Chapter 68. Checking the Net

It had been a month since Alex left those cameras to spy on the campsite. By now, they had either gathered incriminating evidence or had been discovered, offering the criminals a temporary sigh of relief, believing they had avoided their unseen predator.

Either way, it was time for Alex to check the site. He would either profit from it again or put an end to it permanently.

The next day, at Saffron City's eastern gate, a tall, muscular woman stepped out into the wilds. She wore a cap pulled low, a leather jacket, a skirt, and combat boots. 

Half her face remained hidden beneath the brim of her hat as she walked with a purposeful stride, blending into the foot traffic before slipping onto the less-traveled trails.

Half an hour later, she veered into the forest, heading toward the familiar cave that once held 32 prisoners. Finding no one around, the woman began stripping away her disguise, revealing Alex beneath. 

The getup was necessary—crime syndicates worth their salt always had sentries watching the gates, and Alex had no doubt that his profile was being actively observed.

It wasn't hard to connect the dots. With the sheer number of bounties he had claimed, any spies within the police force would have immediately linked him to the dismantling of the teams being sent from the camp.

Dressed once more in his bounty hunting attire, Alex mounted Hydreigon and took to the skies, making his way toward the encampment. He wasn't expecting much at this point—if his presence was discovered along the way, so be it.

Upon arrival, he noticed the camp had doubled its security, with two dozen guards patrolling the perimeter. Whether this was meant to reassure the remaining teams or to put their boss at ease, it was clear that it had come at a cost. Increased manpower meant dipping into their profits.

Alex asked Rotom to check on the cameras, and to his surprise, they were all still intact. That raised a question—were these criminals cunning enough to leave the evidence untouched as bait, or were they simply too incompetent to notice them?

Regardless, the results were clear. Rotom compiled a report, confirming that every individual in the camp was guilty of crimes severe enough to warrant immediate action by the League. The list was extensive—kidnapping, rape, murder, theft, and a slew of other offenses.

This was a massive win for the League, but a frustrating setback for Alex. None of these criminals had active bounties, meaning he couldn't legally claim a reward for them. However, given his recent streak of high-profile arrests, the League would be under pressure to compensate him if they wanted him to continue.

Only time would tell how they would handle it.

Alex considered how he would assault the camp now that they had doubled their guards. A frontal assault seemed ideal—knocking out as many people as possible to throw their Pokémon into disarray before cleaning them up in one decisive strike. Alternatively, he could surround the camp and attack from all sides using his maxed-out Pokémon.

After some thought, he settled on the second option. It would keep the camp in chaos long enough for him to incapacitate as many guards as possible and then clean up the rest. It might not guarantee capturing everyone, but it would secure a more decisive victory.

Consulting Metagross for tactical input, he and Rotom devised the best plan of action given their limited numbers and preparation time.

Alex strode forward alone, walking directly into the campsite under the watchful eyes of the guards. Approaching from the south, he carried a confused expression, as if he had just wandered in by accident.

"Halt! Show your identification, or you'll be detained for questioning," one of the guards barked. An Electrode and a Manectric flanked him, both eyeing Alex warily.

Before anyone could react, an Altaria swooped down from the sky with an Alcremie riding on its head. It hovered above the center of the camp and immediately unleashed Perish Song, sending waves of panic through the encampment.

Chaos erupted. While the humans wouldn't die, they would all be knocked out within a minute, leaving them defenseless.

The guard in front of Alex turned toward the commotion, giving Alex the perfect opening. He swiftly released Forretress and Clawitzer. Forretress immediately began setting up hazards while Clawitzer prepared Surf.

Meanwhile, Alex pulled out his guns—shooting three Decorates into Clawitzer, supercharging the incoming attack.

Electrode and Manectric reacted, firing off Thunderbolts, but Alex countered instantly. With the other gun he fired a Heal Pulse, negating the damage as it came.

A moment later, a torrential Surf erupted from Clawitzer's claw, sweeping through the camp. Guards and their Pokémon were knocked off their feet, their Poké Balls releasing more defenders in a desperate bid to protect their trainers.

Some Pokémon managed to use Protect in time—but none of them survived a second hit.

Above, Altaria finished her Perish Song, but not without resistance. Attacks flew at her midair, only for Alcremie to counter with alternating Protects and Dazzling Gleams, keeping them both aloft and their enemies at bay.

On the north side, Arcanine barreled through the guards with Extreme Speed, knocking everything aside before unleashing a scorching Heat Wave, igniting further chaos. 

Togekiss followed, raining down Air Slashes to finish off anyone left standing.

On the east side, Kommo-o charged in with battle lust in his eyes. Standing in the midst of the guards, he slammed the ground with Earthquake, unleashing a devastating tremor that collapsed tents and knocked out all non-Flying Pokémon. The eastern quarter of the camp lay in ruins. 

Behind him, Frosmoth sent out a relentless barrage of Blizzards and Ice Beams, ensuring that those who escaped the quake wouldn't get far.

On the west side, Hydreigon tore through the battlefield in an unstoppable rampage. With maxed-out stats, type advantages and dominant stats were irrelevant. She was simply the strongest thing here. 

Raticate followed close behind, finishing off stragglers where necessary. He was only grateful that Hydreigon had the sense not to use Earthquake, or he would have been in serious trouble.

The attack was swift and devastating. Even as more and more Pokémon popped out of their trainers' Poké Balls to defend them, it was already too late.

By this point, every trainer had succumbed to Perish Song and lay unconscious. Their Pokémon either stood guard over their fallen bodies or retaliated in desperation. 

Any who attempted to flee found themselves slammed to the ground by Gravity, before being swiftly knocked out by the nearest invader.

From a vantage point overlooking the camp, Metagross watched the battle unfold with glee. To it, this was like a real-life strategy game—one that it was winning effortlessly.

Alex truly was a genius to have employed it in such a manner. No one else understood its brilliance. No one except Alex.

As the dust settled, the entire camp lay in ruins. Every Pokémon had been knocked out, their unconscious forms sprawled next to their trainers.

In all honesty, Alex was surprised at how flawlessly the assault had gone. He had underestimated just how overwhelming maxed-out stats would be on already powerful Pokémon.

He had expected the camp to at least put up some organized resistance, maybe even create enough of a distraction for a few to escape. But in the end, Metagross' coordination had ensured a perfect victory. Choosing it to oversee the battle had been the best decision he could have made.

Immediately, Alex ordered the cleanup.

Surprisingly, not a single person had died. Their Pokémon had prioritized protecting their trainers, instinctively throwing themselves between their humans and incoming attacks. 

More Pokémon had burst from their Poké Balls throughout the fight, desperately trying to shield their owners—only to be knocked out in a single move before the cycle repeated.

Once again, it all came down to Metagross' strategic brilliance. Its unparalleled calculating ability had assigned precise targets and optimal moves to each of Alex's Pokémon, ensuring maximum efficiency with zero wasted effort.

It was a perfect execution—and a testament to the sheer power of coordination and superior stats.

In total, Alex had captured a hundred Pokémon and arrested 25 people. There were still more Pokémon locked in Poké Balls throughout the camp, but this was their haul. Alongside them, a handful of women who had been captured over the past week were also found.

After taking their testimonies, Alex brought everyone—and everything—to the hideout in the cave. He returned their belongings, provided them with fresh clothes in case they needed a change, and made a request: keep quiet for a week.

At the end of that week, he would ask them to come forward with their complaints. This delay was crucial—it would ensure as many criminals as possible could be taken down before word spread. 

Understanding the reasoning, they agreed. Before leaving, they cleaned up and made their way to Saffron City, doing their best to maintain happy ignorant expressions so as not to attract the attention of any sentries.

Alex estimated it would take no more than a day or two before the camp ceased sending out teams and instead called for reinforcements. That gave him a hard deadline of one week.

For now, there were ambushes to plan.

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