Chapter 73: Stay Calm

"In a few days, I'll be leaving Saffron City."

As Maki quietly ate his takeout, he cautiously glanced up at Sabrina, trying to gauge her reaction.

Meanwhile, Charmander and Cottonee were happily munching on their Pokémon food, completely unable (or unwilling) to help Maki out of his predicament.

Cottonee, who had recently learned the hard way that teasing Sabrina was a dangerous game—after drawing on her face with a marker and promptly receiving a psychic punishment—had decided it was best to behave. Now, she simply ate her meal in silence beside Charmander, not daring to say a word.

"Why? Is there something wrong with Saffron City?"

Just as expected, Sabrina did not approve of Maki's plan to leave.

"It's not that there's anything wrong here. I just need to start collecting Gym Badges if I want to compete in the Indigo League. That means I have to travel and challenge different Gyms."

"You're lying."

"Huh?" Maki froze for a moment before looking up.

"Team Rocket controls several Gyms. If you wanted, I could give you the Marsh Badge from Saffron Gym right now."

Sabrina wasn't naive. She knew how things worked with Team Rocket. The whole 'collecting Gym Badges' excuse? That wasn't the real reason Maki wanted to leave.

"That's true, but collecting Badges isn't just about qualification. It's about training Charmander and the others. Staying in one place for too long won't help them grow. Besides… speaking of Badges…" Maki sighed in exasperation.

"Since you took over the Gym, how many Badges have you actually given out?"

Sabrina answered without hesitation, "None."

"Exactly! I'll wait until Uncle Anders comes back to discuss the Gym Badges."

Under normal circumstances, Gym Leaders adjust their Pokémon's strength based on the challenger's skill level—determined by the number of Badges they already hold. While there was no official Pokémon League rule enforcing this, it was an unspoken agreement among Gym Leaders.

After all, anyone qualified to be a Gym Leader was at least on the level of an Ultra Ball-ranked trainer. If they went all out, no ordinary challenger would stand a chance.

However, since there was no strict rule, the difficulty of each Gym varied. Some were easier, while others were incredibly tough.

And then there was Sabrina.

Want a Marsh Badge? No problem. Just defeat me.

She didn't hold back in the slightest—an absolute nightmare for rookie trainers.

The Pokémon League knew about her extreme standards, but since she wasn't the official Gym Leader—just a substitute while Anders was away—they turned a blind eye. They figured they could tolerate it until he returned.

"Those so-called challengers are just weaklings. Why should they earn a Badge from me?"

Sabrina showed no remorse, even ridiculing those who had failed against her.

"Uh-huh, sure." Maki had no interest in arguing with her—it would be a pointless battle. He simply gave a half-hearted reply.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Sabrina immediately picked up on his dismissive tone and challenged him.

"I was just thinking... maybe you could go a little easier on them?"

"Absolutely not."

She rejected the idea without hesitation.

"Fine. The League doesn't seem to mind anyway." Maki shrugged, dropping the subject.

"So, where are you heading?"

Although she was reluctant to accept it, Sabrina knew Maki wouldn't stay in Saffron City forever.

"Celadon City."

He answered without hesitation. It had been his plan all along.

"Celadon?"

Sabrina frowned slightly. The city was just west of Saffron, not too far away.

"Yeah. The Gym Leader there specializes in Grass-type Pokémon, so it'll be a good challenge for Charmander."

Maki paused for a moment before adding, "Though, I might take a longer route to get there. Walking the direct path would be too simple."

In the games, Saffron and Celadon were connected by a straight road—an easy walk.

But reality was different. If Maki traveled on foot, he'd have to cross multiple forests.

Kanto had more than just its well-known cities like Cerulean and Pewter. In between major locations, there were countless smaller towns and villages, some of which even had their own Gyms recognized by the League.

"Stay in Saffron. Don't get any weird ideas."

Maki saw Sabrina deep in thought, and he had a hunch she was planning something. He quickly reminded her to stay put.

"I know."

Sabrina stuffed a mouthful of food into her mouth, clearly sulking.

"Think about it. Even if I leave Saffron, we can still talk through video calls. Nothing will really change."

Maki reached out and gently ruffled her soft, lavender hair.

"Mhm."

Sabrina responded in a barely audible voice, her pale cheeks turning visibly red. If this scene were public, it would definitely be headline news.

"Char!"

Seeing his trainer and Sabrina so close, Charmander quickly put down his food bowl and covered Cottonee's eyes with his tiny claws.

"Cotton!"

Cottonee protested, swiping at his claws with her leaves, but there was no way she could overpower Charmander.

She had just heard something interesting happening and wanted to see what was going on, but Charmander immediately blocked her view.

"Char…"

Charmander shook his head. "This isn't something for kids to see. You'll understand when you're older."

"Cotton?!"

Frustrated, Cottonee jumped up and down on her chair, but she couldn't escape Charmander's grasp. So, in a final act of defiance, she simply took off, flying into the air.

From above, she put her leaves on her hips in a victorious pose before confidently floating between Maki and Sabrina.

"Cotton?"

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What are you guys doing? Take me with you!"

…

"SABRINA! CALM DOWN! CALM DOWN!"

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