After resting for a night in Ston Town and bidding farewell to the hospitable Sparky and his family, Natsui set off once again.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, and he arrived smoothly in Saffron City.
Inside the Saffron Gym, Natsui met Sabrina's father for the second time, the middle-aged man with a duckbill cap and a full beard who worked as the receptionist.
And compared to the last time he challenged the Gym, revisiting this place, his mood had completely changed.
"You're here to see Sabrina!?"
Learning of Natsui's intentions, Sabrina's father looked at Natsui with a gaze full of vigilance and suspicion.
Before Natsui could answer, he asked again, "So, a while ago, Sabrina went to help you deal with Team Rocket?"
That tone... stiff and cold, with even a hint of scrutiny...
For some reason, Natsui felt a prickling on his back. Facing his gaze, he braced himself and said, "She wasn't helping me, she was helping the International Police. It had nothing to do with me."
Seeing that he still had a stern look on his face, Natsui continued, "Actually, I've only met Sabrina twice, we're not very close. I came this time because I had a favor to ask of her..."
"Oh..."
Sabrina's father drew out the sound, and it was unclear whether he believed Natsui's words, but in any case, his attitude did improve noticeably.
Perhaps Natsui's "not very close" remark had put the man at ease. He complained, "Those people from the International Police are really too good at ordering people around, and the Pokémon League folks are the same. How could they let a girl like Sabrina do something so dangerous!"
"Yes, yes... You're absolutely right, sir!"
Although he agreed verbally, Natsui couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
This overflowing fatherly love was touching, but while Sabrina was indeed a girl, she was far from being just an ordinary human.
With her psychic powers, even on her own, she could toy with her opponents in the palm of her hand!
Anyone who dared to underestimate her would definitely suffer a great loss!
The Saffron Gym hadn't changed since Natsui's last visit, but perhaps due to the lighting, the atmosphere here no longer seemed so oppressive.
Passing by the first room, he once again saw the group of people learning psychic powers. He wondered if they had made any progress after all this time.
After walking for a long while, the man led Natsui to the same battlefield where he had once fought, and Sabrina was sitting on a chair, watching him calmly.
"I foresaw your arrival."
This was the very first thing Sabrina had said when they first met. To think that this time, she would say it again!
However, even for Sabrina, after experiencing so much with Natsui, her state of mind must have changed.
Now, there was a smile on her face, and her expression was far warmer than the cold indifference of before, with a few added hints of gentleness.
"Sabrina, this time I came..."
Natsui was halfway through his sentence when he saw Sabrina gently raise her hand, interrupting him. She then turned her head to look at her father.
"What's wrong?" the man asked, looking at Sabrina and raising an eyebrow.
Sabrina didn't speak, and the atmosphere became heavy for a moment. But as her father, it only took him a moment of thought to understand her meaning.
"You want me to leave!!?"
The man's eyes widened as he looked at Sabrina in disbelief. He then turned to glare fiercely at Natsui, "Kid, you tell me to leave the moment you see me. Is this what you meant by 'not very close' to Sabrina!?"
Faced with this, Natsui could only let out a few helpless, dry laughs.
"...Ha... this... um... well... haha..."
Although he was extremely uncomfortable, under Sabrina's increasingly profound gaze, the man didn't dare to disobey. He could only snort and reluctantly leave the battle hall.
When the sound of his footsteps disappeared, Sabrina moved her finger slightly, and the great doors closed automatically.
Isolating them from the outside view, the room returned to tranquility.
After taking a good look at Natsui, Sabrina smiled softly and said, "It's alright now. You can continue."
A daughter can't be kept at home forever, it seems...
Although he felt a bit sorry for Sabrina's father, he had to admit, without him here as a third wheel, Natsui's mood did indeed relax a lot.
He walked over to Sabrina's side and, while curiously looking around, said, "I came here this time specifically to see you, and also to pick up that Silph Scope."
"Are you really here specifically to see me?" Sabrina joked. Although her face seemed as usual, what Natsui didn't see was that under her long black hair, her ears had slowly turned crimson.
"Hey, hey..." Natsui slapped his forehead and said helplessly, "And here I was, bringing you a gift, and you doubt me like this? That's really hurtful."
"A gift?"
Natsui turned and took out a bracelet made of many small, round, crystal-clear red stones from his backpack.
Under the light, these small stones emitted a soft glow, looking extremely beautiful.
"What is this?"
Natsui smiled, "This is a souvenir I bought at a high price on Cinnabar Island. It's carved from agate. They say that because it's been constantly soaked in the hot springs, it seems to have absorbed some minerals. When a woman wears it, it not only refreshes the mind but also makes the skin better and better."
No woman would be averse to becoming more beautiful, and Sabrina was no exception.
She took the bracelet and examined it carefully, asking in surprise, "Why are you giving this to me out of the blue?"
Natsui shrugged, "I just wanted to give it to you, so I bought it. Hmm, if I had to find a reason, let's just call it a thank you."
"Didn't I already thank you last time, with that bottle of perfume?"
"For something like this, how could one thank you be enough?" Natsui said. "Besides, perfume is a consumable. A bracelet like this can be worn on your wrist, and if you take good care of it, it can even be passed down for generations."
Sabrina truly liked the gift. She put the bracelet on her wrist, and in an instant, the contrast between her fair skin and the rosy gems was strikingly beautiful.
And since it was a gift from Natsui, although she didn't say it, she was still very happy.
"Alright, I'll accept it then. But I still have to tell you, the Silph Scope is not in my possession right now."
"Huh?" Natsui was stunned and asked, "Last time we talked on the phone, didn't you say you'd keep it safe for me? How come now..."
"Actually, installing the Silph Scope isn't as easy as you'd think," Sabrina explained with a light smile. "Not only does the installation have to be perfectly seamless, but it also has to look good, and finally, it needs to be calibrated. So Mr. Silph said that after you arrived, you'd have to go to Silph Co. in person and have the researchers there help with the installation."
"I see!" Natsui realized, nodding with a smile. "With their help, that would indeed be for the best.
---
Special Announcement: Tomorrow, a free file with chapters 141 to 300 of Naruto: Saving the Uchiha will be uploaded, along with another file for I Have Caught a Pokémon from chapter 300 to 450!
-------------------------------------
Featured projects:
Naruto: Saving the Uchiha 140 chapters (R-18 novel)
The Crime Value System 120 chapters (R-18 novel)
I Have Caught a Pokémon — 300 chapters (R-18 novel)
Goddess Training Manual — 750 chapters (R‑18 novel)
Second Generation Villain (Revised Version) — 90 chapters (R‑18 novel)
Detective Conan Fanfic — 380 chapters (R‑18)
The Heroine Wants to Join My Harem — 1050 chapters
I Am the Villain's Father — 400 chapters
----------------------------------------------------------------
👉 Join and support these projects at: patreon.com/LEYI396
— Don't miss a single chapter or any manga translation done on demand!