The woman stood with her arms crossed, eyes closed, her expression as cold and lifeless as an exquisitely crafted doll. The Team Rocket uniform covered her entirely, save for a glimpse of her snow-white skin at the neckline. Her bloodless lips pressed together faintly, exuding an air of ruthless indifference.
Despite her icy demeanor, she radiated an undeniable feminine allure. From his vantage point high in the cavern, Ryuuske's heartbeat stuttered the moment he saw her, his eyes widening in admiration.
Though he quickly regained his composure, any man would feel a flicker of desire when faced with such an ethereally beautiful woman.
Especially when—
Stealing a glance at the serious-faced Misty beside him—he noted that the Saffron Gym Leader's proportions were far more generous than Misty's. Truly, this cold beauty is something else!
"Leader Sabrina, based on the Boss's intel, we've surveyed multiple areas of Mt. Moon but found no traces of Machop. Instrument readings confirm this wasn't caused by tectonic shifts. A detailed report will require further investigation!"
A Rocket member, after conferring with his colleagues near a machine, hurried over to Sabrina to deliver his findings. His eyes flashed with admiration before he quickly lowered his head in deference. Sabrina was one of the Rocket Triad, second only to the Boss himself—and she was also the Saffron Gym Leader.
Many Team Rocket members couldn't help but admire their elusive leader's ability to recruit even Gym Leaders into their ranks.
"Cease the investigation. If it's not natural, then it's man-made. Relay this to the Boss—he'll decide our next move."
Sabrina's pale lips didn't move, yet her cold, mechanical voice resonated directly in the Rocket member's mind—a testament to her psychic abilities, allowing her to communicate without speaking.
"Now, take the others and leave."
"Leader Sabrina?!"
Confused but not daring to disobey, the Rocket member glanced up briefly before bowing again.
"...Understood, Leader Sabrina. We'll withdraw immediately!"
With a quick signal, the other members—still analyzing data—packed up and filed out of the cavern through alternate passages.
In an instant, the vast cavern fell silent, save for the occasional drip of water echoing in the stillness. Only Sabrina and her Alakazam remained.
"Hmph. A big fish has taken the bait."
Sabrina's lips finally moved. She turned abruptly, her eyes snapping open—glowing with the same eerie violet light as when Ryuuske channeled Mewtwo's power.
"Alakazam, Psychic!"
The spoon-wielding Pokémon's eyes flashed. The air thickened and trembled as an invisible psychic force, sharp as a blade, surged toward a high cavern opening with devastating speed!
"Look out!"
"Watch it!"
Misty and Ryuuske shouted simultaneously, their faces paling. They barely had time to command their Pokémon to defend before the attack struck.
The cavern wall at the opening melted like butter under heat, crumbling into dust. The shockwave hit Ryuuske like a sledgehammer, slamming him into the rear wall with a grunt. Beside him, Gabite roared in pain, its muscular body pinned against the cracking stone by the unseen force.
Misty fared no better. Neither had expected such a sudden assault, leaving them both battered.
"Tch—!"
Ryuuske sucked in a sharp breath, his body aching as if he'd been trampled. Cuts littered his back and limbs. Had Gabite not been there to absorb most of the Psychic's impact, the attack would have killed him outright.
Even so, the force of the blow—like being struck by a wrecking ball—left him throbbing with pain.
This Alakazam is definitely one of Sabrina's aces—maybe even her strongest Pokémon. It just melted solid rock with a casual strike!
"We screwed up! How did she even spot us?!"
Ryuuske gritted his teeth, glancing at Misty. The girl hadn't fared any better—her fair skin was now streaked with bleeding cuts, her face smudged with dirt.
Before he could react further, his instincts screamed danger. He whipped his head back toward the opening—
—only to see Sabrina and Alakazam now floating midair before them, having teleported in an instant.
The cold, doll-like woman still had her arms crossed, leaning against Alakazam as if it were a wall. She regarded them sidelong, one long leg slightly bent, adding to her haunting allure.
But Ryuuske felt no admiration now—only lethal threat.
Sure enough, another Psychic blast tore through the air like a typhoon, the pressure alone making the cavern walls groan. Cracks spiderwebbed across the stone as Sabrina sought to collapse the entire tunnel and bury them alive!
"Gabite, Dragon Pulse!"
"Starmie, Swift!"
Misty and Ryuuske reacted instantly. One was a seasoned Gym Leader; the other had survived countless wilderness dangers. Though caught off-guard initially, they wouldn't just take Sabrina's assault.
Countless star-shaped projectiles shot from Starmie's edges, faster than the psychic wave. For the first time, Sabrina's composure flickered. She shifted back, letting Alakazam shield her as the razor-sharp stars sliced through its defenses, leaving shallow cuts—even tearing small gashes in Sabrina's uniform, revealing skin as pale as her expression.
The remaining stars embedded themselves deep into the cavern ceiling like knives through butter.
The disruption gave Gabite its opening. Dragon Pulse clashed with the weakened Psychic, the resulting explosion finally collapsing the tunnel entirely.
Ryuuske leaped onto Gabite's back as it crossed its scythe-like arms, shielding them both as it charged forward—launching from the crumbling ledge and landing safely on the cavern floor over a dozen meters below.
Misty, riding Starmie, joined him moments later. Both looked up warily—
—just as Sabrina and Alakazam teleported again, reappearing before them. She hovered half a meter off the ground as if standing on solid air, her emotionless gaze pinning them in place.
For now, the relentless assault had paused—but the battle was far from over.
To be continued…