"I'll be back."
With those serious words directed toward the direction of Rex Farm, Sabrina stepped into the aircraft under escort by the Hoenn League members.
This aircraft was bound for the Kanto region, where Sabrina would face a fair trial and be held accountable for all she had done over the years as a member of Team Rocket.
Soon, with the rumble of the engines, the plane carrying the high-ranking Rocket member began its slow ascent.
Rex had learned from Officer Jenny how the League planned to handle Sabrina, but he had a gut feeling that it wouldn't be that simple.
For an organization like Team Rocket, armed with all kinds of black-market technology, rescuing a single person wasn't exactly a tall order—unless the escort team had a member of Elite Four caliber.
To prepare for any potential attack, Rex began training the ever-growing Swellow flock more intensively alongside his daily responsibilities, ensuring they would be capable of protecting their shared home in the event of an invasion.
As for Ralts, it stayed by Rex's side at all times. Though still in its infant stage, it had already mastered Teleport with surprising ease.
Teleport seemed to be an innate talent for Ralts—it could hop onto Rex's shoulder at will, as though that spot was its personal throne.
Rex had already given Ralts the psychic energy gem gifted to him by Deoxys, which had now fully fused into its body.
With the infusion of this powerful item, Rex could sense Ralts growing stronger by the day, sometimes even grasping powerful Psychic-type moves on its own.
However, this power boost didn't come without drawbacks.
Ralts was both a Psychic and Fairy-type Pokémon. After absorbing the gem, its Psychic energy spiked dramatically—yet its Fairy energy lagged behind, even slightly suppressed.
For now, this imbalance didn't pose a problem. Ralts could simply focus on its Psychic growth and return to Fairy-type development later.
But according to the training guide Rex received from Caitlin, the ideal development path was for both types to grow together. Only then would Ralts achieve its full potential.
With that in mind, Rex began limiting the amount of time Ralts held the energy gem and asked Diancie, as a Fairy-type herself, to help mentor it.
Technically, Diancie could also form a Fairy energy gem similar to Deoxys's, though it wouldn't be quite as powerful. However, as Diancie was still building up her own core energy, Rex didn't want her to waste it on Ralts's rapid growth.
There was no urgent need to boost Ralts's combat ability, so Rex decided to let it enjoy a proper, carefree childhood.
"Matori, turn this thing around! I'm going to make that bastard pay!"
Inside a massive flying vessel, Sabrina barked at Matori.
"Sorry, Sabrina. My orders were to extract you and return to HQ immediately."
Though Sabrina's oppressive aura made it hard to breathe, Matori stuck to her mission.
Just earlier, Matori had dispatched an elite Team Rocket unit to infiltrate the League's transport aircraft. The operation succeeded—they disabled Sabrina's restraints and freed her.
Once unshackled, Sabrina easily overwhelmed the guards aboard the plane. Not even their Pokémon stood a chance.
After Sabrina returned to the mothership, the League's aircraft plummeted into the ocean.
Fortunately, Sabrina had no intention of slaughtering everyone, and with the help of their Pokémon, most of the crew survived—though they were now stranded, waiting for the League's rescue teams.
"Fine. You saved me this time, so I'll let it go."
Sabrina, seeing that Matori wouldn't budge, turned and left the cockpit without further argument.
Truthfully, Sabrina had grown wary of Rex. The fact that he broke free from her psychic hold and knocked her out had left a deep impression.
Her plan now was to return to Team Rocket HQ, retrieve her top-tier Pokémon, and then properly settle the score.
"Whew…"
Matori let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from her brow.
Had Sabrina insisted, there was nothing she could have done to stop her. Sabrina outranked her and easily overpowered her.
Luckily, Sabrina seemed to have reconsidered—perhaps being captured had finally taught her some caution.
"Rex, I just got word. The plane transporting Sabrina crashed… and she was rescued by Team Rocket."
Rex was weeding the glass greenhouse with Ralts perched on his shoulder when his phone rang. Upon answering, he heard Officer Jenny deliver the news—exactly what he'd suspected might happen.
"Ralts!"
Noticing the change in Rex's mood, Ralts gave a soft chirp in an attempt to comfort him.
"I'm okay, Ralts. Let's get back to work."
Rex patted Ralts gently and smiled.
Now he had made up his mind. He had handed Sabrina over to the League in hopes of avoiding a full-blown confrontation with Team Rocket.
But with Sabrina back in their hands, the ball was in their court. If they let it go, fine. If they came for him again… he would no longer show mercy.
Avoidance never brought peace. That was true in any world.
The only way to stop others from preying on you was to make them realize the cost of doing so far outweighed the reward.
To prepare for the storm to come, Rex initiated a new wave of training at Rex Farm.
Though it increased the workload for Yuli and Diancie—since more energy blocks were needed to support the intensified regimens—neither of them complained. In fact, they were happy to help however they could.
While Rex readied for the future, Sabrina finally returned to Team Rocket HQ.
(End of Chapter)