"Why do you smell like a woman's perfume?"
"And where have you been so late at night?"
Hearing Sabrina's interrogation, Red felt his heart pounding in his chest.
Even though he believed he hadn't done anything to betray her...
That tone of voice, combined with Sabrina's identity, still made him panic a little.
He could practically picture Sabrina turning him into a doll and locking him away in a dark room, wearing that terrifying yandere expression of hers.
"I was training with Swampert... I mean, training together with Mi Xue."
"Was it really just training?"
"It really was! I swear on my honor!"
Just as Red said that, Sabrina suddenly burst into laughter.
"Alright. If I couldn't even trust what you say, I would've left a long time ago."
Seeing the smile on Sabrina's face, Red finally relaxed a little.
"Then... what brings you here so late?"
The moment he finished speaking, Sabrina suddenly stepped right in front of him. She cupped his face with both hands, her pale crimson eyes staring straight into his.
"I missed you."
The next instant, she leaned forward and kissed him without the slightest hesitation.
Naturally, Red wasn't about to lose that battle.
Ten minutes later, Sabrina flushed with embarrassment as she slapped away both of Red's wandering hands.
"Honestly... could you be a little more refined?"
Red looked at her helplessly.
She had come looking for him in the middle of the night, taken the initiative to kiss him, and now she was telling him to be refined...
He sighed.
"You can't just start a fire and refuse to put it out."
"Put it out? How?"
Sabrina blinked in confusion.
A second later, she realized exactly what Red meant, and her face instantly turned scarlet.
"Absolutely not."
Looking at the blushing Sabrina, Red could only sigh again.
Then an idea suddenly came to him.
"But how am I supposed to sleep like this? It'll affect my condition in tomorrow's battle."
"You don't want me fighting tomorrow while half-asleep, do you?"
"And besides... you're the one who caused this."
"If you hadn't come over in the middle of the night, would it have to suffer like this?"
Hearing Red's reasoning, Sabrina felt her face grow even hotter.
Still...
He wasn't entirely wrong.
"But... I'm still not ready for... that."
Seeing her attitude soften, Red's eyes lit up.
"If you really want to help me... there are other ways."
As he spoke, Sabrina looked utterly confused—until she noticed him staring at her rosy lips.
She immediately covered her mouth in alarm.
"Th-That..."
Red quickly realized what she was thinking.
"What are you imagining? Of course not there."
Sabrina breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Though, for some reason, she also felt a tiny bit disappointed.
After hesitating for quite a while, she finally nodded.
Then she walked into the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later...
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Someone suddenly knocked on Red's hotel room door.
"Gym Leader Red, are you in? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
The voice from outside froze both Red and Sabrina in place.
Especially Sabrina.
Her heart was pounding so loudly that even Red could hear it clearly.
Outside the door, Clair spoke hesitantly.
"Gym Leader Red... may I come in?"
Red immediately grabbed Sabrina, who was trying to run away, and held her in place.
"It's fine. Just keep talking."
Sabrina glared at him, her face burning with embarrassment.
Red merely gestured at her with an utterly serious expression.
Outside the room, Clair apologized.
"Gym Leader Red, my family has been urging me to return and inherit the Gym. So after the League Conference ends, I'll probably have to go back and officially take over. I won't be able to continue studying under you."
Inside the room, Red nodded.
"That's fine. You've been with me for nearly three months already. It's about time you graduated."
Just then, Red suddenly let out a startled cry.
Outside, Clair sounded puzzled.
"Gym Leader... are you alright? Do you need me to come in?"
The moment she heard that, panic nearly overflowed from Sabrina's face.
If someone saw her now...
She'd never be able to show her face again.
At that moment, Red pulled Sabrina's head into his chest.
"I'm fine. I just saw a mouse."
"That's good."
"Gym Leader, I just wanted to let you know in advance. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving. You should get some rest too."
Red nodded.
"Mm. You should get some sleep as well."
Only after hearing Clair's footsteps disappear into the distance did both Red and Sabrina finally let out simultaneous sighs of relief.
But just as Red relaxed...
He looked at Sabrina's face, now filled with utter shock, and stammered in panic.
...
"Hiss! I didn't do it on purpose!"
"Sabrina! No—Your Majesty! For the sake of your future married life, please show mercy!"
Sabrina immediately rushed into the bathroom.
Meanwhile, outside...
Red stared at the pair of psychic scissors that had materialized in front of him from condensed psychic energy, and every hair on his body stood on end.
Ten minutes later, Sabrina emerged, water droplets still clinging to her face.
She looked at Red with an icy expression.
Holding up two fingers like a pair of scissors, she said coldly,
"I don't care whether it was intentional or not. I've already done what I promised. But if you still lose this tournament..."
"...you're on your own."
Just as Sabrina turned to leave, Red pointed toward the corner of his own mouth.
"Your Majesty... th-there's still a little... right here. You didn't wash it off."
Seeing his gesture, Sabrina instinctively licked the corner of her lips.
The next second...
Her eyes widened in shock.
Red could almost see steam erupting from the top of her head.
Her pretty face instantly turned crimson.
"Red! You're dead!"
Looking at the murderous Sabrina before him, Red inwardly cried out in misery.
"I only said you hadn't cleaned it off. You're the one who licked it!"
"You still dare say that?!"
The next instant, an astonishing wave of psychic power swept through the entire hotel.
Fortunately, it disappeared just as quickly.
Sabrina looked at the cloth doll in front of her and huffed.
"Hmph. Weren't you worried it would affect your sleep?"
"Don't worry. You'll sleep just fine like this. By tomorrow morning, you'll naturally turn back to normal."
After saying that, Sabrina stepped onto the hotel windowsill.
Leaving Red with nothing but her retreating silhouette, she drifted gracefully into the night.
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