Early the next day, Alex teleported back to Route 34 and headed north towards Goldenrod City. It was a relatively peaceful ride throughout the day, without any unexpected drama. They passed by the forested area until they reached the suburbs, which had plenty of houses and businesses, in the afternoon. By evening, they reached the walls of Goldenrod City.
Goldenrod City was easily the largest place Alex had seen in Johto so far. Tall buildings lined the streets, packed so tightly that there was barely room for anything else. Shops, apartments, and offices were stacked on top of each other, giving the place a chaotic but lived-in feel.
The streets were wide, paved, and always busy. People and Pokémon moved in waves, and everything seemed to have its own rhythm. Even with all the noise and activity, the city didn't feel cold. It was alive, pulsing with color and movement, especially when the signs lit up in the evening.
For a moment, Alex felt like he was back home in Saffron City.
There was a lot to see. The Goldenrod Department Store was a towering giant that sold everything a trainer could need, and probably more. The Radio Tower sat near the center of the city, still broadcasting region-wide like it had been doing for years.
Underground, there was a whole other level to explore. Hidden shops, training spots, and a few criminal elements made up the narrow halls beneath the city, if you knew where to look.
And of course, the Normal type Gym was here too. Whitney ran it, and despite how sweet she acted, her team was brutal if you weren't ready.
But Whitney wasn't the only Gym Leader in the city. Goldenrod was so large that it housed three more Gyms, including one specializing in Water types near the western ports, another focused on Flying types close to the outer city rooftops to the east, and an Electric type Gym that pulsed with neon lights and humming generators in the center of the city.
One thing missing, though, was the Magnet Train. From what Alex heard, they had stopped the project decades ago. Apparently, all it took to derail the train and cause mass casualties was a single Steel type Pokémon eating the tracks. And since there was no feasible way to prevent that, they ultimately gave up on the project.
Once Alex got his bearings, he headed for the most luxurious hotel of the city owned by Umbraline of course. Where he managed to avail all their amenities for free, not that it would have cost him much given his immense finances.
There, Alex booked the most expensive room they had without even glancing at the price. If he was going to stay in Goldenrod, he might as well do it right. Then he signed himself and all his Pokémon up for the top-tier spa treatment on the list. Full recovery, muscle therapy, scale and fur grooming, claw clipping, horn polishing, deep combing, coat brushing, and whatever else they offered.
After everything he'd been through, he deserved it. One solid day to rest, recharge, and feel human again.
The next day was spent being pampered like a king. Treatment that not even the girls gave him back at the farm.
Alex went from one luxuriously extravagant activity to the next with barely any clothing most of the time, as he enjoyed mud baths, deep massages, luxurious cuisine, hot tubs, steam baths, more massages with oils that completely relaxed his muscles, and more.
He barely maintained consciousness throughout the day with how relaxing it all was.
At the end, he even received a happy ending from his last masseuse before closing off his night wrapped in silk sheets, sinking into a soft, luxurious bed that felt like sleeping on a cloud.
The next day, Alex felt absolutely revived, with all his fatigue whisked away by the previous day's activities. He felt like a new man, ready and primed for more violence.
Fortunately for him, there was a big fight happening in the underworld of the city between the local underworld criminals and the human supremacists.
Umbraline had been patient with him over the past six months, so it was time Alex got back to work and did them a favor to compensate.
His first and likely only target was the boss of the area, who commanded all the forces they had in the city. They didn't have an obvious base to attack and preferred to operate within the city, making a raid difficult to pull off.
On the bright side, all Alex had to do was take the head off, and the snake would get eaten by the ants. He would have preferred to raid their supplies as well, but he had to settle for taking what he could get instead, as their supplies were spread throughout the city, making collecting them difficult.
Target Profile: Karen Morr
Pokémon: Ampharos, Electrode, Umbreon, Misdreavus, Ariados, Hitmontop
Threat Level: Expert Rank
Contract Value: 37 million Pokédollars
Status: Kill on sight
Karen Morr, female, 41, 5'10" (1.78 m), lean muscular build, sharp jawline, pale blue eyes, short silver hair. Head of the Goldenrod's Human Supremacist Faction. More administrator than field agent, Karen runs the city's supremacist operations from the top floor of the Telron Tower, a high-rise near the northern commercial district. The location is officially registered under a shell corporation and fitted with advanced security and constant monitoring.
Karen is rarely seen outside the building and prefers to operate through proxies and field lieutenants. Despite her lack of physical presence on the streets, her influence is widespread. She controls the movement of resources, coordinates underground safehouses, and approves all major operations. Her Pokémon team is built for close-quarters defense and area lockdowns, favoring paralysis, misdirection, and psychological warfare.
Though rarely hands-on, Karen is considered exceptionally dangerous due to her ability to mobilize and coordinate violent cells across the city at short notice. Taking her out would destabilize the network significantly. Approach with caution. Infiltration of the Telron Tower is not advised without support. Elimination is a priority.
Considering the information Alex had, it was an open and shut case. All he had to do was bust in while she was asleep, take care of her Pokémon, kill her, and be on his way, an easy, hassle free operation he had plenty of experience with.
The caveat, however, was that he couldn't make any noise or mistakes, due to the fact that Karen didn't have a bounty on her head. And unlike with Selene in Cerulean City, he didn't have the support of the Gym Leader either, so he had to handle everything as quietly as possible.
Another caveat was the fact that he would likely fail a stealth mission due to Ariados and Misdreavus, who would likely be alert while Karen was asleep. Ariados had plenty of ways to detect silent intruders, while Misdreavus would ensure Karen was protected while she slept.
Even if he somehow managed to take Karen out, a battle would still ensue due to her very angry Pokémon that would rampage as a result of her death.
Seeing no other way to execute the mission, Alex ultimately decided to move forward with it anyway. A bit of trouble had never stopped him from completing his work.
Before he started, however, he called the help desk to send a manager to his room as he prepared his gear.
A doorbell rang a few minutes later as a portly, balding, nervous-looking man entered with his hands clasped together, sweat visibly forming on his forehead.
"You requested a manager, sir?" he asked nervously.
"I have a job for Umbraline."
The manager immediately straightened up, placed his hands behind his back with practiced confidence, and presented a more professional and mature demeanor. The earlier act had been to cater to the prideful, rich, and powerful.
The best practice was to always show flaws to tickle their guests' sense of superiority. Otherwise, they would act out and cause problems just to exercise their right to be assholes.
Business, however, was another matter entirely. The more professional and confident Umbraline appeared, the more likely they were to profit.
"How may we be of service, Mr. Wattson?"
"I want all the weapons and ammunition the supremacists have in storage after I get rid of Karen."
"I will have to outright decline this request, Mr. Wattson. Those weapons, and their crystals specifically, have been garnering some popularity as of late, especially with organizations like ours that have plenty of manpower."
"Is that so?"
"I'm afraid so."
Alex stared at the man for a long, tense moment before relenting.
He had hoped to continue his monopoly on the human supremacists' spoils and had managed to do so in Kanto when it was still relatively new. But recent times had shown how effective they were, given their low starting investment and maintenance costs.
He would have to be satisfied with whatever Umbraline ended up giving him for the job.
"Shame. You may leave."
"Very well, Mr. Wattson. Happy hunting."
With that out of the way, it was finally time for Alex to begin the hunt.
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