Interpol was an organization worth joining. They were a League-backed organization whose sole occupation was hunting down the worst criminals all over the world. It offered travel, sights, resources, and benefits that were apparently worth it, and most important of all, battles, which Alex craved.
Still, that was a problem worth considering once he reached Champion rank and read the next information packet. For now, Alex turned his attention to the situation at hand.
Gardevoir was overseeing the collection of fallen Pokémon for their meat. The six trainers had no bounties, but since they were recorded working under Brenner, they would be arrested. Sable was a nervous wreck after the intense battle. Steelix and Forretress would have to be taken back to the farm for burial. Frosmoth would have to be comforted. Raticate was still in Mega Form. There was much to be done, yet all Alex wanted at this moment was to lie down and sleep.
First things first, he released Raticate's Mega Form and was immediately hit with severe fatigue. Combined with his emotionally drained state, Alex felt ready to slip into a coma for a week. He stored Raticate and allowed him to get a good rest; he deserved it after being subjected to Alex's immense rage.
Shaking the lethargy away, he got down to business and had Gardevoir send the six trainers over. After a bit of interrogation while in the presence of Brenner's mangled corpse, Alex found out that they worked for Team Liminal, a criminal organization that focused on banditry between regions where crimes were harder to track. They operated in groups that had their own agendas and only exchanged information and resources remotely to keep each group from affecting the others.
This particular group, led by Brenner, relied on cheap and easily replaceable Elite ranked Pokémon to weaken their victims before their boss came along to finish them off. Their operation involved hunting the wilds for disposable Elites, training them minimally with threats and incentives, sacrificing them during an ambush, and selling off the meat afterward while maintaining a low maintenance cost.
Usually, targets like Alex were easy pickings despite having a high number of Pokémon at Elite rank, but they hadn't accounted for the existence of Stormline, which utterly destroyed both their rabble once it was given a chance.
As for their home base, they didn't have one. They constantly moved from place to place between jobs to ensure their safety, so there was no location for Alex to raid.
After the interrogation, Alex headed to Steelix's and Forretress's corpses before releasing Frosmoth, who was still fainted, and revived her. The moment she awoke, she started turning in place, ready for another fight, but soon noticed only Alex and Forretress's corpse beside her.
She cried out in agony with a long, drawn-out wail before landing on top of Forretress with her wings lowered. She was grieving the loss of her mate.
"I'm sorry," Alex said. "I failed all three of you in this fight. I can't promise it won't happen again, but I promise to do better."
"Fros~," she replied sadly, understanding their way of life.
Pokémon, more than humans, understood that death and struggle could come for them at any time. It wasn't a matter to be avoided but embraced for the sake of survival. Success meant more power and a longer life, while failure meant death and release from further struggle. Still, as a relatively sheltered Pokémon that had been raised from an egg, she was more fragile than those who were raised in the wild.
"Fross?"
"I killed the trainer responsible with my bare hands," Alex replied, showing his blood-stained hands.
She nodded before asking again, "Fros?"
"Raticate took care of that one, but he saved you a piece," Alex said, taking out a piece of Venomoth's meat.
Frosmoth gladly froze it and absorbed the nutrients, savoring the symbolism of defeating her enemy before settling down.
"If you want more, there's plenty left for you and the others. We also have some captives, though they're just humans."
A spark of rage burned in her eyes as snow started to fall from her body. To think there were still others left alive. She couldn't allow any of them to survive.
"Frosmoth!"
"Go for it," Alex replied, pointing to where the captives were held. "They're over there. Take your time."
Alex's philosophy was quite simple. If he could eat them, then they should be able to eat him as well. He was never bothered by the notion of his Pokémon eating humans, so long as they had the wherewithal to control themselves.
Gardevoir, for example, craved human minds, yet she always asked permission from Alex. This demonstrated restraint, control over their baser instincts, and greater intelligence. They were no longer animals that simply followed their desires but sentient beings who understood there was a proper place and time.
Frosmoth darted out and hovered above the six bound trainers, her wings spreading wide as a deep chill filled the air. Frost crawled over the ground in thin, branching veins, creeping toward the captives as they struggled helplessly against their restraints. Their screams rose in panic as their breath turned white in the cold.
Without hesitation, she unleashed a Blizzard that engulfed them in an instant. Cries turned to sharp gasps as ice sealed their throats, the cold biting through flesh and bone. One man's arm snapped clean off as he tried to twist free. Their muffled screams filled the air as the storm drowned them out beneath its howling wind.
Frosmoth landed silently and began to feed. She spread her wings wide and began to draw in the frost-covered air around her, absorbing the frozen moisture and blood. The snow and vapor swirled toward her like a gentle current, feeding the icy glow that pulsed faintly beneath her wings.
When it was over, all that remained were brittle bones and freeze-dried flesh. She flapped her wings and used Hurricane, scattering what remained of her enemies in the breeze, satisfied that Forretress's death had been avenged.
Sable watched from the side with conflicted feelings. On one hand, they deserved it. On the other hand, they had already surrendered and perhaps deserved to be imprisoned instead. Far more than that, however, was the notion of feeding humans to Pokémon. Everyone knew you weren't supposed to do it, but they kind of deserved it. In any case, she probably wouldn't lose sleep over it.
Alex stored Steelix and Forretress's corpses before approaching Sable, who was tending to her Pokémon while distracted by Frosmoth's feeding.
"Hey, how are you doing?" Alex asked.
"I could ask you the same thing. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thanks."
"So, what now?"
"We'll head to Johto, drop off a few corpses, and head to the farm in Kanto."
Sable nodded before asking the question that had been bothering her, "Did you have to kill them?"
"I've had my revenge. Frosmoth deserves hers too."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense… in a twisted, fucked-up kind of way. Still, did she have to eat them? It just feels… wrong."
Alex smiled before replying, "That's just how nature works. If you don't like it, stop eating Pokémon meat."
"No way!"
Alex laughed before Sable joined him as they enjoyed the moment. They had just been through one hell of a battle, and any chance for some emotional relief was welcome.
The pair rested until Gardevoir and Alex's Pokémon finished the cleanup. The bodies were all stored in space bags, while the survivors were captured. As for the Champions, they had been torn to shreds and shared among the team. The leftovers were set aside for those who had fought them the longest.
The island was devastated as a result of the battle, and the forest had been stripped bare. The ground was torn and cratered, with shattered trees scattered like debris. It looked as if the island had been bombarded by heavy artillery, with blood and bits of flesh staining the ground.
Once they were ready to leave, Gardevoir and Arcanine teleported the pair to Cianwood City, where Alex submitted the corpses and video evidence of the battle to the police. As for the bounty, the footage would have to be reviewed before payment could be issued, which would take some time. All the more so since this particular bounty had some red tape that would delay the process.
Finally, after a few more uses of Teleport, traveling through all of Johto and half of Kanto, they arrived at the farm.
"Daddy!" Alvera screamed once she realized Alex had arrived.
She had been waiting in the lobby all day since Nyx told them he would be coming home.
She ignored the blood soaking Alex's fists and clothes and ran over for a big hug.
Alex smiled, grabbed her, and did their little ritual, tossing her up in the air while acting like everything was normal.
Meanwhile, Vera and the others stared with concern at Alex's bloodied form.
"Alex? What happened? We were expecting you hours ago," Vera asked as calmly as she could manage.
"We were ambushed along the way. I… I lost Steelix and Forretress," he admitted with difficulty.
The girls gasped in shock at the news. Alex was so skilled at what he did that they had never imagined a scenario in which he could actually lose a Pokémon.
"Are you okay?" Vera asked.
"Just tired from the fight. And a bit dirty."
She stared at her daughter, who now had blood stains on her dress, and chose not to comment. The more negatively she reacted, the more panicked the child would become, so everyone pretended that the blood was normal.
"This is Sable," Alex introduced. "She's officially our new miner who will scope out the base and look for any mineral deposits to harvest."
"Hi," Sable said with a shy wave.
"Celise, bring her up to speed, would you?"
"Okay. Please follow me," she said, guiding Sable toward a guest room so she could get settled.
Before anyone else could ask for more details, Alvera hugged Alex tightly and said, "Welcome home, Daddy."
"I'm home, baby girl," he whispered, holding her close as the tension of the day slipped away.
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