PBK 64 Sabrina (Patreon)

Cerulean City

Pokémon Center 20897

I turned to see a girl about my age. She wore a black and red dress-style frock that accentuated her delicate, traditional Kantonian beauty. Her long, dark hair framed a pale face, and her eyes held an unsettling intensity.

"Do I know you?" I asked slowly, confused.

"Our meeting has been ordained," she declared solemnly. "It is time for me to face my destiny."

I exchanged a baffled look with Marrie, who was staring at the girl with a mix of confusion and disbelief.

Just then, another female voice called out from the entrance of the Pokémon Center.

"Sabrina! You can't just disappear like that!"

What now...?

The girl who ran over, panting, wore a kimono with a modern twist. It was elegant yet practical, giving her an almost himemiko-like presence, and most importantly, she was strikingly beautiful. I wasn't sure how one could travel in such clothes, but she made it work.

Wow, she's beautiful, I thought in the recesses of my mind. From what I could tell, the girl challenging me to a fight was Sabrina, the heir of Saffron Gym.

"Be silent, Erica. I have come to rid myself of the evil incarnate and stop him from chaining me," Sabrina intoned. Erica looked mortified and embarrassed by her friend's outburst, as did the people present in the lobby.

Marrie shuffled next to

me, whispering, "Do you know her?" as she continued staring at the two girls.

"No, I most certainly don't," I answered firmly. What the hell does she mean by 'evil incarnate', I thought, annoyed and confused. I had done nothing to warrant such words.

"Let me go, Erica! I will not be chained!" Sabrina raised her voice, trying to get away from Erica's attempts to pull her away.

"That's not what your mother was trying to say!" Erica hissed, embarrassed.

My eyebrows twitched at that. This girl was ambushing me in public over a misunderstanding and declaring me "evil incarnate."

"Is she loony? Should we stay away from her?" I had to hold back a laugh as Maggie asked her sister, pulling her hand.

"Well... not really, but let's not associate with her, okay?" Marrie replied.

"Okay."

Amusing as this was, I needed to get a handle on the situation. I cleared my throat. "So... what exactly do you want from me?"

Sabrina's intense gaze locked onto mine. "I wish to fight you."

Erica groaned. "Sabrina, please, not here—"

Still, as absurd as this situation was, I was intrigued. I knew who this person was, or more importantly, who she would be. In some versions of her in my memory, she was a fearsome gym leader, and in some, she was even part of Team Rocket. She looked to be around my age, if not a little older, and I wanted to see just how good she was; after all, she was an heir to one of Kanto's gyms.

My Pokémon were in battle condition. It had been some time since someone had challenged me directly. I decided to accept her challenge.

"Alright, sure. You want a battle now? We can see if a field is available downstairs." I could see everyone except Sabrina was surprised at my acceptance. The young woman in question just nodded.

"Very well, I shall meet you downstairs. Come, Erica, let us go." Sabrina intoned, dead-faced, and walked past our group towards the elevators that would take them downstairs. She clearly lacks manners, I thought briefly.

"You're going to battle the loony older girl?!" Maggie asked peppily. Marrie nudged her sister sharply for her language, but the little gremlin simply stuck her tongue out.

Marrie turned to me, looking equal parts concerned and amused. "You actually accepted her challenge?"

"Yeah," I replied with a small shrug as the three of us started walking toward the elevators. "She's strong."

Marrie raised an eyebrow as

we walked. "How do you know she's strong? You said you didn't know her?" she asked with a note of doubt in her voice.

Smiling at her, I wanted to tell her some nonsense about a strong trainer recognizing another, but

refrained. "I don't know her personally, but I do know of her. She's the daughter of Saffron City's Gym Leader, and I think the other one is part of Celadon's Gym."

Marrie exclaimed in surprise, "And you still want to battle them?"

I scoffed lightly. "Please. I'll win."

She shook her head, but a reluctant smile tugged at her lips. The elevator doors opened, and we stepped inside, descending toward the underground battle arenas. This Pokémon Center had a different setup than most — instead of multiple smaller fields, there was one large, impressive battlefield designed like a miniature underground stadium. Luckily, it was mostly empty, with only a handful of people scattered around.

I nodded to the girls and made my way to one of the trainer platforms. A female staff member approached me with a tablet.

"You're here to battle Miss...?" She checked her screen. "Miss Sabrina Natsume, correct?"

"Yeah. I'm Arata Ishida." I rattled off my trainer ID, which she verified with a nod.

"She has requested a one-on-one match using your starter. Do you accept?"

I thought about it for a second. It had been a while since Caesar got to stretch his legs properly, other than the gym battle, that is...

"Yeah, I accept."

I stepped onto the platform as it rose smoothly into position. The psychic barrier shimmered into place around the field with a faint hum. I took a deep breath for the fight ahead. Something told me it was going to be challenging, but like I told Marrie, we will win. Across from me, I noticed the dull-faced girl staring right at me. Well, let's see what you've got, Sabrina..., I thought.

The referee raised his flag and announced clearly:

"This is a friendly one-on-one battle between Trainer Sabrina Natsume of Saffron City and Arata Ishida of Vermillion City! Begin!"

Sabrina calmly held up a Poké Ball and released it. White light spilled across her side of the field, materializing into a Kadabra. The psychic Pokémon stood perfectly still, a spoon held elegantly in one hand. Even from this distance, I could tell the Pokémon was well-bred and taken care of. I reached down to my belt, feeling Caesar's Poké Ball warm against my palm through our bond. I tossed it high into the air.

"Caesar! Battle stance!"

The ball burst open with a flash. My massive Fraxure landed heavily on the standard format field with a ground-shaking thud, letting out a deep, challenging roar that echoed through the arena.

The battle was on. I knew I should not wait for my opponent to attack first, and all Caesar needed was one good hit.Still I wanted to test the Kadabra; their line was known for quick and reliable teleports, but their actual speed of use depended heavily on training.

"Caesar! Get in close — Dragon Rush!"

Caesar exploded forward with a thunderous roar. The sight was genuinely terrifying — nearly nine feet of muscle and scale barreling across the field like a living siege engine. Draconic energy surged all around him, forming a destructive blue-green aura as he charged straight at the Kadabra.

Sabrina didn't flinch. Her Kadabra stood perfectly still, spoon held elegantly in front of it.

Just as Caesar was about to crash into it, the psychic Pokémon crossed its arms. A small, glowing white cube of pure psychic power shot forward and expanded rapidly, engulfing Caesar in an instant. The massive Fraxure went from a charging titan to something wading through thick, invisible molasses. His momentum died almost instantly.

I startled. What the hell is that?

The Kadabra didn't waste a second. It flashed, disappearing and reappearing in a rapid series of Teleports, slicing across Caesar's body with razor-sharp Psycho Cuts. Caesar grunted in pain as the psychic blades landed again and again. He was moving in slow motion, struggling against whatever field was holding him down.

He should've used Protect by instinct... I realized with a jolt. Through our bond, I could feel him desperately trying to summon the barrier — but failing.

Disable? But when? Doesn't a Pokémon need to actively use it for the move to be disabled? How!?

We needed to break that hold.

"Caesar! Dark Pulse, right above you! Break that move!" With a furious snarl, Caesar forced his head up and unleashed a wide, roaring wave of dark energy straight upward. The pulsing black-purple blast slammed into the invisible cube-like field, shattering it with a sound like cracking glass. The restrictive psychic energy shattered and dissolved.

Caesar's full speed returned in an instant.

Before the Kadabra could reset its strategy, Caesar threw his head back and unleashed a devastating Roar, filled with anger and draconic dominance, carrying every ounce of pain from the barrage he'd just endured. The entire underground arena shook with the force of it.

The Kadabra flinched hard, its spoon trembling in its grip as it staggered backward.

I felt a fierce grin spread across my face.

That flinch is all he needs...

Without waiting for my command, he charged once more, unleashing another Dark Pulse in a wide area. The Kadabra barely dodged it physically, but now its speed was reduced, and it could not teleport due to the sheer potency of Caesar's Dark Pulse — which was an achievement in itself. Still, the Dark Pulse was just a smokescreen.

Caesar closed the distance in a few breaths and slashed forward with a massive Dragon Claw. His claws ignited with vicious draconic energy as he swung in a devastating, sweeping arc. A split second before the attack connected, a Protect barrier flashed into existence between the attack and the Kadabra. My eyes widened as the barrier held for a few seconds, then it strained, glowing brighter under the overwhelming pressure... before it finally shattered with a sharp, crystalline crack.

The diminished but still brutal Dragon Claw connected. The Kadabra was sent skipping violently across the rocky floor, tumbling end over end before Sabrina recalled it in a flash of red light.

Caesar threw his head back and roared in victory as the referee raised his flag.

"The winner is Arata Ishida!"

But I just stood there, staring across the field at Sabrina.

She was good. Really good. Caesar was hurt, even if he refused to show it. The entire match had barely lasted a minute, but the sheer technical precision of her strategy shook me a little.

Sure, we had won, but we had a long way to go, as another thought popped into my head.

She didn't utter a single command.A wry smile formed on my face.

Is this how people feel when they face me?....

A/N - Guess the moves...