Chapter 14: The Fourth Gym

June tried to ignore the Silph Co. headquarters as she made her way through Saffron City. Just seeing it would be a grim reminder of what Giovanni did to her and she was already plagued by those memories as it was. She forced herself to keep her head turned and look at the rest of the city. Now she wasn't on a mission to stop Giovanni, she could have a proper look around for a change and really see Saffron City for herself.

Saffron City was the largest city in Kanto and June believed it. Even Pewter, Celadon and Vermillion seemed small by comparison. With its tall buildings, huge Magnet Train station that provided travel from there to Goldenrod City in Johto, large Pokémon Centre, busy streets and the towering Silph Co. Headquarters, it was bigger than any city June had seen thus far. It currently stood as the tenth most populated city in the world. As well as Saffron Gym, it was home to the Fighting Dojo which had once been a Gym until Sabrina and her Psychic type specialists took over. Saffron City even hosted its own Pokémon Contests and often had people from many regions come over to compete in it. June remembered watching her aunt Emerald perform in and win this very contest on TV back when she was six years old. It had been an amazing show and she still found herself admiring Emerald's contest ribbon whenever she saw it.

June felt a little overwhelmed just walking through the city but she did her best to keep her nerves. She wasn't going to be out for long, she'd be inside Saffron Gym in due time. But she couldn't help admiring how pretty the metropolis looked. There were a lot of gold and yellow colours in the city that made it look very attractive and eye-catching. It was as if the sun was always shining in this place. June had read somewhere that yellow in Kanto was associated with power, and with Psychic-type Pokémon being very powerful, it seemed appropriate the city holding a Psychic-type Gym should be mostly yellow.

After a few minutes of sight-seeing, June arrived at Saffron Gym. Like most buildings in the city, it was coloured gold and sported an image of the Marsh Badge above the door, a firm reminder to challengers what they were here to claim. This was it, she was here to win her fourth Gym Badge! Despite her confidence, June felt a little anxious. Sabrina was a very powerful Gym Leader. She couldn't afford to make mistakes against her. She breathed in and out heavily.

"Keep it together June. You can do this…" she reassured herself.

"You got a plan on how you'll beat this Sabrina chick?" Ray asked.

"Naturally." June scoffed as if Ray was being ridiculous for even asking such a question, "I always go into these battles with a plan. But just because I have a plan, doesn't mean it'll work so I may have to improvise as well. Just like my idol…" she added, smiling wistfully as she thought of Ash.

"Well we'll soon see if it works." Ray murmured, "Good luck to us all I guess."

June nodded. The entire team would need it. She walked through the doors and into the Gym. Just as she entered, Sakaki approached the Gym and grinned to himself. It hadn't been easy following June in such a crowded, bustling city but he'd kept pace and now he knew where she was. All he had to do was wait for her to come out again and then the Master Ball would be his to deliver to Giovanni!

June entered the main battle arena where the Gym Leader awaited her. The arena was darkly lit with only a couple of large torches providing any light in the place. There was a marked area where the trainers and Pokémon would stand, large stone pillars holding up the ceiling and many Gym Challengers standing around with their eyes closed. They were likely channelling their psychic abilities. The walls were purple in colour and the ceiling was the colour of a night time sky. June swallowed nervously. Had she walked into a Gym or a cult? As she took her place in the arena, she cleared her throat.

""Um…h-hello? M-my name is June and I-I'm your n-next challenger." she said, trying not to sound anxious but failing miserably, "I w-wish to ch-challenge Sabrina f-for the Marsh Badge. A-are you here?"

"Yes dear child. I am."

June shivered as she heard Sabrina speak. The voice was like that of a seductive snake that would talk all sweet and comforting to its unfortunate victim before it poisoned them. June looked around. She'd heard Sabrina talk but she couldn't actually see her. Where was she? The answer came in the form of a shadow detaching itself from the throne stationed between the two torches. A figure rose up and levitated towards the battlefield. June stared in awe as she watched Sabrina come into the light.

Sabrina was stunning. She was extremely beautiful but unlike Misty, her beauty carried a dark edge to her, warning people that she may look pretty but she was also dangerous too. With her long black hair, long shapely legs, slender frame and elegant attire, she could easily pass for a supermodel. But the eyes told June that this woman was more than just good looks. They were serious and they seemed to glow in the dim light of the arena. Her face, while pretty, was stoic and lacking any emotion. June wondered if this woman had ever smiled in her life. Sabrina touched down on the floor and held out her arms. Her Gym Challengers bowed in respect.

"The daughter of Galar's reigning Champion is here at last, just as I've foreseen." Sabrina purred, her voice ominous and seeming to echo all around the Gym, "I've been looking forward to challenging you June."

"Y-y-you f-foresaw this?" June stammered, "And y-you know who I-I am?"

"My psychic powers grant me abilities few humans possess." Sabrina explained, "I can foresee many events and I know every challenger who comes to my Gym. You seek to win the Marsh Badge and make your way to the Indigo League, where you also seek to become Kanto's new Champion. Am I…correct?"

"Y-yes! Yes you are! Right on the money!" June confirmed.

"Then I accept your challenge. But I must warn you…I won't be going easy on you." Sabrina warned, her face as neutral as ever, "Few challengers ever make it past me. I sense that you will lose as well."

"Well I foresee victory for me because I'm NOT losing!" June said daringly, "Let's battle!"

She and Sabrina took up their positions and all at once, the entire Gym suddenly seemed to glow with strange blue energy that danced around the room like a fantastic light display. June watched them move. Their hypnotic movements were quite calming to watch and it made her feel a little more relaxed. Maybe it was how Sabrina prepared for her battles. The Gym Leader was fully composed, showing no signs of worry, excitement or determination. She levitated off the floor and held out a hand. A single Pokéball hovered over her palm.

"All around you, you see the psychic potential that most humans fail to tap into." Sabrina explained, "This Gym radiates psychic energy and me and my followers can tap into it and use it as we please. Every human has potential to be psychic, but only so few make the effort to become one."

June was fascinated.

"So even I could be a psychic? That'd be interesting to explore…" she murmured thoughtfully. She liked the thought of learning psychic powers and throwing Giovanni across the room with them.

"I'd be up for teaching if you so choose to become one." Sabrina offered, "For this Gym battle, I shall use three Pokémon while you may use as many as you hold. There is no time limit and our battle will conclude when one side is out of Pokémon. Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" June said optimistically, drawing one of her own Pokéballs out.

"Then we shall begin. Espeon, you shall begin this battle." the Psychic Gym leader declared.

Her Pokéball floated away from her hand like a stone carried down a river and it opened up. Espeon emerged and stood its ground. Espeon was a Psychic type Pokémon resembling a purple-furred cat with large ears, a tail split in two at the tip and a red gem in its forehead. June smiled with awe.

"Aww, an Espeon! I love Espeon! They're so cute!" she simpered, "But I know this one's going to be powerful so I can't get distracted…"

She threw her own Pokéball and brought out Victoria first. Sabrina was curious with this choice. She assumed June would've been well-educated as the daughter of a reigning Champion, so surely she knew the half-Poison type Nidoqueen was a bad matchup? But it all made sense once June gave her first order…

"Use Toxic Spikes!" June cried.

Victoria tensed up and fired the poisonous spikes towards Sabrina's side of the field. But to June's horror, they never reached it as Espeon suddenly stopped it with Psychic! The spikes froze in mid-air, turned around and then fired into Victoria. The spikes disappeared as they hit her. Poison-types like Victoria absorbed Toxic Spikes if they touched them. Sabrina shook her head disapprovingly.

"Too predictable. I've fought many challengers who use Toxic Spikes to try and whittle my Pokémon down." the Psychic specialist murmured, "This is how I deal with it. Your trick won't work."

"Well, I was prepared for the possibility my plans might not work." June said grimly, "Victoria may have a type-disadvantage, but she's got Psychic-types covered…use Crunch!" she ordered.

Victoria conjured up a holographic image of a giant set of black jaws and chomped at the air with her mouth. Doing so caused the energy construct to lunge towards Espeon and bite down on it. The psychic cat winced in pain and staggered backwards. But Espeon wasn't down. Shaking off the pain, it retaliated by using Psychic. Espeon's eyes glowed as pink energy surrounded Victoria and grabbed hold of her. Victoria was picked up off the floor and thrown up into the ceiling above. She hit it hard and came crashing back down just as heavily. The whole arena shook from the impact of Victoria's crash. June and Sabrina's followers wobbled furiously but Sabrina remained unflinching. Espeon then used Psychic again to grab Victoria and slam him into the ceiling a second time. But before she could fall back down, Victoria suddenly spun around with Drill Run and whooshed towards Espeon. She skewered the psychic cat and knocked it down onto its side. Espeon grimaced in pain but was able to stand back up.

"Use Calm Mind." Sabrina said smoothly.

Espeon sat still and closed its eyes for the moment. As it calmed its mind and entered a state of tranquillity, its body glowed. June knew that Espeon's Special Attack and Special Defence had just increased. She had to end this now before Espeon could land another hit. Victoria used Crunch once again but this time, Espeon was ready for her. It dodged the attack and then used Psychic once again. Waves of psychic energy swept over Victoria and in an instant, she was wiped out. She fell over onto her back and passed out. June gasped in horror. Even Ray was shocked and looked sorry to see his teammate fall. Despite Victoria's best efforts, Espeon looked as if it could carry on fighting. June returned her Nidoqueen and smiled softly.

"You rest easy old girl. You did very well and I'm proud of you." the Galarian teen said kindly.

"So what now?" Ray asked worriedly, "Victoria's the only one who knew a super-effective move against Psychic types, wasn't she?"

"Not quite as I do have Leonardo's Bite as well. Still, Espeon's taken some big hits so we should be able to win via endurance if anything else." June declared, exchanging Victoria's ball for another one, "Behemoth, this one's for you!"

Her mighty Onix took the field and loomed over Espeon. With its great height, Espeon looked positively tiny compared to the stone serpent. Sabrina imagined that even the power of her Pokémon wouldn't be enough to deal with this Onix.

"Use Future Sight." Sabrina commanded.

Espeon closed its eyes and focused for a moment. June recoiled. Future Sight was an attack that came later rather than sooner. She'd now be battling with that threat hanging over her. Sabrina was sure keeping her on her toes for this battle!

"Use Earthquake!" June commanded.

Behemoth raised his huge tail and brought it crashing down onto the floor. The arena shook violently once again. It was as if the Gym itself was shaking in fear at Behemoth's power. Espeon was pummelled by the resulting fissure that ripped through the floor and punched up into it. Espeon flew straight upwards and then crashed down onto the floor. It tried to stand back up but June refused to give it even an inch. Behemoth followed up with Rock Throw and Espeon was hit by the hurling rocks. Espeon collapsed onto its side and didn't get back up again. June allowed herself to relax and enjoy this brief victory. At least one Pokémon was down, leaving two left to handle. Sabrina returned Espeon to its ball.

"You fought well my faithful Pokémon. Thank you." she cooed gently, "I can see that you'll be a much tougher opponent than I would've anticipated. You have your mother's blood coursing through your veins, my child."

"She has been a great teacher over the years." June said happily, "I'm just glad her lessons are paying off!"

"Let us continue and see what else Ruby has taught you." Sabrina said, sounding slightly enthusiastic about such a thought, "Alakazam, you are next to battle."

Her second Pokéball floated from her hands and opened up. June recognized Alakazam in an instant. Her aunt Sapphire owned one so she knew first-hand what they were capable of.

"Alakazam: a Psychic-type. The fully evolved form of Abra. It's about 1.5 metres tall, weighs about 48.0kg and is also capable of Mega Evolution." June observed as several facts about the species came to her head, "It's known to have a fantastic memory and psychic powers almost unmatched by any other Psychic Pokémon. And having watched Mysterio in action at Aunt Sapphire's lessons on the Isle of Armour, I know I DEFINITELY can't afford to make any mistakes here!"

"Too right. They're some of the strongest Pokémon in all of Kanto." Ray agreed, "Better keep on your toes for this fight June!"

"I've been on them since the fight started!" June said, half-chuckling at her little joke, "Behemoth, use Earthquake and end this quickly!"

She knew that Alakazam's biggest weakness was how frail the species was. They were fast and heavy hitters but couldn't take hits themselves so brute strength would be her key to victory. Behemoth raised his tail again but he wasn't able to slam it down as Alakazam suddenly pointed its spoons at the giant rock snake and used Psychic to stop him dead in his tracks. Onix let out a deep, rumbling gasp of surprise as he found himself unable to move. June grew worried and could only watch helplessly as Alakazam threw its arms upwards and flicked Behemoth backwards. Behemoth crashed down onto his back just beside June, making her scream and leap to one side to avoid being crushed. The arena shook again. God, she and Sabrina would bring the place down on their heads if it shook anymore! Behemoth lay on his back for a moment but he wasn't down for long.

He rose up again and June changed tactics. Earthquake wasn't going to work so she ordered her Rock/Ground Pokémon to use Dig instead. Behemoth buried his face into the floor and plunged straight down into the floor. He disappeared from sight as he tunnelled down. Alakazam wouldn't be able to use Psychic on him while he was underground. The best it could do was listen out and try to avoid Onix. Alakazam kept careful watch, its sensitive ears alert for even the slightest sound that would tell him Behemoth was nearby. Then suddenly, the huge stone serpent erupted from underneath. Alakazam reacted just in time to dodge but the force of Behemoth breaking through the surface hit it and caused it to stumble so it ended up crashing down onto the floor. Behemoth loomed over Alakazam and prepared to use Earthquake while it was down. He couldn't miss this time! But just as he raised his tail…it happened. Espeon's Future Sight suddenly whooshed down from nowhere and bombarded Behemoth. Psychic energy rained down and Behemoth was knocked out instantly. June clenched her fists in anger, annoyed at herself for forgetting about it. She'd been so focused on defeating Alakazam that it had slipped her mind to watch out for that Future Sight! Now she was down two Pokémon! She returned Behemoth and patted his ball tenderly.

"I'm so sorry Behemoth. That was my fault. I forgot about Espeon's Future Sight and it got in your way. I'll make it up by winning this battle, I promise." she said kindly.

She exchanged Behemoth's Pokéball for Ace. Her newly evolved Pidgeot was now in play and she was keen to show off her new attacks and power. Ace squawked fiercely.

"This'll be a most worthy challenge indeed! An Alakazam is the perfect opponent to challenge my new strength against!" she cried.

"You'll be great Ace!" June encouraged, "Show Sabrina your awesome Aerial Ace!"

Ace flapped her powerful wings and rocketed up into the air. Alakazam watched her fly, its keen eyes fixed on her as it tracked her movements. Ace flew up and up until she touched the ceiling with her feet and then began to swoop down towards the floor. Just at the last second, she banked upwards and charged towards Alakazam like a speeding arrow. Alakazam tried to use Psychic to stop Ace but she was a fraction too fast for it to react. Alakazam was whisked off its feet by Ace's attack and knocked down onto its back. Ace swooped up again, clearly aiming to use another Aerial Ace. The speedy Pidgeot came whooshing down towards Alakazam again but this time, it was ready for her. Alakazam held out its spoons and stopped Ace dead in her tracks with Psychic. Ace cried out in surprise as she found herself completely immobilized. June was just as worried. Alakazam thrust its arms forward and Ace found herself catapulting backwards into the wall at the other side of the arena. June watched Ace crash into it and collapsed onto the floor. Ace wasn't defeated yet but she'd taken a lot of damage. Another hit like that would finish her off! As Ace started to pick herself up, June felt her blood run cold as Sabrina gave her next order…

"Use Nasty Plot." she commanded, her voice like a whisper of death.

Alakazam folded its arms and seemed to pause for a moment as it started thinking up all sorts of nasty things in its mind. June gulped. With a Special Attack boost, Alakazam would be completely unstoppable!

"I gotta stop this and fast!" June shrieked, "Ace, use Twister!"

Ace managed to pick herself up and she blew up a huge twister with her rapidly flapping wings. The twister snaked its way towards Alakazam, threatening to whisk it away and blow it across the arena. But Alakazam used Psychic to break through the twister. The whirlwind died away…and then Alakazam was hit in the face as Ace suddenly ploughed into it with Wing Attack. The distraction had worked and Alakazam found itself reeling back in pain from the powerful blow. Ace banked sharply to the left and charged towards Alakazam once again. Another Wing Attack would surely finish it off! But Alakazam recovered just in time and hit Ace with Psychic. The pink energy waves swept over Ace and thanks to Nasty Plot's power boost, it was too much for her to handle. Ace was blown away and knocked down to the ground. She didn't get back up this time. June could see this battle was spiralling rapidly out of control. Half her team had been taken down and Sabrina still had two Pokémon left to use! She returned Ace to her ball and whipped out another one. She was sure her goose was cooked but she was determined to try regardless.

"I doubt we have a chance my mate, but it's worth a shot. Leonardo, you're up!" the Galarian teen yelled.

Her newly evolved Wartortle took the field and he adopted a battle ready stance, determined to show June and Sabrina what he could do in this new form. Alakazam dropped into a battle ready stance itself. Even with something like a Wartortle, it knew it couldn't take its opponents lightly.

"Now's your chance to show off your new strength Leonardo!" June cried optimistically, "Use Rapid Spin!"

Leonardo withdrew his head and limbs and hurled himself towards Alakazam in a dizzying spin that catapulted him across the arena. He was nothing more than a brown and beige blur whizzing through the air. Alakazam merely held up its hands and stopped him dead in his tracks with Psychic. Leonardo froze before Alakazam, but Sabrina quickly realized that that hadn't been June's plan. Now Leonardo was close to Alakazam, he struck back with Water Pulse. Alakazam reeled back as Water Pulse blasted it in the face and momentarily blinded it. Now it was distracted, Leonardo struck again by using Bite. It wasn't as strong as Crunch was but a super-effective hit was still super-effective and it seemed to do the damage. Alakazam winced as it was bit on the shoulder by Leonardo and it put a hand over it to try and ease the pain. June smiled to herself. Maybe Leonardo would handle this after all. But her plan fell to pieces as Sabrina gave her next order…

"Use Recover." the Psychic specialist ordered.

Alakazam stood still for a moment as it tapped into its psychic powers and used them to heal up most of the damage it had received in the battle. June frowned in annoyance. So Alakazam knew Recover too! An opponent that could heal itself up was only going to be even more problematic for her!

"Ugh, and I had enough of a work out against Misty's Starmie with that move!" June muttered, "Guess I'll just have to keep whaling on Alakazam until it goes down. Leonardo, Bite it again!"

Leonardo opened his mouth and bit down on Alakazam once again with a holographic teeth-shaped construct. Alakazam cried out from the biting attack but it didn't do too much damage and it quickly retaliated by using Psychic. Leonardo was hit by the psychic waves and unfortunately for June, he went down instantly. Leonardo lay on his back and passed out. He'd fought well but even he hadn't been enough in the end. June looked to her Pokémon in dismay and returned him to his Pokéball. She patted the ball softly.

"You tried your best Leonardo. Don't feel too bad about this loss." she said gently.

She put Leonardo's ball away and turned to Ray.

"It's all up to you now mate." June said, her voice heavy, "I've only got you and Paige left and Paige will be no good against Alakazam for obvious reasons, so you're my last hope."

"I won't let you down June!" Ray declared, "I'll probably get my ass kicked out there, but I'll take down that Alakazam no problem!"

June couldn't help smiling at Ray's enthusiasm. Even against these impossible odds, he was determined to win no matter what! If he was confident he could win, why shouldn't she share that confidence? Ray scampered onto the field and his cheeks crackled with electricity. Alakazam eyed its opponent up with interest. Sabrina was equally as inquisitive at this next Pokémon she'd be battling.

"You have a Pikachu…how interesting. I remember when Ash challenged me with his own Pikachu years ago." the psychic woman mused, "I am curious to see how strong this Pikachu is."

"Believe me Sabrina, if you thought Ash's was a tough opponent, you're in for a treat with mine!" June said daringly, "Ray, use Zippy Zap!"

Sabrina recoiled in confusion. She'd never heard of such a move before. Even Alakazam was confused by the order and so it was too slow to react as Ray rocketed across the arena and ploughed straight into its gut. Alakazam was knocked down onto its back and it grimaced as it hit the floor so hard that the wind was knocked out of it. Ray punched the air triumphantly.

"Aww yeah, score one for the electric mouse!" he cheered.

"That was…unusual." Sabrina murmured, her eyes still wide with astonishment. It was the first time her stoic demeanour had dropped in the entire battle, "That looked like a Volt Tackle but without the recoil damage. What is Zippy Zap if I may ask?"

"It's a new move Ray invented on his own." June explained, "And as you can see, it packs quite a punch!"

"I can see. It's powerful and seems to land a critical hit anytime it's used." Sabrina observed, "But you won't catch me off-guard a second time. Use Psychic." she commanded.

Alakazam used Psychic but Ray was a fraction too quick for it. June ordered him to use Dig to dodge the attack. Ray burrowed down into the floor and disappeared underground. But Sabrina knew what was going to happen for Behemoth had done the same thing earlier. Alakazam levitated off the floor so Ray wouldn't hit him. It didn't work for Ray erupted from the ground and just jumped up into Alakazam with another Zippy Zap. He hit his opponent like an electric torpedo fired from a cannon and Alakazam crashed down onto the floor, looking critically injured from the two blows. One more hit and it would surely be finished! June felt her stomach tingle excitedly. Surely Ray had this in the bag!

"Go for it Ray! One more Zippy Zap will finish this fight!" she cried.

Ray charged towards Alakazam again, moving so fast that he couldn't be seen. Alakazam was still in pain from the last hit so it wouldn't be able to dodge. But Sabrina ordered it to use Recover at the last minute so as Ray hit Alakazam, he wasn't quite able to knock it out as Recover had replenished just enough health for it to survive the hit. Alakazam lay sprawled on the floor, grunting heavily. Ray stayed still, waiting to see if it could get back up again. The moustached Pokémon pushed itself back up onto its feet and stood its ground. June could see that even if it used Recover again, it likely wouldn't be able to fight anymore. She ordered Ray to use one more Zippy Zap. Ray charged towards his opponent…but this time he never managed to land the hit. Alakazam thrust its arms forward and caught hold of him with Psychic. Ray was immobilized and he yelled helplessly as he was picked up off the floor. Alakazam used Psychic to throw him all around the arena and then finally, finish him off with a blast of psychic energy that took away all his strength and left him unable to battle. Ray collapsed onto the floor and looked over to June apologetically.

"S-s-sorry June…I t-tried…" he croaked feebly.

And then he slipped mercifully into unconsciousness. June stared in horror at her unconscious Pikachu. In spite of his best efforts, he hadn't been able to finish the fight! She knew that this battle was over. With only a Primeape left, she had no chance of winning the Marsh Badge. She began to feel faint. June started to hyperventilate as the hopelessness of her situation settled in. The arena seemed to sway in front of her vision.

Oh no…oh no, oh no, OH NO! It's all over! There's nothing I can do to win this! she panicked, It's like back at Silph Co. in Giovanni's clutches! I couldn't do anything then and it's happening again! I'm utterly helpless with no one to help me!

"June, what is the matter?" Sabrina asked, her voice full of concern, "I sense a huge amount of anxiety from you. Are you alright?"

June's head snapped up as she just registered that Sabrina had been talking to her. She ran onto the field and scooped up her unconscious Pikachu.

"I-I…I surrender!" she shrieked.

And then she bolted out of the arena. Sabrina and Alakazam were taken aback by what had just happened. Sabrina grew concerned for June and decided to follow her. She returned Alakazam to its Pokéball and levitated out of the room. She saw June slumped against a wall with Ray cradled in her arms as she was caught in the grip of another panic attack. She was breathing in and out rapidly and struggling to calm down, even if she had Ray in her arms to cuddle with. Sabrina approached her and knelt down.

"What is the matter?" she asked softly.

June didn't answer her. She was too overwhelmed with her emotions to register anything anymore. Even Sabrina's voice sounded very far away to her. Seeing she was in real trouble, Sabrina put her hands to either side of June's head.

"Hold still. Let me help you." she said kindly.

Sabrina closed her eyes and focused. Her psychic powers activated and all of a sudden, June felt herself begin to relax. Sabrina's powers were helping her feel more at ease and she gradually, she started to calm down. Her breathing slowed and she became more in control of her body again. With one last sigh, June slumped against the wall in contentment and closed her eyes for a minute. When she opened them again, she smiled gratefully at Sabrina.

"Thank you very much." the new trainer said graciously, "I'm so sorry about that. I couldn't help myself."

"I could see into your mind as I healed you." Sabrina said grimly, "You're plagued by bad memories. You're still worried over when Team Rocket's boss held you captive the other day. I imagine that's why you panicked and forfeited the battle. You felt like you were in that position again and you felt scared, so you ran."

"Yes, exactly. That's why I did it." June said, sounding guilty over what had happened, "There really was nothing I could do. I only had a Primeape left and she had no super-effective moves I could against Alakazam, plus she's weak to Psychic attacks. It was for the best that I surrendered, otherwise Paige would've ended up suffering for nothing."

Sabrina understood.

"I do apologize if I played a part in causing you this amount of stress. You must understand it is never my intention to frighten my opponents." she said apologetically.

"No, no, don't apologize. It wasn't you, it was all me and I'm sorry for freaking out like that." June insisted, "I'm supposed to be a strong, brave Pokémon trainer but I panicked like a scared little kid and fled! I shouldn't have done that, I…"

"Don't be harsh on yourself child." Sabrina interrupted, "There is no shame in admitting you were scared. Even the strongest of Pokémon trainers can get scared some times. I'm sure your mother is no different."

"True. Even mum and dad get scared sometimes…" June acknowledged, "OK, I'll remember that. Thanks again Sabrina, especially for being so understanding."

"No thanks necessary." Sabrina said softly, her face curling up into a small, kind smile, "As a Gym Leader, it is my duty to aid trainers that are struggling. Do you wish to continue the battle, or do you still forfeit?"

"I'm not rescinding my surrender." June declared, "I'll take some time off so my Pokémon can recover, and then I'll come back for a rematch."

Sabrina nodded understandingly.

"Very well. I know you'll be back. I've foreseen it…" she said cryptically, "And my premonitions tell me you'll come back much stronger. Even your Primeape will end up being a match for me…"

June raised an eyebrow in confusion. What did that mean? How could Paige ever be a match for Sabrina? Was she implying Paige would learn some kind of Ghost or Dark attack that would give her a chance against her Psychic Pokémon? She was curious to find out for herself.

June stood up and left the Gym. Sabrina watched her leave just to make sure that she was safe and wouldn't need any further assistance. It was lucky for June that she did for Sakaki had been forced to stay his hand for now. He couldn't try robbing June with the Gym Leader watching her! Sabrina watched until June had disappeared into the crowd before she went back into the Gym. Now she was gone, Sakaki could follow June. At least he knew where she was heading and he'd steal the Master Ball from her there. He was sure he could lead her somewhere private so no one would see him steal her Master Ball.

That girl will never see me coming… he sneered in his thoughts.

It's a pity June couldn't win this time. Her Marsh Badge will have to wait for now. How will she take this loss to Sabrina and will she spring back from it? Find out next time as June finds herself "Taking A Break"...

Trivia: Sabrina will be the only Gym Leader June loses a battle too. This is deliberate as I don't want June to be like her mother and win all the Gyms first time. Also it's a callback to the Gen 1 era where players considered Sabrina the hardest Gym Leader to beat back in the original Red and Blue games. Ergo, Sabrina's the one who gets a win. :)

Her using an Espeon calls back to later games like Gold and Silver and their remakes where she uses one. I'm not a fan of most of Gen 1's Psychic types (Only the Abra line have decent designs and look cool) so I wanted to use Psychic types I DO like, hence why Espeon's here. :)

I was going to end the chapter with Sakaki stealing June's Master Ball but I decided not to in the end. I think June's had enough for now so I wanted to cut her some slack and instead make Sakaki stalking her the cliffhanger ending just to avoid piling too much grief on her at once.