I was awoken by a slap to the face.
"ARGH!" I yelled then fell of the seat as Charmander leaped up on me.
"Char! Char Charmander! Charmander Char, Char!" He waved his arms up above his head as the others woke up at my yell.
"Charmander! What's wrong?" I asked, rubbing my face where I'd been slapped. "And how dare you slap me? That hurt!" I was seriously getting sick of this abuse. "Just a simple shake would have been fine."
"Charmander! Char! Char!" He yelled at me again and I frowned. Something was wrong, Charmander looked seriously worried.
"Wake up everybody!" Brock bellowed as he came running in.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu asked as he poked his head up to look at Brock, who was breathing heavily.
"What is it? What's the matter?" Misty asked as Ash groaned so I picked up my pillow and whacked his face with it.
"Wake up you snoozer!"
"Agh!" He leaped up into the air, limbs waving frantically and I rolled my eyes.
"It's Charmander! Charmander has disappeared from the E-R!" Ash frowned in confusion.
"But Charmander is right here." He answered and everyone shot him an unimpressed glare as he yawned. My hand whipped out and smacked him up the head hard enough to wake him up a little but not enough to hurt.
"The abandoned Charmander you idiot!" I leaped to my feet and raced to the E-R, grabbing my Charmander as I went and held him in to my chest as he let me carry him faster to the emergency room. When we all got there Nurse Joy was standing by the window which was wide open, the wind blowing through the curtains.
"I bet it went back to that rock to wait for Damien." Ash said sadly and his shoulders slumped in disappointment.
"We gotta go back!"
"I agree." I nodded my head as I glanced to Brock, a look of determination on his face.
"But that's no use. We can't force Charmander to come with us if it wants to wait for Damien. Even if he is a lying creep." Misty answered with reason, her arms folded across her chest. I knew that she was right but I didn't believe for one second that it was the right thing to do, to just abandon that poor Pokémon like that.
"She's right. There's nothing you can do until Charmander realises the truth." I shook my head.
"Then we'll make him see. If he waits on that rock forever then eventually he will die. I can't let that happen!"
"Char!" Charmander agreed, looking up at me with an equally determined expression. It looked like he and I were in this together. Looking back up to Nurse Joy she shook her head at us.
"That Pokémon has demonstrated exceptional loyalty. I don't think there's anything you can do or say that will persuade it to change its mind." I paused, biting my lip as I thought for a moment. If Charmander continued to wait for Damien then it could be attacked by other wild Pokémon, stolen by force or simply starve out there. It wasn't fair or right. Yet if he didn't want to go then I wouldn't have the heart to force him.
"Charmander." Charmander looked up at me with a pointed look then whipped his tail to smack my leg.
"Ouch!" I squeaked then shivered. "Okay fine." I snapped at him then put my hands on my hips. "Whether he wants to go or not, it doesn't matter. We're going to go and find him and at least try to talk to him. I'll never forgive myself if I don't try. Come on Charmander." Turning I raced out of the E-R then onto the trail, Charmander following behind but he soon began to lag back, his little legs unable to keep up with me. "Hurry up!" I groaned but then went back. "Come on, I'll give you a lift. Just watch where you swing that tail, I like my hair at its current length." I warned then scooped him up and placed him on my shoulder.
Charmander hung on as I ran, racing back up the hill at a steady pace and climbed the hill, though it was pretty steep and I was soon gasping for breath. Charmander's little paw patted my shoulder and he nodded to me. "Char…Char…"
"Yeah I know, I have to keep going." I nodded my head. "Don't worry, there's only one place he'll go." And sure enough as we got to the peak, I saw Charmander marching down the road back towards the rock. "Hey! Wait up Charmander!"
"Char!" My Charmander called also and the little guy turned around in surprise as I ran up to him then fell to my knees, panting for breath.
"Just…give me…two minutes…" I laboured as Charmander jumped down then began to angrily tell the other Charmander off for leaving the Pokémon Centre. They growled at one another then bashed heads, glaring at one another as their pride both kicked in. "Whoa there, let's break this up. Charmander, you be quiet and let me do the talking." I picked my Charmander up and ignored him when his tail whipped my hand. Ouch that stings.
I put Charmander down a little behind me then turned back to face the other Charmander, who was looking up at me winsomely. "Hey there little guy, I'm glad to see you looking better." I started, smiling as I reached out and rubbed his head with one hand.
"Char…" It cooed, nuzzling into my hand as it then reached up and held onto my wrist with its hands, smiling happily.
"Char." My Charmander grunted with a snort then looked away childishly but I ignored him.
"Listen, I know you want to go back to that rock and wait for Damien, but I don't think there's any way to put this gently." I took a deep breath then sighed. "He's not coming back." Charmander blinked then shook his head, waving his hands.
"Char! Char!"
"I know you're being loyal and believe me, that's what makes you so great. Any trainer would be lucky to have someone like you on their team but Damien just can't see your potential. You're so young but he thinks you should be as powerful as a Charizard, which is wrong of him. You're too good for him, I think, you deserve better." Charmander looked down sadly then sniffed, tears forming in his eyes.
"Char…"
"I know how you feel. Really I do." I said to him, shifting so that I could sit more comfortably. "Damien was your first trainer and you wanted to be great for him, but he's just throwing you away and you feel like it's your fault. It's like me and my Charmander, I wanted to be his best friend and the greatest trainer he'll ever have, but he hates me." I glanced over to him but found he wasn't looking at me, though something told me he was listening.
Looking back I gave a weak smile to the Charmander in front of me. "And I feel like it's all my fault because I wasn't good enough for him. But its okay, we've reached some sort of understanding, though he hurts me from time to time." Shaking my head I shrugged. "But my point is, that it's not your fault you're the way you are. Sure, you might not know powerful moves yet, but that's when you need a great trainer who'll take the time to raise and train you. Someone like Ash!" I piped up, beaming. "He and Pikachu also had it rough at the start, I remember them telling me last night. Pikachu didn't trust Ash at all but look at them now! They're best buddies." Reaching out I tickled Charmander's belly and he giggled.
"Char! Char! Char!" Giggling too I beamed at him softly.
"Ash would take great care of you, I know he will. He cares about his Pokémon a lot and trains them all to be strong." Putting my hands on the ground I lowered myself a little to be more Charmander's height. "So what do you say? Would you like to give Ash a try?" Charmander looked back to the rock, thinking deeply. "And if we see Damien again then I know Ash will let you decide where you want to go. I just think you deserve much more than what you have right now. Plus, I'll always be around, so you'll be in great company! Brock makes the most amazing Pokémon food too, just try some of this!"
Reaching into my backpack I pulled out Charmander's Poké Treats which instantly sparked my Charmander's jealousy. "Char!" He snapped and tried to swipe the bag away but I pressed my hand into his face.
"Nuh uh, you are going to share." I told him, stopping him though he continued to run on the spot, kicking up dust. "Here, try some of this. It's also very good for you." Charmander sniffed the food then took it gently from my hands and I blinked. He didn't just bite it from me like my Charmander did, does that mean my Charmander just has appalling manners? Guess so.
Charmander sniffed it again then threw it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully then his eyes widened, shining as he gasped. "Chaaaar!"
"It's great isn't it? Here, have another one." I smiled. "You look really hungry."
"Charmander! Char, Char!" My Charmadner growled then bit my fingers, making me screech and leap up into the air.
"YOOOOW!" Suddenly Damien's Charmander whirled around and growled at my Charmander, scolding it ferociously and my Charmander growled back, glaring at it as it hogged the food. Shaking out my hand I bit down my anger. I couldn't yell, because being a trainer meant that you had to have the greatest patience and always remain as calm as possible around your Pokémon, or they would never trust you.
The two Charmander's knocked heads once more, glaring heatedly as their tail flames grew brighter so I stuck my hands between them and pushed them apart. "Easy now, let's turn down the heat before we cause a drought." I suggested then pulled the snack bag from my Charmander. "Now, you need to learn to share because it's a nice thing to do. Only last night you refused to leave this little guy's side and now you're about to start a feud. Both of you need to mature a little bit." I told them sternly then gave them each a fair and even portion of snacks.
I let them finish, ate some breakfast for myself then stood up, shouldering my pack. "So what do you say? Want to give Ash a try?" I said to Charmander who blinked up at me then looked back to the rock, weighing his options. I kept quiet, standing patiently to let him reach his decision by himself as Charmander stood beside me, a hand on his hip. I blinked when I realised he was standing in the exact same position as I was. How weird.
Finally Charmander turned then leaped towards us with a bright smile. "Char!"
"Great! Come on, if we hurry we can catch the others up!" I laughed then began to jog. "I'll race you!" Both Charmander's raced after me and I giggled, leaping across the road as the more playful Charmander tried to catch me. I let him at one point and he wrapped his arms around my leg and rubbed his head into me, making me giggle as it tickled.
My Charmander watched with a sour face so I invited him to come join us but he merely snorted out a flame then turned his head away. Sore loser. We continued down the path, past the Pokémon Centre then followed the trail that head to Route Twenty Four.
When we got closer to a rise, however, I noticed something peculiar. Three shapes, two tall and one small, were dressed in odd rubber boiler suits and one of them held a red rubber sack with…Pikachu! They had Pikachu! That could only be Jessie, James and Meowth from Team Rocket. They are not going to get away with him!
"Come on guys, we need to hurry and save Pikachu!" I gasped then quickened my pace, the two Charmanders dropping their weight and racing forwards also, heads lowered ready to charge into battle.
A horrible laugh sounded as we got closer and I recognised Jessie now because of her big pink hair. "Thank you so much for dropping in." She said sarcastically to what looked to be a big hole. Ash and the others must be trapped down there!
"Don't worry, Pikachu is safe with us, we won't lose him like you did." James added, holding up the red rubber sack with Pikachu in it, who looked totally distraught.
"Chuuu…" He whined and I felt my heart bleed for the pitiful sound.
"Pikachu!" I heard Ash call as Team Rocket turned around.
"Let's get out of here." Meowth suggested but then I planted my feet firmly on the ground, the two Charmander standing in front of me with battle ready stances.
"Oh I don't think so, you're not getting away with Ash's Pikachu!" I shouted determinedly. "You better let him go right now before I torch you all!" They blinked at me.
"Hey! It's Ruby!" Brock called from the hole. "She's back!"
"Charmander!" The Charmander snapped, spreading its hands in preparation to fire as he stepped forwards then pointed to Team Rocket. "Char, Char! Charmander Char!" He said and I smirked proudly.
"It's saying you'd better give Pikachu back to those guys right now!" Meowth translated and I folded my arms across my chest with an arched eyebrow.
"That's right. We're not letting you take him away just like that." I snapped my fingers in a click. "You're going to have to fight for him."
"You've got to be kidding." Jessie drawled, placing a hand on her hip as she leaned into it.
"Step aside little girl and take your insolent fire bugs with you." My Charmander growled darkly, narrowing his eyes and my smirk only grew wider.
"Oh you shouldn't have done that. You see, Charmander are quite proud little guys, especially my Charmander right here." I gestured to him. "So you're going to pay for that." Meowth laughed then slid out his claws, flexing them slowly as he stepped forwards.
"Team Rockey plays rough, so get moving or you'll be sorry." Rolling my eyes I then turned to face them, clenching my fists tightly.
"Alright boys, let's show them how powerful you really are. Light them up!" Both Charmander looked at one another then nodded, tensing their bodies and I watched as their tail flames quivered, glowing brighter and they both inhaled deep breaths. I was expecting Ember. What I saw, however, was very different.
All at once they opened their mouth and cried out determinedly and a jet of fire burst from them, consuming Team Rocket with a hot attack. Wow! They both learned Flamethrower! "Haha! Awesome guys!" I cheered, punching the air victoriously as they then clamped their mouths shut. James dropped Pikachu's sack, the three of them scorched and covered in an ashy layer before they turned and hightailed out of there.
"You see! Didn't I tell you we needed fireproof uniforms?!" James yelled as they ran.
"Shut up and keep running!" Jessie answered and I burst into giggles, unable to hide them as I hid my mouth behind my hand then went over to Pikachu first. He was desperately trying to break free of the sack so I gripped it with both hands then tore it open, letting him out.
"Hey there! Miss me?" I questioned and Pikachu suddenly beamed.
"Chuuu!" He leaped on me and I laughed as he nuzzled my face, sparks dancing across my cheek and making it go numb but I didn't mind. I hugged him tightly, still giggling until Ash called up.
"Hey! Any help up there?" Tickling Pikachu's chin I put him down then looked over the side.
"I don't know, you look pretty comfortable down there Ash." I teased and he glared up at me. "Okay, okay, hold on a moment, I've got some rope in my bag." Pulling it out I threw it down then gripped onto it tightly as first Misty then Ash came up, then together we helped Brock who climbed out last.
"Wow, thanks for the help Charmander." He said as I helped him stand up. Misty grinned.
"You see Brock? Charmander knew we cared. That's why it's here." I winked at Charmander who beamed proudly at me.
"I told you that you were better than Damien thought you were. You're definitely way too good for him."
"Char!" It agreed and I smiled before looking around for my Charmander who had a jealous look on his face.
"Aw come on, I'm super proud of you too! You're growing up so fast!" I said to him, scooping him up then tickled his belly quickly before he could hit me with his tail or claws. "That was one fantastic Flamethrower!"
"Char! Char!" It laughed so before it could get annoyed, I put him down then rubbed his head where he leaned into me contently.
"Hey Charmander, how would you like to team up with us?" Ash suggested but the Charmander looked at me. I nodded to him, smiling softly.
"Yup, that's Ash. I told you he was great, he already wants you on his team!" Charmander looked back to Ash as he continued to speak.
"I'm afraid your trainer won't be coming back." Just then a voice spoke up and we all turned in shock.
"Hey Charmander, I've been looking all over for you." My mouth dropped open in horror. He can't be here! There's no way he'd have actually decided to come back for Charmander.
"Damien! It's you!" Ash noted and I shot him a look.
"No, it's Father Christmas." I said sarcastically then took a step forwards to stand in front of the group and Charmander. "You should leave whilst you have the chance or I'll give you another taste of my fist."
"What do you want, Damien?" Brock asked haughtily and we all glared at him.
"I came back for Charmander. Just like I promised." Everyone gasped but I growled.
"You liar! You never cared about Charmander and you still don't! You just want him back because you saw how strong he really is. Why I should…" I lunged forwards but both Ash and Brock held me back by my arms. "Let me at him! Let me at him!"
Charmander gave a soft whine then looked at us all so Brock looked to him deeply. "Be careful, this trainer has already abandoned you once before." Damien snorted, watching with amusement as I continued to struggle against my captors.
"Charmander is mine. I'm the one that caught it, remember?" Ash let go of one of my arms then stepped forwards, lowering his head slightly to glare more fearsomely.
"Damien you bragged about how you abandoned it!" He accused and Damien only nodded with a sickening smirk. Oh I wanted to wipe that look off his face sooo badly.
"Good thing I did, that toughened it up! Besides, what's wrong with dumping off a weak Pokémon?" Charmander gasped and startled slightly, staring at Damien in shock as I growled.
"When you capture a Pokémon it becomes your responsibility! Pokémon have feelings and are living things, you can't treat them like tools just for battling! They're all far more important than that! Every single one of them!" I bellowed and almost broke free but by now Brock had me anchored to his chest. "Let me knock his lights out! Please?" Damien shrugged.
"Yeah, I wasn't going to come back for it but now I've seen what it can do, I'm real glad I ran into you guys." He laughed whilst crossing his arms across his chest. "The best thing is I didn't have to raise it myself."
"That's terrible!" Misty put in, clenching her fists as I finally stopped struggling. Maybe if I looked like I was under control, Brock would let me go. Then I could go beat up that jerk. No such luck, Brock continued to hold onto me.
"Raising a Pokémon is the best part about being a trainer!" Brock agreed and I thought about Pidgeotto. I had adored every moment of growing up with her and even more so when we started training. We had so many wonderful memories together, who would want to skip out all that? My answer stood right in front of me.
"You wish! It's the most boring part of the job."
"How dare you call yourself a Pokémon trainer?" Brock growled but still held me back despite me being perfectly still in his grip.
"You see? He doesn't care about you, he just wants to use you to win matches!" Misty said to the Charmander as my own continued to sit down and yawn, watching with only slight interest.
"Charmander don't just sit there! Can't you see that this trainer is dissing one of your own kind? Get off your butt and stand up for this Charmander!" He only yawned then turned over to sleep. My face went bright red. "Thanks for the support, chum."
"Charmander?" Ash questioned as Brock also spoke.
"Charmander…" But then Damien cut everyone off.
"Charmander! Return!" He flung a Pokéball forwards and Charmander's eyes widened before growing narrow. He ducked down then whipped out his tail, smacking it right back into Damien's face.
"Alright! Nice hit Charmander!" I cheered and he nodded to me.
"Urgh…that does it! I'll thrash you with every Pokéball I got!" Damien yelled then picked up a handful of Pokéballs, getting ready to throw them but then Charmander opened his mouth and shot a jet of flames at Damien, barbequing him on the spot.
"Woohoo! Yeah!" I laughed and Brock let me go. "That's the way to do it Charmander!" Pikachu bounded forwards and sent a Thundershock at Damien also, giving him a double dose of what he deserved. When the attack stopped, Damien stood there, twitching with an odd look on his face.
With both hands on my hips I strode over to him, head lifted high as I stopped at his side, looked at him, then stomped on his foot as hard as I could. "ARGH! Mommy!" He cried then sped off, charred black and smoking.
"Way to go Charmander!" Brock praised and I gave Charmander a thumb's up and a wink before going to stand with the others. He turned around and looked at us all, unsure of what to do next. Brock then looked to Ash then patted his shoulder.
"Go ahead Ash, you get Charmander." Brock said and Ash blinked in surprise. "It'll be a great Pokémon."
"Thank you Brock." He said then looked to Charmander. "Come on Charmander, welcome to the group!" He laughed then clicked a Pokéball. Charmander waved his arms excitedly, calling out once then leaped into the air to the Pokéball as Ash threw it, letting himself be captured before the ball flew back to Ash, who smiled proudly.
"You got a Pokémon and a new friend." Misty commented then laughed. "I'd say that's a big step for Charmander, choosing to let go of his loyalty to Damien to go with you." She then turned to me. "But why didn't you ask to keep him? If you're going to be releasing your own Charmander soon, why not get another one?" I shrugged, looking over to Charmander.
"I wouldn't insult Charmander like that. He hates me enough as it is, I wouldn't want to cut a wedge between us wider than it already is. Besides Ash, you deserve him. I know you can prove yourself to Charmander far better than I could. I can't even get my own to do as I say." Looking over to Charmander I lifted his Pokéball. "Okay Charmander, time for you to return." I summoned him back, patted his ball then clipped it to my belt. "So where next? Vermilion City? I hope you won't mind if I tag along with you guys."
"Of course not! You have to stay because then you and I can outmatch the boys." Misty grinned. "I can hold them off pretty on my own, but you know, two girls are always better than one!" She proclaimed, slinging an arm over my shoulders and I laughed as Ash groaned.
"Oh no, not another one!"
