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Sabrina's rhetorical question made Ash nod blankly; he was still reeling from the shock of Sabrina having fought Elite Four Lorelei.
The Kanto Elite Four was one of his phase goals after he started his journey; only by defeating the Elite Four and becoming the Kanto Champion could he truly prove that he had taken a solid step on his path to becoming a Pokémon Master.
It also proved that he was getting closer and closer to the strongest Champion, Leon.
However, Ash thought that his battle with the Elite Four might still be a long way off. After all, with his current strength, he really couldn't challenge the Elite Four, even with his Elite Four level Gengar.
Unexpectedly, Sabrina had already fought an Elite Four member and even ended in a draw.
One must know that the Kanto Elite Four are all Champion-level in strength. Even if Lorelei had some reservations, it was still an extremely remarkable feat for Sabrina to contend with Lorelei using an Elite Four level Pokémon.
Coming back to his senses, Ash realized that his hands had been gripping Sabrina's shoulders. Although it was through her clothes, he could still feel a slight smoothness.
Ash quickly let go of her hands and said apologetically, "Sorry, I got too excited for a moment and lost control."
"Elite Four… are they very powerful people?"
"You don't know about the Elite Four?"
"I've heard of them, but I don't care, so I forgot." Sabrina's words were always so concise.
"There's actually someone even less knowledgeable than me, who doesn't even know the Kanto Elite Four. The Kanto Elite Four are Lorelei…" Ash rattled on, introducing the Kanto Elite Four, momentarily forgetting that he was at the stage of having challenged the Gym and getting his badge.
Misty and Brock, who were nearby, did not interrupt Ash and Sabrina's conversation. This was at the request of Sabrina's father.
At this moment, Sabrina's father no longer concealed his identity. He told them who he was and asked them not to disturb Ash and Sabrina's conversation for now.
Sabrina had always been cold before, let alone communicating with people, she rarely even spoke. She basically just battled, then turned others into dolls, and then manipulated them in the small prop room she had created.
Now, it was a rare opportunity for her to speak, and she was so calm and patiently talking to others and listening to others. The longer this phenomenon lasted, the higher the possibility of Sabrina returning to normal.
So, interrupting the conversation between Sabrina and Ash was absolutely forbidden… "…So, the Kanto Elite Four are your goal for your journey, right?" Sabrina concluded after listening to Ash's account.
"A phase goal, I suppose. After defeating the Elite Four, I still need to go to various regions to defeat the Champions, and finally defeat Mr. Leon. That would at least represent that I've reached a temporary end on this path of a Trainer," Ash corrected.
The Elite Four were not his ultimate goal. If he were to talk about his ultimate challenge, it would naturally be Leon, the strongest Trainer in the world at the moment.
It was said that Leon had never been defeated since his debut. No one knew who would be the one to make Leon taste his first defeat.
"A phase goal, huh…" Sabrina murmured, a strange light flickering in her beautiful eyes.
"Anyway, don't do those things anymore. As a Gym Leader, you should fulfill your responsibilities. Turning defeated people into dolls is too bizarre, no wonder others are afraid of you."
"I understand."
"Mm-hmm, good to know…" Huh?" Ash nodded subconsciously, saying comforting words, but suddenly realized something was off. How could the rebellious and seemingly difficult-to-communicate Sabrina suddenly be so agreeable?
"In the future, will I still have a chance to battle you?"
"Of course! In a few years, the name Ash from Pallet Town will spread far and wide. By then, you're welcome to come find me for a battle anytime!" Ash patted his chest, speaking with confidence.
"Good, I'll come find you then." Sabrina said seriously, but in her heart, she was already thinking about another plan.
"Sabrina, you…" After seeing Ash and Sabrina finish their conversation, Sabrina's father finally spoke, but after calling out Sabrina's name, he hesitated.
"Father." Sabrina looked at her father, calmly uttering these two words.
However, this simple sentence brought tears to Sabrina's father's eyes. He didn't know how long it had been since he heard Sabrina call him "Father."
Ash looked at Sabrina's tearful father with surprise, as if he hadn't expected this person to be Sabrina's father. No wonder he knew Sabrina so well. But if he was Sabrina's father, why would he stop challengers outside the Gym?
And Sabrina's previous demeanor probably had something to do with her father, right?
"You… have you returned, Sabrina?"
"Returned? I never left." Sabrina tilted her head, responding calmly.
Then she waved her hand, and a doll flew out from deep within the Gym.
Sabrina looked at the doll with a complex expression, and the residual Psychic power on her body surged. The next second, the doll directly transformed into a middle-aged beautiful woman.
After appearing, the middle-aged beautiful woman looked at Sabrina gently, then turned her gaze to Ash and bowed to him.
"Thank you, Ash. Although I was turned into a doll by Sabrina, I saw everything that happened here. Sabrina's mental state has recovered to what it is now, all thanks to you."
"Uh… you are?"
"I am Sabrina's mother."
Ash: ???
Ash's eyes widened, looking at Sabrina in confusion, his gaze as if to say—you're truly ruthless! You even turned your own mother into a doll!
"I didn't hurt her. I just turned her into a doll and kept her by my side. And I did change her back to normal in the middle and let her leave, but she herself didn't want to go."
Sabrina's tone was still calm and cold, but Ash and the others still heard the unusual emotions in her words.
Sabrina's mother's actions probably had a significant impact on Sabrina. That kind of behavior, where she forced herself to stay by Sabrina's side even when she was afraid, also puzzled Sabrina greatly.
But at that time, Sabrina's psyche had completely collapsed. If she could communicate well like she does now, perhaps Sabrina's mother's actions could have brought back Sabrina's rationality.
"I didn't really do anything, just had a battle with her." Ash scratched his head, a little embarrassed by Sabrina's mother's thanks.
Sabrina's mother shook her head and said, "If it weren't for you, Sabrina might have completely fallen into the abyss and never returned. You saved our daughter. You can ask for anything you want. As long as we can do it, we will try our best to help you achieve it."
"Uh, it's not that exaggerated. It really was just a battle. Oh, by the way, I won this battle, so can I have the Saffron Gym badge?" Ash really didn't need anything. If he had to say what he needed, he only needed the badge.
"Here." Sabrina waved her small hand, and a golden, circular badge floated out from her, landing in front of Ash.
"Thanks!" Ash caught the badge floating in mid-air and struck his signature pose: "I got the Gold Badge!"
"Pika Pikachu!" Despite having no contribution, Big Pika Teacher still had to shout, otherwise, the pose wouldn't be complete, just like Team Rockets without Meowth, it would be soulless.
"I'm exhausted. The first battle after you caught me, and you make me fight such a tough opponent. You really want to work an honest Pokémon to death!" Gengar didn't even have the strength to transform back into Gastly. His entire body slumped to the ground, panting and sticking out his scarlet tongue, looking like he was about to die from exhaustion.
"Hehe, thanks, Gengar. When we get back, I'll have Professor Oak arrange some delicious food for you."
"I think that old man's instant noodles are good. Tell him to get me some!" Gengar instantly changed his expression and made his demand.
It seems this was premeditated!
Ash agreed with a smile. Gengar's contribution to this battle was undeniably significant. Without Gengar, even if he had put the Saffron Gym last, he might not have won.
The opponent was Elite Four level. He didn't think he could train that Pokémon to Elite Four level before the Indigo League began.
Although there are more than eight Gyms in Kanto, not challenging the Saffron Gym wouldn't be a big deal. However, as one of Kanto's top Gyms, challenging it would be of considerable help to both the Trainer's Pokémon and the Pokémon's level advancement.
Moreover, this challenge indirectly saved a broken family, although Ash didn't know how he saved them… But Sabrina clearly seemed much more normal, and even her mother, whom she had turned into a doll, was released.
This should count as saving them, right?
"This is for you too." After giving Ash the Saffron Badge, Sabrina's beautiful eyes shifted, and then she took out a spoon from her person.
Looking at the small spoon in Sabrina's fair hand, Ash was full of questions. Why was she giving him a spoon? For eating?
"What's this for?"
"This spoon is the Psychic tool that introduced me to the path. If a Pokémon carries it, it can increase the power of Psychic-type moves by about twenty-five percent. It should be a pretty good item, right?"
Misty & Brock: ???
Good heavens, a twenty-five percent Psychic boost, and you call that just 'pretty good'?!
Don't think that just because Gengar gave him a Spell Tag that increases Ghost-type power by thirty percent, these items that boost Pokémon move power are cheap.
In reality, any item that can increase move power would be fiercely sought after in the market, an item of immense value.
Generally, type-boosting items provide a boost of ten to twenty percent, with twenty percent already being the theoretical peak for such items.
First, Gengar pulled out a Spell Tag with a thirty percent boost, and now Sabrina pulls out a Psychic Spoon with a twenty-five percent boost. What kind of incredible luck does Ash have?!
Heh, you can say that. When it comes to luck, Ash probably deserves a Champion title.
The journey so far can no longer be described as just 'lucky'.
"Wait a minute! I remember now, where's the Spell Tag I gave you?" After hearing Sabrina's explanation, Gengar suddenly remembered something: where was the Spell Tag he gave Ash?
If he had been carrying the Spell Tag during the battle just now, the battle would have been many times easier!
A thirty percent Ghost-type boost, combined with Aura fusion, he could have defeated Alakazam in no time, without even needing to wear down his stamina!
But Ash hadn't taken out the Spell Tag for him to use. Could it be that Ash had other Ghost-type Pokémon using that thing?
Ash hadn't fully recovered from Sabrina's small gift when he heard Gengar's words. For a moment, he froze.
"Uh… that… this… I'm sorry, I forgot."
"Forgot?! You could forget something like this?! Do you know how much that thing is worth?! I endured immense inner pain to give you that item! And you didn't even give it to other Pokémon to use, and you didn't even let me use it in battle, you're not human!"
Ash's forgetfulness was met with a barrage of condemnation from Gengar. When others get such an item, they can't wait to take it out and look at it every day, then rack their brains trying to figure out which Pokémon would be best to use it.
Ash, on the other hand, simply forgot. What kind of audacity is that!
"Ahem, but we won, didn't we! As long as the outcome is good, that's all that matters." Ash continued to quibble, and Gengar responded with an eye-roll.
The amusing interaction between the human and the ghost made Sabrina's lips curl into a smile once again.
She didn't know why, but looking at Ash, she had an urge to smile. This wasn't a mocking smile, but a genuine, joyful smile from the heart. Was this what normal human emotions felt like?
She felt like she hadn't experienced it in a long time.
Ash eventually accepted Sabrina's Psychic Spoon, and it became their agreement that the next time they met, he would use a Pokémon trained with this Psychic Spoon to have a decisive battle with her.
Ash agreed to Sabrina's request and immediately handed it to Kirlia in front of Sabrina.
The human and the Pokémon had met, and in their first encounter, both had a good feeling about each other because they were both female and both Psychic-type.
Ash informed Kirlia of the spoon's promise, and Kirlia then solemnly accepted the spoon, stating that if she met Sabrina again, she would definitely not let down the boost this spoon provided.
Misty, watching this scene, had a strange sense of déjà vu… Was this a token of love???
After taking the spoon, Ash and his two companions officially waved goodbye to Sabrina and her parents. Watching Ash's back gradually disappear from her sight, Sabrina finally spoke to her parents.
"I'm going on a journey. The Gym is yours."
"Uh? Ah? This… this isn't good, Sabrina. You're the Gym Leader of the Psychic Gym now, and you've only just recovered. You should rest a bit longer, shouldn't you? Although your strength is great, you know too little about common sense, and also…"
Hearing that his daughter wanted to leave, Sabrina's father, as a father, began to speak endlessly about what would happen if she went out. But when he met Sabrina's scarlet eyes, he swallowed all his words.
That gaze… was incredibly firm, as if saying, no matter what you say, I will go on a journey, so don't waste your breath.
Seeing this, Sabrina's father could only give a wry smile, then his gaze turned to where Ash's figure had disappeared.
He didn't need to be told; he knew that Sabrina's reason for leaving was definitely inseparable from that Ash!
His daughter, whom he had just gotten back! Was she already going to be eaten by a pig?
However, to be fair, that kid wasn't just any pig…