Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Chapter 119: Chapter 119. More Pokemon 2

While purchasing new Pokémon, Alex decided to check up on the Ralts he had captured. He had a feeling the story was not over once he received the debrief from the Psychic Gym. Sure enough, the story had continued.

To his absolute surprise, he found her being sold for a third of the price he had received when selling her to the League earlier that day.

Digging deeper, he discovered that the Ralts had been sold back to her former trainer, the rich brat who caused her to escape in the first place. Soon after their reunion, she lobotomized him with raw psychic energy.

The rich brat, now a grown man, was killed before anyone could intervene. The incident caused Ralts to quickly evolve into Kirlia, who was then captured after completing her evolution. She was sold back to the League at half her original price.

She was then bought by another trainer who felt confident in taming her but nearly suffered the same fate. After a lengthy conversation in a controlled environment, the trainer gave up trying to tame her and sold her back to the League.

After that, she was passed from one trainer to another as her price continued to drop.

After a few more attempted lobotomies and failed negotiations, the Kirlia had developed a heavy report sheet filled with failed murder attempts. She was no longer considered desirable. Now, she sat in Sabrina’s Psychic Gym, listed for sale at three hundred thousand credits to anyone brave enough to risk a potential psychic lobotomy.

”I’m sure I can survive a psychic energy bombardment,” Alex said to himself.

He had Dark typing and the support of Metagross. He was confident he could handle the initial encounter, even if she was already Expert rank. Convincing her to train under him, though, would be another matter entirely.

”Perhaps she would enjoy the chance to kill more humans under me?” he mused.

He remembered how inconvenient it had been to leave Metagross behind during his last assassination spree. Maybe having a homicidal Gardevoir to coordinate the team while carrying out assassinations wasn’t such a bad idea.

”She’s also a healer,” Alex added, already convinced he was going to give it a try.

At this point, he was only trying to justify it to his wallet. He still had half a million credits left, which was enough, so he might as well go for it, right?

That evening, Alex purchased her from the Psychic Gym. He didn’t want to risk leaving her on the market overnight. Who knew? There might already be some Underworld operative working to get their hands on her.

Once he received her through the PC, Alex transferred her into a Poké Ball, then stepped outside and called Metagross and Hydreigon to his side. Metagross would serve as the psychic bodyguard, while Hydreigon stood as the physical enforcer.

”Everyone ready?” Alex asked.

”Drei,” Hydreigon nodded.

”Meh,” Metagross responded as well.

Alex released Kirlia in front of them. She immediately tried to Teleport away but was swiftly retrieved into the Poké Ball by Alex.

”I think we need more backup,” he muttered, then turned to Metagross. ”Go call the Crobats and ask them to help with Mean Look.”

Metagross sent out a psychic pulse to summon them. Moments later, a pair of Crobats swooped down from the mansion rooftop and perched on Alex’s shoulders.

”Just use Mean Look.”

”Cro,” they chirped in agreement.

Alex released Kirlia again. She attempted another Teleport, but the Mean Look locked her in place.

Her gaze darted around before settling on Alex.

He was ready to defend himself when she suddenly projected a psychic connection toward him. He allowed it, lowering his Dark-type energy defenses, only to be hit by the telepathic equivalent of a punch in the gut.

”YOU WERE ThE oNe Who caught me!” Kirlia’s voice roared in his mind, dripping with fury.

Alex quickly reinforced his Dark energy, dampening the psychic attack to a tolerable level. This was most likely what had caused her trainer’s death.

”I was,” he replied through the link. ”You were rampaging enough to warrant arrest by the League.”

”Humans should all die!” she raged.

”That’s a bit harsh,” Alex replied casually. ”Why kill all humans when only one was responsible for your misery?”

”Humans are all the same!”

”Are all Pokémon the same?”

”We are different. Unique.”

”So are humans.”

”LIES!”

Alex ramped up the flow of Dark energy to suppress the surge in her volume.

”Not all humans are the same,” he said. ”I’m sure you’ve seen that for yourself. Of those you killed, you must have glimpsed their dreams, their minds. Some may have deserved it... but most didn’t.”

Kirlia didn’t respond, but the rage in her aura visibly dulled. She had likely seen the memories of those kinder souls, trainers she might have wished had found her first instead of the rich brat.

”Tell me about your first trainer,” Alex asked suddenly.

”Why don’t I show you,” she said with a smirk, and in the next instant, Alex’s mind was flooded with her memories of being tortured.

She endured constant beatings and verbal abuse, almost every hour of every day. Nothing he hadn’t experienced before in combat and training. But what hit him wasn’t the violence. It was the overwhelming emotional pain she went through. The helplessness. The aching need to be loved. The confusion. The betrayal from someone she thought would protect her.

Some Psychic Pokémon, when forming their first bond, instinctively delve into their trainer’s memories to build a deeper connection, mimicking their personality, adopting their likes and dislikes, and understanding them through their core memories.

Her first trainer hadn’t started evil. Alex saw it clearly. The boy was a spoiled brat but had simply been naïve, before toxic ideas spread through his mind like a virus. Alex saw that as the perfect opportunity to get Kirlia to cooperate.

”Tough luck,” Alex said nonchalantly. ”Others have been through worse. Humans are not all evil, but there are some who are. Your trainer wasn’t one of them.”

”Lies!” she tried to shout, but Alex was expecting it.

”Your trainer was a somewhat good human before he was corrupted by those who are truly evil,” Alex explained, catching Kirlia’s attention. ”The reason he beat you was because he thought it would make you stronger. That was a lie told by humans who want to enslave Pokémon and control the world. The propaganda they spread claims that Pokémon should be beneath them as slaves, not beside them as partners.”

”Who are they?” she asked, her voice low and filled with quiet fury.

”I don’t know exactly, but we call them the human supremacist faction. I have been tracking them for a while and trying to stop them. I could use your help.”

Kirlia considered his words, then formed a plan. If he wanted her as his Pokémon, then he would just have to bond with her the same way her first trainer had. She would read all his memories.

”I can only trust you if you show me,” she said.

”Go ahead,” Alex replied. ”But try anything funny and my Hydreigon will have you as her midnight snack.”

Alex opened his mind further, allowing her access to all his memories. At least, the ones he had control over.

Kirlia experienced the original Alex’s childhood. The loss of his parents. The beatings from other humans. The years of starvation, so similar to her own suffering after she escaped.

Then, his mentality shifted. He was no longer the helpless boy who grew up without knowledge. He became confident, informed, and powerful.

She read through his plans, his accomplishments, the truths behind his words, and the lies as well.

He had told the truth about the human supremacist faction, but he had lied about actively pursuing them. Even so, he did take every opportunity to bring them down. They were profitable targets with valuable technology. In that way, he really was hunting them, though only when it suited his interests.

She understood Alex better now. He was a lot like her. Violent, but not from blind rage. His violence came from a need to win, to overcome others. It was a driving force, a hunger for dominance through battle. His violence was his purpose.

Hers was shallow in comparison. She hated all humans simply because she had met the wrong one, just one out of the millions on the planet. As she reflected, her hatred and anger began to fade, feeling more like a childish tantrum than righteous fury.

Then she saw his plan for her. He needed a commander, someone to relay his orders and carry out assassinations, someone to help him kill humans. It was strangely flattering to be regarded with such importance.

She would still get to kill but with purpose and reason. No longer would she have to fight the world, only the small minority who caused others to suffer as she had once suffered.

By the end of it, she had made her decision.

”Very well. I agree to your proposal.”

”Happy to have you,” Alex said with a wide smile. ”Now, would you mind showing me your moves?”

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