[Special Flashback Episode! Ash's Ace! — The Biography of Charizard!]
The sudden title startled everyone.
They had expected a battle between Ash and Red—
But instead, those words appeared across the screen.
A flashback special?
Was it going to introduce Ash's Charizard?
The moment that thought crossed their minds—
The audience became excited.
A special segment usually meant one thing.
Rewards.
[Hilda: It's my favorite time again! With my secret weapon, I'll definitely win this round!]
[Lorelei: If you won't reveal your "secret weapon," you'll never guess correctly.]
[Lance: Hibba, buddy, send me your secret weapon in private. I'll treat you to dinner.]
[Hibba: Not close.]
The banter paused as new text appeared.
[This special segment is a short recap.]
[It will summarize the journey between Ash and Charizard.]
[Please watch carefully. Afterward, a random question will be asked.]
[Correct answers will receive rewards.]
The words faded.
The screen went dark.
Then—
It lit up again.
The Abandoned Charmander
A dim wooden cabin.
A boy's smug voice echoed inside.
"Of course I had a Charmander. It was useless. Couldn't even beat a Poliwag. I dumped it."
"I told it to wait for me. In this rain, it's probably still there."
He laughed.
The audience fell silent.
Abandoning a Charmander?
One of Kanto's starter Pokémon?
A Pokémon that required a Pokédex qualification to receive?
And this fool threw it away?
The Rain
Thunderclouds loomed overhead.
Rain poured mercilessly.
Through the downpour ran three figures—
Ash, Misty, and Brock.
"Charmander! Where are you?!"
Ash's voice was hoarse.
Fire-types struggled in heavy rain.
If the flame on Charmander's tail went out—
It would die.
They kept running.
Calling.
Refusing to give up.
The contrast between them and the previous boy was stark.
Some people abandoned their partners over a single loss.
Others would run through storms to save one.
They found it.
On a stone outcrop.
Charmander sat there—
Using a large leaf to shield the flame on its tail.
Small.
Weak.
Shivering.
Its flame flickered dangerously low.
Nearby—
A flock of Spearow watched hungrily.
The moment Ash arrived—
They attacked.
"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"
The lightning struck.
The Spearow were blasted away.
And so were Ash, Misty, and Brock.
Because rain conducts electricity.
Ash didn't care.
He climbed the rock.
Seeing Charmander's condition—
His fists clenched.
"That jerk…!"
Charmander weakly lifted its head.
It saw Ash's face.
And remembered it.
That was the last of its strength.
Ash immediately took off his jacket—
Wrapped Charmander carefully—
Shielded its tail flame—
And ran.
Pokémon Center
Nurse Joy took Charmander into emergency care.
Ash waited outside the entire night.
Only when Joy said it was out of danger—
Did he finally breathe.
The next morning—
Charmander was gone.
Ash's eyes snapped open.
He knew immediately.
The rock.
Team Rocket Interlude
On the muddy road—
They didn't see the trap.
All three fell into a pit.
Only Pikachu remained above.
"Pikachu! Surrender quietly!"
Team Rocket.
Wearing rubber suits.
"Rubber! Insulated!"
Thunderbolt failed.
They pulled out a cannon—
Fired sticky red resin—
Captured Pikachu.
Ash tried to climb out—
Slipped—
Fell again.
Then—
A small orange figure stepped forward.
Charmander.
It had returned to the rock—
And heard everything.
"Run!" Ash shouted. "They're bad guys!"
But Charmander didn't move.
In its mind—
One sentence echoed.
"You're too weak."
Too weak.
Was that why it was abandoned?
Flames rose within its chest.
It didn't want to be discarded.
It wanted to be strong.
The fire surged from its throat—
And for the first time—
Flamethrower.
The blaze pierced through the rubber suits.
Team Rocket blasted off.
Pikachu was saved.
Ash climbed out—
Thanks to Charmander's help.
The Former Trainer Returns
Then—
That boy appeared.
Damian.
Seeing Flamethrower—
His eyes gleamed.
"Come back. I'm your Trainer."
Ash stepped forward immediately.
"Don't go! Someone who abandons their Pokémon after one loss doesn't care about you! He's just using you! And when you don't meet his expectations again—he'll throw you away!"
Damian scoffed.
"I never abandoned it. I told it to wait."
He tossed a Poké Ball.
"Come on. Let's go home."
The hypocrisy was nauseating.
Charmander remembered everything.
The rain.
The leaf.
The waiting.
The storm.
The jacket.
The voice calling its name.
It made its choice.
With a powerful swing of its tail—
It knocked the Poké Ball away.
Straight into Damian's face.
Damian panicked—
Threw multiple balls at once.
Charmander's eyes burned with clarity.
Flames gathered.
Flamethrower!
The fire consumed the Poké Balls—
And sent Damian fleeing in terror.
The past—
Severed.
Charmander walked forward.
Looked at Ash.
Ash knelt.
"Do you want to come with me?"
Charmander nodded.
A Poké Ball opened.
A soft click.
It didn't resist.
From that day forward—
The abandoned flame found its Trainer.
And the Trainer found his ace.
To read 30+ future chapters, head over to patreon:
patreon.com/ToastWizard