Chapter 18 – The Bounty Hunters
Team Annihilation Reborn HQ – Entrance Hall
"Pathetic, why did I have to be teamed up with you slackers?"Grunted an elderly man with his arms crossed annoyed at his company, turning away from the younger two standing beside him. He was the most experienced of the three, but rarely keeps his cool within the presence of almost anyone, even preferring to work with someone else rather than the two he would work with.
"As if I wanted to be here. I'd rather be in a hot desert dying of thirst than be with either one of you!" A young woman in her mid twenties snarled at the elderly man standing beside her, she too crossing her arms annoyed at her company. She was experienced, knew her way around the region, every nook and cranny, secrets within each area of Unova, however she preferred to go solo than work with two of her most hated people in the world.
"Whatever, so when do I get paid? The sooner I get out of here the better…" Huffed the youngest of the three, a high school student and delinquent looking for quick cash. These people were bounty hunters; they had been hired, blindfolded and then taken to a hidden location within the region of Unova to meet with their client.
The entrance hall was dark, almost void of any life except for the three standing in the center of the entrance hall, the three soldiers guarding the entrance, and a Pokemon watching them from the shadows. The walls had black tapestry hung up all with the white Team Annihilation Reborn symbol 'A'. The three knew about what Team Annihilation Reborn was and how powerful they were, but rarely does anyone in the region get the chance to be in the main base let alone meet with the ruler. But instead of a red Latias as many had seen announced as the ruler of Annihilation Reborn, instead the three were given audience to another Latias, a shiny one.
Shiny Latias flew in front of all three of them, starring down at them making sure her eyes met with her 'allies'. With a smile she spoke. "I welcome you to my domain and of course I thank you for accepting my job." Shiny Latias watched their faces to find surprise on their faces. A talking Pokemon was very rare in the world, so it was no surprise this would be anyone's reaction whenever she spoke to another human. So she continued. "I wanted to see if I could trust you, to see if you could work together to do this job without my ability from interfering, to find out if my little puppets can become trained Pokemon instead."
"Somewhere outside Opelucid City the target; Zack Raines was last sighted with his allies. A member of my advanced team known as The Five has been neutralized. But he has failed to kill one of Zack Raines' allies. That is why I have brought all three of you here to my base." She stared into the bounty hunters eyes as they began to glow, her ability to control activating. "I did my research on all three of you, so don't disappoint me; you must kill them."
"You three have been carefully selected out of only a handful of the best bounty hunters within this region to do this mission. You will all be paid 4 million each once one of Zack's allies is dead… the payment doubles with every ally of his you kill. BUT BE WARNED!" She screamed at the three, making them flinch back, shaking as the Latias glared at them. "Zack must not be touched. If he dies be it by your hands or by something else, I'll assume you killed him just to spite me for how you where brought here; blindfolded and dragged from the trucks to my hidden base with your hands tied. Your deaths will not be instant. I will torture you first, and I can make my victims live for a long time before I decide to kill you. Failure to do this task will result in your deaths. Do you three understand?" Without a word being said, the three bounty hunters simply nodded. Shiny Latias smiled and gestured for the bounty hunters to approach the guards so they can be blindfolded before being taken back in the truck.
With only a simple set of instructions given to the three by Shiny Latias, the three bounty hunters had been sent off to the area nearest to where we were. Team Annihilation Reborn had patrolled the roads, all routes and landmarks throughout the region to keep an eye open for me to give updates to their leader. The last place I was in was Opelucid City, so Route 11 and Village Bridge where the two locations the bounty hunters had to choose where they would set up an ambush, one they would wait until I approached or given orders to search elsewhere for me if I had already passed by. They chose Route 11 very near Village Bridge as the place to wait to set up for an ambush; a long route almost an hour's walk from Opelucid allowing them some time to set up to prepare for the attack or quickly run to the village Bridge if me and my friends had already passed them.
In the back of the moving truck besides the two heavily armed guards, the three bounty hunters sat in silence for the majority of the ride from Team Annihilation Reborn's hidden base to Route 11. With thirty minutes left of the ride, the elderly bounty hunter sighed, feeling it was time to go over the plan at least with two people he had despised. His name was Theodore, seventy-one years of age, wearing a stained white now dirty vest, green cargo pants with several knives in his pocket and wearing dirty boots was his fear for fifty years. He held one of his knives close, to him they had been his only companion throughout his entire career as a bounty hunter, and far more trustworthy than the two he had to work alongside. But just for today he would have to do so if he wanted to be paid the four million or more if more than one of my friends were killed by the three, money Theodore would use to upgrade on his gear and live life easily rather than camping outside in the rain and mud, something since knowing the others he had been accustomed to.
"I suppose we get this over with before it's too late to plan out the attack." He huffed with a heavy Galar accent, scratching his long white beard with the tip of his knife.
The woman sat across from him turned up to look from the clean metallic floor at the unwashed dirty face of Theodore. Her name was Joy, a woman of Johto blood flowing within her veins, a woman who has since at a young age of fourteen been a bounty hunter and known what the life is like for one. She had been alone most of her life, getting along fine and dandy rather than having another soul accompanying her in her life. Because of choice she decided- wanted to be alone than have anyone with her. It would appear to her that she was cursed; an omen surrounded her bringing bad luck all twenty four of her past companions ending up dead by the end of the day. She didn't know why, perhaps this was a curse she thought to herself at times. Her father was a bounty hunter having captured hundreds if not thousands most if not all cursing his family to be damned.
She despised the two, not because she thought with them around her they would die by the day's end, but other reasons, reasons she had hoped would remain buried and not be brought back up to the surface. The mission was important, with this money she would receive if she or the others killed would help, not because of herself, but other reasons she never shared with another.
"If we must…" she sighed, readjusting herself in her seat after the truck drove over a speed bump. "I suppose it couldn't hurt. Planning the attack against a talking Pokemon's friends, especially one the talking Latias is hunting for is extremely dangerous, so it would be best for us to prepare ourselves. Wouldn't you think, boy?" She turned her head at the third bounty hunter.
The younger bounty hunter, a teen sitting very close to the soldiers near the back of the truck door sat with his arms crossed across his chest, legs stretched out and feet resting on the opposite bench showing little to no care that his dirty shoes were messing up the bench. He was a high school student named Kurt, a delinquent who still wears his uniform even after two years of being in this profession. Despite having the least amount of years as a bounty hunter compared to the other two, he was good at his job successfully claiming twenty one bounties within his first year all earning him a sizable score, but never enough for the damages he has done in his hometown. Damages he regrets. The mission given to him by Shiny Latias would be more than enough to make things right he had hoped.
"Sure. I heard stories about this Dewott. Has Psychic type moves, eyes glowing red whenever he gets angry, ooh scary! Oh yeah, and the last active member of The Savior's within this region. So it would be wise for us to prepare ourselves against him and his friends." Kurt said, turning his head at the elderly bounty hunter chuckling. "Something funny, old man?"
" 'So it would be wise for us…' never heard today's youth talk like that." He again chuckled. "Go back to school, boy. You're parents must be worried sick."
"Don't need no school old man. I don't need no parents either. I in my very first year caught twenty one bounties without as so much as needing another person helping me out, no older bounty hunter guiding me under his wing or nothing." Kurt boasted, scowling at the man briefly before turning his head away. "So let's get to it then, the plan I mean. Once that is over, the farther I am away from the two of you!"
"Couldn't agree with you more." Joy leaned back in her seat, listening as the older bounty hunter began talking about the plan of attack.
"So we begin by setting up in the Route 11 very close to Village Bridge should we arrive late and we miss the Dewott and his friends, and then we can enter the village. Team Annihilation Reborn have already told us that the Dewott and his friends were still in Opelucid City the last they saw him, which was twenty minutes ago. So by the time we arrive we need to be quick, cautious and ready if we want to succeed with this plan." Theodore said after drawing his knife. "I am skilled with the knife, i can throw many knives from a distance; thirty yards was my best, so when they get into range I can hit one while you two take out the other two. Dibs on the Espeon, Pokemon are tricky to deal with. Better to get rid of it before it becomes a problem."
"I have my brass knuckles." From his pockets, he brought out two stained brass knuckles and wore them. "I could get in close after surprising them. Run up to the big dude name Brent and beat him up so bad not even his own mother will recognize him."
Joy removed her own weapon from her belt holding it by the leather handle before letting the rest drop with a loud clank, a long spiked metallic black whip. "I have my whip. Once I get in close I can strike with my whip around the girls neck and either she'll bleed out or have her head cut off. Either way, one strike from this bad boy will take care of one."
"So we have a whip to take care of the girl, brass knuckles for the muscled guy named Brent, and knives to take care of the Espeon. A surprise attack for when they get close to us would surely catch them off guard." Theodore glanced at the three weapons. "What about the Dewott? He is another thing we should be cautious of. The file we were given about this Dewott is when enraged he loses control, goes berserk and kills whatever he sees. Signs of this happening is whenever his eye glows red, so be on the lookout for that so we can flee from the area as fast as possible."
"Once we deal with the Dewott's friends, I say we knock the guy out so he doesn't come after us. Fleeing from a berserk Dewott set on killing us when enraged, especially a dangerous one is something i don't want to do." Kurt put his brass knuckles back inside his pocket and sat back in his seat.
"We can't harm the Dewott, so don't even try." Joy looked at the teen sternly. "The Latias gave us strict instructions not to, she even threatened us by killing us if we as so much touch the little one. We only need to kill…." She stopped herself. The three bounty hunters looked at each other, unsure what to feel in the moment.
They sat in silence for a while each with the same thought on their mind as the truck neared their destination; 'this will be the first time I would kill.' Throughout their lives as a bounty hunter, they had never killed anyone, only brought in their bounties alive and partially intact depending on the situation. But throughout their years as one, they never killed, they would do anything they could to protect the life of their bounty, and yet here they were after accepting a job from a Pokemon they didn't know was the leader of Team Annihilation Reborn to kill three of my friends for more cash than a single bounty. It was a simple bounty to apprehend three dangerous criminals, but Shiny Latias controlled them to be used as her puppets to kill my friends knowing how they didn't like to kill. Out of all the bounty hunters she found within the region, Theodore, Joy, and Kurt were the most skilled she could find, but they needed to be reworked first.
"When it comes to dealing with a bounty, even if my life was on the line I would never kill, it just isn't me." Theodore held his knife in his hand and sheathed it. "Why did I accept the job to kill these kids?"
"The money is what gained my interest. The description before meeting with that Latias never mentioned killing anyone, only how much you would receive for each bounty." Kurt shrugged before sitting up on the bench. "But I have never killed anyone before, never wanted to…"
Joy returned the whip to her belt very carefully not to get her hands caught on the spikes, slowly nodding her head. "This weapon I only used to threaten, used it to grab onto ones weapon or in the environment to my advantage, never has my whip caught flesh and tear it to shreds of anyone."
The three bounty hunters sat there, and for the first time in their lives rather than insult the other they talked, just talked about themselves not knowing why. Maybe it was the thought of them working together and having to kill to receive payment. "I was in the business almost all of my life." Theodore began to speak to break the silence or tension in the air. "I don't remember how exactly I became a bounty hunter, what garnered my interests to become one, but here I am; Theodore bounty hunter of the Unova region. I needed the cash for a living, it's what I went with during my younger years, food, a bed for the night were the things I wanted. I believe the reason as to why I wanted to become a bounty hunter was well I wanted to do some good in this life of mine after some friends of mine when I was as kid randomly happened across some guy skipping out on bail… that's all I am going to tell you about that, I'm pretty sure you can guess what happened next to my friends… Never had a family you know, I was just casually walking through life alone. I guess the reason for being one was to catch these guys before they take away the lives of those who don't deserve it."
"So why do you carry around knives for?" Kurt asked Theodore, shaking his head before he responded to him.
"When I was a kid, I suppose after my friends were… you know by that filthy lowlife, I wanted to meet the guy, let him know how I felt before going after him, look him in the eyes and ask if he remembered me. I found him, asked if he remembered me, he did, and so I attacked, and before I could deliver him the death blow… the look on the guys face was… fear, terror. Maybe I just use this weapon for intimidation, never stabbing anyone with it." He shook his head. "Feels like that worked over ending the guy like that. Nah, I don't know."
"I have been a bounty hunter for nine years, starting when I was eighteen." Joy spoke up. "Family needed cash, so I searched around for some jobs until one day a friend of mine told me about this profession; training this, qualified that, I had to have that before starting up. And so after I made it as a bounty hunter, a week in I had already caught two. I had used my whip, I think using it the same way Theodore uses his knives, by intimidation. I did bounties, earned money while moving from city to city, it seemed easy enough, and I liked it. But then, two years ago…" She sighed, crossing her arms. "My mother fell ill; she had headaches nearly every day. She was in constant pain and always taking pills morning, noon and night. Then a neighbor found her passed out in the garden, called me and told me my mother needed some cash to pay for her treatment. I have been saving up since then."
"How much do you need? I know it's not my place to ask, but will this job be enough to pay for your mother's treatment?" Theodore asked, leaning forward slightly.
"A couple of thousand left. Getting that much money needed to help my mother would leave us in a lot of debt. Plus having that much cash I can help support my mother." Joy turned her head down the truck at the teen half expecting him to remain silent or yell back as usual, or to join in the conversation, something to help pass the time if he wanted.
"I wasn't much a pure saint in my hometown." Kurt sighed. "A kid in a good school parents would want their child to go to get a good education to get somewhere in this world. I fell in with a rough crowd, bullied others, broke windows, graffiti this and that with my crew, stole from any living being we saw. Just like the rest of you two I needed cash, not for anyone else but for myself, wanted to make it big quick and fast. I became a bounty hunter."
"So you simply just decided to become a bounty hunter like that then?" Joy asked. Kurt shook his head.
"Nope, not lie that. Back then I was a delinquent, a troubled thug out looking for trouble. Then on Monday morning, a new day of school standing on a hill, the highest point where I could see most of the city, I saw the damages I had done. Broken windows, crude graffiti everywhere, and people trying to clean up the mess that I made. That was the start of it I think, the start of wanting to change. I saw the people in school I had bullied looking upset, sad, refused to enter the same room as me or my friends. I felt bad about it if you can believe that. In my room I could hear my parents that night crying… my dad saying he was disappointed, not with me but with himself. Hearing all that I guess was… that was it for me. So I left home and found this job wanting to repay for all the damages I had done, just try to make things right."
The three remained silent again for a short while after the truck hit another speed bump.
"So why do we hate each other?" Joy asked, picking the unasked question floating around in her brain. "Ever since we first met in Johto, we bumped into each other, our stuff falling over and we argued. The next time was three months later and we argued again over Theodore wanting to purchase the last boat out of the region when there was only one left. Then the next was all three of us together again and I believe it was Kurt who had started an argument inside a café with staff we were in, a coincidence of all places for the three of us to be there when we didn't want to be anywhere near the other. Theodore yelled at the boy to shut up, Kurt turned and yelled back saw me and the three of us started to argue."
"I thought it was rivalry at first." Theodore chuckled. "And then with the second and third time we met I thought you two were following me, and yet it was all a coincidence you two were there most places I went to. Thinking about it now, we really did argue about the stupidest of things."
And for the rest of the drive to Route 11 the three bounty hunters found themselves to be relieved, happy knowing the three weren't arguing again like they usually did whenever the three got together. In the past if someone asked either one of them if they thought something like this would ever happen, they would just scoff, shake their heads and tell them that it wouldn't, and yet here they were finding enjoyment in each other's company.
Route 11
The gate of Village Bridge was a short walk from where the bounty hunters waited, hiding within the tall grass. On one side of the road Joy with her whip in hand was crouched down beside Theodore preparing his knives ready to throw, and on the other side was Kurt wearing both of his brass knuckles acting only when Theodore and Joy alerted us to their presence on one side of the road while Kurt would move in to ambush us on the other.
Team Annihilation Reborn dropped the bounty hunters off just outside the Village Bridge, making contact with the three not too long after they left to tell them that me and my friends had not arrived at the village yet and were on our way down this route. So the three bounty hunters quickly went over their plan;
"Theodore will strike first by taking out the Espeon with one of his knives. I'll strike as soon as the blade of the knife has cut deep within the Espeon's throat by coming out and wrapping my whip around the girl." Joy said as she pointed at the tall grass. "Kurt will remain on the opposite side and will strike last, but only when my whip has wrapped around the girls neck do you move in fast and beat the man to death."
"Then we run as fast as we can to where those soldier guys are." Kurt said nervously. Theodore placed his hand on the teens shoulder and assured him that the plan would go well and not to worry about a thing. Then without a word, the three walked into the tall grass and crouched down, hiding and waiting for their targets.
Between ten and twenty minutes they waited, watching people, trainers and couples passing by. Some in their cars and riding their bikes all unaware of the three bounty hunters waiting for their pray. The three had hoped for just us four being on the road at the time of the attack, no need for spectators or other allies of mine nearby, or police patrolling up and down the road. They wanted it to be quick. In and out of there within a minute and they would be twelve million richer if they killed all three targets. They didn't know how I would react to the sight of my friends being attacked, how fast I would go berserk and kill them, the range of my attacks, if they could finish their task and escape quickly before that happened.
Then I showed up, walking a little bit behind my friends while watching my surroundings; tall grass, above trees or behind them for an attack, something I had never stopped doing since teaming up with them again. I didn't know if the bounty hunters had that information about how I carefully watch over them wherever we went, if they did know then this whole thing might've ended differently.
A few meters were the distance between us and them before they attacked. Theodore made the first move as planned and stood up from the tall grass and threw his knife at Espeon. I acted fast and threw my scalchop deflecting the knife before it reached Espeon's throat. Espeon immediately grabbed the elderly man and threw him into a tree knocking him out cold.
Joy left the tall grass and attacked Lisa with her whip, but Lisa was too fast and dodged out of the way, sending out her Umbreon immediately after the dodge and used Dark Pulse right underneath Joy's feet knocking her over weakened from the attack.
And as for Kurt, he attempted to sneak up on Brent and sucker punch him, but an accidental step on a twig left lying on the side of the road alerted Brent to his presence, grabbed Kurt by his jacket collar before punching Kurt right in his face knocking him out.
Hospital
Joy awoke with a jolt as if waking from a nightmare. She found herself in a clean white room, a room with only a door and medical equipment beside her bed but no window. She remembered the ambush on us, how after ten minutes of planning the ambush was over within seconds. But moments after the three bounty hunters were defeated, Team Annihilation Reborn soldiers emerged from the bushes and shot Theodore and Kurt knocking Joy out soon after. She couldn't move her legs, beneath her bandages were deep three-lined scratch marks caused by a Pokemon all over her body.
Without warning, the door to the room burst open and quickly entered the same Latias she had met the other day, but this time glaring at her.
"Oh, my poor, poor bounty hunter is all injured, is she? What Pokemon did this to you?" Shiny Latias smiled and held up her claws to Joy, attempting to inch away from the Latias' claws drawing near to her neck, but found herself backed up against the wall. "Perhaps a Pokemon did this to you because she believed you deserved it? Karma perhaps. What do you think, Joy?"
"Wha- I *gulp* W-we did what you asked… we fought the Dewott and-"
"Your attempt was pathetic!" She yelled, pressing the tip of her claws against Joy's cheek. "I saw the whole thing thanks to the drones following you three clowns, listened in on the 'amazing' plan of your, the one good plan to deal with Zack's allies… it was pathetic."
"W-where am i?" She asked, then immediately thinking about Theodore and Kurt. "But more importantly where are Theodore and Kurt? Your soldiers came and shot them. Are they okay?"
"They are gone."
"W-what? What have you done with them? Give them back!" She pleaded with the legendary.
Shiny Latias turned to her and smiled. "Ask me this; in a game of chess when your pawn has been taken by the opposing player, can you ever get them back when another one of your pawns reaches the opposite side of the board?" She grinned. "You three were pawns in this game, two taken out easily thinking you set up a good trap, but it resulted on two precious pawns gone leaving you alone. But a pawn isn't a worthless piece; it still has its uses, so I won't sacrifice you."
"Y-you killed them… why?" She demanded trying to sound strong in front of the Latias.
"I did tell you didn't I? Fail at this task will result in your deaths." She gave her a toothy grin, digging her claws into Joy's neck drawing a little droplet of blood, but pulled away before she could dig further.
"You and your foolish team have failed me. Therefore you shall not receive any cash for your services. But do not fret my dear, I will give you something so many in this world seem to waste; life. I will let you live. Oh, but the precious money you sought after trying to save your poor sick mothers life… either you win the lottery within the short amount of time you have left or your mother will die leaving you truly alone in this world." She chuckled, not bothering to look Joy in the eyes. When it came to those who had failed her she would see to it that they die, but knowing Joy would never get the money needed for her mother and that her companions she deep down were the closest she ever had as friends were now dead, she decided that this was her punishment.
Joy then saw a gun being thrown on the bed by Shiny Latias. "This is a gun, a fully loaded weapon, just aim and pull the trigger. You have nothing to live for now. Kill yourself or don't, nothing will stop your mother from dying very soon. Doing so will only result on you, your mother and father reuniting in the after world." And with that, Shiny Latias laughed as she flew towards the door and left, leaving Joy alone staring down at the gun for the longest time before she pushed it aside.
An elderly man named Theodore. A young woman named Joy. And a teen named Kurt. Three bounty hunters hired by Shiny Latias to kill my friends for money they needed. Two of them were killed by Shiny Latias for the failure of the mission, but the third was allowed to live, reminding her of how she will never save her sick mother. The only thing known about Joy after she left the hospital besides pushing the gun aside was that she lived on, trying to lead a better life.
To be continued…
Trivia:
Originally planned as a Side Story featured after the main story had been written.