Here it is, the fifth chapter in my latest Hearts Universe side story 'Problems of the Heart' released exactly when I planned to release it. This is the second of the three Anabel chapters that will be the next three and as with the last one this is out of chronological order being set between Misty I and Misty II in the Problems timeline. For those curious, this takes place during the Hoenn arc of the Dreams timeline so between Parts XL and XLIX though nearer the start of that arc than the end I believe. However, that is all the administrative stuff and as there were no questions or guest reviews to respond to please time to sit back and get ready for the fifth Problem of the Heart.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Anabel II
Sabrina stood outside Anabel's cottage in the area outside of Cremini Town, her bag over her shoulder, and preparing herself to ring the doorbell to let her friend know she was here. She had to be in the right frame of mind for this as there was more to her seeing her fellow psychic specialist than usual today.
It had been 10 weeks or so since Anabel had first invited Sabrina to visit. Her initial suggestion hadn't worked so Sabrina had proposed either one or two months after depending on what worked. Turned out that it was two months after as Sabrina had had to go to Cerulean City last month for a talk, a talk that had yielded an unexpected result when she got home, an email from Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader.
Sabrina had a strained relationship with Misty at best and in reality they didn't have one at all. It came from their only real meeting being back when Sabrina was at her absolute worst and fully under the control of her powers during the height of her addiction.
She'd ended up transmuting Misty into a doll, along with her friend Brock, all because their friend Ash had lost to her in a battle. It was one of her most unforgivable acts from her dark days and she still regretted it. To add insult to injury, Sabrina had also failed to make an amends to Misty for her actions, something that Sabrina felt deep shame over. She had talked about the importance of owning your mistakes and making amends to move on and yet she'd been a complete coward when it came to one of her own most important amends.
However, that had not been why Misty had emailed her. No, the redhead had reached out for help with her own personal mental health struggles and wanted to talk to Sabrina about them. Sabrina was more than willing to do so and finally apologize to Misty for what she did to her. It was the kick in the ass Sabrina needed to make her amends and she fully intended to do so and help Misty overcome her issues to the best of her ability.
That was in a month's time though as Misty was currently in Hoenn for the Wallace Cup and making an amends of her own that Sabrina would talk with her about when they met in a month's time. As such, this week was for Anabel and it seemed that Anabel had a similar problem as Misty, only she wasn't fully aware of it yet and as far as Sabrina knew Anabel didn't have anger management problems or suffer from a level of jealousy that could dictate her actions.
That problem revolved around the reason why Sabrina had turned down the first date to come here, it had been during the week that she was going to face Ash Ketchum in a full battle during. Well, the end of the week that is once she got back from a spa session in a nearby town so as to be away from Saffron City during the Contest that was held there annually. She'd told Anabel as much and Anabel's reaction had been surprising to say the least. She gushed over Ash and how amazing he was.
Sabrina wasn't going to lie; Ash was amazing in a way even he wasn't aware of. She knew that from first hand experience as Ash and the wild Haunter he'd brought with him to beat her in their rematch had been who had helped reunite her mind and set her on her path of control and recovery. However, Sabrina held no romantic or sexual interest in Ash, only an eternal gratitude for saving her from herself. From the email, and then a confirmation after Sabrina called her out, Anabel did hold both interests in Ash.
That had been a shock for sure. Sabrina was unaware that the Salon Maiden had ever had a crush on anyone before and honestly thought that Anabel was likely not interested in that kinda stuff. Apparently not as Ash had won her heart.
Naturally, Sabrina had been eager to come and talk with her friend about it as they had never had a talk about something as girly as a first crush together. It was going to be a fun time during her week off as she got to learn of Anabel's crush and how it had developed but then there had been a sudden change the moment Ash showed up to face her.
Ash had arrived at the Saffron Gym holding hands with a stunning blue haired girl in a really cute pink cheerleader outfit and a clearly new silver locket in the shape of a heart around her neck. It had taken one look for Sabrina to deduce that the girl was Ash's girlfriend, she hadn't even needed her powers to deduce that, not that she would as she had begun suppressing her telepathy the moment Ash arrived. Still, it had been a shock to learn he had a girlfriend, one who Sabrina quickly learned was just as amazing as Ash in her own right.
Dawn was from Sinnoh, Sabrina had deduced that from the Piplup she had on her head and had met Ash when he'd traveled to that region. That had also been where she'd followed the paths of Misty and Anabel and fallen for Ash.
However, unlike them, Dawn had succeeded due to a series of fortunate events in Unova when she ran into Ash again after they'd gone their separate ways. It turned out that he'd developed feelings for her as well and didn't realize until a mutual friend of theirs called Iris had pointed it out to him. That had caused Ash to go after Dawn in Johto and they had started dating shortly after the Grand Festival there.
They were a cute couple, but Ash was completely clueless when it came to women or romantic feelings in general. He hadn't realized Misty's crush until her and Dawn had met, something Sabrina was going to deal with with the redhead as that was one of the things they had to talk about, and he had no idea Anabel liked him either.
Sabrina had confirmed this when she told Ash and Dawn her tale, something Ash deserved to know as he was the starting point for it, when she hosted them after Ash beat her in their battle. Naturally, during the tale, she mentioned her year with Anabel, who Ash remembered well from his battles with her. Dawn had been jealous and rightfully so, but Sabrina hadn't said anything about what she knew. That was for them to deal with if the girls ever met, it wasn't her place to but in on that front.
That was also why she wasn't going to tell Anabel about Dawn beyond the fact that Ash was traveling with a coordinator, something she'd already told Anabel in their initial emails, when they talked. Sabrina was going to have a girl chat with Anabel about this to find out how Anabel truly felt about Ash and help her as best she could over the course of the week so that she knew Anabel was in a good place. If she met Dawn, well that would be for them to deal with.
Sabrina didn't expect them to meet but the universe wasn't known for being merciful like that. She knew that first hand as she had been blessed with incredible power at an age she shouldn't have been and that had led to an addiction that almost destroyed her. As such, Sabrina was going to do everything in her power to make sure that if Anabel and Dawn ever met they would be able to have a civil, mature, conversation.
With her mind ready, Sabrina rang the doorbell and waited for Anabel to come. A moment later the door opened and the lilac haired girl in her usual, slightly masculine, and flared style opened the door and smiled at her.
"Sabrina, you made it." Anabel said as they hugged. "It took a while but you're here."
"I wasn't going to miss this." Sabrina said with a smile as they broke apart and Anabel led her into the cottage, her butler appearing and taking Sabrina's bag for her as the girls made their way to the living room where fresh tea had been prepared for them. "I couldn't make the last two weeks I had off, so I was going to come this week regardless."
"I know, I've been looking forward to this more than usual." Anabel said as she sat in her armchair and poured the tea while Sabrina took a seat on the sofa knowing why Anabel was looking forward to her arrival so much. "Not that I don't always look forward to our time together that is. After the year you spent her, I sometimes miss the company you provided during that time."
"It was a fun year that really helped me, and thanks to your help I was finally ready to resume my duties, so I had to get back to Saffron for them." Sabrina said accepting the team and realizing that it was a local blend that Anabel was fond of and hard to find back home for her. "You were the last person I needed to heal as much as possible, enough to function as near to normal as someone like me can given what I put my mind through and the damage I caused."
"I just helped out a girl in need." Anabel said with a smile as Sabrina added a little too much sugar to her tea, a byproduct of two years in Kalos where everything was on the sweeter side. "And made a lifelong friend in the process. Your talents are incredible, I wanted to make sure you can use them without fear of letting them control you again. Mine are similar enough to aid your telepathy so I did what I could."
"And it paid off as I can now keep it at just a constant buzz without hearing people's thoughts beyond surface level emotions, I can even suppress it for up to an hour without an issue." Sabrina said sipping the team and enjoying the flavor of the local blend mixed with the added sugar. "I still can't do crowds but that is never going to change, no amount of control will allow that I think. That said, as incredible as my powers are, they are as much a curse as a blessing because of my abuse of them. I no longer fear telekinesis or telepathy, at least in small doses, but I will always fear transmutation."
"But you have that under control." Anabel pointed out. "You don't use transmutation anymore, at least as long as I have known you."
"6 years sober so to speak when it comes to that power." Sabrina said with a smile at how she got clean from that power's hold on her. "And I am not looking back. That is the power above all else that was really addicting because of how strong it is. I still get urges to use it but I know how bad it is so I can resist them."
"I may not understand how you see things, but I'll always be here for you if you need me." Anabel said supportively. "And I'm glad to hear you're still resisting that power. From your descriptions of it, it sounds terrifying to use and worse to go through."
"It's a struggle at times but I have the support I need and thank you Anabel, that means a lot." Sabrina said gratefully, holding her warm teacup in two hands as she thought back on the times she'd used transmutation and how it was indescribably bad. "The few who I hurt with it know how bad it is and soon I will be making an amends to one of them at long last but that's not relevant to you."
"I understand." Anabel said. "I know how hard it is for you to talk about this."
"It's not hard, not anymore, but transmutation was the worst I was so thinking on it is tough." Sabrina said. "Is the weekly meeting still going on in Cremini Town? I will be going to it while here, that is a must regardless of everything else."
"NA and AA both meet at the same time and place as always." Anabel said with a nod. "I checked before you arrived as I knew you'd want to attend it. Their next one is in a few days."
"Perfect." Sabrina said. "I like the one here, pretty local so it's comforting seeing the same people going strong every time I show up. I'll be heading to that then when the time comes but enough about me, this is all old news that is thankfully in the past."
"True it is." Anabel said taking a sip of tea.
"Plus, there is something new for us to discuss that we haven't discussed before." Sabrina said with a grin as she changed the topic to a happier one. "You did say you were looking forward to this more than usual. That wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a certain raven-haired trainer from Pallet Town who always has a Pikachu with him and who I recently had a battle with."
"Maybe." Anabel said, her blush, something Sabrina had never expected to see, flaring on her cheeks confirming it. "That could be the reason I am so excited to see you this time."
"Anabel." Sabrina said with a raised eyebrow. "Do I need to stop suppressing my telepathy? With that blush I won't need to even think about it, he'll be so close to the top of your mind that I will pick it up in the buzz."
"Ok it is why." Anabel admitted with a theatrical sigh. "I can't keep it from you even if I tried, you'd just read my mind and as you correctly assumed, he's at the top of it. I know how your telepathy works and you're right, you wouldn't have to do more than what you normally do to find out."
"But as I said, I am suppressing it at the moment because I don't want to find out that way." Sabrina said with a grin. "I want to hear it all from your mouth and not your mind. I want to know everything Anabel. How did you meet? How did you fall for him? Why did you fall for him? All that. This is so unexpected from you have given how you seemed utterly uninterested in romance or physical relationships before that we have to talk about this."
"I never closed my mind to them, I always thought it possible, and the idea of physical intimacy never repulsed me or disinterested me." Anabel admitted. "It's why I never really considered myself asexual because I thought the right person, male or female, would come along one day and I'd be interested in that stuff with another human. Turns out he did show up one day just as I expected. Though don't think we aren't talking about you as well Sabrina. You aren't getting out of this clean. This is a girl talk about crushes, so we are talking about you too."
"You know how I feel about sex." Sabrina said worry in her voice. "I know I'm straight and I am not shut off to romantic interest as there may be a guy I'm soft on, but the idea of sex terrifies me because of the possibility of getting addicted to it and my own weaknesses when it comes to addictive things. I'm an addict remember, that means that I have an addictive personality so I could easily get another addiction if it something creates the same feeling in my brain that using my powers did."
"I know but if this guy likes you as well you should see what happens." Anabel said softly. "And take it slow with the more intimate stuff. It is fine to be worried about it, but you are still strong Sabrina and it's not like you don't know the warning signs or have access to the support you'd need."
"If I come to the bridge, I'll cross it but he's out in Kalos, so it won't come anytime soon." Sabrina said thinking of Alain and trying to quell her racing heart at the thought, seeing Ash and Dawn so cute together had brought out feelings Sabrina didn't fully understand regarding him. "But thank you, I know I have the support around me so should the time comes I will be prepared. However, we are here to talk about Ash first and foremost seeing as he's currently in Kanto."
"True and I will answer all your questions but only after you tell me a few things first." Anabel said. "And we can leave your own crush for later in the week, don't expect to avoid talking about this mysterious guy."
"Alright that works for me though I wouldn't call it a crush as I need to figure it out myself first." Sabrina said with a sip of tea knowing that Anabel would have questions about her meeting with Ash. "What do you want to know?"
"How is Ash?" Anabel asked and her cheeks flared red again causing Sabrina to smile at how right she was. "Is he doing well?"
"He's good, basically the same as he was when I first met him all those years ago." Sabrina said truthfully though ignoring the one big change in his life. "Still determined as hell and trying to become a Pokémon Master. He's been facing the gym leaders here in full battles to practice for the Indigo Conference and doing well in them. He's more confident and a lot stronger than when I first met him, and his Pokémon are from all over the world."
"Really?" Anabel asked interested. "Where? When I met him, he'd only been to Johto and Hoenn based on his Pokémon and familiarity with mine, in addition to Kanto where he's from."
"He's been to Sinnoh and Unova since then." Sabrina said. "He used Pokémon from both regions against me in our battle. In fact, he used one from all 5 regions he'd been too in that battle."
"That doesn't surprise me." Anabel said. "I could tell when I shook his hand that he has a restless heart; he'll always wander wherever his path leads him. He's not someone who can stay put for a long time."
"Clearly, I don't know many like him." Sabrina said. "Few have been to 3 regions, fewer still have been to 5 and that's how many he's been to over the last 7 years. He's also been to the Orange Islands which aren't a region but still an adventure in its own right."
"It's what makes him so impressive." Anabel said with a small smile. "So how is he doing in his full battles? He was a little bullheaded when we met, hence why I beat him as he rushed into our first match without thinking, but when he was focused and prepared, he beat me."
"Well, he's certainly prepared for his full battle challenges as he's won them all." Sabrina said surprising Anabel. "I was the fourth and he beat me, though it went down to the wire. We chatted afterwards and he told me about his wins over Forrest, Misty and Surge and I recently learned that he'd beaten Erika as well so he's 5 for 5. Right now, he's taking a break for a bit, but he'll be facing Janine in about 10 or so days in his 6th full battle."
"Wow that is impressive." Anabel said sounding in awe of Ash in a way Sabrina hadn't heard Anabel sound before, she definitely had it bad for him. "But I should have expected it, he beat the 5 Frontier Brains before me first time, including Nolan's Articuno that he's befriended which isn't easy. He also beat Brandon in the end to beat the Battle Frontier though that took 3 attempts apparently."
"I heard that story when we talked, it was quite impressive that he could defeat one legendary or mythical Pokémon, let alone 4 in his time." Sabrina said. "But I expected nothing less from him given his determination."
"I wouldn't either as I already knew of two, Articuno and Brandon's Regice." Anabel agreed. "But what was your battle with him like? Tell me everything."
"Very well but once I am done you will answer my earlier questions." Sabrina said giving Anabel a look over the rim of her teacup as she had another drink. "I won't talk until you confirm that."
"Of course, I said I would, and I will." Anabel said slightly impatiently. "I haven't talked about Ash in years, so I want to do so to finally be able to talk about my crush openly, but I also want to hear how well his battling has become since we faced."
"Oh, it's good." Sabrina said with a grin. "And it was my first full battle in years so I really got a taste for what he could do in it."
"Full battles are rare." Anabel said. "But they do allow for that kind of analysis in them. I haven't had one in a long time either but the Conferences use them at the later stages so it makes sense that Ash would want to practice them."
"Given his record it really does." Sabrina said. "He's only once not made it to a full battle, and I was more than willing to give him one both for practice and to see what he'd become since he save me. It was why I started the match off with my Kadabra, the Pokémon I am closest with and the one he knew from back in the day. Well, that and the nostalgia of it, I know Ash really wanted to finally beat my Kadabra, so I had to give him the chance right from the start."
"I can see that." Anabel said understanding. "A little throwback is always good fun, especially now that you and Kadabra are over the past and properly bonded. Ash would have loved that."
"That we are, and it was the first of two throwbacks I used in the battle." Sabrina said with a smile. "As for Ash, he started with his Dratini."
"Ash has a Dratini?" Anabel asked impressed by the catch. "That has to be new."
"Well, it's now a Dragonair according to Erika who also faced it in her battle with Ash." Sabrina said. "And yes, he does, it was his most recent catch at the time in fact though he has since caught a Gengar. Dratini's first battle was against my Kadabra which I am honored by. It lost but put up a good fight and Ash surprised me with an unorthodox move. He had Dratini bite, not the attack just a normal bite, onto Kadabra so that they were teleported together when I used Teleport a second time and then Dratini hit Kadabra with a Thunderbolt."
"That does sound like typical Ash." Anabel said with admiration in her voice. "In our final matchup Pikachu destroyed the lights in the Battle Tower's battlefield room so that Espeon couldn't see, and I couldn't use my powers effectively. That's how he won in the end."
"I'm not surprised, I even emulated him a bit in our battle." Sabrina said. "I had Kadabra use Psychic on Dratini's Dragon Rush to send it back on it, that's how I beat it in the end. After that Pikachu came out for a much-desired rematch with Kadabra."
"And won it I take it." Anabel said taking a sip of tea. "Ash's Pikachu is strong and fiercely loyal to him."
"Yup though Kadabra was weakened at that point." Sabrina said. "Pikachu still showed off Ash's style by hitting the battlefield with Thunderbolt to throw Kadabra off balance when he reappeared after a Teleport. Ash used that to finally defeat Kadabra in battle."
"Again, classic Ash and what a way to finally win a matchup." Anabel said. "So, what was next up for you?"
"I sent out my Mr. Mime, the first Pokémon other than Kadabra that Ash had seen me use." Sabrina said. "It faced Pikachu in a standard battle and even confused Pikachu during it. Ash recalled him to clear the confusion and sent out Swellow. Swellow was good and fast, relying on speed but there's a reason why I teach all my psychic types Psychic beyond knowing it better personally than any other move due to my own psychic powers."
"It is a good move to know and use." Anabel agreed. "All of mine know it as well."
"That it is and this time mine stopped Swellow in its tracks." Sabrina said. "And grounded it long enough to land a Thunder attack that Mr. Mime knows. Had the battlefield been outside or even in the main hall of the building it may have been different, but an underground gym does have its uses when dealing with flying types."
"It does and that combo will end a flying type fast." Anabel said. "Swellow is a good Pokémon but a mix of Psychic and Thunder, so long as the latter lands, will bring one down. I take it Ash sent back out Pikachu. If he recalled it to clear him from being confused that's what he'd likely do to finish the battle."
"Correct and Ash used his memory of the battle to have Pikachu leap over Mr. Mime's Barrier and land an Iron Tail right on its head." Sabrina said. "One that knocked Mr. Mime out."
"Was it badly injured?" Anabel asked confused. "Steel type moves aren't usually that good against psychic types. They are average at best."
"It had taken an Aerial Ace and a weakened Quick Attack from its first round with Pikachu but that was it." Sabrina said. "So, it shouldn't have taken Mr. Mime out. It was confusing for sure, but it worked so I sent out Slowbro as my next Pokémon despite its disadvantage against a Pikachu."
"You like using that one in battle." Anabel said.
"He doesn't look like a traditional psychic type as most forget it's his secondary type." Sabrina said with a shrug. "He's useful like that and water types have a lot of versatility in battle."
"But water types don't mix well with electric types like Pikachu." Anabel pointed out. "So, I am surprised you went with a disadvantage like that."
"True it doesn't but I am a gym leader, if I can't overcome a type disadvantage, I wouldn't be one." Sabrina replied. "Also, I do like to challenge myself as well so I was always going to use Slowbro against Pikachu if I could."
"True, so what did you do?" Anabel asked. "I know you would have a strategy to counter the type disadvantage."
"Pikachu had taken a fair bit of damage by that point so all I needed to do was avoid the electricity and land another Psychic after using Surf as a distraction to land the hit." Sabrina said. "I then had Slowbro throw Pikachu into the wall to knock him out of the battle."
"Little overkill there." Anabel said. "Surly a simple slam would have worked."
"True but Slowbros aren't known for their intellect, most orders have to be pretty straightforward." Sabrina said. "Especially when trying to coordinate two attacks back-to-back. It worked and that was what was important."
"I don't doubt it." Anabel said. "So, who was next up for Ash?"
"His Bayleef, so the Johto Pokémon he used against me." Sabrina said. "A grass type so one with an advantage again but there's a reason I taught Slowbro Ice Beam."
"Water types often know multiple ice type moves so it's a good way to counter their weakness to grass types." Anabel said with a nod. "But this is Ash we're talking about, he no doubt pulled something off to win it, I doubt he lost two in a row even to you Sabrina."
"Oh, he did, he has a strong bond with Bayleef, and she evolved for him." Sabrina said. "While Slowbro was repeatedly slamming her into the ground with Psychic. It was a back-and-forth battle to that point, and both were injured but until the evolution I thought I had it."
"Impressive that a Pokémon can do that in the middle of an attack, the bond required has to be deep to pull it off I think." Anabel said. "And something like that would be shocking enough to break a Psychic hold."
"It did and then she revealed she'd learned Magical Leaf upon evolving." Sabrina said. "A grass type move that doesn't miss and is hard to block. With the other hits that was too much for Slowbro."
"Ah that would do it then." Anabel said with a nod. "So, who was next. If you were trying to push Ash, I'd guess you'd use your Jynx or Delphox against his Meganium as they are the best against a grass type."
"Jynx, I wanted to use a pure Kanto team to face him, so it had to be her." Sabrina said. "We never had a true gym battle because of my condition, and I gave him the Marsh Badge for saving me because he'd earned it by doing that, so I wanted to go with only Kanto Pokémon in our first true battle out of respect to our region."
"I like that, a good way to finish what was started so many years ago." Anabel said as she poured them some more tea. "And Jynx was able to handle Meganium then? If I recall yours is quite good."
"Yup, though I opted for pure type advantage to beat Ash in the matchup, he deserved no less." Sabrina said again adding a fair bit of sugar to her tea, more than Anabel could handle but she understood why Sabrina had a little sweet tooth. "He'd earned that and Jynx used Blizzard and Ice Punch to win though Meganium did land a Magical Leaf first. Course Ash responded with a type advantage of his own, well we both had a type advantage and disadvantage in the next matchup."
"Did he use a fire and fighting Pokémon then?" Anabel asked curiously. "Or maybe a steel and fighting type, those are the only combinations I can think of that would be both strong and weak against a Jynx. He had been in Sinnoh you said, and you haven't named a Pokémon from that region yet so Lucario or Infernape are the most likely candidates, though a Monferno is also a possibility. Course it could be a Unova Pokémon, but I don't know those well enough to know if any have those type combinations."
"The latter of your two likely candidates, he has an Infernape and good one at that." Sabrina confirmed. "And that's a combo that is great against ice. Again, Ash showed his creativity by dodging a Psychic attack with Dig and then hitting Jynx from underground with a Flare Blitz followed by a Mach Punch that sent her back to the ground. There was no way she was surviving two strong super effective attacks in a row."
"Yeah, that is really intense and well planned." Anabel said with a slight wince. "Great combo though, not something I would have expected."
"It was and reminded me why I had made sure that my Alakazam was on my team for the match." Sabrina said. "Ash deserved my best and he got it after knocking out Jynx. Alakazam came out and again with Psychic I was able to stop another Mach Punch before it hit and throw Infernape out of the battle. That was after he dodged a Flamethrower with Teleport and landed a strong Night Shade."
"Your Alakazam was always something else, to stop a Mach Punch like that is tough to do and at his level a Night Shade is going to do a good bit of damage." Anabel said. "I was surprised when you revealed him to me, but I guess you'd trained him for years."
"Even back in my bad days when dad traded his Kadabra to me so that I could have an Alakazam." Sabrina confirmed. "He's always been my anchor and my dad trained him even more while I was away, so he got a lot stronger during that time. We're close, almost as close as I am with Kadabra."
"Mine still has a bit to go to be that strong but he's pretty powerful in his own right." Anabel said. "And Focus Punch is a great counter to pesky dark types that are a bane to specialists like us."
"Well, what do you think Ash used next." Sabrina said causing Anabel's eyes to go wide. "He was down to his last Pokémon and revealed his lineup's ace to me."
"Ash has a dark type?" Anabel asked. "He didn't when I met him or else I am sure he would have used it against me."
"He wouldn't have, he caught both his dark types in Unova and brought the stronger one, a Krookodile, to face me though I didn't learn Ash had a second dark type until he told me what Pokémon he had back him." Sabrina said. "Seeing that Krookodile was a surprise for sure. I'd never encountered that Pokémon before and thought it was likely a ground and dragon type, until Ash told me it was a dark type. Negated half my attacks and it knew Dig."
"So, it used the pre dug tunnel from Infernape to attack." Anabel said understanding what happened. "Faster than expected and caught Alakazam off guard with it."
"Even Ash was surprised by that." Sabrina said. "But it worked and then Ash landed a Crunch that sapped almost all of Alakazam's strength following the Dig attack. He didn't have the strength to use Teleport and fell to a Dragon Claw."
"That would do it." Anabel said before her brows furrowed as she realized something off about the battle. "Wait, you used Alakazam 5th, you never use him before last because he's your strongest Pokémon in terms of raw power. Who did you have left? The only other Kanto psychic type you would use is Hypno or maybe Exeggutor. You don't have a Starmie as far as I am aware."
"True which is why I didn't use a psychic type." Sabrina said shocking Anabel.
"Who then?" She asked. "You actually have a Pokémon that isn't a psychic type?"
"Haunter." Sabrina said and Anabel knew she should have known that. "Remember, he let me catch him after I returned to the gym, but he hates battles, so I never used him in one until then. Only Ash was worthy of facing him and it was his first, and likely only, battle. I wanted to show Ash how much he and Haunter meant to me and this was how I did it. Against an experienced dark type like Krookodile, Haunter had no chance of winning. Even with the Levitate ability negating ground type attacks, dark type moves, and a surprise Aerial Ace won it and the battle as a whole for Ash."
"Well, it was a good battle that went to the wire even with that handicap at the end, but I understand why you opted for Haunter and not Hypno in that situation." Anabel said finishing her second cup of tea. "Thank you for that. It is good to see that Ash is still doing well and battling as hard as ever. So, what do you want to know about my interactions with him? You've told me what I want to know so it's time I told you what you want to know."
"Let's start with how you met." Sabrina said. "From your perspective. I know Ash's version because he told me when I mentioned I knew you but how was it for you."
"Pretty normal to start with." Anabel said thinking back on that day with a fond smile that Sabrina hadn't seen Anabel use. "I was out walking by the lake having a good time and waiting for my next challenger who was arriving that day. Scott had called saying one was on his way after beating Spencer and he hadn't lost yet so I was eager to face him. Next thing I know there's this boy and his Pikachu running from an angry Beedrill. Naturally, I step in and talk with the Beedrill and realize it was just trying to protect its family as the boy had walked too close to his mate and their offspring."
"And that boy was Ash." Sabrina said knowing it to be true, the Pikachu gave it away. "Trust him to make an entrance like that."
"Yup and Ash apologized profusely to the Beedrill who just swore at him and buzzed off to return to its family." Anabel said. "I, er don't think Ash has a great relationship with that Pokémon species."
"He doesn't think so either." Sabrina said. "A good few of his stories involve him pissing off a Beedrill, or several of them. Anyway, go on."
"Well, we got to talking because he was curious as to how I calmed it down, so I told him of my abilities which he found cool." Anabel said. "We then had a long chat by on the banks of the lake. Pikachu sat in my lap and praised Ash the entire time, it was so nice to hear how highly he thought of his trainer. It really warmed my heart to hear how much Ash cared for Pokémon. Alas our talk was suddenly interrupted when an angry Gyarados suddenly surfaced and swam at us."
"Aren't all Gyarados angry?" Sabrina asked. "It's like their default emotion. Well, that and pure, unadulterated rage that is."
"Not necessarily and I could sense that this one was only angry because it was in pain." Anabel said shaking her head. "So, I stopped Ash from fighting it and got in its way. I spoke with it and found out that it had a stick stuck in between some scales that was hurting it and it couldn't get out, so I removed it. It instantly got better and was so happy after that that it swam away peacefully."
"I bet that really impressed Ash." Sabrina said teasingly. "You know how to make a good first impression on a guy."
"Oh, it did." Anabel said with a slight blush again. "But our fun was short lived as Team Rocket, this villain trio who steal Pokémon and seem to stalk Ash and his friends, showed up and tried to steel Pikachu but Alakazam and I tried to stop them. However, in the process Ash and I ended up in the water. His friends arrived and I took them here to dry up and change into fresh clothes. That was where he learned I am a girl."
"He didn't even realize that?" Sabrina asked suppressing a chuckle. "Why am I not surprised."
"Well, I don't really look feminine, barely have any tits, and have never really been the most conformist to our gender." Anabel reminded her. "So, it was understandable that none of them realized that I was a girl."
"True I can see that given your style and flat chest." Sabrina said knowing that unlike some girls, Anabel didn't mind her small bust before adding because she couldn't resist. "And yet by the end of his time here, Ash made you feel like a lovesick school girl."
"Yes, he did make me feel things in certain places that I'd never felt before." Anabel said blushing again only deeper as Sabrina picked up a double meaning to Anabel's words much to her surprise. "But that's for later."
"Fine I'll save the teasing for a bit." Sabrina said with a grin. "So, what happened after you guys were getting dry?"
"Well Ash ended up rushing off to face the Frontier Brain as that was why he was here, and he'd been told that they were ready." Anabel said. "He was so determined to fight that he didn't listen to me trying to tell him I was the Salon Maiden, so he didn't need to rush it."
"Why does that not surprise me." Sabrina said with a laugh. "He was a little impatient when we first met, at least I think so as my memory is a little foggy for obvious reasons. I take it that it was because he was so rushed that he lost to you."
"He wasn't expecting me to be the Salon Maiden so my appearance in the Battle Tower threw him and was so focused he didn't take into account my ability." Anabel said simply. "He was able to beat Alakazam but lost to Metagross, so he lost his first Frontier battle. However, it didn't deter him."
"A loss won't do that to Ash." Sabrina agreed. "He faced me 3 times in total and went to Lavender Town to get a ghost type just to beat me so a simple loss wouldn't stop a man like Ash Ketchum."
"Yeah, I heard he did that with Brandon as well but there were some extenuating circumstances with the first time apparently." Anabel said. "But after his loss to me, he and his Pokémon' Pikachu, Corphish and Tauros, did some special training for the rematch. I saw how determined and driven he was which I found inspirational and amazing, so I joined him in his training but again he pissed off a lot of Beedrills, too many for me to calm down, and then Tauros was stung sending us into the lake again."
"Why does none of that surprise me." Sabrina said shaking her head. "After what Ash and his companion told me in Saffron that seems tame by his standards."
"It shouldn't, nor should another Team Rocket attack that happened that day." Anabel said. "That ruined lunch, but we still had fun. I then tried to teach my ability to him and his friend May, but it failed as they couldn't replicate what I can do."
"People like us are born, not made." Sabrina said simply. "A trainer may be able to learn how to speak to a certain type if they have a natural affinity for it and a deep enough bond with a Pokémon can replicate what you can do but only with one Pokémon and often only a psychic type due to the type's nature. I know that Diantha, the Kalos Champion, has an empathetic link with her Gardevoir but that is the only one she has it with."
"I figured it was worth a shot and Ash seemed to understand it on some level but not the way I understand it." Anabel said with shrug. "He used something close to it the next day when he recalled a confused Corphish to clear its mind and then sent it out again to beat Alakazam, but it was fleeting. After that Tauros drew with Metagross and Pikachu beat Espeon for Ash to win the Ability Symbol."
"And you explained how the win happened which sounds like him." Sabrina said with a nod. "Impressive and all of that was enough to leave you with a crush on him?"
"I didn't realize it until we shook hands just before he left but when we did I knew that I'd fallen for him." Anabel said again blushing. "I knew I had been feeling something odd since meeting him and learning how close Pikachu was to him. Ash really loves Pokémon, and they love him back because of his pure heart, and it was so touching. Then seeing his determination and drive, it was impressive."
"That it is." Sabrina said. "He doesn't give up no matter the odds and that usually leads to unexpected but good results. It's thanks to that determination that I am here today. If I hadn't met Ash I shudder to imagine what I would have become."
"Knowing that he was the one who helped you only deepens why I fell for him because it shows me how he's always been like that." Anabel said with a smile. "And when I touched his hand, I felt my heart almost explode at the contact and knew what it meant. I couldn't feel his emotions because of my own but he couldn't feel mine or else he'd realized I liked him."
"That explains the how and why." Sabrina said knowing that Ash had no clue about Anabel's crush. "But I am curious, why do you still like him? Just curious, you know I don't know this stuff well."
"Because no one I've met before or since has made me feel that way or had such an impact on me." Anabel said trying to think on Sabrina's question. "I, I can't explain it but just thinking of Ash warms my heart and inspires me to keep getting better at everything. I, I feel things I don't usually show when I think of him and it makes me a little less reserved I guess. I know it won't work but I can't help how I feel. I doubt I'll ever find anyone else that makes me like this."
"Well never say never." Sabrina said but she could tell by how her friend was talking, and how unusual it was for her, that Anabel's feelings ran deep, deeper than even she knew, and they wouldn't go away anytime soon which made a chance meeting with Dawn potentially painful. "But why do you feel like it won't work?"
"Ash can't stay still, he always has to be on the move, seeking the next adventure on his quest to become a Pokémon Master." Anabel said. "And that's not what I'm after. I had a few fun adventures, including a runner-up performance in the Indigo Conference some years back, while you were in Kalos as I faced your dad in Saffron, and then my challenge of Battle Frontier but that was enough for me."
"Huh so that's why dad knew about you." Sabrina said amazed she'd never asked about that. "Sorry, go on just a sudden realization on my part."
"It's ok, he did ask about my abilities so that is probably why he recommended me to you." Anabel said. "But we can talk about that another time. After I beat Brandon, I settled down because I liked Scott's offer and felt that this was the right thing for me. I was moved to the penultimate Frontier Brain after my first year because of how hard I am to face and with Brandon's retirement a couple years back I'm now the last one challengers face."
"And you're ok with this?" Sabrina asked surprised by how calm Anabel was being. "You know, having feelings for someone you don't believe you can be with."
"I am, I made peace with its years ago." Anabel said though Sabrina did hear the note of sadness in her voice as she spoke. "I fell for Ash because of who he is, how can I not accept all of him and know that our paths in life would never line up. Sure, I'd have loved for it to work out and I really want to see him again and try and be part of his life, but I doubt I will. Cremini isn't near a gym, so he won't come by this year. All we have is me and a Contest this year towards the end of the season."
"There's a Contest in Cremini Town?" Sabrina asked genuinely shocked because as soon as she heard Contest, she knew that fate would ensure Dawn somehow ended up at the Cremini Contest. "I didn't know that there was one here."
"Yeah, it debuted two years ago as another one on the circuit." Anabel said. "I haven't been to watch it yet but it's always good fun for the town so maybe I'll attend it this year."
"I bet it is and this year could be interesting." Sabrina said cryptically. "But I am glad to hear you've at least found some peace with your feelings. When it comes to love and matters of the heart, the extreme negative emotions are always close by."
"I know and I won't lie, making peace wasn't without pain in the early days after he left to find Brandon." Anabel said sadly. "But I knew it was the right thing to do so even if I can't get rid of my feelings I can at least accept that it will not happen. Perhaps one day I can be part of Ash's life in some manner but as his girlfriend, that is unlikely I fear. I am happy I met him and that he makes me feel this way and that is good enough for me."
Sabrina wanted to tell Anabel about Dawn but seeing her face flicker with sadness at her acceptance stayed her tongue. She knew that fate would send Ash back here one day and that he'd be with Dawn when that happened. Anabel would have to deal with that, but Sabrina wasn't going to add to that now. Anabel clearly cared deeply for Ash, maybe even loved him, and she was happy with what she had. Sabrina wasn't going to take that from her by mentioning Dawn.
She knew on a deep level that not telling Anabel was wrong because it would hurt when she met Dawn and realized that Sabrina already knew about her, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Anabel didn't need that this week, she needed to be at ease with her feelings for Ash and Sabrina would do everything she could this week to make sure that happened.
As such, Sabrina would talk to Anabel more about it over the week but for now Sabrina felt that this was a good place to stop for the day. She was here with one of her closest friends in the world and they were going to have fun together. This was her week off to reset and relax and she had just the idea for what to do this afternoon.
"Thank you, Anabel, for telling me all that." Sabrina said softly as she reached out and took her friend's hand and gave it a squeeze to show her support. "I never thought I'd see this side of you, it's really touching to know that someone can make you feel this way and gives me hope that I too may someday know what that means. We can talk more about Ash later if you want, but I have found out what I wanted to find out."
"Thank you Sabrina, it was nice to talk about him." Anabel said squeezing her friend's hand back before Sabrina let go. "But yeah, that is enough for today and I know that you will find this feeling as well. Just give it time."
"I will, I have a lot to sort out before I can try and deal with romantic feelings." Sabrina said with a small smile before changing the subject. "Now, how about we pack a lunch, change into some swimsuits, I bought a new cute bikini just for the trip, and head out to the falls for a relaxing afternoon there with our Pokémon. I brough Espurr, Delphox, Inkay, Gothitelle, Kadabra and Haunter and all would like to see you and your Pokémon again. They do love to play together."
"Sounds lovely." Anabel said with a wide smile. "Just what we need I think and Sabrina."
"Yes." Sabrina said as Anabel stood up. "The perfect start to a week off to reset for the rest of the next stretch."
"And thank you for this, I needed a reminder of Ash and hearing he is doing well really cheers me up." Anabel said. "I think I really needed to talk about him and my crush with someone to truly be in a good place regarding my acceptance of what can never be. I know you will one day find someone who makes you happy as well. Whether it is like mine and can't work out or does you won't know but when you find him, you will know it."
"I know." Sabrina said with a smile as Anabel left to get lunch ready and change so she didn't hear what else Sabrina said. "One day, when I seem him next, I will know what my heart feels regarding him."
Sabrina sat there for another moment when she was done talking, thinking on what they'd discussed about and how Anabel was doing. She'd have to talk to her again if she ever met Dawn, but Sabrina knew that Anabel was in a good place right now and was going to use this week to solidify it. Hopefully, she could help Misty find that as well when they met up in a month's time.
With that done, Sabrina got up and headed to the room she always stayed in to change into said cute bikini she'd bought for the trip and prepare for a relaxing afternoon, Anabel's parting words in her mind. As Sabrina left the living room, she couldn't help but linger on a black-haired boy smiling at her as they battled in Kalos and wondering if she'd ever see him again and if so, would she have a problem of her own heart to deal with. That was for later though. For now, it was time to relax and enjoy her week off in Cremini Town.
Well, there is Sabrina's talk with Anabel about Ash, the main one at least so that gives some context to Dawn and Anabel's talk when they had it in Dreams. Course Sabrina neglected to mention Dawn and who she is, something Anabel was annoyed about in Dreams, so there is that conversation to deal with but that's for the next chapter where Anabel's arc concludes with her update to Sabrina and the last chapter set before the start of Winning. Anyway, that is all I have for now and 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