Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

by babywrath

Summary:

A former MMA fighter finds himself reincarnated as a young orphan in the Pokémon World. Unlike the cheerful and bright world he once saw on screens, this version is brutal, filled with danger, desperation, and morally gray decisions.
Pokémon are feral and wouldn't hesitate to tear you limb from limb at the slightest opportunity. The League does what it can but has to contend with powerful criminal organizations that would see the world destroyed when forced into a corner.
Join Alex as he not only survives but thrives in a world filled with battle, violence, and monsters beyond humanity's control, as he fights back with everything he has and more.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON FRANCHISE

Chapter 1: Alex Wattson

In a run-down and dilapidated house, Alex woke up with a splitting headache and pain all over his body.

‘What the hell happened? I feel like I just got run over by a truck.’

The last thing he remembered was leaving a store after buying groceries when a bright light blinded him and everything turned dark. The transition of events was too fast, which not only left him confused but also weak, in pain, and with a mind-splitting headache.

He opened his eyes and observed his surroundings. The room was old and unkempt. The floor, ceiling, and walls were rotting. The smell was old and musty. The air was stale, with the unmistakable stench of mold.

‘This place looks like shit!’

He sat up and looked down at his body, the source of the constant pain that had been gnawing at him since earlier, and was shocked to discover his smaller and frailer frame. It looked like he hadn’t eaten in days. His clothes were ripped and covered in blood. Based on the amount, it would not be surprising if he had died from blood loss.

‘I look like shit. I feel like shit. I’m pretty certain I smell like shit too.’

There were unmistakable wounds all over his body. Some were fresh, while others were old. Clearly, this was the body of an abused child. Based on his height of 4’2” (1.27 meters), he was roughly 10 to 15 years old. The estimation was quite broad due to malnourishment. If the child had been malnourished since birth, then this height for a 15-year-old would not be surprising.

Suddenly, memories flooded into his mind, his identity, current state of affairs, and the life the original owner of the body had lived.

His name was Alex Wattson. He was an orphan who lost his parents to a Pokémon flood that threatened to destroy the city. As registered trainers, they were required by law to defend the city at all costs. The cost, in this particular case, was their lives.

The orphanage he was sent to took all of his parents' belongings and left him with nothing. As his official guardian, the orphanage director had the right to handle his assets, which he promptly donated to himself through various accounts.

After that, Alex was left to his own devices in the orphanage. For the next four years, he was bullied due to his naturally thin body and weak mentality. At the age of 12, he left the orphanage despite being a minor and lived in a random dilapidated house in the slums of Saffron City in the Kanto region.

No more than a year of begging in the streets later, he died due to the local gangs in the slums. The original reason for leaving the orphanage was bullying, and now he had ended up dead because of it. He, unlike everyone else, did not have a Pokémon, and the man responsible for his death was a member of a local gang who happened to have a Rattata.

‘The Pokémon world. A fucked up version of one, but still. I am now in the Pokémon world.’

Getting a Pokémon here was a catch 22. In order to get a Pokémon, you had to have money, but in order to get money, you needed a Pokémon. Sure, there were plenty of job opportunities to make your first stack of cash, but that avenue was not available for a street rat.

He also couldn’t just catch a Pokémon, since they were inherently violent and animalistic, so the power of friendship didn’t work for most Pokémon. They would sooner eat you than befriend you.

With no other choice, he had tried to fight off the Pokémon without success, which led to his death via blood loss. Rattata was a fast Pokémon with a mean streak. It would gnaw at him and retreat whenever he tried to hit back. Eventually, the wounds piled up, and he lost too much blood. He had died yesterday, which allowed Alex to take over the body.

How Alex found himself in this situation was a total mystery, but he would be damned if he didn’t try to survive now that he was here. He had always been a fighter growing up, and he wouldn’t allow his current predicament to bog him down.

First things first, he needed to assess his situation. He was badly wounded and malnourished. He was poor, with no one to turn to. All the money he had saved up, which wasn’t much in the first place, begging in the streets was taken by the man who killed him.

He had no money or power to speak of, and had he been the same Alex Wattson, he would undoubtedly die again. But now that he was in control, he identified many avenues for survival.

As an adult in his previous life, Alex was able to scrutinize the child’s memories and extrapolate information that was normally overlooked. Information such as the illegal activities in the slums, the crimes being committed at this very moment, and plenty of ways to make money that the former Alex had not been able to take advantage of due to his lack of wisdom.

For example, he could go to the police and ask for help from Officer Jenny. The other policemen were not an option, only a Jenny could help him out of his current situation.

The original Alex had never thought to go to the police for help regarding his stolen assets because he was just a dumb kid. The orphanage director, knowing this, was guaranteed to be able to continually steal from the orphans precisely because they never knew better.

By the time they were old enough to finally realize they had been stolen from, the director would have already retired from his ill gotten gains. The orphans would settle for low paying jobs or, better yet, be killed out in the field by stray Pokémon.

Even in the off chance that these orphans sought revenge, the director could rely on his money and connections to simply overpower them. Even a blind assassination attempt would fail, as the director would surely employ the best security money could buy. He was set for life, after all.

‘That fat asshole will get what's coming to him. For now, I need to get some sort of treatment.’

This presented a genuine problem that the current Alex could not fix. Treatment required identification, which would force him to return to the orphanage where his future prospects were nil. The original Alex had made the right decision by leaving because the orphanage would have tossed him out at 16 without a single coin to his name.

The orphanage didn’t even have any books or collaboration with the local schools that would have allowed the children to at least get a proper education. All those funds had been funneled into the director’s pockets. Even the caretakers were in on it.

The only hope for Alex to heal himself was to get some proper food in his stomach for the next month. This, in turn, required both money and presentability. No matter how rich you were, you would never get any proper service if you looked like roadkill.

‘I guess I will have to bait that little shit then.’

Hatching a relatively simple plan, Alex got up from the floor, groaning in pain, and made his way outside with uneven steps. He was badly injured, but thankfully, they were mostly flesh wounds. Assuming he didn’t get an infection, he could survive with some food in his stomach and a proper bath.

‘Let's hope my immune system holds out.’

Making his way out of the bedroom and into the living room, Alex noted that the place must have been abandoned for over ten years at least. The roof must have been damaged, allowing rain into the house. This, in turn, caused water damage to the wood and promoted mold growth.

‘I’m surprised this hasn’t turned into a haunted house yet.’

Had the original Alex died here, this place would have truly turned into a haunted house.

Making his way through the living room, with trash and debris scattered about in heaps, Alex reached the front door and stepped outside. Looking out, he found himself in the slums of a relatively wealthy city. The technology here was quite a bit higher compared to Earth, so conventional wisdom should still apply.

It was currently the middle of the day, and there were plenty of people and their Pokémon walking about. A typical city housing a few hundred thousand people at least. Even the slums looked nice in comparison to some places on Earth. At least the homeless got to live in abandoned houses.

‘I’m really in the Pokémon world.’

The memories he received were muddled and confusing. It would take time to properly internalize and learn from them. So, seeing live Pokémon truly hammered in his current situation, he had transmigrated into the Pokémon world.

His starting situation was less than ideal, but he could work with it. He was a fighter. He would fight back with everything he had and more. He would take advantage of his knowledge and carve out a place for himself in this world.

He would be a Pokémon trainer.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2. Rattata

Alex made his way to the territory of the man who killed him yesterday. He didn’t know any specifics about the man other than the fact that he belonged to one of the local gangs in the area.

These gangs trafficked sex workers, drugs, and illegal Pokémon trades with significant backing from certain powerful families or corporations.

As threatening as that sounded, they were the bottom rung of that web of connections. Nobody would care if their entire operation got caught by the police. Their supporters would just toss their spare change to other gangs or groups.

Alex quickly passed by a certain alleyway where drug trades usually happened while looking as pathetic as he possibly could. He took a quick peek inside and managed to spot the man in question. He was with two other men, similarly dressed in black leather, looking like some wannabe biker gang.

The man, recognizing Alex, showed a sinister smile as he stood up and started walking over while waving his cohorts aside.

Alex hurriedly made his way back to his old, run-down house and grabbed some random debris while waiting behind the door for an ambush.

“You still alive, you little rat?”

The man shouted as he kicked the door in, knocking it off its hinges. He slowly made his way inside, right under Alex, who was standing on a table by the doorway.

With a loud thunk, Alex bashed him in the head with a chair leg that he had randomly found. The man crumpled like a sack of potatoes on the floor. Alex quickly jumped down to bash him in the head again for good measure but was taken by surprise when the man grabbed him by the leg and tossed him across the room.

Alex rolled across the floor as the man weakly grabbed for the Poké Ball at his waist, releasing the same Rattata that had bitten the original Alex to death yesterday.

The Rattata eyed Alex and charged in without the need for instructions. It recognized the weak boy it had fought yesterday and knew what it had to do now.

Alex, in a panic, made a blind swing that managed to luckily knock the charging Rattata to the side. The distance between him and the man was just enough that he had space to react to the oncoming Tackle.

In a daze, Alex charged right at the man, who groggily got up while trying to shake off the initial hit to the head. He made another blind swing with the chair leg at the man’s side, only for it to be caught by the man’s hand.

Suddenly, Alex heightened his focus and dug deep into his mixed martial arts experience from his past life. He was never aiming to use the chair leg as a weapon—it was only a distraction.

He let go of the chair leg, then, with the same momentum as his swing, quickly punched the man in the balls, which were well within reach at his height. Even with the strength of a frail, injured child, it debilitated the man.

He followed up with a liver shot just as the man bent over from the pain in his groin. If the man wasn’t distracted by the pain in his groin, he would definitely be distracted by the piercing pain in his liver.

Alex grabbed the man’s collar, now within reach, and shoulder-tossed him flat onto his back. Finally, he locked his legs around the man’s neck and squeezed until the man lost consciousness.

While he waited for the man to faint, he eyed the Rattata that had been knocked to the side earlier, only to be surprised to find that the rat was looking intently at the fight between its trainer and its enemy.

The look in its eyes suggested that it was pleased with the ongoing fight while simultaneously impressed by Alex’s strength in taking down its trainer.

‘I guess it didn’t have a good relationship with its trainer if it’s just going to watch me knock this guy out.’

The man struggled for a while, arms flailing as he attempted to unhook Alex from his neck, but it was a futile effort. Between the pain in his groin, liver, and head, he wasn’t coherent enough to unhook himself. Finally, he passed out, to Alex’s relief.

The fight was quite close, but experience ultimately won out in the end.

Alex disentangled himself from the man and quietly observed the inquisitive rat—a tiny, buck-toothed, purple rat with a curly tail.

He had played Pokémon as a kid but never really got too into it. His knowledge of Pokémon was only up until Generation 3, with the FireRed and LeafGreen remakes. He only vaguely remembered the original 151.

He did watch the anime as a kid growing up, but by now, most of those memories had been lost to time. Not that it would have made a difference in any case, considering the knowledge he had about this world from the original Alex.

This was clearly not the animated version of the Pokémon world. This world was much more brutal. The Pokémon here were wild animals until they bonded with a human. They reveled in fights and judged based on strength.

This was the primary reason why getting a Pokémon was a catch-22. In order to catch a Pokémon, trainers had to beat them in a fight, but without a Pokémon, trainers could only fight them with their own body—which, as evidenced by the original Alex’s death, was suicide.

The realistic option was to buy Pokémon, but they were expensive. Even a Rattata cost upwards of 10,000 Pokédollars, and they were the most common ones around. This was because wild Pokémon needed training before being given to new trainers. Trainers couldn’t just catch a wild Pokémon and start using it in battles. They needed proper training to ensure they wouldn’t maul their trainers at the first opportunity.

The Poké Balls cost around 200 each, which was affordable, but without a Pokémon that obeyed a trainer’s orders, they were useless. Food here was about 10 for a full meal, which consisted of cheap Pokémon meat.

Only the wealthy ate ‘normal’ food, considering how difficult it was to raise farm animals with carnivorous Pokémon around. As a matter of fact, the original Alex had always wanted to eat chicken; his parents had raved about how delicious it was when they went to a fancy restaurant.

Based on the memory of the former Alex, the current Alex found Pokémon meat to generally taste better. Then again, he hadn’t had animal meat here, so it might really be that godly in flavor and texture.

As for nutrition, Pokémon meat was hands down more nutritious. A single meal kept a person full for the day, so most people only ate a single meal per day to keep their energy up. The people here were stronger and lived longer as well.

They were easily between two to five times stronger on average when they regularly ate Pokémon meat. A rather intriguing notion.

“Ratta! Tata!”

Distracted by his sudden recollection of the body’s memories, Alex refocused on the Rattata in front of him. Considering what he knew about Pokémon here, this might be his big chance.

“I’m guessing this old trainer of yours didn’t treat you too well?”

“Ratta!” Rattata nodded in affirmation.

“How about working for me instead?”

“Ratta!” Rattata nodded in affirmation again.

“Sweet. It will take a while for you to officially be my Pokémon, so for now, do you know where this guy lives?”

“Ratta!”

“Does he live alone?”

“Ratta!”

“Where he keeps his cash?”

“Ratta!”

“Excellent! I think we will be the best of friends, Rattata.”

“Rattata!”

Having confirmed Rattata’s cooperation, Alex started rummaging through the man’s pockets. He snatched the Poké Ball, some cash, and, lastly, a key.

With Rattata leading the way, they managed to find the man’s apartment, and with the key, they managed to get inside, where Alex, for the first time in what felt like months, had a shower.

Afterward, he picked out some of the man’s smaller-sized clothes to replace his own so he didn’t look like roadkill.

He also managed to cook himself and Rattata a proper meal, which nearly induced a food coma in both of them. Through sheer force of will, he forced himself to continue despite the need for sleep. He had a plan to execute.

Then, Rattata led him around the apartment to pick out where the man hid his stuff, which included drugs, contacts, cash, etc.

Finally, he took a baggie of drugs and all the cash but left the contacts booklet and the rest of the drugs in plain sight.

Then, he went to find a Jenny for help.

In this particular case, an Officer Jenny was absolutely necessary.

Jennys and Joys are the only constant good in this world. They are rich, powerful, and incorruptible. Their families have been thriving for millennia, and no one messes with them, considering their monopoly on the Pokécenter and the police force.

Even the Pokémon League can’t touch them.

In Alex’s current case, among the names of contacts in the man’s booklet were a few corrupt cops, so the only way to see a good ending in this scenario was if a Jenny was in charge of the case and no one else. So the first order of business was to find a Jenny to personally handle the case.

Chapter 3: Chapter 3. Officer Jenny

A few hours of searching later, Alex found his target—a patrolling Officer Jenny with an Arcanine by her side. She was a tall woman with dark green hair, wearing a blue police uniform along with a mini skirt. She looked surprisingly beautiful in real life.

Alex knew he had the right Jenny when she had an Arcanine by her side because Arcanines are a sign of a Jenny’s rank in the police force. If it were just a Growlithe, she would not have been strong enough to hunt for corrupt cops. They would have simply outranked her.

“Officer Jenny, I need help.”

Alex quickly recounted his interaction with the man, starting from when he was beaten to within an inch of his life yesterday to finding the booklet at his apartment today. One might have considered leaving that part out, but considering the psychic Pokémon they have in this world, it was better to come out with the truth.

Of course, the missing cash need not be mentioned, nor the intentional provocation of the fight today.

Along with the story, Alex also gave up Rattata’s Poké Ball. Poké Balls are all registered with the League, and jailbreaking them leads to some serious criminal charges, so it was best to get the adoption officiated.

“You poor thing. Where are your parents? Where do you live?”

“I’m an orphan, but I left a few months ago because I was being bullied. I thought I could go out by myself, but I was wrong. I still don’t want to go back, though. The orphanage director is stealing all the money I make myself, so I don’t want to go back there just so he can steal my money again,” Alex said with the most pitiful and downcast expression he could manage.

In all honesty, he was having a more difficult time acting as a downtrodden child than during the fight with the man earlier. He had always lived his life with his head held high, so acting as he was now was a new low for him.

“Alright, leave everything to me and Arcanine. I promise to take care of everything.”

“...Okay.”

And with that, the show was a success.

What followed was an epic tale of friendships, betrayals, and adventure, but it had nothing to do with Alex, considering he was immediately sent to the Pokécenter for a checkup. Pokécenters double as hospitals for people.

He did, however, manage to get some brownie points with Officer Jenny, Nurse Joy, and the nurses when they found out how malnourished, frail, and injured he was. It took about two weeks before he finally had some meat on his bones.

The medical technology here may not be as advanced as on Earth, but whatever science couldn’t tackle, Pokémon meat and healing moves more than made up for it.

As for Officer Jenny, she managed to successfully handle the case within a week. Many criminals in the slums and corrupt cops were arrested. Plenty of contraband was taken off the streets, but it was all ultimately just a drop in the bucket.

After the first week of being in the Pokécenter, Alex was visited by a rather weary Officer Jenny. She shared some of the minor details of the arrests, which included raids and contraband confiscation.

Among the arrests, quite a few were wanted criminals who had bounties on their heads, which Alex was entitled to a portion of as the primary contributor to the information that led to the arrests. Unfortunately, not only was he a minor, but he was also under the care of the orphanage, which had direct access to all his assets.

“Is there nothing I can do, Officer Jenny? All that money will still go to the orphanage director, and I will never see a single Pokédollar out of it when I turn 16. The orphanage doesn’t even include enrollment in any schools, and they don’t even have books in the orphanage. Am I just supposed to give them all my money and time until I turn 16?”

“Alright, calm down. I’ll look into that as well. If what you say is true, then you will have a solid case on your hands that would allow me to go and arrest them. I need evidence, though, which might be difficult given the circumstances.”

“Is it legal for the orphanage director to pocket all of my parents’ money and assets?”

“Technically, no, as they can liquidate it for you at the time of your admission to the orphanage and spend it for your sake until you turn 16, at which point whatever remains are returned to you. During this free period, they can claim the cost of raising you from those liquidated assets. It will be difficult to catch them without solid evidence of embezzlement.”

That made it impossible to have any sort of legal accounts of ownership.

“If I found a Pokémon, can they just sell it and take that money as well?”

“Technically, yes, they can, so long as it is justified to be for your own sake.”

“What about when I was out of the orphanage for the past few months? They can’t possibly justify spending my money when I wasn’t even there.”

“They can claim ‘availability of benefits’ while you are gone. Just because you didn’t sleep in their bed doesn’t mean it wasn’t provided to you. You simply refused to claim the provided benefits.”

That made it impossible to own anything until Alex turned 16. There was no loophole. Whoever designed this system intended to rob orphans of their assets, no matter how large or small. Terminologies like discretion, judgment, justification, etc., could all be subjectively used to take every single Pokédollar that the orphans owned.

With a visibly downcast expression, Alex deflated by resting his back on the bed.

“I guess the mayor of the city must be in on it as well,” Alex muttered under his breath, to which Officer Jenny made no comment.

She too fully realized how easily the law could be corrupted with the right placement of words. Unfortunately, they could do nothing about it. Even her powerful family would not go out on a limb to rectify this because it was seemingly a well-made law that took the interests of the orphans to heart.

In a perfect world, orphans shouldn’t be burdened with money at all until they become adults at 16. They should leave these complicated matters to their guardians, who should know better. Unfortunately, when even the mayor supports this exploitation of laws, they could do nothing about it because they would then be overstepping their boundaries into the territory of the League.

“Don’t worry. I’ll personally look into this matter. Just wait for my good news. In the meantime, look who I brought with me.”

With a flash of red light, Rattata materialized on the bed. Alex smiled at his partner in crime, while the little rat in question smirked back at him as well. They may not be particularly close, but they did have a tacit understanding between them.

Alex would provide resources, and the rat would provide services. A win-win for both sides. Unfortunately, Alex might not be able to keep up his end of the bargain.

“Hey, little rat. How’s it going?”

“Rattata.”

Alex assumed that meant he was fine as well.

“Rattata was very cooperative with the investigation and arrests, so his opinion was taken into account when the question of his ownership came up. He refused his old trainer and instead chose you as his new trainer. Congratulations on your first Pokémon.”

“Sigh. Can you help me free Rattata before the orphanage finds out? They will sell him as soon as they find out I had any sort of assets. As a matter of fact, can I get the bounty rewards in cash as well?”

Rattata was quite shocked at being released. It gave Alex a very deep look, which he returned in kind. Just like that, they now knew which plan to follow.

“I can release Rattata now, but then he would have to be taken to a daycare center or breeder. With regards to the bounty rewards, we cannot give them to you without the orphanage’s consent.”

“Can’t you just release Rattata with the money? You can say that I refused the reward and instead give it all to Rattata, the real owner of the reward.”

Officer Jenny took some time to consider that possibility. Technically speaking, it was possible.

“I suppose that’s possible. It would be quite risky for Rattata, though. A stray Pokémon with money is tempting for anyone.”

“What do you think, buddy?” Alex asked.

“Ratta.” Rattata nodded somewhat begrudgingly.

Alex understood that it was a bit of a stretch, but it was necessary for their current situation.

“That settles it then. Let the little rat out and just leave me for dead.”

Officer Jenny wanted to comment on that negativity or at least encourage Alex, but without any sort of evidence, it was impossible to ensure anything at this point. She could only do her best to rectify the situation.

“Alright. I’ll see what I can do. You get some rest,” Officer Jenny said as she returned Rattata to the Poké Ball and left Alex to ponder his current dire situation.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4. The Director of the Orphanage

Finally having some time to himself, Alex began sorting through the memories he had acquired from the original Alex. He ignored the trivial ones related to daily life and focused on absorbing the world's common sense.

This world was far more technologically advanced than what had been depicted in the anime, manga, and games. For example, virtual reality existed here and was currently being applied in gaming.

The original Alex had wanted to buy a virtual reality game but was denied by his parents due to its high cost. Though his parents were both respectable trainers and financially well-off, their expenses were equally high, as they had many mouths to feed. While wealthier than most families, they couldn’t afford excessive luxuries.

This world also had access to firearms—not conventional guns reliant on gunpowder but sci-fi weaponry powered by Infinity energy produced by Pokémon. Alex didn’t know much about them, only that they were relatively new and occasionally featured in action movies.

Beyond technological advancements, Pokémon utility had also evolved. For instance, teleporters were available in every city, allowing travel to other cities or even regions.

A powerful Alakazam could teleport about ten people to a neighboring region—for a hefty fee. So far, this service was reserved for the wealthy.

Another notable change was the affordability and accessibility of TMs (Technical Machines). However, what truly made a Pokémon trainer powerful was their ability to teach Pokémon how to enhance the effects of moves—something Alex didn’t fully understand yet.

Moreover, there were now over a thousand documented Pokémon, each extensively researched. Even Legendary and Mythical Pokémon were included in these studies. For some reason, top-level trainers possessing such rare Pokémon were no longer uncommon.

‘There's even a creation god Pokémon, for crying out loud.’

Alex remembered there being more and more Pokémon added to the roster with each new generation of the game in his previous life, but this was getting ridiculous.

Unlike in the games, there were more than eight gyms per region. Gyms were essentially League-certified training schools that not only served as certification of trainers' strength but also handled wild Pokémon training, city or town defense, among other things.

Wild Pokémon training involved teaching a wild Pokémon to be more amicable toward humans. This allowed people to bond with Pokémon more easily. The training wasn’t exclusive, but it was a tedious process.

Gyms acted as police forces that specifically fought against Pokémon or trainers to defend the city. All cities, towns, and villages had gyms to facilitate defense, while police forces were only added when there were enough people in the location.

Other services provided by gyms depended on the gym leader. The Water Gym in Cerulean City, for example, held regular water shows. The Fighting Gym in Saffron City trained people in hand-to-hand combat and physical fitness. The Psychic Gym, led by Sabrina, trained people in developing their psychic abilities.

This world was vastly more advanced than what Alex had known in his previous life. One thing was certain: he had a lot of studying to do.

A week later, Officer Jenny returned to the Pokécenter with disappointing news.

“I found nothing in the inspection. Their record books were clean, and the lack of education was justified by competent caretakers taking responsibility personally. I’m sorry, Alex. There’s nothing I can do.”

“What about Rattata and the reward money?” Alex asked.

“It was difficult given the situation, but I managed to release Rattata with the reward money. Considering your contribution was minimal, the reward was only about 2,000 Pokédollars. I bundled it up and gave it to Rattata before releasing him. He immediately ran into the sewers, so you might still see him around.”

“Thanks, Officer Jenny. For what it's worth, I appreciate the effort.”

“I’m sorry I can’t do more to help, Alex. I even tried enrolling you in school, but your guardian rejected it.”

“I figured as much. Still, thank you.”

“Anytime. Your guardian will be here to pick you up this afternoon. Try to stay safe this time, Alex.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Alex said in a formal tone.

Officer Jenny didn’t miss that change in address. It pained her to give up, but she had to follow the law. She had already overstepped her authority by strong-arming Rattata’s release and ensuring Alex received the reward money, but it still wasn’t enough.

With a heavy heart, she stood up and left the room—only for a well-dressed, portly man in a suit to take her place. The Director of the orphanage had personally come to pick Alex up. Given the circumstances, there was no doubt hostility lingered between them, but what could Alex do?

“Alex, I was so worried when I heard you were sent to the Pokécenter. Where have you been all this time?” the Director asked in a concerned tone.

“The… the slums, Director. I… I just couldn’t take the bullying anymore. I had to leave. I’m sorry, Director,” Alex said in a fearful and weak voice.

“And look where that got you—beaten up and in the Pokécenter. You know the orphanage has to cover the expenses, right? This will come out of your family’s assets, you know.”

“I… I’m sorry, Director,” Alex repeated, slumping his shoulders.

“It’s fine, so long as you understand. Now come along. You’ve been discharged. Let’s get back to the orphanage.”

“Yes, Director.”

Alex got dressed and followed the Director back to the orphanage. As they exited the room, he spotted Officer Jenny but quickly looked down, silently trailing behind the Director in a meek manner.

Officer Jenny clenched her fists. She despised how the law was being exploited, but her hands were tied. The records were too clean.

Alex’s parents had been quite wealthy, and at 16, he should have had no trouble carving out a path in life with his inheritance. But now, all of that is gone—squandered by this corrupt, well-connected man.

She had even been suspended by the mayor for initiating the investigation without approval. She had taken a serious hit to her career, and in the end, she had nothing to show for it.

With a sigh, she decided to spend her two-week suspension with her family. She had a heavy heart and too much on her mind.

The orphanage was a well-maintained three-story building on the opposite side of the slums. If not for its corrupt owners, it might have been a decent place.

As soon as Alex stepped inside, he noticed the sneers from the other boys. Being the weakest among them, they took every opportunity to assert dominance.

Even after two weeks of proper food and nutrition at the Pokécenter, Alex's physique remained scrawny. He still looked smaller and weaker than the others.

“Hey, Alex. Heard you got beaten up and sent back. Still a weak little coward, huh?” sneered the biggest of the three bullies.

“Yeah, if you wanted to get beaten up, you should’ve just stayed.”

“Hahaha!” (x3)

The three stooges—whose names Alex hadn’t even bothered to remember—laughed as he meekly followed the Director into his office.

Once the doors were closed and locked, the Director finally revealed his true colors.

With a resounding slap, Alex was thrown to the floor. What followed was a brutal beating—mostly targeting his stomach and thighs. The Director was careful not to leave visible marks, except for the single slap that would fade in a day.

“How dare you humiliate me, you little shit! Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You embarrassed me! This will go on my record. I’ll be known as the incompetent Director who lost a damn child!” he shouted.

He grabbed Alex’s face and pulled him close to really drive the fear into the child. Just as he was about to continue his tirade, Alex struck first.

With a sharp, open-handed chop to the throat, the Director gagged, choking on his own words as he instinctively let go.

Landing on his feet, Alex gave him a light shove—just enough to make him lose balance. The back of the Director’s head struck the edge of the desk, and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Alex crouched down to check his breathing. Still alive. Unfortunate, but anything beyond this wouldn’t be legally justifiable. Psychic Pokémon made murder investigations too definitive—he couldn’t risk intentionally killing the Director. A self-defense accident would have been fine, but not outright murder.

Now came the easy part. Acting like the old Alex had been the difficult part. The real fun began now.

In the corner of the room on top of a filing cabinet sat a small safe large enough to hold documents.

Judging by its design, if the Pokémon world wasn’t too different from Earth, this would be easy to crack. Modern safes had spring-loaded bolts that kept them locked tightly. However, a well-placed, forceful strike in the right spot could momentarily push the spring back and dislodge the bolt, unlocking the safe.

“Let’s see what we’re working with here,” Alex muttered, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Hopefully, he’d find some particularly damning evidence, and maybe even a little pocket money on the side.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5. Breaking News

Alex, having found a heavy metal paperweight, started banging the top of the safe where the bolt should be with all his strength. After a few good hits, the safe door swung open.

Rummaging inside, he found some money and quite a few bank transfer paper trails that looped back into the Director’s personal account. Essentially, the money was being laundered to a shell company that most likely belonged to the Director’s friends.

The total amount that was justified as expended for the sake of the orphans was split evenly between the shell company, the Director, the Mayor, the Chief of Police, and, finally, some scraps for the caretakers. This was a much more dangerous operation than Alex had initially thought.

With all parties involved, only the League had the right to pass judgment, but even then, there was a possibility that some of the higher-ups were in on it. Then again, when people were that high up, this petty change would not be worth the fallout.

‘Oh well. It's not like I have a choice. I will not subject myself to three-plus years of torture only to get shafted after I become an adult. My time is too precious for that.’

Sure enough, the only course of action was to expose the evidence. So, Alex made copies with the photocopier in the office and decided to send them to as many authorities as possible. It took a while, but he finally ended up with five copies of the documents.

With the copies in hand, he opened the window and jumped out of the second-story window. He safely landed with a tuck-and-roll and made his way to the various authorities in the city. These included the Psychic Gym under Sabrina, the Pokécenter, the local news station, the police station, and, finally, the city hall.

It was a good thing there were a lot of documents; otherwise, he would have been arrested had the contents been obvious at a glance. All he did was walk into an establishment, toss the folder on the reception’s desk, say "evidence," then leave. By the time the receptionists found out what the evidence was for, Alex had already left for the next location.

The original copy of the document he kept for himself. He needed to ensure that those who cared about the orphanage the most got the originals.

Having finished his delivery, he made his way to the old abandoned house he was squatting in and left a copy of the documents there, along with the money from the safe and the money that belonged to the man who had killed him.

Unsurprisingly, he also ran into his little friend. The small purple rat looked skittish while hiding in the house but suddenly became spirited when it saw Alex.

"Rattata."

"Hey there, little rat. Good job coming back, but I still need some time to sort this shit out. Why don’t I get you something to eat while I'm away, and I'll meet you back here. Sound good?"

"Ratta." Rattata nodded.

"Great."

Before being given to Officer Jenny, Rattata and Alex had a heart-to-heart talk. Due to the abuse it had suffered under its previous owners, Rattata wanted to set some boundaries with Alex, who agreed.

Food and strength in exchange for loyalty. It was a simple agreement that both parties adhered to, which was the start of their bond.

Before handing Rattata over, Alex gave him some scenarios to follow depending on the situation. The current situation was the possibility that Rattata would be freed. In that case, he would make his way back to this old house where they first met. This ensured that their cooperation would continue even without a Poké Ball.

Using the reward money they earned from the bounty that had been tied to Rattata’s back, Alex bought enough kibble for Rattata for two weeks. The kibble was cheap and made with a combination of Pokémon meat and berries. It was a far cry from Pokéblocks, which had specialized recipes for the sake of growth, but it would have to do for now.

Along with the meal, Alex also made some promises to ensure his little friend would stay a friend. Their bond wasn’t strong, but they recognized each other as partners in crime, which, in some way, managed to keep Rattata from running off to freedom.

After the meal, Alex headed for the Pokécenter to get himself checked out. The slap was fine, but the beating he had received to his stomach might have ruptured something, considering the intense pain he was feeling now.

Nurse Joy who was on duty, recognizing Alex, was confused to see him again at first but was eventually shocked to see new wounds on him. This time, after an examination, it was determined that the wounds would have been fatal if left untreated.

"What the hell happened to you? You left like two hours ago, and you’re back with even worse injuries," the Nurse Joy said in shock.

"What can I say? The world hates me," Alex said jokingly.

"The world doesn’t hate you. If it did, I wouldn’t be treating you right now," she scolded.

"At the very least, the Director of the orphanage hates my guts."

That got Nurse Joy quiet. She realized that Alex had just left with the Director, and not even two hours later, he came back with worse injuries.

"Well, this will need surgery to fix. The doctor will be in to see you soon," she said in a professional tone.

Alex assumed this meant she would be making some calls to the police, which would be a problem if the perpetrator was named. He needed to buy as much time as possible for the "good guys" to get the evidence.

"The police you are planning to inform are being paid by the Director with the money embezzled from the orphanage. The same applies to the Mayor. I would appreciate it if you wait for higher authorities to come; otherwise, we can just skip the surgery, as I would end up dead anyway," Alex said in the same lighthearted manner. He was trying—and succeeding—in projecting a boy who had given up on the world.

This reminded Nurse Joy of the gossip spreading a few minutes ago. To have both the Mayor and the police implicated in this was a serious case that would have to be brought to the Pokémon League.

"I understand," she said with determination.

"Thank you," Alex replied with a smile.

"Now you need to lie down and wait for the doctor."

And so, Alex waited. Half an hour of agonizing pain later, the doctor came and immediately prepared him for surgery. His intestines were apparently ruptured, which would need to be cleaned and stitched inside, so surgery was unavoidable at this point. Not even a Heal Pulse will help with the rotting internal organs.

A small, inaudible whisper from Nurse Joy to the doctor later, and Alex was sent to the operating room. As Alex was losing consciousness from the anesthesia, he could vaguely hear a commotion outside. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness completely was a loud crash and a faint rumbling of the room.

As Alex was undergoing surgery, chaos was reigning outside the operating room.

It had been a bit more than an hour since Alex dropped off the evidence at all five offices, which was more than enough time for the respective clerks to pass on the evidence to their bosses.

The Chief of Police and the Mayor were livid when their identities were exposed by the paper trail, prompting the Chief of Police to start a manhunt for whoever left the evidence. It didn’t take them long to track the scent of the perpetrator all the way to the slums and back to the heart of the city, where the Pokécenter was.

At the same time, the Pokécenter contacted the League, who sent investigators to verify the evidence, while Sabrina personally started a manhunt of her own for both the Mayor and the Chief of Police. She did not want to be associated with those who were caught, so getting the jump on them was the prudent choice.

Finally, the news station started an emergency broadcast to spread the news.

"The Mayor and the Chief of Police are stealing from orphans."

It was quite the spicy bit of gossip that would boost their ratings for the next few months. If it were true, they would be well paid for those few months; if it were false, they would be well paid for the next month. Either way, it was sensational news.

The news spread like wildfire on TV and the internet. It made trainers upset that their own children could be subjected to such injustice if they died due to Pokémon attacks. This was the type of news that started riots, and the League was taking it very seriously.

Of course, nobody had a chance to start a riot when Sabrina started flying around the city looking for the perpetrators. If anything, trainers were waiting for the fallout, as it would likely mean an abrupt change in leadership.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6. Mother?

Outside Alex’s operation room, a group of the Chief of Police’s finest men stood against the nurses in a standoff. Pokémon of all kinds were out and ready for a fight.

On the side of the police, there were primarily canine-type Pokémon—Growlithes, Houndours, Mightyenas, and Eeveelutions.

On the side of the nurses, there were primarily healing or calming-type Pokémon—Chanseys, Clefairies, Jigglypuffs, Butterfrees, Odishes, and Bellsprouts.

Just from the types of Pokémon available, onlookers could guess that the nurses were at a disadvantage. Yet one particular Chansey stood above the rest. It was livid when it found out that the corrupt police in front of them wanted to take a child into custody—one who was currently undergoing surgery.

“For the last time, step aside, or you will be arrested, ma’am.”

“Don’t ‘ma’am’ me, you corrupt cop. Just try it and see what happens. Do you think we nurses haven’t been out on the field for battle before?”

And it was true. Nurses with Pokémon were far more dangerous than the police who had graduated from the academy. Nurses with Pokémon were trainers who chose the profession after the gym circuit, while most police officers started duty after the police academy with minimal combat training.

Of course, there were nurses without Pokémon as well, but those who did have them had typically seen real combat outside the city walls. In contrast, the police here only patrolled and were not responsible for defense, as that duty fell to the gyms and Pokémon trainers.

Local police were only good for maintaining order and keeping the peace. They were not professional battlers—mere guards. The true professional battlers were the rangers stationed in the city, over whom the Chief of Police had no jurisdiction.

It could be understood as the difference between the police and S.W.A.T. in America. The police had minimal training and standards. They were typically out of shape and relied on their authority rather than their strength. Special Weapons and Tactics, or S.W.A.T., on the other hand, were responsible for handling real criminals and tactical warfare. They were the ones people called for real combat.

With the mounting tension, one of the policemen finally snapped.

“That’s it! You’re all under arrest. Get them, Growlithe—Flamethrower!”

And with that, all hell broke loose. Orders were shouted, magical lights flashed, and a myriad of abilities were unleashed.

The Pokémon grouped up to combine their defensive and offensive moves. This was a tactical approach that ensured smaller, weaker Pokémon wouldn’t be taken out immediately. But one Pokémon in particular stood out, immediately charging the other side with pure strength.

“Chansey!” Chansey shouted like a war cry.

Rather than using a move, Chansey relied on its sheer physical strength, charging through the police’s abilities and punching a Protect shield with all its might. The resulting crash was devastating.

The police and their Pokémon were ragdolled through a window, tossing them outside the Pokécenter. Sure, they didn’t sustain any damage from the attack due to a lack of Normal-type energy and the Protect shield, but at least the fight was pushed away from within the Pokécenter’s bounds.

From their higher vantage point, the nurses rained down ranged abilities on the disorganized police force one floor below. Even Chansey took the opportunity to toss out its Egg Bombs.

Suddenly, a psychic force bore down on all combatants and their Pokémon. Someone had cast a Gravity so powerful that it floored everyone—except for one Chansey and Nurse Joy, of course.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Don’t answer that. I’ll find out on my own.”

A beautiful black-haired woman in her mid-twenties floated down from the sky, an Alakazam hovering behind her. She grabbed a random police officer and started reading his memories.

This would typically constitute a crime due to the invasive nature of forcefully reading someone’s memories, but as a gym leader overseeing a crime scene, certain liberties were allowed.

From the officer’s memories, she not only got an accurate read on the situation but so much more—evidence of corruption within the police force, implicating everyone involved, including the Mayor and the Chief of Police.

Sabrina, the gym leader of Saffron City and the lead authority, had every right to read the memories of criminals. And judging from the fact that the police were openly fighting nurses in a Pokécenter, they were clearly the guiltier party.

Having caught up on the events, Sabrina felt a headache coming on. As the lead authority of Saffron City, she had, of course, known about the corruption spreading within its walls. She had simply never cared because they had managed to keep it all in the shadows where it belonged.

Now, however, certain lines had been crossed, and she could no longer extricate herself from the matter—otherwise, the League would reprimand her.

The sheer level of corruption she would have to personally handle was overwhelming. Some of the individuals implicated were even strong enough to put up a resistance against her.

Luckily for her, League investigators had been sent, so much of the burden of catching the small fry could be left to them.

“Haaa… This is going to be annoying,” Sabrina said with resignation.

“Gym Leader Sabrina, please help us apprehend these corrupt cops,” Nurse Joy said with a chilling smile. She did not appreciate being attacked in her own Pokécenter.

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll take care of it,” Sabrina said in an annoyed tone.

A few hours later, Alex woke up from his successful surgery. Though feeling groggy and weak, he had ultimately survived the ordeal.

“I thought I told you to stay out of trouble?” said Officer Jenny with a relaxed tone.

It was clear that whatever news she had was good, considering her mood.

“Tried. Failed. It’s not like I have any control over what others decide to do. Rupturing my intestines was apparently the prime choice among the Director’s possible actions in retaliation for his humiliation,” Alex replied.

“Well, you’ll be happy to know that you got what you wanted. The Director of the orphanage, the caretakers, the Chief of Police, the Mayor, and all their collaborators were arrested this afternoon.”

“Officer—”

“Just call me Jenny,” Jenny interrupted.

“Jenny, what about the orphanage?”

“I don’t know. The League investigators haven’t deliberated yet. Most likely, they’ll find replacements for the positions that have been emptied out. Right now, the city is practically hollow, so a mountain of paperwork will have to be processed before those positions are filled again.

The orphanage will most likely be taken over by a school or whoever is in charge of the investigation temporarily. For now, a nurse from the Pokécenter has volunteered to look after the children while the League decides what to do with them.”

“I hope we get someone who goes by the book and doesn’t really care. I’d rather not jump out of the frying pan just to land in the fire again.” Alex replied.

Jenny sat quietly at that comment. She couldn’t deny that Alex had already been through too much as a child. Even fresh trainers didn’t go through this much trouble and injury during their first year out on the field.

“Jenny, is there any way for me to apply for adulthood early? I don’t want to be taken advantage of again. I have enough money to start a Pokémon journey, though I am a bit on the younger side.”

Trainers typically started their journeys at the age of 16, when they were considered adults. Given the brutality of Pokémon, even 16 was relatively young. The League, however, had its hands tied due to the losses from Pokemon attacks, so they had no choice but to encourage children to amass power early.

They even encouraged wealthy families to start Pokémon training at the age of 8, giving them ample time to build up power and experience by the time they reached adulthood at 16.

This world was far less forgiving than the anime. If anything, it was closer to the games, where travellers were constantly attacked by wild Pokémon whenever they walked through any form of nature.

“Only your guardian has the right to sign off on early adulthood. Even then, you wouldn’t be allowed to leave the city on your own until you turn 16. At most, you could apply for a school of your choice on your own.”

“School sounds like a much better idea than staying in the orphanage without any access to information. Although... I don’t have the money for it,” Alex said rather dejectedly.

He had enough money to start on his journey and make more as he completed requests or sold resources outside but it was not enough for a stable life and education for three years.

He truly was in a bind. He couldn’t even buy a phone without a guardian’s consent, meaning orphans were locked out of education at the discretion of their guardians.

Struck with a sudden idea, Alex perked up and turned to Jenny with his full attention.

“Why don’t you become my guardian, then?” he asked, mustering as much enthusiasm as he could from the depths of his hardened heart.

Chapter 7: Chapter 7. Sabrina

Jenny was practically blinded by the light of hope and youth Alex was radiating. As a mid 20s single woman with a hefty savings account, Jenny was more than capable of adopting Alex. If anything, it was strange that she doesn’t have a love life yet given her obvious beauty and capability.

“You don’t even have to do anything. I’ll take care of myself. Just leave me with a computer that I can pay for by myself and I'll stay out of your business. I just need to independently reach the age of 16.” Alex bargained.

He was hoping to coax the incorruptible Jenny to lend him a hand in this matter. He should have considered this option even before he was put back in the orphanage. He could have avoided a fiasco with the Director of the orphanage.

Unfortunately, he was not and is still not that close to Jenny so it would not have been surprising to have been rejected then. Now, however, there is hope considering his recent accomplishments.

“I’ll… think about it.” Jenny replied unsure.

Cue visible deflation and obvious loss of hope from the young and frail Alex. He is truly milking this young frail body for all that it is worth.

“...okay. Thank you for visiting me Jenny. I really appreciate it.” Alex said with a strained smile.

Jenny visibly looked uncomfortable with the interaction. Critical hit.

“Okay. Rest up for now. I’ll be back to check up on you later when I have more news regarding your situation.” Jenny says as she leaves the room leaving Alex to his thoughts.

Regarding his current situation, he is in a much better position. For one thing, he has a loyal Pokemon and quite a bit of stolen money that would allow him to comfortably reach 16 years old before it runs out.

Of Course this amount is merely for daily sustenance. If he buys any additional resources on top, he would run out quite fast. Even buying the computer would force him to be frugal for the next three years.

He can forget about paying for a place to live. The expenses would not even cover a year.

On the bright side, he is now healthy. At least, he is no longer skin and bones. His situation would only improve with his recovery over the next week. The food in the Pokecenter is quite a bit of a step up compared to his usual meals since it is high level Pokemon meat which is specifically cooked to promote recovery and nutritional balance.

For now, he has to wait to be discharged before making a move. He also has to wait for the League to make a deliberation regarding his situation. Considering the extensive injuries he had suffered under the Director, he might be entitled to compensation depending on the laws of the League.

In the first place, he doesn’t even know the laws here. For all he knows, he might be in trouble for defending himself against his guardian as absurd as that sounds. This reminded Alex of the primary resource that he has been missing out on ever since his parents died.

Information. He lacks critical information to be able to wade across the laws of the League. He lacks information on how to properly raise Pokemon. He lacks information regarding his current location and their so called common sense.

This will need to be addressed as soon as he is discharged from the Pokecenter. For now, he might as well rest as the doctor ordered.

The next day, Alex received a surprise visitor. A beautiful woman with long, straight black hair, piercing red eyes, and a slender yet athletic build entered his room, wearing a form-fitting red and black bodysuit with a long, dark coat. It was Sabrina, the Psychic Gym Leader herself, visiting Alex.

‘Wow! She is gorgeous,’ Alex thought to himself.

“Thank you, but you are a bit too young for me,” Sabrina replied as she moved from the door to Alex’s bedside.

‘Right. She’s psychic,’ Alex thought.

“You must be Alex. I’m Sabrina, the Gym Leader of the Psychic Gym here in Saffron City,” she continued.

“Nice to meet you, Gym Leader Sabrina,” Alex replied courteously while simultaneously trying—and failing—to stop his thoughts from further complimenting her.

“No need for formalities. I am here to see the wonder boy himself. You caused quite the commotion yesterday, you know,” she replied in an accusing manner.

“I only did what I could to survive,” Alex replied sharply, which surprisingly got a nod of approval from Sabrina.

“You certainly did. In any case, I am here to ascertain more facts about the case—in particular, the reason for the current state of the director of the orphanage.”

That put a damper on Alex’s fighting spirit. He had no idea what happened to the director after he left him in his office.

“Again, I only did what I could to survive,” Alex repeated.

“Yes, well, he is now in a coma and may never awaken. Brain damage is quite complicated to fix in humans, unlike Pokémon, who are able to shrug it off with a simple Heal Pulse. I will need to read your memories to determine a proper ruling regarding this specific case. Do I have your consent?”

“What happens if I refuse?” Alex asked.

“As a Gym Leader, I will assume the worst case scenario where you had murderous intent before the act of self-defense, in which case I would name you a criminal. That would legally allow me to forcibly read your memories anyway in order to reach a proper ruling. I suggest you give consent,” she replied almost automatically.

“What about my guardian? Aren’t you supposed to ask them for consent?” Alex asked, practically grasping at straws.

“Unfortunately for you, you currently have no legal guardian, as he is indisposed. This temporarily grants you certain rights as your own person, even as a child. I’ll ask one last time—do I have your consent?” Sabrina said as she increased her aura, making her significantly more threatening.

As much as Alex wanted to avoid revealing his deeper secrets, he truly had no choice in the matter. Thus, he simply gave up resistance. What will be, will be.

“Fine,” Alex replied.

Sabrina immediately grabbed his head and forcibly started prodding around in Alex’s memories. She read everything from the day he was born to the present moment in a matter of seconds.

As an experienced psychic, Sabrina had been sifting through memories since she was a child. Her current expertise allowed her to immediately toss out all irrelevant information while honing in on all the secrets her victims were harboring.

One particular secret she was keen on uncovering was how a frail 12-year-old was suddenly able to defend himself when he had previously shown no signs of such capability.

Unfortunately, other than a miraculous change of mindset after having almost died, she found nothing else of note.

‘No, there is something. Memories that are being blocked from my prying. He must have some talent for Dark-type Pokémon to be able to block even me from prying.’

Reviewing the memories again, she noted that everything was accounted for. Nothing stood out as a particular date and time when memories had been secretly hidden. Even the timestamps looked accurate. This greatly puzzled Sabrina.

‘How is it possible to block specific memories and yet not show a timeline of when they were blocked?’

There should have been a void in the memories where those specific moments had been erased, but there was no discrepancy at all.

‘Trauma, perhaps?’

Even then, she found it highly suspicious.

In any case, this would have to remain a mystery for Sabrina, as those memories had nothing to do with the current case. She had already found and confirmed his innocence in the matter. So, for all intents and purposes, he was clean.

“Congratulations, Alex. I found nothing incriminating in your memories. You are free to go. The League will contact you for an update regarding your assault and any injuries you have sustained. Good day,” Sabrina said as she made her way to the door before leaving Alex alone in the room again.

‘She comes and goes like the wind. She didn’t even allow me to ask questions after the fact. She really is gorgeous though.’

Alex lay back on his bed after Sabrina’s abrupt exit.

It was apparent that she hadn’t found his memories from Earth, given her lack of excitement during and after her search. Had she discovered that he was from another universe, he would have likely been interrogated or subjected to inhuman experiments.

‘Wait. Anabel also came from another universe but lost her memories. Maybe it might not be such a big deal after all?

No, Anabel was her own person, while I hijacked some kid’s dead body. There must be a reason why I was tossed here.’

Alex gave up on that train of thought immediately. So what if he had been sent here with some grand purpose? The fact that no one had come to tell him what he should do meant he didn’t have to care about it at all. Let them solve their problems—Alex would just go on with his life.

He had no reason to go back, nor a reason to leave this place, so he would simply have to make the most of his current situation.

Chapter 8: Chapter 8. Aftermath

Five days later, Alex was visited by a League representative regarding his current case. He was awarded 10,000 Pokédollars as credit for discovering and presenting evidence of corruption, which was confirmed by League officials sent to investigate the allegations.

Next, the League compensated him for his injuries using funds from the director’s personal account. Apparently, emotional damage is not recognized, so there was no monetary compensation for the injustice Alex suffered.

Conversely, the director faced severe punishment. He woke up from his coma two days later, only to be interrogated and arrested for all crimes uncovered during the investigation. He is expected to lose all his assets and serve a 10-year prison sentence.

This punishment is notably harsher because the amount taken from the director was less than what the League had to compensate the orphans with.

Regarding the money stolen from the orphanage, the League has taken direct authority over the matter and opted to resolve it financially due to the involvement of the Mayor and the Chief of Police.

They decided to compensate all the orphans by providing them with their listed assets in full when they turn 16, in cash, without any deductions that the orphanage would have normally taken. This means they won’t have to spend a single Pokédollar until adulthood, as the League will cover all their expenses until then.

Everyone involved in the fraudulent paper trail was either arrested or sanctioned for illicit business practices. The Mayor and the Chief of Police received the same punishment as the orphanage director.

For now, the orphanage is being managed by a League representative until suitable replacements are found. Even if the future director were corrupt, they would be unable to take anything from the children, as the funds will be strictly provided by the League.

Alex doesn’t know how much money his parents had when they died, so he doesn’t plan on relying on it. Worse still, those assets might have been sold cheaply, making them truly unreliable.

Essentially, Alex is still back to square one. He can’t take advantage of his time as an orphan because he might not be granted access to any assets he acquires during this period. Those assets are not protected by the League.

On the bright side, there is a high possibility that Alex will receive a proper education, and as long as there are public computers at school, he will have access to information. In any case, his situation has undoubtedly improved.

The next day, Alex was finally discharged from the Pokécenter. During his stay, he was not allowed to exert any force, lest he risk reopening the stitches in his stomach and intestines. It had been a dull week, spent mostly planning—much like the previous two weeks.

The primary reason his previous recovery took longer than healing from surgery was malnutrition. Pokémon meat is highly nutritious, but it still takes time for its effects to manifest. Combined with the severity of his injuries, which had nearly taken his life, he needed two full weeks to recover.

This time, however, he only took a week to heal from surgery, as his body now had proper nutrition to support his recovery.

This world is truly more advanced than Earth in many ways. Healing from the incision made by the doctor required only a simple Heal Pulse from a Chansey, while healing from physical trauma took just a week.

In any case, he was finally out. Unfortunately, Jenny had not visited him during his recovery, and with that, his hopes of being adopted faded away.

He was picked up from the Pokécenter by a black-haired, straight-laced, bespectacled man who seemed not to care for much. They made their way back to the orphanage in silence, much like how Alex had done a week ago with the director.

Entering the three-story building, Alex was surprised to see Jenny again. She was sitting on a bench by the front office with her rather large Arcanine by her side.

“Hey there, little troublemaker. It’s good to see you out of the Pokécenter,” Jenny greeted with a big smile.

“Hey, Jenny. What are you doing here? I thought the case was already closed,” Alex asked.

“I had to file some paperwork. It should be done any minute now.”

Right on cue, a middle-aged woman walked out of the front office with paperwork in hand.

“Officer Jenny, your application has been approved. I apologize for the delay. Cases like these typically get resolved within a day or two, but current circumstances have significantly delayed response times, as I’m sure you can understand,” the woman said as she handed the papers to Jenny.

“Yes, I understand,” Jenny replied as she got up, took the paperwork, and reviewed it.

“Everything seems to be in order. I believe I can now proceed with the adoption?” Jenny continued.

“Yes, all you will require is your and the child’s signature, and you can be on your way. Why don’t you wait here while I go look for the child in question?”

“No need. This is the child in question,” Jenny said as she stepped closer and patted Alex’s shoulder.

“You’re adopting me?” Alex asked, staring at Jenny with a surprised look.

“Yes, Alex. I decided to adopt you. It took me all week to get this sorted out. That’s why I didn’t visit you at the Pokécenter—I wanted it to be a surprise,” she said with a bright smile.

Now it was Alex’s turn to be blinded by the holy aura and goodwill this woman was radiating.

No doubt he had simply planned on using her as protection for his assets. Jennys and Joys were trustworthy, as they were essentially angels on earth. At this moment, however, he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel his heart melting for this woman.

She was truly an angel—to randomly adopt some child off the streets whom she barely knew. She had plenty of options for ‘better’ children in the orphanage, but she picked Alex simply because he asked.

What a wonderful woman.

Now it was Alex’s turn to reciprocate some feelings, something he hadn’t done since his high school days, which were at least a decade ago from his perspective.

He smiled the biggest smile he could possibly manage and immediately went for a big hug. He buried his head in her chest to quickly hide his face. He breathed deeply and suddenly looked up with the same big smile.

“Thank you, Jenny. Or should I call you Mom?” Alex asked with a smirk.

“Nope. No. Not Mom. I’m not ready for that. Just call me Jenny like usual.”

“Okay.”

“Well, isn’t that nice? Now, to finalize your adoption, I just need you both to sign here and here, and you are all set,” the woman said as she pointed out where our signatures should be.

Jenny and I immediately signed the paperwork.

“Congratulations on a successful adoption. I hope you have a wonderful life together,” the woman said as she took her copy of the paperwork and went back to her office.

She must be really busy if she can’t even walk them out of the building, which is just a few steps away. In any case, Alex was now officially adopted.

“So, what now?” Alex asked as he, Jenny, and Arcanine made their way out of the orphanage.

“I have the day off, so we should go get your things, go shopping, then head home,” Jenny replied, to which Alex just nodded along.

They made their way to the old house where Rattata was hiding with the money Alex had managed to acquire.

Upon entering the house, Alex immediately spotted Rattata secretly peeking out from a hole in the wall to see who was trespassing in his territory.

As soon as he noticed Alex’s arrival, he immediately made his way over. A relieved look crossed his face as Alex picked him up and placed him on his shoulder. It must have been a stressful week for the little guy.

“There you are. Come along. We have a home now,” Alex said as he picked Rattata up.

“Rattata!” he replied excitedly.

Alex was honestly impressed that Rattata had stuck around for three whole weeks despite not having a proper bond with him, and Jenny agreed.

“You must have a strong bond if he chose to stick around even when you weren’t here and he didn’t have a Poké Ball,” Jenny commented.

“He was apparently abused and underfed by his previous owner. He decided I was a stronger trainer when I managed to take the man down and hoped I would be a better trainer as well,” Alex explained.

“That’s good. You should cherish each other well. Your first Pokémon will always be your most memorable partner. Here,” Jenny said as she handed Alex a Poké Ball.

“I plan on doing exactly that,” Alex replied while storing Rattata in the Poké Ball.

“Ratta,” Rattata agreed as he left the Poké Ball on his own after the capture.

“I suppose you prefer to stay out of your Poké Ball, then?” Alex asked Rattata.

“Ratta.” Rattata confirmed.

“That’s fine,” Alex said, then turned to Jenny and continued, “I don’t have much other than the cash I took back from the man and the reward you gave Rattata. Let me go get it, then we can go shopping.”

“Alright.”

Alex grabbed the stolen money he had hidden, and together, they made their way to the mall.

As Alex was walking away, he turned back to get one last look at the house where he had first been transmigrated. Maybe someday, he would come back and build a real home here. But for now, he had some shopping to do.

Chapter 9: Chapter 9. Home Sweet Home

Saffron Grand Mall is a skyscraper located on the east side of Saffron City. It has multiple floors catering to all its customers' needs, even those who aren't trainers.

On the second floor of the mall, customers can find the League Bank, the preferred banking institution worldwide.

Many major companies, like Silph Co. and Devon Corp., have attempted to establish their own banking systems. However, whether in terms of security, availability, or reach, the League has consistently outperformed them.

This led to a unified banking system that could practically go paperless—if not for cyber threats, which forced the League to maintain paper currency. Add in the public’s fear of having their savings erased with the click of a button, and people get a cash system that criminals continue to exploit, even when a perfectly secure credit system is already in place.

Alex, Jenny, Arcanine, and Rattata made their way to the bank so Alex could set up his own account. Since he had recently been adopted, he was now able to access his parents' money with Jenny’s permission.

As for the total amount? Over a million Pokédollars. This included all of his parents' savings, liquidated assets, and the reward he received from the League.

For any respectable trainer, this amount could last over ten years—assuming they had a full team. Unfortunately, this only applied to established trainers.

New trainers, like Alex, had to purchase Pokémon, Pokéblocks, TMs, held items, supplements, evolution stones, special ingredients, training resources, and more. With all these expenses, even a million Pokédollars wouldn't realistically last a year. At least, that was Jenny’s assessment after hearing the total amount.

Alex deposited the 40,000 Pokédollars he had taken from the man and the director before finishing his account setup.

Next, they made their way to the electronics section, where Alex bought a League-certified Pokédex. This device functioned as both the original Pokédex developed by Professor Oak and a high-end smartphone.

It was even compatible with Rotom, should he ever catch one. Unfortunately, they were notoriously expensive. Given their role as artificial intelligence assistants, cybersecurity systems, and personal defense mechanisms, their high price was understandable.

Alex also bought a laptop for studying, finally allowing him to gain some proper common sense. Lastly, he picked up an oversized hamster wheel for Rattata so he would have something to do while Alex spent hours studying.

After leaving the electronics section on the seventh floor, they swept through the mall, purchasing clothes, a space bag, shoes, toiletries, snacks, and even kibble for Rattata.

By evening, they finally arrived at Jenny’s apartment, just in time for dinner.

The building was located on the south side of Saffron City, near the slums. The slums encircled the city along the outer walls, while the wealthiest residents and businesses were concentrated in the center. Between them were small businesses and residential buildings.

Jenny’s apartment was a small unit on the third floor, consisting of two rooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. Though compact, the building had a training area accessible to all residents, making it more practical. It also featured a rooftop garden for Flying, Grass, and Ground-type Pokémon.

“Well, this is it. Home sweet home,” Jenny said as she unlocked the door. “It’s small, but at least you get your own room.”

As soon as they entered, she released her other two Pokémon—Boltund and Espeon.

Boltund immediately started running around, full of energy, while Espeon stood off to the side, silently observing. Meanwhile, Arcanine lumbered into the relatively small living room and plopped down next to the couch.

“These are my other two Pokémon—Boltund, who helps catch and stun criminals, and Espeon, who provides support.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Alex greeted, patting Boltund.

“Don’t mind them. They mostly do their own thing. The room to the immediate left is yours, while mine is down the hallway.”

The apartment opened into the kitchen, with the living room at the far end next to the balcony. A hallway to the right led to four doors: the bathroom to the immediate right, a closet at the far right, Alex’s room to the immediate left, And Jenny’s room at the far left.

The apartment was quite spacious for two people but small for two people and an Arcanine.

‘I must have taken up the Pokémon’s room,’ Alex thought, feeling only a slight twinge of guilt.

Determined to make it up to the big guy once he got his bearings, Alex stepped into his room.

It was simple but functional, with a single bed, a drawer, a table, and a chair. The view outside his only window was nothing more than another building just two meters away, so he decided to permanently shut the blinds and never open it again.

After unpacking his and Rattata’s belongings, Alex headed back to the kitchen to help Jenny with dinner—a simple vegetarian pasta dish.

Jenny was apparently a vegetarian, which made far more sense in this world than on Earth.

In this world, there were no vegans, thanks to Pokémon like Miltank, Alcremie, and Gogoat, whose milk and cream were dietary staples for both humans and Pokémon alike.

Being a vegetarian was often a luxury, something reserved for those well-off enough to afford alternatives. Orphans, however, had to make do with cheap Pokémon meat, which was widely available.

As they ate, Alex decided to make small talk.

“So, Jenny, your last name is Ashford? I saw it on the adoption papers earlier.”

“Yes, it’s my father’s last name. All Jennys are related to each other, but we usually take our fathers’ last names.”

“How do you know a newborn is a Jenny? Do they just assign the name at birth?”

“Jennys always have green hair. If a girl is born with green hair from a Jenny’s lineage, she’s almost always a Jenny.”

“Can you tell each other apart?”

“Honestly? No, not at a glance. You have to look closely—mannerisms, aura, scars, and small imperfections are usually the only indicators. Even I have a hard time telling my mother and cousins apart.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“No, just me. Mom works security at Indigo Plateau, and Dad’s an engineer. That’s where they met.”

“Am I an Ashford now?”

“I didn’t include a name change when I filed the adoption paperwork. I figured you’d want to keep your parents’ last name.”

“Yeah... I think I will. But I’ll use Ashford as a middle name.”

“I’ll help you file the name change next week, then,” Jenny said with a small smile.

Alex could tell it meant something to her to have her last name included somewhere in his.

Honestly, he could have gone either way, but he figured that the old Alex would have wanted to keep his parents' last name as a memento.

After dinner, Alex and Jenny, along with all their Pokémon, sat around the living room to watch some TV.

“So, Alex, what plans do you have now? Are you interested in going to school? Although you’re late by four years, you can definitely catch up,” Jenny suddenly asked.

“Yes, I do plan on going to school, but I’d like to become a trainer once I graduate and reach adulthood. My plans don’t go much further than that because I don’t even know what I’m good at. Honestly, I’ve never really thought about it,” Alex answered honestly.

The original Alex had dreamed of becoming a strong trainer so he would never be bullied again. But the Alex now was confident in himself and his own strength. Even if Rattata left for some reason, he could still round up a weak Pokémon or steal from some thugs in the worst-case scenario.

As long as he had enough time and money to build up his body, he could thrive rather than just survive. What was left was to do the things he found fun—like Pokémon battles or just battles in general.

“That’s good. You have a few months to catch up with the curriculum. I can show you a site where you can learn everything you’ll need for the next school year—just in time for high school.”

“That sounds good. I lost four years of studying to the orphanage, and I won’t lose any more from this point on.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Oh, by the way, how much is rent?” Alex suddenly asked.

He had been waiting to drop this bomb for a while now.

“I’m not taking a single Pokédollar. I adopted you for my own selfish reasons, not because we had some sort of deal,” Jenny said reassuringly.

“Okay. Thanks, Jenny.”

“Mhm.”

They settled into a comfortable silence after that conversation and simply watched TV.

‘Jenny is such a good woman. If only I had transmigrated into a body of similar age to my previous life, I would absolutely marry this girl,’ Alex thought ruefully.

An hour later, they decided to call it a night. Alex went to bed, excited for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, he would finally begin some research to start understanding this world he had been dropped into. It was clearly different from the anime, games, and manga, yet confusingly close enough.

This wasn’t the happy-go-lucky world where 10-year-olds could go off on an adventure and be fine, where death was only ever mentioned in stories, or where enemies just blasted off into the sky.

This world was dangerous—very dangerous—and very real. Alex had some serious reading to do.

Chapter 10: Chapter 10. The Future

Early in the morning, after having breakfast with Jenny and seeing her off to work, Alex immediately started poring over news articles to get a sense of the current times. What he found shocked him.

It had been about twenty years since Red became the Champion of Kanto, and it took a decade before all the other regions finished their storylines. Even though Alex had never closely followed Pokémon after the third generation, he could still recognize events that were most likely part of a game, movie, anime, or manga.

For example, Sinnoh had reported sightings and battles between Arceus, Giratina, Dialga, Palkia, and Darkrai. This was obviously some sort of plot that had gone wild, only to be quelled by the protagonist—who wasn’t mentioned in the articles.

Similarly, Team Rocket had mysteriously gone quiet after Red became the Champion of Kanto. Saffron City had reported some commotion regarding Silph Co. during that time, but it was never explicitly stated that they had been hijacked by Team Rocket.

In any case, the Champions of each region had since been replaced multiple times, so even if Alex knew the full story, it wouldn’t have mattered.

The reason for the frequent changes coincided with the growing internet presence. Roughly over a decade ago, TMs had stopped being single-use, leading to readily available access to all known moves.

Coupled with growing internet forums, theorycrafting, and personal research, many trainers had discovered move/ability/item combinations with a higher probability of success than others.

For example, the F.E.A.R. strategy allowed Elite-rank Pokémon to defeat Elite-rank pseudo-Legendaries—whereas before, those battles had been significantly in favor of Pokémon with superior stats at the same level.

F.E.A.R. referred to a strategy in which a Pokémon wears a (F)ocus Sash, uses (E)ndeavor, and follows up with Quick (A)ttack—most commonly employed by (R)attata. Somehow, an Elite-level Raticate could take down an Elite-level Dragonite, despite being an entire tier lower in stats.

Who needed powerful Pokémon when a full team of six Raticates could employ this simple, fast, and cost-effective strategy against opponents who could normally one-shot them?

Of course, weak trainers relying solely on these strategies never made it to Champion, but strong trainers certainly could. This shift effectively widened the talent pool of potential Champions simply because they employed well-researched, high-level strategies.

Some of the more popular strategies include Toxic Stall (Toxic, Protect, Substitute), Baton Pass chains (Suicidal stat buildup, Baton Pass), Trick + Choice Item, Hazard Setters, and Belly Drum + Priority, among others.

These strategies, which rely more on team synergy rather than individual Pokémon training, served as a wake-up call for previous Champions—many of whom were overthrown by strategic plays rather than sheer power. While most strategies still required the user to be roughly equal in strength to their opponent, even a clearly weaker trainer now had a real chance of winning by exploiting their opponent’s ignorance.

As a result, newly crowned Champions were often dethroned almost immediately by simple counter-strategies.

This chaos persisted until the Pokémon League intervened, implementing a rule stating that a Champion cannot be challenged for at least five years before being required to accept battles. This restriction also applied to the Elite Four, whose challenges took priority over those from regular trainers.

As for the current Champions, in Kanto, it's Lorelei, who rebuilt her main team to focus on the Hail strategy. She was already an Elite-level Ice-type trainer two decades ago. Now, she has become a Champion-level Hail strategy user.

This distinct change from type teams to strategy teams has led the way forward to very specific team structures that have significantly affected the cost of certain Pokémon.

Johto’s current Champion is still Lance due to the Dragon Clan’s overwhelming support. They managed to get Lance a Salamencite, which allowed him to practically sweep teams using only one Pokémon.

Hoenn’s current Champion is still Steven because of Hazard Stack + Phazing Skarmory and Bulky Offense with Setup Sweepers, including Mega Metagross.

Sinnoh’s current Champion is still Cynthia because of the Sandstorm strategy with her prized, overgrown Garchomp.

As for the others, Alex has no memory of them at all, so he didn’t bother to care.

Another major change is the presence of multiple Legendary Pokémon. Each Champion has at least one. Lorelei has an Articuno and a Regice. Lance has a Zekrom and a Latias. Steven has a Registeel and a Heatran. Even Cynthia has an Arceus.

“How the hell are there so many Legendaries? Are they just handing them out as Champion participation prizes? Even Arceus isn’t an exception.”

Beyond the Champions, many Elite Four members also had Legendary Pokémon. Even regular top-tier trainers now had access to them.

“This is extremely strange. It’s only been two decades, yet Legendaries are everywhere—when no such trend existed before.”

That mostly settled information regarding the top of the world that can be easily accessed by civilians. Lower on the totem pole, it can be noticed how people here are not as angelic as in the anime.

There have been constant reports of criminal organizations showing up and getting wiped out. It is almost a constant stream of good bashing down evil. What isn’t readily apparent are the League's failures.

Criminal organizations that have succeeded in keeping to the shadows while continuing their activities are obviously not included in these news articles. Nor is their level of strength, which may very well include Legendary Pokémon—as horrifying as that notion is.

The types of crimes these organizations perpetrate also include property loss and damage, Pokémon and human lives taken, kidnapping or trafficking, and hate crimes directed at gyms, the League, or other regions.

These crimes are no joke when compared to the crimes in the anime or games. Loss of life is significantly more apparent compared to the watered-down criminal activities in the games. There is even a report of an entire city being destroyed by a criminal organization that was taken down a month later.

The mere fact that almost every city has slums is a direct indicator that humans care less about each other here compared to the anime.

Apart from criminals, the Pokémon themselves are also an equally great threat to humanity. They are primarily animalistic until they reach Elite level in strength or above. Before that, they are severely territorial and would not hesitate to kill on sight.

They do not primarily exhibit intelligence until they are trained and bonded, unless they gain wisdom from higher levels of power and age. Even when they gain enough wisdom to communicate with humans, they still exhibit territorial tendencies, but at least they can be reasoned with—so long as they are facing a trainer with greater strength. Weaker trainers are simply out of luck.

There are many articles listing cities being devastated because of Pokémon attacks.

The original Alex lost his parents because the Champion-level Steelix that owns the territory northeast of Saffron City fought off an invader trying to take its territory. The resulting clash devastated the mountain, leading to over a hundred thousand Pokémon rioting and crashing against the city’s walls.

Alex’s parents were accidentally killed by a stray Rock Slide that shoved them off the wall, leading to their deaths. This particular Rock Slide took out more than a hundred trainers on that wall before the Elite-level Golem was subdued. It managed to make the headlines due to the severe loss of life.

Pokémon trainers are essentially counted as unpaid League employees who retain certain benefits in exchange for responsibilities. Anyone can own a Pokémon in this world, but only trainers get the benefits of free Pokémon care, access to the request board, Pokémon-related discounts in shops, and League certifications.

When trainers get strong enough, they get hired by the League on an official payroll depending on their expertise. They could be recruited by the Rangers, who handle and maintain Pokémon territories, gyms where they can start their own or work for certain gyms, the International Police to hunt down criminal organizations, office staff for League businesses, or they can work in the private sector for certain companies.

Not all trainers can make it to the very top of the League like most protagonists, so those that fail are recruited into these many organizations.

‘Speaking of training, isn’t it about time to train my little friend?’ Alex thought as he looked over at Rattata, who was currently enjoying his oversized hamster wheel.

Rattata were once quite popular due to the discovery of the F.E.A.R. strategy but have since fallen out of favor as more stable strategies have been developed.

Alex himself was quite shocked when he first learned about the F.E.A.R. strategy. He wasn’t sure if Pokémon on Earth were this advanced, but it showed him a new side of Pokémon battles—one that wasn’t just about overtraining for gym challenges.

That said, the first step in any battle is knowing yourself. With that in mind, Alex took out his Pokédex and scanned Rattata to check its basic abilities.

Name: Rattata, Novice

Type: Normal, Male

Ability: Run Away

Moves: [Please demonstrate abilities while scanning]

Description: Rattata, the Mouse Pokemon. It is a fast and nimble Pokémon that constantly gnaws on anything to keep its sharp fangs strong. It can survive in almost any environment and is always on the lookout for food, never letting its guard down.

Chapter 11: Chapter 11. Pokemon Training

"Hey, Rattata. Can you show me what moves you know?" Alex asked as he scanned Rattata.

The mouse obliged, showing off all the moves it knew while gray or dark light shimmered on its fur. After the demonstration, the Pokédex updated.

Name: Rattata, Novice

Type: Normal, Male

Ability: Run Away

Moves:

Novice: Screech (Egg Move), Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Focus Energy, Bite, Laser Focus, Take Down, Assurance

Basic: Fury Swipes (Egg Move)

Description: Rattata, the Mouse Pokemon. It is a fast and nimble Pokémon that constantly gnaws on anything to keep its sharp fangs strong. It can survive in almost any environment and is always on the lookout for food, never letting its guard down.

‘What’s an Egg Move? What do Novice and Basic mean?’ Alex thought, confused.

After a quick search, Alex discovered that Egg Moves were moves inherited from a Pokémon’s parents—Fury Swipes and Screech might have come from a Mankey. This was news to Alex, as he had never gotten too into the game and was happy enough to simply reach the end credits.

Novice and Basic were classifications of a Pokémon’s power level or their proficiency with Pokémon Moves.

Apparently, Pokémon were ranked into Novice, Adept, Expert, Elite, Champion, and Master. After watching videos of battles featuring Pokémon of these ranks, Alex determined that Novice ranged from levels 1–19, Adept from levels 20–39, Expert from levels 40–59, Elite from levels 60–79, Champion from levels 80–99, and finally, Master was the rank for Pokémon at level 100 and above.

These ranks could be felt instinctively by trainers when they bonded with Pokémon. It was how they could tell, at a glance, whether a Pokémon was strong or not, irrespective of its current evolution. It was the first thing trainers learned firsthand.

These ranks applied to trainers as well. If a trainer had at least one Adept-ranked Pokémon, they were considered an Adept-ranked trainer as well.

Interestingly, this did not mean trainers got an instant pass from Gym Leaders, as owning powerful Pokémon was not an indicator of a trainer’s skill in utilizing that power. Gym battles still needed to be fought in order to earn badges.

With regards to Pokémon Moves, they were ranked based on certain standards. These ranks were Novice, Basic, Advanced, Expert, and Master.

Novice moves had not yet reached the standard application of the move. These moves might occasionally fail, be weaker, or take longer to execute. Basic moves met the standard for reliable execution, speed, and power.

Advanced moves had a single improved aspect—whether it was faster execution, stronger power from the same execution time, or a reduced cooldown. These moves were a cut above the established standard. Expert moves had two improved aspects, while Master-ranked moves had a fundamental improvement that went beyond standard expectations.

Master-ranked moves exhibited changes that transcended the typical boundaries of a move. For example, Ice Beams that curved defied the standard application of the move. It was almost miraculous how a Pokémon’s control over their type energy allowed them to bend an Ice Beam. This change went beyond what was expected from standard execution.

Pokémon had to be able to improve at least two aspects of a move before they could even attempt to change fundamental properties and reach the Master rank for that move. Many trainers had focused on this aspect and proven that at least two improvements were needed in order to change the fundamentals of a Pokémon Move.

On top of Pokémon ranks and move proficiencies, Pokémon trainers also had to consider their bond with their Pokémon.

Bonds with Pokémon were a much more tangible phenomenon in this world compared to the games, where players had access to a quantified number dictating their relationship with their Pokémon.

Remembering the anime, Alex understood that the power of friendship was real. Pokémon could, in fact, grow stronger if they had a harmonious relationship with their trainer.

He viewed it as emotional energy that empowered a Pokémon’s type energy, so he didn’t plan to slack off on that aspect—unlike some people.

Alex already had a grasp of how powerful bonds were, given his relatively strong one with Rattata.

He saw bonds as a deep understanding—just as best friends could communicate with just a glance, Pokémon had a similar connection with their trainers.

Trainers could intuitively understand a Pokémon’s intent based on their expressions or posture. This almost magical phenomenon would be an indispensable tool for giving short and quick orders in the middle of battle. It was yet another aspect of battling that Alex would have to master.

As he absorbed all this information, Alex suddenly found himself overwhelmed. This was so much more complicated than simply running around in the wild, battling random Pokémon until they reached the right level to challenge the next Gym.

Being a Pokémon trainer required actual proficiency in teaching, intense study, and a strategic mindset. He was completely out of his element—not that he would have been an expert even if this were a game.

‘No, it’s not that complicated. This is still a fight, and all fights fundamentally rely on training, practice, coordination, and timing,’ Alex muttered to himself.

Back on Earth, Alex had been a retired MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter turned coach after suffering a knee injury. He was intimately familiar with the dance of combat—building the boddy up through training, reading the opponent’s abilities through experience, timing attacks with wisdom, and executing practiced strategies under pressure.

He might not know much about Pokémon, but he knew everything about fighting. At the highest level, fights were no different from chess matches—so long as the fundamentals were mastered.

He just needed to adapt to his new environment, like an old dog learning new tricks, to claim his place among top-tier Pokémon trainers.

Not that Alex had any plans of becoming a Champion, but in a world where strength determined everything, the first rule was to be able to defend yourself from those who ignored the laws of society.

From now on, Alex decided to dedicate all his time to memorizing and familiarizing himself with every Pokémon, their moves, their held items, their diets, known strategies, and emerging technologies that influenced battle strength in this world.

He would give everything to carve out a place at the top—no matter what happened.

To fulfill this desire, the first step is to come up with a plan for his first-ever Pokémon. Alex needs to think up a training routine and diet plan for his little buddy.

After some more targeted research, Alex found that the F.E.A.R. strategy is the only one that can possibly apply, so he might as well get that under his belt, even if it is the most predictable strategy around.

‘You never know when it might come in handy.’ Alex justified.

Regarding the diet plan, Alex found that Pokémon meat and supplements can elevate specific stats in Pokémon, though it is just an unproven theory currently, as experiments have yielded inconclusive results. Some Pokémon did not exhibit any changes whatsoever, while some did, in fact, gain an increase in the targeted stats despite the lack of training.

This reminded Alex about Effort Values, or EVs, which only go up a certain amount per Pokémon. Once that threshold is reached, they will never increase again.

‘If I remember correctly, Pokemon can max out two stats in EVs plus spare change,’ Alex muttered with uncertainty.

He may remember this small snippet of information, but he ultimately does not have specific memories of actually taking advantage of it. He does, however, remember simply ignoring it altogether and just power leveling in tall grass for hours.

‘The reason some Pokémon do not exhibit stat changes is that they have already maxed out their EVs. They will have to lower other stats to see any gains in their targeted stats. This might be my ticket into the intellectual community. I’ll think about this more when I’m in a more comfortable situation. For now, Rattata needs to increase his Attack and Speed while lowering the other stats,’ Alex internalized.

After some more internet surfing, he found what he was looking for—berries that decrease certain stats in Pokémon. These berries, other than sparse use in certain recipes, were very unpopular and thus dirt cheap.

If Alex can complete scientific research on these berries and their positive effects on EVs, he could make a boatload of cash on farms. Too bad he needs a significant upfront investment to build said farms first.

‘Maybe in the future, but for now, I need some Pomeg Berries to lower HP EVs, Qualot Berries to lower Defense EVs, Hondew Berries to lower Special Attack EVs, and Grepa Berries to lower Special Defense EVs.

Next, I will need some Pokémon meat that promotes Attack and Speed EVs,’ Alex calculated.

After some quick research on these specific meats, Alex zeroed in on the cheapest options—Beedrill meat for Attack EVs and Weedle meat for Speed EVs.

Beedrill are a significant threat to trainers due to their large colony sizes while simultaneously being coveted for their honey and stingers, which benefit Poison-type Pokémon, so their meat is cheap. The same roughly applies to Weedles, since a bunch of them are killed whenever honey harvesting occurs in the wild.

Alex considered using supplements like Protein and Carbos but they are over a thousand times more expensive for only ten times the effect so he will have to stick with Pokemon meat which doubles as a filling meal.

Now, Alex just needs to visit the local market for the first phase of the diet plan and finally take his first steps as a Pokémon trainer.

Chapter 12: Chapter 12. First Day Of Training

The next day, Alex made his way out of the apartment with Rattata on his shoulder. They made their way to the market, where they would first pick up supplies for their new diet.

Alex quickly found his way to a stall selling the needed berries and meat. It was relatively cheap, considering his current finances, so he splurged to get enough stock for a month. This stock included his own nutritional needs, so he also bought some Tauros meat, Moomoo Milk, and nutritional supplements for himself.

He also went ahead and bought some protective sparring gear, including padded gloves, a helmet, bracers, a vest, and shin guards. Lastly, he picked up some basic 10 lbs (4.5 kg) weights and a modest punching bag for his own training.

His new body was frail and needed some serious training and nutrition to get into shape. He would not neglect himself, even if the Pokémon were the ones doing all the fighting.

Next, he bought a standard TM, or Technical Machine, that would teach Pokémon new moves for 10,000 Pokédollars, a Focus Sash for 4,000 Pokédollars, an Everstone necklace for 2,000 Pokédollars, and a whole lot of TM disks to teach moves with.

These included Taunt, Thunder Wave, Grass Knot, Dig, Facade, Work Up, Protect, Double Team, Sleep Talk, Rest, Substitute, and Iron Tail, totaling almost 40,000 Pokédollars.

In total, for his first shopping spree, Alex spent more than 50,000 Pokédollars—a sum greater than what he had made stealing from the man and the director.

Of course, this was just the initial investment. His actual maintenance cost was about 1,000 Pokédollars a month, primarily consisting of cheap Pokémon meat and berries for both himself and Rattata. If Alex decided to drink Moomoo milk daily, this monthly expense would immediately balloon up to over 30,000 considering that a single bottle costs 500 pokedollars.

Arriving back at the apartment building while carrying his new space bag that easily contained all the items he had bought, Alex immediately started overloading Rattata with all the moves he had purchased.

The TM looked like a coffee machine, if Alex was being honest. It worked by placing the reusable TM disk in the top slot while placing a Poké Ball with the Pokémon inside in a spherical slot on the bottom. Once activated, the data would be "downloaded" into the Pokémon inside the Poké Ball.

Once all the moves were taught, Rattata immediately materialized out of the Poké Ball in a red flash of light. Its head was spinning from all the new moves it had just learned, and it started complaining to Alex with adorable squeaks.

"Ratta! Rattata-tata! Squeeeak!" Rattata complained.

"Easy there, tough guy. I’m just fulfilling my end of the deal. These new moves will be what you focus on practicing and improving from this point on," Alex said as he coaxed Rattata into forgiving him.

Luckily for Alex, Rattata was an understanding Pokémon.

"Rattata (Hmph!)"

"Alright, alright. I’m sorry. I’ll share some of my Moomoo Milk with you after training. Deal?"

"Ratta." Rattata immediately accepted.

Alex, dressed in a simple shirt, shorts, and running shoes along with his backpack, made his way to the training area on the first floor of the apartment building with Rattata on his shoulder. Rattata was sporting a new Everstone necklace around its neck to ensure it wouldn’t prematurely evolve, allowing it to learn all its available moves as early as possible.

Alex planned on having Rattata learn Endeavor even before evolving to save time, making the Everstone indispensable. Research had determined that the timing of a Pokémon’s evolution didn’t affect its overall potential—any latent abilities and growth were eventually unlocked regardless. The only differences lay in their learnable moves and current stats.

For their first training session, Alex wanted to put Rattata through a full course, which included practicing all of its moves until they reached Basic proficiency, speed training by sprinting around the field, and sparring to develop its combat instincts.

As a former MMA fighter, Alex knew exactly how to maintain awareness of his opponents while guarding his own vital spots. If he could train Rattata to see the same openings he noticed in fights, then Rattata would be able to exploit them even without explicit instructions.

Unfortunately, Alex needed to adjust to training Pokémon, as it was significantly different from his past experiences.

Arriving at the training space, Alex found an indoor grass field where other trainers were working with their Pokémon. Surrounding the field was a track for running, and at the very center were several battle spaces marked with paint.

Just then, a sudden explosion echoed from the middle of the battlefield. A Sandshrew had just uppercut an Eevee from underground, knocking it out instantly. The Dig attack had landed perfectly, striking the Eevee’s weak spot right under the chin and leaving a gaping hole where the Sandshrew had emerged.

‘Maintenance must be quite tedious,’ Alex noted as he made his way to the track.

A good jog was always the best way to start any routine—after some simple stretches, of course.

“Rattata, I want you to sprint around this track while continuously using Quick Attack. I’ll try to follow along, but you have to remember—never stop moving. Even if you get tired, just run normally to recover. If running is too much, walk. We need to build up your stamina and speed, okay?”

“Ratta.” Rattata nodded and immediately took off, occasionally failing to activate Quick Attack but still managing short bursts of speed.

Rattata easily outran Alex’s own sprint, completing multiple laps around the track in the time it took Alex to finish just one. This truly hammered in the sheer physical prowess of Pokémon compared to normal animals.

It was effortlessly hitting speeds of 20–25 mph (32–40 km/h), occasionally going even faster when successfully activating Quick Attack in short bursts.

After about 30 uses, Rattata stopped using Quick Attack and settled into a slower trot. It was visibly exhausted from the excessive continuous use of the move, though still managing a steady pace.

After five minutes of running and fast walking, both Alex and Rattata were completely drained. It couldn’t be helped—Alex was still frail, and Rattata had been sprinting while spamming moves.

They simply walked for the remainder of the 30-minute cardio session.

Next came move training—the core of their regimen. Rattata needed to be able to use all of its newly learned moves consistently, making repetitive practice unavoidable.

Unsurprisingly, after exhausting itself with Quick Attack, Rattata could only manage one move per minute due to the strain. Alex decided to ensure that all moves reached at least Basic proficiency before shifting focus to specific ones, aside from Quick Attack, which remained a priority along with Endeavor and Sucker Punch—moves that had yet to be learned.

Progress was slow, but at least training was getting done.

Meanwhile, Alex focused on basic exercises—push-ups, squats, sit-ups, burpees, and more. He was determined to get his current frail body back to a professional fighting standard eventually.

An agonizing hour passed before Alex finally called Rattata over for a sparring match. The goal was to teach Rattata how to bypass guards and develop a sense of rhythm in battle. Plus, sparring was apparently a great way to strengthen the bond between trainer and Pokémon.

Alex donned his full sparring gear while explaining the rules.

“Rule number one: no using moves. I will die if you accidentally use a move against me. Rule number two: only target the pads. I’m still too frail to take hits anywhere else. Rule number three: no biting. These pads are cheap and will be torn apart in a single bite, so focus on using other blunt parts of your body—head, body, tail, and paws are fine. Rule number four: never stop thinking. It doesn’t matter if you slow down to observe—be mindful of how and when you attack. Got it?”

“Ratta.” Rattata accepted.

Once the spar began, Alex immediately shifted into a basic boxing stance—left foot positioned forward, right foot slightly behind, about shoulder-width apart, with his right heel slightly raised. His knees bent slightly, weight evenly distributed between both feet. His left hand was held at chin level, slightly extended, while his right hand stayed close to his cheek. His elbows remained tucked in, and his chin was slightly lowered.

Rattata immediately sensed the shift in aura. When it first saw Alex fighting its former owner, he had seemed like a desperate child punching above his weight.

Now, Rattata saw something different.

This was no longer just a relaxed training session—this was a battle.

Rattata squared up, eyes locked onto Alex, and immediately started considering its options, just as Alex had instructed.

Unable to decide on an attack angle, Rattata chose to fight as usual and see how it played out. He immediately rushed in for a tackle at Alex’s left leg, only for the leg to kick back in retaliation just as Rattata was about to leap.

Rattata was sent tumbling from the kick, greatly surprising him. The impact didn’t hurt due to the pads, but it served as a wake-up call—this spar was serious. Determined, Rattata adjusted his strategy, opting to take quick, passing shots at Alex while maintaining mobility.

This back-and-forth continued for five minutes before they were suddenly interrupted by a shout.

Chapter 13: Chapter 13. First Battle

Rattata was having a difficult time trying to land a good hit on Alex. It most often targeted the shin guards, which were closer to the ground, rather than the vest, which might leave it vulnerable to being punched mid-air. As a result, the fight became a series of repeated tackles from Rattata and simple kicks from Alex.

Meanwhile, Alex was closely observing Rattata’s decision-making process. He noticed that Rattata was opting for the easily targetable shin guards rather than the more difficult-to-reach vest, bracers, or helmet.

Alex recalled the previous Alex’s memories and noted that Rattata would almost always attack from the side to make retaliation difficult. However, this was when it was allowed to use Quick Attacks. Now that it was restricted, it was opting for safer locations. It was good that his Rattata was able to discern possibilities given its current situation. This was something Alex could work with.

If Rattata had simply charged in without caution, Alex would have had a much more difficult time teaching it the flow of combat.

As the two were sparring, a younger kid with a yellow hat worn backward walked over, noticing the fight. He didn’t like that this older kid was kicking his Rattata, especially since he had been taught never to hurt his own Pokémon.

The older kid was even wearing armor while doing so. It was unfair, and it wasn’t right. So, he immediately walked over to give this bully a piece of his mind.

“HEY! You shouldn’t hurt your Pokémon!” the youngster shouted, pointing fiercely at Alex.

Alex and Rattata immediately stopped sparring and turned their heads toward the younger boy, who seemed to be about eight years old.

Then, as if on cue, they both turned back to each other and tilted their heads in confusion. This prompted a few chuckles from the middle-aged women watching from afar. It looked like a comedy skit.

Alex turned back to the boy and, in a gentle voice, began to explain.

“I’m just teaching Rattata how to fight. I’m not hurting him, I promise. See these pads? They make sure we don’t get hurt while sparring.”

“But you’re not supposed to hit your Pokémon!” the child insisted.

“To be fair, he’s the one hitting me.”

“No! I saw you kicking him!” the boy shouted.

They were starting to draw unwanted attention, so Alex did what any regular trainer would do—start a battle.

“How about this? We battle, and if I win, I’m right, and you’re wrong. If you win, I’ll stop hitting Rattata. Does that sound fair?” Alex proposed.

“Alright!” the boy accepted easily.

This logic made perfect sense to him, though he wondered why he was hearing a few more giggles behind him.

Without hesitation, he threw his Poké Ball, releasing a red flash of light that revealed another Rattata. Alex, meanwhile, simply stepped back, allowing his own Rattata to square off.

Both Rattata looked exactly the same, but for some reason, Alex could immediately tell which one was his.

The boy started the battle with a loud command.

“Rattata, Quick Attack!” the boy shouted.

“Protect,” Alex said calmly.

Both Rattata shimmered gray—one burst forward with speed, while the other simply concentrated. A small, crooked shield immediately formed around one, just as the other slammed into it head-on.

Now, both Rattata were staring at each other awkwardly due to how slow their moves had been executed.

“Fury Swipes,” Alex called out.

“Quick Attack again!” the boy shouted.

Both shimmered in gray light, but one Rattata managed to tackle the other, sending them both tumbling.

Alex’s Rattata quickly recovered and began repeatedly scratching at its opponent as they skidded to a stop. Alex counted three hits before giving his next order.

“Quick Attack. Finish it.”

Before the boy could even issue his own command, Alex’s Rattata landed a solid hit, sending the other Rattata tumbling until it finally fainted.

Alex had won his first-ever battle—though it was against a younger child. But he was a child himself, so who cared?

“Oh no! Rattata!” the boy cried, running over and cupping his Pokémon in his hands.

“Don’t worry, he’s fine. Now, why don’t you run back to your mother so she can take Rattata to the Pokécenter?” Alex suggested.

This had been his goal all along. As long as this kid got out of his face for the day, he could continue training with his own Rattata.

As if summoned, one of the chuckling middle-aged women walked over with a slight smile.

“Tommy, why don’t you store Rattata back in his Poké Ball so we can bring him to the Pokécenter to rest up?” she said gently.

“Okay…” the boy replied, his voice trembling with emotion.

“I’m sorry for the bother, young man, and thank you for going easy on him,” she said to Alex as she took the boy’s hand.

“No problem at all, ma’am.”

“My, what a polite boy. You take care of yourself. Let’s go, Tommy,” she said, leading the boy away.

“Yes, Mom.”

Thus ended Alex and Rattata’s first-ever battle.

As Alex reflected on the fight he quickly noticed his own Rattata’s proficiency in combat.

The first command had gone as expected, considering Alex’s goal was to stop the momentum the opposing Rattata had built while closing the gap.

The second Quick Attack, however, resulted in both of them tumbling rather than just his Rattata being sent flying like in the third exchange. This indicated that his Rattata had stepped back with the attack, reducing the damage taken and causing them both to fall instead.

The third instance was beyond his expectations—his opponent hadn't even managed to issue a command before his Rattata reacted. Not only did it strike first, but it also managed to completely transfer the momentum onto its opponent, sending it flying by itself.

His Rattata was clearly more skilled in battle than the child's.

“You did much better than I expected for our first battle. Have you fought much before with your previous trainer?” Alex asked.

“Ratta.” Rattata nodded, holding his head high.

“That’s good. I especially like how you’re able to manipulate momentum so precisely. We’ll talk more about that later. For now, let’s continue sparring. You have permission to use Quick Attack at your discretion.”

With Quick Attack allowed, the spar became a much more even fight. Previously, Alex had the advantage, as he was quick enough to react to Rattata’s movements.

Now, however, Rattata was fast enough to get behind Alex and even land a clean hit to the head. Of course, Rattata made sure to use only glancing blows to avoid giving Alex a concussion.

Through their continued sparring, Alex became certain—his Rattata was a genius in combat. Unfortunately, it was still just a Rattata, a species with no real future in top-level battles. He would have to find a way for Rattata to remain relevant, even against Legendary Pokémon—if that was even possible.

For now, they still had a long way to go.

After an hour of training, Alex—with Rattata perched on his shoulder—called it a day and returned to his apartment to continue his studies. He had only a few months left before starting school, something he both dreaded and looked forward to.

His grades in high school had been average, so most of the coursework would be just a refresher. What excited him the most, however, was the opportunity to learn about Pokémon-exclusive knowledge.

There were still over a thousand Pokémon, hundreds of abilities, nearly a thousand moves, and thousands of items to study—on top of basic subjects like geography, history, and this world’s version of science.

It was a daunting amount of information to memorize, analyze, and extrapolate from.

Thankfully, this was a subject he was genuinely interested in, unlike math or chemistry, which he had always struggled with. From Alex’s perspective, this was just like continuing to play Pokémon games.

Back in his room, he continued to browse through news articles, catching up on current events. In addition to the shocking discoveries he had read about previously, he also came across details about the role of firearms in this world.

Unlike conventional guns, which relied on combustion to achieve velocity, weapons here used Flying-type energy to propel projectiles—or, in some cases, energy-based attacks that had already been formed into Moves by specific Pokémon.

This technology functioned through rare specialized crystals capable of storing and releasing type energy. For example, a crystal struck by a Thunder Wave would store the energy of the move. When triggered by a different type of energy, the stored Thunder Wave would be released in turn, creating a firearm-like consistency of potential energy.

If this technology was as advanced as it seemed, humans theoretically had the potential to rival Pokémon in power—provided they had the right Pokémon to supply the necessary moves.

Still, this system required Pokémon cooperation, making it unlikely that human supremacists would be running around with particle cannons capable of blasting Legendaries to bits. Not to mention the apparent scarcity of these move crystals. It would take some miraculous discoveries to be able to weaponize and spread this technology before human supremacists emerge.

Unbeknownst to Alex, however, that was exactly what already existed.

They called themselves Team Dominion.

Chapter 14: Chapter 14. Pokemon Academy

Deep in an underground facility in an undisclosed location a gathering of over a hundred prolific businessmen, politicians, top-level trainers, and certain criminals have come at the request of a very powerful man.

A man by the name of Alaric Graves, the Grand Director of Team Dominion. A human-supremacist organization that seeks to enslave all Pokémon and replace the Pokémon League with a global technocratic empire where humans alone control the fate of the world.

He views Pokémon not as partners, but as living weapons and resources that should be completely subjugated for the betterment of humanity.

Today, he has called upon the wealthy and powerful enemies of the Pokémon League to announce the official formation of Team Dominion, a revolutionary force dedicated to dismantling the League’s outdated rule and ushering in a new era of human supremacy.

Standing before a grand assembly of influential industrialists, corrupt politicians, and rogue scientists, Alaric Graves takes center stage, his cold, calculating gaze sweeping over the gathered elite. With a wave of his hand, a massive screen behind him flickers to life, displaying the Dominion Restraint Prototype—a sleek, metallic collar designed to override a Pokémon’s free will and impose absolute obedience.

"For too long, the League has shackled human progress, forcing us to rely on these creatures as equals rather than tools," he declares, his voice carrying the weight of conviction. "No more. The age of Pokémon trainers is over. The age of Dominion begins now."

Murmurs ripple through the crowd—some of intrigue, others of apprehension. But Alaric is unshaken. He presses a button, and the screen shifts to live footage of a Legendary Pokémon bound in Dominion restraints. Mewtwo with glowing eyes devoid of emotion, its once-mighty will shattered.

"With your support, we will reshape the world. The Pokémon League will crumble, and in its place, humanity will reign supreme. The weak will bow. The strong will rule. And Pokémon... will serve."

The room erupts into applause, a sinister symphony of ambition and greed. Team Dominion has officially begun its march toward global conquest.

-----

A few months later, Alex, dressed in simple jeans, a shirt, and a pullover hoodie, stood in front of a towering, modern structure with sleek glass windows, metallic accents, and grand archways.

He was finally starting school. He had studied like his life depended on it and, with Jenny’s help, managed to pass the Pokémon world's version of a General Education Development test.

The test was merely to prove that he would be able to keep up in class despite four years of missed education. Its content was grade-school-level knowledge, which Alex easily passed.

Unfortunately, he had to overwork himself with geography, history, and Pokémon biology, which was a completely new field of study for him. He did, however, score the highest in mathematics, which was ironic, as it had been his worst subject in high school.

The school where he is about to have his first day of class is the Pokémon Academy in Saffron City. It is located in the heart of Saffron City, right next to the main headquarters of Silph Co. It is the second tallest building in the entire city and is best known for preparing trainers for office work, Gym Leadership, Gym staff positions, Pokémon Center management, Pokémon care, research, and various other professions.

The Pokémon Academy is the primary source of workforce for the nearby Silph Co., as it is heavily funded by them to maintain the quality of their employees.

The building boasts an impressive ten floors with reinforced walls and tall ceilings to support Elite-level Pokémon battles, ensuring that the building remains safe despite certain accidents.

The facilities include the latest and greatest technology Silph Co. has to offer, including multi-terrain battle arenas, top-of-the-line medical equipment, resource identification machines, an extensive library, TM machines loaded with all known moves, a public marketplace for all students, classrooms that can house students and their Pokémon, and even a cafeteria that can cater to the specific species of Pokémon.

Needless to say, it is an impressive school.

Alex will be joining as a high school student, which is the lowest education level they offer. As for their highest offered education level, it is the Pokémon world’s equivalent of college, preparing graduates for jobs in Pokémon care, battle, breeding, coordination, and research fields.

His tuition per year is close to 50,000 Pokédollars, and as a four-year course, it will set Alex back 200,000 Pokédollars for his full ride. It is much more expensive than other alternatives, but the level of education is up to par, and students can even fight certified trainers in the battle arena.

Food, board, and access to the comprehensive TM system are not included in the tuition, but at least the availability is there—not to mention the credential boost when he graduates.

The availability of food, in particular, is already worth it, considering the cheaper prices offered to students in exchange for its higher quality.

Plus, as a student, winning arena battles and passing classes grants students credits, which can be used to pay for access to TMs, top-quality food for students and their Pokémon, and the school store, which carries almost everything Silph Co. has its grubby little hands on—a significant portion of the market. All of this is available at cheaper prices than students can find outside.

‘I’m finally here. Months of effort and I’ve only made it to the entrance,’ Alex thought ruefully as he entered the building.

Walking into the school lobby, Alex was greeted by the sight of students milling about as they hurried to their morning classes. Following the crowd, Alex eventually found himself on the second floor of the building, which was essentially a combination of the cafeteria and the student-run market.

"High quality Evolution Stones! Get them while they last!"

"Top-grade Pokéblocks! Your Pokémon will thank you!"

"Rare Pokémon eggs for sale! Hatch your perfect partner today!"

"Discount on Pokémon parts! Your Pokemon will love them!"

As he wandered around, Alex spotted some interesting items for sale by students—Evolution Stones, Pokémon parts, berries, rare minerals, Pokéblocks, Pokémon, and even Pokémon eggs.

Pokémon are expensive because training them from the wild takes time, effort, and resources. However, Pokémon eggs are even more costly, as newly hatched Pokémon are weaker, significantly easier to train personally, and allow for a stronger bond when the trainer is the first person they see.

This is the primary reason why a million Pokédollars isn’t enough for a budding trainer. A Dratini, for example, costs a million Pokédollars, while a Dratini egg costs ten million. Now, how are trainers supposed to build a powerful team when they've spent all their money on just one wild Dratini?

As Alex continued on his way, he finally spotted the cafeteria menu. The human food was okay—it had everything necessary for a balanced diet and it was cheap at 15 Pokedollars for the amount. The Pokémon food, however, was extravagant.

Alex had a sneaking suspicion ever since he discovered that EVs could be obtained from eating Pokémon meat. Could it be that Pokémon could gain levels—essentially power—just by eating the right foods? The answer to that question was yes, they could.

On the menu, the section specific to Rattata included Pokéblocks that promoted accelerated growth. This essentially meant that Pokémon could grow into their power faster by consuming this particular Pokéblock.

As long as Alex fed his Rattata these Pokéblocks while maintaining their daily training, Rattata would eventually "level up" even without battles. Of course, battles were the best way to grow, but this discovery confirmed Alex’s theory.

‘Food is the best way to empower Pokémon,’ Alex confirmed.

Just battles and Pokémon meat weren’t enough—trainers have to invest in high-end Pokéblocks with various effects to maximize their advantage, on top of battles and the right Pokémon meat.

Browsing through the selection, Alex noted that Pokéblocks offered all kinds of effects—sharper and stronger teeth, better vision, enhanced hearing, glossier fur, poison resistance, and even an overall boost to status resistance from just a single serving.

‘These weren’t Pokéblocks available in the games,’ Alex thought.

Unfortunately, their price matched their impressive effects. A single serving cost upwards of 1,000 Pokédollars, and to see continuous improvements, one would need to take them daily.

For a brief moment, Alex considered making Pokéblocks himself but immediately dismissed the thought.

Creating Pokéblocks required a significant financial investment just to get started. A breeder’s first Pokéblock recipe could cost millions in various resources such as berries, Pokémon parts, and rare minerals.

Even if one succeeded, there was always the risk of encountering Pokéblocks with better effects being sold at a cheaper price. Pokéblock research and development was an industrial endeavor, not a personal one.

There was no hidden master out there who could create the best Pokéblocks from a single glance at a Pokémon. It was a trial-and-error industry that consumed as much money as it made.

So, Alex immediately dropped the idea and settled on simply paying for the hard work of others.

Although he wouldn’t dabble in inventing recipes, he could still make his own if he stumbled upon a cheap enough formula and personally crafted the Pokéblocks for his own use.

‘Yes. This is a much better alternative,’ Alex thought.

However, this idea would have to be shelved for now, considering that such a convenient recipe wouldn’t come cheap, nor would the ingredients be readily available. As previously stated, Pokéblocks were an entire industry, not just some hobby.

With that in mind, Alex immediately gave up on buying anything, given the outrageous prices. He would need a stable, significant income before he could even consider feeding his Pokémon such luxurious options.

‘Sigh. Let's just go to class,’ Alex sighed as he made his way to his first class.

Chapter 15: Chapter 15. First Day Of School

Alex finished his first day of classes by the afternoon. It was as boring as he remembered. Not even the interesting topic of Pokémon could alleviate his disinterest in studying.

‘Now I remember why I became an MMA fighter instead of going to college like everyone else,’ Alex thought.

Alex simply lacked an affinity for studying in general. Even memorizing all the information on Pokémon was starting to take its toll.

There was just something about sitting in one place for hours, listening to lectures, that didn’t sit well with him.

In any case, he didn’t come to school to learn—he could do that in his downtime. He came for the battle arena and the free stuff he could get once he recouped his losses from paying tuition.

Alex made his way to the third floor of the building, where the battle arena was located. The floor was filled with over a hundred multi-terrain battlegrounds of various sizes. Typically, larger battlegrounds were reserved for higher-ranked battles.

Here, students could fight for credits without spending any of their own, even if they lost.

This was a program the school had fought to implement, incentivizing students to train their Pokémon through battles while also serving as practical experience for the medical students.

Though it might seem like a significant expenditure to keep the program running, the high tuition students paid balanced it out. In exchange, the school maintained an impressive track record of graduates—one that Silph Co. was more than happy to continue sponsoring.

Alex made his way to an unoccupied terminal and registered for an Adept-ranked one-on-one match. Rankings were required during registration to ensure a relatively fair fight.

A few minutes later, Alex had his first match when a notification from the battle arena came to his Pokédex with the arena number.

Making his way over, Alex spotted his opponent—a college student with an Adept-ranked Beedrill. He was a tall, bespectacled young man with shoulder length black hair and clean, tidy clothes—a typical researcher look.

Rattata, seeing his opponent, jumped down from Alex’s shoulder and made his way to his side of the battleground while their opponent scrutinized him.

The student immediately noticed the Focus Sash wrapped around Rattata’s neck and determined his first strategy for the battle.

An automated voice refereed the battle.

“Trainers, ready. Battle begins in 3, 2, 1. Battle!”

“Laser Focus.”

“Toxic Spikes.”

Commands were issued simultaneously. Beedrill shot a blob of poison into the air that burst at its zenith, raining toxic spikes around the battlefield, while Rattata gained a glint in his eyes as he focused on Beedrill.

Unlike in the games, where Toxic Spikes are only hazards upon entry, in real life, they are hazards on the battlefield itself. As a matter of fact, if the user’s next Pokémon was not a Poison type, they might end up poisoning their own Pokémon.

“Dig.”

“Protect. Crap! Substitute,” the college student said, misreading Alex’s next move and issuing a correction too late.

He was sweating, feeling the pressure mount from his first mistake in the fight, while Alex remained calm.

Beedrill was immediately covered by a translucent gray shield, which fizzled out as Rattata dug underground, effectively avoiding the toxic spikes scattered everywhere.

Beedrill immediately followed up by creating a doll in its own image, which dropped to the ground just as Rattata burst from beneath Beedrill with an explosion that sent chunks of dirt flying. Rattata headbutted Beedrill’s chest while covered in a light brown sheen of energy.

The doll immediately dissipated, and the quarter of Beedrill’s health that was used to make it was consumed in its place.

“Quick Attack.”

“Agility. Get out of there.”

Just as Beedrill began glowing pink, preparing to fly away at insane speeds, Rattata pounced with rapid speed, striking Beedrill in the chest. The attack canceled Beedrill’s attempt to execute Agility and increase its speed, but it succeeded in pushing Beedrill away with the momentum of the impact.

“Quick Attack. Keep chasing, Rattata,” Alex cheered.

“Protect.”

This time, Beedrill successfully shielded itself from the rapidly approaching Rattata. Along the way, Rattata accidentally stepped on a toxic spike he hadn’t noticed, poisoning him. The already purple rat now radiated a sheen of purple energy, making him look even darker in color.

The college student sighed in relief. He had finally managed to poison Rattata. Now, all he had to do was keep his distance and rely on a standard Toxic stall strategy.

Unfortunately, he had celebrated too soon.

“Quick Attack. Keep going,” Alex commanded relentlessly, like a shark that had smelled blood.

“Substitute, Beedrill! Hang in there,” the college student urged.

Perhaps it was adrenaline, or maybe it was the relief of finally poisoning Rattata, but the student forgot that Quick Attack was a priority move that bypassed speed.

He had relied on speed to produce the Substitute before the attack landed, so he was completely caught off guard when Rattata pounced on Beedrill mid-substitution.

The attack sent Beedrill flying for the second time in the match. Combined with the earlier Substitute, which had already consumed 25% of Beedrill’s health, this was enough to knock it out of the fight.

“Winner, Alex Wattson!” the automated referee announced as Beedrill hit the ground unconscious.

In all honesty, the fight was already won when the college student assumed Rattata was significantly weaker based on the Focus Sash. A Toxic stall strategy would have been the correct call if a single attack from Beedrill could have one-hit KO’d Rattata and triggered the F.E.A.R. strategy.

Conversely, if he had gone for the KO immediately with Brick Break, he would have had a significantly better chance at winning. Rattata needed three Quick Attacks, one critical hit Quick Attack and one normal Quick Attack, or one critical hit Dig to take down Beedrill—all of which provided enough time for Beedrill to land two normal Brick Breaks and secure the victory.

The key was the deception presented by the Focus Sash, which Alex had intentionally leveraged. His Rattata was only slightly weaker than Beedrill, so he was never relying on the F.E.A.R. strategy in the first place.

As the college student stored his Beedrill and walked away, pondering how he could have done better, Alex approached his little poisoned rat.

Suddenly, Rattata started glowing blindingly, drawing the attention of those nearby.

His body morphed, growing larger, and the silhouette of a chunky rat standing on its hind legs took shape.

The light receded, revealing a fat brown rat with large teeth and long whiskers.

“Raticate!” Raticate declared happily as he pounced on Alex, attempting to climb onto his shoulder.

Alex, surprised, managed to catch the pouncing 2'04" (0.7 m), 40.8 lb. (18.5 kg) rat and steady himself—the months of training and balanced diet paying dividends at this moment.

“Congratulations, buddy. You finally evolved after months of hard training and constantly losing battles,” Alex said, congratulating him.

Rattata had been constantly getting into battles and losing over the past few months. Every so often, while training, they would be interrupted by casual trainers looking to score an easy win against Rattata, one of the most well-known weakest Pokémon.

Excited for battle rather than monotonous training, Rattata was more than happy to oblige, though he would often lose simply due to having weaker stats. However, as he kept battling, he started winning more and more fights, as trainers kept underestimating his level due to the Everstone necklace.

In truth, Rattata had been ready to evolve for a while now, having already learned Endeavor. However, Alex wanted to make his evolution special by winning and evolving in a new environment rather than back at their usual training spot, where he wouldn’t get as much of a confidence boost.

Seeing the now large rat still excitedly trying—and failing—to get onto his shoulder, Alex could tell his decision had been the right one. Raticate was ecstatic about his victory and evolution. He felt as though his efforts had finally paid off.

“Alright, alright. Calm down. Show me your moves, then we can go get you checked out to see if you have any lingering poison in you,” Alex said as Raticate gave up trying to climb onto his shoulder and opted to be carried instead.

Raticate hopped off Alex and started demonstrating all of his moves while Alex scanned him with the Pokédex. After showcasing all of his abilities, the Pokédex beeped with an updated status.

Name: Raticate, Adept

Type: Normal, Male

Ability: Run Away

Moves:

Novice: Super Fang, Double-Edge, Endeavor, Scary Face

Basic: Fury Swipes(Egg Move), Screech(Egg Move), Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Focus Energy, Bite, Laser Focus, Take Down, Assurance, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Grass Knot, Dig, Facade, Work Up, Protect, Double Team, Sleep Talk, Rest, Substitute, Iron Tail, Crunch, Sucker Punch

Description: Raticate, the Mouse Pokemon. Its powerful front teeth never stop growing. It constantly gnaws on hard objects to keep them from getting too long. It can swim across strong rivers and even chew through concrete if necessary. Its territorial nature makes it aggressive toward intruders.

Chapter 16: Chapter 16. Another Shopping Spree

Averaging about one Basic move every five days of continuous practice, Raticate’s new move pool took quite a while to complete.

Alex could only imagine how much more effort would be required to reach the next proficiency rank. Unfortunately, now that Raticate was at his final evolution, he needed to expand his move pool with even more Novice-rank moves.

It would be a while before Alex could focus on a specific move set to master as quickly as possible.

He could have settled on a small set of moves months ago, but every move has its uses, and in Raticate’s case, variety was necessary to contend with future opponents.

If Alex had a Legendary Pokémon, he’d be more than happy to focus on a single move practiced to Master rank. He would even equip a Choice item to maximize his advantage.

But instead, he had one of the weakest Pokémon in existence, with the only viable strategy already known to everyone and their mother. That meant he, as Raticate’s trainer, had to be more creative—requiring Raticate to be more flexible.

After noting Raticate’s progress, Alex took him to the nearby medical facility for a quick checkup.

Finding nothing wrong aside from expected lower stamina from the recent battle, Alex decided to cut training short and stock up on more moves for Raticate.

As a student, he opted to purchase the move disks directly from the school at a discounted price, paying in cash. It was a significant expense, but the sooner Raticate mastered these moves at the Basic level, the sooner he could begin advancing a set of them to the Advanced level for the first upgrade.

In the end, Alex bought Thief, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Shock Wave, Charge Beam, Rock Smash, Sunny Day, Pluck, Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Roar, Hyper Beam, Attract, Endure, Giga Impact, Swords Dance, Swagger, Cut, Strength, Sludge Bomb, and Rain Dance, spending a total of 81,000 PokéDollars—far cheaper than the 109,500 PokéDollars it would have cost outside.

Once Raticate learned all of these moves, he would have officially mastered every move available to him, except for newly invented ones he might later prove compatible with.

The reason Alex made this investment was simple—Raticate was already close to learning all of them, so he might as well go all out and maximize his versatility.

Alex doubted he would do the same for his future Pokémon, but at least if he ever needed to teach these moves again, he would already own the TMs.

After his sizable purchase, Alex and Raticate made their way back to Jenny’s apartment. It was about a thirty-minute bus ride—fairly far, but at least the service ran until midnight.

Arriving home just in time to catch Jenny preparing dinner, Alex put his things away before helping set the table.

“Welcome back. How was your first day of school?” Jenny asked warmly.

“The classes were boring, but Rattata evolved after a battle,” Alex said, presenting the chubby rat in his arms.

Jenny beamed. “That’s great! Congratulations. You two worked really hard for this. How’s his move pool proficiency coming along?”

“Ra… rati…” Raticate let out a dejected noise, his excitement briefly interrupted.

“I got him all the TM disks he can possibly learn, so he’ll be stuck rotating different moves for the next year,” Alex explained.

“Sounds expensive.”

“It was, but it’s worth it. Besides, I’ll never have to buy them again, so I consider it an investment. Plus, it was cheaper at school than at the store.”

“That’s good. So, did you make any friends?” Jenny asked.

“No. I sat at the back with the other quiet kids, so I didn’t really talk to anyone. Doesn’t matter, though—I plan on testing out of a few classes so I have more time for battles to earn credits.”

“Don’t neglect your social life, Alex. You never know—they might end up being important comrades in the future.”

Alex sighed. “Fine… I’ll try to make friends.”

“That’s all I ask.”

It wasn’t that Alex was against it. It just felt weird for a grown man to start making friends with 12- or 13-year-olds.

He wasn’t even a loner—back on Earth, he had plenty of friends. But here? Making friends with a bunch of kids felt strange, and frankly, exhausting.

He had no problem getting along with adults, especially those in the apartment’s training area. Ironically, they were the ones weirded out by how well they vibed with a 12-year-old.

“Anyway, how was work?” Alex asked, quickly changing the topic.

“Bad. Crime rates have been steadily rising for months and are projected to keep climbing until Gym Leader Sabrina finally decides to do something about it,” Jenny said, clearly frustrated.

“What can she do that the police can’t?”

“Legally read minds. I swear these criminals are all up to something, but we just can’t get it out of them. It’s been a nightmare, running around with nothing to show for it.”

“How about the Rangers? Can’t they legally read minds?”

“They technically can, but we’re restricted from asking them to do so unless there’s a proven threat of significant loss of life due to negligence. In the meantime, we just have to keep chasing shadows, hoping something gives,” Jenny said with an exasperated sigh.

“Sounds like you have limited options.”

“What options do we even have besides increasing patrols and risking the wrongful incrimination of innocent people?”

“Well, you could go the vigilante route and start kicking down doors left and right,” Alex teased.

“Absolutely not,” Jenny rejected firmly.

“Or,” Alex continued, “you could bait some small fish and use them to catch bigger and bigger fish until you get to the bottom of the lake.”

Jenny took a moment to process the analogy before it clicked.

Essentially, they could catch a random thug and threaten them with jail time unless they outed their boss. Then, they’d repeat the process, climbing the criminal hierarchy until they reached the mastermind.

It was a common tactic used by the DEA in America to dismantle cartel operations, and it worked well for them.

Unfortunately, this was the Pokémon world, where civility was as thin as a Nincada’s wing.

Officers who tried this method would likely get themselves killed by the powerful bosses running these organizations.

“Just promise me you won’t personally lead the capture squad,” Alex added, his tone softening. “I love you, Jenny, and it would kill me to lose you to an idea I suggested.”

Jenny, recognizing the irony of such a situation, remained silent.

Thinking on the idea further, it had merit, but it would ultimately lead to the deaths of those not strong enough to enforce the law.

Even she wasn’t reckless enough to try arresting criminals in control of Legendary Pokémon—that would be pure suicide.

She and Arcanine were top-level Experts at best, and they would likely face Elite-level trainers or higher.

Still, the idea was worth passing up the chain of command. If the Elite Four or Gym Leader Sabrina could provide a safety net, it might be worth the risk.

“I’ll bring it up the chain, but if they put me in charge, you know I won’t have a choice, right?”

“That’s a horrible excuse. Just know that if you do die, I’ll dedicate my life to avenging you—even if I have to take the first option.”

Jenny almost scolded him for suggesting vigilantism—until she realized how ironic his logic was.

Talking with Alex feels like speaking to someone far older than herself. His logic is sound, and he gives great advice. Sometimes, she even feels like the child while he plays the role of the adult.

Ever since the adoption, she has only become more convinced of this fact. Alex is kind, considerate, diligent, and remarkably responsible with his purchases—so much so that she has never even considered taking over his finances.

As he promised when he first suggested the adoption, he truly takes care of himself.

This was precisely why she agreed to it. Alex is far more mature than other children his age, to the point where he might have walked a darker path had he remained an orphan.

Allowing such a brilliant child to be consumed by darkness simply because of his circumstances would be nothing short of a crime in her eyes.

Their contemplative silence lasted until bedtime.

Early the next morning, Alex resumed his training session with Raticate—only now, Raticate had an even larger move pool to practice. As his Pokémon cycled through its diverse attacks, Alex continued his own workout routine.

During their routine sparring match, Alex was surprised to find himself keeping up with Raticate. He managed to land more hits than usual, while Raticate seemed to struggle with his turning speed. Although Raticate was certainly faster than before, his evasive judgment was off.

If Alex had to pinpoint the issue, he would say that Raticate’s larger size made him an easier target, allowing Alex to land more blows than in previous matches. It could be due to Raticate’s unfamiliarity with his new body, but that was exactly the purpose of these sparring sessions—to improve with time.

Chapter 17: Chapter 17. Meeting Your Match

As can be expected of an evolution, Raticate’s stats have increased anywhere between 50% to 100%. Specifically, HP, Defense, Special Attack, and Special Defense increased by roughly 100%, while his Attack and Speed increased by 50%.

It shows definitive proof that EVs do exist and that Raticate has already maxed his EVs out. He would no longer benefit from continuing to eat specific Pokémon meat or the berries that reduce his other stats.

The next plan of action for Raticate is to elevate all of his moves to Basic while feeding him high-quality Pokéblocks. Another option would have been to go out of the city and pick fights with wild Pokémon, but that is not an option for the next four years, so Pokéblocks it will have to be.

Finishing up with their morning training, Alex made his way to the school, where he went through another day of boring classes before finally finding himself back at the battle arena floor.

Immediately registering for a match, Alex and Raticate enjoyed watching other matches in the arena until their queue was up.

Their opponent for this match was a massive Onix at the largest battlegrounds they had. Its trainer was the female equivalent of the nerd from yesterday—still glasses, still neck-length black hair, still clean and tidy clothes.

As Alex approached, he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “You don’t happen to have a brother who has a Toxic Stall Beedrill, do you?”

“I do. Do you know him?”

“No. I just fought him yesterday, and the similarities are uncanny.”

“I see,” she replied, unperturbed.

“Very uncanny,” Alex reiterated.

“Trainers, ready. Battle begins in 3, 2, 1. Battle!”

“Blizzard.”

“Rock Slide.”

Both commands came simultaneously, but something strange happened that left both trainers stunned.

Raticate conjured up Ice-type energy in its mouth and unleashed it upon Onix, but what came out was more like Icy Wind—except much weaker and scattered. Needless to say, the move failed and did negligible damage to Onix considering the distance.

Onix, on the other hand, managed to summon a powerful Rock Slide, only for it to land behind Raticate, minimally blocking Alex’s view of the battlefield. Essentially, Onix missed.

Alex and the woman looked at each other incredulously before the woman snapped out of her stupor first and immediately commanded Onix.

“Onix, charge in and use Body Press.”

Meanwhile, Alex just sighed with relief as he commanded Raticate.

“Grass Knot.”

Green energy immediately surrounded Raticate, which alerted the woman, who quickly tried to stop Onix from moving.

“Wait, Onix! Stop!”

Too late. A pair of long yet thin, weak-looking blades of grass grew on both sides of Onix’s body, tying together into a knot that wrapped around the tip of Onix’s tail, snagging it. Onix tripped, resulting in a crash that kicked up a cloud of dust. Alex was initially concerned with the results, but as the dust slowly dispersed, he noticed a pair of large swirling eyes that confirmed his victory.

Onix was knocked out by one Grass Knot from Raticate.

Grass Knot in the game is a powerful move against heavy Rock-types like Onix, and it doesn’t have any prerequisites. But in the real world, you cannot trip anything with a Grass Knot if they aren’t moving. So, the hidden prerequisite of the move is to ensure that the opponent is moving.

The more reckless the charge, the better.

“Winner, Alex Wattson!” the automated referee finally announced as the dust settled enough for the referee to determine that Onix was, in fact, knocked out.

The woman retrieved her Onix into its Poké Ball before leaving some parting words for Alex.

“You should have your Raticate practice more before using moves in battle,” she advised.

“Thanks for the advice. You should invest in Pokéblocks that improve vision. Your Onix may have depth perception problems,” Alex countered.

“Thank you. I’ll look into it.”

With that, Alex’s and Raticate’s second somewhat wild, somewhat predictable battle in the arena concluded.

Alex and Raticate continued queueing up and battling in the arena until night fell, when Alex had to get back home for dinner. Their win rate was quite high at 60% but would have been higher had Raticate had all his moves at Basic.

There were plenty of missed opportunities due to failed executions. This, however, only made Alex more determined to have Raticate increase his proficiency in all the moves he knows to Basic. At least in the Adept rank, they have yet to meet an opponent who could outright beat them.

Raticate was just flexible enough to secure consistent victories. It also helped that his Attack and Speed EVs were maxed out. It was just enough of an edge to tip the scales to victory. Also, though rare, Raticate’s own combat acumen has contributed to some of the victories.

Raticate has always had an eye for openings that guarantee a melee hit that cannot be retaliated against, and although it rarely helps, it ultimately still does.

Lastly, they have not fought a particularly dangerous fully evolved Pokémon. Adept rank is quite broad, and its upper levels are usually when most Pokémon would have already attained their final evolution. Luckily enough, they haven’t encountered a particularly powerful one yet.

Most of their fights are between level 20 to 30, so it's almost always an easy win for them.

In the following days, Alex and Raticate slowly fell into their new routine: training in the morning, classes during the day, battles in the afternoon, and dinner and personal study in the evenings.

A week later, Alex and Raticate had firmly settled into their new routine—until they met their match in their regularly scheduled battles at the arena.

Having recently queued up for their first battle of the day, Alex and Raticate were enjoying spectating the other battles when they received the notification for their own match. It was scheduled at one of the larger arenas, which were mostly used by the lower ranks, like that time with the Onix.

As they made their way over to the arena, they spotted their opponent—a Charizard standing next to a beautiful red-haired teenage girl with a ponytail. She wore an overly mature business suit, complete with a pencil skirt, tailored blazer, and even glasses.

Honestly, she looked more like school staff than a student.

‘Are school staff even allowed to register for fights? Well, the fights are ranked, so they should be able to,’ Alex thought as he answered his own question.

The Charizard was fully evolved, meaning it had to be at least level 36, roughly similar to Raticate’s own level.

It could be surmised that Charizard was superior to Raticate in every area—moves, stats, and even type advantages. Sure, there was no STAB move conflict, but a flying lizard was incredibly difficult to pin down for a primarily melee-oriented big rat.

I should consider changing Raticate’s EVs to Special Attack rather than sticking with Attack when it's already sufficient. That would certainly increase Raticate’s combat diversity.

As Raticate arrived at his side of the battlefield, the automated referee announced the beginning of the match.

“Trainers, ready. Battle begins in 3, 2, 1. Battle!”

“Sucker Punch.”

“Fly.”

Raticate started strong, a quick burst of dark energy surrounding him as he landed a solid paw on Charizard just as it was about to take off.

Charizard, now airborne, wore an enraged expression—it had been attacked before it could even get off the ground.

“Now! Flamethrower,” the girl commanded, surprising Alex.

Charizard eagerly obliged, its powerful wings beating against the air as it maintained altitude. With a deep, guttural roar, it unleashed a torrent of searing flames from its maw, engulfing the battlefield below in a blazing inferno.

‘You can do that?’ Alex thought in surprise before quickly commanding, “Evasive maneuvers!”

Raticate, obeying orders immediately, darted around the battlefield in quick bursts of Quick Attack, ensuring he stayed out of the flames while keeping Charizard in sight. The flying lizard continuously adjusted its aim, trying to track the elusive rat scurrying across the blackened ground.

Since Charizard was too high up to land a melee hit without leaving Raticate open to a counterattack mid-air, Alex’s only option was to rely on special attacks.

Unfortunately, the only Basic proficiency special attack Raticate had was Thunder Wave, which might be too slow to release before Raticate gets hit or Thunder Wave gets neutralized by Flamethrower. Right now, Raticate was maintaining the status quo by spamming Quick Attack. If he stopped using it and just ran normally while trying to release Thunder Wave, he wouldn’t be able to guarantee dodging the next retargeted Flamethrower.

Alex considered the F.E.A.R. strategy before shelving it entirely. There was a problem with this approach, with Charizard’s current altitude and gravity going against Raticate, there is a significant chance that even a priority move like Sucker Punch wouldn’t reach before Charizard fired another Flamethrower while Raticate was mid-air—making the strategy unreliable for landing the final blow.

“See if you can guarantee a Thunder Wave before getting hit by a Flamethrower!” Alex shouted as Raticate continued scurrying across the battlefield.

If there was one thing Alex trusted about Raticate, it was his ability to spot an opportunity for a hit-and-run without letting the opponent retaliate. No doubt, the rat was an expert at running away after a hit.

Chapter 18: Chapter 18. Clarissa

Meanwhile, on the girl’s side of the battlefield, Clarissa was having a tough time with her opponent.

Upon seeing Raticate sporting a Focus Sash, she immediately determined she might be the victim of a brainless strategy like F.E.A.R., which was why she had opened with an aerial bombardment strategy—the height coupled with gravity was just enough to invalidate the reach of melee priority +1 moves.

What she hadn’t counted on was facing such an agile Raticate, one that could perfectly dodge every Flamethrower with well-timed Quick Attacks.

She considered other options, like opening with an Aerial Ace to remove the F.E.A.R. strategy entirely, but that would leave Charizard open to a Thunder Wave counter, which would cripple its speed. If that happened, Charizard would lose to a powerful move like Blizzard, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, or Giga Impact—any of which could finish it off.

Fly, on the other hand, would have executed first and put Charizard out of range before Thunder Wave could hit, given their speed advantage.

If only she had known her opponent wouldn’t open with Thunder Wave, she would have gladly started with Aerial Ace and finished things with a melee-ranged Blast Burn. Even priority +1 moves wouldn’t have been fast enough to outrun that.

Now it was too late. If Charizard went for Aerial Ace now, it would either get hit by a killing move or be paralyzed by Thunder Wave. If it survived the first exchange, it would still lose to the follow up due to its crippled speed. Any other move would just be dodged like Flamethrower or be exchanged for a battle ending Thunder Wave.

Now, it was a stamina game.

As long as Charizard maintained its altitude and continued using Flamethrower, it couldn’t be taken down.

As long as Raticate kept dodging while trying to land a Thunder Wave, he couldn’t be taken down either.

Whoever lasted longer would win.

While Clarissa settled into the time-consuming stamina game, her opponents, Alex and Raticate, were still hoping to find a different path to victory. They never gave up on finding a way and simply settling for the obvious.

The battle continued for another ten minutes before small changes started appearing. It started with Charizard’s Flamethrower losing power or width due to her waning stamina. It was a slight and erratic change, but the ever-observant Raticate didn’t miss it.

To test this slightly widened opening he had been waiting for, Raticate started channeling as much lightning energy as it could while being quick to cancel if the charge time was too slow.

It was a dangerous balancing act because his Quick Attack might be too late to allow him to dodge a full-blast Flamethrower.

Raticate kept pushing for more and more time to channel Thunder Wave before canceling it to dodge with a Quick Attack until Charizard noticed his schemes and put a stop to it by correcting her own Flamethrower. Unfortunately, even Charizard was starting to notice the drop in her own stamina.

She couldn’t keep this up forever, and yet the fat rat was starting to get closer and closer to releasing the Thunder Wave. He was cautious. Too cautious, which sent a shiver down her spine.

She felt like a wingless bird on a boat in the middle of the ocean while sharks circled around her. She felt helpless, which enraged her—rage that fueled her Flamethrower to be stronger than it ever was. She wanted her opponent to feel what it was like to be cornered like the rat it was as all safe areas were consumed by her raging flames. She wanted her flames to spread, to be bigger, wider, and reach further.

This change did not escape Raticate, who responded in kind by giving up on testing the activation of Thunder Wave. Instead, he focused on utilizing his Quick Attack to be more efficient, to be faster, to reach farther from just a single burst. Even the smallest bit of improvement that would allow him to last longer against his opponent mattered.

Raticate’s demeanor kept getting colder and colder—sharper, more precise, more efficient, more accurate, faster. As he focused more and more, his reach increased along with the precision of his bursts. They landed where he wanted, where he should be, where it was safe.

A minute passed as the Flamethrower from Charizard kept covering more and more ground, just as Raticate’s Quick Attacks kept reaching farther and farther with a single burst to respond to the shrinking safe area. Tensions kept rising to a boiling point until finally—SNAP!

“Endeavor! Quick Attack!” Alex suddenly shouted as fast as he could.

Alex too had noticed the changes to their attacks. Most crucially, Alex had noticed when Raticate’s Quick Attack had started reaching further than before. Far enough to reach Charizard in mid-air.

“Charizard! No! Stop!” Clarissa shouted a beat too late.

A single beat that mattered more than ever. She as a trainer had missed the turning point of the battle that her opponent hadn’t.

Raticate immediately followed Alex’s orders with sharp and cold precision. He stopped in place as the area he currently stood on was swept over by Charizard’s wider-range Flamethrower while activating Endeavor with full focus.

Endeavor, being the first Novice move that was elevated to Basic ever since Raticate evolved, was now being executed at standard proficiency.

An aura of desperation exploded out from Raticate, wrapping around Charizard, who had just finished its current bout of Flamethrower. Immediately, Raticate exploded with the strongest Quick Attack it had ever managed before. The power from the leap was so strong it left cracks on the blackened ground.

A silver beam of light traced through the space between Raticate and Charizard. A straight silver line was drawn between two points, ending right at Charizard’s chest, which was about to be smashed with the full force of Raticate’s new Advanced-ranked Quick Attack.

“PROTECT!” Clarissa shouted with all her energy as a last-ditch effort to save this battle.

A gray translucent bubble surrounded Charizard just in time to receive and neutralize the full blow of the Advanced-ranked Quick Attack. As hopeful as the situation was, it was not meant to be.

“Quick Attack again. Finish it!” Alex shouted right back.

Raticate, who was falling as a result of the neutralized Quick Attack, immediately responded to Alex’s command and defied gravity as he bolted again towards Charizard, who could no longer produce another shield. She tried to at least get an energyless slash in, but it was no use.

With a flourish, Raticate narrowly dodged the claw and swung his tail with the full force of the Quick Attack, slapping Charizard in the face and causing her head to snap back from the blow as she fainted from the force. She plummeted from the sky, no longer able to hold her flight.

Fortunately, Clarissa had the wherewithal to recall her Charizard before further and more permanent damage could be sustained.

Meanwhile, Raticate was enjoying a short free fall.

“Protect.” Alex sighed, no longer shouting, and Raticate obliged, producing a gray translucent shield that negated the fall damage.

“Well done, Raticate. Rest for now,” Alex said with proud eyes as he stared into Raticate’s own tired ones.

Raticate had just enough energy to enjoy the praise before sleeping to rest off the fatigue as Alex withdrew him back into his Poké Ball—a rare occurrence.

“Winner, Alex Wattson!” the automated referee finally announced, as if waiting for the dramatic scene to end.

Alex, having noticed that his opponent hadn’t left yet, walked up to her and held out his 12-year-old hands, only now remembering that he was much smaller than the girl.

Surprisingly, she reciprocates the gesture.

“That was a good battle. Congratulations on your Charizard’s Advanced-ranked Flamethrower,” Alex said amicably.

“Thank you. Congratulations on your Raticate’s Advanced-ranked Quick Attack as well,” Clarissa reciprocated before deciding to introduce herself. “Oh, by the way, my name is Clarissa Blackthorn.”

“Alex Ashford Wattson. Pleasure to meet you,” Alex introduced himself, then, recognizing the name, asked to confirm with the most neutral expression he could muster, “Blackthorn City, Blackthorn? Champion Lance’s daughter?”

“Haha, yes, that one.”

“What are you doing in Pokémon Academy when you have better resources at home?” Alex asked, genuinely confused.

“Mother wanted me to go out and see the world with my own eyes,” Clarissa said as she rolled her eyes. There was some tension there.

“Makes sense,” Alex easily accepted.

Other families’ business were none of his concern.

“Anyway, shall we head to the medical facility?” Alex proposed.

“Yes, Charizard needs to be revived.”

“My Raticate just needs Moomoo Milk but I suppose a checkup should be in order.”

They made their way to the medical facility on this floor. Along the way, Clarissa kept asking Alex questions—nothing personal, mostly training tips. Alex responded with questions of his own.

Alex was particularly interested in how she utilized Fly and wondered if he could do something similar. He also finally decided to switch Raticate’s EVs from Attack to Special Attack.

Diversity was truly the best path for Raticate, as Clarissa explained her thought process in the battle—a sentiment Alex agreed with. Had Raticate possessed Basic proficiency in Blizzard or Giga Impact, he too would have considered opening with Thunder Wave instead. It was simply the better play.

Their conversation continued until they got their Pokémon back to full health. Before parting ways, they decided to exchange numbers so they could train together sometime. Having an opponent at your level is always a great way to improve as a trainer.

Chapter 19: Chapter 19. Whole New Raticate

During training the next morning, Alex and Raticate experimented with Raticate’s Quick Attack and discovered that its damage had increased by roughly 50%. As a side effect, its range had also increased by about the same amount.

Quick Attack, unlike Sucker Punch—which requires a target—is simply a sudden acceleration. It can be used anywhere and at any time, as long as the Pokémon has enough time to release it.

Its typical usage is to close the distance quickly or strike before the opponent can react. It’s great for disruption and evasion due to its ability to be executed instantly, leaving opponents little time to respond.

Now that its damage had increased by 50%, it was powerful enough to surpass Sucker Punch as Raticate’s main damaging move. As a Normal-type attack, it benefited from STAB, making it even stronger.

As a result, Raticate’s hit-and-run prowess skyrocketed.

He could now use Quick Attack to bounce off opponents, using the extra momentum to stay out of range of melee attack counters. If an opponent relied on ranged moves, Quick Attack could be used to dodge instead.

It was a solid strategy for whittling down an opponent’s health before finishing them off with a decisive strike.

Over the next few months of battles, Alex and Raticate continued to dominate the Adept-ranked matches in the battle arena.

Their opponents often felt helpless, unable to pin down the big rat. If they used melee moves, they could never get close enough. If they used ranged moves, Raticate would simply evade them.

It was an eye-opening experience for many trainers who faced Alex.

Of course, Alex and Raticate still occasionally lost to more powerful Pokémon, especially those with guaranteed-hit moves like Swift or Aerial Ace. However, Raticate had carved out his own niche. Even after adding more Basic-proficiency finishing moves to his movepool, their win rate stabilized at an impressive 80%.

One opponent they could never defeat again was Clarissa. She always opened with Aerial Ace, relentlessly chipping away at Raticate’s health as if her life depended on it. Even when afflicted with Thunder Wave, she dominated the battle by ensuring that Blast Burn would land, often overpowering Blizzard in the process.

Regardless, Alex and Raticate managed to rack up a significant number of credits. They earned 10 credits per victory, and at the school’s stores, one credit was worth about ten times a Pokédollar.

High-quality Pokéblocks cost 100 credits each, so Alex started buying a set for Raticate once a week. These Pokéblocks enhanced various attributes, including senses, status resistance, reflexes, resilience, and even appearance.

The benefits were immediate. Raticate’s eyesight, hearing, and sense of touch improved, allowing him to spot more openings and land guaranteed hits. Against underground opponents, he could detect their location through subtle vibrations in the ground.

His status resistances increased significantly, preventing him from getting burned by Basic-proficiency Flamethrowers. Unless the move had a guaranteed status effect, like Thunder Wave, he could shrug off lower-chance effects such as Sing or Hypnosis.

His reflexes were enhanced, allowing him to react to attacks more quickly.

His resilience improved as well—his body no longer feared scars, as long as he had enough health points to resist other energy-based moves.

As a bonus, his fur became glossier and softer, something Alex appreciated.

Overall, it was a significant combat upgrade.

There were other Pokéblock options, such as those that increased a Pokémon’s combat stats like Attack or Special Attack, but these affected EVs. Since Raticate had already maxed out his EVs, he wouldn’t benefit from them.

Speaking of EVs, Raticate switched from maxed Attack EVs to maxed Special Attack EVs. This adjustment ensured that his Attack and Special Attack were now roughly equal, rather than Attack having a 50% advantage. The goal was to keep his options open, allowing him to effectively battle Pokémon with skewed defensive stats, such as Onix or Golem.

This ultimately paid off in the end because Raticate no longer feared overly large Pokémon like Onix, even when it didn’t charge at him for Grass Knot to take effect. He could now simply OHKO them with Blizzard.

“Your Raticate’s fur has been glossier lately. Have you changed shampoo or something?” Jenny asked as they ate dinner.

“Maybe he was born with it?” Alex replied with a smirk.

“No, it’s definitely glossier. Did you start feeding him Pokéblocks?” Jenny asked, missing the inside joke from Earth.

“Yeah, I started giving him Pokéblocks from school,” Alex answered, feeling a bit nostalgic.

He didn’t really miss Earth, but the fact that he was alone in this new world weighed on him. At the very least, none of the memes from Earth made sense here. Maybe he could start making memes in this world instead.

“It’s good that you’re winning enough battles to afford Pokéblocks. They’re quite expensive and hard to come by otherwise. Only the truly wealthy can regularly feed their Pokémon Pokéblocks daily.”

“Isn’t the Jenny Clan wealthy enough?”

“That’s a misconception. We Jennys and Joys value our individuality more than most people. Why do you think there’s only one Joy and one Jenny in each city, town, or village?”

“That makes sense… and is kinda sad.”

“Well, we do come together when one of us is in trouble, so it’s not really that sad. But we try to rely on ourselves first before asking for help, so financial struggles—like affording Pokéblocks regularly—don’t count.”

“Do you have a massive chat group or something?” Alex asked jokingly.

“We do, actually. The older Jennies monitor it for important information, but mostly, it’s used to vent about annoying problems or as an early warning system for our relatives.”

That was surprising news to Alex. Such a comprehensive system could be quite powerful if used correctly.

“Anyway, Alex, I have something for you. Wait here,” Jenny said as she placed her dishes in the sink.

While waiting for Jenny to return, Alex finished his meal and started washing the dishes. He was usually responsible for them since Jenny always did the cooking. Not that he never cooked—he typically prepared the Pokémon meat for himself and Raticate as an extra source of nutrition.

When Jenny came back, Alex was surprised to see her carrying a Pokémon egg.

“Tada! Happy birthday, Alex,” Jenny said as she presented an incubator with a Pokémon egg inside, followed by Arcanine, Espeon, and Boltund.

“Thank you, Jenny. I really appreciate it,” Alex said, taken aback.

He had never celebrated birthdays before, so he hadn’t given much thought to the original Alex’s date of birth. He was now officially thirteen.

“Arc!” “Esp-eee!” “Bolt!” the Pokémon all cried out together, each giving their own greeting.

“And thanks to all of you too,” Alex said, giving each of them a rubdown.

Alex took the incubator from Jenny and inspected the egg inside. It was orange with black stripes and had a yellow patch at the bottom. If he was right, it was a Growlithe egg.

“It’s Arcanine and Espeon’s child. They’ve been trying to have children for a while now, and it finally happened two weeks ago,” Jenny explained.

Arcanine was the mate of both Espeon and Boltund. Their dynamic made it difficult for Jenny to add a fourth Pokémon to her team. Arcanine was the domineering type and wouldn’t allow new Pokémon into their group unless they were female. Espeon, who was the most recent addition, was just as territorial—she merely tolerated Boltund since she came last but refused to accept any others.

As a primarily canine-type trainer, Jenny struggled to find a non-canine type Pokémon to add to her roster. In the end, she gave up and settled for three, especially since her apartment was already small. She planned to expand her team once she got a bigger place.

“Are you sure about this, Jenny? I read that Growlithe eggs are expensive,” Alex asked.

Growlithe eggs cost about three million Pokédollars on the market. They were highly valued due to their well-balanced stats.

“Arc!” Arcanine barked in response.

“Arcanine said he would never allow his children to be sold. He would much rather give it to you to raise instead. He’s seen how you’ve cared for Rattata, and all four of us agree that you’d be the best person to raise their child,” Jenny explained.

“Thank you. All of you. I won’t let you down. I’ll raise it to the best of my ability,” Alex said, then glanced down at Raticate at his side.

“Our ability,” he corrected himself.

“Raticate! (Leave it to me!)” Raticate exclaimed.

Alex carefully placed the incubator on the table before pulling Jenny into a long, warm hug. He then turned his attention to Arcanine, Espeon, and Boltund, giving each of them a thorough rubdown in gratitude for their trust in him.

Jenny spent the next few minutes explaining how to care for a young Growlithe and what to watch out for during its early stages. As a canine-type trainer, she spoke from experience, and Alex listened intently. In truth, raising a Growlithe wasn’t all that different from raising a dog—except for the part where it could breathe fire.

His main concern was making sure nothing burned down. Fortunately, Jenny’s apartment was fully fireproof, from the walls to the bedding. Even the appliances were insulated—everything except for Alex’s laptop.

Chapter 20: Chapter 20. Growlithe Hatches

After their little celebration and Jenny’s lecture, Alex went to his room with the egg and carefully placed it in the corner. He immediately booted up his laptop and started reading about the Growlithe line. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Jenny’s advice—he just considered it basic due diligence as a Pokémon trainer.

From his research, he found that apart from their fiery tempers, Growlithe were typically quite loyal. They wouldn’t hesitate to tear apart any threats to their pack. Male Growlithe, in particular, were even more ruthless and fearless than the females, who usually took care of the eggs and young.

As for their care, baths weren’t necessary since they could set their bodies on fire to eliminate dirt and oils. However, they required a thorough daily brushing to keep their fur clean and free from tangles.

They also needed regular exercise to keep their excessive energy levels in check. This wasn’t an issue for Officer Jenny, whose job involved patrolling the city, but it would be a huge problem for Alex, who had to sit in class most of the day.

‘I suppose we’ll have to extend morning training,’ Alex thought with a sigh.

Continuing his research on the Growlithe line, Alex found that they required a Fire Stone to evolve, but the process wasn’t instant. Unlike in the games, Growlithe wouldn’t evolve just by touching one—they had to be mentally prepared.

For wild Growlithe, maturity and a strong sense of self were crucial. When they deemed themselves worthy, they would leave their pack and embark on a journey, typically seeking a Fire Stone near volcanoes to complete their evolution.

This journey wasn’t just about evolving—it was a rite of passage that toughened them up. Once they evolved, they would either return to their original pack or start one of their own.

For bonded Growlithe like Jenny’s, the requirement was mental maturity. She shared that her Growlithe had suddenly desired to evolve after successfully rescuing her from an attacker during an ambush on patrol. Before that, he had been an overly eager, energetic pup. After the incident, he took on the responsibility of protecting her, marking his transition into adulthood.

Based on his research, the key factor for evolution seemed to be the need for power or responsibility. Many recorded cases of Growlithe evolving into Arcanine pointed to the Pokémon developing a strong drive to grow stronger.

This posed a tricky situation for Alex. As a student, his Growlithe wouldn’t have many opportunities to experience real danger or responsibility. Most likely, it would take graduation and traveling outside the city before his partner developed that need.

That was a problem for future Alex. Present Alex was more worried about being drooled on with scalding saliva.

After taking notes on Growlithe’s needs—including purchasing a fire-resistant brush, clothes, and gloves—Alex shifted his focus to researching Pokémon eggs.

Initial searches suggested that an incubator was all that was necessary for successful hatching. Unconvinced, Alex scoured the internet for research papers, and what he found was quite interesting.

While an incubator alone was sufficient, the hatching process could be accelerated by providing an environment rich in the Pokémon’s natural energy.

A Growlithe egg typically took about a month to hatch in an incubator, but the process could be shortened to a week if surrounded by concentrated Fire-type energy.

Research indicated that hatching in a better environment didn’t necessarily make Pokémon stronger, but it did result in them being more energetic after birth. That was all Alex needed to hear. He immediately decided to buy a bunch of Fire Stones and stuff them into the incubator.

He theorized that increased energy at birth might translate into higher Individual Values (IVs). Alex had never focused on breeding Pokémon in the games, so he wasn’t entirely sure how IVs worked, but if there was a chance to influence them at birth, he was willing to go all out.

The next day, Alex returned from school with enough unprocessed Fire Stone shavings to completely bury the egg in the incubator. It might have been overkill, but they were cheap—the student who sold them to him had a father working in Fire Stone processing. He collected the shavings and sold them at the student market, targeting suckers like Alex who believed they still had some residual energy.

The student had even said this outright, knowing that people like Alex would convince themselves it was worth the cost. That was why the shavings were priced so low—if they were any more expensive, people would just go to his father, who would give them away for free.

For the next week, Alex carried the incubator in his backpack wherever he went. Eventually, the egg hatched one night while he was in his room.

The process took slightly longer than expected since the environment wasn’t a perfect Fire-type habitat, but it still cut the hatching time in half.

To ensure proper bonding, Alex quickly stored Raticate in its Poké Ball before the Growlithe hatched.

After a few seconds of radiant light, the egg transformed into a Growlithe. It was slightly larger than average, standing a few inches taller than Alex’s Raticate, which was already within standard size.

As the glow faded, Alex was met with a pair of adorable puppy-dog eyes. He instinctively felt Growlithe’s hunger, signaling that their bond had successfully formed.

“Hey there, Growlithe. Want something to eat?” Alex asked.

Growlithe nodded, which immediately struck Alex as odd. It was strangely calm and collected—not the hyperactive ball of energy the research papers had described.

Jenny had told him that when her Growlithe hatched, it had run wild, knocking things over and making a mess. His, on the other hand, was just sitting there patiently, waiting for food.

Alex pulled out some cooked Beedrill and Weedle meat he had prepared for Raticate, and Growlithe devoured it eagerly.

After finishing, it looked up at him again, silently asking for more.

Surprised, Alex gave it another serving. Then another. And another.

It wasn’t until the fifth serving that Growlithe finally seemed satisfied.

This Growlithe ate five times more than Raticate, despite being the same size. It was like feeding an entire team of Raticates. Alex could already feel his wallet crying.

Then, just as suddenly as it had hatched and eaten, Growlithe lay down and fell asleep.

Alex blinked in shock.

‘Why is my Growlithe already tired? It just hatched, ate, and went to sleep.’

Coming out of his daze, Alex immediately grabbed his Pokédex and scanned Growlithe. Something was definitely unusual.

Name: Growlithe, Novice

Type: Fire, Male

Ability: Justified

Moves: [Please demonstrate abilities while scanning]

Description: Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. Known for its fierce loyalty and protective nature, it will bark and bite at any intruder that threatens its territory. Its exceptional sense of smell allows it to remember scents for life, making it an excellent tracker. Though naturally friendly and playful, Growlithe is fearless in battle, using its powerful fire breath to ward off enemies. It thrives on companionship and training, growing stronger through discipline and care. When properly raised, it becomes a steadfast guardian, always ready to defend its pack.

Justified? He must have inherited it from Arcanine. The scan doesn’t show any abnormalities. Do I have to bring him to the Pokécenter for a check-up? Alex wondered.

After thinking it over, he decided to swing by tomorrow before training to make sure nothing was wrong. Leaving it for now shouldn’t cause any problems.

He could also ask Jenny in the morning, as she was most likely already asleep. With that in mind, Alex gave up for the day and decided to call it a night.

Taking out a spare Poké Ball, he pressed the button and lightly tapped Growlithe with it. After a few shakes and a click, he placed it on the shelf next to Raticate’s. He then pressed the button again, releasing the sleeping Growlithe back onto the floor, none the wiser.

Next, he released Raticate, who glanced at the sleeping Growlithe, shrugged, and settled down for the night.

Alex lay in bed, tossing and turning over the matter until he too eventually drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning, Alex woke up to the feeling of hot breath on his face.

Opening his eyes, he saw Growlithe staring down at him as if asking for more food.

“Grau! (Food!)” Growlithe demanded.

“All right, I'll get you more food. Just get off me,” Alex said lazily. It was still quite some time before breakfast, and he hadn’t gotten enough sleep.

Making his way to the kitchen as the little pup trotted alongside him, Alex ran into Jenny, who was preparing breakfast.

“Morning.”

“You’re up early,” Jenny said without looking up from the stove.

“Guess who woke me up?”

Jenny looked over and immediately smiled.

“It hatched! Hello, Growlithe. I’m Jenny,” she said enthusiastically.

“Grau,” Growlithe replied with a polite nod.

“It’s very relaxed. Did you just come back from exercising?” Jenny asked, worriedly.

“He was like this after he hatched. Do you know anything?”

“No, I…” Jenny started, then stopped as if she had just remembered something.

Alex waited patiently as she processed the memory.

“He might have gotten it from Espeon. She’s very relaxed—almost unbothered by the world. That is, until you piss her off.”

“That explains it, then. He got it from his mother. But does it explain why he eats five times what Raticate usually eats, despite being the same size?”

“That, he gets from his father. Arcanine eats five times more than normal Arcanines. He had five times more energy to burn off as a Growlithe as well. He caused quite a bit of trouble,” Jenny said, reminiscing.

“Ouch. My wallet is going to take a hit when he evolves. Oh well, let’s hope all that food he’s sleeping off will make him five times stronger instead,” Alex joked.

“Haha, good luck with that,” Jenny said with a chuckle.

Chapter 21: Chapter 21. Learning A Lesson

After breakfast, Alex, Raticate, and Growlithe went down for some training.

Excited to discover which moves Growlithe might have inherited, Alex asked him to perform all his moves while he scanned with the Pokédex.

After the final move— which involved Growlithe happily looking up at the ceiling with his eyes closed and a contented expression— the Pokédex beeped, signaling the updated status.

Name: Growlithe, Novice

Type: Fire, Male

Ability: Justified

Moves:

Novice: Covet(Egg Move), Double-Edge(Egg Move), Morning Sun(Egg Move), Ember, Leer, Howl, Bite

Description: Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. Known for its fierce loyalty and protective nature, it will bark and bite at any intruder that threatens its territory. Its exceptional sense of smell allows it to remember scents for life, making it an excellent tracker. Though naturally friendly and playful, Growlithe is fearless in battle, using its powerful fire breath to ward off enemies. It thrives on companionship and training, growing stronger through discipline and care. When properly raised, it becomes a steadfast guardian, always ready to defend its pack.

‘Jackpot! All the moves he could have gotten from Espeon,’ Alex thought with excitement.

Alex had asked Jenny what possible Egg Moves Growlithe could have inherited, and she simply listed all the moves Espeon knew so he could find out for himself. Alex had hoped to at least get Morning Sun, as it was a powerful healing move, so he was ecstatic with the results.

“Alright, Growlithe. This will be our first training together, so give it your best,” Alex said as he started stretching while Growlithe followed along excitedly.

When it came time to sprint until all their stamina was expended, Raticate took off like a silver bolt of light, and Growlithe excitedly followed after him. Alex sprinted as well, but he was no match for a Pokémon’s speed.

By the end, Raticate was exhausted from repeatedly using Quick Attack, which consumed a significant amount of stamina. Alex was also exhausted, as he had to start with sprinting and couldn’t save up stamina for a light jog. Growlithe, however, was still fine, hardly even panting. This showed that his stamina was high enough to keep him sprinting for a full 30 minutes without stopping.

This was no longer considered training for Growlithe because of how little it actually tired him out. Alex would either have to prolong the cardio session or place some weights on him.

‘Between stamina and strength, building strength is more important, so it’ll have to be weights. I’ll swing by the market later and see what they have,’ Alex thought.

Next came Move training, which finally tired out Growlithe. Using Moves required more than just physical stamina; it drained the innate energy that Pokémon possessed. Overusing and restoring this energy continuously accelerated their growth.

Finally, it was time for sparring matches.

There were multiple reasons why Alex insisted on sparring with his Pokémon. One was to get some exercise himself and familiarize himself with Pokémon attacks, even if he couldn’t withstand a single hit. Another was to help his Pokémon get accustomed to fighting humans. They needed to understand human limitations and what humans were capable of. Finally, it was to build their bond—nothing strengthened bonds better than trying to understand one’s opponent.

This was a lesson he had learned from his sparring partners at the gym.

He started by putting on his padded gear, then explained the rules of the sparring match to Growlithe. Afterward, he began with Raticate so Growlithe could observe and learn firsthand what sparring was all about.

Alex and Raticate squared up, and immediately, their auras changed. Alex got into his standard boxing stance, while Raticate crouched on all fours, ready to pounce.

Alex shifted his weight back onto his right foot and prepared to take a half-step forward with his left when Raticate chose that moment to pounce, targeting Alex’s left leg.

But it was a feint. Alex bent his left foot, angling his knee to the right, while dropping his left shoulder and bending his waist forward. As he did, he brought down his left fist, landing a solid hit on the top of Raticate’s butt.

Raticate managed to paw at Alex’s left shin guard but couldn’t avoid the retaliation. Fortunately, he was quite a bit faster than Alex, so Alex only managed to tap Raticate’s butt with his gloves.

Still, both Alex and Raticate counted this as a point for Alex. Raticate was already at the top of Adept level, and soon, these spars would have to stop, as Alex was simply too slow to be a challenge for him. But until then, these almost-pointless little spars were valuable bonding time.

As the fight continued, Growlithe watched intently, confused. Why were they fighting? Why did they look so serious? Why weren’t they using moves?

It wasn’t until the five-minute timer on the Pokédex rang that he began to understand what all of this was about.

Alex turned off the timer, patted Raticate playfully, then reiterated the rules to Growlithe, who nodded along.

Alex and Growlithe squared up, and for the first time, Growlithe felt Alex’s aura change. This wasn’t playtime anymore—this was a serious spar. Alex’s gaze bore into him, making him feel small. That was when he finally started taking the fight seriously.

Shifting from his usual sitting position, Growlithe crouched low, mirroring Raticate’s stance.

Then, without hesitation, he charged straight at Alex’s stomach.

Caught off guard, Alex quickly crouched, catching Growlithe mid-air with both hands. Using the momentum, he rolled backward, letting his shoulders absorb the weight until he completed the roll—pinning Growlithe beneath him.

Then, he tickled him.

Growlithe wriggled in pure agony. It was too much. Too much! Desperate, he cried out for help.

“Grau! Grau! (Help! Help!)” he wailed in dismay.

Raticate, watching from the sidelines, placed a paw under his chin and nodded as if he had just unraveled one of life’s great truths.

“Rrraticate. (Yes, this is the trial you must face, young one),” Raticate declared, nodding sagely.

He, too, remembered when Alex had once pinned him during their spars. He was young then—foolish, even.

It happened when he got overconfident and decided to target the back of Alex’s head.

With a mighty leap, he was certain Alex couldn’t possibly turn around in time to catch him—and he was right. Alex was far too slow. Victory was within his grasp.

Or so he thought.

Just as he soared through the air, he suddenly felt hands clamp around him mid-leap. ‘What?!’ Alex hadn't turned around; he hadn't needed to. Instead, he had reached both arms over his head, blindly catching him in midair. Before Rattata could even process his mistake, he was pulled forward and smothered against Alex’s face, his soft, fluffy belly subjected to an undignified assault—an affectionate nuzzle.

It was a travesty.

From then on, he never targeted the back of Alex’s head with a full-body tackle. He had learned his lesson.

Instead, he would use Tail Whip while jumping off Alex’s shoulders. It was a much safer area to target. At worst, he would bounce off Alex’s arm as he slowly turned.

As Raticate continued to reminisce, Growlithe, meanwhile, was suffering. For a full minute, he endured the relentless tickling before he was finally released.

He scampered away to a safe distance, panting, before turning around—only to see Alex still standing there, poised in his standard boxing stance, ready for round two.

With a smirk, Alex taunted Growlithe by raising a gloved hand and motioning for him to come forward, his stance unwavering.

From then on, Growlithe finally took the spar seriously. Like Raticate, he focused on targeting the shin guards, the sides, or the back.

He had learned his lesson. Never again would he attempt a full-body tackle from the front. He would avoid those hands like his life depended on it. Petting was fine, but tickles? That was simply taking things too far.

Once the five minutes were up, it was time for Raticate and Growlithe’s sparring match.

To ensure a balanced fight, Raticate wasn’t allowed to use any moves, while Growlithe had access to all of his.

From a game’s perspective, this would be a guaranteed win for Growlithe—he could just spam Ember with its 100% accuracy and eventually come out on top. But in reality, Raticate had an easy time dodging all of Growlithe’s attacks while still managing to thwack him with a paw or a flick of his tail.

In fact, Raticate found this match even easier than sparring with Alex. Growlithe was just too slow, sometimes even failing to execute his moves properly.

On top of that, Growlithe didn’t have hands. Those dangerous, evil hands—too nimble, too flexible. They were definitely created with sinister purposes in mind. Anyone who had hands was simply a villain.

Once their spar ended, they reset the rotation and continued until they had trained for a full hour.

Their session had been quite fruitful, especially for Growlithe, who was starting to learn the rhythm of battle. His starting point had been quite a bit lower than Rattata’s, but he was gradually getting into it. It wouldn’t be long before Growlithe was ready for real combat.

After Alex packed up his gear, all three started heading for the elevator—only to be interrupted by a sudden shout.

“Hey, you!”

Chapter 22: Chapter 22. Trouble

As Alex and the gang started heading to the elevator after their training routine, they heard a loud shout.

“Hey, you!”

Alex immediately turned to the source of the sound and saw that the shout was directed at him.

Looking at the man approaching, Alex noticed that he was probably new to the building as he had not seen this man before even though he had been coming here to train every day without missing a single day for the past nine months.

“Can I help you?” Alex asked.

“Why are you sparring with your Pokemon?” the man asked back with anger in his eyes.

“What's it to you?” Alex answered with a question of his own.

Alex didn’t like the tone the man was using. That was a tone used by people who regularly used violence to handle any problems that came their way.

Taking a better look, Alex started profiling the guy the same way Jenny had taught him during one of their dinners.

‘Tall—at least six feet (1.83m). Skinny. Short black hair, sunken brown eyes, long nose. Black shirt, black leather jacket with metal spikes—biker? Maybe just a fashion statement. Ripped skinny jeans, black combat boots with metal spikes. Is that a gun on his waist? Hard to tell, but it sure looks like one.

He’s not alone. Two guys trailing behind him, dressed in the same punk-goth getup. One’s tall and fat, the other short with an average build. They look like they’re heading to a rave. Substance abuse is obvious—jittery movements, hollow stares. Something’s off,’ Alex thought by the time the man finally reached him.

The man was clearly trying to intimidate Alex, striding over without a word, making sure Alex had to look up at him before finally speaking.

“I don’t like to mouth on you, kid. You think you’re a tough guy?” he asked, his tone deliberately provoking.

“So what if you don’t like it? You gonna beat up a 13-year-old kid in the middle of a training field?” Alex shot back, raising his voice just enough to draw attention.

The man glanced around and finally noticed the growing audience. People were staring, some even recording with their phones. His intimidation had worked—just not on the right person.

“Relax, kid. Just asking,” the man said, his tone noticeably softer.

Clearly, he wasn’t afraid of Alex—he was afraid of the cameras.

“It’s a bonding experience,” Alex continued, unfazed. “Also, it helps me learn how to fight off Pokémon while they learn to fight off humans.”

“Oh, so you’re teaching your Pokémon to kill humans, huh?” The man’s voice rose slightly, and he stole a quick glance at a camera positioned behind Alex.

“It’s so they can defend themselves against humans,” Alex clarified.

“And why would they need to defend themselves against humans? They’re Pokémon. They’re supposed to obey humans.”

Alex burst out laughing. A genuine, hearty laugh.

“What’s so funny?” the man asked, narrowing his eyes.

“And what am I supposed to do when men like you and your buddies come along and threaten to kill me unless I hand over my Pokémon?”

“You give them up, of course,” the man answered smugly. “Run to the police and let them handle it.”

Alex snorted. “So you’re saying that if I—or anyone here,” he gestured to the gathered crowd, “were to follow you out of the city, we wouldn’t need to worry about you using your Pokémon against us? That we’d be free to take whatever we wanted—including your life—if we felt like it?”

The man fell silent.

Alex stepped in closer, his voice returning to its normal tone.

“I’d be careful how you answer. You never know who’s listening,” he said, locking eyes with the man, his own widening as a grin spread across his face.

A shiver ran down the man’s spine. He had never seen a kid this unhinged before. The look in Alex’s eyes told him everything—this kid wasn’t bluffing. If he answered wrong, Alex really might follow him out of the city just to prove a point.

“Hmph. You need to have more trust in the police,” the man muttered before turning away, retreating with his gang out of the building.

“My mom’s Jenny!” Alex called out smugly.

The man nearly tripped over his own feet before quickening his pace, vanishing through the exit.

“Heh.” Alex smirked before continuing on his way, his Pokémon walking beside him, guarding him from the lingering crowd.

Unbeknownst to him, they had tensed the moment the man approached, sensing his aggression. Their bond was strong—they hadn’t needed commands to defend Alex, nor had they lashed out recklessly. But Growlithe had been close.

Flames curled at the edges of Growlithe’s breath, his muscles coiled, ready to strike. He had almost lunged for the man’s ankles. But then he noticed Raticate—calm, cold, unmoving.

Growlithe had never seen this side of Raticate before, not even during their spars. He hesitated, then silently deferred to him, following his lead.

Alex made it back to his apartment, took a shower, and went to school for another boring day. When he returned in the evening, he was surprised when Jenny ambushed him in a tight hug, lifting him and spinning him around.

Alex just gave up, already knowing the reason behind this ambush.

“You called me Mom,” Jenny said, gushing.

“You are technically my mom. Plus, it was a good comeback.”

“They were so mean to you. Are you okay?” Jenny asked as she stroked his hair motherly.

“I’ve had worse,” Alex replied nonchalantly.

This reminded Jenny of what Alex had been through before they met. She only remembered an orphan asking for help. She couldn’t imagine what his life must have been like before that.

‘He must have lived as a homeless child, begging in the streets, trying and failing to find a decent meal or some spare change to save up. He must have been treated worse in the orphanage if he preferred to live like that instead of going back,’ Jenny thought as tears started pouring from her eyes just imagining it.

“Sorry, I—” Alex started to say before Jenny hugged him even tighter.

‘My poor baby.’

‘Can’t… breathe…’

After Jenny calmed down, she recounted what had happened in the office after returning from her patrol over dinner. The video went viral and it made its way into their office.

Some of the officers didn’t appreciate Alex’s words or attitude. They insisted that the police should be relied on for such cases and that the best course of action was to simply run away while having your Pokémon block the offender’s Pokémon—not fight back. Certainly not have them fight another human.

Most of the other officers disagreed but didn’t voice their opinions, as it was too stupid to even argue about something so obvious. You were supposed to defend yourself—it was in the laws. Pokémon could be used to threaten humans when they were the aggressors.

Specifically, a Pokémon’s actions were considered an extension of a human’s will, so anything they did, their trainers were responsible for—including defending themselves against attackers.

Trainers, as citizens, were allowed to defend themselves.

Still, the issue blew over quickly when the new Chief of Police nipped the problem in the bud by plainly stating that Pokémon could be used against humans in the right scenario. It was in the laws, after all.

“You should note who started the complaint and investigate them. The opinion is too asinine to even be considered logical. Something is wrong with them if they actually agree with the idea that Pokémon shouldn’t be able to fight humans, especially trained ones,” Alex said matter-of-factly.

“You have a point. What kind of people would specifically be against Pokémon hurting or killing other humans no matter the scenario?” Jenny pondered out loud.

“Human supremacists—the kind that want to enslave Pokémon rather than befriend them. Even then, it’s quite a stretch. They’re basically saying humans should only be at the mercy of other humans, not Pokémon,” Alex answered.

“Oh, I almost forgot. That man was carrying a gun,” Alex hastily added.

“The kind that shoots bullets in movies?”

“I don’t know. He carried it on his waist under his shirt. I only saw the profile. It might be that new one that stores and fires Pokémon moves.”

“I didn’t know those were released already.”

“Neither did I, and I’ve wanted to get one for a while now.”

“What do you need those for? Pokémon do way more damage than those toys. The replicated energy is at a loss so those toys would never match a Pokemon’s power.”

“Arcanine has Justified as an Ability, right? How about you get a trainer with six weakened, Novice-ranked Wishiwashi and have one of them attack a Move Crystal with Beat Up? Then, at the start of a fight, you shoot Arcanine with the result of that move. He should have a maxed stack of Attack before the first move is even used. Then, you can follow it up with Bulldoze to wipe out all your enemies on the field,” Alex said as if discussing the weather.

Jenny, meanwhile, was imagining the result of that scenario.

‘A 300% damage-boosted Arcanine… Even an Extreme Speed that merely grazed an opponent would be enough to take down Pokémon one rank below Arcanine. Grazing wouldn’t even be necessary another rank below that—the air pressure alone would shred them to bits. That’s terrifying,’ Jenny thought.

“That’s genius!” Jenny exclaimed.

“I’m throwing that into the group chat. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Nah. Oh! I wouldn’t mind if I could get one of those myself. Growlithe inherited your Arcanine’s Justified Ability.”

“Okay. I’ll see what I can do.”

For the first time, Alex learned how terrifying the Jenny group chat was as the world moved to fulfill their orders.

Chapter 23: Chapter 23. Progress

Deep in an underground facility at an undisclosed location, a secretary carrying a clipboard presented a progress report to Alaric Graves, the Grand Director of Team Dominion. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, observing the large fish tank before him, his back turned to her as she spoke.

The fish, of course, were all regular fish—not Pokémon.

“Mewtwo has gone berserk again, destroying the containment facility before being apprehended as it attempted to escape to the surface,” the secretary reported, adjusting her glasses.

“Their excuse?”

“The Dominion Restraints do not truly remove a Pokémon’s will. Instead, they suppress it deep within the mind while overlaying it with commands through enhanced Psychic energy. They claim that if you wish to completely remove a Pokémon’s will, you would need to excise the part of the brain responsible for it and develop hardware capable of bypassing its function.”

“Their requirements?”

“A miracle.”

Alaric Graves turned back to her with a raised brow.

“Explain.”

“Virtual Reality technology bypasses the brain’s synapses by intercepting and suppressing them as they are sent out, effectively rendering the body unresponsive. These synapses are then decoded and processed by the Dominion Restraint, which returns an encoded signal directly to the brain, tricking it into perceiving whatever the system intends.

What you desire, however, is the opposite—to remove the brain while still controlling the body. But without a brain, there is no way to issue commands.

To achieve this, the Dominion Restraint would need to function not only as efficiently as the brain but also be programmed with all of its combat experience. This is their first declared impossibility.

They further suggest that if such a device could be created, Pokémon themselves would become obsolete, as a far superior artificial body could be designed to house such a system.

Additionally, they argue that such a device would not even require a body at all. Given the level of technology already in place, it could control the world remotely.

Their current approach is to convince Mewtwo that it exists in an environment where it naturally desires to follow the Dominion Restraint’s commands. However, this is their second declared impossibility.

Imagine commanding a Rattata to retrieve cheese without eating it.

First, the Dominion Restraint would suppress the subject’s instinctual response, making the cheese seem neutral in all of its senses. Then, it would overlay a reason to store the cheese—such as preparation for winter or food storage. Finally, the subject would be left to act freely.

Studies show that only 60% of test subjects comply, while the remaining 40% explore their environment instead, which overwhelms the Dominion Restraint as it struggles to continually redirect them.

This issue is exponentially worse with Mewtwo, the most intelligent Pokémon in existence. From the very first step, it immediately realizes it is under an illusion or psychic restraint. It then retaliates with overwhelming psychic force, unleashing an explosion that destroys everything in its wake—including the Dominion Restraints.

In order to accomplish the second impossibility, we would need a device capable of fooling Mewtwo into believing its environment is real. But that brings us back to the first impossibility—creating a system as powerful as Mewtwo’s own brain.

To accomplish the first impossibility, we would require the greatest scientists from around the world to develop a device capable of processing information at speeds exponentially greater than Mewtwo’s. Then, an entirely separate team would be needed to program software advanced enough to either convince Mewtwo that what it perceives is real or control its body without the need for its brain—though this may render it incapable of using Pokémon Moves.

The Dominion Restraints have yet to reach a level where they can consistently deceive humans. Successfully controlling Mewtwo, a being whose intellect far exceeds humans, remains beyond our current technological capabilities.”

Alaric Graves sighed.

“So, in short, we need the greatest scientists in the world to create a device more powerful than Mewtwo’s mind. You should have just said that instead of your convoluted explanation.”

“I apologize, sir. I understand, sir. I’ll do better, sir,” the secretary stammered, flustered.

Alaric merely waved her off and turned back to his fish.

“Other updates?”

“Interest in Move Guns has risen significantly within the last two hours.”

“Oh? Reason?”

“The Council of Jennys has petitioned to be equipped with such weaponry, citing the convenience of having Thunder Wave at their disposal—though they have not provided further specifics.”

"Didn’t those same Jennys previously reject that reasoning, arguing that a 60% chance of inflicting paralysis also means a 40% chance of failing to defend themselves, unlike Pokémon?"

“It appears they have since amended their statement.”

“Give it to them. The Jennys’ support is paramount to our plans moving forward. Push to have every Trainer equipped with one. Then, push for every human to be equipped with one. Once power is at their fingertips, humans will no longer see Pokémon as necessary.”

“Yes, sir. That concludes this report.”

“You may go.”

The secretary promptly left, leaving Alaric Graves alone with his fish.

“Progress may be slow, but it is inevitable. Soon.”

-----

The next day, Alex decided to teach Growlithe as many Moves as he had available and was compatible with. Since he already had the TM disks, he might as well use them. He also planned to purchase more later, but for now, the ones in his storage would have to suffice.

By the end of the tutoring session, Growlithe looked up at Alex with a confused and aggrieved expression, while Raticate watched from the side, its paw on its chin, nodding sagely.

It, too, had endured such injustice. Fortunately for him, it was over. He would never have to go through it again—according to Alex, he had already learned every move he was capable of unless new ones were discovered in the future.

Arriving at the training field, Alex scanned both of them to assess their progress.

Name: Raticate, Adept

Type: Normal, Male

Ability: Run Away

Moves:

Basic: Fury Swipes(Egg Move), Screech(Egg Move), Tackle, Tail Whip, Focus Energy, Bite, Laser Focus, Take Down, Assurance, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Grass Knot, Dig, Facade, Work Up, Protect, Double Team, Sleep Talk, Rest, Substitute, Iron Tail, Crunch, Sucker Punch, Endeavor, Swords Dance, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Blizzard, Thunder, Rain Dance, Super Fang, Double-Edge, Scary Face, Swagger, Thunder Bolt, Shadow Ball, Ice Beam, Sludge Bomb, Thief, Shock Wave, Charge Beam, Rock Smash, Sunny Day, Pluck, Roar, Attract, Endure, Cut, Strength

Advanced: Quick Attack

Description: Raticate’s powerful front teeth never stop growing. It constantly gnaws on hard objects to keep them from getting too long. It can swim across strong rivers and even chew through concrete if necessary. Its territorial nature makes it aggressive toward intruders.

‘What the hell? Why are all of his moves already at Basic? It should have taken him more than half a year to reach Basic proficiency with all of these moves, and it's barely been three months. Doesn’t this mean that learning moves makes Pokémon able to learn other moves faster?

This will be a huge power-up later on when working to get as many moves as possible to Advanced rank. Growlithe should be able to do the same, right? I better remember to read up more about this later,’ Alex thought in shock.

Mysteriously, Growlithe felt a shiver run down his spine for no apparent reason.

“Congratulations, Raticate. You’ve gotten all of your moves to Basic proficiency well beyond my expectations. I want you to continue using Quick Attack during our runs and focus more on Endeavor when practicing moves. If you get bored, switch to Swords Dance or Protect, but make sure to prioritize these three moves, as they are our most used moves.”

“Rati! (Got it!)”

Next, Alex looked over Growlithe’s moves.

Name: Growlithe, Novice

Type: Fire, Male

Ability: Justified

Moves:

Novice: Covet(Egg Move), Double-Edge(Egg Move), Morning Sun(Egg Move), Ember, Leer, Howl, Bite, Dig, Facade, Protect, Sleep Talk, Rest, Substitute, Thief, Sunny Day, Roar, Attract, Endure

Description: Growlithe, the Puppy Pokémon. Known for its fierce loyalty and protective nature, it will bark and bite at any intruder that threatens its territory. Its exceptional sense of smell allows it to remember scents for life, making it an excellent tracker. Though naturally friendly and playful, Growlithe is fearless in battle, using its powerful fire breath to ward off enemies. It thrives on companionship and training, growing stronger through discipline and care. When properly raised, it becomes a steadfast guardian, always ready to defend its pack.

“Growlithe, you don’t have any speed-boosting moves yet, so focus on using Morning Sun during our runs. Later, during practice, I want you to focus on Sunny Day and Double-Edge. Got it?”

“Grau! (Got it!)”

Before setting off, Alex pulled out a weighted harness so Growlithe could build muscle while running. It wasn’t much—about 10 lbs (4.54 kg)—with the weight evenly distributed across his back and down the sides.

Alex planned to increase the weight day by day until Growlithe finally tired out from a full sprint at 30 minutes.

After the sprint, Growlithe was exhausted from repeatedly using Morning Sun, but his speed never faltered, indicating that his body was holding up just fine.

The rest of the day passed without much incident until Alex returned to the apartment for dinner.

“Alex! Guess what just arrived?” Jenny asked excitedly.

Alex didn’t respond—he had a pretty good idea already.

Chapter 24: Chapter 24. Gun Ethics

Alex stared at the large package, roughly the same size as their four-seater dining table. He was genuinely surprised that the Jenny clan had worked this fast, but he shrugged it off as the power of old money, old reputation, and old politics.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t surprised at all. What truly shocked him was a new realization—the Jenny and Joy clans were far too low-key. They clearly had the power to make the world turn at the palm of their hands, yet they kept their abilities close to the chest, content with simply being cops and nurses.

They were truly the angels of the Pokémon world, and Alex considered himself incredibly lucky to have been transmigrated to a world where they existed—even if it was a harsher place overall. He was even luckier to have been adopted by one of them.

“Help me open this box. They overdid the sealing,” Jenny complained.

Alex complied, and after a few quick Cuts from Raticate, the package finally opened—revealing eight smaller boxes inside: two large ones, four medium ones, and two small ones.

The two large boxes contained a strange device, featuring a tray on one side and a top that opened like a scanner. It basically looked like an office printer.

The two small boxes held transparent crystalline bullets, 300 per box. The bullets were 6mm in diameter but noticeably longer than typical 9mm rounds. Inside each bullet were intricate laser etchings that made no sense to Alex.

The four medium boxes contained matte black pistols, roughly the size and shape of a Desert Eagle. Like a proper firearm, the barrel had rifling, but everything was made of solid plastic, with no moving parts except the trigger and magazine. It weighed about the same as a pellet gun.

‘It looks futuristic but feels like a toy. No wonder the Jennys didn’t like it—it’s like playing cops rather than actually being one,’ Alex thought to himself.

Each gun came with a magazine already attached and two spares in the box. The magazine was reloadable by sliding the internal mechanism that contained slots out of the casing and inserting bullets one at a time—or using a reloader if available. It could hold 40 bullets per magazine, utilizing a double-stack rotating mechanism that allowed spent bullets to remain in the magazine after firing.

‘I definitely need to read the instruction manual,’ Alex lamented.

Still, he reserved final judgment until he had read the manual, loaded the gun, and fired a few shots. His initial impression, however, was not great.

“Did you find the manual?” Alex asked.

“Reading it now. It’s too complicated. Too much technical jargon,” Jenny replied.

Alex decided to figure things out himself. He plugged in the device and pressed the “Open” button. The tray slid open, revealing slots for all 300 bullets. He placed them inside one by one and pressed “Close”. The only other button left was “Load Move”, so he pressed it.

The top popped open, revealing a target under the lid. The display now instructed “Release Move”, so Alex turned to Raticate.

“Use Thunder Wave on it.”

Raticate gathered yellow electrical energy in his mouth and released a streak of lightning, which was absorbed by the target. The display updated: 1/300—one bullet was now loaded. The “Release Move” prompt remained, so Alex had Raticate keep going until he got tired at 20 shots.

Curious, Alex placed Raticate’s paw on the scanner and had him use Quick Attack. A wave of silver energy was released from Raticate before the machine absorbed it.

After pressing “Done”, the tray opened, revealing all 300 bullets—but now, 21 of them glowed, charged with the Moves Raticate had stored.

Alex carefully removed the charged bullets and loaded them one by one into the internal magazine mechanism before sliding the casing over it. He then loaded it into the gun.

Suddenly, the top of the gun lit up with a display:

“Flying-type energy needs to be recharged.”

Alex pressed “Recharge”, and the display changed to “Release”. He had Raticate use Pluck on the top of the gun itself. The display updated: Battery: 100%.

‘That’s convenient.’

Using the top display, Alex swiped through the loaded bullets by swiping his hand on the size of the gun vertically as if spinning the cylinder of a revolver, selecting the Thunder Wave round. He closed the scanner tray and pressed the “Load Move” button. The display on the scanner prompted for “Release”, so Alex fired.

A yellow streak of lightning shot from the barrel, striking the target and charging a bullet on the display. On his gun’s display, the bullet was now spent and cycled to the next Thunder Wave shot.

Swiping through the selection again, Alex found the Quick Attack round.

“Raticate use Protect,” Alex commanded as Raticate obliged and a transparent energy shield was created in front of him.

Alex aimed and fired.

This time, the recoil was significant, almost knocking the gun out of his hands. The bullet slammed into the shield, briefly flashing silver, before dropping to the floor, perfectly intact.

‘Looks like the gun works as advertised… but it’s risky. Too many steps are involved—so many accidents are bound to happen when this hits the market,’ Alex thought

Jenny, meanwhile, just stared in silence. She had no idea how Alex had figured everything out so quickly without even causing an accident. Her boy was so smart.

“Welp. It works as advertised, and there are only a few problems,” Alex said with a sigh.

“Like what?” Jenny asked, secretly opening the record function on her phone, well aware of how insightful Alex could be.

“Scanner: 10/10. If I had to identify a problem, I would recommend putting some idiot-proof instruction stickers as a form of warning label for liability protection.”

“Bullet: 5/10. Works when used so far, but that is exactly the problem. What happens when the bullet is compromised? Do I have to eat a Blast Burn to the face? Is there a way for me to check if the bullet I am about to load is uncompromised, like an image that gets skewed from a hairline fracture in the crystal?”

“Magazine: 8/10. The magazine loading process is tedious, so designing a plastic reloader that perfectly aligns the bullets with the internal mechanism would be essential. Preferably, it should be something you can simply slide from the scanner to double efficiency.”

“Gun: 5/10. I would never use it against my own Pokémon. I would happily use it against my enemies. The gun needs a physical safety switch. Otherwise, you risk Thunder Waving your own foot—or worse, shooting yourself in the head with a Quick Attack in the shape of a small projectile.”

“I haven’t read the manual yet, but if it’s not included, there should also be a power slider to adjust how much force is used when launching the bullets. I don’t want to accidentally shoot my Pokémon to death when I was only trying to train or empower them.

“Lastly, the gun also needs something to reduce recoil. Otherwise, its use should be restricted to strong adults.”

“Overall: 7/10. The whole package is great, and I will take the risks to use it only for Thunder Waves against enemies and nothing else. Personally, I prefer a cold, hard metal exterior with a bit of extra weight. It also needs a quick-draw holster, either at the hip or chest, with a magazine attached so you can slap it into the chamber for a quick reload during a fight. Also, I’d prefer if absolutely no electronics were involved and everything could be personally disassembled into parts I can scrutinize. Otherwise, I would never trust this gun enough to shoot my Pokémon with it.”

“Ethics: 5/10. Guns, in general, are significantly more dangerous than Pokémon. For example—Raticate, use Quick Attack to lop my head off.”

Raticate simply stared at him like he was an idiot.

“See how he’s staring at me like I was an idiot? Guns need this kind of restraint before they can be made publicly available, especially to children.”

“Guns are heartless. If you point one at your head and pull the trigger, that’s it—you’re done. I suggest making gun safety classes a requirement before purchase, as well as gun awareness training, maybe even a video showing the consequences of mishandling it. I don’t know how you’d pull that off, but it needs to be real.”

“This will be significantly more dangerous in the hands of children—or even adults under the age of twenty, whose emotions are unstable. Imagine a bullied child, like I was, getting their hands on a gun. Goodbye, other children who didn’t care about my feelings. Goodbye, director of the orphanage. Goodbye, boss. Goodbye, love of my life. Goodbye, teacher, father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter.”

“Now imagine a child mimicking their parents after getting ahold of this. ‘Look, Mommy—pew, pew. Mommy? Why aren’t you moving?’ Depressing, right?”

“Now imagine a criminal getting a hold of this. Surprisingly, that’s actually fine because people have Pokémon trained to detect malice and use Protect the moment a projectile is fired. Trainers, police, rangers, Jennys, and Joys all train their Pokémon for that kind of protection. If criminals target the children, they would be dead from the Pokémon anyway, so it doesn’t change anything if professionals have them—good or evil.”

“But children getting their hands on one? They likely don’t have Pokémon that instinctively use Protect. That level of training is reserved for powerful trainers.”

“Lastly, this thing is electronic, isn’t it? What stops the developers from messing with it remotely? Or a Ghost- or Electric-type Pokémon interfering with it? Or a hacker? Or disgruntled employees? Personally, I wouldn’t trust any corporation with my life, so trusting this gun is equally impossible.”

Jenny frowned. “Why are your scores so high? 5, 7, 8, 10? Those seem pretty generous considering your points.”

“The gun is actually solid—most of my complaints were about minor features or personal preferences. As for ethics? People get into accidents all the time, even with Pokémon. That’s just life. So no matter how controlled the release is, once these guns hit the public, people will accidentally kill themselves with them.”

Chapter 25: Chapter 25. My Sweet Summer Child

Jenny thought over Alex’s opinions on the matter and found no logical counterarguments. She might not have taken these "toys" seriously when she first requested them, but after Alex’s convincing arguments, she had a change of heart.

Just because these guns were weaker than Pokémon didn’t mean they weren’t just as dangerous. And if Alex’s predictions were as serious as he claimed, too many people would die because of them.

And the Jennys would be partially responsible.

“Why didn’t you mention these concerns when you first suggested wanting guns?” Jenny asked.

“I had expectations, and they weren’t met. I assumed they would be a weaker version of this—one whose projectiles wouldn’t harm humans. Maybe a sting that would leave a mark or draw blood, but never projectiles as powerful as these.”

“These couldn’t even be used on Pokémon for a variety of reasons. In fact, I wouldn’t use them for anything other than Thunder Wave, Sing, or Hypnosis, since the possibility of the bullets exploding on accident is very real. If it were just non-damaging status moves, I might survive, but if it were anything like Quick Attack, my hands would be shredded, and my body would be riddled with holes.”

“Besides, you’re forgetting the reason we wanted these guns in the first place.”

‘Right, the Beat Up strategy on Justified Arcanine. These guns fail at fulfilling their intended purpose,’ Jenny thought.

“Their uses extend far beyond a single-shot Beat Up strategy, you know. Imagine shooting our Pokémon with Protect, Helping Hand, Swords Dance, or Iron Defense. What if you shot a human with Iron Defense? What if you shot a Heal Pulse? What if you fired a Sheer Cold from Articuno at a rampaging volcano? Only science and imagination are the limits.”

“Then how would you handle our current situation? These guns are slated for release all over the world,” Jenny asked.

“I’m not part of your circle, so I have no idea what can or cannot be done. However, I would suggest changing the producers of these weapons,” Alex said, looking down at the gun in his hands.

“Someone made these with malicious intentions. They were designed to cause death, not incapacitation—and certainly not to help anyone.”

“If what you said is true, criminals already have these in their hands and are planning something big. Possibly something tied to the Human Supremacist movement I ran into. This seems right up their alley.”

“If the Jennys are serious about fixing this while getting back at those who started it, just steal their tech, produce your own version, and use the League to criminalize the ownership of guns with parameters that are too powerful.”

“The second you release peaceful versions of these guns, all of their collaborators—from children to politicians—will start crawling out of the woodwork to pin the blame on you. At that point, you can simply catch them or mark them until they do something stupid. And they will—given how asinine their propaganda is.”

“Going a step further, you could bait their criminal collaborators by launching some ‘Pokémon are friends, not slaves’ campaign or festival. The more flamboyant and wide spread, the better. Then, you spring the trap and round up a whole bunch of them in one fell swoop, ensuring they slow down their operations long enough for the League to clean house and catch up—because believe me, they have plenty of corrupt politicians working with them.”

“Just make sure not to be there when it happens, because they will have something equivalent to a bomb big enough to destroy the city ready.”

“How can you possibly know any of that is true?” Jenny asked, exasperated.

“Oh, Jenny. My sweet summer child. You may have been catching criminals, but I’ve been swimming with them. I think like them, and nothing says ‘do as I say or else’ than destroying the city holding the very thing they hate.”

Jenny was once again reminded of Alex’s maturity. Right now, he was genuinely concerned for her—almost as if she were his daughter. It was both sweet and annoying at the same time.

To make matters worse, his words were being captured in her live-streamed recording, which was immediately saved in the Jenny chat group. And it was killing her. He just had to say her name as endearingly sweet as possible—right into the chat group.

Having endured enough humiliation from his sugary words, Jenny decided to call it a night and cut the feed. The moment she did, she noticed Alex had stopped talking as well and was already loading bullets with Thunder Waves.

Jenny wasn’t as naïve as Alex made her out to be, so she immediately knew what he had done.

“I can't believe you would humiliate me like that!” she shouted in horror, her suspicion confirmed by the amused glint in his eyes.

He had done it on purpose. He knew he was being recorded and had elaborated extensively on his opinion, as if he were speaking before the Council itself. He had even thrown in those parting words at the end just to cut off the feed.

It was downright evil.

In response, Alex set down his new toys, walked up to her, took both of her hands, kissed them, and then looked up at her.

“Haaah, my sweet, sweet child. I told you, didn’t I? You catch criminals. I swim with them. I understand them better than you do. You only see the results—never the process. You need to fix this if you want to catch smarter criminals in the future,” Alex said, staring into her wide eyes.

Since she had short-circuited, Alex continued setting up his pair of guns. Once he had both loaded with 40 Thunder Waves each, he cleaned up and placed the scanner, spare magazines, and extra bullets in his room.

Since there was no safety mechanism on them, he reused the trigger-locking pin that came with the guns and secured them. There was no emergency in which the guns would be more effective than Raticate’s Protect, so he simply stored them in his bag—locked and loaded.

-----

In modest houses and apartments across the world, Jennys from every region, city, town, and village logged into their group chat to catch up on news after a long, tiring day at work. The latest update was about their collective endorsement of firearms—new tools that would allow them to empower their Pokémon before battle. This enhancement would significantly improve their combat effectiveness, giving them an edge in dangerous situations.

Since the endorsement had been made globally, they needed to assess the results. What they found was a mixture of praise and criticism. Some complained that the weapons were too powerful, disrupting the balance of engagements. Others asserted that they worked exactly as intended. A few had experienced misfires, causing unintended accidents.

Reports of all manner of chaos filled the chat, but none were as thorough or insightful as the audio log left by the Kanto Region’s Saffron City Jenny—the one who had, interestingly, adopted a thirteen-year-old boy. The very same boy responsible for introducing them to this innovative application of a once-rejected proposal.

The one responsible for the current upheaval among their ranks.

As they tuned in and listened intently, they were struck by his mature tone, despite his undeniably youthful voice. He was surprisingly composed for his age. Then came his comments—his opinions, his preferences, his insights. Some of them chuckled at his childish enthusiasm, but when he spoke about ethics, the mood in the chat shifted.

His words were dark, laced with an unsettling realism. His perspective was drenched in negativity, yet they could not refute his conclusions. As police officers, the Jennys understood people better than anyone. They may not have walked the paths of criminals, but they knew the common man—those they had sworn to protect. And they knew that, more often than not, people would cause harm to themselves long before they ever posed a threat to others.

Had they made a mistake in endorsing this product? Doubt crept in.

Until Alex explained further.

Their assumptions had been flawed. They had miscalculated. And worse, they had overlooked a dangerous element lurking in the shadows. An enemy—someone who wished to do harm, someone with no intent for good. The Jennys felt a wave of anger rise within them, followed by an unshakable resolve.

They knew what needed to be done.

At the peak of their conviction, a sweet, affectionate voice whispered their name. It was spoken with such tenderness, such warmth, that an unexpected blush crept across their faces.

‘What a sweet boy. Such passion, such care.’

"What a lucky Jenny," they all gushed.

The younger ones saved a snippet of the recording to cherish later. The more seasoned officers laughed heartily at the boy’s audacity. The eldest among them, however, took heed.

Yes, he was sweet. But he was also young. Too young. Too inexperienced.

He had called out the scum that had risen to the surface of the turmoil, but he had not accounted for the dregs lurking at the bottom. His vision, though sharp, lacked depth. His reach was limited by his own understanding.

But they knew better.

And so, they would take his vision and refine it. They would deepen his insight, broaden his strategies, and elevate his schemes.

They would do as he suggested—
And then they would do more. So much more.

Chapter 26: Chapter 26. Expert Rank

Six months passed as Alex returned to his routine none the wiser with the results of his sound log. Not that he didn’t care but that he was not allowed to know. He was only thirteen afterall.

In any case, progress was inevitable.

Name: Raticate, Expert

Type: Normal, Male

Ability: Run Away

Moves:

Advanced: Quick Attack

Raticate finally reached Expert ranked today, so we decided to check out what Expert-level battles looked like.

His move pool, on the other hand, was disappointing. When Alex asked Clarissa about it, she explained that her Charizard and his Raticate were outliers for having achieved Advanced proficiency moves this early in their development. Typically, Pokémon would need to be at the top of Expert before even beginning to experiment with them.

When Alex showed her Raticate’s move pool progress, she was shocked to see that he had already reached Basic proficiency for all his learnable moves. However, she pointed out that this was a waste of time, as taking a move to Advanced would take at least a year even for top-level Experts.

Raticate would never be able to reach Advanced proficiency in all of his moves within his lifetime—Alex would inevitably have to focus on a select few to bring to Master rank instead.

But Alex thought differently. Raticate didn’t have a choice. He had to reach Advanced proficiency in all of them to stay relevant in top-level battles.

His Growlithe on the other hand would likely follow the mainstream.

Name: Growlithe, Adept

Type: Fire, Male

Ability: Justified

Moves:

Novice: Covet(Egg Move), Ember, Leer, Howl, Bite, Thief, Attract, Endure, Retaliate, Wild Charge, Tera Blast, Heat Wave, Fire Blast, Overheat

Basic: Morning Sun(Egg Move), Double-Edge(Egg Move), Sunny Day, Dig, Facade, Protect, Sleep Talk, Rest, Substitute, Roar, Flame Wheel, Helping Hand, Agility, Fire Fang, Crunch, Snarl, Outrage, Thunder Fang, Charm, Close Combat, Fire Spin, Flame Charge, Will-o-Wisp, Temper Flare, Curse, Scary Face, Swift, Body Slam, Psychic Fangs

Growlithe grew about as fast as Rattata because he was being fed Pokéblocks with growth acceleration. They truly worked as advertised, considering that Rattata was an incredibly fast Pokémon to train with minimal effort.

Of course, there was also his immense diet, the ability to carry 220 lbs (100 kg) while sprinting for exactly 30 minutes daily, constant spars and battles with Raticate, and the Pokéblocks as the cherry on top.

The real wonder was that he only managed to match Rattata’s growth speed despite all the effort he put into it.

And, of course, there was the third wave of TM disk purchases that set Alex back 137,000 Pokédollars. Alex had officially spent half of his savings, and at this rate, he might not have enough to last until graduation.

He hadn’t originally planned to take this expensive route with Growlithe, intending to train him for just a specific set of moves. But after six months of Raticate’s lack of progress, he started to worry that Growlithe wouldn’t have any decent moves at all. In the end, he gave up and put them both through the same TM training routine.

It helped immensely that Raticate was there to tutor Growlithe on their shared moves—offering small tips and tricks, nothing too fancy.

When it came to battles, Growlithe still hadn’t had his official school match yet. Raticate’s strong win rate had been enough to secure the credits needed to purchase their Pokéblocks, so there was never a reason to risk it. As a beneficiary of those credits, Growlithe had been more than happy to defer the responsibility to Raticate.

But now that Raticate had reached Expert Rank, perhaps it was time for Growlithe to become the new breadwinner of the family.

Raticate as a Pokemon was only strong at the earlier levels similar to bug Pokemon like Beedrill. A Beedrill in the Novice ranks were menaces to early level trainers because they have already reached their final evolution whereas Pokemon with more potential were still struggling to reach their first evolution.

Now that Raticate cannot participate in Adept ranked battles, he was firmly reminded of his place in the food chain.

“Alright, Raticate. This is our first Expert ranked match. It's okay to lose. Just give it your all,” Alex said as he encouraged Raticate.

Even Alex knew they were in for a rough time considering Expert ranked Pokemon were the most common around in school. The level range alone was quite threatening at level 40 to 59. At this point, 99% of Pokemon are already at their final evolution.

The real Pokemon Academy thrived in their Expert ranked battles where most of the college students were ranked in.

“Rati,” Raticate said as he shrugged.

He still firmly believed that he could guarantee hits while being able to escape.

Their notification arrived and as they made their way to the battlegrounds, they spotted their first opponent in Expert rank. It was a Machamp right next to a tall burly man wearing a karate gi with a black belt.

“Trainers, ready. Battle begins in 3, 2, 1. Battle!”

“Bullet Punch.”

“Quick Attack. Make sure you don’t get hit.”

Commands came in simultaneously as Raticate acted first and managed to graze Machamp while Machamp ran at him with similar speeds and a dark gray glowing lower left fist but missed. Raticate was now behind Machamp as Machamp slowly turned around to face Raticate.

Alex had the chance to set up properly with Swords Dance but was afraid of invalidating F.E.A.R. and losing to a Close Combat. He also wasn’t sure one Swords Dance and one Giga Impact were enough to take this Machamp down. Even if it was, a Protect would throw that plan out of the window.

The fight devolved into a cat and mouse chase in which Machamp was cornering Raticate with a glowing fist while Raticate was bouncing off of Machamp’s openings ensuring it never got hit.

If the fight continued any longer, Machamp would lose to chip damage that it was taking from Raticate. Unfortunately, that would take a while as Raticate was only grazing Machamp and not dealing full damage. Otherwise, Machamp would have simply lost after five solid hits from Quick Attack.

“Machamp, focus just like we trained.”

“Try to get far enough away for a Swords Dance, Raticate.”

The two trainers encouraged as the fight continued.

Unfortunately for Alex, Raticate never got the chance to use Swords Dance without getting caught. Their arena was smaller and Machamp never left too far from the center hence no matter where Raticate escaped too, it could never finish a Swords Dance that needed Raticate to be immobile without getting caught by Machamp who was on guard.

The chase finally ended when Raticate, believing he saw an opening, used a Quick Attack to target Machamp’s right foot.

Machamp, having read the timing, pulled its left foot back and twisted its upper body in a low sweep behind it while swinging its glowing lower left fist to nail Raticate as he passed by back handing Raticate with a Bullet Punch which nailed Raticate in the face. This damage effectively neutralized Focus Sash.

“Quick Attack, get out of there,” Alex commanded.

“Finish it with Close Combat,” their opponent yelled.

With Machamp’s upper left arm, it grounded the stunned Raticate by the back of the neck to finish its release of Close Combat. Blow after blow came from Machamp’s other three arms as Raticate was held to the ground.

Raticate tried to Quick Attack away but was held firmly in place. Even when it released the Quick Attack, Machamp shrugged it off as damage to its arm while still holding Raticate firmly to the ground. Even if Raticate tried to use Dig, it wouldn’t be able to escape into the hole it dug as it was firmly grasped.

In the end, Raticate fainted from a single release of Close Combat.

“Winner, Joe Holloway!” the automated referee announced as Raticate fainted from the beating.

Alex sighed and retrieved Raticate. Just as he was walking away to have Raticate revived at the medical facility, he heard his opponent, Joe, calling out to him.

“Hey, that was a great match. Your Raticate was feisty,” Joe said with a big smile.

The guy was quite big and intimidating, even more with a menacing smile on his face. But, Alex was a former fighter and knew guys like him who were big and scary looking but meant well. So he knew this guy was speaking from the heart and not trying to be intimidating.

“Thanks. I never thought Raticate could meet his match and get pinned down like that. That was the first time he went for an attack that he was not able to escape retaliation from.”

“Hahaha. Machamp is a big guy and quite slow so we trained specifically to counter hit-and-run tactics like that. You should check out the Fighting Dojo. You’d probably get some pointers to spot those fake openings better.”

“Isn’t that just a gym where you can get badges?”

“Well, yes. But they offer training as well. They teach Pokemon to fight better and not simply rely on Pokemon Moves. I called out to you because I happen to be a gym trainer there and we would love to have your Raticate be our practice partner. Not just anyone can pull off a hit-and-run tactic like that on my Machamp who was specifically trained to counter it.”

“Um… Aren’t you a student here? How could you do both?” Alex asked perplexed.

“My tuition here is being paid for by the gym. They sent me to be a better trainer overall and to broaden my horizons but I still work there when I don’t have class. Why don’t you swing by and let them know Big Joe sent you as a hit-and-run specialist. They’ll know what to do.”

“I can swing by on the weekends, I guess,” Alex said half-heartedly.

“You do that. Oh, I almost forgot to mention. You’d get paid for it.”

“I’ll swing by today after Raticate gets revived,” Alex said as he immediately changed his tune.

“Hahaha. That's more like it. Alright. I’ll see you around,” Big Joe said as he walked off for another match.

Chapter 27: Chapter 27. Fighting Dojo

True to his word, Alex made a trip to the Fighting Dojo after reviving Raticate. He needed time for a pep talk anyway, and the 20-minute bus ride northwest was just enough.

On the bus, Alex held Raticate on his lap while Growlithe sat by his leg. Nothing said "don’t bother me" quite like a menacing Raticate perched on a child’s legs.

“You lost because you got blindsided by a new way to counter you. It wasn’t because you were weak or because you’ve reached your limit. It’s simply because you got stronger—and now, your world has gotten bigger.”

“You need to think bigger as well, or you’ll never gain strength again. Broaden your horizons and make as many mistakes as possible. Only by learning from them will you be able to reclaim your crown,” Alex said as he gently stroked Raticate’s back.

“Rati! (I will.)” Raticate responded, his fighting spirit rekindled.

“Well said, young man,” came a voice from across the bus.

An older man sat opposite Alex, nodding in approval.

“Don’t be afraid of losing, because every loss is a lesson. Be afraid of winning, because there’s nothing left to learn. To learn is to grow, and to grow is to become stronger. So lose as much as you can while you’re still young! Hahaha—cough, cough—” he trailed off, suddenly caught in a coughing fit.

Alex raised an eyebrow. “You okay there, old man? Wouldn’t want you dying on a bus. That’d be depressing.”

“Hah! I’ve still got a few more decades in me. Just swallowed some spit the wrong way,” the old man replied with a chuckle.

Alex smirked. “As long as you don’t die, we’ll call it even. Thanks for the pep talk—we appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing. So where are you headed to?”

“Fighting Dojo.”

“Getting an early gym badge?”

Gym badges served as certifications that a gym recognized a trainer’s skill based on its own criteria. Contrary to popular belief, earning a badge didn’t always require winning a gym battle—sometimes, all that mattered was securing the gym’s approval.

In return, the gym staked its reputation on the trainer, with the League’s blessing. If a trainer later betrayed their expectations through misconduct, the gym had the right to revoke the badge.

Unlike in the games, gym badges here also acted as proof of credibility, granting trainers access to tougher missions from the League, which they could check out at any Pokémon Center.

Over time, these badges became a trainer’s résumé, showcasing their accomplishments once their journey came to an end—whenever or wherever that might be.

It was a cool system that didn’t enforce responsibility beyond ensuring Pokémon didn’t run amok in a trainer’s immediate area.

Trainers weren’t even obligated to fight criminals unless they joined an organization specifically tasked with handling them—such as the police, rangers, gyms, or Interpol. Their only true responsibility? Battling Pokémon.

"No, a gym trainer named Big Joe recommended me as a hit-and-run specialist to train with the other gym trainers. He mentioned money, and, well... Growlithe here eats five times as much as Raticate."

"Five times?! That’s like feeding an entire team when you only have two Pokémon!" the old man exclaimed, making Growlithe bashfully hide his face against Alex’s leg.

Alex patted him reassuringly before defending his partner. "He’s got five times the stamina too, so it evens out. But money’s been tight lately. I’ve only got two Pokémon, yet I’ve already burned through half my budget—and I still have two and a half years before I graduate."

The old man chuckled. "Well, I hope your Pokémon are ready for a rough time. Those kids don’t slack off."

"We were told we’d fit right in, so we’ll see," Alex replied.

The conversation continued until the bus finally arrived at the Fighting Dojo.

The Fighting Dojo was far larger than its in-game counterpart, which could barely fit a dozen people. In reality, it was a massive five-story building, with a ground floor spacious enough to hold a thousand people.

Inside, over a hundred trainers were engaged in sparring—either with each other or alongside their Pokémon. It was an interesting sight, seeing so many people practicing the same kind of morning training Alex did. The sheer number of Pokémon here was even more impressive, easily outnumbering the trainers three to one.

Approaching the front desk, Alex addressed the receptionist—a pretty woman with a long ponytail, dressed in a gi.

"Hello, I was sent by Big Joe as a hit-and-run specialist," he introduced himself.

"Big Joe already called ahead for you, so we've been informed. Leave me your account number so we can process your payment per fight. Head up to the second floor to start your session."

"Thanks."

Alex made his way upstairs, carefully observing the sparring matches taking place around him. The dominant fighting styles were karate, judo, boxing, and kickboxing—all disciplines he was already familiar with. While there were subtle differences in technique, it was understandable that efficient striking and grappling would always revert to fundamental principles.

Reaching the second floor, Alex was greeted by a more structured battle arena layout. There were twenty medium-sized arenas, noticeably smaller than those at the academy. It made sense—no one would bring an Onix here to practice boxing.

As he scanned the room, another receptionist—who turned out to be the fight coordinator—waved him over. His job seemed to be manually pairing trainers for battles, a more hands-on approach than Alex was used to.

"You… Alex?" the man asked, checking his phone for confirmation.

"Yes. Hit-and-run specialist."

"Great! We've been needing a replacement ever since our usual guy left for another journey. For now, you'll be stationed in that corner over there," he said, pointing to the right corner of the room, closest to the stairs Alex had just come up from.

"Just fight when another trainer steps into your battleground—no need for formality. They'll be ready for it. If your Pokémon get hurt, you can use that healing station over there," he added, gesturing toward a wall-mounted kiosk conveniently located next to Alex’s assigned area.

Alex nodded. This setup was efficient.

Alex made his way over, and no sooner had he stepped into the battleground and released Raticate and Growlithe than he found himself immediately swarmed by eager challengers.

Unbeknownst to him, hit-and-run specialists were typically Ghost- or Flying-type Pokémon—the kind that a Fighting-type gym would never hire. But Raticate? It was perfect.

Fast, grounded, and relentless, it didn’t vanish into thin air or fly out of reach. It stayed in the fight, offering a true challenge.

Faced with an overwhelming number of eager opponents, Alex had an idea.

"Since there are so many of you, how about this?" he proposed. "Experts can fight my Raticate, while Adepts take on my Growlithe. This would be Growlithe’s first real battle, but trust me—he has the stamina to keep all of you entertained. As for Raticate, he doesn't need instructions for his hit-and-run strategy."

His offer was met with immediate excitement.

"I'll fight the Growlithe! Go, Hitmonlee!"

"Dibs on Raticate! Go, Hitmonchan!"

Alex nodded and gave quick commands.

"Raticate, take care of yourself. Focus on your Quick Attack game, stay mindful of Protect, use Swords Dance when you see an opening, and Thunder Wave when they’re faster. You'll be fine."

"Rati! (Leave it to me!)"

He turned to his Growlithe, who was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Come on, Growlithe—let's see what you're made of."

"Grau! (Fight!)"

The battlegrounds were split into two sides. To Alex’s left was Raticate, who had already started harassing Hitmonlee, while on the right was his Growlithe, ready for his first fight.

“Hitmonchan, Bulldoze!”

“Agility, get away!”

Hitmonchan raised his shoulder guard and dashed toward Growlithe, dragging his feet across the ground and kicking up a dust cloud as he bulldozed a path forward. Though slower, Growlithe was just far enough away to complete Agility before Hitmonchan arrived. Now significantly faster, Growlithe dashed off, encircling Hitmonchan at dizzying speeds.

“Hitmonchan, Swift!”

Alex was perplexed—why not use Aura Sphere? But he took the opportunity to set up.

“Sunny Day!”

Growlithe sat up and basked in the ball of fire forming in the sky as the move activated. Meanwhile, Hitmonchan threw a flurry of punches, sending out golden stars that homed in on Growlithe, striking him square in the chest.

“Tch! Mach Punch! Get in close, then use Close Combat!”

“Will-O-Wisp.”

At blinding speed, Hitmonchan dashed in, landing a solid, orange-glowing right hook on Growlithe’s face. Growlithe took the hit like a champ, then countered with a glowing red wisp, setting Hitmonchan ablaze. Hitmonchan’s body flashed orange again as he prepared to unleash Close Combat.

“Protect.”

A translucent barrier formed just as Hitmonchan unleashed a barrage of punches against it. His fists pounded the shield relentlessly until his aura faded and he suddenly looked exhausted.

“Tch. Facade.”

His trainer decided to take advantage of the burn.

“Psychic Fangs.”

Growlithe’s jaws glowed dark pink as he sank his fangs into Hitmonchan’s side. In retaliation, Hitmonchan landed a crushing, gray-hued haymaker that nearly doubled Growlithe over.

“Drain Punch!”

“Protect.”

Another shimmering shield blocked the orange-glowing right straight punch, which harmlessly tapped against the barrier.

“Close Combat! Finish it!”

“Psychic Fangs again.”

Alex quickly calculated—based on the burn damage, even if this Hitmonchan were level 36 or 37, Growlithe would still win if he landed this final attack.

Growlithe’s fangs glowed dark pink once more as he bit into Hitmonchan’s other side. Hitmonchan, a beat too late to unleash Close Combat, staggered before collapsing, officially losing the match.

“Return, Hitmonchan.” The opposing trainer sighed, recalling his Pokémon. “That was a close fight, but I thought you were a hit-and-run specialist?”

Alex smirked. “Growlithe doesn’t have a priority move like you do, so I had to improvise. Besides, it was his first fight.”

“Well, congratulations. I’ll go get my Hitmonchan healed.”

“Sure. Growlithe, Morning Sun.”

Growlithe sat and gazed up at the sky, absorbing the last remnants of Sunny Day as his wounds rapidly healed—just as the sunlight faded.

It was only then that Hitmonchan’s trainer realized the truth. That Sunny Day wasn’t just for boosting Fire-type moves. It had been a failsafe all along.

The fight wasn’t close at all.

Alex had an unused trump card the entire time.

Chapter 28: Chapter 28. Fighting Dojo 2

Alex checked the left side of the field and noticed Raticate was colder than usual. The loss he had suffered to Machamp was worth it—he had never seen Raticate so motivated to fight. His movements were calculated, wasting less energy, and his grazes were getting sharper as the fight went on. Hopefully, he would get another Advanced Proficiency move soon.

Speaking of fights, this was already his second match, as Hitmonlee was simply not as challenging as Machamp. Understandable, considering Machamp was just too tanky compared to Hitmonlee. Machamp had more time to get used to Raticate’s speed.

“Go! Mankey!”

‘Oh? An Adept-ranked Mankey. Interesting. Is the trainer trying to save up experience to hasten its growth? It’s similar to what I did with Rattata, except I did it to learn Endeavor early.’

“Screech.”

“Charm.”

Mankey released the move first, emitting a gray-colored screech that made Growlithe hide his ears. In response, Growlithe put on his puppy-dog eyes, which emitted a bright pink glow that softened Mankey’s demeanor.

“Encore.”

“Damn, fell for it.”

Mankey clapped its hands in a certain rhythm, emitting a gray glow. Growlithe, meanwhile, became confused as he suddenly didn’t feel like doing anything other than Charm. So, he simply followed his instinct and repeated the move, further lowering Mankey’s attack.

“Swift.”

“Charm.”

Mankey made three slapping motions, sending out stars that struck Growlithe in the chest. Meanwhile, Growlithe finished its third stack of Charm, completely lowering Mankey’s attack as far as it could go.

“Swift.”

“Growlithe, Spar.”

Growlithe immediately bolted toward Mankey, taking the second set of stars to the chest while Mankey’s trainer was confused about what kind of move could bypass Encore.

Unfazed, Mankey’s trainer decided to stick with his plan. By the time Growlithe could use another move, he would have already fainted from continuous Swift attacks.

As Mankey was about to continue slapping to release the third Swift, Growlithe arrived and full-body tackled the poor Mankey, sending it flying. Growlithe chased after it, circling to keep his opponent in the arena and off balance.

Meanwhile, the third Swift attack was never released. This greatly shocked Mankey’s trainer—he had never known that was possible. A non-move disrupting a move? Preposterous.

As Growlithe continued to play pinball with the satisfyingly round Mankey, its trainer finally snapped out of his daze.

“Mankey, Cross Chop!”

“Keep your distance.”

Luckily for Growlithe, he had just sent Mankey careening away as he heard the order, giving him time to stay out of range.

Mankey, meanwhile, was enraged at being treated like a toy. It charged up its Fighting-type energy, raised both hands in a chopping position, and rushed at Growlithe. However, Growlithe continued to maintain his distance. Since Mankey was just a bit faster than Growlithe, it was gaining ground—but not fast enough. They were wasting precious time.

Realizing they were being played, Mankey’s trainer switched tactics.

“Swift.”

“Spar.”

Mankey stopped to cast Swift, but Growlithe was too close, tackling it away before it could release the move. They were being completely outplayed.

Right then, Alex noticed the waning gray glow on Growlithe. As he was about to tackle Mankey again, he suddenly commanded, “Flame Charge.”

Mid-tackle, Growlithe suddenly burst into flames, finally landing a proper blow on Mankey.

Their opponent, meanwhile, saw an opportunity. Since it would take a while before Mankey was defeated by Flame Charge, he went for another Encore—unfortunately, he miscalculated.

“Encore.”

“Play Rough.”

Having just used Flame Charge, Growlithe’s speed stat had increased, making him faster than Mankey. With another tackle, he sent Mankey careening with bright pink energy. This time, Mankey had learned its lesson and continued casting its move mid-air. It clapped its hands and successfully activated Encore.

Growlithe was now locked into Play Rough, guaranteeing his victory against Mankey.

“Protect!”

“Play Rough—keep going! Finish it!”

A translucent shield protected Mankey once, but not twice.

“Close Combat!”

Unfortunately, it was never completed. Mankey was tackled for the final time, glowing with bright pink energy from Play Rough.

Mankey fainted, and Growlithe secured his second victory.

“Growlithe, Sunny Day. Morning Sun as soon as you can.”

“That was a disgusting fight,” the man almost yelled.

Alex was about to argue before the man continued, “But a win is a win. Congratulations.”

The man gave a wry smile. At least he had learned something new today.

“Thanks. Nice strategy too—leading me along like that.”

“Haha, thanks.”

Alex took advantage of the time Growlithe spent recovering to check on Raticate. He was locked in battle with a Machoke and was winning with ease. If Alex remembered correctly, this would be Raticate’s fourth match.

He decided to let him rest after his fifth. However, Growlithe’s third fight was shaping up to be far more interesting—it was against a Breloom. Breloom were infamous for dishing out colossal damage, and once they got close, you could kiss victory goodbye. However, Growlithe had a significant type advantage, so this would be an interesting matchup.

“Mach Punch!”

“Flame Charge!”

Breloom launched forward with Mach Punch, bursting ahead with incredible speed. In an instant, it closed the gap and delivered a solid right straight to Growlithe’s face, snapping his head back.

Growlithe retaliated immediately, igniting his body in flames as he charged forward. He rammed into Breloom’s chest at full power, scattering spores everywhere. Most of the spores burned up in Growlithe’s flames, but enough remained to coat the battlefield. The attack landed solidly, causing Breloom to stagger from the impact—but it ultimately survived.

Unfortunately, Growlithe wasn’t so lucky. The spores had a mere 10% chance of activating Sleep Powder's effect, but fate was cruel. Growlithe’s eyelids drooped, and he collapsed into a deep slumber.

“Alright, get up close and finish it in one blow. Focus Punch!”

Breloom immediately pulled back its right fist, charging fighting energy as it focused all its power into the next strike. This would be the finishing blow.

But it wasn’t meant to be.

“Sleep Talk!”

Alex knew covering his bases was crucial, and in this moment, he was right.

Growlithe’s body glowed grey, then red, before suddenly bursting into motion from his prone position. While still asleep, he launched himself into a headlong charge, flames covering his body. A blazing Flame Wheel materialized as he slammed into Breloom for a second time.

Breloom had no chance. Its 2× weakness to Fire sealed its fate. The force of the impact sent it flying, knocking it out cold.

It had been a close match, relying more on luck than skill—ironic, considering both Pokémon had succeeded in their dice rolls.

Alex recalled the still-sleeping Growlithe, then returned Raticate—who was already eyeing his next opponent—to his Poké Ball for some well-earned rest.

Once they were healed, Alex jumped right back into the fights. The early rounds were easy—Growlithe racked up a five-win streak, while Raticate secured an impressive eight.

That’s when the more serious gym members stepped in.

They had been impressed by Raticate’s meticulous hit-and-run strategy and wanted to see if they could break his rhythm with sheer skill rather than relying on guaranteed hit moves. Raticate held his ground for a while, securing more victories—until they finally disrupted his pace. Once his rhythm was broken, the losses started stacking up.

Even Alex struggled to help. Hit-and-run tactics relied on speed and precision, and he simply couldn’t call out commands fast enough—all the effort had to come from Raticate himself.

Growlithe, however, was a different story. He was beneath their notice. He didn’t even fight with a hit-and-run strategy. Instead, he fought with counter-tactics. His strategy revolved around tanking hits and retaliating with overwhelming force.

This was especially evident in Alex’s reliance on Sunny Day and Morning Sun, which frustrated many trainers trying to land quick knockouts with priority moves—Pokémon like Breloom and Hitmonchan struggled against his endurance.

By the time evening rolled around, Raticate had fought in 31 matches, while Growlithe had participated in 19.

They were utterly exhausted.

Both Pokémon opted to rest inside their Poké Balls, recovering energy in a deep sleep. This was far more intense than their academy battles—there were no long waiting times, and the demand for battles was relentless.

The gym trainers were eager—almost too eager.

On his way home, Alex checked his account balance and grinned.

5,000 Pokédollars.

That was roughly the same amount they’d earn from fifty fights in the Battle Arena—yet they had managed to make it in just one day.

Of course, it came at a cost—exhaustion.

If they were going to keep this up to earn more money, Alex would have to rethink their training schedule. There was no way they could maintain their morning training routine while also battling non-stop at the dojo.

After some thought, he made a decision. Morning training was canceled. Instead, they would sleep in and recover properly, then stay out later to maximize their dojo battles.

Granted, Jenny had to approve, of course. He wouldn’t want to stress her out by staying out too late.

Luckily, she agreed.

After all, he had his Pokémon.

And his guns.

He should be fine… right?

That’s the wrong question.

The real question is—will the rest of the city be fine?

Chapter 29: Chapter 29. Personal Power

It had been a month since Alex and the gang started their employment at the Fighting Dojo, and Alex had just completed the school year. His grades were above average due to his dedication to learning about Pokémon, coupled with his former adult education, which made Jenny feel like a proud mother.

More importantly, he now had two months of summer break with no classes, allowing him and the gang to focus on making more money at the Fighting Dojo. They had been averaging fifty fights a day with the few hours they had left after school. At 5,000 Pokédollars a day, they had just enough income to balance out their daily expenses on Growlithe.

With the extra time on their hands, they had started looking into ways to make the most of their days and rebuild their savings.

Ever since they began battling at the Dojo, Raticate’s growth had significantly slowed, even with the help of growth-accelerating Pokéblocks. His move pool was still stuck at Basic, with only one Advanced move, but there had been some progress.

Specifically, Raticate’s execution of Swords Dance had been getting faster. It was only a matter of time before he could take it to Advanced proficiency.

His expertise in hit-and-run tactics, on the other hand, had improved significantly. His window of opportunity had widened, and he had become more efficient in his movements.

This greatly impressed the gym trainers to the point that they wanted Alex to stay at the gym permanently as a trainer, even though he didn’t have a Fighting-type Pokémon.

Growlithe, on the other hand, had made significant improvements. It wouldn’t be long before he reached Expert rank as well. Unfortunately, his move pool practice had suffered due to the lack of their morning training.

Name: Growlithe, Adept

Type: Fire, Male

Ability: Justified

Moves:

Novice: Covet(Egg Move), Ember, Leer, Howl, Bite, Thief, Roar, Attract, Endure, Retaliate, Take Down

Basic: Morning Sun(Egg Move), Double-Edge(Egg Move), Sunny Day, Dig, Facade, Protect, Sleep Talk, Rest, Substitute, Roar, Flame Wheel, Helping Hand, Agility, Fire Fang, Crunch, Snarl, Outrage, Thunder Fang, Charm, Close Combat, Fire Spin, Flame Charge, Will-o-Wisp, Temper Flare, Curse, Scary Face, Swift, Body Slam, Psychic Fangs, Heat Wave, Fire Blast, Overheat, Wild Charge, Tera Blast,

He should have already had all of his learned moves at Basic, but their new schedule lacked move practice. Fortunately, the unlearned moves weren’t too important, as Alex had completed Growlithe’s fire move training.

Alex had also discovered a peculiarity about Growlithe. He had a Relaxed nature, which increased his defense but lowered his speed. Alex had always wondered why his Growlithe was slightly slower compared to others, and now he had the answer.

However, Alex didn’t know much about Pokémon natures. In fact, he didn’t even know what nature Raticate had, as this aspect of Pokémon hadn’t been discovered by researchers yet.

Raticate hadn’t shown any particular stat that stood out as an advantage or disadvantage, so he might have one of those neutral natures—not that Alex knew what the natures were.

If Alex had to guess, Raticate was either focused, calm, serious, cold, or quiet. Not that he even knew how many natures existed or what their effects were. He really was just a casual gamer, after all.

He had simply noticed that Growlithe was always relaxed, even in battle, and that he was tougher yet slower than most Growlithes.

In order to take advantage of Growlithe’s Relaxed nature and Morning Sun, Alex adjusted his EV training, shifting the focus from Attack and Speed to Defense and Special Defense.

His new diet consisted of Metapod and Kakuna for Defense, Tentacool and Seel for Special Defense, along with Pomeg, Kelpsy, Hondew, and Tamato Berries.

Thanks to Growlithe’s bottomless stomach, it didn’t even take a month to reduce his previously maxed EVs and fully allocate them to Defense and Special Defense.

With his fighting style now solidified, Growlithe focused on tanking hits and countering opponents. He simply held his ground, waiting for an opening to exploit. While this strategy was ineffective against stronger opponents, it practically guaranteed victory against weaker ones.

Growlithe had even gained his own fans at the Fighting Dojo—he was the perfect punching bag for trainees looking to practice their hit-and-run tactics.

Plus, when he evolves into Arcanine, he can transition from a tank to a bruiser—a behemoth on the battlefield capable of trading blows with the best of them. That is, assuming he ever decides to evolve at all.

Regarding Alex’s training, he had improved significantly since his days as a starving, frail orphan. Not that it had lasted longer than a month, but the experience had motivated him to personally build up his body.

As a thirteen-year-old, Alex couldn’t focus on heavy lifting, so he prioritized building stamina and speed instead. With the help of Pokémon meat, he had started exhibiting superhuman traits even at his age.

He was rarely winded, even after jogging for over an hour, and his sprinting speed had already surpassed the world record on Earth. At 30 mph (48.28 km/h) full sprint, he was as fast as a novice-ranked Pokémon—and he was confident he could defeat one in a fight.

This realization gave him insight into why humans in the Pokémon world had once been able to capture and train Pokémon by hand in ancient times. With the right diet and exercise, humans here were naturally more powerful than their Earth counterparts.

This was also the reason Alex stopped taking the bus. Now, he and his Pokémon ran everywhere—whether it was the Academy over 10 miles away or the dojo 16 miles from home.

The best part? He didn’t even break a sweat.

No wonder Pokémon trainers were so comfortable running across entire regions on their journeys. With this level of strength and endurance, mountain trekking and cross-country travel would feel effortless.

‘How much more powerful are adults in this world? And how much stronger are Champion-ranked trainers with their bonded Champion-ranked Pokémon?’ Alex thought in excitement as he arrived at the dojo early in the morning.

Alex entered the dojo and was greeted by the pretty receptionist with a long ponytail.

“Hey, Alex! You’re way too early today. Did you change up your schedule?” she asked with a smile.

“No, it’s summer break, so for the next two months, we’ll be hanging around.”

“That’s great! We’ve had some complaints about your short schedule, and the gym trainers have been begging to employ you permanently. They love the challenge your Raticate gives them. They said your Raticate’s hit-and-run tactics are the best they’ve seen—even better than our regulars. They just wish he was at the Elite level so their main Pokemon could get in on the training, too.”

“I’m still in school, so it can’t be helped. But I’m here now.”

“Alright, I’ve let them know upstairs that you’re coming.”

“Thanks. Oh, by the way, am I free to spar with anyone on the first floor? I’ve been missing out on our sparring matches for over a month, and I’m getting rusty.”

“You spar with Pokémon? That’s great! As a regular working with us, you’re free to hang around for spars on the first floor, practice strategies on the second floor, and even challenge gym trainers on the third.”

“What’s on the fourth and fifth floors?”

“The fourth floor is where we train wild Pokémon. The fifth floor is the dormitories, so both are inaccessible to the general public.”

“How do you train wild Pokémon?”

“We get them in bulk from the League—usually Fighting-types. We start by roughing them up a bit, then feeding them until they begin to learn the rules. After that, we do some targeted training to make sure they don’t go wild on children or the public. Finally, we send them back to the League—or keep the ones with greater potential. It’s one of the perks of working here. That’s actually how I got my Hitmonlee.”

“Do I have access to that?”

“Sure, you do. You just have to pay for it. It’s about 50,000 Pokédollars for you to take your pick after training.”

Fighting-types are usually quite affordable, ranging from 50,000 to 200,000 Pokédollars depending on the species. In comparison, Normal-types cost between 10,000 to 100,000. For instance, Alex’s Rattata would have been priced at 10,000 after undergoing the League’s training.

“Isn’t that too cheap?”

“Of Course it is. That's the benefit of working here.”

“Won’t the League lose out?”

“They don’t care so long as they have enough to give to new trainers. Potential in Pokemon isn’t too big of a deal at the end of the day because of training and Pokeblocks.”

Alex saw things differently. He knew about the existence of Individual Values (IVs), which remained fixed throughout a Pokémon’s entire life, even at the Master rank.

Based on his research, he was certain that Raticate’s IVs were only average, while Growlithe’s were excellent—clear evidence of Jenny’s Arcanine lineage being top-tier. However, for his future Pokémon, only the best IVs would suffice. His options were limited: buying from a breeder, catching one in the wild, or—perhaps—taking advantage of this new opportunity.

Unfortunately, even when a Pokémon was declared to have high potential, that didn’t necessarily mean it had superior IVs. Often, a Pokémon declared to have high potential was simply stronger than its peers due to unaccounted-for prior training. There was no scientific method to measure IVs in this world. The only way to gauge a Pokémon’s true potential was through keen observation—comparing it to the average and judging how it stacked up.

Chapter 30: Chapter 30. Sparring

After Alex and the receptionist’s little chat, he made his way to the second floor, where he was directed to his usual spot and began his battles.

Raticate didn’t need Alex’s input for fighting with his hit-and-run strategy. He only needed to use Quick Attack to hit without getting hit back, Protect to buy time to escape when he fumbled, or Swords Dance when he could buy enough time to execute it safely.

His opponents also limited themselves to countering when being hit or chasing when they made a mistake with their positioning. They needed to be mindful of punishing Raticate if he used Swords Dance within their range. This required careful placement and spatial awareness to ensure Raticate couldn’t afford to use Swords Dance. If Raticate managed to pull it off, they usually conceded—he was already hard enough to hit, but once empowered, he could finish the match quickly.

Growlithe, on the other hand, was still new to battles, and his strategy was too complex to be left to his own instincts. His usual rotation was to set up Sunny Day, debilitate opponents with Will-o-Wisp, Scary Face, Charm, or Snarl, heal with Morning Sun, outspeed with Flame Charge or Agility once the setup was complete, and finally chase down and finish the opponent.

The steps were also interchangeable depending on the opponent’s first move. If they were strong enough to two-hit KO Growlithe, then he started with debilitation until it became a three-hit KO, then healed. If they opened with status moves, he would use Sunny Day and Will-o-Wisp. If they were too weak, he would simply finish them with Overheat, Outrage, Close Combat, or Double-Edge.

Recognizing which strategy to use was something only a trainer could determine.

Their first opponent for the day was Hitmonlee.

“High Jump Kick!”

Hitmonlee started the fight with a massive leap, bridging the gap in an instant. He would have landed the first hit if not for the need to cover the distance.

“Charm, then roll with the hit! Charm again!”

Growlithe’s Charm released with a pink glow just before he was kicked and sent flying. He had managed to jump back slightly before impact, further reducing the damage and creating the same amount of distance between them.

“High Jump Kick again!”

While still airborne, Growlithe started another Charm, releasing it just in time before the next High Jump Kick sent him flying out of the battleground. However, the fight continued.

“High Jump Kick one last time!”

“Morning Sun!”

Growlithe relaxed mid-air, healing himself before landing—only to be kicked again.

“Damn it! Again!”

“Will-o-Wisp!”

Growlithe gathered fire in his mouth mid-air and managed to breathe it onto Hitmonlee just as he was sent flying once more.

"It survived? Again!" their opponent shouted, chasing after the two Pokémon.

"Morning Sun, twice!" Alex called out as he ran after them as well.

Growlithe relaxed again, healing himself before being kicked yet again.

“Damn it! I concede. This is impossible,” the opponent muttered, watching as Hitmonlee returned.

Growlithe, now back to full health after using Morning Sun twice more, trotted back to the battlegrounds as if nothing had happened.

Hitmonlee, on the other hand, walked back slumped over, clearly demoralized. He had landed four full-powered hits—and it hadn’t even mattered.

Alex, meanwhile, thought of the perfect item for Growlithe. Leftovers. It would ensure he regained health every time he used Charm or Snarl, making his sustain even better.

The rest of the fights went back to normal until lunchtime, when both Pokémon were exhausted and needed an hour to rest before continuing their battles. In the meantime, they enjoyed some snacks to keep up their energy.

This was the first time they would be battling for an entire day—contrary to their usual schedule, where they spent half the day in class.

While his Pokémon rested in their Poké Balls after their meals, Alex went down to the first floor to get some sparring practice in.

As he arrived, a burly man in a gi approached him.

“You’re Alex, right? The new hit-and-run specialist who's interested in sparring?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“First of all, you need to wear these. It's to make sure you don’t damage your clothes,” the man said, handing Alex a gi for the matches.

“Go get changed over there,” he continued, pointing to a nearby changing room.

“Then, just pick a battleground to stand on so others can challenge you, or you can roam around and pick your own opponents. If you get injured, there are potions for sale at the healing station over there,” he added, gesturing toward a small station stocked with healing supplies.

“Basic rules for sparring—no biting, no strikes to the groin, spine, or back of the head. No eye-gouging, small joint manipulation, or targeting the throat. Keep it controlled, don’t go breaking bones, and if someone taps out, you let go immediately. Have fun,” the man said before walking back to a nearby desk.

He must be in charge of coordination on the first floor.

Alex went to the changing room and changed into his new attire. The size was just right for his 4'10" (1.47 m) frame. Though he had recovered from his malnutrition, some of his potential had been lost, possibly stunting his growth. He could only hope that Pokémon meat, with its mystical properties, might help him regain what was lost.

The average height for adult males in this world is approximately 5’8” (173 cm), while bodybuilders tend to average around 6’4” (193 cm) due to their enhanced physiques. Experienced Pokémon trainers who travel extensively often develop strong, athletic builds, with many reaching around 6 feet (183 cm).

Alex hopes to grow to at least 6 feet by the time his growth stops, allowing him to blend in with the general population. While he would be considered short among bodybuilders, his height would be perfectly average compared to most people.

He also planned to avoid focusing on specific muscle groups, opting instead to spend most of his time sparring. This way, he could maintain a balanced physique without looking overly bulky for his height.

After changing, Alex made his way over to an unoccupied battleground and placed his backpack off to the side along with his Poké Balls. He didn’t have to wait long before a man came over, giving him a once-over before shrugging and stepping into the battleground.

No words were spoken as the man suddenly charged at Alex, his stance low and aggressive. Alex barely had time to react before a punch came flying toward his face. He quickly brought his hands up in defense, redirecting the man’s fist to the right while shuffling to the left, finally settling into a proper stance. Staying light on his feet, he began hopping slightly, circling his opponent carefully.

The man nodded in appreciation before taking a stance of his own—a standard karate posture. His feet were shoulder-width apart, left foot forward with toes pointing straight ahead, right foot back and angled to the side. His left hand was open in front, while his right fist was tucked at his waist, ready to strike.

They squared off in silence before the man suddenly pushed forward with a powerful front kick, testing the waters. Alex parried it to the right with his forearm and immediately tried to close the distance, but his opponent backed up just as quickly.

Not letting him escape, Alex pressed forward in a low posture, arms raised to protect his chest with only his eyes peeking over his fists. As he got in close, the man swung a left hook in an attempt to force him back. Alex weaved left, smoothly shifting his feet to reposition himself to the man’s right. With an explosive movement, he threw a haymaker with his right arm.

The man, unable to guard in time, took the hit square on the jaw. Staggering from the impact, he abandoned his stance and lunged forward, aiming for a takedown.

Alex tried to backpedal, but the man was too fast. Unable to escape, he reacted on instinct—bringing his hands low, he formed a tight circle with his arms, trapping his opponent’s lowered head. As they crashed to the ground with a powerful slam, Alex quickly wrapped his legs around the man's torso, locking in a guillotine choke.

He squeezed, tightening his grip around the man's neck while arching his back, pressing down with his arms in a ruthless attempt to end the fight. The man struggled briefly before tapping out against Alex’s right shoulder.

Alex immediately released him and stood up, brushing himself off.

“Nice fight,” he said simply, walking back to his position on the battleground.

“Nice, my ass—that was brutal,” the man groaned, rubbing his jaw. “I never knew you could counter a takedown like that. Where’d you learn it?”

“I don’t know. It just made sense,” Alex lied.

The truth was, he had seen martial arts videos before, but MMA and submission holds weren’t exactly popular. Most people favored judo-style takedowns followed by ground-and-pound tactics.

This world wasn’t big on human combat sports. There were no boxing tournaments, no MMA pay-per-view events, and no form of competitive physical fighting. Here, only Pokémon battles mattered. Fighting techniques were treated more as a form of recreation or artistic expression rather than a serious discipline for combat.

Traditional martial arts like karate, judo, and taekwondo still existed, but nothing as refined or efficient as MMA—nothing designed specifically to dismantle an opponent in the most effective way possible, no matter the circumstances.

At the very least, as long as he wasn’t facing someone with overwhelming physical strength, he had a good chance of being the best fighter around.

Alex glanced around, rolling his shoulders. This was only the beginning.

Chapter 31: Chapter 31. Sparring 2

As Alex and the man continued sparring, it became clear that Alex was more skillful and agile, while the man relied on power and sheer strength. After the initial guillotine choke, the man never allowed himself to be caught again, growing more wary of holds and opting to trade blows instead.

Whenever Alex attempted a grapple, the man simply overpowered him, ensuring he was never restrained. Even an armbar was ruthlessly undone with sheer brute force.

Alex’s speed, agility, and small stature allowed him to land more hits while evading most attacks, but his strikes lacked the impact needed to faze his opponent. The man, on the other hand, capitalized on every opening, and even a simple jab from him left Alex reeling, forcing him to stabilize before continuing.

Stamina wasn’t a problem for the man either. Having eaten Pokémon meat and trained for far longer than Alex, he was in his prime—likely in his twenties—and had the endurance to match his strength. Their fight stretched on for the entire hour, neither fully dominating the other.

Once time was up, Alex excused himself, purchased a potion, and began spraying his face and body to treat his injuries before they worsened. Potions worked on humans just as well as they did on Pokémon, but they couldn’t reset broken bones or heal internal damage. Unlike Pokémon, who could be restored with a simple spray or a Heal Pulse, humans still needed doctors for serious injuries.

After healing himself, Alex didn’t bother changing out of his gi—there was no point. In a few hours, after another four-hour battle session with his Pokémon, he’d be diving into another sparring match while they ate and rested.

This would be their new daily routine for the next two months—twelve hours of combat training for his Pokémon, while he squeezed in two hours of sparring practice. Alongside that, he had both a morning and evening jog. His Pokémon were in for a rough time.

After their next four-hour session, his Pokémon were exhausted. They ate a light meal before retreating into their Poké Balls for an hour of rest.

Meanwhile, Alex made his way back down to the first floor, scanning the area with renewed interest. He had already fought a man earlier that morning, but now he wanted to try sparring against Pokémon.

The Pokémon stationed here for sparring weren’t owned by trainers but were part of the Gym itself. No trainer would waste their own Pokémon’s time fighting a human in a meaningless match—every moment could be better spent refining their Moves.

They were also trained to hold back relative to their opponent’s strength. Pokemon even without moves were too powerful for humans.

Alex zeroed in on a Hitmonchan standing alone in a corner battleground, an Iron Ball weighing about 20 lbs (9.07 kg) strapped to its back with heavy iron chains. The Fighting-type Pokémon was practicing its moves, throwing precise punches in the air, seemingly uninterested in the other sparring matches around it.

Curious, Alex decided to see what the fuss was about.

He approached, dropped his bag, and stepped onto the battleground. Hitmonchan immediately took notice, halting its shadow boxing to regard him with a piercing gaze.

“Mind a spar?” Alex asked.

Hitmonchan studied him for a moment before nodding. Alex barely had time to get into position before a lightning-fast jab shot toward his face. He brought his hands up in a cross guard just in time, but no sooner had he blocked than a gut punch slammed into his core. A right hook followed.

Alex quickly weaved backward, dropping his hands slightly as he shifted right to create distance. But Hitmonchan didn’t let up, a sharp left straight hitting his solar plexus to keep him pinned, followed by a devastating right haymaker.

Planting his feet, Alex curled his left shoulder toward his right knee dodging the blow, then shoulder-checked Hitmonchan, disrupting its rhythm. Without missing a beat, he swung his upper body left, driving a right punch to the stomach, then followed up with a solid right punch to the chest, finally forcing Hitmonchan to retreat.

Alex took the chance to reset, circling cautiously while catching his breath.

Hitmonchan’s eyes widened in surprise. It was used to overwhelming opponents with sheer speed and precision, but Alex had countered effectively. A look of respect crossed its face before it adjusted its stance and launched another attack.

This time, Alex was ready. As Hitmonchan surged forward, he shifted his weight onto his left foot, feinting a right straight punch. The Pokémon reacted, moving to guard, but it was a trap. Alex whipped a low right kick into its knee, stopping its momentum cold.

Hitmonchan staggered back from the pain. Seeing his opening, Alex stepped forward with his raised right foot, twisted his body left, and launched a back kick with his left foot. It crashed into Hitmonchan’s raised guard with enough force to send it skidding back across the battleground.

Alex landed lightly, hopping back from the recoil, a smirk forming on his lips.

This was going to be a good fight. Alex turned up the pressure.

He charged in, posture low, guard tight, and opened with a left hook, then another, then a right straight—all blocked. Anticipating a counter, he weaved right, dodging a quick left punch, then drove a devastating left uppercut under Hitmonchan’s chin. The impact rocked the Pokémon hard.

Not giving it time to recover, Alex launched a front kick with his right foot, aiming for the stomach. The blow landed clean, but Hitmonchan stood firm, digging its feet into the ground to absorb the force. Instead of staggering, the Pokémon snatched Alex’s leg in a firm grip.

Bad move.

Alex twisted his body and launched a jumping left back kick, his foot crashing against Hitmonchan’s raised single-handed guard before smashing into its face. The Fighting-type finally stumbled back.

Seeing his chance, Alex pushed forward again, this time throwing a flying right haymaker. But Hitmonchan was already retreating, the punch whiffing through empty space.

Alex quickly reset his stance, breathing heavily—only now did he notice the crowd that had gathered. Nearly everyone on the first floor was watching their fight.

Why?

That single moment of distraction was his undoing.

A blind left straight came out of nowhere, slamming into his jaw.

Everything went dark.

Alex woke up to the cool sensation of a potion misting over his face, hands, and chest. Blinking against the spray, he realized he was lying on his back, surrounded by a group of strangers wearing white gis.

He groaned, his head still throbbing.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

The first-floor coordinator—continued applying the potion before answering. "Hitmonchan knocked you out while you were distracted."

Alex frowned as the memory rushed back. "Oh… yeah." He pushed himself up slightly. "Why was everyone staring? Did I do something wrong?"

The coordinator chuckled. "No, nothing like that. Everyone just knows how skilled that Hitmonchan is."

Seeing Alex’s confusion, he explained, "Hitmonchan always targets openings—once he staggers an opponent, he never lets go. His fighting style is ruthless, fierce, and precise. If you get caught once, that’s it. He’ll chase you down until you quit, get knocked out, or forced out of the arena."

Alex, thinking back to the relentless assault he had faced, agreed.

The coordinator continued, "We trained him to hold back in sparring, but once he gets into a rhythm, his full power comes out. We've tried telling him to ease up, but he just shrugs it off."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "So no one fights him?"

"Not unless they’re new, like you, or they want a one-sided beating," the man admitted with a smirk. "Or when they feel like they've improved enough to last longer against him."

He gave Alex an appraising look. "That’s why you drew a crowd. You actually broke his rhythm and put him on the back foot. That almost never happens. Of course, he probably wasn’t going all out since you’re a kid, and they’re trained not to attack kids seriously. But still, it was impressive."

Alex sighed, rubbing his jaw. "Guess I’ll have to be more careful next time."

The coordinator grinned. "If there is a next time."

"Oh, there will be," Alex said with a determined smirk. "He's exactly the kind of pressure I’ve been looking for in a sparring partner."

The coordinator chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, you’re still a kid, so you should be fine for now. But once you hit sixteen... don’t say we didn’t warn you."

Alex shrugged. "Alright. By the way, what’s the deal with the Iron Ball?"

"It’s to slow him down just enough for us to gauge how much we’ve improved," the coordinator explained. "Otherwise, against humans, he’d knock us out before we even saw his fist coming."

"Oh."

Alex got back up as the crowd dispersed, shaking off the lingering grogginess. His eyes found Hitmonchan, still in his corner, cycling through his moves—Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Drain Punch, Mach Punch—each executed with sharp precision and flair as he shadowboxed.

Alex cracked his neck and walked over. "Hey, sorry about that. I got distracted. Want to pick up where we left off?"

Hitmonchan paused mid-motion, then gave a firm nod. "Hit!"

Alex grinned, raising his guard. "Alright. Let’s go."

Chapter 32: Chapter 32. Money Problems

Alex and Hitmonchan continued sparring, and toward the end of the hour, Alex finally understood what they had been talking about when Hitmonchan suddenly tanked a hit that would normally have made him stagger.

Hitmonchan began increasing his resistance to staggering while gradually shifting his fighting style toward countering instead. Blow for blow, Alex had to endure increasingly powerful attacks, while his own strikes were ignored more and more.

The intensity kept rising until a single hit sent Alex flying out of the ring. At that moment, Hitmonchan snapped back to consciousness and resumed shadowboxing.

It was like fighting an opponent who gradually built up power and super armor, growing more relentless as the fight progressed. Toward the end, he would pummel his opponent mercilessly until they were either knocked out or sent flying out of the arena.

He was a brutal sparring partner, dangerous to challenge, as he would get too caught up in the fight and hold back less and less.

But Alex loved it.

Hitmonchan was the perfect sparring partner for him—not only were they about the same height for now, but Hitmonchan’s skillful combos allowed Alex to train both his offense and defense simultaneously.

He felt like a Pokémon going through battles to gain levels, with the added challenge of increasing difficulty until the combatants timed out.

After sparring with Hitmonchan for an hour, Alex went back upstairs after changing back into his usual hoodie. He only planned to have sparring matches for two hours a day. Potions were expensive, after all. They cost 200 Pokédollars each, and he had already used up five today.

‘Should I get a healer on the team?’ Alex thought.

A healer would be incredibly important in the wild. Unfortunately, they were considered top-tier Pokémon—on par with Pseudo-Legendaries, the games’ starter Pokémon, utility Pokémon, or any Pokémon with a minimum base stat total of 500 from the games and uncomplicated evolution requirements.

Starter Pokémon were a given. Their base stats were 520 or higher, and they were incredibly popular, costing around 1 million Pokédollars each.

Utility Pokémon, on the other hand, contributed to society in various ways. Chansey provided eggs, Miltank produced milk, Mareep supplied wool, and Ditto had its unique genetic material, among others. These Pokémon typically cost upwards of 500,000 Pokédollars, sometimes even millions. Chansey, in particular, was priced similarly to Growlithe.

This was because such Pokémon were essentially money-printing machines—as long as they had a place to live peacefully, they could generate a steady income. People quickly realized the investment was worthwhile, which kept their prices from ever falling below a certain threshold.

Healing Pokémon, in particular, were highly valuable, costing at least 500,000 Pokédollars. Their utility was undeniable—why waste money on Potions when a few Heal Pulses could do the job instead?

For Alex, the only way to acquire one of these Pokémon was either to become a millionaire overnight or venture outside the city to search for one himself. Unfortunately, their rarity had skyrocketed due to over-capturing by trainers.

I might have a way to become a millionaire, though.

He still had the research paper idea regarding EVs. Unlike IVs, which required significant time and financial resources to map scientifically, EVs could be studied using just one Pokémon.

All he needed was to prove—scientifically—how to increase and decrease EVs. However, to truly profit from this, he would need substantial backing. The best strategy would be to corner the market on the specific berries, publish the research, and then sell those berries at a premium.

A more tedious but legal method would be to purchase farms, produce berries in excess, release the research, and then capitalize on the demand spike.

Both options required significant capital. The first method might even be illegal.

‘I’ll ask Jenny later.’ Alex thought

Alex returned to the second floor to finish their third training session for the day before heading home in the evening. Over dinner, he decided to ask Jenny about the legalities of his plan.

"Why would it be illegal to buy what you need?" Jenny asked, confused.

"Because someone with market-sensitive information is trying to make a profit off it."

"Isn't that what everyone does?"

"To an extent, but in this case, I’d know for a fact that demand would spike, forcing the League to pay exorbitant prices for the product."

"The League would probably just buy everything outright, right? They have infinite money, after all."

"That's true, I guess. But is there no law against market manipulation?"

"I don't think so. If there is, it would probably fall under International Police laws, so I wouldn’t know."

"Thanks, Jenny. That’s all I needed to know."

After some research, Alex discovered that market manipulation was illegal in the Pokémon world—but only when fraud or false claims were involved. For example, buying Potions in bulk, then paying the media to falsely claim that Potion prices would rise, only to sell them back at inflated prices, would be illegal.

However, Alex’s plan involved presenting new, credible research that would temporarily increase berry prices. Since berries were a renewable resource, the inflated prices would naturally stabilize once farmers ramped up production.

Even so, Alex wasn’t ready yet. He needed to conduct the study, find a trustworthy wealthy collaborator, publish the research, and only then collect his profits. He estimated that the study would take about two months—just in time for the new school year.

Over the next month, Alex and the gang settled into their routine. Raticate and Growlithe struggled at first but eventually adapted after a week.

Surprisingly, the benefits were minimal—Raticate was already accustomed to the training environment, while Growlithe’s growth had begun to slow. It didn’t help that Raticate was restricted to only three or four moves, and Growlithe no longer had time to refine his lower-ranked moves. However, they were gradually becoming more resilient in the face of constant, high-stress battles.

During this period, Alex himself felt like a Pokémon undergoing rigorous combat training. Sparring against Hitmonchan left his body bruised and battered, but his skin, muscles, and bones had toughened considerably—something he had never trained before due to the lack of availability of mystical healing supplements.

To compensate for the intense training, Alex made sure he and his Pokémon had the best food money could buy. On average, they spent 10,000 Pokédollars daily on expert-ranked Pokémon meat, premium-quality Moomoo and Gogoat milk, Pokéblocks, and even indulgent treats like Poképuffs.

Considering their temporary income of 15,000 Pokédollars a day, it was a worthwhile investment—ensuring they all had the proper nutrition to make the most of their grueling battles.

Today was supposed to be another jog back home for Alex and the gang—until they passed a certain alleyway in the evening. They had taken this route before but hadn’t seen this sight, so it was strange that the alley was now occupied by homeless people.

It was dark out, and he only managed to catch a glimpse as he jogged by, but Alex could recognize a drug den when he saw one.

In the alley, a few seemingly homeless individuals loitered near the entrance. Deeper inside, a group of decrepit individuals were shoving money into the hands of a bouncer, who, in return, handed them small baggies filled with a white substance.

Behind the bouncer stood a heavily fortified door. The entire building was old—five stories tall, with all the windows covered. At a glance, it looked like any other aging apartment complex, but a closer look revealed something off. Almost all the rooms had identical, minimalistic interiors, suggesting that the entire building was a hideout.

Alex came to a stop, considering his options. He could call Jenny and have a raid take place within the hour, or he could raid the place himself. On one hand, the right thing to do is call Jenny in and be given a pittance in recompense. On the other hand, he’d get the money the drug dealers were currently collecting.

This might be an alternative way to make money. Sure, he’d be making enemies—but Jenny was the perfect meat shield against retaliation.

Nobody messed with Jennys.

Anyone who got Jenny killed or kidnapped would immediately find themselves under the scrutiny of the rest of the family.

And every single one of them was a police officer.

A terrifying thought. They all lived ordinary, mediocre lives, but the moment someone dared to poke the Combee, all the Vespiquens around the world would declare war.

As for the danger to his own life? Alex didn’t care. Drug dealers like these typically hired trainers as bodyguards, but what kind of trainer would rather guard a facility than be outside, training their Pokémon?

The weak, poor, and desperate kind, of course—and poor trainers were weak. They didn’t have the luxury of purchasing TM disks, Pokéblocks to accelerate growth, or the proper nutrition to reinforce the gains made through battle.

Plus, if they spent all their time guarding, they weren’t out there gaining combat experience or helping their Pokémon grow stronger.

Essentially, the only advantage criminals had was their secrecy. Once their location was exposed, they could never defend themselves—not against the League and certainly not against Alex, who had a year and a half of non-stop, luxurious growth under his belt.

Trainers became powerful by venturing outside, battling to grow stronger, eating their spoils to convert growth into strength, then healing at free Pokécenters to repeat the cycle. The longer they maintained this lifestyle, the stronger they became.

The second they landed a cushy job in the city, they stopped growing. They stagnated—just like Jenny had with her top-level Expert-ranked Arcanine, whom Raticate was already closing in on. Sure, it would take a few years, but Jenny had long since stopped training her Pokémon, relying instead on live combat experience as a cop—which only happened once in a blue moon.

After all, she couldn’t afford to feed them if they didn’t work, and excessive training like what Alex was doing was prohibitively expensive.

In any case, Alex had made up his mind.

He would raid this drug den for all it was worth.

Chapter 33: Chapter 33. Guaranteed Profits

Alex took out his phone and started recording a video of the alleyway and the rooms in the building, careful to ensure only the camera was sticking out inconspicuously.

Raticate and Growlithe both gave him questioning looks, confused by his strange behavior.

Alex walked away and continued until he rounded the corner of the building, then began explaining the plan to his Pokémon, who simply nodded along. After storing Growlithe, Raticate started climbing the brick building, scaling all the way to the roof. Alex grabbed Raticate by the tail so he could climb along.

Once at the top, Raticate took a quick peek over the ledge. Seeing no one around, he climbed over and then pulled Alex up as well.

On the roof, Alex moved carefully and silently to a position within earshot of the alley. He took out his phone again, ensuring he recorded as much of the transaction below as possible.

Alex captured footage of the exchange while listening in on their conversation.

“The price has gone up. If you want your fix, you need to pay up,” said the bouncer, his tight shirt barely containing the muscles rippling underneath.

“The price went up half a year ago, and it’s still rising?” one of the druggies complained.

“Some of our guys got busted over a year ago. Operations have been slowing down.”

“That’s what you said last year. What’s this year’s excuse?”

“You think Drol is getting any easier to make without manpower? Get the fuck out and find your fix elsewhere.”

That was all the evidence Alex needed to justify his actions.

“Look, man, how about just loaning me the rest?” the druggie negotiated.

The conversation continued until a deal was struck.

As Alex was busy recording, a man in a sleek black bodysuit came gliding down onto the roof, a Golbat perched on his back. He was the building’s security professional, and he had noticed Alex the moment he stepped onto the roof. Now, he had come to check—and caught Alex in the act of collecting evidence of their operation.

Alex felt a tap from Raticate at his feet and discreetly tucked the Pokédex into his pocket, leaving the camera out and still recording.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Did I just catch a little rat scurrying on our rooftops?” the man said as he confidently walked closer.

“Needed justification,” Alex replied simply, shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh? For what?”

“Trespassing.”

“Hahaha. You do know you’re dying on this rooftop, right?”

“And that’s for self-defense. Thank you.”

Alex released Growlithe while simultaneously reaching into his backpack, pulling out the pair of guns he had gotten from Jenny. With a flick of his fingers, the trigger-locking pins were released.

In response, the man released four more Pokémon at once. This wasn’t an official battle—there were no rules. A two-versus-five matchup was far more advantageous for him.

Sandslash, Pidgeotto, Gloom, and Grimer materialized after a flash of red light.

“Get them,” the man ordered.

Three of the Pokémon spread out, encircling Alex and his team, while Golbat and Pidgeotto flew around to surround them. Clearly, this man was an experienced trainer—one who had fought in the wild before.

“Raticate, distract the fliers. Growlithe, Heat Wave,” Alex commanded as he aimed and fired at Gloom and Grimer.

Raticate intercepted the diving Golbat with Quick Attack, while Growlithe unleashed a scorching Heat Wave. The blast of hot air engulfed Grimer, Sandslash, and Gloom. Grimer fired a Sludge Bomb in retaliation, but the intense heat vaporized the attack, leaving Grimer and Growlithe unharmed. Gloom released Stun Spore, but the burning wind incinerated the spores along with Gloom, dealing massive damage and knocking Gloom out instantly.

Sandslash dashed in with a Slash, its claws glowing with Normal-type energy, and landed a solid hit on Growlithe. Meanwhile, Pidgeotto swooped down at the airborne Raticate, just as Golbat clamped down with a Bite, taking advantage of Raticate’s midair position.

The man was momentarily stunned by Alex’s use of firearms in a battle between Pokémon. He wanted those weapons—and he became excited at the thought of claiming them.

“Sandslash, Swords Dance. Grimer, Sludge Wave. Golbat, use Leech Life and pin it down. Pidgeotto, target the boy. I want those weapons,” the man commanded while retrieving his fainted Gloom.

Gloom had only been used for its Sweet Scent and Stun Spore anyway—it wasn’t part of his main combat team.

“Growlithe, Temper Flare Grimer. Raticate, Quick Attack Sandslash,” Alex ordered as he continued firing at Pidgeotto while strafing away from the battle.

Alex had to admit—the man was doing a great job keeping the fight going despite the power difference. Grimer and Golbat were distractions, Sandslash was the late-game insurance, and Pidgeotto was keeping Alex busy while also trying to take him down.

Grimer fell to Growlithe’s Temper Flare, having avoided Heat Wave earlier. Raticate bolted toward Sandslash, knocking it back mid-Swords Dance with Quick Attack. The technique continued as Sandslash landed, but its momentum had been disrupted.

Alex dove to avoid Pidgeotto’s talons and fired back, missing repeatedly. He wasn’t exactly a crack shot, and hitting a speeding bird was no easy feat. Instead, he aimed at the man himself.

Realizing he was being targeted, the man dove behind a set of vents, quickly calling out his escape strategy.

“Sandslash, Earthquake! Pidgeotto, get me out of here!”

He didn’t like his odds against the boy’s stronger Pokémon—nor the weapons he was using. The Raticate, in particular, was proving to be a serious threat, keeping his fliers occupied and steadily wearing them down. It was only a matter of time before he lost everything. His instincts screamed at him to run.

“Raticate, Quick Attack Pidgeotto—don’t let them escape!” Alex commanded as he recalled Growlithe and moved far away from the suicidal Sandslash.

They were on top of a building, which was why Sandslash hadn’t used Ground-type moves until now.

Raticate obeyed, using Quick Attack on the airborne Pidgeotto while Golbat was still latched onto him. The annoying bat continued to heal small amounts with Leech Life, but Raticate was close to knocking it out.

A loud explosion followed as Sandslash’s Earthquake wrecked the rooftop, causing the structure to collapse onto the floor below. The man quickly escaped down through the rubble, retrieving his Pokémon as he fled.

Alex recalled Raticate who was airborne and released both Growlithe and Raticate on the other side of the building, far from the site of the collapse.

His prey had escaped, and he was running out of time.

Alex quickly descended into the building, scouring room after room of the drug production facility until he found the office. Inside, the same man as before was frantically stuffing money from a safe into a bag.

Their eyes met. The man reached for his Poké Balls—but he was a fraction too slow. Alex entered the room with both guns drawn and immediately fired. One shot missed, but the other grazed the man’s leg, causing him to collapse, paralyzed.

His Pokémon emerged from their Poké Balls, surrounding him protectively.

Alex raised his guns, slowly backed away, and gave Raticate a look.

Raticate understood. He calmly walked over to the half-filled money bag, grabbed it, and returned to Alex’s side while the paralyzed man stared in shock.

Alex gave a slight nod toward the man’s Pokémon and quickly left the room.

He made sure to angle his body such that the camera focused on the Pokémon rather than the bag Raticate had taken—or the man’s stunned expression. There was no way he was going to fight in such a small room, nor was he about to ignore the cash just sitting there.

An unstoppable Earthquake would have killed everyone in the room.

Sure, the man would escape. But if he got caught, there was no way Alex would be able to keep the money.

Guaranteed profit versus a possibly generous reward.

Alex still remembered how much he had stolen from his killer versus how much the police had rewarded him for information that led to a significant drug bust that made them feel relevant again.

It was a stark difference and would have been a waste of opportunity had he simply followed the law.

While Alex was making his escape, Officer Jenny received a call about a building collapse and was sent to investigate. She had just been about to finish her shift, making the assignment especially inconvenient.

When she arrived, she was shocked to find Alex lingering near the scene, blending in with the gathered crowd.

“Alex, what are you doing here?” Jenny asked, narrowing her eyes.

“I may have been involved in that particular incident,” Alex meekly admitted, handing over his phone.

Jenny took it and began watching the video. The footage documented everything—the sketchy alleyway, the plan to get more evidence, his climb onto the rooftop, the evidence of drug distribution, the intense battle that led to the building’s collapse, his search inside, and ultimately, his narrow escape.

Jenny felt a roller coaster of emotions watching it unfold. Frustration. Worry. Exasperation. Pride—no, she couldn’t encourage this!

“You are grounded, young man!” she declared without hesitation.

Chapter 34: Chapter 34. Window Shopping

In the end, Jenny sent Alex home to await his punishment while she spent the night cleaning up the mess he had left behind.

The investigation took his video as evidence but did not grant him a reward since he had failed to alert the police before taking action. However, they also chose not to punish him for the collapse, as the investigators determined that Alex neither caused nor willfully allowed it to happen. The blame fell solely on the man who had tried to eliminate Alex to protect his illegal operation.

The authorities confirmed the video's contents, assessed the destruction, and managed to rescue the trapped workers before charging them with illegal drug manufacturing.

As for the man who escaped with the operation’s remaining funds, he was never caught. The facility itself had belonged to one of the crime bosses arrested in the previous drug bust Alex had been involved with.

In the end, it was determined that the facility’s manager had taken over after his boss’s arrest, continuing the business for his own gain. Now, with his identity exposed, he was officially a wanted criminal by the League.

With the case closed, Jenny finally returned home in the early morning, fully prepared to lecture Alex. But when she stepped into the apartment and saw him waiting up for her instead of getting a full night’s rest, her frustration wavered.

Her annoyance deflated entirely when Alex immediately apologized for his actions.

“Sigh. Just tell me when you encounter something similar next time. Promise?”

“I promise.”

In the end, he wasn’t grounded. The work he was doing at the dojo was good for him, and besides… he had only been trying to do the right thing, hadn’t he?

Having gotten off scot-free, Alex returned to his room to assess the gains from the previous night. In the end, he had walked away with over 400,000 Pokédollars, bringing his total savings back up to the 900,000 he had started with.

With that kind of money, he could afford to expand his team. Last night made one thing painfully clear—the only reason the man escaped was because Alex didn’t have enough Pokémon to properly handle criminals.

Sure, Raticate and Growlithe were strong, but they didn’t give him an overwhelming advantage. He lacked a proper team.

Now came the question of which Pokémon to choose and how to acquire them.

His first attempt at a wishlist was quickly scrapped—it was filled with pseudo-legendaries, a pipe dream at his current level. He needed a realistic approach.

First off, Ninetales was a must. Arcanine thrived under Sunny Day, and a Drought Ninetales would be indispensable. Its speed would allow it to keep up with Arcanine while providing solid support. Pokémon should always work in pairs in the wild to ensure maximum efficiency.

Next, he needed a proper Sunny Day team. Since he already had the setup, he might as well go professional with it. At least one Chlorophyll sweeper was necessary—Venusaur would be perfect.

A more affordable option was Victreebel. They were powerful Sunny Day sweepers but also incredibly common. So common, in fact, that a Chlorophyll Bellsprout only cost 20,000 Pokédollars. He could go buy one right now if he wanted.

Then came the healer. He couldn’t even consider going on a journey without a powerful healer on the team. If he had a Serene Grace Blissey, he’d be set. Unfortunately, he would have needed a Nurse Joy to adopt him instead of Officer Jenny for that.

Lastly, utility. Having a Gogoat or Miltank to provide nutrients in the wild would be ideal. He also needed a Pokémon that knew Teleport, Gravity, or Fly. Teleport or Fly would allow for fast travel, while Gravity would be great for training purposes.

The perfect Pokémon to fulfill the last two needs would be Gardevoir, but Ralts were as expensive as pseudo-legendaries—same as Abras. Their rarity, utility, and ability to ferry people across regions made them high in demand. Not to mention their extremely high Special Attack.

Besides, Gardevoir was out of the question for Alex. Ralts were highly sensitive to emotions and preferred happy, bubbly trainers who saw the world with optimism. Alex… was not that kind of person. He was a pessimist who expected the worst in people so he wouldn’t be blindsided.

This was precisely why he respected all Jennys and Joys. His pessimistic outlook confirmed that they were the best people in the world.

Abra was a much more realistic choice. Even then, Abras needed to vibe with their trainer’s personality. If there was too much of a personality gap, an Abra would eventually lose its mind and attack its trainer.

In the end, Alex dropped the matter. Vulpix were relatively cheap at 200,000 Pokédollars due to their popularity, but Drought Vulpix cost as much as Growlithe because of their value in Sunny Day teams. There was also a long waiting list at every breeder Alex checked.

Besides, he didn’t have the spare change to blow all his savings on a single Pokémon, so the plan was scrapped.

Instead, he decided to head to the Fighting Dojo to see if fate had something in store for him. This way, he could say he put in the effort while keeping his options open. Hopefully, he’d find another drug den to target in the future so he could add himself to the waiting list for a Drought Ninetales.

Although he didn’t get a new Pokémon, he did come up with a new training plan for Raticate.

Raticate had been amazing in last night’s fight. Quick Attack being stronger meant it was faster and had more range. Normally, Quick Attack wouldn’t allow a Pokémon to fly—the vertical distance and cooldown were just enough for them to land before using the move again.

But Raticate’s Quick Attack had a longer distance, meaning he could maintain—or even increase—his altitude with practice. It was also faster, allowing him to strike airborne opponents.

Operation: Flying Rat was a distinct possibility.

If Raticate had a parachute, it would be perfect.

After storing his gains in his bag, Alex headed to the dojo as usual—except today, he didn’t plan on training. He wanted to check out the dojo’s Pokémon-in-training instead.

“Hey, Laura,” Alex greeted the pretty, ponytailed receptionist.

“Hey, Alex. Here for another full-day session?”

“Actually, I came to check out your selection of wild Pokémon in training.”

“Wow, you’re in luck. We just got an entire batch from the League, and the training floor is bursting at the seams. I’ll let the fourth floor know you’re in the market.”

“Thanks,” Alex said as he made his way upstairs.

As he passed through the third floor, he finally got a look inside. It was just four battlegrounds lined up, each occupied by a pair of battling trainers.

At the far end, a middle aged man with black hair overlooked a match between a Hitmonchan and a Hitmonlee.

A few trainers glanced at Alex as he bowed slightly before continuing to the fourth floor. They knew he wasn’t here for a match—if he had been, the receptionist would have informed them beforehand. Trainers couldn’t just show up unannounced for an official gym battle. These matches were scheduled days, weeks, or even months in advance.

Still, they were curious about Alex.

A young boy who had trained a hit-and-run Raticate—one of the weakest Pokémon around? That alone was impressive.

And it wasn’t like he lacked providence. He had a rare and powerful Growlithe, already on its way to becoming a near-indestructible tank. But instead of relying solely on Growlithe, he had chosen to keep his starter no matter how weak.

It was… inspiring. Honorable.

And the boy himself wasn’t weak, either. He had managed to keep their troublesome Hitmonchan engaged for over a month. Sure, he was just a kid, and Hitmonchan had shown mercy, but the hits he took weren’t light—yet he kept getting back up, only ever complaining about the cost of potions.

A true fighting spirit.

If he applied for a gym badge, he’d get one without question. He had already proven himself.

But tradition must be kept.

He had to ask—and he had to fight.

As Alex stepped onto the fourth floor of the Fighting Dojo, a heavy pressure settled over him—dense, suffocating, yet controlled. The source was unclear, but its purpose was obvious: suppression. The room stretched wide like a zoo, lined with reinforced steel cages, each housing a different Pokémon.

Inside, the cages weren’t barren; each was carefully crafted to mimic the Pokémon’s natural habitat. A rocky enclosure for a Machop, a sand-filled pen for a Mankey, a sturdy wooden platform for a Timburr. Despite the illusion of comfort, Alex could see the frustration simmering in their eyes.

Many Pokémon sat still, their movements sluggish under the room’s unseen force. Others glared at him, instincts restrained by sheer pressure. The floor buzzed with quiet growls, shifting paws, and flicking tails.

These Pokémon weren’t the cute, cuddly companions often seen in the anime. They were wild animals, raw and untamed, their instincts honed for survival and strength rather than companionship.

The only thing keeping them in check was the oppressive pressure filling the room.

These were not just Pokémon; they were predators, fighters, and warriors in the making.

Chapter 35: Chapter 35. Wild Pokemon

This was the first time Alex had seen a wild, unbonded Pokémon. He had to admit—they were exactly as advertised. These creatures would tear him apart if given the chance.

There was no intellect in their eyes. No clear emotion. They looked like rabid animals.

It was terrifying to even think about what lay beyond the thick, towering walls of Saffron City. Alex realized he may have underestimated just how dangerous the wild truly was.

It now made much more sense why some people chose to hide in the city and turn to crime rather than risk becoming trainers. If they had seen an army of these creatures outside, survival might have seemed impossible.

Alex now considered his current situation a blessing.

“Poor creatures, aren’t they?” The floor coordinator’s voice was calm, almost rehearsed. “Stuck in cages when some of them haven’t even lived for more than a year. But trust me when I say, this is for the better. For us—and for them.”

It was clear that many people must have protested the severe treatment of these Pokémon, forcing the man to develop this well-practiced speech for anyone seeing young wild Pokémon for the first time.

It was understandable, though. Most people grew up surrounded by their parents’ affectionate, well-trained Pokémon. Seeing these young creatures locked away like dangerous criminals would be shocking. It could easily spark outrage among those unaware of the reality. After all, the League had spent decades advertising how safe and reliable Pokémon were.

But this didn’t apply to Alex. He understood how terrifying even regular animals could be—let alone creatures that defied the laws of physics through their type energy and moves.

“So, how does this work?” Alex asked, deciding to skip the man’s introduction.

“First, wear this mask.” The man handed Alex a plain white full-face mask.

“Next, you go around and take your pick. Just make sure not to accidentally bond with any of them by communicating in any way, shape, or form—otherwise, that would be considered your unchangeable choice. Once you’ve made your choice, inform me, and I’ll isolate it for you to bond with.” the man explained.

“Are all of them available?”

“Yes.”

“What does training entail exactly?”

“We introduce stimuli, then either punish or reward them depending on the desired outcome. Once they understand the dos and don’ts, we test them. If they pass, they’re sent to the League.”

This training was specifically for Pokémon that would be given to children, as forming a bond could be a dangerous process. If a Pokémon immediately attacked or startled a child, it could cause undue stress, potentially traumatizing a future trainer. These extensive measures were necessary to ensure a safe and stable bonding process.

Alex nodded, then donned the mask and pulled his hood up for good measure. With his hands in his pockets, he started looking around.

The floor housed a variety of Fighting-type Pokémon: Mankey, Machop, Tyrogue, Heracross, Pancham, Croagunk, Scraggy, Crabrawler, Makuhita, Timburr, Meditite, Clobbopus, and Falinks.

‘Machop seems agreeable. Machamps would make great sparring partners in the future. They're quite tall too. The only problem is their evolution condition… They need to defeat a strong opponent or win consecutive battles, I think?’ Alex thought as he continued to stroll around.

There were also non-Fighting-types like Aipom, Buneary, Munchlax, Slakoth, Kangaskhan, and Stufful.

‘Buneary is a pipe dream. Where am I supposed to get a Mega Stone? Those things are expensive. Kangaskhan is the same—it used to be impossible to find, and now I’m not even considering it. Slaking… nah. Snorlax? Powerful, but I’m not rich enough yet.’

Scattered among the other Pokémon were a few unexpected species: Sunkern, Hoppip, Azurill, Kricketot, Scatterbug, Tynamo, Blipbug, Chewtle, and—

‘Hm? Clauncher? That thing’s a healer, right? It restores 75% HP with Heal Pulse. Slow, but Water Pulse is a guaranteed hit and Aqua Jet is Priority +1… It’ll need support, but that’s not bad at all.’

Alex mentally noted Clauncher and continued his search. As he walked, he found himself ignoring the other Pokémon, his thoughts lingering on his new healer.

Sure, Clawitzer couldn’t cure status conditions, but its Heal Pulse was powerful. If only he could get a Clefairy, Comfey, or Flabébé… Healing Pokémon were always in high demand, even though Flabébé was fairly common in Kalos and Paldea.

By the time Alex had circled the entire floor, his decision was made. It would have to be Clauncher.

‘I’ll just have to stock up on status potions, I guess.’

Alex returned to the floor coordinator and declared his choice.

“A Clauncher? Here? Wait a minute,” the man said before running down the stairs.

Alex had a bad feeling. Healers were a big deal. They saved the gym’s martial artists tons of money on potions and reduced trips to the Pokécenter. He had no doubt the gym would want to keep it.

A few minutes later, the man returned with a downcast expression.

“Alright, go in that room and wait with your Pokémon out. I’ll go get Clauncher’s Poké Ball,” he said, pointing to a room off to the side.

Secretly delighted, Alex entered the room. It was a simple space, just large enough for a battle between Novice ranked Pokémon.

A few minutes later, the man returned and handed Alex the Poké Ball.

“All you need to do is convince it to join you. Do what you must. Pokéblocks are the most effective way, as well as the strength of your Pokémon. Just make sure she doesn’t faint. You want consent, not a capture.”

“Alright, thanks,” Alex said, taking the Poké Ball.

After the man left and closed the door, Alex released his Pokémon and gave them an update.

With their agreement and excitement, Alex released Clauncher onto the other side of the battlefield.

“Claw!”

She immediately burst into a charge using Aqua Jet, targeting Alex, the closest target.

Raticate reacted instantly, blocking the glowing blue crustacean with Protect just before Alex swung his fist down, striking the top of her head.

Clauncher looked slightly dazed before repeating the attack. This time, Growlithe blocked it, and Alex responded in kind.

After several rounds of this, Clauncher looked tired and irritated but no longer launched Aqua Jets. Instead, she glared at Alex with barely restrained rage.

Kneeling, Alex presented some Expert-ranked Pokémon meat, immediately catching Clauncher’s interest.

She snatched the meat and began eating while Alex placed a hand on her shell, gently stroking her.

“Stick with me, and you’ll never go hungry. I’ll make you stronger—stronger than you can ever imagine. Just like my friends here,” Alex said, coaxing her as she ate.

The food was good. The meat was powerful. She was weak. She wanted strength.

Finally, Clauncher looked up, locking eyes with Alex. Gone was the raw savagery, the instinct to fight or flee. Now, she was thinking.

After a moment, she nodded.

Alex smiled. “Nice to have you on the team, Clauncher. I’m Alex, your trainer. This is Raticate and Growlithe. Let’s get stronger together.”

He extended his hand.

Clauncher hesitated before lightly pinching it.

Alex nodded, gently shaking her claw up and down before picking her up, carrying her like a teddy bear.

He wanted to solidify the bond as soon as possible.

Alex made his way outside and down the stairs after paying 50,000 Pokédollars to the floor coordinator. He only needed to pay when the bonding succeeded.

He then headed down to the third floor, where he bowed to the Gym Leader before making his way out of the Fighting Dojo and heading to a fish pet store. He also planned to visit the school to purchase some TMs for Clauncher, as well as a Choice Specs, Expert Belt, and Leftovers that he kept forgetting to get for Growlithe.

Meanwhile, back at the Fighting Dojo, a middle-aged man with black hair was being questioned by his disciples. He was the Koichi, the Gym Leader of Fighting Dojo.

“Master, are you sure it was okay to give him the healer? He has potential, but an extra healer in the gym could give our healers some extra rest.”

They were a gym. Of course, they had healers. It was just an expensive initial investment before yielding decent returns in reduced spending on potions. The off-the-wall healing stations had a healing Pokémon in the back, working their magic as Pokémon were submitted for treatment. It was free as well.

"He has potential. He’s worth it. Besides, aren’t you curious? How will he train the Clauncher? Will he come back and challenge another battleground to help train our trainers? Is he going to make it a dedicated healer? I’m excited to see his progress."

Ever since Raticate no longer needed Alex’s direct input to execute his hit-and-run strategy, he had been given a battleground of his own rather than sharing one with Growlithe. The floor coordinator had been that impressed with the gym trainer’s progress.

The gym trainers around Koichi considered his words and nodded in agreement. They would wait and see what their little regular had in store for them. For now, they withheld judgment. Hopefully, his growth would be significant enough to justify the perceived expenditure.

Chapter 36: Chapter 36. Another Wave of TMs

Returning from his shopping spree, Alex set up Clauncher’s new tank while getting rid of Rattata’s outgrown hamster wheel. It had been well used during the time Alex focused on his studies, but it was no longer necessary. He would have to find time to sell it online.

After loading up the TMs, Clauncher underwent a relentless session of continuous learning before finally popping back into her water tank, dizzy. She had expected power from her new trainer, but she never imagined it would come this quickly.

Raticate stroked his chin and nodded sagely, while Growlithe sat off to the side, lamenting the fact that he would have to go through this again when he evolved.

In the end, Alex purchased Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere, Mud Shot, Icy Wind, Helping Hand, Weather Ball, Venoshock, Sludge Wave, Rock Slide, Smack Down, Flash Cannon, Water Pulse, Chilling Water, Water Pulse, Waterfall, Liquidation, Surf, Hydro Pump, Flip Turn, and Muddy Water, along with the held items—bringing the total to 155,000 Pokédollars.

His savings immediately dropped to 700,000 Pokédollars, but it was worth it, considering Clauncher’s newfound strength.

Name: Clauncher, Novice

Type: Water, Female

Ability: Mega Launcher

Moves:

Novice: Splash, Water Gun, Vise Grip, Flail, Aqua Jet, U-Turn, Thief, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere, Mud Shot, Icy Wind, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Protect, Facade, Endure, Sleep Talk, Swords Dance, Substitute, Helping Hand, Tera Blast, Weather Ball, Venoshock, Sludge Wave, Rest, Rock Slide, Smack Down, Flash Cannon, Water Pulse, Chilling Water, Water Pulse, Rain Dance, Waterfall, Liquidation, Surf, Hydro Pump, Flip Turn, Muddy Water

Description: Clauncher, the Water Gun Pokémon. Using its oversized claw, Clauncher fires powerful jets of water to hunt prey and propel itself through the water. Though small, its grip is strong enough to crush rock, and its shots can knock back opponents with surprising force.

Clauncher had a lot of catching up to do, and Alex didn’t spare any expense on nutrition, given their current financial situation.

He also wouldn’t have to spend as much on potions once Clauncher evolved. Based on his past experience with Rattata and Growlithe, it shouldn’t take more than half a year.

With a new team member and Growlithe’s leftover Novice-ranked moves, Alex decided to reduce their time at the Fighting Dojo by four hours and focus on improving their move proficiencies.

Raticate was extremely close to making Swords Dance faster to release, Growlithe still had some leftover moves to bring to Basic, and Clauncher had half a year’s worth of learning to catch up on.

They would train in the apartment’s training space until lunch each morning.

Even with the reduced time at the dojo, they should still be able to make about 10,000 Pokédollars a day, though some budget cuts would be necessary to accommodate their new teammate.

Lastly, Alex needed time for himself as well. Classes were about to start, and he had a paper to write on EVs.

Thus, a month passed with their new routine.

Growlithe learned Flamethrower, brought all his moves to Basic, and even reached Expert rank. He was now working on executing Morning Sun more quickly.

Clauncher learned Hone Claws, brought over 20 moves to Basic, and reached Adept rank. Alex had also been focusing on her diet ensuring that her EVs were topped off. He chose Special Attack and Speed to maximize her advantages.

By the end of the month, Raticate managed to advance Swords Dance to the Advanced rank.

The primary improvement in Swords Dance was its release speed—it now counted as a Priority +1 move. If Raticate could get far enough away, he could use Swords Dance before his enemies could reach him, allowing him to reposition with Quick Attack and gain distance once more.

He became an absolute nightmare for the Expert-ranked gym trainers, to the point that they forbade him from using Swords Dance. As a result, Alex had Raticate focus on speeding up his Thunder Wave instead. He would have preferred to advance Protect or Endeavor next, but since Raticate rarely used them in battle, training them was significantly harder.

The extra time spent improving their move proficiency had been well worth it.

However, they weren’t the only ones making progress. Alex had been getting noticeably buffer lately, thanks to his impressive diet of Expert-ranked Pokémon, extra time in the mornings for basic workout routines, and, of course, his intense sparring sessions with Hitmonchan.

His height is now 5 ft (1.52 m), and his muscles have been filling in. He is officially no longer thin-looking—now perfectly average. This had always been a sore spot for the former Alex due to genetics, but the current Alex managed to fix it with a potent combination of money and effort.

Apart from improving his physique, he had also completed his summer homework, advanced his studies, and gathered enough data to finish his paper. All that remained was a bit more research to enhance its credibility, and he would be ready to make some serious money.

This is why Alex is currently looking for a collaborator as he attends classes.

He needed someone wealthy enough to corner the market on stat-decreasing berries—someone trustworthy enough not to strong-arm him into handing over his research.

Although he had been adopted by a Jenny, their protection didn’t extend to him; it only applied to other Jennys.

Unfortunately, criminals had proven this to be true. The key was not to go overboard—killing all of a Jenny’s known associates would draw too much attention. Instead, eliminating just one or two was enough. As long as she still had loved ones left, the criminals only needed to be wary of that one Jenny, not the entire force.

Alex, being just one person, fell within the tolerable range of risk. However, as long as he still lived with Jenny, he had some degree of protection—at least from criminals. The rich and powerful, on the other hand, had no qualms about strong-arming the less fortunate.

So far, the list of wealthy people Alex could rely on included a few options.

First was Mr. Jenkins, his Pokémon instructor—a thin, bespectacled man who was trying to become a professor with his research on unique evolution methods. Then there was Clarissa Blackthorn, his friend, who might be able to connect Alex with her family.

Another potential option was the Gym Leader of the Fighting Dojo, though that would be a bit of a stretch considering Alex doesn’t personally know the guy.

Jenny and her clan were also possibilities, but the profit distribution would be too large, meaning he wouldn’t make much. Besides, the Jennys weren’t interested in raw wealth.

Then there were those who had the highest possibility of strong-arming Alex—the industrialists of Silph Co. He didn’t personally know anyone from there, but he could always try reaching out blindly. However, that was a risky move.

Lastly, there was the option of sending a blind email to Professor Oak, hoping to leverage his immense network of contacts. However, Alex’s research focused on benefiting trainers specifically rather than all of Pokémon kind, so Professor Oak might not be interested.

He would likely be more drawn to specific details about rare Pokémon, such as Magearna, which was supposedly created by humans—something Alex had absolutely no knowledge about. However, if he did, it would probably be of such immense interest to Professor Oak that the professor might just hand over all three Kanto starters without a second thought.

As Alex repeatedly thought about how to get people to support his plan, another idea suddenly struck him—why did he even need these rich and powerful people in the first place?

The answer was simple: they had the money to buy up large quantities of the berries already in circulation, which would drive prices higher.

It was true that cornering the market on stat-reducing berries would push up prices, leading to greater profits. However, demand for these berries was so high that even if the current supply sold out, prices would continue to rise until farms adjusted by leaning into the trend and increasing production to stabilize the market.

In the end, unless he became a farm owner himself, he wouldn’t make more than what he personally invested in buying up the berries already on the market.

He shouldn’t focus on the berries available now but on those being produced in the future. Instead of trying to manipulate the existing supply, he should remain independent and buy berry futures instead.

What truly mattered was increasing his own capital—taking out loans and acquiring as many futures as possible on the stock market.

"Is this why I almost failed my economics class?" Alex wondered, recalling his abysmal grades in high school economics.

His initial idea wasn’t wrong. If he could pull it off, berry prices would skyrocket, and his investment would yield substantial returns.

Unfortunately, the risks were too great if the people he worked with had ulterior motives. Instead of relying on others, he could seize the low-hanging fruit—something entirely within his control. He wouldn’t need to trust anyone or put his fate in someone else’s hands. It was much simpler this way.

Sitting in the middle of class, Alex nodded to himself, his conviction solidifying. He needed to study berry growth cycles and requirements. He had to pinpoint the best time to sell his futures.

He also needed to secure a loan.

There was just one problem—he was thirteen years old.

That might be an issue.

Chapter 37: Chapter 37. Ground Breaking Discovery

“I need a loan,” Alex suddenly dropped over dinner.

“What do you need a loan for?” Jenny asked.

“I need a loan to buy as many stocks of berries as possible—ones that will increase in price in a month or two.”

“How sure are you that the price of these berries will increase?” Jenny asked skeptically.

“How desperate would trainers be if they could elevate two specific stats at the expense of the rest?”

“How much of an increase are we talking about?”

“The math is complicated because we haven’t discovered a specific numerical representation of stats or the exact factors that go into their calculation. Even if I told you what I thought, it couldn’t be proven right or wrong.

What I can tell you is that the increase is more significant for Pokémon with lower stats than for those with higher ones. The key point is that these stats can be reset for free using incredibly cheap berries, followed by a properly targeted diet.

It takes about 25 berries to erase all manipulatable stats from a single stat of a Pokémon and 250 pounds of specific Pokémon meat to build them back up. For a total reset, that’s 150 berries. For complete maxing, it’s 500 pounds of meat, distributed however you like,” Alex explained

“It’s the stat-reducing berries, isn’t it?”

“Yup. And your Pokémon needs to consume 25 berries per stat before increasing it again with specific Pokémon food. By the way, Raticate and Clauncher are built for Special Attack and Speed, while Growlithe is built for Defense and Special Defense.”

“How much do you want to take out as a loan?”

“As much as you can give me. In fact, the more money you invest, the more you’ll get back.”

“This is why you asked about market manipulation?”

“Yup. But I dropped that idea—it’s too dangerous to rely on other people. I trust you, which is why I’m telling you, but I don’t know who else to trust. The more berries we corner for ourselves now, the more money we can make in about five months—just before the next harvest season—assuming we release the news within the next two months. That would give farmers enough time to adjust their crops.

I suspect we could make even more if we wait until the next harvest season, but that would be a gamble.”

“You did your research,” Jenny said, impressed.

“It’s a lot of money.”

“And we just need to buy those six berries until we run out of money and sell them back in five months, right?”

“Yes, but I need to finish my paper first. It should take me about a month at my current pace.”

“Alright. I’ll handle everything.”

“Take my money too. It isn’t much, but 700,000 Pokédollars can go a long way.”

“You don’t need it?”

“I’ll need it around the time we sell the berries, but not before. My work at the dojo should keep all my Pokémon fed until then.”

“Alright.”

“Great. I’ll let you handle all of that, then. I’ll also trust you to decide who else we can trust. The more people who buy into this, the greater our profits as the ones who bought out the berries first. Just make sure to buy the berries before telling anyone. Once a third person knows, it’s no longer a secret—whether I release my paper or not.”

“Okay.”

And with that, Alex set his plan in motion—getting collaborators to drive prices up before the news broke.

By the next day, Jenny secured a loan close to 10 million Pokédollars. Adding in both her and Alex’s savings, they amassed a total of 11 million Pokédollars’ worth of cheap berries. This acquisition alone caught the attention of many farmers and wealthy investors.

Luckily for the Jenny clan, those wealthy individuals remained skeptical, allowing the Jennys to gain a solid lead before the investors wised up.

One Jenny going all-in was a fluke. Her immediate family joining in was understandable. But when the rest of the Jenny clan followed suit, it became a pattern—a pattern of demand exceeding supply, a pattern that generated money. Without even understanding why, wealthy individuals started buying berries in bulk, triggering farmers to adjust their plans for the next harvest season.

A month later, Alex posted his research paper on the online scientific community.

Due to Professor Oak’s leadership in building a prominent scientific community alongside the Pokémon League, there was only one global scientific network. Instead of isolated regional groups, researchers across different regions were connected through the League’s established system, forming an interconnected whole.

Any paper published anywhere was accessible worldwide for peer review.

When Alex posted his paper, many were intrigued by the idea of fluid potential—how a Pokémon’s stats could be scientifically manipulated through diet rather than relying on inconsistent Pokéblocks that sometimes worked, sometimes didn’t, and sometimes had only temporary effects.

Alex’s research numerically proved that feeding a Pokémon 25 of each specific berry—Pomeg for HP, Kelpsy for Attack, Qualot for Defense, Hondew for Special Attack, Grepa for Special Defense, and Tamato for Speed—unlocked a reservoir of manipulatable stats.

Even more impressively, he confirmed long-debated claims that certain Pokéblocks and Pokémon meat could increase stats. Their inconsistency stemmed from the existence of a hard limit—once reached, further increases became impossible. However, by first reducing stats, trainers could reset this limit, revealing a system that could be deliberately manipulated through diet.

Alex went further, proposing that Pokémon were not as different from each other as once believed, supporting the concept of base stats. He also introduced the idea that Pokémon had a predetermined potential at birth.

In a groundbreaking twist, he hinted at personality-based stat variations, using his own Growlithe as an example. He detailed how he tailored its training to complement its personality.

To solidify his findings, Alex suggested future research directions—such as creating a database to record Pokémon stats at birth, which would help determine the maximum and minimum values for each species. The resulting spread would define a Pokémon’s potential—the higher the initial values, the stronger the Pokémon could become in the future.

Breeders latched onto the idea, launching multiple online databases—until the League stepped in and established a unified, standardized system. Any dataset that didn’t meet the League’s rigorous criteria was invalidated.

Psychologists also jumped in, fascinated by Alex’s claim that a Pokémon’s nature influenced its stats. While it was already known that natures affected taste preferences, proving they also impacted stats was a game-changer.

The League responded by incorporating natures into the dataset.

As data poured in, patterns would begin to emerge. Once enough data sets were submitted by dedicated breeders, they would be able to identify the specifics Alex had mentioned.

For now, it was a collective, groundbreaking discovery—led by a 13-year-old who was still in school.

With the release of the paper came a surge of interest in the previously useless stat-reducing berries. As interest grew, so did their price.

At first, it was just scientists attempting to replicate and verify Alex’s findings. By the next month, extensive studies had backed his claims. Another month later, trainers caught on to the news and emptied the market. The following month, they began scouring the wilds for the elusive berries that allowed them to specialize or generalize their Pokémon’s stats.

By the fourth month, professional trainers had no choice but to buy them as well. Fortunately, the market recovered just before harvest season, when more berries would be available—hopefully at lower prices than before.

Unfortunately, the berries sold out again just before harvest, and prices continued to soar.

Alex, however, no longer cared—he was now a millionaire.

“Congratulations on becoming a millionaire at 14, Alex,” Jenny celebrated.

“Thank you. Congratulations on becoming a millionaire in your mid-20s, Jenny,” Alex replied.

They both smiled before clinking their glasses. They were celebrating at a famous high-end establishment that served regular animals. The chicken… tasted like chicken.

Alex was thoroughly disappointed, but at least he had fulfilled the previous Alex’s wish. The meal itself was excellent—the chefs were top-notch.

As for their profits and reason for celebration? They made a total of 100 million Pokédollars in pure profit after repaying the loan.

They timed the resale just before the price peaked at 15 times their original investment. Sure, they could have made an additional 50 million, possibly even more once the post-harvest stocks were depleted, but they still walked away with 100 million Pokédollars.

Okay… after taxes, it was 70 million, but still. They were officially young millionaires. They decided to split the profits evenly, leaving them with 35 million each.

Jenny planned to buy a bigger place for her puppies, while Alex was finally getting that Drought Ninetales.

He had already put himself on the waitlist. It said it could take up to a year, but close enough, right?

As for the rest of the money, Alex hadn’t really decided what to do with it. It was a lot… and yet not that much at the same time. Sure, he could buy three pseudo-legendaries, and they would all come as eggs with his preferred abilities, but how was he going to feed them?

That required sustained income, which he didn’t have. He was already using most of their current earnings just to maintain his existing team, and it wasn’t enough to build a truly top-tier squad.

So, for now, Alex decided to set that problem aside and deal with it later.

Chapter 38: Chapter 38. Spending Money

The day after Alex and Jenny celebrated their newfound wealth, they immediately moved into a mansion.

Jenny had always felt sorry for her Arcanine and his large size in her tiny apartment—relatively speaking. Ever since he evolved, she had been saving up for a new place.

She wanted a home with a large garden where her Pokémon could roam freely and spacious rooms that would make Arcanine feel normal again.

When Alex proposed his market scheme, she was initially hesitant about spending all her savings and taking out a loan. However, the way Alex phrased it convinced her.

He said he needed a loan. He was going through with his idea with or without her, which reassured her that she wasn’t being dragged into anything.

He merely needed an adult’s proxy. Sure, she was taking a risk, but knowing Alex, he would go through hell to pay it back. He was kind in his own way.

Now that their plan had paid off, she didn’t hesitate to pick out her dream home—one significantly larger and more expensive than her original dream home.

“I love the space, the high ceiling, and the wider doorways. The backyard is big enough for a jog, and there’s a pond,” Jenny gushed as she looked around the property.

“Do you mind if I keep Wishiwashi in the pond?” Alex asked.

“It should be fine. You just need to feed it.”

“No problem.”

They now lived on the west side of Saffron City, a residential area for the wealthy. The truly rich, however, wouldn’t live in the city. At most, they owned apartments, treating them like permanent hotel suites.

The truly wealthy were also truly powerful. What fear did they have of wild Pokémon when their own teams could destroy a city before a Pokémon flood even had a chance to succeed? The sheer collective pressure of their Pokémon could freeze a Champion-level Pokémon in place.

The house Jenny bought was small for a mansion, as it was in the city. The property was about 80m × 50m (262.5 feet × 164 feet), slightly smaller than a soccer field.

It was still enormous compared to an average home, but she had the money. She planned to use the rest of her funds to cover taxes. The mansion cost about 5 million Pokédollars, and with a 1% property tax, she could comfortably afford to live there for 600 years—not even counting depreciation.

She also planned to continue working because it was her passion, so she would be just fine.

Alex, on the other hand, planned to move out at 16 to travel the world. He would likely burn through all his current finances and more.

But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t enjoy it while it lasted.

Hence, he bought Premium Moomoo Milk, Premium Gogoat Milk, elite-ranked meat, Premium Pokéblocks with various effects, species-specific resistance training equipment for Growlithe, Raticate, and himself, a set of state-of-the-art mobile targets for Clauncher, high-end grooming kits for each of them, the latest outdoor travel kit, the newest phone with an accompanying Rotom, the newest laptop, high-end clothing sets until he reaches 6 ft (1.83 m), all known TMs, random held items he thinks he’ll eventually need, two highest-rated Fire Stones, six Wishiwashi, sets of potions, various random technologies, and more.

All in all, Alex spent 3 million Pokédollars.

The premium consumables alone cost 1 million Pokédollars for all five of them—Rotom included. Poor guy shouldn’t be left out.

The training equipment forces the wearer to maintain a pre-programmed position, resisting any changes, making it quite the workout even during daily life. Unfortunately, it's quite bulky, so it can only be used during training sessions.

The state-of-the-art mobile targets are a remote-programmable unit that flies around autonomously. The expensive part is the Elite-resistant target, ensuring long-term use even under intense training.

The latest outdoor travel kit is built using space technology. A slim backpack that hugs Alex’s back contains all the purchased items with space to spare. It includes camping gear, diving gear, climbing gear, skydiving gear, and all-weather resistance, all reinforced to withstand Elite-ranked damage. Carrying this thin backpack is like having a home on his back—one he can take anywhere in the world.

The new devices are all top-of-the-line, featuring extended battery life, massive memory capacity, superior damage resistance, and reduced signal emissions. They’re practically the Pokémon world's version of military-grade equipment. Among the gadgets are drones, spy cameras/microphones, alarm systems, multipurpose goggles, armor, a motorcycle, generators, and more. Is it overboard? Yes. Is it necessary? Probably not. Will he actually use them? He’ll probably forget he even has them. Was it a good purchase? Totally.

The clothing sets include damage-resistant shirts, pants, underwear, bodysuits, coats, shoes, and hats—all designed to withstand harsh conditions. Alex even bought a full set in a larger size for when he eventually grows into it.

The TMs were a no-brainer. You never know when you might need them.

The held items were truly random—Life Orbs, Choice Items, type-boosting items, Quick Claw, Razor Claw, weather rocks—anything that caught his eye, he bought. Just in case.

The potions? Every single kind currently available. A hundred of each, to be exact.

Finally, the Wishiwashi. Alex plans on preparing Beat Up x6 "bullets" to activate Growlithe’s Justified ability. Just because he won’t use them now doesn’t mean he won’t in the future. Once Growlithe evolves and reaches Elite rank, maybe those attacks won't even penetrate Arcanine’s skin anymore. It’s worth testing.

Overall, Alex strolled through the mall like he owned the place. In his opinion, the three million Pokédollars he spent was worth every bit, and he'd gladly do it all again. Maybe not the tech, though. No way it’ll be outdated that quickly... right?

In any case, both he and his Pokémon were about to undergo a major upgrade with everything he bought—especially the food. The level of nutrition in these milks, meats, and Pokéblocks must be insane.

At least, they better damn well be.

As for the Pokémon’s progress over the past five months?

Name: Raticate, Expert

Type: Normal, Male

Ability: Run Away

Moves:

Advanced: Quick Attack (50% Damage), Swords Dance(Priority +1), Thunder Wave(Priority +1)

Raticate was able to advance Thunder Wave to the Advanced level, with a bonus to release speed. He had always relied on Thunder Wave in the past but had dropped it in favor of Swords Dance while training at the Fighting Dojo. Now that he had the time to practice it again, he managed to upgrade it without any issues.

His current goal is to master Shadow Ball to ensure he can deal long-range damage. He already excels at hit-and-run tactics up close, but adding a ranged attack to his arsenal would make him even more dangerous. The only issue is that he noted its increased difficulty, meaning it might take longer to master compared to his previous moves.

Name: Growlithe, Expert

Type: Fire, Male

Ability: Justified

Moves:

Advanced: Morning Sun(+25% Heal)

Growlithe has been struggling at the Dojo lately, as he is a newly promoted Expert. Because of this, he is often forced to skip setting up Sunny Day. His thoughts at the time of ranking up? He kept wanting to heal more, so he no longer needed Sunny Day to achieve it.

Rather than an increase in output, he describes it as an improvement in the efficiency of absorption, which is why the effect has increased by 50%. Now, he is working on Heat Wave after realizing that he might have to fight more opponents by himself in the future. Heat Wave had saved the day during his fight on the rooftop, so he sees it as a valuable move to master.

Name: Clauncher, Adept

Type: Water, Female

Ability: Mega Launcher

Moves:

Basic: Splash, Water Gun, Vise Grip, Flail, Aqua Jet, Hone Claws, Pounce, U-turn, Thief, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere, Mud-Slap, Mud Shot, Icy Wind, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Take Down, Protect, Facade, Endure, Sleep Talk, Swords Dance, Substitute, Helping Hand, Tera Blast, Weather Ball, Venoshock, Sludge Wave, Rest, Rock Slide, Smack Down, Flash Cannon, Water Pulse, Chilling Water, Rain Dance, Waterfall, Liquidation, Surf, Hydro Pump, Flip Turn, Muddy Water

Clauncher is getting close to evolving and has already attained Basic proficiency in all possible moves. Her current objective is to reach Advanced rank in Aqua Jet, as it serves more as a mobility skill.

She had Raticate teach her his methods and thought process for improving techniques. Unfortunately, she doesn’t share Raticate’s talent for spotting openings, but she does have a knack for predicting an opponent’s movements. She uses this ability as a guide to effectively utilize Aqua Jet—primarily to create distance rather than just passing by.

Name: Rotom, Novice

Type: Electric Ghost

Ability: Levitate

Moves:

Novice: Astonish, Double Team, Thunder Shock, Thief, Foul Play, Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot, Charge Beam, Volt Switch, Electro Ball, Thunder Wave, Eerie Impulse, Thunderbolt, Electric Terrain, Thunder, Charge, Electroweb, Sunny Day, Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray, Hex, Night Shade, Shadow Ball, Spite, Poltergeist, Protect, Facade, Swift, Endure, Sleep Talk, Substitute, Hyper Voice, Helping Hand, Tera Blast, Uproar, Pain Split, Stored Power, Reflect, Light Screen, Rest, Trick, Rain Dance

Description: Rotom, the Plasma Pokémon. This Electric/Ghost-type has the unique ability to possess electronic devices, changing its form and typing to match. Mischievous and energetic, it often causes appliances to behave strangely.

Rotom, though not part of the main combat team, is a key member of the secret combat team. It agreed to help in life-and-death situations but prefers to stay inside the phone—specifically, on the internet.

With a bit of coaxing, Alex convinced Rotom that improving its move proficiency would help it defend both him and the phone more effectively. In the end, Rotom agreed, though its main priority remains enjoying its time online.

Chapter 39: Chapter 39. Introspection

After touring the place, Jenny and Alex settled into their rooms on the third floor, each of which was larger than their entire apartment. It was almost too luxurious. The house had more rooms than they knew what to do with, so they decided to allocate some to the Pokémon.

The house had three floors in total. The first floor contained the offices, living room, kitchen, meeting room, and large spaces for socializing. The second floor featured six guest bedrooms, a common room, a laundry room, and a public restroom. The third floor had four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, occupying the entire floor.

Unfortunately, Arcanine, Espeon, and Boltund all chose to stay in the same room—right next to Jenny’s. Clauncher, on the other hand, took to the decorative pond outside, where she played target practice with her new flying targets while bonding with the Wishiwashi. Raticate and Growlithe preferred to stay in Alex’s room, while Rotom refused to leave its phone except to train move proficiency.

“The place is too empty. We need to fill it up. It’s time for some shopping,” Jenny said as they made their way to the mall.

“Some expensive, comfy chairs would be nice,” Alex commented.

In the end, they let it be and went shopping to start filling up their new space. TVs, exercise gear, comfy chairs, home computer systems, Pokémon beds, and specialized furniture—like a fireproof bean bag for Growlithe. They went all out.

By evening, the sheer size of the house had begun to sink in. The extra space gave them a strange sense of loneliness. Luckily for Alex, Raticate and Growlithe had chosen to stay with him. It would have been depressing otherwise.

As Alex lay on his oversized bed, listening to the subtle breaths of Raticate and Growlithe, his mind wandered. He began thinking about his next steps.

School was fine. He was still learning new things every day from all the different classes. The Fighting Dojo was a must—there was no better place to train himself and his Pokémon.

His present was set.

But what about the future?

He planned to travel the world, experiencing everything the Pokémon world had to offer. But what about the specifics?

Did he want to become the Champion? No. What a waste of time.

Did he want to become a farmer? No. He’d never be able to sit still.

Did he want to drift around aimlessly? Maybe. Seeing new places sounded nice.

Did he want to do something… evil? Maybe. Fewer restrictions would be nice.

Did he want to go on a rampage? Yes. Battles. More battles. Not just Pokemon battles. Real battles.

Requirements? Reaching his peak fighting condition. Personal protection equipment. Strong, loyal Pokémon. Army-destroying builds. A legendary Pokémon hunting team.

Was what he had enough? No. He needed more time. He only had three—four if he counted the incoming Ninetales.

Did Arcanine even need Ninetales as a partner anymore? No. Drought was convenient, but it restricted the others, like Clauncher.

Clauncher? She was a fine fortress cannon that could Aqua Jet or Flip Turn out in a heartbeat. She didn’t need a fortress when she could just run...

Wait. Why run? Why didn’t she need a fortress? She should have one. It would ensure maximum output.

What constituted a fortress? Follow Me, Light Screen, Reflect, Wide Guard, Quick Guard, entry hazards…

Entry hazards. They weren’t just "entries"—they were hazards, pure and simple. Didn’t matter who threw them out—everyone but the user would trip over them, even allies. But Clauncher? She didn’t have to move. That was her opponent’s problem.

Best hazard setter? Forretress, hands down. It even had Reflect and Light Screen. Clawitzer covered Forretress’s only weakness to Fire. Gravity/Earthquake and Surf to clear away everything then reset. It could get healed by Clawitzer, then Pain Split back…

Brilliant.

It worked well in battles and even in the wild. The pair could take on an army alone—Clawitzer against the air, Forretress on the ground.

That was one pair down.

Arcanine and Raticate? No skill synergy, but perfect role synergy. A self-healing tank and a self-buffing assassin. Arcanine would charge into the fire while Raticate cleaned up after him. Arcanine just needed to be trained as a Bruiser. He could already take hits well—now he just had to hit back, blow for blow.

They’d work on that.

Raticate, though? He needed more offense. Shadow Ball was a good call.

He was such a little genius.

Now for the last pair. He had enough money. He could have anyone he wanted. No Mega, though. Even the rich and powerful couldn’t get them.

What’s the dream team?

Tyranitar and Garchomp? Very powerful, but too disruptive. They couldn’t even use Earthquake without killing each other. One 4× weakness each. No way to command the battle in the sandstorm. Flying on Garchomp would be nice, though.

Gengar and Alakazam? Difficult to evolve. Haunter needed to terrorize enough dreams, and Kadabra had to read enough minds. Gengar would make a great shadow assassin, while Alakazam would be good for quick travel.

Aegislash and Togekiss? Ace Pokémon, but no synergy. Each worked best alone. Aegislash would make a solid shadow guard, while Togekiss could even flinch-lock Legendaries. Unfortunately, I’m too serious all the time. Togekiss would be depressed while staying with me.

How about Dragonite and Salamence? Then call it a night. Being spoiled for choice was just as bad as being poor.

Alex fell asleep after that thought.

The next morning, Alex called the breeders and canceled his reservation for a Drought Ninetails.

He conducted extensive research and found that, aside from Forretress, Toxapex was also a strong choice as a hazard setter. Unfortunately, Toxapex’s abilities forced enemies to attack anyone but itself. It was more effective in official battles, where opponents had no choice but to target Toxapex directly.

Ultimately, Alex chose Forretress—it was simply too good to pass up. It could set Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Stealth Rock to control the battlefield. Rollout allowed it to dish out serious damage, Pain Split helped heal Clawitzer, and its Sturdy ability made it nearly indestructible next to a 75% Heal Pulse Clawitzer. And when all else failed? Explosion. It was the perfect choice.

He immediately searched for a breeder and found a Sturdy Pineco. Due to its reputation as the ideal hazard setter in official battles, Pineco eggs were valued at a staggering one million Pokédollars. Fortunately, he was looking for one with Sturdy not Overcoat, which countered or complemented Hail teams—currently the dominant meta.

Alex ended up spending 80,000 Pokédollars and received his Sturdy Pineco via PC transfer. The breeders had an oversupply of Sturdy Pineco, which made it significantly cheaper.

Next, he needed a third Pokémon pair to complete his team. After some deliberation, he realized a third pair wasn’t necessary—what he truly needed were Pokémon that complemented his current lineup.

His team already had both offensive and defensive synergy, so his focus shifted to finding Pokémon that could support their strengths. Arcanine and Raticate were offensive powerhouses and didn’t need a dedicated healer—Arcanine could sustain itself with Morning Sun, and Raticate could simply retreat when necessary.

After further research, he narrowed it down to Dragonite and Altaria. The key was finding a Pokémon that could support Arcanine and Raticate’s rampage. Both Dragonite and Altaria had access to Dragon Cheer (boosting allies' crit chance), Tailwind (boosting Speed), Mist (preventing stat reduction), Safeguard (blocking status conditions), Haze (resetting stat changes).

These moves would allow Arcanine and Raticate to go all out without fear of stat drops or status ailments.

After further research, Alex immediately purchased a Swablu from a breeder auctioning one online.

This Swablu had both Defog and Roost—two incredibly valuable moves. Defog would ensure that Arcanine and Raticate had a clear battlefield, while Roost gave it sustain. Additionally, Perish Song could guarantee a win even in impossible situations.

While Dragonite also had Roost, it lacked Defog, which was the deciding factor. Arcanine and Raticate needed a clean battlefield to dominate, and Defog provided that advantage.

Alex won the auction and received his 4-million Pokédollar Swablu. Typically, Swablu eggs cost the same as Arcanine eggs—around 3 million Pokédollars—while hatched Swablus cost 1 million. However, this particular Swablu was top-tier, boasting Defog and Roost, making it worth the extra investment.

Despite the high cost, Alex considered it a worthwhile purchase for his dream team. Altaria would also complement Clawitzer and Forretress, which lacked protection against status conditions.

With Altaria secured, Alex still needed a Pokémon to complement Clawitzer and Forretress. Dragonite would work well for preventing stat reduction and status ailments, but it was a close-range fighter. It preferred to be on the front lines rather than providing passive support.

What the team truly needed was another Special Attacker—one that could hit multiple opponents.

Given Clawitzer and Forretress’s low Speed, a Trick Room setter would have been ideal. However, since their strategy relied on holding off swarms of lower-level Pokémon, a Trick Room setup might end up making them slower than their enemies instead of faster.

After extensive research, Alex narrowed his choices down to Alcremie and Frosmoth.

Alcremie had access to Misty Terrain (protects from status conditions), Aroma Veil (prevents being Taunted or Encored), and Decorate (boosts an ally’s Attack and Special Attack by two stages).

Frosmoth had access to Aurora Veil (sets up Reflect and Light Screen in one move), Wide Guard (protects from AoE attacks), Mist (Prevents stat reductions), and Tailwind (boosts Speed).

In the end, Alex bought both.

The Pokémon limit only applied to official battles—he had bigger plans.

Chapter 40: Chapter 40. Regulated Pokemon

Alex immediately went online and purchased a Snom Egg for 1 million Pokedollars and a MatchaAlcremie with Aroma Veil for 500,000 Pokedollars.

Alex didn’t care what ability Frosmoth would end up having. Shield Dust would prevent additional effects from attacks, while Ice Scales would halve incoming special attacks. Both were defensively good options.

Alcremie, on the other hand, had to have the ability Aroma Veil, which made it expensive.

The MatchaAlcremie, however, was the cheapest option he could find because of their less popular flavor. It was a niche flavor that not everyone liked. It was okay for Alex though. She was going to be used for battle

Now that Alex had solidified his main team, it was time to work on his secret team, which would act as his personal protection.

It was all well and good to have Pokémon for official battles, but Alex also needed Pokémon for their convenience. Rotom, for example, was always in Alex’s phone. If Alex were ever isolated from his Pokémon, Rotom in his pocket could pop out to defend him.

For this, Alex needed Pokémon that could give him certain advantages. A Dusknoir, for example, could cover his entire body, blocking out shots sent in his direction. It could hide in his shadow, never to be seen until it was needed.

He considered Gengar or Dragapult, but neither could take much of a hit. They were better off as assassins. Eventually, Alex decided on Aegislash. It hit harder than both of the aforementioned Pokémon while defending better than Dusknoir. It was also big enough for Alex to shoot over it while being defended. It was the best choice for personal protection.

It was also expensive, costing Alex 5 million Pokedollars for an egg. Aegislash was considered top of the line for competitive play. Alex also ordered a top-quality Dusk Stone for when it would eventually need to evolve.

For the final Pokémon on Alex’s shopping spree, he absolutely needed a Teleport Pokémon to ensure he had maximum mobility. He already had Altaria to fly around with, Clauncher to swim around with, and Arcanine for digging. Now he needed a Teleporter to get him around.

After a bit of research, Alex was dumbfounded.

Teleport was a regulated Pokémon move, and its TMs were not for sale due to its ability to get trainers in and out of trouble.

Sure, there were ways to counter it with trapping moves and priority moves, but these only worked if the Pokémon was already caught—not when someone was sneaking around or had just won the battle.

There were also psychic auras that could prevent Teleport from being used in and out of certain locations. However, these barriers depended on the strength of the psychic Pokémon covering the area. They needed to be Elite-ranked at minimum, as they could still at least detect intrusions from a Champion-ranked Psychic Pokémon. Although they couldn’t stop it, at least they would be aware of it.

Maintaining such a field required intense focus, usually managed by a three-person rotation team. This level of security was too costly to implement in all restricted locations, so the League ensured that individuals with Teleport-capable Pokémon weren’t using them for nefarious purposes.

For Alex, this meant visiting the Indigo League’s main headquarters after receiving pre-approval based on his contributions to the League. He had to prove that he was trustworthy enough to own a Pokémon that could learn Teleport naturally or to gain access to the secured, heavily guarded TM. In his case, that meant teaching Teleport to Arcanine.

Once he proved his ability as a trainer, he would be required to undergo a psychic evaluation. Not a psychological evaluation, but a psychic one—where trained psychics would read his mind to determine why he wanted a Pokémon with Teleport. Most people preferred to catch a Teleport-capable Pokémon in the wild rather than allowing anyone to probe their thoughts.

This didn’t bother Alex, but the pre-approval process was tedious. At a minimum, he needed at least eight Gym Badges before he could apply. After that, a thorough background check—taking up to three months—would be conducted, followed by a psychic evaluation.

This, of course, did not apply to the children of trainers who had attained the security clearance for Teleporting Pokémon. However, it did apply to Alex if he were to ever gain access to the move. He would have to pass the background check and psychic evaluation in the future; otherwise, the League would be forced to detain the Pokémon or arrest Alex if he did anything that warranted imprisonment during the psychic evaluation.

Intrigued by the concept of regulated Pokémon, Alex conducted further research and discovered that, in addition to Teleport-capable Pokémon such as the Abra line, Natu line, Ralts line, Elgyem line, and Claydol, Malamar was also classified as a 'regulated' Pokémon due to its ability to hypnotize people into doing its bidding.

The same applied to Orbettle who had similar abilities to Malamar and Beheeyem who could outright manipulate memories.

To counteract this, even more Psychic-type Pokémon were required to regularly scan the minds of individuals with high-security clearances for any signs of hypnosis.

Another regulated Pokémon was Zoroark, whose illusion abilities made identity theft far more than just unlocking someone’s phone or accessing their accounts. A skilled Zoroark user could make someone look, act, and sound exactly like another person—allowing them to live the target's life undetected while the real individual had long since been kidnapped.

This did not, however, apply to Ditto, which could transform into any object or individual, as its beady black eyes were a dead giveaway.

Porygon were also regulated Pokémon a few decades ago due to their ability to manipulate computers. They were initially used to protect Team Rocket from hackers and to hack others in turn, which is why paper currency is still in use.

However, Porygon have since been removed from regulation, as the League now has access to Metagross, Rotom, and other Porygon to combat digital crime. Apparently, the League is winning the battle in digital space, so people are now allowed to own Rotoms trained by the League to ensure compliance with the law.

Sadly, this meant Alex could no longer play vigilante and had to adhere to the letter of the law when picking fights. Fine by him—he never wanted to be enemies with the League anyway.

He did decide to do everything he could to eventually get those Pokemon though. He wanted to get a Zoroark for sneaking, Malamar for getting information from his targets, and Teleport for Arcanine.

He’ll try to achieve it the hard way, but if the easy way presents itself, he’ll grab it without hesitation.

Having determined the futility of gaining regulated Pokémon, Alex decided to stop for now, as he had five new Pokémon to take care of.

He planned to meet them one by one and help them get comfortable before starting their training.

First was Pineco, who was ecstatic to finally have a trainer. He had spent years grouped with other Pineco, most of whom didn’t want to battle and simply hung from their designated trees.

However, he was different. He was determined to become strong, and to be strong, he needed a trainer. But getting one had always seemed impossible. It had already been a few months since he was born and passed the test, yet no one had chosen him. So, he trained and trained and trained—until fate finally shone down upon him.

At last, he had been selected over the others who continued to simply hang from their trees. He was ready.

“Hello, Pineco. I'm Alex. I’m your new trainer, and I plan on pairing you up with her,” Alex said, pointing at Clauncher, who waved her good claw.

‘Hello,’ Clauncher greeted.

BANG!

Love struck him like thunder from the heavens for the first time in his life. She was so beautiful. So graceful. So chitinous.

He didn’t know what to do. Should he say hi? Maybe hey? He was lost. All he had ever done was train like a madman. He had never trained for this. He had no idea what to do—so he simply let out all of his emotions at once. An overwhelming rush of feelings gushed out from within him.

Pineco used Self-Destruct!

BANG!

After the smoke cleared, Alex surveyed the damage left behind by Pineco’s Self-Destruct, standing safely behind Clauncher’s Protect.

‘What the hell just happened?’ Alex thought. Pineco had been perfectly fine meeting him—until he saw Clauncher. ‘Maybe she had been rude? No, his Clauncher was an angel. She was so nice.’

Sighing, he returned Clauncher to her Poké Ball, then walked over and gave Pineco a Revive. The moment Pineco shot up, he frantically looked around before drooping in despair.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked.

“Pi…”

“I see. Well, good news and bad news. The good news is, she’s still your partner. The bad news is, she thought you were angry and attacked her. So next time, keep your emotions contained, alright?”

“Pine,” Pineco nodded solemnly.

“Good.”

Alex released Clauncher and asked her to give him another chance, but she hesitated, looking reluctant. Pineco’s mood plummeted even further.

“Clauncher, he didn’t mean it,” Alex reassured her. “It’s hard for Pokémon who have never trained to control their Self-Destruct. Give him a chance. I’m sure he can do better once he starts training.”

“Pine!” Pineco nodded vigorously, hopeful.

“Clau…” Clauncher narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Alex sighed. “I’m sure you two can start as friends. Why don’t you show me what you can do before we start training?”

Pineco began demonstrating his moves, except for the one he had already used and what Alex saw shocked him.

Chapter 41: Chapter 41. You Must Learn Young One

Name: Pineco, Novice

Type: Bug, Male

Ability: Sturdy

Moves:

Novice: Tackle, Protect, Self-Destruct, Bug Bite, Take Down, Rapid Spin

Description: Pineco the Bagworm Pokémon. Pineco hangs from tree branches, camouflaging itself as a pinecone. It remains still, but if disturbed, it will self-destruct to drive away threats.

Alex was shocked—he had hit the jackpot. His Pineco was already close to the next rank. With continuous battles, he would evolve in a few months at most. Soon, he would be ready for official matches.

This was great news. Leaving Pineco to train in the backyard, Alex went to meet his next addition.

“Swablu~,” Swablu sang.

"It's nice to meet you too, Swablu. I'm Alex, and I'll be your trainer. Are fighting battles okay with you?" Alex asked.

“Swa~” She nodded politely.

“Great. How about showing me your moves?”

Eager and excited for training—the thing everyone had been talking about—she proudly displayed her abilities.

Name: Swablu, Novice

Type: Normal Flying, Female

Ability: Cloud Nine

Moves:

Novice: Defog(Egg Move), Roost(Egg Move), Peck, Growl, Disarming Voice

Description: Swablu the Cotton Bird Pokémon. Swablu’s fluffy wings resemble clouds, and it loves to perch on heads or shoulders like a hat. It is incredibly clean and will tirelessly preen itself and anything dirty around it.

‘Cloud Nine? What's that?’ Alex thought as he checked it in his new phone ‘Holy Shit! She can do that? That’s terrifying. How the hell is she so cheap?’

Cloud Nine was an ability that negates the effects of weather for all Pokemon in the battle. It would guarantee that his team would never be bothered by any external conditions. It effectively shut down weather teams. They would have to ask permission from her before being allowed and she would say no. It was a devastating negation tactic.

‘She would catch too much attention. Even more than Arcanine who should be the obvious threat. That just means she has to keep enemies at bay. No. I have to add more threats to the offensive team that would force them to ignore her. I can’t leave this alone.’ Alex thought.

“That was wonderful Swablu. You will focus on protecting the team from stat reduction, status conditions, weather effects, while making them stronger and faster. You won’t have to fight much but you have to learn to survive. Okay?”

“Swa~” She nodded with determination.

Swablu was excited. She was always treated delicately back at the breeder’s mansion. She was always told to be elegant for her future trainer so she doesn’t get returned for improper manners but it doesn’t seem like a problem at all.

Alex introduced her to Raticate and Growlithe then moved on to the next Pokemon. Snom was still an egg so he drowned it in Ice Stone powder and Silver Powder before moving onto Alcremie.

“Alcremie!” Alcremie said as she handed Alex her cream.

Alex tasted it and it was pretty good in his opinion. Then again, he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth.

Seeing his reaction, she nodded. He had passed her test.

“Hello, Alcremie. My name is Alex and I will be your trainer. Are you fine with that? You will have to join battles and fight other Pokemon while protecting your team,” Alex asked.

“Alcremie!” She said as she punched the air with her cream covered fists.

“That’s great, do you mind showing me your moves?”

Alcremie was evolved for a bakery that wanted to try selling Matchaflavored treats. It was a niche flavor which not everyone loved. She was unpopular unlike the other Alcremie and she would occasionally be teased about it. Her food sold the least so the bakery decided to cut it out of the menu after the trial period and sell her to a trainer instead.

If Alex didn’t like her cream she would fight back with everything she had. Her trainer was at least required to like her flavor.

She demonstrated her moves which weren’t alot but they were enough.

Name: Alcremie, Novice

Type: Fairy, Female

Ability: Aroma Veil

Moves:

Novice: Tackle, Aromatic Mist, Decorate

Description: Alcremie the Cream Pokémon. Alcremie’s rich, velvety cream is said to bring happiness to those who taste it. When feeling joyful, it spins rapidly, whipping its cream into a dazzling display.

Alex noticed that she was missing Sweet Kiss and Sweet Scent. She had likely evolved immediately after hatching. He would have to visit someone to help her remember these moves, but it wasn’t much of a problem.

‘There should be one here in the city. I’ll check it out tomorrow,’ Alex thought.

“You’ll be responsible for attacking incoming enemies and supporting your teammates. You shouldn’t have to take a hit, but it may still happen. Is that okay?” Alex asked to confirm.

“Alcre!” she nodded before handing him another dollop of matcha-flavored cream.

He smiled, took it, and ate it, then smiled even more. He wasn’t an idiot—he would have to keep doing this for the rest of his life if he didn’t want to upset her.

No, he wasn’t going to go through this alone. He was going to share the love.

So, he called her teammates over and firmly instructed them never to hurt her feelings. She happily handed each of them a dollop of cream, watching their convincingly enthusiastic smiles. Satisfied, she eagerly agreed to team up.

They were in for a rough ride as a team. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem moving forward.

The next member of the team was Honedge but it was still an egg so he stuffed it with Dusk Stone powder and Metal Coat shavings. That should be it for his new Pokemon.

Now it was time to learn some moves, so Alex corralled Pineco, Swablu, and Alcremie to the TM station, where he had them learn every move they could possibly acquire at their current evolution.

During the process, Raticate stood to the side, nodding sagely. Growlithe said a silent prayer, Clauncher watched on in dread, and Rotom didn’t care.

Growlithe could feel his evolution point nearing. The desire for greater strength was growing. Once it reached a tipping point, he would ask for the Fire Stone and have to go through this process again.

Clauncher estimated that it wouldn’t take more than three months to reach her evolution. She could feel it—and she dreaded it.

Rotom, similar to Raticate, was done as well. It never needed to learn new moves, only practice the ones it already had. No need to overexert itself. It was just a backup. However, it did notice that it could process data better, so it might put a bit more effort into practicing moves. Just a bit.

The three in question, however, were thrown for a loop. They had to experience and memorize over twenty moves each. It was a lot. It was too much.

As they stumbled over each other, they realized that being trained was hard. On just the first day, they had learned this much. Now they were being told to practice all of them one by one. It was terrifying.

The peanut gallery, however, watched and nodded in understanding. The young ones must learn the way of Alex—the way of moves, the way of energy, and the way of juggling everything in their minds, bodies, and souls. Such is the way.

After the infusion of knowledge, Alex guided them to get all their moves to Basic. This would ensure flexibility when needed. He would only focus on a specific move set once all moves reached Basic—except for Raticate. Raticate needed all his moves to reach Advanced because his flexibility was the key to his success.

As for future training, Pineco would focus on Stealth Rock, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Rapid Spin, rotating through these four moves until he passed out—like his life depended on it, because it would. Once all four reached Advanced, he would shift focus to Rollout, Gravity, Earthquake, and other moves.

Swablu would prioritize Defog, Roost, Mist, Safeguard, Tailwind, and Dragon Cheer in that order, emphasizing utility, sustain, and then buffs.

Alcremie would concentrate on Decorate, Dazzling Gleam, Misty Terrain, and Calm Mind.

Once Honedge came out, learned its moves, and got everything to Basic, it would train in Shadow Sneak, Night Slash, Psycho Cut, and Swords Dance.

Finally, Snom would focus on Icy Wind, and upon evolving into Frosmoth, it would begin training in Aurora Veil, Wide Guard, Mist, and Tailwind.

That would sum up Alex’s schedule for the next two years until he graduated and began his journey. For now, he had to return to the grind—school during the day, Fighting Dojo at night. It was tiring, but that was life.

He thought about what else he might be overlooking and immediately zeroed in on a problem. He had spent a million Pokédollars to ensure that each of his four Pokémon—and himself—had premium-quality nutrition for the next 20 days. Now, he would have to do the same for the other five, spending another million for just 20 days. This wasn’t sustainable, so Alex planned to stop after that.

Speaking of money, he checked his account—and was shocked. He only had 22 million left. Thirteen million had vanished in a single day, and by tomorrow, he would need to spend another million.

Up until now, he had spent everything he earned before the day was over, barely breaking even. If this continued, they wouldn’t last long. He had to find a solution—and fast.

Chapter 42: Chapter 42. New Profession

Later that night as Alex was having dinner with Jenny, he asked how trainers managed to make enough money to train their Pokémon while ensuring they had access to the best resources. She simply laughed.

“I truly admire your dedication to training your Pokémon, Alex. Your job at the Dojo is on the upper end when it comes to acquiring resources, yet you spend every single Pokédollar on food,” Jenny said.

“Arcanine has been getting jealous of the treatment, and he’s specifically noticed that Raticate and Growlithe have already caught up to him in rank. I’ve had to buy premium goods for my own Pokemon for a few days while starting up on training them again,” she continued with a sigh.

"Trainers typically don’t have a full team until they’ve traveled all over Kanto, collected badges, spoils, resources, and gained access to better League missions. That’s where most of their money comes from while nutrition comes from their spoils.”

"League missions range from taking down Elite-ranked Pokémon rampaging in the wild, retrieving valuable resources that are being protected, gathering intelligence for the League, taking down criminals, and following League directives. All of these have substantial payouts.”

"How do you think your parents' money still added up to a million otherwise? They were paid handsomely for answering the League’s call in defending the city.”

"The way you’ve been living, Alex, makes it seem like you’re part of the top 1%. You’ve been spending 5,000 to 15,000 Pokédollars per day ever since you joined the Fighting Dojo, and your progress has been phenomenal. But now, you’re treating all your Pokémon to 10,000 Pokédollars' worth of premium food every day for each one? That’s extravagant and unsustainable."

"Why have you never told me?" Alex finally asked after shaking off his bewilderment.

"You’ve managed just fine over the past two years. You even earned us millions on top of that. I’d say you’re doing a fine job—better than most in your situation. That’s why I never said anything. Whatever you’ve been doing has been working."

"Back to your original question, there are a few options to maintain your daily expenditure of 100,000 Pokédollars daily."

"You could keep writing papers for the League’s benefit until they grant you higher security clearance and start getting grants, start a business that rakes in millions per week, or—what you’ve secretly been doing—catching criminals and taking their money," Jenny said, giving Alex an accusatory look.

Of course, she knew about the stolen money from the man, the director, and the drug den. Jenny had been covering for him because she knew he was getting desperate. It had worked out well enough in the end.

"You knew," Alex said somberly.

"Of course I knew. Arcanine has been tracking the scent of the stolen money back to you and has been trying to cover for you, you know."

"Sorry," Alex apologized sincerely.

"It’s not good, but it’s not really harming anyone—except the League, which has more than enough money to cover for you. It’s also why Sabrina didn’t call you out over the director’s case. She’s secretly nice like that."

"This is why I’d like to suggest you join the police force and officially hunt criminals. That way, you can collect listed bounties without the police dipping into your pockets. You’d still get taxed, but you could either raid the place yourself or hand over the intel to the relevant authorities, which is the most common approach. If you do that, you’d get 30% of the bounty rather than the 10% finder’s fee for civilians."

"You can do that?" Alex asked, shocked.

"Once you graduate from the Pokémon Academy, you can enter a one-year training program at the Police Academy to gain official law enforcement status. After that, you can take a test to qualify as a Bounty Hunter. They specialize in hunting down criminals as bounties posted by the League, the police, and the private sector."

"These bounties are considered official and are extensively vetted to ensure they’re legally justified. On top of that, your new status would grant you security clearance for special Pokémon, rare resources, and enhanced access and capabilities for your Rotom.”

“This police career path is also why we don’t have competent officers patrolling the streets—they’re too strong to waste on routine patrols who make little, so they choose to become bounty hunters instead. It was the police’s desperate effort to keep trainers targeted at criminals rather than just Pokemon to hunt"

That was right up Alex’s alley. Freedom. Power. Violence. Unfortunately, he was woefully unprepared for the intelligence-gathering aspect of the job.

"Why haven’t you told me before?"

"You weren’t ready. If you had joined earlier, you would’ve become a regular cop with just Growlithe and Raticate. But now, you have nine Pokémon and enough money to accelerate their growth. Once they go through the academy’s special training regimen, you can be sure they’ll have your back."

"What’s so special about the academy? The Pokémon Academy just teaches general knowledge, and I’m already a year ahead—I only rely on their discounts to save money. The Dojo provides physical combat training for both trainers and Pokémon, plus perks like early access to wild Pokémon. What could I possibly learn from the Police Academy?"

"First, they teach you the laws you’ll have to follow across all regions. Second, they train Pokémon to fight as a team. Third, they teach Pokémon how to track criminals. Fourth, they teach trainers to use their heads. Fifth, they provide self-defense training—not that you need it.

"Don’t expect the high-level battles you experience at the gym or school, nor any secret tricks for using moves—you can find those online. That’s why police officers who graduate from the academy are considered weak, and they know it. But if you give them enough specially trained Pokémon, that’s when they’ll truly shine."
Jenny kept pitching the idea to Alex, though he was already fully on board with the program. He was growing bored with his classes and planned to test out of them, allowing him to move to his final year by next year.

Next, he decided to take a break from the Dojo to focus on personally training his team. With two baby Pokémon on the way and Snom requiring high friendship to evolve, most of his time would be consumed by their development.

The next day, he spent another million Pokédollars on premium goods and got Alcremie her two missing moves. She wasn’t thrilled about adding more techniques to her already full arsenal, but she complied in exchange for a dollop of matcha cream in his coffee.

Alex then went to school to request testing out of the rest of the year, as well as the following year. If approved, he would enter his fourth year as a senior once the new school year started. The school accepted his request, scheduling all his exams on a single day to ensure he was competent in each subject.

Afterward, he visited the Fighting Dojo to inform the receptionist that he would be taking a four-month leave to raise new Pokémon. They accepted his request without issue and wished him luck—raising five new Pokémon was no small feat.

Alex spent the following week reviewing and studying for his exams. By the end of the week, he had completed them all with high scores, officially skipping the remaining four months of the current year and advancing a full grade level.

The school had little hesitation in approving his request, given his high academic performance, his clear boredom in class, his outstanding battle record in the arena, his excessive spending, and his widely popular research paper—still a hot topic among breeders and psychologists.

With four months secured, Alex devoted himself to raising his new Pokémon to fighting potential, hoping that the Dojo would accept their unique battle styles and integrate them into its regular battlegrounds. If that happened, he could recoup some of the financial losses he was about to incur over the next 19 days.

A month into training, Snom and Honedge hatched. Snom was adorable and affectionate, while Honedge wouldn’t stop practicing its moves—no complaints there.

Both Pokémon accepted their "baptism" of moves before moving on to proficiency training.

To evolve Snom as quickly as possible, Raticate temporarily gave up its usual spot on Alex’s arms, allowing Snom to take its place. With the premium resources Alex provided—especially the EV-reducing berries that also boosted friendship—evolution shouldn’t take long. To further accelerate Snom’s growth, Alex prepared a specialized bed of Ice Stone powder and Silver Powder.

By the end of the four-month training period, Clauncher had evolved into Clawitzer, Pineco had evolved into Forretress, and Snom had successfully become Frosmoth.

The only ones left unevolved were Growlithe—who had been growing envious—Swablu, who was taking her time, and Honedge, whose evolution timeline was expected to match Swablu’s. They’re expected to evolve by the time the new school semester begins.

Alex was excited to return to the Dojo, eager to unleash the chaos his newly trained team would bring.

Chapter 43: Chapter 43. New Battlegrounds

The first day of summer vacation was when Alex decided to take all his Pokémon to the Fighting Dojo for some experience. He didn’t expect all of them to get a battle, but at least a few had interesting combat styles that might catch the floor coordinator’s attention.

Alex entered the building, greeted Laura, the receptionist, and declared that he was back for business. She smiled at his antics before shooing him off to the second floor.

There, he met the floor coordinator, who was happy to see him again after four months.

“Alex, good to see you back. Ready for your usual spot?” the coordinator greeted him.

“Good to be back, Ruan. Actually, I wanted to give some experience to my new Pokémon. They need some breaking in, and I made sure to include a scenario similar to Raticate’s, who had restrictions,” Alex explained.

“Sounds interesting. Drop Raticate and Growlithe at their battlegrounds first before you show me your new setup.”

“Sure. Let’s drop Raticate first.”

Raticate’s progress had slowed down. It was becoming painfully obvious that he was starting to stagnate, even when showered with resources. But neither Alex nor Raticate let that bother them. Their goal wasn’t to rank Raticate up but to improve his move proficiency, and in that regard, he was doing fine.

Raticate had declared that he was starting to get the hang of a more powerful Shadow Ball. He just needed more practice.

To better reflect Raticate’s strengths, Alex adjusted his EVs. No focus on defense—only damage dealt. He maxed out Raticate’s Attack and Special Attack, making his fights more interesting. He still held onto Focus Sash though just in case.

Raticate took his position just as his regular opponent stepped up—an Expert-ranked Pangoro with Mold Breaker. A menace to defensive Pokémon.

The two squared up for a moment before—Bang!—they collided at high speed. Raticate unleashed Quick Attack, but Pangoro countered with Quick Guard, bouncing Raticate back.

Pangoro lifted her foot, brown energy glowing around it, and stomped the ground. Earthquake. Shockwaves spread outward, shaking the battlefield. But before the attack could reach him, Raticate had already dashed upward with Quick Attack, slashing Pangoro across the face as he leaped away from the tremor.

Pangoro looked up and unleashed a Dark Pulse, aiming straight for Raticate. But once again, Raticate dodged with Quick Attack—this time, a bit too far away. He landed on the opposite side of the field, already preparing a glowing purple Sludge Bomb.

Pangoro wasted no time. She charged a full-powered Hyper Beam, silver energy shining from her mouth. The beam tore through the air, consuming the incoming Sludge Bomb before slamming into Raticate.

Both Pokémon were now slightly injured. But only one could still move.

Raticate, recovering faster, fired a Hyper Beam of his own at the defenseless, slower Pangoro. It was a guaranteed hit.

Bang!

Pangoro was launched across the battleground, landing near the opposite side with massive damage.

Meanwhile, Raticate was completely vulnerable, catching his breath after using Hyper Beam.

This gave Pangoro the perfect opportunity.

Lifting her foot once more, brown energy surging around it, she slammed it down. Earthquake. This time, the shockwave was far stronger than before.

Alex’s eyes widened. That was an Advanced-ranked Earthquake. The sheer force of the attack shook the battlefield.

Raticate had no way to dodge. He had assumed Pangoro’s Earthquake wouldn’t be strong enough to knock him out. That miscalculation cost him.

The ground erupted beneath him, sending tremors through his body. The damage was overwhelming. Raticate fainted.

Alex sighed, retrieving Raticate into his Poké Ball. After four months of training, Raticate would probably be upset about losing.

“Congratulations, Kael,” Alex said with a smile. “Your Pangoro reached Advanced rank on Earthquake.”

Kael laughed. “Hahaha! Thanks. She actually upgraded it three months ago, but when she heard her rival was out training, she kept at it until she could fully control it. Why don’t you heal him up? Pangoro is still itching for a fight.”

“Alright. Give me a few minutes.”

A short while later, Raticate was fully healed. Before sending him back into battle, Alex decided to give him some advice.

“You know why you lost, right?”

“Rati.” Raticate nodded.

“Good. You’re a hit-and-run specialist. You’ll never be as strong as most Pokémon. Thinking you can overpower your opponents is a mistake. Always be cautious. Always be prepared. Never let your guard down. You assumed Pangoro’s Earthquake wasn’t strong enough, and that’s why you lost. Learn from it. Get smarter, not stronger. Trust your instincts, not your ego. Got it?”

“Rati.” This time, Raticate’s eyes shone with determination.

He was a filthy sewer rat. He should fight like one.

Lately, he had been jealous of Growlithe, who was destined for greatness, while he skulked in the shadows. But instead of resenting it, he needed to own it.

“Raticate!” he replied with excitement.

Alex smirked. “Good. Now go learn from your mistakes. She isn’t even tired from that battle.”

“Rati.”

Raticate dashed back to the battleground, ready for round two.

Meanwhile, Alex turned toward Growlithe’s usual spot.

He had something special in mind for his Growlithe, considering his plan to build an attack squad. He needed a centerpiece—one that would rampage across the battlefield, devastating everything in its wake.

Arcanine would be that centerpiece, ensuring destruction, but to achieve this, Growlithe needed to be trained to both take and return hits. His current build focused on Defense and Special Defense, supported by Leftovers.

Alex released Growlithe, and one of his regular opponents arrived—the Hitmonlee that had repeatedly sent Growlithe flying in previous battles. Both Pokémon were now at the lower end of Expert rank.

"Before we get started, I have an interesting proposition," Alex began as he released Clawitzer. "Both Pokémon are not allowed to retreat or create distance. They must fight with everything they have. However, each time a Pokémon is healed by Clawitzer, its opponent gains a point. The winner is the one with the most points after five minutes."

"What if your Clawitzer cheats?" Ruan asked.

"Her pride is on the line. She’s quite proud of her ability to assess health accurately. Besides, does it really matter who wins or loses?" Alex said as he gently stroked Clawitzer’s claw.

"What do you think, Charles?" Ruan asked Hitmonlee’s trainer.

"Worth trying out, at least. It should toughen them up," Charles replied.

"Exactly my thoughts." Alex said.

"Good. Let’s see how it works."

Both Pokémon entered the battlegrounds while Clawitzer stood off to the side, ready to fire Heal Pulses. Clawitzer had recently evolved, so she still didn’t have advanced-ranked moves. However, she was now able to learn all possible moves, which she both hated and loved with equal passion. This was her new status with her focused moves.

Name: Clawitzer, Adept

Type: Water, Female

Ability: Mega Launcher

Moves:

Basic: Aura Sphere, Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, Heal Pulse, Terrain Pulse, Water Pulse, Aqua Jet, Flip Turn, Surf, Rock Slide, Sludge Wave, Blizzard, Protect

Description: Clawitzer, the Howitzer Pokémon, is a Water-type known for its massive claw, which functions like a high-powered cannon. It can shoot jets of water with enough force to pierce steel, using its specialized appendage for both hunting and combat. Its powerful shots allow it to overwhelm opponents with precision and force.

She was now quite a bit larger at 4 feet (1.22 m). Her EVs were maxed for Special Attack and Speed. She was quite the accurate shooter, able to land consistent hits on her practice target. Overall, she had bloomed and was now ready to be a very annoying combat medic.

At the battlegrounds, no signal was given. Hitmonlee immediately used Taunt, dark-type energy surrounding his form and sealing away Growlithe’s ability to use Charm or Will-O-Wisp. However, Growlithe charged in with Flame Charge, his body bursting into flames as he bolted toward Hitmonlee, while gaining a stack of Speed.

Now, Growlithe was faster. He followed up with Play Rough, his body glowing pink as he lunged at Hitmonlee to finish the fight. But just before the attack landed, a darker pink glow enveloped Hitmonlee, healing him to full health. That was one point for Growlithe. He tackled Hitmonlee and bit randomly before the energy of Play Rough dissipated.

Hitmonlee, now glowing with orange energy, countered with Reversal—delivering a massive blow with a double hammer fist. Growlithe took significant damage but was immediately healed by Clawitzer’s Heal Pulse.

Charles, realizing Growlithe’s strategy of lowering Hitmonlee’s Attack with Play Rough, wised up and adjusted his tactics.

"Use Swords Dance first. Get your Attack up."

Growlithe, hearing the strategy, settled on a countermeasure. He opened his mouth, Fire-type energy bubbling up before releasing Fire Blast, hoping to land a burn.

Fortunately for him, it worked. Just as Hitmonlee’s Attack rose by two stages, the burn halved his power. On top of that, Clawitzer healed him again—giving Growlithe more points.

As the dark energy faded from Growlithe’s body, signaling the end of Taunt’s effect, he immediately used Charm. A pink aura radiated from him as he made an adorable expression, further lowering Hitmonlee’s Attack.

Recognizing the stalemate, Hitmonlee used Taunt again, locking Growlithe out of using Charm once more.

Growlithe responded with Fire Spin, aiming to rack up as much damage as possible. Meanwhile, Hitmonlee used Swords Dance again, only to receive yet another Heal Pulse.

Charles was growing frustrated. He finally understood the challenge of this mode—it forced Pokémon to deal as much damage as possible while managing status effects. It was a brutal endurance test.

“Mud-Slap! Blind it!” Charles ordered.

Growlithe quickly used Dig, narrowly avoiding a face full of mud.

“Stomping Tantrum! End it in one!” Charles shouted, getting caught up in the moment.

Hitmonlee glowed brown with ground-type energy and lifted his leg. Just as Growlithe burst from the ground in an explosion of dirt and rock, Hitmonlee stomped down repeatedly, unleashing a powerful, devastating attack. The impact not only countered Growlithe’s Dig but also knocked him out in the process.

Growlithe had fought well, lasting longer than expected, but he was simply too weak to keep up.

As he fainted, however, a spark of determination burned in his heart. He was ready.

Chapter 44: Chapter 44. New Battlegrounds 2

Alex thought Growlithe had fought well. He was still just a puppy, after all, and he had been battling fully evolved Pokémon. There was no further advice to give. He was simply limited by his movepool and stats. That would change once he evolved, which might happen when he started bounty hunting.

Alex recalled Growlithe and had him revived at the healing station. On his way back to his designated battleground, Growlithe suddenly popped out of his Poké Ball and barked excitedly at Alex.

"Grau, Grau, Growlithe!"

"Are you sure?"

"Grau!"

"Alright!"

With excitement, Alex took out the Fire Stone he had prepared for Growlithe’s evolution and handed it over. Growlithe simply held it in his mouth.

A burst of fiery energy erupted from the Fire Stone, engulfing Growlithe as a brilliant white light replaced the fiery glow on Growlithe’s frame. He was evolving.

The light expanded and morphed into the shape of a 6'3" (1.91m) Arcanine. As it receded, Arcanine stood in all his splendor, his proud expression ready for battle.

Suddenly, he burst into a sprint with Extreme Speed, landing back at the battleground, eager for round two. Meanwhile, Alex was busy recording Arcanine’s new stats.

Name: Arcanine, Expert

Type: Fire, Male

Ability: Justified

Moves:

Novice: Extreme Speed

Advanced: Morning Sun (+25% Heal)

Description: Arcanine the Legendary Pokémon. Arcanine is known for its incredible speed and majestic presence. It can run over 6,200 miles in a single day, its blazing mane flowing as it dashes with grace. Revered for its loyalty and power, many cultures see it as a symbol of bravery.

Arcanine was currently focused on improving his proficiency with Heat Wave while having maxed EVs in Defense and Special Defense. This setup allowed him to rampage across the battlefield while maintaining the option to heal himself. With the AOE (area of effect) of Heat Wave, he could deal significant damage to multiple opponents.

Alex arrived at the battlegrounds just in time to witness Hitmonlee getting one-shotted with Play Rough from Arcanine. Even Charles, Hitmonlee’s trainer, hadn't seen it coming. He had assumed Hitmonlee would at least survive one hit.

The power difference was undeniable, drawing the attention of other gym trainers. Many had initially dismissed Growlithe as an unworthy challenge, but now that he had evolved, they saw Arcanine as the perfect sparring partner for their Expert-ranked Pokémon, similar to Raticate a long time ago.

“Hahaha! Finally, a real challenge. I’ve been wanting to try out this new battleground,” said Joe, the gym trainer who had first introduced Alex to the Fighting Gym. He released his Machamp with a confident grin.

“Machaaamp!”

“Arc! Arc!”

The two Pokémon greeted each other before charging forward, unleashing attacks in rapid succession. Play Rough, Counter, Heal Pulse, Heat Wave, Brick Break, Heal Pulse, Morning Sun, Low Sweep, Heal Pulse…

Their battle continued relentlessly. Five minutes later, both combatants were stopped, and the winner was revealed, Arcanine. He had been periodically using Morning Sun to heal himself, but only enough to allow Clawitzer to keep up with its own healing support. As a result, Arcanine received less overall healing throughout the fight.

The battle was fast-paced, with occasional missed attacks. Machamp would slap aside Arcanine’s strikes, while Arcanine skillfully circled around to avoid being struck by all four of Machamp’s arms.

This was exactly the kind of training Alex had envisioned for Growlithe: a continuous, close-range brawl that forced him to learn how to maximize damage while minimizing incoming blows.

Alex glanced at Ruan, who gave him a confirming nod. The new battleground was an undeniable improvement over the old one and would be officially accepted. Ruan suggested removing the scoring system and implementing a five-minute time limit per challenger to ensure proper rotations.

This battleground was soon dubbed "The Sandbag." It was a place where challengers could test their offensive skills by trying to deal as much damage to Arcanine as possible while avoiding damage themselves.

It was a perfect environment for non-stop combat, eliminating the need for frequent trips to a healing station since a personal healer was on standby.

Arcanine would have all the battle experience he could possibly want for the entire day. Given his heightened energy levels, it was the perfect way to put them to good use.

Alex left the battleground with Ruan as he began explaining his next idea. It was a battleground designed specifically for Forretress. The concept was simple: a one-on-one fight against Forretress, with the gimmick being terrain restrictions. The battlefield would be completely covered with hazards set up by Forretress, making movement a challenge for both Pokémon.

Charles volunteered to try it out, realizing that his Hitmonlee would never be able to challenge Arcanine again. He needed a new training method for Hitmonlee, but unfortunately, Forretress was too low-leveled to provide a meaningful fight. Instead, he chose his Hawlucha, which was only slightly stronger than Forretress.

Forretress began setting up the battlefield, and Charles quickly grew pale. Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes covered the entire arena. Not just the opponent’s side, but the entire field. This kind of hazard placement was usually avoided to prevent harming a trainer’s own Pokémon, but Forretress could handle it without issue.

Once the setup was complete, Forretress took its position on one side of the battlefield, while Hawlucha was already in place at the other.

“Fly and get close to avoid the hazards,” Charles commanded.

Alex remained silent. He had drilled a basic routine into Forretress so that he wouldn’t have to oversee the battles himself. His only responsibility would be reviving and healing Forretress when it lost.

As Hawlucha soared high into the air, Forretress began glowing dark pink and released a pulse of energy. The Gravity move took effect, suddenly increasing the gravitational force in the area. Hawlucha plummeted from the sky, hitting a Stealth Rock along the way. It exploded on impact and dealt significant damage.

Still determined, Hawlucha charged forward, aiming to finish the fight in one blow with Fire Punch, knowing Forretress was incredibly weak to Fire type moves.

Unfortunately, as it dashed in, it landed on Toxic Spikes, poisoning it instantly. Then, it ran over Spikes, taking even more damage. By the time it reached Forretress, it was already on the verge of fainting.

Forretress responded with a Heavy Slam, its steel body crushing down on the weakened Hawlucha. Although Hawlucha managed to land a devastating Fire Punch in return, the attack wasn’t strong enough to bring Forretress down. The sheer difference in weight caused Hawlucha to be sent flying backward, knocked out from the impact.

Ruan remained skeptical about this new battleground. It was too one-sided against challengers. Opponents would have to wade through traps, only to be sent flying back before even landing a proper hit. Perhaps it would be better to train Pokémon to navigate the hazards without interference from Forretress.

Then again, they were all Fighting type specialists. A single strong hit was usually enough to turn the tide of battle. It was worth giving the battleground a trial run to see if any adjustments to the rules were necessary.

Having been given a trial period, Alex was excited. Forretress trained like a madman to get all his important moves to Basic and even more on the hazard setting moves.

Name: Forretress, Adept

Type: Bug Steel, Male

Ability: Sturdy

Moves:

Basic: Stealth Rock, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Rapid Spin, Rollout, Gravity, Earthquake, Body Press, Heavy Slam, Iron Defense, Pain Split, Reflect, Light Screen…

Description: Forretress the Bagworm Pokémon. Forretress hides within its steel-hard shell, only revealing itself when launching rapid-fire spikes at threats. It remains motionless in forests, camouflaged as part of the environment, but will swiftly counter any disturbance with a barrage of hazards. Its shell is so tough that not even explosive force can crack it.

He was quite difficult to train at first because Clauncher kept distracting him, but once he was reminded that strength would impress Clauncher, he immediately put in the work and managed to evolve a few months later.

Clauncher, misunderstanding Pineco’s effort, worked just as hard and finally evolved a month later. Since then, they have been competing in move mastery.

Forretress' EVs were set to Special Defense and Speed to give it a fighting chance against most Pokémon.

Alex was quite proud of his Forretress and Clawitzer but had some concerns about his lovely Frosmoth. She had a secret crush on Forretress, admiring his hard work and growing strength.

Since both were in the Bug Egg Group, Alex would gladly support their relationship. However, there was a problem. Forretress was in love with Clawitzer, who belonged to a different Egg Group. Frosmoth was aware of this but hadn’t given up. Motivated by her feelings, she began training seriously and even managed to evolve, yet Forretress remained oblivious.

He only saw her as another hard working teammate.

Meanwhile, Alex had a headache. He could easily guide his Pokémon in battle, but romance? That was beyond him. He would never force them into a relationship. They had to figure that out themselves. He wasn’t a breeder, after all.

‘Maybe I should find a breeder or consultant for advice?’ Alex thought as he dragged Ruan to his final battleground.

Chapter 45: Chapter 45. New Battlegrounds 3

This battleground had a straightforward concept: a continuous rotation of three Pokémon. When one was on the verge of losing, it would be swapped out to rest while the next Pokémon took its place. This setup required Alex’s direct involvement, splitting his attention between this battleground and Forretress’s hazard-filled arena.

The three Pokémon in rotation were Swablu, Frosmoth, and Alcremie, all specializing in kiting strategies—avoiding direct confrontation while chipping away at their opponent. This battleground was designed to teach Pokémon how to efficiently close the gap and counter evasive opponents, improving their ability to chase down foes who refused to engage head-on.

Intrigued, Ruan asked a random Gym trainer to give it a try. The trainer simply tossed out a Hitmonchan, one of his weaker Pokémon that usually filled in for sparring with his main team. It had Mach Punch and Bullet Punch, ensuring it could close in on evasive opponents.

Alex released Swablu, who hopped around excitedly for her first official battle. She had sparred with the others before, but those matches didn’t count—they were just for fun, after all.

Swablu and Hitmonchan squared up before the latter suddenly burst forward at extreme speed. Swablu had only just begun preparing a move when Hitmonchan closed the gap and threw a solid Bullet Punch. However, he only managed to graze her as she used Acrobatics to dodge while simultaneously putting distance between them.

Honestly, dodging Raticate had been harder. He always managed to land a Quick Attack on her no matter how she tried to evade. It was frustrating.

This Hitmonchan, though? He was only okay. He had managed to graze her, but she would adjust. Those hands were pure evil—she had learned that firsthand while sparring with Alex. They were too much. A little was okay, but too much was too much.

Swablu continued flying toward the edge of the battleground before circling high above, staying well out of Hitmonchan’s reach. He slowly gave chase, trying to bring her within range of his priority moves.

The trainer grew frustrated. Fighting against such an evasive strategy was simply annoying for a Fighting-type specialist.

“Rock Slide!” he commanded.

Hitmonchan responded by punching out dark brown Rock-type energy, releasing a Rock Slide that rained down on Swablu from above. She dove, falling with the rocks before pulling up at the last moment to recover, regaining her lost altitude before continuing her evasive flight.

As she escaped, she occasionally tossed out moves—Mist, Safeguard, Tailwind, Dragon Cheer, Agility, Swift, and Hurricane—while Hitmonchan persistently chased, repeatedly using Rock Slide. Whenever she got too close, he would use Bullet Punch to close the distance, forcing her to evade with Acrobatics or Aerial Ace.

The frustration only grew until Swablu, after being continuously grazed by Bullet Punch or a stray rock from Rock Slide, finally ran out of health. Alex withdrew her and immediately tossed out Frosmoth—who did the exact same thing. Fly away, build buffs, and keep the fight at a frustrating distance.

Swablu was immediately released and made to use Rest as Forsmoth began her dance in the air.

Name: Frosmoth, Adept

Type: Ice Bug Female

Ability: Ice Scales

Moves:

Basic: Aurora Veil, Wide Guard, Mist, Tailwind, Dazzling Gleam, U-Turn, Leech Life, Bug Buzz, Acrobatics, Blizzard, Calm Mind...

Description: Frosmoth the Frost Moth Pokémon. Frosmoth flutters through icy winds, coating its surroundings in a shimmering frost. It fiercely protects the snow-covered lands it calls home, freezing anything that threatens its territory.

She had grown admirably since she hatched—it was a noticeable improvement.

The battle played out exactly the same as before. Frosmoth evaded attacks with Acrobatics and Leech Life, built up defenses with Aurora Veil, Calm Mind, and Mist, and retaliated with Giga Drain, Air Slash, Bug Buzz, Blizzard, and more.

The fight continued until Hitmonchan finally grew tired and was replaced with Sawk—a rare Fighting-type Pokémon in Kanto. It was blue and wore a gi similar to the ones worn by everyone else in the Fighting Dojo.

The battle proceeded much like before, except this new opponent lacked priority moves. Instead, Sawk relied on Rock Slide to ground Frosmoth before closing the distance and repeating the process. Eventually, it landed a lucky hit, forcing Frosmoth to use U-Turn and return to its Poké Ball. With no other choice, Alex sent out Alcremie.

The trainer, delighted to finally face an opponent stuck on the ground like the rest, had no idea she would be the most difficult challenge yet.

“Earthquake!” he commanded eagerly.

Sawk stomped the ground, sending a shockwave toward Alcremie, dealing significant damage. In response, Alcremie shrouded herself in a purple sheen, using Acid Armor.

Sawk stomped again, sending another Earthquake her way, but the damage was noticeably reduced. Another layer of Acid Armor had already stacked.

Realizing his attacks were becoming ineffective, the trainer quickly shouted, “Taunt! Stop her from stacking another layer!”

Sawk used Taunt, but it had no effect—Alcremie’s Aroma Veil made her immune.

Taking advantage of the moment, Alcremie used Draining Kiss. A pink heart-shaped energy shot toward Sawk, draining its energy before returning to her, restoring her health.

The battle was over. There was no way Alcremie would run out of health before Sawk could land a decisive blow. Eventually, Sawk collapsed from repeated Draining Kisses, while Alcremie never moved from her spot.

“I thought you said they’d all try to escape?”

“Sawk didn’t try to close in. She would’ve run if that were the case.”

“I’ll accept the new battleground, but you need to remove Alcremie,” Ruan explained. “We already train against Flying-types to build resistance, so that part isn’t new. But Alcremie is just too much for most Fighting-types. Stacking armor while repeatedly draining health doesn’t teach our Pokémon anything except how to suffer a guaranteed loss.”

“Okay,” Alex replied, withdrawing Alcremie as Swablu fluttered back onto the battleground.

It was unfortunate for Alex and Alcremie that she wouldn’t have a chance to train herself, but it couldn’t be helped. She was simply too strong against Fighting-types, and there was no way to stop her from stacking Acid Armor.

In the end, Alex had to focus on overseeing Forretress’s battle, as he kept getting knocked out, while Swablu and Frosmoth managed to sustain themselves by alternating between using Haze and Rest. A new rule was added to allow them to escape battle in order to switch.

Overall, the integration of the new battleground into the Fighting Dojo was a success. The only Pokémon barred from participating were Alcremie, due to her overwhelming advantage, and Honedge and Rotom, as they were immune to Fighting-type moves.

Alex continued managing the battlegrounds for the next four hours while overseeing Raticate’s and Forretress’s fights. Arcanine and Clawitzer never fainted due to timely healing, while Swablu and Frosmoth avoided immediate defeat with their careful evasive strategy. When they were down to a single hit, their partner would enter the battle while the one on the field retreated to use Haze and Rest to reset.

Alex eventually stopped all the fights to give the Pokémon an hour’s rest while they enjoyed their expensive snacks.

Meanwhile, Alex went downstairs for a spar of his own.

Lately, he had been growing taller—his growth spurt had arrived, and it was quite significant. At 14 years old, he currently stood at 5'4" (1.63 m). He wasn’t the tallest around, but then again, neither were his parents; his father was 5’8” (1.73 m), and his mother was 5’6” (1.68 m).

Genetically speaking, he was supposed to inherit his father’s scrawny physique and his mother’s height, but a steady diet of high ranked Pokémon meat and regular exercise have boosted his growth, making it possible for him to reach 6' (1.83m) in the future.

This had made him taller than Hitmonchan, his regular sparring partner, which in turn made their matches more challenging—especially given the Pokémon’s smaller stature relative to its impressive punching power.

So, Alex decided to seek out new opponents by choosing a battleground and waiting for challengers.

Surprisingly, none of the fighters passing by even dared to meet his gaze.

Alex was surprised by this, considering plenty of people walking around had a greater physique than his own.

There were fighters who were faster, stronger, or both. Surely, someone here would be willing to spar with him.

Yet, after ten minutes without a single taker, Alex gave up and picked a fight with a Machamp instead. He didn’t have time to waste just standing around, and if nothing else, a Machamp seemed like a good way to take a beating.

For the next fifty minutes, that’s exactly what happened.

The greatest challenge in fighting Machamp was its extra arms. Two would guard against his strikes, while the other two punished him the moment he stepped into range. His only real strategy was targeting its legs to deal any practical damage, but it was useless.

He was fighting a Pokémon, after all. Their natural defenses were top-notch unless type energy was involved.

Meanwhile, Alex was covered in bruises across his face, shoulders, arms, and chest. Machamp never bothered kicking—it would risk losing its balance. Alex would have capitalized on that, too, if given the chance.

Grappling or taking Machamp down was just as impossible. It used its lower arms to prop itself up, its upper arms to block, and then pushed itself upright while counterattacking in the same motion. Fighting Machamp as a human, with only fists, was a losing battle.

After healing with a potion, Alex was stopped by the floor coordinator on his way back up to the second floor.

“Hey, sorry no one wanted to spar with you. It’s just that you’ve built a brutal reputation by constantly fighting that Hitmonchan. Every time you spar, you come out of it half-dead, and that scares the regulars. They just want a casual match, not a life-or-death battle. Don’t take it too hard—they don’t mean to shun you,” the man kindly explained before returning to his desk.

Alex merely shrugged. The man had a point. He did want a life-or-death fight, and it showed—every time he stepped out of a brutal match, covered in blood, cuts, bruises, and swelling.

The convenience of potions had redefined sparring for Alex. If he didn’t at least get blood on his gi, he hadn’t fought hard enough.

Chapter 46: Chapter 46. Back to School

Alex, having situated most of his Pokémon in the Fighting Dojo, continued his new routine for the next two months while leaving Rotom, Alcremie, and Honedge to defend the house and work on improving move efficiency.

They simply wasted their time at the dojo, so having them train at their own pace wasn’t a bad idea.

Rotom was not happy about the arrangement, so Alex bought it games to play on the PC. The PC was a top-of-the-line gaming unit Alex had bought for Rotom anyway. He had planned on using Rotom as a hacker in the future until he found out how strict the training was for the Rotoms the League sold. Now, he would have to wait until the League granted him security clearance and allowed Rotom to legally use hacking software.

The rest of his Pokémon were subjected to continuous high-intensity training, supported by six million Pokédollars' worth of premium goods. Now, Alex’s savings were down to fifteen million.

Alex had considered cheaping out and just buying pseudo-legendaries, but that would have been a dick move. He would never prioritize the future over the present—they were his babies, after all.

Over the next two months, their progress skyrocketed like never before. Clawitzer managed to reach Expert rank but stopped developing Aqua Jet and switched to Heal Pulse instead.

Arcanine improved Heat Wave to Advanced proficiency, increasing its power by 50%, which indirectly expanded its range. His Heat Wave could now almost engulf an entire battleground, leaving opponents with no room to dodge. It was similar to Clarissa’s Charizard, whose Flamethrower had both widened and lengthened in range as its power increased. However, Arcanine’s Heat Wave was far wider due to its naturally broad area of effect.

The others also showed incredible improvements. The dojo team lagged behind in getting all their moves to Basic proficiency but compensated with an increase in raw power. Meanwhile, the home team lagged in power but successfully brought all their moves to Basic and had now begun focusing on a single move to advance to the next level.

Rotom was working on Protect, Honedge on Night Slash, and Alcremie on Decorate. Alex could only imagine what their training looked like—

A Honedge in the garden continuously slashing at Rotom with Night Slash as it protected itself with Protect while Alcremie covered them in green cream…

He could only imagine.

This situation would likely continue until Alex graduated. He didn’t plan on staying in the dojo forever. The pool of trainers and Pokémon there was skewed heavily toward Fighting-types.

Once he graduated and entered the police academy, Alex planned to focus on improving move proficiency and training any tricks the academy had to offer.

Alex was skeptical, but just like at the Pokémon Academy, he would get a piece of paper saying he was good to go—so it didn’t really matter how useful their teachings would be.

On the first day of class back at school, Alex was surprised to see that he and Clarissa were in the same class. Now that he thought about it, Clarissa was his senior, so advancing a grade would allow them to attend class together.

“Hey, Alex, you lost? This is the seniors’ homeroom,” Clarissa asked.

“I tested out of one year and jumped a grade. We’re classmates now,” Alex answered.

“I didn’t know you were so smart. You seem…” she started, looking Alex up and down.

“Like a brute?” Alex finished.

“Like someone who doesn’t care about grades.”

“I don’t—unless it lets me skip a grade.”

“What’s the point of skipping a grade? The discounts here are way better than what you'd get outside.”

“My mom suggested I go to the police academy after I graduate. I’m not wasting another year after turning sixteen just to keep studying things I’ve already learned.”

“You’re becoming a cop? No offense, but you’d be wasting your potential as a police officer. All they do is walk around all day and get paid mid-level wages. They can’t even afford more than three Pokémon.”

“Mom said they had another option after graduating from the police academy. It’s called bounty hunting.”

“What do they do?”

“It’s similar to what trainers do for the League, but instead of taking requests from a job board, I’d be going after criminals with bounties on their heads. Rather than hunting Pokémon, I hunt humans—well, criminals.”

“Sounds interesting, but isn’t it easier than being a trainer? You wouldn’t have to go out into the wilds and stay battle-ready 24/7. You would be wasting your Pokemon’s potential having them fight humans. You also wouldn’t be able to hunt enough to feed your Pokémon.”

“You seriously think it’s easier than being a trainer?”

“Trainers have to fight for their lives once they leave the city. A single encounter with an enraged Elite is the end for most of them.”

Alex sighed in disappointment, then glanced around the somewhat busy room.

“The fact that you said ‘once they’re out of the city’ should clue you in on the difficulty of bounty hunting. Bounty hunters are actually safer outside of the city because criminals can’t track them. What does that tell you about the job description?”

Alex placed a hand on her shoulder before continuing.

“Also, can you believe that I could kill you where you stand right now? Before your Charizard can leave its ball, before your secret guardian can even make a move?”

Suddenly, Alex felt a heavy pressure weighing down on him. That was definitely the aura of an Elite-ranked Pokémon, but he remained undeterred. He stared at Clarissa’s shadow, unafraid and confident.

"Humans are more terrifying than Pokémon," Alex began, locking eyes with Clarissa's fearful gaze. "Otherwise, we'd be the ones being trained by them. Think about that really hard."

With that, he let go of her shoulder and took his seat.

Clarissa was shocked. He had a very strong point. Also… since when did she have a secret guardian?

She glanced down at her shadow and noticed a smiling Froslass waving at her before disappearing into the darkness. A shiver ran down her spine.

Alex’s words resonated with her deeply that day. She barely made it through the first day of class, her mind fixated on his confident declaration that her life had been in his hands. At his whims.

Meanwhile, Alex continued with his day, studying hard so he wouldn’t have to waste time on school outside of class. He had a four-hour session at the dojo later and couldn’t afford to waste time on studies.

A week passed in this manner before Clarissa made a bold declaration.

“I’m joining you at the Police Academy. I’ll be a bounty hunter too!” she announced.

Alex simply smiled and shook his head before replying,

“You want to kill people instead of Pokémon?”

“Why would I need to kill people? I just need to arrest them, right?”

“Imagine being in the room with a child molester. All of their Pokémon have been defeated, and you stand in front of them as they hold a child against their chest with one arm and a detonator in the other. They demand that you and all your Pokémon leave the room, or they’ll blow up the building. What do you do?”

“I would secretly signal a Pokémon to cut the man’s arms off.”

“He bites down on the child’s hair and jumps out the window. Congratulations, you just caused the death of a child. How will you live with yourself now?”

“Are you seriously saying someone would do that?”

“Yup. People are crazy like that. Once their lines are crossed, everything goes out the window—figuratively and literally, in that scenario.”

“You’re being an ass.”

“And you don’t understand people well enough.”

“And you do? You’re a year younger than me.”

“I was orphaned at eight, bullied and starved until I was twelve, homeless for about four months, and beaten within an inch of my life twice in two weeks before I was adopted. How could I not understand people when I was ignored, hurt physically, and emotionally?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Just understand that your view of people is shallow. They can be far more unreasonable than you can possibly imagine. I once ran into someone who claimed using Pokémon for self-defense should be illegal.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“And yet there’s a whole group raving about it, insisting that’s how the world should be. That Pokémon are tools and shouldn’t be allowed to kill humans. Or some other bullshit like that. I’m willing to bet there’s another group out there saying all humans should just die and let Pokémon rule the world again.”

“Well, not all humans. But we should really stop developing so much land and leave some for Pokémon to continue thriving. I agree with moderation—an excess in either direction would be bad.”

“If you still want to be a bounty hunter, I suggest becoming a trainer first and taking on some criminal-related jobs from the board before deciding to enroll. Also, learn some hand-to-hand combat to defend yourself. You never know when it might come in handy. You should head over to the Fighting Dojo and enroll in a self-defense course—they have a great program there.”

"Is that what you're doing now instead of battling at the Battle Arena?"

"I accepted a position as a regular trainer there, battling with their Pokémon using specific strategies. My Raticate was recognized for his top-tier hit-and-run tactics. My other Pokémon have since joined as well, so yes—that’s what I’ve been doing instead of queuing up and fighting in the Battle Arena one Pokémon at a time."

"They have doubles here too, you know."

"Same problem."

"Alright, I'll check it out."

They continued with classes until the weekend, when Clarissa decided to drop by for their self-defense courses. What she found shocked her.

Chapter 47: Chapter 47. Clarissa Joins the Dojo

Clarissa signed up for the Fighting Dojo’s beginner classes, scheduled on weekends, after Alex recommended them to her.

When the weekend arrived, she woke up earlier than usual, eager to head out first thing in the morning. Since the dojo provided uniforms, she opted for her usual casual clothes. She wore a fitted black tank top, high-waisted denim shorts, and white sneakers, completing the look with a red jacket tied around her waist.

She took a moment to check herself in the mirror before nodding in approval—she was cute, and she knew it.

Taking the bus to the dojo, she stepped inside, where a receptionist greeted her.

“Hello, welcome to the Fighting Dojo. How can I help you?” the pretty receptionist asked.

“I signed up for the beginner self-defense course. It should be under Clarissa,” she replied.

“I see you here for the four-hour course. Just head over to the floor coordinator, and he’ll get you set up.”

“Okay.”

Clarissa made her way over to the floor coordinator, who signed her in and handed her a gi. After changing, she took her position as instructed and began practicing basic punches and kicks.

The emphasis was on proper form and technique rather than speed or power—conditioning their bodies to execute the movements correctly.

An hour in, she was already tired. She kept in shape with light jogging alongside her Pokémon daily, but an hour of this was pushing her usual limit.

Two hours in, sweat dripped from her brow as the monotonous drills wore on. The repetition was grueling, but maintaining proper form demanded her full focus.

Finally, after two straight hours of drills, they were given a break.

As she sipped water from her bottle, she noticed Alex descending from the second floor. His expression was blank, almost bored, as if trapped in routine. He changed into a gi and strode toward a Machamp, which sat idly nearby, looking equally uninterested.

The moment Alex stepped into the training area, Machamp sprang to its feet, launching forward with all four arms drawn back, aiming for his head, chest, and stomach in a brutal opening assault.

Alex reacted instantly, hopping lightly backward just as Machamp planted its foot firmly, drawing strength from the ground to amplify its punches.

Without hesitation, Alex snapped back with a powerful side kick to Machamp’s chest, causing it to stumble. The Fighting-type recoiled before launching a flurry of blows. Alex weaved and countered—tilting his head to evade, parrying with swift precision, and turning direct hits into grazing blows by rolling with the impact.

Suddenly, Alex stepped in, disrupting Machamp’s offensive with rapid left jabs that forced it to adjust. With a sudden shift, he pivoted on his left leg, bringing his right foot around in a textbook-perfect roundhouse kick to Machamp’s side.

Machamp absorbed the blow but retaliated immediately, using both left arms to trap Alex’s leg while its right arms lashed out.

Alex countered with expert timing—deflecting the lower punch with his left forearm, intercepting the upper one with a right hook, and simultaneously driving his knee deep into Machamp’s core while leveraging his waist.

The impact shook Machamp enough for it to release his leg, but it lunged again, throwing another four-arm assault. This time, Alex deflected the blows aimed at his head while taking the hits to his chest and stomach. He was too close.

As Machamp pressed forward, Alex hopped back, then launched a spinning back kick straight into its core, halting its momentum.

He settled into his fighting stance—light on his feet, bouncing rhythmically, shifting his weight fluidly. His hands rose and fell in an alternating pattern, a loose yet controlled motion designed for agility, evasion, and striking at will.

Fighting Machamp had taught him a critical lesson—maintaining distance was key. Up close, taking all four punches was inevitable. By keeping his range, he could control the fight, utilizing kicks and footwork over brute force. Bruce Lee’s dynamic, unpredictable stance was perfect for this approach.

While Alex continued his sparring, Clarissa and the other beginners watched in shock. His fighting style was brutally efficient—far more intense than the controlled sparring sessions others engaged in.

“That’s Alex,” the instructor remarked, noting their stunned expressions. “He came here over a year ago and has been fighting like that ever since. No one dares to spar with him. The laundry staff keeps complaining about having to clean up the blood after his matches.”

Right on cue, Machamp’s right hook slipped past Alex’s guard, landing a solid hit that split his brow. Blood trickled into his eye, but he merely blinked it away, continuing to fight with one eye open. Machamp seized the opportunity, throwing a series of right hooks to exploit his reduced vision.

“Why isn’t he stopping? He could bleed to death!” Clarissa exclaimed.

“He’ll be fine. He’s been through worse,” the instructor said, unimpressed. “Honestly, he’s on his game today—ten minutes in and only one cut. That’s an improvement.”

The instructor had observed Alex’s progress over time. His blocking was tighter, his kicks more precise, his balance sharper. Watching him fight made the instructor almost tempted to challenge Machamp himself.

Almost.

Machamp was typically reserved for the dojo’s senior trainers—seasoned fighters with years of conditioning, their bodies toughened by rigorous training. Many of them had main Pokémon teams that had likely reached Elite rank by now.

But here was Alex, standing his ground, matching the blows of a Machamp that few dared to face.

The instructor called everyone’s attention before continuing their routines.

Clarissa was having a hard time focusing as she continued to stare at Alex. An hour later, bloodied and bruised, Alex cleaned himself up, sprayed some Potions over his body, and went back upstairs with blood still on his gi.

Their session ended after another two hours of a different routine, this one focusing on blocking motions for the arms and legs.

At the end of the lesson, someone asked if they could ever fight like Alex, and the instructor laughed.

“No one teaches you to fight like that. You have to get beaten up so much that you simply start knowing how to fight.

Learning the basics you’re being taught will go a long way in shortening that journey. The key is to learn from your fights while adjusting your own fighting style based on experience.

I don’t know what Alex went through, but his fighting style is his own. One day, you will need to build your own fighting style, and these routines you’re drilling into your body will be the building blocks for it.

Keep practicing every day, get beaten up brutally, and eventually, you’ll be able to fight like that,” the instructor answered as he dismissed everyone for the day.

Clarissa changed into her casual clothes, freshened up, dropped the gi in the laundry basket, and went to the floor coordinator to ask if she could go upstairs to find Alex.

He agreed but informed her that she couldn’t participate unless she was employed by the gym.

She accepted and made her way up, finding Alex overlooking a battle. A Forretress was using Rollout to ricochet between Stealth Rocks, while a poisoned Machoke, covered in a faint purple sheen, desperately defended itself.

With the Machoke succumbing to its wounds, the trainer retrieved Machoke with a look of dejection before retreating to the healing station. Meanwhile, Alex signaled a Clawitzer, who fired a Heal Pulse at Forretress, instantly restoring his health to full.

The match was an eye-opening experience for Clarissa. The strategic use of hazards, Rollout, and Forretress’s ability to execute commands without direct input from its trainer were nothing short of amazing.

Her gaze wandered as she took in the other battles. An Arcanine stood its ground, self-healing and refusing to back down. Alex’s Raticate zipping through a Pangoro’s attacks, remaining completely untouched. A Frosmoth expertly kiting a Machamp dodging even Rock Slides. A Swellow using Facade to overpower a Hitmonchan’s Close Combat. A Nidoking wrestling fiercely with a Primeape.

This place was so much better than the battles at the academy—no long lines, no waiting. There were even open arenas with opponents already standing by.

‘No wonder Alex dropped the Battle Arena for this. This is heaven. And he even gets paid per fight.’ Clarissa thought.

Clarissa made her way over to Alex, who spotted her after Forretress won the fight.

“Hey, Alex. Thought I’d drop by. You should have told me you had such a nice gig going—I would have followed along.”

“You never asked, and I don’t know how you’d be able to get in, considering I was invited. You could have stalked Joe, but I heard he graduated last year, so you’ll have to find someone else.”

“How about you? Can you get me in?”

“I can try. What Pokémon do you have?”

“Charizard, as you know. Then there’s Dratini, Vulpix, and Cetitan.”

“Why haven’t Dratini and Vulpix evolved yet?”

“I just got Dratini after he hatched from Dad’s Dragonite. Vulpix is having trouble with her Fairy moves. At least one of them has to be Advanced before she even considers using an Ice Stone. Then there’s her mentality—she’s too innocent. She needs to be more mature before evolving.”

“Your Dratini and Vulpix will have to sit this one out. They’re too weak to be of use. Even my Growlithe was only tolerated because he could use Morning Sun. Cetitan could go for a brawler role, while Charizard could serve as a flying threat. Let’s ask the floor coordinator if they’ll consider it. He usually handles these things.”

“Okay.”

After talking with Ruan, Clarissa was given a chance to showcase her Pokémon’s power.

As Charizard was released, the interest among the gym trainers was noticeable. Charizard was halfway through Expert rank and was powerful. It was clear that the breeding was top-notch. Cetitan was also an Expert but had only recently reached the rank, so the interest was lower. However, there was potential—depending on its ferocity.

Chapter 48: Chapter 48. Ferocity

“Lads, let me fight this one,” Joe said as he stepped onto the battleground where Charizard was set to have her match.

He released his prized Machamp, eager for a challenge. This Charizard was quite powerful, after all.

They squared up in the center of the battleground before Machamp suddenly charged in without a command, causing Clarissa to fluster out an order.

“Flamethrower!” she hastily called out, and Charizard obliged with a torrent of flames from her mouth.

Machamp ignored the blazing flames and delivered a simple uppercut under Charizard’s chin, sending the second bout of fire up and away from him. He grabbed Charizard’s lower jaw with one upper arm, while both lower arms secured her claws. With his remaining fist, he began building up Fighting-type energy, pulling it back and coiling his muscles. It was a Focus Punch while Charizard was restrained.

Panicked, Clarissa quickly ordered, “Fly! Get away, quick!”

Charizard flapped her wings and took to the skies, but Machamp maintained a firm grip, soaring along for the ride. At the zenith of their climb, Machamp snapped his arms tight, pulling Charizard close while unleashing the built-up power of Focus Punch straight into her gut.

The attack was devastating, but it wasn’t enough to knock Charizard out in one hit. Machamp wasn’t done, though.

He got in close, wrapping the arm that had delivered Focus Punch around Charizard, grabbing one of her wings and pulling, while his other hands kept a firm grip on her jaw and claws. With a twist of his feet and a sudden jerk back, Machamp forced Charizard into a head-first descent while spinning. He held her down, preventing recovery.

At the last moment, Machamp executed Vital Throw, slamming Charizard into the ground rather than taking damage from the crash himself. The attack did far more damage than expected, but she was still in fighting form.

Rage bubbled up as Charizard lost herself in the fight, launching Outrage without command. Machamp, on the other hand, built up energy for Counter.

Charizard charged in, bull-rushing Machamp, who caught the attack with his lower arms. His upper arms glowed with Fighting-type energy as he unleashed a devastating double hammer fist to the top of Charizard’s head, finally knocking her out and ending the fight.

Based on remaining health, the fight seemed close—Machamp had about 15% HP left—but everyone who witnessed it understood it was far from even.

Machamp had never used Rock Slide, Protect, or Thunder Punch. He had only used Fighting-type attacks, which Charizard normally resisted.

He had been playing with her. Even Clarissa understood that much.

It was a complete loss.

“Not bad. A bit too wild and needs work, but it would do some of the lads here some good to fight her. If nothing else, her ferocity is intimidating. Anyone who can’t stand up to her shouldn’t even be a trainer,” Joe commented, which essentially meant she had his recommendation.

“Got any more like her?” Joe asked, glancing at Clarissa.

“A Cetitan that just made it to Expert rank,” she replied

“Not enough of a challenge.”

“She has Slush Rush.”

“Now that’s much more challenging. Have her set up before the fight, and you can let them both take a slot.”

“Thank you.”

“They deserve it,” Joe said as he recalled Machamp for healing and walked away.

“Congratulations. You’ve got a gig here now. What are you going to do about Vulpix and Dratini, though? They probably need the experience more than Charizard and Cetitan,” Alex commented on the side.

“I can train them at night and on weekends. I only plan on coming here for a few hours in the afternoon,” Clarissa replied

“Are you staying for the slots now?”

“Yeah, I want to see what challenges we’ll be facing here.”

“Who are you going to command?”

“Charizard can already fight on her own, so I’ll command Cetitan.”

And so, Clarissa joined the Fighting Dojo as both a student and a regular competitor. She finished up a four hour set before deciding to head home to train Vulpix and Dratini.

Alex escorted her out, as he was on his way to his regular sparring match anyway.

Seeing Alex spar again reminded Clarissa of something she had been meaning to ask.

"Why do you fight to the point of getting so injured for an entire hour? That Machamp is going too hard on you. Maybe that lone Hitmonchan would be a better sparring partner? At least it only has two arms," Clarissa said.

Alex laughed long and hard before responding.

"You need to get used to injuries and facing impossible opponents. Otherwise, you'll freeze in battle, and both you and your Pokémon will suffer. Also, this Machamp is actually going easier on me compared to that Hitmonchan.

That thing usually knocks me out with a blind uppercut every ten minutes or sends me flying out of the arena. The chance of internal injuries is too high. This Machamp, though—ferocious as he is—is a kitten in comparison. His hits are softer, and he's taller, which makes him easier to fight overall."

Clarissa stared at the Hitmonchan in question, shocked.

To prove his point, Alex willingly took another round against Hitmonchan before returning to Machamp.

"Here, let me show you."

Stepping into the arena, Alex was immediately rushed by Hitmonchan. He took a standard boxing stance and met the charge with a left haymaker, but Hitmonchan ducked under the blow and landed two quick punches to Alex’s ribs, making him wince.

He had forgotten just how brutal Hitmonchan's targeting was.

Quickly shuffling around, he raised his guard, only to block a flurry of blows before taking another shot to the core.

Alex tried to create space, throwing out jabs to keep Hitmonchan at bay, but it was no use. The Pokémon’s smaller frame allowed it to slip past his jabs, relentlessly pummeling his ribs. Forced to lower his guard to protect his midsection, Alex left an opening, and Hitmonchan capitalized with a solid right hook to the face.

He was completely on the defensive, taking a beating while landing none of his own. The fight was utterly one-sided until Alex performed a simple sweep, knocking Hitmonchan to the ground.

Alex knew that trying to pin Hitmonchan down would be pointless—the Pokémon could endure the beating while still landing body shots—so he took the chance to retreat instead.

As soon as the Pokémon got back up, it returned to shadowboxing, already returning to its routine.

"See what I mean?" Alex panted, trying to catch his breath.

He had almost forgotten how focused he had to be just to land a few hits before Hitmonchan inevitably overpowered him.

He had been getting stronger, which allowed Hitmonchan to ease up on its restrictions. Now, its blows could seriously knock the wind out of Alex if he wasn’t focused enough.

Ironically, the stronger he became, the more ferocious Hitmonchan was allowed to be. He might never get another chance to fight it at this level again.

Clarissa was now convinced of Alex’s statements. He would visibly wince when hit, while more blows landed on him in less time compared to Machamp, who gave Alex time and space to breathe.

Deciding not to comment further, she bid him farewell before leaving Alex to start another sparring match against Machamp.

She thought about his words and agreed with him about freezing in fear when facing an insurmountable opponent.

She recalled peeing herself when she first saw her father’s adorable Dragonite emit bloodlust against an intruder when she was young.

She never saw Dragonite the same way again, and it apparently depressed him, as he loved her like his own child.

‘I should go visit and apologize. He was just trying to protect me,’ Clarissa thought with determination on the bus ride home.

Today had been an enlightening day. She now better understood what it meant to fight other people. They were not as helpless as she originally thought. If Alex can be so brutal to himself, what would stop people from being as brutal to others?

Alex understood this better than she did, and if she wanted to protect herself, she would need to latch onto Alex and do everything he did. Since he knew better, she might as well follow him and learn from him, right?

She decided to follow his advice and use the two-month gap between graduation and the start of the police academy to take on criminal-hunting missions. She had to plan carefully, though, since such missions were usually only offered to trainers with at least three badges. Luckily, there were three gyms in Saffron City.

The most popular was the Psychic Gym, led by Sabrina; the oldest was the Fighting Gym, led by Koichi; and the newest and least popular was the Poison Gym, led by Janine, who had built the gym in her father’s footsteps.

Koga was still a middle-aged man with a long way to go before retirement, so Janine had decided to establish her own gym while waiting for her old man to step down. From the League’s perspective, the gym was quite successful, but from the perspective of trainers, it was disgusting.

"Toxic stall for days, they said," Clarissa thought with a shudder.

Despite her reluctance, she will prepare for it anyway. It was her best chance to gain experience while still making it in time to enroll in the police academy.

Chapter 49: Chapter 49. Graduation

Alex continued his new routine for the next ten months. Every day, he attended classes while leaving all his Pokémon—except Rotom—at the mansion to train their proficiencies. In the afternoon, he spent four hours at the Fighting Dojo with Clarissa for battleground training.

At night, he either studied for classes in advance, researched more about Pokémon, or read about the training regimen at the Police Academy.

Classes were mostly boring, as he was often ahead in his studies. Clarissa made them slightly less dull, and Alex didn’t miss the change in her attitude.

She was much more open to him now—kinder and more respectful.

She also had a habit of asking the most random questions:

“What should I do if someone grabs me from behind?”

“What’s your opinion on the League’s new reserve for docile Pokémon?”

“How does wealth inequality impact social mobility in different economic systems?”

Alex had to have a long conversation with Rotom about that last one.

Most boys would misinterpret her curiosity as romantic interest, but Alex knew better. He had been through this song and dance. He understood that she had elevated him to the role of a sage of life.

It was annoying, yet oddly entertaining, making classes bearable. He even learned more about himself and the world around him. Basically, he was an asshole, and so was everyone else.

When it came to Pokémon studies, it was an endless black hole of research papers multiplying faster than he could read. So, he narrowed his focus to move proficiency—something he had been pondering ever since Clarissa claimed that attaining Master rank in all moves was impossible. Alex begged to differ, considering his Raticate’s progress.

Advanced Moves: Quick Attack (50% Damage), Swords Dance (Priority +1), Thunder Wave (Priority +1), Shadow Ball (50% Damage), Sucker Punch (50% Damage)

It took Raticate about a year to upgrade Shadow Ball, but only half that time to upgrade Sucker Punch. This suggested that move proficiency upgrades could shorten the time needed for future upgrades.

Alex had been in this world for exactly three years and three months. Quick Attack had upgraded in the heat of battle, a known phenomenon. Swords Dance and Shadow Ball each took a year. Thunder Wave and Sucker Punch took six months.

This led Alex to hypothesize that physical, special, and status moves had different upgrade methods. However, physical attacks that increased damage seemed to share similar upgrade mechanics, which explained why Sucker Punch took less time after Shadow Ball. Swords Dance and Thunder Wave appeared to have a similar relationship.

If this was true, then achieving Master rank in all moves wasn’t impossible—it depended on the categories of moves and how upgrades stacked.

Alex planned to write a research paper on this premise and submit it once Raticate reached Advanced in all his known moves. In total, there were 43 moves left:

Screech (Egg Move), Fury Swipes (Egg Move), Scary Face, Tackle, Tail Whip, Focus Energy, Bite, Laser Focus, Take Down, Assurance, Crunch, Super Fang, Double-Edge, Endeavor, Taunt, Thief, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Shock Wave, Charge Beam, Rock Smash, Sunny Day, Pluck, Grass Knot, Dig, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Roar, Work Up, Hyper Beam, Protect, Double Team, Facade, Attract, Endure, Giga Impact, Sleep Talk, Swagger, Substitute, Cut, Strength, Sludge Bomb, Rest, Iron Tail, Rain Dance.

If mainstream research was correct, Raticate would need 43 years to complete this feat. Reaching Expert would take 144 years, and reaching Master would take 240. Raticate would be long dead before achieving it.

But if Alex’s hypothesis was right, it would take roughly six years to complete Advanced, another 20 years to reach Expert, and around 30 to 40 years to reach Master. By then, Alex and Raticate would be middle-aged at best.

That was assuming Pokémon at Master rank even aged. There were documented cases of ancient Pokémon living for millennia.

If Alex’s theory was proven correct, it would make waves in the academic world. He hoped the League would reward him with increased security clearance—or maybe even a research grant.

It was just the right combination of overturning established knowledge while requiring enough time to gather evidence. In six years, he might be able to rely on that grant to live in peace. If not, there was always bounty hunting.

Then again, someone else might already be working on this and simply delaying publication until it was complete.

Alex dropped the subject as a cacophony of noise erupted from the audience stands.

He was midway through his graduation ceremony, and Jenny, acting as the proud mom, was watching from the stands.

The source of the disturbance, however, was most likely Clarissa’s family—and Alex was right. At the center of the commotion stood a man with spiky red hair, wearing a cape, right next to a red-haired woman in glasses and a business suit.

“Your mother is Lorelei, the current Kanto Champion—the Snow Queen?” Alex asked, glancing at Clarissa, who sat beside him with her hands covering her face in embarrassment.

“I told him not to wear the cape…” Clarissa muttered, lost in her own world.

“He’s waving… I think you should wave back,” Alex commented.

“Hide me,” she begged, gripping Alex’s clothes.

“And take a Draco Meteor to the face? No thanks,” Alex started to say before noticing the look on Lance’s face. His expression suddenly shifted. “Too late. He thinks I’m your boyfriend now. You’re going to have to answer some awkward questions.”

“No… please… make it stop…”

“Do you want my Altaria to Sing for you?” Alex asked, recalling her evolution.

Name: Altaria, Expert

Type: Dragon Flying, Female

Ability: Cloud Nine

Moves:

Basic: Roost (Egg Move), Mist, Safeguard, Dragon Cheer, Tailwind…

Advanced: Defog (Priority +1)

Description: Altaria, the Humming Pokémon, is a Dragon/Flying-type known for its cloud-like wings and melodic singing. It soars gracefully through the sky, wrapping itself around trainers it trusts.

Swablu had finally evolved into Altaria and had even reached Expert rank. On top of that, she had advanced Defog to Advanced rank, increasing its priority. Now, she could immediately clear any terrain hazards as they appeared, ensuring a clear path for the attacking team.

“Yes, please. Anything.”

“Too bad. So sad. Deal with it, princess.”

She suddenly started hitting him while he simply smiled.

‘Teenagers have so much energy. So much youth,’ Alex thought.

A sudden pressure bore down on him—an Elite-rank Froslass, Clarissa’s bodyguard since she left home. Every time he teased Clarissa, Froslass would exert this pressure on him, and Alex had come to consider it part of his training. Naturally, he made sure to tease Clarissa whenever the opportunity arose.

In response to the mounting pressure, Alex felt a weaker yet familiar presence pushing back from within his own shadow. Though it was only Adept rank, the effort was appreciated. It was Aegislash, who had also evolved not too long ago.

Name: Aegislash, Adept

Type: Steel Ghost, Male

Ability: Stance Change

Moves:

Basic: Block(Egg Move), Wide Guard(Egg Move), King's Shield, Aerial Ace, Iron Defense, Iron Head, Swords Dance, Sacred Sword, Shadow Sneak…

Advanced: Night Slash(+50% Damage)

Description: Aegislash, the Royal Sword Pokémon. It can detect the true nature of people and will only serve a worthy trainer. It wields its blade autonomously, using its shield for defense.

Alex was proud of Aegislash’s progress, especially considering he didn’t have the same training environment as Altaria, who had already reached Expert rank. Since Aegislash primarily sparred with the others rather than undergoing specialized training, his slower progress was understandable.

He had managed to reach Advanced rank in Night Slash, increasing its damage by 50%. Alex preferred this upgrade over Priority +1, as Aegislash’s fighting style was counter-based rather than preemptive like Raticate’s. Aegislash relied on his opponents attacking him in Shield Form before countering in Sword Form, ensuring the best of both worlds.

Now, Aegislash was focusing on mastering King’s Shield before moving on to Swords Dance to further solidify his advantage.

The crowd quieted as the graduation ceremony began. Lance and Lorelei took their public seats while the graduates lined up to receive their diplomas.

Neither Alex nor Clarissa had finished at the top of their class academically, but they were undeniably the most powerful—both of their starter Pokémon had already reached deep into the Expert rank.

After the ceremony, Clarissa ran off to meet her parents while Alex turned his attention to Jenny, who was giggling softly. Smiling fondly, he pulled her into a tight hug.

“Thank you for taking me in. None of this would have been possible without you,” Alex said, his voice filled with genuine emotion.

“Stop, Alex. You’re making me cry,” Jenny sobbed.

“Okay.”

“…Maybe just a little bit more.”

Before Alex could continue, Clarissa called out to him, walking over with Lance and Lorelei in tow.

“Alex, these are my parents. You already know them. Mom, Dad, this is Alex. We’ve been classmates and friends for the past year. He introduced me to the Fighting Dojo, where I’ve been working to earn the extra funds I’ve been spending,” Clarissa explained.

“So, you’re Alex,” Lance said, extending his hand.

“And you must be Champion Lance,” Alex replied as he accepted the handshake.

Lance’s grip was firm—perhaps a little too firm—but Alex barely noticed. He had been working out, after all.

Chapter 50: Chapter 50. Cost of Ambition

Lance finally let go after a firm handshake. Alex had half-expected the world around him to crack under the weight of the Champion’s will, but it seemed Lance was more mature than he had given him credit for.

That didn’t mean Alex couldn’t see the barely restrained fatherly instincts screaming at Lance to obliterate the little mongrel corrupting his precious princess.

Shaking off the tension, Alex turned back to Jenny.

“This is Jenny Ashford, my adoptive mother. Mom, this is Clarissa—my classmate and friend ever since I advanced a grade,” he introduced.

Jenny beamed at the girl. “Hi, Clarissa, it’s nice to finally meet you. Alex has told me so much about you.”

Clarissa hesitated before responding. “Um… Hi, Officer Jenny.”

“Just call me Jenny,” she said with a grin. “I’m off duty.”

Jenny liked this girl. She was cute, well-dressed, and surprisingly sharp for her age—especially considering her decision to join Alex at the Police Academy.

“So, have you decided to join the Police Academy?”

Lance and Lorelei turned to their daughter, stunned. Apparently, she hadn’t told them about it.

“Alex recommended that I take on some criminal bounties from the League first to get a feel for it,” Clarissa explained.

“That’s for experienced trainers. You’d need to earn three badges first,” Jenny pointed out.

“There are three gyms here in Saffron City,” she countered.

“Badges need to be from different cities to count. The experience of traveling in the wild is much more valuable than just beating gym leaders. You should go anyway—it’ll help you learn proper tracking, which will go a long way in your journey.”

“You need three gym badges to take on criminal jobs?” Alex asked, surprised.

“Yes. Trainers who’ve traveled to at least two other cities typically have enough relevant experience to handle criminals who stay within city limits. This restriction prevents inexperienced trainers from getting themselves killed against seasoned criminals,” Jenny explained.

“I see.”

Their conversation continued until Lance reminded them of a dinner reservation—no doubt an opportunity for him and Lorelei to discuss their daughter’s surprising decision.

Alex could only hope Lance would knock some sense into her. He was used to fighting and taking down dangerous people, so the transition made sense for him. But an innocent girl like Clarissa had no business chasing down criminals at the first opportunity.

Alex and Jenny celebrated his early graduation with an expensive dinner—nothing too fancy, but definitely not normal animal meat.

At the end of the night, Alex returned to his room to ponder his next move. He still had 15 million Pokédollars left, though 10 million were already accounted for, as that would cover the cost of maintaining his Pokémon’s current eating habits for an entire year without relying on the Fighting Dojo.

Alex still hasn’t decided whether or not to stop going to the dojo at night, but the lack of time for training proficiency will become apparent while he is at the Police Academy.

Apparently, his Pokémon need to participate as well, so they cannot be left at home while he goes off to study. Even more, some of them will be given homework, so move proficiency training will certainly slow down.

Speaking of which, Alex checked the progress of his Pokémon’s move proficiency.

Arcanine is close to raising the proficiency of his Extreme Speed, but he is still about two months off.

Clawitzer has managed to increase both Aqua Jet and Heal Pulse to Advanced. Aqua Jet increased damage and, by extension, range by 50%, while Heal Pulse increased in Priority +1.

The simultaneous increase was due to the extra time during classes, which allowed her to refocus on Aqua Jet while fully concentrating on Heal Pulse at the Dojo. She is now working on Water Pulse as the accuracy is guaranteed and it is a STAB move.

Rotom increased the effect of Protect by 50%. It is well known that Protect is able to negate all incoming damage while in effect, but it does not apply to moves used by Pokémon one rank above them. They suffer a severe knockback when they attempt to do so. Against opponents two ranks above, Protect is broken, halving the damage instead. Against three ranks higher, it might as well not be there at all.

Rotom’s Protect is capable of negating all damage from Expert-ranked Pokémon while still being Adept-ranked. It, similar to Aegislash, did not get much sparring, so its level is stagnating. Rotom is now focusing on Thunder Wave to stun opponents who manage to get passed Aegislash to protect Alex.

Forretress, apart from achieving Expert rank, managed to get Stealth Rock to Advanced, reducing its cooldown by 50%.What this means is that Stealth Rock can be released twice in the time a similar-ranked opponent can release a single move.

This upgrade is the most desired for any move and only applies to fire-and-forget moves like Stealth Rock, which simply target the static environment. It does not apply to moves such as Hypnosis, as there is a targeting aspect to it.

This upgrade typically applies to weather and terrain effects. Buffing moves do not count, as there is an element of sustain to them that continuously drains stamina—or so the latest research has revealed.

Alex, though, was ecstatic with the discovery, since it would allow Forretress to set up twice as fast if he could get another 50% cooldown reduction on a move. Forretress is now working on Spikes next.

Frosmoth received a Priority +1 on Aurora Veil and managed to reach Expert rank. She is now working on Mist to protect against stat reduction.

Lastly, Alcremie is still Adept, as part of the stay-at-home team, but managed to get Decorate to Advanced, with an increase in effect by 50%, similar to Arcanine’s Morning Sun. This means that the amount of stats given is now three stacks instead of just two for each of Attack and Special Attack.

She is the secret boss hiding behind the scenes in the defense team at this point.

After checking over their progress, Alex thought hard about getting more Pokémon. He currently had three in the attack team, four in the defense team, and two in the utility team, for a total of nine Pokémon.

It would be ideal to add a pseudo-legendary to each team.

The attack team could use another line breaker and perhaps a Follow Me user to draw heat away from Altaria and redirect it to the defense team.

The defense team could use a lift—it would allow Forretress to use Earthquake when they get swarmed.

The personal defense team could use a Pokémon to facilitate communication between Alex and the other two teams.

Ultimately, finances were currently tight, and adding more Pokémon would leave Alex open to rebellion once the food quality dropped again.

In the end, Alex sighed and dropped the matter. He would first acquire more money to increase the quality of their food, then revisit the topic.

Having more Pokémon wasn’t the problem for Alex—it was giving them the best money could buy. They were his means of protection, after all. He would never skimp on his Pokémon if he could help it.

To take his mind off his dwindling finances, Alex did some research on the Police Academy and found all the resources they would teach there.

There were laws the League implemented across all regions, laws specific to each region, and even laws unique to each city, town, or village in Kanto.

There were standard operating procedures for various emergencies and scenarios.

There were also the rights of individuals, trainers of each rank and badge, League employees, gym trainers, gym leaders, the Elite Four, and even the Champion.

It was refreshing to see that the laws affected people of greater power less and less. These were not the laws of a fair government—they were the laws of a smart government.

Power in this world was tangible, similar to medieval novels with swords and magic or stories of immortals and cultivation. You could complain about fairness all you wanted, but if the Champion of the region wanted your mother dead, there was very little the League could actually do to stop it.

They could denounce the Champion and make a big mess, but too many people would die in the process. People were still in the middle of a war with Pokémon.

Humans had merely carved out a small space for themselves in an overwhelmingly hostile world. If all the Legendaries deemed humans a nuisance, humanity would be wiped out without question. There were still too many of them, after all.

There was plenty to memorize and an entire year to do it, but Alex decided to get a head start. He didn’t want to spend his time at the Police Academy focusing on rote memorization just to pass.

Alex wanted to learn these laws to better navigate them when he inevitably found himself in trouble—especially the kind involving authorities and ranks.

He was certain there were corrupt individuals within the League’s ranks, and he knew he would draw their attention once he started making money off their business. He needed to know when to fight and expose these criminals, when to run as fast as possible from the League, and when to call in favors from Clarissa or the Jennys.

With that in mind, Alex closed his laptop and exhaled slowly. "I’ll have to up the Pokemon’s training."

Chapter 51: Chapter 51. A Day in the Garden

Alex strolled through the backyard of Jenny’s mansion, overseeing the Pokémon’s training.

Raticate was practicing Taunt, popping out at random to use the move on the Pokémon in training. For the next few seconds, they would shift from using status moves to attacking ones, directing their frustration at the annoying rat. However, Raticate was simply too fast, darting away with Quick Attack. Before they knew it, he was already gone.

Arcanine zipped around the compound, unintentionally carving out a running track as he sped along the fence with Extreme Speed. He was determined to advance the move to Advanced rank, knowing it would let him fully maximize the power of his Justified ability—something Alex had tested before.

He still remembered the rush of immediate power that Justified granted him. Sure, he could achieve a similar effect by repeatedly using Howl, but it simply couldn't compare. The surge from Justified felt different—pure, exhilarating. It was as if, in that moment, he was fulfilling his very purpose in life, attacking with an overwhelming stack of Attack.

Clawitzer floated above her lake as she fired Water Pulses at her airborne targets, landing each one perfectly. Occasionally, she would target Raticate or Arcanine, but Raticate’s Quick Attack allowed him to evade, while Arcanine had already circled the entire yard by the time the Water Pulse reached its destination.

There were no truly guaranteed hits in the real world. Some Pokemon had advanced predictions that bordered on prophecy, and some Pokémon could make micro-adjustments through energy manipulation, but at the end of the day, if a Pokémon was fast enough to outrun an attack, the move would eventually lose power and fail to connect.

Off to the side, Rotom was repeatedly using Thunder Wave on Aegislash, who blocked it with King’s Shield. Even if he slipped up, the Safeguard set up by Altaria ensured the paralysis wouldn’t take effect.

Rotom would much rather spend its time playing online games, but Alex had a point—training proficiency did, in fact, enhance its ability to process information faster. As a result, its gaming skills skyrocketed, making it an even more formidable player. This was all to increase its gaming skills.

Forretress was on the designated battlegrounds in the backyard going through a rigorous cycle: setting Stealth Rock, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, activating Gravity, then wiping the field clean with Rapid Spin—only to start the process all over again. Occasionally, he would steal a glance at Clawitzer, who remained focused on perfecting her Water Pulse.

He often daydreamed about becoming a Champion-ranked Pokémon and having little eggs with her. When he realized Frosmoth was staring at his distracted expression, he would grow flustered, then explode in embarrassment—literally.

Alex had suggested that if Forretress was going to self-detonate, he might as well use Explosion instead of Self-Destruct, just to build proficiency. Ironically, he would always wake up to Clawitzer healing him with Heal Pulse, reinforcing his bad habits.

Speaking of Gravity, it was an incredibly useful move for Alex’s own physical training. He had Forretress maintain it while he did his exercises, increasing the strain on his body. At the very least, he was confident that if he were ever subjected to Gravity in battle, he wouldn’t lose his footing.

Altaria soared overhead, cycling through her support moves—Mist, Safeguard, Tailwind, and Dragon Cheer—before finishing with Roost. She never focused on offense, always prioritizing support. Occasionally, she got cheeky and used Defog on Forretress’s hazards, much to his frustration.

Sometimes, she would Sing, putting others who didn’t have Safeguard to sleep. Worse, she would use Perish Song, forcing Clawitzer to heal everyone once they recovered—assuming Alex didn’t recall her into her Poké Ball first.

Frosmoth spent most of her time spamming Wide Guard, Mist, and Tailwind to build proficiency. However, she often got distracted by Forretress’s routine, only to be hit with Taunt from Raticate, forcing her into an impromptu chase. She would fire off Dazzling Gleam, Blizzard, and Bug Buzz, but she never caught him. Raticate was simply too fast. Like a silver beam of light disappearing into the distance.

Meanwhile, Alcremie repeatedly cycled through Dazzling Gleam, Misty Terrain, and Calm Mind. Whenever she noticed Alex, she would approach and hand him a dollop of her matcha-flavored cream.

He would take it, eat it with a smile, thank her, then walk away a little faster. He was unknowingly being conditioned to ignore her training progress.

Finally, there was Aegislash, who alternated between King’s Shield and Swords Dance. King’s Shield to block Rotom’s Thunder Wave, Swords Dance, then get hit, then King’s Shield again. Over and over.

Aegislash was the most diligent when it came to proficiency training. Unfortunately, he was still stuck at Adept rank.

Alex would have to find a way for him to gain real battle experience soon—otherwise, he might fail when he was needed most.

Alex suddenly got a call. It was Clarissa.

"What's up?"

"I'm going to the Police Academy."

"Your parents didn't dissuade you?"

"Dissuade? They were thrilled. They were happy I was putting in the extra effort before going on my journey."

‘Most likely thrilled that their daughter postponed her extremely dangerous journey for another year—one she could use to gain more survival experience,’ Alex thought.

"Are you still enrolling to be a bounty hunter?"

"They didn't like that part and managed to convince me to follow your idea first."

"Getting three badges and completing a criminal bounty from the League?"

"Yes, that. They said I would understand better once I complete it."

"I think you will. You're such a princess."

"I'm not a princess!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Stop. Just—ugh. Anyway, I'll see you at the Academy."

"Alright. Don't forget to exercise regularly. They do basic training the whole morning."

"Alright, bye."

"Bye."

She was such a princess. She would get a rude awakening once she saw a routine drug den, a prostitution ring, an organ harvesting site, or a child grooming facility. Then, she would use her father’s connections to have them removed, only to later find out that they had popped up again. And again. And again.

Such is the way of the world, after all. Such is the way of humans.

‘Depressing,’ Alex thought.

Shifting gears, he checked on the Wishiwashi he had been using to make Beat Up bullets, and they were doing quite fine.

They enjoyed a relaxing, predator-free life in the pond where Clawitzer lived. Alex ensured they were regularly fed with fish food they liked while also keeping them weak—otherwise, their Beat Up would deal even more damage to Arcanine.

They had produced hundreds of Beat Up bullets for him, and after a quick test, he confirmed that they worked as expected on Arcanine. While Arcanine took more damage from the bullet than from Beat Up, the results were undeniable—he became an absolute beast, capable of going toe-to-toe with Elite-ranked Pokémon.

The only downside was that firearms were not allowed in official battles, so Alex never had the chance to see what a fully attack-stacked Arcanine could do with Extreme Speed.

Well, almost never. He had done some testing and learned a lot about how Rotom’s Protect functioned. By maxing out Arcanine’s attack and having him use Extreme Speed against Rotom’s Protect, he observed that before the upgrade, Rotom was sent flying. After the upgrade, he managed to stay in place.

From this, Alex surmised that an upgraded Protect could stop a half-Elite Pokémon, but he lacked an actual Elite-ranked Pokémon to test it further.

As he considered whether adding another Justified-ability Pokémon to the team would be a good idea, his phone rang again. This time, it was an unknown number. Judging by the timing, Alex guessed it was Lance.

There was no need to think too hard about how the Champion had gotten his number—Alex had a Rotom, after all.

“What can I do for you, Champion Lance?” Alex asked directly.

“What are your intentions with my daughter?”

“For now? Nothing.”

“For now?”

“We're too young. I'd rather answer this question when we’re at least thirty.”

“You think I’ll just let you go after you threatened my daughter?”

‘Of course he’d know about that,’ Alex thought. ‘Froslass, that little snitch.’

“She was more afraid of Pokémon than people. What did you want me to do? Reinforce that misconception?”

“That’s not a decision you’re allowed to make.”

“As her friend, it very much is.”

“I’m warning you. Stay away from her.”

“I’ll let her know.”

“Wai—”

Alex hung up and immediately called Clarissa. He was being petty, but if the Champion of Johto wanted to pick a fight with a 15-year-old, then he needed a lesson in how human relationships worked.

“Hey, Alex. Why’d you call?”

“Your father called and impolitely asked me to stay away from you, so I’ll oblige. I can't defend myself against the Champion of Johto, after all.”

“Ugh… He’s doing it again. Don’t worry about it. I’ll let Mom know.”

“Alright.”

Alex hung up and went about his day, guiding his Pokémon and rotating their move sets to keep them from getting bored. Sometimes, he sparred with them himself or let them battle each other for extra practice.

By the end of the day, the expected follow-up threat from Lance never came. Alex figured the Champion was too busy getting firsthand experience on how human relationships actually worked.

In any case, he and his Pokémon had two months left before the start of the Police Academy, and based on Jenny’s comments, Alex found himself feeling a bit expectant.

He just hoped this wouldn’t be another meaningless certificate saying, Good job.

Chapter 52: Chapter 52. The Police Academy

Alex stepped into a building about half the size of the Pokémon Academy. He was quite impressed that their facility was even large enough to reach half that size, considering their significantly reduced number of applicants.

Alex wore the standard police uniform—a classic blue ensemble with white gloves and a peaked cap. Standing at 5'6" (1.68 m) with a ripped build, he didn’t favor thick, raw muscles. Instead, he preferred a leaner physique with muscles built for purpose. He was growing taller, and it showed, but his genetic traits and years of malnourishment held him back.

“Hey, Alex,” Clarissa greeted as she came up behind him.

"Hey, looking good," Alex said as he took in her police uniform.

“I feel like I’m pretending to be a cop.”

“We’re studying to be one, so yeah. We’ll pretend to be cops until we actually become one.”

They made their way into the building, and after signing in, they attended the opening ceremony. It was nothing more than a speech from the Director of the Police Academy. There were about 30 people in their year, all of them looking young—around Alex’s age or slightly older. However, a few older recruits stood out, looking like seasoned trainers.

They looked like soldiers who had been through a war. Even Alex’s parents had never shown such emotional damage. He recognized loss when he saw it. The gym where he coached was popular among certain military types, and he was familiar with their serious, dazed expressions—like robots going through the motions, trying to simulate a ‘normal’ life.

After the opening ceremony, they were given a briefing on their class schedule. Starting tomorrow, they would do physical training in the morning, classes in the afternoon, and Pokémon training after dinner.

They were not required to stay in their dorms, and Alex wouldn’t allow his stuff to be stolen, so he opted to run home after class and be back before physical training.

Looking at their new schedule, Alex finally sent a message to the Fighting Dojo and let them know that he could only attend on the weekends. It was a good thing he had already anticipated the strict schedule and had partitioned off a part of his savings to feed his Pokémon.

The next day, from 8 a.m. to noon, they went through basic physical training—an hour of running, an hour of exercises, an hour of repeatedly going through an obstacle course, and finally, an hour of hand-to-hand combat. Nothing too out of the ordinary as far as Alex was concerned, but the rest of the cadets had a hard time, especially during the obstacle course, which required balance, fighting off the fear of heights, and getting down and dirty in the mud. Yes, they specifically brought in mud from outside into the physical training floor of the building.

This was Saffron City, after all, not an open field out in the wilds.

Hand-to-hand combat training consisted of basic judo throws for subduing civilians, along with fundamental fighting stances, punches, and kicks—nothing to write home about. Additionally, they practiced disarming techniques for situations where an attacker became desperate and armed themselves with a pipe or knife.

While Alex wasn’t even breaking a sweat, Clarissa was able to hang on and maintain her stamina, her time at the Fighting Dojo and her beginner course paying dividends at this moment.

As for the older cadets with outside training experience, they didn’t break a sweat either. No doubt their daily treks had greatly built up their strength and stamina in the wild.

The only ones who truly suffered were those who had just decided to jump into the Police Academy at the first chance they got after high school. It was a tragedy for them, but at least the instructors made sure they finished it, no matter how slow they were.

Next came regular classes after lunch, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Alex was well ahead of the curve. They were taught the laws, regulations, proper procedures, basic psychology, how to de-escalate situations, how to handle belligerent individuals, how to identify criminal elements, how to move in a crowded city, how to track runners, how to command attention, how to give orders, and more.

There was a plethora of information that Alex had missed, so he was glad to be ahead with rote memorization, as the additional lessons and personal experiences of the instructors were just as valuable.

They had a quick dinner before heading to another floor, where their Pokémon would receive targeted training. This aspect of their program was left vague in the information packet Alex had studied for over two months. The only detail provided was "targeted Pokémon training," with no further explanation.

A tall, straight-laced man with a clean-cut, military demeanor entered the briefing room and introduced himself.

"My name is Johnson, and I'll be overseeing your training from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. My job is to ensure that you and your Pokémon are trained in tracking, surveillance, reconnaissance, combat, emergency response, crowd control, and the handling of hazardous situations. As officers, you must be prepared for anything, which means working seamlessly with your Pokémon to protect and serve the public."

“Your first lesson is staying on your feet. Take out all your Pokémon,” he commanded.

Alex tapped the seven Poké Balls strapped to his belt. Immediately, the room filled with a variety of Pokémon, and it was easy to tell who came from wealthier backgrounds based on the strength, type, and number of Pokémon they had.

Alex had seven, while Clarissa had five—she had received a Frigibax after graduating. The others in the room averaged between one and three Pokémon, though one guy had fifteen. The older professional trainers each had between four and six. There were people from all walks of life here.

One thing everyone had in common was that there wasn’t a single person with an Elite-ranked Pokémon. The average was Adept rank, but each person had at least one Expert-ranked Pokémon—except for two younger cadets.

“I said all your Pokémon,” the instructor reiterated sharply.

Alex, Clarissa, and the students with more than six Pokémon all grabbed their phones, prompting Rotoms and Porygons to appear in the room.

Then, from the shadows of the professional trainers and Alex, Ghost-type Pokémon began emerging—Haunters, Gengars, Misdreavus, Dusclops, and more. It seemed that cautious minds thought alike.

A Gengar suddenly floated out of the instructor’s shadow and whispered something to him. He nodded, then turned his attention to Clarissa.

“All of them, cadet,” he said, his gaze drilling into her.

“That one’s my mom’s. I can’t actually command her,” Clarissa admitted.

The instructor nodded before releasing his own Pokémon. Apart from Gengar, who was making faces at the cadets behind his back, there was a Luxray, Pyroar, and Thievul—all of which were Elite-ranked.

Suddenly, they all released their aura at once, exerting a pressure greater than Forretress’s Gravity upon the room.

All the younger, Adept-ranked Pokémon and their trainers crumpled to the floor immediately. Clarissa looked around in confusion, unaware that Froslass was shielding her from the effect.

The professional trainers didn’t move an inch and remained standing, along with their Pokémon.

Alex and most of his Pokémon were unaffected, though Rotom, Aegislash, and Alcremie felt the strain before stabilizing—they had been through Forretress’s Gravity training, after all.

The instructor nodded approvingly as he surveyed the cadets, pleased with the results. Roughly 75% had crumpled under the pressure—an average outcome. There were always a few cadets with darker life experiences who fared better, so this wasn’t unusual.

He suddenly spotted Clarissa, who still had a confused expression.

“Tell her to drop it, or leave my class if you’re unwilling to participate,” he instructed.

“Um… Froslass, it’s okay. I want to participate,” Clarissa said to her shadow.

The protective aura around her lifted, and she suddenly felt the crushing weight of the Elite-ranked Pokémon’s presence. However, it wasn’t overwhelming—she had experienced far worse as a child, facing Champion-ranked dragons. It was just a bit harder to breathe.

The instructor nodded before continuing his rounds. Over the next ten minutes, more and more cadets struggled to stand as he began explaining:

“This is the pressure of an insurmountable challenge. This is what you will feel when an Elite-ranked Pokémon makes it into the city and stares you down like lunch. This is what you will have to get used to in order to do your jobs properly. While the citizens crumple under the pressure, you and your Pokémon will stand and fight to protect them.

Within a year, you and your Pokémon must learn to resist this strain. If you can’t, you will not be allowed to graduate. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Very good.”

Ten minutes later, the pressure eased, and they were finally free to regain their bearings. They were given a few minutes to collect themselves and comfort their Pokémon before being asked to line up again. This time, the room was divided into two based on the number of Pokémon.

Both halves of the class stood in a line facing each other, with their Pokémon tightly lined up side by side, resembling two firing squads facing each other.

Alex stood beside Clarissa as their Pokémon lined up next to each other.

“Your next lesson is the proper use of Protect.”

Chapter 53: Chapter 53. Police Academy Training

"Everyone knows that Protect is a move that negates all incoming damage for the duration of its effect. What you may not know is that the formation of the shield relies on the Pokémon’s instincts rather than active shaping,” the instructor began explaining.

“This allows the move to be executed with a simple thought, bypassing the speed of an incoming attack and immediately defending against it. However, Protect is a significant strain on the user, meaning it cannot typically be used repeatedly in quick succession”

“Here at the Police Academy, we will teach your Pokémon how to expand the shield to protect not only themselves but also those beside them. This does not count as an upgrade to the proficiency rank, as the fundamental principles of the move remain the same.”

“An example of this technique is when Pokémon instinctively use Protect to shield their trainers. Our goal is to extend this instinct so that they can protect those around them, even if they are unfamiliar.”

“Now, have your Pokémon alternate between using low-damage Special Attacks and Protect. Instruct them to ensure their Protect also shields their allies beside them—otherwise, they may find themselves disliked by their neighbors. Stagger the starting moves so that every other Pokémon begins with Protect while the rest launch a Special Attack at the opposing side.”

“Begin!"

Chaos erupted as trainers scrambled to command and coordinate their Pokémon. Even Alex had a hard time explaining what they had to do.

One of the trainers managed to get their Pokémon ready first and immediately started bombarding the other side with attacks. Confusion spread through the ranks as Pokémon began using Protect out of sync, creating gaps that left them vulnerable to the opposing side’s attacks.

The chaos continued until one side had all their Pokémon faint while the other side was left in disarray. Needless to say, their first execution of the exercise was horrendous—no coordination, no communication, no adherence to instructions.

The instructor nodded along, expecting this outcome. The first execution was always the worst. They would eventually improve, so he ordered the trainers to have their Pokémon revived and healed at the nearby healing station before repeating the exact same exercise—over and over again for the rest of their first hour.

It was brutal. Special Attacks flew everywhere. Pokémon fainted under combined assaults. Those who got lucky with their timing of Protect felt guilty as their allies were attacked due to gaps in their defense.

By the end of it, the Pokémon were exhausted from repeatedly fainting, and not a single one had managed to expand their shield to protect their neighbors. It was expected, though. This was only the first day.

After the grueling session, the instructor gathered the trainers and led them to a connected room. Inside was a vast, open space filled with houses, buildings, and fields, all spread across a massive floor that easily spanned two levels.

“This is where you will learn surveillance, reconnaissance, security, and infiltration,” the instructor announced. “Here, you will be assigned a location to defend while establishing surveillance. Another team will be tasked with reconnaissance and infiltration. Whoever wins gets extra points in class.”

He then provided finer details regarding the exercise. The trainers were divided into teams of five, with a total of six groups—three assigned to defend and three to attack.

Alex was grouped with five others for their first exercise. Their objective was to defend a field and prevent infiltrators from acquiring a plastic fruit clipped to one of the branches of a tree. Their opponents consisted of five other trainers, while the rest of the class watched through surveillance cameras overlooking the field.

“We can have our flying types guard the tree while the rest of us take a side and defend it. If more than one attacker is on a side, they call out to draw the one without an opponent over,” one of the rich kids suggested.

“We’ll lose if they have more flying types than us,” a professional trainer countered.

“I have a Forretress with Gravity,” Alex interjected. “We can prevent flying types from being an issue. We can also cover the entire field in hazards and force them to clear it, which will break their stealth and allow our Special Attacks to hit them first. We call out based on the number of opponents on our side for support.”

“Works for me.”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay.”

“Sure.”

With their plan decided, Forretress got to work, covering the entire field with Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes. Finally, he unleashed Gravity over the area, ensuring that even the entire tree holding the objective was affected.

A minute later, a whistle signaled the start of the exercise. Their opponents, upon discovering the hazard-covered field, grimaced in disgust. This was too much.

They quickly sent out a Wartortle and Sandslash to clear a path using Rapid Spin, while the five attackers simply charged in with all their Pokémon out and ready.

“Five of them charging in my direction!” one of Alex’s allies called out.

The team immediately regrouped on that side of the field, watching as Wartortle and Sandslash spun their way forward.

“Attack!” one of the professional trainers ordered.

A barrage of attacks rained down, and Wartortle and Sandslash immediately fainted under the combined assault of the defense team’s Pokémon.

The attackers scrambled to respond, quickly forming up and attempting to return fire. Their attacks collided with the lingering hazards, clearing a path toward the defenders.

Alex’s side attempted the same maneuver, but their coordination was off. They were losing the long ranged battle because of their lack of coordination. At least their opponents attempted to coordinate. Seeing the problem, Alex called out:

“Get your Attackers ready and have them charge at the other side! We need to bring the melee to them so they can’t reach the fruit. Have your Special Attackers use single-target attacks to bring down as many of them as possible!”

His teammates followed his instructions. They buffed their Attackers as much as possible—Alcremie spreading Decorate, Altaria activating Mist, Safeguard, Dragon Cheer, and Tailwind. Once ready, someone shouted:

“Go!”

Arcanine led the charge with Extreme Speed, targeting an Expert-ranked Pokémon that had just finished using Protect. He barreled through their formation, sowing chaos, while the other Attackers followed suit.

Raticate zipped around, Quick Attacking any Pokémon that Arcanine missed.

Clawitzer fired off Water Pulses with pinpoint accuracy, finishing off downed opponents before shooting Heal Pulses to restore Arcanine to full strength.

The counterattack devastated the attacking team. They hadn’t expected such an aggressive response—especially not one led by a powerhouse Arcanine blitzing through their ranks.

The battle raged on until only a few of the toughest Pokémon remained. The defenders’ Special Attackers, positioned at the back, focused their fire, picking off stragglers one by one.

Finally, Clawitzer launched a decisive Water Pulse, knocking out the last opposing Pokémon.

Alex looked up, confirming that their fruit was still in place. He called back his Pokémon and began healing them while maintaining vigilance, only relaxing when the instructor’s whistle signaled the official end of the exercise.

He had to admit—this was exactly how he envisioned his team should perform. While they still needed serious upgrades in strategy, training, and more Pokémon to reduce the burden, he felt he was on the right track.

Their victory was thanks to Forretress’s defensive setup and Arcanine’s offensive prowess. Training them for this role had been the right call.

“Very good. Solid defense,” the instructor began, “but you could have done better.”

He then broke down their flaws. When the attackers were identified, they should have left a sentry on the other side just in case. Their defensive formation needed work. They had no protection against a burrowing strategy, meaning a well-placed Dig attack could have caused complete chaos.

The instructor laid out all the other options they could have considered but ultimately awarded them a high score, recognizing their victory.

The attacking team, however, was not so lucky. As punishment for their horrendous performance, they were ordered to do push-ups.

Their mistakes were obvious—they had grouped up and been broken through with ease. They could have spread their Pokémon to clear more hazards and give themselves room to maneuver. They should have charged the moment the hazards were removed. As the attacking team, they should have been the ones bringing the fight to the defenders, creating havoc in their ranks while earning a chance to nab the objective.

They had options. They just chose the wrong ones.

After Alex’s exercise, the other two sets of teams took their turns as well. They rotated teams, switched roles, changed fields, utilized different buildings and props, and ultimately spent an hour on these exercises.

Their lessons included learning which Moves were inappropriate for certain environments, such as avoiding Ground, Fire, and Poison moves inside buildings or refraining from using Rock, Steel, or Fighting moves on rooftops.

They were also taught proper sweeping techniques for clearing buildings, hazards to watch out for, and standard housing blueprints to determine the best entry and exit points.

The lessons continued for a full hour before they were taken to another massive area on the floor above them.

Chapter 54: Chapter 54. Police Academy Training 2

The entire space was occupied by all forms of terrain—forests, deserts, snowfields, rocky terrain, cemented side streets, grass fields, lakes, rivers, caves, and more. These environments were also occupied and maintained by Pokémon.

The forests housed Bug-types like Caterpie and Butterfree, as well as Grass-types like Oddish and Bellsprout. The desert had Ground-types such as Diglett and Sandshrew.

The rocky fields were home to Geodudes and Rhyhorns, while the cemented streets had Rattatas and Meowths. The grass fields contained Mareep, Wooloo, and Gogoats.

The lakes and rivers were teeming with Magikarps, Goldeens, and Tentacools, and the caves sheltered Geodudes and Digletts, among others.

“Welcome to the Terrarium, cadets. Here, you will learn about tracking, emergency response, crowd control, and the handling of hazardous situations,” the instructor announced, spreading his arms wide.

They made their way to a grass field occupied by a herd of Mareep, Wooloo, and Gogoats.

“It’s also where the academy makes money on the side to maintain its operations. Thirty government-funded students per year just isn’t enough, after all,” he said as he released his Pyroar. The Pokémon immediately bolted to the center of the herd and let out a powerful roar, causing them to scatter.

The herd ran with all their might, fleeing in every direction and seeking refuge in different terrains, reacting instinctively to the perceived threat.

“This field, in particular, is where you will refine your tracking and crowd control skills. Along the way, you will also learn emergency response and how to handle hazardous situations. People, surprisingly, are quite similar to a herd of Mareep when they panic. Your task is to round up every single one of them and bring them back here within the hour,” the instructor declared, finally sitting down beside his Pyroar with an unbothered expression.

The cadets snapped out of their daze and immediately sent their Pokémon to retrieve the scattered Pokemon, sprinting after them.

“Don’t forget to avoid pissing off the field caretakers!” the instructor shouted as the cadets scrambled.

Alex picked a direction and started walking. He thought about how to get this done, but nothing in particular came to mind, so he decided to simply walk around and explore.

The instructions were simple enough, but it was obvious that they didn’t know what they were doing.

Read the ground for tracks? How? This wasn’t a game that let you highlight tracks with the press of a button.

Have the Pokémon track their scent? They weren’t given the chance to familiarize themselves with it.

Have Altaria scout? Sure. That could work.

Alex called out Altaria and Frosmoth and asked them to scout ahead without picking a fight and look for the scattered Pokémon while Alex ran after them. The entire floor was large, but not large enough to force Alex to need a ride.

Alex ran after Altaria and Frosmoth, who made sure to keep close to each other. They continued past the grass field and ended up in a cemented side street, complete with fake buildings and lampposts.

There were Rattatas and Meowths hanging around, with the occasional Grimer peeking out of the drainage. Spearows clung to the lampposts, chilling.

Alex thought these Pokémon were quite docile compared to the ones in the wild. Perhaps they were trained but never adopted?

Alex released Raticate and asked him to ask around. Raticate, being far stronger, would not be ignored by these loitering Pokémon. Sure enough, Raticate was told there were three spotted hiding in this field.

Alex asked Raticate to lead, and he was brought to all three hiding spots, where Alex released Alcremie and asked her to calm them down before Raticate, with Alcremie on his head, herded the Mareep with Arcanine in the back.

Matcha-flavored cream was apparently the favorite Alcremie flavor of grass-eating Pokémon.

Alex managed to clear out the cemented streets field and bring back the three Mareep to the grass field, where the instructor was starting to get surrounded by the scattered Pokémon who were herded back by other cadets.

Some of the cadets ordered their Pokémon to simply pluck them up and bring them back. Others made them faint when they couldn’t get their cooperation. There were quite a few Gogoats knocked out on the side.

Quite a few of the Flying Pokémon were also knocked out as their targets decided to fight back the harsh treatment. Apparently, Flying-types are weak to the Electric-type Mareep… Who knew?

“You’re still missing 10 Mareep, 3 Wooloo, and 2 Gogoats,” the instructor said without even looking up.

Alex decided to go back to searching when Altaria and Frosmoth came back. They had apparently found a few more, so Alex headed over to the cave field, where there were distinct tracks of hooves leading into a few caves.

Alex called out Forretress, as he was the toughest Pokémon he had, before entering one of the caves. Inside, Alex saw that the cave systems were all interconnected. Deeper into the cave were multiple pathways that all led farther in until Alex reached an open cavern with multiple Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon hanging around an underground lake, with Water-type Pokémon floating nearby. Right by the lakeside were five Mareep.

If Alex hadn’t known any better, he could swear he was in the anime version of the Pokémon world and not a messed-up version of one. Here were Pokémon who were just chilling and enjoying their environment together.

Alex called out Alcremie again, who managed to convince the Mareep to follow him back to the grass field while being bribed with her cream.

As Alex made it back to the field, the cadets were already in formation, so Alex ushered the Mareep to their herd before joining the formation.

Right as Alex stood at attention, the instructor began giving his lecture.

“Congratulations on completing the exercise. You all did as can be expected, though there were some altercations. Sometimes, they can’t be avoided,” the instructor began.

“Tracking doesn’t just mean reading the terrain and looking for broken twigs. That is mostly for the Rangers to learn about. Tracking can also mean asking bystanders for information, scouting with a bird’s-eye view, following the path of least resistance, and understanding the lay of the land. We’ll talk more about that later.”

“Crowd control is also a touchy subject when you attempt to do so with humans. No matter how much they act like a panicking Mareep, we do not subjugate civilians or knock them out to gain their cooperation. Sometimes, respecting their illogical choices is the right call. Humans are really big on free will and are willing to die on their hills.”

The lecture continued until the instructor started giving an actual lesson on how to track using examples from different environments.

In terrain with dust and dirt, it’s easy to tell as the imprints are obvious. Where there are plants, look for unnatural disturbances, as plants tend to recover after a few days. Where there is water, if they have tracks getting in, they will have tracks getting out. In the cemented streets, not much can be done; hence, it is best to ask the locals. They always know what’s happening inside their own neighborhoods.

The lecture and examples continued for an hour until we were brought to a room on the same floor.

“This will be the final part of your training, where your Pokémon will learn to maximize their different senses. Pokémon have amazing senses depending on their egg groups. Field egg groups are best when it concerns smell or hearing, Flying and Bug egg groups are best for sight, and Mineral egg groups are best for vibration, though the Field egg group also has strong contenders,” the instructor explained as the cadets walked into a hallway with multiple doors.

“Inside each room is a special training facility for your Pokémon. Each room represents a sense they can train to hone and master. From this targeted training, they can spot enemies coming from miles away or in the dark. They can hear incoming enemies or smell where they have gone.”

“Most importantly of all, they can learn to read the energy in the atmosphere. Think of a Pokémon using moves as releasing paint onto a canvas. The energy they release lingers in the atmosphere, and Pokémon can be trained to recognize these energy signatures depending on the senses they specialize in. Canine types have the best sense of smell and can track their prey not only by scent but also by the energy they naturally emit. We will train your Pokémon to be able to do so and train you, the trainers, to utilize them effectively.”

The lecture went on until all the cadets were asked to pick a door for their Pokémon to train in.

Alex decided to have Raticate enhance his hearing, Arcanine his sense of smell, Altaria and Frosmoth their sight, Forretress and Aegislash their sense of touch, and the rest their energy.

This way, Alex had all his bases covered, though he regretted that he didn’t have a better option for the sense of hearing. Having a Noivern or Crobat would be ideal as they would be able to easily pick up sounds.

Chapter 55: Chapter 55. Police Academy Training 3

Alex and the cadets escorted their Pokémon to each training facility to ensure they were doing well.

The first facility was a vast garden filled with various plants and flowers, each emitting powerful scents. Arcanine and the other canine-type Pokémon were given a scent to memorize and had to locate the source somewhere in the garden. Once they found it, they needed to bring the object carrying the scent back to the entrance before time ran out.

The faster they completed the task, the harder the scents became. Some were unpleasant, some were buried deep in the soil, and others had no lingering trail at all. To succeed, the Pokémon had to manually explore while filtering out the surrounding scents to find their target.

Arcanine had a blast racing around and retrieving scented balls. The instructor noted that most Arcanine naturally excelled at this and barely needed training, but that didn’t stop him from going all out. At the very least, Arcanine enjoyed himself.

The second facility was a sound-based training room lined with speakers emitting various noises. Raticate and the other Pokémon were each given a specific sound to memorize, then had to locate the speaker playing that sound among the many others producing different noises.

As before, they had to retrieve the correct speaker. Raticate struggled, often picking the wrong one. Sound-based tracking wasn’t his strong suit, but he refused to give up, insisting on training until he got better.

Alex respected Raticate’s determination and decided to let him continue at his own pace.

The third facility was a computer lab with multiple screens. Pokémon sat in front of a screen and had to detect any visual changes. When they noticed something different, they pressed a button beside them to see if they were correct.

It was a simple test for a complex skill.

Altaria and Frosmoth had fun with it, so Alex figured that was good enough.

The fourth facility focused on vibration detection. Similar to the second facility, it contained multiple speakers, but instead of sound, they emitted vibrations at different frequencies. The Pokémon had to isolate their assigned frequency and track its source by touch.

The speakers were hidden in objects, buried underground, or embedded in walls and ceilings.

Forretress, being highly attuned to the ground, easily located his assigned vibration. Aegislash, however, struggled to differentiate between frequencies, despite being part of the Mineral egg group.

Apparently, Ghost-types had difficulty sensing vibrations but were much better at distinguishing energy patterns. With that in mind, Alex let Forretress continue training while they moved on.

The fifth facility was designed for Water Pokémon. Their task was to locate an object hidden in a churning lake, guided only by the sound and scent it emitted. The instructor admitted that teaching Water Pokémon this way was challenging, but the method had proven effective.

Clawitzer’s eyesight was supposed to be their best trait for training, but Alex decided that tracking underwater was just as important. Since he didn’t have any other Water Pokémon, Clawitzer took on the task.

The sixth and final facility was a large, mostly empty space. Pokémon were tasked with sensing specific energies and moving to the area where they felt the energy was strongest.

They received immediate feedback—right or wrong—until they developed a certain level of accuracy.

It wasn’t an exact science, but it had been shown to improve a Pokémon’s ability to detect energy. Since energy manipulation and detection were innate skills for Pokémon, these simple drills helped refine their abilities to a usable level.

An hour later, the Pokémon were retrieved, and the long day finally ended. Alex ran home, and by the next morning, he was back at the academy for physical training.

Throughout the entire day, the easiest part of the academy was the physical training. It was held to such a low standard compared to what Alex was used to that it barely felt like training at all.

Afternoon classes would have been just as uneventful, considering his habit of learning the material ahead of time, but the personal experiences and examples shared by the teachers made them worth his attention.

The evening training, however, made spending the next year in the Police Academy worthwhile. Alex was quite satisfied with his current situation—until complications started arising.

It began two months after the start of classes when the cadets started getting comfortable with their routine. They no longer struggled with physical training, memorization for afternoon classes, or the various types of training designed for them and their Pokémon.

Alex soon noticed he was getting side-eye from a group of cadets who were considered "regulars"—not wealthy enough to afford more than three Pokémon, yet not poor enough to lack at least one Expert-ranked Pokémon. The five of them had chosen to join the Police Academy at sixteen instead of becoming trainers outside the city walls.

There was nothing shameful about their decision—the threat of death outside the city was real. But they didn’t seem like the type to go looking for trouble, so their sudden hostility toward Alex perplexed him.

“Hey, you Alex?” the biggest guy in their group of five asked.

“I am,” Alex replied plainly.

“You’re Alex Wattson? The orphan who got my brother arrested?” the most vocal of the five shouted at him.

“Was your brother a caretaker at the orphanage who stole from orphans, a drug manufacturer who got caught, or a corrupt cop who protected drug dealers?”

“My brother wasn’t a corrupt cop!” the boy yelled back.

“If his name was on that ledger, then no amount of denial will fix that.”

The boy suddenly threw a wild right haymaker, but Alex easily stepped back to avoid it. He could somewhat understand his rage—his brother must have seemed like an angel to him, only to be accused by some no-name orphan. It must have shattered his world.

And now, the person responsible was actually becoming a cop himself. It was ironic. It was wrong—at least, according to the logic the boy could muster.

Alex felt pity for him. Sixteen might be the legal age of adulthood in this world, but Alex remembered what he was like at sixteen. Back then, he thought dropping out of school to avoid headaches and jumping straight into professional MMA was a brilliant idea. He had been an idiot.

“He’s not a corrupt cop! You framed him!”

“I was twelve when I found a book in a drug dealer’s apartment. How the hell could I have pulled that off?”

“I don’t care if you were eight! You framed him, and you’re going to pay for it!” the boy declared before running off, his group following him.

Judging by their expressions, the other cadets in his group probably believed Alex’s version of events more than their friend’s—but ‘bros before reality’ was likely a saying somewhere.

Alex pushed the incident to the back of his mind. The kid and his little group didn’t scare him—nor did their Pokémon. Their performance was average at best, while Alex consistently ranked among the top cadets.

Sure, he lost some infiltration and security exercises, but that was just bad luck. Imagine being grouped with kids who had only Adept-ranked Pokémon at best, then being forced to compete against older professional trainers who could actually give Alex a run for his money.

Alex continued with his routine until, two months later, he was suddenly mugged on his way back from school past 10 p.m.

Three burly men, each armed with a knife and wearing masks, ambushed him. One emerged from an alleyway Alex usually passed, while the other two cut off his retreat, surrounding him.

Noticing they had no Pokémon, Alex chose to avoid using his own as well. With a subtle signal from his left hand, he stopped Aegislash from intervening.

He tapped his phone, which was tucked into his breast pocket with the camera sticking out, signaling Rotom to start recording and notify Jenny about the situation.

He wasn’t a bounty hunter yet, so the laws were strict. He didn’t want to give anyone a reason to kick him out of the Police Academy. After all, he wasn’t there to learn—he was there to get a piece of paper. And in a lawful society, pieces of paper were very important.

“Give us your money, or else.”

“Thank you, that was all I needed to justify self-defense,” Alex said before slapping the knife out of the hands of the man in front of him.

The two behind him rushed in with stabbing motions, but Alex sidestepped to the right before turning to them, ensuring his phone captured them holding weapons.

The one on the left came at him again, gripping his knife in both hands in a low stance, careful not to drop it like the first guy.

Alex stepped forward and kicked him hard in the chest, sending the man crashing into his buddy behind him. The impact was followed by a sudden yell—Alex assumed he had been accidentally stabbed.

The first guy, now unarmed, turned and ran. Meanwhile, the one who had stabbed his own ally shoved him aside, got back up, and lunged at Alex again.

Alex slapped the knife away with his right palm and, with a step forward, drove his elbow into the man's chest, knocking the wind out of him. The man staggered back before collapsing to his knees.

Alex had never remembered fighting tough guys like these as if they were children. He must have gotten significantly stronger with his expensive lifestyle and gravity-assisted training.

Alex lamented his financial state as the man reeled from the hit while trying to get up. So, he took out his frustration with a swift kick to the jaw, knocking him out, and simply waited for Jenny to arrive.

No more than a minute later, a pair of cops came sprinting around the corner, accompanied by a Mightyena and a Liepard.

Alex was about to give his statement, but before he could speak, one of the officers cut him off.

“Stop! You’re under arrest for assault. Get on the ground and put your hands behind your back!” the lead officer barked.

Alex quickly assessed his options before deciding to comply. Best case scenario? Another payout.

He got on the ground and placed his hands behind his back. The officers handcuffed him, lifted him up, patted him down, and confiscated his bag, phone, and belt—tossing them into a black bag before sealing it.

Then, without so much as acknowledging the two assailants who were either bleeding to death or unconscious on the street, they took him away.

They dragged him to a black car parked behind the corner they came from, covered his face with a black bag, tossed him into the truck, and drove off.

Alex was ecstatic.

He was about to get a huge payout.

Chapter 56: Chapter 56. Fishing

"Left turn… thirty seconds… right turn…" Alex noted as he was driven toward the warehouse district south of the city, deep in the slums.

Suddenly, the car stopped. The driver and their partner got out, opened the trunk, and attempted to grab Alex. But with a simple hand gesture, Aegislash popped out of his shadow and beheaded both men on the spot.

Alex jumped out of the trunk and grabbed the sealed black bag held by one of the now-dead cops. He had already uncuffed his hands and removed the bag from his head by dislocating his thumbs during the drive over.

Protected by King’s Shield against the cops’ enraged Pokémon, Alex unsealed the bag, retrieved his belongings, and released his Pokémon just in time for them to throw out expanded Protects to cover both Aegislash and himself.

With a series of Protects, Alex isolated himself from the enemy Pokémon. He quickly grabbed the officers’ Poké Balls, recalled their Pokémon, and locked them inside before tossing them into his backpack.

Now free to assess his situation, he glanced around.

He was in the warehouse district south of Saffron City, which received goods directly from Vermilion City's harbor. This place was strictly off-limits to the slum dwellers—unless they had a death wish.

It was a hub for criminals trading illicit goods, and Alex had always planned to get his big payday here once he became a bounty hunter. Getting an early look at the place was an unexpected bonus.

As for the two dead cops? Self-defense, of course.

Regarding his decision to escape now rather than wait for the mastermind like in the movies—unlike those action flicks where the hero gets locked up, breaks free, grabs a gun, and goes on a massacre while triggering a self-destruct sequence on the way out, things in the Pokémon world worked differently.

Here, Pokémon couldn’t simply be taken from the dead like guns and used against their owners. If Alex waited until he was fully detained, he would be as helpless as a civilian in front of criminals rather than some spec-ops super soldier ready to unleash an action sequence. Pokémon dictated power, and if they stripped him of his team, there would be no miraculous comeback.

Scanning his surroundings, Alex noted that he was in an open parking lot with identical black cars parked everywhere.

There was a warehouse nearby with some suits standing guard, Rhydon and Golem stationed beside them.

As a victim, Alex could try to escape or stay in place until Jenny arrived, but he couldn’t just attack a location. So, he continued rummaging through the cops' belongings and the car while his phone kept recording for evidence.

“What are you doing here, kid? Holy shit! Is that Gus?” a man shouted as Alex searched through Gus’s pockets.

“You know them?” Alex asked plainly.

“You little shit, did you kill them?”

“It was self-defense.”

The man suddenly released all his Pokémon. Muk, Machoke, Houndoom, and Fearow materialized, all Expert rank and well-trained—evident by how quickly they moved into formation.

Alex released Forretress, Clawitzer, and Raticate to counter as he stood his ground. He didn’t issue commands, merely had them sit there.

“Attack! Kill them all!” the man shouted.

Muk spat out a Sludge Bomb, Machoke charged forward for a Close Combat, Houndoom unleashed a Flamethrower, and Fearow dived in with a Drill Peck.

“Protect, then counter,” Alex ordered before releasing the rest of his team for battle.

Clawitzer expanded Protect as the center, shielding the group. Forretress scattered Stealth Rock and Spikes, while Raticate launched an empowered Shadow Ball at Muk.

As the attacks collided and caused a commotion, Arcanine followed up with a Heat Wave, Alcremie with a Dazzling Gleam, Frosmoth with a Blizzard, and Altaria with a Tailwind.

The enemy Pokémon took heavy damage from the combined AOE attacks. Outmatched, the man decided to escape while his Pokémon bought time.

Alex signaled to Raticate, who used Quick Attack to leap high before dashing toward the fleeing man, targeting his legs.

Meanwhile, Forretress intercepted the enemy Pokémon’s counterattacks with Protect, giving Alex’s team another opportunity to unleash another wave of AOE moves. The barrage overwhelmed the enemy Pokémon, causing them all to faint.

With the man crippled and his Pokémon subdued, Alex collected their Poké Balls, locked them, and tossed them into his bag. He knocked the man out, stuffed him in the trunk of the car, and resumed searching through the cops’ belongings.

He found a wallet, a phone, another phone, some identity cards, keys, and other miscellaneous items.

After checking their credentials, he discovered the two "cops" were fakes. Alex let out a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn’t face backlash for killing a real officer, corrupt or not. That would have been complicated.

Due to the commotion, the guards on duty called in the disturbance, prompting four men to investigate.

They arrived to find Alex rummaging through one of their cars, standing next to two dead cops who looked familiar.

“Did you do this?” the man in the lead asked.

“It was self-defense,” Alex recited.

“Take him in.”

Two men stepped forward, but Alex released Raticate to block their approach.

“Don’t come any closer, or I'll defend myself,” Alex warned in fear.

The men laughed and released one Pokémon each, commanding them to attack.

“Raticate, Protect!” Alex shouted, releasing the rest of his team.

Raticate held off the initial assault before being joined by Alex’s Pokémon, forming a defensive perimeter.

“Firing Squad Formation,” Alex ordered calmly. His Pokémon obeyed, lining up side by side.

“Shit! This kid’s strong, boss.”

“There’s more of us. We can take him down.”

They released all their Pokémon—twenty in total—against Alex’s seven. But Alex was confident as long as they remained stupid. To ensure that, he pulled out his guns, loaded with Thunder Wave rounds and Beat Up x6 bullets.

His team alternated between launching wide-range special attacks and expanding Protects in sequence. As the barrage began, Alex shot Arcanine with a Beat Up bullet.

“Fuck! The kid’s a cop, boss! What do we do?” one of the men panicked as he recognized the formation.

“We—” the leader started, only to be cut off as a Thunder Wave bullet tore through his shoulder, leaving him paralyzed.

The lackeys watched in horror as, one by one, they collapsed from the electrifying rounds while their Pokémon were overwhelmed by the continuous barrage of special attacks. Their own moves were effortlessly nullified by Protects.

Alex had made it a point to practice shooting diligently, ensuring he was no longer as inaccurate as before. Now, the fruits of his labor had ripened—he swiftly took down four targets in quick succession.

Suddenly, an enraged Primeape broke through the wave of attacks, charging straight at their formation, ignoring the accumulating damage. Seeing this, the other Pokémon, lacking clear commands, followed suit out of sheer battle instinct.

“Rampage,” Alex commanded calmly.

Arcanine exploded into motion with Extreme Speed, grabbing Primeape along the way and using it as a battering ram to plow through the enemy ranks.

Raticate dashed in with Quick Attack, while Forretress used Rollout on opponents like a runaway tank.

Clawitzer switched from cannoneer to combat medic, keeping Arcanine in fighting shape as he absorbed more hits. The rest of Alex’s team picked off the weakest enemies with precise, single-target attacks until the last of the twenty Pokémon fell.

With the fight over, Alex cleaned up the scene just as before, stuffing the unconscious men into the car. Unfortunately, they couldn’t all fit in the trunk. He tried and failed.

The guards on lookout grew concerned and finally reported the situation to their boss.

“What the hell do you mean we ‘might’ be under attack?” Don asked, sitting at his desk while awaiting a special guest.

“We heard a commotion in the parking lot and sent a team to check it out, but they never reported back. Now, we think they were caught, and an attack might be incoming.”

“All this time, we’ve only lost one team? That doesn’t sound like an attack.”

“What do you want to do, boss?” one of the guards asked.

“What about the kid who got my cousin imprisoned?”

“After they got the tip, they sent a team to take him in but they never reported back either, boss.”

“Alright, I'll handle this myself. Get everyone out and be ready for an ambush.”

Under Boss Don’s orders, a hundred men scrambled into action, making their way to the parking lot as Alex continued his little game.

When Don arrived, he was surprised to see a lone Alex looking around as if lost. Was this really the kid who had his cousin imprisoned a few years ago?

He had never made a move against him before because he had been out of the region, and Saffron City had been too hot to touch. But a few months ago, things finally cooled down, giving him the chance to return and check on their operations.

What he found upon his arrival was barely an operation at all—just a hollow shell run by nobodies who had taken over his turf. He had spent the past few months cleaning up shop, reclaiming what had been scavenged, piece by filthy piece.

Now he was face to face with the little shit that had caused him so much trouble.

Chapter 57: Chapter 57. Bonding Time

Don ignored the kid for now and instead took a proper look around. A battle had taken place here recently, involving about 30 Pokémon. The devastation had ruined the back half of the parking lot, but not enough to cause any trouble for the other half next to the warehouse.

Either the kid was strong, or there were others hiding, waiting for the battle to start before attacking. Their team might have been ambushed without even noticing.

In any case, the kid was right in front of him, so Don took another careful look.

He was alone, with an Expert-ranked Alcremie perched on top of his head, feeding him cream. On his chest, he held a Raticate that was close to Elite rank but wasn’t much of a threat.

There was also an Expert-ranked aura coming from the kid’s shadow and front pocket.

‘He has a Rotom? This is definitely a trap. Either way, I can still kill the kid before anyone can do anything,’ Don thought.

Don didn’t waste any time and summoned his Elite-ranked Pokémon in full. A Honchkrow, Krookodile, and Toxicroak materialized as he gave a simple order.

“Kill them.”

All three sprang into action. Honchkrow used Taunt on Alcremie, Krookodile kicked up a Sandstorm to invalidate Raticate’s F.E.A.R. strategy, and Toxicroak used Taunt on Raticate.

Alex, seeing the Sandstorm take effect, quickly put Safety Goggles on both his Pokémon and himself. It would invalidate Focus Sash anyway, so it was worth replacing.

Then all three of Don’s Pokémon unleashed powerful attacks to finish them off. Honchkrow fired a Dark Pulse at Raticate, Krookodile triggered an Earthquake at their location, and Toxicroak unleashed a Sludge Wave.

Needless to say, the immediate area was destroyed by the vibrations of Earthquake and the spreading poison of Sludge Wave.

Raticate, meanwhile, used a simple Protect to block all damage. Unfortunately, as they were only Experts, they were still sent flying back, especially by Dark Pulse, which shot them out of the Sandstorm like a cannonball.

Alex struggled to keep his balance as he was slammed onto a car at the edge of the parking lot. It hurt, sure, but he was still alive and uninjured.

Don stood in stunned silence before realizing that Alcremie had nullified Taunt with Aroma Veil. The kid was practically immortal at this point since none of his Pokémon knew Feint.

He would look like an idiot if he asked one of his men to handle it when he had powerful Elite-ranked Pokémon, so he had no choice but to continuously send Alex flying in order to kill him.

“Keep attacking! Don’t stop!” Don commanded behind the curtain of Sandstorm, and his Pokémon obeyed.

Honchkrow and Toxicroak used Sucker Punch to close the distance, while Krookodile broke into a run to use Breaking Swipe to strike all of them at once.

“Rotom,” Alex called out.

Both Honchkrow and Toxicroak slammed into Rotom, but its expanded Protect negated all their damage, just as a regular Protect should. Rotom reached Expert due to its forced participation during Protect class which came in handy today.

Alex summoned Arcanine to his side while whispering to Raticate, who nodded.

Krookodile, having followed the charging Honchkrow and Toxicroak, swung from left to right, its claws glowing with Dragon-type energy. The slash left dark blue rips in space, but it injured no one—except for Raticate, who jumped out at the last minute.

Alex calculated that Raticate wouldn’t die just from one hit unless it was a Fighting type move from a Fighting type Pokemon so targeting Krookodile was just right.

Raticate immediately glowed gray as the pain from its injuries mirrored onto Krookodile, who looked stunned.

“Extreme Speed,” Alex commanded after firing a Beat Up bullet at Arcanine.

Arcanine reacted instantly, ramming into Krookodile in the blink of an eye and sending it flying back. The impact knocked it out, and it immediately returned to its Poké Ball, leaving Don stunned once again—this time with even more shock.

Meanwhile, Honchkrow and Toxicroak turned their attention to the lone Arcanine. Honchkrow used Foul Play, taking advantage of Arcanine’s max attack stacks, while Toxicroak fired another point-blank Sludge Wave to keep everyone back.

“Protect!” Alex shouted, and both Arcanine and Alcremie activated Protect, shielding everyone from the attacks.

Raticate, meanwhile, used Endeavor again, this time on Toxicroak. The shared damage left Toxicroak groaning from the sudden loss of life force.

“Extreme Speed!” Alex commanded.

Arcanine lunged at Toxicroak, slamming into it with full force and sending it crashing into the debris behind Alex. The impact cleared more space as Toxicroak was swiftly recalled to its Poké Ball by Don’s side behind the curtain of Sandstorm.

Honchkrow, undeterred, used Foul Play on Arcanine again, finally landing the attack and knocking it out in one blow. It then turned its attention to Alex—its main threat was now gone.

Alex knew he wouldn’t be able to take down Honchkrow, not with the inevitable support coming its way. Don was finally starting to understand his situation, and once he did, all pride would fly out the window. He wouldn’t hesitate to call in reinforcements if his Honchkrow was getting ganged up on by a bunch of Experts.

Still, Alex persevered—he had no choice. He summoned all his Pokémon except Arcanine to deal as much damage as possible.

“Bring it down,” Alex commanded, but Honchkrow moved first, opening its mouth and breathing out hot air—Heat Wave.

Luckily, Frosmoth’s instincts screamed, and it involuntarily cast Wide Guard, nullifying the damage. Even luckier was the fact that Heat Wave had no force, which kept everyone within Alex’s reach.

Raticate used Thunder Wave, paralyzing Honchkrow.

Clawitzer used Water Pulse on instinct, dealing damage.

Rotom used Electroweb, dealing even more damage and slowing Honchkrow down.

Forretress used Ice Spinner, dealing enough damage to visibly tire it out.

Altaria and Alcremie both used Dazzling Gleam, which would have been enough to bring it down—had Don not arrived and retrieved his Honchkrow in time.

“No more games. Men, kill them all,” Don said simply, mustering as much dignity as he could.

“Firing squad, now!” Alex commanded loudly as Don’s men began summoning their Pokémon, who immediately charged in.

Alex’s Pokémon lined up, using alternating Protect when suddenly, Arcanine emerged from behind Alex and used Roar.

The Roar was so powerful that everything in front of Arcanine—Pokémon and humans alike—ran and screamed in terror. They scattered like ash blown from a chimney by a leaf blower. It was a command to RUN!, and they obeyed.

But the Roar was too powerful. Elite-rank power. A Roar that couldn’t have come from his Arcanine.

"Alex!" Jenny screamed as she ran in and gave him a hug.

She had been chasing Alex since the very beginning of the video. She arrived at the site of the mugging just a few minutes after he was taken, only for the tracker on Alex’s phone to cut off. A few minutes later, it reappeared—all the way to the south, where criminal elements were at their strongest.

Then, she was horrified. Alex had committed murder. Even though it was in self-defense, it didn’t change the fact that her baby must be feeling conflicted right now.

Even more horrifying were all the Pokémon he had been fighting. It was a travesty.

But she was here now.

‘Mommy’s here,’ Jenny thought as she hugged Alex tighter while stroking his hair.

“Mom? Did you bring backup, or is it time for mother-son bonding?” Alex asked, his voice muffled against Jenny’s bosom.

Only now did Jenny realize that they were still in the middle of combat—and she needed to protect her baby.

She looked up with fury at the scattering humans and Pokémon before calling out Espeon and Boltund.

“Set up,” Jenny commanded.

Arcanine and Boltund used Agility but remained in place.

Espeon activated Psychic Terrain, covering the parking lot in a thin membrane of pink energy.

Jenny unholstered her guns and aimed them at Arcanine and Boltund.

Babang. Bang. Bang.

She shot Arcanine with Beat Up, maximizing his Attack stack with Justified, then fired Baby-Doll Eyes at Boltund three times—a move that weakened Attack—to fully stack his Special Attack with Competitive.

“Expanding Force. Take them all down!” Jenny ordered as she holstered her guns.

A massive psychic force exploded outward from Espeon, sending enemies flying to the edge of the parking lot. Several Pokémon fainted on impact.

‘That is definitely an Advanced rank Psychic Terrain and Expanding Force,’ Alex thought

Arcanine charged left. Boltund rushed right.

Arcanine rammed into opponents without stopping, knocking them out with sheer momentum. Boltund dove into the center of a gathered crowd and unleashed Discharge, sending electricity crackling through the air.
‘Arcanine’s Extreme Speed, Agility, and Roar are at least Advanced ranked and so is Boltund’s Discharge and Agility,’ Alex thought.

Jenny would usually slack off on training because she lacked the time, space, and resources to continue growing stronger. Now that she's a millionaire, she has no excuses, so she makes sure to train her Pokémon more. Arcanine is currently at early Elite rank, while the other two are close to Elite rank.

Meanwhile, Alex was using Revive on his Arcanine. The big guy wouldn’t want to miss out on this.

A quick shot of Beat Up from Alex, followed by a Heal Pulse from Clawitzer, and Arcanine was back in action—immediately dashing off to contribute to the chaos.

Raticate followed closely behind as a silver streak of light burst into the chaos, zipping through the battlefield—each flash marking another Pokémon taken down.

Altaria and Frosmoth took to the skies to babysit from above, while Forretress remained behind, constructing a hazard field. Clawitzer perched on top of Forretress, sniping down panicking opponents with pinpoint accuracy.

Every once in a while an Expanding Force, Discharge, Roar, Heat Wave, Blizzard, or Dazzling Gleam would erupt to continue causing chaos in the battlefield.

Alex hugged Jenny from behind, resting his head on her shoulder as they watched their few Pokémon decimate hundreds. It was a beautiful moment of mother-son bonding time.

Chapter 58: Chapter 58. Jackpot

The aftermath of the battle left the parking lot in ruins, including all the vehicles within it. The warehouse, however, remained spotless, and many of the henchmen had managed to escape. Don, on the other hand, was tracked down by Jenny’s Arcanine, whose sense of smell for tracking was leagues beyond Alex’s Arcanine.

Many henchmen had escaped due to the initial Roar, which sent them fleeing in every direction. As a result, most of those left behind were Pokémon, while their trainers vanished into the night.

Still, the majority were captured, and those who managed to escape were caught on camera. They wouldn’t be able to stay hidden for long—not with bounty hunters and the police on their trail.

The ones Alex personally captured hadn’t been so lucky. They were all killed during his battle with Don. As for the Pokémon he recovered, their ownership officially transferred to him, though he had no intention of keeping them.

After a bit of research, Alex discovered they wouldn’t sell for much. Older Pokémon with prior trainers were difficult to retrain, as they often took after their first trainer’s personality—a major problem considering they had belonged to criminals.

In the end, Alex sold them to the butchers, which was the standard way police handled Pokémon from criminal trainers. He felt a pang of guilt—they were clearly intelligent—but they were also untrainable and ultimately more useful to society as food.

Instead of taking the money, Alex traded the live Pokémon for their equivalent in meat, which was mostly Expert-ranked, the tier of food his Pokémon currently consumed. The exchange saved him over a million Pokédollars worth of meat.

Back at the mansion, Alex and Jenny went over their next steps.

“So, what happens now? What happens to their assets? What about their bounties?” Alex asked.

“It’s complicated,” Jenny began. “First, they’re punished for any crimes they committed at the time of capture—kidnapping, attempted murder, resisting arrest, and a long list of others. Then, they undergo a background check to identify any outstanding crimes they were already wanted for. After that, a total sentence is issued, which also includes updated wanted notices for those who escaped.”

“Once all their crimes are accounted for, they’re punished through a combination of asset seizures, jail time, or even execution. The assets go to the League to settle their outstanding grievances, which includes a hefty payout to us. If they had a bounty, I get 50%, you get 10%, and the rest goes to the police since I’m technically their employee.”

“And if there are any assets left?”

“They keep them after serving their sentence. That includes their Pokémon, as criminals who survive their punishment are allowed to reclaim their partners. That’s why Pokémon are the last thing to be decided if their trainers are still alive.”

Alex frowned. “Is that really a good idea? To rearm them after they get out?”

“Yes,” Jenny replied. “Because if we took their Pokémon instead of their land or money, it would guarantee repeat offenders. Imagine if you were arrested for stealing and lost all your Pokémon, but your money was untouched. Wouldn’t you want to destroy the League?”

“Fair point,” Alex admitted. “But this doesn’t apply to the ones who died, right? What if they had a family?”

“Pokémon usually respect their trainers above all else. After that, it’s a gamble whether they’ll respect their trainer’s family. They aren’t considered part of an inheritance unless stated in a will. My Arcanine, for example, wouldn’t want to be trained by you if I ever passed away—even if he respected you. He would much rather retire at a League owned territory to keep the local Pokemon in check.”

“Makes sense. So, what are we waiting on now?”

“For the League to finalize how much we’re owed between their assets and their bounties.”

“How long will that take?”

“Around a month, given how many properties and businesses they found under Don’s enterprise. He has outstanding bounties in Kanto, Sinnoh, and Unova, so there are a lot of people who want a piece of him.”

“Alright then,” Alex said with a yawn. “Just let me know what I can take from his assets when you find out.”

“I will.”

“Good night, Mom.”

“Good night, Alex.”

Thus ended a night of mother-son bonding.

The next day, Alex resumed his routine at the academy as if nothing had happened. He had a suspicion about his kidnapper’s source of information, but he kept it to himself. After all, who better to send bounties his way than a snitch?

In fact, Alex would’ve thanked them—if doing so wouldn’t tip them off and stop the steady stream of income. Most protagonists went out of their way to avoid making enemies, only to waste time and effort seeking revenge when conflict inevitably found them. Alex? He thought differently.

Why wouldn’t he make enemies?

They paid the bills, after all.

The longer he let them stew, the bigger the payout in the end. It was just like an investment portfolio.

Then again, assassinations weren’t exactly common here. Not when everyone and their mothers had Dark, Psychic, and Ghost-type Pokémon to counter them.

Poor Koga. Hope he's doing well.

Alex continued his days at the academy, finding the lessons growing more intriguing as time passed. They had moved beyond basic knowledge—things anyone could look up online—and into specialized, professional information. Now, they covered topics like the current state of the Underworld, who could and couldn’t be arrested, and the legal requirements for making an arrest.

Just as the League had its Champions, like Lorelei and Lance, the Underworld had its own. These were trainers who had thrived within the system’s shadows, rising to power until their strength became undeniable.

A battle between Champions could level a city, so direct conflict was rare. Instead, they avoided open war, drawing lines in the sand. Maintaining peace wasn’t as simple as enforcing the law—because laws, in the end, bent to the will of the strong. If the balance was disturbed, the table would be flipped and those too weak to hold onto the table end up falling off.

The same applied to Pokémon. Some were untouchable, like the wild Legendary Pokémon that roamed free. The League protected them, and all trainers were legally bound to leave them alone—lest a Champion-ranked battle turn an entire region into collateral damage.

As for the Legendary Pokémon that had trainers? That information was still restricted. But Alex figured it all boiled down to strength. If a trainer was strong enough, they'd naturally come to know.

And who were the untouchables of the Underworld?

Their classic example was Don—a crime lord with a 30 million Pokédollar bounty spanning three regions, backed by three Elite-ranked Pokémon and an army of henchmen. A regular officer encountering him was expected to turn away, file a report, and forget they ever saw him.

Engaging a criminal of his caliber required at least five Elite-ranked Pokémon and the full support of law enforcement just to contain the destruction to a single city block.

Funnily enough, the teacher’s damage assessment had been spot on.

They really had leveled a city block.

Had Alex and Jenny continued their chase, the devastation could have spread to a quarter of the city. Fortunately, Alex had taken down all three of Don’s Elite Pokémon within a city block, preventing a drawn-out battle across the metropolis.

It was a good thing, too. The League wouldn’t have compensated them nearly as much otherwise.

Alex looked around the class and noted the snitch’s smug grin. Alex returned a smile filled with love. Such a nice scout. Such a hardworking employee. Alex would give him a raise if he could.

Classes continued until Alex reached the last hour of the day when their Pokémon could hone their senses. They implemented a three-month rotation to ensure as many of their senses were trained as possible.

Alex thought this was the most useful part of the academy. He had been having trouble with tracking and surveillance, considering his Pokémon, and they fixed the problem for him. By the time he graduated, Alex would have all his Pokémon ready to track down bounties left and right.

A month later, the compensation package finally arrived.

Jenny gets 20 million Pokédollars for the fulfilled bounties. She is also entitled to 3 million Pokédollars in assets, which isn’t much. She looked over all the assets, didn’t choose any of them, and simply chose cash.

Alex gets 4 million Pokédollars in bounties, as well as 10 million in assets, considering his role in baiting, containing, and ultimately beating Don.

The untouched warehouse contained all the latest information regarding Don’s assets in all three regions, and they were quite happy with their acquisition. They decided to give Alex a taste of it, which is the reason for the large compensation.

Alex was also handed a list of assets he could acquire directly from Don and a curated list of resources from the League. Choosing the League’s resources would most likely be cheaper for them as well.

Alex went over the list of Don's assets, and they were mostly buildings, mansions, empty land, businesses, luxuries—useless things.

Alex then checked the curated list given by the League, and it stunned him.

Chapter 59: Chapter 59. Completing the Teams

The League’s curated list included pseudo-legendaries at half price, Elite-ranked Pokémon meat in crates, the highest-ranked evolution stones, and popular competitive Pokémon. It had all the Held items you could imagine, as well as subscriptions for Pokémon produce such as Moomoo Milk, Gogoat Milk, Chansey Eggs, Alcremie Cream, Tropius fruits, etc.

There was even a Pokémon marketplace to buy and sell unwanted Pokémon. It was quite the convenience. He had a sizable budget as well, given the discounts compared to market values.

Unfortunately, once these 10 million credits were used up, the marketplace would close for Alex, as it typically required the right security clearance or occupation to gain access to these resources. These credits were worth more than Pokédollars due to the exclusivity of the services offered.

Alex knew he had to take advantage of these resources while they were available. A deal like this wouldn’t come around again anytime soon. The options were incredible, but there was one drawback—he could only spend the budget provided by the League and couldn’t use his own savings to supplement it.

To make the most of it, he planned to stock up on Pokémon meat and subscribe to Pokémon produce deliveries, both of which were not only cheaper here but also guaranteed high quality. Of course, he also intended to expand his team.

The marketplace, in particular, was a gold mine. Alex wasn’t picky about his next set of Pokémon. In fact, he sought out the least desirable ones, knowing they would come at the lowest prices.

After spending hours searching, he found four ideal Pokémon to purchase.

A lazy, Expert-ranked Metagross who just wanted to play strategy games all day for 800,000 credits. There were no buyers because Metagross was a hardcore frontliner based on its Attack and Defense. A Metagross that didn’t want to fight or build proficiency was useless to most people.

Alex had been wanting a commander by his side to coordinate his Pokémon. If this nerd was as good as Alex hoped, it would be a win. Worst-case scenario, Rotom would have a gaming/hacking buddy, and the house would have a permanent bodyguard.

Next was a recently captured, ferocious Elite-ranked Hydreigon for 500,000 credits. They were typically moody due to having three heads, but this one was particularly difficult to work with. Even Dragon trainers who had stronger dragons couldn’t get it in line. Alex had a secret weapon, though—it was a particularly assertive Alcremie.

If anyone could be a Dragon tamer, it would be Alex’s Alcremie. Worst-case scenario, Alex would just have its meat. Sure, it was expensive, but for the amount of meat, it was about even with the current market.

Next was an Expert-ranked Kommo-o for 3 million credits, who had recently lost its trainer in combat. It would often ignore a trainer’s orders in favor of using its own strategy, so it was deemed useless in official battles.

Alex, though, preferred the Pokémon’s individuality. He needed Pokémon that knew how to fight by themselves. If Kommo-o had a legitimate solo combat strategy, he wouldn’t mind indulging it. All he needed was another line breaker like Arcanine, anyway.

Lastly, there was a depressed, Adept-ranked Togetic for 600,000 credits. His trainer apparently didn't like his new look. He also didn’t have Serene Grace, so he wasn’t top quality as far as trainers were concerned. He had been depressed ever since and did not respond when called. Alex figured he could give it a shot—Alcremie was very persuasive.

The remaining five million went to a year’s supply of meat, Pokémon produce subscriptions, a Shiny Stone, and miscellaneous held items Alex was missing.

In total, Alex would have five Pokémon for the attack team, five for the defense team, and three for the newly named command team.

The attack team had two line breakers in Arcanine and Kommo-o, an assassin in Raticate, and two supporters in Altaria and Togekiss.

The defense team had Forretress for hazard setup, Clawitzer as a combat medic, Frosmoth and Hydreigon for bombardment, and Alcremie as a buffer.

Lastly, the command team had Rotom and Aegislash for personal defense and Metagross for communications.

It was a complete team that could take down organizations, so long as Alex could coordinate them well. Once this team gained some experience, Alex could add more while ensuring he maintained balance.

It didn’t take long for Alex to receive his Pokémon. They arrived in the PC not long after he paid.

The first Pokémon he chose to check out was Metagross, who was just a gamer with no perceivable threats. Alex released Metagross and greeted it.

“Hello, Metagross. I’m Alex, and I will be your trainer from now on. I don’t plan on having you participate in battle, but I do plan on having you defend us when attackers reach us.”

‘Human. I will not fight,’ Metagross communicated in Alex’s mind.

“That’s fine. I need a second-in-command to help me coordinate my team. I have five for attack, five for defense, and three for command. I want you to communicate my orders to the others and give me any recommendations for strategy when needed.”

‘Recommendations for strategy in combat?’

“Yes. I am—or will be—a bounty hunter and will be fighting criminals out in the open. Sometimes, I might lose the ability to command the team actively due to the chaos of the battle. I want you to help me with that.”

‘I don’t need to fight?’

“You do when our lives depend on it. What if an assassin comes for the commander’s head? You and my command team will be responsible for keeping me alive. Most of the time, you’ll only need to relay my orders and give me recommendations.”

‘Games in real life. Sounds fun.’

“Exactly. Also, you need to help Rotom with hacking duties in the future. We will be targeting criminals in the cyber world once I get clearance from the League.”

‘Sounds fun,’ Metagross said in Alex’s mind with more enthusiasm.

Alex could tell Metagross was excited, so he introduced Rotom, his future buddy. They hit it off instantly—though Alex had to buy another gaming setup for Metagross.

Name: Metagross, Expert

Type: Steel Psychic

Ability: Light Metal

Moves:

Novice: Metal Claw, Tackle, Explosion, Hone Claws, Hammer Arm, Zen Headbutt, Magnet Rise, Flash Cannon, Take Down, Scary Face

Basic: Confusion, Protect, Psychic, Bullet Punch

Description: Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokémon. With four brains working in sync, Metagross calculates every move with cold precision. Its immense strength lets it pin down prey with ease before delivering a crushing blow.

Its previous trainer tried very hard, but it was clear that this Metagross was lazy.

‘At least it can use Protect,’ Alex lamented.

Next was Kommo-o. The danger level was higher, but not by much, because Kommo-o’s previous trainer had been strict and well-disciplined.

“Hello, Kommo-o. I am Alex, and I will be your trainer from now on. I am a bounty hunter and will require a competent line breaker to bring down enemies as fast as possible. Can I rely on you for that?”

“Kommo,” Kommo-o nodded.

“Good. I’ll leave combat to your discretion most of the time, but I will require you to obey orders when necessary. Is that understood?”

“Kommo.”

“Alright, let me introduce you to the attack team.”

Kommo-o had a hard time fitting in. He was awkward with relationships, but he did work hard in training his proficiencies.

Name: Kommo-o, Expert

Type: Dragon Fighting, Male

Ability: Bullet Proof

Moves:

Basic: Protect, Clanging Scales, Noble Roar, Dragon Dance, Taunt, Breaking Swipe, Thunder Punch, Brick Break, Fire Punch, Shadow Claw, Ice Punch, Swords Dance, Iron Head,

Advanced: Belly Drum (Priority +1), Drain Punch(+50% Damage), Aerial Ace(Priority +1), Earthquake(+50% Damage), Breaking Swipe(+50% Damage)

Description: Kommo-o, the Scaly Pokémon. Kommo-o battles fiercely to prove its strength, using its shimmering scales to create a clanging sound that intimidates foes. It values honor in combat and only fights worthy opponents.

His trainer had set his priorities on Attack only. This would be a problem for Alex, as he required more AOE attacks like Clanging Scales or Boomburst in the future. For now, Alex would have to train Kommo-o in more moves. He needed more coverage just in case.

Next was Togetic. It was a depressed little thing that didn’t even look up at Alex or pay attention, so Alex called for reinforcements.

“Alcremie,” Alcremie introduced herself to Togetic.

Togetic looked up but slumped further afterward. Here was a pretty Pokémon that her trainer loved. He, however, would never be loved.

“Toge... (Sigh).”

Alex was stumped. He was never good with emotions in the first place, and now he had to play therapist.

Alcremie, however, didn’t give up.

“Alcre,” she said as she offered her cream.

“Toge?” Togetic took it and gave it a try. It was sweet, like his trainer's love before he became hideous.

Tears started falling from Togetic’s eyes. He began to cry.

“Alcre!!!” Alcremie screamed in panic and looked up at Alex with a pleading expression.

“Alcremie! (Make it stop),” Alcremie begged.

Alex was shocked that Alcremie failed to induce friendship. He had assumed she would know how to handle it. They were both Fairy types afterall.

With determination, Alex rolled up his sleeves. He would have to dig deep into his latent fatherly instincts.

Chapter 60: Chapter 60. Pokemon Affinity

"Alright," Alex said with determination before picking Togetic up and sitting him on his lap.

“It’s not your fault. Your trainer just didn’t have good taste. How about this? I give you this Shiny Stone so you can evolve further into Togekiss. That way, you’ll be even prettier than you are now,” Alex said as he petted him while handing him a Shiny Stone.

Togetic regarded Alex’s words. He said he was pretty, and he could be even prettier.

“Toge? (Are you sure?)”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I promise to love you either way, no matter what you look like. Okay?”

“Toge,” he nodded, then took the stone.

Light covered him as he started to expand. Alex retreated from the glow as his new form grew larger. The light receded, revealing Togekiss in all his splendor.

“Togekiss? (How do I look?)” Togekiss asked carefully.

“You look beautiful. Right, Alcremie?”

“Al, Al, Alcremie! (Yes, yes, so pretty!)”

Togekiss circled the room in excitement before settling on Alex’s head. He was quite heavy, but Alex could handle it.

“Congratulations on your evolution, Togekiss. I’m Alex, and I’ll be your trainer. I promise to never abandon you. So, will you train with me?”

“Toge!” he nodded from atop Alex’s head.

He had found a trainer who appreciated him, unlike that bitch. She would rue the day she abandoned him. He would be the prettiest, no matter what his previous trainer said.

Alex noted the shift in his demeanor and started getting concerned. He couldn’t shake off the fact that he might fail as a father in the future. He hoped he would train and fight properly, at least.

Name: Togekiss, Adept

Type: Fairy Flying, Male

Ability: Hustle

Moves:

Novice: Charm, Ancient Power, Yawn, Metronome, After You

Basic: Growl, Pound, Sweet Kiss, Life Dew

Description: Togekiss, the Jubilee Pokémon. Known for its gentle nature, it appears only in peaceful places, spreading joy and blessings to those it trusts.

Togekiss’s previous trainer was an 8-year-old girl who received Togepi as an egg. When he hatched, she adored him because he was cute. She carried him everywhere, and they did everything together. She even trained him with the best resources money could buy, courtesy of her parents.

Unfortunately, her love led to his evolution, and his new form wasn’t to her taste. She immediately abandoned him and never played with him again, even when her parents tried to convince her that he was strong and would change his looks upon evolving again. She wasn’t interested.

So, her parents sold Togetic to the market while buying her another cute Pokémon, like an Eevee.

Togetic, meanwhile, had received top-notch food and some low level training, but he was never properly trained for proficiency in moves. He simply repeated the same moves he had learned at the beginning. Training him would take some time.

Finally, it was time for the problem child. Alex made sure to prepare properly for this particular Pokémon. She was an Elite-ranked Pokémon and a hardcore Dragon type as well. They were known to be chaotic because of their three heads, and this one, in particular, was even more chaotic.

Alex had Alcremie on his head, Rotom in his chest pocket, and Aegislash in his shadow. His other Pokémon surrounded the field, with those who could fly circling in the air. Alex made sure they acted casual but were prepared to toss out Protect to prevent damage to the backyard.

Alex released Hydreigon onto the field, and immediately, her six eyes locked onto him with an intense stare. She floated closer, towering over him while maintaining unwavering eye contact. Dragon-type energy surrounded her, flowing across her skin in a steady circulation, ready to be unleashed.

Alex didn’t flinch. His Pokémon surrounded him, and he could take a hit or two if needed, so even the pressure of her Elite-ranked aura didn’t faze him.

Then, without warning—BANG!—she plopped onto the ground and began nuzzling him, emitting soft purring sounds. All three heads rubbed against him with unmistakable affection.

Alex was too shocked to react—his body moved on instinct as he reached up and petted her heads. His other Pokémon watched with interest but quickly lost focus once they realized there was no danger.

As he processed what was happening, Alex felt an instant bond snap into place with Hydreigon. It wasn’t just any bond—it was even stronger than the one he had with Raticate, his starter.

A surge of energy coursed through him from their connection. It felt like finding a long-lost child. The power circulated between them in a steady cycle, flowing from him to Hydreigon and back again. Alex was bewildered—he needed answers.

“Rotom, search for information regarding strong immediate bonds,” Alex requested.

“Establishing a strong bond with a Pokémon can be achieved through various methods: consistent team inclusion, participating in picnics, utilizing the Soothe Bell, feeding friendship-enhancing berries, catching with Luxury or Friend Balls…” Rotom began listing.

“Stop. Never mind,” Alex said, exasperated.

The results yielded nothing useful, which meant the League was likely suppressing relevant information. He tried other keywords—affinity, energy, human typing—but everything he found was irrelevant.

Deciding to shelve the mystery for now, Alex refocused. He had a Hydreigon to train.

“Hello, I’m Alex. I’ll be your trainer from now on,” he greeted.

“Gon. (Pleasure.),” she replied.

“Can you tell me why you’re so affectionate? They said you were difficult—even more so than usual for your species.”

“Gon! Hydreigon. (They sucked! You smell nice, though.)”

“What is it that you find nice?”

“Hy… drei? Gon? Hydrei. Dreigon. (Hmm… Aura? Looks? I don’t know. I just like you.)”

That was all Alex could get out of her, so he moved on to the next step.

“Alright, show me your moves.”

Name: Hydreigon, Elite

Type: Dark Dragon, Female

Ability: Levitate

Moves:

Novice: Tri Attack

Basic: Tackle, Focus Energy, Bite, Roar, Assurance, Headbutt, Work Up, Slam, Crunch, Scary Face, Body Slam, Hyper Voice, Double Hit, Nasty Plot

Advanced: Dragon Breath(+50% Damage), Dragon Pulse(+50% Damage), Dragon Rush(+50% Damage)

Description: Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokemon. Hydreigon is a brutal and relentless predator, using its three heads to destroy anything that moves. It is known to mercilessly attack with overwhelming force, leaving devastation in its wake.

It was decent, but it could use more status moves. Scratch that—it could use all the moves.

Alex stored his new Pokémon, updated their move pools, and assigned each of them homework. They needed to achieve at least Basic proficiency in all their moves. This way, they would always have options in battle.

The four staggering Pokémon were shocked. They turned to Alex’s other Pokémon, who nodded solemnly. They too had gone through the same training.

Metagross had protested at first—until Rotom explained how its gaming skills had improved because of it. Metagross didn’t believe it until it was utterly crushed in their shared games. So badly, in fact, that it had become the most dedicated trainee among Alex’s Pokémon.

Kommo-o was resistant as well. He had always relied on sheer force, attacking at full strength. But when Alex explained how they had to fend off over a hundred trainers just a month ago—over three hundred Pokémon charging from every direction—Kommo-o stopped listening. He was already consumed by battle lust, dreaming of tearing through waves of enemies. If Alex was capable of providing such a battlefield, then he would make sure he was ready for it.

Before long, Kommo-o was right next to Metagross, practicing with fervor—almost like a pair of addicts chasing a high.

Togekiss didn’t complain. He enjoyed training and didn’t want to disappoint Alex, his new trainer, so he trained hard.

Hydreigon, however, was a drama queen. She would throw a tantrum until she met Alex’s stern gaze and relented. Then, after receiving his affection, she would take training seriously.

Alex was relieved that his new Pokémon were on board with his program. He knew it was demanding—far beyond the current standards—but he believed that flexibility in battle brought peace of mind, so he insisted on it.

During dinner, Alex asked Jenny about affinity with Pokémon, but her answer left much to be desired.

“Jennys and Joys have always had an affinity with Growlithes and Chanseys. It started with our ancestors taking them in as Pokemon then passing their eggs over to their children.”

“Over time, it became both a genetic trait and a family tradition. When I first met Arcanine as a Growlithe, our bond snapped into place instantly—just like what happened between you and Hydreigon. It was powerful, and to this day, it’s the strongest bond I have.”

She paused before adding, “Boltund and Espeon share strong bonds with me too, but… it just doesn’t compare.”

Jenny frowned in thought. “I don’t know anything about energy transfer. Wait… I think I experienced something similar when Arcanine reached Elite rank, but it was subtle. It wasn’t a rush—more like a warmth. Maybe you have a talent similar to psychics, but with Dark-type or Dragon-type energy?”

Failing to get a satisfactory answer from Jenny, Alex decided to ask his instructor at the academy. With at least three Elite-ranked Pokémon under his belt, he should have the security clearance to know, right?

Chapter 61: Chapter 61. Pokemon Affinity 2

Alex met up with his instructor after classes the next day and explained his situation with Hydreigon, including her history.

“Congratulations on reaching Elite rank, cadet. What you experienced is just the beginning,” Johnson said as he absently caressed his Pyroar beside him.

“Trainers who bond with Elite-rank Pokémon or stronger receive feedback from their Pokémon’s energy. This feedback grants them an affinity for that energy. The stronger the affinity, the easier it is to gain the trust of Pokémon with the same typing, the greater their resistance to damage from that type, and, in some cases, the ability to manipulate that energy. What you can do with it depends on the energy itself and your personal talent.”

“This is why, historically, trainers were encouraged to build teams of a single type. It’s also why Gyms are structured around typings rather than strategies or tactics. Over time, sticking to a single type significantly enhances a trainer’s affinity. This trait can even be hereditary—your parents might have had a strong affinity for Dark or Dragon-type energy.”

“Some energies are incredibly useful, like Psychic energy, which allows humans to manipulate objects from afar. Others, like Normal-type energy, don’t seem to do anything. Most people never develop any reaction to their Pokémon’s energy, even after training a Champion-level team for decades. But a rare few develop extreme abilities—generating electricity, superhuman strength beyond what Pokémon meat already provides, and so on. It all comes down to luck.”

“If you can already feel the energy, that suggests your affinity is strong. It’s rare for a bond to be so powerful that the energy is immediately noticeable. I, for example, have no ability to sense it at all. If no one had told me about it, I’d have never known.”

“Why is the League restricting access to this information?” Alex asked.

“I don’t know,” Johnson admitted. “Maybe the old families don’t want competition.” He shrugged. “In any case, the best thing for you to do now is to bond with more Pokémon of the same type, spend time with your team, and experiment to figure out exactly what your affinity can do.”

Alex nodded and went home for the night. He got the information he wanted but there was nothing he could do about it. He already tried experimenting with the energy and nothing came of it.

He decided to put it at the back of his mind until he found out more information.

Five months later, Alex and Clarissa graduated from the Police Academy.

During the remainder of his time at the academy, he learned everything he needed to know about being a cop in the Pokémon world.

The curriculum covered subjects such as crime scene investigation, profiling, traffic laws, ethics, proper use of force, emergency response, and first aid, among others.

Crime scene investigation was particularly interesting, as it involved not only fingerprints, biological samples, and blood spatter analysis but also energy readings, move usage, and type profiling, given that Pokémon could be used in crimes as well.

Profiling was familiar to Alex, as Jenny had already introduced him to the subject, so there wasn’t much new for him to learn. Traffic laws covered the proper harnesses required for specific Pokémon.

Ethics included Pokémon rights, such as respecting Pokémon that demonstrate a certain level of intelligence, regulations on specific Pokémon and the proper procedures when encountering them, and a list of Pokémon that cannot be captured, including Legendaries.

Proper use of force was an intriguing topic due to the presence of Pokémon. Unlike on Earth, where guns were a significant issue that often led to the death of civilians, the Pokémon world had Protect, Thunder Wave, Sing, Hypnosis, making such incidents a non-issue. Here, the police couldn’t justify excessive use of force with excuses like "I feared for my life so I called out Flamethrower."

Emergency response training included handling Pokémon-related floods, which was particularly fascinating. As a Police Academy graduate, Alex was responsible for shepherding people to the nearest gyms during a Pokémon flood—unless he had greater duties, such as manning the wall.

Finally, first aid training was provided in case a healing Pokémon fainted, a cadet ran out of potions, and no berries were available. While it was a rare scenario, the academy still ensured they were prepared for such situations.

As for their combat training, Alex’s Pokémon have grown stronger, but they haven’t had the time to refine their proficiencies. Aside from a few dozen Novice-rank moves advancing to Basic for the newer Pokémon, the others haven’t made much progress.

Their teamwork, however, has improved significantly. The team system Alex devised worked so well that even the instructor praised his system, noting that they were ready to take on serious criminals—ones the police typically aren’t allowed to handle.

Their senses have also sharpened, but real-world experience is still needed, as their training has been just that—training.

Clarissa also performed exceptionally well, even evolving her Dratini and Frigibax into Dragonair and Arctibax. Though they still have a long way to go, their progress is undeniable.

On the final day of classes, during their last training session, Clarissa turned to Alex and asked.

"What do you plan on doing now?"

"I'll apply for a bounty hunter's license and probably head to the Fighting Dojo to get my first badge," Alex replied.

"I thought you said you didn’t want to be a trainer?"

"I don’t want to be a professional trainer aiming to participate in the League Conferences, but those badges grant access to League resources. It’d be a waste to ignore that. What about you?"

"Fighting Dojo for my first badge, then I’ll be heading to Cerulean City for my second. They have this amazing water show at the Water Gym, led by Misty and her sisters—I’ve always wanted to see it."

"Then Pewter City, then Viridian City?"

"Yup. Then Cinnabar City, then Fuchsia City—you get the picture."

"Sounds like you’re taking the long way around."

"Yeah... I don’t think bounty hunting is for me anymore. Learning about them in class has been distressing. It sounds like walking a tightrope, never knowing when one of those powerful criminals we’re not allowed to touch will just walk into our homes and kill us out of revenge. It’s a terrifying life, and if even the Champions aren’t strong enough to do anything about it, then…"

"It’s not for everyone. My mother’s a Jenny, so they know better than to mess with her. If they want to get to me, they can only come after me."

"What if you find someone? What if you piss everyone off and then meet a nice girl?"

"I don’t know. Maybe I’ll find a remote island somewhere and start a farm. It’s not like I’ll be a bounty hunter forever—I’ll probably retire someday when I get tired of it."

"Sounds like a long time."

"Yeah."

They parted ways for the night after their conversation. Alex had never really thought about anything beyond becoming a bounty hunter. He hadn’t even considered whether he would stay in Saffron City.

What he did know was that his team was ready—and they needed to be tested. Pushing the thought aside like so many others, he focused on what lay ahead.

During the graduation ceremony, Alex met Lance again, but the scowl on Lance’s face remained when their eyes met. Alex understood—he wouldn’t want someone like him swooping in and "polluting" his princess either. Yet, there was nothing Alex could do. They were friends, after all.

After the ceremony, Alex and Jenny went out for another night of celebration. When the evening ended, Jenny presented him with a graduation gift.

"Why now and not when I graduated high school?" Alex asked, staring at the present on the table.

"Sorry, it's a Jenny clan tradition to give the gift after Police Academy graduation, not high school. Anyway, open it—we want to see what you think this time," Jenny said.

Alex unwrapped the present and found a gun case. This time, however, the manufacturer had changed from Argent Solutions to Devon Corporation.

Inside the box lay a pair of sleek, metallic-silver Desert Eagles with black wooden grips, a black leather body holster, spare magazines, and a speed loader.

The features remained exactly the same as before, with the only notable change being the addition of a safety switch. The bullet selection panel was still on the side of the barrel, the display screen remained at the top, and the magazine design was unchanged—everything else was identical.

“How strong is it now?” Alex asked.

“Enough to cause non-life-threatening bleeding. The change also increased the battery life to 300 shots before needing a recharge.”

“Perfect. I have some Decorate and Coaching bullets I’ve been wanting to try out.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask for some. Espeon doesn’t have an ability that benefits from the gun. Give me some Heal Pulse bullets as well.”

“Have they done stress tests on the bullets or confirmed move restrictions?”

“The current version of the bullets is strong enough to withstand an unboosted Elite-rank Flamethrower at best. Moves that affect only the user, like Protect or Iron Defense, don’t work, so that idea is out. Moves like Giga Drain won’t restore health to the user or gunner, so don’t expect to heal your injuries with it.”

“Moves like Life Leech also won’t heal unless the loader is within the field to control the released energy. Terrain, Hazards, and Weather moves can’t be loaded either since they involve active environmental manipulation. There’s a thorough research paper on it if you want a copy.”

“Please and thank you. Oh, by the way, what happened to Argent Solutions, the company that made the original gun?”

“They were forced by the League to reduce the power of their weapons. Their technology wasn’t something they personally developed—they simply weaponized it. So we switched to Devon Corporation, having them rebuild it with power restrictions and a safety mechanism.”

“Did you catch the people who lobbied against the restrictions?”

“Yup. Just like you predicted, we tracked and arrested the politicians who lobbied against the restrictions. They were taking bribes from Argent Solutions on top of other crimes, so the company had to replace its CEO and fire a lot of employees.”

“What about the festival idea?”

“Scrapped for crossing the line.”

“They have some serious Underworld backers, then?”

“Yup. Champion-ranked restrictions, so our hands are tied.”

Alex expected as much. Argent Solutions was a wealthy corporation with a booming gaming industry, and the sheer amount of money they had demanded high-level protections. They needed backers to ensure they wouldn’t get stolen from by either the League or the Underworld.

In any case, Alex had a new toy, paperwork to file, and a gym to challenge so he thanked Jenny for the gift and went to bed early. He will have a busy day tomorrow.

Chapter 62: Chapter 62. Paper Work

Early in the morning, Alex made his way to the Pokémon Center, where he registered as an official trainer. The registration process had several requirements: owning a Pokémon, paying the registration fee, providing a valid ID, being at least 16 years old, having a bank account, and holding either a high school diploma or a general education certificate, among other criteria.

However, the Pokémon ownership requirement could be waived if the applicant purchased one from the League. The League offered three tiers of Pokémon for aspiring trainers, each with varying levels of rarity and potential.

For 20,000 Pokédollars, trainers could participate in a lottery-based selection, primarily consisting of common and inexpensive Pokémon such as Bellsprout, Rattata, Pidgey, Caterpie, and Geodude.

Those willing to spend 100,000 Pokédollars could choose from a curated selection of more valuable and versatile Pokémon, including Scyther, Pikachu, Poliwag, Machop, and Seel.

Finally, for 1,000,000 Pokédollars, trainers could gain access to rare and powerful Pokémon, such as Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, Dratini, Lapras, and various Fossil Pokémon.

This system helped fund the Gym Leaders, who trained young Pokémon for these sales.

Once his registration was complete, Alex approached the counter, where Nurse Joy handed him his Trainer ID and performed a final checkup.

"Your Pokémon are all healthy, your registration is complete, and you’re in great shape too," she said with a warm smile. "You're all set, Alex. Congratulations on becoming a trainer."

"Thank you, Nurse Joy—for the checkup and for protecting me four years ago," Alex replied. "I’ve been meaning to thank you in person, but I never had the chance."

Nurse Joy's expression softened. "You're welcome, Alex. I remember when you were just a frail, scrawny kid with a negative outlook on life. Now look at you—a strong, healthy young man with a powerhouse team. I'm proud of you. Congratulations on your recovery."

Alex smiled. "Thanks, Nurse Joy. I'll see you around."

"Take care, Alex."

Alex’s next stop was the police station, where he would register for a bounty hunter license.

The application process had requirements similar to those for becoming a trainer but included additional qualifications: a police academy diploma, proof of being capable of taking down Elite-ranked Pokémon, and other strict criteria.

The Elite-ranked Pokémon requirement meant that a bounty hunter’s team had to be strong enough to defeat at least one Elite-ranked Pokémon. This served as a significant cutoff point, as most police officers only had two or three Pokémon, requiring them to be at the top of the Expert rank to stand a chance against an Elite-ranked foe.

Because of these high standards, fresh graduates rarely applied to become bounty hunters unless they had extensive prior experience and a solid team of at least five Pokémon. This essentially described experienced trainers, meaning they only needed to obtain the diploma to unintentionally earn income simply by encountering people during their travels.

That said, bounty hunters weren’t expected to take down Elite-ranked criminals single-handedly. Factors such as henchmen, environmental risks, and potential collateral damage had to be carefully considered before engaging such dangerous targets.

This was why studying at the police academy was a requirement—the last thing the League and the police wanted was to provoke powerful figures, only for the League to be forced to clean up the mess.

“Here is your Bounty Hunter License, Mr. Wattson. The rest of the information you need is available online. Have a good day,” the woman behind the counter said as she passed Alex his new license.

“Thank you.”

To fulfill the requirement of being able to take down Elite-ranked Pokémon, Alex submitted the incident report detailing his capture of Don, along with Hydreigon’s medical report. It was an easy requirement to meet.

Alex pocketed the license before walking out of the station and heading toward the Fighting Dojo.

As he walked, he browsed the official bounty site, which contained a complete list of currently available targets.

Thousands of individuals had bounties on their heads in Kanto alone. There were also listings for other regions, in case fugitives had fled across borders.

The site allowed bounty hunters to submit intel on wanted individuals. If someone else captured or eliminated a target using that information, the informant would receive 30% of the bounty, while 10% went to the police station, and the remaining 60% was awarded to the hunter who secured the capture or kill.

For those who handled everything themselves, the reward was 90% of the bounty—unless the target was a direct assignment from the police, in which case the bounty hunter received the full amount.

As for the assets of captured or deceased bounties, the League took control of the aftermath and handled their distribution. They acknowledged that bounty hunters had certain liberties—but only up to a point. Cross the League’s invisible line, and they would make sure you knew it.

At the Dojo, Alex met with Laura, the receptionist, and officially registered for a challenge. However, he would have to wait a month for his turn. That was actually quite fast, considering high school classes were ending within a few days.

One could only imagine the rush of sixteen-year-olds flooding gyms for a challenge the moment they got their diplomas.

Alex thanked Laura before heading home for the day. He needed to break in his new holsters, test his new gun, and prepare for his first outing tomorrow.

The next day, Alex stepped out of Saffron City’s massive gates for the first time in his new life. Dressed in a printed red shirt, black shorts, red sneakers, and a black cap, with a backpack slung over his shoulders, he took in the sight before him—the open trail flanked by thick forests on either side. A grin spread across his face as he took off at a steady jog, eager to experience the wilderness he had once dreaded upon arriving in this world.

Half an hour into the trail, Alex became aware of the stares.

Pokémon were inherently territorial—any intruder who wandered into their domain without caution often found themselves mauled before they even realized what had happened.

It was an eerie feeling, knowing that over a dozen unseen eyes were locked onto him. Some watched out of caution. Others out of hunger. Most were simply driven by violent impulse.

To ward off any would-be attackers, Alex tossed a Poké Ball into the air.

“Go, Togekiss! I choose you!” he called out.

With a flash of light, Togekiss appeared—and immediately perched itself on his head.

Alex chuckled, adjusting slightly so as not to disturb his partner. Then, with renewed confidence, he continued deeper into the trail. The stares were still there, but they had lessened considerably.

Togekiss may have only been Adept rank, but he was close to reaching Expert—enough of a deterrent that the local wildlife would think twice before challenging him and risk becoming prey themselves.

They traveled onward until their first challenge of the day appeared.

A Butterfree flitted through the air, seemingly minding its own business—until it spotted the human with the fat bird on his head.

“Go, Togekiss! This is your first challenge. Use Air Slash!” Alex commanded.

Togekiss gave a lazy flap of its wing, sending a sharp blade of air toward Butterfree. The attack struck cleanly, significantly injuring the wild Pokémon.

In retaliation, Butterfree rapidly beat its wings, releasing a shimmering blue-green powder into the air—Sleep Powder.

“Oh no! Quick! Use Fairy Wind to blow it away!”

Togekiss flapped both wings, sending a gust of pink mist rolling forward. The Fairy Wind easily dispersed the Sleep Powder while dealing the final blow to Butterfree, causing it to faint instantly.

"Now’s my chance! Go, Poké Ball!" Alex shouted, throwing a Poké Ball at the unconscious Pokémon.

The ball struck Butterfree, absorbed it in a flash of red light, and landed on the ground. It wobbled once. Twice. A third time—

Click!

Alex had caught his first wild Pokémon.

“We did it, Togekiss! Our first capture!”

“Toh.” (Meh.) Togekiss responded, unimpressed.

Alex ran over to retrieve the Poké Ball—only for a Pidgeot to dive down, snatch it in its talons, and vanish into the forest, soaring north..

“No! That’s my Pokémon!” Alex yelled, immediately taking off after it.

As he chased the bird deeper into the forest, he noticed something unsettling—the further he went, the quieter it became. The usual rustling of leaves, the chirping of Bug-types, even the occasional distant cry of wild Pokémon… all of it had vanished.

The silence was unnatural.

Finally, Alex skidded to a stop in front of a cave entrance. Thin wisps of smoke drifted from within, illuminated by the soft flicker of a bonfire burning inside.

Someone—or something—was in there.

"What do we have here?" a man's voice called from within the cave.

Alex took a step forward, his fists clenched. "Your Pidgeot took my Butterfree!"

"Oh, that thing?" The voice scoffed as a figure emerged from the cave, his silhouette illuminated by the fire inside. "Butterfree don’t sell too well. That Togekiss, though? Different story. Should go for about 700,000 on the market."

Alex’s eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about? You can’t have my Togekiss."

The man chuckled. "That’s up to us, kid."

"Us?" Alex asked.

A second man stepped out from the cave, standing beside the first.

Before Alex could react, Togekiss suddenly stiffened, its body locking up. A piercing Glare came from the darkness of the cave, paralyzing it in an instant.

"Togeki—" Alex started, but a powerful arm suddenly wrapped around his neck, yanking him backward. His breath hitched as another set of hands rummaged through his backpack.

"Find anything good?" the first man asked.

The thief behind Alex let out an excited laugh. "Hell yeah. Kid's got like ten Poké Balls in here, all filled. Plenty of gear and food supplies too. This kid’s loaded."

The second man grinned. "We're gonna be rich."

But just as they were celebrating their haul, the first man suddenly stiffened, his instincts flaring. His hand shot toward his belt.

"Something's wrong," he muttered.

Chapter 63: Chapter 63. Hunting

‘Tall, muscular, bearded, unkempt hair, brown shirt, khakis, combat boots, steady gait, three visible Poké Balls, three places by the fire—he has accomplices,’ Alex analyzed.

‘One behind me—light steps, tall, thin frame based on the shadow. Another behind the first man in the cave, similar build to the one behind me,’ he thought just as an arm closed around his neck.

"Something's wrong," the first man muttered, moments before Alex gave his signal.

A flash of red bloomed behind Alex as the man’s arms were cut off by Aegislash with the signal.

"Release," Alex commanded calmly.

Rotom activated all of Alex’s Poké Balls, releasing his team in an instant.

Metagross, understanding the situation immediately, called out moves to the Pokémon.

Altaria threw out a Safeguard, Frosmoth released Mist, Forretress activated Gravity, and Alcremie spread Sweet Scent.

Kommo-o used Belly Drum right as Clawitzer shot a Heal Pulse at him, restoring his health to full.

Arcanine darted forward with Extreme Speed, slamming into the Arbok lurking behind the men in the cave, knocking it out in a single blow.

The entire setup had taken only a second.

"It’s a trap!" the first man shouted as he released his Pokémon, prompting his accomplices to do the same.

In total, they had 15 Pokémon, including Arbok, who was already knocked out, and Pidgeot, who landed in front of the man.

Five surrounded Alex, all of them low-end Expert-ranked. None were Poison, Steel, or Fire types, though two were Flying types who immediately kissed the ground.

The rest were trapped at the cave's entrance, with Arcanine cutting off their retreat deeper into the cave from behind and Alex blocking the exit outside. They, too, were Expert-ranked, except for three who were Adept-ranked. Their typings varied as well.

‘Send Kommo-o and Raticate to intercept the Pidgeot. Clawitzer will use Surf on their position while Arcanine follows up with Heat Wave. Triple Dazzling Gleam to clear our area. Have Hydreigon Dragon Rush to block their exit,’ Alex communicated to Metagross, who then relayed Alex’s commands to the team along with its own.

While his Pokémon moved into action, Alex pulled a Paralyze Heal from his backpack and used it on Togekiss.

The area erupted as an explosion of moves clashed and tore through the surroundings.

A barrage of Dazzling Gleams decimated the five Pokémon surrounding Alex, while Arcanine’s Heat Wave stalled the attackers.

At the mouth of the cave, the remaining ten Pokémon struggled as Surf crashed into them, forcing them deeper inside. The powerful current prevented them from spreading out and causing chaos.

The first man mounted Pidgeot, attempting to escape, but Kommo-o’s Ice Punch nearly clipped its wings. Before he could gain altitude, Raticate struck with Quick Attack, sending both rider and Pokémon tumbling deeper into the cave.

"Defensive formation, now!" the first man barked as he got off Pidgeot.

The remaining Pokémon encircled him, using alternating Protects while launching special attacks to hold off Alex’s team.

‘Light Screen, Reflect. Gravity in their area. Start stacking stats. Repeated bombardment. And sit on the man behind me,’" Alex commanded Metagross, who obliged.

Metagross might not like combat in general, but it has a PhD in sitting and commanding characters in games. So it relayed the orders and sat on the man who was bleeding to death from both arms.

Another wave of bombardment struck, clashing against their rotating Protects and nullifying their Special Attacks. As an Elite, Hydreigon was holding her own, using Snarl to significantly weaken their offense.

Sensing a stalemate, Alex checked their identities.

According to Rotom’s database, all three men are rapists, poachers, murderers, thieves, and repeat offenders. All of them are wanted dead or alive with a combined bounty of only 150,000 Pokédollars—a bit low for Alex.

Still, criminals like these were likely facing execution, meaning Alex could claim ownership of all their Pokémon.

And that made this encounter worth it.

‘Have Raticate Dig under them to compromise their footing. Have Kommo-o use Earthquake to collapse their floor. Have Raticate and Arcanine on standby to intercept them when they Dig. Have the rest bombard the pit.’

As Alex commanded, Raticate dug out tunnels under them as they continued to stall. Once Metagross received Raticate’s confirmation, Kommo-o used Earthquake to devastate the area at the mouth of the cave, collapsing the floor and temporarily leaving them without stable footing, disrupting their formation and rhythm.

Gravity ensured even their Flying types fell with the others.

Arcanine peeked down and breathed a Heat Wave below. Hydreigon and Kommo-o used Earthquake together, targeting everything inside the pit. Raticate sat safely outside while the rest of the Pokémon came closer, just in case they needed to throw another bombardment.

“Status?” Alex asked Metagross.

‘All Pokémon fainted. Both trainers dead,’ Metagross replied in Alex’s thoughts.

"We're done here. Clawitzer, Heal Pulse the man. Arcanine and Raticate, retrieve everything from the pit. Metagross, investigate the cave—it might have some secret rooms. The rest of you, maintain vigilance. We're in the wild now. We can't rest until we get back to the city," Alex ordered, and they followed.

In total, Alex had received sixteen Pokémon—nearly a month’s worth of their consumption. Their supplies were terrible, as was their equipment. Nothing was worth keeping. Their phones were locked, preventing him from gathering any further information. There were no secret rooms.

The man, though alive, had passed out from blood loss. He would need treatment before waking up on his own. Alex was allowed to be rough, but not inhumane. Torture for information was off-limits.

‘Lying isn’t illegal, right? It’s not like I’m under oath,’ Alex thought.

Leaving the phone to continue recording, he approached the man and delivered a hard slap. The man jolted awake.

“What the f—”

Another slap. Then another. And another. Until he understood who was in control.

“Hello. I’m a bounty hunter, and I need information about these parts. Tell me everything you know.”

“Why the fu—”

Slap.

“Because if you don’t, I’ll leave you here with nothing but your clothes. Your Pokémon are mine now, so give up on taking them back. Tell me what I want to know, and I’ll take you to the League alive. Unlike your friends, who didn’t cooperate,” Alex lied blatantly, his gaze drifting to the mangled corpses of the man’s former allies.

The man’s breath hitched as he took in the scene—his friends had been reduced to little more than chunks of flesh. How long had he been knocked out?

“Alright, alright! I’ll tell you!”

Alex learned about two bases in the area, one on each side of the trail. They were used to collect and transport goods stolen from trainers passing through. Their targets were always Adepts and below, using the same trick they had tried on Alex.

The reason they made money was because of rich kids like Alex, who would set out on adventures with little more than a single Adept-ranked Pokémon. These Pokémon were usually top-tier breeds that would sell well in the black market.

He also had the man unlock his phone so Rotom could snoop around. It managed to verify the man’s confession. One base was located at the start of the trail, a few dozen miles from their current location, while the other was at the end of the trail near Lavender City.

Reaching the base near Lavender City would take nearly a week of trekking, so Alex settled for the one near Saffron City. He could have gone after both, but there was a good chance the second base would retreat once word of his attack spread.

He could always hit them later—once they cooled off and resumed operations. For now, he burned and buried the corpses. Leaving human remains in the wild was illegal; it could develop the local Pokémon’s taste for human flesh.

With the cleanup done, Alex left Forretress to guard the cave and ensure their prisoner stayed alive. He then rode Hydreigon toward the target location, staying above the treetops to remain hidden. The dense forest canopy provided excellent cover, and Hydreigon flew silently—relying not on her wings but on Levitation.

Within minutes, they reached the location and found an occupied campsite with over a dozen guards.

Based on the number of tents, a dozen teams were missing from the camp. They were probably out catching Pokémon, kidnapping, or stealing from Adept-ranked trainers traveling through this trail.

Alex would have to intercept them instead of taking down the campsite. A quick scan with Rotom confirmed that none of the guards had bounties on them, meaning they only handled security and retrieval without exposing their faces to the public.

They let the teams do all the work and paid them based on what they caught for each submission. This setup ensured a clean operation with distributed roles. As long as they weren’t caught red-handed with stolen goods, they could maintain plausible deniability.

Alex decided to stake out the camp and ambush the teams on their way back. Given the terrain, he needed to watch three key points around the camp—east, south, and west.

The northern side was Pokémon territory. It was legal for them to catch Pokemon there so the probability of illegal goods coming from the north was low.

For now, Alex had Rotom monitor the east and west sides of the camp using drones and hidden cameras. He positioned himself on the south side, ensuring they could reach the other locations in time for an ambush.

Hopefully, he could either collect more bounties or catch the teams red-handed with stolen goods. If things went well, this might cover a year’s worth of their food expenses.

Chapter 64: Chapter 64. Stakeout

Alex changed out of his ignorant teen trainer outfit and into his bounty hunter gear—a black full bodysuit with silver highlights, combat boots, a body holster, and a long black coat. The bodysuit reduced damage from elemental energy, while the coat mitigated impact damage.

As they waited, Alex had his Pokémon stack their stats in shifts, ensuring they maintained the upper hand when ambushing a team. They hadn’t been able to do this earlier since they were acting as bait.

Now, they were in peak form, ready to take down criminals with greater ease than before. With their weapons equipped, Alex doubted even an Elite trainer could match him and his team.

Alex and his team waited for a few hours before spotting their first targets—a group of five men riding three Rhyhorns, their faces lit with carefree smiles as they slowly made their way toward the camp from the east.

Rotom scanned them, identifying three with bounties while the other two were newcomers to the scene. That was a problem. The most Alex could do was arrest them and charge them for their current crimes, which wouldn’t earn him much money.

Still, a hunt was a hunt.

He took off, riding Hydreigon, while those with fully stacked stats either ran or flew alongside him. Clawitzer, fully powered up with Decorate, was carried by Hydreigon, while Alcremie, having maxed out Calm Mind, perched atop Hydreigon’s head.

They intercepted the group before they got too close to the camp, meaning they could afford to be loud.

“You’re all under arrest for the crimes of poaching, theft, murder, and accessory to these crimes,” Alex declared, flashing his badge as he descended on Hydreigon, releasing all his Pokémon.

As he predicted—and hoped—they responded by releasing their own Pokémon and attacking immediately. Now, the ones without bounties were guilty of resisting arrest at best and assault at worst.

A Surf from Clawitzer and a Dazzling Gleam from Alcremie knocked out more than half their Pokémon, while the rest managed to react with Protect just in time. But they were disorganized, and the next wave of attacks finished the job.

The criminals cooperated once all their Pokémon were subdued. Alex collected their Poké Balls, separating those belonging to the ones without prior crimes. He also confiscated the captured Pokémon in their bags, just in case any of their victims were still alive.

Next, he imprisoned them back at the cave before returning to the south of the camp to continue his stakeout.

A day passed without any new teams returning to the camp before Rotom informed Alex of a group approaching from the east. The only issue was that none of them had bounties, meaning Alex had no legal grounds to arrest them.

These teams weren’t necessarily engaging in illegal activities. They could be legitimate capture teams operating within their rights to catch wild Pokémon. Alex couldn’t assume they were carrying illicit goods, and even if they were, he had no way of confirming it.

With no justification for interference, Alex had no choice but to let them pass into the camp.

A few hours later, after the first group had completed their business and left with heavier wallets, another team arrived atop an Onix—this time, with a bound and gagged girl being carried by a Hypno on its shoulder.

Judging by her torn clothes and vacant eyes, she had been assaulted recently. She looked young—likely a new graduate on her first journey into the wild.

The two men leading the group looked quite pleased with their catch.

Alex could have let them enter the camp, recording the entire transaction as evidence to incriminate everyone involved. However, doing so would immediately expose his surveillance and force the operation to shut down before he could gather enough bounties and assets.

Instead, he decided to take this team down immediately.

Aboard Hydreigon, Alex descended with a powered-up Kommo-o and Arcanine flanking him. The two circled the area as Alex declared,

“You’re under arrest for kidnapping, assault, theft-”

Before he could say more, the criminals released their Pokémon and attacked.

‘Earthquake to destabilize, Gravity to prevent escape, Extreme Speed on that Hypno to secure the hostage,’ Alex commanded through telepathy to Metagross, who floated beside him.

Arcanine struck first, slamming into Hypno with a max-Attack-stacked Extreme Speed, knocking it out instantly and launching it away. As the hostage fell, Arcanine caught the girl on his back, securing her safety.

At the same moment, Metagross activated Gravity, grounding any potential aerial escape. Then, a powerful Earthquake shook the battlefield, instantly knocking out the remaining Pokémon and sending their trainers tumbling.

One of the men tried to flee on his Fearow, but Gravity prevented them from gaining altitude. Moments later, the Earthquake struck, bringing Fearow crashing down.

With all their Pokémon defeated and their escape options gone, the criminals surrendered without further resistance.

Alex approached and untied the girl, who was still visibly shaken. He knelt beside her and spoke calmly.

“I’m a bounty hunter who just witnessed a crime in progress. Would you be willing to clarify the situation on record to justify their arrest? Otherwise, I’ll have no legal grounds to hold them.”

The girl’s empty stare sharpened with fury.

“They kidnapped me, stole my belongings, raped me, and planned to sell me. I have everything recorded on my phone, but they took it,” she stated with cold anger.

“That’s sufficient testimony. I’d also like a copy of that recording to submit to the police later. Now, for the record, please state your name and where this happened.”

“My name is Mika Foster. They captured me two hours east of Saffron City, along the trail leading to Lavender Town.”

“Perfect. That’s all I need.”

Alex secured the prisoners before turning back to Mika.

“I plan to remain in the area to continue my work. I can’t escort you back to the city. You have two choices—you can leave on your own and report the incident to the police, or you can stay here with the captives until I finish in a few days and personally escort you back. Your call.”

“I’ll take my things and leave.”

“Understood. But remember, I’m recording, so only take what belongs to you.”

“Alright.”

Mika retrieved her bag, then rummaged through two others to recover her Poké Balls, phone, and wallet before shakily getting to her feet. As she turned to leave, Alex stopped her.

“Let me escort you to my camp first. I’ll point you toward Saffron City from there. Also, I strongly advise you to wait a week before reporting the incident. If they catch wind of this too soon, they’ll halt operations temporarily and resume later. I’ll contact you for more details once I’m done.”

“…Okay.”

She relented, following Alex back to his cave, where Forretress was keeping watch over the prisoners.

Before leaving, she turned to Alex one last time.

“Thank you… for rescuing me.”

Then, she set off alone toward Saffron City.

Alex watched her go, impressed by her resilience. Despite everything she had endured, she still had the strength to keep moving forward. He had heard of the stories and these victims would sometimes just give up on life.

Over the next three days, Alex successfully captured five more teams using the same tactics—bringing the total to eight, including the group that ambushed him and the two teams he took down.

Now, 32 criminals were being held captive under Alex’s watch. This was legal in the wilds, as long as he ensured they weren’t subjected to abuse, starvation, or inhumane living conditions.

There was plenty of local Pokémon to feed them, and they were allowed to roam within the cave—under constant supervision. Forretress, Frosmoth, and Togekiss guarded in shifts, ensuring at least two of them remained awake at all times.

By the fifth day, no more teams appeared. It was likely the camp had discovered his operations and sent out a warning, instructing their teams to lay low until the situation was handled.

With his presence now compromised, Alex decided it was time to leave. He had already collected enough Pokémon to sustain his team for the next six months from the criminals alone.

Before departing, he set up hidden monitoring devices around the camp to track their transactions and gather evidence. This would allow him to take down the entire operation when he returned.

Binding the prisoners, Alex had them airlifted to the eastern gates of Saffron City, where he handed them, all their belongings, and his recordings over to the police for processing.

This would undoubtedly alert the camp’s leaders, so for now, he withdrew. His hidden cameras would continue collecting evidence, and in a month, when the heat died down, he would return to retrieve them.

By then, there should be more than enough proof to take down the entire camp.

Two days later, Alex received his bounty rewards, totaling 950,000 Pokédollars. Some of the criminals had no bounties, while others had only minor ones, but overall, it was a solid amount for a week’s work.

Additionally, he claimed the Pokémon and some assets of those sentenced to life imprisonment or execution, securing a five-month supply of food for his own team. The meat quality matched their current standards—Expert-ranked.

With everything processed, Alex returned home to Jenny, giving his Pokémon time to train their proficiencies. They also needed to prepare for their upcoming Gym challenge, so they stayed put for the time being.

Three weeks later, it was finally time to challenge the Fighting Dojo.

Chapter 65: Chapter 65. First Gym Challenge

Alex had registered for this challenge a month ago, and according to Laura, with the recent influx of graduates flooding the gyms, their backlog of challenges would last for a year—just in time for next year's graduates to fill it up again.

Even with three gyms in Saffron City, they had just enough capacity to handle the wave of new trainers—eager, starry-eyed individuals dreaming of becoming the next Champion.

Alex made his way to the third floor of the gym for his appointment. For this challenge, he had to face three double battles before taking on the Gym Leader, Koichi.

As he considered his strategy, he ultimately decided on Arcanine and Raticate. He wanted to showcase their progress to the Dojo members, who were quite familiar with these two and would likely appreciate the sentiment.

Upon reaching the third floor, Alex was greeted by Kael and Charles for his first battle. They would be using Pangoro and Hitmonlee against Alex’s Raticate and Arcanine.

“Hey, Alex. Long time no see. How’s Raticate doing?” Kael asked, releasing his Pangoro, who gave Raticate a smug look.

“Good. I hope you haven’t slacked off since our sparring matches.”

“Haha. Pangoro will easily take out your Raticate this time.”

“Don’t forget about me. This is a doubles match, after all,” Charles chimed in as he released his Hitmonlee, who locked eyes with Arcanine.

“Let’s see where we stand after a year of training.”

A referee stepped forward and initiated the battle.

“Doubles match: Pangoro and Hitmonlee versus Raticate and Arcanine. Begin!”

Raticate vanished with a Quick Attack to the edge of the battlefield behind Arcanine and immediately used Swords Dance, boosting his attack power significantly. Arcanine, meanwhile, launched an Extreme Speed, knocking Hitmonlee away.

No commands were given—these trainers and their Pokémon were too familiar with each other for that.

Pangoro, a bit late on the uptake, used Earthquake which knocked out Hitmonlee and dealt significant damage to Arcanine. Hitmonlee, unable to withstand the sheer force of Earthquake due to his low Defense and already lowered health, fainted instantly.

Their original plan was to use High Jump Kick with Earthquake to deal significant opening damage but their plan backfired with a simple Extreme Speed from Arcanine that prevented Hitmonlee from taking off.

Arcanine used Morning Sun to completely heal the damage dealt by Earthquake just as Pangoro released another Earthquake. The cycle repeated another time before Arcanine finally charged at Pangoro with an Extreme Speed dealing some damage.

As Pangoro was about to release a final Earthquake on Arcanine to knock him out, a Quick Attack—enhanced by two Swords Dances—struck from behind, sending Pangoro flying and knocking her out. The damage from Arcanine’s Extreme Speed had lowered her health just enough for Raticate to finish her off.

“Winner: Arcanine and Raticate. Alex may proceed to the next challenge,” the referee announced before moving to the second battleground.

“Damn, I didn’t get to do anything,” Charles muttered, recalling his Hitmonlee.

“I forgot your Raticate could use Swords Dance now that this isn’t just sparring. Good luck with the rest of the challenge, Alex. The others won’t be pushovers,” Kael added.

“Thanks, guys. See you around,” Alex replied, healing Arcanine and letting him rest.

His next battle was against Hitmonchan and Primeape, so he swapped out Arcanine for Clawitzer.

“Doubles match: Primeape and Hitmonchan versus Raticate and Clawitzer. Begin!”

“Thunder Punch!” (x2)

“Protect!”

Since these trainers were unfamiliar to Alex, he opted to command this battle.

Clawitzer used Protect while Raticate used Swords Dance to begin their setup. Primeape and Hitmonchan rushed in, their fists glowing yellow as they struck Clawitzer’s shield, failing to land a hit. Their strategy was clear—they wanted to eliminate Clawitzer first to avoid getting distracted by Raticate’s speed.

“Aqua Jet out of there,” Alex commanded Clawitzer.

“Again!” (x2)

Clawitzer shot an Aqua Jet, propelling herself to the edge of the battleground while Primeape and Hitmonchan pursued, fists still crackling with electricity.

This gave Raticate the perfect opportunity—he launched a solid Quick Attack at Primeape, bringing it to less than half health left. One more hit would take it down.

Primeape and Hitmonchan finally landed their Thunder Punches on Clawitzer, knocking her out instantly. Their high Attack stats, combined with Clawitzer’s Electric-type weakness, made it a swift elimination.

As they turned to target Raticate, another Quick Attack struck Primeape from the back, sending it flying out of the battlegrounds and knocking it out.

Now, it was a one-on-one between Raticate and Hitmonchan from close distance.

“Close Combat!” Hitmonchan’s trainer commanded.

“Protect.”

Hitmonchan’s flurry of glowing punches slammed into Raticate’s protective barrier. As the shield faded and Hitmonchan paused slightly off guard, the next commands came quickly.

“Again! You can finish it in one!”

“Endeavor!”

“Bullet Punch to finish it off after!”

Hitmonchan unleashed another Close Combat, but Raticate endured the blows with the help of his Focus Sash. Glowing gray, Raticate transferred the pain he had suffered onto Hitmonchan with Endeavor, followed by a Quick Attack that struck before Hitmonchan could retaliate with Bullet Punch. Hitmonchan’s trainer had underestimated Raticate’s speed.

“Winner: Raticate and Clawitzer. Alex may proceed to the next challenge,” the referee announced, moving to the third battleground.

“How? My Hitmonchan is trained for Speed. He should have been faster than Raticate,” the trainer asked in disbelief.

“What diet did you use?” Alex asked.

“Defense and Attack as well as Speed, but it should have favored Speed.”

“That’s your problem. Food training only works for two stats at maximum. If you add a third, they won’t reach their full potential. Your distribution was close, but not enough to surpass Raticate. You should read the study to get all your facts straight.”

Over the years, Alex’s research had flourished, and trainers had started calling it “food training” due to its reliance on specialized diets for stat optimization.

This trainer’s Hitmonchan would have been faster than Raticate if he had focused solely on Speed and Attack, but including Defense reduced his Speed just enough to lose the crucial race.

It had been close, Alex admitted. If he had chosen to attack with Aqua Jet instead of retreating, Raticate wouldn’t have had the extra time to land that second Quick Attack and would have likely fallen in a 2v1. The battle had been decided by split-second decisions.

Alex revived Clawitzer and healed both Clawitzer and Raticate. Alex decided to let Clawitzer rest while he brought out Alcremie. He figured he had to start taking things seriously, considering who he was up against in the third match.

Making his way to the third battleground, he immediately recognized Joe and his Machamp, along with an unfamiliar trainer accompanied by a Hitmontop.

“Alex, about time you challenged the gym officially,” Joe said with a grin.

“Yeah, it was time. I just became an adult this year, so I figured I'd start collecting badges to fill my badge case.”

“Hahaha, well, I’m not going easy on you this time.”

“And my Raticate isn't restricted from using Swords Dance anymore, so watch out.”

“Doubles match: Machamp and Hitmontop versus Raticate and Alcremie. Begin!” the referee announced.

“Dazzling Gleam,” Alex commanded, opting for an immediate offensive approach.

“Heavy Slam on Alcremie,” Joe countered.

“Quick Guard!” the other trainer ordered.

Being briefed by Joe, the trainer knew that trying to catch Raticate was a futile effort once it got moving, so he opted to interfere instead.

Alcremie radiated a pink glow, unleashing a Dazzling Gleam on both Machamp and Hitmontop. Raticate attempted a Quick Attack but bounced off the Quick Guard protecting Machamp.

Seeing the failed attempt, Raticate quickly retreated to Alcremie rather than wasting any extra energy. Once beside her, he scooped Alcremie onto his back and dashed away from the charging Machamp.

“Shit! That shouldn’t be allowed!” Joe shouted in frustration, while his teammate just facepalmed.

Alex, on the other hand, wore a massive grin. His Raticate was a genius. Alcremie was small, slow, and fragile, but being carried around nullified her lack of mobility.

“Bullet Punch!” the other trainer commanded.

“Wide Guard,” Joe followed up.

Realizing slow moves wouldn’t catch Raticate, they adjusted their strategy. Bullet Punch targeted Alcremie while they alternated with Wide Guard to block further Dazzling Gleams.

Meanwhile, Raticate simply ran along the battlefield's perimeter while Alcremie continued using Dazzling Gleam.

Seeing the move having no effect while Alcremie took chip damage from Bullet Punch, Alex adjusted his tactics.

“Draining Kiss. Keep running.”

“Bullet Punch!” (x2)

With Wide Guard no longer relevant, the trainers switched to all-out offense.

Both Machamp and Hitmontop lunged forward with Bullet Punch, but Raticate used Quick Attack to dodge just in time. A Draining Kiss followed immediately, landing squarely on Machamp.

“This isn’t working. We need to deal damage,” the unfamiliar trainer noted.

Joe nodded. “Earthquake!”

“Wide Guard,” his partner followed up.

Bullet Punch had failed. Now, they opted to alternate Advanced-rank Earthquake—boosted in power and consequently range—with Wide Guard. Wide Guard would shield the user from Earthquake and Dazzling Gleam, while Earthquake would strike the entire battlefield, leaving no room for escape.

Sensing the vibrations, Raticate Quick Attacked upward instead of running on the ground.

Recognizing the limited time Raticate had left, Alex finally decided to finish this battle.

“Acid Armor and Endeavor!”

As Raticate landed, Earthquake slammed into him. He immediately used Endeavor on Machamp, bringing its HP down to match his own.

Meanwhile, Alcremie leaped off Raticate, activating Acid Armor.

As Raticate neared the brink of fainting, he unleashed one final Quick Attack aimed at Machamp.

“Quick Guard!”

The other trainer swiftly responded, negating Raticate’s last attack. With no strength left, Raticate collapsed.

“Alternate with Draining Kiss,” Alex ordered.

Alcremie, undeterred, followed up with Draining Kiss, finishing off Machamp and shifting the battle into a one-on-one.

Hitmontop proved resilient, using Protect whenever Draining Kiss came its way. However, after three uses of Acid Armor, Alcremie simply began spamming Draining Kiss, gradually overwhelming Hitmontop and securing victory.

“Winner: Raticate and Alcremie! Alex may proceed to the final challenge,” the referee declared before moving on to the fourth and final battleground.

Joe laughed, walking over. “Hahaha, that was a damn good match, Alex. Well done.”

“Thanks, Joe. And thanks for introducing me to this dojo years ago. My Pokemon’s training wouldn’t have been as effective otherwise.”

“Haha, no problem. I’ll see you around, Alex.”

“See you.”

Alex revived and healed Raticate, then turned toward the fourth battleground. This was the match he would take absolutely seriously, considering what was at stake.

Chapter 66: Chapter 66. Gym Leader Koichi

When Alex registered for the challenge, he was required to submit his team of six Pokémon for examination. This was to ensure that only Pokémon of the appropriate ranks were used against the challenger.

The team he assembled consisted of Raticate, Arcanine, Clawitzer, Alcremie, Kommo-o, and Togekiss. He couldn’t use Hydreigon because she was an Elite ranked Pokémon. Using her would have allowed the gym to deploy their own Elite ranked Pokémon as well.

This was one of the difficulties with gyms and official battles. Pokémon of equal strength were required to face challengers, preventing veteran trainers from overwhelming gyms and forcing them to hand over badges. Essentially, overleveling was forbidden.

Stepping onto the battlefield, Alex released his first pair, Kommo-o and Togekiss.

On the opposite side, Gym Leader Koichi released his own Pokémon: Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee.

Koichi stood at 6' (1.8 m) tall, with broad shoulders, and heavy looking arms. He was a disciplined, battle-hardened martial artist with a commanding presence. Dressed in a white gi and fingerless gloves, he embodied strength, technique, and adaptability, hallmarks of a master of Fighting type battles.

“Hello, Alex. It’s nice to finally meet the young prodigy who trained my trainers,” Koichi said.

“Hello, Gym Leader Koichi. It’s nice to finally meet you as well. I have been in your care,” Alex replied with a light bow.

“Haha. Young people should be more energetic. Alright, show me your progress, Alex. I have high hopes for you.”

“Doubles match, 6v6: Gym Leader Koichi versus Challenger Alex. Begin!” the referee announced.

“Set up,” Alex commanded immediately, while Koichi simply watched, a sharp glint in his eyes.

The moment Kommo-o raised his hands to beat his belly, Koichi barked, “Earthquake!”

Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan lifted their feet and slammed them down, sending surges of Ground type energy through the battlefield. At the same time, Kommo-o’s body shimmered with a silver sheen, and Togekiss faintly glowed gray.

The Earthquake had no effect on the airborne Togekiss, who completed its Wish, while Kommo-o, having used Iron Defense, was left with three-quarters of his health intact.

“Hahaha! You got me. Keep this up, and you’ll have my badge in no time,” Koichi said with a hearty laugh.

Judging by Kommo-o’s opening move, Koichi had assumed the plan was to use Belly Drum while Togekiss used Follow Me to ensure its success, taking the brunt of any attack in the process.

To counter this, Koichi had ordered double Earthquakes, which would have been enough to knock Kommo-o out immediately, even with Follow Me in play. But now, seeing the outcome, he was pleasantly surprised.

He was now fighting an uphill battle against a pseudo-legendary with two stacks of Defense and presumably, an incoming Wish, rendering any damage he dealt in the next clash practically useless.

“Body Press and Yawn.”

“Bulk Up and Taunt.”

“Air Slash instead.”

Kommo-o rushed at Hitmonlee, his body radiating Fighting type energy. However, Hitmonlee’s Bulk Up, boosted by its Advanced rank, had Priority +1, allowing it to activate before Kommo-o’s attack landed. Even so, the Body Press still inflicted significant damage.

Thanks to Bulk Up and specialized food training in Speed and Defense, Hitmonlee barely held on, left with only a sliver of its health.

Meanwhile, Togekiss was immediately Taunted by Hitmonchan, whose own Advanced rank gave its move Priority +1. Forced to abandon Yawn, Togekiss instead attacked with Air Slash, leaving Hitmonchan at a sliver of its health as well.

“Taunt and Ice Punch.”

“Again.”

Hitmonlee quickly landed its Taunt on Kommo-o, preventing it from using Belly Drum. In response, Kommo-o pressed down with another Body Press, knocking Hitmonlee out. At the same time, Kommo-o’s minor injuries from the earlier Earthquakes were healed by Wish.

Hitmonchan, moving with a sudden burst of speed, managed to land an Ice Punch on Togekiss before being struck by another Air Slash and knocked out. Its Ice Punch had also been Priority +1, mimicking the effects of Quick Attack.

As the dust settled, Kommo-o stood with almost full health, two stacks of Defense, and a Taunt still in effect. Togekiss, also Taunted, had lost a third of its health.

It was a strong opening for Alex.

“Haha, well done! But these next two won’t be so easy, prepare yourself,” Koichi said as he retrieved Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan before releasing Throh and Sawk onto the battleground.

“Again, on the red one,” Alex instructed.

He didn’t have much of a choice, Taunt was still in effect, though it would wear off in a few seconds.

“Rock Slide!”

Both Throh and Sawk unleashed Advanced ranked Rock Slides, enhancing only their range by 50%. The result was a rain of rocks covering the entire battlefield, leaving no room for escape.

The damage remained the same, but rather than a localized barrage, this was an unrelenting downpour of stones. However, since Throh and Sawk stood side by side, their position remained untouched by the attack, sparing them from harm.

Sensing its imminent downfall, Togekiss poured everything into its next Air Slash, sending the attack slicing through the air just before the rocks began to fall. The strike landed cleanly, dealing significant damage to Throh.

Kommo-o had no choice but to push forward, enduring the barrage of falling rocks to reach Throh. With sheer determination, it delivered a crushing Body Press, ultimately knocking Throh out.

Now, Alex was halfway to victory, and with a nearly unkillable Kommo-o against Fighting types, the odds were in his favor.

Koichi recalled Throh and sent out his next Pokémon, Lucario.

Alex retrieved the fainted Togekiss and was deliberating on his next Pokémon when he recognized Lucario’s silhouette. If given time to use Nasty Plot, it would undoubtedly dominate the rest of his team.

Panicking, Alex sent out Raticate and immediately shouted, “Taunt!”

Both Lucario and Raticate had Priority +1 moves, Nasty Plot for Lucario and Taunt for Raticate. Neither had invested in Speed due to ‘food training,’ and ultimately, Taunt landed first, preventing Lucario from using Nasty Plot.

Alex sighed in relief but quickly refocused on the battle. Koichi still had one more Pokémon, likely Machamp, and he needed to take down Lucario to avoid any further upsets.

“Well played, but the fight isn’t over. Psychic and Close Combat, defend Lucario from Kommo-o,” Koichi commanded.

Seeing no better option, Alex decided to give up on Kommo-o and make the best use of his remaining time.

“Thunder Wave on Lucario. Body Press on Sawk,” he ordered.

Lucario concentrated and unleashed a powerful Psychic force on Kommo-o, dropping him to less than half health.

Sawk intercepted Kommo-o’s path to Lucario, unleashing a flurry of strikes. However, Kommo-o, arms spread wide, drove its body into Sawk with overwhelming force. As Sawk continued using Close Combat while being gradually overpowered, the relentless pressure ultimately caused it to faint, though Kommo-o was left with less than a quarter of its health.

Raticate, finally recovering from using Taunt earlier, fired an electrical pulse at Lucario, successfully paralyzing and slowing it down.

“Finish it,” Koichi said as he recalled Sawk and sent out Urshifu.

Panicked once more, Alex called out, “Taunt it, then Thunder Wave!” to Raticate, then turned to Kommo-o. “Aerial Ace!”

Raticate acted first, Taunting Urshifu, only for Alex to realize, to his shock, that Urshifu had already completed a Swords Dance before the move could take effect. It had to be an Advanced ranked Swords Dance with Priority +1. Given that Urshifu could outspeed Raticate, it was likely invested in Speed EVs as well.

Lucario attempted to finish Kommo-o with Vacuum Wave, another Priority +1 move, but Kommo-o struck first with Aerial Ace. Since Kommo-o had maxed Speed EVs, it landed the attack before Lucario could react, dealing a quarter of Lucario’s health in damage before finally fainting.

Alex retrieved Kommo-o and immediately sent out Arcanine. “Heat Wave!” he commanded.

“Surging Strikes, Aura Sphere!” Koichi countered.

Thunder Wave landed on Urshifu first, slowing it down just enough for Arcanine to unleash Heat Wave on both Lucario and Urshifu.

Unfortunately, Lucario’s Aura Sphere was Advanced ranked with Priority +1 rather than increased damage, allowing it to launch the attack just before being engulfed by the Advanced ranked Heat Wave, which had enhanced power. As a Fighting/Steel type, Lucario was especially vulnerable to Fire type energy, causing it to faint upon being bathed in fire.

The Aura Sphere shot toward Raticate, who had just finished using Thunder Wave and had no time to use Protect on itself. The attack landed cleanly, knocking Raticate out in a single hit.

Meanwhile, Urshifu endured Heat Wave, and despite its low Special Defense, its Special Defense EVs allowed it to survive with over half its health remaining.

Even after the slowing effects of Thunder Wave and the residual damage from Heat Wave, Urshifu closed the distance to Arcanine and launched three precise, water-infused strikes. The first, a backhand to Arcanine’s face. The second, a brutal stomp on its paws. The third, an overwhelming double palm strike to the chest while pinning Arcanine down.

The sheer force of the Surging Strikes combo was devastating. Arcanine fainted by the second blow.

Alex retrieved both Raticate and Arcanine, but he had managed to slow Urshifu down and eliminate Lucario. Koichi was now down to his final Pokémon, a slow one, while Alex still had three remaining.

Wasting no time, Alex threw out Clawitzer and Alcremie to finish the fight. As long as they used area of effect attacks, victory was assured.

“Surf, Dazzling Gleam,” Alex commanded.

Both Clawitzer and Alcremie glowed blue and pink, ready to unleash their moves. In a final desperate move, Urshifu used an Advanced Ice Punch with Priority +1, managing to close in and strike Clawitzer before she could unleash her attack, almost knocking her out.

Alex was momentarily stunned by the unexpected strike, but he knew it was Urshifu’s last stand. The Surf from Clawitzer at point blank range and Dazzling Gleam from Alcremie still landed, washing over Urshifu and causing it to sway before finally being blown away unconscious.

“Winner: Challenger Alex,” the referee announced.

“Hahaha! That was a great match, Alex. You’ve certainly improved over the past year you were away from the Dojo. You fought well, congratulations,” Koichi said as he approached, storing Urshifu and handing off his Pokémon to the referee for healing.

Alex stored his own Pokémon before bowing lightly. “It’s all thanks to the Dojo for allowing me to train my Pokémon. Thank you, Gym Leader Koichi.”

“Good, good. Now, I’d love to give you the Martial Arts Badge, but there’s still one final battle before you earn it,” Koichi said, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. “Will you face me in a one on one match, Alex?”

Chapter 67: Chapter 67. Gym Leader Koichi 2

As Alex changed into his gi while his Pokémon were being treated, he reflected on the battle.

The Pokémon he and his team faced were of noticeably lower breed quality and level—not by much, but enough to make a difference.

Urshifu and Lucario were the only ones who could match Kommo-o and Arcanine in stats. Though slightly weaker, they were close enough. The rest of Koichi’s team, like Alex’s own, fell below the level of top-tier Pokémon.

Their overall power was also lower, meaning they were at a clear statistical disadvantage.

That made sense, considering the gym’s restrictions.

To accommodate the wide variety of challengers, the dojo had to maintain a massive roster of Pokémon, each tailored to provide an appropriate challenge. Keeping them within a specific power range without letting them grow too strong required careful management—especially regarding their diets. It was an intricate balancing act.

As for their performance in battle, Alex felt they could have done better. More importantly, he could have done better.

He was never a tactical or strategic genius. He fought on instinct, learning through experience and honing his reflexes over time. Unfortunately, that approach only worked for him—it required firsthand suffering to refine his instincts.

That wasn’t the case when commanding Pokémon. Simply put, he sucked. He wasn’t a skilled battle strategist. He was far better suited to the chaos of a battlefield, where his direct actions could shape the outcome—like when he was a bounty hunter.

Official battles with layered strategies and counterplays were exhausting. He thrived in situations where he could stack buffs to absurd levels and ambush criminals.

That kind of fight was certain. It didn’t require overthinking tactical plays against an opponent.

The only reason he won this battle was that his opening strategy carried him far enough to finish it. By the end, he was down to just two Pokémon. A stronger trainer would have done better, given the advantages.

Alex finished changing and stepped onto the battleground once more—this time, for a martial arts match.

The referee raised his hand. “This is a one-on-one martial arts battle between Gym Leader Koichi and Challenger Alex! The fight will continue until one fighter is unable to battle or yields! Both fighters, take your stance!”

Koichi assumed an orthodox karate stance, left foot forward, right foot angled outward, and both knees bent for stability. His left hand was raised in front of his face, palm open and facing right, elbow bent at a right angle. His right hand remained tucked at his waist in a tight fist, ready to unleash a powerful strike. His back was straight, shoulders squared—an embodiment of discipline and readiness.

Alex scanned the crowd, noting the trainers and their Pokémon watching intently. His own Pokémon, in particular, looked thrilled.

Unfortunately, Alex wasn’t confident. Instinct told him that Koichi was as strong as an Expert-ranked Pokémon. Even against Pokémon and their devastating moves, Koichi could hold his own.

This was a man who had spent his life training, feeding on the highest-quality Pokémon meat money could buy, and refining his skills for decades. There was no doubt—if he wanted to, Koichi could manhandle Alex like a child.

At this point, Alex could only hope he wouldn’t embarrass himself.

Taking a deep breath, he settled into a loose stance, raising his fists with his left foot and left fist slightly forward. His eyes locked onto Koichi’s, ready to react to the slightest hint of intent.

Begin!" the referee announced, bringing his hand down before quickly stepping back.

The moment the referee’s hand came down, Koichi lunged forward with explosive force, closing the distance in a blink. His right fist shot forward in a straight punch, a textbook karate strike aimed at Alex’s center.

Alex barely had time to react. He pivoted on his front foot while swinging his right side back, slipping just outside Koichi’s strike zone as the punch whizzed past his chest. He countered instantly, his left hand snapping out into a hook with the momentum of the turn aimed at Koichi’s chin.

Koichi barely flinched. With his body still in motion, he shifted his head back slightly, letting the hook graze past his chin before pivoting his right foot and twisting the left side of his body back. His left foot kicked off hard building up the momentum of his spin. His left elbow came around like a battering ram.

Alex ducked just in time. He felt the air pressure of the elbow strike above his head, but before he could capitalize, Koichi’s right knee shot up like a piston. It crashed into his side, sending him skidding backward with a grunt.

Alex clenched his jaw, adjusting his stance. This guy was built like a tank.

Koichi didn’t give him time to breathe. He charged again, his left fist cocked back for a devastating haymaker. Alex’s instincts screamed at him—if that punch landed, he was done. He shifted to the right, bobbing under the incoming strike, and countered with a rapid-fire combination. Left hook to the ribs, right hook to the ribs, then an uppercut straight to Koichi’s jaw.

The hits connected, but Koichi barely staggered. Instead, he grabbed Alex by the arm mid-uppercut, locking his grip like a vice. Alex’s eyes widened—he was caught. With a guttural roar, Koichi yanked him off his feet and hurled him over his shoulder.

Alex twisted in midair, landing on his back with a heavy thud. The impact rattled his bones, but he forced himself to roll away just as Koichi’s heel came crashing down in a brutal axe kick. The ground where he had been a second ago cracked under the sheer force.

Scrambling to his feet, Alex exhaled sharply. Koichi wasn’t just strong—he was relentless. He needed to be smarter.

Koichi advanced again, fists clenched, ready to end it. But this time, Alex didn’t retreat. He surged forward instead, ducking low, weaving past Koichi’s punch, and closing the distance between them. His fists became a blur, delivering rapid, continuous uppercuts to Koichi’s midsection. By the eighth blow, Koichi retreated to get some space.

Koichi grunted, his muscles absorbing the damage, but he wasn’t an easy target. With a sudden surge of power, he planted his foot and let loose a spinning backfist.

Alex barely saw it coming. He raised his arm just in time, blocking the impact, but the sheer force sent him stumbling sideways. Before he could recover, Koichi was already on him. A front kick slammed into his stomach, lifting him off his feet and sending him crashing into the dirt.

Silence filled the battlefield as dust settled around Alex’s sprawled form. The trainers watching held their breath.

For a moment, Alex didn’t move. Then, with a pained grunt, he pushed himself up onto his elbows, spitting blood into the dirt. He wiped his mouth and let out a short chuckle.

“Damn… feels like getting hit by a truck.”

Koichi smirked. “Then get up and try again.”

Alex cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders before rising to his feet. His stance was looser now, more fluid. The fight wasn’t over yet.

With a shared nod, the two warriors surged toward each other once more.

Alex and Koichi’s fight lasted about an hour. Koichi was clearly holding back, while Alex threw everything he had at him, exhausting every trick in his arsenal. He started with boxing, then shifted to kickboxing, and finally, when his strength was nearly spent, he attempted grappling.

Boxing worked well—his smaller frame allowed him to slip through Koichi’s defenses and land clean hits.

Kickboxing, however, was another story. Koichi’s footing was like that of an ancient tree, unmoving and unshakable. Attempting a leg sweep felt pointless, and kicking in general proved suicidal; the moment Koichi caught his leg, the only outcome was getting thrown to the ground.

Grappling was even worse. Holds were utterly ineffective—Koichi simply powered through them with sheer strength.

Leverage only worked when strength levels were somewhat comparable. Against Koichi, who felt like he belonged in a weight class of his own, it was a losing battle.

In the end, the referee called the match after an hour, declaring Koichi the winner.

Alex still received his badge, though. The old man had only fought him for fun rather than as a requirement—otherwise, Bruno might be the only real challenge for him in Kanto.

Alex swore he’d reach their level of physical power one day. For now, he had plenty of catching up to do.

After receiving his Martial Arts Badge, he checked for any new privileges, only to find there were none. Apparently, he needed three badges before he could elevate his standing as a trainer.

Wasting no time, he registered online for a gym challenge at the Grass Gym in Celadon City. The earliest reservation he could get was ten months from now. The sheer number of trainers vying for gym battles made scheduling nearly impossible.

If people were allowed to book multiple gym battles in advance, every gym in Kanto would be locked up for the next ten years.

To prevent such a logistical nightmare, the League enforced a strict rule: one scheduled gym match per trainer at a time. This system ensured a more manageable and fair scheduling process, considering the harsh reality that many trainers didn’t survive long in the wild.

In theory, a dedicated trainer could collect all eight badges by the time they turned 24. By then, even the least talented among them would have a respectable number of Expert-ranked Pokémon—just strong enough to participate in the League Conference.

Alex went home with his Pokémon and decided to give both them and himself the rest of the day off. They had earned it.

Tomorrow, however, there would be no rest. They were heading back to the wilds—back to bounty hunting.

Chapter 68: Chapter 68. Checking the Net

It had been a month since Alex left those cameras to spy on the campsite. By now, they had either gathered incriminating evidence or had been discovered, offering the criminals a temporary sigh of relief, believing they had avoided their unseen predator.

Either way, it was time for Alex to check the site. He would either profit from it again or put an end to it permanently.

The next day, at Saffron City's eastern gate, a tall, muscular woman stepped out into the wilds. She wore a cap pulled low, a leather jacket, a skirt, and combat boots.

Half her face remained hidden beneath the brim of her hat as she walked with a purposeful stride, blending into the foot traffic before slipping onto the less-traveled trails.

Half an hour later, she veered into the forest, heading toward the familiar cave that once held 32 prisoners. Finding no one around, the woman began stripping away her disguise, revealing Alex beneath.

The getup was necessary—crime syndicates worth their salt always had sentries watching the gates, and Alex had no doubt that his profile was being actively observed.

It wasn’t hard to connect the dots. With the sheer number of bounties he had claimed, any spies within the police force would have immediately linked him to the dismantling of the teams being sent from the camp.

Dressed once more in his bounty hunting attire, Alex mounted Hydreigon and took to the skies, making his way toward the encampment. He wasn’t expecting much at this point—if his presence was discovered along the way, so be it.

Upon arrival, he noticed the camp had doubled its security, with two dozen guards patrolling the perimeter. Whether this was meant to reassure the remaining teams or to put their boss at ease, it was clear that it had come at a cost. Increased manpower meant dipping into their profits.

Alex asked Rotom to check on the cameras, and to his surprise, they were all still intact. That raised a question—were these criminals cunning enough to leave the evidence untouched as bait, or were they simply too incompetent to notice them?

Regardless, the results were clear. Rotom compiled a report, confirming that every individual in the camp was guilty of crimes severe enough to warrant immediate action by the League. The list was extensive—kidnapping, rape, murder, theft, and a slew of other offenses.

This was a massive win for the League, but a frustrating setback for Alex. None of these criminals had active bounties, meaning he couldn’t legally claim a reward for them. However, given his recent streak of high-profile arrests, the League would be under pressure to compensate him if they wanted him to continue.

Only time would tell how they would handle it.

Alex considered how he would assault the camp now that they had doubled their guards. A frontal assault seemed ideal—knocking out as many people as possible to throw their Pokémon into disarray before cleaning them up in one decisive strike. Alternatively, he could surround the camp and attack from all sides using his maxed-out Pokémon.

After some thought, he settled on the second option. It would keep the camp in chaos long enough for him to incapacitate as many guards as possible and then clean up the rest. It might not guarantee capturing everyone, but it would secure a more decisive victory.

Consulting Metagross for tactical input, he and Rotom devised the best plan of action given their limited numbers and preparation time.

Alex strode forward alone, walking directly into the campsite under the watchful eyes of the guards. Approaching from the south, he carried a confused expression, as if he had just wandered in by accident.

“Halt! Show your identification, or you’ll be detained for questioning,” one of the guards barked. An Electrode and a Manectric flanked him, both eyeing Alex warily.

Before anyone could react, an Altaria swooped down from the sky with an Alcremie riding on its head. It hovered above the center of the camp and immediately unleashed Perish Song, sending waves of panic through the encampment.

Chaos erupted. While the humans wouldn’t die, they would all be knocked out within a minute, leaving them defenseless.

The guard in front of Alex turned toward the commotion, giving Alex the perfect opening. He swiftly released Forretress and Clawitzer. Forretress immediately began setting up hazards while Clawitzer prepared Surf.

Meanwhile, Alex pulled out his guns—shooting three Decorates into Clawitzer, supercharging the incoming attack.

Electrode and Manectric reacted, firing off Thunderbolts, but Alex countered instantly. With the other gun he fired a Heal Pulse, negating the damage as it came.

A moment later, a torrential Surf erupted from Clawitzer’s claw, sweeping through the camp. Guards and their Pokémon were knocked off their feet, their Poké Balls releasing more defenders in a desperate bid to protect their trainers.

Some Pokémon managed to use Protect in time—but none of them survived a second hit.

Above, Altaria finished her Perish Song, but not without resistance. Attacks flew at her midair, only for Alcremie to counter with alternating Protects and Dazzling Gleams, keeping them both aloft and their enemies at bay.

On the north side, Arcanine barreled through the guards with Extreme Speed, knocking everything aside before unleashing a scorching Heat Wave, igniting further chaos.

Togekiss followed, raining down Air Slashes to finish off anyone left standing.

On the east side, Kommo-o charged in with battle lust in his eyes. Standing in the midst of the guards, he slammed the ground with Earthquake, unleashing a devastating tremor that collapsed tents and knocked out all non-Flying Pokémon. The eastern quarter of the camp lay in ruins.

Behind him, Frosmoth sent out a relentless barrage of Blizzards and Ice Beams, ensuring that those who escaped the quake wouldn’t get far.

On the west side, Hydreigon tore through the battlefield in an unstoppable rampage. With maxed-out stats, type advantages and dominant stats were irrelevant. She was simply the strongest thing here.

Raticate followed close behind, finishing off stragglers where necessary. He was only grateful that Hydreigon had the sense not to use Earthquake, or he would have been in serious trouble.

The attack was swift and devastating. Even as more and more Pokémon popped out of their trainers' Poké Balls to defend them, it was already too late.

By this point, every trainer had succumbed to Perish Song and lay unconscious. Their Pokémon either stood guard over their fallen bodies or retaliated in desperation.

Any who attempted to flee found themselves slammed to the ground by Gravity, before being swiftly knocked out by the nearest invader.

From a vantage point overlooking the camp, Metagross watched the battle unfold with glee. To it, this was like a real-life strategy game—one that it was winning effortlessly.

Alex truly was a genius to have employed it in such a manner. No one else understood its brilliance. No one except Alex.

As the dust settled, the entire camp lay in ruins. Every Pokémon had been knocked out, their unconscious forms sprawled next to their trainers.

In all honesty, Alex was surprised at how flawlessly the assault had gone. He had underestimated just how overwhelming maxed-out stats would be on already powerful Pokémon.

He had expected the camp to at least put up some organized resistance, maybe even create enough of a distraction for a few to escape. But in the end, Metagross’ coordination had ensured a perfect victory. Choosing it to oversee the battle had been the best decision he could have made.

Immediately, Alex ordered the cleanup.

Surprisingly, not a single person had died. Their Pokémon had prioritized protecting their trainers, instinctively throwing themselves between their humans and incoming attacks.

More Pokémon had burst from their Poké Balls throughout the fight, desperately trying to shield their owners—only to be knocked out in a single move before the cycle repeated.

Once again, it all came down to Metagross' strategic brilliance. Its unparalleled calculating ability had assigned precise targets and optimal moves to each of Alex’s Pokémon, ensuring maximum efficiency with zero wasted effort.

It was a perfect execution—and a testament to the sheer power of coordination and superior stats.

In total, Alex had captured a hundred Pokémon and arrested 25 people. There were still more Pokémon locked in Poké Balls throughout the camp, but this was their haul. Alongside them, a handful of women who had been captured over the past week were also found.

After taking their testimonies, Alex brought everyone—and everything—to the hideout in the cave. He returned their belongings, provided them with fresh clothes in case they needed a change, and made a request: keep quiet for a week.

At the end of that week, he would ask them to come forward with their complaints. This delay was crucial—it would ensure as many criminals as possible could be taken down before word spread.

Understanding the reasoning, they agreed. Before leaving, they cleaned up and made their way to Saffron City, doing their best to maintain happy ignorant expressions so as not to attract the attention of any sentries.

Alex estimated it would take no more than a day or two before the camp ceased sending out teams and instead called for reinforcements. That gave him a hard deadline of one week.

For now, there were ambushes to plan.

Chapter 69: Chapter 69. Stakeout 2

Alex made his way back to the camp, now nothing more than ruins. There was nothing left to salvage, so he left it as it was.

Instead, he set up the cameras again, this time covering all four directions around the camp while establishing a rest area for himself and his Pokémon in the center.

With the camp gone, Alex now faced a new problem—he might encounter teams without bounties, criminal records, or any evidence of wrongdoing in the month-long video recordings. If the cameras captured such individuals, he wouldn't be able to arrest or even detain them.

In those cases, he would have no choice but to let them go, which meant the higher-ups would inevitably be alerted, forcing him to abandon his stakeout.

On the bright side, Rotom had logged every person who had visited the camp and engaged in illegal activities for an entire month, making it unlikely that many innocents would show up.

Fortunately, they didn’t encounter such groups, as human trafficking was apparently quite lucrative.

Over the next three days, Alex and his team successfully captured five groups, totaling fifteen people and fifty Pokémon. Some had hostages, some had active bounties, and others had been caught on camera committing crimes over the past month.

It was a clean sweep for Alex, securing guaranteed income rather than relying on the League’s generosity.

Unfortunately, on the third day, reinforcements arrived without alerting their teams to stay away.

They had lost contact with the camp three days ago and had come to investigate.

Alex considered leaving but was confident in his ability to escape if necessary. Instead, he chose to stay and see what kind of reinforcements a criminal syndicate would send. If they were anything like Don’s men, then he had nothing to worry about.

If they were all Elite-ranked, then he had fucked up horribly and deserved to die anyway.

A team of ten people riding on their flying Pokémon came crashing down on the camp as Alex prepared to welcome them with his max-stacked Pokémon.

“You there, what happened to the camp? Where is everybody?” the man in the lead demanded, his expression twisted in anger.

They were going to lose out on their income this month because of the camp going down. They had invested too much manpower to be dealing with this kind of problem now, of all times.

“They left. I made this place my camp in the meantime. Why? Are you setting up the camp again?”

“Grab him for interrogation,” the man ordered, not even bothering to hear Alex out.

He was clearly the type who demanded everyone follow his pace. The kind of psychopathic control freak who lost his mind if people so much as breathed the wrong way.

The team of ten released their Pokémon—six each. All top-end Expert-ranked.

Alex felt a headache coming on. These were clearly high-level trainers.

As soon as the battle began, Alex sent his Pokémon in to cause chaos, but the enemy responded with a level of coordination he hadn’t anticipated.

All sixty Pokémon split into pairs, with the smaller ones jumping onto their partners’ heads, backs, or arms.

Imagine Raticates on top of Golems, Vulpix on top of Rapidash, Farfetch’d on top of Dodrios. Sixty individual Pokémon turned into thirty synchronized pairs before launching coordinated attacks.

The ones on the bottom alternated between using expanded Protect and special moves, while the ones on top cycled through stat boosts and attacks.

It was the next level of a coordinated firing squad with long-term potential.

Not only that, but they had also started enclosing Alex and his team in a tight formation, cutting off his escape routes.

Alex was losing badly, and there was nothing he could do about it. No matter what attacks he used, they were blocked. He had no Pokémon with Feint or Phantom Force to break through their defenses, no weather effects to wear them down over time—no way to create chaos.

‘Right! There was that,’ Alex thought and immediately followed up on it.

“Hydreigon, use Roar!” Alex commanded.

Hydreigon took a deep breath, shielded from intercepting attacks, before unleashing a devastating Roar. The sheer force of the sound scattered most of the enemy Pokémon—except for those with Soundproof or Suction Cups, which, thankfully, weren’t many.

A few Electrodes and Mr. Mimes remained, but everyone else had scattered at random.

With the enemy formation broken, Alex’s max-stacked Pokémon finally started causing chaos.

AoE moves wiped out swathes of Pokémon. Targeted attacks took them down one panicked opponent at a time.

Finally, the enemy leader had had enough. He pulled out his communicator and called for backup.

“Boss, we have a problem. Some kid came along and crushed our camp, and now he’s tearing us apart. We need support,” the man reported—only for the call to suddenly cut out.

He assumed that meant help was on the way. Otherwise, they were screwed.

Meanwhile, Alex was running into new problems. Some of the scattered Pokémon were Ghost-types with Phantom Force, which bypassed Rotom’s Protect. Thankfully, Aegislash was there with a well-timed Night Slash, but the pressure was mounting.

These trainers were clearly professionals—personal lackeys of the upper management. They had the Pokemon, the resources to build them up, and the tactics to use them well.

Luckily, he still had the upper hand.

That was, until their Pokémon started using Roar against him.

Metagross tried to intercept those attempting to use Roar, but there were simply too many enemies.

And just like that, Alex’s own Pokémon scattered at random—except for Hydreigon, who resisted the move purely due to her high level, and himself, thanks to their bond.

It wasn’t that Alex’s Pokémon were weaker—the problem was the sheer number of opponents using Roar simultaneously. Statistically speaking, with ten of them ready to unleash it, all it took was for one to land.

Alex could recall his Pokémon and release them again to remove the effects, but that would mean losing their max-stacked advantage. So, he finally decided to join the fight himself.

He drew his guns, dropped the current magazines, and reloaded with the ones he had sworn to use only in emergencies. This situation somewhat counted as one.

With both guns drawn, he began firing into the crowd of panicking Pokémon. From his left pistol, he shot single-target Special Attacks, while his right pistol fired bullets containing single-target Physical Attacks.

Dark Pulse, Throat Chop, Tera Blast, Zen Headbutt, Flash Cannon, Body Slam, Dragon Pulse, Take Down, Earth Power.

Shot after shot, Alex took down Pokémon one at a time. By the time both magazines were empty, both sides had recovered from their panic and reorganized into another formation.

Only this time, their numbers were significantly reduced. What was once a 10 vs. 60 battle had now become 10 vs. 20—much more manageable.

That was until reinforcements arrived.

An Elite-ranked Salamence came soaring in, landing amidst the chaos with a man in a black suit with silver highlights riding on its back. He was flanked by a Dragonite and a Hydreigon, both flying in formation.

Alex’s instincts screamed at him even before Salamence came into view. Without hesitation, he commanded Metagross to start packing up while withdrawing his Pokémon into their Poké Balls, leaving only Arcanine and Raticate to alternate Protect.

By the time Salamence touched down, Alex was already mounted on Arcanine with Raticate on his back. His other Pokémon were safely stored, and his backpack was filled with bullets, magazines, and the Poké Balls of various trainers who had fainted—or died—in the panic and shootout.

“Kill him,” the suited man ordered.

Hydreigon began preparing an attack while Dragonite used Extreme Speed, but Arcanine was simply faster. With maxed-out Speed from using Agility boosting his movement, he shot forward like a lightning bolt, dashing east—far from Saffron City and the cave.

Unfortunately, Dragonite’s Extreme Speed was at Expert rank with two damage stacks, totaling +100% power and doubling its range. It was closing in fast.

By the third Extreme Speed, they would be caught. And they would die.

“It’s all up to you now, buddy,” Alex muttered under his breath, bracing against the sheer force of the wind.

As Dragonite was about to ram into them with its third Extreme Speed, Raticate suddenly leaped off Alex’s back and activated Protect at the exact moment Arcanine made a sharp turn to the right, heading south.

Protect nullified the impact, consuming Dragonite’s Extreme Speed in the process. Raticate, meanwhile, was launched far into the thicket.

Dragonite, displeased, at least wanted to bring the rat back. But when it checked the bushes—Raticate was gone. No tracks, no scent, no lingering energy. It had simply vanished.

Furious, Dragonite unleashed an Earthquake, devastating an entire city block’s worth of forest before giving up and returning to its trainer. He would have less food tonight.

Meanwhile, Alex made it back to the cave, where Forretress, Frosmoth, and Togekiss stood guard over forty criminals.

Wasting no time, he tied them up and prepared to airlift them to Saffron City for submission.

He was confident he had bought himself enough time.

Every time before leaving, he ensured that the cave showed no visible tracks leading in or out. By flying just above the canopy, he ensured that any scents would be carried above the trees and masked rather than settling on the ground.

He always escorted his prisoners and rescued victims via aerial transport, using ropes to keep them secure.

He ensured their little cave was safe.

After tying everyone up, Alex made his way south toward Saffron City, carefully navigating the entire stretch between the east gate and the south gate. He ensured to stay below the canopy, keeping out of sight.

Three dragons could cover plenty of ground, especially when their prey was easy to spot.

Alex safely arrived at the south gate, where he submitted his prisoners, their belongings, and all the gathered evidence. As the gates closed behind him, he felt a brief moment of relief, knowing the city’s security would handle the rest.

Chapter 70: Chapter 70. Tools of the Trade

Early the next morning, Alex made his way to the east gate dressed in casual clothes. As he passed through, he couldn't help but overhear murmurs—people recognizing him.

He wasn't exactly famous. He was infamous.

The sentries employed by the criminal organization Alex had been targeting finally spotted their mark leaving the city. Unfortunately for them, Alex wasn't foolish enough to cross the perimeter within eyesight of the walls.

If they tried anything reckless, he'd cause a scene so chaotic that, even if he were captured, everyone involved would fall victim to Sabrina's wrath. Then again, he'd probably die if she ever found him.

Just as Alex neared the tree line, Raticate came sprinting out of the forest—battered, missing patches of fur, but alive and with all his toes intact.

Alex's confidence in escaping trouble came from a reliable combination: Arcanine and Raticate. Arcanine had Extreme Speed and Agility. As long as they weren't being pursued by a Linoone, a Mythical, or a Legendary Pokémon, Arcanine could outrun just about anything.

Raticate, on the other hand, had the ability Run Away. In the games, this ability removed the player from combat under certain conditions. In real life, it enhanced Raticate's capacity to evade pursuit.

Through a mix of increased speed, a reduced presence, and a minimized environmental footprint, Raticate could slip away in most situations. However, it didn't work for infiltration; the ability required a flight mindset to activate.

It failed when the user was truly trapped—caged, confined in a room, or tied to a tree. It also faltered against abilities like Mean Look, Block, and Shadow Tag, or when facing a Pokémon with superior senses.

Dragonite would have posed a serious threat—if Raticate hadn't managed to dive into the bushes, breaking the Dragonite's line of sight and disrupting its senses.

With Raticate blocking pursuit and escaping cleanly, Arcanine gained the head start he needed—turning what could have been a deadly encounter into a guaranteed escape.

Sure, there were faster Pokémon. But Extreme Speed allowed for sharp turns and rapid directional shifts that left most opponents in the dust. Even if they could catch up, could they actually catch Arcanine before he reached safety?

Probably not.

Alex returned to the city, much to the dismay of the sentries. With onlookers nearby, they couldn't exactly stall him, so they had no choice but to let Alex pass and report to their handlers.

Carrying Raticate against his chest, Alex made his way home, already thinking about his next steps—after giving Raticate a much-needed bath, of course.

The League would take about a week to process his latest captures. After all, there was a month-long video submitted as evidence. Some of the individuals had no prior offenses, which meant a judge or gym leader would need to personally review their cases. On top of that, there was new intel on their boss—something the League hadn't seen before.

Alex turned his thoughts to his finances. He had fifteen million Pokédollars in the bank—enough to cover half a year's worth of food. With eleven months of supplies already stocked, that gave him enough time to prepare for his gym challenge in Celadon City, scheduled ten months from now.

He needed to get ready. Gym Leader Koichi's Pokémon had used Advanced-ranked moves in their last battle. While some of Alex's Pokémon had a few of those moves, it wasn't enough—he needed more to stand a chance.

With some breathing room, Alex decided to focus on training for the upcoming challenge. He'd need to invest in training equipment for his team.

Raticate didn't need much beyond his resistance training suit—it just needed some adjustments. Clawitzer was fine too; her target dummy was still holding up.

Rotom and Metagross required nothing more than their computers. Alcremie didn't need any specialized equipment either.

Arcanine, however, had outgrown his training suit and needed a new one. Forretress needed something to help him practice Rollout. Altaria, Frosmoth, and Togekiss could all benefit from an aerial training course.

Aegislash needed a training partner. Alex remembered reading about clay dummies designed for sword-based training—they required extreme precision to slice cleanly and could be reassembled afterward.

Kommo-o and Hydreigon both needed to learn more Advanced-ranked moves to keep up.

After weighing everything, Alex headed to the department store and bought the best training gear money could buy.

He picked up a new training suit each for Arcanine and Kommo-o—his frontline attackers. For Forretress, he bought a harness with a rubber rope attachment to help simulate bouncing movement. He grabbed a few extra sets of shooting targets for his special attackers and an aerial training course for the flyers. For Aegislash, he found one of those special clay training dummies.

Finally, he picked up grooming kits for all of them. He had been making do with an all-purpose toolkit and shampoo, but it was time to show more care. His Pokémon were his lifeline—and his source of income.

After dropping a million Pokédollars on training and grooming supplies, Alex finally made it home, where he kicked off a new training regimen to get his team ready for the next gym challenge.

He spent the day setting everything up so his Pokémon could start using the new equipment tomorrow.

By dinner, a concerned Jenny asked him about his current case listed in the police records. Compared to the one he had submitted a month ago, this one was far more serious.

"I found that camp a month ago, but I had no evidence of their crimes. I also had to pick and choose which teams to intercept—not all of them were involved in theft, kidnapping, or had bounties on them," Alex explained.

"You should've reported it to the police. The rangers would have taken a look," Jenny insisted.

"And they would've reported nothing unless they had my recordings. Think about it—what would you do if a known drug den and prostitution ring were holed up in a normal-looking hotel?"

That shut Jenny up fast. She knew the truth—they couldn't act without evidence, and the recordings Alex had submitted were more than substantial.

It wasn't even illegal, either. The wild was considered public space, unlike a hotel, where some recordings could be deemed inadmissible in court. Illicit evidence like that had to be handed over to a Gym for investigation, since Gym Leaders had the literal power and authority to override the judicial system.

Why? Because they had the personal power to do something about it—something the police and city officials often lacked.

This was the political reality: when personal strength outclassed the law, authority followed power.

Now imagine the fallout if training Pokémon was restricted to law enforcement only. Criminals would be everywhere—taking over city after city—until some new system of power replaced the current one.

And instead of the League, it would be a criminal syndicate ruling the world. And no one would even complain.

What the League does actually makes a lot of sense. They restrict access to resources until trainers have proven themselves—until they've contributed enough to the League. Only then do they earn the status and authority to continue operating on a larger scale.

They promote the idea of becoming good trainers to children, steering them toward growth and discipline rather than extremism. At the same time, they quietly cover up the existence of criminals—not to protect them, but to prevent public panic and keep the industry from collapsing.

Criminals, meanwhile, are bound by the same unspoken rules. They have to keep things low-key, because open warfare would be their downfall. Sure, people would die—maybe a lot of people—but the resulting conflict would wipe the slate clean. And when the dust settles, the League and law enforcement would still be standing at the top, ready to rebuild.

Criminals also have to suffer the consequences of their own actions—especially when they cross a line. Like when a disgruntled father throws the unspoken rules out the window and hunts them down with a vengeance for daring to kidnap his precious daughter.

And the League? They reward that kind of fury. They fuel it. They fund it. That was Alex's path—cleaning up criminals while securing his financial stability and rising in power. He just hoped the League wouldn't undercut him with technicalities.

"Anyway, if you want to see what would actually happen if I hadn't done what I did, here are the coordinates to a similar camp. Rotom, send her the coordinates," Alex said as he finished up dinner.

"Like the camp I took down, they don't have criminal records. Everything is off the books. They make sure only their teams are allowed inside. If you raid it, you might get lucky. But if their moles in the Rangers or police catch wind of it? Say goodbye to any victims they're holding. And forget about getting them imprisoned. Say hi to Aunt Jenny in Lavender City for me," Alex added as he turned and headed to his room.

He wanted to give Jenny some space—to let the reality of her position settle in. After all, they were Officers. If anyone should understand how criminals really work, it should be them.

Chapter 71: Chapter 71. Laying Low

A week after Alex submitted his case, the investigation finally concluded. He received 200,000 Pokédollars for the bounties, three months' worth of Pokémon food seized from criminals sentenced to execution or life imprisonment, and a million in League credits.

It was less than what he'd earned from his previous submission, but the sincerity of the League was evident. They didn't reward him for taking the initiative, but they did grant him access to the League's credit system again.

This time, Alex intended to keep that line open and avoid spending it all at once. After all, a million credits was enough to purchase the perfect Pokémon.

At dinner, Jenny gave Alex an update on the investigation into the second camp.

"I gave the coordinates to Jenny in Lavender City," she began. "When I warned about a possible Elite-ranked trainer guarding the camp, former Elite Four Agatha personally took over the case. The Jenny there is still new to police work, so she asked for help."

"They located the camp easily enough, and Jenny did the same thing you did. She created a commotion to draw them out. After she arrested everyone on-site, they discovered several assaulted girls ready for transport and decided to stake the place out."

"Not even an hour later, they were attacked by the same team that hit you—the one escorted by the man from your video. Fortunately, Agatha was there in hiding, so they managed to capture everyone except for the man himself. He escaped using an Abra he'd hidden, which activated Teleport mid-battle."

"He had to leave behind his Salamence, Dragonite, and Hydreigon though. They were hit with Mean Look before they could escape."

Jenny leaned back. "Now he has a hefty bounty of 10 million Pokédollars. It would've been more if he'd escaped with his dragons."

Alex clicked his tongue. "That means his other camps will be on high alert for the next few months. So much for my follow-up plans around the area."

"What plans?" Jenny asked.

"I was going to act like a new trainer on his journey, get robbed, then interrogate the robbers for information on their operation. After that, I'd stake the place out, intercept their teams as they came in, record any illegal transactions, and then take the camp down."

"Camp takedowns don't pay as much as interceptions, but I figured I could pass the info to you and focus on cleaning up their employees with bounties."

Jenny nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, congratulations on a successful raid without getting exposed by their spies. What sentences did they receive? Let me guess—no more than ten years each?" Alex asked.

"For those running the camp, yeah," Jenny replied. "But for the team that showed up? Life imprisonment. The case you submitted gave them bounties."

"Just my luck to miss out on a big payday," Alex grumbled. "Then again, Agatha was needed to pull it off, so I wouldn't have gotten much anyway."

Jenny gave him a small smile. "I submitted the information under your name, so you'll still get something out of it."

Alex received a hefty payout of 300,000 Pokedollars for the team of 10 with bounties on their heads. He also earned an extra 100,000 League credits for the information he provided about the camp. It wasn't much, but it was something at least.

Deciding to lay low for now, Alex refrained from making any more moves. With no solid leads and the risk of drawing more attention to himself, he figured that working on gathering more intelligence would only increase his infamy in the city.

Instead, Alex focused on strengthening his team. He didn't like the idea of sitting idle while his enemies constantly threw strategic attacks his way. What he needed were Pokémon that could use Phantom Force to break through their firing lines.

Alex had forgotten about moves like Taunt or Encore during his battle because he was used to having Aroma Veil on the team and never feared it during their encounters. For the sake of situations in which the enemy had Aroma Veil as well, he still went ahead with his plans.

After some research, Alex concluded that Dusknoir and Ceruledge would be ideal candidates. Dusknoir's tankiness would allow it to withstand attacks after breaking through the line, while Ceruledge was a close second, especially with Flash Fire, which was a cheaper option compared to Weak Armor.

Weak Armor had its own advantages in Double Battles, but it wasn't suitable for Alex's plans. The last thing he needed was a Pokémon with low Defense, getting easily overwhelmed on the front lines.

He also considered Pokémon with Mean Look to trap enemies. Frosmoth could already use Infestation, and Aegislash had Block, but Alex wanted something faster, like Gengar or Crobat.

After some more research, he found the perfect additions. A retired Dusclops from Official matches, whose trainer had better options, and a Charcadet from a breeder who was retiring.

Alex also discovered a pair of Zubats from the same breeder, who were a couple. He purchased them as a pair, hoping their synergy could contribute to his team's growth.

The Dusclops, with its use in Official matches as a supporter and potential for further development with Eviolite, cost Alex 700,000. The Charcadet and Zubat pair came to a total of 500,000. Charcadet was priced at 450,000 due to its rare ability to nurture Pokémon eggs, while the Zubat pair was expensive at 25,000 each. After a stressful negotiation over the Dusclops, Alex reluctantly accepted the costs, eager to just get it over with.

The new Pokémon were sent over via PC, and Alex introduced them to the team. He also laid out their new training regimen and goals.

In addition to the new Pokémon, Alex purchased a Reaper's Cloth and Malicious Armor for 300,000 credits. Both items were rare and difficult to find—Reaper's Cloth could only be obtained from haunted houses where murders had occurred, while Malicious Armor required a century of history to craft. It had been a challenge to find them online, and Alex was glad to have enough credits to make the purchase from the League instead.

With his new additions and equipment, Alex was ready to continue his plans for the future, both in terms of training and preparing for future battles.

That night, Alex sat his new Pokémon down to talk about their new situation. This was always the hardest part of accepting new team members who hadn't been born from eggs. These Pokémon had lived other lives, had experiences, and couldn't simply be handed over like tools—they had to be convinced.

"Hello. My name is Alex, and I'll be your new trainer," he introduced himself.

"Dusss." (Hello.)

"Charr." (Hello.)

"Zuu." (Hello.) (x2)

"I work as a bounty hunter. I earn our food and shelter by tracking down criminals with bounties on their heads."

A surprised flurry of sounds followed. Older Pokémon like these were no different from people—they understood what humans whispered about in fear. Their new trainer happened to be the type of person who hunted those dangerous criminals down.

"In order to do my job and get paid, I need you four specifically for your skills. Dusclops and Charcadet—I plan to evolve you both. I want you on the front lines, using Phantom Force to disrupt enemy formations."

"Dusclops!" he agreed, eyes lighting up.

He'd always wanted to evolve and fight for his trainer, not just sit on the sidelines with Eviolite, using Trick Room and utility moves.

"Char!" she chimed in eagerly.

Taking care of eggs had been peaceful work, but she too longed to battle and prove herself.

"Zubats—I want you two to use Mean Look. We can't let our targets get away."

"Zuuu!" they chorused, nodding in sync.

"Raticate!(They can scout!)" Raticate offered from the side.

"…That's actually not a bad idea. What do you two think?"

The pair exchanged hesitant glances. Scouting sounded dangerous, and they didn't know how to do it. Mean Look was fine. It could be used from afar but scouting sounded like being alone in enemy territory.

Alex pulled out his Pokédex to double-check their profiles to see if they knew anything that could give them confidence. There had to be a reason the breeder charged more for them.

Name: Zubat, Novice

Type: Poison Flying, Female

Ability: Infiltrator

Moves:

Novice: Hypnosis(Egg Move), Quick Attack(Egg Move), Absorb, Supersonic, Astonish, Mean Look

Description: Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Zubat avoids sunlight and instead roams dark caves and forests. It uses ultrasonic waves to navigate and hunt, flying silently through the shadows without making a sound.

'Hypnosis and Quick Attack? That shouldn't be possible…' Alex thought, stunned.

He'd read the papers—egg moves were well-documented. Hypnosis came from the Hoothoot line. Quick Attack came from a completely different group. A Zubat shouldn't be able to have both.

'So that's why they were 2.5 times more expensive,' he realized.

Zubats were normally as cheap as Rattatas—around 10,000 credits apiece—due to their overpopulation and lack of culinary or economic value.

But both of these Zubats had the same move set. If bred, their children would likely inherit Hypnosis and Quick Attack too. It was a steady side income when marketed properly, though still unlikely to fetch more than 25,000 each due to their lack of popularity.

'Doesn't matter. With those moves, they'll be hard to catch—perfect for scouting and escaping,' he thought.

He turned to Raticate and explained the situation. The veteran immediately assured the pair.

"Raticate!(Leave it to me!)" he declared confidently.

"Alright. I'm counting on you, buddy."

Then Alex held up a Reaper Cloth and a piece of Malicious Armor.

"Let's get you two evolved."

Dusclops and Charcadet eagerly took the items in hand. Moments later, they both began to shine with radiant white light. The glow faded to reveal their evolved forms: Dusknoir and Ceruledge.

Without waiting, they began testing their new limbs—throwing punches and swinging blades—getting a feel for their upgraded bodies.

Meanwhile, Raticate ushered the Zubat pair off to the training grounds. He needed to instruct this pair on the ways of escaping.

Chapter 72: Chapter 72. Operation Panic

The next day, Alex bought another clay dummy for Ceruledge to practice precision cutting, so she wouldn't interrupt Aegislash's training. Unfortunately, there were no restraint suits for Ghost-types—they lacked muscles to build, and typical restraints couldn't hold them without expensive, specialized materials designed specifically for spectral Pokémon.

He also taught the new additions every move they could learn via TM—a grueling ordeal the Zubat pair dreaded, especially knowing it would only intensify once they evolved into Crobat.

As a reward for their efforts so far, Alex brought out his grooming kits and gave his Pokémon some well-deserved care.

Raticate received a bath using a new short-hair shampoo that added gloss and a light coating to protect from environmental wear. Afterward, he was brushed with a soft bristle brush, given a massage following techniques from popular grooming videos, had his nails trimmed, and his large teeth filed down for comfort and hygiene.

Arcanine underwent a deep brushing with a fireproof comb, had his teeth cleaned and filed, his nails trimmed, and his paw pads waxed. He enjoyed a massage as well.

Clawitzer and Forretress had their shells cleaned, brushed with soft steel brushes, then waxed to shield them from harsh sunlight. Forretress especially enjoyed being groomed alongside Clawitzer.

Rotom, being a Ghost-type, didn't require grooming. As usual, it spent the entire session playing games.

Altaria finally got the bath she needed. Leaves had tangled in her cotton during their forest travels. After a long soak, her fluff was brushed and detangled, and her nails were trimmed.

Alcremie helped bake cookies using her cream. She required very little maintenance aside from ensuring her happiness—something that could be taxing for Pokémon who disliked her matcha flavor. Luckily, Alex had grown used to it, and it didn't bother him much anymore.

Frosmoth was brushed carefully. Baths were out of the question due to her low core temperature—she'd freeze the water and end up encased in ice. She found the resulting frozen shell extremely annoying, so dry grooming it was.

Aegislash was sharpened with a whetstone, wiped down with a microfiber cloth, and finished with oil. He looked pristine… for all of five seconds before diving back into clay dummy training.

Metagross was washed, scrubbed, and waxed to prevent dust accumulation. He grumbled the whole time, jealous that Rotom got to relax and hone his gameplay skills while he was stuck in a bath.

Kommo-o had his own extensive session—bathed, claws and teeth filed, scales waxed. Easily the most tedious of them all to groom.

Hydreigon got the full treatment as well—and she loved every second of it. Alex found her adorable and couldn't understand why people said she was difficult.

Togekiss was equally pampered. With his silky feathers and round body, he was unbelievably smooth. Given his shape, size, and weight, his aerodynamic ability made no sense—but he was a Flying-type, so Alex didn't question it.

Dusknoir and Ceruledge continued their training during the spa day. Being Ghost-types, they could simply phase through dirt and grime. It was at this moment that Alex figured that Aegislash could do the same thing.

Unfortunately, they left a very dirty wall behind in the process. Thankfully, Clawitzer was there to power-wash it clean with a blast of water.

Finally, the Zubat couple enjoyed a mini spa day of their own. Their tiny fur was brushed, and their delicate wing membranes carefully oiled to maintain moisture and flexibility.

Alex hadn't realized just how tedious grooming Pokémon could be—but he didn't have a choice. After a week-long expedition through the forest, followed by three grueling weeks of training and yet another life-threatening mission, they more than deserved it.

It took Alex the entire day just to groom everyone to perfection, and by the end of it, he was completely wiped. He spent the rest of the night lounging around, too tired to do anything productive.

Raticate, however, had other ideas.

Curious to see what the Zubat pair could accomplish, he organized a small scouting mission. With Rotom's help, they pinpointed several buildings in the city that likely harbored illicit activity. The best time to check for potential bounties was, of course, at night.

He rigged the Zubats up with a microphone and camera, both linked wirelessly to Rotom. As the pair flitted silently through the city skies, Rotom streamed their nighttime adventure live to Alex's computer.

Rotom didn't mind the extra load—it could still play its games uninterrupted, even without a screen. Everything was running in the background anyway. That was the real reason it was so good at games: it had always been multitasking in Alex's phone while Metagross sat in a Pokéball during travel.

The Zubat pair were only required to scan each building using their ultrasonic sound waves to form a mental blueprint, which Metagross could then interpret and reconstruct digitally with the computer.

This process would reveal which buildings were hiding secrets, allowing them to poke around more thoroughly in the morning.

Rotom had selected buildings primarily around the slums—areas it had easy access to through local networks. These were also the most promising candidates through a simple process of elimination.

As the Zubats made their rounds, panic quickly spread among the more paranoid criminals. They weren't stupid; their hideouts were guarded by all kinds of security—scouts, surveillance, even Pokémon specifically trained to detect intrusions.

Some buildings were even guarded by Elite-level trainers. But luckily for the Zubats, they were fast. They swooped in silently, scanned the interior in mere moments, then vanished with a Quick Attack, blueprint memorized and pursuers left in the dust of the city's twisting alleyways.

By the end of the night, criminal operations all across the slums were thrown into disarray. Organizations scrambled to move cargo, hide illicit goods, and shut down their operations temporarily to avoid exposure. Spies were sent scrambling to figure out which team, gym, or agency was conducting reconnaissance.

Vaults were emptied and money laundered at record speed. No one wanted to take chances, not even with an illegal scan. As far as they were concerned, the League or police were already on their way.

By morning, even government officials were pissed. Their "arrangements" with gyms, leagues, or police should have kept their operations out of the spotlight. Yet here they were—exposed and scrambling. They rushed to sell or transfer building ownership to cover their tracks, causing an unusual spike in property transactions overnight.

City offices under League supervision flagged the surge immediately. They weren't about to risk a repeat of what happened four years ago. Every building that changed hands was put under investigation.

In the end, the investigators found nothing—thanks to the criminals' panic and quick cover-up—but the fear lingered. The right questions were being asked, and that alone was enough to keep the pressure on.

When Alex woke up in the morning, he was greeted by a proud pair of Zubats and a smug Raticate, who pointed triumphantly to his laptop.

Alex indulged them and checked the screen. What he saw was a list of blueprints for the exteriors of buildings. The Zubats had scanned them quickly, with only the rooms that had windows visible—anything without a window was left blank.

He was both amazed and disappointed. Amazed at the fact that Zubat, in combination with Metagross, could pull off such an impressive feat, but disappointed because the criminals would likely have already hidden by now. The buildings were effectively "clean" now; any criminal hiding in them would have been alerted.

Still, the result was impressive. Not only had they captured digital blueprints, but they also managed to escape unscathed.

As Alex dug deeper into the files, his scalp prickled with unease. There, next to the blueprints, was a list of bounties—20 high-profile individuals with rough facial profiles. These people were hiding in the buildings the Zubats had scanned.

They should have already fled, but the fact that these criminals had been caught on a scan from Novice-ranked Zubats was both amazing and terrifying. Alex knew he had to be more cautious from here on out.

He considered whether to reveal this information, but the thought of facing such dangerous Elite trainers made him hesitant. The risk to him and the public was too great.

'If a fight broke out with these people together, the whole city could explode,' Alex thought grimly. 'But, not my problem. They have bounties on their heads, and if they get caught, I'll get paid.'

He decided to file a report, attaching all the details to the bounty hunter's website. It was their problem now, not his. Besides, the information was unlikely to be useful after everything had been moved and everyone had left.

After Alex submitted everything online, he pushed the entire matter to the back of his mind. He didn't care about the outcome of the information he'd provided—it cost him nothing.

Besides, it wasn't technically illegal. As a bounty hunter, he had certain rights granted to him, especially given his strength and ability to handle Elite-ranked trainers. Laws bent to people like him, just as they did for Gym Leaders.

Alex was more focused on training his Pokémon. With just over 10 months left before the gym challenge, he had a lot to prepare for. Not only did he need to sharpen his own skills, but he also had to help the new recruits develop their teamwork.

The clock was ticking, and there was no time to waste.

Chapter 73: Chapter 73. Revelations

It had been ten months since Alex began his training sessions with his Pokémon, and the improvements were nothing short of remarkable.

At 17, Alex now stood at 5’9” (175 cm) with a lean, muscular build. His short blonde hair and deep black eyes hinted at his lineage—both of his parents were Electric-type specialists, and it showed. But that wasn’t what bothered him. It was his height. He had hoped to reach 6 feet (1.83 m) by the time he turned 18, but he had fallen short. He personally blamed a mix of genetics, malnutrition, and an inconsistent upbringing.

Neither of his parents were particularly tall either. Despite being Trainers, they hadn’t prioritized physical conditioning in their youth. It was understandable—his father had grown up as a normal kid who never paid much attention to height, and his mother was much the same.

Financially, things were looking grim. He had spent nearly 10 million Pokédollars helping the new recruits on his team catch up to the rest. Now, he was down to his last 4 million, which would only last about two months at the current rate of consumption. Luckily, he still had a month's worth of food stockpiled to feed what he now referred to as his “financial black hole” of a team.

As for the team, their growth had accelerated dramatically after Alex stumbled upon a classified information packet on the League’s official site. Upon opening it, he had unknowingly agreed to a binding Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that strictly prohibited him from sharing any of the contents—not even with family members, children, or future spouses.

He had completely overlooked the packet when he first received his League credits, too focused on getting the most value out of the 10 million credits he had at the time.

Inside was a treasure trove of information on Elite-level Pokémon.

The contents included everything from Alex’s own research paper on how to raise all moves to Master Rank within a single lifetime, to advanced knowledge on Pokémon type affinity, the effects of Pokémon meat on human physiology, profiles of Elite-ranked criminals, and even details on Pokémon originating from space, interdimensional wormholes, or alternate timelines.

The section regarding Alex’s research essentially validated his theories. It stated that it typically took one year to train a move to Advanced rank, three additional years to reach Expert from Advanced, and five more years to attain Master rank from Expert. However, for every move already at that tier within the same category, the training time for the rest would be halved.

This meant it took about six years just to get all of his Pokémon's moves to Advanced rank alone.

He still didn’t understand why Clarissa insisted it was better to focus on getting a few moves to Master rank—unless her parents had never clued her in on the deeper details. Either that, or she knew about a rank above Master… Regardless, Alex remained convinced that flexibility was key. That’s why he had all his Pokémon prioritize learning as many moves to the Advanced level as possible.

As for the known upgrades and their limitations, the packet described several effects: Effect Up +1, +50% Damage, +50% Range, Priority +1, and 50% Reduced Cooldown.

Effect Up +1 depended on the type of move. For instance, if the move was defensive like Protect, the effect could allow it to block attacks from Pokémon a full rank higher. If it was a buff move, it typically raised the affected stat by an additional stage.

+50% Damage was straightforward—it increased the move's power. In some cases, it also extended the linear range, depending on the nature of the move. For example, Rock Slide simply dealt more damage per rock.

+50% Range expanded a move's horizontal coverage. Gym Leader Koichi’s Rock Slide, which blanketed the entire battlefield, was a perfect example of this upgrade in action.

Priority +1 made moves activate faster in battle, while 50% Reduced Cooldown decreased the wait time before the move could be used again. According to the packet, cooldown reduction could scale up to 75% under certain conditions.

As for type affinity, it turned out Alex’s instructor had been spot on. He still had no idea how his instructor had managed to tell him in the first place, considering he probably wasn’t even allowed to share that kind of information—but it didn’t matter to Alex.

Type affinity was heavily influenced by both genetics and talent. Genetics provided a high baseline affinity early in life, while talent determined whether someone could awaken actual powers. These powers were random in form but consistently aligned with the general traits of the associated type.

In Alex’s case, as someone with a Dark-type affinity, trainers with similar traits had reported resistance to psychic readings, an ability to suppress their presence in the dark, and even a noticeable power boost in shadowy environments.

It intrigued Alex, but there was still no mention of how to accelerate the growth of this affinity or how to fully awaken its potential—aside from bonding deeply with Dark-type Pokémon.

As for the effects of Pokémon meat on the human body, the data confirmed what Alex had already suspected: it made people stronger. Physically, mentally, even emotionally—Pokémon meat could boost reaction speed, endurance, damage resistance, and raw strength. The longer one consumed high-ranked Pokémon meat, the more enhanced their capabilities became.

It was no longer a mystery how Koichi could go toe-to-toe with an Expert-ranked Pokémon.

The criminal profiles were the same ones Alex had received back at the Police Academy, so there was nothing new on that front.

As for Pokémon from space—they were, in Alex’s mind, just Pokémon. He had never really followed the new generations, so anything beyond Generation III had initially blown his mind. Now, it was just old news.

The list of Pokémon confirmed to originate from space or from wormholes included: Cleffa, Clefairy, Clefable, Deoxys, Jirachi, Lunatone, Solrock, Minior, Staryu, Starmie, Elgyem, Beheeyem, Eternatus, Nihilego, Buzzwole, Pheromosa, Xurkitree, Celesteela, Kartana, Guzzlord, Blacephalon, Stakataka, Poipole, and Naganadel.

Whereas those from different timelines were essentially the same Pokémon, but with alternate regional variations or paradoxical evolutions that diverged due to changes in history, environment, or technology.

Aside from that, there were also reports of talking Pokémon. Alex simply nodded at the notion, thinking back to the anime. Now he just wondered whether Meowth was still alive, behind bars, or enjoying retirement somewhere.

In any case, his Pokémon benefitted greatly from the confirmation of Alex’s budding theory. With a clear goal in mind, he now prioritized getting all of his Pokémon’s moves to the Advanced rank as soon as possible.

First off, thanks to the massive stockpile of Elite-ranked Pokémon meat Alex purchased with the 10 million Pokédollars, all of his Pokémon had now reached Expert rank. The Zubat pair especially enjoyed the spoils—now evolved into a formidable Crobat pair.

Secondly, all EV spreads now include Speed. According to the information packet, Speed didn’t just determine turn order—it also influenced how often a Pokémon could use moves compared to slower opponents. While this effect only became truly noticeable at the Elite rank and beyond, where stat differences were more extreme, Alex wasn’t going to take any chances. Investing in Speed across the board was now a non-negotiable part of training.

Raticate had advanced all of his Status and Special moves, limited though they were, to the Advanced rank. In terms of move coverage, he was the most well-rounded among Alex’s team. Alex also redistributed his EVs to Attack and Speed, reflecting Raticate’s natural aversion to using Special Attacks.

Arcanine brought all of his Physical moves to Advanced rank. Due to a close call with a wild Dragonite that nearly outran him, Alex reallocated his EVs to Defense and Speed—he wasn’t going to take that kind of risk again.

Clawitzer upgraded both Water Pulse and Dark Pulse to Advanced, each with a +50% Damage boost. However, it would still take about a year to raise the rest of her Special moves. Her EVs remained at Special Attack and Speed.

Rotom found success with Electro Web and Trick, both enhanced with Priority +1. Its EVs were unchanged: Defense and Speed.

Forretress reached Advanced on all Status moves, most of which now had 50% Reduced Cooldown. According to him, the first upgrade was the hardest—after that, the rest came easier. His EVs remained focused on Special Defense and Speed.

Altaria also advanced all of her Status moves, many with Priority +1. Her EVs were changed to HP and Speed to capitalize on the advantage of acting first.

Alcremie advanced Dazzling Gleam and Acid Armor, gaining +50% Damage and Effect Up +1 respectively. Acid Armor now raised Defense by three stages instead of two. Her EVs stayed at Defense and Speed, providing sustainability through Draining Kiss.

Frosmoth joined the others with all her Status moves at Advanced, most of them upgraded with Priority +1. Her EVs remained Defense and Speed, allowing her to benefit from moves like Leech Life and Giga Drain.

Aegislash brought King’s Shield, Wide Guard, and Block to Advanced with Effect Up +1. Now, he could block even Elite-ranked Pokémon and prevent their escape. His EVs remained at HP and Speed.

Metagross advanced Gravity to Advanced with 50% Reduced Cooldown. While he didn’t particularly enjoy training, he developed a strong attachment to Gravity. He planned to work on Psychic next to help with mobility. His EVs were still HP and Speed, optimized for survival over offense.

Kommo-o followed Arcanine’s path, advancing all of his Physical moves and favoring +50% Damage upgrades. A battle-hardened fighter at heart. His EVs remained HP and Speed to maintain a well-rounded stat profile.

Togekiss advanced Follow Me with Priority +1 to remain competitive. He maintained HP and Speed EVs to ensure he could act quickly and then retreat to the defensive squad.

Hydreigon mastered all of her Special moves with +50% Damage upgrades across the board. She simply loved destruction. Her EVs were Special Attack and Speed, maximizing her firepower.

Dusknoir already had all his Status moves at Advanced rank. In fact, his unique move set had prompted the initial deep dive into Status move theory and ultimately led Alex to the hidden information packet. He was expensive to acquire precisely because he was a subtle clue to the truth. He’s currently training Phantom Dive, and his EVs are focused on HP and Speed to compensate for his weaknesses.

Ceruledge had successfully brought all her moves to Basic and was now working on Phantom Dive as well. Her EVs were tailored toward Defense and Speed to improve her durability.

The Crobat pair, formerly Zubats, advanced all of their moves to Basic and even upgraded Quick Attack to Advanced with 50% Reduced Cooldown. They had been relentlessly bullied by Raticate, so their entire motivation was to get fast enough to escape—and it worked. The cooldown reduction increased their mobility, allowing them to dodge and flee more effectively during training. Both had EVs set to Special Defense and Speed, ideal for their scouting roles.

Overall, it had been an extremely productive training session. With confidence and preparation on his side, Alex was ready to take on the Grass Gym in Celadon City.

-----
A stats page containing the complete Pokedex entries of all the Pokemon is available on Patreon for free for those who are interested. A very long list which might not be for everyone so I released these two chapters together. Enjoy.

Chapter 74: Chapter 74. An Invitation

Alex stood at the west gate, facing the direction of Celadon City, his eyes scanning the forest flanking both sides of the trail with suspicion. He wore no disguise today, opting instead for his standard bounty hunter attire.

He knew the city's criminal elements were keeping tabs on him, but how eager they were to eliminate him remained uncertain.

He considered donning another disguise, but his wallet had been growing lighter by the day. In the end, he decided to roll the dice this time.

Alex was confident in his ability to handle an Elite-ranked trainer who underestimated him—but not a serious one commanding more than six Elite-ranked Pokémon.

Regardless, he mounted Hydreigon and took off toward Celadon City, pushing for as much speed as the dragon could manage.

He could vaguely sense the panic behind him as he disappeared into the distance.

He had no intention of making things easy for his enemies. Better they stumble, sending their forces one group at a time, rather than coordinating a full ambush.

With Rotom recording from its position on his chest, Alex vanished into the horizon.

An hour into his journey, Alex encountered his first enemy: an Elite-ranked Fearow, flying solo. These Pokémon typically avoided the trail, but reports had confirmed that the primary cause of individual incidents along these routes were lone Elite-ranked Flying or Ground-type Pokémon that either passed through or appeared suddenly.

This one, in particular, seemed to be in a sour mood and had decided to charge straight at Alex—despite the terrifying Hydreigon beneath him, whose own mood was rapidly souring thanks to their peaceful bonding time being interrupted by such a weak interloper.

Fearow dove in with a Drill Peck aimed directly at Hydreigon's head, only to be stopped cold by a shimmering Protect. Without hesitation, Alex summoned Altaria and Frosmoth. Altaria opened with a graceful Feather Dance while Frosmoth launched Infestation.

Realizing the threat, Fearow attempted to flee using U-turn, but the lingering Infestation slowed its retreat, allowing Alex and his team to close the distance.

An Ice Beam from both Altaria and Frosmoth, combined with a Tri Attack from Hydreigon, brought the Fearow crashing down, unconscious before it could escape. Alex tossed a Poké Ball to secure the capture, and Altaria swooped in to retrieve it, delivering the ball to him for safekeeping.

Tonight, they'd be dining on Elite-ranked meat.

Alex recalled Altaria and Frosmoth before continuing on his path toward Celadon City.

-----

Meanwhile, in a high-rise office building within Celadon City, a purple-haired man with a beard and a man bun—dressed in a sleek black suit with purple accents—sat behind a desk as a transmission came in from the scouting department.

"Sir, Alex Wattson is en route to Celadon City for a Gym Challenge with the Grass Gym. Should we intercept?"

"Send him a greeting gift—make it twice the dose—and include a letter. We don't want his type snooping around our business."

"Yes, Sir."

"What's Monica up to?"

"She's doubling her acquisitions to compensate for last year's supply chain disruption."

"Send Alex her way and pull out all our spies. I don't want to be on the ship when it crashes and burns."

"Yes, Sir."

The call ended. The man leaned back, pulling up Alex's file. He knew Alex's type: strong, disruptive, greedy—and, most importantly, a realist. The kind of person you could have in your pocket with the right incentive.

Alex had been flagged the moment he became a bounty hunter with an Elite-ranked Hydreigon. Those Pokémon were not for the faint of heart—and certainly not a threat to be ignored.

His position on the watchlist rose with every successful bounty, eventually landing him on the Top 100 Eyesore List after he scanned multiple criminal-run buildings in Saffron City, scattering lesser criminals to their territory and creating unwanted competition.

Monica Alfreds, one of those lesser criminals, had become an especially painful thorn in his side. She had a taste for human trafficking, sex clubs, and even a pokephilia ring. Her operations were shut down in the chaos that followed, and now she had come to his city, looking for a piece of his pie.

One he couldn't engage in directly, thanks to her backers: a group of lunatics ranting about human supremacy while running a human trafficking ring.

He needed her gone—and Alex, with his unique blend of subtlety and destructive capability, was the perfect solution. The sweet spot between harassment and all-out war.

-----

As Alex continued his journey, he occasionally spotted trainers battling out in the wilds. They had weaker Pokémon—Adept rank at best—struggling to fend off groups of hungry and territorial Pokemon looking for their next meal.

He never had the privilege of such low-level fights, thanks to his financial stability. Money, efficient training, and extensive knowledge were the keys to raising powerful Pokémon.

You simply couldn't get by without those things. Otherwise, you'd be wasting your time—time better spent digesting high-ranked meat after a session of strenuous, targeted exercise.

As he flew past a rocky stretch of wilderness, he suddenly felt a Mean Look lock onto Hydreigon. Judging by the fact that Hydreigon hadn't shaken it off yet, it was from an Elite-ranked Pokémon.

Alex landed immediately and released all of his Pokémon as a precaution—just in time, as both sides of the path erupted with enemies. Six Elite-ranked Pokémon appeared from both sides. From the left came Ambipom, Mightyena, and Cacturne. From the right came Venomoth, Liepard, and Ariados.

It was… unimpressive.

Alex fired off a Beat Up bullet at Arcanine for the left side and a Fire Blast bullet at Ceruledge for the right. He didn't bother organizing further; they were split into two easy-to-handle groups, and he had the numbers.

Seventeen Pokémon in total—all at least Expert-ranked.

At Metagross's command, his team split into two groups of six, intercepting the attackers in pairs:

Arcanine and Raticate against Cacturne

Kommo-o and Togekiss against Mightyena

Dusknoir and Altaria against Ambipom

Clawitzer and Forretress against Venomoth

Frosmoth and Alcremie against Liepard

Ceruledge and Hydreigon against Ariados

The fight was completely one-sided—a fact his assailants quickly realized. They'd been warned that the trainer had a lot of Pokémon, but were told they'd be weak. No one said they'd be facing a 6v12 with a very angry Hydreigon in the mix.

They weren't confident they could handle a raging Hydreigon alone, let alone the rest of the team.

Arcanine finished a Taunted Cacturne with a single Flare Blitz. Kommo-o landed a decisive Close Combat on Mightyena. Dusknoir and Altaria traded a few blows with Ambipom, but Dusknoir did well keeping it away from Altaria.

Clawitzer was poisoned, but Venomoth couldn't escape Clawitzer's relentless Water Pulses while Clawitzer never fell below half health with Pain Splits from Forretress. Liepard fell after being hit with back-to-back Dazzling Gleams. Ariados stood no chance against Fire Blast from Hydreigon and Flare Blitz from Ceruledge.

Before the attackers could escape on their emergency flying types, they were locked down with Mean Look and knocked out with Hypnosis—a move far more effective on humans than Pokémon. The Crobat pair guaranteed no escape.

A perfect, clean victory.

Metagross gathered the Poké Balls and incapacitated humans for Alex to inspect.

Inside their wallets were membership cards for a sex club and a poképhilia club in the city, along with explicit instructions on how to access the black market and use their services.

Alex wasn't an idiot. This was both an invitation and a bribe—a ploy to remove competition. The fight had been too easy and the rewards far too generous.

So generous, his Pokémon could feast on Elite-ranked meat for the next ten days.

He had no choice but to happily accept such offers. A pair of bounties, plus high-quality food for the next ten days? Two entire businesses to feast on during his short stay in Celadon City? Where could he sign up—and could he book the next visit in advance?

As for being targeted by a criminal organization beyond his means? Alex didn't care. Lines were drawn in the sand against the League, but those same lines applied to criminal organizations as well.

The worst they could do was send more Elite-ranked trainers after him one at a time. Anything more, and they'd cross the boundary—triggering a full-scale response and getting hunted down for good in an all-out war.

Alex continued on his way atop Hydreigon, gliding along the trails of Route 7 while carrying his bounties. As he passed the central point of the route, he spotted a traveler's camp—built specifically around an underground tunnel that bypassed Saffron City and led straight through to Lavender City via Route 8.

Typically, it would take trainers about a week on foot to reach this point, making the camp a much-needed resting spot before they resumed their journey.

The group that had recently ambushed him had come from this very camp. It served as a convenient base for those waiting on standby to intercept targets moving between the two cities.

Monica Alfreds had also dispatched her own Elite-ranked trainers after Alex, blaming him for the delays in her operations. Those delays had forced her to lay low in Celadon City instead of continuing her decade-long reign in Saffron City.

Now she wanted revenge—and she was sending her best. A fellow Elite, just as bitter, who had lost all his top dragons in a raid because of Alex.

Chapter 75: Chapter 75. A Grudge

Lucan Thorne was a simple man who had loved dragons since childhood. Upon starting his journey, he quickly realized that his dreams were impossible. Being a regular trainer couldn’t earn him enough money to achieve and sustain his dream, so he began taking from others to make it happen.

It was a profitable business—until he crossed paths with Monica Alfreds, an Expert-ranked trainer who funded his dream by gifting him a Dratini, his first dragon. He had been loyal to her ever since.

Fifteen years later, he now had three dragons of significant power. He was even stronger than Monica, whose psychic Pokémon couldn't hold a candle to his dragons, but he stayed loyal. She had given him her dragons, and he would always return that loyalty.

But now, his dragons were gone, seized by the League because of a tip from some kid. Lucan didn't appreciate being ratted out—or worse, being trapped and losing his dragons.

He glared down at the pistols at his waist. The kid supposedly used these weapons to fight on the same level as an Elite-ranked Pokémon and had stabilized a losing fight.

Lucan had known about the guns for a while, but they seemed weak. They could barely hold up against Experts, let alone Elites. Still, the kid had a bunch of Expert-ranked Pokémon, so Lucan would see how well they really worked.

A signal came through. Lucan mounted his Noivern and took off after Alex, who had just passed the camp. Though he’d lost his main dragons, his precious collection of Pokémon remained, and he wasn't going down without a fight.

Noivern was fast—faster than Alex's Hydreigon. It didn't take long before they caught up to the kid, who was already on the ground setting up defenses.

Lucan landed and released his full collection: Altaria, Dragalge, Drampa, Flapple, Appletun, Turtonator, and Cyclizar. All were low-end Elite, but strong enough for this brat.

Six Expert-ranked grunts, each with a team of cannon fodder, surrounded Alex, bolstering their strength as they closed in. Alex simply watched them, unbothered.

‘Overconfidence at its finest. Doesn’t even know we’ve got reinforcements coming,’ Lucan thought with a sneer. ‘Soon, you’ll be surrounded and bombarded.’

Alex looked at Lucan’s Pokemon and scoffed. "Really? An all-dragon team despite knowing I have three Dazzling Gleam users?"

"You will pay for what you did to my dragons!" Lucan spat, his voice thick with anger.

"You mean what Agatha did?" Alex shot back.

"Everyone knows you leaked the information. Agatha wouldn't have hidden if it weren't for you."

Alex's expression hardened. "Welp, that's enough setting up. Begin," he ordered, his command followed by a barrage of Special Attacks.

Lucan couldn’t help but admit that Alex was no ordinary trainer. Despite being alone, Alex maintained control over so many Pokémon with ease. And that Hydreigon, loyal to him despite being captured at such a high rank—Alex was powerful, only lacking more Elites to become a serious threat to other organizations.

Lucan commanded his team to start a coordinated bombardment, hoping to keep Alex in place long enough to break through his defenses. The reinforcements would arrive any minute now.

Suddenly, Dusknoir and Ceruledge disappeared from sight, followed by Alex's attack team splitting into two groups: one led by Arcanine with Raticate and Togekiss, the other led by Kommo-o with Altaria.

Dusknoir emerged from behind the bombardment line and used Phantom Force, knocking a Pokémon’s shield aside. Arcanine, Raticate, and Togekiss took advantage, downing three of the opposing Pokémon who should have been protected in a single hit.

‘Max stacked already? How?’ Lucan wondered. He had seen Alex setting up, but he couldn’t possibly have had the time to boost his Pokémon that fast—even with Advanced-ranked Reduced Cooldown upgrades.

On the other side, Ceruledge unleashed a devastating Phantom Force, knocking out a Trevenant who had tried to use Protect. It, too, had clearly been boosted.

The other Pokémon by Trevenant’s side were quickly taken out: Brick Break from Kommo-o and Dazzling Gleam from Altaria finished them off in no time.

Lucan was losing Pokémon faster than he could command them.

‘The grunts were as useless as ever,’ he muttered under his breath, disgust curling in his voice.

"Charge and disrupt their lines!" Lucan ordered, determined to turn the tide. Elites should be able to push through with physical attacks, right?

With Defog from his Altaria, his dragons rushed in, using Dragon-type moves left and right.

But Alex's team was ready. Dazzling Gleam shots rained down on them. Lucan's Turtonator used Wide Guard, but it wasn’t enough. Dusknoir broke the protection with another Phantom Force, and Turtonator fell quickly to the bombardment.

The rest of Lucan's dragons retaliated, but Dusknoir used Protect to stall while Alex's team continued to barrage them with attack after attack.

The encirclement was breaking, and Lucan’s forces were scattered in three separate melees. Without coordination, his Pokémon were losing. He had already lost Turtonator, Flapple, and Dragalge, who was quickly taken out by a combination of Ice Beams and Blizzards from Frosmoth.

They were Elites for crying out loud. They shouldn't be losing this fast.

He suddenly remembered the pistols at his side. With a sharp motion, he drew them, aimed, and fired shot after shot straight at Alex. Dragon Pulse, Sludge Bomb, Seed Bomb, Energy Ball, Take Down, etc.

Alex, however, only looked on with mild embarrassment. Sure, the guns were powerful—but if they were used like this, they were no different than a pair of reckless Pokémon firing off attacks without strategy.

Rotom and Aegislash alternated between Protect and King’s Shield, shielding Alex as he calmly walked forward through the hail of bullets, entirely unbothered.

With the rest of the grunts in chaos and his own team holding the advantage, Alex knew this battle was already over. He continued his slow approach toward Lucan, who was desperately trying to reload his spent magazine.

Without a word, Alex stepped forward—and punched Lucan hard in the face, knocking him out cold. The man might’ve been an Elite-ranked trainer who’d been eating Pokémon meat longer than Alex had been alive, but without physical training, he was no different from a regular person.

Lucan dropped like a sack of potatoes and dropped the magazine. But Alex suddenly paused. He could feel a familiar psychic energy wrapping around Lucan. He remembered how Lucan had escaped Agatha the first time.

Alex kicked Lucan over onto his back and spotted the culprit: a pitiful squished Abra, struggling to focus enough to cast Teleport.

Without hesitation, Alex reached down, grabbed the tiny Psychic-type, and gave it a light shake to break its concentration. The poor Abra squealed then tried casting again only for the cycle to repeat.

Teleports were this annoying to release but they were undeniably useful. With that, Alex began rummaging through Lucan's belongings, retrieving Poké Balls one by one and locking each of the captured Pokémon inside—Abra included.

A few minutes later, the entire group was subdued. Lucan and his grunts were tied to trees by Metagross, their belongings confiscated and sealed.

Alex took a moment to inspect the pistols Lucan had used. They were decent—well-made, with clear killing power against unprotected humans. In fact, they were even stronger than the old pair Alex used to rely on. No manufacturer’s logo, no registration—definitely custom, likely illegal. He recognized the design.

Argent Solutions.

So why was a human-supremacist weapons manufacturer supplying an organization known for pokephilia and human trafficking rings?

Alex didn’t know. And he didn’t care.

He would’ve liked to keep the guns, but they were recorded in the fight and had to be submitted as evidence.

Just then, Alex sensed movement—reinforcements incoming from Celadon City.

From a rough count, there were about twenty people.

That would’ve been a problem a few minutes ago. Now? It just looked like the perfect setup for an ambush.

Alex sent Hydreigon, Altaria, Togekiss, Frosmoth, and the Crobat pair to stir chaos in the skies with a well-timed Roar, while the rest of his team lay in wait beneath the forest canopy, ready to strike down anyone who panicked and crash-landed.

It went about as expected—they scattered in a frenzy, fleeing in all directions. One by one, Alex’s team picked them off and dragged them into the forest, collecting them like fruit in a harvest.

At some point during the cleanup, another group arrived from Saffron City—this time around thirty strong. Alex didn’t change a thing. He ran the same strategy again and by evening, all of them were bound, gagged, and stashed away like the first group.

He was honestly running out of rope, so he gave Jenny a call. She, in turn, contacted Celadon City's Jenny to come pick up the goods.

Tired from spending the entire day running through the forest, Alex and his team finally took a break—settling in with the Fearow from earlier as a well-deserved reward for their performance.

Alex couldn’t help but feel proud. His team had been fast, disciplined, and worked with the precision of a well-oiled machine. Just like they practiced.

Chapter 76: Chapter 76. The Black Market

A few hours into the night, Alex was woken by Metagross, who had been on sentry duty. Trainers were approaching—fast.

He got up quickly, told Metagross to start packing, and splashed cold water on his face to shake off the drowsiness.

After waking the rest of his team, he waited, already dressed and prepared for a potential battle.

“Alex?” a familiar voice called from beyond the trees.

“It’s me,” he replied calmly.

Moments later, twenty officers emerged from the bushes, Jenny at the lead.

If he ignored her posture, demeanour, and aura, he could’ve sworn this was his Jenny.

“You’re Alex?” she asked, voice clipped.

Her tone told him this particular Jenny wasn’t a fan. Maybe it was the pile of paperwork he indirectly caused, but it still felt unfair to blame him for criminals choosing to act like idiots.

“Yes. I’ve captured about sixty of them. They’re tied up just behind that tree line. I would’ve brought them over, but I ran out of rope.”

“Alright.”

The group followed him and visibly recoiled at the sight. Sixty people. Easy to say. Much harder to picture. That was nearly two full classrooms of adults—practically a small mob.

“You caught all of them?” one of the guards asked, disbelief clear.

“The first group fought back. The rest walked right into an ambush.”

“Do you have proof they were reinforcements?”

“Rotom accessed their phones. We have timestamps, messages, and GPS logs. They should have already been sent online along with video evidence.”

The individual interrogations and slightly rougher handling didn’t need to be mentioned. The League could find out about them if they really checked anyway.

“Alright. Tie them up to your Pokémon. We’ll haul them to the station for processing. Long night ahead, boys,” Jenny ordered.

Groans followed. Sixty people was a lot to drag through the woods in the dead of night.

“Oh, and I’ve already separated their belongings into pouches. Everything’s labeled—you just need to double-check,” Alex added, handing her a stuffed duffel bag. “Careful with this one, regulated Pokemon.”

“Thank you. You’ll be contacted about your remuneration within the week.”

Alex nodded without a word. Jenny clearly wasn’t in the mood, and he wasn’t about to poke the Ursaring.

With the camp packed up and the Pokemon alert, he hopped on Hydreigon and took off. No point hanging around. The final stretch of his journey still waited, and he was wide awake.

A few hours later, with the sun rising, Alex arrived at the west gate of Celadon City.

Upon entering, he immediately noted the difference in atmosphere. Saffron City felt like a bustling metropolis, packed with people glued to their phones as they hurried from place to place. Celadon, on the other hand, felt like a tourist trap designed to lure in the wealthy and the elderly.

There were no flashing neon signs or congested walkways—just wide, clean streets and calm, curated luxury. It was quiet. Too quiet.

Alex felt oddly unsettled by the lack of a bustling crowd. It almost felt like he was still in the wilds, as if danger could jump out at any moment. At least in Saffron, when someone targeted you, they couldn’t look down on their phones and would be spotted within the crowd.

He had a week to spend before his appointed gym challenge so he made his way to the hotel district beside the casinos and booked an upscale room for 25,000 Pokédollars a night. It wasn’t a luxury—he had seventeen Pokémon to consider. He needed the space to house, bathe, and feed them properly.

The next morning, bright and early, Alex headed to the black market. Most people imagined shady backstreets, alleyways, or sewer tunnels when they thought of such places. But this was Celadon City. The criminals here had class.

The market was on the third floor of the very hotel he was staying in—accessible only to select individuals who presented proper invitations. There were no dress codes, just the right qualifications.

Alex arrived in a sleek black suit with an emerald green tie, his hair slicked back into a sharp undercut. He looked like a third-rate villain out of a soap opera. No one would recognize him unless they looked closely at his face.

Normally, Alex wore thick bodysuits, heavy long coats, and messy hair—the look of someone who prioritized combat utility over appearance.

He walked confidently into the market, which resembled a high-end department store more than an Underworld hub. Everyone here was part of the criminal network governed by Ace Monique—an Elite-ranked criminal with a 100-million Pokédollar bounty and the quiet backing of Champion-level individuals.

As far as the League was concerned, this floor didn’t exist.

Alex made his way to a bookstore as instructed. Upon entering, he placed two key cards and an envelope on the counter.

The clerk silently slid a book across to him. Alex picked up all four items and headed to a quiet table in the back.

Inside the book were building blueprints, bounty profiles, manpower estimates, financial ledgers, and even a list of captives believed to be held by Monica Alfreds—Lucan Thorne’s boss and the woman Alex had been screwing since his bounty hunting debut.

He let out a quiet chuckle, memorized the contents, and walked out.

Pokémon weren’t allowed inside, not even Rotom who could have helped record the information. Aegislash wasn’t lurking in his shadow, either. But Alex didn’t mind—he felt safe enough given the scale of what his employer wanted done.

The mission? Take down Monica’s main base of operations—a high-class brothel that trafficked in both human and Pokémon prostitutes.

The Pokémon side of things wasn’t even illegal. Pokephilia existed in a gray area under the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy. As long as it was kept discreet, it was tolerated.

Pokémon could be groomed or trained to accept and enjoy such treatment, and the League had no means to regulate it without breaking the entire trainer bond system.

Pokemon getting bonded with perverts makes the Pokemon perverts as well. The League could not subject every future trainer to a psychic evaluation to specifically prevent perverts from bonding with Pokemon.

Human prostitution was legal too—so long as it was consensual. The real issue was that Monica’s staff weren’t volunteers. They were kidnapped or missing persons from other cities, sometimes even other regions.

Clients didn’t complain. The police couldn’t act—Monica had too many government backers.

So, it fell to someone like Alex. A bounty hunter with a penchant for chaos and nothing to lose.

Alex visited a few shops and picked up some low-level disguises. He didn’t dare buy anything outright illegal, like unregistered Poké Balls or poached and stolen goods. He promptly left after his business.

Alex had some time to kill, so he wandered into the casino next door. He was curious—was card counting a thing in the Pokémon world?

That hope was quickly crushed when he realized there wasn’t even blackjack, poker, or roulette. Just rows of slot machines and a smattering of mini-game-style attractions. The place didn’t feel classy at all, and it soured his mood.

In true Pokémon fashion, he headed toward the back of the casino where a bunch of portraits hung on the wall. He poked around, half-expecting to find a hidden switch or passage. Nothing. Another disappointment. With a sigh, Alex made his way to the rewards counter to see what prizes were on offer.

The lineup was impressive—evolution stones, held items, Pokéblocks with unique effects, captured Pokémon ranging up to Elite rank, and even eggs from pseudo-Legendary species. Tempting, but there was a catch.

The prices were outrageous. Far above market value if you wanted to buy them outright. The system was designed to entice gamblers into chasing prizes through sheer luck, driving most of them half-mad in the process.

Finding nothing worth his time, Alex returned to his room to prepare for the night’s operation.

Suddenly remembering Jenny, he pulled her number from his mother and gave her a call.

The voice on the other end sounded like it wanted to commit violence.

“What do you want, Alex? Is one night of peace too much to ask?” Jenny grumbled, clearly having been woken up.

“I just wanted to give you a heads-up about something I’m doing tonight,” Alex replied, his tone shifting to serious. “You’ll want a few psychic experts skilled in memory erasure. Otherwise, there’s a good chance of mass suicides.”

Jenny groaned. “Ughh, fine. What are you planning?”

Alex walked her through the operation, and just as he expected, her reaction was instant and visceral.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS?” Jenny practically screamed into the phone.

“Someone wants Monica gone. So yes, I’m very serious. I don’t have hard evidence, but I did get a good look at a list of missing persons—and it matches their staff lineup exactly.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“So your squad’s spies can leak it? No thanks,” Alex said flatly. “Clean up your unit first, or next time you won’t even get a courtesy call. I counted five spies among the twenty people you brought earlier, and you didn’t notice a thing.”

He had been watching closely. Three of them had visibly recognized people among the sixty captives, while the other two had shown an unnatural lack of interest in the whole affair.

“Fine. Just call me when it's done,” Jenny relented easily.

“Sure thing,” Alex replied, ending the call.

With due diligence out of the way, he went for a quick nap before getting ready. He had a long night ahead of him.

Chapter 77: Chapter 77. The Velvet Reflection

Alex woke up from his nap and got ready at 10 PM. He wore a thin facemask, designed to subtly alter his features enough to make him appear older and more refined. Donning the same suit from earlier, he switched his tie to a ruby red, signaling that he was in the right mood for the evening.

He made his way to The Velvet Reflection, Monica's main hideout. It was a lavish location, complete with an underground base where she had her captives undergo conditioning—warping their personalities and turning them into willing subjects under her control.

In truth, Monica had other locations as well, though these were more legitimate. They consisted of Pokephilia clubs—independent venues that operated on personal connections, where the community of Pokephiliacs could gather and indulge in their desires.

Orgies were frequently held at these locations, with Pokémon being swapped as part of the experience.

Additionally, Monica ran legitimate brothels, where women were genuinely interested in the industry, as opposed to those who had been brainwashed and coerced into serving. These locations were of course just motels with bars or stripclubs in them to facilitate the transaction.

The Velvet Reflection, however, was her crown jewel—her personal headquarters. It was the place where she created her luxury goods: teenagers conditioned to be sluts to her high-paying, influential clients.

In fact, the entrance alone cost 100,000 Pokedollars, regardless of whether the client left with a partner or not.

The clientele ranged from regular trainers to Elite trainers, politicians, criminal business partners, wealthy businessmen, and retired individuals with the means to indulge in the luxury.

This establishment was Monica's cash cow, funding the operations of her other locations to promote interest in the industry.

She had once run a similar operation in Saffron City, but after an incident involving a pair of Zubats and a mischievous Raticate, she had abandoned that location and moved her operation to Celadon City.

As Alex reached one of the unassuming entrances, he silently handed over a key card designating a human partner. Depending on the card, guests would be matched with either a woman or a Pokémon. Since the women here were known to be brainwashed, Alex needed to get a proper look at them before making his move.

Stepping inside, the first thing that struck him was the opulence. Polished white marble floors with gold veining stretched beneath his feet. Velvet wallpaper lined the walls, and ornate golden chandeliers hung from high, coffered ceilings supported by scattered marble pillars.

The air was scented with something rich and refined, and the warmth in the atmosphere made it feel like stepping into the grand halls of a private mansion.

No words were exchanged as Alex was escorted into a lavish parlor where other guests mingled.

Naked women adorned in white cuffs, white collars with black bowties, pantyhose, high heels, and strapless crotchless corset-style bodysuits that presented their breasts rather than conceal them moved gracefully, serving drinks to the guests.

In the corner, a naked woman in a see-through white gown played a harp on a low stage beside the crackling fireplace, adding to the ambiance.

It was actually quite pleasant, Alex decided.

He took a seat at the bar, where a naked bartender, similarly dressed to the others, served him a drink—aged whiskey. He glanced at her as she handed him the glass, catching a subtle wink before she moved on to attend to the other guests.

It was a truly pleasant experience—if not for the fact that all the women here were clearly brainwashed.

Alex could tell.

Psychic energy swirled in their minds, working overtime to help them make the right decisions.

Ever since Alex had read the information packet and learned about the various 'powers' he could acquire with high levels of Dark affinity, he had become more attuned to subtle changes in those areas.

He discovered that he could detect and resist both psychic and spiritual influence, move without being noticed, and see perfectly in the dark.

At first, it was subtle, but with practice, he found that being conscious of these abilities made it easier to develop them. He had Metagross bombard his mind with psychic impulses while trading energy with Hydreigon to bolster his resistance to psychic influence.

He practiced hiding from Metagross while in the dark, or having Metagross hide from him without relying on their bond.

It had been intense training, but it was already paying off.

Finishing his whiskey, Alex moved out of the parlor. Upon returning to the hallway, a butler in full uniform immediately approached him.

As Alex was about to head into an adjacent parlor, the butler stopped him. Alex handed over the other card, and the butler relented.

As Alex strode inside, he was met with a scene of casual indulgence. Men with their dicks out were being pleasured by all manner of Pokémon as they chatted. Gardevoir, Lopunny, Salazzle, Zoroark, Braixen, Delphox, Tsareena, Eeveelutions, and various others were having sex with the guests, serving them in ways that best suited their species.

Alex observed with a mix of surprise and contemplation. It wasn't the indulgence that caught his attention, but the presence of Gardevoir and Zoroark—both regulated Pokémon—freely participating in the festivities. Their involvement here seemed at odds with their official status.

He briefly considered getting a drink but quickly dismissed the thought. The other room was more his speed. These people were a bit too wild for his taste.

Alex attempted to move deeper into the establishment before the butler whispered in his ear, "That area is reserved for the women."

Alex understood immediately. After all, women were part of the clientele here, which meant he'd need to see it for himself.

"I'm interested," Alex said plainly. The butler gave a subtle nod and stepped aside.

Alex entered another parlor, and as expected, men were present—dressed in attire similar to the women. Except rather than a corset it was crotchless briefs.

Alex observed the servers and was surprised to realize they were clearly brainwashed. Some of the older men seemed fine, but the teenagers were definitely being controlled. This was news to Alex, as the camps had never shown boys being taken.

He nodded and attempted to enter the final room but was firmly stopped by the butler.

"Women only section, Sir."

Alex nodded and returned to the first room, though he took a quick glance inside as a woman with an excited Machoke exited and headed upstairs. Lucario, Blaziken, Floatzel, Charizard, Lycanrock, Absol, Eeveelutions, Machoke, Machamp, and Machop, among others were simply having sex with moaning women.

Alex was surprised by the popularity of the Eeveelutions. They were, after all, just evolved versions of dogs. Then again, people on Earth had always had a deep affection for their dogs.

He returned to the first room and grabbed another drink. He had gathered all the information he needed.

As he walked through the premises, he estimated there were about thirty bounties among the clientele, guards, and butlers. He definitely wouldn't be able to handle all of them. Some would manage to slip away in the chaos to come.

His target, however, was nowhere in sight.

Deciding to take action, Alex set his sights on the bartender. She seemed the most mature among the women, and from her neutral expression, he could tell she had likely endured enough hardship to mentally resist her abuse.

She was a little older than Alex but bore the weariness of someone who had been through a lot. He imagined her story: orphaned, struggling through life, caught, assaulted, and forced into prostitution.

Despite everything, she would survive. She might never have sex again, and she'd likely be disgusted by the thought, but she would endure, fueled by a quiet, vengeful resolve.

Without saying a word, Alex simply nodded toward the exit, gesturing for her to follow.

The bartender, a tall woman at 5'8" (1.73 m) with blonde hair and green eyes, gave a subtle smile. She circled around the bar, came to his side, and took his elbow, following his lead.

The butler from earlier escorted them upstairs, passing corridors lined with rooms where clients were enjoying their time.

On the fifth floor, they finally reached their private room.

Alex entered first, scanning the room for any hidden cameras, microphones, or one-way mirrors. He found nothing.

"There are no cameras here, sir. Clients would have a fit otherwise," the woman purred in a sultry tone as she stepped closer, removing his suit jacket.

She ignored the holstered guns at his side, her focus instead on his pants.

Alex, in a swift motion, unholstered his left gun and shot her point blank in the head with a Taunt.

In a fit of rage, she tackled his midsection and mounted him on the bed, beating on his face with her delicate fists. Alex allowed it. Her blows were weak and they did no real damage.

Besides, the last thing he wants is to confine her in any way. She wouldn't open up to him as easily if he were in a position of power over her.

A few minutes later, the effects of the Move wore off, and the reality of the situation finally sank in. She was free from the psychic influence that had confined her mind for years.

Tears of relief and joy streamed down her face, but as her awareness returned, so did the harsh realization of her situation and position.

"Now that you've regained control, why don't you tell me about this place?"

Chapter 78: Chapter 78. The Den

Alex had been spot-on when he profiled the bartender's past.

Her name was Vera Madison. She had been abandoned at birth, left at the doorstep of an orphanage with no real last name. "Madison" was the name of the orphanage itself.

The orphanage offered no warmth, no loving mother figure for her to lean on. It broke her early. As a result, she never relied on anyone. She learned to care for herself, to fight for herself, because no one else would.

By the time she reached adulthood, Vera worked for two years just to afford her first Pokémon, enough supplies to survive in the wild, and the time to evolve her Pidgey into a Pidgeotto through repeated short trips beyond the city walls. She didn't embark on a full journey until Pidgeotto had reached Adept rank.

Not long after that, everything fell apart. Her Pidgeotto was killed. Vera was taken to Saffron City and forced into prostitution. The training to become a "proper slut," as they called it, was grueling.

Real effort went into perfecting every subtle movement, learning to read clients' desires, and acting on them with practiced ease.

Brainwashing didn't implant skills directly. They were trained—over and over again—like machines, repeating lessons until everything became second nature. One mistake on a test meant starting the entire course from the beginning.

Vera didn't even hate sex. To her, it was just something fun and pleasurable. Even now, if Alex asked, she would probably accept and even enjoy it. That was how deeply the lessons had shaped her thinking.

But she didn't resent it. She actually appreciated what she'd gained from those lessons. She was confident she could easily get and keep a husband—and Alex believed her.

As for the building itself, it had eight floors. The top floor belonged solely to Monica. The seventh housed her inner circle. Floors six to one contained private rooms and parlors. Beneath it all, underground, was the Den—a training area where new girls were held until they reached "perfection" and could begin making money for Monica.

Alex's plan was simple: eliminate Monica while his Pokémon created chaos throughout the Den.

The Velvet Reflections didn't allow outside Pokémon inside the building—only those they personally owned. It was a security measure to protect clients.

Alex didn't mind. He'd read Monica's profile. She was a pure Psychic-type specialist and had once trained under Sabrina as a Gym trainer.

She quit after bonding with a wild Malamar, and from there, she built her criminal empire around sex trafficking.

Pure Psychic types couldn't detect Alex when he sneaked in the dark and Alex had trained to resist passive psychic manipulation. He couldn't shrug off direct Psychic moves like Hydreigon could, nor hold out for long, but he could last long enough.

After their talk, Vera asked what she should do now. Going back to Monica wouldn't have been a problem given her opinion on work through sex assuming Monica didn't control her mind again and avoided paying her. Alex didn't have an answer, but he promised to help her out if she ever asked.

He owed her one for the information, anyway.

They talked more about her options until midnight struck—and the lights suddenly went out.

Alex bolted to the door, guns at the ready. He left his suit jacket to Vera, who still had nothing on.

Opening the door, he saw people scrambling to reach the lower floors. The hallways were pitch black—perfect cover for Alex.

He ascended the stairs, carefully hiding his presence whenever anyone passed. No one noticed as he made his way toward the top.

Suddenly, a surge of people came rushing down. Alex pressed against the wall, silent and still, as over fifty people thundered past him. Then, a group of five caught his eye.

Four men surrounded Monica, clearly escorting her out. Curiously, they didn't have their Pokémon out. Alex slipped into their wake, tailing them unnoticed until an explosion rocked the building from below.

It was the perfect distraction.

In one swift motion, Alex grabbed Monica. With one hand, he locked her Poké Balls. With the other, he wrapped his arm around her neck and yanked her back.

The guards in the rear didn't notice—until Monica abruptly jerked back, her feet scraping against the floor.

They turned to see a shadowed figure holding their boss hostage.

There was a flash of silver.

Then came a world-shaking Roar, blasting through the air and shaking the walls. The guards didn't even think—they ran.

Alex dragged Monica down the stairs amid the chaos. She went limp in his arms—unconscious. He retrieved her Poké Balls, slung her over his shoulder, and pressed on.

The first floor was packed, bodies everywhere in panic. He didn't bother pushing through. Instead, he fired a Throat Chop at the nearest window and leapt out from the second story.

The fall was heavy but he managed to stabilize.

Sirens wailed in the distance—police on the way.

He made a beeline for the secret escape route out of the Den, where the real chaos had erupted.

He left his Pokemon here to cause chaos at midnight so he could slip in and grab Monica. He hadn't expected it to work so literally.

Along the way, he passed knocked-out Pokémon and the bodies of dead guards.

His team had gone wild.

Following the destruction through a blasted-open wall, Alex entered a room packed with terrified teenagers—both boys and girls—huddled away from Forretress while the rest of his Pokémon tore through the building.

He asked for an update, and Metagross quickly filled him in. The dead guards had bounties—dead or alive. The ones who were merely knocked out were just regular staff who had responded to the commotion.

They were being swarmed, so Kommo-o had taken position at the door, buffed up, and held the front line. Clawitzer supported by occasionally firing off a Heal Pulse at Kommo-o to keep the path blocked.

Frosmoth had been ambushed by a pair of Machokes and had fainted, while Togekiss was taken out by a Rock Slide. Arcanine was recovering using Morning Sun, and Raticate was simply waiting for enough space to join the fight.

Alex absorbed the report and began issuing orders.

They needed more room to maneuver, so Arcanine used Extreme Speed to smash through room partitions—carefully avoiding the building's foundational pillars. Togekiss and Frosmoth were revived and fully healed.

He then organized the team into a concave formation facing the only door leading down into the Den. Forretress lined the path ahead with a deadly mix of Stealth Rock, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Gravity.

Altaria and Alcremie stayed at the rear, offering support and guarding the escape route. Hydreigon took center stage, while Arcanine and Raticate stood closest to the door, flanking it near the wall.

Once everyone was in position, Alex recalled Kommo-o and the floodgates opened.

Dozens of guards charged in with their Pokémon at the front, only to be immediately assaulted by the hazard field. They were pierced by Spikes, crippled by Stealth Rocks, poisoned by Toxic Spikes, slowed down by Gravity, and then utterly overwhelmed by a barrage of devastating Special Attacks from the concave formation.

Some of the guards died during the assault, causing their Pokémon to go berserk and adding even more chaos to the scene.

Attempts to form defensive formations collapsed instantly as Raticate and Arcanine blitzed through their lines, tearing apart any semblance of coordination. Protect barriers were shattered mid-formation by Ceruledge and Dusknoir, who crashed through with ruthless efficiency.

At some point, Kommo-o dove back into the fray, sweeping through the chaos with wide Breaking Swipes that tore across the enemy ranks.

Hydreigon held the center, unleashing waves of pressure with Snarls and Heat Waves.

Dazzling Gleams shined on the killbox three at a time.

More guards rushed into the fray, only to be overwhelmed in turn. Every time a new formation began to take shape, it was broken just as quickly. The guards couldn't regroup or establish a foothold. Their numbers only fed the frenzy, each one pushing to get in, only to be swallowed by the storm.

Eventually, the tide turned completely.

The remaining guards on the first floor broke ranks and fled, abandoning the building entirely.

With the police now on-site, none of them could explain the existence of the Den or the brainwashed teenagers without implicating themselves.

Monica was nowhere to be found, and with their biggest backer gone, their morale crumbled.

When the last of the guards' Pokémon fell, Alex methodically rounded up the guards one by one. He took note of their bounties to ensure fair compensation—Monica included, who was worth a pretty penny.

Finally, someone made it into the Den.

It was Jenny.

"I guess your plan worked?" Jenny asked, surveying the devastation around her.

"Better than I'd hoped," Alex replied. "That's Monica over there. Those are the captives. All the women working under Monica were brainwashed, and most of the male prostitutes were too. Monica had at least three regulated Pokémon—Malamar, Gardevoir, and Zoroark—though I lost track of the last two since they were busy serving customers."

"Most of the dead guards had bounties, and some of the others were directly complicit in Monica's crimes. Rotom should've recorded the entire fight. There's a girl on the fifth floor wearing my jacket—I managed to free her from the mind control using Taunt. I wouldn't recommend the same method for everyone without a psychic present. Vera's tough and handles her mentality well. The others... might just kill themselves."

With a heavy sigh, Jenny finally said "Alright. I'll take care of it. You don't mind this getting delayed by another week right?"

"Whatever works for you."

Chapter 79: Chapter 79. The Grass Gym

Alex woke up around noon the next day, having left the aftermath of the fiasco for Jenny to handle.

He met with Vera, who was temporarily in the League's custody while they sorted out the details of the case. After that, she'd receive her compensation.

Following a long night of reflection, Vera decided to become a Pokémon breeder. Given her unique skill set, it made sense—she had a knack for getting Pokémon to pair up, no matter the combination, as long as she whispered the right words.

Alex even asked her for help with Forretress and Frosmoth, but she just laughed and told him to let nature take its course. Apparently, these things had a way of working themselves out. Alex shrugged and dropped the subject.

He did, however, promise to fund her education if the League decided to cheap out. Before parting ways, he gave her his number.

With nothing on his agenda, Alex had five days to kill in Celadon City.

He'd originally planned to go bounty hunting, but after taking down the Queen of Prostitutes, his reputation had taken a darker turn. The brutality of that last mission scared off the small fry—no one wanted to be Alex's next snack.

So, for once, he decided to relax and simply wait out the five days.

Five days later, Alex stood in front of the Grass Gym after registering at the front desk.

The first floor of the gym resembled a massive indoor garden, bustling with activity as people grouped up into tours to inspect the plants. Lessons were being held in gardening, flower arrangement, perfume making, and even reading the soil for proper nutrition. Pokémon wandered the grounds, cycling through Sunny Day, Rain Dance, and Grassy Terrain to keep the plants in peak condition.

On the second floor, battlegrounds were set up for training Grass-type Pokémon. Specialized drills were in place to build resistance against Flying, Poison, Bug, Fire, and Ice-type energy, along with release training to optimize Sunny Day and Grassy Terrain setups.

Finally, Alex reached the third floor—a sprawling, serene garden with women lounging peacefully among the foliage.

The floor coordinator approached him and outlined the rules.

"You need to defeat three gym trainers before heading to the central garden, where Erika will be waiting for you. Good luck," she said while following his lead.

"Thanks," Alex replied, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of the space.

A central pathway wound through the garden, leading toward Erika's domain. Surrounding it were sections devoted to different types of flora—flower beds, fruit trees, crops, mushrooms, and more.

Alex wandered into the flower garden, where Grass-types mingled freely. Beedrill and Combee buzzed around, gathering nectar in the warm sunlight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said a blonde girl in an orange sundress and straw hat.

"Yes. I imagine the honey collected here is quite unique," Alex replied.

"You catch on quick. The flowers here are used for both perfume and honey production that gives the honey a spicy sweetness in the aftertaste."

"Are you a gym trainer?"

"I am. Are you going to challenge me?"

"I am."

"Very well. Come with me. We can't destroy this place during our battle," she said with a sigh, leading him toward a designated battleground within the garden.

As they took their places, the floor coordinator who had been following Alex stepped forward to referee the battle.

Alex sent out Forretress, who wore Safety Goggles to combat the status effects that Grass types are known for.

Rosa responded by releasing her Hisuian Lilligant, a Heat Rock in hand to prolong Sunny Day. She most likely had the Chlorophyll ability to make the most of it.

"Singles Battle, 3v3. Gym Trainer Rosa versus Challenger Alex. Begin!" the referee called out.

"Reflect, then counter," Alex ordered.

"Sunny Day," Rosa ordered as well.

A glowing mass of fire erupted from Lilligant and ascended to the ceiling, scorching the battlegrounds in harsh sunlight.

Forretress cast Reflect, then spun into a Sandstorm, which clouded the sun and blanketed the field in a swirling haze of dust and grit.

In real battles, weather effects didn't cancel each other out—instead, they interfered. Like competing layers over the field, they persisted based on strength and frequency of casting.

The Sandstorm successfully dulled the harsh sunlight and began chipping away at Lilligant.

"Again!" Rosa called. As long as the sunlight could push through, Lilligant would still be empowered.

Alex remained silent. He trusted Forretress to handle the setup on his own.

As the Sandstorm raged and visibility dropped, Lilligant continued to endure the steady chip damage. Rosa didn't mind—Grass-types didn't fear a little attrition.

"Victory Dance!"

Lilligant began her fluid, empowering steps. Once… twice…

Then, Gravity dropped. The field was slammed by an invisible force, making the air feel heavier. The Sandstorm continues to rage as Forretress's energy prevents Gravity from affecting it. Rosa frowned—Hisuian Lilligant excelled in evasion and speed. Gravity turned this into a slugfest.

She glanced at the field and saw only sand and dust flying with her Lilligant barely visible.

There were no visible hazards on either side.

'What has he been doing in there?' she thought.

A sudden Screech tore through the storm, ringing across the garden. Lilligant winced—her Defense lowered, nullifying Victory Dance's protection. Alarmed, Rosa changed tactics.

"Axe Kick! Finish it fast!"

Lilligant dashed into the Sandstorm, foot glowing—but Forretress burst from the eye of the storm like a silver meteor. The two collided mid-attack.

Axe Kick connected—but Forretress barely flinched.

Body Press answered back, slamming Lilligant with overwhelming force. One hit. Knock Out.

Two Fighting moves clashed—and the winner was clear.

A gleaming Forretress stood tall, shimmering with maxed-out Iron Defense.

"Max-stacked Iron Defense into Body Press?!" Rosa exclaimed.

"Forretress got tired of just setting up hazards and playing defense," Alex said. "He asked for some close combat advice. This was the result."

Forretress specialized in status moves with Reduced Cooldown upgrades, making setup his forte. Normally, he'd break even at the Elite rank due to his low speed—but in this gym, he was dominating.

Rosa frowned. With max Defense, resistance to Psychic, Grass, and Fairy, Forretress posed a real threat. Her last Pokemon Florges wouldn't crack him. Her next Pokémon—Tsareena—would get flattened in a single hit.

Still, she stayed composed and sent out Florges to do some damage control.

"Reflect!"

A psychic wall shimmered between the two, blunting the Body Press that followed. Florges held on.

Alex frowned. The stalling potential was significant now with repeated Synthesis and he had to overcome that.

"Screech—twice," Alex commanded.

Rosa's Florges was now on a timer. She had to deal as much damage as possible.

"Moonblast!"

The attack hit Forretress squarely, dropping him to about 60% HP. But with both Light Screen and Reflect active, he tanked it.

Two echoing Screeches followed, then Forretress charged once again.

A second Moonblast met him head-on, reducing him to 40% HP, but it wasn't enough. Body Press connected, and Florges fainted in one blow.

Rosa was down to her final Pokémon.

"Go! Tsareena! Teeter Dance, Fling, then Acrobatics!"

It was her only chance. With Reflect, maxed Defense, resistances, and screens, breaking Forretress conventionally was impossible. But confusion, disarming, and a boosted Acrobatics? Maybe.

Alex considered using Pain Split to widen the gap, but remembered—Forretress had upgraded it to Priority +1. And Queenly Majesty blocked priority.

'Can downgrading a move help?' he wondered, then called out, "Use a slow Pain Split!"

Forretress, confused from Teeter Dance and Alex's command, thought about it, gave up, and shrugged.

He awkwardly attempted a clumsy Pain Split—his confusion-induced delay actually bypassing Queenly Majesty. A held Assault Vest was flung at him, doing negligible damage as he completed the agonizingly slow Pain Split.

A psychic aura linked the two Pokémon.

Forretress's HP climbed to 70%, while Tsareena dropped to 70%. The finish line had slipped even further from Rosa's reach.

Tsareena struck with Acrobatics, but Forretress resisted it and retaliated with a Screech.

Another Teeter Dance slowed him further. In confusion, he Body Pressed the ground doing negligible damage given his max out Defense.

But on Tsareena's third Acrobatics, Forretress shook off confusion—and finally Body Pressed Tsareena into unconsciousness, ending the fight.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.

A surprisingly close match—Reflect had just worn off, and Forretress was only two Acrobatics away from defeat before landing the finishing blow.

Rosa exhaled. "I've never fought such a defensive opponent. Most just blitz with Fire-types which were usually trained for. But this…"

She trailed off, rubbing her eyes, both impressed and exhausted.

Alex took the opportunity to heal Forretress and let him rest. The battle had gone just as he expected—Forretress's typing was nearly impenetrable against Grass types. As long as he managed to set up Reflect and Light Screen, he could practically steamroll through opponents without much trouble.

With Rosa returning to tend her section of the garden, Alex wandered off to explore more of the area. After about ten minutes of strolling through the lush scenery, he found himself in a forested section of the floor. The air was thick with the scent of ripe berries and fresh wood. Berry bushes grew at the base of towering trees bearing fruit, and sturdy lumber trees stood tall in neat, cultivated rows.

As he examined a row of sap-covered trunks, a girl with chestnut-brown hair wearing purple denim overalls suddenly appeared behind him.

"Do you like trees?" she asked loudly, causing him to flinch.

Chapter 80: Chapter 80. The Grass Gym 2

Alex flinched at the volume of the girl’s voice. The forested area had been so quiet that her sudden exclamation felt like it echoed through the trees.

“Not particularly, no. I feel neutral about trees,” he replied honestly.

The girl’s shoulders slumped, but almost immediately, her expression twisted into irritation.

“Trees are great! You have no reason not to like them!” she huffed.

“I never said I didn’t like them.”

“Grrr... You never said you did like them!”

“I—” Alex started to respond, but the floor coordinator stepped in.

“This is Kimmy. She’s a Gym Trainer,” the coordinator explained calmly. “If you two want to settle this, you can do it with a battle.”

“Great idea!” Kimmy exclaimed, spinning on her heel and running off in the direction of what was likely a nearby battleground.

“Thanks,” Alex said, giving the coordinator a small nod before heading after her.

They passed through a grove of trees, eventually arriving at a clearing nestled in the heart of the forest. A standard battleground was laid out among the roots and foliage, blending naturally into the surroundings.

Alex stepped into position and reached for a Poké Ball.

He sent out Ceruledge.

She needed more experience in official battles, particularly duels. While she had a sharp sense for exploiting weaknesses and predicting things like Protect, real battle experience was invaluable. There might come a time when she had to fight alone, without guidance, and rely entirely on her instincts. For that, she needed to sharpen them.

Kimmy sent out Rillaboom, and Alex practically groaned. Of course. It was one of the most popular Pokémon in official battles, great for setting up terrain and scouting an opponent’s team.

“Singles Battle, 3v3. Gym Trainer Kimmy versus Challenger Alex. Begin!” the referee called.

Even before the first command was given, Grassy Terrain bloomed beneath their feet, bathing the battlegrounds in vibrant green energy. Rillaboom’s ability, Grassy Surge, had been activated.

“Swords Dance,” Alex ordered.

“U-turn!” Kimmy followed up immediately.

‘Typical,’ Alex thought, already anticipating the play.

Without hesitation, Rillaboom’s fist lit with Bug-type energy as it delivered a U-turn punch before vanishing back into its Poké Ball. Kimmy was already ready with her next choice, releasing Appletun onto the field just as Ceruledge completed her Swords Dance.

“Poison Jab,” Alex commanded.

Ceruledge shot forward, her blades glowing with toxic purple energy.

“Reflect!” Kimmy called out, but she was a second too late.

Ceruledge’s Poison Jab slammed into Appletun, dealing massive damage and nearly taking it down in a single strike. It wasn’t quite enough. Ceruledge had only just reached Expert rank and lacked the raw power to finish off a sturdier opponent like Appletun in one blow.

But the next hit would do it.

Suddenly, Appletun was healed by both the Grassy Terrain and its Leftovers, restoring a solid chunk of its health. Now hovering at around a quarter.

“Protect!” Kimmy shouted, hoping to buy more time.

Unfortunately, Alex read her like a book.

“Swords Dance,” he commanded calmly. If they wanted time, he’d give them time.

“No fair!” Kimmy exclaimed as Protect faded and another round of healing boosted Appletun to 35%.

Meanwhile, Ceruledge had completed her second Swords Dance and stood at full health. Kimmy was in trouble.

“Poison Jab,” Alex ordered.

Panicking, Kimmy recalled Appletun before the finishing blow could land and sent out Rillaboom instead. The Poison Jab slammed into it, but Rillaboom tanked the hit like a champ, dropping to half HP. Grassy Terrain immediately healed it back up to 60%.

“Flare Blitz. Keep using it! Sweep her whole team!” Alex declared.

“Protect! Earthquake!” Kimmy fired back.

“Reflect instead!” Alex corrected.

Rillaboom used Protect, healing slightly from the terrain. Meanwhile, Ceruledge managed to get off Reflect, just in time to soften the incoming Earthquake. Not that it would’ve done much. Grassy Terrain already reduced Earthquake’s power.

Then came the real hit.

Rillaboom struck first with Earthquake, dropping Ceruledge to 70%. The level gap was starting to show.

Ceruledge retaliated with a full-powered Flare Blitz, engulfing the battlegrounds in flames and knocking out Rillaboom in one hit. The recoil, however, dropped her to 30%.

Kimmy sent out Appletun again. One last desperate Protect stalled for a turn, giving Ceruledge a bit more healing too. But after that, a single Poison Jab ended Appletun.

Her final Pokémon hit the field, Trevenant.

Normally, Trevenant would’ve been a nightmare to deal with, sporting Harvest, a Sitrus Berry, Grassy Terrain, Leech Seed, and Ingrain. But it never got the chance. Ceruledge outspeed it and ended the match in one decisive blow with Poltergeist.

Its own Sitrus Berry, ironically knocking out the Harvest Trevenant.

Kimmy’s downfall had started the moment she gave Alex the time to set up. From the second move, the battle had already slipped out of her hands.

“Winner, Challenger Alex,” the referee declared.

Suddenly, Kimmy’s lips trembled, and then she bolted, tears streaming down her face as she wailed and vanished into the forest.

Alex stood there, stunned.

‘A grown-ass woman crying over a lost battle… and she was a gym trainer, no less,’ Alex thought.

He didn’t know what to say.

“Don’t worry about it,” the referee said casually, stepping behind him. “It happens more often than you’d think.”

Alex sighed, brushing off the emotional whiplash of making a girl cry, and turned his attention back to exploring the garden.

Alex made his way to the back of the garden, where the air grew damper and the shadows deeper. Emerging from the tree line, he came upon a cave entrance, and in front of it, seated on a mat and sipping tea, was a woman with long orange hair, dressed in a green kimono tied with a yellow sash.

“Pardon the intrusion. Are you a gym trainer?” Alex asked the woman seated calmly in front of the cave.

She gave a quiet nod in response.

“Would you mind a battle?”

“Are you sure? I don’t believe I’m the best option among the gym trainers for battling,” she replied softly.

“Is there a problem?” Alex asked, turning to the floor coordinator beside him.

“This is Kimiko. She specializes in the use of Spores, and, well, some trainers complain about her strategies,” the coordinator explained.

“No problem, then. I can handle a loss.”

“Very well,” Kimiko said as she stood, gracefully making her way to a field nearby, apparently the designated battleground.

Once in position, Kimiko released her Amoonguss, while Alex sent out Frosmoth.

Her confidence had been low lately, especially after seeing how powerful Forretress had become (how disinterested he seemed in her). With this battle, she wanted to prove her worth to the team (to him).

“Singles Battle, 3v3. Gym Trainer Kimiko versus Challenger Alex. Begin!” the referee called.

“Spore,” Kimiko commanded.

“Substitute,” Alex countered.

“Very good. Most forget how effective Substitute is against Spores,” Kimiko noted calmly.

“Thank you.”

Amoonguss released a cloud of spores that spread across the field—but they failed to reach Frosmoth, who was protected within a shimmering energy clone.

“Sludge Bomb.”

“Quiver Dance.”

“Amoonguss has Clear Smog, you know,” Kimiko warned.

“I know.”

Frosmoth glided in an elegant aerial dance, shimmering with Bug-type energy. Amoonguss hurled a Sludge Bomb that splattered against the Substitute, shattering it.

“Clear Smog.”

“Ice Beam.”

Frosmoth unleashed a beam of frigid energy that hit Amoonguss squarely, knocking it out in one clean shot.

Kimiko blinked in shock. She hadn’t expected that much power. That meant Frosmoth could very well sweep her entire team.

“It seems I underestimated you. I apologize for my hubris. I’ll take this battle seriously now.”

“A bit late for that, but no problem,” Alex said with a smirk.

Kimiko released her second Pokémon, Toedscruel.

Alex recognized it immediately. If left unchecked, Toedscruel could guarantee sleep with its ability, Mycelium Might. Still, the match was already in the bag.

“Ice Beam!” Alex called quickly.

“Giga Impact!” Kimiko countered.

Toedscruel charged forward with blinding speed, landing a devastating hit that sent Frosmoth crashing to the ground. She recovered quickly, however, and responded with an Ice Beam that knocked Toedscruel out cold during its recharge phase.

Sighing, Kimiko released her final Pokémon, Shiinotic.

“Ice Beam.”

Frosmoth fired, and the final opponent was taken down just as swiftly.

Kimiko hadn’t bothered to issue a command. The result was clear.

Toedscruel’s Mycelium Might allowed it to bypass protections like Substitute and Safety Goggles, making Spore almost guaranteed to land. But the trade-off was that all its status moves lost priority. As such, Toedscruel had to survive at least one turn to win, and it didn’t.

With the boost from Quiver Dance, Frosmoth’s Ice Beam had sealed the match before status moves or defensive strategies could even come into play.

Shiinotic, while durable under different circumstances, was simply too slow and too weak to mount any meaningful resistance.

Frosmoth had secured the win the moment she survived long enough to get off her Quiver Dance.

“Winner, Challenger Alex,” the referee declared.

Kimiko gave a polite bow. “I apologize for the lackluster battle.”

“No problem. Frosmoth needed the boost in confidence, so I thank you for the win.”

Kimiko nodded silently before returning to her tea mat outside the cave.

Chapter 81: Chapter 81. Gym Leader Erika

“Congratulations, Alex. With this third victory, you’ve earned the right to challenge Gym Leader Erika,” the floor coordinator announced as she led him to the center of the garden.

“Thank you,” Alex replied with a nod.

The last two matches had been a bit underwhelming—but that was expected. He had played to his type advantages, and the gym’s single-type restriction left his opponents at a constant disadvantage.

As they continued, Alex followed the coordinator into what resembled a traditional garden maze. But as they entered, it opened into a small clearing. A gazebo stood beside the battlegrounds, the entire area enclosed by thick walls of blooming flowers.

It was oddly serene, yet a little melancholic—like a beautiful cage sealed off from the rest of the world.

“Welcome, Alex. Would you like some tea?” Erika offered from her seat inside the gazebo.

“I’ll gladly take you up on that,” Alex said as he stepped into the gazebo and sat across from her.

She smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling with a hint of amusement, before gracefully rising from her seat. With practiced ease, she moved to the table, her delicate hands reaching for the teapot. She poured the tea with a slow, deliberate motion, the fragrant steam rising in the air as she carefully filled the cup, her movements fluid and elegant, as if performing a small, quiet ritual for her guest.

“Big fan, by the way,” she said suddenly.

“Oh? What for? I didn’t realize I was famous.”

“For taking down Monica, silly.” Erika gave him a knowing look as she handed Alex his tea and settled back into her seat. “She’s been a thorn in this city’s side ever since that little fiasco ten months ago. It’s refreshing to see you cleaning up your own mess.”

“To be fair, I had no idea it happened until I heard about it like everyone else.”

“Still.” Erika sipped her tea. “You broke a taboo we’re all expected to follow—meant to keep the city from falling into all-out war. You’re lucky you didn’t step on the wrong toes in Saffron City.”

“True, but those taboos only apply to people powerful enough to know about them. I’m so weak, I’m not even allowed to keep the regulated Pokémon I capture.”

“Also true.”

They sipped their tea in comfortable silence, neither rushing the moment. Once the cups were empty, Erika rose to her feet.

“Well then, I suppose it’s time for our battle. Are you ready?”

“For the most part.”

“Good. Let’s begin,” she said as they stepped out toward the nearby battlegrounds.

Erika took her place on the other side, then released an early Expert-ranked Jumpluff—a speedy and tanky setter that shouldn’t be allowed to use too many moves.

Alex, meanwhile, released a mid-Expert-ranked Togekiss to lead their fight. With Baton Pass and a specialty in Flying-type moves, the matchup should tilt in Alex’s favor.

“Singles Battle, 6v6. Gym Leader Erika versus Challenger Alex. Begin!” the referee called.

“Sunny Day,” Erika led.

“Safeguard,” Alex followed.

Jumpluff immediately conjured a mass of fire that hovered above the battleground, while Togekiss released a shimmering shield that guarded against status effects.

“Tailwind.”

“Reflect.”

Jumpluff’s already high speed skyrocketed with the added effect of Tailwind, practically guaranteeing that Erika’s Pokémon would move first every time.

Meanwhile, Togekiss projected a psychic barrier between himself and Jumpluff, softening incoming physical attacks.

“Swords Dance.”

“Light Screen.”

Jumpluff began stacking Attack with a graceful Swords Dance, while Togekiss raised another psychic barrier—this one to guard against special attacks.

Alex quickly realized Erika’s plan: she was setting up to Baton Pass to a sweeper. He hoped she’d get greedy so he could have a chance.

“Swords Dance again,” Erika commanded to Alex’s relief

“Imprison.”

“No—”

But it was too late. Jumpluff completed another Swords Dance due to its extremely high speed, just as Togekiss locked down Jumpluff’s mind with Imprison, preventing Jumpluff from using any moves that Togekiss also knew—like Baton Pass.

“U-turn.”

“Nasty Plot.”

Erika, realizing her plan had been seen through, opted to start her offensive early. Jumpluff charged at Togekiss, glowing with Bug-type energy, and tackled him with negligible damage. Using the momentum of the blow, it rebounded to Erika’s side as she released Leavanny.

“Swords Dance.”

“Baton Pass.”

Still trying to build up a sweeper, Erika pushed ahead as Leavanny danced. But Alex had no intention of letting Togekiss get knocked out, especially not after a Nasty Plot boost.

Togekiss tossed a baton into the air and returned to Alex’s side, replaced by Arcanine, who caught the baton in his jaws—gaining the increased Special Attack from Nasty Plot in the process.

“Heat Wave.”

“Knock Off.”

Leavanny moved first, knocking off Arcanine’s Safety Goggles, then took a point-blank blast of scalding heat from Heat Wave and was instantly knocked out.

Arcanine barely flinched from the boosted Knock Off but looked sadly at the Safety Goggles lying on the ground—useless now that he lacked the hands to put them back on. Maybe if he had those same evil hands as Alex... but alas, all he had were adorable paws.

The hit also triggered Arcanine’s Justified ability, raising his Attack by one stage.

Erika retrieved her fainted Leavanny and sent out Vileplume, whose Chlorophyll ability would now benefit from the still-active Sunny Day.

“Heat Wave.”

“Sleep Powder.”

With Safeguard expired and the goggles gone, Erika finally had her opening for a powder strategy.

Vileplume acted first, releasing a cloud of Sleep Powder across the battleground. Before Arcanine could use Heat Wave, he succumbed to sleep.

“Sleep Talk.”

“Sunny Day.”

Now that she had some breathing room, Erika refreshed Sunny Day. Vileplume reignited the hovering fireball, reinforcing the previous one.

Suddenly, Arcanine stirred and unleashed a Solar Beam, catching Vileplume off guard and dealing a solid 20% damage.

“Sludge Bomb.”

“Sleep Talk.”

Erika would have preferred Toxic, but with Reflect and Light Screen faded, it was time to deal as much damage as possible.

A blob of sludge splashed against Arcanine, cutting his health in half.

Still asleep, Arcanine responded with Wild Charge. As he rose to his feet, electricity surged across his body. He locked onto Vileplume’s position and charged, the impact nearly halving its health while Arcanine took only minor recoil in return.

“Sludge Bomb,” Erika called again, launching another glob of sludge that struck Arcanine and poisoned him.

Arcanine held on by a sliver. He was on the cusp of fainting from even the slightest touch.

Noticing Arcanine’s low health and status—and knowing he’d be put to sleep again regardless—Alex chose to take control of the situation rather than remain uncertain about when Arcanine would wake.

Alex gave a calm command. “Rest.”

Arcanine stirred, heard the order, and—shrugging mentally—curled up and went back to sleep.

Psychic energy wrapped around him, healing all wounds and purging the poison from his system.

Alex now had full control. He knew Arcanine would wake after two more moves.

Erika caught on to his strategy and took a risk.

“Growth.”

“Sleep Talk.”

Under the harsh sunlight, Vileplume’s Attack and Special Attack rose two stages each.

Arcanine opened his mouth and, in his sleep, blasted Vileplume with Flamethrower—knocking it out instantly.

Erika had gambled and lost. With a quiet sigh, she returned Vileplume to its Poké Ball and sent out Bellossom. She was starting to run out of options.

Alex’s Rest strategy was the perfect counter to her powders. She couldn’t put to sleep what was already sleeping. She also respected the powerful move pool Arcanine had access to—he was an Advanced-ranked threat in terms of move proficiency.

“Growth.”

“Sleep Talk.”

Bellossom soaked up the sunlight, raising both offenses as well.

Arcanine sprang forward and used Crunch, leaving Bellossom with just over half health.

‘Just one more,’ Erika thought.

But she knew Arcanine would wake soon, and a single Fire-type move could end it.

“Sleep Powder!”

“Heat Wave!”

Alex shouted, hopeful—but Arcanine remained asleep as Sleep Powder blanketed the field once more.

“Sleep Talk,” he said with a sigh.

“Growth,” Erika gambled again.

A wisp of flame escaped Arcanine’s mouth, burning Bellossom with Will-O-Wisp.

Not willing to gamble further, Erika issued a command: “Hyper Beam.”

“Protect!” Alex called out, hoping Arcanine would wake—but he remained fast asleep.

Bellossom unleashed a full-powered Hyper Beam, enhanced by four stages of Special Attack. It was a clean knockout.

Alex returned Arcanine and tossed out Ceruledge.

“Flame Charge.”

With Bellossom recovering from Hyper Beam and already below half health from Crunch and the burns, Ceruledge’s Flame Charge hit like a truck, knocking her out instantly.

Erika regretted not finishing the gamble. A max-stacked Sludge Wave might’ve done it, but that Flamethrower from earlier haunted her.

She recalled Bellossom and sent out Shiftry. The sun was still harsh—Shiftry would move first.

“Foul Play.”

“Flare Blitz.”

Shiftry struck first, using Ceruledge’s own power against it with Foul Play.

It was super effective.

Ceruledge fainted.

The battle had reached its halfway point—Alex still had four Pokémon remaining, while Erika was down to three.

Erika’s Chlorophyll strategy ensured the advantage of striking first, but Alex held the type advantage, allowing him to power through her team with minimal setup.

And as the sunlight burned harshly overhead, both trainers knew the battle was still far from over.

Chapter 82: Chapter 82. Gym Leader Erika 2

Alex sighed before retrieving Ceruledge. He quickly assessed his current situation. Shiftry was known to learn Heat Wave, and with the harsh sunlight and its Chlorophyll ability, it could easily knock out Forretress and Frosmoth in a single hit before they had any time to properly react.

His best options were Altaria and Togekiss, but it wasn't time for his ace yet, so Togekiss would have to do. He released Togekiss and swiftly commanded, "Nasty Plot."

"Taunt."

As Shiftry was faster, Togekiss's attempt to buff up failed as he was filled with anger over the Taunt.

"Dazzling Gleam."

"Light Screen."

A psychic barrier appeared just in time to protect Shiftry from the bright dazzling light, but Dazzling Gleam still landed, leaving Shiftry at a bit more than half health.

"Again," Alex urged.

"Amnesia."

Shiftry glowed with psychic energy, boosting its special defense and further reducing the damage from Dazzling Gleam. It was now at roughly 30% health left.

Alex was growing frustrated. The way things were going, Togekiss wouldn't be able to deal decent damage anymore.

'Wait a minute,' Alex thought, 'Shiftry is weak to Fighting and has relatively low Defense. Even with Togekiss's low Attack, it should still do something, right? He also has Hustle so the damage shouldn't be insignificant.'

"Brick Break."

"Will-o-Wisp."

Togekiss charged at Shiftry, cloaked in orange energy, ignoring the wisp of flame that seared its feathers causing burns. The Brick Break pierced through the Light Screen and struck true, dealing just enough damage to leave Shiftry hanging on by a thread.

"Extreme Speed."

With a sudden burst of speed, Togekiss slammed into Shiftry before it could rely on its absurd speed, knocking it out with one final hit.

Erika sighed. Type advantages were difficult to overcome. Togekiss, in particular, was a powerful Pokémon. Noticing the lack of harsh sunlight, Erika sent out Jumpluff to set up again, preparing for the final stretch of the battle.

"Sunny Day."

"Safeguard."

Jumpluff started setting up again, as though it were the same as before, while Togekiss followed suit, the Taunt having already expired.

"Tailwind."

"Imprison."

'Another Imprison to prevent Baton Pass,' Erika lamented.

"Swords Dance."

"Leech Seed."

"Swords Dance."

"Memento."

Jumpluff released Leech Seeds that attached to the dancing Togekiss, who was now both drained and burned. Togekiss wouldn't last much longer. His health was dangerously close to Jumpluff's kill range. Still, he continued his dance until he collected 4 stacks of Attack.

Suddenly, Jumpluff used Memento neutralizing some of Togekiss's stacked Attack and reducing its Special Attack further in exchange for what remains of its health.

Alex was shocked by Erika's ruthlessness. It was clear that Jumpluff, despite its efforts, would never be able to knock out Togekiss. Togekiss still had half health left and could heal with Wish in due time. Either way, it was fine with Alex. As far as he was concerned, he had already won.

Alex quickly retrieved Togekiss, deciding not to rely on Baton Pass. With Leech Seed and Memento in play, it was already useless.

Erika watched him curiously. She thought he had a good chance against her last Pokémon with the advantage a Baton Pass would give.

"You've done well so far, Alex, but the Pokémon before have not been much of a challenge for you. This last one, though, will be your real challenge," Erika said, tossing out a Poké Ball. It revealed Venusaur.

Alex had guessed as much, given Erika's reputation. But what happened next completely shocked him.

Erika focused on her wrist as energy surged between the Keystone embedded in her bracer and the Venusaurite hanging from the necklace around Venusaur's neck. In a flash of white light, Venusaur evolved further—into Mega Venusaur.

Alex noted the slight increase in size and the presence of the flower on its head. He thought the transformation was a bit underwhelming.

"What do you think, Alex?" Erika asked, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"I think we'll be just fine," Alex replied, releasing his final Pokémon, Altaria, causing Erika to narrow her eyes. It was clear what Alex's next strategy would be.

"Perish Song," Alex commanded, and Altaria began to sing an ominous, haunting melody.

Erika thought furiously, trying to figure out how to bring down Altaria. It still had one more turn of Safeguard, so it couldn't be poisoned or put to sleep yet. All of Venusaur's strongest attacks were Grass-type, which would be 4x resisted. Her best chance was to use Normal or Poison-type moves to deal damage.

With Growth no longer giving two stacks of Attack and Special Attack due to Altaria's Cloud Nine nullifying Sunny Day, Swords Dance and physical attacks were her only options. Hyper Beam or Giga Impact would need an extra turn, so those options were out.

His next moves were predictable: Protect, Substitute, then Protect again—each designed to minimize exposure to damage. All three offered resistance to status effects, though Substitute remained the weak link, crumbling once enough damage broke through.

Alex was ready. He had her cornered. His Altaria was specifically meant to fight Erika's last Pokemon.

'I've lost,' Erika thought, her gaze narrowing. 'But I won't be going down without a fight.'

"Sludge Bomb," Erika finally called out, and the attack hit Altaria, leaving her with 60% health.

Alex stood his ground, calmly awaiting Erika's next move. With Protect being a high-priority move and Substitute also upgraded to Priority +1, he had little reason to fear an upset.

"Swords Dance."

Mega Venusaur swayed gently, its vines flicking in the air. Its Attack was now at +2.

Alex continued to wait. No use using a move now and taking risks.

"Poison Jab," Erika commanded as Mega Venusaur charged at Altaria, its vines glowing purple.

"Protect, then Substitute," Alex countered.

"Bullet Seed," Erika ordered after the Poison Jab was blocked entirely.

Mega Venusaur unleashed a barrage of seeds from its flower. They hit Altaria's Substitute one by one, breaking it apart.

Because of Sludge Bomb, Altaria was down to roughly 60% health. After using Substitute, that amount fell to 30%. The last two seeds managed to deal damage, taking Altaria from 30% down to 20% after the final seeds hit.

It was close—Erika had nearly succeeded. If she had +6 Attack from the start of the second move, it could have been enough. But ultimately, Alex had her figured out.

The battle ended as Perish Song reached its crescendo. Mega Venusaur and Altaria both fainted from the effects of the ominous song.

With that, Erika had no more Pokémon left, while Alex still had three.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee finally declared.

Erika and Alex retrieved their Pokémon before Erika stepped forward and handed him the Rainbow Badge—his second official badge.

"Congratulations on earning the Rainbow Badge, Alex. That was a well-fought battle," she said with a graceful smile.

"Thank you, Gym Leader Erika," Alex replied, offering a polite bow.

"What are your plans now? More chaos, perhaps?" she asked, a teasing lilt to her voice.

"Rest for the next week… then yes, maybe a little more chaos," Alex said with a soft chuckle.

"Just don't go overboard," Erika warned gently. "I know you can handle yourself in the wild and even against most Elite trainers, but there are still some out there you can't possibly stand against—at least, not yet."

"I'll take your warning to heart."

"Very good." She waved him off lightly. "Now run along. I have a garden to fix up."

Alex looked around and finally noticed the aftermath of their intense battle. Scorched leaves, singed flowers, and gaping holes in the once-pristine wall of greenery surrounded them.

Their battle had left quite the mark.

Alex quickly left the gym, already registering online for his next challenge. His target: the Ghost-type Gym in Lavender City, led by the former Elite Four member, Agatha.

Agatha had retired from the Elite Four over a decade ago. Since then, she had devoted her time and resources to revitalizing Lavender Town—now known as Lavender City.

As part of that effort, she had founded the Ghost-type Gym, the city's only official gym and a testament to her legacy.

Alex noted that his next scheduled appointment was eight months away—by then, he'd be eighteen years old.

Upon returning to the hotel, he decided his Pokémon had earned another week of relaxation. Training at the hotel wasn't feasible, and venturing into the wilds was pointless given the lack of Elite-ranked Pokémon nearby.

Thanks to his bond with Hydreigon—an Elite-tier Pokémon—Alex's aura alone was enough to terrify any Pokémon ranked Expert or lower, making meaningful encounters nearly impossible.

Instead, he resolved to pamper his team.

Celadon City was best known for retirement and luxury, so it had to offer some of the finest grooming services in the region.

Sure enough, a quick check of the hotel's amenities revealed a full-service Pokémon spa. It featured grooming, saunas, artificial hot springs, professional chefs, and even on-site breeders who could craft custom Pokéblocks.

It wasn't cheap—but with a sizable windfall expected in the coming week, Alex figured he could afford to treat his team to a week of indulgence with his remaining four million Pokédollars.

Chapter 83: Chapter 83. Financial Windfall

Alex and his Pokémon spent the entire week living in luxury. They were massaged, bathed, deep-cleaned, clipped, waxed, oiled, brushed, powdered—the works. Even Alex got in on the action, indulging in massages and the spas of Celadon City.

Their meals might not have been made from Elite-ranked meat—since they hadn't received any bounty rewards yet—but the food was still delicious, expertly prepared, and curated by professional chefs. They even dined on Pokéblocks specifically designed to enhance their appearances.

On top of all that pampering, they also underwent extensive health checkups and received targeted nutrition plans to keep their bodies in perfect balance.

At the very least, Alex and his Pokémon had never felt so relaxed, so healthy—or looked this good—before.

Conversely, they had never been this poor either. With eighteen members in total, each of them spent 30,000 Pokédollars per day over the course of a week for all the services.

It was a bargain for an average poor trainer with a team of three, but for Alex, it cost every last Pokédollar of his remaining 4 million.

Not that he was overly worried. If the League truly stiffed them on the reward, they could always hunt a nest on their own.

Nests were organized groups of Pokémon, typically led by a Champion- or Elite-ranked Pokémon. These groups moved as one, following the leader without question.

Some nests were maintained by the League, led by retired Pokémon once trained by humans. These League nests promoted peace and stability and were usually located near cities or populated areas to act as buffers against wild nests. In contrast, wild nests were far from civilization—and far more dangerous.

League nests were protected under strict regulations and typically marked as illegal to hunt, noted clearly at local Pokécenters. Wild nests, on the other hand, were fair game, though Pokécenters kept maps of their general locations as a warning for trainers to avoid them.

Nests were the reason Pokémon posed a threat to cities. When they moved, they moved together—and sometimes, they targeted human settlements for food. If led by a Champion-ranked Pokémon, most cities wouldn't stand a chance.

Everything between the nest's location and its destination would either be consumed like a plague of locusts or absorbed into their ranks, leaving behind a path of devastation and ruin.

The primary role of Rangers was to ensure that these nests remained peaceful and didn't rampage across the land. Depending on the nest, Rangers would either protect them or destroy—or capture—them for food or for the League's purposes.

And that's where the cheap Pokémon meat came from.

To Alex's knowledge, the League collected the corpses of dead novice Pokémon, threw them into a massive grinder, packaged them into single-serving meals, and sold them to the poor—for just 10 Pokédollars each.

It was, as far as the League was concerned, their best attempt at supporting the homeless and underprivileged population.

In any case, Alex and his team were in no real danger of starving.

Today was the day the League would issue payment for his services, and judging by the 27 million Pokédollars sitting in his account, the rewards for the bounties had already been processed.

Alex glanced through the breakdown: Monica's bounty was listed at 15 million Pokédollars, Lucan's at 10 million, and the combined worth of over a hundred grunts totaled 5 million. After subtracting the police's 10% cut, Alex was left with 27 million Pokédollars.

Since the bounty had been issued by the League, the payout was technically tax-free—but the police still took their share, so it wasn't entirely untaxed.

As for the rest of the compensation, Alex needed to head to the local police station to collect the distributed belongings. The League usually sorted through confiscated property—using the contents of bank accounts for victim compensation—while personal items were either returned to remaining family members or sold off to fund further compensation.

The Pokémon, on the other hand, were typically handed over to the individual responsible for the capture—or turned into Pokémon meat.

As the one who had captured them, Alex was entitled to claim their Pokémon. Still, he was curious about how the League would handle any regulated Pokémon in the bunch. It wasn't like they could just hand those over to him—not yet, at least. He didn't have the authority or clearance to own such Pokémon.

He still needed to prove himself further to the League.

As Alex arrived at the police station, he was greeted by Officer Jenny, who looked haggard but satisfied.

"Alex, here to pick up your spoils?" she asked.

"That's the plan. By the way, did you guys ever manage to find Gardevoir and Zoroark?"

"Yup. We sold them on the League market. Got quite the paycheck from it too."

"Oh? Aren't those two... you know, horny Pokémon? People actually bought them?"

Horny was the unofficial term for Pokémon that had been bonded with and trained by perverted trainers. These Pokémon typically required regular sexual attention from their trainers to remain emotionally stable—otherwise, they'd spiral into depression.

To 'fix' them, they had to undergo targeted psychological rewiring to erase that dependence. But for some species like Gardevoir and Zoroark, it was either impossible or ineffective. Gardevoir could rewire herself back to her conditioned state, while Zoroark was simply unaffected by the procedure.

Given Jenny's mention of the market, Alex assumed they'd been sold to buyers who appreciated that specific trait.

"They paid handsomely, especially since they were regulated Pokémon," Jenny added.

"A shame I didn't get to them in time. I bet they sold for a fortune."

"Are you kidding me? You earned more than the entire station combined from that raid. Leave something for the rest of us, will you?" Jenny grumbled as they reached the release desk.

Alex handed over his case number and ID. The clerk behind the counter placed a space bag on the table.

"You'll need to return the bag once you've emptied it."

"Understood," Alex replied, opening the bag to inspect its contents.

Inside were over four hundred Adept-ranked, one hundred Expert-ranked, and over a dozen Elite-ranked Pokémon. After some quick calculations, Alex estimated he had about a month's worth of Elite-ranked meat, six months' worth of Expert-ranked meat, and a full year of Adept-ranked meat—about a year and a half of food in total.

It's worth noting: lower-ranked meat requires more volume to fuel Pokémon growth. Meals were also typically supplemented with berries, Pokemon produce, and grains. Realistically, the stash could last them ten years if the goal was simply survival. But Alex wasn't feeding his team just to live—he was feeding them to grow stronger. Which meant this was a year and a half's supply, at best.

He checked through the Elite-ranked Pokémon and was unsurprised to find the absence of Monica's Malamar or Lucan's Abra.

"What happened to the regulated Pokémon?" Alex asked Jenny, who stood beside him.

"Knew you'd ask," she said with a smirk. "Didn't you check your League credits? Monica had an Alakazam, Gardevoir, Beheeyem, and Malamar. Lucan had an Abra. You were compensated for all of them."

Alex pulled up the League's credit interface. Sure enough, his balance had jumped from 0.8 million to 6.4 million credits. A 5.6 million increase.

"All that... just for regulated Pokémon?" he muttered.

He had previously received 10 million from the League for Don due to the man's extensive assets spread across multiple regions. In contrast, Monica's operation was practically a charity—her earnings went toward funding Poképhilia clubs, kidnappers, and rapists, rather than legitimate industries like Don's.

Receiving 5.6 million credits made it clear just how highly desired regulated Pokémon were in the League market.

"It's normal. The League's always in need of them —security, surveillance, communication, transportation, psychological treatment, interrogation, the works. That's one of the reasons why they regulate them in the first place."

"A shame about the Abra. I could've used a reliable teleportation option," Alex sighed.

"That Abra was probably half your total payout. It's young, so training will be cheap for the League. The others might need 'convincing,' but the value's still there."

"Any word on the victims?"

"Each compensated enough to live comfortably without working for a lifetime."

"So, 10 million apiece. What about their psychological trauma?"

"Erased, for those who wanted it. Others chose to keep their memories. Surprisingly, not all were traumatized by the prostitution—it was the captivity that broke most of them."

Alex nodded. That made sense. In their shoes, he would've done the same: make the best of it rather than wallow as victims and waste years of training in captivity. Their training wasn't just in sex—it was legitimately useful.

Vera had mentioned lessons in etiquette, fashion, psychology, mixology, communication, and in-depth biology. It wasn't just prostitution—it was elite-level grooming in social mastery.

If they retained those memories, they'd be able to spot manipulation or control from a mile away. They'd been trained to be manipulators, after all. There was plenty to gain from their situation.

The nightmares, though—those would have to be ignored like everyone else. Or… maybe he'd just get a Dream Eater Pokémon to consume them.

Problem solved.

Chapter 84: Chapter 84. Getting A Place

Over the past two weeks, during which he hadn’t trained a single day, Alex had spent his time contemplating his current situation.

Since turning sixteen, he had been living off his earnings at Jenny’s mansion. There was nothing inherently wrong with that, especially considering he was financially stable and capable of earning millions of Pokédollars per mission.

This mission had been no different. In just two weeks, he’d earned 27 million Pokédollars, 5.6 million League credits, and secured 20 months’ worth of training food for his Pokémon. To the average trainer, this was a fortune—enough to set them and their team up for life.

But Alex was different. He craved strength, power, combat, thrills, and adventure. The money he earned wasn’t for comfort—it was fuel. It would be spent on making his Pokémon stronger, not on letting them grow passively, as most trainers usually do.

On average, it took trainers eight years of constant battling in the wilds to raise their starter Pokémon to Elite rank. That was the whole purpose of the gym circuit—to guide trainers to Elite rank efficiently, and at minimal cost to the League while simultaneously cutting down the Pokemon population in the region.

Alex bypassed that process entirely. By pouring vast resources into his Pokémon, he accelerated their progress by more than three years.

His Raticate, his starter, was now on the cusp of reaching Elite rank. It had taken just five years and a few months to get there—without ever leaving the walls of Saffron City to train, battle, or hunt for food.

This kind of growth was a privilege reserved for the wealthy and Alex had made it work.

Now, with enough funds to sustain his current lifestyle for another three years, he could remain at Jenny’s mansion and continue building his team. In that time, he was confident all of his Pokémon would reach Elite rank—and he’d collect three, maybe even four more badges by then.

It was a valid expenditure of time and resources—one that would guarantee Alex’s growth. That was why it had been his original plan: to focus on building strength after getting paid for this mission.

Now, he wasn’t so sure.

Spending the next three years on proficiency training would benefit his Pokémon greatly, but it wouldn’t do much for him. He’d be bored out of his mind.

So, he began thinking about how to make proper use of his time—not just his money.

Ideally, Alex wanted to go on missions constantly—earning as much money and thrill as possible while he was still young and full of energy. At the same time, his Pokémon needed to grow independently, developing their move proficiency and converting food into strength and rank advancements.

For the first requirement, he already had everything he needed: powerful Pokémon who worked flawlessly as a team in battles against other trainers. Unfortunately, they couldn’t focus on proficiency training during missions, causing their technical growth to lag behind.

To address this, Alex needed to travel faster—cutting down on wasted time moving from one location to another. Unfortunately, he couldn’t meet that need just yet. Regulated Pokémon capable of using Teleport were tightly controlled.

Access to them required either all eight badges and completion of a full set of qualifying missions, or significant contributions to the League that could grant early access to such resources—much like how trainers earned access to the League market, which was normally reserved for those with at least four badges.

So far, Alex had made meaningful strides. He had submitted a significant research paper to the scientific community and played a key role in capturing Don, a high-profile criminal wanted by the League. These contributions earned him early access to four-badge-level resources, including the League market.

With two badges and Monica’s capture added to his record, Alex was now close to unlocking eight-badge-level access to the League's regulated resources.

To get there, he needed either one more badge or another high-value bounty capture. Either outcome could be achieved with time—or luck. After all, both of his previous major captures had been the result of being in the right place at the right time.

As for the second requirement, he needed a proper home base—somewhere his Pokémon could train and recover between missions.

Jenny’s place, while perfect for her, was starting to feel too small for Alex. What he needed was a large, open space equipped with the latest technology for Pokémon training.

That large open space could easily be a farm out in the wilds. He and his team were strong enough to clear out a nest, build infrastructure, and establish a new stronghold that could protect the land from wild Pokémon.

Since the area needed to be large enough to accommodate training for Elite-ranked—and eventually Champion-ranked—Pokémon, it made sense to turn it into a functional farm as well. That way, he could feed his team without having to rely on external supplies.

The only recurring cost would be Pokémon meat—unless he sourced it himself during bounty missions.

It was the perfect way to use his money: building a self-sufficient, private industry. He could hire breeders, farmers, and specialists to take care of both him and his Pokémon.

Meanwhile, he’d dedicate his time to hunting bounties, using the profits to cover upkeep and salaries.

Alex loved the idea. During his vacation, he started window shopping for the perfect isolated location to build his base. In the end, he found several promising options.

Some farms were already up for sale, fully equipped, ranging from 5 to 20 million Pokédollars. Open lots ready for development inside cities were available too, though they were roughly three times the price just for the land. There were even foreclosed properties—buildings taken from bankrupt owners or criminal organizations, like those that had belonged to Don or Monica.

Then there was the League’s land development policy.

The League actively encouraged trainers to hunt Pokémon to empower their own teams. At the same time, it advocated for certain territories to remain off-limits, providing safe havens where Pokémon could grow naturally and sustain the ecosystem's cycle.

Unfortunately, this often led to Pokémon floods caused by territorial disputes between nests—a problem the League had the power to resolve by simply killing them all but consistently chose to ignore in favor of producing more Pokemon.

In essence, people suffered and died because the League prioritized Pokémon over human safety. It made Alex question whether the human supremacist activists were as crazy as he initially thought.

It also raised the possibility that his parents' deaths—and his unfortunate childhood—were a direct result of the League’s refusal to cull Pokémon near populated cities.

“Meh,” Alex thought as he continued walking back to his hotel from the police station.

He didn’t personally care much about the previous Alex’s life. Blaming the League outright felt like a stretch, especially considering the active defenses they had in place.

As far as he was concerned, Alex’s parents had died in an accident. The Golem responsible for their deaths had already been captured—and for all he knew, it might have ended up as Elite-ranked Pokémon meat.

Returning to the topic at hand, the League is incredibly strict with land development and usage due to the ongoing dispute between using land to develop Pokémon habitats or reserving space for human needs. In the end, there is never enough land for both.

The League therefore has identified specific usage criteria and requirements depending on the land to be owned.

For example, the area surrounding Saffron City, being the heart of the region, must be developed into farms. To maintain ownership of this land, farm owners are required to sell a certain amount of food annually depending on the size of the land.

The immediate vicinity of large bodies of water can either be designated for wharfs or fisheries. Depending on the chosen preference, wharfs must provide public access and meet safety standards, while fisheries are obligated to sell a specific amount of produce based on the season and the estimated fish population in the water.

Needless to say, owning and developing land under these conditions is a significant burden. This explains why such lands—riddled with Pokémon, threatened by Pokémon floods, and heavily controlled by the government—are not popular to own. On top of that, there is the hefty initial investment required to develop the land and build the necessary infrastructure.

As for owning land as private property, Alex couldn’t find any information on it, so it must only be available to those with 8-badge-level access and above.

These strict requirements had dissuaded Alex from his initial idea of land reclamation. All he wanted was enough space to train, not an industrial farm.

His realistic options were limited to either buying an operational farm and hiring people to manage it or purchasing an entire building and converting it into a training space with a farming area for Pokémon produce and berries.

After researching his options, he found two choices: a building near the slums, previously owned by Don, for 5 million credits (with a discount as the source of the property), or a farm northeast of Saffron City, ravaged by the Pokémon flood 9 years ago, priced at 5 million Pokedollars.

The building in the city, once a manufacturing facility for Don’s drugs, occupied an entire city block. It has five floors, plus two underground. The League had imposed a 2% tax on the property, making upkeep cost Alex 2 million Pokedollars per year.

The building was sturdy enough to host Elite-ranked battles and offered ample space, potentially generating income if used properly. However, its location near the slums posed a constant danger, with employees at risk of robbery or assault.

On the other hand, the farm Alex found had been destroyed and now existed as little more than undeveloped land. Spanning the size of ten football fields, it sat closest to the forest that had served as the origin of the Pokémon flood nine years ago.

As the designated buffer between the wilds and the more developed farmlands, ownership came with a strict requirement: the buyer must have at least one Elite-ranked Pokémon to ensure their safety.

If Alex were to construct a multi-level hydroponics facility on the property, he could maximize vertical farming output and potentially reserve the remaining land for his personal use—training grounds, facilities, or living quarters. That is, of course, assuming the League didn’t adjust his required produce quota to match the new scale of his infrastructure.

Between the two options, Alex could either become a businessman or a farmer.

As Alex finally made it back to his hotel room, he suddenly received a call from an unknown number.

Chapter 85: Chapter 85. Getting A Crew

Alex answered the call, and it was Vera—likely having gotten a phone the moment she received her compensation from the League.

"Hey, Alex, it's Vera. Are you busy?" she asked over the phone.

"Not particularly, no. What's up?" he replied.

"Would you mind coming over for a little get-together with some of the people you saved?"

"Sure. Any specifics?"

"Just bring your fine self."

"Alright."

Alex hung up and received a text with all the details. It was for an expensive restaurant at 8:00 PM.

With an entire day ahead of him, Alex decided to visit a butcher's shop to have the Pokémon processed into packaged and preserved meats for his team. There was a lot to be done, and the shop estimated it would take two weeks to finish the job.

This gave Alex the perfect opportunity to sort out his next steps. Wasting another two weeks in Celadon City didn't sound like a bad idea. He might even stop by the Grass Gym to get some lessons on raising certain plants.

While he hadn't settled on all the details, berry trees were his choice for personal consumption, while the hydroponic farm would focus on vegetables, as they were small and easy to manage.

Since he was already here, getting advice from professionals on site seemed like a good idea.

Alex spent the rest of the day researching, then took a nap. Afterward, he got dressed in his suit with a sapphire blue tie and made his way to the restaurant at 8:00 PM, as scheduled.

Upon entering the restaurant, Alex was directed to a private booth, where he was greeted by the delicious sight of six very beautiful and well-dressed women.

Their ages ranged from 18 to 24, with heights varying between 5'2" (1.5m) and 5'8" (1.7m), and their hair colors were diverse, including green and blue, which complemented their elegant dresses.

Alex had to admit, Monica certainly knew how to pick them. She didn't even discriminate against breast sizes, which Alex appreciated.

"Alex, allow me to introduce the girls who, like me, decided to keep all their memories," Vera said with a smile.

Elara Winters was an engineer specializing in industrial manufacturing before being kidnapped on her way to Saffron City. She has black hair and is the shortest of the girls present. She would be able to set up and maintain the hydroponic farm. She might even be able to custom build guns for Alex.

Nyx Calloway was a recent graduate and a software developer (secretly a hacker), who had been kidnapped during her interview with a shell company. She has black hair with a thin and athletic build. She could help Alex track down his bounties.

Maris Hawke was a manager who had also been kidnapped by the same shell company and is the oldest of the girls at 24. She has red hair and carries herself with a professional demeanor. She would make an excellent manager for the farm.

Lyra Voss was a trainer who had been caught using the same trick that caught Alex, lured by a stolen capture. She is the youngest at 18, with blue hair and the second shortest of the group. She could be a permanent body guard.

Kaia Blackwood was a farmer who had been kidnapped when she ran away from home to become a trainer. She has green hair and is the most energetic of the girls. She could raise the berry orchard Alex plans on feeding his Pokemon with.

Together with Vera, who was the tallest with blonde hair, a large bust, and an aspiring breeder, Alex was convinced they were all sent by the same entity that had sent him. This was a sign to open up a personal base of operations to support his bounty hunting.

He had to have them all.

"Ladies, this is Alex. The bounty hunter who brought Monica and her entire castle down," Vera introduced.

"Oh my," "Wow," "Just my type," "He's cute,"

A barrage of comments and questions flooded Alex, to which he simply smiled. They were all strong women, exuding the confidence of goddesses. They knew they were beautiful and used it to their advantage.

Alex wasn't a wolf among a herd of sheep. He was the timid sheep surrounded by a pack of wolves. These women would have their way with him, whether he wanted it or not. Eventually, he'd be convinced it was what "he" wanted, and he'd be happy with "his" decision.

Under different circumstances, these women might have fought fiercely to stand out from the pack, but their bond was too strong. Their shared experiences and similar pasts had forged a unity that kept them from petty rivalries.

As their food arrived and dinner began, Alex answered their questions and asked his own in turn.

As the only women mentally strong enough to keep all their memories, they had all agreed to stay in touch and support one another as they returned to their former professions.

The only exception was Kaia, who had lost all interest in being a trainer after her traumatic experience. She wanted nothing more to do with traveling.

"So, I'm setting up a base of operations to support my bounty hunting," Alex said, setting down his glass. "I need a reliable team to run it. Conveniently, your skill sets are exactly what I'm looking for—plus a few extras. Would any of you be interested in working for me?"

The women exchanged glances before the questions started rolling in.

"What would you have us do?"

"Why hire so many people?"

"How much is the pay?"

And Alex answered them one by one. Starting with an explanation of their duties to Alex and his team.

Afterwards, he offered them a soft smile. "I'll also need a personal cook and maybe a groomer down the line, but for now, I need all of you."

"As for compensation," Alex continued, "I'll start you at 200,000 per year. It's modest, but the salary will increase with the farm's success. On top of that, each of you will receive 1% of my bounty earnings as a bonus. I think that's fair."

Most professionals in the Pokémon world earn between 80,000 to 300,000 annually—enough for a comfortable lifestyle, especially if they aren't professional Trainers. The real costs in this world often came from Pokémon related products. The only exception being Novice-ranked Pokemon meat which is the League's charity.

The only one who might seem underpaid was Lyra, since trainers had high upkeep costs due to the food and care their Pokémon required. However, Alex's offer included free Pokémon food, which covered the bulk of her expenses. In truth, she was being well compensated.

Alex, who was hired as a trainer, had managed to earn millions per year from the Fighting Dojo because his pay was commission-based—he earned money each time his Pokémon participated in a training session. If his team hadn't been in high demand, he wouldn't have made a Pokedollar.

The gym floor coordinator had to approve sparring partners and the trainers themselves had to pick them based on usefulness to their own Pokemon's training. If Alex's Pokémon weren't valuable training tools, they wouldn't have been chosen and Alex wouldn't have made a single Pokedollar.

"How much have you made in bounties?" Nyx asked.

"Over the past two weeks, I've made 27 million Pokédollars, 5.6 million League credits, and captured hundreds of Pokémon," Alex replied confidently.

"You made over a hundred times our supposed salary in just two weeks?" Nyx exclaimed.

"In one week. It took another week to get paid," Alex clarified.

"What's a hydroponic farm?" Elara asked.

Alex paused, slightly confused by the question, then quickly checked his phone.

Hydroponics hadn't been invented in the Pokémon world. That surprised him, given their advanced technology and scientific expertise. Then again, with Pokémon that could accelerate plant growth, the demand for such methods might never have existed.

"It's a landless farm that uses nutrient-rich water to grow plants. The main advantage is vertical farming—you can grow crops in stacked layers, indoors, with the right equipment," he explained.

"That's amazing," Kaia exclaimed.

Alex continued answering questions throughout the night. By the end, the group had decided to first take some time to visit their families and get their bearings before reaching out to Alex with their decisions.

Alex accepted without hesitation. They'd just escaped imprisonment—reconnecting with the world came first.

In any case, he wasn't in a rush. He hadn't even decided whether to go with the building or the farm. He also didn't know where to find the minerals needed to make the nutrient solution or had any solid plans for the infrastructure. At this point, he was basically just brainstorming.

As midnight approached, Alex intercepted the bill and paid for their meal. The girls looked ready to protest—until they remembered he'd made over three times their compensation in just one week.

"Anyway, Alex," Vera said with a mischievous smile, "the girls and I talked about it, and we wanted to personally thank you for saving us."

"Oh? And what exactly did you girls have in mind?" Alex asked, feigning innocence.

"Come, we'll show you in our room," Vera replied, leading him toward their hotel suite with the girls in tow—where Alex experienced the best night of both his lives.

Chapter 86: Chapter 86. Aftercare

To say Alex’s mind was blown would be an understatement. Six women, each with inhuman training and excessive experience in sex, proved to be almost too much stimulation for him. Fortunately, his body had been trained far beyond human limits in every parameter.

He managed to satisfy each and every one of them, or so he believed. He wouldn’t put it past them to fake it, given their level of experience. They were high-end prostitutes, after all. At this point, sex must have felt as routine as drinking water.

Statistically speaking, it was unlikely Alex had been their best. No doubt they’d had clients who were bigger and stronger.

Still, after last night, he knew three things for certain: any man lucky enough to marry one of these women would be blessed for life, he’d just experienced the greatest night of both his lives, and he would annihilate anyone who ever tried to hurt them again.

Not everything had gone smoothly at the start. Some of them showed signs of hesitation, revulsion, even. Others needed convincing, from themselves or others. A few had to gather their resolve just to overcome the trauma that lingered.

Alex had noticed the way their expressions shifted when they thought he wasn’t looking, especially when one or two stepped away for a breather. They tried to hide it. This was supposed to be a reward to him, after all.

But over the course of the night, the tension gave way to trust, the pain gave way to joy.

And by morning, the girls were passed out, utterly exhausted, while Alex had broken his personal record for most shots fired in a single session without rest.

By noon, everyone had stirred awake, and Alex took the opportunity to talk to them about their plans. He already knew they intended to reconnect with family and friends, but he also knew the risks. They now had money, beauty, and a renewed sense of freedom, but no strength to protect it.

They agreed. They weren’t naïve, not after what they’d been through.

So, Alex personally escorted them back to Saffron City, where each of them was originally from. One by one, he made sure they were welcomed back by their families before moving on to the next, until only Vera remained.

She was an orphan, with no family to return to.

So, Alex brought her to see Jenny. Their home was large, and there was more than enough room for Vera to have a guest room of her own.

“Mom, I’m home! And I brought a friend,” Alex called out as he stepped into the mansion.

He heard hurried footsteps coming from the stairs, but something about them felt off. There was more than one pair, and they didn’t sound like any of the Pokémon he was used to hearing around the house.

‘Maybe Mom has guests over,’ Alex thought.

From the stairs came his mother, Jenny, and someone else.

‘Joe?’ Alex blinked in surprise.

Thinking back, Joe was around Jenny’s age. He had gone back to school after the Fighting Dojo sponsored his education.

‘Wait... is Joe dating my mom?’ Alex wondered, then shrugged. ‘She can sleep with whoever she wants. Honestly, I’m just glad she has someone to keep her company.’

“Alex, glad you’re back!” Jenny said with a blush. “This is Joe.”

The look they shared said enough, mother and son both seemed to know what the other had been up to last night.

“Hey, Joe. Long time no see,” Alex greeted him with a smile, extending his hand.

Joe grinned and shook it firmly. “Hahaha, great to see you again, Alex. You’ve grown stronger.”

“You two know each other?” Jenny asked, curious.

“Joe introduced me to the Fighting Dojo,” Alex explained. “I worked there all through high school. I wouldn’t be half as strong without that experience. I owe him a lot.”

Joe waved it off. “You did all the work. Even the Master praised your fighting spirit.”

Alex nodded, then gestured to the girl beside him. “Anyway, this is Vera. She’s had a rough time recently and needs a safe place to stay. I was hoping she could use one of the guest rooms for a while.”

“Hello, Officer Jenny. Joe. It’s nice to meet you,” Vera said politely.

“Oh my,” Jenny said with delight. ‘Alex finally brought home a girl.’

“Haha! What a lovely young lady. I approve, son,” Joe said, full of energy.

Alex chuckled. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Joe. Besides, if you want a son of your own, you’ll have to work for it.”

“Hahaha! Fair enough!” Joe laughed.

The group chatted happily before settling down for a late dinner. Alex and Vera had arrived quite late after escorting everyone around Saffron City, while Jenny and Joe had just finished a long day at work, and some personal bonding.

Dinner was far from awkward. Joe was his usual over-the-top self, Vera navigated the conversation like a seasoned diplomat, Jenny was all smiles, and Alex had plenty of stories to share.

They apparently met when a thief Jenny was chasing ran straight into Joe, who promptly slammed the guy to the ground. They hit it off afterward while Jenny was taking his statement.

By the end of the meal, it was decided: Vera could stay for as long as she needed. Jenny didn’t mind, she had Arcanine to keep her safe, and Vera was such a sweet girl.

Later that evening, Joe and Alex had “the talk.” Alex gave his blessing. Sure, he was Jenny’s son, but he had always seen her more like a sister and had always been protective. But Joe was a genuine guy. Honest to a fault. And Alex liked him for that.

The next day, Alex returned to Celadon City to enroll in planting lessons at the Grass Gym. While he had access to scientific papers that covered everything he needed, he still preferred to learn from real professionals in action.

Normally, the full course takes an entire year, designed for general farmers interested in all the plant species the Gym teaches. But Alex only enrolled in the modules focused on vegetables and berry trees.

Even so, it took him two weeks to thoroughly learn their growth cycles, ideal environments, nutrient requirements, the principles of artificial selection specific to each crop, and more.

The Grass Gym provided not only a comprehensive data packet on vegetables and berry trees but also a curated collection of scientific papers they had personally verified, exactly the kind of reliable information Alex was looking for.

They even recommended trusted fertilizer suppliers, including those who sold bulk ingredients for nutrient solution mixtures they use to mix with the soil.

By the end of it, Alex had everything he needed to introduce hydroponics to the Pokémon world via another scientific paper, and potentially earn access to the League’s 8-badge-level services.

Over the next month, Alex got busy executing his plans. He hired a trusted construction crew known for their discretion, secured an industrial manufacturing facility to build his hydroponics setup, and, through Vera’s connections with the Velvet Reflection staff, found both a cook and a groomer-masseuse.

Unlike the other girls Alex had been involved with, they were brainwashed prostitutes who had chosen to have all their sexual memories erased. They simply wanted to live a trauma-free life from that point on. However, they selectively kept their experiences with cooking and massages, respectively.

Speaking of the girls, they had all accepted Alex’s employment offer over the past month. Some were swayed by the money, others were interested in the experience, and a few were drawn to Alex himself. Alex was happy to provide for them.

As a sign-in bonus, Alex decided to buy all the girls Pokémon eggs as their starters. He even gave them a list to choose from. In the end:

Elara, the engineer, chose Magnemite to help with floating heavy objects and fixing circuits.

Nyx, the hacker, chose Rotom to assist with programming and organizing.

Maris, the manager, chose Indeedee to aid with management tasks and cleaning.

Lyra, the guard, chose Rookidee for scouting and guarding duties.

Kaia, the farmer, chose Skiddo for tilling, planting, harvesting, and producing milk.

Vera, the breeder, chose Audino. Alex didn’t have the connection for a Happiny, so she had to settle for a cheaper version.

Lina Vale, the cook, chose an expensive but necessary Miltank to assist in the kitchen. Lina was a sweet girl, aged 26, standing at 5'3" (1.6m), with pink, elegant hair. She was one of the many who needed her memories erased to ensure no trauma lingered, allowing her to return to being a functional adult.

Mira Reeds, the groomer, chose a Smoliv egg for the oil it produces. Mira was a mature beauty with purple hair, standing at 5'7" (1.7m), with a calm and friendly demeanor. She had wanted to keep all her memories but would occasionally suffer psychotic breaks when triggered, so her memories had to go as well.

The new girls were initially hesitant when Vera told them about the job opportunity, but they quickly changed their tune upon learning that Alex, their potential employer, was the bounty hunter who had taken down Monica and her army of grunts. They were grateful to have been saved and happy to be protected and provided for by someone so strong.

With all the preparations in place, Alex finally decided on which property to select. It was the obvious choice when he thought about his end goals rather than convenience.

Hence, the property was bought and construction started.

Chapter 87: Chapter 87. Buying Property

The property Alex ended up buying was the cheapest farm available, located at the northernmost and easternmost edge of the farmland in the area. This meant his farm would be the first to get hit whenever a Pokémon flood rolled in.

The farm ultimately had direct access to the forest where he could easily farm for food for the Pokemon. It also had the open space necessary to host Elite-ranked fights and Champion-ranked fights in the future.

The building in Saffron City might have been cheaper and more convenient overall but ultimately, Alex would outgrow it in the future. He would have to eventually relocate to a farmland anyway just so he doesn't commit mass murder while training his Champion-ranked Pokemon.

Upon purchase, Alex discovered additional requirements and benefits tied to the property.

Apparently, the nearby farmers had pooled money to build a wall that would isolate Alex's land from the rest of the farmland. They also required him to install a device at the northeasternmost point of his property—one that constantly monitors for incoming Pokémon floods. Finally, he was prohibited from building any wall that would isolate his property from the bordering forest.

It became clear that they intended for Alex's farm to act as a buffer—bait, essentially—so they would have enough time to escape if disaster struck. The final restriction ensured that any flood couldn't be redirected south or west, toward their own lands.

In return for these conditions, they offered Alex a substantial bonus: a 50% expansion of his land. They added the northeastern portion of the adjacent property to the west of his own, at no additional cost and without increasing his produce quota.

Originally, Alex's land measured 150 meters along the northern border with the forest and 300 meters along the eastern border, forming a rectangle. With the expansion, it now formed a right angle, with the northern border extended to 300 meters as well.

The unexpected land bonus was a welcome surprise, as it allowed Alex to triple the number of hydroponic greenhouses and double the number of berry orchards he could construct.

The requirements and restrictions had been presented as a request, meaning Alex could have refused to sign the paperwork—but he gladly accepted, especially with the added land. He would have to sort something out with the bank later.

Once Alex paid for the property and finalized the paperwork, he and the girls made their way to the new farmland, only to find the entire location reduced to rubble. The Pokémon that had passed through had truly stomped everything into the ground.

All the buildings were gone, and the farmland was overgrown with weeds. A five-meter-tall wall had been built, blocking Alex's view of the farmlands to the south and west. It also ensured that any approaching Pokemon flood wouldn't see anything of interest beyond his property.

"I feel like they want us to die here," Kaia said sadly. She had expected something underhanded, but nothing this extreme. Farmers were supposed to be a tight-knit community that looked out for one another—not pull something like this.

"It's not that bad. At least I get to train my Pokémon safely," Lyra commented. She was excited for the chance to train while having a secure place to return to.

They toured the property before Alex, Elara, Maris, and Kaia gathered to discuss the specifics, taking into account the current state of the land and its positioning.

"I need the battlegrounds there," Alex said, pointing to the northeastern corner of his property.

The designated area measured 150 by 150 meters, occupying a third of the total land. Conveniently, it was also positioned at the center of the property other than a small pathway to pass through to the other side.

"The houses can go here," Maris added, motioning just south of the imagined battlegrounds.

The area totaled 150 meters by 50 meters—enough space to fit ten 15 by 15 meter two-story houses and a 50 by 50 meter mansion, with plenty of room left over for pathways and extra space.

"My fruit trees can take what's left of the space between the houses and the southern border," Kaia said thoughtfully.

The area measured 150 meters by 100 meters, enough to accommodate a thousand fruit trees with plenty of space left over for Pokémon to roam freely.

"Then my hydroponics farm can take the rest," Elara said as she highlighted the entire area west of the battlegrounds.

Totaling the same size as the battlegrounds at 150m by 150m.

With that, they wrapped up their preliminary measurements to report to the construction company and the industrial manufacturing facility.

"Great! Now, are you sure you don't want us to contribute to the farm, Alex? We get a stake in the income and our own private houses, after all," Maris said.

"Yup. I need you to leave the house if you decide to stop working for me. It wouldn't be fair to you or your future family, since I'd need a replacement for the position—and they'd deserve a house too. This isn't a residential community; it's a place of business," Alex replied.

"What if we just married you?" Elara asked with a mischievous grin.

"Then you wouldn't need the house. You could stay with me in the mansion," Alex replied.

"You mean the Pokémon house?" Kaia teased with a laugh.

Alex's mansion was a building designed to house over a hundred Pokémon. The staff were allowed to leave their Pokémon there while living in their own houses. It made things easier for the groomer-masseuse, the breeder, and the cook to have all Pokemon have a common area.

It would also be where most of their work was done. Essentially, it functioned as an office building, workshop, kitchen, Pokémon residence, Alex's home, office, server room—everything.

With their estimates completed, they returned to Saffron City to begin the construction process.

In total, they needed a mansion, ten houses, and nine greenhouses built on the property.

The construction company quoted 25 million Pokedollars for the construction costs, which would leave Alex short by three million. This figure didn't even include the hydroponic system that still had to be installed.

The mansion would have three floors in total, accommodating all the workshops and offices. The Pokémon rooms would vary in size, taking up about half the mansion's space, while the remaining area would be used for offices, the server room, workshops, and Alex's enormous living space, which was about the size of a house. After all, it was his new home.

The houses would each be 15m x 15m, with the second story housing four large bedrooms and baths.

The greenhouses would measure 50m x 50m x 10m and could hold approximately 3,300 hydroponic system units each. Constructed from reinforced glass, the greenhouses would feature a drainage system connected to a water filtration system capable of reusing the unabsorbed nutrient solution for efficiency.

Additionally, the greenhouses would be wired to power the hydroponic systems, lights, and ventilation fans. All of which would be connected to a single large scale generator that can be charged by Electric type moves.

Next, they visited the industrial manufacturing facility and ordered 29,700 units of the hydroponic system.

Each unit consisted of three layers, with two stems per layer, providing six vegetables per unit. The unit featured a belt system that rotated to bring the vegetables to the harvester, regardless of the height.

It also included a mist sprinkler that could automatically mist the vegetables according to their preferred schedule. All units could be connected via a thin hose to deliver the nutrient solutions automatically.

Unfortunately, each unit cost 5,000 Pokedollars, bringing Alex's total to 148.5 million Pokedollars. In comparison, the cost of a reverse osmosis water filtration system was negligible—they practically gave it to him for free.

The total cost of Alex's farm so far was 178.5 million Pokedollars.

This was why Alex headed to the League bank next to secure a loan. He handed over the blueprints, estimates, and his incomplete, unpublished scientific paper. He claimed he needed the amount to gather enough data to add to the paper for publication.

What he didn't expect was for his paper to flag a League representative.

Alex's name had been added to the watch list ever since his first paper, which had been a significant discovery despite the low quality of data. He was never properly rewarded for it; they had simply given him elevated access, which came in handy when he captured Don.

Now, he submitted another paper, which was immediately reviewed while Alex continued with his introduction to the hydroponics system.

As far as the League representative was concerned, the idea was a genius way to reduce the space required for farming. Just a single layer would double or triple the yield of small crops, and adding more layers would multiply a farmer's yield even further.

This would cause a lot of farmers to lose income if it were published immediately, so they decided to place Alex under an NDA until the League could ease the economic impacts of the sudden rise in vegetables and other potential crops.

As for his loan? It was simply given to him under the guise of a grant. It was their way of silencing him and buying them time to sort out the potential mess.

Chapter 88: Chapter 88. Construction of the Farm

"What?!" Alex exclaimed at the news.

"Congratulations on receiving a grant from the League, Mr. Wattson," the bank manager said with a pleasant and respectful smile. After all, no one insignificant just gets handed a hundred million in cash.

"Unfortunately, you'll have to sign this Non-Disclosure Agreement to claim the grant. The League has found your scientific paper disruptive—despite its genius. I hope you understand," the manager added, handing over a folder with the contract already written out.

Alex read through it carefully and confirmed its authenticity.

The League had deemed his paper too economically disruptive to release as-is. Instead, they wanted him to complete the research and submit it to a special website, where it would be published only at the League's discretion. In exchange, he would receive a grant to finish the work.

'Hell, yeah!' Alex thought, nodding seriously.

He took a pen, signed the contract, received his copy, thanked the manager, and left. The total amount would be deposited into his account by the end of the day.

DING.

Scratch that—it was deposited immediately.

And just as quickly as it arrived, it left for other pastures by the end of the day. Alex's account returned to its original 27 million, having included the purchase of land in the total loan amount.

By day's end, Alex had signed contracts with both the construction company and the industrial manufacturing facility, depositing the funds directly into their accounts.

As these were League-guaranteed accounts, the funds could only be withdrawn in accordance with the signed contracts between both parties. This was one of the advantages of a Porygon-inhabited system—such conveniences were trivial for the League to manage.

Three months later, construction was complete—a testament to the efficiency of Pokémon-powered labor.

On day one, Dugtrios and Sandslashes handled all the excavation for the foundation.

By day three, reinforced steel beams—delivered by flying couriers using space bags—were installed and assembled. Machamps, Machokes, Hariyamas, and Magnemites lifted the beams with ease, while workers bolted and welded everything into place.

On day five, they mixed and poured the concrete, then used a weakened Earthquake to vibrate it and eliminate bubbles. This was followed by simultaneous use of Tailwind and Sunny Day to accelerate the drying process.

By day seven, the curing process had reached the initial stage, allowing for the framing of the house with additional reinforced steel. This was necessary to prevent the structure from collapsing under a single move from an Elite-ranked Pokémon. It was also the reason each house cost a million Pokédollars.

By day thirty-five, the concrete had fully cured, and work moved to the interiors: insulation, drywall, electrical systems, and plumbing. These tasks required a level of precision that Pokémon couldn't easily assist with—except for a few, like Smeargle, who could effortlessly paint entire walls with a swipe of its tail.

By day fifty, the first few houses were finished, fully furnished and equipped with appliances. This was when the girls began choosing their homes.

By day sixty, all the houses and greenhouses were complete. The greenhouses, in particular, took more time due to the extensive number of light fixtures, the complex electrical wiring required for the hydroponic systems, the intricate distribution of hoses connected to the nutrient solution mixing tanks, and the detailed plumbing needed to collect the unabsorbed solution.

It was also during this time that the 29,700 hydroponic units were delivered, complete with a complimentary reverse osmosis water filtration system and a simple mixing tank.

By day ninety, the more tedious and intricate work on the mansion was finally finished. With countless rooms, doors, fixtures, appliances, and pieces of furniture to install—alongside the need for delicate human craftsmanship—it was no surprise the mansion took the longest to complete.

Around the same time, the installation, connection, testing, and calibration of the hydroponic systems were also completed. Elara worked overtime on this part of the project, as she was responsible for ensuring everything ran smoothly.

Kaia had spent the past three months with her newly hatched Skiddo planting a thousand berry trees in the southern part of the farm. Her Skiddo quickly gained proficiency in Dig, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, and Grassy Terrain, helping the seeds sprout and reach maturity by the third month.

Lyra, meanwhile, had taken to hunting once her Rookidee hatched, accompanied by Alex's Ceruledge, who guarded her from the shadows. Rookidee evolved into Corvisquire just one month later, thanks to the supply of Expert-rank Pokémon meat Alex had been providing.

Since then, Lyra expanded her team with a male and female pair of Poochyena she caught in the forest. They were as common as Rattata, but invaluable for scaring away wild Pokémon. A month later, they evolved into an intimidating pair of Mightyena.

Nyx had been slowly getting back into the swing of things after returning home. She caught up on all the latest software patches and technology releases she'd missed during her imprisonment, with Rotom proving to be an invaluable assistant in her research.

Now, She finally got to see her new "baby" in the server room, where Alex's Metagross and Rotom had also taken up residence and refused to leave since installation was completed.

Maris currently holds the top spot in Alex's Ideal Wife Ranking. She managed all the paperwork and financials, establishing contracts with suppliers and distributors for both their needs and their products. With Maris doing all the mental work, her Indeedee was doing all the manual work helping her clean and organize her paperwork.

She also handled financial requests from the other girls—requests for materials and parts for Elara, seeds and fertilizer for Kaia, supplies for Vera, Lina, and Mira, and so on. This was why Alex's 27 million is down to only 5 million after three months. There were plenty of extra costs that piled up.

Vera, Lina, and Mira were tied for second place in Alex's Ideal Wife Rankings. The three doted on both him and his Pokémon, pampering, grooming, and feeding them to an almost excessive degree. Alex, in particular, received even more "care" from Vera and the other girls—there was a reason they were so insistent on keeping their memories intact.

Each of the girl's Pokemon had their own way of contributing. Audino assisted Vera with her Pokémon breeding research, while Miltank took care of the heavy lifting and milk production for Lina. Smoliv, on the other hand, provided the oil Mira used to craft her signature massage oils.

Together, they formed a seamless support system, each balancing the others' strengths with affection and skill.

Alex had been busy as well. He had spent the past three months training his Pokémon and preparing the new additions to the farm.

Raticate had already been on the verge of reaching Elite rank over five months ago, with Arcanine following closely behind. Now, both had officially crossed that threshold.

For Alex, this marked a turning point.

He now considered himself a bona fide Elite-ranked trainer. His bond with Hydreigon had always been stronger than any other—thanks to his affinity—but he never saw that as a true indicator of his rank. At most, he considered himself an Elite-ranked bonder of Dark-type Pokémon.

But now, things are different.

He had personally raised his starter, a humble Rattata, into an insidious Raticate. He had hatched a Growlithe from an egg and trained him into a formidable Arcanine. Both are now Elite-rank under his guidance.

In his mind, that achievement was what truly qualified him as an Elite trainer.

And as an Elite trainer, he no longer feels conflicted about taking advantage of his affinity to instantly bond with Dark-type Pokémon.

Which is why he spent the remainder of his League credits—previously spent on the girls' Pokemon eggs—on three wild, Elite-ranked Dark-type Pokémon with attitude problems that most other Elites couldn't handle.

The three he ended up picking from desperate sellers were Absol, Morpeko, and Houndoom. All at Elite rank, and all very short-tempered with anyone other than Alex.

Absol are known for warning others of impending local disasters. This innate trait makes them expensive—especially Alex's Absol, who wasn't violent at all. She simply ignored everyone, even when accepting food or being threatened by stronger Pokémon.

Alex, however, fell in love with her. She was perfect for the farm as an early warning system, so he had to have her—and strained his credits to make the purchase.

The moment she saw Alex, she tackled him and sat on top of him, as if to claim him, the bond snapping into place instantly. Then Hydreigon walked in. Absol immediately relinquished her claim and began following Hydreigon's lead. Now, she only gets clingy when Hydreigon isn't around.

With Alex's credits nearly drained, he could only afford the cheapest options next—but that was fine. Morpeko was perfect for him, though her story was morbid.

She had been caught in the wild by a trainer who thought she looked cute—and she was. Until she got Hangry and bit the trainer in the neck while they were trying to bond with her.

The change in form and demeanor was so sudden that the trainer's Pokémon didn't have time to react. Their trainer bled out on the spot. Morpeko simply kept eating—until she was beaten half to death by the enraged Pokémon.

The commotion drew nearby trainers, who subdued the grieving and rampaging Pokémon before they could finish her off. After the investigation, the League put Morpeko up for sale with the story attached, which tanked her value.

She also had too little meat on her so the price started low—and kept dropping with each failed bonding attempt. That was until Alex bought her. The bond formed instantly. Morpeko switched to Hangry mode and began rubbing herself on Alex's face.

The bond they shared turned out to be even stronger than the one Alex had with Hydreigon, thanks to his Electric affinity, which amplified the connection enough to matter.

Now, Alex's bond rankings are as follows: Morpeko at the top, followed by Hydreigon, then Absol, and finally Houndoom.

Chapter 89: Chapter 89. Back to Bounty Hunting

Houndoom had been a wild Pokémon with a mean streak similar to Hydreigon's. She'd try to burn anyone who got too close, and if subdued, she'd poison the air with fumes from her mouth.

She was a menace—difficult to control—and was passed around from trainer to trainer until she met Alex. What happened next mirrored Absol's story.

She, too, was cowed by Hydreigon, but surprisingly chose to challenge Absol for a higher spot in the hierarchy—and lost to a single, critical Stone Edge.

Since then, she's been training harder to surpass Absol.

Over the past three months, Alex continued training his three new Pokémon, teaching them all the dos and don'ts while in the presence of Hydreigon to reinforce the hierarchy.

For the most part, it worked. They would ignore everyone else—except for one particularly hunky Arcanine for Absol and Houndoom and Raticate for Morpeko, that is.

As for Morpeko, as long as there was food, there were no problems. In full belly mode, she was the sweetest Pokémon around. But when she changed form, the girls would scramble away after tossing her some Pokémon meat as an offering.

They still adored her, though. Her cuteness factor was simply too high to resist.

When Alex told the trio they were responsible for defending his territory, property, and nest while he was away, they were initially disheartened—until Hydreigon snorted and straightened them out. She would not tolerate being replaced by anyone here.

With their acceptance of their role as guards, Alex was finally free to go out on bounties again. He was down to his last five million—barely enough to last until the first harvest.

So, he met with Nyx, who had some good news.

"Hey, beautiful. How's it going?"

"I need money—I mean, bounties," Alex fumbled, prompting Nyx to chuckle.

The girls had been teasing Alex lately because of their unusual situation. Eight beautiful women employed by a young man—six of whom were sleeping with him. All of them acted like his wives, and he, in turn, behaved like the perfect husband. Yet none of them were officially together.

As a result, they'd been flirting with him more than usual, as if trying to nudge him into finally asking them to be his girlfriends. So far, Maris was winning by a landslide with her strict-yet-sexy assistant persona. Vera was second, sweet and nurturing, the very image of a perfect wife.

Nyx, on the other hand, leaned into her role as the bold, flirty biker chick who knew exactly what she wanted—hence the overbearing flirting.

"You're in luck," she said, glancing at her personal laptop. "I've got a ten for you, with a few ones scattered around him. Apparently, he's been using guns to kill Pokémon in front of their trainers. The target is wanted alive—I think the League wants to know who produced those weapons."

She couldn't use Alex's high-end server because of the Rotoms, who were trained to obey League regulations while online. So instead, Alex had secretly set up a private network for her in her house—completely isolated from the Pokémon. She used it to hack into the dark web, tapping into a supposedly hidden network separate from the League's systems.

Though between the two of them, they both highly doubted that was actually true.

"They already know who. It's Argent Solutions. They probably just want to pinpoint the actual illegal manufacturing site," Alex added.

"They're holed up in a warehouse in the slums. There's a meeting scheduled in two hours. You could probably crash in while their pants are down," Nyx said, projecting blueprints onto the wall. "They supposedly hate Pokémon or something, so security should be nonexistent."

Alex studied the layout carefully. Multiple entry points. Locations of load-bearing pillars that could survive Earthquakes. He also scanned the headcount and recognized a few faces from the profiles.

"I think I've met that idiot before," he muttered. "I remember him flashing a gun back then too. He had two goons with him."

"Well, he's your target," Nyx said with a smirk. "He's got quite the Pokémon kill count—bonded ones, of course, not wild. I don't think he's ever left the city in his entire life."

"Still the same dumbass, then." Alex turned to leave. "At least I'm getting paid to take him down. Wish me luck."

Before he could step out, Nyx grabbed him by the collar, pulled him into a deep kiss, then shoved him back toward the hallway.

"Good luck," she purred, licking her lips.

Alex smirked as he made his way to his room to suit up.

He really was a fool when it came to women. He couldn't make sense of all the teasing and flirting. In his past life, he'd dated and slept with plenty of women—but never like this. These women were predators, as far as he was concerned. Gorgeous, unhinged predators.

Or maybe he was just overthinking it. Maybe he should stop fighting it, start a harem, and marry them all.

One thing he was certain of: he didn't love any of them. Love was a powerful word to Alex—too powerful to be used lightly. To him, love was the only thing that could ever make him stop fighting. And that's exactly how he knew he didn't love any of them.

He cared about them deeply. He would kill for them, die for them, even live for them.

But love? No.

If he truly loved one of them, he would stop fighting, confess his feelings, marry her, and start a family. No hesitation.

'Maybe that's what they're teasing me about?' he wondered. 'Maybe I'm supposed to choose one? Or maybe… I'm supposed to choose all of them?'

Shaking the thoughts away, Alex refocused on the mission ahead. He'd need his full team in case this turned into an ambush. Too many familiar faces gathered in one place—it screamed setup. Someone was pulling strings.

He soon reached the front doors of his mansion.

The mansion stood on the easternmost edge of the lot, its main entrance facing west—toward the two rows of five houses where the girls lived. There were side entrances as well for the Pokemon.

The left-side entrances led to the quarters of the Pokémon who accompanied Alex on missions leading to the training grounds. The right led to the farm-bound Pokémon who stayed behind to help. Each group had their own wing and personal space.

At the mansion's center along a hallway sat the personal offices, workshops, parlors, and kitchen for the staff. The top floor's center housed Alex's personal quarters—a master suite flanked by over ten guest rooms. His bedroom's west-facing window opened to a third-floor balcony overlooking the girls' homes.

From his balcony, Alex could see the fruit trees to the left, the battlegrounds to the right, the hydroponic farms on the far end, and the sprawling farmland just past the five-meter-tall wall that bordered the estate.

He loved this view—it was the sight of his vision taking shape, becoming real.

Shaking off the swell of pride, he returned to his room and suited up—thick bodysuit first, guns holstered and locked, his heavy long coat shrugged on, and worn-in combat boots laced tight.

Then, he gathered his Pokémon and briefed them on the mission. They responded with eager excitement—it had been a while since their last hunt.

With a nod, Alex recalled them into their Poké Balls and climbed onto Hydreigon's back, soaring off toward the city.

An hour later, they arrived at the location. Preliminary scouting showed cameras positioned everywhere. A few guards patrolled the perimeter and entrances—more to keep curious passersby out than to act as serious security.

They didn't seem worried about being raided, which suggested they had significant backing. The fact that they had firearms confirmed it—someone was supplying them.

"Rotom, start recording and hack into their cameras. Cover our trail," Alex commanded.

"Hacking is illegal," Rotom's AI voice replied.

"High-value target inside, along with a few others. This is an official bounty hunter raid."

"Understood."

Alex had to go through this every time he asked Rotom to hack anything. It was tedious, and he risked a lawsuit if he was wrong about the target.

Still, he trusted Nyx's intel—so he accepted the risk.

Rotom zipped into a nearby camera and vanished. Through the internal wiring, it could access their system, wipe any footage of Alex's actions, and keep an eye on the situation. If the system was internet-connected, Rotom could sync with Alex's phone and provide full overwatch.

Next, he deployed his fliers alongside a commander: Altaria, Frosmoth, Hydreigon, Togekiss, two Crobats, and Metagross. He didn't need to give explicit instructions—Metagross knew exactly what to do.

His smaller Pokémon gathered around him: Raticate, Forretress, and Alcremie. The larger ones—Arcanine, Clawitzer, and Kommo-o—took position at the rear to cover their retreat. In the shadows, Dusknoir, Ceruledge, and Aegislash stood ready to intercept any incoming threat.

He approached a locked emergency exit and had Raticate dig through the wall. Once inside, they moved casually through the emergency stairwell, ascending floor by floor.

At the top, Alex prepared his team, stacking buffs to their maximum. Alcremie used Decorate, Kommo-o followed with Coaching, and the rest used whatever support moves they had to power up.

Then, they entered the floor.

There didn't seem to be any guards around. Maybe the meeting wasn't as important as Alex had assumed—or maybe it was a trap.

He advanced to the doors of the meeting room, unholstered his pistols, flipped off the safety, did one final check, and kicked the doors open with all his strength.

Bang! Crash!

"Surprise, motherfuckers!"

Chapter 90: Chapter 90. Remember Me?

Alex burst into the meeting room, startling over thirty individuals—most jolted to their feet, while a few remained seated, their necks snapping toward the door with whiplash-inducing speed.

Crash!

His flying team shattered the window as incapacitating moves flew through the air—Sing, Hypnosis, Thunder Wave, Yawn, and more.

The room was struck with another wave of shock as the group turned toward the broken window, only to be immediately disabled by the opening salvo.

Alex and the rest of his team followed up, launching their own incapacitating attacks. Alex himself fired Thunder Waves from his twin barrels, targeting any conscious individuals with ruthless precision.

People began dropping one after another. A few tried to fight back, releasing their Pokémon—but they were no match for the aerial squad.

Then came the real threat: five armed men, plus the target and his two goons, unholstered their guns and opened fire.

Alex scoffed. "Cute."

"Forretress, Alcremie—set up," he ordered. Gravity, Stealth Rock, Reflect, and Light Screen came up in quick succession. Still, the gunmen managed to get shots off. Aegislash intercepted them, bracing behind a shimmering King's Shield.

Then the barrier cracked. Aegislash flinched as bullets tore through the defense.

'Scrappy Feints and Phantom Force? Not bad,' Alex thought, returning fire even as Aegislash faltered. He recalled Aegislash who had dangerously low health and sent in Dusknoir to replace him.

Bullets whizzed past, some striking Stealth Rocks and detonating prematurely, while others slowed or deflected against the remaining barriers. But then—both Reflect and Light Screen shattered.

'Brick Break too? These guys have done their research,' Alex mused. 'Six guns ambushing a trainer? That's stronger than most full teams. No wonder they could take down trainers so easily.'

Still, one by one, the men fell. When the smoke cleared, the last enemy hit the ground.

No casualties. Plenty of bruises.

Alex stood in the doorway, sweeping the room with sharp eyes. He spotted crates behind him to the right, tucked into the corner.

He dropped his bag and gave Raticate a signal. His Pokémon poured in behind him, binding the bounty targets with rope from the pack. Meanwhile, Raticate dragged the bag to the corner and began loading the crates into it.

Alex exited the room and paced the floor, scanning for anything useful—until he spotted a security camera.

"Rotom, call the police. Report the incident and submit the bounties," he said aloud.

Rotom popped out of the security camera, zipped into Alex's phone, and replied flatly:

"Cannot enter, private property."

"I see. We'll take who we can and get out," Alex said.

Rotom's reply basically meant the building's owner was powerful enough that the police wouldn't dare storm the place—they'd get wiped out. If not during the raid, then perhaps during the retaliation.

Unlike with Don's case, where he'd been captured and left his property undefended, this owner was still at large—and dangerous enough to retaliate.

Alex was on his own.

"What did you find, Rotom?" Alex asked.

"Security footage over the past thirty days shows no signs of contraband within the building," it replied.

This meant there was no point in poking around an average office building. No money nor hidden cache. Or if there were, Alex would have to spend a significant amount of time to find it.

Back in the meeting room, he recalled most of his team, leaving only the fliers active.

Fifteen individuals had bounties on them, including the main target and his goons. Everyone without a Pokémon made the list. The rest were left tied up—for now. If he was lucky, the League might flag some of them with bounties by tomorrow, once they reviewed his footage.

He tied the bounty targets to Hydreigon's frame, mounted the dragon, and flew out over the slums, leaving the building behind.

A few minutes later, they landed at the nearest police station. Alex submitted the captured individuals along with any evidence his phone or Rotom had recorded. Since the police had no intention of investigating the location, they processed the bounty immediately.

Fifteen million Pokédollars.

His old acquaintance alone carried a ten-million bounty, with an additional one million for each of his goons. The remaining twelve were worth under a million each, but together added another three million to the total.

Because the request had come directly from the police, they didn't take a cut. He'd still have to pay League taxes on the payout, though.

Thankfully, Maris handled all the paperwork now.

Alex's heart softened at the thought of her.

'Bless that woman and her thick thighs. Life's a hell of a lot easier thanks to her,' Alex thought as he flew away from the station.

He landed on the rooftop of a random building, pulled out the crates, and rummaged through them one by one. Inside was Argent Solution's latest shipment of weapons—meant for the buyers back in the meeting room. Guns, bullets, scanners, holsters, magazines, helmets, vests, pants, boots, gloves, grenades...

"Grenades?" Alex said aloud. "They're already working on grenades?"

He was shocked, but it made sense. It was the next logical step in combat weaponry. How do you shoot over a wall? You don't. You toss a timed explosive device instead.

He checked the helmets—they were sturdy. Same for the vests, pants, and combat boots. All designed to resist Pokémon energy. Though none of it would save you from a Snorlax using Body Slam.

'The gear is worth keeping. I'll have to get them tailored,' Alex thought.

He continued sifting through the crates, checking everything. The guns were stronger than the ones Lucan used. Everything else was standard. The bullets came preloaded and ready to fire—no doubt because these supremacists didn't have powerful Pokémon to store moves from.

Alex kept the contents but left the crates on the roof. He had a hunch they were bugged.

Later that night, he flew to Jenny's mansion on Hydreigon. He didn't want to cuntblock his mom, so he left her a note on the dining table—along with a few samples of each item from the crates.

He included special instructions regarding the grenades. These were the kind of contraband that'd piss off the Jennys, so he left notes on their potential applications.

They'd probably get the message.

Alex quickly took off on Hydreigon, heading straight for the farm.

When he entered the mansion, he spotted all the girls gathered in the living area to the left. Some were chatting, others snacking, scrolling through their phones, or just waiting for his return.

"Alex, you're back," Nyx said, visibly relieved.

"Yeah, everything went well. What's going on?"

"I just found out who owns the building. It's not someone you can mess with," Nyx said, her expression pale. "I was terrified I had sent you to your death."

"They weren't home," Alex said with a shrug. "I grabbed all the targets and even picked up a little bonus. Were you all really that worried?"

"You're going up against people on Monica's level, right?" Vera asked, brows furrowed with concern.

"Hell no," Alex replied. "They were small fry. Not a single Elite-rank in sight."

"Except the building's owner. He's an Elite," Nyx said flatly.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Who owns the place?"

"Darren Holt. He's Don's replacement in the drug game—an Elite-rank with a full Electric-type team. Lately, he's been pushing human supremacist ideals and cracking down hard on Don's old allies."

"How does he stack up to Don?"

"Darren has a full team, but Don had an army. Power-wise, they're about even. If Darren had more time, he'd probably surpass him."

"Then it's not a problem."

"What?" Nyx stared at him. "They're both stronger than Monica. How is that not a problem?"

"Because I already took down Don—alone," Alex said confidently. "If Darren's on the same level, then I win. My team's stronger now. We've got this."

"That was you?" Nyx asked, eyes widening. "I read it was Jenny who stormed the place and took everyone in."

"She was rescuing me," Alex said with a smirk. "I let myself get kidnapped, fought a few goons, and took down all of Don's Elites before mom came in and finished the job with her Elite Arcanine. Nothing serious."

Alex comforted the girls before sending them off to bed—except Elara.

"I've got some toys here you might be interested in," he said, handing her a few samples of the guns, scanners, and grenades with instructions.

"Are these guns?" Elara asked, examining one. "They've been trending on social media. All the Jennys are wearing them."

"They are," Alex nodded. "But these aren't for show. They're strong enough to kill with a single shot. The ones the Jennys use are much weaker. Keep them, mess around with them when you're not busy—see what you can do."

"Okay," she replied, tucking them away before heading back to her house.

Nyx and Vera, meanwhile, stayed with Alex that night. They were deeply concerned and needed some pampering and relief.

By the next day, things had mostly returned to normal.

Alex had made enough money from the recent excursion to fund the farm and support the girls until the next harvest—when they could finally stabilize and start turning a profit instead of just burning through resources.

Maris was buried neck-deep in paperwork, while Elara and Kaia were working themselves to the bone out on the fields. The rest of the girls stepped up as well, offering extra support to help manage the mounting stress and heavy workload.

Weeks passed quietly—until, one month later, someone unexpected arrived at the farm.

"Alex Wattson, you're under arrest for assault, trespassing, and damage to public property. I need you to come with us," said an unfamiliar officer, standing with a Mightyena by his side, ready for trouble.

His partner, standing just beside him, gave Alex a smirk.

"Hey Alex... remember me?"

Chapter 91: Chapter 91. Return on Investments

“Hey Alex, remember me?” the other cop said.

Of course, Alex remembered him. He’d been a classmate, the one who ratted him out to Don. The same guy whose older brother had been arrested for corruption. He’d been holding a grudge for over six years.

Now he’d come to personally deliver Alex to the next client. Still, Alex didn’t bother putting a name to the face. He just referred to him as the scout in his head.

“Not particularly, no,” Alex replied, feigning ignorance, which didn’t sit well with the cop.

Smack!

The cop backhanded Alex, then turned him around and cuffed him.

“I’ll make sure you’re brought to justice this time,” he muttered under his breath.

A thick, visceral, murderous aura surged from the mansion, but quickly died down. Alex had given the signal. From this point on, the others would follow the plan.

He was escorted into the police car and driven away from the mansion, back toward the city.

Whatever that was inside the mansion, the cops didn’t want to push their luck any further. Their orders were to apprehend him and take him to the drop off point. Nothing else.

Meanwhile, in the forest next to Alex’s farm...

A group of thirty men, heavily armed with full combat gear, firearms, and Pokémon, waited for the police car to leave before making their move.

Their target: the farm of a rising bounty hunter, the one who took down Monica Alfreds and Lucan Thorne, two powerful Elites in the trafficking business. Their mission was to raid the farm and make it look like a wild Pokémon attack had destroyed everything, including Alex and his team.

“He’s got an Elite-ranked Hydreigon, so we need to bombard it with Play Rough bullets. Let the Pokémon act as a distraction while we focus fire. Is everyone clear?”

Everyone nodded. They were what their employer called an assault team, meant to move in fast, destroy everything, then vanish even faster. They had been operating for a year now, mostly used as hitmen.

But this time, they were about to take down the home of an actual Elite.

“There should be over thirty Pokémon on that farm, and eight women. Most of the Pokémon belong to the target and are all at Expert rank. The rest shouldn’t be a problem, so long as we bring them down one by one. With their trainer gone, they’ll be no different from wild Pokémon and should scatter immediately.”

“The women on the farm used to work for Monica. Maybe we can start a business of our own,” one of the men off to the side commented.

“Let’s get a taste first before we start thinking of opening a shop. Wouldn’t want to piss off the boss over a failed venture,” another man beside him replied.

“Focus. Is everyone clear on the plan?” He received a round of nods. “Alright, let’s move.”

No sooner had they begun to advance when a terrifying, earth-shaking Roar erupted behind them, scattering the group in a panic. Their original plan went out the window immediately. Their Pokémon, reacting to their trainers' fear, also scattered.

The assault team fled, every man for himself, straight toward the unsuspecting farm.

Houndoom, the source of the Roar, gave chase, breathing out flames that engulfed the intruders one after another.

On the left flank, Morpeko rampaged with Aura Wheel, knocking out any Pokémon her tiny hands could reach. The humans who died had bits of them bitten off, though she avoided the faces as Alex instructed, targeting necks and limbs instead.

On the right, Absol unleashed Brutal Swings, cleaving through swathes of Pokémon and humans at a time. She hated these invaders. They had dared to try and take away her human.

Meanwhile, Lyra followed behind Houndoom, leading her team of three to mop up the stragglers the Elites had missed.

Over the past few months of training with Alex, Lyra had become less of a guard and more of a Ranger. Rather than staying at the farm, she patrolled the surrounding wilderness, thinning out local wild Pokémon that got too close to their territory.

The forest outside the farm was her domain. She knew it like the back of her hand, and these intruders didn’t stand a chance once she sprung the ambush, backed by Absol, Morpeko, and Houndoom.

Thanks to Alex’s training, she barely needed to coordinate. She simply directed them and unleashed them at the perfect moment.

This entire defense had been set in motion when Absol sensed an impending disaster that morning. She had whined to Alex, who immediately understood her and came up with the plan to defend their home.

That’s how they had enough time to set up the ambush in the forest.

They knew it wasn’t a Pokémon flood, thanks to the device at the edge of the training ground designed to alert them in such an event as required by the agreement with the surrounding farmers.

Alex had predicted this scenario thanks to Nyx’s concerns a month ago about the building’s owner. Putting the pieces together, he suspected the impending disaster was retaliation for his bounty hunting activities.

They devised a plan, and now, the farm was safe. The last of the intruding Pokémon and their trainers had fallen to the combined force of the Elites and Lyra.

Now, it was Alex and the hunting team’s turn to deal with the source of the problem.

Alex sat in the back of the cop car, silently praising his investment. He was honestly proud of himself for letting this little scout go during Don’s case.

No doubt, the guy was just as corrupt as his brother, always doing the wrong things and finding all the wrong people. People with bounties on their heads that would, conveniently, fund Alex.

‘Though the stock, cough, scout, had been stuck doing decent police work over the past year, he was here now, returning on that investment,’ Alex thought.

It was nice, having someone deliver bounties straight to your doorstep like this. Alex hoped his scout would stay clueless about his real intentions for as long as possible.

The police car pulled up to a familiar warehouse in the slums. Ironically, it was the same one where Don had been arrested. Alex recognized the place and stifled a laugh.

Once they stopped in front of the warehouse, the officers dropped Alex, literally, at the front doors and quickly drove off.

Alex was inspected before being escorted deep inside. The warehouse was a full-on drug manufacturing facility, complete with all the bells and whistles.

Giant vats, large cylindrical containers, gauges, cranes, it looked like a typical villain’s lair from the movies. All it was missing was a shark tank to complete the look.

He was brought to the main office on the top floor, where he was greeted by a blonde, short-haired man with eyeshadow, wearing a striped suit.

‘Looks good. Maybe I should update my wardrobe,’ Alex thought.

To the man’s left and right stood a Jolteon and an Ampharos, both staring Alex down with fierce, intimidating eyes. And it worked. Alex figured his team would probably lose in an all-out fight with this Elite trainer.

They both had guns, after all. Then again, they didn’t use stat-boosting moves, and their guns were too strong, so maybe he had a chance.

‘Nah. He’s running a speed team of six. They’d eat us up, one after another,’ Alex concluded.

“So, you’re the little troublemaker that caught Monica,” the man at the desk said, eyeing Alex carefully.

“And you’re Don’s replacement?” Alex asked.

“The higher-ups have been eyeing Don’s operations for a while, but he was too slippery to pin down. Anyway, I’m here to kill you as payback for capturing Monica. She was one of ours, and we don’t take kindly to being disrespected like that. We have an image to uphold. No hard feelings,” the man said, rounding the table and drawing his gun.

“This is about Monica? I thought you guys dropped weak trainers without a fuss. Honestly, I thought this was about that shipment you lost a month ago,” Alex said, confused.

“You did that?”

“It should’ve popped up on my bounty records.”

“Never checked. Anyway, orders from the top, and I’m here to carry them out. Any last words?”

“What’s the name of your organization? All I know is you’re a bunch of human supremacists.”

“If you know, you’re supposed to know. I’m not dumb enough to rat out the organization. They’re... terrifying. Anyway,” the man said as he aimed the gun at Alex’s forehead, “see—”

Suddenly, the lights went out. Alex tilted his head to the left and quickly slipped out of the cuffs he had secretly unlocked in the car with a lock pick sewn into his clothes. With his left hand, he grabbed the barrel of the gun and pushed it to the right, just in time for it to discharge, firing a Thunderbolt behind him.

In the same motion, he slapped the man’s hand off the grip of the weapon with his right hand. Alex then firmly took hold of the gun, aiming it properly before shooting the man in the shoulder.

A bolt of lightning discharged from the gun, piercing the man's shoulder cleanly and causing him to stagger. He must have had a high Electric affinity to survive the electrocution.

He grabbed the man’s collar, spun him around, and pressed the gun to his head. Jolteon and Ampharos crackled with Electric energy, ready to strike.

“Now, Darren. It is Darren, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Darren stammered.

“You’re going to store your Pokémon and lock your Poké Balls, or I shoot, and we’re both dead.”

“I think they can take you before you shoot.”

“They can. Which would cause me to involuntarily shoot you in the head. Wanna take that gamble?”

Darren sighed, then stored his Pokémon and locked the Poké Balls.

“Smart choice.”

Chapter 92: Chapter 92. A Family Man

"Now, Darren. While my Pokémon tear this place apart, why don’t you tell me about your backers?" Alex said, now sitting behind Darren’s desk, facing the unarmed man across it as explosions echoed from downstairs.

"Like I said earlier, if you know, then you’re supposed to know. Trust me when I say, it’s for your own good."

"Fine. I can drop it. It’s not like I’m intentionally targeting them anyway. I just run into you guys more often than not," Alex replied, disinterested. A brief silence followed, broken when Darren spoke.

"You knew about the cops, didn’t you?" he asked.

Not only did Alex know about the cops, but he also knew that facing Darren in a battle would end in defeat. Darren was a proper trainer with powerful Pokémon, ranked just below Champion level. He would have steamrolled Alex’s team.

Alex’s best bet was to confront Darren and use his gun against him in the dark. Doing so meant throwing away every safety net he had—just for a single shot at winning.

It was a risky gamble, but it paid off.

Plus, the odds were in Alex’s favor. There’s a certain brutal romance to killing a man with a point-blank shot to the head—executioner style, as he kneels before them. Alex figured he could just grab the gun right at that moment, if he could.

"Yup. One of them has a personal grudge against me and would dedicate his entire life to killing me. Of course, he can’t do it himself—he’s a cop, after all. But he can work with guys like you, who would hire him in a heartbeat," Alex explained.

"He doesn’t know that, of course. If he did, he’d lose motivation."

"Haaa," Darren sighed wearily.

"So," Alex continued, "anything here you want to keep away from the cops or the League?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, once the police get wind of what happened here, they’ll probably stroll in like they own the place. They did the same with Don, and they’ll do it again. So, anything you’d prefer I take care of personally rather than let fall into their hands?"

"There’s a safe behind the picture. Code 1142. There’s some cash in there and my private transactions. It’d be great if you could get rid of it. I don’t want them getting their hands on it."

‘Good. Bonus income,’ Alex thought.

"You do know they’ll just read it off your mind, right?"

"We have psychic implants that lobotomize us if our memories are accessed."

"Is that why the League hasn’t taken you guys down yet?"

"It’s also why they don’t mess with Argent Solutions, even though they know it’s owned by our backers."

"Wow, that’s terrifying. So that’s the real reason you won’t tell me their name."

"That, and it’s useless to know. You won’t find them anyway."

"True. Besides, they’re easy enough to identify. Just find the nearest human supremacist and shake them a little," Alex said as he unlocked the safe.

Inside was some petty cash, inventory records, land deeds, bank transfers to shell companies, sources for their raw materials, and several transactions linked to an Amelia and Amy Holt.

"Wife and daughter?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. I don’t want them to lose everything because of my mistakes."

"Why did you join them, by the way? You seem like a decent guy."

"I used to have a son too—until I lost him in a Pokémon flood."

"Ah, that’d do it. I lost my parents as well."

"Then you should understand why I do what I do."

"I understand that it’s stupid. So what if a Pokémon killed your son? You want to kill all Pokémon now? What would you do if I killed your daughter? Wipe out all humans?"

Darren’s aura suddenly spiked, crackling with potent electricity and unmistakable fury. Alex shrugged it off, then casually tossed the transfer record of Holt’s wife and daughter to the floor and blasted it with a Thunderbolt, disintegrating it.

“Point is, it’s stupid to blame anything other than those with actual ill intent. Just eat the Pokémon that killed your son and find a way to forgive yourself. Don’t drag anyone else into your self-hatred. You already lost a son. Now you’ll lose your wife and daughter.”

“The League could have prevented everything!” Darren shouted.

“Not unless you want to piss off Arceus,” Alex replied. “Face it—Pokémon are a force of nature. They own this world whether we like it or not. And honestly, it’s nice having them around, threats and all. The alternative’s just as bad. Humans won’t stop dying if there aren’t any Pokémon. They’d just kill each other instead.”

Darren sat in silence, fuming, as Alex gave up trying to convince him. People like Darren carried more hate than they knew what to do with—because they’d lost someone they should’ve protected. Worse, they couldn’t find anyone to properly blame and get revenge on.

“Anything else? Maybe a cache of weapons or a room full of cash?” Alex asked casually.

“In the office building you raided last month. There’s a cache hidden in the loading dock,” Darren said, finally meeting Alex’s eyes. “Take it as thanks for protecting my family.”

‘Another bonus. Nice,’ Alex thought.

As the explosions and echoing cries around the building began to die down, Alex stood and asked one last question before taking charge of the cleanup.

“Why the eyeshadow? It looks very emo,” he asked, genuinely curious.

“Electric-type Pokémon create blinding flashes when they battle. I wear it to reduce the glare.”

“Ah. Makes sense.” Alex nodded. “Alright then. Just sit tight while I clean up the place.”

Alex cleaned up the entire building with his Pokémon by evening, then called the cops to come in, stating that he’d be submitting Darren along with everyone else who had a bounty.

Once the cops arrived, Alex submitted video evidence recorded by Rotom during the raid before leaving in a hurry.

He needed to empty the cache before the League could send their own people to sweep the property.

The cache contained more guns, money, bullets, and other gear than Alex knew what to do with. He basically had enough equipment to heavily arm a hundred men.

In the end, he decided to hand over everything—except the money, bullets, and grenades—to Jenny at the mansion before heading home. She might find a use for all that top-of-the-line equipment.

The bounty, however, wasn’t nearly as significant as the money he’d found in the cache. In total, he made seven million from the bounties of everyone there. Even the previous bounty had been worth more than Darren and his crew.

Darren may have been a greater threat than Don, but he had caused less trouble. That meant the League wouldn’t bankrupt themselves over one Darren—unlike Don, who had caused significant economic damage across three regions.

With this financial windfall, Alex now had over 50 million Pokédollars—and within the next two weeks, he’d have even more once the first batch of harvests was ready.

When Alex made it back home, he ended up calling the police again—to retrieve the assault team that had attacked his farm while he was away. Or at least, what was left of them.

Morpeko had done a real number on the intruders. Many were missing chunks of flesh from their necks and limbs. Not many had survived.

Alex liked it this way; it made one thing clear—the farm was a death trap, and attacking it would be a fatal mistake. Hopefully, people will take the hint.

Alex checked in on Lyra and found that, while she was mostly fine with the deaths, she had clearly taken some time to calm down after being visibly shaken by the carnage.

She’d taken the job thinking she would only have to defend the farm against wild Pokémon—completely forgetting about Alex’s line of work.

The battle had been a wake-up call for her to start taking the job seriously—otherwise, she might end up dead from a stronger assault on the farm.

Lyra wasn’t the only one who got a wake-up call. The other girls now had firsthand experience with what Alex actually did for a living—and it terrified them a little.

That is, until Maris shared the farm’s updated budget and their significantly healthier bank accounts. Suddenly, they didn’t mind quite as much, as long as he kept the battles away from the farm.

Over the next two weeks, Alex checked in on the progress of the berry trees and the hydroponic farm and found it satisfactory.

The only real problem was the lack of manpower and the heavy reliance on Elara—without her, the entire hydroponics system would collapse. So, Alex had Elara write up a user manual for the tech, while he bought some supporting Pokémon to help Kaia manage the berry trees.

Thanks to the increased budget, he went a little overboard and picked up a few extras.

He assigned a Grimer to the septic tanks and a pair of Goomy and Dewpider to handle algae and mineral deposit cleanup in the hydroponic farms, keeping everything clean and sterilized—all of them acquired from the local sewage facility.

A pair of highly trained Minccino, evolved into Cinccino, were assigned to clean the houses and mansion, acquired from a breeder specializing in training house-cleaning Pokémon.

He also picked up a pair of Skiddo to help Kaia with harvesting and maintenance, along with a Vespiquen and a pair of male Combee to assist with pollination and honey production. All sourced from the neighboring farms who were happy to sell them as an apology for setting up the wall.

Overall, the place was truly starting to look more and more like a real Pokémon farm.

Chapter 93: Chapter 93. Harvest Time

It had been two weeks since taking down Darren, and the farm was finally ready for its first harvest. Setting up the hydroponic system took time, especially given the scale of the operation for just one person—but thankfully, the Pokémon had been a tremendous help throughout the process.

The farm operated on 29,700 units per growth cycle, translating to approximately 178,200 individual vegetables. With each vegetable selling at an average of 50 Pokédollars, this brought in a gross income of roughly 8.91 million Pokédollars per cycle. After deducting taxes and operational costs, the net revenue came to 6.237 million.

In recognition of the girls' exceptional work, Alex raised their salaries to match the highest current market rate—300,000 Pokédollars each. Factoring in their pay, along with the monthly cost of feeding the Pokémon, the final income settled at approximately 2 million Pokédollars per monthly cycle, securing the farm's place as a highly efficient and profitable venture.

As for the berry farm, it hosts around 1,000 berry trees, each producing approximately 400 berries per 4 months growth cycle—resulting in a monthly yield of about 100,000 berries. After accounting for the farm's own consumption of roughly 10,000 berries per month, that leaves 90,000 berries available for sale.

While individual berry prices can vary, the average market value sits around 100 Pokédollars per berry, generating an estimated gross income of 9 million Pokédollars per month. After taxes and operating expenses, the net profit comes out to about 6 million.

The hydroponic farm, meanwhile, is expected to see reduced profits due to upcoming upgrades initiated by the League to improve farming efficiency across the region. These upgrades are based on a paper Alex plans to submit, detailing his advanced hydroponic methods.

Once shared, other farmers will be able to grow vegetables and other related crops more efficiently, increasing supply and driving down market prices—ultimately reducing the income Alex earns from his own produce.

With these changes in mind, Alex anticipates the hydroponic farm will break even, while the berry tree farm will continue to generate a steady profit of around 2 million Pokédollars per month.

Does this mean the hydroponics farm is useless and should be removed? No, because the produce Alex makes and sells would fulfill his production requirements to continue owning the farm.

Plus, breaking even covers the cost of Pokemon food and the girls salaries so technically, they made a profit then used it for upkeep.

This outcome falls well within Alex's expectations.

As long as the farm can cover the ongoing maintenance and care for the Pokémon, he considers the venture a success—especially given that the costs include enough Expert-ranked Pokémon meat to keep everyone well-fed. It's the highest-quality food they could afford without going over their monthly income.

Finished reading Maris's report on their sales, Alex turned his attention to his own scientific paper on hydroponic farming. Once complete, he submitted a copy online to the League for evaluation and distribution.

This was one of the reasons why his hydroponics farm wasn't as profitable as the berry farm. The crops grown were a wide variety of vegetables rather than focusing on a few high-profit options—he needed the diversity for the sake of the paper.

After stretching lightly, Alex decided to spend the rest of the day inspecting the farm. The Cinccino had just arrived and needed to start cleaning, so it was a good time to leave the room. He stepped out onto the balcony and leapt down from the third floor.

With a heavy thud, Alex landed, easily brushing off the impact before heading toward the berry farm.

As an Elite-ranked trainer who had been consuming high-ranked Pokémon meat and pushing his training regimen for years, Alex was now strong enough to take on Adept-rank Pokémon in direct combat. He remained consistently impressed by what people in this world could achieve when pushing the human limit.

It made sense, though, considering the relationship between humans and Pokémon. Trainers couldn't hope to command Elite-ranked battles if they weren't capable of keeping up. Pokémon at that level fought at such incredible speeds that the human eye couldn't follow—let alone survive being anywhere near the battlefield.

So, trainers grew stronger alongside their Pokémon to maintain their place as commanders.

Alex arrived at the orchard, where berry trees stood in neat rows. Kaia and the Skiddo patrolled between them, using Razor Leaf or Vine Whip to pluck ripe berries and store them in small space pouches attached to their sides.

He walked until he reached a small lake at the orchard's center. Feebas, Magikarp, and Wishiwashi swam lazily in the water.

The Feebas and Magikarp were part of Alex's plan to eventually raise a Milotic and a Gyarados to defend the farm. They were added to the shopping cart at an impulse buy because Alex wanted a water team in the future.

The Wishiwashi came from an older project—Alex had purchased them long ago to produce Beat Up x6 bullets for Arcanine and had cared for them diligently until Vera took over as their breeder.

Finishing his inspection, Alex made his way back and spotted Vespiquen and her pair of Combee returning from a successful harvest in the forest. They'd been persuaded to nest inside the mansion's right-side entrance for easier access to their honey.

The honey production was just enough to supply the Pokémon, the staff, and Alex himself. Lina would often come to collect it whenever the nest was full—with the Pokémon's permission, of course.

Continuing his walk, he reached the training grounds, which were neatly sectioned off: the outer rim for running, the west side for sparring, and the east side for target practice. Twenty floating drones hovered there, with the forest providing a natural backdrop.

Alex still practiced his shooting from time to time, and it had paid off—he could now confidently hit targets from 50 meters away while firing rapidly.

As he passed through, he noticed Raticate, Arcanine, Aegislash, and Lyra with her Pokémon diligently training and honing their move proficiency, in contrast to the rest of the group, who were noticeably less motivated.

His three newly acquired Elite-ranked Pokémon were especially lazy—but understandably so. Their primary role was to deter wild Pokémon, and at most, they would patrol the forest to mark their territory before spending the rest of the day lounging or getting massages from Mira.

After rounding the corner of the property, Alex reached the hydroponics farm—a complex of nine greenhouses all connected to a central nutrient-mixing tank. The system used recycled water, passed through a reverse osmosis filter and UV light treatment to eliminate minerals and bacteria.

The entire farm was also connected to a generator that could be powered by an Electric-type move, providing enough energy to run the system for a week—far more efficient than solar panels.

Alex didn't bother going inside but inspected the structures from the outside. Goomy slithered across the floors and walls, consuming mineral deposits and algae, while Dewpider followed behind to clean up the slime, making sure everything drained into the drainage system.

Goomy even cleaned the glass walls, ceilings, and individual hydroponic units, carefully unclogging sprayers. Dewpider handled the final polish, power-washing everything in its wake. With two teams working together, they can easily maintain the farms indefinitely.

As for the tedious process of planting and harvesting individual vegetables, Elara developed an automated system to handle everything. It consisted of two machines:

The first was a conveyor belt-style machine that prepared seeds and inserted them into neoprene collars, which were designed to break down by the time the vegetables matured. It also removed the roots and cleaned the harvested vegetables for shipment.

The second was a robotic rover equipped with two articulated arms and a space bag mounted on top for storage. It distributed the prepared seeds into each hydroponic unit across the greenhouses and, once the vegetables matured, collected the produce for cleaning and delivery.

The entire process was automated to minimize human contamination, only requiring manual intervention if the greenhouse cameras detected rotting or dying plants that needed replacing.

Alex finished inspecting the greenhouses and finally returned to the mansion, where he would be having dinner with the girls. It had been a productive and lucrative day for all of them—definitely worth celebrating.

On his way to the dining area, he crossed paths with Nyx, who had just exited the server room after finishing some maintenance.

"Hey, sexy. How's payday been?" Nyx asked.

"Well within expectations. We should see strong profits until the League rolls out my research. Once that happens, we'll likely stabilize at around two million in monthly income—mostly thanks to the fruit trees."

"Still not as much as you make bounty hunting."

"Assuming I spend every waking moment out there chasing targets. Got any new ones?"

"I might have one, but they're slippery. Give me a few more days."

"Take all the time you need. Just make sure I'm free in six weeks—I'm challenging the Ghost Gym in Lavender City."

"Alright."

As Alex's personal informant, Nyx received 10% of his bounty earnings—far more than the 1% hazard pay the other girls received. Naturally, she was far more enthusiastic about her work.

Now that Alex no longer had to scrape together every last Pokédollar just to feed his Pokémon, he could finally afford to be generous.

The pair arrived at the mansion's elegant dining area, where Lina had already laid out a generous spread for everyone.

Dinner began with an income report from Maris, who took a moment to congratulate Elara and Kaia for their excellent work. The meal ended on a high note—with a decadent cake made from Vespiquen's honey, Lina's Miltank's milk and Alcremie's crème. It was divine.

They wrapped up the evening with a little fun—an indulgent reward for a day well spent.

Tomorrow, Alex would return to his true calling: bounty hunting.

Chapter 94: Chapter 94. Relationships

Early the next morning, Alex woke to find only Vera by his side. She was usually the last to wake, since most of her responsibilities revolved around studying. Normally, he was the first to rise thanks to his training routine—but today, he'd chosen to sleep in, just to catch her alone.

"Morning, beautiful. Decided to sleep in?" Vera asked as she noticed him stirring.

"I wanted to ask you something," Alex replied, his voice awake and carefully neutral.

"That sounds serious. What is it?"

He looked at her for a moment, then sighed. "Why are you and the girls flirting with me?"

Vera let out an audible sigh and tried to sit up, but Alex gently pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug.

"I don't know what you girls really want from me," he whispered. "So I'm just going to lay everything out—and you can all decide for yourselves."

"I'm a violent person, Vera. That's why I became a bounty hunter. I crave chaos. Battle. Victory. I live for the fight. But that also means I make enemies. And enemies don't let you have a family."

He paused, tightening his grip slightly.

"My mom—Jenny—she's safe because of her family. No one touches her because of their power, their money, their legacy. On paper, all I have to cherish is a farm and a handful of replaceable prostitutes on payroll."

Vera elbowed him sharply in the ribs at the insult, but he continued, unbothered.

"From an enemy's perspective, losing my farm? That's just a few months of work to rebuild. Losing staff? A minor hiring inconvenience. Losing you? Maybe an afternoon spent scrolling through resumes. But if I had a family—if they knew I had something precious—they'd use it."

"If I ever got married, had kids… they'd become targets. Easy leverage to control me. Right now, the world sees you all as employees. That keeps you safe. But if I made that something more—if I gave them something that could hurt me—you'd all be in danger."

He exhaled slowly, as if steadying something inside.

"I can't stop fighting. It's who I am. It's what I want. I need to reach a point where no one can touch me—or anyone I care about. Then, maybe, I'll think about the future. About something more."

"We'd all be old and gray by then, stupid," Vera muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry if that's not what you or the others want to hear. But I can't change that."

He rested his chin on her shoulder, voice softening.

"That's why I built all of you your own houses—so you could live your lives, have families, be happy. You've all been through enough. You deserve more than I can offer. And I'll keep providing for you, no matter what."

"I hired you girls so you could earn money, learn new things, gain experience, and leave when you're ready to settle down. What happens from this point on—that's up to you."

Alex started to pull away, turning to get up, but Vera quickly shifted and pulled him back—this time, she was the one hugging him.

"We had sex with you to thank you, at first. No… that's a lie. It was to wash away the pain," Vera said, burying her face against his back. "We wanted to start fresh—with memories of loving our savior. Something to replace the most horrible nights we've each lived through. It was supposed to ease the trauma… lighten the burden."

"Then you offered us a new beginning. Protection. We thought you just wanted to keep sleeping with us, but you were genuine. So we kept trying to thank you… while replacing more of the old memories."

"At some point, you became the only thing on our minds. So we wanted more. We wanted to see what you'd decide. Would you keep us all? Just a few? Just one?" Vera added playfully.

"That's why we started flirting. We wanted an edge over the others—without sabotaging anyone. We couldn't do that to each other. I'm sorry if—"

"No," Alex interrupted. "You girls did a good job. I was properly riled up. I'm just… too focused on fighting right now."

"I get that now." She paused, then asked in a teasing tone, "By the way, who would win if you had to choose? We think it's Maris. She has unnaturally thick and juicy thighs."

"I can't choose. I don't know why," Alex admitted softly. "Maybe it's because I don't see any of you as anything other than women I need to protect—women who've suffered and deserve the world and more. That's why I never hesitate to grant your requests, and why I do it gladly.

"So if I had to choose right now… I'd choose all of you, without picking favorites. Every one of you who's still here and still desires my affection until you leave. In my heart, I'll keep pampering you until the day I die or I get married."

"Ouch. So we've been trauma-zoned? Victim-zoned?" she teased, pretending to be hurt.

They were about to slip into lighthearted banter when Alex's phone buzzed. It was Nyx calling.

"Alex, we've got a target. But you have to hurry—your window's closing fast," Nyx said over the line.

"Send me the coordinates," Alex replied, hanging up right after.

"Gotta go. I'll see you later."

"Stay safe."

Alex quickly got dressed before assembling his hunting team. He rode off on Hydreigon toward a coordinate placed half a day east of their location. The place was close, but deep within a forest where Elites had started patrolling their territories.

Upon arriving at the coordinate location, he found a ransacked camp that was already being disturbed by local wild Pokémon.

A Roar from Hydreigon sent the wild Pokémon scattering as they landed. Alex released Arcanine while storing Hydreigon.

"Look for a trail, buddy. We need to capture the ones who did this. Rotom, start recording."

Arcanine began sniffing around, picking up various scents. Some led to burnt remains, others to a pit that had been freshly covered, and some led deeper into the forest. Arcanine immediately bolted after it, with Alex riding on his back.

Arcanine followed the scent, sprinting at full speed. He stacked Agility and dodged trees with Extreme Speed.

If he could escape an Elite-ranked Dragonite, he could certainly catch one. Given that their bounty wasn't likely as powerful, they should be able to catch up quickly enough.

After three hours of searching, well into the night, they finally found their prey—a woman bathing in the river, with all her Pokémon out and on guard.

Liepard, Salazzle, Mismagius, Sableye, and Froslass were scattered around the perimeter while the woman bathed. Alex called out his Pokémon and had Metagross take the lead in coordinating them while he rode Arcanine to steal their Poké Balls among the woman's things as quickly as possible.

Explosions rang out as the battle began. Alex grabbed the Poké Balls and locked her Pokemon in before they could destroy the forest.

Alex turned to the river's surface—surprisingly, the woman was gone. She had left behind no tracks or scent to follow. As he gathered her belongings, he found another Poké Ball, likely belonging to the Pokémon that had dragged her to safety at the first sign of battle.

Without hesitation, he sent Clawitzer to pursue her underwater. She wouldn't be able to get far and Clawitzer can track her underwater.

Suddenly, an explosion of water erupted a hundred meters away upstream. Alex stored his Pokémon and rode Arcanine to follow the sounds of battle as trees began to fall and explosions continued to ring out.

Alex was about to resume his pursuit when he was suddenly struck by a Dazzling Gleam—blocked just in time by Arcanine used Protect.

"Pokémon Rangers! Stop right there! You're under arrest! How dare you attack a woman while she's bathing?!" shouted an enraged man as he burst out of the treeline, a Ribombee fluttering beside him.

Alex subtly signaled with his fingers, sending Dusknoir and Ceruledge to secretly support Clawitzer with the battle. Then, he turned his attention to the Ranger.

"Bounty hunter, tracking a bounty," Alex replied coolly, then smirked. "Didn't know Rangers were into spying on naked women. Is being a pervert part of the job description?"

"What! I—how dare you!" the man stammered, violently pointing a finger at Alex.

Alex noted that the man looked young—around his own age. Probably someone who got into the Ranger program through a family recommendation. Either that, or he was a prodigy, but based on their interaction, Alex highly doubted the latter.

Explosions echoed in the distance before Dusknoir came rushing back, carrying a fainted Ceruledge and Clawitzer. Moments later, a man appeared, riding a Mudsdale with the unconscious woman draped over his back.

"Tsk," Alex clicked his tongue in annoyance as he recognized what had happened.

It was obvious now—he had sent his partner to stall Alex while he went ahead and claimed the bounty.

To have taken down both Ceruledge and Clawitzer so quickly… this one was no rookie. A professional Ranger, through and through.

"Identify yourself, or you will be arrested by the Rangers," the man said flatly, without a trace of concern.

"Bounty hunter," Alex replied. "Who just had his bounty stolen. Good job sending this idiot. I had to comment on his stupidity—which gave you all the time you needed."

"You snooze, you lose, loser," the manchild beside Alex added smugly, rejoining his partner.

"Drop her belongings and move along, Bounty Hunter. There's no bounty for you here," the professional Ranger said, calm and composed.

Alex exhaled and complied. He'd lost this round—and he wasn't about to throw a tantrum over it.

'Just a 2 million bounty anyway,' Alex thought.

He dropped the woman's things and was about to turn around when the manchild decided to throw one last comment.

"Yeah, that's right, loser—off you go. You're just some money-grubbing piece of shit anyway. Go run home to your mommy," he mocked.

It was at this moment that Alex's inner corrupt cop popped up to the surface. Cops do it all the time, right? Using their god-given authority to right all wrongs and fix the world? To have the world bow down to their sagely, perfect selves?

Why couldn't he impose his godly will upon the world? Why must he allow his pride to be insulted? He has the authority to do as he pleases—so he will do just that.

Chapter 95: Chapter 95. Trouble with the Rangers

"I was going to do as you said, but something seems suspicious to me. You've been tracking this woman long enough to know she was bathing, and yet you only came out of hiding when I showed up. I think you're working with this woman to make some money on the side," Alex said righteously as he dismounted Arcanine.

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with me and undergo a psychic evaluation to prove your innocence," Alex said as he released the rest of his Pokémon.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the man asked as he and his partner smirked, releasing their own Pokémon—twelve in total, with five Elites all belonging to the older Ranger.

The man-child had small Fairy-types, while the senior Ranger controlled Ground-types.

"Yes, very much so," Alex said as he unholstered his guns, and pointed them at the Rangers.

"You must work for the human supremacists if you have those. You'll have to be placed under arrest now," the man-child commented.

"I guess we'll have to see," Alex said as he pointed both guns at Arcanine and Hydreigon and fired.

Arcanine received a Beat Up x6, boosting his Attack to the max stack while maintaining his Speed at max from the earlier Agility. He was essentially ready to rampage—except his stamina was running low.

Hydreigon received a Decorate, boosting her Attack and Special Attack.

The senior Ranger's eyes widened when he detected the surge in stats. They were already starting to lose this battle before it even began.

"Attack!" he shouted. He couldn't allow the enemy to continue building their advantage.

Alex's Pokémon quickly got into formation, setting up their firing squad as Arcanine bolted forward with an Extreme Speed that knocked out Ribombee in a single hit. The opposing Rangers were slower in setting up their formation, costing them one Pokémon already.

Arcanine darted into the forest to avoid being singled out early.

Hydreigon let out a powerful Snarl, but it had no effect as the opposing side managed to complete a Protect-sharing formation.

Meanwhile, Alex continued firing Decorate at all of his Pokémon, maxing them out as both formations held.

The senior Ranger was beginning to have doubts. It was becoming clear they would lose the battle if it devolved into melee. They would have to hold on for as long as possible.

"Shorten the formation and start boosting stats," the senior Ranger commanded.

Alex wasn't about to let them regain the advantage. He swapped magazines to Feint and Phantom Force rounds and started firing at the enemy formation.

Hydreigon repeated her Snarl and finally dealt real damage, lowering the Special Attack of those whose Protect had been shattered.

"We can't win this—we need to escape," the senior Ranger said as he mounted Mudsdale, pulling the woman up with him.

"What about me?" the man-child asked, staring incredulously at his senior.

He didn't have a fast Pokémon. All of his were small and not quick enough to escape from Alex.

The senior Ranger ignored him and tried to flee—only for a Crobat to swoop in from above the canopy and use Mean Look, locking them in place. It then used Quick Attack to return to Alex's side.

"Tsk," the senior Ranger clicked his tongue in annoyance. It looked like he'd have to use his trump card after all.

He released an Elite-ranked Tyranitar, who was clearly enraged at everything around it. It immediately unleashed an Earthquake that shook everything within a city-block radius.

The formation on both sides was instantly broken—the Rangers' Pokémon fainted from the damage, while Alex's were merely thrown into disarray due to the unstable ground.

"Knock them all out. Don't let the trainers escape," Alex commanded as he approached the Tyranitar, trying to use his affinity to calm it down as his Pokemon circled around.

"Hey there, big guy. The sun's getting real low."

"Roar!" Tyranitar bellowed and charged at Alex at full speed, murderous intent burning in its eyes.

Alex sighed. "It was worth a shot."

Just as Tyranitar was about to land a Crunch, Aegislash emerged from Alex's shadow and used King's Shield, completely negating the damage.

'Upper Elite-rank. Clearly wild… but also enraged? Something's wrong with this Pokémon,' Alex assessed as Tyranitar traded blows with Aegislash.

Tyranitar repeatedly used Dark-type moves while Aegislash countered with Sacred Sword, dealing tremendous damage. But it wasn't enough—Aegislash hadn't received any of Alex's earlier Decorate shots, unlike the rest of the team.

Sensing that Aegislash was losing, Alex shot him with Coaching and Heal Pulse to slowly turn the tide. After a few more exchanges, Tyranitar finally fainted.

Alex quickly regrouped with his team and was surprised to find they had already won.

Tyranitar's earlier Earthquake had knocked out the enemy Pokémon whose shields had been broken by Alex's Feint and Phantom Force rounds. The opposing team lost completely when Dusknoir kept breaking their Protects one by one with Phantom Force while they were surrounded.

With the battle over, Alex gave his usual command.

"Clean up," he told his Pokémon.

"Rotom, contact the Psychic Gym in Saffron City to book a psychic evaluation for suspected corrupt Rangers. Send them the video of the entire encounter—start with the campsite, then skip to the ambush on the woman," Alex ordered.

Alex might have exercised his rights as a corrupt cop, but the pair were ultimately quite suspicious. Why had they just watched the woman bathe? Why was the senior Ranger allowing his junior to act like a fool and ignore his taunting behavior? And why was the Tyranitar enraged?

Alex reasoned they were trying to provoke him. They couldn't break any laws directly—not with the recording device in his front pocket—but if they could get him to start the fight, they'd have an excuse to retaliate and deal with him however they pleased. He wasn't certain, but the whole situation reeked of a setup.

So, Alex played it safe. He recalled all their Pokémon, including the Dragalge left fainted at the bottom of the river belonging to the woman, tied up the trainers, and began making his way back to the city on Hydreigon.

Halfway through the flight, they were intercepted by a trainer riding a Noivern.

"Halt! You are under arrest for the illegal capture of a Senior Ranger. Lock your Pokémon and submit, or you will be forcibly detained with a heavier sentence," the rider declared, a scowl on his face.

Alex glanced at his phone and noted the gym's response: a simple "Sure."

"I'm under orders from the Psychic Gym in Saffron City to bring these individuals in," Alex replied, his tone cold despite the obvious nonsense he was spewing. "And I've received no communication from the Rangers. I'll have to detain you for impersonating a Ranger."

The rider looked like he was about to have an aneurysm.

"That won't be necessary," came an aged voice.

A Champion-ranked Salamence hovered beside the Noivern, its rider calm and imposing.

Alex hadn't even noticed its arrival. One moment it wasn't there—the next, it simply was. He was floored by the Champion's aura, his thoughts scattering, but he still tried to hold his ground.

"I—" he began, before a message popped up on his device: a direct transmission from the Rangers' general communications line, officially requesting that he cease and desist.

It wasn't like Alex had a real chance of escaping at this point, but he had his pride—and was still trying to rack up brownie points with the League by following protocols.

"Understood, sir," he said, landing and releasing the captives from Hydreigon.

It was a shame, but Alex knew when he was in over his head. Fighting Rangers was one thing. Dying on this hill? That was another.

"Bullying juniors now, are we?" a familiar voice said from behind Alex.

He felt the psychic vibrations of an incoming Teleport just before it arrived, and was greeted by the pleasant sight of Sabrina, with her Alakazam standing behind her.

Sabrina didn't like how the situation had escalated following the Rangers' response, so she pinpointed Alex's location and teleported over.

The two Rangers landed nearby, and the rider of the Salamence dismounted, stepping forward.

"Just trying to rescue a bunch of juniors. I think you can understand, Gym Leader Sabrina," said the muscular and grey-haired man.

"Gavin, we both know due process is required when such suspicions arise. And you have no authority over me when it comes to spontaneous psychic evaluations," Sabrina replied calmly.

"Of course. But if I may suggest—why not read this young man's memories before doubting my Rangers?"

Sabrina turned to Alex, who simply nodded.

She had already read his memories once before. Letting her take another look wouldn't hurt.

"I accept the psychic evaluation," Alex said confidently.

Sabrina stepped forward and placed her hand on his head—reaching up now, as he stood taller than her.

A flood of memories rushed through her mind, tracing Alex's journey from their first encounter to the present day. She was genuinely impressed by how far he'd come in just five years.

He had built up a hefty bounty list, amassing enough wealth to support an elite training lifestyle for his Pokémon.

She also reconfirmed his exceptional affinity for Dark-types. As before, he offered full access to his thoughts—save for that ever-present blotch of darkness, still sealed and unreadable. A mystery for another time.

Chapter 96: Chapter 96. Relationships 2

"His suspicions are valid," Sabrina finally said, stepping back. "They delayed the arrest, were confrontational—excessively so—and there's an unaccounted, enraged Pokémon." She then extended her hand toward Alex. "Hand over the Tyranitar as evidence."

Alex fished the Poké Ball from his bag and handed it over.

"I'll have to investigate further. You understand, Gavin?" Sabrina asked as Alakazam stepped protectively between them.

"Of course. As you please," Gavin said, maintaining a polite smile.

Sabrina then read the memories of the captured Rangers, including the woman's.

"Quite the operation they had going," she commented, eyes narrowing.

"The woman is Orin's girlfriend, and the junior is complicit. They'll all be arrested—not just for her crimes, but also for purchasing poached and experimented Pokémon from the Black Market."

"Perhaps we can arrange something else for young Briar," Gavin offered. "Clearly, he was led astray by his senior, Orin."

"You'll have to take that up with the League. His family will certainly move to do so."

"Very well. I'll leave this matter in your hands," Gavin said, conceding. He had done his due diligence for the boy's family—now, they would have to clean up his mess.

Gavin gave Alex a proper look, a glint of regret in his eyes. The boy would have to deal with the fallout of arresting Briar Thornhart.

"You have exceptional skills to track a bounty and defeat both a junior and senior Ranger in the forest. Would you be interested in joining us?" Gavin asked sincerely.

"Thank you, but I prefer taking down criminals over wild Pokémon. Besides, my mom's a Jenny—so it's only fair I take up a job that gives criminals headaches," Alex replied respectfully.

"A shame. I'll take my leave, then. It was a pleasure, Sabrina," Gavin said, mounting his Salamence. The Noivern rider followed closely behind as they took off.

"You sure like getting yourself into trouble," Sabrina said, arms crossed. "The mayor, Don, Monica, Darren, and now the Thornharts."

"Occupational hazard, I'm afraid," Alex replied. "Bounty hunters tend to make enemies left and right, from both the criminal Underworld and the League. It's part of how we're able to stretch the League's laws and still contribute to society."

"Be careful. Too much freedom or chaos comes with its own set of problems. I hope you manage to survive the fallout. Goodbye, Alex."

With that, Alakazam teleported her away—fugitives and their belongings in tow.

Alex was left alone on Route 8, a few hours from home, with Hydreigon by his side.

'Did I just get a new scout in the form of a young master?' Alex thought with excitement.

Briar Thornhart sounded self-important enough to come pick a fight with him in the shadows. Alex couldn't wait to profit off the hitmen that they would send his way. With luck, he wouldn't even have to leave the farm to find a good fight.

'I'll have to apologize to the girls, though…' he lamented.

He was about to bring danger home—literally. Hopefully, his talk with Vera would convince a few of them to leave him. The farm was already set up, and they had enough money and experience to start new lives elsewhere.

Alex pushed the thoughts aside and rode Hydreigon home. On the way, he checked his accounts and noticed an extra two million deposited for the woman's bounty.

Nothing came from the Rangers, though—there were no bounties on them, and the League didn't seem inclined to compensate him. In fact, they might even be considering punishing him because of the Thornharts.

In any case, Alex would simply have to bear with it.

A few hours later, he arrived home just as the sun peeked over the horizon, marking the start of a new day. He wasn't tired or sleepy, but after the long trip, a bath was definitely in order—maybe even a massage.

Hydreigon landed smoothly on the balcony, and Alex dismounted, releasing the rest of his Pokémon to frolic and go about their day. He greeted Absol with a few affectionate rubs before heading inside.

Inside, he was welcomed by the beautiful sight of all six girls stirring in his bed.

"Sorry for waking you, girls. Don't mind me—I'm heading to the shower," Alex said, already stripping out of his clothes as he walked to the bathroom.

Purchasing the Cinccino had definitely been one of his better impulse buys—they kept up with everything. Cleaning, organizing, laundry—there was never a need to lift a finger. They managed the mansion and even took care of the girls' houses.

After a quick rinse, Alex eased into the bath, letting the hot water and bath salts work their magic. His muscles relaxed, and the lingering fatigue began to melt away.

That Champion-ranked Salamence had been a real source of stress for Alex. It was on a completely different level compared to Elite-ranked Pokémon.

When it locked eyes with him, Alex's instincts screamed certain death. There was no comparison—it was the kind of pressure only a true apex predator could exert.

Suddenly, the girls filed into the spacious bath one after another, each in all their radiant, unashamed beauty.

"Alex, we want to talk," Vera said, stepping forward as the unofficial representative.

"Of course," Alex replied casually, already prepared for anything they might bring up.

"I've spoken with the others," Vera began, her tone calm and serious. "Some of us have decided to stay, while others feel it's time to move on. I'm staying. I still have studying to do if I want to become a certified breeder."

To become a breeder, one needed to pass a comprehensive exam covering Pokémon knowledge—everything from berries and Pokéblocks to egg groups, egg moves, and even Pokémon meat. Breeder ranks included Junior, Senior, Chief, and Master, each more respected than the last.

"I've decided to leave," Maris said, her voice steady but warm. "Running the farm was an amazing start to my career, but my real goal is to manage companies. I want to become a successful businesswoman. This job gave me valuable experience and financial freedom—and the sex was a great bonus," she added with a cheeky grin, "but I'm aiming for more."

"I'd like a stake in your company, if you'll have me," Alex replied smoothly. "Take whatever funds you need to start something of your own. Nyx can help you steer clear of shady partners. And if any trouble shows up, just send them my way."

"That would save me years of work," Maris said with a genuine smile, leaning in to give him a deep, grateful kiss.

"I'm leaving too," Elara said. "I need access to top-tier engineering labs—real companies, with cutting-edge materials and tech. What I can do here is limited. And that gun you gave me? It was insanely illegal. I'm an industrial manufacturer, not an arms dealer."

"I'm sorry for putting you in that position, Elara," Alex said sincerely. "Do you want me to connect you with Devon Corp in Hoenn? They're the ones who built the Jennys and my guns."

"I'd appreciate the help. Thank you," she replied.

"I'm leaving as well," Lyra added. "Learning to navigate the forest was invaluable, but I need more if I want to become a strong trainer. I need to catch and raise Pokémon myself. And honestly, the farm never needed guarding—you've got your Elites for that."

"You're wrong there," Alex said. "I could always use more bodyguards. I keep making enemies left and right. And the training grounds are always open for you, Lyra."

Then came Nyx. "I want to stay forever," she said bluntly, sinking into the water beside him. "As long as I can fuck you every once in a while, I'm good. I don't need a marriage certificate—just don't throw me away when you do get married."

She was simply content with her current lifestyle: a behemoth of a server to run her games and programs, justified access to the dark web, a powerful protector, and a dom who knew exactly how to stir her insides. As far as she was concerned, this was the ideal life.

"Same," Kaia added with a playful smile. "I've got everything I need—an orchard of my own, strong Pokémon to watch over it, and a stud of a lover to keep me warm at night."

The truth was, none of the six believed they deserved a "proper" relationship. Not with a loving husband or children of their own. Their pasts weighed heavy on them. The memories they carried made them feel used, dirty—unworthy of more.

Sleeping with Alex, someone who knew their history and still accepted them, felt safer than chasing something they believed they didn't deserve.

Meanwhile, Alex was oblivious to their need for a psychiatrist. He had a few screws loose himself, truth be told—and probably needed one just as much.

In the end, three chose to leave, one decided to stay a little longer, and two chose to rely on Alex for the rest of their lives.

Alex wasn't the least bit bothered by their decisions. He had never seen himself as a romantic, nor as someone who needed to be in a relationship. His past-life girlfriends knew that all too well.

He had no intention of searching for a partner once he was old and grey—he'd always assumed he'd grow old alone in his previous life, and with only his Pokémon for company in this one.

After all, who in their right mind would willingly choose someone as emotionally unavailable as Alex? Someone who chose the battlefield over building a family. Who, time and time again, chose violence without hesitation.

Who had only ever known love in the thrill of the fight—and nowhere else.

Chapter 97: Chapter 97. Lavender City

In the following weeks, Elara began documenting her technology for her replacement. Now that everything had been set up, it would require minimal maintenance to keep things running smoothly.

On a sudden whim, Kaia stepped up and took over the hydroponics farm from Elara. She was free most of the time because of the Skiddo, so she figured that adding basic engineering to her repertoire would be a productive use of her extra time.

Meanwhile, Maris handed over her managerial responsibilities to Nyx, who had Rotom and a massive server at her disposal. Nyx developed an accounting software to manage the farm's finances and connections, which not only impressed Maris but also led her to request a copy for her own business.

Lyra, on the other hand, continued her training under Alex—not just in handling her Pokémon but also in basic self-defense, especially to protect herself from opportunistic threats.

Vera stayed on as usual, focusing on her studies while helping Lina and Mira care for the Pokémon.

Lina and Mira were shocked by the news that three of the girls were leaving, but they understood the need for some of them to pursue greener pastures.

They, however, were perfectly content staying. It was their dream job: a quiet farm where they could do what they loved, all while being paid far more handsomely than anywhere else.

Sex, men, and relationships were the last things on their minds, given their history. They still had nightmares, after all, and had been asking Togekiss to visit them while they slept. Dream Eater wasn't just a killing move—it was therapeutic.

Meanwhile, Alex had just turned eighteen. He stood at 5'10", with little chance of growing any taller—his potential had run its course, and he was stuck at his current height for the foreseeable future.

He had spent the last six weeks on standby at the farm, waiting for retaliation from the Thornhart family, who were apparently quite well-off.

Alex had Nyx do some digging and learned that their patriarch was a former Champion—one of the lucky few who rose to the title after Red stepped down and the scientific study of official battles had gone mainstream.

The Thornhart patriarch was a Sunny Day user, known for running speed-and-bulk-focused teams, not unlike Erika's strategy against Alex. The key difference was that his approach was far more modern.

While most competitors at the time still relied on Toxic stall and Baton Pass strategies, he swept through the scene by combining both styles and layering in Sunny Day tactics.

His lead was a Drought Ninetales holding a Focus Sash, typically opening with Nasty Plot to set up. Against Belly Drum users, it would use Psych Up, then Baton Pass into a Chlorophyll-boosted sweeper like Scovillain.

His reign didn't last long—he was replaced within a few months—but by then, he had already cashed in on the title and secured a future for himself and his family.

The Thornhart family didn't have any known ties to the Underworld and had kept a low profile over the years. But their little angel, Briar, could probably do no wrong in their eyes—so a grudge wasn't out of the question.

Alex was fairly certain Briar held one against him. So he waited for retaliation… but none ever came.

In any case, his time was up. It was time to head to Lavender City and earn his third badge.

His trip to Lavender City took a full day on Hydreigon, flying at top speed with only minor disturbances from local Pokémon—nothing the flying team couldn't handle.

Upon arrival, Alex was met with the sight of what looked like an oversized town. A few high-rise buildings dotted the landscape, but the majority of structures remained two-story homes, preserving the area's residential charm despite ongoing expansion.

Lavender Town had officially become a city after opening up its eastern side to build a harbor, enabling trade with Cerulean City, Fuchsia City, and Cinnabar Island. The harbor brought a surge of migrants seeking business opportunities, prompting growth—but the locals remained firm on preserving the town's traditional structure.

Rather than rise into a dense skyline of apartment towers like other metropolises, Lavender City chose to sprawl outward. This decision limited its vertical expansion and, by extension, its capacity to house more residents—effectively capping its own growth.

When questioned, the mayor explained that the town's identity as a peaceful resting place for Pokémon took precedence over modern development. Though its size qualified it as a city, its layout and space usage made it feel more like a town clinging to its past.

Alex stayed the night in a modest hotel room—the city had none that truly catered to his needs. By morning, he was at the gym, located right next to the famous cemetery that housed the remains of countless Pokémon once bonded to trainers.

All gyms were standardized to have five floors and followed roughly the same layout. In the case of Agatha's Ghost Gym, the first floor was a spiritual training ground—an eerie, sacred space where those with the talent could tap into their spiritual senses and attempt to commune with the dead.

Not much was known about the practice, except that the dead were notoriously picky about who they spoke to. Even the most talented spiritualists could go their whole lives without ever hearing a single word in return.

A spiritualist's most important role wasn't battling—it was maintaining spiritual order. Spiritualists worked to keep the dead calm, asleep, and within their boundaries. Without these protections, ghost-type Pokémon would flood the streets, snatching souls away in the dead of night.

As Alex walked through the first floor, he passed glowing ritual circles surrounded by candles and cryptic markings. Ghost-types drifted through the air like mischievous children, causing minor chaos—but notably, they avoided him entirely.

They didn't hiss or react. They simply floated away as if they hadn't noticed him at all.

'Strange,' Alex thought. 'Is this because of my Dark-type affinity?'

He reached the second floor, a conventional training ground for gym trainers, and ascended again to the third floor.

The third floor mimicked a cemetery. Trainers meditated in silence at their designated battle arenas. The layout was an open maze, with tombstones acting as makeshift walls—though the entire floor was clearly visible from any angle.

"You'll need to reach the Gym Leader however you can," said the floor coordinator, positioning herself behind Alex. "But if a gym trainer calls out to you, you must accept their challenge. I'll referee any battles that occur."

Alex blinked, puzzled. The whole place was open—everyone could see each other. Why go through the pretense of a maze if there was no mystery or concealment?

Still, he plotted his course, weaving through winding paths between tombstones, doing his best to avoid eye contact. He could have jumped over the tombstones to take shortcuts, but doing so felt disrespectful—especially with everyone watching.

As he moved, Alex noticed no one looked at him. The trainers remained still, eyes closed or unfocused, lost in deep meditation. Only the floor coordinator behind him acknowledged his presence.

Without a single challenge, Alex reached the far end of the floor—Agatha's battlegrounds.

Perplexed but composed, he stepped forward and offered a polite greeting, his expression a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

"Hello, my name is Alex, and I'd like to challenge Gym Leader Agatha," Alex said politely.

"Oh?" Agatha murmured, opening her eyes to get a better look at him. "You carry quite the affinity for darkness."

Alex tilted his head. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you walked through the maze without issue," she replied, her gaze sharp. "For those without your talents, it's nothing but a fog-covered floor. They stumble around for hours, battling my trainers over and over, never reaching me before their time runs out."

She stood slowly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "But no matter. Come—we'll see if your strength holds up in battle."

With a subtle motion, she tossed out a Poké Ball. A Drifblim emerged, floating ominously above the floor.

Alex gave a nod and sent out one of his Crobat in response.

Since Raticate and Arcanine had been promoted to Elite status, Alex couldn't register them for Gym battles anymore—not unless he wanted to make things harder for himself. So, he planned to go in with his weakest team members, keeping Kommo-o in reserve just in case.

"Singles battle, 6-on-6! Gym Leader Agatha versus Challenger Alex!" the referee announced. "Begin!"

"Tailwind."

"Taunt."

Drifblim tried to whip up a Tailwind, but Crobat's Taunt landed first, shutting it down before it could begin.

"Very good," Agatha commented. "Never let Ghost-types use status moves. Thunderbolt."

"Acrobatics."

Crackling with electricity, Drifblim began charging power—only for Crobat to dive in, weaving through the air with sharp precision. As the two collided, Drifblim unleashed Thunderbolt, while Crobat's claws raked across its form. Both took damage in the exchange.

"Again!" both trainers ordered in unison.

Drifblim tried to repeat the trick, but it was too slow. Crobat twisted midair and struck again, this time clean and decisive. Drifblim didn't even have time to spark before it was taken out.

As Crobat landed, Drifblim burst like a balloon, releasing a shockwave of damage. Crobat winced, dropping to a quarter of its health.

"Aftermath," Alex muttered. "Figures."

"Well done," Agatha said with a smile, already tossing out her next Poké Ball. "Keep this up, and the badge will be yours."

Chapter 98: Chapter 98. Gym Leader Agatha

"Go! Banette!" Agatha called, releasing the Ghost-type onto the field.

"Sucker Punch!"

"Quick Attack!"

Banette lunged like a shadow, aiming to intercept Crobat—but Crobat darted away with Quick Attack, narrowly avoiding the killing blow. Every time Banette vanished, Crobat escaped with speed, locking the two in a stalemate.

"Phantom Force!" Agatha commanded.

"Tailwind, then Toxic!" Alex countered.

Since Sucker Punch failed to connect, Agatha switched tactics—Phantom Force was slower but stealthier. Alex, in turn, saw an opening to prepare the field for his next Pokémon.

Banette vanished into the shadows while Crobat began flapping his wings, building up Tailwind to boost his team's speed.

Suddenly, Banette reappeared behind Crobat, fist glowing with Ghost-type energy. But Crobat was ready—his fangs glowed with poison as he bit down on Banette's arm. Both Pokémon landed clean hits. Banette was badly poisoned, while Crobat fainted from the powerful Phantom Force.

Alex returned Crobat and sent out Aegislash, who now had the speed advantage thanks to Tailwind. Aegislash usually stayed by his side as a bodyguard, but today, Alex decided to give him some battle experience with other Ghost-type Pokemon.

"King's Shield."

"Burning Jealousy!"

Banette launched a fiery blast, but Aegislash raised his shield in time, negating the damage. The poison continued to wear Banette down.

"Night Slash!"

"Taunt!"

Aegislash surged forward, shifting into Blade Form and slashing with dark energy. Banette was left barely hanging on. But before falling, it landed a Taunt—locking Aegislash in Blade Form.

Then Banette collapsed, finally succumbing to poison.

Agatha released Gengar next to capitalize on Aegislash who was weaker in Blade form and slower despite the Tailwind.

With Aegislash stuck in Blade Form and Gengar's speed advantage, Alex decided to swap out.

He tossed out Ceruledge, matching Gengar's speed and ferocity.

"Phantom Force!" they called out in unison.

Both Ghost-types vanished into the shadows.

"You don't know what happens when ghosts clash in the shadow realm, do you?" Agatha asked with a grin.

"No, care to explain?" Alex replied.

"Wait and see," she said cryptically.

A minute later, Ceruledge reappeared, exhausted, with only a sliver of health left. Agatha, with a raised brow, silently returned Gengar.

"Well done. Your Ceruledge is well-trained," she admitted. "Battle in the shadow realm staggers damage with killing blows unfolding slowly. Your Ceruledge dealt a killing blow, then knew to escape before taking more blows. My Gengar managed to get a hit in too but not enough to finish it off."

"Well done, girl," Alex said, gently caressing her armored cheek.

"Cerrr…" she purred under his touch.

"Back to it," Agatha said, releasing her next Pokémon, a Mismagius.

"Dark Pulse!"

"Shadow Sneak!"

Tailwind had expired while the Ghosts dueled in the shadow realm, so Ceruledge was now slower. Despite her weakened state, she bravely slipped in a parting strike before Mismagius landed a point-blank Dark Pulse, knocking Ceruledge out. But Mismagius was left with less than half her health.

Alex retrieved Ceruledge before releasing his second Crobat.

"Snowscape!"

"Crunch!"

Mismagius's Snowscape activated instantly because it had Priority +1. Snow fell and covered the battlefield, but Crobat charged through and finished her off with Crunch.

Agatha's next choice was Froslass, who melted into the snow like a ghostly whisper—Snow Cloak, no doubt.

Alex knew Crobat wouldn't last long in this matchup, so he focused on setting the stage again.

"Tailwind!"

"Double Team!"

A gust of wind cleared the snow from Alex's side, while Froslass blurred into a dozen shimmering illusions.

"Aerial Ace!"

"Ice Beam!"

Crobat honed in on the real Froslass, landing a solid hit, but took a point-blank Ice Beam in return.

"Again!" both trainers shouted.

Crobat fainted from the exchange, while Froslass was left with less than half her health.

Alex released Aegislash once more to finish the job.

"Aurora Veil!"

"Swords Dance!"

Froslass raised a protective screen as Aegislash powered up his attack.

"Aerial Ace!"

"Shadow Ball!"

Boosted by Tailwind, Aegislash struck first, leaving Froslass with only a fraction of health. But she retaliated with a close-range Shadow Ball, blasting Aegislash in Blade Form. He barely survived, teetering on the edge.

Fortunately, he had the advantage in speed with Tailwind.

"Again!"

"Destiny Bond!"

Unfortunately, Froslass's Destiny Bond activated the moment before the final strike. Alex had miscalculated, not expecting Froslass to have a Destiny Bond with Priority +1. Aegislash cleaved through her, but the spectral energy recoiled, dragging him down with her.

Both Pokémon collapsed.

Agatha was down to her last, while Alex still had two remaining. He hadn't expected the Ghost Gym to turn into a slugfest of exchanged blows rather than skulking shadows and status moves.

Then again, he'd prepared for their usual status trickery, forcing Agatha to adapt against a team packed with Taunt users.

"You've done well to make it this far with two Pokémon left," Agatha praised. "Let this battle remind you—never underestimate Ghost-types."

She released her final Pokémon, an Elite-ranked Dragapult.

"Isn't it against the rules to use Elite-level Pokémon against a registered team without Elites?" Alex asked.

"You've been holding back, avoiding registering your strongest. I know you've got a team of Dark-types. I also know about your starter reaching Elite rank. You are no longer a weak trainer in need of coddling. You are a powerful Elite trainer, and you should act like it," she replied in a scolding tone.

Alex felt like he was receiving a harsh scolding from his grandmother for tricking her.

"They're farm guards. I wouldn't use them in official battles," Alex replied with a sigh, tossing out Kommo-o—just shy of Elite rank, but his best hope.

Now, he felt like a child making excuses.

Once both Dragon-types squared off, the tension on the battleground was palpable. Dragapult was clearly stronger as an Elite, but not by much in terms of stats.

Kommo-o, however, was even more excited to get a chance to fight an Elite Dragon. He wanted to win with everything he had.

Alex, meanwhile, was debating whether this Dragapult had Infiltrator or Clear Body. He couldn't determine what held item it had either, so he was in the dark about what he was ultimately up against.

So, he chose the safe approach to see what would happen.

"Protect."

"Draco Meteor."

Dragapult shot a large mound of Dragon-type energy at Kommo-o, who simply tanked it with a Protect shield but was nearly tossed out of the battleground from the force.

Kommo-o's Protect was just Basic, after all, while the Draco Meteor would have knocked him out in a single hit.

Alex had now confirmed that this was not a Choice-item Dragapult—otherwise, Agatha would never have used that move. This meant that Kommo-o could survive at least one hit from physical moves.

"Clanging Scales."

"Dragon Darts."

Kommo-o was immediately hit with a pair of Dreepy. He withstood the damage and countered with Clanging Scales, which brought Dragapult to less than half health, though Kommo-o was left with only a sliver.

Alex had no choice but to use this move to guarantee a hit because of how fast Dragapult was. Any physical moves would be kited as Dragapult simply kept its distance.

"Brick Break."

"Again."

Kommo-o's Brick Break had Priority +1, which gave him just enough time to shatter the Aurora Veil covering Dragapult before succumbing to the pair of Dreepy that bombarded him. Kommo-o never even made it close to Dragapult, proving Alex right: physical moves would never reach it.

Alex retrieved Kommo-o, then released his final Pokémon for this battle: Dusknoir.

"Phantom Force," both trainers called out.

Both Pokémon responded and vanished from sight.

Alex didn't like his odds with this brawl in the shadow realm. He was fairly certain his Dusknoir would win in a physical altercation, but Dragapult could simply fly around and avoid exchanging blows.

The only feasible method Alex had was to use Phantom Force to guarantee a knockout while Dusknoir tanked a hit as he dove in.

A minute later, Dusknoir emerged with a sliver of health, while Agatha retrieved her fainted Dragapult.

Just as Agatha was about to congratulate Alex, Dusknoir fainted as well from the residual damage sustained during the fight in the shadow realm.

"Battle ends in a double knockout!" the referee declared before stepping back.

Alex was deeply disappointed in himself after the fight. He had always seemed to hold the advantage—but only because their past opponents were weaker. Now, faced with a stronger challenger, he couldn't even secure a win despite a 2v1 lead.

As he began to retreat, a badge struck him in the forehead.

"Take it and get out."

"But I—"

"And don't tell anyone I used an Elite against you," Agatha said as she turned to leave.

Alex was perplexed but kept the badge anyway. He never wanted to participate in an official battle again, if he could help it. Fighting under such limitations felt stifling. He would much rather contribute meaningfully alongside his Pokémon during a real battle.

Upon exiting the gym, Alex immediately checked the League Market for an update on his privileges. By now, he should have earned enough merit to unlock more of the League's secrets—maybe even gain access to regulated Pokémon.

When he finally checked, Alex was stunned by what he discovered.

Chapter 99: Chapter 99. Checking Privileges

The first thing Alex noticed was the overwhelming number of invitations flooding his inbox—offers for employment, meetings, conventions, bounty targets, and more.

At first, it all seemed like spam mail, but the senders were anything but shady. Reputable organizations like Devon Corp, Silph Co., the Battle Frontier, and the Aether Foundation were all reaching out. They wanted him as a trainer, bodyguard, hunter, research associate—you name it.

Alex was honestly overwhelmed by the sudden spike in attention. It felt like his name had exploded in popularity overnight.

'Is there some unspoken rule to wait until a trainer earns eight badges before hiring them?' he wondered.

He skimmed through a few before asking Rotom to decline the job offers, save the bounty hunting requests, and forward them to Nyx for investigation.

Pushing aside the flood of messages, he turned his focus to the League's official site to check for updates on his information access.

After signing yet another NDA, Alex received an updated info package detailing the conduct requirements for trainers or contributors who had signed the League's internal contract.

Essentially, it was another barrier—locking out anyone who had only four badges and hadn't made any meaningful contributions.

The new info packet included a detailed map of various restricted locations, each marked with its own rules and regulations. These included the whereabouts of Legendary Pokémon, nesting sites, ancient ruins, League-controlled zones, Underworld territory, and privately governed areas.

It was assumed that anyone granted this information was now strong enough to reach those places—and therefore, was warned to either stay away or tread extremely carefully.

For instance, Alex had already known about Zapdos residing in the old, abandoned power plant northeast of Kanto. Turns out, the League knew too. Access to that site was strictly forbidden unless a trainer received direct authorization from the League.

Most trainers couldn't even get close to the power plant. The wild nests surrounding it made it nearly impossible to reach without getting torn apart. The League kept the place off the radar until a trainer had the strength—and the sense—to survive the journey.

As for the rules on-site, one in particular stood out: do not go above the second floor of the power plant. That was Zapdos' domain. Violating this directive would result in severe punishment—on par with the League declaring open war against the Underworld. In simpler terms: death.

The logic was obvious. Poking Zapdos could trigger a never-ending thunderstorm—one capable of wiping out the entire Kanto region.

Other restrictions were just as strict: don't damage ancient ruins, don't disturb Pokémon nests, don't approach League-controlled facilities without clearance, and in Underworld territory, follow their rules or die.

To Alex, this all felt like being a new hire who had just gotten clearance into Area 51—only to be told, "Yeah, aliens exist, and you need to respect their space."

"This is the barracks where you sleep. That's the cafeteria. Over there? That's the interdimensional bar where aliens trade intel—just follow the rules. That's the playground… don't ask."

Then there were the rules on combat.

In short: avoid fighting inside cities. If it's unavoidable, limit the destruction to a single city block. Depending on the extent of the damage, consequences may include fines, imprisonment, or even death.

Don't fight in Underworld territory—and if a battle does break out there, everyone involved is executed, no exceptions.

And under no circumstances should you feed human corpses to local Pokémon.

Seriously. Don't.

Alex had repeatedly broken one of these rules—but he'd also eliminated the enforcers tasked with upholding them, effectively reverting that particular zone from Underworld-controlled territory back to neutral ground. This specifically applied to his hunt for Don, Monica, and Darren. No doubt, he was now on their backers' hit list.

Next came the rules on trainer indoctrination. These were meant to prevent corporations, factions, and organizations from poaching League-registered trainers too early. Doing so could stunt their development and interfere with their role in managing Pokémon populations.

Companies were advised to wait until a trainer reached the proper clearance level before offering roles like gym trainers, rangers, or research leads.

In short: any occupation tied to a trainer's status had to wait until they'd earned all eight badges. Until then, trainers were to be left alone to help reduce wild Pokémon numbers through natural encounters.

This didn't apply to trainers actively seeking employment—it was mostly a safeguard against spam and premature recruitment.

Region travel also came with new restrictions. Previously, trainers and civilians could move freely between regions. But at Alex's current level of power, a fresh NDA, just as binding as the current one, was required before he could travel again.

The logic? Simple: "Know the local rules before you go screw around."

Finally, the upside to all these restrictions: Access to all regulated Pokémon, and eligibility for higher-tier services—whether through the League or the Underworld.

Alex could finally request access to regulated Pokémon. It was a bit late, considering what he'd lost after capturing Monica—but better late than never.

He immediately submitted a request for a license to own Pokémon with abilities related to Teleportation, illusion-casting (like Zoroark), and memory manipulation—and was surprised when the license was approved almost instantly.

Apparently, having his memories read by Sabrina—twice—counted as a full psychic evaluation. Having Jenny listed as his adoptive mother? That was basically a badge of honor. And capturing four Elite-ranked bounties earned him automatic approval from the League.

'Have I underestimated how successful I've actually been?' Alex wondered, confused.

After thinking it through, he realized the truth: he'd simply made too many enemies and somehow lived long enough to actually benefit from it.

Most bounty hunters at his level relied on submitting intel to lead to arrests. Few—if any—were reckless enough to infiltrate Underworld bases and personally capture Elite-ranked trainers.

But Alex had a key edge: his guns, and more importantly, his use of Metagross as a battlefield commander.

While most trainers barely had a single psychic-type, Alex was using his Metagross to coordinate entire squads. He could effectively command multiple six-Pokémon teams—far beyond the standard limit.

That made him more dangerous than any single Elite-ranked trainer, and arguably more effective than a small army of Expert-rankers—none of whom had anywhere near his level of coordination.

Couple that with his guns—which allowed him to max-stack buffs faster than stronger trainers could—and it was no wonder he'd been able to steamroll through fights with terrifying ease.

Most bounty hunters would've died facing ambushes from someone like Don or Lucan.

Alex, on the other hand, had not only survived—he'd profited from it and grown stronger.

As he continued flying home along Route 8, he looked into how to obtain the Teleport TM. He found that the Psychic Gym was legally allowed to teach the move to those with a license.

Without hesitation, he scheduled an appointment for tomorrow—he wanted his Arcanine to learn it as soon as possible.

With a full day of travel ahead, Alex kept reading about the perks available at his badge level—and some of them were genuinely shocking.

There were medical retreats that could bring someone to peak physical condition in under a year—through memory manipulation.

Essentially, an obese person could pay millions to have their mind controlled. Under that influence, they'd be forced to exercise, follow a flawless diet, and undergo a series of medical procedures to remove excess fat and skin, correct poor posture, fix skeletal alignment, clear up skin blemishes, and even treat malformations.

At the end of the process, the subject's memory would be wiped—and they'd walk away believing they had always looked perfect.

There were also elite trainer schools—extremely expensive and highly secretive—that accepted children as young as 8 and trained them until age 16. These schools guaranteed their graduates would leave with a full team of six Elite-ranked Pokémon, ready to tackle every problem during their journeys.

Alex also came across knowledge packets designed to fast-track certifications—like breeder licenses. These dense study programs guaranteed certification, so long as the buyer could memorize and retain everything inside. They included specialized Pokéblock recipes, tailored diet plans, care regimens, and more.

He made a mental note to buy the 10-million Pokédollar package for Vera, which promised to make her a Chief Breeder. The 100-million Master Breeder package was tempting too—but that would have to wait until he had the funds.

There were also islands, mountains, valleys, mines, lakes, and even floating islands available for purchase—sold by both the League and the Underworld.

No, the islands didn't fly. They floated on the surface of the water, yet were large enough to qualify as true islands. Perfect for Water-type trainers looking to claim their own territory out at sea.

Alex assumed the League offered these lands to trainers strong enough to defend them from nearby wild nests—a strategy to stabilize and civilize untamed regions.

Meanwhile, the League offered Pokémon eggs and young Pokémon at a premium, with a long waitlist. The Underworld, by contrast, had nest raiders—people who incapacitated wild nests and sold the young to high-paying clients.

If you had enough money, they'd get you any Pokémon you wanted—even from protected nests.

Alex also searched for services involving Legendary Pokémon hunting—but found nothing.

Either they didn't exist or the information was locked behind Champion rank or higher.

Chapter 100: Chapter 100. Teleport Training

Alex made it back to the farm by evening, got a night's rest, and left for the Psychic Gym early the next morning. The sooner Arcanine learned Teleport, the sooner he could raise it to Advanced rank—and the further Alex could reach when bounty information came in.

His current area of interest was around Saffron City, but he wanted the flexibility to pick up bounties as they appeared across the region.

As Alex stepped inside the gym, he immediately noticed the female receptionist's outfit. The uniform consisted of a sleek, high-collared bodysuit adorned with silver arcane embroidery, paired with fingerless gloves—exuding an aura of mysticism and mental discipline.

"Hello. Welcome to the Psychic Gym, led by Gym Leader Sabrina. Do you need anything?" the receptionist asked in a calm voice.

"I'm here to have my Arcanine taught Teleport," Alex stated simply.

"Do you have your license?"

"No. I need that printed as well. My application was approved immediately after I submitted it yesterday."

"Identification, please."

Alex handed over his bounty hunter license as the woman checked his information online. A few minutes later, she handed him a printed and laminated copy of his license to own regulated Pokémon.

"All set. Please proceed to the fourth floor. The floor coordinator will take it from there."

"Thank you."

As Alex passed through the gym, he noticed an entire floor dedicated to psychic training. Children as young as five were staring intently at stuffed Poké Balls, willing them to float.

The sight of children squinting with all their might as their ball wobbled slightly—only to erupt in excitement at their success—was oddly adorable.

Older students hovered multiple balls in the air with ease, creating a mesmerizing display of psychic energy.

On the second floor, trainers were locked in battle with their Psychic-type Pokémon. They also underwent resistance training against Dark, Bug, and Ghost-type moves.

It wasn't about increasing their resistance stats, but rather training their minds and bodies not to flinch from damage. They learned to confront their weaknesses without fear, focusing on the fight instead of the pain.

The third floor held floating platforms where trainers battled for their badge challenges. At the far end of the room, Sabrina stood, overseeing her Pokémon's training.

Then, suddenly, she looked up—locking eyes with Alex.

He gave her a quick nod before continuing to the fourth floor.

The environment there resembled a training area for young wild Pokémon, like those in the Fighting Dojo. But instead of cages, there were glass enclosures glowing with a soft pink hue—likely infused with psychic energy to prevent escape via Teleport.

"You must be the buyer. Which Pokémon would you like to teach Teleport?" a man in the same uniform as the receptionist asked.

"Arcanine," Alex replied, pulling out its Poké Ball.

"Alright, follow me," the man said, leading Alex into a side room.

Inside were several TMs ready for use. One particularly large unit sat in the corner, where the man was heading.

"This is the League's regulated Technical Machine. Place the Poké Ball on the slot, your license on the scanner, then press the big red button. It'll function like a regular TM after that."

Alex followed the instructions—and a few minutes later:

Ding!

Arcanine successfully learned Teleport.

"That'll be 100,000 Pokédollars," the man said, holding out a scanner for Alex's card.

"For a single use?" Alex asked.

"Yup. Think of it like how an Abra egg costs 15 million on the market, while pseudo-legendaries only go for 10. Regulation drives prices up."

Alex paid without complaint, then made his way out of the gym.

He had a feeling he'd be returning sometime in the future.

Alex left the gym soon after Arcanine learned Teleport. On his way back to the farm, he calculated how long it would take to get Teleport to Advanced and estimated roughly half a month.

Arcanine had already maxed out his Physical moves, so he had been working on his Status moves rather than Special moves. He defaulted to using Heat Wave most of the time anyway, so he preferred to finish up his Status moves as soon as possible.

Right now, Arcanine knows Morning Sun (Effect Up +1), Agility (Effect Up +1), and Roar (Effect Up +1). Morning Sun heals for 75% under normal weather, Agility boosts Speed by +3 per use, and Roar affects Champions and has a guaranteed effect on Elites.

His next target is Protect, to increase Effect Up +1 so he can defend himself against Champions.

Based on his current schedule, it would take half a month to finish it, which would reduce the time needed to get Teleport to Advanced to 8 days, plus 5 days to get it to Basic from Novice.

In total, roughly a month will be needed for Arcanine to get Teleport to Advanced rank after Protect. It would also be ideal to improve +50% Range rather than Effect Up +1.

Alex would prefer an increase in distance traveled rather than successfully breaking through trapping moves. He is the hunter, not the prey.

After a month of intense training, Arcanine upgraded Teleport to Advanced rank, gaining a +50% Range.

At first, he could only teleport around the Farm, often ending up in the septic tank with Grimer or the hydroponics bay with Goomy and Dewpider. Once he reached Basic rank, he was able to teleport freely within the range of Saffron City.

Now that he's reached Advanced—with a +50% Range—he can teleport the distance of a full day's travel on Hydreigon in just seconds.

Alex can now reach anywhere in Kanto within minutes. The world suddenly feels a bit smaller.

Unfortunately, Arcanine still needs a familiar memory of each location to teleport there reliably. So, Alex planned a sightseeing trip, riding Arcanine across the region to build those memories firsthand.

So far, Arcanine has visited Saffron City, Lavender City, and Celadon City. The next closest locations are Cerulean City and Vermilion City, each about a day's flight from Saffron. So, they made a quick day trip to both cities and simply teleported back to the Farm afterward.

The rest of Kanto would require about a month of travel, given the vast stretches of wilderness between cities. So, Alex decided to postpone the journey until it became necessary.

Over the past two and a half months, the girls have stayed behind to stabilize the Farm and build up a stockpile of resources.

Elara has been teaching Kaia how to repair her machines and has crafted spare parts to give Kaia enough time to grow comfortable working with them.

Maris has handed off her responsibilities to Nyx while she focuses on research and developing her own business plan.

Vera was ecstatic about the 10 million Pokédollar Chief Breeder information package and has accelerated her studies to earn certification.

Lydia is undergoing intense Gravity training, sparring regularly with Alex to build her physical strength for the journey ahead. Her Corvisquire has already evolved into a Corviknight, serving as both an excellent scout and reliable bodyguard. Meanwhile, her pair of Mightyena have learned to patrol the forest on their own.

Their training continued until Alex received a call from Jenny.

"Hey, Alex. Can you come over?"

"I'll be right there."

Alex usually visited Jenny whenever she called like this—it had practically become routine.

He brought Arcanine and Raticate with him and teleported straight to Jenny's mansion.

"Look what we got for you," Jenny said, patting a crate by the hallway near the entrance.

"The combat gear is done?" Alex guessed.

"Ten sets, all made to your specifications. These bulletproof vests are so useful that the Council decided to equip every Jenny with them. Lately, they've been getting into more fights with armed humans, and some have been injured. Their Feint and Phantom Force bullets have been too effective."

"What about the police?"

"The League's been complaining about the cost—but it's probably their spies stirring things up. They don't want the police armed with guns and combat gear. With the sheer number of officers, they'd be outmatched."

Alex had Raticate cut open the crate. Inside were lightweight full-body suits, plated vests, armored pants, steel-reinforced boots, fingerless gloves, tactical helmets, and heavy, armored long coats. In total, it weighed about 100 lbs which is just comfortable enough for Alex to use for long distance travel.

"Devon Corporation says these are upgrades to your usual bodysuit and coat. They're resistant to the current generation of firearms used by the human supremacist faction and can even withstand early Elite-ranked energy attacks. In testing, the mannequin survived both an Ember and a Quick Attack from an Elite-ranked Ninetales."

"That's good enough for now. Thanks, Mom. And thank the chat for me, too."

"They said to thank you as well—for bringing in such a large shipment of combat gear. They managed to recycle it into these sets and even got Devon Corp to begin mass production for the rest of the Jennys."

"Now, how are Vera and the girls doing?" Jenny asked, her doting motherly side kicking in.

A few minutes of chatter later, Alex received a call from an old friend.

"Hey, Clarissa. How's it going?"

"Alex, I need help!"

Chapter 101: Chapter 101. Viridian City

Alex didn't take Clarissa's request for help seriously. She was the princess of the Indigo League, with two Champions for parents. If there was a problem she couldn't solve, it might as well mean Kanto and Johto were both exploding that very day.

There used to be only one Champion in the Indigo League, until a surge of Elite-ranked trainers began flooding the League, causing Champions to be swapped out almost monthly.

In response, the League split into two branches—Kanto and Johto—each with its own Champion and Elite Four, while the central government remained unified under the Indigo League.

This effectively gave the Indigo League twice the number of guardians for the same governing body, greatly increasing its strength—further solidified by the marriage of the two Champions, which ensured lasting stability across both regions.

Now, their little princess was asking for help—which could only mean the problem was a good exercise for her, and she was already failing at it.

"What did you need help with exactly?" Alex asked.

"I found an orphanage that's grooming children to become trainers for the Underworld… and I don't know what to do," Clarissa replied.

"Have you asked your parents?"

"They told me to figure it out myself."

"And who owns this establishment?"

"I don't know, but they're teaching the children to treat Pokémon as slaves and—"

"Where are you?"

"Viridian City. I've got a gym battle scheduled in a few months."

"I'll be there in three days," Alex said, hanging up the call.

"Everything alright?" Jenny asked.

"Clarissa called. There's an orphanage indoctrinating kids to enslave Pokémon. It's probably run by the human supremacist group—might even mean another gear shipment."

"Just be careful."

"I know."

Alex left soon after, teleporting back to the mansion to suit up. The gear fit snugly, with no complaints—except for the helmet, which came with built-in optics unnecessary for Alex due to his affinity.

The vest had no pockets, avoiding the typical tactical military look, and it fit snugly against his chest while allowing enough flexibility to bend comfortably. Wearing the full set made him look like a vampire hunter—he only needed a katana to complete the look.

He gathered his Pokémon and asked Nyx to investigate the orphanage's background. Then, he mounted Arcanine and Teleported to Celadon City.

From there, Alex rode Hydreigon west for a day, then followed the bike path south toward Fuchsia City. Along the way, he passed trainers engaged in official battles or catching wild Pokémon.

They continued south for another day, finally stopping east of Viridian City. The nearby waters were notorious for housing aggressive Gyarados that despised anything flying over their territory, so they had to climb high to allow some leeway in case evasive maneuvers were needed.

Halfway through their journey, Alex—riding Hydreigon—was ambushed mid-air by a barrage of over a hundred Hyper Beams. The sky lit up as more than thirty Gyarados launched themselves from the sea below, roaring in furious pursuit.

"Fuck!" Alex cursed, immediately releasing his aerial team to intercept the incoming onslaught.

"Metagross, defensive formation! Slow retreat to the west!" he ordered.

Metagross hovered into position, sending out coordinated psychic signals to the others.

Altaria, Frosmoth, Togekiss, and the Crobat pair swiftly formed a flying pyramid. Altaria took point above Hydreigon, while Togekiss, Frosmoth, and the Crobat pair held the base. Alcremie stood on Hydreigon's head at the center, alternating Protect alongside Hydreigon to guarantee a rotating shield.

Metagross floated behind, emitting a surge of Gravity that yanked the charging Gyarados back toward the sea, disrupting their flight and weakening their barrage.

"Roar!" Alex shouted.

Hydreigon unleashed a ground-shaking roar that echoed across the sky. Nearly half of the Gyarados faltered, terrified by the overwhelming draconic presence. The rest, however, grew only more enraged—this was their territory, and they weren't letting him through without a fight.

'We need to reach land—fast,' Alex thought.

They were still an hour out from the forest east of Viridian City. Until then, they had to hold formation and weather the storm.

As they continued their slow retreat, an idea struck Alex. Without hesitation, he recalled all of his Pokémon and released Arcanine mid-air.

"Roar!" Alex commanded.

Arcanine let out a thunderous Roar, even more powerful than Hydreigon's, shaking the sky. The sound rippled through the air with such force that all the Gyarados—even the Elite-ranked ones—immediately backed off and retreated into the sea.

But the danger wasn't over.

A massive Gyarados erupted from the sea in answer to the challenge—a Champion-ranked titan whose scales shimmered like wet steel. It answered Arcanine's Roar with one of its own, unleashing a wave of pressure that crashed down on them like a tidal surge, heavy with the weight of its aura.

Alex felt the air tighten, his heart pounding as instinct screamed to flee.

"Extreme Speed!" he shouted just as Arcanine was seconds from slamming into the water.

In a flash, Arcanine surged forward in a blur of motion, rocketing westward toward land with Alex gripping tightly to his back.

"Use Agility and keep going!" Alex shouted, glancing back to see the Champion-ranked Gyarados rapidly closing the distance.

Arcanine, meanwhile, was in his element—his paws barely kissed the water's surface before launching forward again, each stride leaving trails of steam across the water.

Gyarados surged closer and lashed out with an Aqua Tail, aiming to knock them off course. But Alex was ready. He twisted in the saddle, drew his sidearm, and fired a Thunder Wave round directly at the oncoming strike.

"Extreme Speed!" he commanded right as they were about to get hit.

Arcanine shot forward in a blur, narrowly dodging the incoming tail as it slammed into the water behind them, sending up a massive explosion of water.

Alex glanced back. Gyarados had dipped beneath the waves, still in pursuit but noticeably slowed—paralyzed and struggling to keep pace.

Then Arcanine surged forward once more, the second stack of Agility kicking in and pushing his speed to the limit. In seconds, the distance between them grew vast.

Alex exhaled slowly, tension bleeding from his shoulders.

The world was still terrifying, even for those who stood at the Elite rank.

Less than an hour later, they finally reached the shore.

Alex checked in with Rotom and found only low-level nests scattered throughout the forest, so he stayed mounted on Arcanine as they dashed through at a slower pace.

By nightfall, they arrived at their destination—Viridian City.

Viridian City had grown into a vibrant metropolitan hub at the base of a forested mountain range, blending nature with urban life. Home to over 300,000 residents, it served as a key junction between the western mountains, southern plains, and northern forest. Sleek high-rises, public parks, and bustling marketplaces filled its well-planned districts.

Despite its urban sprawl, Viridian preserved strong ties to the wild through conservation zones on its outskirts. The legendary Viridian Forest remained protected, offering safe encounters with Pokémon and nature walks. Environmental centers and ranger stations worked to maintain the harmony between city and wild.

Alex booked an expensive, high-class hotel at the heart of the city upon arrival. He was too tired to think of anything else, having ridden Arcanine for the rest of the trip. As soft and warm as Arcanine was, he still rode like a bumpy horse, so the ride was not pleasant, especially at the speed they were running.

On the plus side, it gave Arcanine a better view of the outside than when he sat in his Poké Ball. So, Viridian City was officially added as a teleport location.

The next morning, Alex met up with Clarissa at a café to discuss their objectives when in walked a sexy, bespectacled, red-haired librarian with a long-haired, healthy-looking, 12-year-old girl following along.

"Congratulations, Clarissa. I had no idea you had children over the past two years we've been apart," Alex said with mocked surprise.

"Shut up, Alex. This is Mel. She lived in the orphanage that was indoctrinating the children, and she ran away because of it. We met a week ago, and I've been looking after her ever since," Clarissa replied.

"Hello, Mel. I'm Alex. A bounty hunter who specializes in hunting down criminals and getting paid for it. How about you tell me about what's been going on at that orphanage?"

Mel described a perfectly normal orphanage with an eccentric caretaker who secretly teaches the children to hate Pokémon. The orphanage itself is aware of the issue but has been quiet about it.

Basically, the caretaker has a serious backer in the city that the orphanage director wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. Aside from that, Alex found no other problems with the orphanage, so the only issue is the backer, who is unknown.

"Have you done your research, Clarissa?"

"The caretaker hasn't left the orphanage, and I don't have a way of hacking into her phone, so no. I don't know what to do."

"Well, in cases like these, it's best to shake the tree and see how many Mankeys fall out, but I suspect there's a Primeape hiding in the tree, so we will have to be extra careful with how we approach this."

"You think it's the human supremacists too?"

"No other group is as excited about indoctrinating their views as they are. Give me a few days to poke around to see what we're dealing with before making a move."

Alex paid for their drinks and bid the duo farewell before contacting Nyx for an update. It was time to see what the underworld looked like in Viridian City—things were about to get a lot more chaotic.

Chapter 102: Chapter 102. Viridian City 2

"Hey, Alex. I didn't find anything on the orphanage or who's running it, but I did track down an information broker based in Viridian City," Nyx reported over the phone. "Codename's Spider7. He's known to work both sides of the table, so he should be able to get you what you're looking for."

"Thanks, Nyx. Send me the coordinates and keep me updated on any citywide activity online," Alex replied.

"Sure thing, boss."

Alex ended the call and headed to the location Nyx sent to his phone.

Viridian City was split into two major business zones. At its heart lay the metropolitan district—home to towering high-rises, the city's Gym, Pokécenter, shopping malls, and various institutions. It was also where Alex's hotel was located.

To the north, the residential area sprawled with two-story homes, local markets, and neighborhood shops. The closer these buildings were to the city center, the more modern they appeared.

The coordinates Nyx provided led Alex to the city's western edge—nestled between the metropolitan core and the northern neighborhoods. Locals often regarded this zone as the city's seedier side.

However, for those who had signed the 8th Badge-level NDA, it was understood to be part of the underworld—an unofficial sector governed by its own set of rules, dictated by whoever held sway at the time.

The current owner of the underworld district here belongs to the same organization as Ace Monique, who previously assisted Alex with the bounty on Monica Alfreds. They operate under the name Team Umbraline, specializing in information trade, smuggling, and high-value procurement.

The League maintains a tense but functional relationship with Team Umbraline, largely due to the group's relatively non-violent business model. As a result, the League chooses not to crack down on their operations directly—though they're always silently hoping the organization vanishes overnight.

Team Umbraline serves as the League's main competitor in the trade of young Pokémon—a highly lucrative market. However, given the long waiting lists for certain powerful species, the League tends to overlook their activities... unless a procurement operation goes sideways and results in a mass nest flood.

Alex followed the coordinates to a rundown bar, clearly closed for the morning.

The bar occupied a tavern-like building nestled between a cluster of local shops, all seemingly run by the underworld. Tech repair stalls, butcheries, cafés, and even bookstores lined the street—though Alex had little doubt their advertised services were just a front, especially given the eerie lack of foot traffic.

Just as he lifted his foot to kick the door in, it creaked open on its own.

He stepped inside and was greeted by a silent room—chairs stacked on tables, dust motes in the air, and a lone bartender calmly polishing glasses behind the counter.

A Ghastly poked its head out from behind the door, let out a relieved sigh, then phased through the floor without a word.

"Mr. Wattson," the bartender said without looking up, "I wasn't expecting your company this early."

"I'm in the market for information on Emerald Orphanage. One caretaker in particular—and whoever might be backing her."

"Ah. Them." The bartender's tone soured slightly. "Yes, I have what you need. But it won't come cheap."

"So long as it's less than ten percent of the bounties they're worth, I'm willing to pay."

"Good man." The bartender ducked beneath the counter and came back up with a worn leather-bound book, which he placed on the bar.

Alex stepped forward and reached for it, only for the book to slide just out of reach.

"Payment first, Mr. Wattson."

Alex placed his card on the bar but didn't let go.

"How much?"

The bartender paused, fingers resting on the book. "Information on these people is expensive. They've been stirring chaos across the region—bold, reckless, and not afraid of confrontation. You're looking at a significant fee. It'll cost you abou—"

He suddenly froze mid-sentence. After a few tense seconds, he pulled his hand away from the book.

"It'll be on the house, Mr. Wattson."

Alex gave a knowing nod and picked up the book. He was being used to eliminate competition again—that much was clear.

Only this time, there was no friendly bonus up front. He had a feeling the next round of cleanup was going to start costing him.

Alex sat at the bar, flipping through the pages of the book. Inside was a detailed report on an Elite-ranked trainer who had recently arrived in Viridian City and wasted no time establishing his presence—taking down local businesses and spreading human supremacist ideals.

He went on to build training facilities, offering employment as grunts to anyone interested. Surprisingly, many signed up, lured in by the promise of receiving their first Pokémon upon joining and receiving training.

What they weren't told was that loyalty to the organization involved regularly beating their Pokémon as part of their indoctrination. When their Pokemon is beaten enough to retaliate, they would then be trained to properly handle unruly Pokemon through pain and violence. Basically, old school animal training 101.

Beyond recruitment, the group had begun infiltrating orphanages—planting agents as caretakers and pressuring directors to look the other way, lest they be replaced with more "cooperative" personnel.

The report also included the location of their main base of operations, along with a comprehensive list of all businesses and orphanages under their control.

Given the scale of the operation, dismantling it all in one night would require a small army. Alex would have to get in touch with the local Officer Jenny and coordinate a citywide crackdown.

As for the man in charge—Seth Fayvel—he was a notorious poacher with a 20 million Pokédollar bounty, the bulk of it earned from the environmental devastation left in his wake while raiding Pokémon nests. He was directly responsible for no fewer than three Pokémon floods, each leaving a trail of destruction and claiming the lives of both Rangers and Trainers caught in the chaos.

He was a Flying-type specialist, fielding a team that included Corviknight, Gyarados, Toucannon, Staraptor, Hawlucha, and Gliscor. In terms of power, he ranked in the mid-tier of Elite trainers—dangerous, but manageable. Certainly not in the same league as someone like Darren.

As for any other threats, there were none—Seth preferred to operate solo.

That alone gave Alex a measure of comfort; he wouldn't have to worry about an army of Expert-level trainers crashing his battle.

After reading through the intel and recording it with Rotom, Alex placed the book back on the bar and left without a word.

"Happy hunting, Mr. Wattson," the bartender called out as he walked away.

Since it was still the middle of the afternoon, Alex decided to make a few calls.

"Hey, Alex, did you find anything out?" Clarissa asked as she picked up.

"Yeah. I've got a target to take down tonight. Should have everything wrapped up by tomorrow."

"Need any help?"

Alex considered it. He could handle everything on his own, sure—but having someone to deal with the grunts would make things cleaner and quicker.

"Yeah, I could use someone to mop up the small fry while I handle the main threat. What about Mel?"

"I'll leave her at the hotel. She'll be fine for one night, right?"

"As long as she doesn't get any ideas, she should be. Meet me in the lobby at midnight. I'll take it from there."

"Got it."

Next, Alex rang up Officer Jenny—specifically, the one stationed in Viridian City.

"Hello, Aunt Jenny," Alex greeted.

"Hey there, Alex. What's going on?"

"I've got an operation planned for tonight. I could use some help cleaning up afterward."

"What's in it for me?"

That caught Alex off guard. This Jenny was the first he'd met who liked to negotiate. No matter. He was planning on dumping any gear he finds on her anyway.

"You heard about the combat gear?"

"I have. It's pricey stuff."

"I might be able to point you to a warehouse with around a hundred full sets."

"…Deal."

Alex gave her the details and forwarded all the intel he'd recorded through Rotom. He also made it clear—she was to wait for his signal before alerting anyone.

After all, every self-respecting organization had spies in every other organization. It was just a basic fact of life.

With preparations for the operation complete, Alex found himself with time to kill before midnight.

He decided to spend it wandering the bustling streets of Viridian City.

Viridian City had a charm Alex hadn't expected. Children laughed as they chased each other past Poké Marts and flower shops. Pidgey fluttered overhead while an elderly man offered free samples of his homemade Poké Puffs—Alex politely declined, but pocketed one anyway.

Families lounged in the parks, watching their children train with their Pokémon. Joggers passed by, either running errands or simply out for a morning workout. The city pulsed with a quiet, easy life.

Near the fountain, a street musician played a cheerful tune alongside a Kricketune, and for a moment, Viridian felt like a storybook town—not the staging ground for something darker.

As the sun dipped low and the night darkened, Alex smiled faintly. Tonight, another hunt begins.

Chapter 103: Chapter 103. Midnight Assault

Alex returned to his room by evening and changed into his full combat gear—everything except the helmet. He could see perfectly in the dark and had no trouble sensing incoming projectiles, so the helmet was just unnecessary bulk at this point.

Downstairs, he met up with Clarissa, who was also staying at the same hotel. It was, after all, the fanciest place in Viridian City.

"What are you wearing?" Clarissa asked, eyeing his gear with a raised brow.

"The same thing you're going to be wearing for this raid," Alex replied, tossing her a spare set he'd taken from the cache in Saffron City.

"Why? This stuff is heavy and hard to move in."

"The human supremacist group we're targeting has developed firearms that can take down Pokémon. If you don't want to get shot while your team fights, you'll need to wear it."

"I've got a Rotom for protection."

"They've got Feint and Phantom Force rounds. Rotom will be scrapped after a few shots. Just wear the damn thing. I'm not giving your dad any excuses to come beat my ass."

Grumbling, Clarissa took the gear and ducked into the restroom to change.

A few minutes later, she stepped out looking like she was a child soldier dressed for World War II. The armor was a size too big and made her look like a kid lost in her parent's coat.

"It's hard to move in," she complained.

"Then give that to your dad and ask for a custom set. I'm sure they'd be happy to tailor one that shows off your curves," Alex quipped as he headed outside.

"Wait for me!" she called, jogging after him awkwardly.

Outside, Alex mounted his Hydreigon while Clarissa summoned her Charizard. As she rose into the air, Alex nearly smacked his forehead. She was glowing like a flare in the dead of night. So much for stealth.

"Wait ten minutes," he said, texting her a location. "Then hit these coordinates hard. Bust through the front door and take out as many trainers as you can."

Hydreigon took off, wings eerily still. She relied on her Ability, Levitate, to fly. Her flight was completely silent, and with both their Dark typings, Alex and his Pokémon melted into the night sky.

Five minutes later, Alex landed silently on the rooftop of the target building. He released all his Pokémon and began stacking buffs until they were fully prepped.

Then came a blazing orange blur that crashed through the building's front entrance, shaking the foundation with a blast of heat and sound. Cries of panic spread along with an alarm that woke the entire building.

Alex didn't hesitate. He signaled Metagross who unleashed Gravity, then followed up with a crushing Earthquake, collapsing the roof right onto the top floor of the building where Seth should be scrambling from the sudden assault.

Alex's Pokémon spread out under Metagross's command, sweeping through the ruined floor in search of their bounty target while Alex scanned the surroundings, alert.

Suddenly, five boulders flew from a corner of the room, hurtling straight toward him.

Aegislash burst out of his shadow and raised a King's Sheild barrier—just in time to block when a Phantom Force bullet tore through the shield. The shield shattered instantly, the force ripping through and dealing heavy damage to Aegislash as Rock Blast continued to pelt him.

From the shadows, Seth emerged with his full team, charging at Alex in an attempt to finish the fight quickly.

'Arcanine on Corviknight. Raticate and Hydreigon on Gyarados. Forretress and Clawitzer on Toucannon. Altaria and Ceruledge on Staraptor. Togekiss and Alcremie on Hawlucha. Frosmoth on Gliscor. The rest—watch the stairs and cut off any escape routes. I'll deal with Seth,' Alex commanded silently through his telepathic link with Metagross.

Arcanine shot forward with Extreme Speed, slamming into Corviknight and sinking its jaws on a wing to hold it in place. The two were nearly equal in strength, but Arcanine's stat advantage tipped the scales. One Heat Wave later, Corviknight was down.

Raticate launched a volley of Thunderbolts while Hydreigon locked Gyarados in a brutal melee, biting down with Thunder Fang. Their clash shook the building as Gyrados resisted with Thrash, but Hydreigon's superior stats won out quickly.

Toucannon was under heavy fire from Water Pulse blasts courtesy of Clawitzer, while Forretress acted as a shield, tanking blows and using Stealth Rock as cover. Iron Defense, Reflect, and Light Screen kept them protected, while occasional Heal Pulses from Clawitzer sustained the defense.

Altaria fired Ice Beams while Ceruledge focused on inflicting burns. Staraptor was strong, but with Gravity still active, it couldn't take flight and take advantage of its speed. Grounded by Metagross who ensured Gravity held, it was only a matter of time.

Despite being an Elite, Hawlucha was overwhelmed by sheer firepower. Togekiss and Alcremie, still at Expert rank, spammed Dazzling Gleam relentlessly. With no room to dodge or retaliate and outnumbered by superior typing, Hawlucha was eventually blasted into unconsciousness.

Gliscor never stood a chance. One Blizzard from Frosmoth sent it crashing, knocked out in a single blow. The type advantage was overwhelming.

Meanwhile, Alex and Seth were locked in a deadly firefight. Both wore armored combat gear, bullets pinging off plates as they exchanged rounds in rapid succession. The difference? Alex advanced relentlessly, charging straight for Seth undeterred by the impacts.

Seth, without his team to shield him, began to panic. Confrontation wasn't his style—he preferred slipping away from danger. So that's exactly what he did.

As Alex closed in, Seth dropped his guns and heavy vest before diving out of the shattered window.

Alex rushed to the edge just in time to see Seth gliding through the air—no wings, no parachute, just his arms spread wide, catching the wind and generating lift like a bird.

"Wow… so that's what Flying-type affinity can do," Alex muttered, impressed.

He gave a sharp whistle. Above, a pair of Crobats responded instantly, swooping down from high altitude to pursue the escaping target with Quick Attacks.

With that handled, Alex turned back to assess the battlefield.

Toucannon had just been brought down by Raticate's Thunderbolt, while Staraptor was slammed into a wall by Arcanine's Extreme Speed. The remaining fights wrapped up quickly, allowing Alex to begin the cleanup. He ordered the team to sweep the area for anything of value or importance.

Then—with a dull thud—a body dropped in front of him.

It was Seth.

The Crobat pair hovered above, their work done. Hypnosis had knocked him out cold mid-flight. Alex hadn't doubted them for a second—they were his fastest Pokémon, and their mastery of Quick Attack made escape from them impossible. Not even Raticate could outrun them.

With the threat neutralized, Alex secured Seth's Poké Balls and cuffed him. Without wasting a moment, he began a thorough sweep of the building from top to bottom.

As he moved, he activated his comms.

"Hey, Aunt Jenny. You can start the raids—I've got Seth in custody."

"Does it have to be in the middle of the night?" she groaned.

"Only if you want to avoid a city-wide panic come morning."

"Ugh, fine," she muttered before hanging up.

As Alex continued his sweep, sirens wailed in the distance as police converged on the many locations under Seth's control.

Meanwhile, Alex and his team systematically searched floor by floor, rounding up trainers and staff who were slow to respond when the alarms went off.

Finally, he reached the bottom floor, where Clarissa stood guard, surrounded by an Elite-ranked Charizard and an Expert-ranked Dragonite, Alolan Ninetales, Cetitan, Arctibax, and Glaceon.

Alex couldn't help but admire her progress. Evolving Dratini into Dragonite in just three years was an impressive feat—no doubt thanks to top-tier food and training.

"Hey, Clarissa. How was your first raid?"

"It was easy. Is this all you have to do to earn millions in bounties? Maybe I should consider being a bounty hunter too," she mused, genuinely contemplating the career change.

"This and fighting a full team of Flying-type Elites while capturing their trainer who flew away," Alex replied as his full team descended the stairs, dragging the captured trainers behind them.

Clarissa stared, amazed by the sheer number of Pokémon Alex commanded. She could now understand how he was able to take down an Elite team with so many Pokémon at his disposal.

"How do you manage to coordinate them all? You have, like, 14 Pokémon to give orders to!"

"I train them to fight on their own unless I give them specific instructions. I just point them at their targets and oversee the situation," Alex explained.

"Groooss!" Metagross chimed in from behind him.

"Metagross helps too," Alex added with a chuckle.

A few hours later, as the sun began to rise, Jenny and her team arrived at the building. Their top priority was arresting everyone linked to Seth before moving on to the next locations, leaving the detailed processing for later. Since this site had already been secured, they saved it for last to begin the official documentation of the scene.

Alex and Clarissa left soon after. With her problem resolved, Clarissa planned to take Mel back to the orphanage, while Alex headed home to the farm—bounty in tow.

With Arcanine using Teleport, the return trip was quick and seamless—jumping from Viridian City to the Cycling Route, then Route 16, followed by Celadon City, Saffron City, and finally the farm. What had been a perilous three-day journey by flight was undone in under five minutes.

Now that he was back, Alex figured it was time for a proper inspection. He'd been constantly on the move, only stopping to train whenever he returned. This time, though, he was excited to see what the farm looked like after the girls had worked their magic on it. With any luck, he might even have a little fun while he was at it.

Chapter 104: Chapter 104. Healthy Farm Life

It has been a few months since Alex submitted his scientific paper on hydroponics research, and the League has since worked to gradually lower the cost of vegetables and small plants by paying a premium for other types of produce.

This shift in market incentives has led many farmers to prioritize cultivating those premium produce, rather than continuing to grow vegetables and small plants.

At the same time, Alex's research was quietly distributed to select wealthy farmers—those with the capital to invest heavily in hydroponic farming. Unlike Alex, who owns only a small plot of land and reserves a third of it as a training ground, these farmers had the means to scale operations quickly.

From an initial monthly profit of 8 million Pokédollars, Alex's farm began to see a steady decline in earnings following his original projections. Profits have since stabilized at around 1 million Pokédollars per month, after accounting for Pokémon upkeep and the girls' pay.

This level of profit is about what an average farmer would expect with the amount of land Alex has access to. In fact, he's still doing better than most—just not by a wide margin anymore.

Hydroponics simply offers incredible land-use efficiency. Unlike fruit trees, which have off-seasons in fall and winter (unless carefully maintained by Pokémon—an approach that significantly raises upkeep and tends to break even at best), hydroponic farming provides consistent yields.

As for the girls: Maris and Elara plan to leave by the end of the week, while Lyra intends to depart once all three of her Pokémon reach Expert rank some time next month. Vera has been buried in her new breeder information package, Kaia has fully taken over management of the hydroponics farm, and Nyx is now serving as Alex's new manager—though with a slight twist.

Maris had decided to start a delivery service business and withdrew 40 million Pokédollars from Alex's savings to fund it, handing him 51% of the shares in return. Technically, this made Alex the owner of her company, but Maris trusted him not to take advantage of her.

She had already purchased a building in Saffron City to serve as her base of operations, hired a few employees, and acquired space bags to get things started. All that remained was for her to handle matters on-site once the permits were certified at the end of the week.

Meanwhile, Elara had been successfully hired by Devon Corp thanks to a recommendation from Officer Jenny. She landed a position as an industrial manufacturing engineer, tasked with launching the mass production of the combat gear that Devon Corp planned to roll out for the Jennys.

As Alex's associate—and with Alex being the original source of the combat gear—Elara was immediately granted a high level of trust. She planned to leave at the end of the week and take a ship to Hoenn, where the new manufacturing facility was being set up.

In light of their upcoming departures, both girls had been spending more time with Alex to show their appreciation for everything he had done for them.

Alex closed his laptop in his office after reviewing their latest profit margins. Nyx had taken the initiative to automate all reports for him to review at his leisure—an upgrade from when Maris simply handed him a monthly summary.

"Thanks, girls. I'll take a walk around the farm—feel free to get back to what you were doing," Alex said as he rose from his desk.

"I was bored," Elara said, crawling out from under the desk to follow him out. "I've already packed. At this point, I'm just wasting time. I'm going to miss having fun like this."

"Likewise," Maris added from behind him. "Going back to business is going to be a bit boring."

"Nobody's saying you have to stop having sex, you know," Alex replied. "Maybe you can join one of those sex clubs."

"Never," Elara said flatly. "I prefer a steady relationship."

"I'll think about it," Maris mused. "I'll need to be more professional from now on, so a casual place to relax might be nice."

Alex took the long way around to exit the mansion, passing through the main hallway on his way out. This corridor housed all the offices, workshops, and rooms that served as workspaces for the staff.

In his opinion, it resembled a department store hallway, with glass-walled rooms lining either side like boutique shops. The clear separation and visibility lent the space a professional atmosphere, encouraging a business-focused mindset rather than the feeling of returning home.

As he walked, he passed Vera's study—her usual hangout for cramming breeder knowledge.

"How's the studying going, Vera?" Alex asked.

"Too much information," she groaned. "I can't just memorize all of this and expect to become a good breeder."

"You should ask Nyx for breeder supplies and get some hands-on experience. Use my Pokémon if you want—they live on Pokémon meat and Pokéblocks I select based on budget. You could develop a personalized diet plan for them and learn as you go."

"Are you sure?" Vera asked, frowning. "Your Pokémon are top-tier. They deserve the best—not to be test subjects for an amateur."

"It's fine," Alex reassured her. "We're not doing official battles where everything hinges on pedigree or ultra-specialized diets. As long as it's beneficial, they'll be happy. Go ahead."

Vera lit up at the support and the opportunity to apply her knowledge. She was deeply grateful for the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, which also led to some enjoyable moments with Alex.

Afterward, Alex cleaned up and continued his walk.

Next, he dropped by Lina's kitchen, nestled beside the cafeteria where they all took their meals.

Between her short stature, pink hair, sweet personality, the ever-present Miltank, and his Alcremie stirring a pot off to the side, Alex sometimes wondered if he'd wandered into a witch's cottage made of sweets. It certainly smelled like it.

"Hey, Lina. How's it going?" Alex asked.

"Great! Want some snacks?" she offered, as Miltank and Alcremie worked together on something that smelled wonderfully sweet.

"No, just doing a quick walkaround to check on things. Need more supplies? Any complaints?"

"Nope! The harvest has been fantastic—I've got all the vegetables, berries, and fruit I could ask for. This professional kitchen is still top-notch, and with Nyx's help, I can order anything I need online," she said brightly. "Thanks so much for hiring me, Alex. The work environment is amazing, and the workload is nothing compared to a restaurant. I've been having a blast."

"That's great to hear. Keep it up," Alex said, grabbing a cookie from the counter on his way out. It tasted like matcha.

His final stop inside the mansion was Mira's massage parlor, where she not only cared for the staff but also groomed and pampered their Pokémon.

"Hey, Mira," Alex greeted as he entered.

"Hey, Alex. Did you want a session? Just let me finish this batch of lotion and I'll be right there," she said, continuing to mix Smoliv oil with a few other ingredients to create her personalized massage blend.

"Not right now. I just swung by to check in—see how you're doing, and if you had any requests or complaints," Alex replied.

"No complaints, no requests. I'm well paid, fully stocked, and kept busy. The work's been fulfilling. Thanks for stopping by."

"Thanks for the excellent work, Mira. We really appreciate your professionalism."

"Haha, sure thing, boss."

Alex left after their short exchange.

As sexual as full-body massages could be, Alex never asked Mira for anything more—out of respect for her trauma. While the memories were gone, the mental scars remained, often surfacing as lingering nightmares that both Lina and Mira still suffered through.

Unlike the others—who had turned their experiences into strength—or Nyx, who had actually enjoyed her time under captivity, Lina and Mira had endured far more pain. They deserved peace more than anything else.

Alex exited the mansion and began making his way around the forest bordering his territory, with Lyra walking alongside him to guide the way.

"So, what kinds of Pokémon can be found around here, Lyra?" Alex asked as they trekked through the forest's edge.

"Plenty," she replied. "If I had to count, probably over a hundred species. But the most common in this area are the Pidgey, Meowth, Ekans, and Sandshrew lines. If you head farther northeast, you'll start running into more Rock and Ground types. But around here? Mostly forest-dwellers. Lots of Bug-types too."

"Any signs of overpopulation?"

"Not in the immediate area," she said. "My team and I regularly cull the population to feed the farm Pokémon. But farther out, there's a territory claimed by a nest of Arboks and Sandslashes. We don't usually go that deep in with their Elites on patrol."

"Should I be worried enough to cull their numbers personally?"

"No need," Lyra reassured him. "The local trainers are already managing their population. If we interfere too much, it might provoke a response from the Rangers."

"Got it. How's your training coming along?"

"They're nearly Expert-ranked. Shouldn't be long before I resume my journey."

"Just remember—you'll always have a place on this farm."

"Thanks, Alex."

Alex's next stop was the berry orchard, where the Skiddo would occasionally cast Sunny Day, Rain Dance, or Grassy Terrain as needed to support the crops. At the center of the orchard was a small lake, where a Gyarados, Milotic, and six Wishiwashi enjoyed the calm waters.

"Hey, guys. How's it going?" Alex greeted.

"Graa." "Mii." "Wii," they chorused in return.

"That's good to hear. I just swung by to take a look. No need to mind me," Alex said as he strolled past.

Magikarp had evolved into Gyarados thanks to sparring and a top-tier diet, while Feebas evolved into Milotic after Alex purchased a Prism Scale from the League Market.

He still wasn't entirely sure what roles they'd play, but having strong Water-type Pokémon seemed like a smart move—especially with future ocean exploration in mind. After all, pirates had bounties too.

Alex's next stop was the hydroponic farm, where he met up with Kaia. She was overseeing the growth of the vegetables, occasionally having her Skiddo use Grassy Terrain on crops that struggled to absorb nutrients from the mist-based system.

It was a major upgrade from before—Elara had built the farm, along with the machines that automated planting, harvesting, and monitoring—but she was ultimately an engineer, not a farmer.

Kaia, on the other hand, was a farmer who knew her vegetables inside and out. While she might struggle with the machines, she was an expert at caring for plants.

"Hey, Kaia. Any troubles?" Alex asked.

"This engineering thing is a bit over my head. You'll need to find a proper replacement for Elara while I occasionally oversee the plants. I can replace parts as needed, but that's about it. Even the screen full of diagnostics is a bit much for me."

"No problem. I'll have Nyx get on it right away."

"While you're here, mind helping a girl out?" Kaia said, lifting her skirt slightly.

"My pleasure."

A few minutes of happy time later, Alex found himself in front of Nyx's house.

Alex had separated the network at the mansion from Nyx's due to the presence of the Rotom. Whenever she needed to access the dark web for bounties on his behalf, she would do so at her home, where the network was isolated for security.

"Nyx," Alex called out, knocking on her front door.

"Master," Nyx replied in a sultry tone as she opened the door while wearing a skimpy outfit.

"Business first. I need a replacement for Elara. Kaia can't handle the workload."

"Got it. Anything else?"

"Any bounties available?"

"Plenty, but most pay under 1 million Pokedollars. Not much else for higher bounties unless you're ready to start a war."

"Just find me something interesting."

"How about hunting down a Pokémon?"

"Interesting. Tell me more."

"Not until you pay for the information," Nyx said, yanking Alex into the house.

-----
The R-18 version of this chapter is available.

Chapter 105: Chapter 105. Hunting Down a Pokemon

In a high-rise in Cinnabar City, Gravik Drayne, Team Dominion's Regional Head for Kanto and an Elite-ranked trainer, stood motionless as he was reprimanded over a video call for his sluggish progress in expanding their organization across the region.

"Mr. Drayne, I am disappointed by your performance in Kanto compared to the other regions. Would you care to explain this lack of progress?" Alaric Graves, Director of Team Dominion, questioned coldly.

"Everything was going according to plan until I lost contact with Celadon, Saffron, and Viridian over the past year. Each one fell into the hands of a bounty hunter by the name of—" he began to explain, before he was abruptly cut off.

"I am not interested in the details. If the problem is a bounty hunter, then just get rid of them and replace the ones who were captured quickly. Increase integration by any means necessary. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

The call ended. Silence lingered for a moment. Then the office erupted as Gravik howled in rage and tore through the room, leaving it in ruins before finally catching his breath.

With a press of a button, he summoned his secretary.

"Yes, sir?" she answered promptly, stepping through the damaged doorway.

"Find everything you can on a bounty hunter named Alex Wattson. Arrange an assassination and make sure it succeeds. Also, find replacements for our lost assets in Celadon, Saffron, and Viridian."

"Replacements will be difficult without support from headquarters," she replied without hesitation, "but I may be able to bring in a professional to deal with the bounty hunter."

"Professional?"

"He specializes in long range elimination. Headquarters just provided him with a new prototype weapon to test in the field."

"Then use him. Offer increased pay and strong incentives to fill the vacant posts. I want them staffed yesterday. And get someone to clean up this mess."

"Understood, sir," the secretary said as she exited the wrecked office.

Gravik glared at the shattered glass and toppled furniture.

"Damn bounty hunter," he muttered before heading down to the training grounds to vent his fury on his Pokémon.

-----

After Alex and Nyx woke from their blissful nap, Nyx brought him up to speed on a bounty placed on a certain Ghost type Pokémon that had been skulking around campsites, preying on weak trainers and their Pokémon for sustenance.

Word on the dark web spoke of 9 victims found east of Cerulean City, an area frequented by trainers battling wild Pokémon from the nearby mountains. The victims and their Pokémon had been discovered completely drained of vitality, their deaths attributed to an elusive predator.

Reports suggested the Ghost type targeted lone, sleeping individuals, carefully gauging their strength beforehand to ensure a clean hunt. It would hide for most of the time, remaining unseen and avoiding detection until the conditions were just right.

The total bounty had already climbed to 3 million Pokédollars, with the League warning it would continue to rise with each new victim. This was no ordinary threat. The Pokémon had developed a taste for human vitality.

Despite concerted efforts, trainers had little success tracking it. Their quarry proved clever, striking only when confident in its advantage.

Alex felt the bounty was large enough so he tasked Nyx with monitoring the latest sightings and patterns.

Meanwhile, he and Arcanine set out for Cerulean City, heading east to scout the region and map out its many camping sites. The range was extensive, and it took over a week for Arcanine to commit the terrain to memory. Only once the mapping was complete did they return to rest.

Before Alex knew it, a month had passed.

During that time, Maris departed for Saffron City to solidify her delivery business now that all the paperwork was finalized. She arrived on site to oversee personnel and get operations off the ground.

Elara left soon after. Her relocation to Hoenn had been approved, and Devon Corp had brought her on board to begin mass production of the combat gear Alex had been giving to the Jennys.

Lyra embarked on her own journey just a few days prior, her Pokémon having reached Expert Rank. Thanks to the Elite level diet Alex had provided and her diligent training, it had not taken long.

With three of the original six girls gone, meals on the farm began to feel a little lonelier.

Vera immersed herself in her breeder certification. Kaia maintained the orchard and hydroponics farm. And Nyx, now acting as both intelligence gatherer and talent scout, focused on tracking down a new engineer to replace Elara and on finding fresh clues about the mysterious Ghost type, whose kill count had now reached 20 from 9 in just a month.

The bounty had risen to 5 million Pokédollars, fueled by growing fears of the damage the Pokémon might bring if it managed to reach Elite Rank.

Unfortunately, Nyx was always late to catch on, as the Ghost type Pokémon was extremely cautious in selecting its victims and quick to hide again after the deed. She had no solid leads beyond the understanding that the target only attacked those who were alone and had no more than one Expert Rank Pokémon at best.

On the recruitment side, Nyx was equally stumped. The job description she offered was simply not enticing. After all, working on a farm was hardly an appealing opportunity for an engineer, especially one looking for growth or advancement. At least the replacement was not urgent, since Kaia could fill in temporarily until too many machines broke down.

As a result, Nyx found herself at a dead end on both fronts, much to her disappointment.

Alex was not particularly bothered by her lack of progress. He was satisfied enough that the farm continued running smoothly without Maris to manage operations, Elara to maintain the equipment, or Lyra to handle patrols.

Still, he needed to act before the League sent an Elite team to comb through the mountains in search of the murderous Pokémon. That was why he decided to take a proactive approach.

He mapped out all the locations where the victims had been targeted and compiled a map that pointed to a general area near the summit of a particular mountain as the most likely hiding place of the Pokémon.

He was not foolish enough to sweep the entire area in search of it, as the League would with their manpower, but he was just foolish enough to use himself as bait.

So he had Arcanine teleport him to a remote spot deep within the suspected hunting grounds and set up a simple camp. Once it was ready, he sent Arcanine back to the farm along with all of his other Pokémon.

Thus began Alex's training journey alone on a mountaintop.

He used the old camping gear he had bought a few years ago, back when he and Jenny received their first big payday from Alex's paper. It had been sparsely used during his earlier travels before Arcanine could teleport him home for the night.

It was a good purchase back then and still served him well, even though newer models came with more bells and whistles.

He brought enough supplies to last a month, which was the longest he was willing to play bait. Five million Pokedollars was a lot, but not enough to justify staying longer, especially after already spending a month gathering information.

The first few nights were quiet, likely due to the lingering energy Arcanine had left behind. With little else to do, Alex spent his days exercising and mapping out his immediate surroundings.

He was not reckless enough to stray too far from camp. He could handle Adept Rank Pokemon well enough, but defending himself against anything stronger would risk revealing his true strength. So he stayed near the camp and kept up his routine.

On the fifth day, he finally encountered trouble. An Adept Rank Raticate had caught his scent now that Arcanine's presence had faded.

Alex could tell right away that it was nothing like his own Raticate. It was thin and worn down, surviving off scraps instead of eating to grow strong like his own Pokemon. That was the difference between a trained Pokemon and a wild one.

It was slow too, and its attacks were easy to read. It charged straight at Alex with Quick Attack, trying to close the distance, and followed up with Bite in a wild attempt to land a blow.

Alex kicked it away without much effort as it lunged again with the same approach. The tactic had probably worked against weaker prey, but Alex was no easy target.

He grabbed the rat by the back of its neck, slammed its face against a tree, and beat it until it was nearly dead. Then he tossed it away and returned to his exercises.

He had no interest in leaving blood around to draw the wrong kind of attention. His target was unlike the others in the forest. It sought vitality from sleeping prey, not blood or flesh. So it was best to keep his surroundings clean.

Over the next week, Alex fought off more and more Pokémon looking to prey on what they assumed was a weak human. Each one was beaten within an inch of their life before being tossed aside.

Among them, Rattatas, Raticates, Ekans, Sandshrews, and Sandslash were the easiest to deal with. He simply grabbed them by the tail and thumped them against a tree until they fainted.

The hardest to deal with were the Spearows, Fearows, and the Poison Point Nidorans, Nidorinas, and Nidorinos.

Spearows and Fearows could fly easily, which made them difficult to catch. When he did manage to ground them, they were strong enough to lift him into the air. That meant he had to avoid relying on his weight alone to keep them pinned, all while dodging sharp beaks and raking talons.

The Nidoran line, on the other hand, were easy enough to wrestle like the others. The complication came from those with visible poison seeping from the spikes across their bodies.

Sure, Alex could just chug an Antidote and a Potion afterward, but the side effects left him feeling awful for the rest of the day. This was not a game world where he could simply heal everything with an item. This was a world where humans were fundamentally weaker than Pokémon and were expected to respect the obvious difference.

Finally, two weeks into his strategy, Alex saw the first signs of his target.

Chapter 106: Chapter 106. Hunting Down a Pokemon 2

Alex was meditating, feigning sleep with a slowed heart rate and dulled mental acuity, when he sensed a Pokémon suddenly appear nearby. It slipped in quietly, radiating the unmistakable energy of a Ghost type, but there was something off about its aura. The typing was strange.

Very slowly, Alex drew his guns and aimed through the fabric of the tent at the small silhouette just outside. One barrel was loaded with a Phantom Force round, the other with a Thunder Wave. He fired the Phantom Force first, followed immediately by the Thunder Wave. The shots struck true, severely injuring the Pokémon and leaving it paralyzed.

Then Alex felt it, the telltale surge of a Teleport activation. Without hesitation, he fired both rounds again, trying to force the Pokémon into unconsciousness. But it was tougher than expected. The Pokemon vanished in a flash of light, slipping away through Teleport despite its injuries.

Reacting instantly, Alex called Nyx for reinforcements. Less than a minute later, Arcanine arrived at the campsite with the full hunting team popping out of their Poke Balls.

"Arcanine, Raticate, track the scent and the energy trail. It shouldn't have gone far. Search everywhere and knock it out when you find it."

"Dusknoir, Ceruledge, follow the residual shadow energy. See if you can trace it through the shadow realm. Taunt it to prevent escape and knock it out."

"Crobats, stick close to Arcanine and Raticate. Use Mean Look the moment you find it. Do not let it escape."

"Metagross, coordinate the rest of the team and sweep the entire mountain. Our target is critically injured. It will need time or victims to recover. Track it down, take it out, and bring it back."

Alex gave his orders in quick succession. After a month and a half of hunting this elusive predator, he had finally caught hold of its tail. He was not about to let go now.

His Pokémon scattered at Metagross's command while Alex simply went back to sleep. There was little he could contribute to the upcoming search-and-destroy mission, so he left Metagross in charge of the follow-up.

Early the next morning, he was awakened by Raticate and found the previous night's assailant lying unconscious before him, broken and bleeding, and on the verge of death from grievous injuries that would not heal on their own.

Alex took a closer look. Beneath the blood and gore, he recognized a Ralts.

There was no doubt his Pokémon had identified the attacker correctly. They were specifically trained for scent and energy tracking, and the evidence was undeniable. Both the scent and energy imprint of the intruder lingered around the campsite.

That meant this Ralts had somehow learned Shadow Sneak, refused to evolve, reached Expert Rank, and used Dream Eater on sleeping targets before slipping away the same way it arrived.

Through this method, it had managed to kill twenty trainers and their Pokémon, evading capture until Alex arrived. It sounded improbable, but a psychic evaluation would confirm it was, in fact, the bounty target.

"It's kind of a waste to just hand it over now," Alex muttered, sighing.

He didn't exactly need a Ralts.

He already had Teleport covered with Arcanine, and could conduct psychic interrogations through Metagross once he earned that legal perk from the League, just like Sabrina.

And considering its behavior, it likely wouldn't bond with him anyway. It was clearly psychopathic.

Also, he wasn't interested in pokephilia so raising a Gardevoir to fuck had never crossed his mind. He had Nyx and Kaia to take care of his sexual needs.

In the end, he captured the Ralts and healed it, ultimately deciding to submit the bounty and collect the five million in rewards for his effort.

He gathered his Pokémon, packed up the camp, and had Arcanine teleport him to the psychic gym that served as the primary authority on psychic-type Pokémon.

Once he submitted the target along with the limited evidence he had, mostly recordings, he returned home to await his substantial reward.

A day later, the psychic gym sent him a debrief on the bounty mission.

After a psychic scan, the Ralts was confirmed as the culprit behind the attacks. Alex received five million Pokédollars and one million in League credits.

Apparently, a wealthy family had purchased the Ralts and handed her off to their spoiled son, who, following advice from internet trolls, forced an Everstone down her throat. Apparently, it was best to have Ralts learn all her moves before evolving, which was sound advice, except for the one troll who suggested he feed them to her.

Continuing to follow online "wisdom," he abused the Ralts in an effort to make her grow stronger faster, eventually beating her so severely that she escaped using Teleport. This was most likely a human supremacist troll sharing their wisdom online.

Years passed. Alone in the wild and filled with hatred for trainers, she grew stronger and eventually learned Dream Eater, which she used to begin her revenge by targeting trainers.

Her power continued to grow until she reached Expert Rank, right up until Alex captured her.

She has since been healed, had the Everstone removed from her stomach, and unfortunately was sold back to the same brat who had been sternly reprimanded for causing the incident.

Alex did not read further into it, but if his judgment of rich brats was accurate, the story was far from over.

As he turned his focus to scouring the League market for ways to spend his credits, Nyx entered his office wearing a bra, miniskirt, and a plugged tail gently swaying behind her.

That certainly got Alex's attention.

"Nice outfit. What's the occasion?" Alex asked while staring intensely.

"I've been a bad girl and I need to make it up to you," she purred, her voice low and dripping with promise.

"I was never disappointed to begin with. I know how hard your work is, and you've been running the farm like a pro without Maris."

She slid closer, her body pressing against his as she straddled his lap. "Still, consider this my apology."

His hands found her hips, fingers tracing slow circles. "Now, tell me the real reason you're here. You didn't just wear that to tease me, did you?"

Nyx's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "Haha, you caught me. I think I found a keeper, but she's from the Underworld side. Hiring her might come with a few... complications."

"What's she currently wanted for?" Alex asked.

"No official warrants, but the human supremacist group wants her back. They've posted wanted notices for her on the dark web."

"How badly do they want her?"

"Ten million Pokédollars badly."

"Who posted the bounty?"

"Argent Solutions. No reason given."

"Hm. Any chance we can keep her off their radar?"

"We might. Your farm's way off the grid, and our security is top tier. Two League-certified Rotoms and a Metagross have it locked down."

"Reach out through official channels. Offer the job anonymously. Set up a meeting somewhere far from here once she accepts."

"You got it, boss. Mind if I get a little reward?"

"Help yourself."

She helped herself to a taste of Alex before retreating to her server room to seal the deal.

Alex, meanwhile, liked the idea of poaching talent from Argent Solutions. They were the company responsible for manufacturing his weapons before Devon Corp moved in on their territory, thanks to the Jennys.

Any talent they wanted back for 10 million Pokedollars was likely carrying company secrets he could make use of.

For example, he had been wanting a 50 caliber sniper rifle that could take out targets from a mile away.

Even if he was not a good shot, his enhanced senses more than made up for his lack of shooting skill. Besides, he wanted the option more than the actual ability.

Refocusing on his work, he scoured the market and searched for a Tsareena with Queenly Majesty, but found nothing.

His Alcremie's Aroma Veil ensured his Pokémon could not be Taunted, while his Altaria's Cloud Nine prevented weather effects. He needed similar abilities that could shift the battle toward his preferred conditions.

Queenly Majesty was one such ability he desired. It slowed down priority moves during fights, preventing melee ambushes.

He might have to raise a Bounsweet with Oblivion in order to get his Tsareena with Queenly Majesty. Unfortunately, it would take a significant amount of time to do so.

He sighed at the lack of providence, then took a walk to consider how best to handle his new potential engineer.

Making his way to the balcony, he leapt down and headed for the outskirts of the forest near the orchard. He liked walking between the contrast of the wilderness and the orderly rows of fruit trees.

Since she was wanted by the human supremacist group, she likely would not leave the farm.

With Nyx's help, she could get anything she needed from the dark web or through Devon Corp. She should also know about their latest technology, which would likely arm the Jennys even further.

He could request stronger weapons for assassinations or even enhance the grenades he had found, replacing their current fire-and-forget area-of-effect loadout with weather, terrain, or room-based effects that required careful on-site manipulation.

He could even make a drone armed with such grenades to swarm heavily guarded bases.

Without warning, a blinding yellow beam tore through the forest, screaming toward Alex's skull.

He never saw the attack coming.

Chapter 107: Chapter 107. Close Call

Alex never saw the attack coming. A blinding beam of yellow light erupted from the forest and swallowed his vision, the heat rushing over his skin in a wave that stole his breath. He could not tell if he had been struck or spared, only that the world had gone silent and every nerve in his body was waiting for pain that had not yet come. For a moment, he was reminded of the events of his first death.

Luckily for Alex, his shadow and personal bodyguard saw the attack coming in time to deploy a King's Shield. Aegislash burst from Alex's shadow and threw himself between Alex and the oncoming blast. Unfortunately, a bullet struck first, shattering the shield just moments before the beam hit Aegislash head-on.

He absorbed the full force of the attack meant for Alex, sparing him from anything more than a wave of heat. If Aegislash's shield form hadn't been just large enough to cover Alex's head and torso, he would have been killed by the attack.

Aegislash, however, was not so fortunate. He collapsed instantly, unconscious and clinging to life on the brink of death.

Alex acted quickly, using a Full Restore on Aegislash before returning him to his Poké Ball to recover. He always kept Aegislash's pokeball and a few powerful healing items even when at the farm just in case.

He then summoned the rest of his Pokémon, who had no doubt sensed the attack near the orchard and were likely already on their way to investigate.

With a sharp whistle, Alex called them in, and within seconds, they arrived. He wasted no time issuing commands.

"Arcanine, track the assassin and slow them down as much as you can," Alex ordered.

"Arc!" Arcanine barked before vanishing into the forest with Extreme Speed.

"Raticate, Absol, Houndoom—follow Arcanine and help him corner the assassin."

"Rat." "Absol." "Hound." The three responded in unison and sprinted after Arcanine to provide backup.

"Metagross, you're in charge. Watch over the farm and make sure the perimeter stays secure."

"Metagross," it replied, pounding its chest with determination.

"Hydreigon, Morpeko—come!" Alex called.

Morpeko leapt onto his shoulder as Alex mounted Hydreigon. Without delay, they soared into the air, chasing the lingering energy trail Arcanine had left behind as he tore through the forest in pursuit of the assassin.

As they followed the trail left by Arcanine, Alex estimated that the attack had come from at least 300 meters away. The light had been yellow, accompanied by the unmistakable crackling of electricity.

"Zap Cannon with Lock-On, boosted with maximum Special Attack and Charge, would be the minimum requirement to clear that distance and still bring down Aegislash. It might have even been amplified by Electric Terrain and Helping Hand," Alex assessed.

As expected, the area from which the shot had been fired still had remnants of an active Electric Terrain, though it was beginning to fade.

Hydreigon continued along the trail Arcanine had carved through the forest for another 30 minutes before Alex began noticing signs of damage in the surrounding terrain.

"Dried vegetation and scorched ground. Arcanine must have opened with Heat Wave once he got close enough."

Arcanine had clearly caught up to the assassin and initiated a brief melee before the assassin broke away and continued to flee. It was likely the assassin had no access to teleportation to aid in his escape.

Ten minutes further along the path, the terrain grew more battered, and lingering traces of dark-type energy began to surface.

Raticate and the other dark-types had caught up by then, and based on the dissipating energy signatures left behind, it was clear they had taken down at least two of the assassin's Pokémon during the pursuit. The frequency of these energy remnants diminished as the chase continued, suggesting the assassin was using his Pokemon as throw-away distractions before retrieving them from range.

A few minutes later, Alex heard the unmistakable sound of battle growing louder.

When he finally arrived at the scene, Alex found a cornered man surrounded by Magnezone, Electivire, and Magmortar, all positioned in a tight defensive formation. At the man's feet lay a fainted Zebstrika, which he was healing.

'No wonder the chase took so long. Zebstrika was likely faster than Arcanine, but Extreme Speed must have eventually closed the distance,' Alex assessed as Hydreigon descended behind Alex's Pokémon.

Arcanine appeared largely uninjured, though clearly exhausted from the relentless pursuit. Morning Sun had kept him going but drained his stamina greatly. Raticate, Absol, and Houndoom, however, were in far worse shape, bearing deep injuries and labored breaths.

Had Alex not arrived when he did, they would have certainly lost the fight, and the assassin would have gotten away.

Alex wasted no time, immediately taking control of the battlefield and ordering his Pokémon to press the assault.

"Hydreigon, use Snarl from above and single out any that get isolated. Morpeko, Aura Wheel on Magmortar. Arcanine, Houndoom, take care of the Magnezone. Absol, Raticate, target the Electivire," Alex commanded.

His Pokémon charged in, isolating the three defenders in a melee that prevented them from using expanded Protect.

Meanwhile, Alex darted toward the trainer, who finally noticed his arrival. Alex did not have much time. Zebstrika would soon regain consciousness from the healing items used on it, so he had to act quickly while the enemy's Pokémon were still distracted.

The man was dark-haired with wild brown eyes, slightly taller than Alex while wearing a thick body suit.

With a crazed look, the man drew a pair of pistols and fired without hesitation.

Alex cursed under his breath. He had left his guns and defensive gear back at the mansion in his rush to catch the assassin, but he wasn't completely helpless. He released Aegislash from his Pokéball, fully healed and glowing with resolve.

"Iron Defense," Alex commanded as he picked up Aegislash and charged forward, using him as a shield.

His superhuman strength and reflexes allowed him to read the trajectory of the bullets based on the angle of the pistols' aim and block accordingly.

The assassin fired a barrage of bullets straight at the pair in an attempt to keep them at bay, but Alex continued his advance, blocking the shots as Aegislash maintained Iron Defense. They were lucky the assassin didn't have automatic weapons or the military training to aim properly.

Zebstrika stirred near the assassin, then suddenly sprang back to life and charged recklessly.

Aegislash intercepted the charging Zebstrika with King's Shield, giving Alex the opening he needed to press in and close the distance to the assassin.

Once in range, Alex quickly disarmed the assassin by grabbing the guns by their barrels and twisting them out of his opponent's hands. Before they were yanked away, however, the assassin managed to eject both magazines, effectively rendering the weapons useless to Alex.

This left them at close range with no firearms to rely on. Alex was in his element, but the assassin was not completely defenseless.

He threw quick jabs, trying to force Alex back while buying time for any of his Pokémon to come to his aid. Alex took the risk and dove low, aiming for the legs with a takedown. The assassin countered with a sharp knee to the face, but Alex caught it with one arm and grabbed the other leg with his other hand.

With a firm grip on the assassin's legs, Alex lifted him off the ground, ignoring elbow strikes to his spine, before slamming the assassin hard onto the ground headfirst. Alex then mounted the assassin and delivered a flurry of punches to the face until the man beneath him went limp.

Breathing heavily, Alex flipped the assassin over and quickly searched his belt. He found the assassin's Poké Balls and recalled each of the remaining Pokémon, locking them down safely.

Only then did he let out a breath of relief.

Looking around, Alex saw that Absol and Raticate had fainted while Hydreigon hovered protectively above them. They must have lost to the Electivire. The rest were just exhausted and deeply wounded.

He rummaged through the assassin's pack and found a handful of healing items, enough to stabilize his own team. He quickly got to work healing his team before they took a rest to recover their stamina.

After resting for an hour, they began the slow walk back to the farm. It took longer than expected as they had covered quite the distance at full speed, but eventually they arrived, much to the relief of the girls waiting there.

"Alex, you're safe," Nyx said, her voice full of relief as she ran to hug him.

"Did you catch the assassin?" Kaia asked from the side, her face filled with fury.

"Eventually, yeah," Alex answered.

"Good," Kaia growled. "Because the bastard destroyed a few of my trees."

"Don't worry. He has more than enough stuff to pay for that and more," Alex said, tossing the bag down. "Nyx, would you mind running a background check? I want to know who this fucker is. He better have a damn bounty on him given the amount of trouble he gave us."

"Sure thing, Alex," Nyx said as she snapped a photo of the assassin's battered face. "I don't think I can use this for identification."

The assassin's face was so swollen and disfigured that it was impossible for photo recognition software to properly identify him.

"What Pokemon did he use?" she decided to ask.

"Magnezone, Zebstrika, Electivire, Magmortar, Talonflame, and Salazzle."

The last two had been sacrificed in an attempt to continue the escape but were immediately taken down before the chase resumed.

"That's a pretty distinctive team. I should have something by tomorrow," she said before running off to her house to conduct her search.

Meanwhile, Kaia practically emptied the assassin's bag onto the floor, determined to get her money's worth for the trouble fixing the orchard would be.

Among the assassin's belongings were standard survival and camping gear, spare clothes, supplies, and, finally, an interesting new gun.

Chapter 108: Chapter 108. New Toy

The new gun Alex found was a sniper rifle. It was basically a pistol with a long barrel and a stock, while the rest of its design was similar to the pistols developed by Argent Solutions.

The distinct difference, however, was that the weapon was single fire. It used up all the Flying type energy in the crystal to propel a bullet through the rifled barrel with roughly the same velocity as an actual sniper rifle.

Once fired, it required a Pokémon with Flying type moves to recharge the energy crystal at the back of the weapon before it could be used again.

Judging by the fact that Aegislash's King's Shield was shattered by the attack, Alex surmised that the assassin had fired a Feint or Phantom Force bullet in tandem with Magnezone firing its overpowered Zap Cannon.

Alex was just lucky Aegislash was shield shaped and completely covered his face and torso, preventing any damage from going through. He was also lucky that Aegislash was part Steel type, otherwise the Feint bullet would have passed through Ghost types and gone straight for his face. He would have likely died from the attack.

Alex tested the new sniper rifle with Raticate's help and found the weapon to be quite powerful. It even had the kickback of an actual rifle. It was clearly a weapon designed to kill.

'I bet I can make this even deadlier,' Alex immediately thought.

His idea was to pair the bullet with an energy crystal filled with Flying type energy and build a new magazine to allow semi automatic fire rather than the current single shot version they had now.

He could also increase the size of the bullet from the current 6mm standard to a 50 caliber one or even larger. Sure, the blowback would be immense, but he was stronger than any known human on Earth physically speaking. He could easily mitigate the blowback using his raw strength.

'Why though?' he thought.

As demonstrated by Aegislash, Pokémon could detect, intercept, block, and survive a hit of such strength. Pokémon were far more dangerous than sniper rifles. It would take an artillery strike from a battleship's main guns to theoretically bring down an Elite Ranked Pokémon without using their energy, just pure force.

Even then, that was assuming they did not block with Protect, which would completely nullify the force of the strike. If the bullet carried Feint or Phantom Force, however, it could bypass defensive moves, and that would be enough to kill most Elite Ranked Pokémon if it hit.

'I'll have it made just in case,' Alex finally decided.

Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

The next day, Alex received a report from Nyx regarding his assassin.

His name was Jonathan Vexler, an assassin with a measly 10% success rate on assassination missions. He operated in the Underworld as a lone assassin, taking down targets listed on the assassination board, which was the Underworld's version of a bounty board.

Much like bounty hunters, assassins pulled information from a publicly accessible list and attempted to kill the listed targets. If they succeeded, they would submit proof of the kill through a video recording or the target's corpse, then receive full payment based on the price on the target's head.

Unlike Alex's bounty board, the Underworld's list was unregulated. The party that posted the hit could easily renege on the deal and refuse to pay for the assassination.

This was why reputation mattered in the Underworld.

If a well-known assassin submitted a verified kill, the party responsible would be forced to pay unless they wanted to risk becoming a target themselves.

Jonathan Vexler was a prime example of an assassin with a poor reputation, frequently denied payment due to his terrible success rate.

Fortunately for him, he was a hard worker who eliminated just enough targets to keep going. All he needed was one lucky break, and thanks to his safe and patient methods, he could keep trying as many times as needed.

His low success rate stemmed from the fact that all of his targets were guarded by Pokémon who would block the attack before it reached their trainer. The only reason he had any confirmed kills was because he occasionally caught targets off guard when their defenses were down. Typically, when they were comfortable at home while their Pokemon were training.

Recently, however, Jonathan managed to increase his success rate to 30% with help from Argent Solutions, who offered him a position as a test user for their new sniper rifle prototype.

With it, he could eliminate targets protected by Ghost type Pokémon using a Feint bullet, which destroyed Protect shields and phased through ghostly bodies to strike the trainer directly. Combined with his usual empowered Zap Cannon, he was able to eliminate more targets, provided the guarding Pokémon was below Elite level.

As for his listed bounty, he was wanted in multiple regions for attempted assassinations. As a result, the accumulated reward for his capture exceeded 30 million Pokédollars in total.

He was not a very successful assassin because his widespread reputation inspired anger rather than fear, which explained the high bounty on his head. He earned the nickname Zapgeist due to his overreliance on Zap Cannon and his uncanny ability to run immediately after a failed attempt.

Even in Kanto, Zapgeist had a bounty of a million Pokédollars for his attempted assassinations of gym leaders. He never managed to kill any of them, of course, but he certainly tried.

His recent string of successful attempts over the past year was attributed to a new weapon capable of breaking through Protect shields.

Argent Solutions used his improved kill rate to bolster their reputation as an alternative force in battles. However, Alex managed to shut it down before it became a widespread trend. If they wished to continue pushing their agenda, they would now need to train a dedicated assassination unit armed with sniper rifles.

"Basically, he's an incompetent assassin with a new toy," Nyx summarized her report. "As for the meeting with the engineer, she rejected all attempts to communicate. She must be pretty spooked to ignore a helping hand like that."

"I think it's because we're anonymous," Alex explained. "It's a catch-22 having to introduce ourselves without leaving any traces of our identities on the internet."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Set up another meeting, but let her choose the method and location. Emphasize the importance of our secret identities and explain that it's in her best interest once she accepts the offer. Sweeten the deal by mentioning our colorful history with Argent Solutions."

"Got it, boss."

After confirming the bounty, Alex submitted their newly captured assassin to the police station.

It took a week for the bounty to clear, and his account increased by a full 30 million Pokédollars. He was now sitting on nearly 50 million Pokedollars, with enough Pokémon meat stockpiled to last him and his team for years.

His recent streak of successful bounties had allowed him to gather enough cash, weapons, gear, and supplies to sustain several years of focused training. He was starting to warm up to the idea, especially since he wanted to begin seriously training his home team while raising a few more Pokémon for his hunting team.

He was also considering forming a dedicated water team for exclusive use in underwater operations.

Aside from high-profile Elite trainers working directly under Champions, pirates carried the next highest bounties. The sea was far more open and dangerous than land, making pirate capture significantly more difficult and, therefore, more lucrative.

As for the new engineer, she accepted the meeting at her terms which was scheduled for today at Vermillion City.

Alex teleported in with Arcanine at his side, taking in the sight of the city before him.

Vermilion City towered along the coastline, its skyline a jagged crown of chrome and glass bathed in neon. Skybridges connected skyscrapers like webs of light, casting a luminous grid over the bustling avenues below.

At ground level, the city pulsed with activity. Traffic moved in organized chaos, Pokémon Centers brimmed with trainers and their teams, and digital billboards projected news and advertisements in brilliant hues. Despite its modernity, remnants of the old port remained: rusted cranes at the docks, fishing boats rocking gently beside gleaming luxury yachts.

"Maybe bringing the girls on a beach trip would make for a nice vacation." Alex thought as he made his way past the port, heading east.

The meeting place was the infamous Diglett Cave, located on the outskirts of the city. It had remained largely unchanged for decades, as the Digletts preferred to keep to themselves, prompting the League to send trainers only occasionally to manage the population.

Alex followed the map the engineer had sent through the winding caves, scaring away the Digletts with Arcanine's Elite ranked energy until he came upon a dead end.

If the map was right, this was the spot where Alex was supposed to meet his new engineer.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the cave, catching him off guard.

"So, you're my new employer?"

Chapter 109: Chapter 109. New Engineer

"So, you're my new employer?" a young girl's high-pitched voice called out from a hole in the wall that Alex had missed.

"You look like the type who's been coming after me. A bit too young though. Oh, an Arcanine. You can't have one of those while being evil. Yup, you pass. So how's the pay? The living conditions? The requirements? Tell me everything you know!"

"Alex Ashford Wattson looking for an in-house engineer at a farm. The pay starts at 300 thousand yearly with a 1% cut per bounty I collect. You'll have your own house separate from your workspace. I need you to work on a hydroponics setup and make guns for me," Alex replied in rapid succession to keep up with her energy.

"Excellent! Welcome to the team," she replied with excitement as she jumped down from the hole. "We're going to make so many babies together."

She was a small, flat-chested girl with tanned skin and wavy auburn hair. Her infectious, hyperactive energy made it hard to keep up with her.

Her hands never stopped moving—fidgeting with tools, tapping gadgets, or adjusting her oversized goggles that always seemed to slide down her nose. Despite her size, she carried herself with the confidence of someone who could take apart a tank and rebuild it twice as deadly.

"The name's Rhea. You can call me Rhea. Don't try to get any more names out of me. I'm not telling," the girl ranted as she began circling Alex, inspecting him through her goggles.

"Devon Corp's neutered guns, personalized bulletproof gear, no helmet despite being in pitch black darkness… Dark Affinity? Short blonde hair, deep black eyes that feel like staring into the abyss. A bit young for me, but you'll do."

She kept circling, rattling off observations as if ticking off a checklist, completely ignoring Alex's presence beyond the role of subject. She was clearly the type who lived at her own pace, intensely focused, entirely unfiltered, and utterly impossible to interrupt.

"So, what did Argent Solutions do to scare you off?" Alex asked, trying to grab her attention.

"This," she said, opening a Pokéball and releasing an Elite Rank Tinkaton between them, "is my starter and partner in crime. Say hello, Tink."

"Tink!" the little pink Pokémon chirped, waving her massive hammer and stirring up a gust in the cave.

"They wanted me to start beating my Pokémon for some stupid fucking reason," she snapped. "So I planted explosives in my lab, ran, and blew everything up. That'll teach 'em to mess with my Tink."

"I toiled in that damn lab for 10 years, and then some hotshot new management shows up, acting like they own us, telling us how to live our lives. They should've just settled for a normal employment instead of being such dicks about it."

"Anyway, I blew up the lab and everything in it, but I kept the files on my personal laptop. Wanna see?" she asked, handing Alex a laptop that had been strapped to her lower back.

"Perhaps when we get to the farm," Alex replied, signaling Arcanine to teleport them.

Rhea quickly returned Tink to her Pokéball and jumped onto Alex, clinging tightly as the teleportation took effect.

"You're bigger than you look," she said as her hands started roaming around Alex's body. "You're pretty muscular under all this armor. Mommy like."

In a flash of light, they reappeared in front of the mansion at the farm.

"Wow! You actually meant a plant farm, like crops and shit," she said, looking around with wide eyes.

"What other kind of farm did you think I meant?" Alex asked.

"I heard some of the new blood talking about farms where they corral people or Pokémon for sex and things. I didn't think you meant vegetables. You're going to have to get me a bigger space if you want me to start mass producing guns."

"I don't need you to mass produce anything. Just make the guns I want for personal use and manage the hydroponics farm. That'll be enough. You're free to do your own research in your free time. I'll even sponsor the materials."

"For realsies? Cool beans. You're the best boss ever!" she cheered, jumping onto Alex again and resuming her overly familiar inspection with zero boundaries.

She was certainly a hugger.

"Come, I'll introduce you to the other girls and the operation we've got going," Alex said, walking off as Rhea clung to him like a koala.

Their first stop was the kitchen, where Lina and Vera were baking poffins and blending Pokéblocks for the Pokémon.

"Lina, Vera, this is our new engineer, Rhea," Alex said. "Rhea, this is Lina, our cook and Vera our breeder."

"If you ever need snacks, just let me know," Lina offered with a warm smile.

"If you ever need Pokeblocks, just let me know," Vera offered as well.

"Are those vanilla poffins? Can I have some? They look delicious!"

"You can take a few from the other counter. Those ones are for the Pokémon."

Rhea didn't wait for a second invitation. She grabbed handfuls and stuffed them into her small mouth, cheeks puffed like a hamster's, then hummed in delight.

"They're delicious," she mumbled through a mouthful. "It's official. You're my new favorite person. We're gonna be best friends."

Next, they headed to the massage parlor where Mira was massaging a few Pokémon. After a quick introduction, Mira gave Rhea a firm shoulder rub that had her melting into the seat.

"It's official," Rhea murmured with a blissful expression. "You're my new favorite person. We're gonna be best friends."

Their third stop was the workshop, formerly Elara's domain, where Rhea's demeanor suddenly shifted.

"It's adequate for my needs," Rhea said, casting an appraising glance around the space. "I'm surprised you dedicated so much room to just a workshop. I'll need a list of supplies ordered as soon as possible so I can get to work."

Though usually a bundle of hyperactive energy, she quickly shifted into a more professional mode the moment she stepped into the industrial sized lab.

The workshop, spacious enough to fit a small Cessna, had been built with Elara's specialty in mind: industrial engineering. A few scattered machines still lingered in the corners, remnants of its previous occupant.

"Is that the latest sniper model?" Rhea asked, eyeing the assassin's rifle on the table.

"Got it off an assassin who tried to kill me last week. I have a few ideas for improvements."

"Do tell."

"Enlarge the bullet and pair it with a Flying type energy crystal so it can fire semi automatic."

"That would mean enlarging the entire gun."

"Yes. Since it's built for long range, it might as well be bulky."

"The recoil would be immense."

"No problem for a man of my size and strength."

"Yes, I see why you need my services. I'm glad you chose me for this project. Do you have any other ideas?"

"We will talk more about that once you are settled. For now, let's head to the server room. Nyx, your supplier, should be there."

Next was the server room, where Nyx was in the middle of a game with Metagross and a pair of Rotoms.

"Nyx, this is Rhea, the new engineer," Alex introduced. "Rhea, this is Nyx, the farm's manager and my information specialist."

"You're SexyButt69?" Rhea blurted.

"You're LittleMenace98?" Nyx replied, equally surprised.

They stared at each other for a moment, then nodded approvingly for some reason Alex didn't care to understand.

"Rotom, where's Kaia?" Alex asked.

"At the hydroponics facility," Rotom replied in its synthetic monotone.

When Alex turned back, the girls were already gathered around a pair of monitors, focused on some game he did not recognize.

With a sigh, he lifted the little munchkin by the back of her collar and draped her over his shoulder.

"Come on," he said. "Two more stops before I let you loose on the farm."

"Nooo! This doesn't count. We haven't started playing yet. I demand a do-over!" Rhea wailed.

"You snooze, you lose," Nyx called back, smirking.

"Cancel whatever deal you've made, Nyx. Business first," Alex ordered sternly.

"Yes, Daddy," she gushed in response.

Alex rarely used his stern commanding voice outside the bedroom, but this time it had the desired effect. It seemed to have worked on Rhea too, who stopped struggling and draped herself over him like a sack of potatoes.

Carrying Rhea with him, Alex headed for the hydroponics farm, stopping briefly at the training grounds to introduce her to the Pokémon as the new engineer.

After a few acknowledging grunts from the Pokémon, he continued on to the hydroponics area, where Kaia was directing the Goomys and Araquanids to use Sunny Day and Rain Dance on the plants that needed them.

"Hey, Kaia. Meet our new resident engineer, who will be taking over for Elara," Alex said, setting Rhea down so she could stand on her own.

"Rhea, this is Kaia, the farm's caretaker. She manages both the orchard and the hydroponics section. Make sure to listen to her—she knows what the plants need better than either of us or any scientific paper you can find."

"So, this is the famous hydroponics farm. It's a bit outdated," Rhea said as she looked around.

"It hasn't even been a year," Kaia protested.

"They just released a more efficient system," Rhea explained in a professional tone. "It uses a drip method instead of mist, which reduces waste and minimizes buildup on the greenhouse interior. It also needs less maintenance on the sprayer that suffers from mineral buildup."

"Can you replace the system we're using now?" Alex asked.

"Sure. I just need to swap out all the nozzles and calibrate the flow. No problem."

"I'll leave it to you then. Kaia, would you mind showing her around and then taking her to an empty house so she can move in?"

"Not at all."

"Great. Welcome to the farm, Rhea."

"Happy to be here."

Chapter 110: Chapter 110. New Targets

Rhea's arrival at the farm was a breath of fresh air. Her eccentric and energetic personality brought new life to the place, filling the quiet space left behind when some of the others had moved on. She radiated enough energy for everyone around her, lighting up every room she entered.

She fit in perfectly with the other girls. Her small stature and lively nature made each of them want to pamper her, especially Lina and Vera, who had a soft spot for children, even though she was nearly a decade older than Alex.

Rhea's relationship with Nyx was more like that of siblings who were always trying to outdo each other. They often played games together, or more accurately, competed against each other, much to the amusement of the Rotoms and Metagross, who saw their lack of gaming skill as amusingly childish.

As for Tinkaton, Rhea's starter and only Pokémon, she got along well with the others and often spent time with Morpeko and Raticate, who matched her in both strength and size.

She even found a place in Vera's experimental breeding program. The mischievous hammer-wielding creature earned a premium diet of top tier Pokéblocks, a reward she accepted with great enthusiasm.

That night, after dinner, Rhea and Alex began talking about some of the weapon ideas he had been working on. To Rhea's delight, the conversation quickly spiraled into a showcase of concepts that pushed the boundaries of anything she had seen before.

He described sniper rifles that fired large-caliber rounds, firearms with automatic firing capabilities, and even a monstrous creation that combined the two: a 20mm rotary cannon.

Then he started talking about grenade launchers, rocket propelled grenades, missiles, artillery, exoskeleton suits, and eventually, giant robots.

These were all weapon ideas Alex had brought back from Earth, and each new idea left Rhea more breathless than the last. The sheer firepower, complexity, and originality of the weapons he described nearly sent her into a frenzy of excitement. For her, they were not just tools; they were masterpieces waiting to be brought to life.

Unfortunately, Rhea responded to Alex's requests with an equally demanding list of materials she would need just to get started.

Many of these were regulated items, such as energy crystals and cutting-edge heavy machinery. Fortunately for both of them, Alex had a working relationship with Devon Corp, who could supply all her needs and more at a generous discount.

As for the more common components, they could be ordered through Nyx, who would then place the request with Maris and her distribution company. It cost a bit more to go through a third party, but the extra income helped Maris grow her budding business.

The money spent would ultimately return to Alex anyway, since it was technically his company. As the majority shareholder with 51% ownership, he still held controlling interest. However, he had signed away his management rights for as long as Maris remained president of the company.

This ultimately led to Alex's windfall of 50 million Pokédollars vanishing into a pile of materials for Rhea to play with, leaving him with less than 10 million once again.

Fortunately, he still had a stockpile of Pokémon meat that would last them for years. That was Alex's greatest expense. As long as he had Pokémon meat, he did not truly need money, since the farm still passively generated enough profit to sustain their operation.

Still, Alex was not comfortable having such an empty bank account. As a result, he returned to bounty hunting.

"I got nothing, boss," Nyx said in response to Alex's request for a target. "You scared off everybody with your recent string of takedowns. Everyone's lying low for the time being. All that's left are the ones worth less than a million, and they're very good at hiding. Although, I do have a few leads in Johto if you want to take a trip."

"No. The farm is exposed, and I don't want to leave for a long journey until I'm satisfied with the defenses," Alex replied with a sigh. "Lyra leaving does not help our situation."

Lyra had been a huge help in keeping their surroundings under watch. Her constant trips in the forest ensured they were not being spied on, which was now a very real threat because of Rhea.

Then again, after the assassination attempt, he might be an even bigger target than Rhea.

'I wonder how much I'm actually worth on the assassination board. It's gotta be pretty high, right?' Alex suddenly thought.

He was an Elite Ranked trainer with plenty of Elite Ranked bounties submitted. He should be worth at least as much as Rhea.

"What's the price on my head?" Alex asked suddenly, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Um… I am not sure you want to know," Nyx said awkwardly.

"That low? I've taken down quite a lot of targets. I cannot be that cheap," Alex said in protest.

"Less than a million, according to the assassination board. That has been the price ever since you caused that ruckus in Saffron City with your Zubats. The issue is that you have been targeting the human supremacist faction almost exclusively. The Underworld actually has a high opinion of you and has limited your public bounty because of your popularity."

"Nobody likes the human supremacist faction. They have been pissing people off left and right. So far, they have only been sending their personnel against you rather than placing a deadly price on your head."

"That's not so bad, I guess. Are there any targets I can take out from the assassination board without pissing off the League?" Alex asked.

Unlike the bounty board, which was regulated by the League, the assassination board only required proof of the target's death. This meant Alex could technically work as an assassin, as long as he chose targets that would not anger the League.

His ideal targets were low priority criminals with cheap public bounties but high underworld prices on their heads, typically those who had managed to earn the grudges of someone wealthy.

"Let me cross-reference both boards first to see which ones you can legally take out without any complications," Nyx said, beginning to type on her computer. "It'll take a while, so why don't you come back tomorrow?"

"Sure. Thanks, Nyx."

"Just doing my job."

Alex returned the next day to check on Nyx and found her fuming at her monitor.

"Rapists. So many rapists," she muttered as he entered her study. "The League keeps putting them on low priority because there's never enough evidence for a conviction."

"The Underworld, on the other hand, has been getting plenty of assassination requests from angry parents who want their child's attacker dead. The ones with no backing are easy targets. But the ones with connections? That's another story."

"Take this bastard, for example. He's a bodyguard for a local gang boss with family ties to someone in Umbraline. He's raped and killed eight people so far, and there's a bounty of a few million from the families who lost their kids. The League never received any evidence, so there's no warrant for his arrest."

"You can take him out, though. He has confirmed ties to the Underworld, so the League won't treat him as a civilian. That is, assuming you don't make a mess of it."

"Why aren't people in the Underworld turning in their own subordinates for these targets?" Alex asked. "They're worth millions."

"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, reputation. As long as someone is under the organization's protection, they are off limits, no matter the price. Makes for a pretty good hiring pitch, if you ask me."

"What about the one you were talking about? He doesn't have any real ties to Umbraline. Even his boss is just a family member at best," Alex said.

"If I didn't have your level of strength, I wouldn't go near that guy either," Nyx replied. "You never know if you're poking a tree or a Beedrill's nest. People like me, the weak ones, would never even try."

"Alright. Get me a list on my burner. I'll start hunting from the most expensive to the cheapest as fast as possible. They will probably go into hiding once someone with my strength starts collecting from the board."

"You go get changed while I set it up for you. There are quite a lot of the little freaks."

"Thanks."

Alex quickly geared up, wearing full body armor, a long coat, and two pairs of pistols. One pair, kept on his torso, was for enhancing his Pokémon. The other pair, holstered at his waist, was meant for killing.

This particular set had belonged to the assassin and featured the latest upgrades from Argent Solution. Basically, they did more damage in exchange for greater drain on the energy crystal.

Not that it mattered since shooting 80 bullets was complete overkill.

He also stopped by the workshop to pick up the sniper rifle, just in case. He was supposed to be an assassin, after all, so he might as well give it a shot.

Once Alex received the list on his burner phone, he scanned through it and quickly spotted multiple targets in Saffron City alone. Across Kanto, there were at least five rapists under protection in every city. It was not as many as he had expected, until he remembered that those without backing had probably already been assassinated.

As he continued scrolling, Alex found more than just rapists listed as potential targets.

There were bosses who discarded disgruntled employees, cheaters whose former lovers wanted them dead, and school bullies whose victims ended up rich. All of them had known ties to the Underworld, and as such, were considered fair game by the League so long as killing them didn't require collateral damage.

"It's going to be a busy week."

Chapter 111: Chapter 111. Playing Assassin

For this operation, Alex chose not to bring Rotom or Metagross. As technological Pokémon, they were subject to certain restrictions imposed by the League. It would not be a major issue if they did come along, but the less evidence tied to him, the better.

Since he could not bring his commander, he had to limit the number of Pokémon he deployed.

He did not need his defensive team this time, so he focused on those who could get him out of trouble. He also selected them in pairs, which made them easier to command and coordinate in the field.

Raticate and Arcanine shared a deep connection with Alex that went beyond mere affinity. They had been together for years, building up a strong foundation of trust and mutual understanding. This made them far easier to control in a fight. They were also his most reliable means of escape, making them essential for the operation.

Dusknoir and Ceruledge, as Ghost types, were particularly effective at infiltration and assassination. If Alex managed to catch his targets off guard, he would not even need to lift a finger. As the team's designated Protect breakers, they were absolutely necessary. Their frequent cooperation also gave them a seamless partnership in battle.

The Crobat pair were another critical choice, responsible for scouting, infiltration, and trapping. They were trained specifically for operations like this, which made them indispensable.

Lastly, Hydreigon was chosen for her nighttime stealth, silent flight, and because she had thrown a tantrum when Alex tried to leave her behind. She was paired with Aegislash to serve as his bodyguards and ensure he was never left defenseless.

With the team assembled, Alex teleported to his first stop. The bodyguard Nyx had cited as an example turned out to be the most expensive of the targets, worth approximately five million Pokedollars. Whoever he pissed off must have been seriously wealthy to put that kind of price on a literal nobody.

The targets Nyx gave Alex were all Expert Rank and below. They were grunts who took the opportunity to go the extra mile when committing crimes. With backing behind them, they had gone overboard.

Sure, there were probably plenty of Elite Rank rapists too, but killing them would take more than Alex's current team. Some of them had Champion Rank support, and Alex was not ready to mess with that yet.

When Alex arrived in Saffron City, he went straight to the address listed. It was not much information considering how many targets he had, but it was enough for him.

He made his way to a luxurious mansion on the south side of the city, known informally as Underworld territory.

He looked around and noted the heavy security. There were regular patrols of either trainers or Pokémon, and cameras pointed in every direction.

Alex had probably been recorded while scoping the place out, but he wore full body armor with a helmet that hid his face. He was not going to wait long for the assault anyway, so it did not matter.

It was the middle of the day, so stealth was out. There were no Elite Rank threats inside, so he could just force his way in, but he did not have his full team. Getting out would be easy, though.

"Since I can't use stealth or force my way in, I'll just use a distraction," Alex said as he released all his Pokémon.

"Crobats, take out the cameras near the front gate, scan the entire property, and look for this individual," Alex ordered, holding up a picture of his target on his phone. "Once you find him, give Ceruledge and Dusknoir his location. Then fly around the property and escape when they come after you."

"Ceruledge, Dusknoir, find the target, kill him, and try to bring the body back. If you cannot, then try to lead him out of the mansion. Raticate, take out anyone trying to trap them. Meet back here when it is done."

Alex had considered using his sniper rifle on the weak target, but the mansion walls blocked any clean shot. The nearest building he could shoot from was a few miles away, and landing a hit from that range was unrealistic even with his enhanced physicality.

He also was not interested in waiting for the perfect shot. He had a long list of names to get through.

Heeding Alex's orders, Ceruledge and Dusknoir melted into the shadows along the wall and slipped onto the property, while the Crobat pair took to the skies and darted toward the cameras at the front gate. After getting rid of the cameras, they began circling the mansion, scanning the area with their echolocation.

Their presence instantly drew the attention of the guards.

"We're being scanned. Take those damned Crobats out!" someone shouted, and a wave of guards rushed out of the mansion, releasing their Pokémon in response.

Expert Ranked Pokémon swarmed the grounds in coordinated formations, working to corner the airborne scouts. There were over twenty trainers who scrambled the second they got the call.

As Raticate was about to head out and start taking down trainers and Pokemon, Alex held him back.

"They're more organized than I thought," Alex muttered. "Arcanine, use Roar."

Arcanine burst from their hiding spot near the trees and unleashed a powerful Roar in front of the main gates. No one had noticed his approach, their attention fully fixed on the Crobats.

ROAR

A deafening roar erupted from the front gates, shaking the entire area. Panic followed instantly. Pokémon and humans alike scattered in all directions, overwhelmed by the sheer fear induced by the cry of an Elite Ranked Arcanine. None could resist.

Amid the chaos, Ceruledge and Dusknoir received the coordinates from the Crobats and slipped deeper into the shadows of the mansion. Their destination was the study.

Inside, the gang boss was pacing wildly, rattled by the presence of an Elite Rank threat at his doorstep.

"What the fuck is going on?" he shouted to no one. "I've been laying low like I was told. Why the fuck am I being targeted?"

His hands trembled as he reached for his communicator. "I need to call Enzo. He should be able to do something."

Enzo was his cousin, a grunt working under Umbraline. He was the only reason the boss had not already been arrested for his failing drug trafficking operation.

Ever since Don was taken out, business in Saffron City had been in shambles. To make things worse, the ones left behind were more interested in fighting among themselves than doing business. A new, promising replacement had started rebuilding, but Darren Holt was captured almost immediately.

Now, everyone had been ordered to stay quiet or risk facing the same fate.

Suddenly, his Pokémon surrounded him and released Protect shields, ready to block the incoming attack from a pair of Ghost types who slipped in. But the attack missed him entirely. Instead, it struck and killed his bodyguard and long time friend, Fred.

Fred's Pokémon tried to defend him, but the assassins were precise and coordinated. One used Phantom Force to break the Protect shield, while the other slipped through the gap, raised its blade, and beheaded Fred.

Fred's Pokémon attacked in a fury, but the assassins endured the blows as they retreated, carrying Fred's corpse.

In shock, the boss froze and failed to give any orders as the assassins leapt out the window and vanished into the shadows of the mansion, with Fred's Pokémon chasing after them.

"Fred was the target?" the boss muttered, stunned.

"Thankfully, Fred was the target," he breathed, slumping into his chair in relief. "I don't know who the fuck he pissed off, but they can have him."

Outside, the chaos had died down as the guards began to regroup with their Pokemon right as Ceruledge and Dusknoir jumped out of the mansion's window and bolted for Alex with the target's corpse in Dusknoir's hands.

Unfortunately, they were being followed by six very angry Pokemon who likely belonged to their target.

"Crobats, Raticate, delay the pursuers," Alex commanded.

The Crobats swooped in and used Hypnosis or Mean Look to delay the pursuers while Raticate simply tackled them with Quick Attack sending them flying back. As an Elite, he had enough power to fight off most Expert Ranked Pokemon.

Once Dusknoir handed the corpse over to Alex, he rummaged for the Poke Balls before activating them, retrieving the pursuers, and locking them in their Poke Balls. Finally, he stuffed the corpse into a bag, retrieved his Pokemon except Arcanine and teleported to their next location.

Overall, the operation went smoothly. He had been recorded wearing new gear that hadn't yet been linked to his identity, and the Pokémon seen were typical of Underworld trainers. His Arcanine also managed to avoid being caught on camera, which meant his identity should remain secure.

At most, the Underworld would know that an Elite-ranked trainer was targeting names on the assassination board.

Alex wasn't especially bothered by having his identity revealed, but since he had a good standing with the Underworld, he preferred to keep it that way. This new assassin gig would have to be kept secret for as long as possible.

Chapter 112: Chapter 112. Playing Assassin 2

Alex's next target was located at the south east side of the city near the wall.

The bodyguard had been an easy target because of his reliance on his backing hence Alex didn't bother to read his file. This new one though might be complicated so he pulled up the file Nyx sent that was attached to the assassination board.

Target Profile: Varen Dross
Pokemon: Dugtrio, Sandslash, Arbok, Haunter, Golbat, Machoke
Threat Level: Expert Rank
Contract Value: 4.3 million Pokedollars
Status: Kill on sight

Varen Dross, male, 38, 5'8" (1.73 m), skinny build, scar on left cheek, blond hair, right foot drag. Confirmed specialist in subterranean evasion; operates through self-dug and repurposed tunnel systems. Primary residence is a decaying stone house near the southeastern city wall of Saffron City, isolated, reinforced, and rigged for fast exits underground. Rarely seen in daylight; activity spikes between 2200–0300 hours. Known for unpredictability and paranoia; keeps no known allies or contacts but does have contracts with local operatives for escape services.

This was the kind of target that was hard to kill. Someone who had survived enough assassination attempts to master the art of escape. Even Alex would have struggled to eliminate him if not for his Elite ranked Pokémon.

As for any official bounty on his head, he was never identified by the League and managed to avoid ever having his name added to the list. According to Nyx, the price on the assassination board came from local sources. Varen had a habit of preying on nearby residents whenever he got too drunk.

Several assassins had attempted to take him out over the years but failed every time due to his method of escape through underground tunnels.

Varen kept his operation going by being fast enough to evade Expert ranked trainers while remaining just low profile enough to avoid drawing the attention of Elite ranked ones.

Unfortunately for him, Alex needed the money.

"Raticate, hunt him down," Alex commanded.

Raticate darted forward and entered the stone house, with Alex following closely behind, his team in tow.

Among Alex's Pokémon, Raticate was the tunneling expert and had undergone specialized training for this exact purpose. Though not as fast at digging as Ground types, he was relentless and would eventually track down the target.

Inside the house, Alex spotted Raticate digging behind the fireplace, revealing a dark tunnel. Without hesitation, Raticate slipped inside, following the scent that likely still lingered there.

With a sigh, Alex followed, Arcanine by his side to guard against any potential collapses.

"Crobat, Ceruledge, Dusknoir, follow Raticate and provide support," Alex ordered.

The four Pokémon obeyed, descending into the dark tunnel after Raticate, while Alex jogged behind, Arcanine leading just ahead to keep track of their movements.

More than an hour into the tunnels, Alex heard the sounds of battle echoing ahead.

"Chase after them, Arcanine," Alex ordered, holding tightly to Arcanine's side. The canine surged forward, weaving swiftly through the tunnels until they reached a wider chamber where their target was fending off Raticate and the others with a coordinated assault.

Fortunately, Alex and Arcanine arrived just in time to provide backup.

"Arcanine, use Extreme Speed through their formation," Alex commanded, then boosted Arcanine's power with a Beat Up bullet to maximize his Attack stack.

Like a bolt of orange lightning, Arcanine surged through their Protect formation, sending the defending Pokémon flying and isolating Varen.

With a swift motion, Alex drew his guns and fired at Varen, who was still reeling from the impact. After a few shots, Varen lay bleeding out on the ground, wounds covering his body.

Alex checked the profile to confirm his target. With a final shot to the heart, he ended Varen's life before storing the corpse in his bag. Another assassination complete.

"That was much easier than I thought," Alex said while retrieving his Pokemon except Arcanine. "Onto the next target."

They teleported north of the city where plenty of local businesses were thriving.

Alex checked his phone for his new target.

Target Profile: Joren Merrow
Pokémon: Persian, Hypno, Grimer, Weezing, Venomoth, Mr. Mime
Threat Level: Expert Rank
Contract Value: 4.1 million Pokedollars
Status: Kill on sight

Joren Merrow, male, 44, 6'1" (1.85 m), medium build, smooth black hair, always dressed in tailored suits. Owns and operates a chain of luxury boutiques throughout northern Saffron, with his main residence located above his flagship store in Crescent Row. Known predator with multiple rape allegations tied to in-store "private appointments." Uses narcotics and threat of social ruin to silence victims. Security detail is discreet but professionally trained, equipped with internal comms and nonlethal deterrents. Surveillance systems active at all times; building is protected by concealed countermeasures and panic triggers. Operates primarily during business hours, with private meetings scheduled after dusk. Maintains a clean public image but is rarely seen outside controlled environments.

A man who used his wealth and connections to silence his victims. Victims who pooled enough money to fund this contract, yet still feared exposing his crimes to the League.

"Oh, this one's definitely easy," Alex muttered as he released the Crobats. "Find him and lead me in."

The Crobats scanned the photo before vanishing into the air, sweeping over the district's shops. Unlike his scans of Underworld businesses, tracking targets in public establishments was far simpler, most had nothing to hide and left their properties largely unguarded.

It was not without risk for thieves to target these businesses, as cameras covered the streets and any would-be thief risked having a bounty placed on their head. But Alex was not here to steal.

Following the Crobats' signal, he arrived at the rear of a boutique store. He released Raticate with a simple command.

"Destroy their security system."

Raticate darted inside, vanishing into the offices while Alex entered through the back. The Crobats guided him toward the fitting rooms. From behind one door, he heard muffled cries, the sound of a struggle. He had found his target.

"No, please, I can pay—" the woman's voice cut off into a gagged scream.

Alex stepped forward but was blocked by two suited men. They were tense, their eyes flicking to his mask and gear.

Alex understood their fear so he gave them a chance to save themselves.

"Your boss dies today," Alex said in a low voice made darker by his helmet. "Whether he dies alone is up to you."

Raticate emerged from behind Alex and perched on his shoulder, done with his errand.

"Elite rank," one guard muttered. "I don't get paid enough for this shit."

"I'm out, too," the other agreed.

They left without another word.

Alex drew his gun and stepped into the room. The woman was naked and cornered, her attacker looming over her as he fumbled with his belt. He turned just as Alex grabbed him by the mouth, pressed the muzzle to his chest, and pulled the trigger twice.

The shots went straight through the heart but stopped before exiting the back. The gun was one Alex used exclusively on his Pokémon, so the rounds were relatively weak. Even so, Beat Up x6 was enough to drill through skin, chest cartilage, and the heart.

Joren's Pokémon burst from their Poké Balls ready to avenge their trainer, but Alex was faster, returning them with practiced ease before they could act.

The woman flinched, frozen in place. She had been stripped, nearly raped, watched a man die before her eyes, and narrowly avoided becoming collateral in a Pokémon battle she could not comprehend. And now, her savior, masked and silent, held up a single finger.

"Shhh."

Shaking, eyes wide with shock, she nodded slowly and clutched whatever fabric she could find to cover herself.

Alex stuffed the body into his bag, cleaned up the scene, and walked out. Once he reached an open space, he recalled the Crobats and Raticate, released Arcanine, and teleported away.

"Definitely the easiest one so far." he said while checking his next target.

Target Profile: Marcus Halden
Pokemon: Primeape, Granbull, Weezing, Machamp, Gengar, Crobat
Threat Level: Expert Rank
Contract Value: 3.7 million Pokedollars
Status: Kill on sight

Marcus Halden, male, 45, 6'2" (1.88 m), muscular build, close-cropped black hair, tattoo of a cogwheel on right forearm. Head of Halden Logistics, a company controlling city-wide goods distribution. Operates from a fortified office complex in the industrial district with high security presence. Known to travel with a combat-trained Pokémon team for protection and enforcement. Frequently in contact with various supply routes and communication networks. Suspected of coordinating covert operations through his logistics channels. Movement patterns primarily within industrial zones and central business district.

"This one's tough," Alex calculated. "He's heavily armed and backed by his own business. I'll need to operate in the evening or bring my full team to take him down."

Alex glanced around the alley where they were hidden, then decided to teleport to the top of a nearby high-rise for a better vantage point. Since his target was inside a building, it might be easier to eliminate him with a sniper rifle.

Once there, Alex took out the sniper and aimed at the Halden Logistics main office, scanning the visible rooms for his target.

"Of course, he's at the very top, overlooking as much of the city as possible," Alex muttered.

His target stood overlooking the city, wearing a prideful expression as if the world belonged to him. There was an air of untouchable confidence about him that made Alex's skin crawl.

As Alex continued scanning the area, he noticed a striking redhead waiting in the adjacent room. She looked familiar. A flicker of recognition sparked in his mind, though he couldn't place exactly where he had seen her before.

He could not see her face, but the hair was unmistakable. Along with the shape of her body, her large breasts, and her thick thighs.

"Maris?"

Chapter 113: Chapter 113. Courtesy Call

Alex could recognize that perfect hourglass figure anywhere. Among the women he had slept with, Maris was the most desirable as a trophy wife because of her perfect assets. She also managed the farm, which fed right into Alex's childish fantasy of having a sexy secretary who would bend over his desk or "secretly" suck him off under it in the middle of work.

"Well, this is awkward," Alex said with mild surprise.

He could somewhat guess why Maris was waiting for a meeting with Marcus Halden, Head of Halden Logistics, a company that controlled city wide goods distribution. Her own company, Hawke Delivery, named after herself, was also in the delivery business. No doubt there was potential for cooperation or competition between the two.

Most likely, it was some sort of business deal either to prevent her company from sinking or to secure a partnership that would ensure its continued rise. At the very least, it was beneficial for Maris to have a relationship with him.

Alex was not blind to the fact that their meeting would probably end in intense sex, given Maris's proclivities. Whether it was to seal the deal, score some extra perks, or just have a wild night, especially since she had not been with him for two months.

Alex would admit he was the jealous and possessive type, as his past girlfriends often complained. But Maris was neither his woman nor did he have romantic feelings for her.

Still, he felt somewhat responsible for her, just like the other girls he had taken in. So he gave her a courtesy call to clarify their situation before doing anything that might negatively impact her or her company.

"Hey, Maris. It's Alex."

"Alex? I'm a bit busy. Can you call back later?"

"I'm busy too, given the situation, but I need you to answer a few questions. It's urgent."

"Just hurry up."

"What are you planning with Marcus Halden?"

"Are you stalking me? I never figured you for the type," she said, smiling lightly.

It felt good knowing Alex was the stalker type who still looked out for her. It would feel even better if he actually still wanted her. She wanted Alex too, but he was never the type to stay in one place, and she had her own needs. So she left.

"You can definitely accuse me of being the stalking type. I'm just not stalking you."

There was a long pause before it finally clicked for Maris.

"You're targeting Marcus?" she whispered into her phone.

"He's made some enemies and has ties to the Underworld, so he's fair game. I'm about to put a bullet in his head, and I'm calling as a courtesy. Did you need him for something?"

"I was about to propose a business deal to partner with his distribution network," she replied slowly while the wheels started turning in her head.

"Based on Nyx's findings, his business partners usually lose everything shortly after their partnership is established. It happens through assassinations, coercion, or planted evidence that gets them exposed. All of it without any proof, of course, so he doesn't have an outstanding bounty."

"He does have an assassination request on him, though. Most of the money on his head was placed by family members who lost their parents or partners along with their family businesses. Do you still want him? I can come back after you—"

"No, you can have him. Just wait for me to get the fuck out of this building," she quickly replied in a rage.

"Sure thing."

Maris ended the call, quickly stood up, and gave a few vague excuses to the secretary. She walked calmly to the elevator, rode it down, and exited the building without looking back. Once outside, she pulled out her phone and called Nyx to confirm Alex's story.

"Oh hey, Maris. What can I do for you?" Nyx answered cheerfully.

"Marcus Halden. What do you know about him?" Maris asked, her tone clipped.

"That name sounds familiar. Give me a second," Nyx replied, the sound of typing following shortly after. "Here he is. Owns a distribution company and—"

"I'm not asking for a summary. I want to know why Alex is targeting him. I checked. He isn't on the bounty list."

"Oh, that. Alex spent too much money on his new girl and needed to recover fast. So he started pulling jobs from the assassination board. Targets people would pay millions to see dead. Alex had me pick out names from the assassination board of people the League doesn't mind disappearing. Why? You sleeping with him? You should probably say goodbye."

"I was going to fuck him after a two-month dry spell. Now he's dead."

"Tough luck. Alex has been pounding my ass more than ever since you girls left. It's mostly just me, Kaia, and sometimes Vera now. Although, I've got a feeling the new girl's going to get in on the action soon."

"Fuck you."

"He does. Frequently."

Maris sighed, gave up, and took a moment to calm herself down. There was no beating Nyx when it came to insults. She had a barbed tongue that would make sailors question their legitimacy. Practiced from her time spent gaming.

"Fine. I'm sending over a list of companies. I need you to check their backgrounds. I don't want another Marcus incident."

"Oh... you really were about to fuck him, huh? My condolences to your dry pussy. I'll take care of that list for you—no charge. If it makes you feel any better, Alex is probably going to be busy all week with his new set of targets. I haven't been giving him enough work lately, and now he's like a recovering addict getting his fix."

"Thank you, Nyx."

"Sure thing."

Maris ended the call and sighed as she walked back to her office building that also served as her apartment.

She was lucky Alex came along and saved her from becoming Marcus's next target.

Still, there was a voice in the back of her mind that still wanted a relationship with Marcus, partly to benefit from his company and partly to end her dry spell without settling for anything less than what Alex could give her. Marcus was quite the catch, after all, and he could have filled the void Alex left in her.

'Maybe I should just join a sex club,' she thought ruefully. 'Being this horny is messing with me.'

Meanwhile, Alex tracked Maris until she was clear of the building before setting his sights back on Marcus, who was in the middle of a tantrum after his scheduled piece of ass left without a proper reason.

"Sorry to cock block and then kill you, buddy," Alex said under his breath before pulling the trigger.

Just as the bullet shot out of the barrel, Gengar jumped out of Marcus's shadow and deployed a Protect barrier. The Feint bullet penetrated the shield, phased through Gengar, and finally hit Marcus right in the head, splattering brain matter all over his office.

This sent Marcus's Pokémon into a frenzy in his office, with Gengar, Weezing, and Crobat flying after Alex. In the chaos, they destroyed all the cameras in the room, exactly as Alex had been hoping for.

"Definitely dead," Alex said before releasing Arcanine and teleporting straight to Marcus's office.

He picked up the corpse and returned the rampaging Pokémon to their Poké Balls.

Leaving swiftly and silently would have been the cool assassin thing to do, but retrieving the body and securing the Pokémon to prevent further damage was what the League wanted him to do. He wasn't about to risk his bounty hunter license just because he didn't clean up after himself.

Alex teleported out of the office after securing both the corpse and the Pokémon.

Although he retrieved the corpse, Alex also had video evidence from the camera strapped to his rifle, showing exactly how his target was killed. He quickly reviewed the footage and figured anyone who saw it would not hesitate to pay up, especially knowing they could have easily been the ones in his crosshairs.

Thinking back on the hit, Alex realized how lucky he had been. If the target had kept his other Pokémon in their Poké Balls instead of relying on just Gengar lurking in his shadow, the assassination would have failed.

His backup plan had been to wait until nightfall, then slip in using his affinity and fight it out under cover of darkness. But that route could have risked implicating Maris if he hadn't happened to spot her in the adjacent room.

Now that would have been truly awkward for the both of them.

He continued his string of assassinations that were less like true assassinations and more like search and destroy missions. He would barge in, make a mess, clean up a little, then leave. He was clearly playing at assassination when really he was breaching, destroying, then walking away.

If he had more patience, he would be quite the successful assassin. Unfortunately, his time as a bounty hunter made him more confrontational and upfront with his enemies.

Slowly, very slowly, he was starting to get the hang of analyzing for stealth rather than breaching. It was good practice for when the night finally came and he was truly in his element to begin his real assassination operation.

Chapter 114: Chapter 114. Real Assassination

Pokémon, by their very nature, are sensitive to danger. That sensitivity is what powers the move Protect. By tapping into their instincts, they can instantly generate a barrier that shields them from the perceived harm, though it comes at the cost of significant stamina that prevents repeated use.

This was the main reason sniper rifles were not a significant threat to trainers, unless they came with some kind of gimmick such as Feint bullets, a barrage of long range moves used alongside them, or the target being completely off guard.

Pokemon also possess enhanced senses that allow them to detect predators as they approach. Instinctually speaking, they are animals. As animals, they can be fooled, provided the predator is able to hide every trace of their presence, move in close, and quickly subdue them before they can react.

This means a successful assassin would need to suppress all malice and intent, erase all signs of existence, and get close enough to strike before any Pokémon is alerted.

Alex could suppress his malice easily, as long as he focused on the right objective. For example, instead of thinking about killing the target, he would think about finding their Poké Balls. It was better to radiate fear than to radiate malice, but the best method of avoiding detection was to keep the mind completely empty.

Erasing his presence, however, was another matter. He was not a master of stealth or trained in the arts of the ninja who are one with the world. What he did have was a strong affinity for Dark-type energy, which allowed him to vanish from notice completely, as long as he remained in darkness.

The drawback was that this ability followed the same rules as Pokémon typing. That meant he had to watch out for Dark, Bug, Fighting, and Fairy-type Pokémon, whose senses are attuned to detect Dark-type energy more easily.

This did not mean stealth was useless against those types, but it did mean that if a target had any of them at an Expert rank or above, he would need to fall back on his usual approach and breach instead of sneak.

Fortunately, he had already dealt with the high-value targets, working from the biggest payouts down. The ones worth between two to five million had already been handled in Saffron City throughout the day using his usual tactics.

There were still plenty of other high value targets across other cities, but Saffron was home. He and Arcanine knew it better than any other place. That familiarity gave Arcanine the precision needed to teleport all over the city without fail, something that would not be possible elsewhere.

On top of that, he had strong backing in Sabrina. She would go out of her way to pull him out of trouble. He did not know why, but it might have something to do with the memories he carried from Earth. He just wasn't sure how that worked for her.

Still, Alex's remaining targets were mostly Adept-ranked trainers who either had powerful backing or were particularly skittish. These were the kind of people who either had no fear of the real world or had so much fear that they would flee at the slightest sign of confrontation.

The first type of target was easy enough. They were cheap, so their backers were not all that dangerous. The second type, however, required finesse. These were the ones who would overthink everything and overprepare before making any move.

Take this man as an example.

Target Profile: Victor Draen
Pokémon: Raticate, Tentacruel, Pidgeotto, Drowzee
Threat Level: Adept Rank
Contract Value: 1.8 million Pokédollars
Status: Kill on sight

Victor Draen, male, 38, 5'8" (173 cm), obese, pale skin, receding black hair usually hidden under a black beanie. A former data security analyst turned underground broker, Victor is suspected of operating a private surveillance network from his room in an old apartment complex in the northwest residential quadrant of Saffron City. Rarely appears in public, preferring to communicate through encrypted calls and disposable devices.

The creepy fat pedphile had a history of placing hidden cameras in public playgrounds and parks to surveil children. He had been caught multiple times, but since he had never acted beyond voyeurism, the League couldn't legally hold him for more than a few months at a time.

Parents feared that it was only a matter of time before one of their children became the victim that finally earned him an execution. Rather than wait, a group of wealthy families pooled their resources to commission an assassination. Since official bounties required a criminal status, this was handled off the books.

Alex didn't mind. He hated pedophiles too, especially the ones who acted on their impulses. He could see more than these parents could, and he suspected the images were being sold on the dark web.

As for why this target hadn't been assassinated yet, it was most likely due to his supposed surveillance network. Alex wasn't certain, but he had a feeling he would have to breach sooner rather than later.

The target would be an easy breach, but the location was a residential zone, and the target was just an Adept. Alex couldn't justify a full breach on a weak assassination target so his best chance was a stealthy entry and a clean, silent exit.

He analyzed his options.

The front door was a risk, likely monitored, with allowances made for late-night movement by certain neighbors. Too many variables.

The windows were no better, but they offered a shorter route to the target's apartment and reduced the risk of detection before even entering the building.

Alex looked up at the seven-story apartment complex and decided it was time for Hydreigon to shine. He released her, stroked her affectionately, and asked for a lift. She was more than happy to oblige.

Once outside the apartment window, Alex released Raticate who easily scraped the glass open for Alex to unlock it. He went inside covered in darkness and sneaked into the man's room.

The door was unlocked, so he silently entered and immediately noticed a red flashing light on the computer screen. It displayed a warning status indicating that someone had snuck in, but for some reason, the sound was muted. Because of that, Alex managed to avoid a fight.

'I guess I was just lucky,' he thought.

Alex viewed the man sleeping in the bed. He could see in the dark so there was no mistake that this was some form of decoy.

Rather than immediately kill his target, his first priority was to lock the Pokemon to avoid trouble. Typically, people would release their Pokemon when they sleep for added security or to allow them to be comfortable with their trainer. Meaning, they were in bags, shelves, desks.

Alex quickly found them on top of a desk, and retrieved the unaware Pokemon before locking them. Now it was time for the target.

In a swift motion, Alex took out his weaker guns and fired two shots into the chest and one into the back of the head, making sure the bullet would at worst exit through the forehead and avoid damaging the face.

With some effort, he slipped the body into his bag, then turned to the tech. Servers, laptops, and hard drives filled the room. He clicked through a few folders and found pornography almost at once. They were all of children.

As Alex suspected, they had only managed to catch him for superficial crimes. They never imagined what he had truly been capable of doing with his Pokémon, which included Drowzee and Tentacruel.

He gathered every device for Nyx to examine later but left those vile clips playing on the main screen. This target deserved no pity.

After packing up the rest, Alex decided to dig deeper. The operation looked like a goose ready to lay golden eggs. If he could uncover the list of buyers and make it public, new bounties would flood in, profit ripe for the taking.

He would have to wait until after his spree in Saffron City, though, as the longer he took to collect targets here, the greater the risk of scaring off his money. So for now, he simply stored them away for later use.

He slipped out of the room and went far before releasing Arcanine and teleporting away. He then checked his next target

Target Profile: Adrian Gale
Pokémon: Persian, Roselia
Threat Level: Adept Rank
Contract Value: 1.5 million Pokédollars
Status: Kill on sight

Adrian Gale, male, 26, 6'0" (183 cm), athletic build, olive skin, wavy chestnut hair in a loose bun. Known for excessive spending, stimulant abuse, and maintaining a fabricated win record through paid trainers. Minimal combat ability. Resides in a penthouse suite atop the Halberg Tower, east-central Saffron City. Light personal security with scheduled drone patrols. Frequent sightings at Midnight Ember, his favorite nightclub located in the southeast quadrant of the city. Suspected of indirectly laundering funds through hosted private events. Target is socially visible but vulnerable when isolated. Recommend strike during transit or post-bar hours.

'This looks quick and easy,' Alex thought.

Adrian Gale was the son of a prominent business tycoon in Saffron City. According to Nyx, the Gale family had recently come under scrutiny by the League after attempting to seize control of the city's drug trafficking operations following Don's death. With their influence waning and no formal protection status in place, Alex had the green light to proceed, so long as he kept his identity hidden.

The risk wasn't retaliation from the Gale family, Alex could easily fight against that and even welcomed it. The real concern was the League reversing its position and reinstating their protection. If that happened, any move against Adrian could complicate things. Speed was essential.

Adrian was wanted for using date-rape drugs on several women, one of whom turned out to be the daughter of a rival family. Equally wealthy and vengeful, they had the resources and pride to put a hit on him without hesitation.

Alex had no objections.

Chapter 115: Chapter 115. Real Assassination 2

In a nightclub called Midnight Ember, the bartender was suffering through a headache from the mind-numbing, repetitive techno music blaring on the floor. He hadn't been feeling well even at the start of his shift, but he had bills to pay, so he wasn't allowed to complain.

Overlooking the sea of adolescents drinking, jumping, sweating, and dancing to what passes as music these days, he started questioning whether continuing his journey had been the better idea.

He had started like any other bright-eyed trainer who had recently graduated and received his Pokémon through money his parents had worked hard to save up. And like many others, he underestimated the wilds and ended up getting his Nidorino killed, his best friend and training partner.

He received a reality check so severe that he became one of those very same adults working dead-end jobs without Pokémon he used to misunderstand. Now he knew why there were so many people in the city rather than out there on their journeys.

With a sigh, he finished a drink ordered by some cocky rich kid who threw away money like there was no tomorrow. He placed it on the bar and nodded to the man-child before returning to make another order.

Suddenly, he noticed a distortion behind the man he had just served. A dark mass, blending into the background, reached out and violently twisted the man's neck.

Too stunned to move, the bartender simply stared, wide-eyed in shock, as the mass stuffed the most likely dead body into the shadows before turning its attention to him. He couldn't tell if it was actually looking at him, but he could feel eyes boring into his soul.

The mass wavered slightly, reached out, and placed 100,000 Pokédollars on the counter, almost a year's salary.

"Life's too short," a distorted voice said over the loud music before the dark figure vanished into the crowd.

The bartender shook himself back to reality, grabbed the money, and stuffed it into his pockets.

'I don't get paid enough for this shit… but this certainly helps,' he thought. 'I'm definitely quitting. Life really is too short.'

With renewed resolve, he promised himself he'd become a trainer again. He might die, or he might succeed, but in the end, life was worth more than the way he'd been living it. If a talking dark mass could just kill someone in a nightclub, then safety had always been an illusion. He might as well return to chasing his dreams.

Meanwhile, Alex had just succeeded in killing Adrian Gale. It was easy enough to find the Midnight Ember and check if Adrian was here with the help of the Crobats. It was even easier to lock his Poke Balls, kill the man, and retrieve his corpse.

'That bartender was a bit pitiful though. Hope the money in Adrian's pockets helps,' Alex thought.

He quickly checked up on the list to continue his killing spree.

Target Profile: Viona Mott
Pokémon: Tangela, Lickitung, Tauros
Threat Level: Adept Rank
Contract Value: 1.4 million Pokédollars
Status: Kill on sight

Viona Mott, female, 34, 5'6" (1.68 m), slender build, pale complexion, black bob-cut hair. Employed as a senior librarian at the Saffron City Archives. Detached two-story house, northeast residential quadrant, Saffron City. No registered security system or surveillance. Pattern of irregular nighttime visitors noted. Maintains consistent daily routine. Typically departs for errands between 10:00–11:30 local time. Residence remains unguarded during this period.

"What the hell is this doing here?" Alex muttered.

From the profile alone, she appeared to be nothing more than a typical librarian who was into pokephilia. Nothing wrong with that in Alex's opinion.

"Then again, she does get irregular nighttime visitors," he added, narrowing his eyes.

He checked Nyx's notes and found a more troubling detail, she was a suspected serial killer. The bounty had been placed by several women who believed she had seduced and possibly murdered their husbands. No evidence had been found, but the contract stood regardless.

"Well, let's see how it goes first. If I find nothing, I can always walk away. Worst case scenario, I ask."

Alex teleported to her residence and, just as the file described, it was a plain, unguarded house.

He sneaked around and looked through the windows but found no occupants.

Sensing a red flag, Alex had Raticate open a window on the second floor before walking around inside. He found nothing suspicious until he made it to the first floor, where he started hearing moaning coming from the basement.

With silent steps, Alex opened the door and moved down the stairs to the sight of the most fucked up scene he had ever witnessed in both his lives.

The basement stank of rot and something far worse. Chains clinked faintly as the dim light revealed a grotesque tableau: a woman astride a bloodied bench, her body slick with fluids no sane person would ever confuse with sweat. She moaned in deranged delight, clutching the severed head of a man whose torso lay pinned beneath her.

A massive Tauros stood behind her, muscles tensed, its presence lending weight to the nightmare unfolding before him. The woman's cries echoed off the stone walls, mingling with the squelch of flesh and the obedient growls of Pokémon twisted by a deranged mind.

A Lickitung dragged its tongue through the mess on the floor with mindless diligence, while vines from a Tangela held both woman and corpse fast.

Alex froze, revulsion flooding his chest like cold lead. It took a moment for Alex to recover, but eventually he snapped back to reality, drew his killing guns, and opened fire on the unholy scene.

He shot Feint rounds at the Tauros, Lickitung, and the woman, while he fired Phantom Force rounds at the Tangela. Since they were all Adept ranked, it did not take more than a few shots each before all four of them died.

"I cannot believe I have video evidence of this ungodly scene," Alex said between labored breaths.

"I should really burn this place to the ground, but the League would be pissed," he continued as he holstered his guns. "Fine. I'll let the League deal with this shit."

Alex left without bothering to collect the corpse. There was no way in hell he was going to store that thing in his bag. He considered himself violent, heartless, cold, detached, and professional, but he had just found out he was less of all of those things than he thought.

Alex did not care what people did in their free time as long as he was not forced to witness it. Sure, he had it coming since he had trespassed. That did not make the scene any less revolting.

"Am I a saint now?" Alex wondered for a moment, before shaking off the thought.

He released Arcanine and moved on to his next target. He needed to kill something quickly. Maybe the violence would help scrub that nightmare from his mind.

Fortunately for Alex, the next target was just a normal child bully who had become a gang member.

Target Profile: Jace Harrow
Pokémon: Raticate, Golbat
Threat Level: Adept Rank
Contract Value: 1.3 million credits
Status: Kill on sight

Jace Harrow, male, 20, 5'9" (1.75 m), bulky build, tanned skin, short messy dark brown hair. Known orphan, with a reputation for relentless bullying and gang activity alongside two close friends. Currently operates out of an abandoned warehouse on the city's industrial outskirts. No formal security measures detected, but presence of armed associates confirmed. Often seen during late evenings coordinating activities.

Alex immediately recognized the name.

"Isn't this the kid who used to beat up the original Alex?" he exclaimed.

He quickly checked the next two targets and noted their names as well, Mark Lane and Eli Cross.

The three stooges had managed to climb out of the orphanage and obtain Pokémon with help from the League, thanks to Alex bringing down the director of the orphanage. They went on to become local gang members and now had contracts on their heads from some low level crime syndicate.

Apparently, when they fought together, they were not half bad.

The main reason for their expensive price tag, however, was another name Alex recognized: Dylan Pierce. Another unfortunate victim alongside Alex.

He remembered Dylan often being bullied alongside him. Dylan was just as small and malnourished because they kept having their food stolen and never fought back.

"He must have been targeted even more after I left the orphanage. Poor guy spent three million just to have these three killed."

Basically, Dylan had become wealthy enough to put a million on each of them.

"Not bad for a scrawny kid. Then again, I turned out pretty well myself."

Alex ultimately accepted the contract. It paid well, and it might even bring the former Alex's soul a bit of peace.

Finding them was easy. The abandoned warehouse was a predictable choice, especially in the dead of night. It was perfect for whatever shady business they were running.

"As expected, they are running drugs," Alex muttered as he slipped inside.

The trio was overseeing a drug distribution, handing out supplies to their gang before it hit the streets. All three were present, leading the operation.

Alex crept closer until he was just a few steps away. Then, without hesitation, he drew his guns and opened fire. In seconds, all three men and their six Pokémon were down. Guns alone were more than enough.

The gang members scattered in panic, vanishing into the night. Without their bosses, the muscle, they were nothing more than runners.

Alex glanced over the bodies, gave a short nod, then stored them away before walking off. Quick. Clean. Profitable.

Chapter 116: Chapter 116. Collecting Payment

By the time the sun rose, Alex had collected close to fifty million Pokédollars from his assassination spree.

He could have continued, but the remaining targets in Saffron City were worth less than a million each, and he was not familiar enough with other cities to maintain the same level of efficiency. Not to mention, he no longer needed that much money now that he had a comfortable bank account. Lastly, he and his Pokémon were exhausted after running around for over 24 hours, moving from one target to the next.

Now, all he had to do was submit the evidence of the killings and collect his payment.

To do so, he had to visit a broker, someone who would collect the evidence and forward it to the requester. The requester would then send the money to the broker, who would take a small cut and deposit the funds into an Underworld bank account, ready to be transferred wherever necessary.

Nyx had a collection of dummy accounts she could use to scrub the trail, so there was no risk of exposure, unless his enemies somehow had access to both League and Underworld banking systems.

Alex made his way to a morgue where the broker would receive the evidence. It was a rather convenient location.

He entered through the back, fully geared and helmeted, and was met by an older man who gestured to a gurney with an empty body bag on top.

"I'm going to need more body bags," Alex said, his voice garbled by the distortion of Dark-type energy and his helmet.

"How many?" the old man asked.

"25."

The old man raised a brow, then motioned toward a room next door. Inside, Alex found over fifty body storage units lined along the wall.

"We should have enough space. Wait for me to open them before you take them out," the man instructed.

He was clearly no stranger to handling the Underworld's corpses.

One by one, the old man opened a unit, and one by one, Alex placed a body inside. By the end, he had emptied his storage bag, though it would definitely need a deep clean later.

"Is there anything else?" the old man asked.

"Video evidence."

The man nodded and returned to the previous room and to a nearby computer. Alex uploaded the files he had collected, each kill captured clearly, with no ambiguity.

"How long will this take?" Alex asked.

"No more than an hour. Clients usually want updates fast."

True enough, an hour later, the broker handed Alex a black bank card.

"That's all of it. An impressive amount, I must admit. Have a good day," the old man said, already turning his attention elsewhere.

There had been no trouble collecting the money.

Not only had he delivered every corpse, save for one particularly nasty case, but he also provided gruesome footage, likely more than enough to satisfy or even frighten those who had issued the contracts.

Alex had made sure to include not just the kills, but the aftermath and cleanup, sending a clear message. He had no intention of chasing down payments the hard way.

With his business done, Alex stepped outside, found a secluded alleyway, and teleported out of the city with Arcanine, heading back to the farm.

The aftermath of Alex's assassination spree was immediate. Local Underworld operatives were thrown into disarray as they investigated the sudden completion of 26 assassination contracts in a single day. It was the Underworld's equivalent of a mass killing, with 26 victims scattered across the city.

Those in charge scrambled to uncover the identity of the assassin, but all evidence pointed toward the human supremacist faction. Several of the bodies showed signs of bullet wounds, and discarded energy crystal bullets were found at multiple scenes.

By now, guns had become a well-known weapon within the Underworld. Early models had been dismissed as inadequate, but the newer lines produced by Argent Solutions were being reconsidered. These updated firearms had significantly improved killing power.

People began running the numbers and realized that guns were ultimately more cost- and time-effective than Pokémon trainers.

An Elite-level trainer was still more powerful than a squad of gunners, but training one took over a decade and cost no less than a hundred million Pokédollars. Worse yet, there was always the risk of insubordination once trainers became arrogant from the power they wielded.

Gunners, on the other hand, were as cheap as the laborers they regularly paid in scraps. Equip them with firearms costing a fraction of what it took to raise an Elite trainer, and you could field an army almost instantly.

Sure, they were useless against Elite and Champion-ranked trainers, but even a swarm of Beedrill can overwhelm a Charizard with sheer numbers.

In this way, the human supremacist faction gained momentum. As their technology advanced, so did their influence. They still had a long way to go before reaching the League's level of authority, but they were getting there, step by step.

In a high rise building in Celadon City, Ace received intelligence about the assassination spree in Saffron City. It was an unusual event, one that triggered flags in his information network. By evening, the relevant report landed on his desk.

"This seems familiar," he muttered. "Ah, yes. Alex Wattson, bounty hunter turned assassin. Curious."

Ace had been keeping tabs on Alex ever since he dismantled Monica's human trafficking ring. He had even lent a discreet hand back in Viridian City, purely as a courtesy.

With that, Ace immediately recognized the spree as Alex's work. Alex was known for his liberal use of firearms while somehow maintaining good standing with the League. The victims were all linked to the Underworld, so the League had no reason to interfere or care.

Ace's continued interest in Alex stemmed from a simple reason. He wanted Alex as an unofficial operative, someone to handle his Underworld problems without implicating him directly. So far, things were going extremely well.

Alex had already eliminated three human supremacist bosses across Kanto, significantly stalling their operations and giving Ace the breathing room he needed to outmaneuver his rising competition.

"Dealing with Gravik has been tiresome," Ace mused. "Perhaps I could arrange a meeting between them."

He considered it briefly but ultimately dismissed the idea.

"No, Alex is still too young. I will give him a few more years before pulling him in."

And so, for the time being, Alex avoided having to cross paths with Gravik Drayne, the head of Team Dominion's Kanto branch.

Back at the farm, Alex dropped off the bank card and the storage devices he had taken from Victor the pedophile. Nyx, upon receiving them, praised him for a job well done.

"Twenty-six in one night, boss? That's like a record. The darknet has been scrambling to find you since those contracts went through."

"Keep tabs on the situation. I want to know if they manage to figure out my identity. Can you dig through these and see if we can profit from them? There should be plenty of incriminating evidence that could net us more bounties," Alex said, stroking her hair affectionately.

"Hmkay," she murmured, swooning at his touch. "You might want to lay low for a while though. Plenty of people want a piece of you for one reason or another. Just in case."

"Just keep watching the situation. I'm sure I can handle the fallout. At worst, I'll be labeled the Elite trainer with money problems. I'm taking a nap for the rest of the day. Wake me if you find anything. The data on those drives is sensitive. You might want to brace yourself."

"Sure thing."

Alex slept peacefully through the day and woke up in the afternoon. He made his way back to Nyx, who was still going through the data from the pedophile.

"What did you find?" he asked as he entered her room, only to see her visibly fuming.

"Nothing useful. Just porn, porn, and more porn," Nyx grumbled.

"That's fine. Take your time. How's the situation with the darknet?"

"They're attributing the string of assassinations to the human supremacist faction. That group is claiming your work as their own and using it to promote gun use."

"On the one hand, I've kept my identity hidden. On the other, I've given those psychopaths more propaganda. I feel conflicted."

"At least you got paid, and the League doesn't have any evidence to go after you."

"I suppose."

"What do you plan to do now?" Nyx asked.

"Try and hunt down more pedophiles while building up the team. I've kept up their training regimens, and Vera has been handling their diet, but I haven't been focusing on them lately. It's about time I get back to being a proper trainer and put the bounty hunting on hold."

"You know, you could always try being a real trainer. I found some interesting missions on the board."

"Oh? Do tell."

"There are nests that need exterminating at your level, populations that need thinning, and capture requests."

"Population thinning sounds tedious. Capture requests are a waste of time. But nests? Get me info on those. That sounds interesting."

"Sure thing."

After dinner, Alex headed to his room to sleep but found someone had already beaten him to it. That usually only happened when one of the girls wanted sex, sometimes more than one. He didn't mind—it meant his needs were being met.

Only this time, it was someone he hadn't expected.

"Can I get in on this action?" she asked with a sly smile.

Alex shrugged and obliged.

-----
R-18 content containing Alex's wild night is available.

Chapter 117: Chapter 117. Training Plans

The next morning at breakfast, Rhea came downstairs clinging to Alex like a koala. She radiated peace and tranquility, her beaming smile hard to ignore.

"Someone had fun last night," Kaia remarked.

"It was amazing! We did this, then that, then some of the other things, it was amazing," Rhea replied, her usual energy on full display.

"Hah... we're back up to four," Nyx commented with a sigh.

Rhea spotted Nyx, immediately dropped down from Alex, and bounded over to give her a big hug, much to Nyx's surprise.

"You have things to teach me. Butt things. I want to try them. Tell me what you know!" Rhea exclaimed.

"Oh?" Nyx arched an intrigued brow.

"Give me your wisdom. Your secret sauce. Your family recipe. I want knowledge. You must share!" Rhea insisted, shaking her by the shoulders.

"Alright, alright. We'll talk about it."

"Yay!"

Alex, having grabbed a plate from Lina, sat down next to Vera. "Vera, how are the Pokémon doing?" he asked suddenly.

"They're fine. Why do you ask?" she replied.

"I'm planning to stop my hunting activities for a while, given the amount of money I've saved up. I can also easily last five years with the resources I've stockpiled, so I wanted an update on the Pokémon from your professional perspective."

"Well, all of them are doing fine based on my observations," Vera began. "They train regularly or stay active, so none of them are stagnating. I've ensured their diets are balanced between Expert ranked meat and Pokeblocks for proper nutrition. In terms of health, they're doing well. Emotionally, none of them seem depressed, though I am slightly concerned about Frosmoth. Otherwise, there have been no issues."

"As for specifics, Raticate usually hangs out with Morpeko and Tinkaton because of their similar size and strength. They train regularly and eat together most of the time."

"Arcanine is being followed around by Absol and Houndoom. I don't think it will be long before they start trying for eggs."

"Clawitzer is still being idolized by Forretress, while Frosmoth watches from the sidelines. I've noticed Frosmoth gaining confidence rather than showing signs of depression, so I keep a close eye on them the most."

"Metagross and the two Rotoms are always in the server rooms but they do regularly come to the training grounds to train their move proficiency like you asked."

"Hydreigon has taken the lead among the dragons. She prides herself in controlling and guiding Altaria, Kommo-o, and the two Goomys."

"Alcremie and Lina's Miltank practically live in Lina's kitchen. They rarely leave, if at all."

"Aegislash barely leaves your side, but when he does, he usually spends time with Dusknoir and Ceruledge, who almost always train without stopping. Is that a ghost thing?"

"I don't think so. Aren't Gengars more the mischievous type?" Alex replied.

"That's true. Anyway, Togekiss mostly stays with the Cinccinos and my Audino. The four of them regularly clean up or help the others get comfortable. Togekiss in particular has been taking care of Lina and Mira."

"The Crobat couple have been trying for an egg recently, but haven't had much luck. I've been experimenting with a new Pokeblock to help with conception."

"The Araquanid pair likes hanging out with Grimer, who pops up from the septic tank to say hi every once in a while. I think they want to be trained but are having trouble expressing it."

"The three Skiddo never leave Kaia's side and always escort her wherever she goes. It's hard to tell which ones belong to Kaia and which ones belong to you."

"She can have them at this point. Once she leaves, I'll just have to sell the farm since no one else can take care of it," Alex joked.

"Vespiquen and the Combee pair mostly keep to themselves and prefer harvesting the forest for honey. Absol keeps an eye on them and always makes sure to leave her scent with them whenever they go into the forest."

"Smoliv evolved into Dolliv not too long ago."

"Oh? That's great to hear," Alex said.

"Yeah, I told the girls what you said about strong trainers keeping their looks longer, and they've started training on the side. I don't think there's any Pokémon who isn't adept on the farm."

"Well, there's the half a dozen Wishiwashi," Alex said. "I made sure to keep them weak so I can get Beat Up bullets from them."

Vera's eyes widened at that, a reaction that did not escape Alex's notice.

"You've been feeding them Pokeblocks and Expert ranked Pokémon meat, haven't you?" Alex accused.

"No... well, yes, but I didn't know," Vera stammered.

"It's fine. I should have mentioned it earlier, and it has been a while since I last asked them to make Beat Up bullets. I still have over a hundred in storage anyway. Besides, if I run out, I can always ask Mom for more," Alex said, reassuring her.

He had just lost his primary supplier of Beat Up bullets, but he still had another option through the Jennys, who likely had their own farms of weak Wishiwashi for that exact purpose. Worst case scenario, he would use the slightly stronger Beat Up bullets. He can always ask them to turn off the ability after all.

"Well, together with Gyarados, Milotic, and the six Wishiwashi at the pond, all the Pokémon on the farm are mid to high Adept," Vera concluded.

"That's pretty good, I suppose. Any problems I can help with?"

"The water Pokémon want, well... more water."

"I'll have a canal dug that connects to the training ground. I'll include the Araquanids and Grimer in the training. We have nurseries in the mansion, right?"

"Yes. Lina, Mira, and I have already cleaned out a spot in case any of them make eggs."

"Good."

Overall, the Pokémon were doing well even without Alex needing to supervise them directly.

All he needed to focus on now was upgrading the Away Team and training all of his Pokemon more seriously. They would follow the training methods of the police academy to promote coordination and team play.

The Home Team included Morpeko, Absol, Houndoom, the Goomys, Araquanids, Grimer, Cinccinos, Skiddos, Vespiquen, and the Combees. They would receive coordinated defensive training to help them operate as a unit even when Alex was not around.

The Water Team consisted of Gyarados, Milotic, and the Wishiwashi. They would go through escort training to protect Alex whenever he was in a water-based environment.

The Away Team would gain new members, who would be introduced to the current team system. This system relied heavily on Metagross, who usually gave out commands using Alex's authority.

After breakfast, Alex returned to his study and resumed his research on the League market, beginning with the list of Pokémon training services.

The market offered hundreds of options. Some specialized in move coordination, others in combining moves, enhancing aesthetics, or upgrading individual techniques. Many of these services also featured flexible pricing.

Alex felt tempted for a moment but quickly dismissed the idea. It was better for him to learn how to train his own Pokémon rather than leave them in the hands of others. Training them himself would give him greater control and ensure consistency across the team. Besides, with the number of Pokémon he had, outsourcing wasn't a realistic long-term solution.

The most practical option would be to find lessons that taught him how to train effectively, ideally following a structure similar to the police academy training he had already completed.

While browsing the market, Alex also thought about which Pokémon to add to his roster. He wanted ones with preventative abilities like Altaria's Cloud Nine, Alcremie's Aroma Veil, and Tsareena's Queenly Majesty.

He came across a few potentially useful abilities. Sweet Veil prevented sleep for both the user and its allies. Pastel Veil blocked poison under the same conditions. Healer offered a thirty percent chance to cure an ally's status condition after each attack. But in the end, none of them stood out. Alcremie could already cover all those effects with Misty Terrain at the start of battle.

He also found Storm Drain and Lightning Rod. These intercepted Water and Electric type energy and nullified them. Alex thought about using them but quickly dismissed the idea. While helpful for defense, they also blocked his own team from using those move types.

These Abilities also came with limitations. Most could only block one attack from a higher-ranked Pokémon before fainting from energy overload. That made them effective only in official battles where opponents were limited and often equal in power.

Besides, Follow Me was a better and more versatile option, and Alex already had Togekiss to fill that role.

He then turned his attention to Friend Guard and Neutralizing Gas.

Friend Guard reduced the damage allies took by 25%. This offered a huge advantage when multiple allies were present, especially since the effect stacked multiplicatively. With five sources, Alex could reduce incoming damage by approximately 76%.

"Seems a bit much," Alex thought.

After some consideration, Alex decided that having 2 at 43% would be optimal. Any more would clutter the space and make them prime targets that were difficult to defend.

Neutralizing Gas stopped all abilities from activating. This ensured the playing field was even so that Alex's number advantage and team play would shine the best.

'This would be perfect for canceling out redirecting effects or preventing Intimidate from crippling my team,' Alex thought.

He remembered a time when they had faced an army of Gyarados with Intimidate. Their Attack stats were dropped to the lowest stack instantly. There had been no chance for a counterattack.

Neutralizing Gas would have saved them in that situation. It could stop Intimidate and prevent their opponent's abilities from activating. It was another essential ability for his strategy.

Alex read about the Ability Shield next. It was an item that prevented a Pokémon's ability from being suppressed or altered. Giving it to key members like Altaria and Alcremie would allow them to continue supporting the team without being affected by Neutralizing Gas or similar abilities. Of course, he would still need to stay alert for item theft or manipulation.

Satisfied with his research, Alex turned his attention to actually buying the Pokémon.

Chapter 118: Chapter 118. More Pokemon

When looking for Pokémon with Friend Guard, Alex found that the only real options were Maushold and Vivillon. He did not like using baby Pokémon or unevolved forms. Between the two, Maushold stood out due to their speed.

Alex trusted that speed would make a difference. Maushold were not expected to fight, only to protect the team; speed would allow them to scurry around the battlefield unharmed.

Neutralizing Gas meanwhile was a Weezing exclusive rare Ability. He would have to use his League credits to obtain one.

In total, Alex decided he would acquire Bounsweet, Koffing, and a pair of Tandemaus. All four would be integrated into the Attack Team of the Away Team, which focused more on offense while disrupting the enemy and their team play.

As he was browsing for more potential additions, his phone suddenly rang. Jenny was calling.

"Hey, Alex. Can you come over?"

"Be right there."

Alex teleported with Arcanine and as soon as he stepped into the mansion, his eyes were drawn to an egg sitting on the table beside Jenny.

"Is that an Eevee egg?" Alex asked.

"They gave birth again," Jenny replied with a sigh of exasperation.

"What do you plan to do with it?"

"I was going to raise it myself unless you took it off my hands."

"It's not that I don't want it. I just don't know how it would fit in with the rest of the team."

"It's an Eevee, Alex. They fit into any team."

"True," he admitted. "I guess I can take it off your hands, if you don't mind."

"Great. My finances have taken a hit lately. Arcanine's been pushing to get stronger, but Elite-ranked Pokémon meat isn't cheap."

"I can share some of—"

"No," Jenny cut him off firmly. "You need it more than I do. You've got so many Pokémon to look after, and unlike me, you're regularly fighting Elite-ranked threats. You clearly need it more."

"Alright," Alex relented. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not really. I'm living comfortably. My only issue is having to keep disappointing Arcanine."

They continued talking for a while, and Alex was glad to see Jenny doing well. She had a mansion, powerful Pokémon, a stable job, a century of savings, and a boyfriend. By her own measure, she was completely satisfied with her life.

After their conversation, Alex teleported back to the farm with the Eevee egg in hand, to the delight of Vera and the others.

"Oh my gosh! An Eevee egg!" Vera gushed. "What type do you plan on giving it, Alex?"

"That depends on the Eevee. I don't believe in forcing a Pokémon into a specific path. They'll decide for themselves."

"If you could choose?" she pressed.

"Vaporeon, I guess. That team's looking a little thin. They could use the help."

"I thought for sure you'd pick Sylveon. She's super popular."

"I'm a bounty hunter. I prefer practicality over popularity."

"Makes sense."

With a new Pokémon on the way, Alex decided to finalize his selection and purchase the Pokemon.

In the end, he paid two million Pokedollars for a Bounsweet and three Tandemaus and half a million League credits on a Koffing.

The Tandemaus came as a package deal and were relatively cheap due to overbreeding, a result of their popularity in official battles. All three had Run Away, which would guarantee Friend Guard once they evolved.

He also bought enough Ability Shields to equip every Pokémon on the farm. They were mass-produced items, heavily backed by the League to protect their own Pokémon, so Alex was able to purchase a large supply for just a few million Pokédollars.

Once they arrived via PC, Alex met with them first, as he often did with new Pokémon.

"Hello, I am Alex, your new trainer. The five of you will be attackers on my bounty hunting team. It's a pleasure to meet you all," Alex introduced himself.

"Swee!" Bounsweet exclaimed excitedly.

"Tandemaus!" the three Tandemaus replied as they scurried around the room energetically.

"Koff," Koffing replied obligingly.

Bounsweet was an eager little darling, ready to begin kicking ass and taking names immediately.

The Tandemaus were very energetic and liked running around wildly, but they always stayed within each other's sight as if they had formed their own pack. Having three of them together, evolving into Maushold, would give Alex's team a 57.8% damage reduction, though it would require special training to prevent them from becoming a burden.

Speaking of burdens, Koffing looked bored as he rolled around on the floor since he didn't have Levitate. He seemed like the lazy type who didn't even bother hopping or shimmying to move.

Alex was slightly bothered by Koffing's lack of interest until he had a sudden idea.

"Tandemaus, for your special training, I want you to work together as a team to carry Koffing near fights. Can you do that for me?" Alex asked.

"Maus!" they replied, scurrying over and lifting Koffing above their heads.

Koffing accepted the sudden boost in mobility with glee. He never liked watching the other Koffings Levitate while he could not, so he was happy to be able to do something similar with his new friends.

"Koffing(Onwards!)" he called, and the Tandemaus obliged by running in different directions, dropping Koffing on the floor.

"Tande!" they exclaimed in shock before apologizing to Koffing. "Tandemaus(Sorry)…"

"Kof, Koffing. (It's fine. We'll work on it,)" Koffing said.

"Tandemaus, Maus (We'll do better, Boss!)" they promised.

'I feel slightly conflicted that they elevated Koffing above me in the hierarchy, but as long as they still obey commands, it's fine,' Alex thought

"Swee," Bounsweet consoled him.

"Thank you, Bounsweet."

Alex had them demonstrate their moves while he checked their Pokédex entries one by one.

Name: Bounsweet, Novice

Type: Grass, Female

Ability: Oblivious

Moves:

Novice: Synthesis(Egg Move), Splash, Play Nice, Rapid Spin, Razor Leaf, Sweet Scent

Description: Bounsweet, the Fruit Pokémon. It smells like a fresh fruit garden. It uses its sweet aroma to attract friends and fend off foes. Though small, it's surprisingly tough when defending itself.

'Synthesis? Very nice,' Alex thought.

As a frontliner, it would be incredibly useful if she could heal herself mid-battle and avoid relying on Clawitzer for recovery.

He decided to train her in Health and Speed. Her other potential stats were already high enough, so boosting her Health would improve sustainability, while Speed would help her keep up with the rest of the team.

Speed was simply more valuable for Alex's combat style.

Name: Koffing, Novice

Type: Poison, Male

Ability: Neutralizing Gas

Moves:

Novice: Poison Gas, Tackle, Smog, Smokescreen, Clear Smog, Assurance

Description: Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokémon. It floats by releasing toxic gases from its body. The gases are flammable and can cause explosions when ignited. Koffing often drifts through polluted areas.

'He can't Levitate as an ability, but he should still be able to float, right?' Alex thought, confused.

He had Koffing try, but the Neutralizing Gas wasn't being expelled fast enough to generate thrust. It did, however, force Alex to open the windows.

'Maybe the composition of the Neutralizing Gas is too thin, requiring more pressure to build up before release?' Alex analyzed.

Theoretically, if Koffing used a move like Poison Gas or Smoke Screen, he could temporarily gain mobility, but it wouldn't be enough for sustainable floating or levitation.

"Thanks for trying, Koffing."

"Kof," he replied with a shrug.

As for his build, Health and Special Defense. Since his own transportation system was in the works, he could eventually serve as a shield for the Maushold in battle.

Name: Tandemaus, Novice

Type: Normal, Male

Ability: Run Away

Moves:

Novice: Baton Pass(Egg Move), Pound, Baby-Doll Eyes, Echoed Voice, Helping Hand, Super Fang, Double Hit

Description: Tandemaus, the Couple Pokémon. These two always stick together, acting in perfect sync. They share everything and rarely leave each other's side. Some say they even battle as one.

'Helping Hand,' Alex exclaimed in his mind, eyes widened.

Alex rarely encouraged the use of Helping Hand, as it was essentially just half a move. A Pokémon could often contribute more by attacking directly.

With the Tandemaus, however, it was different. They could support the Attack Team by using Helping Hand on-site. Coordinating their efforts while also managing Koffing would be challenging, but it opened up the possibility of expanding their role even further.

For these three, Alex decided on Defense and Speed. Defense to defend themselves on the front lines and Speed to keep up with the team or evade if needed.

Once Alex had documented their current states, he introduced them to the farm while carrying Bounsweet and allowing Koffing and his palanquin to practice movement on their own.

Bounsweet was adored by the girls, while Koffing drew amused stares as he proudly commanded his "legs" to carry him around. The whole scene was endearingly amusing.

It did not take long for the new Pokémon to integrate into the training. All Pokémon, whether Elite, Expert, or Adept, had free access to the training grounds, and participation was encouraged across the board.

Their specific training was overseen by Raticate, who was fascinated by the Tandemaus and their unique role of staying close enough to the battle to support, yet keeping themselves safe. Even Metagross came by from time to time to check on the new recruits, curious about the team it would soon be commanding.

By evening, the new Pokémon had settled into the farm and found their place among Alex's team.

Meanwhile, Alex returned to his computer to investigate a potential new addition to the Away Team, one he had stumbled upon during his earlier research.

Chapter 119: Chapter 119. More Pokemon 2

While purchasing new Pokémon, Alex decided to check up on the Ralts he had captured. He had a feeling the story was not over once he received the debrief from the Psychic Gym. Sure enough, the story had continued.

To his absolute surprise, he found her being sold for a third of the price he had received when selling her to the League earlier that day.

Digging deeper, he discovered that the Ralts had been sold back to her former trainer, the rich brat who caused her to escape in the first place. Soon after their reunion, she lobotomized him with raw psychic energy.

The rich brat, now a grown man, was killed before anyone could intervene. The incident caused Ralts to quickly evolve into Kirlia, who was then captured after completing her evolution. She was sold back to the League at half her original price.

She was then bought by another trainer who felt confident in taming her but nearly suffered the same fate. After a lengthy conversation in a controlled environment, the trainer gave up trying to tame her and sold her back to the League.

After that, she was passed from one trainer to another as her price continued to drop.

After a few more attempted lobotomies and failed negotiations, the Kirlia had developed a heavy report sheet filled with failed murder attempts. She was no longer considered desirable. Now, she sat in Sabrina's Psychic Gym, listed for sale at three hundred thousand credits to anyone brave enough to risk a potential psychic lobotomy.

"I'm sure I can survive a psychic energy bombardment," Alex said to himself.

He had Dark typing and the support of Metagross. He was confident he could handle the initial encounter, even if she was already Expert rank. Convincing her to train under him, though, would be another matter entirely.

"Perhaps she would enjoy the chance to kill more humans under me?" he mused.

He remembered how inconvenient it had been to leave Metagross behind during his last assassination spree. Maybe having a homicidal Gardevoir to coordinate the team while carrying out assassinations wasn't such a bad idea.

"She's also a healer," Alex added, already convinced he was going to give it a try.

At this point, he was only trying to justify it to his wallet. He still had half a million credits left, which was enough, so he might as well go for it, right?

That evening, Alex purchased her from the Psychic Gym. He didn't want to risk leaving her on the market overnight. Who knew? There might already be some Underworld operative working to get their hands on her.

Once he received her through the PC, Alex transferred her into a Poké Ball, then stepped outside and called Metagross and Hydreigon to his side. Metagross would serve as the psychic bodyguard, while Hydreigon stood as the physical enforcer.

"Everyone ready?" Alex asked.

"Drei," Hydreigon nodded.

"Meh," Metagross responded as well.

Alex released Kirlia in front of them. She immediately tried to Teleport away but was swiftly retrieved into the Poké Ball by Alex.

"I think we need more backup," he muttered, then turned to Metagross. "Go call the Crobats and ask them to help with Mean Look."

Metagross sent out a psychic pulse to summon them. Moments later, a pair of Crobats swooped down from the mansion rooftop and perched on Alex's shoulders.

"Just use Mean Look."

"Cro," they chirped in agreement.

Alex released Kirlia again. She attempted another Teleport, but the Mean Look locked her in place.

Her gaze darted around before settling on Alex.

He was ready to defend himself when she suddenly projected a psychic connection toward him. He allowed it, lowering his Dark-type energy defenses, only to be hit by the telepathic equivalent of a punch in the gut.

"YOU WERE ThE oNe Who caught me!" Kirlia's voice roared in his mind, dripping with fury.

Alex quickly reinforced his Dark energy, dampening the psychic attack to a tolerable level. This was most likely what had caused her trainer's death.

"I was," he replied through the link. "You were rampaging enough to warrant arrest by the League."

"Humans should all die!" she raged.

"That's a bit harsh," Alex replied casually. "Why kill all humans when only one was responsible for your misery?"

"Humans are all the same!"

"Are all Pokémon the same?"

"We are different. Unique."

"So are humans."

"LIES!"

Alex ramped up the flow of Dark energy to suppress the surge in her volume.

"Not all humans are the same," he said. "I'm sure you've seen that for yourself. Of those you killed, you must have glimpsed their dreams, their minds. Some may have deserved it… but most didn't."

Kirlia didn't respond, but the rage in her aura visibly dulled. She had likely seen the memories of those kinder souls, trainers she might have wished had found her first instead of the rich brat.

"Tell me about your first trainer," Alex asked suddenly.

"Why don't I show you," she said with a smirk, and in the next instant, Alex's mind was flooded with her memories of being tortured.

She endured constant beatings and verbal abuse, almost every hour of every day. Nothing he hadn't experienced before in combat and training. But what hit him wasn't the violence. It was the overwhelming emotional pain she went through. The helplessness. The aching need to be loved. The confusion. The betrayal from someone she thought would protect her.

Some Psychic Pokémon, when forming their first bond, instinctively delve into their trainer's memories to build a deeper connection, mimicking their personality, adopting their likes and dislikes, and understanding them through their core memories.

Her first trainer hadn't started evil. Alex saw it clearly. The boy was a spoiled brat but had simply been naïve, before toxic ideas spread through his mind like a virus. Alex saw that as the perfect opportunity to get Kirlia to cooperate.

"Tough luck," Alex said nonchalantly. "Others have been through worse. Humans are not all evil, but there are some who are. Your trainer wasn't one of them."

"Lies!" she tried to shout, but Alex was expecting it.

"Your trainer was a somewhat good human before he was corrupted by those who are truly evil," Alex explained, catching Kirlia's attention. "The reason he beat you was because he thought it would make you stronger. That was a lie told by humans who want to enslave Pokémon and control the world. The propaganda they spread claims that Pokémon should be beneath them as slaves, not beside them as partners."

"Who are they?" she asked, her voice low and filled with quiet fury.

"I don't know exactly, but we call them the human supremacist faction. I have been tracking them for a while and trying to stop them. I could use your help."

Kirlia considered his words, then formed a plan. If he wanted her as his Pokémon, then he would just have to bond with her the same way her first trainer had. She would read all his memories.

"I can only trust you if you show me," she said.

"Go ahead," Alex replied. "But try anything funny and my Hydreigon will have you as her midnight snack."

Alex opened his mind further, allowing her access to all his memories. At least, the ones he had control over.

Kirlia experienced the original Alex's childhood. The loss of his parents. The beatings from other humans. The years of starvation, so similar to her own suffering after she escaped.

Then, his mentality shifted. He was no longer the helpless boy who grew up without knowledge. He became confident, informed, and powerful.

She read through his plans, his accomplishments, the truths behind his words, and the lies as well.

He had told the truth about the human supremacist faction, but he had lied about actively pursuing them. Even so, he did take every opportunity to bring them down. They were profitable targets with valuable technology. In that way, he really was hunting them, though only when it suited his interests.

She understood Alex better now. He was a lot like her. Violent, but not from blind rage. His violence came from a need to win, to overcome others. It was a driving force, a hunger for dominance through battle. His violence was his purpose.

Hers was shallow in comparison. She hated all humans simply because she had met the wrong one, just one out of the millions on the planet. As she reflected, her hatred and anger began to fade, feeling more like a childish tantrum than righteous fury.

Then she saw his plan for her. He needed a commander, someone to relay his orders and carry out assassinations, someone to help him kill humans. It was strangely flattering to be regarded with such importance.

She would still get to kill but with purpose and reason. No longer would she have to fight the world, only the small minority who caused others to suffer as she had once suffered.

By the end of it, she had made her decision.

"Very well. I agree to your proposal."

"Happy to have you," Alex said with a wide smile. "Now, would you mind showing me your moves?"

Chapter 120: Chapter 120. More Pokemon 3

Kirlia nodded and began performing each move as Alex instructed. Meanwhile, he recorded the session on his phone to catalog her move list.

Name: Kirlia, Expert

Type: Psychic Fairy, Female

Ability: Telepathy

Moves:

Basic: Confuse Ray(Egg Move), Disable(Egg Move), Mean Look(Egg Move), Growl, Disarming Voice, Double Team, Confusion, Teleport, Psybeam, Life Dew, Charm, Calm Mind, Future Sight

Advanced: Shadow Sneak(Priority +1), Hypnosis(Effect Up +1), Draining Kiss(+50% Damage), Psychic(+50% Damage), Heal Pulse(Effect Up +1), Dream Eater(+50% Damage)

Description: Kirlia, the Emotion Pokémon. It uses the horns on its head to sense emotions. When it's happy, it dances gracefully, radiating psychic power influenced by positive feelings.

There was no doubt Kirlia was a top-of-the-line Ralts, the product of elite breeding. One of her parents was likely from the Duskull line, given she had all four of their egg moves.

"You've trained well," Alex commented after seeing her Advanced moves.

"I've survived," she corrected through their link.

She was only a few years away from mastering all her moves at the Advanced level, even after Alex supplemented her with TMs.

As a Gardevoir, she was naturally suited for Special Attack and Speed, so Alex chose to lean into those strengths. If she ever got caught in close range, she'd still be able to slip away with Shadow Sneak.

"I think you know how your training will go with me as your trainer."

"Yes. Move proficiency and gaming with Metagross."

By gaming, she meant devising combat strategies and tactics with Metagross.

Alex may have been the genius who used Metagross effectively, but Metagross was the true genius, effortlessly coordinating Alex's Pokémon even when Alex gave only vague commands like "retreat," which actually meant having the slowest Pokémon withdraw first or be carried while the fastest used delaying tactics to cover their escape.

"Excellent. Metagross, I'll leave her in your capable hands."

Metagross groaned in protest, clearly not thrilled until Alex hit his weak spot.

"You don't want to train a new gaming buddy? Afraid she'll beat you and take your place under Rotom?"

"Metagross! (Bring it on!)" he snapped.

"I'll leave you to it, then."

The next day, Alex dutifully fulfilled his Pokemon's request.

First, he had them dig and reinforce a canal wide enough for Gyarados to pass through comfortably, stretching from the small lake at the center of the orchard all the way to the training grounds passing by the front of the mansion. He also hired a construction crew to build several bridges at key points along the canal.

Next, he added a training schedule for all his Pokemon except the Combee. They preferred harvesting honey, so they were left out of the regimen. It was fine since they often had to fight off the local Pokemon in the forest.

The girls' Pokémon were included as well: Nyx's Rotom, Kaia's Skiddo, Vera's Audino, Lina's Miltank, Mira's Dolliv, and Rhea's Tinkaton (Elite).

He also made sure the Eevee egg was being properly cared for in the nursery the girls had prepared. It had only recently been laid, so hatching would still take about a month, especially since Alex didn't know of any item he could grind into powder to accelerate the process. There wasn't an evolution stone for Normal-type Pokémon, after all.

Finally, he took Kirlia out to hunt in nearby nests so she could evolve into Gardevoir much to her delight.

After several angry nests, she reached her final form.

'Now, if only I could get my hands on a Gardevoirite,' Alex thought.

Unfortunately, neither he nor the majority of Elite trainers were capable of acquiring one.

Following up on the pedophile's hard drives, Nyx reported finding nothing they could use to incriminate anyone else. Alex concluded that he had likely missed the real evidence and regretted not putting more effort into searching the place for hidden devices.

A month later, news surfaced on the darknet about a list of pedophiles being identified with evidence and subsequently arrested. The source was likely the missing files.

Unfortunately, Alex had been slow to act. The easy targets had already been taken down by the police and other bounty hunters. The ones that remained were untouchable because they were either powerful politicians, underworld criminals, or Elites with backing.

Fortunately, the new month brought good news as Eevee hatched from her egg.

Alex made sure to be the only one there for the hatching.

"Vee?"

"Hello, little one. I'm Alex, your trainer," he said gently.

"Vee!" she exclaimed before jumping on Alex and running all over him.

She was small and acrobatic for a newly hatched Pokémon, but it didn't take her long to tire out. She settled into Alex's arms, breathing deeply from the exertion.

"Can we see her now?" Vera demanded from outside.

"Come in."

The door to the nursery burst open with Vera in the lead, followed by Lina and Mira, who were just as excited to see the new addition.

"She's so adorable." "Hi~" "Hello, little cutie."

Rather than shy away, Eevee loved the attention, making sure to grace each and every one of them with a tail flick as if giving a blessing.

"She's quite the little diva," Mira noted. "She isn't shy either."

"What evolution do you think she'll pick?" Lina asked.

"Flareon," Vera said. "She looks like the passionate type."

"My money's on Sylveon," Mira chimed in. "She's playing Alex like a fiddle."

"Whatever she wants. Once she's strong enough," Alex said firmly. "For now, she needs to eat and rest."

"Here, special Pokéblocks for newly hatched Normal types," Vera offered.

Alex took the Pokéblocks and fed them to Eevee, who accepted them gracefully but refused to leave his arms, even as Vera tried to tempt her away.

"She's definitely Daddy's little girl," Vera commented.

"She's young. She'll make plenty of friends on the farm." At least, that's what Alex hoped.

Eevee took a quick nap after her meal, then panicked and started crying when she woke up and didn't see Alex.

The moment he reached her, she calmed down and nuzzled into him.

From that day on, she refused to leave his side. Even at night, she would sleep in his bed, much to the frustration of Nyx and Rhea.

The only time Alex got any time to himself was when Eevee was asleep.

"This doesn't seem healthy," Rhea said, frowning. "It's like taking care of a child, but it's a Pokémon. What are we going to do about that? It's clearly cuter than us. Alex isn't 'into' Pokémon, is he?"

"No," Nyx replied without hesitation. "Otherwise, we would've already known. He's had plenty of chances with that new Gardevoir."

Alex meanwhile had Eevee demonstrate her moves while he recorded with his phone.

Name: Eevee, Novice

Type: Normal, Female

Ability: Anticipation

Moves:

Novice: Covet, Helping Hand, Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip, Sand Attack

Description: Eevee, the Evolution Pokémon. Known for its unstable genetic makeup, Eevee has the unique ability to evolve into multiple forms. Curious and adaptable, it quickly bonds with those it trusts. Its potential lies not in power alone, but in the many paths it can take.

'Female and Anticipation. Did Mom's Espeon have Magic Bounce?' Alex wondered.

Female Eevees were rare, only about 12.5% of the population. Anticipation, meanwhile, was a hidden ability, which meant she inherited it from either Arcanine or Espeon.

'Doesn't matter. She was a gift, like Growlithe. She doesn't have to fill a role. She can be any Pokémon she wants,' Alex ultimately decided.

Even so, he hoped she wouldn't get a weather-dependent ability. Those became ineffective whenever Altaria was on the field, and he preferred to keep his battlefield as neutral as possible to minimize variables.

Imagine a Chlorophyll team running into Altaria and watching their setup collapse.

Still, Alex thought about it and narrowed her possible evolutions down to three, based on her personality and ability: Flareon with Guts, Espeon with Magic Bounce, and Sylveon with Pixilate. The others were either too reliant on weather or did not match her personality.

In any case, Alex fulfilled his responsibility. He prepared an energy crystal for each type an Eevee could evolve into, complete with pictures of the resulting forms and descriptions of their abilities.

Eevee, however, paid little attention. She was too busy playing with the Heal Pulse bullet Alex had given her.

'Like mother, like daughter?' Alex mused.

Sure enough, just under a month later, she evolved while sunbathing on the balcony with Alex, completely at ease. She did not even notice until Alex congratulated her.

Once she realized, she pranced around for a bit, testing her new form before returning to her spot beside him, already bored with the change.

"You know," Alex said, glancing at her, "now that you've evolved, you can start training seriously. How about joining Gardevoir?"

Espeon looked up at him, genuinely considering it. On one hand, training with Gardevoir meant being away from Alex, even if just for a while. On the other, it also meant becoming strong enough to stay by his side in the future, especially when he went out to hunt.

After a long pause, she gave a small nod and trotted off toward Gardevoir, much to Alex's relief. He would have had a hard time explaining the special treatment if she decided to slack off.

In the end, he placed her under Gardevoir's guidance, whose psychic abilities even surpassed Metagross.

With all his Pokémon finally taking their training seriously, Alex focused on his own grind.

Chapter 121: Chapter 121. Improvements

Two years later, in a mansion somewhere in Johto, the heavy doors to Briar Thornhart's room slammed open, echoing through the marble halls of the Thornhart estate. He emerged with fire in his eyes and a grin that was anything but friendly.

"Two fucking years of house arrest completed," he announced with grim satisfaction. "I had to suffer all this time because of some no-name bounty hunter who dared to arrest me. Me, a Thornhart."

Suffering was a relative term, considering he had full access to everything he wanted, including prostitutes, within the luxury of his family's mansion. The only real restriction was that he could not leave the premises of the estate, which was larger than most farms.

Two years ago, as a result of being complicit in his senior's crimes, he had been removed from the Ranger program and sentenced to two years of house arrest.

His father had accepted the verdict without protest, largely because he lacked the authority of his father, the family's patriarch and Briar's grandfather. He cared little for a son who brought nothing but trouble to the family name, though he was not heartless enough to impose real consequences.

Now the brat was free, and already causing a stir among the servants.

Briar descended the grand staircase two steps at a time, a storm of vengeance bottled up inside a young man who believed the world owed him more than it gave.

At the bottom of the stairs, the family steward stood waiting, as stoic and silent as ever.

"Tell me," Briar demanded. "Where is he? That self-righteous dog of a bounty hunter. Alex, or whatever his name is. I want him gone."

"Your father has restricted access to the family's combat assets, given your incarceration."

"Fine. Then use the Underworld dogs. Seth, I think, should be able to get rid of him."

"Seth Fayvel was arrested and executed some time ago. By the same bounty hunter."

Briar paused, a tinge of danger licking at the back of his neck as he silently weighed the significant threat, then dismissed it. He had been wronged, and he would not let it stand.

"Who else is there?"

"The Underworld has pulled back due to the human supremacist faction encroaching on their territory. A war is brewing because of their aggressive expansion. It would be wise for you to lay low as well, Young Master."

"Are you ordering me around?" Briar shouted, spit flying from his mouth as he stepped toward the steward.

First, he was denied a chance at revenge, and now this lowlife dared to lecture him?

"Your father's orders," the steward replied, unfazed.

"Fuck. FUCK!" Briar raged, pacing in place before forcing himself to breathe. He calmed, but his eyes still burned with fury. "Then get information on the bounty hunter. I want to know what would hurt him the most."

"He is unmarried and uninvolved. His mother is a Jenny, which is strictly off limits. He has a distribution company under his name that is also off-limits due to their recent rise in capability. However, he owns a farm northeast of Saffron City."

There was nothing to be done about the lack of a love life, and the mention of a Jenny sent a chill down Briar's spine. The distribution company is likely backed by the local gym leader. But a farm? That was a weakness he could exploit.

"Have it destroyed."

"It was reported to be protected at all times by no fewer than three Elite ranked Pokémon."

Another slap to the face. Another request denied. Just as he was about to lose control, a spark of brilliance lit up his mind.

"Then a flood. Have it destroyed with a Pokémon flood," he ordered.

"Your father would not allow—"

"I don't care. Call it in, or I will."

"I cannot fulfill your request, Young Master. Your father forbids it."

"Fine."

He stormed back into his room, slammed the door behind him, and threw himself into his chair. Opening his computer, he navigated to the darknet, reaching out to contacts inherited from Orin. He hated spending his own hard-earned allowance, but he had no choice. This insult could not be allowed to stand.

He submitted the request and transferred most of his savings, fifteen million Pokédollars. The moment the transaction was complete, he leaned back in his chair with a cold, triumphant smirk.

He would never accept a slight that cost him his future. His vengeance would be swift and painful.

-----

Meanwhile, back at the farm, Alex oversaw the progress of the Pokémon.

Two years had passed, dedicated entirely to improving move proficiency, coordination, and sparring, while feeding on meat from Expert ranked Pokémon. This intense regimen allowed all the Pokémon on the farm to reach the Expert rank, with all of them gaining at least one Advanced ranked move as well.

Starting with the home team, the Elites, Absol, Morpeko, and Houndoom, had shown a marked improvement in teamwork. Where they once fought purely on instinct, they now displayed coordinated tactics and had each mastered three Advanced ranked moves.

Grimer had evolved into Muk. The pair of Goomy had matured into a powerful duo of Goodra, and the two Skiddo had grown into strong Gogoat.

On the girls' side, Kaia's Skiddo had evolved into a Gogoat as well, naturally taking the lead whenever the trio moved around the farm tending to the plants. The boost in power made farming far more efficient, giving Kaia more free time for herself. In hindsight, Alex realized he should have encouraged this evolution much sooner.

Mira's Dolliv had evolved into an Arboliva, greatly enhancing the quality of the massage oil she produced. She even shared some with Lina, who used it as a nutrient-rich cooking oil, and with Vera, who incorporated it into her recipes. Again, Alex truly should have pushed for this much sooner.

The water team had reached the Expert rank across the board. Every member had mastered Surf at the Advanced rank with +50% Range. This made it possible for them to repel any sea threats while also ensuring a reliable method of retreat.

Even the Wishiwashi had progressed. Now that they were all above Novice rank, they could activate their Schooling ability and enter their powerful School Form, assuming there were other Wishiwashi around of course.

Moving on, the away team had made the most noticeable progress, with the majority of them reaching Elite rank. This was thanks to their exclusive diet of Elite ranked meat.

Raticate, Arcanine, Clawitzer, Rotom, Forretress, Altaria, Frosmoth, Alcremie, Aegislash, Metagross, Kommo-o, Togekiss, Hydreigon, Dusknoir, Ceruledge, the Crobat pair, and Gardevoir all achieved Elite status.

Bounsweet had evolved into Tsareena, the Tandemaus trio had evolved into the Maushold trio, and Koffing had evolved into Weezing. Espeon, who solely trained so she would always stay by Alex's side, joined them in reaching Expert rank. All of them benefited from two full years of consuming Elite ranked meat while training hard every day, easily surpassing the home team's progress.

This intense consumption completely depleted Alex's stockpile of Elite ranked meat gathered from previous Elite bounty targets. As a result, his training phase was cut short by nearly half of the projected five years. He had not anticipated just how much more food his Pokémon would require once they themselves reached the Elite rank.

Alex was about to complain regarding the sustainability of raising Elite ranked Pokémon and question how anyone could reach Champion rank with the amount of meat required. That was, until he did the math and realized he had been feeding the equivalent of four full Elite teams with what was currently the second richest diet he knew of. The richest, of course, being Champion ranked Pokémon meat.

As for his original Elite ranked Pokémon, Hydreigon had passed the halfway mark within the Elite rank and was now considered a high Elite. Raticate and Arcanine, on the other hand, were only approaching the halfway point.

In gaming terms, Hydreigon would be above level 70, while Raticate, Arcanine, Absol, Morpeko, and Houndoom were all above level 65. The rest of the newly promoted Elites were somewhere between level 60 and 65.

The difference in stats was small on paper, but gaining five levels over two years was a significant achievement at the Elite rank. This was not a game world. Growth took time, resources, combat experience, and careful planning. Fortunately, Alex had invested well. The progress of his Pokémon was proof of that.

Unfortunately, he was broke again. Not in terms of money, he had plenty from his savings, the income from the farm, and from Maris, who was doing very well with her company.

He was broke in terms of Elite ranked Pokémon meat.

He could go out and buy it with money, but his current savings of thirty million would not last him a year given their current consumption. It was more of an emergency fund rather than a fund for increasing power.

Thus, Alex plans on going back to hunting for Elites soon.

As he watched the three Maushold running from Absol, Morpeko, and Houndoom while carrying Weezing in perfect sync, he received a report from Nyx about Elara.

"She's getting married?"

Chapter 122: Chapter 122. Improvements 2

Over the past two years, the Pokémon were not the only ones who had improved from training.

At twenty years of age, Alex had grown significantly stronger. His routine consisted of intense workouts under enhanced gravity while wearing weighted restraints, along with sparring matches against Kommo-o, who never hesitated to overpower him and fight until his bones broke. On top of that, he consumed nearly as much Elite ranked Pokémon meat as some of the stronger Pokémon.

He was confident he could hold his own against Gym Leader Koichi if they ever fought again.

Alex was not the only one making progress either. Nyx, for example, had started working out with the same intensity and drive that Lyra once had in order to maintain her figure. She was very proud of her perfectly shaped ass.

Vera had made great strides in her studies and had already passed the Senior certification as a breeder. She plans to take the Chief certification soon.

Rhea is... let's not talk about her.

Kaia did not bother with additional exercise, but her daily responsibilities around the farm kept her just as fit as when Alex first met her. The same could be said for Lina and Mira, who spent their days cooking and giving massages to the many Pokémon under their care.

Maris and her company were also doing well, especially after Alex took out her competitor, Marcus Halden. It had the unintended side effect of angering Sabrina, since it disrupted product distribution in the city. Maris wasted no time in absorbing his business and gaining Sabrina's protection, ensuring the city would not suffer any shortages again in the future.

She even found herself the male equivalent of a sexy secretary, someone who happily went down on her while she worked, and she proudly told Nyx all about it.

Lyra was still at Expert rank due to a less than ideal diet, but she was gradually approaching Elite status. She had even made a new friend and was now traveling with them across Kanto.

Lastly, Elara had been doing well in Hoenn. She had even found herself a boyfriend, one of the engineers she works with. Now, according to a report from Nyx, she was getting married.

"Are we invited?" Alex asked during a call with Nyx. "You and the others should be able to go."

"We weren't invited. I think she didn't tell the guy everything about her past," Nyx replied.

"Oh... not the best way to start a relationship. Still, it makes sense. New place, new life. We should just wish her well."

"Yeah. I'm a bit sad though."

"What do you want?" Alex asked with mild exasperation.

He didn't enjoy these kinds of games.

"Butt stuff. My place. Tonight!"

"Alright."

"Yay."

In the end, she had just been fishing for promises. Not that Alex minded. Still, he would have preferred if the girls simply asked directly.

Getting back to assessing his Pokémon.

Alex was proud that Raticate had managed to reach Advanced proficiency in all his moves and had even attained Expert proficiency in Quick Attack, now enhanced with +100% Damage. This meant his Quick Attack could now cover twice the range and hit with double the power of a Basic Quick Attack. Impressively, he achieved this over a year ahead of Arcanine, whose Extreme Speed was projected to reach Expert proficiency in less than two years.

This early advancement was due to Raticate's consistent use of Quick Attack in every battle. It wasn't just a move for striking, it was his primary method of movement.

During fights, Raticate would constantly seek openings to strike while avoiding retaliation, often slipping away with Quick Attack before opponents could respond. Thanks to this frequent usage, even though reaching Expert from Advanced typically required three full years of training, Raticate still managed to reach it ahead of schedule.

With this improvement, Raticate's overall combat effectiveness increased by around 50%. After all, it was the move he relied on the most. Now, he could even spar with Hydreigon without being utterly overwhelmed. Granted, he still did minimal damage due to Hydreigon's high stats, but at least he wasn't completely helpless anymore.

Alex did the math.

Assuming it takes 1 year to progress from Basic to Advanced for a move and half that time for each subsequent upgrade within the same category whether Physical, Special, or Status it would take 6 years to get all moves from Basic to Advanced with consistent training.

According to the information packet from the League it takes 3 years to progress from Advanced to Expert. That means it would take 18 years to reach complete Expert proficiency.

Finally based on available data moving from Expert to Master requires 5 years. In total it would take 30 years to achieve complete mastery.

Adding it all up, that amounts to 54 years from the beginning of training to reaching complete mastery of all moves.

Alex had been training for 8 years already starting when he was twelve. That left roughly 45 years until Raticate reached full mastery since Raticate managed to save up 1 year from his over reliance on Quick Attack.

Of course, the math isn't precise because life happens and there are times when the Pokemon stop training for days or weeks but it was still an intriguing notion.

'I wonder what will happen when Raticate attains complete mastery?' Alex thought excitedly.

The answer was not included in the information packet but Alex assumed the League had already discovered it and reserved that knowledge exclusively for Champion ranked trainers.

As for the other Pokémon, Arcanine, Clawitzer, Kommo-o, Hydreigon, Dusknoir, and Gardevoir have all achieved Advanced proficiency in all their moves, with only 1 to 3 years remaining before their first move reaches Expert proficiency.

Arcanine and Clawitzer have been with Alex the longest, so their progress is expected. Kommo-o and Dusknoir were previously trained by another trainer, who contributed two years' worth of progress before Alex got them. Hydreigon and Gardevoir, on the other hand, trained independently in the wild for years prior to joining Alex. Their advanced development is understandable given their backgrounds.

Rotom, Forretress, Altaria, Alcremie, Frosmoth, and Aegislash are approximately six months away from reaching Advanced proficiency in all their moves.

Metagross and Togekiss are roughly one year and six months from that same milestone.

Ceruledge and the Crobat couple are about three years away from attaining complete Advanced proficiency.

Lastly, the newest additions, Tsareena, the three Maushold, Weezing, and Espeon, are still four years from reaching Advanced proficiency across their move sets.

Overall, their progress has been commendable, especially the new additions, whose training has focused almost exclusively on Status moves due to their more passive roles in battle.

Name: Tsareena, Expert

Type: Grass, Female

Ability: Queenly Majesty

Moves:

Basic: Rapid Spin, Razor Leaf, Power Whip, Flail, Trop Kick, Magical Leaf, Stomp, Leaf Storm, High Jump Kick, U-turn, Fling, Knock Off, Draining Kiss, Dazzling Gleam, Play Rough, Low Kick, Low Sweep, Acrobatics, Trailblaze, Bullet Seed, Seed Bomb, Grass Knot, Giga Drain, Energy Ball, Solar Beam, Solar Blade, Grassy Glide, Petal Blizzard, Triple Axel, Take Down, Facade, Swift, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Endeavor, Zen Headbutt

(Priority +1): Swagger, Teeter Dance, Taunt, Sunny Day, Grassy Terrain, Substitute, Reflect, Light Screen, Rest (Effect Up +1): Synthesis, Splash, Play Nice, Sweet Scent, Aromatic Mist, Charm, Protect, Endure, Sleep Talk, Helping Hand,

Description: Tsareena, the Fruit Queen Pokémon. With a regal stride and commanding presence, it rules over grasslands with elegance. Its powerful legs can deliver crushing kicks that send foes flying. Though graceful, it never hesitates to fight for what it protects.

Tsareena was definitely the most combative of the group, making her the closest to achieving Elite rank in just two years. She constantly picks fights and is especially frustrating for the older Pokémon to deal with, largely due to their greater number of Priority +1 moves that require special attention to avoid triggering her Queenly Majesty.

Name: Weezing, Expert

Type: Poison, Male

Ability: Neutralizing Gas

Moves:

Basic: Tackle, Smog, Clear Smog, Assurance, Heat Wave, Double Hit, Sludge, Self-Destruct, Sludge Bomb, Belch, Explosion, Thief, Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Shadow Ball, Take Down, Facade, Body Slam, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Acid Spray, Venoshock, Gunk Shot, Sludge Wave, Psybeam, Gyro Ball

(Priority +1): Poison Gas, Haze, Toxic, Taunt, Sunny Day, Will-O-Wisp, Substitute, Pain Split, Toxic Spikes, Rest, Rain Dance (Effect Up +1): Smokescreen, Memento, Spite, Curse, Scary Face, Protect, Endure, Sleep Talk

Description: Weezing, the Poison Gas Pokémon. It emits toxic fumes from its multiple heads to repel enemies and protect its territory. Its gas can cause dizziness and nausea, making it a dangerous opponent. Despite its foul odor, it is fiercely loyal to its allies.

Weezing acted as the king of the Maushold, having perfected their coordinated movement system. From his higher vantage point, he directed their positioning during battle. In return, he took the brunt of enemy attacks, though the damage was minimal thanks to the three stacked Friend Guards.

Name: Maushold, Expert

Type: Normal, Male/Female

Ability: Friend Guard

Moves:

Basic: Pound, Echoed Voice, Super Fang, Double Hit, Bullet Seed, Play Rough, Hyper Voice, Beat Up, Population Bomb, U-turn, Thief, Crunch, Low Kick, Low Sweep, Aerial Ace, Shadow Claw, Trailblaze, Seed Bomb, Grass Knot, Mud-Slap, Mud Shot, Dig, Take Down, Facade, Swift, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Double-Edge, Water Pulse, Chilling Water

(Priority +1): Baton Pass, Tidy Up, Encore, Copycat, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Sunny Day, Substitute, Rest, Rain Dance (Effect Up +1): Baby-Doll Eyes, Follow Me, Helping Hand, Charm, Fake Tears, Protect, Endure, Sleep Talk, Agility,

Description: Maushold, the Family Pokémon. It lives in close-knit groups, working together to gather food and protect each other. Their cheerful chatter and teamwork make them strong, and they find comfort in their shared bonds. Though small, their unity is their greatest strength.

The Maushold specialize in disruptive Status moves like Encore, Taunt, Helping Hand, Baton Pass, and Protect. They've trained specifically to maintain their coordinated movement system while simultaneously supporting allies or hindering enemies within sight.

When paired with Weezing, they can effectively stand up to Elites as powerful as Hydreigon. Their synchronized use of Protect is already refined enough to shield all four members at once, providing both coverage and resilience in battle.

Name: Espeon, Expert

Type: Psychic, Female

Ability: Magic Bounce

Moves:

Basic: Covet, Tackle, Bite, Take Down, Double-Edge, Confusion, Quick Attack, Swift, Psybeam, Psychic, Future Sight, Last Resort, Draining Kiss, Dazzling Gleam, Alluring Voice, Shadow Ball, Trailblaze, Magical Leaf, Grass Knot, Mud-Slap, Dig, Facade, Body Slam, Hyper Voice, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Weather Ball, Psyshock, Stored Power, Zen Headbutt, Psychic Fangs, Expanding Force, Psychic Noise, Power Gem

(Priority +1): Copycat, Baton Pass, Power Swap, Psych Up, Thunder Wave, Sunny Day, Confuse Ray, Substitute, Reflect, Light Screen, Rest, Imprison, Skill Swap, Trick, Trick Room, Rain Dance (Effect Up +1): Helping Hand, Growl, Tail Whip, Sand Attack, Charm, Baby-Doll Eyes, Morning Sun, Fake Tears, Curse, Protect, Endure, Sleep Talk, Roar, Calm Mind (+50% Range): Gravity, Psychic Terrain

Description: Espeon, the Sun Pokémon. It has a finely tuned intuition that allows it to predict its opponent's moves. Espeon's fur shines when it senses strong sunlight, and it uses psychic powers to protect its trainer with grace and agility.

Espeon, meanwhile, took after Gardevoir and even developed a powerful area-of-effect combination attack capable of overwhelming large groups of weaker opponents. She was also mentored by Raticate on the efficient use of Quick Attack, allowing her to keep pace with Gardevoir as she executed Shadow Sneak.

Following her evolution, Alex chose to focus her build on Special Attack and Speed, mirroring Gardevoir's setup. Any other allocation would have wasted her natural stat distribution. Besides, she was always positioned beside Alex during battle, protected by the rest of the team. This allowed her to concentrate on offense more often than not.

Name: Gardevoir, Elite

Type: Psychic Fairy, Female

Ability: Telepathy

Moves:

(Priority +1): Shadow Sneak, Confuse Ray, Misty Terrain, Thief, Fling, Taunt, Knock Off, Thunder Wave, Sunny Day, Will-O-Wisp, Substitute, Pain Split, Psych Up, Reflect, Light Screen, Rest, Imprison, Skill Swap, Trick, Trick Room, Rain Dance (Effect Up +1): Hypnosis, Heal Pulse, Disable, Mean Look, Growl, Double Team, Life Dew, Charm, Calm Mind, Healing Wish, Wish, Protect, Endure, Sleep Talk, Metronome, Encore, Helping Hand (+50% Damage): Draining Kiss, Psychic, Dream Eater, Disarming Voice, Confusion, Psybeam, Future Sight, Mystical Fire, Dazzling Gleam, Moonblast, Charge Beam, Thunder Punch, Thunderbolt, Misty Explosion, Alluring Voice, Aura Sphere, Focus Blast, Vacuum Wave, Fire Punch, Night Shade, Shadow Ball, Magical Leaf, Grass Knot, Energy Ball, Icy Wind, Ice Punch, Triple Axel, Facade, Swift, Body Slam, Hyper Voice, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Stored Power, Psyshock, Zen Headbutt, Psychic Fangs, Psychic Noise (+50% Range): Teleport, Gravity, Psychic Terrain, Expanding Force

Description: Gardevoir, the Embrace Pokémon. It has the ability to sense its Trainer's emotions and will use its psychic powers to protect them from harm. When it senses danger, it can create a powerful psychic barrier that shields both itself and its Trainer.

Finally, Gardevoir boasted an impressive arsenal of damaging moves, particularly those enhanced for extended range. This combination ensures that any mass attack strategy becomes futile, so long as she's given the time and space to prepare.

Beyond her offensive prowess, Gardevoir also developed the same commanding presence as Metagross, enough to convince Alex that she was ready to take on the role of commander. Metagross was delighted, as this opened the possibility of staying behind to protect the farm and enjoy gaming in his free time.

Espeon is also following a similar path thanks to her psychic abilities, though to a lesser extent. While she lacks the raw psychic power of Gardevoir and the strategic depth of Metagross, she has still earned her place by Alex's side, much to her delight.

Overall, the past two years were well spent, as their newfound prowess would open doors to missions that were previously considered impossible, especially those that would require Alex to be away from the farm for extended periods of time.

-----
A stats page containing the complete Pokedex entries of the Away Team is available for those who are interested. A very long list which might not be for everyone so I released these two together. Enjoy.
PS: I tried my best to ensure this chapter still had 1.5k words even without the stats on it which should explain the extended length.

Chapter 123: Chapter 123. Cerulean City

After completing his inspection of two years' progress, Alex deemed his team ready for greater challenges. However, before diving in, he wanted to test the waters with his new Pokémon.

A few months ago, he signed up for the Cerulean Water Gym, and now he had to leave tomorrow to fulfill his appointment.

The next morning, Alex prepared for his match against the Water Gym with Tsareena, Espeon, Gyarados, and Milotic. He specifically chose them because Tsareena and Espeon could benefit from the experience of an official match, while Maushold and Weezing fought and trained exclusively as a team.

As for Gyarados and Milotic, Alex believed he needed more experience battling with and against Water-type Pokémon if he ever intended to use them seriously in the future.

He might have prepared them for an eventual underwater excursion, but he clearly knew he was not ready for that yet. Not until he felt as comfortable fighting on water as he did on land. This was why he was determined to earn his fourth badge at the Water Gym.

The reason he only used four Expert-ranked Pokémon in the coming battle was because that number met the minimum limit for gym battles at his badge level.

The minimum number of Pokémon and minimum Rank required to register for each Gym Badge in Kanto is as follows: Gym Badge 1 requires a minimum of 2 Novice Pokémon, Gym Badge 2 requires 2 Adept Pokémon, Gym Badge 3 and 4 requires 3 Adept Pokémon, Gym Badge 5 requires 4 Adept Pokémon, Gym Badge 6 requires 4 Expert Pokémon, and Gym Badge 7 and 8 requires 5 Expert Pokémon.

This system was designed to ensure that trainers actually grow stronger as they earn each badge.

Alex, however, went beyond the requirements because he wanted his team to gain more experience. This time, since he did not have a full team, he selected Pokémon based on the experience they needed.

Escorting him were Raticate, Arcanine, Clawitzer, Rotom, and Aegislash. As long as Alex had these five Pokémon and his guns, he was confident he could escape any ambush in the city. In the worst case scenario, Rotom could contact Metagross at the farm to send backup through Gardevoir, who had recently traveled with Arcanine to share the same teleportation points.

Once they were ready, Alex teleported over with Arcanine and Espeon before heading into the city. As Arcanine was too big to roam the streets with, he reluctantly went back in his Pokeball while Espeon enjoyed her alone time with Alex.

Cerulean City is known for its vibrant arts scene, especially along its picturesque waterfront where galleries showcase paintings and sculptures inspired by the surrounding rivers and lush landscapes. Since Misty became the gym leader, her passion for Water-type Pokémon and the community has helped the city thrive, attracting artists and performers who draw inspiration from the dynamic water shows they perform.

Modern skyscrapers rise alongside historic buildings, their sleek designs thoughtfully integrated so they enhance rather than detract from the city's creative atmosphere. The waterfront promenade often hosts open-air exhibits and live performances, creating a lively space where art, nature, and modernity come together.

In addition to visual arts, Cerulean City offers a variety of music and dance events in its theaters and public spaces, featuring everything from classical concerts to contemporary performances. Misty's influence also encouraged local artisans to create water-themed crafts, blending tradition with innovation. These events draw both residents and tourists, making the city a cultural hub in the region.

Visitors can participate in workshops for pottery, weaving, and other crafts that reflect Cerulean's rich creative heritage and close connection to the water that defines it. The city's unique blend of artistic tradition and modern progress creates an inspiring environment where creativity flourishes alongside development, making Cerulean City a truly dynamic destination for art lovers and curious travelers alike.

As a side note, the city also features a slightly less popular Fairy Gym, whose Gym Leader was drawn to Cerulean City by its vibrant atmosphere. Similar to the Water Gym, they also had shows featuring Fairy type Pokemon

Alex made his way through the city, traveling from the south gate all the way to the northeastern area where the Water Gym was located beside a freshwater river. Although it was called a river, it was actually more like a sea, given the significant distance between land masses further north.

Unlike in the game, the waters of Cerulean City were much larger, making the Nugget Bridge that much more impressive. The city also featured a picturesque beach scene that reminded Alex he should take a vacation there with the girls sometime.

Espeon, meanwhile, enjoyed the scenery, the people, and the lively atmosphere. Most of all, she enjoyed the happy emotions spreading throughout the city. It was clear that this was currently one of the best places to live.

Once Alex arrived at the gym, he was greeted by what was essentially a full-fledged water park on the first floor. Unlike the previous gyms he had visited, the Water Gym was significantly larger. The building itself was dome-shaped, with each floor appearing smaller than the one below as it rose upward. It was likely funded by the revenue generated from their popular water shows.

Espeon ran around, using her psychic energy to shield herself from the water as she greeted people playing in the pools. Her eyes sparkled with joy, and her tail swayed cheerfully as she basked in the warmth of their happiness.

Further in, Alex could see the area where they held their water shows. It was a massive pool surrounded by spectator stands, allowing visitors to enjoy the performance from all angles. At the back stood a stage where Misty and her sisters could present and direct the show.

Once Alex found the stairs, he made his way to the second floor, where a massive pool occupied the entire space. Each battlefield featured a pair of platforms, but it was clear that trainers had to swim or use Surf to reach them before the battle could begin. The pool was also remarkably deep, easily allowing a Gyarados to fully submerge and remain hidden beneath the surface.

On the third floor, Alex finally reached his battleground. A smaller pool with submerged walkways heading further into where Alex could see a red head waiting for him. Along the path were trainers who were either sunbathing on platforms or swimming leisurely.

'What is it with gyms and mazes? The Fighting Gym had the right idea, just set all the challenges in a line and fight it out.' Alex thought as the floor manager and referee approached.

She was wearing a black and white bikini with a thin cover-up skirt. It was honestly distracting given her fit body and gorgeous appearance. Then again, that applied to almost everyone on the entire floor.

"Make your way to the furthest platform, accepting any battle requests along the way. I will oversee any battles you take part in. You may begin," she said.

Alex took a moment to think before asking for clarification.

"What if I don't happen to hear someone challenging me?"

"I'll get your attention and let you know," she replied.

Alex had a brilliant idea to bypass the entire floor and reach Misty without being challenged. His plan was simple: dive with Gyarados while wearing a rebreather. No sane trainer would wait underwater all day hoping a challenger might try something that specific.

Then again, given how popular this gym was, Alex could easily imagine that exact scenario happening.

Regardless, he was here for water combat experience. So, he decided to battle every single trainer in the gym, even if it meant risking a loss against Misty. He was never after the badge to begin with.

Since he was bound to get wet, Alex decided to remove his gear and get comfortable. He took off his guns, long coat, and armored gear, carefully packing them into his bag and revealing the bodysuit he wore underneath. It was waterproof and served well enough as a makeshift scuba suit.

Then, unzipping the top half, he revealed his ripped upper body and tied the sleeves around his waist. In a way, this felt like the beach holiday he had been putting off.

He stepped onto the submerged, floating walkway with Espeon walking effortlessly atop the water beside him and began making his way through the maze-like path at a steady pace. His first target was a man casually fishing beside the trail.

The fisherman wore a white and orange hat, orange vest over a white shirt, and rolled-up cargo pants, his boots soaked as he sat with a line of Poké Balls clipped to his belt.

"You don't happen to have Magikarps in all those Poké Balls, do you?" Alex asked with slight amusement.

"Don't be ridiculous. This is a gym, not a wharf," the old man replied, releasing an early Expert rank, angry-looking Pokémon onto the water. "They're filled with Gyarados."

Alex stood dumbfounded for a moment before giving up and sending out his own. It would be good practice for his Gyarados to face one properly trained by a water expert. Besides, going up against six Gyarados was not a disadvantage for him.

Name: Gyarados, Expert

Type: Water Flying, Male

Ability: Moxie

Moves:

Basic: Flail, Splash, Tackle, Leer, Twister, Bite, Whirlpool, Ice Fang, Brine, Scary Face, Waterfall, Crunch, Rain Dance, Dragon Dance, Hydro Pump, Hurricane, Thrash, Hyper Beam, Taunt, Dark Pulse, Dragon Tail, Dragon Pulse, Outrage, Scale Shot, Dragon Cheer, Thunder Wave, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Sunny Day, Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Temper Flare, Spite, Bulldoze, Earthquake, Icy Wind, Avalanche, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Take Down, Protect, Facade, Endure, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Substitute, Helping Hand, Giga Impact, Tera Blast, Roar, Double-Edge, Endeavor, Rest, Sandstorm, Stone Edge, Iron Head, Water Pulse, Chilling Water, Scald, Muddy Water

Advanced: Surf(+50% Range), Lash Out(Priority +1), Aqua Tail(+50% Damage)

Description: Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokémon. Known for its fierce temper and immense power, it evolves from the weak and helpless Magikarp. When enraged, Gyarados can demolish entire cities with its rampages. Its intimidating presence and destructive capability make it one of the most feared Water and Flying-type Pokémon.

Gyarados had only truly begun proficiency training two years ago, but both Surf and Lash Out had been taught and recommended by Alex long before that. It hadn't taken more than six months for him to master Surf once serious training began. Lash Out was specifically chosen for countering other Gyarados with Intimidate, while Aqua Tail stood out thanks to Gyarados' typing and excellent stats.

For his build, Alex prioritized Defense and Speed to maximize Gyarados' effectiveness in close combat.

Moxie was ideal for battles against multiple opponents, especially when Gyarados fought alone. However, if there were six of them on a team, Intimidate would become a real threat. That's why Alex pinned his hopes on Weezing's Neutralizing Gas to shut that advantage down entirely.

As for this official battle? It was already in the bag.

Chapter 124: Chapter 124. Water Battle

"Singles Battle, 6v4. Gym Trainer Gus versus Challenger Alex. Begin!" the referee called out.

Right as the battle began, the Intimidate ability from Gus's Gyarados took effect, lowering Alex's Gyarados's Attack by one stage.

At the same time, Alex's Gyarados charged forward with Lash Out, capitalizing on the lowered Attack stat to deal double damage without waiting for a command. This was exactly what it had been training for.

Dark-type energy surged as Alex's Gyarados slammed into its opponent, dealing massive damage. The Priority +1 of the move ensured it closed the distance and landed first.

"Crunch," Gus called out.

His Gyarados countered with its own Dark-type energy move, delivering a massive bite that tore into Alex's Gyarados. Fortunately, it did significantly less damage. It was clear that Alex's Gyarados was far stronger. He would win this fight easily.

Another two exchanges of Dark-type attacks followed, and Gus's Gyarados looked like it was about to fall. One more hit would likely knock it out.

Alex, however, had other plans.

"Substitute," he commanded.

Just as Gus's Gyarados lunged with another Crunch, Alex's Gyarados created a clone made of Normal-type energy. The attack connected, but the substitute held strong.

"Giga Impact! Destroy it before you faint!" Gus shouted in a panic.

"Lash Out! End it!" Alex responded.

Before Gus's Gyarados could break the clone, Alex's Gyarados struck first, delivering the final blow and knocking it out. Moxie activated, erasing the earlier Attack drop.

"Damn," Gus muttered, accepting defeat as he retrieved his Gyarados and threw out the next one.

As the new Gyarados hit the field, Intimidate activated again, but the substitute absorbed the effect. Just as Gus had feared, Intimidate had failed.

Still, Gus was glad to avoid another empowered Lash Out in exchange.

Two exchanges of Dark-type attacks followed. The substitute was destroyed, and Alex's Gyarados took one hit. The final confrontation arrived for Gus's second Gyarados.

This time, Gus was ready. "Giga Impact!"

Unfortunately, Alex read him like a book.

"Protect."

Gus's Gyarados crashed into the barrier, doing no damage and becoming unable to act on the next attack. Alex capitalized, using Substitute once more with a sliver of health left, then lashed out for the knockout. Moxie triggered again, boosting Gyrados's Attack to +1.

Two Gyarados down, four more to go.

The third Gyarados entered. Once again, Intimidate failed, and Alex immediately called out, "Rest."

His Gyarados fell asleep, lost the substitute, then endured one hit before waking up. This time, it took only one attack to bring Gus's Gyarados close to fainting, the effect of Moxie becoming more and more obvious.

Now they were at an impasse: Crunch or Giga Impact versus Substitute or Protect.

As both trainers played stupid mind games, Alex's Gyarados made the decision for them. It lashed out, knocking out the third Gyarados to the shock of both trainers.

Moxie activated once more bringing the stack up to +2.

While they stood bewildered, Alex's Gyarados immediately created another substitute. Gus scrambled to release his fourth Gyarados in hopes of activating Intimidate in time.

Unfortunately, he was too late.

The substitute formed and resisted the new Intimidate.

'You can do that?' Alex thought, stunned, as his Gyarados continued fighting on its own.

Gus's Gyarados used Giga Impact, destroying the substitute, while Alex's Gyarados used Lash Out twice, securing the fourth knockout, activating Moxie, and raising its Attack stat to +3.

By the time Gus's fifth Gyarados hit the field, Intimidate had become a liability. With Lash Out doubling in power when a stat is lowered, and an already boosted Attack stat at +2 doubling it again, the move became a guaranteed one-hit KO. Moxie continued to stack after every knockout, and even the Attack drop from Intimidate wasn't enough to bring its damage below that threshold.

Since Lash Out had Priority +1 and Intimidate always triggered beforehand, Gus could do nothing but send out his remaining two Gyarados to be swept away one by one.

Even when Gus had his final Gyarados use Protect on the first exchange to negate Lash Out's double damage, Alex simply had his Gyarados follow up with Outrage instead. With Moxie stacked to Attacked +2, it was still a one-hit KO.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.

"Good job beating my younglings," Gus said, returning to his fishing despite the fact that there were no fish in the pool.

Alex was tempted to respond with a similar backhanded comment, but he held his tongue. He didn't know the guy. Old people were the most dangerous in this world in Alex's opinion. For all he knew, Gus had a hundred more Gyarados out there, given his hobby.

Alex released Clawitzer and had her heal Gyarados while he thrashed around excitedly. He had just defeated six others of his kind, a major victory for someone who was used to getting his ass kicked by the other Pokémon on the farm.

He used to have pride once upon a time. That pride was quickly crushed by the overwhelming presence of the many Elites living on the farm, and more recently by the combat junkie Tsareena, who would literally kick his ass every chance she got. It was not like he lacked the advantage either, but she kept coming back stronger each time. It was frustrating.

As Alex moved forward, his second encounter was with a woman who was sunbathing.

She wore an outfit similar to the referee's, complete with a sun hat and sunglasses, as she lounged on a beach chair. This was despite the fact that there was no actual sun, since they were indoors.

"Come for a challenge?" she asked lazily.

"Yes," Alex replied.

"Alright then. My darlings could use the exercise."

"Singles Battle, 3v4. Gym Trainer Lisa versus Challenger Alex. Begin!" the referee called out.

Lisa released a Seaking while Alex released Milotic.

Name: Milotic, Expert

Type: Water, Female

Ability: Competitive

Moves:

Basic: Flail, Splash, Tackle, Wrap, Water Gun, Water Pulse, Disarming Voice, Twister, Attract, Life Dew, Dragon Tail, Recover, Aqua Tail, Safeguard, Rain Dance, Coil, Hydro Pump, Skitter Smack, Dragon Dance, Dragon Pulse, Scale Shot, Breaking Swipe, Dragon Cheer, Alluring Voice, Confuse Ray, Bulldoze, Mud Shot, Icy Wind, Avalanche, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Haze, Triple Axel, Take Down, Protect, Facade, Swift, Endure, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Substitute, Helping Hand, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Weather Ball, Psych Up, Double-Edge, Light Screen, Rest, Imprison, Iron Head, Chilling Water, Waterfall, Scald, Flip Turn, Whirlpool, Muddy Water

Advanced: Surf(+50% Range), Aqua Ring(Effect Up +1), Draining Kiss(+50% Damage)

Description: Milotic, the Tender Pokémon. Revered for its breathtaking beauty, it is said to calm emotions and bring peace to those who behold it. Milotic's presence can soothe hostility, and it is often seen as a symbol of serenity. When threatened, it unleashes powerful Water-type moves with graceful precision.

Milotic would have been the correct choice in the previous battle given her ability, but Alex had decided it was not challenging enough, so he used Gyarados instead. This time, with the opponent's Pokémon unknown, he chose to give Milotic some combat experience.

Like the rest of Alex's water team, Milotic had trained Surf to Advanced proficiency, increasing its range by 50%. Similar to Gyarados's Lash Out, Alex had Milotic training up Aqua Ring from the very beginning. It was absolutely essential given her natural defenses. Draining Kiss was the final touch, a reliable option to maintain sustainability throughout the fight.

"Agility."

"Imprison."

They both commanded at once.

Alex could feel that Seaking was close to Elite rank, but Milotic's naturally higher stats made them roughly equal overall. Even so, Agility allowed Seaking to break ahead in Speed, creating a dangerous advantage.

Meanwhile, Milotic's Imprison blocked Seaking from using common status moves like Protect or Substitute to stall for time.

"Substitute," Alex called out quickly.

Whatever happened next, Aqua Ring would require missing health to heal. That made using Substitute first a strategic choice, especially since Aqua Ring had an increased healing rate thanks to being trained to Advanced proficiency.

"Horn Drill."

Before Alex could fully process what had happened, Seaking launched forward like a rocket, its head down and its horn spinning with Normal-type energy. The speed was so intense it felt like a bullet had just flown past.

Fortunately, Horn Drill's 30% accuracy proved reliable, and Seaking missed completely. Milotic successfully created her substitute.

The problem now was that Seaking had become faster than Milotic. Once the substitute was broken, there was a very real chance it could land a one-hit knockout.

"Megahorn."

With Lisa's command, Seaking struck first, repeating its earlier charge, this time cloaked in Bug-type energy. Its accuracy was significantly greater, and the attack struck Milotic dead center, breaking her Substitute.

"Wrap it up and stay away from the horn," Alex instructed.

Most of Seaking's remaining moves relied on its horn or face, so Alex had Milotic avoid it completely. By wrapping around her opponent and avoiding its face that couldn't turn, she could prevent it from ever reaching her.

Milotic obeyed, quickly wrapping herself around the struggling fish, squeezing tightly while keeping clear of its dangerous head.

"Horn Drill!"

"Stay on and use Dragon Pulse at point-blank range."

Seaking launched forward like a torpedo, but Milotic held on, her coils gripping tighter against the sudden burst of speed. In retaliation, she blasted a Dragon Pulse directly into Seaking's exposed side.

"Bounce," Lisa called out, prompting Seaking to leap high out of the water with surprising grace.

Milotic clung on as they soared upward, unleashing another Dragon Pulse mid-air.

As they reached the apex and began to fall, Alex wasn't worried about this bit of damage. There was no direct blow coming from Seaking, and the water would not offer enough resistance to cause significant damage from the fall alone.

Just as they were about to crash into the pool below, Lisa suddenly called out, "Horn Drill up!"

In a brutal shift of momentum, Seaking spun its horn upward mid-fall and launched back into the air, creating a sudden counterforce that flung Milotic off its body.

Like a child born of teen pregnancy, she was discarded by the violent jolt and crashed into the water alone.

Out of spite, Milotic surfaced and immediately fired another Dragon Pulse, striking the free-falling Seaking just before it splashed back down into the water.

"Dragon Pulse."

"Horn Drill."

They called out simultaneously as Seaking lunged forward with Horn Drill, missing Milotic entirely, just before her final Dragon Pulse struck true and knocked it out.

Chapter 125: Chapter 125. Water Battle 2

Lisa had just lost her first Pokémon, while Milotic had only taken a bit over 25% damage from the earlier Substitute. The battle had initially favored Seaking, but momentum quickly shifted to Milotic's side after Wrap succeeded.

"Since you like Wrap so much, how about you deal with this," Lisa challenged as she released a mid-Expert rank Tentacruel, roughly equal in level to Milotic.

"Wrap, Toxic, then Giga Drain," Lisa called out one command after another, wearing a smug expression.

"Aqua Ring," Alex responded calmly.

Tentacruel was faster but needed to close the distance, allowing Milotic to finish summoning Aqua Ring before she was caught in the enemy's tentacles. Unfortunately, Tentacruel's speed meant Toxic landed immediately afterward.

Even so, the enhanced Aqua Ring effectively countered both Wrap and Toxic, leaving the battle state relatively even.

"Bulldoze."

With Tentacruel tightly wrapped around Milotic, she surged forward, radiating Ground-type energy that severely damaged Tentacruel.

Since they were battling in water, Ground-type moves typically didn't work unless used on the ocean floor where solid ground was present. At the surface, that advantage was gone, but the energy alone could still inflict heavy damage.

Moves like Earthquake, for example, only worked in water if the user stomped directly onto the opponent, transmitting the energy through contact.

Because Tentacruel was coiled around Milotic, Bulldoze hit with full force, delivering maximum damage.

Tentacruel countered with Giga Drain, but the damage was minimal, and the amount of health recovered was just as insignificant given Milotic's high Special Defense.

Milotic pushed through with another Bulldoze, bringing Tentacruel dangerously close to fainting.

"Protect."

Hoping that Wrap and Toxic would eventually overpower Aqua Ring, Lisa turned to stalling tactics. The next Bulldoze was blocked successfully by Protect.

"Substitute," Lisa called out next, fully committing to the Toxic stall strategy.

Alex responded calmly, "Recover, then use Bulldoze again."

Recover easily restored the slight health deficit that Aqua Ring could not keep up with, bringing Milotic back to full strength. Then Bulldoze was used again, over and over, until the Substitute finally broke.

But not before Lisa gave a parting command.

"Gunk Shot!"

The hit landed cleanly, dealing significant damage. Milotic's health dropped again, slightly below where it had started, just as Tentacruel finally fainted.

Lisa wasted no time releasing her final Pokémon, Golduck.

"Wonder Room," she immediately called out.

Alex evaluated Milotic and decided she had done enough. Using Rest would not be worthwhile, especially now that Golduck had the upper hand. With Wonder Room active, Golduck could fully capitalize on its numerous Psychic-type moves.

"Dragon Tail," Alex called out.

The attack landed just after Wonder Room was established, dealing some parting damage before Milotic was recalled to her Poké Ball.

Alex then released his next Pokémon, Tsareena, who happily splashed into the water and swam her way straight toward Golduck.

"Blizzard," Lisa commanded.

Golduck obeyed and instantly summoned a freezing storm that coated the water's surface in ice, dealing heavy damage to Tsareena as a pure Grass-type.

Unfortunately for Lisa, the attack was not enough.

Tsareena closed the distance even faster over the frozen surface. With a confident flip of her hair, she struck with a devastating Power Whip, knocking Golduck out in a single blow, without Alex needing to say a word.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.

Among the recent additions to the away team, Tsareena was a battle maniac who took after Alex's own heart. She constantly sparred with the other Pokémon, often including those at the Elite level.

As expected, her growth had been the most significant, nearly reaching Elite rank thanks to her frequent battles and her unusually large appetite for Elite-rank meat.

"Well done. Now, off you go," Lisa said as she returned to her beach chair and resumed sunbathing.

Alex released Clawitzer to heal both Milotic and Tsareena, while having Milotic use Haze to cleanse the poison from her system.

Once they finished healing and resting, Alex continued with his challenges.

His next opponent was a swimmer who happened to swim by as Alex followed the submerged path.

"Fancy a battle?" the man asked as he got out of the water and stood on the path with Alex and the referee.

He wore a swim cap, goggles, and a speedo, with a belt slung around his waist holding a single Poké Ball.

"Sure."

"All right. Now, I know it's cheating, but I only have one Pokémon, so it should still be fair," the man warned before releasing an Elite-ranked Blastoise on the path.

"Blas, toise! (Sup, bro!)"

"It's fine," Alex said before releasing Tsareena and backing away a safe distance.

"Singles battle, 1v4. Gym Trainer Jake versus Challenger Alex. Begin!" the referee called out.

"Blizzard," Jake called out immediately, prompting Blastoise to unleash a powerful frozen torrent upon the area, almost reaching Alex, Espeon, and the referee.

This was no ordinary blizzard. It was one enhanced by a 50% damage increase as an Advanced move from an Elite-ranked Blastoise.

The immediate area froze, burying Tsareena in an ice storm.

Fortunately, Tsareena beat Blastoise to the punch as she protected herself with a Light Screen upgraded with Priority +1 that significantly reduced the damage, dealing less than half health.

"Blizzard."

Jake didn't let up as he ordered another Blizzard, confident it would be enough to snuff out Tsareena without a fight.

The storm raged on, piling ice on the frozen surface, but Jake suddenly noticed the world wasn't completely frozen white. There was the unmistakable tinge of green splattered on the frozen surface.

Tsareena had cast Grassy Terrain, healing her slightly as she weathered the storm.

Jake figured Tsareena was just a sliver of health away from fainting, so he went for the kill.

"Brick Break."

Blastoise charged through the storm as it used a Priority +1 Advanced Brick Break, heading for the only color in the frozen hellscape, confident in bringing down its opponent.

Tsareena, meanwhile, waited for just the right moment before parrying Blastoise's fighting energy-covered fist to the side with a swift kick to the elbow, accompanied by a light hop to the side that took her safely out of the fist's path. The blow shattered her Light Screen but missed her entirely.

Jake had been right, Tsareena would have fainted from the hit had she taken it.

Unfortunately, she was well versed in the martial arts Alex had taught her, and part of the basics was redirecting force.

As Blastoise overshot its attack, Tsareena whipped out with her hair, dealing a devastating Grassy Terrain-enhanced Power Whip that sent Blastoise flying to Alex's feet, fainted.

Even as an Elite, a Power Whip from Tsareena was almost enough to knock it out, but enhanced with Grassy Terrain, it guaranteed a one-hit knockout.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.

Tsareena used Synthesis to heal herself to full health, then skipped over the frozen surface to Alex, who patted her on the head.

"Did you have fun?" he asked with a proud, fatherly smile.

"Tsa, Tsareena! Tsareeena! (Yes, so much fun! Sooo much better than before!)" she replied excitedly.

"Good. We still have more battles ahead, so pace yourself."

"Tsa~. ('Kay~.)"

Alex continued along the path until he met his fourth opponent, a woman wearing a simple two-piece blue bikini.

"Hiya! Ready to battle?" she asked with the energy of the sun itself.

"Alright," Alex replied.

"Singles battle, 3v4. Gym Trainer Marina versus Challenger Alex. Begin!" the referee called out.

"Think you can take this one?" Alex asked Espeon beside him.

She had plenty of time to observe how water battles worked, so it was a good chance to give her a turn.

"Spee," she replied, stepping forward and walking gracefully on the water's surface.

Marina, meanwhile, released an Expert-ranked Cloyster who was weaker than Espeon.

"Shell Smash!" Marina commanded with confidence.

Alex raised an eyebrow in doubt.

'Shell Smash now? In front of an Espeon? Don't mind if I do,' he thought.

"Wait for it," he instructed calmly.

Espeon obeyed, silently watching from atop the water. She did not particularly enjoy battles. She understood their necessity, but she didn't enjoy them. She would much rather be back downstairs at the water park with Alex.

It took a moment, but once Shell Smash finished, Alex saw his opportunity.

"Psych Up."

Espeon responded instantly, copying Cloyster's stat changes. Her Defense and Special Defense dropped by two stages, while her Attack, Special Attack, and Speed increased by two. She was ready to sweep.

"Now! Icicle Spear!" Marina shouted enthusiastically.

Cloyster, bolstered by its stat boosts, fired five rapid Icicle Spears, sending them barreling toward Espeon, who had taken just a bit too long with Psych Up.

Fortunately, Protect activated just in time. A shimmering barrier appeared, shielding her from harm.

As the last spear clattered harmlessly against the barrier, Espeon fired off a single, focused Psychic. Cloyster was instantly knocked out.

Still full of energy, Marina released her second Pokémon, an Octillery. It barely had time to charge an Octazooka before another Psychic struck it down on the spot.

Unfazed, Marina sent out her third Pokémon, a Clawitzer. It tried to prepare a Dark Pulse but collapsed the moment a final Psychic hit its mark.

The sweep began and ended as expected.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.

"Wow! You're strong! Good luck with Misty!" Marina said brightly, recalling Clawitzer and jogging off to heal her team.

"Is she okay?" Alex asked the referee with concern.

"She has her own tempo. Don't worry, she's fine. Trust me, everyone will know if she's truly upset."

"That can't be healthy."

"She's just naturally upbeat and positive."

"I hope so. Because if she's faking it, she won't last long."

Chapter 126: Chapter 126. Gym Leader Misty

Alex continued battling random trainers one after another, making sure to alternate his Pokémon to give them time to rest. They even stopped to have lunch along the way.

Some trainers were difficult, with thoughtful party compositions and smart strategies, like those who used Rain Dance teams. Others were easier, like Marina, who had a single plan and stuck to it, even when it fell apart on first contact with the enemy. Some trainers focused on unique concepts, like Gus, who only used Gyarados but made it work effectively.

In the end, Alex defeated them all with his team of four. It wasn’t that they were the strongest. They simply performed within the expectations of the gym.

Gyms were not meant to be impossible. Just challenging. A test to determine a trainer’s standards.

When they finally reached the last pair of platforms, Alex, Espeon, and the referee climbed aboard, coming face to face with the awaiting Gym Leader, Misty Williams.

She was a far cry from her anime counterpart, with long orange hair, a toned and athletic figure, and a modest chest. She wore a sleek white and blue one piece swimsuit paired with a matching jacket, presenting a confident and professional appearance.

“Welcome, Challenger. You did well beating all of my trainers,” Misty said sincerely.

Alex made the effort to fight each and every one of the ten trainers on the floor. He could now confidently say he was familiar with water battles. Unfortunately, it did not teach him how to fight off an army of Gyarados. However, he did learn plenty about dealing with environmental effects.

For example, Ground type moves are harder to utilize. Electric type moves damage their user when submerged. Rain based abilities activate underwater but not when they are at the surface. The key is to completely cover the Pokemon in water which rain somewhat achieves.

“Just trying to make sure my team and I know how to handle water battles,” Alex replied.

“And? What did you learn?”

“That it’s exactly the same as fighting regular battles. Now I just need to learn how to fight underwater.”

“Pro tip. Just let your water Pokémon do the work for you. They know best. I am Misty, the Gym Leader of the Cerulean City Water Gym. Are you ready for battle?”

“Yes.”

“Singles battle, 4v4. Gym Leader Misty versus Challenger Alex. Begin!” the referee called out.

“Go, Slowbro!” Misty said, releasing her Slowbro onto the surface of the water.

Across from her, Alex sent out Gyarados with a flash of light.

“Trick Room,” Misty commanded calmly.

“Crunch,” Alex responded without hesitation.

Slowbro began the slow process of casting Trick Room, but Gyarados was faster, lunging forward with a devastating, Dark energy-infused bite. Its massive jaws clamped down hard, tearing through a huge chunk of Slowbro’s health before the psychic field shimmered into place.

“Iron Defense!” Misty called out quickly.

“Keep going,” Alex said, voice steady.

With Trick Room now active, Slowbro moved first. A metallic sheen coated its body as Iron Defense boosted its durability. Even so, Gyarados crashed into it again with another Crunch, the attack still strong enough to leave a mark.

“Iron Defense again,” Misty ordered.

Gyarados dove forward for another Crunch. This time, the attack was noticeably weaker, but the secondary effect triggered, reducing Slowbro’s Defense by one stage despite the boost. Its effective Defense was now down to +3.

“Slack Off,” Misty said.

Slowbro's eyes became vacant as it relaxed and glowed with healing energy, restoring half its health, just in time to withstand yet another Crunch.

“Slack Off,” she repeated, and Slowbro healed again while Gyarados continued its relentless assault, circling and striking with another Dark-charged bite.

“Trick Room,” Misty commanded once more.

As the original Trick Room faded, the second one was established, buying Slowbro more time. Gyarados landed another Crunch, slowly chipping away.

Despite Misty's best efforts to stall and heal, Gyarados refused to relent. Occasionally, one of its Crunches would strip away another layer of defense, forcing Misty to respond with yet another Iron Defense to stabilize.

The cycle repeated, Iron Defense, Slack Off, Trick Room. until Slowbro found a moment of breathing room.

“Future Sight,” Misty ordered.

The air shimmered with latent psychic energy as the future attack was set. Then, the dance resumed, Gyarados hammering with Crunch, Slowbro holding firm, barely staying ahead of the onslaught.

Then came the turn Future Sight was to arrive which also coincided on the same turn Slowbro could afford a free hit from Gyarados’s low damaging Crunch as well as the turn Trick Room would fade.

“Psychic!” Misty called.

But Alex’s eyes narrowed. This was the turn he was waiting for. A turn in which Misty let down her guard with regards to the state of Slowbro’s health and the state of Trick Room.

A pulse of energy rippled through the battlefield, striking Gyarados. He staggered as he took Slowbro’s first actual offensive move of the entire clash.

Immediately afterward, Alex withdrew Gyarados back into its Poké Ball. In his place, Alex released Espeon just in time to take the hit from Future Sight. The blow landed, but only dealt minimal damage.

“Magical Leaf,” Alex commanded.

Before Misty could fully process what had happened, Espeon fired a flurry of glowing leaves that struck Slowbro hard, far more severely than Misty had expected. She had calculated that Gyarados would be unable to finish off Slowbro as it set up Trick Room, especially with Slowbro’s increased Defense, but this new attacker surprised her.

Caught off guard, Misty watched as Slowbro fainted from the unexpected assault. Both Gyarados and Espeon had taken minimal damage in the exchange.

“Gah! You got me. Well done. I admit I didn’t pay enough attention,” Misty said, conceding with a sigh before releasing Dewgong onto the field.

“Triple Axel,” she called out immediately.

“Charm,” Alex replied.

Dewgong launched into a graceful spin, slapping Espeon three times with icy precision. She had already been weakened, however, as Espeon had released a wave of soft pink energy moments earlier that dulled Dewgong’s strength, reducing her offensive power.

“Morning Sun.”

“Snowscape.”

Espeon recovered a significant amount of health, right before a blanket of snow swept across the field. With the weather now snowy, any future Morning Sun would provide less healing.

Unfortunately for Misty, the battle had reset in Alex's favor. Dewgong now stood on the field with her Attack reduced by two stages while Espeon was at full health.

“Psychic,” Alex commanded.

Dewgong still had access to Encore, which would be dangerous if Espeon used setup moves like Psychic Terrain, Light Screen, or Reflect. She also had Haze, making any attempt to stack stats ultimately pointless.

“Hydro Pump,” Misty called out.

She decided to fight head-on. At this point, she might as well pay the price for her earlier mistake.

The two Pokémon exchanged powerful special attacks in an epic battle for dominance. Their moves collided mid-air, canceling each other out in bursts of energy. Despite the stalemate, the advantage was clearly Espeon’s. Her superior Special Attack gave her the edge.

Some attacks managed to break through, landing solid hits while most attacks cancelled each other out. In the end, Dewgong collapsed, fainted from the onslaught, while Espeon remained standing with roughly a third of her health remaining.

In a surprise turn, both Misty and Alex retrieved their Pokémon.

Alex didn’t want to risk Espeon, so she trotted back to his side while he released Milotic, who emerged poised and ready for a challenge.

Misty, meanwhile, sent out Gyarados. Its Intimidate ability immediately triggered, lowering Milotic’s Attack. In response, Milotic’s Competitive ability activated, sharply boosting her Special Attack by two stages.

Misty was growing increasingly frustrated at being on the losing end of the battle again. It had been hard enough to swallow her earlier mistake, and now she was forced to play with yet another disadvantage.

Giving up on overthinking, she decided to take a page from Alex’s book and go all in on offense.

"Outrage!" she commanded.

"Draining Kiss," Alex countered.

Draining Kiss not only dealt damage but also restored health. With its increased power, it might allow Milotic to endure Gyarados’s assault.

Gyarados roared, Dragon-type energy rolling off its massive frame as it charged directly at Milotic. In response, Milotic gathered Fairy-type energy, ready to sap her opponent’s strength.

They clashed simultaneously. Milotic was a moment too late, taking heavy damage from Gyarados’s rampage, but managing to restore some health by draining a portion of it back.

"Advanced Proficiency!" Alex exclaimed.

Gyarados’s Outrage surged with an additional fifty percent damage, making the onslaught even more devastating. After a quick calculation, Alex realized Milotic would not survive the third strike.

He planned to use Coil followed by Recover to endure Gyarados’s Outrage, then rely on the confusion afterward to stack up his stats when he was suddenly distracted by an incoming call from Rotom.

For Rotom to interrupt him during a gym battle, it had to be serious. At least, it had better be.

Alex answered the call, leaving Milotic to her fate, and was immediately met with Nyx’s frantic voice on the other end.

“The farm is under attack!”

Chapter 127: Chapter 127. Attack on the Farm

"Slow down! Stop panicking. I left most of my Elites there, including Hydreigon. It shouldn't be that much of a threat," Alex replied to Nyx's frantic report.

While he was getting the full story from Nyx, Alex observed the outcome of Milotic and Gyarados's battle.

The second exchange was close, but Milotic barely held on. The third and final strike, however, proved too much. Milotic fainted, leaving Gyarados standing with less than a third of its health remaining.

Alex had planned to gather more leverage before facing Misty's final Pokémon, but the circumstances didn't allow it. In the end, there was no point in dragging things out. He already had the advantage, it was time to end the battle.

Alex returned Milotic to her ball and sent out his own Gyarados. The moment it entered the field, Intimidate took effect. Then, with a swift and empowered Lash Out, it struck down Misty's Gyarados, ending its frenzy.

"You've got some nerve getting distracted while battling me," Misty accused. "Even though you can pull it off, it's still rude."

Misty recalled her fainted Gyarados and released her fourth and final Pokémon, an Expert-ranked Starmie. She would not allow Alex leeway to be distracted.

"Reflect!" Misty called out immediately.

"Taunt!" Alex ordered quickly, but he was a second too late.

"The farm is being overrun by a Pokémon Flood! We need your help, Alex," Nyx continued over the phone.

Starmie erected a shimmering barrier, cutting incoming physical damage and sealing Gyarados's fate. The next moment, Taunt struck, preventing Starmie from using any non-damaging moves.

"Gardevoir and Hydreigon should be able to keep the farm safe. Tell Rhea to try out her toys as well. She has been pestering me for a testing ground and this seems like the perfect chance," Alex said, turning his attention back to the battle. "Lash Out."

"Thunder!" Misty ordered.

Gyarados moved first, its Priority-enhanced Lash Out dealing significant damage and knocking out nearly half of Starmie's health. But it couldn't withstand what came next.

A bolt of lightning crashed from the sky, striking the water near Gyarados. Though it hadn't hit directly, Starmie's Thunder was empowered with Advanced Proficiency, increasing its damage by fifty percent.

With Gyarados already weakened from the earlier battle and its severe vulnerability to Electric-type attacks, the move's splash damage from the water had just enough power to bring him down.

"There are too many of them. Gardevoir can't keep up the offense for long. We need help," Nyx continued.

"Alright, I'll be there. Don't worry," Alex reassured her before ending the call.

He had a general idea of the situation, and it probably wasn't as dire as she made it out to be. After all, Alex knew just how devastating his Gardevoir could be. He also knew this was Metagross's time to shine, to prove to Alex it could keep the farm safe and earn more time to play its games.

Alex recalled Gyarados and sent out Tsareena to end the battle. With Starmie still under the effects of Taunt, victory was already all but guaranteed.

"Blizzard."

"Power Whip."

Starmie launched an Advanced Proficiency Blizzard, its power amplified by fifty percent. The frigid storm tore across the waters, battering Tsareena as she charged forward.

Despite the freezing assault, Tsareena pushed through and lashed out with a powerful strike, swinging her long hair like a whip. The blow landed cleanly, delivering a devastating Power Whip that drained the last of Starmie's health, even with Reflect active.

Tsareena stood barely upright, teetering on the edge, but in the end, she emerged victorious.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.

"You got me pretty good with that bait and switch earlier," Misty said with a smile. "Still, congratulations on earning your fourth badge, though I doubt you would need it for anything given your accomplishments."

She released a Champion-ranked Gyarados that towered over Alex's own. Its powerful aura was overwhelming, yet it stirred a spark of excitement in him.

'If I remember right, this was the Gyarados that belonged to her parents. The source of her trauma, which she eventually overcame,' Alex thought.

He had wondered how Misty could own a Champion-ranked Pokémon so young, but then recalled that this particular Gyarados was inherited rather than personally raised.

What intrigued him more was whether Misty's other Pokémon had reached Champion rank over the past twenty years. It seemed plausible, especially if they had been fed a diet consisting exclusively of Champion-ranked Pokémon meat for a few years.

Misty rode the massive serpent across the water to Alex's platform and handed him the Cascade Badge.

"Thank you," he said, accepting it.

"You deserve it," she replied. "Now, what was so important it couldn't wait until after the battle?"

Alex thought about it briefly before deciding to take a chance.

"You don't happen to be free after this, are you?" he asked.

"You're my only appointment today, so yes, I'm free. Why? You want to ask me out?" she asked with a teasing smile.

Misty was definitely a catch but Alex wasn't the dating type. He was more interested in a sexual relationship than a romantic one. Plus, he would never date when he had four girls waiting for him back at the farm. Vera would kill him if she found out he was romantically involved.

"Something like that," Alex replied. "My farm in Saffron City is currently under attack by a Pokémon Flood. It's at the northeasternmost edge, so it'll be the first place hit on the way to the city."

"A flood?" she exclaimed. "This soon? There shouldn't be that many Pokémon yet after the one from a decade ago."

"Well, the farm's under attack, which is why Rotom pushed the call through despite our battle," Alex said. "Want to come along?"

"I can't. Not now that I know there's a flood coming from that direction," she said, her expression turning serious. "This city could be hit in a few hours, or a day at most. I have to prepare."

"Ah, right. Gym Leader duties," he replied with a nod. "No problem. It shouldn't be that big of an issue."

"You're either very brave or very stupid. A flood isn't something to underestimate. Keep yourself safe."

"I will. Thanks for the badge."

"Sure."

Alex first healed his Pokémon on the spot, using Revives and Heal Pulses before putting all his gear back on. Then, he called out Arcanine.

Misty had given him permission to teleport out, even from inside the Gym. It was an emergency, after all.

Once everyone was ready, Alex returned them to their Poké Balls, and Arcanine teleported them back to the farm.

Once they arrived, Alex saw chaos in every direction as a literal flood of Pokémon crashed down on the farm. An irritating siren blared from the device he'd been required to install, while the distant wail of another echoed from the direction of the city.

He shot a passing Pidgey with a Beat Up bullet, knocking it out mid-air while quickly surveying the area.

Gardevoir was positioned at the northeastern corner of the property, beyond the training grounds, holding the front line. Psychic Terrain and Gravity were deployed, covering a range nearly a city block and a half wide. She waited for the space to fill with slowed Pokémon before unleashing a devastating Expanding Force that launched Experts and Elites backward while crushing Adepts and lower-ranked foes into meat paste.

Overhead, Hydreigon flew in sweeping arcs, sending Roars and Snarls in every direction. Flying-types died, fainted, or scattered, temporarily clearing the skies and giving the Pokemon on the ground some much-needed breathing room.

The rest of the Pokémon were loosely stationed around the perimeter, doing their best to hold the line. They mainly relied on area attacks like Earthquake, Dazzling Gleam, Heat Wave, and Roar to take out as many opposing Pokémon as possible within their immediate range.

Still, plenty of critters slipped through and began wreaking havoc inside the farm itself. There was simply too much open space to cover. However, his Pokemon ensured that Elite and Expert-ranked threats were kept away, minimizing large-scale damage.

Those Elite and Expert ranked Pokémon were the main reason many of the lower-ranked ones could slip through, despite Alex's many Elite ranked Pokémon capable of devastating an entire city block with their area attacks.

Alex released his team and ordered them to eliminate the enemies that had breached the perimeter before reinforcing the defense line. They quickly dashed off, mowing down the Novice and Adept-ranked Pokémon that had made it inside.

"Metagross," Alex called out.

A psychic connection was immediately established.

'Status report,' Alex sent through the link.

'Playing tower defense. Minimal damage so far. The women are in the shelter beneath the mansion. Should be able to hold for another hour. Enemies sighted for miles. Will need backup eventually,' Metagross responded.

'Rhea?'

'In the lab. Playing with her toys.'

'You mean calibrating?'

'Sure.'

'Coordinate with her once she's done. Make sure the Pokémon get some rest, meat, and healing supplies from the emergency storage.'

'Sure thing, boss.'

Given the situation, Alex jumped into the fray. In one hand, he wielded a silver gun loaded with Coaching, Decorate, and Heal Pulse rounds to support his Pokémon; in the other, a black gun loaded with Feint and Phantom Force rounds, meant for killing. His presence immediately boosted the team's combat efficiency.

He moved along the northeastern perimeter of the property, firing support rounds at his Pokémon to enhance their performance while swiftly dispatching any enemy Pokémon that got too close.

Half an hour into the relentless battle, a low buzz cut through the chaos, growing louder and more intense with every passing second. Alex looked up, tense and alert. Something was coming, something that would change their current situation.

Chapter 128: Chapter 128. Rhea’s Progress

Over the past two years, Rhea had been a tremendous help on the farm.

She began by replacing the old mist-based hydroponic system with a drip version, simply by changing the valves. This greatly increased the farm's efficiency, reducing both the buildup of minerals in the greenhouse and the amount of minerals needed to water the plants.

The change gave the Goomy and Araquanid pairs more time to train, as their cleaning schedule was reduced from daily to just once a week.

Next, she ensured that Elara's harvesting, planting, and packaging drones maintained their efficiency. She also made small improvements wherever possible, fine-tuning the machines to be more effective.

Finally, Rhea managed to build a brand new fifty caliber sniper rifle from scratch. The weapon was powerful enough to pierce through a defending Expert rank Pokémon with low defense and health, killing the target behind it as well.

Granted, it did not significantly expand the list of viable targets, since defending Pokémon with immense durability were typically picked to begin with. However, it was more than enough to deal with those who had grown complacent and neglected their personal defenses.

Her next successful project involved creating automatic weapons.

She started small, using the spare pistols Alex had taken from the human supremacist faction. By programming the wind-based energy crystals to discharge as quickly as possible, she hoped to automate the firing process. However, she quickly discovered that the firing rate was far too slow.

The energy crystals needed time to redistribute their energy throughout the crystal after firing before they could respond to another firing prompt.

Technically, it worked, but only at the speed of a human pulling the trigger multiple times, which was insufficient for her goals.

Before long, she adapted one of Alex's ideas for a rotary gun. Rather than trying to increase the rate of fire of a single weapon, she strapped multiple pistols together and linked them to a unified trigger mechanism.

Traditional rotary guns require rotation because they use a single firing mechanism at the rear, and the rotating barrels allow time for cooling between shots.

Rhea's design had a different purpose.

She aimed to increase the rate of fire by increasing the number of guns. Her version did not rotate. Instead, the electric trigger mechanisms were controlled by a program that activated each energy crystal in an alternating pattern, firing as fast as their limits allowed.

The result was a devastating rate of fire though it came at the cost of significantly increased weapon weight.

Her second approach to achieving the same weapon drew from another of Alex's ideas: attaching a separate energy crystal to each bullet. She had already succeeded in implementing this concept with the sniper rifle.

This time, she significantly increased the magazine's capacity by using space-folding technology. By folding space within the magazine and adding a larger internal feeder inside, she created a long barreled automatic rifle with an enormous ammo reserve.

However, its rate of fire was noticeably slower compared to the earlier weapon with multiple barrels. The problem was the feeder being slower than her requirements. A problem that could be fixed if given enough money, energy, and time to solve.

To overcome that limitation, she combined both ideas and engineered a six-barrel machine gun capable of firing continuously for several minutes. The result was a devastating weapon, exceptionally powerful, incredibly heavy, and almost impossible to control due to its inhuman recoil.

Fortunately, Alex had no trouble wielding it as an Elite ranked trainer.

He tested it against Hydreigon with her permission and found he could bring her down in under ten seconds, a major improvement, considering he could never manage that with his pistols.

The weapon's success came from its overwhelming rate of fire.

Hydreigon could dodge a few shots, but not all of them. To make matters worse for the target, the rounds were loaded with Feint or Phantom Force, rendering defensive moves like Protect completely useless.

Conversely, a weaker version using just six energy crystals can keep a Pokemon at full health for as long as the weapon continues to fire Heal Pulse rounds at them. Stick a Focus Sash on them and they become invulnerable. Add Aromatherapy bullets and they become unstoppable. Add status increasing moves like Coaching, Decorate, etc. and they become all powerful.

Needless to say, the weapon and its cousin was incredibly successful.

Her next project was based on another of Alex's ideas, using drones to replace people in combat. After all, bullets loaded with Special attacks had no recoil and only needed electricity to fire, so it should have been possible to mount it on a drone and fire it remotely.

Once the prototype was built, it proved to be a success, but with one significant drawback. There was no existing software capable of fully automating combat.

Rhea had been banging her head against the wall trying to develop an artificial intelligence that could handle autonomous combat, but it ultimately proved futile. Even with Nyx's help, they couldn't make one AI to rule them all.

Basic aimbots were easy enough to program, until the AI began misidentifying targets that fell within acceptable accuracy thresholds. Navigating real terrain turned into a nightmare, especially in forest environments with swaying branches everywhere. Combining both systems became increasingly difficult, as any camera movement forced the system to recalculate its aim from scratch.

In short, she faced a mountain of challenges.

That did not stop her from building hundreds of drones capable of firing Pokemon moves through energy crystals. However, it did prevent her from using them the way she had originally envisioned.

There was a surprisingly simple solution to her problem, but Rhea hated it. It felt like a shortcut, and she despised taking shortcuts.

So when Alex heard the unmistakable buzz of drones filling the battlefield, he knew she had finally given in and accepted the one option she had been avoiding.

From within the mansion, hundreds of drones emerged in perfect formation. They flew with mechanical precision and immediately opened fire on any unauthorized Pokémon in the area.

The ammunition they used wasn't Alex's usual selection, but rather the vast stockpile he had amassed from raiding the human supremacist faction.

Alex typically only used bullets imbued with Phantom Force, Feint, Thunder Wave, Beat Upx6, Fire Blast, or support moves. But the human supremacist faction had developed thousands of other move-infused rounds, many of which Alex had never touched, until now.

Rhea had loaded those unused bullets with Special attacks in them into the drones and deployed them to thin the enemy numbers across the perimeter of the farm.

Meanwhile, Alex's Pokémon used the opportunity to rest and cycle through rotations, taking turns dealing with the stronger Expert-ranked Pokémon and the occasional Elite that appeared.

'How's it going, Metagross?' Alex asked through their mental link.

'So! Much! Fun! Like playing games in real life!'

Yes, the shortcut was simply using Rotom, Porygon, or Metagross as the AI. Even through a basic camera feed, they were intelligent enough to analyze the battlefield and determine the best course of action. Their thoughts processed at machine speeds, allowing for flawless coordination.

Rhea hated it, hated that she wasn't good enough to build a proper AI herself. But in the face of their current emergency, she had finally relented.

Drones scattered across the entire farm, positioning themselves to ensure that no Pokémon could hide. They darted toward any detected targets and unloaded their rounds until the intruding Pokémon fainted.

It took less than a minute to clear the entire farm of all Pokémon that had managed to slip through. Afterward, the drones shifted focus to the forest perimeter.

They scanned the treeline for threats, breaking formation only to strike. Upon identifying a target, a drone would shoot forward, eliminate the intruder with precision, and return to its original position without delay.

Naturally, some Pokémon retaliated. But the drones were fast and efficient, and any resistance was quickly overwhelmed as additional drones arrived to provide immediate support.

Once they ran out of ammo, the drones returned to the mansion to reload using Rhea's autoloader and recharge before heading back out. It was an efficient and fully integrated system that kept the farm perfectly defended.

Unfortunately, they would eventually run out of bullets as the Pokémon Flood continued.

To manage this, Metagross rotated the drones with well-rested Pokémon to cover the perimeter when needed. This ensured the drones did not waste all their ammo and the Pokémon could fight at peak condition.

It became a juggling act that perfectly satisfied Metagross's gaming addiction, allowing him to defend the farm through both the drones and the Pokémon.

Previously, many Pokémon had been able to slip through due to lapses in attention.

Now, the smaller intruders were swiftly eliminated by the drones while the larger threats were handled by the Pokémon. It was a seamless cooperation that maximized efficiency and ultimately allowed the farm to endure the flood.

Just as Misty had said, there had not been enough Pokémon born since the flood a decade ago to sustain a flood of this scale, let alone cause one naturally. As a result, the attack only lasted a few hours before it came to an end.

"Well… at least we don't have to worry about Pokémon meat for the next decade," Alex commented as he looked over the battlefield, where Pokémon lay scattered across the farm and along the perimeter.

Most prominent was Gardevoir's kill zone, a grotesque stretch of land that resembled a carpet of pulsating flesh. Several fainted Elite-ranked Pokémon were buried beneath it, their bodies merging with the mass and giving the entire area the illusion of a living, breathing flesh carpet.

Alex's Pokémon worked through the night, storing the corpses while he and the girls captured the fainted ones in Poké Balls.

By morning, the preliminary cleanup was complete, with only the damage to the farm left to repair, a task that left Kaia fuming over all the plants she had lost during the battle.

Alex, on the other hand, was thrilled by their gains. Most notably, he looked forward to the League's compensation.

Chapter 129: Chapter 129. League Compensation

The League was well known for generously compensating whenever a flood rolled around.

While they required trainers to participate in defending cities, they always did their due diligence and properly rewarded those who performed their duties well. They also offered reasonable compensation for flood-related damages.

For instance, surviving farm owners were reimbursed for their losses with enough money to either retire or start over. This financial support made it easier for them to recover from the devastation. More importantly, it gave them the means to rebuild their farms even better than before.

The same held true for business and property owners in the cities. In the rare event that a wall was breached and damage occurred, they were also compensated accordingly.

Trainers, on the other hand, were entitled to a share of the spoils based on their contributions. They could choose to give up their rights to any Pokemon they personally captured or put down in exchange for a sizable payout.

The amount would of course be far below market value due to the surge of Pokemon, both living and dead, flooding the market. Even so, the overall sale remained significant.

Most trainers could fund the next decade of their journey if they managed to survive. Those who contributed greatly could have enough savings to carry them through the next century.

Alex, having captured over a thousand living Pokemon and gathered thousands more corpses for meat, was due for a massive payout from the League. He planned to collect it, since he had no use for anything below Expert Rank, alive or dead.

As for any captured Pokemon he might want to keep, only the Elites were worth considering. The rest were useless in his eyes.

The girls, however, decided to take a look before handing them over to the League. With the strength of their current partners, bonding with the captured Pokemon would be easy once they were fed and cared for.

The girls pored over the captured Pokémon to see if any were worth keeping, with Alex joining in just in case something caught his attention.

Nyx bonded with a Haunter. She did not know why. She just felt something connect the moment she released it from the Poké Ball. Alex guessed it was an untapped affinity, though Nyx did not feel any kind of energy.

Kaia chose a Kilowattrel that had been swept up in the flood. She wanted a partner that could protect her orchard from bugs and birds. The Gogoats could handle intruders easily, but the birds were clever. They would flee, wait, and come back. She needed a Pokemon that could fly and was fast enough to chase them down.

Vera bonded with a Persian simply because she loved its fur. She had a soft spot for cute or elegant Pokémon, just like her Audino.

Lina picked a Shuckle so she could make berry juice. The little rock must have been carried along by one of the larger Pokémon trying to escape.

Mira chose a Hypno to help deal with her nightmares. Lina had improved over the years and suffered fewer episodes, but Mira still struggled. She did not want to bother Togekiss anymore. Besides, Hypno had hands. It might even learn how to give massages.

Even Rhea ended up with a Magneton, most likely from the power plant before the flood pushed it this far. She could use the extra help to manage her lab that was full of machines.

Alex, meanwhile, didn't like his options. Dark type Pokemon were rare after all. The only ones he found were the usual Mightyena, Murkrow, Thievul, and Liepard.

As for the other Elites, they were those native to Kanto which he didn't particularly have a need for. There was one tempting Onix he could use as a wall but they were too destructive when they fought. They even beat out the Dragon types in terms of environmental destruction because of their size and typing. The League would start docking his pay if he ever deployed them regularly on the battlefield.

'Then again, I do have that new toy,' Alex thought before reluctantly accepting the Elite rank Onix.

He promised himself he would only use Onix when absolutely necessary. He would remain in his Poké Ball most of the time. It was better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Onix was now officially Alex's largest Pokémon.

After convincing Onix to work with him, Alex went online to order a Metal Coat so he could evolve it as soon as possible.

In the meantime, Onix made its home east of the mansion, where it created a burrow. At the very least, it would help defend them against Ground-types that might try to sneak in from underground.

Once Alex settled Onix, he returned to the mansion where the girls continued to look through the captured Pokemon for any more matches.

Then he noticed a suspicious looking Pikachu among the crowd being fed. It kept staring at him intensely, only to quickly look away whenever he turned in its direction. It tried to act sneaky, but it was not very subtle. He chuckled at its antics and called it over with a Poké Puff, which it devoured with delight. The moment he touched its paw, a bond formed instantly.

"You sneaky little thing. What are you doing all the way out here?" Alex said as the Pikachu tried to climb onto his arms. "You know your body is too big to cling to me like this."

The Pikachu was in fact a Zoroark that was using its Illusion ability to look like a Pikachu.

Zoroark are notoriously difficult to find precisely because trainers don't capture all the Pokemon in the vicinity. They typically pick and choose the ones they want or need. This allows the Zoroark to avoid undesirable encounters.

This Zoroark's home must have been in the path of the flood, or perhaps it was a loner to begin with and simply had the misfortune of getting caught in it.

Alex with his Dark type affinity managed to spot the very peculiar Pikachu that had Dark type energy coursing through its body.

Now that their bond was formed, Alex could cross another Pokémon off his wish list. All that remained was Malamar. After that, only the Legendaries would be left.

"I thought you weren't interested in getting more Pokémon," Nyx commented. "Now you have an Onix and a Pikachu?"

"Onix was an unexpected acquisition," Alex replied, affectionately patting Zoroark. "But this Pikachu has been on my wish list for the longest time."

"You could've just bought one, you know. They're not exactly rare."

"This particular one is incredibly rare."

"If you say so."

The girls finished their selections by the end of the day. There were over a thousand captures to sort through, after all.

By evening, Alex headed to the Psychic Gym to submit his sizable contribution. He was told it would take about a month for the League to sort out the mess caused by the flood. Normally, compensation started rolling out within a few days, but Alex's contribution was too large for a single trainer. As a result, they had to place him at the back of the queue before addressing his case.

His next stop was the butcher's, which was understandably busy. Still, he dropped off the Expert and Elite-ranked Pokémon he needed processed to meet his own team's dietary needs. The amount should be enough to last a decade, even with their elevated consumption.

On the way out of the shop, Alex thought about the drones. They had proven incredibly effective, relying heavily on Metagross to function. As far as he knew, no artificial intelligence, on Earth or in this world, could outperform a Metagross.

Even back on Earth, drones required human pilots. At best, they operated through preprogrammed, choreographed routines that allowed for some degree of efficiency.

Here, the League could greatly benefit from the drone technology Rhea had developed. Unfortunately, the League wasn't innocent enough to be handed that kind of power freely. Too many spies still operated within its ranks.

Fortunately, the drones required a Pokémon to control them, a problem the human supremacist faction had no answer for.

'Let's give it to the Jennys first and see how it goes from there,' Alex decided.

He stopped by Jenny's place to personally hand her a copy of the many videos he had of the drones in action. They didn't need the actual technology, just the concept behind it was enough.

"This is incredible, Alex," Jenny said, her eyes scanning the footage. "If we had these in every city, the threat level during Pokémon floods would drop dramatically."

She paused, her expression turning more serious. "But its potential for misuse is equally dangerous."

"Which is exactly why I'm giving it to you first," Alex replied. "You and the council can decide how to handle it. Guns opened the door to many possibilities, but with Pokémon around, they were ultimately manageable."

He let the weight of his next words settle.

"This, however, brings the level of danger to something unprecedented. How it's used going forward is up to you."

Jenny nodded. "Well, you'll be happy to know there's a severe shortage of energy crystals right now. Argent Solutions has been mass-producing guns and bullets, so they won't be able to exploit this technology to the point of taking over an entire region by force."

"With the champions around, I doubt they could pull it off even if they had enough firepower to corner a whole region," Alex said.

"They have champions too," Jenny replied. "This wouldn't be used to fight off champions or elites. Instead, it would serve as the tipping point in the delicate balance."

Alex gave a small nod. "Then I'm sure you and the other Jennys can make good use of it."

Jenny sighed. "Even I can't decide how this should be used. But you're right. I'll bring it to the council and let them decide."

Alex left after their talk, and with the weight of the drones off his shoulders, his steps felt lighter.

As for the other result of Rhea's research, it didn't weigh on him much. It was a niche technology, one that could bypass a Rank at most, not something that would change the world for the better.

It would only give Champions a slight edge. So Alex chose to keep that particular technology close to the chest.

With his errands finished, it was time to return to the farm and get to work on repairs. It could also use a fresh touch-up, and now was the perfect opportunity to take care of it.

Chapter 130: Chapter 130. Repairing the Farm

Once Alex made it back to the farm, he took a tour of the property to assess the damage.

The grounds were littered with potholes, cracks, and tunnels that had been dug by panicked Pokémon. Raticate had done a thorough sweep and ensured that no Pokémon were still hiding underground, but the damage was already done. Many tunnels had been carved out in a desperate attempt to escape when they encountered the wall.

It would take about a day for a professional crew to fill in the tunnels, patch the potholes and cracks, and reinforce the terrain.

'I should have the entire grounds reinforced like the training area while I'm at it,' Alex thought as he considered potential improvements for the farm.

The decorative plants and gardens around the farm had been damaged in some places, but not severely. Kaia would be able to handle the repairs in due time, especially since it was her personal project from the beginning.

The mansion itself held strong. No Pokémon had managed to get inside, so the interior was largely untouched. Reinforced steel panels had sealed the windows, and bolted doors had prevented any breaches during the chaos.

The exterior, however, was a different story. Paint had been scratched off, holes had been dug into the cement walls, several windows were shattered, one of the balcony pillars had collapsed, the roof was missing some panels, and the gutters were clogged with flesh and blood.

These were all minor repairs and cosmetic issues that could be resolved in a day.

'Perhaps thicker walls and a reinforced roof,' Alex considered. The mansion had held up perfectly with little to no damage, but he wondered if a few improvements could still be squeezed in.

The girls' houses were in a similar state, though one had been completely destroyed when an Elite rank Pokémon fell from the sky and landed directly on top of it. Hydreigon had taken it out immediately afterward with a Draco Meteor, bringing the house down along with it.

Alex couldn't exactly complain given the circumstances, so he chalked it up to bad luck.

Rebuilding the destroyed house would likely take a month, but fortunately, it was one of the spare homes and hadn't been in use.

The orchard had taken a heavy hit. The ground was scorched in places, with telltale signs of beam attacks cutting long paths through rows of trees. An entire section had been burned to the ground, while other areas showed signs of upheaval that had torn out trees, roots and all.

The orchard sat on the edge of the perimeter and had been intentionally sacrificed to conserve the Pokémon's stamina. The defenders had focused their efforts on the mansion, where the girls were sheltering and where their food supplies were stored.

The greenhouses fared no better. Not a single one escaped without damage. Glass panels had been shattered, and the neat rows of hydroponic units were now a chaotic mess. The generator, filter, solution tank, and pump had all been destroyed. Thankfully, the steel framework of the structures had held firm.

Repairing the greenhouses would involve replacing the glass panels, the hydroponic systems, and the damaged machines. With proper parts, everything could be restored within a week.

The training grounds were mostly intact. Some potholes marred the terrain, and a few pieces of training equipment had been damaged by stray attacks. Fortunately, those were easily replaceable.

Overall, Alex considered the damage fairly minimal. He remembered the devastation he had seen when he first arrived. The entire property had been flattened, with not a single building left standing.

In contrast, his farm still had all its major structures intact. Even the neighboring wall had remained mostly untouched. It was clear that his Pokemon had done an excellent job protecting the area.

'Not much to improve other than hardening the ground and reinforcing the mansion. Although, I should take this opportunity to extend the waterways around the entire property. It would act as a makeshift wall while helping cool the area during the summer,' Alex ultimately decided.

Alex took photos of the damage and included them in his report to the League for compensation. The cost of repairs and replacements would likely run into a few million Pokedollars, a small price compared to the immense value of the meat they had secured in exchange.

Suddenly, three Zubats swooped in and landed on Alex's head and shoulders, chirping in excitement.

"It's good to see you as well," Alex said, responding to their enthusiasm.

A pair of Golbat flew down soon after, scolding the younger Zubats before guiding them off to continue their patrol.

These five were the children of the Crobat couple, who had produced several eggs over the past two years. Like their parents, the young ones had inherited moves like Hypnosis and Quick Attack.

Alex had originally planned to sell them, but recalled his need for scouts in the surrounding forest. Instead, he asked the Crobat couple to teach them how to patrol and detect intruders. The arrangement worked out perfectly.

Vespiquen also gave birth to more Combee. The females were sold to avoid confrontation with Vespiquen while the males were made to harvest honey. There are now five Combee harvesting honey from the forest.

Arcanine, Absol, and Houndoom had children as well.

Alex wanted to keep the Absol that was born but it left the farm the night it hatched. Alex assumed it was following its instincts, drawn toward solitude. He figured the mountains to the northeast were its likely destination.

A pair of Houndour were born too, and both Arcanine and Houndoom agreed with Alex's suggestion to sell them. Their aggressive nature and habit of setting things ablaze made them unsuitable for farm life. Alex sold them to the League as eggs and received a tidy sum in return. They were not especially rare, but not common either.

Raticate and Morpeko produced an egg as well, though neither had the desire to raise it. Alex sold it soon after.

Frosmoth finally caught Forretress's attention after he gave up his long, fruitless pursuit of Clawitzer. When she began spending more time with the water team, Forretress came to a simple, painful realization: it was never going to work out. He would drown, after all.

Heartbroken, he withdrew for a time. But eventually, his eyes turned to Frosmoth, who had quietly stayed by his side this entire time.

The two ended up producing several eggs, which Alex also sold.

There was another love story quietly unfolding behind Alex's back. It began and ended without him ever noticing. Vera, however, knew everything.

Kommo-o had been trying to claim Hydreigon for the longest time. She was strong and fierce, just the way he liked it. Unfortunately for him, Hydreigon only preferred Alex's company and would beat Kommo-o senseless every time he made a move.

Frustrated and restless, Kommo-o's fierce draconic instincts drove him to seek solace elsewhere. He turned his attention to the Goodra pair, both female, who eagerly welcomed the presence of a powerful male to keep them company. In time, they laid eggs that Alex sold, earning a handsome profit from their rare lineage.

Many other pairings across the farm also resulted in offspring that were sold. These included the Araquanid pair, the Maushold, and the Gogoat. All the eggs were sold with the parents' permission. Neither the parents, Alex, the girls, nor the farm had any use for them.

The water team was on a whole different level, multiplying quietly in the ponds without Alex noticing until it was too late. One day, he simply realized there were far too many Magikarp, Feebas, and Wishiwashi swimming in their waters.

Alex had wanted to sell them as well but discovered they were dirt cheap, almost not worth the effort of rounding them up and selling them. So he decided to forget about the problem and let the water team handle it.

It was the main reason Alex decided to expand the waterways. It would give the water team plenty of space to accommodate the extra members. However, since they were not truly considered part of the core team, Alex only fed them low quality meat gathered from the forest similar to the Crobat couple's children.

Meanwhile, Alex focused on his recent additions: the Expert ranked Onix and Zoroark. The Metal Coat was on its way, and Zoroark required highly specialized training to make the most of its Illusion ability.

Finding no helpful information on the League market, Alex concluded that personal experience and a more active imagination would be the best approach. To that end, he spent time with Zoroark watching mindless TV to expand its knowledge base, while also including it in regular training sessions with the others.

A month later, the farm was repaired and improved, the meat had finished processing, and, most importantly, Alex received his compensation from the League.

He received 5 million Pokedollars for the damage to the farm and 20 million credits for the captured Pokémon of Adept rank and below, along with their meat.

This amount was comparable to the compensation he had received for taking down Don. In that case, the League paid generously because Don owned extensive property they desperately needed. This time, the reward came because Alex had held his ground against the flood, significantly reducing the damage to the surrounding farms.

The Pokémon and meat Alex surrendered were worth at most 10 million credits, while the farm's damage amounted to about 5 million Pokedollars. The extra 10 million credits was the League's reward for successfully protecting the neighboring farms.

Over the past month, Alex had received many gifts from farmers who survived the ordeal with minimal losses. Unfortunately, numerous farms on the outskirts were still destroyed by the flooding Pokémon.

Meanwhile, the city suffered far less damage than during the flood a decade earlier, thanks to the flood's shorter duration and Alex's successful defense of the farmland, which acted as a buffer that thinned the flooding Pokemon.

The reward was a substantial sum, enough to sustain most trainers for over a century in terms of resources. The last time he received this much, the credits vanished quickly because Alex had gone overboard acquiring new Pokémon. Kommo-o, in particular, had been an expensive but worthwhile investment, given its value as a top-tier combatant.

In addition, Alex's definition of resources were Elite ranked Pokemon meat which would run in the millions of credits for just a year. Clearly, it was beyond extravagant for the average trainer.

This time, however, Alex had no urgent needs, giving him the freedom to thoroughly scour the market for any opportunities or advantages he could secure.

At the top of his list was something far more ambitious: land situated beside Champion ranked Pokémon where danger and opportunity walked hand in hand.

Chapter 131: Chapter 131. Future Goals

Ever since Alex gained his 8-badge level access, he had been dreaming of acquiring extensive land sold exclusively to powerful trainers.

The farm he currently owned was sufficient for his team, but he wanted a larger place to house his future Champion ranked Pokémon.

Unlike his current farm, which had requirements such as selling a certain amount of produce each year, the land he sought from the League came with no strings attached. There were no regulations on how the land was to be used.

The risk came from the land itself, as it was surrounded by Pokémon nests. Alex saw this threat as a bonus since he could farm the nests for meat or cash whenever needed.

Unfortunately, when he first researched the option, he lacked the strength to claim it. The reason was that the land bordered nests controlled by Champion ranked Pokémon.

This explained why so much land was available on the market; it was practically a benefit reserved for Champion ranked trainers.

The League likely offered this land because some stronger Elite ranked trainers had the confidence and ability to take on a Champion ranked Pokémon alone.

Now, Alex was more than confident. With his teams of Elite ranked Pokémon and new toys, he believes he could defeat a Champion ranked Pokémon and dismantle its entire nest with precision and efficiency.

Nests at minimum required an Elite as the leader, commanding over a hundred underlings to be officially categorized as such. These leaders marked out territory as their home, warding off intruders and using the nearby area as hunting grounds.

These low-level nests were common throughout Kanto, especially near trails frequented by trainers. Beyond these trails were the deep wilds, largely considered Pokémon territory.

Saffron City was surrounded by four such territories to its northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest. Deep within these territories lay Champion ranked nests, each led by a Champion, supported by a dozen up to a hundred Elites, and home to thousands of Pokémon.

These nests typically started off with specific lineages such as a nest containing only Sandshrew and Sandslash. Once their leader becomes strong enough, they accept or dominate more nests under them within the same egg group.

After seeing how well his Pokemon handled the recent flood, Alex was confident he could take down an entire Champion ranked nest on his own.

He planned to have his away team handle the Elites, Metagross and the drones manage the thousands of weaker Pokémon, while he and Steelix took on the Champion.

Yes, Steelix was his greatest confidence booster for fighting Champions. More precisely, it was the combination of Rhea's gatling gun, Steelix's massive size, which made it an easy target even in a brawl, and Steelix's ability, Sturdy.

When testing with Hydreigon, Alex realized that maintaining accuracy was his greatest weakness. He did not want to accidentally hit his own Pokémon or miss and heal the opponent, so using a huge Pokémon like Steelix as a healing target made the most sense, especially since he could not control who he would face.

As long as Alex could continuously fire Heal Pulses at Steelix while he fought the Champion and avoided being killed himself, Steelix would maintain an overwhelming advantage that would eventually bring down the Champion.

Alex considered other Pokémon, but none could match Steelix's combination of size and the Sturdy ability. It also had a devastating Earthquake to clear out mobs and a Body Press that could one-shot most Pokemon so it certainly was threatening enough to grab the Champion's attention.

The only problem with Alex's current plan was the lack of resources.

The cost of the land itself is 10 million credits at minimum which would be enough to buy a slightly bigger piece of land than what he had now. Which clearly isn't enough. He needed at least ten times that size to properly host Champion-level combat and sparring sessions. And that was just for the training grounds, not accounting for a home or any facilities needed for self-sufficiency.

To truly have enough land, Alex would require 100 million credits at minimum, which was roughly equal to 1 billion Pokedollars. A sum far beyond imagination for most trainers.

On top of the cost of the land was the cost to have facilities built out in the wilds. He would need a Champion ranked training ground, a mansion for himself, a farm for self sufficiency, a lab for his weapons, numerous habitats for his Pokemon, a defensive wall, and housing for the staff.

Fortunately, the Kanto Construction Company specialized in exactly that. Backed by the League, it handled all construction projects for Elite-level trainers and above. They were responsible for building the gyms and city walls throughout the region.

They would teleport in a team of trainers with Pokémon specifically selected for construction work. Once on site, all necessary materials would be teleported in as well, and the team would begin assembling everything. Their services included predesigned packages for various types of facilities, such as laboratories, mansions, battlegrounds, and even city walls.

The cost they quoted was roughly half the price of the land, depending on the package selected.

Alex estimated that his ideal home would cost around 200 million credits, factoring in the vast land required and the extensive construction needed to build enough habitats for his Pokémon.

'I just need to spearhead nine more Pokemon floods? Shouldn't take too long,' Alex thought with a hint of amusement.

'Seriously, though, I need to get back to hunting, especially targeting the human supremacist faction. I will need more ammunition and drones if I want to ensure the safety of my dream home.'

With that thought in mind, Alex headed to Nyx to find a job.

After consulting with Rotom, he made his way to Rhea's lab.

They were apparently working on analyzing Metagross's thought process based on the available data it had at the time the key logs were made that resulted in its efficient performance during the battle.

Most of Rotom's explanation went over Alex's head, so he decided to pop in and see for himself.

Inside the lab, he found both women looking disheveled and wearing only their underwear, likely having avoided sleep and a bath for days.

"We're so close," Rhea said lazily, completely unlike her usual energetic self.

Nyx was knocked out and softly snoring until Rhea slapped her on the head.

"WHAT!?" Nyx exclaimed, waking up. "Did it work? Are we done?"

"No, we need more data."

"Why don't we just use Metagross's gaming data? We have tons of it."

"And how would that apply to drone controls, or aiming, or both?"

"We can just extrapolate from it, using it as a guide rather than basing the entire code on the limited data we have."

"It would take months to go over everything. WE ARE SO CLOSE! Just a few more samples."

"Should we start a new flood then?"

"Great idea."

"I was being sarcastic!"

"You both need sleep," Alex interrupted after having heard enough. "You need rest to get a better handle on your problem."

"Fine," Rhea pouted.

"Finally, sleep," Nyx sighed in relief.

Then, both girls raised their arms, wordlessly asking to be carried.

Alex sighed, then hoisted them up like sacks of potatoes, one slung over each shoulder. He carried them to the mansion's guest room for the night. There was no way he was walking all the way to their homes just to get them to bed.

Once he had them tucked in, Alex called it a day. He figured he'd ask Nyx about any possible bounties once she woke up.

On his way back to his study, his phone buzzed with a call from an unknown number.

"Rotom, who is it?"

"Public line registered to Gym Leader Misty," Rotom replied.

"Oh?"

Alex answered the call, and sure enough, Misty's voice came through the other end.

"Alex! It's Misty. I just wanted to check in. How's the farm? You made quite the contribution for such a minor flood."

As an Elite, Alex's information was private, but Rotoms had free reign to dig through it with the right access level. As a Gym Leader, Misty's access level allowed her to get even more information about him than even he knew existed.

"The farm's fixed up. Better than before, actually. How's Cerulean City?"

"The flood never reached us. For some reason, it was focused entirely on Saffron City. No other locations were attacked. The League's sending investigators to figure out why."

"So it was a targeted strike. Wouldn't surprise me if I was the target, given my line of work."

"Oh? Do you have any leads?"

"None with evidence. But I do have a few admirers, like the human supremacist faction, a corrupt cop in the city, and a brat who faced consequences."

There was a long pause before Misty responded.

"Quite the list of captured human supremacists. I'm honestly surprised you're still alive. I see a lot of cops on here but none of them have the pull to do this. And Briar Thornhart? Again, surprised you're breathing."

"I generally try my best to keep it that way."

"Doesn't look like it, based on the bounties you've racked up."

"I'm actually in good standing with most of the Underworld. It's just the human supremacist faction that has a problem with me."

"Right. You have connections with Umbraline."

"It's a one way street. I don't actually know anyone from there. They like using me as disposable muscle and I like their pay."

"Makes sense. Anyway, are you busy?"

"No, are you asking me on a date?"

"No, not this time. I happen to be in need of a bounty hunter."

"You had me at bounty hunter."

"That was the last thing I said."

"Good thing you said it then."

Chapter 132: Chapter 132. Back to Work

"I happen to be in need of a bounty hunter," Misty started to explain. "A few years ago, an Elite trainer from the human supremacist faction began setting up support groups for victims of Pokémon attacks. They mostly round up people who developed an aversion to or hate for Pokémon in general."

"There aren't many of these people, but they do exist. My city is a thriving cultural hub, as you may have noticed, which means plenty of people from all walks of life pass through and decide to stay more often than not. It's a logistics nightmare ensuring people don't have a reason to be homeless."

"Now this bitch walks in and starts setting up orphanages, training centers, art galleries, and even shows that focus on the brutality of Pokémon. I had no problems with it at first, since I very much support free speech, but the city has been getting riled up lately."

"There have been protests trying to undermine the League's authority, spouting bullshit about getting rid of all Pokémon. They started out peaceful, until recently when a group opened fire on the police."

"Now it has escalated into full blown armed conflict. A few idiots with guns weren't much of a problem, but Rotom tells me they have over a hundred people now, all fully armed and ready to wreak havoc."

"I tried to confront the bitch in charge, but she threatened to drown the city if I tried to fight her off. Even if I manage to prevent that, I myself would end up drowning the city in the fight. I need you to come grab the bitch fast before I lose it and decide to give up half the city."

"What do you think?" she asked, a bit tense.

"You had me at 'bounty hunter.'" Alex replied.

"Great! I'll send the specifics to your Rotom. I don't care how you do it, just make sure to limit the damage to within a few city blocks and I'll consider it a job well done," Misty said before hanging up.

Misty was most likely impressed with how Alex managed to spearhead a flood and profit from it. That probably explained her increased trust in his bounty hunting abilities. She had likely waited until his farm finished its repairs before offering him a job.

Alex greatly appreciated the opportunity to be relied on by a Champion. It felt like he was finally moving up in the world, instead of just being hired help. As for why his services were needed instead of them handling it themselves, the answer was fairly straightforward.

Misty, as a Champion-ranked Water-type trainer, specializes in aquatic combat. The challenge with Water-types is their high potential for collateral damage on land. Just using a move like Hydro Pump indoors could flood an entire building. That's exactly why Alex never used anything more powerful than Water Pulse with Clawitzer.

Even if battles were fought in water, the resulting tidal waves could devastate coastlines if left unchecked. That put Misty in a precarious position when it came to using her full power. She had to be extremely cautious not to unleash moves with devastating aftereffects.

Alex sympathized with her situation. With most of his Pokémon now at Elite rank, he had to be just as mindful about which moves to use in combat.

Take Arcanine, for example, his primary focus was on Extreme Speed and Heat Wave. While Extreme Speed was still manageable, Heat Wave at Elite rank could easily burn down an entire forest. Just like the damage caused to the forest during the chase after Jonathan Vexler, the sniper assassin.

Alex soon received an information package from Misty via Rotom. It detailed his target along with the specifics of her operation.

Selene Marlowe—Elite-ranked trainer affiliated with the human supremacist faction. Her Pokémon team included: Swampert, Ludicolo, Crawdaunt, Sharpedo, Wailord, and Milotic. Current bounty: 500,000 Pokedollars, wanted for destruction of private property.

"She's a bit cheap, isn't she? She doesn't even have a kill order, so I can't profit off her Pokémon or belongings," Alex realized.

Digging further, he discovered her parents had been convicted and executed as part of Team Aqua in Hoenn almost thirty years ago. Since then, she had lived quietly as a Water-type trainer, until she suddenly joined the human supremacist faction. She wasn't a hardcore member and only ended up with a bounty after accidentally destroying a seaside mansion and fleeing the scene.

Continuing through her file, Alex found she had over a dozen underlings with bounties exceeding a million each. They were remnants of Team Aqua she had encountered and gathered during her travels, all Expert-ranked trainers with kill orders.

"That's better. Still a bit cheap overall, but fortunately, they've got enough guns to arm a hundred people. With a hundred bullets each, that's enough to take down another flood," Alex calculated.

Her operation included orphanages that indoctrinated children, training centers for abusing Pokémon, art galleries showcasing images and paintings of Pokémon eating humans or destroying cities, and media productions focused on Pokémon brutality. All of it was funded by her backers.

"She's doing a pretty good job staying under the radar, all things considered. If it weren't for the armed conflict, she could've legally kept operating. Too bad she pissed off a Gym Leader."

Misty had the legal authority to order Selene's execution on the grounds of suspected involvement in a terrorist plot, which was realistically true but technically and legally false.

Most people assumed the League and its Gym Leaders were paragons of justice, but in reality, they weren't so different from those running the Underworld, the only real difference being their legal status.

If the League were ever replaced by the Underworld, the political climate wouldn't change much. Only the names at the top would be different. And if anyone went too far, another Underworld would rise to bring things back to square one.

For this operation, Alex had to take down an office building registered under Argent Solutions, where Selene and most of her underlings stayed to oversee their business. He also needed to raid three key locations that contained warehouses storing their weapons.

"I can't bust my way in like usual. If we get into a fight and Selene starts losing, she might flood Cerulean City with Hydro Pumps or Surfs. This will have to be an assassination," Alex muttered. "Seems like the perfect chance to give Gardevoir some real experience. And since it's an official hunt, I get to use Rotom as well."

With the plan in place, Alex waited until evening before assembling his entire away team. This time, he left Metagross to defend the farm and brought Gardevoir along as the commander.

Once night fell, Alex teleported to the southwest quadrant of the city, where the industrial sector was located.

He quickly slipped into the shadows and arrived at the designated office building.

Based on the floor plans Misty included in the information package, the residences were located at the very top.

"Rotom, official bounty hunter business. Disable their security system and erase all traces of our presence," Alex commanded.

Like lightning, Rotom shot out from the phone into a nearby outlet, disappearing into the building.

Releasing Hydreigon, Alex mounted her and flew up to the roof. Rather than bring it down as he normally would, he had Raticate cut a clean opening in the glass window just outside Selene's room.

Once inside, Alex scanned the room and quickly spotted her Poké Balls resting on a nearby desk. Water Pokémon needed a water source to remain outside their Poké Balls, so most trainers kept them stored while sleeping in case of a nighttime emergency.

He locked them away and slipped them into his pack before moving toward the bed.

Selene lay asleep on top of the covers, unaware of the intruder.

Alex pulled out a syringe filled with a fast-acting sedative, preparing to inject it. He had never used one before, normally, he just kicked down doors and tied up targets instead of making sure they stayed unconscious.

As he injected her, Selene jolted awake, eyes wide and mouth opening to scream. The sharp sting had thrown her into combat mode, but the sight of a shadowy mass looming over her terrified instead.

Before she could make a sound, Alex struck her with a sharp jab to the chin, knocking her out cold. At least the sedative would keep her that way now.

"That almost went sideways. Mental note: gag the target before injecting the sedative," Alex muttered.

With Selene secured, it was time to collect his pay.

He released Gardevoir and gave a simple command.

"Clean the place out. Leave nothing behind."

"Gardevoir. (With pleasure.)" she replied with a sadistic smile.

Alex released the rest of his Pokemon and left Gardevoir in charge of their sweep. He would usually play a more active role but he wanted to fully assess Gardevoir's capabilities.

While his Pokémon ravaged the building, Alex wandered through Selene's luxurious apartment. Aquariums filled every corner, glowing with blue and green light and housing exotic fish. The dark decor and glass walls gave it the feel of an evil lair, but Alex still found it impressive and well designed.

"I should do something similar with my dream home," Alex muttered, just as explosions rocked the building, followed by screams and the sounds of battle echoing through the floors.

Chapter 133: Chapter 133. Gardevoir Takes Command

While Alex window shopped around Selene's apartment for ideas to decorate his dream home, Gardevoir took command and began leading the operation.

Since becoming Alex's Pokémon, she had trained and studied relentlessly to earn the right to stand by his side and lead his loyal team. And it all began with her initiation.

The Pokémon at the farm called it the baptism, and it was brutal. She was loaded into a Technical Machine and forced to learn every move available to her species, roughly forty moves crammed into her mind all at once.

Fortunately, as a Psychic type gifted in mental endurance, she endured it without so much as a headache. The others called her the chosen one, and she was granted the respect of a commander.

Still, she chose to earn their respect rather than depend on superstition or tradition. She threw herself into training her move proficiency, just like she had in the forest during her solitary years.

Under Alex's orders, she specialized in Psychic Terrain and Expanding Force, focusing on maximizing their range. She pictured a mob of humans rushing toward her only to explode as a wave of psychic energy passed through them. The very image sent shivers of ecstasy crawling down her spine.

Her respect for Alex grew stronger because of his keen understanding. She resolved to follow his will and wisdom.

Her next challenge came in the form of gaming with Metagross. At first, she was hesitant. Metagross rarely spoke, which made the idea intimidating.

But once she discovered gaming, her world changed. The complexity, the strategic layers, the need to think five steps ahead was everything she never knew she craved.

Metagross was a genius who earned her deep respect and a place just below Alex in her internal ranking.

That changed the day she played with Rotom. Compared to Metagross, Rotom was a deity.

She considered demoting Alex from first place but quickly dismissed the thought. He commanded them both. That made him greater.

Unknowingly, Alex had ascended to a level beyond deity in Gardevoir's eyes.

The next two years passed in a relentless cycle of training, studying, and waiting. Alex had promised her real combat experience, but it still had not come.

She felt the urge to complain, to strike out on her own, but lacked the courage and confidence to do so. After all, she still couldn't beat Rotom or Metagross.

So instead, she kept learning, kept preparing, waiting for the moment when she could finally prove herself.

Now, at last, her chance had come.

"Clean the place out. Leave nothing behind," Alex commanded.

Quelling her excitement, she fully analyzed her surroundings using her psychic abilities.

The building had 10 floors, the top 3 of which were residential. The 10th floor was reserved exclusively for Selene, which meant she had two floors to pay attention to.

The 9th floor housed a dozen people in deep sleep, while the 8th held three dozen.

Her psychic scans revealed weak Pokémon on high alert just one floor below. Unlike Alex, she couldn't rely on stealth. A direct breach was necessary.

She dispersed the Pokémon across the top 4 floors while positioning the flyers outside.

Kommo-o and Togekiss guarded the stairwell on the 9th floor. Forretress and Clawitzer held their positions on the 8th.

Altaria, Frosmoth, and the Crobat couple were stationed at the cardinal points of the building, watching for anyone attempting to escape by air.

Half of the remaining Pokemon were scattered on the 10th floor. The other half strategically occupied the 7th.

Meanwhile, Hydreigon stood by the elevator with Alex.

With careful instruction, Gardevoir adjusted each Pokémon's exact position, assigned their responsibilities, designated their opening moves, had them stack maximum stats, and, most importantly, corrected their aim.

At her signal, the Pokémon unleashed precise, single-target special attacks from all directions, piercing through walls, floors, and ceilings, and turning the eighth and ninth floors into a sieve. All while ensuring they avoided hitting the load-bearing pillars.

Depending on the Pokemon an appropriate attack was selected. Aura Sphere, Shadow Ball, Flash Cannon, Moonblast, Dark Pulse, Psychic, Dragon Pulse, Energy Ball, and even a Hyper Beam from Espeon. The walls, ceilings, and floors were reinforced to resist Elite-ranked damage, but they only resisted before ultimately giving way. As a result, Expert-ranked Pokémon had to exert extra effort to break through.

She herself fired a Psychic attack straight down, striking an unsuspecting trainer in the chest. His heart exploded under the force as the blast continued into the next floor, bisecting another sleeping target. She deeply wished she could have feasted on their dreams instead, but perhaps another time.

At Alex's instruction, only specific trainers were allowed to be killed, while the rest were graciously spared. Following his orders, she targeted the designated trainers in the first barrage ensuring those who remained were allowed to live.

The effect was immediate. Panic spread as Pokémon ran amok, unable to determine the origin of the attack. They began lashing out blindly, attacking allies who were within their sight, just the kind of chaos Gardevoir envisioned.

A second wave of attacks followed, eliminating the rampaging Pokémon whose trainers had been taken out in the first barrage. The remaining trainers and Pokémon fell into full panic. Faced with an invisible enemy, they chose flight over fight.

They rushed toward the stairwell, only to be met by a rampaging Kommo-o, who tore through scores of Pokémon without pause. On the eighth floor stairwell, chaos turned deadly as the group in front realized too late that they were trapped, blocked by strategically placed hazards and a resolute Forretress that refused to move or fall.

Some trainers attempted to escape by flying out, but the moment any of them mounted or were lifted by their Pokémon, they were instantly targeted and shot down by those positioned outside.

Others, realizing the attacks were coming from multiple floors, tried to break through the ceilings or floors to counterattack. But waiting for them were Elite Pokemon in overwhelming numbers. From the very start, they had no chance.

At the elevator, Hydreigon unleashed a torrent of Flamethrower, turning the shaft into a blazing furnace and destroying the elevator cars entirely. No one dared attempt to escape through that inferno.

By the third barrage, the remaining trainers gave up. They recalled their Pokémon and laid flat on the floor, surrendering completely. There was no hope of retaliation, only survival until they were collected.

In the end, only the designated trainers were killed, while the rest were taken down. As for their Pokémon, they either fainted, died, or were safely returned to their Poké Balls.

"Excellent work, Gardevoir. You can now officially take over command of the away team," Alex said, gently stroking her head.

"Gaaaar…" she cooed, eyes glowing with pride and affection as she leaned into his touch.

"Now for the clean up. Collect the corpses, prisoners, Pokemon, Poke Balls, guns, ammunition, and combat gear. Take anything we can make use of and make it quick. We still have a few places to visit before the night is over," Alex commanded.

"Gardevoir!" she accepted before directing the Pokemon for the clean up.

They were quite used to it at this point so it didn't take long before everyone was rounded up.

Alex had Rotom send a heads-up to Misty before ordering Arcanine and Gardevoir to teleport the captives and the deceased to her Gym. He could have had Jenny arrest them, but Misty might have different plans than official arrests. She never did specify how to handle them so Alex left the matter in her hands.

Once the captives were taken away and the guns, bullets, and combat gear safely stowed in his bag, Alex recalled all his Pokémon and rode Hydreigon into the night toward their next destination, a studio where a stockpile of weapons was hidden.

Upon arriving, Alex was surprised to see a group of people trying to move the goods out. No doubt they had been alerted to the attack and were attempting to relocate the stockpile.

Alex could not allow that, so he, Raticate, and Gardevoir split the team into three groups to intercept all three warehouse locations simultaneously.

Raticate, Arcanine, Clawitzer, Forretress, and Team Weezing were left in charge of the studio, with strict instructions to guard it until Alex returned to pick them up.

Gardevoir departed with Altaria, Frosmoth, Alcremie, Kommo-o, and Togekiss to the warehouse district, where another stockpile was hidden.

Finally, Alex took Hydreigon, Dusknoir, Ceruledge, the Crobats, Tsareena, and Espeon to the docks, where the last stockpile was stored.

Once Alex arrived at the docks, he was just in time to see the last of the guns being loaded onto a ship preparing to set sail.

"Nope, not on my watch. Hydreigon, Dragon Pulse the rudder," Alex commanded.

"Drei?" Hydreigon asked.

"The back of the ship," Alex clarified.

"Gon!" Hydreigon responded.

With a powerful pulse of Dragon-type energy, Hydreigon destroyed the rear of the ship, ensuring it could not depart.

"Good. Crobats, scan the ship and make sure the goods stay inside. Dusknoir, Ceruledge, take out anyone who resists," Alex ordered.

Escorted by Hydreigon, Tsareena, and Espeon, Alex boarded the ship and immediately noticed the guns carried by the crew. This ship most likely belonged exclusively to the human supremacist faction.

After a while, the Crobats returned and reported the contents of the ship from their scans.

"Jackpot!"

Chapter 134: Chapter 134. Live Ammo, Dead Plans

The ship did not just contain a stockpile; it held multiple caches of guns, ammunition, and combat gear. Based on the Crobats' report, Alex estimated there were enough weapons to arm at least a thousand people with ease.

Misty had certainly made the right call in bringing Selene down now rather than later. Delaying the operation would have been a costly mistake. A hundred people might form a mob at best, but a thousand could cause real destruction.

Determined to keep everything for himself, Alex charged into the ship with guns blazing. Lacking his full team, he relied on the Crobats to serve as overwatch while he joined the battle directly.

Hydreigon was too large to maneuver through the tighter corridors of the ship, so Alex left her at the docks to guard the entrance and ensure no one followed. Meanwhile, Tsareena and Espeon flanked him to guard against ambushes, while Ceruledge and Dusknoir led the way forward.

The ship was crewed by about twenty armed individuals, all clearly prepared for a fight. Alex advanced cautiously, clearing the vessel one room at a time.

Fortunately, none of the crew possessed strong Pokémon, making it easy for the ghosts to sweep through without resistance. Alex barely needed to lift a finger.

There might have been twenty people with guns, but Ghost-types excelled at dealing with such opponents. They could slip into shadows and completely negate a gunner's greatest advantage, their range.

Once Alex cleared the ship, he found himself in the cargo hold, surrounded by numerous space bags and containers neatly organized.

Space bags were the backbone of a modern economy, especially in a world overrun by wild Pokémon. With them, traditional supply lines were no longer essential. A single person with a space bag could transport enough produce from a farm to a market to keep an entire town fed. That convenience was also why cars were considered a luxury rather than a necessity.

Ships, on the other hand, were absolutely essential. Traveling between cities on the back of a Pokémon was relatively simple, but crossing treacherous waters for days or even weeks was an entirely different challenge.

Ships were constructed with hulls capable of withstanding attacks from Elite-ranked Pokémon, meaning it would take an opponent of that level to pose a serious threat. While swarms of Expert-ranked Pokémon could also endanger a ship, there were plenty of Expert trainers to employ as guards.

As long as ships avoided known nests, they could sail with relative safety. How were nests discovered? The hard way, of course.

To mitigate risk, ships were equipped with an integrated navigation system mandated by the League. It regularly updated each vessel's status, and if a scheduled update was missed, the ship's last known location would be flagged. That area would then appear on the shared map as a potential danger zone, warning others to proceed with caution.

A global shipping map was available online, featuring real-time updates on nest locations, storm warnings, and reported incidents. This allowed ships to navigate hazardous waters with greater safety.

In case of trouble, crews were required to log incidents online before taking emergency action. This protocol helped identify hazards and prevented others from facing the same dangers.

As for the contents of the space bags, they held far more than just guns, ammunition, and gear. There were also devices for repair, reloading, and recycling, everything a gun-running criminal organization would need to sustain its firepower. Rhea would no doubt enjoy having some new toys to play with.

In addition, the bags contained all the supplies Selene would have needed to expand her operations. Office supplies, training equipment, high-end cameras, studio gear, and even basic necessities for orphans were all accounted for. There were clothes, food, school materials, art supplies, and a wide assortment of Poké Balls.

Alex had always favored standard Poké Balls for their aesthetic. He liked how unassuming they appeared, allowing him to remain inconspicuous when necessary.

Perhaps it was time to start using the better models and simply paint over them. He had an engineer on his payroll, after all, so it might not be a bad idea. He could even have custom Poké Balls built to suit his needs.

Despite the seemingly successful raid, Alex now faced a major problem, how was he supposed to transport everything back? The ship was packed with valuable goods, but he alone would not be enough to move it all to the farm.

'Arcanine and Gardevoir are going to have to work overtime,' Alex thought.

Teleportation was a viable means of transportation, but Pokémon who could learn Teleport were heavily regulated. This was why most people relied on space bags and ships for moving goods. Apparently, this also applied to criminal organizations.

With the ship secured and a plan in place, Alex left Ceruledge and Dusknoir to guard it while he rode Hydreigon toward the warehouse district, where the final stockpile was located.

Upon arrival, he was greeted by Gardevoir along with Altaria, Frosmoth, Alcremie, Kommo-o, and Togekiss, all stationed outside a warehouse.

"Status?"

'All hostiles neutralized and all resources recovered,' Gardevoir reported through their psychic link.

"Can you move everything to the farm?"

Gardevoir nodded, then vanished with the supplies and returned a moment later.

"Very good. We need to do the same at the other two locations. The docks, in particular, have far too much for me to carry alone."

Alex recalled the Pokémon before teleporting to the studio, where Raticate and the others stood guard.

"Status?"

"Ra, Raticate Raticate. (A few ran, but we got everything unloaded back into the warehouse.)" Raticate reported.

"Gardevoir, if you would."

She vanished with the supplies and reappeared a moment later.

Alex then recalled his Pokémon and flew back to the ship on Hydreigon.

Back in the cargo hold, he had Arcanine and Gardevoir transport everything to the farm, except for the supplies meant for the orphanage and the art gallery. He figured Misty could use those to gain some public support and soften the backlash from taking down the so-called "peaceful" human supremacist faction.

As for the inhumane training equipment, Alex could have Rhea modify them into something more humane. There were restraints designed to deliver electric shocks to Pokémon when their performance dropped below set thresholds. There were also shock collars with matching remotes for forced obedience, and basic weights that attached to body parts using spiked clamps instead of proper straps.

Still, there was plenty of raw material to work with, and his team was due for an upgrade after wearing out their equipment over the past two years. Rhea would just have to get a little busy.

Once everything was secured, Alex called Misty for an update.

"Alex! You done?" came Misty's voice from the other end of the line.

"I should be. Although, there's a ship here at the docks you might want to take for yourself. Selene was planning to expand her—"

"I already know. The bitch was planning to turn my city into a secondary hub for their plans. Their first choice was Saffron City, given its prime location, but you came along and kicked them out before they could establish themselves properly. Their only remaining base is on Cinnabar Island."

"You mean Cinnabar City?"

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, is ten million credits enough for your services?"

"You're paying me?"

"I'm not an asshole. I read through your file and made a rough estimate of what it'd take to make you move. Honestly, this barely counts, given your current capabilities."

"I got plenty out of the deal, so you don't have to be so considerate."

"I've got standards, and you delivered above expectations, so just take the damn money. Unless… you wanted my body all along?" she jokingly added.

"No… Well, yes. Your body would be quite nice, but no. I was already well compensated for this job. I'll take it, though, if it makes you feel better."

"Why does it sound like I'm the one grateful for paying you my own money as a bonus?"

"It's just your imagination. Thank you for doing business with us. We hope you were satisfied with our services. Be sure to tell your friends. Like and subscribe-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just leave the ship where you found it, and I'll have someone retrieve the supplies."

"Alright."

After ending the call, Alex teleported back to the farm with a cool ten million credits added to his account.

He should also be receiving the bounties for those who were killed, assuming Misty filed them under his name.

Then again, she might take the credit herself to send a message and scare away the human supremacists.

Alex wouldn't mind. It was just 10 million Pokédollars.

After sleeping through the morning, Alex woke up around noon, planning to track down Nyx for more work. But when he checked, he found both Rhea and Nyx still fast asleep.

'They must have stayed up for over a day,' Alex thought.

Not wanting to waste the day, he decided to do some digging on his own and quickly discovered an efficient way to earn League credits. Aside from contributing directly to the League, which Alex had already been doing as an unintended result of his bounty hunting, the most profitable method was eliminating Pokemon nests.

Alex had already conducted plenty of research on Pokémon nests, but his knowledge remained purely academic. He lacked a practical understanding of how nests functioned in the real world. For instance, many people complained online about how difficult nests were to find, and Alex wanted secondhand insight into their actual behavior and patterns.

He had already experienced a close encounter when he was attacked by over a hundred Gyarados alongside their Champion, but that had been an accident rather than something intentional. His personal experience was limited at best. So, he decided it would be best to call in a professional.

Fortunately, he knew the perfect person, someone with extensive experience as a traditional trainer.

Chapter 135: Chapter 135. Pokemon Nests

The first person who came to Alex's mind when he thought of his trainer acquaintances was Clarissa Blackthorn, daughter of Lance and Lorelei, the current Champions of the Indigo League.

He hadn't heard much from her in the past two years, not since he helped her take down Seth Fayvel. Her Charizard had already reached the Elite rank back then, with the rest of her team at the Expert rank.

Given her family's financial backing, she had probably raised her entire team to Elite by now. Then again, they might have cut her off to encourage independence, but Alex found that unlikely.

He decided to give her a call and see what she knew about Pokémon nests. With her years of travel, she had surely encountered a few.

"Hey, Clarissa. How's it going?"

"Alex? I'm doing fine, just surprised by your sudden call. It's been a long time since we talked," came a voice more mature than Alex expected.

Clarissa would be 21 this year, so it made sense that she had grown more mature, especially given the dangerous nature of her occupation.

"It's been two years. I just wanted to check in. How's the gym circuit going?"

"I just got my 6th badge. I'm on my way to Celadon City to get my 7th in a few months."

"Impressive. That's way ahead of schedule."

"Really? I just figured this was the normal pace. I mean, I've just been doing what trainers are supposed to do."

"How's the team?"

"All Elite," she replied, pride in her voice.

"As expected."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, sounding a bit offended through the phone.

"You've been getting Elite ranked meat delivered from home?"

"Of course! I might want independence, but I'd never pass up giving my Pokémon the best they deserve."

"Fair enough. Anyway, I wanted to ask what you know about Pokémon nests. I've done the research, but I'm looking for more personal experience."

"I've been attacked a few times, but nothing a good Roar couldn't handle."

"You haven't run into a Champion?"

The last time Alex used Roar on a nest chasing him, the Champion showed up and nearly killed him. Roar was not just for scattering weaklings. It was also used to declare territory, and that kind of challenge never went unanswered. Leaders would always come out to put the lesser in their place.

"Haha, Alex, I'd be dead if I ever ran into a Champion. I've just been following the main trails and only run into the occasional stray Elite. Nothing my Charizard can't handle."

'She hasn't encountered Champions? She's been sticking to the trails?' Alex thought.

"Clarissa, what have you been doing to earn money?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I have plenty of money. Why would I need to earn more?"

That caught Alex off guard. If Clarissa hadn't been earning her own money, she probably didn't know anything about eliminating nests.

Since she had been following official trails and focusing solely on the gym circuit, she likely hadn't taken on any missions that required venturing deep into the wilds, far enough to encounter real nests. She hadn't learned how to avoid them or deal with them, so she wouldn't be able to offer any practical insight.

"You're heading to Celadon City, so you're coming from Fuchsia through the bike trail, right?"

"Yup! I should arrive earlier than expected. I never realized how much faster traveling is on a bike."

'Oh, you poor thing,' Alex thought.

She was undoubtedly a princess through and through. Even her journey revolved around gym badges rather than experiencing the real world and the financial struggles of common trainers.

"That's all I needed. Thanks for the update, Clarissa," Alex said, intending to end the call.

"Wait!" she quickly cut in. "I want to know how you're doing. Since you're still alive, business must be good."

"It's going great. My team's reached the Elite rank and I've even added more members."

"More? You already had too many, and you still added more?" Clarissa replied in shock.

"Yeah. I also got my 4th badge, defended the farm from a flood, and even finished a commission for Misty," Alex said casually.

"I can't believe how wild your life is. Are you sure you're not the one on a journey?"

"With how my bank account looks? No journey. Just a very successful bounty hunter."

The two chatted for a bit longer, catching up until Clarissa was satisfied and finally ended the call.

"That was unexpected… and yet, completely expected from the Indigo Princess," Alex muttered.

He wasn't trying to demean her. He was just surprised by how detached from reality she still was, even after graduating from the police academy with him. She had likely never understood the financial struggles most trainers faced.

Alex hadn't lived through them for long either, but he had helped enough ordinary trainers to gain a clearer picture. He could also imagine it well enough by recalling the difficulties he faced when he first started out.

Still, with Clarissa being a dead end, he needed another trainer's perspective, someone with more experience if possible.

His mom was an academy graduate who went straight into police work, and Joe likely had a similar upbringing. The girls were no help either, since they only journeyed for a few months before being captured.

That left only one person Alex knew, and that was Lyra, who had been on a journey for over two years now. He decided to give her a call right away.

"Hey Lyra, how's it going?"

"Alex? It's been a long time. Why the sudden call?" she replied casually, though her breathing was labored.

Heavy panting and intense moaning could be heard in the background. It sounded like an orgy. He had most likely caught her at a bad time.

"If you're busy, I can call back later."

"No, we can talk. What's this about?"

Nyx might have been the wildest and horniest woman Alex knew, but Lyra was a close second with her eccentric taste for outdoor sex in full view of nature. Judging by the background noise, some lucky guys and girls were probably on the receiving end.

"I wanted to talk about your experience with Pokémon nests," Alex said just as casually.

He knew Lyra well enough to know she genuinely did not mind the interruption. If she was still the same woman he remembered, the unexpected call was probably only adding to her excitement.

"I've had my fair share of run ins," she replied between increasingly labored breaths, then continued, "They can get very complicated depending on the leader. Some are fine with humans passing through their territory, but most will pursue you for days the moment they catch even a trace of your scent."

There were sounds of agreement in the background despite the ongoing activity. She was most likely enjoying herself with other trainers.

Her insight on the other hand was exactly the kind of input Alex needed, firsthand knowledge drawn from real experience.

"I'm trying to earn League credits, and the best way seems to be taking out nests the League wants removed," Alex explained. "Can I pop in and get you to share more of your experience?"

"Sure. There's actually a nest nearby that's been giving us trouble for the past few days. The League put a sizable price tag on it, but the leader's crafty and only goes after weaker trainers. We could really use some help taking it down."

"Sounds like a deal. I'll head over as soon as possible. Where can I find you?"

"You can find me directly south of your farm, past the forest near Route 11, a few days' journey beyond Diglett Cave near Vermilion City."

Based on the distance to her location, it would take Alex the rest of the afternoon to get there riding Hydreigon. Once he arrived, he could simply teleport back to the farm, so he decided to head over.

"I'll be there by evening."

"I'll be waiting."

Alex wasted no time gathering his team and preparing his gear. He planned to discuss how to use his latest earnings with Rhea once she and Nyx woke up.

He teleported to Diglett Cave with Arcanine, then mounted Hydreigon and headed east along Route 11.

Route 11 sprawled across rolling fields of farmland, where patches of crops swayed gently in the breeze. The area was mostly filled with farms all the way to the end, where it reached the sea before splitting north and south along Kanto's coastline.

Scattered farmhouses and windmills dotted the landscape, blending seamlessly with the natural surroundings. The peaceful atmosphere made it a quiet escape from the busy towns and cities nearby.

By evening, Alex had arrived at the general area Lyra had described. Unfortunately, since it was a wooded area, finding her exact location proved difficult.

He released Arcanine and had him pick up the nearby scents. Arcanine should still remember Lyra from their previous meeting, so it did not take long before Alex found their campsite. Two tents were pitched around a small campfire, where Lyra and another woman about their age were waiting.

Upon closer inspection, Alex realized he might actually have some history with the other woman.

Chapter 136: Chapter 136. Pokemon Nests 2

"Lyra," Alex called out as he slowly approached their campsite, careful to avoid startling them.

"Alex!" she shouted, rushing forward to give him a big hug before turning to introduce her friend.

"Mika, this is Alex. Alex, this is—"

"Mika Foster. It's good to see you doing well," Alex interrupted.

Mika had been the first girl he rescued three years ago, back when he had just started officially as a bounty hunter. She had been moments away from being sold to human traffickers when Alex intervened.

Once she recognized him, Mika ran forward and hugged him tightly as well.

"I'm sorry I never properly thanked you for saving me back then. I was still in shock and just wanted to get home," she said, hugging him tightly.

"Alex was your savior? The one you said you'd gladly bend over for—" Lyra began teasing, only to be tackled mid-sentence.

"Lyra! Stop! You're embarrassing me!" Mika shouted as she lightly pummeled her friend with flustered little fists.

Alex watched the two of them bicker like sisters and felt genuinely happy for them. They had survived experiences that would have broken most people, yet here they were, smiling, playful, and content with their lives.

Mika stood at 5'4" (1.63 m) with short black hair, styled similarly to Lyra's. In fact, the two looked so alike with their small frames, matching haircuts, and similar energy that they could easily be mistaken for siblings. The only real difference was the hair color. Lyra's hair was blue, while Mika's was black.

Seeing Mika like this was a far cry from the defensive girl he had rescued all those years ago.

"Alright! Alright, I'll shut up about it. Calm down, girl," Lyra shouted over Mika's beating.

"Where's the rest of your group?" Alex asked.

"They bailed as soon as they heard we were going after the Hypno nest. Bunch of pussies," Mika grumbled.

"That's not what you said when Rick was balls deep in—"

Mika tackled Lyra again before she could finish.

"So, how did you two meet? And what's your experience with Pokémon nests?" Alex asked, steering the conversation back on track.

The group settled around the campfire as the early evening settled in, the flames crackling softly while they eased into their story.

Ever since Mika had been rescued, she was out of it for weeks. Quiet, withdrawn, just trying to keep it together. Eventually, she got tired of feeling like a victim and decided to do something about it. Instead of continuing on her journey, she headed into the wilds and started hunting Pokémon for food and survival.

She figured the bastards kidnapping and raping people had probably backed off after Alex started hunting them down. With that in mind and more than a little anxiety, she returned to the forest to train her team.

She trained her Nidorino, Nidorina, and Pidgeotto to work together better and started seeking out stronger Pokémon to battle. All of it was to sharpen her team to protect her better.

Everything changed when she met Lyra about a year later, after coming back from a hunt. Lyra was impressed by how coordinated Mika's team worked, despite being made up of weaker Pokémon. Lyra chose to travel with her and even offered to sponsor her.

She bought Mika a pair of Moon Stones so she could evolve Nidorino and Nidorina into Nidoking and Nidoqueen. With Pidgeot freshly evolved, Mika suddenly had a solid trio of powerhouses that could take on Expert ranked threats.

The two bonded over their shared trauma and became determined to never experience it ever again. They would make every predator regret ever thinking they could get away with human trafficking or rape. They built up their teams and began doing what Alex did. Pretending to be weak trainers to bait the sick bastards.

Lyra caught a Poliwag that became a Poliwhirl, but she avoided evolving it into Poliwrath. Mika picked up a Liepard. Flashy, fast, and just rare enough in Kanto to catch the eye.

It did not take long before they caught their first predator. A group of guys who saw only Adept Pokémon and thought they were easy prey. The girls kept calm, recorded their threats, then let loose their real teams. Three Expert ranked Pokémon each. The bastards did not stand a chance.

They turned in the recordings and had the entire group arrested. It turns out the group had minor bounties on them for pulling the same stunt.

That was when they realized they could have made money off of it had they been bounty hunters. If they were already risking their lives doing this, why not get paid like Alex? So they signed up for the police academy and graduated a year later as bounty hunters.

As for the requirement of taking down an Elite with their Expert ranked Pokémon? Not hard when three trained Experts attacked one early Elite all at once.

"Congratulations," Alex said with a grin. "We are all bounty hunters now."

"Hehehe, I get why you chose this path, Alex," Lyra said with a proud smirk. "Nothing feels better than beating the shit out of human traffickers and rapists and getting paid for it."

"Yeah," Mika added. "The look of panic on their faces when they realized we weren't helpless little girls? Fucking euphoric."

For the next year, the pair traveled through nearby cities, hunting down predators. On top of that, they each managed to earn two gym badges while they were at it. The Fighting Gym at Saffron City while they were attending the police academy, and the Grass Gym in Celadon City during their journey.

Next, the conversation shifted to Pokémon nests and their personal experiences dealing with them.

Alex learned that the nests targeted for elimination missions were usually the ones that had killed and eaten humans. Once a nest developed a taste for people and started actively hunting them, it became a serious threat.

Rangers would prioritize wiping those out. But some nests never stayed in one place for long, making them hard to track. That was when missions were posted, either to keep watch or to take them out entirely.

One particularly nasty case was the Hypno nest that had been stalking the area near the girls. They were infamous for sneaking into camps at night, raping humans, and eating them afterward. It was a nightmare to deal with.

Hypnos were not regulated Pokémon because their hypnosis had a limit. It would break if the hypnotized person was commanded to do something that crossed their personal boundaries. Still, it was often enough to keep a human under control for a while.

The girls could handle themselves, especially with Mika's Nidoking and Nidoqueen on guard, but the Hypno never fought a direct battle. They avoided direct confrontation and instead harassed them every night with underlings, making sure they never got proper rest.

As it turned out, the guys they had hooked up with that afternoon were actually their shift buddies for the route. They rotated lookout duties and helped each other move through the area safely. But even with extra support, the Hypno would not back off. They were relentless, always watching, always waiting.

"They were probably scared off by that Arcanine earlier," Mika commented.

"True. They only ever target trainers like us."

"Horny, pretty girls?" Alex joked.

"Pretty horny girls," Lyra corrected with a smirk.

"Well, they couldn't have gotten far. Do you have a scent?" Alex asked.

"It's useless. They know how to cover their tracks. My Mightyena can't find them," Lyra replied as she handed Alex a pendulum sealed in a plastic bag.

"My Arcanine should be able to track them anyway," Alex said, holding the item out for Arcanine to sniff.

After a few sniffs, Arcanine gave a short nod and signaled that he had caught the trail.

"He's got something. We should move before they get too far," Alex said.

"Finally, revenge!" Lyra shouted, summoning her Mightyenas.

Alex climbed onto Arcanine's back while Lyra and Mika each mounted a Mightyena, then the three of them took off into the forest, heading north.

Not even an hour into tracking, they came across the nest in question. An Elite-ranked Hypno was leading more than a dozen others, with around fifty Drowzee following close behind as they moved deeper into the woods. Bringing up the rear were several Hypno dragging the corpses of Glooms, using their rotting stench to mask the group's scent and erase their trail.

"They're quite intelligent," Alex noted as he summoned his entire team.

"Do you mind if we take this one, Alex? We really want some revenge," Lyra requested.

"Sure, just be safe."

"Aww, you're sweet. Let's go, Mika."

"Right behind you," she replied as the pair summoned their Pokemon and charged ahead.

"Encircle the nest and make sure none escape," Alex commanded Gardevoir.

"Gar," she replied, quickly spreading Alex's Pokémon to completely surround the nest.

Lyra had her Corviknight intercept the leader while her Mightyena circled around the nest and flanked the leader from both sides.

Meanwhile, Mika faced the army of Drowzee and Hypno, with Nidoking and Nidoqueen on each side.

Before the Drowzee could unleash their psychic attacks, Nidoking and Nidoqueen struck with Earthquake, devastating the entire nest. Even the Hypno were unable to mount a defense.

'Wild Pokémon are easier to fight since they usually lack Protect,' Alex realized.

He had been too busy taking down Pokémon during the flood to notice, but hunting Pokémon was significantly easier than hunting humans. Humans had Protect and even expanded it to form combat formations, while wild Pokémon could only fight as a mob at best.

This was the kind of knowledge Alex had been wanting to learn.

He also noticed how the Hypno acted as direct commanders who wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice the mob to save themselves. That's why Gardevoir had to order Alex's Pokémon to intercept those trying to escape.

'It's also messier,' Alex noted.

Without coordination, everything was unpredictable. Pokémon would suddenly decide to flee, only to turn back and attack without warning. Humans, on the other hand, usually stuck to their decision and often fled after their leader had been taken down.

Once all the Pokémon were dealt with, Lyra and Mika began collecting the corpses and capturing the survivors with practiced ease. Even Pokémon marked for elimination could still be sold. A proper bond would ensure they adhered to human boundaries.

Alex, meanwhile, relished the learning opportunity.

"Great job, girls. That went better than I expected," he said with a smile.

"Another predator taken down," Lyra replied, high-fiving Mika, who returned it without hesitation.

"I want a shower though," Mika complained.

"You can spend the night at my place before I take you back to the camp if you want," Alex offered.

"I want to go! I haven't seen the others in years," Lyra said excitedly.

"If you don't mind having us," Mika added more quietly.

"It's settled then."

As they prepared to teleport, Lyra gave Alex a sultry look. There was more than just the others she hadn't seen in years.

With a knowing smile, Alex had Gardevoir teleport them back to the farm for a shower, rest, and perhaps something more.

Chapter 137: Chapter 137. Undercurrents

In a high-rise in Cinnabar City, Gravik Drayne, Team Dominion's Regional Head for Kanto and a recently promoted Champion ranked trainer, received a report from his secretary regarding their faction's progress across the region.

"What do you mean Selene has been captured?" he asked his nervous secretary furiously.

She had been quite professional when she started years ago, but over time she learned how brutal Gravik's tantrums could become. It began with his own Pokémon, then the furniture around the room, and eventually escalated to the nearby staff, with her taking the worst of it.

She had wanted to quit for a long time, but she was just a secretary with no one to turn to. Gravik was a Champion ranked trainer backed by Team Dominion, an organization even the League would not openly oppose.

She could not turn to the League because of the spies they had in place. The League knew exactly where Gravik was, yet still did nothing to stop him. Who could she possibly turn to escape this maniac?

"Misty was able to take down Selene and her entire operation overnight," she began to explain before receiving a slap that sent her to the floor.

"That's impossible. Selene would have destroyed half the city if they fought," Gravik shouted, looming over her with growing fury.

"She... she even collected their bounties," the secretary continued, quickly getting back up.

Gravik would start kicking her otherwise, and internal bleeding took longer to recover from. The longer she stayed out of the office, the more brutal the beating once she returned from the medical wing. One time, he didn't even bother to wait. He found her in the medical wing and beat her right there in front of the nurses.

"Bounties? Could it have been that bounty hunter?"

"Reports say he has not been active for the past two years, not since he captured Jonathan Vexler."

"Who?"

"The assassin that was sent to kill him."

"Fine. How about the other cities?"

"The Underworld, specifically Team Umbraline, has ensured the cities we have lost cannot recover by taking over our operations. We would need more Elites to take them back, but—" she said before being interrupted with another slap that sent her to the floor again.

"What cities are left?"

"Pewter City has seen major success in gathering new sympathizers. Fuchsia and Lavender City are still unoccupied due to Koga and Agatha eliminating our Elites. Vermilion City is progressing slowly, but we have managed to get basic operations running. Cinnabar City is just as successful as Pewter City," she reported, carefully placing the bad news between the good.

Small details, she had found based on experience, he responded to well.

"We can't do much about Koga and Agatha. They are specialized for assassination. Put more resources in Pewter City. As for Team Umbraline, I could use a bit of exercise."

"Yes, sir."

-----

Early the next morning on Alex's farm, the girls were surprised when Lyra and Mika showed up to join them for breakfast. Lyra received a warm group hug that accidentally included Mika, who just enjoyed the moment. Rhea, feeling a bit like the odd one out, shrugged before joining the embrace as well.

Once the greetings were over, they all enjoyed a large, hearty breakfast courtesy of Lina while Lyra shared stories of her adventure over the past two years.

That was when Alex turned to Rhea and asked her to inspect the loot he had brought back from Celadon City.

She happily sorted through the weapons stockpile, eagerly made plans for the studio equipment, readily accepted the training equipment modifications Alex proposed, and even promised to provide better Poké Balls than the latest Luxury Balls, all designed in the classic Poké Ball style.

"You're a goddess, Rhea," Alex complimented.

"Hehe, praise me more, country bumpkin. Caress me with your words. Undress me with your honesty. Tickle my ego. Shower me with your positive energy. Fuck me hard in the ass—whoops, that last one just slipped," she replied with her usual energy.

"Set up a schedule with Nyx," Alex said with a sigh.

"Mission accomplished," she said before darting out to find Nyx.

After handing off the loot to Rhea, Alex went over to Nyx, who gave him a report on the current situation in the Underworld.

In short, Team Umbraline was kicking the human supremacists' asses. They had taken over all the operations the supremacists cared about and turned them against them. They hired any potential henchmen, took control of orphanages, spread propaganda showing how adorable Pokémon were, enough to make even the League proud, and most importantly, drained the supremacists' finances by targeting their businesses.

As for any potential bounties with payoffs similar to Selene's, there were none. Pewter City and Vermillion City had legitimate movements underway with no bounties to target, while the rest of the cities were clear of human supremacists. The only place left for Alex to target was Cinnabar City, where their regional head was believed to be located in one of the high-rises.

Regular bounties were on the rise, but Alex had lost interest in them after the substantial immediate payoff he received when Lyra and Mika submitted the mission after breakfast.

Together, the three split one million credits for taking down the notorious Hypno nest. It might seem small by his usual standards, but since credits are estimated to be worth ten times more than Pokedollars, it was a significant sum.

Unfortunately, there were not many nests as notorious as the Hypno nest, so Alex would have to scrape the bottom of the barrel and slowly work his way toward his goal of two hundred million credits.

Mika, meanwhile, was still bewildered by the sudden windfall over lunch.

"I can't believe we made this much just from having you visit us," Mika exclaimed.

"We even got laid," Lyra added with a massive grin.

"It isn't much compared to what you can make as an Elite so get used to it," Alex replied.

From the side, Rhea tilted her head, arms crossed as she studied the two girls. Her expression was thoughtful but serious.

"Since you're both planning to keep up with Alex," she began, "we should talk about protection."

"It was our safe day!" Mika and Lyra immediately replied in unison.

"Not that kind of protection, silly billy," Rhea said with a dramatic pause.

"Guns! I'm talking about guns!" Rhea exclaimed, waving her arms in an exaggerated flourish.

"Great idea, Rhea!" Alex said, standing from his seat to sit beside them. "Since you'll both be putting yourselves in danger, having weapons would give you some added security."

"I even have combat gear in your sizes," Rhea added, "although your fashion might have to suffer."

"They can just use it for raids instead of everyday wear," Alex replied. "Can you make smaller guns for the girls? They'll only need them for close-range use."

"One for supporting their Pokémon and one for killing? Easy," Rhea said with a grin. "I can even add pocket holsters so they won't stick out. They'll be their little secret weapons. Hehehe."

"You know me well. Hehehe."

Rhea and Alex, the resident gun nuts, quickly spiraled into a heated discussion about calibers, recoil control, and loadouts, slipping into their own little world. Lyra and Mika exchanged uneasy glances, watching the two rattle off specifications and tactical jargon like it was another language.

The rest of the girls, already familiar with this routine, paid them no mind. They simply let it play out, knowing there was no stopping the pair once they got started.

"So, orgies?" Nyx suddenly asked from the side.

"Why does that keep coming up?!" Lyra groaned.

"I've had my fair share, but it was usually with high-paying clients," Nyx said with a shrug. "Was it better now that you're doing it freely? Still sore the next day, or does the extra control make it easier? Come on, I want details, girl!"

With Lyra occupied, Mika awkwardly ate her lunch until Vera sat down beside her.

"Not used to the crowd?" Vera asked gently.

"It's nice here," Mika replied. "It feels better than constantly being wary of strangers."

"I was like that too," Vera said with a soft smile. "I thought everyone was out to get me. I'd had so many clients that I started seeing every man as my next customer, always ready to give them my signature smile. I even acted that way around Alex at first. Sometimes, I still do when we're alone."

"What was it like for you?" Mika asked quietly. "Lyra said it was okay, but I can't imagine it."

"It really was okay," Vera said after a pause. "It was just sex, after all. What really gets to you is the lack of control. We couldn't even resist, couldn't think about ourselves. That changes you. You stop bracing for whatever life throws at you and simply accept it."

Mika looked down. "Is that why you're all working for Alex? You simply accepted him as the best option?"

"It started with the money," Vera admitted. "Alex pays more than any job we could find. But after that... it became about familiarity. Knowing how he thinks. Knowing he never initiates. Knowing he always accepts us. That became a comfort compared to the rest of the world."

She smiled faintly, voice softening. "Now? It's just spiritual contentment. Nyx, Kaia, and Rhea are working their dream jobs and earning more than they ever could elsewhere. Lina and Mira are slowly healing by throwing themselves into what they love. And me... I'm starting to realize how fulfilling it is to care for Alex's Pokémon. It's both challenging and brings me peace."

Vera let out a breath, eyes distant. "I've searched, but I haven't found anything that compares to this life. My only regret is not having children."

"I'm sure he'll get around to it someday," Mika said with a small smile. "As a bounty hunter, I completely understand his concerns. But at the rate Alex is going, he'll reach champion rank before you know it."

"Which is why I'm still here," Vera replied softly, her voice steady with quiet conviction.

The group continued to enjoy their peaceful day, laughter and calm settling over them like a warm breeze. But beneath that fragile serenity, the currents of the Underworld had begun to stir, subtle, unseen, and inevitable.

Chapter 138: Chapter 138. Breaking News

By the afternoon, it was decided that Lyra and Mika would stay for a month to undergo combat and gun training with Alex. They were even granted special permission to eat Elite rank meat to bolster their personal strength. This way, they would not be physically weaker than men of the same rank.

It was not enough that they were given personalized guns and gear. They were also provided with the latest camping equipment, similar to what Alex had purchased when he first made his fortune. All of it was to be modified by Rhea to exceed current industry standards.

Rather than being overwhelmed by requests, Rhea was energized to dive into a new set of projects. It was a welcome change from the faltering artificial intelligence software she and Nyx had been developing.

She hated the idea of giving up, but what choice did she have when her boss insisted she focus on other projects? Or so she told herself.

Meanwhile, Nyx kept a sharp eye out for new bounties, assassination targets, or Pokémon nests that Alex might profit from. Adding Pokémon nests to her watch list had only increased her workload.

The other girls were excited to have Lyra staying with them for the next month, eagerly taking it upon themselves to care for her and Mika's Pokémon. Even Alex's own team welcomed the newcomers, quickly taking them under their wing for specialized training.

Absol led the pair of Mightyena and Liepard, using their shared traits and familiarity to drill them in territorial defense and perimeter scouting.

Corviknight received Body Press training from Forretress and joined Pidgeot in flying lessons taught by Togekiss.

Poliwhirl was finally allowed to evolve into Poliwrath after years of service. He joined the Nido royalty and trained alongside Kommo-o to learn real close range brawling techniques instead of relying solely on Pokemon moves.

To maintain appearances, Lyra and Mika each purchased a new rare Pokémon using the credits they earned through the League Market. They made sure to choose Pokemon that were difficult to raise, unlike the easier Liepard and Poliwhirl they had originally selected.

Lyra chose an Axew with Rivalry. It was rare but relatively affordable compared to those with the Mold Breaker ability, which were far more expensive.

Mika chose a Trapinch with Arena Trap to help with capturing fugitives and Pokémon. While uncommon in the region, Trapinch was widely available in other desert areas, keeping its cost low despite its potential.

As a bonus, both Pokémon were small, adorable, and easy to carry, perfect starters to show off and draw attention with.

Their diet now consisted of Novice rank meat as they continued developing their move proficiency. Given the moderate quality of the food, the girls would have around five years of reliable bait before the new additions reached Expert rank.

That evening, as Alex and the girls enjoyed a lively dinner at the farm, Nyx suddenly gasped and rushed to turn on the holographic projector in the dining area, revealing breaking news from Celadon City.

The projector flickered to life with shaky drone footage, accompanied by the urgent voice of a reporter narrating the chaos in the city's outskirts.

"We interrupt your program for breaking coverage. A high-level Pokémon battle has erupted in Celadon's commercial district. Authorities are urging citizens to remain indoors."

The camera panned to a wide angle shot of the ruined city streets, where crumbling infrastructure spanned multiple blocks of the commercial district. Smoke drifted through the air, curling around shattered storefronts and scorched signage like the last breath of a dying city.

Amid the debris, two unidentified figures stood atop opposing buildings, overlooking the escalating battle below. Their teams clashed fiercely across the rubble strewn streets, the conflict spreading block by block. Near each trainer, Umbreon and Alakazam stood watch on one side, while Bisharp and Obstagoon mirrored them on the other, silent sentinels amid the devastation.

One side moved like shadows through the smoke, Pokémon built for precision and subtlety. A Hisuian Zoroark cloaked its allies in illusions, while Gengar emerged and vanished through walls, sowing confusion. Glimmora floated above it all, scattering Toxic Spikes, while Dragapult weaved disruption into the chaos with eerie calm.

Their opponent, however, favored brute strength and relentless force. Hydreigon roared through the skies, blasting buildings with draconic fury. Tyranitar created shockwaves that ruptured the pavement and toppled buildings, while Ursaluna stampeded through the wreckage with raw earth-shaking power.

The battle was broadcasted raw and unfiltered, no commentator, no editing. Just the sound of destruction, the flash of attacks, and the stunned silence of onlookers. Each side fought with elite coordination and deadly intent.

At first glance, it appeared the side relying on brute strength was dominating, judging by the sheer scale of destruction left in their wake. But despite their power, they were outmaneuvered and steadily overwhelmed by superior numbers. The outcome seemed inevitable.

Then came the turning point.

The final Pokémon emerged on the brute's side, leveling the playing field. From the shadows behind the power-based team emerged a massive figure, silent, slow, but imposing. Snorlax.

The city held its breath as it lumbered into the fray. At first, it seemed unremarkable, barely reacting as Dragapult launched its children with Dragon Darts directly through its gut. Then, with a single Giga Impact of its massive paw, the air cracked. The illusions dispersed. Glimmora's defenses shattered. Gengar was driven into the ground with a shockwave that cratered the surrounding area.

The surprise came moments later when an emergency League scan identified the Snorlax as Champion-ranked.

Even the cameras struggled to keep up with what followed. In a shocking display of speed and overwhelming power, Snorlax tore through the opposing team with brutal precision. Hisuian Zoroark, Dragapult, and Gengar were torn apart with a single brutal Crunch each. Glimmora barely had time to react before a thunderous Earthquake shattered the pavement, toppled walls, and brought down no fewer than four buildings, burying Glimmora beneath the rubble.

One of the mysterious trainers disappeared into a veil of smoke, withdrawing with Umbreon, Alakazam, and the rest of his defeated team before the final blow could land.

As Snorlax stood triumphant in the cratered ruin of a city block, a new figure appeared through the smoke, calm, composed, and radiant in her floral kimono.

Erika.

Without a word, her Leafeon and Bellossom materialized, both Champion-ranked and radiating immense power. They surrounded Snorlax in a circle of shimmering light and fragrant scent, their auras clashing in the air with such force that the atmosphere seemed to vibrate.

Though no battle erupted, tension rippled across the projection as Snorlax's trainer calmly returned the behemoth with a click of his Poké Ball, fading into the ruins without a word.

The broadcast ended with a static-filled shot of Erika standing alone, her gaze calm but furious as she surveyed the wreckage.

The room at the farm fell into silence.

Nyx slowly sank into her seat, eyes still fixed on the screen. "That was Gravik Drayne," she said quietly. "Leader of Kanto's human supremacist faction."

"What do you think?" Lyra asked, glancing at Alex, who wore a thoughtful expression.

"I could take him," Alex said without hesitation.

"Are you insane? That Snorlax was Champion rank! They leveled half the city," Vera snapped, her voice rising with disbelief.

"It's not as bad as it looks."

"Not as bad as it looks? Thousands of people must have died in that battle, and you think it's not as bad as it looks?" she shouted, eyes blazing with concern.

Alex didn't respond. He understood her fear. Vera may have been a Senior breeder, but she had never fought a battle on that level. Still, he could see it, victory was possible, as long as the conditions stayed exactly the same.

But even if he won, one thing was certain, he would also have to deal with the wrath of Celadon's gym leader for flattening half her city.

"I wonder what the League's going to do," Rhea asked.

"Probably nothing, like always," Nyx replied flatly, her eyes still glued to her phone.

"That battle leveled half the city. If one side had no problem using that kind of force, the League might have no choice but to retaliate just as brutally. Damage like this is well below the League's bottom line," Rhea said, her tone cool and analytical.

"Um… why did Erika just let him go?" Mika asked, confused. "It seemed like the perfect time to take him down."

"The damage to the commercial district was done by a battle between Elites," Alex answered. "The resulting Champion ranked battle would have done the same to the entire city. She wanted to avoid further collateral damage."

"Either way, Alex will have quite the bounty to chase. Check this out," Nyx said, displaying her screen onto the projector.

BOUNTY DOSSIER

Target: Gravik Drayne

Rank: Champion

Contract ID: #3374-KS

Payout: 130 million Pokedollars or 10 million credits and 30 million Pokedollars

Order: Wanted Dead or Alive

Known Pokémon Team: Snorlax (Champion), Tyranitar, Obstagoon, Bisharp, Ursaluna, Hydreigon

Gravik Drayne is a highly aggressive combatant who specializes in brute-force confrontations and urban warfare tactics. His battles often cause massive civilian and structural casualties, using overwhelming power to instill fear and establish dominance.

He is a muscular, scarred male around 34 years old, standing 6'2" (1.88 m) tall. He has dark grey eyes, shaved sides with coarse black hair on top, a large back tattoo bearing an unknown insignia, a heavy black armored coat, and a noticeable burn on his left cheek.

As the leader of the Kanto Human Supremacist Faction, Gravik commands decentralized cells across multiple cities in the region. He is connected to high-level black market trades, anti-League militancy, and Pokemon abuse. His confirmed atrocities include the partial leveling of Celadon City's commercial district, suspected involvement in three Gym assassinations, and the execution of multiple League agents and bounty hunters.

The girls read through the dossier before finally turning to Alex, who wore a mischievous grin.

"If he was only worth his stockpile of guns to me before," he said, "then he's definitely worth being hunted down now."

Chapter 139: Chapter 139. Blood in the Water

"The price on Gravik's head seems a bit cheap, doesn't it?" Nyx suddenly said. "Alex made about this much from Selene."

"That was a personal request rather than a public bounty, and it came with stipulations to avoid collateral damage," Rhea explained. "This, however, is an open contract without stipulations, meaning it is the cheaper price to pay to have him eliminated. Also, whoever put it up intends for there to be collateral damage wherever Gravik is located."

"Gravik is supposedly at Cinnabar City, on one of the high-rises," Nyx added before realizing. "Oooh~ whoever put it up wants Cinnabar City to burn to the ground?"

"I think it's Erika," Lyra chimed in. "Since the Gym Leaders of Cinnabar City allowed their Underworld elements to wreak havoc in her city, she wants to ensure they get a taste of their own medicine."

"Still, I think it's on the cheaper side as far as bounties go," Nyx said. "He's a Champion ranked trainer now, isn't he? He should be worth a lot more."

"He barely passes as a Champion," Kaia added, deciding to join in. "Alex's bounties are usually from targets the League doesn't particularly care about. They've done damage, sure, but they haven't pissed anyone off personally."

"This bounty, however, is different. He clearly pissed off Erika, who wants revenge, hence the 10 million credits. As for the original 30 million Pokédollars, that was probably the standard obligatory bounty for the leader of a criminal Team or faction."

"Um… why is no one talking about the other trainer?" Mika asked.

"He's most likely from Team Umbraline, which means the buildings that were destroyed belonged to them," Alex replied. "Team Umbraline has been interfering with the human supremacist faction's operations for the past few years. I guess Gravik finally lost it and decided to take the fight to them."

As they were discussing, Nyx suddenly exclaimed, "The bounty updated. It's now at 230 million Pokédollars."

"In credits?" Alex quickly asked.

"In cash."

"Then that bounty's from Team Umbraline," Alex said, eyes narrowing. "They must've lost some serious assets to pay out that much. It's enough to rebuild everything that was destroyed."

"Just the buildings, darling," Rhea corrected. "I bet they lost several data centers and high tech equipment too, not to mention loyal manpower. The total damage could easily cost ten times the bounty. Even for mega corporations, a loss like that would be significant."

"Is there an update on Gravik's location?" Alex asked Nyx, who was still glued to her phone.

"Sporadic information, all pointing to the commercial district of Cinnabar City. As for the bounty hunter's information site, there are plenty of leads pointing to Cinnabar City but none claiming to have their exact location."

The bounty hunter's information site offered data packets that claimed to contain valuable intel, charging a percentage of the bounty to access them. This was how most bounty hunters made their money by selling leads to those capable of taking down the target.

"Given Gravik's Pokémon, he wouldn't stay long in the commercial district. He'd need a wide open area large enough to host battles for his particularly destructive Elites. It would have to be at least as large as the farm to hold battles of that scale," Alex analyzed.

"There's no place like that in Cinnabar City," Nyx explained. "The landmass is limited, so most of the city was built over the water to allow for expansion. If they're hiding somewhere, it's either in the volcano, underground, or beneath the waters."

"Is the commercial district built over the water?"

"Yes."

"Then maybe there's an underwater facility beneath one of the buildings."

"You almost got it right, Alex," Nyx exclaimed. "I just checked the assassination board, and Gravik's profile has been updated with his location."

Target Profile: Gravik Drayne

Pokémon: Snorlax (Champion), Tyranitar, Obstagoon, Bisharp, Ursaluna, Hydreigon

Threat Level: Champion Rank

Contract Value: 130 million Pokedollars or 10 million credits(Team Umbraline) and 30 million Pokedollars

Status: Kill on Sight

Gravik Drayne, male, 34, 6'2" (188 cm), muscular build, dark grey eyes, burn scar on left cheek, black hair with shaved sides and a coarse top. Typically seen in a heavy black armored coat, bearing a large unknown insignia tattooed across his back. Gravik is the known leader of the Kanto Human Supremacist Faction, commanding decentralized militant cells across the region.

Recent intel places Gravik Drayne in the Cinnabar City commercial district, with confirmed access to an underwater facility southeast of the city that serves as a command center for his operations. Extreme caution is advised, as the surrounding waters harbor aggressive aquatic Pokémon nests, making approach and extraction high-risk due to environmental hazards and potential hostiles.

"The price is lower than the League's," Mika noted.

"That's because trainers can only complete one of the contracts," Nyx explained. "The Underworld likely intends to pay League trainers in Pokédollars, reserving credits exclusively for those within their ranks."

"What if someone belongs to both, like you?" Lyra asked, having been told about Alex's other income stream.

"The credits have to be tied to an account with Team Umbraline, which I don't have," Alex replied. "My only connection is through anonymous banking, so I wouldn't qualify for both. Honestly, I prefer the League's payout anyway. It's cleaner and less of a headache."

"So, what are you going to do, Alex?" Nyx asked.

Alex turned to Rhea with a grin. "Rhea, I'm going to need your largest portable space bag."

"Yay, more stuff!" Rhea cheered. "Make sure to grab more crystals. They're the only way we can increase our number of drones."

"You got it."

As the group continued discussing the bounty on Gravik, similar conversations were unfolding across Kanto. Trainers from all walks of life studied the headlines, weighed the risk, and began making their move.

Once a trainer gained 8-badge-level access within the League, they no longer needed a bounty hunter license to collect bounties. That made the credits on Gravik's head especially tempting, taking him down could fund their dreams, just as Alex hoped to do.

For trainers operating at the Elite level and beyond, pokedollars were little more than loose change. True wealth was measured in credits, a currency backed either by the League or the Underworld.

Now, both League-aligned trainers and their Underworld counterparts had caught the scent. And when blood is in the water, the sharks begin to circle. Everyone wanted in on a payout that rivaled the ones Alex had earned from taking down Don, spearheading the Pokémon flood, and most recently, the request from Misty.

There was a reason both the League and the Underworld took such passive stances when it came to trainer-on-trainer conflict. On the surface, it was concern for civilian safety. In truth, it was about control, keeping the strongest trainers on a leash, or at least steering their instincts.

The Pokémon world was like an open ocean, teeming with powerful predators. Some swam in the League's current, upholding order and stability. Others moved through murkier waters, answering only to themselves and the services the Underworld provided.

But no matter which current they followed, one truth remained: even the strongest need to eat. And the credits on Gravik's head was more than enough to feed a predator.

In a video call between Champion Lorelei, Gym Leader Erika, and Gym Leader Blaine, tensions were high as Erika was being scolded for placing a credit bounty on Gravik.

"Do you realize what you've done?" Lorelei scolded. "Trainers are going to lose their minds over this. That bounty is absolute overkill."

"He destroyed my flower shop!" Erika snapped.

"That was just one small location. You make more than enough from your gym and the League stipend," Lorelei replied.

"It's not about the money. It's about my flower shop. I had so many plans for it."

Lorelei rubbed her forehead, already feeling the headache building. Nothing was more unreasonable than a powerful woman with a perceived slight. She would know, given how much Lance had to put up with her. She sighed and turned her attention to Blaine, who seemed distracted by something off screen.

"And you, Blaine. You have known where Gravik was this entire time. You should have dealt with him before it reached this point."

Blaine finally focused on the screen and gave a tired shrug. "This was his first strike. Until now, his faction has done a good job stimulating the economy. I did not expect him to lose his temper like a child and throw a tantrum. That said, I will take responsibility for this matter. I will send the other Gym Leaders to keep the situation under control."

"First strike? What about when he had Brennan, your Ice Gym Leader, assassinated, and succeeded? Or when he nearly got you and Caspian killed?"

"None of those incidents were ever directly linked to Gravik. The assassins that came after us were dealt with. Brennan, meanwhile, was just incompetent."

Lorelei stared at him, unconvinced. She knew Blaine was full of it, but she lacked the time or energy to care at this point. In the end, she decided to let him deal with the fallout. Thousands might die, but at least the economy would thrive during the rebuilding.

As for Gravik Drayne, Champion or not, he had crossed the line, and with both the League and the Underworld putting credits on his head, he was as good as dead.

Chapter 140: Chapter 140. Cinnabar City

Alex was determined to get in on the action, so he headed to Cinnabar City as soon as Rhea finished loading him with a much larger space bag and some extra underwater gear she had been tinkering with in her spare time.

The space bag was bulkier than his usual lightweight pack but could easily hold several shipment containers' worth of loot. As long as he focused on ammunition, he could carry enough to defend against another Pokemon flood.

The underwater gear, called the D.E.E.P. Suit (Dynamic Environment Exploration Platform), was designed to help Alex survive underwater battles alongside his water team, especially given the location of the enemy base.

The fully enclosed metal suit could withstand Elite-ranked damage and resist underwater shockwaves from combat. It was also heat resistant, allowing Alex to endure splashes of lava near volcanic vents, though not dive directly into molten lava.

The suit featured a jet pack for swift underwater movement; while it lacked the power for flight, it could slow his fall enough to survive skydiving without injury.

Once fully equipped, Alex teleported to Viridian City with his Arcanine, then took to the skies on Hydreigon, soaring over wide plains and scattered farms on the way to Pallet Town. The journey spanned the entire day due to the long distance, but at last, he arrived.

Pallet Town was a quiet, modest settlement best known for its ties to Professor Oak and Red, two Champions who had deliberately kept the population small by limiting new residents. Oak's top-secret laboratory and prized Pokémon ranch justified the restrictions, preserving the town's calm and secluded atmosphere.

Despite its size, Pallet Town had become a tourist destination. Visitors, especially wealthy families, were drawn to Oak's Lab, which offered educational tours of the facility and ranch. The town's reputation as a hub of Pokémon knowledge and history made it a charming stop for trainers and travelers alike.

Alex set up camp just outside the town, giving Hydreigon a chance to rest while Arcanine and Gardevoir familiarized themselves with the surroundings. Come morning the next day, with the team fully recovered and alert, Alex mounted Hydreigon's back and set off southward across the open sea.

As they flew over the deep waters, Alex spotted scattered nests and roaming Pokémon, some visible only as silhouettes beneath the waves. Tentacool drifted in swarms just below the surface, their jelly-like bodies pulsing gently, while larger Tentacruel loomed deeper. Magikarp splashed in noisy schools, occasionally scattered by Gyarados bursting from below. Further down, Horsea zipped through coral pockets while Shellder clung quietly to the rocks, blending into the seafloor.

Islands could be seen sparsely strewn as they continued their journey, many of them home to Pokémon that thrived in isolation. Craggy shores sheltered clusters of Krabby and Kingler scuttling over basalt outcrops, their pincers clicking as they competed for space in the sun. Psyduck and Slowpoke dozed lazily near warm tide pools, unbothered by the occasional splash from a hunting Golduck or the slow patrol of a passing Slowbro.

Given the distance of the journey, Alex would allow Hydreigon to rest while the team fended off nests on these islands. Not that there were any that dared oppose the number of Elite auras Alex and his team radiated. Even the most territorial Pokémon kept their distance once his presence settled in, allowing the party to rest.

Three days of flying south on Hydreigon later, they finally arrived at Cinnabar City.

It was a gleaming beacon of innovation, unrecognizable from its pre-eruption days. The original island had long since expanded outward using massive gyroscopically-stabilized floating platforms, creating a sprawling metropolis that shimmered like a mirage above the ocean. Layers of reinforced glass and steel formed streets over water, and towering buildings emerged like crystalline spires from the sea, catching the sun as they swayed ever so slightly with the waves below.

The platforms themselves were marvels of engineering, each one recalibrating its balance in real time thanks to embedded gyro systems. They remained perfectly level even as the ocean churned around them, offering stability akin to solid ground. Beneath the platforms, aquariums, research centers, and hydroponic farms thrived, creating a blend of science and sustainability that had made Cinnabar a hub for both technological development and Pokémon ecological research.

This new Cinnabar had become a magnet for travelers, engineers, and trainers alike. Its lower levels bustled with commerce and shipyards, while the upper tiers housed the wealthy, private labs, and fortified compounds. The contrast between the calm sea below and the glass-and-metal jungle above gave the city a surreal, almost otherworldly charm, one befitting a place where ambition literally floated above the deep.

Alex checked into a luxury hotel upon arrival before heading out to explore the commercial district. Though he had no immediate plans for scouting, he intended to sightsee since Cinnabar City was clearly a cut above the rest in technological advancements. He even believed it surpassed Saffron City, the strategic hub of commerce and trade in Kanto.

Gym Leader Blaine had a clear vision when he first proposed transforming Cinnabar Island. He championed scientific progress, attracting the best minds Kanto had to offer, and worked tirelessly to build the city it is today.

Alongside the city's expansion and technological leaps, Blaine supported adding two new gyms, one Ice type and one Water type, to help manage the growing metropolis.

Beneath the surface, however, rumors swirled about Blaine dealing under the table with the Underworld behind the League's back. It was not a major concern; Blaine's obsession with science seemed to justify even dealing with his supposed enemies. So it was no surprise to Alex when he noticed the growing presence of criminal elements throughout the city.

There was no overt display of crime, but Alex noticed the city's atmosphere carried an undercurrent of tension. People cast lingering, wary glances, their eyes shifting too often to be casual. Many walked with a readiness in their posture, hands never far from their Poké Balls. Most telling of all was the noticeable lack of police presence on the streets.

Once he reached the commercial district, however, the atmosphere shifted from tense to volatile, like a powder keg waiting to ignite. The air was thick with pressure, and Elite ranked auras pulsed from every corner. Hidden among them, Alex could even sense the presence of Champion ranked aura.

"Gravik's bounty was a lot more significant than I thought. I definitely cannot get involved in whatever is going on here," Alex decided, turning away from the area without hesitation.

His plan was relatively straightforward. He intended to steal Gravik's supply of bullets, move crystals, and energy crystals while the man was distracted by the flood of trainers drawn in by his bounty.

Alex had realized early on that Gravik was a hot commodity, someone Elite and even Champion rank trainers would level a city to capture.

Now, having seen it firsthand, he felt like a noob just stepping out of the starter village. For the first time in a long while, he no longer considered his accomplishments impressive compared to what older trainers had likely achieved. His previously successful bounties now felt like scraps at the adult table of the Pokémon world. The real bounties came with credit, not just money.

"Let's hope the underwater facility has better loot. It's not like I have much room in my pack anyway."

Alex returned to his hotel room and decided to relax for the rest of the day. After flying for over four days straight, he was exhausted and needed a proper night's rest in a comfortable bed to recharge.

As for the risk of staying in a city packed with trainers ready to clash at any moment, he wasn't particularly concerned. The hotel he had chosen was located on the northwestern edge of the city, far from the commercial district and Gravik's underwater facility, which were both situated in the southeast.

Waking up early the next day, Alex headed for the docks where he released his water team. Gyarados, Milotic, and six Wishiwashi who happily played in the water before turning to Alex who wore his Deep Suit.

The Deep Suit was a sleek blend of tactical armor and diving gear, built for underwater missions without losing mobility. Its outer layer was a black polymer composite lined with glowing blue fibers that pulsed softly with energy. The fully enclosed helmet featured a curved visor that provided a wide view enhanced by sonar and display overlays.

Flexible plating at the joints allowed smooth movement while keeping the suit sealed. A large propulsion unit on the back provided quick bursts of motion or prolonged underwater propulsion, and a compact pack housed both a rebreather and power source.

Minimal in design but clearly advanced, the suit prioritized function and durability, made to withstand deep sea pressure while supporting long operations.

"It's a bit bulky, but I should still be able to throw a proper punch," Alex judged. "Feels like light full plate armor from medieval times."

Alex dove into the water and played around with the propulsion system before riding on Gyarados's head and pointing to the deep waters southeast of the city.

Gyarados surged ahead with a burst of speed while Milotic held the rear, graceful and vigilant. The six Wishiwashi followed closely in Alex's slipstream, small and unimposing in their solo forms but poised to become a formidable force once enough of their kind gathered nearby to trigger Schooling.

Once Alex arrived at the coordinates on the assassination profile, he was shocked to discover he was late to the party.

Chapter 141: Chapter 141. Fishing in troubled Waters

Alex departed from Cinnabar City, steering his path southeast across the open sea toward the coordinates posted on the assassin board.

The sun shimmered off the rolling waves, its reflection broken only by the rhythmic motion of Gyarados cutting through the water. The ocean here was deep, impossibly so in places, but nothing that his reinforced dive suit or the power of his Gyarados could not handle.

Below the surface, the water darkened to a twilight blue. Shafts of sunlight pierced through in long golden lances, revealing barren seabeds and eerily empty coral formations. There should have been life here. Schools of Magikarp, clusters of Tentacool, the occasional cloistered nest of Shellder. But there was nothing.

No movement. No shadows darting just out of view. Just silence.

Alex frowned inside his helmet, his eyes sweeping across the dark waters around him.

"This doesn't make sense," he muttered to himself. "There were supposed to be nests all over this route."

He checked the scanner on his display. The device pinged once, then fell silent. No activity. No life signs. Not even the lower-ranked Pokémon that usually swarmed near traveling trainers.

His team was only at Expert Rank. Strong, but not enough to suppress wild Pokémon completely. They should have been mobbed several times by now. But the sea was still. Too still.

"Trainers must have come through already," Alex thought. "I may be late to the party."

Once Alex reached the coordinates, he saw an enormous rock formation on the ocean floor, stretching for a few miles in every direction.

The formation looked unnatural, rising from the seafloor like a solitary hill in the middle of a lifeless plain. Its jagged surface clashed with the smooth and barren seabed around it. Almost no coral had taken root, a strange sight in these waters, as if marine life had never been given the chance to grow. It was the only visible structure for miles and the only lead he had to follow.

Gyarados descended with Alex clinging to his back. The water grew colder and darker as they sank deeper, his reinforced diving suit adjusting to the increasing pressure.

The closer he got, the stranger the formation appeared. The rock was neither volcanic nor sedimentary. It looked carved, with sharp edges and symmetrical channels worn into the stone, as if the structure had once been artificial or intentionally shaped. Some areas bore marks that resembled scorch patterns or the residue of powerful energy discharges that had long since faded.

After some time circling, Alex finally spotted it. A massive rupture in the rock wall, wide enough for Gyarados to pass through. The edges were smooth and blackened, as if something had blasted its way inside. Beyond it was a hollow interior, an enormous cavern of stone and shadow.

He ran a scan. There was a strong residual energy signature from Champion ranked Pokémon, but no signs of life. No movement. Whatever had happened here was not recent, or whoever was responsible was already gone.

They moved inside and entered what appeared to be a massive underwater training facility. The entire structure was flooded, with debris drifting slowly through the water. Buildings had been torn apart, walls cracked open, and shattered glass littered the seabed like frozen confetti.

Despite the damage, it was clear this place had once been a major operation. Alex could see now why Gravik had chosen this location.

The facility was enormous. There were open fields large enough to accommodate battles between Champion level Pokémon. Scattered around the complex were office towers, scientific laboratories, and training zones not just for Pokémon, but for human personnel as well. Some looked like standard gyms, others more like military compounds. He passed shooting ranges, reinforced sparring rooms, and what might have been simulators for tactical drills.

The scope of the operation was staggering.

"I'm definitely late. Makes sense, considering it took me nearly a week to get here after the coordinates were posted. Hopefully, whoever wrecked this place wasn't after the guns," Alex thought.

Alex began his sweep of the buildings, pushing through collapsed corridors and broken doorways. He found a medical bay filled with rusted tools and empty supply racks. A flooded cafeteria where tables and chairs floated slowly under the dim emergency lighting. He passed by sleeping quarters and a full kitchen, each section showing signs of a rapid evacuation or a sudden attack.

Eventually, he found their storage units. Rows of reinforced containers stacked against the walls, most still sealed. While the structure had been compromised by the water, the units themselves looked undisturbed.

He approached one of the larger containers and pried it open, revealing a stash of supplies. Inside were clothes, armor, weapons, ammunition, spoiled food, broken machines, and scattered spare parts.

"Jackpot!" Alex exclaimed.

He took out his space bag and began stuffing it with salvageable supplies. It didn't contain actual space. It worked like a Poké Ball, converting matter to energy and back seamlessly, so he didn't have to worry about it filling with water. Still, the items would probably be wet when they came back out.

Fortunately, the bullets were made of energy crystals, so the water hadn't affected them. The armor and guns might be a different story, but if he had space left, he'd take them anyway. Rhea might know how to salvage them.

Once he emptied the containers, Alex returned to the training grounds. There might still be more supplies scattered around.

After a quick sweep, he found a few additional ammunition, but they were nothing compared to what he had pulled from the main storage.

He made his way to what appeared to be the main office building, only to find it had been thoroughly cleaned out.

Whoever cleaned up the place had taken all the humans and Pokémon, whether alive or dead, along with any device that could store information, leaving behind only the most basic supplies.

Fortunately for Alex, they had no interest in the weapons and armor.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Alex searched every remaining building and salvaged whatever he could. By the end, only one place remained unexplored, the submarine bay.

There must have been a way to move large supplies in and out of the facility besides using Teleport, so Alex circled the entire interior until he found a cave.

Inside, he discovered an empty submarine bay, its metal walls covered in algae and drifting silt. Along one side were tubes that looked like emergency escape pods, and every single one had already been used. And, to his surprise, there were even more storage containers tucked into the far end of the bay.

He got to work, quickly emptying them into his pack until it was completely full.

In the end, he had to leave behind some equipment that looked too damaged to salvage, trading it for more bullets instead. Rhea had a point. More energy crystals meant more drones and more security.

By the time he finished, the bag was almost entirely filled with ammunition. Rhea would surely appreciate the increase in supplies.

Once he reached the final container tucked away in the back, Alex was met with a surprise.

Inside were several pods that looked like they were meant for emergency escape, likely the same kind used in the tubes he had found earlier but never loaded into them. All of them were empty except for one.

Inside was a woman wearing a slightly disheveled secretary's uniform, her body curled weakly in the pod's harness. She looked thin and pale from going without food for days, but her breathing was steady. Her shoulder-length black hair framed a tired face with soft green eyes, and she appeared to be around 5'8" (1.73 m) tall.

She stared at Alex with wide, pleading eyes, but her body remained motionless. She was clearly too weak to do anything else. It was obvious she did not have much time left. Her eyes begged to be saved, even though she was clearly one of Gravik's henchwomen.

"She might be able to tell me what exactly happened here," Alex thought. "Better yet, she might be able to tell me where to find Gravik."

He took out a harness and secured the pod to Milotic before making his way out of the base. This had been his last stop, so he was ready to leave.

He signaled for Gyarados and the others, and together they ascended toward the surface.

Once they breached the water, Alex released Hydreigon and fastened the pod to her before recalling his water team. Climbing on Hydreigon, he flew to a nearby island where he released Arcanine, then teleported back to the farm. It took a few trips, hopping between islands the same way they came, before finally arriving home.

Alex removed his suit and released his Pokémon, keeping Clawitzer at the ready with a Heal Pulse prepared. Then, he carefully pried open the pod.

The woman barely managed to glance at him before whispering, "Don't take me to the League," and then passed out.

Clawitzer fired a few Heal Pulses for good measure before looking at Alex. The woman's injuries were fine but she was clearly in need of medical attention.

"That should take care of the decompression sickness, but it won't fix the starvation and dehydration," Alex said. "I just realized we don't have proper medical personnel on the farm. I need to ask Nyx to handle that as soon as possible. I can't let someone die just because I overlooked something so important."

He looked at the woman, still unconscious, and weighed his options carefully.

He didn't know much about medicine beyond what he'd learned from treating himself. Years of sparring had taught him how to clean and dress wounds, set broken bones, and manage infections. But starvation and dehydration were a different matter entirely. All he could recall was getting stuck with a needle and somehow feeling better afterward.

"Rotom, what are the basic steps to treat hunger and dehydration?" Alex asked.

"To treat a person suffering from hunger and dehydration, begin by assessing their vital signs, including pulse, breathing, and responsiveness. If stable, initiate rehydration with small, frequent sips of room-temperature water or an electrolyte solution. Do not administer solid food immediately, as this may cause refeeding syndrome."

"Begin nutritional support with easily digestible, low-fat, and low-protein foods such as clear broth, diluted juice, or rice porridge in small portions every two to three hours. Allow the individual to rest in a quiet, warm environment and monitor for signs of nausea, confusion, irregular heartbeat, or weakness. After 48 to 72 hours of stable intake, gradually introduce light proteins and more substantial nutrition. Continuous observation is recommended to ensure safe recovery."

"Sounds like a job for Lina. Let's just hope she doesn't die because of her own request."

Chapter 142: Chapter 142. A Few Leads

Alex returned to the farm in the late afternoon, just in time for dinner. When he made his way to the dining area, he found all the girls gathered around the table, enjoying a meal courtesy of Lina.

"Alex! You're back," Nyx said, mid-bite into her Tauros steak. "How was the trip?"

"Very lucrative. Rhea, your ammo's in the bag. It might be a bit wet, so be ready for a mess. Lina, can you prepare a light broth? I brought someone back who might have information on Gravik, but she's unconscious from hunger and dehydration," Alex said.

"Yay! More drones!" Rhea exclaimed.

"Coming right up," Lina said, already getting to her feet.

"Is she conscious?" Vera asked with concern.

"No."

"Then you'll need an IV instead of soup. She won't be able to swallow if she's unconscious."

"Can you take care of it?"

"No, I'm not trained for that."

"Anyone?"

The table fell silent. One by one, the girls shook their heads.

Letting out a sigh, Alex pulled out his phone and called Jenny. He was clearly in over his head trying to play doctor and needed professional help.

"Hey, Alex. What's up?"

"Hey, Mom. I was wondering if you know any medical professionals who can keep a secret. I've got someone here who needs care but doesn't want to be taken to the League. Probably scared of spies, so it has to be off the record."

"I know Joy well enough to ask for a favor. Why don't you swing by while I make the call?"

"Thanks, Mom."

Alex hung up and turned to address the girls.

"I've called for backup and need to head out to pick her up. Lina, get that soup ready and prepare enough for a few days. After that, have something with light protein ready in a couple of days."

"Got it," Lina said with a nod.

"Vera, can you get the guest room ready? She'll probably need a proper scrub once Jenny clears her to be moved."

"Alright," Vera replied.

"Nyx, keep me updated on anything related to Gravik. I'm pretty sure he escaped, but just in case, keep an eye out for any new intel."

"Kay," Nyx said, already tapping on her device.

Alex made his way to Arcanine and teleported to Jenny's place, where he waited with her for nearly an hour before Nurse Joy arrived.

"Where's the patient?" she asked, dressed in casual clothes with her medkit slung over one shoulder.

"She's at my place, so we'll need to teleport over. Want to come, Mom?" Alex asked.

"Sure. I haven't seen the girls in a while, and you could use some professional advice."

They teleported back to the farm, and Alex led Nurse Joy to the living room where the woman was still passed out inside the pod.

Joy performed a quick check of her vitals before speaking.

"Dehydrated and starved for about five days. She's lucky to be alive. Where did you find her?"

"Deep underwater, about an hour ago," Alex replied.

"Did you use Heal Pulse?"

"Yeah, to deal with the decompression sickness."

"Good. That should've stabilized her. I'll need to insert an IV to get fluids into her system. After that, monitor her for a few days and give her nothing but room temperature soup. I'll check back in a few days to see if she's ready for solids."

She took out an IV bag and gently inserted the needle into the woman's arm.

"She's stable enough to move. Can you take her somewhere more comfortable?" she asked, holding up the IV bag.

"We've got a guest room ready," Alex said.

He carried the woman to the room Vera had prepared. Once she was settled on the bed, Vera gave her a gentle cleaning while Nurse Joy set up the IV stand beside the bed and secured the bag in place.

"So, who is she?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Probably someone who worked for the bad guys. I can't tell you more, for her safety."

"I understand. We Joys deal with cases like this more often than you'd think," she said. "The League does a good job keeping things together, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its own problems."

While Nurse Joy continued with a more thorough examination of the woman's condition, Jenny walked over to Alex and quietly asked for more details.

He explained his trip to Gravik's base, recounting what he had seen and what little he had found. When he finished, Jenny shook her head.

"You're lucky you were late," she said. "Some trainers get overzealous during a hunt and will even go after others chasing the same target. They can be completely unhinged when League credits are on the line."

"I remember you earned a lot of League credits from taking down Don. Why did you convert them to cash instead of using them?"

"For what? I don't need much beyond the house I bought. League credits are valuable for high-rank trainers, but that world doesn't really concern me. I'd rather live comfortably than spend my days chasing constant high-level battles."

Alex deeply admired this side of Jenny. He couldn't imagine living peacefully while knowing he hadn't reached his full potential. The idea of settling down, enjoying comfort, and pretending the world was safe when threats still lingered was something he could never accept. He wouldn't be able to rest easy with that kind of compromise.

Jenny, however, was different. For her, peace wasn't about personal strength or constant vigilance. It was about stability for the people. As long as the general populace lived without fear, she believed they could flourish and find happiness in what they had, even if larger dangers still existed in the background.

He didn't see it as ignorance, but as contentment. Something he couldn't have.

After the woman was cleaned up and given a thorough examination, Nurse Joy provided instructions on how to care for her. Vera, Lina, and Mira agreed to take turns looking after her.

Once Jenny finished her brief chat with the other girls, Alex brought her and Nurse Joy back to the mansion, promising to visit again in the coming days.

The next morning, the woman woke up, prompting Vera to fetch Alex for a proper conversation.

"Thank you for rescuing me," the woman said.

"I'm Alex, this is Vera. And you are?" Alex asked, getting straight to the point.

"My name is Celise Arden, and I'm Gravik's secretary."

'Jackpot,' Alex thought, then asked more seriously, "Can you tell me what happened?"

Through a weak voice, Celise explained that Gravik had been attacked just a few hours after returning to their high-rise in Cinnabar City. They made a hasty retreat to the hidden base, but that one was breached as well by a Champion ranked trainer targeting Gravik.

She didn't know much beyond that, only that Gravik managed to escape through one of the emergency pods. She, however, had been left behind in the office during the chaos. When the base began to flood, she joined the rush with the remaining staff to find a way out.

She couldn't reach the main escape pods in time like some of the others, but she remembered there were backup units stored elsewhere. With too many people still alive who were stronger than she was, and no time to wait, she slipped away and climbed into one of the pods alone.

She had been in that pod for over five days before Alex found her.

"What can you tell me about Gravik?" Alex asked.

"He's a brute who likes to solve problems with violence. He's been getting worse lately, and I pity whoever his current secretary is after he was forced to flee like that," she said. "As for where he might be now, probably somewhere in the Johto region. The organization has bases like that all over the world."

"Are there any more in Kanto?"

"There's one being set up in Pewter City, but considering the main Kanto base was taken down, they'll probably either scatter, act independently, or lay low until backup arrives."

"Can you give me specific coordinates?"

"I only have the one in Pewter City and another in Johto, where I used to work before being promoted to Gravik's secretary."

"You don't happen to know the organization's name, do you?"

"My memory's been locked to prevent me from sharing it, but the servers at our base should be full of their information."

"Worth a shot, I guess."

"What's going to happen to me now?" she asked quietly.

"That depends. Do you feel like wiping out all the Pokémon in the world?"

"No. I was desperate when I took the job and didn't know what they really stood for. By the time I figured it out, it was too late to walk away. They have spies everywhere, even in the League, so I have nowhere else to go."

"Then you have a few options. I run a farm and could use a secretary to handle the management. Or maybe a nurse, now that I think about it. I also know someone who runs a distribution company in Saffron City. You could work for her if you'd prefer. Or, if you'd rather go your own way, you're free to leave."

"You're not going to turn me in?"

"Do you have a bounty on your head?"

"No."

"Then no. You seem like someone who could use a break, so I'm giving you one. Break that trust and I'll break your neck. Understood?" Alex said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yes… understood."

Chapter 143: Chapter 143. Pewter City

It was decided that Celise would work on Alex's farm to help manage operations.

She didn't want to risk being exposed or, worse, forced to continue working for the human supremacists. With that in mind, she chose the isolated safety of the farm over a job in the city. Staying out of the spotlight was her best chance at survival.

To be cautious, Alex assigned Metagross to watch over her and monitor for any suspicious behavior. With both Metagross and Nyx's Rotom monitoring the network around the clock, he didn't have to worry about potential leaks.

Putting her in charge of the farm's business operations was also a test of character. One mistake, and Alex would turn her over to the League along with a recording of her confession. From there, she would have to face the consequences on her own.

Her recovery was progressing well. At this rate, she would likely be eating solid food by the end of the week.

Celise couldn't relay the exact location directly without triggering a mental fail-safe, so she handed over her phone where the coordinates were stored. Aside from the two locations she mentioned, the only other information found was a reference to another base in Vermilion City. It seemed low-profile and largely peaceful, offering little of value for Alex to pursue.

Johto was out of reach for now due to the distance. Pewter City, however, was a different matter. If the base there had not been abandoned, Alex might be able to secure even more ammunition than before, especially since it was neither submerged nor recently attacked.

To reach it, he could teleport to Viridian City and travel north, or head west from Cerulean City. Either route would take a few days on Hydreigon, but Viridian Forest offered the shorter trip.

Flying over Mt. Moon was not ideal. The skies were crowded with flying Pokémon nests, and the hazardous terrain below made travel dangerous. The caves could not be flown through and would take days to cross on foot.

In the end, Alex chose Viridian Forest. It had a secure trail for trainers and offered a much safer and faster route than braving the mountain pass.

That afternoon, he left on Arcanine with a now empty space bag and teleported to Viridian City.

He rode north on Arcanine, taking the opportunity to memorize new locations along the way.

Flying over the forest was discouraged, as flying Pokémon from the western wilds and the northern mountain range were known to attack anything that entered their airspace, which extended over parts of Viridian Forest.

As Alex sped through the winding trail of Viridian Forest atop Arcanine, the dense canopy above filtered the sunlight into shifting green patterns across the mossy ground. Wild Pokémon scattered at the sound of their approach, mostly Bug-types startled by the sudden rush of wind and flame. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and leaves, and the occasional call of Pidgeotto echoed from above.

Trainers trekking gave him curious glances as he passed by but made no move to stop him, likely sensing the overwhelming Elite ranked aura.

Although the narrow, twisting paths slowed them compared to Hydreigon's flight, Arcanine moved with practiced grace, weaving around roots and low branches as they pressed toward Pewter City.

There were a few Pokémon that popped out looking for trouble, but Alex wasn't in the mood, so he simply shot them with Thunder Waves, leaving their fate to the forest.

It took two days for Alex to travel from Viridian City to Pewter City on Arcanine through Viridian Forest, but he eventually arrived.

Pewter City was modest by Kanto's standards. Urbanization had reached its borders, but only just. The city had few tall buildings, and most of its structures were low and utilitarian with plain facades and little ornamentation. Side streets were quiet and worn, with cracked pavement and overgrown lots scattered between aging homes and simple shops. It was not run-down, just underdeveloped, a place that had not kept pace with the rapid growth seen in cities like Saffron or Cerulean.

The northern and western wall stood damaged and largely ignored. People kept to themselves, polite but distant, and there was a sense that life here moved slower. Pewter lacked the energy and shine of Kanto's major hubs, but it remained functional. It had its own rhythm, quiet and steady, and perhaps a little overlooked.

Alex stood slightly bewildered at the sight. He had expected the same level of progress as the other cities he had visited, but this was clearly a case of poor development.

"You look like you expected better," an old man said as Alex looked around. "Can't exactly blame you. The nearby nests haven't let up in years, so we've hardly been able to improve the city."

"What about the passing trainers or the League?" Alex asked.

"They tried to help at first, but it turned into a money sink. The nests have been coming from the north and west non-stop for nearly a decade. Management's been doing their best, but they keep going over budget until the League stopped increasing their funding. Trainers need to eat too, so they left for better pay elsewhere."

"What about the Gym Leader?"

"Brock? He's doing what he can, fending off the big ones, but terror doesn't care about threats. The nests just ignore him. Still, none of the stronger ones ever manage to get past him and his team."

"Sounds tough. Any idea why it started a decade ago?"

"It was around the time the human supremacists started openly campaigning in the city. They've gathered quite the following since then, especially with more people dying in the attacks."

"That sounds a little too convenient," Alex said dubiously.

"That's what I said but people hardly care when they've lost loved ones. The mind becomes less rational when passion is that strong."

"Thanks for the information. Anything I can help you with?" Alex asked.

At this point, the conversation felt just as convenient as the nests attacking around the same time the human supremacist movement began, and Alex started having doubts. He had a firm philosophy when it came to old people. Never underestimate them, especially when training and consuming Pokémon could extend their lifespans.

"You're sharp, at least," the old man chuckled before inviting Alex into his run-down noodle shop.

Alex followed him inside as the old man disappeared into the back. A few moments later, he returned and placed a bowl of noodles on the counter.

Alex took a seat and stared at it, wondering if he should take the risk.

"On the house."

Alex gave in and took a sip of the broth. To his surprise, it was quite delicious.

"Old family recipe," the old man said. "Been making them since I was a child."

Alex finished the bowl and set it on the counter, his expression shifting to a more serious one.

"Now, what can I do for you?"

"You have a task."

"Details?"

Without another word, the old man placed a book on the table and left Alex to read it on his own. Standard Umbraline operating procedures.

Target Profile: Lirien Faenel
Pokémon: Vileplume, Amoonguss, Lilligant, Venusaur, Eldegoss, Tsareena
Threat Level: Elite Rank
Contract Value: 20 million Pokédollars
Status: Kill on Sight

Lirien Faenel, female, 39 years old, stands at 5'9" with a lean build, pale green eyes, and long ivy-colored hair often braided with flora. A distinctive vine-shaped tattoo resembling the letter "H" is located on her left wrist. She is the known leader of the Pewter City–based Human Advocacy Group, an anti-Pokémon organization operating under the guise of orphan care, outreach centers, and protest coordination. Publicly, she directs three registered orphanages and manages multiple advocacy centers, but field agents have traced her influence to over a decade of city-wide destabilization events.

Surveillance and battle recon confirm her use of Grass-type Pokémon, notably those capable of deploying Rage Powder in mass quantities. Through repeated manipulation of territorial instincts in northern and western wild nests, she has triggered over a hundred documented Pokémon nest attacks against Pewter City over an 8-year span. Data logs show consistent deployment patterns aligned with her movement through designated wilderness zones.

Her presence is typically accompanied by up to two armed handlers embedded within her facilities under volunteer credentials. Several escape tunnels have been mapped beneath her orphanage compound, leading into the outer sewage network of Pewter City. Advised to expect civilian interference, aggressive environmental manipulation, and resistance from trained subordinates.

Alex checked his phone and saw that Lirien didn't have a bounty, which meant she was clean for the most part.

He continued reading the book and found a network of businesses and an extensive operation spread throughout the city. Everything was operating within legal bounds, which meant he couldn't count on the police. It was all clean and above board.

He considered letting it go and focusing on the base outside the city when he reached the last page. It offered him 10 million on top of the existing 20 million assassination fee to dismantle the entire network, along with a list of names marked for assassination.

It was a low price for the effort, considering Alex's usual rate. It was also highly illegal given the circumstances. Still, there was a strong argument that Lirien not only deserved a bounty but that her entire operation needed to be shut down.

The question was whether Alex would take the offer or come up with something better.

Chapter 144: Chapter 144. Veiled Entry

Alex decided against taking the job. Too many innocent people were mixed in with the guilty, and eliminating everyone on the list would require a monumental effort. He wasn't chasing money anymore, and even he questioned whether everyone in their group deserved to die since most of them were simply grieving for lost loved ones.

Lirien deserved death for what she had done to the city, but it didn't feel like Alex's problem. It was Brock's responsibility to deal with the issue once he knew who was behind the disasters.

All he wanted was to hit her main base and relieve her of her armory. Everything else could be ignored because human supremacists without guns were just angry people.

"Why haven't you given this information to Brock? He would have appreciated the opportunity to get rid of the problem that's been plaguing his city for a decade," Alex asked.

"Those two have been together for quite some time now. It would have been pointless," the old man replied.

Alex nodded in understanding.

Brock had a reputation for chasing women relentlessly. Lirien had likely taken advantage of that, leading him away from the truth. It seemed the city would have to keep suffering under Brock's womanizing habits.

"It's worth a shot. You never know. He might actually choose his city over a woman he's involved with," Alex said. "Either way, I'm declining the job. I have another objective that might help you out, but you'll need to find someone else to take down their operations."

"As for Lirien, I might take her out if I come across her, but I'm not going to go looking. Once I'm through with their base, you should have an easier time dealing with the rest."

"I'll let management know."

"Thanks for the noodles. I'll come back for them once I'm done with my business."

Alex left and made his way to what passed for a luxury hotel in the city. It was significantly below his usual standards, but it would have to do.

The next day, he visited an orphanage under Lirien's control and released Zoroark.

He hadn't had much time to train her, given how busy he had been lately, but he had at least made sure to cover her basics.

Name: Zoroark, Expert

Type: Dark, Female

Ability: Illusion

Moves:

Novice: Skitter Smack, Thief, Snarl, Fling, Foul Play, Dark Pulse, Crunch, Lash Out, Throat Chop, Low Kick, Low Sweep, Focus Blast, Sunny Day, Burning Jealousy, Confuse Ray, Hex, Night Shade, Shadow Claw, Shadow Ball, Spite, Grass Knot, Dig, Take Down, Scary Face, Facade, Swift, Endure, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Hyper Voice, Encore, Helping Hand, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Pain Split, Psych Up, Sludge Bomb, Toxic, Trick, Psychic, Calm Mind, Rain Dance

Basic: U-turn, Scratch, Leer, Torment, Hone Claws, Fury Swipes, Knock Off, Fake Tears, Imprison, Nasty Plot, Brick Break, Flamethrower, Aerial Ace, Protect, Swords Dance, Substitute, Roar, Rest

Advanced: Sucker Punch(+50% Damage), Night Slash(+50% Damage), Night Daze(+50% Damage), Hone Claws(Effect Up +1), Taunt(Effect Up +1), Agility(Effect Up +1)

Description: Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokémon. Known for its ability to create powerful illusions, Zoroark can disguise itself as other Pokémon or even humans to deceive and evade foes. It uses this ability not only in battle but also to protect its pack and territory. Though cunning and elusive, Zoroark shows deep loyalty to those it trusts, making it a mysterious yet fiercely protective guardian.

Zoroark was older than most of the others and had survived through a combination of camouflage, stealth, and speed, favoring assassination-based techniques when it came to her Advanced proficiency moves.

Alex hadn't had her for long, so her move pool was still mostly at the Novice rank, but it was a work in progress. He had built her for Attack and Speed, knowing that investing in defenses would be pointless given her specialization.

As for why he chose her for this operation, he thought a more stealthy approach was appropriate given the circumstances and it would serve as a good test run for her abilities.

As Alex entered the orphanage with a Pikachu on his shoulders, he noted that it was fairly well kept. The children seemed happy, and nothing appeared out of place. It could have been a nice place if they weren't being indoctrinated to hate Pokémon from a young age.

It was definitely noticeable from the harsh stares Pikachu was getting on Alex's shoulders, both from the staff and the children. Most of them wore complicated expressions. Some showed curiosity, but most carried a clear hatred in their eyes.

Alex entered the main office and met with Marla, one of Lirien's henchmen and the director of the orphanage Alex was currently in.

"Mr. Wattson, your visit was a bit unexpected, but very much appreciated. We have many children here who would truly benefit from finding a loving home," she said.

"Thank you for taking the time to see me, Marla. I know I'm still fairly young, but I believe I'm at a stable point in my life, especially financially, where I can genuinely consider adoption," Alex replied.

"Of course. Please, have a seat and we'll go over a few details together."

They discussed the procedure for adoption and Alex found the process quite easy. So long as the person interested was well off financially, they were immediately given the green light for adoption. It was a significantly lower standard than what Alex had read about in his previous life.

"If you're ready, why don't we meet the children? It might help you feel more confident in your decision."

"Absolutely. Lead the way."

Marla stood and walked toward the door, passing Alex when he suddenly grabbed her by the neck and locked the Poké Balls at her waist. In a single motion, he twisted her neck, killing her instantly.

He stored her body, Poké Balls, and access card before walking over to her open computer, where his details had just been recorded.

He opened the browser and navigated to one of Nyx's secure sites designed to wipe all data and destroy the device entirely, including the software and operating system. It even triggered cloud-based deletions once Nyx received the signal on her end, using the access she would gain from this device.

Alex took a quick look around the office and noted the lack of cameras before moving onto her files. He found his own and took it with him before escaping through the window.

Once outside, he headed north past the city gates into the mountainous wilds beyond Pewter City.

He took out his files from the orphanage and threw them on the ground before giving the order.

"Flamethrower."

A stream of flames erupted beside him, incinerating all evidence. At the same moment, the Pikachu on his shoulder vanished, along with the subtle illusion that had altered his facial features. The disguise faded completely, revealing Zoroark standing silently at his side.

"Good job. Did you manage to memorize her appearance?" Alex asked.

"Zo," Zoroark replied.

"Good. Change my appearance to match hers."

A shimmer of illusion spread outward, wrapping around Alex like a thin veil. His silhouette flickered, and in an instant, his appearance was overlaid with that of Marla. His taller frame seemed to shrink, his broader shoulders concealed beneath the illusion of a fitted gray skirt suit.

His face took on Marla's refined features, sharp cheekbones, pale skin, and cool hazel eyes behind thin framed glasses. Her dark brown hair appeared tied in a neat bun, just as she had worn it moments ago.

Beneath the illusion, Alex remained unchanged. The effect was purely visual but flawless to the eye.

"Let's see how far this gets us," he said.

Zoroark gave a quiet nod before disappearing.

Alex summoned Hydreigon, and the three of them continued northwest toward the coordinates of the hidden base. It was located far from the city, deep within the mountainous region.

An hour into their journey, Alex spotted the entrance to the hidden base nestled within a jagged slope of the mountain range. From a distance, it looked like nothing more than a narrow, weather-worn cave easily overlooked amid the scattered boulders and twisted trees that lined the mountainside.

But as he approached, subtle signs gave it away: faintly worn tracks leading inward, the unnatural smoothness of the stone just past the mouth, and a barely perceptible hum of energy deeper within. The cave sloped sharply downward, vanishing into shadow and concealing whatever lay beneath the mountain's surface.

Alex stored Hydreigon and calmly stepped into the cave. His eyes quickly picked out the well hidden cameras embedded in the rock, quietly tracking everyone who entered. He regretted not bringing Rotom, since its skills would have made the infiltration far easier. But given the need to conceal his identity, he couldn't risk it.

The Human Advocacy Group maintained a carefully crafted image of innocence, and Alex couldn't afford to be linked to their destruction. He didn't know where Brock stood on the group's true nature, and until that became clear, discretion was his only option.

At the bottom of the slope, he came across a sleek metal door embedded in the stone, with a scanner panel mounted to its side.

He pulled out Marla's access card and swiped it. With a soft beep, the door slid open, revealing the interior of the hidden base.

He stepped inside without hesitation and stood still, momentarily taken aback by what he saw. The facility was far more advanced than he had expected.

Chapter 145: Chapter 145. The Hidden Base

The interior of the base opened into a vast underground complex carved directly into the mountain's core. Fluorescent lights embedded into the steel-paneled ceiling bathed everything in a sterile white glow, revealing an organized layout that felt more like a military installation than a hidden outpost.

Office buildings lined the perimeter, their tinted glass walls giving them the appearance of any typical city structure.

In the center stood a large training facility, where uniformed soldiers sparred and practiced live-fire drills at a reinforced shooting range. Nearby, compact barracks were arranged in tight rows, functional and densely packed, enough to house over a thousand personnel. The base was humming with the disciplined energy of an active and well-funded force.

To one side, a large storage facility, its sliding steel doors guarded and sealed, hinted at an arsenal waiting inside.

At the far end, a Pokémon training yard sprawled across a reinforced courtyard. Heavy mechanical devices lined the area, rotating blades, shock grids, weighted gauntlets, and flame jets, all designed to push Pokémon to their physical and mental limits. From a distance, the harshness of the setup made the equipment resemble torture instruments more than training tools.

The air carried the scent of sweat, oil, and something acrid beneath it all, painting a grim picture of a place built for war, not care.

"This is definitely what Gravik's underwater base would have looked like," Alex said.

He walked inside calmly and confidently, moving like he belonged. Following the path with the most foot traffic, he made his way toward an office building set off to the side. People moved about casually, as if they were just doing an ordinary job like any other.

Inside, he spotted a map of the facility on a wall that included emergency exits and committed it to memory before heading toward the security office. If he wanted to maintain the charade, he would need to take down their security systems before moving on to the storage facility.

He approached the security office and knocked on the door. A uniformed guard opened it and immediately straightened upon seeing him.

"Ms. Marla, how can I help you?" he asked politely, recognizing one of the facility's senior staff.

"You can die," Alex replied in his natural deep voice

Before the guard could react, Alex raised his weapon and fired a Phantom Force bullet directly through his skull, dropping him instantly.

The sharp crack of the shot sent the other guards inside scrambling for cover, but Alex was already in motion. He drew his second firearm and opened fire, shooting down two more before they could react.

Gardevoir, Raticate, Dusknoir, and Ceruledge emerged from their Poké Balls in synchronized flashes, meeting the remaining guards and their Expert-ranked Pokémon head-on. The room descended into chaos as moves clashed and shots rang out. Moments later, the skirmish was over. The guards and their Pokémon lay dead, and silence returned to the security office.

Alex approached the monitoring station and quickly assessed the system. It was offline and isolated, which meant Nyx couldn't access it remotely. Ideally, he would have downloaded their files and used the intel, but without the time or technical expertise, he decided to wipe everything instead.

"Looks like the charade is over," Alex said. "I would've preferred to keep it going, but it wouldn't have lasted long if I wanted access to their storage facility. Still, it's annoying that I can't speak while the illusion is active."

"Raticate, take care of their security. Make sure everything is destroyed," he ordered.

Raticate gave a sharp nod, then unleashed a series of Thunder Waves into the system, tracing the electrical pathways back to the server rooms and overloading them. Sparks burst down the corridors, followed by the whine of failing circuits. One by one, the facility's security systems went dark as Raticate methodically destroyed every piece of connected hardware.

The resulting surge triggered alarms throughout the base, putting the entire facility on alert, which was exactly what Alex wanted. He had no intention of slaughtering office workers who might have had stories similar to Celise's. It was better to flush them out, letting them escape in the chaos while drawing the armed guards in for elimination.

Alex stepped out of the office building as the illusion covering him and Zoroark faded away. He released all of his Pokémon at once, quickly arranging themselves into a defensive formation around him as he advanced toward the training facility.

The scrambling soldiers spotted him and his team almost immediately. Following their training, they spread out across the yard, taking cover behind buildings, structures, and anything large enough to shield them, then opened fire without hesitation.

"Kill them all," Alex commanded.

Gardevoir smiled coldly and dispersed the attack team with a flick of her hand, sending them into evasive maneuvers. The defensive team remained close to Alex, cycling through buffing abilities and using Protect in rotation to shield against incoming fire.

Alex fired Decorate rounds at Gardevoir, enhancing her power, while Alcremie did the same before Gardevoir set the field with Psychic Terrain.

Empowered by the terrain and the stacked boosts, Gardevoir launched a devastating Expanding Force. The wave of psychic energy ripped through the battlefield, hurling soldiers across the facility and smashing them into walls and buildings. Most were killed instantly, along with their Pokémon, whose Expert rank couldn't withstand the sheer force of Gardevoir's Elite-ranked assault that was maxed out on Special Attack.

Unfortunately, sustained fire from multiple Phantom Force and Feint rounds took down Forretress, Clawitzer, Frosmoth, and Hydreigon as they shielded Alex with their bodies. He immediately used Revives and Full Restores on them before returning them to their Poké Balls to recover.

"I may have to upgrade the defensive team if I keep running into armed forces like this," Alex said. "I can't have my Pokémon constantly fainting from Feint and Phantom Force rounds. Unfortunately, there's no reliable way to defend against them directly. My best option is probably relying on large, durable Pokémon to absorb the hits. Even then, they would eventually faint or worse, die if they took too much damage."

Meanwhile, the attack team swept through the facility, targeting anyone who opened fire while ignoring those who fled or remained unarmed.

Arcanine charged forward with Extreme Speed, crashing through walls and structures along with the soldiers hiding behind them. Raticate followed closely, finishing off any who managed to survive the initial assault.

Kommo-o unleashed Clanging Scales, tearing through both grouped enemies and nearby buildings. Togekiss stayed close behind, dropping Wish to keep Kommo-o in fighting shape.

Dusknoir and Ceruledge rampaged through the chaos, striking down soldiers one after another with Phantom Force and Shadow Sneak.

Altaria, Weezing and the three Maushold followed Tsareena, Zoroark, and Espeon as they hunted down any Pokémon still resisting, ensuring they couldn't regroup or form a defensive line.

The battle raged on until the hundreds of soldiers and their Pokémon were eventually all taken down, save for those smart enough to flee while they still had the chance.

The training facility lay in ruins, debris scattered across the center of the cavern. The office buildings remained mostly intact, aside from a few damaged walls and broken doors. The storage facility, however, was completely unscathed and clearly built to withstand even a cave in.

"Clean up," Alex said simply.

Gardevoir took command, coordinating the remaining Pokémon as they sifted through the debris. One by one, they recovered the corpses and brought them to Alex for storage. He preserved the bodies along with their Pokémon and personal gear. Weapons, ammunition, and armor were collected and organized, nothing left behind.

The team also uncovered storage boxes buried beneath the training facility, filled with additional ammunition, weapons, armor, and spare parts.

As for the storage facility itself, Alex had Raticate dig through it. The structure may have been reinforced, but it couldn't withstand the relentless assault of moves from an Elite-ranked Pokémon.

It took a little over an hour, but eventually Alex managed to fill his space bag, mostly with ammunition he knew Rhea would enjoy. No doubt she would appreciate the surplus of resources to help arm the farm.

As he was wrapping up, the main gate to the cavern slid open, revealing Lirien Faenel. Her eyes welled with tears as she stepped inside, taking in the sight of her ruined base.

"What happened here?" she screamed, her voice sharp with disbelief, immediately drawing Alex's attention.

He quickly concealed his body using Dark energy and recalled all of his Pokémon.

Now that she had appeared, it made sense to ambush her and collect the assassination fee tied to her name. Some extra income was always welcome. The cave was dimly lit, with emergency lights casting long shadows in place of the usual bright fluorescent lights, making it the perfect environment for an ambush.

As Alex crept closer, keeping to the shadows, another figure stepped into the cavern shortly after her. He was tall and solidly built, with tanned skin, short spiked hair, and narrow eyes that remained perpetually closed, giving him a calm yet unreadable expression.

"So it's true! You're part of the human supremacists who've been causing trouble in Kanto," he said, voice filled with disbelief. "You were behind the constant Pokémon floods!"

"Baby, I can explain!" she cried back.

Chapter 146: Chapter 146. Sudden Drama

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.

Chapter 147: Chapter 147. A New Hire

As Alex entered Rhea's lab, she ran up to him excitedly, a bundle of Poké Balls cradled in her arms.

"Alex, you're back! Check these out. I just finished the Poké Balls you requested," she said, handing him one that looked like a standard red and white ball from the outside.

"How large is the internal space, and how well can it support comfort?" he asked.

Poké Balls function as advanced energy storage devices, similar to highly specialized batteries. What sets them apart is their ability to maintain the unique energetic signature of each Pokémon, preserving the precise information required to reconstruct their physical form when released. This energy-to-matter conversion is what allows Pokémon to be stored inside Poké Balls in a stable state.

This same principle underlies PC storage systems. When a Pokémon is transferred to a PC, it is converted into energy, with its full biological and molecular data preserved. The conversion is considered perfectly accurate by current scientific standards, ensuring no loss or degradation during storage.

This energy conversion principle also applies to physical objects, which is how PCs and space bags are able to store items by converting them into stable energy forms for efficient storage and retrieval.

However, energy cannot be transmitted through the air. Attempting to do so would cause the Pokémon or item to revert instantly to its material form. To safely transfer Pokémon or items across the network, a specialized cable or transfer medium is required. Interestingly, this transfer process can sometimes trigger evolution in specific Pokémon species.

"The space is large enough to comfortably house several of your Steelix. He should feel right at home. I also programmed the interior with environmental data tailored to each Pokémon's preferences. Think of it like a personalized resort, only better. I incorporated multiple habitat types inside. I had to take apart quite a few Poké Balls to gather and configure the right modules, but everything should function exactly as intended."

"Good. Steelix hated the standard ones."

Rhea smiled, then noticed the bag slung over Alex's shoulder. Considering the reason for his trip, she figured it was meant for her, probably more supplies.

"Is that for me?" she asked, eyeing the bag with curiosity.

"Filled to the brim. Ammunition, weapons, armor, and spare parts."

"Perfect. More drones," Rhea said with a grin, giving him a quick kiss before pushing the Poké Balls into Alex's hands and taking the bag to head off for inventory.

Alex dropped the balls on the table, transferred the data from his current ones, and slipped the new set into his belt.

Next, he headed to the server room, where Nyx was usually found gaming whenever she wasn't occupied with work.

"Alex, you're back," Nyx said, rushing over to greet him with a warm hug and a deep kiss.

"Yeah. Did you get my request this morning?"

"I handled it as soon as it came in. I scrubbed your name from their servers and found nothing unusual except the location of the underwater base near Cinnabar City."

"I wasn't expecting much, considering their circumstances."

"Did you meet the new girl yet?"

"Who?"

"The nurse I hired based on Celise's recommendation. She used to work under Gravik at his underwater facility but managed to escape. Celise asked me to find her and offer her the open medical expert position. Apparently, she was the one who always took care of her whenever Gravik's temper left her in the infirmary."

"Is she clean?"

"Her name is Talia Vren. She graduated as a nurse, then disappeared not long after," Nyx explained. "She was fresh out of nursing school when the human supremacist faction recruited her. Same story as Celise. She didn't realize how messed up they were until it was too late, and by then, she couldn't get out."

She paused, then added, "As for whether we can trust Talia, I can't confirm anything. She has no records from the time she was recruited, but Celise vouched for her, so I took the risk."

"I guess I should meet with her. Where is she?"

"One of the offices in the main hall. We converted it into a full medical wing. I had to order a ton of supplies and equipment to get it set up. Cost a fortune, but everything's top of the line."

"That's fine. How are the finances looking?"

"We're down to around 20 million. Most of it went into Rhea's latest projects and the medical wing."

"No problem. I got a decent payout in Pewter City. We should be fine unless more unexpected expenses show up."

"And if they do, one quick bounty hunting trip would cover it. There's a flood of bounties out right now."

"Seriously? Last time I checked, there was nothing worth the effort."

"That was before Gravik's base got taken out. Now his goons are scattered and panicking, running around like headless chickens and causing a mess wherever they go. Plenty of people want them gone."

"Alright, I'll go check out the new nurse then."

"See ya!"

Alex exited the server room and made his way down the main hall. After passing a few closed doors, he stopped in front of the newly repurposed office. A white cross symbol had been drawn onto a sheet of paper taped to the wall, with Medical Bay written in bold black letters underneath.

He gave the door a firm knock before pushing it open halfway.

"Hello?" he called.

"I'll be right there," a clear, youthful female voice called from somewhere deeper inside.

Stepping into the room, Alex paused to take in the transformation. The space had been expertly converted into a functioning infirmary. Sleek metal medical beds lined one wall, each outfitted with overhead monitors, vitals readouts, and mounted IV stands. Along the opposite side, shelves were neatly stocked with labeled containers of gauze, antibiotics, antiseptics, and scanning tools. A compact sterilizer unit hummed quietly in the corner. The scent of disinfectant filled the air, clean and sterile.

A moment later, a woman stepped out from behind a curtain, tying back her auburn hair into a ponytail as she approached. She stood at about 5'7" (1.7 m), with a lean and practiced posture. She looked to be in her late twenties, wearing a fitted white coat over dark tactical scrubs. Her hazel eyes were sharp but kind, and she carried herself with the calm authority of someone who had faced chaos and kept her head.

"You must be Talia, our new medical expert," Alex said, extending a hand. "Alex Ashford Wattson, owner of the farm."

Talia smiled and shook his hand with steady pressure.

"Hello, Mr. Wattson. It's really nice to finally meet you. And thank you, truly, for rescuing Celise. I felt awful when I heard what happened from her. Leaving her behind like that has been eating at me. So thank you for bringing her back."

"No problem. And call me Alex," he said with a nod. "So, Talia, tell me. Why did you decide to work for me, other than to check up on Celise?"

"Same reason as her," Talia replied, her voice softening. "To hide, mostly."

"I've heard word on the dark web that the human supremacists are running around headless. Even if they manage to get back on their feet, they'll be too busy trying to reorganize to go after their old members."

"Until they eventually find the time to do so," Talia said, her tone hardening. "They won't stop until every Pokémon is dead. They are violent, obsessive, and completely consumed by hate. Vengeance is all they understand now."

"Was that how it was for you?"

"I never bought into it," she said, quieter now. "I took the job as a nurse thinking I could just do my work and stay out of the politics. But then the indoctrination started. Anyone who spoke out vanished without a word. So I stayed quiet. I agreed when I had to and kept my head down."

"Understandable. Have they explained how things work around here?" Alex asked.

"You're a bounty hunter who runs a farm that hires survivors. Sometimes you take jobs that put you on the other side of the law. I don't mind, as long as I get paid," Talia said.

"Good enough for me. Although if you're ambitious, this might not be the place for you. We don't get many injuries here. Just the occasional wound that a Heal Pulse can take care of."

"Getting paid to relax and stay out of trouble sounds like the perfect job to me. Besides, I can use the downtime to study and maybe become a real doctor someday."

"Excellent. You'll fit in just fine."

Alex began asking Talia about the realistic limits of the medical problems she could handle. She explained that she was capable of dealing with anything that didn't require highly specialized medicine or equipment typically found only in top-tier hospitals.

She had even performed surgeries in the past due to staffing shortages at the facility and was confident in her ability to handle most medical emergencies. When the girls asked, she also recommended contraception pills with the least side effects.

As for her lack of certification, Alex didn't particularly care what a piece of paper said, as long as Talia was competent and confident in her skills.

He then asked about Celise's condition. Talia explained that she had progressed to eating solid food again, but would need to remain on a strict diet for a few more days. After that, she would likely make a full recovery within a week.

With a qualified medical expert now on the farm, Alex informed Jenny that Nurse Joy's services would no longer be necessary.

After wrapping up the conversation, Alex thanked Talia and stepped out of the medical bay. His final stop for the day was the training grounds, where Lyra and Mika were training hard with their new toys.

Chapter 148: Chapter 148. Gun Training

It had been about eight days since Lyra and Mika chose to stay on the farm to train with firearms. Aside from their first day, when Alex personally guided them through the absolute basics such as firearms safety, stance, grip, trigger control, and sight alignment, he had not had much time to oversee their training directly.

In the days that followed, most of their time was spent on static shooting drills at close range, typically between three to ten meters. Their accuracy started off low but gradually improved as they internalized the fundamentals.

When Alex arrived at the training grounds, he was greeted by the sight of both girls practicing with blanks. Oddly enough, these were just as dangerous as live rounds, since the bullets were made of soft metals rather than energy crystals infused with Pokémon moves.

Their targets were the same drones Clawitzer used for shooting practice, positioned ten meters away. The drones occasionally shifted positions to force the girls to aim again, preventing them from simply firing at a completely static target.

"How's shooting practice going?" Alex asked as he approached.

"Alex! You're back!" Lyra exclaimed, rushing forward to throw her arms around him in a hug. Mika followed right behind her wrapping her arms around him with a bright smile.

"Sorry I had to leave just as your training started."

"It's fine. We needed time to practice and improve on our own."

"And? How's the progress going?"

"See for yourself."

The girls returned to their shooting practice while Alex stood by, quietly observing their performance. They were consistently landing 50 to 60 percent of their shots on target. Lyra showed slightly better precision, while Mika leaned more toward speed. Their improvement was evident, though still uneven in places, especially when fatigue began to take its toll.

Even so, their progress was impressive, considering they spent eight hours a day on shooting drills and used the rest of their time sparring or exercising to build strength and endurance.

"Excellent progress," Alex said with a nod. "I think you're both ready for more dynamic drills."

He began teaching them how to fire controlled pairs, reload efficiently under pressure, and transition between multiple targets. Shooting while moving was introduced gradually, beginning with simple lateral steps and eventually building up to more active footwork and fluid movement.

"So, how was the trip?" Lyra asked. "Judging by your last one, did you rescue another damsel in distress in Pewter City?"

"It was okay. Visited an orphanage, killed the director, took her face, walked through the front door of their main base, destroyed their security system, killed over two hundred people, looted the place, watched Brock simp out, and had the most amazing noodles."

"Noodles? Did you bring any?"

"Sorry. I forgot to pack some. Want to stop by sometime? We can just teleport over."

"It's a date then," Lyra said with a grin.

"Ahem," Mika cut in, arms crossed.

Lyra smirked. "A date with three people."

"I'm more interested in Brock simping out," Mika said.

"She was the head of the human supremacists in Pewter City," Alex began. "She'd been causing Pokémon floods to hit the city for nearly a decade. And at the same time, she was dating Brock."

"Oh my god! And? Did they fight? Did they make up? He simped out so they made up, but how? What did she say?" Mika asked, firing off questions in rapid excitement.

Alex recounted the full story, detail by detail, as Mika practically swooned at the drama.

"Ew," Lyra muttered.

"But it was so romantic," Mika insisted.

"Almost got buried in that cavern because of their drama," Alex grumbled.

"You deserve it for snooping," Mika replied.

"I wouldn't have been able to tell you the story if I didn't snoop."

"You got me there."

By the end of the day, the story had spread to the other girls, and most of them were just as enamored with it as Mika, except for Nyx, Kaia, and Rhea, who thought Brock was far too forgiving considering the devastation Lirien had brought to the city. They reasoned she must have been phenomenal in bed to have been forgiven that easily.

In the weeks that followed, Alex kept his promise to Lyra and Mika, personally training with them every day. In addition to their excellent progress in shooting practice, he sparred with them regularly and provided workout routines designed to target the right muscle groups. He also taught them proper hand-to-hand combat techniques, including gun disarming and muzzle reading.

By the end of the second week, their gun training had yielded noticeable results. Their accuracy improved to an average of 65 to 75 percent, depending on the complexity of the drill. Lyra's careful aim resulted in tighter groupings, while Mika's quick reflexes helped her complete drills faster, albeit with a slightly greater margin for error. Both girls began developing personal shooting styles that reflected their unique strengths.

By the third week, Alex implemented stress drills and shoot/no-shoot scenario training. They engaged targets while advancing and retreating, used cover more intelligently, and learned to identify threats quickly.

Their performance under pressure was shaky at first, but repetition hardened their instincts. Mika initially overthought her responses but adapted quickly, while Lyra proved steady even in chaotic setups. Accuracy across varied drills improved to roughly 70 to 80 percent, with tighter consistency and faster response times becoming more apparent in both.

In the fourth week, training focused heavily on realism and tactical decision-making. Alex ran them through mock combat courses that combined movement, target identification, and shooting from awkward positions, sometimes while physically exhausted. They practiced room clearing, worked under time constraints, and responded to complex scenarios on the fly.

Their accuracy rose to 80 to 90 percent, with their mechanics becoming second nature and their decision-making sharpening by the day. Both Lyra and Mika had grown into competent, reliable shooters, capable of handling real-world engagements with a calm efficiency well beyond most civilians.

In terms of their overall progress, their physiques hadn't changed much. Both were already in excellent shape from their time at the police academy and the constant movement during their journey, so they were already physically fit.

However, their overall strength finally matched their status as Expert-ranked trainers, thanks to the Elite ranked meat Alex had been feeding them. It was a significant upgrade from their usual Expert ranked diet, and the improvement in strength was noticeable.

As for their Pokémon, they picked up a few new tricks, but nothing beyond that. A month simply wasn't enough time for any major breakthroughs. Even so, they likely made the most of it, especially with the support system Alex's Pokémon provided when it came to training and combat.

"I'm going to miss you guys," Lyra said as she gave each of the girls a big hug.

Their month of training had come to an end, and it was time to continue their journey. They were taking a moment to say their goodbyes.

Both wore short skirts, crop tops, comfortable shoes, and slim backpacks. They also carried Trapinch and Axew in their arms, which made them look cute and deceptively vulnerable.

Inside those packs, however, was enough ammunition to level the base Alex had taken down three weeks earlier. Alongside it was top-of-the-line camping and security gear, purchased by Alex and modified by Rhea to enhance overall safety and comfort. They also carried a year's supply of Elite ranked meat, courtesy of Alex.

They were armed to the teeth, each carrying a pair of compact pistols with 20-round magazines, designed by Rhea to suit their smaller hands and minimize bulk. Lyra's pistols were blue for killing and silver for support. Mika's were black and silver, serving the same purpose. The color schemes matched their hair.

Their clothes had no pockets, and since it wasn't realistic for Rhea to install spatial compartments into every outfit, she integrated them into the Poké Ball belts for quick access during emergencies. While this setup was less stealthy than originally intended, it was the most practical solution under the circumstances. Additionally, they each had thigh belts designed for the same purpose, in case their outfits couldn't accommodate a standard belt like the ones they were currently wearing.

Each compartment could hold a pistol and three spare magazines. It was the most that could fit given the limited space Rhea had to work with, but it was more than enough to take down a group of perverts.

Their combat armor was based on the same design as Alex's, but it was customized to fit their bodies perfectly. A professional tailor handled the fabric adjustments, ensuring a snug and comfortable fit, while Rhea finished the suit by installing the armor plates. The full set included a tactical helmet, an armored vest, reinforced pants and shoes, and a heavily armored long coat.

"Be sure to stop by every now and then," Alex said. "Or at least call."

"I know, I know. You don't have to baby us so much," Lyra replied, sounding like a rebellious teen.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure we call regularly," Mika added, playing the role of the responsible daughter.

"You should hurry up. Your window's closing," Nyx reminded them.

Now official bounty hunters, Lyra and Mika had convinced Nyx to act as their informant, the same role she already played for Alex. Naturally, the bounties they pursued were mostly under the million Pokédollar mark. Targets above that level had usually survived for a reason and weren't to be taken lightly.

At Alex's signal, Gardevoir teleported the pair to Celadon City, where they planned to head south along the bike trail. A recent attack had been reported in the area, giving them a solid lead to kick off their journey.

Nyx then turned to Alex with a pointed look. "You need to go too. That nest isn't going to hunt itself."

"Alright. Thanks, Nyx."

"Anytime."

A minute later, Gardevoir returned. Alex gave her a new set of coordinates, and without another word, they vanished.

It was time to hunt some Pokémon nests.

Chapter 149: Chapter 149. Hunting Pokemon Nests

Alex teleported to Route 9, where he had previously discovered Ralts causing trouble for the local trainers who often camped and trained in the surrounding mountainous area.

Mounting Arcanine, he headed northwest from the teleportation point, keeping a low profile to avoid drawing attention from the flying Pokémon that nested along the mountains.

His target for this particular hunt was an Arbok nest, rumored to have grown to over a thousand in number. Surprisingly, it wasn't their numbers that prompted the extermination request. The nest had been discovered at the site of an old dumping ground once used by a criminal gang operating out of Cerulean City.

According to Nyx, ever since Selene's disappearance, various gangs had rapidly expanded to fill the power vacuum. As a result, this led to a surge in violence and a sharp rise in the body count. The situation grew worse when Gravik's former enforcers began forming their own gangs, plunging the city into deeper chaos. One such group had reportedly been using a remote cave in the wilderness as a dumping site for bodies.

After the gang was taken down, the cave was inspected and found to have been overtaken by an Arbok nest. This led to an official extermination request, meant to prevent them from growing too aggressive or turning their attention to hunting humans.

However, the request remained untouched. The true size of the nest was unknown, and the only investigative report described the cavern floor as a "writhing mass of purple" before the observers fled. With no accurate estimate of the threat level, few were willing to take the risk. As a result, the job remained unclaimed.

Alex felt confident in his ability to handle the nest, especially since there weren't any reports of Champion ranked auras in the area. Without hesitation, he accepted the job and set out immediately.

Upon arriving at the site, he found a lone shed perched high in the mountains. Inside, he located a trapdoor that led down into the reported cavern. He opened it and looked down into the dark depths, immediately confirming the accuracy of the report.

What he saw could only be described as a writhing purple mass, the entire floor of the cavern shifting and rippling as countless snake-like forms moved together in constant motion.

"This is definitely a snake den," Alex muttered, eyes scanning the area.

Nothing seemed immediately threatening, so he decided to provoke the nest and see what would come out. But first, he needed to prepare.

He released Gardevoir along with the rest of his Pokémon before issuing orders.

"Investigate the area and check if there are any entrances leading underground. I want to know if there's another way into this cavern," Alex instructed Gardevoir.

"Garr," she replied with a nod before directing the other Pokémon to begin their search.

The team swept the surrounding area, confirming that there were no other entrances into the cavern. If any existed, they likely led deeper into the mountain rather than into the immediate area. For the purpose of containment, they were in the clear.

Next, Alex examined the cavern more carefully, estimating the size of the chamber below. Once he had a rough idea, he ordered his Pokémon to spread out and take positions around the shed.

At his signal, Gardevoir relayed the command. The team powered up, enhancing themselves to their limits. Gardevoir cast Psychic Terrain, blanketing the area in psychic energy. Then she unleashed Expanding Force in perfect sync with Earthquake attacks from Forretress, Altaria, Kommo-o, Hydreigon, Dusknoir, and finally Steelix.

The Expanding Force caused the cavern ceiling to collapse, tearing open a crater several hundred meters wide where the shed had once stood. Simultaneously, the Earthquake attacks loosened the soil beneath the surrounding terrain, caving in any possible hidden tunnels or escape routes.

What remained was a massive pit, with hundreds of Ekans and Arbok trapped at the center. Pummeled from all sides by tremors and pinned down by psychic pressure and falling debris, they had no chance to resist. It was a swift and total massacre.

"Begin rotation," Alex commanded.

Following his order, Gardevoir directed the Earthquake users to continue their assault while rotating around the entire pit. Their goal was to completely seal the perimeter, leaving no gaps for any Ekans or Arbok to escape. At the same time, Gardevoir maintained her barrage of Expanding Force, relentlessly pounding the center of the pit to ensure nothing within it survived.

Once they circled the pit, Alex observed the area and noted the complete lack of movement. Whatever had been inside was likely dead. Still, to be certain, he ordered the Pokémon capable of using Dig to burrow through the rubble and recover the corpses, providing proof that the nest had been fully annihilated.

"Dig up the remains and collect the corpses," Alex commanded. "Stay vigilant. Some of them might still be alive and only pretending to be dead. Keep the defense team on standby."

Gardevoir followed the order and began coordinating a thorough excavation of the pit. They dug even deeper than the original cavern depth to ensure nothing was overlooked.

Meanwhile, Alex looked over Steelix, his newest addition to the group. He had been quite temperamental at first, until Alex started providing resources and fulfilling his promise of power, food, and a home. He slowly started adjusting to the group, as well as the training, and after two months, he was beginning to grow into his potential.

Name: Steelix, Elite

Type: Steel Ground, Male

Ability: Sturdy

Moves:

Novice: Autotomize, Magnet Rise, Taunt, Payback, Brutal Swing, Dark Pulse, Breaking Swipe, Dragon Pulse, Sunny Day, Bulldoze, Stomping Tantrum, Earth Power, Drill Run, High Horsepower, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Self-Destruct, Snore, Scary Face, Attract, Facade, Round, Body Slam, Endure, Sleep Talk, Rock Tomb, Rock Blast, Iron Defense, Gyro Ball, Flash Cannon, Heavy Slam, Torment, Rock Smash, Roar, Double Team, Explosion, Psych Up, Swagger, Cut, Strength, Rock Climb

Basic: Tackle, Bind, Rock Throw, Smack Down, Rock Polish, Dragon Breath, Curse, Screech, Sand Tomb, Stealth Rock, Slam, Sandstorm, Iron Tail, Double-Edge, Crunch, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Dragon Dance, Body Press, Earthquake, Protect, Substitute, Rest, Psychic Fangs, Iron Head

Advanced: Harden(Effect Up +1), Rock Slide(+50% Damage), Dig(+50% Damage), Stone Edge(+50% Damage)

Description: Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokémon. Born from an Onix that has lived over a hundred years, its body has hardened into a nearly indestructible metallic form. It tunnels deep underground, far deeper than any Onix, carving out vast networks through sheer force. Though massive and fearsome, Steelix is revered for its unyielding endurance and diamond-like resilience, making it a symbol of strength forged through time.

Steelix, who had spent most of his life as an Onix, was either still quite young or simply lazy. Alex couldn't be sure. Despite possessing some advanced moves, his age was difficult to gauge, and he remained the furthest from completing his moveset, even compared to Zoroark, another recent addition to the team. Progress was being made, but it would likely take years before Steelix could truly measure up to the others.

Alex optimized Steelix's build for Special Defense and Speed to cover an obvious weakness and improve his role as a tank. His main responsibility was to endure battles, unlike the others who focused more on dealing damage.

It took the entire day to sift through the site, but in the end, they managed to uncover over a thousand Ekans, nearly a hundred Arbok, and three Elite Arbok, all dead. Each had clearly fed on the corpses previously dumped into the cavern, as the team was not able to find a single piece of human flesh.

Whoever thought it was a good idea to toss corpses down a hole to get rid of it probably was not the brightest, but at least Alex was able to profit from their stupidity.

Once all the corpses were collected and stored, Alex gave one final order before preparing to leave.

"Flood the pit with water."

Water-type moves of all kinds were unleashed at the pit, quickly filling it to the brim. Once it was nearly overflowing, the Pokémon stopped.

Alex knelt beside the edge and watched the water line closely as it settled. He paid careful attention to see if there were any leaks that might lower the water level, even slightly.

He observed in silence for over ten minutes before concluding that no remaining paths led to the cavern. This meant that whatever entrance had once connected to it was likely destroyed by the battle.

Satisfied with the results of his inspection, Alex returned his team to their Poké Balls before teleporting to Cerulean City and submitting the request at the Pokécenter.

As evidence, he submitted video footage of the battle and its conclusion, along with the corpses he had collected. Even if the nest had not been completely annihilated, the sheer number of Ekans and Arbok recovered demonstrated that genuine effort had been made.

"You're good to go, Mr. Wattson. The request has been considered fulfilled," the clerk at the request desk said, handing Alex back his Trainer ID. "Also, here are your spoils. Have a good evening."

"Thank you," Alex said as he took back his ID and space bag.

He checked his credit balance and saw an increase of five hundred thousand League credits, bringing the total to 30.9 million. It was a small step toward his ultimate goal of 200 million for his final home, but every bit counted.

His final stop for the night before heading home was the butcher's, where he sold all the meat except for the Elite ranked ones. In exchange, he received Expert ranked butchered meat of equivalent value, saving him the time he would have spent waiting. He would normally have the Elite ranked meat processed as well, but having Lina, his own personal chef, made it unnecessary.

With his hunt and the subsequent cleanup complete, he teleported back home to the farm.

Tomorrow would bring another request, and with any luck, it would be just as rewarding as this one.

Chapter 150: Chapter 150. Vera Leaves

Alex teleported back to the farm just as the girls were gathering for dinner. He stopped by the kitchen to store the Arbok meat and inform Lina about the inventory update. Then he headed to his room for a quick shower and a change of clothes.

He arrived back in the dining room just in time to hear Vera make an announcement.

"I'm leaving the farm," she said. "I've been offered a position at Professor Oak's ranch as an on-site breeder. Once I pass my certification for Chief Breeder, I'll be moving there. Taking care of the Pokémon here has taught me more than studying ever could, and I want to take this opportunity to keep growing."

"You're really leaving, huh?" Lina said, sniffing and trying to keep her composure. "Good luck with your breeding career."

"The Pokémon are going to miss you. Morkepo's going to throw a fit without your special Pokéblocks," Mira added with a soft laugh through her tears. "You better write to us, or I'm marching over there myself."

"I will," Vera said, pulling them both into a hug. "I promise. You two are family."

Lina and Mira quietly wiped away tears. The three of them had always worked together when it came to caring for Alex's numerous Pokémon, and over time, that teamwork had forged a close bond between them.

The others, however, were more skeptical. Everyone knew how much Vera loved Alex, so the news that she was leaving came as a surprise.

"Are you sure, Vera?" Kaia asked.

"I am," Vera replied firmly. "Maris was right to chase her dreams. If I want to grow as a breeder, I have to take this opportunity."

"If you ever need anything, just reach out," Nyx said gently.

She had made the same offer to others who had left and often kept track of their progress online to make sure they were doing well.

"Thank you, Nyx. And don't worry, the farm isn't going anywhere. If I want to come back, I can always visit. Right, Alex?"

"Absolutely. I'll even come pick you up with Teleport. Just let Nyx know," he said with a reassuring smile.

Alex had already discussed it with Vera, and he had no right or desire to stop her, not when he knew he couldn't return her feelings.

As for her responsibilities on the farm, Talia would likely be able to take over without issue. As a medical expert, she knew a bit about nutrition and would probably recommend proper diets to promote health, ensuring the farm didn't lose much in Vera's absence.

Dinner settled into an awkward silence until Vera, unable to take it any longer, broke it by shifting focus to the new recruits.

"So, Celise, how's managing the farm going?" she asked, her tone a bit too eager as she tried to lift the mood.

Celise had been managing the farm in Nyx's stead for over two weeks, ever since she recovered with Talia's help. In that time, she had done well keeping things running smoothly and maintaining good relationships with their regular vendors.

"It's going well," she replied. "The workload is surprisingly light. Most of the time, I just monitor the market and adjust prices to stay competitive. The farm runs itself for the most part, so even if the profits are not exceptional, the income remains steady. Nyx's management software has made everything so much easier. I only wish I had it back when I was working for Gravik."

Another awkward silence fell before Vera turned to the other new recruit.

"What about you, Talia? How's your work going?"

"It's fine. It's nice finally treating Pokémon injuries knowing they were actual accidents, not deliberate harm."

In this world, medical professionals were trained to care for both humans and Pokémon. The widespread use of potions had simplified much of human medicine, leaving formal healthcare with only a minor role.

Medicine had evolved to focus primarily on nutrition and the treatment of very resilient diseases and disabilities that affected only humans. Surgery was only half of the process since surgeons could easily cut into patients and correct their mistakes with localized potion injections. Even problems with bones could be solved just as easily.

There were rarely any specialists with their own dedicated fields like orthopedics since a simple potion, along with some forceful bone realignment, was enough to heal most injuries.

Pokémon were even easier to care for. Most only needed a potion, a healing move, or a massage to recover completely. From Alex's perspective, they were truly miraculous creatures.

Alex was quite satisfied with the work of both new girls. Celise had done a good job taking over for Nyx, keeping operations steady and organized.

Talia, meanwhile, was putting in more effort than he had expected. His Pokémon trained intensely and were usually treated with a simple Heal Pulse from Clawitzer. However, they sometimes suffered from lingering aches and pains that went unnoticed by Alex.

Talia was able to spot and address those issues with care and precision. She was the kind of person the farm hadn't realized it needed until she arrived.

Dinner ended in silence as Vera, Lina, Mira, Talia, and Celise stayed to discuss their redistribution of responsibilities while the rest went to bed early.

The next day, Vera left to take the Chief Breeder certification exam, while the other girls went about their usual routines along with the extra tasks Vera usually handled.

Alex, meanwhile, continued his work hunting down more nests.

"Your target is a Golbat nest that's been harassing trainers traveling through Route 10 north of Lavender City," Nyx reported, tapping her tablet as she brought up a map. "Most trainers have been wasting time searching around Rock Tunnel, but based on the pattern of attacks, I believe the real nest is further west, north of Route 8. That area has seen similar incidents, but no one has been able to identify the culprit."

"I ran a scatterplot of the reports, and it points to a mountainous region deep in the wilds. If the nest has moved toward Route 10, they are likely along the western edge rather than anywhere near Rock Tunnel."

"Great work, Nyx. Send me the coordinates and I'll head out to investigate."

Nyx hesitated. "Before you leave…"

"Yes?"

"Aren't you going to try and stop Vera from going? We could use a good breeder here. Letting her go feels like such a waste."

"We can always request her services with a quick call. I can even pick her up from Oak's lab with a few teleports. It shouldn't be too big of an issue since she left a stockpile of her Pokéblocks with us."

"Still, having an onsite breeder would be better."

"True, but look at it this way. She can improve herself at Oak's lab and someday when she has attained her peak, she can always come back."

"Will she though? She might find exactly what she's looking for and never come back to us."

"Then, I wish her the best of luck in life. She deserves better than a man who can't love her."

"You can try to—"

"I cannot give her what she wants, Nyx," Alex interrupted. "I am incapable of falling in love romantically. You already know that."

"I just thought maybe you could have at least…"

"What? Pretended to love her? Give her just enough to make her stay, even if it wasn't real? I may not be the most emotionally intelligent person in the world, but I'm not heartless. She deserves the freedom to choose her path, even if she decides to leave. All of you do."

"I'm not leaving," Nyx quickly said.

His eyes softened. "Then I will take care of you. For as long as you'll have me."

Nyx blushed at Alex's words, her breath catching as warmth spread through her chest. She stepped closer and kissed him, slow and gentle. He returned the kiss and pulled her into a tight embrace.

When they parted, she quietly forwarded the coordinates to his phone.

"I'll be back by dinner," Alex said, releasing Arcanine and giving him the location before teleporting away.

"Stay safe," Nyx whispered as the light faded.

Alex teleported just outside Lavender City's western gate and headed north toward the forested mountains.

According to the coordinates, his destination was tucked into a rugged cliffside. The terrain was steep and uneven, riddled with burrows carved into the rock. It was the perfect refuge for flying type Pokémon, far from predators and human interference.

The distance was considerable, and he couldn't travel freely. The area was filled with other nests, making careless movement dangerous.

Lyra and Mika had drilled the basics into him.

In the deep wilds, territories shifted constantly. Wild nests were everywhere, with Pokémon fighting for dominance and forcing others to relocate. New nests formed as quickly as old ones vanished, making the area unpredictable and dangerous.

Drawing the attention of a single nest was not the issue. The real danger was triggering a chain reaction, with nearby nests treating him as an invader. He would end up wasting time and energy on fights that offered little in return.

He could certainly benefit from a few Elite ranked corpses, but he didn't particularly need them right now, not after his recent hunts. Besides, the effort of fending off wave after wave of weaklings was not worth it.

He needed to conserve his Pokémon's stamina for the nest extermination, which had priority. His main goal was earning credits, so he needed to stay focused on the League's missions.

Chapter 151: Chapter 151. Hunting Pokemon Nests 2

Alex arrived at the coordinates Nyx had sent him after half a day. There were some encounters along the way, but nothing a few Thunder Waves couldn't handle. True to the report, the place was ideal for Pokémon like the Zubat line to thrive.

The cliffs loomed high above, jagged and narrow, with countless cave mouths scattered across the rock face. Some were little more than cracks in the stone, others wide enough to house a truck. The air was damp and heavy with the distinct smell of guano. The ground near the lower caves was stained with dark blotches and littered with small bones and broken shells.

As Alex stepped closer, a low rhythmic chittering echoed from deep within the tunnels. He glanced up and caught sight of movement along the upper cliffs, shifting shadows clinging to the stone like a living curtain.

Hundreds of Zubats and Golbats hung upside down in clusters, their wings wrapped tightly around their bodies. Occasionally, a Crobat glided silently between cave mouths, scanning the area with sharp twitching ears.

Despite the numbers, the nest was eerily quiet, as if the entire cliffside was holding its breath. The only sounds were the distant rustle of wings and the faint screeches from deeper within.

Suddenly, a wave of screeches rang out from the caves, followed by the sudden rush of beating wings. Dozens turned to hundreds as Zubats, Golbats, and a few Crobats poured into the open air like a swirling tornado of blue and violet.

Alex had accidentally alerted the nest.

Zubats, being highly sensitive scouts, detected his presence early on. As a result, the entire nest reacted, and a large swarm of them flew out from the caves toward his position.

Realizing his mistake, Alex prepared himself for the incoming fight as he released his Pokémon.

"Defensive formation. Kommo-o, Clanging Scales. Gardevoir, Expanding Force with Espeon."

The Pokémon huddled around Alex in a tight formation, then alternated using Protect to shield themselves from the constant waves of attacks.

Kommo-o received Decorate from Alcremie before he hunched his back and vibrated his scales at a resonant frequency, amplified by his Dragon-type energy.

The resulting shockwave pushed back the tide of Zubats. Many of them were struck down, falling from the sky and littering the ground, either fainted or dead. However, their sheer numbers helped blunt the full force of the shockwave for the rest.

Meanwhile, Gardevoir and Espeon prepared by using Calm Mind and setting up Psychic Terrain, boosting their power and reinforcing their psychic moves.

Then, in perfect sync, they unleashed Expanding Force, blasting the majority of the swarm against the cliffside, effectively neutralizing them. There were still over a hundred who managed to escape the blast but their numbers had been decimated.

Those who managed to survive quickly turned and fled.

"Don't let them escape," Alex commanded. "Crobat, hunt down the Elites and bring them back."

The Crobat pair blitzed through the fleeing Zubats and Golbats with Quick Attack, homing in on the Elite ranked Crobats attempting to escape.

A quick Hypnosis sent the fleeing Crobats plummeting from the sky, and Alex's Crobats continued their pursuit of the others.

Meanwhile, the rest of Alex's Pokémon spread out, hunting down as many of the remaining Pokémon as possible.

Clawitzer, in particular, was having a great time shooting down the evasive, erratic Zubat with precise Water Pulses. This was exactly what she had been training for.

"A preemptive attack would've yielded better results," Alex muttered. "Too bad you can't exactly sneak up on a Crobat nest. Now, I don't know if there is enough to justify completing the request."

Nest hunting was complicated business, especially when the request involved stopping the attacks around Route 10. Anyone could simply submit the request as completed by handing over a few hundred Zubats, Golbats, and Crobats, but whether that would be enough to stop the attacks remained uncertain.

For all Alex knew, there was another Crobat nest in the area responsible for the attacks. Hopefully, Nyx was right and the majority of the nest was enough to justify the completion of the request.

A few minutes later, the Pokémon gathered around, retrieving the corpses without being told. They were used to hunting nests by now and understood that the corpses, even weaker ones, were spoils of their battle.

Alex collected them, taking particular note of the Crobats his own had captured.

There were three of them at Elite rank, and they had simply fainted. Alex locked them in Poké Balls to sell. Credits could be earned through captures as well as missions, so this might bring in some extra income from their hunt.

"How many managed to escape?" he asked Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir (A few dozen managed to escape along with an Elite Crobat)," she replied.

"Gardevoir (They went that way)," she added, pointing northwest, deeper into the wilds.

"Arcanine, can you track it down?"

"Arc! Arc!" he replied before dashing off in the direction Gardevoir had indicated.

"Send the attack team to follow him," Alex commanded, before mounting Hydreigon and storing the rest.

Gardevoir rode on Altaria as she commanded the attack team to follow Arcanine's trail. They weaved through the mountainside like a pack of wolves hunting prey.

Alex, meanwhile, did not like the direction they were heading. They were moving deeper into Champion nest territory, farther into the wilds. There would come a point where they would encounter nothing but Champion ranked nests, so he estimated they would hunt for no more than an hour.

An hour later, Alex heard a massive roar coming from the exact direction they were heading. It was still quite far from their location, but at their current pace, it was clear they would encounter the source within minutes.

Suddenly, their course shifted north before turning east. It seemed the escaping Crobat had been frightened by the roar and made a sharp turn toward Route 10, much to Alex's relief.

He could fight a Champion ranked nest, but he was not fully confident yet. He remembered how much collateral damage a single Giga Impact from a Snorlax could cause, and it was enough to sweep him away. He simply was not strong enough to witness a Champion ranked fight up close yet.

They continued their hunt for a few more minutes until Alex received a telepathic message from Gardevoir.

'Arcanine caught up and has restrained the Crobat,' she reported.

When Alex arrived at the site of the battle, he was just in time to see Arcanine proudly sitting on the knocked-out Crobat, panting heavily.

Alex returned the Pokémon before giving Arcanine an affectionate rub.

"Good job, buddy," Alex said, then captured the Crobat and asked Arcanine to teleport them to the Pokémon Center in Lavender City.

The mission was complete, with nearly a thousand Zubats, Golbats, and Crobats defeated, along with four Elite ranked Crobats captured alive. One way or another, this would be lucrative for Alex.

At the Pokecenter request desk, he submitted the mission report along with all the Pokémon he had killed or captured. As expected, he did not get paid right away due to the conditions specified in the mission details.

"Your submission has been logged, but we will need to investigate further before releasing the payout," the clerk said, handing Alex back his license and spoils. "In the meantime, would you like to take another mission?"

"No, thanks. I think I'm done for the day," Alex replied, retrieving his license and spoils.

Then he made a quick stop at the butcher's for an exchange before teleporting back to the farm, arriving just as Vera returned, escorted by Persian and Audino.

"How'd the Chief breeder licensing exam go?" Alex asked.

"I think I have it in the bag. The results will come out in a few days," she replied, though she looked guilty for some reason.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"Nothing, it's just… I'm going to miss the farm."

"Well, you can always come back and visit."

"Yeah… I'll be sure to call."

They released their Pokémon before settling in for dinner. Alex had been running around all day, so he was starving, while Vera had gone through a rigorous examination that left her brain feeling melted by the end.

The rest of the girls soon joined them for the early dinner, settling into a far less awkward silence compared to the previous night. Still, the girls tried their best to ignore the elephant in the room until Talia made an observation that broke the silence.

"Vera, you're looking a bit pale and fatigued. Are you alright? Would you like me to do a check-up on you?"

"No, it's okay," Vera replied rather quickly. "I just jogged from Saffron City where my examination took place. I should be fine by tomorrow."

"Alright, but please take it easy and let me know if you start feeling worse. Fatigue can catch up faster than expected, especially after a long trip and a stressful exam. Rest well tonight, alright?"

"Thanks, I will," Vera replied with an appreciative smile.

Suddenly, Nyx shot up, turned on the projector, and played a video of Vermilion City engulfed in flames.

Chapter 152: Chapter 152. A Broken Man

Earlier that morning, while Alex had left to hunt down a Crobat nest and Vera had gone to take her Chief Breeder certification exam, Kyle Mason, a former father of two, was going through his usual work routine.

He lived in a rundown apartment on the north side of Vermilion City, far from the affluent southern district known for its beaches. His apartment was nothing more than a place to sleep, as he spent most of his time working at a nearby warehouse.

He got out of bed and stared at the framed picture of his wife and two daughters.

With a quiet sigh, he headed to the kitchen. There, he heated up the same prepackaged ground Pokémon meat he ate every day in the microwave. It was poor man's food, nothing compared to the fruits, berries, and vegetables enjoyed by the rest of the 10 million people living inside the city. Food he used to thrive on as well.

He shoveled it down, washing it away with tap water. Then he changed into his overalls and made his way to the warehouse where he worked.

The district was old and dirtier than the clean streets at the heart of the city. Homeless people were scattered about, unwilling or unable to put in the effort to get a place of their own.

He, like them, survived on the League's so-called "charity", ground Pokémon meat that occasionally contained bits of bone, shell, rock, or twigs. It was a disgusting slop, worth nothing more than a day's supply of life and energy.

He reached the warehouse, where his coworkers were already gathered, waiting for the doors to open.

"You look like shit," a coworker said as he spotted Kyle lumbering over. "You won't last the day if you already look like you're ready to pass out."

"I'll be fine," Kyle replied. "Just another day."

They kept chatting as the warehouse doors slid open, revealing an assembly line inside. Their job was to assemble manufactured parts into finished products. They worked on toys, gadgets, and anything else remotely mechanical.

It was mindless work that required their hands more than their minds. Perfect for someone as burned out as Kyle.

It was preferable to being an engineer, where he constantly had to think and focus. Those days ended when he lost his family to Pokémon, one by one, along with any desire to think or live.

His mind went blank as he sat at his station while the assembly line whirred to life. Today, it seemed to be action figures of Lucario. As the pieces began to arrive, he grabbed each one, snapping them together before placing them back on the line.

His hands moved on their own, steady and practiced, as the faint scent of flour and berries seemed to drift in from nowhere. He could almost see Lena at the kitchen counter, her back turned, shoulders swaying gently as she hummed a tune that once filled the house. A soft, familiar sound echoed in his mind, quick footsteps and light giggles as Emma and Lily chased each other through the garden, their laughter bright and fleeting like wind chimes in the breeze.

The rhythm of his work blurred with the quiet scenes behind his eyes. Lena's smile, the way her eyes lit up when she looked up from her baking, always so steady and warm. He could still feel the calm of those quiet nights in the livingroom, the four of them together, safe in a peace none of them realized would slip away.

Then, a bell chimed, pulling him back to the present.

His 8 hour shift had just ended, so he got up and lumbered his way back home.

He arrived at his apartment, stepped inside, and pulled out his phone. It was the same model he had been using since he lost them. It was the only reason he was still alive.

He opened a forum meant for people like him, those who had lost loved ones to Pokémon, one way or another.

He pored over story after story of people and their loss. The most common of which were of those who had simply vanished after leaving for their journeys, never to return.

Thousands of people were on the site, sharing stories of sorrow, hardship, and hate. Many expressed hatred toward Pokémon, the League, and the world itself.

He never posted anything, but he shared their feelings. There was something comforting about reading the stories of others who had gone through the same pain. In a way, it was a reminder that he wasn't suffering alone.

Then he found a post about a protest that was about to begin. They were planning to gather in Vermilion City Square to pressure the League into killing more Pokémon. They were trying to gather as many people as possible to draw attention. The more people protested, the more seriously the League would take them.

Kyle scoffed at the notion. It was foolish to think the League would do anything for them, the victims of the very system it had created.

His thoughts drifted back to his family. Lena, his wife, had left for a business trip in another city and vanished without a trace. Emily, his eldest at 18, had set out on her own journey, defying his fears and warnings. Lily, just 16, had followed soon after, vowing to bring her mother and sister home. None of them ever returned.

Then he remembered a quote written in the post: "If you don't do something, it would be no different than killing your loved ones yourself."

Rage suddenly boiled in his veins. How dare they say that he killed his own family? What was he supposed to do? Keep his family hostage and never let them leave the city? Especially when they loved Pokémon so much from watching TV?

Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. The League killed his daughters because of their propaganda to spread love for Pokémon. His inaction wasn't the problem, it was the system.

With rage, he returned to the post and noted their meet-up place and time. He wore his usual overalls before heading over.

Once he was at the square, he was greeted with a crowd of a few hundred people who were as angry as he was when he decided to come over.

He suddenly felt slightly out of place, unused to the massive crowd. He felt like an idiot for even coming.

As he was about to turn away, someone from behind called out.

"You're just in time," the man said as he handed over a device. "It's to protect yourself against the police. Just in case."

Kyle took the device as the man walked away and started distributing it to others in the crowd.

He examined it closely. It was obvious how it worked from a glance. His hand would be around a grip while his finger would pull the trigger. He didn't know what would happen, but if it was for protection, the barrel should be pointed at Pokémon, right?

Out of nowhere, a loud chant blared through a megaphone.

"No more victims! No more Pokémon!" the chant repeated.

The crowd grew more riled up as Kyle watched in stunned silence.

The voices around him grew louder, angrier, feeding off one another as the chant spread through the square like wildfire.

"No more victims! No more Pokémon!"

"No more victims! No more Pokémon!"

Fists were raised in the air. People waved signs, crudely painted with slogans and slurs against the League and Pokémon alike. The crowd surged forward, voices merging into one deafening roar.

Kyle's grip tightened around the device. He could feel the heat of bodies pressing closer, the electric charge of shared fury crackling in the air. His heart pounded, but he wasn't sure if it was from fear or the same rage that had dragged him here in the first place.

He thought of Lena. He thought of Emily and Lily. Their faces blurred together in his mind, swallowed by the roar around him.

"Police! This is an unauthorized protest! Disperse immediately or face forcible detention!" blared another megaphone.

Then, someone fired the first shot.

A bright flash erupted from the front of the crowd, followed by screams. The square exploded into chaos. People rushed forward, others scattered, but the chant didn't stop. If anything, it grew louder.

Kyle stood frozen in place, the device still in his hand, unsure whether to run or raise it himself.

Then, the crowd around him dispersed.

He looked around and spotted a police officer with a Houndoom by its side staring at him with a sadistic smile.

"Stop resisting arrest," the officer shouted. "You've been warned. Flamethrower!"

Kyle saw flames coming for him before he could even understand. He burned to the ground, the gun still clutched in his hands.

'Lena, Emily, Lily, I'm sorry,' was the last thought running through his mind.

The riot scattered as Kyle burned to ashes, his screams lost in the chaos. Protesters fired wildly at anything in their path. Pokémon moves lit up the streets, striking police officers, buildings, and even bystanders who had only been watching.

The other officers stood in shock at what their colleague had done. But there was no time to react. People were dying by the second.

"Stunning moves! Use stunning moves only!" the officer with the megaphone ordered, his voice sharp and urgent.

At once, clouds of Stun Spore filled the air. Bolts of Thunder Wave spread through the crowd, while piercing Glares and waves of Hypnosis dropped people to the ground. Many collapsed, paralyzed or asleep, but some still managed to slip away.

Those who escaped continued to spread chaos throughout the city.

Soon, reports came in from all corners of Vermilion. Somehow, more rioters had appeared far from the city square, unleashing destruction in every direction. Rioters fired at civilians and storefronts, while fires spread and the streets filled with smoke and crumbling debris.

Chaos consumed everything. The city was burning.

Chapter 153: Chapter 153. A New Bounty

Alex and the girls watched as Vermilion City was engulfed in a riot that was starting to get out of control while eating their dinner casually.

The news projection hovered over their table showing streets filled with smoke and scattered fires. Protesters and rioters clashed with the police and League forces, while gunmen lit up the night in bursts of flame and electricity. The reporters spoke quickly, trying to keep up with the escalating chaos.

None of them seemed particularly bothered. They kept eating, watching the scene unfold from the safety of their dining room. It was not the first time they had seen a city fall into chaos.

Alex calmly reached for another helping of meat, briefly glancing at a scene of a building collapsing under an explosion before turning his attention back to his plate.

"It's getting worse," Vera muttered, her voice tinged with concern.

No one disagreed. They ate in silence, letting the noise from the projection continue in the background, as if it were nothing more than background music.

"What's even the point of this?" Kaia asked. "The human supremacists can't possibly think pissing off the League constantly will get them anywhere."

"A lot of people died too. Won't they get blamed for that?" Vera asked.

"The League will blame the rioters for the use of violence during the protests, citing how more suddenly appeared all over the city to cause chaos," Rhea replied, her tone calm and logical. "The human supremacists will claim the League fired first. Most people will believe the League, but the supremacists aren't targeting most people. They're aiming for those who have lost loved ones to Pokémon. As long as they gather enough of them, they can continue building an armed force in the region."

Everyone looked at Rhea, slightly shocked. She usually just joked around or only sounded serious when talking about machines, almost never about political or strategic matters.

"What? I can use my brain for other things too."

Kaia then turned to Celise and Talia, the group's resident former human supremacists, before asking, "Got any insights?"

"I can't say," Celise said, looking down.

"I'm not in the loop," Talia replied. "I'm just a nurse."

"I agree with Rhea," Alex said. "My guess is they're trying to get more people in their camp to fight against the League. They've done protests before, but they've always been relatively peaceful. This was because they wanted to maintain a presence without giving the League an excuse to wipe them out."

"Now that they've lost all their bases in Kanto, they've taken more drastic measures instead. They likely plan on inciting negative publicity in a destructive manner to achieve the greatest effect on the people while they reorganize."

"Once they come back, they'll have some grunts to lead into the slaughter as cannon fodder. For now, they will want to inflict the greatest amount of negative press on the League."

Alex then turned to Nyx before asking, "Did you find anything on their sites?"

"There was a post on their forums that went out this morning asking for protesters to come to the square," Nyx replied, before suddenly saying, "Wait! They're posting videos about the police killing protesters."

"Staged to paint the League as an evil organization of some sort, most likely," Alex commented. "Check the bounty board. I bet there's going to be another big bounty on it soon."

"Just came in. Let me pull it up."

Target: Varek Moln
Rank: Elite
Contract ID: #4829-JD
Payout: 40 million Pokédollars or 30 million Pokédollars and 1 million credits
Order: Wanted Dead or Alive
Known Pokémon Team: Weavile, Crobat, Houndoom, Sableye, Toxtricity, Honchkrow

Varek Moln is a lean, wiry male, approximately 29 years old, standing 5'9" (1.75 m) with pale skin and sharp facial features. He has icy blue eyes, silver-dyed hair styled into loose spikes, and multiple facial piercings. His attire usually consists of lightweight dark combat gear with reinforced padding, and he bears a distinctive tattoo of a crescent moon behind his left ear.

He is a swift and elusive operative specializing in infiltration, sabotage, and high-speed ambushes. Known for hit-and-run tactics and precision strikes, he leaves minimal evidence, often escaping before authorities can respond. His operations frequently disable key infrastructure such as power grids, communication towers, and League checkpoints.

Varek is a high-ranking field commander within the Kanto Human Supremacist Faction, known for inciting the Vermilion City riot that resulted in mass casualties, widespread property destruction, and direct confrontations between civilians and League forces. He was identified as the key agitator who coordinated extremist cells to spark the violence, using misinformation campaigns and planted agents to escalate tensions. He remains at large, with no sightings reported in Kanto.

"Looks like I just got a job," Alex said with a smile.

"It's in credits. Do you think you'll have competition?" Vera asked.

"Not sure. There were plenty of nests with bounties around that price, but no one has taken them down yet."

"Isn't taking down nests significantly more difficult than a single trainer?"

"Depends on who you ask, but generally, yes. It's easier to take down a single trainer than an entire nest. Personally, I've had more trouble with people since they can use Protect. In my experience, humans are far more dangerous."

"How are you going to find him?"

"I already have his location. Right, Nyx?"

"The coordinates were on the phone Celise had. Their base is on the northwest outskirts of the city, past the river. I just sent you the coordinates," Nyx replied. "You will have to move fast. I doubt they can stay hidden for long."

"I'll be back by tomorrow morning, I guess," Alex said as he left.

He went to his room to get changed, quickly depositing the Crobats he had captured into his PC.

Then he called for all his Pokémon, who assembled in front of the mansion before he stored them and teleported outside the north gate of Vermilion City.

From there, he headed west into the forest, riding on Arcanine.

It took an hour to reach the base's location, where Alex found a lone shack in the woods, seemingly empty and untouched for decades.

"Since I can't get in the old-fashioned way, I guess I'll just have to knock," Alex said, releasing all his Pokémon. "I'll take half the team to storm the base. Gardevoir, take the other half and spread out. I want a perimeter around the shack. Watch for a man about 5 foot 9 with silver hair, likely carrying Dark-type energy, with a tattoo behind his ear. Do not let him escape."

"Gar…" Gardevoir replied with a hint of disappointment.

"I know you won't get to kill many humans this way, but I promise if I find him inside, Raticate will immediately call for you. Right, Raticate?"

"Raticate!"

"Gar!"

"That's my girl," Alex said, lovingly stroking Gardevoir's head.

She cooed in reply before her expression turned serious, then spread half his team in a perimeter a kilometer around the shack. Her group included Gardevoir, Clawitzer, Forretress, Frosmoth, Hydreigon, the Crobat couple, Tsareena, Espeon, and Zoroark.

Meanwhile, Alex took Raticate, Arcanine, Rotom, Altaria, Alcremie, Kommo-o, Togekiss, Dusknoir, Ceruledge, Steelix, Mausholdx3, and Weezing to storm the base. This lineup was chosen to neutralize the battlefield and allow his attack team to rampage freely.

Without wasting time, all the Pokémon began powering up their stats to the max while Alex supported them by firing off Coaching and Decorate bullets.

"Steelix, Body Press," Alex commanded.

Steelix coiled its body before launching its head upward, stacking itself like a towering pile of metal stones from tail to head. Then it fell forward, glowing with Fighting type energy, putting its full weight into the move as it slammed face-first onto the shack.

With a resounding crash, the shack shattered into pieces, along with the trapdoor hidden beneath it.

Alex tapped Steelix at his side, and the large Pokémon shifted aside, revealing an opening that led underground. The passage was narrow at first but seemed to widen the deeper it went. Alex would need to clear the way to allow his Pokémon to pass through.

"Dig through it all the way to the other side," Alex commanded.

Steelix dove in headfirst, spinning as it burrowed through the soft dirt, carving out a wide tunnel for the others to follow.

Alex moved in from behind until a sharp, echoing clang rang out ahead. They had likely reached the main doors of the base.

"Rotom, hack in and open the gates. This is an official bounty hunter raid."

Rotom zipped out of Alex's phone and dove into the scanner. With a beep, the heavy metal doors slid open, revealing a base nearly identical to the one in Pewter City. The only difference being the noticeably fewer people training inside.

They were either out orchestrating the ongoing riot or this base simply lacked the manpower that Pewter City had. Either way, everyone present stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at the intruder and his many powerful-looking Pokémon.

Without hesitation, Alex's Pokémon surged into the base, ready for battle, and quickly formed up to protect him.

"Good. Looks like I made it in time," Alex said with a breath of relief before his voice turned cold and firm. "Kill them all."

Chapter 154: Chapter 154. Varek Moln

As Alex entered the base, everyone who had been training immediately turned to him with sharp, appraising looks. It didn't take them long to realize he didn't belong. None of them bothered to ask questions. They simply raised their weapons and opened fire.

"Kill them all," Alex ordered coldly.

His Pokémon scattered from their defensive formation, swiftly dodging the hail of gunfire heading their way.

Alex moved as well, slipping away without giving further commands. His Pokémon didn't require orders to deal with humans armed with nothing but guns.

He disappeared into the shadows, watching the battle unfold as his Pokémon tore through the base.

Raticate and Arcanine tore through the densest enemy clusters, striking fast and hard to shatter any attempt at forming proper firing lines. Flames and fangs carved a bloody path, denying the enemy the chance to coordinate their attacks.

Kommo-o and Togekiss hunted through more scattered pockets of resistance, overwhelming them with sheer destructive force. Earthquakes split the ground, Clanging Scales rattled through walls, and Breaking Swipe crushed anything daring to stand its ground. Every strike was thrown to maximize destruction.

Dusknoir and Ceruledge stalked through the shadows, hunting down the farthest shooters hiding behind fortifications. With Phantom Force and Shadow Sneak, they made sure the enemy's range advantage meant nothing.

Meanwhile, Altaria, Alcremie, the Maushold, and Weezing moved as a coordinated unit, focusing solely on neutralizing opposing Pokémon. Their role was to keep the battlefield clear, ensuring the others wouldn't get pinned down while maintaining their own survival.

Steelix remained close to Alex, rampaging through anything nearby to prevent any concentrated attacks if Alex was spotted. Even as the bulk of enemy gunfire focused on him, he pressed forward without hesitation. With Alex's steady stream of Heal Pulses mending every wound, Steelix stayed in peak condition and crushed everything in his path without slowing down.

While Alex and his Pokémon rampaged through the base's courtyard and training area, Varek Moln watched the chaos from his office. Specifically, he was watching Alex like a hawk.

He was impressed by what he saw. If he fought Alex head on, he would surely lose. Alex simply had too many Elite ranked Pokémon.

Fortunately for Varek, he never fought an opponent head on. He always watched and learned from the shadows before even having any intention of moving.

So, he quietly watched through the window how Alex's Pokémon fought, how they were already maxed out when they came in, only to rampage with wild abandon, and how Alex was able to keep his Steelix alive through their own weapons. He watched as Alex and his team were slowly losing stamina due to fighting at maximum stacks for prolonged periods.

Finally, Varek formed his intent. He would do the same as Alex and buff up his team before charging straight for him. He would wait until they spent the majority of their stamina before making a move. He would then strike when he was most vulnerable.

The fighting raged on as Alex hid in the shadow of a collapsed building that Steelix had just smashed through, clearing out the large number of gunners firing from its windows. He continued sending out Heal Pulses to keep Steelix at peak health and maintain his Sturdy ability. Alex also noticed they were close to finishing the battle, as the frequency of heals Steelix needed had begun to lessen.

He didn't let his guard down, though. He had a bad feeling ever since the fighting started. Something within the base made his instincts scream at him to stay cautious.

Still, there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't call Gardevoir over until he had seen Varek and secured his capture. For all he knew, Gardevoir and Varek might already be fighting above ground. He had no choice but to walk into the trap, keeping his guard at its highest.

But that didn't mean he would walk in blindly. He intended to make his enemy work for it.

He noted that the enemy's Pokémon had already been taken out. With the battlefield clear, he made his way toward the center of the base, where his neutralizing team stood on standby after their fight.

Suddenly, Alex's instincts flared as an attacker lunged from the shadows behind him, ghostly energy swirling around its claws.

Aegislash emerged from Alex's shadow at that exact moment, intercepting the strike with King's Shield. However, the attack tore straight through the shield and struck Aegislash hard. It was Phantom Force, a vicious blow from a Sableye, breaking through the defense and dealing severe damage.

Alex's guard stayed sharp. He sensed another strike coming from behind. He spun around, twisting his guns into a reverse grip and crossing his arms to block like tonfa as he leapt backward.

But his makeshift defense was no match for the full force of a fully stacked Elite ranked Weavile's Night Slash. The brutal strike severed both his arms at the elbow, sending them flying and knocking Alex to the ground.

Fortunately, help arrived just in time to stop a follow-up strike. Arcanine blitzed through Weavile with Extreme Speed, slamming it away from Alex before it could strike again. Snarling with fury, Arcanine launched a relentless assault on the Weavile that had dared to harm Alex, tearing into it with savage rage.

Sableye was kept occupied by Aegislash, who was barely holding on.

Meanwhile, the neutralizing team rushed in to defend Alex but were cut off by a Boomburst from a Toxtricity, forcing them to rotate Protect to withstand the deafening shockwaves.

At the same time, Ceruledge was ambushed by a Night Slash from a Honchkrow, knocked out in a single clean blow after already being weakened from the earlier battle. The Honchkrow then turned its sights on Dusknoir, pinning it down and preventing any assistance.

Togekiss was also attacked, struck by a Cross Poison from a Crobat. Though the hit was vicious, it wasn't enough to knock Togekiss out. However, the damage it took tipped the fight toward a losing battle.

Kommo-o came under fire as well, targeted by a devastating Flamethrower from a Houndoom that kept its distance, weaving between debris to avoid any counterattacks from Vacuum Wave.

Despite his injuries, and with adrenaline surging through his veins, Alex remained calm. If anything, he was even calmer now that the trap had been sprung.

He kicked his severed arms into his space bag for storage, quickly rising to his feet to issue commands. But before he could speak, a sniper's shot from a distant window tore through his shoulder, forcing him to dive behind cover.

Gritting his teeth, Alex calculated the angle of the shot and shouted his command.

"Steelix, use Dig! Bring down the buildings on the opposite side of the base!" he ordered from behind cover, rolling aside just as another shot obliterated the spot where he had been hiding.

Steelix burrowed into the ground and made his way to the other side of the base, where he began to use Bulldoze to burst through one building after another before using Earthquake to bring down the already weakened structures.

He didn't notice a shadow leaping from a top-floor window of one of the buildings, and simply kept rampaging, smashing through even the debris that rained down on him.

Weavile, being an Ice type, was the first to fall. Arcanine clamped down with crushing force, Fire Fang blazing through its flesh. Then, with a savage snarl, Arcanine violently whipped its head from side to side, unleashing a stream of Flamethrower mid-thrash, tearing and searing through flesh and bone with each brutal jerk of its jaws.

Even after Weavile fainted, Arcanine didn't relent. He kept tearing and thrashing until every last sign of life was gone. Then he spat the mangled corpse aside with disgust before vanishing in a blur of Extreme Speed, closing the distance to Sableye. He sank his fangs into it with Crunch, delivering a devastating blow and saving Aegislash from being finished off.

Toxtricity didn't last long against the sheer number of enemies it faced. It was poisoned, paralyzed, taunted, encored, then brutally beaten down without mercy.

Meanwhile, Dusknoir reversed its tactics on Honchkrow, stalling it with Gravity, Pain Split, and Will-O-Wisp, ensuring Ceruledge's fainted body remained protected.

Kommo-o, unable to handle Houndoom, shifted its focus to Crobat instead, launching relentless Vacuum Waves, while Togekiss used Life Dew to keep them both standing.

It was clear who would win the engagement, but just as quickly as the ambush had started, the attackers retreated.

Weavile, Sableye, and Toxtricity didn't make it out. All three were killed by their opponents.

Arcanine wasn't about to let the others escape. He took off in pursuit with Extreme Speed, chasing down the remaining foes as they scattered, fleeing the base in haste. The others quickly followed, hell-bent on stopping their ambushers from getting away.

Meanwhile, Alex was struggling to grab a spray bottle of potions, awkwardly using his feet and teeth. He wasn't having much success.

"Need a hand?" a dark ominous voice came out of the darkness followed by the barrel of a gun pointed directly at Alex's head.

Chapter 155: Chapter 155. Last Chance

Alex dropped the potion he had been biting and stared at the mass of darkness in the shape of a man lurking in the shadows. He let Dark type energy flow through his eyes, sharpening his vision until he saw his opponent clearly. Icy blue eyes, silver dyed hair styled into loose spikes, and multiple facial piercings.

It was undoubtedly Varek.

"Varek Mo—"

"I don't do monologues," Varek interrupted before pulling the trigger.

Time seemed to slow as Alex watched his death approach. He couldn't move. Even as adrenaline flooded his brain, desperately searching for a way out, nothing came. There was nothing he could do. He was going to die again.

He was younger than he had been during his first death, but this life had been far more fulfilling. Here, he had women who cared for him, Pokémon to keep him company, and battles that raged far beyond anything he had ever experienced in the octagon.

As far as he was concerned, it had been a fulfilling, satisfying, and perfect life. He had done his best, gone to school, actually studied, graduated, made achievements, and gained renown that far surpassed anything from his previous life.

If he had any regrets, it was that he would never see the true peak of the world. The mysteries and secrets still hidden from him as an Elite. The chance to command a Legendary Pokémon and sit upon the throne of the world. The reason the literal god of Pokémon was Cynthia's pet. The reason he had been reborn in the first place.

But in the back of his mind, a quiet voice whispered a deeper regret. He regretted never experiencing love as an aromantic, never raising a child, and never giving enough care to his girls who had stayed by his side.

He finally admitted it, those were his girls. He had taken them under his care, and they had cared for him in return. A flicker of possessiveness stirred in his chest, ugly and familiar, before he forcefully pushed it back down.

His possessiveness had always been his greatest flaw in relationships that often ended in fights. He had never known how to properly show affection without it twisting into something possessive. He regretted not doing more for the girls… but his time had come.

'At least I lived a better life in this one,' Alex thought with finality.

Varek pulled the trigger as a Feint bullet exploded from the barrel at deadly speed.

Just as it was about to strike Alex, a wave of psychic energy deflected the bullet, diverting it just enough to leave a deep gash along the side of his head above his right ear.

"Wha—" Varek exclaimed in surprise before he was suddenly hurled through the air, dropping his gun as he slammed into a wall ten feet up and was pinned there by a crushing force that began to slowly suffocate him.

A few quick Heal Pulses hit Alex, closing his wounds and stopping the bleeding just as Gardevoir arrived, with Raticate close behind.

In the distance, Arcanine trotted back with a fainted Houndoom clutched in its jaws, while a pair of Crobats swooped in, each carrying a sleeping Crobat and Honchkrow in their mouths. The three were quickly surrounded and guarded to prevent escape while Alex was being fussed over by Gardevoir.

"I'm alright, girl. I'm fine," Alex said, a bit woozy as the high of the adrenaline began to fade.

He was quite fortunate that Raticate had immediately ran away to find Gardevoir as soon as Varek's Elite ranked Pokemon's ambush began. He never would have guessed that his earlier command to placate Gardevoir would be the reason he survived today.

Varek activated his Dark type energy at maximum output, escaping the overwhelming Psychic pressure that pinned him against the wall. He fell from ten feet, landed gracefully, and immediately bolted away to escape the sudden reinforcements he knew nothing about.

Raticate wasn't having it, though, as he Quick Attacked in front of Varek before slamming him back to Gardevoir's feet.

"Need a hand?" Alex asked before looking at his stubs for arms. "Sorry, I don't have any hands at the moment. You'll have to figure this one out yourself."

"Grab his Poké Balls," Alex ordered.

Raticate rummaged through Varek's belt as the man groaned.

"He's all yours," Alex said, turning to Gardevoir with a calm nod. "Just don't mess up his face."

"Gardevoir," she replied with a sadistic smile, her voice dripping with amusement.

She reached out and grabbed Varek's head with both hands, her fingers tightening around his skull as Psychic energy began to surge through him.

Alex turned away with Raticate in tow, unfazed, as Gardevoir bombarded Varek's mind with overwhelming Psychic power.

"No, please, I'll cooperate," he begged.

Dark type energy could certainly fight against Psychic type energy, but humans had a drop of it while Pokémon held oceans. Varek didn't last long under Gardevoir's assault before the last drop of it was drained from his body.

"No… NOOO!"

Varek slumped unconscious as Gardevoir used Hypnosis and Dream Eater to consume Varek's mind.

Gardevoir shivered in ecstasy at the opportunity. It had been a long time since she felt the intimacy of a human's mind being consumed in its entirety.

Suddenly, an overwhelming psychic force erupted within Varek's mind, completely turning his brain to mush as brain matter escaped from his eyes, ears, and nose. Gardevoir's attack had likely triggered the failsafe implanted in his mind to protect the information regarding the human supremacists.

"Gar…" Gardevoir murmured sadly, dejected that she had been denied another meal.

She then turned to the remaining human captives who had somehow survived, before sashaying toward them with an alluring, almost predatory expression. One missing captive wouldn't matter much, right?

Meanwhile, with Raticate's help, Alex managed to lock Varek's Pokémon and used Revives and Full Restores on the fainted members of his team. He also had Forsmoth freeze his hands to prevent further damage.

The rest of the Pokémon helped gather the corpses, captives, and loot as they ransacked the base with practiced ease before stuffing them into Alex's space bag themselves.

Alex meanwhile was being babied by Alcremie who kept feeding him her matcha cream to make him feel better.

"Thank you, Alcremie," Alex said as he took a bite. "But I'll be fine. Don't worry. They'll be able to fix me up at the farm in no time."

"Alcre," she replied.

"Yes, I'll have my arms back. Don't you worry."

It took a few hours to clean everything up before Alex stepped outside and had Rotom text the coordinates of the base to Officer Jenny in Vermilion City.

The riot had likely ended by now, given the amount of time that had passed, especially since the brains of the operation were taken down.

It took over an hour before Jenny, along with a few officers and League agents, arrived at the base to take custody of the captives.

"You must be Alex," Jenny said while staring at his stubs. "That looks like it hurts."

"I was drowning in adrenaline, so it wasn't much," Alex replied in a relaxed tone.

"Well, injuries like that shouldn't be much of a problem. Did you preserve your hands?"

"Yes, Frosmoth froze them."

"Good. That should reduce the recovery time," Jenny said before looking around. "You really did a number on this place."

"Elite ranked battles can do that."

"Right, well, you're free to leave. I'll personally handle your bounty submission."

"Thank you, Jenny."

"I liked you when you were younger."

"That's fair."

Alex ignored the offhanded comment and teleported home with his team and their spoils. Specifically, he had made off with more ammunition, weapons, equipment, and Pokémon meat. As for the servers they had at the base, they were completely demolished by a rather proud Steelix.

Once he arrived home at the farm early in the morning, just as chores were starting, the girls were immediately shocked to see Alex missing both hands.

"Oh my god! Alex! What happened to your hands?" Vera cried out, horrified.

"It's fine," Alex said calmly. "Talia can fix it right up. Don't worry."

"How can I not worry? What happened?"

"Got ambushed by a nasty Weavile. Arcanine handled it, though. Anyway, where's Talia?"

"She's in the medical bay."

"Alright."

Alex walked off casually, completely unfazed. Vera watched him go, her expression conflicted. It broke her heart to see him so badly injured, but even more to see how easily he brushed it off, as if it didn't matter.

As if he didn't matter.

Guilt twisted in her chest. The timing couldn't have been worse, but she had already made her choice. She had started something she couldn't stop. She had to see it through and leave.

At times like this, she was grateful the other girls were there to care for him. It let her focus on herself, knowing Alex was in good hands.

With her resolve steady, Vera returned to her room to continue studying. The Chief Breeder exam was over, but her career had only just begun.

Meanwhile, Alex sat in the medical bay, calmly presenting his severed hands to Talia, who looked just as relaxed.

"It's a clean cut, and the wound on your arms healed well," she said, examining the frozen hands. "Good job keeping them cold. This will make the reattachment much easier."

"Think you can stick them back on without complications?" Alex asked.

"Easily. I've dealt with plenty of amputations before. This won't be a problem. I'll just need an assistant, preferably a Pokémon that can use Heal Pulse with precision."

"What about Clawitzer?"

"They need to be able to move around."

"Gardevoir then."

"She'll do."

Alex called for Gardevoir, who agreed to help.

As Alex drifted off to sleep from the anesthesia flowing through the IV, his thoughts drifted back to the final moments of his near-death experience. He thought about the regrets he carried and the wishes he had left behind.

Maybe this was his last chance to see them fulfilled.

And maybe… it wouldn't be so bad to spend a little time doing just that.

Chapter 156: Chapter 156. Second Chances

Alex's surgery went smoothly without any complications. His arms healed quickly with a combination of nutrient supplements and targeted Heal Pulses. However, he still needed to work hard to rehabilitate the severed muscles in his forearms, so he had to take a week off to rebuild his strength.

It wasn't a problem though.

During that week, the payments for Varek's head and the Crobat nest he had cleared finally arrived. In total, he earned 30 million Pokédollars, 1.5 million League credits, another cache of ammo and equipment for Rhea, and a generous supply of Pokémon meat from both Expert and Elite ranks.

As for the Elite ranked Crobats he had captured, no buyers were interested. Even at that rank, Crobats were so common that no one found them worth purchasing aside from their meat. In the end, Alex simply handed them over to Lina for cooking.

He also spent the week practicing his marksmanship. His new arms felt slightly off when he aimed, so he focused on realigning his shooting technique.

Lastly, the biggest change was Alex's sudden enthusiasm.

"Hey, have you noticed anything weird about Alex lately?" Kaia asked during a private meeting with the girls Alex usually has sex with.

"He's been fucking me more than usual," Nyx said, not even looking up from her phone.

"Same here," Vera, Kaia, and Rhea all replied at once.

"Jynx. Ha. Now you can't say anything until I—"

"Be serious, Rhea," Kaia said, frowning. "Something's off with Alex. He never asks me for sex. He usually leaves it up to me to ask for it, but lately… he's been more eager. Maybe even a little aggressive."

"He took me on a date," Vera said, her eyes lighting up. "There were flowers, candles, and even background music. It was wonderful."

"He choked me out and didn't stop fucking me, even when I kept passing out," Nyx gushed as she reminisced, a dreamy look in her eyes. "The last time he did that was on my birthday. And it wasn't even my birthday this time."

"Aww. I want to get choked out and fucked while repeatedly passing out too," Rhea whined. "Though he did buy me a nasty vibrator that has the same effect. It even came with a mold of his dick."

"You got a mold without begging for it?" Nyx gasped. "I had to work hard to earn mine. That's not fair."

"Focus, ladies," Kaia said, grabbing their attention. "We need to get to the bottom of this. What changed for Alex to suddenly be so… eager?"

"Well… he lost both arms. That must have traumatized him," Nyx said. "There might even have been more to the story than just getting his hands cut off."

"Like what?" Vera asked with concern.

"Almost dying," she replied. "Most people change drastically when they almost die. Kinda like what Alex is going through."

"He's been more attentive toward us," Kaia said. "He's trying to show he cares. Does almost dying explain that?"

"Why don't we just imagine it?" Rhea suggested. "Let's all think about what we'd regret if we died right now, and see if there's anything we'd want to change in our lives."

"Well… I think I'd regret not having a child with Alex… and, um, growing old together… and getting married," Vera mumbled, her cheeks burning as she hid her face in her hands.

"I… I think I'm the same," Kaia said blushing. "Having kids would have been nice."

"I'm good," Nyx said. "Although, I would have appreciated dying with his dick in my ass. One last squeeze would have been nice."

"My turn, my turn! I'm pretty close to how Alex thinks, so maybe I'll figure it out," Rhea said excitedly. "Hmm… let's say I'm about to die, like, right now. I would regret not building all the fun ideas Alex has been feeding me. I would regret not getting to make more babies. I would regret not finishing my AI that can replace Metagross. I would be sad not to have sex anymore, but maybe there's sex on the other side? Do you think there's sex after death? I hope there is."

"Damn it, Rhea. Focus," Kaia cursed.

"All right, all right, gosh, calm your tits. Now where was I? Oh, right. I guess I would regret all my unfinished projects, but that's about it."

"Are you sure?" Nyx asked, putting her phone down and taking on a more serious tone. "Really imagine it, Rhea. Time slows down. A Pokémon just cut your head off, but you're still conscious. You watch the world slowly fade to black. In that moment, what is it that you want most? What are you missing? What is the one thing that would have made dying easier if you had it? Something that would have made it just a little bit better?"

Rhea paused, her expression turning serious. Among the girls, Nyx understood her best. They shared similar interests and, in some ways, similar personalities, though their eccentricities led them down very different paths.

Rhea seriously reflected on her life, her desires.

She thought about what was missing. She loved her life. She had money, resources, ideas, her Tinkaton, her freedom, her lover…

Lover?

Alex wasn't her lover. He was her stud at best. She didn't have a lover. She didn't need one.

At least, that was what she always told herself.

"I… I think I would regret not ever having felt love," Rhea admitted quietly. "Alex… Alex is the same as me. Neither of us can feel romantic love, nor can we return it. It just doesn't work for us. If anything, it gets in the way. It's annoying."

She paused, then added, "I… I think Alex might want to feel love. I don't know. Maybe… if I ever end up on death's door, I might want to feel it, just once."

Without hesitation, Vera pulled Rhea into a tight hug.

"You might not feel it, but you need to know that you are loved. Okay?"

"…Okay," Rhea replied awkwardly.

She didn't share the sentiment, but she understood that love, whatever it truly felt like, was being directed at her.

"That still doesn't explain why Alex is being so eager," Kaia said. "If he wants to feel love, there's not much he can do about it. He definitely won't feel it just by taking better care of us."

"Maybe he just wants to appreciate us more? Or make us feel more appreciated? Maybe he regretted not appreciating us enough?" Rhea asked, rambling.

"Maybe our status got elevated!" Vera exclaimed. "I remember him telling me once that he sees us as his responsibility. Maybe we've gone up in status, and now he cares more about us."

"I'm already there though," Nyx said lazily. "I've pretty much given myself to him as his possession. It works fine for me since I don't want to leave my room anyway… but even I got a little something extra from this."

"So the bottom line is that we're being appreciated more," Kaia summarized. "What do we do about it?"

"Nothing," Nyx replied with a shrug. "We'll adjust and take as much as he's willing to give. It's not like we can offer anything more with how things are."

"Yeah, I'm already his toy. I don't think there's a level higher than that," Rhea added. "Or is there?"

"Maybe he'll give me a baby," Vera gushed, her cheeks flushing.

"Aren't you leaving soon?" Kaia asked, raising an eyebrow. "It all seemed pretty sudden. Do you really need to go to Professor Oak's lab just to become a better breeder? There are plenty of Pokémon here to take care of."

Vera smiled warmly, her voice filled with quiet confidence.

"Yes. I need a bigger environment to grow. Breeding is all about experience with all kinds of Pokémon, not just a few. The more exposure I get, the better."

"How long do you plan to stay there?"

"Probably until I become a Master Breeder," Vera answered. "At least a few years to gain proper experience before I come back and focus on the results."

"You are coming back, right?" Rhea asked nervously. "Tink will go on a rampage if she doesn't get your special Pokéblocks."

"Yes, I promise," Vera replied with a gentle smile.

Rhea let out a sigh of relief. The last time Tink's Pokéblocks ran out, half her lab had been destroyed in a tantrum. She certainly doesn't want to go through that again.

With their main topic settled, the girls spent the rest of the day chatting casually.

Meanwhile, Alex, the subject of their discussion, had just finished a shooting drill, satisfied with the results.

"I should be ready to get back to work," Alex muttered, noting his impressive shot groupings.

Along with training hard to regain the flexibility and strength in his arms, he had also been focusing on improving his relationship with the girls.

He had been paying more attention to Kaia, acting more romantically with Vera, brutalizing Nyx the way she liked, and trying to better understand Rhea's work. In his mind, he had been doing a good job showing them care without slipping into possessiveness.

As far as he was concerned, it was a step in the right direction.

Progress was slow, but perhaps in time he could learn to be a better partner instead of simply an owner.

He had been given a second chance at life. It was time to make good use of it.

Chapter 157: Chapter 157. Fuchsia City

From the time Alex had fully recovered and throughout the following week, he returned to exterminating nests to earn more League credits. He managed to earn an extra 1.6 million during that time, giving him a total of 34 million League credits, but the payouts on the missions were quickly decreasing.

It turned out that nest exterminations were quite rare and usually built up as a stockpile over the years. Alex was quickly running out of a reliable source of credits.

His other options included taking down Underworld businessmen like Don, who owned multiple properties, or going after bounties at the level of Gravik or Varek.

There were also more conventional options, such as employment for guaranteed pay in credits. Jobs like bodyguards, hunters, or trainers paid the most and were generally what most Elite trainers did for work after completing the League Gym circuit.

Unfortunately, such a life was not meant for Alex. He was simply too headstrong to be subordinated to others. Then again, if the conditions were perfect, he might consider it, but he highly doubted he would ever accept such a job.

Despite the lowering returns on nest exterminations, Alex continued anyway. It still paid in credits and remained quite lucrative, allowing him to steadily build a stockpile of Elite and Expert ranked Pokémon meat.

As for capturing and selling Pokémon, unless he managed to catch a top quality species, he could forget about profiting from it for credits. The market turned out to be quite fair.

Nest hunting itself was also starting to get stale for Alex. He was now able to confidently trap and exterminate nests as he pleased.

Typically, it started by baiting with a single Elite like Arcanine to lure out the leader of the nest. Then, he would unleash his team and strike while simultaneously surrounding the nest. Finally, the Crobat couple would lock down the other Elites, preventing their escape before chasing down the rest.

He and his team had managed to streamline the process to the point where it no longer gave him the same rush. The returns on his adrenaline were diminishing.

Ultimately, Alex was getting bored. To fix this, he had been considering taking jobs in other regions.

His favorite target, the human supremacists, had given up on Kanto, meaning he could no longer rely on them to stockpile ammunition. The nests were no longer paying out as well, and neither were the bounties, most of which were paid in Pokédollars. That was nothing more than pocket money by Alex's current financial standards.

Still, he was not in a rush to leave at the drop of a hat. He needed Rhea's permission before leaving to ensure the farm was properly protected during his absence.

Heading to Johto would require months of travel. On top of that, teleporting back to Kanto placed a significant burden on both Arcanine and Gardevoir, something best avoided when possible. That meant he needed to be ready to stay there for a long time, leaving the girls to manage on their own.

Speaking of departures, Vera left a week after Alex returned to work. As expected, she passed her Chief Breeder certification exam and completed the requirements to begin working at Professor Oak's lab.

In Alex's opinion, the Chief Breeder information packet had been money well spent. It delivered exactly as promised.

Vera shared a tearful farewell with the other girls, but her goodbye with Alex carried a strange sense of guilt. He didn't know why, but he chose to let it go. Vera was her own person. If she refused to share, then it was her responsibility to handle her problems.

Once Vera left, Alex returned to exterminating nests for the next two weeks until he finally accepted that he couldn't keep beating a dead horse. He needed a new occupation or a different location to continue earning, as shown by the measly one million credits he had managed to scrape together over the past two weeks.

"Alex! I have a job for you," Nyx said excitedly as she burst into the bathroom, where Alex was relaxing in the hot tub.

"Details?" he asked casually, already used to having no privacy in his own space, not that he minded.

"There's a Pokémon that's been eating the Safari Zone Pokémon, and it's driving the owner mad. He wants someone to track down the culprit and get rid of it for a million credits."

Safari Zones were similar to zoos, where domesticated or bonded Pokémon were given large areas to roam freely, safely isolated from the more savage wild Pokémon. It was a fun place for children to play and fall in love with Pokémon, something the League strongly supported.

There, people could run around catching Pokémon without battling by tossing Safari Zone Poké Balls, which were significantly weaker at containing Pokémon. With even the slightest resistance, the Pokémon could easily break free. Alex even suspected they were trained to do so.

"Why hasn't anyone captured it yet? Shouldn't it be easy enough for other trainers to track it down?" he asked.

"No one knows what Pokémon it is yet. The trail always vanishes."

"What about the Jenny over there? Her Arcanine should be able to track it easily."

"The owner posted on the forums instead of asking the police for help. Said something about the police being unreliable."

"Alright. I'll take it, but it'll take me two days to get there. Will that be a problem?"

"It shouldn't be. How many trainers even have an Arcanine to track it down anyway? I'll go ahead and confirm the request for you and give them your ETA."

"Thanks, Nyx."

It wasn't exactly an extermination mission, but it was still worth a million credits. At this point, Alex would take any job for that much, and tracking Pokémon happened to be one of his specialties, thanks to Arcanine.

He quickly got dressed, gathered his Pokémon, and teleported to the midsection of the bike trail on Route 17 before heading south along the trail on Hydreigon.

The bike trail was a project funded by Celadon City decades ago to boost traffic and tourism. Rather than building a port far from the city on Route 17, they chose to construct the bike trail instead, as it allowed significantly more direct traffic into the area.

As expected, the construction had been a monumental undertaking that drained a large portion of Celadon's funds at the time. The situation became even more difficult because of the many Pokémon nests that had to be cleared during development.

For years, the project placed a heavy burden on the city's finances. However, as anyone could see now, it had been the right decision. Celadon City was now famous for its luxurious accommodations and had become a popular destination for vacations and retirement.

The route itself was relatively safe as long as travelers stayed on the trail. Numerous League-appointed nests were positioned throughout the area to keep the local Pokémon calm, ensuring the safety of the path.

Even so, stray Pokémon would occasionally wander onto the trail and encounter travelers. If unlucky, novice trainers could easily find themselves overwhelmed, especially if they crossed paths with passing Elites.

Alex had no problem simply flying through. Even the occasional Elite ranked Fearow knew better than to cross Hydreigon's path, as she was among the stronger ones within her rank.

The journey remained peaceful, which Hydreigon greatly enjoyed. The last time they traveled like this was over a month ago when Alex had to visit Cinnabar City, and she had missed having her alone time with him.

The bike trail beyond Route 17 was, in Alex's eyes, a marvel of construction. The bridge was wide and sturdy, allowing plenty of traffic to safely pass over the dangerous waters below, which were known to be filled with Gyarados.

Alex still remembered the Champion ranked nest he had once encountered in that area, and the memory sent a chill down his spine. Even now, he was not confident that he could take down such a beast. Perhaps if it were on land, but even then, Steelix would struggle to wrestle something of that size.

When Alex reached Route 18, he saw plenty of biker gangs hanging around, enjoying their trip. He thought back to his own motorcycle, which had remained untouched since the day he bought it, though he did not feel bad about it. Riding on Arcanine was a far more exhilarating experience.

Alex teleported home once night fell and resumed his journey first thing in the morning. By late afternoon, he arrived in Fuchsia City and was pleased to see it had become a bustling metropolis.

Fuchsia City had changed greatly from the quiet town it once was. Now, it stands as a vibrant city filled with life and color. Towering buildings lined the main streets, blending modern architecture with the traditional wooden designs that had once defined the city. The air carried a mix of scents, including the fresh sea breeze from the southern coast, the earthy aroma of farmland to the east, and the faint wild tang of Pokémon from the nearby Safari Zone to the north.

The Safari Zone dominated the skyline, surrounded by tall walls and dense greenery that stretched far into the distance. From where Alex stood, he could see the watchtowers stationed around its perimeter and the flocks of flying Pokémon occasionally soaring over its canopy. It was easy to tell the Safari Zone remained the heart of the city, drawing tourists and trainers alike.

South of the city center, the coastline unfurled into a stunning beachscape. Golden sands met the calm, shimmering waters of the sea, where families and tourists enjoyed the warm afternoon sun. Rows of shops and cafés faced the ocean, their terraces offering perfect views of the gentle waves and vibrant umbrellas dotting the shore. The sound of the sea blended with the lively chatter of the crowds, giving the area a welcoming, laid-back charm.

To the east, just beyond the city limits, sprawling farms stretched along the coastline. Fields of berry crops and apricorn trees swayed in the coastal breeze, tended by farmers and ranchers who worked alongside their Pokémon. Narrow dirt roads wound through the farmland, connecting clusters of cottages that overlooked the glistening sea. It was a peaceful sight, where the land met the ocean in a gentle, uninterrupted expanse.

Fuchsia City had become a place where wilderness, city life, and the calm beauty of nature all blended seamlessly together. As Alex gazed across the scenery, he couldn't help but admire how much the city had grown compared to the few buildings he had seen on his tiny screen.

He made his way to the Safari Zone to begin the investigation. He didn't bother with a hotel room this time, figuring the job wouldn't take long. Besides, with the farm only a few teleports away, he saw no reason to book a room.

He suspected finding the culprit would be easy. The only real mystery was which Pokémon it would turn out to be.

Chapter 158: Chapter 158. The Hidden Face

Alex made his way to the Safari Zone with Arcanine and Espeon by his side. Arcanine was essential for the job, while Espeon simply refused to leave his side after the two days he had spent traveling alone with Hydreigon. She had been needy ever since they landed.

Along the way, Alex could not help but notice the distinct lack of human supremacists in the city, which frankly amazed him.

Normally, it was easy to spot human supremacists wherever Pokémon were present. They either pretended Pokémon didn't exist or glared at them with poorly restrained fury.

Most people, however, just watched with mild curiosity, which Alex considered normal. It reminded him of how people often stared at dogs on the street. No matter how common dogs were, people still looked at them.

Koga had done a good job removing the human supremacists from his city. He was originally a member of the Elite Four together with Will, Bruno, and Karen, but the disaster caused by the rise of specialized counter strategies against Toxic stall eventually led to his removal. Since then, he stopped aiming for the Elite Four and simply remained as a Gym Leader.

Alex soon arrived at the main office of the Safari Zone, where he met the Warden overseeing the entire operation.

"Alex Wattson? We've been expecting you," said a balding, portly man as he stood to greet him.

"Show me something the culprit touched or the most recent attack site so I can begin," Alex replied without hesitation.

"Straight to the point. I like that. The others were more interested in what Pokémon I could 'hook them up' with. Come with me."

The Warden led Alex outside to a waiting golf cart, and together they set off, riding through the quiet expanse of the Safari Zone.

The ride was quiet for the most part. The only sounds came from the hum of the cart and the faint calls of wild Pokémon settling in for the night. The Safari Zone had already closed to the public, leaving the trails empty and the landscape calm under the soft glow of the setting sun.

Alex kept his focus on the surroundings. The deeper they went, the denser the area became. Tall grass brushed against the sides of the cart, and clusters of trees formed natural walls along the path. Every now and then, he spotted the glowing eyes of Pokémon watching from the shadows, but none dared approach.

"Has anyone actually seen it?" Alex asked, breaking the silence.

"Not directly," the Warden replied, his eyes on the path. "Plenty of rumors, though. The usual. Ghost types, Flying types, some even say it's an experimental Pokémon that escaped from the lab under the park. Crazy stories, I tell you. All I know is something's killing the herds."

The Warden didn't sound worried, more annoyed than anything.

"How many attacks so far?" Alex asked.

"Five. All in the last week," the Warden replied. "It's getting bolder. First, it was just the stray Pokémon near the outer edges. Now it's going after herds inside the safe zones."

Eventually, the cart slowed to a stop near a clearing deeper within the zone.

"This is the most recent site," the Warden said as he cut the engine. "We cleaned up the mess earlier, but the damage is still there."

Alex stepped off the cart. The ground was torn up. Deep gouges lined the dirt, and broken branches hung from nearby trees. The scent of blood still lingered faintly in the air.

Arcanine growled low, sniffing the ground as Espeon pressed herself against Alex's leg, watching the area with narrowed eyes.

Alex crouched and ran his fingers along one of the claw marks in the dirt. Wide. Deep. Whatever made it was strong.

He stood up, his expression unreadable.

"It's still here," Alex said simply.

The Warden glanced around, visibly uneasy now. "You sure?"

Alex didn't answer. He was already scanning the treeline, his instincts sharpening.

Somewhere nearby, the culprit was watching, waiting.

"Arcanine, sniff it out but stay alert. It's somewhere around here," Alex said as he released the Crobat couple.

They flew off into the night sky, silently patrolling the perimeter.

He didn't need more than the four he had out. He just needed enough to cut off its escape.

Arcanine sniffed around the site, carefully moving through the area while ignoring scents that led back toward the trail. Those likely belonged to the trainers and staff.

He stopped and looked around, confused, clearly having lost the scent. He circled the area and ran furiously along the perimeter of the clearing but couldn't find the trail again. There was no scent growing stronger in any direction, which meant the culprit was still here.

"Arc…" Arcanine barked in disappointment.

"It's alright, buddy. Let's look around and search for clues," Alex said as he began investigating the clearing.

There were plenty of rocks and lone shrubs scattered around, enough for a Pokémon to hide in. It was possible the culprit was still hiding somewhere nearby.

The Warden eventually grew tired of standing around and sat on a nearby rock to wait. He had seen plenty of other trainers they had hired do the exact same thing. It was starting to look like Alex might not be the one to find their culprit either.

They searched for an hour and then two but there was no sign of their culprit.

"This is where the other trainers gave up too," the Warden said. "We've searched everywhere, but we couldn't find it."

Alex looked at the Warden to reply but suddenly noticed something strange. Between the Warden's legs was a line and two dots that looked like a crudely drawn face.

The two dots blinked before the line curved into a smile. Then the smile opened wide into a mouth, ready to swallow the Warden sitting on it.

"Arcanine, tackle the Warden," Alex commanded, pointing at him.

"What? Are you insane—" the Warden exclaimed, but Arcanine had already tackled him, sending them both flying off the rock.

"Gah!"

The rock's mouth snapped at empty air before it suddenly turned pink and shrank. It was an Expert ranked Ditto, hiding in plain sight by disguising itself as a rock.

"Espeon, Psychic!" Alex ordered, pulling out his guns and firing Thunder Waves and Feint bullets.

Ditto jumped, evading the attacks, then used Transform to turn into a Crobat. It tried to fly off, but the Crobat couple quickly swooped in and intercepted it with Quick Attack, striking it midair. Before it could recover, they fired off a coordinated Mean Look and Hypnosis, locking it in place and sending it tumbling down with a soft flop, fast asleep.

"There's your problem right there," Alex said, sounding like a professional as he holstered his guns. "It never left. It was hiding here the entire time, and you were sitting on its face."

The Warden scrambled to his feet and stared in disbelief at the sleeping Crobat.

"I've been sitting on it this entire damn time?" he shouted incredulously.

"Well, it could have been worse."

The Warden paled and fell silent. It could have been far worse, considering he had been sitting on its mouth the entire time. If he had been completely alone and defenseless, he most likely would have been eaten.

"Thank you for finding it… and for saving my life."

"Happy to help," Alex said as he tossed a Poké Ball at the Crobat, capturing it. "Now, about that pay."

"I just sent it, with a little extra," the Warden replied as he tapped his phone.

Alex received a notification confirming a deposit of 1.5 million credits and checked his new total. His balance now showed 36.5 million League credits. Not bad for an easy job.

"Pleasure doing business with you."

"And you as well."

Alex bid farewell before teleporting back to the farm with his new capture in hand. As far as he was concerned, Ditto made excellent bodyguards, even if they were easy to spot. A little extra protection on top of Aegislash never hurt.

At the farm, Alex released his Pokémon before calling over Hydreigon and the Crobat couple. Then, he released Ditto, who took one look at Hydreigon before laying flat on the ground like a puddle, clearly submissive.

"What do you think about joining my team?" Alex asked.

Ditto looked at Alex, then glanced back at Hydreigon, uncertain. It either didn't understand or was simply too terrified to respond. Pokémon at the Expert rank were just starting to develop intelligence, but it was at the Elite rank that they could truly begin thinking for themselves.

Alex took out a Pokéblock designed to appeal to Normal types and tossed it toward the squirming puddle.

Ditto ignored it at first, but once it caught the scent, it opened its mouth and ate it with delight. It paused for a moment, then stood up and nodded exaggeratedly, almost as if bowing.

Alex reached out and petted the little blob, snapping the bond into place.

Ditto quickly jumped onto Alex's shoulder and stood there with a proud expression.

"You're quite active for a Ditto," Alex commented. "Still, we have some training to do before you're ready to join us on our adventures. Why don't you show me how you transform?"

Ditto used Transform, focusing on Hydreigon's form. Its body shifted in midair before it landed, perfectly mimicking the dragon as Alex recorded the transformation on his phone.

Name: Ditto, Expert

Type: Normal

Ability: Limber

Moves:

Expert: Transform(Priority +2)

Description: Ditto, the Transform Pokémon. Possessing a completely unique cellular structure, it can rearrange its body into the form of any creature it sees. By instinct, Ditto uses this ability to evade predators and fit into new environments. However, its transformations can be unstable, often revealing its true identity through small imperfections. In the wild, Ditto prefers solitude, spending most of its time hidden in plain sight.

Ditto only had one move, so it was no surprise that its only move had already reached Expert level. This indicated that this particular Ditto was at least four years old, possibly older if it had been the lazy type, though that seemed unlikely given its hunting habits.

Alex planned to train it for HP and Speed. HP was the only stat that didn't change, and Speed would help it transform faster. In their normal form, Ditto were notoriously weak after all.

"Now, what item should I carry you as?"

Chapter 159: Chapter 159. Tri-Lock Defense Network

The next day, Alex went out and bought an expensive watch.

He planned to have Ditto transform into it and stay in that form permanently as a means of extra protection as he travelled. He had learned the hard way that there was no such thing as being too prepared after losing both arms to a second attacker.

For Ditto's training, Alex simply had it transform into different Pokémon he had while mimicking their fighting styles.

One important fact about Ditto was that they were always weaker than the target of their transformation because they only had Basic proficiency with their moves. This meant Ditto could never fully match the strength of the Pokémon they copied, making them less reliable in battle.

Even so, two Hydreigon at the same power with different HP were still two Hydreigon, which was devastating enough to justify adding them to the team.

That morning, Alex went to see Rhea to ask about the progress of her project. Specifically, he wanted to know if the farm was ready to defend against a Champion ranked Pokémon.

They had spent the previous weeks discussing how to defend the farm in the event a Champion arrived and started a fight.

The drones were only as strong as Expert rank, which meant threats at the Elite rank would have to be handled by Absol, Houndoom, and Morpeko, who were more than capable of fending off the local lone Elites they might encounter.

Unfortunately, this would not be enough to defend against a professional Elite ranked trainer. That was why Rhea had developed a special mounted rotary cannon, more than capable of taking down Elites in large numbers despite its firepower being classified at the Expert rank.

The weapon fired at a rate of 1500 shots per minute, enough to bring down an Elite despite the relatively low individual firepower. Even trainers could be targeted by Metagross, who would have full control over the system.

The question then became how to defend the farm from a Champion ranked Pokémon, and the answer was relatively simple: add more rotary cannons.

As long as there were at least three rotary cannons aimed at every entry point on the farm, any Champion that tried to rampage their way through would face a slow and painful defeat, suffering death by a thousand cuts.

Sure, the plan wasn't foolproof, but it was still better than keeping Alex trapped on the farm forever, stuck taking jobs that paid less than a million credits each for the next several decades.

As Alex stepped into Rhea's lab, the difference was immediately striking. The last time he was here, the space had been underutilized, with random machines pushed against the walls and plenty of open floor. Now, it looked like a lab straight out of a science fiction film.

Drones hovered through the air, carrying metal parts and welding them mid-flight. Conveyor belts steadily fed energy crystal bullets into metal space bags. The entire lab was alive with motion, every machine and drone working in perfect rhythm to keep the operation running at full capacity.

He spotted more than a dozen fully assembled rotary cannons lined up along the far wall. Each one had eight barrels and was connected to a metal space bag, which Alex assumed served as a magazine to hold the ammunition. The setup resembled a linkless feeder system, designed to keep every round accounted for.

"Rhea?" Alex called out.

"Alex?" Rhea replied, sticking her head out from behind the stand of a rotary cannon. "Just a sec!"

Alex heard the sharp buzz of machinery, the grinding of saws, and the clanging of metal before a sudden shower of sparks erupted from where Rhea was working. After a few more loud clangs, Rhea finally emerged from behind the machines and walked over to him.

"How's it going?" Alex asked as he watched the drones continue their work.

"So much better now that Metagross is helping out," Rhea replied, grinning. "Turns out he's a pretty decent guy. Big help with the small stuff, you know?"

"I just came by to ask for an update."

"We should be done by tonight, I think. After that, we'll need to install it and run some tests, so maybe two more days."

"That's good. No need to rush. I want to see it in action."

"Hahaha! My babies will mow down the whole farm if you let me."

"Please don't."

Alex looked around some more before he was satisfied with the progress. He truly wasn't in a rush. He was just feeling bored lately due to the lack of action.

Hunting people just hits differently than hunting Pokemon.

Two days later, Alex and the girls gathered to watch Rhea's defense system in action. Each corner and side of the farm had a rotary cannon installed, 12 in total. Two more were mounted on the mansion's rooftop for added security. Lastly, one was positioned near the generator of the hydroponics farm, bringing the total to 15 rotary cannons ready to defend the farm.

"It's like playing a tower defense game," Nyx commented, her voice filled with excitement.

"Haha! Are you amazed? Are you excited? You haven't seen anything yet! Behold! The Tri-Lock Defense Network!" Rhea shouted as she slammed her hand down on an exaggeratedly large red button.

The cannons beside her fired small metal targets into the air, scattering them in all directions. As the targets reached the peak of their ascent, three rotary cannons whirred to life. They locked on, tracked the projected paths, and opened fire.

Bursts of energy blasted from the cannons, tearing through the metal targets with ease. They quickly re-aimed and fired again, systematically clearing every target from the sky above the farm.

Every target was struck by no fewer than three projectiles at once from different angles, ensuring that any defensive measures could be overwhelmed. The system was also programmed to fire at least one Feint or Phantom Force round from each cannon, guaranteeing that even Protect shields would be broken.

It was a menacing defense system, one designed to make even Champions think twice before trespassing on the farm.

As for how the identification, tracking, and firing system worked, it was all controlled by Metagross, of course.

When Metagross heard about the plan to install a defense system on the farm, it immediately imagined what it would be like to play a tower defense game in real life. The thought excited it so much that it decided to help Rhea build the system to speed up the process.

"Wow!"

"So pretty."

"Can it kill the birds and bugs that keep targeting my orchard?"

Came the girls' responses.

"Hehe, praise me more, peasants. Hahaha!"

While Rhea basked in her well-deserved praise, Alex finally made up his mind to leave for Johto the next day. Now that the farm was secure, he could afford to be away for months at a time while hunting for high-paying bounties.

Bounties like Gravik, for instance.

The thought of finally facing a Champion ranked trainer thrilled Alex to no end.

"Nyx," Alex called out.

"Yeah?"

"I'm leaving for Johto tomorrow. Get me a list of targets that pay in League credits, either from the bounty board or nest extermination requests."

"That's a bit sudden."

"I've been wanting to leave for some time now. The lack of opportunities in Kanto hasn't been exciting enough. I want a fresh set of targets in Johto."

"I'll send it to you before you leave."

"You can keep me updated from a region away, right?"

"Yes, that shouldn't be a problem."

"Good. I'll start traveling first thing tomorrow morning."

Alex headed inside the mansion and began packing his travel kit.

He grabbed his DEEP suit in case of an underwater excursion, the camping gear Rhea had upgraded, a few dozen armed drones for Rotom to use for security, spare armor for emergencies, multiple space bags for storage, enough Elite ranked meat to feed his entire team for a month, and a few spices for cooking.

He was preparing to go months without civilization, just in case. As for only packing a month's worth of meat, he figured he could restock once he reached Johto. He wasn't going there for sightseeing, after all.

As Alex continued packing, Nyx called Kaia and Rhea in for a quick meeting.

"Alex is leaving," Nyx announced.

"So?" Kaia asked.

"He's leaving for Johto. He won't be back for months," Nyx added.

"What!? Who's going to play with me?" Rhea whined.

"I'll miss the daily fucking he's been giving me, but honestly… a little break wouldn't hurt," Kaia replied.

Nyx's lips curled into a mischievous smile. "I think we should prepare a goodbye present."

"Oh? What did you have in mind?" Rhea asked, intrigued.

That night, as Alex finished packing, the door to his room creaked open. Nyx, Rhea, and Kaia sauntered in, wearing nothing but matching cat ears, swaying tails, and teasing smiles that left little to the imagination.

Without a word, they climbed onto the bed, settling on all fours as they turned back to face him with mischievous eyes.

"Meow," they purred in unison, their voices soft and dripping with playful intent.

"Goodbye sex?" Alex asked, a slow grin spreading across his face.

"Meow," they replied, their gazes still locked on him.

Alex chuckled, a playful spark in his eyes. "That works for me."

Chapter 160: Chapter 160. Heading to the Johto Region

The next day, after a wild night of goodbye sex with Nyx, Kaia, and Rhea, Alex gathered his Pokémon and gear before teleporting with Arcanine straight to Viridian City. From there, he continued west along Route 22.

There were other ways to reach the Johto region, such as taking a ship or teleporting through the League, but he wanted to establish his own teleportation route between regions. To do that, Arcanine and Gardevoir needed to physically travel the paths and become familiar with them, so Alex chose to make the journey on Arcanine instead.

As for the trains that existed in the games, Alex found no trace of them here. The land was simply too dangerous to allow trains to operate across regions. The idea of fighting off a wild nest while traveling at bullet train speeds was absurd. Both the nest and the passengers would be annihilated on impact.

It took a day for Alex to reach the crossroads between Route 22, leading east to Viridian City; Route 23, leading north to Victory Road; Route 26, leading south to Tohjo Falls; and Route 28, leading west to Mt. Silver. This was even with riding on Arcanine almost nonstop.

Along the way, Alex noted the distinct lack of threatening Pokémon in the area. This indicated that the area was a common traveling route for the more powerful trainers heading north to Victory Road for training.

Victory Road was the perilous mountainous path leading to the Indigo Plateau, where both the Kanto and Johto Elite Four and Champions worked together to protect both regions and take on challengers.

Alex had read that Victory Road was particularly dangerous, filled with numerous wild nests. The nests were left uncontrolled on purpose, allowing trainers to test themselves during the journey.

Mt. Silver was reportedly even worse. It was infamous as a gathering place for multiple Champion ranked nests. Rumor had it that if Mt. Silver were ever disturbed and Champion ranked Pokémon were forced to flee, both the Kanto and Johto regions would be overrun.

Alex highly doubted that possibility, given the presence of Legendary Pokémon among the Champion ranked trainers, but he didn't know the full picture, so he wouldn't comment on it.

Once Alex reached the crossroads, he found a checkpoint that required identification to pass. More specifically, it verified whether a trainer had signed the region-specific NDA, meant to prevent visitors from unknowingly causing trouble during their stay.

Trying to bypass the checkpoint was pointless. Without signing the NDA, a trainer couldn't use any form of identification in the new region. If they tried, they would be fined and made to sign it on the spot.

Nearby, there was a campsite for trainers traveling through the crossroads. Alex could roughly tell where most of them were headed based on their strength. The few Elites were making their way north to Victory Road for training, while the rest were heading south to cross into the Johto region.

As for those bound for Mt. Silver, Alex knew he wouldn't find them camping here. They were Champion ranked and likely had better ways to travel than going on foot like he was.

Alex spent the night at the camp, choosing to avoid the awkward return home after the farewell the girls had given him the night before.

Early the next morning, when the checkpoint opened, he lined up with the others to pass through.

"Identification," the guard asked.

Alex passed his trainer license over before the guard inserted it into his device, which sent red warning flashes as Alex hadn't signed the NDA yet.

"It says here you're missing the Johto Region information packet. You'll need to sign this to pass through," the guard said, handing Alex a pad to sign.

Alex signed it blindly before being given the green light to proceed.

Once Alex passed through the checkpoint, he headed south while staring west at Mt. Silver. It was a gigantic, snow-covered mountain that might easily be larger than Mount Everest, although Alex wouldn't know, as he had never actually seen it in person. Still, it was a majestic structure, visible even from a day's travel away on Arcanine.

Along with its majesty came the unmistakable aura of Champion ranked Pokémon, as even from Alex's current distance, he could still feel it radiating a threatening presence.

"Someday," Alex said as he continued his travels south along Route 26, heading for Tohjo Falls.

Along the way, Alex checked the email he had received, which contained a copy of the NDA he had signed at the checkpoint.

Essentially, it was the same as the Kanto version, except it included areas marked as strictly off limits, as well as levels of caution to take depending on the area. It also identified areas where Elite and Champion ranked nests usually resided.

Mt. Silver, for example, was strictly off limits for Alex, as well as Dragon's Den, Whirl Islands, and even Tohjo Falls. There were some areas that were allowed, of course, but the deeper areas were strictly reserved for Champion ranked trainers.

Alex could easily tell that the sites listed contained Champion ranked nests. His knowledge from the games made it obvious, as these areas all had deeper sections where high-level Pokémon appeared. Mt. Silver in particular was by far the most dangerous among them.

Still, Alex had little interest in nest extermination. He only accepted the job for the credits and nothing else.

Of particular note, however, was a warning against damaging Ilex Forest. Passing through was allowed, as there were few threatening nests in the area, but damaging the forest was strictly prohibited. It was similar to the restriction at the power plant in Kanto, where going above the first floor was not allowed.

Ruins of Alph was also restricted for unknown reasons.

Alex continued traveling as Route 26 stretched before him, a rugged and winding path that descended from the highlands toward the ocean. Dense forests flanked the route, their trees forming a thick canopy over parts of the trail. From the higher vantage points, gaps in the trees revealed a breathtaking view of southern Kanto and Johto, with the sea glimmering in the distance.

As he traveled south, Alex began to notice something unusual. The Pokémon in the area seemed to mix more freely than usual, with Kanto and Johto species blending together in the wild.

Normally, the local Pokémon would vastly outnumber those from other regions, making foreign species rare sightings. However, the mix here was much more pronounced, likely due to Route 26's strategic location between the two regions.

Alex also noticed plenty of properties for sale along the route. It was easy to see why. The area sat far from major cities, and only homesteading trainers ever bothered to live this deep in the wilderness, especially near a gathering point for Champion ranked nests. The League was likely doing its best to attract powerful trainers to the area in order to keep the nests under control and bring some measure of stability.

Still, the path remained well traveled despite its distance from civilization. To Alex, it seemed like a good place to settle down, provided the League offered the land without burdening it with heavy taxes or strict regulations.

After a full day of traveling south, Alex reached Fallsend Town, a port town that served as the perfect stopping point between Routes 26 and 27 to the west. It was a relatively large town with a thriving pier.

The town offered boat trips to New Bark Town in Johto, Pallet Town in Kanto, and even some ships that offered longer journeys to Cinnabar City. Alex could have taken one of these ships for a slower but more comfortable trip. However, traveling by sea wasn't ideal since Arcanine and Gardevoir would have to teleport over water, so he had no choice but to continue on foot.

An interesting fact about Fallsend Town was that it was a relatively new settlement with less than two decades of history. It had started as a simple pier built to improve travel and trade.

The pier was originally owned by a trainer who had built it from the ground up through the League. The owner eventually decided to open the area for further development, catering to trainers traveling between Johto and Kanto.

After the pier was built, it became little more than an over-glorified campsite, with a market selling food from local homesteaders, sparse accommodations through rented campsites, and boat trips offered by desperate sailors. Over time, however, the town gradually grew into a thriving port, undoubtedly bringing significant income to its founder and the local residents.

Since it was a relatively new town, the architecture leaned toward a more modern style, with more buildings than homes to accommodate the steady flow of travelers. However, as expected, the prices for the more luxurious accommodations were quite high, comparable to those found in Celadon City, though without the same level of amenities.

Still, it was pocket change to Elite trainers like Alex, so he decided to spend the night in the town's most luxurious suite, located on the top floor of a local hotel.

Tomorrow, he would continue his journey west toward Route 27 and finally reach Tohjo Falls.

Chapter 161: Chapter 161. Route 27

Early the next morning, after a relatively restful night, Alex headed west through Route 27, aiming to reach Tohjo Falls by nightfall.

Route 27 was a sprawling seaside coastline with more homesteaders than usual, likely drawn by the scenic views and the distance from the bustling cities, while still having access to a well-traveled path for supplies and resources.

Alex rode on Arcanine along the coastal road, taking in the scenery.

He had never traveled this freely in his previous life, so taking the slower route felt like a pleasant change of pace. Sure, he was riding the entire time, but walking would have taken more than a month. Spending just a day on the road was the best compromise between adventure and efficiency.

'Maybe bringing the girls along would have been a good idea,' Alex thought. 'Vera, Lina, and Mira would have appreciated the view. Lyra and Mika would have enjoyed the trip. On the other hand, Maris, Kaia, Nyx, and Rhea would have complained. Celise and Talia would have dreaded the exposure.'

As Alex was thinking about the girls, a loud squawk echoed from behind, pulling him out of his thoughts.

He turned back to see a flock of Dodrio on Arcanine's tail, with four Elite ranked Dodrio leading the charge, and they were gaining fast. Dodrio were naturally faster than Arcanine, so it wasn't much of a surprise. To make matters worse, Arcanine was running at a leisurely pace rather than using his full speed with Agility or Extreme Speed.

Alex quickly checked his phone and navigated to the League's local mission board for Route 27, where he spotted a mission to eliminate a Dodrio nest that had been terrorizing the area. The flock was known to attack travelers on sight but would flee if they encountered strong resistance.

The payout was 700k credits, which wasn't bad, though it seemed a bit low for a nest with multiple Elites. Alex could only assume they were recent additions, that the nest had not been too active, or that they had not racked up enough victims since they kept escaping strong trainers. Still, 700k credits was a sizable amount and worth the effort.

Dodrio were fast and commonly had the Run Away ability, which greatly increased their chances of escaping when they sensed danger. That made them difficult to corner or capture.

Since he couldn't use his full team openly, Alex had to think carefully about how to handle the nest.

He scanned his surroundings and spotted a lone Dodrio running along the cliffs to his right, keeping pace with the flock.

'That was probably the leader, ready to escape at the first sign of danger,' Alex thought.

He signaled with his right hand, sending out a shadow, before turning back to assess his chances against the flock.

Trying to surround and overwhelm them didn't seem like the smartest option, as they would likely scatter, with many slipping away. He also couldn't summon any more Elites than the ones they had already seen for the same reason. A single devastating area-of-effect attack from a weaker Pokémon seemed like the best chance to take the nest down.

Alex released Espeon onto his lap before ordering Ditto to transform into her. His watch shifted and morphed, soon taking the form of another Espeon with a silly face.

"Espeon, Calm Mind. Ditto, Psychic Terrain up ahead," Alex instructed.

Espeon immediately began using Calm Mind, steadily building up stacks, while Ditto projected a Psychic Terrain as far ahead of them as it could manage. At the same time, Alex fired Decorate rounds at Espeon to help maximize her Special Attack.

The moment Arcanine crossed beyond the terrain's boundary, Alex issued his next command.

"Turn around and prepare to use Heat Wave."

Arcanine skidded to a stop at the edge of the Psychic Terrain, turning back with flames already gathering in its mouth, ready to unleash the attack at Alex's signal.

The four Elite ranked Dodrio were the first to catch up. Each began firing Tri Attacks as beams of Fire, Ice, and Electric energy launched simultaneously from their three heads.

"Rotom, Protect," Alex ordered.

A shimmering barrier appeared just in time, shielding them from all twelve incoming attacks.

As the shield dissipated, Alex's eyes narrowed. The rest of the flock had just caught up and fully entered the Psychic Terrain.

"Espeon, Ditto, Expanding Force. Arcanine, now!" Alex shouted.

A powerful wall of psychic energy erupted from both Espeon and Ditto, their Expanding Force colliding and merging midair before surging outward like a crashing tidal wave. At the same time, a blast of scorching wind roared from Arcanine's maw in a wide arc, engulfing the four Elite ranked Dodrio.

The wave of heat and psychic energy caused the four Elite ranked Dodrio to faint, while the entire flock chasing after them all died from the Expanding Force. A devastating area of effect attack as was needed.

Alex quickly released his Pokémon as Gardevoir took command of the team to finish off any survivors, while he looked up at the cliff where the leader was watching the battle. He spotted the leader glaring down at him from the top of the cliff before turning away to escape.

Just then, a shadow that had been hiding beneath Dodrio sprang out and blocked its path. Aegislash used Block, preventing it from escaping.

"Crobats, help Aegislash take out the leader atop the cliffs," Alex called out.

The Crobat couple shot up the cliffs with Quick Attack, where Dodrio was desperately trying to break past Aegislash and escape. But it was futile, as Aegislash stood firm, shifting between Block and King's Shield to keep it pinned. Even with Run Away, escape was impossible with trapping moves.

Once the Crobats reached the top, they wasted no time. One locked Dodrio in place with Mean Look, while the other put it to sleep with Hypnosis. Together with Aegislash, they pummeled the leader until it was unconscious.

They then carried Dodrio down the cliff and handed it off to Alex, who captured it without resistance. He also captured the four Elite ranked ones that were in the lead.

'Dodrio have some niche clientele, so maybe I can find a buyer for them,' Alex thought, tightening his grip around Dodrio's Poké Ball.

Dodrio are known for their use in racing, much like Rapidash, Zebstrika, and Cyclizar. They also boast impressive attack and speed stats, so there might be a chance to profit even more.

As for the rest of the flock, there were just over thirty Dodrio and Doduo corpses. It was likely this had only been the hunting party rather than the entire nest. Somewhere out there, a smaller nest of the Doduo line likely remained, too weak to contribute to the hunt.

'Still, taking down four Elites and the leader should be enough to complete this mission,' Alex thought.

Once the team finished cleaning up, Alex teleported back to Fallsend Town with Arcanine, where he submitted the request along with all the evidence.

"Thank you so much for taking down that flock," the pretty receptionist at the Pokécenter request desk said warmly. "They've been a menace around here, and it was only a matter of time before they killed enough trainers to truly be a problem. As for the estimated other half of the nest, don't worry about it. They won't be a threat for a long time, so the request is considered fulfilled."

"Happy to help," Alex replied as he received his trainer ID along with his spoils.

Next, he deposited the Dodrio and listed them for sale on the market using a public PC. He also stopped by the local butcher shop for an exchange before finally teleporting back to continue his journey west.

'Encounters are more lucrative than I thought,' Alex mused.

Simply relying on information on the internet to pursue opportunities was not the only way to earn credits.

Finding opportunities through encounters was just as, if not more, profitable. A perfect example was Don, a very lucrative job that Alex got underpaid for. Then there was Monica's base, which was also quite profitable.

Sometimes, chance encounters led to far greater rewards than planned ventures.

The journey west continued for the rest of the day after Alex's quick stopover. By sunset, they reached the entrance to Tohjo Falls, where a campsite had been set up for trainers.

Unlike in the game, where a simple wall of trees blocked the way, there was an actual river mouth here, its fast current flowing toward the sea. It was enough to force most trainers to take the cave route.

As expected, the cave could easily be bypassed by flying over the wall of trees and river mouth, but Alex was not about to take the easy route. He wanted to explore the cave and see how closely it matched the game.

He had been in Diglett's Cave before, but unlike in the game where it was simply a narrow tunnel, the real life version was a maze with multiple dead ends. It was a far more exciting place.

For now, it was already late, so Alex simply teleported back to Fallsend Town and spent the night in the same luxurious suite.

Tomorrow, he would enter the cave and see how it would compare.

Chapter 162: Chapter 162. New Bark Town

Early the next morning, Alex checked his listing for the Dodrio and found they had been sold overnight. It turned out they were more popular than he had expected.

He checked his account and saw that he had made 1.3 million credits for all five of them. Now, his balance sat at 38.5 million credits.

He was making progress toward his goal of 200 million for his dream home. It was slow, but at least it was progress.

Once he finished preparing for the journey, Alex teleported back to the entrance of Tohjo Falls, arriving first thing in the morning.

Several other trainers had the same idea, so a small group gathered to travel through the cave path together.

The first thing Alex checked as he entered was the left wall. If the mapping was correct, digging through it would create a passage to the other side of the cave, acting as a makeshift bridge over the river that split the two sides.

"You don't want to dig through that wall," a trainer behind Alex said. "That there's a load-bearing rock sitting right above the river, holding the whole place up. If you dig through it and it cracks, the whole cave will come down."

"How do you know?" Alex asked.

"I specialize in Rock types, and let's just say I know my rocks."

"Makes sense. Still, even if the whole cave collapses, wouldn't we be able to make a bridge then?" Alex argued. "It would open up the route a bit more and make traveling through less tedious."

"Only trainers travel between regions on land. No sense in destroying a perfectly good piece of nature just to save a day's journey. Besides, if you want a bridge, just build it outside. Same thing."

"Why don't they just build a bridge then?"

"Just keep going and you'll find out."

Alex shrugged and moved deeper into the cave.

As he made his way through, the space suddenly opened up to a massive expanse. It was far more spacious than he had expected.

The walls stretched high above, glistening with moisture as the sound of rushing water echoed throughout the cavern. A wide river split the cave in two, its current strong as it flowed toward the river mouth outside. The air was cool and damp, carrying the scent of moss and fresh water. Dim light seeped in from gaps above, casting soft beams across the rocky floor and giving the entire place a quiet, almost serene atmosphere despite its size.

"Did you get your answer?" the trainer asked.

"Yeah, I think I got it."

The cavern was a beautiful place, worth the detour. Nobody bothered to build a bridge over the river when they could just walk through it inside the cave.

The waterfall was also a breathtaking sight. Water crashed down from high above, sending mist through the air as it roared into the river below. Despite the noise, there was something calming about it.

The trail around the cave was a winding path that circled the entire cavern and led to the other side. There was also a natural stone bridge above the waterfalls, allowing travelers to cross with ease.

As Alex continued following the crowd of trainers, he noticed a threatening aura past the waterfall's source, deeper into the cave. The direction pointed north, toward the mountainous region near Mt. Silver.

It made sense that they would restrict trainers of Alex's rank from going any further. There was probably an even greater expanse deeper in that was home to Champion rank nests.

A day of walking passed before Alex finally reached the other side of the cave. There were a few encounters with the local wild Pokémon, but most kept their distance from the large number of trainers passing through. Alex didn't even need to lift a finger.

After exiting the cave, he came across another campsite. Rather than teleport back to his suite at Fallsend right away, he figured it was better to keep going until he reached the docks that led to New Bark Town. So, he mounted Arcanine and continued west as the sun began to set.

Four hours later, he arrived at the docks deep into the night, where another campsite had been set up. From here, it was supposed to be a day's travel by boat to reach New Bark Town. However, it was already late into the night, so he teleported back to his luxury suite at Fallsend Town and spent his final night there before moving to New Bark Town for accommodations.

At first light, he checked out of the suite and teleported back to the docks before mounting Arcanine and blitzing across the top of the water. Rather than take a slow boat ride, it was better to simply run over it and reach New Bark Town sooner.

Who needs Surf when Arcanine can just use Agility to run on water.

It took an hour of Arcanine running at 80% speed, but they eventually reached New Bark Town still early in the morning. He was understandably tired when they arrived, worn out from the overuse of Agility, so Alex gave him a big treat before letting him rest in his Poké Ball.

Alex looked around New Bark Town and found it relatively similar to Pallet Town, not because it was the typical starting point for players, but because of its architecture.

The town had plenty of houses, most of them modest, single-story homes made of wood and stone with sloped roofs and wide porches. There were no towering structures or large commercial centers, just narrow streets winding between houses that looked as though they had been standing for decades. It had the air of a quiet, traditional town, untouched by the rapid urbanization seen in bigger cities. Power lines stretched between wooden poles, and many of the homes had gardens or small patches of farmland.

The only structure that stuck out in the town was Professor Elm's lab which was notably bigger.

Compared to the towering skyscrapers and brightly lit streets of larger cities, New Bark Town felt frozen in time. It was peaceful, but undeniably old-fashioned.

Alex walked around until he found a quiet shop serving breakfast, so he decided to stop by for a quick bite. He did so more for enjoyment than necessity, as Elite ranked Pokémon meat was the only food he truly considered a meal.

As Alex took a seat, a server approached and placed a menu on the table before greeting him.

"We've been expecting you, Mr. Wattson."

"Umbraline?" Alex asked.

"Johto branch."

"I hope you pay in League credits, because my priorities have shifted."

"Unfortunately, League credits are heavily monitored, so we won't be able to pay you with them. Even when we used proxies in the past, they were quickly discovered and arrested. We can only offer payment through our services and Pokédollars."

Their services included deliveries, information gathering, Pokémon procurement, and access to their facilities, such as hotels, vacation spots, training centers, and black markets. They also handled blackmail and extortion, essentially applying the right pressure to make any goal easier to achieve.

Alex skimmed the menu and ordered something simple.

"I'll have a plate of eggs, a side of bacon, and Oran berry toast. Black coffee too, no sugar."

The server jotted it down with a nod.

"Excellent choice, Mr. Wattson."

"So? I'm guessing this is about the human supremacists again."

"Among others."

"I'm planning to travel across all of Johto during my extended stay. I might be able to help you, depending on what I get out of it."

"We guarantee the targets will have the ample supplies you require. In addition, our services will be free of charge during your stay."

Meaning guns, ammunition, and technologies that would allow Alex to continue building his stockpile. It was no secret that Alex was targeting the human supremacists specifically for their technologies, and Umbraline was more than happy to connect him with the right caches of equipment, as long as he caused enough of a mess along the way.

"All right, send me the information and I'll see what I can do."

The server nodded before submitting Alex's order to the kitchen. When he returned a few minutes later, he placed Alex's meal on the table along with a new phone.

Alex checked the phone and found information regarding the targets and operations they wanted taken down as well as the services they offered in the region. The details included the price for each, and all payments were listed in Pokédollars.

Credits could still be purchased through Pokédollar exchanges, but the rate was severely inflated, averaging around one thousand Pokédollars per League credit, and like any market, it fluctuated based on supply and demand.

It was unrealistic to rely on that route to reach Alex's goal of 200 million credits. Still, Pokédollars had their uses, so he might as well earn as much as possible. At the very least, he would never have to worry about basic necessities again.

Alex ate his meal in peace and left once he was done. He then released Arcanine, who had enjoyed a good rest, before heading out through Route 29 toward Cherrygrove City, where his first target was located.

It had been a while since Alex hunted down his last bounty, so he was understandably eager to get back into action.

He could already feel the familiar thrill rising within him as he set off toward his next target.

Chapter 163: Chapter 163. Cherrygrove City

Alex rode on Arcanine and headed west along Route 29. The path led through an ordinary forest, not much different from the ones he had seen before, so he didn't pay much attention to the surroundings.

What caught his eye, however, were the Johto-specific Pokémon such as Sentret, Hoothoot, Hoppip, Ledyba, and Spinarak. These species were considered rare in Kanto, so he was still adjusting to the unfamiliar environment.

Eventually, though, he had gotten used to it by the time they arrived at Cherrygrove City late in the evening.

The city itself was quiet and modest, nestled along the coast with a soft breeze rolling in from the sea. Small houses with red-tiled roofs lined the streets, and many of the buildings seemed older but well cared for, giving the place a comfortable, lived-in charm. Flowers bloomed in neatly tended gardens, and the air carried a faint scent of salt mixed with fresh grass.

It was a far cry from the larger cities of Kanto. There were no towering buildings here, no loud crowds filling the streets. Instead, the roads remained calm, with only a few locals walking about, going through their daily routines at an easy pace.

Even so, Cherrygrove had earned its status as a city for good reason.

A sturdy stone wall surrounded the settlement, a reminder of its old defensive needs. These days, the wall mostly served as a boundary between the town and the wilderness beyond.

Near the heart of the city, a small commercial district was beginning to take shape. Shops, inns, and supply stores clustered together, catering to the needs of both travelers and locals.

Most notably, the city had recently established a new Water type Gym, drawing both trainers and visitors eager to face a fresh challenge.

Between its protective walls, its growing marketplace, and its newly built Gym, Cherrygrove had just enough presence to be called a city, even if it still felt more like a quiet seaside town at its core.

Alex quickly found an inn to stay the night and got up early the next morning to start investigating the city.

Umbraline's report states the city was starting to collect a good number of human supremacists from the peaceful methods they had employed. As usual, it was through forums, orphanages, businesses, arts, and the media that they would evoke the wrath of those who had suffered.

Unlike in Kanto, however, the flow of life in Cherrygrove City was quite slow, so even if they had a decent following, it would still take another decade for the powder keg to explode.

As Alex toured the city, he took note of the sparse stares. Occasionally, he would catch hateful glances directed at Espeon by his side and Pikachu on his shoulders. Walking with Pokémon was still the best way to spot human supremacists.

He noted that even if they hated Pokémon, the level of it was quite subdued compared to those in Kanto. It further proved that people here were mostly non-confrontational and preferred a slow, quiet life over one filled with conflict.

Alex continued his tour of the city until he reached the western side, where several piers stretched out toward the open ocean. According to Umbraline's intel, the human supremacists maintained a base in this area, using it as a training ground for new recruits.

He took out his DEEP suit, put it on, and then released his water team, which consisted of Gyarados, Milotic, six Wishiwashi, and Clawitzer. Once they were ready, he rode out into the open sea.

After an hour of traveling southwest, Alex had Gyarados dive to the seafloor, where he found the human supremacists' underwater base.

It was similar to the one Gravik had used, an earthen dome resting at the bottom of the ocean. However, this base was still fully operational, rather than being submerged and broken through.

Alex wasn't sure why Umbraline hadn't simply destroyed the base themselves, but he wasn't about to question a profitable opportunity. So, he released Kommo-o and Hydreigon, then fired Decorate bullets at both of them to max out their Attack and Special Attack.

Once they were fully prepared, he swam a safe distance away on Gyarados before signaling for them to begin.

Both dragons grabbed onto the earthen dome and began stomping in unison, triggering a powerful combined Earthquake. The synchronized tremors sent Ground type energy rippling through the structure, weakening it. Cracks began to spread across the dome as the earthen shell buckled under the strain.

Unfortunately, it was clear that two Earthquakes weren't enough to fully break through. Still, the damage was severe and it wouldn't take more than another push to cause a collapse.

Alex ordered both of them to follow up with Draco Meteor.

The two swam back to a safe distance, then opened their jaws wide, gathering Dragon type energy into massive spheres. They took their time, pouring every bit of power they had into the attack before launching the twin Draco Meteors toward the weakened dome.

The Draco Meteors struck with devastating force, shattering the already damaged structure. The cracks widened until the entire dome collapsed inward, and within moments, seawater rushed in and completely flooded the base.

Alex recalled Kommo-o and Hydreigon, as both were starting to run out of air, before he and his water team swam away to escape being pulled in by the rush of water.

As the water began to settle and the last of the trapped air bubbled up to the surface, Alex signaled for Wishiwashi to transform. He had a feeling a fight was inevitable.

The Wishiwashi let out a call that resonated through the water, summoning others to form a single Schooling Form Wishiwashi. However, its size was relatively small, standing only about as tall as Alex himself, making it clear that more numbers were needed to fully empower the transformation. Gathering enough would take some time.

'Mental note: next time, have them transform sooner," Alex thought.

Just then, he noticed trainers escaping from the base, desperately clinging to their Pokémon as they swam toward the surface for air.

Alex decided to let them go. He was more focused on a particular individual than a group of grunts. So what if they continued spreading their ideologies? If anything, it might even lead to more bounties for him in the future.

Suddenly, from the remains of the dome, a man escaped, clinging to an Elite ranked Skarmory that glided effortlessly through the water toward the surface.

Alex immediately recognized him as the one in charge of the faction here in Cherrygrove City.

Without hesitation, he signaled his Pokémon to pursue. They swam quickly, intercepting the escapees' path to the surface.

Alex then signaled Clawitzer, who began bombarding them with bursts of Water Pulse.

Skarmory were fast, even underwater, but they couldn't dodge projectiles in this environment, especially not Water Pulses that tracked their targets. It tried to defend itself with Protect, but it was no use. The Water Pulses kept coming, and after only a few hits, Skarmory was taken down.

Desperate for air, the man tried to delay the inevitable by releasing the rest of his team. Unfortunately for him, they were all dense Steel type Pokémon that immediately sank toward the ocean floor. The rest of his team consisted of Steelix, Mawile, Aggron, Forretress, and Scizor.

Among them, only Scizor managed to fight back, using its wings to struggle through the water. Even so, the battle didn't last long. Clawitzer kept her distance, fully using her speed in the water to strike from afar with ease.

The other Pokémon attempted long-range attacks while their trainer swam toward the surface, but it was futile. Alex's team shielded him without difficulty as the Steel types continued to sink, completely unable to swim.

With a signal from Alex, they ignored the helpless Pokémon and focused on the man once more. A few Water Pulses later, the air was knocked from his lungs. He quickly lost consciousness and drowned as his body sank.

Alex made sure the man was dead before storing his body in his space bag as part of his spoils. He then captured and locked away the man's Pokémon in their Poké Balls before swimming back down to the flooded base.

He had not forgotten the true reason he came here. He and his team spent the next few hours gathering corpses, ammunition, and gear, storing everything they could salvage.

Once they were finished, Alex released Gardevoir, who calmly teleported him back to his inn.

After removing his suit, Alex glanced out the window and noticed it was still afternoon. With time to spare, he decided to take care of some business. He went to the drop-off point for Umbraline, which was another restaurant where he submitted the corpses he had collected.

"The total comes to 30 million Pokédollars, Mr. Wattson. Excellent work, as always," said the young woman in charge of corpse disposals.

"I would like these delivered to my farm," Alex said as he handed her a space bag containing his personal spoils.

"I don't usually handle these, but consider it done," she replied.

Alex nodded before returning to his inn to get some rest.

Tomorrow, he would start hunting bounties in earnest considering his next destination.

Chapter 164: Chapter 164. Dark Cave

Alex left Cherrygrove City the next day, heading north through Route 30. His destination was the Dark Cave, where rumors claimed the worst scum of Johto's criminal underworld went to hide.

Even Lance, the Champion, had failed to locate their hidden base, despite placing guards at every known entrance and exit of the Dark Cave.

No one truly knew where they were hiding.

Even Umbraline refused to share that information.

This suggested that the base was likely protected by a powerful Champion ranked trainer. Someone so dangerous that even Umbraline dared not sell their location. At the very least, no one had offered enough money to convince them to betray the secret.

Alex hoped his own expertise in concealment might reveal a clue. He was not planning to storm the base, especially since he knew nothing about its backers, but he did plan to fish by the nearby stream, hoping to catch anyone passing through.

Route 30, much like Route 29, was a forested area dotted with clearings and lakes. The surrounding land was heavily controlled by League-owned territories, ensuring the local Pokémon nests remained under control. This was one of the main reasons Cherrygrove City remained so peaceful.

Its surrounding wilds were filled with both trainers who had purchased League territory and League-sanctioned nests, keeping the local Pokémon from running rampant.

Other parts of Johto offered similar programs to stabilize their areas, but Route 30 and Route 29 were already considered fully secured. They stood as prime examples of the League's policies working as intended.

Even a Pokémon flood would struggle to disrupt the area, as enough powerful trainers had been stationed to serve as a buffer, preventing any disaster from reaching the city.

It took Arcanine a full day to reach Route 31, followed by a few more hours of travel before they finally arrived at the Dark Cave, located further northeast. By the time Alex had allowed himself and Arcanine some rest, it was already late into the night. The perfect time for hunting, at least from his perspective.

After storing Arcanine, Alex began stripping down completely and took out a special body suit that Rhea had developed.

It was called the SILENT Suit, short for Sensory Interference and Low-profile Environmental Neutralization Technology Suit. It was crafted from a special material designed to dampen light, sound, scent, and environmental traces.

The suit was all black, thick, and a bit heavy, covering his entire body, and included a head covering along with a non-reflective glass mask over the eyes. It was also equipped with space pockets sewn into the fabric, allowing Alex to carry enough supplies to fill the space of a small room.

He didn't plan on invading a base, so he had no need for the extra storage. What he did need was the suit's ability to completely erase his presence. It suppressed everything, his heartbeat, breathing, and body movements, along with the scent of his sweat and natural body odor, and even his physical impact on the surrounding environment.

All of this was achieved without relying on his Dark type energy, since he intended to remain undetectable for hours at a time, far longer than his energy reserves could sustain.

Once he slipped into the suit, Alex stored away his clothes and guns before stepping into the Dark Cave.

The cave was far more complex than Alex had imagined.

It was completely dark inside. No light existed, not even from glowing moss or crystals. But that didn't matter to him. He could see just fine.

His eyes adjusted easily to the darkness, allowing him to take in every detail. The walls were rough and uneven, with jagged rocks jutting out from the sides. Narrow paths twisted deeper underground, branching off without pattern. Some tunnels were wide enough to walk through comfortably, while others forced him to crouch or squeeze through.

He moved carefully, staying quiet as he navigated the maze. The floor was slick in places, with small streams running through certain tunnels. The air was thick and cold, carrying the smell of damp stone and rot.

Wild Pokémon were everywhere. Zubat and Geodude clung to the ceilings and walls, while other species lingered deeper inside.

It wasn't hard to see why criminals chose this cave as a base. The deeper tunnels were like a natural fortress. With enough knowledge of the layout, anyone could vanish here without a trace.

Alex's priority, now that he was inside, was to build a map of the entire cave. He would do so through Rotom in his phone, which was in his pocket, and which would draw out the places traveled with precise measurements.

He checked every corner, marked every dead end, and explored every shaft, tunnel, and hole he could find. He even dove into the water-filled pools scattered across the floor, swimming as deep as possible to make sure nothing was hidden beneath the surface.

Four hours later, Alex checked his map of the area before he called out Gardevoir and had her teleport him back to the inn in Cherrygrove City.

The SILENT Suit wasn't perfect. It could only maintain maximum stealth for about four hours at a time. After that, it needed to be cleaned using a special machine Rhea had made. Sweat didn't simply vanish. It was absorbed into the fabric, and once the time limit passed, it began to seep through, reducing the suit's effectiveness.

Still, it was far better than a fully insulated suit. At least it didn't trap him in his own sweat while in use.

In the first place, the suit had been designed for long-term stationary stealth, where little movement meant less sweat production. That was how it preserved its effectiveness for longer periods.

Even so, Alex knew he would need to keep repeating the process. He would have to dive back into the cave for four hours at a time, then return to clean the suit. He would continue this cycle until he fully memorized every passage and identified the hidden routes used by the criminals who knew their way around the cave.

Only then would he start hunting properly, targeting individuals who were worth the trouble. Individuals who had credits on their heads but managed to escape anyway. Individuals like Gravik Drayne, who were still at large despite the sizable bounty on his head.

Alex continued to dive into the Dark Cave, mapping out as much of the layout as he could. He would sleep, train, and eat during the day while spending the rest of the time mapping out the Dark Cave at night.

He preferred to map at night because there was a greater probability of criminals moving actively compared to the day. Thus, he was hoping to get lucky and somehow catch a criminal scurrying in the darkness. He would then tail them until he found the base.

Unfortunately, for the next three months, he never found a possible suspect, trail, pathway, or clue. Still, he didn't give up as he still hadn't mapped the entire cave.

The complexity was even far more than Alex had initially expected. Not only was the cave filled with dead ends, there was also the clear lack of layers or floors, as the entire system was a complex three-dimensional maze.

It didn't help that there were plenty of Elite ranked nests deeper inside, hindering his progress and forcing him to come back another time. Fortunately, the SILENT Suit did its job and prevented even Elite ranked scout-type Pokémon like Crobat from finding him.

During these three months, Alex had also taken breaks, as he would return to the farm once a month for some affection with the girls. He had his needs as a man, after all. This included Lyra, Mika, and occasionally Maris, who called as promised.

Vera, however, was another story. She refused every request for a visit, claiming she was too busy with work at Oak's Lab. Apparently, her Pokéblocks had become a major hit with the Pokémon, giving her solid job security.

As a result, she had to dedicate more of her time to meeting the growing demand, often overworking herself. To satisfy her own needs in the meantime, she would sleep with some of the guys at the lab, who were undoubtedly taken with her.

Nothing strange as far as Alex was concerned. Maris, Lyra, and Mika did the same thing all the time.

As for his supply of Elite ranked meat, he traded the Steel types he had captured to Umbraline in exchange for it. It was a cheaper option than buying from the market, as he usually did. He even received a discount from Umbraline because he was somewhat working for them.

Today, Alex dove back into the Dark Cave as usual. He was confident that he had already mapped out more than half of the cave, shown by the fact that he was now closer to the other two entrances than the one outside Route 31.

As he skulked his way through the darkness, he suddenly spotted a Pokémon of interest. It was a Chingling, the Bell Pokémon known for its healing abilities. It was a rare find that could prove useful around the farm.

'This would be a great Pokémon for Talia,' Alex thought.

Talia had been doing well at the farm, proving to be a big help now that Vera was gone. She made sure the Pokémon left behind could train freely without worrying about injuries. She deserved a Pokémon of her own, so Alex decided to catch it.

'As for Celise, perhaps an Indeedee to assist her would be a good choice,' Alex thought.

Alex slowly crept closer, activating his Dark energy to cover himself. Psychic Pokémon were easy to ambush with Dark type energy, after all.

Suddenly, a Poké Ball was tossed from a side tunnel he couldn't see, capturing the Chingling. It shook once, twice…

Chapter 165: Chapter 165. Dark Cave 2

Click.

Chingling was captured.

"Ha! It's my lucky day. A healer here in the Dark Cave, out of nowhere," a male voice celebrated from the side tunnel.

Alex crept closer, sticking to the walls as much as possible as he observed the lucky individual who had beaten him to the punch.

A figure stepped out from the passage, unaware that Alex had been watching.

'Male, mid-thirties. Scar on the neck. Black hair, brown eyes, chiseled face. 6'2" (1.88m) tall, with a muscular build. Approximate weight between 200 and 230 pounds. Heavy padded coat. Moves with a very slight limp, likely an injury on the left knee. Elite ranked. No visible weapons. Breathing steady. Calm under pressure. Comfortable in the dark.'

Alex's gaze sharpened.

'He looks familiar. Scar on the neck with that build. Definitely a criminal with a credit bounty.'

Alex had made it a point to memorize the faces of every person with a credit bounty in Johto from the list Nyx had given him. He didn't bother remembering much beyond their appearance and build. He only needed to recognize them as targets worth credits.

He had no doubt about it. This man was his first real lead and his best chance to uncover the location of the hidden base.

Suddenly, a Lucario emerged from the side tunnel, trailing right behind the man. Its eyes immediately locked onto Alex, despite him remaining hidden by the wall. Without waiting for a command, Lucario fired an Aura Sphere straight at him.

Alex remained calm as he swiftly began releasing his team, while Aegislash raised a King's Shield to block the incoming Aura Sphere. The cramped space limited his options, forcing him to rely on smaller Pokémon.

He released Raticate, Gardevoir, Alcremie, Forretress, and finally, the Crobat pair.

Across from him, the man remained equally composed, showing no hint of panic. He calmly released his own team, consisting of Machamp, Heracross, Hitmontop, Poliwrath, and Pangoro.

Without hesitation, Raticate charged at Machamp, a familiar opponent he could easily handle.

Gardevoir engaged Lucario, their clash immediate and brutal as Psychic blasts collided with relentless Aura Spheres, lighting up the darkness with each impact.

Alcremie unleashed a barrage of Dazzling Gleams, bathing the cavern in harsh, flashing light as she fired relentlessly at the enemy team. Hitmontop countered with Wide Guard, blocking the area-of-effect attacks and preventing them from striking the group all at once.

Forretress charged ahead with Rollout, aiming for Heracross at the center. He intended to act as the vanguard, allowing the others to attack safely from the rear.

The Crobat pair danced around the battlefield, opening with Tailwind before bombarding Poliwrath and Pangoro with Air Slashes. In response, Heracross and Poliwrath worked together, taking turns using Protect to shield each other from the assault.

The cave erupted into a chaotic storm of light, energy, and the sound of clashing moves, both sides locked in a brutal struggle.

Alex and the man meanwhile stared at each other neither willing to show any weaknesses as their Pokemon clashed without command.

Raticate executed his perfected hit-and-run tactics, leaving Machamp helpless. Unfortunately, the damage wasn't enough to bring it down quickly.

Gardevoir was easily winning her fight against Lucario. Psychic energy trumped Fighting moves, forcing Lucario to switch tactics and fire off Flash Cannons instead. Gardevoir responded with Mystical Fire, maintaining her advantage.

Hitmontop attempted to close the distance with Quick Attack, but Alcremie countered with Draining Kiss, negating the damage and severely injuring the Fighting type in return.

Forretress had some success against Heracross as he continued to build momentum with Rollout. However, Heracross countered with repeated Arm Thrusts, dealing consistent damage and gradually turning the fight in his favor.

Meanwhile, Poliwrath and Pangoro struggled to land a single hit on the Crobat pair, who kept soaring overhead, pelting them with relentless Air Slashes. The situation was looking grim for them.

The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. It was clear most of his Pokémon were on the losing end. Even the ridiculous fight involving his prized Machamp was beginning to grate on him. A mere Normal type was making a fool of his second best, and that did not sit well with him at all. Even Lucario, his strongest Pokémon, was struggling against its opponent.

As he turned back to glare at the shadowy figure, he was stunned to see that he had vanished. He looked around frantically but saw no sign of him until he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head.

Fortunately, as a Fighting type trainer, he was far tougher than most and shrugged off the ambush with ease, even with the blow striking a weak spot. He swung his elbow behind him in retaliation, but his attacker had already vanished.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his left knee, an old injury that had never fully healed. He lost his balance before he even realized what was happening and fell to the floor, landing flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Protect me!" he shouted, shielding his face from his unseen attacker.

Lucario, standing nearby, moved to defend its trainer but was intercepted by Aegislash and struck in the back by a Mystical Fire. Machamp rushed in to assist but was hit by a Thunder Wave, followed by a devastating Super Fang that sent it into a frenzy, swinging wildly to shake off its attacker. The rest of the team was too far away to help and had problems of their own.

Suddenly, his entire body seized, every muscle locking up at once. Before he could even panic, a crushing wave of drowsiness smothered him, pulling him helplessly into darkness.

When he finally regained consciousness, an unknown amount of time later, he found himself bound tightly, unable to move an inch. He lay in complete darkness, stripped naked, with only the ropes digging into his skin.

No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't move a single part of his body. From the rough, cold surface beneath him, he could tell he was tied to solid rock.

In the distance, he could hear faint, echoing cries of Pokémon and the steady drip of water. The air was cold, far too cold, biting against his skin.

He knew he was still somewhere inside Dark Cave, but he had no idea where or whether he was alone.

"Marcus Veldt," a garbled voice called out from the darkness.

The sound was warped, distorted through some device, making it impossible to tell whether the speaker was near or far. The name echoed off the cavern walls, lingering in the air like a curse.

"You have quite the record," the voice continued, cold and detached. "Assault. Extortion. Human trafficking. Smuggling of restricted metals."

Marcus's heart began to pound, his breathing growing ragged as the list went on.

"And of course, the most heinous crime of all, the reason for the massive bounty on your head. Killing the child of a Champion ranked trainer off on his journey."

Silence followed, broken only by the steady drip of water and the faint cries of distant Pokémon.

"Five million credits," the voice said at last, almost with amusement. "That is what his mother put on your head. A truly impressive bounty."

Marcus strained against the ropes, but they refused to budge. Sweat trickled down his face despite the cold.

"Tell me, Marcus," the voice asked, sharp and steady, "how does it feel to be at the mercy of someone who doesn't care about the price on your head… only where you were hiding?"

Marcus suddenly found a ray of hope in the darkness, a possible path to survival from his current situation. He thought furiously but couldn't answer. The owner of the hidden base was far more terrifying.

"They'll kill me," he muffled through the ropes tied around his mouth.

"Unfortunate," the voice said. "Gardevoir will have to extract it from your memories. She is still inexperienced with forcing her way in, so whether you survive… well, we'll have to see."

Marcus struggled even harder, letting out muffled cries. He wouldn't survive a psychic invasion. Worse, he might live through it and spend the rest of his life as a vegetable.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you!" Marcus screamed through his bindings.

"Very good. Now, tell me everything."

Alex had never planned on letting Gardevoir lobotomize Marcus. There was an alive clause on his bounty that doubled the reward if Marcus was brought in alive. He could not risk accidentally killing him and losing an extra 5 million credits.

He listened carefully as Marcus explained how the Dark Cave operated. Essentially, there were multiple hidden paths leading to the base, and each person granted access through the dark web was assigned a specific route along with a scheduled appointment.

Once someone was captured or compromised, their path would be permanently sealed, cutting off any chance of using it again. A new path would then be created to replace it.

It was an effective system designed to protect against informants and explained why even Lance had never been able to locate the base. By now, Marcus's assigned path would already be closed since he had missed his appointment. The base was once again inaccessible.

However, Alex still gained something useful. Based on the route Marcus was supposed to take, he now had a rough idea of where the base might be. It was likely somewhere within Dark Cave, situated at a higher elevation deep within the heart of the mountain. If he could capture enough criminals connected to the operation, he could gradually piece together the exact location of the hidden base and sell that information to the League for an even greater profit.

But that would have to wait.

Alex figured they likely had a protocol to sweep through Dark Cave whenever one of their clients was captured. If he stayed too long, he risked being found.

Fortunately, he had an errand to take care of in the meantime. He needed to deliver Marcus alive to the bounty requester to collect the full 10 million credits. If he handed Marcus over to the League instead, the extra 5 million would vanish, as Marcus would be officially arrested.

For now, Alex decided to continue his travels and perhaps pick up some ammunition along the way.

Chapter 166: Chapter 166. Violet City

Alex teleported back to the inn at Cherrygrove City to drop off Marcus, along with the man's Pokémon. He also left behind his defensive team to guard them during his absence.

Once everything was secured, he changed into his usual armored attire and teleported to Route 31. From there, he headed west toward Violet City.

The path was similar to Route 30, with dense forests pressing in on both sides. Small clearings broke up the thick woodland, and the occasional lake appeared along the way. The journey took the entire day, and by nightfall, Alex reached Violet City.

Violet City was surrounded by tall stone walls that had stood for generations. They served both as protection and as a symbol of the city's struggles against Pokémon in the past. Moss and vines clung to the stone, showing the city's age and its long-standing bond with the surrounding wilderness.

Inside the walls, most of the buildings were traditional in design. They were made from wood and stone, built with sloped tiled roofs. The streets were narrow, with stone paths leading between the buildings. Lanterns were common, along with wooden signs hanging from shops and homes.

At the center of the city stood Sprout Tower. It was a tall wooden pagoda supported by a large central pillar designed to sway with the wind. The tower itself was built on an island in the middle of a lake, with wooden bridges connecting it to the rest of the city. The area around the lake was lined with gardens and old trees.

Monks maintained the tower, focusing on meditation and training Grass type Pokémon. They also held public viewings, allowing visitors to see the tower's architecture up close. In addition, the monks offered classes focused on improving the bond between people and Pokémon, teaching how to live alongside them in harmony with nature.

Nearby was the Violet City Gym, which specialized in Flying types. The city also had two other gyms, one for Grass types and one for Bug types. All three followed the standard design used across the region, built with reinforced materials to withstand the damage from battles. Though they didn't follow traditional architecture, their presence was accepted since battles could become too destructive to safely hold outdoors.

There were a few other buildings that broke the mold, such as multi-story stores and office buildings that handled logistics, but they were few and far between. They existed more out of necessity for progress than as signs of any real change.

Johto as a whole leaned toward tradition, maintaining its old customs rather than following the rapid technological growth seen elsewhere. Places like New Bark Town and Cherrygrove City followed the same approach, giving the region a consistent, almost timeless atmosphere rooted in the past.

Violet City, in particular, remained focused on self-sufficiency and preserved its way of life with little change over the years. Its people valued simplicity and tradition, living at a slower, more deliberate pace than those in more modern regions.

This in turn greatly slowed down the human supremacists' efforts to spread their ideology. It was well known that Violet City stood united in their belief of living in harmony with nature and Pokémon.

Still, they tried their best, catering to victims of Pokémon attacks, though incidents were far less common here compared to the cities of Kanto, where deaths occurred regularly. It was clear they would not be making much progress in this city.

They operated out of an office building, but there was no hidden base to train new recruits. According to Umbraline's intelligence, the few recruits from Violet City had been sent to the underwater base Alex had destroyed three months ago. In other words, his work here was already finished.

Even so, there was still the office building that needed to be dealt with, and Alex was more than willing to handle it on the side. It was already the middle of the night, so he decided to take care of it first before looking for a place to sleep.

He flew straight to the building on Hydreigon and hovered around the top floor. From there, he located the Elite ranked trainer in charge of Violet City, fast asleep in her room.

Raticate worked on the glass wall, creating an opening for Alex to slip inside. He quickly located her Poké Balls and locked them to prevent her team from interfering.

Then he pulled out a syringe filled with a fast-acting sedative. Pressing his hand firmly over her mouth, he locked her head in place and prevented her from screaming before he injected the sedative into her arm. She struggled for a moment, panicking, before going still as the drug took effect.

"This is much better than last time," Alex muttered with a satisfied nod.

The last time he had done this, his target had woken up, ready to scream, and he had been forced to knock her out with a punch to the chin. This time, he had learned his lesson and carried out the injection smoothly without any trouble.

Gardevoir watched the missed opportunity with clear disappointment. She could have simply used Dream Eater instead.

"Sorry, girl, but this one has a Psychic implant. You probably wouldn't enjoy the meal anyway," Alex said.

"Gar…" she muttered, sulking.

She had been growing restless from not having killed anyone in a while.

"Tell you what. There are some grunts on the lower floors you can play with. Just make sure you don't cause a mess. Alright?"

"Gardevoir!" she replied cheerfully.

She giggled like a schoolgirl before rushing downstairs. Unlike last time, most of the grunts were already asleep, making it easy for her to go on a rampage on her own.

Just like Alex, she slipped quietly into their rooms, locked their Poké Balls to prevent interference, and began her feast without interruption. One by one, she used Dream Eater on her victims, savoring the taste of their corrupted minds.

Once she was finished, Gardevoir let out a satisfied sigh before returning to Alex's side, now in better spirits. Alex then ordered his Pokémon to clean up the office building.

After everything was settled, Alex located Umbraline's designated corpse disposal site and submitted the bodies he had collected, along with the Elite he had captured. He also sold them any non-Elite ranked Pokémon and exchanged the Elite ones for meat through their services, avoiding the higher costs of dealing with regular butchers.

"Excellent work as always, Mr. Wattson," the young man managing the facility said with a polite nod. "Your total comes to 10 million Pokédollars."

"Deliver these supplies to my farm as well," Alex instructed, handing over the small stash of ammunition he had recovered from the office. "Also, find me an Indeedee trained for office work and send it along with this Chingling. Make sure the Indeedee is fully legal. Understood?"

Alex didn't forget about the Chingling that Marcus had captured first, nor did he overlook Celise's Indeedee. Umbraline truly was the best kind of evil in this world, offering these services at a discount to those who worked for them.

"Understood, sir. Do you already have accommodations arranged?"

"No. I'll need one for the night."

"Understood, sir."

Instead of the usual hotel room or inn, Alex was taken to a luxurious house with full amenities and a yard large enough to accommodate all his Pokémon. It was the perfect base of operations for the Johto Region, given Violet City's reach and its position as the city closest to the region's center.

Alex quickly teleported back to his inn at Cherrygrove City, gathered his spoils, belongings, and Pokémon, checked out, and then teleported back to Violet City to settle in for the night.

As for his captive, he fed him some cheap Pokémon meat before locking him in a basement room. He still planned to leave his defensive team to guard the prisoner, so it was fine.

Early the next morning, Alex rode Arcanine south through Route 30 and arrived at a new port town called Seawatch Town. Like Fallsend Town, it was newly constructed, though it followed Johto's traditional wooden style similar to New Bark Town instead of Fallsend's more modern infrastructure.

Seawatch Town served as the halfway point to another settlement further south, known as Stoneharbor Town, which was located just outside Union Cave and closer to the sea to the east.

Alex spent another full day traveling south from Seawatch Town, following the main route toward Stoneharbor Town. The path remained consistent, passing through stretches of forest and open fields, with the sea occasionally visible to the east. By the time he reached Stoneharbor Town, the sun was already starting to set.

On the third day of his trip along Route 32, Alex continued his journey. Rather than stopping at Union Cave like most travelers, he followed a less-traveled path heading south along the coastline. The terrain gradually shifted, with fewer forests and more rocky cliffs overlooking the sea. The path eventually wrapped around the base of the mountain, curving west along the shore.

Eventually, he reached a private seaside residence, fully enclosed by a massive wall that covered several square kilometers of land. The estate had its own pier along the coast, while the rest of the property remained completely walled off from the outside.

It was finally time for Alex to cash out the bounty that had taken him this far south.

Chapter 167: Chapter 167. Seaside Manor

The private seaside residence Alex had reached was a property purchased from the League and built from the ground up by the owner. It served as a private estate, separate from any settlement and closed to visitors. It was exactly the kind of residence Alex envisioned for himself and the girls in the future.

It was called Seaside Manor, owned by a Champion ranked trainer. The same one who had placed the bounty on Marcus's head. Both an official bounty and an unofficial one worth twice the price.

Once Alex reached the gates of the manor near the pier, he immediately teleported back to his house in Violet City to retrieve Marcus, who was still naked and bound, with only the ropes covering him.

He dragged Marcus across the stony ground before ringing the doorbell at the gates, activating a flatscreen that showed a well-groomed butler with black hair and a neatly trimmed mustache.

"Grantham residence. How may I assist you?" the butler asked politely.

"Bounty hunter. Here to submit a claim for Marcus Veldt," Alex replied.

The butler's expression shifted slightly as he narrowed his eyes, studying Alex carefully.

"Show me."

Alex lifted Marcus's face to the camera, causing a sadistic smile to slowly spread across the butler's face.

"You may enter," the butler said, his voice calm but tinged with excitement. "Proceed to the mansion's front door."

The gates to the estate unlocked with a loud clang before slowly swinging open, revealing a stunning sight.

Beyond the gates stood a large mansion bigger than a gym, built in the traditional Johto style but far grander than anything found in the nearby cities. The structure was expansive, with layered, tiled roofs and wide balconies overlooking the grounds. It stood several stories tall, with sturdy stone foundations and polished wooden upper levels that gleamed under the sun. Large glass windows lined the facade, allowing a clear view of the interior halls and rooms.

In front of the mansion stretched a vast garden, meticulously maintained and covered in soft, green grass. Stone paths wove through the garden, connecting the main gate to the mansion's front entrance and branching off toward smaller sections of the estate. Flower beds filled with native Johto blooms lined the edges, their colors vibrant but arranged with careful precision.

Hundreds of Grass type Pokémon of all kinds filled the garden, lounging peacefully in the afternoon sun. From small, docile Pokémon like Hoppip and Oddish to larger ones such as Vileplume, Venusaur, and Exeggutor, they basked in the warmth, completely unbothered by Alex's presence. Some dozed under the shade of trees while others tended to the flowers. It was clear they were well cared for, likely part of the estate's daily routine.

The entire scene was quiet, almost serene, with only the soft rustling of leaves and the distant cry of Pokémon breaking the silence. The mansion and its garden gave off the impression of a place detached from the outside world, private, self-contained, and controlled.

At a glance, it looked like a peaceful paradise. The garden was calm, the Pokémon lounging quietly under the sun, blending perfectly with the serene atmosphere.

However, the moment one paid attention, the illusion shattered. The sheer pressure of the Pokémon scattered across the grounds became impossible to ignore. Their presence settled over the area like a crushing weight, suffocating and inescapable. The air itself seemed to tighten, carrying an unspoken warning. Every movement, every breath carried a quiet reminder that a single misstep here could mean instant death.

Over a hundred of them were Elite ranked, their auras steady but potent. Scattered among them were three Champion ranked Pokémon, each radiating a quiet but overwhelming power that promised a guaranteed early grave from the slightest offense.

What seemed at first like a tranquil garden was, in truth, something else entirely. It was calm and beautiful, yet equally terrifying, a place where immense power rested just beneath the surface.

Alex felt a chill crawl down his spine as the flood of aura pressed against him. But there was no fear. Only excitement.

'Would we survive if we fought this horde right now? There were three Champions. Steelix could handle one. Hydreigon could take another. The last might be stalled by Arcanine using Morning Sun to buy time. The Elites would be a problem, but if we focused on the Champions first, we might stand a chance. It was possible. If I just—'

"Please proceed inside," the butler reminded.

Alex pushed the thoughts aside, lifted Marcus onto his back, and walked inside. Business first. Everything else could wait. He was carrying 10 million League credits on his back, after all.

Still, that didn't stop him from thinking furiously about how he would handle this horde of Pokémon as he walked toward the mansion. It was quite a distance, and he took his time, carefully observing everything around him.

In particular, he glanced back at the gates and the surrounding walls. The aura of the Pokémon was completely contained within the property, preventing anyone outside from sensing the overwhelming pressure hidden inside.

It was likely done to allow wild Pokémon to approach the territory without being driven away. Maybe it also served to minimize their impact on the local fauna. Alex wasn't sure, but whatever the reason, the shock value alone was worth whatever those walls and gates had cost.

Alex followed the walls with his eyes, quietly estimating the size of the entire property. From what he could see, the front garden and mansion took up only about a third of the estate. That meant there was still a large portion hidden behind the mansion, completely out of view.

It could be training grounds, farmland, or perhaps even private ecosystems reserved for the owner's other Champion ranked Pokémon. Whatever it was, it remained tucked away, far from prying eyes allowing Alex's imagination to run wild.

After a long, leisurely 30 minute walk, Alex finally reached the mansion's front doors.

There, the butler stood alongside a tall, mature woman with long brown hair and sharp green eyes. Behind them stood ten attendants, all handsome and well-built men dressed in sharp, tailored uniforms. They stood in perfect silence, their disciplined presence adding weight to the already oppressive atmosphere at the mansion's entrance. It was clear they were far more than ordinary house staff.

The woman, undoubtedly the Champion ranked owner of the estate, watched him with absolute patience. However, it was not the patience of a calm or composed person. It was something colder, a quiet fury that had been freezing solid ever since her child's death.

Her patience had nothing to do with Alex taking his time during the long walk to their mansion. It was the patience of someone who had already waited far too long, to the point where time itself had lost meaning. No matter how much longer she had to wait, it made no difference. Her object of vengeance was finally here, and she would have her revenge for the loss of her son.

"Name?" the woman asked, her voice flat.

"Alex Ashford Wattson."

She gave a brief glance to her butler, who tapped the name on his device. A moment later, Alex received a message confirming the deposit of 10 million League credits into his account.

"Where do you want him?" Alex asked.

"On the floor will do. Thank you for your services," she replied, dismissing him without a second glance.

Alex followed her instructions, dropping the struggling Marcus onto the floor without hesitation.

He walked back to the paved road before releasing Arcanine, immediately drawing the sharp, hostile stares of the surrounding Pokémon. Alex ignored them, mounted Arcanine, and rode toward the gates. Less than a minute later, he was outside the estate's walls.

Rather than teleport back to Violet City, he decided to continue west toward Azalea Town. Since he was already this far south, he figured he might as well make the most of it and build up Arcanine's and Gardevoir's teleportation points along the way.

As Arcanine ran along the coastline, Alex checked his accounts. His funds had grown significantly over the past three months. He now had 110 million Pokédollars and 47.2 million League credits. He was a quarter of the way toward his goal of 200 million for his dream home.

"Three months for 10 million is a bit much," Alex muttered.

If his earnings stayed at this pace, it would take another 4 years before he could afford his goal.

"I'd be 24 by then," he calculated. "No… I just had my birthday. I'd be 25."

Still, Alex knew he was young. Too young, considering he was already an Elite with an extended lifespan. He wasn't sure when he was supposed to grow old or die, but he didn't particularly care. He was in his prime and intended to enjoy it rather than rush to settle down.

"I'll have to reach it before Hydreigon reaches Champion rank," Alex muttered. "The current training grounds are already too small for her, and it'll only get worse the stronger she gets."

Alex spent most of the trip thinking about his future and plans until Arcanine finally reached the western side of Union Cave by the afternoon. From there, he could easily teleport to the eastern side instead of traveling through it.

For now, however, he let Arcanine continue west toward Azalea Town. They arrived about an hour later.

Azalea Town looked much like the other towns Alex had visited. It stayed rooted in tradition, showing little sign of modern development despite being an old settlement.

Alex wasn't surprised. Johto was known for its slow-paced lifestyle. What did catch his attention, however, was the large number of Slowpokes casually wandering around the town, behaving almost like tame pets.

It seemed even the Pokémon here had embraced the town's way of life.

Chapter 168: Chapter 168. Sprout Tower

Watching the Slowpokes wander freely through the town certainly caught Alex's attention. It almost felt like he had stepped into the anime version of the Pokémon world, where everything was sunshine and rainbows and even the villains never seemed to face any lasting consequences.

Curious, he decided to ask a local about it.

"What's with all these Slowpokes?"

"Ah, you're new around here," the man said. "Well, a few decades back, Team Rocket showed up and started chopping off their tails to sell. A trainer stepped in, got rid of them, and saved the Slowpokes. One of them eventually evolved into a Slowking and reached Champion rank. Now, he watches over the Slowpokes here, making sure they don't act purely on instinct like wild Pokémon."

"Have they ever caused any trouble?"

"No, not really. Annoying sometimes when they block the roads while sleeping, but they've never been dangerous."

"What about the human supremacists? Are they active around here?"

"Those idiots started spreading nonsense about getting rid of all Pokémon. At first, people tolerated them, but then they picked a fight with the Slowpokes. Bugsy ran them out of town not long after. Said there's no place here for views like that."

Alex nodded. "That's better than what's been happening in Kanto."

"Yeah, I heard about those riots. People are losing it over there."

"So… can you catch these Slowpokes?"

"You gotta bribe them first," the man said with a shrug.

"I'm surprised no one's been poaching them."

"That's where Slowking comes in," the man explained. "He can tell when someone's after the Slowpokes. Has them run from anyone with bad intentions. Once we see the Slowpokes avoiding someone, we usually have that person arrested right away. Bugsy even had to fight off a group of trainers not too long ago."

"Well, thanks for the info."

"Sure thing."

Alex remained slightly suspicious of the whole situation. He wasn't sure if it was simple pessimism or creeping paranoia, but something about it didn't sit right with him. Still, it wasn't his problem.

He decided to leave it alone and teleported back to Violet City to get some rest.

Early the next morning, he chose to take the day off instead of heading to Ilex Forest to set up a teleportation point or diving back into Dark Cave. He figured both he and his Pokémon deserved a break after all the constant traveling.

He left his Pokémon to frolic in the yard of the house they were renting, then changed into casual clothes before going for a walk with his entourage. This included Aegislash, his ever-loyal guard; Ditto, his watch; Zoroark, his Pikachu; and Espeon, who had a bit of separation anxiety.

As Alex wandered through Violet City, he found himself admiring the architecture and the deep respect the city held for its history. Though he was never one for tradition or the past, he could still appreciate the beauty and atmosphere of the place.

His first and likely only stop was Sprout Tower, a historic landmark open to tourists who wished to witness its quiet majesty.

Entirely constructed from wood, the tower had withstood the passage of time and the harshness of the elements, gently swaying with the wind. It stood as a testament to the ingenuity of its builders, a marvel of engineering that reflected both craftsmanship and harmony with nature.

Upon entering the first floor, Alex was immediately ushered into a crowd gathered for a public lecture given by a monk.

"Welcome, travelers. You stand within Sprout Tower, a place not only of history but of philosophy. Before you is the Heartwood Pillar, the living spine of this tower. It sways with the wind, not in weakness, but in wisdom."

"In this world, we are taught to stand firm, to resist, to overcome. And yet, what happens to the unbending tree in a storm? It snaps. What happens to the reed that yields? It survives. This is not a call to submission, but a reminder: strength is not the same as rigidity. True strength lies in knowing when to bend, when to adapt, and when to stand still."

"To live with nature and Pokémon is to live among forces far greater than ourselves. The mountain does not argue with the wind. The river does not fight the rocks. It flows around them. This is the way of balance. The Heartwood moves because it must, yet its roots are buried deep in the earth. That is the lesson. We do not abandon our principles, but we learn to live with the world, not against it."

"Consider Pokémon. They are not like us. They are wild, instinctive, unfiltered by civilization. Yet they are not lesser for it. They are pure in purpose. When a Growlithe defends its pack, when a Pidgeotto guards its nest, it does so with a fire we often forget. We do not tame Pokémon to erase this nature. We walk beside them to understand it. We earn their respect not by dominance, but by showing we belong in the same world."

"To live in harmony with Pokémon is to live on their terms as much as ours. They are not decorations for our battles or tools to project our will. They are companions forged in a world where every day is a test of survival. Just as nature is not gentle, Pokémon are not docile. But both can be understood. Respected. Walk through the forest not to conquer it, but to feel the rhythm of its breath. Train with your Pokémon not to control them, but to grow together in strength and spirit."

"Balance does not mean perfection. It means honesty. We falter. We fall. But if our roots are strong, if our foundation is guided by compassion, by patience, by humility, then we can always rise again. Like the Bellsprout for which this tower is named, we grow upward toward the sun, but we never forget the soil that holds us."

"So remember this as you leave today. Be like the tower, planted firmly yet never still. Move with the world. Listen to its rhythm. Respect its wildness. And in return, you will find your place within it, alongside the Pokémon who live by the same truth."

"Thank you for listening."

Alex took a moment to reflect on the monk's words before nodding. As an MMA fighter, he understood the balance between flexibility and resilience. Rolling with the punches was just as important as standing firm and trading blows. Specializing in only one approach left openings in your defense. Being adaptable was necessary to cover those gaps.

When it came to the philosophy of treating nature and Pokémon with respect, Alex agreed wholeheartedly. Pokémon had the potential to be just as intelligent as humans, if not more. Their capacity for growth, both physical and mental, went far beyond the limitations humans were bound by. Because of this, they could not be treated as mere pets or tools.

They were companions and equals, each with a role to play just as their trainers did. Pokémon could think independently and even reject commands despite a strong bond. That was why Alex believed it was necessary to establish a clear hierarchy between himself and his team. Without structure, they might act on impulse and compromise the mission or battle.

It might seem contradictory, but Alex saw it in the same light as military structure. Soldiers are trained to follow orders without hesitation, not because they lack intelligence, but because unity and discipline are essential in combat. The chain of command keeps a group functioning as a single unit, preventing confusion or hesitation when it matters most.

In Alex's view, Pokémon had to be treated the same way. Without structure, their individuality could disrupt teamwork and create dangerous flaws in the middle of battle.

Outside of combat, each Pokémon was their own person and deserved to be treated with respect. That was why Alex insisted on hiring a masseuse, a chef, and a breeder. It allowed both him and his Pokémon to enjoy the comforts and care they had earned through rigorous training and hard-fought battles.

"You understand the teachings?" asked an old monk standing beside Alex.

Alex had sensed the monk approach during the lecture but hadn't paid him much attention.

"I respect Pokémon, their power, and their intelligence. In many cases, they surpass humans when given the time and resources to grow," Alex said.

"That is one part of it," the monk replied with a knowing nod. "But yes, you understand. I can see it in your companions. You treat them with respect, and they return that sentiment. The bond you share is strong."

"Your bond with this one in particular is stronger," the old monk said as he pointed to the Pikachu on Alex's shoulder, while his eyes looked to the Zoroark hidden beside Alex.

"I have a talent for Dark types," Alex admitted without hesitation.

The monk was old and likely someone who understood the deeper truths of the world better than most, so there was no point in hiding it.

"Yes, but it remains untrained," the monk said thoughtfully. "You are like a murky pond. Your energies swirl and mingle without clarity or direction. Still waters reflect the self, but yours are clouded. If you wish to understand yourself, you must learn to still the chaos. Meditate. Look inward. Find yourself within the pond."

"Can you be more specific?" Alex asked with interest.

"Come with me."

Chapter 169: Chapter 169. Sprout Tower 2

Alex followed the old man as they ascended the tower.

He thought deeply about the old man's words and was understandably confused.

He meditated quite often, learning to silence his thoughts while being more mindful of his body. It helped relax his mind and gave him a better understanding of how to control himself. It was a small exercise he often did when cooling down after being wailed on by Kommo-o every day.

He also understood, at least somewhat, how his energy or bond was murky. He felt it himself from time to time when practicing with his Dark type energy. It often needed to be coaxed heavily just to move through his body, though it gradually became easier over the years as he continued practicing.

What he didn't understand was how to separate it, or that it was even possible to begin with. He had always thought of the energy as a single thread to be used and manipulated. Never considering the idea that it could be divided. The concept was entirely new to him.

As they ascended higher, Alex had to be mindful of his footing. The top of the tower swayed with the wind, and each step became noticeably more difficult. The movement forced him to be aware of his balance with every motion.

Eventually, the old man led him to what looked like a sparring room on one of the middle floors of the tower. There was no one else present. Only the two of them as they swayed along to maintain their balance.

"Are we going to have a battle?" Alex asked, receiving a chuckle in response.

"We only battle children to see how strong their bonds are with their Pokémon. Besides, we only use Bellsprout for our meditation. Neither you nor I will learn anything from your Zoroark beating them in one hit."

Alex expected as much. Bellsprout were simply too weak to contribute meaningfully to a fight. It was pointless unless the goal was to observe their opponents.

"Come, sit," the old man said as he gestured to the floor.

Alex followed as instructed and sat cross-legged, hands placed on his lap, back straight.

"Your energies are muddled, mixed and flowing freely. This shows you have given yourself to your baser instincts, following them as they please. To gain peace and understanding, you must learn to separate yourself from them. They are you, but not all of you, only a single part," the old man explained as he circled behind Alex, kneeled, and placed both hands on his back.

Alex felt his energy stir as something else joined in, guiding its flow. It moved from one part of his body to the next, following the rhythm of blood circulating through his veins. The movement gently coaxed his own energy to follow along, tracing the same path throughout his body.

"Your bond is strong which is good but it must also be balanced and flexible. You must maintain your sense of self while following its rhythm and bending to their needs. You are more than simply the sum of your parts."

Alex felt a trace of energy settle in his heart as the flow continued to circulate. Unlike the rest of his Dark type energy, which was heavy and oppressive, this one was delicate, gentle, and comforting, like a spark of life pooling in his chest. It seemed to enhance his heart, allowing it to draw more strength from his blood and subtly empower him.

"This is Aura, a unique form of energy present in all living things. It is the essence of our being and the foundation of our bond with Pokémon."

"Every human possesses it in varying degrees of strength and quantity. Yours appears weak and faint, as if you were standing at the precipice of death."

"You lack the natural talent for Aura, but do not be discouraged. With training, even this feeble amount can be used to control your other energies more effectively, allowing you to find yourself within the chaos."

As more Aura pooled in Alex's heart, he could feel his Dark type energy becoming purer, more willful, and less within his control, yet simultaneously more powerful and effective. He occasionally caught sparks of yellow, like flecks of gold dust rising to the surface of a flowing black river.

"You have a talent for Electric type energy as well," the old man observed. "Although it is as weak as your Aura."

The specks of gold settled along his spine, subtly slowing time and enhancing Alex's reaction speed. It was faint, barely making a difference.

The dark mass of energy, in contrast, had grown denser. It was heavier, yet stronger. Alex could feel it running along his skin, making the world around him feel colder.

"A very strong bond indeed," the old man murmured. "Now, try and move your Aura to follow my lead."

Alex did as instructed, gathering his Aura into a single thread of energy before circulating it through his heart. Warmth radiated from his chest as he timed his entry into the cycle, matching the rhythm the old man set.

At first, he lost control as the darkness swallowed the light, dimming it as it joined the flow. But as the energy passed through his heart, where the light had pooled, the lost light returned and rejoined the cycle, allowing it to continue flowing.

"That's it," the monk said. "Keep going and use your heart to guide you."

Alex maintained his focus, circulating his Aura through his body and feeling lighter with each cycle.

He noticed a deepening sense of peace, each cycle of energy drawing more hidden emotions to the surface. Happiness and contentment slowly began to blossom, while impatience, irritation, and even the edge of murderous intent steadily faded.

He felt pride when he thought about his farm. He felt care and gratitude when thinking about his Pokémon. He felt regret when memories of past relationships surfaced. When he thought about the girls, it was not quite love, but there was a comforting warmth that remained.

Then the old man's energy began to lighten as he gently withdrew it from Alex's body. The Dark type energy returned, overpowering his Aura once more. It surged like a wild current before settling back into a still and murky pool.

Alex sat, bewildered, as the rush of Dark type energy overwhelmed him.

He took a moment to steady himself before attempting to regain control. He failed to stir the still pool into a river as before but could feel his control over his Dark type energy improve by a noticeable amount.

"You have done well for your first time. But it's getting late, so you will have to leave. I suggest you practice on your own. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it."

Alex looked out the window and noticed the sky had darkened. He had somehow spent the entire day with the old man, deep in meditation.

He stood before bowing deeply to the monk.

"Thank you for this lesson."

"That'll be 100,000 credits," the old man said while pulling out his phone.

Alex froze in shock before pulling out his own and paying the requested amount. He couldn't exactly complain when the benefits were so tangible. If anything, he would pay more for future sessions.

Once the payment went through, the old man offered one final piece of advice.

"Find yourself in the chaos, young man. I wish you the best of luck. You may see yourself out."

On his way down the swaying tower, Alex reminisced about the emotions he had felt. There was peace and contentment in the life he now lived, and a thrill of excitement for the future ahead. It was a sign he was doing better in this life, far removed from the regrets of his past.

He also remembered feeling warmth when he thought about the girls. It wasn't exactly love, but something was there. It wasn't like his usual possessive impulses; instead, it felt more innocent and wholesome. It showed that he cared for them more than he wanted to possess them, which was a significant improvement.

Alex spent the rest of the night trying to circulate his energies and separate his Aura until he eventually fell asleep. He tried again for the rest of the next day, and by the day's end, was only able to get a slow, heavy circulation going, as if he were wading through mud.

Still, there was progress, so it was worth pursuing in his free time. Even if he was far from mastering his energy, the sense of clarity and peace it brought was enough to keep him grounded. For someone like him, who often walked the edge of violence and control, that mattered.

But inner peace wouldn't pay the bills.

For now, he had more criminals to catch and more credits to earn. So he returned to Dark Cave with his suit and continued to map his way through. He spent the days sleeping, training, and meditating, while spending nights deep in Dark Cave.

Two months passed.

Two months of dead ends, collapsed tunnels, and aggressive wild encounters. But then, just as Alex began to wonder if it was all a waste of time, he finally found another clue.

Chapter 170: Chapter 170. Dark Cave 3

Deep in Dark Cave, after spending two months mapping out the place, Alex finally found a worn-out path that led to nowhere. It indicated that the path was often used, yet it had no clear reason to be of use to anyone.

The stone along the trail was smoother than the rest of the cave floor, worn down by repeated traffic. Even the surrounding walls showed faint signs of disturbance, scratches too uniform to be wild Pokémon, and markings that looked almost like crude trail signs, the kind smugglers would use. Alex crouched down and brushed his fingers over a print in the dirt. Fresh. Maybe a day old.

He followed the path leading out of Dark Cave and noticed even more recent footprints in the area, making it the prime location to set up an ambush. Still, he didn't rush to act, knowing he would likely only get one chance at catching a criminal before the path changed. Instead, he investigated deeper into the cave, following the trail until he reached a dead end.

The air felt different here. It was cleaner, fresher than the rest of the cave. It lacked the usual dampness and musty scent that clung to the deeper tunnels. The wall ahead, however, was completely sealed. There were no cracks, no gaps, nothing to suggest a way through. And yet, the freshness in the air hinted at something beyond.

To prove whether a path existed, he would have to take the risk of having Raticate dig through the wall, an act that could alert those maintaining the route and potentially provoke retaliation.

He considered it, but barely. One wrong move and they might abandon the path entirely, sealing it permanently or triggering a trap. So, Alex decided to wait for anyone passing through. He would target those who were on their way out and follow them, only striking when they were far enough away to avoid drawing attention.

Hopefully, this approach would allow Alex to profit without compromising the path or triggering a collapse or cleanup.

He stayed close to the wall, melding into the darkness. Time passed slowly in the dark, broken only by the occasional drip of water or distant echo of movement.

An hour before the end of the night, just as the sun was about to rise, Alex finally spotted the reason for the worn-out path.

A low grinding noise rumbled through the stone as the wall at the dead end opened, revealing over twenty masked trainers who each headed off in different directions. Some exited Dark Cave through the worn-out path, others split toward the three remaining entrances, while a few ventured deeper into the cave system, likely to wait out the day or find another exit.

Alex followed the strongest of the group, the one radiating an Elite ranked aura. He might not be able to take on all twenty, but he could certainly handle one.

Alex crept behind his target, each step placed with precision. He shifted his weight only when the other man did, letting the crunch of boots on gravel mask his own movements. The narrow corridor of Dark Cave stretched endlessly ahead, walls damp and breathing with silence.

The moment came without warning.

Alex lunged forward, his arm snapping around the man's neck in a fluid motion honed by repetition.

A shimmer of malevolent energy pulsed nearby. With a burst of violet mist, a Gengar slipped from the darkness, ready to aid its trainer.

Before it could move, Aegislash rose silently from the black pool of Alex's shadow, blade already gleaming. The ghost froze, caught between hesitation and instinct.

The man choked, hands clawing at the arm crushing his windpipe. With his free hand, Alex plucked the Poké Balls on the belt with the ease of a street magician, flicking them shut to lock the Pokémon away.

The man's legs buckled. His breathing turned ragged, then stopped as Alex drove a fist into the base of his skull. He dropped like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

He remained unconscious for a while.

When he finally came to, he was groggy, wrists bound and throat aching. Panic set in the moment he realized he couldn't move.

Alex questioned him with a calm, steady voice. It was deep and rough, like it had been shaped by smoke and gravel. The sound alone made the man flinch. He cracked almost immediately. Names. Locations. Times. He spilled everything.

Once Alex had what he needed, he delivered a second blow, sending the man back into darkness. Then he turned to the figure watching from the cave wall.

"Did you get everything?"

Zoroark gave a low grunt of acknowledgement.

"Good. Follow his schedule exactly. I'll meet you outside Violet City."

Without a word, her form shimmered, reshaping into a perfect copy of the man on the ground. With a last glance at his unconscious target, Zoroark slipped into the dark, steps already blending into another man's life.

Meanwhile, Alex carried the man on his shoulder before teleporting back to the house in Violet City.

"Two million credits," Alex said as he checked the man's bounty. "Not bad."

Alex couldn't afford to let anyone find out he had a working route through Dark Cave. If word got out, the path would either be sealed off or flooded with guards, ruining weeks of careful mapping.

To prevent that, every time he caught a criminal inside, he would have Zoroark follow their planned schedule exactly. The illusion made it seem like they were still free, moving from place to place as expected, so no one suspected they had been taken from Dark Cave.

It was the only way to keep the path hidden and avoid starting over.

With that system in place, Alex continued using the route to quietly ambush and capture more criminals, profiting off them for the rest of the month.

-----

Deep underground in Dark Cave, a tired-looking man stood stiffly as he reported to his superior about the sudden drop in visitors.

"What the hell do you mean we lost 20 clients this month?" a fat man roared, slamming his palm on the table.

The sound echoed sharply off the stone walls, and the others in the room flinched.

His face was flushed with fury, sweat trailing down his cheeks as he leaned forward, eyes locked on the trembling informant.

"They were all arrested by a bounty hunter," the man said quietly.

"Who? How?"

"Alex Wattson, 21 years old, adopted son of Officer Jenny from Saffron City in Kanto. He crossed over six months ago and is currently residing in Violet City under Umbraline. I asked around, and they confirmed he's being supported for work against the human supremacists. He's also the one who took down the Cherrygrove base. As for how, he runs into them around Violet City and Route 31 before he captures them and claims their bounties."

The fat man's lips twisted, his rage shifting into something colder and more calculating. If the captures were happening outside of Dark Cave, then the fault didn't lie with them. Their internal routes were still secure. That meant their operation hadn't been exposed yet.

As for the bounty hunter, the Cherrygrove base hadn't been an easy target. It was guarded by a Steel type specialist known for his brutality and madness. If this bounty hunter managed to dismantle it, then he was far more capable than expected. He was definitely not someone to take lightly.

Worse still, he couldn't inform his boss without risking looking incompetent. Nor could he ask the Elites to take care of it, for the very same reason. He would have to handle this himself and pay for it out of pocket.

"How much to make this go away?" the fat man asked.

"Umbraline says they'll try their best for a hundred million. They also stated that they can't guarantee his obedience since he isn't officially under them."

The fat man grunted.

"Pay it. And make sure he doesn't come back."

"Yes, sir."

-----

A month had passed since Alex discovered the worn-out path, and he had been busy ever since. He had hunted down a total of 27 targets, capturing almost one every day, and managed to earn 20 million League credits.

His targets were all well-known criminals, each carrying a sizable credit bounty due to their continued and escalating activities. Some were worth significantly more than others, though most sat below the one-million mark.

At this pace, it wouldn't take more than a year for him to save enough for his dream home.

Realistically speaking, however, he would eventually have to stop. There were likely fewer than 200 million credits' worth of bounties left in all of Johto, excluding Champion ranked trainers. Sooner or later, he'd run out of criminals to cash in on, as they would either flee Dark Cave or go into hiding and never come out.

Just then, a message lit up on his other phone, the one Umbraline uses to send him updates regarding the human supremacists.

The message read, "Dark Cave is watching."

A simple sentence, but heavy with intent.

Alex sighed. "Guess I'm done hunting in Dark Cave for now. Still, I might be able to make an even bigger profit in the future. In the meantime, I should get back to tracking down more supremacists."

Thus, Alex resumed his journey through Johto, temporarily setting aside his hunt in Dark Cave.

Chapter 171: Chapter 171. Ilex Forest

Early the next morning, Alex teleported to Azalea Town and took his time touring the place.

Azalea Town is a small, quiet village surrounded by thick forest and shrouded in mist during the early mornings. Time moves slowly here.

Most of the buildings are old but well-kept, built from timber and stone, with apricorn trees growing behind nearly every home. The scent of wet earth and fresh leaves clings to the air, carried in from Ilex Forest just beyond the town's edge.

The only thing that breaks the natural ambiance is the Gym. A five-story cement structure built to League standards, it stands tall and out of place, a stark contrast to the rest of the town's rustic charm.

People speak softly, live simply, and don't bother with much beyond their daily routines. Kurt still makes Poké Balls by hand, and the Gym Leader, Bugsy, is usually off studying Bug type Pokémon when he isn't battling.

Alex took in the scenery with quiet appreciation, although the Slowpoke wandering freely without supervision was jarring. Pokémon were almost always accompanied by their trainers or vice versa. They were never left to roam on their own.

Even in big cities, Pokémon that manage to roam free tend to hide from humans or scurry into sewers and dumpsters in alleyways. Here, they went about their day lazily, watching the humans go about theirs.

Alex made his way to the PokéCenter, more out of curiosity than anything else. He wasn't looking for work or trying to earn money. He just wanted to see what kind of problems a place like this might have.

The building was made from dark, weathered wood. Moss clung to the sides, and ivy curled up the support posts near the entrance. Inside, it was quiet and warm. Lanterns hung from thick beams, casting a soft glow across the room. The air smelled of herbs and old lumber.

There were no metal benches or harsh lights. Just wooden chairs, a worn desk, and a small fireplace crackling gently in the corner. It didn't feel like a clinic. It felt like a home.

"Welcome to the PokéCenter. How can I help you?" Nurse Joy asked, an excited Chansey standing at her side.

"Just wanted to see what sorts of missions you have."

"The request board is over there, but you won't find much," she said, pointing to a computer off to the side.

"Thanks. Just curious what kind of problems you usually deal with around here."

"We don't have many, honestly. Between the Slowpoke and the Ilex Forest, Azalea Town is pretty well protected. We don't even get Pokémon floods here. We used to have trouble coming from the north and south, but lately even those have started to die out."

"Do you know why?"

"There are plenty of reasons, but I think it's mostly because trainers from both Kanto and Johto who reach Champion rank end up buying League-owned land around here and settling down. It helps stabilize the area and keeps Pokémon floods from happening."

"I remember we used to get nest attacks south of here, until a bigshot moved into the area. After that, they just stopped happening. It's been peaceful for the past few decades," Nurse Joy continued.

"What about injuries?"

"I'm the only nurse in town, and as you can see, I'm not exactly busy. I don't even handle injuries from the Gym since they have their own Pokémon to take care of it."

"Thanks for the info."

"Anytime."

Alex looked over the mission board and noted that most of the listings were meant for children or lower-ranked trainers. Simple lost-and-found tasks, help with construction or repairs, heavy lifting, and resource gathering in the forest. Nothing that stood out as a red flag.

He was still suspicious of the Slowking, but given the town's history and Bugsy being in charge, it was safe to assume that any sketchy business had either been approved or quietly ignored by the League.

Alex also took a stroll around town and noted the distinct lack of any criminal presence. It was either because the town was too insignificant to bother with, lacking in resources, or because the Slowking had been working overtime to keep things clean.

Just then, he ran into Officer Jenny on patrol, her Growlithe trotting beside her. The small Pokémon padded up to Alex and sniffed him with open suspicion.

"Hold still and let Growlithe do his investigation," Jenny ordered.

Alex smiled and released Arcanine, a towering six-foot behemoth compared to the small pup. Growlithe immediately shrank back at the sight.

"Bounty hunter Alex Ashford Wattson, at your service," he said with a slight bow. "I wanted to investigate a little since the town seems so..."

"Peaceful? That's normal. We don't get much action around here. More importantly, you're Alex. The Alex?"

"The what now?"

Jenny blushed slightly, pulled out her phone, and played a short recording.

"Oh, Jenny. My sweet summer child."

She quickly stopped it and looked away, her cheeks flushed.

"Yeah, that's me," Alex admitted, equally embarrassed.

He was starting to regret ever teasing his mother with that line, especially now that it was being played back to him. He had been a real brat back then, probably the result of a younger body and too much hormones.

The two of them moved past the awkward moment and started talking in more detail about the town's crime situation. Apparently, Azalea used to have its share of troublemakers who would go after the Slowpoke first, thinking they were easy targets. That changed when Slowking arrived.

Without much effort, he made those types stand out by having the Slowpokes actively run away from them, giving Jenny and the local police exactly what they needed. Over time, the troublemakers either left town or learned to behave.

Before they parted, Jenny slipped Alex her number.

He politely but firmly refused, saying he preferred a violent life over a peaceful one.

Jenny didn't argue. She gave a small nod, tried to hide her disappointment, and continued her patrol.

Alex watched her go, feeling more conflicted than he expected.

He knew most Jennys weren't the type to sleep around. They valued order, stability, and a quiet life. Even if he did come across a Jenny who was different, who might be open to something more, she'd likely be older and far removed from the one he had just met.

He wasn't in the business of stringing women along and breaking their hearts. That had never been his style. He preferred open relationships over anything that involved settling down.

Finished with his brief investigation, Alex rode out of the western side of town on Arcanine and entered Ilex Forest to continue mapping out teleportation points.

Ilex Forest was thick, old, and quiet. The kind of quiet that pressed in from all sides. Towering trees stretched high above, their dense canopies blotting out most of the sunlight. What little light filtered through came in pale shafts, casting long, shifting shadows across the forest floor.

The air was cool and damp, filled with the earthy scent of moss, bark, and leaf decay. Roots twisted like sleeping serpents beneath the undergrowth, and the path, if it could be called one, was narrow and overgrown. The deeper you went, the harder it was to tell if you were being watched. Wild Pokémon moved silently between the trees, just out of sight.

Old legends said the forest was protected by spirits. Some swore they had glimpsed Celebi in the glades, while others spoke of being turned around and walking in circles for hours. Whether those stories were true or not, most locals avoided the place after dark.

Ilex Forest was not just another patch of wilderness. It was a place with weight, with memory. Everything about it felt still yet aware, like the forest was listening.

Alex, however, simply blitzed his way through while riding on Arcanine, confident he wouldn't run into any problems.

Ilex Forest was on the safer side as far as wild areas went, likely because Celebi preferred the forest to remain quiet. At the very least, Alex hadn't encountered a single fight yet, despite moving fast through the forest.

Most of the Pokémon he encountered were weak and preferred to scurry away at the first sign of movement rather than defend territory or confront intruders. It was as if no Pokémon laid claim to any part of Ilex Forest, which Alex could understand.

The forest was said to be the home of the Mythical Celebi, so not even Champion ranked Pokémon would dare to claim it as their own.

Alex estimated he and Arcanine would be out of the forest by noon, given their speed, so they raced through as fast as the narrow paths allowed.

A few hours later, they passed Celebi's shrine and continued on their way.

A few hours later, they passed Celebi's shrine and continued on their way.

Alex quickly pulled Arcanine to a halt. He stared at the narrow path ahead, then back over his shoulder.

They had already been this way.

The winding forest paths all looked the same, so he hadn't noticed when they had started running in circles. But now, the repetition was impossible to ignore.

They were definitely going in circles.

Clearly, there was something wrong with the path they had followed. No, it wasn't the path that was the problem. It was something that was trying to keep them here.

"Go back to the shrine, Arcanine," Alex commanded.

Arcanine, unbothered, trotted back the way they came until they reached the clearing.

Alex dismounted and gave Arcanine a pat to rest while he moved to investigate.

Celebi's shrine was a small wooden house, aged and darkened by time. It stood alone in a quiet clearing surrounded by tall trees whose branches blocked most of the light. The carvings along its surface were faded, and a few old offerings such as dried berries, burnt incense, and weathered trinkets rested at its base.

Suddenly, Alex felt a psychic impulse slam into his mind, threatening to overwhelm him. He tried to fight it off with his Dark type energy, but it was futile. No amount of resistance could dampen the invasion.

Gardevoir and Espeon burst from their Poké Balls, both trying to fend off the psychic influence, but their efforts were just as ineffective.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of mind melting agony, a quiet message was received. It wasn't spoken in human words but carried through raw intent. It was filled with joy, gratitude, and most powerful of all, expectation. Loosely translated, it came out as:

"You're finally here."

Chapter 172: Chapter 172. A Trip to the Past

Alex sensed that the intent wasn't hostile, so despite the mind-splitting headache, he struggled to respond.

"Please... reduce your… psychic connection."

The pressure receded like a tide as Alex dropped to his knees, only kept steady by a timely Heal Pulse from Gardevoir.

"Thank you," he muttered, catching his breath as he slowly stood up.

A smaller, almost imperceptible message slipped through.

"Sorries. Been lonely for a long time."

"It's alright. I was just too weak," Alex replied. "What do you mean I'm finally here?"

"You've come to help."

"Help how? I'm just a bounty hunter. A weak human compared to you."

"You succeeded. You have helped."

Alex was immensely confused by this particular intent. It was filled with gratitude for something he had yet to provide, an intent that thanked him for what he would do in the past.

Thinking this was some kind of time-related incident, he ultimately chose to accept it. If he had already pulled it off, then it meant he was capable of doing it, no matter the effort. And even if he refused, he would eventually have done it anyway, at least from Celebi's perspective. As confusing as it sounded, it made perfect sense to Alex. Besides, it sounded dangerous, which was exactly the kind of life Alex lived for.

"Fine, what do I have to do?"

"Kill humans."

Before Alex could ask for more details, the world around him began to dissolve. Space twisted and folded in on itself, bending reality in ways that made it hard to tell what was up or down. It felt like the very fabric of the world was melting around him.

He shut his eyes, hoping to steady himself, but it did nothing. Pressure built in his skull, his senses overloaded, and warped sounds clawed at his ears. His stomach turned violently.

He dropped to his hands and knees and threw up.

Eventually, everything settled. The pressure eased off. The noise finally quieted down.

Breathing hard, Alex wiped his mouth and pushed himself to his feet. The space around him had stabilized, but something was off.

The shrine was gone, the clearing turned into a heavily wooded area, and the sounds of Pokémon cries were wrong. He found himself in a far denser forest with significantly fresher air. He felt power well up inside him from the shortest of breaths.

He assessed his situation and found his bag missing, along with all his Pokémon.

The only things he had on him were his guns and combat gear. He didn't like his current situation at all, which meant he was enjoying every second of it.

Alex then noticed the strangest sight of all. A squirrel. Not a Skwovet, Greedent, Pachirisu, or Emolga, but a real squirrel. It was the size of a dog, with thick, heavy fur and a large bushy tail curled behind it. It wasn't exactly a normal squirrel, but it was a squirrel nonetheless. It paused for a moment, noticed Alex staring, then leapt up and disappeared into the tree canopy.

Alex stood in shock at the sight of a normal animal. As far as he knew, normal animals were endangered species that needed human intervention to survive, lest they all get eaten by wild Pokémon. It was the reason for their inflated price, considered strictly a family-run business that had existed for an unknown amount of time.

The fact that there were squirrels out in the wild suggested he was in the past, long before Pokémon had become as prolific as they were. A past he knew little about due to a lack of study.

A time before even the first Pokémon began hunting animals in the wild.

As Alex's mind wandered through the extreme impossibilities, he heard a rustling nearby, followed by a familiar kind of complaint.

Voices rang out through the forest, harsh and clipped like barking dogs. Alex couldn't understand the language they spoke, but the tone was unmistakable. These were not casual shouts or random noise. They were shouting out orders.

Another set of voices responded, crisp and rehearsed. Whatever they said, it sounded like a confirmation.

Alex didn't need a translator to figure it out. Their tone carried anger, urgency, and frustration. They were clearly looking for something. Probably Celebi given the situation.

He slipped into the shadows, covering himself with Dark type energy. Months of meditation had proven its value as he maintained his shadowy form with practiced efficiency.

He followed the voices deeper into the woods until he spotted the squad.

Twelve men in mismatched military gear combed the underbrush. Their helmets didn't match, their clothes looked patched together, and their weapons were a mess of salvaged parts and unfamiliar crystals. It was chaos pretending to be coordination. They were scavengers, not soldiers.

They spread out across the forest floor, poking at bushes and shouting more of that garbled language.

Alex remembered Celebi's request to kill humans. But before that, he wanted information.

They didn't seem strong or professional, so it would be easy to take them out one at a time.

He crept closer and singled out the one furthest from the group before striking. A silent blow to the back of the neck dropped the man instantly. Alex caught the body and eased it into the undergrowth.

He moved again and managed to take out five more in swift order.

By the time he reached the sixth, the tone had shifted. The commander barked something, louder than before, expecting a reply but none came.

Another shout rang out. The scattered steps grew more focused, boots closing in around the voice.

The remaining six formed up around their leader, weapons raised and eyes scanning the trees.

More words were thrown out, urgent and strained.

They knew something was out there as they made their way back in a tight formation, retracing their steps.

Alex followed along, then leapt high into the air and dropped into the middle of their group.

He grabbed two unprotected heads and slammed them together, knocking both out with a single move.

Panic followed.

The rest shouted in confusion and opened fire. Energy beams burst from their rifles, lighting up the forest as they sprayed wildly in Alex's general direction. Every shot missed as he weaved through their allies, taking out two more in the crossfire.

Three left.

One of them shouted something fast and desperate, then they turned and ran.

Alex gave chase, silent and focused. He closed the distance, grabbed one by the back of the neck, and knocked him out cold with a single blow.

The commander shouted again, but it didn't matter.

Alex drew his guns and fired two Thunder Waves that hit their marks, leaving them paralyzed on the forest floor.

"Clean up," Alex commanded out of habit before catching himself and letting out a groan.

His Pokémon always handled the cleanup while he investigated the loot, but with them gone, he realized he had been more reliant on them than he thought.

By his lonesome, he spent the next ten minutes dragging bodies over and piling them up.

Once he was finished, he checked their weapons. The design was rough, old, and salvaged, but the tech beneath was anything but primitive. The crystals pulsed with unfamiliar energy, not too different from his own guns. Clearly, it was at least as advanced as what he used, maybe even more so.

Their clothing was patched together with whatever scraps they could find. Their hair was messy, worn by time spent in the wilds. Their skin looked thicker than normal, and they were abnormally tall compared to most humans.

They were definitely human, but something in their genetics had shifted. Their technology was more advanced, and their language was completely different.

Somehow, Alex had landed in a past where humans were far more advanced than in his present. Yet something must have happened. Something catastrophic that sent humanity all the way back to the stone age.

Alex crouched beside the one who seemed in charge and slapped him awake.

The man stirred, looked up, and spat out a series of garbled sounds. Alex could barely tell where one word ended and another began. What was clear, however, was that the man was angry.

"What year is it?" Alex asked.

The man looked confused, then began spitting out more unintelligible noise.

A few syllables repeated, but none of it made sense.

Alex stared at him in silence as the man began writing in the dirt. Still nothing but nonsense. He didn't understand a single word.

Alex crouched and drew an arrow in the dirt, then added two circles along its length. He pointed at the one near the end and then at the commander. He pointed at the one near the tip and then at himself. Finally, he tapped the very end of the arrow and stared the man down with cold, unflinching eyes.

The commander responded with more unintelligible shouting, his voice rising with each word. So, Alex backhanded him without hesitation. More shouting followed in a defiant manner, so Alex turned and shot one of the unconscious men in the head.

That finally got the message across as the man's expression shifted from anger and frustration to fear and regret.

He fell silent, eyes fixed on the drawing, clearly taking the conversation more seriously now, though it seemed he still didn't understand.

Alex thought for a moment, then drew another arrow beneath the first. This time, he added a series of sun and moon symbols in a repeating pattern, meant to represent the passing of time. At the end of the arrow, he drew a large question mark. He looked up and stared at the man, hoping the message was clear.

The man, still confused, hesitated before scratching out a crude drawing of a round shape with uneven lines that looked like a planet. Around it, he drew a four-legged creature with exaggerated features and pointed ears. Beside it, he drew several circles with animalistic faces. Finally, he connected all of them with lines pointing toward the planet.

He pointed to the four-legged creature, then the circle with animalistic faces, and finally the planet.

Alex stared at it in silence before he got the idea.

"So the planet was invaded by Pokémon?"

Chapter 173: Chapter 173. A Trip to the Past 2

The planet had belonged to an advanced form of humans with technology beyond the present before Arceus came along and summoned Pokémon through portals. They wiped out civilization through sheer violence, forcing humanity back to the stone age.

Over time, the survivors scavenged what little they could from the wreckage and endured, surviving one day at a time. Generations passed, and memories of the old world faded into myths whispered around dying fires. So much time passed that all traces of their old civilization vanished, until eventually the Pokémon world Alex knew came into being.

During this time, it was likely that Celebi had still been quite weak and may have nearly died to these humans before sending Alex to save itself.

As for why Celebi had chosen him, perhaps it was because the act required too much energy to bring a Pokémon along. It had to be a weak human, yet someone strong enough to handle the problem alone.

Alex wasn't sure if any of this was true or even made sense, but he didn't particularly care. He would do as he was told, get back to the present, and continue on his journey as fast as possible.

Not that he had much of a choice. Celebi hadn't exactly offered instructions or a convenient timeline. It dumped him in a death zone and expected him to improvise.

So, against the wailing cries of the commander, Alex finished them off one by one with Feint bullets to the head, then burned their bodies in a pyre using Flamethrower.

Alex waited, expecting something or anything to pull him back to his own time, but nothing happened. He remained by the smoldering pyre for an hour, then another. By the third hour, he finally stood, looked around at the unchanged forest, and muttered with quiet understanding,

"I'm fucked!"

There had been no indication or promise that Alex would return, nor in what shape or age he would be if he even did. He had mistakenly assumed he would be fine just because he succeeded, but Celebi had never guaranteed a return to the present.

"It's like I signed a contract without even reading the fine print," Alex complained.

Since standing around clearly wasn't helping, Alex chose to explore instead. He started walking, quietly observing his surroundings as he moved through the forest.

The trees were massive, their thick canopies blotting out most of the sunlight and casting the area in a dim green glow. Thick vines draped from branches like ropes, and massive roots cracked through the soil like veins.

The air was heavy with moisture, humid enough to cling to his skin, and rich with the earthy scent of thriving plant life. It was the perfect environment for vegetation to grow wild and unchecked.

Animal tracks crisscrossed the soft earth, and fresh droppings littered the underbrush. Signs of an active and healthy ecosystem. Birds called in unfamiliar tones, and the rustling of unseen creatures hinted at a forest teeming with life.

Strangely enough, this untouched wilderness felt more foreign to him than a Pokémon filled forest. Despite growing up on Earth, he had never actually spent time in its natural forests. His experiences had always been with Pokémon habitats, not places where normal animals lived and thrived.

As he walked, Alex spotted a clearing up ahead, glowing with an unusual brightness. The closer he got, the more intense the light became until he finally realized the unsettling truth.

The sunlight here was far hotter and brighter than anything he was used to. The only reason he hadn't noticed it earlier was because of the dense canopy overhead, which had completely shaded the forest floor.

He crept toward the edge of the clearing, stopping just short of the tree line. Cautiously, he extended his hand into the light.

It was hot. Uncomfortably so. Not enough to burn him thanks to his Elite ranked endurance, but it was certainly strong enough to cause a migraine. If he had been an ordinary human, his skin would have started cooking in seconds.

"I can't leave the forest during the day without some form of shade," Alex decided.

The sun wasn't hot enough to threaten him outright, but given enough time such as the duration required for the trek, he would eventually dry out. He needed water, a vehicle, and shade to make it through. All of which were sitting comfortably in his bag in the present.

"This feels oddly similar to a game wall that stops the character from going too far from the mission area," Alex mused before a sudden thought struck him. "Celebi said I came and succeeded. Maybe the group I encountered was just the beginning and I need to find Celebi somewhere in this forest."

It was a valid assumption and his only lead for now, so Alex ran back to his starting point and began examining the terrain.

"I can't head in the direction they were running. That's probably where their base is. I need to search around here, where they were hunting, and see if I can find Celebi."

Thus, Alex spent the next few hours exploring the immediate area of the forest, moving in widening circles to cover as much ground as possible.

He came across more wild animals such as birds, wolves, hares, rats, and lynxes, but as he had expected, they were simply animals. Sure, they were noticeably larger and stronger than normal, but given his own enhanced strength, they were still just animals.

The wolves could easily be considered direwolves, while the hares and rats were the size of dogs. The lynxes were so large they resembled cougars, and even the birds were larger than expected, with wingspans that could easily startle anyone passing beneath them.

It was a fantastical world in its own right, one that Alex slowly came to appreciate.

While Alex continued his methodical search of the area, he suddenly felt a tremendous aura descending from the skies. It was Champion ranked and suffocating in intensity.

A powerful gust of wind swept through the trees as the creature let out a deep, guttural roar that shook the entire canopy, sending animals plummeting from the branches like rain.

Alex scrambled behind the nearest tree, cloaking himself in Dark type energy and pressing his body low against the trunk. He kept still, blending into the shadows as best he could.

He might be a powerful Elite ranked trainer, armed with enhanced strength and firearms, but at the end of the day, he was still just human. He could hold his own against Expert ranked Pokémon and barely scrape by against Elite ranked ones. But Champion ranked Pokémon? That was a death sentence, especially in this unfamiliar, primitive world he had been thrown into.

Unfortunately, Alex had misunderstood what had drawn the Pokémon to him in the first place. The moment he activated his Dark type energy, the creature blitzed through the canopy, tearing through every tree in its path. Sunlight poured in through the massive gap it left behind, harsh and blinding, as the beast dove straight for him.

The tree Alex hid behind exploded as the creature dove, raining chunks of splintered wood all around him. He remained crouched low, cloaked in Dark type energy, barely daring to breathe. Once the debris settled, he felt a hot breath on the back of his head.

Slowly, Alex looked up and froze.

Hovering just above him was a monster born of ancient violence and unnatural power. Its body was draconic and quadrupedal, covered in deep blue scales with a blood red underside and four glowing yellow markings along its torso. A long, tapering tail swayed behind it, decorated with red streaks on the underside. Its massive legs ended in three long claws, the front limbs thicker and bulkier than the rear, with jagged scales protruding near the knees like armored growths.

Its crescent shaped wings arched high over its back, beginning with a three pronged yellow pattern on each side and curling upward into sharp red curves. Blue tipped feather-like protrusions adorned the ends of the wings, while a cape-like structure with a black underside draped beneath them, shifting slightly in the breeze.

Its head was crowned with jagged light blue spikes on both sides, and raised white ridges above glowing red eyes gave it a permanent expression of cruel intensity. From its open maw, rows of sharp teeth glistened, three on each side of the upper jaw and one fang each on the lower.

Roaring Moon.

A Paradox Pokémon. Savage. Ancient. Unbound by the modern world's rules. And this one was larger than anything Alex had seen in books. Its crimson eyes locked onto him, not with confusion or rage, but with the calm and terrifying scrutiny of a predator that had already decided what he was worth.

Alex felt like prey.

The Dark type energy wrapped around him flickered ever so slightly, and the beast's head tilted in response. A guttural growl rumbled from deep within its throat, vibrating the air and rattling Alex's ribs.

He didn't dare move. Not yet. Not unless he wanted to die in the next breath.

And as the beast's shadow loomed over him, Alex realized the coin had already been flipped. He was just waiting to see which side it landed on.

Chapter 174: Chapter 174. A Trip to the Past 3

Alex didn't move a muscle as he stared up at Roaring Moon towering over him. It stood a good six feet tall, with a wingspan easily three times its height. It was nothing short of intimidating.

After a long, tense moment, Roaring Moon grunted and lowered itself to the ground, keeping its eyes fixed on Alex.

Sensing the hostility's ease, Alex decided to try his stupid idea.

He released his Dark type energy, revealing his human form, but Roaring Moon didn't react. It had likely seen through the disguise from the start.

Alex calmly reached out and placed a hand on Roaring Moon's head, slow and steady. The moment he made contact, a surge of Dark type energy flooded into him. He lost control as it rampaged through his body, engulfing him in a writhing mass of darkness.

The energy overwhelmed him as his thoughts twisted into something colder, more violent, and unnervingly confident. As if nothing else mattered. Only death and destruction.

Alex settled into meditation, following the routine he had practiced countless times. He gathered the small spark of Aura within him and guided it toward his heart, then began circulating it through his body. But the effort felt hopeless, like trying to stir a vast ocean with nothing but a spoon.

Still, he persevered, riding out the storm and doing his best to maintain his sense of self. It took hours, days even, or perhaps an eternity, but eventually the rampaging Dark energy settled, filling him to the brink.

Alex felt cold and emotionless, his mind calculating as he assessed his situation.

The bond with Roaring Moon had snapped into place, but it left him teetering on the edge of losing himself, his thoughts stripped down to raw analysis and instinct.

Violence was at the forefront of his mind consuming all his thoughts. The need to dominate others and stand at the precipice of power.

Still, one thing was clear, even to this version of Alex. He needed to return to the present, so he focused on his objective with cold calculation and determined the best course of action.

"I'm Alex. Nice to meet you, Roaring Moon."

He received a low grunt in response, followed by Roaring Moon nuzzling against his chest, clearly seeking affection.

"You're quite tame for a Pokémon that destroyed a civilization," Alex remarked as he ran his hands over its neck.

"The fact that even Paradox Pokémon can be tamed during this time suggests that humans eventually evolved and acquired the ability to bond with Pokémon. This means the humans of this era lack that ability and instead see them as alien monsters bent on humanity's destruction. Fascinating."

"Either way, want to help me find a little green Pokémon?"

It responded with a low grunt and a nod.

"Thanks, big guy. I'm looking for Celebi, a small green Pokémon that's both Psychic and Grass type. It should be somewhere in this forest. It's weak right now and needs help. Think you can find it?"

Roaring Moon considered the request before finally nodding. It should be easy to find if they just flew over the forest. As dense as the trees were, they were no match for Roaring Moon if it decided to plow through them.

"I should give you a name. 'Roaring Moon' is a bit of a mouthful. What do you think about Grim?"

Roaring Moon tilted its head, as if running the name through its mind, before finally nodding in acceptance.

"Great. Grim it is, then. Happy to have you," Alex said with a blank expression.

The entire time, Alex had been focused solely on how to take advantage of Roaring Moon, without sparing a thought for anything else. As long as he reached Celebi, nothing else here truly mattered. Roaring Moon was probably too powerful to bring along anyway. So Alex had been playing on its affection to get it to do his bidding.

Once their plan was set, Grim took off, circled around, then dove down and grabbed Alex by the shoulders as they soared above the forest.

Riding on its back wasn't an option since the sunlight was too harsh, but as long as Alex stayed beneath Grim, he could fly freely.

Flying high above the forest canopy, Alex finally got a better look at the world. As he had calculated, the planet had once been home to an advanced human civilization, with ruined cities, towns, and villages scattered across the landscape.

Crumbling skyscrapers leaned at odd angles, overtaken by vines and rust. Roads were cracked and split by thick roots, and moss-covered vehicles lay abandoned. Though nature had reclaimed most of the land, fragments of human structures still jutted from the overgrowth, a fading echo of a lost civilization.

Pokémon were a rare sight, but the few he spotted were all Champion ranked. That level of power made it easy for them to wipe out a civilization, especially one where humans couldn't bond with Pokémon to defend themselves.

As they circled above the forest, Alex spotted a group of scavengers camped near a clearing, gathered around a small cage that held a green creature.

They were celebrating the capture of their latest hunt, which was most likely Celebi. That changed the moment they noticed Grim soaring overhead. Their celebration ended instantly as they scattered in all directions, each man running for their own survival.

Alex patted Grim's arm and pointed toward the spot where the scavengers had left their captive and supplies. It was clear they knew how to survive in this harsh world.

Once Grim landed, Alex confirmed that the caged creature was indeed Celebi. It had fainted, and its small body bore scorch marks where it had been struck by energy weapons.

"You can go have some fun," Alex said to Grim, who let out a thunderous roar before taking off and diving toward the humans it had been watching.

Meanwhile, Alex shielded himself from the harsh sunlight with his Dark type energy, then released the small Pokémon from the cage and carried it toward the nearest shade.

He drew his gun, swiped through the settings until the bullet was set to Heal Pulse, then fired at the fainted Celebi. Its wounds recovered immediately, but it would still take time to regain consciousness since he didn't have a Revive on hand.

So, Alex made his way to the supplies the scavengers had left behind and began rummaging through them. He found dried animal meat, cloth scraps, crystals of some kind, salvaged weapons, and machines that looked like little more than junk to him.

He brought everything back to the shade and began inspecting them methodically, like a predator studying its prey's belongings.

The animal meat was crudely made through smoking, a time tested method of preserving meat. The cloth scraps were random and used to fill in the gaps in torn clothing. The weapons were of the same standard as he had found with the previous scavengers. The machines were junk whose purpose he couldn't discern.

He wasn't an engineer, after all. He was, however, familiar with crystals given his fascination with his weapons.

The crystals were artificial, given how perfect they were. They had flawless symmetry, no inclusions, and a color too consistent to be natural. Natural crystals usually had uneven hues or zoning, but these didn't. Under closer inspection, he even spotted tiny gas bubbles and faint internal layers, subtle signs that confirmed they were man made.

As Alex examined the crystals, the sounds of destruction echoed through the forest. Grim continued to hunt down the scattered scavengers, returning each time with their corpses and adding them to a growing pile beside him. Every pass shattered the sound barrier as it tore through the forest, leaving devastation in its wake.

Alex didn't mind. In fact, he found it almost endearing to be offered such trophies by a creature vastly more powerful than himself. It fed perfectly into the darker parts of his ego, the ones that craved dominance, violence, death, and ruin.

A few hours later, just as the sun was about to set, Celebi awoke to a scene of death, staring blankly at the pile of corpses Grim had collected.

"You're awake. Do you remember me?"

Celebi turned to look at Alex, who had an emotionally blank expression, taking a long moment before finally nodding. It floated into the air, then concentrated until Alex felt the familiar, overwhelming psychic invasion. This time, however, he easily shrugged it off, dampened the pressure, and received the message.

"You will return."

"Yes," Alex replied, then glanced at Grim. "Come."

Grim obeyed and rested its head on Alex's lap.

"Give me a part of you to remember. Someday, we may meet again," Alex said while stroking its head.

Grim looked up at him sadly before plucking a feather from its wing. It pulsed with its energy and glowed ominously in the fading light.

Alex pocketed it, then stood and waited for Celebi to begin.

Celebi concentrated with all its might before Alex felt the familiar sensation of the world melting, accompanied by the warping pull of time tearing open. Space twisted and folded in on itself once more, bending the very structure of reality. The sky split, light bent at unnatural angles, and every sense screamed in protest.

He tried to brace himself this time, knowing what was coming, but it made no difference.

Pressure flooded his skull like a vice clamping down. His vision blurred, then stretched, then shattered into meaningless color. His ears rang with distorted echoes of voices he couldn't recognize, overlapping and out of sync.

His stomach lurched. He staggered, collapsed, and once again vomited onto the ground.

Then, just as suddenly as it began, the chaos subsided. Gravity returned. The air stilled. The pain faded into silence.

He had returned.

Chapter 175: Chapter 175. Ilex Forest 2

Alex found himself back in the clearing, the same one where it had all started. Celebi's shrine was nearby, while the forest felt thinner. The air wasn't the same, less oxygen maybe, and it certainly made each breath feel a little heavier.

He felt weaker. Probably a mix of the environment and whatever toll time travel took on his body.

As his senses settled, he realized what was missing. Grim's bond and energy were gone. That raw, primal energy that had settled deep inside him, woven into his muscles and thoughts, was gone.

The emptiness it left behind hit harder than he expected. Grim had been more than just extra power. It was a presence, a reminder of something wild and ancient. Without it, everything felt quieter, like part of him had been cut out and the echo still hadn't faded.

The bond just hadn't been strong enough to survive the jump. Not like the ones he had with the others. They were still there when he landed in the past, and it was stronger now that he was back.

With Grim gone, his head finally cleared. The aggression that used to simmer just beneath the surface was gone too, leaving room for something else. Balance. Emotions. He could actually think like himself again, without that constant pressure weighing down his choices or that quiet, animal growl lurking behind every thought. For the first time in a while, he felt like himself.

He reached into his pocket and felt the feather was still there, a quiet reminder that he would do better. Maybe one day, they'd cross paths again. If they did, he'd be ready. Next time, he wouldn't just try to keep up. He'd be the kind of trainer Grim deserved. Someone strong enough to stand beside him.

Until then, he would train, meditate, and bolster his sense of self. And when that moment came to finally meet, he'd make sure of one thing. He would still be himself. The power would move with him, not control him.

Being a Champion wasn't just about the strength of their Pokémon. It was about mental stability and a powerful sense of self to tie everything together. About knowing who you were and holding on to it, no matter what kind of power you were connected to.

Strong bonds helped carry the weight. Weak ones let it crush you.

That was Gravik's problem. His Pokémon were too strong for him, and it messed with his head. Celise had said as much. The way he lost control, the way he kept spiraling, it all lined up. If he had just taken the time to build a proper bond or learn how to handle their energy, maybe he wouldn't be as aggressive as he was.

"Welcome back," Celebi greeted as it sat on the shrine bringing Alex out of his thoughts.

Alex immediately noticed the difference. The Celebi he had rescued was barely Expert rank. The one in front of him now, however, was leagues beyond in both power and presence. It was so immensely powerful that Alex couldn't even sense it.

As far as his senses were concerned, the green creature sitting before him had no aura at all. If he closed his eyes, he would only feel Gardevoir, Espeon, and Arcanine by his side.

He imagined this was what it felt like to stand before a god, no aura, no majesty, no fanfare. Just a ghost barely affecting reality.

Taking the chance to interact with a Mythical Pokémon, Alex suddenly asked,

"Why me?"

"Had to be you," came its reply.

"Are you the one who sent me to this world? Is saving you back then the reason I'm here?"

Alex had never cared much about how he ended up in the Pokémon world, but with a possible answer sitting in front of him, he didn't mind asking. It made sense that he had been sent to save Celebi. Its past came first, so he had to be the one who was summoned.

"Yes, I asked a friend," Celebi replied. "No, you are needed."

"What do you mean?"

"Asked friend Dusknoir to revive a soul."

'That's interesting,' Alex thought, before refocusing on the answer that mattered.

"What is the reason I was revived? Why am I here? What do you want from me?"

"I don't know."

"What do you know?"

"I only know our world will be destroyed. I have done what I must to stop it. The world is now saved."

Alex felt a headache coming as he parsed through the broken logic.

Celebi was a Pokémon of time; hence, it might not necessarily know the how or why, but it knew the what and when. It knew the future of the world was to be destroyed and knew what must be done and when to do it to avoid that future.

So, like tossing a pebble into a pond, it asked a Dusknoir to revive a soul, but likely didn't know which soul, only the time it must ask, and it had done so. As far as Celebi was concerned, the world was saved because it had done what was necessary. It didn't care about the how and why.

Celebi didn't know what Alex needed to do to accomplish it. It only knew that it had done its part.

As for being rescued, that was perhaps just a convenience or an added detail. Time had already resolved all loops and ensured Celebi took the necessary actions to influence the past. If Alex hadn't been summoned, Celebi would have sent someone else. It would have known exactly who to choose and when they would meet.

Ultimately, Alex decided to not care about the consequences. Just as he had trusted Celebi and accepted its mission on his own terms, he would now move forward his own way. Celebi had already said it. The world was saved. That meant whatever happened next wasn't his responsibility.

No matter what choices he made or what paths he took, the future was already secured. So as far as he was concerned, there was no reason to care about it at all.

In the interest of milking this little bundle of information, Alex decided to ask about a few other things that had been bothering him, like why Arceus had become a pet, for example.

"Do you know why Arceus is under a human's control?"

Celebi tilted its head and sent a wave of confusion through its psychic intent before suddenly perking up.

"Ah! That poor pup that lost its home. It is too young to care for itself, so it needs a human to help it."

Alex felt another headache coming on as he tried to make sense of the answer.

Pup meant Arceus was still young and far from the godlike being it was known to become. Lost its home meant it didn't belong in this world. There was another Arceus that belonged to this world or universe, and it certainly wasn't a pet. The one Cynthia controlled likely came from another dimension, world, or universe, one that had been destroyed, or at the very least, forced it to leave.

"Is that the same for the other Legendaries?"

"I don't know. Tired. Goodbye," Celebi sent before suddenly disappearing.

It didn't feel like teleportation either. Celebi simply vanished from Alex's senses.

He stood there, dumbfounded, before pulling himself together. His eyes drifted to the phone lying on the ground, Rotom still inside. He picked it up and checked the time. It was noon. The time he had left.

He felt tired from the day's adventure but chose to keep moving. He wanted to get out of this forest and never come back, lest he be dragged into another adventure far beyond his capabilities, no matter how exciting it might be.

He mounted Arcanine and returned Gardevoir and Espeon to their Poké Balls before heading north through the narrow forest paths. A few hours later, they came across a lake that Arcanine simply blitzed through, sending waves crashing in every direction to the shock of the Psyduck and Golduck swimming leisurely in its waters.

By the time the sun began to set, they finally emerged from the forest and entered Route 34. The area was still wooded but more open, with scattered clearings, tranquil lakes, and the vast sea stretching out to the west. A soft seabreeze drifted in from the coast brushing against Alex's face and tugging gently at his clothes. It carried the scent of the ocean like a quiet promise of calm after the chaos of the forest.

Having made it out of the forest, Alex teleported back to Violet City to finally get some rest. The day had been intense, physically exhausting, emotionally draining, and filled with unexpected shocks.

He had been psychically tortured, sent back in time to discover that Arceus had destroyed an advanced civilization similar to Earth, nearly eaten by a Champion ranked Pokémon, driven mad by its power instead, saved a Mythical Pokémon, met a truly god-like being, uncovered his past, glimpsed his future, learned of other dimensions in turmoil, and all he got out of it was a feather.

It had been one hell of an adventure, draining every ounce of the violence he had been craving throughout his journey. Maybe now, it was time for some well-earned rest.

His next stop along Route 34 was Goldenrod City, a place as technologically advanced as Saffron City. With any luck, he could find a luxurious place to stay and treat all his Pokémon.

Chapter 176: Chapter 176. Goldenrod City

Early the next day, Alex teleported back to Route 34 and headed north towards Goldenrod City. It was a relatively peaceful ride throughout the day, without any unexpected drama. They passed by the forested area until they reached the suburbs, which had plenty of houses and businesses, in the afternoon. By evening, they reached the walls of Goldenrod City.

Goldenrod City was easily the largest place Alex had seen in Johto so far. Tall buildings lined the streets, packed so tightly that there was barely room for anything else. Shops, apartments, and offices were stacked on top of each other, giving the place a chaotic but lived-in feel.

The streets were wide, paved, and always busy. People and Pokémon moved in waves, and everything seemed to have its own rhythm. Even with all the noise and activity, the city didn't feel cold. It was alive, pulsing with color and movement, especially when the signs lit up in the evening.

For a moment, Alex felt like he was back home in Saffron City.

There was a lot to see. The Goldenrod Department Store was a towering giant that sold everything a trainer could need, and probably more. The Radio Tower sat near the center of the city, still broadcasting region-wide like it had been doing for years.

Underground, there was a whole other level to explore. Hidden shops, training spots, and a few criminal elements made up the narrow halls beneath the city, if you knew where to look.

And of course, the Normal type Gym was here too. Whitney ran it, and despite how sweet she acted, her team was brutal if you weren't ready.

But Whitney wasn't the only Gym Leader in the city. Goldenrod was so large that it housed three more Gyms, including one specializing in Water types near the western ports, another focused on Flying types close to the outer city rooftops to the east, and an Electric type Gym that pulsed with neon lights and humming generators in the center of the city.

One thing missing, though, was the Magnet Train. From what Alex heard, they had stopped the project decades ago. Apparently, all it took to derail the train and cause mass casualties was a single Steel type Pokémon eating the tracks. And since there was no feasible way to prevent that, they ultimately gave up on the project.

Once Alex got his bearings, he headed for the most luxurious hotel of the city owned by Umbraline of course. Where he managed to avail all their amenities for free, not that it would have cost him much given his immense finances.

There, Alex booked the most expensive room they had without even glancing at the price. If he was going to stay in Goldenrod, he might as well do it right. Then he signed himself and all his Pokémon up for the top-tier spa treatment on the list. Full recovery, muscle therapy, scale and fur grooming, claw clipping, horn polishing, deep combing, coat brushing, and whatever else they offered.

After everything he'd been through, he deserved it. One solid day to rest, recharge, and feel human again.

The next day was spent being pampered like a king. Treatment that not even the girls gave him back at the farm.

Alex went from one luxuriously extravagant activity to the next with barely any clothing most of the time, as he enjoyed mud baths, deep massages, luxurious cuisine, hot tubs, steam baths, more massages with oils that completely relaxed his muscles, and more.

He barely maintained consciousness throughout the day with how relaxing it all was.

At the end, he even received a happy ending from his last masseuse before closing off his night wrapped in silk sheets, sinking into a soft, luxurious bed that felt like sleeping on a cloud.

The next day, Alex felt absolutely revived, with all his fatigue whisked away by the previous day's activities. He felt like a new man, ready and primed for more violence.

Fortunately for him, there was a big fight happening in the underworld of the city between the local underworld criminals and the human supremacists.

Umbraline had been patient with him over the past six months, so it was time Alex got back to work and did them a favor to compensate.

His first and likely only target was the boss of the area, who commanded all the forces they had in the city. They didn't have an obvious base to attack and preferred to operate within the city, making a raid difficult to pull off.

On the bright side, all Alex had to do was take the head off, and the snake would get eaten by the ants. He would have preferred to raid their supplies as well, but he had to settle for taking what he could get instead, as their supplies were spread throughout the city, making collecting them difficult.

Target Profile: Karen Morr
Pokémon: Ampharos, Electrode, Umbreon, Misdreavus, Ariados, Hitmontop
Threat Level: Expert Rank
Contract Value: 37 million Pokédollars
Status: Kill on sight

Karen Morr, female, 41, 5'10" (1.78 m), lean muscular build, sharp jawline, pale blue eyes, short silver hair. Head of the Goldenrod's Human Supremacist Faction. More administrator than field agent, Karen runs the city's supremacist operations from the top floor of the Telron Tower, a high-rise near the northern commercial district. The location is officially registered under a shell corporation and fitted with advanced security and constant monitoring.

Karen is rarely seen outside the building and prefers to operate through proxies and field lieutenants. Despite her lack of physical presence on the streets, her influence is widespread. She controls the movement of resources, coordinates underground safehouses, and approves all major operations. Her Pokémon team is built for close-quarters defense and area lockdowns, favoring paralysis, misdirection, and psychological warfare.

Though rarely hands-on, Karen is considered exceptionally dangerous due to her ability to mobilize and coordinate violent cells across the city at short notice. Taking her out would destabilize the network significantly. Approach with caution. Infiltration of the Telron Tower is not advised without support. Elimination is a priority.

Considering the information Alex had, it was an open and shut case. All he had to do was bust in while she was asleep, take care of her Pokémon, kill her, and be on his way, an easy, hassle free operation he had plenty of experience with.

The caveat, however, was that he couldn't make any noise or mistakes, due to the fact that Karen didn't have a bounty on her head. And unlike with Selene in Cerulean City, he didn't have the support of the Gym Leader either, so he had to handle everything as quietly as possible.

Another caveat was the fact that he would likely fail a stealth mission due to Ariados and Misdreavus, who would likely be alert while Karen was asleep. Ariados had plenty of ways to detect silent intruders, while Misdreavus would ensure Karen was protected while she slept.

Even if he somehow managed to take Karen out, a battle would still ensue due to her very angry Pokémon that would rampage as a result of her death.

Seeing no other way to execute the mission, Alex ultimately decided to move forward with it anyway. A bit of trouble had never stopped him from completing his work.

Before he started, however, he called the help desk to send a manager to his room as he prepared his gear.

A doorbell rang a few minutes later as a portly, balding, nervous-looking man entered with his hands clasped together, sweat visibly forming on his forehead.

"You requested a manager, sir?" he asked nervously.

"I have a job for Umbraline."

The manager immediately straightened up, placed his hands behind his back with practiced confidence, and presented a more professional and mature demeanor. The earlier act had been to cater to the prideful, rich, and powerful.

The best practice was to always show flaws to tickle their guests' sense of superiority. Otherwise, they would act out and cause problems just to exercise their right to be assholes.

Business, however, was another matter entirely. The more professional and confident Umbraline appeared, the more likely they were to profit.

"How may we be of service, Mr. Wattson?"

"I want all the weapons and ammunition the supremacists have in storage after I get rid of Karen."

"I will have to outright decline this request, Mr. Wattson. Those weapons, and their crystals specifically, have been garnering some popularity as of late, especially with organizations like ours that have plenty of manpower."

"Is that so?"

"I'm afraid so."

Alex stared at the man for a long, tense moment before relenting.

He had hoped to continue his monopoly on the human supremacists' spoils and had managed to do so in Kanto when it was still relatively new. But recent times had shown how effective they were, given their low starting investment and maintenance costs.

He would have to be satisfied with whatever Umbraline ended up giving him for the job.

"Shame. You may leave."

"Very well, Mr. Wattson. Happy hunting."

With that out of the way, it was finally time for Alex to begin the hunt.

Chapter 177: Chapter 177. Goldenrod City 2

As with any good hunt, the first thing on the agenda was to understand the prey.

Alex had already read Karen's profile but he wasn't satisfied. He only had one realistic shot at this target without alerting the police so he had to make sure he had all his facts straight. Not to mention it was still early in the morning so he had some free time to waste.

He headed for Telron while scouting out the place and taking note of any cameras, blind spots, or areas of approach.

Dressed in a plain shirt and loose pants, Alex moved at a steady jog, his gaze drifting from storefronts to alleyways, lingering on passing signs and open windows. He blended in easily as just another curious tourist taking in the sights.

He circled multiple blocks but never took the same path twice, always maintaining a curious expression. Then, he moved away while keeping a line of sight on the Telron Tower, its top floor in particular. He continued this all the way until he made it back to his hotel.

Once he was finished, he had an estimate of what he was working with.

Basically, he didn't need to leave his room to execute this mission. He had a free shot from his own hotel window.

The commercial district was the location of both his hotel and the Telron Tower, and they weren't more than 450 meters apart, a distance his sniper could easily reach.

As for the cleanup, he would leave it to Umbraline. Since they refused his request, they needed to earn their pay. They should understand that Alex didn't work for free. Sure, they were paying him with Pokédollars, but he accepted this job for the ammunition in the first place.

Since they refused to cooperate, he would lower his standards a bit to show them what he was truly worth. A spanking every now and then would teach them some manners.

Alex spent the rest of the day enjoying the hotel's amenities. He hit the sauna, the hot tub, grabbed a few overpriced meals, and made sure his Pokémon were well taken care of. Grooming, treatments, massages, Elite ranked food. Everything was handled. He wouldn't need them for this job, so they could continue to relax.

By the time night came, he was done resting. It was time to work.

He sat by the window, laying out his sniper piece by piece. Sight assembly, chamber check, Feint round loaded. He adjusted the scope, checked wind drift, and tested the trigger. Then he opened a window while closing the blinds, leaving just the tiniest gap for him to aim and shoot.

The Telron Tower was less than 450 meters away. Top floor, corner office, with his target's back to the glass wall. She was still awake, sitting at her desk, focused on paperwork. Through the scope, he lined up his shot. His breathing slowed. His hands steadied. When the moment came, he squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

He got up, taking the sniper with him before placing it flat on the table. He disassembled the gun piece by piece before storing everything in his bag. He didn't bother to check or even close the small crack in the window. Instead, he called for room service while looking over the video of his shot.

It showed the exact moment when the bullet burst through the glass window, penetrated the Protect barrier, passed through Misdreavus, then hit Karen right at the back of her head.

The camera jolted from the recoil, but Alex could still see the moment when all her Pokémon exploded from their Poké Balls and began rampaging within her office. No doubt the trouble that would cause would be immense.

As a bounty hunter, he would have had to clean up properly, but as a contracted assassin, he didn't need to care. That would be Umbraline's problem if they somehow got blamed for it.

Once he was finished reviewing the tape, Alex sent it to his other phone, the one Umbraline gave him. They likely had a tap on it at all times, so anything stored in it could be accessed by them.

He didn't mind the breach of privacy. He had nothing important to hide, after all.

A few minutes later, along with the arrival of his food, Alex received the assassination fee for Karen Morr. A total of 37 million Pokédollars was deposited, bringing his bank account total to 150 million. At this point, Pokédollars were just numbers on a screen rather than a measure of financial ability.

The next day, Alex checked the news, and as expected, there were reports about Karen's Pokémon rampaging in Telron Tower. The entire top floor had been destroyed, with numerous casualties among the "staff" on the lower floors.

Fortunately, they were quickly subdued by an anonymous passing trainer who ended up capturing them, preventing further damage to the commercial district. Still, it was clear Umbraline had put some effort into the chaos, as that very same night there were reports of multiple break-ins at warehouses, homes, and businesses.

"They must have really profited off of me this time," Alex said as he lay comfortably on his bed, checking his phone.

He was planning another rest day today before heading out tomorrow. The difference, however, was that he had some research to do.

He had recently found out about the effects of bonding with Pokémon and their energy. It wasn't information included in the packet, so it was possible it would only be included once trainers reached Champion rank. However, this seemed counterintuitive to Alex, as that would be useless information. The threat was very real for people before Champion rank. Once they reached it, it was pointless to know about it.

So, Alex searched online for any information regarding research on bonds, type energy in humans, and their effects on mentality and sense of self.

In the end, he did find a research paper that theorized the effects of bonding beyond a trainer's ability. The requirement was either a very high level of talent for type affinity, a trainer who bonded with too many powerful Pokémon or a Pokémon who would bond with someone significantly less powerful than themselves.

In essence, a Pokémon's energy enrages them, making them violent against everything but themselves. Their instinct takes precedence, which allows them to have a community of similar species, but ultimately, this makes them animals.

Once they gain enough strength, their instincts turn into intellect, allowing them to finally control themselves, their energy, and their nest, birthing a leader who takes control.

Once a trainer comes along and successfully bonds with them, their energy enters the trainer and affects them. The effects are negligible when the difference between the trainer and the Pokémon is within one rank, but if there are too many bonded at the same time or if the difference is too large, then they are susceptible to being corrupted.

Alex never had that problem because of his powerful sense of self. He also never noticed it, as he was already violent from the start. It was a state of mind he was already used to keeping under control. He figured it was simply more excitement for battle.

Once a Pokémon experiences a bond, two things generally happen. First, they feel the violent impulse lessening while gaining the trainer's sense of self. Second, they consider their trainer as family or a loved one, a part of their nest.

A hierarchy is established depending on strength. If the bond happened through personal ability, then the trainers are seen as the leader, with the Pokémon as a part of their nest. This includes bonds with a newly hatched Pokémon. If the bond happened as a result of training, then they consider themselves the leader and their trainer the advisor or meal ticket, the provider.

As for the strength of their bond, the stronger it is, the less affected the trainer and the Pokémon are by the energy. The weaker it is, the more susceptible the trainer is to being affected, and the more violent their Pokémon becomes.

In Alex's case, he had too many Pokémon while seamlessly handling the violent impulses. Once he bonded with an undoubtedly powerful Champion, he was finally tipped over the edge. He couldn't maintain his sense of self with so many bonds and a powerful one beyond his rank.

Thus, to fix this, he would need to grow his sense of self to be able to accommodate a Champion. To do this, he would need to experience life and gain wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and a powerful purpose to drive himself. Basically, he simply needs to get older while experiencing life to the fullest.

He could also meditate to empower his Aura and control the energies in his body. Doing so would amplify the effects of his sense of self, allowing him to do more with less.

The reason this isn't widespread knowledge is simple. Most trainers can barely afford to feed and train the six Pokémon needed for the gym circuit, let alone form deeper bonds with more. And when it comes to powerful Pokémon, they're unlikely to accept weaker trainers in the first place. Everyone has standards, after all.

Cases like Alex's were also rare. There were few with as powerful a talent with type affinity as Alex. Lance could perhaps be one with Dragons, but as can be seen from his personality, he is quite confrontational, both from Dragon type energy being more violent and from his many powerful Pokémon.

In the end, nothing changed for Alex as he learned more about Pokémon's energy and their bond. He still needed to learn to control his energy while eating Elite ranked meat, training his body, and taking care of his Pokémon. He still needed to earn more League credits to buy his dream home. He still needed to learn to be less possessive and care more.

He still had a long way to go.

Chapter 178: Chapter 178. Ecruteak City

Early the next morning, Alex collected his exceptionally well-rested Pokémon and headed north through Route 35.

It was less of a forested area and more of a suburban sprawl, with many houses spread throughout the route. It made sense how Goldenrod City could be so prosperous when it was supported by this many people nearby.

Alex took half a day to pass through Route 35 and eventually made it to the National Park, a truly massive expanse of cultivated farmlands that was supported by the initiative to allow Bug type Pokémon to breed and spread. They even had a monthly bug-catching event.

They achieved this by placing many Elite ranked Bug type Pokémon throughout the expanse, acting as the owners of the territory and quelling any Pokémon that acted out. This allowed even children to play in the National Park despite the presence of many Bug type Pokémon, a similar arrangement to Azalea Town and its Slowking.

Further to the northeast, Alex could see the massive structure of the Pokéathlon Dome. It was the location where they regularly hosted something roughly equivalent to the Olympics, where both the Trainer and their Pokémon competed in sporting events for prizes. It was mostly for the sake of content, Alex assumed.

He had watched a few of the past events online, and it was here he learned just how physically absurd bonded Trainers could become compared to normal people. They weren't just athletic, they were operating on a different level entirely. Sprinting alongside Pokémon, leaping impossible heights, and coordinating complex maneuvers without missing a beat. It was less about peak human potential and more about how far someone could push past their limits with the right partner. Simply put, they were insane.

Alex spent the remaining half of the day making his way to Route 36, arriving by evening, back to the more heavily forested area he was familiar with.

He rested for the night back at the house in Violet City, where the Pokémon could be by themselves and relax more than when being tended to. They might enjoy being pampered, but a safe, isolated space to rest was still their preference. In fact, Alex could feel they were starting to miss the farm.

The next day, they teleported back to Route 36 and headed north, passing through the forested area before reaching Route 37, which was simply more of the same, until they finally arrived at Ecruteak City by evening.

Ecruteak City was old. Not just in age, but in presence. The entire city felt like it had stopped changing a few decades ago and never bothered starting again. Aside from the three League standard gyms, every building was made of wood, darkened by time and maintained by people who clearly saw value in keeping things the way they were. Tile roofs, sliding doors, incense burners. It was the kind of city where electricity felt optional.

There were three gyms here which included Morty's Ghost type gym, plus a Grass and a Ground type gym, all built to the League's standards. They stood taller and cleaner than the rest of the city, but not enough to feel out of place. 

To the west was the Burned Tower, which had housed a legendary Pokémon before it was struck down by lightning and engulfed in flames. The locals believed that three Pokémon died in the fire and were later resurrected by Ho-Oh, becoming Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. The tower had been left in its ruined state as a kind of open-air monument, full of smoke-scarred beams and half-collapsed walls, but people still visited it like a shrine. 

In contrast, the Bell Tower to the northeast remained fully intact. Tall, symmetrical, and imposing. It was said to be the place where Ho-Oh once roosted, and was now guarded and closed to the public. Only a select few were ever granted entry, usually by way of spiritual pilgrimage or ceremonial request, neither of which applied to Alex. Still, it was hard not to feel something looking at it, even from a distance. 

The Dance Theatre was also here, apparently a major cultural hub, though it mostly seemed to be an old performance hall with well-trained Pokémon and dancers putting on traditional routines. Alex was actually interested in catching a show while he was in the city, more out of curiosity than anything else. 

The rest of the city was more like a suburban sprawl, with small wooden houses scattered between shrines and trees, blending naturally into the landscape. Incense burned on doorsteps, charms hung from frames, and Pokémon roamed freely through shaded, overgrown paths. The whole place felt less like a planned city and more like a town that had grown slowly around nature and tradition, similar to Lavender City.

If there was one thing the city was known for, it was how seriously they took their traditions. The people here were almost religious about Ho-Oh and the three beasts. They didn't see them as Pokémon, but as something closer to gods. Unsurprisingly, the city didn't tolerate people who looked down on Pokémon. 

Any human supremacists that tried to set up shop here were chased out quickly, apparently by the gym leaders themselves. Hence, Alex didn't have any ammunition to find here. It was just a stop over until he headed west for the next leg of his journey.

The next day, Alex decided to sign up for the Dance Theatre and booked a show for the evening. He might not have cared much for dance, shows, or performances, but he could appreciate Pokémon spicing things up.

He had read about coordinators and how they dressed up their Pokémon, training them to perform moves specifically for visual appeal. While he didn't like that aspect of Pokémon training, he could respect the effort. Training moves in any form was difficult, so maybe he could learn a thing or two by watching a performance.

Alex took a quiet walk around the city, following narrow paths that wound between shrines, trees, and small wooden houses. There wasn't much of a destination, just one corner after another revealing something older. A worn statue tucked behind a garden, a prayer bell hanging off a leaning post, or a row of stone lanterns half-covered in moss. The tour felt like taking a walk through the past reminiscent of his time in Azalea Town.

He wore casual clothes, just a shirt and slacks, something comfortable for walking. He had Espeon and Zoroark by his side as escorts. Still, he felt like an outsider. Everyone else moved like they knew where not to step or how loud not to speak, and Alex found himself mirroring them without thinking. It wasn't strict, just quiet.

His walk continued until he reached the Burned Tower, sitting near the western edge of the city, fenced off and half-sunken into itself. Most of the roof was gone, and the blackened supports that remained looked ready to collapse if anyone so much as breathed wrong. 

Alex stood there for a bit, just watching the wind stir dust across the ashes, when a feminine voice called out from behind.

"Excuse me."

He turned to find a young woman wearing a green kimono, her black hair tied into a neat bun. Beside her stood a Leafeon, who looked completely smitten with his Espeon.

"You have a very intriguing aura around you," the young woman said, scrutinizing Alex.

"Um… thanks?"

"It has a very ancient feeling to it," she continued, closing her eyes and clasping her hands together. "Like a forest that has stood since the beginning of time. I can feel the heat of harsh sunlight and the scent of intoxicating air. I sense the savagery and brutality of nature and of Pokémon. The fear and helplessness of prey."

She opened her eyes and stared directly into his.

"You've encountered a Legendary Pokémon. Grass type, ancient, and powerful. Have you been to Ilex Forest recently?"

At this point, Alex could tell she wasn't full of shit. Whatever this woman was selling, Alex would at least hear her pitch. She knew exactly what she was talking about considering Alex's recent adventure with Celebi.

"Yes. Is there something I can help you with?"

She gave a small shake of her head, snapping out of her dreamlike state, then took a proper look at Alex's face. A faint blush crept up her cheeks as she quickly looked away, fanning her face with one hand in an attempt to play it off.

"No, I'm just a bit jealous. You must have had quite the adventure. I'm Midori."

She tilted her head as she introduced herself, her eyes lingering on him a little too long. One hand slid behind her back while the other brushed a strand of hair from her face, drawing subtle attention to her neck. Her smile was faint but intentional, and the gentle sway of her kimono as she shifted her weight felt just a bit too graceful.

Just like that, Alex figured he was sold on whatever this woman was selling.

"Alex Wattson," he replied with a gentle smile. "I wouldn't want to do it again though. Too much excitement for one day."

"Was it Celebi?"

"Yes."

"What happened?"

Alex recounted his encounter in the Ilex Forest with only vague details. Midori didn't press him for more, content with his in-depth description of the Pokémon and its quirks. Instead, she led him through narrow side paths and quiet streets, pointing out shrines tucked between homes and sharing bits of local lore as their conversation continued.

Eventually, they arrived at the Dance Theatre, where she surprised him by handing over a front row ticket for that night's performance. It turned out she was one of the famed Kimono Girls, one of the lead performers, in fact.

Alex accepted the ticket without hesitation. He had already planned to watch the show, so getting the best seat in the house was a welcome bonus.

As she slipped through the stage doors with a teasing glance over her shoulder, Alex found himself wondering just how much more Ecruteak had left to show.

Chapter 179: Chapter 179. Ecruteak City 2

Alex passed the time before the show by grabbing a meal from the local food stalls, Espeon and Zoroark quietly flanking him as he ate.

Despite the city's traditional, almost old-fashioned atmosphere, the food was anything but outdated. Every dish was steeped in generations of practice, using time-honored recipes and techniques passed down through families. The flavors were deep and carried the weight of local history in every bite.

After a few hours of wandering tours and sampling food stalls, Alex finally made his way to the Dance Theatre for the evening show.

The stage was modest, framed by wooden beams and softly lit by paper lanterns that cast a warm amber glow across the large room. Rows of floor cushions were packed with visitors from all across Johto, seated shoulder to shoulder. Alex sat at the very front, a prime spot handed to him by Midori herself.

The lights dimmed, and the music began. A traditional koto strummed softly before being joined by the deeper rumble of taiko drums. The stage shimmered as a pair of sliding doors parted, and the first performer stepped out.

A Flareon burst through the door first, full of energy, with a dancer in a red and yellow kimono close behind. The air rippled with heat as flames spun through the performance space. They moved with the rhythm of a flickering flame, graceful motion and abrupt flashes.

Then came a girl in lavender, her Espeon floating beside her like a whisper. Psychic energy lifted petals into a slow, graceful orbit around them. Her steps were light, each one timed with the drifting swirl of color.

A dancer in black and gold followed, her Umbreon gliding at her side like a shadow. The lights dimmed until only a faint spotlight remained. They danced with slow, deliberate steps that played with the light. Umbreon's glowing rings blinked in and out of view, casting shifting silhouettes across the floor. The performance was all flickers and absence, more shadowplay than movement.

The pale blue of the next kimono shimmered with each step as a Vaporeon glided into view. Water coiled around them like ribbon, twisting into waves and bubbles in rhythm with her calm, swaying movements.

Then the static came. A Jolteon darted ahead of its partner, who arrived in bright yellow and lit up the room just by their presence. Sparks followed every beat until Jolteon jumped, letting loose a flash that burned itself into everyone's vision.

White and soft blue stepped in next. A Glaceon padded lightly across the frost it left behind. The girl beside it moved with precision, quiet and cold. Ice crystals drifted lazily in the air, and the whole show felt like a breath held too long.

A pink kimono entered with petals fluttering from her sleeves. Her Sylveon moved like silk, wrapping its ribbons gently around her, lifting and guiding her across the stage. It was practiced, intimate, and full of charm.

Then came Midori in vibrant green. Her Leafeon leapt ahead to the beat of wooden drums and flutes. Leaves shot through the air, sharp and controlled, always curling just before they could hit. Her movements were grounded but wild, confident in the way of someone who could let loose but didn't.

Last was a girl in all brown. No tricks, no spectacle. Just her and an Eevee, moving in sync. The two of them circled each other with soft, mirrored steps. It was plain, quiet, and strangely honest. No one expected it to stand out, but it did.

For the finale, all nine returned to the stage and formed a wide circle beneath the lantern light. The music took on a steady rhythm that felt more like a ritual than a performance. Their movements were slow, deliberate, and quiet. The elements were presented in flashes, such as a flicker of fire, a swirl of petals, or a pulse of shadow, but held back as if they were showing respect. It wasn't meant to impress. It was meant to mean something.

When the lights returned to full, the Kimono Girls stepped forward once more, each standing beside her partner for a final bow. The crowd broke into cheers and applause. What they had seen wasn't just a dance. It was somewhere between art and reverence, shaped by tradition, and quietly spoke of the bond between human and Pokémon.

Alex sat through it all, surprisingly captivated. It wasn't something he'd normally enjoy, but he couldn't help but respect the precision, the training, and the sheer showmanship. 

As the crowd began to disperse, he stayed in his seat just a moment longer. He had a feeling Midori wasn't done with him tonight.

A few minutes later, Midori and the rest of the Kimono Girls came back out, with Midori leading the way.

"This is Alex. He met with Celebi a few days ago," she introduced.

"Hello, ladies. You performed wonderfully tonight," Alex complimented with a smile.

"I can feel more than just Celebi's aura on him," the eldest Kimono Girl said, stepping forward. Her kimono was all black, embroidered with golden rings, with Umbreon standing stoically by her side. "It's faint… but there's something older. Wilder."

The others murmured in agreement. One tilted her head, another folded her hands, and the last narrowed her eyes slightly, as if trying to see past the veil of the ordinary.

Midori looked at Alex thoughtfully. "I felt that too, the first time we met. It's like you brushed against something that didn't belong to this world."

"What is Celebi known for?" Alex decided to ask.

"Celebi is closely tied to forests and natural life. It is said to appear during peaceful times and lush forest growth, often marking the area as sacred or blessed. Conversely, its absence can mean imbalance," one of the girls answered. "It's been known since ancient times to reside within the Ilex Forest, which is why a shrine was placed there to thank them."

"Celebi is also revered as the guardian of time, ensuring we are kept safe across all of time," the eldest added, before suddenly realizing what Alex had been through. "You've crossed time with Celebi."

"Something similar," Alex admitted. "It sent me back in time to save it. Back to a time when Pokémon were even more dangerous than before. Back to a time when humans couldn't bond with Pokémon yet. It wasn't anything dangerous. I just had to rescue Celebi from some humans. It sent me back once I was done. I even made a friend along the way, which is probably the aura of wildness you're picking up."

The Kimono Girls listened in silence, their expressions shifting subtly with curiosity, concern, and a touch of reverence. Even the Umbreon beside the eldest tilted its head, yellow rings pulsing faintly in the dim light. Then they all exploded into excitement as they asked question after question, and Alex answered diligently.

He didn't mind exposing his adventure to these girls when they were clearly in tune with legendaries. Besides, his adventure was nothing new. There were likely others who had gone through similar experiences that hadn't been shared with the public. These girls likely knew about them as well.

It took a while to quell their curiosity before they were satisfied. By the time Alex finished his story, it was already getting late, and so the others left, leaving only three behind.

"You have been blessed by the legendaries," the eldest whose name was Zuki said as she rose from the cushion and made her way out. "May they continue to guide your path."

"So…" Naoko began, her voice soft and deliberate. "I couldn't help but notice you carry quite a strong Psychic aura. Celebi was a Psychic type as well, wasn't it?" Her fingers traced slow, idle circles along her Espeon's sleek fur as she looked up at Alex with a glint of intrigue.

"You're really going to do this?" Midori said in a scolding tone. "You know our rules."

"What? Maybe he wouldn't mind a little extra company on such a cold night."

Midori simply continued to stare at Naoko, her gaze sharp and accusing, until Naoko finally relented.

"Fine," Naoko said, rising to her feet. "Have fun, you two." 

As Naoko got up and left, her Espeon following along by her side, Alex was left alone with Midori and her Leafeon in the cushion-filled section of the theatre where the audience had sat.

Alex turned to Midori with a look that silently asked for clarification. She blushed under the weight of his stare, fingers fidgeting in her lap.

"We have a tradition," she began, her voice barely above a whisper, "of bedding men who've met legendaries. It's said to bring luck." Her gaze dropped. "Only if they accept, of course."

"I wouldn't mind," Alex said, his tone even. "But you should know I don't do romantic relationships."

Midori looked up at him, eyes steady now. "I don't mind."

A beat of silence passed between them.

"Then I don't mind either," Alex said simply, before his eyes drifted to Leafeon, who was sitting beside Midori with an oddly expectant look.

He reached for Espeon's Poké Ball and released her in a quiet flash of light. She materialized beside him, blinking once before turning her sharp eyes on him with a puzzled tilt of her head.

"Would you mind keeping our friend here company?" Alex asked.

Espeon glanced at Midori, then at Alex, then finally at Leafeon, who was staring at her with a vacant, dopey expression that bordered on worship. She gave a long, slow blink, rolled her eyes, and let out a faint sigh before padding off toward the back of the stage. Leafeon stood quickly and trotted after her.

The room grew quiet again.

Now there were only the two of them, and a tension hanging in the air that had nothing to do with mystery or myth.

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R-18 chapter of Alex's wild night is available.