As consciousness gradually seeped into his senses, a young man found himself suspended in a vast, dimly lit cavern. The cold, damp air clung to his skin, and the occasional drips echoed through the eerie silence of the clandestine hideout. The expansive space hinted at a place meant for covert operations, the shadows playing tricks on the edges of his vision.

Hung upside down, the young man’s vision steadied enough for him to perceive the details of his unsettling predicament. The walls, slick with moisture, stretched far beyond his immediate reach, forming a chilling backdrop to his confusion. Beneath him, a deep hole yawned in the cavern floor, a sinister void threatening to swallow him whole.

Despite the disconcerting surroundings, he remained remarkably calm. A lingering dizziness played tricks on his senses, but he maintained a composed demeanor as he assessed the situation. The foggy remnants of memory danced at the edges of his consciousness, urging him to piece together the events leading to his captivity.

“Dorian… Hey, Dorian!”

The insistent voice lacked the warmth of concern. Instead, it carried a harsh and strict tone, cutting through the disoriented fog that enveloped Dorian's senses. As the frigid water cascaded over him, the awakening was anything but gentle. He choked and gasped, the cold shock pushing him to immediate awareness.

The cavernous surroundings revealed their oppressive nature, and the pit below him seemed even more ominous in the dim light.

"See, guys? He's not dead," the owner of the voice declared to his lackeys, a malicious grin etched on his middle-aged face. "At least not yet."

The man revealed a wicked and stern countenance, a testament to his illicit background. His familiarity with the young man hanging upside down suggested a history not easily forgotten.

"Bobby… long time no see," Dorian greeted through strained coughs. "How's your daughter?"

The atmosphere tensed as Dorian's audacity hung in the air. Bobby's face tightened, betraying a hint of displeasure. A sinister chuckle escaped him before he commanded another reminder to Dorian’s vulnerable position.

“Unbelievable. Just unbelievable,” Bobby said. “Crawdaunt, use Water Pulse again, but add more pressure”.

Crawdaunt executed the command with brutal precision, the force of the Water Pulse nearly drowning Dorian. Simultaneously, the attack weakened the ropes that held him, inching him closer to the precarious edge of the deep hole.

Laughter erupted among the lackeys, their amusement fueled by the sight of Dorian being tossed like a ragdoll. Some even placed bets on how long he would endure before Bobby grew tired of the spectacle.

As the water's assault subsided, Dorian gasped for air, desperately trying to recover his breath. In the momentary respite, Bobby seized a handful of Dorian's black hair, pulling him close to whisper a chilling threat.

"Say something like that again, Dorian, and my next order will be for Crawdaunt to practice X-Scissor with your empty head."

"Jeez, Bobby! Why the aggression? As far as I'm concerned, I don't owe you any money," Dorian managed to say between coughs.

"Come on, Dorian. Are you kidding me?" Bobby laughed, finding amusement in Dorian's feigned disbelief. "You're one of the worst, lousy, treacherous individuals in our business circle."

"Thanks for the compliment," Dorian sarcastically responded. "But that doesn't answer my question."

Bobby paused for a moment, savoring every second of Dorian's discomfort.

"I don't know what you did, and I honestly don't care," Bobby responded.

"Then why bother?" Dorian asked with confusion.

"Cause whatever you did to Zeke for him to offer such a big reward for your head, it made me and hundreds more hunt you. So... nothing personal this time," Bobby explained.

Dorian was now the one who remained silent. The mention of that name was one of the very few things that could send a shiver down his spine. After contemplating that fact, he muttered to himself, "Damn it."

"We were lucky to find you. Both for you and us," Bobby declared as he went to grab a bottle of liquor and poured a glass for himself. "Pretty sure any other would have tried to catch you, deliver you to Zeke, and ask questions later."

"That's because they are morons," Dorian expressed. "You could have been another one, but instead, you brought me here and hung me like a piñata. So... what's going on?"

Bobby contemplated the question for a moment. Then he ordered his lackeys to leave them alone. His men, confused, obeyed after he gave them one of his stern looks and left.

Once alone, Bobby poured himself another drink and sighed.

"You know, when Zeke put the bounty on your head, there was another one who put a reward shortly after him. The catch? It explicitly said that no harm should be put on you."

Dorian raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And why would someone want to protect me?"

Bobby chuckled. "You've got some interesting friends, Dorian. This bounty was even higher than the considerable amount Zeke offered for you. Problem is, I'm pretty sure he intercepted and blocked the message. He may not want anyone getting in the way of his little vendetta. Only a few of us know about that second bounty."

Dorian took a moment to absorb the information, trying to fathom who and why someone else might be interested in protecting him. The idea seemed almost ludicrous to him. After a brief pause, he finally spoke up.

"Now, that's a real head-scratcher. Can't imagine who'd be so concerned about my well-being," Dorian remarked, his tone laced with skepticism.

Bobby chuckled, shaking his head. "Frankly, Dorian, I find it hard to believe you've got any allies out there. You've always struck me as a lowlife mischievous individual with no real worth."

Dorian, drawing a smirk, replied, "Ouch! That hurt. You’ve always had a talent to choose the kindest words."

Bobby, not one to hold back, continued his verbal assault, asserting that not even the most nefarious Pokémon would want to be associated with someone like Dorian.

“But you know… there is an old rumor about you. One I heard when I first met you years ago,” he slyly confessed. “Whispers about you being related in some way to a certain criminal organization that used to rule the underworld before its defeat... you already know the one I’m talking about, don’t ya?”

Dorian's mischievous tone vanished as quickly as it had appeared. His eyes darkened, and his expression turned serious. He warned Bobby in a low, threatening tone.

"You utter that name, and I'll make sure to break my own neck. You won't be collecting any reward if I’m dead, remember?"

Bobby looked at him for a moment, his amusement now lower. He downed his glass in one gulp and continued.

“Unlike any other individual I know, you are so twisted and unpredictable, I actually believe that you are quite capable of hurting yourself just to spite others. But after seeing how you reacted this way, it’s clear to me that it’s true after all”, Bobby asserted, continuing to tease him. “Just like those cute emerald eyes you got from your mother”

Bobby had struck a nerve, hitting Dorian at his lowest point. He felt his blood boil as Bobby continued to provoke him.

"Didn't you say this wasn't personal?" Dorian shot back.

Bobby responded coolly, "It's your fault for being such a despicable one."

Expressing his weariness with the conversation, Bobby concluded by stating that he felt sorry for Dorian's mother, despite her critical role in his troubled upbringing. Dorian, unfazed, swiftly redirected the discussion to the matter at hand.

“So, how are you going to deliver me to those you sought to collect the reward for my capture?”

Bobby chuckled at Dorian's question.

“Yeah, about that… Things aren't going to go as smoothly as you expect, Dorian. Tell me, why do you think I kept you in my clutches when I could have easily handed you over to those interested? Because of my own amusement? You’re not that important,” he said with a sly grin.

Then, Bobby turned on a giant screen in the dimly lit, humid place. The screen split into two, revealing the silhouettes of the people who had an interest in Dorian on the lit background.

"Welcome to the bidding war for our dear friend Dorian!" Bobby declared with a sinister edge to his voice. "Now, let's see who's willing to pay the highest price – a price that could either seal his fate or grant him a slim chance of survival."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

With that dramatic flair, the gravity of the situation sank in as the realization dawned on Dorian – his fate was now subject to the whims of the highest bidder in this dark and twisted auction.

One of the silhouettes was the first to speak after Bobby finished his introduction. Its voice was gruff and deep, altered thanks to some device to hide its identity.

"You were supposed to deliver him safely at the agreed meeting point. This is a complete violation of our deal, scumbag," the voice said sternly.

Bobby laughed at the upset tone. "Oh, come on now, don't act all high and mighty. You were more than aware of the kind of people you were dealing with when you put that bounty."

The second bidder, also hidden behind a voice-altering device, chimed in, "You've got some nerve trying to squeeze more money out of my generous bounty request, Bobby. There will be serious consequences if you continue down this path."

Bobby simply smirked in response, clearly reveling in the power he now held over Dorian's fate. Hanging upside down, Dorian could only listen helplessly to the ominous exchange, trying to find even the slightest tool he can use to escape.

Bobby, eager to wrap up the situation, issued a final ultimatum to the figures behind the screen.

"Zeke wants Dorian's head, and the mysterious one wants to recover him. Sounds like there's a conflict of interests. Why don't we all calm down and settle this issue with this auction?" he suggested, then grabbed Dorian by the jaw. "So, if my memory serves me right, the mysterious client outbid Zeke's bounty by almost double. What do you say if we start with that amount?"

But as soon as Bobby finished his sentence, the second voice spoke up.

"Triple the amount of the original bounty, and the promise that my people won't crush your pathetic little band."

Bobby halted for a moment, his jaw almost dropping at the ridiculous amount Zeke was offering for Dorian's head. He then turned to him, still holding his jaw. "Damn it, Dorian. What the heck did you do to Zeke to get him this angry?" Bobby chuckled.

"Now you can't say my life was worthless," Dorian responded with his usual sarcastic tone, still struggling.

Bobby resumed the auction, even more excited at the enormous amount he almost had in his pocket. "Dorian's pathetic life at one... at two..." he paused for a few seconds, his eyes widening with greed in anticipation of another outbid.

The other buyer, however, issued a final stern warning to him.

“You either respect the deal with the agreed-upon price, safely deliver Dorian as promised, or you will face the destruction of your entire life and work.”

Bobby, unyielding, thundered back.

“SOLD TO ZEKE, RULER OF THE UNDERWORLD!!!” Bobby declared as he finally stopped grabbing Dorian’s jaw. “Thank you very much for your participation, but unfortunately, here the loser must go”.

He then abruptly severed the connection, leaving only Zeke's silhouette to finalize the arrangements.

“My people will head to the usual exchange site in two hours. Get the bastard ready,” the altered voice commanded.

Bobby dismissed that notion. “I know you very well, Zeke, and I don’t want to be another cross on your blacklist,” he adamantly declared. “I’ll provide the place and instructions to settle the deal. Until then, we’ll be in touch”.

Bobby concluded the call, heaving a sigh of relief. He stretched his hands triumphantly, repeating a satisfied "yes" as if he had just resolved a significant financial woe.

"Sorry, Dorian. Looks like your fate is sealed in one of Zeke's notorious dungeons. For that amount of money, I expect him to send you there. Few places are as terrifying," he chuckled. "But oh, well. At least you served some purpose in your life."

Dorian didn’t respond and maintained absolute silence for a moment. Bobby nodded, silently acknowledging that even someone as deranged as Dorian could turn grim after losing his last chance at survival.

But then, something creeped him out. Bobby found himself puzzled when Dorian's laughter began to unfold—an eerie, chilling sound that started as a chuckle and escalated in an unsettling crescendo, echoing all over the dim hideground. Intrigued and slightly disturbed, Bobby approached, grabbing a handful of Dorian's hair to assess the source of the laughter.

"What's so funny?" Bobby demanded. "Did losing your chance to live finally break you?"

Dorian struggled to regain control over his laughter, barely managing to speak through his amusement. "You're such a creep," Bobby remarked.

"And you're just another moron," Dorian retorted, finally gaining control over his laughter. "Do you realize what you did? Do you think those guys who gave you that final warning were just acting tough for show? I'm a mischievous, treacherous liar—one of the best out there. But even I know whom you must never lie to. I mean... Why do you think I'm here in the first place?"

Bobby, despite being well aware of Dorian's untrustworthy nature, felt a slight chill creeping up his spine. The ominous feeling intensified when the sound of something breaking through the first line of defense resonated behind the doors that separated them, causing the very structure to shake and dust to disperse in the air.

"Guys, what's going on there?" Bobby urgently questioned while reaching for his communication device. "GUYS!"

However, all that echoed back were the desperate cries, pleas for mercy, and the tumult of powers and attacks as the intruding Pokémon wreaked havoc on Bobby's stronghold.

"Told you, you imbecile," Dorian remarked, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.

Bobby swiftly called upon his Crawdaunt, preparing for engagement, and summoned two more of his Pokémon—an old, scarred Ursaring and a Seviper. Determined, he approached the door, ready to open it. But just as he attempted to do so, the door exploded, catapulting him and his Pokémon across the room. The Seviper's sharp tail narrowly missed cutting the only rope that held Dorian in place.

The squad of Pokémon stormed in like a ferocious stampede, their trainers adorned in black attire and dark berets. A commanding Machamp burst through the door, gripping a fainted Golbat and a Bibarel in its powerful arms before hurling them like projectiles at Bobby's men, who struggled in vain to maintain control of the fort.

"HOLD THE LINE! HOLD THE LINE!" Bobby's desperate shouts reverberated as he plunged into battle against a Trevenant. The grass Pokémon executed Wood Hammer relentlessly, crushing Crawdaunt's attempts to defend its master.

Amidst the chaos, a Cofagrigus, previously concealed behind Bobby and two of his lackeys, extended its ghostly arms. It ensnared one of the lackeys, imprisoning him inside its coffin body and sapping his vitality. The remaining lackey, in a desperate bid for retaliation and escape, skillfully maneuvered through the battle scene. However, just as he thought he had evaded the mayhem, the formidable pincers of a Drapion swiftly disrupted his efforts as he was engulfed by the darkness, leaving Bobby alone with his Ursaring.

Bobby, desperate and cornered, took a step back, eyeing the invaders and clutching a knife. The rest of the Pokémon stared at him with unwavering intensity. Realizing his dire predicament and seeing no other way out, Bobby approached Dorian, pressing the knife against the rope that held his captive.

"Step back or I'll let this man fall!" Bobby threatened, his voice trembling with anxiety.

The individuals in black attire halted their advance, their expressions stern and unmoved. With a single order, their Pokémon also ceased their threatening postures.

"Who are these people?" Bobby nervously questioned Dorian.

"The heck should I know? Never seen them in my life. Although..." Dorian trailed off, studying the black-clad figures for any identifying features. Three men and a woman, all middle-aged or in their early thirties. But then, as Dorian paid closer attention to the berets they wore, a realization struck him, his eyes widened with panic.

"OH, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE! YOU MUST BE KIDDING ME!" Dorian exclaimed.

"W-What happened? Did you remember something?" Bobby queried, still visibly shaken. His Ursaring growled in response to its unsettled master.

"Just cut the rope and let me fall, Bobby! I beg you!" Dorian pleaded.

"A-Are you nuts? The hell's wrong with you!" Bobby exclaimed, bewildered by Dorian's bizarre request.

"If you cut the rope, I may have a chance. Either way, I'd rather share the same fate as you than go with these people," Dorian said defiantly.

"Screw you! You bastard!" Bobby spat back in anger.

As the tension escalated, Ursaring, driven by instinct and turmoil, attacked without receiving a command. The invaders remained unfazed; Machamp swiftly intervened, delivering a powerful, final blow to Ursaring's jaw and launching him against Bobby. The impact caused him to accidentally cut the rope, which was already weakened by Crawdaunt and Seviper’s previous attack.

Dorian plummeted, experiencing a mix of vertigo and relief, but his fall was abruptly halted as Machamp skillfully grabbed the rope. The Pokémon prevented Dorian from meeting his certain doom and gently lowered him to the ground. The mysterious individuals in black remained silent, observing the unfolding events with calculated detachment.

Dorian, now free from the rope, attempted to release him from the ones in his hands, but his struggles proved futile.

"Since you're here, do you mind lending a hand?" he quipped, but the group of people remained unfazed and he continued. "Jeez! Don't they teach you how to speak or something?"

The four individuals then formed two lines, creating a path as if they were preparing to welcome someone else. Their Pokémon followed suit, maintaining an eerie silence.

Amidst the broken entrance and fires caused by the assault, a woman emerged. Her serious and calculated appearance was accentuated by her glasses, and despite seemingly being in her fifties, she exuded an intimidating and strict demeanor that demanded attention. Like the group, she also wore the black attire and beret, but with the addition of an unmistakable symbol that cultivated fear and despair two decades ago. The symbol was proudly displayed on her uniform, signaling her connection to a dark and infamous past.

"You must be Dorian," the woman said, giving him a quick once-over. "I'm Matori, the current admin of Team Rocket and your savior."

Dorian chuckled, his emerald eyes expressing the disdain he felt after hearing the name of the infamous organization.

"I know," he declared. "Only a geezer or an idiot would wear that stupid 'R' in this time and age."

Matori remained unfazed, her expression unchanged.

"You will come with us. It's the least you can do after saving you from whatever that unpleasant Zeke had in mind."

As she gave the order for her people to take him to the ship, Dorian resisted, but a blow to his stomach delivered by one of the men, the tallest and sturdiest of the group, quickly silenced him.

"What the hell do you want with me?" he stammered, trying to catch his breath. "Twenty years without a single word and now you want me there. Why?"

Matori paused for a moment, contemplating his question, recognizing in his face the subtle traits of her boss.

"Because he requested it," she said. "And before his time comes to an end, he has something for you."

Those were her last words. As Dorian was forced onto her ship, two members remained behind, ready to execute Matori's orders to ensure no one would suspect Dorian or anyone else left that place alive. It was a sinister plan to eliminate any clues, and the explosives they meticulously placed on the hideout were going to ensure the plan’s success.

The ship ascended into the night sky, leaving behind the place of Dorian's previous captivity. As he looked back, there was no trace of sympathy in his gaze for Bobby or those who remained. The only remnants were the echoes of an explosion and a column of black smoke that quickly perished amidst the night, a fitting end to a trifling clandestine operation.

As the ship accelerated, Dorian's emerald eyes reflected a subtle grin. The opportunity to thwart an impending darkness that day was lost. The gears of fate had turned, aligning him with a force he had evaded for years. In the silence of the ship, he contemplated what awaited him, knowing that the past had finally caught up, and a new chapter, shadowed with uncertainty, was about to unfold.