Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Once Alex made it back home, he called a meeting and laid out the situation. They had access to a world with far more potential than a simple place to visit. It was similar to Pokopia, where they inevitably kept returning because of its Pokemetal, a resource that couldn’t be found anywhere else.

Naturally, the first thing they did was test the meat Alex had brought back. Vera and Lina worked together to examine it, running a battery of tests to determine whether it was safe and viable for consumption. After thoroughly checking the samples, they returned with their findings.

“The composition is completely normal,” Vera reported. “There’s nothing unusual about it. The meat contains the same nutrients and properties we’d expect from Expert ranked Greedent. The only notable difference is the quantity. There’s just a lot more of it.”

“And the taste is basically the same too,” Lina added. “It’s comparable to regular Expert ranked Greedent meat. The only real difference is that everything is bigger. The organs are larger, the bones are thicker, and even the individual muscles are bigger. Everything is just scaled up.”

“Vera,” Alex said, turning to her. “Did you find anything that could explain why these Pokémon are so much larger than normal? Anything strange in their energy signatures, genetics, or maybe an additional organ that shouldn’t be there?”

“Nothing like that,” Vera replied. “The only thing we found was that their cells appear to require less energy than normal. That would leave them with more excess energy available for growth, allowing them to become much larger without any obvious negative effects. We’re currently running genetic sequencing to see if we can identify the gene responsible, but that will take some time.”

“Is that a green light?” Lyra asked excitedly over the video call.

“It is,” Alex said with a smile. “What we need to discuss now is the scale. Do we simply visit and capture what we can, or do we establish a permanent base?”

“We can’t decide that until we know the full situation,” Mika said through the video call. “These Pokémon could be rare, worshiped as deities, or even on the verge of extinction because people fear them. There are too many possibilities to make that call right now.”

“That said, I think it’s worth setting up a satellite network,” Nyx said. “We need to be able to monitor the entire situation from the skies.”

“How many?” Rhea asked.

“At least double what we have here, so 24,” Nyx replied. “That should give us the coverage we need for high-resolution surveillance, specialized sensors, and faster data refreshes. If this world turns out to be larger, though, we’ll probably need even more.”

“I’ll get to work building them. It shouldn’t take more than a week.”

“I also want you to start working on a new wardrobe for me and anyone else who wants to come over,” Alex said. “Galarian medieval clothing should help us blend in. Everything should be Master ranked, of course.”

“I can handle the threadwork thanks to what Marcy taught me, but I don’t know if I can design medieval clothing,” Rhea replied. “I’ll call the old man and see what he can do.”

Marcy was the one who made Alex’s clothes during his journey through Unova. They hadn’t stayed in much contact since then, mainly because Rhea had learned everything she could from him about crafting fine clothing with metal thread. That knowledge allowed Rhea to make Alex’s semi-formal clothes with Master ranked defensive properties. It seemed they would need his help again if they wanted to blend in and look like they truly belonged in the medieval times.

“Thanks.”

Their discussion continued until they settled on a plan. Lyra and Mika would accompany Alex after a preliminary investigation of the village. Once they established a base of operations and gained a better understanding of the world, they would bring the others in and deploy the satellites to begin mapping and monitoring. From there, they would decide how best to proceed.

This was all to stay under the hegemon’s radar and avoid being forced to commit a massacre. They wanted to leave as few suspicious traces behind as possible.

Alex spent the night on the island with the girls, having effectively moved there on a semi-permanent basis because Hoopa’s presence was impossible to keep hidden at the main hub in Kanto. The next morning, he donned a realistic set of medieval leather armor and a sword, then disguised his backpack to match the setting before finally stepping through Hoopa’s portal once more.

He stepped out of the portal near the village and pulled out his phone.

“Rotom, I want you to investigate the village and figure out what language they’re speaking.”

A few quadcopters emerged from his backpack and silently flew toward the village, scanning the area from a distance and recording snippets of conversation. A few minutes later, Rotom responded.

“Old Galarian language detected. Translation possible.”

“I’ll sound pretty suspicious if my voice doesn’t match my mouth movements. Oh well, this is all part of the investigation. Might as well give it a try,” Alex muttered with a shrug. “Rotom, translate for me.”

With the translation active, Alex made his way toward the village entrance.

“Halt!” one of the guards called as he approached. “Identify yourself and state your business.”

“My name is Alex Wattson. I’m a traveler passing through and looking to rest here for a few days.”

“A noble?” the other guard whispered to his companion, eyeing Alex’s clothing and equipment. “He talks funny, though. Maybe it’s some kind of magic device. He’s definitely rich, at least.”

“I don’t think he’s a noble. Maybe he comes from a fallen house or another continent. Either way, we can’t afford to mess with him,” his companion replied before addressing Alex. “Very well. You may enter, but you can stay for no longer than a week. If you intend to remain longer, you’ll need to register at the town hall.”

“Understood,” Alex replied before walking through the gates.

Once inside, he followed the main street that cut through the settlement, taking in the sights as he went. It stretched all the way to the town hall at the far end, with shops and other establishments lining both sides of the road. He spotted a blacksmith, a tailor, a general store, an adventurers’ guild, a tavern, an inn, and several other businesses along the way.

He headed for the general store first. Before he could begin his investigation, he needed some local currency, and selling a few materials he had prepared seemed like the easiest way to get it.

“Welcome. What can I get for ya?” the middle-aged clerk asked.

“I’m looking to sell some ore,” Alex replied.

“You talk funny.”

“I’m not from around here.”

“I can tell,” the clerk said with a dissatisfied look. “If you’re looking to sell ore, you’re better off heading to the blacksmith.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

Alex turned and made his way to the blacksmith.

“We’re busy. Come back in a week,” the blacksmith called out without looking up, continuing to hammer a glowing piece of metal against the anvil.

“I’m looking to sell some raw ore,” Alex replied.

The blacksmith stopped mid-swing and finally looked over.

“Ore?”

Alex reached into his backpack and pulled out a heavy sack. He had brought some of the unprocessed metal ore that had been sitting around in the Kanto warehouse, mostly common materials such as iron, silver, gold, copper, and similar metals. It was nothing particularly unusual, which made it ideal for selling without drawing unnecessary attention.

The moment the blacksmith saw the contents, however, his eyes widened.

“Which mine did you steal these from?”

“Is that important?” Alex asked, staring at him with a deadpan expression.

“I suppose not.” The blacksmith hesitated as he examined the ore. “I’ll give you 15 gold for the lot.”

“Try again.”

The blacksmith glanced at Alex’s expression and quickly reconsidered.

“Fine. 40. But that’s as high as I’m going. I can’t exactly explain where I got these from if anyone asks.”

“Deal.”

The blacksmith handed Alex 40 gold coins in exchange for the sack. Alex examined them briefly. Each coin was stamped with a distinct design and had a ridged edge, suggesting the kingdom had already implemented basic measures to make counterfeiting more difficult.

Alex’s next stop was the tavern. He wanted to pick up some local news before finding someone he could question more directly, using a few coins to loosen their lips. He ordered a meal and some mead, choosing something appropriate for a traveling adventurer.

He wasn’t concerned about the food in the slightest. With his Master ranked physique, there was little chance of an upset stomach, regardless of what he ate, so long as it was Elite ranked or below.

By listening to the conversations around him, Alex gradually pieced together a rough picture of the region. He was in a settlement on the far southern outskirts of the continent, far from the three kingdoms competing for dominance in the north. The southern tip itself was largely considered no man’s land, as it was inhabited by terrifying swarms of magical creatures. These creatures were essentially Pokémon.

The area attracted plenty of adventurers hoping to make a name for themselves. Those who distinguished themselves could eventually be knighted and granted the right to become nobles. The town’s mayor was apparently a knight himself, having been granted the settlement with the responsibility of protecting it from the waves of magical creatures that swept up from the south roughly once every decade.

There was also a more recent incident that had caught the locals’ attention. A monster had mysteriously been killed near the town 10 days ago. From what Alex could gather, “monster” was simply the term they used for the giant Pokémon. The timing also gave Alex another useful piece of information. Ten days had passed in this world for roughly one day in his own, putting the time difference at around 10 to 1.

As Alex was about to grab a local for questioning, a pair of guards in full plate armor entered the tavern.

“You there, stranger. The mayor wants to speak with you,” one of them said, picking Alex out from the crowd.