The new gun Alex found was a sniper rifle. It was basically a pistol with a long barrel and a stock, while the rest of its design was similar to the pistols developed by Argent Solutions.
The distinct difference, however, was that the weapon was single fire. It used up all the Flying type energy in the crystal to propel a bullet through the rifled barrel with roughly the same velocity as an actual sniper rifle.
Once fired, it required a Pokémon with Flying type moves to recharge the energy crystal at the back of the weapon before it could be used again.
Judging by the fact that Aegislash's King's Shield was shattered by the attack, Alex surmised that the assassin had fired a Feint or Phantom Force bullet in tandem with Magnezone firing its overpowered Zap Cannon.
Alex was just lucky Aegislash was shield shaped and completely covered his face and torso, preventing any damage from going through. He was also lucky that Aegislash was part Steel type, otherwise the Feint bullet would have passed through Ghost types and gone straight for his face. He would have likely died from the attack.
Alex tested the new sniper rifle with Raticate's help and found the weapon to be quite powerful. It even had the kickback of an actual rifle. It was clearly a weapon designed to kill.
'I bet I can make this even deadlier,' Alex immediately thought.
His idea was to pair the bullet with an energy crystal filled with Flying type energy and build a new magazine to allow semi automatic fire rather than the current single shot version they had now.
He could also increase the size of the bullet from the current 6mm standard to a 50 caliber one or even larger. Sure, the blowback would be immense, but he was stronger than any known human on Earth physically speaking. He could easily mitigate the blowback using his raw strength.
'Why though?' he thought.
As demonstrated by Aegislash, Pokémon could detect, intercept, block, and survive a hit of such strength. Pokémon were far more dangerous than sniper rifles. It would take an artillery strike from a battleship's main guns to theoretically bring down an Elite Ranked Pokémon without using their energy, just pure force.
Even then, that was assuming they did not block with Protect, which would completely nullify the force of the strike. If the bullet carried Feint or Phantom Force, however, it could bypass defensive moves, and that would be enough to kill most Elite Ranked Pokémon if it hit.
'I'll have it made just in case,' Alex finally decided.
Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.
The next day, Alex received a report from Nyx regarding his assassin.
His name was Jonathan Vexler, an assassin with a measly 10% success rate on assassination missions. He operated in the Underworld as a lone assassin, taking down targets listed on the assassination board, which was the Underworld's version of a bounty board.
Much like bounty hunters, assassins pulled information from a publicly accessible list and attempted to kill the listed targets. If they succeeded, they would submit proof of the kill through a video recording or the target's corpse, then receive full payment based on the price on the target's head.
Unlike Alex's bounty board, the Underworld's list was unregulated. The party that posted the hit could easily renege on the deal and refuse to pay for the assassination.
This was why reputation mattered in the Underworld.
If a well-known assassin submitted a verified kill, the party responsible would be forced to pay unless they wanted to risk becoming a target themselves.
Jonathan Vexler was a prime example of an assassin with a poor reputation, frequently denied payment due to his terrible success rate.
Fortunately for him, he was a hard worker who eliminated just enough targets to keep going. All he needed was one lucky break, and thanks to his safe and patient methods, he could keep trying as many times as needed.
His low success rate stemmed from the fact that all of his targets were guarded by Pokémon who would block the attack before it reached their trainer. The only reason he had any confirmed kills was because he occasionally caught targets off guard when their defenses were down. Typically, when they were comfortable at home while their Pokemon were training.
Recently, however, Jonathan managed to increase his success rate to 30% with help from Argent Solutions, who offered him a position as a test user for their new sniper rifle prototype.
With it, he could eliminate targets protected by Ghost type Pokémon using a Feint bullet, which destroyed Protect shields and phased through ghostly bodies to strike the trainer directly. Combined with his usual empowered Zap Cannon, he was able to eliminate more targets, provided the guarding Pokémon was below Elite level.
As for his listed bounty, he was wanted in multiple regions for attempted assassinations. As a result, the accumulated reward for his capture exceeded 30 million Pokédollars in total.
He was not a very successful assassin because his widespread reputation inspired anger rather than fear, which explained the high bounty on his head. He earned the nickname Zapgeist due to his overreliance on Zap Cannon and his uncanny ability to run immediately after a failed attempt.
Even in Kanto, Zapgeist had a bounty of a million Pokédollars for his attempted assassinations of gym leaders. He never managed to kill any of them, of course, but he certainly tried.
His recent string of successful attempts over the past year was attributed to a new weapon capable of breaking through Protect shields.
Argent Solutions used his improved kill rate to bolster their reputation as an alternative force in battles. However, Alex managed to shut it down before it became a widespread trend. If they wished to continue pushing their agenda, they would now need to train a dedicated assassination unit armed with sniper rifles.
"Basically, he's an incompetent assassin with a new toy," Nyx summarized her report. "As for the meeting with the engineer, she rejected all attempts to communicate. She must be pretty spooked to ignore a helping hand like that."
"I think it's because we're anonymous," Alex explained. "It's a catch-22 having to introduce ourselves without leaving any traces of our identities on the internet."
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Set up another meeting, but let her choose the method and location. Emphasize the importance of our secret identities and explain that it's in her best interest once she accepts the offer. Sweeten the deal by mentioning our colorful history with Argent Solutions."
"Got it, boss."
After confirming the bounty, Alex submitted their newly captured assassin to the police station.
It took a week for the bounty to clear, and his account increased by a full 30 million Pokédollars. He was now sitting on nearly 50 million Pokedollars, with enough Pokémon meat stockpiled to last him and his team for years.
His recent streak of successful bounties had allowed him to gather enough cash, weapons, gear, and supplies to sustain several years of focused training. He was starting to warm up to the idea, especially since he wanted to begin seriously training his home team while raising a few more Pokémon for his hunting team.
He was also considering forming a dedicated water team for exclusive use in underwater operations.
Aside from high-profile Elite trainers working directly under Champions, pirates carried the next highest bounties. The sea was far more open and dangerous than land, making pirate capture significantly more difficult and, therefore, more lucrative.
As for the new engineer, she accepted the meeting at her terms which was scheduled for today at Vermillion City.
Alex teleported in with Arcanine at his side, taking in the sight of the city before him.
Vermilion City towered along the coastline, its skyline a jagged crown of chrome and glass bathed in neon. Skybridges connected skyscrapers like webs of light, casting a luminous grid over the bustling avenues below.
At ground level, the city pulsed with activity. Traffic moved in organized chaos, Pokémon Centers brimmed with trainers and their teams, and digital billboards projected news and advertisements in brilliant hues. Despite its modernity, remnants of the old port remained: rusted cranes at the docks, fishing boats rocking gently beside gleaming luxury yachts.
"Maybe bringing the girls on a beach trip would make for a nice vacation." Alex thought as he made his way past the port, heading east.
The meeting place was the infamous Diglett Cave, located on the outskirts of the city. It had remained largely unchanged for decades, as the Digletts preferred to keep to themselves, prompting the League to send trainers only occasionally to manage the population.
Alex followed the map the engineer had sent through the winding caves, scaring away the Digletts with Arcanine's Elite ranked energy until he came upon a dead end.
If the map was right, this was the spot where Alex was supposed to meet his new engineer.
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the cave, catching him off guard.
"So, you're my new employer?"
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