"Saffron Gym…"
Sabrina glanced at Grey—then toppled straight over before finishing her sentence.
"Is she pulling a scam right on my doorstep?"
Grey was stunned. Dropping like that without a word—how is that not a con?
But Sabrina had already fainted, and her Psychic power was rampaging out of control. If he didn't act fast, half of Saffron City could end up in ruins…
Most people would panic if they got "scammed" by Sabrina the moment they took office as dojo master.
Grey wasn't most people.
As a transmigrator, he had awakened Aura the moment he arrived in this world!
With two and a half months of training under his belt, he understood Sabrina's condition all too well: "Psychic leakage rebounding on the user and causing a blackout—a textbook 'energy outburst.'"
Handling this was simple: use a dissolving, redirecting force to neutralize the overflow.
And Aura could do exactly that.
At the thought, a lake-deep blue radiance burst from Grey's body!
Dense Aura spread like a great net, wrapping the raging Psychic surge and letting it crash against the mesh. Then, using a "four ounces to move a thousand pounds" redirect, he dispersed the leaking energy and broke it down piece by piece.
Soon, most of the Psychic overflow around Sabrina had dissipated; what remained wouldn't cause much trouble.
Grey helped Sabrina into the dojo and shouted to the wide-eyed Bumiao, "Why are you standing there? Come help with the patient!"
"O-okay, coming!"
Bumiao jogged over; together they supported Sabrina and settled her on the tatami to rest.
When it was done, Grey wiped the cold sweat from his forehead—something still felt off.
"Master, why would Leader Sabrina come to us? Did something happen at Saffron Gym?"
Bumiao rubbed her swollen brow; that possibility had occurred to her.
"Could be. Right before she passed out, she said, 'Saffron Gym.' I'm guessing something really did happen there."
Grey recalled Primeape and headed out. "Bumiao, stay here and look after Sabrina. I'll go see what's going on."
…
Saffron Gym was only a few hundred meters from the Fighting Dojo.
As soon as Grey arrived, he sensed danger.
It vanished a heartbeat later, like it had never been there.
Keeping his guard up, Grey consulted a map of Saffron City, then looked up at "Saffron Gym"—and his eye twitched.
Everywhere he looked, there were broken walls and scattered rubble.
The gym that once sprawled like a palace was now a ruin.
"Seriously—did terrorists gut Saffron Gym? Why's there nothing left but the sign?!"
If not for the still-standing gate with the signboard that read "Saffron Gym," Grey wouldn't have believed this was one of Kanto's eight major Gyms.
Honestly… the Fighting Dojo looked better.
Any challenger coming to Saffron City who saw this ruin would turn and run.
A gym is a battlefield—what are they supposed to fight on?
"Forget it, I'll report to Officer Jenny first."
Resigned, Grey called Officer Jenny to explain the situation, then walked into the wreckage of Saffron Gym.
"Huh?!"
Up close, it was even worse.
A group of trainers in black uniforms lay sprawled on the ground, foaming at the mouth, limbs twisted at odd angles.
They'd been put through something inhuman.
Grey figured they had it coming.
The "R" on their chests said it all.
Team Rocket—the most notorious criminal syndicate in Kanto.
For money, there's nothing they won't do—arson, robbery, home invasions—too many crimes to count!
Grey exhaled, then sent out Primeape.
Man and monkey worked in sync, and after a lot of effort, dragged the Team Rocket grunts out of the debris.
A few lucky ones were still conscious—Grey had Primeape give them the "Fist of Love."
When he finished, Grey took out his phone and snapped a picture.
Then he posted it in the [Kanto Gym Leaders Group Chat] with a caption.
[Dojo Primeape: Team Rocket is completely out of control—blew up Saffron Gym like it's nothing. Unreal. photo.jpg]
[Cerulean Mermaid: ???]
[Pewter Onix: ???]
[Celadon Bellossom: ???]
[Unova Retired Colonel: …]
[Poison Elite Four Trainee: …]
[Old Man Not Bald: …]
One line plus one pic—and all the lurkers popped up.
[Pewter Onix: Team Rocket's been spotted around Mt. Moon lately, but I didn't think they'd sink their claws into Saffron Gym.]
[Cerulean Mermaid: Right! Even in Cerulean City, a private home was robbed—we even lost a TM for Dig!]
[Celadon Bellossom: They've been seen in Celadon as well, but no noted financial losses so far.]
[Dojo Primeape: This isn't "normal" crime anymore. Time for a heavy crackdown!]
[Unova Retired Colonel: Is there a chance—and I'm just spitballing here—that Sabrina blew it up herself?]
[Dojo Primeape: You're saying Sabrina blew up her own place just to deal with a bunch of small fry?]
Silence on the other end. The "colonel" set his phone down, clicked his tongue at the window view. "What a bunch of clowns. And they want to recruit me with that standard?"
Back on Grey's end, Officer Jenny arrived at the ruins with a squad of uniformed officers.
Their reactions matched Grey's earlier one.
This was Saffron Gym?!
"Officer Jenny , this isn't normal crime anymore. We need a heavy response!"
Grey pointed at the downed Team Rocket grunts, speaking righteously: "If they'll blow up Saffron Gym, who knows if their next step is to seize Silph Co. and swallow Saffron City whole."
"Understood. I'll report this to the League. Master Grey, thank you for coming to the scene and getting word out quickly."
Officer Jenny saluted and handed Grey a commendation banner for bravery.
"Good—leave specialist work to the specialists. I won't linger."
Grey took his leave and headed back to the dojo.
"Master, you're finally back! Sabrina woke up!"
Bumiao dashed over, grabbing his arm and tugging him toward the recovery room.
Inside, Sabrina sat on the floor bedding, gazing up at the ceiling.
Hearing footsteps, she turned—her beautiful eyes met Grey's. "If there's any damage I need to compensate, you can tell me now."
"Let's not start there."
Grey waved a hand and looked out the window, as if he could see Silph Co. in the city center through the glass.
"Judging by your state, you've crossed some organization, haven't you?"
"This has nothing to do with you."
Sabrina shook her head, unwilling to drag Grey further in. "If you keep asking, I'm afraid you'll get caught up in it."
"Even if you don't say it, I know who. I rescued my Primeape from Team Rocket grunts—the grudge is already there."
Grey shrugged and held up the photo he'd taken. "Kanto's most infamous outfit—no need to spell it out. From the look of you, they tried to recruit you. You refused."
Sabrina nodded lightly.
Some details differed, but the gist was exactly as Grey said.
"Sorry."
Her eyes held apology. She hadn't expected a thoughtless reflex to draw Grey into the storm. Peaceful days might be hard to come by from now on.
"Hey, what good is 'sorry' now? It won't make Team Rocket give up on us."
Grey flicked his shoulder; a thin, azure Aura membrane shimmered over him. "Better to think about what comes next. We're on the same side—we should help each other."
"On the same side?"
At that phrase, light returned to Sabrina's dim gaze.
Warmth flowed through her. Looking at Grey again, she found him dazzling from every angle—like a sun.
Without thinking, she asked, "Then what should we do next?"
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810