I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Free Members will get 10 Chapters Ahead of the schedule on Patreon!!!
Link: Patreon.com/AVRKingsTL
—------------------—
As the curtain slowly opened, Sabrina's true appearance was revealed to the three.
Her long purple hair cascaded down, her delicate face was unadorned, her willow-like eyebrows were long and slender, her nose was small, her lips thin, and her crimson eyes, while intimidating, also held a unique charm and allure.
Sabrina wore a tight-fitting red and black dress. Her full chest pushed up the red top, and below her slender waist, the knee-length skirt hugged her equally full hips.
Black sheer stockings encased her long and well-proportioned legs.
In front of her, a small girl clutching a doll was pressed tightly against Sabrina's towering chest, creating a slight indentation.
She was a remarkably beautiful woman, but unfortunately, there was no trace of a smile on her face. The expression on her entire face could only be described with two words: ice-cold!
It was said that Sabrina was only sixteen or seventeen years old, but she looked more like a mature older sister. However, even Brock, who was obsessed with older sisters, felt no increase in his heart rate upon seeing Sabrina; instead, he shivered all over.
The pressure she exuded was simply too strong, so powerful that Brock couldn't entertain any thoughts.
Although Ash was somewhat surprised by her appearance, he was not someone easily swayed by looks. He hadn't forgotten the scene in the Gym earlier, where the masked man nearly suffocated in agony under Sabrina's Psychic power, indicating that her temperament was as cold as her exterior.
She was an extremely difficult person to get along with.
Yet, at the same time, Ash felt that the way she looked at him was a bit off. It seemed to be… the gaze of a kindred spirit?
Ash shook his head, chasing away that strange illusion from his mind, then turned to Misty, who was still holding his arm, and said, "Misty, I'm about to go up."
"Ah? Oh, oh... I'm sorry, I completely forgot." Misty was startled for a moment, then instantly realized she was still holding Ash's arm. Her face flushed red as she released his hand and moved behind him.
The pressure Sabrina exerted was simply too strong; even breathing seemed to require extra effort in her presence. That's why Misty had held Ash's arm even tighter, refusing to let go.
However, when Misty retreated behind Ash, for some reason, the pressure from Sabrina seemed to lessen significantly, almost disappearing.
She looked at Ash's back, which wasn't broad but was very reliable, and realized the reason.
After Ash had Misty step back, his Aura slowly rose, blocking the faint pressure emanating from Sabrina. At the same time, he stepped forward onto the arena and took out Gastly's Poké Ball.
"Ash from Pallet Town, here to challenge."
"You are a monster, just like me." Sabrina did not immediately respond to Ash's challenge. Instead, she slowly parted her red lips and spoke, astonishing everyone present.
Ash's face darkened at her words. To call him a monster right off the bat, what kind of person was this?
"No, have I met you before for you to call me a monster? Can you even talk? If not, then don't!"
"I've seen you in Future Sight." Sabrina's voice remained calm and emotionless, but her words greatly surprised all three present.
She had seen Ash in Future Sight?
The kind of Future Sight that could see the future was completely different from the Future Sight of a Pokémon.
Typically, Future Sight is a move Pokémon use to store future attacks; it doesn't actually predict the future.
But from Sabrina's words, her Future Sight seemed to genuinely be able to predict the future!
Was this also a form of Psychic power application?
Ash seemed to understand why she called him a monster like herself.
One was an anomaly in Aura, the other an anomaly in Psychic power. Both of them had taken these two abilities to extraordinary levels.
The Aura in Pokémon would not have the same versatility as Ash's application of Aura.
Similarly, the Psychic power in Pokémon couldn't achieve the same future prediction as Sabrina.
"I wonder if your Future Sight saw me win or lose."
"I didn't see the outcome of the battle. This is the first time I've been unable to fully predict the future. I only know that you, like me, are an anomaly, so... I'm very interested in you."
Misty: ???
Woman! Watch your words!!
Misty's gaze towards Sabrina instantly turned hostile. No matter how cold Sabrina was, or how expressionless, it didn't change the fact that she was a woman, and a beautiful one at that!
She just had a peculiar and cold personality.
When a woman of this caliber said such things to Ash, and was also a special ability user like Ash, Misty instantly felt a sense of unease and vigilance.
Brock's expression beside them also became very strange. Come to think of it, Ash's luck with women really wasn't bad...
"I'm actually quite interested in you too, but now is battle time. Let's hear the rules." Ash's 'interest' was purely in Sabrina's Psychic power.
However, hearing this made Misty even more displeased...
Sabrina slowly floated down from the main seat behind the curtain and stood on the battleground. A Poké Ball quietly appeared beside her.
"One-on-one. Whoever's Pokémon faints first loses. If I lose, I'll give you the Saffron Gym Badge, but if you lose, you have to stay here and play with me."
Misty: ???
What is wrong with this woman?! She couldn't really be interested in Ash, could she?!
This was only her first time meeting Ash. Was Ash's charm really that great?
Ash was also somewhat surprised by Sabrina's request. It was said before that losing to Sabrina would have a terrifying outcome. Was this outcome to play with Sabrina? That outcome didn't seem particularly terrifying!
Although Sabrina was a bit cold, had a strong oppressive Aura, and seemed a little ruthless, besides that, she was actually a peerless beauty. Playing with her shouldn't be considered a terrifying thing, right?
"...Let me ask, what kind of game do you want me to play with you? Video games?" Ash had originally wanted to agree readily, but he felt something was off, so he still asked the question.
"It's a game."
"Oh, just a game, then of course, no problem. Even if I lose, I can play with you. But are you that bored? Do you need challengers to play games with you?" Hearing it was a game, Ash readily agreed.
At the same time, he also felt that Joy and Professor Oak seemed to have exaggerated a bit. How could the Saffron Gym be so terrifying? It was just playing a game with a girl with a cold expression. Was that considered terrifying?
"Is that so? Then you'll have to turn into a doll and stay to play with me."
Ash: ???
As soon as Sabrina said that, everyone instantly felt a chilling sensation. What the heck, turn into a doll and play with you! Is what you're playing legitimate?
Ash even cast his gaze towards the doll in Sabrina's hand, but he didn't detect any Aura from it.
This also indicated that the doll in Sabrina's hand was not a transformed human, which somewhat relieved Ash.
Although he didn't know what 'turning into a doll' meant, it definitely wasn't anything good.
This was probably what Joy and Professor Oak had talked about: the inhumane treatment one would suffer after failing to challenge the Saffron Gym, the truth about the Saffron Gym that everyone feared.
"When I said 'play,' I meant normal games, not turning into a doll to play with you. For that kind of thing, you should find someone else." Ash instantly denied what he had just said.
Such nonsense as 'even if I win, I'll play with Sabrina' naturally couldn't be taken seriously.
Damn it, he thought it was just normal games, or Pokémon battles. Who would have thought it meant being turned into a doll by her!
"Ash! You have to win!!"
"You absolutely cannot lose, Ash!!"
Misty and Brock behind Ash also cheered him on. If Ash really were turned into a doll, it was truly unimaginable how he would be played with by her!
"The rule is one-on-one, sudden death. As the Gym Leader, I'll send out my Pokémon first." Sabrina didn't respond to Ash's words. Instead, she had a Poké Ball float beside her, then it shot onto the field.
The Poké Ball burst open, and a golden Pokémon appeared on the field.
"Kadabra!!"
The Pokémon looked like a fox, with a five-pointed star on its forehead, two whiskers extending from its mouth, a large tail swaying behind it, and a spoon in its hand.
A Psychic-type Pokémon, Kadabra!
Upon seeing that Sabrina's Pokémon was Kadabra, Misty and Brock instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.
Sometimes, whether a Pokémon has evolved or not indicates its strength.
Generally speaking, Pokémon that haven't evolved to their final form aren't too powerful. Pokémon that haven't evolved but reached the peak are, after all, only a minority.
Especially for Gym Leaders, powerful Pokémon have usually already evolved to their peak. For example, Brock had a fully evolved Golem when he was at the Pewter Gym, and its strength had already reached Professional Level.
So, normally, if a Pokémon's level is high enough, it will evolve to its final stage.
Since the battle hadn't started yet, neither of them could tell the level of this Kadabra, but they assumed it shouldn't exceed Professional Level.
If it was a Pokémon of that level, Ash should be able to handle it.
Come to think of it, Sabrina also looked quite young. Although her figure and other aspects resembled a mature older sister, based on Brock's experience, her age shouldn't exceed twenty, most likely around eighteen.
At eighteen, without inheriting her parents' Pokémon, having Professional Level strength was already quite impressive.
However, compared to the rumored strength of the Saffron Gym, this strength still felt a bit off.
After all, the Saffron Gym was hailed as one of the four great Gyms of Kanto, and its strength was definitely Elite Four level.
Perhaps this wasn't Sabrina's main Pokémon... Brock thought to himself.
However, compared to the relieved Misty and Brock, Ash's expression became incredibly solemn upon seeing Kadabra.
The strength of this Kadabra... it's Elite Four level!
And it's not just newly Elite Four level; its strength has already reached mid-Elite Four level!
As expected of the Saffron Gym, hailed as one of the four great Gyms. Its strength is indeed not to be underestimated... No, this isn't just 'not to be underestimated'; what the hell, an Elite Four level Pokémon? How do you expect others to fight that?!
Normally, the Saffron Gym Badge should be impossible to get. Who the hell challenges a Gym and fights an Elite Four level Pokémon?!
There's a reason why no one has ever taken the Saffron Gym Badge!
Let alone new Trainers, how many veteran Trainers can fight an Elite Four level Pokémon?
Elite Four level is already one of the most top-tier existences in this world!
Appearing in a Gym is a foul among fouls! Not to mention, the opponent isn't just an ordinary Elite Four level Pokémon!
If he hadn't caught Gastly, Ash truly felt like he would explode just by looking at the Saffron Gym!
Unless he went himself, otherwise, how would the Pokémon he had before fight the Saffron Gym?
"It's decided! Gastly, I choose you!"
"Ka!"
With a flash of light, the eerie Gastly appeared on the field.
"Hehehe, is this opponent a little girl this time? Oh ho, this little girl is quite pretty. So you wanted to catch me just to fight this little girl, huh? Heh, you know, this little girl has unfathomable Psychic power within her. She's quite like you, you monster."
Gastly started rambling as soon as it appeared, making Ash's forehead twitch.
What do you mean, 'like me, you monster'? Can't you talk properly? If not, then just 'hehehe'!
"Stop messing around, prepare for battle! This opponent is not to be underestimated. Be careful not to stumble in a ditch!"
"Yes, yes, I know~"
Gastly replied insincerely, then fixed its eerie gaze on its opponent.
On the other side, a hint of emotional fluctuation appeared on Sabrina's expressionless face. She seemed to want to show a surprised expression,
But her cold demeanor had been maintained for too long, making it impossible to change her expression.
A talking Gastly, she had never seen one before. And from the power she observed with her Psychic abilities, this Gastly's strength seemed to be even greater than her Kadabra's.
In the Future Sight vision, she only saw Ash arriving, and then there was no other information. It seemed that with her power, she simply couldn't predict a future related to Ash.
Being able to see Ash's image had already reached the limit of her abilities.
Therefore, Sabrina had no idea what Pokémon Ash would use.
Now, after seeing Gastly, Sabrina became even more interested in Ash.
I really... I really want to turn him into a doll and keep him by my side!
Sabrina's crimson eyes showed unprecedented emotional color. She had to win!
"Let's go all out from the start, Kadabra."
"Kadabra!"
All out from the start? What did that mean?
Before Ash and the others could figure out the meaning of that sentence, Sabrina's eyes suddenly glowed with a deep blue light, and a brilliant radiance burst forth from Kadabra's body!
The light of evolution!