Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Chapter 546: Chapter 546. Master Ranked Taxes

Taxes as a Champion ranked trainer were quite high. There were the usual taxes on owning property, making sales, and transferring wealth, all of which were handled during each transaction by Celise, Maris, and their army of staff. Then there was the annual contribution of 1,000 contribution points, equivalent to 1 million credits or 1 billion Poké Dollars. These were paid from the contribution points accumulated by the Silver Network, which included Alex, the girls, and the Champions working under the organization.

Up to this point, there were no problems because the Silver Network had a surplus of unused contribution points collected over the years thanks to its members’ work as bounty hunters, a highly lucrative and high-contribution yet highly dangerous occupation that more than ensured this multitude of taxes was taken care of.

It wasn’t even unfair, such as the Silver Network stealing its lower-ranked members’ contribution points to make up the difference. It was in addition to its members’ gains, meaning it was a true surplus that was given to the organization for its contributions to the League. This meant there was a well of untapped contribution points belonging to the Silver Network.

Now that Alex was at Master rank, he’d finally dipped into this account for the first time to pay off his own new contribution point obligation to the League, which amounted to roughly 100 times that of Champions. Yes, the annual contribution required to avoid being audited was 100,000 contribution points, 100 million credits, or 100 billion Poké Dollars. It was equivalent to how much was spent just to purchase the property near a Champion ranked danger zone for a Silver Network base in a region.

By itself, it wasn’t much, but paid annually, it suddenly became a big problem considering how much work that equated to. To be fair, it was the bounty of a true Master ranked criminal or 10 Champion ranked criminals. To be unfair, it had to be paid every year, which meant Alex had to capture 1 Master ranked criminal per year just to pay off his own contribution to the League. Overall, it was an absurd sum that wasn’t realistically sustainable unless the Master worked their butt off.

It was no wonder so many criminals existed in the world, fighting for a place where they could avoid the League’s eyes and evade its taxes. For those unwilling or unable to work themselves to the bone just to keep up with the League’s demands, disappearing into the shadows could seem far more appealing than living under constant scrutiny.

There were plenty of options to cut this down, of course. Any Master who worked for the League itself would be able to pay it off and still have some leftover for themselves. Hunters who dove into Master ranked danger zones would return with thousands of high-ranked corpses or captured Pokémon for sale. And, in Alex’s current case, heading off on a dimensional expedition also excused that year’s contribution, since simply going on one meant he was attempting to solve the League’s biggest concern.

At the woman’s inflammatory question, Alex asked back, "What is it that you want me to surrender, and what do I get out of it? You should understand from looking at my profile on that tablet that I’ve already paid for this year simply by going out, and I already have enough contribution points for the 1-year vacation I have lined up."

"While that may be true, you also have a 1 billion credit deficit with us, which gives us the right to take its equivalent value in spoils at the end of the expedition. Of course, we’re partial to your opinion, as we’d like to maintain a good relationship, especially considering the amount I’m seeing you’ve brought back."

"Tch."

Alex clicked his tongue at her slight provocation. He understood that this was the crucial part of the negotiation because this woman had the authority to decide how much his spoils were worth based on the market and the League’s needs. This meant some of his spoils could be worth less or more depending on the League’s personal needs rather than simply their market prices.

To truly benefit, he’d have to have someone like Rhea or Nyx by his side who understood the market better than he did. Unfortunately, he was alone at the moment and didn’t know the true worth of the things he’d brought back.

"Can I make a call?" Alex asked.

"Of course," the woman answered with a smile. "It’s not like you’re a prisoner under investigation. You can receive all the help you require. You can even call them over since your screening is finished."

Alex didn’t hesitate to contact Nyx and give her the specifics, granting her access to his phone and League account so she could come up with a proper plan of action. This included bringing the girls in so they could go through the items listed under his name and pick out anything they wanted before the League assessed the remaining spoils.

Rhea was the happiest since Alex and his Pokémon were trained based on material quality rather than the uniqueness of certain plants, fruits, or seeds for Kaia. Nyx wasn’t that satisfied either because the information Alex brought back was equivalent to their own internet history from decades ago. There wasn’t even any information that was particularly juicy or high in technological value since the Aether Foundation and the League had already published this information about Ultra Megalopolis. The rest of the girls, meanwhile, didn’t particularly care.

"I see you’ve already surrendered a good portion of the materials you brought," the woman said, reading over her tablet. "I’ve also given an accurate price for the total, which reduces your deficit with us by 300 million credits. Please finalize your selection."

"I think this should be good for now," Alex said. "Unless you think I should pay back my interest-free loan from the League sooner?"

"Considering your plan for a 1-year vacation, I’d suggest you add a bit more, but it isn’t strictly necessary. The League has more than enough stock of the items and Pokémon you’ve returned with."

"Then, let’s end it here for now since it’s my first expedition."

"Of course," the woman said with a smile before signing off on Alex’s debriefing. "Again, congratulations on your first expedition, Mr. Wattson. I dare say it was quite successful overall, clearly above average in terms of results. Not only have you brought back 2 Legendary Pokémon, but 1 of them is even at Master rank, and you’ve also brought back over 50 Ultra Beasts. We here at the League are looking forward to your future expeditions."

"Thanks," Alex said as he got up, picked up his pack, and left.

Rather than teleporting home immediately, he made his way to the Commercial Center and checked their inventory of Sparkling Stones and Z-Crystals. There, he learned that buying out their entire stock would cost roughly 1 billion credits, and the amount would only account for a few crates, or roughly 10% of Necrozma’s completed form.

That left him with a few options. He could buy out the entire stock, visit other businesses that sold them, and do the same while gradually driving up the prices. He could also simply purchase the current stock and wait centuries for it to be replenished through expeditions returning from different dimensions, though that was by far the least time efficient method. Alternatively, he could embark on another 6-month expedition into Ultra Space and gather the materials himself to fulfill his promise to Necrozma.

It’d be a significant amount of work either way, but earning a route through Ultra Space for access to its resources made it well worth the effort.

He’d also have to check whether Necrozma could replace its original pieces with those that belonged to a different Necrozma. Although, he was quite certain it was possible since it was able to replace its form with Solgaleo or light from different worlds.

Having found out what he wanted, Alex teleported back home through Interpol’s teleportation network and arrived soon after through Arcanine’s Teleport. Once he arrived, he was greeted with a less enthusiastic welcome than he’d initially expected.

"Hey, Alex! You’re already back!" Kaia greeted him, pecking him on the cheek.

"That’s it? I was expecting a warmer welcome," he pointed out.

"You’ve only been gone for 2 days..." Kaia replied awkwardly. "I know it must’ve taken you a long time to get back, but... you get where we’re coming from, right? Your farewell sex was quite recent as far as we’re concerned."

Alex sighed but didn’t complain. He understood the girls’ point of view, so he couldn’t exactly argue with them. Still, he was quite pent up, so he’d have to visit Nyx if he wanted some action. She was the only one among the girls who was more than willing to put up with what amounted to abuse.

"Anyway, did you want to call a meeting to discuss your expedition?" Kaia asked.

"Yeah, and call Alvera over as well. I have a surprise for her."

"That’ll take a while unless you want to pick her up. I believe she’s off the grid somewhere north of Humilau City in Unova. That’s where we got her last update."

"It’s important, so I guess I’ll go pick her up."

Alex called her to let her know he was coming, but the phone didn’t even ring, which meant she was completely off the grid. It’d take some time for their satellite to pick up her location and relay it back to him.

Meanwhile, deep in the cold forests of northeastern Unova, northwest of Humilau City, a Pokémon nest tore through the evergreen forest. More than 100,000 Pokémon surged through the trees in pursuit of a pair of women, led by a single Master ranked Pokémon.

"Damn it, Alvera!" a woman with short blue hair and a thin build shouted as she sprinted. "I told you not to mess with that nest! Now we have to run for our lives!"

"Sorry! I just wanted a better close-up!" Alvera shouted back, laughing wildly and completely unapologetic.

The pair suddenly stopped when their escape route was cut off. The forest ahead ended at a sheer cliff, leaving them nowhere else to run.

They skidded to a halt at the edge before slowly turning around.

The nest had already surrounded them.

Behind the sea of enraged Pokémon, a Master ranked Salamence slowly stepped forward, its eyes locked onto the 2 intruders.

Alvera’s grin only widened as she prepared to fight for her life, her hand resting on her vambrace.

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