Alex waited out the week as instructed and simply meditated the rest of the time. Progress was slow, almost non-existent since the first time he had meditated. But it wasn't supposed to be a quick process to begin with, so he patiently divided his time between Aura meditation, energy meditation, and having fun with Sable, who didn't mind wasting time with him.
This whole meditation thing was an absolute eye-opener for her, so she didn't mind putting focus on it to grow her sight. Also, Alex had already started paying her in credits, so it wasn't like she was simply wasting time. Getting a good night's rest wasn't exactly that much of a waste either, since it had been a while since her last private encounter
Meanwhile, throughout Hoenn, Elite and Champion ranked trainers were contacted by Steven Stone for a special mission and offered lucrative compensation for their participation, easily five times what they would have earned from a regular bounty. It wasn't an enormous sum, but it more than justified the effort, especially considering they could work in groups or were individually worth the cost due to their extensive roster of Elite ranked Pokémon, much like Alex who commanded 30 at once.
The Champions, on the other hand, were offered ten times the estimated bounty they would normally receive. In exchange, they were sent against equally strong opponents and required to cooperate with the Elites, ensuring they could survive their encounters.
At the same time, word on the street was that trouble was coming, so most trainers began hiding and barricading their homes in case a stray attack reached them. The rest of the general population remained uninformed and continued with their lives as usual.
The Underworld immediately sensed that something was about to happen. They similarly went into hiding and toned down their activities, all while arming themselves in preparation for retaliation should they become targets.
The Gym Leaders, largely kept in the dark, were frustrated by the situation, but orders from the Champion himself required them to be ready, so they reluctantly accepted acting with limited information.
Team Dominion, however, knew they were the target of this specific maneuver. It was obvious, particularly since they had recently stolen some highly valuable relics of power. In response, they gathered their forces and positioned them strategically to inflict the greatest possible collateral damage.
Steven tried his best to keep everything a secret, but it only took a single whisper to reveal his movements. It was unfortunate, as the stakes had just increased significantly now that his prey knew he was coming. Still, they were in for a rude awakening once they saw the full extent of his carefully orchestrated plan.
Finally, a week later, Alex received his orders. His target was an underwater base just outside Rustboro City, and he was to begin his attack as soon as possible.
He remembered that particular location from his meeting with Steven. A ship had stopped there for a few days before continuing its voyage.
There was no additional information, however, not even who he would likely be up against. Not that it mattered in the end, so long as they were on the weaker side of Champion rank.
"I'm heading out, Sable," Alex called.
"Okay, have fun," she replied, resuming her Aura meditation.
"Things might get chaotic today, so keep your guard up."
"Why? What's happening?"
"Steven Stone wants to finish off Team Dominion decisively. I don't know how it's going to play out, but I can already guess plenty of people will die. Just make sure you protect yourself."
"Okay. Be careful, then."
Alex left and flew on Hydreigon, heading west of the city into open waters, before arriving at the location a few minutes later.
He landed in the water atop Hydreigon and released his water team to give them specific instructions. With a flash, Gyarados, Milotic, and six Wishiwashi appeared, all at Elite rank.
"Here's the plan," Alex said. "I want you to stick together and locate an underwater base for me. Once you find it, destroy the shell and attack anyone who comes out. Leave none alive."
The water team nodded in acceptance before diving.
Alex, meanwhile, released the rest of his Pokémon. He didn't release Forretress or Steelix, as they were the only ones without the ability to run on water, float on the surface, or fly. Even Magnet Rise wouldn't work, since it only functioned atop solid ground.
The rest, however, scattered as they waited for battle.
As for Alcremie, she stood on Hydreigon's head and remained with Alex to defend him.
The plan was relatively simple, play whack-a-mole until nothing came up to the surface, while his water team wreaked havoc beneath the waves. Any who tried to flee would be hunted down. With Arcanine, Togekiss, and Raticate on the chase, escape without taking damage was nearly impossible, and the Crobat couple ensured that the stronger opponents stayed locked down completely.
A few minutes later, large bubbles came up to the surface a mile away, so they repositioned and kept their guard up.
Suddenly, a burst of energy shot through the water, aiming straight for the surrounding Pokémon. Fortunately, they were able to use Protect in time to defend themselves.
Then, with an explosion of water, a Wailord burst from the surface while being harassed by six equally large Wishiwashi in Schooling Form. They were only half the size of the Wailord, but there were six of them, and their attacks left the Wailord in dire straits.
Before it fainted, the Wailord opened its mouth, allowing a Pelipper to fly out with a trainer riding on its back. The trainer retrieved the fainted Wailord while trying to escape, leaving the Wishiwashi to return to the depths and continue their extermination of survivors.
Alex didn't need to give a command, as his Pokémon immediately attacked under Gardevoir's direction.
Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, Dazzling Gleam, Dragon Pulse, and other long-ranged attacks flared to life as they chased after the escaping trainer. The Pelipper tried to dodge or use Protect, but the sheer density of attacks overwhelmed it. In no time, the Pelipper was knocked out, sending its trainer crashing to the water.
Gardevoir continued the bombardment, uncaring of the stamina drain, as more Pokémon were released to protect their trainer. Among them were two Champion ranked Pokémon, an Exploud that immediately used Boomburst to disperse the incoming special attacks and a Linoone that used Surf to carry them out of attack range.
Their escape was short-lived as Arcanine and Togekiss used Extreme Speed to block their path. Raticate followed up with Quick Attack for harassment, and the Crobat couple used Mean Look to trap the pair in place.
The trainer, a young-looking, well-dressed man who had seen better days, started shouting out commands, but it was futile as more special attacks rained on them. They defended with Protect and managed to stave off the assault, but it killed their momentum. It was only a matter of time before they were taken down.
Time that Alex used to get close and fire Feint bullets to disrupt their Protect chain, allowing Ceruledge and Dusknoir to dash out of the shadows and use Phantom Force to behead the trainer.
Exploud and Linoone launched into an offensive frenzy, aiming at Ceruledge and Dusknoir, the Pokémon that had killed their trainer. The pair quickly dove back into the shadows, forcing the champions to change their focus.
Shifting their attention, they targeted Arcanine and Raticate, who drew them straight into the defensive team's firing line. The defensive team unleashed a relentless barrage of special attacks on the enraged champions while defending with alternating Protects.
It was a flawless display of bait-and-switch, executed perfectly against overpowered, albeit enraged, opponents. A tactic straight out of the boss fights Gardevoir had mastered in games. Metagross would have been proud.
The battle continued in a one-sided manner as the enraged Pokémon fought in a futile attempt to avenge its trainer. The defensive team was relentless, alternating Protect, status moves, and special attacks to whittle them down.
Finally, after a few more exchanges, Exploud and Linoone were taken out. It was a quick and easy battle against one of the strongest opponents Alex and his team had fought to date, made trivial by their larger numbers and tactical advantage.
Over the next few minutes, more trainers bubbled to the surface of the sea with their Pokémon, but they couldn't escape the encirclement and subsequent bombardment. In particular, the Crobats were far too quick, shutting them down with Mean Look.
"Clean up," Alex said once it seemed no more trainers were appearing.
The water team dove down with space bags to collect ammunition from the hidden base. They were trained well enough to know exactly what to look for.
The rest of the team were retrieved, leaving only those who could fly or float to defend. Runners like Arcanine and Raticate took a well-earned rest after the stamina-draining exertion.
Meanwhile, Alex reflected on the battle and noticed a potential problem.
"I need Pokémon with Feint," he muttered. "I can't rely solely on Ceruledge and Dusknoir if their opponents are Normal types that use Protect. They also have to be just as effective at getting close without being spotted."
Ceruledge and Dusknoir did an excellent job as line breakers, allowing the attack team to wreak havoc. Unfortunately, there had been more than enough times when their attacks missed because of the Normal typing. He would need Feint in order to counter these types of opponents.
"I'll have to think about it more when I get back to the farm."
As Alex wrapped up the battle, the sky suddenly brightened. Harsh sunlight started beating down on them, making it obvious that it wasn't a natural phenomenon. Alex braced for an ambush from some Sunny Day team, but no attack came. The sun simply pressed down, unyielding.
The temperature climbed with every passing moment, and the waves around them began to churn violently. Something was happening, something far beyond a normal battle.
And Alex realized, with a chill, what that might be.
-----
Support me on Patreon
patreon/babywrath