As with any good hunt, the first thing on the agenda was to understand the prey.
Alex had already read Karen's profile but he wasn't satisfied. He only had one realistic shot at this target without alerting the police so he had to make sure he had all his facts straight. Not to mention it was still early in the morning so he had some free time to waste.
He headed for Telron while scouting out the place and taking note of any cameras, blind spots, or areas of approach.
Dressed in a plain shirt and loose pants, Alex moved at a steady jog, his gaze drifting from storefronts to alleyways, lingering on passing signs and open windows. He blended in easily as just another curious tourist taking in the sights.
He circled multiple blocks but never took the same path twice, always maintaining a curious expression. Then, he moved away while keeping a line of sight on the Telron Tower, its top floor in particular. He continued this all the way until he made it back to his hotel.
Once he was finished, he had an estimate of what he was working with.
Basically, he didn't need to leave his room to execute this mission. He had a free shot from his own hotel window.
The commercial district was the location of both his hotel and the Telron Tower, and they weren't more than 450 meters apart, a distance his sniper could easily reach.
As for the cleanup, he would leave it to Umbraline. Since they refused his request, they needed to earn their pay. They should understand that Alex didn't work for free. Sure, they were paying him with Pokédollars, but he accepted this job for the ammunition in the first place.
Since they refused to cooperate, he would lower his standards a bit to show them what he was truly worth. A spanking every now and then would teach them some manners.
Alex spent the rest of the day enjoying the hotel's amenities. He hit the sauna, the hot tub, grabbed a few overpriced meals, and made sure his Pokémon were well taken care of. Grooming, treatments, massages, Elite ranked food. Everything was handled. He wouldn't need them for this job, so they could continue to relax.
By the time night came, he was done resting. It was time to work.
He sat by the window, laying out his sniper piece by piece. Sight assembly, chamber check, Feint round loaded. He adjusted the scope, checked wind drift, and tested the trigger. Then he opened a window while closing the blinds, leaving just the tiniest gap for him to aim and shoot.
The Telron Tower was less than 450 meters away. Top floor, corner office, with his target's back to the glass wall. She was still awake, sitting at her desk, focused on paperwork. Through the scope, he lined up his shot. His breathing slowed. His hands steadied. When the moment came, he squeezed the trigger.
BANG!
He got up, taking the sniper with him before placing it flat on the table. He disassembled the gun piece by piece before storing everything in his bag. He didn't bother to check or even close the small crack in the window. Instead, he called for room service while looking over the video of his shot.
It showed the exact moment when the bullet burst through the glass window, penetrated the Protect barrier, passed through Misdreavus, then hit Karen right at the back of her head.
The camera jolted from the recoil, but Alex could still see the moment when all her Pokémon exploded from their Poké Balls and began rampaging within her office. No doubt the trouble that would cause would be immense.
As a bounty hunter, he would have had to clean up properly, but as a contracted assassin, he didn't need to care. That would be Umbraline's problem if they somehow got blamed for it.
Once he was finished reviewing the tape, Alex sent it to his other phone, the one Umbraline gave him. They likely had a tap on it at all times, so anything stored in it could be accessed by them.
He didn't mind the breach of privacy. He had nothing important to hide, after all.
A few minutes later, along with the arrival of his food, Alex received the assassination fee for Karen Morr. A total of 37 million Pokédollars was deposited, bringing his bank account total to 150 million. At this point, Pokédollars were just numbers on a screen rather than a measure of financial ability.
The next day, Alex checked the news, and as expected, there were reports about Karen's Pokémon rampaging in Telron Tower. The entire top floor had been destroyed, with numerous casualties among the "staff" on the lower floors.
Fortunately, they were quickly subdued by an anonymous passing trainer who ended up capturing them, preventing further damage to the commercial district. Still, it was clear Umbraline had put some effort into the chaos, as that very same night there were reports of multiple break-ins at warehouses, homes, and businesses.
"They must have really profited off of me this time," Alex said as he lay comfortably on his bed, checking his phone.
He was planning another rest day today before heading out tomorrow. The difference, however, was that he had some research to do.
He had recently found out about the effects of bonding with Pokémon and their energy. It wasn't information included in the packet, so it was possible it would only be included once trainers reached Champion rank. However, this seemed counterintuitive to Alex, as that would be useless information. The threat was very real for people before Champion rank. Once they reached it, it was pointless to know about it.
So, Alex searched online for any information regarding research on bonds, type energy in humans, and their effects on mentality and sense of self.
In the end, he did find a research paper that theorized the effects of bonding beyond a trainer's ability. The requirement was either a very high level of talent for type affinity, a trainer who bonded with too many powerful Pokémon or a Pokémon who would bond with someone significantly less powerful than themselves.
In essence, a Pokémon's energy enrages them, making them violent against everything but themselves. Their instinct takes precedence, which allows them to have a community of similar species, but ultimately, this makes them animals.
Once they gain enough strength, their instincts turn into intellect, allowing them to finally control themselves, their energy, and their nest, birthing a leader who takes control.
Once a trainer comes along and successfully bonds with them, their energy enters the trainer and affects them. The effects are negligible when the difference between the trainer and the Pokémon is within one rank, but if there are too many bonded at the same time or if the difference is too large, then they are susceptible to being corrupted.
Alex never had that problem because of his powerful sense of self. He also never noticed it, as he was already violent from the start. It was a state of mind he was already used to keeping under control. He figured it was simply more excitement for battle.
Once a Pokémon experiences a bond, two things generally happen. First, they feel the violent impulse lessening while gaining the trainer's sense of self. Second, they consider their trainer as family or a loved one, a part of their nest.
A hierarchy is established depending on strength. If the bond happened through personal ability, then the trainers are seen as the leader, with the Pokémon as a part of their nest. This includes bonds with a newly hatched Pokémon. If the bond happened as a result of training, then they consider themselves the leader and their trainer the advisor or meal ticket, the provider.
As for the strength of their bond, the stronger it is, the less affected the trainer and the Pokémon are by the energy. The weaker it is, the more susceptible the trainer is to being affected, and the more violent their Pokémon becomes.
In Alex's case, he had too many Pokémon while seamlessly handling the violent impulses. Once he bonded with an undoubtedly powerful Champion, he was finally tipped over the edge. He couldn't maintain his sense of self with so many bonds and a powerful one beyond his rank.
Thus, to fix this, he would need to grow his sense of self to be able to accommodate a Champion. To do this, he would need to experience life and gain wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and a powerful purpose to drive himself. Basically, he simply needs to get older while experiencing life to the fullest.
He could also meditate to empower his Aura and control the energies in his body. Doing so would amplify the effects of his sense of self, allowing him to do more with less.
The reason this isn't widespread knowledge is simple. Most trainers can barely afford to feed and train the six Pokémon needed for the gym circuit, let alone form deeper bonds with more. And when it comes to powerful Pokémon, they're unlikely to accept weaker trainers in the first place. Everyone has standards, after all.
Cases like Alex's were also rare. There were few with as powerful a talent with type affinity as Alex. Lance could perhaps be one with Dragons, but as can be seen from his personality, he is quite confrontational, both from Dragon type energy being more violent and from his many powerful Pokémon.
In the end, nothing changed for Alex as he learned more about Pokémon's energy and their bond. He still needed to learn to control his energy while eating Elite ranked meat, training his body, and taking care of his Pokémon. He still needed to earn more League credits to buy his dream home. He still needed to learn to be less possessive and care more.
He still had a long way to go.
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