"Sold to private room number 11. Congratulations on your successful bid," the auctioneer declared onstage with a cheer.
"Who is in room 11?" Marlo asked from his private booth.
His secretary tapped on her tablet a few times before replying, "Sable Mercer, a miner from Hoenn who started mining in the Grand Underground 6 months ago. She has 3 masked bounty hunters with her as bodyguards, but we've confirmed that all 4 of them are merely at Elite rank, with Sable being close to reaching Champion."
"Just 6 months ago? They managed to mine that many Spheres in just 6 months? Are you sure they didn't get it from somewhere else?"
"We do not have enough information to determine the source of their Spheres. All we know is that they have a residence registered with us through Umbraline in Oreburgh underground."
"Something isn't right. They harvested Spheres too fast. This is certainly a setup. Tell me more about these bounty hunters."
The secretary continued tapping on her tablet, purchasing additional information from Umbraline before relaying her findings. "They belong to a bounty hunting organization in Kanto called the Silver Network, led by a recent Champion named Alex Wattson. Based on his track record, he doesn't seem to have enough influence in Sinnoh to have provided the Spheres."
"Hmmm… It still doesn't seem right. Something is wrong with this setup. Tell the boys not to pick a fight with this group and just observe from the shadows."
"Yes, sir."
"Also," Marlo said with a wicked smile, "forward this information to our patrons who ask about room 11. Try to word it in a way that'll make them make a move."
"Yes, sir."
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Brutus Hardwell sat on the couch in private room number 13, already bored. None of the items up for auction interested him. He'd come hoping to offload his Spheres, but with nothing worth bidding on he simply slumped back and waited.
He was, however, interested in private room number 11 since their spending far exceeded his own budget.
"Tell me about room 11," he asked the staff.
"The information will cost 1,000 Spheres," she replied.
Brutus waved his hand, authorizing the withdrawal. The staff member checked her tablet and relayed the information.
"The guest in room 11 is Sable Mercer, a miner from Hoenn, protected by 3 Elite ranked bounty hunters from the Silver Network, a bounty hunting organization led by Alex Wattson, a Champion ranked bounty hunter," she read before continuing. "It is assumed that Sable somehow mined all the Spheres spent today over the past 6 months, as there are no prior records of her entering Sinnoh before then, nor any connections that might explain the source of her Spheres."
"Alex Wattson? Why does that sound familiar?" Brutus muttered, thinking for a moment. Then it clicked. "Right, he's the bounty hunter who tried to buy my information. Is this supposed to be bait? What kind of dumbass would fall for this crap?"
He was keeping a low profile for the next few decades so picking random fights wasn't on the table. He wasn't interested in the slaves or the Plate they bought either, and they had probably burned through their Spheres already. As for Sable digging up that many Spheres in just 6 months, he had no interest in chasing that kind of grind. He would rather head back to his base and relax.
The auction dragged on through a few more items before finally wrapping up.
Brutus stood and stepped out of his room just as the group from private room 11 emerged as well. They headed toward the exit, paths briefly crossing.
Brutus didn't notice the faint flicker of a shadow that slipped between them and merged seamlessly with his own.
Unaware of anything amiss, he continued on his way home.
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"This trip was worth it," Alex muttered with a wide smile. Who would have thought he'd run into Brutus at the auction house rather than needing to lure him into attacking Sable?
Unfortunately, he was too busy to deal with Brutus. So, he sent Aegislash to spy on him and locate his base. Alex planned to pay him a visit once he had the time. For the moment, he was in a hurry to get his hands on the Plate and ensure its safety. They also needed to retrieve Mika's slaves and escort them to the League, a long trek back to the surface.
The group left the room and headed to the exchange counter, completing the exchange without incident. They were presented with 50 people whose mind control had been removed, all nervous about their new owner. Transporting them was not the auction's responsibility. Ideally, the buyers would have a way to contain the group, whether through coercion, mind control, or physical methods.
Fortunately, Mika was able to convince them that they would be set free once they reached a police station. Despite this, all of them begged to go with her, since they had no one and nothing waiting for them except life on the streets, a path likely to land them in the same position again.
Alex wasn't about to teleport so many people through Interpol, so he planned to have Nyx set up a route to Kanto from their location. This way, they could either join the Silver Network as bounty hunters or seek better opportunities through Simone.
For now, they needed to get these people to their Oreburgh Underground base, deliberately taking the long way to give their pursuers a chance to make a move.
Once they left the auction house, they headed to a trucking company and purchased a truck typically used to transport ore in bulk between the city and the dig site. They loaded up the people and drove out of the city amid curious onlookers.
Alex drove with Sable beside him in the passenger seat, while Lyra and Mika rode outside on Lyra's Mightyena as escorts. Alex's pair of Chandelure lit the way forward, and his Rhyperior covered their rear.
It didn't take long before they received their first paycheck. Ahead of them, a group of five Elite ranked trainers stood in the tunnel, guns drawn and surrounded by their Pokémon. The smiles on their faces showed just how confident they were.
"Rotom, check them for bounties," Alex commanded.
"A total of 80 million Pokedollars," Rotom announced after scanning their faces.
"Chump change," Alex muttered, then turned to Sable beside him. "Are we being observed?"
"It's a bit hard to tell since I'm in the truck, but I think so. There are 5 more trainers behind us, 2 on each side along the walls, and 1 in front of us past these guys."
"So we're completely surrounded by 15 trainers. This is going to be tricky," Alex muttered.
He couldn't risk exposing himself too early, as it would scare away future paychecks. He would have to play it defensively for now.
"Let's get out and see what they want. Check for ambushes and make sure our surroundings are secure," Alex said.
"Alright."
Alex and Sable stepped out of the truck and moved to the front. Sable's voice rang through the tunnel, sharp and irritated. "What do you want?"
The trainers snickered among themselves before one stepped forward with a smug grin.
"Looks like you're carrying a bit too much weight for this tunnel. Maybe sharing some of it with us would help lighten your load."
"No, thanks," Sable replied, her patience already thinning. "We'll manage. Now move."
"No can do, miss miner. You're a little too wealthy for your own good. Surrender, and we'll make sure you're treated nicely."
"Hey," one of the men off to the side called out, laughing under his breath. "She's pretty hot. Maybe we can have a bit of fun."
"Shut up, Jake," another snapped. "She's too valuable for you to screw around with. If we use her right, we'll be rolling in Spheres by next year's auction."
"Thanks for the confession," Alex said before turning back. "Lyra, Mika, take care of them."
Lyra, Mika, and Sable immediately released their Pokémon, while Alex sent out his defense team.
"Attack, but try not to hit Sable!" the lead man shouted.
Lyra and Mika's Pokémon instantly formed a defensive formation, alternating Protect while their attackers did the same, creating a storm of energy in the tunnel that threatened to collapse it. None of them were idiots, though. They dedicated their Ground and Rock type Pokémon to reinforcing the tunnel.
Sable sent her Pokémon to surround the truck while reinforcing the walls, floor, and ceiling. Meanwhile, Alex and his team rushed to the rear, where another five trainers were charging toward the vehicle.
They quickly fell into defensive formations, their shields and attacks igniting the tunnel in a flash of energy.
Suddenly, the walls on either side of the truck erupted as 12 Pokémon charged, clashing with Sable's team.
Alex released his attack team, splitting them to cover both flanks, then handed full command to Gardevoir.
A moment later, he heard Lyra and Mika's panicked cries over his helmet. "Alex! There's a Champion ranked trainer here, and his Pokémon are tearing through our formations! Come help, quick! I don't think we can hold out much longer!"
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