Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

It was late evening by the time Alex got off the Route 5 bridge, given its significant length. Apparently, many people set up tents right on the sidewalk when traveling, sometimes with a truck accompanying them. It was, from what he’d heard, a common experience with these marvels of engineering.

Alex, meanwhile, was still somewhat covered in poison after being hit point-blank by the man’s Belch. He had only managed to rinse off using Clawitser’s Water Gun after the battle and dry himself during the ride, but it wasn’t enough to leave him feeling properly clean.

Once he got off the bridge, he headed south to the public campgrounds and released his portable home. He let his Pokémon out inside and fed them before finally taking a proper bath and tossing his suit into the laundry. The materials it was made from were Champion ranked, so it wasn’t like they couldn’t survive heavy chemicals and rough handling.

He scrubbed himself raw in the shower, then soaked in the tub for over an hour, trying to feel clean again. Being doused in poison mist was bad enough, but there was something about being puked on that made it far worse. Somehow, that disgusted him more than the literal, caustic poison that had seeped into his skin.

Once he was done, he ate, slept, woke up, and headed out, making his way to the Pokémon Nursery for the mission Mustard had sent him on. It was supposed to be some kind of bug infestation that kidnapped the Pokémon in the nursery’s territory.

"Hi! Welcome to the Pokémon Nursery. My name is Sophie, how can I help you?" a young woman greeted as Alex entered, noticing quite a few people with angry or sad expressions waiting on the couch. "If you’re here to leave your Pokémon with us, I’m sorry, but we’re having some problems at the moment. If you could leave your contact information, we’ll reach out as soon as the issue has been settled."

"Alex Wattson, bounty hunter. Your boss sent me to help with a bug infestation."

"Bug infestation!" one of the patrons shouted as he stood and stormed up to Alex with a furious expression. "What bug infestation? What’s going on? What happened to my Centiskorch?"

Alex turned to the man and looked down at him with cold eyes and a stone-cold expression, silently profiling him. He was only an Adept ranked trainer who had likely left his Pokémon here and then lost it. His anger was understandable, but that didn’t justify taking it out on Alex, let alone the receptionist, who was too young to handle powerful Pokémon.

The man immediately switched up, his posture softening as worry overtook his expression. He quickly realized he was barking up the wrong tree, but desperation pushed him to do something, anything at all. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Why don’t you take a seat, and I can find out?" Alex answered in a darker tone.

The man did as asked without protest and returned to his seat in a subdued manner. Around him, the other patrons watched with equally worried expressions as they waited for news about their own Pokémon.

"Tell me everything you know," Alex said, turning to the receptionist.

"Let me take you out back," she said, leading the way through the building while explaining. "It started a few days ago when we noticed some Pokémon were missing. I asked Appletun, our guardian, about it, but she hadn’t noticed anything. Then we kept losing more and more Pokémon over the next few days, until today, when the confirmed losses reached over a dozen."

They reached the back of the building and stepped out onto a playground alive with young Pokémon. Yamper dashed across the slides, while Scorbunny and Nickit tumbled through the sandboxes, full of boundless energy. Swings creaked as Grookey and Rookidee took turns soaring back and forth, and tiny Sobble splashed happily in a shallow pond. Rustling sounds came from the trees as Rookidee chicks and Skwovet scurried about, pecking and nibbling at little feeders stocked with snacks. The scene reminded Alex of the nursery in the main hub, built to look after younger, more energetic Pokémon under Vera’s care.

In the distance, older, stronger Pokémon sparred and battled in friendly matches, burning off energy. A small forest grew along one side, where Thwackey swung from low branches, tossing berries at a pair of Boltund darting through the underbrush. Near a sparkling lake, Drizzile and Drednaw splashed about, sending ripples across the water, while a couple of Corviknight glided lazily overhead. In a sunlit clearing dotted with wildflowers, Greedent and Dubwool lounged contentedly, nibbling on snacks or rolling playfully in the grass. The scene was reminiscent of the forest in the base’s backyard, where most of the Pokémon were free to spend their days as they pleased.

Nearby, a dozen trainers watched the Pokémon carefully, making sure none picked fights, got seriously hurt, or ran into any other problems. The Pokémon seemed unusually attached to them, lingering close as they moved around. Almost every Pokémon here had been loaned out and already had trainers, so their handler was the safest connection for them, rather than all these other unfamiliar Pokémon.

Further off, Alex could detect a Champion ranked aura among a grove of apple trees. It was the guardian of the area, an Appletun that made sure no wild Pokémon came close enough to pose a threat.

"We think something has been sneaking in here, under Appletun’s watch, and taking Pokémon."

"Why did the report say it was a Bug infestation?" Alex asked.

"It’s just our theory, but there are a few reasons. First, only Bug types could get past Appletun without being noticed. Second, the most common nests in the wild area north of here are mostly Bug types like Ninjask, Araquanid, and Orbeetle. And third, the only Pokémon lost so far have been Bug types, so it’s also possible they were drawn toward those nests."

"Were there any signs of a struggle?"

"No. Otherwise, Appletun would have noticed. It must have been a very stealthy Pokémon, maybe a Vivillon, capable of using Sleep Powder and carrying them away."

"Do you happen to have any belongings or sheddings from the lost Pokémon?"

"Sheddings?"

"Anything with their scent on it."

"I think Centiskorch might have lost a leg or two during a battle. Let me check if we still have it," she said, heading toward a trainer whom Alex could only assume was Centiskorch’s handler.

Meanwhile, Alex released Arcanine under Appletun’s watchful gaze. The guardian seemed to recognize the threat they could pose. But, because they had been seen interacting with Sophie, they were given the benefit of the doubt, as long as they didn’t start attacking the nearby Pokémon.

A moment later, Sophie returned carrying a few red, palm-sized Centiskorch legs.

"Thanks," Alex said, taking the legs and letting Arcanine sniff them.

A moment later, Arcanine turned north toward the wild area, indicating he had picked up the scent. It seemed this little problem wouldn’t take long to solve. After all, the biggest challenge was finding the culprit. With this lead, they should be able to track down whoever was responsible, or at least narrow the search area enough to get close.

"Looks like I’m good to go," Alex said as he mounted Arcanine. "I’ll take it from here."

"Good luck," Sophie called as Arcanine surged forward.

They passed the lounging Appletun, whose demeanor eased the farther away they went. It was understandable, given Arcanine’s typing and strength. Appletun were Grass types, after all, and weak to Arcanine’s Fire typing.

It didn’t take long for them to find their first nest in a clearing north of the nursery. It was a Grass type nest, populated by Pokémon from the Lombre, Nuzleaf, Applin, and Eldegoss lines. They lounged around a few scattered ponds, taking in the sunlight and minding their own business when they detected a Champion ranked aura blitzing toward them.

Rather than gather up and prepare a retaliation, they stood still, unmoving due to the overwhelming threat. Even with their primarily feral nature, their instincts would still take over, and when faced with a threat so far above them, they often chose to submit rather than fight and die or run and be targeted. So they stayed still and waited to be judged.

Fortunately for them, they weren’t Alex and Arcanine’s target. The pair rushed past without slowing and continued north.

They reached the end of the clearing and found a forest ahead, with cliffs leading to the Wild Area on the right and a deep, rushing river on the left. The scent led deeper into the forest, so they continued without slowing down. It was best to move through quickly rather than agitate the local Pokémon.

As the forest widened and the ground began to rise, they passed several Bug type nests along the way, their Pokémon cowering from Arcanine’s presence. The pair didn’t stop, however, as the scent trail continued deeper through the forest. Eventually, they reached a mountain that blocked the path north toward Route 6.

They continued following the scent until they reached a cave that looked damp, dark, and deep.

"Looks like we found where they were hiding, buddy. Good job," Alex said, patting Arcanine’s side before dismounting and releasing his Pokémon.

He was ready to head inside and shed light on this mystery.

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