"Master, please accept me as your disciple!"
At this moment, the staff member knelt before Robert, his expression desperate as if he were pledging lifelong devotion. It was as if he was silently declaring, "If you don't accept me, I'll kneel here forever!"
"Accept you as my disciple? Impossible. Not in this life."
Robert crossed his arms, shaking his head in refusal. "I will not take a disciple. I won't take one in this life or the next."
"However..." He trailed off, raising his right hand and rubbing his index finger and thumb together in a familiar gesture.
The staff member, initially crestfallen at Robert's rejection, immediately perked up when he saw the gesture. Without hesitation, he pulled out his wallet and presented its contents to Robert.
"Master, this is all I have. Please, teach me your Psychic abilities!"
Robert smirked, tilting his head slightly. "Are you absolutely sure you want to learn? If you regret it later, I won't be giving refunds. This is your last chance to change your mind."
"I want to learn! I will never regret it!" the staff member declared firmly.
"Alright, since you're so determined, I'll tell you the secret," Robert said, taking the money and pocketing it. He then pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to the staff member. "First, you must do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and run five kilometers daily. Stick to this routine for three years, and then—only then—you may open this paper."
The staff member hesitated, looking at the paper with a mix of excitement and skepticism. "Master, what happens if I open it before three years?"
Robert leaned in with a knowing grin. "The contents will disappear after a single glance."
Before the staff member could respond, Robert turned on his heel and walked away, heading into Saffron Gym.
---
As soon as Robert stepped inside, he frowned. "Huh? Why is no one here?"
He glanced around the dimly lit gymnasium. The air was eerily silent, making the already dark and foreboding environment even more unsettling.
"This is the real world, right? So why does this place feel like something straight out of a horror movie?" Robert muttered, scratching his head.
Or could it be… because of my presence, the world has been altered? Has Saffron Gym truly turned into the eerie domain of the infamous Sabrina?
"Hello? Is anyone here?" Robert called out, his voice echoing through the empty space. "I'm Robert from Pallet Town. I'm here to challenge the Saffron Gym!"
A cold, emotionless voice responded almost immediately. "Challenger? Enter."
As soon as the words were spoken, a door creaked open on its own. The sound of grinding metal against stone filled the silence, and Robert couldn't help but shiver. If a weaker-hearted person were here, they might have turned tail and run by now.
Robert swallowed. "That voice…"
It carried an eerie weight, sending chills down his spine. If used strategically in battle, such a voice alone could freeze an opponent in place. But Robert knew better—this could only belong to one person.
Sabrina.
The Gym Leader of Saffron City. A psychic prodigy feared throughout the Kanto region.
"Hmph. Fear?" Robert scoffed, steeling his resolve. "As if."
Though Sabrina's psychic abilities were formidable—her mind-reading capabilities nearly legendary—Robert had one thing on his side: his system. And if her powers couldn't penetrate his defenses, then he had nothing to fear.
Without hesitation, he strode forward, passing through a dimly lit corridor. At the end of the hallway stood a single door. He pushed it open without hesitation.
Inside, a lone figure sat in a shadowed seat at the far end of the room. The girl wore a crimson bodysuit that accentuated her slender form. Her long, jet-black hair framed a delicate yet expressionless face. But it was her piercing red eyes—glowing under the dim lighting—that captured Robert's full attention.
She was beautiful, no doubt. But her cold, emotionless gaze sent a shiver down his spine.
"This is Sabrina?" Robert thought to himself. "She really is stunning… If only she didn't have that terrifying look in her eyes, she'd probably be insanely popular."
As if hearing his thoughts, Sabrina's lips barely moved. "Are you the challenger?"
Her voice was monotone, devoid of warmth. "You should know who I am. If you lose, I will turn you into a doll. That is the price for losing against me."
Robert smirked. "You don't scare me. I came here to win."
Sabrina's red eyes flashed briefly, as if intrigued. "Interesting."
She watched Robert closely, a flicker of curiosity in her normally apathetic gaze. From the moment he had entered Saffron Gym, she had attempted to use her psychic powers to read his mind—but to her surprise, she was met with nothingness. A complete void.
"Impossible… No one has ever resisted my mind-reading before." Her expression remained unreadable, but internally, she was intrigued.
Sabrina had encountered many challengers before, but never had she met someone she couldn't read. This only made her more determined.
She would defeat Robert.
And she would turn him into her doll, just like all the others.
Robert, on the other hand, had already analyzed her stats through his system:
[Sabrina]
Age: 18
Special Ability: Psychic Lv9 (Elite Level)
Pokémon: Kadabra
Power Assessment: Gym Leader Peak (Suppressed, original strength is Quasi-Elite Peak)
Background: The current Gym Leader of Saffron City, known for her incredibly strong psychic abilities. Due to childhood trauma, she has developed a detached, emotionless personality. Hates Pokémon battles and prefers to turn losing challengers into dolls.
"Gym Leader peak level? Suppressed?" Robert muttered internally. "So she's not even using her full strength… Interesting."
While most trainers would tremble at the thought of facing her, Robert felt the opposite—he was excited.
After all, a battle without risk was just a boring game.
Sabrina's lips curled slightly—a nearly imperceptible smirk. "Shall we begin, then?"
Robert met her gaze with confidence. "Let's do this."
This battle was going to be fun.
---
Sabrina, for the first time in a long while, felt something she hadn't in years.
Excitement.