Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

"Everyone knows that Protect is a move that negates all incoming damage for the duration of its effect. What you may not know is that the formation of the shield relies on the Pokémon’s instincts rather than active shaping," the instructor began explaining.

"This allows the move to be executed with a simple thought, bypassing the speed of an incoming attack and immediately defending against it. However, Protect is a significant strain on the user, meaning it cannot typically be used repeatedly in quick succession"

"Here at the Police Academy, we will teach your Pokémon how to expand the shield to protect not only themselves but also those beside them. This does not count as an upgrade to the proficiency rank, as the fundamental principles of the move remain the same."

"An example of this technique is when Pokémon instinctively use Protect to shield their trainers. Our goal is to extend this instinct so that they can protect those around them, even if they are unfamiliar."

"Now, have your Pokémon alternate between using low-damage Special Attacks and Protect. Instruct them to ensure their Protect also shields their allies beside them—otherwise, they may find themselves disliked by their neighbors. Stagger the starting moves so that every other Pokémon begins with Protect while the rest launch a Special Attack at the opposing side."

"Begin!"

Chaos erupted as trainers scrambled to command and coordinate their Pokémon. Even Alex had a hard time explaining what they had to do.

One of the trainers managed to get their Pokémon ready first and immediately started bombarding the other side with attacks. Confusion spread through the ranks as Pokémon began using Protect out of sync, creating gaps that left them vulnerable to the opposing side’s attacks.

The chaos continued until one side had all their Pokémon faint while the other side was left in disarray. Needless to say, their first execution of the exercise was horrendous—no coordination, no communication, no adherence to instructions.

The instructor nodded along, expecting this outcome. The first execution was always the worst. They would eventually improve, so he ordered the trainers to have their Pokémon revived and healed at the nearby healing station before repeating the exact same exercise—over and over again for the rest of their first hour.

It was brutal. Special Attacks flew everywhere. Pokémon fainted under combined assaults. Those who got lucky with their timing of Protect felt guilty as their allies were attacked due to gaps in their defense.

By the end of it, the Pokémon were exhausted from repeatedly fainting, and not a single one had managed to expand their shield to protect their neighbors. It was expected, though. This was only the first day.

After the grueling session, the instructor gathered the trainers and led them to a connected room. Inside was a vast, open space filled with houses, buildings, and fields, all spread across a massive floor that easily spanned two levels.

"This is where you will learn surveillance, reconnaissance, security, and infiltration," the instructor announced. "Here, you will be assigned a location to defend while establishing surveillance. Another team will be tasked with reconnaissance and infiltration. Whoever wins gets extra points in class."

He then provided finer details regarding the exercise. The trainers were divided into teams of five, with a total of six groups—three assigned to defend and three to attack.

Alex was grouped with five others for their first exercise. Their objective was to defend a field and prevent infiltrators from acquiring a plastic fruit clipped to one of the branches of a tree. Their opponents consisted of five other trainers, while the rest of the class watched through surveillance cameras overlooking the field.

"We can have our flying types guard the tree while the rest of us take a side and defend it. If more than one attacker is on a side, they call out to draw the one without an opponent over," one of the rich kids suggested.

"We’ll lose if they have more flying types than us," a professional trainer countered.

"I have a Forretress with Gravity," Alex interjected. "We can prevent flying types from being an issue. We can also cover the entire field in hazards and force them to clear it, which will break their stealth and allow our Special Attacks to hit them first. We call out based on the number of opponents on our side for support."

"Works for me."

"Sounds good."

"Okay."

"Sure."

With their plan decided, Forretress got to work, covering the entire field with Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes. Finally, he unleashed Gravity over the area, ensuring that even the entire tree holding the objective was affected.

A minute later, a whistle signaled the start of the exercise. Their opponents, upon discovering the hazard-covered field, grimaced in disgust. This was too much.

They quickly sent out a Wartortle and Sandslash to clear a path using Rapid Spin, while the five attackers simply charged in with all their Pokémon out and ready.

"Five of them charging in my direction!" one of Alex’s allies called out.

The team immediately regrouped on that side of the field, watching as Wartortle and Sandslash spun their way forward.

"Attack!" one of the professional trainers ordered.

A barrage of attacks rained down, and Wartortle and Sandslash immediately fainted under the combined assault of the defense team’s Pokémon.

The attackers scrambled to respond, quickly forming up and attempting to return fire. Their attacks collided with the lingering hazards, clearing a path toward the defenders.

Alex’s side attempted the same maneuver, but their coordination was off. They were losing the long ranged battle because of their lack of coordination. At least their opponents attempted to coordinate. Seeing the problem, Alex called out:

"Get your Attackers ready and have them charge at the other side! We need to bring the melee to them so they can’t reach the fruit. Have your Special Attackers use single-target attacks to bring down as many of them as possible!"

His teammates followed his instructions. They buffed their Attackers as much as possible—Alcremie spreading Decorate, Altaria activating Mist, Safeguard, Dragon Cheer, and Tailwind. Once ready, someone shouted:

"Go!"

Arcanine led the charge with Extreme Speed, targeting an Expert-ranked Pokémon that had just finished using Protect. He barreled through their formation, sowing chaos, while the other Attackers followed suit.

Raticate zipped around, Quick Attacking any Pokémon that Arcanine missed.

Clawitzer fired off Water Pulses with pinpoint accuracy, finishing off downed opponents before shooting Heal Pulses to restore Arcanine to full strength.

The counterattack devastated the attacking team. They hadn’t expected such an aggressive response—especially not one led by a powerhouse Arcanine blitzing through their ranks.

The battle raged on until only a few of the toughest Pokémon remained. The defenders’ Special Attackers, positioned at the back, focused their fire, picking off stragglers one by one. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Finally, Clawitzer launched a decisive Water Pulse, knocking out the last opposing Pokémon.

Alex looked up, confirming that their fruit was still in place. He called back his Pokémon and began healing them while maintaining vigilance, only relaxing when the instructor’s whistle signaled the official end of the exercise.

He had to admit—this was exactly how he envisioned his team should perform. While they still needed serious upgrades in strategy, training, and more Pokémon to reduce the burden, he felt he was on the right track.

Their victory was thanks to Forretress’s defensive setup and Arcanine’s offensive prowess. Training them for this role had been the right call.

"Very good. Solid defense," the instructor began, "but you could have done better."

He then broke down their flaws. When the attackers were identified, they should have left a sentry on the other side just in case. Their defensive formation needed work. They had no protection against a burrowing strategy, meaning a well-placed Dig attack could have caused complete chaos.

The instructor laid out all the other options they could have considered but ultimately awarded them a high score, recognizing their victory.

The attacking team, however, was not so lucky. As punishment for their horrendous performance, they were ordered to do push-ups.

Their mistakes were obvious—they had grouped up and been broken through with ease. They could have spread their Pokémon to clear more hazards and give themselves room to maneuver. They should have charged the moment the hazards were removed. As the attacking team, they should have been the ones bringing the fight to the defenders, creating havoc in their ranks while earning a chance to nab the objective.

They had options. They just chose the wrong ones.

After Alex’s exercise, the other two sets of teams took their turns as well. They rotated teams, switched roles, changed fields, utilized different buildings and props, and ultimately spent an hour on these exercises.

Their lessons included learning which Moves were inappropriate for certain environments, such as avoiding Ground, Fire, and Poison moves inside buildings or refraining from using Rock, Steel, or Fighting moves on rooftops.

They were also taught proper sweeping techniques for clearing buildings, hazards to watch out for, and standard housing blueprints to determine the best entry and exit points.

The lessons continued for a full hour before they were taken to another massive area on the floor above them.

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