Chapter 5: Too Similar
The flames around Charmander finally sputtered out, leaving only a thin trail of smoke curling into the air. My ears still rang from the lightning strike.
But more than the noise… the Pokédex's words were still rattling in my head. Species: Unidentified.
I didn't get time to think about it. Charmander might still be hurt.
I pushed myself up, wobbling on unsteady legs, and stepped toward him. The smoke was thick, hiding his body, but a breeze began to sweep it away.
His eyes came into view first.
That alone was enough to make me smile. "Buddy—"
I stopped.
Charmander wasn't looking at me. He was staring straight up at the sky, his pupils narrow, teeth clenched. A low growl rumbled in his throat. His jaw trembled, his nostrils flared, every muscle tense.
"Buddy?" I moved closer. I wish I hadn't.
Another bolt of blue lightning screamed down from the clouds.
Instinctively, I copied his motion and tilted my head up. I wanted to see where it came from.
I only caught a streak of blinding blue before....
BOOM!
The explosion erupted so close I felt the heat slap my face. The shockwave picked me up like a ragdoll and hurled me backward.
I didn't crash into a tree this time, but I landed hard enough that the breath was knocked out of me.
Wind roared in my ears, whipping past for several seconds. My eyes were shut tight, but curiosity pried them open.
And what I saw… wasn't right.
Leaves tore from branches like they were weightless. Pidgey, Rattata, even a pair of startled Caterpie were sent tumbling through the air as if the forest had been punched by a giant.
The air tasted like metal. My skin prickled.
But what shocked me the most wasn't the blast itself : it was Charmander's counterattack.
This explosion… it wasn't like the one before. The sound was sharper, the heat heavier. And through the smoke, I caught sight of it.
A torrent of fire.
Not just embers but a full, roaring stream, almost like a Flamethrower.
Charmander shouldn't have been able to do that. Not yet. Not at his level.
But somehow, that blaze met the incoming lightning head-on… and canceled it out. The two attacks collided midair, swallowing each other in a flash so bright it burned into my vision.
And then… silence.
The smoke parted, and I saw him.
Charmander was down. Sparks danced along his body, snapping and crackling over his scales. His tail flame flickered weakly.
"Charmander!!!"
I bolted forward, heart pounding in my ears. My knees hit the dirt as I scooped him into my arms. He was hot to the touch, but trembling, his breathing shallow.
"Buddy… please…"
I didn't care what was in the sky anymore. All I could think about was keeping him awake.
I should've stood up and run. Back to Pallet Town, back to Professor Oak, as Charmander needed immediately treatment.
But instead, I froze. I spent precious seconds cradling Charmander, checking his breathing like I was some kind of doctor.
And in that hesitation… the sky struck again.
A second bolt of lightning screamed toward us.
"Huh—?"
The sound never finished leaving my mouth.
I saw a strange blue light with white around it. Blue lightning sparkled, and small bits of gold flashed here and there.
Above, a strange flying bird was in the sky.
Then the world turned white.
.
.
.
It felt like an endless dream.
A pair of glowing red eyes, surrounded by blue thunder, would rush at me with a bolt of lightning and then…
I woke up!
"Huff… huff! Wha—"
The first thing I saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.
The second was an unfamiliar face.
"Feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" the voice asked.
I sat up slowly, looking around the room. My head still felt heavy.
"Charmander?" That was the first thing that came out of my mouth.
The old lady in front of me, no taller than my shoulder, smiled. "Ho ho ho… your child is sitting and reading some books."
"…What?"
She stepped aside and opened a door in front of me. Through it, I could see into another room. The door there was open too, and sure enough, Charmander was sitting with his face buried in some posters and books.
My face instantly twisted in disbelief.
"First of all, that's not my child. Second… why is he reading books?"
Charmander must have heard me.
He looked over, eyes wide in surprise and happiness.
He jumped to his feet, almost breaking character, but then stopped, made a little cough into his fist, calmed himself, and gave me a thumbs up.
"Uh…" I ignored him for the weirdo he was and turned back to the old lady.
"Where is this place? And how'd I get here?"
A fair question, I thought. The house was made of wood, and looking at its style, it didn't seem like we were anywhere near Pallet Town.
"Ho ho. This place is where this place should be. And you got here how you should have gotten here. Ho ho ho."
"…"
She was an old lady. Understandably so.
"Ahem. I meant, which gentleman brought me here? And who treated me?"
The old lady looked at me and then gave me another smile, "Ho ho, if you are asking who brought you here, then the answer is simple."
"And that is?"
"It's simple."
"Yes? Simple? What is it?"
"Simple, isn't it?"
"Yes. What?"
I don't know. Five minutes? I guess it was five minutes that we spent staring at each other after that weird convo.
It was taking us nowhere.
I'd had enough.
I wanted to get out of the bed and get the hell out of here. But… my body had other plans. I could barely move.
Worse, I was starving. Not the "I could use a snack" kind of hungry. The "if I don't eat in five minutes, I might bite the pillow" kind of hungry.
The old lady must have heard my stomach growl because she chuckled. "Ho ho… hungry, aren't you, young lad?"
"Y-yes," I admitted.
Without another word, she turned and left the room. I figured she was off to get me something to eat, so I slumped back against the bed.
Even moving my neck hurt, but I still tried to glance around the room. That's when my eyes landed on something.
A large sword, maybe a katana, rested against the wall above a cupboard. And right beside it… three framed pictures.
I squinted.
"That's…"
My eyes widened.
"Sir Ash?"
Because in one of the photos, I saw him, the legendary Ash Ketchum, standing with his even more legendary Pikachu. And…
"…Metapod?"
I tilted my head, wondering why in the world Metapod was there looking like it belonged in a family portrait until I saw another young boy with his 'Metapod' standing right in front of Sir Ash.
The photo had a weird angle, as if taking from behind a tree but it did a job.
Sir Ash was fighting against some young man in the photo...
Well? This was phase 1 of being shocked because in the very next photo frame, I even spotted Sir Gary.
I recognized them despite them being young because of one reason... I'm a fan boy.
Simple.
I wanted to go and fetch those photos and see, but then as I tried to get up, I caught Charmander looked at the posters that had the words: SAMURAI
"Uh...?"
And it was at this moment I heard a loud scream from outside.
"Grandma! I heard a trainer from Pallet is here! Where is he!? I want to battle!!!"
Well, looks like my first challenger is here.