Now that I've decided to pick up yet ANOTHER series onto my account, it feels as if my time and dedication to this one is being challenged. However, I must say that I would never give up on this, because it deserves the highest of priorities. I might not update as frequent (might, because who's to say?) but I assure you there would be no drop in quality.

Chapter 4: Out on the road

Sabrina found herself walking with an upbeat mood towards her destination. Her encounter with Penny was surprisingly pleasant, but she would never admit it. Still, not for a moment did she lose sight of her plan. Erika is still here waiting for her, and the ship would soon make Saffron's port. If she did not know any better, she would say this was a rather fitting time to go see what Erika has been up to.

"Hello?" She knocks on the door to a familiar room. Honestly, she has never understood people's notion with knocking. Would not simply calling out the names of the people she was looking for be much more convenient than hoping they'd hear the subtle banging on the door? However, she understood as much that it was at least did for people to act like they're polite, while they might as well just barge right in regardless. Strangely enough, she hears no response. Turning the knob, she finds that the door was actually locked. She did not expect this at all. Have Erika left beforehand? Sabrina was sure that she explicitly told her friend not to. However, she also had to take notice to the fact that Erika herself had no obligation to listen to the psychic at all. "Isn't this just perfect?"

With the lack of anything better to do, Sabrina decided that she should just wait here until Erika comes back. It should not be that long a wait, considering how the ship has almost reached its terminus. That is, if Erika had not already packed up and go out, waiting for the ship to make port. That would definitely annoy Sabrina to no end, and here she thought that they had a mutual understanding. Bored, the psychic leaned her back against the door, looking out to the halls. Her mind was already lost in thoughts, mostly of numerous plans on what to do to get Erika to come back with her should the botanist not turn up at the door. Distracted, she did not quite take notice of the sound of the unbuckling door knob behind her. It was only when she was starting to fall on her back that the falling reality hit her with full force.

"Ouch…" Sabrina could feel that until tomorrow, at least. However, she had little time to note how she was slightly embarrassed after falling over like that; Sabrina was distracted by a more apparent object. Pink, firm, round and amply full, her slight disorientation disabled her from quickly depict what it was that she was looking at. However, it did not take long for her senses to fully recover.

"Kya!" Erika jumped back as soon as she realized what was going on. When she went to open the door, she did not expect her friend to fall back first against her, and definitely no under her dress. Her face was completely flushed, only to Sabrina's slight amusement. "What were you doing?"

"I'm not sure…" Sabrina did not quite feel the urge to stand up yet. She simply stayed down and her mind drifted to just what she had just witnessed. It was definitely something she did not observe very often, considering how most of the time she just wears sports pants and the latex stuffs. An endearing experience, it truly was. "I was just leaning against the door, and the next thing I knew, I could see your pink…"

"Shut up!" Sabrina had no other choice in any case, considering how she was being smothered under a pillow Erika had evidently swiped from the bed. The psychic was not sure whether her friend was really murderous or simply was in too much embarrassment that she was warrant such a death sentence. Sabrina could not pretend that several hits in the face with a pillow, especially with Erika's physical strength, could have hurt much, but she suddenly felt the urge to play along. After a while, the botanist stopped to observe the state of her unfortunate victim, only to find that Sabrina was neither moving nor responsive. "Sabrina? Oh my god!"

With her distraught mind, Erika had a thought of having killed, or at least beat the living light out of, her friend and was starting to become frantic because of it. She began calling out names of random dead relatives, while furiously shaking her friend, as if it would apparently bring her back to life. After a short while, Sabrina decided that she had teased Erika enough, and if the botanist actually continued shaking her like this she might pass out for real.

"E-e-e-e-ri-ri-ri-ka-ka, st-st-op-op-p." It was the best she could mutter up at that moment, and it took a while for it to sink in. However, as soon as her friend realized that she was talking, Erika could not help but explode into a rapture of tears, as Sabrina could feel herself being crushed under her friend's massive embrace. "Ow~"

"Sabrina, you're alive!" As if the psychic was a ragdoll, Erika continued to violently, albeit also affectionately, hugged and jiggle her body left and right, causing a quick feeling of disorientation building up within Sabrina. "I was so worried."

"I could see that." Now Sabrina was starting to feel bad that she had joked perhaps a little bit too far. It was also nice knowing that her friend was worrying about her that much. Still, whether it was worth almost being strangled to death or not was another matter altogether. It was a few seconds before she was let go, and she used her new found freedom to find her breathe. "Where were you?"

"I was in the bathroom." It was about the most innocent answer anyone could have come up with. Sabrina felt a little bit silly, considering how she had let her mind wanders to all sorts of crazy theory, yet the most obvious and apparently fitting one had eluded her mind all this time. Smiling to herself, she made Erika inquire. "What's so funny?"

"No, nothing." Sabrina was now finally able to fully stand up. Doing so hastily made her feel rather dizzy, but it was nothing she could not shrug off. Erika watched her friend endearingly as if she was a child that just fell down and in need of help, which Sabrina obviously took notice to. "I'm fine Erika."

"Are you sure?" The psychic was not sure that her friend was truly questioning her honesty, or the botanist was simply worrying for the sake of it.

"Yes, don't worry." Erika seemed rather reluctant to accept that fact, but she had no other choice after all. Both of them were two fully grown women, and there were certainly boundaries they had to respect if one were to avoid being awkward. "More importantly, are you ready to go?"

"Yes." Sabrina nodded at that response. She believed that she could trust her friend to be at least punctual about these kinds of matter. Erika wasted no time to gather up her belongings, only a suit case worth of personal things. She came here on a rush nevertheless, and there was not really much stuffs needed to enjoy being on a cruise ship for a few days.

"The ship should be arriving at any moment now." Sabrina calmly stated. She could see Erika observing her stance, perhaps wondering why there was no luggage associated with the psychic. Of course, the fact that she had a frequent lounge for personal use on the vessel was unknown to the botanist. If her friend did not ask, then she would prefer to keep it a secret.

"We have arrived in Saffron, and we will stay here for the next two hours. Passengers who wish to make quick trips and visits are advised to leave immediately should they want to make it back for the next course, or they would have to wait until tomorrow's morning. That is all."

They wasted no time staying and listening to that ever so familiar announcement. Sabrina noticed how both of them seemed rather happy to be getting off the ship. She knew why she would be, but Erika was still a mystery to her at this point. The botanist was just being such a fascination. It did not take them long to discard of any means of travel other than foot. Sabrina immediately disregarded the option of calling a cab. For one, she would hate to see anyone she actually knows, and especially not when she was travelling with Erika. People could get the wrong idea, or at least that was what she thought might happen. Then again, two people walking down the streets together might just produce the same results, so in the end she really could not have justified her decision. Thankfully, Erika did not seem at all bothered by the fact that she would have to walk, even though she was still carrying the suitcase from before. Eventually they got to Saffron's gym without a hitch, of course they were not exactly speaking to each other on the way either. Sabrina was just leading in silence, and her friend could not do much except simply following.

"Here we are." Sabrina casually stood aside, letting Erika take a good look of the gym. It was absolutely stellar, in the botanist's opinion. To Sabrina herself, she was so used to it that it had become rather stale compared many more exciting design she could have tried. However, it was not something she had any control over. Truth is told, even though the leader had the rights to modify the looks of his or her gym however they liked, Sabrina's situation was a harsh compromise, at least in her view. However, she would rather die than admit that to anyone, since it was something not even her family knew. It was just one of those things that people would simply prefer it to be locked up inside and never come out.

"It's marvelous!" Sabrina could have sworn that her friend's eyes were sparkling. It was just one of the many captivating aspects of Erika, the psychic noted. She could be so honest with herself, yet still go beyond that shallow and predictable personality that Sabrina was all too familiar with. Even though the two of them were only on the outside of the structure, the botanist seemed unable to contain her excitement. "It looks so much cooler than mine."

"I find that hard to believe." Sabrina crossed her arms in inquiry. If her clothes were anything to judge by, Erika appeared to be quite the stylist individual. The psychic found it rather hard to believe that her friend would be incapable of pulling off one hell of a gym. "You seem like one to have good taste."

"Oh that's not the problem." Erika answered sheepishly. She appeared to be rather embarrassed, much to Sabrina's amusement. "I usually just got too caught up in gym work and my plants to have time to pretty up the space."

"Sounds reasonable, I guess." Sabrina shrugged. There was little point of pursuing such an uninteresting topic, considering how Sabrina herself was a person who found fashion and similar worldly things insignificant. To her, deeper fields of study were much more of enjoyment. Also, that was what she was going to do right now, no questions asked. "Come on in."

"Thanks for having me." Erika responded with a bright smile, which caused Sabrina to falter somewhat. She was not sure of how to react, and decided to stay silent instead. As the door to her gym opened up, introduced a view that the botanist was not at all familiar with. The sheer number of pathways stuck with narrow passages and confined rooms were something she did not appreciate much. It was strangely unsettling to look at. Sabrina, however, seemed completely at home. Erika guessed because this was really the psychic's home. Most gym leaders have their own house to go back to when the gym close down, but some preferred to stay within their own quarters instead. It was a pleasant discovery that Erika made sure to remember for later. "This place seems…"

"Upsetting?" Sabrina coldly provided.

"I wouldn't…"

"Don't be, it was made to be that way." Sabrina motioned her friend to follow her. She actually did not like how the place looked either, but she had no control over it, not to mention she got used to it anyways. It was made to induce nightmarish presentation of the person's greatest fears, extremely fitting tool for a psychic to use. The apprentices usually dress up as mediums to strengthen the genuineness of the atmosphere, which was why she usually did not have to battle much. The whole gym setting was a huge obstacle in itself for trainers to pass, and most of them did not have the guts. "Dan, I'm back!"

"Miss. Sabrina!" Erika was not sure of where the mysterious watcher, or his voice, came from, but she did not appreciate such a thing. She hated being sneaked up on, and maybe that was something she needed to tell her friend later. Oblivious to her presence, Dan cheerfully approached his superior with a painted-on smile. "Welcome back, everyone had missed you."

"I'm sure they told you to say that." Dan's expression dropped, but Sabrina was bemused as well. It confirmed her suspicion. A lot of people here were still bitter about how she got the gym leader status, even though there were so many others in line before her. She was far from the strongest trainer in the gym at the time as well, even though she had grown quickly to become so, it was not fair in their opinions. Sabrina was perfectly aware of such attitudes around her own home, but nevertheless paid little attention to it. She might have been a bit insecure when she first got the job, but now she did not perceive any of them as an actual threat to her well being. "I believe you have not touched any of my belongings when I was gone?"

"Oh good heavens no, miss." Dan shook his head and hand like a little child denying his wrongdoing. However, as cynical as she was, Sabrina knew that he was not lying. She could probably check for herself easily, but she would rather not go through the tiring process. It was unknown to her since when did she start to trust him, but she did. Perhaps his positive attitude and dedication to his work had got through to her, as she found herself talking to him more often than not, when she was not burying herself in work of course. "Your room and everything else had not been messed with in anyway."

"That is good to hear." Sabrina nodded in appreciation. She felt less the need to keep up her cold exterior once she was home like this. It was clunky as it is. "Come on Erika, follow me."

"Ah, yes." Erika's presence was finally noticed by Dan. He was rather ignorant of her importance before it became so for Sabrina too. He also remembered the name Erika rather clearly. She was that gym leader who called here a few days ago, looking for the female psychic. It seemed the two of them had met up, what a frightening coincidence. He was sure that nothing good would come of this, but his place was not to question anyone's doing. "It is nice to meet you."

"Yes, you too." He was a bit surprised hearing Erika greet him, and he only politely responded. Dan supposed that the botanist was simply a nice person at heart, and went with it. He had no interest in finding out, after all.

Sabrina did not pay any attention to that little exchange. Instead, she casually walked through a maze to her room. Erika had to catch up and be extremely cautious to not get lost in it. It took around two full minutes for both of them to reach a chamber with absolutely only one way in and out. Erika seemed rather confused, which slightly amused her friend. Sabrina simply approached the end of the room and placed her hand on a very peculiar part of the wall. The other hand signaled Erika to approach, which was saw to immediately.

"No one else but I, Dan and the helpers know of the existence of this room, and only he and I know what this room even is." Sabrina's voice became serious, as to indicate the significance of what she was telling her friend. Erika continuously nodded; pointing out that she was following on the psychic's every word and she understood the importance of it as well. "By showing this to you, I trust you with this secret, and you are never to reveal it to anyone else, is that clear?"

"Yes." Erika gulped when she saw Sabrina's smiling at her answer. She was unsure whether she should have simply promised it like that, but the curiosity was getting the better of her. The psychic pressed the part of the wall, and the moving of some mechanism within the concrete was heard. Suddenly, the wall itself slid to the side slowly, revealing a door hidden behind it. As Sabrina turned the knob, Erika's expression tightened. She was not sure of what to expect within the room. It was said to be Sabrina's personal room after all, and she wondered what mysteries laid within.

She was not disappointed.

"So, this is my room, please step in." As the door closed itself behind her, Erika could also hear the sound of the wall rolling into place to cover things up. "We sanitary gym leader who also happened to live in our gym usually have one of these secrets rooms, in order to keep it off the hand of certain traveling trainers who wishes to explore the gyms. Personal space issues, I'm sure you can relate to that."

"Oh… ok." Erika was a bit too busy looking at Sabrina's room to pay much attention to her comment. The entire room seemed not too far off from an apartment, but it gave off this indescribable mystical vibe that seemed to suck people in. A desk set on the side, a TV, a bed and a few chairs with a bathroom at a far side, all fundamental things for a modern human's living. There are, however, very strange objects lying around certain parts of the room. However, those were not voodoo dolls or crystal balls, if cliché movies were of any indications. Rather handfuls of kitchen wear, seemingly modified to a certain style. Of course, one could not ignore the computer at the side, the preferable immobile transport of Pokéballs. "This place is so bizarre, in a good way, of course."

"Interesting choice of words, Miss. Erika." Sabrina, leaning to the side with her hand covering part of her face, comically commented.

"I don't want to sound ungrateful…" Erika, after the initial excitement sunk down, stood to think about her current situation. There was definitely a part of this whole thing that she was left out of, and it was making her rather uncomfortable. "But, why exactly did you bring me back here?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sabrina's forward reaction caught Erika off guard. The psychic simply moved towards her friend in a swaying motion. It was completely of habit for her to do so, but the botanist took it a different way. If anything, this reminded her of that time back on the ship when Sabrina was positively drunk. Erika gulped. She was not sure what was going to happen, but she obviously could not contain herself. She slowly backed off. However, being inside a locked room, she knew that there was no place for her to run to. Even when Sabrina's face became dangerously close, she was definitely not thinking of anything. "Please do not worry; I only take you with me to conduct a little research."

"Re… research?" Erika eased off when the psychic started to pull away from her and aimed for the computer instead. What she was worried would happen do not, and now she felt extremely silly for ever thinking that it would have. She was not even sure she actually preferred it not happen, or just that she felt she was not ready for it to. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know what I do for a living don't you?" Sabrina turned her head and smiled at her friend, her fingers surged through the keyboard, punching in information onto the PC. "Don't say gym leader."

"You're a psychic." Erika stated so. It was rather obvious, and she was not sure why Sabrina would ask something like that. However, she sure that it was some significance, considering how her friend usually does not do meaningless things.

"Exactly, I require you to cooperate with me." Sabrina finished off her work. Not too long after, a Pokéball dropped onto the transfer tablet. Sabrina casually picked it up, her eyes fixated on her friend. Erika seemed to be baffled by the recent happenings, and was not following exactly what her friend was trying to say. "I would need you so I can test out a new theory I've recently developed, would that be alright?"

"Why me?"

"Because I can trust you not to reveal any of the secrets you've seen here."

"Is it dangerous?"

"No, not at all. Basically all you need to do is sleep."

"I… see." Erika calmed herself down. Sabrina was asking her really nicely after all, and there was not any glaring reason why she would be tricked. This might turn out a bit unpleasant, but she was sure that nothing of serious harm would happen to her.

"Would you do it?" Sabrina raised an eyebrow at the botanist. Even though she was asking, she was also expecting her friend to accept. It was one of her mysterious ways of manipulating people, even when she was not consciously aware of the fact that she was doing so.

"I guess there's no reason to decline." Erika shrugged lightly. It was most definitely the answer that Sabrina was expecting.

"Splendid, let's waste no time."