Double Crux

On the roof of his old Saffron apartment building, Red waits, struggling with lingering grief from Artem's death and a growing sense of isolation. His new psychic strength makes it tempting to read the emotions of those around him, a temptation he continually suppresses. Leaf arrives via her abra, and their reunion is heavy with unresolved tension over Leaf's insistence on eventually revealing the truth about the Dreamer to the public, an act Red fears will trigger mass anti-psychic hysteria. Blue soon arrives on his pidgeot, now able to utilize teleportation thanks to the move Miracle Eye.

The trio heads down to meet with Leader Sabrina in her apartment, initiating an intervention regarding the Dreamer. Sabrina initially refuses to share any information, stating she will not betray them again. However, recognizing that Red has been open with his friends, and upon learning that Leaf found the Cinnabar lab, Sabrina drops a massive bombshell: the Dreamer is not a human psychic. They are a human-mew hybrid created in a laboratory. Sabrina reveals she was their primary teacher and closest friend, and she secretly named them "Mazda." She admits she was complicit in their imprisonment, having convinced herself at the time that it was for their safety.

To prevent their fundamentally opposed priorities from destroying their alliance, Red proposes they use "Double Cruxing." Instead of arguing to win, they must identify their "crux"—the single, load-bearing belief that, if proven false, would change their position. After a short break to collect their thoughts, they share their cruxes:
Blue's crux is accountability. To accept Mazda's freedom, he needs proof that they can be stopped if they defect, ideally by a Dark person with leverage.
Leaf's crux is motive. To accept Mazda's unilateral actions, she needs to believe they have a legitimate reason for working outside the system, such as fighting a deeper conspiracy.
Sabrina's crux is identity. She needs to believe that Mazda's personality hasn't been permanently altered or corrupted by the unown god.
Red's crux is cooperation. He needs to believe that Mazda is capable of negotiating and cooperating in good faith.

The discussion highlights the stark differences in their worldviews. When Blue insists that Mazda is uniquely uncontainable, Sabrina points out that the public would view Red's own escalating powers—and his past use of deadly force beneath the casino—with similar terror. They eventually realize the common thread among their cruxes is a need for verification, which requires actually speaking to Mazda. Blue demands to be included the next time Mazda reaches out to Red. Leaf also agrees to a temporary truce regarding Sabrina's secrets, though she clearly intends to investigate her later.

After Blue and Leaf depart, Sabrina asks Red to stay behind. In a cryptic conversation, she asks him to completely undo the trust and respect he has for Leader Giovanni, regretting that she ever nudged him to work with the Viridian Leader in the first place. Red is alarmed, mentally connecting her warning to his own suspicions about Giovanni's ties to renegades, but agrees to keep it in mind.

Sabrina then forces Red to confront a terrifying hypothetical: what will he do if Blue becomes Champion and decides to hunt Mazda? Red insists he can persuade Blue, but Sabrina points out that persuasion might fail. She suggests an unthinkable alternative: Red could purchase an Elite-tier team, challenge Blue for the Championship, and use the position to protect Mazda and negotiate a peaceful resolution. The idea induces panic in Red; the thought of fighting his friend for the title represents a profound betrayal. Yet, remembering that Mazda saved his life and might be the only defense against the unown god, Red reluctantly promises to consider challenging Blue if no other options remain.