Apparently it's very long...

You’re dragged down the hall and into a rather nice room. There’s space for several rows of seats, but the only seating is a comfortable loveseat, where Sabrina leaves you while she prepares the movie. The gray carpet looks freshly-vacuumed, the walls are a dark shade of blue, and the whole place feels like a well-planned, miniature theater. You’re just not sure why a Gym would have a movie room in the first place…

While you’re waiting for Sabrina, you notice something hanging from the ceiling. Is that an overhead projector? Something about it strikes you as being better suited for a classroom than a theater… This place is starting to feel a lot more like a school than the Saffron Gym. Are you being tricked? Is a camera crew going to jump out and yell some half-rate tagline to commemorate fooling you?

“Okay, this movie’s long, but it’s really good, I promise!”

Sabrina sits down next to you, offering snacks and drink as the movie starts. Wow, this is practically the authentic theater experience! In the first scene, there’s an old man with a long white beard, stealing the lights out of streetlights with what you assume must be a magical lighter. He starts talking to a cat, but then the cat turns into an old witch. Lastly, a big, hairy man rides a motorcycle out of the sky while holding a baby, which they all decide to leave, unattended, on some random stranger’s doorstep. So these must be the bad guys.

“Hey Emilia, are you from Saffron City?”

So much for watching the movie.

“No, I’m actually from Rifure Town,” you answer, one eye still on the screen.

“Really? Wow! You moved all the way here from Rifure? That’s a long way. And the city is so much bigger than Rifure. It must be hard, getting used to city life.” She whispers something that vaguely resembles, “Nailed it.”

“Well, actually I’m just passing through. I’m only here to get your badge.” Her expression drops like a rock. “I-I’m working to become a Pokemon Master! That’s why I’ve been traveling all across Kanto. I came here before, in fact, but you weren’t here so I went to Vermilion…”

“Oh. So you came earlier, but I wasn’t here. Ahaha… I’m never leaving again.” She shakes her head, snapping out of her strange fit and donning a smile once more. “Anyway. What you meant to say was, you WERE just passing through. But now that we’re best friends, you can stay here in Saffron! You can even stay in my Gym if you want. In fact, I insist! We have so much more to do than a small town like Rifure. N-Not that I get out to do any of it very often, but I could be convinced if you wanted…”

Insight Check: Failed!

“Thanks, but I still have badges to collect. I’ll probably leave either today or tomorrow. The rest of Kanto awaits!”

A stunned, bewildered look sits on Sabrina’s face. She whispers, “Leave? Leave…” She pauses the movie. “Leave? You’re already leaving me…?”

The color drains from your face as you realize how badly you just messed up. “W-Well, I’ll stay for the movie, at least. And m-maybe we can talk for a bit after?”

“WHY!? Is it because the Gym is dingy? Am I too ugly, or too boring? Why do you already hate me!? Why, why, why…!?”

Good grief, it’s a Stage Five Clinger! She’s inconsolable! “O-Okay, well, you don’t have to worry about the forfeit. We’re even. I’m just gonna-”

“SIT.”

Your muscles lock up, preventing you from moving even an inch off the sofa. Glancing to your side, you see a pair of glowing red eyes standing out in the lowlit room. D-Didn’t she say she was psychic earlier? You thought she was just joking around, but… Oh god. All you can do is stay seated while Sabrina’s insanity boils over.

“Is it something I did? Something I said? Hey, Emilia! Isn’t it weird that I want to be your best friend but you already hate me!? Or… or maybe it’s not me. Maybe it’s someone else! Is that it? Do you hate me because you already have a best friend!? Or… m-m-more than friends? Even if your mouth won’t tell me, your mind will…”