Thanks to Kazuki and Misty's efforts, Charmander was brought to the Pokémon Center just in time—his tail flame was on the verge of going out. But they made it. His life was saved.
Early the next morning, Nurse Joy walked over to the sofa and gently patted Kazuki's arm.
"Kazuki, Charmander… I think he has something he wants to say to you."
Kazuki immediately woke up. Misty, who had been sleeping with her head resting on Kazuki's arm, stirred awake along with him.
Rawr~
Charmander bent forward in a small bow to Kazuki and Misty, expressing his gratitude.
"Hey, Kazuki! He likes you! You should totally catch him now!" Misty excitedly shook Kazuki's arm.
But after giving thanks, Charmander turned around and left the Pokémon Center, walking back toward the same spot he had waited the night before.
"Huh? He's still going back to wait for that scumbag Trainer?" Misty leaned against Kazuki's shoulder, her expression falling.
Kazuki thought back to the original storyline, where Charmander had a change of heart. It was supposed to happen after Team Rocket showed up again and tried to catch Pikachu—Charmander had stepped in to help.
But Team Rocket was an unpredictable factor. Who knew if they'd actually show up today? Maybe they got beaten too badly and took a vacation somewhere—after all, Jessie and James weren't exactly hurting for cash.
Kazuki decided to take matters into his own hands. This wasn't just about the Fire-type item reward—there was also the possibility of a god-tier Pokémon item involved.
"Just catching him with a Poké Ball won't be enough. We have to make Charmander see for himself how rotten his so-called 'Trainer' really is."
"We need hard evidence of what Damian's really like."
"How do we get that?" Misty tilted her head, waiting for Kazuki's plan.
"Damian's a piece of work. This isn't the first time he's done something like this—and it won't be the last. All we need to do is beat him again, and he'll show his true colors."
Kazuki gave his Pokédex a little spin in his hand.
"Ohh! Got it!" Misty's eyes sparkled as she instantly understood Kazuki's plan.
After a brief strategy meeting, they decided Kazuki would disguise himself and confront Damian directly, while Misty would hide nearby and record everything.
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After researching Damian's usual route, they laid a trap for him.
When Damian passed by, Kazuki suddenly leapt out from the bushes.
"So, you're that Big-Fart Guy, huh?"
Wrapped tightly in a cloak and mask, Kazuki blocked Damian's path.
"Huh? What big fart? My name's Damian! Who the hell are you?" Damian scowled, annoyed.
"Whatever. I heard you've been catching a bunch of Pokémon just to show off—and even tossing them away when you get bored. Is that true?"
"Pfft! Yeah, and what of it?" Damian laughed arrogantly, hands on his hips. "I've got connections! I can get as many Pokémon as I want! You jealous?"
"But I don't just throw them away randomly—I only toss the trash! Like that useless Charmander I dumped recently. What a waste of time!"
"I pulled strings and called in favors to get it, thought it'd be some rare beast—what a joke!"
"…Wait, who the heck are you supposed to be, anyway? Some kind of masked weirdo?"
Kazuki had planned to coax a bit more out of him, but Damian, with a mouth like an unfiltered sewer pipe, blurted it all out in one go.
And a bonus—turns out all his Pokémon had been acquired through backdoor deals.
No wonder he'd tossed out a future Charizard-level powerhouse like it was nothing. The guy couldn't recognize value even if it bit him.
Time to give him what he deserved.
"No reason. I just don't like your face and feel like battling you."
"Hah! Perfect! I've been itching for a fight ever since I got scolded yesterday. You'll do nicely!" Damian grabbed a random Poké Ball.
"Go, Pidgeotto!"
Kazuki saw him throw out a Pidgeotto, so he responded in kind.
"Let's teach him a lesson, Pidgeotto!"
Kazuki's Pidgeotto landed, noticeably larger and more imposing than Damian's.
"Huh?" Damian blinked, immediately losing confidence. Even his voice lacked energy as he gave the command.
"Pidgeotto, use Gust…"
"Pidgeotto—use Hurricane!" Kazuki didn't hold back. With a single devastating move, Damian's Pidgeotto was blown away.
"Heh. So this is all you've got? You're the real trash here."
Kazuki dropped the line and turned to leave while Misty stayed hidden in the bushes, still filming.
Damian stood stunned for a moment, then clenched his fists and stormed over to his fainted Pidgeotto, launching into a furious tantrum.
"You piece of crap! Trash! You embarrassed me again!"
"Get lost! Just like that worthless Charmander—you're garbage too!"
Right there, in a perfect reenactment of his previous cruelty, Damian ditched Pidgeotto on the spot.
But this Pidgeotto had a temper. The moment the bond was officially severed, it flapped its wings with rage and slapped Damian across the face—twice—before soaring off into the sky.
"OWWW! OW OW OW!!"
Misty could hear Damian wailing in pain and felt completely satisfied inside.
With all of Damian's abuse caught clearly on camera, Misty slipped away from the bushes and went to regroup with Kazuki.