Alex walked the site, satisfied with the results of the battle. His target had escaped, as expected, but at least she had left a pair of souvenirs behind.
Before him lay Garchomp and Rhyperior, both knocked out and unable to be captured.
Alex considered what to do with them but couldn't decide. On one hand, they were good meat. On the other, they could be sold for profit. Unfortunately, a third option outweighed both. He couldn't touch them as long as their trainer was still alive.
He usually didn't mind collecting scouts, but that only applied to people he never considered a threat now or in the future. There was that corrupt cop who would never change his ways, and that spoiled rich brat who would never have the ambition for greater power.
His current target, however, was different. She had earned his respect by managing to escape. That meant she could harass him and slip away as she pleased, making her the kind of opponent he couldn't afford to leave as an enemy.
In the end, he decided to let the Pokémon live, though not for free.
From his bag, Alex pulled out a small device Rhea had given him. A tracker. If he couldn't kill the pair now, he could always do so later. They would lead him straight back to their trainer.
He injected the device into their necks, then left them in the tunnel where they had been captured. It was a waste of good meat, but there was nothing Alex could do. He had no patience for being harassed without gain.
Next, he checked his spoils and found a space bag among the deceased filled to the brim with raw Move crystals that came in flecks or chunks. Alex was certain Rhea would appreciate the gesture.
Finally, he took stock of the ammunition and found it was quite sparse. That was understandable, since this was neither a training spot nor a supply depot. It was just a mining site with minimal security.
Overall, it was a successful raid given the circumstances.
"Rati—Raticate!" his little friend called, pointing deeper into the cave.
"Something's inside? Alright, let's go check it out," Alex said before heading further in.
They pushed deeper into the tunnels until they came across over a hundred Ground type Pokémon standing idle. The creatures looked dazed, like zombies awaiting orders. Each one had some kind of device fastened to its head or neck.
Alex began yanking the devices off, one by one, releasing the Pokémon from their strange trance and returning them to their feral state.
The first, a Numel, immediately tried to attack but Alex simply punted it against the wall without hesitation. His own Pokémon moved in and quickly subdued the Numel, knocking it out.
The same happened to the rest of the freed Pokémon. It seemed they had been mind-controlled by the devices.
"I knew Team Dominion was working on tech like this, but to think they've already started using it en masse," Alex said as he continued releasing Pokémon, punting them to his team, and capturing them once they fainted.
He examined one of the devices closely and noted it was mostly tech with a bit of psychic energy. It would be a good project for Rhea to experiment with to find weaknesses, and Alex already had an idea of how to counter it. Still, that would have to wait until Rhea got her hands on it.
Once he finished clearing the entire site, he captured those who had managed to remain alive and sent them to Rustboro City for processing. Illegal mining was still a crime, after all, even if no bounties were attached.
Finally, he decided to get a proper rest for the night.
The next day, he checked his tracker and found it hadn't moved from the mining site. It seemed his prey hadn't taken the bait yet, so he checked the next target on the list instead.
He needed a win to make up for the failure of capturing Sable, no matter how understandable it was. So he picked one he was absolutely confident in capturing, one that would normally be considered impossible.
Target: Lucien Veyron
Rank: Elite
Contract ID: #8427-PC
Payout: 10M credits
Order: Dead or Alive
Known Pokémon Team: Alakazam, Metagross, Gardevoir, Reuniclus, Malamar, Espeon
Lucien Veyron, male, 47, 6'2" (1.88 m), with pale skin, sharp angular features, jet-black hair slicked back, and piercing violet eyes. He wears a tailored dark coat reinforced with damage-resistant materials.
A renowned psychic and mastermind, Lucien Veyron owns and operates a high-stakes fighting arena in Mauville City, where bets reach into the millions. He meticulously orchestrates matches, using his psychic abilities to anticipate outcomes in his favor. His headquarters, concealed beneath the bustling casino floor, is heavily guarded, reinforced with psychic wards and trained Pokémon, making infiltration nearly impossible without specialized counter-psychic measures and careful planning.
Lucien is highly analytical and ruthlessly efficient, combining advanced psychic techniques with strategic combat deployment. He maintains a network of elite trainers, ensuring his arena runs smoothly. He is known to escape via Teleport at the slightest sign of danger, rarely allowing himself to be cornered or captured.
"This is more like it," Alex said.
He wasn't confident when it came to Ground types, since he couldn't fly, but he was more than confident in hunting down Psychics. His typing guaranteed an ambush against such opponents, and all he needed was one chance to secure the win, even against Psychic type Pokémon.
The only problem, however, was that Lucien surrounded himself with elite trainers, which meant he might be able to sniff Alex out if the trainers with him detected Alex's approach. Still, it was a risk worth taking, so he teleported to Mauville City and began scoping out the place.
Mauville City had grown far beyond the small coastal town it once was. Towering walls of reinforced steel and concrete now surrounded the city, protecting it against Pokémon incursions from both sea and land. Within these walls, skyscrapers and high-rise complexes crowded the skyline, their glass and steel facades reflecting the neon glow of digital billboards and holographic advertisements.
The streets were wide and meticulously maintained, bustling with vehicles, delivery drones, and a constant flow of citizens, trainers, and Pokémon. Interwoven among the commercial and residential towers were gyms, elite training academies, and state-of-the-art Pokémon research centers, each bristling with technological enhancements and security measures.
Mauville's entertainment district had expanded into a sprawling network of casinos, high-stakes arenas, and VR combat simulations, attracting wealthy gamblers and trainers from across the region. Elevated walkways and sky bridges connected the tallest towers, while underground tunnels and service corridors allowed for discreet movement for those who knew the city's hidden paths.
Among the cities of Hoenn, Mauville had earned a reputation as a major den of the Underworld. Its sprawling streets and fortified districts were perfect for those who preferred to operate in the shadows, away from prying eyes. The city's location made it ideal for smuggling and commerce, with goods flowing in and out via the busy harbor or the network of roads connecting it to the rest of the region. Hidden alleys, underground tunnels, and discreet docking points allowed criminals to move merchandise and people without leaving a trace.
Despite the high stakes and constant vigilance of the city's security, Mauville thrived as a hub for those who played by their own rules, blending wealth, power, and danger into a volatile but lucrative mix.
Alex spent most of the day just taking in the sights. Compared to other cities he had visited, this one felt the most fitting to be described as cyberpunk.
Technology was simply more prominent here than anywhere else, or perhaps it was the seedier side of the city that appealed to his sensibilities.
Either way, Alex loved it. The city embodied the ambiance and energy he had always admired.
He glanced up at the massive billboards advertising fights, not just Pokémon battles but human matches as well. The place had a proper fighter's atmosphere, one that reminded him of his own dreams of becoming the best MMA fighter back on Earth.
"That's probably a good way to get close enough to Lucien," Alex muttered.
It certainly wasn't the desire to get back into the octagon again. Nope. Not at all.
With a bit of fire burning in his veins, Alex went to a local noodle shop to get in contact with Umbraline. He knew nothing about the place, and they were the only connection he had with the Underworld despite the rocky relationship they had.
"One beef bowl," Alex ordered. "And a little something extra."
The cook looked at Alex weirdly, then returned to preparing his noodles.
Alex squinted, unsure of that reaction. Usually, they would have returned some sketchy signal of acceptance, but it seemed this was really just a regular noodle shop.
Soon, his noodles arrived, and he awkwardly ate while thinking of another place to get in contact with them.
While he sat there, a man approached and sat next to him before speaking quietly.
"What can we do for you, Mr. Wattson?" the man asked.
"So, I did get the place right," Alex replied.
"Not exactly," the man said. "We've been tailing you since you entered the city. Information about you is about to become quite lucrative, so we're taking the initiative to prepare."
"I see. Well, I'm interested in Lucien, so I need information about him."
"Lucien is one of our higher-paying clients. It will be expensive."
"Never mind, then. Just get me into his arena as a fighter."
"That, we can do for free."
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