They followed Sabrina to a big, round hut situated deep within the woods.
While they were walking, Rei continued pressing her right hand against the wound on the side of her body, and she sharply inhaled when she stumbled upon a rock. Usagi and Misty were helping her as best as they could, but they realized that her condition had to be worse than they thought.
Upon reaching the psychic's home, Sabrina clapped into her hands, and the door of the hut opened. Another small, pink creature jumped out that Sabrina introduced as 'Clefairy'.
Sabrina whispered something to Clefairy and Jigglypuff, and the two pink little puffballs nodded, before they hurried back inside. Sabrina then made an inviting gesture towards the entrance.
"Please, come in! Clefairy and Jigglypuff are preparing a resting place for your body, princess of Mars, as well as some herbal bandages. Please follow me, so we can take a look at your wounds."
After they helped Rei lying down on the bed inside one of the hut's little chambers, Sabrina asked Sailor Mars to drop her Senshi magic, so she could inspect her injuries. Rei nodded and returned to her casual attire.
Usagi gasped when Sabrina lifted Rei's shirt and she could see the bloody injury.
Sabrina then turned to her and the others and said: "I'm sorry, but I have to take care of your friend. Please, wait for me in the other room... I will join you later. Misty, if you would stay to help me...?"
"Yes, of course," the red-haired girl instantly replied, went to the elder woman's side, and they went to work.
Ash and Pikachu were following Sabrina's pink helpers into the next room, but Usagi hesitated when she looked at her friend's face, as she was lying down there on the bed, a grimace of pain.
Ash gently touched her shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry, she'll be fine! Sabrina is a skilled healer, and Misty has learned one or two things from her."
Usagi looked at the prince in surprise, then back at Rei and nodded sadly.
Together, they sat down in comfortable chairs in the adjoining room.
"So, Misty and Sabrina know each other?" she asked.
Ash nodded. "Sabrina has known Misty, Brock and me for some time now," he explained. "You might be surprised to hear that Sabrina was once known as a fearsome sorceress who turned anyone who would invade her territory, into an immobile doll."
"Sabrina did that?" Usagi asked in astonishment. She couldn't possibly that this gentle, peace-loving woman could have a dark side.
"She did, but what no one knew was that she once had been under the control of a vengeful Hypno... a psychic Pokémon. He used her as a cover and a puppet, so he could gain control over the entire forest. Luckily, Misty, Brock and I were able to save her from the Hypno's mind control."
"I thought she's one of the most powerful psychics in Kanto?" Usagi wondered.
Ash nodded. "Yes, but she didn't know that Hypno meant her any harm. So he caught her off guard."
"And in thanks, Sabrina offered to train Misty's latent psychic abilities," Pikachu added. "Misty did spend many weeks here, in her home, and learned much about her abilities... and the forest."
"But why was she so upset when we met her?" Usagi asked. "If she's on our side, why did she react like that? She seemed frightened when Sabrina appeared before us..."
Ash sighed. "Well... after Misty completed her training, Sabrina gave her some sort of prophecy..."
"What prophecy?"
Ash looked at her, then shook her head. "I can't tell you... I'm sorry. Misty had asked me to keep it a secret..."
"I... see."
Behind them, Sabrina entered the room. Usagi looked up at her in expectation.
She sighed in relief when the green-haired woman smiled at her. "Your friend is fine now. I bandaged her wounds, and gave her some herbs. She will sleep until tomorrow morning, then her injuries will be healed."
"Thank you," Usagi said while bowing. "Thank you very much!"
Sabrina looked at Ash. "Please, could I speak to the princess in private for a while?"
"Um, sure!" Ash stood up, smiled at Usagi and left the room. Pikachu and Sabrina's helpers followed him.
Sabrina sat down in another chair. "Sailor Moon... you know by now that our world knows much about you, right?"
"Yes," Usagi nodded. "But still, I'm wondering why no one in my world knows about Kanto."
"Oh, there are a few," Sabrina explained. "But they keep it a close secret from others. You know, I believe your friend Luna already told you that Kanto and the Moon Kingdom had once been in contact with each other. Our two worlds got many merits from interacting with each other, and visitors of both worlds were visiting each other quite often."
Usagi listened in awe. "You are very knowledgeable."
Sabrina smiled. "I've been studying. I've always been interested in the ancient Moon Kingdom and the impact it had on our world."
"But what happened to cause our two worlds to drift apart from each other like this?" Usagi wondered.
"Can't you guess?" Sabrina asked. "It was because of a dark menace that threatened the Moon Kingdom... and in the end, caused its destruction."
Usagi looked down at the floor. "Metallia..." she whispered.
Sabrina nodded. "Yes. And so, you and your friends are the last remaining people on Earth that know about the Moon Kingdom. Before Metallia's forces invaded, Queen Serenity made sure to seal away all passageways that lead to Kanto... and they remained closed, until..."
"Until Lord Oak needed help from the moon princess and brought Ash into our world," Usagi sighed. She shook her head. "I... I know what they expect of me, but... I'm not too sure if I can do it."
"You are horrified of what happened earlier this day," Sabrina assumed.
Usagi nodded. "Yes, that blonde Rocketeer girl... Giovanni seemed to be pretty upset about her death..." She wrapped her arms around herself and groaned. "Just like I am..."
"It wouldn't be any better if it had been anyone else who met his demise back then," Sabrina said. "Death is never a nice thing. But I believe you already understood that it is important to make a decision every now and then. Looks like the ghosts of Lavender Castle were right."
"About what?" Usagi asked in confusion.
"That you could be the one. They say that one day, someone will come who will free them from their ghostly existence."
"And I'm supposed to be that person?" Usagi sounded skeptical.
"Well, you might be the one," Sabrina said with a smile. "Even I can't look into the future, you know? But they say it's supposed to be a wanderer between the worlds, and a member of royalty."
"That also applies for Ash," Usagi pointed out.
"That's true," Sabrina nodded. "But you know, Ash didn't quite tell you everything about the ghosts of Lavender... He told you that they have turned into ghosts because of the Rocketeer's attack. But that's only one part of the story. What happened to them was the punishment for what they did in the past."
Usagi understood right away. "Rayquaza..."
"Yes," Sabrina said. "Rayquaza! They were summoning the dragon, but the force they called upon was more powerful than the one that called it. The dragon burned down their enemies, but he didn't leave, and they couldn't contain him anymore. And he almost had been able to destroy all of Kanto."
"But they did beat it, right?" Usagi asked.
"Well, we wouldn't be standing here if they didn't," Sabrina smirked. "But yes, they found a way, but don't ask me how they did it. They managed to subdue it, but for a big price. The dragon's curse hit them. They would never again find peace and were cursed to roam the halls of Lavender Castle forever."
"Eternal life? That doesn't sound like a curse," Usagi said, blinking.
"And yet it was one," Sabrina replied. "Rayquaza cursed them with immortality, but it was an eternity of terror, as they could never leave their castle and were forced to relive their most horrible moments in life again and again. But, there might be a way for them to atone for what they did. They might find eternal peace when they get the chance to help save Kanto from a disastrous threat. Just like you."
Usagi knew what the psychic meant, but she didn't reply. So Sabrina continued:
"Ash showed you the Burning Plains. He told you what happened after the dragon was summoned. But what Lord Oak is going to show you won't be much less horrifying. You don't have the choice between the dragon and peace, Sailor Moon! You have the choice between the fire of the dragon and the fire of the Rocketeers... and that burns just as blazing as that of Rayquaza."
"So... you want to tell me that I should help Lord Oak?" Usagi asked.
"I'm only saying that you have to choose carefully, but the choice is still yours. I'm just here to help you with the decision, not to make it for you."
"And if I make a mistake?" Usagi asked unconfidantly. She didn't like the situation she was in one bit. It wasn't fair... should she really risk the destruction of Kanto, to save it from the Rocketeers?
"Just listen to the voice of your conscience, and you will make the right decision," Sabrina said. Her voice was full of confidence. "I know you can do it. And now, we should get some rest, especially you. You have still a long journey ahead of you, until you reach Pallet Castle." She then looked at her guest inquiringly. "Or have you changed your mind?"
"No, I'm still going to Pallet Castle," Usagi said. "That much I promised to Lord Oak."
Sabrina nodded. "Very well... in that case, I have a present for you." She stood up and walked over to a bureau, where she pulled a shiny item out of a drawer.
Usagi accepted the circular object from the psychic woman. It was a metal ring, shimmering like silver, with various adornments that were looking similar to the decorations on her own weapons... the Moon Tiara, the Moon Rod and the Holy Grail, for instance.
"What's this?" she whispered.
"This is the Moon Chakram," Sabrina explained. "It is one of the artifacts from the ancient Moon Kingdom that stayed behind in Kanto, before Queen Serenity sealed off the pathways between our worlds. I know you are already a capable fighter, especially alongside your friends, and that you don't like to hurt anyone... but please, take it with you. It will be a dangerous journey, and it is more than just a weapon. It will be able to protect you. But remember that this is more than just a fancy piece of metal... misuse the Moon Chakram's powers, and it will turn against you."
Sailor Moon grabbed the Moon Chakram with both her hands and nodded. "Thank you again, Sabrina! I think your advice really helped me. And I will think about you every time I'll use the Chakram."
"That's good to hear," Sabrina smiled. "And now, time for bed! As I said, It's gonna be a long journey for all of you."
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(Posted Wed, 28 Feb 2007 18:43)
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