In a small grove on the Indigo Plateau, Sabrina kept trying to push Red away.
Red, however, simply grabbed both of her wrists and pulled.
With a little force, he pinned her hands firmly against the tree behind her.
Her arms were raised above her head.
Face flushed crimson, Sabrina lowered her gaze and softly said:
"Don't..."
Red grinned.
"I don't care."
At the same time, he couldn't help thinking:
She keeps saying no, but she hasn't even used her psychic powers to resist.
This Psychic Queen is really stubborn.
At this point, the only thing stubborn about Sabrina was her mouth.
The rest of her body had gone completely soft, half leaning against Red.
Just as Red's free hand started moving lower, he finally encountered real resistance.
An invisible wall of psychic power blocked him.
Blushing furiously, Sabrina looked at him and said:
"Not there... not yet..."
Looking at the red-faced girl before him, Red decided not to push things any further.
Instead, his hand continued elsewhere.
Below that were Sabrina's long, smooth legs.
Perhaps because she usually relied on psychic powers for movement, they seemed especially well cared for.
Combined with the black stockings that hugged her legs tightly, they offered a uniquely smooth sensation.
At this point, Sabrina could barely remain standing and leaned fully against him.
"It's just a pair of legs."
"What's so interesting about them?"
Red's expression turned completely serious.
"No."
"I think this is the greatest gift heaven has ever given me."
...
Ring, ring, ring—
At that moment, Red's phone suddenly rang from his pocket.
The abrupt interruption broke the mood.
Realizing her current posture, Sabrina's face became even redder.
In the end, her embarrassment won out.
She pushed Red away.
"The promised reward ends here."
"Don't get greedy."
Looking at the phone in his hand, Red immediately felt a surge of anger.
Who?!
Who is calling me at a time like this?!
I'm going to kill them!
Seeing Sabrina already standing back up, he could only sigh helplessly and redirect all of his disappointment toward the unfortunate caller.
Looking at the unfamiliar number, his mouth twitched.
"If this is some scam company, I'm personally going to blow up their headquarters."
He answered the call.
A familiar voice came from the other end.
Lt. Surge.
"Gym Leader Red, I'm about to begin my challenge. I just wanted to tell you that you're not the only one who can clear the trial—"
Before he could finish speaking, Red hung up.
For a moment, he stood frozen.
Then he roared internally:
I wasted precious Sabrina time because of this idiot?!
His face remained expressionless.
But in his mind, Lt. Surge was already dead.
Several times.
While Red was mentally planning Surge's demise, Sabrina frowned and lightly punched him.
"Red."
"Look what you've done."
Turning around, he noticed several tears in Sabrina's black stockings.
They were clearly ruined.
"Oh, that's not a big deal."
"Just take them off."
Sabrina rolled her eyes.
At this point, that was indeed the only option.
However, when she started removing them, she realized Red was staring intently the entire time.
Her already flushed face turned even redder.
She grabbed one of her shoes and threw it at him.
"What are you staring at?!"
"Turn around!"
Catching the shoe one-handed, Red declared righteously:
"I, Red, have never had the habit of exposing my back to others!"
He thought being cheeky would be fun.
Unfortunately, an angry Psychic Queen was no joke.
Ten minutes later, Red patted his chest with lingering fear.
"Did I just get turned into a doll?"
"Or was that my imagination?"
However, feeling the item hidden in his pocket, he immediately felt the trip had been worthwhile.
[Sabrina's Stockings (Damaged Version)]
A pair of stockings belonging to the Psychic Queen. They seem to have witnessed a fierce battle.
Meanwhile, Sabrina looked down at her now bare, fair legs and hesitated.
Will people notice that my stockings suddenly disappeared?
The sight felt unfamiliar even to herself.
In the end, she tied her jacket around her waist to cover her thighs.
Watching the beautiful scenery disappear left Red deeply regretful.
...
Ten minutes later, Red returned to the competition venue first.
Meanwhile, Lt. Surge had already been waiting smugly near the battlefield.
"Red!"
"I've been waiting for you!"
"Let me tell you something! You're not the only one capable of clearing the challenge!"
"Anything you can do, I can do too!"
The moment Red saw him, his anger immediately flared.
He grabbed Surge by the collar.
Enhanced by both psychic power and Viridian Power, his body erupted with strength far beyond that of an ordinary human.
"You idiot!"
"Whether you win or lose has nothing to do with me!"
"At your age, you're still acting like some competitive little kid!"
"Do you have any idea that when you called me, I was busy saving a young girl who was about to lose her breath?"
"Being associated with someone like you makes me sick!"
Hearing those words, the crowd immediately burst into applause.
"As expected of Gym Leader Red!"
"A role model for us all!"
"It's rare to find such a helpful Gym Leader these days!"
And so Red returned to his seat looking completely righteous.
Meanwhile, Surge stood awkwardly in place.
His imposing aura had completely vanished.
Of course, Red's righteous lie might fool humans.
But fooling Pokémon was much harder.
Especially a certain fox with an extremely sensitive nose.
Standing beside him, Ninetales tilted her head in confusion.
"Master, did you change your perfume?"
"Why do you smell exactly like Gym Leader Sabrina?"
"And what's in your pocket?"
Before anyone else could react, Red grabbed Ninetales by the tail.
Startled, she yelped.
Pulling her closer, Red glared at her.
"Nobody thinks you're mute if you don't talk."
Ninetales wasn't stupid.
She simply hadn't thought in that direction before.
Now realization suddenly dawned on her.
"So I finally have a first mistress, Master?"
Without a word, Red recalled her into her Poké Ball.
"If you keep talking, you're going hungry tonight."
"Wuuu... okay, Master."
"I'll keep your secret."
Although Red and Ninetales had their little episode, most people's attention remained focused on Lt. Surge's challenge.
Because—
"Come forth, my ace!"
A Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.
Ampharos.
Level 55.
The moment it appeared, countless eyes turned toward it.
"The first true Gym-level Pokémon has appeared!"
"And judging from that aura, even among Gym-level Pokémon, this Ampharos is quite strong."
"Gym Leader Surge hasn't disappointed his cousin's expectations."
"With strength like this, he's probably unmatched among the ordinary Gym Leaders present."
Ahem.
This humble author is once again asking for a few gifts and positive reviews.
And as always, thank you all for continuing to follow the story!
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