Eliana stood up, her legs a bit shaky, and started walking across the street. Kirlia followed her, his small, graceful steps a stark contrast to the grim hesitance in Eliana's posture. Staryu and Raichu gave reassurancing energy from their PokéBalls. This was the first time she truly felt out of her league since getting this body.
The doors to the gym were heavy and made of a dark, polished wood. They swung open before she could touch them, revealing a long, dimly lit hallway. The air was cool and still, and the only sound was the soft echo of her own footsteps. The walls were lined with shelves, but they were empty. Dust motes danced in the slivers of light that pierced the gloom.
As she walked deeper into the gym, she felt the pressure build. It was like walking to the bottom of the ocean. The air grew thick, heavy with psychic energy. She passed rooms where people were sitting in silent meditation, their faces pale and their bodies tense. These had to be Sabrina's students, and they looked like they were about to pass out from stress. Maybe becoming her student wasn't the best idea, Eliana's had so far. Kirlia interrupted her thoughts to point out that actually it wasn't that bad compared to some of her previous ideas. Eliana's face scrunched up at him as he snickered at her.
At the end of the hallway were two large, open doors room. The room was empty, except for two figures in the center of the room. One was an Alakazam standing behind the throne like chair. The other was Sabrina, a tall, slender woman with long, dark greenish blue hair that fell to her waist. Her reddish-purple eyes held a dark gleam in them as they looked over Eliana and Kirlia. Sabrina wore a simple, red dress woth a large black belt in the middle. She had on black leggings, with white gloves and red knee-high boots. Her face was a mask of calm indifference, but Eliana could feel the power thrumming from her, a cold, controlled force that dwarfed anything she had ever encountered. The doors slid shut behind Eliana with a soft, final click.
"So you came," Sabrina said, her voice echoing slightly in the vast, empty space. "I've been waiting for you."
Eliana remained silent, her mind racing. She was a fly caught in a spider's web. But she wasn't completely helpless. She had her own power, her own tricks. She just had to be careful.
"You're different from the others," Sabrina continued, her gaze unwavering. "The others… they fear me, they break. You… you're curious and ruthless."
Sabrina raised a hand and her eyes glowed, Eliana felt a slight pressure on her mind. It wasn't an attack, not like before. It was a question, a silent query,
Eliana didn't respond to the question immediately immediately, considering her actual reasons for being here. Eliana decided not to answer verbally, instead letting her own mind open, just a crack, letting Sabrina see a fragment of her thoughts. Not anything truly important: the memory of Mew and the gift of power she received. But the insatiable curiosity at the expense of everyone around her that had led her here.
Sabrina's only reaction was the slightest raise of an eyebrow, a flicker of something was quickly covered up.
Eliana pouted slightly at the last part turning to Kirlia,
(¬`‸´¬), Kirlia frowned as he looked up at his trainer, he was sure they had been very thorough with their cleanings. How could they have enemies?
Alakazam sent to his trainer that the children in front of them were quite remorseless. They didn't even care that they had been caught, only that they weren't detailed enough in their kills. Sabrina gave her longest partner an empty smile,
Alakazam simply stared at her before shaking his head in exasperation. He knew once his trainer wanted something she would get it, regardless of the how the people around her felt. In that way Eliana and Sabrina were a perfect match.
Sabrina raised a threatening hand,
Eliana looked at Kirlia who gave her a fearful expression in return. His trainer was the one who wanted to become the student of this crazy woman and now they were stuck here.
Eliana was quiet for a few moments before nodding with a bright smile on her face,
Sabrina watched her for a few more moments to see if this was a trick, but to her surprise she could tell the girl truly was fine with this.
Alakazam watched the pair, his trainer and the new apprentice-to-be. They were both powerful psychics with questionable morals, but where Sabrina's power was a glacier, ancient and crushing, Eliana's was a wildfire, chaotic and consuming. This would either be a masterstroke of tutelage or a catastrophe that would level half of Saffron City. He wasn't sure which outcome to bet on.
"Your training starts tomorrow," Sabrina said, her voice returning to its normal, indifferent tone. "Alakazam will show you to your room. Do not leave it without my permission. And do not test me again."
Eliana's smile didn't falter, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes, ma'am," she chirped, the words laced with a sugary sweetness that felt more like a threat than obedience.
Sabrina held her gaze for a moment longer, a silent battle of wills playing out in the charged air between them. Before Alakazam teleported in front of Eliana and Kirlia, making them both flinch. He was still staring at them as he led them down a hallway to a plain, spartan room. There was a bed, a desk, and a small window that looked out onto the gym's interior courtyard.
Alakazam pointed a long, metal spoon at the bed, then at the desk. She could feel him telling them to behave. Then, without a word, he turned and left, the door closing with a soft, final click. Eliana could hear the faint, metallic scrape of a lock being turned.
She looked around the room, her expression unreadable. Kirlia tugged on her sleeve, his worry a palpable wave in her mind.
She turned to face Kirlia, a slow, genuine smile spreading across her face. It was the smile of a predator that had just been invited into the henhouse. She then released Raichu and Staryu who were both grateful to be out of Sabrina's presence. They could feel the heavy weight of her powers even from within their PokéBalls. Raichu bounced around the bed, eager to explore the new space. Staryu took up its normal position at the window.
Eliana thought, the idea sparking a dangerous, delightful curiosity in her mind. She had gotten what she wanted, a strong teacher, and she had even gotten a free room out of it. Not to mention a whole toy box filled to the brim with new playthings. They haven't played with another psychic before this would be fun.
That night, Eliana didn't sleep. She sat cross-legged on her bed, her eyes closed, her mind a roiling sea of thoughts and plans. She could feel the subtle currents of psychic energy flowing through the gym, the whispers of the other students' minds. Most were filled with fear, but she also found threads of resentment, ambition, and even a sliver of defiance. She cataloged them all, creating a mental map of her new territory.