Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Chapter 523: Chapter 523. Casper Mausole

Alex arrived in Dendemille City and walked along its busy streets, making his way west toward Route 15. Once a quiet mountain town famed for its windmill, Dendemille had expanded into a sprawling alpine city of broad avenues, high-rise apartments, shopping districts, and industrial parks nestled among evergreen forests. Snow-dusted rooftops and timber facades still marked the old quarter, though they were overshadowed by modern buildings serving tourists, logistics companies, and trainers traveling through northern Kalos. Despite its growth, the crisp mountain air and distant white peaks gave the city a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere, with residents strolling rather than rushing along the sidewalks.

Alex matched their leisurely pace, casually scanning the crowds while making sure he wouldn’t miss his target should the opportunity present itself. That target was a Master ranked professional assassin named Casper Mausole.

Name: Casper Mausole

Alias: Shadow’s Whisper

Team: Ceruledge (Master), Skeledirge, Aegislash, Sableye, Chandelure, and Gengar

Occupation: Professional Assassin

Organization: Independent Contractor

Bounty: 120,000,000 Credits

Threat Assessment: Master ranked Ghost type specialist. Minimum recommended response is one Master ranked Dark type specialist proficient in close-quarters combat, supported by multiple Champion ranked personnel to prevent escape. The subject is considered extremely dangerous and should not be engaged except with overwhelming force.

Known Location: An abandoned estate hidden within the forests northwest of Dendemille City. Intelligence indicates he frequently operates between Dendemille City, Anistar City, and Couriway City using underground smuggling routes.

Casper Mausole was a 93-year-old professional assassin standing approximately 187 cm tall with a slim build, pale complexion, black hair streaked with silver, and grey eyes. He typically wore a reinforced black overcoat over lightweight ballistic armor. A patient and methodical killer, Casper specialized in eliminating high-value targets with a knife at close range, relying on stealth and ambushes.

Over the past decade, Casper had been linked to the assassinations of three Champion ranked League officials, dozens of high-ranking criminal figures, and more than three hundred confirmed murders. He had evaded five International Police capture operations and was believed to have trained numerous elite assassins now employed throughout Kalos’ Underworld. His network of safehouses, forged identities, informants, and substantial financial reserves made him one of the region’s most dangerous independent criminals.

As far as Alex was concerned, Casper was the perfect Master ranked target. Alex met the recommended response criteria to the letter, while replacing the Champion ranked support with his army of Pokémon. Better yet, Casper lived in an abandoned estate instead of a professionally fortified compound with layered security. With his Dark typing, Alex could slip in and out unnoticed and perhaps eliminate the assassin using the man’s own preferred method against him.

Suddenly, Alex felt an ominous ghostly energy ahead of him to the side observing him. He didn’t look or react to it though as it was quite weak so it shouldn’t be his target. He approached the source of the energy and passed by when he was called out to.

”Hello... MooMoo Milk is just 500 a bottle. How about some for your journey?” a woman asked.

She had long black hair that hung in messy waves past her waist, partially concealing a pale, youthful face with large violet eyes. A black lace headband rested atop her head, matching the frilled black dress and striped stockings that marked her as one of Kalos’ many self-proclaimed Hex Maniacs. Despite the gothic attire and perpetually distant expression, she held a wooden crate filled with chilled bottles of MooMoo Milk, offering them to passing travelers with an unexpectedly gentle voice. There was an eerie beauty to her, the kind that felt haunting rather than inviting, made all the more unsettling by her awkwardly cute demeanor.

”Um... sure,” Alex agreed, caught off guard by his own heightened state of alertness.

”Thank you for your purchase,” she said, taking his money and handing him a bottle.

Alex examined the bottle, but it was just an ordinary bottle of MooMoo Milk from the ranch, sold at the same price as in stores. There was absolutely nothing unusual about it. Honestly, what had he been expecting to find?

With a chuckle, Alex continued on his way out of the city and soon found himself on Route 15. The winding route connected Dendemille City in the east to Laverre City in the west, with towering trees blanketed in golden-yellow leaves lining both sides of the road. Near the southeastern end, a side path branched off toward Route 16, while the weathered entrance to the abandoned Lost Hotel sat partially concealed beneath the forest canopy. Beyond the paved road, dense woodland stretched in every direction, providing more than enough cover for anyone wishing to disappear without a trace.

He mounted Arcanine and followed the road north until they reached a bridge leading west. Instead of crossing it, he guided Arcanine off the road and into the dense undergrowth. Wild Pokémon sensed the predator’s overwhelming strength and scattered long before they came into view, leaving their path undisturbed. They soon reached a river, which Arcanine skimmed across at full speed before landing on the northern bank. From there, they entered the forest and continued north, following the coordinates provided in the dossier.

They continued for another half hour at a steady pace until they reached a well-worn path. Judging by the coordinates, they were close enough that sentries could begin appearing at any moment.

”This is close enough,” Alex said as he dismounted and returned Arcanine. ”I’ll take it from here.”

Under the cover of night, Alex moved through the dark forest cloaked in his Dark type energy. Following the trail, he stepped only where footprints had already been left until a dilapidated, unwalled mansion emerged from the trees. Built in the ornate Kalosian style, the once-grand estate featured weathered stone walls, arched windows, wrought-iron balconies, and steep slate roofs. Time and neglect had claimed much of its former splendor. Ivy covered the cracked masonry, stained-glass windows lay shattered, and parts of the roof had collapsed, leaving the manor looking more like a haunted house than a luxurious residence.

At first glance, it looked like an easy target for hungry wild Pokémon, but the eerie aura surrounding the estate was enough to unsettle even seasoned trainers. Ghost type Pokémon drifted lazily around the perimeter, a presence Alex had sensed long before the mansion came into view. The security was undeniably effective, had its sentries not all been Ghost types incapable of perceiving someone concealed by Dark type energy.

Like a shadow without a source, Alex slipped from one patch of darkness to the next, passing unnoticed through the patrols until he reached the estate. With an effortless leap, he landed on the rooftop without so much as a creak. Closing his eyes, he extended his senses through the building. A powerful presence rested at the opposite end of the manor, its energy steadily expanding and contracting. Judging by the rhythm, his target was asleep.

Alex crossed the rooftop and inspected the room from above, searching for a suitable entry point. Entering through the roof would require breaking through both the roof and the ceiling. Moving through the manor was no better, as the aged wooden floors would likely creak with the slightest touch. The intact windows were likely the reason his target had chosen this room. They would have made the ideal entry point if Raticate could quietly use Cut to open one, but that was unrealistic with so many Ghost type sentries patrolling the grounds. Left with no better option, Alex would have to breach through the window and hope for the best.

He dropped from the rooftop and landed on the balcony as silently as a cat, coming to a stop beside a guarding Skeledirge. Bracing himself, he readied his Pokémon, then burst through the window.

CRASH!

As the startled Ghost type Pokémon turned toward the noise, Alex released his Pokémon while sprinting straight for his target. Just as expected, the enemy’s Aegislash intercepted him with King’s Shield, buying its trainer precious time. In the same instant, Alex’s own Aegislash materialized and answered with King’s Shield, blocking every attack from the surrounding Ghost types and carving out a narrow path straight to Casper, evading both Aegislash.

The moment Alex came within arm’s reach, a silver flash erupted from beneath the pillow. Casper was already awake and very much prepared.

A knife shot toward Alex’s face.

Alex slapped the assassin’s wrist aside, intending to disarm him, but Casper simply released the knife and caught it with his other hand in one fluid motion before driving the blade toward Alex’s stomach. Deciding the trade was worth it, Alex ignored the attack and seized Casper by the throat, a cold, heavy pain erupting in his abdomen as the blade sank home.

The two struggled across the bed. Casper fought desperately to break free while Alex ignored the knife twisting in his stomach, focusing solely on improving his grip. Seconds later, his superior grappling prevailed. He locked in a textbook rear naked choke, cutting off the assassin’s escape.

All he had to do now was hold on until Casper lost consciousness while Gardevoir and the others kept the target’s Pokémon occupied.

Then Alex caught a flash of steel hurtling toward his eye.