Sabrina hated official League functions. She never liked parties to begin with, being a more socially reserved individual, but the voices ringing in her head, a side-effect of her psychic abilities, made the occasions feel much worse. Usually, she would simply avoid parties altogether, but League functions were different. She never failed to attend them out of obligation. And, occasions such as these were her only chance to visit with Psychic-type specialists from outside Saffron City.
She'd always preferred the company of other Psychics. They, at least, were usually able to shield some of their thoughts, even if there was really no way to block them entirely, and if nothing else they understood. They understood the splitting headaches induced by too much mental chatter, the burden of knowing what the future held, being different. She felt a certain kind of peace with them, a peace that she lacked in her relations with others.
Still, she will admit that the new voice amongst the noise was mildly intriguing. Not because it was new, per se-it wasn't that uncommon for their members to change. New gym leaders applied for positions regularly, after all, and others retired. But their numbers were stable for the past few years, and Sabrina began to wonder if anyone had stepped down.
"I heard that Hoenn gained a Ghost-type specialist," Will commented from his place next to her. He likely picked up on the newcomer's thoughts as well. "It seems the rumors were true." Sabrina nodded. She, honestly, had not heard of such things. But then again, she had been wrapped up in work for the institute attached to her gym for the past few months. "As a fellow Elite Four member, I ought to say hello. I take it that you prefer to remain here?"
Sabrina's curiosity was piqued. A new Elite Four member was much more interesting than a new gym leader. Still, the idea of navigating the crowd was unappealing. It was, perhaps, the one thing Will was more proficient at, when it came to psychic ability-ignoring the swirl of voices.
"You are correct," she said, settling herself further into the wall. "But please send her my regards. As you are well aware, reaching Elite Four status is no easy feat." Will nodded agreeably before he left. Now alone, Sabrina was unsure of what to do. Will had been keeping her company the entire evening, and it would be several hours before she could leave.
She found herself searching for the newcomer's mental thoughts. A smile twitched at her lips as Sabrina realized that the newcomer-Phoebe, her name was-was just as uncomfortable, albeit for entirely different reasons. It was refreshing. So many of Sabrina's colleagues had long established themselves, and had grown increasingly confident and less-filtered in their thoughts about other colleagues. Phoebe was different. Aside from the other Hoenn Elite Four members and Hoenn's Champion, Steven, she had no real opinions about anyone.
And it was certainly amusing to observe Phoebe stumble through introductions and inwardly grumble about her dress.
Phoebe's thoughts abruptly shifted to Sabrina herself, and almost immediately Sabrina witnessed a young woman with dark skin and bright pink flowers in her hair breaking free from the crowd. Sabrina knew, even without reading minds, that this must be Phoebe. Phoebe's smile brightened as their eyes met, and she bounded over, revealing her bare feet.
"You must be Sabrina!" Phoebe said brightly, extending a hand for Sabrina to shake. "Will came by to say hi earlier, and he explained you would be over here. I wanted to introduce myself." Phoebe beamed as Sabrina returned the handshake, her usually pale skin looking even paler than usual against Phoebe's. "I'm Phoebe!"
"So I've heard," Sabrina replied. It wasn't a lie, even if the information was gleaned from Phoebe's mind, along with plans for mischief that Sabrina hopes won't come to fruition. "It's a pleasure." Phoebe moved to lean against the wall next to Sabrina, taking up the space long vacated by Will.
"Honestly, this works out for me, too!" Phoebe explained with a little laugh. "Everyone's nice, but it's a little too much for me. I used to live on Mt. Pyre, where the Pokemon cemetery is, so it's always really quiet. People don't generally come out there unless they're visiting their departed Pokemon, but then they're focused on their Pokemon, you know? It's always so sad. But I'm not used to being around this many people. But Will said you wanted to say hi, and he said you don't really like the crowds, either, so I decided to come by!"
"That is one way of putting it," Sabrina acknowledged. It was, perhaps, a slight understatement, but she wasn't going to correct Phoebe's more diplomatic phrasing. "I'm not fond of these events. Still, it is my duty to attend them." Phoebe nodded.
"Stevie doesn't like them, either, but he's good at this sort of thing." Phoebe waved her hand at the crowd. "The entertaining. I wonder how many people actually like these." Sabrina knew for a fact that there were relatively few who enjoyed these sorts of things in and of themselves-many, like herself, came for the company of fellow type-specialists.
"They come to see their friends," Sabrina said after a moment of relative silence, as silence didn't really exist in a room full of people.
"Is that why you come?" Phoebe asked. "Ah, if you don't mind me asking, that is." That question, though she would never admit it, stumped Sabrina. Olympia, Will, Caitlin...she supposed they were friends. They certainly sought each other's company at events like these. But they rarely spoke outside of these annual meetings, unless business required it. It wasn't for lack of time or energy-they just didn't. Or, at least, she didn't.
"It is an obligation," she said. Deciding that that was, perhaps, a little too harsh, she added, "But I do not mind the company. It is rare that I have a chance to speak with other Psychic-type trainers."
"I know what you mean! I don't get to see a lot of Ghost-type trainers. I mean, I don't mind not seeing them, but there's nothing like talking to other people who specialize in the same thing you do." Phoebe offered another wide smile-apparently her trademark-and Sabrina found herself smiling slightly back. Perhaps it was because Phoebe seemed so genuine-her thoughts showed none of the hesitation that Sabrina had come to expect. Many of the others were somewhat put-off by Sabrina's antisocial tendencies, and some had given up entirely. "Um, do you mind if I ask you something else? You don't have to answer me." Sabrina nodded for her to go ahead. "You're a psychic, right? Did you pick your specialty because of your abilities?"
"I am," Sabrina said. "I suppose I do feel a certain affinity towards Psychic-type Pokemon." It was something she never really thought about, honestly, and this marked the second question she lacked a proper answer for.
"I grew up on Mt. Pyre," Phoebe explained. "And, well, I guess I developed a connection with Ghost-type Pokemon even before I got my trainer's license. It's like I understand them, you know? And they understand me! So when I started training, I decided that I wanted to become strongest with the Pokemon I have the strongest bond with. I was curious if you felt the same way."
"I have never considered it," Sabrina said. "It seemed natural to train with Psychic-type Pokemon, when I was developing my own abilities." Sabrina had long theorized that, while her own innate ability was a factor, the fact that she had begun honing her abilities early on alongside Psychic-type Pokemon was largely responsible for the current extent of her abilities. "It is easier, when you have that sort of bond with your Pokemon."
"Isn't it?" Phoebe agreed. Her eyes swept over the clock hanging at the front of the room. "Oh, I should probably go. I told Morty I'd meet with him at eight, and I'm late! I guess I got carried away chatting with you! We should talk another time. Oh, here's my number! Sometimes when I get engrossed in my training I don't answer right away, but I promise I do try." She pushed away from the wall and waved. "And don't feel obligated to call me, either!" And with that, she was gone. Sabrina only managed to stare after her retreating figure, somewhat unsettled by the abrupt exit.
She could have easily tracked Phoebe's thoughts, to see if she really did need to meet Morty. But she chose not to focus on her mental voice. She grasped the slip of paper with Phoebe's number in her right hand, and she wanted to believe that that meant something, even if she never ended up calling.
The world swam out of focus, and Sabrina knew with full confidence that their paths would one day cross again. She couldn't help but look forward to it.