Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Name: Pineco, Novice

Type: Bug, Male

Ability: Sturdy

Moves:

Novice: Tackle, Protect, Self-Destruct, Bug Bite, Take Down, Rapid Spin

Description: Pineco the Bagworm Pokémon. Pineco hangs from tree branches, camouflaging itself as a pinecone. It remains still, but if disturbed, it will self-destruct to drive away threats.

Alex was shocked—he had hit the jackpot. His Pineco was already close to the next rank. With continuous battles, he would evolve in a few months at most. Soon, he would be ready for official matches.

This was great news. Leaving Pineco to train in the backyard, Alex went to meet his next addition.

"Swablu~," Swablu sang.

"It’s nice to meet you too, Swablu. I’m Alex, and I’ll be your trainer. Are fighting battles okay with you?" Alex asked.

"Swa~" She nodded politely.

"Great. How about showing me your moves?"

Eager and excited for training—the thing everyone had been talking about—she proudly displayed her abilities.

Name: Swablu, Novice

Type: Normal Flying, Female

Ability: Cloud Nine

Moves:

Novice: Defog(Egg Move), Roost(Egg Move), Peck, Growl, Disarming Voice

Description: Swablu the Cotton Bird Pokémon. Swablu’s fluffy wings resemble clouds, and it loves to perch on heads or shoulders like a hat. It is incredibly clean and will tirelessly preen itself and anything dirty around it.

’Cloud Nine? What’s that?’ Alex thought as he checked it in his new phone ’Holy Shit! She can do that? That’s terrifying. How the hell is she so cheap?’

Cloud Nine was an ability that negates the effects of weather for all Pokemon in the battle. It would guarantee that his team would never be bothered by any external conditions. It effectively shut down weather teams. They would have to ask permission from her before being allowed and she would say no. It was a devastating negation tactic.

’She would catch too much attention. Even more than Arcanine who should be the obvious threat. That just means she has to keep enemies at bay. No. I have to add more threats to the offensive team that would force them to ignore her. I can’t leave this alone.’ Alex thought.

"That was wonderful Swablu. You will focus on protecting the team from stat reduction, status conditions, weather effects, while making them stronger and faster. You won’t have to fight much but you have to learn to survive. Okay?"

"Swa~" She nodded with determination.

Swablu was excited. She was always treated delicately back at the breeder’s mansion. She was always told to be elegant for her future trainer so she doesn’t get returned for improper manners but it doesn’t seem like a problem at all.

Alex introduced her to Raticate and Growlithe then moved on to the next Pokemon. Snom was still an egg so he drowned it in Ice Stone powder and Silver Powder before moving onto Alcremie.

"Alcremie!" Alcremie said as she handed Alex her cream.

Alex tasted it and it was pretty good in his opinion. Then again, he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth.

Seeing his reaction, she nodded. He had passed her test.

"Hello, Alcremie. My name is Alex and I will be your trainer. Are you fine with that? You will have to join battles and fight other Pokemon while protecting your team," Alex asked.

"Alcremie!" She said as she punched the air with her cream covered fists.

"That’s great, do you mind showing me your moves?"

Alcremie was evolved for a bakery that wanted to try selling Macha flavored treats. It was a niche flavor which not everyone loved. She was unpopular unlike the other Alcremie and she would occasionally be teased about it. Her food sold the least so the bakery decided to cut it out of the menu after the trial period and sell her to a trainer instead.

If Alex didn’t like her cream she would fight back with everything she had. Her trainer was at least required to like her flavor.

She demonstrated her moves which weren’t alot but they were enough.

Name: Alcremie, Novice

Type: Fairy, Female

Ability: Aroma Veil

Moves:

Novice: Tackle, Aromatic Mist, Decorate

Description: Alcremie the Cream Pokémon. Alcremie’s rich, velvety cream is said to bring happiness to those who taste it. When feeling joyful, it spins rapidly, whipping its cream into a dazzling display.

Alex noticed that she was missing Sweet Kiss and Sweet Scent. She had likely evolved immediately after hatching. He would have to visit someone to help her remember these moves, but it wasn’t much of a problem.

’There should be one here in the city. I’ll check it out tomorrow,’ Alex thought.

"You’ll be responsible for attacking incoming enemies and supporting your teammates. You shouldn’t have to take a hit, but it may still happen. Is that okay?" Alex asked to confirm.

"Alcre!" she nodded before handing him another dollop of matcha-flavored cream.

He smiled, took it, and ate it, then smiled even more. He wasn’t an idiot—he would have to keep doing this for the rest of his life if he didn’t want to upset her.

No, he wasn’t going to go through this alone. He was going to share the love.

So, he called her teammates over and firmly instructed them never to hurt her feelings. She happily handed each of them a dollop of cream, watching their convincingly enthusiastic smiles. Satisfied, she eagerly agreed to team up.

They were in for a rough ride as a team. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem moving forward.

The next member of the team was Honedge but it was still an egg so he stuffed it with Dusk Stone powder and Metal Coat shavings. That should be it for his new Pokemon.

Now it was time to learn some moves, so Alex corralled Pineco, Altaria, and Alcremie to the TM station, where he had them learn every move they could possibly acquire at their current evolution.

During the process, Raticate stood to the side, nodding sagely. Growlithe said a silent prayer, Clauncher watched on in dread, and Rotom didn’t care.

Growlithe could feel his evolution point nearing. The desire for greater strength was growing. Once it reached a tipping point, he would ask for the Fire Stone and have to go through this process again.

Clauncher estimated that it wouldn’t take more than three months to reach her evolution. She could feel it—and she dreaded it.

Rotom, similar to Raticate, was done as well. It never needed to learn new moves, only practice the ones it already had. No need to overexert itself. It was just a backup. However, it did notice that it could process data better, so it might put a bit more effort into practicing moves. Just a bit.

The three in question, however, were thrown for a loop. They had to experience and memorize over twenty moves each. It was a lot. It was too much.

As they stumbled over each other, they realized that being trained was hard. On just the first day, they had learned this much. Now they were being told to practice all of them one by one. It was terrifying.

The peanut gallery, however, watched and nodded in understanding. The young ones must learn the way of Alex—the way of moves, the way of energy, and the way of juggling everything in their minds, bodies, and souls. Such is the way.

After the infusion of knowledge, Alex guided them to get all their moves to Basic. This would ensure flexibility when needed. He would only focus on a specific move set once all moves reached Basic—except for Raticate. Raticate needed all his moves to reach Advanced because his flexibility was the key to his success.

As for future training, Pineco would focus on Stealth Rock, Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Rapid Spin, rotating through these four moves until he passed out—like his life depended on it, because it would. Once all four reached Advanced, he would shift focus to Rollout, Gravity, Earthquake, and other moves.

Swablu would prioritize Defog, Roost, Mist, Safeguard, Tailwind, and Dragon Cheer in that order, emphasizing utility, sustain, and then buffs.

Alcremie would concentrate on Decorate, Dazzling Gleam, Misty Terrain, and Calm Mind.

Once Honedge came out, learned its moves, and got everything to Basic, it would train in Shadow Sneak, Night Slash, Psycho Cut, and Swords Dance.

Finally, Snom would focus on Icy Wind, and upon evolving into Frosmoth, it would begin training in Aurora Veil, Wide Guard, Mist, and Tailwind.

That would sum up Alex’s schedule for the next two years until he graduated and began his journey. For now, he had to return to the grind—school during the day, Fighting Dojo at night. It was tiring, but that was life.

He thought about what else he might be overlooking and immediately zeroed in on a problem. He had spent a million Pokédollars to ensure that each of his four Pokémon—and himself—had premium-quality nutrition for the next 20 days. Now, he would have to do the same for the other five, spending another million for just 20 days. This wasn’t sustainable, so Alex planned to stop after that.

Speaking of money, he checked his account—and was shocked. He only had 22 million left. Thirteen million had vanished in a single day, and by tomorrow, he would need to spend another million.

Up until now, he had spent everything he earned before the day was over, barely breaking even. If this continued, they wouldn’t last long. He had to find a solution—and fast.

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