Charmeleon and Magmar both unleashed Flamethrower, but to Ash's surprise, Charmeleon's flames couldn't stand up to Magmar's at all. In a matter of moments, they were overpowered, and Magmar's flames struck Charmeleon's body.
Although as a Fire-type Pokémon Charmeleon could resist half the damage, the intense heat still made it wince and clutch its wound.
"As expected of the Cinnabar Gym, the second strongest in Kanto. Mr. Blaine was rumored to be a Fire-type Elite Four member of the Kanto League. To think that just a gym challenge could push one of Ash's few main Pokémon this hard," Brock marveled.
Perhaps unable to accept the reality of its defeat, the prideful Charmeleon ignored Ash's pleas and blindly charged at Magmar. Its right claw glowed white as it prepared to use Slash and engage in close combat.
"Charmeleon, don't be so reckless! At your current level, you can't take on Magmar!"
'Impossible! I can't be this weak!'
Hearing Ash's words, Charmeleon didn't stop. Instead, it pushed forward and rushed right in front of Magmar, showing no intention of backing down.
"Magmar, use Fire Punch!" Blaine commanded. Although he had been pleased with Ash's teamwork in the previous two matches, he was now dissatisfied with the performance of Ash and Charmeleon.
He hadn't expected the bond between them to be so fragile. They couldn't even entrust their faith to one another. What kind of Pokémon battle was this? It was just Charmeleon fighting recklessly on its own.
Magmar easily withstood Charmeleon's Slash attack. It looked with contempt at Charmeleon, who was exerting all its strength. Magmar's left fist, burning with scorching flames, struck Charmeleon's cheek with a single punch. The impact sent Charmeleon staggering back several steps, nearly losing its footing.
Undeterred, Charmeleon once again released flames, using Flamethrower on Magmar's body, only to find that the flames it was so proud of had no effect whatsoever.
It was no wonder. Magmar lived in lava year-round; ordinary high-temperature flames couldn't harm its body. This only served to highlight how weak Charmeleon's flames were.
"Magmar, use Flare Blitz!"
Magmar rushed in front of Charmeleon, preparing to ram it with its flame-wreathed head.
"Charmeleon, dodge it! You can't just take Magmar's Flare Blitz head-on!" Ash shouted desperately, wanting Charmeleon to concede.
But his words had the opposite effect. The extremely prideful Charmeleon refused to admit defeat. It stubbornly used Flare Blitz as well, intending to go head-to-head with Magmar.
Unfortunately, this was merely Charmeleon's delusion. After a single second of confrontation, Charmeleon's entire body was sent flying into the rock wall beyond the battlefield. The impact was so great that it was embedded in the rock, unable to break free.
Its consciousness fading, Charmeleon tried to struggle to its feet to fight, but in the end, its eyes swirled, and it lost its ability to battle.
"Charmeleon!"
Ash cried out worriedly. He rushed to Charmeleon's side and, ignoring the searing heat from its body, placed his hands on it, trying to pull it from deep within the rock wall.
Brock looked anxiously at the 'struggling' Ash, thinking it might be better for him to just take the Cinnabar Badge and not be so hung up on this battle.
"Ash, maybe we should…" Misty started to advise, her thoughts mirroring Brock's.
"Ash, if you choose to forfeit this match now, you can still take the Cinnabar Badge from me."
With that, Blaine took out the Cinnabar Badge from his pocket and presented it to Ash, letting the hesitant boy make a choice.
Seeing that he could get the badge directly, Ash lowered his head and struggled with his thoughts for a moment, unable to decide.
Confused, Ash looked up and saw Red on the opposite side give him a slow nod, his eyes filled with expectation.
Seeing this, Ash solidified his conviction and called out to Blaine across the field. "I'm sorry, Mr. Blaine! Compared to a badge you half-give me as charity, I'd rather earn the Cinnabar Badge with my own strength."
"Ash, you already won two rounds. According to the rules, you've earned the right to the Cinnabar Badge," Brock reminded him.
"I absolutely cannot back down now! If I retreat like this, how can I ever challenge the Indigo Conference I've dreamed of?!"
Ash immediately shot back, his eyes showing a firmness he had never displayed before.
His passionate words snapped the fainted Charmeleon back to consciousness. Charmeleon couldn't help but see its trainer in a new light, feeling that this was no longer the usual goofy, carefree kid.
Charmeleon looked down at Ash's burned hands. After feeling its body being pulled from the rock wall, it immediately understood what had happened.
At the sight, Charmeleon lowered its head in guilty silence. A memory surged, vivid and sharp: Ash, battered by a furious storm, shielding it from a flock of attacking Spearow. The boy had used his own raincoat, a flimsy shield against the rain, to desperately protect the flickering flame on its tail—the very flame that was its life. He had saved the stubborn Pokémon, carrying it all the way to the safety of the Pokémon Center.
Thinking of this, Charmeleon couldn't stop the tears of regret from falling. It felt it had been far too willful, constantly refusing to listen to Ash's commands just to prove its own strength, putting Ash in an embarrassing position so many times.
"Since you've experienced failure, now you must summon the courage to try and climb this seemingly insurmountable peak!"
Red walked over, placing a hand on Ash's shoulder to encourage him.
Seeing Red, the now determined Charmeleon looked with obsession at the Poké Ball on Red's waist, silently pleading for Red to send out his Pokémon to train it.
Although it had never witnessed Red's training firsthand, Charmeleon felt no fear. It wanted to become stronger, to help Ash earn Blaine's true recognition, not just win through two matches that felt like they were being thrown.
"It seems you two have pulled yourselves together."
At this, Red turned to look at Blaine on the other side.
"Mr. Blaine, I'll be borrowing the battlefield for a moment. I'd like to take this opportunity to train Ash's Charmeleon."
Hearing this, Blaine slowly nodded, granting Red's request.
With Blaine's permission, Red threw a Poké Ball from his waist and sent out his own Charizard.
Charizard's appearance on the field made the entire platform tremble. The powerful aura it faintly emanated was enough to make the previously smug Magmar tremble in fear.
Seeing this, Charmeleon once again learned the power of true strength. Even the faint pressure from just appearing on the field was enough to frighten the Magmar that had just dominated it.
It was because of this Charizard that Charmeleon had first wanted to evolve. Back at the Grand Canyon, Charmeleon had tried to force its evolution just to battle this Charizard, nearly burying its own talent in the process. Thankfully, Red and his Charizard had stopped it in time.
Recalling this, Charmeleon let out a breath of relief, realizing how its rash actions back then had nearly ruined its own future.