CHAPTER FIFTY NINE
After defeating the Karate Master, Daniel emerged from the Fighting Dojo to see Natalie a block away.
"Natalie!" cried Daniel. "Over here!"
He caught her eye and she crossed safely, joining him amidst the crowds of Saffron City. Tall buildings and skyscrapers alike stood beside start-up small businesses which flourished on pedestrian traffic, apartments where people paid high premiums and nary a stretch of green beside the forests outside the city.
"Where's the Saffron Gym?" panted Natalie.
"That way, I think," Daniel pointed down a side street. "I have to heal my Pokemon first."
"OK," Natalie nodded. "You meet me at the Saffron Gym after you're done healing your Pokemon."
"Great. And Natalie," Daniel stopped her, hand on her arm. "Good luck."
Natalie smiled, genuinely. "Thanks. Don't take too long!"
Heading off by herself, Natalie wound through side streets and alleyways, eventually arriving at the Saffron Gym. The doors slid open and Natalie entered the Gym.
"Hello?" Natalie called out.
It was completely silent, as though shut off from the world. She walked down a hallway laid with red carpet, entering another chamber where a vast battlefield was laid out. Nearer to her was a podium atop which she stood, while opposite was a gilded throne which looked down upon the battlefield. Behind billowed a tall red curtain.
"Welcome," Sabrina walked through, her raven-hair a stark contrast to the blood-red of the curtain. "I am the Gym Leader of Saffron City. You may call me Sabrina."
"I'm Natalie," she replied, awed by the presentation. "Besides the Celadon Gym, you have the nicest battlefield I've seen so far."
Faintly, Sabrina replied, "That's nice. I will challenge you with three of my Pokemon. Do you know what Types I use?"
"Psychic-types," replied Natalie.
"That's right," Sabrina nodded. "Psychic-types. I won't hold back. Will you?"
Sabrina sat upon the throne and three Pokeballs levitated above her head.
"Amy told me you were a telepath, you can read minds," stuttered Natalie.
"That's correct," said Sabrina smoothly. "Is that a problem?"
"N-no," replied Natalie. "I have nothing to hide."
"Nothing to hide, but certainly that you're embarrassed about," commented Sabrina, eyes flashing. "Will defeating me provide enough prize money, do you think?"
Reddening, Natalie arranged her four Pokeballs in the holder.
"Amy told me all about you! Don't think you can get inside my head!" said Natalie, meaning figuratively.
"You are not so plagued by demons that I can sway your battle tactics," said Sabrina. "You are a child, taking on this Pokemon adventure with great determination. You are one of the few who genuinely care for Pokemon, though I believe not wholeheartedly pursuing the Badges solely to train your Pokemon."
"You don't know anything!" cried Natalie, selecting her first Pokeball without considering too much who it was. "Go, Poliwhirl!"
Poliwhirl walked forward, flexing its arms to get ready for battle. Sabrina didn't move an inch as one of the Pokeballs hovered over the battlefield and poured red light upon the battlefield.
"Mr. Mime!" called Sabrina.
Mr. Mime practised his miming skills, uninterested in Poliwhirl.
"Poliwhirl, Water Gun!" cried Natalie.
"Mr. Mime, Barrier." Sabrina said.
Mr. Mime mimed placing an invisible barrier, which the jet of water ricocheted off as though it were real.
"How - how did your Pokemon do that?" asked Natalie.
"Mr. Mime, Confusion."
Shivering with telekinetic energies, Mr. Mime released a telekinetic wave which knocked Poliwhirl over.
"Poliwhirl!" cried Natalie. "Can you stand?"
Poliwhirl bounced back quite easily, still amazed that its Water Gun had been somehow deflected by Mr. Mime.
"Poliwhirl, Hypnosis!"
"Mr. Mime, Confusion."
Poliwhirl released a hypnotic wave from its chest as Mr. Mime blasted Poliwhirl again with a telekinetic force. Mr. Mime fell asleep, while Poliwhirl was knocked over again, quite injured.
"You're almost there, Poliwhirl!" cried Natalie. Sabrina levitated an Awakening from behind the curtain, zooming towards Mr. Mime and administering itself. "Body Slam!"
Poliwhirl ran forward and leapt in the air, body slamming upon Mr. Mime who began to rouse. Greatly damaged, Poliwhirl bounced off Mr. Mime, who had recovered from sleep but now had to contend with paralysis from Poliwhirl's Body Slam.
"Nice job, Poliwhirl! Return!" Natalie held out her Pokeball, releasing a flash of red light as from behind Sabrina's curtain, there was a ripple of movement and a Paralyz Heal zoomed towards Mr. Mime.
Natalie selected another Pokeball on her podium and tossed it into the fray. "Finish it, Seadra!"
Seadra burst forth, shooting ink from its mouth to obscure the paralysed form of Mr. Mime in dark liquid. The Paralyz Heal was not able to penetrate within.
"Good work, Seadra! Bubblebeam!" shouted Natalie.
Firing a surge of bubbles towards Mr. Mime, all of which popped on impact, Sabrina moved her head a little and a Pokeball returned Mr. Mime inside.
"Well done," said Sabrina. "You know your tactics."
"Great going, Seadra!" Natalie cheered, as another of Sabrina's Pokeballs levitated into the battlefield. One down, two to go.
"Abra!" cried Sabrina. The cross-legged fox Pokemon seemed to be sleeping, but to Seadra was an easy target.
"For powerful Psychic-types, your Pokemon sure don't look intimidating," said Natalie with glee. "Seadra, Water Gun!"
Firing a jet of water that arced through Abra, the Psychic-type had at the last second teleported to another side of the battlefield, unharmed.
"What?" shouted Natalie. "Oh, no - "
"Abra, Flash." said Sabrina.
"Seadra, Bubblebeam - "
Abra emitted a bright light that made Natalie wince but blinded Seadra, who tottered unsteadily on her tail and fell over trying to shake off the impact.
"Seadra!" cried Natalie. Seadra managed to bounce back up, but watched Abra with concern. The Psychic-type had barely moved to cause such trouble. "Smokescreen!"
Dispersing a wide arc of ink, Abra teleported away to avoid getting hit by the liquid, teleporting back to its original position but slipping on the ink as he rematerialised.
"There!" cried Natalie, thinking things through. "Seadra, Bubblebeam!"
Gripping for balance, Abra's hands were sticky with ink as he was bowled over by Seadra's newest round of bubbles, injuring him.
"Water Gun!" cried Natalie.
"Flash!" demanded Sabrina.
Abra tripped over yet again, trying simultaneously to avoid the jet of water and blind Seadra with a Flash attack. The jet of water arced and blasted Abra over, now greatly injured.
"Return, Abra." Sabrina's Pokeball levitated in the air, shot out bright red light and returned Abra safely inside.
"Not bad, huh?" said Natalie.
"You don't need to prove that to me," said Sabrina. "You're a great Trainer to have come so far. But I fear the pressure to succeed will erode your concern for your Pokemon."
"What do you mean?" Natalie shot back, quicker to anger. "Of course - "
"You need your Pokemon to win battles, which does not mean they need to try any harder than they are now."
"I'm not being hard on my Pokemon - " said Natalie.
"When the stakes are high, who can say what will happen?" asked Sabrina, her third and final Pokeball zooming to the field. "Can you honestly say you will not blame your Pokemon if they cannot help you win enough money to help your mother?"
"Shut up!" cried Natalie, strands of red hair escaping from her ponytail in her fury. "You have no idea - "
"You are but a child, tasked with an impossible duty. Yes, family comes first. But you know you won't be rewarded no matter how much money you win, isn't that right?"
"S-she'll - she'll be happy when I win! My sister abandoned my mother! I will win the Pokemon League and she will forgive me - "
"Forgive you?" A frown creased Sabrina's brow. "You are innocent, a youngster playing with Pokemon and frolicking with your friends. Do not overwhelm all that you hold dear, to pursue the wiles of a woman who should know better. You have always been the good child. Why should you be burdened?"
Heaving, Natalie replied, "That's what daughters do. They - "
"But not your sister?" asked Sabrina. "This is finally a chance for you to be higher in your mother's favour than your sister. But will she appreciate you?"
"I-I know she will," stuttered Natalie, not at all sure. "Once she has money, everything will be back to normal - "
"And if she spends your Pokemon League prize winnings? Can you honestly say you will take a second round through Kanto, not freely but out of duty, raising your Pokemon because they must win rather than helping them to their potential? You will lose your innocent spirit fighting for your mother - "
"This is none of your business!" exploded Natalie. "Let's fight!"
"Very well," said Sabrina, as the Pokeball released red light onto the battlefield. "Kadabra!"
"Seadra, Smokescreen!"
"Kadabra, Disable."
Seadra's few spurts of ink stopped, remaining still as Kadabra glowed with a blue light.
"No!" raged Natalie. "Seadra, snap out of it!"
"Kadabra, Psychic."
Natalie could only watch in horror as the psychic blast knocked Seadra several paces, lying inert on the battlefield.
"Grr!" Natalie stamped her foot in anger, furious. "Seadra, return!"
"Do you see what is happening, Natalie?" asked Sabrina. "I will win so long as you cannot control yourself."
"I must win, Sabrina!" Natalie screeched.
"You must?" asked Sabrina. "Can't you see your determination has become plagued with greed?"
"No!" shot back Natalie. "My mother - "
"You will need to be true to yourself and your Pokemon, or I will defeat you, and when you return, I will never let you win - "
"Let me win?" laughed Natalie, quite unlike her and sounding to her ears like Alesha's harsh bark of defensive taunting. "I will win! If I am strong - "
Sadly, Sabrina replied, "It has never been necessary for you to be strong enough. Look to your previous Gym battles. Your Pokemon won because they were loved, not because they were pushed to succeed beyond their limits."
Natalie realised where she had gone wrong, but pride is a hungry creature and hid her revelation behind the horror of admitting defeat, when one has professed such certainty of being right. She was losing control, but the pressure had been eating at her psyche since she left Viridian for Diglett's Tunnel.
"Go, Squirtle!" cried Natalie. "Take that Kadabra out!"
Squirtle appeared in a flash of bright red light, ready to take on the Psychic-type Pokemon.
"Kadabra, Psybeam."
"Squirtle, Withdraw!"
Squirtle hid inside his shell, blasted by the beam of rainbow light that surged forth from Kadabra's concentrated energies. Squirtle's shell bounced around the battlefield, emerging and quite dizzy, still harmed.
"Squirtle!" Natalie's concern was replaced by terror that she would lose. "Skull Bash!"
Squirtle sprinted towards Kadabra, who began to glow blue. Suddenly, Squirtle stopped in his tracks.
"No, no!" Somewhere inside, Natalie could tell her rage was getting out of control but she knew no way to rein it back in. There was no alternative but to succeed on someone else's terms, something her fragile self could barely withstand. "Squirtle, attack!"
Squirtle would've winced from the unexpected ferocity in Natalie's tone had he been able to move. As it was, Kadabra glowed with a bright light -
"Psychic, Kadabra."
Blasting Squirtle out of the battlefield, Squirtle struggled to stand, now greatly harmed. Affected by his Trainer's tone, wanting to please instead of thinking that he was good enough for Natalie, he turned to her appealingly.
"Don't look at me!" scolded Natalie, pointing to the powerful Kadabra. "What's wrong with you?"
Screwing up his face in anger, Natalie saw what she had done and cried out in abandon, horrified she had let this tirade continue.
"Squirtle, I'm s - "
"Kadabra, Psybeam."
Using his spoon as a talisman, Kadabra aimed for Squirtle, who jumped out of the way just in time, though breathing heavily from earlier assaults.
"S-squirtle," Natalie was breathless with the surge of emotion that choked her throat. "P-please forgive me. I'm so sorry - "
Her terror was such that she gripped the podium, openly crying as Squirtle looked askance between his Trainer and Kadabra. Squirtle rushed out of the battlefield to embrace his Trainer.
"Do you see what you've become, Natalie?" asked Sabrina. "You are not mature enough to handle the pressures you have been put under, let alone that they are irrational and inconsiderate."
"That's what daughters are for!" Natalie repeated, fury clinging to the edges.
"Not all daughters," said Sabrina. "You can break free - "
"Oh, and I suppose this is the same story you gave Amy, huh?" shot back Natalie. "She told me that she doesn't get along with your mother. Was your battle just a monologue where you told her everyone should desert their families when they get too harsh? Look to yourself, Sabrina!"
"I am not asking you to desert your family, Natalie," replied Sabrina, ruffled. "I am asking you to look within yourself to your deepest self. You are innocent, kind and forgiving - "
"That doesn't pay my mother's bills!" shouted Natalie.
"If you continue to give your mother money, she will only spend it. You will be trapped in a cycle, to feed someone else's frenzy. How can you break that cycle?"
"Um," Natalie added as a sarcastic venture. "By earning money!"
Sabrina shook her head. "By being kind. By being selfless."
"To my Pokemon?"
"No. To your mother."
With dawning realisation, Natalie knew what could be done, however far-fetched -
"You mean - " Natalie stumbled, realising the error of her ways. "You don't mean - "
"Yes," said Sabrina, with finality. "You have it in you to persevere through Kanto, through your acceptance of the good in people. Do you not realise that is a strength to apply back home?"
She's right, thought Natalie. My mother is a horrid, grasping woman, but only because nobody could help her. Could I?
"Like you said, I'm a child," said Natalie, grasping at straws. "What if I cannot help my mother?"
"You already know you have it in you to try," said Sabrina. "And you would, because you put others first before your own needs, not for personal gain but because you want them to feel supported. Daniel sees that in you. Amy certainly does. And your mother does, however little you think of her.
"B-but, but Sabrina - " Natalie was close to tears. "You make it sound so easy!"
"It's hard to help someone you love, when they refuse to let you in," said Sabrina. "It creates a barrier, which is why your sister rebels to escape the hurt. You have maturity beyond your years to help your mother. Not to misguidedly fight and earn money! But to forgive, empathise and put her needs beyond your own."
"Her needs are monetary - "
"She thinks her needs are monetary. Why don't you provide an alternative?"
"My time?" asked Natalie.
"Your time," Sabrina nodded. "It will be a challenge, but you know you can tackle the task. Once she knows someone cares, you and she can begin to heal together."
Natalie took a deep breath, the red-hot rage dissipating into the atmosphere. "You're right, Sabrina. I can help my mother. By caring, not by winning."
"Now, let's finish this battle," said Sabrina. "You will have time to think on this matter afterwards, but no more shall come from me!"
"Alright," Natalie hugged Squirtle and returned him to his Pokeball. She selected her fourth and final Pokeball, feeling renewed. "Go, Butterfree!"
Butterfree flew forth, facing Kadabra who glowed with an ominous light.
"Sleeping Powder, Butterfree!"
"Kadabra, Psybeam."
Butterfree swooped to avoid the beam of psychic energy propelled forth, releasing shimmering powder from its wings. Kadabra grew drowsy and tried to remain standing, drooping and succumbing to sleep. Unperturbed, Sabrina made no movement but for the Awakening that levitated forth from behind the red curtain.
"Butterfree, Gust!" cried Natalie.
Flapping her wings hurriedly, Butterfree summoned a small cyclone which buffeted the effects of Sabrina's Awakening, knocking it awry and damaging Kadabra slightly in the process.
"Tackle, Butterfree!"
Butterfree charged forth, ramming into Kadabra though it remained asleep. It suffered further slight damage, but was not yet near to fainting.
"Kadabra, that's enough," Sabrina rose from her throne. "Return."
In a bright red light, Kadabra disappeared into the Pokeball which hovered above. Natalie froze, concerned there was still a further trick up Sabrina's sleeve.
"You have shown yourself to be a worthy challenger. I surrender."
"Really?" Natalie was aghast. "I win?"
Mutely, Sabrina nodded. Natalie jumped in glee, rushing forward to hug Butterfree, pretty in all its colours. As Sabrina ventured forth, the Marshbadge and prize money in her hand, Natalie blurted,
"Why, Sabrina? Your Kadabra could've woken up."
"Your Butterfree's Gust would've prevented further treatment. I made a decision to spare Kadabra the indignity in case he did not rouse in time."
Natalie was still unconvinced. "Your Pokemon are really powerful, though."
"Yes," said Sabrina, without superiority. "But I am to test the prowess of Pokemon Trainers as a Gym Leader, not pound them into submission."
Accepting her seventh Gym badge and considerable wad of prize money, Natalie smiled.
"Thank you, Sabrina. It has been a rollercoaster, but I appreciate your advice."
"I wouldn't call it advice," said Sabrina, aloof. "It is just a matter of looking inside yourself for answers. In that case, I can help you unlock your potential. To me, that is most important for the Trainers I battle."
Natalie could not help herself. "Did you help my sister unlock her potential?"
Sabrina's mouth became a thin line. "Focus on your strengths, Natalie, your compassion and heart. Do not compare yourself to her."
Disappointed, Natalie nodded. "I'll try my best."