Walking into the Saffron Gym, the decorations resembled an ancient temple, faintly exuding an eerie aura. Seeing no one come forward to greet him, Red leisurely toured the Saffron Gym on his own. By chance, he arrived outside a certain room's window and saw people inside training their psychic powers.
But these people in white lab coats clearly had no talent for psychic abilities. Psychic power was mostly something one was born with, inherited through bloodlines. Ordinary people could hardly master its release through mere training.
As for their so-called training, it was even more absurd—nothing more than guessing the pattern on flipped playing cards or staring intensely at a spoon in their hands, trying to bend it with their minds. In reality, it was more a result of holding their breath too long and instinctively twisting it with physical force.
"What are you doing here?"
At that moment, a man with orange hair, dressed in a white lab coat and wearing a mask, walked over.
"What do you think?" Red glanced at him. "Other than challenging the League Gym, do you think I came here to learn psychic powers like you?"
"Hmph! So you're here to challenge Miss Sabrina!" the orange-haired man sneered. "You look like a rookie Trainer who just started traveling. Let me kindly remind you—you have no idea how strong Miss Sabrina is. Powerful psychic abilities are not something someone like you can compete with!"
After speaking, the orange-haired man took out a spoon and glared fiercely at it, attempting to bend it with his mind. As time passed, the spoon showed no change at all. Instead, his face gradually turned bright red from holding his breath too long.
In the end, whether due to psychic power or simply the force of his thumb, the spoon finally bent ever so slightly.
"...?" Red looked at him speechlessly, saying nothing.
"See that? That's the power of psychic abilities! Without psychic power, you can never defeat Miss Sabrina!"
Noticing Red's puzzled gaze, the orange-haired man assumed Red was shocked by his psychic display and proudly boasted.
"Psychic powers are mostly innate, not something you get by ruining your body from holding your breath!" Red replied dryly.
Blue light shone from Red's eyes. The spoon in the orange-haired man's hand suddenly floated into the air. Under Red's gaze, it was effortlessly compressed into a thin silver needle, faint steam drifting around it. The previously smug orange-haired man was also lifted into the air by Red's psychic power.
"Fo-Forgive my ignorance!" the orange-haired man cried in terror, hurriedly apologizing for his foolishness, afraid that Red's temperament might be just as strange as Sabrina's. If not for his obsession with gaining psychic power, he would never have risked his life to join the Saffron Gym.
"Take me to Sabrina!"
With that, Red withdrew his psychic power. The orange-haired man dropped to the floor with a thud, landing on his backside. Yet he showed no dissatisfaction, scrambling to his feet and quickly leading Red to the arena where Sabrina was.
Pushing open the doors, a Pokémon battle arena came into view. Stone pillars lined both sides of the Saffron Gym's battlefield, and blazing torches were set at the front, resembling a mythological temple coliseum.
"Miss Sabrina, there is a challenger requesting an official Gym battle!"
After receiving Sabrina's response, the orange-haired man hurriedly fled, afraid that a single bad mood from her might turn him into a doll.
"You've come~ You've finally come!"
The lights gradually brightened. Sabrina, who had been concealed in the shadows, revealed herself, gazing deeply at Red. In her arms, a doll held a Poké Ball.
"I'm here to battle you. I'll be taking your Golden Badge," Red said calmly, ignoring her strange gaze.
"Battling you is fine, but you must agree to one condition—if you lose, you must stay by my side forever, never leaving me!" Sabrina said.
"...?"
Red looked at her in confusion. His losing condition seemed different from others', but he didn't dwell on it. After all, he had no intention of losing.
"Go, Abra!"
Seeing Red nod in agreement, Sabrina forced a slight smile of joy and used her psychic power to release Abra from its Poké Ball.
"Gyarados!"
Red threw his Poké Ball, and the Bloody Red Gyarados appeared on the battlefield. Its massive body nearly exceeded the arena's capacity.
Before the battle even began, another Poké Ball popped open on its own. Gengar emerged voluntarily, looking at Red with confusion.
"Against Psychic-type Pokémon, I clearly have the advantage!" Gengar said unhappily, glaring at Red for refusing to send it out. "Why aren't you choosing me?"
Before it could finish speaking, Bloody Red Gyarados turned its head, its murderous gaze locking onto Gengar. A ferocious roar forced Gengar's mouth shut mid-sentence. Bloody Red Gyarados could not tolerate its disrespect toward Red. Even Abra, who had been dozing with narrowed eyes, was startled awake by the roar.
"Until you fully integrate into the team, watch how your teammates fight first. I don't have time to cater to your temper," Red said coldly, no longer paying attention to Gengar's feelings. He had no obligation to lower himself for its sake.
Gengar said nothing. Under the warning gazes of Red and Bloody Red Gyarados, it silently slipped into the shadows. A wave of grievance crushed its usual mischievous grin.
"What a strange fellow. Ghost-type Pokémon clearly have the advantage," Sabrina murmured.
The battle officially began. Through her telepathic connection with Sabrina, Abra evolved into Kadabra.
"Synchronized psychic power? Interesting strategy..." Red lowered his cap slightly. "Unfortunately… that trick won't work on Gyarados!"
Bloody Red Gyarados roared viciously, forcibly intimidating Kadabra and lowering its Attack. It then unleashed a powerful Water Cannon. Forced by the overwhelming power, Kadabra used Teleport under Sabrina's command to evade.
"Such terrifying power!" Sabrina exclaimed as a stone pillar beside the arena shattered from the Water Cannon's impact.
"Confusion!" Sabrina ordered.
Kadabra's eyes glowed blue, psychic energy enveloping Bloody Red Gyarados. Before it could lift Gyarados into the air, the controlled Gyarados broke free through sheer brute force and lashed out with Aqua Tail, sending Kadabra flying.
"Use Recover!" Sabrina urged, her composure beginning to slip.
Bloody Red Gyarados made no attempt to stop Kadabra's recovery. In its eyes, a Pokémon that relied solely on weak psychic tricks could never defeat it.
"Crunch!" Red commanded.
"Teleport!" Sabrina hastily responded.
Bloody Red Gyarados opened its massive jaws, attempting to finish Kadabra in one blow. Terrified, Kadabra used Teleport just in time. The spot where it had stood was crushed, a deep pit torn open by Gyarados' bite.
Cold sweat dripped down Kadabra's face. If that bite had landed on it, even without being instantly defeated, its bones would surely have shattered.
"If this is all you've got, I'll be taking the Golden Badge," Red taunted, deepening the telepathic link between Sabrina and Kadabra.
"Don't get cocky!" Sabrina snapped, just as Red expected. Her eyes glowed blue as she further synchronized with Kadabra.
"Psybeam!"
A stronger psychic force seized Bloody Red Gyarados. With Sabrina and Kadabra's minds synchronized, Gyarados struggled harder than before to break free.
"So your Gyarados isn't that impressive after all?" Sabrina retorted.
"Is that so? The despair after hope is the most lethal of all," Red said calmly. "Gyarados, show them your other form!"
Bloody Red Gyarados' pale yellow skin gradually turned pitch black. Its ferocious aura exploded across the battlefield. The psychic force that had restrained it suddenly became completely ineffective.
"How is this possible?! Psychic power isn't working!" Sabrina cried in horror, her once icy expression instantly replaced with fear.
"Dark-type completely counters Psychic-type. I can only say your luck is a little unfortunate!"
Bloody Red Gyarados opened its massive jaws once more and lunged at Kadabra. Because of Sabrina's inner fear, Kadabra, synchronized with her, was paralyzed by terror and unable to move, getting viciously clamped in Gyarados' bite.
"Gengar, I have a task for you!" Red glanced at the shadow beneath his feet, signaling Gengar to come out.
"Wh-What is it?!" Gengar quickly changed its address upon sensing the chill in Red's gaze.
"Make that person smile, and I'll forgive your earlier mistake," Red said.
Gengar immediately revealed its usual cunning grin. Such a trivial matter could never stump it.