I'm still riding on my "hockey is back" high. It's the most beautiful feeling in the entire world.
Last time: Michelle faced her third Contest, this one in Saffron City. There, the group is surprised to find that May is the assistant MC for the event, and she's brought along her young daughter, Rosie. Michelle is the most excited about this, seeing as May is her Godmother and role model. Michelle also comes across trouble, however, in the form of a new rival: a somewhat creepy girl named Zella who despises Michelle for her family background. Not willing to be beaten, however, Michelle pulls of an amazing appeal and battle in order to win her second ribbon! Now, it's time for Aiden's battle at the Saffron gym!
Chapter 20: The Mistress of Psychic Pokémon!
It was a beautiful morning in Saffron City. The newly risen sun was shining brightly, and people all over the city were all starting their daily routines. In the city's Pokémon Center, many of the young trainers staying inside were still asleep, including the three most prominent of them all.
Brandon was in the midst of a wonderful dream about Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny. He was smiling in his sleep, occasionally drooling and muttering some kind of nonsense that could only be deciphered as potential love talk.
Michelle, meanwhile, was busy dreaming about her latest Contest and the brand new ribbon that was now her own. She was the neatest sleeper of the three, lying on her side with her hands underneath her head as she gently smiled. Pichu was curled up in a ball on the girl's pillow, sleeping very soundly behind her trainer's head. Pichu knew she was safe there because Michelle never moved in her sleep; she just stayed in one place all night long.
Aiden was the lightest sleeper, but even he was out like a light at the moment. He slept with his egg right next to him, wanting to keep the unhatched Pokémon as warm as possible. Aiden wanted it to hatch sooner rather than later, and he knew the only way to do that was by keeping the egg nice and warm. So, he'd been sleeping with it in his bed. Aiden had a habit of rolling around everywhere, much like his father, but also like his father, he was able to sense when there was some other being in the bed and that he couldn't be rolling around. Although Ash hadn't seemed to have gotten that memo with Misty…
Either way, Aiden was snuggled up against his egg and snoring lightly, having the occasional dream about his egg and what it might hatch into. He'd had a different dream every night about what his new Pokémon would be. Everything from a Sharpedo to a Munchlax to a Mime Jr.
On this particular morning, as the sun rose above the clouds, Aiden was awoken by something…strange. He opened his eyes slowly, at first, and moved his hand up onto the surface of the egg. After another moment, his eyes shot open, and he pushed himself up on his hands, staring down at the egg in awe. Jumping out of bed, he ran over to Brandon's bed first, and then Michelle's, shaking the occupants until they were fully awake. Or, at least he thought they were.
"What's the big idea?" Michelle grumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"Guys, come here!" Aiden urged, his own eyes wide with excitement.
Brandon groaned but slid out of bed. Michelle, on the other hand, was not eager. She simply continued to sit up in bed, arms folded across her chest as she glared at her two male counterparts. Aiden held the egg up in front of himself, telling Brandon to "feel it!"
Raising an eyebrow, Brandon reached out and pressed his hand against the egg. After a moment, he gasped in surprise and looked over his shoulder, calling, "Michelle! Get over here!"
"Ugh, why?" Michelle threw herself back down on the bed. "I'm tired!"
"No, this is really amazing," Brandon smiled at the girl. "You won't regret getting out of bed for it!"
"Wanna' bet?" Michelle grumbled, finally sliding out of bed and padding across the floor to where Brandon and Aiden stood. Reaching out, she too touched the egg, but once she realized what Aiden and Brandon had been fussing about, she finally bolted wide awake.
"Something's moving in there!" Michelle marveled.
"Yeah!" Aiden chuckled. "Isn't that awesome?"
"It's just like when we had that Bulbasaur egg!" Michelle clasped her hands together. "You know what that means, don't you, Aiden?"
"Yeah, the egg must be closer to hatching!" Aiden smiled.
"I'm so excited to see what it'll hatch into," Michelle leaned in closer to the egg. "There's so many different Pokémon that could come out of it! I think it might even be a water type."
"What makes you think that?" Aiden asked, genuinely curious.
"The egg is blue," Michelle shrugged. "When I think of a water type, the color blue always comes to mind!"
"But there's some yellow on there, too," Brandon pointed out. "It might be an electric type!"
"Like Pichu!" Michelle giggled.
Hearing her name, the baby Pokémon picked her head up from Michelle's pillow and quietly squeaked, "chu?"
Smiling, Michelle hurried back over to her bed and lifted Pichu up, cooing, "aw, good morning, cutie! Did you hear your name?"
"Pi," Pichu nodded.
"We were just talking about Aiden's egg is all!" Michelle laughed, carrying the baby Pokémon over to the boys. "What do you think, Pichu? Is Aiden's egg going to hatch into a little Pichu, just like you?"
"Pi-chu," Pichu huffed.
"Guess she doesn't think so!" Aiden chuckled.
"You gotta' cool it with the jealousy, little girl," Michelle smirked, gently tapping her partner on her little yellow head.
XXX
"Alright. Next stop: Saffron gym!"
Aiden was proudly leading the way, Michelle and Brandon trailing behind him. He was absolutely ready for this gym battle, and to win his third badge!
"Aiden, do you know which Pokémon you're gonna' use?" Brandon asked.
"Well, I know for a fact that Sabrina uses psychic types," Aiden murmured, tapping his chin. "So…I'm definitely going to use Absol, since they're weak to dark types. There! That's a great plan! That third badge is so mine."
The group eventually reached an unusual-dome shaped building colored in white. Two large, sliding glass doors were the main entrance to the building, and Aiden walked right in without any hesitation. Brandon and Michelle, on the other hand, were a little more nervous. They both knew all about Sabrina, since they both had a gym leader for a parent, and weren't raring to get a gym badge like Aiden was. They were more anxious than anything.
Eventually, though, they did follow behind the raven haired boy, who was now finding himself in a hallway lined by various doors. He looked pretty confused, even from the back.
"What's up?" Aiden muttered. "Where's the battle field?"
"And what're all these doors for?" Michelle followed up.
"You don't know?!"
The three young trainers all looked up, finding themselves staring at a green haired, blue eyed boy wearing a purple shirt and pants.
"Uh…no," Aiden blinked.
"This is the institute for the study of psychic abilities!" The boy placed his hands on his hips.
"But…I thought this was the Saffron City gym?" Aiden frowned.
"Well, you were wrong, so you might as well turn back now and go back to wherever you came from," the boy huffed.
"Hey, wait just one minute…" Brandon leaned forward, scrutinizing the boy's face, "don't I know you?"
"Uh…no…" he sweat dropped.
"Actually, you're right, Brandon," Michelle stepped closer to the irritated boy as well. "I think we do know him! You're Franklin!"
Groaning, the boy rolled his eyes and bit, "no. I'm Jared."
"Oh, right," Michelle giggled nervously. "Sorry! You and he just look so much alike!"
"Yeah, sure," Jared mumbled.
"Jared? Are you causing trouble again?"
From behind Jared appeared another boy, who looked quite identical to the younger one. The only real difference between the two was that Jared was shorter and had slightly longer hair. Even their outfits were the same.
"Of course not, Franklin," Jared chuckled nervously.
"Mom wouldn't be happy to know that you're messing around with challengers again," Franklin clicked his tongue.
"I am not!" Jared shouted.
"Wait, challengers?" Aiden questioned before narrowing his eyes at the taller boy with green hair. "Hey! You said this wasn't the gym!"
"Of course this is the gym," Franklin replied before Jared could. "Jared here was just lying to you because he likes being a bit of a brat. I'm terribly sorry about it." Franklin gave Aiden a small bow before standing back up and examining the boy's face. "Say, you look sort of familiar."
"We've met before," Michelle supplied for her brother. "I'm Michelle, and that's Aiden. Our Mom is Misty, the Cerulean City gym leader!"
"Ah, yes, now I remember!" Franklin beamed. "It's been quite some time!"
"How come I don't remember meeting either of them before?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.
"We were much younger the last time we saw them," Michelle helped.
"But you remember?" Aiden blinked.
"Well, I don't exactly remember everything, but I remember their faces," Michelle explained. "I'm good with people's faces. But I don't think we've seen either Franklin or Jared since we were very little."
"But our Mom does talk about you guys," Franklin smiled. "And she told us a little while ago that you guys had set off on your journeys! So, Aiden, you must be here to challenge my Mom to a battle."
"That's right!" Aiden beamed. "I'm here to win my third gym badge!"
"Well, it's too bad that Mom is out right now," Jared huffed, folding his arms. Aiden gave the shorter green haired boy a glare, while Franklin sighed and gave Jared a shove on the shoulder.
"Just ignore him," Franklin eyed Jared before smiling sympathetically at Aiden. "Unfortunately, yes, our Mom is out with our Grandfather at the moment. But she should be back very soon. You can just wait here until she comes back."
"Uh…thanks," Aiden sighed.
"So, Franklin, Jared told us that all these doors are for the institute for the study of psychic abilities," Brandon spoke. "What's that about?"
"It's where people with special psychic abilities can come and hone their powers," Franklin explained. "The best psychic users from all around the world come here to train. There are all different kinds of technique they use, too."
"That's so cool!" Michelle marveled.
"You and I have played before as well, haven't we?" Franklin turned towards Brandon.
"We sure have," Brandon nodded. "My Dad is Forrest, the Pewter City gym leader!"
"Ah, yes, I remember," Franklin smirked. "Very good memories."
Suddenly, something seemed to have snapped within Jared, as he yelled at Franklin, "what are you wasting your time with telling them about the institute? It doesn't matter unless you're psychic!"
"That doesn't mean they can't know about it," Franklin furrowed his brow.
"Well, I don't think they should know anything," Jared refuted. "It's all pointless! The kid is here for a battle, and if he really wants to challenge Mom, then I want him to take me on first!"
"Huh?!" Brandon and Michelle gasped.
"Jared, you're being unreasonable," Franklin sighed.
"I am not!" Jared argued. "If he's tough enough, he'll battle me!" Looking towards Aiden, Jared scowled and posed, "what do you say?"
"Sure, I'll battle you," Aiden held up a determined fist. "Bring it on!"
XXX
Franklin and Jared led the three young trainers to the battle field, where their mother held all of her gym battles. It was a simple, dark room, dimly lit by just four cauldrons by each far wall. Three large stone pillars lined the side walls, which were made of a rich, dark wood. Jared took the far battlers' box, which was situated in front of a large red and gold chair, which Aiden assumed must have been Sabrina's. Smirking, Aiden took up the box closest to the doors which they had just entered. As soon as he stepped into the rectangle, the heavy stone doors behind Aiden slammed shut, alarming both him and his two companions. Franklin and Jared, however, were not bothered by the booming noise. They were obviously used to it.
"Shall I be the referee?" Franklin asked.
"No," Jared replied quickly. "I don't need you. I want a real referee for this battle."
And with that, Jared's eyes began to glow blue. Aiden was shocked and nearly fell over, while Brandon and Michelle were just as surprised. Franklin, on the other hand, simply huffed and looked away from his younger brother with a noticeable scowl.
A seemingly secret door in the side wall opened up, revealing the figure of a tall young man with purple hair and dark, nearly black eyes, dressed in an outfit quite similar to Franklin and Jared's save for the light blue color.
"You've requested me to referee, young Jared?" The newcomer asked.
"Yes, Tyron," Jared smirked at the purple haired man as his eyes stopped glowing. "That would be excellent."
"Tyron?" Michelle asked.
"He's one of the top students at the institute," Franklin explained. "All of the elite students work as apprentices for our mother. They do gym work and referee matches."
"What do you say, Aiden?" Jared turned his attention onto a still stunned Aiden. "A one on one match sound good to you?"
"Perfect," Aiden finally managed to smile and nod.
"Alright, this will be a one on one battle!" Tyron called. "The first trainer to have their Pokémon knocked out is the loser. Now, recall your Pokémon!"
"Exeggcute, let's go!" Jared threw his poke ball. In front of him appeared a group of six light pink eggs, each with a different expression on their face.
"Exeggcute, huh?" Aiden scanned the Pokémon with his pokedex.
Exeggcute, the egg Pokémon. The six eggs travel with one another at all times, and communicate through a form of telepathy that only they can understand.
"Definitely a good Pokémon for a psychic type trainer," Aiden murmured before withdrawing his own poke ball. "But it's also half grass type! Growlithe, I choose you!"
The puppy Pokémon appeared in front of its trainer, letting out an excited little yip before glaring at the Exeggcute standing several feet away.
"Battle begin!" Tyron ordered.
"Exeggcute, bullet seed!" Jared called.
All six eggs opened their mouths and shot out a barrage of seeds towards Growlithe, who was bending his legs in preparation for Aiden's call.
"Growlithe, burn those seeds down with ember!" Aiden commanded.
Growlithe unleashed the small bits of fire, which collided midair with the seeds and burned them down as soon as the two attacks made contact. Aiden could tell that Growlithe was eager to get physical, and he decided he wasn't going to hold back the fire type any longer.
"Nice, Growlithe. Now, use bite!"
"Growl!" Growlithe finally charged forward, a flash of orange fur as he reached Exeggcute very quickly and sunk his teeth into the middle egg, which spread pain throughout the entire clutch.
"Ex!" The group of six cried out.
"Ah, Exeggcute," Jared breathed.
"That Growlithe is amazingly fast," Franklin's eyes were wide.
"That's one of Growlithe's best abilities, for sure," Brandon nodded.
"Don't stop now, Growlithe!" Aiden smirked. He knew he had control of this battle at the moment. "Use dig!"
"Growl!" Growlithe sunk his pearly white claws into the dirt ground of the battle field and started to dig a hole into the dusty surface.
"Oh no you don't!" Jared narrowed his eyes. "Exeggcute, use confusion!"
"Ex…" Exeggcute's eyes started to glow a fierce shade of blue. Within seconds, Growlithe was pulled up from the hole he had dug, his entire body outlined in the same color. The fire type looked very startled, and his trainer's own expression wasn't much different.
"Growlithe!" Aiden cried.
"Throw it, Exeggcute!" Jared yelled.
Exeggcute's eyes just continued to glow, but that didn't mean nothing was happening. On the contrary, Growlithe's body went flying through the air and ended up smashing against the wooden wall behind Aiden. Gasping, the raven haired trainer whipped around and stared at his fire type in worry.
"Whoa, that was something…" Michelle pulled up.
"Confusion is a very powerful move," Franklin nodded. "It gives the Pokémon complete control over its opponent's body…they can't do anything about it."
"Growlithe, get up, please?" Aiden begged of the puppy. Growlithe was in an obvious amount of pain, his eyes screwed shut and his teeth clenched. Slowly, Growlithe managed to push himself back up on his paws, and was soon up all the way, eyes opening in order to shoot a glare Exeggcute's way. "Good, you're okay. Try bite again!"
Growlithe yipped and ran back onto the battlefield, making his way towards Exeggcute. Jared didn't look at all nervous, however. He knew how to approach this now.
"Exeggcute, light screen!"
A golden box appeared around the clutch of pink eggs, and before Aiden could tell Growlithe to move away, the fire type ran straight into the defensive attack. It sent him flying backwards, skidding across the dirt surface on his side. Fortunately, it was not as hard of a hit as being thrown against the wall, and Growlithe was able to get up much more quickly than last time.
"Alright," Aiden bit his lip before deciding, "Growlithe, let's try dig one more time!"
Growlithe once again dug his claws into the dirt and started to work on a new hole, trying to do so more quickly than last time.
"Oh please, this again?" Jared smirked. "Exeggcute, let's do exactly what we did before! Confusion!"
Exeggcute's eyes began to glow blue again, and the egg Pokémon simply waited for it to affect Growlithe and bring the fire type back up to the surface. But it never did, however. After a few more moments of waiting, Growlithe emerged right underneath Exeggcute, knocking into the dual type and sending it flying.
"Exeggcute!" Jared cried before grinding his teeth together. "Ugh, why didn't confusion work?"
"Because Growlithe managed to make work of its dig much more quickly than last time," Franklin yelled to his brother, who looked up in only slight interest. "Growlithe must have known you were going to try that move again."
"Yeah, so says you," Jared huffed, causing Franklin to scowl.
Brandon made a confused noise, causing Michelle to giggle and lean over to the future breeder, quipping, "siblings sure are fun, huh, Brandon?"
"Wouldn't know, other than from you two," Brandon chuckled.
Exeggcute recollected itself in front of Jared, still raring for battle. This brought the sly smile back to the psychic trainer's face. "Alright. Exeggcute, extrasensory!"
Exeggcute's eyes, all twelve of them, began to glow gold before the middle and largest egg unleashed a rainbow colored beam from its mouth.
"Quick, Growlithe, dodge it!" Aiden ordered.
Taking advantage of his speed, Growlithe jumped over the attack with ease, landing skillfully back on his paws once the extrasensory had effectively died out without making contact.
"You're doing great, Growlithe," Aiden smirked. "Ember, again!"
Bouncing up on the pads of his paws, Growlithe started running closer to Exeggcute and fired off his ember attack, just as Aiden had ordered.
"Exeggcute, confusion!" Jared ordered.
The blue glow once again returned to Exeggcute's eyes and was soon spread to outline the embers. They quickly turned around and started shooting towards Growlithe, causing Aiden to scowl.
"Growlithe, get out of the way!" Aiden called.
"Growl!" Growlithe jumped right over the controlled embers, looking over his shoulder once he landed back on his paws. The embers had now turned around and were coming back at him, still being controlled by Exeggcute's confusion. "Jump again!"
Growlithe took another leap over the embers. Once he landed, Growlithe started to dash, the embers never ceasing to trail after him.
Growlithe is gonna' get tired if he just keeps jumping and running from his own ember attack, Aiden thought to himself. Wait! I've got it!
"Growlithe, use dig!"
Growlithe started to claw into the battle field for the third time, forming an all-new hole that he disappeared into. The blue glow around the embers disappeared, and without it, the embers died out.
"Can't use confusion on Growlithe again," Jared grumbled to himself. "He's too far underground already…"
Before Jared could come up with any other ideas, Growlithe emerged from underground and tackled Exeggcute so it went flying into the air and landed with a harsh thud.
"Exeggcute?" Jared leaned in, his eyes wide.
In front of his feet, Exeggcute laid with bruises on its body and swirls in its eyes; completely beat and worn out.
"Exeggcute is unable to battle," Tyron called, "which means the winner is Aiden!"
"Yes!" Aiden cheered, Growlithe running up to him with a wagging tail. Chuckling, Aiden knelt down and patted Growlithe's head, complimenting the fire type, "good boy! You did so great! You just keep on getting stronger, huh?"
Groaning, Jared returned Exeggcute to its poke ball and walked over to Aiden from across the battle field.
"You're strong," Jared commented simply.
Looking up at the older boy, Aiden stood back to his full height with a slightly confused look on his face. "Oh…thanks." He perked up considerably as he asked his next burning question, "does that mean I can battle your Mom now?"
"Well-"
"Jared? What are you doing?"
The green haired boy looked over Aiden's shoulder and became startled. Aiden turned around as well, and his own eyes widened in shock.
There was a woman standing in the stone doorway of the battle area. She had very long, green hair that was much darker than Franklin and Jared's. Her bangs were long and almost covered her dark blue eyes. She wore a dark pink spaghetti strapped top, vertically striped and ending just above her navel. On her legs were white jeans, accentuated by a dark belt and dark pink flats.
"Is that…" Aiden murmured.
"Oh, hello, Mother," Jared spoke up, his voice far more quiet and timid than it had been since Aiden's arrival.
"Hmm," Sabrina crossed her arms and stepped further into the room, until she was right next to Aiden. She looked down and caught sight of Aiden, simply staring at the boy for a few seconds before turning her attention back onto the field. "There are holes everywhere."
"Uh…" Jared spun around and looked at the field with his own eyes. "Oh, yeah…"
Looking towards the far right wall, Sabrina's eyes flickered as she commented in a mundane voice, "and I see Tyron is here…in the referee's spot."
"Yes."
Sighing, Sabrina looked her younger son right in the eyes and prompted, "You were battling again, I see."
"Yes, Mother," Jared nodded.
"And causing trouble for challengers."
"Uh, well, I wouldn't necessarily say that…"
"Silence," Sabrina scolded. Jared stopped talking right away, and Aiden was impressed. No one had managed to control Jared. That was until Sabrina had showed up, anyway.
"Tyron, you return to your studies," Sabrina ordered calmly, without so much looking at the purple haired boy.
"Yes ma'am," Tyron nodded and disappeared through the secret wall door.
"And you, Jared," Sabrina sighed, finally letting a small flicker of emotion shine through. "You clean up this field, right away. I have a feeling I'll be battling in a little while." She once again looked at Aiden, who was surprised by the fact that Sabrina seemed so interested in him.
"Alright," Jared turned towards the field, his eyes beginning to glow blue once again.
"And you are not to use your psychic abilities in order to do so," Sabrina added.
Sighing, Jared put his head down and closed his eyes. Once they reopened, the blue glow was gone. He made his way back onto the battle field, walking across to the wall in order to fetch a shovel so he could properly level the dirt on the field.
"Franklin, I believe you have some studies that have been left unattended," Sabrina started walking towards the stone doorway. "Why don't you see to those?"
"Yes, Mother," Franklin nodded, walking out through the same door as Tyron.
"As for you three," Sabrina stopped right in front of the main doorway, surprising Aiden, Michelle, and Brandon, "I'd like you to follow me."
The three trainers exchanged bewildered looks. None of them understood what Sabrina wanted, but none of them wanted to not listen to her, either. Being the children of other gym leaders, they all knew the kinds of powers that Sabrina possessed. So, without a single word, they all followed the psychic type gym leader out of the battle area and down the hallway, entering a large wooden door that was framed by gold accents. It was much larger and more elaborate than all of the other doors, and the reason for that soon became very apparent.
The ornate doorway led into an even more baroque room. The walls were a deep, rich red color, and the floors were made of dark hardwood. At the head of the room was a dark wooden desk, a large, red velvet chair lined in gold sitting behind it. There were dark wooden picture frames hanging from the walls, bordering intricate portraits. Against the right wall was a gold brocade settee, decorated with red velvet pillows. In that far corner, a matching brocade chair sat; a small, dark hardwood coffee table set between the two pieces of furniture.
"Is this your office?" Aiden awed.
"Yes," Sabrina replied.
"Wow, it's way fancier than our Mom's office," Michelle marveled.
"It's definitely more intricate than my Dad's," Brandon nodded.
Walking towards the couch, Sabrina motioned just one hand towards the divan and ordered, "Please, have a seat."
The three young trainers exchanged looks but approached the couch, taking their seats and watching Sabrina's every move with curious eyes. Pichu, who was sitting atop Michelle's shoulder, squeaked quietly in her trainer's ear, not exactly understanding what was going on either. All she knew was that the humans were feeling pretty tense.
With her three new visitors settled, Sabrina took up the gold brocade chair that sat adjacent to the couch and crossed one leg over the over, not once taking her cobalt blue eyes off of the young trainers.
"So," she began, slowly and calmly, "you three have all grown up quite a bit, I see. You're all trainers now?"
"Yes, ma'am," Michelle nodded slowly.
"Michelle, please," Sabrina replied, an actual hint of mischievousness apparent in her voice. "You may call me Sabrina."
"Oh…okay," Michelle shifted nervously on the couch. "You know my name?"
"Of course I do," Sabrina gave a single nod of her head. "I've known you and Aiden since you were just babies. Your mother and I are fairly good friends, after all. Not to mention colleagues. And you, Brandon, I know your father just as well."
"Yeah, I guess you do," Brandon gave the psychic gym leader a small smile.
"So, are all three of you here for a gym match?"
"No, just Aiden," Michelle answered. "I'm a coordinator, and Brandon is a breeder."
"Ah, different goals I see," Sabrina noted, "but all similar paths."
"Yeah, we all like to train our Pokémon and become friends with 'em!" Aiden was excited, temporarily forgetting his apprehension around the woman.
"You sound very much like your father, Aiden," Sabrina seemed amused by this. "I'm impressed. Your mother always told me you were just like him. I saw it when you were younger, too. But it appears that it's only gotten stronger over the years."
"I look up to my Dad for everything," Aiden beamed. "He's the best!"
"Indeed," Sabrina actually showed off a small smile. "Very compassionate and talented. I look forward to battling you and seeing just how much like your father you truly are. Once Jared fixes up the field, of course."
"What's up with him, anyway?" Aiden asked, earning an elbow in the side from Michelle.
"It's quite alright," Sabrina giggled softly at Michelle's reaction. "I understand why you would ask such a question. You see, Franklin and Jared are both older than you, I'm sure you remember. Franklin is 15, and Jared is 13. Franklin is a very mellow boy, he always has been. But Jared is much more free spirited. He's never exactly been defiant, though. This is a new development. Lately, he's been trying to turn people away from the gym, and using his psychic abilities for things he really shouldn't be using for them for. It worries me, though I went through a similar stage as a teenager. I suppose there was no avoiding it for at least one of my boys."
"But you can't pinpoint an exact reason as to why he's been acting out?" Brandon questioned.
"Not entirely," Sabrina shook her head. "I think it just has something to do with his psychic abilities. It's not exactly usual for a teenage boy to have such powers. I'm sure with time he'll calm down. But, for now, I'll just have to keep him in check."
"Sounds like quite the job," Michelle's eyes widened.
"By the way, Aiden, has your father ever told you about the time he challenged me to a gym battle?" Sabrina mentioned.
"Probably," Aiden smiled. "He tells me all about his own adventures! It's all I wanted to hear about as a kid. But I think I remember him telling me that he had to go to Lavender Town in order to catch a Pokémon who could actually defeat you. A…Haunter?"
"That's exactly right," Sabrina nodded.
"And then that Hunter stayed with you, right?" Michelle piped up. She had listened to her father's stories as a child as well.
"Indeed, he did," Sabrina smirked and snapped her fingers. From behind her desk, a poke ball appeared in midair and began to float over towards her. The three young trainers seated on the couch were very impressed by this, to say the least. They watched in awe, with dropped jaws, as the poke ball floated over to Sabrina. Once it was right in front of her, the gym leader held up her hands and allowed the red and white sphere to land right in her palms. Still, without doing anything physically, the poke ball popped open and released a blue light, which materialized into a purple, bipedal Pokémon with a rather scary face.
"Hey, it's a Gengar!" Brandon marveled.
"Does that mean my Dad's Haunter evolved?" Aiden's eyes widened.
"It sure did," Sabrina confirmed. "I did some training from time to time with Haunter, though it was more difficult because I couldn't use it in battle. But after a while, Haunter just happened to evolve into Gengar. He still never fails to make me smile, though!"
"Gengar, let's see…" Aiden pulled out his red pokedex.
Gengar, the shadow Pokémon, and the evolved form of Haunter. Gengar are very mischievous and enjoy playing practical jokes. Its body acts as a heat sink and cools the area surrounding it.
"That's pretty cool," Aiden smiled, putting his pokedex away. "I bet Dad will be really happy to know you got his Haunter to evolve!"
"Gengar really is a wonderful Pokémon," Sabrina patted the dual type's head. "I wish I could use him in battle! But I can't, since he isn't a psychic type."
"Mom?"
The four inhabitants of the room all looked up, finding Jared standing in the doorway. He had only creaked it open enough to poke his head in, since he knew his mother didn't like people seeing the inside of her office unless they were personally invited in by her.
"Yes, Jared?" Sabrina patiently prodded.
"I…fixed the field for your battle with Aiden," Jared's voice was much more timid than it had been before.
"Excellent," Sabrina got to her feet, Gengar laughing wildly and clapping his hands together. "What do you say, Aiden? Are you ready to battle?"
"Yeah!" Aiden jumped to his own feet, determined fists held in front of his face. "I am!"
XXX
"Brandon, Michelle, I need you guys to watch my egg."
The red head and darker boy stared up at Aiden in confusion. The raven haired trainer held the case in his hands, dark blue egg safely inside the glass.
"You can't just leave it in your backpack?" Michelle asked.
"No way, I want it to stay super safe while I battle," Aiden shook his head. "Besides, since this is a gym battle, maybe it can hear in there and will start to learn all about battling! I want my newest Pokémon to be a super great battler, after all."
"You are a strange boy, eh," Michelle sighed.
"I am not!" Aiden bit. "I'm just a smart trainer!"
"Chill out, you two," Brandon sighed, taking the case from Aiden. "Sure thing, bud. We'll watch the egg for you."
"Thanks, Brand-o!" Aiden gave his best friend a thumbs up before returning to the same battler's box he'd been in before, during his battle with Jared.
Sabrina was across the field, sitting in her red and gold throne and staring at Aiden with contemplative eyes. The boy stood firm in his rectangle, hands clenched into fists at his sides as he waited for the first call to be made.
Tyron had been brought back into the battle area by Sabrina. She wanted him to referee the gym match. Franklin and Jared were not allowed to watch the gym battles, Aiden and his two companions had learned. Sabrina found it too distracting; for her as the leader, and for the boys as students of the institute. She wanted them to focus on honing their psychic abilities. Training for them was secondary.
"This Saffron City gym battle between gym leader Sabrina and Aiden Ketchum from Cerulean City is about to get underway!" Tyron called. "Each trainer is allowed one Pokémon each. Whoever has the last Pokémon standing will be the winner. Are we clear on the rules?"
"Very," Aiden yelled. Sabrina simply nodded in response.
"Excellent," Tyron raised both of his arms in the air. "Now, choose your Pokémon!"
Sabrina's body became outlined in blue; her psychic powers. Her body floated off of the large chair and landed instead in the battler's box right in front of the throne, on her feet. That same glow soon lifted a poke ball into the air, from next to the elaborate chair. It soon stopped in front of Sabrina, opening up and releasing her Pokémon of choice: a brown furred, bipedal Pokémon with shifty eyes, a large moustache, and a silver spoon held in each hand.
"No way…" Aiden used his pokedex to scan the creature.
Alakazam, the psi Pokémon, and the evolved form of Kadabra. Alakazam has mastered every form of known psychic abilities. It has an IQ of 5,000 and can remember everything that has happened to it since the moment it hatched.
"My Dad always told me about how Sabrina had a really powerful Kadabra, her partner," Brandon mused. "That Kadabra must have evolved."
Michelle nodded slowly. A gentle tapping sound caught her attention, causing her to look down. The dark blue egg was gently knocking against the case, causing Michelle to raise an eyebrow. It was a bit strange. She assumed that the bench they were sitting on must have been a little uneven, causing the egg to tilt.
"Alright, I've got this one," Aiden grinned, tossing his own poke ball. "Absol, let's go!"
The dark type appeared before its trainer, ruby red eyes narrowing at the sight of Alakazam as it prepared itself for battle.
"With both Pokémon released…" Tyron threw his arms down, "battle begin!"
"Absol, quick, use night slash!" Aiden ordered. The dark type nodded and began to stride forward before leaping in the air and drawing his bright, glowing claws in front of himself.
"Teleport," Sabrina calmly commanded.
Alakazam disappeared in a split second, causing Absol to skid forward on the battle field. The power in his claws died out, causing the white furred Pokémon to growl and look over his shoulder, eyes narrowed as he kept a lookout for Alakazam.
"Where did it go?!" Aiden's own eyes were wide with disbelief.
"Psybeam," Sabrina's voice sounded again.
Alakazam reappeared behind Absol, who by now was once again looking forward. Without seeing the re-emerged psychic type, Absol was hit by two beams of rainbow colored light. The dark type cried out in pain as he was pushed down, a cloud of dirt surrounding his body.
"Absol!" Aiden gasped.
"Excellent," Sabrina's voice continued to drone. "Now, Alakazam, let's use psycho cut."
Alakazam swung his arms forward, both of which were now glowing bright blue. Bright white blades shot forward, emerging from Alakazam's glowing forearms.
"Absol, use double team!" Aiden yelled hurriedly.
Immediately, ten different Absol appeared, surrounding Alakazam in a circle. The white blades cut through one of the Absol, which turned out to be nothing more than an illusion.
"Well, the boy is finally thinking on his toes," Sabrina finally smirked. "Like his father."
The same tapping noise brought Michelle's attention away from the battle. She once again stared down at the case sitting next to her, and found the egg to be rocking a little bit more than it had been before. It was, in fact, very noticeable. Twisting her mouth, Michelle raised her emerald eyes to Brandon and prodded, "hey, check out the egg."
Brandon reluctantly tore his eyes away from the battle field in order to examine the glass case. When he saw the egg moving back and forth, his eyebrows began to crawl up his forehead.
"This bench must be uneven," Michelle murmured, suddenly sounding not so sure of her own theory.
"I…don't think that's very likely," Brandon breathed.
Back on the battle field, Aiden was grinning deviously to himself. He was beginning to get a feel for Sabrina's battle style, and was now formulating different strategies that he could use in order to beat the psychic at her own game.
"Absol, let's try night slash again!" Aiden shouted.
Alakazam was looking around the surrounding circle of Absol clones, trying to figure out which one was the real Absol, and not just an illusion.
"Focus, Alakazam," Sabrina warned. "You can tell the difference."
In the middle of all the commotion, the rocking egg began to flash white, causing Michelle and Brandon to both gasp and stare down at the glass case in pure shock. It couldn't be…
At the same time, Alakazam shifted his eyes around the circle. Once he finally figured out which Absol was the physical one, however, the dark type had leapt up with glowing crimson claws that were soon slashed across Alakazam's face. The psychic type cried out in pain, falling onto his back while Absol pounced off the psi Pokémon's body. Settling down on his paws behind Alakazam, Absol stared down at the psychic type with narrowed red eyes, waiting for his trainer's next command. As Aiden was about to make his order, a shrill cry from Michelle caught his attention.
"Aiden!"
The raven haired boy scowled and looked over his shoulder, giving his twin sister an unhappy glare. "Michelle, I'm busy!"
"But, Aiden-"
"Just be quiet until after the battle!"
"Aiden, your egg is hatching!"
Cliffhangerrrrr.
Yep, so the egg is hatching. That's something that's never happened in the anime that I thought would be interesting; having an egg hatch in the middle of a battle. Pokemon evolve in battle, so why not do something else dramatic like this? I think it'd be fun. So, I put it in my story. Woop, creative liscence :P
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next one coming next week ;)