Chapter 569. The Megacity’s Bounty

Chapter 569: Chapter 569. The Megacity’s Bounty

"Gardevoir, send out Raticate and Lucario’s groups to draw their attention and lead them to the western street between these two massive buildings with stronger foundations," Alex instructed while simultaneously sending a marked map from his mind. "It’ll be cramped, but we can use that to our advantage with the defense and water teams. From there, bring them down six Pokémon at a time, using the attack team to sow chaos along the flanks. I want them boxed in on all sides."

Alex received Gardevoir’s telepathic acknowledgment before she immediately carried out his commands. Raticate, Arcanine, and Ceruledge headed southeast, while Lucario, Gallade, and Lopunny moved northeast, disengaging from their fight with Iron Valiant and leaving it to Urshifu, Azuking, and Grimmsnarl to finish off.

The six Pokémon then split up and honed in on six of the eight incoming reinforcements, drawing them around the building toward the western side. By the time they arrived, the other two, along with the first three that had been similarly corralled, were already engaged with three groups from the attack team and the defense and water teams.

The skirmish suddenly became far more coordinated as the defense and water teams formed up, alternating between Protect and bombardments to fend off the group of Future Paradox Pokémon. With the other six reinforcements now arriving at their flanks, the five Pokémon in the middle were boxed in between the defense and water teams on one side, the ruined building behind them, and the chaotic battle between the six reinforcements and the attack team on their flanks.

The attack team was struggling, however, since they had been forced to split their two groups into three pairs, a formation that was less efficient than fighting as groups of three. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the Iron Valiant that had ambushed Alex to finally be brought down, freeing Urshifu’s team to provide support and allowing them to finally lock down the strategy.

Explosions, bursts of energy, and violent tremors tore through the wide street as a full-scale Master ranked battle erupted between the buildings. Waves of heat rolled through the air with every detonation, while flashes of elemental power illuminated the battlefield in rapid succession. Attacks slammed into the pavement hard enough to shatter stone and send debris flying, only for the fragments to be swept aside by the next barrage. The sheer intensity of the fighting left the entire street trembling beneath the combatants’ feet.

The two massive buildings flanking the intersection were already ancient, crumbling shells, their windows shattered and facades scarred by decades of decay. Stray attacks sent concrete and masonry crashing into streets already buried beneath rubble, while the shattered pavement exposed the sewers below. Despite their stronger foundations, both buildings groaned under the relentless impacts, threatening to finally collapse. Yet they held strong, just as he had expected.

From the third floor above the defense team, Alex watched the battle unfold below. He was confident that the buildings’ above-average height meant their foundations were sturdy enough to withstand the punishment from such powerful Pokémon.

Among the Future Paradox Pokémon was Iron Treads, a deceptively small but incredibly fast Pokémon that rampaged across the battlefield in its wheel form, attempting to ram and run over anything in its path. When it closed the distance, it used its trunk to grab opponents and smash them into the ground. Despite its small size, it was certainly not a Pokémon to underestimate.

Iron Hands, nearly as tall as Alex, relied on its immense bulk and strength to fight through overwhelming numbers. It repeatedly thrust its open palms forward while shrugging off attacks that would have stopped lesser Pokémon in their tracks. Above them, Iron Jugulis and Iron Moth attempted to gain altitude and rain Dark, Flying, Fire, and Poison type attacks down from above. Fortunately, the defense team kept them grounded with Gravity and Rock Slide whenever they tried to climb, denying them the aerial advantage they sought.

Iron Thorns and Iron Boulder were even more straightforward, relying on sheer might to tear through the battlefield. Their Earthquake and Mighty Cleave shook the already ruined street, cracking the pavement apart and sending chunks of debris tumbling into the exposed sewers below. Fortunately, Protect shields prevented them from freely charging through the formation and fully leveraging their strength.

The battle was undeniably destructive, with explosions, tremors, and bursts of energy constantly tearing through the ruins. Yet despite the sheer power of the Future Paradox Pokémon, the fight remained firmly under Gardevoir’s control. She coordinated Alex’s Pokémon with precision, leveraging their superior numbers to cover one another while steadily denying the enemy every opportunity to break through.

"Not bad. We can even handle a little more before it becomes too much. Our limit is around 18 Master ranked independent Pokémon," Alex said with a wide, proud smile. "Well, that doesn’t include Guzzlord or Ultra Necrozma, though."

Alex swiped the Beast Ball and Poké Ball at his belt, releasing Guzzlord and Ultra Necrozma. Guzzlord immediately materialized at the front of the defense team, inhaling the attacks directed toward them and effortlessly tanking the melee assault. Ultra Necrozma, on the other hand, rained Prismatic Lasers down upon their enemies, bathing the battlefield in resplendent beams of multicolored light.

With the addition of both Master ranked Pokémon, the battle became even more one-sided. It was immediately apparent that Alex’s side would emerge victorious.

They didn’t press their advantage, however. Instead, they carefully targeted the Pokémon closest to dying, slowly whittling down their numbers one by one.

As expected, the remaining Pokémon attempted to escape whenever they found themselves in danger. It was only natural given that they were independent Pokémon; they would never simply surrender to their fate.

Unfortunately for them, Gardevoir was several steps ahead. Whenever one showed even the slightest intention of escaping by heading toward the flanks, with their rear blocked by debris, it was immediately met with a barrage of attacks that were nearly impossible to evade. Water Pulse, Shock Wave, Aura Sphere, Aerial Ace, and similar moves struck, dealing the finishing blow before they could escape.

Like this, the center of the enemy’s battlefield slowly began to crumble as one Pokémon after another was taken down. Eventually, once they were all defeated, the defense team turned their attention to those being contained by the attack team, eliminating them one after another. It was a systematic purge that snowballed as the battle progressed, bringing the entire fight to an end in less than 20 minutes from the moment Alex was ambushed by the Iron Valiant.

"I guess we can afford to be a bit more brazen from now on," Alex muttered before issuing his next command. "Collect the corpses and bring them to Rotom in the storage room."

Throughout the entire battle, Rotom had continued with its duties near the backpack, steadily booting up, scanning, and storing the devices in the storage room. There was no reason for it to stop simply because a battle had broken out, especially since it was more than capable of defending the backpack on its own.

It took the rest of the day, but eventually, Rotom finished assessing and storing the devices. As expected, apart from a few of the newer models that contained viruses, the rest were in prime condition. However, due to the lack of internet access, their uses were limited, especially for Nyx who wanted information, though Rhea would certainly benefit from the technology.

Over the next 2 weeks, Alex and his Pokémon swept through the city, no longer afraid to pick fights with the local powerhouses. The discovery that the Future Paradox Pokémon lacked a hive mind was a massive relief, allowing them to deal with whatever battles came their way without worrying about being overwhelmed by a coordinated response.

With their newfound freedom, they went from one tech store to another, scavenging anything that remained useful. Personal electronics stores provided computers, tablets, phones, and other devices. They also took several of the latest vehicles that had survived without viruses, including cars, hovercrafts, motorcycles, and other forms of transportation, paying particular attention to their engines and batteries.

They raided Pokémon shops next, taking whatever devices, medicines, and supplies had survived the passage of time. The storage rooms were especially valuable, with sealed boxes preserving items that would otherwise have deteriorated. Poké Balls, Potions, TMs, and countless other useful items were collected and packed away.

They didn’t limit themselves to technology meant for personal use, either. Industrial equipment was just as valuable, so they scavenged stoves, ovens, microwaves, air conditioners, construction equipment, and anything else that could prove useful. After all, technological advancement encompassed far more than personal devices; transportation, machinery, and tools designed to reduce manual labor were equally important.

They spared no effort as they scoured the ruins of the megacity, taking anything they believed might have value. Every few dozen miles, however, their scavenging was interrupted by another group of Master ranked Future Paradox Pokémon, forcing them to fight their way through yet another battle before continuing their expedition.

It was another boon added to the growing list of resources Alex and his Pokémon had managed to find in this universe. But it was far from enough. So far, they had only been taking samples of technology for Rhea to study and relatively small corpses, leaving their inventory at roughly 10% capacity even with the supplies they had brought with them. That meant they still had another 90% to fill, preferably with expensive materials or Master ranked resources.

"This is good enough, I suppose," Alex decided, his eyes sharpening with renewed purpose. "Next stop, a factory with raw materials."