Chapter 39: A Clash of Superpowers

Footsteps echoed, and a middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap, a thick beard, and casual clothing approached.

"Is there something you need?"

"Hello," Xia You said cordially. "I’m here to challenge the Gym Leader, Sabrina. Is she in?"

The man nodded, his gaze shifting to Kirlia.

"Are you also fond of Psychic-type Pokémon? Though, looking at you, you don’t seem to have any potential for awakening psychic powers yourself."

"Huh?" Xia You looked puzzled. "I don’t need to perform magic tricks; why would I need psychic powers?"

"What!? Magic tricks!?" The man felt a surge of frustration in his chest. After coughing a few times, he turned and walked toward the depths of the gym. "Follow me, but don’t say I didn’t warn you: those without psychic powers cannot bring out the full potential of Psychic-type Pokémon!"

Cannot bring out their full potential?

Xia You patted Kirlia on the head, choosing not to refute him on the spot.

He just wanted to say that without psychic powers, a trainer cannot achieve a spiritual connection with their Pokémon. For other trainers and their Psychic-type Pokémon, this might indeed affect the Pokémon’s strength, but for Xia You and Kirlia, it was absolutely not an issue!

Passing through a long corridor, Xia You reached the battlefield.

The floor was paved with marble tiles, and two rows of stone pillars reached up to the ceiling. Torches were lit along the sides of the arena; it looked less like a gym and more like a temple.

On the other side of the field, a beautiful woman with long, straight black hair, a tall and slender frame, fair skin, and wearing a tight-fitting red leather outfit with a skirt and long black stockings, sat in a chair, watching him calmly.

This was the Saffron City Gym Leader—Sabrina.

"Sabrina, someone else is here to challenge you." After saying this, the middle-aged man walked to the center of the arena to act as the referee.

Sabrina’s body slowly floated upward, drifting toward the trainer's command station.

Being able to do this through her own psychic powers alone made Xia You feel both envious and amazed.

"I had already foreseen your arrival." Sabrina’s voice was flat and cold, showing little emotional fluctuation. "And on you, besides psychic energy, there is also the scent of troublesome mischief."

As expected of a woman with such powerful psychic abilities; she could even see the Gastly hiding in his shadow!

Because of the strong impression she left, Xia You still remembered her story quite clearly.

When Sabrina was young, she awakened innate and formidable psychic powers. Unfortunately, because she became so obsessed with practicing them, Sabrina gradually closed off her heart. She stopped making friends, destroyed her own home, drove her father away using her powers, and even turned her mother into a doll.

It was from that time that Sabrina’s personality split in two: one was the powerful Sabrina who would lose to no one, and the other was a lonely version of herself who loved mischief and longed for friends.

However, Xia You had arrived at the perfect time. A few days ago, Ash had used a Haunter from the Pokémon Tower to successfully help Sabrina return to being a normal person. Although she still appeared cold and emotionally detached, she had at least stopped closing off her heart, had reconciled with her family, and would even occasionally smile.

Thinking of this, Xia You quickly glanced at the middle-aged man.

He must be Sabrina’s father, right?

"Excuse me..." Xia You collected his thoughts and asked, "What are the battle rules?"

Sabrina replied, "A one-on-one match. Defeat my Pokémon, and you win the challenge."

As she spoke, Sabrina slowly took out a Poké Ball. With a flash of red light, a Pokémon with a mustache that looked like a golden fox appeared on the field.

It was indeed the Kadabra that accompanied Sabrina in the animated series!

Pokédex: "Kadabra, the Psi Pokémon, Psychic-type. The evolved form of Abra. Strange occurrences like clocks running backward happen in its presence. It can also emit special alpha waves from its body that cause nearby enemies to feel pain. It has high standards for its trainer; those without strong mental power will not be recognized by it. Additionally, it is said that without its spoon, it can only exert half of its usual psychic power."

Xia You put away his Pokédex and gestured forward. Beneath him, Kirlia walked slowly onto the battlefield.

"Are you not going to send out your Ghost-type Pokémon?" Sabrina asked.

Xia You shook his head without offering an explanation. After all, Gastly’s strength was too great, and with the type advantage, using it to battle Kadabra would neither allow his own Pokémon to get proper training nor give his opponent any room to fight back.

Just then, a Haunter flew out from the side. It circled around Sabrina for a moment, then seemed to notice the Gastly in Xia You’s shadow and hurried over.

Seeing it, Xia You’s Gastly floated out from the shadow. The two Pokémon flew together, making funny faces at each other, looking delighted.

Haunter is the evolution of Gastly, and to be this close upon their first meeting—it seems this entire evolutionary line is indeed fond of playing around.

But... this must be the Haunter Ash brought from the Pokémon Tower, right?

It seems it didn't return to the tower, but stayed by Sabrina’s side instead!

Seeing that both Pokémon on the field were ready and Sabrina had no intention of striking first, Xia You couldn't help but call out, "Kirlia, use Psychic!"

Kirlia raised her hands, and the psychic attack was launched instantly. An invisible force surged toward Kadabra.

Sabrina didn't speak, but Kadabra raised the arm holding its spoon and unleashed a Psychic attack of its own.

The two forces collided in mid-air, erupting with a brilliant light. However, as both sides poured in more power, Kirlia’s expression gradually became strained.

Although both had evolved once, Kirlia’s psychic power was inevitably suppressed by Kadabra!

In the end, Kadabra’s psychic force struck Kirlia hard, causing her to lose her footing and stagger back a few steps.

Fortunately, since both were the same type, their psychic moves against one another were not particularly effective.

"Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!"

Following Xia You’s command, a green glow formed in Kirlia’s hands. Immediately after, a barrage of magical leaves shot toward Kadabra at high speed.

Sabrina’s expression remained unchanged, but in the nick of time, Kadabra used Teleport to dodge the attack.

Without needing to speak, she could use telepathy to communicate with Kadabra and issue commands.

And that was precisely where Sabrina’s true power lay!