The sound started small – a slight tremor in Sabrina's usually stoic expression. Then, like a dam breaking, it burst forth: actual, genuine laughter. The sound was rusty, as if her vocal cords were remembering how to produce such a foreign noise, but it was unmistakably real.
Marcus nearly fell off his feet in shock.
'She's... laughing?' he thought, his mind racing through increasingly dramatic scenarios. 'Is this it? Has my daughter finally found her emotional breakthrough? Wait... is this... could this be... LOVE?!'
His imagination went into overdrive, already planning wedding arrangements and wondering if his future grandchildren would inherit both their parents' psychic abilities. 'They could be the strongest psychic family in Kanto! No, in all regions! Heck, their child might be as strong as a Legendary Psychic Pokemon."
He panicked at that thought. 'I have been unable to train Sabrina properly. How would I be able to train a Psychic that strong? What should I do?'
In his panic, he did not realise that he said some of his thoughts like a marriage between the two, Gladion and Sabrina having babies and a lot more mumbling.
[Your father appears to be experiencing some form of psychological breakdown,]
Nyx commented to Sabrina. [Though I must say, his rapid descent into delusional matchmaking provides an fascinating study in parental psychology.]
"Father," Sabrina stopped laughing as she noticed her father's glazed expression.
"I can read your thoughts from here. Please stop planning my wedding." She said sharply
Marcus coughed awkwardly, though he couldn't quite hide his grin. "Can't blame a father for hoping!"
Meanwhile, Sabrina was experiencing her own internal turbulence. The defeat – her first real defeat – had cracked something inside her. But more disturbing than the loss was this strange sensation in her chest, this bubbling feeling that had erupted into... laughter.
'This is... uncomfortable,' she thought, touching her throat where the foreign sound had emerged. 'Yet... not entirely unpleasant?'
The emotion felt raw, uncontrolled, and terrifyingly real. Years of careful suppression had been shattered by a boy with messy hair and his annoying Umbreon.
[Would you like a detailed analysis of your emotional awakening?]Nyx offered eagerly. [I find that existential crises are best processed through careful advices from a specialist like me]
"That won't be necessary," Sabrina replied automatically, then paused. Had she just engaged in casual conversation with an Umbreon who spoke like a sadistic philosophy professor?
More than that, She could not understand this feeling. Why was she feeling something fuzzy whenever she looked at Gladion? She again looked at him and felt her stomach tingling. If Gladion knew her thoughts, he would scream about Puberty and how it would soon come for him too.
'Is this because I was defeated by him? Is this what losing feels like?' Sabrina thought
Suddenly, a memory surfaced – Professor Oak on television, discussing the importance of rivals in a trainer's development. "A true rival," he had said, "is like a mirror that shows us not just our weaknesses, but our potential for growth."
She remembered the entire lecture. Professor Oak had said "Trainers, let me tell you something important: rivals are vital to your journey. Without them, you're just some kid wandering around collecting badges like they're souvenirs from a gift shop. A rival pushes you to be better, to train harder, and to question why your starter Pokémon still doesn't listen to you after 30 hours of battling."
"They're the annoying voice in your ear reminding you that no, your strategy of spamming Hyper Beam isn't going to cut it. Remember, your rival isn't just a thorn in your side; they're your measuring stick, your motivation, and sometimes the only reason you learn what a Full Restore actually does. Think about it—if you didn't have someone standing in your way, would you even care about improving? Or would you spend all your time naming your Pokémon ridiculous things like 'Bootleg Charizard'?"
"Rivals make you angry, sure. They might even make you want to punch a hole in your Pokédex. But most importantly, they make you grow. Without a rival, you're not a trainer; you're just a kid with a backpack full of berries and crushed dreams. So the next time your rival shows up uninvited to humiliate you in public, thank them! And then promptly crush them in battle, because humility is overrated."
Sabrina looked at Gladion with new intensity, causing him to take a nervous step backward.
'Yes this must be it. This man makes me angry, his Umbreon makes me irritated and he bested me in a battle. All of this points to one thing.' Sabrina had made a decision.
"You," she declared with all the gravity of a formal proclamation, "will be my rival."
"Um... thanks?" Gladion replied uncertainly.
"You should be honored," she continued, her tone deadly serious. "I have never designated anyone as worthy of rivalry before."
[How fascinating,] Nyx mused. [A declaration of rivalry as a substitute for emotional connection. Though one might question whether this is progress or simply a more sophisticated form of avoidance.]
"Be quiet," Sabrina told the Umbreon, then realized she was arguing with a Pokémon about psychology. This day was becoming increasingly disturbing.
"Furthermore," she added, straightening her posture, "I have decided to accompany you on your journey."
There was a moment of absolute silence.
"I'm sorry, what?" Gladion managed to say.
"Your presence appears to trigger unexpected emotional responses," Sabrina explained as if discussing the weather. "This requires further study. Additionally, your battle style, while chaotic and unnecessarily dramatic, contains elements worth analyzing."
[She's saying you make her feel things and she doesn't know how to handle it,] Nyx translated helpfully. [How delightfully awkward.]
Marcus had recovered enough to join the conversation, though he was still wiping tears of joy from his eyes. "This is wonderful! My daughter, voluntarily seeking emotional growth! Through friendship!"
"This is not friendship," Sabrina corrected primly. "This is scientific observation of emotional responses. This would help me understand my psychic power better."
"Right," Gladion drawled. "You're just following me around to 'study emotional responses.' Not at all because you might actually want to learn how to be a normal person who can laugh without short-circuiting."
A slight pink tinge appeared on Sabrina's cheeks – another first. "Your interpretation is both incorrect and irrelevant."
[Much like your continued denial of emotional development,] Nyx added cheerfully.
"I... I do not deny..." Sabrina started, then stopped, looking horrified at her own uncertainty.
"Well," Gladion sighed, looking between the emotionally awakening psychic, her euphorically crying father, and his own smugly philosophical Umbreon, "this journey just got a lot more interesting."
[Indeed] Nyx agreed.
'So now I have a travelling partner? And it looks like I can't even say no. She did not phrase it as a request and her father is literally begging me to accept her travelling with me through telepathy.' Gladion sighed
"Umm...What about our Gym battle?" Gladion asked Marcus who just happily gave him the badge without saying anything and running towards his wife to relay the good news.
"I guess...that works too. Thanks" Gladion mumbled
Meanwhile Sabrina attempted to maintain her dignity while experiencing what she would later identify as her first real emotional crisis.
---------Author Notes------
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[No Space]