The next morning, dawn light seeped in.
Caitlin sat up in bed and looked up at an unfamiliar ceiling.
She opened her mouth—psychic power surging like a tide—only to clamp it down almost immediately.
"Ugh… I forgot this is the Fighting Dojo…"
Caitlin straightened, rubbing her eyes.
Coming alone to an unfamiliar place like Saffron City had taken a huge amount of resolve.
It was only the first day, and she still wasn't used to it.
Knock knock knock…
A rhythmic tapping sounded at the door.
"Caitlin, breakfast is ready~"
Outside, Green knocked lightly, half a meat bun still in her mouth, speaking a little muffled.
People needed food. Skip a meal and you'd feel it.
"Give me a minute."
Inside the room, Caitlin sat at the vanity. Her fingers slid through her bright golden hair, but no matter what she did, she couldn't tame those stubborn strands.
Morning light filtered through the sheer curtains and fell across the mirror, reflecting her slightly furrowed brows.
The comb snagged again halfway through. A few strands slipped through her fingers and draped over her snow-white nightdress.
"I'll help you."
Sabrina Teleported in.
Her psychic power already covered the entire dojo—if Caitlin's emotions shifted the slightest bit, Sabrina would notice right away.
Standing behind Caitlin, she gently took the comb from her hand.
The instant Sabrina's fingertips touched it, psychic power flowed along the comb's path, and the tangled golden hair obediently loosened and smoothed out.
"Don't rush. These next few days, relax. Put your mind on having fun."
The comb slid slowly down the length of Caitlin's hair. Sabrina's voice carried no obvious emotion.
"Remember: we control psychic power. It doesn't control us."
"I know… but how do I actually control it?"
Caitlin understood the logic, but for some reason, every time she thought about it, the more anxious she became.
It was only after Grey told her to steady her mindset that things had improved a little.
"Everyone sees it differently. Grey and I are both ability users, but we handle our abilities in completely opposite ways."
A faint blue glow gathered around Sabrina's hands as she set the comb gently on the table.
Then she placed one hand on Caitlin's shoulder, leaned down, and spoke close to her ear.
"Nothing comes from impatience. Since you're in Saffron City, just enjoy yourself for a few days."
"Mm…"
Caitlin nodded.
Since she didn't have a good method yet, maybe she should just play and relax for a while—maybe her psychic power would naturally get better on its own.
"Sabrina… can I ask you something?"
Caitlin looked forward and met Sabrina's gaze through the mirror's reflection.
"When you first learned to control your psychic power… how did you do it?"
"Shut down emotions. Cut everything off from the outside. Look at things from a third-person perspective. Do everything without any emotion attached."
Sabrina's approach was simple.
If emotions caused psychic power to spiral out of control, then she would seal her emotions away.
No expectations meant no disappointment. No joy meant no loss of control.
That way, dangerous incidents could be eliminated at the source.
But that method of control also slowly iced over her heart.
When even happiness and sorrow became risks to be avoided, life lost its warmth.
She started treating living people the way she treated laboratory data—reducing flesh and blood to numbers that could be arranged however she wanted.
Truly, genuinely… she began to see life as worthless.
Back then, Sabrina didn't even realize how far that coldness had spread—like a traveler slowly freezing in winter, growing numb, and stumbling deeper into the cold…
Luckily, later on, a Team Rocket executive showed up.
That man—Petrel—had a sinister, harsh face, and when he spoke, every word carried a grating, mocking edge.
Each deliberate provocation was like tossing firewood into a brazier, forcibly reigniting the anger Sabrina had buried for years.
Long-lost, vivid fury surged through her veins like magma. That almost painful sense of being alive left her dazed.
And then… the Saffron Gym exploded.
After that, she Teleported to the nearby Fighting Dojo, and that was when the symphony of fate began.
Honestly, Sabrina had to admit—being able to bring back emotions she'd sealed for so long, even if only for a moment, meant Petrel really did have some "skill" in his own twisted way.
"Sealing my emotions…"
After hearing Sabrina's answer, Caitlin realized she couldn't do that.
"It's fine. That's just my path. It might not suit you."
Sabrina's hand rested atop Caitlin's head, and gentle psychic power flowed down through her scalp and into her.
Before long, Caitlin felt her own psychic power… become unexpectedly docile.
The feeling was warm—comforting.
It was something Caitlin had never experienced before.
"This is a method Grey taught me back then," Sabrina said. "'As long as it's combined with my aura power, psychic power will get put completely in line.'"
The corner of Sabrina's lips lifted into the faintest curve, and her tone softened slightly.
"When I heard that, I didn't believe him. But it turned out exactly like he said—put completely in line."
"You want me to ask him to use his aura power to help suppress my psychic power?"
Caitlin blinked. For some reason, as she processed Sabrina's words, a flush crept over her doll-like face.
Touch it, and it would feel a little hot.
"That's just a trump card. Unless it's absolutely necessary, don't rely on external force to solve everything."
As she spoke, Sabrina's palm drifted lower, and she gently kneaded Caitlin's cheek.
So this was the feeling Grey got when he pinched Green's cheeks all the time…
Sabrina recalled how Grey usually treated Green. Without thinking, she tried it on Caitlin for a moment—and realized it really did produce a completely different kind of feeling.
Her mood even improved for no clear reason.
…Strange.
Sabrina only did it briefly and didn't linger.
When she finally withdrew her hand, Caitlin's cheeks were rosy.
Unlike her usual icy expression, Caitlin's face now showed more emotion.
"My psychic power…?"
Caitlin lifted her hand and realized that her control over psychic power had improved noticeably.
And all of that had only happened after Sabrina arrived.
"You'll be fine in the short term. As for what path you walk next… that depends on you."
With that, Sabrina used Teleport and left Caitlin's room.
Caitlin was left alone, replaying Sabrina's words in her mind.
Maybe…
She understood a little?
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