The sunlight of Saffron City streamed through the gaps in the tall buildings onto the streets. Ash pulled down the brim of his hat and looked up at the iconic circular building—the Saffron Gym.
Pikachu excitedly cried "Pika Pika" on his shoulder, its tail occasionally brushing against his cheek.
"We're finally here!" Ash clenched his fist. "The fourth Badge, it's mine!"
Brock flipped through the guidebook in his hand: "It's said that Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron Gym, is one of the strongest Psychic-type Trainers in the Kanto region."
"Psychic powers, huh…" Xiao You thoughtfully stroked her chin. "Ash, your Gardevoir should be of great use."
As the three were about to step towards the Gym's entrance, a figure suddenly rushed out from the side and blocked them.
It was a middle-aged man with a wrinkled face, his forehead covered in sweat, and his eyes filled with fear.
"Stop! You can't go in!" The man spread his arms, blocking the Gym door, his voice trembling. "Get out of here quickly!"
Ash frowned: "Sir, we're here to challenge the Gym."
"Challenge?" The man let out a bitter laugh. "Do you know the price of failure? Miss Sabrina turns Trainers who lose to her into dolls! Several reckless youngsters have already fallen victim!"
Xiao You and Brock exchanged worried glances, but Ash just smiled: "Thank you for your concern, but we're confident we'll win."
"Young people just won't listen!" The man stomped his foot in exasperation. "That girl isn't an ordinary Trainer; she's had terrifying Psychic powers since she was little, she can levitate people, read minds, and even—"
"Sir," Ash interrupted him, his gaze firm. "Precisely because of that, I must go.
A true Trainer doesn't back down out of fear.
Pikachu, let's go!"
Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder, its cheek pouches sparking with electricity: "Pi—ka—chu!"
Pushing open the heavy metal door of the Gym, a chill immediately swept over them.
The interior of the Gym was surprisingly spacious, with a black and white checkered floor and ancient runic tapestries hanging on the surrounding walls.
Most unsettlingly, the entire space was eerily quiet, even their footsteps seemed to be absorbed by some force.
"Such strong Psychic fluctuations…" Brock whispered, unconsciously tightening his grip on his Poké Balls.
Ash felt an invisible pressure enveloping his entire body, as if countless eyes were watching them from the shadows.
The azure flute around his neck suddenly grew warm, emitting a faint blue glow.
"Welcome."
An ethereal female voice came from above.
The three looked up to see a black-haired girl holding a tattered doll, floating in mid-air.
She wore a purple dress, her long hair swayed without a breeze, and her eyes were an eerie pale purple, devoid of any emotion.
"I am Sabrina, the Gym Leader of Saffron Gym." The girl slowly descended to the ground, and the doll in her arms suddenly rotated its eyes, letting out a cackling laugh. "Are you here to challenge?"
Ash stepped forward: "I am Ash from Pallet Town, please have a Gym battle with me!"
Sabrina's gaze lingered on Ash for a few seconds, and the doll suddenly spoke: "Interesting… The Aura on you is very strong."
Sabrina herself then said: "It seems this will be an interesting Gym battle.
Follow me, but…" A strange curve appeared on her lips, "If you lose, you have to stay and play with me."
Xiao You nervously grabbed Ash's sleeve, but Ash just nodded: "I won't lose."
Sabrina turned and floated deeper into the Gym, and the three followed her to a standard battle arena.
Around the arena stood several expressionless staff members, their movements so mechanical they didn't seem real.
"The rules are simple," Sabrina floated to the other end of the arena, "1v1, the battle ends when one Pokémon loses its ability to fight.
You can choose to use one special ability from the four major systems."
The doll in Sabrina's arms let out that creepy laugh again: "A wise choice.
Then… let's begin."
She gently waved her hand, and a Poké Ball automatically opened, revealing a sleepy Abra on the field.
"Abra?" Xiao You exclaimed in surprise. "Shouldn't she use a stronger Pokémon?"
Brock's expression was serious: "Don't be careless; Psychic-type Pokémon cannot be judged by conventional standards."
Ash took a deep breath and threw his Poké Ball: "Gardevoir, I choose you!"
A flash of light, and a pure white Shinny Gardevoir with a light blue skirt elegantly appeared.
Sabrina's eyes widened slightly; this was the first time they had seen her show surprise since entering the Gym.
"A Shinny Gardevoir…" Sabrina whispered, "Its color is like winter snow…"
The bell for the start of the battle rang.
Ash immediately commanded: "Gardevoir, Dazzling Gleam!"
Gardevoir crossed her hands over her chest, releasing a blinding light.
Abra was hit by the strong light, but only yawned, and a faint purple barrier appeared around its body.
"Teleport," Sabrina said indifferently.
Abra's figure suddenly vanished, reappearing behind Gardevoir the next second.
Ash urgently shouted: "Turn around, Psychic!"
Gardevoir reacted extremely quickly, releasing a powerful Confusion wave as she turned.
But Abra vanished again, reappearing at the other end of the arena.
"It's useless," Sabrina's voice was devoid of emotion. "Although Abra is always sleeping, its Teleport is an instinctive reaction.
Your attacks will never hit it."
Ash gritted his teeth: "Then try this! Gardevoir, use Taunt every three turns!"
A hint of cunning flashed in Gardevoir's eyes, and she suddenly made a taunting gesture towards Abra.
Abra's body stiffened for a moment, and the light of Teleport flickered a few times around it before disappearing.
"What?" Sabrina showed surprise for the first time. "You blocked its Teleport?"
Ash grinned: "Under the Taunt status, status moves cannot be used.
Now, Gardevoir, Dazzling Gleam!"
This time, Abra couldn't dodge and was directly hit by the intense light, letting out a cry of pain.
But just then, a dazzling purple light suddenly erupted from Sabrina's eyes, and a powerful Psychic wave surged from her towards Abra.
"Forced Evolution," she said coldly.
Abra's body was enveloped in purple light, and its form began to change drastically.
When the light dissipated, a Kadabra appeared on the field, holding a spoon, its eyes sharp.
"It's not over yet." Sabrina continued to release Psychic power, and Kadabra was once again surrounded by light, evolving into the even more powerful Alakazam.
Xiao You gasped: "Evolving twice in a row?! How is this possible?!"
Brock clenched his fist: "It's Sabrina's Psychic power forcibly catalyzing the evolution process…"
Alakazam floated in the air, its two spoons crossed, and a powerful Confusion wave directly pushed Gardevoir back several meters.
Ash shouted: "Hold on, Gardevoir! Use Calm Mind to boost your stats!"
Gardevoir closed her eyes, and a faint blue energy field appeared around her.
Alakazam seized the opportunity to attack: "Psycho Cut!"
Sharp Psychic blades assailed Gardevoir, but Gardevoir, strengthened by Calm Mind, easily dodged the attack.
Ash seized the chance: "Now, Moonblast!"
Gardevoir condensed a pink Energy Ball in her hands and threw it at Alakazam.
Alakazam created a barrier with its spoons, but the shockwave from the Moonblast explosion still made it retreat a few steps.
Sabrina's expression grew grim: "You're more troublesome than I imagined." The doll in her arms suddenly flew towards Alakazam. "Then let's end this battle with this!"
The Key Stone on the doll's chest emitted a dazzling light, and at the same time, the Mega Evolution ite worn by Alakazam also lit up.
Two streams of energy converged in the air, and Alakazam's body was once again enveloped in the light of evolution.
"Mega Evolution?!" Xiao You exclaimed.
When the light dissipated, Mega Alakazam appeared on the field, the gem on its forehead flashing with dangerous red light, and its spoons had multiplied, circling around it.
Ash felt a surge of pressure, but he didn't back down.
He gripped the azure flute on his chest: "In that case… Gardevoir, let's go too!"
The azure flute resonated with the Mega Evolution ite on Gardevoir's necklace, and blue energy enveloped Gardevoir.
When the light dissipated, Mega Gardevoir appeared in a brand new form, her skirt becoming even more magnificent, and her energy fluctuations so powerful that the surrounding air trembled.
"So beautiful…" Brock murmured, and even Sabrina showed a momentary expression of awe.
"One last effort!" Ash shouted. "Gardevoir, full power Moonblast!"
"Alakazam, Psyshock!" Sabrina commanded simultaneously.
Two powerful energies collided in the center of the arena, creating a violent explosion.
After the smoke cleared, Alakazam lay on the ground, having lost its ability to battle, while Gardevoir, though scarred, still stood.
"Alakazam is unable to battle," the referee mechanically announced. "The winner is Ash."
Sabrina stood silently in place, and the doll in her arms suddenly dropped to the ground.
Her expression gradually changed from shock to a complex emotion.
"I… lost?" she whispered, as if unable to comprehend the fact.
Ash walked forward, picked up the tattered doll, and handed it to her: "That was a great battle.
Now, please fulfill your promise, give me the Gold Badge, and also… please restore those Trainers you turned into dolls."
Sabrina took the doll, her eyes suddenly becoming dangerous: "Do you think winning the battle means you can order me around?" Her long hair swayed without a breeze, and her Psychic fluctuations intensified again. "I can turn you into a doll right now!"
Ash didn't flinch, looking directly into her eyes: "You won't do that.
I can feel that deep down, you don't want to hurt anyone.
That doll…" He pointed to the old doll in Sabrina's arms, "It's very important to you, isn't it? It was your only friend when you were little, right?"
Sabrina's body trembled slightly: "How do you know…"
"Because I can feel your Aura," Ash said softly. "Loneliness, pain… the feeling of being treated like a monster.
But you're not a monster, Sabrina.
You're just a girl with special abilities."
Tears appeared in Sabrina's eyes for the first time.
Just then, Ash took out a special Poké Ball from his waist: "Gastly, come out."
A Millennial Ghastly, much larger than an ordinary Gastly, appeared in the air, letting out a low laugh: "It's been hundreds of years since I've seen such a powerful Psychic, little girl."
Ghastly circled Sabrina: "I can see the darkness in your heart.
When you were young, you accidentally hurt a friend because you couldn't control your powers, and you were isolated ever since… So you closed yourself off, using Psychic power to protect yourself, turning anyone who came near you into dolls so they would never leave you."
Sabrina's tears finally fell: "They… all feared me… even Mom and Dad…"
Ghastly suddenly transformed into a mass of Haze, enveloping Sabrina: "Let me help you see the true memories…"
Scenes emerged from the Haze: A young Sabrina playing in the yard, accidentally making a swing fly with her Psychic powers, scaring the other children.
Her parents frantically brought her home, and from then on restricted her contact with the outside world… "No!" Sabrina covered her eyes. "I don't want to see these!"
Ghastly continued: "But what you didn't see was… your mother secretly crying by your bedside every night, and your father traveling all over the world to find a way to help you control your powers…"
New scenes appeared in the Haze: Sabrina's mother caressing her hair late at night, her father consulting ancient texts in a distant library… Sabrina fell to her knees, sobbing loudly.
As her emotions were released, purple lights suddenly lit up throughout the Gym, and a dozen dolls floated into the air, gradually returning to human form.
One of them, a red-haired boy Ash was familiar with, rubbed his eyes and sat up.
"Gary?!" Ash exclaimed, rushing over.
Gary looked around in Confusion: "Where am I… Wait, Ash? What are you doing here?" He suddenly remembered something, his face changing drastically. "Run! That crazy woman will turn you into a doll too!"
Sabrina's body trembled again upon hearing this.
Just then, a middle-aged woman rushed out from the restored crowd and tightly hugged Sabrina: "My daughter… I'm so sorry, it's all my fault…"
The Gym door was pushed open, and the man who had previously blocked Ash ran in, panting, and seeing the scene, his eyes also reddened: "Sabrina… you finally…"
"Dad?" Sabrina looked up, her vision blurred by tears.
The man knelt down and embraced his wife and daughter: "I'm sorry, Dad shouldn't have kept you locked up… Dad just didn't know how to protect you…"
Ash, Xiao You, and Brock stood to the side, watching the touching reunion.
Pikachu rubbed against Ash's cheek, letting out a relieved "Pika" sound.
After a long while, Sabrina wiped away her tears, walked up to Ash, and handed him a Gold Badge: "Thank you, Ash.
Not just for the battle… but for helping me find my family again."
Ash took the Badge, smiling: "It's what I should do."
Sabrina's father stepped forward and pulled out a black-gold glowing Pokémon Egg from his pocket: "This is an Egg I found in an ancient ruin during an adventure when I was young.
I don't know why it hasn't hatched after so many years, but it has life energy.
Please accept it as a token of my gratitude."
Ash carefully took the Pokémon Egg, feeling the powerful life fluctuations within it: "Thank you, I will take good care of it."
As they left the Gym, the sun had already set in the west.
Ash placed the Pokémon Egg in his personal world, next to the ancient Dragonite Egg from the Vermilion Lighthouse in the incubation room.
"Two mysterious Eggs…" Xiao You observed curiously. "I wonder what kind of Pokémon will hatch from them?"
Brock patted Ash's shoulder: "Today, you not only won a difficult Gym battle but also helped a lost soul.
That's what a true Trainer does."
Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder, affectionately rubbing against his face.
Ash looked at the distant sunset, clutching the Gold Badge in his hand: "Let's go, partners.
Next stop, Celadon Gym!"