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Saffron City Gym Leader: Sabrina

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Name: Sabrina
Moniker: The Mistress of Psychic-type Pokémon
Region: Kanto
Role: Leader of the Saffron City Gym and distributor of the Marsh Badge.
Type Specialty: Psychic


BACKGROUND

Saffron City is well-known for its massive skyscrapers and imposing size, but the place where the greatest achievements of the city have occurred lay in an otherwise unassuming Gym run by perhaps one of the most powerful Psychic-type specialists in the world, Sabrina. Sabrina is different from most humans in that she does in fact have psychic powers and actually inherited them from her father, who is noted for his immense capacity for psychokinesis and teleportation. Sabrina obtained her powers at a young age and first learned about them when a spoon that she had tossed as a child mysteriously bent for seemingly no reason. Sabrina spent much of her childhood developing her psychic powers and obsessed over them for a time, even to the point where she would torture her parents simply to test out their strength. Eventually, however, this childish behavior was negated by years of experience, turning Sabrina into a much calmer adult that was able to user her powers extensively without losing her capacity to think or otherwise behave logically. Sabrina does not like to fight much, but this passive nature has nothing to do with her performance in battle, as she is able to battle quite aggressively with her Pokémon as a result of being able to psychically link with them and command them without speaking. Sabrina is currently living a fairly quaint lifestyle and has recently been gaining greater control over her powers than ever before, even to the point where she claims that she is beginning to see the future. Whether or not this is the case has yet to be seen, but from what can be said, it looks like Sabrina will be staying around as the distributor of the Marsh Badge for some time, as her dominance over the nearby Fighting Dojo as well as most of the city grants her unparalleled power among similar Gym Leaders across the planet. It is lastly noted that recently, Sabrina has been working at Pokéstar Studios in an attempt to make a mark in a world not dictated by psychic powers in the slightest; so far, her charm and surprising acting abilities have made her one of the top stars in the studio and an impressive individual any way you look at it.


COMBAT STRATEGIES

Sabrina is well-known for her ruthless tactics in battle and her capacity to easily cripple an opponent before they can even make a decent move on her in battle. All of Sabrina's Pokémon are built for offense and are able to user their natural power to deal massive damage against just about any opponent, although she is somewhat limited in regards to facing Ghost-types as a whole. Sabrina occasionally pairs off her Pokémon’s offensive moves with some tactical and defensive moves in order to help keep the rest of the team healthy and potentially protected from much harm, but this is only the icing on the cake in regards to what she can really do. Because she is able to speak to her Pokémon telekinetically without moving her lips in the slightest, Sabrina has a major advantage over most opponents as they cannot readily tell what sort of strategy she is going to use beforehand. This effectively leaves brute force as the only reliable tactic that can actually work, but even this can be made to backfire, as her Pokémon’s capacity to wield special attacks allows them to stay far away from the opposition and thus keep themselves safe from relative harm. In combination with their already impressive stats and abilities, this effectively makes Sabrina a trainer that few people will ever be able to successfully defeat, even if her few weakness can be exploited.


PRIMARY POKEMON

Alakazam: This creature is the oldest member of Sabrina's team and was actually the first Pokémon she ever received; although it may not have much in the way of defense, this creature has come a long way since its time as an Abra and is a ruthless fighter that few opponents will be able to defeat let alone get close to. From afar, Alakazam will use its Psywave, Psychic, Future Sight, Energy Ball, Dazzling Gleam, Charge Beam, Shadow Ball, Tri Attack, Psyshock and Focus Blast attacks to deal massive damage to anything that dares to approach it; considering that this combination of moves covers a wide variety of types, there are not too many creatures that will be able to avoid serious damage in practice. If things call for a bit of manipulation, though, Alakazam can use its Gravity technique to potentially ruin the plans of other trainers that choose to use moves like Fly to get away from the action for a little while as well as a Calm Mind and Light Screen techniques to create a buffer against the special offenses of its opponent and even a Recover technique if it becomes seriously injured. Overall, this beast is definitely not the Pokémon that trainers will want to face without some form of special defense to protect against its might, especially since the Sitrus, Colbur and Kasib berries it often carries can potentially allow it to survive an otherwise crippling assault.

Espeon: Sabrina's Espeon is not quite as powerful as some of her other Pokémon but is more than quick enough to still be a significant threat in battle. When on the offensive, this creature can readily use its Psyshock, Signal Beam, Psychic and Shadow Ball attacks to deal considerable damage from afar and thus far from the grasp of powerful physical fighters. Moreover, Espeon is able to use a Calm Mind technique to potentially boost its own stats or, if it is called for, use a Baton Pass technique to pass them on to a more capable fighter like Alakazam; the addition of Skill Swap, Yawn and Reflect techniques to back this up only makes it that much more of a threat, especially when considering that the beast almost always is holding a Kasib or a Petaya berry or Leftovers for protection. Espeon might not be much to look at, but if it is not taken out early in the fight, it can easily help make Sabrina's other Pokémon unstoppable on the offensive.

Mr. Mime: Mr. Mime is not specifically designed to be a dangerous offensive fighter, but it can nonetheless prove to be a decent barrier against fighters that prefer special attacks over physical ones. Mr. Mime will generally start things off by using Reflect and Light Screen techniques to boost its defenses before using Psychic, Dazzling Gleam, Charge Beam and Thunder attacks to deal massive damage against many types of opponents, as well as a Double Slap attack to mess with targets in close-quarters. If needed, this creature can even use a Skill Swap technique to quickly take any advantage a target's Ability might have and thus serve to manipulate its capacity to battle directly as well as a combination of Barrier, Calm Mind and Baton Pass to pass its heightened stats to a fellow partner and a Mimic technique to give the opposition a taste of their own medicine. Mr. Mime will probably not be able to deal a lot of damage (though its held Kasib berry can help it survive an otherwise fatal blow), but its heckling can still be enough to make fighting it a real nightmare in practice.

Hypno: Hypno might not be among the strongest of Psychic-types out there, but its expertise in moves such as Hypnosis and Dream Eater nonetheless make it a dangerous target to face in battle. Aside from these moves, Sabrina's Hypno will often use its Calm Mind technique to increase its special attributes before moving away from the target and firing Shadow Ball attacks from a distance, relying on Thunder Punch and Fire Punch attacks in addition to strike at targets close to them. It might not have the same bite found in better Psychic-types, but at the very least this creature can prove to be an issue if not taken out quickly and can last for a decent amount of time thanks to its held Sitrus berry.

Jynx: This strange creature is much stronger than it looks and is capable of using powerful Psychic, Frost Breath, Energy Ball, Shadow Ball, Blizzard and Focus Blast attacks to deal incredible damage against the opposition from afar, which works out quite well for Jynx as it has relatively poor physical defenses in practice. The fact that this creature enjoys using its Lovely Kiss technique as often as possible only makes it a bigger problem, as it can deal devastating damage with its Dream Eater attack in those types of situations and can thus keep itself quite healthy even in adverse battle conditions (often times assisted in doing so by a held Salac berry). Jynx may not have much in the way of combat versatility, but if the chips are down, it won't be afraid to use its Perish Song technique to try and take the opposition down, though this can easily be avoided simply by switching out the Pokémon it is targeting.

Slowking: While Slowking are not the best when it comes to fully-offensive fights, this creature has more than a few tricks up its sleeve to make life miserable for many opponents. After using a Calm Mind technique to boost its special attributes, this creature will stay far away from the opposition and strike from afar with powerful Psyshock, Psychic, Ice Beam, Shadow Ball and Scald attacks. If worse comes to worse, this beast can employ a Slack Off technique to keep itself healthy while its held Ganlon berry or Choice Specs allow it to stem the tide and eventually break through the defenses of the opposition. It’s probably not the most likely of opponents to survive a physical brawl, but it is definitely not one you want to cross either way.

Slowbro: Much as with her Slowking, while Slowbro might not be the most offensively-gifted of fighters out there, Sabrina's specimen can still prove to be an annoying presence in battle. Instead of relying on tactical moves on this specimen, though, Sabrina's Slowbro is all about offense, utilizing Psychic, Shadow Ball, Scald and Ice Beam attacks to deal with a number of different targets. This beast can definitely deal with a myriad of opponents and prove to be a bit of a hassle with its strong defenses, but its weaker offensive stats can still make it a bit easier to wall than most, making strong defenses an easy solution to countering its main attacks.

Exeggutor: This walking plant might not be the best when it comes to dealing with type-trumping opponents, but even so it is a powerful Psychic-type that can more than make a name for itself in battle. In the case of Sabrina's specimen, this plant will rely on moves such as Sleep Powder to incapacitate the opposition before letting loose a torrent of Dream Eater, Psychic and Energy Ball attacks from afar. The Tanga berry that this creature holds can help it survive at least relatively well against the effects of Bug-type attacks, but as long as it can be type-trumped quickly, the power that this creature has will matter very little unless it manages to survive the initial blow.

Metagross: This immense beast is more than a viable threat in any battle and is one of the few Psychic-types that can more than prove to be a nightmare in close-quarters combat. Instead of wasting time powering up its stats, this monster will attack with everything it has the moment it enters the battlefield, smacking down opponents with devastating Psychic, Shadow Ball, Signal Beam and Grass Knot attacks. The fact that Sabrina prefers to use the special powers of this Metagross makes it less useful in battle than it might otherwise be, but the Expert Belt it wears can still make it a monster of an opponent if measures are not taken to remove it from battle as soon as possible.

Sigilyph: This bizarre automaton might not look like a real threat, but it has access to some surprising attacks and should be dealt with quickly. Powered up by its held Life Orb, this creature commonly stays as far away from the opposition as possible, striking with powerful Psychic, Air Slash and Ice Beam attacks from afar and using a Light Screen technique to keep itself protected against special attacks. This Pokémon is likely to not last long in battle, but the presence of its Life Orb nonetheless makes it a threat worth eliminating if only just to make way for battles against stronger fighters in Sabrina's team.


RESERVE POKEMON


Wobbuffet: This abnormal beast retains most of its moves and is only different from other Wobbuffet in that it still has access to its Encore technique in place of the Safeguard technique it normally has. This actually makes things much easier for it in battle, as using the Encore technique after a move is used will allow Wobbuffet to use the right counterattack to deal massive damage over and over again until the opposition is defeated. This may in fact be among Sabrina's more deadly fighters even if it cannot attack directly, so caution is highly recommended.

Gallade: Because of Gallade's unique attributes, it serves as a great fighter on Sabrina's team for its ability to take full advantage of opponents with weak physical defenses. This beast is built for combat and combat alone, as its Psycho Cut, Stone Edge, Night Slash and Close Combat attacks are more than powerful enough to leave a huge mark in most opponents. The fact that Gallade has strong special defenses only exacerbates this issue, as getting close to deliver a physical attack is also risking a massive counterattack in most cases. Overall, it may not seem as powerful as Sabrina's other Pokémon, but it is still a treat worth looking out for regardless, especially since the Sitrus berry it holds can help bring it back from the brink of defeat and give it more than enough energy to counterattack.

Venomoth: This beast is rarely ever used by Sabrina anymore as a result of its weak combat abilities, but in a pinch, it can still work as a decent stall tactic. Venomoth is armed with Psybeam, Leech Life and Gust attacks that are designed to keep it safe from harm, but in most cases, these attacks have little impact on the opponent being targeted. If needed, this beast can employ a Supersonic technique to potentially Confuse the opposition, but even then, the chances of this beast lasting very long are pretty much nil, hence its absence in Sabrina's party in most situations.

Kadabra: This creature is certainly no slouch in battle, but in comparison to the rest of Sabrina’s team, it is still an easy target. Relying on its Calm Mind and Reflect techniques to increase its stats and its Kinesis and Disable techniques to heckle the opposition, this creature will generally stay far away from its opponent and strike with Psybeam, Psychic and Future Sight attacks from afar, occasionally relying on its Recover technique to heal itself if it sustains critical damage. It might only be seen in friendly battles, but this creature can still prove to be a bit of a heckler and is worth taking out quickly if it appears on the battlefield.

Abra: It is unknown why Sabrina keeps this unevolved creature at all, as it seems to serve as a companion and nothing more. While it can heckle opponents with Teleport and Flash techniques, that is effectively all it can do. It is unlikely to ever see this creature in battle, and even if it does make an appearance, it is not likely to last long at all.


OVERALL DIFFICULTY: 2/5

Although Sabrina may not be able to directly deal with Ghost-types very well, she is still a competent fighter that can take advantage of the opposition's offenses in the right circumstances. Her Pokémon are armed with a wide variety of attacks and are able to take advantage of most type advantages to deal with just about any type of Pokémon; the fact that her best fighters are also among her fastest means that it will be very difficult for most trainers to get pass her without some serious defenses to cover against her Pokémon’s offensive abilities. Trainers will likely have to be prepared for just about anything in battle, as Sabrina is a master tactician and is able to take advantage of her Pokémon’s psychic abilities in unique ways in battle, often times manipulating the opposition and throwing its best attacks right back in its face. Even so, the fact that most of her Pokémon are unable to effectively deal directly with Ghost-types makes her a bit easy to take out with the right combination of fighters, so her team is still a bit flawed and easier to take advantage of than many would believe though still respected all the same.


REWARDS FOR DEFEAT

Defeating Sabrina will allow trainers to have the Marsh Badge, one of eight badges found within the Kanto region. In addition, trainers will receive a TM that contains the Calm Mind technique, a powerful move that can quickly increase a Pokémon’s capacity to deal and take special damage to the point of being insurmountable in battle; in the past, Sabrina gave out TMs that contained the Psywave and Skill Swap moves before those TMs were discontinued.

Professor Wormwood
A report on Sabrina, Gym Leader of Saffron City. Enjoy.
© 2012 - 2024 Mutitus
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Jokerz-1824's avatar

Sabrina was quite a hurdle for me when I first started my journey. I had to battle her three times before I could finally take down her Kadabra. Even her beginners' team doesn't hold back.