Charmander was covered in wounds. Staggering on shaky legs, it finally collapsed.
The flame on its tail shrank rapidly before Ash's eyes—smaller and smaller—until it was no bigger than a walnut. Like a candle flickering in the wind, it looked as though it might be snuffed out at any moment.
The battle was over. In a panic, Ash scooped Charmander into his arms and rushed it to Nurse Joy. Only after hours of treatment, deep into the night, did her skilled medical care finally pull Charmander back from the brink.
Through the glass window, Ash watched anxiously. Charmander lay on the bed fast asleep, but the flame on its tail had returned to normal size.
That flame was its life force.
As long as it burned strong, Charmander's life was no longer in danger. Seeing this, Ash finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Your Charmander is suffering from malnutrition," Yozora said suddenly, sitting on a chair nearby.
"Malnutrition?" Ash blinked in confusion. Both he and Charmander were still full of youthful vigor—always brimming with energy. How could Charmander be malnourished?
"Yes."
Yozora explained, "Your Charmander's talent is extremely high. It has the strength to surpass its current level, but that also means it burns through far more energy during battles. Without proper nutritional support, two things happen: first, it can't endure battles for long. Second, it won't be able to unlock its true potential."
He paused, then added, "And that so-called rage state—it makes Charmander stronger in the moment, but it doubles its energy consumption."
Ash's eyes went wide, cold sweat dripping down his back.
During their travels, Charmander had entered that rage state multiple times. Every time, it had been left weak afterward.
But this time… it had been far worse. Charmander had pushed itself to the brink, exhausting even its life force, and collapsed completely.
Ash trembled with fear as he realized the truth—the rage state was a double-edged sword. It hurt the enemy… but also harmed Charmander itself.
"After it evolves into Charmeleon, its physical stats will increase across the board. Its stamina will be higher, yes—but that's only compared to its Charmander self. If you pit your Charmeleon against other Charmeleon without proper care, it'll still be malnourished."
Yozora concluded, "So the fundamental solution is to restore its nutrition. Once Charmander replenishes its depleted life energy and potential, its body will grow stronger, its spirit will recover, and it will finally be able to fight at full power."
"What should I do, Yozora?" Ash asked earnestly. Charmander's future was at stake—he had to take this seriously.
"It's simple. Feed it high-quality, energy-rich food. For example—Miltank milk." Yozora smiled faintly.
"Miltank milk?"
Ash tilted his head. "But… I give Charmander that every day. We all drink it!"
Brock gave him a sharp look. "That's just the ordinary Miltank milk. It only costs about ten Poké Dollars a bottle. What Yozora means is Elite Miltank milk. Each serving costs over one thousand."
"One thousand?!" Ash's jaw dropped. Then he scratched his head and asked in all seriousness, "Uh… how much is one thousand, exactly?"
At that, Brock and Misty both collapsed in exasperation. Ash really had no concept of money at all.
Yozora chuckled and didn't press further. He had only pointed Ash toward the right path. As for the cost—that was up to Ash to solve himself.
Yozora couldn't help him there; he was short on money too.
But Ash carried the protagonist's destiny. Until now, he'd never thought about making money. Once he put his mind to it, earning funds wouldn't be difficult for him.
That night, Yozora, Ash, Brock, and Misty stayed at the Pokémon Center. Nothing unusual happened.
The next morning, Ash woke up early to check on Charmander. Yozora, Brock, and Misty were still asleep when a sudden commotion jolted them awake.
"That's Ash's voice!"
The three exchanged glances, then hurried to the ward.
What they saw left them stunned—Charmander had evolved into Charmeleon! But its temperament had changed drastically. It was raging wildly, so irritable that it had scorched Ash black the moment he entered, and was now tearing apart the hospital room.
When Yozora and the others rushed in, Charmeleon's burning eyes immediately locked onto Yozora. With a furious roar, it unleashed a blazing torrent of fire that surged straight toward him.
Although its rage was directed at Yozora, the fire wave was too wide. With Brock and Misty standing nearby, they were caught in the danger zone. Brock forced himself to stay calm, but Misty screamed in terror as the flames bore down on them.
At the critical moment, Yozora stepped forward. Channeling the Power of Aura, he conjured a shimmering blue barrier, blocking the firestorm entirely.
"Roooar!!"
Charmeleon bellowed, refusing to yield. Its fury grew even wilder as it poured more fire into its assault.
"Ash, you idiot—hurry up and recall it!" Misty cried.
Ash, covered in soot and still reeling from the blast, had been sulking in the corner, doodling circles in the air. Misty's desperate voice snapped him back to his senses. He scrambled up, pulled out a Poké Ball, and recalled Charmeleon.
The flames vanished. Yozora lowered the Aura barrier, while Brock and Misty let out long, shaky breaths. Misty was so rattled she plopped down on the floor, legs weak.
She had been truly terrified. After all, she was still a young girl—fear was natural.
And even if Charmeleon's flames weren't lethal, burning off her hair would've been all too easy. For a girl her age, her hair was practically as important as her life.
"I'm… I'm sorry, everyone…"
Ash clutched the Poké Ball tightly, his head hanging low. His heart sank.
He had been so happy when he woke up early and found that Charmander had evolved into Charmeleon.
But he never imagined that evolution would twist its personality so much. The obedient, lovable Charmander was gone—replaced by an irritable Charmeleon that even attacked its own Trainer.
"Ash, after evolving, Charmeleon doesn't obey you anymore?" Brock asked softly.
"…Yeah." Ash nodded painfully, then fell silent.
Yozora sighed inwardly. He couldn't interfere—Charmeleon's temperament, coupled with its swelling pride after evolution, made it impossible to tame in the short term.
This was Ash's fate—something he alone had to endure.
Still, Yozora wasn't worried. He knew the ending would turn out well. For now, he only needed to remind Ash to focus on nutrition.
For ordinary Pokémon, regular Miltank milk was more than enough.
But Ash's Pikachu, Charmeleon, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur were all high-potential Pokémon. If he wanted to unlock their full strength, advanced nutrition was absolutely necessary.
(End of Chapter)