Chapter 27: Catching Charmander - Part 2
"Ash, has Charmander finished its treatment?" Brock asked Ash as he walked into the ward and saw Charmander lying on the hospital bed.
"Brock, Nurse Joy just finished treating Charmander," Ash replied, turning his head to look at Brock.
"Shh! Ash, Brock, keep your voices down! Charmander just fell asleep; don't wake it up," Misty whispered after hearing Brock and Ash talking. Hearing Misty, Brock and Ash both made 'OK' gestures with their hands.
"It's getting late now. Everyone should go get some sleep! Leave Charmander's care to me!" Brock whispered to the others after checking the time.
"Brock, we'll leave Charmander to you then. Girls can't stay up late, or they'll get dark circles under their eyes! Brock, I'm going to sleep. Good night!" Misty replied as she walked out of the ward.
"Good night, Brock!" Melanie and Daisy said their goodbyes to Brock and left the ward together.
"Brock, I'm going to sleep too! Bye-bye, good night!" Ash said after seeing the girls leave. After speaking, Ash lifted his foot as if intending to leave.
Seeing Ash about to leave, Brock quickly grabbed Ash's clothes and said, "Ash, slow down! Don't you still want Charmander?"
Hearing Brock, Ash put his raised foot back down and replied doubtfully, "Yes, I do! What's wrong?"
"If you want Charmander, then stay here with me and help take care of it," Brock said.
Hearing Brock, Ash replied pitifully, "Alright! But Brock... Charmander doesn't know its trainer abandoned it yet. Looking at its personality, it probably won't let itself be caught. What should we do?"
Hearing Ash, Brock said, "Ash, why are you so dense!" Then Brock whispered a few words into Ash's ear.
"Brock... will that method really work?" Ash asked doubtfully after hearing Brock's idea.
"Ash, trust me, it'll definitely work," Brock replied confidently.
"Okay... I'll try it. But Brock, if this method doesn't work, you have to compensate me with a Charmander!" Ash said, still sounding a bit unconvinced.
"Don't worry! This plan will definitely work!" Brock encouraged Ash.
Hearing Brock's reassurance, Ash didn't say anything more and just stayed by Charmander's side to look after it. But Ash still thought, Can this method really work? An unknown amount of time passed, and eventually, both Ash and Brock fell asleep leaning against the side of the hospital bed. When they woke up, it was already the next day.
"Ash, wake up!" Brock said, gently shaking Ash who was still asleep there.
Woken up by Brock's shaking, Ash rubbed his eyes and asked impatiently, "Brock, what is it?"
"Ash, it's morning! Time to get up, brush your teeth, wash your face, and eat breakfast," Brock replied.
Hearing Brock, Ash mumbled an "Oh," then stood up and walked out of the ward. Seeing Ash leave the ward, Brock was about to follow.
Just then, the Charmander lying on the hospital bed woke up and cried out, "Char~ Mander~". Brock saw Charmander wake up and say something, but he couldn't understand its words. So, he decided to take Charmander with him to meet up with Ash and the others, because Meowth was there and could translate.
"Brock, why did you bring Charmander out? Shouldn't it be resting in the hospital bed right now?" Misty asked, seeing Charmander following behind Brock. Hearing Misty, Brock explained what had happened.
"Meowth, come talk to Charmander for a bit and translate what it said earlier," Brock asked Meowth.
Hearing Brock, Meowth walked over beside Charmander and replied, "Okay, Brock!" He then chatted with Charmander, "Meow~ Meow~ Meow~". Charmander replied, "Char~ Mander~".
"Brock! Charmander says: Didn't you guys say you would take it to find its trainer? Hurry up and take it to find its trainer now!" Meowth translated.
Hearing Meowth's translation, Brock said, "Meowth, tell it that after we finish breakfast, we'll take it to find its trainer." After speaking, Brock thought, Where am I supposed to find that bastard for Charmander?! He left yesterday!
Hearing Brock, Meowth explained the situation to Charmander. Charmander listened to Meowth and agreed. Half an hour later, Brock and the others finished their breakfast. Then they took Charmander out to "find its trainer" – that person named Damian Oak.
Brock's group, along with Charmander, walked out of the Pokémon Center. They headed in the direction they expected to find Damian. As they were walking, suddenly four or five adults blocked their path. Three boys emerged from the middle of the group. Yes, it was Damian Oak and his two companions, the ones Brock had confronted yesterday.
Seeing Damian Oak, Charmander happily ran towards him, crying out "Char~ Mander~ Char~ Mander~" along the way. As Charmander reached Damian's side, Damian looked down at it, then sneered at Brock's group, "Isn't this the Charmander I abandoned? It couldn't even beat a Water-type Poliwag! You guys actually want a Pokémon like this?"
"Nonsense! Charmander is very strong!" Ash retorted angrily, unable to stand Damian's words.
Hearing Ash, Damian said, "Right now, I don't care about this Charmander. If you want it, catch it. But that guy stays here!" As Damian spoke, he pointed his finger directly at Brock.
"Kid! You've got some nerve! Growing up, no one has ever dared to talk back to me or grab my clothes! You're the only one who's dared treat me like this! Today, I'll make sure you face serious consequences!" Damian pointed at Brock and spoke angrily. He then turned to the surrounding adults and ordered, "In a minute, beat the shit out of him for me!"
Hearing Damian, those adults replied loudly, "Yes, Young Master! We'll definitely get it done!"
Hearing the adults' reply, Damian Oak nodded repeatedly and said, "My family didn't support you for nothing! If you perform well, I'll ask my grandpa to reward you when I get home!"
Just then, Charmander, seeing Damian ignoring it, started jumping up and down in front of Damian's eyes, still crying out, "Char~ Mander~ Char~ Mander~". Damian looked down at the jumping Charmander, walked over impatiently, kicked Charmander, and yelled, "You useless piece of trash! Get lost! Just looking at you annoys me!"
Damian's kick knocked Charmander down. Charmander looked up at its trainer, realizing Damian hated it and had even kicked it. It started crying and ran behind Brock and the others.
Witnessing this, Brock said sternly, "Damian Oak! What do you think you're doing?! If you don't like Charmander, don't kick it! Pokémon feel pain too!"
Hearing Brock, Damian replied, "I'm not doing much, just didn't like looking at Charmander! Now, it's your turn!" Damian then turned to the surrounding adults and commanded, "It's your turn to go! Don't kill him; I still want him to kowtow and apologize to me!"
Hearing Damian, those adults replied, "Alright, Young Master!"
At that moment, those adults started walking towards Brock and his group. Seeing the adults approach, Brock took out a Poké Ball.
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