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Like Kai, Sabrina only captured Pokémon that genuinely resonated with her.
And for some reason, this quirky little Natu had caught her eye.
But this time, rather than stepping in herself, she sent out her trusted Kadabra to handle the battle. With a flash, Kadabra materialized and immediately launched an attack. Natu tried to flee, hopping down from the tree but it couldn't fly. Kadabra teleported in front of it and cut off its escape, forcing a quick, clumsy counterattack.
It wasn't a match.
A wild, unevolved Pokémon stood no chance against a Gym Leader's main team member. In a few short moves, Natu was down.
Sabrina tossed a Poké Ball, and the capture was immediate.
Kai clapped lightly, smiling. "That's your second catch since we started this journey. Still a bit behind the curve. If you hadn't used Kadabra just now, I would've thought you'd use your powers again, like you did with that Slowking."
Sabrina smiled softly. The new capture clearly put her in a good mood.
"I think it's cute," she said.
"Cute?" Kai blinked.
He tried picturing Natu again, tiny, stiff, blank-eyed, and struggled to see the appeal. But then again, Sabrina's perspective didn't exactly follow standard logic.
Whatever made her happy worked for him.
Still, Natu probably had no idea what had just happened. One minute it was resting on a branch next thing it knew, it had a new Trainer.
Classic case of "wrong place, wrong time."
With the capture done, the two resumed their journey through the forest, making it to Mahogany Town just before nightfall.
At the town's entrance, Kai spotted a broken old sign half-buried in the rocks. Wiping off the dirt, he read:
"Welcome to Mahogany Town"
The wood was cracked and weathered, the writing faded with age. Clearly, no one had touched it in years.
He tossed it aside with a sigh.
The so-called "ninja village" was nothing but a relic now. A forgotten title for a town that had long since moved on.
Mahogany was a quiet, old-fashioned place. Low, wooden buildings lined the streets. Elders sat chatting at their doorsteps, children ran barefoot through the alleys. The pace was slow and peaceful.
Few vehicles. Even fewer visible Pokémon.
Warm lights glowed from windows, and the smell of fresh-cooked food drifted through the streets, setting Kai's stomach rumbling.
It had been a long, exhausting day since his meeting with Looker and the assault on the Rocket facility, he hadn't had a single proper meal.
First priority: find a place to sleep and eat.
The gym challenge could wait till morning.
Following the map, Kai found a small inn near the Mahogany Gym. There was no Pokémon Center in town, so this was the next best option.
He actually preferred places like this—less sterile, more relaxing. If given the choice, he'd always pick a cozy inn over a generic hotel.
After a hearty dinner and a shared bath with Sabrina, they called it an early night.
Although… with such a long night ahead, Kai didn't sleep right away. As usual, he turned his attention to Sabrina instead—until finally drifting off around midnight.
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The next morning, still groggy and yawning, Kai and Sabrina arrived at the Mahogany Gym.
The gym was set inside a small courtyard, its exterior resembling an old-style public bathhouse—simple and unassuming.
For a town this small, the presence of an official Pokémon Gym seemed almost out of place.
Word was that the Pokémon League had established the Mahogany Gym purely to retain its current leader: Pryce, a legendary Ice-type specialist, now in his later years.
Some even called it a "retirement gift."
The gate was open, so Kai walked in without bothering to knock.
Instantly, he was hit by a blast of cold air.
His skin prickled. Whatever sleepiness he'd still felt was gone in an instant.
He glanced to the side—and saw a small frozen pond tucked into the garden corner, coated in snow and glistening frost.
Dozens of Ice-type Pokémon played across the icy surface, laughing, sliding, and sparring.
Despite being only a wall away from the warm town, the courtyard felt like a different season entirely—like stepping straight into winter.
Kai was admiring the scene when he heard footsteps behind him.
He turned—and saw an old man approaching from the gym building.
His posture was straight, his expression sharp.
Seeing Kai standing in the courtyard, the man frowned. "Who are you?"
That had to be him—Pryce.
Kai nodded respectfully and smiled. "Good morning. I'm here to challenge the Mahogany Gym. You must be the Gym Leader?"
His warm tone and easygoing demeanor stood in stark contrast to Pryce's cold, no-nonsense presence—like spring facing off against winter.
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