Chapter 165. Dark Cave 2

Click. Chingling was captured. "Ha! It's my lucky day. A healer here in the Dark Cave, out of nowhere," a male voice celebrated from the side tunnel. Alex crept closer, sticking to the walls as much as possible as he observed the lucky individual who had beaten him to the punch. A figure stepped out from the passage, unaware that Alex had been watching. 'Male, mid-thirties. Scar on the neck. Black hair, brown eyes, chiseled face. 6'2" (1.88m) tall, with a muscular build. Approximate weight between 200 and 230 pounds. Heavy padded coat. Moves with a very slight limp, likely an injury on the left knee. Elite ranked. No visible weapons. Breathing steady. Calm under pressure. Comfortable in the dark.' Alex's gaze sharpened. 'He looks familiar. Scar on the neck with that build. Definitely a criminal with a credit bounty.' Alex had made it a point to memorize the faces of every person with a credit bounty in Johto from the list Nyx had given him. He didn't bother remembering much beyond their appearance and build. He only needed to recognize them as targets worth credits. He had no doubt about it. This man was his first real lead and his best chance to uncover the location of the hidden base. Suddenly, a Lucario emerged from the side tunnel, trailing right behind the man. Its eyes immediately locked onto Alex, despite him remaining hidden by the wall. Without waiting for a command, Lucario fired an Aura Sphere straight at him. Alex remained calm as he swiftly began releasing his team, while Aegislash raised a King's Shield to block the incoming Aura Sphere. The cramped space limited his options, forcing him to rely on smaller Pokémon. He released Raticate, Gardevoir, Alcremie, Forretress, and finally, the Crobat pair. Across from him, the man remained equally composed, showing no hint of panic. He calmly released his own team, consisting of Machamp, Heracross, Hitmontop, Poliwrath, and Pangoro. Without hesitation, Raticate charged at Machamp, a familiar opponent he could easily handle. Gardevoir engaged Lucario, their clash immediate and brutal as Psychic blasts collided with relentless Aura Spheres, lighting up the darkness with each impact. Alcremie unleashed a barrage of Dazzling Gleams, bathing the cavern in harsh, flashing light as she fired relentlessly at the enemy team. Hitmontop countered with Wide Guard, blocking the area-of-effect attacks and preventing them from striking the group all at once. Forretress charged ahead with Rollout, aiming for Heracross at the center. He intended to act as the vanguard, allowing the others to attack safely from the rear. The Crobat pair danced around the battlefield, opening with Tailwind before bombarding Poliwrath and Pangoro with Air Slashes. In response, Heracross and Poliwrath worked together, taking turns using Protect to shield each other from the assault. The cave erupted into a chaotic storm of light, energy, and the sound of clashing moves, both sides locked in a brutal struggle. Alex and the man meanwhile stared at each other neither willing to show any weaknesses as their Pokemon clashed without command. Raticate executed his perfected hit-and-run tactics, leaving Machamp helpless. Unfortunately, the damage wasn't enough to bring it down quickly. Gardevoir was easily winning her fight against Lucario. Psychic energy trumped Fighting moves, forcing Lucario to switch tactics and fire off Flash Cannons instead. Gardevoir responded with Mystical Fire, maintaining her advantage. Hitmontop attempted to close the distance with Quick Attack, but Alcremie countered with Draining Kiss, negating the damage and severely injuring the Fighting type in return. Forretress had some success against Heracross as he continued to build momentum with Rollout. However, Heracross countered with repeated Arm Thrusts, dealing consistent damage and gradually turning the fight in his favor. Meanwhile, Poliwrath and Pangoro struggled to land a single hit on the Crobat pair, who kept soaring overhead, pelting them with relentless Air Slashes. The situation was looking grim for them. The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. It was clear most of his Pokémon were on the losing end. Even the ridiculous fight involving his prized Machamp was beginning to grate on him. A mere Normal type was making a fool of his second best, and that did not sit well with him at all. Even Lucario, his strongest Pokémon, was struggling against its opponent. As he turned back to glare at the shadowy figure, he was stunned to see that he had vanished. He looked around frantically but saw no sign of him until he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head. Fortunately, as a Fighting type trainer, he was far tougher than most and shrugged off the ambush with ease, even with the blow striking a weak spot. He swung his elbow behind him in retaliation, but his attacker had already vanished. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his left knee, an old injury that had never fully healed. He lost his balance before he even realized what was happening and fell to the floor, landing flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Protect me!" he shouted, shielding his face from his unseen attacker. Lucario, standing nearby, moved to defend its trainer but was intercepted by Aegislash and struck in the back by a Mystical Fire. Machamp rushed in to assist but was hit by a Thunder Wave, followed by a devastating Super Fang that sent it into a frenzy, swinging wildly to shake off its attacker. The rest of the team was too far away to help and had problems of their own. Suddenly, his entire body seized, every muscle locking up at once. Before he could even panic, a crushing wave of drowsiness smothered him, pulling him helplessly into darkness. When he finally regained consciousness, an unknown amount of time later, he found himself bound tightly, unable to move an inch. He lay in complete darkness, stripped naked, with only the ropes digging into his skin. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't move a single part of his body. From the rough, cold surface beneath him, he could tell he was tied to solid rock. In the distance, he could hear faint, echoing cries of Pokémon and the steady drip of water. The air was cold, far too cold, biting against his skin. He knew he was still somewhere inside Dark Cave, but he had no idea where or whether he was alone. "Marcus Veldt," a garbled voice called out from the darkness. The sound was warped, distorted through some device, making it impossible to tell whether the speaker was near or far. The name echoed off the cavern walls, lingering in the air like a curse. "You have quite the record," the voice continued, cold and detached. "Assault. Extortion. Human trafficking. Smuggling of restricted metals." Marcus's heart began to pound, his breathing growing ragged as the list went on. "And of course, the most heinous crime of all, the reason for the massive bounty on your head. Killing the child of a Champion ranked trainer off on his journey." Silence followed, broken only by the steady drip of water and the faint cries of distant Pokémon. "Five million credits," the voice said at last, almost with amusement. "That is what his mother put on your head. A truly impressive bounty." Marcus strained against the ropes, but they refused to budge. Sweat trickled down his face despite the cold. "Tell me, Marcus," the voice asked, sharp and steady, "how does it feel to be at the mercy of someone who doesn't care about the price on your head… only where you were hiding?" Marcus suddenly found a ray of hope in the darkness, a possible path to survival from his current situation. He thought furiously but couldn't answer. The owner of the hidden base was far more terrifying. "They'll kill me," he muffled through the ropes tied around his mouth. "Unfortunate," the voice said. "Gardevoir will have to extract it from your memories. She is still inexperienced with forcing her way in, so whether you survive… well, we'll have to see." Marcus struggled even harder, letting out muffled cries. He wouldn't survive a psychic invasion. Worse, he might live through it and spend the rest of his life as a vegetable. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you!" Marcus screamed through his bindings. "Very good. Now, tell me everything." Alex had never planned on letting Gardevoir lobotomize Marcus. There was an alive clause on his bounty that doubled the reward if Marcus was brought in alive. He could not risk accidentally killing him and losing an extra 5 million credits. He listened carefully as Marcus explained how the Dark Cave operated. Essentially, there were multiple hidden paths leading to the base, and each person granted access through the dark web was assigned a specific route along with a scheduled appointment.  Once someone was captured or compromised, their path would be permanently sealed, cutting off any chance of using it again. A new path would then be created to replace it. It was an effective system designed to protect against informants and explained why even Lance had never been able to locate the base. By now, Marcus's assigned path would already be closed since he had missed his appointment. The base was once again inaccessible. However, Alex still gained something useful. Based on the route Marcus was supposed to take, he now had a rough idea of where the base might be. It was likely somewhere within Dark Cave, situated at a higher elevation deep within the heart of the mountain. If he could capture enough criminals connected to the operation, he could gradually piece together the exact location of the hidden base and sell that information to the League for an even greater profit. But that would have to wait. Alex figured they likely had a protocol to sweep through Dark Cave whenever one of their clients was captured. If he stayed too long, he risked being found. Fortunately, he had an errand to take care of in the meantime. He needed to deliver Marcus alive to the bounty requester to collect the full 10 million credits. If he handed Marcus over to the League instead, the extra 5 million would vanish, as Marcus would be officially arrested. For now, Alex decided to continue his travels and perhaps pick up some ammunition along the way. ----- Support me on Patreon patreon/babywrath