In a shipyard southwest of Slateport City, Riven had just finished negotiating a long-term deal with Team Dominion to continue smuggling their goods in and out of the region. It was risky business that brought in a ton of money but was clearly in direct opposition to the League, to the point he had earned a bounty.
He was strong enough to fight off most trainers, while the bounty wasn't large enough for the truly powerful ones, so he was currently in the sweet spot between power and threat. If he kept this up, no doubt he would be thrown to the Sharpedo in due time. For now, however, there was money to be made, and his new clients were quite wealthy.
He considered his job to be middling in terms of services he could provide. Teleporters existed, after all, but because of the League's regulations, they had become scarcer to access lately, which was where his smuggling business came in. He provided a tax-free, untrackable, and cheap solution to move goods between the other regions and Hoenn.
His contacts all over the world ensured secrecy on both ends of the network, guaranteeing immense profits when dealing with Underworld elements. As for any ships that ended up missing, that was just the reality of threats out at sea.
He returned to his quarters in the shipyard, stripped down, and prepared for bed. After a quick shower and change, he killed the lights. That was when something felt off.
He felt eyes lock onto him from somewhere close. He reached for his Poké Balls at his waist but remembered he had just left the shower. He hurriedly turned on the lights, but all he could see was a black amorphous figure before him, its eyes swirling like a deep black abyss.
"GAH!" he screamed in fright, scrambling to the desk where he usually laid his Pokémon.
All throughout, he wondered why they hadn't left their Poké Balls to defend him yet.
"Looking for these?" the figure's garbled voice said.
It held up his belt, while the Poké Balls were locked and secured, preventing his team from aiding him.
He considered shouting for help but quickly killed the thought. There were no guards in his quarters because no guard was strong enough to matter when he was concerned. He was the strongest among his crew, which was why he was the boss, after all.
"What do you want?" he stammered, trying to regain his composure.
"You've been a naughty boy, Riven," the voice replied. "Team Dominion is picking a fight with forces beyond its level of strength, and you have chosen to toss in your lot with them. It stands to reason you would be leaving yourself vulnerable."
"You're here for my bounty?"
"Not quite. You aren't worth much to me, to be honest. Team Dominion, however, is another matter."
"You're insane! You want me to give up Team Dominion's shipping routes!"
"It's good you're not too stupid. Yes, I am here for their shipping routes. In particular, I am very interested in their ammunition."
"Forget the League and my bounty. Pissing them off would get me killed."
"Pissing me off has the same effect," the figure replied, its garbled voice rising before settling again. "Besides, the League will keep them busy for now. If I were you, I'd worry about more immediate threats."
Riven gulped. The implication was clear. He would die now if he didn't cooperate. He might not have been worth much, but he was still worth something.
In the end, he didn't have much of a choice. He was caught off guard by this mysterious assailant. He would have to prioritize his life for now rather than his business. He would just have to inform his business partners of what had happened, so he could keep up a bit of professionalism.
"I can see your risk assessment operating at full output. Let me make it easier for you to consider," the figure said. "I plan on taking 2 million bullets. Nothing more. This can be fulfilled by the disappearance of a single shipment. If you keep quiet, it will be a loss within acceptable parameters for you and them. If you inform them of me and of your betrayal, you will likely either die or lose your partnership, and they'll keep most of their resources. What do you think about that?"
Riven agreed that it would allow him to keep his relationship with Team Dominion. He would be able to remain safe for now. He would need to improve his security, however, as this figure was easily able to ambush him at any time. Perhaps moving to a new location was necessary.
"All right, I'll get you their routes, but I don't know what their shipments would contain. I only know the weight and number of crates."
"That's fine," the figure replied. "I'll do a bit of the heavy lifting for you. If I fail, however, expect another visit from me."
The figure stuck its hand out, expecting a physical copy of the information.
Riven moved to a secret safe behind his bed and fished out a tablet. It was loaded with a map displaying the locations of all the ships he had left trackers on. It ensured he was able to maintain constant access to any shipment that might need to disappear into the dangerous depths.
He tried messing with the tablet to remove his other shipments, but the figure grabbed it the moment it came out of the safe. The forcefulness made it clear to Riven that he was absolutely no match for his opponent, Pokémon or no.
"This will do," the figure said before walking to the light switch. "I hope we never meet again, Riven."
The figure flipped the switch, plunging the room into darkness.
Riven hurried to the switch and turned it back on, only to find himself alone, his Pokémon by the desk where he usually left them.
He doubted the experience briefly before noticing the moved bed and opened safe. It was clear it wasn't a dream or hallucination.
Whoever had come for him was not someone he could mess with.
"I should just retire," he said with a sigh.
-----
Alex, meanwhile, found a quiet corner to investigate the tablet and discovered a list of shipments. It included the ships' serial numbers, number of crates, load weights, routes, and even a map of their current locations. It seemed Riven was quite thorough with his backdoors.
Now, he found himself with a bit of a dilemma. On the one hand, he could track them down, investigate them in full, and raid them if they contained the ammunition. On the other hand, he could simply sell this device to Devon Corp and have them and the League handle the acquisition for the same price as his required resources.
The payout would be less, but at the same time, so would the required effort. He certainly didn't want to run around all over the open sea to track these shipments down one by one. His greed, however, flared briefly, wanting more resources up for grabs.
In the end, his laziness won. He was bloodthirsty and desired violence, but this path didn't lead to a challenge. It led to easy victories and hard-to-move supplies. A few million rounds of ammunition were enough for him to personally collect and deliver home, but he would have to put in quite the effort to retrieve everything in these shipments.
He decided to simply sell the device to the League for a tidy sum of 2 million bullets. This way, he met his target without wasting time.
As for his promise to Riven, that was his problem. Who told him to get a bounty placed on his head? Who told him it was acceptable for someone weak to own something the strong desired?
He waited until the next morning to call Janet from Devon Corp and set up a deal.
"Mr. Wattson, more good news, I hope?" she asked over the phone.
"Perhaps. What do you think Devon Corp or the League would offer for a device mapping Team Dominion's shipment routes, with a few extra secrets thrown in?"
"How many shipments?"
"I count over a hundred in this device, but I don't know who they belong to. I just know they all definitely belong to the Underworld, while a few might belong to Team Dominion."
"It will have to depend on what we find."
"I think you have the wrong perspective, Janet," Alex said. "It would depend on whether you can satisfy me here and now. Otherwise, I'll put in the effort to track them and take everything for myself."
"I'll have to ask my boss."
"Take your time."
Janet put Alex on hold and called her boss, Steven Stone. Her role was to act as liaison to the Jenny clan regarding their request for guns and combat gear, an order large enough that their products would be shipped worldwide. It was a major account, one Steven took seriously, which was why she answered only to him.
"Yes, Janet?" Steven said.
"Mr. Wattson, the bounty hunter from the Jenny clan, has a device that contains shipment routes from the Underworld, including Team Dominion. He's asking—"
"Acquire it at any cost!" Steven interrupted.
"Yes, sir."
"Janet."
"Yes, sir?"
"This bounty hunter, how is he?"
"He has a niche ability to hunt down targets that most trainers at his rank would find difficult. He has taken down a teleporter and a Champion ranked trainer. He accepts payments in the millions of bullets, and he will likely request something similar in exchange."
"Have him deliver the device to me personally."
"Yes, sir," she replied before cutting the call.
Alone in his office, staring at a projection of Groudon and Kyogre in slumber, he whispered, "This might be the chance I've been waiting for."
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