Pokemon: These Players are too annoying!

"Let that kid see! Houndoom, use Nasty Plot!"

Upon receiving the command, Houndoom began to scheme something sinister, significantly boosting its Special Attack.

"Wartortle! Hit it with Water Gun!" Blue ordered. Wartortle immediately unleashed a high-speed jet of water.

"Dodge and go in for a Bite!"

Houndoom swiftly sidestepped, charging straight toward Blue.

"Don't get cocky! Nidoking!"

Nidoking stepped forward, slamming the ground to create an earthquake.

Houndoom leaped to evade it again.

'Tch, that Pokémon is so agile. I wish I had one like it,' Blue grumbled, but then smirked.

As Houndoom dashed forward, something suddenly bit its rear hard, making it cry out in pain.

Turning around, it saw none other than that accursed Raticate.

HOUN! (GET LOST!)

Raticate! (Your mom!)

HOUNDOOMMMM!!! (YOU LITTLE PEST!!!)

Just as Houndoom was about to retaliate, a torrent of water hit its face, dealing damage.

Nidoking took the opportunity to deliver a Double Kick, sending both Houndoom and Raticate flying.

"Oi! Didn't you see Raticate got caught up in that?!" Blue shouted at Nidoking, who just scratched its head and looked away.

Meanwhile, from the players' perspective…

"WHAT THE HECK IS WITH THESE KIDS?!" A Rocket Grunt stared in terror at the players behaving… well, as players usually do.

"PIDGEY, GRAB THAT! WE'RE HAVING SNAKE STEW TONIGHT!" Bigchef cheerfully yelled while preparing cooking utensils, and Pidgey eagerly grabbed Ekans.

"This purple ball has a hole… I wonder if my d fits—" (I won't reveal who said that to protect their privacy.)

"Eugh! How am I supposed to kiss a Poison-type?!" (Also anonymized for privacy.)

The Rocket Grunt recoiled, horrified at what these players were doing, and began to back away. Suddenly, vines wrapped around his legs, pulling him face-first into the dirt.

"Chikorita, be careful!" Yuna called out anxiously.

Meanwhile, Ekans and Koffing surrounded Lily, nuzzling her as if seeking affection.

"They're… kind of cute, in their own way," Lily reluctantly admitted, petting the enemy's Pokémon while her Charmander glared at her.

Charmander was nearing a full-blown rage but was still stuck at level 5 because Lily never let it fight.

It turned its hostility toward the Rocket Grunt, who stood there, dumbfounded.

These Pokémon never listen to me, but they're cuddling her? Are you kidding me?!

Oceanlover, on the other hand, had Slowpoke continuously using psychic attacks. He whispered something to Slowpoke, and suddenly, the Pokémon spoke fluent human language.

Birdup, meanwhile, pulled out a pencil, writing in his notebook something like "the author should erase all the Pokémon and Rocket members in front of me".

"What the heck are yo—" Before he could finish, he vanished into the void along with his Pokémon.

Zero2hero unleashed a flurry of martial arts moves on a Rocket Grunt while Billy smashed a brick into the opposing Pokémon.

"This world has gone mad!!!"

"BEGONE, THOT!" A powerful punch struck a Rocket Grunt, knocking him out cold.

However, something felt off.

"Where are Lukas, Rey, Bob, and Rin?" Yuna wondered as she looked around.

Rey, Bob, and Rin's whereabouts were uncertain, but Lukas, always the eager one, disappearing was strange.

Back with Blue…

"Give it up. You don't stand a chance against me," Blue told the Team Rocket leader, flanked by his Wartortle, Nidoking, and Raticate.

Houndoom was gravely injured and could faint in one more hit.

Yet, for some reason, the leader remained calm, even smiling smugly.

"Haha, you've got potential, kid. You might even become Champion someday."

"Enough talking. Get to the point."

"Haha… why not join Team Rocket? We'd treat you well. Heck, even the Boss might hold you in high regard."

"Thanks, but no thanks. Judging by your babbling, I take it you're not surrendering. Nidoking, knock him out."

As Nidoking approached, a rustling sound came from the bushes near Raticate.

A large snake emerged, biting into Raticate.

Blue and his Pokémon were startled, turning to see an Arbok attacking Raticate, while the Rocket leader grinned widely.

Seizing the momentary distraction, the Rocket leader pulled out a remote and pressed a button.

A motorcycle suddenly appeared, roaring toward him. He hopped on and revved it at full throttle.

"SEEYA FUCKER! GAHAHAHA!!" He laughed as he sped off, leaving his Pokémon behind.

"Agh! You coward!" Blue shouted, glaring at the fleeing figure.

However, the escape didn't last long.

Out of nowhere, a car slammed into the motorcycle, crashing it into a building and causing an explosion.

…What?

"You idiot! You just ran someone over!" Birdup yelled, smacking Oceanlover, who was behind the wheel.

"He's a villain, it's fine!"

…Sometimes, players are unexpectedly effective.

Nidoking took down Arbok with a single punch as Blue rushed to Raticate's side.

Raticate was gravely injured and severely poisoned.

Seeing this, Blue checked his bag but couldn't find any Antidotes.

"Damn it! Why didn't I stock up on Antidotes?!"

Blue cursed his lack of preparation and the fact that he had let his Pokémon get ambushed.

"NP—I mean Blue! Are you okay?!" The players arrived after shaving the heads of a few Rocket members.

They noticed Blue's poisoned Pokémon and looked at Zero2hero and Billy.

"You're lucky I'm feeling generous," Zero2hero said arrogantly, pulling out an Antidote.

Blue snatched it from him without hesitation, spraying it on Raticate. This made Zero2hero curse and grumble.

Although Raticate seemed slightly better, something wasn't right…

The poison… wasn't gone.

Blue grabbed another Antidote from Zero2hero and tried again, but it still didn't work.

Realizing something was wrong, Blue took out his Pokédex to examine Raticate.

"...A virus?"

What? Since when could Arbok spread viruses?

Don't tell me… Team Rocket is turning Pokémon into biological weapons now?!

"DAMN IT!" Blue stood up, recalled all his Pokémon, including Raticate, and bolted toward the nearest Pokémon Center.

The players, confused, watched him run off before following suit.

But Yuna remained worried.

Where were those four missing people?!

***

The boss of the Pokémon thieves was driving away as fast as he could.

All his underlings had been beaten and knocked out, leaving him as the only one who managed to escape.

"Phew, now I just need to get back there," he muttered, revving up the engine and speeding off.

Reaching an empty lot, he made a call.

Moments later, a massive airship appeared, seemingly equipped with cloaking technology.

The ship's doors opened, and he entered.

"You're the only one who made it back?" someone approached and asked.

"Yeah, today was just bad luck," the boss grumbled.

"Don't worry, you'll just get a pay cut."

"Tch."

"Alright, let me check if you brought back anything."

"There's nothing, I can guarantee that."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I was the one driving, so I know."

"...Fine, but your pay cut will be even worse for coming back empty-handed."

"What the—YOU JERK!"

The two continued bickering as they walked away, leaving the van parked in a corner.

And what was inside the van?

"It's us, dear readers," Lukas said, looking directly into some imaginary camera.

"Who are you talking to?" Bob asked.

"The readers."

"Did sneaking into this van and getting taken away accidentally make you lose your mind?" Rey retorted.

"This is his fault, but seriously, how did he manage to drag all three of us into the van?" Bob wondered.

Rin stayed silent, though the livestream viewers certainly didn't.

Why were they in the van?

Well, here's what happened...

Lukas had grabbed a metal Pokémon cage and thrown it outside.

"You're free now!" he announced dramatically.

The Pokémon inside the cage just stared at him blankly.

"Are you dumb? They can't get out!" Rey scolded him.

"Hold on! Croconaw, bite through that cage! I believe in your jaw power!"

Croconaw obeyed, chomping down and damaging the cage enough for the Pokémon to escape.

Once free, the Pokémon chirped their thanks and quickly ran off.

"Ahhh... being a hero never gets old," Bob remarked with a smug grin.

"Hey, that's my line!" Lukas pointed at Bob indignantly.

"So, what now, Senpai?" Rin asked Rey.

"Well, now we head back to the others," Rey suggested.

That was the plan, but before they could move, the sound of heavy breathing signaled someone approaching.

"Hide, everyone hide!!" Lukas whispered urgently, pulling all three of them into the van.

The boss climbed into the van, panting, and drove off without noticing them.

And now…

"What do we do now?" Bob asked.

"We wait. If we step out now, we'll get caught," Rey replied.

Huh…

"Oh yeah, Lukas, why is Yuna so weirdly close to you?" Bob asked suddenly.

"Huh? Oh… well, It's start when she and I—"

THE END