Chapter 31: Provocation! Charmander's Revenge!
Kenji stroked his chin, pondering how to help his Magikarp take that final, crucial step toward evolution. After a few moments, an idea sparked in his mind.
With a plan formed, it was time to put it into action. He left Magikarp to continue its relentless training in the pool and headed to one of the other training fields.
...
Inside, Charmander was practicing its aim, spitting out small bursts of fire. Hovering in the air were dozens of colorful balloons, tossed about randomly by artificial wind currents. One after another, Charmander's Ember attacks struck true, popping the balloons with satisfying pips and pops.
Melody stood off to the side, quietly supervising her partner's training. She noticed Kenji approaching out of the corner of her eye.
"Huh? Kenji? What are you doing here?" she asked, turning to face him as he walked up.
Kenji glanced at the focused Charmander, then leaned in close to Melody, whispering his plan.
As she listened, Melody's expression shifted to surprise. She looked back at her Charmander, still diligently popping balloons.
"After Charmander finishes training, we can ask if it's willing," Kenji added. "If not, that's okay too."
Melody nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Mm-hmm. Knowing Charmander's personality, though, I doubt it'll refuse."
A short while later, Charmander finished its practice session. It trotted off the field and immediately dove into Melody's arms, rubbing its little face against her chest and letting out adorable, attention-seeking cries.
Melody picked it up, stroking its head. "Alright, alright, settle down. Go say hi to Kenji."
Charmander looked up, scratched its head shyly, then turned to Kenji and gave a small wave.
"Char-char~"
Seeing the cute little Pokémon greet him, Kenji couldn't help but smile genuinely. He reached out and gently tapped his finger against Charmander's tiny claw. But he hadn't forgotten his purpose. He crouched down slightly to meet its eye level.
"Hey, Charmander," he said softly. "Could I ask you for a favor? It's okay to say no if you don't want to."
"Char?" Charmander tilted its head, looking confused. It glanced up at Melody, who gave a slight nod, then looked back at Kenji and nodded its own little head.
Seeing it agree, Kenji slowly explained his plan.
As he finished, Charmander's eyes lit up. It nodded vigorously, waving its arms and letting out a series of determined chirps, as if to say, Leave it to me!
With Charmander enthusiastically on board, the first step of his plan was complete. Kenji let out a sigh of relief.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was lunchtime.
As usual, Kenji took out the Pokéblocks he had prepared for Magikarp and poured them into its dedicated food bowl by the side of the pool.
"Magikarp! Time for a break! Lunch is ready!"
But, just like every other day, the Magikarp ignored him. It continued to battle against the powerful currents in the training pool, pushing its body to the limit.
Kenji just sighed, used to its obsessive behavior.
Just then, Melody walked over from another training area, her Charmander trotting beside her. The two humans and the fire lizard exchanged knowing glances. Kenji and Melody sat down side-by-side and started eating their own lunches.
Charmander, meanwhile, grabbed its own food bowl with its short arms, plopped down right next to Magikarp's bowl, and began stuffing its face, shoveling Pokéblocks into its mouth with both claws.
Kenji pretended to eat, but he was secretly watching the Magikarp out of the corner of his eye.
Finally, long after Charmander was already halfway done with its meal, the exhausted Magikarp slowly swam over to the edge of the pool.
As it approached, Charmander, while still eating, subtly shifted its tail, positioning the flame-tipped end right in front of Magikarp's bowl.
Magikarp flopped out of the water and onto the poolside. Its dead fish eyes blinked in mild confusion when it saw Charmander eating next to its spot. Their first meeting hadn't exactly been friendly, and this was the first time they'd eaten side-by-side.
But Magikarp didn't seem to care. It hopped its body closer to its food bowl.
Just as it leaned in to take its first bite, a sly glint appeared in Charmander's large eyes. With a sudden flick, its tail whipped out and smacked Magikarp's bowl hard, sending it flying through the air.
CLANG!—
The bowl landed with a splash in the middle of the pool. The Pokéblocks scattered everywhere, raining down onto the floor.
Plip, plop...
A few stray blocks landed on Magikarp's head. Its eyes went wide, staring in utter disbelief at the empty space where its lunch had been. Its pink lips opened and closed silently, as if it couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
"Char-char! Char-char-char!"
Seeing Magikarp's stunned reaction, Charmander seemed to feel its earlier grievance had been avenged. It threw its head back and burst into laughter, its big eyes crinkling shut as it clutched its belly with its short arms.
Watching the scene unfold, Kenji's eye twitched. This looks less like acting and more like genuine payback.
His plan was simple: use the small grudge Charmander held against Magikarp from their first encounter to provoke the fish into the intense rage needed for evolution. He hadn't expected Charmander to be this cooperative, or for the plan to work this well.
Now, it all depended on Charmander's performance.
Kenji continued eating, pretending not to notice, while secretly observing the situation.
After a few moments, the shock finally wore off. Magikarp's dead fish eyes narrowed, locking onto the laughing Charmander. Pure fury began to build within it.
Charmander, completely unafraid, just chirped a few more times. Kenji didn't know what it was saying, but judging by Magikarp's reaction, it wasn't anything nice. The instant Charmander finished speaking, Magikarp launched itself off the ground, aiming a desperate Tackle straight at the fire lizard.
Charmander, having anticipated this, easily hopped aside on its short legs, dodging the clumsy attack.