Pokemon: These Players are too annoying!

Today is the day my mother passed away.

Honestly, I never expected that in just a brief moment of inattention, my mother would be gone so quickly.

The person who killed her was a drunk driver, and he's already been sentenced and imprisoned.

But it still feels frustrating.

I had to witness my mother's death right in front of me, and now I'm still haunted by it.

Just looking at her body makes me want to vomit.

So when it came time to organize her funeral, I didn't want to attend at all.

But my father forced me to go.

Now, I'm standing beside my grandmother and uncle, while my father sits alone, holding his head.

His messy red hair, bloodshot eyes, and the fact that he looks so much thinner make him look like a drunk.

Everyone is offering their condolences to my family for losing someone so important.

The father might be the pillar of the family, but the mother is what keeps that pillar from cracking.

I look at my mother's altar, not sure what to think. I feel guilty, sad and angry. But what can I do?

I'm exhausted, so I leave the room. I notice a little girl sitting with her face buried in her hands, as if she's crying.

That's my little sister.

Even though my sister and I argue a lot, we're still siblings, and we care about each other deeply.

So comforting her is the duty of an older brother, or so my father says.

So, I walk over, intending to pat her head.

"She's dead."

A small, joyful laugh escaped her lips.

I froze, staring at my little sister. I realized… she was covering her face to hide her smile.

Her deep red eyes resembled those of a demon, gleaming with satisfaction at having successfully claimed a soul.

"Brother, you should cheer up," she said, turning her face toward me with that same smile.

How could she still be smiling like that when our mother died so tragically? I couldn't understand.

She stood up, walked closer to me, and gently took my hand, holding it as if it were something fragile.

"Don't tell anyone, okay?" she whispered. "Or else don't blame your little sister for treating you badly."

Her innocent smile hid the monster I saw behind it—a demon disguised as my sister.

"I'm showing you my true nature because I trust you," she continued.

"Because I know that big brother will always protect his little sister, right?"

Since that day, my nightmares about my mother have changed.

Now, they feature a little girl with blonde hair, the same shade as my mother's, staring at me intently.

***

"VERDAMMTE HÖLLE!!"

Lukas woke up, muttering in his native language.

His body was drenched in sweat, and a lingering chill clung to him.

"Damn it..." he muttered, trying to calm himself down. Of all the nightmares, why did it have to be that one?!

GIBLE!

"Huh?" Lukas heard the sound of a Pokémon and looked around.

Wait, had he been unconscious in this forest the whole time?

Gible, seeing Lukas awake, happily ran over and hugged him.

Lukas stood up, feeling his body had returned to normal—no, even stronger than before!

Even though he didn't study biology or medicine, he was sure that the damage from a steel baton would leave lasting effects.

Yet, he was moving his arm as if nothing had happened.

He struck a nearby tree.

The tree cracked slightly.

...Okay, this definitely isn't normal. I'm way too strong now!

Gible, gible!

"What are you saying?" Lukas looked at Gible, who seemed to be trying to communicate something, but the language barrier made it impossible to understand.

"My task is complete."

Lukas froze, feeling a voice resonate in his mind.

It was a voice that was both masculine and feminine, but leaned more towards the feminine side.

"Who's there?!"

He kept looking around until he spotted a figure in the thick mist. It... looked like a deer with large antlers? The antlers even had a slight rainbow sheen to them.

Just looking at the deer gave him a sense of familiarity. The peace it radiated... it felt like his mother.

"Thank you for saving these children. They seem to like you a lot," the voice said. "Especially Gible."

At that, Lukas noticed the Pokémon gathered around the deer's legs.

They trusted the deer completely, even playing on its back.

"This is a token of appreciation."

Suddenly, a small stone was thrown into Lukas's hand. He looked at it in confusion.

The stone was mainly purple, red, and yellow, reminding him of the marbles kids would play with on the ground.

He looked back up at the deer, but it had vanished without a trace, taking the other small Pokémon with it.

"What a weird deer..."

Suddenly, a berry bumped into Lukas' foot. He looked down at the berry and then around to see who had dropped it.

Oh... it was Totodile, but it had evolved.

Croconaw had dropped all the berries, staring wide-eyed at Lukas.

GAHHHHHHH!!! (LUKASSSSSS!!!)

It jumped towards him, and with its increased weight after evolving, it felt like a gas cylinder landing in Lukas' arms.

It gained so much weight?!

"GAH GAH GAH!!"

Croconaw's tears drenched Lukas' body.

Well, free water, I guess.

Wait, this isn't the time for jokes...

"Calm down, I'm not dead!" Lukas reassured Croconaw.

Being loved by a Pokémon like this felt amazing. Way better than his sister's so-called affection!

"Wait, why's Gible here? Didn't you go with that deer?"

Gible gible!

Gah gah!

Whatever they were saying, Lukas couldn't understand a word.

But judging by Croconaw's gestures, it seemed Gible stayed behind because it wanted to stick with Lukas.

Right now, it was far from home and might not see its mother for a long time.

So why not stay with this guy? Maybe it'll help me get back home somehow.

Even though this guy doesn't seem very reliable...

Lukas hummed thoughtfully, then looked at Gible.

'Capturing a hammerhead shark... sounds pretty cool!'

Even though it was unclear what led his brain to think Gible was cool, one thing was certain—the final evolution would be even cooler than he imagined.

And don't even get him started on the mega evolution (though Mega Garchomp ironically makes it weaker by messing with its speed, which was Garchomp's greatest thing).