"I have to make how much!?" Sable exclaimed.
She was nearing Champion rank and had been working tirelessly to feed her team with Champion ranked Pokémon meat, as their progress had significantly slowed on the usual Elite rank diet. Collecting credits had been slow going considering the level of danger in the wilderness, but she had managed to earn plenty of credits off of Alex through mining.
Now, she needed to pay 1 million credits per year once she reached Champion rank.
"Maybe staying as an Elite isn't such a bad thing," she muttered.
"Don't worry," Alex said. "I'll cover your contribution point requirement so long as you keep mining for us."
"Really?"
"Yeah, and that goes for all of you. If you manage to reach Champion rank, I'll personally fund your contributions to the League."
It was only a million credits per year per person. If he managed to capture a bounty worth 10 million, as he planned to do from now on, he would be able to cover eleven people for a year. Also, with the yearly Pokémon floods the base experienced, it would be easy to make an extra 20–30 million per year to cover even more people.
As for when the number of people exceeded the income he could provide, he highly doubted his organization could reach that level. It takes Champion ranked Pokémon meat to produce more Champions within a reasonable timeframe. He would have to scavenge the danger zones to collect enough, and even then, he would certainly prioritize himself over others, even the girls. He was the primary protector, after all.
This meant it would be difficult for any of the girls to reach Champion rank unless he somehow obtained a massive surplus of meat. A stockpile equivalent to at least ten years' worth, which, in Alex's knowledge, was simply too much. There did not exist a location he could easily hunt to gain that much Champion ranked meat. If there were, he knew nothing about it.
Perhaps when he reached Master Rank and started hunting in Master Rank danger zones, he would be able to elevate everyone under him to Champion Rank, sustain their growth, and cover their contributions. But he was a fresh Champion himself, only technically a Champion. It would still take a while to fully settle into that rank and gain a full team.
"I don't think you have to," Nyx said, highlighting a section of the information packet pertaining to earning contribution points. "It says here that organizations led by a Champion ranked trainer may be eligible to earn contribution points, depending on the League's discretion. It goes on to explain that certain 'beneficial' organizations will be granted contribution points based on their effect on society and their benefit to the League."
Alex smiled knowingly. This explained why he decided to start building the foundation of a bounty hunting organization years ago. At the time, he hadn't fully understood his motivation. He had only been suspicious of the many organizations offering services when he reached Elite rank.
There were services offering weight loss, construction, delivery, frontier homesteading, Elite education, specialized training regimens, top-quality diet plans, teleportation, research, breeding, acquisition, hunting, and countless others, payable simply in credits or Poké Dollars. Any average Elite ranked trainer could take advantage of them with just a little work.
Why did they exist?
How could they justify the operational costs?
Were they really in that much need of money that they would target the Elites?
It always seemed like the rich and powerful were graciously offering their services to the public without benefiting themselves.
Now, it made sense. The League's contribution point system and the exemptions it offered were the hidden incentives behind these organizations. Everything clicked into place.
"I guess we're definitely moving forward with our bounty hunting organization," Alex said before turning to Celise. "What do you think?"
"Can I start recruitment now?" she answered.
"Yes. I updated my license and immediately received permission to conduct psychic evaluations officially, so you can coordinate with Malamar to start interviews."
"I'll need a teleporter as well to help with the interviews. We can't exactly expect regular people to come to the base, so I'll have to find suitable locations myself."
"Ask Maris for space to conduct your interviews. Have Gardevoir escort you with Malamar."
"Won't she be busy with training?"
"Yes, which is why you need to plan carefully and schedule your final interviews for just one day each month."
"It's a bit tight, but I should be able to manage if I hire a few managers and secretaries."
"Go for it," Alex agreed, then he remembered Alvera's need for education. "Don't forget to hire teachers and caretakers for the children."
"I haven't, but I'll still prioritize secretaries and managers to get this building running and ready to receive more people."
"I'll leave you to it. Just make sure our goal is to meet the League's requirements for the contribution point stipend. That way, we don't have to worry about it and can focus on growth."
"Noted."
They continued reading the information packet and discovered yet another secret the League had been keeping from the public.
Other than the danger zones that Alex was familiar with, the information packet also included what are known as Battle Zones. Areas located near danger zones that require a constant influx of trainers to combat recurring Pokémon floods. These are locations that have not yet been stabilized, unlike regions such as Kanto, Johto, or Hoenn, where nests and territories have already been established to keep the wild Pokémon in check and prevent the region from being overrun.
Examples of these battle zones include Sinnoh's Distortion World, which has become a continual battlefield since its discovery and initial exploration decades ago; Alola's Ultra Wormholes, which constantly release Ultra Beasts attempting to invade Alola; and the Moon Base, jointly maintained by famous Professors like Oak, Birch, and Juniper, which must continually defend against local Pokémon. Several other locations also fall into this category.
"I guess this is where most Champions go to get Champion ranked Pokémon meat. Are you interested, Sable?" Alex asked.
"Hell no! I became a trainer to mine and to take advantage of my Ground affinity, not to constantly fight with my life on the line."
"What about you, Alex?" Nyx asked. "Are you interested?"
"Very much so, yes, but I have more important priorities for the time being. Also, the payout supports only one Champion per year. It's a great way for a lone trainer fresh from their journeys to complete a full team, but I have better options than sitting in one place and watching my Pokémon fight an endless horde. I might visit, though, just to see what it's all about, but not until the organization is up and running."
Also, he had a growing daughter so he couldn't be away for too long. He was a family man now after all.
"I guess that just leaves the job offers," Rhea said as she read through Alex's job offer notifications. "These aren't half bad. Maybe I should consider moving up in the world. That researcher position on the Moon Base, led by the Professors, sounds like the peak of research and development."
Alex was offered a job as a researcher, working right beside the best of the best because of his research papers. Obviously, he wasn't interested.
He was a fraud who only wrote papers for the money while taking advantage of his otherworldly knowledge, so the thought of accepting that position terrified him. He would be stuck in a lab doing God knows what while his physique rotted away. It was his version of a nightmare.
"You're welcome to join them," Alex offered. "Although you'll have to leave your current projects behind, as they're considered my intellectual property."
"On second thought, who wants to work with a bunch of eccentric old guys?" she backtracked immediately. "Being here with all of you is where I belong," she added, spreading her arms toward everyone in the room in a warm, affectionate gesture.
Alex and the girls smirked at Rhea's sudden change of tune after that small threat. From her perspective, the ideas behind Alex's projects were simply that impressive, especially the ones she was currently working on.
Apart from the research position, Alex had received numerous offers from other organizations. These positions typically meant managerial roles, front-line combat at Battle Zones, gym trainers, or even gym leaders in certain regions.
Finally, there was the one offer he had been expecting. It was a position with the International Police as an agent.
"Alex! Isn't this perfect for you?" Nyx asked. "It has everything you would want from a job. Freedom, contribution points, credits, high-risk combat, and they even have an exclusive shop."
The offer came with an information packet about their bounty hunter division, which granted autonomy and freedom as long as agents responded to high-risk raids against the Underworld.
It was his ideal occupation if he had to be honest. It allowed him to stay and be a father to Alvera while simultaneously getting the action he wanted.
At the very least, the job offer necessitated a visit to their headquarters for a peek.
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