"They're back again. Team Rocket really is like a piece of gum stuck to your shoe..."
Hakuya watched the trio make their entrance in the usual dramatic fashion, a look of pure annoyance on his face.
He wondered if it was because he interfered with the plot at the Pokémon Center earlier...
...but these three hadn't targeted Ash and his Pikachu like in the anime; instead, they had stalked him.
Even though crushing them was easier than the randomized monsters crushing his team...
...these guys were relentlessly persistent. Just thinking about them jumping out to cause trouble made Hakuya's head ache.
Just as the trio reached the end of their rehearsed motto, Ash cut them off with a blunt question.
"Alright, what do you guys actually want this time?"
"Ugh... Shut up, you annoying brat!"
Having their dramatic flow interrupted, the trio sputtered for a moment before snapping in unison.
That feeling of being cut off right before the climax was incredibly irritating.
"Our target this time isn't you, but this handsome guy and his..."
After their angry outburst, Jessie and James pointed simultaneously at Hakuya and the green cat.
Exactly. Ever since they were blasted away by Sprigatito's [Leafage] that night...
...they had hung from a tree branch all night and reached a definite conclusion: this grass cat was a rare, precious Pokémon.
Whether it was her speed that made her a blur or her power to nearly level a building...
...it all proved that this never-before-seen Pokémon was of the highest rarity.
If they presented her to Boss Giovanni, their promotions and raises would be guaranteed.
Hearing Team Rocket's declaration of theft, Ash blinked, then scratched his head as he spoke up.
"I mean, Hakuya-bro's Sprigatito is really strong, yeah..."
"But I remember Hakuya-bro saying that in that... Paldea region, Sprigatitos are everywhere."
"He said they're as common as the Pikachus you see on the side of the road in Kanto~"
Sprigatito: "Meowha?"
Pikachu: "Pika?"
Hakuya & Misty: "..."
...
—Ash's "Roadside Pikachu" theory had finally arrived, though a bit late.
The logic was sound, but the way he put it was brutally blunt.
"Meowha~"
If she didn't know Ash was a two-legged creature whose brain didn't process speech before firing...
...Sprigatito would have already started hissing at him.
She glanced at the yellow rodent, which was currently giving the boy a heavy dose of electro-therapy, and generously decided not to join in.
"I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry. They know they can't win, yet they keep coming back..."
Knowing these three had set their sights on his [Protean] Sprigatito, Hakuya's lip twitched.
He almost didn't have the heart to command an attack.
Given Sprigatito's current power, a single casual swipe would pack their Ekans and Koffing away.
They'd be sent flying into the horizon, screaming "We're blasting off again!" like shooting stars.
It wasn't just Hakuya thinking this; the trio, who were about to make a move, also froze.
—As members of Team Rocket, they knew the standard procedure for stealing Pokémon.
You start a battle, beat the opponent into the dirt, and then take what you want.
Everyone understood the logic.
But the problem was... they didn't have a single Pokémon that could survive a hit from that grass cat!
Just as Jessie, James, and Meowth were sweating bullets, a cold, ethereal voice drifted from the shadows.
"So, you're Hakuya, right? I find you... very interesting."
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves, slowly outlining the silhouette of a curvaceous, mature woman.
Her deep ink-black hair hung down her back like fine silk.
Beneath her neatly trimmed bangs, her eyes sparkled like polished rubies, clear and piercing.
She had pale, porcelain skin that needed no makeup and lush, crimson lips that required no stain.
Even with an expression as cold as an iceberg, she radiated a raw, intoxicating magnetism that could bring any man to his knees.
"Sabrina?"
Gazing at the tall, icy beauty emerging from the shadows, Hakuya's brow furrowed.
He recognized that silhouette instantly.
The Gym Leader of Saffron City and one of the world's most powerful psychics.
However, this was different from the anime plot he remembered.
Sabrina, who was supposed to be shut away in Saffron City due to her childhood trauma and powers...
...was now here in Viridian Forest. And it seemed this cold-blooded goddess was closely affiliated with Team Rocket.
The moment Sabrina appeared, the trio behind her began whispering frantically.
"It's that cold-hearted, silent glacier who doesn't even show respect to Boss Giovanni~"
That was Jessie's commentary.
"I heard she's a terrifying woman who can use her mind to make Meowth evolve into Persian instantly, nya~"
Meowth retreated several steps in fear.
"Shh, I feel like we need to talk even quieter."
James lowered his voice to a whisper, swallowing hard as a memory surfaced.
"I heard that a few days ago, Cassidy and Butch... because they were gossiping about Lady Sabrina behind her back..."
"...she turned them into dolls on the spot and left them on Boss Giovanni's desk for three whole days."
The trio sucked in a breath of cold air, not daring to utter another word.
They didn't want Sabrina to turn around and transform them into helpless playthings!
"...Sprigatito, and... Milcery?"
Ignoring the sounds of the trio choking on their own spit, Sabrina's gaze shifted.
Her eyes moved from the hissing Sprigatito to the Milcery clutching Hakuya's sleeve from behind.
Her cold, expressionless face twitched slightly in surprise.
This is...
...not what Giovanni told me.
Although these two Pokémon didn't inhabit the Kanto region, as a well-traveled Gym Leader, she recognized them instantly.
What surprised her was this:
As the Rainbow Hero chosen by Ho-Oh, why was he carrying unevolved Pokémon?
No Meowscarada? No Alcremie? Just two basic-form starters?
Was she really going to waste her time coming all the way from Saffron City to battle a "hero" like this?
While Sabrina was silently judging Hakuya and his Pokémon, the hotheaded Ash interrupted her thoughts.
"Hey! Are you... are you one of them?! Are you with Team Rocket?!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice booming.
As a rookie trainer and a total meathead, he had no idea this tall beauty was a Gym Leader.
In his eyes, anyone standing with the evil Pokémon thieves was a bad person.
To repay Hakuya for the lunch, Ash immediately ordered Pikachu to attack her Abra.
"Pikachu, let's go! Use Thunderbolt!"
"Pika~"
Pikachu reared back, and a violent surge of yellow electricity erupted from its tail toward the opponent.
Abra was the definition of a "glass cannon" Pokémon.
Against a full-power Thunderbolt, it would be impossible to survive without using Teleport to dodge.
But just before the attack connected, Sabrina's eyes flared with a pinkish-purple psychic light.
Immediately after, a brilliant white light completely enveloped the Abra.
Abra → Kadabra → Alakazam.
The immense power surge from the forced evolution allowed it to tank the Thunderbolt easily.
As the crackling electricity dissipated, the Alakazam slowly raised its bent spoons.
A massive, overwhelming wave of Psychic energy slammed directly into the unsuspecting Pikachu.
"How is that possible?!"
Ash held his battered and bruised Pikachu, his face filled with total shock.
Misty's jaw dropped as she stuttered in disbelief.
"It... it evolved? And it skipped a stage to evolve twice in a row?!"
"That wasn't a natural evolution; it was the result of psychic energy being forcibly injected."
Beside them, Hakuya shook his head and explained.
After observing for a moment, he had captured some vital details.
This Pokémon world truly was different from what he remembered.
Using psychic powers to force a Pokémon through consecutive evolutions was a trope from the anime.
But Sabrina being involved with Team Rocket was a setting from the Pokémon Adventures manga.
Everything was being mashed together into one world.
"You three, take care of the other two."
Sabrina turned her head slightly, giving a cold glance to the shivering Team Rocket trio.
With her power, sweeping the floor with the boy in the cap and the orange-haired girl was trivial.
But she wasn't interested in a slaughter against the weak.
She'd let the trio deal with the yellow rat and the Starmie; she only wanted to fight someone with actual strength.
Even though Hakuya's two Pokémon didn't look particularly intimidating—
"My name is Sabrina. Do you have time for a Pokémon battle?"
Seeing that only she and Hakuya remained as the true contenders, she spoke tonelessly.
"If you lose... I'll turn you into a doll for my personal collection."
"You'll be my first... human masterpiece."