The confined space was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard. Pressed tightly against each other, the two could feel nothing but each other's breathing and body heat. Sabrina lay atop Logan, her eyes shut tightly, not daring to move, trying hard to regulate her breathing, to suppress the rapid thumping of her heart, and to ignore his hand casually exploring her back and waist.

Not a sliver of light pierced the darkness. Mr. Mime held up an invisible barrier, shielding them from the mountain of falling rocks, while Alakazam knelt beside him, channeling psychic power to assist. The space was so narrow that even these relatively small Pokémon couldn't stand fully upright.

With the joint effort of Mr. Mime and Alakazam, even a collapsing cavern wasn't enough to bury them alive. Once again, Logan was reminded of just how powerful Pokémon could be.

"You done feeling me up yet?"

Sabrina, feeling Logan's body react in a certain way beneath her, couldn't help but recall what had happened in the mental realm. Her already heavy mood sank even deeper. Finally, she broke the silence, her voice cold and irritable.

"Just making the most of this while I can. Never know when I'll get another chance. Besides, your Mr. Mime—its invisible wall technique is seriously something. Out of all Mr. Mime in the world, I bet only yours can do this."

The scent from her body—fresh like irises, cool and restrained—stirred Logan's mind with thoughts of the word "forbidden."

Unlike in the mental world, Sabrina in reality smelled even better—sweet and clean, lingering on the tongue.

Trying to keep her cool, Sabrina ignored his teasing and said, "You made Gabite use Earthquake. That kind of move in a cave like this? Your Gabite might be buried."

"Right after Earthquake, I had it use Dig. It's fine."

Logan's tone was calm, measured.

"So you used the sandstorm as cover, then used psychic power to teleport Gabite's Pokéball into a neighboring tunnel... letting it cause an Earthquake from afar. No wonder I didn't react. You're gutsy, I'll give you that. Willing to expose yourself to both sandstorm damage and my Pokémon directly—any mistake would've killed you."

Sabrina's limbs were still bound by Dratini, helpless to resist. She was, in fact, secretly glad the space was too small to stand, meaning Logan couldn't take further advantage even if he wanted to.

"You care about me now, huh?"

Logan forced a smirk. Thankfully, there was no light—no one could see the grimace twisting his face from pain. His voice, however, betrayed the effort it took to stay composed.

He wasn't immune to pain—far from it. But compared to the agony caused by Mewtwo's genetic fusion inside him, the pain from the sandstorm was nothing.

"Care? I want you dead."

"Too bad you missed your one chance. That was the only time you could've killed me. You won't get another."

"Your voice sounds off. What are you plotting this time?"

Sabrina noticed the sharp inhale in Logan's breath and tensed up. Ever since their mental duel, she'd been paranoid—always bracing for his next move.

"Nothing. I'm just in pain. Can't you tell I'm barely holding on here…? Even my… well, let's just say my 'manly instincts' have shut down."

"Weren't you playing tough just a moment ago? So this is all it takes for you to fold?"

Sabrina's frostbitten words were laced with mockery.

"Easy for you to say when you're lying on top of me. You're gonna crush me at this rate."

"That's your Dratini's weight, not mine."

"Bite her, Dratini!"

At Logan's command, Dratini obediently gave Sabrina a nip, making her face twitch.

"Alright, we're done here. See you around, Sabrina. Next time, I'll face you head-on. No more tricks."

Sabrina's expression shifted again. Just as she grew alert, Logan suddenly withdrew Dratini into its Pokéball—and in the very next instant, he vanished.

"Reverse Teleport!"

Sabrina lay on the dirt floor, suddenly realizing what had been off. His Pokéball had been gone for a while. At some unknown point, he had already released Mewtwo. That mad charge earlier—he'd had a backup plan all along. Even if she had tried to take him down with her, Mewtwo would've teleported him away.

"Alakazam, use Teleport and take me out of here!"

But Alakazam was sweating bullets—its Teleport was failing.

"It's Mewtwo's psychic field… He's blocking us. He's turned our tricks against us. Fine. We'll hold out here until Mewtwo's influence fades."

Sabrina let out a sigh, collapsing like a corpse. She was utterly drained. She knew now that the Rocket members she had stationed in Cerulean were likely done for.

"HAHAHAHA! What's wrong, little Miss Cerulean Gym Leader? Is that all you've got?"

Outside the cave, Misty stood bloodied and battered. Her body was covered in welts and bruises. Blood had dripped into her eyes, making them sting, but she didn't dare blink. One slip could cost her her life.

More than twenty Rocket Grunts surrounded the sunken part of the cave she stood in, ordering their Pokémon to attack. Vines from multiple Gloom had wrapped around her enraged Gyarados, and a cluster of Magnemite encircled it, pulsing with electricity.

They were using Gyarados's life as leverage. Misty dared not counterattack, forced to rely only on Starmie as a shield. Every time she tried to send out another Pokémon, they tortured Gyarados, making her retreat in agony.

Her Gyarados—her longtime companion—had been kidnapped due to her carelessness, subjected to cruel experiments. She couldn't stand by and let it die.

"Stay sharp, everyone! Once Lady Sabrina finishes off that brat, this Gym Leader's going down too!"

The Rocket Squad Captain laughed maniacally. Seeing a high-ranking Gym Leader humiliated like this thrilled his twisted heart.

'I'm sorry, Logan… It's all my fault. My weakness made you go face her alone.'

Tears welled in Misty's eyes as she bit her lip hard. She hadn't met Sabrina before, but knew well of her fearsome power. There was no way Logan—still new as a trainer—could be a match.

"So pathetic, Misty. Your Gym Badge must be crying. To be cornered like this by a bunch of lowlifes… Are you too kind, or just plain stupid?"

A male voice echoed from above—mocking, filled with killing intent and icy disdain.

Everyone instinctively looked up.

And there, in the sky nearly a hundred meters high, sat Logan. His posture mimicked Sabrina's—seated midair as if on a throne, casually leaning against Mewtwo's form as if it were a backrest. Arms folded, he stared down at the crowd beneath him.

His gaze was as if he were already staring at a field of corpses.

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T/N:

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