Fire Punch only dealt half damage, yet Cloyster still suffered heavily.
That alone was proof of Charmander's overwhelming strength.
If it had been Thunder Punch, Cloyster would've gone down in an instant.
Charmander was capable of learning Thunder Punch as well.
Unfortunately, in this world, there were no such things as Technical Machines.
If a Pokémon wanted to master a move, it had to comprehend and develop it on its own through training.
Developing moves of its own type was relatively simple.
Take Charmander, for example—learning Fire-type techniques came naturally to it, since flames were its innate gift.
But developing off-type moves was a far greater challenge.
Does Charmander actually carry Electric energy within its body? I'd say it must—otherwise, how could it ever wield Thunder Punch?
And indeed, Charmander could learn Thunder Punch.
This meant that somewhere within its body lay traces of Electric energy, though faint. Precisely because it was faint, drawing it out and mastering it was so difficult.
Sometimes, no matter how hard a Pokémon worked, effort alone wasn't enough to grasp an off-type move. Fate—or opportunity—was just as important.
Of course, there was another way to acquire off-type moves with ease.
Through inheritance.
If Charmander managed to master Thunder Punch, its offspring would likely inherit the move. That would be innate power—present from birth, without the need for extra development.
In most cases, Pokémon with extraordinary talent were those blessed with strong genetic inheritance, often wielding rare inherited moves.
Take Yozora's Psyduck, for instance.
Yozora often suspected that Psyduck's formidable telekinetic power was something it inherited from its parents, which was why it was so strong…
In short, in this world, acquiring off-type moves was extremely difficult.
Forget about type coverage. This wasn't a game—coverage only mattered if you could actually obtain those moves in the first place.
Like Ash's Charizard. Strong enough, wasn't it?But did it ever learn Thunder Punch?
Sadly, no.
And yet, Champion Leon's and Alain's Charizards both knew Thunder Punch!
Or look at…
Ryūnan's Dratini—spitting Flamethrowers, firing off Thunderbolts, and even using Water Gun. That's quite the type coverage, isn't it? But that was most likely inherited. You can't just envy your way into that!
"What the—?! That Charmander isn't even afraid of water?!"
When Cloyster's Water Gun failed to faze Charmander in the slightest, Giselle froze in disbelief.
Her eyes darted to the blue flame blazing at the tip of Charmander's tail."Could this be due to mutation? Its altered genes might've granted it extraordinary resistance to Water attacks?!"
In this world, two kinds of Pokémon were born exceptional, their talents defying the norm.
One was the Shiny Pokémon. The other—the Mutant Pokémon.
Shiny Pokémon needed no explanation.
As for Mutants…
Yozora's Charmander was one example. A Nidorino with unusually long poison barbs was another.
But the most obvious case would be the towering Totem Pokémon!
Their massive size wasn't just for show—their strength, stamina, and defense all exceeded that of ordinary Pokémon at the same level.
That was what it meant to be gifted from birth.
"Charmander, Fire Spin!"
While Giselle was still deep in thought, Yozora suddenly gave the command.
Charmander spewed flames that wrapped around Cloyster, whirling at high speed to form a blazing vortex.
The Fire Spin sealed Cloyster inside, battering it with repeated waves of damage!
Fire Spin was a technique Charmander had only recently developed.
[Pokémon]: Charmander
[Type]: Fire
[Abilities]: Blaze + Water Absorb + Blaze
[Level]: Senior – Beginner Stage
[Potential]: Champion
[Notes]: An extraordinary Charmander with remarkable Fire affinity!
Ever since Charmander awakened its dual Blaze abilities, its potential had skyrocketed, and its Fire affinity had surged with it.
That made developing Fire-type moves far easier.
Thus…
Even without particularly strenuous effort, it had managed to create Fire Spin—and its power was devastating.
"Cloyster!"
When the flames finally dispersed, Giselle cried out. Cloyster's entire body was charred black, and it collapsed unconscious.
"What a terrifying Fire Spin!"
"Exactly! If it were a Charmeleon or Charizard, that'd be one thing—but for a mere Charmander to wield such a powerful Fire-type move?!"
"No doubt about it—Mutant Pokémon are truly extraordinary, their talents unparalleled!"
The surrounding students erupted in awe as Charmander overturned its type disadvantage and easily defeated Cloyster.
"Cloyster is unable to battle! Charmander wins!" declared Komiya, serving as referee.
He too couldn't hide his surprise.
Who would've thought that aside from Kangaskhan, Yozora's seemingly harmless Charmander would prove so strong?
"I'll let you take the lead for now. Come back, Cloyster." Giselle recalled her fallen partner, then pulled out another Poké Ball and hurled it forward.
In a flash of white light, a fiery red Pokémon appeared, a mane of yellow fluff around its neck like a scarf.
Eevee's Fire-type evolution—Flareon!
Cloyster had evolved from Shellder with a Water Stone.And now, Flareon stood before them, evolved from Eevee with a Fire Stone.
As expected from a Pokémon Tech prodigy—using Evolution Stones so casually.
[Pokémon]: Flareon
[Type]: Fire
[Ability]: Flash Fire
[Level]: Senior – Mid Stage
[Potential]: Gym Leader
[Notes]: A Flareon with solid talent, but lacking in daily training and battle experience. Apart from raw strength, its other abilities fall short of its current level.
"Oh? Flash Fire, is it?" Yozora smirked after a glance at Flareon's stats.
Flareon already had natural Fire resistance. With Flash Fire, it could nullify Fire attacks entirely.
Which meant—
Even if Charmander were at a higher stage, it likely wouldn't be able to inflict any meaningful damage on this Flareon.
So, Yozora swapped it out and sent Psyduck into battle.
"Psy-duck!" Psyduck cried the moment it appeared, brimming with fighting spirit.
Yozora could sense something stirring within it—perhaps even a breakthrough, maybe the cusp of evolution. Psyduck was more spirited and battle-hungry than ever.
"What?! A Shiny Psyduck?!"
Gasps erupted all around as Psyduck entered the field.
Even Komiya was stunned.
They might be children of wealthy families, accustomed to extravagance, but not a single one of them had ever owned a Shiny Pokémon!
Not because they couldn't afford one, but because they couldn't find one.
Shiny Pokémon were so rare they were beyond price!
(End of Chapter)