Here it is, the eighth chapter in my latest Hearts Universe side story 'Problems of the Heart' released when I wanted it to be released within the Hearts timeline. This is the first of Angie's three chapters, all of which will come in order and be the last time that happens for any of the girls in this series as May, Serena, and Miette (all now confirmed rivals in the Hearts series) will be done on an when met basis. That is because from this point on, the chapters in Problems, like the ones in Luck, will be released when they would have occurred in the main series timeline so they are in fact going on at the same time. For those curious, this takes while Ash, Dawn, May, and Serena are crossing the Kalos Canyon on their way to Shalour City so between Parts CVIII and CIX. That is all the administrative stuff I have for this note and as there were no questions or guest reviews to respond to please time to sit back and get ready for the eighth Problem of the Heart.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Angie I
Sabrina sipped her morning coffee as she sat down at her desk in her office and booted up her computer. Caffeine may be a drug, but it was still useful and in moderation she felt she could avoid any problems with it. Well, that and bad coffee was a staple of the meetings she went to, so in a sense it reminded her of what she did to stay in recovery, with an immoral amount of sugar of course.
It was still too early for the gym to be open, so Sabrina took the moment to check her emails and prepare for the day as she did everyday she was on duty as gym leader. It was likely going to be busy as the Saffron Contest was just around the corner so her monthly week off began tonight and she was clearing out of the city for it to avoid the crowds.
A quick glance at the emails showed Sabrina nothing more than the usual. There were the expected ones from the Kanto League that she checked but were nothing more than updates that she didn't need to worry about and a few requests for reports that she'd sort out over lunch. Still, those emails came first, and Sabrina quickly addressed them with practiced ease.
After that there was one from Anabel asking when she'd visit Cremini Town this year, which was most likely next month based on Sabrina's schedule, and Sabrina told her as much. There was also one from Olympia just checking in as older psychic knew that this was a time of year that Sabrina usually got out of the city for a spa trip, and she wanted to make sure Sabrina was doing well. Sabrina confirmed this to Olympia and then saw that there was one from Alain.
The one from Alain was a little bit of a surprise. He'd been out of contact for a bit as he and his friend Mairin were trying to find a new Mega Stone that proved to be in a cove that Alain could only be reached by diving through a cold underground lake. Sabrina had missed hearing from him a so seeing the email made her heart beat a shade faster though she quelled it quickly as she didn't have time to deal with whatever it might mean and just checked the email to see what Alain had to say.
Alain said he'd found the Mega Stone and it had turned out to be one he thought Sabrina might be able to use as she had the corresponding Pokémon, so he was going to find a Key Stone for her and ask her to test it. He wasn't sure how he would get everything to her, Sabrina hadn't told him she was planning a trip to Kalos in a few months as she wanted to surprise him, but he promised she would get it.
Sabrina just responded thanks and that she knew that they'd get a chance but for him to take his time as he was busy and asked how he was doing with his new mission for Professor Sycamore. It was as she was asking that a new email came in from the Nurse Joy in Saffron City.
Sabrina checked it and saw that it was a notice of today's challengers and first up was a girl called Angie from Solaceon Town out in Sinnoh. That alone was interesting, Sabrina didn't get many non-Kanto or Johto native challengers, though she did get around a half dozen or so from Sinnoh and twice that from Hoenn every year. However, what really got Sabrina's eye was the trainer picture. It showed that the girl had short, dark green hair, and more boyish features than Sabrina had expected.
At once Sabrina knew who the girl was and grinned as she'd been waiting for this girl for a while. That was because she'd seen her twice before, once on TV and once in person. The first time the girl had been wearing a forest green cheerleading outfit that matched her hair while she was in the stands during the Indigo Conference Final. The second had been at Ash's party a few months back.
Angie was one of what Sabrina was now calling 'Ash girls', a group of girls who had fallen for Ash Ketchum only to lose him when Dawn was the girl who landed him. As of right now Sabrina knew the faces of four of them and had spoken with three about their feelings for Ash, but somehow she doubted that it was only the 4 from the Conference final.
Sabrina hadn't intended on ending up in the role she had somehow found herself in, but a pair of emails set her on this path. It was a path that now that she was on it she was going to see it through to the very end and help all the girls she could find who were in this strange boat.
The first email had been from her friend Anabel after Sabrina had to delay their meeting due to a full battle challenge from Ash that revealed that Anabel had a crush on Ash. The second had been one from her fellow gym leader Misty out in Cerulean City after Sabrina had given a talk on mental health awareness and addiction problems there the month after her battle with Ash. It was an email where Misty revealed her own not so secret crush on Ash.
The one from Anabel had come before Sabrina met Dawn and learned who she was, Misty's had been after, but in the end she'd ended up helping both women deal with their love for Ash and how it would never be returned now. She hadn't meant to do so but had ended up in the situation but as she owed Ash more than she could ever repay given how he'd almost certainly saved her life 8 years ago. As such she decided to help those who'd lost a chance at being with him and any other issues Ash being with Dawn might cause them.
She'd helped Misty get control of her own mental demons and on a path to getting her jealousy and anger under control that had included an amends to Dawn for past behavioral problems towards her that had helped mend the girls' friendship. Sabrina hadn't done much more than encourage Misty to make the amends and then listened to her story afterwards when they finally met face to face. After all that Misty and Dawn were finally good friends and everything seemed to be going well there.
Their meeting had also allowed Sabrina to make a long overdue amends to Misty for her own heinous act towards the redhead back when she was under the control of her powers and helped forge her own friendship with Misty. A friendship that had led to an invitation to Kalos at the end of the year that Sabrina had jumped on as she did miss the region she'd spent 2 years recovering in, well that and there were a few people she really wanted to see again when she got to Kalos.
As for Anabel, Sabrina had been able to give Anabel an outlet to air her feelings for Ash and finally accept where he was in her heart. Anabel understood that her love was unrequited and that being with Ash was impractical given their chosen professions, but the talk had helped Anabel truly make peace with those facts. Course Sabrina knew that Anabel still had feelings for Ash, for someone with Anabel's abilities to develop feelings for a person that person had to be special, but Anabel was in a good place at the moment which was what mattered most.
The one thing Sabrina hadn't mentioned Dawn and had had to deal with that aftermath of her decision to without that information and then Anabel suddenly ran into Ash and Dawn, well they ran into her but still it was an adventure for all of them. Thankfully, Anabel hadn't been upset but had in fact agreed that it had been the right course of action for Sabrina to take.
Learning that the Salon Maiden had lost to Dawn in a battle had been a shock that but now that Sabrina had seen Dawn's Spiritomb she could understand how Anabel could have lost. Dawn had outmaneuvered Anabel perfectly, albeit slightly unintentionally, and then capitalized on a mistake in Anabel's training with arguably the one Pokémon psychic specialists feared the most. It had led to both Anabel and Sabrina taking measures that helped against most dark types, so they'd learned from Anabel's loss.
In addition to Misty and Anabel, Sabrina had begun to help a third girl coincidentally shortly after seeing Dawn's Spiritomb battle in person. Her name was May, and she was a Top Coordinator from Hoenn who'd traveled that region and Kanto with Ash for a few years and fallen for him though a simultaneous crush that was explored and turned out to be not what she thought it was had held May back.
As such, May too had lost Ash to Dawn but was about to travel with Ash again in Kalos and was worried about that despite already making peace with her loss in general. Sabrina had helped put her at ease at the party and was going to see May after the Wallace Cup for an update, and probably meet another Ash girl called Serena that May had mention was in the same boat as her. That was all in the future though, now was time to focus on the present.
That present focus was Angie, the last Ash girl at the party and the only one Sabrina didn't talk to back then. She hadn't because she'd been informed that Angie was challenging the gyms in Kanto this year and already had a badge by the time of the party, a number that was now 3 according to her Kanto trainer card. As such, Sabrina had decided to wait for Angie to arrive to talk to her. Now that she was here Sabrina needed a plan before Angie reached the gym.
Sabrina sipped her coffee and leaned back in her chair as she thought about how to go about it. The gym would be opened in half an hour and Sabrina expected Angie to arrive early as she was expected to be the first challenger of the, so she needed to figure it out soon.
Naturally they'd have to battle and that was what Sabrina decided would be the impetus for figuring Angie out as a battle was a good measure of a person in her experience. They'd battle and Sabrina intended to push Angie and would aim use two Pokémon in addition to Kadabra that would really push Angie, based off the Pokémon Angie used, and thus force her to show her worth.
The result of the battle would determine Sabrina's subsequent actions. If Angie won she'd invite Angie to tea today and discuss what she wanted to discuss then, if Sabrina won she'd explain a bit about what she knew and ask Angie to return for a rematch in a week's time. Then they could talk about it all after the rematch.
One big factor though would be if Angie recognized her. When Sabrina was at Ash's party she'd been wearing her civilian outfit as she called it, not her gym leader one as she did now, and had been going by Sabi to anyone who asked to keep under the radar, but Angie could still recognize her. That would lead to a lot of openings for her if she did, so Sabrina decided to play it by ear.
Sabrina was cut from her thoughts by a sudden pressure on her mind, a buzz within the fog of her broken telepathy that indicated a new mind had entered her base area of influence. She knew her parents' buzzes by now, both were in the building, but thanks to the park and years of therapy and control Sabrina had limited her range to just the park the gym was in. As such she was able to notice when someone new came into her range and she felt it now.
Focusing on it she noticed that it was a girl walking up the path to the gym which meant that it had to be Angie. Instantly suppressing her ability so that she didn't learn anything about Angie's tactics for the coming battle, Sabrina finished her coffee, got up and went to the front door to welcome her.
On the way would pass her father who usually welcomed challengers for her and send him down to the battlefield as this was one Sabrina had to see personally. She wanted to get a proper impression of the fourth girl she intended to help. It was time to officially meet Angie.
Angie was nervous as she walked up the path to the oddly designed Saffron Gym. She didn't understand the umbrella-like style of it or the weird pillars that seemed to hold it up but decided not to question it as gyms always varied and she'd heard that the gyms out in Unova were the strangest of the lot. She had to focus on her battle with Sabrina, a noted psychic specialist, and what to do against her.
Fortunately, Angie had a good plan for how to deal with Sabrina. Psychic Pokémon were strong, but they had one major weakness, a weakness that Angie's style almost always ensured at least 2 moves with that type could be learned and she had one Pokémon with that type that she intended to start out with. The other Pokémon she would use would be based on who she faced and who she thought was best at in the heat of battle.
Of course, a gym leader wasn't going to be an easy battle and would likely have some counter for Angie to deal with. She'd experienced that with Misty when she'd tried to use electricity against her. It had worked at the start but then Misty had revealed a Whiscash from her brief trip to Hoenn and the part ground type had thrown Angie for a loop. Add in Misty using her Gyarados, and Angie lost her first battle. However, she trained, developed a counter for Whiscash, and won her rematch.
That loss had delayed Angie and she'd ended up running a little behind schedule, but she hurried and after an intense battle with Visquez in Vermilion City she got her third badge on the first attempt. Immediately after that she had headed to Saffron and hopefully her fourth gym badge of the year.
She felt like she was ready as ready as she could be for Sabrina and had wanted to face her when she got in the afternoon before but had learned from Nurse Joy that Sabrina only saw challengers in the morning. That was strange but Angie had accepted it as each gym leader had the authority to determine how they saw challengers and thus used the afternoon for last minute preparations. Angie did ask Nurse Joy to let Sabrina know that she'd be first today and made sure of it by heading out as soon as she could.
That was why she was here now as she approached the gym deep in thought about how to handle the upcoming battle. She was so deep in thought that she almost missed the door opening and a woman in her mid-20s walk out to greet her in front of the gym. Angie looked up at the last moment and stopped in her tracks as she tried not to gawk at the attractive woman standing in front of the doors with a small smile on her face.
The woman had to be Sabrina. She was wearing a blood red military style tunic thing that fell into a near miniskirt below the waist and long black boots that came to her mid thighs and added a little to her already above average height. The tunic was complete with golden button on the double-breasted style and angular black cuffs at the wrists.
However, the slightly imposing and yet feminine look wasn't what got Angie staring, it was Sabrina's hair. It was dark green, basically the same shade as Angie's, but where hers was cut like a boys in her preferred tomboy style, Sabrina's fell down her back in a straight, glossy, sheet that reached her waist. Her fringe was cut in an angular fashion and matched her eyebrows. It was the fringe and hair, though when Angie had last seen it, it had been gelled into a whip like style, that told Angie that she'd seen this woman before.
"Are you ok?" Sabrina said in a soft, kind voice as her smile quirked up a little at Angie's expression. "You look like you've seen something but I know my one ghost type is inside so it can't be him."
"Well, er, yeah I think I have." Angie said not getting the quip about a ghost type. "I think we've met before and quite recently though you didn't look as, um, commanding as you do now."
"This is just the attire I like to wear when I'm in duty." Sabrina said smoothing out her tunic as best she could, Angie couldn't help but notice that Sabrina had a noticeable figure that made Angie a little self-conscious of her own petite frame. "It's what I wore in the dark days when I first became the Saffron Gym Leader, so it reminds me of my duty here. That and it's become sort of an iconic look that I've come to enjoy wearing when I am battling. When I'm not in the gym I wear my travel clothes and do my hair different."
"That's it." Angie said as she finally pieced where she'd seen the woman before. "We met at a party in Pallet Town. Well, I say met but in reality we were both just there as I don't think we talked. I spent most of that talking to some people heading to Sinnoh while you seemed to hang out with Misty and Anabel most of the time."
"No, we didn't and if we did I would have given you my nickname not my full name." Sabrina said simply. "I don't like being identified when I am at private event like that though some of the people there who'd faced me recognized me."
"Why?" Angie asked unable to contain her curiosity. "Sorry, I don't mean to be rude and question your decision to keep a low profile."
"It's ok, there is a good reason that I am open about, so I don't mind." Sabrina said kindly. "I have a very public image due to certain struggles I've had in my past, well I still have them as they never go away, and my willingness to be open about them has brought me a fair bit of attention. As such, when a friend invites me to a party I can be more relaxed at it. Well, that and the fact that I'd heard you were one of the Kanto challengers there and I didn't want to reveal that I'd be one of the gym leaders you'd face. Misty was already there, no need to add another gym leader to the mix."
"I guess that makes sense." Angie said a little confused at Sabrina's apparently quirky nature but if she was a public official like a gym leader then she could understand her decision to remain low key in private. "So, you're a friend of Ash's then. If you were at the party you have to be."
"I am now but our relationship is complicated I guess." Sabrina said thinking on how best to describe it and stalling with her own request for information from Angie that would help when their talk came. "I take it you met Ash when he was in Sinnoh then. I know from the information Nurse Joy sent me on today's challengers that that is the region you're from."
"Yeah we had a rocky start when we first met but soon our natures just meshed, and I saw who he really was deep down." Angie said unable to control a blush that graced her cheeks that Sabrina just smiled at even if she could feel pain coming from Angie that could only come from heartache. "He helped me out a lot, even save my life once, and we became good friends as a result of it."
"Ash does have a habit of doing that, I should know as he did the same for me." Sabrina said surprising Angie with that revelation. "I said our relationship was complicated and I meant it, it's complicated because Ash was the person who saved my life many years ago. I was on a very dark path back then and honestly I should have been too far gone to be saved but somehow Ash and a wild Haunter he had with him broke the hold my addiction had on me. That gave me the foundation to begin my recovery and get the help I desperately needed. I'll always owe him for that."
"Oh, I didn't know." Angie said her eyes wide in shock at what she was hearing and confused as to why Sabrina was talking about something like that. "Why are you telling me though?"
"It's relevant because we both know Ash and I am very open about my mental health struggles and the addiction I suffer from." Sabrina said as if it was nothing. "It is both a part of my own recovery and a way to make sure others find the strength to get the help they need. If someone like me, a respected gym leader and arguably the strongest psychic in the world can have these kind of issues then anyone can. If I am able to be open about them then I can use my status to remove the stigma from it so that people aren't afraid to ask for help."
"I see." Angie said starting to understand it a bit more even if it was something she'd never really thought of before. "And it was Ash who helped you then."
"He gave me the foundation to build my recovery upon." Sabrina said. "Others built on that and got me to where we are today, but I wouldn't be here without Ash and that wild Haunter giving me a chance to regain control of my mind. That is a full story for another time though, one I do want to share with you, but I will give you one little reassurance as I can see in your face your worried about something."
"Huh?" Angie asked confused as she wasn't aware she was worrying about something.
"Ash save my life, that I is why I owe him a debt I can never repay." Sabrina said. "But I never fell for him. He's a friend to me and that is all, I hold no romantic interest in him. That's another thing we can address as well, I think I can help you there, but I think we should focus on the real reason you are her, your gym battle with me."
"Oh yeah that." Angie said unsure why Sabina would bring up something like feelings, Angie was trying to hide her crush on Ash, but she guessed Sabrina must have seen it on her face and was just reassuring her. "Yeah we should focus on that. I am looking forward to winning my 4th Kanto badge."
"Then come on in and we can get this started." Sabrina said with a smile opening the door for Angie and then following her in. "Out of curiosity, why did you choose Kanto?"
"I was at Ash's last party as well so when I learned that Dawn was going to be on the Kanto circuit that year." Angie said ignoring the pain of what else she'd learned at that party. "And I had liked what I'd seen of the region, so I wanted to return but I had already committed to face the Sinnoh League last year. I was knocked out in the first round though and then came to Kanto because Dawn had invited me to the Indigo Conference. I decided I'd use that, and Ash's next party, as the excuse to travel this region and enter the Kanto League."
"That makes sense and is quite clever." Sabrina said with a nod. "No point in traveling more than necessary. You were already here so why not face our gyms for the year."
"Yeah and I was able to get a bit of a head start as I faced Forrest before the party and won on my first attempt." Angie said surprised that Sabrina led her to a flight of stairs leading underground and not deeper into the main building. "I was slowed down by an intense battle with Misty that I lost but I won the rematch and beat Visquez first time as well when I was in Vermilion last week."
"So, Surge is still not back yet." Sabrina mused. "That explains why he wasn't at the annual gym leaders meeting we had before the Indigo Conference."
"He's apparently in Galar at the moment doing some more traveling and looking for exciting electric types." Angie said. "He's set to be back at the end of the year apparently. It was Ash, according to Visquez, who inspired him to travel after a full battle they had last year."
"That sounds like Ash, I heard from Visquez that their full battle is lore in Vermilion now, she told us all as she wanted to see if our battles with Ash were just as epic." Sabrina said. "Surge really respects Ash, and I can see why, Ash beat me in a full battle that was just as good as his was with Surge though slightly less destructive. Apparently Ash destroyed parts of the Fuchsia and Cinnabar Gyms though so his reputation for destruction was consistent last year."
"I heard of his one with Surge but how did his with you go?" Angie asked as they reached an underground corridor lit with torches. "Though I have seen how destructive Ash can be in battle, he showed that in the Indigo final."
"I'll tell you when we have a longer chat, one I think we need." Sabrina said cryptically. "It deserves a full retelling to really get it, but you will face at least two Pokémon he faced today so that will give you a taste of what Ash faced in the first half of my full battle with him."
"I look forward to it." Angie said eager to see what kind of Pokémon Ash had faced and compare herself to him by facing them herself. "I've always admired Ash's skills so facing Pokémon he's faced will show me how I stack up to him."
"Well in that case I must ask." Sabrina said as they reached a large set of double doors that the gym leader began to push. "Was your battle with Misty intense? I know she can get really into it, but I think with you there could have been something more and she would have certainly used Pokémon she used against Ash in her own full battle with him."
"I know that Misty and I have one thing in common." Angie admitted as it was clear that Sabrina knew of her crush on Ash, she hadn't hidden it as well as she thought it seemed. "I found that out at the Indigo Conference. I think she tested me more than usual because of it and admitted as much when she said I'd be facing her best regardless as she had to make sure that only one could truly beat her first time. I did face her Gyarados and lost our first match, but I collected myself and won the rematch with a better strategy to deal with her Pokémon."
"That is to be expected from her." Sabrina said knowing full well who Misty was referring to as beating her first time and likely the redhead was making sure that she was at least the leader of the pack beneath Dawn. "I will have to have a little chat with her about it when we next meet though, just to make sure she's still good. I've helped her cope with her emotions following her meeting a certain person and while I know she is in a decent place. I hope to do the same with you though I think you will be a little different from the others I've spoken to thus far."
"Er." Was all Angie managed to get out before the door opened and Sabrina led her into the battlefield which stopped Angie before she could add anything more regarding what Sabrina had said.
The battlefield was regulation, but Angie still didn't understand why it was underground with large pillars on the side near the earthen walls that had small, wide, alcoves in them. At the other end was a small dais behind where Sabrina would stand with a pair of lit braziers on either side. Standing at the ref's spot was an older man in a tracksuit and sporting a salt and pepper chinstrap beard. He had a similar, albeit less powerful, strength to him that Angie had felt from coming Sabrina as they walked here.
"We can discuss all that in time Angie." Sabrina called out over her shoulder as she walked out and to her side. "And sorry for the slightly sinister look of the battlefield. The gym was like this when dad became the leader 30 years ago and we never changed it even after I took over 10 years ago, or during my 3-year hiatus. Right dad?"
"No reason to waste taxpayer money that could be better spent elsewhere in changing what isn't broken." The ref said with a shrug surprising Angie that it was Sabrina's father who'd be officiating the battle but that did make some sense as Forrest had had his younger brother do it and Angie had heard that the Fuchsia Gym Leader used her aunt for the role, so she didn't complain about it. "It's not exactly pleasant but it works just fine."
"I don't mind it, just not what I expected from a psychic type gym." Angie admitted as recovered from her surprise at the battlefield and took her spot while Sabrina turned and faced her. "I'll still do everything I can to win here."
"That's the spirit I love to see." Sabrina said taking out a Poke Ball. "Now give me a good battle Angie, I do enjoy them as they are some of the few things that really clear my mind and make me forget about the damage I did to it. Show me all you got because it is my duty as a gym leader to push you to your limits and I fully plan on doing that today."
"I intend to." Angie said taking her own Poke Ball out. "That is what I want from a gym leader, someone who challenges me to get even better so that I can win."
"Then let's get this started." Sabrina said looking to her dad. "Dad, if you will make this official so we can begin."
"Of course." Her father said with a nod. "The gym battle between the challenger Angie from Solaceon Town and the Saffron Gym Leader Sabrina is about to begin. This will be a three-on-three battle and the winner will be the person who knocks out all the other's Pokémon and my word on that is final. Also, only the challenger is allowed to substitute. Is that understood?"
"It is." Angie said with a nod noting that the rules were the same as in Cerulean while Pewter and Vermilion had been two-on-two battles with the same substitution policy.
"Then begin." Sabrina's father said.
"Houndoom, let's go!" Angie said throwing out her Poke Ball.
"Kadabra, mental fortitude." Sabrina said sending out her own ball.
The balls burst open, and Angie's fully evolve, dark and fire canine-like Pokémon burst out with a growl of battle. His black coat shone as he looked at the brown and yellow Psi Pokémon he was facing. Kadabra for his part looked indifferent but that was more because he trusted his trainer implicitly and knew he had an ace to deal with dark types now otherwise he might be more nervous about facing the Dark Pokémon.
"A Houndoom, how interesting." Sabrina said already deciding on her second Pokémon based of Angie's first Pokémon. "I should have expected a dark type, most have at least one or a move of the type for me. That or a ghost type as that is the other type that is good against me."
"I don't have the latter, but I caught Houndoom last year as a Houndour and he evolved just before I came to Kanto." Angie said. "Alas I'm not as lucky as Dawn, I don't have a Spiritomb."
"I'm glad you don't, I've seen hers and I would never want to face it." Sabrina said with a slight shudder. "But that doesn't mean I'm not prepared for a dark type, a recent revelation in the Pokémon world and a suggestion from a friend has given me that counter. Now come at me Angie, show me what you got."
"Oh, I will." Angie said with a grin. "Feint Attack."
"Damn that is an annoying move." Sabrina said knowing her usual strategy likely wouldn't work as Houndoom began running towards Kadabra, but she did have her backup plan for dark types. "Looks like I'll have to reveal this right at the start. Kadabra, Dazzling Gleam."
"Push through it Houndoom." Angie said before she grinned. "And remember, you're part fire type so that counters your dark type weakness to fairy type moves."
"Wait, fire types are resistant to fairy type attacks, forgot that as it's Houndoom's secondary type." Sabrina said her eyes wide at her miscalculation due to how little she actually knew about the newly discovered type as Kadabra suddenly glowed with a bright light. "Ow, that was stupid on multiple levels."
Houndoom just closed his eyes and charged through the light. It hurt but not as much as it would have had he not had his fire type, but it still hurt enough to be noticeable. Then, as soon as he was through, he was on Kadabra and hit it with the sucker punch nature of Feint Attack causing it to howl in pain as it recoiled away from Houndoom.
"Stay in close and use Foul Play." Angie said.
"Dodge it with Teleport." Sabrina called out as Houndoom assessed Kadabra's attack ready to use it against his opponent. "You can't use a psychic attack on Houndoom, but you can use one to evade Foul Play."
"Abort." Angie said as Kadabra vanished before Houndoom could attack. "And use Flamethrower in an arc behind you. Keep it up until you hit Kadabra."
"Interesting, that is something Ash would think of in the heat of battle." Sabrina mused as Houndoom spun, his mouth opening as he did. "Impressive for sure, looks like I'll have to go for a tag team victory on this Houndoom, not that I wasn't expecting to from the start given its typing."
Angie didn't hear what Sabrina was muttering as she was completely focused on the battle. Houndoom had opened his mouth as soon as he could bath the battlefield behind him in an arc of flame, which he did. As he was doing it, Kadabra reappeared behind him but before the flames had reached its reappearance point and couldn't get out of the way before being engulfed. He wailed in pain and fell back, blackened but still in the fight.
"Finish this with Feint Attack." Angie said.
"You don't have the time or strength for anything else." Sabrina yelled as Houndoom charged at the downed Kadabra. "Dazzling Gleam! Make sure you do as much damage as possible."
This time Sabrina closed her eyes as the flash of Dazzling Gleam went off. Kadabra hadn't bothered getting up knowing that the flash would catch and injure Houndoom as it charged at him and set it up for a loss. That was what it did as Houndoom again charged through the light, taking more damage, but still not enough to take him down before he reached Kadabra and hit it with a second Feint Attack and sending Kadabra skidding back along the ground.
This third attack, and second super effective one, was too much for Kadabra how was out before he finally came to a halt. Houndoom just walked past it not looking at it as he returned to his trainer and turned to face his vanquished foe that was lying on the ground on Angie's side of the battlefield. That was definitely the case as Kadabra was on his back now with swirls for eyes.
"Kadabra is unable to battle." Sabrina's father said raising a red flag to Sabrina's side. "The winner is Houndoom."
"Kadabra return." Sabrina said recalling her starter and looking at the ball with a smile. "You did well but dark types are always a problem and that one in particular has a type combination that negates your latest move that we use to deal with them. I should have remembered that but don't worry, I have just the Pokémon to beat Houndoom and make sure your efforts weren't in vain."
"Then send it out." Angie said her confidence and natural cockiness coming back after the win. "I'll beat it again. Dark types are the best against psychic types."
"That they are but I am not a leader for nothing, and I have long since learned how to handle my type's biggest weakness." Sabrina said putting Kadabra's Poke Ball away and pulling out her next one. "And that Houndoom has a second type, one that I can exploit with the Pokémon I enjoy using in battles as people forget he's a psychic type."
"Huh?" Angie asked confused not sure what Pokémon Sabrina could be using for this matchup.
"Slowbro, mental fortitude." Sabrina said tossing out the Poke Ball before her.
The ball burst open and the bipedal, pink Pokémon with a mutated Shellder biting its tail and a really dumb look on its face stood before Sabrina with its mouth open for some reason. Angie looked at it in dawning realization of what Sabrina was using.
"It's a water type as well." Angie said recalling what a Slowking was and knowing that they evolved from the same Pokémon just under different circumstances and Shellder locations. "In fact, it's primary type is water if I recall. I hadn't expected a Slowbro or Slowking in this battle, I'll admit that. They are unexpected as they aren't the first Pokémon that comes to mind when thinking about psychic types."
"That they are but it is one of the best things about water types." Sabrina said with a grin. "As far as I know they are the only type that has at least one Pokémon with one of the 17 other types, though the water and fire type is a legendary Pokémon that no one has confirmed apparently, and some combinations are exclusive to only one Pokémon, but I digress. Most gym leaders keep at least one part water type for the use, they are the most common type out there, so it helps to have one. Slowbro is mine as people often forget that it's part psychic."
"Well thanks for the advice, I'll keep an eye out for any other part water types." Angie said thinking on what to do but deciding in the end that this could be good practice for her Houndoom, and she still held the dark advantage, so she'd only substitute of absolutely necessary. "This may be a challenge, but I need to learn to not rely fully on type advantages so thank you for this lesson. Misty did the same to me, but I guess I need to learn it again."
"You're thinking is good for this battle and you're not being arrogant which I can respect." Sabrina said. "But you're good enough for a challenge like this. Who knows, you might even earn one of my three powerhouses at the end if you do well against Slowbro."
"I'll strive for that." Angie said. "Feint Attack."
"Overreliance on a move that doesn't miss, a little cocky and I can teach you some more about how to counter a move like that." Sabrina said as Houndoom came running at Slowbro again. "Slowbro, you can't dodge that, but you can prepare for it. The moment it hits you, unleash Surf."
"Damn." Angie said realizing the situation Sabrina had put her in, but it was too late to avoid it.
Houndoom didn't know this, he was too focused on getting the hit in. Feint Attack didn't miss so he didn't have to worry, and he soon reached the stupid Pokémon he was facing and struck it with the super effective attack. Slowbro moaned in pain and staggered back a bit before righting itself and countering with the attack it had been preparing.
Slowbro may not be the brightest Pokémon, but he knew what his trainer wanted and readily obeyed her orders. That was why he had built up Surf and unleased it once he had steadied himself after the hit staggered him. There was no way for Houndoom to do anything more then yelp in surprise as the large wave of water formed in front of him and swept him up with it and throwing him back before crashing down on top of him for good measure.
His fire type had been the saving grace against Kadabra, it was his downfall against Slowbro as the Surf was super effective against him. However, he was still able to fight and growled as he tried to stand. That impressed Sabrina but she was going to end this and do so with mercy rather than another super effective attack that would cause needless pain.
"Ice Beam." Sabrina said. "Houndoom's too weak to survive it."
"Stop it with Flamethrower." Angie countered as a light blue ball formed in Slowbro's mouth.
A second later the blast of ice shot out of Slowbro's mouth as Houndoom turned towards it. He tried to get the flames off and even shot the beginning of his Flamethrower out, but he wasn't strong enough and the Ice Beam cut through it before slamming into his face. Houndoom's neck snapped back, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud and swirls for eyes pushed past his limit at last.
"Houndoom is unable to battle." Sabrina's father declared raising a red flag to Angie's side. "Slowbro is the winner."
"Houndoom return, you fought well but I have just the counter for this." Angie said opting for a quick change and to use a move right away that would benefit her the moment she threw her second Poke Ball out. "Stoutland, Retaliate."
"What?" Sabrina asked confused as the Poke Ball burst open, that confusion deepening after what happened next.
A decently sized canine Pokémon that Sabrina had never seen before came bursting out of the Poke Ball at full sprint towards an equally confused Slowbro, though with Slowbro that might just be his normal expression. The Pokémon, a Stoutland apparently, had dark brown fur on its legs and face, a thick gray coating over its body, and a cream-colored crest thing on its forehead and around its upper mouth. The latter continued in a moustache fashion the flowed along its entire body as it barked and charged Slowbro.
The shock was enough that neither Slowbro nor Sabrina reacted before Stoutland rammed into Slowbro at full speed sending it back with a wail of pain as the move dealt double damage due to Houndoom's defeat at Slowbro's hands a moment earlier. Angie didn't stop there but pressed her advantage.
"Bite." Angie said.
"Dodge that Slowbro." Sabrina said and quickly assumed that Stoutland wasn't a dark type but as far as she knew any Pokémon with a canine based appearance knew that move and Crunch, so they were always a challenge for her. "And throw it back with Psychic."
Slowbro tried to steady himself as the Shellder on his tail bit down to help his psychic power, but Stoutland was already too close and had too much momentum to be avoided. The Big-Hearted Pokémon had already leapt at Slowbro and sank its glowing teeth into Slowbro's forehead.
The second super effective attack was too much when combined with the damage of Retaliate and Slowbro just collapsed where he stood. As soon as the move was over, Stoutland backed off with a bark at the sight of Slowbro on the floor with swirls for eyes before it turned and trotted back to Angie to stand before her having quickly taken care of the Pokémon who beat his teammate.
"Slowbro is unable to battle." Sabrina's father declared raising the red flag to Sabrina's side a little taken aback by the quick combo Angie had used to defeat Slowbro. "Stoutland is the winner."
"Slowbro return." Sabrina said recalling her Pokémon impressed by Angie's tactics and skills. "That was tough and unexpected. We got done in there pretty good. It shows just how much more we still have to learn as that was a move I'd never seen before."
"I had two options for how to deal with Slowbro." Angie said as Sabrina put the ball away and studied Stoutland for a moment as this was the first one she'd ever encountered. "I opted for Stoutland because I could start with Retaliate which is a normal type move that doubles its damage if used to avenge a beaten teammate."
"Huh so that is what that move does, gotta say it's a useful one." Sabrina said praising Angie's decision with her tone. "And that is a Pokémon I haven't seen before. It's not from this part of the world, is it?"
"No, it's not." Angie said with a nod. "It's from Unova, and I think it's unique to that region, but I can't be certain."
"There are several Unova species in Kalos, but I didn't see that one while I was there so that explains it." Sabrina said looking at it intently and deducing that it had to be a normal type so she already knew who'd she would use as her final Pokémon, Angie had more than earned one her top tier ones so Sabrina was going to use the one that would challenge Angie the most. "How did you end up with it? Did you spend some time in Unova or something?"
"I've never been there but my family runs a Pokémon daycare in Sinnoh." Angie said. "We had a client a while back who was a traveler and left some Pokémon with us to raise while he was visiting Unova. I personally did such a good job that he gave me an egg he had found in Unova while there as a gift for my work. It hatched into a Lillipup, Stoutland's first form, and bonded with me. I favor dog-like Pokémon because of my starter so it was perfect for me. I raised it up from there and it evolved fully against Forrest. I figured using a Unova Pokémon here would be useful."
"That it is." Sabrina said taking her Poke Ball out and expanding it. "And I take it that it's a normal type."
"It is." Angie confirmed. "Though that isn't hard to tell as it looks like the typical normal type."
"Good, then you have truly earned one of my three best Pokémon that I save for those who either really impress or piss me off, you are the former." Sabrina said tossing the Poke Ball out. "Gallade, mental fortitude."
"Gallade?" Angie asked as the ball opened and the male only branched evolution of Kirlia appeared before Sabrina in a fighting stance and ready to battle. "That's not good. It's a fighting type as well isn't it?"
"That it is." Sabrina said with a grin. "I have 3 powerful Pokémon I save as my potential ace for worthy challengers, or challengers that need taking down a notch. They are Alakazam, Delphox, and Gallade. Gallade is used when I need to deal with a dark specialist as his fighting type negates the advantage while also giving him one in return. For you though it is because Stoutland is normal and that you use dark type moves, well that and because he's technically a Sinnoh Pokémon. Be honored, this is the first time all year I've used Gallade. I should warn you; we train together in the Saffron dojo so he's tough."
"I am honored to have this challenge." Angie said a little surprised she'd done this well against Sabrina, but she could tell that this Gallade was going to be tough to beat. "It is thanks to learning from Ash and watching him in the Indigo Conference that I have been able to do this well."
"I can see his influence at times in your own particular style." Sabrina said with a nod. "He is a little unorthodox and knows how to keep an opponent on her toes."
"Did he face Gallade?" Angie asked curiously. "In your full battle that is?"
"No, because of how our past battles had gone back when Ash saved me, I wanted to use a full Kanto team against him as we are both natives of this region." Sabrina said shaking her head. "Gallade is classified as a Sinnoh Pokémon because that is where a male Kirlia's evolution was discovered, though the rest of his evolutionary family are classified as Hoenn Pokémon. I didn't even know mine was male until he picked up a Dawn Stone and evolved. Ash faced Alakazam as my top ace, though I had a special 6th Pokémon for him and him alone to face."
"Really?" Angie asked confused at that. "Why."
"Because it was the Haunter that Ash had persuaded to aid him and who had been the source of my return to normal, or as near to normal as is possible for me." Sabrina said simply. "Haunter was wild all through my 3-year leave of absence but never left my side and was a big reason why I didn't relapse. Once I was stable enough he let me catch him though he doesn't really battle. I made an exception for Ash as he deserved the honor of facing Haunter."
"Ah I see." Angie said trying her best to understand Sabrina but knowing she was missing something.
"Otherwise, I would have used my Hypno as my 6th Pokémon." Sabrina said. "But enough chat, let's finish this. Gallade, Close Combat."
"Shadow Ball." Angie said as Gallade began to run towards Stoutland. "Keep it at a distance with something that its fighting type won't balance out."
"Dodge it." Sabrina commanded as Stoutland sent out a ball of ghost type power at Gallade. "I know you can do it."
Gallade did the literally flipping over the Shadow ball without breaking stride as he closed the distance before Angie or Stoutland could do anything else. She had to admit, Sabrina's Gallade was really light on his feet just as any fighter would be. He was even tougher than Angie had first suspected he'd be.
That was the last thing Angie managed to think before Gallade was on Stoutland and unleashing a flurry of expert kicks and slashes with his elbow blades that made up the powerful fighting type move. Stoutland roared in pain from the super effective attack as he backed up under the onslaught that lasted a good 10 seconds before Gallade leapt back to give them some space.
It was an odd decision given how most fighting types preferred to stay close to battle but Angie wasn't complaining. As soon as Gallade gave them space, Angie countered with the move she'd taught Stoutland as soon as she learned that it could learn the move as it was a counter to Stoutland's one type weakness.
"Play Rough." Angie said with a grin.
"Not this time." Sabrina said shaking her head. "Show off that training Gallade, dodge and counter with Psycho Cut."
Sabrina recognized one of the few fairy type moves, she kept a track of the moves that were reclassified to fairy type as they were good against dark types. However, she also knew that fighting types were weak to them giving her Gallade a disadvantage against them.
Still, he was better trained than that and as Stoutland leapt in the air at him, he dove forward and under the shocked normal type, rolling as he hit the ground before springing up as soon as he could and turning in midair while crossing his arms across his chest. Then, as Stoutland was turning, Gallade attacked.
Blades of psychic type power formed around Gallade's arms, and he lashed out with them while still in the air. Stoutland didn't stand a chance as the blades tore into his side and he howled in pain from the critical hit the increased ration of Psycho Cut provided before he was hurled away and towards Sabrina by the force of the attack. Stoutland hit the ground hard, and Sabrina was already ready to end it.
"Stone Edge." Sabrina called out.
"Shadow Ball." Angie countered.
Gallade was still in the air and falling back to the ground when he got the order and as soon as he heard it he cocked his right arm back, landed in a crouch, and punched the ground hard just as Stoutland was getting up. Stoutland knew he likely was beat, but he wasn't going down without landing a parting hit so he blasted a Shadow Ball at Gallade as hard as he could as he felt the earth shift and several rock spikes shot out and hit him in the side. That was too much for Stoutland and he whimpered before collapsing with swirls for eyes as soon as the rocks crumbled away.
As for Gallade, the ball struck him in the face as he looked up in surprise that Stoutland had managed to get the attack off. The super effective attack sent Gallade rolling backwards but it was nowhere near enough to beat him, and he quickly got up and ran back to stand protectively in front of Sabrina and await any more opponents. He knew he was one of his human's best and only battled truly worthy foes who'd earned his human's respect, or ire, so he was eager to see who was next for him to face.
"Stoutland is unable to battle." Sabrina's father declared raising a red flag to Angie's side. "Gallade is the winner."
"Stoutland return." Angie said recalling her Unova Pokémon. "That was well done my friend, that Gallade really is something else though and fighting types will always give us problems hence why you know Play Rough. I can see why Gallade is one of her best, it's truly an honor to face him. We must repay that honor by using our best to win this."
"Then send it out." Sabrina said with a grin so into the battle that her telepathy had been inadvertently repressed almost the entire time, something that hadn't happened since her full battle with Ash. "This has been so much fun, let's end it in style Angie."
"With pleasure." Angie said throwing out her last Pokémon for the battle. "Luxray, let's win!"
"A Luxray, good." Sabrina said as the ball burst open to reveal the large, black, blue and gold, electric type howling before Angie and Gallade inadvertently shivered from Luxray's Intimidate ability. "It looks really strong. This is going be a worthy challenge for Gallade."
"He should be, I got him as a Shinx and he's my starter." Angie said with of a grin of her own. "Think of him as my Pikachu, only evolved."
"If that's the case then I know not to take it lightly or hold anything back." Sabrina said already knowing to not underestimate Luxray at all, it looked like a warrior Pokémon just as her Gallade was and with no advantages other than moves this was going to be an all-out brawl. "So come at me with all you got."
"I will, Luxray let's show her our full power." Angie said. "Crunch."
"Meet it in the middle Gallade." Sabrina called out as Luxray snarled and charged with glowing, elongated, fangs. "Close Combat."
Gallade didn't need to be told twice as he ran at Luxray. This was going to take tactics and experience but Gallade had both so he knew that he could do it. He was going to win this for Sabrina and this Luxray clearly was worthy of his full strength. It had been a long time since Gallade had faced a foe that truly challenged, not since he'd faced a tough Shiftry last year in fact, he was looking forward to seeing what Luxray could teach him in battle.
The Pokémon met on Gallade's half of the battlefield, Luxray was just naturally faster but Gallade had expected and used his height to his advantage as they met each other. At the last minute Gallade pulled up to avoid the snarling maw of Luxray before he brought his right elbow down hard onto Luxray's back. At the same time, he brought his left knee up and slammed it into Luxray's jaw to close its mouth and avoid the most dangerous part of Luxray at the moment.
Luxray couldn't howl in pain, but he growled and as soon as Gallade's knee came down he opened his mouth and twisted his head to sink his still glowing fangs into Gallade's side faster than Gallade could reach impressing the Blade Pokémon in the process. Luxray ignored the pain from Gallade as he poured all the power he could into the attack. Gallade too ignored the pain Luxray was causing him and pushed through it landing several more blows with his bladed elbows and legs on Luxray.
One of them had to end first and unfortunately for Luxray it was him and he had to let go once Crunch ended. He needed to back up and not give this fighting type a chance to get close again, though he took a final kick to the face that staggered him. Sabrina saw this and knew just what to do.
"Psycho Cut." Sabrina ordered.
"Thunder Fang." Angie said as she suddenly realized a problem with Luxray's move set now that she was confronted with a fighting type that fought up close and personal most of the time.
Luxray managed to fill his mouth with electricity, but Gallade already had the psychic blades formed and slashed them at Luxray before he could bite Gallade again. Luxray roared as he was thrown back in pain from the attack and hit the ground hard, rolling a few paces from the force of the blow. It was time for the same combo that Sabrina had used against Stoutland, but she wasn't going to mess with something that was working.
"Stone Edge." Sabrina said.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack." Angie called out as Gallade punched the ground.
Alas Luxray wasn't fast enough to avoid it as he was just on his feet when the spikes of rock shot out of the ground and slammed into Luxray's sides. He howled and fell to his front knees as the rocks fell away but he grit his teeth and stood tall before he roared his defiance. He was still in this battle and rushed at Gallade the moment he could. His trainer had given him a command after all.
"Damn that Luxray is tough." Sabrina said respectfully right as it slammed into Gallade and sent Gallade tumbling back several feet. "And loyal, it remembered the order and still executed it. Truly you two have a close bond."
It still wasn't enough to take out Gallade though and he grimaced as he got to his feet and gave Luxray and appreciative nod that Luxray backed up to keep a good distance between them. They were both fully evolved, powerful, and experienced Pokémon doing all they could to win for their humans. They could easily respect each other in this battle but one of them had to win it, and both were near the end of their ropes. One more move each and it would likely be over, and their trainers knew that as well.
"Let's end this in style." Sabrina said. "Gallade, Night Slash."
"Agreed." Angie said. "Luxray, Spark."
Luxray coated himself in electricity as he ran at Gallade. Gallade for his part was running as fast as he could at Luxray, leaning forward with his arms back as he looked for the opening he needed to attack. This was going to be tough but in the end it came down to timing to determine who would win the match.
At the last second Gallade leapt up and forward, somersaulting over Luxray. Then, as he was in midair and upside down, he crossed his arms and slashed his bladed elbows into Luxray's back. The electricity coursed into him and Gallade sparked while crying out in pain as he finished his flip and landed on one knee. Luxray's momentum carried him forward a few more steps before he came to a snarling halt.
The Pokémon stayed there for a second, Gallade on one knee his arms out to the side, Luxray just standing there growling and sparking. Then the sparking stopped and Luxray fell to the side with a crash as he was past his limit and hit the ground with swirls for eyes. Slowly Gallade stood up and turned to Luxray and bowed to his opponent out of respect to a Pokémon that had given him a truly worthy battle.
"Luxray is unable to battle." Sabrina's father declared raising a red flag to Angie's side before raising the green one to Sabrina's. "Gallade is the winner. The challenger is out of Pokémon which means that the winner is the Gym Leader Sabrina."
"Luxray return." Angie said with a small smile on her face despite her loss. "We came really close boy, we almost had it in fact. That Gallade is a really tough opponent, and you did amazing against him. The mistakes in this match are on me, I know what I did wrong in this battle, and I promise I will rectify it. We have some intensive training to do to be ready for the rematch, but I know we will be ready when the time comes."
"I look forward to it." Sabrina said causing Angie to look up and notice that Sabrina had already recalled Gallade and was walking across the battlefield towards her. "That was a really fun battle, I completely lost myself in it. That's only happened a few times this year, and not at that level since I faced Ash last year. I love it when a trainer give me such a battle. It makes me feel fully normal again, not that I truly know what that is, but I like to think that this is what it might be like."
"Yeah it was by far my toughest battle of the year." Angie said as Sabrina reached her and stuck out her hand which Angie readily shook. "You pushed me to the end and showed me some weaknesses I need to work on going forward."
"That is my job as a gym leader, I am supposed to bring out the best in my challengers." Sabrina said with a smile. "And when you come back in a week's time I look forward to seeing your corrections in our rematch."
"A week?" Angie asked confused. "That long?"
"I'll go into it more after our rematch, but I take a week off every month." Sabrina said. "It's due to my addiction and recovery from it. I need a week off every month to reset and focus on myself and my mental health by doing something fun or just taking a break from everything. In a few days the Saffron Contest will occur and due to my past abuse of my powers, one of them is permanently broken, I can't stay in the city for it as it is too uncomfortable for me."
"I'm sort to hear that." Angie said unsure how to respond to what Sabrina was saying. "So, you leave the city the week of the Contest then?"
"Don't be sorry, I have only myself to blame for the damage I caused myself and I accept that." Sabrina said dismissively. "And because of that damage, I can't handle large crowds without having a seizure, so yes, I get out of Saffron during that week. The Committee understands and always schedules it during my monthly week off."
"I see, I think I will need to understand more though." Angie said as Sabrina began to lead her out of the battlefield and gym in general. "I don't really get it."
"And I will go into detail when we have a full chat because there is something I do want to talk with you about and understanding my past will give you some context for why I want to help you." Sabrina said. "It's something I've spoken with Misty, Anabel, and May about already. I think you know what it is, but I won't use my telepathy to confirm, that's my broken power and the rush from our battle hasn't settled yet so it's still mercifully suppressed, and I am going to enjoy this for as long as it lasts."
"Oh, I see that is good then." Angie said a little confused, but she heard the names and knew what Sabrina was talking about. "And if you mentioned those three than there is only one thing all four of us have in common, we all like Ash and we all lost him to Dawn."
"Bingo, I knew mentioning them would explain it." Sabrina said with a smile. "I have fully helped Misty and Anabel, at least as best as I can with them, and begun with May but we only spoke once the day after Ash's party during the battles when my headache got really bad and we went for a walk so I could clear my head and see if she needed my help as well, which in a way she did. I'm going to Kalos later this year, so I'll get a chance to see how she's doing. However, I knew you were challenging the Kanto gyms and that you were one of the girls from the Indigo final, so I wanted to talk to you as well."
"Oh well I, um, didn't expect that." Angie said taken aback by Sabrina's surprising offer. "Can I ask why?"
"As I have said, I owe Ash a debt I don't think I can ever repay." Sabrina said. "But I can try, and this is my way of doing so, and making amends for my past actions towards him. Ash is too dense to understand the harm he can do, and he'd never do it intentionally, but the human heart is a fickle thing and love is both amazing and painful, or so I've been told I've never been in love."
"Really?" Angie asked surprised at that.
"When you spend your formative years inside abusing your psychic power and then several more years in recovery, romance is the last thing on the mind." Sabrina said with a sigh. "But I am finally in a good place so who knows, in time I think I will find it but that is for me to find. You already found it and the pain that comes from it."
"Unfortunately, yes." Angie admitted with a sigh. "Foolish I know, to fall for Ash when I had no hope."
"The heart wants what the heart wants, I don't think we have much control over something as irrational as love." Sabrina said. "However, love is a powerful emotion and it corrupt just as much as it can purify. I've heard of the latter happening in a few people and it almost happened to one of the girls, but she sought me out after a talk I gave and realized her problems before it was too late. Since then, I've made it my mission to help all the girls who lost Ash come to terms with it and either move on or at least find peace with where they are. All have found the latter, but I understand why in their cases."
"Oh, I see." Angie said thinking on it and remembering her talk with Dawn at Ash's first party and what she overheard after she left, as well as what Dawn had told her about Kenny's actions during the Grand Festival. "I've certainly heard of how bad love can corrupt someone and I never want to be like that, not that I intend to be. Still, I'm not certain about this. There are somethings that I'll admit are tough for me."
"I can tell that there is some tension on this still inside you." Sabrina said kindly. "You're the only one who's also from Sinnoh, the same region as Dawn, and that is important."
"Yeah it is." Angie admitted. "And I am close with Dawn, we've spoken about this and even battled as a way of getting rid of some lingering tension that might have been there. I was apparently the second she confirmed after Misty, who I know was the one with the issues as she and Dawn bantered a bit about their past when we were all on the Plateau. I, I just don't know what I want, I've been ignoring this for so long, but I know that's not healthy."
"It's ok, I know there is a lot and for someone you've only ever seen and not met until you battled her to spring this on you suddenly is a bit much." Sabrina said putting a comforting hand on Angie's shoulder. "Just think about it over the week as your train. I am a neutral party with the ability to fully understand your mind and I know Ash and Dawn, as well as the others, so I am a good person to talk to. Plus, I know Ash's nature, that gives me some ability to empathize despite never falling for him. I'm here to help if you want it but I won't force it. The choice is yours."
"Thank you." Angie said knowing that she'd have to think on Sabrina's offer more in her own time. "I will add this to my list of things to do this week because I do want to beat you in our rematch next week, but I guess this could be useful. I have only really spoken about this with Dawn so someone neutral and not interested in Ash in that way could be helpful."
"Then if you agree, let's have tea after our next battle." Sabrina said with a smile as she removed her hand from Angie's shoulder. "And for the record, I will use the same team in the same order against you. That is how I conduct my rematches as it helps show me how much a trainer has improved between matches."
"I'd like that, I want to beat your Gallade." Angie said. "And while I will do things differently, I'll still use the same three as well. They deserve the honor of winning as much as I do."
"I am looking forward to it then." Sabrina said as they reached the front door, and another challenger was already waiting there with Sabrina's father who'd clearly taken a different route to get there. "But it looks like I have another challenger, good thing I always have a full team as the three you faced need a rest. Until next week."
"Until then." Angie said with a smile before she left the gym and let Sabrina resume her duties.
Angie had a lot to process, both with the loss and how to get better to win the rematch as well as the suggestion that Sabrina had given her. In all honesty, Angie was probably going to take Sabrina up on her offer as she knew that her feelings for Ash needed to be sorted out so she should talk to someone about them. Sabrina seemed to be the best as she already knew of the others, as well as Ash, so she might be able to help Angie find the closure she hadn't realized she needed.
However, that would come second. First she had to prepare for her rematch. She had a week to do so, and she fully intended to use it to train hard in Saffron, though she'd try and watch the Contest for some inspiration, so that she'd be ready for the rematch. Next she wasn't going to lose, she was going to win, and she was going to do it against that tough team Sabrina had.
With a smile, Angie hurried back to the Pokémon Center to get her Pokémon healed and begin her planning. She had a lot to do but this time next week she'd be ready. This time next week she'd show Sabrina how much she'd learned from her loss when she won and earned her Marsh Badge.
Well, there is the first part of the Angie arc, and it is a little different from the others as this was the best way for Sabrina to meet Angie. This chapter and the next one will be the only chapters that actually feature battles with talking about problems not being the main focus (that is the third one for Angie), but such is the nature of Angie's arc, and the way Sabrina can talk to her. Of all the girls, Angie's arc will the most detached from the others and the only one that is in consecutive chronological order as the next two chapters are Angie as well and will be out after Part CX back-to-back so y'all can enjoy them in quick order. Think of Angie's arc as a short story within this side story, that is what I'm going for with it and it will all become clear then. However, that is all I have for this chapter. As always, given the content all I will do is ask that if you want to read more that you favorite or follow it and let me know what you think of it in your reviews or PMs to me. Until next time.
Stringdog