Kadabra reappeared and attacked again, striking Kirlia with another Confusion, lifting it into the air.
When Kirlia also used Confusion to resist, it struggled briefly before breaking free from the restraint.
"Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!"
Magical Leaf shot toward Kadabra once more, but just like before, Kadabra used Teleport to dodge.
This time, however, Xia You was prepared.
With just a thought—without speaking—Kirlia instantly understood his intention.
The moment Kadabra reappeared, Kirlia unleashed Confusion.
Caught off guard, Kadabra's body trembled. Although it quickly used Confusion to break free, it still suffered minor damage.
At this point, the two Pokémon were evenly matched.
Sabrina said calmly, "Although you don't possess Psychic abilities yourself, you can still communicate with your Pokémon telepathically. That surprises me. It seems your Pokémon are very well trained."
"You and your Kadabra are truly amazing," Xia You complimented her.
"In terms of Psychic power alone, my Kirlia is no match."
Sabrina's lips curved upward slightly, though her expression remained largely unchanged.
Even she felt pleased when praised directly by another Trainer.
However, her attacks showed no mercy.
Kadabra's eyes suddenly glowed red, emitting beams of light that enveloped Kirlia.
This was Psybeam—a Psychic-type move capable of dealing damage and causing confusion!
"Kirlia, use Teleport!"
Kirlia vanished instantly, narrowly dodging the Psybeam.
Xia You's thoughts raced.
With both Pokémon being Psychic-type, relying solely on Psychic moves wouldn't decide the battle.
Then, an idea struck him.
"Kirlia, use Confusion!"
"Still planning to use Confusion?" Sabrina said dismissively.
"Did you forget what you just said? Kirlia's power can't compare to my Kadabra."
She issued a silent telepathic command.
Kadabra released Confusion, intending to clash head-on again—
—but what came rushing toward it wasn't Confusion at all.
It was Magical Leaf.
"What?!"
Not only Kadabra, but even Sabrina was momentarily stunned.
"Ah…" Xia You pretended to be surprised.
"Kirlia, why aren't you following my orders?"
The invisible Confusion collided with the relentless Magical Leaf.
In the end, Magical Leaf prevailed, completely overwhelming Kadabra.
As a Grass-type move with no resistance penalty, it finally dealt full damage.
Kadabra cried out in pain and dropped to one knee.
Sabrina looked at Xia You, astonished.
"You deliberately used deception to mislead your opponent?"
"No, no!" Xia You shook his head quickly, denying it.
But seeing Sabrina's slight frown—clearly unconvinced—he cleared his throat and explained:
"Alright, actually, this is my Trainer move.
I call it 'Saying One Thing, Doing Another'…
or maybe 'Speaking One Way, Acting Another.'
But if possible, I'd prefer you call it—Tactical Deception."
Tactical Deception?
Sabrina sneered internally and ignored him.
The next second, golden light burst from Kadabra's body.
The wounds inflicted by Magical Leaf rapidly healed before their eyes.
Oh no—Recover!
"Kirlia, use Confusion!" Xia You shouted.
Before he even finished speaking, Kirlia had already raised its hands and unleashed the attack.
The Confusion slammed Kadabra to the ground.
Though the damage was minimal, it successfully interrupted Recover—
—and knocked Kadabra's spoon onto the floor.
"Now's your chance!"
Xia You's eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he ordered:
"Use Magical Leaf!"
Magical Leaf spun like a small twister, engulfing Kadabra.
It could have escaped with Teleport, but abandoning its spoon wasn't an option.
Kadabra endured the full force of the attack, then bent down to retrieve the spoon.
When the green storm finally faded, Kadabra was panting heavily, its body covered in wounds.
"Excellent!" Xia You shouted.
"Finish it—use Disarming Voice!"
Kirlia let out a sweet, charming cry.
Waves of pink sound spread outward, passing straight through Kadabra's body.
Disarming Voice—a Fairy-type move that never misses and deals mental damage.
After the hit, Kadabra staggered, swayed, and finally collapsed to the ground, completely unable to move.
Seeing this, Sabrina's father sighed softly, raised his right hand, and declared:
"Kadabra is unable to battle.
Kirlia wins!"
Sabrina recalled Kadabra into its Poké Ball and slowly walked over to Xia You.
Despite her loss, her expression remained calm and cold, unchanged by the outcome.
"You won. This is your rightful reward."
She waved her hand.
A badge floated over and gently landed in Xia You's palm.
This badge was, of course, the Saffron Gym Badge.
The Saffron Gym Badge was round like a button, glowing with a golden sheen.
Placing it into his badge case, Xia You now had four badges.
That meant four Gym Leaders defeated—
—and he was halfway to the eight badges required to enter the Indigo Conference.
Waving goodbye to Sabrina, Xia You left the Saffron Gym with Kirlia, leaving behind a confident silhouette.
Outside the Gym, he headed straight to a nearby shop selling Pokémon items.
After capturing Zapdos, he no longer trusted ordinary Poké Balls, so he purchased several Great Balls just in case.
He also stocked up on multiple Pokémon pockets, stuffing them into his backpack.
With everything prepared, he was about to head to the Pokémon Center to recover—
when a sudden flash of fire caught his attention.
He looked up at the towering building beside him.
From around the tenth to fifteenth floors, smoke billowed out, accompanied by bursts of Ember, as if a battle was taking place inside.
Pokémon battles… inside a building?
Xia You shook his head and was about to walk away—
then stopped.
He turned back and read the name engraved on the building.
—Silph Co. Building!