Hey guys, TheDoctor1998 here with another chapter. Last time, Cinder and her friends came across the hidden village, with Cinder catching herself a Bulbasaur and Misty catching herself an Oddish. Now, on with the show!

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Once again, the gang was lost on their way to Vermilion City, much to the annoyance of a certain redhead.

"Look at all those Spearow." Cinder muttered, seeing a flock of the things in the grass, much to her discomfort.

Pikachu was also slightly disturbed at the sight of them, remembering the last time he and his trainer came across a flock of these birds.

"Well that's the least of our worries right now." Misty said, not noticing the small amount of tension in the blind girl.

"Just because we're lost doesn't mean I can't appreciate the sight of a few Pokémon, right?" Cinder said in defence.

"Of course not, enjoy yourself." Misty said sarcastically before sighing and slumping. "I can't go one step further. We've been looking for Vermilion City for ten days now!"

"Uh, there's a bug right on your-" Brock started, pointing at Misty, but he didn't even get to finish before the other trainer screamed in fear.

"Get it away, get it away!" Misty screamed, suddenly jumping on Cinder's back, who grunted and wobbled due to the added weight.

Brock then chuckled, holding a piece of cattail grass up. "Nevermind, it was just a piece of grass."

Misty glared at Brock, obviously frustrated at his action. In an impressive feat of coordination, she managed to jump off of Cinder's back and kick the guy in his face. "I'm going crazy over here! Where on Earth are we?!"

"Well, we should be near Route 24, which should eventually take us to Vermilion City if I remember correctly." Cinder piped up, cracking her back from the abuse it had just taken. "Still, can't be too sure. I'm not exactly able to read maps, ya know?"

"You're right!" Misty said, having picked up the map from Brock, who was still on the ground. "Let's get this show on the road!" She started walking forward, but stopped when she noticed an ominous shadow. "Hey guys, take a look at this!"

Cinder looked at the object with her Aura. She couldn't see most of it, indicating that it was likely a boulder or something, but she could see a somewhat familiar Aura on top. "Is that a Charmander?"

"It looks like it's in bad shape." Misty said, seeing the Fire Type huffing and puffing.

"Yeah, take a look at the flame on his tail." Brock said, pointing to the worryingly small flame. "I think we need to get it to a Pokémon Center."

"Yeah, you're right." Cinder said, grabbing one of her Heal Balls. "Heal Ball, go!"

The Heal Ball was flung through the air, though Charmander managed to hit the capturing device with his tail, sending it back towards its owner.

"It sure has a lot of spunk." Brock said, impressed by its stubbornness.

"Hey, Pikachu, can you ask him why he's on that rock?" Cinder asked.

Pikachu did as asked, and jumped off of her shoulder and climbed onto the boulder. The two Pokémon started chatting, Charmander slightly weak, before the Electric Type went back to his trainer.

"So what did he say?" Cinder asked her partner.

Pikachu started miming, pretending to put on a tie.

"Something about a man?" Cinder guessed, to which Pikachu nodded, before miming some pretty complicated positions. "I think he's saying Charmander is waiting for someone to get him." Pikachu once again nodded to her.

"So he's waiting for his trainer?" Misty asked, worried. "Shouldn't he be back by now?"

"If he's waiting for his trainer, I guess we should leave it be." Brock said, his gut uneasy at the situation. "We can always come back after stopping at the Pokémon Center."

Cinder grabbed around her backpack, taking out an Oran Berry. "Pikachu, can you please give this to Charmander?"

"Pika." The rodent nodded, grabbing the berry and bringing it over to the Fire Type, who looked at the human girl in confusion.

"Just wanted to give you something to give you an energy boost before your trainer returned." Cinder smiled. "Hope your trainer comes back soon!" She and the gang walked away, each of them having a bad feeling about the situation, but being unable to do anything about it at the moment.

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A few minutes after they left the Charmander, who still seemed familiar to Cinder, the trio walked over a hill before Misty suddenly sounded excited. "Hey guys, look over there! It's the Pokémon Center!"

"If you guys read the map right, then that means we're already near Route 24." Cinder smiled, before it suddenly started pouring. "Hurry!" The blind girl called, the trio running towards the Pokémon Center at great speed, not wanting to get soaked.

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Meanwhile, back with Charmander, the poor Fire Type still sat on his rock, only quickly having left it to grab a large leaf to protect himself and his flame from the rain.

He'd already eaten the berry that that nice girl gave to him, having gained enough energy from it to hold on a bit longer. Still, despite the danger, he refused to leave. 'He'll come back for me, he promised.' He thought to himself.

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Cinder absently stared in the direction of the window, fidgeting slightly as she listened to the rain and felt the heat of a big fire in the centre of the Center.

"Here, have some soup." Misty said, bringing a bowl to Cinder as Oddish, who decided to get out of her ball, sat on her shoulder. "Should warm you right up."

"Thanks Misty." Cinder mumbled, her thoughts elsewhere.

"Here's some for you too, Brock." Misty gave the boy another bowl, before seeing his troubled expression. "What's wrong?"

"...Do you think anyone has picked up that Charmander yet?" He asked after a moment of silence. "What if it was just abandoned?" He then looked at the Aura user in front of him. "You're worried about him as well, right?" His question was more of a statement, having noticed her behaviour.

"Yeah." She said. "Humans can be awful sometimes, I just hope Charmander's at least gone to look for some shelter."

"Don't worry, I'm sure his trainer's picked him up by now." Brock said, trying to reassure his friend. It was cut short though by the loud laugh of a group of boys sitting next to the fireplace, causing Oddish to stiffen in Misty's arms.

"You sure have a lot of them." One said, indicating the large pile of Pokéballs on their table.

"Sure, just look at 'em." The blue haired boy, who Cinder recognized as Damian, said to his posse. "It's a pretty cool collection."

One of the boys snickered. "Way cool."

"You're the man, Damian." Another boy said.

"Hey, didn't you have a Charmander that kept running after you?" The boy sitting next to Damian said, causing Cinder to tense up.

'No, he didn't…'

"Yeah, I had one." Damian shrugged, uncaring. "That thing was so weak it couldn't even beat this weak little Poliwag."

"I don't like his attitude." Misty said, taking a seat.

"Charmander may be weak against Water Types, but a good trainer would be able to work around that kind of thing." Brock said. "I mean, just look at Cinder's match against my Gym."

The girl in question simply started bawling her hands into fists. She knew she recognized that Charmander from somewhere, and now she remembered where from.

"So what did you do with it?" The same boy from before asked Damian.

"Eh, I left it on some rock in the woods." The guy shrugged. "That thing is so stupid, no matter what I do it keeps following me! I finally managed to get rid of it by saying I'd come back, and it fell for it! It's probably still waiting for me!" The bastard laughed along with his little gang. "Still, it was better than that stupid Oddish I threw away. At least Charmander managed to beat something when it had a Type advantage."

Every word that came out of Damian's mouth just pissed Cinder off, her blood boiling as her knuckles turned white from how tight her fists were. Eventually, the girl had enough, and she stomped over to the pathetic excuse for a trainer.

"I bet it's still up there, wagging its tail."

"It'll probably wag it for so long that it's gonna put its flame out."

"Yeah, for sure." Damian agreed with the boys before laughing.

Then, Cinder punched the son of a bitch right on the nose. "You fucking bastard!" The girl screamed, knowing that Charmander is likely going to die because of him.

"Oh look, if it ain't the Pallet Town Freak." Damian said, glaring at Cinder as he held his face, blood dripping from his nose.

"That Charmander, your Starter, is going to die out there because of you!" The girl continued, pretending as if Damian hadn't spoken.

"So what?" He shrugged. "What I do with my Pokémon is my business, not yours."

"Break it up, break it up!" The authoritative voice of Nurse Joy said, clapping her hands and walking up to the confrontation. "No fighting in my Pokémon Center."

"Yeah, tell that to her." Damian sneered, grabbing his Pokéballs and walking away. "She was the one who started it."

"You shouldn't get mixed up with them." Nurse Joy told Cinder in concern as the girl's friends walked behind her. "They don't exactly have a good reputation."

"Uhh, thanks for the advice." Brock said, blushing, to which the nurse giggled before returning to her desk. "She sure is pretty. I've never seen anyone as pretty as her."

"She looks just like all the other Joys." Misty said.

"Even their Auras look the same. It really is a Joyful world." Cinder mumbled before shaking her friend's shoulder. "Alright, snap out of it! We've got a Charmander to save!"

Brock instantly snapped back to reality. "Right, we've gotta help him!"

"Misty, stay here! Tell Nurse Joy what happened!" Cinder told her friend.

"What if you catch pneumonia?" Misty asked with worry.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Cinder said seriously before running into the storm with Brock.

"Good luck guys." Misty muttered, before looking down at Oddish, seeing her newest capture softly crying. "Damian was your old trainer, wasn't he?"

"Dish." The Grass Type nodded, voice laced with pain.

"Don't worry. Once Charmander's okay, we'll make sure to get him for this." Misty smiled at her Pokémon, trying to cheer her up.

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The duo had quickly put on their raincoats and ran as quickly as they could towards the Charmander, praying to Arceus that it wasn't too late.

When they arrived, they saw Charmander doing his best to fend off a flock of Spearow, giving Pikachu a small flashback to the day he evolved. He wouldn't stand for it, and shot a Thunderbolt at the offending birds, chasing them away.

"We need to get him to the Center, quick!" Brock said, pointing to the worryingly small flame before he took his raincoat off, wrapping it around Charmander.

"I'll protect his tail!" Cinder said, doing the same as Brock, but making sure the flame was simply protected instead of wrapped up.

"You'll make it Charmander, just hold on a bit longer!" Brock tried encouraging the Fire Type as the trio ran back towards the Center, hoping that Nurse Joy would be able to save his life.

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The nurse in question had already started switching the Center to night mode, having turned the giant fire in the middle of the room off, though she was worryingly looking out of the window. She already knew why those trainers had run outside, the third among them staying with her to explain the situation.

Just then, Cinder and Brock burst through the door, holding the Charmander in their hands. "He's in bad shape." Brock gasped, he and Cinder catching their breath.

"There's not much time." Nurse Joy gasped, quickly yet gently taking the Fire Type for treatment.

Cinder watched as the nurse took the Pokémon away, likely for some surgery. "What happened with Damian?" She growled, wishing she'd done more than break his nose.

"He and his cronies left just after you guys ran away." Misty growled, hugging Oddish just a bit tighter. "Nurse Joy did call Officer Jenny, though. Think there's a warrant for him?"

"I hope so." Brock mumbled, just as upset as his friends. 'Please, Charmander, please pull through.'

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The gang had waited for hours, pacing around in worry as the storm raged outside. "So, I guess you and Damian know each other?" Misty asked Cinder, remembering how the other trainer recognized her friend.

"We both come from Pallet Town, but that's about it." Cinder growled, obviously harbouring some bad memories. "Last time we saw each other, the two of us and two other trainers started our journey." She glanced at the door Nurse Joy disappeared through. "Still, as much of a jerk as he was, I never thought he'd do this to any of his Pokémon. Especially with his Starter." The girl started hugging her legs. "His Aura was so faint, Misty. He was so fucking close to death." She whispered.

Then, the red light above the door to the emergency room finally switched off with a ding. Nurse Joy, exhausted, walked out of the room, and gave the gang a smile of reassurance and a thumbs up, much to their relief. "Charmander's recovering, he should be fine in the morning." She then showed the Fire Type to them, still recovering in his pod. "It's a good thing you got him here when you did. Any later, and he'd have some permanent damage to his health, if not worse."

Brock simply smiled, grateful that they'd managed to avoid the worst case scenario. 'That's the spirit, Charmander.'

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The gang, understandably exhausted from the events, had decided to book two rooms at the Center, one for Brock and one for the girls. Night had passed, and the storm had long subsided by the time the sun came up.

Cinder and Misty were sleeping in their room, both softly breathing, until a loud knocking woke them both up. "Guys, wake up!" The voice of their friend rang from the other side of the door.

Cinder, still in her bathrobe, walked over and opened up. "What is it, Brock?" She asked groggily.

"Yeah, what's the matter?" Misty asked from her bed.

"Charmander's disappeared!" Brock said, much to the shock of the girls.

After Brock gave the girls the privacy to quickly dress up, the trio quickly ran towards the room Charmander was resting in, the pod and the window next to it now having some noticeable holes in them.

"I bet he's gone back to that rock to wait for that bastard." Cinder growled, her heart aching for the Fire Type.

"We've got to get him back!" Brock said passionately.

"We can't." Misty said, hating to be the voice of reason here. "It's Charmander's choice, we can't force him to come with us if he wants to wait for that lying creep."

"She's right." Nurse Joy said, her voice laced with sadness. "There's nothing anyone can do until Charmander realises the truth."

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Meanwhile, Charmander ran back to the place Damian had left him at. While he was grateful for all the help those trainers gave him, he couldn't risk missing the moment Damian returned for him.

Still, even now, something nagged at him from deep within his gut, but he ignored that feeling. He wouldn't be disloyal to the one who chose him, he wouldn't be one of those Starters.

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The gang, after packing their stuff, started walking down the path, away from both the Center and the rock they knew Charmander had returned to. Though they didn't like it, they all knew that they were powerless in this situation.

Brock sighed. "I thought Charmander finally understood that Damian doesn't care."

"The little guy is loyal to a fault." Cinder said bitterly, equally upset at Damian and her own powerlessness. "That's why he went back."

Brock smiled at her attempt to cheer him up, before he was nearly knocked to the ground by a powerful slap on his back by Misty. "Come on, Route 24 is just ahead!" She smiled. "We'll be at Vermilion in no time!"

Oddish, who was once again in Misty's arms, sadly looked over to where her former comrade and fellow abandoned Pokémon likely was.

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Meanwhile, a certain trio of criminals were busy admiring one of their new devices.

"To protect the world from devastation." Jessie started their motto, wanting to get ahead of the curve today.

"To unite all people within our nation." James continued.

The duo started dancing together, talking as one. "To denounce the evils of truth and love, to extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie."

"James."

"Mmmind if I cut in?" Meowth asked, interrupting the motto. "Huddle up, they're gonna be here soon!"

"Finally, a foolproof plan on getting that Pikachu!" James smirked, excited about getting that overpowered rat.

"I'm so excited!" Jessie sang. "I can't wait to test our new toy!"

"Start it up!" Both the humans said, pushing the start button on the remote together, activating the machine.

The machine in question quickly started shifting its form, confusing Meowth. "What does this thing do anyway?" He asked, not being filled in on the plan. Much to his dismay, however, the machine became a drill, which quickly and efficiently started digging a pit in the road. "Not another hole driller!" The Pokémon screamed in frustration. "We tried that plan already!"

"If at first you don't succeed." Jessie said, leaving the second part of the saying unsaid.

"Don't worry, we'll remember where the hole is this time." James reassured the Normal Type. Then, when the machine was done, he and Jessie quickly covered it up with a surprising amount of speed and efficiency. Within minutes, not even they could see where the hole was.

"Are you sure you guys are gonna remember where the trap is this time?" Meowth asked, equal parts snarky and worried.

"Don't you think we're smarter than that?" Jessie asked the Pokémon.

"No." Meowth deadpanned.

"Well, we just have to wait until the twerps are here." James said.

"There they are!" Meowth called out, pointing to his tablet showcasing the footage of the kids walking down the path. The trio quickly hid within the bushes, Jessie using the remote to transform the device into its mobile form, quickly hiding it behind the trees.

"They're getting warm." Jessie whispered.

"Warmer." James also whispered.

"They're burning up." Meowth finished.

Much to their astonishment, Pikachu and Oddish, who decided to walk ahead, simply walked over the trap as if it wasn't even there. "It's too strong!" Jessie whisper yelled at James. "You used too many branches!"

"You were the one who covered it with too much dirt!" The blue haired man replied.

Meowth quickly gave them both a scratch to the face. "Quiet, you're gonna get us caught."

When the humans walked on the trap, Cinder quickly stopped. "Huh, the ground feels kinda WEIRD!" She yelled the last part, as the cover broke under their collective weight, sending the humans tumbling down.

"Pika!/Oddish!" The two Pokémon yelled in concern, rushing towards the edge of the pit.

"What the hell just happened?" Cinder groaned, dazed from the fall as her friends layed down below her.

She was answered by a cackle. "Hello down there." Jessie smirked, her and her team covered in rubber suits. "Thank you so much for dropping in."

"Don't worry, Pikachu and Oddish are safe with us." James smirked, both Pokémon trapped in a specialised anti-Pokémon cage.

Cinder grabbed one of the Luxury Balls on her belt, but stopped when she heard a familiar cry. "Charmander!" The Fire Type said, having seen the commotion from his rock. He saw the nice girl in trouble, and wanted to return the favour.

"Is that a Charmander?" Jessie asked.

"Could be worth catching." James muttered. "Starters are always worth quite a dime at the black market."

"Char char mander!" The Fire Type growled, prompting Meowth to translate for him.

"He's saying to let those Pokémon go and to leave these guys alone." Meowth snickered.

"He's gotta be kidding." Jessie snickered.

"Now stand still, little firebug." James smirked as he grabbed a Pokéball. "We don't have time to play too long."

"Team Rocket plays rough, so get in the ball!" Meowth threatened, unsheathing his claws.

Charmander growled at the trio, and quickly spat a huge jet of fire at them, melting through their rubber suits and singing the clothes and flesh underneath. The trio, in pain, quickly dropped the cage and ran away.

"You see?!" James yelled. "I told you we needed fireproof uniforms!"

"Shut up and keep running!" Jessie bit back.

"So much for a foolproof plan!" Meowth snarked.

"Looks like Team Rocket is blasting off again!" The trio screamed as they ran into the distance, running past a bewildered Damian.

"Charmander beat them?" The excuse for a trainer muttered, amazed that that reject could do something like that.

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Meanwhile, back with the gang, Cinder and Misty were helping Brock out of the hole after having gotten out themselves, with Charmander managing to open the latch to release Pikachu and Oddish.

"Thanks for the help, Charmander." Brock smiled at the Fire Type.

"Guess he just wanted to help out." Misty smiled.

Cinder lowered herself to be closer to Charmander's level. "Glad to see you're up and about again, Charmander." She smiled, glad to see his Aura being strong and lively once again. "Hey, how would you like to come with us? I'm afraid Damian isn't coming back." She said, trying to break the news as kindly as she could as she pulled out a Luxury Ball.

"Hey Charmander, I've been looking all over for you." Damian chuckled as he appeared behind the group, much to their surprise.

"Damian." Cinder growled, standing up.

"What are you doing here?" Brock snarled at the guy.

Misty simply stood protectively in front of Charmander, with Pikachu right beside her and Oddish shaking behind her leg.

"I came back for Charmander, just like I promised." The smug bastard said, much to Charmander's misguided delight. "So let's go." He grabbed a Pokéball, causing the Fire Type to turn around with some unease.

"Charmander, he already abandoned you before." Brock gently reminded the Starter.

"Charmander's mine." Damian said. "I'm the one who picked it up at old man Oak's place, remember Cinder?" He then glanced at the Oddish behind Misty. "I'll be taking that one too. If Charmander can grow this much in just a day of being around you guys, I wonder how strong that runt must've become."

Oddish simply cowered behind Misty, not being willing to return to her old trainer.

"Like hell you will!" Cinder snarled. "You fucking bragged about abandoning both of them, asshole! You nearly caused poor Charmander to die in that storm!"

"Good thing I did, that toughened it up." Damian said coolly. "Besides, what's wrong with dumping some weak Pokémon?" He continued, shocking Charmander. "True, I wasn't gonna come back at first, but now that I've seen what it can do I'm really glad I ran into you guys." He saw Charmander looking down, but didn't care about the heartbreak he gave his Starter. "Best thing is, I didn't even have to raise it myself!" He cackled.

"That's terrible!" Misty exclaimed.

"Raising a Pokémon and growing a bond with them is the best part of being a trainer!" Brock reminded the arrogant trainer, only to have his words ignored.

"That's the worst and most boring part of the job." Damian disagreed. "If I could, I would just start with some strong Pokémon and use them to win the League."

"How dare you call yourself a trainer?!" Brock asked, his most basic tenets of being a breeder being stomped upon by this other Pallet Town trainer.

"You see, he doesn't care about you or his other Pokémon!" Misty told Charmander. "He only cares about winning!"

Charmander frowned, finally understanding what these humans were saying.

Damian only frowned, out of patience. "Charmander, return!" He threw the Pokéball, intending on capturing the Pokémon once more.

Then, in the heat of the moment, Charmander made his mind up. Being careful not to touch the button on the capturing device, the Fire Type slammed his tail into it, causing it to hit the arrogant trainer right in the face, much to Cinder's amusement.

"That does it!" He snarled, grabbing an entire pile of Pokéballs from his bag. "I'll crush you losers with every Pokémon I've got!"

Before he could do anything, though, Charmander quickly spat a Flamethrower at his former trainer, with Pikachu and Oddish joining in on the fun with a Thunderbolt and Razor Leafs, charring and cutting the boy up.

Damian, seeing he was outmatched, quickly stashed his Pokéballs away, and ran for the hills. "Mommy!" The boy cried, his pride being utterly shattered as he was aiming to return to Pallet Town, intending to bring the Freak into trouble.

Before he could get far, an Officer Jenny quickly stepped in his way, and handcuffed him before he could even react to her presence. "Oh, I heard all about you. Abandoning your Pokémon in hazardous areas and nearly killing them is considered a crime, you know?" She then looked at his stack of Pokéballs. "And so is having more than six Pokémon with you without a special licence or special permission from a League official. I'm going to make sure you're going to jail for a long time, and that your trainer licence will be revoked permanently!" She dragged the boy into a police car, and then quickly drove away.

Cinder smiled at the sight, glad that karma finally managed to catch up to Damian. And from the looks of it, both Oddish and Charmander were just as happy. 'Speaking of.' She crouched down again, presenting the Luxury Ball once more with a gentle smile. "Hey, Charmander, the offer still stands." Before the Pokémon could choose, she did feel like she had to say something. "Thing is, I've already got a full party with me at the moment, so you'll be automatically sent back to Professor Oak if you want to come. Don't worry though, I'll make sure you and the others will be rotated in and out as much as I can."

Charmander didn't need any more convincing, and jumped right into the Pokéball, which captured the Pokémon instantly and without any struggle before teleporting off to Pallet Town.

"Thank you for putting your trust in me, Charmander." Cinder muttered, glad that the Fire Type finally has a safe place to call home.

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Pokémon Seen: 38

Pokémon Caught: 12

Cinder's Pokémon: Pikachu (M), Butterfree (M), Beedrill (F), Pidgeotto (F), Clefairy (F), Bulbasaur (M), Charmander (M)

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And that's a wrap. Cinder and the gang found Charmander, and Cinder obviously took the little guy in after showing him the kindness he never had under Damian. And as a little bonus, they also got the bastard arrested for what he did.

Also, I decided to make Damian the one who abandoned Oddish, just to tie that little thread together. And, of course, Charmander had to get sent to Oak due to being the 7th Pokémon, but he and the others will be in rotation.

TheDoctor1998 here, signing out.