Evan Cross felt a sudden jolt of panic. He distinctly remembered locking the door.
"Bam!"
The abrupt sound of a door slamming shut made him shiver.
He had only stepped one foot inside, yet now he was fully in the room. Who had closed the door?
"Gulp—"
Evan swallowed with difficulty.
The strange situation made his scalp tingle.
Could this be a supernatural event?
"You are..."
He tried to maintain his calm and probe, ready to call for help if needed. But as he spoke, he froze.
The woman standing by the window turned around, and Evan was instantly captivated.
He had never seen such a beautiful woman.
Sure, Grace and Lillie were stunning, but they were youthful and didn't have the same aura as this woman. Her red dress complemented her serene face, making her beauty almost surreal.
"Evan, what improper thoughts are you having?"
The woman suddenly spoke.
Do you know me? Evan was both surprised and delighted.
"The future told me."
"The future?"
"A kind of superpower."
Evan's heart skipped a beat.
Could the joke Carl made that morning be coming true?
You're afraid of me. The woman stated confidently.
Evan held his breath.
"It seems you know why I'm here."
Evan's throat tightened, cold sweat trickling down his back.
This woman was dangerous.
"Since you know, I'll get the answer myself."
The woman waved her hand, and suddenly Evan found himself lifted off the ground.
He wanted to call for help but couldn't make a sound.
The woman before him slowly twisted into a vortex, and his consciousness grew hazy.
His last thought before fainting was: Carl, you were wrong this time.
A minute later, his secretary, Cathy, entered the room.
On the couch, Evan breathed evenly with his eyes closed.
"Vice Manager, your coffee..." Cathy murmured softly, placing the steaming cup on the coffee table. She turned to grab a blanket from the break room, gently covering Evan with it.
As she was about to leave, she vaguely heard Evan murmuring in his sleep: "Carl... she's here... a Grandmaster-level psychic..."
Meanwhile, at Carl's villa, the aroma of dinner filled the air. The trio, who had planned to visit a hot spring, decided to have dinner first. Lillie volunteered to help Serena prepare dinner in the kitchen, while Carl took the opportunity to check the hot spring bath. After confirming everything was in order, he settled the final payment with the construction team.
In the backyard, Carl dug a small patch of earth and buried the Mind Seed. As the psychic terrain activated, information flashed in his mind: This special terrain would enhance psychic Pokémon within a hundred-mile radius every three months for three hours, with a slight allure for fairy-types and a mild suppression effect on fighting and poison types.
It even has a suppression effect? Carl's eyes lit up, and he immediately called out his fighting-type Pokémon, summoning his Blaziken too. Observing the Pokémon's slight discomfort in the field, he announced, "For the next three hours, training will be doubled. If you can't handle it, soak in the hot spring for recovery, but the longer you endure, the greater the rewards."
The Pokémon responded enthusiastically, beginning an unexpected training session.
An hour later, Serena and Lillie arrived in the backyard with dinner. They quietly hid behind the door, watching the training ground bathed in the golden hues of the sunset.
In the open space of the backyard, a girl in a short red leather skirt basked in the sunlight, her purple hair fluttering gently in the breeze. She exchanged glances with Carl from a few meters away, even Serena and Lillie couldn't help but steal a few glances.
"You're here?" Carl spoke first.
"Hmm." The girl responded softly.
After a brief silence, she asked, "Did you know I would come?"
"Sort of," Carl answered ambiguously.
The girl frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
"I heard you can foresee the future," Carl said with a smile. "Why not find the answer yourself?"
The purple-haired girl was Sabrina, a renowned psychic from the region. Gifted from a young age, she became the gym leader of Golden City at a young age, known as the Psychic Queen.
Usually as cold as ice, a fleeting hint of trouble crossed her face. The future was unpredictable, and foresight didn't mean omniscience. Her tone remained aloof.
"So you can't see my future?" Carl asked deliberately.
Sabrina took a quiet breath. "Everyone's future changes. But your case... is special."
"Do I not have a future?"
"No." Sabrina shook her head, her purple hair swaying with the movement. "Two months ago, I sensed I would meet you, but I could never make out your features. Now that I see you, it's even more obscure."
She paused, her voice suddenly softening: "But I can tell, you are... special to me." She spoke the last few words with particular seriousness.
Lillie, hiding by the villa's back window, covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. She signaled frantically to Serena beside her, trying to get her to release her grip on her wrist.
But Serena, completely absorbed, was fixated on the backyard, her cheeks flushed as she mumbled softly, "Listen to this conversation, all about the future and important people, it's like a romance movie. This woman is quite the charmer. Why isn't Carl saying anything..."
Carl, recalling the scene from two months ago when he first arrived, couldn't help but be impressed by Sabrina's reputation. As an intermediate psychic, he understood the unpredictability of special abilities. From his aura sensing, it was clear Sabrina came with good intentions.
"I've told you everything I know," Sabrina continued when Carl didn't respond. "So, have you seen anything about my future?"
"My abilities aren't at that level," Carl replied with a smile.
"Then how did you know I'd come?"
"It's simple," Carl explained. "After the release of Green Leaf and Red Fire, Giovanni would inevitably send someone to investigate. He couldn't use his open subordinates, as they wouldn't easily enter the Westvale region. So I figured he'd use a covert line, and someone skilled in intelligence work."
He analyzed, "For Team Rocket, suitable candidates are Koga, Surge, Sabrina, Lorelei, and Ariana. Koga is a ninja, you and Lorelei are psychics, both suitable for covert actions. But Lorelei is more aligned with Giovanni's rival, so that leaves Koga and you. I suspected it would be you because Koga is poised to become one of the Elite Four, making him more valuable to Giovanni. Despite your exceptional talent, you're less controllable, more suited as a pawn."
It turned out his judgment was spot on.
Sabrina listened to Carl's analysis, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Your reasoning is quite intriguing," she said, her tone calm yet slightly excited. "Sometimes foreseen futures are more convincing than what you see with your own eyes."
"Maybe," Carl shrugged casually. "So what do you plan to do now? Report back to Giovanni, capture me, or leave because of my foresight ability?"
"Why don't you guess?" Sabrina's voice remained flat, but Carl detected a hint of teasing.
"I guess you want to stay," Carl said straightforwardly.
"Correct," Sabrina's eyes brightened slightly. "How did you figure it out this time?"
"This time there's no reasoning," Carl's answer surprised her a bit. "I simply observed."
"Observed?" Sabrina looked slightly confused.
"Is that difficult?" Carl pointed not far away. "From the moment you arrived, your gaze hasn't left that spot for more than three seconds. With your abilities, you must be interested in something of mine. But given your nature, since you haven't acted directly, you must want to stay."
A glimmer of admiration flashed in Sabrina's eyes. Carl's analysis made her find him quite appealing.
"My Alakazam is very clever, so as her trainer, I need to become wiser too," Sabrina said seriously. "I see an opportunity with you. Can I stay with you for a while?"
Carl was momentarily speechless. Though he knew she was sincere, he felt she was more interested in the special item.
Lillie, hidden away, felt her eyes welling up. Serena's grip tightened slightly.
"Sorry, I can't agree," Carl's refusal nearly made Lillie cheer.
Serena finally released her grip, but Lillie's relief was brief.
As soon as Sabrina spoke, Serena clutched her wrist tightly again.
"Refusing?" Sabrina's tone was calm, revealing no emotion. "Then let's discuss your violation of my likeness rights."
Carl was taken aback.
He hadn't expected Sabrina to bring this up. Indeed, when developing the Pokémon game, he had used the likeness of several figures from the region, but apart from Professor Oak, he hadn't obtained any authorizations.
It wasn't that he deliberately took advantage; he just found contacting them too troublesome.
Giovanni, as the leader of Team Rocket, had his identity exposed in the game. Would he dare to claim copyright fees? Surge and Koga were also Team Rocket members, and Blaine had been involved in Mewtwo research, they wouldn't make a fuss.
As for Pewter and Cerulean Gyms, their strength had nearly gotten them delisted, but now, thanks to the game, they've gained global attention, so they should be grateful.
Erika in Celadon runs a perfume shop, and the Cerulean Gym's sisters perform aquatic ballet, the game served as free publicity for them, so what complaints could they have?