Once Alex arrived back at Mahogany Town, he immediately searched for the person in charge of the human supremacists in the area.
Their operation in Mahogany Town wasn't their usual style, where they tried their best to advertise their movement and recruit as many people as possible. Instead, they maintained a route by which they would transport supplies and manpower discreetly.
This meant Mahogany Town was relatively peaceful, without the usual protests or the intense staring Alex would get from having his Pokémon accompany him.
So, in order to find their leader, who had the highest chance of having a card key for the base in the Lake of Rage, Alex figured all he had to do was take whoever had the highest price on their head from Umbraline. Which just so happened to be this one:
Target Profile: Darius Kinthel
Pokémon: Bisharp (Elite), Honchkrow, Mandibuzz, Weavile
Threat Level: Elite Rank
Contract Value: 3.2 million Pokédollars
Status: Kill on Sight
Darius Kinthel, male, 44 years old, stands at 5'8" with a thin frame, sharp angular features, and silver-streaked black hair often tied back. His attire typically includes a coat repurposed with anti-surveillance threading and a Dark-type emblem on the back.
Currently operating under the alias "Director Rowan," Darius Kinthel runs The Hearthstone Refuge, an officially registered orphanage on the outskirts of Mahogany Town. Though outwardly recognized for charitable work and youth rehabilitation programs, intelligence sources have linked the facility to the radicalization and training of human supremacist youth operatives.
It wasn't much, but this was the most expensive assassination target Alex had.
He made his way to the orphanage on the outskirts of town and scoped out the place before determining they had a proper lookout.
A Honchkrow was perched in a tree overlooking the orphanage, so Alex couldn't easily slip in. He could neither rely on his Dark type energy because of the Pokémon's typing nor just make his way inside without causing a commotion. His target was uncharacteristically guarded, the paranoid kind who had been on the run most of their life.
"Guess I'll have to bust my way in and just get rid of them," Alex decided.
He released Ceruledge to handle Bisharp, Frosmoth to handle Honchkrow, Alcremie to handle Mandibuzz, and Raticate to handle Weavile. While they kept their targets busy, Alex would handle Darius.
Frosmoth flew up and hovered silently above the orphanage, its wings faintly glowing in the dark. Honchkrow sat perched on a tree branch, half asleep and completely unaware. Once in range, Frosmoth released a brilliant beam of ice straight at it. The attack struck clean. Frost spread over its body as it let out a loud squawk before the ice took over completely and dropped it to the ground with a dull thud.
A second later, a window on the third floor shattered. Mandibuzz burst through it, exactly where Alex thought the target would be. It didn't get to do much. Alcremie was already waiting, and the moment Mandibuzz cleared the window, a Dazzling Gleam blasted it from the sky. The light hit hard and fast, knocking the bird out mid-flight. The entire area lit up in the process. If the Ice Beam hadn't woken the neighborhood, that certainly did.
As the light faded, Bisharp and Weavile lunged out the same window ready to split up. They didn't get the chance to land. Ceruledge met Bisharp with a burning Bitter Blade that struck directly across its chest, dropping it instantly. Weavile tried to change direction but ran straight into Raticate, who slammed a Swords Dance-boosted Rock Smash into its ribs. Both Pokémon hit the ground hard and didn't move.
Alex jumped up to the broken window just in time to catch his target running out the door while trying to pull his pants up.
"Raticate, chase him down," Alex called out.
Like a bolt of silver lightning, Raticate Quick Attacked his way through the orphanage's third floor, hot on their target's heels.
It didn't take long until he was cornered in a hallway with a window to his back. He could jump out of said window, but he wouldn't be able to make it far with Raticate on his tail.
Alex walked through the hallway leisurely, amid the stares of the orphans who had woken up from the commotion. He made sure his appearance and voice were hidden behind his Dark type energy. As for Raticate, he was as common as they come, so it shouldn't be usable as an identifier.
"Darius Kinthel. You're under arrest for working for the human supremacist faction. I need you to come with me," Alex declared loudly.
"That's Director Rowan!" one of the kids shouted back. "You've got the wrong guy."
"Are you coming peacefully, or will I have to use force?" Alex demanded.
"I'll come peacefully. Just don't hurt the children," Darius begged.
Alex grabbed him by the back of the neck before dragging him back out through the broken window and jumping down from the third floor.
"I… I don't have a bounty on my head," Darius finally said once they were far enough away from the orphanage.
"True, but you have access to the facility at the Lake of Rage, and I need that card key," Alex said.
"You're not a bounty hunter!" he exclaimed.
"Assassin sent by Umbraline. Now, about that card key."
"I don't have one. None of the people here have one. We just house the supplies before sending them north to the Lake of Rage at a drop-off point halfway to Route 43, or south to the Dark Cave near Route 31. Our instructions are to leave them there, where their men would then pick up the supplies themselves."
Alex took a long look at Darius and determined he was telling the truth. This man was far too scared to have been any sort of criminal. He was likely a civilian who had been drafted into the cause and pressured once he was inside, similar to Celise.
It looked like he would have to be more drastic with his approach.
"Fine. I suggest you stop promoting the human supremacists' viewpoints, though, since I've cut off the route between the main base and here and will end up destroying the one at the Lake of Rage. I suggest you get your act together; otherwise, you will be eliminated by Umbraline eventually."
"Yes. Yes… I promise."
Alex dropped Darius, stored all his Pokémon hiding in the dark, and then rushed out to a secluded corner of the city before teleporting to the Lake of Rage.
Since he couldn't use espionage to make his way inside, he would simply have to bust his way in.
First, he released his water team: Gyarados, Milotic, and the Wishiwashi, with strict instructions not to make a ruckus but to keep an eye on the area. He also added that the Wishiwashi should already transform but keep a low profile.
He had learned the hard way that, unlike in the games, Wishiwashi's Schooling Form didn't activate instantly. It took time to form up, which could cost him dearly in a real battle.
Second, he released all his Pokémon and had Gardevoir take command. A battle was very likely to happen once he entered their base, so having his team at the ready was just common sense. He had learned the hard way that splitting his team would inevitably leave him vulnerable, so it was ideal to have his entire away team with him.
Third, he called out to Steelix, who would be his partner for this engagement. They were to engage a terrifying Champion-ranked Snorlax, so it was best to have their team ready for engagement at the drop of a hat.
Lastly, he took out Rhea's Gatling-style cannon, officially designated the CPS 1500 "Stormline", short for Crystal Pulse System 1500. A Gatling cannon that has two settings: allies and enemies. The allies' side would alternately fire Heal Bell, Decorate, Helping Hand, Aromatic Mist, Coaching, and three Heal Pulses. The enemies' side would fire Feint, Phantom Force, Psychic, Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, Close Combat, Draco Meteor, and Energy Ball, random moves whose actual effects wouldn't matter so long as Alex could get even five seconds of continuous hits on a Champion ranked Pokémon. All were fired at a rate of 1,500 rounds per minute.
It looked like a typical Gatling cannon but had two ammo cases attached, one for friendly fire, and the other for the not-so-friendly fire.
Once everything was ready, Alex gave Gardevoir the signal before the entire team, along with himself, rushed to the boulder entrance of the base in the Lake of Rage.
Steelix charged ahead and rammed the boulder, destroying it before digging out the entire entrance, moving diagonally down into the lake.
The entire team moved with practiced efficiency as they funneled into the tunnel Steelix had dug out, all the way until Steelix reached the main gates with a loud clang that folded from the Body Press it had used to bust down the gate.
Once they made it inside, they were greeted by a formidable lineup, as multiple firing squads numbering in the hundreds lined up, ready to open fire. At the forefront of the formation stood an imposing Snorlax, with Gravik standing angrily by its side.
"I guess we made more noise than we thought."
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