Watching the scene before him, Alex Drake's long-sealed memories slowly resurfaced.
If he wasn't mistaken, this Charmander was most likely Ash's future ace, Charizard—the one who never fought nameless opponents.
Although he hadn't really followed the anime later on due to certain reasons, the experiences of his most beloved Pokémon were undoubtedly etched deepest in Alex's mind.
Alex pondered to himself, "So now I know where I am. It should be that utopian world from the anime. This world is still very harmonious, and everyone has the Super Pallet Town physique, so there should be nothing to fear."
He just didn't know how long it would be until Ash arrived here. According to the original plot, it would probably still be some time. It seemed like this was the period when that guy abandoned Charmander.
The young man named Dylan Hayes said he would come back to pick up Charmander, but if you carefully observed his expression and demeanor, it wasn't hard to see that he was actually deceiving Charmander.
Perhaps Charmander wasn't unable to see through Dylan's disguise, but rather had infinite trust in its Trainer.
So Charmander sat obediently on this rock, its eyes fixed on the direction its Trainer had departed.
What Charmander didn't know was that as soon as Dylan disappeared from its sight, he looked back in Charmander's direction with disgust.
Finally, he took out Charmander's Poké Ball from his bag, dropped it with a 'clink,' and crushed it underfoot.
"I don't want such a weak Charmander!"
These were Dylan's final words.
Although Charmander couldn't hear them, Alex, who was nearby, heard them clearly.
The coldness and selfishness of this bastard were truly incomprehensible, and his actions were equally chilling. If he had simply released it, it wouldn't have been so infuriating, but this bastard also gave Charmander hope. He didn't know if this Charmander was too naive, but it truly chose to wait to its death.
Thinking of what happened to this Charmander later, if it hadn't been for good luck—encountering Ash and his companions at the last moment—it really might have died in the stormy night.
Charmander was innocently abandoned in that wilderness, waiting for an uncertain fate.
No one knew what this Charmander would encounter next, or when Ash would arrive. What if they didn't pass this intersection? Would this Charmander still be able to survive the stormy night?
At this thought, Alex's anger flared, and he lunged toward Dylan.
Before Dylan and his companions could react, he didn't hesitate, gathering all his strength and landing a fierce punch on Dylan's cheek.
The moment Dylan was hit, his body sharply tilted backward, and he fell heavily to the ground, scattering many Poké Balls.
"Are you going to abandon the Pokémon that fought alongside you? If you're going to abandon it, then abandon it! But you actually made the captured Pokémon wait here. They might wait until they die—do you even realize that?" Alex straddled Dylan and unleashed a barrage of wild punches, speaking as he did so.
Dylan was beaten helplessly, only able to endure Alex's fists raining down on him, letting out muffled groans. His face was filled with pain, his eyes flickering with a hint of anger and struggle. His left hand reached for a Poké Ball that had fallen nearby, and he tossed it into the air.
The Poké Ball landed, and a Pokémon appeared by the roadside, wearing light purple samurai armor, with a brown body, leaf-like hair on its head, and red boxing gloves on its hands.
At that exact moment, Dylan's companions also snapped back to reality and rushed forward to pull Alex away.
"Idiot, where did this lunatic come from? So what? A Pokémon's strength is everything! If you don't want to die, you just have to become stronger! Besides, I can abandon my own Pokémon if I want to. If it wasn't so clingy, why would I need to make it wait there? You dare to attack me for that reason? Are you tired of living?! Bring out your Pokémon! I'm going to teach you a good lesson, Hitmonchan!" Dylan, who had just stood up, said hatefully.
Alex secretly sized up the Hitmonchan before him. Its fists, as large as sandbags, made him feel a little apprehensive. He had been careless; where would he get a Pokémon? He didn't even have a single Poké Ball, but his imposing manner absolutely couldn't falter, otherwise, something big would happen!
"Isn't it a Trainer's responsibility to make their Pokémon stronger? Don't both sides achieve greatness together, step by step, until they reach the strongest? What Pokémon? I'm enough to teach you a lesson myself." Alex clenched his fists.
"You, a person without even a Pokémon, dare to lecture me? You're enough to handle it yourself, huh? Hitmonchan, go! Be careful with your strength—don't kill him." Dylan looked Alex over. His ordinary appearance clearly showed he wasn't someone to be trifled with, let alone without a Pokémon.
With that, Hitmonchan flashed forward, appearing before Alex, and with lightning speed, delivered a punch directly to Alex's abdomen.
In an instant, Alex felt as if his internal organs were tightly squeezed together. He tried to breathe but couldn't catch his breath. He was like a broken puppet, limply collapsing to the ground.
Holy crap, you damn alpaca, there's something wrong with this world! How dare he directly command a Pokémon to attack a person? Is commanding a Pokémon to directly attack people allowed in the Pokémon world? What happened to the Super Pallet Town physique, a must-have for time travelers? Alex had to try his best to distract his mind to alleviate the pain.
After more than ten seconds, before Alex could recover, Dylan walked straight over to Alex and stepped on his face.
"Weren't you brave just now? Weren't you capable? You don't even have a Pokémon, yet you dare to shout here. Hahaha, I get it—only trash pities trash. No wonder you stood up for that Charmander. You want to be a hero, huh? I'll grant your wish. Hitmonchan, beat him up." Dylan said fiercely.
Hitmonchan slowly approached Alex, delivering punch after punch, raining down on Alex's body. Each blow brought a sharp pain, and a trace of blood spilled from Alex's lips. Enduring this beating, he instinctively raised his hands to protect his head, but it couldn't fully block the fierce attacks.
However, Dylan showed no intention of making Hitmonchan stop. Alex's eyes also became increasingly hazy. He tried to resist, but the result was predictable: only a more forceful beating.
Alex could only grit his teeth and curl up as much as possible.
A few minutes later... "Alright, Dylan, we're by the roadside now. What if someone passes by later and sees you commanding a Pokémon to attack someone? There will be trouble. You've vented your anger; he's just an idiot." Dylan's companion cast a contemptuous glance at Alex and reminded him.
"Pah, you're lucky today. I'll let you off the hook this time, you trash. Next time you see me, you better walk the other way."
After saying that, Dylan spat on the ground in disdain, then took his companions and walked toward the next intersection.
"I was careless. I thought even without a cheat, I'd at least have a Super Pallet Town physique. Not to mention punching Mewtwo or kicking Groudon, dealing with a small Pokémon shouldn't be a problem. This is... I wanted to vent some anger for Charmander, or at the very least, comfort it. But they actually brought out a Pokémon directly. Now it seems that the moral bottom line of people in this world is far more flexible than I imagined. Indeed, when a fairy tale approaches reality, it ceases to be a fairy tale."
After Dylan and the others left, Alex crawled to a nearby rock, leaned against it, and felt the pain in his body. After a while, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Half an hour later... Alex slowly stood up and walked toward the spot where Dylan had fallen, beginning to search in the roadside grass. After about ten minutes of careful searching, he finally found three red-and-white Poké Balls in three inconspicuous patches of grass.
Alex gazed at the Poké Balls in his hand, pondering, "This beating wasn't in vain. Although I suffered some superficial injuries, I still gained something. It's good that when those guys picked up their balls, they focused all their attention on the Poké Balls containing Pokémon, leaving some for me."
Alex silently put the Poké Balls into his pocket and turned to walk in Charmander's direction.
From a distance, Charmander was still sitting there alone, its eyes revealing endless confusion and sadness, foolishly staring into the distance, as if hoping for that scoundrel Dylan to return and take it away.
What should he do now? Should he send this Charmander to the Pokémon Center? They should accept abandoned Pokémon, right? Alex pondered, thinking this seemed like a relatively safe method.
However, looking at Charmander's expression, it seemed to still be bitterly waiting for that scoundrel Dylan, so it would probably be difficult to persuade it in a short time. But he couldn't just let Charmander stay in this desolate wilderness; that would be too dangerous.
Sigh, Charmander should be fine for a while. The immediate priority is to go to a nearby town, understand the situation, and then bring back some food and Potions. Alex looked at Charmander's figure on the rock, thought for a moment, and then turned to walk toward the nearby town.
Twenty minutes later... Boom!
Deafening thunder suddenly boomed in the sky, like a clap from a clear sky.
The already dim and gloomy sky now began to drizzle.
Fine rain intertwined, forming a hazy curtain that enveloped the entire world.
The chill swept over like a tide, interrupting Alex's thoughts.
Cold wind howled, rustling the leaves... No way, this isn't good. Charmander...
(End of Chapter 2)