Brock's voice echoed through the cavern, sharp with disbelief. "So it's true! You're part of the human supremacists who've been causing trouble in Kanto. You…" his voice cracked, "you were behind the Pokémon floods?"

Lirien turned, pale and trembling as her eyes met his. "Baby, I can explain! Just listen to me."

"I trusted you!" he roared, taking a shaky step forward. "I vouched for you. I defended your advocacy group when everyone said it was a front. I pulled strings to keep you out of prison when they went too far. I even argued with Erika and Misty about giving you access to League resources. And this whole time, you were the one causing all this trouble."

Her lip trembled as she stepped toward him. "I didn't know it would go this far. I never wanted this. I just wanted people to understand. Humans have suffered too. I thought if we pushed a little, they'd see our side. I never meant to…"

"You never meant to weaponize nests against civilians?" Brock snapped, cutting her off. "Tell that to the families in Pewter City. Or all those children orphaned because their parents were torn apart by rampaging Pokémon you provoked."

Tears spilled freely down Lirien's cheeks. "I was angry, Brock. Angry and desperate. I watched people I cared about die in Pokémon attacks. I saw trainers worship their Pokemon like gods while people like me got nothing but grief and loss. I got caught up with people who offered answers. People who twisted my pain into something ugly."

Brock's hands were clenched into trembling fists. "And you let them. You let them use you. You let them use me."

"I didn't want to lose you," she whispered, eyes pleading. "That's why I never told you the truth. You were the only good thing left in my life. I thought… I thought if I fixed it quietly, I could keep you and still make things right."

"You broke every ounce of trust I gave you," he said quietly, bitterly. "You made me an accomplice."

"I'm done with them, Brock," she swore, stepping closer. "I'll shut it all down. I'll give up the cause. No more rallies. No more protests. No more Pokémon floods. Nothing. I'll go to the League myself and confess. Just don't walk away from me. Not now."

He looked at her, torn. His jaw tightened. "How can I believe you? How do I know you're not playing me again?"

"Because I love you," she said, reaching out and grabbing his hand. "Not the League. Not the group. Not the anger. I love you. And I'm tired, Brock. I'm so tired of lying. Let me make this right. Please."

He hesitated. For a long, breathless moment, silence stretched between them. Then finally, Brock exhaled a deep, pained sigh. His eyes softened, just a little.

"I'm not saying I forgive you. But if you're serious, if you really mean it, then I'll help you fix this."

Her face lit up with cautious hope. "I do. I mean it. I'll walk away from all of it. Just don't let me go."

He took her into his arms with a heavy sigh, resting his chin on her head. "One chance, Lirien. One. If you ever lie to me again…"

"I won't," she whispered. "I swear."

In that ruined cavern, surrounded by ash and silence, the two stood together in fragile reconciliation, clinging to the last thread of something real in the rubble of everything they had broken.

Alex stared in absolute shock at the sudden turn of events. He had been prepared for a clean ambush, not whatever emotional mess had just unfolded in front of him. From his position in the shadows, he couldn't decide if she was being genuine or if Brock was just an idiot.

He stayed silent a hundred meters away, watching as the two of them casually walked out of the facility hand in hand, completely oblivious to the onlooker who was staring at them from the shadows.

Losing 20 million pokedollars stung, but at least he completed his objective.

For now, he stayed low, letting them create some distance before making his exit with a quiet teleport.

Meanwhile, outside, Brock and Lirien turned back toward the cave. With a deep breath, Brock released his Champion ranked Steelix, a towering steel serpent that was at least twice the size of Alex's. Its metallic body gleamed under the fading light as it emerged with a heavy rumble.

The ground trembled slightly as it uncoiled, sensing the resolve in its trainer.

"Steelix, Earthquake," he said, his voice steady but heavy with something deeper than a simple command.

With a thunderous roar, Steelix slammed its tail into the ground. The earth split beneath them, shaking violently as the shockwave echoed through the mountain. It was not just an attack. It was a declaration. A severing of ties to everything that had come before.

The entrance to the cave cracked, then collapsed in on itself, swallowed by falling rock and choking dust. The way back was buried, sealed by Steelix's power and Brock's resolve.

Dust rose into the air, cloaking them in the silence that followed. In that quiet, Lirien tightened her grip on Brock's hand, not just for comfort but to pour everything she had into him. Her fears, her hopes, her choice, her everything. No words were needed.

They had chosen their path. Whatever came next, they would face it together.

And with that, they turned away from the cave. From the pain. From the past.

Back in the cave, Alex's eyes widened as the entire cavern began to violently shake. The rumble was deafening. Chunks of rock broke free from the ceiling, crashing down around him in a storm of stone and dust.

Panic surged through him. Without thinking, he sprinted back toward the storage facility, slipping through the door just as a massive boulder smashed into the ground where he had stood. Dust filled the air, and then came the roar of total collapse as the entire cavern gave way, burying everything in a deafening avalanche of rubble.

The world went dark. Stone sealed off every exit. Silence followed.

Once the shaking stopped, Alex, covered in dust and with his heart pounding, opened his eyes inside the ruined chamber.

"Dick move, Brock," Alex said flatly. "He was probably trying to be sentimental, but still. Dick move."

Alex dusted himself off, released Arcanine, and teleported back to his hotel in Pewter City. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, he grabbed Rotom and headed out, returning to the quiet noodle shop tucked between empty storefronts.

The familiar scent of broth and spices drifted through the air, though the shop was silent and empty, just as it always was when business wasn't running.

"Welcome back. How was the trip?" the old man asked as Alex stepped inside, not even looking up from the counter he was wiping down.

"Quite lucrative," Alex replied. "I've got some targets here that need processing. Can you take care of it?"

"Follow me."

The old man led him through a hidden door behind the counter. They descended a narrow staircase that passed deep beneath the sewers until they reached a cold, sterile room resembling a morgue. Fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead, illuminating rows of metallic slabs.

"Just dump them on the slabs. I'll count them out."

Alex followed the instructions, retrieving the corpses from his bag and placing them one by one onto the slabs. The old man moved with practiced efficiency, inspecting each body and running quick scans. Once the slabs were full, he transferred the bodies into his own space bag for storage, allowing Alex to unload another batch. By the end, over two hundred corpses had been processed.

"Three million in total for all the corpses. Considerably less than estimated," the old man reported.

"I hit their main base, not their operation in the city," Alex replied. "Still, the job's done. Brock found out about Lirien's side business, so their network's effectively shut down. Good call taking my advice."

"Management figured the timing was right, so they went with your suggestion. It's not the full amount, but they added an extra five million as a bonus."

"Appreciated. Now, about that noodle soup."

Alex and the old man returned upstairs. He enjoyed a hot bowl of noodles in peace, savoring the warmth after a day buried in dust and an exciting battle. The broth was as good as he remembered. No questions, no judgment, just comfort in a bowl.

After finishing his meal, he paid before teleporting back to the farm.

Upon arrival, he released all the Pokémon and headed straight to Rhea's lab, his spoils slung over his back.

With the job behind him, Alex decided it was time to slow down. He still needed to train Lyra and Mika, and start clearing out nests for credit. As for the base in Johto, that would have to wait until he had time to spare. For now, he was content to settle back into the rhythm of the farm.

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