A giant doll, dozens of ters tall, grinned expressionlessly like a colossal Godzilla. With every step it took, countless houses crumbled, sending clouds of dust soaring over ten ters into the air. The ear-piercing creaks and groans of twisting buildings filled the surroundings, making eardrums ache.
Run, run, run—there was no choice but to flee as fast as possible.
Ryuuske stood atop Gabite's shoulder, steadying himself with a hand on its head, charging forward in a straight line like a swordfish cutting swiftly through a river.
Gabite's sprinting speed was incredibly fast, leaving behind afterimages in the blink of an eye. It was said that once it evolved into Garchomp, its flight speed could reach Mach levels. However, Gabite excelled only in linear movent—its ability to maneuver in tight spaces was lacking.
Fortunately, in this ntal world of illusions, the manifested houses were all traditional Japanese single-family hos. Their wooden structures couldn't withstand Gabite's robust body, allowing it to crash through them without any hindrance.
Yet no matter how fast Gabite carried Ryuuske forward, they couldn't reach the edge of this world. Ryuuske even suspected they might have been running in circles the entire ti. Even the destroyed buildings would inexplicably restore themselves when neither he nor his Pokémon were paying attention.
Glancing back, the little girl they had encountered earlier—who looked like a younger version of Sabrina—was sitting on the giant doll's shoulder, giggling. The girl was adorable and pitiable, but Ryuuske felt no sympathy for her whatsoever.
"Giggle~ Big Brother is so nice, playing with like this~"
She giggled as she commanded the enormous doll to chase Ryuuske and Gabite at a leisurely pace, like a hunting cheetah, slowly wearing down its prey's strength and will.
Ryuuske was well aware of the little girl's intentions, but even knowing didn't help. All he could do was keep running until Gabite's stamina ran out. He didn't believe that being crushed to death by that giant doll in this ntal world would leave him unscathed. This was Sabrina's domain—she dictated everything here.
That little girl might very well be Sabrina as a child—lonely, suffering, isolated, with no one to rely on, desperate for a companion to play with. But she had found no friends, and the only thing that kept her company was that massive, Godzilla-like doll.
If one were to apply the theories of a certain psychology master, this empty ntal world was a manifestation of Sabrina's psyche, revealing her childhood state of mind. The ticulously crafted houses, the brightly colored flowers and trees—all of it was a reflection of Sabrina's loneliness. In this beautiful, countryside-like town, the only thing truly present was desolation and abandonnt. Only Sabrina lived here, alone in this terrifying, sorrowful world.
The contrast between the material beauty and the spiritual barrenness only deepened the overwhelming sense of desolation.
Ryuuske didn't understand why Sabrina would manifest her childhood ntal world as a ans to attack her enemies. It was practically revealing her weaknesses, exposing her most vulnerable side to her foes.
If he escaped this ntal world and returned to reality, his will would beco a thorn lodged deep in her psyche, piercing her fragility and destabilizing her mind. Perhaps Sabrina was simply too confident—confident that no one could escape her ntal world, that they would only have their life force slowly drained away within it.
Though Ryuuske and Gabite felt like they had been running for hours, Ryuuske, who had so understanding of psychic abilities, knew that only a few seconds might have passed in reality. Right now, he was likely in a hypnotic state, and waking up would require external stimulation. But ti was not on his side, and he doubted anyone outside could figure out a way to rescue him in just a few seconds.
He had tried resisting Sabrina earlier, but even though Gabite's Hyper Beam could destroy the giant doll, it would simply regenerate in an instant. In this ntal world, the laws of physics held no aning. As a guest here, Ryuuske had no power to oppose Sabrina, the host—unless he could sohow turn the tables and seize control.
Continuing to sprint toward the horizon, Ryuuske felt as though hours had passed while standing atop Gabite. Even without using any moves, Gabite was beginning to tire, its speed gradually slowing. Behind them, the little girl's laughter grew louder, and the giant doll was closing in fast. Just as Ryuuske gritted his teeth, preparing for a desperate last stand, a voice abruptly echoed in his mind—
"Ryuuske, can you hear ?"
"wtwo!!"
Never before had wtwo's voice sounded so beautiful to him. He quickly responded, "...My mind is trapped in Sabrina's ntal world. wtwo, can you get out?"
There was a discrepancy between the flow of ti in the ntal world and reality. Ryuuske didn't know how wtwo had bridged that gap to project its will into the ntal world, but as a Legendary Pokémon, it likely had unique abilities.
"She set up a powerful psychic barrier here in advance. To break through it and pull your consciousness back, I need ti."
"But ti is exactly what we don't have!"
If this dragged on for just a few more seconds in reality, Ryuuske was sure he'd be finished. Sabrina didn't dare attack Ryuuske's physical body in the real world, and Ryuuske didn't dare let wtwo attack her either—because their minds were linked.
If one's physical body died, the other would suffer severe ntal trauma. But if Sabrina destroyed Ryuuske's consciousness here, his real body would beco nothing more than a lifeless vegetable!
"Don't bother breaking the psychic barrier. wtwo, use Psychic to open Dratini's Poké Ball and have it use Thunder Wave on !"
Brain signals were essentially electrochemical transmissions. By disrupting his brain's hypnotic state, Ryuuske could force himself to "wake up" from this "dream."
——
In the real world, wtwo acted without hesitation. The Dratini attached to Ryuuske's waist erged in a puff of smoke, coiling around his neck. With a determined glint in its eyes, it let out a soft "Mii~" as an invisible electromagnetic wave pulsed through the air, directly surging into Ryuuske's body. The jolt numbed his nerves but also jolted his dormant consciousness awake.
At that mont, Sabrina—who had been standing not far ahead, her eyes glowing with a faint purple light—suddenly flushed red. A stifled, almost euphoric moan escaped her lips as her legs gave out, leaving her slumped on the ground in a seated position. Her rapid breaths and unfocused, dazed eyes made her look utterly broken.
In the ntal world, Ryuuske had done sothing truly rciless to her.
To be continued…
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