Chapter 71. Laying Low

A week after Alex submitted his case, the investigation finally concluded. He received 200,000 Pokédollars for the bounties, three months' worth of Pokémon food seized from criminals sentenced to execution or life imprisonment, and a million in League credits. It was less than what he'd earned from his previous submission, but the sincerity of the League was evident. They didn't reward him for taking the initiative, but they did grant him access to the League's credit system again. This time, Alex intended to keep that line open and avoid spending it all at once. After all, a million credits was enough to purchase the perfect Pokémon. At dinner, Jenny gave Alex an update on the investigation into the second camp. "I gave the coordinates to Jenny in Lavender City," she began. "When I warned about a possible Elite-ranked trainer guarding the camp, former Elite Four Agatha personally took over the case. The Jenny there is still new to police work, so she asked for help." "They located the camp easily enough, and Jenny did the same thing you did. She created a commotion to draw them out. After she arrested everyone on-site, they discovered several assaulted girls ready for transport and decided to stake the place out." "Not even an hour later, they were attacked by the same team that hit you—the one escorted by the man from your video. Fortunately, Agatha was there in hiding, so they managed to capture everyone except for the man himself. He escaped using an Abra he'd hidden, which activated Teleport mid-battle." "He had to leave behind his Salamence, Dragonite, and Hydreigon though. They were hit with Mean Look before they could escape." Jenny leaned back. "Now he has a hefty bounty of 10 million Pokédollars. It would've been more if he'd escaped with his dragons." Alex clicked his tongue. "That means his other camps will be on high alert for the next few months. So much for my follow-up plans around the area." "What plans?" Jenny asked. "I was going to act like a new trainer on his journey, get robbed, then interrogate the robbers for information on their operation. After that, I'd stake the place out, intercept their teams as they came in, record any illegal transactions, and then take the camp down." "Camp takedowns don't pay as much as interceptions, but I figured I could pass the info to you and focus on cleaning up their employees with bounties." Jenny nodded thoughtfully.  "Well, congratulations on a successful raid without getting exposed by their spies. What sentences did they receive? Let me guess—no more than ten years each?" Alex asked. "For those running the camp, yeah," Jenny replied. "But for the team that showed up? Life imprisonment. The case you submitted gave them bounties." "Just my luck to miss out on a big payday," Alex grumbled. "Then again, Agatha was needed to pull it off, so I wouldn't have gotten much anyway." Jenny gave him a small smile. "I submitted the information under your name, so you'll still get something out of it." Alex received a hefty payout of 300,000 Pokedollars for the team of 10 with bounties on their heads. He also earned an extra 100,000 League credits for the information he provided about the camp. It wasn't much, but it was something at least. Deciding to lay low for now, Alex refrained from making any more moves. With no solid leads and the risk of drawing more attention to himself, he figured that working on gathering more intelligence would only increase his infamy in the city. Instead, Alex focused on strengthening his team. He didn't like the idea of sitting idle while his enemies constantly threw strategic attacks his way. What he needed were Pokémon that could use Phantom Force to break through their firing lines. Alex had forgotten about moves like Taunt or Encore during his battle because he was used to having Aroma Veil on the team and never feared it during their encounters. For the sake of situations in which the enemy had Aroma Veil as well, he still went ahead with his plans. After some research, Alex concluded that Dusknoir and Ceruledge would be ideal candidates. Dusknoir's tankiness would allow it to withstand attacks after breaking through the line, while Ceruledge was a close second, especially with Flash Fire, which was a cheaper option compared to Weak Armor.  Weak Armor had its own advantages in Double Battles, but it wasn't suitable for Alex's plans. The last thing he needed was a Pokémon with low Defense, getting easily overwhelmed on the front lines. He also considered Pokémon with Mean Look to trap enemies. Frosmoth could already use Infestation, and Aegislash had Block, but Alex wanted something faster, like Gengar or Crobat. After some more research, he found the perfect additions. A retired Dusclops from Official matches, whose trainer had better options, and a Charcadet from a breeder who was retiring.  Alex also discovered a pair of Zubats from the same breeder, who were a couple. He purchased them as a pair, hoping their synergy could contribute to his team's growth. The Dusclops, with its use in Official matches as a supporter and potential for further development with Eviolite, cost Alex 700,000. The Charcadet and Zubat pair came to a total of 500,000. Charcadet was priced at 450,000 due to its rare ability to nurture Pokémon eggs, while the Zubat pair was expensive at 25,000 each. After a stressful negotiation over the Dusclops, Alex reluctantly accepted the costs, eager to just get it over with. The new Pokémon were sent over via PC, and Alex introduced them to the team. He also laid out their new training regimen and goals. In addition to the new Pokémon, Alex purchased a Reaper's Cloth and Malicious Armor for 300,000 credits. Both items were rare and difficult to find—Reaper's Cloth could only be obtained from haunted houses where murders had occurred, while Malicious Armor required a century of history to craft. It had been a challenge to find them online, and Alex was glad to have enough credits to make the purchase from the League instead. With his new additions and equipment, Alex was ready to continue his plans for the future, both in terms of training and preparing for future battles. That night, Alex sat his new Pokémon down to talk about their new situation. This was always the hardest part of accepting new team members who hadn't been born from eggs. These Pokémon had lived other lives, had experiences, and couldn't simply be handed over like tools—they had to be convinced. "Hello. My name is Alex, and I'll be your new trainer," he introduced himself. "Dusss." (Hello.) "Charr." (Hello.) "Zuu." (Hello.) (x2) "I work as a bounty hunter. I earn our food and shelter by tracking down criminals with bounties on their heads." A surprised flurry of sounds followed. Older Pokémon like these were no different from people—they understood what humans whispered about in fear. Their new trainer happened to be the type of person who hunted those dangerous criminals down. "In order to do my job and get paid, I need you four specifically for your skills. Dusclops and Charcadet—I plan to evolve you both. I want you on the front lines, using Phantom Force to disrupt enemy formations." "Dusclops!" he agreed, eyes lighting up. He'd always wanted to evolve and fight for his trainer, not just sit on the sidelines with Eviolite, using Trick Room and utility moves. "Char!" she chimed in eagerly. Taking care of eggs had been peaceful work, but she too longed to battle and prove herself. "Zubats—I want you two to use Mean Look. We can't let our targets get away." "Zuuu!" they chorused, nodding in sync. "Raticate!(They can scout!)" Raticate offered from the side. "…That's actually not a bad idea. What do you two think?" The pair exchanged hesitant glances. Scouting sounded dangerous, and they didn't know how to do it. Mean Look was fine. It could be used from afar but scouting sounded like being alone in enemy territory. Alex pulled out his Pokédex to double-check their profiles to see if they knew anything that could give them confidence. There had to be a reason the breeder charged more for them. Name: Zubat, Novice Type: Poison Flying, Female Ability: Infiltrator Moves:  Novice: Hypnosis(Egg Move), Quick Attack(Egg Move), Absorb, Supersonic, Astonish, Mean Look Description: Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Zubat avoids sunlight and instead roams dark caves and forests. It uses ultrasonic waves to navigate and hunt, flying silently through the shadows without making a sound. 'Hypnosis and Quick Attack? That shouldn't be possible…' Alex thought, stunned. He'd read the papers—egg moves were well-documented. Hypnosis came from the Hoothoot line. Quick Attack came from a completely different group. A Zubat shouldn't be able to have both. 'So that's why they were 2.5 times more expensive,' he realized. Zubats were normally as cheap as Rattatas—around 10,000 credits apiece—due to their overpopulation and lack of culinary or economic value. But both of these Zubats had the same move set. If bred, their children would likely inherit Hypnosis and Quick Attack too. It was a steady side income when marketed properly, though still unlikely to fetch more than 25,000 each due to their lack of popularity. 'Doesn't matter. With those moves, they'll be hard to catch—perfect for scouting and escaping,' he thought. He turned to Raticate and explained the situation. The veteran immediately assured the pair. "Raticate!(Leave it to me!)" he declared confidently. "Alright. I'm counting on you, buddy." Then Alex held up a Reaper Cloth and a piece of Malicious Armor. "Let's get you two evolved." Dusclops and Charcadet eagerly took the items in hand. Moments later, they both began to shine with radiant white light. The glow faded to reveal their evolved forms: Dusknoir and Ceruledge. Without waiting, they began testing their new limbs—throwing punches and swinging blades—getting a feel for their upgraded bodies. Meanwhile, Raticate ushered the Zubat pair off to the training grounds. He needed to instruct this pair on the ways of escaping. ----- Support me on Patreon patreon/babywrath