Chapter 19: Sabrina Returns

The next morning at the Pokemon Center.

Everyone was getting ready for breakfast and getting food for their Pokemon.

Each sat at a table together.

Paul found this odd. "Strange, eating with other people feels odd."

Hearing that earned a pull on the cheek from Hilda, who had her cheeks puffed. "Odd? You've been eating with us for weeks and you suddenly say it's odd!?"

"Considering he never hung out with Ash and the others as friends would explain," Daisy theorized, which she was right.

Barry had to agree. "Yeah, I mean I sense such tense between Paul and Ash." He remembered the first time he met Paul and saw how they looked at each other like they wanted to say something to each other.

"Anyway, no need to think about it, right now, let's finish breakfast, and then later we can start heading to the Saffron Gym," Daisy said. "Which reminds me, Hilda..."

That made the Unova trainer release Paul's cheek. "Yeah?"

"What Pokemon have you chosen to use in the gym battle?" Daisy asked.

Hilda began to ponder. "Umm... good question, I don't know."

Barry fell down anime style.

Paul scoffed. "You didn't think of what Pokemon to use...I should've seen this coming."

Hilda took offense to that as she started to pull his cheeks again comically. "Well excuse me Mr. smarty pants! I just forgot that's all!"

"Ow...ow...cut that out..." Paul groaned in pain.

A short time later.

Hilda was sitting on the bench outside pondering what Pokemon she should use. "Man, this is so hard, I don't know what Pokemon I should use."

"Perhaps I can be some help," There was Daisy Oak. "As you know the gym leader's name is Sabrina, she specializes in using Psychic Pokemon."

"Psychic Pokemon...those will be tough to beat," Hilda said.

"Well, do you have any Ghost, Dark, or Bug-type Pokemon?" Oak's granddaughter asked.

"I have only one Bug-type Pokemon," Hilda replied hanging her head down.

Daisy went silent for a moment before she spoke. "Okay, show me what kind you caught,"

Paul was gathering his Pokemon from Nurse Joy, he saw Hilda and Daisy walk past him, going to the phone to make a call. "Wonder if she's calling the Professor..." He didn't care as long as he gets to see how well she was improving.

Barry decided to give some thought to what Pokemon he should use, but, then again, once Sabrina battles he'll have to wait so he might want to do something else. "I think it's time for training."

Hilda returned to Paul. "Hey, let's get going, my battle against Sabrina awaits." She smiled.

Paul just gave a "Hmph" and got up from his seat. "Let's go then."

"Speaking of, where's Barry?" Daisy questioned.

"He went to do some training, he'll catch up later with us," Paul replied as he continued towards the entrance.

Soon the three came to the Saffron City Gym.

Hilda was a bit nervous. "There is it..." She heard of the Psychic Pokemon that were used, she knew those kinds of Pokemon are strong.

Paul noticed the look on the girl's face. "Hey, pull it together, if you're nervous, you'll lose focus on the battle."

Hearing that made Hilda turn her head to look at the purple-haired boy. "Right..."

"It's been so long," Daisy said. "Wonder how much she's changed."

Hearing that got the two trainer's attention. "What do you mean?" Hilda asked.

"She means back then Sabrina was a cold woman," A voice answered.

There stood a woman with long black hair crossing her arms. "I assume one of you guys is here to challenge the gym leader?"

"That's me," Hilda spoke. "I'm Hilda from-"

"From Nuvema Town a place in the Unova Region, correct?" The woman interrupted surprising the three.

"How did you..." Hilda began to question.

"I'll explain, come inside, please," The black-haired woman said turning around and walking back inside the gym.

She led them through a hallway. "As you know Psychic Pokemon are used here by the gym leader, Sabrina is strong, though back in her childhood, she had unusual abilities which caused her to be so distant from others, her parents tried to reason with her, but to no avail."

"Unusual abilities," Hilda wondered.

Paul wasn't fooled as he narrowed his eyes at the woman.

"So, what has else she been doing?" Daisy asked.

"For so long, Sabrina kept developing her powers more and causing some stirs in the city," The black-haired woman continued as she stopped walking. "She did some insane things to people that lost to her, though, there was one trainer that was determined to defeat her."

"Who was the trainer?" Hilda asked.

Paul had a good idea of what the woman was talking about.

The black-haired woman glanced at the three. "His name was Ash Ketchum." She noticed the only one surprised was Hilda, though, she just smiled. "He kept lost to Sabrina and was almost captured by her along with his friends, however, an old man saved them."

"Then what?" Hilda asked a little eager.

"Ash and his friends were told by the old man to leave the city, however, Ash refused to turn away, so the old man advised the young trainer to capture a Ghost Pokemon," The black-haired woman replied. "The Ghost Pokemon that Ash took along with him was Haunter, however, it was more interested in doing comedy."

"Tell me about it," Paul thought a little annoyed.

"Anyway, the point I'm making is that Sabrina realized there was more to it than battles with strength and using abilities," The black-haired woman said as she looked up at the ceiling. "Then during the final rematch, Haunter made Sabrina laugh, it was something she never did before not even as a child, therefore she changed her ways."

"That's quite a story," Hilda said. "I never thought gym leaders would have some abilities like psychic powers."

Daisy giggled. 'Yes, Ash does have a way to influence the people he meets, isn't that right, Sabrina."

Hilda gasped in surprise. "Hold on, this woman is Sabrina!?"

Paul sighed. "Gee, took you long to realize that?" He said sarcastically.

"Don't mean to me!" Hilda spat while pulling his cheeks comically.

Sabrina giggled. "Daisy Oak, it's been a while, how is Ash doing these days?"

The famous female Oak sibling smiled. "He's doing great, he's improving his skills as Pokemon Trainer, he still has a lot to learn, but he's growing."

Hilda removed her hands from Paul's cheek and approached the gym leader. "Sabrina, why did you use psychic powers in the first place?"

Sabrina crossed her arms. "I was born with these abilities since I was a little girl, as the years passed, I let my abilities get to my head, it corrupted me in a way, like I said, I used my abilities during battles. I caused a lot of trouble for challengers, not to mention I scared innocent people, but, thanks to Ash and his Haunter, I was able to laugh for the first time." Surprisingly tears started to form in her eyes.

Paul's eyes widened in surprise. "Tears...?"

"I remember when my father saw me laughing for the first time, it made him happy, he hoped that I would shine someday and thanks to Ash, his hope for helping me came true," Sabrina said wiping her tears away. "Anyway, Hilda, you want to challenge for the badge, right?"

The Unova trainer nodded with a determined look. "Yes, I'll be ready to go when you are."

Sabrina smiled. "If that's the case, let our battle begin."

M

Barry was on Route 8

He was training his Tepig and Heracross.

"Tepig, use Ember in the air!"

The Fire Pig Pokemon blew out embers from its nostrils. "Te-pig!"

Heracross use Brick Break on that large rock!"

Heracross lifted its hand and chopped down on top of the rock which made it break into big pieces. "Hera-cross!"

"Great job you guys!" Barry cheered. "I admit you guys are getting stronger." He then had a concerned look. "Still, Sabrina isn't going to be an easy opponent, Psychic Pokemon are really strong." He sat down on a nearby bench. "I already transferred some of my other Pokemon to Professor Oak's lab yesterday too."

Then he began to rub his hair roughly in frustration which startled his Tepig and Heracross. "Man, this stinks, at this rate, I won't be able to battle Sabrina using only two Pokemon."

In a nearby bush

A Pokemon was watching nearby and saw Barry's backpack.

"Well, let's take a break you guys," Barry said. "How about a snack?"

Tepig and Heracross jumped seemingly eager as their stomachs growled and growled even louder.

"Looks like I'm not only hungry," Barry joked. "Anyway, let's see, where is my..." He looked at where he set his backpack but he noticed the zipper was not zipped up. "Hey, who opened my backpack?"

He comically searched the inside using his hands. "Aw man, the food inside is gone!" He shouted as his Pokemon were in awe. "A thief must've taken it, whoever it was is going to pay a fine, Tepig, Heracross, let's go!"

His two Pokemon nodded, then their trainer stopped. "How are we going to find the thief though?" He questioned as his Pokemon fell in anime style.

Then the mysterious Pokemon dashed along with the snacks. "Hey, get back here!" Barry demanded chasing after the Pokemon. "What Pokemon is that?" He took out his Pokedex. "Nuzleaf, the Wily Pokemon. Nuzleaf lives in the dense, overgrown forests and occasionally comes out to frighten people."

"There aren't any dense forests around here, this one must be lost or something," Barry said. "Either way, it took my backpack, I must get it back!"

However, Nuzleaf was so fast that it disappeared before he realized it. "Oh well, its just snacks, better get back to the others."

M

Hilda and Sabrina were getting ready for their battle.

Sabrina's mother was there too. "Hi, there, I'm Sabrina's mother."

"Mother?!" Hilda exclaimed in surprise.

Sabrina's father showed up and introduced himself to the three travelers. "Hi, I'm Sabrina's father, I'll be the referee for this battle."

"Sounds good, I'm ready!" Hilda said waving her hand.

Sabrina smiled. "Yes, I hope to see what Pokemon from the Unova you'll use." She took out a Pokeball and tossed it. "Mr. Mime come out!"

"Mr. Mime!" The Mime-like Pokemon said putting its hands up.

"Whoa, It's Mr. Mime!" Hilda said in surprise. "This one looks strong, no sweat, come out, Accelgor!"

"Accelgor!"

Daisy was impressed. "My, that's new."

Paul was intrigued so he took out his Pokedex and scanned the new Bug Type Pokemon. " Accelgor the Shell-Out Pokemon. When its body dries out, it weakens, so, to prevent dehydration, it wraps itself in many layers of a thin membrane." He observed the newly Bug Pokemon. "I suppose it's interesting, however, I wonder how well it can battle."

Sabrina brushed her hair. "I'll give you the first move, Hilda."

"Alright, Accelgor Quick Attack!"

"Mr. Mime, Use Reflect!"

The Mime Pokemon created a blue-like glass that reduce the damage it took from Accelgor.

"What, that didn't do much damage," Hilda said in shock.

"That's because Reflect reduces the damage of physical attacks," Sabrina explained calmly. "But, just to be the safe side, Mr. Mime use Light Screen."

A yellow wall of light was created this time. "Now as you probably guessed, special attacks will be suppressed too."

Hilda groaned. "Great, now, Accelgor's physical and special attacks will only do little damage, however, both of those status moves won't last long,"

Daisy Oak observed the battle. "Hilda is a tight spot, even if the effects of Reflect and Light Screen wear off, Sabrina will just use it again and again."

Paul had to agree. "That's right, not only that, Hilda's Accelgor will get worn out which will give Sabrina the upper hand."

"Accelgor!" Hilda called out getting her bug Pokemon to glance at her. "Let's not back down, show'em your power, use Energy Ball!"

The Shell Out Pokemon gathered energy which formed into a green ball of light and fired it at the Mime-like Pokemon which made contact and exploded on it.

"Alright, direct hit!" Hilda cheered.

Accelgor shared the same reaction.

However, to their dismay, Mr. Mime was barely scratched. "Mr. Mime...Mime...Mime."

"Its special defense has gotten stronger than I thought," Hilda thought.

"I think it's our turn again," Sabrina spoke with a calm look. "Mr. Mime Psychic!"

The Barrier Pokemon's eyes glowed in blue light and lift Accelgor in the air. "Accelgor!" Hilda yelled in shock.

"Now send Accelgor flying!" Sabrina commanded.

Mr. Mime's eyes widened and used its telekinetic power to send Accelgor flying with a strong force and it went crashing onto the ground which created a smoke of dust.

"Accelgor!" Hilda called.

As soon as the dust smoke cleared, Accelgor was shown unconscious.

"Accelgor is unable to battle! Mr. Mime is the winner!" Sabrina's father announced.

"That attack was strong..." Hilda whispered in disbelief.

"You must know..." This got the Unova to look at Sabrina, who seemed calm still. "That it takes more than type advantage to win."

Paul knew that was true, he didn't have the right Pokemon to win against Roark, but, despite that, he still won using the right moves and strategies.

"Accelgor return!" Hilda called back the Shell Out Pokemon and smiled a little. "You did well, now take a good rest."

"Let's do this, Samurott!"

"Samurott!" The Formidable Pokemon said.

Sabrina was impressed. "Oh...quite impressive, another Pokemon from the Unova, let's see if that'll turn things around."

Hilda groaned. "You bet, Samurott was my first Pokemon, and it's really strong too!"

The Formidable Pokemon glared at its opponent Mr. Mime.

"Go, use Razor Shell!"

Samurott took both of its scallops creating water-like blades and charged toward Mr. Mime.

Mr. Mime stayed standing for a moment. "Dodge it." With one jump it dodged the water attack.

"It dodged the attack!" Hilda exclaimed. "And with such speed too!"

"Mr. Mime...Psybeam!" Sabrina commanded calmly.

A strong psychic beam of energy was fired directly at Samurott's head which created an explosion.

"Samurott!" Hilda yelled with worry.

The Formidable Pokemon was hurt, but it stood strong and opened its eyes. "Great, Samurott use Night Slash!"

The large otter Pokemon slashed with its claw that glowed in a black glow and slashed the Mime Pokemon's chest dealing a super effective move.

"That seems like a critical hit," Paul said that he also noticed something else. "I didn't see the Reflect's wall, so that must be its effects including Light Screen is over."

Sabrina noticed that too. "Quick, use Reflect and Light Screen again!"

"Don't let it Samurott, use Aqua Jet!" Hilda commanded quickly.

Samurott jetted off towards Mr. Mime with fast speed and rammed against it. "Good, now use Razor Shell and at full power!"

The Formidable Pokemon took out its scallops again and slashed the Mime-like Pokemon.

Mr. Mime stares at Samurott for a moment until it falls backward and fainted with dizzy eyes.

"Mr. Mime is unable to battle! Samurott wins!" Sabrina's father stated.

"Yes! Samurott you did it!" Hilda said happily.

Samurott nodded with a smile.

"Alright, Mr. Mime return," Sabrina called back her Pokemon and smiled slightly. "You did great, you take a rest."

She looked at the Unova trainer. "I must admit, you did a combination, using Aqua Jet to damage Mr. Mime which distracted it from using its status moves then using Razor Shell to win the match." Her slight smile didn't fade. "You're doing good so far, let's see if you keep it."

Sabrina took out her next Pokeball. "Let's go, Alakazam!"

"Alaka-zam..." The Psi Pokemon spoke.

"What is that?" Hilda wondered taking out her Pokedex. "Alakazam the Psi Pokemon, the spoons clutched in its hands are said to have been created by its psychic powers.

"This Pokemon will be tough, it's also the final evolution of Abra too," Daisy said observing the Psi Pokemon.

Paul couldn't agree more. "That's right, so, that Pokemon will be tough to take down."

Hilda knew this was going to be tougher than she thought. "Samurott return for a little rest!" She looked at the Pokeball. "I'll be sure to use you in the final match." She took out another Pokeball. "I choose...Vulpix!"

"Fire Pokemon..." Sabrina questioned. "Well, it's interesting, I hope that you have a plan."

"I will win, Vulpix use Flamethrower!"

The Fox Pokemon unleashed its fiery breath.

"Alakazam...Psychic Attack," Sabrina said calmly.

Alakazam unleashed a strong telekinetic force which collided with the flamethrower attack causing an explosion and strong breezes of air.

"That's strong!" Daisy said covering her face using both her arms.

Paul just calmly stared at the attacks. "Not bad..."

"Vulpix use your Quick Attack!" Hilda commanded.

Vulpix dashed with fast speed.

"Alakazam Calm Mind..." Sabrina said calmly.

The Psi Pokemon focused its mind and calmed its spirit.

"What is going on?" Hilda questioned.

"Hilda, that's Alakazam is using Calm Mind which will raise it's Special Attack and Defense!" Daisy answered.

Hilda gasped quietly and got a little worried. "This is bad, I'm in the same situation when she used Mr. Mime, in that case...Vulpix use Will-o-Wisp!"

Vulpix fired several blue flame balls toward Alakazam.

Sabrina just smiled calmly. "Use Psychic to deflect the Will-o-Wisp!"

Alakazam's eyes glowed light blue and stopped the Will-o-Wisp in mid-air.

Paul saw the irony in Sabrina's strategy. "Even if she has Alakazam use Psychic to send Will-o-Wisp back to Vulpix, it won't do any damage because of its special ability."

"Send the Will-o-Wisp flying onto the ground!" Everyone gasped at the command.

Alakazam sent the Will-o-Wisp onto the ground with great force causing some black smoke to cover the field.

"The black smoke is so thick!" Hilda groaned covering her face with her arms.

Vulpix began to look around frantically for its opponent, but, it couldn't see through the black smoke.

"Alakazam Charge Beam!"

A beam of electricity was fired directly at Vulpix which dealt a lot of damage and thanks to its increased power due to Calm Mind its attack dealt more damage.

Vulpix was sent sliding across the battlefield and was unconscious. "Vul...Vul..pix."

"Vulpix!" Hilda cried in shock.

"Vulpix is unable to battle! Alakazam is the winner!" Sabrina's father stated.

"That battle ended quickly..." Hilda said in disbelief.

Paul sighed in disappointment. "It seems that her two winning streaks at the previous gyms got to her head and that clouded her judgment of what she needs to do."

Daisy had to agree. "Yes, you mentioned she won two gym badges in a row, however, that could be lead to a rush of confidence, that could be noticed by your opponent."

"Vulpix return," Hilda said returning her Fox Pokemon. "You did...well, get some rest." She took out her Pokeball. "Samurott, it's all up to you, come out!"

Samurott came out again.

Sabrina's calm expression didn't change. "I think it's time we end this, Alakazam use Charge Beam once more."

"Samurott dodge it!" Hilda commanded.

Which the Formidable Pokemon did, but it began to pant a little.

"This isn't good, Samurott still hasn't fully recovered from its previous battle with Mr. Mime," Daisy spoke.

Paul didn't say a word he just went silent.

"Samurott hang in there!" Hilda called which got her starter Pokemon's attention. "Let's show them our power, Hydro Pump!"

"Charge Beam again!"

Alakazam and Samurott unleashed their attacks which collided, but, they attempted to push through, then this caused the two attacks to explode and caused strong winds of smoke to blow everywhere.

Once the winds of smoke began to clear, both Pokemon were staring down at each other.

Surprisingly, Alakazam and Samurott fainted on the ground.

"Both Pokemon are unable to continue! However, the challenger doesn't have any Pokemon remaining therefore the battle goes to Sabrina the gym leader!" Sabrina's father stated.

Hilda was speechless as she walked over to Samurott, she placed her hand on its face gently with a sad smile. "Samurott, you did good, thank you..."

Samurott smiled a little as it was returned to its Pokeball.

Sabrina walked over to the trainer. "Your Samurott is strong, however, it seems that some of your Pokemon need training that includes any new Pokemon you have. That being said, you're lacking in strategy, learn to come up with new strategies and you'll be able to overcome any challenges."

Paul remembered that advice from Cheren.

Hilda looked at the psychic Pokemon trainer with a determined look. "Sabrina, I want to have your rematch with you someday, next time I'll be sure to win and give you a challenge."

Sabrina smiled a little. "I'll forward to it, let me know whenever you're ready." She walked away to her parents.

Barry was already there and from the looks of it, he must've seen some of the conclusion.

"Barry, when did you get here?" Hilda asked.

"Just about when your Vuplix lost to Alakazam and you know the rest," Barry answered as he looked towards Sabrina. "She's even stronger than I thought."

"That's right, she's quite the strategic trainer, coming up with moves to increase her moves and using Psychic to deflect the Will-o-Wisp and sending each of the attacks onto the ground creating a black smoke," Paul agreed for once.

Barry was silent for a moment. "Hilda...Paul, Daisy..." He looked at them seriously, which was unlike him. "I'm going away for a while..."

Hilda was puzzled at this. "Barry, you're leaving us, why?"

Barry took a deep breath. "I was thinking, I need to train a little more, so, I'll be going back to Lavender to town to train some more, I'll be back a few days, however, I saw a Nuzleaf."

Hearing that made Daisy Oak. "Oh...perhaps we go help you find it."

Surprisingly the blonde boy shook his head. "Sorry, but, I want to do this on my own, besides I want to catch it and perhaps I will learn something from this experience."

Hilda was a bit sad but, she smiled. "Then we wish you luck, take care and hope you catch that Nuzleaf." She high-fived the blonde who did the same.

"Anyway, I'll be seeing you guys in a few days, be sure to train too!" Barry was off in a flash while waving to his friends.

Hilda knew she had to train even more. "Paul, let's train each other, I'll be sure to make that I'm prepared for anything."

Paul stared at the girl for a moment. "Alright...let's get started first thing after breakfast tomorrow."

Daisy smiled. "I'll be sure to help out in any way I can."

The two nodded.

Narrator(from Pokemon): Hilda's challenge against Sabrina ends in defeat, however, she's determined to get stronger, so she and Paul will train each other, Barry decides to leave the group for a few days of training, and what will happen next, find out.

End of chapter.