After finishing the battle with Roxanne and receiving the prestigious Rustboro Gym Badge, Alex stood silently for a moment under the bright lights of the union center, feeling a mixture of happiness and burning determination within. Although he had defeated Roxanne's main Pokémon — the sturdy and powerful Golem — he was neither complacent nor arrogant.
Because he clearly understood that today's battle was only a small part of the long, vast journey ahead.
The power gap between his Lucario and Golem in the third round seemed large, but that was not because Lucario was overwhelmingly stronger; rather, Golem was not at its maximum level. If Lucario were only on par or slightly below Golem's level, he would not have won so easily.
Besides, Golem was just one of many Pokémon in Roxanne's diverse and powerful lineup. She did not rely on a single Pokémon but had many others with flexible strategies, requiring Alex to prepare more thoroughly in the future.
Currently, Alex's team had only two main Pokémon. That was too few to confidently face more experienced trainers.
This meant there was still a lot to do: increasing Pokémon strength, expanding the team, and accumulating battle experience.
However, to train intensively and truly improve, there was a crucial prerequisite: money!
Money was what made everything more convenient. With money, you didn't have to worry about basic living expenses and could focus entirely on training, coaching, and even expanding your connections in the trainer community.
Like every other trainer, Alex was now entering the harsh reality phase.
At this moment, he was at the Rustboro city union center, a place that gathered thousands of missions issued by the union, serving bounty hunters, trainers seeking challenges, or additional income.
The mission screen appeared before Alex:
[Number of Missions: 8293]
[Mission Content:] The Rustboro City Shipping Company is recruiting temporary bodyguards for a sea journey to protect staff and cargo.
[Reward:] 50 union coins.
[Duration:] 20 days, including accommodation during the trip.
[Requirements:] Only for bounty hunters ranked C or higher, or those with at least 4 badges.
Alex glanced at the mission and sighed softly.
"Though the mission is simple, just routine security work, a 20-day sea journey? Too long and not worth it," he thought and quickly crossed it off.
His goal was to earn money quickly, enough to cover living expenses and have extra capital to invest in Pokémon.
He continued to browse other missions.
[Number of Missions: 5042]
[Mission Content:] Capture 5 escaped fossil Aerodactyls in the hunting area of Sootopolis City.
[Reward:] 200 union coins.
[Duration:] Unlimited.
[Requirements:] No special requirement.
"The reward is really big," Alex thought. "But I don't have a Pokémon that can fly, so capturing Aerodactyl would be very difficult."
This mission required agility and flying ability — something his team lacked.
He kept searching.
After a while, Alex's eyes suddenly lit up when he saw a suitable mission.
[Number of Missions: 6002]
[Mission Content:] Investigate and handle abnormalities of Mawile in Dewford Cave.
[Reward:] 150 union coins.
[Duration:] Unlimited.
[Requirements:] At least 4 badges or bounty hunter rank C or above.
"The reward has increased significantly from 50 coins to 150," Alex looked at the reward seriously.
"The difficulty surely isn't easy; Mawile usually live in groups and are Steel-type with extremely strong resistance."
"However, the generous reward and close location make it worth a try."
He scrolled to see the detailed mission content:
"Two weeks ago, Mawile in Dewford Cave suddenly became unusually aggressive, attacking anyone who approached the cave.
The situation worsened as they dared to leave the cave and attack nearby residents.
More than a dozen tourists have been attacked by Mawile, causing the people of Dewford Town to no longer tolerate this disturbance.
Mawile are known for their gentle nature, so certainly something happened in the cave to make them so aggressive."
Alex nodded and decided to accept the mission. He approached the mission counter.
A young woman, smiling professionally in the union center uniform, gently said:
"Hello, please present your identification."
Alex took from his bag a small badge symbolizing his bounty hunter rank and handed it to her.
She took it and swiped it through a computer. Her face showed slight surprise when the information appeared:
"A B-rank bounty hunter badge?!"
Alex knew well that bounty hunter ranks were ordered from lowest to highest: D, C, B, A, S, and SSS.
SSS rank was equivalent to Champion, S was King of bounty hunters, A similar to gym leaders, and B was a symbol for elite trainers.
Achieving B rank at a young age like Alex — around 17 or 18 — was truly rare and promising for the future.
Her smile became even brighter:
"How may I assist you?"
Alex calmly replied:
"I am here to accept mission number 6002."
She quickly typed on the keyboard, reviewed the mission details, then seriously asked:
"Are you sure? This mission has been accepted by 4 bounty hunters before, and unfortunately, all of them died in the cave."
Alex looked straight into her eyes:
"I know this mission is dangerous. But I am ready."
The woman looked at him with both worry and admiration:
"Good luck. Please be careful."
She helped him complete the mission acceptance procedures.
Alex walked out of the union center, his heart steady with firm determination.
He headed toward Dewford Town, where the challenging mission awaited.
Alex's motto was always: "Zhuge Liang is always cautious but never lacking decisiveness."
He was one of the smartest military strategists in history and highly valued caution.
Similarly, Alex knew his limits and wouldn't risk his life without being prepared.
If not confident, it's better to abandon the mission than to end up in unnecessary danger.