Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Alex felt his bond with Azuking snap into place the moment the bright light of evolution began to fade, guaranteeing that Azuking was now his Pokémon. Through it, he could discern Azuking’s sincerity so long as Alex delivered the life that he had promised.

All was well as far as Alex was concerned. He had far greater plans for Azuking than a mindless betrayal, so instead he focused on seeing how he would turn out now that his energies had been rearranged and settled.

Once the light faded, Azuking stood before Alex at roughly the same height as before, 6’7" (2 m) tall, and even taller when its blue bunny ears were included. It was now more muscular, complementing its rotund body, and covered in blue fur with white polka dots scattered across its chest. The underside of its stomach was white, matching the frills that protected its neck. Behind it was a thin, crooked black tail with a soft blue ball at the end, only it was far bigger, easily the size of a basketball. Its head was now dome-shaped, with Azumarill’s happy face made more sinister by the fangs pointing up from its lower jaw. In all honesty, it looked like a cross between the Juggernaut and a furry blue clown, which Alex would consider nightmare fuel for some people.

He, however, appreciated the muscular physical form, excitement bubbling at the thought of sparring with it. On second thought, he might not even survive a spar, considering its ability was Huge Power. Unless it underwent extreme training to control its body, he would likely accidentally die from a single punch. This didn’t demoralize Alex, though. If anything, it spurred him on, promising himself that he would someday reach a level of physical might that could rival Azuking and give it a run for its money.

As the Pokémon admired its new form, strength, and vitality, Alex scanned it again with the Pokédex app and received an updated description.

Description: This Pokémon Fusion exhibits the cranial structure of Azumarill combined with the body morphology of Slaking. Physical attributes conform to Slaking’s baseline, while health and special statistics align with Azumarill’s parameters. Immediate consultation with a certified Pokémon professor is recommended to update Pokédex records.

"Looks like you’re all healed up," Alex said with a smile, impressed by how Pokémon could immediately adjust their bodies through the energy that made them up.

Unlike humans like Dale, who needed to undergo Bill’s transformation procedure to fix their bodies, Pokémon were energy beings and only needed their energies adjusted to immediately receive the benefits of the change. It was also how they could be stored in Poké Balls and evolve.

"Azuuu!" Azuking bellowed in excitement and renewed strength, ready to test himself.

"That’s good enthusiasm," Alex said as he released Kommo-o and Clawitzer. "Why don’t you give your body a stretch while you’re at it."

Azuking nodded and squared up against Kommo-o, whose excitement could barely be contained. Like Alex, he was equally eager for a fight like this, knowing his opponent was clearly far more powerful.

Clawitzer, meanwhile, stood off to the side, ready to heal the pair and keep their fight going. It would give them the chance to expend all their stamina without worrying about their health.

"Begin!" Alex shouted, staying close to get an up-front view of the battle.

Immediately, Azuking rushed forward, its right fist pulled back behind it, excitement clear on its face for the coming battle.

Kommo-o, being much shorter, stood on his toes, using his tail to improve his balance, arms raised and ready to defend, his gaze locked on his opponent.

Just as Azuking’s mighty orange energy covered fist, enhanced by Hammer Arm, was about to pummel Kommo-o, he stepped forward while turning, caught the wrist with both hands, leveraged the elbow against his shoulder, and pulled down with his full weight while dropping to his knees, executing a perfect shoulder throw.

Azuking suddenly found itself flying midair, confused at how its own punch had been turned against it. It struggled to force Kommo-o to let go of its wrist, but Kommo-o’s grip was powerful enough to resist.

BOOM!

A massive earthquake rippled out, turning the clearing into a cratered, dust-filled battleground as Azuking’s body and power were redirected into it. Dust clouded the air, hiding the pair as their battle continued.

Kommo-o, still holding onto Azuking’s wrist, immediately went for an armbar, threatening to use his power and leverage to break Azuking’s arm.

To its credit, Azuking’s strength was beyond even Kommo-o’s. It resisted the hold with sheer force, slowly bending Kommo-o’s hold and breaking out of the armbar.

Realizing he was about to lose control, Kommo-o freed an arm and slammed it into his stomach while the other held on to Azuking’s arm. Silver energy erupted from his body as he used Belly Drum to sacrifice his health and immediately max out his Attack stacks. Boundless power rushed through Kommo-o, strengthening his muscles and making him far more powerful than Azuking. He easily held its arm down and prevented its escape, causing it to panic.

Azuking stood, holding Kommo-o midair, and used Hammer Arm again. With Kommo-o still clinging on, he slammed him into the ground, deepening the crater.

BOOM! 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Another explosion sounded as the arm struck the softened ground, but Kommo-o was covered by a Protect barrier, preventing any damage.

Right as Azuking lifted him again, Kommo-o completed the armbar, breaking Azuking’s arm before kicking off its shoulder and retreating, leaving Azuking severely damaged while he had only suffered from Belly Drum.

Knowing it needed to heal after taking massive damage twice, Azuking collapsed onto its side, resting its head on one hand while the other lay limp. A silver light covered its form, repairing its health and arm through Slack Off.

Suddenly, an orange energy-covered fist slammed into Azuking’s face, burying it into the ground. The attack siphoned damage up the arm toward Kommo-o, who had used Drain Punch, recovering the damage lost to Belly Drum.

Both Pokémon backed off and squared up again, now facing each other. They were battered but still in peak fighting condition, grinning broadly, knowing the battle was far from over only this time it was Azuking’s turn to face off against a more powerful opponent.

Rather than blindly rushing into another confrontation, it took a moment to think of better alternatives. It thought of using Yawn to put its opponent to sleep, Charm to reduce Kommo-o’s immense advantage in physical might, or Aqua Ring to allow it to survive.

For the first time, Azuking realized that there was more to fighting than just swinging his arms. There was depth to combat that it had never known before, and he had the best chance to learn more from Alex, his trainer.

Alex, standing off to the side, smiled proudly at Azuking’s progress. Most Pokémon only ever learned to follow orders without ever considering why they had to do as they were told. His Pokémon, particularly his attack team, needed to be far more. They needed to fight on their own most of the time without instruction.

With that in mind, he allowed the battle to continue as the two duked it out, testing each other’s limits, exchanging blows, and finding ways to bring each other down. All the while, they destroyed the clearing with their Champion ranked strength.

The battle raged on until the day slowly turned into night, and the pair were finally tired out and hungry for meat to restore their energy.

After the battle, the cratered ground of the clearing was repaired by the Rhyperiors, who moved earth and stone back into place. Afterward, Tsareena used Grassy Terrain to encourage the grass to grow over it again, returning the clearing to its pristine natural state.

Meanwhile, Alex approached Azuking, who had slumped to the ground, lying spread-eagle on the soft dirt while breathing heavily from expended energy.

"Welcome to the team," Alex said. "I hope you’re ready for more, because you’ve only just begun on the path to greater strength."

"Azu!" Azuking replied, accepting Alex’s challenge with a smile before returning to rest.

Once everything was settled, Alex fed himself and his Pokémon Champion ranked meat before sleeping for the night, satisfied with his gains from Nessa’s request and the base raid.

Early the next morning, he set out heading west toward the Pokémon nursery while riding Arcanine, intent on appreciating the view from the Route 5 bridge as he crossed it.

The bridge was built over the midsection of the Wild Area, with a clear view north toward the Stony Wilderness and south toward the Bridge Field. It was a marvel of engineering as far as Alex was concerned, considering the Max Pokémon rampaging below between the massive pillars that supported it.

Their ride didn’t take long before they finally reached the bridge, which was heavy with traffic from both the trainers walking or riding and the many trucks delivering goods. Alex slowed Arcanine to a careful trot, weaving through the crowd while taking in the sights.

He appreciated the scenic view, the relaxing journey, and the carefree atmosphere, right up until he detected hidden enemies.

On both sides of the bridge and below it, humans hung on alert, ready for an ambush. Alex couldn’t tell who their target was, given the traffic the bridge was supporting, so he played along, wishing it would be him. It had been a while since he had personally participated in any action, and this particular setup seemed just right.

He continued his scenic travel until a man dressed in a black suit with a fedora stepped out of the crowd and stood in front of him.

"Alex Wattson?" the man asked, his eyes hidden beneath the brim of his hat.

"That’s me," Alex said happily, dismounting Arcanine and storing him in his Poké Ball.

"Good. We were worried you wouldn’t show up after paying an arm and a leg for this tip," the man said, finally looking up and staring Alex in the eyes, his own eyes narrow and slitted like a lizard’s.

"Get him!" he shouted as he ate an Oran Berry.

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