Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Early the next morning, Alex and the group flew off on Mantine from the airship just west of Ula’ula Island and made their way toward Ula’ula Meadow. It was a beautiful field filled with red flowers and wooden walkways, which allowed the area to be traversed without disturbing the flowers' peace.

These flowers were the source of the Red Nectar loved by Oricorio, whose red form was prominent in the area, along with Ledian, Ariados, and Roselia. There was also a constant fog hiding the meadow’s beauty, a mysterious atmosphere that seemed to allow Sligoo to evolve into its final form, a feature of the location that plenty of trainers were taking advantage of.

From this location, Alex could easily head north toward Po Town past Route 17 to mess with Team Bones’s operations, but he knew better than to simply run in blindly with false conviction. It was better to see for himself how Team Bones operated based on the state of the island, helping to avoid any misunderstandings if Team Bones’s current leadership was someone decent who restrained criminal activity.

So, after a rather wet morning, the group flew south on Mantine along Route 16, past a beach, and over Route 15 across a scattered chain of islands until they reached the infamous Tapu Village, where they stayed the night in the portable house.

Apart from being the location of the entrance to Mount Lanakila and the Pokémon League, the village contained the Aether House, an orphanage run by Acerola of the Elite Four. It also housed the abandoned Thrifty Megamart, where she conducted her trial for trial-goers. Finally, it was a village that had been personally destroyed by Tapu Bulu to prevent human over-expansion.

Since then, no one had dared to stay in the area apart from temporarily camping while taking note of the ruins left behind by early development. It was a deadly reminder that humans had to restrain themselves as much as the Pokémon did for the sake of peace and harmony.

The next morning, Alex and the group flew north toward Mount Lanakila, climbing higher and higher up the mountain while wearing thick, warm coats. Frost soon began to build up, and before long, snow started appearing, forcing Gardevoir to keep them warm with Mystical Fire. Once they crested the peak, they were greeted by the sight of a winter wonderland, where a city sat just outside the Pokémon League stadium.

Here, powerful Champion ranked auras could be felt everywhere, emanating from luxurious buildings with expensive amenities available to those who could afford them. Trainers, being part of a deadly yet highly profitable profession, ensured that any business supporting their needs was always well paid.

“How long are we staying here?” Malia asked excitedly. “Please tell me it’ll be at least a week.”

“About a week,” Alex replied. “They have plenty of amenities here for us to enjoy, despite the absurd prices.”

Of course, Alex had a different reason for coming here. Apart from Malie City, it was the only other location on the island where Team Umbraline maintained a foothold. As a non-hostile organization, they were able to operate in areas where the League had a strong presence. It was a prime place for finding high-paying clients, including Alex, who wanted to gain a better understanding of Team Bones's operations.

As for what the group could do here, there was plenty. Every single one of them, including Marlo and Leilani, were trainers after all, so they stood to gain from at least window shopping the latest technology available to trainers. This included guns, armor, training devices, Poké Balls, camping gear, Pokéblocks, food pellets, Pokémon, personalized training regimens, amenities to ease the fatigue of travel, Pokémon grooming services, Pokémon contests, battle arenas, and much more. Ula’ula wasn’t called the trainer’s island for nothing.

They landed outside the city and made their way toward the most expensive yet luxurious accommodations available before scattering to do their own things. Alvera and the twins went off to look for camping supplies, the mothers and children looked for less violent amenities, and the rest of the girls either simply had a spa day or researched the latest technology. Alex, meanwhile, went to an unassuming noodle shop that wasn’t doing very well and purchased local information on Team Bones.

From it, he understood that the current leader was someone who wanted to begin steering the organization toward criminal activity but was careful to avoid inciting the League’s or the peaceful members’ ire. They were starting small, setting up the infrastructure for a distribution network that had apparently recently been taken down by a rather angry father whose daughter had been drugged. It highlighted how difficult criminals had it on this island, with plenty of very powerful trainers walking around. Still, that didn’t stop them, as many trainers wanted more than what was legally available. The demand was definitely there; they just had to be more careful about it.

“Tsk, tsk. Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me,” Alex said as he made his way to the Pokémon market to rendezvous with Vera and the kids.

As could be expected, there was no criminal activity in this city since it was League territory. However, there were still plenty of places to shut down in Malie City, where a port was available to move goods around.

Eventually, he reached the Pokémon Market, a large building with multiple habitats that openly showcased Pokémon and their capabilities. Each enclosure was designed to resemble the Pokémon’s natural environment, providing a fitting stage as they showed off their strengths to potential buyers. Crowds moved from habitat to habitat, stopping to watch coordinated demonstrations of battle techniques, displays of intelligence, and carefully rehearsed tricks.

There were trainers looking to sell wild Pokémon, trade, or offer those with highly trained move proficiencies. Breeders showcased the results of their care through Pokémon with exceptionally attractive coats, scales, or shells. There were also wholesalers who dealt in bulk sales organized by typing.

The place was like a cross between a zoo and a circus, where Pokémon did their best to perform, attract trainers, and secure a place in the world. There were no cages; Pokémon considered too wild to display were kept in their Poké Balls, with their information available for interested customers to browse through catalogues.

Alex had never been to a place like this before, despite how widespread they were, as he preferred to acquire his Pokémon online once he had made his decision. It was far easier than personally searching through markets and relying on pure chance.

“Hello, sir. Are you looking for any Pokémon in particular?” a young man asked as he approached Alex, wearing a businessman’s smile.

Alex was about to dismiss him outright, but instead took a proper look at him. The man seemed like a devoted fan of official battles, judging by his nerdy excitement. Perhaps he could actually help him fill out his roster.

“I’m looking for Elite ranked Pokémon, captured from the wild and possessing strong personalities along with combat experience. They need to be frontline fighters,capable of taking hits, striking back hard, and moving quickly as a coordinated team of three. What would you recommend?”

“Oh! You’re a hunter? Then the term you’re looking for are bruisers. Pokemon who can jump into an enemy formation, mess with their coordination, all while ensuring their survival for as long as possible.”

Hunters were essentially specialized trainers who focused exclusively on capturing Pokémon in high demand, often fielding small armies of powerful Pokémon strong enough to devastate entire nests on their own. They operated much like bounty hunters, skirting the edges of the law for money and frequently drawing the ire of Rangers, who were responsible for maintaining ecological balance.

“Bruisers come in many types,” the young man continued. “There are speedsters who wreak havoc and then disengage, tanks who absorb punishment, berserkers who deal maximum damage, and technicians who specialize in close-quarters combat. What exactly are you looking for?”

Alex considered his team and noted that he already had a speedster in Raticate, tanks in Kommo-o and Azuking, a berserker in Grim, and a technician in Lucario. He wasn’t missing any particular role by coincidence, which meant he had no obvious opinion on the kind of team he needed to complete his roster.

“Honestly, I have no idea,” Alex replied. “I already have teams that fill those roles, so I don’t know what I’m looking for. I simply want a sixth team to complete my roster so I can hunt trainers above my rank.”

“A-above your rank, sir?” the young man said in surprise. “Oh, I see. You’re a different kind of hunter. So you’re looking to lock down a Pokémon one rank above your coordinated team of three. You’ll want Pokémon that can corner an opponent and overwhelm them with numbers and cooperation.”

“Sounds about right.”

“Then I would recommend a hybrid team,” the young man said confidently. “A team that can blitz into position, lock down opponents through coordination, sustain itself through alternating healing, and steadily debilitate and whittle their prey down over time. Of course, they’ll do so without instruction, which is why you prefer wild Pokémon rather than ones who were raised and trained.”

“You know your stuff,” Alex said. “Think you’ve got what I need?”

“I know just the man you’re looking for,” the young man replied. “He’s a well-known hunter who has plenty of powerful Elites for sale. When he can’t sell them, he spends his time improving their move proficiencies without altering their fighting styles. I think you’ll find what you’re looking for through him.”

“Very well,” Alex said. “Bring me to him.”

“Follow me.”

Alex followed the young man deeper into the market, past the contest Pokemon who looked pretty, the young Pokemon who looked cute, and the Expert ranked Pokemon that were the most popular to purchase. They made their way toward the back, where increasingly powerful auras from Elite and Champion ranks radiated more intensely.

Eventually, they reached a quiet enclosure where a man sat waiting, dressed in weathered brown leather typical of safari wardens or seasoned adventurers, the kind of attire that looked equally suited for long expeditions and harsher, untamed regions.

Behind him was a gathering of fierce-looking Pokémon, standing guard and watching the sparse onlookers with appraising eyes that tracked every movement and intent. When they looked upon Alex, interest sparked immediately as they could easily tell he was a threat that shouldn’t be messed with, exactly the kind of trainer they were promised.

“What do we have here? You interested in real fighters, mate?” the man said as he rose to his feet, sizing Alex up the moment he approached.