Pokémon: Raising Abandoned Pokémon into Legends

Chapter 8: Charmander’s Vision

With lingering doubts, Mr. Fuji got up and walked over to the trainers who had bought answers from Rio. After receiving their guidance, those trainers had found corners in the park to start their special training.

He began moving among them, observing.

About fifty minutes later, he saw a Ivysaur absorb a large amount of natural energy from its surroundings and successfully fire an Energy Ball from its still-unopened bud.

"It worked! Hahaha, it worked! My Ivysaur learned Energy Ball!" the trainer immediately shouted in excitement. "This is incredible—it really learned it after exactly thirty-five tries!"

Mr. Fuji jotted this down in his little notebook, then moved on to observe other training spots.

Time passed steadily.

Before he knew it, it was noon. As he prepared to head back to the Pokémon House, Mr. Fuji glanced at the notes in his book. Four of the trainers who had bought answers had finished their training sessions, and their practice counts had matched Rio’s predictions exactly. As for those who hadn’t finished yet, they were still in the park, pumping up their Pokémon:

"Keep going, Nidorino! Only two hundred and fifty-one more tries and you’ll learn Toxic Spikes!"

"Flaaffy, my dear, you’re doing amazing! Just sixty-one more tries and you’ll master Electro Ball!"

"Rattata, keep it up—one hundred and five more practices and we’ll have Swords Dance down!"

As for Rio, the one behind all this, he was busy directing Charmander in a Pokémon battle.

The opponent was an Ekans. Following its trainer’s command, the Ekans used Acid—a spray of highly corrosive liquid aimed at Charmander, who was in the middle of gathering energy for Dragon Breath. Judging by the reaction time, Charmander wouldn’t be able to fire off its Dragon Breath in time.

"Is it going to lose?" Mr. Fuji wondered.

Both Charmander and the Ekans on the battlefield were covered in bruises and wounds. If that Acid splashed onto Charmander, he felt it would likely be game over.

But just then, a command from Rio caught his eye.

"Charmander, aim Dragon Breath at the ground and dodge the Acid!"

The moment the command was given, Charmander redirected its aim downward. The next second, a jet of scorching black energy erupted, and the recoil launched Charmander straight up from the ground, narrowly evading the edge of the corrosive Acid.

As Charmander arced through the air, Rio quickly followed up: "Charmander, use Ember!"

"Rua~"

With the lingering scent of Dragon Breath still in its mouth, Charmander spat out a ball of flame.

The young trainer across from them changed expression: "Not good—Ekans, dodge!"

Ekans tried to obey, but—

Covered in wounds, its reaction was a beat too slow. The flames ultimately struck its body.

"Ekans~" Ekans let out a pained cry and fainted, unable to continue battling.

"Rua~"

The victorious Charmander dashed excitedly toward Rio. Rio gave it a big hug and showered it with the highest praise:

"Charmander, you’re absolutely outstanding! You’ve won eight battles in a row since this morning—you’ve given me such a huge surprise!"

"Rua~ Rua~" Charmander responded happily, while pointing back at the battlefield, clearly eager to keep fighting.

"Take it easy—rest for a bit," Rio said with a smile, shaking his head.

In the earlier battles, he had deliberately picked opponents one or two levels lower than Charmander to build its confidence. Only this Ekans had been the same level, and thankfully, under his direction, they had secured the win as well. At this point, there were no more opponents in the park that he could be certain of defeating based on level alone. He’d have to wait and see what the afternoon brought.

Just then, Rio’s eyes lit up.

The info panel above Charmander’s head refreshed.

[Pokémon: Charmander (Shiny)]

[Level: 15 (Currently in a winning streak, positive emotions, eager to battle; leveling speed is doubled. Time until next level: 198 days.)]

[Talent: Elite]

[Friendship: 10 (range: -25 to 10)]

[Ability: Blaze]

[Gender: Male]

[Moves: Scratch (26%), Growl (18%), Ember (21%), Smokescreen (16%), Dragon Breath (11%)]

[Description: This is a Charmander that has regained its will to fight...]

Looking at the information on the panel, Rio felt a surge of excitement. That last battle hadn’t just raised Charmander from Level 14 to Level 15—it had also given it a winning streak buff.

With that in mind, he absolutely couldn’t rush into any reckless battles. If he picked an opponent too strong and lost, breaking the freshly earned streak, he’d be devastated.

What he should focus on now was raising move proficiency.

At Level 15, the maximum proficiency cap for each move was 30%. Currently, none of Charmander’s moves had reached that.

Especially after one particular battle earlier, he’d come to appreciate just how important proficiency was. It had been a mirror match—Charmander against another trainer’s Charmander, both using Ember. The opponent’s Ember proficiency was only 14%, a full 7% lower than theirs. As a result, the opponent’s Ember not only came out much slower but also packed significantly less power. The two flames clashed in midair for barely two seconds before the opponent’s dispersed, allowing their remaining flames to land on the opposing Charmander and deal damage.

Rio couldn’t help but imagine—if every one of Charmander’s moves reached its level cap, how solid would its foundation be? Unless they ran into another opponent who had also maxed out their proficiency, leveling up and even challenging higher-level foes shouldn’t be too difficult.

While Rio was lost in thought, Rina’s voice came from beside him:

"Rio, are you coming back to the Pokémon House for lunch? Grandpa and I are heading back."

Rio looked down: "Charmander, do you want to go back to the Pokémon House for lunch?"

"Rua~" Charmander shook its head without hesitation. Right now, all it wanted was to battle—to fully unleash its incredible talent. If possible, it even wanted to meet the trainer who had abandoned it one day. It wanted that person to see how strong it had become and regret it.

I was never trash—you just didn’t know how to train me.

Seeing Charmander shake its head, Rio felt deeply satisfied. Good—it’s no longer the listless, time-wasting Charmander from a few days ago. Now it’s a Pokémon that craves battle and strives to grow stronger.

So Rio grandly pointed to a high-end Pokémon restaurant not far away.

"We won’t go back. I’ll just grab something simple for myself and Charmander there. Do you and Grandpa Fuji want to join?"

He was no longer the penniless orphan who had first arrived—he was now a small-time rich man who had turned his fortunes around.

...

On the way back to the Pokémon House, Rina suddenly asked, "Grandpa, what did you think after observing all morning?"

Mr. Fuji’s face immediately showed admiration. "To be honest, even though you described it to me last night, I still had some doubts. But after seeing it for myself today, I can’t help but believe."

"He’s truly suited to be a Pokémon trainer. Aside from his special ability, he really understands Pokémon psychology. I’m starting to understand why Charmander was able to cheer up in just one afternoon."

"I think that any Pokémon that becomes his will be very happy in the future."

"He’s different from so many other trainers I’ve seen over the years. Those trainers would scold and curse their Pokémon when they made mistakes or lost battles, putting all the blame on the Pokémon. Some even went so far as to abandon the very Pokémon that trusted them. But he’s different—all I’ve seen are encouragement and praise. That praise might seem over-the-top to outsiders, but it’s incredibly effective for Pokémon. You noticed Charmander’s expression when he praised it, didn’t you? That happiness was clearly genuine—something it had never shown before Rio came."

"Now I’m wondering whether I should apologize to him. Yesterday, I actually entertained the thought of asking him to leave the Pokémon House." Mr. Fuji let out a deep sigh, then continued after a pause. "Rina, find Charmander’s Poké Ball this afternoon. When the time is right, give it to him. Charmander deserves to have a trainer like him."

"Got it, Grandpa." Rina nodded. Then she asked curiously, "Grandpa, between Rio’s special ability and your old acquaintance’s Viridian Force, which one do you think is better?"