Indigo Plateau. Kanto League Headquarters.
Without warning, a woman materialized at the entrance of the League Headquarters, startling the receptionist stationed at the massive front desk.
She had long, jet-black hair and a calm, unreadable expression.
"Hello," the woman greeted the two receptionists with chilling composure.
Sabrina was here on a mission.
And, for once, it was going to be a fun one.
She turned her gaze to the receptionist nearest to her and smiled faintly. Let's start with her.
"Hi. I'm Sabrina," she introduced herself smoothly. "How are you today?"
"Gym Leader Sabrina!" the receptionist gasped. "I'm—fine, thank you!"
I'd be even better if you didn't just warp in out of nowhere like some kind of ghost… weirdo.
"I've been granted clearance by Champion Blue to inspect certain areas," Sabrina said with a soft smile, producing a document and handing it over. "I'm authorized to go anywhere I like within Indigo Plateau."
The receptionist took the paper, quickly scanning it before nodding. "This is official. It's signed by the Champion himself."
Why would Champion Blue let this freak wander around unchecked…?
Sabrina tilted her head slightly, feigning curiosity. "Now that I think about it, did you ever work with Giovanni?"
"Giovanni?" the receptionist replied, maintaining her composure. "No, I've never had any dealings with the Ground-type Gym Leader. He's famous for being the strongest in Kanto, though!"
Why the hell is she asking me about Giovanni? She's seriously creeping me out…
Sabrina chuckled under her breath.
"Giovanni's currently investigating Team Rocket," she said quietly. "They've been making quite a mess lately."
"Team Rocket? Can't say I've ever heard of them," the receptionist responded casually.
Ha! Giovanni investigating Team Rocket? What a genius cover. The boss is always five steps ahead—especially with me embedded right here at League HQ. I deserve a promotion for this…
Sabrina's smile widened slightly. It really was too easy when you could hear people's thoughts as clearly as spoken words.
"You're under arrest," Sabrina said with a grin. "For espionage. You're a Team Rocket spy."
The truth that Sabrina could read minds wasn't common knowledge among the public. While other psychics existed in the world, few could truly delve into the depths of another's thoughts like she could. Sabrina had yet to meet anyone else with that level of precision. Caitlin, for instance, was a powerful psychic in her own right, but her abilities leaned more toward telekinesis—moving objects—rather than the subtle, intimate art of mind infiltration.
With that quiet reflection, Sabrina stepped into the first office within the League Headquarters.
Inside, three individuals sat: a portly man, a slender woman, and an elderly bald man.
"You," Sabrina said, pointing to the large man. "What do you think of Koffing?"
"Huh?" he blinked, caught off guard. "Never cared much for Poison-types."
There is only one true queen—my beautiful, my magnificent, my divine Jynx…
That thought unsettled Sabrina so profoundly that she promptly shifted her attention to the next person: the skinny woman.
"Hello there," Sabrina greeted coolly. "Ever considered world domination?"
"Nope," the woman replied, shaking her head with a baffled look.
I did think about taking down Champion Blue, though…
Sabrina was just one second away from accusing an innocent civilian of being a Team Rocket agent purely out of convenience.
"Last but not least," she turned toward the elderly man. "Who's your favorite new Gym Leader?"
The old man blinked slowly. "Karen."
That girl's a knockout—and she's got that wicked dominatrix vibe…
Sabrina exhaled through her nose. Why did human thoughts always circle back to that?
"So, you're fond of Dark-types?"
"Oh yes," the old man said with a genial nod.
I like the dark things Karen could do to me…
Sabrina had officially run out of patience for these subtle mental games.
"Do you work for Team Rocket?"
"NO?!"
How the hell does she suspect me?! MY COVER WAS FLAWLESS!
"You are under arrest."
No! Karen, save me!
———
Rosa smiled as she stood before the towering structure of League Headquarters. Finally, she was back—and wow, was there a mountain of work waiting for her. Reorganizing the ministries alone was a bureaucratic nightmare, and with everything Blue had done to Kanto, the region was in a state of near-constant chaos.
She stepped through the entrance and immediately froze at the bizarre scene unfolding a few meters ahead.
There she was—Sabrina.
Her hair, as always, floated unnaturally upward, each strand drifting as though possessed by its own will. One of Blue's notorious favorites, Sabrina moved with her trademark detached grace, gliding toward the exit... and directly toward Rosa.
Trailing behind her were exactly thirty-seven people. All of them suspended midair, faces frozen in silent terror. Rosa could tell they desperately wanted to scream, but their mouths were sealed by some unseen, incomprehensible force.
What a monster that woman is, Rosa thought bitterly.
"That's very rude, you know," Sabrina replied flatly.
Rosa blinked. Right—telepath.
God, how disturbing she is.
"I— I'm sorry," Rosa stammered. She knew better than to think so carelessly, but thoughts were hard to filter under pressure.
"Don't give a fuck," Sabrina said coolly as she passed. "There's only one person whose thoughts matters to me—and he's the only one I can't read. Isn't that ironic?"
She glanced back with the faintest of smiles, then vanished in a flash of light—taking all thirty-seven people with her.
"That bitch," Rosa muttered. "Who's going to do all the work now that she's kidnapped half the damn staff?!"
———
Giovanni and Blue, having finished their meal, stepped out of the restaurant onto the vast open plaza before the newly constructed Gym building.
"Do you know what fascinates me most about your particular type, Giovanni?" Blue asked, hands in his pockets, his voice thoughtful.
The Team Rocket boss shook his head silently.
"Diglett's Cave," Blue replied, then gestured upward toward the top of the new Gym. A statue of Dugtrio sat perched like a crown, watching over the city with its expressionless trio of faces.
"Out of all the mighty Ground-types out there," Blue continued, "why do you think there's a Dugtrio on top of your gym?"
"I've thought about that," Giovanni said, his tone quiet. "Dugtrio is generally considered one of the weaker Ground-types in Kanto. They're not as bad as people say, but in terms of ranking? Most trainers would pick almost any other Ground-type first. Dugtrio's usually a last resort."
"Exactly," Blue nodded. "And yet, they're extraordinary in one thing—something no one ever gave them credit for."
"Their tunneling ability," Giovanni answered, as if finishing a familiar line of thought. "There's nothing like them when it comes to digging through the earth."
"Right. Think about Diglett Cave," Blue said, a gleam in his eye. "These little things just wanted peace and quiet, so they carved an entire underground passage through Kanto. From Vermilion to Pewter—almost half the damn region connected by one tunnel."
Giovanni gave a slow, respectful nod. "As a Ground-type Gym Leader, I can't help but admire that."
They stopped in front of Giovanni's Gym. Blue casually summoned his Milotic from its Poké Ball and patted the elegant, serpentine creature. With the practiced ease of someone long used to bending the world to his whims, he lounged across Milotic's back like it was his personal velvet throne.
"Step back, my friend," Blue said with a grin. "Let's hope what happens next doesn't trigger a region-wide panic."
Giovanni's brow furrowed—and then his eyes widened.
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
This wasn't the familiar rumble of a Pokémon's Earthquake. This felt natural. Primal. As though the planet itself were stirring.
And then it began.
A small hole cracked open in the center of the plaza. It grew rapidly—widening, deepening, swallowing tiles and stone—until a colossal crater dominated the space before Giovanni's Gym.
And what emerged from the chaos?
An army of Diglett and Dugtrio.
Some of the Dugtrio, bizarrely, had flamboyant tufts of blonde hair sprouting from their heads. They looked... utterly ridiculous.
It was pandemonium.
"Somehow," Blue muttered to himself, eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of a madman. "I've always liked digging holes." He briefly recalled the Twilight Plateau Incident with a private smile.
"Come on. Follow me, will you?"
Giovanni, not easily fazed, found himself at a rare loss for words. Digging a gaping hole in the middle of a major city was the sort of thing only a deranged Champion would do—and do so without a shred of hesitation.
This wasn't some random crater.
This was a perfectly carved circle. Intentional. Engineered. Massive in diameter and depth.
As they approached the rim of the abyss, Giovanni's gaze was drawn to what lay below.
First: a grand staircase, spiraling downward in expertly chiseled stone.
Second: several elevators embedded along the perimeter, their brushed steel gleaming in the sun.
This wasn't vandalism. It was construction.
Blue pressed the call button on one of the elevators. When the doors slid open, he stepped inside and extended an inviting hand toward Giovanni.
And in that moment, staring at this grinning lunatic who had just casually turned a city plaza into a gateway to the underworld...
Even Giovanni—Leader of Team Rocket, master of Ground-types—felt a flicker of hesitation.
It felt less like descending into a new facility... and more like following the devil into hell.