There was no such thing as "mutual attraction" between psychics.
However, for a psychic powerful enough, identifying whether another person possessed psychic powers was almost effortless.
That was precisely the situation Sabrina now faced.
She could feel the overwhelming psychic energy radiating from the man before her — and more unsettlingly, that energy felt eerily similar to her own.
That was bizarre. After all, no two psychics' powers were exactly alike, and the way their abilities manifested often varied dramatically.
For instance, Sabrina's specialty was turning people into dolls.
Some others were particularly adept at, say, causing explosions.
But this man... he gave Sabrina the distinct impression that he, too, could use that same eerie "turning people into dolls" technique.
But how was that even possible?
Psychic power, much like a magnetic field, was an innate gift — something you were born with.
Training could refine it, yes, but only on the premise that you already possessed psychic potential. And that potential determined the natural direction in which your abilities would evolve.
Frowning deeply, Sabrina finally demanded in a sharp tone:
"Who exactly are you?"
"Who else?" the man replied, a smirk curling across his face to reveal a set of cold, white teeth. "I'm your replacement — the traitor of Team Rocket."
"Today, I'll take you back to Giovanni myself, so you can understand what kind of price betrayal demands."
"And then, I'll become you— only stronger!"
His words carried a chill, but also a barely contained thrill of excitement.
Since his "rebirth" in Team Rocket's laboratory, this was the first time he had faced an opponent of this caliber.
Yet, he wasn't intimidated in the least — in fact, his fighting spirit burned even brighter.
He knew it well: this was his destined rival.
And he would win. When he did, he would claim Sabrina's place and ascend to the ranks of Team Rocket's highest officers.
The man's grin widened as he drew a Poké Ball — not an ordinary red-and-white one, but one emblazoned with a bold M.
A Master Ball.
The highest-grade Poké Ball in existence.
Which meant whatever Pokémon it contained... would not be anything ordinary.
"You think you can replace me?" Sabrina's eyes narrowed.
Something felt deeply wrong, but there was no turning back now.
All she could do was fight — and win quickly.
Her current condition was far from ideal, but she had no choice.
She wasn't about to fall here.
"Alakazam, prepare for battle!"
The "Grandmaster Alakazam," who had once been defeated by Haru's combined assault of Mew and Lugia, returned to the field.
Twin spoons in hand, it glared at its opponent with razor focus.
Though its previous Mega Evolution had ended in crushing defeat, that was against a Legendary Pokémon and a Mythical — a hopeless matchup.
It wasn't even among the strongest Mega Pokémon to begin with.
Even if it could somehow evolve further into a new form, gain a 600 base stat total, the "Psychic Surge" ability, and stack another Mega Evolution on top of that — it still couldn't have beaten opponents like those.
But this time was different. This was merely a Rocket operative.
Even if the man shared similar psychic powers to its Trainer — so what?
Let this Alakazam strike him down with its Psycho Break Fist!
It cast a brief glance toward its Trainer — Sabrina understood instantly.
Fight.
"Let's go, Alakazam! Mega Evolve!"
At her command, silver-violet energy rippled through the air, pulsing like a cosmic embryo breathing starlight.
Psychic particles wove Fibonacci spirals along a luminous cocoon, each pulse tearing brief flashes of quantum foam across the air.
And then, before them appeared a levitating yellow Pokémon.
The spoons once held in its hands were gone, replaced by five gleaming spoons orbiting around it like crystallized souls.
Its psychic power surged exponentially, flooding the sea around them — time itself seemed to slow beneath its overwhelming mind.
Though Alakazam's base form wasn't particularly exceptional, its advantage was in its nature — pure Psychic.
And Sabrina could continually channel her own power into it, reinforcing its strength.
In truth, it was far stronger than it appeared.
Far stronger.
Since leaving Team Rocket, Sabrina had surpassed her former self, reaching a height she'd never touched before.
Perhaps this was the kind of strength born from vengeance.
But would her opponent be afraid? Would he hesitate?
Of course not.
The man showed not an ounce of fear — instead, he laughed wildly, covering his face with one hand.
"Kekekeke... is that all you've got?"
"How pitiful, woman. You really haven't improved at all."
"Now, let me show you the gulf between us!"
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the Master Ball.
What emerged made Sabrina's pupils constrict — a Pokémon she recognized, yet could hardly believe.
A massive figure unfurled vast, bat-like wings. Gold crescent arcs shimmered across its wing membranes, glinting like new moons. At the forked tips of its wings hung star-shaped golden ornaments, slicing the night sky into tangible pieces.
A high, collar-like crest framed its head like a vampire's cloak, and atop it, a dark-blue crown glowed faintly — a miniature universe, where constellations constantly shifted from Orion's Belt to Scorpius's tail.
A soft, ghostly blue light radiated from its chest — the compressed essence of moonlight itself, pulsing in slow, cosmic waves.
It was the Moon Pokémon, Lunala — the Moon Goddess.
"Nebby? No... this must be another Lunala—but how?!"
Far away in Alola, Lillie and Lusamine, watching through a hidden feed, stared in disbelief.
They knew Lunala better than anyone. They had even witnessed her clash with the Ultra Beast, Necrozma, with their own eyes.
Lillie herself was Lunala's Trainer.
But how could there be a second Lunala — and in Kanto, no less?
If Team Rocket had sent out Solgaleo, they wouldn't have been so shocked — there was a Solgaleo still running around the Ultra Space, after all.
Haru had even mentioned that whenever he traversed the Ultra Space, that Solgaleo would sometimes appear just to puff warm air at him — only to be promptly smacked away for it.
But no, it wasn't Solgaleo. It was another Lunala.
Could she be Nebby's mother or something?
Lillie frowned, analyzing the screen carefully.
"Something's off with this Lunala. Her movements are stiff — like a puppet."
"Team Rocket must have found a way to control her artificially."
"In that case, she probably can't fight at her full strength..."
"But she's still dangerous — she is a Legendary Pokémon, after all."
Lillie and Lusamine exchanged grim looks, their earlier quarrels forgotten in the face of this crisis.
"Even at her peak, Sabrina couldn't possibly defeat Lunala," Lusamine said flatly. "And right now, she's clearly weakened."
"She doesn't stand a chance."
"Don't forget," Lillie added, "her opponent's a psychic too. If he boosts Lunala with his own power, she could go beyond her limits."
As Lunala's Trainer, Lillie understood her perfectly.
From a type standpoint alone, Lunala completely countered Alakazam.
Before and after Mega Evolution, Alakazam was pure Psychic — while Lunala was Ghost/Psychic. Her signature move, Moongeist Beam, was pure Ghost-type, high in power and free of recoil.
Alakazam's Psychic attacks would be resisted, while Lunala's Ghost attacks hit for super effective damage.
The matchup was hopeless. Psychic-type could be a liability in battles like these.
Even Lillie, who wasn't especially battle-obsessed, sometimes envied Haru's Pokémon — Flutter Mane.
Fairy and Ghost — an absolutely perfect combination, leagues better than Psychic/Ghost.
And that was before even considering the sheer gap between Legendaries and normal Pokémon.
Simply put, neither Lillie nor Lusamine could see any way for Sabrina to win.
And if she lost... she'd fall back into Team Rocket's hands.
They didn't know exactly how Team Rocket treated "traitors," but the very thought sent a chill down their spines.
Death might even be a mercy.
"Should we call Haru?" Lillie blurted out.
Just moments ago, she'd been jealous of Sabrina's closeness to him — but that didn't matter now. Despite everything, Lillie was still a kind-hearted girl.
"But if we call him," Lusamine countered, "how do we explain how we know about this?"
She didn't want to lose this valuable piece on the chessboard either, but the situation was dire.
"What about sending him an anonymous message?" Lillie suggested — then immediately shook her head. "No, he might just ignore it. Too risky."
"Let's contact him directly. This is Lunala we're talking about. No ordinary person could handle this."
As the two in Alola scrambled for a plan, the battle raged on.
"How amusing," the man sneered. "I see fear in your eyes. You've seen this Pokémon before, haven't you?"
He stroked his chin like a cat toying with a trapped mouse.
"Then I won't waste time with introductions."
"Now tell me — do you dare defy one who commands the power of the Moon God?!"
He spread his arms wide, shouting into the sea wind.
To him, Sabrina was already a fish in a barrel. All he needed was a few casual moves to capture her.
Yes — capture, not kill.
Giovanni had made it clear: this psychic's body was valuable experimental material...
Sabrina didn't answer. She instead poured her consciousness outward, scanning for any possible chance of survival.
Information — that was her one remaining edge.
And she still had one final move.
"Alakazam!" she ordered sharply. "Use Teleport to create multiple afterimages, then strike from its blind spot with Hypnosis!"
Though Alakazam was a pure Psychic-type, it could use the Ghost-type move Shadow Ball.
The problem was, Shadow Ball was powerful — but too slow.
Firing it head-on would never hit Lunala.
Her best option was to immobilize her first — then attack while she slept.
The Moon Goddess liked sleeping, didn't she? That made sense.
"Futile," the man scoffed. "Illusions are still just illusions."
"You and your third-rate Pokémon have no idea how vast my power truly is!"
"Lunala, use Moongeist Beam — hit the entire area!"
The map-wide blast descended — the kind of move that made lesser Pokémon look pitiful before a Legendary.
But Sabrina's expression didn't change.
As though she weren't the one about to lose.
"When you unleash your strongest attack," she said softly, "that's when you're most vulnerable."
"Now... watch how I defeat you."
Before the light struck, Alakazam's true form flickered into view — far from the blast zone.
It hadn't used Hypnosis at all. The afterimages were merely a feint.
Sabrina had already communicated the plan telepathically.
"Z-Move— Never-Ending Nightmare!"
"Begone, Team Rocket scum!"
"What—?!"
The man froze.
Then, slowly, he grinned again.
"Heh... did you really think I'd say that?"
***********************
Read advanced chapter ahead of everyone else on my P@treon.
P@treon/GodDragcell