Alex had always been capable of farming credits en masse through nests. The challenge was finding a legal justification. Most Elite rank nests near cities were under Ranger protection, and attacking them would draw the wrong kind of attention. He had to push deep into Champion territory just to find a profitable target the League was glad to be rid of.
On top of that, he was simply too poor to sell Elite ranked Pokémon when his own team needed the meat. Nest extermination gave him just enough legal cover and a bonus from the League to profit, so that became his mainstay for a while.
Now that he could handle Champion ranked nests and no longer needed every Elite for sustenance, the equation had changed. He could earn as much alone as a group of organized Elite ranked trainers. Mostly due to his team's numbers.
The same logic applied to fishing in a Pokémon flood. Alex had always known it was a goldmine, but he had never known when or where to cast his net. It was like a fisherman's secret. Nobody broadcasted the perfect spot.
This was his first time witnessing a real flood safely. Now that he had the knowledge and the means, he intended to milk it for everything it was worth.
His team continued to hunt while chasing after the flood until evening, when it finally began to taper off.
A flood was like a disturbance in a serene lake, losing momentum the farther it spread. It lost significant strength when it ran through swathes of empty land or encountered powerful nests that chose to fight back instead of joining the panic.
Some of these were deliberately placed by the League. They were strong nests positioned to dampen the effects of Pokémon floods. They functioned like coastal breakwaters, using interlocking tetrapods to dissipate the force of powerful waves before they could crash onto the shoreline.
By the end, they managed to capture close to 150 in total, many of which were Normal type, so Alex wasn't too excited about it.
What he was excited for, however, was the number of Pokémon he managed to catch in a single day with significantly less danger or effort than bringing down a Champion ranked nest. Unfortunately, these typically happened only once a year unless he could find another similar location, which was doubtful.
He gave the captures to Nyx to sell before returning to the valley the next morning, where he conducted another survey.
The first thing he noticed was the pool of dead Pokémon piled up in the pit that would become the lake. It was filled with trampled Pokémon who were either close to dying or already corpses. It seemed they must have fallen and been trampled, unable to escape as the flood pooled over them.
Alex collected the corpses and put the rest out of their misery. He needed cash as well as credits, after all.
He then continued with the survey, noting the damage to the flora. The valley floor had turned an earthy brown as the vegetation was trampled and kicked around. The trees by the edges were uprooted, and plenty of locations that were minor dead ends had corpses of Pokémon that were trampled.
He continued his survey around the valley as well, to see where the rest of the flood was expected to pass when he blocked the entrance to the valley and they were led around the mountains through Mt. Moon, where plenty of League nests were stationed.
To the east, it led to more mountainous regions that blocked the way to Routes 24 and 25. It seemed setting up his wall would slightly inconvenience the nests to the west and east, but considering there were relatively empty stretches of land in between, it shouldn't be that problematic. Ultimately, he was safe to proceed with his plans.
A few months later, once the new recruits were sufficiently trained, Alex headed north from his territory and hunted for Champion ranked nests. He wanted them to gain experience as well as spread their aura and scent around.
They traveled for a few hours past the forest and deeper into the mountainous wilds until they encountered the unmistakable aura of a Champion ranked nest, a combination of over a hundred Elites' aura mixing with a Champion's.
The place they reached was a narrow gorge nestled within a wider valley, flanked on both sides by steep, jagged cliffs and dense forest that made traversal nearly impossible except through the main path. The terrain funneled any movement through the center, creating a natural choke point ideal for corralling and containing wild nests.
At Alex's signal, Gardevoir divided the Pokémon into three teams of ten that would rotate to save stamina while maintaining alternating Protects. Then, Alex's home team used Roar while spreading their aura as a challenge against the Champion.
The reply came at once, as a piercing screech cut through the still air like a blade. It was followed by a chaotic eruption from the cave Alex had missed above them. Thousands of bat-like Pokémon from the Zubat, Noibat, Gligar, and Woobat lines exploded into motion, their cries merging into a shrill, needling chorus that clawed at the ears. The sound ricocheted off the gorge walls, growing louder with every bounce until it felt as though the very stone was vibrating with their frenzy.
Rather than come out of the cave and confront them, however, they simply kept using sound waves to drive Alex and his team away. They weren't taking any damage, but it was clear they would have to go to them to fight.
This was not ideal for Alex, so he ordered a retreat as they slowly left the gorge and returned to the forest with no pursuers in sight.
"Well, this sucks," Alex complained.
He had always defended himself whenever he hunted nests. He and his team would rely on alternating Protect to weather attacks while counterattacking. He had never encountered a nest that would simply scare away their enemies.
Even the previous Zubat line nest he had taken down preferred a confrontation over a tactical play.
He thought about how he would bring this nest down and immediately considered causing a cave-in. Unfortunately, the cleanup would be long and dangerous. The kind of effort that didn't justify the resulting pay.
He realized that he was strong enough to take down a Champion and its nest but not strong enough to walk into their base like they owned the place. It would require a stronger team that could scatter and coordinate rather than turtle up. He would have to make the appropriate adjustments during training.
He had to admit, though, it was a genius strategy by the Champion. Why bother fighting directly when they could lure enemies into a cave where their sound-based attacks were amplified, ensuring their base was always defended? They would likely only leave to hunt at night.
Alex couldn't find a convenient solution, so he simply left and continued searching the area.
The forest was relatively empty, likely due to the recent flood, so it would take a while to find nests again. Only nests whose leaders had a defensive advantage against a flood had remained, ironically working against Alex and his team as well.
There was a Ground type nest that hid underground and wouldn't come up, despite Alex and his team using Earthquakes that should have collapsed their tunnels. There were nests that relied on the trees to guarantee their safety as they hopped away. There were also plenty of Flying type nests high up in the mountains that wouldn't react to any provocation.
This put Alex in a bit of a passive position. He couldn't hunt more nests in the local area precisely because of the frequent floods. The Pokémon here had gotten used to simply avoiding them and all other problems like trainers.
He would have to wait for more nests to come around or, worst-case scenario, wait for the next flood to roll around.
He could afford to wait, thanks to the supplies and resources he had built up since the flood at the farm. Besides, both he and his Pokémon still had room to grow. They needed more training to sharpen their teamwork and improve their combat strength as Elites. And then there was Alvera. With a daughter to care for and enjoy quiet moments with, maybe this was the perfect chance to slow down and take a well-deserved break.
He wasn't in a hurry to build the base either. Not only would he require more money to pay for it, he would also need even more money to keep it running. He would need enough resources to hire more workers and an income to offset his losses.
This meant he had to wait for Lyra to form a capable team of her own, one strong enough to take on missions and earn money. Once she reached that point, Alex could step in and offer his guidance, training, and resources in exchange for a share of their earnings. It was a strategy not unlike weaker bounty hunters who made their living selling valuable intel to others instead of doing the dangerous work themselves.
In the end, he would simply have to wait for the right time.
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