Pokemon: These Players are too annoying!

"ARBOK! BITE THAT KID TO DEATH IN FRONT OF ME!" The captain immediately ordered, and Arbok quickly moved toward Zero2hero, opening its sharp fangs.

"SOLAR BEAM!!"

A burst of solar energy shot at Arbok, pushing it back. The captain angrily glared at Leaf, who was commanding Ivysaur.

"What are you all standing around for?! Attack her!" he shouted at all his team members, startling them into action.

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! THUNDER!!!" Lieutenant Surge yelled, his voice booming like thunder as Raichu unleashed a massive electric attack at them.

"Golem, go!" One of the members threw a Poké Ball, summoning Golem, rendering the electric attack completely ineffective.

"EVERYONE! DON'T LET THEM GAIN THE ADVANTAGE OVER US! ATTACK!!" Surge rallied his allies.

"YES, SIR!"

They charged forward with their Pokémon, clashing with the enemy.

Leaf saw one of the attackers coming close, but Misty pushed him away, causing him to fall.

"You little brats!"

"Shut up already!" Billy appeared, grabbing a wooden plank and knocking him out.

"Thanks! Ivysaur, is your Solar Beam ready?"

Ivysaur! (Almost!)

Weezing, enraged, began moving and prepared to unleash its strongest attack.

Misty sensed the danger and tried to command Starmie to get away, but it was too late.

Weezing emitted a bright light and immediately exploded, sending everyone around flying.

"AGHH!!"

"OUGHHH!!"

"AWWOGA!!"

Both Rocket members and some Pokémon were blasted away, including Starmie, which was knocked out.

The captain, seeing Weezing unconscious from the explosion, took out a golden gem and threw it toward Weezing.

Instantly, the gem turned into a bright yellow light, reviving Weezing as it floated back up.

"A Revive?! He has one?!" Misty exclaimed in shock.

"What's a Revive?" Leaf asked, confused.

"It's an item that can immediately restore a fainted Pokémon, but it's incredibly expensive and not easy to come by!"

Damn, Team Rocket is really willing to take risks and invest so much!

"Haha! You fools are definitely going to lose—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Zero2hero tackled him to the ground.

"You little punk!!!"

"Take this punch of justice, you asshole—AGHH!!"

Suddenly, a tail whipped him hard in the stomach, sending him flying back.

Fortunately, Surge caught him in time.

"Idiot! You're still young! Don't recklessly fight enemies stronger than yourself!"

"S-Sorry..."

"I'll take care of him!" Surge said, approaching the captain.

"You Gym Leaders should back off. This isn't your business, but you keep interfering!"

"Whether it concerns us or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you've harmed innocent people, and that's enough!" Surge said firmly as Raichu stood by his side.

"Hmph! Then try me!" the captain sneered, facing off against Surge with Weezing and Arbok.

The battle continued, and despite Raichu being alone, it was holding its own against both Pokémon.

"OUCH!! THAT BURNS!!" Zero2hero winced, tearing up as Misty sprayed his burns and wounds.

"Honestly, you're as reckless as Red when I first met him. Do you have a problem with your brain?"

"HEY! AT LEAST I SAVED SOMEONE!"

"THEN AT LEAST CARE ABOUT YOUR OWN LIFE!!!" Misty shouted so loudly that Zero2hero's ears nearly went deaf.

Zero2hero glanced at the battle in front of him and made a decision.

"I'm going in!"

"NO!"

"YOU WON'T STOP ME!!" Zero2hero dashed into the fray, startling Misty and Leaf.

"WHY IS HE SO STUBBORN?!"

"Raichu! Iron Tail!"

"Heat Wave and Poison Fang!!"

The intense battle raged on, but upon closer inspection, it seemed Raichu was struggling.

Arbok was incredibly agile, while Weezing was disrupting Raichu, preventing it from landing a clean hit.

"Dammit!" Surge began biting his lip.

He hadn't expected the enemy to be so difficult, making his title as a Gym Leader feel like a joke.

"What's wrong? If you can't handle it, let me end this!"

Gradually, Raichu took a few hits and even got poisoned.

Though Surge had other Pokémon, none were as strong as Raichu, making it impossible to face both opponents.

Just as Surge was unsure of what to do, someone lunged at Arbok and held it tightly.

?!

"Y-YOU'RE CRAZY?!" Surge was shocked, seeing Zero2hero clutching Arbok.

"Arbok! Do something about that kid!" the captain ordered.

Arbok began thrashing, slamming its back into the wall.

"UAAHH!" Zero2hero cried in pain but held on.

"You persistent brat! You're like a leech!" The captain, furious, took out a whip, lashing Zero2hero repeatedly.

Despite the pain, Zero2hero held on and shouted to Surge.

"LIEUTENANT SURGE, HAVE YOUR RAICHU ATTACK ARBOK NOW!"

Surge was stunned, genuinely amazed by the courage before him.

"B-BUT YOU—"

"JUST DO IT!!!!!"

"...I'll remember your bravery! Raichu! Now's the time!"

Raichu stepped in front of him, its face deadly serious.

"THUNDER! FULL POWER!" Surge commanded, and Raichu began drawing electricity from its surroundings.

Electric currents surged toward Raichu, enveloping it in a ring of electric energy that lit up the area.

RAIIICHUUUUU!!!!

As Raichu released an enormous bolt of thunder, Arbok, terrified, tried to escape but was punched in the eye by Zero2hero, stunning it.

"Consider that payback for hitting me in the stomach!"

A-Arbok!! (You're insane!!)

BOOM!!!

The thunder strike was deafening as it slammed directly into Arbok and Zero2hero. The ground cracked under the force, creating a shockwave that pushed everyone back.

As the smoke cleared, Arbok was revealed, charred black, along with Zero2hero.

"Y-YOUUUUU!!!" The captain's face flushed red with anger.

He quickly turned to order his terrified Weezing to attack, but a Solar Beam shot from Ivysaur sent it flying into a wall, knocking it out.

"Solar Beam is amazing," Leaf smiled, just as Sunny Day wore off.

With both Pokémon defeated, the captain seemed to be at his limit.

"YOU'VE FORCED ME INTO THIS! COME OUT!!!" He raised his hand to throw another Poké Ball, but suddenly, a burnt hand grabbed his wrist.

The captain looked down, startled, at the charred boy before him.

"I still haven't punched you in the face yet..."

"B-Brat?! How are you still alive??"

Nearly everyone was stunned by Zero2hero's insane resilience.

Suddenly, a series of words started appearing in both Zero2hero's and the captain's minds.

Mankind knew that they cannot change society.

So instead of reflecting on themselves, they blamed the Beast.

"I'm definitely gonna kick a bastard like you right in the ass," Zero2hero declared to the figure before him.

"A filthy rat like you dares to say that in front of me?!"

Heaven or Hell—LET'S ROCK!!

The captain backed away, raising his whip to strike Zero2hero. But he didn't anticipate Zero2hero's fist coming first, landing a powerful punch right into his ribs.

"UGAHHH!!"

As the captain staggered, another punch connected with his jaw. Zero2hero then grabbed his head and slammed it forward with a fierce headbutt.

Crack!

The sickening sound of bones reverberated, leaving the captain dazed and in pain.

Another punch struck his face, spinning him around and exposing his back.

Finally, Zero2hero's foot landed squarely on the captain's backside, sending him flying into a wall with a loud crash before he collapsed to the ground.

Whether he was dead or alive was unclear, but if he was alive, it'd be a long time before he recovered.

Zero2hero, panting heavily, stared down at the captain for a moment before collapsing.

"HEY, HEY!!" Billy rushed over, catching Zero2hero as he fell.

"…That was incredible," Surge murmured, witnessing what he would forever consider a masterpiece.

Everyone was stunned, even the Rocket members, frozen in disbelief.

The battle was over, and victory had gone to Surge's group.

"R-RUN!!" one Rocket member shouted, prompting the others to flee.

Without their leader, they were like a headless snake, with no one to command them.

As all the Rocket members fled, Surge's group gathered around the fallen Zero2hero.

This time, there was no mocking; they all looked at him with a newfound respect.

A hero.

"HE REALLY IS A HERO!!!"

"DID YOU SEE THAT HEADBUTT?! SO COOL!!"

"I'M OFFICIALLY MAKING THIS KID MY IDOL!!!"

Cheers and praises rang out, everyone thrilled by the display of bravery.

Billy, smiling at the warmth in the air, turned to Zero2hero lying unconscious.

"...?"

But something felt off…

Zero2hero's eyes looked… empty.

'Wait, did he… die?' Billy thought, realizing he hadn't yet dematerialized.

In other games by Arceus Company, players would just respawn at the nearest checkpoint upon death.

So Billy waited.

…

…

Why wasn't he disappearing?

Suddenly, a feeling of dread crept over Billy.

"Hey, you idiot! Are you pretending to be dead?!" Billy slapped Zero2hero's face repeatedly, but he didn't stir.

He wasn't pretending.

"...Zero2hero?"

His eyes were hollow, his body growing eerily cold.

"...Hey, don't joke with me…"

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, only Billy stood there in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.