"Hold on!" Kaia exclaimed. "You can't just gloss over the details like that. Start from the beginning."
"Rhea, are you okay?" Vera asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm fine," Rhea said, waving her hand to dismiss the issue. "It happened a long time ago. It isn't a big deal."
"Isn't a big deal?" Clarissa said incredulously. "Argent Solutions is a tech giant based in Unova. They're at the forefront of research and development, right alongside other giants like Silph Co., Devon Corp., the Aether Foundation, and Macro Cosmos. You're one of the princesses of the research world, with a status no lower than mine. That is not something that isn't a big deal."
"I was one of those princesses," Rhea said. "Before my father was ousted from the company and assassinated when his partners decided to take the business in a different direction. Now, I'm just a nobody in the industry."
"How did you manage to escape?" Kaia asked.
"My father secretly hired me into the company as a researcher after he realized I was a genius, or something like that. When my family was killed, it seems his enemies never connected the dots, so I managed to survive," Rhea said with a shrug.
"That changed once they started laying off my father's friends during the company's 'policy changes,' which gave me the chance to quit without any trouble. Well… trouble I hadn't caused, at least. I did leave them a little present. Hehe."
"Eventually, they dug through the database, noticed my profile, and sent assassins after me. I barely made it to Kanto before Nyx found me. Now we're all caught up. The end," she said, turning to Alex with innocent, puppy-dog eyes.
"Will you help me?"
"Sure," Alex said, accepting without hesitation.
The idea of running around Unova, taking out targets left and right, actually sounded fun. It had been a while since he'd been on a proper killing spree.
"How fucked-up do you want them to be?"
"I want BOOM-Y, FIRE-Y, EXPLODE-Y level of fucked-up!" Rhea said, throwing her hands into the air with exaggerated flair. "Like glitter bombs on steroids, but with actual grenades and tiny skeletons doing the cha-cha on their faces! Yeah… that's the sweet spot!"
"Hold on!" Clarissa snapped. "You can't just go around killing people like that. You'd be criminals, and you'd make yourselves the League's enemies. Can't we just tell the Unova League what happened?"
"With what evidence?" Nyx asked. "They have a big contract with the League. They're untouchable. I'll bet they even have spies inside the League itself, otherwise this contract wouldn't have gone through. There's nothing legal we can do to hold them accountable."
"They're part of Team Dominion, right?" Clarissa asked. "Why don't we just tank their public image? If we do that, the League might cut the contract, slap them with some hefty fines, and bankrupt them."
"All that would do is replace their current CEO, nibble at their deep pockets, and force them to issue a public apology, like what happened when their supporters in the League were exposed. The company, its employees, and their work would remain intact, while the real owners would get nothing more than a slap on the wrist."
"Let me talk to my parents," Clarissa said, unconvinced. "I bet they can do something about it."
"Clarissa," Alex said gently, "your parents already know that Argent Solutions is owned by Team Dominion. I'll even bet the Champion of Unova knows what really happened with Rhea's parents and still did nothing. You remember our lessons in the police academy, right?"
"Stick to your lane and avoid unnecessary innocent casualties," Clarissa said quietly.
"Right. Sticking to our lane doesn't apply in this case, but avoiding unnecessary innocent casualties does. Think about it. What would happen if your parents managed to convince Unova to cut off Team Dominion's biggest business, one that is crucial to their plans?"
"They'll take drastic measures, leading to mass casualties."
"Right. It is the reason the Underworld exists after all. Too many people have enough power to cause too much damage, so the League can only turn a blind eye as long as they aren't doing anything too destructive. Once they cross that line, all hell breaks loose and the League comes down on them hard."
Clarissa remained silent, understanding Alex's words. She didn't like it, but that was how the world worked. Trainers were immensely powerful compared to the average individual. They had countless ways to cause chaos and destruction if they wanted. They could send their Pokémon to cause floods, attack cities with devastating area-of-effect moves, or anger Legendaries, leading to mass casualties with a simple flap of their wings or a wave of their hands. The world was a dangerous place for anyone trying to stay innocent.
"Now… imagine if Team Dominion had no one to blame. What do you think would happen if all the executives of Argent Solutions simply started disappearing? What if all their inventories mysteriously vanished? What if their factories just exploded?"
"They would do everything they could to hunt down the cause. But they wouldn't feel the need to prove anything to the League and would continue to avoid mass casualties."
"Exactly. Which is why it's important that no one knows what we're up to. This way, we can avoid retaliation while the League maintains plausible deniability."
"Also," Nyx added, "the League will definitely help Argent Solutions hunt down the culprits. So the less the League knows, the better for everyone involved."
Clarissa sighed heavily and briefly considered leaving. She didn't want to involve her parents any more, and part of her wanted to turn a blind eye and avoid the discussion altogether. In the end, she shook her head and stayed. If her friends were going to commit crimes, they might as well do it right.
"Fine, but I don't want any innocents involved," Clarissa declared. "If you're going to do this, then do it properly. Every single person who dies has to deserve it. That means no wanton killing, no explosions that could harm civilians, and no dead children."
"But… explode-y…" Rhea said, the excitement draining from her tone.
"You can still have explosions, but there will be zero collateral damage. Do you understand?"
"Okay…" Rhea agreed, sounding like a child begrudgingly accepting a parent's terms.
The rest of the girls smiled at the scene. The two of them looked less like conspirators and more like a mother firmly laying down the rules for her daughter.
"You'd make a wonderful mother," Vera commented.
"What?" Clarissa said, startled.
"You're a natural. I'm sure you'd raise wonderful children."
Clarissa blushed deeply. She stole a quick glance at Alex, then turned away just as fast. She wasn't ready for children, not even close, but the thought that she might one day be good at it was… comforting.
"A-Anyway, who are your targets?" Clarissa asked.
"It's not exactly a who, but a what," Rhea replied, bringing up a holographic map of Unova. "I was planning on hitting each of these cities where Argent Solutions has its most well-known operations."
Five cities lit up in red on the map. Virbank City was marked as the site of their VR technology and weapons manufacturing. Castelia City housed their corporate offices and executive targets. Nimbasa City contained their most popular retail locations. Driftveil City handled their ports and overseas import and export. Finally, Mistralton City was flagged as a source of raw materials, though it was a bit of a stretch, as it accounted for only about 10% of their total supply.
"Are you insane?" Clarissa exclaimed. "I can understand Virbank City, since that's where they manufacture their products, and Castelia City, since that's where your actual targets live. But Nimbasa, Driftveil, and Mistralton too? Nimbasa has far too many innocent people, unless you're counting shop clerks as complicit in killing your family. Driftveil is just a port. Even if you destroyed it, they'd simply find another route to move their goods. And Mistralton isn't even that important of a location."
"But I want to do as much damage as possible," Rhea whined. "If I only hit Virbank and Castelia, they'll rebuild and keep doing business. I want to make it impossible for them to ever use my father's company name again."
"So this isn't about Team Dominion or revenge?" Clarissa asked.
"No…" Rhea said, staring down at her feet. "I don't want my father's company being used by them anymore. And I don't want them to just change the name. I want my father's legacy to disappear completely, which means I have to hit every location tied to it."
"What do you think, Nyx?" Alex asked.
"It would be impossible if the goal were to target Team Dominion, since they definitely have a hidden facility where all the real research and development takes place. But if it's just Argent Solutions that's bothering you, then we have plenty of options."
"Do we need Umbraline?"
"If Rhea wants the complete destruction of Argent Solutions, then yes. But if it's just taking down her father's legacy, then no. It would be better if you worked alone."
"What do you think, Rhea?"
"I want it completely erased," she said, her tone serious.
"Then we'll need to contact Umbraline for information," Nyx said. "I'll take care of it."
"There you go," Alex said, turning to Rhea. "Now, about Mantine's armor."
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