The Spoon of Destiny in Sabrina's hand pointed her toward Ryuuske's location—and toward victory. Just as she was about to command Alakazam to attack, she suddenly sensed something wrong. Her Alakazam was showing signs of pain, and even though she was standing behind it, her skin prickled as if being needled.
"Using the narrow terrain to turn a field-control ability meant for concealment and weather manipulation into an offensive skill..."
Sabrina stretched out her hand, feeling the stinging pain of the sandstorm against her palm. The jade-like skin split open with cuts, and she immediately understood Ryuuske's tactic—by funneling the sandstorm violently in one direction using the cave's cramped space, the terrain itself became an amplifier for its destructive force.
"This is just a desperate last stand. Alakazam, cut him to shreds with Psycho Cut—wait, no! Behind us!"
Sabrina reacted swiftly, spinning around to face her back. There, a Poké Ball had abruptly appeared out of nowhere.
"Using telekinesis to instantly move a Poké Ball is a clever trick, but if this is your so-called 'magic,' then you're just being delusional!"
Sabrina, who had always been composed and rarely spoke much, found herself unable to resist taunting Ryuuske whenever she faced him.
Alakazam reacted just as quickly as she did. The Psycho Cut originally meant for the sandstorm was redirected behind it in an instant—an invisible blade of psychic energy sliced through the air, cleanly bisecting the Poké Ball that had appeared.
"That takes care of one of your Pok—what?! It's empty?!"
Just as she was about to sneer, Sabrina froze in shock. The shattered remnants of the Poké Ball contained nothing at all.
"Too slow, you idiot! Gabite, Dig now!"
Ryuuske's voice rang out from within the sandstorm. He seemed to be moving rapidly, laughing loudly as he did.
"Mr. Mime, Light Screen!!! What other tricks do you—wait, what?!"
Faced with the sudden underground assault, Sabrina remained calm. She hovered in the air while Mr. Mime erected a Light Screen beneath her. If Gabite's Dig struck it, it would be met with a relentless counterattack from her Pokémon. Given Sabrina's strength, Gabite would undoubtedly be knocked out.
But after waiting for a long moment, she felt no movement beneath her. Ryuuske's Gabite never emerged.
Sabrina was stunned. Pokémon were highly intelligent and could understand most human speech, but aside from a few exceptionally clever ones, most were incapable of tactics like lying or deception. If a trainer ordered a move, the Pokémon would execute it faithfully—it wouldn't consider that the command might be a bluff. Yet, Ryuuske's Gabite had somehow grasped his intent to deceive!
"You rely on telepathy to communicate with your Pokémon, forging a mental link. But I—I can naturally speak with any Dragon-type! Sabrina, your mind is in complete disarray right now. You can't even think straight!"
Ryuuske's voice was getting closer. The Spoon of Destiny in Sabrina's hand bent at nearly a ninety-degree angle.
"You're insane!!"
When she finally saw Ryuuske, Sabrina couldn't help but scream—her usually icy voice now shrill with panic.
Ryuuske had no Gabite by his side. He had exposed himself directly to the sandstorm's needle-like assault. Without a Pokémon's protection, his body was covered in countless tiny wounds from his own Pokémon's attack. Though each cut was small, the sheer volume of sand scraping against his skin was agony no ordinary person could endure.
"You were so busy watching for Gabite and Mewtwo's ambush that you never expected the trainer himself to be the real attacker!"
Ryuuske grinned savagely and roared, "—Kneel, Sabrina! Dratini, use Bind!"
By now, Ryuuske had forced himself through the pain to close the distance. He hurled a Poké Ball—this time, no tricks. The Dratini that emerged was real.
Dratini's two-meter-long body coiled like a rope. Before Sabrina could react, it slipped between her legs, its tail twisting around her ankles. Then, like an eel, it slithered up, looping under her arms to pin her wrists. Finally, it wrapped around her neck and squeezed, turning the snow-skinned woman's face red as she gasped for air, her body forced into a yoga-like contortion.
Even though Dratini was still young, Sabrina, as a human, stood no chance against a Dragon's strength. Her body was yanked out of the air and slammed onto the ground. Ryuuske immediately lunged forward, pinning her shoulders to keep her from resisting. Alakazam and Mr. Mime hesitated—the two were too close. At this range, any attack would risk hitting Sabrina as well.
"Ghk—cough—!"
Sabrina felt like something had been shoved down her throat. Her lungs strained, but no air came. Dratini's grip on her neck was so tight that she hung her tongue out like a corpse, her consciousness fading.
"Don't actually kill her, Dratini!"
Realizing the danger, Ryuuske quickly stopped Dratini. If Sabrina died here, Alakazam and Mr. Mime would have no reason to hold back—they'd kill him on the spot. Only a living Sabrina could serve as a hostage to keep them in check.
Finally, air rushed back into Sabrina's lungs. She gasped desperately, greedily inhaling the precious oxygen. She had no idea how Ryuuske had trained his Dratini, but this Bind technique was way too practiced—and way too lewd!
Then, the earth trembled violently. The cavern's ceiling groaned as cracks spiderwebbed across the walls. Rubble began raining down. Sabrina's expression changed—she recognized this wasn't a natural phenomenon.
It was the move Earthquake.
"Are you trying to kill us both?! Using Earthquake here will collapse the mountain—we'll both die!"
Sabrina's voice was icy again, her earlier panic replaced by cold fury. The flush on her cheeks faded, leaving only her usual frosty beauty.
With the two of them this close, her Pokémon couldn't attack. And if her Alakazam tried to Teleport her away, she had no doubt the Dratini around her neck would strangle her instantly.
"I wouldn't mind dying alongside you, Sabrina, but I've only just started living—I'm not ready to kick the bucket yet. The mountain collapsing is dangerous, but hey—you've got your Pokémon, right? As the Saffrom Gym Leader's ace, they should be strong enough to hold back the falling rocks, no?"
Ryuuske smirked. In one swift motion, he flipped their positions, pulling Sabrina on top of him so that her back faced the crumbling ceiling—a classic woman-on-top pose. If the rocks fell, she would be the first to die.
CRACK—BOOM!
With a deafening roar, the cavern's roof finally gave way. Boulders the size of cars plummeted down, threatening to bury them both beneath Mt Moon.
Sabrina gritted her teeth, but she had no choice. The instinct to survive forced her to yield.
"...Mr. Mime, use Barrier to block the falling rocks! Alakazam, assist it!"
Her voice was bitter, laced with self-doubt. She had outmaneuvered Ryuuske at first, nearly killing him with her foresight. But once he retaliated, he had played her like a fiddle—deceiving her at every turn, even exploiting her human survival instincts.
Sabrina knew it.
This time, she had truly lost.
As a Gym Leader capable of rivaling the Elite Four, she hadn't been defeated in a straight battle.
Instead, she had been utterly outwitted—by a mix of sheer luck and cunning.
To be continued…