Pokemon: These Players are too annoying!

Previously…

A.J struck the ground with his whip, and Sandshrew immediately followed its training.

It leaped up, using its claws, and aimed straight at the ground.

The earth trembled, and a massive earthquake was triggered by this tiny Sandshrew.

Unfortunately…

"Shoot Water Gun into the ground."

With that simple command, Wartortle sprayed water into the ground and soared into the air.

Sensing things weren't going well, A.J gave another order. Sandshrew curled up into a ball and rolled towards Wartortle.

"Rapid Spin."

Wartortle retreated into its shell and spun at high speed, stopping Sandshrew's rollout and sending it flying backward.

"Finish it with Water Gun."

Wartortle then stuck its head out of its shell and blasted a powerful stream of water at Sandshrew.

The force of the water knocked Sandshrew straight into the ground, dealing significant damage and knocking it out.

"SANDSHREW!" A.J panicked, tossing aside his whip and rushing over to embrace his Sandshrew.

Seeing his Sandshrew get defeated so effortlessly, he began to question himself.

'Did I train it wrong?'

"Hey."

Hearing Blue's cold voice, A.J looked up.

Blue recalled Wartortle into its Pokéball and looked at A.J with a slightly disappointed expression.

"I overestimated you a bit. Your level is enough to challenge gyms, and that's about it."

'…What?'

"Looking at your Pokémon and your strategy of using a whip to command them is interesting, but that's all," Blue said, spinning a Pokéball on his finger.

"Pokémon are living beings after all. Training isn't wrong, but pushing them to extremes without giving them time to rest is just ridiculous."

"And your method of issuing commands is clever, using a whip to direct them. But it's incredibly easy to predict. Once I get used to your fighting style, you're nothing."

Then Blue locked eyes with A.J.

"You're a thousand times worse than my friend." (Blue, compare him to a dude who can't even speak is not right!)

A.J blankly watched as Blue walked away without looking back, then turned to look at his Sandshrew.

"…Am I really that worse?"

Being defeated by Blue so easily and mocked with a few simple words was enough to give him a shock.

A.J frowned, stood up while holding Sandshrew, and returned to his training area.

***

"I think we should leave," Misty said to everyone.

"Huh? Why? We can wait for his Pokémon to recover, right?"

"That's not the problem. Didn't you notice his emotions earlier?"

"..."

"B-But… hehhhh, I wanted to challenge (take his money) against him!"

The emotion they sensed from A.J was a mix of frustration and sadness over something.

Maybe it was because he failed to keep his winning streak?

"Listen to Misty. We shouldn't bother someone if they don't intend to battle," Brock reminded Leaf.

So the group decided to leave.

"I think we'll reach Vermillion City in about 20 minutes."

"Great! Faster than expected!"

"..."

"I wonder if they sell shampoo there? I'm out of shampoo."

The group casually chatted, unaware that three figures were watching them from behind.

"Hey, why don't we steal the Pokémon from that dark green-haired kid? Winning 98 battles is pretty rare for a rookie trainer!"

"For sure! But we need to act quickly; we can't lose track of that twerp's Pikachu!"

"Don't worry! We've got this!" Meowth pulled out some kind of machine, and all three grinned wickedly.

Team Rocket then used the machine to dig underground, heading towards A.J's training area.

Meanwhile, A.J was looking at the Pokémon resting on mats.

The Pokémon Center was quite far away, and walking there would take a long time, so he could only let his Pokémon recover here.

He didn't carry many Potions because, after winning so many battles without his Pokémon getting injured much, he figured Potions weren't necessary anymore.

Now, he regretted it…

"Winning so many battles made me a little arrogant, and now I've finally been beaten by another arrogant person. How ironic."

Titi…

A.J heard Sandshrew calling him, so he approached and petted its head.

"Don't be sad, it's not your fault. It's mine."

Titii!

"Haha… don't blame yourself. It's my fault for underestimating a strong opponent. Now I feel like such a fool."

Training his Pokémon with a whip and making them wear training gear was effective, but it also made his Pokémon feel stressed and tired if they didn't rest enough.

Sandshrew was a prime example. As his main Pokémon, it had been trained hard, and he was very proud of it.

But he hadn't paid much attention to its mental state.

Surprisingly, just by looking at his Pokémon, Blue could tell their condition—something he hadn't even noticed.

While A.J were still caught up in self-blame, the ground suddenly trembled.

"An earthquake?!" A.J stood up, looking around.

Out of nowhere, the area where his Pokémon were recovering suddenly collapsed, and the startled Pokémon were caught in a net.

"W-What?! Who did this?!" A.J shouted, staring at a drilling machine.

"If you wish to know sincerely!" a woman's mature voice called out.

"Then we'll gladly tell you!" a man's voice followed enthusiastically.

"To prevent the world from devastation!"

"To protect the peace of the world!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"We're the villains that dazzle and charm!"

"A bright future awaits us!"

"That's right!" Meowth suddenly appeared.

"We are Team R-"

"Who are these idiots?" A.J's blunt question instantly silenced the entire scene.

"MAKE HIM PAY FOR THAT, MEOWTH!!!" Jessie shouted angrily, and Meowth quickly pressed a button.

A.J's Pokémon were pulled into the machine.

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY POKÉMON?!" A.J shouted in fury, pointing at them.

"Bleh, look at the kid getting all mad~ Goodbye! We'll take good care of your Pokémon!" Jessie mocked as the hot air balloon began to rise.

"GET BACK HERE!!!" A.J chased after them, but no matter what he did, Team Rocket's balloon kept rising higher.

"NO, NO, NO! WHY?!" A.J began to cry.

He may not have wanted to lose.

But losing his beloved Pokémon was unbearable.

'Anything, I'm begging anyone, please save my Pokémon!!'

A.J prayed desperately, holding on to the smallest glimmer of hope.

...

And that hope was answered.

"WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Suddenly, a motorcycle shot straight into the sky, flying toward Team Rocket's balloon.

*Boom!

Jessie, James, and Meowth struggled to hold on as they looked up at their burning hot air balloon. (Wait, how balloon is not explose yet?)

"Damn it! Who's the jerk behind this?!" Jessie shouted angrily, only to see two people trying to escape the chaos.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN YOUR DAMN HEAD?! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET ME KILLED TOO?!" Oceanlover gasped for air, sounding like he was on the verge of collapse.

"Killed? Nah, it's just an experience. We just got to experience what it's like to be birds," Birdup said calmly, even sounding excited.

"YOU FUCK! THAT WASN'T BIRD EXPERIENCE! THAT WAS A 'HOW TO FLY TO HEAVEN' EXPERIENCE!" Oceanlover clung to Birdup's shoulders, shaking him frantically.

"Damn it! It's those kids!" Jessie pointed at the two players.

"Huh?" The two players looked at the three in front of them, confused.

These three seemed a little familiar... maybe they'd seen them at the Water Gym?

Oh well! If they couldn't remember, it probably wasn't important!

"So, when's the next wave coming?" Oceanlover asked, looking back in the direction they'd just flown from.

'Next wave?' Team Rocket suddenly felt uneasy hearing that.

And sure enough, their fears were confirmed as multiple voices screamed from below.

"AGULAAAAAABARITAAAAAAA!!!"

"BONJOURRRRRRRRRR!!"

"SEEEGGGGGGGGSS!!!"

"Ối dồi ôi tôi đang nói ngôn ngữ của tác giả!!!!!!"

Four more motorcycles shot straight into the sky, heading directly for Team Rocket's balloon.

And A.J witnessed all of this unfold.

"...So, my prayer actually worked?"

*****

Whats up with KSI these days? I keep seeing him saying random stuff on X, and it keeps popping up while im just trying to watch how to make coffee jelly.