While Alex and the girls were traveling around the Sevii Islands in leisure and luxury on their vacation, Dale and his crew spent their days interrogating their captives on the specifics of handling the general cargo ship, Gray Wake. They each took a prisoner and learned their responsibilities on the ship, their habits, and their experience as sailors. That wasn't enough to allow them to suddenly become experts, but it was enough to project competency where there was none.
The rest of the time, they spent putting what they had learned into practice while Dale's Rotom took control and sailed the ship to the provided coordinates. Once they finally reached the port of Cinnabar City, they acted as sailors convincingly enough to fool the cargo inspectors before making their way to the designated dock, where they were to meet their contact.
At the stroke of midnight, after they had unloaded the fake cargo and were pretending to load new shipments, five trucks drove into their docking bay, each filled with a dozen heavily armed guards, some with Poké Balls on their belts. Fortunately, they were all Expert ranked at best, easy pickings for Dale and his crew.
The fight that ensued began and ended quickly, without even allowing the gunmen to fire a single shot or command their mind-controlled Pokémon to fight. It was an easy operation, focused on a rapid takedown, with high-priority moves used immediately after the Pokémon were released, each targeting a human without overlap.
They then began interrogations aboard the ship and managed to extract the layout of Team Dominion's operation in Cinnabar City. Each of the trucks was supposed to deliver the goods to five locations across the city, the warehouse district, the business district, a studio, a laboratory, and another dock.
Dale was certain Team Dominion's base could be found at the dock, with a ship likely waiting to carry the goods to their secret lair. Still, he wouldn't ignore the other locations. He and his crew had been promised guns and ammunition, and he would certainly take what they were owed.
So, he rushed to the dock, secured new captives, then made his way around Cinnabar City, kicking down doors and taking everything in sight that wasn't bolted down. By the following midnight, he and his crew had scored big, even just from the ammunition supply they had managed to seize. As Alex had promised, Team Dominion was a Miltank of resources, endlessly yielding ammunition and gear.
Unfortunately, that was where the benefits stopped. The ship that was supposed to take the supplies to the hidden base was a submarine, headed for an underwater facility. It was a very dangerous endeavor for Dale and his crew. After all, they didn't have a comprehensive water team like Alex, nor could they survive if the base self-destructed, as it was rumored to be capable of.
This meant that taking the base down was beyond his and his crew's abilities. Instead, he called Alex and forwarded the coordinates they had found on the submarine. The mission had only been to locate the secret base, and since they had succeeded, they had already secured the million-credit reward that Alex had offered.
He called Alex and reported, "Boss, we found them."
"Yes, it's an underwater base. My team and I can't handle a job like that."
"We're sure. Also, you might want to hurry it up, since we started this operation 24 hours ago. They'll be on high alert."
"Got it. Thanks, boss."
Dale ended the call, gathered his crew, tipped off the police about Team Dominion's operation and the location of their captives, and departed Cinnabar City for the mainland. They had plenty of loot to sort through and a million credits to spend.
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Meanwhile, back at Kindle Road, One Island, Alex cut the call and pondered his next course of action. He had an inkling that it would be an underwater base, as Gravik's had been in Cinnabar City, but he thought Dale's team was surely equipped for an underwater excursion. Apparently, he had been wrong.
"What's wrong?" Vera asked, noting Alex's thoughtful expression.
"I have the location of Team Dominion's base in Cinnabar City. According to Nyx, it's the only base they have left in the region."
"Are you going?" she asked.
"I'm thinking about it."
"Then go."
"I don't want to leave you and the girls before the vacation even finishes."
"It probably won't take long, right? You can go and be back by morning, just in time for us to set sail back to Cerulean City. Besides, I think you deserve a bit of action after spending nearly a month without any real violence."
Alex smiled appreciatively before staring into Vera's eyes, feeling his love for her blossom.
"Did I ever tell you that I love you?"
"You have, but it wouldn't hurt to keep saying it."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
They shared a kiss before Alex called over his Pokémon and gave them the rundown. They, in turn, buzzed with excitement at the potential battle. The vacation was nice and all, but nothing beat a good battle and the promise of more high-ranked meat by the end of it.
"What's happening?" Clarissa asked when she noticed Alex's battle intent rising.
"I'm heading to Cinnabar City for a quick underwater base takedown."
"Oh? Which team?"
"Team Dominion."
"They're still operating? I thought all their activities halted when Erika put out that bounty on Gravik."
"They sent another Champion to replace him, and they have been laying low while spreading their influence from Cinnabar City. They haven't managed to reach the mainland because Umbraline has been keeping them at bay, but it hasn't stopped them from continuing to try."
"Can I come? It'll be like Viridian City all over again."
"Sure."
"I hear fun!" Rhea exclaimed from across their camp.
She rushed over in excitement, with an equally eager Alvera on her heels. Alvera didn't know why she was excited, but Rhea always seemed to have something fun going on, and she wasn't about to ignore the possibility when it was right in front of her.
"Can I come? Can I come? Can I come?" Rhea asked while hopping around, with Alvera mimicking her on the side.
"It's an underwater secret base," Alex said.
"That's fine. My exosuit can handle the pressure."
"Alright."
"Can I come too?" Alvera asked.
"No!" Vera immediately said. "You're too young for something this dangerous, sweetie. There is supposed to be a Champion ranked trainer in this battle. Do you want your dad to be distracted in the middle of it?"
This was a dangerous and likely far more brutal battle than the one Alvera participated in at the cargo ship. There was a very high probability of death in plain sight. It wasn't something a 9-year-old had any business witnessing.
Alex, meanwhile, hesitated. In truth, he didn't mind if Alvera tagged along. It would actually be a good experience for her to see a real hidden base. Then again, she was too young and weak to witness a battle between Champions, but she could still tag along with Rhea to handle some of the weaker bad guys.
"Vera," Alex said softly, "it'll be good for her to tag along. It shouldn't be too dangerous with both me and Clarissa there."
"What if the base self-destructs?"
"Don't worry!" Rhea said, before taking out a 10-meter cube of raw metal with a small sealable hatch. "I got this baby to make sure we stay safe. It's rated for Champion rank, so even if the base exploded, we would be fine. I call it Bunker."
"Alex!" Vera exclaimed. "Do you really want your daughter exposed to this at such a young age?"
Alex sighed before speaking more softly. "Vera, Alvera will want to go on her own adventures once she turns 16. The more violence she is exposed to while young, the more likely she will avoid being shocked when something bad happens to her. I won't be there to protect her when she leaves, but I am here now to make sure nothing bad happens to her while she's young and learning."
Vera sighed heavily and walked away, leaving behind a quiet "Fine" as she did so. She didn't like that her daughter was rushing headfirst into violence, but Alex had a point.
Alvera needed to be as mentally strong as possible to survive going off on her own adventure once she turned 16 in seven years. It wasn't the life she would have chosen for her daughter, but she also didn't want her to become a statistic, like her and the other girls who were caught by Monica and forced into prostitution in the Velvet Reflection.
Alvera's enthusiasm instantly deflated when she noticed her mother's sadness. She realized that this wasn't supposed to be fun. It was meant to be a serious lesson, just like her battles on the ship a week ago. She decided to take it more seriously than before, since it seemed to be an even bigger deal this time.
With their plans decided, Alex and the girls finished cleaning up their little picnic before teleporting to the yacht to leave the girls behind. Lyra and Mika were told to stay without question because they were pregnant. Sable, meanwhile, decided to stay as well. She may have been the strongest among the girls, but she was ultimately a miner, not a combatant.
Alex, Clarissa, Rhea, and Alvera then got ready for battle. Alex and Clarissa wore the Deep Suit, using the spare provided by Rhea, while Rhea and Alvera wore their Exosuits, which had roughly the same capabilities. Once they were prepared, they teleported to Cinnabar City and rode their Pokémon toward the coordinates Dale had provided.
Upon reaching the area, Alex went ahead first, leaving Rhea and Alvera to ride on Clarissa's Dragonite. He rode Gyarados around and located the submarine bay before releasing Rotom into the base to prevent a self-destruct. Once he received the all-clear, he called the others over and together they stormed the base.
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