Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Alex woke up around noon the next day, having left the aftermath of the fiasco for Jenny to handle.

He met with Vera, who was temporarily in the League’s custody while they sorted out the details of the case. After that, she’d receive her compensation.

Following a long night of reflection, Vera decided to become a Pokémon breeder. Given her unique skill set, it made sense—she had a knack for getting Pokémon to pair up, no matter the combination, as long as she whispered the right words.

Alex even asked her for help with Forretress and Frosmoth, but she just laughed and told him to let nature take its course. Apparently, these things had a way of working themselves out. Alex shrugged and dropped the subject.

He did, however, promise to fund her education if the League decided to cheap out. Before parting ways, he gave her his number.

With nothing on his agenda, Alex had five days to kill in Celadon City.

He’d originally planned to go bounty hunting, but after taking down the Queen of Prostitutes, his reputation had taken a darker turn. The brutality of that last mission scared off the small fry—no one wanted to be Alex’s next snack.

So, for once, he decided to relax and simply wait out the five days.

Five days later, Alex stood in front of the Grass Gym after registering at the front desk.

The first floor of the gym resembled a massive indoor garden, bustling with activity as people grouped up into tours to inspect the plants. Lessons were being held in gardening, flower arrangement, perfume making, and even reading the soil for proper nutrition. Pokémon wandered the grounds, cycling through Sunny Day, Rain Dance, and Grassy Terrain to keep the plants in peak condition.

On the second floor, battlegrounds were set up for training Grass-type Pokémon. Specialized drills were in place to build resistance against Flying, Poison, Bug, Fire, and Ice-type energy, along with release training to optimize Sunny Day and Grassy Terrain setups.

Finally, Alex reached the third floor—a sprawling, serene garden with women lounging peacefully among the foliage.

The floor coordinator approached him and outlined the rules.

"You need to defeat three gym trainers before heading to the central garden, where Erika will be waiting for you. Good luck," she said while following his lead.

"Thanks," Alex replied, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of the space.

A central pathway wound through the garden, leading toward Erika’s domain. Surrounding it were sections devoted to different types of flora—flower beds, fruit trees, crops, mushrooms, and more.

Alex wandered into the flower garden, where Grass-types mingled freely. Beedrill and Combee buzzed around, gathering nectar in the warm sunlight.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" said a blonde girl in an orange sundress and straw hat.

"Yes. I imagine the honey collected here is quite unique," Alex replied.

"You catch on quick. The flowers here are used for both perfume and honey production that gives the honey a spicy sweetness in the aftertaste."

"Are you a gym trainer?"

"I am. Are you going to challenge me?"

"I am."

"Very well. Come with me. We can’t destroy this place during our battle," she said with a sigh, leading him toward a designated battleground within the garden.

As they took their places, the floor coordinator who had been following Alex stepped forward to referee the battle.

Alex sent out Forretress, who wore Safety Goggles to combat the status effects that Grass types are known for.

Rosa responded by releasing her Hisuian Lilligant, a Heat Rock in hand to prolong Sunny Day. She most likely had the Chlorophyll ability to make the most of it.

"Singles Battle, 3v3. Gym Trainer Rosa versus Challenger Alex. Begin!" the referee called out.

"Reflect, then counter," Alex ordered.

"Sunny Day," Rosa ordered as well.

A glowing mass of fire erupted from Lilligant and ascended to the ceiling, scorching the battlegrounds in harsh sunlight.

Forretress cast Reflect, then spun into a Sandstorm, which clouded the sun and blanketed the field in a swirling haze of dust and grit.

In real battles, weather effects didn’t cancel each other out—instead, they interfered. Like competing layers over the field, they persisted based on strength and frequency of casting.

The Sandstorm successfully dulled the harsh sunlight and began chipping away at Lilligant.

"Again!" Rosa called. As long as the sunlight could push through, Lilligant would still be empowered.

Alex remained silent. He trusted Forretress to handle the setup on his own.

As the Sandstorm raged and visibility dropped, Lilligant continued to endure the steady chip damage. Rosa didn’t mind—Grass-types didn’t fear a little attrition.

"Victory Dance!"

Lilligant began her fluid, empowering steps. Once... twice...

Then, Gravity dropped. The field was slammed by an invisible force, making the air feel heavier. The Sandstorm continues to rage as Forretress’s energy prevents Gravity from affecting it. Rosa frowned—Hisuian Lilligant excelled in evasion and speed. Gravity turned this into a slugfest.

She glanced at the field and saw only sand and dust flying with her Lilligant barely visible.

There were no visible hazards on either side.

’What has he been doing in there?’ she thought.

A sudden Screech tore through the storm, ringing across the garden. Lilligant winced—her Defense lowered, nullifying Victory Dance’s protection. Alarmed, Rosa changed tactics.

"Axe Kick! Finish it fast!"

Lilligant dashed into the Sandstorm, foot glowing—but Forretress burst from the eye of the storm like a silver meteor. The two collided mid-attack.

Axe Kick connected—but Forretress barely flinched.

Body Press answered back, slamming Lilligant with overwhelming force. One hit. Knock Out.

Two Fighting moves clashed—and the winner was clear.

A gleaming Forretress stood tall, shimmering with maxed-out Iron Defense.

"Max-stacked Iron Defense into Body Press?!" Rosa exclaimed.

"Forretress got tired of just setting up hazards and playing defense," Alex said. "He asked for some close combat advice. This was the result."

Forretress specialized in status moves with Reduced Cooldown upgrades, making setup his forte. Normally, he’d break even at the Elite rank due to his low speed—but in this gym, he was dominating.

Rosa frowned. With max Defense, resistance to Psychic, Grass, and Fairy, Forretress posed a real threat. Her last Pokemon Florges wouldn’t crack him. Her next Pokémon—Tsareena—would get flattened in a single hit.

Still, she stayed composed and sent out Florges to do some damage control.

"Reflect!"

A psychic wall shimmered between the two, blunting the Body Press that followed. Florges held on.

Alex frowned. The stalling potential was significant now with repeated Synthesis and he had to overcome that.

"Screech—twice," Alex commanded.

Rosa’s Florges was now on a timer. She had to deal as much damage as possible.

"Moonblast!"

The attack hit Forretress squarely, dropping him to about 60% HP. But with both Light Screen and Reflect active, he tanked it.

Two echoing Screeches followed, then Forretress charged once again.

A second Moonblast met him head-on, reducing him to 40% HP, but it wasn’t enough. Body Press connected, and Florges fainted in one blow.

Rosa was down to her final Pokémon.

"Go! Tsareena! Teeter Dance, Fling, then Acrobatics!"

It was her only chance. With Reflect, maxed Defense, resistances, and screens, breaking Forretress conventionally was impossible. But confusion, disarming, and a boosted Acrobatics? Maybe.

Alex considered using Pain Split to widen the gap, but remembered—Forretress had upgraded it to Priority +1. And Queenly Majesty blocked priority.

’Can downgrading a move help?’ he wondered, then called out, "Use a slow Pain Split!"

Forretress, confused from Teeter Dance and Alex’s command, thought about it, gave up, and shrugged.

He awkwardly attempted a clumsy Pain Split—his confusion-induced delay actually bypassing Queenly Majesty. A held Assault Vest was flung at him, doing negligible damage as he completed the agonizingly slow Pain Split.

A psychic aura linked the two Pokémon.

Forretress’s HP climbed to 70%, while Tsareena dropped to 70%. The finish line had slipped even further from Rosa’s reach.

Tsareena struck with Acrobatics, but Forretress resisted it and retaliated with a Screech.

Another Teeter Dance slowed him further. In confusion, he Body Pressed the ground doing negligible damage given his max out Defense.

But on Tsareena’s third Acrobatics, Forretress shook off confusion—and finally Body Pressed Tsareena into unconsciousness, ending the fight.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.

A surprisingly close match—Reflect had just worn off, and Forretress was only two Acrobatics away from defeat before landing the finishing blow.

Rosa exhaled. "I’ve never fought such a defensive opponent. Most just blitz with Fire-types which were usually trained for. But this..."

She trailed off, rubbing her eyes, both impressed and exhausted.

Alex took the opportunity to heal Forretress and let him rest. The battle had gone just as he expected—Forretress’s typing was nearly impenetrable against Grass types. As long as he managed to set up Reflect and Light Screen, he could practically steamroll through opponents without much trouble.

With Rosa returning to tend her section of the garden, Alex wandered off to explore more of the area. After about ten minutes of strolling through the lush scenery, he found himself in a forested section of the floor. The air was thick with the scent of ripe berries and fresh wood. Berry bushes grew at the base of towering trees bearing fruit, and sturdy lumber trees stood tall in neat, cultivated rows.

As he examined a row of sap-covered trunks, a girl with chestnut-brown hair wearing purple denim overalls suddenly appeared behind him.

"Do you like trees?" she asked loudly, causing him to flinch.

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