"Did I become an NPC?"

[AND WE HAVE A WINNER OF THE 8TH WORLDWIDE POKEMON ONLINE TOURNAMENT]

[A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE CHAMPION LUCAS!]

I was dazzled by the noise and the crowd cheering wildly and enthusiastically in the audience, which was larger than a football stadium. After 4 years since the worldwide release of the immersive virtual reality game called [Global Game: Pokemon Online], I finally won the most challenging tournament of all.

[EVERYONE SHOULD CONGRATULATE THE COMPETITOR AND CURRENT CHAMPION FOR HIS MAGNIFICENT BATTLE AGAINST MR. BLADE!~]

There were several competitors with unique and different Pokémon, with abilities never seen before, and some hidden Pokémon, whether mystical or legendary. But I still managed to prevail over all of them.

[HE DEMONSTRATED A TRANSFORMATION NEVER SEEN BEFORE IN ALL THESE YEARS AND ACHIEVED AN ASTONISHING FEAT! DEFEATING A HIGH-LEVEL LEGENDARY!]

I am currently one of the top 5 players in the world, reaching the TOP 5 after much difficulty.

[TURNING GRENIJA INTO HIS GLORIOUS GOLDEN FORM AND HIS INDESTRUCTIBLE SHURIKEN~]

Smiling from ear to ear, I waved to the audience while basking in the sweet victory until I reached the stage to receive my prize, the trophy!

[USING MEGA EVOLUTION, GIGANTAMAX, AND MASTERING Z-MOVES! THE ONLY TRAINER TO SUCCESSFULLY USE ALL FORMS IN A SINGLE MATCH!~]

[Now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the current Pokémon world champion, LUCAS THE CHAMPION!~]

I should have enjoyed a life full of fame and recognition beyond what I already had, with money and a luxurious life. But that wasn't what happened... After the award ceremony and an intensive battle with various competitors, it was harsh to say the least. I tried to log out of the game and enjoy the comfort of my bed.

[ERROR] [ERROR 404##]

But life had other plans for me... Why did this have to happen to me of all people?

Then my vision darkened, and I passed out...

##

I don't know how much time has passed.

1 day? 2 days? 3 days?

I no longer have any idea; my legs hurt, and my arms were raised and chained to what seemed to be a leash.

I couldn't see anything; everything was so dark and silent. I almost panicked, thinking it was a kidnapping after the worldwide competition.

So I waited for the kidnappers' demands, but they never came... As time passed, I lost track of time. I even tried to call up the login or the status bar, thinking I was inside the game, but there was no reaction.

'Was I kidnapped in real life, then?'

With time, I thought I would be left to die and started to become desperate, scared, and confused.

'I can't feel my arms anymore.' I groaned in pain.

As time went by, I had accepted my situation and had surrendered to death. But a rage burned in my heart against the people who did this to me.

Then God knows how much time I was trapped; my throat was dry; I probably had been having illusions because I hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a very long time.

Why did I hear voices and someone trying to open something that looked like a door?

"Kekeke, are you finally willing to tell us what you know, brat?"

I couldn't speak because of my dry throat, but just hearing his voice, taking pleasure in my condition, and probably relishing the sight of my state, filled me with indescribable rage.

"Fool, at least give him some water and take off that blindfold first."

"Kekek, you're right. This bastard hasn't eaten or drunk anything for three days."

I grunted.

'3 days? It felt like hell and an eternity.'

Then he forced water down my throat.

*Cough*

*Cough*

"Don't spit on me, you bastard."

AGRHHHHHH

"Stop," someone intervened. "If you kick him more, he might die in his weakened state, and the boss won't like that." The person walked slowly and removed my blindfold.

Then I recognized them.

Not the people, but the uniform.

Team Cipher.

In the early years of the game, they weren't well-known because they were stopped by the LEGENDARY NPC and disappeared for a few years, only to reappear in various different regions. However, they were more active in the regions of Sinnoh and Kalos, turning various Pokémon into malicious and emotionless creatures with the sole purpose of killing and destroying, causing chaos and war.

Many trainers lost their Pokémon or were killed in battle because of their evil and heinous actions... And here I was, captured and held hostage by them.

"Tell me, brat, what were you doing invading our facilities in Orre?" He asked while pulling me up by my hair.

"I-I don't... know."

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr

'DAMN, IT HURTS.'

Then something clicked in my mind, and I widened my eyes like full moons.

???

'Orre?... AM I INSIDE THE GAME?...'

'NO NO NO NONONO...' I began to go crazy little by little, but it was impossible; they didn't exist anymore...

Then he punched me in the stomach, demanding answers amidst the torture. Even though I tried to spit out the answer, the Cipher agents didn't believe what I was saying, and I truly didn't know anything or how I ended up here. So I was beaten up until I almost lost consciousness.

VROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMM

"What's happening? REPORT NOW!" The Cipher agent was startled and grabbed his communicator, trying to contact the other agents but without success.

*BOOOOM*

'What's happening?...'

"We've been invaded, I repeat. We've been inv-"

*BOOOM*

"Kek, let's get out of here. Security has been breached."

"Yes, we have to leave quickly and erase the evidence swiftly. But before that, we must eliminate the witness." He turned to me, placing his hand on a Pokéball, enlarging it.

'Damn damn damn damn'

Fear invaded my whole being; the agent looked at me like a dead man.

"What a shame I didn't find out your motives, but it doesn't matter."

Before he could make any move, I heard the voice of a third person.

"Eevee, quick attack, and bite!"

Before the agents could react, a luminous glow passed as fast as lightning, biting the necks of both agents. It was an instantaneous one-sided massacre, leaving them with no chance to react.

"Hey hey, what do we have here? A baby face?"

"Now's not the time for jokes, Sergeant Surge-san. We have to get out of here quickly."

Surge looked around and realized they were indeed running out of time. He looked indifferently at the corpses and spat on them with disdain. Then he looked at the boy, chained with several injuries on his body, trapped like an animal.

"Tch, these bastards... we must destroy them."

[RAI]

"Yes, partner, let's take

this baby face with us. The place is about to collapse, and we don't have much time. Use Iron Tail."

[Raiiii-chu]

Agrrrrr

I groaned in pain as I fell into Surge's arms, who caught me before I hit the ground. Even though his gaze was harsh, I could sense some kind of pity and sympathy coming from him. "Don't die, kid, live to get your revenge on them."

I was dazed and confused by everything that was happening. But my mind stopped when a message suddenly appeared in front of me after I was freed.

[Status Window]

[NPC]: Lucas Black.

[LEVEL]: 30

[TITLE]: NONE.

[AGE]: 15

[POKEMON]: 3

[HP]: 29/200

'Damn, what's going on?'

Then I fainted.

[Imagine of our imprisoned protagonist in coment]