Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

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.

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