Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Chapter 103: Chapter 103. Midnight Assault

Alex returned to his room by evening and changed into his full combat gear—everything except the helmet. He could see perfectly in the dark and had no trouble sensing incoming projectiles, so the helmet was just unnecessary bulk at this point.

Downstairs, he met up with Clarissa, who was also staying at the same hotel. It was, after all, the fanciest place in Viridian City.

”What are you wearing?” Clarissa asked, eyeing his gear with a raised brow.

”The same thing you’re going to be wearing for this raid,” Alex replied, tossing her a spare set he’d taken from the cache in Saffron City.

”Why? This stuff is heavy and hard to move in.”

”The human supremacist group we’re targeting has developed firearms that can take down Pokémon. If you don’t want to get shot while your team fights, you’ll need to wear it.”

”I’ve got a Rotom for protection.”

”They’ve got Feint and Phantom Force rounds. Rotom will be scrapped after a few shots. Just wear the damn thing. I’m not giving your dad any excuses to come beat my ass.”

Grumbling, Clarissa took the gear and ducked into the restroom to change.

A few minutes later, she stepped out looking like she was a child soldier dressed for World War II. The armor was a size too big and made her look like a kid lost in her parent’s coat.

”It’s hard to move in,” she complained.

”Then give that to your dad and ask for a custom set. I’m sure they’d be happy to tailor one that shows off your curves,” Alex quipped as he headed outside.

”Wait for me!” she called, jogging after him awkwardly.

Outside, Alex mounted his Hydreigon while Clarissa summoned her Charizard. As she rose into the air, Alex nearly smacked his forehead. She was glowing like a flare in the dead of night. So much for stealth.

”Wait ten minutes,” he said, texting her a location. ”Then hit these coordinates hard. Bust through the front door and take out as many trainers as you can.”

Hydreigon took off, wings eerily still. She relied on her Ability, Levitate, to fly. Her flight was completely silent, and with both their Dark typings, Alex and his Pokémon melted into the night sky.

Five minutes later, Alex landed silently on the rooftop of the target building. He released all his Pokémon and began stacking buffs until they were fully prepped.

Then came a blazing orange blur that crashed through the building’s front entrance, shaking the foundation with a blast of heat and sound. Cries of panic spread along with an alarm that woke the entire building.

Alex didn’t hesitate. He signaled Metagross who unleashed Gravity, then followed up with a crushing Earthquake, collapsing the roof right onto the top floor of the building where Seth should be scrambling from the sudden assault.

Alex’s Pokémon spread out under Metagross’s command, sweeping through the ruined floor in search of their bounty target while Alex scanned the surroundings, alert.

Suddenly, five boulders flew from a corner of the room, hurtling straight toward him.

Aegislash burst out of his shadow and raised a King’s Sheild barrier—just in time to block when a Phantom Force bullet tore through the shield. The shield shattered instantly, the force ripping through and dealing heavy damage to Aegislash as Rock Blast continued to pelt him.

From the shadows, Seth emerged with his full team, charging at Alex in an attempt to finish the fight quickly.

’Arcanine on Corviknight. Raticate and Hydreigon on Gyarados. Forretress and Clawitzer on Toucannon. Altaria and Ceruledge on Staraptor. Togekiss and Alcremie on Hawlucha. Frosmoth on Gliscor. The rest—watch the stairs and cut off any escape routes. I’ll deal with Seth,’ Alex commanded silently through his telepathic link with Metagross.

Arcanine shot forward with Extreme Speed, slamming into Corviknight and sinking its jaws on a wing to hold it in place. The two were nearly equal in strength, but Arcanine’s stat advantage tipped the scales. One Heat Wave later, Corviknight was down.

Raticate launched a volley of Thunderbolts while Hydreigon locked Gyarados in a brutal melee, biting down with Thunder Fang. Their clash shook the building as Gyrados resisted with Thrash, but Hydreigon’s superior stats won out quickly.

Toucannon was under heavy fire from Water Pulse blasts courtesy of Clawitzer, while Forretress acted as a shield, tanking blows and using Stealth Rock as cover. Iron Defense, Reflect, and Light Screen kept them protected, while occasional Heal Pulses from Clawitzer sustained the defense.

Altaria fired Ice Beams while Ceruledge focused on inflicting burns. Staraptor was strong, but with Gravity still active, it couldn’t take flight and take advantage of its speed. Grounded by Metagross who ensured Gravity held, it was only a matter of time.

Despite being an Elite, Hawlucha was overwhelmed by sheer firepower. Togekiss and Alcremie, still at Expert rank, spammed Dazzling Gleam relentlessly. With no room to dodge or retaliate and outnumbered by superior typing, Hawlucha was eventually blasted into unconsciousness.

Gliscor never stood a chance. One Blizzard from Frosmoth sent it crashing, knocked out in a single blow. The type advantage was overwhelming.

Meanwhile, Alex and Seth were locked in a deadly firefight. Both wore armored combat gear, bullets pinging off plates as they exchanged rounds in rapid succession. The difference? Alex advanced relentlessly, charging straight for Seth undeterred by the impacts.

Seth, without his team to shield him, began to panic. Confrontation wasn’t his style—he preferred slipping away from danger. So that’s exactly what he did.

As Alex closed in, Seth dropped his guns and heavy vest before diving out of the shattered window.

Alex rushed to the edge just in time to see Seth gliding through the air—no wings, no parachute, just his arms spread wide, catching the wind and generating lift like a bird.

”Wow... so that’s what Flying-type affinity can do,” Alex muttered, impressed.

He gave a sharp whistle. Above, a pair of Crobats responded instantly, swooping down from high altitude to pursue the escaping target with Quick Attacks.

With that handled, Alex turned back to assess the battlefield.

Toucannon had just been brought down by Raticate’s Thunderbolt, while Staraptor was slammed into a wall by Arcanine’s Extreme Speed. The remaining fights wrapped up quickly, allowing Alex to begin the cleanup. He ordered the team to sweep the area for anything of value or importance.

Then—with a dull thud—a body dropped in front of him.

It was Seth.

The Crobat pair hovered above, their work done. Hypnosis had knocked him out cold mid-flight. Alex hadn’t doubted them for a second—they were his fastest Pokémon, and their mastery of Quick Attack made escape from them impossible. Not even Raticate could outrun them.

With the threat neutralized, Alex secured Seth’s Poké Balls and cuffed him. Without wasting a moment, he began a thorough sweep of the building from top to bottom.

As he moved, he activated his comms.

”Hey, Aunt Jenny. You can start the raids—I’ve got Seth in custody.”

”Does it have to be in the middle of the night?” she groaned.

”Only if you want to avoid a city-wide panic come morning.”

”Ugh, fine,” she muttered before hanging up.

As Alex continued his sweep, sirens wailed in the distance as police converged on the many locations under Seth’s control.

Meanwhile, Alex and his team systematically searched floor by floor, rounding up trainers and staff who were slow to respond when the alarms went off.

Finally, he reached the bottom floor, where Clarissa stood guard, surrounded by an Elite-ranked Charizard and an Expert-ranked Dragonite, Alolan Ninetales, Cetitan, Arctibax, and Glaceon.

Alex couldn’t help but admire her progress. Evolving Dratini into Dragonite in just three years was an impressive feat—no doubt thanks to top-tier food and training.

”Hey, Clarissa. How was your first raid?”

”It was easy. Is this all you have to do to earn millions in bounties? Maybe I should consider being a bounty hunter too,” she mused, genuinely contemplating the career change.

”This and fighting a full team of Flying-type Elites while capturing their trainer who flew away,” Alex replied as his full team descended the stairs, dragging the captured trainers behind them.

Clarissa stared, amazed by the sheer number of Pokémon Alex commanded. She could now understand how he was able to take down an Elite team with so many Pokémon at his disposal.

”How do you manage to coordinate them all? You have, like, 14 Pokémon to give orders to!”

”I train them to fight on their own unless I give them specific instructions. I just point them at their targets and oversee the situation,” Alex explained.

”Groooss!” Metagross chimed in from behind him.

”Metagross helps too,” Alex added with a chuckle.

A few hours later, as the sun began to rise, Jenny and her team arrived at the building. Their top priority was arresting everyone linked to Seth before moving on to the next locations, leaving the detailed processing for later. Since this site had already been secured, they saved it for last to begin the official documentation of the scene.

Alex and Clarissa left soon after. With her problem resolved, Clarissa planned to take Mel back to the orphanage, while Alex headed home to the farm—bounty in tow.

With Arcanine using Teleport, the return trip was quick and seamless—jumping from Viridian City to the Cycling Route, then Route 16, followed by Celadon City, Saffron City, and finally the farm. What had been a perilous three-day journey by flight was undone in under five minutes.

Now that he was back, Alex figured it was time for a proper inspection. He’d been constantly on the move, only stopping to train whenever he returned. This time, though, he was excited to see what the farm looked like after the girls had worked their magic on it. With any luck, he might even have a little fun while he was at it.

-----

Support me on Patreon

patreon/babywrath