Chapter 92: Charmander in the Rain
Author here your gonna see the boss here so stay tuned
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Why is it raining again?" Ash muttered in frustration. He, Misty, and Brock were once again caught in a downpour as they made their way toward the Cerulean Strait. The heavy rain forced them to seek shelter quickly.
"I just checked the map. There's a Pokémon Center not far ahead. We can rest there," Brock said, shielding his face from the rain with his hand.
"A Pokémon Center out here?" Ash asked, surprised.
"Yes! Even though they're rare in the wild, some routes pioneered by the Pokémon League have Centers along the way, especially places like this with no towns or villages nearby," Misty explained.
Ash nodded in realization. It made sense now why Pokémon Centers seemed to pop up in remote locations in the anime.
"That's right. It's a relatively recent development. A few years ago, they didn't exist in the wild. With technology advancing so quickly, it's become cheaper to build them," Brock added.
"The Pokémon League wants to make things easier for Trainers. After all, more Trainers mean more support for the League."
As the three of them hurried through the rain toward the Pokémon Center, Ash suddenly stopped.
"Wait!"
He pointed to the roadside, where a Charmander was sitting on a rock, barely moving. It was surrounded by torrential rain but refused to leave.
"Is this... that Charmander from the original series?" Ash thought, momentarily confused as his memories from the anime grew fuzzy.
He couldn't recall exactly where in the story Ash had encountered Charmander.
"Why is there a Charmander out here?" Brock asked, eyes narrowing in concern as he and Misty turned to look. Brock's face quickly became serious.
Charmander was in a dire state. Its flame, a key indicator of its health, was nearly extinguished.
The small Pokémon was holding a large leaf over itself in a futile attempt to stay dry, but the wind-driven rain still splashed onto its tail, weakening the flame further.
"We need to help it!" Ash shouted, pulling Pikachu out of his arms. Pikachu, recognizing the gravity of the situation, was just as eager to act.
Without hesitation, Ash wrapped his coat around Charmander, paying special attention to its tail. He didn't care that the flame might burn his clothes—saving Charmander was his only concern.
Charmander stirred weakly in his arms, barely able to open its eyes. Through its blurred vision, it saw a figure holding it tightly.
In its fading consciousness, it mistook Ash for its trainer, feeling a sense of warmth and relief as it drifted back into sleep.
"Hang in there, Charmander!" Ash urged, holding the small Pokémon close. Misty and Brock shielded Ash from the rain with their jackets, and Pikachu anxiously ran beside them as they hurried toward the Pokémon Center.
After a few minutes of running, they finally saw the building ahead. It was small, perhaps only a couple hundred square meters in size, with a large 'P' signifying it was a Pokémon Center.
"There it is!" Misty exclaimed, a sense of relief washing over the group as they rushed inside.
Inside the lobby, a few Trainers had gathered, taking shelter from the storm. Some were resting while others looked on as Ash and his friends burst through the door, soaked and frantic.
"What's going on?" Nurse Joy asked, rushing over with Chansey. Her expression darkened as she noticed the unconscious Charmander in Ash's arms.
"Please, Nurse Joy! You have to help this Charmander. It's in really bad shape," Ash said, pulling back his coat to show Charmander's nearly extinguished tail flame.
"How could you let it get this bad?!" Nurse Joy scolded sharply. "You should have put it back in its Poké Ball!"
"It's not Ash's Pokémon! We found it on the side of the road like this," Misty quickly explained, not wanting Nurse Joy to misunderstand.
Nurse Joy paused, surprised. "I see... I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions," she said, her tone softening as she realized her mistake.
"Please, just save Charmander," Ash said, not concerned with the earlier misunderstanding. His only focus was making sure Charmander would be okay.
"Don't worry, I'll do everything I can," Nurse Joy promised. She took Charmander from Ash's arms and, with Chansey, hurried to the emergency room.
"Thank you for your hard work," said a staff member who had overheard the conversation. He handed Ash, Misty, and Brock towels to dry themselves off.
"Thank you," the trio said, wiping away the rain.
"It looks like the storm won't be letting up anytime soon," the staff member said kindly. "Let me get a dorm room ready for you to rest."
As the group dried off, Ash glanced around the lobby. His attention was drawn to a Trainer standing off to the side, looking panicked.
The Trainer seemed uneasy, and when he noticed Ash looking his way, he quickly averted his gaze and hurried toward the stairs.
"That guy... something's not right," Ash thought, narrowing his eyes.
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Adios