As soon as Logan stepped into the ruined, abandoned building, the sound of bird cries echoed from the skies outside. Glancing out through a shattered window, he spotted Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres circling high above, their calls almost as though they were expressing gratitude to him.
"The three dumb birds," Logan muttered, shaking his head, "let's hope you don't get captured so easily again next time."
He continued forward.
The building was mostly collapsed; the corridors were littered with broken concrete mixed with twisted rebar, crumbling into sand and rubble. Logan carefully avoided the dangling metal rods overhead. After making sure the structure wouldn't collapse further without some outside force, he walked deeper inside.
Turning a corner, he suddenly heard a familiar cold, sharp voice.
"Who's there?"
The once-clear, jewel-like tone now sounded faint and weak, but the vigilance and pride within it had not diminished. Before Logan could respond, a sudden wave of psychic power surged toward him.
But it was feeble.
A black, rabbit-like Pokémon leapt before Logan, its body shielding him from the psychic assault.
"Umbreon?!"
Sabrina gasped. Against the Dark-type Umbreon, Alakazam's psychic abilities were completely useless.
"So this Eevee… not only could it evolve into Espeon, it managed to evolve into an Umbreon too," Sabrina whispered.
She instantly knew who had come.
Logan's gaze locked onto Sabrina. Her condition was far from good. Slumped in the corner of the ruins, her beautiful face was smeared with ash and dust, her Team Rocket uniform torn and tattered—revealing glimpses of her pale, delicate skin beneath. Beside her, Alakazam was in terrible shape, barely standing. Logan judged that with one Dark-type move, his Umbreon could cripple it; with three, it would be dead.
"How pitiful you look, Sabrina."
Hands in his pockets, Logan spoke with the mocking smile of a victor.
That final combined strike from Mewtwo and Mew had not only scattered the three legendary birds but had also left Sabrina and her Alakazam gravely injured. Alakazam, a psychic Pokémon, no longer had the strength to teleport her away.
"If you came just to see me in this pathetic state," Sabrina said coldly, closing her eyes to avoid his mocking gaze, "then you've already seen enough."
Her tone was still proud, like a queen refusing to bow.
"I came to see you broken, yes," Logan said with a cruel grin, "but not only that…"
His eyes glimmered with malice as he glanced at Umbreon. "I suggest you recall your Alakazam. My Eevee still remembers the torment you put it through in the past. If it happens to be in a bad mood right now and decides to tear your Alakazam apart… well, you can imagine the result."
Sabrina's lips curled into a cold snort, but she obeyed, recalling Alakazam into its Pokéball. With Umbreon in its battle stance, she couldn't risk provoking its wrath. Deep inside, however, she couldn't help but acknowledge: this Eevee had finally grown into its full strength.
Logan nodded in satisfaction. In a flash, Umbreon transformed into Espeon. Though Espeon could not grant Logan psychic powers like Mewtwo, when Logan used his own psychic energy, Espeon's presence amplified it many times over.
Logan raised his hand. At once, Sabrina's body was wrenched off the ground, dragged helplessly toward him. She tried to resist with her psychic powers, but compared to the power of Pokémon—especially magnified through Espeon—her strength was nothing. In an instant, Logan's "Universal Pull" gripped her slender white neck.
He wasn't choking her, but the control was absolute.
Dragging her toward the edge of the ruined corridor, where the walls had long since cracked open, Logan forced her head back, yanking her hair so that she stared out at the cityscape below. From here, Saffron City stretched out in devastation—still scarred, still smoldering, still torn by battle.
"Look," Logan ordered coldly, "open your eyes and look closely. This is Saffron City—your hometown, your people, your responsibility. And now? Look at what it has become. Look at what you have destroyed."
Sabrina's pupils contracted sharply. Trembling, she struggled violently, but Logan's hand on her chin held her face firm, forcing her to take in every inch of the city's ruins.
"No! Don't—don't make me look!" she cried in terror.
Logan sneered. "Ah, so you finally remember this is your hometown?"
He pressed on, his words sharp as knives.
"You were born here. As the Gym Leader of Saffron City, its people trusted you. And what did you give them in return? Death. Slaughter. Ruin. Giovanni ordered the assault, and you—you agreed. You helped him! You betrayed your city."
His voice turned crueler.
"Your parents must be so proud. They raised you, sheltered you. When your uncontrolled powers destroyed things as a child, they begged forgiveness, repaid debts. They quit their jobs to care for you so you wouldn't be alone. Even when you hurt the neighbor's child, that family welcomed you with kindness. They were proud when you became a Gym Leader. And now? Shall I bring you before them? Tell them that their daughter helped destroy their home, left them homeless, starving like stray dogs, their friends and families dead in this war?"
Sabrina shook, her tears spilling down her cheeks. "Stop… please stop…"
Logan leaned closer, whispering in her ear, colder than any villain. "But maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe they're already dead. What do you think?"
"Don't say it! Please—don't say it!" Sabrina's voice broke as she collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably, hugging her knees against the wall.
Logan's eyes glowed faint purple. With subtle psychic energy, he struck at the seed he had once planted in her spirit, shattering the last of her defenses.
When her sobs finally weakened, she lifted her tear-streaked face. Her once-proud eyes were now hollow, lifeless, like a broken doll.
Logan crouched before her. "Don't be afraid. I told you before—I like you, Sabrina. You were untouchable, arrogant, blinded by pride. But now… I'll save you."
His hands cupped her tear-stained cheeks. Her face was so small it barely filled his palm, fragile like porcelain.
"What… what should I do?" she whispered hoarsely, still trembling.
"I'll help you," Logan said firmly. "I destroyed Team Rocket's plan. I ended this war. My testimony carries the greatest weight. If I say you were manipulated, a victim of Giovanni's schemes, the League will spare you. To them, you'll still be a Gym Leader worthy of respect. Your parents will never know the truth—you'll remain their proud daughter. One day, when you're ready, you can face them with honesty."
"...Thank you," Sabrina whispered weakly, lowering her head.
For a moment, Logan almost faltered. He had just torn her down, used her parents as a weapon against her, and now she was thanking him. But then his gaze fell on her trembling lips, her flushed skin.
His hesitation vanished.
He leaned down suddenly, pressing his lips against hers. Sabrina, though inexperienced, responded instinctively. His hands tugged at her torn clothing as their kiss deepened…
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