Hammerlocke is a city defined by its medieval grandeur, built directly into the towering, crenelated walls of an ancient castle that dates back to ancient times. The metropolitan sprawl exists within those old fortifications, spreading out in a way that feels crowded but functional, large enough to need three separate Pokémon Centers just to keep up with demand. Stone bridges arch over canals, and tiered walkways climb toward places like the Hammerlocke Vault, where old tapestries try to piece together the story of the Darkest Day.
That history pulls in a constant wave of tourists, most of them slowing everything down as they stop in the middle of walkways to take photos of anything that looks important. The grand Poké Ball statue is a favorite, but it barely matters what the subject is. If it looks like it belongs in a brochure, someone is taking a picture of it.
Vendors line the streets to take advantage of that, selling souvenirs, ingredients, and anything they can label as Galarian. Prices run high, sometimes unreasonably so, and people still pay. The noise never really dies down either. It settles into a steady background hum as travelers move between the station and the markets, filling up streets that weren't built for this many people.
At the center of it all stands Hammerlocke Stadium, the largest structure in the city and the final stop for the Gym Challenge. Raihan runs it with the presence of a performance rather than a test, known as much for his image as his battles. Inside, the focus stays on Dragon types and weather based strategies that turn fights into controlled chaos.
"Huh, the castle looks like a Sigilyph," Alex commented as he took in the sight of the castle when he entered the city.
He had just spent the entire day and night running straight from Route 9 to Hammerlocke, his energy still running high with no real outlet. The same held for Marnie, who hadn't stopped running laps either, a detail he noticed from their calls, as she gave him updates on the Everhart situation.
Apparently, the Everhart family had been reduced from a political force with real influence to just another wealthy family trying not to stand out among far more dangerous groups. Most of their money was still safe in old bank accounts, but their businesses and properties were being sold off quickly before they drew the wrong kind of attention.
As expected, most of those assets went to the League, with a few handed to other families as a way to secure some level of protection. Even then, tensions started to rise as different groups pushed for a share, and it almost turned messy. In the end, the League stepped in, which shut things down fast enough and kept things from escalating further among the upper ranks.
Alex didn't particularly care beyond the fact that he wasn't going to get blamed for it by the League. He had, after all, killed someone of great influence and power. But since it was Theodore himself who came to pick a fight and died for it, Alex was never personally made responsible for the chaos. Coupled with the other illicit activities the Everhart family dabbled in that had risen to the surface during the subsequent probe and investigation, Alex was in the clear.
Thus, he minded his own business and made his way to the Pokémon Nursery on the outskirts of the city.
"Alex Wattson, here about the missing trainers," Alex said as he stepped into the familiar waiting room.
Unlike the other times he had been here, the waiting room was crowded. Trainers stood packed too close together, shifting restlessly in place, arms folded tight or hanging stiff at their sides. Their expressions made it obvious they had tried to help on their own, but whatever they did had only made the situation worse.
"Thank Arceus you're finally here," the manager said, pushing through the crowd to reach him. "The situation's gotten worse. These volunteers insisted on going out to search on their own, and now we have five missing instead of one."
"What happened exactly?" Alex asked, brushing off the stares.
"It started with Amy," the manager said. "She went out on a routine training run with the Pokémon near the Lake of Outrage, but she never came back. After a week, her friends went out to look for her, and they didn't return either. Then two more left, convinced they were strong enough to handle it. Now there are five missing, and these people here want to head out together and try their luck."
The manager glanced back at the group, his expression tightening. "At this rate, they're just going to disappear too."
Alex nodded, then turned his attention to the crowd of trainers.
"Who here thinks they can take me on in a fight?" he said, releasing his aura, the pressure of it filling the room and forcing space to open as the crowd instinctively backed away.
No one answered. No one even tried to pretend they would.
"Since I'm not getting any volunteers, I expect all of you to stay put and wait patiently. It shouldn't take me longer than a day to figure this out," Alex said before turning back to the manager. "Now I need a scent to track. Do you have anything that belonged to the missing trainers?"
"Here," one of the stronger-looking trainers called out as he stepped forward and handed Alex a locket. "This belonged to Amy. She never cleans it. It should still have her scent on it."
"This is all I need," Alex said as he took the locket and left.
Once outside, he released Arcanine and let him memorize the scent. Unfortunately, it seemed too much time had passed for the crowded city streets to still hold anything trackable. It should improve once they were out of the city, though.
Alex, with Arcanine beside him, made his way south through the busy city streets toward the Wild Area exit. Like the one in Motostoke, a trainer-owned market sat just outside.
Once he passed that, he found himself in the Hammerlocke Hills, where rolling hills stretched out in uneven waves of green and brown, broken up by scattered rock formations and patches of wild grass that shifted with the wind. The city noise faded quickly behind him, replaced by open air and distant calls of wild Pokémon echoing across the landscape.
Still, there was no scent to track given the heavy foot traffic in the area, but they had a heading, so they turned west toward the Lake of Outrage, following the main footpath trail. An hour at running speed later, the pair found themselves descending toward a distant lake surrounding a landmass directly connected to tall mountains that led to Turffield on the other side.
The Lake of Outrage sat wide and still beneath the mountains, its dark water reflecting the cliffs like a dull mirror that didn't quite catch the sky properly. The surrounding terrain felt harsher than most of the Wild Area, more rock than grass, with uneven ground that forced you to watch your footing. Mist clung low over the surface, especially near the edges where the wind couldn't quite push it away, giving the whole place a quiet, enclosed feeling despite how open it was. It was the kind of location that looked peaceful from a distance but felt threatening the closer you got.
If the reports regarding the Wild Area were right, this was one of the three most dangerous places in the entire Wild Area. The first was Axew's Eye, an island on the southern side home to a nest of Dragon type Pokémon. Another was the Dusty Bowl, a desert and storm system rolled into one, where powerful Ground and Rock type Pokémon were constantly on the hunt. The third was the Lake of Outrage, which reportedly had some of the oldest Pokémon in the area, likely due to the cave system carved through the mountain beside it.
Alex and Arcanine soon found themselves standing at the lakeside of the Lake of Outrage, the water stretching out in front of them in a dark, still sheet that barely rippled under the wind. Across the surface, a large landmass rose out of the lake, its outline partially swallowed by drifting mist. The far side was faint, almost blurred out, with only the suggestion of cliffs and elevated ground visible through the haze. It looked close enough to reach in a straight line, but distant enough that crossing would invite danger.
"What do you think, Arcanine?" Alex asked.
"Arc! Arc!" he barked, indicating that the faint scent had disappeared at the edge of the lake and that they would have no choice but to cross and investigate.
"I think so too," Alex said as he mounted Arcanine. "We'd better go check it out. Just watch out for that Gyarados nest. They have more than a few Champions in them."
With a flaming leap, Arcanine dashed across the water, leaving a trail of steam in their wake as they plunged straight into the mist, tracking the trail Amy had left a week ago. Unaware that, high in the sky, a pair of Team Dominion operatives riding Corviknights were tracking them as well.
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