When the doors opened, they revealed a long hallway. Along both walls, bright incandescent lights were mounted every ter or so.
Structurally, the interior hadn't changed much from how it used to be.
But there was one obvious difference: the walls on either side were now lined with paintings.
Each canvas featured a doll-like figure—black hair, delicate babyish features—but clearly a boy.
Elias stopped in front of one of them, frowning slightly.
The more he looked, the more familiar those dolls seed. Then, with a sudden realization—
Isn't this what I looked like as a kid?
What the heck is Sabrina doing?
Staring at the paintings, Elias was montarily thrown off—but he wasn't exactly frightened or creeped out.
After all, Sabrina had always been... quirky. She once even sewed handmade dolls of both Gardevoir and himself.
Of course, the one she made of Gardevoir was spectacularly ugly, clearly designed more for mockery than aesthetics.
At that mont, Gardevoir puffed out her cheeks, visibly annoyed as she glanced at the paintings.
"I told her she wasn't allowed to hang these up after finishing them."
"Seriously, not one of them ever listens."
Hearing her grumble, Elias looked over with curiosity.
"Wait—Sabrina painted all of these herself?"
Gardevoir didn't really want to answer, but under Elias's curious gaze, she gave a reluctant little hum of affirmation.
That surprised Elias even more.
There had to be at least a dozen paintings lining the hallway, each with a distinct style.
If she had really done them all by hand, even with psychic powers, it must have taken a lot of ti.
The amount of effort she'd poured into them was clear.
As Elias studied the paintings, clicking his tongue in mild amazent, Gardevoir pouted even more.
Damn it... If I'd known, I would've painted a few too. Could've scored so affection points.
Sensing her frustration, Elias gently patted her head and said soothingly:
"Getting to see you again is the best gift I could ask for."
"Obviously!" Gardevoir raised her chin proudly.
The two continued down the corridor until a large wooden door ca into view ahead.
With a light push from Elias, the door creaked open.
"A challenger?"
"Please leave. The gym is closed today. We're not accepting any battles."
Before Elias even stepped in, a cold voice rang out from inside.
Sabrina?
His eyes lit up. He recognized her voice instantly.
Stepping quietly into the room...
Sure enough, he saw a familiar figure crouched at the center of the arena, holding a small brush—grooming her Alakazam.
Unlike Sabrina, who had her back to the door, Alakazam noticed the intruder the instant Elias entered.
Its eyes narrowed with sharp alertness, gaze stabbing directly toward the source of the disturbance.
But then—
Before it could summon its psychic power to subdue the trespasser, it froze.
What the hell...?
Sensing a psychic presence that was both foreign and strangely familiar, Alakazam's mind was rocked.
Sure, it was a Pokémon—but that didn't an it was dumb.
It had known for quite so ti that sothing had happened to Elias.
In fact, thanks to the gym leader uncle's attempts to shield Sabrina from the truth, Alakazam had found out even before she did.
But if Elias had really died...
Then who the hell is this?
Seeing the confusion in Alakazam's eyes, Elias simply raised a finger to his lips.
Shhh.
Whether the Pokémon understood or not, he didn't wait—creeping silently toward Sabrina's position.
Thanks to Gardevoir's psychic concealnt, he made it within half a ter of her.
Up close, even Elias couldn't help but be taken aback by how much Sabrina had... matured.
A few years ago, she'd been as flat as a board. Now, the word "curvy" was definitely more appropriate.
No wonder Gardevoir had looked so sour when he ntioned her earlier.
"What is it, Alakazam?"
Seeing her Pokémon freeze like it had seen a ghost, Sabrina paused mid-brush, puzzled.
But the mont the words left her mouth, she felt a subtle breeze brush past her back.
Years of psychic training kicked in, and she instinctively prepared to strike.
But before she could act, a pair of warm hands suddenly covered her eyes.
"Guess who?"
"Get it right, and there's a prize~"
That gentle, familiar voice whispered beside her ear—and all of Sabrina's movents froze.
The brush slipped from her hand, falling to the ground with a soft clack, as if sothing inside her had shattered.
Seeing she wasn't reacting, Elias tilted his head slightly in confusion.
"Sabrina?" he called softly.
The familiar voice echoed again, and this ti, Sabrina was able to confirm the psychic signature.
A storm of emotion surged from within her—confusion, excitent, and a joy so overwhelming it defied words.
In that mont, Sabrina's mind shut down completely.
When soone you thought had died years ago suddenly stood before you in the flesh, it wasn't strange to freeze like this.
But she didn't turn around. She was afraid.
Afraid that if she turned now, this vivid illusion would vanish like mist, like a dream never ant to last.
"…Elias?"
Her voice trembled as she whispered his na.
"It's ."
As if sensing her hesitation, Elias replied with patient warmth.
Hearing the answer, Sabrina's body gave a tiny shiver—and a bit of stability returned to her heart.
But she still didn't lower her guard. Instead, with a half-threatening tone, she said:
"If you disappear the mont I turn around, I swear I'll go toss every last one of your offerings out!"
At those words, Elias felt a familiar warmth settle in.
Yep. That's more like it.
The icy tone from earlier was just a front. This... this is the real Sabrina.
"I promise I won't disappear," he answered gently.
Hearing him say that again, Sabrina inhaled deeply.
Then her eyes sharpened with resolve. She spun on her heel, arms flung open to pull him into a hug—
Only to embrace thin air.
In a single instant, her emotions crashed like a roller coaster—soaring high, only to plunge straight into the depths.
Her eyes reddened.
She almost cried.
But just then, a warm hand suddenly slipped into hers.
"Gardevoir—enough."
Elias gave the Pokémon beside him an exasperated glance.
Just as Sabrina had turned around, Gardevoir had used [Teleport] to shift him a few ters back—making Sabrina lunge into empty space.
"Gaaarde~"
Gardevoir crossed her arms and let out an indifferent huff.
Letting Sabrina et with Elias was generous enough.
But actually letting her hug him? That would practically confirm her claim as the "original Gardevoir."
No way. Not happening.
---
...
Huh. You really stuck it out all the way to the end.
Didn't think you had the patience. Guess I was wrong.
WiseTL's the one who actually made all this co together. I'm just here putting a bow on it… or, well, shoving it in a backpack and calling it a day. Sa thing.
If you had fun, you know what to do:
👉 [patreon/WiseTL]
Heads up—Patreon's 50% off for all tiers during May. So if you were on the fence? Now's the ti.
And if you're the social type, there's a Discord too. Pretty decent spot to hang out—no battles required.
Alright. That's enough standing around. Go on—before you make it weird.
—Leaf
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