Misty, Cilan, Iris, and N stood to the side while Ash was crouched in front of Tepig. Larvitar and Oshawott were positioned behind Tepig watching their trainer speak to Tepig.
"Hey, Tepig. I'd like you to meet two of my friends," said Ash softly, while Tepig tilted his head in confusion. "They were like you once, hurt and abandoned," – Tepig drooped as he heard this – "but they've grown so much and was able to move on from their past."
Tepig's mood immediately brightened.
"Would you like to meet them?"
Tepig nodded enthusiastically. Ash chuckled at this, before holding out the two Pokeballs on his hand, "You hear that? Tepig wants to meet you guys! Alright, Charizard and Infernape, I choose you!"
As two Pokemon materialized, Charizard let out a mighty roar that shook the room while Infernape let out a cry and let the flame in his head burn bright.
All of them present couldn't help but gape at the sheer presence Ash's fully-evolved fire-types held. Cilan's eyes shown in excitement while Iris' eyes glazed at the appearance of the dragon-looking Charizard. N greedily took in awe the magnificence of Pokemon before his very eyes.
Axew watched in terrified awe, while Zorua let out a surprised yip. Oshawott stood frozen and pale, his jaw-dropping, as Charizard materialized in front of him while Larvitar only watched in interest. (Larvitar is not daunted what with a lot of Ursaring and Tyranitar in Mount Silver).
Tepig's mouth slackened as he looked up the towering, imposing figures of his trainers' fire-types.
"Pikachu!" greeted Pikachu, climbing down Ash's shoulders to climb up Charizard, sending the two a thumbs up to which Charizard and Infernape responded.
Ash stepped in front, at the middle of Infernape and Charizard, holding his arms up to touch the two Pokemon, "Meet Charizard and Infernape!"
Immediately, Charizard blew out a flamethrower at Ash's face which shocked and alarmed everyone except Misty and Pikachu.
"You've never changed, have you Charizard?" quipped Misty, a hand on her hip. Charizard craned his neck to Misty's direction in surprise and let out a rumble of recognition and acknowledgement.
"I'm glad you two are getting along," muttered Ash before turning to Charizard. "You've grown stronger than the last time I saw you!"
Charizard proudly harrumphed, as if saying that how dare his trainer expect otherwise.
"Anyway, here's my new fire-type, Tepig! He's also a starter just like you are," introduced Ash cheerily which made Tepig stand up straight, nervous for the attention as Charizard and Infernape turned to him.
"I would have preferred your similarities stop there, but you know me and the fire-types I own," continued Ash in a much more subdued voice.
Charizard and Infernape's eyes immediately softened in understanding as they looked at Tepig. Infernape crouched down to meet Tepig's height before saying, "You have a good trainer right here."
Infernape's eyes found Larvitar and Oshawott. "You – we – all have."
Charizard rumbled his agreement, crossing his arms. "You might be tiny now – just like most Pokemon are, not me of course – but you will grow to become strong under Ash. That's how it works with him."
Pikachu scoffed, saying a teasing remark, "You were smaller than Tepig before, hypocrite."
Charizard growled, "Say that again, I dare you."
Pikachu's cheeks crackled dangerously, his face in a smirk, "Oh, you wanna go you overgrown lizard?"
Charizard growled. "Oh, you've done it you cheeky mouse."
"Are they always like this?" wondered Larvitar as he watched Pikachu and Charizard's back and forth.
"Honestly, I also don't know," Infernape deadpanned.
But before the situation blows up, the tension defused as Oshawott squeaked out a high-pitched question, which is more due to him being intimidated by Charizard, "What if someone doesn't like to evolve?"
Charizard laughed to which Oshawott looked disheartened. "I'm not laughing at your question, squirt. I just remembered two of my closest friends" – to which Pikachu fake coughed – "alright fine – two of our closest friends – who are still in their base form who have defeated larger and more powerful Pokemon than their size would dictate. If you're Ash's Pokemon, it doesn't matter if you're small or large, he will make it possible for you to go toe to toe with Legendaries."
Larvitar, Oshawott, and Tepig looked at him dubiously while Pikachu just nodded at Charizard's words. Infernape sweatdropped.
"I guess what Charizard is trying to say here is, Ash is a great trainer and friend and he will do absolutely anything if you need his help," prodded Infernape to which Charizard agreed. Pikachu agreed too, albeit with slight derision, muttering, "Yeah, that includes sacrificing his life."
Charizard choked, looking incredulously at Pikachu, while Infernape plastered a strained, forced smile as Larvitar, Oshawott, and Tepig tried to process that statement which they couldn't hear clearly.
"Uh, what was that? Can you repeat it again?" asked Oshawott.
"Yeah, what was that Pikachu? I don't think we heard you," said Infernape through gritted teeth.
"What? Did I say something? No, no, nothing! Say, Tepig do you want to see Charizard and Infernape's cool fire moves? You might get a lesson from them!"
Smooth, Pikachu, thought Charizard. He then said, "True, true! Why don't you show us what you got, Tepig? Then, we'll try to improve on that."
"So, that's Charizard and Infernape. It's my first time seeing those species," said Cilan, still wonderstruck at seeing two Pokemon species not native to Unova.
N, despite himself, couldn't help but express, "I can just sense the rich history behind them."
Iris and Cilan looked bewildered while Misty took it in stride. It's not as if N was wrong in that opinion. "Yeah, you can say that again."
The three of them turned to Misty, prodding the companion to tell the tale. Iris clamped her mouth in horror while Cilan looked shaken as Misty narrated Charizard nearly dying because his previous trainer made him think he's coming back, only that he didn't. N clenched his hands in fists, his jaw tightening at the rage of a human abusing a Pokemon.
"The three of us went back to rescue Charmander before the rain kills the fire on its tail," continued Misty, her eyes glazing in reminiscence. "We were successful, but then Charmander went back to the same place to meet his trainer."
"Did he come back for him?" asked Iris, clearly engrossed in the story.
Misty snorted, "He did, only after seeing Charmander defeat Team Rocket with his flamethrower. But Charmander, at that point, knew better and slapped the Pokeball back to his previous trainer. He decided to come with Ash."
"Charmander grew powerful under Ash's tutelage and care, but when he evolved, he started to refuse listening to Ash, and when he became a Charizard, he stopped listening altogether costing Ash his first Pokemon league."
Iris' heart skipped a beat. This part of the story made her remember of the only other Pokeball in her belt. Excadrill. N's eyebrows knitted in confusion. "You mean to tell me Charizard became disobedient? It's not unheard of, larger and stronger Pokemon wouldn't respect a trainer they determine as inferior. But then, how is it that he's looking at Ash with affection? Often times, stronger Pokemon would leave their trainers."
Misty looked at N in curiosity, before saying, "You seem to know a lot about Pokemon behavior."
N looked panicked as he realized just how his statement would have given away more than he intended to do but Misty wasn't paying attention to his turmoil because she immediately followed her quip with the continuation of the story.
"Well, while traveling in the Orange Islands, Ash fought someone named Tad who had a strong Poliwrath. Despite my objections, Ash used Charizard and Charizard's disobedience cost them the match and nearly his life. The Poliwrath nearly doused the fire in its tail with water and encased Charizard in ice."
The three Unovans look completely horrified. "Isn't Charmander line's lifeline is the flame on their tails?" asked Cilan.
Misty nodded, further emphasizing the danger it caused and how close Charizard nearly came to his death.
"Ash stayed up all night rubbing his hands raw to thaw out the ice and Charizard saw this, appreciated it even. Ever since then, Charizard has given Ash his complete loyalty and helped him in tight spots, winning matches for him even those that were almost impossible," said Misty with a smile on her face.
Cilan's eyes found Ash approaching them and couldn't help think that journeying with Ash will be one of the most apt decisions he had ever made. Iris' heart started beating so fast, hearing Ash and Charizard's journey like that made her hopeful that she and Excadrill will be getting along, too. She didn't notice how her hands had found its way to Excadrill's Pokeball.
N was continuously being amazed by Ash, and he couldn't help but think that Ash's ideals would be perfect for the Dragon of Ideals. He shook that thought out of his head. He wouldn't drag Ash to the turmoil that he had in his mind about his truth, his ideals, and of Plasma. But he couldn't help wonder that Ash might have an answer to his dilemma.
"Hey, guys! What are you talking about?" greeted Ash.
"I was just telling them how you and Charizard developed a special bond. Why don't you tell us about Infernape?" said Misty.
"Oh!" exclaims Ash. "That's nice of you, Misty. Infernape, huh? Well, I had a rival in Sinnoh named Paul. Everyone around me was saying he was the ideal trainer."
"Ideal?" asked N, the lines on his head forehead creased more deeply. Zorua giggled lightly seeing this because this was already an extreme reaction from N. N decidedly and pointedly ignored Zorua. He just couldn't help but react extremely since Ash is the ideal trainer.
"Oh, a really competitive trainer. Takes in a Pokemon's stats, abilities, uses Pokemon items, a strict training regimen and methods and all that. He didn't believe in making friends with Pokemon to harness their strength – which is a philosophy I abide by."
Misty inserted a quip, "Basically, a jerk is what he is."
"Er—well, he's not a jerk…" countered Ash but Misty gave her the are you serious look.
"Well, he is a little bit of a jerk but he changed… a bit. But yeah, he thinks of Pokemon as combat beings which means he dislikes weak Pokemon."
Iris and Cilan were furious but N more so, he was clenching his fists hard which Misty noticed. N was an interesting character, Misty thought. He looked wise beyond his years, and older too due to his constant expression of thinking, his face morphing into wrinkles and lines. Misty was a little bit suspicious of N but Ash was a good judge of character and he had never failed in that so she will just keep an eye.
"He was Infernape's original trainer and well, Infernape as a Chimchar, didn't exactly meet his expectations and he constantly berated him. I would always defend him of course but then as Paul would like to remind me back then, he wasn't my Pokemon – which to him means, I don't get to have a say. But I am stubborn, you know. I don't care about all that, I care about Pokemon. So when he released Chimchar for being too weak, I took him in my wing and nurtured him until he grew to be the strong primate you see today.
"It was hard at first because he was traumatized…" – Ash's voice broke at this point as he was lost in his reminiscence – "his experience with Paul traumatized him that he was expecting me to scold when he couldn't follow through my orders. He would freeze, and at one point, he ran away. That's why I still have this lingering resentment with Paul despite the fact that Infernape and I chose to forgive him.
"Charizard and Infernape are the reason why I was so incensed when I found Tepig and immediately adopted him. I couldn't just let it be when I see people hurt Pokemon," said Ash in finality as his eyes found Charizard and Infernape sparring to show off their prowess in battling with Pikachu joining in for a three-way battle.
N's breath caught as his emotions started to swirling in him. He never thought he'd see the day that he will admit that a Trainer is good.
The silence stretched comfortably as they watched the Pokemon play with Charizard and Infernape before being broken by Iris' petulant whine.
"Well, I'm still mad at you Ash for keeping that you have an awesome Dragon-type Pokemon!"
The four of them looked back at Iris blankly.
"Why are you looking at me weird like that?"
"Iris… Charizard isn't a Dragon-type Pokemon. Their species are Fire/Flying type," Ash said, a snicker growing on his face.
Iris's face morphed into a shell-shocked expression, "What!? I could have sworn he's a Dragon! He looks like one!"
Misty couldn't hold it back and cackled which broke Ash's temperance, the two of them laughing loudly as Iris shouted at them. The sight made Cilan laugh heartily while N donned a rare, soft smile on his face.
Several explosions from Infernape's Flare Blitz, Charizard's Fire Blast, and Pikachu's Thunderbolt later, the group heard footsteps from the hall which turned out to be Chili and Cress muttering about explosions and what the hell is happening to their gym.
"Sorry, Pikachu, Charizard, Infernape got too engrossed with sparring and might have overdone it," said Ash, wincing. But everyone had seen that Chili stopped listening at Charizard and his eyes have turned into stars seeing two powerful fire types in his gym.
Cilan and Cress sent each other matching looks and sweatdropped. Chili might be the most excitable of the bunch but even more so when it comes to fire types.
"ASH, CAN I SEE THEM MORE CLOSELY?!"