"Hey, chat, guess what?" Joseph said, voice echoing in his room as he adjusted his headset. Riolu perched on his shoulder like a tiny bouncer, and Tyrunt was sprawled upside down, tail thumping the wall with every snore.
Rotom 1 and Rotom 2 bobbed side by side, projecting a giant "BREAKING NEWS" graphic behind him.
"Today we're going hunting for a new teammate," Joseph announced dramatically. "Word on the street — well, the PokeCenter bulletin board — is there's a Shroomish near the river trail. Apparently, it's been causing trouble for campers by stealing their food and hats. Hats! I'm sold."
Chat blew up:
"HAT THIEF POKÉMON?" "Shroomish gonna become your new brand mascot" "Pls make Tyrunt wear a hat too"
Joseph cackled. "If I can catch it, we'll see how it handles Tyrunt's hat collection. Which is just… one of my old beanies, but it counts."
Before they left, Rotom 1 pinged him with a new trending video. Joseph squinted. "Ugh, the Beedrill Bros again?"
He clicked it. The clip was so bad it almost hurt to watch: shaky drone footage, overexposed shots, and one of the brothers getting stung in the butt by an angry Beedrill. But they'd titled it "Why EeTvee is FAKE: Real Trainers Don't Stream!"
Joseph barked out a laugh so loud that Riolu nearly fell off his shoulder.
"Oh, so I'm fake now?" he told the stream. "Coming from the guys who can't keep a Beedrill from stinging their own butts? That's rich."
Rotom 2 projected a new sticker: "DRAMA LEVEL: PETTY."
Chat was loving it:
"THEY'RE SO SALTY LOL" "Pls react to it live" "DUDE MAKE A BEE EMOTE RN"
Joseph grinned wickedly. "Fine. If we see them in the woods today, I'll wave. And Tyrunt will roar. Politely."
It was warm and breezy when they hit the river trail. Tyrunt stomped ahead, snout twitching for snack scents. Riolu trotted alongside him, big ears flicking at every rustle.
Rotom 1 hovered low for dramatic forest shots while Rotom 2 did a running commentary with goofy emojis like "HAT DETECTED???"
Joseph checked the chat. "Okay, everyone — tips on luring a Shroomish? I brought berries, but apparently this one likes hats more."
Chat's advice was, naturally, useless:
"Wear all your hats at once. Become ultimate hat." "Do a hat dance." "Just let Tyrunt roar at bushes, EZ Shroomish."
He gave Tyrunt a look. "Don't get any ideas."
They reached a quiet bend in the river where a few logs made a nice shady spot. Joseph carefully placed a pile of Oran berries and — after much internal debate — his favorite blue beanie.
"Alright, bait set. Now we hide."
Rotom 1 projected a wobbly sign: "STEALTH MODE!"
They crouched behind a bush, Tyrunt's tail sticking out and wagging like an excited Growlithe. Riolu balanced on Joseph's knee, peering through the leaves.
Minutes passed. The chat spammed:
"I see movement!!" "No wait that's a Lotad" "BRO IS THIS A NATURE DOC?"
Joseph whispered dramatically, "Stay with me, EeTvee fam. This is peak wildlife content."
Suddenly, Tyrunt let out a tiny "rawr?" His tail stilled.
Joseph peeked over the bush — and there it was. A little green Shroomish, waddling out from under a fern. Its stubby feet carried it straight to the berries… but it ignored them. It fixated on the hat.
"Hat confirmed!" Rotom 2 projected, adding a sparkly arrow.
The Shroomish sniffed the beanie, then — in one swift motion — scooped it onto its round head. It was comically big, covering half its face, but the little mushroom puffed up proudly.
Joseph pressed his hands to his cheeks. "Chat, look! He's so proud of himself!"
Then the Shroomish froze. It spotted Tyrunt's tail wagging behind the bush.
The little puff narrowed its eyes under the hat, puffed up its spores, and zoomed away — beanie bouncing with every hop.
"NO! MY HAT!" Joseph shrieked, scrambling after it. "RIOLU, TYRUNT, GO GO GO!"
Rotom 1 and 2 zipped after them, filming Joseph crashing through bushes like a maniac. Tyrunt bounded ahead, snout low, while Riolu zigzagged through undergrowth with parkour flips.
The chase was so ridiculous the chat couldn't breathe:
"HE'S REALLY GONE FULL HAT MODE" "CATCH THE BEAN!" "THIS IS PEAK CINEMA"
Finally, they cornered the Shroomish near a mossy rock. It huffed, beanie slipping over its eyes. Riolu stood guard, arms crossed. Tyrunt loomed behind them, all toothy grin and wagging tail.
Joseph held out a fresh, fancy Poképuff. "Hey, buddy. Trade you this for the hat. Deal?"
Shroomish sniffed. Waddled closer. Snatched the Poképuff — but didn't let go of the hat.
"Aw, c'mon. You can't keep both!" Joseph said. "What if I give you another one when you join my team?"
Shroomish paused. Its beady eyes glimmered under the hat brim. It gave the beanie a gentle boop — then tossed it back to Joseph's hands.
"Deal!" he whooped, pulling out a Poké Ball. "Ready, bud? Let's do this properly."
Shroomish didn't even dodge. One bounce. One click. No wiggle. Caught.
Back on the trail, Joseph perched the hat back on his head — only for Shroomish's Poké Ball to wiggle open. The little mushroom popped out, plopped onto his lap, and batted at the beanie again.
Joseph laughed, patting its stubby head. "Alright, chat, meet Bean — our new hat-loving, snack-hoarding Shroomish."
Rotom 1 projected confetti. Rotom 2 added a sticker: "HAT LORD BEAN!"
Chat exploded:
"BEAN SUPREMACY" "HAT LORD BEAN EMOTE WHEN???" "Team is getting so chaotic I love it"
Tyrunt sniffed Bean, gave a happy rumble, then flopped next to him. Riolu perched on Joseph's shoulder, looking smug.
As they walked home, Rotom 1 pinged another new clip: the Beedrill Bros, now ranting about how Joseph was "stealing all the good content" and "buying his Pokémon with snacks."
Joseph just cackled. "Keep watching, fellas. One day you'll learn the real art of chaos. And hats."
He threw an arm around Bean, who was trying to tug the beanie down over his own head again.
Back home, Joseph updated his stream banner: "Tyrunt. Riolu. Rotom Twins. Bean the Hat Thief." His follower count ticked past 40,000.
He collapsed on his bed, all three Pokémon piled around him, Rotom twins projecting the final highlight: a freeze-frame of Bean strutting away with the beanie.
Joseph laughed so hard he woke Tyrunt up again.
"Okay, EeTvee fam. Next stop: training Bean, prank-proofing my closet, and maybe teaching the Beedrill Bros how to take a joke."
He winked at the Rotoms. "And more hat adventures, obviously."
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