The cramped space was so silent that a dropped needle could be heard. The two of them, pressed tightly together, could only feel each other's breath and body heat. Sabrina lay on top of Ryuuske with her eyes closed, not daring to move, suppressing her rapid breathing as much as possible—and doing her best to ignore the hands wandering over her back and waist.
There wasn't a single speck of light in the darkness. Mr. Mime had erected an invisible barrier to hold back the countless falling boulders, while Alakazam channeled psychic energy to assist. The space was so narrow that even these two relatively small Pokémon couldn't stand upright, forced to kneel instead.
With Mr. Mime and Alakazam holding the line, even the collapsing mountain couldn't kill them—another reminder to Ryuuske of just how powerful Pokémon could be.
"Are you done groping me?"
Sabrina could feel a certain part of Ryuuske's body reacting beneath her. The memories of what happened in the psychic realm inexplicably resurfaced in her mind, souring her mood. Finally breaking the silence, she spoke in a voice that was both icy and strained.
"Who knows if I'll get another chance? Gotta take what I can get now." Ryuuske smirked. "I've heard Mr. Mime's fingers can construct invisible barriers—a unique ability exclusive to its species. As expected of your Pokémon, Sabrina. Out of all the Mr. Mime in the world, only a rare few can pull this off."
The scent of orris root clung to her—cool, refined, and utterly intoxicating. Unlike in the psychic world, the real Sabrina smelled even better, leaving a lingering fragrance that teased the senses.
Ignoring his teasing, Sabrina forced herself to remain calm. "...You had Gabite use Earthquake. Even if it dug underground, the collapsing rocks would've crushed it."
"I had it use Dig right after Earthquake. It'll be fine." Ryuuske replied lazily.
"So you used the sandstorm as cover, teleported Gabite's Poké Ball to a nearby cave with psychic energy, and had it trigger Earthquake from there. No one could've seen that coming." Sabrina's voice was flat. "...You're reckless. To endure the sandstorm with your own body, then face my Pokémon head-on—one wrong move, and you'd have died."
Her arms were still bound behind her by Dratini, her legs immobilized. Right now, if Ryuuske wanted to do anything to her, she truly couldn't resist. The only saving grace was the cramped space—so small that neither of them could even stand, forcing Ryuuske to stay lying down.
"Are you… worried about me?"
Ryuuske forced a grin. Thankfully, the pitch-black darkness hid the pain twisting his expression—though his voice had already betrayed him.
It wasn't that he didn't feel pain. But compared to the agony of Mewtwo's cells eating away at him, the sandstorm's needle-like stings were nothing.
"Worried? I wish you were dead."
"Too bad you missed your chance, Sabrina. That was the only one you'll ever get."
"Your voice sounds off. What are you scheming now?"
Sabrina caught the sharp inhale in Ryuuske's breath. Paranoid, she tensed, wondering if he was about to pull another trick.
"No schemes. I'm just in so much pain that even my 'manly reaction' is gone."
"Weren't you acting tough earlier? Can't handle a little pain now?"
Sabrina's voice dripped with frosty sarcasm.
"Easy for you to say when you're the one on top. You're so heavy you're practically crushing me."
"That's your Dratini's weight."
"Bite her, Dratini!"
Obediently, Dratini chomped down on Sabrina's shoulder, making her face twitch in pain.
"Alright, preparations here are done. See you later, Sabrina. Next time we meet, I'll face you head-on—no more tricks!"
Sabrina's expression shifted again. Just as she braced herself, Ryuuske suddenly recalled Dratini into its Poké Ball—and in the next instant, his figure vanished from the cramped space.
"Reverse Teleport?!"
Sabrina collapsed face-first into the dirt, finally realizing what had felt off earlier—the Poké Ball on Ryuuske's chest had disappeared at some point. He must've secretly released Mewtwo long ago. His seemingly suicidal charge had actually been a calculated retreat—even if she had tried to take him down with her, Mewtwo's Teleport would've saved him.
"Alakazam, use Teleport to get us out."
But Alakazam only broke out in a cold sweat, its Teleport failing.
"...Mewtwo's psychic interference. He learned fast—turned our own tactics against us." Sabrina exhaled, exhausted. "...Fine. Just keep holding the rocks until Mewtwo's energy fades."
With that, she slumped onto the ground, motionless like a corpse. She already knew—the Rocket Grunts she'd brought from Cerulean City were as good as dead.
——
"HAHAHAHA!! What kind of Gym Leader are you, little girl? Is this all you've got?!"
Outside the cave, Misty stood battered and bruised, blood from her forehead dripping into her eyes, stinging so badly she didn't dare blink—one wrong move, and she'd be dead.
Over twenty Rocket Grunts surrounded her from the higher ground, their Pokémon raining attacks down into the pit where she stood. Several Weepinbell had ensnared her rampaging Gyarados with vines, while clusters of Magnemite surrounded it, bombarding it with electric shocks.
They were using Gyarados' life to blackmail her—forcing her to fight with only Starmie as defense. Every time she tried to send out another Pokémon, they tortured Gyarados, forcing her to recall them immediately.
This was all her fault. Because of her carelessness, Gyarados had been stolen by Team Rocket and subjected to horrific experiments. It had been with her for so long—she couldn't bear to watch it die.
"Stay sharp, everyone! Once Lady Sabrina kills that brat, this Gym Leader won't escape either!"
The Rocket squad leader laughed wildly, reveling in the sadistic thrill of watching a high-ranking Gym Leader suffer at their hands.
'I'm sorry, Ryuuske… It's because I'm weak. Because I'm useless. Now you're facing Sabrina alone…'
Tears welled in Misty's eyes as she trembled, biting her lip in guilt. She had never met Sabrina before, but she knew of her reputation—the most renowned psychic expert in Kanto. There was no way a rookie trainer like Ryuuske could win against her.
"How pathetic, Misty. Your Gym Badge must be weeping. To be cornered by this many lowlifes… Are you just too kind, or too stupid?"
Suddenly, a voice laced with scorn and murderous intent rang out from above.
Everyone looked up—and there, hovering a hundred meters in the air, was Ryuuske. Mimicking Sabrina's posture, he sat on nothing as if it were a throne, using Mewtwo's body as a backrest. His arms were crossed, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below like he was staring at corpses.
To be continued…