Nozomi and Sabrina had reached an agreement.
Sabrina would help Nozomi snatch Mewtwo from Giovanni's hands, and in return, Nozomi would lend Mewtwo to her for research.
They had just finalized a plan to seize Mewtwo within such a short amount of time that Nozomi couldn't help feeling a strange sense of unreality.
Could this be a trap? he wondered.
But he quickly shook his head. If it were a trap, there was no way the other side would use something like a genuine Master Ball as bait. Nozomi had already confirmed its authenticity—the Master Ball was real. That meant the likelihood of a trap was minimal.
Still, even if the logic made sense, he couldn't completely shake his caution.
"Now that we've finished talking about that matter," Nozomi said with a faint smile, "can we discuss something more important?"
"What could possibly be more important?" Sabrina frowned, clearly confused. What could matter more than dealing with Giovanni and Mewtwo?
Their top priority right now should be preparing to take down Giovanni. What else could surpass that?
"Of course—your Gym challenge."
Nozomi tossed a Poké Ball casually in his hand as he spoke.
"You're joking, right?" Sabrina stared at him in disbelief.
From her point of view, the strength Nozomi had displayed back in Lavender Town was enough to challenge even the Elite Four. And yet here he was, saying he wanted to challenge a Gym?
"I'm not joking," Nozomi said calmly. "My main purpose in coming here was to earn the Marsh Badge. As for Team Rocket's situation, it's really not as urgent as it sounds. Don't you think accepting challenges is part of a Gym Leader's duty?"
"Well… yes," Sabrina admitted, looking him over again. When she saw that Nozomi wasn't kidding, she could only accept that he was, indeed, here to challenge the Gym.
After a moment of silence, her expression turned serious. "Follow me."
This was also a good opportunity for her to test him herself—to find out what other Pokémon Nozomi had besides Dragonite and that terrifying Metagross.
With a wave of her hand, the wall slid open to reveal a hidden passage. Beyond it was the Saffron Gym battlefield.
"From Fuchsia City—Trainer Nozomi versus Saffron Gym Leader, Sabrina!"
The same young man who had greeted Nozomi earlier now stood at the edge of the field with a referee's flag in hand.
He first looked toward Sabrina, then quickly turned his gaze to Nozomi, curiosity filling his eyes.
What exactly happened between them in there? he wondered. Sabrina and Nozomi had been in that room together for nearly an hour—far longer than anyone else had ever managed. No one, male or female, had ever lasted more than ten minutes alone in Sabrina's chamber.
His mind began to wander, but the chill in Sabrina's icy stare snapped him right back to reality. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered all too well what her wrath felt like. He straightened up and announced stiffly:
"The battle begins!"
"Go, Haunter!"
"Kadabra."
Nozomi's first Pokémon was Haunter, while Sabrina sent out Kadabra.
From the sharpness in her eyes, Nozomi could tell she wasn't taking this lightly.
Until now, she had only observed Nozomi's strength from afar—never fought him directly. She was curious to see how strong he truly was. And more importantly, she wanted to test for herself whether her plan to steal Mewtwo from Giovanni had been the right decision.
Both Pokémon burned with fighting spirit. The Gastly and Abra evolutionary lines had been natural rivals since ancient times, and seeing each other across the battlefield immediately set their tempers ablaze.
Taking a deep breath to clear her mind, Sabrina's eyes began to glow blue.
"Kadabra, use Psychic!"
Kadabra's eyes gleamed the same blue light, the spoons in its hands twisting as invisible psychic power surged toward Haunter.
"Haunter, dodge right—and counter with Shadow Ball!"
Psychic attacks were invisible and intangible. Most Trainers had to rely on their Pokémon's instincts to evade them. But Nozomi was different—he was a Psychic himself. Kadabra's energy waves shone in his senses like fireflies in the dark.
Following his precise command, Haunter drifted aside, easily avoiding the psychic assault, then hurled a glowing Shadow Ball straight at Kadabra.
Sabrina's expression tightened—she dared not let Kadabra take that hit. Ghost-type moves like Shadow Ball were devastating against Psychic-types. In an instant, she ordered Kadabra to Teleport across the field, narrowly escaping the blast.
But Nozomi wasn't about to let Kadabra breathe.
Haunter and Kadabra were both middle evolutions—their base strength was evenly matched. Winning this kind of battle wouldn't come from brute force alone.
Victory would depend on control of the battle's rhythm—and the Trainer's connection with their Pokémon.
In terms of coordination, Nozomi couldn't match Sabrina, whose telepathic link with Kadabra allowed near-instant communication.
So if he wanted to win, he needed to dominate the tempo!
Right now, he held the advantage—Sabrina had given up initiative when she tried to probe Haunter earlier. Nozomi just needed to maintain that control.
"Haunter, don't give it time to recover!" he commanded, waving his arm. "Use Shadow Ball again!"
Another orb of dark energy flew at Kadabra. It dodged again, but the blast left a crater in the floor.
As expected of a Gym Leader, Sabrina quickly countered, voice sharp and focused: "Kadabra, use Confuse Ray!"
A dazzling, multicolored beam of light streaked across the field—its dizzying glow made the air itself feel warped.
Haunter was caught off guard. The light hit it squarely, and the ghost began to sway, spinning dizzily as though about to collapse.
"Now! Kadabra, Psychic again!" Sabrina ordered without hesitation.
A beam of shimmering psychic energy shot toward the disoriented Haunter. The ghost Pokémon didn't move—it looked helpless, vulnerable, an easy target.
Sabrina's lips curled into a faint smile. It looked like she'd be taking the first victory of this match.
She knew Haunter probably wasn't one of Nozomi's main partners—but even so, defeating a Trainer of his caliber would still be something to celebrate.