[Pokemon] An NPC's Self-Cultivation

I feel like I'm dreaming.

Some thing calling itself a System told me I was dead. If I wanted to return to my old world, I'd have to play a game.

I asked which game, and it said Pokemon.

Now we're talking.

Let's go on an adventure!

"Beep. NPC System at your service."

A golden finger!

Wait... what System?

"Host, it's an NPC System."

I refuse to accept this. Everyone else's stories take the power-fantasy route, so why am I stuck on the side-character route? Where's your customer service? I want to file a complaint!

"Do you want to get dragged into the grind?"

I shuddered and shook my head like a rattle.

"Then there you go. If you get caught up in the grind, someone even more obsessed will set their sights on you. Isn't being an NPC great?"

Damn, that's a good point.

So what am I supposed to do?

"Since you're a side character, you should follow the side character's path and leave the main characters with nowhere to go."

Oh, so basically slack off and enjoy retirement.

"Exactly. So, Host, will you join this game?"

Just so you know, I'm not good at acting.

"That's one thing I'm good at."

Slacking off is an art.

How so?

You have to keep your distance, stay off to the side, avoid the protagonists and danger, and watch the show from afar while munching on sunflower seeds.

I have to admit, after playing the protagonist for so long, it feels fresh to switch roles in a game.

I sat in a bubble tea shop, cracking sunflower seeds as I watched the protagonists dodge trouble. For a moment, I marveled at how unpredictable life was.

Yeah.

Life really is unpredictable.

Sometimes the little surprises are just part of a much bigger one.

I stared at the sunflower seeds still in my hand, then looked up at the person running alongside me and the one dragging me along. Behind us, an explosion went off, ignored by the protagonists who never looked back. A bunch of little question marks bobbed around in my head. After thinking it over, I finally voiced my confusion.

“Um, could you stop dragging me along? I can't crack my sunflower seeds like this.”

Green, running alongside me, and Red, pulling me along, looked back in disbelief.

“Did Slowpoke switch brains with you or something?!”

“Now's not the time to eat!”

Huh?

Can I change careers too?

[This isn't the beginning. It's a story that's been going on for■■ ages and still has no ending.]

A few things to know before reading:

▼ OOC ranges from tiny fish to river monsters. If you don't like it, don't read.

▼ Red talks in this story. He's quiet, not cold, so he's not mute, not P Red, and not SP Red. He's the game Red. The games usually don't give him dialogue to help players immerse themselves, but this isn't a game.

Red's appearance is based on Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen, then EX later on. I personally think he looks really cool :D.

▼ The protagonist has a golden finger. As a player, she's very familiar with the game's story. She also has a team of Pokemon that accompanied her through several generations of games in her previous life, and years of PVP experience. As a PVP player, she knows the Pokedex inside out.

▼ There is a System.

▼ The timeline and plot aren't from the original story. The overall setting draws on games from various generations and the OVA Origins animation, with a few game elements. If that's not your thing, please leave. The author is writing this for fun.

Theme: Wherever you are, we'll always be by your side.