Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

A few months later, the rehabilitation program had yielded positive results. All the participants showed genuine remorse for their actions when exposed to the tragedies bounty hunters regularly encountered. More importantly, even as the psychic implants’ influence weakened, their remorse remained elevated, suggesting their capacity for empathy had grown. They now understood their victims as people rather than abstractions, which would hopefully discourage future criminal behavior.

Their final test produced equally encouraging results. To determine whether their progress was genuine, they were released and sent back to Alola aboard a cruise ship. Unbeknownst to them, the voyage was carefully monitored and filled with opportunities that appealed to their former vices. Vulnerable intoxicated women, unattended wallets, and unsecured cabins were all deliberately presented to see whether they would take advantage of them.

Instead, every participant chose to act responsibly. Intoxicated passengers were escorted to safety, lost property was returned untouched, and unsecured cabins were checked for the occupants’ well-being before being closed. Rather than exploiting vulnerable people, they went out of their way to help them.

Of course, there was no guarantee the change would last. It could have been an act or simply newly formed habits. However, once they returned to Alola and adapted to their families’ new dynamic, crime would offer little benefit while risking everything they had regained. Hopefully, those habits would remain with them for years to come.

“That’s all 145 participants with successful results,” Nyx reported. “Should we compile the study and submit it?”

“No.” Alex said, shaking his head. “It could be an act, or the effects could simply be temporary. The real test comes after a decade or more of comfortable living. Right now, there’s no way of knowing whether they will maintain these changes or eventually revert.”

“Aren’t you being a little harsh?” Kaia asked.

“I don’t like that the success rate is 100%. It feels too conclusive.”

“You sound a bit paranoid.”

“Maybe, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Besides, you can’t deny that our methods were highly targeted. We carefully selected the participants, and I had to remove some of their key memories. They spent most of the program fearing for their lives. There are too many variables to assume this would work as a rehabilitation model if someone else tried to replicate it.”

He leaned back in his chair in the command center of the main hub, the table in front of him surrounded by the girls, with a projection displayed above it.

“So we’ll wait and continue monitoring their progress. At the very least, we’ll gather accurate long-term data and see whether any of them relapse.”

“Alright,” Nyx said with a sigh. “I’ll keep monitoring them for the next decade, but don’t expect anything too sophisticated. I’ll just compile the data as it comes in and review it properly 10 years down the line.”

“That’s fine,” Alex said, before turning to Celise. “How’s the expansion of the base going?”

“The survey has been completed, and we have been cleared to expand north into the swamps. That brings us right into the middle of the forest bordering the northern mountain range. That’s roughly 10 square kilometers of additional space. How do you want to allocate it?”

Because of the annual Pokémon floods from the Champion and Master ranked danger zone up north, the area near the wall had become dead swampland, regularly churned and stained by the blood of trampled Pokémon. Expanding north into this land would push the battle toward the mountain range, particularly the gorge where Alex had previously failed to clear the nest of the Zubat, Woobat, and Noibat lines.

The survey team intended to contain the fighting within the gorge to protect the surrounding forests from devastation. This would likely result in more intense battles than before, but with Alex at Champion rank and properly reinforced defenses, he should be able to contain the flood rather than merely cut it as they currently did. As a secondary benefit, the more intense battle would yield additional resources to feed the defenders and help sustain the base’s upkeep.

“Two for the lake, just excavate the current training grounds until it connects with the forest. Two for a new Master ranked training ground set against the center of the new northern wall. The remaining 6 can be converted into forested zones for the defense team to expand into. That should be more than enough space for them.”

The Phione were doing well in the man-made lake, which was only 500 square meters in size, but as expected, it was becoming crowded. Alex’s Titan Mantine was the most vocal about the lack of space, despite regularly feeding on the surplus Wishiwashi, Magikarp, and Feebas in the water.

As for the defenders, which included Alex’s home team, Lucario’s nest, and the growing population of Eeveelutions, the forest was indeed lacking in space for them. Quite a few had reached Elite rank and needed more territory, with some even nearing Champion rank. The additional space would arrive just in time to support their continued expansion.

“That seems a bit excessive just for training grounds,” Kaia pointed out. “I was hoping for at least 2 more square kilometers of fields.”

“Oh, right. I forgot about that. You can take 2 and leave 4 for the forests. You can also try changing the trees into fruit-bearing varieties. That should reduce overall consumption costs. As for the training grounds, it might not be enough if all my Pokémon reach Champion rank, with a few of them eventually reaching Master rank.”

“Thanks!” Kaia said with a smile, as she achieved her goal for the expanded land.

“What other updates are there?” Alex asked.

“Alvera is having a bit too much fun in Johto,” Nyx said with a smirk. “She’s incredibly popular with the local trainers when she passes by. She might have picked up some bad habits from Malia and Nohea.”

“She’s always had that in her,” Alex said with a hint of pride. “After her first year of journeying as a photographer, I thought she took after Vera, but now that she’s starting another journey, there’s no doubt she’s my daughter.”

“What do you think it’ll take to pin her down?”

“Either she follows in my footsteps and starts a harem of her own, or she’s snatched up by a much stronger trainer who can keep her satisfied. Either way, I trust her to keep herself safe. Even if a Champion picks a fight, she’ll be fine. How are the rest of the kids doing?”

“Lila started training as a bounty hunter. Kai is taking after his mother and is planning on going into botany. Micah is surprisingly planning on becoming a breeder. And Nurse Joy said she would be happy to moonlight as our in-house doctor until Talia gets back on her feet.”

Due to the rather exciting return journey, quite a few of the girls got pregnant, including Vera and Kaia with their second child, Lina, who wanted an assistant in the kitchen, and Talia, who was a bit of a happy accident. She apparently forgot to take her pills due to the entire atmosphere and decided to keep the child once she realized she was pregnant. Of course, Lina and Talia quickly married Alex for the sake of the children, as part of their rather odd tradition.

“Clarissa just sent a farewell message,” Nyx continued. “Apparently, she’s going into seclusion to break into the Master rank. She says it might take anywhere from a decade to three, depending on her Charizard.”

“Why do they have to make it so serious?” Rhea commented from the side. “They could easily reach that if they threw in a few more decades.”

“Which is why we’re all left behind and they get to be the Champions of the regions,” Maris answered. “We’re just normal people in comparison to their wealth and traditions.”

“Speak for yourself,” Nyx said. “I’m almost at Champion rank, and so is Mira, who’s taking her Aura lessons way too seriously.”

“She can’t help it,” Celise commented. “She was shown a whole new world she never knew existed. It’s her passion, so of course she’s going to take it seriously.”

“Was it really that amazing?” Maris asked.

“It looked like it. I’ve never seen her cum that hard before. I’m sure you’ll get a chance to experience it for yourself once Mira reaches Champion rank.”

Their meeting continued with discussions of expanding the Silver Network, providing additional benefits for bounty hunters, and other programs their organization could pursue. It was just as important to consider how to repair lives as it was to save them.

Alex began zoning out as he thought about his path to becoming a Master ranked trainer. He knew he was still far from that level, especially compared to Clarissa, who was actively pursuing it. The issue wasn’t effort, but the shift from repetitive training to personal expression and mastery. At that stage, progression depended more on mindset and individuality than raw technique.

With his current roster, there was no clear candidate for that breakthrough. Any of his Pokémon could potentially reach it, since his training emphasized precision over personal style. But that same uniformity made it difficult for any one of them to stand out and break through.

Instead, his current game plan was relying on probability rather than certainty, hoping that at least one would eventually make the leap. Only time would tell which of his Pokémon that would be. Time that slipped away like water through his fingertips as an entire decade passed without any clear candidate emerging.

Then, he was hit with an unexpected wake-up call.

“Alex, wake up. You have a call from Sabrina,” Nyx said, shaking him awake in the middle of the night.

“Alex speaking,” he mumbled, still half asleep.

“I’ve done it,” came a voice from the other end. “I’ve located Team Dominion’s hideout.”