ã€ŠTo Another Abyss - A Gritty Pokemon Novellaã€‹


 Prologue: Saffrons Child

    Two trainers stood across from each other within a large steel cage. The one on the far right was a short, black-haired girl wearing a black beanie and a hoodie, a cigarette being held by her lips.

    Pinching the back with her fingers, she began to speak.

    "I suppose you know the rules, though I don''t mind repeating them," she said with a cold, dispassionate voice. "Three against three; you can use your Pokemon in any way you wish as long as you don''t have more than one out at the same time."

    She took a slow drag of the cigarette as she backed up toward a small table inside the cage. Atop rested a handful of cardboard boxes, each filled with Pokeballs of different colors.

    "The leader, that would be me, will use random Pokemon from these boxes." She pointed at them, looking bored. "They haven''t been raised by me nor do I care about their well-being, so don''t expect me to go easy on you."

    She closed her eyes for a moment, throwing the cigarette to the ground and stomping on it.

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    "You can try to kill me to win, and in fact I recommend you do. I''m not allowed to kill any challengers. Too much paperwork, you see. But then again¡­"

    Her eyes set on her opponent, a cold, boundless abyss behind them.

    "Accidents do happen."

    High above the arena, two men sat next to each other on the spectator seats. One of them was somewhere in his forties, smoking a pipe as he stared down with something akin to boredom.

    "Is that the new Gym Leader?" he asked. "Could¡¯ve mistaken her for a guy. Is she any good?"

    The young man next to him crossed his arms and replied with a soft, chilling voice.

    "Well¡­ her physical strength is terrible, her attitude is abysmal and she urgently needs someone to take her down a peg," he listed with a strange calmness. "However¡­ her skill in Pokemon battles is something you don''t see every day. And most importantly: she doesn''t ask questions."

    "And what''s her name?"

    The young man smiled, turning to look at his associate. His features were soft and handsome, and he wore an all black uniform with a single white triangle badge on his chest. His hair was straight and soft though somewhat overgrown, mostly light brown except for the single tuft which covered his right eye, which was a deep azure. His eyes were bi-colored, the same two as his hair.

    "She doesn''t have a name anymore,¡± answered the man, the corners of his lips quirking up into the shadow of a smile. "From now on she''s simply... Sabrina."

 Chapter 1: Just another tale from the streets of Saffron

    "Aaand over here we¡¯ve got the most important part."

    A handsome man in an all-black uniform and a young girl stood inside the dustiest, most dilapidated room either of them had ever seen. A room that would today become her new home.

    As he showed her around, he stopped next to a table full of cardboard boxes, each marked with a differently colored stroke of paint. Pokeballs of all sorts and colors were littered inside them. The girl following him took a quick glimpse of the boxes and nodded. She didn¡¯t look particularly imposing, almost a head shorter than the man accompanying her and just as skinny, wearing an oversized hoodie that gave her an air of plainness and indifference. The only thing of note about her appearance was the dingy wool hat resting atop her head, casting an ever-present shadow over her face.

    "Red means relatively weak Pokemon, Green means Pokemon with a bit more experience." The man continued explaining. "Black means Pokemon on par with those of a Gym leader, and the ones in the Blue box are, of course, incredibly powerful. It''s my favorite color after all," he smiled. "These Pokemon will be your companions for the entirety of your¡­ stay here."

    Even though the first two boxes were filled to the brim with Pokeballs, the black and especially the blue box only contained a few. Not too surprising; well-trained Pokemon were hard to come by these days.

    "You''ll be sleeping here, of course. All you need to do is¡­ well, clean up a little, if you want to."

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    The man dragged a finger through the surface of a nearby cupboard, then made a face and wiped the filth and dust on his dress pants.

    "There''s a bathroom; second door on the left past the hallway, and there''s also a little kitchen back there, in case you want to cook something for yourself." He turned around and let out a sigh, smiling. "Any questions?"

    Just as the girl was about to speak, the metallic door leading to the dingy room opened with a creak. An older man with salt and pepper hair came in.

    "S-sir¡­" he said, breathless. "We have a challenger."

    The other man, whose long, messy hair was a light brown with the exception of a single blue tuft over his right eye, made an unpleasant face.

    "I thought I''d made it pretty clear that today we wouldn''t have¡­ Ah, it doesn''t matter."

    He shook his head and sighed somewhat exaggeratedly, but recovered almost instantly. Turning around, he placed both hands on the girl''s shoulders and shone her a smile that sent a shiver down her spine.

    "Exciting, isn''t it!? This will be your first fight!" He spoke so excitedly that she almost expected to see sparkles coming off him. "Here, have these."

    He handed her the green box and gave her a friendly pat on the back.

    "Now go, Sabrina. Good luck!"

    Sabrina stumbled toward the door, clearly overwhelmed, but stopped just before crossing the sill.

    "¡­Your name?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.

    The man raised his chin slightly, that long tuft of blue hair falling to the side, and what a strange sight that was. One of his eyes was brown. The other was the same blue as his dyed tuft of hair; a cold, boundless blue like winter itself.

    "Who, me?" he asked innocently. "You can just call me Azure."

 Chapter 2: Tested

    The young woman walked out into the arena, absentmindedly spinning a Pokeball in her hand.

    That Azure guy said this would be enough, she thought, skeptical. So it must be a pretty strong one.

    A small stadium ¨Cif one could even call it that¨C sprawled out before her. The concrete floor was cracked and scorched and stained with blood all over, surrounded on all sides by rusty fences which were missing a few chunks here and there. Beyond them there were about a dozen spectators, waiting for the fight to begin. Steps echoed not far off as more people started coming in.

    Her opponent, a middle-aged man with a horrid multicolored mullet, turned his nose up at her and chuckled derisively. He grabbed a Pokeball from his belt, opening it to a blinding flash of light. That the ground shook under the creature''s weight was already bad news. The fact that it ended up being a Rhydon only exacerbated the crease of anxiousness in Sabrina''s forehead.

    "And who''s this, eh?" scoffed the man. "This ain''t a kindergarten. I came here to fight the Gym leader, not to have a tea party."

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    "Then how about you show me what you''re made of?" replied Sabrina, ticked off. "If a snot-nosed brat like me gives you a beating, that''d be pretty humiliating, wouldn''t it? Then again¡­ with that hair, you must be used to the feeling."

    "Tsk. Just shut your mouth and open that Pokeball."

    "You don''t have to tell me twice!"

    Filled with confidence, she smiled and threw the ball up in the air. After the flash, the figure that appeared was small, skinny and with a big head, its body swaying sleepily from side to side.

    An Abra.

    "¡­Ah."

    A gnawing worry started rising up her body. Abra couldn''t learn any offensive technique normally, but¡­ that Azure guy wouldn''t just give her a defenseless Pokemon for her first fight. The Abra surely knew a TM or two¡­ right?

    "Psychic!" she yelled, hopeful.

    The Abra turned his head slowly toward her, questioning.

    "¡­You only know Teleport, don''t you?"

    As the creature gave a lazy nod, their opponent''s order echoed through the arena.

    "Rhydon, use Megahorn!"

    "¡­Shit."

 Chapter 3: Along the Way

    The door to Sabrina''s room swung open violently. And there under the sill stood none other than Azure, sporting a sickening grin from ear to ear. The girl looked up from her book ¨Ca leather volume so old it was practically disintegrating¨C and her eyes narrowed with pure spite.

    "Well?" Azure asked excitedly. "How''d it go, how''d it go?"

    It''d been almost a week since that first battle. Multiple band-aids peppered the girl''s face, a splint covered her left arm and ¨Cas Azure noticed when she rose to her feet¨C she had a limp as well.

    "How the fuck do you think it went!?" she bellowed, clutching at the collar of his suit. "Of course I lost! What did you want me to do with a Pokemon that can''t even attack? There were easier ways to kill me if that''s what you wanted you cretin!"

    Azure stared at her, his smile frozen in place.

    "¡­But you didn''t die," he whispered.

    "What?"

    "Nothing, nothing!" Azure hummed, freeing himself from her grasp. "Anyway, it looks like you finally made this place your own, huh?"

    In truth, the room looked just as dingy and dilapidated as before. Clearly, Sabrina had only cleaned up as necessary and hadn''t touched anything otherwise, with the exception of the small mountain of books around the couch and the many vinyl records scattered everywhere.

    "Oh, I just remembered. There''s some¡­ business I need to take care of, so I probably won''t be back for a few weeks," said the man. "But before that¡­ here you go."

    Sabrina instinctively opened her palm as the man deposited something on it, small and metallic. The Marsh badge. It was almost identical to the one given by the original Sabrina, only the golden circle was inserted into a black triangle.

    "I''d say you''ve earned it, wouldn''t you?" smiled Azure. "And now¡­ I must bid you adieu."

    "W-wait!"

    But Azure had already walked out of the room by the the time Sabrina came back to herself. She could do little but stand there, staring blankly ahead.

    "What¡­ what the hell!?"

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    Had he really sent her to die with a smile on his face, or would he have stopped her opponent before it came to that? It was impossible to tell. She couldn''t read him at all, which meant for now she couldn''t trust him as far as she could throw him.

    Azure¡­ just what¨C?

    But before she could finish the thought, the door opened once again. This time, it was that man with salt and pepper hair; one of the Gym''s caretakers, she''d figured.

    "Ah¡­ there you are," he grumbled. "Master Azure said¨C"

    "I know," Sabrina cut him off. "He''ll be skipping town for a while."

    "No, not that. He forgot to give this to you."

    "Huh?"

    The man gave her a folded-up piece of paper and left without another word. Sabrina opened and blinked down at the fancy writing. Azure''s, no doubt.

    ''Dear Sabrina,

    How are you? Have you been sleeping well? I sure hope so!

    Like I said, I''ll be absent for a while, so I wanted to inform you of a few things, just to avoid confusion.

    First of all, the maintenance crew¨C''

    Sabrina scoffed; as if there were such a thing in this shithole.

    ''¨Caccidentally misplaced all the Pokeball boxes with the exception of the red one, so you''ll have to make do with freshly-caught Pokemon until my return. Ah, how careless these brutes can be! I can''t imagine who would''ve given them such an order. Oh, by the way, there''s a good possibility the police will pass by for a routine raid today or tomorrow, or at least that''s what people in the streets say. Still, I''m sure you''ll be able to handle it without trouble.

    Love: Azure.''

    By the time she made it to the end, she''d practically crushed the note between her fingers, face red and shoulders shaking with fury.

    "That¡­ that son of a bitch¡­!"

    An overwhelming desire to punch the wall washed over her, but after a few long, slow-breathing seconds, that fury was transformed into something more. A sudden determination flared up inside her.

    "¡­Alright," she muttered. "It''s alright. So that''s how you wanna play, eh? That''s fine by me. You can take away my Pokemon, you can throw me at every police officer and smelly punk in the city, it doesn''t matter. I won''t give you the satisfaction of seeing me fall. No matter how dirty you play, I''ll play ten times as dirty! This is my Gym now, so give me your best shot you bastard!"

    And that''s how the weeks passed. The girl not only wore the title of Gym leader like a glove; she made a profession out of surviving, and an art out of playing dirty.

    Little by little as the victories piled up, the rumors spread and both the girl''s infamy and her number of challengers grew, bringing with them more and more spectators. The lowest and the highest in Saffron. All of them vile and corrupt, all of them coming to her Gym with the hope of seeing a violent, bloody spectacle.

    And that is exactly what they were given, time and time again.

    Without even realizing it, without it even bothering her, the girl''s day to day became an endless parade of battles to the death.

 Chapter 4: Pray on Me

    Over two years had passed since Sabrina''s arrival at the Gym, and as expected, she''d taken over the place in its entirety. Her word was law. Although deep down, she knew that Azure could take that power away with the snap of his fingers.

    Inside the little run down shack she called home, an Abra -suspiciously similar to the one from her first fight- slept soundly next to a moldy mattress. And, above a pile of discarded books, a Mr. Mime meditated in silence.

    "Cut that out," grumbled Sabrina, looking for Mew-knows where amidst the disaster that was the room. "You''re a special attacker; in a real fight you''ll be shoving that meditation right up your ass."

    The door opened just then with an ominous screech. A familiar man with salt and pepper hair peaked through.

    "This one''s dangerous," he said, more hopeful than worried. "He blasted through the other five trainers with practically no effort. You better not underestimate him."

    Sabrina stood up, stretching, and let out a big yawn.

    "We''ll see about that."

    The man shoved a bunch of Pokeballs at random into a small box, and both he and the Gym leader headed out. The Gym was filled to the brim that day. Half the audience loudly cheered her opponent, while the other half clamored for his blood.

    Just another day¡­

    Sabrina entered the enormous cage, hands in her pockets, a lit cigarette in her lips. Cheers and insults rang throughout the arena. Lazily, she let her gaze fall on her opponent. A pretty unremarkable man, tall and with wild, messy black hair, a smile full of enthusiasm on his lips. She couldn''t make out his age, but he must''ve been a couple years older than her.

    She narrowed her eyes. There, hanging from his neck, resting against his chest, an iron cross gleamed against the powerful lights hanging from the ceiling.

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    A priest, eh? Let''s see what he''s capable of.

    She stuck a hand inside the box and pulled out a Pokeball. Her foe did the same, never dropping that irritating smile.

    "Let''s have a nice, clean battle," he exclaimed, bowing respectfully.

    Sabrina rolled her eyes. Around the audience, comments and bets were already being made.

    "Heh, that guy''s not gonna last a minute against Sabrina."

    "I wouldn''t be so sure. Didn''t you see how his Pokemon fought before? It wasn''t¡­ normal," someone else replied.

    "He has the advantage in typing, that''s for sure," a third commented.

    "Type advantage ain''t gonna be enough against Sabrina. Just watch."

    Opinions and predictions -all scandalous and arrogant- flowed freely from person to person like the bills being passed around before the battle. The bets were high this time, although it wasn''t terribly unusual for this gym. For a good portion of the audience, the two trainers inside the large steel cage were little more than investments.

    Pokeballs in hand, they both stared deep into each other¡¯s eyes, gauging the level of danger.

    Then, something strange happened. The young man noticed the cigarette hanging from Sabrina''s lips, and frowned.

    "Aren''t you a little young to be smoking?" he asked disapprovingly.

    "Aren''t you a little old to be believing in god?" she spat back.

    "Ah¡­ Still in that rebellious phase I see. My little brother is just like you."

    "Less talk, more action, priest."

    The young man chuckled. "And to think you''re the famous Sabrina. The original being so striking and beautiful, I didn''t expect her imitator to be a short, emaciated brat."

    At that, Sabrina lifted an eyebrow, the smile going cold in her lips.

    I''m going to kill him.

    "Are you going to fucking start or do you want me to attack you first?"

    "Geez, young people sure are impatient nowadays¡­"

    The man with the silver cross threw his Pokeball toward the center of the arena, and from the burst of light emerged a tall, imposing insect-like beast, its body green and segmented, two long, sharp blades protruding out of his forearms in the form of scythes.

    A Scyther.

 Chapter 5: Its Only Over Once Its Over

    Sabrina studied the Scyther carefully, doing her best to conceal her worry. A swift, hard-hitting bug-type, surely with loads of combat experience¡­ could she have gotten a worse opponent?

    To make things worse, they''d agreed to a one on one duel, so this would be decided in an instant.

    She threw her own Pokeball out, and from the blast of light emerged an old, frazzled Hypno wearing a pair of colorful yellow glasses. The Pokemon bristled, seemingly not bothered by his opponent''s chilly glare. Sabrina knew him well, and knew that despite his frail appearance no other Pokemon from the Gym could match his smarts and experience.

    Against a Scyther, though¡­?

    After weighing all the possible options, the two of them crossed eyes, and nodded. There was only one way out of this, and it involved being smiled on by Lady Luck.

    Both Pokemon stared each other down for a moment. Then, emboldened by the blood-thirsty cheers of the audience, they jumped to attack in unison.

    "X-Scissor!" the man bellowed.

    "Trick!" Sabrina countered.

    The Scyther''s speed was beyond compare. A bolt of verdant lightning, he crossed the arena in an instant and slashed upwards with both of his scythes, catching his foe just as the glasses disappeared from his face with a pop. The poor Hypno hit the ground hard, the sheer force of the impact sending him rolling until he crashed against the bars of the cage on the other side. He trembled, one hand against the floor, but could not bring himself even to his knees.

    Without a doubt, the man with the cross knew what he was doing.

    However, that made him and his Pokemon cocky. The both of them turned toward Sabrina, completely disregarding the Hypno as he raised a small berry and shoved it in his mouth.

    Sabrina very pointedly didn''t turn to look. Which was good, as the next instant the giant bug Pokemon shot toward her. He stopped within an inch of killing her, scythe raised to her neck with practiced control, barely brushing her skin. From this close, she could see that pair of yellow glasses adorning his face.

    "Woah, easy there." Sabrina raised her hands in a show of surrender, earning a storm of boos from the audience.

    "Nice one, Clay! You knocked it out of the park!" The man with the cross cheered with a big, dumb smile. "I''m very proud, buddy!"

    Despite the danger of the situation, Sabrina couldn''t help but roll her eyes again. She had to keep up the fa?ade. The cool, calculating Scyther with a blade to her neck. The dumb, arrogant trainer smiling like an idiot. The young Gym leader with her hands raised, far from her Pokeballs, looking nervous.

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    "Well? What now?" asked the man, raising both hands and shrugging. "I''m disappointed. Seems like the rumors were all exaggerated."

    A smirk formed on Sabrina¡¯s lips. "Heh."

    "What''s so funn¨C?"

    "Disable."

    Eyes shooting wide, the Scyther tried to turn around. But Hypno was now possessed by an abnormal speed, and barraged his foe with a sudden wave of psychic energy, throwing him off of his trainer.

    "Wh¨CClay''s Salac Berry!?"

    Sabrina''s grin widened maliciously across her face.

    "Psychic."

    The burst of concentrated energy blasted the Scyther in the face, sending him across the room. His trainer balled his hands into fists, eyes wide with panic.

    "X-Scissor!"

    But the Scyther didn''t move. Couldn''t. His body quivered with the bug''s desire to attack, but it was as though every muscle in his arms had been paralyzed. He couldn''t raise his scythes.

    "Shit, Struggle!?" he cursed, realization dawning on him. "Of course, the Choice Specs¡­!

    The rest of the fight was predictable. Unable to use his arms, the Scyther flew at Hypno in an attempt to tackle him, but slammed against the ground again and again, as the Salac berry had given him more than enough speed to dodge each of his attacks. The old Hypno barraged the poor insect with burst after burst of psionic power, until finally he hit the ground like a brick, smoking from head to toe. Hypno looked down at his fallen foe and struggled a step back, heaving from pain but still very much capable of fighting.

    He knew what came next.

    With an expression that bordered on demonic, Sabrina pointed at the man with the cross, and the wizened Hypno obeyed without question, raising a hand aflame with purple wisps of power.

    Yet, to Sabrina''s disappointment, her opponent didn''t look scared or worried in the slightest. Instead, he hung his head and closed his eyes, balled fists trembling.

    He was pissed.

    "Y-you¡­ backstabbing, traitorous¡­!" He seriously looked on the verge of losing it from anger. "What kind of trainer does something like that!? You''re a disgrace to all Gym leaders!"

    Sabrina raised an eyebrow, and chuckled. "Right¡­"

    Unconcerned, she took an old iron lighter from her pocket and flipped it open, lighting a cigarette as she took it to her mouth.

    "You wanted to win too cleanly," she said through puffs of smoke. "If you hadn''t been such a good boy and actually killed me when you had the chance, you''d be leaving this place with my badge and my fame. But you didn''t, because you''re a loser. That your Pokemon is superior to your opponent''s in all aspects doesn''t guarantee your victory, priest."

    She shoved the lighter back in her pocket and returned the Hypno to his Pokeball. Then she turned around and started walking away.

    "You''d do well to remember that."

    Fists trembling, pupils shrunken by rage, the man with the cross yelled as the Gym leader disappeared into darkness.

    "I won''t let this stand! I''ll never accept your way of fighting! I''ll be back tomorrow, and then I will beat you! You''ll see!"

 Chapter 6: Bored and Extremely Dangerous

    An annoying, singsongy voice reached Sabrina¡¯s ears on her way to the Gym, instantly giving her a headache.

    ¡°Oh Sabrinaaa~¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    Azure threw his hand over her shoulder, forcing her to drag him along with every step to her great irritation.

    Following her previous fight, Sabrina had chosen to wake up uncharacteristically early in order to train in the outskirts of Saffron, and was in the process of returning to the Gym with slow, tired steps, ready to face any new challengers. Not that she¡¯d gotten many lately.

    She hadn¡¯t expected to run into her boss on the way back though. It almost felt wrong, to see Azure out in the open, under the sunlight, a part of her imagining him melting under its rays like some kind of vampire

    ¡°Azure,¡± she greeted him with a smile like salt on a wound. ¡°What an unfortunate coincidence.¡±

    ¡°I heard about yesterday¡¯s battle,¡± he said. ¡°Very impressive. Though I was surprised to hear your opponent left the Gym still walking. You¡¯re not going soft on me, are you?¡±

    ¡°Tch. Don¡¯t tell me how to do my job.¡±

    And she threw his arm off of her brusquely. Azure stumbled back a step, making an expression as though he were about to cry.

    ¡°You¡¯re always sooo cold,¡± he whimpered, lower lip shaking. ¡°I thought after all this time, we¡¯d finally become good friends!¡±

    Sabrina winced. Theirs was¡­ in all honesty, a pretty unusual relationship. The distrust she felt toward Azure was still there, somewhere in the back of her mind, but it had slowly been giving up ground, becoming little more than a memory.

    Truth was, she¡¯d become accustomed to him, to his dark sense of humor, his cryptic ways and the always-present scent of blood whenever he¡¯d return from a mission. She couldn¡¯t complain. After all, wasn¡¯t she hemmed in the same scent? It would be too far to say they were friends, but still¡­

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    They finally reached the Gym, in between snide comments and bad jokes, though this time they decided to enter through the front door, since it was too early for anyone else to have arrived. Sabrina unlocked the padlock, and as she pushed against the heavy steel doors, she was surprised at what was waiting for her in the blood-soaked arena.

    ¡°Finally!¡± A familiar, annoying voice reached her ears. ¡°I¡¯d almost gotten tired of waiting! Were you planning on running away from our duel!? I wouldn¡¯t expect any less from a coward like you.¡±

    As her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the arena, Sabrina saw two gleams. First that of a Pokeball being drawn, and second that of the silver crucifix hanging from the man¡¯s neck, swaying back and forth.

    ¡°En garde!¡±

    ¡°...Huh?¡±

    There was a moment of shocked silence, and then Sabrina sighed.

    ¡°...Right, the religious nutjob from yesterday,¡± she said despectively. ¡°You really came back. So either you¡¯re a complete idiot or you got tired of living, hm?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯d you say!?¡± he bellowed, the spark behind his eyes lighting up like coals, though he quickly calmed himself down. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­ God forgives you. But that doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t wipe that smug smile off your face, brat!¡±

    Beside her, Azure tilted his head like a curious kid, a smile attempting to lift the corners of his mouth.

    ¡°Wow, okay! I¡¯m not sure what I¡¯m looking at here, but it sure is interesting!¡± he said, cheery as usual. ¡°It almost reminds me of the beginning of a tormentous love story, don¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°Wh-!?¡±

    Sabrina turned her head so fast her neck clicked, but something stopped her in her tracks before she could insult Azure. The man¡¯s eyes, one brown and one blue, were locked onto the priest¡¯s black ones, unmoving. For a moment¡­ For just a moment, Sabrina was overwhelmed by their presence, as though she were standing in between two wild Pokemon sizing each other up before they could strike.

    ¡°Alright!¡± Azure finally spoke, clapping his hands together. ¡°I better leave you two to it, wouldn¡¯t wanna¡­ interrupt, hehe!¡±

    And he walked away, humming to himself a song Sabrina was unfamiliar with. Of course, she tried her best to bore a hole into his back with her glare, but the man didn¡¯t seem to notice.

    Those two pairs of eyes crossing¡­ Sabrina was regrettably ignorant of what it augured. She had no idea her normal life in the Gym had, with that alone, come to a sudden and complete halt.

 Chapter 7: Stranger than Fiction

    At first Sabrina thought this would be a passing thing, that after his third or fourth loss he would finally see reason and leave, never to return. But that wasn¡¯t the case.

    Day after day the man with the cross would come to the Gym to challenge its leader, and day after day he would lose due to some dirty trick or technicality. It was clear who the stronger trainer was, who had the best Pokemon and instinct for combat; it was him. But that didn¡¯t keep him from suffering defeat after humiliating defeat.

    Yet that didn¡¯t seem to bring down the man¡¯s spirits who, fueled by god knows what kind of determination, always came back for more. He often ended the battle wounded. Far from his obstinate nature earning Sabrina¡¯s compassion, it only seemed to piss her off, turning her even more violent than usual. Of course, she often received her own share of injuries, though never anything too serious.

    A few weeks passed after that first battle, and the challenges from the man with the cross became part of Sabrina¡¯s daily routine. It wasn¡¯t something that excited her, of course. Yet -though she would never admit it out loud, and despite the usual brutality of their duels- she¡¯d eventually come to see their fights as a break of sorts, a small haven from the darkness of her life in which there was no scheming or hidden intentions, only fighting until one of them went down. Strange thing.

    It was common for their duels to be silent, save for the occasional insult or order being barked at their Pokemon, but on that particular day, a conversation was struck.

    Some time later, Sabrina would come to wish she¡¯d never answered.

    ¡°You have too many Pokemon, so of course¡­ you can¡¯t train all of them to maximize their strengths¡­¡±

    The man with the cross spoke with a surprisingly conceited tone considering he was half-collapsed against his side of the cage, dripping blood from a few superficial cuts and burns. His Scyther lay next to him in a similar state, completely out of it.

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    ¡°If you p-paid attention to them individually¡­¡± he continued.¡±If you trained them properly, they would be much stronger.¡±

    Though she would¡¯ve liked to tell him where he could stick his advice, Sabrina wasn¡¯t in much better shape. Her fingers held onto the bars of her side of the cage so strongly her knuckles were white, her weak arm trying to keep her from collapsing to the ground. Her breathing was hard and labored. A Noctowl stood on one of her shoulders, his feathers covered in blood and dirt.

    ¡°The loser¡­ shouldn¡¯t be giving advice to the winner,¡± she said after a couple inhales, forming a mocking smile.

    ¡°W-what!? You know full well that I could¡¯ve killed you if I wanted to, just like-Agh¡­!¡±

    Despite his wounds, the man reacted with a burst of energy as he suddenly stood up, his wild mane of ebon hair seemingly sticking up by indignation alone.

    ¡°Yeah, and that makes you even stupider,¡± Sabrina said. ¡°Besides, these Pokemon aren¡¯t mine. I didn¡¯t train or nurture them. I just use them for fighting.¡±

    ¡°...Really. I see¡­¡±

    His anger suddenly placated by those words, the man turned to look at his unconscious partner, his Scyther, and placed a soft, careful hand on his forehead. A smile formed on his lips.

    ¡°That¡¯d explain why you use such reckless tactics,¡± he whispered, turning to look at her. ¡°Then, those Pokemon¡­ it¡¯s a little sad, don¡¯t you think? That you¡¯re not able to call them your friends.¡±

    Sabrina let out a despective snort. ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand me. Even though they don¡¯t belong to me, we¡¯ve been through thick and thin together. Whether I like it or not, these Pokemon are my partners, and¡­¡±

    Only then realizing what she was saying, Sabrina¡¯s eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to quickly change the topic, but it was too late.

    ¡°HA!¡± The man exclaimed, pointing at her with a victorious smile. ¡°I knew it!¡±

    ¡°S-SHUT UP!¡± Sabrina barked, crimson rising to her cheeks.

 Chapter 8: Come Join Us

    ¡°...Hey, Azure,¡± Sabrina said absentmindedly, gaze lost in her drink. ¡°Who do we work for?¡±

    It was a miracle Azure heard her considering how noisy the bar was. The two sat next to each other around the VIP table overlooking the Gym arena, accompanied by a handful of older men wearing expensive-looking suits, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Each of them some flavor of gang leader or low-ranking government official.

    Said bar, though quite big, wasn¡¯t exactly what one would call extravagant, but this night was special. The furniture had been polished. The cups had been washed (with soap, even!) and there were hardly any cockroaches to be seen.

    Sabrina, of course, had been practically dragged here by Azure so she could rub shoulders with the leaders of Saffron¡¯s dirty underbelly, unpleasant though the idea was to her. It came naturally to him, of course. With his perfectly ironed black suit, shirt and tie and that tiny white triangle insignia on his lapel, you couldn¡¯t pick him out of a crowd amidst all these people. Sabrina, on the other hand, was the very embodiment of the idiom: ¡®like a Magikarp out of water¡¯.

    Mew bless his heart, Azure had tried. He¡¯d ordered her to take that dingy hat off and had even given her some not-torn clothes, but even then it was clear how uncomfortable and out of place the girl was amidst this crowd, to the point she barely said a word for what felt like hours. Until, at last, she broke that silence.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Azure lifted an eyebrow, putting down his glass of wine. ¡°It¡¯s odd to hear you ask questions; you never were the curious type. That¡¯s why the higher-ups liked you so much, haha.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t dodge the question,¡± she replied, cutting. ¡°Not that I care much. I just¡­ after so long, I¡¯d like to know. This guy¡­ What are we to him? What are these Gyms to him?¡±

    Azure let out a hearty laugh, reaching with one hand to pat Sabrina on the head, playfully ruffling her hair. An insult usually prevented by her trusty hat. Sabrina glared daggers at him from under his hand.

    After a moment, however, he answered.

    ¡°You eight Gym leaders are¡­ valuable trainers. That¡¯s all you need to know,¡± he said, and a second later lifted his hand and raised it over his head, asking the bartender for a round of tequila shots. ¡°But¡­ who knows? Maybe you¡¯ll meet him in person one day.¡±

    He left a pause, a sinister smile frozen on his lips.

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    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s even sitting alongside us right now.¡±

    <hr>

    The two shot glasses -one Sabrina¡¯s, one Azure¡¯s- hit the table in unison, followed by a sharp, pleasured sigh from their owners. It was four or five in the morning, neither of them were sure anymore.

    The mafiovernment officials around them kept chatting amongst themselves, mostly about trivial stuff. The tone and volume of their voice, however, changed dramatically in pitch here and there when a certain something was brought up, but to Sabrina it was nothing more than background noise.

    Something did catch her attention, though. Hushed, furtive whispers; mentions of a certain someone coming back to Saffron¡­ judging by the tone of their voice, they must¡¯ve been both admired and feared by them. But who-?

    ¡°Since you asked me a question before¡­¡± Azure¡¯s voice dragged her out of her thoughts. He was refilling the glasses as he spoke. Sabrina winced, preparing for the worst, and she wasn¡¯t wrong. ¡°...I believe it¡¯s my turn now. What do you think about that man with the cross?¡±

    There was a *tonk* as both glasses were slammed down again, followed by identical sighs.

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Sabrina formed a mocking smile as she refilled the glasses again, giving one to Azure. ¡°Are you jealous or som-?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s reaction was immediate; she choked on the tequila shot, coughing and spluttering it all over the table, earning the displeased eyes of all around her and practically burning her throat.

    All she could hear was Azure¡¯s lively laugh. When she finally composed herself, she glanced at him off the corner of her eye. He was playing with her, surely. It was true he showed an unusual level of interest in her person, but to her¡­ it looked like the same type of interest a Meowth showed a Rattata it had caught.

    ¡°...My turn,¡± she said, trying to ignore what had just happened. ¡°How¡­?¡±

    As she refilled the glasses again, she thought she¡¯d heard a commotion in the distance. Screams, chairs and people being thrown around. Nothing unusual there. Once more, the two of them drank the shot and slammed the glasses down on the table.

    ¡°How old are you?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Eh? That¡¯s your question?¡± Azure smiled, genuinely surprised. ¡°You¡¯re simpler than I thought, haha.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t-¡±

    It was then that they found the source of the commotion below. Or, more accurately, said source found them; pushing his way past the numerous guards standing at the end of the staircase leading toward the first floor, a tall, black-haired man made straight for the VIP table, stopping only when she found Sabrina.

    A silver cross hung from his neck, resting against his chest.

    ¡°I¡­ I came to challenge the Gym leader to a battle!¡± he screamed, raising a Pokeball toward her.

    A long, ominous silence stretched for what felt like hours.

    Then, when Sabrina¡¯s mind managed to comprehend the stupidity she¡¯d just witnessed, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh, slapping her palm against her forehead.

 Chapter 9: Infected

    A small can flew toward Sabrina¡¯s face who, exhausted, barely managed to catch it with one hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she asked. The can was pleasantly warm.

    ¡°It¡¯s called coffee,¡± replied the man with the cross, sitting alongside her on one of the hanging steel beams, struggling to open his own. They were alone in an abandoned construction site west of the Gym. The sun was starting to rise. ¡°You¡¯re drunk. No wonder you¡¯re often mistaken for a man; you drink more than one.¡±

    ¡°That can be fixed,¡± Sabrina muttered, warming her hands with the can. Autumn kept trudging on, promising a winter more ruthless than any before. ¡°Your stupidity, on the other hand¡­¡±

    The man was a complete mess. Drenched in blood, clothes torn and cut in various places and sporting a split lip and a black eye he¡¯d surely be unable to open in a few hours.

    Yet that stupid smile was still stuck to his face, only hidden when he raised the can to take a sip of his coffee.

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    ¡°...Why did you do that?¡± Sabrina finally asked. ¡°Sneaking into a party packed full of the most important and dangerous people in Saffron¡­ just to fight me? I¡¯m giving you the benefit of the doubt here; I want to believe you had some other reason for such idiocy.¡±

    A shrug was the man¡¯s simple response.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t attend our duel today,¡± he explained. ¡°And I promised I¡¯d challenge you every day, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Sabrina stared at him, dumbfounded.

    ¡°...God.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a great guy, yeah,¡± he sighed dreamily.

    ¡°In any case¡­ Why didn¡¯t you defend yourself?¡± she asked. ¡°You obviously weren¡¯t going to win against such numbers, but with Pokemon like yours you could¡¯ve taken down a few of them before they beat the shit out of you like that.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ I wonder why,¡± he whispered, scratching his bruised cheek with a finger. ¡°Maybe because I knew you¡¯d stop them before they killed me. I knew you¡¯d intervene, hehe.¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s eyes grew wide, and she immediately looked away with a ¡®Tch!¡¯, setting her eyes on the fire of the rising sun.

    ¡°I just felt sorry for you, like one does for a lame Growlithe. Don¡¯t get any ideas.¡±

    ¡°Ha¡­ bit late for that, I¡¯m afraid.¡±

 Chapter 10: When?

    ¡°Sooo¡­ you¡¯re supposed to be ¡®Sabrina¡¯, right?¡± the man with the cross asked, trying (and failing) to open a mustard packet for his tasteless lunch while they walked together through Saffron¡¯s black market.

    Both of them were covered in cuts and bruises of varying severity, living proof of the Pokemon battle they¡¯d had in the Gym only minutes before. Sabrina had mentioned something about buying potions and a TM that was for sale, as well as a bag of fertilizer for her garden, and her rival decided to accompany her on her shopping trip, ignoring all complaints on the matter.

    ¡°That¡¯s what they call me,¡± she answered reluctantly, both hands in her pockets.

    ¡°Then that means¡­ you can, y¡¯know¡­¡±

    He pressed a finger against his temple, screwing up his face like a prune; an expression so stupid and childish that the Gym leader could barely keep the corners of her mouth from perking up.

    To answer his question, Sabrina narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, fixing them on the mustard packet the man held in his other hand. A moment passed, then two. Then, so suddenly that the man almost dropped his lunch, she squeezed her hand and the packet exploded violently, staining the man¡¯s jacket.

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± the girl said, trying not to smile.

    ¡°WH-!?¡± The man blinked gormlessly, looking between her and his stained hand. ¡°Y-you fucking-!¡±

    ¡°Well, hello there!¡±

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    He wasn¡¯t there one moment, and then there the next. Like a passing mirage, Azure appeared out of the corner of one of the stalls in the moment they weren¡¯t looking, hands held behind his back and a listless, cold smile on his lips. The complete lack of blemish on his person contrasted sharply with the filth around him. Sabrina couldn¡¯t believe they didn¡¯t see him coming a mile away.

    As soon as he appeared, both trainers froze in their spot, unconsciously holding their breath.

    ¡°Having fun?¡± Azure asked with a small rise of the eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s not the place I¡¯d choose as a spot for a first date, but eh¡­ To each their own.¡±

    All color drained from Sabrina¡¯s face. Like the flash of lightning before thunder, she felt a horrible ominousness fall over her. Beside her, the man with the cross looked at Azure with wide eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s with those faces?¡± Azure shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not strange for me to be here. I need to buy groceries just like any other citizen, don¡¯t I?¡±

    The Gym leader opened her mouth to say something, but was just as swiftly interrupted.

    ¡°Oh, by the way, Sabrina¡­ You have another challenger at the Gym. He¡¯s been waiting for you for the past, oh¡­¡± Azure stole a glance at his expensive watch, an unnecessary if not pointed gesture. ¡°...40 minutes, exactly.¡±

    Sabrina let out a tired sigh. This would be her fourth battle of the day, and in all honesty she didn¡¯t see herself or her Pokemon having the energy to win. Then again, she had a nagging feeling that this challenger didn¡¯t actually exist, and that Azure simply wanted time alone with¡­ the man with the cross. She reminded herself to ask him for his name at some point.

    ¡°...Right.¡±

    As she turned around to head back, Sabrina couldn¡¯t help but catch the moment both men¡¯s eyes crossed. Something¡­ Something in Azure¡¯s bi-colored gaze¡­ He was smiling, but¡­

    Sabrina shook her head, and simply kept walking.

    Must just be her imagination.

 Chapter 11: Doing Time

    Dragging a shovel across the pavement with one hand, a bag of fertilizer with the other and carrying a sleepy Abra atop her head, Sabrina emerged from her ever-filthier shed of a home. Instead of heading for the street, however, she scooted through a hole in the tall fence, into what one might charitably call a garden.

    With a deep, tired sigh, she carelessly put down everything she was holding -including the Abra- with a deaf thump.

    The place was a mess. The dry, sickly yellow grass reached up to her waist in the few patches where it grew, and the rest was covered in little shrubs, flowers and trees, all of them dried up, having died very shortly after she¡¯d planted them. The mess of skeletal, blackened branches was sad to behold.

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    The only sign of healthy plant life was the tall, robust oak growing in the very middle of the ¡®garden¡¯. Its leafy, vibrant crown contrasted sharply with everything around it.

    The young woman stared ahead silently, her expression unreadable.

    Then, with a quieter sigh, she rolled up her sleeves to the elbow and picked the shovel off the ground, ready to get to work.

 Chapter 12: Empty Causes

    ¡°So, how did you end up here?¡±

    The young man with the cross threw the question at Sabrina only moments after throwing himself to the ground, barely avoiding an Ice Beam from her Starmie that would¡¯ve frozen him solid, and only moments before ordering a counter-attack of his own, which his Scyther executed swiftly.

    ¡°Here?¡± Sabrina repeated, eyes struggling to follow the two Pokemon¡¯s dizzying battle.

    ¡°Here, yes. Yours isn¡¯t a particularly common¡­ nor a healthy profession.¡± He pushed himself up, following the battle just as intently. ¡°Not to mention illegal.¡±

    Sabrina scoffed. ¡°I could ask you the same. Why do you waste your time coming here every single day?¡± She paused for a moment to bellow an order, then sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t you have a hobby or something?¡±

    ¡°I asked first,¡± the man replied with an annoyingly childish tone of voice.

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    Their Pokemon exchanged blows for a few unbearable long seconds; Scyther had split himself into countless mirages of himself, and Starmie-

    ¡°Psych Up!¡±

    -alternated between short electric bursts to keep its foe at bay and beams of pressurized cold to catch him in between dodges. Neither of the trainers spoke for a few breaths.

    ¡°It¡¯s good money,¡± Sabrina finally said. ¡°I¡¯ve got some debts, my mom¡­ she¡¯s got medical issues that aren¡¯t cheap to deal with. Not the kind of money I could earn doing a normal-¡±

    She choked on her words suddenly, at the realization that her opponent was looking at her with tears slowly forming in his eyes, lower lip trembling.

    ¡°Wh-Wait. Stop. Why are you-?¡±

    ¡°I KNEW IT!¡± The man bellowed, seemingly forgetting about the battle, his voice fraught with emotion. ¡°The devoted daughter who sells her soul to the devil in order to save her mother¡­ What a beautiful tale! See? Do you see now that God¡¯s love still lives inside y-!¡±

    BANG!

    A bolt of lightning the width of a person fell upon the man with ruthless speed, and he would have certainly been carbonized were it not for his Scyther jumping at the last moment to take the hit for him. He hit the ground with a deaf thump an instant later, smoking from head to toe, completely out of it.

    ¡°Tsk. I missed.¡±

 Chapter 13: Struck a Nerve

    Afternoon was slowly giving way to night, the last orange rays of sunlight filtering through the leaves of the only tree in Sabrina¡¯s pitiful attempt at a garden. And there, resting against the trunk, the young Gym leader read a small, worn book. Her breathing was slow and automatic, thin wisps of cold vapor leaving her lips every time she exhaled.

    The oak behind her remained as strong and healthy as ever despite the coming winter. A handful of Pokemon (both wild and belonging to the Gym) rested atop its many branches, including the infamous Abra who only knew Teleport, the first Pokemon she¡¯d ever fought with in this place.

    So immersed was she in the book that she didn¡¯t notice the man¡¯s presence until he knelt in front of her, peering over the book curiously.

    ¡°WH-!?¡±

    Sabrina instinctively jumped, slamming the back of her head against the sturdy oak.

    ¡°Fuck! W-what¡­ what the hell are you doing here!?¡± she sputtered out, rising to her feet in a panic. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ people guarding both entrances, how¡­!?¡±

    The man with the cross formed a careless smile, arms resting over his knees as he looked up at her.

    ¡°I have my methods,¡± he shrugged.

    ¡°What are you, a ninja?¡±

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    ¡°Hehe.¡±

    After looking around for a moment, the man let out a whistle and pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his knees. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s this supposed to be? A setting for a horror movie? And what are you reading?¡±

    Before Sabrina could stop him, the man was rifling through the small pile of books next to where she¡¯d been sitting, inspecting the covers and authors.

    ¡°Robert Frost, Neruda, Stephen Crane¡­¡±

    ¡°T-that¡¯s none of your business, bastard!¡±

    Only then did the man turn to look at her, and the little O that his mouth became told Sabrina she¡¯d forgotten a very important detail.

    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t your eyes a bit wet?¡± he said with sudden glee in his voice. ¡°What, did one of these mean old books make the heartless Gym leader tear up?¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s reaction was as swift as it was predictable.

    ¡°Shut up! This is¡­ I got some dust on¡­¡± Seeing that her excuses were pointless, each one only widening her rival¡¯s amused smile, she decided to change her approach. ¡°Bah! As if a brainless idiot like you could understand the beauty that lies in these-¡±

    ¡°Then teach me.¡±

    The man wasn¡¯t smiling anymore as he took a step toward her, staring straight into her eyes. And in that breathless moment, his usual childishness fell from his expression like a mask cracking, and beneath was the face of a more mature, deathly serious man.

    ¡°I want to see it too,¡± he said. ¡°If what your eyes see is truly that beautiful¡­ then I too¡­¡±

    The Gym leader¡¯s brain had turned off completely. It wasn¡¯t until the man spoke again, that listless smile of him returning, that she could even take a breath.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he said, tone teasing. ¡°Your face is all red.¡±

 Chapter 14: New Leaf

    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer me, in any case,¡± the man said once Sabrina managed to compose herself. ¡°What¡¯s this place meant to be?¡±

    ¡°A garden. What else?¡±

    The man with the cross looked around more carefully this time, taking in the dry shrubbery, the sun-burnt flowers and the dried up trees that were never able to grow. And if that wasn¡¯t enough, he then glanced at Sabrina and raised an eyebrow to drive the point home.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying, okay?¡± she complained, grabbing a cigarette from her pack. ¡°I never said I was good at this.¡±

    ¡°You clearly aren¡¯t,¡± he said, immediately swiping the cig from her mouth.

    ¡°Those cost money, bastard.¡±

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    ¡°I already told you, you¡¯re too young to be smoking,¡± he sighed, half concerned and half annoyed. ¡°Anyway, how come the whole place is dead and dried up¡­ except for this?¡±

    He rapped his knuckles against the hardy bark of the oak giving them shadow. Sabrina was silent for a moment. The crease in her forehead was no longer due to anger, but something else.

    ¡°This one¡­ I planted the day I got here,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but it never dried up or got sick. I tried to plant some other stuff, and they grew well at first but¡­ the more time passed, the harder it got to keep them alive.¡± There was a pause. ¡°Nowadays I can¡¯t make a sprout last longer than a few hours. It¡¯s like¡­¡±

    ¡°...Scary,¡± the man whispered after a short, uncomfortable silence. ¡°Maybe we¡¯re on top of an ancient burial ground or something.¡±

    Sabrina didn¡¯t hear him. Her gaze was a million years away, sad, so terribly sad. The man with the cross glanced at her again, his eyes momentarily losing that childish spark of theirs.

    A cold gust of wind battered them from the side.

    ¡°Should we go inside?¡± he whispered, offering Sabrina a hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you own the place, dickhead.¡±

 Chapter 15: Marked

    ¡°We¡¯re gonna have a winter like salt on a wound, huh?¡±

    The man with the cross looked at the inside of the Gym through the frosty, grimy windows outside while Sabrina finished locking up the front doors.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you leaving?¡± she asked, exhausted. ¡°We already fought today -another humiliating defeat, by the way- and I have other things to do.¡±

    ¡°You fucking brat¡­¡±

    Already narrowing his black eyes with anger, producing a Pokeball in one hand, the man paused all of a sudden as he noticed the dirty-looking bandage on the Gym leader¡¯s hand, uselessly trying to hide a nasty-looking burn mark. A product of one of her most recent battles.

    ¡°...What, you don¡¯t like the cold?¡± he finally asked, voice softer.

    With a final click and a lock, Sabrina stood in place, pensive. Then, with some doubt in her voice, she answered.

    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if it snowed. Then again, it hasn¡¯t snowed in Saffron for over fifty years, so¡­¡± She realized what she was saying and tensed up. ¡°Not like it makes any difference to me,¡± she quickly added.

    ¡°Ha! You are a brat, see? You wanna play in the snow, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Shut the fuck up.¡±

    With a gesture so casual it took Sabrina¡¯s brain a while to process, the man laughed and patted her on the head, rubbing her frazzled wool hat before turning and walking away. By which point, of course, he was too far away for Sabrina to insult him.

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    The Gym leader saw him slowly disappear, and a minuscule, almost invisible smile formed on her lips as one of her hands went to her hat.

    ¡°Wow! Are you really Sabrina!?¡±

    ¡°W-wh¡­!?¡±

    Once again, just like a whisper, like a sudden winter chill. Sabrina turned around on a dime, and found Azure¡¯s face only inches from hers, those bicolor eyes of him drilling into her very soul.

    ¡°A-Azure¡­¡±

    The smile on his lips didn¡¯t extend to his eyes. ¡°You were running late, so I came to check on you¡­ Hehehe¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ Don¡¯t ¡®hehe¡¯ me,¡± she sharply answered, pushing him away with a hand. Her expression had quickly hardened again. ¡°And don¡¯t act like you¡¯re my nanny. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    She dug her hands into her pockets and started walking away from the Gym, its shadow giving way to the last of the day¡¯s sunlight. Azure followed, of course, his footsteps as quiet as the grave.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help it. You¡¯ve changed a lot, you know?¡± Azure commented with a singsong-y voice. ¡°Those eyes of yours aren¡¯t the same as when you showed up here three years ago¡­ there was a certain sharpness to them. But now they¡¯re more¡­ human.¡±

    And as he said that last sentence, though his expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest, his voice dropped an octave or two. It was enough to send a chill down Sabrina¡¯s spine.

    ¡°Stop wasting my time,¡± she said. ¡°My shift¡¯s already over, but you need something from me, don¡¯t you? What¡¯s the job gonna be this time?¡±

    ¡°Hehe, but of course.¡± There was a pause as Azure inhaled. Sabrina didn¡¯t know why the gesture felt so out of the ordinary. ¡°I¡¯ll get to the point; there¡¯s a certain¡­ favor we¡¯d like to ask of you. A new facet of the job, you could call it.

    ¡°We¡­ want you to help us kill someone.¡±

    And Azure¡¯s smile, in that moment, was wider and colder than ever before.

 Chapter 16: All Good Soldiers

    ¡°Well? Did you prepare at all for the job I told you about?¡±

    Azure carefully placed a bandage over the cut on Sabrina¡¯s cheek, one eye closed and the tip of his tongue peering from his lips in concentration. It was a very childish expression. Yet unlike with the man with the cross, it looked¡­ wrong on him.

    Besides, Sabrina knew the only reason he was tending to her wounds was because he wanted something from her.

    ¡°I thought I was plenty clear last night; I¡¯m paid to fight Pokemon battles, not kill people.¡±

    ¡°Mhm, you say that as though you¡¯ve never done it before,¡± Azure said in his singsong-y voice as he absentmindedly unrolled a bandage. ¡°Do you think all those challengers we drag off the Gym in critical condition somehow make it out and manage to turn their life around, living happily ever after?¡±

    Sabrina said nothing.

    ¡°Talking like your hands aren¡¯t just as bloody as mine isn¡¯t like you. Did you perhaps forget what you are?¡±

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    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Besides, when you learn who your target is, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be very interested,¡± he hummed happily, and Sabrina could perfectly imagine a heart at the end of that last word.

    Yet once again, Sabrina said nothing. Seconds passed in silence, and it wasn¡¯t until she made it clear she had nothing more to say on the matter that Azure hung his head and sighed.

    ¡°I wonder¡­ Are you refusing because you¡¯re worried about what he might think? Ha¡­¡±

    That made the Gym leader react. With speed she didn¡¯t know she possessed, she stood up suddenly and grabbed Azure by the collar, pulling him to his feet as well. It was an instinctual impulse, a spark of anger. She tamed it just as quickly, letting go of him and turning around, starting to walk away.

    Yet Azure¡¯s voice, as ever, reached her even as she turned around the corner, echoing inside her head as though he were whispering against her ear.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, Sabrina. Don¡¯t let him weaken you. You were so beautiful before, sharp and ruthless¡­ I miss it oh-so dearly.¡± Azure sighed. ¡°If only things could go back to the way they were before¡­¡±

    Sabrina didn¡¯t need to look at him to know his expression was giddier than ever.

 Chapter 17: Tiny Voices

    ¡°Hm¡­ She sure is taking her time,¡± the man with the cross muttered, wandering about the withered garden with his hands in his pockets.

    Sabrina had told him she had something to discuss with her boss, so maybe she¡¯d gone home already, hoping he would give up and return as well.

    As if he¡¯d admit defeat that easily.

    Bored, swinging back and forth on the ball of his feet, his gaze fell once again on the small pile of books next to the robust oak. On an impulse, he leaned down and picked up the one at the top. The old, pocket-sized tome opened on a specific page as though this one had been read a hundred times before, a thought also evidenced by the clear wear and fingerprints on the edge of the page.

    The man narrowed his eyes. It seemed to be¡­ a short poem?

    I saw a man pursuing the horizon;

    Round and round they sped.

    I was disturbed at this;

    I accosted the man.

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    "It is futile," I said,

    "You can never -"

    "You lie," he cried,

    And ran on.

    He remained still and breathless, eyes glued to the page for an indefinite amount of time. Though he wasn¡¯t sure why, he felt as though he¡¯d found something extremely valuable, something perhaps more revealing about the young Gym leader than any of their short, superficial conversations up to this point.

    Only the sound of distant footsteps dragged the man from his trance. Feeling Sabrina approach, he turned around and placed the book down where it once rested, as swiftly and surreptitiously as he could.

    ¡°Sabrina,¡± he said suddenly, eyes wide, fearful. His heart was galloping.

    The Gym leader stopped in place, alarmed.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with that fac-?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s flee. Please, we have to get out of this place. It doesn¡¯t matter where, just¡­!¡±

    It looked as though Sabrina had been slapped. She unconsciously raised an eyebrow, confused, but a spark of¡­ something, unmistakably crossed her eyes in that moment.

    ¡°...¡±

    A frigid wind ran down the length of the garden. The man didn¡¯t speak, refusing to meet Sabrina¡¯s eyes. Gulping, she parted her lips to-

    ¡°...He, hehe. I was joking!¡± The man laughed all of a sudden, sticking his tongue out. ¡°Got you pretty good there, huh?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ joke about that stuff, asshole!¡± she exploded after a few seconds, slamming her fist against his chest.

 Chapter 18: No Control

    ¡°My group was surrounded, with no chance to escape. Our lives depended on me being able to stealthily sneak behind our foes, so I¡­¡± The man with the cross inhaled, leaving in a dramatic pause, only to realize he wasn¡¯t being listened to. ¡°Hey! Wake up, brat, I¡¯m telling you a story!¡±

    ¡°...Huh? Oh, right¡­¡± Sabrina blinked back into consciousness, slightly ashamed at first, though that quickly turned into righteous anger. ¡°Well, tell a more interesting story next time.¡±

    For the past few weeks, sitting together under the gentle shadow of the oak tree following their Pokemon battles had become something of a daily routine. They talked about plenty of things and saw, within the dusty yellow-paged books Sabrina always carried around, a multitude of places, situations and people completely foreign to their little world. A window into another reality.

    The man never told Sabrina about the poem he found, but he often heard her talk about this ¡®other life¡¯ she sometimes dreamed about, this shining horizon blocked by a large, impassable wall.

    All he could do was smile sadly every time she brought it up.

    ¡°Makes sense you wouldn¡¯t appreciate my tale, you¡¯ve got no manners¡­¡±

    After a moment of silence, the man¡¯s eyes widened and he couldn¡¯t help but laugh. The sound instantly soured Sabrina¡¯s mood.

    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± she asked, hostile.

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    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just¡­ you were sleeping, right? Doesn¡¯t that mean I earned your trust? I bet you don¡¯t lower your guard around anyone else, hehe¡­¡± Now the man¡¯s smile was wide and stupid, and Sabrina couldn¡¯t stand to look at it. ¡°That means I¡¯m special! That makes me happy.¡±

    ¡°I-of course I don¡¯t! Stop getting ideas, I just¡­ I¡¯m tired!¡± She slammed one of the books down onto the pile, eyes wide with embarrassment. ¡°Who would ever trust a twisted priest like you? I¡­ Stop laughing!¡±

    It wasn¡¯t all a lie, however. Sabrina looked genuinely exhausted; her voice lacked energy, her face was colorless and there was a stained bandage hastily placed around her neck. And it wasn¡¯t a one-time thing. Lately, she often got so engrossed in her own thoughts that he had to shake her to bring her back to reality.

    ¡°...What happened there?¡± the man asked, pointing at the wound on her neck.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Sabrina blinked a few times. Just then, a small ray of sunlight had filtered through the leaves, falling right on top of the silver cross hanging from the man¡¯s neck. She¡¯d never realized before, but there was a small indent in the metal, like someone had taken a nail and hammer to it.

    ¡°Ah¡­ this,¡± she finally said, looking down at her collarbone. ¡°A challenger¡¯s Sandslash got out of hand today, so¡­¡±

    But the man had stopped listening at that point, a sudden, dangerous shadow falling over his black eyes. Alarmed, Sabrina followed his gaze and her heart jumped. There, under the sill of the door leading to her room, past the edge of the garden, stood that older man with salt and pepper hair; Azure¡¯s right hand, and the one who always followed her around and told her of new challengers.

    After a moment, he shot Sabrina an odd look, a warning, before turning around and disappearing.

    The man with the cross didn¡¯t know what that meant, nor why Sabrina, all of a sudden, looked as though an unbearable weight had been dropped on her shoulders.

 Chapter 19: Drastic Actions

    ¡°The numbers don¡¯t lie. Mr. Azure is very dissatisfied, so what do you intend to do to fix it?¡±

    Sabrina had been called back to the gym by the salt and pepper haired man, and was now being lectured on last month¡¯s middling battle performance. As it turned out, ¡®Koga¡¯, Fuchsia¡¯s leader, had surpassed her by quite a large margin. The young Gym leader, however, was having an awful lot of trouble paying attention; her eyes were glued to the window next to her, gaze lost in the garden outside as her mind raced with thoughts and possibilities.

    Tonight was the night. The ¡®job¡¯ Azure had told her about would take place in mere hours, and she was to lead the assault, followed by a small group of trainers. In the end, she hadn¡¯t been able to refuse. She didn¡¯t even know who their target was. Regardless, she was supposed to meet with Azure after this, get all the details of the mission, straighten out their plan of attack¡­

    And then there was him too. The situation was getting out of control.

    ¡°Are you listening?¡±

    Sabrina blinked.

    ¡°Hm? Yeah, yeah, so what if Koga did a little better last month? I was leaps and bounds above him the month before, wasn¡¯t I? That¡¯s how it is with us,¡± she shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s my equal. Sometimes he beats me, others I get ahead. I really don¡¯t get why you care so much about this stupid competition between cities; it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll ever fight each other anyway.¡±

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    ¡°Still,¡± frowned the man. ¡°Mr. Azure was very disappointed. He said your drop in performance was due to certain¡­ distractions.¡±

    The emphasis he placed on that word finally made Sabrina look at him. She parted her lips to reply, and¡­

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A gut-churning sense of impending ruin bore down on Sabrina as she made her way back toward the Gym arena, where she knew she would find him. She hated it. The building anxiety felt like a balloon ready to burst, and no matter how much she tried to put it off¡­ She knew the time was coming. This¡­ this was it.

    With every step, she racked her brains trying to think of an alternative, a plan, anything. Yet every desperate ray of hope her mind conjured, the mental image of Azure¡¯s cold smile erased almost instantly.

    I have to do it.

    Her fingers closed around the doorknob, but she found herself unable to turn it. She wasn¡¯t ready. She couldn¡¯t do it. It was too much.

    Sabrina closed her eyes.

    Minutes passed in which all that could be heard was the whistling of rain through one of the cracked windows.

    Until finally, with a sharp, determined inhale, the Gym leader opened the door and walked into the caged arena.

    ¡­And there he was, making his way toward her with a steely determination on his face. There was no Pokeball in his hand, which she found strange. His gaze was sharp and deadly serious, lacking all semblance of doubt, and his silver cross gleamed on his chest beneath the last rays of sunlight. Sabrina¡¯s eyes, on the other hand, were distant and passionless, as though she were looking at the situation outside of herself, a spectator.

    Both trainers stopped a pace from each other.

    ¡°We have to talk,¡± they said in unison.

 Chapter 20: Chasing the Wild Goose

    Impetuous as always, the man with the cross spoke up before Sabrina could, fast and desperate. The Gym arena was slowly falling into darkness.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m leaving the city. Tonight.¡±

    Sabrina let out a small sound of surprise, but she wasn¡¯t allowed to say anything, as the man quickly followed that with:

    ¡°And I want you to come with me.¡±

    ¡°...You¡¯re not gonna say it¡¯s a joke this time, are you?¡±

    But of course, the firmness in his eyes was all the response she needed. Sabrina bit her lower lip to keep it from shaking, a boundless, burning fury rising like bile from her stomach.

    ¡°Are you¡­ are you out of your mind!?¡± she hissed at him, swiping at him with a hand. ¡°Go with you? Where!? I have responsibilities here, stuff I need to do, I can¡¯t just-!¡±

    If she¡¯d learned anything about the man, however, it was that he could match her anger beat for beat.

    ¡°You can¡¯t stay tied to this Gym! We can¡¯t keep doing this, every day, you¡­ Please, please listen to me, this place is killing you!¡±

    The girl grit her teeth hard, and he took advantage of her silence to keep pressing her.

    ¡°They¡¯ll never find us!¡± he pleaded. ¡°And even if they do¡­ I¡¯ll protect you, always!¡±

    ¡°...Protect me?¡± Sabrina whispered incredulously through her teeth.

    ¡°You think I don¡¯t see it? Every day you come to sit under the tree with a different wound on your body, every day you fight these battles to the death and¡­ what if something goes wrong one day? What if¡­?¡±

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    With a scoff, Sabrina took a step back and swiped at the air, offended. ¡°That¡¯s part of the job! It¡¯s what I signed up for!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not just your body!¡± he bellowed, gripping her shoulder desperately. Then his voice softened, his dark eyes full of sadness. ¡°How can you not see it? As long as you¡¯re here, the trees and flowers won¡¯t ever grow. You¡¯ll never see that horizon, never¡­¡±

    Realizing what he was saying, the man stopped talking. But it was too late. Sabrina¡¯s eyes widened, the corner of her lips twitching.

    ¡°...You read the poem.¡±

    ¡°No, that-that has nothing to do with it.¡±

    ¡°...Ha. I was right, you are a naive, clueless idiot.¡± She smiled bitterly and looked him straight in the eye, as though challenging him. ¡°Remember¡­ when you asked me why I¡¯m working here? Remember what I told you? That whole thing about my mom and her medical bills?¡±

    The man tried to speak, but she didn¡¯t let him, eyes glinting with a sharp, bitter malice.

    ¡°Well? What do you think?¡± she whispered. A beat of silence before thunder fell, and the dam inside her broke. ¡°It was a lie! Do you wanna know the truth!? The truth is that my mom died years ago, less than six months after I started working here! I only used her as an excuse so I could stay here, so I wouldn¡¯t have to think of finding another place where I could belong!¡±

    Her hand shot forward, gripping the man by the shirt, pulling him face to face.

    ¡°And do you want to know why? Because, just as you so eloquently put it the day we met, I¡¯m a coward. Because if I leave¡­ Because this is¡­ Because this is all I know how to do! I have no other skills, nothing that makes me worthwhile besides my Pokemon battling! I¡¯m nothing without this!¡± She screamed at the top of her lungs, possessed by an ire that had been pressurized inside her for god knows how long. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get it!? No matter how much I want to chase that horizon, in the end I¡¯m just like the man who keeps saying ¡®it¡¯s useless, it¡¯s useless¡¯, because I know it¡¯s true, I know there¡¯s walls you can¡¯t overcome! This is my real personality, the real me, so¡­ S-so how can you¡­ For a piece of shit like me, how can y-!?¡±

    She didn¡¯t get to finish. Her vision darkened, and all of a sudden she felt her face pressed against the fabric of the man¡¯s shirt. His arms were tight around her, shaking.

    ¡°...It¡¯s not like you to be this chatty,¡± he said in a low, serene voice. ¡°Shut up for a little bit, okay?¡±

 Chapter 21: Best For You

    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± the man with the cross whispered after almost a full minute. ¡°You¡¯re a horrible person, and you¡¯re not even that hot.¡± He paused, and though Sabrina couldn¡¯t see it, she knew he was smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I saw in you.¡±

    Sabrina closed her eyes strongly, her face buried against his shirt.

    If we¡­

    ¡°I wonder¡­ Are you refusing because you¡¯re worried about what he might think? Ha¡­¡±

    If we could stay like this¡­

    ¡°Mr. Azure was very disappointed. He said your drop in performance was due to certain¡­ distractions.¡±

    For just one more minute¡­

    ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down, Sabrina. Don¡¯t let him weaken you. You were so beautiful before, sharp and ruthless¡­ I miss it oh-so dearly.¡± Azure sighed. ¡°If only things could go back to the way they were before¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Come with me,¡± the young man whispered. ¡°Please.¡±

    After what felt like a lifetime, the Gym leader pushed against his chest, slowly taking a few steps back. When she finally looked up, her eyes were dull and colorless. Her expression was the same as when they¡¯d met, so many battles ago.

    Then, to the man¡¯s confusion, a wide, morbid smile stretched across her face.

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    ¡°Heh. You¡¯re something else, you know that?¡±

    ¡°What-?¡±

    ¡°Who the fuck do you think you are?¡±

    He froze in place, eyebrows slowly rising on his face.

    ¡°Let me guess, you thought you could just appear one day with that good boy face of yours, and change me? You thought that as a moral, religious man, it was up to you to save this poor wayward sheep? That¡¯s what you thought, wasn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­?¡±

    Sabrina shrugged, still smiling. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got news for you; I don¡¯t need to be saved. I¡¯m perfectly fine the way I am. And do you want to know something else? All this time, thinking that with your kindness and your idiotic smile you¡¯d managed to melt this wretched girl¡¯s frozen heart¡­ You have no idea how hilarious I found it, how much I laughed at your stupidity when you weren¡¯t around.¡±

    The man¡¯s jaw dropped, his breath seemingly gone from him. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Want me to make it clearer for you? You mean nothing to me,¡± she said plainly. ¡°All you are is some mild entertainment I liked to tune into when I was bored. I don¡¯t care about you in the slightest, I never did.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ You¡¯re lying,¡± he whispered, though he couldn¡¯t hide the tremor in his voice. ¡°You¡¯re lying, right?¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s gaze was unflinching, frigid like ice.

    ¡°You¡¯re-¡±

    He tried to take a step toward her, but froze when he noticed the Pokeball on her hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t take another step,¡± she warned him. There was a flash of light, and a Mr. Mime materialized next to her. And despite his goofy appearance, the man knew well that he was one of the Gym¡¯s most powerful fighters. ¡°If you get an inch closer, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± All hesitation was gone from her voice.

    The look on the man¡¯s face could¡¯ve broken anyone¡¯s heart. Wounded, his wide eyes searched Sabrina¡¯s doggedly for any sign, any indication that¡­

    ¡°Is¡­ is it true?¡± he finally asked. ¡°Everything that happened, was it really¡­?¡±

    ¡°Leave,¡± Sabrina cut him off. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you ever again, whether in my Gym or my city. I¡¯m tired of this game.¡±

    Without saying anything else, the Gym leader turned around and walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the young night.

 Chapter 22: A Recipe for Hate

    As soon as she closed the door behind her, exiting into the small open courtyard at the back of the Gym, Sabrina felt an arm around her shoulders, and the weight of another person leaning on her.

    ¡°Hooooo, talk about ice cold,¡± Azure whistled, his smile so clear in his voice Sabrina could picture it without looking. ¡°That¡¯s the Sabrina I like to see!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± she whispered. Behind her calm tone there was the threat of an imminent explosion.

    ¡°Scaary!¡± protested the man, raising both hands as though to defend himself. ¡°But you know¡­ You are an incredibly good liar, I can¡¯t deny that. Ha, even I almost bought it for a second. But don¡¯t you think you might¡¯ve gone a bit too far? I mean, having to walk home through this cold Saffron night with a broken heart¡­ sigh. Poor guy.¡±

    The last three years of life-and-death battles weren¡¯t nearly as difficult as remaining calm in that very moment. She closed her eyes, fighting tooth and nail for any ounce of serenity.

    ¡°The job,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to have a chat.¡±

    She only had two Pokemon with her at the moment; the previously shown Mr. Mime and an Exeggcute recently brought from the south of the region, which she¡¯d intended to test for the first time during her battle with the man with the cross today. A missed opportunity. Yet she knew another one would come, depending on how difficult their target would be to kill.

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    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me who it is?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll be surprised ?¡±

    Azure waited for a reaction, but when he didn¡¯t get one he just kept talking.

    ¡°It¡¯s almost poetic that you¡¯ll be the one to do it¡­¡±

    ¡°Where are the others?¡±

    ¡°Hehe¡­ The rest are already in position. This won¡¯t be an easy target, you know. If I sent you out there all on your own¡­ Why, I¡¯d lose my precious Gym leader! And then the boss would be very cross with me.¡±

    Sabrina bit her lip, hands balled into fists. ¡°Can you stop being so fucking mysterious?¡±

    ¡°Want a clue? You and her have¡­¡± He turned sharply, his bicolored eyes staring straight into hers. ¡°...a lot in common.¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s eyes went wide.

    A memory came to her, months and months ago during that party¡­

    Something did catch her attention, though. Hushed, furtive whispers; mentions of a certain someone coming back to Saffron¡­ judging by the tone of their voice, it must¡¯ve been someone both admired and feared by them. But who-?

    So¡­ it was her.

    ¡°Sab-¡±

    ¡°Original and best ?¡±

    ¡°...rina.¡±

 Chapter 23: Pretenders

    After being her shadow for all these years, she would now have to kill the person she¡¯d admired since she was a child. Curiously, she didn¡¯t feel anything at the prospect.

    Maybe he¡¯d been right. Maybe this place had eroded her beyond repair.

    ¡°What? Nothing to say to that?¡± Azure huffed, holding the back of his head with his hands. ¡°Boooring.¡±

    She simply shrugged. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I should go get my strongest. That¡¯s all there is to-¡±

    Yet the moment she turned around to head back inside -both to get her Pokeballs and at least a minute of peace- she noticed Azure¡¯s gaze moving fast, somewhere over her shoulders. The slightest show of tension.

    Then, a giddy smile formed on his lips, and he spoke.

    ¡°You¡¯re good, I¡¯ll give you that. But you¡¯re clearly not the sharpest crayon in the box, are you? After all the effort Sabrina made to keep you safe¡­¡±

    Sabrina froze in place, every muscle in her body paralyzed. She heard a faint tap on the grass behind her and slowly, fearfully, turned around to find the man with the cross having just landed on the courtyard, eyes hidden by shadows.

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    ¡°Wh¡­¡±

    This was bad. This was the worst possible situation. How had he managed to sneak in without anyone noticing? And why the fuck had he followed her in the first place?

    Stupid, you¡¯re so stupid! She cursed internally, although deep down¡­

    Without dropping his smile, Azure started to take a step forward but was quickly stopped by Sabrina raising an arm in front of him, staring ahead with eyes like those of a Hoothoot.

    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with this,¡± she said, producing a Pokeball. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to fuck off? Forget about what you heard and leave this city if you don¡¯t want to die. I won¡¯t repeat myself again.¡±

    Azure giggled beside her. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple anymore. This man heard of our plans, which means we can¡¯t let him leave, can we?¡± He left in just enough of a pause for panic to start building inside Sabrina, but what he said next truly threw her into disarray. ¡°Still¡­ it can¡¯t have come as too much of a surprise. I¡¯m sure you already suspected we¡¯d be killing her tonight; you just came to confirm it, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    Sabrina turned to look at Azure, tilting her head in confusion.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°I tried to warn you,¡± the man shrugged, feigning offense even though childish glee bubbled right under the surface of his face. ¡°I told you to be careful with him, but you didn¡¯t listen.¡±

    She didn¡¯t understand what Azure was implying, but she didn¡¯t like that smile on his lips one bit.

    ¡°All this time, feigning interest in you, trying to get close¡­ And you never suspected a thing! He¡¯s been working for the real Sabrina since the very beginning!¡±

 Chapter 24: Someone to Believe.

    ¡°What!? That¡¯s not true!¡± The man with the cross burst forward with anger, shock and hurt still clear on his face. ¡°Sabrina, he¡¯s lying!¡±

    ¡°Am I?¡± Azure whispered, smiling serenely.

    Between the two, Sabrina stood languidly in place, the gears in her brain turning so fast they were giving out smoke.

    Wasn¡¯t it strange? A malicious voice whispered inside her head. How he never told you where he came from, or what he was doing here? He didn¡¯t even tell you his name. Isn¡¯t it suspicious how he always talked so much without saying anything about himself?

    ¡°...Of course,¡± she said, barely audible. A small, bitter smile dragged at the corners of her lips. ¡°Why else¡­ would he be interested in someone like me?¡±

    ¡°S-Sabrina?¡± The man¡¯s voice was pleading. ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ believe him, do you?¡±

    Azure slapped his hands together so loudly and giddily that Sabrina was brought back to reality. ¡°Well then!¡± he exclaimed jovially. ¡°Now that the Meowth is out of the bag, I imagine you won¡¯t have a problem cleaning the filth that¡¯s infiltrated your Gym, right?¡±

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    But she didn¡¯t move, couldn¡¯t. She felt the man with the cross¡¯ eyes on her, wide, begging.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be a nice entree for tonight¡¯s main dish~¡± Azure hummed, placing a hand atop Sabrina¡¯s head like one would do with an attack dog.

    She still had Mr. Mime¡¯s Pokeball in hand, but she couldn¡¯t will her limbs to move. The rawest, most harrowing doubt was reflected in her eyes.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Go on, kill him,¡± Azure urged her. ¡°Why the hesitation? This is the trash that toyed with your emotions for so long, remember?¡±

    ¡°Shut up! That¡¯s not true!¡± The man with the cross bellowed. ¡°I followed you around because¡­ I had to make sure¡­!¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s hand was trembling. Azure stole one last glance at her, and sighed.

    ¡°Hah. Looks like I¡¯ll have to dirty my own hands after all.¡±

    ¡°N-!¡±

    Heart leaping to her throat, Sabrina turned around to protest, but it was-

    ¡°Too late~¡±

    The man¡¯s bicolored eyes fell closed, lips still quirked up into a smile. Then, in a flash too fast for even the eye to follow, a Pokeball was opened and the creature within materialized before the man with the cross.

    The monstrous Nidoqueen, as wide as five men, fell upon the man with a swipe too fast to dodge, tearing into his side with her knife-sharp claws.

 Chapter 25: Heaven is Falling

    The spray of blood from the Nidoqueen¡¯s attack reflected off of Sabrina¡¯s eyes, glistening with moonlight, but thanks to the man¡¯s incredible reflexes the slash only caught him on the side, missing his vitals.

    A lot happened at once. Right as Sabrina pressed the button on her Pokeball, materializing her Mr. Mime by her side, a flash of green light appeared in between the man with the cross and the Nidoqueen as he stumbled back, slamming against the former with monstrous force, enough to send a shockwave of air and push the beast back almost toward the wall.

    It was Clay, the Scyther that always gave her so much trouble in battle. Despite being much smaller than his opponent, the strength behind his scythes threw Nidoqueen off balance with very little difficulty, the bug¡¯s eyes shining with a ferocity unlike any Sabrina had seen before.

    It was enough to give her courage, if just a little. She parted her lips and¡­

    ¡°Mime, Psych-!¡±

    BLAM!

    Completely ignoring the Scyther and his master, Nidoqueen turned on a dime and threw herself at Sabrina like an incoming train. Her massive hand closed around the girl¡¯s torso, lifting her off the ground as though she weighed nothing and slamming her against the wall next to Azure with enough force to loosen some of the bricks, flakes of cement and paint exploding in a cloud around her.

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    ¡°S-Sabrina!¡±

    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that now,¡± Azure sighed, hands calmly shoved in the pockets of his pants. ¡°Are you really going to throw away your future just for this man? Did you think this through at all? If you reconsider and kill him like I ordered you too, I¡¯ll pretend this never happened and we can continue being good friends. What do you say?¡±

    Yet Sabrina could only grunt and struggle against the Nidoqueen¡¯s grip. It was useless, like a young child foolishly attempting to move a stone pillar with their hands.

    ¡°...You know, if you acted like a real psychic, you wouldn¡¯t be in this situation,¡± Azure said, teasing. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s about time you stop ignoring what you are, hm?¡±

    Vision swimming, Sabrina half-opened one of her eyes, looking for her Mr. Mime, when she saw Azure sigh again, and turn to walk toward her, which made her heart sink. But then¡­

    At first she thought her brain had frozen. But no; contrary to her -and even Azure¡¯s- expectations, the man was unable to take that first step, that ever-present smile on his face faltering ever so slightly for the first time since she¡¯d known him. His bicolored eyes widened with surprise, and Sabrina followed them as they looked behind him, over his shoulder.

    There, in the man¡¯s shadow, lay buried a small knife unlike any Sabrina had seen before, its blade short and triangular. Somehow, unbelievably, that alone kept Azure from moving. Even speaking seemed to come as a challenge to him.

    ¡°Hoo¡­ You really are talented, eh?¡±

    The man with the cross simply formed a lopsided, confident smile, his black eyes shining with determination. The wound on his side bled slowly, dripping, red infused with moonlight.

 Chapter 26: Them and Us

    Azure, still completely immobilized by some invisible force, could do little as the man with the cross took another Pokeball out of his pocket, gripping it with shaking fingers.

    Yet he looked strangely calm despite being at his opponent¡¯s mercy, his tight-lipped smile betraying an amused hum in his throat. And on the opposite side of the spectrum, Sabrina was almost sweating blood with the amount of effort it took not to pass out due to the Nidoqueen¡¯s suffocating grip, who seemed to want to push her straight through the wall.

    A part of her short-circuiting brain wondered why the hell Mr. Mime wasn¡¯t doing anything, but then¡­ it wasn¡¯t needed.

    ¡°RHYSHAAH!¡±

    Something fast and purple slammed against the beast¡¯s back like a cannonball, just hard enough for her to relax her grip and allow Sabrina to slip free. The Gym leader fell to her knees, coughing and gasping. And through tear-filled eyes she saw the long, serpentine shape of a familiar Pokemon coiling around the stunned Nidoqueen¡¯s torso, who let out an ear-splitting roar as she tried to shake both of her opponents off.

    Sabrina knew the Arbok well, though due to his inherent type weakness she hadn¡¯t seen much of him during their matches.

    ¡°As long¡­ as the knife is stuck there, he won¡¯t be able to move,¡± the man with the cross explained, reaching Sabrina¡¯s side and pulling her by the shoulder to her feet. His shirt was stained with blood, though thankfully the wound didn¡¯t seem deep. ¡°It won¡¯t¡­ agh, last long, though.¡±

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    Sabrina¡¯s -somewhat oxygen-deprived- brain lagged for a moment, heart racing, as she looked between the struggling Nidoqueen and her listless owner as though she could will their situation to be less shit. A couple breaths later, she leaned against the man¡¯s shoulder and found purchase, determined to do something. To-

    The door on the other side of the courtyard opened before she could speak. A chorus of voices, flashes of Pokeballs being opened, too many things happening at once. Chaos.

    A trio of Houndour jumped the Mr. Mime -who hadn¡¯t moved a single muscle since leaving his ball- and sank their fangs into him as soon as he hit the ground, ruthlessly tearing him apart accompanied by a series of screams that would¡¯ve chilled Sabrina frozen, were it not for the tri-colored beam of light that fell upon them a second later.

    They jumped in opposite directions, barely dodging the attack, but that¡¯s all they had time to do. Three of Azure¡¯s men were already upon the man with the cross by the time his feet touched the ground, grabbing him by the arm and torso, a storm of hands and arms. One of them was trying to choke him, while the other swiftly grabbed the belt full of Pokeballs from his waist, tearing it off and throwing it aside where he couldn¡¯t reach it.

    ¡°Sabr-ghahh!¡±

    Didn¡¯t Azure say everyone was already in position for tonight¡¯s mission? Sabrina wondered in the flash moment before she reached for her second -and last- Pokeball. Maybe¡­ No, it can¡¯t be. Did Azure¡­ know this would happen?

    And like a fitting backdrop to the chaotic painting around, Azure stood immobile and calm, smiling impassively.

 Chapter 27: Its a Long Way to the Promised Land

    Black eyes set alight with fury, the man with the cross screamed at the top of his lungs as he threw the man holding him from behind over his shoulders, instantly producing a knife from his sleeve and stabbing it into his liver the second as he slammed to the ground. Two others reached to grab him, Pokeballs in hand, but he dove forward and vaulted over the one he¡¯d just stabbed, putting distance between them.

    ¡°Agh, they¡­ they have my Pokeballs!¡± he roared as he stumbled back toward Sabrina¡¯s side, eyes moving back and forth dizzyingly. Yet when he glanced over his shoulder, he noticed the girl had her eyes closed tight, as though concentrating on something.

    What followed was an eerily familiar chill, air thinning, compacting around them.

    Come on¡­ Just a little more¡­

    To the man¡¯s great surprise, a faint blue light surrounded their bodies, blurring them, making them fizzle in and out like a broken T.V. image. They were almost gone-

    ¡°Swift!¡±

    A wave of golden energy stars slammed against the back of both trainers, pushing them violently against the nearest pillar and almost throwing Sabrina to the ground.

    ¡°Shit! I can¡¯t¡­ I can¡¯t do it yet!¡± She cursed her weakness as she wiped the blood off her cheek, vision swimming, head pounding.

    A familiar, chillingly cruel laugh echoed from behind them, almost too far back to hear properly.

    ¡°It¡¯s already too late!¡± Azure bellowed, sounding positively ecstatic, like a child about to open a birthday present. ¡°Do you see now, Sabrina? At the most critical moment, when it truly mattered, you doubted him! You chose to believe me! And now it¡¯s too late, no matter what you do!¡±

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    ¡°SHUT U-!!¡±

    A massive figure slammed against the wall behind them, shattering it with ease and forming a huge hole beneath the body of the Pokemon that had been tossed. The man¡¯s Arbok lay unconscious over a pile of rubble. And on the opposite side, Azure¡¯s Nidoqueen cracked her knuckles, eyes fixed on the wounded Scyther before her.

    Bursting with panic and adrenaline, Sabrina¡¯s eyes went to the hole in the wall. It led to the Gym arena, and thus, the exit.

    ¡°Now!¡± she screamed, grabbing the man by the arm. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Wait-no! Clay!¡±

    Struggling against Sabrina¡¯s pull, the man looked horrified over his shoulder at the Scyther who could barely dodge the barrage of fire from the Houndour as well as Nidoqueen¡¯s punches. He was fast, faster than the eye could follow, but against so many of them¡­

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    In their distraction, a pair of buzzing Beedril appeared in between them and the exit. Sabrina froze in place. She still had another Pokemon, but-

    He didn¡¯t think about it for a moment. In an inhuman burst of speed fueled by fear and loyalty alike, the Scyther cut a zig-zagging green path around his opponents and threw himself at the two Beedril, blocking their stingers with each of his scythes. His two new opponents threw themselves at him alongside the four behind, and yet somehow, miraculously, Clay managed to hold them off for a few moments, dancing between their attacks like smoke through one¡¯s fingers.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sabrina repeated, desperately dragging the man toward the exit. ¡°Please!¡±

    Tears forming in his eyes, the man with the cross finally stopped resisting. They took the first step over the rubble.

    ¡°Clay¡­ CLAY! Please¡­ Don¡¯t die, partner!¡±

    He took one last, painful look back; he would never see his Pokemon again.

    And they started to run.

 Chapter 28: In the Night

    ¡°Kill the man, and bring me Sabrina. Preferably in one piece, though if it can¡¯t be helped I¡¯ll be content with just her pretty little head.¡±

    Azure, finally free of that odd shadow binding, dusted himself off and spoke as casually as an office boss asking his secretary for a cup of coffee.

    ¡°Oh¡­ And take them too,¡± he added, pointing toward something buried in the rubble of the now destroyed courtyard. The look on his face as he raised his finger would¡¯ve frozen the veins of the bravest person.

    <hr>

    The small group of men scouting the outside of the Gym were used to testing challengers before they were judged worthy to fight Sabrina, so they had some knowledge of Pokemon battling. Yet as they made their way toward the cold and dark Saffron streets, few could hide their nervousness.

    ¡°What are you so afraid of?¡± one of them, the oldest and tallest, elbowed his partner and stepped forward. ¡°Gym leader or not, there¡¯s little she can do without Pokem-¡±

    He cut himself off, raising a hand to stop the rest as he noticed something in the distance. The men narrowed their eyes. Was that¡­? Something like a body was collapsed past the edge of the nearest turn, what seemed like a head visible above the rubble.

    ¡°D-did the rest get them already?¡±

    They advanced slowly, carefully. What must¡¯ve been the man¡¯s head was covered in a dirty black cloth, or was it his jacket? The bravest of them stepped forward and quickly snatched it back.

    A bad idea.

    Six pairs of eyes met his. The Exeggcute smiled maliciously as it spat a cloud of yellow dust forward, which quickly covered the entire group.

    ¡°Gh-ghah! Stun¡­ s-spore¡­!?¡±

    Not too far away, the man with the cross looked over his shoulder as he ran, his teeth chattering and his fingers numb from the ruthless cold. The Saffron streets were so badly lit and full of rubble that he and Sabrina kept tripping every few seconds. And the various wounds and scratches on them certainly didn¡¯t help. It was a moonless night, and the thick blanket of clouds above hid every single star in the firmament.

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    ¡°D-did it work?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see them following us, so you tell me,¡± Sabrina replied, struggling to keep up with his running. Stamina had never been her strong suit.

    At the sound of that, the man waited for her and then wrapped one of his arms around her head in a chokehold, laughing as he ruffled her head in glee.

    ¡°Haha, we did it! Who would¡¯ve thought; in the end it was your dirty tricks I hate so much that saved our hides!¡±

    ¡°I c-can¡¯t¡­ breath¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry. Hehe.¡±

    Before she could tell the man she¡¯d be more than happy to leave him behind next time he did that, she saw him stop in place only a moment after they resumed their running. He was looking at an old woman crossing the street near them.

    He didn¡¯t hesitate for a second. At first the woman seemed alarmed to see a man bleeding from the side approaching, but then he gently grabbed her by the shoulders and spoke.

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯m imploring you to return to your home,¡± he said with that tone that had -unknowingly- worked so well on Sabrina all this time. ¡°Saffron is dangerous at this time of night, and it will only get worse. Please¡­¡±

    The old lady looked at him and spluttered, unsure of what to say.

    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this!¡± Sabrina complained, grabbing him by the arm and pulling away. ¡°I¡¯m sure more of them are on their way, come on!¡±

    ¡°A-ah! Please, go back to your home, stay safe! Jeez, I¡¯m coming¡­¡±

    They kept running in silence for an indeterminate amount of time, scurrying through forgotten alleyways and avoiding any street that was even remotely lit. And the further they got, the more Sabrina actually realized what she was doing. She was leaving the Gym. Leaving the city. The ramifications of that choice terrified her, overwhelmed her. Was she really going to¡­? What the hell was she supposed to do from now on? Where would she go? Could she even survive on her own?

    No¡­ not on her own. If she was at his side¡­ as long as they were together, she could go anywhere. That thought brought -for the first time since she could remember- a smile to her face. She felt more alive than ever before, emboldened by the knife-sharp cold winds running past her face.

    After a few more minutes, however, the man with the cross stopped to lean against a nearby wall, wheezing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s rest, just for a second. Okay?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± she said, glancing nervously over her shoulder. ¡°Not until we leave the city.¡±

    ¡°Ha¡­ I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    Tearing himself from the wall, he followed Sabrina¡¯s lead -why wasn¡¯t he the one in front?- for a good few minutes in which the girl was too focused on their immediate survival to realize the man was slowly falling behind. Until it was too late.

    ¡°Huh?¡± She finally noticed, and turned to look at him. ¡°What¡¯s wr¡­?¡±

    One hand over his wound, the man slowly raised his head, black eyes meeting green. The expression on his face was one she¡¯d never seen before¡­ sad¡­ so terribly, agonizingly sad¡­

 Chapter 29: Generator

    ¡°H-hey¡­?¡±

    Sabrina took a step toward him, doubtful. The man didn¡¯t speak, simply formed a small, tired smile. A smile that knew a lot, that perhaps knew it all.

    Suddenly, speaking became horribly difficult for her.

    ¡°W-we can¡¯t stop here, they¡¯ll reach us any s-¡±

    All conscious thought left Sabrina as she saw him fall as though in slow motion, one knee giving in first, then another. She jumped to catch him without hesitation. His head was inches from hitting the ground when she slid beneath him, acting as his cushion.

    ¡°He¡­ hehe¡­ I can feel my face going all red. Having a girl stop my fall like that¡­¡±

    A twisting, gnashing horror tore through Sabrina¡¯s entrails, as though they were being devoured from the inside, leaving her empty, hollow.

    She didn¡¯t understand. Her eyes studied him from head to toe; he was a bit bruised and scratched, sure, but none of his wounds were that serious. But his hand¡­ he was pressing it against his side¡­ The Nidoqueen¡¯s slash? It¡¯d been barely a scratch, nothing that could-

    Her eyes widened with the cold, cruel realization.

    ¡°Do you see now, Sabrina? At the most critical moment, when it truly mattered, you doubted him! You chose to believe me! And now it¡¯s too late, no matter what you do!¡±

    The young man formed that sad, apologetic smile again.

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    ¡°The¡­ poison¡­¡± Sabrina muttered.

    Panic flooded her nerves. This-this level of desperation was foreign to her; she wasn¡¯t used to being worried, to fear, not even for her own life. Indifference toward everything had become second nature to her. A shield to keep her safe. Devoid of it¡­

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± she said, trying to sound and appear calm despite every inch of her body shaking like a leaf. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I know someone who¡¯s good at dealing with poisons. She won¡¯t be happy to have customers at this hour, and it might not be¡­ the safest option, but it¡¯s our best shot right now.¡±

    ¡°Sabrina¡­¡±

    Not giving him a chance to retort, she grabbed his arm and threw it around her shoulders, forcing him to his feet after a few failures. Her small, weak body shook under the man¡¯s weight. Regardless, she put one foot in front of the other, again and again.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Everything will be alright,¡± she reassured him in between wheezes. The cold was getting sharper, more painful. She didn¡¯t remember any Saffron colder than this one. ¡°It¡¯s not too far-¡±

    The world turned around. She caught a flash of light off the corner of her eye, and then something burning and weightless slammed into her from behind. All the air left her lungs. She was lifted off her feet, vision swimming, her body rolling a few times on the ground before finally crashing in the middle of the street.

    Her senses were in disarray. Numb, pained. Through cloudy eyes she noticed a few pairs of boots in front of her, and the familiar sound of derisive laughter and Pokemon barking.

    ¡°We kill the pretty boy first, right?¡± she heard with sudden clarity, and saw a hand close around a familiar, wild mess of black hair, lifting the man with the cross¡¯ head off the pavement.

    No¡­

    Even as a brat, Sabrina had known what she was. She¡¯d never known other psychics in real life -it wasn¡¯t a particularly common gift- but she¡¯d read plenty about them; their talents and skills, what they eventually learned to do with that incredible power. And¡­ even as a brat, she¡¯d realized she was quite inferior to them.

    By the time most psychics could levitate small furniture, she still struggled to bend a spoon. She¡¯d tried at first. To train hard, to shorten the gap between reality and expectations, what could be considered ¡®normal¡¯ for one of her kind, but her lack of progress quickly frustrated her. Soured her toward the whole ordeal. It drove her further and further away from her own nature, and brought her closer toward what she was actually good at: Pokemon battles.

    In that moment, as she rose to her feet, Sabrina¡¯s own voice sounded strange in her ears. If she¡¯d seen herself in a mirror, her eyes blank and expressionless, engulfed in psychic blue flames, her hair flowing freely behind her like tendrils of darkness, she probably wouldn¡¯t have recognized herself.

    ¡°DON¡¯T TOUCH HIM!¡±

    In an instant, three of the men surrounding them -one of them their soon to have been executioner- were enveloped by a blue-ish light and then thrown against the nearest wall with inhuman force, the sound of shattering bones echoing like gunshots in the night.

    Sabrina stumbled forward, head low. Her clothes swayed with the wind, covered in the same blue flames.

    A single word, spoken by one of the surviving men, managed to break the silence.

    ¡°M¡­ Monster¡­¡±

 Chapter 30: Broken

    The remaining men took a step back without realizing it. Though they¡¯d never been friends with the Gym leader nor exchanged more than a hello or a superfluous chat, they¡¯d worked together for over three years. They¡¯d sat on the same table, drunk the same drinks.

    Even then, they had no qualms about killing her if ordered to, but they¡¯d never expected to see¡­

    The girl, eyes still ablaze with unbridled psychic energy, pointed at one of them. The man shot like a bullet toward a nearby lamp post, his body bending unnaturally, the sound of the impact wet and visceral.

    Various clicks were heard. The sound of Pokeballs opening; the flashes of light, and the figures they released onto the cold night, finally brought Sabrina back to reality. Her eyes returned to normal, and the blue flames surrounding her body disappeared.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ you,¡± she whispered in awe. ¡°A-agh!¡± A pain like a nail driving into her skull assaulted her all at once, the recoil from her reckless use of her own powers. ¡°Ghh¡­¡±

    The remaining men had freed half a dozen Pokemon around her. There was a proud, serious Noctowl, an old, wise Hypno, a Haunter, a Starmie, a hefty-looking Slowbro, and a Kadabra.

    All of them¡­ hers. The Gym¡¯s Pokemon, the ones that had fought countless battles and survived countless dangers alongside her.

    This¡­ this is a miracle, the Gym leader thought, unable to believe it. She wasn¡¯t used to such brimming, unbridled hope. Only seconds ago we had no chance of escaping, but with them¡­ Forget escaping, we could take the whole fucking city if we wanted to!

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    Without hesitation, she started walking toward the Kadabra -the first Pokemon she¡¯d ever fought alongside in the Gym- and tried to speak to him telepathically. The beast¡¯s narrow, indolent eyes followed her every movement without blinking.

    ¡®First we have to teleport somewhere his wounds can be treated-¡¯

    ¡°Psybeam.¡±

    The multi-colored beam of light hit Sabrina full on in the stomach, sending her tumbling a few desperate steps back. In her shock, her exhausted brain came to a realization. That flash, that feeling¡­ It was the same attack that had caught her from behind only minutes ago.

    ¡°W¡­ What?¡±

    Slowly, coughing along the way, she raised her head to look at her Pokemon again.

    ¡°This is a joke, right?¡±

    ¡°Psycho Cut.¡±

    Her shoulder burst with a sudden spray of blood, violent enough to stain her neck and cheek. Sabrina stumbled back, dizzy, pained beyond belief.

    ¡°Wh¡­¡±

    She knew them, better than anyone else. Knew every one of their scars, their quirks, every fighting style, every talent and weakness¡­ The Noctowl¡¯s blind eye, Kadabra¡¯s surprisingly fast Teleport, Starmie¡¯s reflexes, Slowbro¡¯s bad leg¡­ Every battle fought shoulder to shoulder, every brush with death¡­ All that trust in one another, as blind as could be¡­

    She tried to rise again, eyes still wide from shock.

    That purple, glowing edge materialized from Kadabra¡¯s spoon again, and she swore she could feel it upon her skin-

    Something jumped in between them. The man with the cross, more dead than alive, rose to shield her from the attack, and the spray of blood that burst from his chest filled Sabrina¡¯s vision in its entirety.

 Chapter 31: Gods Love

    The man with the cross slumped weightlessly next to Sabrina, having used the last of his strength to shield her from that attack. Almost in a trance, she looked down at him. He wheezed painfully, choking on a mouthful of blood, the rest pooling beneath his chest as he shuddered with the cold¡­

    Her gaze returned to her old Pokemon, who met it with the apathetic coolness of living weapons. They¡¯d¡­ they¡¯d really forgotten it all. Or maybe they¡¯d never¡­ Maybe it¡¯d only been an illusion, a lie.

    All the time they¡¯d spent together¡­

    She saw them approach, heard voices as though at the other end of a long tunnel.

    ¡°Maybe if we take him alive Mr. Azure can have a little fun with him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d like to ask him a few questions.¡±

    ¡°Fuck, do something about the girl first. Don¡¯t want her going all Jedi on us again.¡±

    Sabrina barely heard -past the rush of blood in her ears- as a hand lowered itself toward her, but before it could touch her a blinding flash of purple lit up the night.

    Pushed by an invisible force, the Noctowl on the man¡¯s shoulders was thrown aside like a ragdoll, leaving behind a handful of feathers. The man soon followed. And then the Hypno, who despite managing the hit better than the other two still hit the ground hard, rolling over a few times.

    ¡°What!? Who the fuck is-!?¡± One of the men cried out, looking all around in a panic.

    ¡°There!¡± cried another, seeing the flash of light come from behind them, taking Starmie out of commission. ¡°It came from there, come on!¡±

    Several hurried steps, furious screams. A flash, then another.

    And then silence.

    Sabrina was unsure of how much time passed. A couple of minutes most likely; the blood loss had left her somewhat lethargic, but a weak cough next to her returned -with a jolt- the light to her eyes.

    Run. We have to run, I have to¡­ get him out of here!

    She didn¡¯t even stop to think about the miracle that had saved them. Kneeling down, she threw the man¡¯s arm over her shoulder again and -letting out a raw, guttural scream- pulled him up with monstrous effort, putting one foot in front of the other. Their clothes were drenched in blood. Sabrina barely made it five steps before her knees gave out, sending them both to the frozen asphalt.

    ¡°Gh¡­ no, no! Sh¡­ it¡­¡±

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    Despite fighting with everything she had to lift them both, Sabrina failed. In a second they were both on the ground again, panting furiously.

    ¡°Sabrina¡­¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡±

    ¡°Sabrina-¡±

    ¡°NO! I can¡­ I can do it! Just shut up and wait! I¡¯ll get us out of here¡­¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ SHIT!¡±

    Her fist slammed against the ground, though it was so weak it barely made a noise.

    ¡°...They¡¯ll be on us soon.¡±

    ¡°I know! I¡­ I know.¡±

    A brief silence. Wind whistled through the space between buildings.

    ¡°Could you¡­ search in the pocket of my jacket?¡± the man asked then, barely a whisper.

    She obeyed, unable to give it much thought, and furrowed her bloodied brow in confusion when she pulled out a small knife, identical to the one the man had used to immobilize Azure and kill those men in the Gym.

    ¡°I¡¯m not good with these types of weapons,¡± she said, frustrated. ¡°And it¡¯s not gonna be any good against Pokemon, in any case.¡±

    Another beat of silence.

    ¡°It¡¯s not for them,¡± was the simple answer.

    Sabrina slowly turned her head toward him, eyes widening.

    ¡°Heh¡­ When my little brother finds out about this¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll hate me.¡±

    ¡°W-what? You¡¯re¡­ You don¡¯t mean-You c-can¡¯t expect me to¡­!¡±

    The man¡¯s pale, frigid hand closed around her shaking fingers with the strength of a vice, centering her. Slowly aiming the knife.

    ¡°This poison¡¯s¡­ not something I can be saved from at this point. You know that, right?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡± she bellowed. ¡°This woman¡¯s an expert on poisons, if we can just reach her¡­¡±

    The man¡¯s black eyes changed, they were pleading now.

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t let them take me, please¡­¡±

    Trembling uncontrollably, a deep, gnashing fury took hold of Sabrina ¡°You son of a bitch¡­ After doing¡­ after doing¡­ this,¡± she said, unable to find a word for the change she¡¯d suffered since he¡¯d arrived. ¡°You think I¡¯m gonna let you die!? Like hell!¡±

    ¡°If you stay with me, you¡¯ll die too¡­ and that¡¯s¡­¡±

    Sabrina opened her mouth, but he interrupted her before she could say what they both knew she was thinking.

    ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE SAY YOU DON¡¯T CARE!¡±

    The scream clearly took a lot out of him, because the man immediately suffered a fit of coughing, wet and bloody. His voice much weaker, he fought to keep talking.

    ¡°Before them¡­ I¡¯d rather the last thing I see is your face, even if y-you¡¯re not gonna cry for me, ha¡­¡±

    The blade of the knife shook violently beneath Sabrina¡¯s fingers. Wrapped around them, the man¡¯s hand kept tugging it toward his own chest, but she resisted with everything she had.

    ¡°For giving you this sort of burden¡­ I¡¯m sorry. But, one last time, let me¡­¡± He smiled. ¡°Let me be a little selfish¡­ yeah?¡±

    Sabrina¡¯s eyes fell closed. She stopped seeing, hearing. Her hands gave out. And as the knife fell, a brief scene flashed before her eyes. Gone were the night and the blood and the frozen wind; she saw herself sitting beneath that oak tree alongside him, surrounded by piles and piles of books, the lethargic cries of Pokemon humming in the branches above¡­

    She almost didn¡¯t hear the sound of the blade burying in his flesh.

 Chapter 32: Epiphany

    ¡°Ah¡­ I almost forgot.¡±

    The voice of the man bleeding out on the asphalt was faint. He brought a hand to his neck with great difficulty, and a metallic jingle resounded in the night. From his bloodied fingers hung a silver cross, gleaming, spotless. It didn¡¯t stay that way for long, as thin droplets of red soon began dripping down the chain.

    ¡°This¡­ is for you. I know-I know you don¡¯t believe and¡­ you must think it¡¯s dumb and sappy but, like this¡­ maybe I can keep protecting you after I¡¯m gone, eh?¡±

    And he smiled. Sabrina, her head hanging low, extended her hand without realizing and felt the cold metal against her.

    ¡°Haha, what a mess, huh? I couldn¡¯t¡­ couldn¡¯t even hold hands with you, though¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not the type anyway, heh.¡±

    A white, frozen speck fell on top of their interlaced fingers. Snow.

    ¡°You¡¯re free now, but y¡¯know¡­ that life you told me about, I would¡¯ve loved to see it¡­ with you. Ha¡­ Haha¡­ What¡¯s with that face? Are you sad?¡±

    That comment was the last straw; Sabrina couldn¡¯t keep it in anymore.

    ¡°O-of course I am!¡±

    ¡°...Promise me. From now on, don¡¯t ever stop. Break through those walls. You have¡­ to see that horizon, no matter what. Can you promise me that?¡±

    The frozen specks of white were raining upon them now, piling up all around them, atop their clothes, atop the puddle of blood growing at their feet. Sabrina nodded, almost automatically.

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    The man¡¯s tired, near-sightless eyes looked up at the night sky. And a nostalgic smile formed on his lips.

    ¡°Look,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s snowing.¡±

    -

    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if it snowed. Then again, it hasn¡¯t snowed in Saffron for over fifty years, so¡­¡± She realized what she was saying and tensed up. ¡°I don¡¯t really care, not like it makes any difference to me,¡± she quickly added.

    ¡°Ha! You are a brat, see? You wanna play in the snow, don¡¯t you?¡±

    -

    ¡°H¡­hey,¡± Sabrina muttered, an edge of desperation to her voice. Her hands were trembling. ¡°What-what I said at the Gym earlier today, that¡­ that I didn¡¯t care about you, that was¡­ all a lie, you know?¡±

    Silence was her only answer.

    ¡°...Hey?¡±

    His cold fingers no longer applied pressure against hers.

    ¡°You¡­ you heard me, right?¡±

    She was shaking so hard the jingling of the chain was all she could hear.

    The wildest, most ridiculous thoughts piled up on her brain one after another. She wondered, against all logic, if there¡¯d be a way to turn back the clock, to save him¡­ any way, anything.

    Kneeling over his body, both of her hands pressed so tightly against the cross it hurt, Sabrina lowered her head and spoke, caring not for how ludicrous and pathetic she sounded.

    ¡°Please, if you¡¯re there¡­ if you¡¯re really there, please, I-I beg you¡­ bring him back. I don¡¯t care what I have to do, please, I¡¯d¡­ I¡¯d give anything, I¡¯D GIVE ANYTHING!!!¡±

    The scream tore her throat apart. She hadn¡¯t even noticed the tears falling, crystalline, over her bloodied cheeks. After a few long seconds, her expression shifted. Twisted into pure, boiling anger, she let out another scream and punched the blanket of snow beneath her, burying the cross deep into it.

    Would it¡­

    Would it be so bad¡­ to lay down and die here, alongside him?

 Chapter 33: (Why do we) Pity the Dead

    Sabrina thought she heard voices in the distance. Her eyes opened again. She¡¯d almost forgotten -or maybe she simply didn¡¯t care anymore- that she was still being pursued. It was only a matter of time before another group of Azure¡¯s men was sent after her, after the first never returned.

    ¡°From now on, don¡¯t ever stop.¡±

    She gripped the cross with every ounce of strength she could muster and, trembling, unstable, rose to her feet. Limping, she walked toward the nearest of the corpses produced from her brief explosion of psychokinetic prowess, and picked up the first Pokeball she could see on his person as the distant voices grew nearer and nearer. She started walking as fast as she could, one hand over the cut on her shoulder. Trying not to look back.

    The snow storm had evolved into an all-out blizzard, and the girl¡¯s feet sank to the ankles in snow with every step she took. At first, she managed to cover some ground. But the persistent blood-loss, combined with the growing difficulty of every step against the growing blanket of snow covering the streets, made her progress unbearably slow and languid.

    Yet she didn¡¯t feel the cold. Didn¡¯t feel the pain. She felt nothing except a crushing, all-consuming exhaustion. Defeat.

    If there were a god, this would¡¯ve never¡­ They wouldn¡¯t have let him¡­ Why? Why did it have to be him?

    No¡­ it was my fault. If I¡¯d believed him from the start, if I hadn¡¯t doubted, I could¡¯ve blocked that attack. I¡­ I could¡¯ve pushed him away before¡­ I could¡¯ve¡­

    But even those thoughts began to dwindle, going off one by one like the lights of the street lamps around her, blanketing her in that stark, unbreakable silence.

    <iframe width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/257756028&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false"></iframe>

    The snow reached up to her calves now; making any kind of progress was nearly impossible.

    -

    A priest, eh? Let''s see what he''s capable of.

    She stuck a hand inside the box and pulled out a Pokeball. Her foe did the same, never dropping that irritating smile.

    "Let''s have a nice, clean battle," he exclaimed, bowing respectfully.

    -

    One could say she walked thoughtlessly, simply putting one foot in front of the other. Eyes empty, lifeless.

    -

    "Aren''t you a little young to be smoking?" he asked disapprovingly.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    "Aren''t you a little old to be believing in god?" she spat back.

    -

    She didn¡¯t even know where she was going. There was nothing but snow and the dark, cloudy sky.

    -

    "Y-you¡­ backstabbing, traitorous¡­!" He seriously looked on the verge of losing it from anger. "What kind of trainer does something like that!? You''re a disgrace to all Gym leaders!"

    -

    All she could hear was the sound of her own breathing, and the wet thump of her feet sinking into snow.

    -

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she asked. The can was pleasantly warm.

    ¡°It¡¯s called coffee,¡± replied the man with the cross, sitting alongside her on one of the hanging steel beams, struggling to open his own. They were alone in an abandoned construction site west of the Gym. The sun was starting to rise. ¡°You¡¯re drunk. No wonder you¡¯re often mistaken for a man; you drink more than one.¡±

    -

    Why did she flee? What was the point¡­?

    -

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t attend our duel today,¡± he explained. ¡°And I promised I¡¯d challenge you every day, didn¡¯t I?¡±

    -

    Had it all been real? Had it¡­ really happened?

    -

    ¡°Then that means¡­ you can, y¡¯know¡­¡±

    He pressed a finger against his temple, screwing up his face like a prune; an expression so stupid and childish that the Gym leader could barely keep the corners of her mouth from perking up.

    -

    Yes¡­ this feeling, this pain¡­ was authentic. It could only belong to him.

    -

    ¡°Then teach me.¡±

    The man wasn¡¯t smiling anymore as he took a step toward her, staring straight into her eyes. And in that breathless moment, his usual childishness fell from his expression like a mask cracking, and beneath was the face of a more mature, deathly serious man.

    ¡°I want to see it too,¡± he said. ¡°If what your eyes see is truly that beautiful¡­ then I too¡­¡±

    -

    The cross hung from her free hand, stained with blood and covered in snow crystals.

    -

    ¡°I¡¯m trying, okay?¡± she complained, grabbing a cigarette from her pack. ¡°I never said I was good at this.¡±

    ¡°You clearly aren¡¯t,¡± he said, immediately swiping the cig from her mouth.

    -

    Tired¡­ She was so, so tired.

    -

    She didn¡¯t get to finish. Her vision darkened, and all of a sudden she felt her face pressed against the fabric of the man¡¯s shirt. His arms were tight around her, shaking.

    ¡°...It¡¯s not like you to be this chatty,¡± he said in a low, serene voice. ¡°Shut up for a little bit, okay?¡±

    -

    Her footsteps ceased. She couldn¡¯t keep going. She would be buried by the storm in this spot; it would swallow her entire existence, erasing every mistake, every sin...

    Then, with that thought, the wind ceased. The storm stilled unnaturally.

    ¡°Is that all?¡± asked a woman¡¯s voice, both near and far at the same time. ¡°If you¡¯re really ¡®me¡¯, then strive to do a little better than that.¡±

 Finale: To Another Abyss

    ¡°This is where the trail of blood ends, so that buried over here must b-HEY! What¡¯d grandma say? Don¡¯t touch dead people!¡±

    A boy no older than twelve tugged at his younger sister¡¯s arm with disgust, while a third kid approached with a long branch in hand, poking the corpse a couple times. There was no reaction.

    There were no signs of last night¡¯s brutal blizzard save for the snow still on the ground. The sky was a pristine blue and the sun shone with no cloud to hide behind. The trio of children -all siblings- were badly dressed for the weather, not to mention dirty from playing in the mud and snow all day. By pure coincidence, one of them had spotted a dried-up trail of blood. They followed it toward a large tree, and a person buried in its shadow beneath the snow.

    Only a speck of black fabric could be seen under the pile of white.

    ¡°Must be an old man that didn¡¯t make it home last night,¡± the older one guessed.

    After doubting for a moment, the siblings knelt down and began to dig up the poor bastard. Under the sunlight filtering through the leaves above, they noticed that their arm was quite skinny; maybe a child or-?

    ¡°It¡¯s a woman,¡± muttered the one with the branch. ¡°Young.¡±

    ¡°What happened to her?¡± asked their sister.

    ¡°Maybe¡­ she sat down to rest, and never opened her eyes again.¡±

    A beat of silence. Then, the older one noticed something.

    ¡°That hat¡­ hey, did you hear? Earlier, the radio. There was something last night, yeah? A fight or¡­¡±

    His brother nodded. ¡°They said something about treason. The Gym leader¡­ No, not the one from T.V.¡± he cleared up, seeing the momentary ray of hope in his sister¡¯s eyes. ¡°The ¡®other¡¯ Sabrina¡­ they said she escaped after making a mess. A lot of people died¡­ I think the mafia was looking for her.¡±

    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s¡­¡±

    Wondering, the older boy placed the branch beneath the girl¡¯s chin, lifting up her face a little. Yet to their disappointment, she looked like a perfectly ordinary girl.

    All three of them, however, screamed when she opened her eyes suddenly.

    ¡°G-G-GRANDMA! Go get grandma!¡±

    <hr>

    The first thing Sabrina noted upon waking up was that she was freezing.

    She pushed herself up as much as she could. Beneath her lay an old, torn-up sofa; her arms, one of her shoulders and most of her torso was covered in multiple layers of bandages. Her forehead, too. Her face and cheeks were covered in band-aids, and a handful of old, dirty jackets were piled up on top of her upper body, trying to shield her from the cold.

    Sunlight filtered through a window overhead. She tried to sit up, but the moment she put weight on her elbow she let out a grunt of pain.

    ¡­I¡¯m alive, she noted, indifferent.

    There were footsteps. Slowly, she turned to look at the person under the sill of the door.

    ¡°Good heavens!¡±

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    The old, chubby woman ran back toward the kitchen, making a whole lot of racket.

    She closed her eyes; maybe she¡¯d be able to sleep a little m-

    ¡°Here, girl! Please eat something, you¡¯re all skin and bones!¡±

    The woman was by her side before she could complete the thought, carrying a tray full of what little food she could gather. Bread, cheese, even a bit of fruit. Before she could even think about whether she felt hunger or not, more footsteps rang. A trio of little kids surrounded her, looking both excited and scared at the same time.

    ¡°You¡¯re on the outskirts of Saffron, in case you¡¯re wondering,¡± the oldest-looking one declared proudly. ¡°I brought you here on my back!¡±

    ¡°Bleh, don¡¯t lie,¡± the other boy muttered under his breath.

    ¡°I looked after you all night!¡± the smallest girl said excitedly, trying to make way through his siblings.

    Sabrina stared at them listlessly, the people who¡¯d saved her life. Yet she felt no gratitude toward them, toward her own luck. She felt nothing. Behind her eyes lie nothing but a boundless emptiness. Something had been lost. Something irreplaceable.

    ¡°By the way, this must be yours,¡± the old woman said, taking a glittering silver cross from her pocket. Sabrina grabbed it as she finished siding her own hoodie over her body. ¡°You were holding onto it so tightly! We thought we¡¯d need a crowbar to pry it off, haha! Oh, and this too, of course¡­¡±

    To her surprise, she was also given the Pokeball she¡¯d stolen from one of her captors. And as she took it, she glanced at its surface for the first time, gleaming the silhouette of a small, triangular Pokemon inside, looking up at her with happy round eyes.

    Voices. Outside, faint at first yet slowly growing higher in volume, clearer. There were many of them. Sabrina didn¡¯t move. What did it matter?

    The old woman and the kids exchanged a quick, silent look. Sabrina scanned their expressions with an empty gaze.

    She understood, of course. Such an old woman, taking care of three young kids? They were clearly dirt poor too. Anyone in their shoes would¡¯ve been interested in the reward Azure had surely dangled over the whole town for her capture. She couldn¡¯t blame them.

    The footsteps grew louder. Someone was knocking furiously at the door.

    Not knowing why, Sabrina looked past the window at her right. It must¡¯ve shown the side opposite to the door, because there was no one there, there was nothing but snow, hung clothes drying in the sun and a few dead plants. Yet something caught her eye. In between the dried-up shrubs, barely rising above the snow, a minuscule green sprout fought to receive even a single ray of sunlight.

    The girl¡¯s eyes grew wide.

    ¡°Can you promise me that?¡±

    It was like something burst inside of her.

    In a flash of movement, she jumped to her feet and grabbed the small girl by the shoulder, turning her around and pressing the knife from the tray of food against her throat. Her only Pokeball opened behind her. The small, triangular creature inside jumped toward the window, shattering it with its body, opening a way out.

    The little girl let out a choked cry. Sabrina pressed the edge of the knife tighter against her jugular.

    ¡°Move or scream and I¡¯ll slice her throat open,¡± she said with a serene voice. The family knew it was no boast. There was absolutely no doubt in those cold green eyes.

    Three more knocks on the door. Sabrina didn¡¯t wait; she kicked the girl forward, on top of her grandmother, and grabbed a piece of bread from the tray before running toward the window and jumping out, hearing the distant sound of the door being brought down. Screams, angry and fearful in equal measure.

    And she ran. She ran as fast as her legs could manage. Without thinking, barely stopping to breathe. She ran until she could hear nothing but the rush of the wind and her own furious breathing. She ran perhaps for a full hour, until her body gave out and she collapsed face-first into the snow.

    It took her long minutes to bring her heart under control, her muscles loudly complaining all the way. When she finally rose to her feet, she noticed the silhouette of the whole city in the distance. Somehow, she¡¯d made her way toward the peak of a distant hill.

    ¡­Now what?

    First off, she¡¯d need to get as far away from Saffron as she could; Kanto too, if possible. She made a mental list of her belongings. She had a single change of clothes, a weak-looking Snorunt, a kitchen knife and a piece of bread.

    She had no idea what her next steps would be, but one certainty burned bright inside her. She would stop for no one, for nothing, ever again. Humans, Pokemon¡­ to stay alive, she would use both if the need arose.

    With one last glance over her shoulder, she captured as much as she could of Saffron behind her eyes before turning around, throwing the silver cross around her neck, and walking away. The Snorunt followed closely behind, hopping happily along.

    Shit¡­ I¡¯m gonna need some cash.