tabitha knew a thing or two about judging books by their cover.
The journey through Rock Tunnel was fucking miserable, though. Aiden was an asshole; he rarely spoke, and when he did he was terse or rude. He didn't hide his disdain or impatience toward her, and he seemed to be trying to ignore her most of the time. So in general, it was extremely awkward and silent most days. Worse still was that the more Tabitha saw of Aiden's training methods, the more angry she got; Tabitha felt that Aiden was being unfair and even kind of mean to his Pokemon. She tried to intervene, and it would become a sore point and something they argued about more than once. He barely even carried food, which Tabitha thought weird and irresponsible; he subsisted off of fucking crackers and applesauce. Tabitha sighed; he probably spent it all on Vitamins to beef up his Pokemon. Or maybe he spent it on protein shakes.
By the time they arrived in Silver Town, Tabitha had come to doubt her initial impressions about Aiden. Maybe he really was just as rude, impatient, arrogant, and mean as he appeared; sometimes even total jerks did good deed. Tabitha was prepared to split--she'd been preparing an excuse to just ditch him for the last day and a half--but had second thoughts after Aiden's mother invited her for tea. Unwilling to be rude to such a nice lady, Tabitha agreed with the intention of just sort of peacing out afterward. Aiden's mother seemed like such a kind-hearted and polite woman, and Tabitha found herself wondering how someone so goddamn sweet could have a son who was such a goddamn jackass.
Life works in weird ways. Tabitha would start to discover that, as that afternoon completely re-contextualized everything she thought she knew about Aiden Kobayashi. He was terse and short and kind of rude, sure, but he was a caring son who insisted on doing dishes and helping his mother around the house without being asked. Aiden was a doting brother to a disabled kid sister, the kind of big brother who smiled like an idiot while he played with her and introduced her to all of his Pokemon. He lived on next to nothing and subsisted on meager food so that he could give all of the prize money he'd earned through his journey to his family. Aiden was hellbent on getting stronger, but he did so because he was so desperate to try to help his sister and improve her life.
Tabitha felt humbled by these revelations. Over the course of a three hour visit, Tabitha just got it. Her respect for Aiden shot up, and watching him with his sister allowed her to see the real, human part of him. She liked that part of him, she found. His mother would invite her to stay awhile, and she accepted the invitation--partly to be polite, partly because she really liked the Kobayashi's, and partly because it'd mean less of a chance of running into anybody in town that she knew.
She got to know the family more, and became close with Haru, Aiden's sister. She became more friendly with Aiden, too, and started shrugging off his coldness as she continued her efforts to actually befriend him. She would playfully tease him, pushing his buttons just enough to have a little fun, but never enough to really upset him. She cheered Aiden on with his family as he fought for his Aero Badge. Her match with Wendy was right after, and she'd lose that battle despite giving it a real shot. She'd hoped Raichu would be enough to get the win, but she should have predicted Wendy would be ready for it.
Tabitha actually took the loss kind of hard. Something about being back in Silver Town and losing to her hometown gym leader was making her feel very emotional. Aiden came to her then and offered to help her train for a rematch. Tabitha found the gesture odd. He'd never offered to help her with anything--he barely acknowledged her existence and she was sleeping in his mom's guestroom. She accepted and Aiden would prove to have excellent insight. Tabitha was a good trainer and a clever battler, but she relied too much on "her gut" and conventional wisdom. Aiden helped her devise a strategy that Wendy wouldn't see coming. When she returned to the gym, Tabitha surprised her by not relying on Raichu, but instead on Cherrim--the clear Wendy's rainy weather conditions brought by Pelipper--then Noctowl to use status effects and aerial maneuvers to soften her up, and finally Cubone and a combination of Smack Down and Bonemarang to secure her victory. Tabitha earned her Aero Badge and gave Aiden a big, happy hug and thanked him for all of his help.
By then she was ready to leave Silver Town--too many bad memories, and she was lucky that Kendra and the others hadn't heard that she'd come back yet. Aiden was going to spend some time with his family, though, and politely declined her offer of them sticking together. She understood, though she maaaay have been a little disappointed, and exchanged numbers with him. With a last hug and a goodbye to Aiden and his family, Tabitha carried on by herself again with the intention of fighting Sabrina next.
Only a couple weeks would pass, though, before Aiden contacted her again; she hadn't even made it to Saffron City when Aiden called and invited her to join him and his family on a trip to Johto. He was going to fight in a tournament and then spend Thanksgiving in Ecruteak City with his family. There were six tickets, and Aiden asked if she wanted to go. She happily accepted, and met with Aiden, his family, and Aiden's other friend; a bugcatcher named Ryan. She grew closer to Aiden over the course of that trip, and was able to find out more about him and humanize him further. He was a good person under that gruff exterior, and during their stay in Ecruteak City, she realized that she had legitimately fallen for him.
Of course, things ended up going sideways; Haru would be kidnapped by a cult hoping to raise an ancient Spiritomb and summon an age of darkness. Tabitha would help Aiden, Ryan, and Henri the Hex Maniac in stopping the cult and saving Haru. Tabitha fought with everything she had, and she got a pretty nasty scar along her collarbone and her lip from one of the cultists. She and her friends would prevail by the end. Tabitha gave Aiden a kiss--like a real kiss--and teased him that he "really was a hero", and added that it "looked good on him".
Back in Kanto, Tabitha had secretly hoped that Aiden and Ryan would want to stick together. But they all had different destinations, different goals, and were at different points in their journeys. Leaving together wasn't realistic if they were all planning to go to the League. So they parted ways, though not before she gave Aiden a last kiss and told him that she looked forward to "kicking his butt" at the Indigo Plateau.

Indigo League Victors

Tabitha would reunite with Aiden and Ryan at the Indigo Plateau, and was extremely excited that they'd all be staying on the same floor of the Competitor's Lodge. They spent some time together before the Team Rocket attack on the opening ceremonies. Tabitha and Aiden would find each other in the frenzy, both of them helping to fight off the Rockets. They would both be among the Eleven that ended up stopping Ares once he took to the field with the Smokescreen.
Tabitha, Ryan, and Aiden would all make it to the Top 32. She coached Aiden and Ryan both on how to talk to the press--or at least, she tried to coach them. Aiden was...well, Aiden and Ryan was...he was Ryan.
Unfortunately, both Tabitha and Ryan would be eliminated in the Top 32, though Aiden would move on. Both were in the stands, sitting with Aiden's mom and sister to cheer him on during his Top 16 match against Corrin Grey. It was an extremely tough fight, and it was close, but in the end Aiden would lose to Corrin. Everybody was sad for him, of course, and Aiden played it off that he was fine. But Tabitha could tell he was lying, and she showed up to his room that night with a bottle of vodka she'd swiped from a local liquor store to talk to him. He was resistant, refusing at first, but Tabitha simply insisted that she could tell he was really upset.
"You put everything into this, and you lost. It's normal if you feel like shit right now--I get it. I know that you're trying to be strong for your mom and for Haru. I understand. But...it's me, big guy; I'm your friend, whether you like it or not. You don't have to go through this alone."
Aiden would let her in and they would talk. Aiden showed real vulnerability and honesty, and her heart broke for him. She would eventually pull him into a hug, just so he could feel like he wasn't alone. After a few quiet moments, she kissed him passionately, and he kissed her right back. Everything was right with the world.
The next morning, Tabitha told Aiden how she felt.
"I'm kinda, sorta crazy about you." she said with a big grin. She felt like she could explode from the happy thrill she felt when he returned the feelings. Ryan celebrated when she told him later, and cried happy tears for his two best friends who were in love. Tabitha giggled; Ryan was so weird but she adored him. The three of them and Aiden's family would stick together for the remainder of the conference and watch the rest of the Indigo League together.
After the closing ceremonies, Ryan announced that while he had planned to go back to Rako Village after the Conference, he didn't actually feel like he was...ready for that yet. He had a lot to learn. So...he was going to do another League. Maybe Unova? He asked Aiden and Tabitha to go with him. Tabitha agreed pretty much right away, and Aiden agreed as well--he would go and act as Ryan's coach: he would train Ryan to become a true warrior. The three of them would officially travel together---she couldn't be happier.
They would spend the next two months preparing for that journey; Tabitha stayed with Aiden and his family in Silver Town (she promised Haru that she'd visit after the Indigo Conference after all). She happily wiled away the days with Aiden, occasionally entering tournaments with him (and sometimes without him) to train and earn as much money as they could for their upcoming journey.
As was tradition for many trainers, Tabitha suggested that they all start their new journey through Unova with a new team and bring only one Pokemon with them. Aiden simply said he'd go without any Pokemon at all. Tabitha would bring one of the Meowth kittens fathered by her Persian (leaving one of the others with Haru), and Ryan would bring one of his four additional Butterfree.

Seasons

Tabitha would go to Unova with Aiden and Ryan about a week before the start of the 2020/2021 Season. They would begin their journeys in Castelia City, and Aiden would insist that Ryan train for a good while before going to get his first badge. They would travel north, through the badlands and desert, up to Route 05. Then they traveled back again, having numerous adventures along the way. After only a brief respite in Castelia, they would go into the Pinwheel Forest, where they'd have a few more adventures.
In early July, though, Ryan would get a call from an old friend named Mige Fjord. There had been an emergency: a volcanic eruption, and people were trapped. Of course, the three of them would answer the call to help and did so immediately. It would be Tabitha who would get them onto a train loaded with press and aid supplies and bound for Lentimas Town. Once there, they would quickly discover there was much more to the eruption than they had thought...

Relationships

^{Main Article: Relationships (Tabitha Morgenstein)}
Tabitha is friendly, cool, enthusiastic, cheerful, empathetic, and fun. She makes friends easily, and has a special knack for putting people at ease. She can seemingly break through even the most stubborn bastard's emotional walls, given a little time, and in return she is equally honest and open with others.
She loves social gatherings and parties, thriving in such environments. She drinks and parties hard, though she's determined to keep off of the drugs. Tabitha loves having a good time and is impulsive, especially when she's drunk. She loves to dance and drink, even with complete strangers, but can also chill enough to have long, rambling conversations with whoever. Her favorite people tend to be people who are extremely passionate about something. This is easily seen in some of her best friends, such as Ryan and his love of bugs and drive to become a real hero, but it's also seen in her boyfriend Aiden (if not quite as obvious). He's passionate about his training, passionate about maintaining honor, and passionate about the love he has for his family.
Romantically, Tabitha has a complicated history. She's never been shy about physical intimacy, but emotionally had a bit of difficulty opening up. Her parents weren't the healthiest example for her, and she followed a lot of their toxic examples for a long time. With Aiden, though, things are different. She's just as expressive and affectionate as she normally would be, but there's a deeper emotional intimacy that she's never experienced with anybody else.

Pokemon

Tabitha is a talented trainer; she proved to have a knack for raising Pokemon and battling early on, and she worked very hard and dedicated in an effort to keep herself clean. She only trains Pokemon that she has a connection with. She doesn't go out of her way to evolve her Pokemon, only doing so when they show a desire to do so. Her relationship with her Pokemon is one of mutual trust and understanding, and never pushing her Pokemon farther than they can or want to go.

On Hand

Meowth (M)	Woobat (F)	Sawk (M)
Cottonee (F)

In the PC

While Tabitha likely has other Pokemon in the PC, the following are the Pokemon she used during the 2020 Indigo League Conference, and thus are the only ones currently known.

• Munna
• Persian
• Marowak
• Raichu
• Cherrim
• Noctowl
• Mothim
• Vulpix

Achievements

Kanto Badges

This is a listing of the Badges Tabitha has obtained in the Kanto region:

• Blank Badge
• Cascade Badge
• Thunder Badge
• Rainbow Badge
• Marsh Badge
• Aero Badge
• Midnight Badge
• Volcano Badge

Pokemon League Rankings

Tabitha has competed in the following Pokemon League Conferences:

• Indigo Plateau Conference (Top 32)

Pokemon Competitions

• 2020 First Annual Bolkstoff Bash (Top 8)

Appearances

^{Main Article: Complete List of Appearances (Tabitha Morgenstein)}
Tabitha has appeared four episodes of Indigo League Stories, which is the series where she was introduced. Despite not being featured, or even having a speaking role, she does appear in every episode of Indigo League Victors.
Tabitha has also appeared in the Reversal Mountain arc of Pokemon: Seasons, and is slated to appear in the next arc.

Trivia

• Tabitha's favorite famous personality is DJ Mary. Tabitha's taste for pastels is actually because of DJ Mary's own style.
• Tabitha is bisexual.
• She claims that she received her original Munna from DJ Mary as a gift when she turned 15 as a throwback to their radio talk. This is, of course, a lie.
• Tabitha has strong Fiore heritage, given that both of her parents are Fiore immigrants to Kanto. This includes the origin of her last name. She is also fluent in the Fiorian language, as that was the main language spoken by her family.
• She carries both her and Aiden's phones--though since his phone is shitty she usually has him use hers. Aiden refers to Tabitha's phone as "The Phone". She doesn't mind of course, but she has been trying to get Aiden to upgrade to a phone that was made post-2003.
• Tabitha is directly based off of an NPC from the Kanto era games and their remakes who can be found outside of Rock Tunnel and talking about wanting a Pink Pokemon with floral patterns. Specifically, she's based off of this person:

Tabitha

Full Name: Tabitha Alexis Morgenstein
Nicknames: Tabby (Haru, Ryan), Tabs (Ryan), Bubbles (Felicity)
Birthday: July 31st, 2003 (17)
Hometown: Rocky Village, Kanto
Eye Color: Pale Blue
Hair Color: Brown (Blonde Highlights)
Height: 5'09"
Relatives:
Chester Morgenstein (Father)
Heather Morgenstein (Mother)
Blood Type: B+
Occupation: Pokemon Trainer
First Appearance: The Lavender Fiasco
Status: Alive