The Kalos Region, much like Unova, was a modern region that had pushed wild Pokémon territories beyond its eastern borders while allowing certain areas to remain as protected nature preserves. Unlike Unova, however, its largest city, Lumiose City, had been commandeered by Master ranked trainers from across the world and transformed into a gateway to other dimensions. The resulting migration drove countless residents into every other city and town throughout the region, swelling their populations far beyond what they had originally been designed to accommodate.
Fortunately, the Master ranked trainers and the League acquired Lumiose City through financial means. Every affected city and town received a substantial influx of funding to cope with the sudden population boom, investing heavily in new infrastructure and advanced technologies while preserving their local identities and cultures. Cities expanded both upward and outward to accommodate more residents, while many towns grew into cities of their own with additional Gym Leaders appointed to maintain order.
Unfortunately, where there was wealth, there was opportunity, and where there was opportunity, there were always those eager to exploit it. Criminal organizations flourished amid the economic upheaval, taking advantage of overextended authorities and the immense wealth flowing through the region.
The Gym Leaders did their best to keep the peace, but there were times when the criminals they pursued had connections to one or more Master ranked trainers in Lumiose City, turning what should have been straightforward law enforcement into political disputes. Even ordinary gangs could possess backing from individuals beyond the League's jurisdiction, forcing local authorities to tolerate far more than they otherwise would.
Of course, where there was evil, there was also good, preventing these organizations from operating unchecked. From time to time, they would target victims whose own connections were every bit as influential, drawing rival Master ranked trainers into the conflict. Like vigilantes, these enraged trainers would rampage across Kalos, hunting down every member of the offending organization until both it and its backers had been wiped out. Their actions would reset the balance of power, creating a vacuum that rival syndicates were quick to fill.
The unprecedented concentration of people, wealth, technology, and political influence had turned Kalos into one of the most prosperous regions in the world, but also one of its most volatile. Every opportunity came paired with hidden dangers, making local knowledge more valuable than ever.
Alex turned toward Lyra and Mika, hoping that after spending so much time journeying across the region, they could point him toward worthwhile targets to hunt. He needed credits that could be spent in Lumiose City, but more importantly, he sought opponents capable of pushing his Pokémon's willpower beyond the threshold of Champion rank. Then, when their bodies eventually reached the very peak of their rank, they might finally achieve a breakthrough just as Clarissa's Charizard had.
"What do you have for me, girls?" Alex asked over a video call.
"Plenty," Lyra replied. "Serial killers, assassins, poachers, human and Pokémon traffickers, drug cartels, smugglers, black-market operators, thieves, and an entire roster of untouchables with massive bounties on their heads."
"Perfect." Alex grinned. "Send me the ones causing you the most trouble, and I'll start thinning the list."
"Just be careful," Mika warned. "Hunt them one at a time. If you start taking down multiple organizations, they'll stop fighting each other and focus on you instead. A few of them aren't much of a threat on their own, but neither you nor the base can handle three Master ranked trainers and all of their underlings coming after you at once. Those names stay at the top of the bounty board for a reason. They're either powerful enough to survive every hunt or influential enough that no one wants to touch them."
"Understood." Alex nodded. "I'll have Nyx put together the optimal target list. My Pokémon have never been stronger, and they're overdue for opponents that can actually push them."
Alex contacted Nyx next. Combining her access to online intelligence with the firsthand information Lyra and Mika had gathered during their journey, they compiled an optimal target list that started at the lower end of the high-value bounty board and worked its way upward. Starting with the biggest names would only alarm the smaller organizations, giving them time to unite and prepare for him.
Ordinarily, Alex wouldn't have minded the challenge. The problem was that once they realized he could simply erase entire organizations with the B.O.M.B., they might decide that attacking him directly was suicide and instead retaliate by targeting his family back in Kanto. A methodical approach was slower, but it minimized the chances of provoking a coordinated response.
"Are you sure about this, Alex?" Nyx asked, concern evident in her voice. "Almost every organization and individual on that list has ties to a Master ranked trainer. Sooner or later, you're going to provoke a retaliation that'll cost us more than the bounties are worth."
"I'm sure," Alex replied without hesitation. "Warn the girls about the possibility of retaliation against the base, and raise the Silver Network's alert level by 2. If anyone comes after us, I want them to pay dearly for it."
"Understood." Nyx nodded. "We'll probably spend the next few years recovering financially from maintaining this level of readiness, but if you manage to clear even a fraction of those bounties, the payout will more than make up for it. And by the time you're done, your reputation will be on an entirely different level."
Alex smiled. "That's the plan."
Alert levels determined the minimum number of bounty hunters recommended for each mission, forcing them to operate in larger groups. Although this reduced each hunter's individual earnings, the Silver Network covered the difference to prioritize their safety, making higher alert levels expensive to maintain. The tradeoff was that these highly trained, coordinated teams became far harder to eliminate, forcing any organization seeking retaliation to commit entire armies rather than small strike teams. Every failed assault would therefore cost the attackers far more than it cost the Silver Network to prepare for it.
Meanwhile, Alex reviewed his first target, a poachers' guild operating out of Aquacorde City. As Kalos's cities expanded to accommodate the population boom, wild Pokémon habitats steadily shrank, making native Pokémon increasingly scarce. Hunting expeditions to the eastern wilderness couldn't keep up with demand, creating a lucrative market for poachers willing to raid protected preserves such as Pokémon Village just east of the city.
Despite Wulfric repeatedly dismantling the guild, it resurfaced year after year under new leadership, with its bounty growing each time. Its backers had long since decided it was cheaper to replace the poachers whenever they were caught than to defend them and risk paying the League's enormous fines for interfering with Wulfric's work.
This made the bounty both lucrative and relatively low risk, making it the perfect introduction to Kalos's political landscape. From there, Alex expected the retaliation to escalate gradually as he climbed the bounty board from the bottom up, dismantling one organization after another while steadily amassing a fortune in credits.
With his objectives identified and his first destination secured, Alex teleported over via Interpol's teleportation network and arrived in Aquacorde City.
The sleepy little town had long since outgrown its name. The original district remained largely intact at the city's heart, its stone cottages, flower-lined streets, and traditional architecture carefully preserved as a reminder of Kalos's quieter past.
Surrounding it were broad avenues flanked by mid-rise apartment blocks, hotels, shopping centers, and office buildings that stretched east and west as far as the eye could see. To the north, development had spread along the river, filling its banks with docks, warehouses, and riverside promenades built around the busy waterway. To the south, the once quiet road leading to Vaniville Town had transformed into a bustling urban corridor lined with residential districts and commercial developments, seamlessly connecting two settlements that had both outgrown their original boundaries.
The city's population had swelled several times over as Kalos rapidly urbanized. Residents, travelers, trainers, and merchants crowded its streets at all hours, giving the city a constant liveliness. Pokémon Centers bustled with visitors, cafés and shops overflowed with customers, and League patrols were a common sight as they kept pace with one of eastern Kalos's busiest population centers.
Yet despite its transformation, Aquacorde had never lost the welcoming atmosphere that once defined the town. It had simply grown into a city capable of extending that warmth to hundreds of thousands instead of a few thousand.
Alex didn't waste any time, making his way toward one of the city's seedier districts where gangs, fences, smugglers, loan sharks, drug dealers, and other opportunists conducted business just out of sight of the League. Before long, he found an unassuming alleyway notorious for drawing in trainers desperate enough to earn quick money.
Releasing Gardevoir and Rotom, Alex let the pair get to work.
Gardevoir extended her psychic senses through the surrounding buildings, brushing against hundreds of minds in search of those trying to remain hidden. At the same time, Rotom slipped into the nearest network terminal, hopping from system to system in search of suspicious activity.
Minutes later, Gardevoir silently pointed toward a locked service door tucked beside a small café.
A grin spread across Alex's face.
He strode over, planted a foot against the reinforced door, and blasted it from its hinges. The broken frame crashed to the floor as dust and splintered wood billowed through the entrance.
Alex stepped through the settling dust with a smile. "Alright, who's making me rich today?"