But she clearly underestimated the allure of this pair of rivals.
Not only was Carl here, but so was she! Caitlin fumed, pointing at Sabrina.
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "You dare point at me?"
"Alakazam, go!" Sabrina ordered without hesitation.
"Metagross, attack!" Caitlin responded swiftly. "And I have Espeon as well."
"I also have Porygon-Z!" Sabrina countered.
"Mr. Mime, strike!"
"Quite the coincidence, Gothitelle, now!"
Boom! A three-on-three pseudo-elite psychic battle erupted instantly.
The hot spring water splashed everywhere under the impact of the energy. If it weren't for the fact this was a live spring, it might have run dry by now.
"It's just a draw, I'm not afraid of you." Caitlin glared at Sabrina.
Sabrina smirked slightly. "Do you have any other Pokémon?"
"Nope. Do you?" Caitlin asked, wary.
In this situation, Sabrina could easily win with just a basic Pokémon. Caitlin regretted not listening to her family and gathering six main Pokémon, replacing them as she found better ones. Now she didn't even have backup Pokémon.
"I don't have any left either," Sabrina said calmly. As a seasoned trainer, she had a full roster but had only brought her strongest six for this trip, leaving the rest at home.
Caitlin was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw Sabrina striding through the water towards her, her tall form barely visible in the mist.
"If we both have no Pokémon left, I still win." Before the words were out, Sabrina lunged forward.
With a splash, Caitlin was pushed into the hot spring. Feeling the force against her, she panicked. She had forgotten that Sabrina's super strength could easily overpower her.
"Trainers are actually fighting? How uncouth!" Caitlin struggled desperately, but it was like being bound by a demon. Even worse, Sabrina pulled out equipment.
"Bringing tools to the hot spring? You've lost it!" Caitlin lost all sense of decorum.
Sabrina ignored her, ready to act, when Caitlin urgently shouted, "Metagross! Help!"
The supercomputer-brained Metagross immediately analyzed rescue options, but Alakazam was equally intelligent and intercepted instantly. The clash between the two Pokémon triggered intense energy fluctuations.
Boom! A psychic explosion shattered the wooden wall.
Carl, who had been eavesdropping, was dumbfounded, and Cynthia and the others were equally shocked. The hot spring pool fell silent.
"Stone Edge!"
"Grass Knot!"
"Ice Punch!"
At the edge of the hot spring pool, Carl quickly repaired the damaged wooden wall, reinforcing it in the process. He took a deep breath, lying on the stone to calm himself.
"That was intense." He wiped his nose and beckoned to Electivire, "Come over here and give me a little shock therapy."
Though the wooden wall was fixed, the scene from earlier lingered. As a psychic, Carl's memory was incredibly sharp, recalling every detail vividly.
"I might not have much time left," he thought with a wry smile, deciding to enjoy life while he could.
On the other side of the hot spring pool, the atmosphere was tense and silent.
Cynthia secretly thanked her foresight to wear a swimsuit. Lillie was relieved too, as she was facing away from the wall. Caitlin, however, wasn't as fortunate, being held underwater by Sabrina.
The most awkward, though, were Sabrina and Serena. Sabrina radiated a chilling aura, her expression dark and stormy. Serena, meanwhile, was staring blankly, muttering, "Mom, I can't go back..."
Cynthia attempted to break the ice, asking Lillie about the floating Cosmog, "What's that new Pokémon?"
"It's called Cosmog. I named it Nebby," Lillie explained, "It's a new species recently discovered."
Cynthia nodded. She had never seen a Pokémon that could teleport thousands of miles in an instant. If the situation weren't so awkward, she would have bombarded Lillie with questions.
Lillie knew little about Cosmog, feeling there was no need to hide anything. "Nebby?" Cynthia studied Cosmog, nodding approvingly. "The name fits well."
"Right?" Lillie grinned with delight.
"Cosmog~" Nebby chirped cooperatively.
Cynthia smiled warmly. "Looks like you really are Carl's relative." Given the rarity of the Pokémon, it was plausible they were distant relatives. With Lusamine's influence, it wasn't surprising she could procure a rare Pokémon for her daughter. Moreover, this Pokémon, while not particularly strong, had excellent survival abilities due to its teleportation.
"Yeah." Lillie forced a smile. She knew she had lied but felt it necessary to protect Nebby. Hesitantly, she added, "Cynthia, if you see my mom, please don't tell her I'm here. I snuck out."
"Running away from home?" Cynthia found it amusing, surprised that the seemingly obedient Lillie would do such a thing. "Don't worry, I won't tell," she promised, refraining from asking further questions.
"By the way, Serena, what brings you here? I thought you were from Kalos?" Cynthia shifted the conversation to ease the tension.
Serena had calmed down somewhat. The misty hot spring obscured vision, and given the Pokémon's swift movements, perhaps it wasn't as embarrassing as it seemed...hopefully?
"Actually, I snuck out too," Serena admitted sheepishly.
Cynthia chuckled. "Caitlin also ran away from home. Do young girls now like to run away together?"
"Cynthia, I would never do something so inelegant," Caitlin quietly defended herself. "I'm here for the adventure with you. Traveling with a champion is far more sophisticated."
"Sure, sure, you're the epitome of elegance." Cynthia laughed, glancing at her.
Now, all four were engaged in conversation, with only the most beloved of the group still silent.
Caitlin understood Cynthia's hint; she needed to resolve this matter. Though feeling slightly embarrassed, remembering the earlier situation, she decided to back down a little.
"Hmph, consider yourself lucky." Caitlin blushed, turning to Sabrina. "Sabrina, what brings you to see Carl?"
Lillie and the others were taken aback. Hadn't this already been addressed? Sabrina was ostensibly here for a Team Rocket mission but was actually seeking Carl's help to heal her mother.
"I'm here to let Carl take advantage," Sabrina replied expressionlessly.
Caitlin's anger flared. That was clearly a jab at her. But under Cynthia's watchful eyes, she forced herself to suppress her temper.
"Your mother will get better," Caitlin said with difficulty.
Sabrina simply stared at her, leaving the atmosphere awkward for a moment.
"Here, take this." Caitlin suddenly removed her necklace.
"What's this?" Sabrina finally showed some reaction, sensing the unique energy emanating from the necklace.
Cynthia explained, "This is a special crystal Caitlin found near Lake Valor when she was a child."
Lake Valor, a legendary site in Sinnoh, is also where Wallace hosts the Grand Festival, surrounded by famous hotels and restaurants.
"I'm not sure of its origin," Caitlin added, "but wearing it stabilizes my emotional fluctuations. It might be linked to Azelf, the being of willpower."
The implication was clear: this was a precious item connected to a legendary Pokémon. Lillie and Serena immediately leaned in closer, intrigued.
Sabrina and Caitlin focused on the mysterious crystal. At first, they thought it was just pretty, but now they knew it held a deeper story.
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