Alex met up with his instructor after classes the next day and explained his situation with Hydreigon, including her history.
"Congratulations on reaching Elite rank, cadet. What you experienced is just the beginning," Johnson said as he absently caressed his Pyroar beside him.
"Trainers who bond with Elite-rank Pokémon or stronger receive feedback from their Pokémon's energy. This feedback grants them an affinity for that energy. The stronger the affinity, the easier it is to gain the trust of Pokémon with the same typing, the greater their resistance to damage from that type, and, in some cases, the ability to manipulate that energy. What you can do with it depends on the energy itself and your personal talent."
"This is why, historically, trainers were encouraged to build teams of a single type. It's also why Gyms are structured around typings rather than strategies or tactics. Over time, sticking to a single type significantly enhances a trainer's affinity. This trait can even be hereditary—your parents might have had a strong affinity for Dark or Dragon-type energy."
"Some energies are incredibly useful, like Psychic energy, which allows humans to manipulate objects from afar. Others, like Normal-type energy, don't seem to do anything. Most people never develop any reaction to their Pokémon's energy, even after training a Champion-level team for decades. But a rare few develop extreme abilities—generating electricity, superhuman strength beyond what Pokémon meat already provides, and so on. It all comes down to luck."
"If you can already feel the energy, that suggests your affinity is strong. It's rare for a bond to be so powerful that the energy is immediately noticeable. I, for example, have no ability to sense it at all. If no one had told me about it, I'd have never known."
"Why is the League restricting access to this information?" Alex asked.
"I don't know," Johnson admitted. "Maybe the old families don't want competition." He shrugged. "In any case, the best thing for you to do now is to bond with more Pokémon of the same type, spend time with your team, and experiment to figure out exactly what your affinity can do."
Alex nodded and went home for the night. He got the information he wanted but there was nothing he could do about it. He already tried experimenting with the energy and nothing came of it.
He decided to put it at the back of his mind until he found out more information.
Five months later, Alex and Clarissa graduated from the Police Academy.
During the remainder of his time at the academy, he learned everything he needed to know about being a cop in the Pokémon world.
The curriculum covered subjects such as crime scene investigation, profiling, traffic laws, ethics, proper use of force, emergency response, and first aid, among others.
Crime scene investigation was particularly interesting, as it involved not only fingerprints, biological samples, and blood spatter analysis but also energy readings, move usage, and type profiling, given that Pokémon could be used in crimes as well.
Profiling was familiar to Alex, as Jenny had already introduced him to the subject, so there wasn't much new for him to learn. Traffic laws covered the proper harnesses required for specific Pokémon.
Ethics included Pokémon rights, such as respecting Pokémon that demonstrate a certain level of intelligence, regulations on specific Pokémon and the proper procedures when encountering them, and a list of Pokémon that cannot be captured, including Legendaries.
Proper use of force was an intriguing topic due to the presence of Pokémon. Unlike on Earth, where guns were a significant issue that often led to the death of civilians, the Pokémon world had Protect, Thunder Wave, Sing, Hypnosis, making such incidents a non-issue. Here, the police couldn't justify excessive use of force with excuses like "I feared for my life so I called out Flamethrower."
Emergency response training included handling Pokémon-related floods, which was particularly fascinating. As a Police Academy graduate, Alex was responsible for shepherding people to the nearest gyms during a Pokémon flood—unless he had greater duties, such as manning the wall.
Finally, first aid training was provided in case a healing Pokémon fainted, a cadet ran out of potions, and no berries were available. While it was a rare scenario, the academy still ensured they were prepared for such situations.
As for their combat training, Alex's Pokémon have grown stronger, but they haven't had the time to refine their proficiencies. Aside from a few dozen Novice-rank moves advancing to Basic for the newer Pokémon, the others haven't made much progress.
Their teamwork, however, has improved significantly. The team system Alex devised worked so well that even the instructor praised his system, noting that they were ready to take on serious criminals—ones the police typically aren't allowed to handle.
Their senses have also sharpened, but real-world experience is still needed, as their training has been just that—training.
Clarissa also performed exceptionally well, even evolving her Dratini and Frigibax into Dragonair and Arctibax. Though they still have a long way to go, their progress is undeniable.
On the final day of classes, during their last training session, Clarissa turned to Alex and asked.
"What do you plan on doing now?"
"I'll apply for a bounty hunter's license and probably head to the Fighting Dojo to get my first badge," Alex replied.
"I thought you said you didn't want to be a trainer?"
"I don't want to be a professional trainer aiming to participate in the League Conferences, but those badges grant access to League resources. It'd be a waste to ignore that. What about you?"
"Fighting Dojo for my first badge, then I'll be heading to Cerulean City for my second. They have this amazing water show at the Water Gym, led by Misty and her sisters—I've always wanted to see it."
"Then Pewter City, then Viridian City?"
"Yup. Then Cinnabar City, then Fuchsia City—you get the picture."
"Sounds like you're taking the long way around."
"Yeah... I don't think bounty hunting is for me anymore. Learning about them in class has been distressing. It sounds like walking a tightrope, never knowing when one of those powerful criminals we're not allowed to touch will just walk into our homes and kill us out of revenge. It's a terrifying life, and if even the Champions aren't strong enough to do anything about it, then…"
"It's not for everyone. My mother's a Jenny, so they know better than to mess with her. If they want to get to me, they can only come after me."
"What if you find someone? What if you piss everyone off and then meet a nice girl?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'll find a remote island somewhere and start a farm. It's not like I'll be a bounty hunter forever—I'll probably retire someday when I get tired of it."
"Sounds like a long time."
"Yeah."
They parted ways for the night after their conversation. Alex had never really thought about anything beyond becoming a bounty hunter. He hadn't even considered whether he would stay in Saffron City.
What he did know was that his team was ready—and they needed to be tested. Pushing the thought aside like so many others, he focused on what lay ahead.
During the graduation ceremony, Alex met Lance again, but the scowl on Lance's face remained when their eyes met. Alex understood—he wouldn't want someone like him swooping in and "polluting" his princess either. Yet, there was nothing Alex could do. They were friends, after all.
After the ceremony, Alex and Jenny went out for another night of celebration. When the evening ended, Jenny presented him with a graduation gift.
"Why now and not when I graduated high school?" Alex asked, staring at the present on the table.
"Sorry, it's a Jenny clan tradition to give the gift after Police Academy graduation, not high school. Anyway, open it—we want to see what you think this time," Jenny said.
Alex unwrapped the present and found a gun case. This time, however, the manufacturer had changed from Argent Solutions to Devon Corporation.
Inside the box lay a pair of sleek, metallic-silver Desert Eagles with black wooden grips, a black leather body holster, spare magazines, and a speed loader.
The features remained exactly the same as before, with the only notable change being the addition of a safety switch. The bullet selection panel was still on the side of the barrel, the display screen remained at the top, and the magazine design was unchanged—everything else was identical.
"How strong is it now?" Alex asked.
"Enough to cause non-life-threatening bleeding. The change also increased the battery life to 300 shots before needing a recharge."
"Perfect. I have some Decorate and Coaching bullets I've been wanting to try out."
"I've been meaning to ask for some. Espeon doesn't have an ability that benefits from the gun. Give me some Heal Pulse bullets as well."
"Have they done stress tests on the bullets or confirmed move restrictions?"
"The current version of the bullets is strong enough to withstand an unboosted Elite-rank Flamethrower at best. Moves that affect only the user, like Protect or Iron Defense, don't work, so that idea is out. Moves like Giga Drain won't restore health to the user or gunner, so don't expect to heal your injuries with it."
"Moves like Life Leech also won't heal unless the loader is within the field to control the released energy. Terrain, Hazards, and Weather moves can't be loaded either since they involve active environmental manipulation. There's a thorough research paper on it if you want a copy."
"Please and thank you. Oh, by the way, what happened to Argent Solutions, the company that made the original gun?"
"They were forced by the League to reduce the power of their weapons. Their technology wasn't something they personally developed—they simply weaponized it. So we switched to Devon Corporation, having them rebuild it with power restrictions and a safety mechanism."
"Did you catch the people who lobbied against the restrictions?"
"Yup. Just like you predicted, we tracked and arrested the politicians who lobbied against the restrictions. They were taking bribes from Argent Solutions on top of other crimes, so the company had to replace its CEO and fire a lot of employees."
"What about the festival idea?"
"Scrapped for crossing the line."
"They have some serious Underworld backers, then?"
"Yup. Champion-ranked restrictions, so our hands are tied."
Alex expected as much. Argent Solutions was a wealthy corporation with a booming gaming industry, and the sheer amount of money they had demanded high-level protections. They needed backers to ensure they wouldn't get stolen from by either the League or the Underworld.
In any case, Alex had a new toy, paperwork to file, and a gym to challenge so he thanked Jenny for the gift and went to bed early. He will have a busy day tomorrow.
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