Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Chapter 152: Chapter 152. A Broken Man

Earlier that morning, while Alex had left to hunt down a Crobat nest and Vera had gone to take her Chief Breeder certification exam, Kyle Mason, a former father of two, was going through his usual work routine.

He lived in a rundown apartment on the north side of Vermilion City, far from the affluent southern district known for its beaches. His apartment was nothing more than a place to sleep, as he spent most of his time working at a nearby warehouse.

He got out of bed and stared at the framed picture of his wife and two daughters.

With a quiet sigh, he headed to the kitchen. There, he heated up the same prepackaged ground Pokémon meat he ate every day in the microwave. It was poor man’s food, nothing compared to the fruits, berries, and vegetables enjoyed by the rest of the 10 million people living inside the city. Food he used to thrive on as well.

He shoveled it down, washing it away with tap water. Then he changed into his overalls and made his way to the warehouse where he worked.

The district was old and dirtier than the clean streets at the heart of the city. Homeless people were scattered about, unwilling or unable to put in the effort to get a place of their own.

He, like them, survived on the League’s so-called ”charity”, ground Pokémon meat that occasionally contained bits of bone, shell, rock, or twigs. It was a disgusting slop, worth nothing more than a day’s supply of life and energy.

He reached the warehouse, where his coworkers were already gathered, waiting for the doors to open.

”You look like shit,” a coworker said as he spotted Kyle lumbering over. ”You won’t last the day if you already look like you’re ready to pass out.”

”I’ll be fine,” Kyle replied. ”Just another day.”

They kept chatting as the warehouse doors slid open, revealing an assembly line inside. Their job was to assemble manufactured parts into finished products. They worked on toys, gadgets, and anything else remotely mechanical.

It was mindless work that required their hands more than their minds. Perfect for someone as burned out as Kyle.

It was preferable to being an engineer, where he constantly had to think and focus. Those days ended when he lost his family to Pokémon, one by one, along with any desire to think or live.

His mind went blank as he sat at his station while the assembly line whirred to life. Today, it seemed to be action figures of Lucario. As the pieces began to arrive, he grabbed each one, snapping them together before placing them back on the line.

His hands moved on their own, steady and practiced, as the faint scent of flour and berries seemed to drift in from nowhere. He could almost see Lena at the kitchen counter, her back turned, shoulders swaying gently as she hummed a tune that once filled the house. A soft, familiar sound echoed in his mind, quick footsteps and light giggles as Emma and Lily chased each other through the garden, their laughter bright and fleeting like wind chimes in the breeze.

The rhythm of his work blurred with the quiet scenes behind his eyes. Lena’s smile, the way her eyes lit up when she looked up from her baking, always so steady and warm. He could still feel the calm of those quiet nights in the livingroom, the four of them together, safe in a peace none of them realized would slip away.

Then, a bell chimed, pulling him back to the present.

His 8 hour shift had just ended, so he got up and lumbered his way back home.

He arrived at his apartment, stepped inside, and pulled out his phone. It was the same model he had been using since he lost them. It was the only reason he was still alive.

He opened a forum meant for people like him, those who had lost loved ones to Pokémon, one way or another.

He pored over story after story of people and their loss. The most common of which were of those who had simply vanished after leaving for their journeys, never to return.

Thousands of people were on the site, sharing stories of sorrow, hardship, and hate. Many expressed hatred toward Pokémon, the League, and the world itself.

He never posted anything, but he shared their feelings. There was something comforting about reading the stories of others who had gone through the same pain. In a way, it was a reminder that he wasn’t suffering alone.

Then he found a post about a protest that was about to begin. They were planning to gather in Vermilion City Square to pressure the League into killing more Pokémon. They were trying to gather as many people as possible to draw attention. The more people protested, the more seriously the League would take them.

Kyle scoffed at the notion. It was foolish to think the League would do anything for them, the victims of the very system it had created.

His thoughts drifted back to his family. Lena, his wife, had left for a business trip in another city and vanished without a trace. Emily, his eldest at 18, had set out on her own journey, defying his fears and warnings. Lily, just 16, had followed soon after, vowing to bring her mother and sister home. None of them ever returned.

Then he remembered a quote written in the post: ”If you don’t do something, it would be no different than killing your loved ones yourself.”

Rage suddenly boiled in his veins. How dare they say that he killed his own family? What was he supposed to do? Keep his family hostage and never let them leave the city? Especially when they loved Pokémon so much from watching TV?

Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. The League killed his daughters because of their propaganda to spread love for Pokémon. His inaction wasn’t the problem, it was the system.

With rage, he returned to the post and noted their meet-up place and time. He wore his usual overalls before heading over.

Once he was at the square, he was greeted with a crowd of a few hundred people who were as angry as he was when he decided to come over.

He suddenly felt slightly out of place, unused to the massive crowd. He felt like an idiot for even coming.

As he was about to turn away, someone from behind called out.

”You’re just in time,” the man said as he handed over a device. ”It’s to protect yourself against the police. Just in case.”

Kyle took the device as the man walked away and started distributing it to others in the crowd.

He examined it closely. It was obvious how it worked from a glance. His hand would be around a grip while his finger would pull the trigger. He didn’t know what would happen, but if it was for protection, the barrel should be pointed at Pokémon, right?

Out of nowhere, a loud chant blared through a megaphone.

”No more victims! No more Pokémon!” the chant repeated.

The crowd grew more riled up as Kyle watched in stunned silence.

The voices around him grew louder, angrier, feeding off one another as the chant spread through the square like wildfire.

”No more victims! No more Pokémon!”

”No more victims! No more Pokémon!”

Fists were raised in the air. People waved signs, crudely painted with slogans and slurs against the League and Pokémon alike. The crowd surged forward, voices merging into one deafening roar.

Kyle’s grip tightened around the device. He could feel the heat of bodies pressing closer, the electric charge of shared fury crackling in the air. His heart pounded, but he wasn’t sure if it was from fear or the same rage that had dragged him here in the first place.

He thought of Lena. He thought of Emily and Lily. Their faces blurred together in his mind, swallowed by the roar around him.

”Police! This is an unauthorized protest! Disperse immediately or face forcible detention!” blared another megaphone.

Then, someone fired the first shot.

A bright flash erupted from the front of the crowd, followed by screams. The square exploded into chaos. People rushed forward, others scattered, but the chant didn’t stop. If anything, it grew louder.

Kyle stood frozen in place, the device still in his hand, unsure whether to run or raise it himself.

Then, the crowd around him dispersed.

He looked around and spotted a police officer with a Houndoom by its side staring at him with a sadistic smile.

”Stop resisting arrest,” the officer shouted. ”You’ve been warned. Flamethrower!”

Kyle saw flames coming for him before he could even understand. He burned to the ground, the gun still clutched in his hands.

’Lena, Emily, Lily, I’m sorry,’ was the last thought running through his mind.

The riot scattered as Kyle burned to ashes, his screams lost in the chaos. Protesters fired wildly at anything in their path. Pokémon moves lit up the streets, striking police officers, buildings, and even bystanders who had only been watching.

The other officers stood in shock at what their colleague had done. But there was no time to react. People were dying by the second.

”Stunning moves! Use stunning moves only!” the officer with the megaphone ordered, his voice sharp and urgent.

At once, clouds of Stun Spore filled the air. Bolts of Thunder Wave spread through the crowd, while piercing Glares and waves of Hypnosis dropped people to the ground. Many collapsed, paralyzed or asleep, but some still managed to slip away.

Those who escaped continued to spread chaos throughout the city.

Soon, reports came in from all corners of Vermilion. Somehow, more rioters had appeared far from the city square, unleashing destruction in every direction. Rioters fired at civilians and storefronts, while fires spread and the streets filled with smoke and crumbling debris.

Chaos consumed everything. The city was burning.

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