Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Once Alex’s Pokémon collected all the drone parts, guns, and ammunition from the base, he waited for Marnie to calm down. Once her energy subsided and she regained her composure, they teleported back to the city via Gardevoir, leaving the captives behind.

Immediately, Marnie called in the League to finish handling Team Dominion’s base. There were survivors to imprison, databases to investigate, and the base itself to dismantle after everything of value had been taken, at least what remained after Alex had his way.

"Where to now?" Marnie asked, her tone cold and filled with bloodlust.

"I didn’t find an address, but I can assume they would probably send any women they plan to prostitute into a training facility first," Alex said. "Once properly trained, they would be distributed across the city or the region, depending on where the brothels were located."

"What do you mean by trained?" Marnie asked.

"Prostitution isn’t an industry anyone can enter or leave on a whim. Workers must know how to seduce clients into paying the highest prices, how to initiate foreplay to lead to sex, how to moan to feed a client’s ego, and how to engage the right muscles for maximum pleasure. It’s a full occupation that requires far more than simply lying down and taking it, so high-ranked brothels like the ones Team Dominion would work with usually have training facilities where prostitutes can learn all of those skills."

Marnie blushed deeply, her bloodthirst easing as her embarrassment from her inexperience bubbled to the surface of her thoughts. It became painfully obvious she didn’t know much about sex. She had always thought all that was needed were the right positions, emotions, and partner. She had never imagined that sex required training for it to be good enough to pay for.

"That means our target," Alex continued, "are the most prominent brothels in the city that have a training facility."

"A training facility?" Marnie asked in disbelief. "Isn’t that a bit much? Wouldn’t a teacher and a few nights be enough? Who would even go to a place like that, and how would someone even enter that industry?"

"In my experience, most brothels are desirable workplaces for young men and women who are poor or have had difficult upbringings. However, some businesses rely on human trafficking and kidnapping to supply their workers. These operations train their victims through deceit, false promises of freedom, drugs, and, in the case of the more powerful ones, even mind control."

"Mind control!?" Marine exclaimed, her bloodlust quickly returning.

"Yup. They work for food, don’t complain or try to escape, and don’t appeal to their clients for pity. They’re the perfect workers for almost any industry, as long as you have powerful enough Psychic Pokémon. I’ve taken a few down before, and their operation was the most profitable I’ve ever seen."

Marnie started radiating her aura again, so Alex quickly changed the topic. No matter how attractive he found her bloodthirsty aura, causing a scene in the city wasn’t ideal.

"Let’s go ask the locals and see which brothels are the fanciest," Alex said, starting to walk away.

"We just need to find the fanciest brothels, right?" Marnie asked, staying in place.

"Yup, the more expensive and popular, the better," Alex replied, turning back.

"Hold on," Marnie said as she took out her phone and began texting.

Alex immediately realized that Marnie likely kept the numbers of the leaders of Team Yell, her own fanbase, on her phone. After all, they would probably do anything for their idol, and it was important to control their mob mentality to ensure they didn’t cause trouble. With this contact, she could easily find out everything she wanted about the city, likely with even greater accuracy than Team Umbraline. Hell, she could probably manipulate the city into doing her bidding without much effort.

"I found three of the most popular ones. The rest are apparently just local businesses that aren’t doing very well." Marnie said after a moment, before handing Alex the addresses. "What now? Do we get the police to raid them?"

"For what?" Alex asked. "You’re the Gym Leader of this city. I’m sure you can push your weight around however you want."

"Aren’t they just going to lie to me?"

"Not if you let me read their minds and get the truth from them."

"Right! I forgot about that! I need to get a Malamar."

"I’m surprised you don’t have one yet."

"They’re too popular. Whenever one shows up in the League Market, it gets snatched up immediately."

"I’ll let you know if I find one next time."

"Thanks."

With their destinations set, the pair headed out, weaving through the winding side streets of the city and drawing attention wherever they went. Marnie was clearly popular and strikingly beautiful, while Alex was intimidating yet equally attractive. Together, they were a pairing that would no doubt spark rumors throughout the city.

Their first stop was the Shadow Blossom, easily the most popular brothel in the city among goth enthusiasts, ravers, and punk rock crowds. It was said to have the sexiest goth courtesans in the business, with unmatched tolerance for even the wildest requests. They never refused, no matter how brutal, embarrassing, or demeaning, and always served their clients with just the right amount of sass and personality.

The brothel itself was an apartment complex transformed into a goth castle, painted black and decorated with dark, gloomy accents. It looked like a futuristic residence for vampires. Funnily enough, Marnie fit right in, blending in as if she were one of the courtesans looking for a client. That didn’t faze the girls, though, as Alex entered, clearly wealthy and a big score in their eyes.

"Hey, handsome, want an innocent little goth girl to play with?" a young woman asked, bending over to give Alex a peek inside her loose top.

"Who’s your boss, and where can I find them?" Alex asked, his voice stern and his eyes sharp and intimidating.

The woman was about to continue her act when she suddenly recognized the woman following behind Alex, the one everyone had initially assumed was competition. It was Marnie, the Gym Leader of the city, which meant this wasn’t a visit for pleasantries.

"I... I don’t—" she stammered, but Alex had already moved past her, receiving the answer he needed from Gardevoir, who followed closely behind.

He made his way past the waiting room, filled with excited clients, eager goth girls, and approaching guards, then headed for the employee-only area. He followed the corridor until he reached an office, where a woman in professional attire sat behind a computer.

"Hey! You can’t be in here—" she shouted, but immediately froze when Alex’s intimidating Champion ranked aura flared, scaring her and the guards who had followed them.

"Where do you train your girls? Are any of them under mind control? Do you have other locations in the city?" Alex asked, firing one question after another.

"We-we don’t," she stammered.

"They’re clean," Alex said, making his way out without further delay, shoving the guards aside without lifting a finger.

"That’s it?" Marnie asked as they exited the building.

"Gardevoir scanned the entire building and confirmed that none of them are slaves or being mind controlled. That woman is the owner of the business and personally knows every girl working here. They don’t even have other locations, let alone a training facility. It seems this establishment is purely legitimate, staffed by courtesans who understand the fantasies of most of the city’s inhabitants. That’s why they’re the most popular brothel in the city; they just need to sell the goth vibe to make a profit."

"So... they’re a legitimate business? They’re not breaking any laws?" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"A few problems with their income claims, but nothing too problematic or out of the ordinary. You should probably endorse them to your fans if you want to apologize for the disturbance. They’ll definitely take a hit once their clients today spread the news."

"Oh, good idea," Marnie said as she took out her phone. "I felt bad for just barging in like that and then finding out they’re a legitimate business. I don’t want to be a bother to anyone who follows the laws in this city."

"You’re so adorable," Alex said before he could stop himself, receiving a massive blush in return.

Their next stop was the Iron Orchid, a dominatrix service catering to the city’s masochists. Unsurprisingly, it was the second most popular establishment, attracting plenty of men and women eager to be dominated.

Unlike Shadow Blossom, which occupied an entire apartment complex, Iron Orchid had multiple locations scattered across the city, each housing between three and five courtesans. Their operations were much more discreet, a major draw for masochists in positions of power. They even offered private home visits for clients who paid extra.

Iron Orchid also ran a training academy where students could learn the trade and acquire the necessary skills and equipment. However, it functioned more like a school than a facility, so Alex doubted they were involved in receiving Eliza.

Still, it never hurt to check, so the pair made their way to the academy in the city, only for Marnie to receive the shock of her life.

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