Alex woke up the next morning to the warmth of Vera and Iris hugging him. It had been a wilder night than usual, with a new "toy" to play with, so he had slept well as a result.
He got up, put on some clothes, and headed to his PC to retrieve his latest purchases. Stored in standard-looking Poké Balls were Chandelure, Rhyperior, and Vikavolt, all in pairs.
He made his way to the training grounds in the north section of the property, Gardevoir in tow, before calling out his new additions to the defense team.
With a flash of red light, six Pokémon appeared in male-female pairs, all at the higher end of Expert rank.
"Hello, I'm Alex, your new trainer," he said, both hands behind his back. "I'm not like your average trainer who wants to be a Pokémon Master and bring you to the greatest heights in the world. I'm a bounty hunter whose primary means of earning resources is by hunting and killing humans and Pokémon."
The reason Alex bought them at Expert rank rather than Elite rank was due to differences in training. Elite ranked Pokémon were often caught in the wild and sold as-is, usually with some backstory to accompany them. The more violent they were, the cheaper they tended to be.
These made for good members of the attack team since they had developed combat sense and keen awareness from their time in the wild. Once minimally trained to refine their combat style, they could typically fight well on their own.
Expert ranked Pokémon, on the other hand, were the most common on the market. To remain competitive, breeders feed and train them according to specific "builds." The more capable they are within these builds, the more expensive they become, which necessitated training from a young age rather than capturing them first and training later.
The ones Alex purchased were on the higher end due to their age and time spent training. Their builds were focused purely on range. It also helped that they were already accustomed to training, making formation exercises an easier transition compared to wild Pokémon.
"The reason I purchased you and plan to train you is that I want Pokémon to bolster the team I already have in place. You will need to train and follow strict instructions from my commander, Gardevoir," Alex said, gesturing to her.
Gardevoir immediately sent images of the training into their minds, showing the expectations of what they had to accomplish. These were followed by the benefits of being Alex's Pokémon, which were quite significant compared to what they were used to.
"If you want the benefits that come from being my Pokémon," he continued, as he placed six Elite ranked meat dishes on the ground in front of them, "you need to train as if your life depends on it, because it does, and so do the lives of the other Pokémon on the team."
They approached the offering, sniffed it, and then proceeded to gorge on it. They had never eaten Elite ranked meat before, even on special occasions. There were too many of them for such an expenditure to be sustainable, so most of the time they fed on Adept ranked Pokémon meat, with the occasional Expert ranked portion for when they accomplished a milestone in their training.
"If you choose to accept, I will make good on my promises and expect you to do the same. Otherwise, I will find another trainer for you who lives a much more mediocre lifestyle."
None of them backed down from Alex's offer, prompting a smile to play on his lips.
"Good. Let's complete the bond, get you measured, and then I will leave you in Gardevoir's capable hands so you can get used to the place," Alex said as he stepped forward and bonded with each of them.
He felt the weight of their energy settle in his chest without so much as a whisper. It seemed he could keep adding more Pokémon of the same rank without it affecting him in the slightest.
He wouldn't go wild just yet, not until he managed to get Grim back. The power of that bond had been significant enough to make Alex cautious.
Once he was finished, he had them perform their moves while he recorded with his phone, immediately noticing the difference compared to his own Pokémon. Their attacks all covered a noticeably wider range.
Their Special moves expanded proportionally to the percentage increase. This meant a Shadow Ball was twice as large. While it would likely deal less damage if only part of it hit, it opened the possibility of striking multiple targets at once.
For some moves, like Thunderbolt, the effect was negligible, but for attacks such as Discharge or Heatwave, the difference was dramatic, turning the training ground into a literal storm of energy.
Single-target Physical moves didn't follow the same pattern, due to the obvious limitation of their physical nature. Their limbs didn't grow larger when they attacked. However, this enhancement did affect area-of-effect Physical moves.
For example, Earthquake and Rock Slide affected a large circular area that radiated outward from the target, hitting everything within its radius. In contrast, Bulldoze and Breaking Swipe left linear paths along the ground or air, striking in a straight line, and with increased Range, the width of these lines expanded, covering more space along their trajectory.
Satisfied with their move proficiencies, Alex moved on to checking each of their Pokédex entries, beginning with the Chandelure.
Name: Chandelure, Expert
Type: Ghost, Fire, Male/Female
Ability: Flash Fire
Moves:
Basic: Astonish, Flame Wheel, Trailblaze, Facade, Flame Charge, Giga Impact, Flare Blitz, Poltergeist, Lash Out, Temper Flare, Skitter Smack, Thief
Advanced:
(Effect Up +1): Protect, Curse, Memento, Minimize, Smokescreen, Acid Armor, Endure, Calm Mind, Spite, Double Team
(Priority +1): Confuse Ray, Will-O-Wisp, Heal Block, Imprison, Pain Split, Haze, Sunny Day, Sleep Talk, Rest, Taunt, Substitute, Trick, Trick Room, Psych Up, Safeguard
Expert:
(+100% Range): Heat Wave, Shadow Ball, Hex, Fire Spin, Night Shade, Inferno, Overheat, Smog, Ember, Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, Energy Ball, Psychic, Fire Blast, Hyper Beam, Solar Beam, Tera Blast, Burning Jealousy
Description: Chandelure, the Luring Flame Pokémon. Its body burns with an eerie blue fire that never extinguishes, drawing in both prey and challengers alike. Chandelure absorbs the life force of those caught in its flames, converting it into energy to fuel its haunting glow.
Their Special moves were all at Expert proficiency with +100% Range, indicating that they were both at least 8 years old. Status moves were all at Advanced, boosting their minimum age to 10, while Physical moves were left at Basic, which was understandable given their low Attack stat.
They were fed for Special Attack and Speed, which suited Alex just fine.
Overall, they were well worth the million credits he had paid for each of them. For reference, a million credits was the same amount he had sold an Abra for, and also what he had paid for Absol, Morpeko, and Houndoom, who were already at Elite rank at the time.
Next, he checked the Rhyperior.
Name: Rhyperior, Expert
Type: Ground Rock, Male/Female
Ability: Solid Rock
Moves:
Advanced:
(Effect Up +1): Tail Whip, Scary Face, Protect, Swords Dance, Iron Defense, Roar, Curse
(Priority +1): Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, Stealth Rock, Helping Hand
Expert:
(+100% Range): Bulldoze, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Breaking Swipe, Mud-Slap, Icy Wind, Mud Shot, Flash Cannon, Dragon Pulse, Surf, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Earth Power, Ice Beam, Fire Blast, Hydro Pump, Blizzard, Focus Blast, Hyper Beam, Thunder, Tera Blast, Uproar, Scorching Sands, Meteor Beam
(+100% Damage): Hammer Arm, Tackle, Smack Down, Horn Attack, Stomp, Rock Blast, Drill Run, Take Down, Stone Edge, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Facade, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Fling, Dragon Tail, Avalanche, Smart Strike, Dig, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Body Slam, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Poison Jab, Stomping Tantrum, Body Press, Iron Head, Crunch, Heavy Slam, Reversal, Outrage, High Horsepower, Heat Crash, Focus Punch, Double-Edge, Temper Flare, Supercell Slam
(Priority +2):Thief
(Effect Up +2): Endeavor
Description: Rhyperior, the Drill Pokémon. Its massive, armor-plated body is capable of withstanding tremendous impacts while it charges headlong into obstacles with unstoppable force. Rhyperior hurls rocks and debris from its hardened arms, flattening anything in its path, and uses its drill-like horn to tunnel through the earth with ease.
Their status was significantly better since their Physical moves were at Expert proficiency along with their Special moves. This puts their age at 18 years old minimum.
They were fed for Attack and Speed, which was more than acceptable for what Alex had planned for them.
Finally, Alex checked the Vikavolt.
Name: Vikavolt, Expert
Type: Bug Electric, Male/Female
Ability: Levitate
Moves:
Basic: Crunch, Vise Grip, Dig, X-Scissor, Bug Bite, Bite, Spark, Guillotine, Fly, Take Down, Acrobatics, Pounce, Facade, Bulldoze, Poison Jab, Wild Charge, Giga Impact, Lunge, Supercell Slam, Skitter Smack
Advanced:
(Effect Up +1): String Shot, Iron Defense, Sticky Web, Agility, Protect, Endure, Eerie Impulse
(Priority +1): Charge, Rain Dance, Sleep Talk, Light Screen, Thunder Wave, Rest, Substitute, Electric Terrain, Baton Pass
Expert:
(+100% Range): Discharge, Mud-Slap, Thunderbolt, Bug Buzz, Struggle Bug, Charge Beam, Swift, Mud Shot, Volt Switch, Air Slash, Electro Ball, Flash Cannon, Energy Ball, Hyper Beam, Thunder, Solar Beam, Tera Blast, Electroweb
Description: Vikavolt, the Stag Beetle Pokémon. Known for its incredibly strong mandibles and precise electric attacks, Vikavolt can shoot high-voltage beams with deadly accuracy. By clasping a Charjabug in its legs, it can use the smaller Pokémon as an extra power source, allowing it to fire its powerful beams rapidly.
Their status was roughly the same as the Chandelure's in that their Physical Moves were left at Basic proficiency, which was fine for Alex. He didn't expect them to move in close to attack. Even if faced with a direct challenge, he preferred that they rely on Special moves to counter.
Similar to the Chandelure, they were trained in Special Attack and Speed.
'Charjabug, huh?' Alex mused. 'Nah, too much of a liability in battle. If they get separated, they'd almost certainly be lost on the battlefield, so I'll scratch that option.'
The idea of treating Pokémon as energy sources was an interesting concept, but Alex wasn't heartless. He didn't mind committing a massacre when necessary, but even he wasn't ruthless enough to use young Pokémon as disposable batteries. He still had a bottom line.
"All right," Alex said once he had finished noting their statuses. "Gardevoir here will show you around the base and where you'll be staying. She will also lay down the ground rules regarding interaction with humans and other Pokémon. Tomorrow, you'll be introduced to the rest of the team and start your training in earnest."
The six Pokémon nodded in agreement before turning to Gardevoir to follow her instructions.
"Gardevoir," Alex called before she turned to leave. "Place them on the defensive team and transfer Zoroark as well. You'll notice we're only missing Steel and Fighting types for our type coverage, and I plan to add a pair of Lucario once I get my hands on them."
"Also, group Raticate, Arcanine, and Ceruledge together, and Kommo-o, Togekiss, and Dusknoir together. They will be the first groups of our attack team. The rest will take longer to procure, but make space for a flying group with a particularly uncontrollable core."
"Make the appropriate adjustments, would you?"
"Gar," she nodded before leaving with the new additions.
Alex stayed and took a look around the devastated training grounds and smiled with satisfaction at his latest purchase. They would be a much-needed boost to the defense team and greatly enhance their ability to hold off an unlimited number of enemies.
All that remained before he set off for the International Police headquarters was to wait for Arcanine and Hydreigon to reach Champion rank.
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