Chapter 557. Caught on Camera

“I’ve called this emergency meeting because we finally have a lead on the culprit behind the destruction of our bases,” the speaker said, addressing a few dozen Master ranked trainers attending through a holographic video conference.

Images appeared behind him, showing the culprit riding an Arcanine straight through the side of a mountain. Then came the sounds of explosions. The image flickered violently before finally disappearing, revealing the devastating battle taking place within the hidden base. More than 50 Pokémon were tearing through the facility, overwhelming its defenses.

The footage continued as Alex methodically cleaned out the ruined facility, taking particular care to secure its shield and illusion generator before ransacking everything else of value. Once he was finished, he remained behind and waited for reinforcements to arrive. After waiting for some time without receiving any reinforcements, he finally departed, leaving the destroyed base behind.

“His name is Alex Wattson, a Master ranked bounty hunter who is reputed to be as ruthless and bloodthirsty as they come. In the time it took us to arrange this meeting, he has already taken down three bases in Johto, and if his current trajectory continues, Hoenn will likely be next.”

“I’ve sent each of you an information packet containing what we’ve been able to gather on him. The information comes from a low-reputation intelligence network, so I’d advise taking it with a grain of salt. Even so, it gives us a fairly good idea of where we might be able to strike back. He operates a bounty hunter organization called the Silver Network, with bases spread throughout the regions. If we were to hit those bases, we could potentially inflict enough damage to make it clear that attacking us comes with consequences.”

“Unfortunately, his bases aren’t easy targets. Each reportedly has at least a hundred armed trainers, hundreds of automated defenses, and nests containing at least Champion ranked Pokémon. Those are only the defenses we know about, so we should also expect reinforcements once an attack begins.”

“Those of us operating in the same region would need to coordinate our forces and work together to take down the Silver Network base there. As for Kalos, Kanto, and Johto, whose bases have already been wiped out, we could potentially have those in Paldea, Galar, and Alola handle them instead.”

“Before any of that, however, we would need to establish new bases. Our current locations have likely been compromised by now through the information networks he has access to. There’s little point in discussing the finer details until we’ve dealt with that problem.”

He paused, allowing the other Master ranked trainers to consider the proposal.

“That’s what I believe our options look like. I’m not suggesting this is the only course of action, and I’m certainly not asking anyone to commit before we’ve discussed the risks. But if we do decide to retaliate, I think this gives us the best chance of doing meaningful damage.”

“One thing I would strongly suggest, however, is that we make sure every region is ready before we begin. Launching the attack while even one group is missing might allow them to survive and retaliate. If we’re going to do this, the more damage we can inflict in that initial strike, the better.”

As the speaker was about to continue, explosions suddenly erupted from one of the screens belonging to a member attending the conference. The audio had been muted to give the person who called the emergency meeting the freedom to speak, but the sudden flash of explosions and the screen filling with smoke and debris caught everyone’s attention. Moments later, the feed was cut off.

Right then and there, everyone knew they were officially one member fewer. It seemed Alex, the bounty hunter, was being particularly vicious this time around.

“I… believe that was a member from the Hoenn region,” the speaker said. “I suggest those of you in Hoenn prepare to fight or evacuate immediately, before it’s too late. As for those in the Sinnoh region, you may be next, so I advise you to do the same. You have the freedom to act on this threat as you see fit.”

Over half of the participants immediately left the conference call, most of them members of Sinnoh’s Grand Underground. Despite the emergency meeting’s rules, they had little choice. Their bases could soon come under attack by a relentless enemy, and they needed to prepare for the possibility.

That left just over two dozen members on the call, most of them operating in areas between the regions and thus belonging to none of them. The Grand Underground accounted for such a large portion of Team Luminal because it had become a haven for criminal organizations, offering vast amounts of space for them to establish themselves, expand, and thrive. After all, these groups didn’t merely prey on civilians. They also hunted rival criminals and other teams, making the Underground a constant battleground where only the strongest could survive.

“That leaves Unova, Alola, Galar, and Paldea,” the speaker said with a sigh. “We no longer have the numbers to carry out my suggestion. Our only chance at a proper retaliation now is to hunt down the bastard himself at his home in Kanto. Then, we can slowly work on dismantling the rest of his organization.”

The speaker couldn’t help but feel it was a pity. They had been close to establishing a united front in each region, potentially strengthening Team Luminal’s overall power. Unfortunately, the bounty hunter was on the verge of cleaning up Hoenn, while his actions had already driven the Sinnoh branch, the organization’s largest group, into hiding. At this rate, the speaker would lose his hold over the remaining members and ultimately fail in his attempt to consolidate the organization. He needed to do something drastic to rally a majority of them.

“I propose that we attack Alex Wattson’s home in Clearstone Valley tomorrow at noon, no matter the cost. If even half of the members here participate, the attack should be enough to draw him out and force him to confront us. I sincerely hope to see all of you there tomorrow,” the speaker said before relinquishing his right to speak.

Instead of a boisterous exchange of opinions, there was only silence. The conference remained eerily quiet, the faces on the screen revealing little enthusiasm for the proposed attack. Perhaps things would have been different if they still had their full numbers, but with only two dozen members remaining, the prospect of such an assault was hardly appealing.

Either way, the speaker had done his part. Now, all he could do was wait and see whether his proposal would accomplish anything.

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“Hmm… This base is empty,” Alex complained upon arriving at his fifth Team Luminal base that day. “I guess they ran away since they couldn’t ambush me anymore. Team Luminal is a bandit organization, after all. They aren’t used to fighting head-on.”

He had just finished clearing out the three bases in Johto before moving on to Hoenn. His original plan was to hit Sinnoh next, followed by Unova and then Alola, but that plan might amount to nothing if everyone simply packed up and abandoned their bases. It was frustrating, especially since he still needed eight more shield generators to fulfill Rhea’s requirements. At this rate, he might even have to expand his search to Galar and perhaps Paldea to obtain the remaining generators, assuming their members hadn’t already fled and taken their equipment with them.

“Rotom, check our satellite feeds and take pictures of every Team Luminal base we know about. I want to find out which ones they haven’t abandoned yet,” Alex said as he made his way toward the fifth location, teleporting between points before continuing the journey on Arcanine.

“Satellite feeds acquired. Cross-referencing known Team Luminal locations with current imagery. Analysis complete. Green markers indicate active bases. Red markers indicate abandoned bases.”

From a satellite’s point of view, an abandoned base was one where the shield generator was no longer active, revealing the military installation beneath it, complete with fortified walls, buildings, and towers. On the other hand, coordinates that still showed nothing but nature indicated bases that remained active. Or, at the very least, their shield generators were still operational, keeping the hidden bases concealed from satellite surveillance.

Alex immediately brought Arcanine to a halt when he noticed that the base he was heading toward was marked red as well. The same was true for all the remaining bases in Hoenn. It seemed Team Luminal’s response to his activities was to hide rather than confront him, which Alex found somewhat surprising.

He checked Sinnoh next and found that only one of the three bases had been abandoned, while the other two remained hidden. That meant he could still obtain six shield generators in total, leaving him with six more to find afterward. Beyond Sinnoh, only the bases in Alola, Galar, and Paldea remained active. Once he dealt with those, he would have no more Team Luminal bases left to assault.

“Let’s hope they don’t go into hiding as well,” Alex said as Arcanine teleported to the next destination, allowing them to continue the hunt.

No matter what, Alex was determined to track down those remaining generators, unknowingly disrupting the speaker’s plan before it could even begin.