Alex immediately released Hydreigon before taking off toward the Great Crater of Paldea to the southeast. He flew until he spotted a red streak hurtling straight toward him like a meteor. Acting quickly, he had Hydreigon land to prevent any accidents and waited in an empty field devoid of Pokémon.
As he waited in tense anticipation, he noticed over a dozen pursuers chasing the red streak, but it was simply too fast for them to catch, leaving them trailing behind like a meteor shower. Attacks were launched in an attempt to force it back toward the crater or make it land, but the red streak ignored everything, bearing down on Alex without slowing.
"Rotom, release," Alex commanded, deploying his Pokémon into a defensive formation around him. "Give me space, block all incoming attacks, and do not retaliate."
His Pokémon complied, spreading out over a wide area with Alex at the center. They turned toward the incoming streaks and waited, ready to intercept any attacks aimed in his direction.
Soon, the red streak crashed down directly in front of Alex, kicking up a plume of dust in its wake. The Pokémon pursuing it bombarded the site with ranged attacks, but there were only a dozen of them against Alex's force of more than fifty. Their attacks were easily intercepted and shot down, never coming close to their target.
Receiving no retaliation and sensing the unexpected calm after the escaped Pokémon hit the ground, the pursuers landed at a cautious distance from the defensive formation. Their trainers dismounted and quickly fell in line behind a woman with an athletic figure. She was tan-skinned and lean with a toned build, thick thighs, a slim waist, sharp golden-brown eyes, and long black hair pulled into a high ponytail.
She strode forward confidently, a Champion ranked Meowscarada following closely at her side, and stood in front of Alex's attack team, unbothered by facing a pair of Champions.
"Hi! I'm Nemona," she said to the wary Pokémon with an energetic smile. "Could you have your trainer come over for a moment? That Pokémon that just landed is incredibly dangerous, and I'm concerned for your trainer's well-being."
The Pokémon ignored the request and stood firmly in formation without the slightest movement, their sharp focus directed at the tiniest motion.
She sighed before releasing Ribombee and instructing her to use Tail Wind. With a powerful gust, the dust cloud cleared, revealing a crater with the runaway Roaring Moon resting its head on a man's lap while the man gently stroked its head.
Nemona stood bewildered, along with the trainers behind her. They could never have imagined the temperamental and untrainable Roaring Moon, nicknamed Tempest, being so docile to any trainer, let alone allowing them to pet it.
Whoever this man was, he was undoubtedly the new trainer of this Roaring Moon, which ignited a fire in Nemona. Without a doubt, this was a powerful trainer with clearly very disciplined Pokémon, a man who could challenge her in battle.
Meanwhile, Alex was cultivating the bond between himself and Grim, which had fully snapped into place the moment Grim landed and tackled him to the ground. He could tell Grim had aged several decades since they last parted, which wasn't much of a problem given its immense power. It was still at the Champion rank, but much closer to the peak than the middle. It seemed it wouldn't be long before it reached Master rank.
Silently, he admonished himself for not having come sooner. He had read about Paradox Pokémon and that they mostly came from the Great Crater in Paldea, yet the strict security around the area had prevented him from approaching, even if Grim was indeed in the crater.
He had never imagined Grim would be able to escape on its own and come for him before he could even get close. At most, Alex imagined he could use the feather as a tether to summon Grim through whatever magical device they had in Area Zero.
As for the effects of their powerful bond, Alex could easily manage it, a stark contrast to the control he had lost long ago. Now, Grim's energy was as docile as a kitten.
From it, he could tell that Grim had missed him and had been searching for him for a long time, until it became trapped in the Great Crater. It wasn't until it sensed Alex's energy suddenly appearing in the distance that it made a move, despite the surrounding security.
"Ahem!" Nemona shouted from a distance, catching Alex's attention.
He looked up and noticed the trainers on the other side of his Pokemon's defensive formation.
"Rotom, retrieve," Alex commanded.
A flash of light erupted from the backpack, enveloping all of Alex's Pokémon and returning them to their Poké Balls, except for Hydreigon, who stubbornly refused to enter.
Alex quickly checked their bond and discovered that Hydreigon was enamored with Grim, a surprise considering how attached she had always been to him while disdaining all other Pokémon, especially dragon types like Kommo-o.
Setting the matter aside, he focused on the approaching trainers, particularly the Champion ranked one in the lead. She was quite striking, especially her thick thighs, which reminded him of Maris's figure.
Once they were close enough, Nemona took out a Poké Ball, thrust it toward Alex with her right hand, and firmly declared, "I challenge you to a Pokémon Battle!"
Grim and Hydreigon's eyes narrowed at the threat, while Alex and the other trainers stared at her with confused expressions. This was certainly not the time for a battle, given the runaway Pokémon right next to them. Rules and protocols were in place, and the current priority was to retrieve the escaped Pokémon.
"Sorry," Alex replied, snapping out of his confusion. "I only battle to the death. So unless you want to kill me, or you're a criminal with a bounty on your head, I'm going to have to firmly refuse."
"Wa!?" Nemona exclaimed in shock. What an extreme outlook.
"Besides," Alex added, "I'm not trained for standard Pokémon battles. I'm trained for formations and infiltrations. I would likely lose to you, a professional battler. So if you want, you can consider this a win between us."
"Waaa!?" Nemona responded, stunned. They're not even going to fight?
"Nemona," a man among the trainers behind her called out, "we're here to retrieve the Paradox Pokémon, not to battle some random stranger."
"Oh, right! Sorry, old habits," she said apologetically.
She turned to Alex, her expression serious. "We're here to retrieve the Roaring Moon, codenamed Tempest."
"I'm sorry, but this is technically my Pokémon," Alex replied, unbothered. "And its name is Grim."
"That's impossible! Tempest hasn't had a trainer since it was brought here by the time machine."
"Well, believe it or not, Grim here was my Pokémon before it was brought to Area Zero. I had merely lost it a long time ago."
"Impossible! That would mean you came from the same timeline as the Paradox Pokémon millions of years ago!"
"I don't know about that, but I have evidence that backs up my statement," Alex said, producing Grim's feather. "This has been with me ever since I bonded with Grim. If you check the carbon dating, you'll see that it is younger than Grim, yet undeniably a part of it. This can only mean I met it before he was brought to Area Zero. How that is possible, I would love to explain, but only to higher authorities who can deliberate on the legalities of the matter."
Alex's expression suddenly turned serious, causing Nemona and the other trainers to instinctively step back from the violent aura he released.
"For now, I am willing to comply with whatever protocols you have, so long as they do not separate me from Grim or my Pokémon," he said coldly. "I may respect the League's rules and regulations, but as a bounty hunter, I am well aware of the corruption festering within its walls, and I will not allow any foul play to come between me and my Pokémon."
Champions were given certain liberties when it came to the law, especially those who were not defenseless and had no bounties. Usually, it required the authority of Gym Leaders to settle matters like this, ensuring the law was upheld while also providing the necessary muscle to enforce it.
Alex's case was one such example. He could demand to meet a Gym Leader or a higher authority to settle the matter without being subdued. As a result, Nemona and the other trainers had two options, bring down Alex and follow protocol, or call in a higher authority to handle the situation.
Unwilling to escalate hostilities, Nemona contacted the professor in charge of Area Zero, the leading authority on Paradox Pokémon.
Once the video call connected, they were surprised to find a battle already underway on the other end.
"Professor Briar!" Nemona called out. "What's happening?"
"We're under attack by Team Dominion!" the professor shouted, just before the call was cut short.
"We don't have time for this!" Nemona said urgently. "We have to get to Area Zero as fast as possible, and you're coming with us."
Alex smiled menacingly after overhearing the exchange. "Team Dominion, you say? Count me in."
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