Chapter 344. Snow and Shadows

Clarissa, tasked with engaging the Champion, mounted her Dragonite and flew straight toward the rear of the base where he was positioned. The head of Team Dominion’s Kanto base was a Dragon type specialist, an apparent advantage for the Ice Dragon Princess.

She came down at the forefront of his formation, landing directly atop a Druddigon. Dragonite opened with Outrage, setting the tone of the battle as Clarissa hopped off and released the rest of her Pokémon.

Her Alolan Ninetales immediately triggered Snow Warning, blanketing the battlefield in a sudden snowstorm. The weather empowered Cetitan, Glaceon, and Arctibax as Clarissa completed her full setup the moment her feet hit the ground.

The Druddigon had only enough time to howl a warning before Dragonite’s Outrage slammed into it in full, the impact finally drawing its trainer’s attention.

“Damn it!” he shouted before commanding, “Delay her for as long as you can!”

“Contain them,” Clarissa shouted back. “Don’t let them interfere with the others.”

The Pokémon immediately squared off as the secretary and the army’s commander fled the battlefield, content to escape the Champion ranked battle that would inevitably devastate the base.

Druddigon raised Protect to fend off Dragonite, but it was only a short delay. Dragonite continued its rampage regardless, pressing the attack as Outrage battered Druddigon again and again.

Haxorus was tackled head-on by Cetitan as it unleashed Ice Spinner, spinning wildly while wreathed in Ice type energy and tearing into Haxorus for heavy damage. Haxorus countered with Close Combat, but the blow lacked the force necessary to break through Cetitan’s bulk, further reinforced by the snowstorm. Cetitan answered at point-blank range with Icicle Spear, landing four clean hits and ending the fight.

Kingdra was rushed by Baxcalibur, who opened with Glaive Rush and nearly knocked it out in a single strike. Kingdra retaliated with Draco Meteor, aiming to capitalize on Baxcalibur’s lowered defenses, but Baxcalibur endured the hit through sheer strength. It closed the exchange with a second Glaive Rush, finishing Kingdra outright.

Flygon attempted to use Earthquake to deal widespread damage, but it never reached the engagement. Glaceon caught it in a Blizzard that knocked it out instantly. Noivern followed with Boomburst, only to suffer the same fate when Ninetales opened with a Blizzard of her own. Both Pokémon were simply too frail to withstand guaranteed hits in the snow, fired by Ice types that were decisively stronger.

Dragalge, the Champion’s final Pokémon, held its own against Charizard, unlike its comrades who had been quickly defeated. Its high Special Defense allowed it to withstand Charizard’s powerful Special Attacks, giving it a clear advantage in battle.

Still, Charizard refused to back down, diving in close and alternating Protect with Dragon Claw while enduring repeated Hydro Pumps in return. The battle was a slug match, but the goal wasn’t to win; it was to delay Dragalge until her companions could provide aid.

Meanwhile, Dragonite finished the fight quickly once Druddigon’s Protect ran out, leaving only Dragalge to fend off six Pokémon that were individually stronger than it. Predictably, it was overwhelmed and knocked out after being ganged up on, leaving only the Champion ranked trainer, who retrieved each of his Pokémon before a killing blow could be dealt.

As Clarissa’s Pokémon circled the trainer to prevent his escape, he took out a remote control and quickly pressed the only button on top, wearing a smug expression as he did so.

“Well done, Ice Dragon Princess,” he said mockingly. “You’ve managed to defeat me in battle, but are you prepared to die with me here and now?”

“What are you talking about?” Clarissa asked.

“This,” he said, gesturing to the remote in his hand, “is a deadman trigger that will detonate the explosives planted throughout the base. I knew a Rotom would be the first thing I’d have to worry about if this place was attacked, so I installed a second trigger tied directly to this remote. If you kill me or attempt to arrest me, I’ll blow this entire place up and take you and everyone else with me.”

Clarissa narrowed her eyes, weighing whether he was bluffing. The situation reminded her of one of Alex’s lessons a long time ago, when he tried to explain the difference between a Pokémon and a human. Back then, she had chosen to attack, convinced she could stop the kidnapper from killing the little girl, and she had failed. She hadn’t understood how desperate humans could be when driven into a corner. Now that she had matured and understood that harsh lesson even more, she had every reason to be wary if his threat was real.

“All I want is to escape,” he said seriously. “Let me go, and I won’t detonate the explosives. We can all walk away and live to fight another day.”

Clarissa immediately planned to give him what he wanted. Alvera was there with them, and the last thing she wanted was to be responsible for the death of Alex’s daughter. She could only imagine the death and destruction that would spread across the world if Alex went on a rampage in response. He was violent enough as it was without a proper reason, but if he lost his daughter, he wouldn’t hesitate to burn entire regions to the ground for even a single chance to take Team Dominion down.

As she began to step back, she suddenly felt a psychic connection reaching out to her. Once she accepted, she heard Gardevoir’s request to delay him for as long as possible. Trusting Gardevoir, and, more importantly, Alex, Clarissa quickly went along.

“How do I even know that’s actually connected to anything?” Clarissa said, her tone shifting from wary to teasing. “You are a bad guy, right? I bet you’re just lying to get me to back off and let you go.”

The Champion narrowed his eyes, unsure how to respond. What he had said was true, but he hadn’t prepared any proof to back it up. He found himself considering the Ice Dragon Princess’s reputation. If the rumors were to be believed, she was supposed to be a naïve little girl who hadn’t stepped out from under her parents’ skirts. Naïve enough, perhaps, to actually mean what she’d just said.

“Then, we’ll just have to die together!” he shouted threateningly as his fingers slowly eased off the trigger.

“Wa-wait!” she shouted in a panic. “Let’s… let’s talk about this.”

“So, you do believe me,” he said with a glint in his eyes before realization dawned on him. “You’re trying to delay me!”

Suddenly, a dark, mangled voice spoke directly into his ear, so close that a shiver ran up his spine.

“That’s right,” the voice said. “She was just stalling.”

He jumped in fright, his finger jerking as he accidentally released the trigger. But he quickly realized his finger couldn’t move at all. His hand was held fast by another, far more powerful hand clad in darkness.

He screamed as an arm suddenly closed around his neck, squeezing hard enough to cut off the blood to his brain. He struggled with all his might, but he was too weak to gain even an inch.

At last, his strength failed him, and he slipped into unconsciousness, unable to resist any longer. He slumped to the ground, his hand held up by the mysterious figure who hadn’t let go.

“Arceus, Alex!” Clarissa exclaimed. “That was terrifying.”

“Good,” he said as he retracted his Dark type energy, his voice returning to normal. “That was the intended effect.”

He took out a powerful sedative, the dosage enough to knock out even a Champion, refined from infused Sleep Powder, and injected it into the unconscious Champion. Then he drew a knife and, with a single clean swipe, severed the hand that had been holding the trigger. He held it, ensuring he had a tight grip, before finally turning his attention to a terrified Clarissa.

“Good work taking him down without letting him interfere with the battle,” he said.

“Th-thanks,” she replied, steadying herself. “What now?”

“Now it’s time for the cleanup.”

With the Champion defeated, the army scattered, and the only exit from the base secured, those who remained surrendered. Once they were detained, Alex’s Pokémon immediately began the cleanup, stripping the base bare and loading everything into his space bags, even the tech that had been bolted to the floor.

An hour later, Clarissa spoke again. “What now? They don’t have bounties on their heads, so they can’t be arrested. Even if they’re identified as Team Dominion operatives, they’re allowed to walk free if they didn’t personally commit any crimes.”

“We leave them all here,” Alex said simply. “Then we contact the League and let them decide. They’re a terrorist organization, so the League will be interested. What happens to them after that is no longer my business.”

“Even him?” she asked, pointing toward the base’s leader.

“I have something special in mind for him,” Alex said with a mischievous smile. “I’ll take him to Sabrina and see if she can dig out information on their main base.”

“I heard no one is capable of unlocking the psychic locks on their brains.”

“If anyone can do it, she can,” Alex said. “And if she can’t, she can still keep him captive long enough to do so in the future.”

Alex turned and noticed Rhea and Alvera approaching. Rhea wore an upbeat smile as she skipped along, her gauntleted hands streaked with blood. Alvera, meanwhile, was spotless but wore an anxious expression. She seemed to have been shaken by this particular battle.

“Hey, Dad,” she said, avoiding his eyes.

“Hey, sweetie. So, what do you think of your old man now?”

“I…” She hesitated, staring at her feet. “I think what you do is important… and very dangerous.”

“It’s good that you understand,” Alex said with a wry smile, knowing this day would eventually come.

Alvera was mischievous, but kind at heart. She might never fully grasp why Alex did what he did, and he didn’t mind. If anything, he preferred it this way rather than having her become a battle maniac like him.

Now that she likely no longer saw him as an infallible hero, it was finally time for him to train her seriously.

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