Alex dropped the potion he had been biting and stared at the mass of darkness in the shape of a man lurking in the shadows. He let Dark type energy flow through his eyes, sharpening his vision until he saw his opponent clearly. Icy blue eyes, silver dyed hair styled into loose spikes, and multiple facial piercings.
It was undoubtedly Varek.
"Varek Mo—"
"I don't do monologues," Varek interrupted before pulling the trigger.
Time seemed to slow as Alex watched his death approach. He couldn't move. Even as adrenaline flooded his brain, desperately searching for a way out, nothing came. There was nothing he could do. He was going to die again.
He was younger than he had been during his first death, but this life had been far more fulfilling. Here, he had women who cared for him, Pokémon to keep him company, and battles that raged far beyond anything he had ever experienced in the octagon.
As far as he was concerned, it had been a fulfilling, satisfying, and perfect life. He had done his best, gone to school, actually studied, graduated, made achievements, and gained renown that far surpassed anything from his previous life.
If he had any regrets, it was that he would never see the true peak of the world. The mysteries and secrets still hidden from him as an Elite. The chance to command a Legendary Pokémon and sit upon the throne of the world. The reason the literal god of Pokémon was Cynthia's pet. The reason he had been reborn in the first place.
But in the back of his mind, a quiet voice whispered a deeper regret. He regretted never experiencing love as an aromantic, never raising a child, and never giving enough care to his girls who had stayed by his side.
He finally admitted it, those were his girls. He had taken them under his care, and they had cared for him in return. A flicker of possessiveness stirred in his chest, ugly and familiar, before he forcefully pushed it back down.
His possessiveness had always been his greatest flaw in relationships that often ended in fights. He had never known how to properly show affection without it twisting into something possessive. He regretted not doing more for the girls… but his time had come.
'At least I lived a better life in this one,' Alex thought with finality.
Varek pulled the trigger as a Feint bullet exploded from the barrel at deadly speed.
Just as it was about to strike Alex, a wave of psychic energy deflected the bullet, diverting it just enough to leave a deep gash along the side of his head above his right ear.
"Wha—" Varek exclaimed in surprise before he was suddenly hurled through the air, dropping his gun as he slammed into a wall ten feet up and was pinned there by a crushing force that began to slowly suffocate him.
A few quick Heal Pulses hit Alex, closing his wounds and stopping the bleeding just as Gardevoir arrived, with Raticate close behind.
In the distance, Arcanine trotted back with a fainted Houndoom clutched in its jaws, while a pair of Crobats swooped in, each carrying a sleeping Crobat and Honchkrow in their mouths. The three were quickly surrounded and guarded to prevent escape while Alex was being fussed over by Gardevoir.
"I'm alright, girl. I'm fine," Alex said, a bit woozy as the high of the adrenaline began to fade.
He was quite fortunate that Raticate had immediately ran away to find Gardevoir as soon as Varek's Elite ranked Pokemon's ambush began. He never would have guessed that his earlier command to placate Gardevoir would be the reason he survived today.
Varek activated his Dark type energy at maximum output, escaping the overwhelming Psychic pressure that pinned him against the wall. He fell from ten feet, landed gracefully, and immediately bolted away to escape the sudden reinforcements he knew nothing about.
Raticate wasn't having it, though, as he Quick Attacked in front of Varek before slamming him back to Gardevoir's feet.
"Need a hand?" Alex asked before looking at his stubs for arms. "Sorry, I don't have any hands at the moment. You'll have to figure this one out yourself."
"Grab his Poké Balls," Alex ordered.
Raticate rummaged through Varek's belt as the man groaned.
"He's all yours," Alex said, turning to Gardevoir with a calm nod. "Just don't mess up his face."
"Gardevoir," she replied with a sadistic smile, her voice dripping with amusement.
She reached out and grabbed Varek's head with both hands, her fingers tightening around his skull as Psychic energy began to surge through him.
Alex turned away with Raticate in tow, unfazed, as Gardevoir bombarded Varek's mind with overwhelming Psychic power.
"No, please, I'll cooperate," he begged.
Dark type energy could certainly fight against Psychic type energy, but humans had a drop of it while Pokémon held oceans. Varek didn't last long under Gardevoir's assault before the last drop of it was drained from his body.
"No… NOOO!"
Varek slumped unconscious as Gardevoir used Hypnosis and Dream Eater to consume Varek's mind.
Gardevoir shivered in ecstasy at the opportunity. It had been a long time since she felt the intimacy of a human's mind being consumed in its entirety.
Suddenly, an overwhelming psychic force erupted within Varek's mind, completely turning his brain to mush as brain matter escaped from his eyes, ears, and nose. Gardevoir's attack had likely triggered the failsafe implanted in his mind to protect the information regarding the human supremacists.
"Gar…" Gardevoir murmured sadly, dejected that she had been denied another meal.
She then turned to the remaining human captives who had somehow survived, before sashaying toward them with an alluring, almost predatory expression. One missing captive wouldn't matter much, right?
Meanwhile, with Raticate's help, Alex managed to lock Varek's Pokémon and used Revives and Full Restores on the fainted members of his team. He also had Forsmoth freeze his hands to prevent further damage.
The rest of the Pokémon helped gather the corpses, captives, and loot as they ransacked the base with practiced ease before stuffing them into Alex's space bag themselves.
Alex meanwhile was being babied by Alcremie who kept feeding him her matcha cream to make him feel better.
"Thank you, Alcremie," Alex said as he took a bite. "But I'll be fine. Don't worry. They'll be able to fix me up at the farm in no time."
"Alcre," she replied.
"Yes, I'll have my arms back. Don't you worry."
It took a few hours to clean everything up before Alex stepped outside and had Rotom text the coordinates of the base to Officer Jenny in Vermilion City.
The riot had likely ended by now, given the amount of time that had passed, especially since the brains of the operation were taken down.
It took over an hour before Jenny, along with a few officers and League agents, arrived at the base to take custody of the captives.
"You must be Alex," Jenny said while staring at his stubs. "That looks like it hurts."
"I was drowning in adrenaline, so it wasn't much," Alex replied in a relaxed tone.
"Well, injuries like that shouldn't be much of a problem. Did you preserve your hands?"
"Yes, Frosmoth froze them."
"Good. That should reduce the recovery time," Jenny said before looking around. "You really did a number on this place."
"Elite ranked battles can do that."
"Right, well, you're free to leave. I'll personally handle your bounty submission."
"Thank you, Jenny."
"I liked you when you were younger."
"That's fair."
Alex ignored the offhanded comment and teleported home with his team and their spoils. Specifically, he had made off with more ammunition, weapons, equipment, and Pokémon meat. As for the servers they had at the base, they were completely demolished by a rather proud Steelix.
Once he arrived home at the farm early in the morning, just as chores were starting, the girls were immediately shocked to see Alex missing both hands.
"Oh my god! Alex! What happened to your hands?" Vera cried out, horrified.
"It's fine," Alex said calmly. "Talia can fix it right up. Don't worry."
"How can I not worry? What happened?"
"Got ambushed by a nasty Weavile. Arcanine handled it, though. Anyway, where's Talia?"
"She's in the medical bay."
"Alright."
Alex walked off casually, completely unfazed. Vera watched him go, her expression conflicted. It broke her heart to see him so badly injured, but even more to see how easily he brushed it off, as if it didn't matter.
As if he didn't matter.
Guilt twisted in her chest. The timing couldn't have been worse, but she had already made her choice. She had started something she couldn't stop. She had to see it through and leave.
At times like this, she was grateful the other girls were there to care for him. It let her focus on herself, knowing Alex was in good hands.
With her resolve steady, Vera returned to her room to continue studying. The Chief Breeder exam was over, but her career had only just begun.
Meanwhile, Alex sat in the medical bay, calmly presenting his severed hands to Talia, who looked just as relaxed.
"It's a clean cut, and the wound on your arms healed well," she said, examining the frozen hands. "Good job keeping them cold. This will make the reattachment much easier."
"Think you can stick them back on without complications?" Alex asked.
"Easily. I've dealt with plenty of amputations before. This won't be a problem. I'll just need an assistant, preferably a Pokémon that can use Heal Pulse with precision."
"What about Clawitzer?"
"They need to be able to move around."
"Gardevoir then."
"She'll do."
Alex called for Gardevoir, who agreed to help.
As Alex drifted off to sleep from the anesthesia flowing through the IV, his thoughts drifted back to the final moments of his near-death experience. He thought about the regrets he carried and the wishes he had left behind.
Maybe this was his last chance to see them fulfilled.
And maybe… it wouldn't be so bad to spend a little time doing just that.
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