"I was planning to grab the Pokémon from that little brat, but I didn't expect things to turn out this way... Forget it this time," said Jessie, standing outside the Pokémon Center with her teammates, as they watched Miss Joy clean up inside.
The Rocket trio had witnessed the whole incident and fell silent.
Jessie, though often hot-tempered and impulsive, had a deep love for Pokémon.
Her dream was once to become a Pokémon doctor, but her lack of knowledge held her back—even from becoming a nurse. These were her words now, expressing disgust at the captured Trainer's behavior.
"Yeah... Let's let the kid go this time," sighed James. He, too, loved Pokémon, and the last thing he wanted was to see someone's dream of being a Trainer crushed.
"Though we're Team Rocket, meow, and we do bad things, we've still got our own code of conduct!" Meowth crossed his arms, nodding in agreement.
As a Pokémon, it now understood Charmander's feelings perfectly.
In the shadows, fiery eyes glowed, observing the trio. However, this time, it did nothing, quietly retreating back into the darkness.
It had no reason to act against them. Its focus was now on those who threatened Ash and his friends.
In the dormitory, Pikachu sat beside Charmander, trying to console it. But Charmander remained motionless, staring blankly ahead.
If it weren't for the flame still flickering on its tail, one might have mistaken it for a lifeless doll.
"Pika..." Pikachu looked back at Ash, Misty, and Brock, shaking its head helplessly. Nearly half an hour had passed, yet Pikachu had failed to comfort its friend.
"Poor Charmander..." Misty's heart ached as she watched the distressed Pokémon, but she felt powerless. She could only turn to Ash.
Brock, too, had no solution. Though he aspired to become a top Pokémon breeder, he had never faced a situation like this before.
He was at a loss and could only look to Ash for guidance.
Ash remained silent, watching Charmander closely. He understood how deeply Charmander had been hurt—it wasn't going to be easy to help it recover.
Suddenly, Ash stood up. "Charmander, battle me!" he called out.
"What?!" Misty and Brock were both startled, rising to their feet. They were about to protest when Ash raised a hand, gesturing for them to trust him.
"I've got an idea," Ash said firmly. He hoped that through battle, he could stir Charmander's emotions, helping it to face its pain and regain its focus.
"Your old Trainer abandoned you because they thought you were weak. But are you really weak? Don't you want to show them how strong you really are?"
Charmander didn't move, as if it hadn't heard. But Ash noticed something—its tail flame flickered slightly.
"Fight me! My goal is to become the world's strongest Trainer, and I'll be competing in the Indigo Plateau Conference. If you stay with me, we'll get there together, and that person will see just how strong you've become."
Charmander's eyes wavered, considering Ash's words. Seeing this, Ash walked over to Charmander and gently hugged it.
Charmander blinked in surprise. It struggled slightly but didn't attack. It knew Ash meant no harm. In fact, it was because of Ash that it had survived the rainstorm and wasn't left to die.
With Charmander in his arms, Ash left the dormitory, followed by Misty, Brock, and Pikachu.
They passed through the Pokémon Center's hall, where several Trainers had gathered, curious about what was happening. Ash nodded to them as they stepped outside, into the open wilderness.
By now, the sky had darkened completely, but the stars twinkled above, and the bright moon cast a soft glow over the land.
Ash set Charmander down gently and stepped back with Pikachu. "Come on, Charmander, show everyone how strong you are!" he encouraged.
Charmander looked at the Trainers gathered near the Pokémon Center entrance, then at Pikachu, and finally at Ash. After a moment of hesitation, determination flashed in its eyes.
The Fire-type energy within it surged, and the flame on its tail flared up. In the next instant, a stream of fire burst from Charmander's mouth, heading straight for Pikachu!
"Flamethrower!" Ash's eyes lit up with excitement. Though Charmander was still relatively weak, the fact that it could use Flamethrower showed it had tremendous potential.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pika—!" Pikachu responded, unleashing a powerful bolt of electricity. The two attacks collided, holding each other in a stalemate for several seconds.
But soon, Pikachu's Thunderbolt overpowered the Flamethrower, streaking toward Charmander. Reacting quickly, Charmander rolled to the side, dodging the attack, though not without a bit of clumsiness.
Ash nodded in approval. Pikachu hadn't fought seriously, but Charmander's performance proved it was far from the weakling its previous Trainer believed it to be.
Charmander continued attacking Pikachu, as if venting its pent-up emotions. Though its former Trainer wasn't present, Charmander wanted to prove that it wasn't useless.
The relentless assault left the onlookers in awe. They couldn't understand why someone would abandon such a strong-willed Charmander.
Pikachu dodged every attack, never fighting back. Charmander kept attacking until it finally collapsed, panting heavily.
"Char... Charmander…" it murmured, looking between Pikachu and Ash. It had never seen a Pokémon as strong as Pikachu, and it hadn't managed to land a single hit.
But if it followed Ash, maybe it could become just as strong.
As the battle came to an end, the other Trainers approached, eager to befriend Charmander. However, Charmander ignored them and walked straight to Ash, looking up at him.
"Have you made your decision?" Ash smiled down at Charmander.
"Char!" Charmander nodded firmly. It had made up its mind—it wanted to grow stronger and make its former Trainer regret abandoning it.
"Then welcome to the team, Charmander!" Ash crouched down and extended his hand.
"Char!" Charmander placed its paw in Ash's hand, and Pikachu cheered beside them, excited to have a new friend.
The other Trainers looked on with a mixture of regret and respect. They weren't jealous, though—they had seen firsthand what Ash had done for Charmander, and it was clear Charmander belonged with him.
"That's why I want to travel with Ash," Brock said with a smile.
Misty didn't say anything, but the way she looked at Ash grew softer.
---
Adios the boss is on the bus
stay tuned to continue this journey
who is his mystery pokemon?