As the curtain slowly drew open, Sabrina's true form was revealed to the three of them.
Her long, silky hair flowed down her back like a waterfall. Her delicate face was free of any makeup, natural, yet striking. Slender brows framed a small, elegant nose and thin lips, while her crimson eyes gleamed with a faint, chilling light that was both intimidating and captivating.
She wore a tight red-and-black dress that perfectly accentuated her figure. The red top hugged her chest tightly, while the black skirt wrapped around her slim waist and shapely hips, ending just above her knees. Her long legs were covered in sheer black stockings, their faint shimmer accentuating every graceful curve.
In front of her stood a small girl holding a doll, her head resting gently against Sabrina's chest. The girl's presence seemed almost ethereal, as if she weren't entirely real.
Sabrina was stunningly beautiful. But her face carried no trace of warmth. Her expression could be summed up in two words: utterly cold.
It was said that Sabrina was only sixteen or seventeen, yet she looked far more mature, like an elegant woman in her twenties. However, despite her beauty, even Brock, who usually lost his composure around older women, didn't blush this time. Instead, he shivered.
The pressure she exuded was suffocating. It wasn't just beauty that surrounded her, it was the oppressive weight of an overwhelming psychic force.
Ash, though slightly surprised by her appearance, wasn't someone who let looks sway him. He hadn't forgotten the earlier scene, where the masked man had nearly suffocated under her Psychic power. This was a woman whose temperament matched her icy exterior, someone extremely hard to deal with.
Yet as he looked into her crimson eyes, he felt something strange. The way she gazed at him, it wasn't hostility. It was… familiarity. As though she saw something of herself reflected in him.
Ash blinked and shook his head, dispelling that odd thought. Turning to Misty, who was still gripping his arm, he said softly,
"Misty, I'm going up."
"Huh? Oh...oh! Sorry, I completely forgot." Misty quickly let go, her face flushing red. The pressure Sabrina gave off made even breathing feel heavy. She hadn't realized she'd been holding onto Ash so tightly.
But once she stepped behind him, the suffocating pressure suddenly seemed to fade.
She stared at Ash's back, it wasn't particularly broad, but it radiated strength and reassurance. And she quickly realized why she could breathe again.
Ash had raised his Aura, the gentle blue energy forming a barrier that blocked Sabrina's overwhelming Psychic presence.
He stepped forward onto the battlefield, eyes calm, and unclipped a Poké Ball from his belt.
"Ash from Pallet Town, here to challenge," he declared.
For a brief moment, silence filled the air. Then, Sabrina's red lips parted.
"You are a monster," she said quietly. "Just like me."
Her voice was clear and emotionless, but her words made Ash's face darken.
"What did you just call me? Have we even met before? And what's that supposed to mean, 'monster'?" he said, frowning.
"I've seen you in Future Sight."
Her tone didn't waver, but her words sent a ripple of shock through all three of them.
"She saw… the future?" Misty whispered.
Unlike the Pokémon move of the same name, this Future Sight wasn't a delayed attack, it was true foresight, the power to glimpse what was yet to come.
Ash instantly understood.
So that's why she said we're the same.
He was an anomaly of Aura; she was an anomaly of Psychic power. Both had taken their gifts far beyond what ordinary humans, or even Pokémon, could do.
"I wonder," Ash said, a faint smile tugging at his lips, "did your Future Sight show whether I'd win or lose?"
Sabrina's eyes narrowed slightly. "I couldn't see the outcome. This is the first time my vision of the future has ever failed. I only saw that you are… like me. An irregularity. That's why," she paused, her gaze sharpening, "I find you very interesting."
Misty: ???
Woman! Watch what you're saying!
Misty's eyes instantly filled with hostility. Cold beauty or not, Sabrina was still a beautiful woman, and a gifted one, just like Ash.
To Misty, that combination was dangerous.
Brock's expression beside them turned oddly complicated. Come to think of it… Ash's luck with women was really something else.
Wherever he went, there was always someone interested in him, be it humans or Pokémon.
"I'm actually quite interested in you too," Ash replied calmly, though his tone was all business. "But now's not the time for that. Let's hear the battle rules first."
Of course, his interest in Sabrina wasn't romantic, it was purely about her incredible Psychic power.
Still, hearing that made Misty puff her cheeks and glare daggers at him.
Sabrina floated gracefully down from her high seat behind the curtain, her feet touching the floor without a sound. A Poké Ball materialized beside her, hovering in the air.
"One-on-one," she said softly. "Whoever's Pokémon faints first loses. If I lose, I'll give you the Saffron Gym Badge. But if you lose…" She paused, her crimson eyes glinting faintly. "you'll stay here and play with me."
Misty: ???
What kind of insane rule was that?! Stay and play with her? Was this woman seriously interested in Ash?
They had just met! How did this go from a Gym challenge to… whatever this was supposed to be?!
Ash blinked, taken aback by the condition. This was what Joy and Professor Oak had warned him about, the so-called "terrifying consequences" of losing to Sabrina.
But seriously… this was it?
Sure, she was cold and intimidating, but underneath that icy aura was a stunningly beautiful girl. Playing with her didn't exactly sound terrifying.
"Let me ask," Ash said cautiously, "what kind of game are we talking about here? Video games? Cards?"
"It's a game," Sabrina replied evenly.
"Oh. A game." Ash relaxed, smiling. "Then that's fine. Even if I lose, I don't mind playing a few rounds with you. But really, are you that bored? Do you make every challenger play games with you?"
Hearing him say that, Misty's eyebrow twitched, and Brock quietly facepalmed.
Meanwhile, Ash was starting to think that Joy and Professor Oak were exaggerating. Was this really the "terrifying" Saffron Gym everyone feared? It just sounded like a lonely girl who wanted company.
Sabrina's lips curved slightly, not in a smile, but something eerily close. "Is that so? Then you'll have to turn into a doll and stay to play with me."
Ash: ???
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
Turn into a doll?
Every hair on Ash's neck stood on end. He glanced at the small doll in Sabrina's hand, it looked normal, lifeless, but when he extended his Aura toward it… nothing.
No life force.
Which, weirdly enough, made him feel a bit relieved. At least it wasn't someone turned into a doll… yet.
Still, the implication was horrifying enough.
So this was what Joy and Professor Oak meant when they said losing to Sabrina had "inhumane consequences."
"When I said I'd play," Ash said quickly, taking a step back, "I meant normal games, not turning into a doll! Find someone else for that."
No way was he agreeing to that nightmare! He'd thought she meant board games or Pokémon contests, not… cursed voodoo playtime.
"Ash! You have to win!!"
"You absolutely can't lose!" Brock shouted, pale-faced.
Both of them knew: if Ash lost and actually got turned into a doll, there was no telling what kind of horror would follow.
Sabrina ignored them, her face as emotionless as ever. "The rule is one-on-one. As the Gym Leader, I'll go first."
With a flick of her finger, the Poké Ball beside her shot forward, bursting open in a flash of golden light.
"Kadabra!!"
The Pokémon that appeared resembled a tall, foxlike creature. A five-pointed star gleamed on its forehead, two sharp whiskers extended from its snout, and it held a silver spoon in one hand.
A pure Psychic-type Pokémon, Kadabra.
Seeing it, Misty and Brock both let out a small sigh of relief.
At least it wasn't Alakazam.
Sometimes, the stage of evolution said everything about a Pokémon's power.
Generally speaking, Pokémon that haven't evolved to their final form aren't overwhelmingly powerful. Those who manage to reach the peak without evolving are the rare exceptions.
Since the battle hadn't begun yet, Ash and the others couldn't tell the exact level of Sabrina's Kadabra. Still, judging by appearances, they assumed it couldn't be more than Professional Level.
If that was the case, Ash might actually have a shot.
Besides, Sabrina looked young. Though her mature aura and figure gave off the air of an older woman, Brock's sharp eyes as a self-proclaimed "expert" in reading women's ages judged her to be no more than eighteen, twenty at most.
And to have Professional-level power at that age was already exceptional.
However, compared to the rumors surrounding the Saffron Gym's fearsome strength, this still seemed… off.
After all, Saffron Gym was one of the four great Gyms of Kanto, said to rival even the Elite Four in reputation. Could this Kadabra really be her strongest Pokémon? Brock wasn't so sure.
He frowned slightly. Maybe this isn't her main Pokémon…
But while Misty and Brock felt a little relieved, Ash's expression turned far more serious the moment he laid eyes on Kadabra.
That Kadabra's power… was Elite Four level.
And not just barely, its energy was stable, refined, and fierce. Mid-Elite Four level.
Ash's jaw clenched. As expected from the Saffron Gym… but this isn't just "not to be underestimated." This is absurd!
How was anyone supposed to challenge a Gym that fielded an Elite Four-level Pokémon?!
It suddenly made sense why no one had managed to win the Saffron Gym Badge.
Even veteran Trainers would be crushed. An Elite Four-level opponent in a Gym match wasn't just unfair, it was practically a death sentence!
Good thing I caught Gastly… Ash thought grimly. Without him, I wouldn't even stand a chance.
He exhaled slowly, eyes firm. "It's decided! Gastly, I choose you!"
"Ka!"
A burst of eerie light flashed as Gastly emerged from the Poké Ball, its purple mist swirling across the arena.
"Hehehe, so my opponent's a little girl this time?" Gastly said, its tone teasing. "Oh ho, this little girl's got quite the look, pretty too. You sure caught me just to fight someone like her? Heh, she's got Psychic power in her bones. Just like you, you monster."
Ash's eyebrow twitched violently. "Can you not say it like that?"
"Alright, alright~" Gastly chuckled, clearly amused, before turning its attention toward Kadabra. Its expression shifted into one of serious focus.
Across the arena, for the first time, Sabrina's expression wavered ever so slightly. A faint flicker crossed her cold, emotionless face, something that might have been surprise.
'A talking Gastly.'
And not just any talking Gastly, she could feel through her Psychic sense that its power… might even surpass her Kadabra's.
Her Future Sight had shown her Ash arriving, but nothing beyond that. She hadn't seen this Gastly. It was as if the moment she tried to peer deeper into Ash's path, the threads of fate blurred beyond her control.
Being able to see even a glimpse of him had already pushed her limits.
And now, seeing this Pokémon, Sabrina's calm heart began to stir.
'So this is the one he brought… Interesting.'
A glint of obsession flickered in her crimson eyes. 'I want him. I want to turn him into a doll and keep him here… forever.'
Her lips curved slightly, her voice low and cold. "Let's go all out from the start, Kadabra."
"Kadabra!"
"All out from the start?" Ash muttered, brow furrowing. "What does she..."
Before he could finish, Sabrina's eyes suddenly flared with a deep blue light. Kadabra's body shone with an intense, golden radiance.
The light of evolution!
...
STONES PLZZz
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