Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Pokémon, by their very nature, are sensitive to danger. That sensitivity is what powers the move Protect. By tapping into their instincts, they can instantly generate a barrier that shields them from the perceived harm, though it comes at the cost of significant stamina that prevents repeated use.

This was the main reason sniper rifles were not a significant threat to trainers, unless they came with some kind of gimmick such as Feint bullets, a barrage of long range moves used alongside them, or the target being completely off guard.

Pokemon also possess enhanced senses that allow them to detect predators as they approach. Instinctually speaking, they are animals. As animals, they can be fooled, provided the predator is able to hide every trace of their presence, move in close, and quickly subdue them before they can react.

This means a successful assassin would need to suppress all malice and intent, erase all signs of existence, and get close enough to strike before any Pokémon is alerted.

Alex could suppress his malice easily, as long as he focused on the right objective. For example, instead of thinking about killing the target, he would think about finding their Poké Balls. It was better to radiate fear than to radiate malice, but the best method of avoiding detection was to keep the mind completely empty.

Erasing his presence, however, was another matter. He was not a master of stealth or trained in the arts of the ninja who are one with the world. What he did have was a strong affinity for Dark-type energy, which allowed him to vanish from notice completely, as long as he remained in darkness.

The drawback was that this ability followed the same rules as Pokémon typing. That meant he had to watch out for Dark, Bug, Fighting, and Fairy-type Pokémon, whose senses are attuned to detect Dark-type energy more easily.

This did not mean stealth was useless against those types, but it did mean that if a target had any of them at an Expert rank or above, he would need to fall back on his usual approach and breach instead of sneak.

Fortunately, he had already dealt with the high-value targets, working from the biggest payouts down. The ones worth between two to five million had already been handled in Saffron City throughout the day using his usual tactics.

There were still plenty of other high value targets across other cities, but Saffron was home. He and Arcanine knew it better than any other place. That familiarity gave Arcanine the precision needed to teleport all over the city without fail, something that would not be possible elsewhere.

On top of that, he had strong backing in Sabrina. She would go out of her way to pull him out of trouble. He did not know why, but it might have something to do with the memories he carried from Earth. He just wasn’t sure how that worked for her.

Still, Alex’s remaining targets were mostly Adept-ranked trainers who either had powerful backing or were particularly skittish. These were the kind of people who either had no fear of the real world or had so much fear that they would flee at the slightest sign of confrontation.

The first type of target was easy enough. They were cheap, so their backers were not all that dangerous. The second type, however, required finesse. These were the ones who would overthink everything and overprepare before making any move.

Take this man as an example.

Target Profile: Victor Draen

Pokémon: Raticate, Tentacruel, Pidgeotto, Drowzee

Threat Level: Adept Rank

Contract Value: 1.8 million Pokédollars

Status: Kill on sight

Victor Draen, male, 38, 5’8" (173 cm), obese, pale skin, receding black hair usually hidden under a black beanie. A former data security analyst turned underground broker, Victor is suspected of operating a private surveillance network from his room in an old apartment complex in the northwest residential quadrant of Saffron City. Rarely appears in public, preferring to communicate through encrypted calls and disposable devices.

The creepy fat pedphile had a history of placing hidden cameras in public playgrounds and parks to surveil children. He had been caught multiple times, but since he had never acted beyond voyeurism, the League couldn’t legally hold him for more than a few months at a time.

Parents feared that it was only a matter of time before one of their children became the victim that finally earned him an execution. Rather than wait, a group of wealthy families pooled their resources to commission an assassination. Since official bounties required a criminal status, this was handled off the books.

Alex didn’t mind. He hated pedophiles too, especially the ones who acted on their impulses. He could see more than these parents could, and he suspected the images were being sold on the dark web.

As for why this target hadn’t been assassinated yet, it was most likely due to his supposed surveillance network. Alex wasn’t certain, but he had a feeling he would have to breach sooner rather than later.

The target would be an easy breach, but the location was a residential zone, and the target was just an Adept. Alex couldn’t justify a full breach on a weak assassination target so his best chance was a stealthy entry and a clean, silent exit.

He analyzed his options.

The front door was a risk, likely monitored, with allowances made for late-night movement by certain neighbors. Too many variables.

The windows were no better, but they offered a shorter route to the target’s apartment and reduced the risk of detection before even entering the building.

Alex looked up at the seven-story apartment complex and decided it was time for Hydreigon to shine. He released her, stroked her affectionately, and asked for a lift. She was more than happy to oblige.

Once outside the apartment window, Alex released Raticate who easily scraped the glass open for Alex to unlock it. He went inside covered in darkness and sneaked into the man’s room.

The door was unlocked, so he silently entered and immediately noticed a red flashing light on the computer screen. It displayed a warning status indicating that someone had snuck in, but for some reason, the sound was muted. Because of that, Alex managed to avoid a fight.

’I guess I was just lucky,’ he thought.

Alex viewed the man sleeping in the bed. He could see in the dark so there was no mistake that this was some form of decoy.

Rather than immediately kill his target, his first priority was to lock the Pokemon to avoid trouble. Typically, people would release their Pokemon when they sleep for added security or to allow them to be comfortable with their trainer. Meaning, they were in bags, shelves, desks.

Alex quickly found them on top of a desk, and retrieved the unaware Pokemon before locking them. Now it was time for the target.

In a swift motion, Alex took out his weaker guns and fired two shots into the chest and one into the back of the head, making sure the bullet would at worst exit through the forehead and avoid damaging the face.

With some effort, he slipped the body into his bag, then turned to the tech. Servers, laptops, and hard drives filled the room. He clicked through a few folders and found pornography almost at once. They were all of children.

As Alex suspected, they had only managed to catch him for superficial crimes. They never imagined what he had truly been capable of doing with his Pokémon, which included Drowzee and Tentacruel.

He gathered every device for Nyx to examine later but left those vile clips playing on the main screen. This target deserved no pity.

After packing up the rest, Alex decided to dig deeper. The operation looked like a goose ready to lay golden eggs. If he could uncover the list of buyers and make it public, new bounties would flood in, profit ripe for the taking.

He would have to wait until after his spree in Saffron City, though, as the longer he took to collect targets here, the greater the risk of scaring off his money. So for now, he simply stored them away for later use.

He slipped out of the room and went far before releasing Arcanine and teleporting away. He then checked his next target

Target Profile: Adrian Gale

Pokémon: Persian, Roselia

Threat Level: Adept Rank

Contract Value: 1.5 million Pokédollars

Status: Kill on sight

Adrian Gale, male, 26, 6’0" (183 cm), athletic build, olive skin, wavy chestnut hair in a loose bun. Known for excessive spending, stimulant abuse, and maintaining a fabricated win record through paid trainers. Minimal combat ability. Resides in a penthouse suite atop the Halberg Tower, east-central Saffron City. Light personal security with scheduled drone patrols. Frequent sightings at Midnight Ember, his favorite nightclub located in the southeast quadrant of the city. Suspected of indirectly laundering funds through hosted private events. Target is socially visible but vulnerable when isolated. Recommend strike during transit or post-bar hours.

’This looks quick and easy,’ Alex thought.

Adrian Gale was the son of a prominent business tycoon in Saffron City. According to Nyx, the Gale family had recently come under scrutiny by the League after attempting to seize control of the city’s drug trafficking operations following Don’s death. With their influence waning and no formal protection status in place, Alex had the green light to proceed, so long as he kept his identity hidden.

The risk wasn’t retaliation from the Gale family, Alex could easily fight against that and even welcomed it. The real concern was the League reversing its position and reinstating their protection. If that happened, any move against Adrian could complicate things. Speed was essential.

Adrian was wanted for using date-rape drugs on several women, one of whom turned out to be the daughter of a rival family. Equally wealthy and vengeful, they had the resources and pride to put a hit on him without hesitation.

Alex had no objections.

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