After the festival at Maiden's Peak was over, the gang was now back on track, travelling towards Saffron City for Ashlyn's fourth gym badge.
Right now they were walking through a misty forest and it was getting dark.
"I hope we find Saffron City soon," Misty prayed, "It's getting late."
"Hey Ashlyn," Brock called out, "What Pokémon are you going to use?"
"Well," Ashlyn said, "since the gym leader, Sabrina, uses Psychic type I've been thinking about it. I decided to go with Gengar. After all, Psychic are weak against Ghost."
"That's a great idea." Brock agreed.
Just then they heard laughter coming from some bushes. The laughter came from a little girl, about six years old, and wore wearing a white dress, with a white hat and was carrying a white ball.
"Hey little girl," Brock walked up to the girl, "do you know if we are near to Saffron City?"
The little girl laughed again and ran away into the bushes.
"I was only asking for directions." Brock said, confused.
The group followed the path that the girl took and it led them to a cliff. But they saw Saffron City ahead of them; it was a city with many lights.
"Wow it's beautiful." Misty said, admiring the lights.
"I guess seeing that little girl was a sign of luckiness." Brock chuckled.
Misty also chuckled at that comment. But Ashlyn felt something strange from that little girl. To her point of view, she seemed...unhuman. However she knew that the little girl was Sabrina's doll.
"I guess." Ashlyn muttered.
But then she remembered that Team Rocket was at the entrance to Saffron City waiting for her and the others. Then she turned to Lucario and spoke to him, 'Lucario, could you check and see if Team Rocket is at the entrance?'
'No problem.' Lucario said and disappeared.
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The gang soon arrived at the entrance to Saffron City, Ashlyn noticed no one was around.
"Hey, where is everyone?" Ashlyn asked, "This place is too quiet, don't you think?"
"Indeed." Misty commented.
"Well, let's get to the Pokémon center. We'll rest there and go to the gym in the morning." Ashlyn decided.
"Good idea." Brock agreed.
So the gang headed to the Pokémon Center. Unnoticed by Brock and Misty, Lucario appeared behind Ashlyn.
'Don't worry, I sent Team Rocket blasting off when you were heading off the cliff.' Lucario assured her.
'Thank you, Lucario. Sorry if I made you battle them when you're already a little tired.' Ashlyn apologized.
'It's alright. Besides, you would probably laugh at what disguise they were wearing.' Lucario chuckled.
'I think I can.' Ashlyn smiled.
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After spending the night in the Pokémon center, the gang walked over to Saffron Gym, an unusual dome-shaped building.
"This is it. I'm going to get my fourth badge." Ashlyn said with excitement.
They were about to open the gym's door, when a dark grey bearded man, in a dark green jogging outfit and with a dark green cap, interrupted them. Ashlyn recognized him as Sabrina's father. The guy really wanted his daughter back, but Sabrina's emotions were sealed away when she lost control of her psychic powers.
"Are you going to battle Sabrina?" The man asked.
He stared at Ashlyn, like he was studying her.
"Yes I'm battling Sabrina," Ashlyn replied. "Is that a problem?"
"If I were you," The man warned, "I'd go to another gym. Sabrina will not go easy on newbie trainers like you. So leave now and go to another gym."
Ashlyn glared; she wanted to fight Sabrina. She looked at the old man straight in the eye.
"Listen here old man," she demanded, "I didn't come to Saffron Gym just to have you tell me to leave. I'm battling Sabrina, got that?"
Ashlyn walked into the gym in a huff and Misty, Brock, and the Pokémon followed her.
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When the gang opened the door it was completely empty!
Misty looked around confused, "Where is everybody?"
"There should be somebody here," Ashlyn said continuing to walk ahead then stopped at a door, "And I think I just found them."
The others walk up to the door and look inside finding several people either lifting spoons or bending them without even having to touch them. And the rest were trying to guess what shape was on cards, without looking.
"What is this?" Brock questioned.
"What are they all doing?" Misty asked.
"Raichu (It looks cool)." Tesla commented.
"(Indeed.)" Lucario agreed.
"Hey! What are you kids doing here?" said a voice.
It was a man in a white lab coat.
"Sorry if we disturbed you, but I'm here to challenge Sabrina for the Marsh Badge." Ashlyn said.
The man observed Ashlyn for a little while, "So I see."
Misty decided to ask him a question, "Excuse me but can you tell us what they're doing with those spoons?"
The man didn't answer instead he held up a spoon and began bending it without touching it just like the others in the room.
"Hang on a minute," Ashlyn remembered, "You're a psychic. Then that must mean that everyone here is psychic."
The others looked at her in confusion, but the man smiled, "You catch on pretty quickly for a non psychic. Indeed, what I just demonstrated to you was my use of telekinesis. It allowed me to bend the spoon with the use of my mind and nothing more."
Ashlyn inwardly smirked, 'If they're all psychic then that means Sabrina the gym leader is one herself, and probably a strong one to.' She thought.
The man brought out a spoon showing it to the gang, "Why don't you non psychic try it? You may not be able to bend it, but it will at least provide some entertainment."
Ashlyn's brow arched, "Is this how you treat any trainer who's brave enough to come here?"
The man shrugged and put the spoon away in his pocket, "We hardly get any trainers here."
"I figured," Ashlyn muttered, "So can I have a gym battle with Sabrina or not?"
"Very well. Follow me." The man said and led them to where Ashlyn's gym battle with Sabrina would be. The battle field looked like an underground temple.
The man bowed on the battlefield.
"Great Sabrina," he announced and pointed to Ashlyn, "This girl here wishes to battle you."
'This girl has a name you know.' Ashlyn thought.
Two figures appeared behind a curtain. One was a little girl in white, holding a Pokéball, the other was a woman with long dark green hair, wearing a long red shirt.
Ashlyn recognized the little girl. It was the girl they saw in the forest. The woman's eyes turned blue and lifted the man into the air, then dropped him onto the floor. The man ran away in panic. The gang felt sorry for the man; it seemed really mean of Sabrina treating her own assistances like that.
Ashlyn bravely stepped forward, "Sabrina, I'm Ashlyn Ketchum of Pallet Town and I wish to battle you to earn the Marsh Badge."
The little girl spoke up and giggled; "I accept the challenge, but if you lose you will have to play with me."
Ashlyn felt unsure about this, but agreed to. Then the woman spoke up, "This will be a one on one Pokémon battle. Let play time begin."
She floated to the top side of the stadium. Ashlyn got spooked by that, but stepped onto the bottom side of the stadium.
"Come on out Abra." Sabrina said.
The little girl tossed a Pokéball that appeared in her hand and out came a Pokémon who Ashlyn recognized as an Abra.
"So she's using an Abra huh?" Ashlyn brought out her phone:
[Abra, a Psychic Power Pokémon. It sleeps eighteen hours a day, but employs telekinesis even while sleeping.]
"Gengar, let's go!" Ashlyn released her ghost Pokémon.
"Gengar (let's do it)!" Genger stood across from Abra.
"So you plan on using a Ghost Pokémon. Should be interesting." Sabrina commented.
"Gengar, use Shadow Ball!" Gengar's hands spark with blue electricity; putting his hands together he formed a black ball shooting it at Abra.
Abra just sat there but soon teleported behind Gengar.
"Shadow Punch!" Gengar brought his fist back with purple and black energy appears around it. He brought his fist forward and hit Abra in the face sending it back a little.
Suddenly Abra glowed and its shape grew bigger and when the glow died, Abra had evolved into Kadabra!
Ashlyn scanned it:
[Kadabra, a Psychic Pokémon. The evolved form of Abra. It employs powerful telekinetic attacks.]
Kadabra's eyes turn red alerting Ashlyn of its next move.
"Gengar use, Confuse Ray!" Gengar's eyes turned blue cancelling out Kadabra's confusion attack making it confused.
"Gengar, use Shadow Ball!" Gengar sends a black ball with blue electricity at the confused Kadabra making it a direct hit.
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On the side lines Brock, Misty, and the Pokémon were observing the battle and so far they were doing good.
"They're doing good so far, but they can't let their guard down just yet." Brock said.
"You're right," Misty couldn't take her eyes off of that little girl in Sabrina's arms, "I don't know what's creepier the little girl or Sabrina herself."
"(I think there's something strange behind that little girl)." Lucario stated.
"What do you mean, Lucario?" Brock asked. Tesla tilted her head in confusion.
"(I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like that little girl and Sabrina are connected somehow)." Lucario replied.
=====================================
Kadabra glowed yellow and the injuries it got from Gengar's shadow ball were gone!
'That's Recover.' Ashlyn thought as she tried to think of her next move.
Kadabra's eyes glowed red again then it released multicolored circles from its eyes at Gengar.
"Quick dodge it and use Drain Punch!" Gengar disappeared and reappeared in front of Kadabra and his fist glowed orange and punched it into Kadabra's face which sent it flying back. Then it slowly got up, barely having any energy left as it stood up.
"Use Scary Face!" Gengar made a scary face which made Kadabra flinch in fright at the face, "Dark Pulse!"
Gengar formed a dark purple orb of energy in his hands and fired a beam of dark purple circles from the orb at Kadabra. It hit Kadabra and it cried out in pain. Then it passed out with swirls in its eyes. Ashlyn had won.
"You did it, Gengar!" Ashlyn ran over to Gengar and hugged him as he hugged her back, "I'm very proud of you."
"Gengar gen (Thank you, Ashlyn)." Gengar smiled.
Meanwhile Sabrina walked over to Kadabra.
"You made us lose!" The little girl shouted, "You're a meanie!"
Sabrina gently picked up Kadabra, "Kadabra, are you okay?"
She had a real look of worry in her eyes, and it looked like color was coming back into her eyes. Then the little girl suddenly disappeared, as if she were an illusion all this time.
Ashlyn were about to walk to Sabrina to ask if she was okay, when the man from before ran over to Sabrina.
"Sabrina." He said.
"Daddy?" Sabrina asked, tears started to build in her eyes and she hugged the man. "Daddy!" she cried.
"My little girl." Her daddy smiled.
Ashlyn, Misty, Brock and the Pokémon were amazed by this, they had no idea that the man was really Sabrina's father. Only Ashlyn knew that he was. Then a woman came into the gym; she turned out to be Sabrina's mother. Both Sabrina and her father hugged the woman and all of them cried tears of happiness.
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When everyone got out of the gym Sabrina's father explained everything to the gang. The truth was Sabrina had been born with psychic powers. But what happened was that the psychic powers began to take control over Sabrina when she got older and older.
"Ever since that happened," Sabrina's father said, "Sabrina showed no emotions for anything and used her powers to hurt people. But thanks to you Ashlyn, Sabrina is now free at last."
"I didn't really do anything," Ashlyn rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "All I did was battle her."
"Ah but your battle set her free," The man stated, "Because defeating Kadabra helped Sabrina get her emotions back."
Sabrina and her mother agreed with that.
Sabrina stepped over to Ashlyn, "Ashlyn, I thank you for that Pokémon battle," she said and held out a badge in her hands, "and now I present you the Marsh Badge."
The Marsh Badge was golden and in the shape of two circles.
Ashlyn smiled and bowed slightly, "Thank you, Sabrina." She gently took the badge.
"Alright, we got the Marsh Badge!" Ashlyn did a pose with her Pokémon.
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Soon enough the gang were waving goodbye to the Sabrina and her family as they waved back to the gang.
"Thank you for everything!" Sabrina's father said.
"Have a good journey!" Sabrina's mother said.
"Take care of yourselves!" Sabrina said.
"Bye!" Ashlyn said.
After receiving the Marsh badge, the gang was soon off towards Celadon city where Ashlyn will get her next gym badge.
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Pokémon on hand: Raichu (Tesla)(F), Lucario (M), Rockfuff (M), Pidgeot (F), Shiny Suicune (Azure)(F), Bulbasaur (M), Shiny Charmander (Natsu)(M), Squirtle (M), Shiny Gyarados (Rory)(M), Butterfree (M), Gengar (M), Pokémon Egg (2)
Prof. Oak's Lab:
Boltund (M), Scyther (F), Nidoran (M), Nidoran (F), Mienfoo (F), Glaceon (F), Leafon (F), Shiny Rapidash (Comet)(M), Scorbunny (M), Fennekin (F), Krabby (M), Eevee (F), Eevee (M), Eevee (F), Shiny Sylveon (Parisa)(F), Shiny Umbreon (Mani)(M), Espeon (F), Clefable (F), Sandslash (M)