After leaving the plains, Ash and his group continued on their journey.
As they passed by a steep cliff, Brock—sharp-eyed as ever—was the first to notice something unusual.
"Look—doesn't something seem to be glowing on top of that cliff?"
Ash focused his gaze, and his heart tightened instantly—it was the flame on a Charmander's tail!
It was sitting all alone on a rock at the edge of the cliff, its tail flame swaying weakly in the wind. Though faint, it stubbornly held on, remaining there as it stared off into the distance.
"It doesn't look like it's in good condition. We need to help it right away," Misty said worriedly.
Ash immediately recalled the events of the original story. He knew that this Charmander had been abandoned here by a Trainer named Damian.
That scumbag—actually daring to deceive Charmander. When Aiden first watched this episode, he'd wanted nothing more than to rush over and punch the guy. And now, the chance was right in front of him.
He forcibly suppressed his anger toward that Trainer. The most urgent task was to earn Charmander's trust and take it somewhere for treatment.
They climbed up the cliff and approached carefully. Seeing unfamiliar faces, Charmander immediately turned around in alarm, letting out a weak but threatening cry.
"Don't be afraid, Charmander. We mean no harm," Ash said as he crouched down, his voice as gentle as possible. At the same time, he slowly released his wave-guiding aura, conveying calm, reassurance, and goodwill. "You look like you need help. The flame on your tail is getting weak."
Charmander seemed to sense Ash's sincerity. Its guard lowered somewhat, but it still refused to leave the rock.
Ash knew it was waiting for someone who would never return. Changing his approach, he continued, "Are you waiting for your Trainer? Maybe something happened and he got delayed. But look—the mountains get very cold at night, and it might rain. If your flame were to go out, that would be dangerous. Why don't you come with us for now? We'll take you to a nearby Pokémon Center—it's warm and safe there. I actually know your Trainer, too. Once you're better, I can take you to see him. Alright?"
Ash's words were half true and half false, but his intention was purely for Charmander's safety.
He extended his hand, his eyes clear and sincere.
Charmander looked at Ash, then at the gloomy sky above. It truly felt cold and weak.
In the end, concern for its Trainer's safety—believing that he hadn't come because something had happened—and its longing for warmth made it hesitate… before it slowly walked over to Ash's side.
"That's great! Let's take it to the Pokémon Center right away!" Ash immediately picked Charmander up. It felt frighteningly light in his arms—clearly, it had been weak for a long time.
The group immediately changed course and rushed toward the Pokémon Center in the nearest town.
At the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy and Brock promptly carried out a thorough examination and treatment for Charmander.
Ash stayed by its side the entire time, constantly comforting it.
Honestly speaking, it was hard to associate this frail Charmander with the powerful Charizard it would become in the future.
Ash remembered a saying—that Charizard's true potential was actually extremely high, but because it had suffered irreversible damage during its Charmander stage, its foundation had been compromised, causing its growth to be slower than that of ordinary Charmander.
And that damage to its foundation… was the rain that was about to come.
As a first-generation Fire-type starter, the flame on Charmander's tail represented far more than just fighting spirit—it symbolized life itself. Unlike Chimchar, its flame would not simply go out while it slept.
It was truly hard to imagine—if Charmander were to end up like it did in the original story again…
But thankfully, everything was still in time.
Just then, the doors of the Pokémon Center were pushed open. A well-dressed, frivolous-looking boy walked in, laughing loudly with his companions—it was none other than Charmander's Trainer, Damian.
"…Hahaha, that stupid Charmander? It's probably still waiting on that cliff! So naïve—whatever I tell it, it believes!" Damian's voice rang clearly throughout the entire lobby.
Charmander, just about to continue treatment, suddenly trembled violently. It stared toward the source of the voice in disbelief, its eyes lighting up instantly as it struggled to get off the hospital bed.
Ash's fury ignited in an instant. He gently pressed Charmander down, signaling for it to stay still, then stood up and walked toward Damian, his expression dark and cold.
"So you're Charmander's Trainer—Damian?" Ash's voice was icy.
Damian froze for a moment, sizing Ash up before speaking indifferently. "So what if I am? That useless piece of trash ended up with you, huh? Perfect—saves me the trouble of going back to tell it to stop waiting."
"Trash? Go screw yourself!" Ash shouted, his right fist swinging out and smashing straight into Damian's face. The force was so great it sent him flying several meters back.
"Y–You dare hit me?!"
"I'm hitting you exactly because you deserve it!" Ash charged forward, grabbed Damian by the collar, and slammed his left fist into him without hesitation. The sounds of blows and shouting instantly drew everyone's attention in the Pokémon Center. "Taking advantage of a Pokémon's loyalty, deceiving it, abandoning it in the dangerous wild—and you still dare call yourself a Trainer?! You're nothing but human garbage!"
"What did you say?! You little punk, are you looking for a fight?!" Beaten twice and publicly humiliated, Damian flew into a rage.
"A fight? I'm demanding justice for Charmander—and for every Pokémon that's been hurt by irresponsible Trainers like you!" Ash's eyes were sharp as blades. "Battle me! The loser kneels and apologizes to Charmander, and swears never to do something this despicable again!"
"Fine! Like I'm scared of you! One-on-one!" Enraged, Damian sent out his Poliwrath.
Ash didn't choose Pikachu. Instead, he took out another Poké Ball. "This battle is best fought by you! Go, Bulbasaur!" He was going to let his Grass-type Bulbasaur teach this guy a lesson he'd never forget.
In terms of typing, Grass perfectly countered Water!
"Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!"
"Poliwrath, Water Gun!"
Razor Leaf easily sliced through the Water Gun, losing none of its momentum as it struck Poliwrath head-on—super effective!
"What?!" Damian hadn't expected Ash's Bulbasaur to be this strong.
"Vine Whip—bind it! Leech Seed!" Bulbasaur's vines shot out, tightly restraining Poliwrath as seeds were planted, steadily draining its stamina.
"Poliwrath, break free! Use Double Slap!"
"It's over—use Take Down!"
With a loud bang, Poliwrath was smashed backward and collapsed, completely unable to battle.
The entire Pokémon Center fell silent.
Damian stared at Poliwrath lying on the ground, his face drained of all color.
Ash walked up to him, his overwhelming presence pressing down like a mountain. "Now—honor your bet. Apologize to Charmander."
Facing Ash's icy gaze and the contemptuous looks from everyone around him, Damian's mental defenses completely collapsed.
His legs gave out, and he slumped onto the floor. With a choking, tearful voice, he shouted toward Charmander on the hospital bed, "I–I'm sorry! Charmander! I was wrong! I shouldn't have abandoned you! I'm a bastard!"
Ash didn't spare the coward another glance. He turned and walked to the bedside. Charmander was already in tears—but they weren't tears of sorrow. They were tears of injustice finally answered, of loyalty finally being respected.
It looked at Ash, its eyes filled with gratitude and dependence.
Ash gently wiped away its tears and said softly, "See? The one who was wrong was him—not you. You're an incredibly, incredibly wonderful Pokémon. Your loyalty and strength deserve the very best. Would you give me a chance—to become your new Trainer, one who will never abandon you?"
Charmander didn't hesitate for even a second. It leaped straight into Ash's arms, choosing with its actions.
Ash took out a Poké Ball and gently touched it to Charmander. A flash of red light—capture successful.
[Ding! Host has captured Charmander and severely punished the unscrupulous Trainer Damian, safeguarding Pokémon rights. Reward: 200 World Points.]
[Current World Points: 6900.]
Ash and his companions left the Pokémon Center with their new partner, leaving behind a hollow-eyed Damian to face the condemnation of the crowd. Charmander sat on Ash's shoulder—carefully keeping its distance from Pikachu—its tail flame burning brighter and stronger than ever before.
Teaching scum a lesson—delivering a crushing psychological blow—is often more effective than simply throwing them behind bars.
And finally, one last thing: ever since ancient times, Fire-types have always been the most often abandoned.