It had been over a month since Alex reached Champion rank and allowed Celise to begin staff recruitment. During that time, she had been busy coordinating with Maris to set up multiple recruitment ads with very peculiar requirements.
NOW HIRING!
Issued by: Silver Network — A region-wide organization supporting bounty hunters through training, coordinated missions, and logistics.
Positions Available: Management (All Levels), Miscellaneous Staff (see attached document for full list), Youth Educators (for children living onsite), Farmers (any specialty), Professionals (Robotics, Genetics, Construction, Manufacturing), Pokémon Breeders, Nurses.
Requirements: Onsite work in a hostile environment near a danger zone with frequent Pokémon incursions. Must be comfortable working alongside bounty hunters and Pokémon. Must submit to a psychic evaluation.
Limitations: Restricted travel due to proximity to hazardous zones. Hiring for Kanto only.
We Offer: All amenities provided, including housing, food, security, medical care, and recreation. Competitive salaries starting at 300,000 PokéDollars annually (higher for qualified professionals), plus a 1,000,000 PokéDollar signing bonus. Children welcome (family accommodations provided).
Apply in person at designated recruitment offices or submit digitally through authorized channels under code SN-HIRE25.
Be part of something bigger. Protect, connect, and fight with us.
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It wasn't the most desirable job on the market, since it required a complete overhaul of one's life, but the signing bonus and starting salary were shocking enough to convince many people to apply.
The salary matched that of most career professionals, surpassed only by business owners or executive-level managers whose pay could reach double or even triple that amount. On top of that, all amenities were provided, allowing employees to save their entire income for retirement, leisure, or even Pokémon, which was considered the ultimate luxury.
This gave Celise a headache, as there were simply too many applicants. She couldn't even rely on Metagross or Nyx to screen them, since there were still thousands left even after their filtering.
So, she recruited the help of the other girls to pick out their own subordinates to work with. This even included Mira, who would have her own team of masseuses to cater to the bounty hunters and Pokémon on a regular basis.
"How many was Celise planning on hiring again?" Alex asked as he lay in bed, ready for sleep.
"About two hundred people total," Vera answered as she joined him.
Alex's eyes widened. "That's a lot more than I was expecting."
"Half of them will be split between us to help with our jobs. The rest are support staff. Someone has to run the amenities we'll need to keep everyone entertained, like bartenders, clerks, cleaners, maintenance, all that."
"Cleaners?"
"You can't expect the Cinccino to handle everything. They're already struggling just taking care of us, let alone managing a place with six hundred people in it."
"Why six hundred when there should only be around three hundred?" Alex asked, then paused as realization hit. "I'm guessing most of the hires are parents?"
"The majority, yes. Most of them are single parents, which isn't surprising considering how easy it is to get kidnapped by the Underworld or killed by a wild Pokémon," Vera replied. "We're also accepting full families with three or more children who are willing to relocate together."
Alex had been dreaming big when he started planning for his organization. He wanted a completely self-sustaining home that had everything he could ever need from a city. This even included a thriving social community, which was why their recruitment specifically targeted families with children.
"When is the psychic evaluation scheduled?"
"We're still in the filtering phase, and it'll take about three more weeks before we finalize our picks, including backups. After that, we'll run an initial psychic evaluation, which will probably cut a lot of candidates. A month later is the final evaluation to fill any gaps, and that'll finalize the roster."
"Alright. Just let me know when you plan to have everyone come over. Teleporting hundreds of people to the base is going to be hectic."
Recruitment was restricted to within Kanto, so there shouldn't be anyone Alex needed to teleport from a distant region. At worst, he would have to teleport to each city, carrying people by the dozens. It would take the entire day at most.
"It'll be a month before construction ends, with the only thing left to build being the southern wall. We plan to have everyone arrive at the same time so we can orient them all at once."
"Is that why you girls added a signing bonus that large?"
"Yes. Those who pass the psychic evaluation will receive that amount to tide them over until they move here. They also get to settle any business they might need to wrap up. Then, we'll have you teleport everyone at once and officially begin operations."
Alex nodded, accepting their recruitment plan. It was troublesome being out here, isolated from civilization, with only himself acting as the connection between them and the rest of the region.
'I should hire a permanent teleporter,' Alex thought.
Not only would it let his employees visit their families safely, it would also give his bounty hunters freedom of movement across the region, greatly increasing their income.
Sadly, it would take a considerable amount of Pokémon to pull it off. He could do it, but it would reduce the number of Pokémon he could command at once, and maybe even delay his reunion with Grim.
He considered who he could pawn off the job to and couldn't find anyone. The girls were busy with their responsibilities and needed Pokémon that could help them. That left hiring someone, but the requirements were quite strict.
They would have to be completely loyal, Elite ranked, certified for teleportation, and have meditated long enough to allow multiple bonds past the standard six. Just the first requirement eliminated hiring a professional. They could betray him and just send an army over one random afternoon. It also couldn't be anyone loyal to someone other than himself, for the same reason.
'I could also train someone from the ground up,' Alex thought.
It would take a long time and cost quite a bit, but loyalty would be guaranteed. They'd need to have a dedicated line to handle teleportation requests from Maris's offices in each city. And they wouldn't even need to go in person. Once trained properly, the teleport Pokémon could follow strict instructions on its own.
Suddenly, Alex remembered a particular girl among the bounty hunters under Morgan.
She wasn't as loyal as she seemed, and she wasn't a lesbian. She'd only stayed with them because she'd been rescued with the others and didn't want to be left out. She found him attractive enough, and she didn't want to be a bounty hunter. She just wanted somewhere to belong. She had also joined Sable's energy-meditation group thanks to her natural talent with Bug type Pokémon.
"Which girl are you thinking about?" Vera asked as she snuggled closer to Alex.
"I'm with you right now. Why would I be thinking about anyone else?" he replied without missing a beat.
"I'm not the jealous type, so cut that out. Besides, I can tell this is more about business than pleasure, so out with it."
Alex sighed, equal parts relieved and resigned. "Iris Vellara, the Bug type specialist under Morgan."
Vera paused, picturing a cute, average-height girl with silver hair who had never quite seemed comfortable in Morgan's group. She wasn't bullied or ignored, just… there. Present, but never really part of anything. An extra standing among a stage of vengeful women.
"She's cute. A bit young, but old enough. Why her?"
"We need a teleporter, and she fits the bill."
"A teleporter would be a huge security breach if she had full access without supervision. She'd have to be loyal, but she belongs to Morgan. Can you trust Morgan?"
"Not entirely. I can trust Morgan to act in the interest of the bounty hunters and the girls she rescued, but I wouldn't trust her if she ever thought she could replace me as owner of the Silver Network. I plan to send her to another region when she reaches Champion rank."
"What about the girl?"
"She was an orphan who got captured out in the wilds and sold to a brothel. Morgan and her group rescued her along with a few others. She isn't fully loyal to Morgan or anyone in the group, she's only staying because she doesn't have anywhere else to go."
"That's easy. You want me to poach her for you?" Vera asked as she climbed on top of Alex and locked eyes with him.
"What do you have in mind?" Alex asked, running his hands up and down her thighs.
"First, I'd give her a reason to start looking for greener pastures," Vera murmured, leaning in until her breath brushed his ear.
"Then I'd build her a nest," she said, pressing a slow kiss to his neck.
"Then I'd make sure she was comfortable," she continued, her fingers trailing across his chest.
"After that, I'd show her worth," she whispered, her hand tracing down his abs before closing around little Alex. "And I'd watch Morgan panic from the side."
"Finally, I'd present her to the wolf and watch him devour her," she finished, sliding him into herself.
Alex exhaled, half amused, half captivated. "Sounds like a plan."
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