The Saffron City Gym. An odd-looking building with intimidating structures surrounding it to form a roof that caved into a center point; just as it'd looked, several years ago, unlike Cerulean's.
Whatever artistic thought went into it was lost on Ash; not that his mind was anywhere in the realm of architecture, at the moment. Standing outside the sliding doors, he was mentally preparing himself for one singular purpose.
"Okay." Ash exhaled. "You ready for this, Pikachu?"
Sitting neatly on Ash's shoulder, Pikachu nodded, chirping resolutely. "Pi!"
"What's with you two?" Dawn asked, standing beside them. "I know a Gym Battle's a big deal, but you look more nervous than pumped."
"Nervous? Us?" Ash laughed all-too-nervously, his uneasy expression reflected in Pikachu's. Dawn got the odd feeling that they were in on something that she definitely wasn't. "Nahhh. Just getting pumped! After Brock and Misty, this'll be our third crack at my old stomping grounds!"
"'Your old stomping grounds,' huh?"
The entire group, pardoning Rosa, flinched. A cool, silky smooth voice had snuck up on them. Or rather the person it belonged to. Standing in the parted sliding glass doors was a woman in a pink crop top, low-ride white pants held up by a belt, and a large, glowing accessory around each of her wrists. Beyond all of that, she had long, dark green hair, and striking blue eyes.
"Sabrina!" Ash exclaimed. "How'd you know we were… here?" By the time the words left his mouth, Ash realized how dumb his question was. He trailed off with nervous laughter.
The esper only smiled, and turned on her heels to re-enter the Gym. Taking this as a sign to follow, Ash, Dawn, and their Pokémon did just so.
Ash and Pikachu would note that the interior of the Gym had changed a great deal. Lacking the golden arches dimly lit by torches, it instead took on a very futuristic aesthetic. Deep blue floor tiles leaked bright lights from the cracks, and there was nary a sign of any doors, except for the exit. In fact, the inside of the gym looked more like a spacious skyscape, with towering rooftops boasting pink and blue fluorescent lights around their borders.
"This is incredible…!" Dawn cooed, scouting her surroundings. Rosa had climbed atop her head, using the higher vantage point to do the same. "But how-?"
"How did we emulate a city's skyline inside a finite building?" Sabrina finished, still walking with her back to the group. The clack of her pink plat formers against the tiles echoed through the spacious interior. "It's mostly a great paint job, catering to optical illusions. However…" She came to a stop, standing in front of a large, mysterious marking on the floor, just before the platform's end. She turned around to face the group. "I wouldn't underestimate what the power of Psychic-type Pokémon can achieve, Dawn. Their abilities are in a plane above the mundane."
"H-hey!" Dawn sputtered, face brows furrowing low against her now-crimson complexion. "How did you know my name!? What're you, some kind of telepath!?" Drawing her own conclusion, she snatched Rosa off her head, hugging her protectively to her chest, as if the pup would guard her privacy. "I don't appreciate strangers peeping into my mind! So, butt out!"
"I'm sorry." Sabrina apologized. Though, her monotone drone made the girl wonder just how authentic that apology was, further unnerving her. "I suppose it is rude to peer without introductions, isn't it?"
Ash, himself, was disconnected from the conversation. He felt an odd uneasiness lingering about him. A faint chill washed over him, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Pika?" Pikachu tapped his trainer's shoulder.
"You felt that too, Buddy?" Ash whispered.
Pikachu nodded, with a twitch of his ear. Something was amiss. But it left as quickly as it came, and the two shrugged it off, returning their attention to Sabrina.
"As Ash already announced," she continued, "I am Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron City. I appeared before you so suddenly, because I had a vision of it three years ago. I've anticipated your bid to prove yourself, since that day. Since your letter arrived, I've only grown more curious."
"That figures." Ash smirked, idly adjusting the brim of his cap. Her odd powers never failed to weird him out, a little. But, at least there were no life-or-death shenanigans on the table, this time. "Then, you must be looking forward to it as much as I am! What do you say we get to it?"
Sabrina showed the tiniest hint of a smile. "Let's." Turning her back to them, she walked onto the strange panel. "...Oh, Dawn. You'll want to take the panel to the right." She gestured to another glyph, towards the corner of the room. "That takes you to the stands." Her feet left the floor, her entire body mysteriously floating, before a bright, blue light overtook her.
Ash, Dawn, and their Pokémon watched in awe, as flickers of cubic shapes came and went, and Sabrina's form with them. She quickly became shapeless and scattered, not unlike what one would expect from data in a sci-fi movie. Or something like that. Then, she vanished.
"This is too weird." Dawn frowned, holding a closed hand to her chest.
"Yeah." Ash chuckled. "But, for us, it's par for the course, right? Besides!" He held his hands out, turning to face Dawn with his back to the teleport panel. "I've got a Gym Battle to win! So…!" He hopped backwards into the panel, and like Sabrina, he and Pikachu vanished.
~Papa!?~ Rosa yipped.
"Ash!? Pikachu!" Dawn watched them vanish, and sighed. "Well, he's got a point… come on, everyone!" Dawn ran towards the other panel presented, and followed suit.
Ash and Pikachu gasped. Expansive, dark skies stretched over a cityscape - one that this time, looked to be below their reach, rather than above. Bright spotlights waved back and forth over the platform's edge. Over his shoulder, pink and blue fluorescent lights acted as a border to the "building's" edge. Below it, a seemingly endless abyss.
If Ash tried to pin a word to this, it'd be dizzying. He decided to set his attention in front of him, on Sabrina. The dark-haired Gym Leader stood on an elevated platform that was surely their battleground. It looked like an elevated glass ceiling. Battling over that was a frightening thought, so he assumed it was part of the decor, and stepped atop it. A tap of his heel confirmed that it felt like solid ground.
"Ash! Pikachu! Do your best!" Dawn shouted. Ash looked over, spotting the stands on a separate platform overlooking the main one. Prinplup and Rosa cheered along with her.
Ash smirked, flashing a thumbs-up. "You can count on it!" Suddenly, he felt another chill, creeping down his spine, all the way down to his feet. He looked down, where he saw his shadow twist and morph, under him. He had to be imagining things, he thought; did his own shadow just grin at him!?
"This will be a three-on-three match. Agreed?" Sabrina grabbed Ash's attention.
"Fine with me!" Ash agreed. "Ready when you are, Sabrina!"
The Psychic nodded, and beckoned a Poké Ball to float above her palm. With a flick of her finger and nary a word, she sent her first Pokémon out. A flash of light summoned a Mr. Mime. The Pokémon patted its hands along an invisible, likely nonexistent surface. An expert of its art.
"Mr. Mime is our opponent, huh?" Ash grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt, and threw it forward. "Then, I'm counting on you, Misdreavus!"
"Miiis~!" A ghoulish, blue-ish spirit zipped around the artificial skies, barely standing out against the deep blue. She found her place in front of Ash, eager to fight.
Ash scrutinized Sabrina for any sign of a first move. Her gaze was unmoving, and unresponsive. Past putting a chill down Ash's spine, it told him nothing. "So, that's how it is. Well, if you won't make the first move, we will! Misdreavus, use Shadow Ball!"
A pitch-black orb was conjured; a great contrast to the colorful, lively nightlife that surrounded it. It shot towards Mr. Mime.
The clownish Pokémon showed no such cheer in its response, quickly conjuring a green, luminescent screen in front of itself. Shadow Ball crashed into Light Screen, its ghoulish matter only part way carrying through the screen to blast Mr. Mime. The Pokémon barely flinched.
"It didn't faze 'em!" Ash exclaimed. "Even with Light Screen, it should've done something." He overheard a beep from his Pokédex, and retrieved it.
"Mr. Mime's ability: Filter. It reduces damage from super-effective attacks."
"Well, that figures… on top of Light Screen, our ghost moves aren't gonna accomplish much of anything." Ash frowned. "Wait a second. You didn't say a word, before that Light Screen! What's with that?"
"If I recall, the letter you extended asked for the Gym Leaders' true strength. I wouldn't be fulfilling that without making full use of my ESP," Sabrina reasoned. To give her point a visual cue, she started to float above ground. Her long, green mane began to levitate and fan behind her.
"Heh. Déjà vu." Ash smirked, as a bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. "This puts us at a disadvantage… but, that just makes things even more exciting! We'll take your powers, head-on!"
"Mime!" Mr. Mime clapped its hands together, and then popped them open. A jagged, multicolored beam shot towards Misdreavus.
"That's gotta be Psybeam… Dodge that!" Ash commanded. Misdreavus twirled around the beam, flying circles around its narrow range to pursue Mr. Mime.
The mime started patting the open air, conjuring a thick, glass-like screen. Nimble and irregular movements carried it, as glimmering walls spawned in a loose pattern around the field.
"That's Barrier," Ash noted. "Charge in, Misdreavus!"
The ghost nodded to Ash, and giddily took off, dancing her way through the gaps between screens. With the supernatural movement of the undead, reaching Mr. Mime took Misdreavus no time at all!
The psychic smacked his palms together, once more, kicking up multicolored sparks.
"Another Psybeam, on the way!" Ash warned.
Misdreavus successfully ducked the beam. But, Psybeam's pursuit didn't end there. Unfortunately for the ghost, Psybeam crashed into a Barrier behind her, bouncing off its surface. Struck in the back of the head, she shrieked and recoiled.
"Misdreavus!" Ash frowned. From his vantage point, he couldn't see just what happened. But, common sense helped him piece Sabrina's strategy together. "She's using the Barriers to bounce her moves around… but we can take that, and pay it back double! Use Payback, Misdreavus!"
Misdreavus shook off the disorienting influence of Psybeam, and wailed. A black ring expanded around her, crashing vengefully into Mr. Mime. Light Screen was no help, and with double the power, the mime was knocked on its back, even with Filter defending it.
"Now, that's a hit!" Ash celebrated. "But, it looks like we have more work ahead of us."
Now sitting cross-legged, Mr. Mime started to levitate, despite the damage it'd taken. An eerie blue surrounded its body, and the same light filled its eyes in a seriously unsettling display.
"A Psychic-type move," Ash said to himself.
There was no doubt; the multitude of Barriers framed around the field were floating and shifting around, some arranging around Misdreavus as if the field were some sort of twisted funhouse. In fact, they were getting a little close for her liking…
"Dreav!?" The trickster ghost was, for once, the one being hoodwinked. Six different barriers latched to one another around her, trapping her inside of a sturdy cube.
"So, you were setting us up, with all of those Barriers; two strategies on top of each other, too. Just what I'd expect from you, Sabrina!" Ash smirked, brushing his index finger over his nose. "Too bad for you, you're battling a ghost. Slide on out of there, Misdreavus!'
Inside the box, Misdreavus entered an intangible state, and slipped through the solid structure to freedom! Or, she would have, if not for a pesky, supernatural force pushing her right back in. "Mis!?"
"She can't come out!?" Ash exclaimed with widened eyes. "But, she's a ghost…" His eyes flicked to Mr. Mime, who still carried the eerie shine of the paranormal. "...It's a Psychic move! That's why even a ghost can't slip out. I should've known Sabrina would account for that.
The trouble didn't end there. The floating Mr. Mime opened its hands, assaulting the box of Barriers with a crackling Psybeam attack. Misdreavus' wail could just barely be heard over the ear-ringing sound of Psybeam.
"Misdreavus!" Ash called out. If this kept up, then Misdreavus would faint with no way to defend herself… Payback would probably just backfire and hurt her, and she couldn't become intangible to escape... But then, there was one thing she'd be immune to. "Misdreavus! I know you've got it bad in there, but I need your full concentration!"
"Mis!" The Pokémon squeaked out, during a brief reprieve; one Psybeam could only go on for so long, luckily.
"Now, use Hyper Voice!"
Misdreavus did what she did best - shout and startle. Ear-splitting shrieks took the shape of white rings, battering against the Barrier in front of her. Like any sound, though, it bounced off a solid surface, coming right back at her. Being a Normal-type move, it passed through her harmlessly, only to bounce off the Barrier behind her. Firing at just a bit of an angle, it started to ricochet around the prison.
"Sheesh, that's loud…!" Ash winced, plugging his ears with his fingers. "C'mon… just break through, already! This has to be rough on Sabrina, too… huh!?"
Sabrina continued to float, eyes closed delicately, seemingly tuned out to the world. Mr. Mime was much the same.
"Not a peep from 'em… they must be meditating." Ash would do the same for his own relief, but he seriously doubted he had the mental finesse to do so, and keep his focus on the battle.
~Loud, loud, loud! Too loud!~ Rosa yelped from the sideliners, kicking her feet. The screeching was unbearable!
"Er…! Shoot! What do I do, here…?" Dawn winced. From the stands, the sound wasn't quite as bad. But, Rosa seemed extra sensitive! "Uhh… here!" Stammering her way through, Dawn closed her hands over Rosa's outturned ears.
The Riolu eased, sighing in distress. ~Phew… thanks, Dawn!~
Luckily, the walls of Barrier finally cracked and collapsed. Misdreavus emerged, panting.
On the flipside, Mr. Mime's eyes shot open. He raised his hands in front of him.
'He's going for another Barrier!' Ash's eyes shot open. "Use Spite, Misdreavus!"
Misdreavus' colorful tendrils atop her head fanned out, and her ordinarily high voice dropped to a low, creepy growl. Staring at Mr. Mime, wide-eyed, she exhibited the most frightening appearance she perhaps ever had. "Mis…!"
Mr. Mime shivered. For all of a Psychic-type's composure, the unsettling wrath of a ghost tended to make it crumble. It could feel all of Misdreavus' Spite towards being boxed in weighing down on it. It persevered, patting its hands against the air.
To even Sabrina's astonishment, shown through widened eyes, no Barrier was conjured.
"We got 'em!" Ash grinned, and punched forward. "There's nothing protecting you from us, now. Misdreavus!"
"Dreav!" The ghoul flew towards Mr. Mime.
"Use… a bomb!?"
The ghost turned back to Ash, tilting her head. "Mis…?"
A big, purple shadow hung over the battlefield, drawing all attention to it with sharp claws, and wicked eyes… or, those would be the center of attention, if not for the much more concerning bomb with a lit-fuse, wrapped up in the ghoul's tongue.
All eyes were on the shadow. It was as if the air had been entirely sucked out of the room - not that it mattered, as there was barely time for a gasp before -
BOOM!
Smoke and ashes swallowed the high-up platform, and even the bleachers in a booming explosion. A great deal of coughing could be heard, suffocating the bystanders to the blast.
That was, until the smoke clouds whipped into a spiral, and condensed. Mr. Mime patted grey clouds and ashes into a floating cube, clearing the room. "Mime!"
"Wh… what the heck was that!?" Dawn sputtered out, absently patting her hair down. To her horror, she found it blown back comically and covered in soot. "Eek! My hair… Ugh, whoever that nasty spirit was, you better come on down here! I'll make you pay with my own two hands, you big, stinking…!"
Purple matter pooled in the middle of the gym floor, pulling back together. A gaseous puddle gained cat-like eyes, making the blue-haired girl quickly lose the nerve to carry out her threats.
"No way," Ash whispered. He'd come to realize that he was pretty sure he recognized that floating blob. "Pikachu, is that-?"
"Pika-Pika!"
"Hauuuuuu!" Floating between Misdreavus and Mr. Mime was… Haunter! At least, a Haunter with his face stuck on, upside-down. "Haunter…?" Figuring out that his vision was flipped, he grabbed his eyes and mouth, rearranging them back onto his face. Once he finished, he stuck his tongue out, and cackled loudly.
"Haunter! It is you!" Ash exclaimed. Amused, he gave a half-smile, resting a hand on his hip. "Then, all of those chills I felt, before… I should've known."
"Ah… ha… haha. Haha… Hahahahaha!" Droning, half-hearted chuckles escalated into cheerful laughter, coming from Sabrina, of all places! She cupped a hand over her mouth, coming back down for her plat formers to touch the ground. "Oh… that Haunter. He does know how to clear the tension in the air."
"The tension of a perfectly good battle…" Ash whined. "Ack!" Haunter popped up in front of his face, and his floating hands snagged Ash's waist, pulling him for a hug.
"Haha, hey!" Ash laughed, halfway-embracing Haunter. As much as he could a ghost, anyway. "I guess I can't stay mad at you. Have you been good company for Sabrina?" He chided, not unlike a parent.
And not unlike a child, Haunter pulled back, dutifully nodding his head, with his somewhat creepy, somewhat charming jagged smile. "Haun-Haun!"
"Haunter has… done a good job, bringing an air of normalcy to my life," Sabrina surmised. She needn't look to the stands to figure out that Dawn was blissfully unaware of her own history with Ash and his friends. "He's always a pleasure, if not a bit of a troublemaker."
"Mis!" Misdreavus floated in, scolding Haunter.
"You!" Her shrill voice sounded.
"You?" Haunter turned around, frowning. "Me?"
The dark teal ghost circled the larger. Horizontally, vertically, then mockingly scouting the skyline for any other perpetrator. "Well, I'm coming up short of any other specter who decided to so-rudely interrupt a bustling bout with a brutish ka-boom!"
"C'mon, c'mon!" Haunter frowned, folding his disembodied hands over his body like crossed arms. "That was top-shelf comedy. None of ya saw it coming at all!"
"Hm… I will admit that," Misdreavus conceded, smiling to herself. "Are you a friend of Ash's? He seems to know you."
"You betcha!" Haunter's face lit up, again. "He picked me up to battle Sabrina, years and years ago."
"And, you helped him win?" Misdreavus cooed, impressed.
"Er… erm. In a way." Haunter frowned. Even he was conscious of how he'd bailed on Ash, more than once. "But, that's why I'm here! Now I gots a second chance, you know?"
"I wonder what they're talking about," Ash thought aloud, watching the ghosts float about and chat. They went through a range of expressions in a single conversation!
"Call it a hunch," Sabrina replied, smiling at him. "But, I think Haunter would like a second chance at battling by your side… or, third chance, was it?"
"Really!?" Ash looked up to the ghost. "Is that true, Haunter?"
"Haun!" Haunter flew over, grasping both of Ash's hands.
"Well, that sounds like fun!" Ash smiled, then frowned. "But, we were in the middle of an official battle… isn't this kind of bending the rules?"
"I'd say that what's transpired is already quite the violation of a League-officiated battle, don't you?" Sabrina replied. "Why not give him a chance? For… fun." By the twitch of her lips, even Sabrina seemed to notice how odd those words were, coming from her mouth.
"You're kidding…" Ash deflated, shoulders sinking. "Well, it can't be helped. Alright, Haunter! Let's do it!"
"In that case," Sabrina interjected, recalling Mr. Mime. "Let's start fresh, shall we?" Suspending another Poké Ball above her fingertip, the Gym Leader called her replacement.
The new Pokémon boasted two horns, two spoons, one held in each hand, two fierce eyes, and two very long golden tufts that made up a mustache. "Alakazam!" A deep voice rumbled, as the golden Pokémon floated above ground.
"Alakazam… that must be your Kadabra from last time." Ash smirked. "Okay. Misdreavus, I'm gonna need you to watch this one from the sidelines, okay?"
"Dreav!" Misdreavus twirled off to float alongside Dawn, Rosa, and Prinplup.
With Haunter and Alakazam opposed, the battle was poised to start. With a brief glance at his Pokédex, Ash took the lead. "Okay! Use Shadow Ball, Haunter!"
Haunter did as told, conjuring a crackling black sphere before launching it at Alakazam.
Well before the move hit its target, Alakazam vanished.
"He vanished!" Ash grit his teeth. Looking about, he spotted Alakazam behind Haunter. "Behind you; another Shadow Ball!"
Haunter's face sunk into his dark form, and re-appeared on the back of his head. His clawed hands shifted with it, and blasted away. The second Shadow Ball came a lot closer to landing. Alas, Alakazam disappeared at the last second. This time, floating in the corner of the field.
"Again! So, that's Teleport," Ash noted. 'With that kind of speed, we'll never nail 'em… maybe there's a way.' Quietly deciding his battle plan, Ash resumed. "Okay! Let's keep the pressure on. Shadow Ball, rapid-fire!"
Haunter did as told. One sparkling, light-sapping sphere launched after the next, peppering the nighttime battlefield with small, successive explosions. Not a single one touched the gold blur, which blipped about the open field with ease.
"Just one more…" Ash narrowed his eyes. Shadow Ball came through, and Alakazam vanished. His eyes darted, and were quick to spot them. "Now!" He shouted. "Alakazam, at 8 o'clock! Use Lick!"
Haunter spun around, whipping his tongue out like a lasso, ready for a chance at paralysis.
One moment away from whiplash, Alakazam illuminated. The Lick coming his way suddenly froze, like it'd gotten stuck to a pole in the middle of a blizzard.
'Hau…!? Hauh! Hauh!" Haunter yanked away from Alakazam's Psychic grip, to no avail. Instead, he was yanked towards Alakazam, and in an embarrassing display, tangled in a knot by his tongue.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Ash made a mortified face. "Haunter got totally tongue-tied!"
"Piiiiika." Pikachu frowned, folding his paws behind his head. What a sight!
Alakazam glared, and Haunter was sent crashing into the battlefield.
Ash and Pikachu guarded themselves from the dust. When it whisked away, Haunter was flattened into the arena floor, knocked out.
"Well, that was short." Ash frowned, walking over to crouch by his ally. "Haunter?" He tentatively poked the shadow. "Earth to Haunter?"
The purple blob took on more shape, and Haunter's face sunk lower. "Haunnnn…"
"Aw, why the long face?" Ash laughed awkwardly and raised his finger. "Geddit? 'Cause your face is all melted? Haha…"
Haunter took back to the air, sobbing loudly. Without room for another word, he soared off into the spacious skies of the Gym, and vanished.
"And, here I thought a good joke would lift his spirits…" Ash frowned. "Aw, and that was a good one! Maybe I should've used that to cheer him up."
"Pikapi. Pika." Pikachu addressed Ash, shaking his head with a disapproving frown.
"Bad timing, huh…?"
"I wouldn't have thought he'd disappear, again." Sabrina cut in, approaching Ash.
"That bad habit hasn't changed, then." Ash deadpanned, rubbing the back of his head. "He really got creamed… I feel bad."
"Don't worry about him." Sabrina shook her head. "Haunter's proved to be a very emotional creature. I think he'll find a lot of joy in our rematch."
"Rematch?" Ash asked.
The telepath smiled. "You haven't defeated me rightfully. Or, do you plan to move on, from here?"
"No way!" Ash shouted. Realizing he'd yelled right in the blinking leader's face, he flushed, retreating back to his personal space. "I've had too many interruptions," he laughed a rather strained laugh, clenching a fist tight enough to whiten the knuckle. "I'm gonna win this, fair and square!"
"What're you talking about?" Dawn asked, startling Ash.
"Ah! When'd you get over here!?" He balked.
Dawn pointed up at Misdreavus, who released her Psychic hold of Dawn, Prinplup, and Rosa. "We got a lift, over! I feel bad for poor Haunter, though." She frowned.
"Well, don't worry!" Ash declared suddenly, punching the air. "We're gonna come back tomorrow, and show Haunter a battle to remember! Isn't that right, Sabrina?" He patted the Gym Leader on the shoulder.
Even she looked somewhat surprised by Ash's demeanor, blinking. "Right," she nodded, donning an amused smile. "It will be one to remember."
Pulling back, he bowed his head. "Thanks for the battle, Sabrina. We'll see you, then!" Turning on his heel, he walked back towards the teleporting panel. "Okay. Let's get some R&R in, so we can win tomorrow! Sound good, guys?"
"Mis!" Misdreavus cooed, flying circles around Ash.
"Pi."
"...Hey, what's the big idea, Buddy?" Ash frowned, feeling his partner's eyes on him in a heavy way.
"Pika."
To their company's confusion, he huffed. Pikachu had an odd way of reading his feelings like a book, sometimes. As much as he loved and appreciated it, at some moments, he kinda hated it. Like, right now. "Don't you worry. Tomorrow's another day!"
As Ash enunciated those words of inspiration, he vanished into the eerie light of the panel.
Another day, indeed.