Sabrina's figure appeared behind her father in a flash of Teleport. Hearing his words, she raised an eyebrow in amusement but shook her head.
"Really? You actually want to go on a journey with that kid too?" her father muttered, crossing his arms. His tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction, and his expression darkened slightly. He had even changed Ma En's title to "kid," showing his displeasure at the thought of someone possibly stealing his daughter away.
Sabrina chuckled at his reaction, and even her mother, who was standing beside them, couldn't hold back a soft laugh.
"But for now, I still want to stay here," Sabrina continued. "I've done a lot of wrong things in the past. I need to make it up to you and Mom. Besides, I'll meet him again sooner or later. It won't be too far off."
She smiled, but tears glistened in her eyes.
She had actually woken up the night before.
For years, Sabrina's psychic powers had been overwhelming. As a child, she had been obsessed with strengthening her abilities, leading to a terrifying imbalance. Her psychic strength grew beyond her control, suppressing her human emotions and instincts. This made her behave almost like a machine, making cold, detached decisions without considering consequences.
She had loved her mother, but her twisted logic had convinced her that turning her into a doll was the best way to keep her close forever.
But after her battle with Ma En, everything changed. The extreme psychic overuse had shaken her mind, allowing her suppressed humanity to resurface.
And when she woke up last night, she remembered everything. The pain she had caused. The years of suffering her parents endured.
She had cried, apologizing over and over again.
Now, her mother embraced her, gently stroking her hair, whispering soft words of comfort.
Meanwhile, Sabrina's father watched with a relieved yet conflicted expression. He had his daughter back—the real her—but the guilt of years lost still weighed on them all.
As the morning sun brightened the sky, Ma En had already left. The family sensed his presence fading into the distance and turned back to the gym. There was much to do—repairs, medical expenses for the injured psychic apprentices, and dealing with the mess left behind from the battle.
Luckily, the Saffron Gym had plenty of funds, and the Pokémon League would cover a portion of the damages. But Sabrina wanted to help, even though she wasn't sure how. Years of suppressing her emotions had left her uncertain about many things, including what she truly wanted to do.
Then, as she absentmindedly flipped through the TV channels, she stumbled upon a movie.
A celebrity...
She had never considered that before. But for some reason, the idea intrigued her.
Maybe... it wouldn't hurt to try something new.
That night, as she lay in bed, she held up the Marsh Badge, staring at its gleaming surface.
"Next time we meet, I'll give this to you personally," she whispered.
---
Ma En's Next Adventure
After leaving the gym, Ma En headed straight to the Pokémon Center for a full check-up on Launce and Gengar. But just to be extra careful, he also teleported their Poké Balls to Professor Oak, asking him to run a thorough examination.
The professor, ever curious, readily agreed—especially since Ma En's Gengar was a fascinating research subject, and Launce was proving to be an exceptionally intelligent Deino.
While waiting for the results, Ma En pulled out the book that Sabrina's father had given him.
It was filled with Psychic-type training methods passed down through generations. Though Ma En wasn't a psychic himself, he had unique Dark-type abilities, and some of the techniques in the book gave him new ideas for his own training.
But that was a long-term project.
Right now, what truly piqued his interest was the treasure map.
As a Trainer, exploring the unknown was always thrilling. The last time he had investigated ruins, he had stumbled upon a Mega Evolution stone—even though he still hadn't figured out which Pokémon it belonged to.
Could this map lead to something equally valuable?
The location marked on the map was precise: an uninhabited island in the sea between the Johto and Hoenn Regions, closer to Hoenn.
Ma En stroked his chin, deep in thought.
First of all, he really wanted to check it out.
Secondly, he had been making too many enemies lately—especially Team Rocket.
Although it wasn't intentional, he had disrupted their plans twice already. First with the Zapdos incident, and then by helping Sabrina reclaim her humanity, which had ruined Team Rocket's attempt to recruit her.
Though Ma En wasn't afraid of Team Rocket—his background ensured some level of protection—he also knew that drawing too much attention wasn't wise.
It might be a good idea to leave Kanto, Team Rocket's main stronghold, and lay low for a while. Traveling to a different region would also give him the chance to meet new Pokémon and Trainers.
With that in mind, Ma En made his decision.
As soon as Gengar's examination was complete, he would set off to explore the ancient ruins.
---
Setting Sail for Hoenn
The inspection didn't take long.
Professor Oak confirmed that both Gengar and Launce were in perfect condition, and he even managed to gather valuable research data in the process.
With his Pokémon cleared, it was time to head for Hoenn.
There were two main ways to get from Kanto to Hoenn:
1. By Plane – The fastest option, but also the most boring.
2. By Ship – A longer journey, but a chance to see the ocean and experience a real voyage.
After discussing with his Pokémon, they unanimously voted for the ship.
None of them had ever been on a ship before, and the idea of traveling across the ocean, feeling the waves, and discovering new sights was too exciting to pass up.
And there was only one real choice for luxury sea travel between Kanto and Hoenn:
The world-famous S.S. Anne, departing from Vermilion City Harbor!
But there was a small problem.
The S.S. Anne wasn't just an ordinary ship—it was an exclusive luxury cruise liner. Tickets were extremely difficult to obtain.
"Hmm... how do I get my hands on an S.S. Ticket?" Ma En muttered to himself.
Then, he smirked.
"As a Gym Leader in Vermilion City, Surge should have one."
In the Pokémon Special manga, Surge was actually a former captain of the S.S. Anne. Even if that wasn't true in reality, Ma En was sure that he could get an S.S. Ticket either through him or through the Pokémon League.
His smirk widened.
"This will be the third time I'm bothering Surge... I wonder how he'll react?"
With his next move decided, Ma En wasted no time.
His adventure in search of the ancient ruins was about to begin!
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