Sabrina's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, her body instinctively tensing as she prepared to endure the impact of an explosion.
However, bang! Bang!
Two soft sounds rang out.
The bombs burst open.
But... it wasn't fire, nor was it a shockwave.
It was flowers.
Two clusters of brilliant flowers bloomed in mid-air, petals falling like rain onto Sabrina's hair, shoulders, and chest.
Red roses, pink carnations, white baby's breath...
They were colorful and fragrant.
Time seemed to stand still once again.
Sabrina stared blankly at the falling petals and the two bouquets still slowly dispersing.
For a moment, her brain couldn't process this extreme contrast.
From an intensely tense premonition of danger to a sudden rain of surprise flowers...
Her nerves, which had been taut for years, snapped at this moment like a bowstring stretched to its limit.
The mental blockade she used to seal herself off, suppress her emotions, and control her Psychic powers...
At this moment, it loosened.
"Heehee... haha... Hahahaha!!!"
An eerie laughter suddenly rang out.
But it didn't come from the doll.
It came from where the bombs had appeared.
Space distorted once more.
Two translucent figures emerged.
One was a round ghost face, and the other was a ghost face with hands.
The Thousand-Year Gastly and Gastly.
Were the two Ghost-type Pokemon tumbling and laughing in the air?
"Hahaha! You fell for it!"
"Scared you, didn't it! Scared you!"
"That expression! Hahahaha, heeheehee..."
The Thousand-Year Gastly laughed heartily like an old prankster.
Sabrina looked at these two mischievous Ghost-type Pokemon.
Then she looked at the Kadabra on the ground, which had lost its ability to battle.
Finally, her gaze fell upon the smiling Trainer opposite her.
Roy was nodding to her, as if saying, "Surprised?"
Suddenly.
An unfamiliar feeling surged up from the depths of her heart.
It was a feeling... she hadn't experienced in a very, very long time.
She wanted to laugh.
Not a sneer, not a mocking laugh.
It was a genuine desire to laugh because she found it amusing.
The corners of Sabrina's mouth twitched slightly.
Then, they curled upward.
A faint but real smile appeared on her face, which had been frozen for years.
The smile was awkward, like someone who had forgotten how to laugh trying for the first time.
In her light-colored pupils, the iceberg-like indifference began to melt, revealing the true emotions beneath: surprise, confusion, and a hint of... novelty.
She raised her hand and caught a falling petal.
The sensation from her fingertips was soft and real.
She looked down at the petal for a long time.
Then, she raised her head and looked at Roy.
With a Teleport, Sabrina disappeared instantly from where she stood.
In the next second, she appeared right in front of Roy.
She was so fast that Roy didn't even have time to react before a slender hand was pressed against his cheek.
Cool.
Soft.
That was Roy's first sensation.
Sabrina's light-colored pupils stared at him from close range, her eyes filled with scrutiny and curiosity.
Her intention was simple—to use her Psychic powers at close range to directly probe this man's true background.
Why could those two Ghost-types appear out of thin air?
Why were her Psychic powers completely ineffective against that bomb?
There were too many questions.
Since she couldn't probe him from a distance, she would do it through direct contact!
A red light flickered in Sabrina's eyes as her Psychic power, like invisible tentacles, reached into Roy's body.
And then...
She found nothing.
Sabrina's brow furrowed slightly.
Again!
Even stronger mental power surged out.
Still nothing.
Roy was like a solid rock; when her Psychic power reached him, it was completely blocked out, without even a single crack to be found!
Sabrina's expression began to change.
That eternal iceberg-like indifference loosened bit by bit.
Her brows furrowed, her eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly.
Finally, it froze into...
A dazed and cute expression.
"?"
Looking at Sabrina in front of him, Roy almost couldn't hold back a laugh.
This contrast was just too great.
Just a moment ago, she was a cold, aloof beauty who kept everyone at a distance, radiating a dangerous aura of "approach me and I'll turn you into a doll."
And now?
Her eyes were wide and round, her mouth was slightly agape, and her brow was furrowed with an expression that said "what's going on," "why isn't it working," and "I'm so confused."
Combined with that impossibly exquisite face and her mature, womanly figure...
It actually felt strangely cute.
"You~"
Sabrina spoke, her voice tinged with confusion:
"Are you a ghost?"
She tilted her head, her hand still pressed against Roy's face in a caressing gesture:
"Why can't I understand you?"
The question was innocent and direct.
She was nothing like the yandere Gym Leader who had just been turning people into dolls.
Roy chuckled inwardly.
The Amulet was indeed useful.
It perfectly resisted all Psychic influences, including probing.
Forget Sabrina; even if the god of Psychic powers came personally, they wouldn't be able to probe a single thing from him.
He looked at Sabrina's dazed face and the hand still on his cheek, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
"Gym Leader Sabrina."
Roy's voice was calm and gentle:
"If you really want to know something about me, you can just ask."
He paused, his gaze lingering on Sabrina's face for a moment:
"Don't use Psychic powers; use your mouth."
Sabrina blinked.
She seemingly hadn't expected Roy to say that.
She tilted her head and thought about it, and then,
Bang!
The metal door to the battlefield was suddenly pushed open from the outside!
"Roy!!"
Misty's shout led the way!
Immediately after, two figures rushed into the battlefield one after the other!
It was Misty and Delia!
Both their faces were filled with obvious anxiety and worry. Misty was holding a poké ball in her hand, while Delia was biting her lip, her face pale.
They had been waiting outside with burning impatience.
Everything was fine, but then they suddenly heard two "bang bang" explosions from inside!
Though the sounds weren't loud, they were exceptionally clear in the quiet Gym!
Combined with the previous warning from Sabrina's father, countless terrifying images flashed through their minds.
Sabrina going berserk!
Roy being attacked by Psychic powers!
Roy being turned into a doll!
They didn't care about danger or Psychic influence anymore!
The two exchanged a look and charged inside without a word!
The masked woman tried to stop them but couldn't!
And following them inside was another person.
Sabrina's father.
This middle-aged man's face also bore anxiety and determination.
He had already prepared his Psychic powers; if things went wrong, he would immediately use Teleport to save Roy and the other two!
Even if it meant angering his daughter, he wouldn't hesitate!
However.
When the three of them rushed into the battlefield and saw the situation inside clearly...
They were all stunned.
Time seemed to stand still.
Sabrina's father's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
Misty and Delia also froze in place, the anxiety and worry on their faces slowly solidifying, and then...
It turned into a different, complex expression.
In the center of the battlefield.
Sabrina stood before Roy, one hand pressed against his face in a caressing pose.
And on her face, there was no longer that unchanging iceberg expression.
Instead, it was a... dazed, confused, and even somewhat cute expression.
Her eyes were wide and round, and her mouth was slightly open; she looked like a bewildered little girl.
And Roy?
He had a smile on his face, looking composed and even a bit appreciative.
This scene...
No matter how you looked at it, it was ambiguous, okay!
Misty's eyebrows twitched.
Delia's eyes narrowed.
Sabrina's father looked like he had seen a ghost.
What was the situation?
His daughter wasn't attacking this Trainer?
She was... touching his face?
And that expression...
In all his years, he had never seen his daughter make such an expression!
Since she was a child, because her Psychic powers were too strong, Sabrina's emotions had grown colder and colder until she completely became an iceberg.
She didn't know how to laugh, cry, get angry, or be happy.
She was like an exquisite doll.
But now?
What was with that dazed expression?
What was with that confused look in her eyes?
Was this really his daughter?
"Sabrina!!"
Sabrina's father still shouted out; regardless of anything, he had to confirm his daughter's state first:
"Don't do anything foolish anymore! Wake up!"
He thought his daughter was still in a state of losing control over her Psychic powers and that the dazed expression was just an illusion.
Hearing this shout, Sabrina finally gently lowered her hand from Roy's face.
She turned her head and looked at her father.
Then.
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
A faint but real smile bloomed on her face.
"Papa."
She spoke, her voice very soft:
"I'm okay."
Boom!
It was as if a bomb had exploded in Sabrina's father's mind!
He froze in place, his eyes widening to the extreme, his pupils trembling violently!
Papa?
Papa!!
His daughter called him Papa!!!
Since Sabrina's Psychic powers went out of control and her emotions were sealed off, how many years had it been since she last called him that?
Five years? Ten years? Or even longer?
He couldn't remember clearly.
He only remembered that from a certain day onward, his daughter stopped calling him Papa, stopped smiling at him, and stopped talking to him.
She was like a walking corpse.
And now!
His daughter smiled!
His daughter called him Papa!
"Sab... Sabrina..."
The middle-aged man's voice trembled, and his eyes instantly turned red:
"You smiled... You... You called me Papa?"
Sabrina nodded, that faint smile still on her face:
"Yes."
She paused, glanced at Roy, and then turned back:
"I'm really okay now."
Sabrina's father could no longer control himself.
He ran quickly to his daughter and pulled her into a hug, tears streaming down his face:
"That's wonderful... that's wonderful!!!"
"You finally... finally..."
He couldn't go on, just holding his daughter tightly and crying like a child.
Being hugged by her father, Sabrina's expression was slightly uncomfortable, but she didn't push him away.
She raised her hand and gently patted her father's back as if to comfort him.
This scene was somewhat moving for Misty and Delia.
However, as moving as it was, they didn't forget their business.
They ran quickly to Roy's side.
"Roy!"
Delia looked Roy up and down, her small hands feeling all over him:
"Are you hurt? Do you feel unwell anywhere? Did she do anything to you?"
Misty was even more direct.
She grabbed Roy's arm with one hand and reached down with the other:
"Let me check! Did she hurt you anywhere with her Psychic powers..."
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Roy was quick and grabbed Misty's descending hand.
He looked at the two of them, stuck between laughter and tears:
"I'm really fine, not a single injury."
"And..."
Holding Misty's hand, he leaned in close to her ear and whispered:
"Check here tonight. There are too many people now; it's not appropriate."
Misty was stunned.
Then, her face turned beet red instantly.
She raised her hand and punched Roy in the chest:
"Oh! I'm worried about you! You bad guy, still joking!"
Standing nearby, Delia couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.
But despite the laughter, the worry in her eyes finally dissipated.
On the other side, Sabrina's father cried for a good few minutes before finally calming down.
He let go of his daughter, wiped his tears, and turned to Roy:
"Young man, thank you."
His voice was still a bit choked, but his tone was incredibly sincere:
"I don't know what you did, but... thank you for helping Sabrina recover."
Roy waved his hand:
"Don't mention it, Uncle. I didn't do much. It was mainly Gym Leader Sabrina herself who was willing to come out."
Hearing this, Sabrina looked at Roy, and that faint smile appeared again.
Just then.
Sabrina suddenly remembered something.
She turned and walked toward the deepest part of the battlefield.
There, a thick mass of darkness still remained.
She stood before the darkness and closed her eyes.
She raised both hands, and a pale purple light erupted from her body!
The thick mass of darkness began to churn violently!
Then, bit by bit, it dissipated.
Revealing what was inside.
A... doll.
A doll wearing a dress with an exquisite face.
But upon closer inspection, one would realize it wasn't a doll at all!
It was a real person!
She had just been sealed by Psychic powers and turned into a doll state!
Seeing that doll, Sabrina's father's body shuddered violently:
"Keiko!!!"
That was his wife!
Sabrina's mother!
Sabrina took a deep breath, and the red light in her eyes surged once more!
Cracks began to appear on the doll's body!
Light shone through the cracks!
In the next moment,
The doll burst open!
A figure slowly emerged from the light.
It was a woman wearing a pale purple dress.
Her jet-black hair was tied up behind her head, revealing a fair and slender neck.
Her face was exquisite to the extreme, her eyes gentle, and a faint smile played on her lips; she clearly looked like a woman with a gentle personality.
Her figure was even more stunning.
Although her dress was loose, it couldn't hide those full curves; her chest was high and firm, while her waist was slender enough to be held in one hand.
Her skin was as white as snow, glowing softly in the dim light.
She radiated a unique charm characteristic of a mature woman—gentle, elegant, and with a faint hint of allure.
This was clearly a top-tier beauty as well!
And she looked to be only in her early thirties; if she stood next to Sabrina, people might believe they were sisters!
Roy was slightly stunned.
Did the Psychic seal have this effect? Had time been suspended for her?
Keiko slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze was a bit dazed at first, but it quickly regained its clarity.
She looked around, her gaze falling on Sabrina.
Then, it fell on her husband.
"I..."
She spoke, her voice gentle and pleasant:
"I'm back?"
Sabrina's father could no longer control himself and rushed forward to pull his wife into a hug:
"Keiko!! Keiko!! You're finally back!!!"
Keiko was stunned for a moment when her husband hugged her, then she raised her hand and gently patted his back:
"There, there, I'm back... don't cry, the children are watching..."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on Sabrina, and her eyes also turned slightly red:
"Sabrina... my daughter..."
Sabrina stood there, looking at her parents hugging, that faint smile still on her face.
But if one looked closely, the corners of her eyes seemed a bit moist as well.
The family of three hugged each other and cried for a long time.
Roy and the other two stood to the side, quietly watching the scene.