[Bruno: Damn! One-hit KO!]
[Erika: Huh? That Kadabra that gave White Ash so much trouble just got instantly defeated? You've got to be kidding!]
[Misty: And Black Ash didn't even give Charmeleon any vocal commands! Could it be that aura power allows for telepathy too?]
[Riley: Aura power can't transmit words telepathically… but in Ash's current state—what he calls Aura Fusion—he and his Pokémon probably share a mental connection. That's why they can act in perfect sync like that.]
[Lt. Surge: Tch… real talk, count it out—since the first Gym, has Black Ash ever needed more than one move to win?]
[Lance: Now that you mention it! He one-shotted Brock, one-shotted Misty, my fellow Lt. Surge's Raichu went down in a single Quick Attack—and now it's Sabrina's turn, same result…]
[Cynthia: So is it that Black Ash is too strong, or that the Gym Leaders are just too weak…?]
[Professor Kukui: Weak? Kanto Gyms? If those are weak, then there aren't any strong ones left anywhere!] Kukui gave a wry smile—these people clearly had no idea how things really were in Kanto. Sure, judging by Black Ash's battles, the first four Gyms looked like pushovers… But in truth— The Pewter Gym's main leader, Brock's father, wasn't even present. And even if he had been, he wasn't particularly strong. The Cerulean Gym had long fallen into decline. Vermilion's Gym Leader was new and untested. Only Saffron Gym—this one—was truly formidable.
But its strength lay not in its Pokémon, but in its leader. Sabrina's psychic power was on a level few could match—even some Elite-class Psychic Pokémon would struggle to keep up. When Kukui himself had challenged her, he'd nearly been wiped out! And yet Ash was winning with ease. Why? Because Ash and Sabrina were the same kind of people— Both were beyond ordinary human limits. Sabrina's psychic abilities were transcendent, and Ash's aura mastery was on par.
On equal footing between trainers, it wasn't that Sabrina's Pokémon were weak—it was that Ash himself was simply too strong. Not that Sabrina was weak… but that Black Ash was inhumanly powerful.
[Professor Sycamore: Hmm… aside from that, isn't anyone going to mention the fact that both of their Pokémon evolved mid-battle?]
[Professor Sycamore: We know Sabrina can force evolution with psychic power, but did Ash use aura to push Charmander into evolving?]
[Riley: Honestly… I'm not sure. I haven't reached the level of aura fusion myself.]
Riley wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Black Ash had only been learning aura for two years—and he was already playing with it like clay. And himself? Shameful! Forget aura fusion—he could barely even conjure an Aura Sphere by hand!
Inside the Black World—
Sabrina stared blankly at her fallen Kadabra. Her psychic link to him had snapped—proof that he'd been hit so hard he couldn't even use self-recovery. She hadn't expected Ash's newly evolved Charmeleon to be that fast. Wait… speed? Sabrina quietly recalled Kadabra to its Poké Ball, her eyes glowing faintly red as she used telekinesis to lift the shattered training weights that lay in front of Ash.
When she saw them, a look of realization crossed her face. "So that's it… your Pokémon was wearing these all along. No wonder his speed skyrocketed after evolving." "Hold on now—you were the one who called them toys, remember? I just had Charmeleon put his toys down to fight fair. What's that got to do with his speed?" Sabrina: "..." At first, she had thought this young man's calm, composed demeanor didn't match his youthful appearance. But now, seeing the smug, teasing glint in Ash's eyes, she suddenly felt—this was exactly how someone his age ought to act.
"Someone his age, huh… Then what about me? At my age, is this how I'm supposed to be?" Ash had no idea that his petty bit of mockery—just him being himself—had actually shaken something deep inside Sabrina's sealed heart. "The battle isn't over yet. My second Pokémon—come forth, Hypno!" The doll in Sabrina's hands vanished. In its place appeared a Poké Ball, which floated gently into the air and opened. Watching from the shadows, Sabrina's father's eyes widened in shock.
"She… she actually put away her doll?!" That doll had been her only companion as a child. The one she held now wasn't the real one—just a psychic projection of it, a symbol of the emotional walls she had built around her heart. And now that symbol was gone. Did that mean—the real Sabrina was beginning to return? But when he saw her expressionless, icy face once more, his brief spark of hope was doused with cold water.
No… perhaps he was overthinking it.She'd probably just recalled the doll so she could channel all her psychic energy into battle.
On the battlefield—
As Sabrina sent out Hypno, Ash and Charmeleon tensed. This Hypno was clearly no low-level Pokémon. Its strength easily surpassed that of the Abra-line. And with Sabrina's psychic power amplifying it, this battle would not be easy. The smartest move would've been to switch to Pikachu. But— "Charmeleon, still good to fight?" "Raaawr!" "Alright then. Let's finish this in one go!" Charmeleon was burning with battle spirit. Pulling him out now would do more harm than good. So Ash made no move to switch.
"Flamethrower!" Once again, Ash entered a full state of Aura Fusion with Charmeleon. Now, a single thought was enough—Charmeleon instantly knew what his trainer wanted. A torrent of blazing fire erupted from his mouth! But Sabrina was ready. The red glow of psychic power flared around her body as Hypno calmly extended its hand. An invisible force seized the raging flames midair—and held them still.
Author's note:
In this setting, when Kukui once challenged Sabrina, she personally took action.
Her psychic power, when used merely to enhance her Pokémon, has limited effect—
but when she fights directly, her strength can rival even Elite-tier Pokémon.
(You can think back to the previous chapter—when she casually blocked Charmander's attack with a psychic barrier.)
As for Black Ash—
even at full power, he still stands above Sabrina.
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