En Route

En Route

16 June 2001

Here I am, fairly comfortably ensconced in my aisle seat on the train to the suburbs of Viridian City. Sabrina and I will rent an SUV and head off into the mountains from there. Speaking of Sabrina, she is sleeping in the seat next to mine. She is so willowy and slight I want to throw my cloak over her, she seems to need protection. I know better, but all I see now is a very slender, young and pallid girl. Not the formidably intimidating woman with the penetrating gaze and mind to match when she is awake. As it is she is probably like an Abra, equally potent asleep or awake. I was amazed at Sabrina's demeanour upon my arrival at her gym in Saffron City. She actually seemed animated and happy, there was a trace of a smile and a touch of colour in her face as she pressed her hand in mine.

"I look forward to this partnership," she said, "I expect we will learn a great deal about, er...[i]from[/i] each other during this time."

I don't recall exactly how I responded to this greeting. I suppose I mumbled something terse, but polite. I must admit to being preoccupied with trying to prepare for Mewtwo, something for which one cannot truly be prepared. I've been pondering Sabrina's greeting since it came back to me. What indeed [i]do[/i] I know about her? I know her tendencies as a trainer and some of her intensely psychological strategems to unnerve her opponents. I talk to every challenger for the Soul Badge about the techniques of other gym leaders. They all speak in awe and dread of their encounters with "That Natsume woman",as they often call her. But, does Sabrina have a social life? I'd wager not. She must be very lonely, although I'm sure, like many with a rich inner mental life, she may compensate for it or ignore it. In spite of regular contact with my sister and daughter, I too have become lonely. One doesn't make friends with eager challengers very often, especially if you humiliate them by wearing their precious Pokémon down with status effects. It's been awhile since I have been in love with a woman. I hope these thoughts don't affect my performance on this mission. If Mewtwo is as terrifyingly powerful as reports suggest, I cannot afford distractions.