Alex didn't take Clarissa's request for help seriously. She was the princess of the Indigo League, with two Champions for parents. If there was a problem she couldn't solve, it might as well mean Kanto and Johto were both exploding that very day.
There used to be only one Champion in the Indigo League, until a surge of Elite-ranked trainers began flooding the League, causing Champions to be swapped out almost monthly.
In response, the League split into two branches—Kanto and Johto—each with its own Champion and Elite Four, while the central government remained unified under the Indigo League.
This effectively gave the Indigo League twice the number of guardians for the same governing body, greatly increasing its strength—further solidified by the marriage of the two Champions, which ensured lasting stability across both regions.
Now, their little princess was asking for help—which could only mean the problem was a good exercise for her, and she was already failing at it.
"What did you need help with exactly?" Alex asked.
"I found an orphanage that's grooming children to become trainers for the Underworld… and I don't know what to do," Clarissa replied.
"Have you asked your parents?"
"They told me to figure it out myself."
"And who owns this establishment?"
"I don't know, but they're teaching the children to treat Pokémon as slaves and—"
"Where are you?"
"Viridian City. I've got a gym battle scheduled in a few months."
"I'll be there in three days," Alex said, hanging up the call.
"Everything alright?" Jenny asked.
"Clarissa called. There's an orphanage indoctrinating kids to enslave Pokémon. It's probably run by the human supremacist group—might even mean another gear shipment."
"Just be careful."
"I know."
Alex left soon after, teleporting back to the mansion to suit up. The gear fit snugly, with no complaints—except for the helmet, which came with built-in optics unnecessary for Alex due to his affinity.
The vest had no pockets, avoiding the typical tactical military look, and it fit snugly against his chest while allowing enough flexibility to bend comfortably. Wearing the full set made him look like a vampire hunter—he only needed a katana to complete the look.
He gathered his Pokémon and asked Nyx to investigate the orphanage's background. Then, he mounted Arcanine and Teleported to Celadon City.
From there, Alex rode Hydreigon west for a day, then followed the bike path south toward Fuchsia City. Along the way, he passed trainers engaged in official battles or catching wild Pokémon.
They continued south for another day, finally stopping east of Viridian City. The nearby waters were notorious for housing aggressive Gyarados that despised anything flying over their territory, so they had to climb high to allow some leeway in case evasive maneuvers were needed.
Halfway through their journey, Alex—riding Hydreigon—was ambushed mid-air by a barrage of over a hundred Hyper Beams. The sky lit up as more than thirty Gyarados launched themselves from the sea below, roaring in furious pursuit.
"Fuck!" Alex cursed, immediately releasing his aerial team to intercept the incoming onslaught.
"Metagross, defensive formation! Slow retreat to the west!" he ordered.
Metagross hovered into position, sending out coordinated psychic signals to the others.
Altaria, Frosmoth, Togekiss, and the Crobat pair swiftly formed a flying pyramid. Altaria took point above Hydreigon, while Togekiss, Frosmoth, and the Crobat pair held the base. Alcremie stood on Hydreigon's head at the center, alternating Protect alongside Hydreigon to guarantee a rotating shield.
Metagross floated behind, emitting a surge of Gravity that yanked the charging Gyarados back toward the sea, disrupting their flight and weakening their barrage.
"Roar!" Alex shouted.
Hydreigon unleashed a ground-shaking roar that echoed across the sky. Nearly half of the Gyarados faltered, terrified by the overwhelming draconic presence. The rest, however, grew only more enraged—this was their territory, and they weren't letting him through without a fight.
'We need to reach land—fast,' Alex thought.
They were still an hour out from the forest east of Viridian City. Until then, they had to hold formation and weather the storm.
As they continued their slow retreat, an idea struck Alex. Without hesitation, he recalled all of his Pokémon and released Arcanine mid-air.
"Roar!" Alex commanded.
Arcanine let out a thunderous Roar, even more powerful than Hydreigon's, shaking the sky. The sound rippled through the air with such force that all the Gyarados—even the Elite-ranked ones—immediately backed off and retreated into the sea.
But the danger wasn't over.
A massive Gyarados erupted from the sea in answer to the challenge—a Champion-ranked titan whose scales shimmered like wet steel. It answered Arcanine's Roar with one of its own, unleashing a wave of pressure that crashed down on them like a tidal surge, heavy with the weight of its aura.
Alex felt the air tighten, his heart pounding as instinct screamed to flee.
"Extreme Speed!" he shouted just as Arcanine was seconds from slamming into the water.
In a flash, Arcanine surged forward in a blur of motion, rocketing westward toward land with Alex gripping tightly to his back.
"Use Agility and keep going!" Alex shouted, glancing back to see the Champion-ranked Gyarados rapidly closing the distance.
Arcanine, meanwhile, was in his element—his paws barely kissed the water's surface before launching forward again, each stride leaving trails of steam across the water.
Gyarados surged closer and lashed out with an Aqua Tail, aiming to knock them off course. But Alex was ready. He twisted in the saddle, drew his sidearm, and fired a Thunder Wave round directly at the oncoming strike.
"Extreme Speed!" he commanded right as they were about to get hit.
Arcanine shot forward in a blur, narrowly dodging the incoming tail as it slammed into the water behind them, sending up a massive explosion of water.
Alex glanced back. Gyarados had dipped beneath the waves, still in pursuit but noticeably slowed—paralyzed and struggling to keep pace.
Then Arcanine surged forward once more, the second stack of Agility kicking in and pushing his speed to the limit. In seconds, the distance between them grew vast.
Alex exhaled slowly, tension bleeding from his shoulders.
The world was still terrifying, even for those who stood at the Elite rank.
Less than an hour later, they finally reached the shore.
Alex checked in with Rotom and found only low-level nests scattered throughout the forest, so he stayed mounted on Arcanine as they dashed through at a slower pace.
By nightfall, they arrived at their destination—Viridian City.
Viridian City had grown into a vibrant metropolitan hub at the base of a forested mountain range, blending nature with urban life. Home to over 300,000 residents, it served as a key junction between the western mountains, southern plains, and northern forest. Sleek high-rises, public parks, and bustling marketplaces filled its well-planned districts.
Despite its urban sprawl, Viridian preserved strong ties to the wild through conservation zones on its outskirts. The legendary Viridian Forest remained protected, offering safe encounters with Pokémon and nature walks. Environmental centers and ranger stations worked to maintain the harmony between city and wild.
Alex booked an expensive, high-class hotel at the heart of the city upon arrival. He was too tired to think of anything else, having ridden Arcanine for the rest of the trip. As soft and warm as Arcanine was, he still rode like a bumpy horse, so the ride was not pleasant, especially at the speed they were running.
On the plus side, it gave Arcanine a better view of the outside than when he sat in his Poké Ball. So, Viridian City was officially added as a teleport location.
The next morning, Alex met up with Clarissa at a café to discuss their objectives when in walked a sexy, bespectacled, red-haired librarian with a long-haired, healthy-looking, 12-year-old girl following along.
"Congratulations, Clarissa. I had no idea you had children over the past two years we've been apart," Alex said with mocked surprise.
"Shut up, Alex. This is Mel. She lived in the orphanage that was indoctrinating the children, and she ran away because of it. We met a week ago, and I've been looking after her ever since," Clarissa replied.
"Hello, Mel. I'm Alex. A bounty hunter who specializes in hunting down criminals and getting paid for it. How about you tell me about what's been going on at that orphanage?"
Mel described a perfectly normal orphanage with an eccentric caretaker who secretly teaches the children to hate Pokémon. The orphanage itself is aware of the issue but has been quiet about it.
Basically, the caretaker has a serious backer in the city that the orphanage director wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. Aside from that, Alex found no other problems with the orphanage, so the only issue is the backer, who is unknown.
"Have you done your research, Clarissa?"
"The caretaker hasn't left the orphanage, and I don't have a way of hacking into her phone, so no. I don't know what to do."
"Well, in cases like these, it's best to shake the tree and see how many Mankeys fall out, but I suspect there's a Primeape hiding in the tree, so we will have to be extra careful with how we approach this."
"You think it's the human supremacists too?"
"No other group is as excited about indoctrinating their views as they are. Give me a few days to poke around to see what we're dealing with before making a move."
Alex paid for their drinks and bid the duo farewell before contacting Nyx for an update. It was time to see what the underworld looked like in Viridian City—things were about to get a lot more chaotic.
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