บท 10: Reunion
As Alex woke up, he tried to piece together what had happened. Suddenly, a voice called out, making him alert. "Finally awake," the voice said. Alex turned to see a man who looked like a mountain climber standing before him. Cautiously, Alex asked, "Who are you?" After everything he had been through, he couldn't trust just anyone.
"Relax, kid. I found you near one of the caves. You looked like you hadn't eaten and didn't have anything on you, so I took you to my house and cleaned you up. Imagine my surprise when I found out you were the one everyone was looking for," the man explained, laughing heartily.
Curious, Alex asked, "Why does everyone want to find me?" He had some guesses, but he wanted confirmation.
"Your family offered a five million pokedoller reward for anyone who finds you. I already told them, and they'll be here in a few hours," the man revealed, his eyes gleaming with dollar signs. Just as Alex had suspected. 'System, we're out of the lab, right? This isn't one of their experiments, is it?' Alex silently asked, hoping for confirmation that he could finally catch his breath. 'Yes, Alex, we are out of there,' the system reassured him. Upon hearing this, Alex couldn't help but silently cry tears of relief. The cry wasn't just any cry—it was the cry of someone who had endured unimaginable pain and suffering. The relief was evident in his eyes, though people could never truly understand what Alex had been through in that lab.
As the man observed Alex crying, he couldn't help but think, 'What must he have endured to look so relieved?' Terrified of never coming back out, he had avoided going into the caves. While Alex cried, the man went to the kitchen to prepare some food to comfort him.
A few minutes later, the man returned with a simple bowl of noodles. Alex had calmed down a bit after letting out all his emotions. "Here, I don't have much," the man confessed, passing the bowl to Alex. He didn't have much food on hand, as he had been searching for something rare to sell and support his family. He had only bought cheap food for the cabin. Thinking that Alex wouldn't enjoy it, he was taken aback when he heard Alex exclaim, "It's delicious!" The man couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Okay, I'll give you mine if you do me a favor," he offered once he had stopped laughing.
Suspicious, Alex warily inquired, "What's the favor?"
"Nothing much, just take a picture with me and sign it," the man requested. "Why?" Alex asked, confused.
Sighing, the man replied with an air of resignation, "I have a daughter who, like every other teenage girl, has a crush on you pretty boy singers." Alex, seeing the man's dejected expression, couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Sure, haha," he agreed.
A few hours later, a heavy roar echoed outside the cabin, catching their attention. They went outside to investigate and came face to face with a massive Charizard. And from behind the Charizard, a familiar voice called out, "Alex, is that you?"
"Dad!" Alex shouted, running towards his father. As Alex reached him, his dad enveloped him in his arms, repeatedly expressing his relief that Alex was okay. Andrew joined in the embrace, equally relieved that his brother was alive. "Let's go home, son. The others are waiting for us," Austin said, carrying his son in his arms, ready to head back.
"Ahem, sorry to disturb you, but Alex needs proper clothes," Billy interjected. It was only then that they realized Alex was wearing nothing but torn pants and bandages all over his upper body. They wondered how his pants had managed to survive without getting burned. That was something they all pondered, but considering the circumstances, they decided not to ask. After all, it wasn't their place, and it was clear that Alex had gone through some traumatic experiences. Austin nodded, expressing gratitude to Billy. He was angry to see the scars on his son's body, angry that anyone would go to such lengths to hurt him. But above all, he was grateful that Alex was alive, and he wanted him to meet the rest of their family as soon as possible. "You must be the person who contacted us. We will give you your reward, I assure you," Andrew promised.
"We just want to go home for now. I'll contact my butler to sort out your reward," Austin said as they climbed onto the Charizard's back. "Goodbye, Billy," Alex called out, already having taken a photo with him and signed it.
A few hours later, they arrived back at the Black family house. As soon as Alex took his first step inside, his mother enveloped him in a hug, followed by the rest of the family, one by one. It was an emotional scene for the servants, who hadn't seen genuine smiles from the family since Alex had been kidnapped. After some time, his grandparents, uncles, and aunts, whom he rarely saw, came to see if he was okay.
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