"Boy, are you really willing to raise a Charizard?"Mr. Fuji looked utterly stunned. He hadn't expected Yozora to agree so readily, without even asking what the gift was or whether it was worth it.
"Of course. I already have a Charmeleon—one of my aces. I just didn't bring it with me this time." Yozora smiled.
In truth, he didn't care about any so-called gift. Even without one, he would still train his Charmeleon into a powerhouse Charizard.
"Really? Your Charmeleon—could you let me see it?" Fuji's eyes lit up.
"No problem."
Yozora nodded at once. He had already been thinking of rotating his team; not just Charmeleon, but Gengar as well."Please wait here. I'll be back shortly."
With that, he hurried off.
Lavender Town, Pokémon Center.
Yozora first called Professor Oak to explain the situation, then walked to the transport machine to send back Golduck and Aegislash.
Before long, Professor Oak transmitted over the Poké Balls containing Charmeleon and Gengar.
"Come on out, Charmeleon! Gengar!"
Returning to the Pokémon House, Yozora released Charmeleon and Gengar first, then called out the rest of his team so everyone could greet one another.
He was carrying eight in total, though only six were his main roster.
Mei the Miltank and Dratini—one support, one tagalong—were locked inside Research Balls and couldn't be rotated.
Among his core six, Beedrill was his deadliest trump card and secret weapon. He had to keep it; a trump card not at hand was no trump at all.
Pidgeot served as his indispensable aerial mount, something Yozora still relied on heavily. For now, it too stayed.
Machop and Graveler were still in their growth stages, brimming with potential, and he didn't want to swap them out either.
So, he could only send back Golduck and Aegislash, trading them for Charmeleon and Gengar.
"Rooaaar!"
Charmeleon bellowed in the courtyard, radiating a fierce aura. Compared to four months ago, its strength had soared dramatically.
Pokémon: Charmeleon
Type: Fire
Abilities: Blaze + Blaze + Blaze + Water Absorb
Level: Commander-tier (peak)
Potential: Tier 3 Legendary
Moves: Take Down, Slash, Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Fire Blast, Flame Charge, Flare Blitz, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Scary Face, Dragon Rage, Dragon Claw, Dragon Tail
Profile: A well-trained Charmeleon, exceptionally powerful, skilled in a wide range of moves.
"What a magnificent Charmeleon!" Fuji's eyes sparkled with satisfaction.
"You've gotten taller again, haven't you?" Yozora was just as surprised. He quickly pulled out a ruler to measure.
168 cm!
Tsk. That was about the same height as a fully grown Charizard with weaker development!In sheer physique alone, his Charmeleon already rivaled one.
In raw strength, Yozora's Charmeleon outclassed Ash's, though not by an overwhelming margin. Ash's had pseudo-legendary potential, its raw power quite impressive.
But Yozora's had one overwhelming advantage: stamina. Its physique told the whole story.
Well-nourished, firmly built.
Strong, enduring, resilient, able to both take hits and dish out damage—its overall combat effectiveness was far beyond Ash's Charmeleon.
And more importantly…
Because of its stamina, Yozora's Charmeleon could trigger Blaze almost at will, with no fear of exhaustion. Its combat power skyrocketed as a result.Ash's Charmeleon couldn't dream of that. Its development had been middling; even with proper nutrition later, recovery would take a long time.
"Tsk, tsk… to think a Charmeleon could already be this sturdy. When it evolves into Charizard, what heights will it reach?" Fuji marveled, lost in thought as he admired it.
He looked forward to the day Yozora's Charmeleon became a Charizard. When that happened, he would hand over the two gemstones.
"All right, Grandpa Fuji, Reina, it's time for me to go."
Yozora bowed farewell to the pair, recalled his partners, and set out once more.
This time, he departed Goldenrod City, boarding a cruise ship bound for Taige Town.
He still needed four more Badges. For this journey, he chose a path completely different from Ash's in the original story.
Taige Town was famed for its love of martial arts. Fighting tournaments were held there often, and the town boasted its own Fighting-type Gym.
The Gym Leader, Mr. Tyron, was around fifty. Once the Fighting Champion of Kanto, he possessed formidable skill.
After retirement, he became Taige Gym's Leader. Pokémon raised by a Fighting Champion were naturally overwhelming in power, and Yozora wanted to test himself against them.
The cruise ship featured many battle arenas. Yozora took Charmeleon onto the stage several times. Despite their long absence, the bond between them was as sharp as ever.
He even tested out new moves.
Whether Thunder Punch, Dragon Rage, Dragon Claw, or Dragon Tail, every one of Charmeleon's attacks struck with devastating force, stunning opponents and astonishing the onlookers.
Taige Town.
As Yozora walked down the streets, he noticed that everyone wore loose martial arts uniforms. Fighting-type Pokémon filled the town.
Mankey, Primeape, Machop, Machoke, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Hitmontop, Sawk… even Throh could be spotted.
"Yozora?"
Suddenly, a pretty girl jogged over, accompanied by a Poliwrath.
She had delicate features, a long ponytail of fiery red hair, and a white martial arts uniform tied with a black belt, exuding confidence and strength.
"Momiji? Long time no see…"
Yozora recognized her instantly. She was about two years older than him, around seventeen or eighteen.
And she was no ordinary trainer.
Back during the S.S. Anne's cruise tournament, Yozora had faced her in the quarterfinals.
Though Yozora won, the fact she had made it into the top eight spoke volumes about her skill.
"Long time no see… You came here to enter the Fighting Tournament too?"
Momiji and her Poliwrath were jogging laps. Even when she reached Yozora, she didn't stop, instead bouncing lightly in place as she spoke.
"Fighting Tournament?" Yozora blinked.
"Looks like you don't know. Taige Town is holding a special Fighting Tournament in half a month. The champion gets a championship belt!" she said excitedly.
"Championship belt?" Yozora's eyes widened. That was quite the treasure—similar to the Black Belt from the games.
It carried the aura of a Fighting Champion.
When held by a Pokémon, Fighting-type moves became 50% stronger!
"Well, Yozora? Sign up! Give me the chance to finally beat you!" Momiji grinned playfully.
(End of Chapter)