章 17: Team Rocket
Earlier... when the players were still in the forest.
"Money?!" Lukas looked at the money in Rey's pocket.
"Yeah, it seems like we get money and experience when we battle other trainers."
"Oh, awesome! That means we can earn money easily!"
"It's not that simple, idiot," Bob smacked Lukas on the head.
"Didn't you see how the battle went earlier? Cyndaquil almost lost."
"Their skill level is higher than ours; I won because I got lucky," Rey looked at his Poké Ball.
"Why don't we level up our Pokémon?" Yuna suggested.
"Didn't I just say battling trainers is tough?"
"Who said we have to battle trainers? We can fight wild Pokémon instead. If there's a leveling system, it should be like in other RPG games."
Good idea, everyone thought.
Then they looked at a Pokémon nearby, a Rattata.
"Ratta?" (What are you looking at?)
"I'm craving some rat meat," Lukas pulled out his Poké Ball.
And so, the whole forest became more chaotic than ever, to the point where many wild Pokémon had to flee for their safety.
***
"I found the ventilation duct!" James whispered to Jessie and Meowth.
The three of them grinned quietly, then one by one, they crawled into it.
"Here it is!"
"Wow!!" The three of them peered inside the Pokémon Center. It looked like no one was around.
"Let's take advantage of this chance and get inside. We need to be quick and efficient!" Jessie raised her hands in determination.
"For the Boss!" The three of them shouted.
They then sneaked inside, one by one.
"Alright, where do they keep the Pokémon?" Meowth looked around.
The lights flicked on.
"What the?! Who turned on the lights??" James squinted, blinded by the brightness.
They noticed a boy with a Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Oh, it's just a kid!"
"Pikachu, huh? A bit disappointing, but a Pokémon is a Pokémon!"
As they reached for their Poké Balls, Pikachu jumped up and shocked all three of them.
'Who are these people?'
Red had just woken up to use the bathroom, only to encounter this strange group in weird outfits.
He didn't recall summoning any new players, did he? Managing five people was already giving him a headache.
"Damn it! That kid's Pikachu's shock was painful!!" James stood up, glaring at the Pikachu.
For some reason, seeing that Pikachu made all three of them want to catch it as a gift for the Boss!
"Koffing, go!"
"Ekans!!"
Both of them threw their Poké Balls, summoning a snake and... something else?
"Attack that Pikachu!!"
"Ekans!!" The snake lunged straight at Pikachu.
Seeing this, Red decided to use his trump card.
Emergency mission!
"Huh?" Lukas woke up, noticing the text floating above him.
[Emergency Mission!
Red is in danger, protect him!
Location: Right at the center of the Pokémon Center.
Rewards: 200 Pokédollars, 300 XP for Pokémon, increased favorability with Red (important).
Time: 5 minutes]
"..."
All five players woke up, rushed out the door, and ran straight to the center.
Lukas was the fastest. When he saw Pikachu about to be attacked, he jumped straight at Ekans and kicked it!
"???"
Team Rocket stared in confusion as the red-haired boy dropkicked their Pokémon.
"Go, Cyndaquil, Weedle!!"
Rey summoned his two Pokémon and ordered them to attack Team Rocket.
"Hey, hey!! WAIT A MINUTE, YOU GUYS AREN'T PLAYING FAIR!!" Meowth exclaimed in shock.
"SCREW THE RULES! THE ONE WHO WINNING IS THE ONE WHO MOVE THEIR HAND FIRST!" Lukas shouted, punching Ekans repeatedly.
Ekans was bewildered, used to being attacked by other Pokémon, but never by a human!
"Damn it! Koffing, use Smog!!"
Koffing's holes began spewing toxic gas.
"Cyndaquil, use Ember!!"
After leveling up in the forest, Cyndaquil had reached level 10 and could now shoot flames.
The flames, though small, were still powerful enough to hit Koffing directly, preventing it from releasing any more toxic gas.
"Weedle! Use Poison Sting!"
"Ha! Poison-type moves don't work on Poison-type Pokémon!" Meowth sneered.
Unfortunately for him, Weedle shot a poisonous stinger right into Meowth.
"YOU BRATS ARE SUCH JERKS!!" Meowth's face turned purple.
"Charmander! Scratch that snake!" Lily commanded, and Charmander rushed towards Ekans, which was already being beaten by Lukas.
"Bulbasaur! Razor Leaf!"
Bulbasaur launched a few leaves at Koffing, causing it to faint from the repeated attacks.
"Koffing!!"
"Damn it, you brats are playing dirty! Who goes 6 against 3?!"
"Wait a minute, she's actually kind of cute, isn't she?" Bob stared at Jessie, making her shiver.
Ekans was defeated and sent flying straight into Team Rocket.
Red seized the opportunity and ordered Pikachu to shock them.
"Wait, we haven't even introduced ourselves yet?!"
"PIKA-CHUUUU!!"
A powerful electric shock sent Team Rocket and their Pokémon blasting off, crashing through the ceiling.
The force of their launch was so strong that the ceiling couldn't withstand it, leaving a hole.
"We didn't even catch any Pokémon!"
"Being defeated by kids—this is the greatest insult!"
"This is such an awful feeling!!!!"
The three disappeared into the night sky, sparkling like stars.
[Mission Successful!
All rewards will be granted to you now!]
[Red's favorability towards the players has increased!]
"Awesome!!" Lukas almost shouted, but Rey quickly covered his mouth to keep him quiet.
"What's going on here?!" Nurse Joy rushed in, looking around in confusion.
The group of players looked at Red, but they didn't know anything either.
Red looked back at them, just as confused. These strange people had suddenly appeared and seemed intent on attacking him.
When Red described their outfits, Nurse Joy immediately recognized them.
"It's Team Rocket!"
"Team Rocket? That sounds pretty basic," Rey remarked to the others.
Nurse Joy then explained all the things Team Rocket had done—stealing, trafficking, and blah blah blah.
Basically, real mafia stuff.
"So, they're the villains!"
"Interesting! This game actually has specific objectives, unlike other games!"
"I'm going to be a hero."
Seeing the players excitedly chatting amongst themselves, Red scratched his head, then turned back to his bed to sleep.
After all, it was nighttime, and if he didn't sleep now, he wouldn't have the energy to travel tomorrow.
The players, still undecided about logging out, stayed in the game since it was a holiday the next day, so they didn't need to go to work or anything. Occasionally, they'd log out just to eat.
Red closed his room door, hugged his Pikachu, and drifted off to sleep.
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