Pokemon: These Players are too annoying!

Blue decided to return to Cerulean City to reach Route 9. After all, traveling through Route 9 would lead to Rock Tunnel, and entering Rock Tunnel would eventually take him to Kanto's most infamous town—Lavender Town, the Pokémon graveyard.

That place was steeped in urban legends like Buried Alive and something. But to Blue, it was all nonsense.

You're afraid of an urban legend in a world with Ghost-type Pokémon? Seriously?

Blue dismissed it all as absurd and continued on his way.

However, something kept nagging at him.

'Those people... they're following me!'

This annoying crowd had been trailing him for a while now! Didn't they have anything better to do?

Even regular trainers and passersby mistook him for a celebrity being swarmed by fans—utterly exasperating!

Blue deliberately took difficult paths, but they still doggedly followed him. 'What is wrong with these people?'

'Should I chase them off? Or maybe... I should just do it already?' Blue pondered while holding a Poké Ball.

Then he remembered Red, who had endured these kinds of nuisances for far longer than he had. Blue sighed and put the ball away.

'Calm down, Blue. If Red could tolerate this, so can you.'

Suddenly, the players began chatting animatedly

"Hey, what kind of Pokémon is that?"

"Looks like a Pea Shooter from PvZ."

"Let me check! Oh, it's a Bellsprout!"

"That hole... hmm, I wonder if my d would fit—"

Okay, Blue took it back. These people had to go, or they'd ruin his sanity.

Just as Blue decided to drive them away, he noticed several suspicious black vans parked in a nearby town. Something was off.

Hiding in the bushes, he observed from afar.

"Hey! The NPC stopped moving! I think we triggered a quest!" Lukas shouted loudly.

'These loudmouths!' Blue glared at the players in annoyance.

"Shut up!" he snapped, making them clamp their mouths shut and crouch down beside him.

'At least they listen' Blue thought, resuming his observations.

Suddenly, a door was kicked open, revealing men shoving Pokémon into iron cages. They loaded the cages into the vans while scanning the area cautiously.

"Pokémon poachers?!" Rey whispered.

One Pokémon attempted to flee, but they shot a net at it, immobilizing it. They stared at the struggling Pokémon with greedy eyes, then kicked it in the face before tossing it into a cage. Their cruel treatment continued unabated.

...Right in front of the players.

...

"I'm will committing a war crime," one player muttered.

"Violence is the question, and the answer is yes," another chimed in.

"No one can judge me. Those who do are hypocrites."

"If the law won't teach them, my fists will."

Blue blinked in confusion. 'What's with these weirdos?'

"Bluey! Activate the quest for us! We want to rescue those Pokémon!" Lukas urged.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Blue was still bewildered.

"Just give us the quest! Can't you see what those scumbags are doing? It's inhumane!"

Blue glanced at the caged Pokémon, their eyes filled with despair. Meanwhile, the poachers were laughing in triumph. Okay, now he was getting angry.

"Tch, fine. Let's rescue those Pokémon."

"YOU HEARD HIM, BOYS! CHARGE!!!"

"W-Wait! I didn't say to attack them directly!" Blue exclaimed as the players charged like soldiers on a battlefield. Even the female players were grabbing bricks to use as weapons.

"Huh?" One of the poachers turned at the noise, only to see a mob of players and their Pokémon charging with clenched fists.

"Ugah!" A player punched him in the gut, followed by a kick to the face, sending him flying into a bush.

"BUCUTAODI!!!" Lukas jumped on another poacher, jabbing his fingers into both ears.

Rey directed his Pokémon into action—Kakuna launched Poison Stings, and Cyndaquil blasted an unfortunate poacher with Ember. Croconaw and Gible bit down on another's legs, immobilizing him.

Bulbasaur yanked down one poacher's pants, while Bob and others slapped his ass repeatedly.

The Pokémon in the cages looked on in both fear and astonishment. Already anxious from being captured, now they watched their captors get brutalized by this chaotic group.

"Boss! A group of kids is attacking us!"

"Kids?! You're joking, right?!"

"No joke! They're—YIAOUCHHHH!"

The poacher boss watched as his men were beaten senseless by the players, then hurriedly pressed an emergency button. The letter "R" flashed on his device, signaling reinforcements.

[Rocket will be here in minutes!] he exclaimed.

"THAT'S TOO SLOW!" the boss shouted, fleeing as fast as he could.

Spotting him cus he's the boss, Blue threw a Poké Ball, releasing a plump, furry Raticate.

"Raticate, stop that fat guy!"

Raticate nodded and dashed after the boss, who screamed, "HURRY UP!"

To his relief, a fiery blast intercepted Raticate. It dodged just in time, glaring at a group clad in black uniforms emblazoned with the "R" logo—Team Rocket had arrived!

Their leader, sporting blond hair, stood confidently with a Houndoom by his side.

"You're lucky we were nearby. Now, it's time to teach these unruly brats a lesson! Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

Houndoom obeyed, unleashing a wide, scorching flame, forcing the players to retreat in shock.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?!"

"The Pokédex can't scan it!"

As the players discussed among themselves, the grunts wasted no time and summoned their Pokémon to attack. However, to the players, the Pokémon they called out were nothing but cannon fodder.

Without hesitation, the players started punching the Pokémon directly. Seeing this, a few grunts exchanged nervous glances.

"Hey, wasn't there a report about a group of kids, around 10 years old, who don't follow the rules and just use their fists?" one grunt asked.

"Yeah... if that's the case..."

The grunt leader gave an order to Houndoom.

"Charge into the center of them and use your strongest Heat Wave!"

Houndoom obeyed immediately, sprinting toward the players. As it approached, the players tried to attack, but Houndoom deftly dodged and countered. Once it reached the middle of their group, the air around it grew scorching hot.

"RUN! RUN NOW!!" Rey shouted, recognizing the tactic. He was all too familiar with the "bomb in the middle of the enemy" strategy from other games.

But it was too late. The heat wave burst out, engulfing the nearby players in intense heat.

"AGHHH!!" The players quickly tore off their burning clothes to avoid further damage.

Before Houndoom could launch another attack, a powerful jet of water struck it, dealing damage and soaking its fur. Angrily, it turned to face its assailant—Wartortle.

Standing beside Wartortle was a massive purple-skinned Pokémon that roared fiercely—Nidoking.

The grunt leader observed the battlefield, narrowing his eyes at a boy with orange hair and a cocky smirk.

"Houndoom's strong, huh? Perfect for leveling up my Pokémon," Blue taunted, making the leader smirk in return.

"Big mouth, kid. I'll make sure to take care of that attitude of yours."