The League had doubled the price of the plots for sale in the valley at his request a few years ago. The total cost for the entire valley came to roughly 1.5 billion credits. Half of that was direct profit from Alex's information. With the League or Clarissa taking 80% of that profit, Alex was left with 150 million credits as his share.
This amount was likely considered pocket change to the rich and powerful, but for Alex, it was quite significant. Unfortunately, he had run out of ways to spend it. For now, he planned to hold onto it until he reached Champion rank. He didn't know what options were available yet, so it was best to wait and see what he could eventually spend it on.
Still, he needed to contact Clarissa to thank his benefactor. Any loyal subordinate would be expected to show proper reverence when receiving a boon from their goddess.
"Hey, Alex. Did you call to wish me luck?" Clarissa answered.
"Luck for what?" Alex asked. "I called to thank you for that favor years ago, the one where you raised the price of Clearstone Valley. My cut of the profit just came in, so I wanted to say thanks."
"Oh," she said, disappointment bleeding through the phone.
"Why? What's happening?"
"I guess I can't really blame you since you've never been interested in official battles," she sighed. "Today's the Indigo League Conference, Kanto Branch Finals. I'm up against the other finalist in a few minutes, and I thought you were calling to wish me luck."
"Holy shit! Aren't finalists for that usually at Champion rank? You've reached Champion already?"
Over the years, the minimum standard for the League Conference has been increasing ever since all TMs were made available. It has been steadily climbing to the point that it has now reached Champion rank at minimum. Alex didn't doubt that in the next few decades, that minimum would eventually increase to Master rank.
"Yeah. My team reached Champion rank this year, but I became Champion rank a few years ago with Charizard."
"Congratulations, Clarissa. I had no idea."
"You never called."
"Neither did you."
"What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, Alex, just calling to tell you I'm Champion rank now,' just to rub it in your face?"
"Just the first part of that last sentence would've been fine. Still, congratulations, and I do wish you luck in the competition."
"Thanks, I guess. How are you doing?"
"Great! My base just started construction and should be done by next year. I should also reach Champion rank by then."
"You're so mind-boggling, Alex. I can't believe you're getting that far without a sponsor like I have."
"Bounty hunting's pretty lucrative, so long as you survive long enough."
A buzzer went off on Clarissa's end.
"That's me. It was nice catching up, Alex, but I have a conference to win."
"Break a leg."
"Thanks."
Once Alex ended the call, he sat in the conference room for a moment, bewildered, before snapping himself out of it. He needed to watch this match.
"Nyx, pull up the Indigo League Conference, Kanto Branch Finals, live, right now, on the screen."
"Um… give me a sec," she replied as she started typing up on her device.
A moment later, the projector flickered to life, revealing a massive arena at Indigo Plateau filled with thousands of cheering spectators. The roar of the crowd carried through the broadcast like a storm of excitement.
At the center of the field stood a man with an emo look. He had long black hair draped over one eye and an unreadable expression. He looked middle-aged, though it was hard to tell if he was in his 30s or 100s; it depended on how early or late he managed to reach Elite rank.
"Up next, we have Clarissa Blackthorn!" the announcer declared. "And as you can probably tell from that name, ladies and gentlemen, she's the daughter of our very own Champions, Lance and Lorelei! You can expect great things from this young lady!"
The crowd roared louder than ever. It was clear who their favorite was.
From the side of the arena, Clarissa stepped into view in her signature red secretary outfit, pencil skirt, high heels, fitted blazer, and glasses. Her long red hair framed a sharp, composed face, the kind of look one might imagine on a sexy librarian.
'Damn,' Alex thought. 'I always pictured her as that same young girl whenever we talked, but she's definitely grown up over the years.'
They were roughly the same age and had reached Elite rank around the same time. Both looked like they were in their early 20s, young, sharp, and full of potential, despite actually being 28.
She reached her side of the arena before taking out a Pokeball from her belt, waiting for the start of the battle.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the stage is set! Two of Kanto's finest trainers are about to face off for the Indigo League Kanto Branch Championship title! Trainers, take your positions! Release your Pokemon in 3… 2… 1… Battle start!"
Ronan Crowe, the emo-looking trainer facing Clarissa, started off defensively. He sent out Tyranitar, which activated its Ability, Sand Stream, whipping up a Sandstorm across the battlefield. He followed up with Stealth Rock, scattering sharp stones that would damage any Pokémon switching in.
Clarissa responded by sending out her Alolan Ninetales, which immediately transformed the battlefield with its Snow Warning ability, summoning a blizzard. The Hail mixed with the ongoing Sandstorm, creating a chaotic swirl of sandy hail that formed a powerful, churning tornado. Both Pokémon took small amounts of damage from the combined storm.
She then used Aurora Veil, producing a thin, shimmering energy veil over her side of the battlefield. The move would boost her team's defenses, reducing both incoming physical and special damage by half.
"What an incredible start, ladies and gentlemen! Both trainers have immediately unleashed a raging hailing sandstorm, completely obscuring the battlefield. Don't worry if you can't see the action directly. Our special cameras are giving you a front-row view. Just look at the screens all around the arena to catch every moment!"
The screen displayed an outline of the battle, allowing the on-site audience to follow the action as it unfolded. The visuals were low-quality and just basic outlines, but they still gave a clear idea of the moves being used.
Ninetales started with Nasty Plot, aiming to get a head start. Unfortunately, Tyranitar had other plans, unleashing Rock Slide and burying her under a pile of rocks while dealing significant damage. Fortunately, Aurora Veil did its job, reducing the impact as the falling rocks slowed to nearly half their speed upon entering its area of effect.
Seeing its opponent buried in rubble, Tyranitar continued its assault, unleashing another Rock Slide. More stones rained down relentlessly, piling layer upon layer of debris over Ninetales.
Suddenly, a brilliant pink explosion burst from beneath the rubble as Ninetales unleashed Dazzling Gleam, blasting the rocks in every direction. The flying debris would have caused serious damage to the spectators if not for the shimmering energy shield that stopped it from reaching the stands.
The audience erupted into cheers at the sudden explosion and surge of action.
Tyranitar took a massive hit from the full-force, double-damage attack, powered not by two but by four stacks of Special Attack boosts. The impact was devastating as Tyranitar staggered but refused to go down, managing to unleash another Rock Slide just as a second Dazzling Gleam struck.
The exchange proved too much. Tyranitar collapsed from the damage, while Ninetales was left barely standing. Aurora Veil had bought her just enough time to pull off two Nasty Plots and two Dazzling Gleams, but it was clear she couldn't last much longer.
As Tyranitar was withdrawn, Ninetales used Baton Pass, passing her overwhelming power to the next Pokémon and setting the stage for continued devastation.
"What an incredible opening, ladies and gentlemen! Tyranitar came out swinging, but it just wasn't enough to shake our Ice Dragon Princess! With perfect timing and control, she turned the tables, took down her opponent's lead Pokémon, and even managed to Baton Pass her boosts to the next one! What an absolutely spectacular start to this battle!"
Ronan, seeing the Fairy type being withdrawn, decided to take a gamble and sent out Hydreigon. He had studied Clarissa's previous battles and knew she favored a half-Dragon, half-Ice team. With the storm still raging, he guessed she would likely send out Cetitan next to take advantage of the weather. Hydreigon's Levitate ability would keep it out of reach, allowing it to bombard its opponent from above without fear of retaliation.
Unfortunately, he wasn't aware of the third Ice type on Clarissa's roster and was caught off guard when she revealed a Glaceon. She hadn't used it in the competition before, as most of her previous opponents had already fallen to her overpowered Dragonite.
"What a horrible match-up, ladies and gentlemen. It's a Hydreigon against a Glaceon in the middle of a Hail after a four Special Attack stack Baton Pass. Can Ronan pull a rabbit out of a hat? Can Hydreigon do any meaningful damage? Can Clarissa pull off a sweep? Find out after this commercial break."
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