Tactical Deception

After reappearing, Kadabra struck again, hitting Kirlia with another Confusion and lifting her into the air. But when Kirlia countered with Confusion of her own, she broke free with only a brief struggle.

"Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!"

Magical Leaf shot toward Kadabra again, but just as before, Kadabra used Teleport to dodge the attack. This time, however, Xia You was ready. With a thought, he conveyed his intention without speaking, and Kirlia understood immediately. The instant Kadabra reappeared, she attacked with Confusion.

Caught off guard, Kadabra shuddered. Although he used Confusion to break free as well, he still took a little damage.

At this point, the two Pokémon were evenly matched.

Sabrina said calmly, "You don't have psychic powers yourself, yet you can still communicate with your Pokémon telepathically. That surprises me. It seems you've trained your Pokémon quite well."

"You and your Kadabra are the truly impressive ones!" Xia You returned the compliment. "When it comes to psychic power alone, my Kirlia is no match for him."

The corners of Sabrina's mouth lifted slightly, though the rest of her expression remained unchanged.

Even she felt pleased when another Trainer praised her to her face.

Nevertheless, she still showed no mercy when she attacked.

Kadabra's eyes suddenly turned red, emitting waves of light that enveloped Kirlia.

This was Psybeam, a Psychic-type move that dealt damage and also had a chance of confusing its target!

"Kirlia, use Teleport!"

Kirlia abruptly vanished, evading Psybeam.

Xia You's mind raced.

Both Pokémon had the same type, so relying solely on Psychic-type attacks would not settle the battle.

As he thought it over, an idea suddenly came to him, and he shouted, "Kirlia, use Confusion!"

"Still planning to use Confusion?" Sabrina said dismissively. "Have you forgotten what you just said? Kirlia's power can't compare to my Kadabra's!"

As she spoke, she issued a command to Kadabra through telepathy.

Kadabra used Confusion, intending to clash with Kirlia again. Yet the moment he unleashed it, he discovered that the move coming toward him was not Confusion, but Magical Leaf!

"What!?"

Not only Kadabra, but even Sabrina was taken aback.

"Ah..." Xia You feigned surprise as well. "Kirlia, why aren't you following my orders?"

The invisible psychic force collided with the unending stream of magical leaves. In the end, Magical Leaf prevailed and swept over Kadabra.

As a Grass-type move with neither a type advantage nor a resistance working against it, it finally dealt more than just half damage to Kadabra.

Kadabra winced in pain and dropped to one knee.

Sabrina stared at Xia You in surprise. "You actually used a false command to mislead your opponent?"

"No, no!" Xia You hurriedly shook his head, denying it outright.

But when Sabrina frowned slightly, clearly unconvinced by his excuse, Xia You gave a light cough and offered another explanation. "All right, this is actually my Trainer move. I call it Saying One Thing and Thinking Another. Hmm... Saying One Thing and Meaning Another works too. But if possible, I'd prefer you to call it-Tactical Deception!"

Tactical Deception?

Sabrina sneered inwardly and ignored him.

The next second, Kadabra's body shone with golden light. The scrapes left by Magical Leaf were rapidly healing at a speed visible to the naked eye!

This is bad! It's Recover!

Xia You hurriedly shouted, "Kirlia, use Confusion!"

Before he had even finished speaking, Kirlia raised both hands and unleashed Confusion, striking Kadabra.

The attack knocked Kadabra to the ground. Though it did little damage, it interrupted his Recover and sent his spoon tumbling to the floor.

"Now!" Xia You's eyes lit up. Knowing he couldn't let this opportunity slip away, he decisively ordered, "Use Magical Leaf!"

The magical leaves spun like a miniature tornado, battering Kadabra. He could have escaped immediately with Teleport, but he couldn't abandon his spoon. Forced to endure the full brunt of the attack amid the swirling green leaves, he finally bent down and felt around until he found it.

By the time Magical Leaf dispersed, Kadabra was panting and covered in wounds.

"Great!" Xia You shouted. "Finish him off with Disarming Voice!"

Kirlia gave a charming cry. Pink sound waves spread outward and passed through Kadabra's body.

Disarming Voice, which had replaced Double Team, was a Fairy-type move that was guaranteed to inflict mental damage if it hit!

After taking the attack, Kadabra swayed again and again before finally collapsing, unable to move.

Seeing this, Sabrina's father sighed softly, raised his right hand, and announced loudly, "Kadabra is unable to battle. Kirlia wins!"

Sabrina took out a Poké Ball, recalled Kadabra, and slowly walked over to Xia You.

Despite losing the match, her expression remained as cold as ever, with no other emotion showing.

"You won. This is the reward you've earned."

With a wave of her hand, a Badge flew over from the side and drifted slowly into Xia You's palm.

Naturally, it was the Marsh Badge.

The Marsh Badge was shaped like a round button. Its color lived up to its name in Chinese, gleaming as brightly as gold.

He placed it in his Badge Case. Including this one, Xia You now had four Badges, meaning he had defeated four Gym Leaders. 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 her with only the sight of his departing figure.

After leaving the Gym, he headed straight to a nearby shop selling Pokémon supplies.

Ever since catching Zapdos, Xia You had felt that his ordinary Poké Balls weren't reliable enough for catching Pokémon. He bought a few Great Balls just in case, then purchased plenty of Pokémon pouches and packed them into his backpack.

With everything ready, he was about to head to the Pokémon Center to restore his team's strength when a fleeting flash of fire happened to catch his attention.

He looked up at a nearby skyscraper. Through the windows, somewhere between the tenth and twentieth floors, he could see several sudden bursts of smoke and sparks, as though someone was battling up there.

Could people have Pokémon battles inside a building too?

Xia You shook his head and was about to continue walking when he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the skyscraper's name.

-Silph Co.!