Alex watched as the Salamence and its rider descended along with a few trainers trailing behind in formation, all at Champion rank. There were easily a dozen of them, each wearing furious expressions as they stared at Alex and Sable.
"Why have you attacked us?" the woman riding Salamence demanded.
"We didn't attack; we defended ourselves. As for why we have come, we are here to find and retrieve a pair of Pokémon," Alex answered.
"There are no Pokémon for you here," she replied, furiously.
Alex was about to answer when he was interrupted by Sable.
"Please, I just want to get my Garchomp and Rhyperior back," she pleaded, tears in her eyes. "I thought they had died a few weeks ago after a battle, but they managed to survive. I'm looking for them. Please, please let me see them."
The woman atop the Salamence narrowed her eyes suspiciously. It wasn't the first time poachers had come to stir trouble with their dragon nests. They came in all shapes and sizes, each with a valid excuse. Travelers who were lost, trainers who had lost their Pokémon, victims of an ambush, League employees sent to inspect them, and all manner of people had come and gone. There were even children, goaded into it by their parents all so that they might bond with dragons.
It was an understandable desire; dragons were the most powerful Pokémon after all. What isn't tolerable, however, is how they always try to steal them when given the slightest chance. Hence, they came up with a rule, any trainer who lies dies, no matter the age, gender, or affiliation. They would give these people a chance, but once they used that for malice, they would use up their lives as well.
"What about you?" the woman asked, directing her gaze at Alex. "What's your excuse?"
"I'm the one who caused this mess in the first place. Fortunately, I also put a tracker on them, which is how we found this nest. Rest assured, we're only here for those two Pokémon."
"We shall see," she said, tapping her foot on Salamence and prompting it to land. "You have one chance to prove your words otherwise. I will personally kill you both."
Alex believed her every word. He doubted he could escape so many Champion ranked dragon trainers. Perhaps there was a sliver of a chance if he were alone, but with Sable by his side, it was foolish to even try.
Alex didn't remember any dragon tribes that lived in Hoenn from when he played the games, but he did remember reading in this world about a tribe of people living in Meteor Falls who raised dragons. To him, it was similar to Johto's Blackthorn Clan, so it was nothing new.
He also understood that he must never piss off these people because they were quite primal compared to most humans. This was because of their tribal society, isolationism, and their draconic energy that messes with their minds.
He still gets chills whenever he remembers how easily he was toyed with by Clair. Her powerful yet subtle draconic influence had him eating out of the palm of her hand. He could feel the same energy radiating from this woman, but she had it contained, for now, at least.
The woman jumped down from Salamence and began assessing the damage. The cavern was close to collapsing, with debris scattered everywhere, some blocking rivers and waterfalls, others sealing off tunnels while opening new ones. It seemed they had their work cut out for them.
Alex took note of her smaller stature despite her commanding presence. She was on the shorter side, around 5'4" (1.63 m) at most, but it didn't diminish the powerful aura she radiated. He was honestly impressed that someone so petite could be so furious. For some reason, it reminded him of a Chihuahua.
"Start healing them and repair the cavern," she commanded.
The trainers behind her scattered and brought out their Pokémon. There were Clefable, Togekiss, Gardevoir, Milotic, and even Goodra that used Life Dew to heal all the Pokémon in the area simultaneously. They even generously included Alex's Pokémon as well. In no time, all the Pokémon were healed to full. Fortunately, Alex was planning on capturing them; hence, none died from the battle.
Next, they released Flygon, Garchomp, Rhydon, Sandslash, and Onix, to name a few, who started fixing up the cavern. They cleared the river, removed blockages, dug tunnels, and even reinforced the cave's foundation. It was an impressive display of Ground type energy manipulation, no doubt something they were used to doing repeatedly to navigate the maze-like tunnels of Meteor Falls.
Sable zeroed in on her Pokémon and watched nervously as they were being healed. Garchomp tried to reach her during the battle and received serious injuries in the crossfire. Rhyperior, on the other hand, simply defended them to ensure no fatal damage was dealt. In the end, they were both alive and well, and were fully healed by the time the trainers were done.
Sable tried to approach her Pokémon, but Alex stopped her. The woman's expression flickered at the attempt, a reminder that tension still lingered despite their generous actions.
Once fully healed, Garchomp and Rhyperior rushed over without needing a command. They had tried earlier, but a single look from Salamence was enough to keep them in place until the healing was complete.
Sable reached over and gave them both gentle hugs, nuzzling them as they leaned into her warmth. The pair cooed softly at her touch, tails wagging and eyes bright with affection. It was obvious that these Pokémon belonged to her. Their trust and adoration radiated in every movement, and even from a distance, it was clear she was their world.
"That should be it, then," Alex said. "We will take our leave."
The woman accepted that they were telling the truth after that emotional reunion. They simply followed the Pokémon, which had taken shelter with the nest. It happened quite often with stray dragons, after all.
Still, this presented a new challenge that their tribe would need to figure out how to counter. They certainly didn't want poachers using the excuse of legitimately retrieving Pokémon to get close. It would be best to develop a device capable of detecting trackers on each Pokémon; otherwise, their sanctuary could eventually be discovered, tempting powerful trainers to try their luck.
She was about to let them leave when she sensed the faintest wisp of dragon aura on Alex. It was subtle, barely a whisper, but it was definitely there. Somehow, this man had made contact with an ancient dragon on par with Rayquaza, their deity. Or he had stolen something from their sanctuary.
"Stop!" the woman shouted as they were about to teleport away.
Alex halted the teleport under the influence of her draconic energy. He was expecting an understanding resolution, so he had his guard down. He quickly put up his Dark type energy to seal his mind from further influence.
He wanted to pick a fight right there and then, but calmed himself to give her one last chance. He turned to the woman, who seemed angry and carried a bad feeling. Still, he hoped he wouldn't have to resort to his latest trump card.
He would hear her out at most, but any further insult and he would just have to play her stupid games.
"What now?" Alex asked, irritated.
"Where is the relic?" the woman demanded as her energy started to radiate.
Alex had had enough of her shit. He had been more than accommodating as the secondary cause of the disturbance. That didn't mean he would allow her, Clair, or anyone else to walk all over him again. He had learned his lesson the first time.
Instead of replying, he pulled out a device and pressed down on a large red button without letting go. It was sleek and spherical in design, covered in a hexagonal pattern, and stood about his height.
"Do you mean this?" Alex replied, with a sly grin.
"No!" the woman shouted. "You carry ancient draconic energy! You must have stolen something from the sanctuary to get it."
That was the last straw for Alex. He needed to remind this woman that power only allowed her to manipulate those who were sane. If she thought she could cow him into submitting because of her power, draconic influence, temper, or loud voice, he would show her how ineffective it was against those who weren't afraid of the consequences.
"Listen here, you little shit," Alex shouted back, his patience running thin. "I will only say this once. I have never been to your sanctuary, and any energy I carry is mine. If you want to die on this, then be my guest."
Alex released his hold on the button, prompting a screen to light up. It was counting down from 60 seconds. Different from its harmless appearance before activation, it now started radiating a dangerous amount of energy. Every second that passed, the energy seemed to grow stronger. Soon, it would reach a point where it would not only be able to kill everyone in this cavern, but the entire mountain would be destroyed along with them.
"You have one minute to decide: either let us go or die with us," Alex declared. "This device will release enough energy, covered in Feint and Phantom Force bullets, to tear everyone here to shreds. That includes your precious Salamence. If you don't believe me, we will all die here."
"Now, fucking decide!"
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