'Sabrina, are you ready?' Hayashi's mind echoed with an adrenaline-pumping BGM, like something intense, euphoric, and majestic—instantly firing him up!
With his head held high and steady strides, he followed behind the doll as it led him toward Sabrina's location. Thanks to the spotlight constantly tracking the doll, Hayashi had no trouble finding his way.
However, this left Erina and Hisako in a difficult position. They could only stand anxiously at the room's entrance, watching helplessly as Hayashi followed the sole light source, gradually disappearing into the depths of the room.
Just as Erina trembled uncontrollably, a hand suddenly grasped hers. She flinched in shock, but the voice in her ear calmed her slightly.
It was Hisako, speaking with firm resolve, "Y-young lady! If anything happens, Mr. Hayashi and I will definitely protect you!"
Erina gritted her teeth. She was the heiress of the Nakiri Family, the inheritor of the God's Tongue—how had she fallen to the point where others had to protect and comfort her?
She gripped Hisako's hand tightly in return, her gaze resolute as she declared, "No! I will protect you, Hisako—"
But Hisako didn't respond. Instead, her grip tightened slightly, her hand trembling faintly.
'Actually… must be scared too…' A warm feeling flowed through Erina's heart as she squeezed Hisako's hand even tighter—using this gesture to convey her conviction.
It's okay, Hisako. I'm right here with you!
But in reality…
'Ahhhh! The young lady is holding my hand! Stay calm! No, no, I can't calm down at all!'
Hisako—heart racing, hands trembling—was utterly overjoyed!
...
...
The scene shifted to Hayashi.
Holding the laptop in his arms, he followed the spotlighted doll for quite a distance—likely longer than a basketball court—before finally standing before Sabrina's true form.
Sabrina sat expressionless on another chair, though under the diffused spotlight, Hayashi could vaguely see that her seat was far more luxurious than the doll's.
Makes sense. If Sabrina had given the doll a lavish chair while sitting on a wooden stool herself, Hayashi would have had to ask, "Are you okay? If you're fine, go eat some liuliu plums."
The doll floated gently into Sabrina's waiting arms as she reached out to cradle it.
Seizing the opportunity, Hayashi openly studied Sabrina—she wore a plain black outfit with no visible adornments, her long, dark green hair cascading to the floor, glossy and smooth.
Perfect for hairplay… N-no, nothing! Didn't say anything!
"What do you want to show me?" Sabrina parted her cherry lips, speaking in the same icy tone that had come from the doll earlier. "If it's something meaningless, then you'll play with me—"
Hayashi knew full well that Sabrina's idea of "playing" wasn't anything like sheathing a divine sword or twin dragons frolicking with a pearl—it meant being turned into a doll, becoming one of her collections.
"Don't worry, it's something really interesting!" Hayashi quickly placed his laptop on the coffee table, booted it up, and located the hard drive storing the animations. Staring at the folders, he fell into deep thought—
'So, which anime should I use to break through Sabrina's heart?'
'First, it has to be a comedy—preferably one that's straightforward and easy to get into, with no entry barriers.'
'And it's best if the comedy isn't mixed with emotional gut-punches—like, avoid something like Caution.'
'Grand Blue? Daily Lives of High School Boys? Saiki K.? Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun?'
'No, while these are hilarious, many of the jokes still require some context. I need something simpler, more direct, and brainlessly funny—'
'Speaking of brainless...'
Soon, Hayashi opened a folder and clicked on the first episode.
As the opening song "Banana I Want Long Johns" played, a truly brainless, airheaded girl appeared before Sabrina.
'Come on, come on, come on—'
Hayashi clenched his fists and looked at Sabrina with a battle-ready gaze—he knew this was a fight, a war between his comedy anime arsenal and Sabrina's sense of humor!
...
...
Hayashi had prepared for an intense battle, but what he didn't expect was that Sabrina's sense of humor was pathetically weak—worse than a rookie Bug Catcher sending out a level 2 Caterpie to fight.
Under Hayashi's watch, Sabrina laughed until tears and drool sprayed everywhere. She collapsed onto the coffee table, pounding the surface with her fists, yet her eyes refused to leave the screen.
"Ahahaha—hic—"
"Ehehehe—"
"Snrk snrk—"
All sorts of bizarre laughter spilled from Sabrina, whose abs had completely given out. Her utterly undignified appearance made Hayashi avert his eyes—absolutely, absolutely not because he was afraid of her holding a grudge later.
Believe me, just look at my sincere eyes!
Soon, the first episode of The Monkey King ended. By the time the ending song played, Sabrina was sprawled on the coffee table, drenched in sweat, panting with a flushed face—a sight absolutely unfit for children!
Too lewd!
"So?" Hayashi coughed and leaned over, feigning nonchalance. "There are plenty more episodes. Want to keep watching?"
"Watch!" Sabrina immediately lifted her head, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I want to watch! Show me now!"
There was no denying it—this comedy therapy was working wonders. After just one episode, Sabrina's voice was no longer emotionless. Instead, it was brimming with unrestrained urgency.
"Should we turn on the lights?" Seeing Sabrina's change in demeanor, Hayashi tentatively suggested, "If it's okay, maybe we could call my companions over to watch together? It'd be livelier with more people."
"Hmm..."
Sabrina frowned in thought for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright—"
Click, click, click—
As soon as Sabrina finished speaking, the lights in the room turned on one after another. The previously pitch-black space, save for the spotlight, was now brightly illuminated, causing Hayashi and the others to instinctively squint.
"Erina-chan, Hisako-chan—" Hayashi called toward the door. "Come in! It's safe now! Let's watch something amazing together!"
At the first half of Hayashi's words, Erina and Hisako were still tense, but hearing the latter half, they immediately relaxed.
The two jogged over to Hayashi while whispering to each other.
"He's starting to talk nonsense again—must really be safe now."
"But, young lady, how on earth did Mr. Hayashi manage to persuade her?"
"I don't know. Let's go see for ourselves."
...
...
From Aho Girl to The Reincarnated Villainess Noble Girl, the two "Monkey King" masterpieces voiced by Aoi Yuki left the three women present drenched in sweat, faces flushed as they collapsed onto the sofa, breathing heavily.
'Anyone who didn't know better would think something lewd had happened here—' Hayashi thought to himself as he tidied up (referring to the laptop). He then turned to Sabrina and asked, "Want to join us for dinner later? Erina's cooking is incredible."
"That's right, that's right!"
At the mention of praising Erina's culinary skills, Hisako instantly transformed into the number one Erina fan across all realms, declaring, "The young lady's cooking is practically unparalleled in this world! One taste, and you'll never forget it!"
This wasn't just 100,000-level cuisine—no, it was 1,000,000-level, no, even 10,000,000-level!
Erina's Z-Move—10,000,000 Cuisine! Crushing some pathetic Tapu wouldn't even be a challenge.
"Wouldn't I be intruding?"
After an afternoon of laughter therapy, Sabrina's emotions had fully resurfaced. However, having lived so long devoid of feelings, she still felt a little awkward interacting with others.
"No worries! It's not a date—no need for a couple's world!" Hayashi waved his hand dismissively. "Just a regular meal. The more, the merrier!"
"He's right," Erina said primly, crossing her arms. "Join us."
Thanks to the camaraderie built from watching anime together, Erina's attitude toward Sabrina was relatively friendly—though let's not forget that initially, Hayashi and the other two had been kidnapped by Sabrina. The proud Erina couldn't possibly have harbored zero resentment.
...
...
Σ(°△°|||)
This expression appeared on the faces of every member of the Saffron City Gym. The staff, Psychic apprentices, and Psychic trainers all stared in disbelief at Sabrina, who wore a faint smile.
What's happening? What's happening? What's happening?!
Why is Sabrina, who usually speaks in a flat, cold tone and turns people into dolls with a single glance, now wearing such a charming, radiant smile!?
I don't believe it, I refuse to accept it!!
This must be an illusion! I must have eaten some poisonous mushrooms… Where are the little dancing figures? Come out, quick! Tell me I'm hallucinating! Ahahaha!!!
"Don't you think the way everyone's looking at us is kind of weird?" Hayashi leaned in close to Erina and Sabrina, whispering, "It feels like they're staring at some rare exhibit."
Hayashi was starting to wonder if he'd somehow turned into a shiny Gardevoir holding a Big Root—otherwise, why would he be drawing so much attention?
This is the Pokémon world, not the Pokégay world!
***
T/N: If you like the story by far, throw in some Power Stones, I'll be posting a bonus chapter for every 100 PS. And 1 Bonus chapter for every 5 Star Review.
And if you would like to read advance chapters, visit my Patreon: [email protected]/Aarvan