"Hmph, you? You're not even worthy of being my opponent. I'm here to challenge your Gym Leader." The young challenger completely ignored Kade's warning, determined to barge inside.
Some people just don't listen to reason, Kade thought, irritation creeping into his heart. This fool still wanted to challenge Sabrina despite all the warnings.
"Fine, suit yourself."
Exchanging a glance with Ron, his fellow Psychic apprentice, the two silently reached an understanding.
Kade shot the challenger one last cold look before stepping aside, clearing the path.
"Tch, should've just let me through from the start. Watch me win my badge in minutes!" the challenger scoffed.
There were fools every year, but today's fool had picked an especially unfortunate time.
Kade and Ron remained outside, waiting.
Sure enough, not even ten seconds passed before—
BANG!
A black silhouette shot through the air, crashing heavily against the wall behind them.
The sound wasn't like flesh hitting stone—it was something far worse.
Was he even still alive after that?
Before either of them could react, they felt an invisible force constricting their throats, lifting them off the ground.
"N—Ngh…! Lady Sabrina! H-He barged in on his own!"
"Lady… Sabrina… please, spare us!"
The suffocating pressure was unbearable. Below their necks, their bodies were paralyzed, completely out of their control. Even struggling was impossible.
"Don't let trash like this inside again."
Sabrina's voice rang coldly in their minds.
"Y-Yes, ma'am…"
With a final burst of psychic force, the two were flung backward—though not as brutally as the challenger had been.
Sabrina, it seemed, had spared them.
Groaning, they forced themselves up, feeling as though every bone in their bodies had been shattered.
Then, silence.
Sabrina had lost interest.
"What do we do about this guy?" Ron spat, glaring at the unconscious challenger on the ground.
"If anyone asks, this has nothing to do with the Saffron Gym," Kade sighed.
This idiot had dug his own grave, and nearly dragged them down with him.
As Rocket grunts stationed at the Saffron Gym, they weren't bound by the same moral constraints as League-affiliated trainers.
A corpse was just a minor inconvenience.
The League wouldn't dare cause trouble for Sabrina, the unrivaled Psychic prodigy.
"Still… something's off with her lately," Ron murmured. "Did something happen at HQ?"
"No idea," Kade muttered. "And honestly? I don't want to know."
"Yeah… same," Ron agreed, nervously glancing toward the Gym interior.
Sabrina's psychic power was beyond anything they could comprehend.
And lately, she seemed even stronger.
...
Saffron Gym – Training Grounds.
Sabrina floated midair, her presence eerily still. Behind her hovered an Alakazam—one trained to Ultra Ball-tier strength.
She rarely prioritized training her Pokémon, yet Psychic-types naturally possessed immense potential. Any Pokémon chosen by Sabrina was guaranteed to be exceptional.
Besides, her own abilities were enough to bolster their power through mere meditation.
Her one weakness?
Real battles.
Against an opponent of equal or greater strength, victory was never guaranteed.
"Huuh…"
Alakazam watched her with concern.
Her psychic energy had been increasingly unstable, and it had been constantly using its own power to help keep her in check.
Otherwise, she might have already lost control.
"I'm fine."
Ending her meditation, Sabrina opened her eyes, suppressing the surging energy within. She spoke softly to Alakazam.
Lately, there had been no word from Maki.
And as of yesterday, even Giovanni had gone silent.
She wasn't a fool—she knew something must have happened.
Otherwise, this wouldn't be possible.
Yet, no one had come to explain.
How could she not be on edge?
That fool of a challenger had simply shown up at the wrong time.
A sudden chime rang through the air.
The communicator by the wall vanished in an instant, teleporting directly into Sabrina's hand.
Expecting news from Team Rocket or Giovanni, she checked the screen—
And froze.
Maki.
She immediately answered.
"Maki?"
Her urgent tone caught Maki off guard.
He had assumed the call wouldn't connect due to signal interference, yet here they were.
Which meant—
What the hell was going on with Giovanni?
"It's me," Maki said quickly. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Sabrina remained silent.
From the tension in her voice, he could tell—
She'd been worried.
She hadn't been resting properly.
"You—"
Before she could ask, Maki cut in.
"Calm down. I'll explain. Right now… I'm in Alola. You know of it, right?"
"...Huh?"
For the first time in years, Sabrina's composure cracked.
Her concentration faltered, nearly causing her to drop from midair.
Of course, she knew Alola.
But it was half a world away.
Even by cruise ship, the journey took days.
Had he been kidnapped?
But who could possibly defeat his Dragonite, and have the resources to take him that far?
"How—how did you end up in Alola?"
"Yeah, uh… long story. Basically, I was teleported here through some kind of space-time phenomenon. But don't worry, I've been doing fine. Actually… I even started expanding Team Rocket's operations out here."
"...…"
Sabrina said nothing.
So… while they had been losing sleep over his disappearance, he'd been building a business?
"By the way, why can't I reach my father?" Maki continued.
"I don't know. He's been unreachable since yesterday."
Sabrina shook her head.
Giovanni was missing, too?
Just as Maki was about to press further, there was a knock at his door.
"Maki, you awake?"
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