—"If you don't beat me, you'll become my exclusive little doll."
—"No problem, but I have no intention of losing.JPG"
Without a shred of hesitation, Hakuya chose to send out his [Omni-Transformation] Sprigatito.
He didn't quite understand why Sabrina appeared here, nor why she seemed so fixated on him.
But thanks to the brutal conditioning he'd endured in Randomized Emerald, he didn't have the luxury of overthinking it.
The moment the declaration of battle was issued, his body reacted purely on instinct.
To fight?
Then let us FIGHT!!!
"..."
Gazing at the soft, adorable grass cat, Sabrina fell silent.
Years of intensive psychic training had left her inner world isolated, and her lack of social experience made it difficult to find the right words.
Facing a challenge from the Saffron Gym Leader—one of the world's most powerful psychics—with the stakes being turned into a helpless plaything...
...And this guy really just sends out a plain, ordinary-looking kitten to meet her?
Are you truly not afraid of what I might do to your body once I've turned you into a doll?
"As the Rainbow Hero chosen by Ho-Oh, is this common Sprigatito all you have? Nothing else?"
After a long silence, Sabrina spoke an unusually long sentence.
"Uh, what do you mean by 'Rainbow Hero chosen by Ho-Oh'?"
Hakuya sharply caught the key piece of information, feeling his eyelid twitch violently.
Since when did that legendary rainbow turkey set its sights on him?
As he looked into Sabrina's indifferent, frozen face while harboring these doubts, Hakuya's lip twitched; he knew he wouldn't get another word out of this ice-cold riddle-speaker.
"Fine. As you can see, I also have a Milcery."
Hakuya sighed and held up the soft, squishy Milcery in his arms.
"I don't know what you're getting at, but these are the only two Pokémon I have right now..."
"This little one only recently became my partner; she's not quite ready for high-intensity combat yet."
"Nai~"
Milcery tilted her head instinctively.
Even though she didn't know why her Trainer was lying to this woman, she played along perfectly, putting on a pitiful, teary-eyed expression as if she were terrified of battle.
In truth, against Sabrina's Kadabra or Alakazam, a [Wonder Guard] Milcery would be an insurmountable "Wall of Sighs."
No matter what kind of psychic tricks Sabrina played, she would ultimately be headbutted into a coma by the cream fairy.
But Hakuya kept that card hidden.
On one hand, he feared the battle would be too one-sided; if he broke the Psychic Queen's spirit, she might just ignore the rules and start a 1v1 psychic duel with him.
On the other hand, Hakuya was thinking of his own health.
—People who spam Wonder Guard usually end up with a vacant stare, extreme social anxiety, and a declining IQ until they become total idiots.
It was fine to mess around with it in Randomized Emerald, but using it too much in reality might actually make him start drooling uncontrollably.
"If you think Sprigatito is just a normal cat based on her looks, you're dead wrong."
Hakuya recalled Sprigatito into her Poké Ball and immediately tossed her back out.
"Show her our strength, Sprigatito!"
"Meowha~"
Omni-Transformation, Activate!
"Hmm?"
At that moment, seeing the aura around Sprigatito suddenly skyrocket, Sabrina's usually deadpan face showed a flicker of emotion for the first time.
She slightly furrowed her crescent-moon eyebrows, her heart surging with sudden surprise.
With her powerful psychic perception, she felt the shift in Sprigatito instantly.
—Before, she was just a "roadside cat," unremarkable in every way except for her cuteness.
But now, as she re-entered the field, baring her teeth and arching her back, a tidal wave of crushing energy surged forth.
Sabrina didn't break into a cold sweat, but the sheer, unprecedented pressure of this terrifying aura made her breathing turn shallow and rapid.
Does this man possess a psychic power similar to mine, capable of infusing Pokémon with energy?
Is that why... I couldn't peer into his future earlier?
Sabrina blinked in confusion, unable to fully grasp the situation.
Even this detached, cold Psychic Queen had to admit that Hakuya and his Pokémon were utterly bizarre.
"In that case, we shall take the first move."
Lightly tapping her temple, Sabrina's ruby-red eyes shimmered with a ripple of light.
Instantly, the white light around her Abra exploded; in the blink of an eye, it completed its double evolution—Kadabra waved its silver spoon, finally transforming into an Alakazam that hovered in mid-air holding two bent spoons.
"Future Sight!"
Sabrina's crimson lips parted slightly. Alakazam crossed its spoons, carving out a path of light where a psychic blast was destined to explode three seconds later.
Faced with this delayed attack, Sprigatito didn't even need a command.
She lunged forward with agile grace, her movement tracing a sharp Z-pattern through the falling leaves, perfectly dodging the delayed detonation of the psychic orb.
"Sprigatito, use—"
Just as Hakuya was about to command [Petal Blizzard], Sabrina anticipated him.
"Intercept it with Psychic."
Sprigatito's ears twitched. Just as the blizzard of pink and white petals began to form, Alakazam's Psychic energy turned into invisible chains, attempting to freeze the petals in mid-air and hurl them back at her.
Among all types in the Pokémon world, Psychic-types were at the top of the "Most Annoying" list.
In the turn-based games, the moves were mostly just damage with a chance to lower stats.
But in reality, Psychic moves were absolute "bug" abilities—hypnosis, manipulation, and even hijacking an opponent's move to use against them.
And Sabrina was the absolute master of this craft.
"She's using Telepathy to read my commands in advance..."
Hakuya watched the Petal Blizzard get stalled by the psychic interference and couldn't help but feel impressed.
This Psychic Queen could not only force-evolve her Pokémon, but she could also read the trainer's intent throughout the entire match.
What a troublesome woman—
On the other side, Sabrina felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
She realized with shock that while she knew exactly what Hakuya wanted to do, Sprigatito's combat prowess was absurdly high.
Even with Alakazam pushing its limits, it could barely keep up with the cat's offensive rhythm.
"Shadow Ball!"
"Hiss—!"
After desperately stopping the storm of [Petal Blizzard], Alakazam followed Sabrina's command, condensing energy in its palms.
With a high-pitched whistle that tore through the air, several pitch-black orbs of energy streaked toward Sprigatito.
However, Sprigatito didn't retreat; she charged straight ahead.
She spat out several sharp green leaves. The emerald foliage collided with the Shadow Balls and exploded instantly, turning into countless tiny blades of light that stabbed back at Alakazam.
Hidden behind this curtain of leaves was the classic cover-and-attack strategy Hakuya and Sprigatito had perfected.
"Full power! Use Bite!"
"HISS—!!!"
With a crunching sound, Alakazam let out a single cry of agony as it was bitten down. It collapsed to the ground, completely losing its ability to battle.