The next day, Alex rounded up his away team and took them to the new base. Construction had been underway for the past two months Alex was away, and so far, they were finishing up the bunker.
It was a massive underground facility that included most of the same amenities in the building to be constructed above it, the only difference being its occupancy. The upper base was meant for an on-site staff of about a thousand people, while the bunker below was designed to accommodate up to ten thousand trainees during emergencies.
Alex ignored the ongoing construction and headed northeast, past the lake and the twin walls beside it. He continued until he reached the far northeastern wall and finally released all his Pokémon.
"Dig a grave for Steelix and Forretress," Alex ordered.
The Pokémon moved into action, digging into the ground while taking care not to disturb the wall's foundation. Once they were finished, two wide, deep pits lay side by side. The larger one, big enough for a swimming pool, was for Steelix, while the smaller, jacuzzi-sized one was for Forretress.
Alex took out his space bag and placed Steelix's and Forretress's corpses in each pit before asking his Pokémon to close them up.
Once they were done, he had Ditto transform into Steelix to create a hardened mound of dirt over each grave, shaping them into smooth, stone-like markers before adding each of their names.
Finally, he turned to his Pokemon and addressed them directly.
"I failed as your trainer yesterday," Alex started. "You all fought beautifully and managed to win a battle that was heavily stacked against you. Unfortunately, because of my oversight, it cost two of our own. You saw what happens when I fail to prepare for every outcome. Steelix and Forretress paid the price for my mistake. That's something I'll carry with me from now on."
Alex let the weight of his words hang in the air before continuing. "I cannot promise you that it won't happen again. Some of you will certainly lose your lives if you continue fighting with me, and I am willing to allow you to stay here at the base to defend it instead of hunting with me."
None of Alex's Pokémon wavered at the offer. They had known since the moment they met him that the risk of death was always significant. Even so, fighting alongside Alex was far more rewarding than staying behind to defend the base. In exchange for the lives of two of their own, they had gained strength through the spoils of battle.
"For those of you who choose to continue, I will promise to do better and do everything possible to ensure your safety. We will likely find ourselves in even more perilous situations. It's in the nature of my occupation as a bounty hunter, after all."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the team. "But know this, I don't see you as weapons or tools. You are my partners, and everything we've achieved so far was because of you. I can't change what's already happened, but I can make sure that your sacrifices mean something. From this day forward, we fight smarter, not just harder. We learn from our mistakes. We honor the fallen not through grief, but through growth."
He took a deep breath, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "Steelix and Forretress gave everything they had for us. The least we can do is make sure their deaths weren't in vain. If you still wish to stand by my side, then I'll promise to do better as your trainer."
Silence lingered for a moment, then Alex nodded once and said quietly, "Let's make them proud, and make sure no one else joins them before their time."
They roared as one, their voices echoing across the walls, carrying both their grief and their determination.
Immediately after the small ceremony, Alex designated the area between the forest and the lake as the training grounds for the Pokémon. This way, their clashes would scare off any potential intruders.
He also started a new training regimen for them, one that focused on teamwork, speed, and precision, and further enhanced the training they had been doing for years.
Alex wasn't wrong with his initial setup of dividing his Pokémon into three primary teams: offense, defense, and utility. Each team had a clear purpose and role within his strategy.
The offensive team focused on creating chaotic melees to disrupt enemy formations. Once they were close enough to be covered by the enemy's expanded Protect shields, they would break through defensive lines and force the opposition into disarray. They were also responsible for delaying Champion ranked Pokémon, preventing them from wreaking havoc on the defensive team.
They consisted of Raticate and Arcanine, Kommo-o and Togekiss, Dusknoir and Ceruledge, and Tsareena and Zoroark. These four pairs formed the core of the offensive team, combining overwhelming power with speed. While Dusknoir lacked agility, he compensated through Phantom Force, allowing him to reposition effectively whenever needed.
The defensive team specialized in concentrated counterattacks and absorbing enemy fire, maintaining a stable perimeter to protect Alex, the wounded, and civilians. They also neutralized any environmental advantages the enemy might use, reducing the fight to pure strength and numbers.
They consisted of Clawitzer, Altaria, Frosmoth, Alcremie, Hydreigon, three Maushold, and Weezing. This group also included the water team, made up of Gyarados, Milotic, and six Wishiwashi. The water team was included mainly because they had difficulty maneuvering on land.
The utility team only joined the battle when necessary. Rotom served as the hacker and tech specialist, Ditto and Aegislash focused on protecting Alex, the Crobat couple prevented any prey from escaping, and Gardevoir and Espeon acted as field commanders coordinating the rest of the teams.
Together with Alex and his firearms, they were able to dominate battles against opponents superior in both numbers and rank. However, there was still room for improvement.
To improve the offensive team's combat effectiveness, Alex decided that they would regularly switch partners and adjust the number of active fighters depending on the situation. This system would make them more adaptable in unpredictable battles, allowing unexpected pairings to work seamlessly together. It would also enable Gardevoir to deploy the most effective Pokémon combinations against specific opponents rather than relying on fixed or less optimal pairings.
For the defensive team, Alex implemented a new attack rotation to complement their existing strategy. Up until now, the team had relied primarily on a Protect rotation, defending against enemy bombardments while launching counterattacks in between.
The new system focused on sustained offense, a concentrated bombardment that stacked three attacks. By staggering their timing, the team could unleash three consecutive strikes in the same window it usually took to execute a single move. The result was a seamless, overlapping wave of attacks that formed a continuous wall of energy, overwhelming and suppressing opponents under relentless pressure.
Finally, to tie it all together, Alex had Gardevoir practice weaving the teams together to allow the offensive team to immediately take cover. This would prevent the same situation that had caused Forretress's death.
When combined, the attack team would focus on Protect rotation at the perimeter of the defensive team, while the defensive team concentrated their fire. This way, even if they were assaulted by a Champion planning to instigate a chaotic melee, the offensive team would be ready to prevent it, allowing the defensive team to continue their bombardment.
"It seems like the roles have reversed," Alex commented while observing their new training regimen.
The Pokémon were doing their best to weave between each other in clean formations that, in theory, would make it easier for them to join up or break apart when needed.
As he watched, Alex realized they still had a fundamental problem.
"There's not enough Pokémon."
Trainers usually had a team of 6 Pokémon. Champion ranked trainers, therefore, had at least 6 Champions on average. For an Elite to contain a Champion, there needed to be at least 3 of them working together to corner the target while ensuring their safety. That meant Alex needed 18 Pokémon for his offensive team.
The defensive team had a similar issue. The new concentrated fire rotation reduced each individual attack's effectiveness by a third. Instead of a single, powerful wave of attacks, it now produced three weaker ones. They needed to bolster their numbers to maintain proper firepower.
On top of that, the defensive team lacked Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB) Pokémon for each type. If all types were represented, their combined elements could enhance the chaotic nature of their assault and deal more damage. By staggering attacks into three waves, Alex could prevent clashing elements and instead create sequences that strengthened each other. For example, Water, Electric, Flying, Psychic, and Fairy types could combine to increase damage, but Alex didn't have an Electric type in his defensive lineup.
Unfortunately, solving these problems required more Pokémon, and he was already at his limit. He needed to reach Champion rank before he could bond with additional ones without risking his sanity.
"All in good time," he muttered.
After yesterday's battle, Raticate was on the verge of reaching Champion rank, surpassing even Hydreigon and Arcanine. It was no doubt because he had eaten Venomoth all by himself.
Alex could tell that all Raticate needed now was training to harness the nutrients and time to grow into his newfound power.
Fortunately, Alex had plenty of time on his hands. They were overstocked with bullets, Pokédollars, and credits. The base was being built and needed defenses. The team needed to perfect their new formations. His gadgets required further refinement. And Alex was too wracked with guilt to feel any craving for violence.
He didn't have any reason to leave, so all that was left was to wait until he reached Champion rank.
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