First, it was their base in Nimbasa City, where they first encountered the bounty hunter known as Alex Wattson and witnessed firsthand the destruction he was capable of.
Then the base in Nacrene City mysteriously disappeared, its dome destroyed from the outside. The last report from that location stated that the leader's husband was under attack. Although no evidence directly pointed toward Alex, it was obvious he was responsible, as there were reports of sightings of him in the city the day before.
Now their main training facility in Mistralton City had been destroyed while the Gym Leader watched from the sidelines, making it clear that the Gym Leaders and the bounty hunter were working together to bring them down.
"This cannot go on, Iris. We have an understanding in place, and you are starting to break it," Orvan warned sternly via video call.
"That bounty hunter is considered a criminal, a Champion ranked one who can threaten the lives of an entire city. Our policy is to leave them be so long as they aren't causing mass casualties among the general public, which your facility doesn't count as since it's Underworld territory. Need I remind you that this is the exact same policy we upheld while you slowly expanded your reach throughout the region? We have held up our end of the understanding, Orvan."
"It is no longer enough, Iris. I need you to do your job as Champion and run this interloper out of the region."
"That sounds like a you problem," Iris replied with a shrug. "All I know is I'll hunt down and kill anyone who causes mass casualties among the general public. Like that stunt your people pulled over in Hoenn."
"The Champion didn't know what was good for him," Orvan said with a similar, mocking shrug. "He should have simply left Team Dominion to their own devices, as you have so far. Look at the result. We have maintained a peaceful coexistence without any problems. Now this bounty hunter has come in and taken down three of my bases. If this continues, I don't know what I would do to make sure it doesn't happen again."
"You do you, tough guy. Just know that I'll fulfill my responsibility as Champion and ensure that as few people die as possible. If I fail, I'll just reset the board and remind everyone how I managed to become Champion in the first place."
"You mean how N and Alder gave you the seat of Champion?"
"Keep telling yourself that," Iris said, smirking. "I don't mind being underestimated. It makes it easier for me to keep my position at the top of this region."
"Fine. Just know that if anything happens, it will be because of your inaction," Orvan said in a final threat before ending the call.
He sighed, releasing all the tension in his body along with his hardened expression as he slumped in his seat.
"Man, this is getting annoying," he muttered to himself. "First this bounty hunter rolls in and starts destroying bases as he pleases, evading ambushes and the League. Now Team Umbraline is hunting down all my spies and collaborators while the League just watches. At this rate, Team Dominion will get kicked out of the region, which means I'll be losing my comfy position."
"Oh well. It was a good run while it lasted. I've built up enough of a nest egg anyway, so I'd better play it up for the big guys."
He pressed a button on his console that he had never used before, one that instantly connected him to every base leader in the region under his command. His face hardened, a cold, crossed look settling in that promised death to whoever had forced his hand.
"The League has refused to handle a particularly dangerous Champion ranked bounty hunter for us. To make sure they understand we mean business, I want all of you on high alert for any suspicious activity in your areas. If you see the bounty hunter approaching, start destroying everything in your vicinity, with an emphasis on collateral damage."
"Are things really that serious?" Leonard asked. "Are we actually starting a war with the League at this juncture? We're so close to completing our objective with Argent Solutions."
"At this rate, none of you will be left alive in a month if that bounty hunter takes down a base every day, which he has more than enough power to do."
"What if we pool our forces in a few locations and take him down when he shows up?" someone suggested.
"For how long?" Orvan shot back. "How long do we cower like that? How much time will be wasted on this operation? What if he doesn't attack? When do we resume normal operations? And if he strikes once we're spread out again, do we turtle up over and over?"
"Um…"
"No," Orvan said, his voice rising with force. "We take this fight to the League and show them we mean business. We force them to act and ensure they never make the mistake of being lenient with our enemies again. Do you understand? Do you all understand?"
"Yes, sir," came the chorus of replies.
"Good. Make your preparations and be ready to show them that we, Team Dominion, are not to be fucked with."
Once the call ended, Orvan sighed again, then gave a small nod. "Time to pack up, I guess."
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Meanwhile, Alex was on his way to Driftveil City to hunt the next base on his list. Since the girls were sweeping Unova counterclockwise, he could follow the same route but deliberately start in the east rather than the south. That would allow him to eliminate roughly a quarter of the bases before the girls joined him in bringing the rest down one after another.
At least, that was the plan until he suddenly received a call from an unknown number. That alone shouldn't have been possible. Rotom filtered all of his communications and only allowed through calls that met strict priority parameters. Nothing slipped past it without being identified and verified first.
What made it worse was the classification itself. The call didn't display a caller ID, a network tag, or even a traceable address. Rotom was always able to extract something, whether a registered identity, a masked relay point, or at minimum a routing origin. This time, there was nothing. The signal existed, but its source didn't.
Which meant only one thing. Whoever was calling him was tied to the highest levels of the League itself.
Alex shook his head, clearing his thoughts and settling into the proper headspace before answering the call without saying anything.
"Alex Wattson?" a young female voice asked.
"That would be me."
"I'm Iris, the Champion of the Unova region. We need to talk."
"What about?"
"Your little game with Team Dominion stops now. They're threatening mass casualties if you take down one more base."
"What if I can guarantee minimal innocent casualties?"
"That might sound impressive at first, but then they'll have the other bases enact punishment in their place. A base-for-a-base exchange. Unless you can take them all down at the same time, I doubt you could guarantee success at all."
"Then why don't you just send your Champion ranked Gym Leaders and trainers to take down every single one of their bases at the same time? Like Steven did in Hoenn."
"There are too many spies at every level of the government, including among the Gym Leaders. They would be able to detect an attack in advance and trigger a massacre, just like in Hoenn. I do not want a repeat of what happened there occurring here in Unova, do you understand? Steven may have eliminated them once at a steep cost, but could he have done the same for every organization obsessed with mass casualties and world domination? He would have ended up with nothing left to protect. Besides, the only reason he acted in the first place was because they touched his bottom line."
"They kidnapped his child?"
"Worse. They took his rocks."
"Ah, right, that'd do it."
"Anyway, lay off them from now on. If you cause any mass casualties due to your reckless need for violence, I won't hesitate to give you a lifetime of it within a single day."
"Understood. No mass casualties."
Iris narrowed her eyes at Alex's calm acceptance. There was something suspicious about the way he said it. Still, her promise was far more important, so if he caused any problems, she wouldn't hesitate to make a fuss with Interpol and force them to reprimand him, unlike her League, which had tried and failed.
"You better keep that promise, because I'll be keeping mine," Iris said, then ended the call.
Alex, having his plans interrupted, was now left with nothing to do. It seemed all he could do from this point on was wait and relax.
Maybe he should check on Rhea instead. It hadn't even been a week, but she could probably use some company to help her unwind.
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