In just a few short minutes after Charmander appeared on camera, the livestream viewer count climbed into the thousands. Comments scrolled faster than I could read, some panicked, some excited, all curious.
"So, Charmander has been with me since the first outbreak. I've studied his behavior, his reactions… and from my observations of other Pokémon near the city, I've started to notice patterns. Each Pokémon seems tied to a type, fire, water, grass, and their abilities follow that. For Charmander, he's fire-type, which means he can control flames. That tail? It's not just for show. The flame at the tip actually reflects his mood, and, importantly, his life force."
I paused, letting the information sink in. "Don't worry, water won't just automatically put him out. But from what I've observed, if the flame dims, it means he's weakened. And if it ever goes out completely, well, footage from news reports has shown dead Charmanders with no fire on their tails. So this flame isn't just light or a weapon—it's literally a measure of his life. That's why I pay such close attention to it."
Charmander shifted slightly, tail flickering as if acknowledging the explanation, tiny embers dancing in the dim light.
"And for anyone wondering why I call him Charmander," I added, smiling down at him, "it's because he reminds me of a salamander… but also, well, 'char.' He's all about fire, so—Char-mander. It just fit."
["OMG that makes so much sense! 🔥"]
["Wait… his tail is literally his life?! 😱"]
["Charmander is such a cute name 😂"]
["Bro, I need one of these in real life!"]
["Are you seriously just standing there with a fire Monster?? 😳"]
"Another thing I've noticed," I said, holding the camera steady, "is how Pokémon abilities, or moves, tie into their type. For example, Charmander's a fire-type, and one of the moves he can use is Ember."
I crouched slightly and gave him a small, simple command. "Charmander… Ember."
Charmander gave a small puff of fire from his mouth, the ember dancing briefly in the dim light. I let the viewers take it in. "See? It's precise. He controls the heat, the size, even the direction.
Then he looked up at me, belly slightly puffed out, tail flickering, and let out a soft, "Chaaar," as if showing off proudly.
I chuckled and ruffled his head gently. "Alright, alright, you did a good job."
...
[I thought this was just a normal streamer who would post dumb clips, but now, I'm learning a lot! Monsters can actually be trained? "]
["Same here! Never realized they could be this obedient. But man, he should still be careful—wild monsters are unpredictable."]
["Bro, Ember looked so controlled… that's insane!]
["Asher, please show us more! Teach us how to do this safely!"]
And then the skeptics chimed in:
["This seems staged… I don't believe a monsters can be that obedient."]
["I don't think we'll know anything as much as you—even scientists right now don't have a clue"]
...
I smiled and gave a small nod. "I get it, this might look unbelievable. Even scientists are still learning about these monsters' behavior. That's exactly why we approach them carefully, observe patiently, and build trust over months. charmander isn't performing for the camera—he's showing what's possible when you respect and understand them."
"Right, charmander?"
"Chaar" charmander agreed and then point at his stomach like saying he is hungry
I glanced down at him as he nudged his belly with his tiny claws, tail flickering softly. "Ah, I see. Someone's hungry," I said, smiling. "See, everyone? This is part of building trust. monsters aren't just tools or weapons, they have needs, moods, and personalities just like us. You have to understand them."
Charmander let out a small "Chaar," stepping closer as if to say, yes, feed me now. I pulled out a small container of protein strips from my bag and held it up to the camera. "This is his snack. It's not just food, it's part of how we communicate because this fella is a big eater, and I do see some monsters have this same instinct, food can be a bridge for trust."
["OMG he's actually that smart?!"]
["Asher, this is like a real-life research vlog! Teach us everything!"]
["Bro, I want a Charmander too 😭"]
I ruffled his head gently. "All right, that's enough for now. Full bellies, full focus. We've got a forest to explore, and there are wild Pokémon we need to observe. Charmander's going to help me show how Pokémon interact in their natural environment, and how we can communicate with them safely."
Charmander looked up at me, tail flame flickering gently, eyes bright. "Chaaaar," he acknowledged, ready and alert.
I adjusted the camera and whispered, "Okay, everyone… stay calm. This is where it gets interesting. Watch how we move, how we observe, and how we respect the creatures out here."
With Charmander at my side, we stepped further into the dense forest, sunlight filtering through the canopy, shadows shifting with the wind. Every rustle of leaves made me pause—wild Pokémon could be anywhere.
"We're actually in Redwood National and State Parks, Northern California," I told the camera, keeping my voice low. "This area is huge, and the terrain is dense with towering redwoods. Perfect for observing wild Pokémon in their natural habitat without too much interference from humans. We'll start in the outer area, where the Pokémon activity is lighter, and work our way deeper as we get a better understanding of their behavior." (Author's note: I've included photos of the forest in the comment section.)
I adjusted the camera slightly, letting the viewers see the towering redwoods around us. "Okay, everyone, now that you've seen how Charmander works with me, it's time to see some wild Pokémon in their habitat. Remember, we're not here to interfere—just observe, and respect their space."
Charmander's tail flickered in agreement, and he stepped closer to my side, alert and ready. I took a deep breath, feeling the cool forest air fill my lungs, and began moving slowly along the forest floor, careful with each step.
Suddenly, a small bush rustled violently nearby. Before I could react, a tiny yellow figure darted out, and grabbed my bag.
"Whoa—hey!" I exclaimed, crouching down. A wild Pichu squeaked, eyes wide, holding my bag in its tiny paws. It chittered nervously, "Pichu! Pichu!", clearly drawn to the scent of the protein strips I had given Charmander earlier.
I froze, raising a hand slowly in peace. "Ah… I see what's going on. You've been following us, haven't you?" I murmured. "That's why you went for the bag, you smelled the food."
The Pichu's tiny ears twitched, eyes darting between me and Charmander, clearly unsure whether I was a threat. It squeaked again, "Pichu… Pichu!" and held the bag close, backing away slightly as if to say, don't come closer.
I lowered the container of protein strips to the ground, a safe distance away. "See? I'm not going to grab you. If you want it, you can come."
The Pichu froze for a moment, sniffing the air, then inching forward slowly, tail stiff and squeaking quietly, "Pichu… pichu…" Its little paws hovered over the food, hesitant.
Charmander tilted his head, tail flickering softly. I whispered, "It's okay… you can trust me."
Finally, after a tense few seconds, the Pichu nudged the protein strip and squeaked joyfully, "Pichu! Pichu!" before carefully taking it into its tiny paws.
I smiled, letting the Pichu enjoy its snack while keeping my movements slow and calm. "See, everyone? Even small Pokémon are cautious at first. You have to respect that, and sometimes… patience and a little food go a long way in building trust."
The viewers flooded the comments:
["Look at it hesitating… wild monster are so smart 😭"]
["I can't with Charmander watching over the yellow rat like a big brother "]
[Is this even the same kind of monsters from the downtown destruction videos? I don't think so. The ones that tore through buildings were huge. This one looks… tiny. It looks scared.]
[If Pokémon can assess danger, hesitate, and choose not to attack… then labeling them as hostile by default is wrong.]
[We panic because we don't understand them. Maybe they panic because they don't understand us.]
[We've been calling them monsters this whole time… but look at it. It's just scared and hungry.]
For a moment, the chat felt softer.
Then the pushback came.
["Don't get emotional. That's how people get hurt."]
["It looks harmless now. So did the ones downtown before they started rampaging"]
[I was there during the downtown incident. I work construction. One of those monsters showed up near our site. At first it was just standing there. Not attacking. Just… there. Then something set it off. It started tearing through equipment, smashing vehicles like they were cardboard. Five of my coworkers ended up in the hospital. So forgive me if I don't see innocence when I look at that thing.]
The chat slowed.
Replies came in more carefully this time.
[I remember that footage…]
[Wasn't that the one that flipped a truck?]
[I'm sorry that happened.]
The worker replied again:
[People keep calling them "misunderstood." Maybe. But when you see steel bend like that, you stop caring about cute.]
That comment climbed fast.
Pichu twitched at a rustle nearby, tiny body going stiff for a second before relaxing again.
Small.
Fragile-looking.
But still unknown.
I swallowed and kept my voice steady.
"I'm not dismissing what happened," I said quietly. "And I won't pretend every Pokémon interaction ends like this."
Charmander's flame flickered lower, reacting to my tone.
"But there's a difference between a creature reacting under stress… and a creature being mindless," I continued. "Rampaging doesn't automatically mean evil. It can mean fear. Confusion. Overstimulation."
The chat stirred again.
["Or it can mean dangerous."]
["Fear doesn't make broken bones hurt less."]
The construction worker responded one more time:
[Call it whatever you want. I just don't want to see more people carried out on stretchers.]
That one lingered.
Because it wasn't hate.
It was exhaustion.
I nodded slowly. "That's fair," I said. "Caution is valid. But if we don't understand them, we guarantee more of that happening. Look… just like humans, there's good and bad in every species. If one person commits a crime, do we blame every person? Of course not. Same goes here. One monster rampaging doesn't mean they're all dangerous or mindless."
Pichu, finished with its snack, looked at us. "Pichu Pichu". Not smiling. Not snarling. Just observing.
The forest air felt heavier now, the tension of history lingering, but this was about understanding, not condemning.
The chat slowly responded:
["Wow… I never thought about it like that. One bad doesn't make them all bad."]
["I guess if we label them all as monsters, we're the ones misunderstanding."]
["Still… seeing what happened downtown makes it hard to trust any of them."]
["I had a wild encounter once… tiny one like this, just scared. It ran off, didn't hurt anyone. Maybe some really are innocent."]
["I want to believe, but humans panic too fast. One mistake and it's over."]
A few viewers shared experiences like the last one, quietly adding weight to the discussion. Some were reflecting, some still skeptical, but the overall tone was starting to shift.
I crouched slightly, letting Pichu see my hands empty. "Hey… do you want to come with us?" I asked softly. "There's plenty of food, and I can help you get stronger, like charmander"
Pichu blinked, ears twitching, tiny paws fidgeting. Slowly, hesitantly, it stepped closer. As it reached my hand, a tiny spark of electricity jumped from its cheeks, crackling softly in the dim forest light.
"Whoa," I murmured, careful not to startle it. "Just a little nervous energy, huh?"
"Pichu… Pichu," it squeaked softly, pressing its tiny paw against mine. Its eyes brightened, tail flickering with a spark of excitement.
I smiled gently. "All right, little one… welcome aboard."
Charmander's tail flared a little brighter, embers dancing higher. He bounced on his feet, let out an excited "Chaaaar! Chaaaar!" and flicked his tail toward Pichu, sending tiny harmless sparks into the air. It was like he was saying, Yes! A new friend!
I chuckled as I checked both Pichu and Charmander's status
Species: Charmander
Type: Fire
Level: 10
Ability: Blaze
Bond Level: 75
Moveset: Scratch, Ember, Smokescreen
...
Species: Pichu
Type: Electric
Level: 4
Ability: Lightning Rod
Bond Level: 25
Moveset: Growl, Thunder Shock, Nuzzle