Joseph woke up with a single goal vibrating in his brain like an alarm clock:
"I need a cameraman who can actually aim."
No offense to his current Rotom — who was, at that moment, hovering upside down projecting last night's worst bloopers on the wall — but a single Rotom could only do so much. And they loved trolling him more than filming him half the time.
Plus, all the big streamers (him, because he was the only one right now) needed upgrades.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder, stuffed with Poképuffs, extra batteries for the Rotom drone rig, and a single leftover cone from the obstacle course (just in case Tyrunt needed bribing). Riolu perched on his head like an overexcited hat. Tyrunt trundled behind, crunching on a rock snack.
"Where are we going again?" Tyrunt asked with a low growl. (Okay, Joseph just felt like that's what he'd say if Pokémon talked. Tyrunt mostly just huffed.)
"To the Old Power Plant," Joseph told him. "Everyone says wild Rotom love to hang out there. Perfect place to find our new stream MVP!"
Rotom projected a huge emoji of a sweat drop next to a "I'm not enough???" sticker. Joseph flicked the image with his finger.
"Hey, you're great. But you're also a menace. We need backup."
They hadn't even made it out of town before Joseph spotted something bizarre: a group of kids on the corner of the PokéMart, huddled around a laptop. They'd propped up a phone on a stick, trying to get a Pidgey to peck at a treat while they filmed themselves doing "extreme" commentary.
Rotom drifted closer, projecting the kid's shaky footage onto a nearby tree for Joseph to see.
"YO YO YO what's up guys! It's your boy MikeyPidge here with my Pidgey Punch Challenge! If I lose, I get pecked in the face — LMAO — SUBSCRIBE!!"
Joseph facepalmed so hard his hand left a red mark. Riolu giggled on his head. Tyrunt just snorted.
He cleared his throat. "Hey. Kids. What are you doing?"
They spun around, eyes huge when they recognized him. One of them screamed, "OMG IT'S THE EETVEE DUDE! WE'RE GONNA BE JUST LIKE YOU!"
Joseph blinked. "Oh. Cool. Maybe don't—"
MikeyPidge immediately shoved his Pidgey in his face. The poor bird flapped, accidentally pecking the kid's forehead. Joseph watched in real-time horror as the kid's friend shrieked, "PERFECT! POST IT! POST IT!"
Rotom projected a sticker that said "COPYCAT LEVEL 100."
Joseph sighed. "What have I done."
By the time they reached the outskirts, the sun was high, the chat was booming (Rotom was streaming every step of this "quest"), and Joseph's follower count ticked higher every time he accidentally tripped over a root.
The Old Power Plant loomed ahead — all rusted metal walls, overgrown fences, and broken warning signs that didn't really scare anyone anymore.
"Legend says Rotom love the leftover machinery," Joseph explained for the stream. "Plus, it's prime meme content if I get shocked."
Riolu flicked his tail. Tyrunt licked a fence and got zapped lightly — he burped out a tiny spark, looking smug. Rotom replayed that with a caption: "CHONKY BATTERY DINO."
Inside, it was dusty and full of ancient lights that flickered for no reason. Joseph tiptoed past a row of dead generators, whispering into his mic, "Chat, place your bets. How many times will I get jump-scared?"
He peeked around the corner — and jumped ten feet when a pair of glowing eyes stared back at him.
But it wasn't a wild Rotom — it was his Rotom, projecting a giant "BOO!" emoji.
"STOP TROLLING ME!" Joseph yelped. Riolu laughed so hard he fell off his shoulder.
Deeper inside, they finally found it — a little spark of mischief zipping between dead light fixtures. Joseph crept closer, pointing his Pokédex app at the flickering ball of energy.
"Wild Rotom. Mischievous. Loves to possess machinery. May short out electronics for fun."
Perfect.
Joseph whispered to his team. "Alright. Riolu, keep it busy. Tyrunt, don't eat any wires. I'll handle the PokéBall."
Riolu bounded forward, waving. The wild Rotom zipped around him in circles, giggling in its crackly static voice. Tyrunt, being Tyrunt, chomped on an old switchboard — sparks danced off his teeth.
Joseph lunged. "NOW!"
He tossed the PokéBall — it bounced once, twice — and the Rotom zipped right inside. Click.
He held the PokéBall up triumphantly as Rotom (the OG one) projected fireworks above him.
"YES! Meet our new cameraman! Or… camera ghost. I dunno what to call him yet."
Back outside the plant, Joseph released the new Rotom. It hovered next to the original, sparks crackling as they circled each other like twins.
Riolu tried to poke them both and got zapped, his fur standing on end. Tyrunt laughed so hard he fell over. Rotom 1 projected a new sticker: "TWIN TROLLS UNLOCKED!"
Joseph wiped sweat off his brow. "Chat, we officially have two Rotoms. That means more camera angles, more clips, and definitely more pranks on me, because I have zero self-control."
The chat went wild:
"ROTOM SQUAD" "CAMERAMEN UNITE" "POOR JOSEPH RIP"
On the walk home, they passed MikeyPidge again — now with an entire group of kids filming a "Pidgey vs. Zigzagoon Staring Contest." He waved his phone in Joseph's face, yelling, "THANKS FOR INSPIRING US!"
Joseph forced a smile. "Haha, yeah, maybe don't get pecked so much, okay?"
Rotom recorded the entire encounter, complete with Joseph's horrified face, and immediately scheduled it as a highlight reel titled "The Copycats Begin."
Back at his room, Joseph sat cross-legged on his floor, the twin Rotoms hovering above like a pair of hyperactive drones. Tyrunt snoozed in his corner with a piece of metal scrap sticking out of his mouth like a toothpick. Riolu curled up on Joseph's lap, twitching occasionally when the Rotoms zapped each other for fun.
Joseph turned to the chat, grinning. "So, EeTvee fam. We've got the sleepy dino, the ninja puppy, and now the Rotom twins. Double the pranks. Double the bloopers. Double the chaos."
He leaned back, watching the follower count tick even higher.
"And apparently, I've started a whole town of mini-streamers who wanna get pecked by birds. So… sorry about that?"
Rotom projected a giant "EETVEE FOREVER!" banner above his bed. The chat agreed:
"EEEEE TVEEEEE" "This is gonna be a wild ride." "ROTOM 2 SUPREMACY!"
Joseph laughed, pulling Riolu closer and giving Tyrunt a pat.
"Hey — whether we mess up, get shocked, or become the biggest thing in this world… we're doing it together."
His new Rotom flickered its light, beeping like a tiny camera flash.
Clip saved. Meme potential: Infinite.
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