"Tsareena, Clawitzer," Alex called out.
They quickly came to his side and noticed the wound. Tsareena used Aromatherapy to purge the poison while Clawitzer followed with a Heal Pulse to close it. Unfortunately, neither seemed to have any effect.
"Do you know why Pokémon only need Aromatherapy and Heal Pulse to recover from injuries, while humans require surgery?" Simone asked rhetorically.
"It's because they're energy-based beings. They can dissolve and expel harmful substances with a bit of energy. It's also why they faint when they take excessive damage; their systems need time to expel the harmful energy."
"Humans, however, are different. We can't dissolve their energy within our bodies and simply expel it. We have to remove the affected tissue before healing can take place. That's why Heal Pulse can't fully heal us; it only works once the damaged part is gone. In addition, their energy can't easily permeate human flesh, so surgery is required to reach the internal organs before Heal Pulse can be used."
"Potions work almost the same way they do on Pokémon, but they take much longer to travel through our system before—"
Alex called over Raticate while Simone started her monologue and had him cut away the contaminated flesh with Cut. It was only skin-deep and hadn't reached his bloodstream, so the poison was removed along with the affected area.
If any of it managed to enter his bloodstream, his Champion ranked physique was strong enough to resist it. He would likely expel it the old-fashioned way after a few days.
Then he had Tsareena use Aromatherapy again for good measure, before having Clawitzer close the wound with repeated use of Heal Pulse.
Once his arm recovered, with an obvious patch of reddened, regenerated skin, he turned to Simone and asked, "Sorry, what was that?"
She stood there, dumbfounded by the young man's recklessness, before letting out a sigh.
"Nothing. You can go ahead with the psychic evaluation."
"Sure. Malamar, if you would."
Dale and Morgan, who had regained consciousness thanks to the psychic evaluation, were equally dumbfounded by Alex's ruthlessness. This was a man who would never allow an enemy to take control of his actions, no matter what was at stake. It was a relief to know their boss was someone who could not be manipulated or subdued, because it meant they would never have to bow to anyone due to coercion.
Malamar approached, placed her tentacles on Simone's temples, and fed Simone's condensed memories to Alex.
Simone was actually over a hundred years old. She appeared middle-aged, exuding a motherly aura, and had held an Elite rank for a long time. She had been captured while investigating her daughter's disappearance and was rescued along with the others. Tragically, her daughter had died, and Simone had since dedicated herself to caring for those who found themselves in the same position her daughter had been in.
"You're definitely the strongest one here," Alex commented.
"You flatter me, young man," Simone replied. "Still, it's reassuring to know our leader is someone who doesn't take orders from others."
"I wouldn't call that a benefit. It guarantees I have plenty of enemies. I might be fine with the consequences of my actions, but you, my subordinates, would definitely suffer."
"You better have some damn good perks, then, so our suffering would be worth it," Morgan complained.
"Free training up to Elite rank, supplies in designated depots around the region, a bounty hunting information network, amenities once the base is up and running, fulfilling work, a tax shelter, camaraderie, and a bunch of other things that Celise will fill you in on later," Alex listed out. "All I ask is a percentage of your income and that you accept our organization's missions when they come up."
"What is the name of the organization?" Simone asked.
"The Silver Network," Alex answered.
Simone considered the symbolism and guessed, "Silver because of its purifying and evil-repelling properties, and network because—"
"At the end of the day," Alex interrupted, "the greatest benefit of the organization will be the network itself, a collection of well-trained and powerful bounty hunters who can collaborate on missions. That's why our organization's missions will matter the most. They won't just serve my agenda but those of other members as well."
Dale nodded in approval. This was exactly the kind of organization he needed, one that could provide support in taking down laboratories that were too heavily guarded.
Morgan agreed as well. She didn't like how Alex seemed to have been in control from the very beginning, but knowing the organization's purpose was reassuring. It was always better to have more competent people helping her rescue women from mind control and human trafficking.
Simone liked the idea too. There were plenty of people who needed protection, and if Alex could share even a fraction of his combat ability with them, they would be in good hands.
"By the way," Dale asked, "where's Robin? She was supposed to arrive early."
"She works for Umbraline," Alex answered.
All three widened their eyes at the revelation.
"She was a traitor?" Morgan asked in disbelief.
"Not really. She works for Umbraline to keep track of your activities and to poach talent along the way. Some of the more gifted recruits were sent to Umbraline's recruitment center when none of you were paying attention. Half of her group was being subtly manipulated into becoming spies. She hasn't betrayed you, though. That would be the girls under Lyra and Mika."
The trio turned to the pair in disbelief and noticed their angry expressions. It was true.
"Then the purpose of this battle?" Simone began.
"Is to isolate any remaining traitors from your groups and peacefully subdue them."
Whatever feelings of betrayal or annoyance they had toward Alex's attack immediately vanished. If their commander's group had been infiltrated by spies, it made sense that theirs had been as well.
Alex continued the probing and found roughly a dozen spies in total. They shared the same sob stories as those around them, but the difference was that they had been planted by their criminal organizations.
Some of them had been mind-controlled to act as spies. After being released, they needed further evaluation to determine whether they wanted to continue as bounty hunters. This would normally fall under Robin's responsibility, but given her circumstances, Simone stepped up to handle the logistics.
Others were spies who hadn't betrayed the group yet, as their objective was deeper infiltration. This included Robin and her group. Their memories were erased of sensitive information, including the list of members and their interactions, before they were tossed out of the base. Whether they made it back to civilization was no longer the bounty hunters' concern.
Those who had already shared information, however, were rounded up with the other traitors who had previously harmed the group. It became a tribunal where all members witnessed the traitors' exposure and their faction leaders' judgment. In the end, all of them were executed on the spot to show what happened to traitors in their midst.
Alex simply observed. There was nothing wrong with having factions within his organization. What mattered was that everyone cooperated under his umbrella and followed his relatively simple rules: don't piss off the League, respect the support staff, and play nice with each other.
Once the meet and greet ended, Alex left the bounty hunters in Celise and Metagross's capable hands.
Since they were currently understaffed, he convinced Metagross to act as a personal assistant to the bounty hunters through the use of drones. It refused at first, unwilling to waste time babysitting humans, but Alex eventually persuaded it by comparing the task to a simulation game. Except this one was far more complex, since it involved real people.
Metagross loved the idea and took charge, leading them around the main hub and showing them to their rooms. It even helped Lina cook for over a hundred people. It had to take care of its silly humans, after all.
Alex, meanwhile, chased after Robin and those who had been allowed to leave. He had just received a message from Umbraline regarding the misunderstanding, and they wanted to meet outside the valley.
He headed south until he reached the forested outskirts of Mt. Moon, where protected Elite ranked nests began to appear. There, he found the spies they had just released being slaughtered in droves.
They tried to defend themselves with their Pokémon, but against the Elite ranked poison specialist sent after them, they didn't stand a chance.
"You must be Alex," said a young man dressed in assassin's garb.
His face was concealed, revealing only amethyst eyes, a youthful voice, and pale skin around the eyes. He carried himself like a professional, though there was a roughness in his demeanor.
"Yes, that would be me."
"Umbraline sends its apologies. We didn't know this organization was directly under you."
"I find that hard to believe, given Umbraline's information gathering skills."
"There was a clerical error between those who handled Robin's contact and your file. It never occurred to them to check for your connection with Lyra and Mika, who were in charge."
"I see."
"We hope this," he said, gesturing to the dying spies, "is enough to show our sincerity."
"It's a bit much, considering I had already erased their memories, but I accept," Alex replied.
"Thank you for your generosity, and congratulations on reaching Champion rank."
"Send Ace my regards."
"Oh, he's been promoted. I'm the new manager of Umbraline's Kanto branch. You can call me Zack."
"Well, Zack, I hope you continue Ace's legacy of propriety. Despite your rough start, I'd say you're on the right track."
"Thank you, Mr. Wattson. That means a lot coming from you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some cleaning up to do."
The young man finished executing the remaining spies before vanishing into the forest. The style reminded Alex of Koga, and he wondered what connection the young man might have had to the former Elite Four.
Either way, this business was done. Alex turned back toward the base. There was plenty to do now that he had some fresh recruits to train.
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