Ash's Aura had stretched too far earlier, covering too many Pokémon at once, he hadn't noticed it right away. Now, by narrowing his focus, he locked onto the faint signal of a single Pokémon's Aura.
That Aura was weak, so weak it was close to fading out entirely. The poor thing was on the verge of losing consciousness.
The discovery jolted Ash so hard he cried out before his body even moved. By the time Brock and Misty caught up, panting after a minute-long sprint, they too saw the Pokémon Ash had sensed.
A small, orange body. Sharp claws. A trembling flame on its tail.
"Char… Charmander?!" Misty gasped.
Her voice was filled with disbelief.
First Bulbasaur, now Charmander? Did Ash plan to collect all the Kanto starters by stumbling into them in the wild?!
It wasn't like running into a wild Pidgey or Caterpie. Even though the League bred plenty of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, wild specimens were incredibly rare. Encountering two of them back-to-back in less than a month was absurd.
Brock and Misty exchanged a look. Slowly, their eyes drifted back to Ash.
Ash didn't notice their stares. His own eyes lit up the moment he saw the little Fire-type curled on a rock. He had already guessed during his Aura scan, but to confirm it in person, it was like a dream come true.
Luck this good almost felt unreal. First Bulbasaur, now Charmander… Was the effect of that S-rank ability he once drew still lingering? Or was this just pure, ridiculous fortune?
[Species: Charmander]
[Gender: Male]]
[Type: Fire]
[Level: Rookie Peak]
[Ability: Blaze]
[Moves: Tackle, Growl, Ember, Smokescreen, Scary Face, Flamethrower, Belly Drum]
[Stats: Attack D (S), Sp. Attack D (S), Defense E (A), Sp. Defense E (A), HP E (A), Speed D (S)]
Ash's jaw nearly hit the ground.
This Charmander wasn't just rare, it was a monster in the making. SSS-rank potential, a stacked move pool at Rookie Peak… Second only to his Ralts in raw promise!
Ash's heart pounded. He wanted this Charmander badly. But when he looked closer, the fire in his eyes dimmed. The little guy's body was weak, trembling. He could barely stand, let alone battle.
For Ash, capturing him now would be no different from Team Rocket's cheap tricks.
He clenched his fists and forced down his excitement. "Not yet. Brock, give me some Pokémon food."
Brock blinked in surprise, then smiled in relief. He dug into his bag and handed over a pouch.
Ash knelt and poured the food into a bowl, setting it gently in front of Charmander. The Fire-type's fierce little glare melted into confusion.
"Eat up," Ash said softly. "Get your strength back. When you're better, we'll battle fair and square."
He reached out, wanting to pat Charmander's head, but the lizard flinched away, still cautious. Even so, hunger soon won out. Charmander dipped his head and ate hungrily, finishing the bowl in no time.
Brock frowned, rubbing his chin. "That's odd. If he were truly wild, he'd have foraged for food on his own. Why's he been sitting on this rock instead?"
"Maybe he's just exhausted," Ash said. "Charmander, why don't we take you to a Pokémon Center? Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you. When I catch you, it'll be in a real battle."
"Char… Char." Charmander shook his head and let out a plaintive growl.
Ash's smile froze. Then his shoulders slumped, like a balloon losing air.
"What's wrong? What did he say?" Misty asked.
Ash sighed. "He says he already has a Trainer. He's waiting here for them to come back."
Brock's eyes softened in understanding. "So that's it. No wonder he refuses to leave this spot. His Trainer must have told him to wait here."
This Charmander was heartbreakingly obedient. Even with his stomach caving in from hunger and the flame on his tail guttering low, he stayed put, waiting.
"If he already has a Trainer, then there's nothing we can do," Misty said with a regretful shrug. "Guess Ash's hot streak had to end sometime."
"Yeah… if he belongs to someone, we can't interfere." Ash forced a smile. "Brock, let's leave another pouch of food here for him. If his Trainer still isn't back, at least he won't go hungry."
"Mm." Brock nodded. A portion of Pokémon food wasn't much to part with, and it might make all the difference.
Still, something felt wrong. Judging by Charmander's condition, he hadn't been waiting a few hours, it had been a long time. What kind of Trainer leaves their Pokémon like this? Fall into a ravine? Get stuck in a bathroom stall?
Ash set the extra food down, told Charmander a casual goodbye… and walked away with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Inside, his heart bled. This was an SSS-rank Charmander.
In the group chat, the big shots had said an S-rank talent was one in a million. SSS-rank brushed the threshold of "Divine" potential. A Pokémon like that wasn't just "rare", it broke the scale.
No wonder he'd lost himself for a second. But he'd snapped back because he loves Pokémon. If anyone else learned what this Charmander could become, they'd try to snatch him regardless of his condition. An SSS-rank Charmander would draw greed like a magnet.
Ash was crushed to learn Charmander already had an owner. If this was the only SSS-rank Charmander he'd ever meet, of course it hurt. But what could he do? Unless the Trainer was insane enough to abandon him, there was no opening.
And who would ever abandon a Charmander at all, let alone one with that kind of potential?
They left the rocky outcrop and made it back to the roadside trail. The sky dimmed as if someone turned a dial, and then the rain came, sheets of it, drumming the world into a silver haze.
Heads down against the downpour, they hurried along the road until the warm glow of a Pokémon Center came into view. Luckily, it wasn't far; they didn't get completely soaked… just mostly.
Pikachu and Ralts were damp little bundles by the time Nurse Joy ushered them inside. Ash borrowed three towels, passing one each to Brock and Misty, then used his to dry Pikachu and Ralts first, only afterward scrubbing his own hair.
With his current constitution, a full day in the rain wouldn't even give him the sniffles. Wet hair was just… annoying.
Nurse Joy returned with three steaming cups of coffee. Brock declared the service "exquisite," asked for her email with shining eyes, and was politely, expertly turned down.
The three sipped their coffee in silence, the patter of rain outside the window filling the quiet. The warmth was soothing, but none of them looked completely at ease.
"I wonder if Charmander's Trainer ever came back for him…" Misty murmured.
Ash forced a smile. "He should have, right? It's been a while now…" But his eyes betrayed his doubt.
If that so-called Trainer had really left Charmander out on that rock until he was half-starved, then he clearly hadn't been gone just an hour or two. And if Charmander was still waiting out in this storm… with his health so fragile, his level so low, and his type so weak to water… the rain could literally kill him.
Ash clenched his fists. He prayed he was wrong.
Then, over the gentle hum of the Center, a loud, arrogant voice cut through the calm.
"See? These are all the Pokémon I've caught! Not bad, huh?"
"You're amazing!"
"Over a dozen Poké Balls! Damian's caught so many!"
Ash, Misty, and Brock turned their heads. At a nearby table, a flashy young man sat surrounded by Poké Balls, boasting while his sycophants cheered.
Normally, a Trainer carried no more than six Pokémon, any extras were automatically transmitted back to their storage PC. Carrying a dozen at once was impractical, careless even. But still, it wasn't a crime.
The three might have ignored it, until the next words left his mouth.
"By the way, Damian, you don't have a Charmander, do you?"
"Charmander? I had one," Damian sneered. "But he was useless. Couldn't even beat a Poliwag. So I dumped him in the mountains."
His lackeys chuckled, so Damian added with relish, "Ha! I threw him away four or five times, but he still kept following me! So I told him, 'Wait right here, I'll be back soon.' And he just stood there wagging his tail, watching me leave! Isn't that hilarious?"
"You… bastard!!"
Before anyone could blink, Ash was on him. With one hand, he seized Damian by the collar and lifted him clear off the ground. Gasps filled the Center, how could a kid so skinny show that kind of strength?
Damian flailed, shocked. The boy's eyes gleamed with a strange sapphire glow, cold and unyielding.
"I found a Charmander waiting for his Trainer on a rock in the mountains," Ash growled. "That Charmander is yours, isn't it?!"
"Y-yeah, so what?!" Damian snapped back, but his voice cracked.
"How long have you abandoned him?"
"Two… two days, I guess…" His defiance crumbled under Ash's glare.
Ash's fist trembled. Then he dropped Damian, only to slam a punch straight into his face.
...
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