It had been a few days since Eliana had last seen Sabrina and her absence had become more of a concern. The silence from her mentor was slightly unnerving. While Sabrina did often leave the gym, she usually gave Eliana something to do. It wasn't like Sabrina to just disappear without a word. Eliana had reached out with her mind multiple times since the first day, but was met with the same resounding amount of nothing as before.
Eliana sat cross-legged on her bed, her eyes closed. Eliana opened her eyes, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips. Of course the one time she actually wanted something from Sabrina, the woman decided to be like an imaginary friend.
Gallade attempted to reassure his trainer, the older woman couldn't stay away forever could she? Raichu pointed out that even though most trainers never left the gym after they entered, Sabrina was still had a job as the leader. Starmie didn't seem to care about its trainer's plight but it did tell her that Sabrina should be back today.
Eliana and the other Pokémon gave it questioning looks,
Starmie then explained that Slowking told it that Sabrina had an important meeting had popped up and that those kind of meeting usually took a few days. Especially if it wasn't scheduled.
…
A few hours later, the gym's main doors slid open, the familiar, heavy sound echoing through the cavernous space. Eliana didn't need to check. She felt the presence before anything else, a sudden, sharp spike in the ambient psychic energy that was as distinct as a fingerprint. Sabrina had returned.
Finally, I thought she'd never come back. Eliana grumbled, swung her legs off the bed and stood up.
She walked out of her room and into the main hall, the polished floor gleaming under the fluorescent lights. Sabrina was standing in the center of the room, her back to Eliana, her posture as rigid and unreadable as ever. But there was something else. A faint, almost imperceptible tension in her shoulders, a subtle discord in the usually perfect symphony of her psychic aura.
Sabrina turned slowly, her expression placid, but her eyes held a flicker of something Eliana couldn't quite place. Was it... fatigue? No, that wasn't right. It was deeper, more profound. A kind of weary resolution.
Sabrina's attention returned to her apprentice to see the girl frowning deeply at her,
Eliana scowled at that but didn't say anything. Honestly it was like Sabrina was somehow less talkative then before, she didn't think it was possible.
Eliana decided to test her luck,
Sabrina's gaze sharpened, her mind brushing against Eliana's, a swift, searching probe.
Eliana knew it was a lost cause at that point, so she decided to shelf the conversation for now. Gesturing towards Gallade, she pointed out,
Sabrina took a step forward, the movement fluid and deliberate.
There was a pause, a moment of charged silence. Eliana could feel the unspoken words hanging in the air.
Eliana didn't move, her body perfectly still, but her mind was racing. This was it. This was the opening she had been waiting for, thank Arceus Gallade's evolution was enough to trigger it. She let a carefully crafted expression of mild curiosity show on her face.
Eliana was slightly confused, had she and Mew been wrong about Sabrina's affiliation with Team Rocket. A ceremony sounded so… official or maybe the gang was more organized than she first thought.
The two had reached Sabrina's room and went inside. Sabrina sat at her desk and motioned for Eliana to sit in front of her.
Eliana gave a cheeky smile in response, she knew her lack of morals would come in handy.
Eliana huffed softly.
Sabrina's mouth twitched downwards.
Seeing that her apprentice was not backing down, Sabrina sighed.
Sabrina's reply was flat, but it held the weight of a challenge.
With a final, almost insolent nod, Eliana turned and left the room, Gallade following a silent, shadowy presence behind her. The heavy door slid shut, cutting off Sabrina's psychic field and leaving Eliana in the cool, silent corridor.
The gym was empty, but it felt different now. The air was charged with a new purpose. The casual training sessions were over. This was for something real, for a place in an organization that operated in the shadows, a place where her particular brand of ruthlessness wouldn't just be accepted, but valued. She felt a thrill run through her, sharp and exhilarating.