"Look! Don't talk!!" Ash said lightly.
Misty glanced at Ash with dissatisfaction. He had brought Charmander here, but now he was acting oddly calm—this wasn't like him at all!
"What's up with Ash?"
"Misty, don't worry. Ash must have a plan!" Brock reassured her. After their conversation last night, he knew Ash wouldn't just sit idly by. Though Brock didn't know exactly what Ash had in mind, he trusted Ash wouldn't let Charmander suffer for long.
"Alright then, let's attack!" Damian said smugly, eyeing Charmander with confidence.
After Damian had caught Charmander, he immediately pitted it against his Poliwag. Despite the type disadvantage, Charmander had been easily defeated before, and now Damian was brimming with confidence.
"Char!" Charmander growled as it opened its mouth, launching countless orange-red sparks—Ember—straight at Poliwag.
"Hmph! No progress at all. Poliwag, use Water Gun!" Damian ordered, smirking.
Poliwag jumped into action, releasing a jet of blue water that shot toward Charmander.
Water and fire clashed, each force battling for dominance. Charmander pushed harder, but the type disadvantage was obvious. Steam began to rise into the air as Poliwag's Water Gun slowly overpowered Ember.
With a loud hiss, Water Gun broke through Ember, hitting Charmander directly. Charmander let out a low cry as it was sent flying backward by the force, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Charmander struggled, its body soaked and shaking from the powerful Water Gun, but it gritted its teeth and pushed itself back up.
"It can still stand? Looks like you really haven't improved at all. Poliwag, use Double Slap!" Damian commanded, not giving Charmander a moment to recover.
Poliwag rushed forward, its tail flicking rapidly from side to side. Charmander had just risen when Poliwag's tail struck it repeatedly, causing Charmander to stagger under the relentless hits.
"Poli!" Poliwag cried as it delivered a final slap to Charmander's face, sending it flying once again. This time, Charmander landed in the muddy ground, covered in dirt and looking completely exhausted.
"Hmph! A weak Pokémon like you doesn't deserve to stay with me. Get out of here!" Damian said arrogantly, watching Charmander struggle.
His friends cheered him on, while other Trainers in the crowd looked at Charmander with sympathy and Damian with disapproval.
"Darn it! Ash..." Misty was about to explode, but she stopped as Ash stepped forward.
Without a word, Ash walked into the field, Pikachu by his side. His calm demeanor drew the attention of everyone around. Ash stood beside Charmander, directly facing Damian, ready for whatever came next.
"Huh? Who are you?" Damian asked, frowning slightly at Ash's sudden appearance, his voice full of arrogance.
"Me? I'm just a passerby who doesn't agree with what you're doing. I brought this Charmander here," Ash replied calmly, locking eyes with Damian.
"So, you're the one causing me all this trouble! Stay out of my business!" Damian snapped, only now realizing it was Ash who had brought Charmander to him.
"Don't get me wrong. I just don't like people like you. Trainers who blame their Pokémon for their own failures don't deserve the title of Trainer," Ash said, his voice steady and cool.
"What did you say??" Damian yelled, anger rising.
"I said, you're weak," Ash answered, pointing slightly at Damian before turning his gaze to the fallen Charmander.
Charmander's eyes were filled with frustration and exhaustion, but when Ash walked up, there was a flicker of something else—a glimmer of hope. Ash's presence stirred something within Charmander. Damian was fuming, but Ash didn't give him a chance to speak.
"If you want to show your strength, listen to me," Ash said, looking at Charmander, who lay on the ground, appearing too worn out to fight.
Hearing Ash's words, the surrounding Trainers looked on in surprise, whispering among themselves. *Does this guy seriously want to battle with a Charmander in such poor condition?*
"Oh? You really want to use that weak Charmander against my Poliwag? This should be fun. Go ahead and try it!" Damian mocked, unable to hide his amusement.
"There are no weak Pokémon—only weak Trainers!" Ash declared firmly.
Hearing this, Charmander's eyes shot open. With great effort, it placed its hands on the ground and pushed itself up, standing tall in front of Damian once more. Despite its muddy and battered appearance, its eyes blazed with renewed determination and fighting spirit.
"Let's see if your strength matches your words! Poliwag, use Water Gun!" Damian shouted, irritated by Ash's confidence.
Poliwag shot another stream of water toward Charmander, but Ash was ready.
"Charmander, use Smokescreen!"
Charmander wouldn't have struggled so much if it had proper guidance earlier. Now, with Ash's command, everything changed. As soon as Poliwag launched its Water Gun, Charmander spewed out a thick cloud of black smoke, engulfing the battlefield and hiding itself from view.
The Water Gun shot through the smoke but hit nothing. Poliwag and Damian both looked around, confused. The Smokescreen had spread across the field, leaving Poliwag unable to see where Charmander had gone. Poliwag was left fumbling, completely lost in the thick cloud.