Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

"Hahaha," Clair laughed, tossing her head back and holding her stomach like she couldn’t take the conversation seriously.

Alex felt the pressure deepen. Her aura flared again, pushing down harder on him and his team. It was like a vice clamping down on his skull, the air thick with invisible weight. Even breathing took effort under the crushing force of her presence.

He gave Gardevoir the signal and reached into his bag for Stormline. The weapon came to life with a low hum as the rest of his Pokémon emerged around him in a defensive formation.

Twenty-five in total. Each one radiating their power. Their combined aura layered over his own, pushing back against the pressure that had been bearing down on them since the moment he walked in.

Together, they created a space where Clair’s influence couldn’t reach. A wall of resistance made from their energy and raw will.

Kommo-o immediately stood, ready for a fight. He might have yielded earlier, but that didn’t mean he would simply go down in a fight.

Altaria followed, though she stayed near the center of the formation. She didn’t want to be influenced like that again.

Hydreigon, meanwhile, stepped forward in a raging fury. To have her trainer manipulated, and herself humiliated, was something she refused to tolerate.

At Gardevoir’s command, they began using their status moves to enhance themselves. Alex hadn’t told them to attack yet, but there was nothing stopping them from preparing for an obvious battle.

Finally, as Clair’s energy reached its peak, she managed to regain her composure.

"Sorry about that. You remind me so much of Lance that I couldn’t help but lose control," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I heard from Lance about you and how you were harassing Clarissa, so I thought I should see you for myself."

"Now I know why he hated you so much. You’re practically his mirror image when he gets truly angry. As a child, he was normally a bundle of rage, hormones, and righteousness, until he got really angry and composed, just like you did. It reminded me so much of him that I couldn’t help but laugh."

Clair slowly regained her composure as she explained, while reining in her energy as it slowly retreated into her body, lessening the effects it had on the surroundings and on Alex and his team.

"Is that all?" Alex asked in the same firm tone.

He understood where Clair was coming from, but he was insulted nonetheless, and he would no longer give her any chances to do it again.

"No, I did have an actual request for you that had nothing to do with this. You can remove your Pokémon now. I promise not to influence you anymore," Clair said as she waved away her Dragonites, who were ready to start a fight.

They turned back at her signal and sat on the floor behind the throne, looking bored now that they didn’t have to be intimidating.

Alex, however, didn’t trust her. He would never be alone with this woman again if he could help it. So he compromised and returned all his Pokémon except for Gardevoir, Alcremie, and Togekiss, due to their Fairy typing having a direct advantage over Dragon type energy. He also returned Stormline to the bag but made sure to keep his hands rested on his guns. Lastly, he reined in his own energy but kept it hidden beneath the surface of his skin, ready to respond at a moment’s notice.

"That’s fine. I’m sorry for going hard on you like that, but I need to protect little Clarissa, so certain steps need to be taken to ensure she is safe," Clair explained as she sat back on her throne.

Alex merely kept his silence, his gaze sharp and cold.

Frankly, he didn’t give a fuck what these people thought was best for Clarissa. The second any Blackthorn went over the line like Clair had done, he wouldn’t hesitate to join the Underworld if that’s what it took.

"Now, I read you’ve taken down plenty of bounties around Route 31. You don’t pull that off unless you have a route through the Dark Cave. So, I want your help in finding their base."

"I’ve worked for years to try and find it, but they’ve always made sure to collapse the tunnel before I could get to it. I could simply flatten the entire Dark Cave, but that would cause a flood that would drown the surrounding routes, villages, towns, and cause mass casualties in the nearby cities."

"This," she said, holding up a glowing ball filled with psychic energy, "is a beacon attuned to my Xatu. All you need to do is press this button inside their base, and I’ll teleport over and do the rest."

She tossed it to Alex, who didn’t bother catching it as Gardevoir intercepted it midair and placed it on the ground between them, all while Alex continued to stare.

A tense silence followed before Clair sighed.

"I’ll pay you 5 million credits," she finally said.

Alex simply turned around and left, while Gardevoir and Togekiss followed, ensuring they kept their eyes on Clair. Alcremie, riding on Alex’s shoulder, also stared back, ready to engage if necessary.

"Alright, 10 million credits!" she called out, but Alex simply kept walking.

"15 million credits!" she called out again, finally stopping Alex in his tracks.

"30 million credits," Alex said without turning back.

"That’s too much and you know it! Don’t treat me like a fool," Clair shouted in rage as her aura flared, causing the pressure to bear down on them.

Fortunately, the three fairies easily fended off the aura with their own.

Alex finally turned back, stared Clair dead in the eyes, and slowly walked back as he spoke.

"Rather than being cordial, you chose disrespect. Rather than keeping your word, you justified yourself with selfishness. Rather than share what you would get from this operation, you simply chose to treat me like a fool. Again."

Alex stopped when he was back to his original position in front of Clair as he continued.

"Don’t think I don’t know how much you’ll be getting from this mission if you succeed. It should be upwards of 100 million credits at least. Now, either you pay me 35 million for my services or I walk."

"You said 30," she corrected

"I meant to say 40. Would you like to go up to 45? I’m pretty sure I’m your only chance at this, but what would a stupid, bratty kid know, right?"

He let that hang in the air, his gaze unwavering.

After a tense silence, Clair nodded. "Fine, 40 million. Call me an hour before you use it."

"Upfront."

"You little shit! How dare you—" Clair shouted in rage as she stood up, slamming her fists on her throne, before she was interrupted by Alex.

"I have no trust in you and would very much like to never see you again. So, pay upfront or I walk."

Clair stood staring down at Alex from her podium before huffing and grabbing her phone. She swiped a few times before Alex received a message with the updated amount.

Now, his total League credits were at 117.1 million. He finally had enough credits to buy the ideal amount of land for his dream home. All he had to do now was determine whether using Pokédollars was a viable replacement for credits when it came to construction and infrastructure.

Alex turned around and left, holding his hand out to prompt Gardevoir to use her psychic energy to retrieve the teleportation beacon and move it to his hand.

He pocketed it, then continued walking until they were outside the gym, where Alex let out a visible sigh of relief. He knew he was playing with fire, but at least he got something significant out of it.

He was honestly sold once the price hit 15 million. He wanted 5 for the job, 5 for her promise of something extra to get him to come here, and another 5 for manipulating him and cowing his dragons.

Then he decided to be petty and ask for double. Before he knew it, the deal was finalized at 40. He didn’t know if Clair was leading him along as an apology or was genuinely angry with the amount, but he was certainly satisfied with the transaction. At the very least, he wasn’t allowed to be angry with her anymore.

Now, he had to worry about delivering what was promised and getting the beacon to the base at Dark Cave. He had a clue as to how to pull that off, but it came with either the risk associated with storming the place or taking months to slowly find the approximate location.

Either way, he had been paid. And that meant he was going back into the Dark Cave, whether he liked it or not.

He just hoped when the time came he’d be able to deliver, because having an angry dragon lady breathing down his back was the last thing he needed. Especially after taking her gold.

If he failed, she wouldn’t just come to collect.

She’d come for his corpse.

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