After leaving the Hidden Village where the Pokémon recovered, Paul and Melanie walked together all the way, which was pleasant. Paul tried his best to describe his elder brother Reggie, mentioning his gentle personality and strong skills as a breeder. After listening, Melanie looked forward to meeting him.
Walking and chatting, traveling during the day and camping at night, the Bulbasaur had also integrated into the team very well. It was now taking good care of the Pokémon Egg Paul gave him, tied securely with a Vine Whip.
The Bulbasaur seemed quite good at taking care of it, so Paul let him continue. As long as the incubator conditions were maintained, this egg would definitely hatch a very healthy Pokémon.
After traveling like this for another five or six days, Paul and Melanie were already close to Route 24. They could get there as long as they reached and crossed a hill.
Going straight along Route 24 would lead them to Vermilion City.
"Are you a little tired? Do you want to take a rest?" While walking, Paul turned his head and asked Melanie. * This is the potential partner I am finding for my brother, so I have to take care of her * Paul thought.
"I'm fine~ Wait, Paul, look!" Melanie pointed forward in surprise.
Paul looked along her finger, and it turned out that two trainers were battling on the side of the road.
"It doesn't matter, it's just a battle between trainers. Let's go and have a look."
Approaching the battle site, Paul frowned. It was actually a small Charmander fighting against a Poliwag.
It could be seen that the Poliwag's trainer was reasonably skilled, and the timing of using Water Gun and Defense Curl was appropriate. Charmander, who was originally at a disadvantage due to its type, was quickly defeated.
After collecting his winnings from the battle, the trainer wearing sunglasses, Damian, looked at his Charmander impatiently. Then, the scene that made Paul's eyes widen in anger happened.
Damian actually put his foot on the stomach of Charmander, who was already injured.
"You trash. You can't even win against a Poliwag, and you still follow me like this. Damn it, I get angry just looking at you!" Accompanied by insults, Damian yelled violently at the already scarred little Charmander.
"You bastard!" Paul spat, rushed up, and kicked Damian away.
"Hey! Which coward sneaked up on me!" Damian raised his head viciously, only to see Paul staring at him intensely.
"You actually abuse your Pokémon, you are such scum!!" Paul said in a low, angry voice.
He was sure now that this little Charmander must be the one that almost died before being picked up by Ash. He just didn't expect this scene to happen beforehand.
"Who are you calling scum?" Damian got up and asked.
"Scum is calling you scum!!" Paul was genuinely furious, but he caught himself as soon as the words came out. * Oh~ That's right, I used to be quite harsh too! *
Perhaps thinking of the Chimchar he would later train, Paul admitted his past mistakes to himself frankly. However, no matter how harsh Paul was, he still released the Pokémon he deemed unworthy properly.
This jerk, Damian, didn't release the Charmander. Later, he tricked Charmander into waiting for him in the wild, where it almost died on a stormy night. * This kind of person should not be a trainer! * Paul thought vehemently.
"Hmph. It's good you know you're scum. Let me tell you, this kind of trash Charmander, I can do whatever I want with it!"
After finishing speaking, Damian kicked the little Charmander again, "Get lost, don't cling to me anymore!!"
At this time, even Melanie couldn't bear to look anymore, and turned her head away sadly.
After Damian finished venting flamboyantly, he said to the little Charmander. "Don't follow me. If you really listen to me, you can stay here for me, understand!!"
The little Charmander got up stubbornly, wagged its tail weakly towards its trainer, and climbed up onto a nearby rock obediently, its sensible nature making one feel distressed.
Damian smiled, satisfied, then turned around and started to leave.
"Wait!" Paul's hand tightly gripped Damian's shoulder.
"Ah~ It hurts! What on earth are you trying to do!" Damian asked impatiently, a little afraid of Paul's intense gaze.
"You want to abandon your Pokémon?" Paul looked straight at Damian.
"So what? It's my Pokémon, if I want to give it up, I just give it up!" Damian retorted defiantly.
Smack! Paul grabbed Damian by the collar and pulled him close. "Set Charmander's Poké Ball to release mode. Since you want to throw it away, do it properly for me."
Damian frowned, "You are so annoying, you..."
"Do as I say!!" Paul said in a cold voice, "Otherwise~ I'll make you regret it!"
Damian's hair stood on end for a moment. He quickly took out Charmander's Poké Ball, adjusted it to the release function, recalled Charmander into the Poké Ball first, and then immediately released it again.
Accompanied by the light blue release light, Damian's imprinted trainer mark on Charmander completely disappeared.
"Okay?" Damian asked weakly.
"Get out," Paul let go of Damian, letting the other trainer flee the scene hastily.
"Paul, are you okay?" Seeing Paul so angry for the first time, Melanie looked at him worriedly.
"I'm fine, Miss Melanie, can I trouble you to bring me some Potion?" Paul first comforted Melanie, then took the medicine and walked towards Charmander.
After being released, the little Pokémon's eyes were filled with tears, and it stared blankly in the direction its trainer had left. Until Paul's big, warm hand touched the top of its head.
"Char?" Charmander looked up at Paul.
"Don't show such a weak expression. Being abandoned by a trainer can only mean that you were unlucky. Meeting a garbage trainer doesn't mean that you are bad." Although Paul's tone was serious, his words seemed to infiltrate the little Charmander's heart, which felt dry and neglected.
Not giving Charmander a chance to resist, Paul took out the Potion and began to treat its wounds. Although it stung a little, Charmander still lay obediently on the spot, allowing Paul to tend to it.
After treating all the wounds on Charmander's body, Paul sat on the rock and placed Charmander gently in his lap.
Charmander looked at Paul in a daze. Although this person was not his trainer, this hug felt so warm~ something it had never felt before from Damian, which made Charmander a little reluctant to struggle.
Touching Charmander's head, Paul's voice came clearly, "Is it sad to be abandoned?"
The little Charmander bowed its head, silently shedding two lines of clear tears.
Paul's hands brushed Charmander's cheeks from both sides, wiping away the tears, then held the corners of Charmander's mouth, pushing them up slightly. "Don't cry, losers smile, and don't bow your head, the crown will fall!"
Charmander raised his head slightly and saw Paul's determined chin.
"There are only rubbish trainers in this world, but there are no rubbish Pokémon. This is a truth a friend of mine taught me." Paul continued, recalling a scene from his past slightly. "So, it's not your fault for losing the battle, and it's not your fault for being abandoned. It's because he's blind."
Little Charmander looked at Paul blankly. Its world was really simple. As long as there was a trainer who could give it a home and keep it from starving, it was willing to do its best for that person, even if it meant being treated harshly, still sticking by them. It just wanted to be needed.
"Would you like to come with me?" Paul picked up Charmander, held it level in front of his eyes, and looked at it seriously.
"Do you want to become the strongest Charizard with me? Let those who look down on you and abandon you regret their actions for the rest of their lives!"
Charmander looked at Paul, hope flickering in its eyes. * Could it really do it? The strongest Charizard? *
"Can you trust me? I can see your hidden power. I believe that one day when you flap your wings and roar, you will burst out with the power to help crown me the champion!"
Charmander's eyes gradually became firmer, and it nodded seriously to Paul.
Paul took out a pristine white Premier Ball and placed it in front of Charmander. "Welcome to the team, Charmander. In the future, I'll be counting on you."
The little Charmander cried out happily, and slapped the switch of the Premier Ball, then turned into a burst of red light and entered it.
Paul picked up the Poké Ball and smiled at Melanie. "I've caught Charmander."
Melanie also smiled in relief. "Congratulations, Paul."
"Let's go, first find a Pokémon Center to give Charmander a comprehensive checkup and treatment."
His new partner Charmander had joined, and Paul's main Pokémon team officially reached six: Prinplup, Electabuzz, Pidgeotto, Cottonee, Bulbasaur, and Charmander.
In addition, there was an Egg of a mysterious Pokémon that had not yet hatched.
* It seems that when we arrive in Vermilion City, I need to call my brother first * Thinking about the arrangements for the Pokémon, Paul thought silently.
They stayed one night at the Pokémon Center nestled in the mountains. After all the Pokémon recovered, Paul and Melanie continued on their journey.