A wave of murmuring rippled through the crowd. Most of the spectators were locals from Cerulean City, and many had seen Logan on the live broadcast of the Gym Challenge. Now, hearing his words, every pair of eyes shifted toward the girl still kneeling on the ground. Those who hadn't been conned looked on in delight, hungry for gossip and drama. But those who had been swindled? Their eyes blazed with fury. Being duped was one thing—being fooled by a beautiful girl was salt in the wound.

"W-What are you talking about?"

The girl's voice was saccharine, full of fake innocence as she forced a smile at Logan.

"Still trying to deny it?" Logan said, his tone cold. "Here's a picture of you, stealing from Professor Oak's lab. And most of the people you just scammed are right here. We've got witnesses and evidence. Why don't you go ahead and tell them the whole story? I'm sure they'd love to hear it."

He flicked his fingers, and the photograph—taken from the lab's security feed—fluttered to the ground in front of her. The image was crystal clear: her, clutching a stolen Poké Ball containing a Squirtle, mid-escape.

Her expression instantly darkened with frustration. She thought she had already hacked and wiped the security systems at the lab. Apparently, that old man Oak had multiple surveillance backups.

"Dammit… I was careless."

Murmurs rose again among the onlookers.

"Professor Oak? That Professor Oak?"

"There's only one Oak as far as I know…"

"She really had the guts to steal from his lab? Damn, that's bold."

Everyone in Kanto knew the name Professor Oak. The moment Logan mentioned him, any lingering doubts were swept away. People shifted sides quickly, their confidence in Logan's claim solidified. Those who had been swindled now moved discreetly closer, subtly encircling the girl to block any potential escape. One man even pulled out his phone, preparing to call the police.

Sensing the shifting tide—and the growing crowd—the girl's heart raced. But instead of panicking, she calmed herself. Slowly, her slender, pale legs slid apart slightly as she shifted from a kneeling posture into a graceful, seated slump. Her hands rested on the ground for support. Her shoulders trembled.

And then—she cried.

"Sniffle… sniffle… how could you be so heartless?"

Her voice was silk, a tone so soft and sweet it could melt bones. Logan really wanted to say, "Cut the act, you sob-story succubus," but her teary whimpering was dangerously effective. He frowned, unsure what trick she was about to pull.

The crowd, captivated by the sudden shift, hesitated. The phones went down. The tension held, like a breath caught in the throat.

"What… are you talking about?" Logan asked, eyes narrowing.

Tears sparkled at the corners of her eyes and slid down her face like delicate pearls—silent, fragile, shimmering. Her eyes were bloodshot, her voice cracked with pain. If she was acting, she deserved an Oscar. No—several.

"Holy crap, she's a one-woman Broadway production. Sakaki's got nothing on this level of talent."

Logan was speechless, watching her break down with such grace, as if her sadness were poetry. It was too perfect.

Then she looked up at him.

That gaze—overflowing with sorrow, admiration, and quiet longing—locked with his. Her eyes sparkled with emotion, and her face was the picture of heartbreak. Even Logan's heart skipped a beat. Something about her just hurt to look at.

"Why are you doing this to me… Logan?"

She said his name so naturally, so fluently, like someone who had practiced saying it a thousand times in front of a mirror. Her tone was soaked in grief and despair. It was the kind of moment that made people believe they were watching a love story torn apart.

"Pretty sure I've never met you before, Miss Thief. Or should I say… Miss Scam Artist?"

Logan felt a chill. Things were spiraling. It was becoming harder to hold onto the truth when standing in front of someone this good at flipping the script.

"So you're pretending you don't even remember me, Green?"

She bit her lip, eyes filled with bitterness.

So her name is Green, Logan thought. Well, now he had a name to go with the performance. Not that it helped.

He crossed his arms, watching with a cold, measured stare. He wanted to see how far she'd take this.

"But I guess it makes sense," Green said, voice cracking. "I'm just an ordinary girl. And you… your dream has always been to become the world's strongest Trainer. I knew from the beginning that I'd never have a place in your future. You're already famous, already surrounded by amazing women like Misty from Cerulean and Sabrina from Saffron. And me… I'm just some nobody from Viridian who's not even close to their level—neither as beautiful nor as powerful…"

Her sobs intensified, her chest heaving as she seemed to struggle for air.

"But why, Logan? Why did you disappear after leaving Viridian City? I believed in you. I gave you everything—my heart, my body. And now I'm… I'm pregnant!"

Her voice cracked.

"My parents disowned me. You ignored me. I had nowhere to go. I had no money. I had no choice but to trick people to survive. I know it's wrong, but I was desperate."

"And look," she sobbed, reaching for her earrings, "I even made two fake Gym Badges… just so I could get close to you… pretend I was strong enough to stand beside you."

Green removed the earrings—Nidoking's Boulder Badge from Pewter, and the Cascade Badge from Cerulean. Logan didn't even need to touch them to know they weren't fake.

Those badges are real. She's lying again. But the crowd can't tell.

"I'm not asking you to take responsibility. I'll get rid of the baby as soon as I can afford it. Just… please… don't deny me. Don't act like you never knew me. Please, Logan, please—sob sob sob sob sob—"

She collapsed completely, weeping on the ground, her cries loud and heart-wrenching.

"Is she telling the truth?"

"That girl's crying her soul out. Looks real to me."

"Didn't the papers say Misty went to the Pokémon Center looking for Logan the other day?"

"Yeah, and she let him skip the preliminaries and straight into the finals, right? That's not normal!"

"And what about Sabrina? He's got her Gym Badge too…"

"Wait… you don't think Misty was tricked too, do you?"

"Good looks, strength, and a bunch of girls after him… what a player."

"He got this young girl pregnant and now he won't even admit he knows her?!"

"Disgusting!"

Logan could only stare, completely speechless as the voices swelled around him like a rising tide of judgment and scandal.

My reputation's dead, he thought bleakly.

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