Pokemon: These Players are too annoying!

"Uno!"

"Agh! Are you cheating?!"

"Hehe, isn't it just your lack of skills?"

"UGAHHH!!"

Zero2hero collapsed dramatically on the floor, crushed by the insult from another injured player.

Oh, right, everyone was gathered in the middle of the hospital room to play Uno.

"Well, we all know who's winning this round! Haha!" he exclaimed, standing up, triumphant.

That was until a +4 card was slammed onto the pile.

The entire group stared at the black-haired, red-eyed boy with a Pikachu perched on his head.

"...Uno."

...Wait, since when did he talk? I thought he always stayed silent like usual.

"NOOOOOO!!!! MY VICTORY!!!" The boy immediately collapsed to the floor like Zero2hero, pounding it dramatically.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to be discharged soon? Shouldn't we start packing instead?" Billy asked while holding 39 Uno cards.

"Oh, right! We're finally leaving this crappy hospital in a few minutes!"

"The Pokémon Center."

"Yeah, the Pokémon Center."

Everyone got up and dispersed to pack their belongings.

Red returned to his hospital bed, pulled out his bag, and rummaged through it.

"...?"

He pulled out his trainer jacket, which had been stitched up, and found a letter attached to it.

[I'm sorry for not being able to help you back then. I feel like I'm such a lousy trainer, Red.

—Leaf.]

Oh, right... Leaf left yesterday.

Flashback

While Red was undergoing his routine check-up, Nurse Joy spoke softly after completing her examination,

"Yup, your body's fine. You can be discharged tomorrow!" She quickly moved to the next bed to continue her work.

Pika!

Red's face was suddenly smothered by Pikachu's hug, but he was so used to it that it didn't faze him.

What a waste of time... I could've been battling at a gym instead... wait, wasn't Lt. Surge injured too?

After mulling over it for a while, he laid his head on the pillow and stared at the ceiling.

"Red."

A voice startled him. He sat up to see who it was.

Oh, it's Leaf, but isn't it too early for visiting hours?

Red gave her a confused look as she avoided his gaze. She then handed him his familiar bag.

"Sorry for getting you hurt..."

"...?"

Accepting the bag, Red was about to speak, but Leaf turned to leave. He instinctively grabbed her arm to stop her.

When she turned back to face him, Red simply smiled at her.

"..."

"Red... sometimes you're too kind. I think you should try being a little edgier so readers will like you more."

"??"

Seeing his expression, Leaf chuckled and sat on a nearby chair.

They talked for quite some time.

"Red, I've decided to leave the group."

"...!"

"Sticking with you has made me lazy and less focused on my Pokémon. I feel like I've turned as useless as Yamcha... at least I wasn't killed by a Saibaman."

Okay, I don't know who that is, but he sounds really pathetic.

"Besides, Blue's strength is admirable. He's worked hard without relying on anyone. Sometimes, I think he has qualities worth respecting."

"..."

"So, I'll leave the group. Please apologize to Misty and Brock for me, teehee." Leaf stuck out her tongue and playfully tapped her forehead.

Pikachu stared at her intensely, leaving her at a loss for words.

Red raised his hand and patted Leaf's head.

"?!"

Pikachu watched the interaction, while Leaf froze in shock, stiff as a rock.

Red looked at Leaf and smiled gently.

"I hope we'll meet again, Leaf."

"??!"

Leaf blinked twice, then rubbed her eyes to ensure she wasn't hearing things.

"Did you just... talk?!"

"..."

"STOP BEING QUIET! YOU SPOKE!!!"

"..."

"YOU JERK!!"

Their heated conversation grew louder, yet for some reason, no one came to stop them.

Oh... Nurse Joy and a few others were watching them, smiling contentedly.

Eventually, Red drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

NOW~

Red stared at the letter for a moment before tucking it into his bag. He donned his trainer outfit and iconic hat. Pikachu climbed onto her favorite spot on his shoulder, settling in comfortably.

...Red's puffed-up jacket looked unintentionally funny somehow.

He joined the others as they packed up and headed out.

After some final checks, everyone's Pokémon were returned to them.

"HITMONCHAN!"

A trainer ran to embrace his weeping Hitmonchan, their bond unbreakable.

"Ah, here's your Pokémon. And by the way, you should use them more often—this isn't a game about battling humans," Billy said, handing a Poké Ball back to Zero2hero.

"Yeah, yeah."

Everyone joyfully reunited with their Pokémon.

Red checked his own Pokémon, but something seemed off...

...Charmander wasn't in its Poké Ball.

Red turned to Nurse Joy.

"Ah... well, your Charmeleon refused my help. He even swatted my hand away and ran off."

...Charmeleon? Wait, he evolved?! When did that happen?!

Darn it! Did he evolve and hit his rebellious phase at the same time?!

Thanking Nurse Joy, Red immediately rushed out to search for Charmeleon.

As soon as Red stepped outside, he ran straight into Blue.

Blue was scrolling through his phone when he noticed Red approaching. Instantly, his trademark smug expression appeared.

"Well, well, well, look who it is! Isn't it our dear Reddy boy? Seems like you've finally been discharged—"

"..."

"Huh? Charmeleon? How would I know?"

Without waiting for another word, Red dashed off. Blue stood there for a moment before realizing that Red had left him mid-sentence.

"WHAT?! DAMN YOU! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE YOUR RIVAL BEHIND?!"

And with that, Blue took off after him.

***

"Hey Misty, isn't that Blue yelling over there?" Brock asked, standing next to Lt. Surge, as they both observed the power plant undergoing repairs after its devastating damage.

"How should I know? I'm too annoyed right now! I've been calling Leaf nonstop, and she's not picking up!"

"Huh... I'm pretty sure it'll take another 12 years to fully fix this power plant. Vermillion City's economy is really going to struggle without its power supply..." Surge sighed, his arm heavily bandaged.

These past few days had been nothing but bad luck.

If I ever see those Rocket grunts again, I swear I'll destroy them!

And if my special manga counterpart actually turns out to be a member of Team Rocket, I'll hunt him down and destroy him too!