Sabrina's decision to travel couldn't be stopped in the end. Her father, though worried, simply didn't have the power or the heart to restrain her anymore.
Her mother, on the other hand, didn't even try to stop her. She understood things far better than her husband did.
A father's worry was natural, but sometimes unnecessary. He fretted over things like "Sabrina doesn't have common sense" or "what if something happens to her outside?" but with Sabrina's Psychic powers and her ability to sense people's hearts, what accident could truly harm her?
If someone did harbor ill intentions toward Sabrina, then the one to worry about would be that person. They should count themselves lucky if they weren't instantly turned into a doll and tossed into the wilderness.
So instead of worrying about Sabrina, her father really should've been worrying about whoever might cross her path with bad intentions.
Meanwhile, word that the Saffron Gym had been defeated quickly reached the Pokémon League.
Though the League appeared to have turned a blind eye to the Gym for years, in truth, they'd always been quietly monitoring it. Sabrina's powers and her behavior had long been seen as a potential danger.
That was why they'd sent Lorelei in the first place: the plan had been to subdue and detain Sabrina, bring her in safely, and find out the truth behind her Psychic powers.
But even Lorelei had failed.
Part of it had been because she'd worried about destroying half of Saffron City in the process. The rest was because Sabrina's power was far beyond expectations.
If Lorelei had gone in with a killing intent, Sabrina would have sensed it immediately and fled. And letting a Psychic of that level vanish into the wild would've been a nightmare for the League.
So, in the end, Lorelei withdrew, claiming it was impossible to bring her down without collateral damage. The League had no choice but to keep agents stationed nearby to monitor the Gym, ensuring that if a challenger was ever in danger, they could intervene in time.
Fortunately, while many challengers had indeed been turned into dolls, they had all returned to normal after a day or two, terrified but alive. There had never been a fatal case.
If anyone had died, the Saffron Gym would have been shut down long ago.
But then, earlier that day, the League's special agent monitoring Saffron City had sent in a shocking report:
Sabrina had been defeated.
And not by a veteran or Elite-level trainer, but by a rookie.
Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town.
In a room decorated in shades of ice-blue, Lorelei lay sprawled comfortably on a beanbag chair, wearing casual loungewear and holding a freshly printed photo in her hand.
It showed a boy, handsome and bright-eyed, wearing a cap, and on his shoulder sat a Pikachu.
"Ash from Pallet Town," she murmured with a smile. "He's been traveling for a month and a half, never had a starter before that, and yet he defeated Sabrina, an Elite Four–level opponent?"
Her red eyes glinted with curiosity.
"What an interesting kid. I'll have to meet him sometime…"
Meanwhile, the interesting kid in question was already strolling through Saffron City's bustling downtown with his friends.
As one of the most prosperous cities in Kanto, Saffron was filled with massive shopping malls, gleaming stores, and gadgets you couldn't find anywhere else.
Unfortunately, Ash and his team were on a very tight budget. Even with the prize money he'd earned, their travel funds were thinning fast.
Feeding their growing number of Pokémon alone cost a small fortune every day. Luxuries were out of the question.
Still, they needed supplies. After scouring the mall, they ended up buying a mountain of necessities, mainly food and camping gear.
A bigger cooking pot, bug repellent, new sleeping bags, a foldable table, all small things that added up fast.
By the time they were done, Ash's wallet was lighter by a full 100,000 Poké dollars.
And that was before his next splurge.
In one of the Silph Co. stores, Ash's eyes landed on something he couldn't resist: weighted training vests.
They were brand-new, cutting-edge tech, flexible enough for a Rattata, yet strong enough for a Tyranitar. The weight could be freely adjusted from ten pounds to a full ton.
Like Poké Balls, the science behind them was basically a mystery, probably another case of technology powered by Pokémon energy.
The downside? The price.
100,000 Poké dollars each.
Ash bought two.
That purchase alone cost him 200,000, more than what Brock and Misty had spent combined. His savings were now officially wiped out.
At this rate, he'd be lucky to make it through two more Gyms before going broke.
Still, Ash wasn't too worried. He carried enough rare treasures to buy himself a mansion if he ever wanted to.
Take the Cursed Charm, for example, the same Spell Tag Gengar had given him. If he ever decided to sell it, the Ghost-type Elite in Kanto would likely bid over ten million Poké dollars for it on the spot.
After all, in the world of Pokémon battles, even a ten percent boost in power could make the difference between victory and defeat.
A thirty percent boost? That was priceless.
Not to mention Pokémon with incredibly high stats at the Elite and Champion levels; a thirty percent boost is absolutely monstrous. Even buying it for an eight-figure sum would be worth it for Elites.
But Ash obviously couldn't sell that item. Not only was it a gift from Gengar, but even if he had found it on the side of the road, he wouldn't sell it. Who isn't a Trainer? What was he earning money for? Wasn't it to make his Pokémon stronger and give them better treatment?
If he sold that item, it would be purely putting the cart before the horse.
The same applied to the top-grade Moon Stone. If there were a Pokémon that could use it, that item could only be described as priceless.
So even though Ash was now laden with treasures, it didn't change the fact that he was so poor his pants had holes.
However, what Ash didn't know was that if he told Sabrina about his financial difficulties, she would move the entire Saffron Gym's assets over to him.
Later, Ash finally found a moment of peace and opened the multiverse group chat to brag a little about his victory over Sabrina.
Although the battle hadn't been easy, it certainly wasn't that difficult either. So, with a bit of pride, Ash typed out a message claiming that the senior's prediction had been off.
Ash (Newbie): The Champion version of me said I only had a sixty percent chance of winning even after catching Gastly, but honestly? Sabrina wasn't that hard to beat. Sure, there were a few surprises, but everything was under control!
Ash (Champion): You used Aura Fusion, didn't you?
Ash (Newbie): I did, but that's not cheating! If anything, Sabrina cheated first! How can she just use Psychic to cancel Taunt and Confusion? She started it!
Ash (Champion): I didn't say you cheated. I just meant, the sixty percent I mentioned wasn't about your odds of winning the fight itself. It was your chance of achieving Aura Fusion with Gastly. I calculated that you'd only have about a sixty percent chance of pulling it off, which is why I said your chances of victory were sixty percent.
Ash (Champion): I know a bit about Aura myself. Not as powerful as the Aura Guardian version of me, but I can still perform Aura Resonance with certain Pokémon.
Ash (Champion): I based that prediction on the average strength of Sabrina across different worlds. When I factored in her Psychic enhancements, I concluded that if you could perform Aura Fusion with Gengar, you'd basically be unbeatable. But without it, given your current skill level, the odds weren't in your favor.
Ash (Champion): So your win really came down to whether your bond with Gastly was strong enough. But from what you said, the fusion went smoother than expected. Does catching Pokémon with your fists really make them trust you that much?
The method of "catching Pokémon by hand" was something Champion Ash himself had once suggested, but even he hadn't expected it to work this well.
Ash (Aura Guardian): When you capture Pokémon in regular battles, they only acknowledge your commanding ability. Building emotional trust takes time.
Ash (Aura Guardian): But if you personally fight them, hand to hand, human versus Pokémon, and win, then the Pokémon acknowledges your strength directly. In ancient times, before Poké Balls existed, this was how humans and Pokémon forged bonds and fought side by side.
Ash (Tactician): That's ridiculous! Pokémon battles should be fought by Pokémon, not people. What's the point of getting punched in the face for friendship?
Ash (Aura Guardian): Why use your head when you can use your fists? Let's see whose method really works better!
Ash (Tactician): Fine! Let's settle this in the group arena!
Ash (Aura Guardian): Deal!
The sudden argument between the two seniors in the group chat left Ash completely bewildered. Why did they suddenly start fighting out of nowhere?
And what was this "arena" they were talking about? How come he hadn't seen that feature before?
Ash (Newbie): Uh… Champion Senior, what's with this arena in the group chat? Where can I find it?
Ash (Champion): You can't use it yet. You need to win at least one tournament to unlock that feature. Also, there are other functions that will gradually unlock as your journey progresses. Just be patient and look forward to them. By the way, since you've already collected four badges, you can now check out the Lucky Draw.
Ash (Newbie): Okay, thank you, Senior!
Ash hadn't expected the group chat to gain new features as his journey continued. The arena feature especially intrigued him, it sounded like a battle mode where versions of himself from other parallel worlds could actually fight each other.
He really wanted to unlock that feature soon and see what it was like to battle himself.
Though realistically… he'd probably get beaten into the dirt by his stronger versions.
Still, that didn't stop him from feeling excited as he opened the notification bar to check his Lucky Draw chances.
He had two available.
The first came from earning the Gold Badge, marking his fourth badge and granting him one draw.
The second was a reward for defeating Gary.
[System]: Successfully defeated your rival Gary, whom you've known since childhood.
Reward: Lucky Draw Chance ×1.
Ash blinked at that message. That arrogant guy had actually given him a reward? Well, not on purpose, but it still counted!
Thinking about it, he'd experienced quite a few "firsts" lately:
His first Advanced-level Pokémon, his first Elite-level Pokémon, his first time holding a girl's hand…
Ahem.
Anyway, the chat group didn't seem to reward every "first," only certain ones.
Beating Gary, though, that was special. He'd been under that guy's shadow since they were kids. Finally knocking him down a peg was deeply satisfying.
Still, Ash couldn't help but wonder why he'd even gotten a Lucky Draw from defeating Team Rocket before.
Could the chat group actually recognize them as lifelong archenemies?
Shaking his head to clear the thought, Ash eagerly opened the Lucky Draw page.
"Alright, let's go! Come on, give me another S-rank!"
He rubbed his hands together, eyes shining with anticipation, and tapped the Draw button.
If the unlucky version of him was here, he'd probably faint from frustration.
That guy had to pray just to get a B-rank, and meanwhile, this Ash was casually asking for his third S-rank.
The wheel began spinning rapidly, colors flashing across the screen.
A few seconds later, both pointers stopped, landing on the exact same segment.
[Congratulations! You have drawn A-rank Ability: Tokiwa Power.]
[Congratulations! You have drawn A-rank One-Time Opportunity: MEGA's Guidance.]
Ash blinked.
Tokiwa Power? MEGA's Guidance?
What were those supposed to be? He'd never heard of either.
When confused, there was only one thing to do, ask the group.
Hopefully, he wouldn't run into Fishing Ash again…
Ash (Newbie): Seniors, anyone know what Tokiwa Power is?
Ash (Wild King): I do. Tokiwa Power, known as "Viridian Power" in some worlds, is a blessing nurtured within the Viridian Forest. Only those recognized by the forest itself can gain it. Coincidentally, I'm one of those chosen.
Ash (Wild King): After obtaining Tokiwa Power, I could communicate directly with Pokémon, feel their emotions, heal their wounds, soothe their pain, and gain their trust naturally. I can even sense and speak with plants and trees.
Ash (Wild King): If Aura is mainly for combat with a bit of support, then Tokiwa Power is the opposite, pure support, no offense at all. You drew Tokiwa Power? What rank is it?
Ash (Newbie): Uh… A-rank.
Ash (Wild King): Wow, another A-rank?! No wonder that Fishing guy wants to strangle you!
Ash (Newbie): …
...
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