When Dratini used Thunder Wave on Ryuuske in the real world, his consciousness in the mental world shifted from a "drowsy" state to "awake."
Now fully alert, Ryuuske immediately noticed the fragmented nature of this world, spotting all its flaws and inconsistencies.
In his "drowsy" state, his brain hadn't been functioning properly, leaving him blind to the world's defects—trapped like a toy for the host to play with as they pleased. But now, he finally had the means to turn the tables.
"Big Brother, are you done running? Are you going to keep playing with me?"
A silver-bell-like giggle came from above. By now, Ryuuske had completely shaken off his earlier tension and calmed down. He patted the Gabite beneath him, watching as its body dissipated like smoke, returning to the real world.
"Huh? Big Brother only wants to play with me by himself? That Pokémon from earlier was so cute too~~"
The little girl pouted, but the child sitting atop the giant doll remained expressionless. Even when she laughed, only her lips moved slightly.
"Of course. If such an adorable little sister is inviting me, how could I refuse?"
Ryuuske chuckled darkly, hands in his pockets, before suddenly shouting at the sky:
"...Didn't expect this, did you, Sabrina? That I'd regain consciousness in this mental world? You underestimated Mewtwo's power, made the mistake of arrogance! But your biggest mistake wasn't using your adult mental state to destroy me—it was using your childhood self!"
"Tch, but then again, that's the tragedy of adulthood, isn't it? Even though you knew you could 'kill' me in this mental world, you couldn't bear to expose your adult psyche to me, couldn't stand the thought of me seeing even a sliver of your privacy. So you manifested this flawed world through your past self, trying to erase me with the lonely madness of your childhood."
"...Too bad. A child's mental world is fragile. If I hadn't woken up, I'd have been trapped here forever. If you'd fought me with your adult mental state, even if I'd regained consciousness, I wouldn't have stood a chance.
But there are no 'what-ifs' in this world, no room for regrets. Whether it's my luck or your arrogant mistake, the tables have turned. Time to run, Miss Sabrina! I'm taking over this mental world. If you can't escape, prepare for a mental collapse—and to become my 'hot weapon'!"
Ryuuske's lips curled into a vicious grin. He wasn't the type to generously forgive someone who had tried to kill him—not even if that someone was a rare beauty. He wasn't some foolish, weak-willed man who'd hand over the knife just because a pretty woman wanted him dead.
If you let a woman kill you one day, she might not even spare a moment of grief before jumping into another man's arms.
A real man had to be ruthless—to others, and to himself.
"Run, run, run, Miss Sabrina! If you're too slow, you might not make it out alive. But before you go… how about we play a little game first?"
He snapped his fingers. The giant doll, dozens of meters tall, shrank into an ordinary toy. The little girl sitting atop it blinked in confusion, picking it up and throwing it to the ground again—but this time, the monstrous figure did not reappear.
Many people have experienced this in dreams—suddenly realizing they're asleep, yet the dream persists. In that state, the dreamer can sometimes manipulate the dream to a degree. That was exactly Ryuuske's situation now. With his consciousness fully awake and his knowledge of psychic abilities, he could exert some control over this world.
If he'd been facing the real Sabrina—an adult's psyche—he'd have been powerless. But Sabrina had chosen to manifest as her childhood self. And as an adult, crushing the fragile mind of a mentally unstable little girl in a mental world was all too easy.
Another snap of his fingers, and the world flipped upside down. The neatly arranged streets vanished, the entire space condensing into a tiny bedroom.
The young Sabrina finally felt fear. Clutching her doll, she backed into a corner, staring at Ryuuske like a rabbit trapped in a snare. Her voice trembled as she whimpered:
"...B-Big Brother? Aren't we… playing a game?"
"This is the game world. Don't call me 'Big Brother'—from now on, call me 'Daddy'! Your games weren't fun, so let me teach you how adults play. The first game is called… 'Ghost X'!"
Since this was a mental world, everything in it was designed by its master. Ryuuske recalled countless *R-18* scenarios he'd seen before, directly transplanting their plots into this space—only now, the heroine was the young Sabrina, and the protagonist was himself.
Had this been reality, even if he disregarded the law, Ryuuske probably wouldn't have been capable of such acts. Over twenty years of human morality would have restrained him. But this was a mental world—and the terror of nearly dying here had shattered his humanity, unleashing his full brutality.
"B-Big Brother, don't—"
"Wrong title!"
"D-Daddy, don't— WAAAH! It hurts… it hurts! I don't wanna play anymore… I don't wanna play!"
Ryuuske ignored the little girl's cries entirely. None of this was real—even this "Sabrina" was just a fabricated personality based on her past self. He mercilessly continued his games. The time ratio between the mental world and reality was skewed—he had more than enough time to break her completely.
"Next up—'Beast Academy'!"
In the mental world, Ryuuske transformed into an indescribable mass of tentacles, turning Sabrina into a helpless magical girl.
"Now, let's go to the hospital for an 'injection'!"
A famous *hospital-themed R-18* scenario manifested in his mind.
"...Now that I think about it, I remember the plot of 'Faceless X' too!"
Finally, the little girl's personality couldn't withstand Ryuuske's torment. It shattered completely, vanishing—and in its place emerged Sabrina's true, adult psyche.
The child was gone, replaced by a slender, mature woman. Her face was still coldly beautiful, but a closer look would reveal the panic in her eyes.
"Hmph. After the fake personality broke, the real you finally shows up, Miss Sabrina? But it's too late. You can't take back control of this world now. Like I said—find a way to escape with your mind, and fast. You wanted to turn me into a vegetable, but if you don't get out before your psyche collapses… the one becoming a vegetable will be you!"
Here, he was the creator. There were no laws, no morals, not even the concept of humanity. If Mewtwo hadn't managed to reach him in the mental world, just a few more seconds in reality would have meant his and Gabite's deaths.
Ryuuske couldn't guarantee that death would grant him another chance at reincarnation.
Those who have faced death once value their lives all the more.
The terror between life and death is enough to drive anyone mad.
To be continued…