Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Detecting the third wave of Team Luminal reinforcements, Alex realized there was a pattern. The forces here either requested additional support as the battle escalated, or reinforcements were dispatched at fixed intervals until someone on site reported the situation under control.

Either way, the system was designed with remarkable ferocity and efficiency. As long as the defenders could delay the attackers, fresh reinforcements would continue pouring in and steadily overwhelm any force that lacked the strength to end the battle quickly.

To Alex, however, it also meant he could continuously farm criminals without having to do anything else. So long as he could withstand the pressure and eliminate each group quickly, he could eventually wipe out an entire army.

Of course, there were likely safeguards to prevent such abuse, but the specifics remained to be seen. If he wanted to take advantage of the system, he would have to experiment a little in the future.

For now, he instantly leapt toward the third teleportation point as he issued an order.

"Suppressive fire on my location, Rotom!" Alex shouted mid-leap.

He arrived just as the Teleport completed and a dozen trainers appeared around his Dark energy-cloaked form. He seized the nearest trainer by the head and snapped his neck, killing him instantly before reaching for the man's Poké Ball belt and locking every ball with a single practiced swipe.

Pokémon immediately began materializing around him, but before they could fully emerge, Feint and Phantom Force bullets tore through the area, killing half a dozen trainers around him before they even realized what had happened. Meanwhile, Alex pressed the attack against the second trainer within reach, a Master ranked trainer who had the presence of mind to resist.

He slapped Alex's reaching hands aside before driving a kick toward his midsection. Alex deflected the strike with a shove, throwing his opponent off balance while closing the distance in the same motion. One hand shot toward the man's Poké Balls, only for Alex to realize they were protected by biometric locks, while his other arm snaked around the trainer's neck in a chokehold.

Before Alex could cinch it in, the Master ranked trainer seized his arm and attempted a shoulder throw. Alex drove his knee into the man's groin, stunning him and locking his position to halt the throw. His free hand then peeled away the trainer's grip before completing the chokehold.

With his opponent's fate sealed, Alex tightened his hold and waited for unconsciousness to take hold. Then he sensed a powerful attack approaching from behind. Instead of retreating, he pivoted and used the trainer as a human shield. Another attack came from his rear. Alex immediately shifted his weight and dropped onto his back, the strike barely passing overhead.

The surrounding enemy Pokémon surged toward him, claws, fangs, and limbs striking at his exposed body. They raked at his arms, gouged his sides, and fought with all their might to force Alex to release their trainer, but it was futile. Every tug on his arms only caused him to tighten the chokehold even further.

Eventually, the man lost consciousness, finally giving Alex the opportunity he needed. Using the trainer's limp hand to bypass the biometric lock, he sealed every one of the man's Master and Champion ranked Pokémon back inside their Poké Balls in one swift motion.

Searching for another target, Alex quickly assessed the battlefield. The dead trainer's many Pokémon had thrown themselves into Rotom's storm of bullets, thinning the enemy formation until only 4 trainers remained from the third reinforcement. Desperately trying to withstand the quad-cannon barrage, they were too preoccupied to notice Alex behind them. Seizing the opportunity, he pulled Stormline from his pocket and swept the battlefield with gunfire.

Chaos erupted as the trainers were caught in a sudden crossfire, their bombardment faltering just long enough for more of Rotom's bullets to find their marks. They attempted to rush Alex at close range, but he was too elusive. He deftly kept his distance while weaving through their attacks, harassing them just enough for Rotom to pick off both trainers and Pokémon one by one.

In the end, all 3 trainers and their Pokémon were either killed or knocked unconscious before Alex locked their surviving Pokémon inside their Poké Balls.

Just like that, the third reinforcement had been eliminated before it could reinforce the first 2 waves.

Looking around, Alex assessed the rest of the battlefield. The first wave and the attack team were still locked in combat, but there were no longer any Master or Elite ranked Pokémon left on the enemy's side. Only the Champion ranked Pokémon remained, rampaging after losing their trainers. Also, the Master ranked trainer had stopped releasing his army of cannon fodder, so Rotom was free to focus fire on the second wave now that the third had been cleaned up.

The second wave, meanwhile, was being steadily pushed back. Forced away from the first wave, they retreated as the defense team advanced, their superior ranks threatening to turn the battle into a massacre if the fighting devolved into a chaotic melee.

Overall, they were winning decisively.

That didn't mean the battle was easy, though. Plenty of Alex's own Pokémon had fainted, forcing Rotom to retrieve them, administer Potions, and send them back into the fight. According to Gardevoir's reports, they were also beginning to show signs of fatigue. Before long, they would run out of energy to use Pokémon moves, leaving them to fight with little more than their bare bodies.

"I should really push for that automatic Potion injector to be finished," Alex muttered before running back to Gardevoir and Rotom's side of the battlefield.

Before long, the first wave was finished off by the attack team. The trainers were killed, while their Pokémon were either knocked unconscious or slain in the brutal melee. This allowed the attack team to circle behind the second wave's formation and launch a chaotic assault from the rear, throwing the defenders into disarray.

"Have the defense team join," Alex commanded Gardevoir. "We need to finish this fast before another reinforcement arrives."

Gardevoir immediately carried out Alex's command, leading the defense team into the fray and turning the chaotic melee into a systematic one. Instead of scattering and attacking indiscriminately to sow chaos, Alex's entire away team coordinated into a series of 3-on-1 engagements, isolating each enemy in turn. Only Kommo-o, Grim, Arcanine, and Azuking acted as bruisers, charging through the remaining enemy forces to disrupt their formation and create openings.

Methodically, they brought down the second wave even faster than the first, thanks to their exceptional coordination. Time and again, it became clear to Alex that his Pokémon drew their greatest strength from fighting as a unified force rather than relying on their individual abilities.

Once the last of the second wave had been taken down, Gardevoir didn't hesitate to begin cleaning up the battlefield without pause. There were simply too many valuable resources scattered around for them to slack off now. Besides, with her brilliant mind, Gardevoir could already predict both their next move and the enemy's.

Sure enough, she was proven right when 3 Teleport energy signatures appeared. Fortunately, they had already finished stuffing the corpses into Alex's backpack, leaving them ready for anything. All that remained was for Alex to make the call.

Alex hesitated briefly before ultimately shaking his head. He had considered pushing his Pokémon past their limits to draw out more desire and willpower, but with no idea how large a force those 3 Teleports would bring, caution won out. Reluctantly, he let the opportunity pass. It seemed he had truly softened over the years.

“Retreat,” he commanded.

Rotom immediately recalled every Pokémon into the backpack except Arcanine, whom Alex mounted without breaking stride. They raced north toward the forests surrounding Vaniville City. Using Extreme Speed, Arcanine barreled through the wilderness, carrying them well beyond the compound just before the incoming Teleports completed.

Alex glanced back as the enemy force materialized. Three Master ranked trainers, a dozen Champions, and 2 dozen Elites, a force large enough to overwhelm them. Given enough time and rest, Alex might have been able to grind them down one wave at a time, but his Pokémon were exhausted and their backpack was almost full.

There was simply no good reason to continue the battle. At best, he would leave with fewer Pokémon than when he had arrived, all for the slim chance of forcing a breakthrough to Master rank. It was a price Alex was unwilling to pay.

He made his decision then and there. If Master rank came quickly, he would welcome it. If it took another century, then so be it. He would never sacrifice his Pokémon for the sake of power.

They were more than family to him. They were his limbs, literal extensions of his own body. He would never cut off a finger just to become stronger. No amount of power was worth becoming less than whole.

"We should take a rest," he muttered. "We've earned it after 4 days of nonstop combat against Master ranked trainers. We'll just wait for Nyx to finish going through the Black List."