Chapter 149. Hunting Pokemon Nests

Alex teleported to Route 9, where he had previously discovered Ralts causing trouble for the local trainers who often camped and trained in the surrounding mountainous area.  Mounting Arcanine, he headed northwest from the teleportation point, keeping a low profile to avoid drawing attention from the flying Pokémon that nested along the mountains. His target for this particular hunt was an Arbok nest, rumored to have grown to over a thousand in number. Surprisingly, it wasn't their numbers that prompted the extermination request. The nest had been discovered at the site of an old dumping ground once used by a criminal gang operating out of Cerulean City. According to Nyx, ever since Selene's disappearance, various gangs had rapidly expanded to fill the power vacuum. As a result, this led to a surge in violence and a sharp rise in the body count. The situation grew worse when Gravik's former enforcers began forming their own gangs, plunging the city into deeper chaos. One such group had reportedly been using a remote cave in the wilderness as a dumping site for bodies. After the gang was taken down, the cave was inspected and found to have been overtaken by an Arbok nest. This led to an official extermination request, meant to prevent them from growing too aggressive or turning their attention to hunting humans. However, the request remained untouched. The true size of the nest was unknown, and the only investigative report described the cavern floor as a "writhing mass of purple" before the observers fled. With no accurate estimate of the threat level, few were willing to take the risk. As a result, the job remained unclaimed. Alex felt confident in his ability to handle the nest, especially since there weren't any reports of Champion ranked auras in the area. Without hesitation, he accepted the job and set out immediately. Upon arriving at the site, he found a lone shed perched high in the mountains. Inside, he located a trapdoor that led down into the reported cavern. He opened it and looked down into the dark depths, immediately confirming the accuracy of the report. What he saw could only be described as a writhing purple mass, the entire floor of the cavern shifting and rippling as countless snake-like forms moved together in constant motion. "This is definitely a snake den," Alex muttered, eyes scanning the area. Nothing seemed immediately threatening, so he decided to provoke the nest and see what would come out. But first, he needed to prepare. He released Gardevoir along with the rest of his Pokémon before issuing orders. "Investigate the area and check if there are any entrances leading underground. I want to know if there's another way into this cavern," Alex instructed Gardevoir. "Garr," she replied with a nod before directing the other Pokémon to begin their search. The team swept the surrounding area, confirming that there were no other entrances into the cavern. If any existed, they likely led deeper into the mountain rather than into the immediate area. For the purpose of containment, they were in the clear. Next, Alex examined the cavern more carefully, estimating the size of the chamber below. Once he had a rough idea, he ordered his Pokémon to spread out and take positions around the shed. At his signal, Gardevoir relayed the command. The team powered up, enhancing themselves to their limits. Gardevoir cast Psychic Terrain, blanketing the area in psychic energy. Then she unleashed Expanding Force in perfect sync with Earthquake attacks from Forretress, Altaria, Kommo-o, Hydreigon, Dusknoir, and finally Steelix. The Expanding Force caused the cavern ceiling to collapse, tearing open a crater several hundred meters wide where the shed had once stood. Simultaneously, the Earthquake attacks loosened the soil beneath the surrounding terrain, caving in any possible hidden tunnels or escape routes. What remained was a massive pit, with hundreds of Ekans and Arbok trapped at the center. Pummeled from all sides by tremors and pinned down by psychic pressure and falling debris, they had no chance to resist. It was a swift and total massacre. "Begin rotation," Alex commanded. Following his order, Gardevoir directed the Earthquake users to continue their assault while rotating around the entire pit. Their goal was to completely seal the perimeter, leaving no gaps for any Ekans or Arbok to escape. At the same time, Gardevoir maintained her barrage of Expanding Force, relentlessly pounding the center of the pit to ensure nothing within it survived. Once they circled the pit, Alex observed the area and noted the complete lack of movement. Whatever had been inside was likely dead. Still, to be certain, he ordered the Pokémon capable of using Dig to burrow through the rubble and recover the corpses, providing proof that the nest had been fully annihilated. "Dig up the remains and collect the corpses," Alex commanded. "Stay vigilant. Some of them might still be alive and only pretending to be dead. Keep the defense team on standby." Gardevoir followed the order and began coordinating a thorough excavation of the pit. They dug even deeper than the original cavern depth to ensure nothing was overlooked. Meanwhile, Alex looked over Steelix, his newest addition to the group. He had been quite temperamental at first, until Alex started providing resources and fulfilling his promise of power, food, and a home. He slowly started adjusting to the group, as well as the training, and after two months, he was beginning to grow into his potential. Name: Steelix, Elite Type: Steel Ground, Male Ability: Sturdy Moves:  Novice: Autotomize, Magnet Rise, Taunt, Payback, Brutal Swing, Dark Pulse, Breaking Swipe, Dragon Pulse, Sunny Day, Bulldoze, Stomping Tantrum, Earth Power, Drill Run, High Horsepower, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Self-Destruct, Snore, Scary Face, Attract, Facade, Round, Body Slam, Endure, Sleep Talk, Rock Tomb, Rock Blast, Iron Defense, Gyro Ball, Flash Cannon, Heavy Slam, Torment, Rock Smash, Roar, Double Team, Explosion, Psych Up, Swagger, Cut, Strength, Rock Climb Basic: Tackle, Bind, Rock Throw, Smack Down, Rock Polish, Dragon Breath, Curse, Screech, Sand Tomb, Stealth Rock, Slam, Sandstorm, Iron Tail, Double-Edge, Crunch, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Dragon Dance, Body Press, Earthquake, Protect, Substitute, Rest, Psychic Fangs, Iron Head Advanced: Harden(Effect Up +1), Rock Slide(+50% Damage), Dig(+50% Damage), Stone Edge(+50% Damage) Description: Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokémon. Born from an Onix that has lived over a hundred years, its body has hardened into a nearly indestructible metallic form. It tunnels deep underground, far deeper than any Onix, carving out vast networks through sheer force. Though massive and fearsome, Steelix is revered for its unyielding endurance and diamond-like resilience, making it a symbol of strength forged through time. Steelix, who had spent most of his life as an Onix, was either still quite young or simply lazy. Alex couldn't be sure. Despite possessing some advanced moves, his age was difficult to gauge, and he remained the furthest from completing his moveset, even compared to Zoroark, another recent addition to the team. Progress was being made, but it would likely take years before Steelix could truly measure up to the others. Alex optimized Steelix's build for Special Defense and Speed to cover an obvious weakness and improve his role as a tank. His main responsibility was to endure battles, unlike the others who focused more on dealing damage. It took the entire day to sift through the site, but in the end, they managed to uncover over a thousand Ekans, nearly a hundred Arbok, and three Elite Arbok, all dead. Each had clearly fed on the corpses previously dumped into the cavern, as the team was not able to find a single piece of human flesh. Whoever thought it was a good idea to toss corpses down a hole to get rid of it probably was not the brightest, but at least Alex was able to profit from their stupidity. Once all the corpses were collected and stored, Alex gave one final order before preparing to leave. "Flood the pit with water." Water-type moves of all kinds were unleashed at the pit, quickly filling it to the brim. Once it was nearly overflowing, the Pokémon stopped.  Alex knelt beside the edge and watched the water line closely as it settled. He paid careful attention to see if there were any leaks that might lower the water level, even slightly. He observed in silence for over ten minutes before concluding that no remaining paths led to the cavern. This meant that whatever entrance had once connected to it was likely destroyed by the battle. Satisfied with the results of his inspection, Alex returned his team to their Poké Balls before teleporting to Cerulean City and submitting the request at the Pokécenter. As evidence, he submitted video footage of the battle and its conclusion, along with the corpses he had collected. Even if the nest had not been completely annihilated, the sheer number of Ekans and Arbok recovered demonstrated that genuine effort had been made. "You're good to go, Mr. Wattson. The request has been considered fulfilled," the clerk at the request desk said, handing Alex back his Trainer ID. "Also, here are your spoils. Have a good evening." "Thank you," Alex said as he took back his ID and space bag. He checked his credit balance and saw an increase of five hundred thousand League credits, bringing the total to 30.9 million. It was a small step toward his ultimate goal of 200 million for his final home, but every bit counted. His final stop for the night before heading home was the butcher's, where he sold all the meat except for the Elite ranked ones. In exchange, he received Expert ranked butchered meat of equivalent value, saving him the time he would have spent waiting. He would normally have the Elite ranked meat processed as well, but having Lina, his own personal chef, made it unnecessary. With his hunt and the subsequent cleanup complete, he teleported back home to the farm.  Tomorrow would bring another request, and with any luck, it would be just as rewarding as this one. ----- Support me on Patreon patreon/babywrath