Charmander, sitting atop the rock, quietly felt the raindrops falling from the sky, and a sense of panic couldn't help but well up in its heart.
As a Fire-type Pokémon by nature, it had an innate fear of water; the rain truly affected it deeply.
Out of instinct, Charmander intended to jump off the stone and head to the nearby tree for shelter. However, just as its front foot stepped out, it hesitated.
It looked back at the stone beneath its feet—that was the exact spot it had agreed upon with Dylan Hayes beforehand.
If it left this rock and Dylan returned through the rain later but couldn't find it, that would be terrible!
With that thought, Charmander retreated, but the raindrops on its shoulders felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, crashing down and making its whole body ache.
Left with no choice, Charmander curled up tightly, doing its best to protect the flame on its tail while letting the dense rain pelt its back.
Splash!
Splash!
Splash!
...The rain lasted an exceptionally long time.
With every drop that hit Charmander's body, it clenched its teeth and struggled to endure. After the intense battle earlier, its strength hadn't fully recovered, and the flame on its tail grew weaker and weaker—like a candle in the wind, flickering precariously.
Drowsiness surged like a tide; it really wanted to sleep, and gradually, Charmander closed its eyes. But the rain showed no sign of stopping, still falling drop by drop, mercilessly striking the small Pokémon's body.
Suddenly, the rain on its back vanished, and Charmander felt itself pulled into a warm embrace.
At the very moment Charmander fainted, Alex Drake arrived just in time. He looked over with urgent eyes; seeing the flame on Charmander's tail growing fainter by the second, his heart tightened. He hurriedly took off his jacket and wrapped it around Charmander's small body.
This couldn't continue—he had to find shelter from the rain immediately and couldn't let Charmander stay exposed any longer. After a quick thought, Alex held Charmander close and dashed toward the nearby woods. He vaguely remembered a cave not far to the southeast that would be perfect for riding out the downpour. At that moment, he had no time to worry about any unknown dangers inside.
"Please, please be okay, Charmander!" Alex prayed silently, his pace quickening.
"Cha?!" Just as he entered the cave, before Alex could even dry the rainwater off Charmander, he heard a sound and looked toward the source.
It was a majestic black-and-blue canine Pokémon with spikes on the backs of its hands and one on its chest—Lucario!
Why would a Lucario be in this remote cave?
Before Alex could ponder further, a hearty voice rang out, and he saw a figure warming himself by a campfire on a relatively flat rock.
"Lucario, did someone come in to take shelter from the rain?"
A young man with a resolute face, wearing a white jacket, asked Lucario.
Seeing the Charmander in Alex's arms, the young man's expression darkened. He hurried over, his footsteps echoing in the empty cave.
Looking at Charmander's condition, the young man angrily reproached Alex: "Why did you wait until it got this bad to bring it to shelter?"
Alex was about to explain.
The youth immediately turned and ran to the campfire, pulled a bedroll from his backpack, spread it on the ground, and shouted at Alex: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and bring it over!"
Alex rushed to the bedroll, carefully placed Charmander down, and looked at it with deep concern.
"Can you heal it?" Alex asked the youth.
"Yes, I'll definitely heal it. Don't just stand there—there are towels and hot water nearby. Hurry, wring them out and apply them to Charmander's head!" The youth took out a small medicine grinder along with several packets of medicinal powder and ointment from his medical kit, adjusting the medicine while directing Alex.
"It'll be a bit bitter, so bear with it." With that, the youth fed the prepared medicine into Charmander's mouth.
In its sleep, Charmander smacked its lips and swallowed.
"Good, just rest for a while. It'll be fine once its strength recovers." Seeing Charmander swallow the medicine, the youth breathed a sigh of relief.
"Its body is so cold," the youth said to Alex after feeling Charmander's paws.
"I'll help warm it up." Alex took Charmander into his arms.
"Wu!" Charmander, feeling much better, opened its eyes and looked at the person holding it.
"You'll be fine, Charmander." Alex gazed at the Pokémon before him with a firm yet gentle look, the corners of his mouth lifting in a warm, spring-breeze smile. His hands weren't idle—he pulled the blanket up to keep Charmander from getting chilled again.
At that moment, a fire seemed to ignite in Charmander's heart, warm and bright; this was the warmth it felt from its first true close contact with a human.
Before long, Charmander's soft snoring filled the air; it was sleeping soundly in Alex's arms.
The heavy rain continued outside the cave.
"Wu!" Charmander opened its eyes once more, smiled at Alex, and peacefully drifted back to sleep.
"How do you feel? Still cold?" Seeing Charmander wake up, a happy smile spread across Alex's face.
"Its condition has stabilized a lot. Do you need me to help bandage your wounds?" The youth walked over, gently touched Charmander in Alex's arms, then turned to Alex.
"Not for now—I'm fine. I need to make sure Charmander warms up first. Thanks so much for your help! You're as amazing as Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center!" Alex smiled and praised the youth.
"After all, to become a Pokémon Professor, medical knowledge is essential. I'm currently traveling through various regions to collect legends about humans and Pokémon. My name is Sage Harlan, and I'm from Sinnoh. What about you?" Sage asked, looking at Alex.
"Sorry, I was so worried about Charmander I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Alex Drake. As for my hometown... it's in a very distant place, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back." Alex replied, gradually falling silent.
Seeing Alex's quiet demeanor, Sage was taken aback. Thinking he'd touched on something sad, he changed the subject: "Seeing how much you care about Charmander, you don't seem like someone who'd ignore their own Pokémon getting so badly injured. How did Charmander end up like this? Did you run into some dangerous Pokémon?"
"I don't have a Pokémon of my own yet. Charmander actually... isn't mine either. It was abandoned by its Trainer and waited foolishly in the rain, convinced its Trainer would come back. But that was just a lie the bastard made up to trick it and get rid of it."
"After all, that scumbag had abandoned Charmander several times before, but Charmander always found its way back. The poor little guy probably doesn't realize that even if it waits there until it dies, that trash most likely won't return. In his eyes, a Pokémon's strength is everything."
"But later, I vented some anger for Charmander. When that scumbag smashed Charmander's Poké Ball, I rushed up and gave him a good beating, haha." Alex rubbed his nose and smiled.
Neither Alex nor Sage noticed that Charmander's breathing had fluctuated slightly—just a tiny hitch, impossible to detect without close attention.
"Hahaha, you're pretty brave—quite brash, even. I can tell you truly care about Pokémon. It's not a bad thing for Charmander to have met you, is it?" Sage laughed and offered some comfort.
An apologetic look crossed Sage's face as he said sincerely, "I'm sorry—I misunderstood you at first."
Alex waved it off. "Haha, it's okay. The most important thing is that Charmander is fine."
Gradually, the two grew more comfortable and chatted freely... Early the next morning, the sky brightened slightly, a ray of sunlight peeked through, and occasional birdsong filled the air.
Alex opened his eyes and saw Charmander still fast asleep, its small mouth twitching—perhaps dreaming of a feast. He couldn't help but chuckle.
A moment later, with a big yawn, Sage stretched. He seemed to have heard something and woke up too.
Alex felt Charmander stir in his arms. He looked down to see Charmander staring up at him with watery eyes.
"Charmander, feeling better?" Alex set Charmander on the ground, pleasantly surprised.
"Wu!" Charmander stood up, raised its small paw, patted its chest, and puffed out proudly as if showing how strong it was.
"Charmander, let me check your tail. Okay, the flame's back to normal—it's fine now." Sage approached and examined Charmander's body.
"That's great, Charmander." Alex excitedly picked Charmander up and spun around twice.
"Rather than leaving you to rot in some jerk's backyard, why not let me try taking you to see different scenery? Maybe that's why we met right now." Alex's thoughts drifted.
After playing for a bit, Alex set Charmander down, rubbed its smooth forehead, and looked at it tenderly.
"Come with me and become my partner! Speaking of which, we're actually quite alike—one's a lost person, the other's an abandoned Pokémon."
Hearing this, Charmander was about to nod, but hesitated halfway.
With its intelligence, how could it not sense that the faint connection to its old Poké Ball had been severed?
It was now a wild Pokémon.
The naturally kind-hearted Charmander had been unwilling to face that truth.
But facts were facts; even if it didn't want to think about it, it had to.
The pain of being abandoned hurt deeply, tearing at its heart.
It also worried it would become a burden to Alex. Thinking this, Charmander slowly lowered its hands and head, eyes welling with mist.
But just as Charmander grew dejected, Alex reached out and gently patted its head. He cupped Charmander's cheeks from both sides, wiping away the tears, then pressed the corners of its mouth upward into a small smile.
"Charmander, listen to me. This world is full of beauty mixed with cruelty. All those beautiful things are worth striving for. Why care about the people and things we despise?"
"If others look down on you, become even tougher—stronger. That way, you can trample them underfoot and make them pay. There are only trashy Trainers in this world, no trashy Pokémon. That's a truth a friend taught me. Living here, you have to forge ahead with determination! You, Charmander, might just become the strongest! This world is far more wonderful than we imagine. Come on, Charmander—let's go see the scenery at the top of the world together."
Charmander gradually raised its head, its eyes finally incredibly firm. It pressed directly onto the Poké Ball Alex had just taken out, turning into a red light and entering without a single wobble.
I choose you!
(End of Chapter 3)