Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Chapter 196: Chapter 196. The Champion of the Territory

While Alex and the defensive team were drowned in Elite ranked enemies and a whirlwind of chaotic moves, the attack team that had been left out of the formation distanced themselves.

The plan was to conserve stamina by alternating who attacked and who rested, since there were far too many Pokémon in a nest, numbering in the thousands. They couldn’t realistically challenge all of them at the same time, so the attack team led the charge and confronted the tide of low-ranked Pokémon with AoE attacks that took out swathes of enemies with a single use.

With three of them on each side alternating attacks against funneled opponents, what would have been a flood turned into a meat grinder.

By the time they dealt with half of the first real wave of enemies, they were spent and had to retreat, leaving the slaughtering to the defensive team to finish off.

Before they could all be taken out, however, the Elites showed up and started the real battle as it was currently progressing.

Now, the attack team had to wait for the Champion to arrive before intercepting it with a combined assault from all six of them, who had Protect at Effect Up +1, which guaranteed their defense against the Champion’s attacks. So long as they alternated Protects to defend each other, they could eventually win by overwhelming their opponent.

Raticate, who sat on top of Arcanine, watched Alex and the others stir up a literal storm as they unleashed Pokémon moves one after another. It was beautiful, he thought, as a cascade of colors collided, grinding those inside who couldn’t protect themselves.

Suddenly, a Champion’s Roar sounded in the distance, deep in the forest, followed by thundering footsteps rushing toward the defensive team.

With a Screech, Raticate signaled the other half of the attacking team on the opposite side of the battle as they circled around the chaotic storm, aiming to intercept the Champion.

As they sprinted at full speed, they found their target, a massive brown bear with a distinctive yellow circle on its forehead. It barreled forward with thunderous steps, each one shaking the earth as if it used Earthquake with every step.

Before it could reach Alex and the defensive team, Togekiss and Arcanine streaked in with Extreme Speed. The attacks did little actual damage, but they succeeded in drawing its attention. Raticate, who was riding Arcanine, followed up with a Thunder Wave, aiming to paralyze it to slow it down, but was shocked to discover that it managed to resist.

The three retreated just as the Champion chose its target. With a sudden burst of speed, it hurled itself forward, cloaked in a dense layer of brown energy that cracked the ground beneath each step. It closed the distance in seconds, lowering its head as it crashed straight into Arcanine.

Arcanine held his ground for a moment before the full weight of the charge sent him skidding backward, claws raking trenches into the ground. Raticate was thrown off his back from the force, tumbling across the dirt.

When the dust cleared, Arcanine was still up and ready for more. The accumulated layers of Coaching shimmered faintly across his frame, softening what should have been a knockout blow.

Togekiss hovered above Arcanine and Raticate as it played the supporter. Arcanine used Charm, weakening its Attack, while Raticate used Screech, weakening its Defense.

The Champion used Headlong Rush again as it charged at the three grouped challengers. That was when Togekiss acted, using Protect in front of the others, blocking the incoming blow. With Protect at Effect Up +1, Togekiss was able to avoid getting ragdolled.

Suddenly, a pair of ghosts popped out from the Champion’s shadow and phased right through it, causing both Dusknoir and Ceruledge to sigh with dismay. It was another opponent who was immune to their attacks.

Just then, the final member of their team arrived and used Close Combat. Kommo-o rushed in, low to the ground, and jabbed twice into the Champion’s ribs from the side with enough force to make the beast grunt. He then followed up with a straight right and finished the four-hit combo with a spin, sweeping the Champion off its front paws with his tail. The strike slammed its head into the dirt, dealing significant damage thanks to the type advantage.

Sensing it was losing the battle simply due to numbers, the Champion roared out an order to come and deal with its attackers. The remaining Elites, who had hesitated to rush into the storm of moves, turned around and eyed the six who were out in the open, away from the chaos. After a brief pause, they decided to go help their leader, rather than die to the impenetrable storm like the others.

That was when the storm, rather than rotating into a grinder, surged forward like a tsunami, washing over the Elites who had been standing just beyond its range and watching. They were swept away by the attack, preventing them from helping their leader.

At that moment, the attacking team finally received specific orders from Gardevoir and executed them without delay. Raticate attacked first with an Ice Beam to the face. Arcanine circled around and used Flamethrower, targeting its back. Ceruledge used Brick Break on its side. Kommo-o used Close Combat again, targeting the front. Togekiss launched Aura Sphere, aiming for the top of its head, and finally, Dusknoir used Ice Punch on its other side.

Before the last few moves had even landed, it had already fainted, then simply died outright from the subsequent attacks.

The remaining Elites who managed to survive immediately scattered when their leader’s aura dissipated. This prompted Alex’s team to break formation and chase after them. The Crobat couple, in particular, were tossing out Hypnosis and Mean Look left and right while scrambling to knock out or trap as many as they could.

It took a full day, but eventually, Alex and the team managed to claim their territory with significant spoils.

The corpses that were Expert rank or below were collected and stored. Alex planned to mimic Azalea Town and the National Park in Johto by having his Elites babysit the local Pokémon. Having some meat on hand would reinforce their rule over the hierarchy.

The corpses that were Elite rank were stored for the future, adding to the significant stockpile they already had. At this rate, they wouldn’t run out of meat for a decade, even with the addition of Alex’s plans.

The corpse of the Champion, which turned out to be an Ursaluna, was given to the attacking team for a job well done. It could have been sold instead for a hefty price, but realistically, it was better to consume it themselves. Reaching Champion rank was more important than credits.

The living Pokémon that were captured were to either be sold or released into their territory to balance the environment. Credits were the target, so it was likely only the Elites would be sold for a profit, while the rest would simply be released once a territory was established.

Just from the estimates, Alex calculated they stood to make at least 20 million credits. The best part was that his battle still wasn’t over. The nests further north weren’t protected by the Rangers, meaning he could hunt as necessary to defend his territory. It created an area that could potentially fund them continuously in the future.

It would take time for them to recover, but eventually, Alex would have a constant source of income so long as the Rangers didn’t reach all the way to his remote location. Even if they did, he would just have to wait for a flood before earning a profit again.

The next morning, Alex took another tour of the valley. This time, however, there wasn’t a nest to stop him as he surveyed the exact bounds of his property.

His property included 2 square kilometers that were part of the valley, while the remaining 4 extended beyond it, leading to the forests to the north. Drawn on the map, it looked like a funnel that curved at the top, though the narrow end was so short and wide it resembled a blunt stub rather than a proper spout.

The fight had happened right at the center, where the area began to expand. It was the beginning of the forest that was part of his land.

Deeper inside the forest, Alex found the center of the territory of the nest they had dispatched the day before. It was right at the edge of his property, which meant there were likely no other Champion ranked nests nearby.

The only problem Alex had now was what to do with all the trees on his land. He technically owned it, so he could sell it if he wanted. He could even leave it as is and simply allow the Pokémon to roam it. Unfortunately, that would hamper any defenses he could have placed instead.

This required proper planning, which meant it was time to contact Celise and start preparing for the next steps.

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