It was evening outside the gates of the Battle Arena.
Natsui, Misty, and May stood with Bea as they said goodbye to Greta. They had already declined her dinner invitation, and Scott was there with them as well.
As Greta looked at Natsui, she clearly did not want him to leave so soon.
She felt that if he stayed longer, she might get the chance to battle him again. That would definitely help her improve.
But Natsui had already finished what he came for, so he could not stay here wasting time. He really wanted to go home. He wanted to go to Saffron City right away.
There was also another reason.
"I'd better not," Natsui said with a smile, glancing at Greta and the apprentices behind her. "If I stay any longer, I'm afraid my hand will go numb."
He had just finished battling, but before he could leave, a crowd of apprentices had already surrounded him for autographs and photos. It had taken quite a while to get through all of that.
If he stayed any longer, there would probably be even more.
His joke made the apprentices laugh, though several of them looked a little embarrassed.
At last, everyone at the Battle Arena, including Greta, gave a karate salute and shouted loudly, "We wish you a safe trip!"
Natsui waved back.
Then the group got into Scott's red sports car and left the Battle Arena behind.
Before long, they arrived at the same Pokémon Center as before. The red sports car came to a smooth stop in the empty space out front.
Natsui and the others got out, then turned around and waved to Scott.
"This is far enough. We can walk from here ourselves. Thank you for everything this time."
"Don't mention it," Scott said with a laugh. "I should be the one thanking you. It's because trainers like you come to challenge the Battle Frontier that the Frontier Brains keep improving. It pushes them to become stronger. That's a good thing for my Battle Frontier!"
Then his tone shifted a little.
"By the way, Natsui, where do you plan to challenge next?"
"I haven't decided yet," Natsui said, shaking his head. "But it will probably be the Battle Factory near Mt. Moon. Why do you ask?"
"Oh?" Scott's eyes lit up. "That's a coincidence. I'm heading that way too. That means I'll get to see your battling style again!"
It was hard to tell from the outside, but Scott clearly loved battles. He truly enjoyed Pokémon battles.
That made sense. Without that kind of passion, he never could have built something like the Battle Frontier.
"Then I'll see you there."
"See you next time!"
After saying goodbye to Scott, they watched his sports car drive away. Then Natsui and the others went back into the Pokémon Center.
Natsui wanted to reach Saffron City before dark. But he was traveling with Misty and May, so he had to consider their energy too.
In the end, they decided to stay at the Pokémon Center for the night and leave early the next morning.
They checked in, put away their bags, and about ten minutes later, the four of them met again in the restaurant. Then they ordered dinner together.
Natsui and Misty both looked toward Bea.
"Bea, where are you planning to go next?" Misty asked.
Everyone already knew that Bea only cared about Fighting-type Gyms and famous Fighting-type trainers. After finishing one challenge, she would immediately head for another place and continue training.
Bea looked at Natsui before answering.
"I heard that Bruno of the Kanto Elite Four is somewhere near Mt. Silver. I plan to go challenge him."
"Bruno?" Misty was visibly shocked. "You're going to challenge a member of the Elite Four!?"
Natsui also looked at Bea in surprise. Even May listened more closely after hearing that.
May did not know much about the Kanto Elite Four, but she assumed they had to be around the same level as the Hoenn Elite Four.
That meant this beautiful woman was planning to challenge someone on that level.
May thought that was incredible.
But then she remembered Bea's earlier battle at the Battle Arena. Bea really was a very strong Gym Leader. So maybe this was not as impossible as it sounded.
"Have you really made up your mind?" Natsui asked. "I haven't met Bruno myself, and I don't know him well, but I do know he's very strong. You need to be mentally prepared if you're really going."
Natsui trusted Bea's strength, but he also knew Bruno was no joke. People even called him a Human Pokémon because of how powerful he was.
If she was not ready, she could end up losing badly.
Bea nodded.
"I'll give it everything I have."
Since she had already made her decision, Natsui and Misty shared what they knew about Bruno. They wanted to help her understand what kind of opponent she would be facing.
But in truth, they only knew a little. Most of it was just stories they had heard. It was not much help.
Natsui still remembered a few of Bruno's strongest Pokémon, though. He told Bea what he knew and described how they tended to fight.
After hearing him out, Bea looked at Natsui for a long moment. Then she quietly looked away again.
At that moment, a Chansey pushed over a cart and brought their dinner.
The food was placed on the table, and Natsui noticed that both Bea and May had taken quite a few desserts.
May liked anything that tasted good.
As for Bea, she simply had a sweet tooth.
In that one way, the two of them were surprisingly alike.
They stayed the night at the Pokémon Center.
Then, early the next morning, Natsui and the others said goodbye to Bea.
Natsui shook her hand and smiled.
"Next you're heading toward Mt. Silver. Most of that area is in Johto, so once you go there, we really don't know when we'll meet again. Good luck with your challenge."
Misty smiled too.
"Good luck, Bea! We'll be waiting to hear good news from you!"
Bea looked at Natsui's hand for a second, then shook it and nodded.
"Thank you."
After that, she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked away from the group. She looked just as cool as ever as she headed west with steady steps.
When she had gone far enough, Misty looked after her and let out a sigh.
"What's wrong?" Natsui asked, confused.
"Bea really is amazing," Misty said quietly. "Traveling all over the world and training by herself... I couldn't do that if I were her."
"This is also part of her training," Natsui said, shaking his head as he watched Bea walk away. "But a bird always returns to its nest. Her home is still in Galar, and she's a Gym Leader there. She'll definitely go back often. Maybe, for her, traveling like this is also a way to clear her head."
After Bea left, Natsui could finally head for Saffron City.
He was much quieter during this part of the trip. Most of the time, he only listened while Misty and May talked beside him.
The closer they got, the faster he walked.
He wanted to get home as soon as possible.
The distance was not far. By noon, they had already reached the edge of Saffron City.
Saffron Gym.
Inside the Gym, a match was about to begin.
The challenger was a new trainer. He had started collecting badges in Cerulean City, and now he had come here. Waiting for him on the other side was Sabrina, the Psychic-type Gym Leader.
The challenger stood there waiting while Sabrina walked down a long hall toward the battlefield. Her father was with her.
Then, without warning, Sabrina stopped.
"Hm?" Her father looked at her in surprise. "What's wrong?"
Sabrina slowly turned her head and looked south.
Her father followed her gaze, but all he saw was a wall. There was nothing strange there at all.
He wanted to ask more, but Sabrina had already turned and started walking toward the exit without saying a word.
Her father stared in shock.
"Sabrina! Where are you going? That challenger is still waiting!"
Sabrina did not turn around.
She did not explain anything either. She simply kept walking toward the large front doors.
Her father could not stop her. All he could do was sigh. Then he took out his own Poké Ball and headed toward the battlefield alone.
He was completely confused.
Why had Sabrina suddenly walked out on a Gym match?
That was unlike her.
And somehow... it reminded him of something that had happened before.
At that same time, Natsui had already stepped onto the grounds of Saffron Gym alone.
He looked at the Pokémon League sign and felt both excited and nervous.
How was Sabrina?
Did she still care about him the same way?
Would she look at him the same when they met again?
Those thoughts filled his mind.
Then he looked up.
The doors of Saffron Gym opened, and Sabrina stood there on the steps. A faint smile rested on her face as she looked down at him.
The moment their eyes met, Natsui's heart finally settled.
In that instant, the two of them saw no one else.
He raised a hand.
The next moment, Sabrina disappeared from the steps. Natsui's vision blurred, and then suddenly she was already in his arms.
She felt warm in his embrace. Her long black hair brushed against his face.
Natsui held her tightly.
She held him just as tightly.
"Sabrina... I'm here."
Natsui spoke softly.
Then Sabrina kissed him.
Natsui kissed her back.
After a long while, the two of them finally pulled apart.
Sabrina moved back slightly, and only then did Natsui look at her properly.
She still had the same long black hair. Her face, her eyes, and her presence all felt the same. She had not changed.
As their emotions slowly settled, they both began to think more clearly again.
Saffron Gym was close to the street. People passed by often, and trainers came here every day. Natsui did not want anyone to see them like this.
He patted Sabrina lightly on the back and spoke softly.
"Alright, let's go inside first. If we stay out here any longer, we'll end up in today's headlines."
Sabrina did not care whether people saw them or not. But since Natsui said so, she listened.
She led him into Saffron Gym.
Natsui suggested they go to her room.
He had missed her deeply, and all he wanted now was to stay beside her.
In the battle area of the Gym, Sabrina's father had just finished three exhausting battles before finally defeating the new challenger.
After saying a few polite words to the young trainer, he watched him leave. Then he shook his head and slowly walked out from the battlefield toward the center of the Gym.
He had not battled in a long time, and he felt rusty. Still, he had managed to protect the Gym Badge.
Even so...
Young trainers were getting stronger and stronger these days. He had almost lost.
He let out a sigh, then glanced at his watch and frowned.
What was Sabrina doing?
Why still hadn't she come back?
A bad feeling rose in him.
He walked to the front door and looked outside, but Sabrina was nowhere to be seen.
Just then, he ran into a few apprentices who were returning after practicing their psychic powers. He stopped them and asked, "Have any of you seen Sabrina?"
"Eh? Isn't Sabrina in the Gym?" the apprentices asked in surprise. Then they shook their heads. "We're sorry, sir. We didn't see her on the way back. Could she already have returned?"
"Impossible. If she had come back, she would've gone straight to the battlefield. Since she hasn't appeared, something is clearly delaying her."
Sabrina's father sighed again.
Then he said, "Fine. Since the Gym Leader isn't here, it seems we can't accept any more challenges today. Put up the 'resting' sign. The Gym will be closed for the rest of the day."
After giving the apprentices their instructions, he left the Gym himself.
He did not actually live inside the Gym. His house was nearby. Although his relationship with Sabrina had improved, the two of them still lived separately.
Since Sabrina was gone, and today's challengers had already worn him out, he decided to just take the rest of the day off. He assumed everything would return to normal once Sabrina came back.
He walked down the steps and headed toward the street.
He had only gone a few steps, still within the grounds of the Gym, when he suddenly heard a woman's unsteady breathing.
The sound came and went.
It seemed to be coming from the direction of Sabrina's bedroom window.
He stopped for a second, then gave a strange little smile.
Look at that. What am I even hearing?
Seriously... it seems I haven't battled in too long. I'm so tired I'm starting to imagine things.
Sabrina had gone out. So how could a woman's voice be coming from up there? And sounding like that?
In the end, he just shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
Then, humming a little tune to himself, he looked up at the bright sky and walked away.