Marlo was busy looking over the income from the auction when his secretary knocked on his office door.
"Come in," he said without looking up.
"I have an update on Sable Mercer," the secretary said.
"And?"
"The Slave Market's Champion Evan Calder was killed attempting to apprehend her, along with his entire team."
Marlo smiled menacingly. The Slave Market was an unpopular establishment in his city. No one liked knowing they could be enslaved at any moment, much less tolerate an institution built to support it, but they were rich and powerful, so he had to stomach their presence.
Them losing a Champion wasn't much of a hit, but it was still a hit regardless. They weren't likely to start any maneuvers anytime soon because of it.
"And is Alex Wattson among them? Was there a Champion among the bodyguards?" he asked.
"They couldn't tell. They were too far when the fight started and too late when they arrived. The fight ended in less than 10 minutes."
"Why were they so far?"
"Sable is known for her ability to sense an incoming ambush, so they took proper precautions to ensure they weren't detected."
"She can sense incoming ambushes?" Marlo asked, shocked.
"Yes, it was included in the report I forwarded to you."
Marlo leaned back in his chair as realization struck.
"She managed to harvest a hundred thousand Spheres in half a fucking year."
"We haven't confirmed—"
"No, you idiot. Her ability to sense incoming ambushes is likely the result of her talent from a Ground type affinity. This means she really can dig up all those Spheres if she wants."
This changed everything. Such an amazing talent would be a waste to leave unmanaged. Unfortunately, she was strong enough to fight for her own freedom. The only way for Marlo to take advantage of the situation was to send at least three Champion ranked trainers to guarantee success in bringing her in.
He could always ask nicely, of course, but he would likely lose a large portion of his wealth to pay her off. Why bother negotiating with him when she could auction her Spheres by the thousands every time?
"No, let's not take any risks for now," Marlo ultimately decided. "Continue monitoring Sable Mercer and her base in Oreburgh Underground. Don't do anything rash, and avoid detection at all costs."
"Yes, sir."
-----
Alex and the girls continued on their merry way through the tunnels between Eterna and Oreburgh Underground. The journey was long, as it was not a straight shot between the two locations, and some of the tunnels needed renovations to fit the truck, which was loaded with over 50 passengers.
The passengers were more than happy for the long ride, considering they were able to eat Expert ranked Pokémon meat, a luxury they had rarely been able to afford in their lives, even before they were enslaved. Pokémon meat was that expensive, and as long as they were neither rich nor trainers, they had no business eating it regularly.
As for the group's pursuers, they encountered five in total. Three were Elite ranked groups that tried to rely on their numbers to overwhelm Alex and the girls from all sides but were promptly beaten back, with plenty being captured. Two, however, were Champion ranked groups that were easily taken out in the exact same manner as before.
Lyra and Mika would face off at the Champions' side of the tunnel, which was easy enough for Sable to spot, as they typically stood alone. Once they released their Champions, Alex's Elites would flood the tunnels while his Champions circled around to take the trainer by surprise.
Just like that, Alex had earned another 20 million credits and 2,000 contribution points after Sable's cut, while the girls earned over a billion in Pokédollars from all the Elites they encountered. In total, Alex had already earned 50 million credits and 5,000 contribution points after a week since executing the plan, although they had to prepare for six months in advance.
"I think we should just keep digging," Mika commented while sitting in the makeshift hot tub with Alex and the girls at their base in Oreburgh Underground.
They had arrived a few hours ago and had finally managed to settle the former slaves before getting some much-needed rest after the long ride.
"I mean, we earned more from Alex buying our share of Sable's digging than from all the bounties we've collected."
"I am not going to buy any more of that crap," Alex said, squeezing Mika's butt causing her to yelp. "I invested 40 million credits in that specifically because it was cheaper than buying it topside and also to compensate you three for spending six months digging. Now that Rhea has more material than she knows what to do with and you girls will get a big payout from selling the Plate to Cynthia, I no longer have a reason to spend more credits."
Mika stuck out her tongue at Alex, prompting him to lunge forward and bite it in retaliation. The sudden nip made Mika flail in panic, her fists slamming against Alex's chest to get him to release her. Once Alex had his fun, he finally let go and chuckled at her dismay.
"Do you think they'll continue attacking us through the night?" Sable asked worriedly.
She now understood why Alex hadn't recommended she continue digging in the Grand Underground. Sure, she could earn a fortune in no time, but she didn't have the strength to guarantee her freedom. Who knew she was worth sending Champions to kidnap her?
She was fortunate she had come to Sinnoh with Alex by her side. She could only imagine her new future as a slave if she had wandered here on her own.
"That depends on how paranoid they are," Lyra answered. "There's a well-known saying in the Grand Underground, never pick a fight in another person's base. You never know what kind of traps they have in store. My guess is they're going to wait for us to leave and ambush us again."
"By the way, how are we taking all these people to the base in Kanto?" Mika asked.
"I'll set something up with Nyx," Alex replied. "All we have to do is get them topside and hire a bunch of trainers to take them to Kanto by sea. It shouldn't take more than a few weeks at most, since Sinnoh is directly north of Kanto. Once they arrive, Nyx will send bounty hunters to escort them to the base."
"What if they get attacked or kidnapped again?"
"Then you and Lyra will have something to do in Sinnoh once I'm done hunting."
"You're not going to help us?"
"How would you grow if you didn't make mistakes? I'll make sure to rescue you if you get captured," Alex said with a smirk, almost prompting Mika to stick out her tongue again before she hesitated and settled for glaring instead.
The next day, Alex teleported the former slaves to Oreburgh City and had them stay in a hotel before contacting Nyx.
She set up a mission with the League for their transport, and Alex handed them off to the trainers, a group of Experts led by an Elite. They were a solid team that had seen their fair share of battles, so Alex knew the former slaves were in good hands.
Once the handoff was completed, he returned to the underground base just in time to witness Sable meeting with a group of well-dressed trainers.
"We represent the Oreburgh Grand Market and have come with a directive from the administrator to begin taxing you for your significant yield, Ms. Sable," the man in the lead said respectfully.
Sable's eyes narrowed, a flicker of irritation crossing her face. "How much?"
"10% per year. Given your estimated rate of 100,000 Spheres per six months, you only need to pay 20,000 Spheres per year," he replied generously.
"And if I refuse?" she asked with a raised brow.
"You will be forced into indentured servitude until you pay off your dues," he said, a more sinister smile curling at his lips, daring her to defy him.
Sable's chest tightened with frustration, but she forced herself to remain composed. "Fine, I'll pay at the end of the year."
"I'm afraid I cannot allow that. You will have to pay now. And you also have to pay for all the damage you and your bodyguards caused in the tunnels during your little trip," he added.
Sable's face flushed, and she clenched her fists. "Hey! I fixed all those cave-ins and depressions I caused to the tunnels."
"Unfortunately, they weren't up to standard, so we had to go ahead and redo the repairs. And because you failed to do it properly, it cost us more to actually redo it than if you had simply left it alone," he replied, his tone cold and unwavering.
"How much is this bullshit?" Sable's voice rose, her patience snapping, a mix of anger and disbelief evident in her glare.
"30,000 Spheres should cover the full cost, so 50,000 in total," he said, watching her reaction carefully.
"Do you honestly believe I would pay this amount just because you said so?" Sable shouted.
"No we don't," a man in the back said as he stepped forward, along with two more beside him, while the man in the lead stepped back with a grin as if they had won.
With a flash of light from their belts, 18 Champion ranked Pokémon emerged around them, ready to pounce.
-----
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