113 Chapter 113

Saffron City, the largest and the second most populous city of Kanto was also one of the oldest in the region.

Aizen and the girls arrived here two weeks after they left the Neon City, one of which was spent in the Desert, training their Pokemon.

As Misty had requested, Aizen trained his Onix with hers, and both of them were pleasantly surprised that their Pokemon were extremely talented.

Yes, they were centuries old, but they were also eager to learn and grow stronger.

They already possessed good Movesets, so Aizen did not teach them any new moves. However, he helped them better their existing moves and showed them several different ways to use them in combat.

The two had taken their time to make their Pokémon comfortable at listening to their commands.

Other than Onix, Aizen also focused on his Nidoran and Rhyhorn, and both of them had improved a lot in just a week.

His Rhyhorn was very close to its evolution now, but it still had one more move to learn before that, and it was Megahorn.

Aizen had been training it every chance he got whenever they took a stop to rest, and Rhyhorn was quite close to achieving the goal.

"Wow... this place is beautiful!" Leaf, who had, surprisingly, never been to Saffron City before, curiously looked around her and smiled at the hustle and bustle of the place. "Where's your home, Sabrina?" She curiously looked at her friend and asked, and the pink-eyed girl nodded to her before she took the lead.

Sabrina led them to a Tram station, and Leaf was quite excited to see a magnetic tram for the first time, and even more when she got to ride on it.

It was a fifteen-minute journey, which they spent looking around the beautiful city, passing by some of the most famous spots, and finally, they made it to the Northern District, where the Saffron Gym was situated.

The Gym was a five-minute walk from Tram Stop, and right next to the Gym was the Pokémon Center of the Northern District.

There were three Pokémon Centers in Saffron City, and this was the largest of the three.

The first thing that caught their attention, however, was not the Gym or the Pokémon Center, but the massive building that was under construction, on the left side of the Center.

"Indigo Council has approved of a Contest Hall for Saffron City?" Misty curiously raised her brow when she read the signboard.

The building under construction was even bigger than the Saffron Gym, which was already one of the biggest gyms in the Region.

It made sense though, especially if this place was going to host a Grand Festival in three future.

And looking at the pace that it was being constructed, it was clear that the Council was heavily investing in it.

"Looks like Kanto and Johto will finally start having Pokémon Contests and Grand Festivals starting next season." Anira smiled as she quickly checked up on some details on her PokeNav+. "There are six more Contest Halls under construction all over the Region, and eight in Johto."

"About time." The orange-haired girl brightly smiled. "I am sure Lily will challenge the very first Grand Festival in Kanto."

"And she might even win it." Aizen smiled when he watched Misty confidently nod her head to his words.

"She will."

She had a lot of confidence in her sister's ability, but Lily's talent and achievements were enough to back it up. So, it was not some blind confidence.

"Let's go, Sabrina." Anira suddenly looked up at the Pink-eyed girl and said.

"Come." the Moonheart nodded her head before she led them inside the Saffron Gym.

Her adoptive Father was the Guardian of the Saffron City as well as the Gym Leader, and he was also one of the longest-serving Gym Leaders in Kanto.

"Sabrina!"

The door of the lift had just opened when a woman, who was nearly in her forties, happily ran down the corridor to them, and then she tightly hugged the Moonheart.

However, as soon as she did it, she became a little anxious. In the heat of her emotions, she had neglected that Sabrina was very indifferent to physical contact, and did not really like the hugs she gave her.

But today, she was in for a shock.

Everyone smiled when Sabrina hugged her back, and their heart warmed up when she saw the woman's eyes turn misty as she inspected her daughter in surprise.

"I am glad to see you again, Rina. Welcome home."

"Thank you." Even though her reply was rather indifferent, it still brought a smile to her mother's face, who then finally looked their way.

As soon as her eyes landed on their group, the Orayen Princess brightly smiled at her.

"Hi! We are Sabrina's friends!"

For a moment, the woman fell in another shock when she heard her words and saw Sabrina nod her head in admission, but she quickly regained her composure and then greeted all of them, welcoming them to her home.

"I am Natalie, Sabrina's Mom." The red-haired woman introduced herself, and to her surprise, her daughter took the lead as she introduced her friends to her.

"...and this is Aizen, my Fiancé."

Naomi swayed on her feet when she heard those words, but Aizen did not let her fall into a deeper shock as he stepped forward and drew his hand to her.

"Hi!"

He did not say anything more, and it was enough because it worked.

Natalie shook hands with him and then started glancing between her daughter and him, and a minute later, she finally spoke.

"Are you really her Fiancé?" She could not help but ask the question, and when Sabrina cutely tilted her head at her doubt, Anira could not help her giggle.

"I am her Fiancé, Aunty." Aizen nodded to her. "Sabrina never lies."

"That's true."

She seemed very happy after he confirmed it, and then she grabbed his and Sabrina's hands as she led them inside the house.

"Craig is busy with the Gym Challenges today, and he will join us at Supper. Have you guys had lunch yet?"

"No. We are starving!" Anira cutely said, and the woman smiled at her before she happily went inside the Kitchen and started working on their meal with their Family's Mr. Mime.

"Ash's Mom has a Mr. Mime as well." Leaf suddenly informed them as she curiously looked at the Psychic Pokemon. "I have met him, and he's very nice."

"They are very intelligent and good at helping out their Trainers, especially in chores around the house. However, their battle prowess should not be underestimated. They are very capable Pokémon..." Anira informed her friend what she knew about Mr. Mime. "Grandma has a Mr. Mime as well as a Mr. Rime. And the two help her a lot around the Lab."

"Mr. Rime?" Both Misty and Leaf curiously looked at her as they asked the question in unison.

"Yes. The Galarian Mr. Mime is capable of evolving, and it evolves into Mr. Rime, a Psychic and Ice Powerhouse..." She smiled as she informed them how capable Mr. Rime was.

"Can these Mr. Mime evolve as well?" Leaf curiously looked at the one who was helping Naomi in the kitchen.

"Grandma is working on finding out if these Mr. Mime are capable of evolving as well, but so far, she has not had much success in her research. Then again, she has several ongoing Research Projects, and so it is not her sole focus."

The three girls happily chatted with each other, and Aizen then decided to check on Natalie and see if she needed any more help in the kitchen.

Sabrina silently stood up and followed him, and then under his lead, she helped her mother and Mr Mime prepare the meal and then set the table.

He could see in Natalie's eyes that she was truly happy at seeing Sabrina finally interacting with people like she was doing now. And if she was not as strong-willed as she was, she would have already shed those tears of happiness.

At lunch, Natalie started asking questions, and by the end of their meal, she had more or less learned a lot about them and how they met Sabrina.

She was visibly very relieved when she learned who Aizen and Anira were, letting go of her apprehensions that Sabrina might have fallen into some deceptive hands. It was her greatest fear, even though she knew that her daughter was extremely intelligent and rational.

Though not related by blood, she had always considered Sabrina her daughter, especially since she did not have any children of her own. And therefore, she deeply cared for her girl even though she had always been indifferent to her.

Later in the afternoon, Natalie asked Aizen to speak to her alone, and over a delicious tea, she bluntly asked him about his intentions towards her daughter.

Since he was completely honest with her, it did not take any convincing, and Natalie just made him promise that he would take care of Sabrina.

"Would she become normal again?" She raised the question at the end of their discussion.

"No." And he was again honest with her, even though his words saddened her. "She can never be normal again. However, she has already started regaining some of her emotions, and over time, she will become more interactive and conscious of her desires. As long as she starts feeling happiness and sadness again, it would be a win for her and us."

"I understand..." The woman lightly said, holding back her tears. But in her heart, she was already immensely grateful for what Aizen was doing for Sabrina, even though she knew that he might be looking after his interests as well.