The moment Ryuuske stepped into the ruined building, he heard the cries of birds outside. He looked out through the shattered window and saw Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres circling the sky, their calls almost like expressions of gratitude toward him.
"Three dumb birds. Hope you don't get captured out of nowhere again," Ryuuske muttered, shaking his head before continuing forward.
The building had collapsed, its hallways littered with chunks of concrete mixed with steel bars and shattered rocks turned to sand. Carefully avoiding the dangling metal beams overhead, Ryuuske confirmed that the structure wouldn't completely collapse without external force before proceeding deeper inside.
Not far ahead, as he turned a corner, he heard a familiar, icy voice.
"Who's there?"
The once-clear, jade-like voice now sounded weak, but the wariness and arrogance in it remained undiminished. Before even identifying the intruder, a ripple of psychic energy surged toward him.
However, the psychic force was feeble. A black, rabbit-like Pokémon leaped in front of Ryuuske, blocking the attack with its body.
"Umbreon?!" Sabrina gasped.
Faced with the Dark-type Umbreon, Alakazam's Psychic-type move was utterly ineffective.
"So this Eevee can evolve into both Espeon and Umbreon…" Sabrina murmured, already guessing who had arrived upon seeing Umbreon.
At that moment, Ryuuske caught sight of Sabrina. She was in rough shape—huddled in a corner of the ruins, her beautiful face smeared with dust, her Rocket uniform torn and tattered, revealing glimpses of her fair, delicate skin beneath. Her Alakazam was in no better condition. Ryuuske was certain his Umbreon could knock it out with a single Dark-type move and finish it off in three.
"Quite the pitiful sight, Sabrina," Ryuuske said, hands in his pockets, wearing the mocking smile of a victor.
The combined final strike from Mewtwo and Mew had not only separated the three legendary birds but also left Sabrina and her Alakazam severely injured, leaving the Psychic-type Pokémon too weak to teleport her to safety.
"Here to gloat over my misery? If so, you've seen enough," Sabrina said, closing her eyes to avoid his triumphant grin. She remained as proud and queenly as ever, just like when they first met.
"I did come to see you in this sorry state, but that's not all…" Ryuuske's grin turned sinister as he glanced at his Umbreon.
"...I'd advise you to recall your Alakazam. This Eevee suffered under your hands before. If it decides to act on old grudges, well… you know the consequences."
Sabrina scoffed but complied, returning Alakazam to its Poké Ball. The Umbreon had already assumed an aggressive stance, and she feared it might lash out, ignoring Ryuuske's commands in a fit of rage.
Still, she couldn't help but marvel inwardly—this Eevee had truly grown.
Satisfied, Ryuuske watched as Umbreon transformed back into Espeon. While Espeon couldn't grant him psychic abilities like Mewtwo, it could amplify his own powers when used as a medium.
With a wave of his hand, Sabrina felt her body being pulled toward him against her will. She tried to resist with her own psychic energy, but human abilities were no match for a Pokémon's—especially with Espeon's enhancement. Helplessly, she was dragged forward by an invisible force, her slender neck caught in Ryuuske's grip.
He didn't squeeze hard enough to choke her, just enough to control her.
Dragging her to the edge of the ruined hallway, where the walls had crumbled away, Ryuuske forced her to look out at the devastated city of Saffron, still embroiled in battle.
With no mercy, he yanked her head back by her hair and pointed at the war-torn city.
"Look. Open your eyes and look. This is your Saffron—your hometown, the city you were supposed to protect. See what you've done to it. You've destroyed it!"
Sabrina's pupils shrank as she stared at the ruins, her body trembling violently as if suddenly remembering something. She struggled desperately, but Ryuuske coldly cupped her chin, forcing her to face the devastation.
"N-No… stop!" she pleaded, her voice breaking with terror.
"Ah, so you finally remember this is your home?" Ryuuske sneered.
People in this world had an almost fanatical attachment to their hometowns. Trainers from Pewter City returned there after their journeys; those from Cerulean City did the same. Every trainer took pride in protecting their birthplace.
"But look at you, Sabrina. As Saffron's Gym Leader, its people trusted you. And what did you give them in return? Death. Slaughter. Ruin. What possessed you to prioritize loyalty to Team Rocket over your own home? How could you agree to help Giovanni attack this city?"
His voice dripped with malice. "Your parents must be so ashamed. To raise such an ungrateful daughter… Remember how they begged for forgiveness when your uncontrollable psychic powers hurt others? How they took turns quitting their jobs just to stay home with you, afraid you'd be lonely? That neighbor whose child you accidentally hurt—even they treated you kindly."
"When you became Gym Leader, they were so proud. And now? I should drag you to your parents, to those kind neighbors, and let them see how you've turned their homes into rubble. How their loved ones might be dead because of you. Oh, but maybe it's pointless—they could already be gone. What do you think?"
He whispered the last words into her ear like the vilest of villains.
"Stop… please, stop…" Sabrina begged, her voice muffled as tears streamed down her face, dripping onto Ryuuske's hand.
"Fine. No more words. Let's go find your parents instead."
"No! Don't take me to them!"
With a sudden burst of strength, she wrenched free from his grip, scrambling backward on the floor until her back hit the wall. Hugging her knees, she buried her face and sobbed uncontrollably.
She didn't see the faint purple glow in Ryuuske's eyes—the psychic energy he was using, the seed he'd planted in her mind long ago, now breaking through her fragile defenses once more.
Her cries eventually subsided into hoarse whimpers. When she lifted her tear-streaked face, her eyes were hollow, like a doll whose spirit had been snuffed out.
Her uniform had torn further during the struggle, revealing more of her flawless skin and the curves of her body, veins faintly visible beneath the delicate surface.
Ryuuske stepped closer, each footfall making her flinch, until he stood right before her. Kneeling down to face the once-proud queen now reduced to a trembling mess, his voice softened unexpectedly.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here. Like I said before… I've fallen for you, Sabrina. But the old you was too distant, too blinded by arrogance. Failure after failure drove you to madness."
Cupping her tear-stained cheeks, he studied her swollen, red-rimmed eyes. Her face was so small it nearly fit in his palm—like a delicate, breakable doll.
"What… should I do?" she rasped, still hiccuping from her sobs.
"I'll help you. As the hero who crushed Team Rocket and ended this chaos, my testimony holds the most weight. If I vouch for you—say you were manipulated, an innocent pawn—the League and other Gym Leaders won't punish you. All blame will fall on Giovanni. Any accusations against you will be dismissed as rumors, because no one would doubt the word of the 'savior.'"
That was the privilege of being a "hero." Though he'd never sought the title, the outcome had thrust it upon him. In the aftermath of good triumphing over evil, his words carried more authority than even the League's chairman.
"Your parents will never know what you did. To them, you'll always be their proud daughter. And if one day you're ready to face the past, you can tell them the truth yourself."
"...Thank you," Sabrina whispered, barely audible.
Ryuuske blinked, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt. Here he was, having just threatened her with her parents' disapproval—after being the one to orchestrate this entire situation—and now she was thanking him? Even his thick skin couldn't fully shrug off the irony.
But as his gaze dropped to her flushed lips and glistening skin, any hesitation vanished.
He leaned down and kissed her, his hands already tugging at her clothes as she responded—clumsily, yet with a hint of practiced familiarity.
To be continued…
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