Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Chapter 408: Chapter 408. Bridge of Assassins

’Thirteen assailants. Twelve Elite ranked auras, six on each side of the bridge suspended on ropes, and the Champion ranked one in front of me. They’re all likely heavily armed, with the one in front carrying a submachine gun inside his coat and a sidearm at his waist. No Pokémon for some reason despite their rank, but the one in front has red, slitted eyes like a lizard. If I had to guess, Seviper matches the eye shape and color. These guys are likely successful Pokémon human fusions with organized energy, and they move like a single coordinated unit with tactical precision. It looks like Team Dominion has some rather successful projects under their belts,’ Alex analyzed in real time as the assailants charged at him from all sides.

Chaos erupted on the bridge as Champion and Elite ranked auras suddenly flared, terrifying the passersby and causing traffic to build up. Trainers released their Pokémon in defense while truck drivers waited helplessly, honking their horns in a futile attempt to clear the blockage.

Meanwhile, Alex waited for his assailants to surround him, eager to see what they could possibly do to him. So far, he wasn’t impressed. These assassins, or whatever they were, could have been easily overwhelmed by his Pokémon. Either they hadn’t done their due diligence and failed to research him properly, or they had a reason to be so cocky that they were willing to bum rush him with full confidence.

The well dressed Champion ranked assailant in front of him quickly swung the submachine gun from inside his suit using the sling before opening fire at Alex, who finally took up a balanced stance, ready to dodge bullets. A hail of bullets were unleashed with a decent spread, threatening to overwhelm him.

Alex simply sidestepped while maintaining distance, occasionally swatting away Feint and Phantom Force rounds that bounced off the sleeve of his pristine suit. The bullets were standard Elite ranked rounds, nothing to write home about, so there was still zero threat so far.

Hearing the familiar click of an empty magazine, Alex charged forward, having lost his patience. The twelve assailants were quite a bit slow since they were only Elite rank and were bogged down by panicking civilians, so he was less than impressed with their execution.

’Why are these idiots climbing up the rope? They’re Elites, for crying out loud. They should have jumped up using the tension and moved to surround me already. Instead, they’re flopping around, with only a few guys getting it but subsequently being blocked by the civilians and traffic. Easily a 4/10 for placement, execution, and crowd control. A bunch of fucking amateurs,’ Alex complained as he charged forward.

The man in front of Alex let go of his submachine gun and moved to draw his sidearm, panic slightly marring his face. It seemed he usually won fights by ambushing trainers before they could release their Pokémon. They might have never faced a trainer who could actually fight back, which spoke volumes about their inexperience. Then again, they might be new, considering they were experimental subjects who had likely only recently been successfully enhanced.

The man finally managed to unholster his pistol and aim at Alex, but he was a step too late as Alex reached out, grabbed the pistol by the barrel, and pointed it up as it fired. He followed up with a punch to the gut that nearly knocked the wind right out of the man.

Suddenly, Alex had a bad feeling as the man’s free arm grabbed hold of his suit, preventing his escape with equal strength to his own. Then, with a gleam in his eyes, he spat out a glob of purple mist right at Alex’s face.

Alex held his breath and closed his eyes right as he felt the sting of the poisoned substance bathe him. It managed to seep into his suit and soak his skin, burning him from the outside in.

’Elite ranked Belch!?’ Alex exclaimed, recognizing the amount of damage he was suffering.

Feeling the intensity of battle increase, Alex stepped up his game. He covered himself in Dark type energy and fought back. With one arm, he grabbed the man’s other hand, reared his head, and headbutted the man in the face, hitting his nose and causing it to start bleeding. Then he pulled the man down, aiming for a headlock to break his neck.

Suddenly, the man’s hand turned soft as it wrapped around Alex’s arm and squeezed, cutting off circulation at best.

’Wrap!?’ Alex recognized. ’It seems they’ve managed to learn Pokémon moves as humans, but despite being at Champion rank, they’re only able to project Elite ranked strength at most, just like all humans when compared to Pokémon. That’s pretty good, all things considered, but it’s not enough against me.’

The man let go of his pistol before rearing back and punching out, his fist covered in the purple sheen of Poison Jab.

Alex caught the jab, turned, and executed a shoulder throw, taking advantage of the elasticity of the other arm that had wrapped around him. The man slammed onto the ground without cratering, taking the full brunt of the throw. Alex then mounted him and began pounding the man’s head into the pavement with relentless fury until he was finally knocked out.

Just in time, as the man’s backup had finally arrived, guns blazing, forcing Alex to use the guy he just knocked out as cover. In response to the barrage, he drew his own pistol, a Walther PPK loaded with debilitation rounds, and fired back, careful to avoid hitting the crowd.

Alex calmly strode forward, neutralizing the poison coursing through his system with an Antidote and drinking a Potion to patch up the damage. He then returned fire, using the man’s unconscious body as cover while advancing steadily. The man was Champion ranked, so no bullets should manage to penetrate, although he would definitely be sore when he woke.

To the other assailants’ credit, they didn’t just stand around like idiots. They retreated slowly as Alex approached, ensuring there was distance between them. At least they understood that Alex was an entire rank above them and didn’t want to get caught in close-quarters combat, especially since their boss had just been taken down.

Growing bored with the exchange, Alex decided to release his Pokémon just as the majority of them started reloading. He didn’t want to play cat and mouse with these weak combatants, and he couldn’t finish the fight quickly with Stormline because of the civilians. It was best to just release his Pokémon and be done with it.

With multiple flashes of red light, Alex’s Pokémon materialized and swarmed the bridge. He only released his Champions, so they weren’t overcrowding the limited space.

Immediately, Raticate and Arcanine blitzed into the fray, taking out the gunners one at a time. Clawitzer shot Water Pulse, Kommo-o used Vacuum Wave, and Togekiss fired Aura Sphere with perfect accuracy. Shadows flickered as Ceruledge and Dusknoir leapt out, blade and fist glowing ominously with the energy of Phantom Force. In no time, the assailants were taken down and the chaos subdued.

Gardevoir immediately approached the man in the fedora and began reading his memories without prompt, forwarding the information to Alex, who wore a surprised expression.

Long story short, this man was an assassin working for the Ravensleigh family, with ties to Team Dominion, who had augmented these men to curry favor with the fallen noble family. They were newly hired recruits, enhanced at considerable cost, buying into whatever ideology Team Dominion was selling.

He had been ordered to hunt Alex down over the airship contract on his head. Apparently, their noble family wasn’t doing too well financially and needed something to put them back on the map, and an airship business sounded appealing enough.

”Kill them all and store the bodies,” Alex said, without a hint of emotion.

It wasn’t wise to get on the noble family’s bad side, but at the same time, they weren’t a significant threat. Making enemies of them didn’t matter. What was more important was sending a message that he wasn’t to be fucked with.

Sure, it would be great to receive challenges, as was the point of his trip to Galar, but even he had standards. These trash sent against him weren’t going to cut it. He needed a real fight, so only those confident enough to win or survive should be sent against him.

Alex paused on the bridge, taking in the aftermath. Civilians were starting to pick themselves up, muttering and pointing at the mess while emergency aid was given to those who needed it. Potholes cratered the cobblestones, blood darkened the cracks, and the smell of smoke and scorched asphalt clung stubbornly to the air. Torn ropes dangled from the railings, and weapons were scattered about. It was a mess. Route 5 wasn’t going to forget this fight anytime soon.

It took a while, but eventually the police arrived and took Alex’s statement. He wasn’t charged with anything, given his strength and credentials, but they did beg him to take it down a notch, since many civilians had been affected. Fortunately for them, the assailants had enough money in the bank to compensate the victims of their assault.

Meanwhile, Alex continued his leisurely journey across the Route 5 bridge before finally reaching the Pokémon Nursery. He had promised Mustard to help with whatever problems they were having, and apparently this particular location had a bug infestation.

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