With relief, the quintet walked into the Saffron Pokemon Center. Rosa stretched, little tongue curling in a puppy's yawn. Pikachu, however, wasn't feeling the fighting type's evening fatigue. After trying to round up Croconaw, Pikachu felt like they should make the most of being in the big city. After all, Saffron was open very late at night.

Dawn and Ash alike shared Pikachu's vitality, though for different reasons. Given her peculiar nature, there was an off chance they could at least go by Sabrina's gym to see if it was still open. After all, it was early spring and the sun was still setting early. Just because there was orange on the horizon didn't mean it was time to close down the gym! Dawn, however, could only think one thing: she had to get her jacket clean.

Prinplup, meanwhile, appeared to be in the same boat as Rosa.

"Good evening! What can I do for you two?" the Nurse Joy at the counter gently asked.

"We need a room and to have our Pokémon taken care of," Ash explained. If the Saffron Gym was still open, they'd need a place to sleep after; if not, then they'd still need to spend the night here to wait for tomorrow.

"Oh, well, why don't you both put your pokeballs in these trays here," she instructed, putting two of them on the counter, "while I see what rooms are available. Two beds…?" There was hesitance in her voice, though not quite judgement. After all, trainers were considered free to do as they pleased. And, at their age, they were close to actual maturity, as well.

To Joy's minor relief, though, Dawn shook her head. "Two, please." She was too focused on getting her way to even get flustered.

Neither Rosa nor Prinplup put up a fight over returning to their pokeballs; both were too tired for that. Pikachu, as usual, lithely jumped onto the counter, making it clear he would obediently go with Nurse Joy to be healed.

"Well, here's your room card. I'll be here waiting when your Pokémon are ready, okay?" the pink haired healer perkily inquired.

Ash nodded as did Dawn.

"Alright, I'm headed to the laundry room," she briskly said, taking the room key and walking off.

"Okay!" Ash yelled at her retreating form. "... Dang, I can't swap around my team until I get my pokeballs back. Oh well. I guess I can watch some TV for a minute!"

And, with that, Ash relaxed in the lounge. Unfortunately, whoever had the remote previous didn't place it anywhere obvious and the station was not turned to battles. It was a documentary about some myths on an archipelago far away. At first he thought it might be the Orange Islands, but they specifically said they didn't have a league. Though, the Aqua Resort seemed neat. There was a guy who made blankets and rugs and all sorts of things from humanely gathered Mareep wool! And, apparently, it could even light up if used right.

"Now, that'd be a flashy jacket," Ash mused, already imagining himself and Pikachu with one of Weber's fine creations. A little latent electricity from his number one partner, and, BAM!, he'd be the coolest guy in the room! Right?

Thankfully, Ash's unfortunate fashion sense was not left to fester. He remembered he needed to change out his team and headed to the desk, eager to gather up what he needed and get on with the task.

Meanwhile, in the laundry room, Dawn impatiently tapped her foot as she watched the dryer. Getting through the wash cycle for a single item was incredibly quick - getting it dry, not so much. Eager to find a way to pass the time, Dawn supposed she could use the memo pad app on her Poketch… only to look down.

She crossed her arms, looking sullen. "Right. I didn't bring it." She'd sworn up and down before that it looked too bulky for her new streamlined look, but she was pretty bored now. Maybe she should try sketching something?

Fate must have taken pity on her. Ash walked in just then, Pikachu riding his shoulder. "Hey, Dawn, how close are you to bein' finished?"

"Another… five minutes," she answered, looking to the timer on the drying machine.

Ash shrugged. That wasn't too bad, he supposed.

Dawn, realizing there was a chance for conversation, didn't let it lapse. "So, what was it like the first time you went through Kanto?"

"Well, it was a lot slower going. So was my second trip, really. Then again, my second trip, all of us had to pretty much figure out our route on the fly… We might have gotten a little lost sometimes because of it," he answered, chuckling.

This was his third trip, Dawn realized. But, he hadn't said this was his third time taking on the Indigo League. Oh, right! The Battle Frontier! That happened in Kanto, didn't it? "Why was it like that the first time? Did you get lost then a lot, too, or were you just enjoying yourself?" She wouldn't judge him if he got lost a lot. After all, she couldn't even find Professor Rowan's lab back when she was a newbie.

The trainer blinked, somehow not expecting that question. Then, he tilted his head back, humming a little. "Yeah… I was soaking it all in. I wanted to catch a lot of pokemon and really leave my mark. I was trying to battle pretty much everyone I saw, too," he admitted. He got a nostalgic look, smiling softly at the tips of his shoes.

Dawn grew quiet for a moment before grinning and gently pushing against the shoulder that wasn't supporting Pikachu, just enough to snap him back into reality. "Well, why don't we enjoy Kanto, then? There's no reason we can't enjoy ourselves!" She crossed her arms, tilting her head teasingly. "Unless you think you've gotta constantly work to get these wins…"

Picking up on her banter, the boy grinned back. "What? I was just worried about you! I would hate for that break to take the edge off of ya," he teased right back.

"Ash, I just battled you, like, what, a week ago? I thought you said the battle was good!" She wasn't actually upset. She just liked hearing him praise her battle skills.

The banter was forgotten. "It was! I can't wait for you to get back into the swing of it, really! Imagine how good the battle will be then!" There was fire in his eyes.

Dawn's eyes widened, flattered by his sincerity and likewise looking forward to their next battle. "But, really, let's enjoy the trip, huh?"

"Alright," Ash agreed. "...there's an ice cream shop somewhere in the region that has the best ice cream. Or, so I've heard. I can't remember where it was… We may have actually passed it already," he confessed, recalling that both of his ice creams got stolen by a Clefairy.

Now, that sounded nice! They'd already passed it, though… She was sure she'd heard a bit of disappointment in his tone. "... Hey, how about this? Next time we come around, we'll stop and get some of that great ice cream together!" Dawn gleefully suggested, a wink and a raised finger accompanying her suggestion. In between all this traveling and training, just taking a break to spend some time together would surely be fun. And, sate their sweet teeth in the meantime!

"Sure, that sounds good!" The trainer beamed, eyes lighting up at the idea… Though, a brow raised soon enough. "Why wouldn't we, though?" His head tilted. They didn't usually plan so far ahead.

Shoulders sagged, a defeated smile forming on Dawn's features. Oh, Ash. Looked like the significance of that suggestion was lost on him… Not that she was surprised. "Oh, no reason, really! Just thought I'd plan ahead before we forget! You know you get caught up seeking out gym battles." Nice save, Dawn. No need to worry, just yet!

Thankfully, before the conversation drifted on any further, an obnoxiously loud 'ding' was spouted by the drier. Any questions Ash's had were quickly forgotten.

"There it is! Now I've got my outfit back!"

Ash contently waited for Dawn to slide her vest back on. "Alright! Let's pick up your pokemon and then see if Sabrina's gym is still open. It's only like… Six thirty, so she might be!"

Dawn wiggled her fingers at Ash. "Hey, if she's a psychic gym leader, maybe she knows we're coming!"

Ash paused. Considering what he knew about the woman, Dawn might be more right than she knew...


The two lucked out. The gym was still open and the two entered with no problem.

And, waiting upon them was none other than Sabrina, seated upon her magnificently decadent and large waiting chair as if it were a throne. Then again, as she did reign as perhaps one of the most powerful psychics of her time, perhaps it was. At any rate, she uncrossed her legs, a smile sliding across her pale face.

"You made it right on time," the gym leader greeted.

Ash waved. "Hey, Sabrina!" She seemed to be in a good mood.

"It's good to see you again, Ash. And, it's nice to meet you, Dawn."

The Sinnoh native's eyes widened. "H-Huh? How'd you know my name?"

"Well, she's a psychic," Ash clarified, scratching the back of his head. "Speaking of which, how much have you predicted, Sabrina?"

"I haven't foreseen the match, if that's what you're asking," she sniffed, taking on a testy tone. When Ash seemed to back down, she continued. "I got a sudden feeling you'd return and your letter was a delightful confirmation of that. The closer it got to time, the more intensely I tried to foresee your arrival."

While her attitude now as definitely better than it was back all those years ago, Ash couldn't help but wonder why she was so anxious to battle him. "You've really been keeping an eye out, huh?"

"Of course. I have to repay you, after all." She looked off, a nostalgic look on her face. "My father and I are both still so grateful. I feel whole again. … I do admit I picked up better sportsmanship from watching your leagues when Father's home. Of course, you alone are not to thank…"

On cue, a spectre dropped down from the ceiling, waggling his tongue and growling right in Ash and Dawn's faces.

"Ah!"

Ash clutched his chest while Dawn took a step back. Prinplup tripped over his own feet and Pikachu bristled. Haunter only laughed at their fear.

After realizing who it was, Ash grinned. "Aw, man, it's been so long!"

Haunter nodded before disappearing again.

"He's surprisingly benign for a ghost type," Dawn noted.

"I've been trying to get him to act right," Sabrina agreed. "He'll be back in a bit, I'm sure. He's probably just excited to see Ash again."

"Well, in the meantime, how about our battle?"

The gym leader nodded, releasing a pokeball. With that, her lips remained sealed.


The first of their foes appeared. A Hypno stood on the gym leader's side, in the species' usually hunched-over posture. A pendulum was held loosely in its hand, as always. "Hypno," it muttered, eyeing the challenger.

"A Hypno, huh… We're gonna have to watch out for its sleep attacks, I bet." Ash noted to himself, eyeing the leering psychic type. "Then, we'll just have to attack head-on before they have the chance! I choose you, Heracross!" Ash gripped a pokeball between his fingers, feeling it expand to its useable size before tossing it forward.

A flash of light brought on the first of Ash's pokemon - a stocky blue beetle with a long, two-pronged horn atop his head, and two golden, beady eyes. "Hera!" He cried, eager to begin.

"Alright, let's start out with Megahorn!"

The stag beetle ducked his head, the large extremity atop his head glowing with energy. He lurched forward, attempting to strike Hypno with a mighty jab of his horn.

Hypno stood his ground, not faltering in an inch in the face of the oncoming attack. Seemingly unprompted, the psychic type opened his mouth, spewing out a noxious cloud of smoke. The incoming insect would soon be met with a surprise Poison Gas attack.

"What the!? Heracross, pull back!" Ash rushed to call out.

Swift and nimble as ever, the insect corrected his flight, his wings expanding and buzzing to curb his momentum. Flapping the hidden limbs, he did his best to dispel the poisonous gas from the air.

Hypno's eyes took on an eerie glow, as did Heracross' entire body shortly after.

Finding himself suspended in a psychic hold, Heracross struggled to release himself from the Psychic attack. Try as he may, though, he was all but immobile. Before he knew it, he'd been tossed back across the battlefield, heading for the opposite wall.

"Heracross, hang in there! You gotta break out of it!"

Sure enough, a super-effective attack wasn't enough to slow down Heracross. "Cross!" The bug cried, once more throwing his wings outward, forcing his way out of the psychic hold. Buzzing back down to the ground, the bug type let out a huff.

"Hey, what's the big idea? You didn't call for those attacks!" Ash barked, a brow raised at the gym leader.

An unnerving chuckle left Sabrina's lips; it was almost more chilling than her former, blank-faced self. "Remember your invitation, Ash? You asked for the best battle we could give… That's just what I'm offering you. The full potential of a psychic gym leader. That includes telepathy with my pokemon. If you want to win, you'll have to overcome that."

"So that's how it is." Admittedly, this sounded pretty difficult. 'I could always use my aura to reach out to my pokemon, too… But where's the challenge in that?' He smiled to himself, having made his decision. 'Nah. I'm gonna face this head-on, and beat 'er the old-fashioned way!'

With that behind him, Ash threw a hand outward. "Alright, then we'll do better than that! Heracross, use Stone Edge, now!"

"Cross!" Heracross cried, suddenly conjuring two orbiting belts of sharp stones around his body. Throwing both arms out, he launched the barrage of rocks towards Hypno.

Once more, Hypno's eyes took on an eerie blue. A psychic grip was enacted upon the cluster of rocks, stopping them clean in their tracks. Widened eyes enacted a powerful force upon them, throwing them back towards Heracross.

"Great… That's gotta be a psychic type attack," Ash noted. "Dodge 'em, Heracross!"

The stag beetle leapt into action, buzzing wings carrying him well out of the stones' range. Hovering above, though, he soon found the glowing stones giving chase. He flew out of their range again, looping back and forth to avoid the following barrage.

"That's no good… We can't shake 'em off." Ash grit his teeth. Soon enough, though, he seemed to be opposite of Hypno… That gave him an idea. "Alright, Heracross, Hyper Beam!"

Bordering the edge of the arena, Heracross found himself with no other choice. Lowering his horn, Heracross shrieked. A booming magma-colored stream fired from his extremity, blasting through the incoming stones in a ray that obliterated them in but seconds.

The blast wasn't done there, though, shooting straight across the field to crash into Hypno.

The battlefield was engulfed in heat and smoke, forcing those present to guard their eyes and mouths. Ash and Pikachu included, who waited eagerly for the smoke to clear.

Dual sets of orbs turned on the action as the debris began to clear, all four growing wide in disappointment.

A hunched, yellow figure stood amongst the smoke, marked only by a number of singes on his short fur. "Hypno…" It grunted, attempting to shake off the damage dealt by the powerful move.

"Man… Talk about strong. Hypno's still hanging in there. I guess that's gotta mean it's meant for handling a lot of attacks." From what he remembered of his past battles with Sabrina… If one could call them battles, that was… That suited her battling style well. Psychic types were truly terrifying, if used right.

"...Then we've just gotta break through that defense! Heracross, Megahorn!"

"Cross!" His shining horn was brandished like a spear, shooting forward towards Hypno in an attempt to land a powerful, super-effective hit.

The pendulum that was always within Hypno's grasp began to swing rhythmically. Tired sounding chants of the pokemon's name were uttered in sync with the swinging object.

Heracross' senses were quick to pick up on the patterns, the stag beetle stopping in his tracks. hovering before the swinging object, he followed each movement until he began to fall into a trance. Lids began to grow heavy, and wings drooped and receded with them. Mesmerized by the repeating chant, Heracross collapsed, falling asleep at the psychic type's feet.

Under Hypno's hooked nose, his mouth opened wide once again.

Luckily enough, the preparation caught Ash's eye. "It's gonna use Poison Gas again…!'

"Heracross, Sleep Talk, now!"

If the insect's ears were visible, they would have flicked and rose upon receiving Ash's familiar command. All too adjusted to those words after all of their training, the stag beetle responded with remarkable swiftness, lunging at Hypno with a glowing horn.

Already moments away from breathing out noxious gas, Hypno found himself in for a very unpleasant surprise, when the long extremity forced his mouth shut, knocked off the ground by the surprise attack. The psychic type stumbled, coughing and choking on the unpleasant poison. Gasping for breath, the pokemon did his best to regain his bearings, practically blue in the face.

"There we go," Ash huffed. The smirk on his features was deceitful enough; sweat drawing down his cheek betrayed his bravado. That had been a close one.

"That was some speed!" Dawn marveled from the sidelines, blue orbs wide at the sight she'd just witnessed. "I know Heracross is fast, but even being asleep, it responded really quickly!"

Overhearing the praise, Ash adjusted the brim of his cap in a classic show of smug confidence. "We trained really hard to get that kind of response out of Sleep Talk! Now, Heracross can respond to attacks in pretty much no time at all!" Happy to boast of their efforts, Ash was quick to remind himself that the match was still going. "...Right. Now where were we? Sleep Talk!"

Standing hunched over before Hypno, the hypnotized insect lurched forward again, supposedly in another show of his Megahorn attack.

This time, however, he wasn't so lucky. A blue veil surrounded him, strangling the bug type in yet another telekinetic grip. More or less unaware of his condition, Heracross was thrown back across the battlefield, unable to do anything to slow himself.

A loud crash, and a noticeable dent in the wall concluded his flight.

"Ouch… That's gotta hurt." Ash frowned, cringing at the impact.

"Pikachu…" Pikachu agreed, his ears drooping.

"Hypno… Hypno…" Matters would only get worse, it seemed. The psychic's eyes took on a devilish red glow, intent on what was surely his target.

Across the battlefield, Heracross' lax, sleeping form began to tense, tightly shut eyes showing some measure of pain. Soon enough, he even began to squirm, troubled by Hypno's assault.

"...That's Dream Eater!" Ash gawked, an odd displeasure forming in his gut. That move had let him with a few bad experiences, to say the least. "Quick, Heracross, Sleep Talk!"

Already disturbed from his slumber, the sleeping pokemon hopped to his feet on reflex, conjuring another volley of stones that were launched towards Hypno.

"Hyp…?" The light in the pokemon's eyes vanished, those same orbs growing wide at the incoming volley. He let out a pained cry, pummeled with stones that he was helpless to stop.

"Hey, check it out!" Ash shouted, his fists closing in a flash of realization. "Hypno can't use Psychic to stop that while he's using Dream Eater… That left him completely defenseless."

From there, things only got better. Shaking his small, rotund head, Heracross finally shook awake from his hypnosis, letting out a happy chirp. "Hera!" His bad dreams plagued him no more.

"Alright! You're awake!" Ash grinned. "Now, let's finish this! Use Megahorn!"

"Cross!" Head lowered and wings buzzing, Heracross zipped across the field.

The dust and debris had finally cleared from Stone Edge, revealing a rather disoriented Hypno. As soon as his sight was clear, though, he witnessed the incoming attack. Just a moment too late.

The shining horn struck Hypno dead-on, sending the psychic type flying into the wall behind it. Falling in a heap, the psychic type had swirls in his eyes, soundly defeated.

An incredulous gaze fell upon Sabrina's first choice, surprise clear on her features. Surely, for a psychic, that was an impressive feat. The telepath held Hypno's pokeball out, returning it in a red flash.

Without a doubt, this Ash was worlds different from the one she knew. With that in mind, the stoic gym leader brought forth a second pokeball, allowing the spherical device to float above the palm of her hand. Hovering towards the battlefield, it burst open to release her second pokemon.

"Mime! !"

Upon being released, Sabrina's Mr. Mime took the traditional defensive stance of its species: knees bent, hands open and up. If Ash didn't know through experience that it was to make Barriers on the fly, then he might have thought the psychic type was getting ready to parry some of Heracross's punches.

At any rate, if Sabrina wanted to start off on the defensive, that was fine by Ash. "Heracross, use Megahorn!" Mr. Mime was a psychic type, so that would be a good move.

However… He actually wasn't one hundred percent sure about that. After all, he'd never trained a Mr. Mime extensively before. He got out his PokeDex, eyes flitting between the battle and the screen.

"Smart!" Dawn praised from the sidelines. "I can't remember the other pokemon that were reclassified as fairy types, but I know Togekiss was one…! Best be sure he's getting the most damage for his efforts!"

Meanwhile, Mr. Mime had thrown up a Light Screen, using its Psychic attack to bolster and support it enough to block the Megahorn attack. The powerful limb collided with the forcefield, barely bending it before flinging the bug type back.

Ash let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was as in the case of the crystal Onix back in the Orange Islands, but the Kanto strand of the species hadn't developed the fairy typing… yet. Sabrina's own Mr. Mime was only a psychic type. Still, the whole affair was weird. He hoped he'd remember to call Professor Oak after this and ask what he could make of it.

For the time being, he had a match on his hands. A battle with an oddly familiar pattern. Ash realized Paul probably picked up his strategy with Jynx from Sabrina. His rival had gone through Kanto once upon a time, after all.

"Works for me," Ash muttered, a smile forming on his lips. Just one more strategy he could already predict. "He wants to block everything? Give 'im a challenge, Heracross. Stone Edge!"

Sure enough, numerous boulders and stones were summoned, thrown to crash against the suddenly formed Light Screens Mr. Mime tried desperately to defend himself with. However, stretching his defenses so thin left him partially vulnerable. The largest of the Stone Edge rocks were stopped with another round of aid from Psychic, but the smaller ones broke between the Light Screens and struck true against their intended target.

Perhaps realizing that her clownish contender would need to pick up his power, Sabrina must have told Mr. Mime to use Calm Mind. Or, at least, Ash assumed that was what the move was. If nothing else, this battle was proving a good exercise in his move recognition.

More faint pink shields appeared across the field. The trainer knew well enough that his opponent had to be planning a finishing move. He wouldn't let them set it up.

"Hyper Beam!"

Heracross landed, ignoring the numerous Light Screens forming behind him. The bug's tiny mouth opened wide as it could before he fired off a mighty blast of blindingly white light. The energy beam swallowed up Mr. Mime, violently stirring the air in the gym enough to whip everyone's hair. It was enough to make normally poker faced Sabrina squint her eyes in a display of vulnerability.

Unfortunately for Ash, Mr. Mime was strong - at least, strong enough to withstand a single Hyper Beam with no previous heavy injuries in the round to compile into a knock out. And, unlike Heracross, Mr. Mime currently required no recovery time.

Whilst the bug trembled where he stood, momentarily drained, the mime was quick to obey the silent, telepathically delivered commands of his trainer. The Light Screens closed in around Heracross. Then, there was a brilliant flash of lightning! The odorous scent of ozone flooded the gym as the Thunder dissipated, its target struck true and felled within the trap laid for him.

"Darn it," Ash growled.

On the sidelines, though she felt sorry for Ash's loss this round, Dawn was overall impressed. The move was showy… It reminded her of her own combination with Pachirisu and Mamoswine. Still, Dawn had faith in Ash. Despite this particular round, she knew he could win this battle!

"Thanks, Heracross… Have a good, long rest." Returning Heracross with an utterance of gratitude, Ash called out for his next pokemon. "Misdreavus, I choose you!"

"Mis, Misdreavus~" The small phantom chanted, buzzing about the gym a fair height above ground. She seemed jubilant to be back from Oak's ranch.

"Haun…?" What had seemed to simply be a patch of empty space took the form of a purple gaseous ghost. It wasn't all too rare for a learning trainer to bring a ghost type to battle Sabrina, some of those trainers being more successful than others. Seeing Ash with one, however, caught him off-guard.

"Start us off with Power Gem," Ash instructed. 'With all the Light Screens around, all the light from the Power Gem oughta confuse 'em!' Ash smiled to himself, hoping for his less than conventional plan to catch the duo by surprise.

However, whereas Ash had only an understanding that light reflected from mirrors and mirror-like objects, Mr. Mime had the luck of being on the same team as a genius. He brought his Light Screens together with Psychic as the move went off, carefully organizing them to contain the rocky energy beam. As it were, only the tiniest of beams escaped to solidify into hurled pebbles. While they were not numerous, they were as tiny and swift as to make Sabrina aware of Misdreavus's true power.

If a few pebbles rather than a true Power Gem could do that, what would the full move do?

All the same, at the time, a Light Screen circle held together by Psychic currently held together the Power Gem. Mr. Mime carefully rearranged his Light Screens, allowing the smooth surfaces to mirror the move back at Misdreavus.

"You gotta dodge that!" Ash warned.

The little ghost was swift. Unlike with the portion Mr. Mime had received, the beam headed her way was large and solidified into easily seen, and thus avoided stones.

However, neither Ash nor Misdreavus had anticipated Sabrina simply telling Mr. Mime to use a Light Screen to ricochet the Power Gem move back one last time. It clocked Misdreavus in the back of the head.

Ash let out a low sound of awe. He hadn't expected an attack from behind in a proper gym match with moves that relied upon distance…

Sabrina wanted to play dirty with the Light Screens? That was fine. Ash could play dirty with the Light Screens, too.

"Shadow Ball!" Though he'd told Misdreavus one thing, he kept his eyes on another. Sure enough, Mr. Mime followed Sabrina's unspoken order to simply block the Shadow Ball with those same Light Screens. "Use Psychic to pull 'em apart." A cocky grin slid onto his face as the struggle began.

Dawn grew excited on the sidelines, fists up before her. "Look at it! Misdreavus is gonna make an opening!"

Sure enough, on the battlefield, the Light Screens trembled under the twin pressures of both telekinetic grips. However, unlike Mr. Mime, Misdreavus didn't have to keep control. She just had to keep them from forming a solid wall long enough for her Shadow Ball to make it through. And, indeed, she did!

Mr. Mime grew desperate as the Shadow Ball approached him, trying to snatch the shields back long enough to get them directly in front of him. However, the pressure between the two mystical pokemon proved too much.

As the Shadow Ball engulfed Mr. Mime, the Light Screens all shattered, raining down pink shards which dissolved as they hit the floor. Ash lifted a fist, smiling widely at Sabrina from across the shadow and shard covered field.

"Nothing to say, huh?" he taunted.

Sabrina's response was merely to look down to her Mr. Mime. His eyes glowed blue, firing up a purely offensive Psychic.

"Fine, then," Ash breathed, ready to set up for their finishing move. "Misdreavus, Payback!"

As the little ghost rushed forward, a blue energy enveloped her, struggling with the dark type move she was powering up.

Dawn held her breath as Misdreavus pressed forward. It was as if she were flying against a strong wind, but the room was completely still, everyone waiting on baited breath. Though it was obvious the squeezing, compressing hold of Psychic was hurting her, Misdreavus struggled on.

Eventually, she got close enough to execute her Payback.

Mr. Mime did not abide well with physical dark type moves. The thrashing sent him flying backwards when Misdreavus was done. To be made of something immaterial, she could sure fight well.

Sabrina merely blinked before returning Mr. Mime.

Another orb hovered out of Sabrina's hand, spinning above the battlefield before letting out a bright white flash. The glow quickly took form, transforming into Sabrina's last pokemon.

"Alakazam!" The psychic type cried, holding a spoon diligently in each hand.

"Alakazam… Man, that must've been her Kadabra. It's gotta be stronger than ever now. We better be careful." Ash noted, reaching to fiddle with the brim of his cap. "...Alright, then! Misdreavus, use Shadow Ball, now!"

Leering eyes, much like those before him, lit an eerie blue. The powerful esper exerted his telekinetic grip upon the floating orb of darkness, stopping it dead in its track before it burst into a mist of ghastly energy.

"Check out that power… I guess this is where it gets serious." One of Ash's fists closed tight. If Misdreavus could at least deal some damage, his final pokemon would have a better chance… '...But I'm not givin' up yet. We'll just have to give it our all!'

"Misdreavus, Payback, now!"

"Mis~!" The pokemon let out a ghostly chant, zipping across the field towards Alakazam.

Receiving another mental impulse, Alakazam repeated his last attack, imposing his psychic will upon the specter.

This time, nothing happened. "Dreavus!" The ghost wailed, crashing into Alakazam.

"Hey, check it out… I guess Psychic doesn't work on dark type attacks, either!"

"Zam…!" Less-than-powerful legs stumbled back, the cerebral pokemon cringing from the powerful physical assault. Pain turned to fury, and Misdreauvs was enraptured in a powerful psychic force, tossed like a ghoulish ragdoll across the battlefield.

"Misdreavus! Are you alright?" Ash shouted, frowning at the sight. That had to hurt.

"Mis…" Staying afloat only due to her well-honed ghostly powers, Misdreavus hung on, ignoring the rattling headache. Truthfully, she hadn't even known that was possible for a ghost.

"Alright… Give 'em all you've got! Full power Shadow Ball!"

"Misss… Dreavus~!"

Sparks seemingly devoid of life, rather than full of it burst and crackled around a dark purple orb, growing remarkably large before the tiny ghost. With a cry, it was fired towards Alakazam.

Sweat dripped from the trainer's brow, dark eyes intent on the sphere that seemed to swallow the light without it. Brows raised, though, as Misdreavus' attack began to slow and lose shape.

A chant from Alakazam and glowing eyes exerted full control over the Shadow Ball, blowing the attack into an eerie black wave of energy, complete with a ghoulish face that shadowed Misdreavus.

"Mis!" The ghost type shrieked, helpless to stop the attack that swallowed her whole.

"Misdreavus!" Teeth grit, he stared into the eye of the explosion. "Are you alright!?"

The veil didn't have to fade. A somewhat shapeless mass of teal fell slowly towards the gym floor, no more mobile than a plastic bag in the wind. Swirled eyes indicated defeat.

"...Dang." And she'd fought so hard too. "You were great, Misdreavus. Return!"

A pokeball had been held outward, absorbing the ghost in a flash of light.

"Alright… Looks like we're both down to our last pokemon!" Ash grinned, eyeing Sabrina. A pokeball had already been retrieved, held securely at his side. "Let's see how ya handle… This one! Go, Crawdaunt!"

The ball that had been so vigorously thrown forth burst, a light quickly taking the form of a small, but sturdy-looking crustacean. A golden star crested his forehead, darkened eyes focusing on his opponent almost immediately. "Craw, Crawdaunt!" He chanted vigorously, snapping his claws.

"Check it out! I didn't know Ash had that Pokémon." Dawn marveled, pulling out her Pokedex.

Crawdaunt: The Rogue Pokémon. It is a ruffian that uses its pincers to pick up and toss out other Pokémon from its pond.

"Psychic type attacks won't do anything to Crawdaunt," Ash noted haughtily. That'd been his ace in the hole from the start. "Let's see what you can do against that!" He grinned, goading on the gym leader.

Sabrina offered no response, a small smile picking up on her lips. Seemed he was cocky as ever.

"...Alright, if you won't attack first, then I will! Crawdaunt, Aqua Jet!"

The Rogue pokemon let out a cry, raring to go. His entire body was surrounded by a swirling jet of water, launching him off the gym floor towards Alakazam.

Both of Alakazam's spoons were raised in the face of its rapidly approaching target. A blue orb appeared between the silverware, firing towards Crawdaunt without a word.

"Huh? That's Focus Blast!" Ash quickly noted. "Knock it right back with Crabhammer!"

Aqua Jet dissipated on a whim, one of Crawdaunt's large pincers glowing before slamming into the ball of energy. Boasting impressive force, the orb was knocked back at Alakazam.

And just before the blast struck, Alakazam vanished completely. Focus Blast collided with the ground, only managing to kick up a potent cloud of smoke.

"It's gone!" Ash gawked, noting its disappearance, but not nearly fast enough.

A second blast of energy appeared out of the blue, striking Crawdaunt right in the back. The crustacean cried out, falling forward onto his belly. Grunting. He moved to push himself to his feet.

"Great… Now we're dealing with Teleport, too. I guess I'll have to keep my eyes open for it moving around like that." This match just seemed to throw one puzzle at him after the next.

"Alright, Crunch!"

Once again, Crawdaunt lunged at Alakazam, aiming to pulverize the esper between his tough claws.

Crawdaunt's grip crunched down upon nothing. Puzzled, the pokemon darted its head left and right. Where the hell had it gone, now!?

"Behind you, Crawdaunt!" Ash informed, pointing towards Alakazam. "Follow it again, with Aqua Jet!"

The Rogue pokemon was beginning to grow frustrated. Letting out another cry, he launched himself towards Alakazam, intent on landing at least one hit.

Both of Alakazam's spoons were raised again, this time conjuring two orbs of energy. "Ala! Kazam!" The pokemon cried out, its voice eerily deep. Two swings of its notably frail arms launched the Focus Blasts towards the approaching Crawdaunt.

"Dodge it!" Ash warned. "Keep moving with Aqua Jet!"

Several twists and turns followed the trainer's command, bringing Crawdaunt mere inches away from the first blast before weaving under it. The second was avoided with a strategic spin, leaving only Alakazam in Crawdaunt's way.

Spotting the disappearing psychic type, Crawdaunt grunted, skidding to a halt with residue waves thrown every which way.

"Damn it…" Ash cursed under his breath, dark orbs darting left and right. This time, he spotted Alakazam rather quickly. It'd appeared with another Focus Blasts charged, firing it at Crawdaunt's back.

"Quick, Crawdaunt, behind you! Knock it back with Crabhammer!"

The Rogue spun, this time slamming into Focus Blast with a swift swing of his powerful limb.

The blast was knocked back towards Alakazam, earning widened eyes before a deafening explosion occurred.

"Alright!" Ash cheered, satisfied with his first successful attack of the round. "Now, follow it up with Aqua Jet, one more time!"

"Craw!" The water type roared, firing off like a water-coated missile towards Alakazam without the slightest bit of hesitation. This time, it was going in for the kill!

"Zam…" The psychic grunted, none too happy with being hit by his own attack. By time the smoke had cleared, too, Crawdaunt was closing in. It was unlikely he'd be able to teleport, at this point.

A mental impulse from Sabrina, however, cleared up his worries. Alakazam's mouth opened wide, spitting out what seemed to be a crackling orb of electricity.

Ash and Crawdaunt alike looked on in horror, the latter unable to act before being engulfed in those painful sparks. He cried out, Aqua Jet stalled in its tracks, absolutely dancing with electric currents. Eyes were shut tight, the pokemon's seaborne body doing its best to ride out the pain.

"Hang in there, Crawdaunt! You can do it! Fight through it and finish your attack!"

If his own motivation to win hadn't been enough, his trainer's words of encouragement certainly were. The Aqua Jet pressed on, this time taking on a brilliant, snapping golden aura of coursing electricity. The attack hit its mark, drawing a pained cry from Alakazam that could barely be heard over the sizzling bolts.

"Alright! Great job!" Ash cheered, guarding his eyes from the blinding light.

"Oh, wow, look at that!" Dawn spoke aloud in awe, marveling at the results of the collision. Crawdaunt had been engulfed in electricity, and came down upon his opponent like a bolt of lightning! "It looks beautiful… Those two attacks mixed together. And so powerful, too!"
Alakazam's pain and the flashing lights made that evident.

"But, that can't be good for Crawdaunt…"

Skin and armor slightly charred, Alakazam emerged from the aftermath. "Alaka…" It grunted. That result had been unexpected, to say the least. Another mental command came through, though, prompting both of its arms to rise. Each of its spoons began to crackle, pouring energy into a single large Focus Blast, dwarfing the others it'd fired.

"Zam!" It cried, pushed back from recoil as the attack fired.

"Check out the power on that one." The trainer's eyes widened. "Crabhammer, again!"

Crawdaunt stood his ground, fierce determination evident on his features. One claw was pulled back, glowing with brilliance as the Focus Blast approached. A shrill cry followed, the large pincer slamming into the blast. This time, he was met with far more resistance, struggling to hold the larger orb back. His small feet began to lose ground, dragging back under the attack's force.

A second strike with his other claw put the struggle to an end, bursting the blast.

Bright, blue light lit the gym, forcing Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu to guard their eyes. Haunter opted to swallow his own, as an alternate method of self-defense.

Crawdaunt let out a huff, exhilarated by thrilling rush a battle brought on. It was only getting tougher by the minute.

"What's with the power behind that Focus Blast?" Ash pondered. "Was it something from that electric attack?" At first, it'd looked like Electro Ball… Reaching into his pocket, Ash called upon his pokedex. The device lit up, analyzing the request before giving Ash his answer.

"Charge Beam: An initially weak electric type attack. When used successfully, it boosts the user's special attack significantly."

"So, that's what it is… I guess we're gonna have to watch out for that." Ash noted. As if Alakazam wasn't strong enough, already. "Alright, Bubblebeam!"

One of Crawdaunt's pincers parted, firing an explosive stream of bubbles.

Alakazam stood in the attack's wake, disappearing well before it could land.

Spotting its figure appear once more, Ash followed up. "To the right, another Bubblebeam!"

The opposite claw followed up, spraying another array of power-packed foam towards the now-visible Alakazam. Unfortunately, he'd vanished from this assault just as well.

"Damn it… Every time, it's able to dodge before we can get to it!" Ash cursed, one of his fists closing painfully tight in frustration. "Wait a second… That's it." An anxious frown curved upward into a sly smile, dark orbs pooling with copper. "Use Bubblebeam, again!"

"What's he doing? Ash should know that Crawdaunt's just going to get tired like this." Dawn frowned, resting her hands on her hips. Surely, he had to be up to something?

Unphased by the crustacean's futile chase, Alakazam appeared once more.

Bingo.

Ash grinned. "Use Crabhammer on the ground!"

Confused, but compliant, Crawdaunt raised one of his pincers, slamming it into the gym floor.

The ground began to tremor, shockwaves coursing through the gym just as Alakazam had righted himself where it'd thought itself safe. It sound found otherwise, though, letting out a cry as the ground below rattled it, forcing one of its legs to buckle under the instability.

As expected, it vanished once again. Ash's eyes darted from one side of the gym to the next. It had to appear somewhere…. "There! Do it again, behind you!"

Crawdaunt leapt from where he stood, flipping in mid-air before pointing his pincers towards the ground below. "Daunt!" He shouted, slamming both of them into the structure. Twin quakes ran swiftly through the gym, causing the ground below Alakazam to falter.

Sabrina's eerily empty orbs widened, looking upon trainer and pokemon alike with bewilderment. While his fiery spirit stayed the same, Ash's unpredictability seemed much more reflective of his league exploits than anything she'd seen for herself. Outside of cheating with her own psychic prowess, it was becoming harder to predict his moves.

Noting her expression, Ash beamed, brushing his index finger over his nose. "How's that, huh? You can't run away from us forever!"

Perhaps not. A very irritated Alakazam received another impulse, its mouth parting once more. A terrifying golden flash took on a round shape, firing off towards Crawdaunt.

"That's bad…! Crawdaunt, hit the ground again! Knock up some of the gym floor to block it!"

Small round eyes narrowing, the Rogue pokemon slammed the floor below with extra effort, punching through the sturdy ground with enough force to uproot a chunk of flooring.

Just in time, it seemed, as the projectile was electrified as soon as it was uprooted, shining with brilliance before bursting into smoky debris.

"We can't let that keep going… But Alakazam looks tired now." Ash noted, eyeing the powerful psychic type. It huffed, doing its best to support itself after the consecutive physical strikes.

"Crawdaunt, Bubblebeam, now!"

The opposite claw was aimed at Alakazam. Power-packed foam sprayed across the field again.

For the first time since the round began, its narrow eyes took on an eerie cyan glow. Both spoons were raised, copying the same illumination. Soon enough, they absorbed the incoming Bubblebeam with the same influence.

The bubbles had stopped in their tracks, hovering just above ground between both Pokémon.

"Kazam!" Alakazam cried, holding its spoons up in the air.

Their influence was soon magnified, the water-type attack thrown back towards Crawdaunt.

The crustacean gawked, finding himself surrounded in a blue, translucent film. Before he could act, he was being pummeled with the foamy orbs one by one, each explosion piling on damage.

"Great… So she really can use Psychic." Ash lamented. "There's gotta be something I can do about them… They have Crawdaunt surrounded!"

As those words passed the trainer's lips, Pikachu noted an instant change in demeanor. The sweat that had accumulated on his forehead all but disappeared, a look of confidence plastered on his features. His posture had even changed. Without a doubt, Ash'd come up with a plan.

"If they wanna trap us, we'll trap them right back! Crawdaunt, use your Bubblebeam to make a Counter Shield!" The command was shouted loudly, a finger thrown up towards the ceiling.

Though finding it hard to concentrate while being pelted with his own assault, Crawdaunt listened. That term had been grinded into his memory quite well, during their secluded training. Now, to just see if he could pull this off right…

"Daunt!" The Rogue pokemon's arms were thrown outward, each of his pincers held at opposite angles. Dozens of bubbles pulverized the ones still surrounding him, crashing into two of the gym walls in a flurry of explosions.

Those were followed by a spinning red and gold blur, firing off a storm of Bubblebeam attacks every which way. The surrounding film had been blown away, and with time, the entire field would be consumed.

Realizing this, Alakazam vanished, narrowly avoiding an incoming spray. Just as he'd dodged though, he was pelted with another, forcing him to vanish and reappear about.

In the end, it proved fruitless. A moan of pain could be heard amongst the chaos, keying Ash in.

The trainer was exuding confidence, punching forward as he called out. "Now's your chance! Use Crunch, now!"

Overhearing his opponent's pain, Crawdaunt shot forward through the smoke, eyeing his prey. One particularly powerful claw clamped down upon the psychic type's arm, refusing to release Alakazam.

"Zam…!" The wildly intelligent psychic type cried, once more falling to one knee. Fortunately, the unbreakable bond with its trainer served it, giving him one last instruction.

A shout predated a huge, electric burst, hitting Crawdaunt head-on in what proved to be a bright, painful explosion.

Painful volts and sparks ran through Crawdaunt's system, leaving the pokemon feeling quite numb. Willful as ever, though, he held on still, refusing to loosen his grip.

"You can do it! Finish it, with Crabhammer!" Ash encouraged, throwing an arm aside.

Pulling his remaining will together, Crawdaunt drew back one of his limbs, forcing Alakazam to witness an equally brilliant glowing claw.

With little time to react, Alakazam was greeted with a rattling blow to the chest, sending it flying helpless into the wall behind it. Losing its breath with the collision, the psychic type fell unconscious.

Silence lasted a moment or so, all onlookers seemingly making sure that their eyes weren't betraying them.

And, it was quickly broken by a shout of glee.

"Alright! We did it!" Ash couldn't help but leap for joy, dashing over to throw his arms around his exhausted pokemon. "You were awesome, Crawdaunt! You really hung in there." Grinning, he held the pokemon close.

"Pika, Pikachu!" The electric mouse cheered, giving the water type a high-five. Or, what amounted to a stubby paw meeting with an incredibly tired pincer, at least.

"Craw, crawdaunt…!" The water type chattered, thoroughly exhausted. Even still, though, the victory had been very much worth the effort. The hardest fought battle was the most satisfying, after all.

"You guys were great!" Ash overheard a very familiar voice, looking over his shoulder to find Dawn rushing over, and Prinplup with her. "I've never seen someone fight a battle like that! It must've been really hard."

"You're tellin' me! Hell, I think I'll need some downtime after this! And I wasn't even doing the battling!" He chuckled, pulling a pokeball from his belt. "Speaking of that, why don't you rest for now, Crawdaunt? You've earned it."

The Rogue cheered, putting up no resistance to the red flash of light that consumed him.


"Crawdaunt certainly has." Rising from her sort-of-throne, the impossibly talented psychic approached her challenger, an air of both warmth and mystery around her. Even when she walked, Sabrina threw off wafts of power. However, it was evident she'd enjoyed the battle as much as, if not more than, Ash had. "You, too, have earned a good rest. You've really polished up that natural talent of yours," she tutted, a wry smile on her face telling that perhaps she'd really kept watch over the growth of her personal hero. "Not that I doubted you… out of fact or faith." The perks of seeing the future did allow her to know the battle would be good, but the emotional aspect of it made her prediction's consummation all the more wonderful.

"Natural talent? This is the first time I've beaten ya' for real! I'm glad ya enjoyed the match," Ash agreed, "'cause it was kinda hard to tell during, haha."

Dawn blinked, catching onto something. Wait, if this was Ash's first time beating Sabrina, did that mean he didn't have her badge? Or, was it a situation like Volkner? Somehow, Dawn didn't seen Sabrina as quite so passive. Whereas Volkner was like a bored Luxray, uninterested in the pitiful challenges thrown at him, Sabrina had an air of vitality that reminded Dawn more of the Aggron defenders who jealously guarded mountains… So, that pressed all the further into her curiousity: how had Ash gotten her badge?

The bluenette's focus was broken when Haunter joined the party abruptly, scaring the wits out of everyone except Sabrina. However, this time, the ghost didn't back off in satisfaction when Dawn put a hand to her chest, or when Ash let out a yelp of shock. Rather, the spectre continued to hover around Ash, picking up his cap and putting it down and wiggling his disproportionately large tongue in the trainer's face.

"He's acting like he's missed you or something!" Dawn whined, giving the boy space for his "haunting."

"He has," Sabrina confirmed.

That caught Ash's attention. Reaching his hand out to touch the immaterial surface of Haunter's face, Ash noted how, for the moment, the high energy spook calmed. "Well, I'm here. Ya happy?"

"Hau."

Noting the dissatisfied tone in the poison type's voice, Ash furrowed his brows. "Well, what'd ya want then? Ya didn't wanna come with me, did you?"

If there was any residual doubt, it was pushed out of Ash when Haunter swept through the boy like a bone chilling breeze, chortling loudly.

Satisfied he had Haunter's intention and consent, Ash then turned to Sabrina. "Are you okay with this?" he questioned. His eyes flickered towards Dawn. His younger self might have outright said it. Honestly, all of Kanto probably knew about her previous emotional status… But, somehow, at the age he was now, it just didn't feel right dragging Sabrina's dirty laundry out like that. Her skeletons could stay in the closet. "Will you be okay with him gone?"

Touched by Ash's tenderness, the psychic gym leader's smile softened once more. Many knew she was powerful, both in battle and in her own right. Once upon a time, even she hadn't known how human she could really be. To have her emotions treated so tenderly… was a pleasant change of pace. The gym leader noted how Ash's companion seemed to pick up on the private air of the conversation and had occupied herself with her Prinplup.

These two… They were good people.

"I'll be fine," Sabrina assured. "Haunter has helped me a lot… But, what's left to do is me connecting with other people. I'm fine within myself. All that's left to do is reach out." Her tender smile just as quickly turned back into a cold smirk. "Consider my debt fulfilled with this."

Somewhere between touched and confused, Ash merely got out a pokeball. "Well, this is fine, but Haunter's gotta not disappear on me again!"

Offended that Ash lacked faith in him to act right when it counted, the ghost returned in full swing to his jovial nature, knocking so forcefully into the pokeball that he both captured himself and knocked it out of Ash's hand.

"He can't act right," Ash complained. "Still… Thanks, Sabrina! Three gyms down, five to go!"

Sabrina nodded. "Oh… Right. I forget who thought it, but you have a phone call to make to a professor, don't you? Something about typing…"

"... Did you read my mind during the match?!" Ash hissed.

"It's hard not to… you all think so plainly."

Sighing and shaking her head, Dawn almost grabbed Ash's arm to drag him out of the gym but hesitated. Catching the widening of the psychic's grin, she decided to bail before Sabrina found a new topic for conversation. "C'mon! Let's just go make the phone call!"

Confused as to why his companion had raced out of the gym so quickly - she even left poor short legged Prinplup behind! - Ash did the water type a favor and picked him up again.

"Dawn, wait up!"

"Pikaka!"

With the boyish portion of the party trailing on the leading lady, Saffron's night enveloped the group on their way to the Pokemon Center. Hopefully a good night's rest and a good debriefing on the intricate, ever evolving nature of Pokémon - in moves, typing, and even evolutionary methods! - would leave them more than ready for the next challenge!