Chapter 95: Finding
"DAMN IT! WE HAVEN'T SHOWN UP IN AGES! WHAT THE HELL IS THE AUTHOR THINKING??" Jessie kicked a tree so hard it shattered.
"Maybe we've been abandoned. After all, we've always been seen as those annoying villains who show up in every episode. The author probably decided to stop including us on purpose," James muttered as he threw a branch into the fire.
"At least we're not as annoying as those kids. Pfft, those players are pretty hated by the readers, nya~," Meowth nodded, munching on a berry.
"BUT WE'RE VILLAINS! SO WHY THE HELL ARE WE ALWAYS BEING DEFEATED IN SUCH A HUMILIATING WAY AND THEN TOSSED ASIDE LIKE TOYS?! IT'S AN INSULT!!" Jessie raged, punching a tree so hard it toppled over.
"I'm surprised your hand isn't bleeding from that."
"This isn't a realistic or dark Pokémon fanfic, James."
"Well, you're right about that."
The three of them sighed, sitting together while eating berries. Suddenly, a pillar of fire shot up into the sky, startling them.
"...Is there a powerful Pokémon over there?" James asked.
"If so, that's great! We'll catch it!" Jessie said excitedly.
"Hey! Why do I feel like if we go there, we're just going to get blasted into the sky again?" Meowth said nervously.
"You're probably imagining things. If we really get blasted away in our own chapter, it means the author truly hates us," Jessie scoffed.
Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck their campfire.
"..."
The three looked up at the sky, which was still clear and blue with no sign of rain or storm clouds.
"...That was just a coincidence, right?" James said, sweating nervously as he looked at the other two.
"Uh-huh, sure. Let's go."
***
The three crept slowly and hid behind a bush. Carefully peeking out, they saw a glowing cave.
They waited patiently until a Pokémon emerged.
"Charmeleon?! Perfect!!"
"Shh! Keep it down!!"
Charmeleon was drenched in sweat, but the flame on its tail evaporated it instantly. It looked around and found a large rock, then began trying to lift it.
"Wow, look at those muscles. Impressive!"
Charmeleon tossed the rock high into the air, waited for it to fall, and caught it, causing the ground beneath it to sink slightly.
It repeated this process several times. At one point, it breathed a stream of blue fire onto the rock, heating it intensely.
"Isn't this supposed to be a kid-friendly fanfic?"
"Why you're asking me?"
Charmeleon gritted its teeth, enduring the burning heat of the rock as it caught it, and continued throwing it into the air.
Suddenly, Charmeleon noticed someone hiding in the bush. It caught the rock and hurled it toward them.
"AGHHHH!!!"
James and Jessie leaped out just in time, but Meowth didn't make it and got hit in the face, flying backward.
"MEOWTH!!!"
Meowth crashed into a nearby tree, losing a few teeth.
"I-I'm fine…"
Charmeleon glared at Team Rocket, making James and Jessie sweat profusely.
'I'm not getting paid enough for this!' James thought as he swallowed hard and forced a smile.
"Y-Yo, chill, my man. We're just passing through-"
A stream of fire barely missed James' cheek and hit Meowth.
"AGHHHH, WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME??"
"L-Look, little fire lizard, I'm telling you the truth. We were just curious about who was shooting fire into the sky, o-okay?" Jessie tried to explain sincerely.
This time, Charmeleon didn't attack.
'Nice one, Jessie!!!' James thought, tearing up with relief.
Charmeleon walked up to them and held out its hand.
"Huh?"
Charmeleon looked at them as if they were idiots, making Jessie almost lose her temper but she calmed herself.
"D-Do you want food?" James asked nervously.
Charmeleon nodded.
"But we-"
Another burst of fire hit Meowth.
"YOU JERK!!! WHAT DID I DO?? DID I PLAY WITH YOUR MOTHER OR SOMETHING??"
This time, Charmeleon unleashed the aqua-blue fire, making Meowth faint from the intense heat.
"...You know what? I just remembered I have some candy and berries in my bag. Out of respect, we'll give you everything! Deal?"
"James! That's all the food we've managed to gather!" Jessie protested.
Charmeleon launched another flame at the unconscious Meowth.
"Okay, calm down! We'll give you everything!" Jessie said quickly.
But before Charmeleon could take their food, it noticed another Pokémon flying in the sky.
It was Pidgeot!
Charmeleon growled, then bolted away at full speed, leaving James and Jessie frozen in place.
"We're saved…"
"UWAAAA!! We didn't get blasted into the sky!!"
James and Jessie hugged each other, crying like children.
However, Pidgeot landed and stared directly at Team Rocket.
"H-Hey… I swear we didn't do anything, I'm telling the truth," James stammered, trembling as Pidgeot's piercing gaze locked onto them.
We just avoided danger, and now we're in another life-threatening situation? Is this a joke?!
For some reason, Pidgeot continued staring at them, making their faces turn pale with fear.
Wait a second... this Pokémon looked oddly familiar.
"HEY! DON'T TELL ME THAT'S THAT BRAT'S POKÉMON?!" Jessie shouted in panic.
Seriously? Since when does the twerp have a Charmeleon? James thought to himself.
Suddenly, a golden thunderbolt struck Team Rocket.
"HCWKCMEOFHEKW!!!"
The three let out incomprehensible noises as electricity coursed through their bodies.
Out of nowhere, an explosion erupted, blasting them into the sky.
"WHAT DID WE EVEN DO WRONG??"
"DAMN IT, AUTHOR! HOW MUCH DO YOU HATE US??"
"Why is it always me getting hit? Is it because we're just comic relief?" Meowth groaned, regaining consciousness.
The trio looked at one another, took a deep breath, and yelled in unison:
"THIS FEELS ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE!!!!!!"
They disappeared into the sky as a faint burst of light followed their trajectory before fading away.
Meanwhile…
Pikapi… (He's not here...)
Red gently patted Pikachu's head, glancing around the area.
Blue picked up a branch that had been charred black and stared at the cave entrance.
"It's pretty clear that Charmeleon left right before we arrived. Chances are it ran into those three and took off for some reason," Blue hypothesized.
He turned to Red.
"This is just a theory, so don't overthink it, okay? Want to hear it?"
Red nodded silently.
"There's a chance… Charmeleon is intentionally avoiding you, Red."
*****
Merry christmas everyone! I hope you guys had a good day
Also, see ya, new chapter will take a long time to drop cus the exam was so close (2 more week and im cook)
Chapter 96: Charmeleon POV (kinda)
Charmeleon was sitting on a nearby rock, gazing at the water.
The clear surface reflected its face back at it.
It picked up a small stone nearby and threw it into the water.
The throw was strong enough to make the stone skip across the surface for several meters before sinking.
Charmeleon let out a sad smile and stared at its hands.
It was thinking... it wasn't worthy of its trainer.
In all the battles it had participated in, even though it had won many, those victories were only against random trainers passing by.
In the serious and important battles, it had lost nearly all of them.
The fight against the Water Gym Leader—despite giving it everything it had, Charmeleon still lost somehow. Then there was the battle with that arrogant, orange-haired trainer—it was a total defeat.
And the fight with Rhyperior? Sure, it won, but it felt like it lost at the same time.
After all, a Pokémon's duty is to protect its trainer. If it couldn't do that, how could it call itself a trainer's Pokémon?
It stood there, helpless, watching its trainer get knocked away.
Useless. Weak. Without power or talent...
Maybe leaving its trainer would be better. Wouldn't that make its trainer happier?
After all, who needs a weakling?
But there was still hope. It could continue training, and when the time was right, it could return to its trainer, stronger and ready to protect them.
That's it! Decision made!
Charmeleon stood up, determined to become stronger and return one day! (Simple-minded, huh?)
Suddenly, an apple fell on its head, startling it.
It clutched its head and looked up.
A soft chuckle echoed from the tree branches, making Charmeleon furious.
Someone was mocking it! How dare they!
Charmeleon immediately breathed fire at the tree, setting it ablaze.
The chuckling continued, drawing its attention. It shot fire again toward the sound.
Minutes passed, and the chuckling persisted, irritating Charmeleon to no end.
CHARMELEON!!! (COME OUT, YOU COWARD!!!)
The laughter stopped.
Charmeleon! (If you don't come out, you've got no guts!)
...Alright, that's going too far, Charmeleon.
A nearby bush rustled slightly. From it, a Pokémon emerged.
Charmeleon was startled, staring at the Pokémon in front of it.
Not out of fear, but because this was the first time it had ever seen this Pokémon.
It had pink skin, a long tail, and bright blue eyes.
It looked like a hairless cat!
Charmeleon! (Who are you!)
The Pokémon giggled again, then turned around, shaking its rear mockingly.
...
Charmeleon, enraged, attacked with its claws, but the Pokémon dodged effortlessly.
It giggled once more before flying off, leaving Charmeleon fuming.
CHARMELEON!!!!!!! (STOP RIGHT THERE!!!!!!!)
Charmeleon gave chase, relentlessly shooting flames at the Pokémon.
After a few minutes, it reached an open field.
It looked around but couldn't see the Pokémon anywhere.
CHAR!!!!!!! (DAMN YOU!!!!!!!)
Suddenly, a bush rustled. Charmeleon immediately breathed fire at it.
Thinking it had hit its target, it felt something was off.
From the bush emerged a boy in a red cap.
...Oh no.
Charmeleon sprinted toward him with all its might but, for some reason, couldn't move.
Pika?! Pikachu!! (You ungrateful fool?! Who did you just attack?!)
Pikachu jumped in front of Charmeleon, glaring at it angrily.
Charmeleon turned around and locked eyes with a familiar pair of red eyes.
Well, it was Red.
"..."
Charmeleon felt anxious, wanting to flee, but couldn't move at all.
Who was doing this? Was it that pink cat?
Red stared at it with his usual emotionless face, making Charmeleon feel fear, sadness, and worry.
Don't look at me like that... I can't take it...
I don't want you to hate me. I'm sorry... I'm sorry for being useless, for not being able to save you...
So please... don't look at me like that...
(Alright, not sure if this is out of character for it...)
Every time Charmeleon saw Red unconscious in the hospital, it felt unbearable.
It was all its fault—it couldn't do anything.
As Charmeleon continued to torment itself with guilt, it suddenly felt gentle arms wrap around it.
Startled, it looked up to see Red holding it. Despite Charmeleon having grown much bigger and heavier since the last time, Red held it effortlessly.
Red's hands gently patted its head, trying to calm it down.
He glanced at Pikachu, silently apologizing that he couldn't carry her too.
Fortunately, Pikachu wasn't too angry—though she was clearly trying her best to hold it in.
As Charmeleon sat there, dazed, Red took off his cap and placed it on Charmeleon's head.
Charmeleon flinched, touching the hat now resting on its head.
"..."
Red said nothing, but his gentle expression was enough for Charmeleon to understand what he was trying to convey.
...Charmeleon? (...You've never blamed me, have you?)
Red hugged Charmeleon tightly and began walking away, with Pikachu following close behind.
Charmeleon clung to Red. It felt warm... like being held by its mother... (Wait, where's your dad? Alright Im sorry)
Even though evolving had made Charmeleon more mature emotionally, everyone has moments when they want to be spoiled by someone they love, right?
Blue leaned against a tree, watching as Red retrieved Charmeleon. He smiled before turning to leave.
Suddenly, he felt something tugging at his leg.
Looking down, he saw his Wartortle staring up at him with sparkling eyes.
"...What?"
Wartortle continued to stare at him, its eyes brimming with hope.
"...Ugh, fine, just this once."
Hearing this, Wartortle beamed with the brightest smile and leapt into Blue's arms.
"You're way too heavy! When you evolve, don't expect me to carry you anymore!" Blue complained, though he held Wartortle gently.
Blue didn't usually pay much attention to his Pokémon's emotions, so they had to be proactive if they wanted his affection.
Because of this, while his Pokémon were serious in battle, they were surprisingly good at being affectionate when alone with him.
*****
Hi, im back, sorry for being late
Next week is the exam so i must learn for my future (also my life cus my father surely repair his weapon to woop my ass)
So yeah, next week will have no chapter, sorry for that
Also the new year is coming, cant wait for Tet (Lunar New Year or Vietnamese New Year) my uncle, auntie, someone,... give me money heheheh
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
0 Power
stone 
Paragraph comment