"Left turn… thirty seconds… right turn…" Alex noted as he was driven toward the warehouse district south of the city, deep in the slums.
Suddenly, the car stopped. The driver and their partner got out, opened the trunk, and attempted to grab Alex. But with a simple hand gesture, Aegislash popped out of his shadow and beheaded both men on the spot.
Alex jumped out of the trunk and grabbed the sealed black bag held by one of the now-dead cops. He had already uncuffed his hands and removed the bag from his head by dislocating his thumbs during the drive over.
Protected by King's Shield against the cops' enraged Pokémon, Alex unsealed the bag, retrieved his belongings, and released his Pokémon just in time for them to throw out expanded Protects to cover both Aegislash and himself.
With a series of Protects, Alex isolated himself from the enemy Pokémon. He quickly grabbed the officers' Poké Balls, recalled their Pokémon, and locked them inside before tossing them into his backpack.
Now free to assess his situation, he glanced around.
He was in the warehouse district south of Saffron City, which received goods directly from Vermilion City's harbor. This place was strictly off-limits to the slum dwellers—unless they had a death wish.
It was a hub for criminals trading illicit goods, and Alex had always planned to get his big payday here once he became a bounty hunter. Getting an early look at the place was an unexpected bonus.
As for the two dead cops? Self-defense, of course.
Regarding his decision to escape now rather than wait for the mastermind like in the movies—unlike those action flicks where the hero gets locked up, breaks free, grabs a gun, and goes on a massacre while triggering a self-destruct sequence on the way out, things in the Pokémon world worked differently.
Here, Pokémon couldn't simply be taken from the dead like guns and used against their owners. If Alex waited until he was fully detained, he would be as helpless as a civilian in front of criminals rather than some spec-ops super soldier ready to unleash an action sequence. Pokémon dictated power, and if they stripped him of his team, there would be no miraculous comeback.
Scanning his surroundings, Alex noted that he was in an open parking lot with identical black cars parked everywhere.
There was a warehouse nearby with some suits standing guard, Rhydon and Golem stationed beside them.
As a victim, Alex could try to escape or stay in place until Jenny arrived, but he couldn't just attack a location. So, he continued rummaging through the cops' belongings and the car while his phone kept recording for evidence.
"What are you doing here, kid? Holy shit! Is that Gus?" a man shouted as Alex searched through Gus's pockets.
"You know them?" Alex asked plainly.
"You little shit, did you kill them?"
"It was self-defense."
The man suddenly released all his Pokémon. Muk, Machoke, Houndoom, and Fearow materialized, all Expert rank and well-trained—evident by how quickly they moved into formation.
Alex released Forretress, Clawitzer, and Raticate to counter as he stood his ground. He didn't issue commands, merely had them sit there.
"Attack! Kill them all!" the man shouted.
Muk spat out a Sludge Bomb, Machoke charged forward for a Close Combat, Houndoom unleashed a Flamethrower, and Fearow dived in with a Drill Peck.
"Protect, then counter," Alex ordered before releasing the rest of his team for battle.
Clawitzer expanded Protect as the center, shielding the group. Forretress scattered Stealth Rock and Spikes, while Raticate launched an empowered Shadow Ball at Muk.
As the attacks collided and caused a commotion, Arcanine followed up with a Heat Wave, Alcremie with a Dazzling Gleam, Frosmoth with a Blizzard, and Altaria with a Tailwind.
The enemy Pokémon took heavy damage from the combined AOE attacks. Outmatched, the man decided to escape while his Pokémon bought time.
Alex signaled to Raticate, who used Quick Attack to leap high before dashing toward the fleeing man, targeting his legs.
Meanwhile, Forretress intercepted the enemy Pokémon's counterattacks with Protect, giving Alex's team another opportunity to unleash another wave of AOE moves. The barrage overwhelmed the enemy Pokémon, causing them all to faint.
With the man crippled and his Pokémon subdued, Alex collected their Poké Balls, locked them, and tossed them into his bag. He knocked the man out, stuffed him in the trunk of the car, and resumed searching through the cops' belongings.
He found a wallet, a phone, another phone, some identity cards, keys, and other miscellaneous items.
After checking their credentials, he discovered the two "cops" were fakes. Alex let out a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't face backlash for killing a real officer, corrupt or not. That would have been complicated.
Due to the commotion, the guards on duty called in the disturbance, prompting four men to investigate.
They arrived to find Alex rummaging through one of their cars, standing next to two dead cops who looked familiar.
"Did you do this?" the man in the lead asked.
"It was self-defense," Alex recited.
"Take him in."
Two men stepped forward, but Alex released Raticate to block their approach.
"Don't come any closer, or I'll defend myself," Alex warned in fear.
The men laughed and released one Pokémon each, commanding them to attack.
"Raticate, Protect!" Alex shouted, releasing the rest of his team.
Raticate held off the initial assault before being joined by Alex's Pokémon, forming a defensive perimeter.
"Firing Squad Formation," Alex ordered calmly. His Pokémon obeyed, lining up side by side.
"Shit! This kid's strong, boss."
"There's more of us. We can take him down."
They released all their Pokémon—twenty in total—against Alex's seven. But Alex was confident as long as they remained stupid. To ensure that, he pulled out his guns, loaded with Thunder Wave rounds and Beat Up x6 bullets.
His team alternated between launching wide-range special attacks and expanding Protects in sequence. As the barrage began, Alex shot Arcanine with a Beat Up bullet.
"Fuck! The kid's a cop, boss! What do we do?" one of the men panicked as he recognized the formation.
"We—" the leader started, only to be cut off as a Thunder Wave bullet tore through his shoulder, leaving him paralyzed.
The lackeys watched in horror as, one by one, they collapsed from the electrifying rounds while their Pokémon were overwhelmed by the continuous barrage of special attacks. Their own moves were effortlessly nullified by Protects.
Alex had made it a point to practice shooting diligently, ensuring he was no longer as inaccurate as before. Now, the fruits of his labor had ripened—he swiftly took down four targets in quick succession.
Suddenly, an enraged Primeape broke through the wave of attacks, charging straight at their formation, ignoring the accumulating damage. Seeing this, the other Pokémon, lacking clear commands, followed suit out of sheer battle instinct.
"Rampage," Alex commanded calmly.
Arcanine exploded into motion with Extreme Speed, grabbing Primeape along the way and using it as a battering ram to plow through the enemy ranks.
Raticate dashed in with Quick Attack, while Forretress used Rollout on opponents like a runaway tank.
Clawitzer switched from cannoneer to combat medic, keeping Arcanine in fighting shape as he absorbed more hits. The rest of Alex's team picked off the weakest enemies with precise, single-target attacks until the last of the twenty Pokémon fell.
With the fight over, Alex cleaned up the scene just as before, stuffing the unconscious men into the car. Unfortunately, they couldn't all fit in the trunk. He tried and failed.
The guards on lookout grew concerned and finally reported the situation to their boss.
"What the hell do you mean we 'might' be under attack?" Don asked, sitting at his desk while awaiting a special guest.
"We heard a commotion in the parking lot and sent a team to check it out, but they never reported back. Now, we think they were caught, and an attack might be incoming."
"All this time, we've only lost one team? That doesn't sound like an attack."
"What do you want to do, boss?" one of the guards asked.
"What about the kid who got my cousin imprisoned?"
"After they got the tip, they sent a team to take him in but they never reported back either, boss."
"Alright, I'll handle this myself. Get everyone out and be ready for an ambush."
Under Boss Don's orders, a hundred men scrambled into action, making their way to the parking lot as Alex continued his little game.
When Don arrived, he was surprised to see a lone Alex looking around as if lost. Was this really the kid who had his cousin imprisoned a few years ago?
He had never made a move against him before because he had been out of the region, and Saffron City had been too hot to touch. But a few months ago, things finally cooled down, giving him the chance to return and check on their operations.
What he found upon his arrival was barely an operation at all—just a hollow shell run by nobodies who had taken over his turf. He had spent the past few months cleaning up shop, reclaiming what had been scavenged, piece by filthy piece.
Now he was face to face with the little shit that had caused him so much trouble.
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