Ash woke to the smell of antiseptic and warm metal.
For a moment, he thought he was dreaming. His body felt heavy, wrapped in a dull ache that pulsed every time he tried to move. Light filtered through a canvas roof above him, not the ceiling of his room back home.
He blinked.
The forest clearing came back to him in pieces. The cages. The truck. The fire in that Charizard's eyes.
"You're awake."
Ash turned his head slowly. The girl from before sat nearby, kneeling beside a large orange shape that filled most of the space beneath the tent. The Charizard lay on its side now, breathing steadily. Thick white bandages were wrapped carefully around its injured wing.
Ash pushed himself up on his elbows. "The Charizard…?"
"It's stable," she said. "The wing's torn, but not broken. Flying is out of the question for a while."
Ash exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Thank you," he said. "For saving us."
She glanced at him, studying him the way researchers studied fossils or rare stones. "You saved them first. You stood in front of a Charizard without a Pokémon."
Ash scratched the back of his head. "I didn't really think about it."
"That's obvious," she said, not unkindly.
She stood and brushed dirt from her pants. "My name's Maya. I'm apprenticing under Professor Oak. He sent me out when you didn't arrive."
Ash's eyes widened. "Professor Oak?" He sat up straighter, then winced. "I was supposed to meet him today. I overslept and then I—"
"And then you walked into a smuggling operation," Maya finished. "Yes. Oak will have opinions."
Ash groaned. "I'm in so much trouble."
Maya almost smiled.
They waited until the Charizard stirred. Its eye opened, sharp and alert despite the bandages. It tried to rise immediately, teeth bared, a low rumble building in its chest.
"Easy," Maya said calmly, holding her ground. "No one here is chaining you."
The Charizard froze. Slowly, it settled back down, though its gaze never left Ash.
"I think it understands," Ash said quietly.
"It understands more than you think," Maya replied. She crouched near the injured wing, careful not to touch it. "This isn't just physical damage. Pokémon don't react like this unless something deeper's wrong."
"Like what?"
"Abandonment," she said after a moment. "Or betrayal."
Ash looked at the Charizard again. At the scars beneath the grime. At the way it kept its head high even while lying injured.
"He was sold," Maya continued. "Or discarded. Strong Pokémon don't end up in cages unless someone decided they were worth more as property than as partners."
Ash's hands curled into fists.
"We're taking it to the lab," Maya said. "Oak has better equipment. And… answers."
The walk back to Pallet Town was slow.
The Charizard refused a Poké Ball when Maya offered. It also refused to be carried. In the end, it walked under its own power, wing dragging slightly, tail flame burning low but steady.
Ash stayed close. Not touching. Not speaking much.
When Pallet Town came into view, Professor Oak was already outside his lab, hands clasped behind his back, eyes sharp with concern.
"Ash Ketchum," Oak said as they approached. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"I'm sorry, Professor," Ash said quickly. "I didn't mean to be late. I just—"
Oak stopped short when he saw the Charizard.
His expression changed completely.
"Well," he said slowly. "That explains everything."
Inside the lab, the Charizard was examined thoroughly. Machines hummed. Lights flashed. Oak moved with practiced care, speaking softly as he worked.
"The wing will heal," Oak said at last. "But trust takes longer than tissue."
Ash leaned forward. "Can you help him?"
Oak looked at Ash over his glasses. "That depends. Help how?"
Ash didn't hesitate. "However he needs."
The Charizard shifted, watching him closely.
Oak sighed, long and thoughtful. "Ash… I had three Pokémon prepared for you today. A proper beginning. What you've brought me instead is something far more complicated."
Ash swallowed.
"I know I'm just starting," he said. "But I don't want to start by walking away."
Silence filled the lab.
Maya watched Oak carefully.
At last, the professor straightened. "We'll talk in the morning," he said. "Both of you should rest."
Ash nodded, exhausted.
As the lights dimmed, the Charizard closed its eye again. Not in trust. Not yet.
But it stayed.
And somewhere in the quiet hum of the lab, a different kind of beginning waited to be named.
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T/N:
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