Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Alex spent the rest of the night scouring Royal Avenue and the neighboring villages, hunting down the web of connections the Elite ranked Team Bones member had established within his territory. He didn’t just start killing wantonly, though; he specifically targeted individuals who were in charge to identify those who would likely propagate further violence to push forward Team Bones’s agenda.

These were people who were fully onboard with criminal activity and made up just 1% of those involved, while the remaining 99% were simply pressured into it. There were plenty of gangs similar to the twins who had no choice but to play along to protect themselves, as well as employees who didn’t know what they had signed up for.

Surprisingly, there were also many family members who were drawn into it, some forced through threats, others convinced for the sake of money. It seemed to be an ongoing trend in Alola to involve family members in criminal activity, given the number of families Alex had discovered and subsequently raided. It was like a mafia operation that ran deeper and more extensively than anything he had seen in movies.

Because of that, it took him the whole night to clean up the entire city, chasing one lead after another, forced to allow the weaker, less consequential members of these groups to live another day. He figured it wasn’t enough to permanently stop crime in the area, but it would allow those who were weaker to survive and defend themselves, like a cleanse that gave those who were innocent a head start.

Come morning, Alex returned just in time to head out for some tourist activities Marlo and Leilani had planned.

As for Alvera and the twins, they were understandably hammered, having enjoyed their night out in the city. Alvera in particular was in a bright mood, with Malia and Nohea clinging to her like baby chicks that had imprinted on her. It was adorable to watch, in Alex’s opinion.

“The initial plan was for us to head over to the Battle Royal Dome, where you would all be able to participate in a few fights at your leisure,” Leilani explained their activity for the day. “We didn’t think you’d leave your Pokémon on Poke Pelago, though, so if you want to change the activity to something else, please let us know.”

“I want to go!” Clarissa exclaimed. “I want to watch how they conduct four-way official battles.”

“We want to go as well,” Alvera said, including the twins’ votes.

“It would be good for the kids to go as well,” Vera added. “They haven’t really thought about their futures yet, so this might be a chance for them to decide.”

The rest of the girls decided to come along as well, just for the experience. They rarely left the base in Kanto, so anything different in other regions was a welcome change.

Alex, meanwhile, stuck close to Marlo and explained his late night activities and the situation as he knew it, including all the people he had ended up getting rid of. It was important that Marlo understood exactly what he was dealing with, since he was now one of the stronger trainers among the locals.

“I… I had no idea,” Marlo said, with dread at the sheer amount of death his request had resulted in. “Was… was killing all of these people really necessary?”

“Could you and your wife have defended yourselves if they left prison and decided to start over again?” Alex asked. “What about the twins? They were one meeting away from becoming prostitutes. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re incredibly beautiful.”

Marlo paled, understanding Alex’s implication. He had simply been blinded by the raw brutality of Alex’s methods. He wouldn’t deny their efficacy; it just seemed inhuman to think in terms of results.

“Don’t tell Leilani,” Marlo said gravely. “Wait, do the twins know?”

“They think Alvera fixed their problem for them without further details. They know to avoid gangs now and to simply defend themselves rather than taking threats at face value. As for what the future will bring, you’ll have to come clean so they understand their lesson.”

Marlo sighed heavily, feeling the weight of parenthood.

“How do you do it?” he asked, turning to Alex. “How do you raise your kids in a world like this?”

“You prepare them for it but otherwise let them make their own decisions. Your twins, for example, aren’t stupid. They were just misinformed. It’s important to teach them how the world actually works so they can make better decisions in their lives.”

“I guess you’re right,” Marlo said with a heavy sigh. “Thank you, Alex, for the advice and for helping my family. I might not agree with your methods, but it doesn’t change the fact that you saved my girls.”

“What are friends for?” Alex said, patting Marlo on the back before focusing on their agenda for the day.

With their plan set, everyone left for the Battle Royal Dome and bought tickets for observers. Once they made it to their seats, they were presented with an interesting sight. It was a square-shaped arena, with each corner assigned a color and a giant Pokémon head, their mouths acting as entrances for the battlers. In the red corner was Charizard, in the blue corner was Gyarados, in the green corner was Tyranitar, and in the yellow corner was Haxorus.

They watched a few of the lower-ranked battles between Expert ranked trainers and were immediately able to pick up the rules. It was a 4-trainer free-for-all format where each trainer brought 3 Pokémon. The match ended immediately when one trainer lost all their Pokémon, with the winner determined by a tally of total knockouts and remaining Pokémon.

“What do you think, Alvera?” Malia asked. “How would you build your team, and what strategy would you employ?”

“I don’t know, honestly. It’s all so very complex,” Alvera answered. “Besides, I’m not much of a trainer, so I wouldn’t really know what to do.”

“Picking offense seems to be the right move,” Malia said, “since I would be able to collect more knockouts and edge out the competition.”

“I’d play defensively,” Nohea added. “So long as I don’t lose any Pokémon, I won’t lose. Then I’d only attack those who are about to faint, earning knockout points.”

“What do you think, Clarissa?” Alvera asked. “How would you build your team, and what strategy would you use?”

“It would depend entirely on who I’m up against,” Clarissa answered. “If I find myself at a superior advantage, I would aim for knockouts without a care. If I find myself at a disadvantage, I would defend with everything I have. It all depends on my opponents and the Pokémon I’m working with. As for my lineup, I would pick a defensive Pokémon, an offensive Pokémon, and a utility Pokémon. This way, I can keep my options open.”

“Spoken like a true professional,” Nyx teased.

“It’s how I plan to make a living, after all,” Clarissa replied confidently.

They spent the day watching trainers fight in complex 4-way free-for-all battles. It was a battle mode that was surprisingly entertaining, with endless friendships, betrayals, twists, and turns from start to finish. It was a free-for-all, after all, where anything could happen, and strength and skill alone didn’t guarantee victory. Often, it was those who hid their strength well and were the most tactically flexible who won in the end.

Even Alex, who wasn’t someone who enjoyed official battles, enjoyed the show. There was such a huge dynamic shift in free-for-all fights that he found them more engaging than strategic battles, where every item, build, diet, and move proficiency mattered. Here, the strongest didn’t always win; only those who understood the rules came out on top. Even then, victory wasn’t guaranteed, as anything could happen.

By evening, the intensity of the fights began to rise as higher-ranked trainers were gradually introduced. Most of the day and early afternoon featured Expert rank battles, but by nightfall, Elite ranked trainers entered the arena, significantly elevating the stakes and excitement.

Along with the increasing ranks came a rise in the caliber of observers. No one below Expert rank had the ability to properly follow the battles, as the Pokémon were simply too fast. This was where real tactics came into play, since it took much longer for Pokémon to be knocked out. They could no longer be easily picked off by opportunistic attacks; instead, there was a heavy emphasis on prediction and mind games.

Towards the end of the night, the most interesting fights took place as Champion ranked trainers were finally included. Even the Expert ranked trainers in the crowd couldn’t fully comprehend what they were seeing, but they stayed anyway for the spectacle.

From Alex’s perspective, however, not much had changed. It was still the same strategies, only with a greater emphasis on durability. Clarissa, on the other hand, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself, while Alvera had to explain what was happening to the twins.

By the end of the night, everyone appeared to have enjoyed themselves, especially the 8-year-old kids, who began wanting Pokémon of their own. In particular, Lilia was the most excited, wanting to become a trainer for the sake of the cool battles.

The next day, they packed up and left Royal Avenue to continue their tour of Akala Island. Their destination was Wela Volcano Park, where they would get to take in the scenic view of the famous volcanic landscape.