Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

The first person who came to Alex's mind when he thought of his trainer acquaintances was Clarissa Blackthorn, daughter of Lance and Lorelei, the current Champions of the Indigo League.

He hadn't heard much from her in the past two years, not since he helped her take down Seth Fayvel. Her Charizard had already reached the Elite rank back then, with the rest of her team at the Expert rank.

Given her family's financial backing, she had probably raised her entire team to Elite by now. Then again, they might have cut her off to encourage independence, but Alex found that unlikely.

He decided to give her a call and see what she knew about Pokémon nests. With her years of travel, she had surely encountered a few.

"Hey, Clarissa. How's it going?"

"Alex? I'm doing fine, just surprised by your sudden call. It's been a long time since we talked," came a voice more mature than Alex expected.

Clarissa would be 21 this year, so it made sense that she had grown more mature, especially given the dangerous nature of her occupation.

"It's been two years. I just wanted to check in. How's the gym circuit going?"

"I just got my 6th badge. I'm on my way to Celadon City to get my 7th in a few months."

"Impressive. That's way ahead of schedule."

"Really? I just figured this was the normal pace. I mean, I've just been doing what trainers are supposed to do."

"How's the team?"

"All Elite," she replied, pride in her voice.

"As expected."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, sounding a bit offended through the phone.

"You've been getting Elite ranked meat delivered from home?"

"Of course! I might want independence, but I'd never pass up giving my Pokémon the best they deserve."

"Fair enough. Anyway, I wanted to ask what you know about Pokémon nests. I've done the research, but I'm looking for more personal experience."

"I've been attacked a few times, but nothing a good Roar couldn't handle."

"You haven't run into a Champion?"

The last time Alex used Roar on a nest chasing him, the Champion showed up and nearly killed him. Roar was not just for scattering weaklings. It was also used to declare territory, and that kind of challenge never went unanswered. Leaders would always come out to put the lesser in their place.

"Haha, Alex, I'd be dead if I ever ran into a Champion. I've just been following the main trails and only run into the occasional stray Elite. Nothing my Charizard can't handle."

'She hasn't encountered Champions? She's been sticking to the trails?' Alex thought.

"Clarissa, what have you been doing to earn money?" he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I have plenty of money. Why would I need to earn more?"

That caught Alex off guard. If Clarissa hadn't been earning her own money, she probably didn't know anything about eliminating nests.

Since she had been following official trails and focusing solely on the gym circuit, she likely hadn't taken on any missions that required venturing deep into the wilds, far enough to encounter real nests. She hadn't learned how to avoid them or deal with them, so she wouldn't be able to offer any practical insight.

"You're heading to Celadon City, so you're coming from Fuchsia through the bike trail, right?"

"Yup! I should arrive earlier than expected. I never realized how much faster traveling is on a bike."

'Oh, you poor thing,' Alex thought.

She was undoubtedly a princess through and through. Even her journey revolved around gym badges rather than experiencing the real world and the financial struggles of common trainers.

"That's all I needed. Thanks for the update, Clarissa," Alex said, intending to end the call.

"Wait!" she quickly cut in. "I want to know how you're doing. Since you're still alive, business must be good."

"It's going great. My team's reached the Elite rank and I've even added more members."

"More? You already had too many, and you still added more?" Clarissa replied in shock.

"Yeah. I also got my 4th badge, defended the farm from a flood, and even finished a commission for Misty," Alex said casually.

"I can't believe how wild your life is. Are you sure you're not the one on a journey?"

"With how my bank account looks? No journey. Just a very successful bounty hunter."

The two chatted for a bit longer, catching up until Clarissa was satisfied and finally ended the call.

"That was unexpected… and yet, completely expected from the Indigo Princess," Alex muttered.

He wasn't trying to demean her. He was just surprised by how detached from reality she still was, even after graduating from the police academy with him. She had likely never understood the financial struggles most trainers faced.

Alex hadn't lived through them for long either, but he had helped enough ordinary trainers to gain a clearer picture. He could also imagine it well enough by recalling the difficulties he faced when he first started out.

Still, with Clarissa being a dead end, he needed another trainer's perspective, someone with more experience if possible.

His mom was an academy graduate who went straight into police work, and Joe likely had a similar upbringing. The girls were no help either, since they only journeyed for a few months before being captured. 

That left only one person Alex knew, and that was Lyra, who had been on a journey for over two years now. He decided to give her a call right away.

"Hey Lyra, how's it going?"

"Alex? It's been a long time. Why the sudden call?" she replied casually, though her breathing was labored. 

Heavy panting and intense moaning could be heard in the background. It sounded like an orgy. He had most likely caught her at a bad time.

"If you're busy, I can call back later."

"No, we can talk. What's this about?"

Nyx might have been the wildest and horniest woman Alex knew, but Lyra was a close second with her eccentric taste for outdoor sex in full view of nature. Judging by the background noise, some lucky guys and girls were probably on the receiving end.

"I wanted to talk about your experience with Pokémon nests," Alex said just as casually. 

He knew Lyra well enough to know she genuinely did not mind the interruption. If she was still the same woman he remembered, the unexpected call was probably only adding to her excitement.

"I've had my fair share of run ins," she replied between increasingly labored breaths, then continued, "They can get very complicated depending on the leader. Some are fine with humans passing through their territory, but most will pursue you for days the moment they catch even a trace of your scent."

There were sounds of agreement in the background despite the ongoing activity. She was most likely enjoying herself with other trainers.

Her insight on the other hand was exactly the kind of input Alex needed, firsthand knowledge drawn from real experience.

"I'm trying to earn League credits, and the best way seems to be taking out nests the League wants removed," Alex explained. "Can I pop in and get you to share more of your experience?"

"Sure. There's actually a nest nearby that's been giving us trouble for the past few days. The League put a sizable price tag on it, but the leader's crafty and only goes after weaker trainers. We could really use some help taking it down."

"Sounds like a deal. I'll head over as soon as possible. Where can I find you?"

"You can find me directly south of your farm, past the forest near Route 11, a few days' journey beyond Diglett Cave near Vermilion City."

Based on the distance to her location, it would take Alex the rest of the afternoon to get there riding Hydreigon. Once he arrived, he could simply teleport back to the farm, so he decided to head over.

"I'll be there by evening."

"I'll be waiting."

Alex wasted no time gathering his team and preparing his gear. He planned to discuss how to use his latest earnings with Rhea once she and Nyx woke up.

He teleported to Diglett Cave with Arcanine, then mounted Hydreigon and headed east along Route 11.

Route 11 sprawled across rolling fields of farmland, where patches of crops swayed gently in the breeze. The area was mostly filled with farms all the way to the end, where it reached the sea before splitting north and south along Kanto's coastline. 

Scattered farmhouses and windmills dotted the landscape, blending seamlessly with the natural surroundings. The peaceful atmosphere made it a quiet escape from the busy towns and cities nearby.

By evening, Alex had arrived at the general area Lyra had described. Unfortunately, since it was a wooded area, finding her exact location proved difficult.

He released Arcanine and had him pick up the nearby scents. Arcanine should still remember Lyra from their previous meeting, so it did not take long before Alex found their campsite. Two tents were pitched around a small campfire, where Lyra and another woman about their age were waiting.

Upon closer inspection, Alex realized he might actually have some history with the other woman.

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