The Saffron Gym, inside the battlefield.
Sabrina unleashed her Psychic power. The entire stadium vibrated, and tiny grains of sand floated into the air, swirling around her.
Seeing that stance, Aomori immediately thought of a certain legally-aged loli who was also a powerful Psychic. Startled, he decisively activated his Two-Stage Breathing Style, focusing all his Lightning energy into his legs. His speed surged. He flashed to Sabrina's side and, showing no mercy for the "flower," unleashed a powerful whip kick.
However, the serious Sabrina had already absorbed all the information on the field into her mind. Although Aomori was fast, he was no match for the speed of her thought.
A repulsive force of over one hundred Giyus slammed directly into Aomori's body, sending him rocketing into the ceiling.
'Almighty Push? Does she have Universal Pull?' Aomori swallowed a mouthful of slightly metallic-tasting saliva. He saw Sabrina extend a hand towards him, and his body was involuntarily dragged in her direction.
'She actually does?' Aomori quickly shouted: "Darkrai!"
The loyal Darkrai abandoned Alakazam, which it had been suppressing completely, and instantly appeared in front of Aomori, blocking Sabrina's line of sight.
"It's useless!" Sabrina increased her output, yanking that entire section of the ceiling, along with Aomori, toward her.
The continuous roar and tremors finally alerted the other people in the Saffron Gym, who, without understanding what was happening, all fled the building.
Aomori used Sabrina's "Universal Pull" to rapidly close the distance. Darkrai's eyes flashed blue, and it strategically used Hypnosis. Sabrina's eyelids drooped slightly before snapping back open, but in that brief moment, Aomori had already arrived in front of her.
However, Sabrina instantly used Teleportation and vanished with a shift of her will, causing Aomori to miss the opportunity.
Facing such an unreasonable Psychic power, Aomori felt a headache coming on, thinking about how the even tougher Tatsumaki was usually defeated.
"Alakazam, use Telekinesis." Since she couldn't use her power directly, she would do it indirectly. Sabrina and Alakazam simultaneously used Telekinesis to manipulate the debris on the field, accelerating the rocks and shards to fire at Aomori and Darkrai like cannonballs.
Faced with the overwhelming storm of stones, Aomori frowned. "Trouble. Darkrai, return."
Darkrai slipped back into his shadow. Aomori raced across the field like a phantom, dodging the ceaselessly incoming rock-cannonballs while pondering his strategy.
At this time, the sun was directly overhead, and sunlight poured in through the hole Sabrina had created in the ceiling, illuminating the battlefield.
A flash of inspiration struck Aomori. He began deliberately adjusting the angle between himself and Sabrina.
Floating in the air, Sabrina kept her gaze fixed on the frantically scurrying Aomori, controlling the rocks to smash into him, while also watching her surroundings to prevent a surprise attack. She didn't notice his subtle movements.
"Now!" Aomori pulled out Ryuko and, using Light Breathing and the sunlight, directed the suddenly blazing sword blade straight at Sabrina. She had never anticipated this move from Aomori. Her eyes were momentarily "blinded," and her thoughts experienced a brief stagnation.
"Shoot!" By the time she reacted, Aomori was already standing in front of her, extending his wicked hand towards her.
"Ah, that hurts!"
Her soft cheeks were vigorously stretched by Aomori, one hand on each side. Then she heard that annoying laugh: "Girls are much cuter when they're like this."
A red light flashed across her vision. Sabrina reopened her eyes and saw the decorations in the room, realizing she was lying in her bedroom.
The small girl doll by her bed blinked at her.
Sabrina flashed to her vanity. In the mirror, her cheeks were still soft, but she felt an unreal sense of pain.
She reached up, touching her face, and muttered to herself: "Dark... Aomori?"
…
Meanwhile, in the other location, the man in the baseball cap returned to the room after demonstrating his Psychic power to Aomori, still wearing his sunglasses.
Noticing Aomori's somewhat crestfallen expression, the man began to push his luck. "Aomori," he said, "As the saying goes, 'Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger.' To increase the success rate of saving Sabrina, I feel that my previous experience was insufficient. Hmm, it would be best if I could learn Psychic power."
"That's true," the man said, gently rubbing his temple. Then he continued, "However, my family's secret Psychic manual is an unwritten secret and cannot be passed on to you, unless..."
He sized up Aomori, noting his dignified air and handsome appearance. He was comparable to the man's younger self and just might be worthy of his precious daughter.
"...Unless you agree to be a candidate for my son-in-law." Since Sabrina had been independent since childhood, the man didn't dare directly arrange a marriage for her, so Aomori was merely a son-in-law candidate.
Aomori was a new-age youth with ideals, ambition, goals, and principles. How could he possibly agree to such an absurd request as a man determined to become the strongest hero?
Naturally, he firmly refused.
"In that case, there's nothing I can do," the man said, casually teaching Aomori a few common tricks, tossing him a spoon, and then yawning and heading back to the room to sleep. He had overexerted himself and needed rest.
"If you need to rest, you can make do on the sofa."
Aomori was left alone in the living room, a spoon in his hand, seemingly lost in thought.
…
Early the next morning, the man woke up from a pleasant dream. He stretched broadly, feeling mentally refreshed, though his eyes were still a bit red and swollen, forcing him to put on his sunglasses again.
He walked out of the bedroom and saw Aomori sitting properly on the sofa, surrounded by a pile of bent spoons.
The man was startled. "You didn't sleep all night? You didn't bend these spoons with your hands out of sheer frustration, did you?"
Hearing his voice, Aomori turned his head as if waking from a trance. He stood up, walked over to the man, and said, "Let's go. To the Saffron Gym."
Since Aomori didn't answer his question, the man assumed he'd guessed correctly. He patted Aomori's shoulder comfortingly, then Teleported them to a nearby diner to eat breakfast before Teleporting again to the front of the Saffron Gym.
The Saffron Gym had a unique exterior, with an arched dome top and over a dozen conical pillars hanging down, centered by a square main entrance.
"Hey, kid. That place ahead is hell."
"I've made my resolution."
"Go on, son. I'll be outside covering you. Go all out." The man held a crepe in one hand, cheering Aomori on.
"Okay."
With a solemn expression and the imposing air of a soldier going to the battlefield, Aomori took a few strides to the main door and pressed the doorbell.
After a chime, an inquiring voice came through: "Hello, this is the Saffron Gym. How may I help you?"
The customer service is quite polite.
"I am a Trainer. I would like to challenge Sabrina-san."
"Understood. We will contact Sabrina-san right away. Please come in."
The heavy door slowly opened, revealing a deep, dark passage.
"Sabrina, are you ready? I'm coming in!"
In the eyes of the man in the baseball cap, Aomori stepped into the abyss before him with absolute determination.
"Good luck! You absolutely must come back alive!"
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You can read the ahead chapter on Patr-eon if you're interested: p-atre-on.c-om/Overgod [Just remove the hyphen to access normally]