"The price on Gravik's head seems a bit cheap, doesn't it?" Nyx suddenly said. "Alex made about this much from Selene."
"That was a personal request rather than a public bounty, and it came with stipulations to avoid collateral damage," Rhea explained. "This, however, is an open contract without stipulations, meaning it is the cheaper price to pay to have him eliminated. Also, whoever put it up intends for there to be collateral damage wherever Gravik is located."
"Gravik is supposedly at Cinnabar City, on one of the high-rises," Nyx added before realizing. "Oooh~ whoever put it up wants Cinnabar City to burn to the ground?"
"I think it's Erika," Lyra chimed in. "Since the Gym Leaders of Cinnabar City allowed their Underworld elements to wreak havoc in her city, she wants to ensure they get a taste of their own medicine."
"Still, I think it's on the cheaper side as far as bounties go," Nyx said. "He's a Champion ranked trainer now, isn't he? He should be worth a lot more."
"He barely passes as a Champion," Kaia added, deciding to join in. "Alex's bounties are usually from targets the League doesn't particularly care about. They've done damage, sure, but they haven't pissed anyone off personally."
"This bounty, however, is different. He clearly pissed off Erika, who wants revenge, hence the 10 million credits. As for the original 30 million Pokédollars, that was probably the standard obligatory bounty for the leader of a criminal Team or faction."
"Um… why is no one talking about the other trainer?" Mika asked.
"He's most likely from Team Umbraline, which means the buildings that were destroyed belonged to them," Alex replied. "Team Umbraline has been interfering with the human supremacist faction's operations for the past few years. I guess Gravik finally lost it and decided to take the fight to them."
As they were discussing, Nyx suddenly exclaimed, "The bounty updated. It's now at 230 million Pokédollars."
"In credits?" Alex quickly asked.
"In cash."
"Then that bounty's from Team Umbraline," Alex said, eyes narrowing. "They must've lost some serious assets to pay out that much. It's enough to rebuild everything that was destroyed."
"Just the buildings, darling," Rhea corrected. "I bet they lost several data centers and high tech equipment too, not to mention loyal manpower. The total damage could easily cost ten times the bounty. Even for mega corporations, a loss like that would be significant."
"Is there an update on Gravik's location?" Alex asked Nyx, who was still glued to her phone.
"Sporadic information, all pointing to the commercial district of Cinnabar City. As for the bounty hunter's information site, there are plenty of leads pointing to Cinnabar City but none claiming to have their exact location."
The bounty hunter's information site offered data packets that claimed to contain valuable intel, charging a percentage of the bounty to access them. This was how most bounty hunters made their money by selling leads to those capable of taking down the target.
"Given Gravik's Pokémon, he wouldn't stay long in the commercial district. He'd need a wide open area large enough to host battles for his particularly destructive Elites. It would have to be at least as large as the farm to hold battles of that scale," Alex analyzed.
"There's no place like that in Cinnabar City," Nyx explained. "The landmass is limited, so most of the city was built over the water to allow for expansion. If they're hiding somewhere, it's either in the volcano, underground, or beneath the waters."
"Is the commercial district built over the water?"
"Yes."
"Then maybe there's an underwater facility beneath one of the buildings."
"You almost got it right, Alex," Nyx exclaimed. "I just checked the assassination board, and Gravik's profile has been updated with his location."
Target Profile: Gravik Drayne
Pokémon: Snorlax (Champion), Tyranitar, Obstagoon, Bisharp, Ursaluna, Hydreigon
Threat Level: Champion Rank
Contract Value: 130 million Pokedollars or 10 million credits(Team Umbraline) and 30 million Pokedollars
Status: Kill on Sight
Gravik Drayne, male, 34, 6'2" (188 cm), muscular build, dark grey eyes, burn scar on left cheek, black hair with shaved sides and a coarse top. Typically seen in a heavy black armored coat, bearing a large unknown insignia tattooed across his back. Gravik is the known leader of the Kanto Human Supremacist Faction, commanding decentralized militant cells across the region.
Recent intel places Gravik Drayne in the Cinnabar City commercial district, with confirmed access to an underwater facility southeast of the city that serves as a command center for his operations. Extreme caution is advised, as the surrounding waters harbor aggressive aquatic Pokémon nests, making approach and extraction high-risk due to environmental hazards and potential hostiles.
"The price is lower than the League's," Mika noted.
"That's because trainers can only complete one of the contracts," Nyx explained. "The Underworld likely intends to pay League trainers in Pokédollars, reserving credits exclusively for those within their ranks."
"What if someone belongs to both, like you?" Lyra asked, having been told about Alex's other income stream.
"The credits have to be tied to an account with Team Umbraline, which I don't have," Alex replied. "My only connection is through anonymous banking, so I wouldn't qualify for both. Honestly, I prefer the League's payout anyway. It's cleaner and less of a headache."
"So, what are you going to do, Alex?" Nyx asked.
Alex turned to Rhea with a grin. "Rhea, I'm going to need your largest portable space bag."
"Yay, more stuff!" Rhea cheered. "Make sure to grab more crystals. They're the only way we can increase our number of drones."
"You got it."
As the group continued discussing the bounty on Gravik, similar conversations were unfolding across Kanto. Trainers from all walks of life studied the headlines, weighed the risk, and began making their move.
Once a trainer gained 8-badge-level access within the League, they no longer needed a bounty hunter license to collect bounties. That made the credits on Gravik's head especially tempting, taking him down could fund their dreams, just as Alex hoped to do.
For trainers operating at the Elite level and beyond, pokedollars were little more than loose change. True wealth was measured in credits, a currency backed either by the League or the Underworld.
Now, both League-aligned trainers and their Underworld counterparts had caught the scent. And when blood is in the water, the sharks begin to circle. Everyone wanted in on a payout that rivaled the ones Alex had earned from taking down Don, spearheading the Pokémon flood, and most recently, the request from Misty.
There was a reason both the League and the Underworld took such passive stances when it came to trainer-on-trainer conflict. On the surface, it was concern for civilian safety. In truth, it was about control, keeping the strongest trainers on a leash, or at least steering their instincts.
The Pokémon world was like an open ocean, teeming with powerful predators. Some swam in the League's current, upholding order and stability. Others moved through murkier waters, answering only to themselves and the services the Underworld provided.
But no matter which current they followed, one truth remained: even the strongest need to eat. And the credits on Gravik's head was more than enough to feed a predator.
In a video call between Champion Lorelei, Gym Leader Erika, and Gym Leader Blaine, tensions were high as Erika was being scolded for placing a credit bounty on Gravik.
"Do you realize what you've done?" Lorelei scolded. "Trainers are going to lose their minds over this. That bounty is absolute overkill."
"He destroyed my flower shop!" Erika snapped.
"That was just one small location. You make more than enough from your gym and the League stipend," Lorelei replied.
"It's not about the money. It's about my flower shop. I had so many plans for it."
Lorelei rubbed her forehead, already feeling the headache building. Nothing was more unreasonable than a powerful woman with a perceived slight. She would know, given how much Lance had to put up with her. She sighed and turned her attention to Blaine, who seemed distracted by something off screen.
"And you, Blaine. You have known where Gravik was this entire time. You should have dealt with him before it reached this point."
Blaine finally focused on the screen and gave a tired shrug. "This was his first strike. Until now, his faction has done a good job stimulating the economy. I did not expect him to lose his temper like a child and throw a tantrum. That said, I will take responsibility for this matter. I will send the other Gym Leaders to keep the situation under control."
"First strike? What about when he had Brennan, your Ice Gym Leader, assassinated, and succeeded? Or when he nearly got you and Caspian killed?"
"None of those incidents were ever directly linked to Gravik. The assassins that came after us were dealt with. Brennan, meanwhile, was just incompetent."
Lorelei stared at him, unconvinced. She knew Blaine was full of it, but she lacked the time or energy to care at this point. In the end, she decided to let him deal with the fallout. Thousands might die, but at least the economy would thrive during the rebuilding.
As for Gravik Drayne, Champion or not, he had crossed the line, and with both the League and the Underworld putting credits on his head, he was as good as dead.
-----
Support me on Patreon
patreon/babywrath