Chapter 10 : The Abandoned Charmander
After leaving the Hidden Village, Lyra, Brock, and Misty were trying to find Vermilion City again, but they ended up lost.
Lyra was checking to see if any Pokémon were nearby, but she only saw Spearow. I could catch one, she thought, but I'm worried they might attack us if we catch a member of their flock.
Misty was complaining like a little girl because they were lost. "Where are we?!" she shouted.
Lyra had a good look at the map, trying to find their location. "Well, we seem to be in the middle of nowhere," she said, "but Route 24 will take us to Vermilion City, and we seem to be on the right path for it." Pichu pointed to the map to help her.
Misty perked up at that. "Let's get the show on the road then," she said.
Just then, Lyra saw a dark shadow on a rock. "What is that? Pichu, Pikachu, can you please see what that is?" she asked. With a quick movement, Pichu and Pikachu hopped off Lyra's shoulder and onto the rock to have a look.
A Charmander was lying on the flat surface of the rock, but there was a problem: the flame on its tail was much smaller than it should be.
"That's a Charmander!" Lyra shouted, taking out her Dex.
Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon.
The fire on the tip of its tail is a measure of its life. If healthy, its tail burns intensely. If not, its tail burns lightly.
"Cool! I've always wanted a Charmander," Lyra said, reaching for a Poké Ball.
But then Brock noticed something. "This Charmander looks like it's in bad shape. Besides, I don't think it's on this rock for no reason."
Lyra asked Pichu and Pikachu to ask Charmander what was wrong. After they spoke to the fire lizard, they translated for Luna.
"Okay, thanks guys," Lyra said with a smile. "Pichu and Pikachu say that Charmander is waiting for someone to come and get it."
"So, you think it belongs to someone?" Misty asked.
"I don't know," Lyra said, shaking her head. "If Charmander says so, it must be true."
"Then we better leave and let its trainer take care of it," Brock said. So, they set off and left Charmander alone.
"Charr..." Charmander looked up into the sky.
While they walked along the path, Misty saw a building ahead. "Look! A Pokémon Center!"
"Then that means Route 24 isn't far," Lyra said happily. Suddenly, it began to pour rain. "Wah!! Hurry!" she shouted.
They rushed into the building before they got soaking wet. There was a nice blazing fire inside the Pokémon Center. Lyra, Brock, and Misty sat around it to keep warm and had some hot soup. However, Brock still had doubts.
"I wonder if Charmander has been picked up yet," he said. "I mean, what if its trainer just left it there?"
"But surely Charmander wouldn't wait around this long in this weather, would it?" Lyra asked.
"No, I don't think so," said Brock. "I'm sure its trainer has picked it up by now."
Why do I have a feeling that Charmander is still out there waiting? Lyra thought, beginning to worry.
Laughter interrupted their thoughts. A boy with blue hair and sunglasses perched on his head—looking almost like a cowboy—was sitting with a group of six other boys. They were admiring his Pokémon. "Wow, you're the man, Damian!" a boy with dark brown hair said.
"Hey, didn't you have a Charmander too?" a boy with spiky hair asked.
"Yeah, I had one," Damian replied with a smug attitude, "but that thing was so weak it couldn't even beat a simple Bug-type Pokémon."
Lyra, Misty, and Brock looked crossly at Damian. "I don't like his attitude," Misty said. Lyra agreed, as Pichu and Pikachu sparked with anger.
"All Pokémon start off weak when captured," Brock said. "If a trainer works hard, any Pokémon can be strong."
"So, what did you do to it?" the spiky-haired boy asked.
"I left it on a big rock in the woods," Damian replied with a laugh.
The group looked at each other in shock.
"I lied to it and said I would come back later," Damian said with a smirk. "It's probably still waiting for me on that rock." Damian and the other boys laughed loudly.
Lyra, Misty, and Brock were furious. "I can't believe that guy," Misty said angrily, "treating his own Pokémon like that."
Brock was about to get up when he heard a growl. It was Lyra. She stood up and stomped over to Damian's table. She tapped him on the shoulder and punched him—a real punch, not a slap—giving him a nosebleed.
"Hey! What was that for?" Damian shouted as blood poured from his nose.
"You know why!" Lyra shouted back. "You lied to your Pokémon and left it in the rain. You're a trainer, yet you treat your Pokémon like garbage! People like you disgust me!"
Pichu and Pikachu had sparks flying from their cheeks, making Damian's friends back away in fear.
"What I do with my own Pokémon is none of your business!" Damian shouted.
"Yes, it is," Lyra said, "especially since I'm going to get that Charmander." She turned to Misty and Brock. "You two stay here. Please tell Nurse Joy what just happened."
She grabbed a raincoat and an umbrella and dashed out into the rain with Pichu and Pikachu following behind. Misty and Brock were amazed; they had never seen Lyra this angry, but they knew Damian deserved it. They went to tell Nurse Joy everything.
Meanwhile, Charmander was still waiting for Damian. It was holding a big leaf like an umbrella, hoping the rain wouldn't put out its flame. Suddenly, it heard a rustle in the grass. A flock of Spearow had been watching it and was about to attack when a voice rang out.
"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"
It was Lyra. She had arrived just in time. Pidgeotto charged into the Spearow, frightening them away. Lyra held her umbrella over Charmander. "Charmander," she said worriedly, "I know I'm not your trainer, but I'm getting you out of this rain right now."
Charmander hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed to let Lyra pick it up. She held the umbrella over both of them and ran as fast as she could back to the Pokémon Center.
Misty, Brock, and Nurse Joy were waiting when she burst through the door. "I'm back with Charmander!" she panted.
Nurse Joy ran over. "I'll take Charmander while you rest," she said, taking the small Pokémon from Lyra's arms.
Lyra sat by the fire and told the others what happened. "It's a good thing you got there in time, Lu," Misty said.
"Yeah, or those Spearow would have caused even more damage," Brock added.
Lyra looked around. "What happened with Damian?" she asked.
"He left some time ago," Misty said, "but don't worry. Nurse Joy contacted Officer Jenny and reported him."
"That's good," Lyra said in relief. "I bet he treats his other Pokémon badly, too."
All through the night, Charmander rested in the operation room while the trio slept on the couches nearby. In the morning, they rushed to check on it.
"There is no need to worry," Nurse Joy said with a smile. "Charmander has recovered, and its flame is burning nicely."
"That's great," Lyra said, "but what about Damian? What if Charmander tries to go back to him?"
"That is something for Charmander to decide," Nurse Joy replied.
As the trio prepared to set off later that day, Brock mused, "I'm still wondering what Charmander will do. Damian treated him so badly."
"That's true, Brock," Lyra said, "but Charmander is very loyal."
Just then, Misty felt the ground sink. "Something feels weird here..."
Before they knew it, they fell into a pit. "Hey! What happened?" Lyra yelled. Team Rocket appeared above them and recited their motto.
"What do you want?!" Misty shouted.
"What else?" Jessie smirked. "We want your Pokémon."
Team Rocket pulled out a vacuum machine. "This will suck up your Poké Balls, Pichu, and Pikachu!" James declared. But before they could start it, a growl stopped them. It was Charmander.
"What do you want?" Meowth asked.
"Charr, Charmander, Charr!"
"It says to leave those people alone," Meowth translated.
"Yeah, right," James said. "Go away!"
Team Rocket ignored the warning, so Charmander blasted them with a Flamethrower. They were burned to a crisp and ran away before he could fire another one.
Lyra, Brock, and Misty climbed out of the hole. "Thank you, Charmander," Lyra said. "You are a really powerful Pokémon."
"I agree with that," a voice said. It was Damian.
"What are you doing here?" Lyra asked, her eyes narrowing as Pikachu's cheeks sparked.
"I'm here to collect Charmander," Damian said.
"You're a disgraceful trainer!" Lyra shouted. "You abandoned him!"
"Yeah, I did," Damian replied, "but seeing him fight just now showed me he's actually strong."
"Hang on a minute!" Brock shouted. "You don't deserve Charmander back. In fact, you don't deserve any Pokémon!"
"I agree with that," a new voice said. It was Officer Jenny. She grabbed Damian and handcuffed him.
"I received Nurse Joy's call last night. My cousins and other Nurse Joys have reported you for abusing Pokémon before. This is the last straw. Not only are you going to prison, but you are also banned from being a Pokémon trainer."
Officer Jenny took all 27 of Damian's Poké Balls and gave them to Brock and Misty. Lyra was shocked by how many Pokémon he had. "Please take these and Charmander to Nurse Joy for me," Officer Jenny requested before leading Damian away.
At the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy released all of Damian's Pokémon. The sight made Misty and Brock's jaws drop. Damian had a Raichu, Growlithe, Persian, Shiny Vulpix, Shiny Ditto, Fearow, Shiny Seel, Butterfree, Beedrill, Staryu, Starmie, Azurill, Bellossom, Tentacruel, Cloyster, Seadra, Vaporeon, Golem, Gengar, Golduck, Rhydon, Aipom, Sudowoodo, Rapidash, Victreebel, Sandslash, and a Lapras.
"It seems these Pokémon are okay," Nurse Joy said.
Lyra was sad for them but amazed by the variety, especially the shiny Pokémon. "I'm relieved none of them were terribly abused," Brock said.
"The question is, what do we do with them?" Nurse Joy asked.
Lyra whispered to Brock and Misty, "Why don't we take them? They are already trained, so we can look after them properly."
"Yeah," Brock agreed. "Let's do it," Misty added.
They told Nurse Joy their plan. She was surprised but agreed. "I know you three are fine trainers. I couldn't leave them in better hands."
As they began to choose, something unexpected happened. Raichu, Shiny Vulpix, Shiny Ditto, Shiny Seel, Staryu, Starmie, Butterfree, Beedrill, Azurill, Bellossom, Gengar, Rapidash, Persian, and Victreebel all rushed toward Lyra.
Nurse Joy, Brock, and Misty were shocked by how many wanted to go with her. Lyra was quickly buried under a pile of affectionate Pokémon.
"Wahhhhh!!" Lyra yelled. "Help?!"
"Pichu! Pikachu!" her starters cried out in surprise.
Nurse Joy laughed. "Well, it seems they have made their choice!"
"You're right about that," Misty giggled.
"Lyra, are you alright down there?" Brock asked with a laugh.
"I'm okay!" Lyra called out from under the pile. She looked at the Pokémon surrounding her. "So, you all want to come with me?" They all nodded eagerly. "Okay then. Welcome to the family!"
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1. I thought that Damian's Pokémon, apart from Charmander. Since his Pokémon was never revealed in the anime, I just made up of what and how many Pokémon he would have and I decide that he has Shiny Pokémon as well.
2. They should have Damian arrested in the anime because he was a creep.
Thank you for reading this chapter!
See you in the next episode of Pika Ball Z! ⚡