Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
NOTE: This is a side-story to my fic, Journey of Legends, taking place 8 months before the start of JoL. If you haven't read up to the labeled "Chapter 6" of that story, parts of this might not make sense. However, the majority of this could probably be considered a stand-alone. Please enjoy!
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[Kadabra, Psybeam] Sabrina ordered telepathically. As the Psi Pokémon released the beam of concentric circles from his eyes, Sabrina sighed. It was very difficult finding a trainer strong enough to test her skills nowadays. The Saffron Gym Leader was struck by the nostalgia associated with better days and worthwhile battles…including the one many years ago which had opened her eyes to the truth.
Due to that battle, Sabrina owed Ash Ketchum a debt so great that she was sure she would never be able to repay it. That didn't mean she wouldn't try though.
When Ash had come by the Saffron City Gym at the tender age of 10, Sabrina had been a ruthlessly cold and completely emotionless person. Her psychic powers – so useful for Pokémon training and some everyday activities – had total control of her very being.
It wasn't necessarily her fault. Psychics were a rare breed of people, Sabrina and her father two of only a few who remained throughout the world. Each psychic had specific abilities that they were able to develop and focus upon honing; while her father's abilities were limited to telekinesis and teleportation, Sabrina's specializations lay in telekinesis and telepathy, along with some minor teleportation and transmutation skills. Unlike Lucian of the Sinnoh Elite Four, she lacked the ability to read minds and did not possess strong empathic capabilities – at least, not with humans.
Her connection with Psychic-type Pokémon, on the other hand, was often considered unrivaled within the world of Pokémon. It was both a great strength and a terrible weakness. Psychic Pokémon were renowned as the second most difficult type of Pokémon to train (behind Dragons and just above Ghosts) because of their strong-wills, independence, and high intelligence. Sabrina's ability to successfully train and handle her Psychic-types had earned her a reputation as one of the most powerful trainers in Kanto.
Which brought her back to her debt…for if brash, young Ash had never come to Saffron City for his Marsh Badge, Sabrina would have remained corrupted by her psychic abilities.
After discovering said psychic abilities as a young girl, Sabrina had become so enamored with the power associated with them that she had developed a separate entity to contain her more immature (younger) self. When Ash had (foolishly) challenged her for the Marsh Badge, the Haunter which had followed him from Lavender Town had appeared and made such a fool of itself that Sabrina had broken down into laughter for the first time in years. That one act had broken the spell her powers had held over her, and suddenly Sabrina found herself alive again. Haunter had chosen to remain behind with Sabrina's reunited family, and everything had returned to the way it should have been – all because of Ash.
Of course, there were severe psychological repercussions associated with being immersed in psychic control for so long. The psychic trainer had gone to therapy for years following the unification of her young personality with her ruthlessly cold and driven one, and she still meditated daily to calm her emotions and keep control of her powers. But the psychoanalysis had helped, for Sabrina had found herself enjoying battles, her Pokémon, and her family more often as time passed.
"You did well," Sabrina stated, her voice – though somewhat toneless and dry – carrying easily through the arena. Her opponent had just recalled his fainted Pokémon, and was currently standing on his side of the field, staring at the Pokéball in his hand forlornly. His head perked up as she continued, "Come back when you have a little more experience under your belt. I recommend visiting the gym in Celadon City before returning here." The boy nodded and left, the doors creaking shut behind him.
Sabrina checked the clock hanging on the wall. "Time to close up," she announced to the empty room. Kadabra – her first and most loyal Pokémon – nodded briefly and teleported away, presumably to let the other (wannabe) psychics within the gym know that their leader was done. On her left appeared a Gengar, its staunch form bearing a wide grin. The Shadow Pokémon levitated into the air and dove forward with a cackle, turning intangible and gliding through the closed doors; it was heading for the main entrance to the gym in order to put out a sign letting any wandering trainers know that the building was closed for the day.
Gengar was a rather interesting Pokémon, Sabrina mused as she walked towards the living quarters of the gym. About a year before, Sabrina had been on the losing end of a gym battle, her opponent's Sableye effectively combating both her Kadabra and Mr. Mime. She had paused to gather her thoughts – knowing that sending out another Psychic-type against the Dark/Ghost hybrid was a fruitless exercise – when Haunter (Ash's Haunter, she reminded herself) had shed its invisibility in the middle of the battlefield, appearing in all its purple glory ready to fight.
She had been shocked, to say the least. Haunter had never shown any desire to battle whatsoever, but rather preferred to float around the gym and make a nuisance of itself (though her mother was highly entertained by the ghost's antics). The ghost's willingness to step into the arena and fight for her spoke volumes of its dedication and trust in her.
Sabrina had lost, of course. It was to be expected: Haunter had no battling experience whatsoever and was still at a complete type disadvantage versus the Sableye. However, the fact that the Gas Pokémon had even entered the battle resonated within Sabrina, and so the next battle she had, she threw Haunter into the ring. Her opponent had been completely outclassed (she believed him to be a student of the Fighting Dojo next door, if the Mankey, Tyrogue, and Machoke were anything to go by), but Haunter's excitement at taking out the Mankey before Machoke's Foresight and Submission had knocked it out was infectious.
Soon enough, the Ghost-type saw more and more action in gym battles. She tried to use it on a need-only basis, seeing as how Saffron was renowned as a Psychic-type gym, but after awhile, Haunter started to become a surprise ace in the hole. It forced a lot of trainers to come back with a Pokémon who could combat the ghost's surprising abilities, which boosted the reputation of the Saffron Gym.
Then, two months ago, Haunter had been up against a surprisingly powerful Hypno who was beating the ghost with a Psychic attack. Seeing Haunter undergoing such lengths for her, Sabrina had – for the first time since meeting the ghost – reached out psychically and connected her mind to Haunter's, urging the Pokémon on.
At that moment, Haunter had become enveloped in a white light and slowly grew into the robust Gengar. The Shadow Pokémon had fought back valiantly with an attempted Hypnosis-Dream Eater combo, but when Hypno's Insomnia ability had prevented it from falling asleep, the Psychic-type had reversed the technique and sapped Gengar's remaining strength.
All things considered, Sabrina still felt like a winner while handing the Marsh Badge to her opponent and congratulating her on a job well done.
Sabrina slipped into her room and began to change out of her day clothes. She had been forced to close the gym early due to the annual Pokémon League Summit. The majority of the other Gym Leaders typically remained closed for the entire day – even up to several days before – in order to allow for travel time; fortunately for Sabrina, Kadabra could teleport her up to Indigo Plateau in an instant.
The Pokémon League Summit itself was a rather lavish meet-and-greet event held between the Kanto and Johto League Conferences, mainly used to promote camaraderie among the important members of the League but also used to discuss new policies and regulations that were being invoked. All of the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members of both regions were required to attend, and invitations were also extended to Pokémon Researchers – primarily the Oak duo and Professor Elm – as well as the Frontier Brains of Kanto's Battle Frontier, among others.
Sabrina secretly held onto the hope that Ash would show up to the Summit. As a teenager, Sabrina had been under the impression that Ash was impetuous, naïve, and too kind-hearted for his own good (and she was right, even if she never really knew him beyond their gym battle). As an adult, Ash had proven himself to be mature, knowledgeable, and strong in spirit, all worthy and honorable qualities Sabrina found she could admire.
She saw Ash three or four times a year, when he would drop by the gym without warning and engage her in conversation about Psychic Pokémon to help further his understanding of certain Legendary Pokémon behavior – the three Pixie Pokémon of the Sinnoh Lakes, for instance. He had respected her expertise on that subject matter, and Sabrina found herself desirous of more opportunities to talk to the raven-haired Frontier Brain – often the other Gym Leaders found her somewhat standoffish and impersonal at the annual gathering. Ash had so far only appeared at the second of the four Summits he'd been invited to (this was the fourth), and that year everything had seemed much less dull and tedious.
Kadabra and Gengar reappeared as Sabrina used telekinesis to zip up her dress. While not mandatory, it was almost tradition to wear colors relevant to one's area of expertise; as a result, Sabrina wore a conservative, floor -length orchid-colored dress with inch-thick straps. Ever the pragmatist, she wore 1-inch heels of a matching color – just high enough to be formal but small enough to be relatively comfortable throughout the night – and her long ceil hair was left down.
"Stay here," she ordered Gengar. The ghost's form drooped slightly, but Gengar nodded and disappeared with a mischievous grin. Sabrina turned to her Kadabra. "Let's go." And then they were gone.
The two reappeared in front of the large elegant doors that opened to the famed Indigo Plateau. Sabrina pulled out a Pokéball and Kadabra vanished within the device. She minimized the sphere and stored it within the small bag hanging off her arm. Taking a deep breath, the psychic trainer pushed open the double doors and entered the Summit.
Music from the live band lilted over the numerous snatches of conversation Sabrina heard on her way through the main room. Several people – including the mustached Blaine, leader of the Cinnabar Gym – came up and engaged in polite conversation with her, and Sabrina managed to respond with her usual stiff courtesy. After excusing herself from a talk with Violet City's Falkner, Sabrina made her way to the refreshment table. She grabbed a flute of champagne and took a small sip before catching sight of a familiar figure.
Standing not too far away were Brock and Erika, former and current leaders of the Pewter and Celadon City Gyms, respectively. The male of the pair was wearing a black suit and grey-striped tie, and was currently telling the woman an apparently amusing story. Erika – normally seen only in some sort of elegant kimono – was wearing a rich green, spaghetti-strap dress that fell to mid-thigh, and had exchanged her normal headband for a flower-shaped hair clip which held back her short black locks on the left side.
The Celadon Gym Leader looked up to notice Sabrina watching her and Brock. The shorter woman waved Sabrina over, and the ceil-haired woman found herself drawn to the couple. Brock's presence was an anomaly…he had relinquished control of the Pewter Gym to his brother Forrest several years prior – after Ash had defeated the Indigo League, actually – and was currently working as a breeder alongside Ash. If the breeder was at the Summit, then perhaps Ash was also present.
"Hi Sabrina," greeted Erika in her whimsical voice, "you look very pretty tonight."
"Erika," returned Sabrina with a slight dip of her head, "you look rather nice yourself. Hello Brock," she added, "how are you doing this evening?"
The spiky-haired male started at the question but recovered quickly – he would be hard-pressed to admit it, but Sabrina still made him slightly nervous. "I'm…well. Yourself?"
Sabrina shrugged. "There is little difference between one day and the next in the life of a Gym Leader," she replied cryptically. "Not to sound rude, but might I inquire as to why you're here?"
"Oh, well Forrest fell ill the other day and asked me if I would stand in for him at the Summit," Brock explained. "Swampert took me to Cinnabar Island and I got a ride with Blaine from there to here."
"Ah." Sabrina tried to let the note of disappointment be heard in her voice. Her fellow female Gym Leader seemed to pick up on it however.
"Something the matter?" Erika asked, concern lacing her features.
"No, nothing in particular," dismissed the Saffron Leader. "I thought that perhaps Brock being here meant that Ash would show up, but that is apparently not the case."
"Ash is busy looking into the migration cycle of Moltres," Brock informed her. "He's visiting several volcanoes all along the Cinnabar Ridge as part of his research."
There was a brief moment of silence as the band began a new song. Erika perked up, a smile spreading across her pretty features. "Come dance with me, Brock?" she asked. He laughed in response, taking her hand and leading her out onto the dance floor. Sabrina watched them go, a strange longing resonating throughout her being. They were a good couple, decided the Psychic Mistress.
She watched as Brock twirled Erika through one dance and half of another before someone new caught her interest. Heading in her direction was a red-haired woman wearing a strapless, ankle-length azure dress and shoes similar to Sabrina's own, if colored blue. "Good evening, Misty," Sabrina said once the red-head had gotten close enough.
Misty Waterflower jerked slightly but quickly schooled her features and returned the greeting with a nod. "Hello Sabrina. That color works well for you."
"I could say the same," responded the psychic. "Congratulations on your recent gym standings," she added after a moment.
The Cerulean Gym Leader looked startled at the compliment for a second. "Oh. Well, thank you."
Sabrina nodded, allowing the conversation to lapse into silence. From her periphery, the psychic noticed Misty glancing around the room, standing on tiptoe at intervals to see better. "Are you looking for someone?" she inquired.
Misty hesitated, biting her lip before deciding to answer. "I was hoping that…someone…would be here, but I guess not…"
If there was one thing Sabrina could do, it was read between the lines. "Ash is apparently on some Moltres hunt. I'm sure Brock has more details about it, if you're curious."
For the third time, Misty was surprised by Sabrina. "How did you –? Oh, right. You're psychic."
The Saffron City resident sniffed slightly. "Nonsense. I merely extrapolated from your body language and the information that Brock's presence meant Ash could also be present." Misty nodded in acceptance of this, but Sabrina could tell that she wasn't really listening. The red-head had returned to gazing at the crowd of people, but her eyes weren't really focused and she seemed saddened.
Sabrina analyzed her fellow female Gym Leader. The Water Pokémon trainer had known Ash far longer – and much better – than Sabrina had, and was obviously disappointed in his lack of appearance at the Summit. Sadness and longing emanated from her very being, and Sabrina found herself empathizing with the woman.
She paused, pondering that last thought. It was true that she had developed a relatively strong, if mostly long-distance, friendship with Ash Ketchum, one that few people took the time to try and form with her. Sabrina was grateful for the chance to become friends with the current Frontier Brain, especially considering the circumstances their first meeting had taken place under. While she would somewhat reluctantly admit that the potential for something more lay buried underneath the surface, the Saffron Gym Leader knew that the likelihood of such an incident occurring was small. Not only that, but Sabrina was relatively satisfied with her current life, and the lack of Ash Ketchum as a boyfriend was clearly not having such a detrimental impact on her happiness as it was Misty.
Then again, Misty had probably been interested in Ash for a much longer period of time than Sabrina had, meaning that her desire to be with the male trainer was exponentially higher. Their bond, formed through years of travel and companionship, would also be much stronger than Sabrina's bond with the male.
And so, Sabrina decided that, in the long-run, she was better off bowing out. "I wish you luck with all your future endeavors," she told Misty. Confused, the Cerulean Gym Leader whirled around and opened her mouth to ask what the psychic meant, but Sabrina was already gone, navigating through people and disappearing into the crowd.
As she walked away, the Psychic Mistress decided that she had done the right thing. Sabrina felt slightly empty inside, but she shrugged it off and convinced herself that Ash was merely a good friend, that Misty needed him far more than Sabrina did. The Water-type Trainer was a better match for him anyway, capable of expressing emotion and challenging him on more levels than Sabrina possibly could.
…Okay, so perhaps it would take some time to put the decision past her. But as Sabrina fell into conversation with the Poison Master Koga, she realized that by giving Ash up, she was allowing him to be happy with someone he truly deserved, someone who appreciated him for everything he was. Maybe the debt she owed him was no longer as large as she once thought.
Ten months later, when raven-haired Ash Ketchum stumbled through the Saffron City Gym doors – followed by a Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Wartortle – and asked Sabrina if Haunter was still around, the woman handed over the Pokéball containing Gengar without a word. She listened as Ash told her of his journey, asked how Haunter had been, and then added that he was traveling with Brock and Misty. She had responded to his enthusiasm with her normal dry humor, and had even given a small grin at the fact that he was traveling with his two friends again, prodding him gently about his relationship (or potential for one) with Misty. Though reluctant, he had listened in silence as Sabrina gave him advice and counseled him on 'to-dos' and 'not-to-dos' (which he told her he'd never use, but she merely shrugged noncommittally in reply). Finally, with a prompt of, "Better not keep them waiting long," Ash was out the door, shouting his hurried thanks.
Sabrina allowed herself to smile lightly as she watched his figure disappear down the road along with those of his Pokémon. With the sudden loss of Gengar, the gym seemed strangely empty, but that fact didn't really bother her as much as it should have; she was lost in contemplation. So, even after all this time you still go back to her, Sabrina mused idly. It appears as if my decision was the right one after all.
First Misty and now Gengar…I have given you the potential for great things. She turned and walked back into the gym. Perhaps I can call my debt to you settled after all, Ash Ketchum.
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Author's Note: Well, I've had this idea in my head ever since I knew what I was writing for Ash versus Mew and Mewtwo, but knew I couldn't publish it until after I finished that battle. I had to create a timeline for main events in my story so I could get a rough estimate of where this could take place...it'll come into play eventually in the main story, as will some mentions of this. Keep in mind that this is a side-story to my other fic, and so things have to flow here like I'm planning on them flowing there. That said, this is my first one-shot attempt for fanfiction, so I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think in a review!