Caitlin felt a growing sense of imbalance in her heart. She had encountered a shiny Pokémon before Sabrina, making her luck seem superior despite Sabrina being a seasoned player.
Her Psyduck had evolved, boasting impressive psychic powers, making it an honorary member of the shiny psychic Pokémon club. So what if Sabrina had six psychic Pokémon? Caitlin was confident she'd eventually match her.
But shiny Pokémon were a different story, a chance for Caitlin to overtake Sabrina. If she hadn't accidentally defeated her Psyduck, Serena might not have shared her shiny-catching techniques, and Sabrina wouldn't have had a chance to catch a shiny Abra.
The more Caitlin thought about it, the more it irked her. She glared at Sabrina's expressionless face, convinced she was being mocked.
As Sabrina prepared to use Hypno's hypnosis, Caitlin had a sudden flash of inspiration.
"There's a ghost!" she shouted, pointing behind Sabrina.
Ghost Pokémon were Sabrina's weakness. Normally, she'd use teleportation to escape, but with her psychic powers sealed, she could only turn to check.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Caitlin snatched the remote control, swiftly switching to the psychic move and hit confirm.
Her movements were as smooth as water, leaving Sabrina no time to react.
By the time Sabrina turned back, she saw her level 40 Hypno one-shot Caitlin's level 9 Abra.
Sabrina was stunned.
Though her expression remained icy, Carl could see her shock.
Cynthia and Lillie were equally taken aback, sensing impending trouble.
Only Caitlin maintained an elegant smile, "Sabrina, did you foresee this future?"
Cynthia sighed, knowing the child's antics would eventually lead to Sabrina's wrath if unchecked.
Lillie covered her eyes, unable to watch what was sure to be a violent scene.
"Future? Your future is doomed!" Sabrina declared coldly, her eyes ablaze with anger.
She lunged at Caitlin, who was quickly pinned like a leaf in the wind.
Without psychic powers, Caitlin was no match. Though both were psychics, Sabrina's regular physical training made her strong and capable. Without her abilities, the fragile Caitlin was utterly outmatched.
The sound of slaps echoed through the room.
"That's for being disrespectful!"
"And for being a smug, arrogant brat!"
Sabrina showed no mercy in teaching Caitlin a lesson. Carl observed, knowing Sabrina was holding back, and chose not to intervene. After all, it was just a game, and shiny Pokémon could be encountered again. Sabrina was clearly seizing the opportunity for a bit of payback.
Cynthia understood Sabrina's intentions, thus ignoring Caitlin's pleas for help until she was nearly limp. Finally, she signaled Carl, "Time for you to step in."
Considering her relationship with Caitlin, Cynthia couldn't directly intervene with Sabrina, so she relied on Carl, the host, to mediate.
"Girls fighting isn't really my place to step in, is it?" Carl answered with a glance.
"Or are you just waiting to take advantage?" Cynthia shot back with a glare.
Sabrina and Caitlin were locked in their struggle, completely oblivious to appearances.
"That's slander," Carl protested with righteous indignation.
"Really just slander?" Cynthia asked, helping the two straighten their disheveled clothes.
"Of course." Carl withdrew his gaze, suddenly speaking up, "Sabrina hasn't used any weapons yet, which means she's just playing around. I think there's no need to intervene."
Cynthia paused, "Why bring that up? Wait, is she actually considering...?"
She hurriedly looked at the two, just as Sabrina, holding Caitlin down with one hand, reached for her pouch with the other.
In the next moment, Sabrina pulled out a piece of equipment that matched her outfit perfectly.
Cynthia was shocked, "Isn't using a weapon going too far for just playing around?"
Lillie gasped, and Caitlin seemed to surrender on the spot.
Carl chuckled to himself: Now this will be entertaining.
"You brute! Carrying something like that is disgraceful for a psychic!" Caitlin declared, rubbing her sore backside, eyes brimming with tears, clearly humiliated.
Without her psychic powers, Caitlin felt a profound sense of helplessness for the first time. She had been targeted in the game, crushed in battle by Sabrina, and now smacked around. It was a streak of bad luck.
"You want more? I can take you on with one hand," Sabrina's frosty words silenced Caitlin immediately. She realized even Cynthia was just observing, with no intention of stepping in.
Carl interjected, "Before you two continue, don't you owe me a thank you?"
"Thank you? For what?" Caitlin glared, puzzled.
"If I didn't suggest compensating with a shiny Abra, do you think Sabrina would let you off so easily?" Carl shrugged, "Catching shiny Pokémon is tough work, you know that, right?"
As the game developer, Carl certainly didn't lack rare Pokémon. With his developer's access, he could easily obtain any Pokémon, but he wasn't about to disclose that to Caitlin.
"I'll just catch one myself and return it to you!" Caitlin bluffed. Thanking Carl wasn't hard, but it was something she couldn't bring herself to do.
"Alright, catch it and return it," Carl agreed readily, "So, consider it a loan?"
"Yeah!" Caitlin nodded quickly. This way, she wouldn't owe a favor or need to thank him... hopefully?
"Write an IOU." Carl magically produced paper and pen.
Caitlin was speechless. Why did this feel so familiar? Today seemed full of déjà vu moments.
Caitlin and Carl signed a note stating Caitlin borrowed a shiny Abra and must return it within seven days, or face three years as a trainee at Summit Gym. Both signed, with Cynthia as a guarantor.
Carl looked at the signed IOU, nodding in satisfaction. Caitlin felt he was making a fuss over nothing, confidently asserting, "Don't worry, I'll get a shiny Abra back to you soon."
Carl reached out, feeling her forehead, "Feeling feverish? Talking nonsense?"
"What do you mean?" Caitlin slapped his hand away.
"See for yourself," Carl pointed at the IOU, "It says shiny Abra, not a game Abra."
Caitlin froze, "Wait, when did I agree to a real shiny Abra?"
"Just now, it's clearly written," Carl replied innocently.
Realizing she'd been tricked, Caitlin stomped her foot, "You tricked me!"
"Got proof?" Carl grinned.
Caitlin looked to Cynthia for help, only to find her equally stunned, having never seen such brazen audacity.
Carl had pulled a fast one, swapping the game's shiny Abra for a real-world Pokémon. Considering Abra's rarity and its potential to evolve into the powerful Alakazam, capable of MEGA evolution, it was worth at least two million in the market. A shiny version would be worth ten times that, at least two hundred thousand.
Carl laughed quietly to himself: this was going to be interesting.