To be honest, Chen Ran felt that the upper limit of his god-tier Charmander was even higher than that of Ash's Charizard—or even Red's Charizard.
"Just the Solar Power Ability without drawbacks alone gives Charmander far greater sustained combat potential under equal conditions."
Charmander normally has two Abilities.
One is the familiar Blaze.
Its effect is simple: when HP drops below one-third, Special Attack increases by 1.5×.
Blaze is strong—
But the condition is harsh.
By the time HP falls below one-third, the Pokémon is already on the brink of defeat.
"Blaze provides a last-stand comeback."
"But Solar Power without drawbacks allows full-throttle combat from start to finish!"
If Solar Power still had its usual HP drain, it would merely be on par with Blaze.
But now—
Chen Ran's Charmander possessed a perfect Solar Power Ability.
"Alright, let's go get some exercise."
Chen Ran called out to Charmander.
Newly hatched Pokémon were bursting with energy and needed an outlet.
Battling, running, strength training—
All of it helped burn off excess stamina.
"Char!"
Charmander responded enthusiastically.
Training?
Of course!
How could anyone become strong without training?
Charmander's determination was sky-high.
Chen Ran washed up quietly, but still ended up waking his roommates.
"Damn—Boss, why are you up already?"
Ma Gang rubbed his eyes groggily.
"It's only five in the morning."
Wang Bo also woke up slowly.
Heh.
That's because you haven't seen the Jiangnan Pokémon University track at four a.m. yet.
"Going to train."
Chen Ran was already dressed.
Charmander stood ready as well.
"Want to come?"
As a Trainer, it wasn't enough to train Pokémon alone.
The Trainer's own physical condition had to keep up.
Otherwise, in the wild—
The Pokémon wouldn't even be tired yet, and the Trainer would already collapse. That would be embarrassing.
Not to mention—
Most secret realms in this world were filled with rugged terrain and towering mountains.
Stamina and endurance were essential.
And sometimes—
Running faster could mean surviving.
"I'm in!"
Ma Gang was fired up instantly.
"It's my first day as a Trainer—I can't be this lazy!"
As he spoke, he jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom wearing nothing but bright red underwear.
Seeing that, Wang Bo and Chen Xiang were also stirred into action.
"Then let's all go!"
Training was like that—
Doing it alone was the hardest.
With companions, motivation doubled and persistence came naturally.
Before long—
The four roommates of Taoyuan Dorm 427 appeared on the school track.
Summer sunrises came early.
They weren't the first ones there.
Several freshmen were already training with their Pokémon.
"Damn, someone beat us to it!"
Ma Gang looked at the people ahead, his face drooping.
A bit discouraged.
"It's already five-thirty."
Chen Ran glanced at his watch.
"Let's start. Train for an hour and a half, then breakfast."
The freshman field training was approaching fast.
Chen Ran was aiming for first place.
"Based on past rewards, first place always gets at least one starter Pokémon."
"Some previous years even had Dragon-type rewards."
"…"
Although he had the Flash Sale System, high-quality Pokémon were still rare.
System limits were strict:
Super God-tier refresh: once per year
Legendary-tier refresh: once every six months
Champion-tier refresh: once per month
And even that monthly Champion refresh wasn't guaranteed to produce a Pokémon.
So Chen Ran had to consider other ways of expanding his team.
"Let's go, little guys!"
He released Charmander and started jogging.
Newborn Pokémon weren't suited for high-intensity training yet—
But running was perfect.
"We can't fall behind either! Machop!"
Ma Gang released his Machop, its purple-tinted skin radiating enthusiasm.
"Hoo!"
Machop flexed proudly.
Zero stage fright.
"We're running, not showing off muscles!"
Ma Gang rolled his eyes.
"Hey!"
"Ho!"
You didn't say that earlier!
Machop immediately followed him onto the track.
Meanwhile—
Wang Bo released Meowth, and Chen Xiang released Lotad.
The group began running together.
Soon, nearby freshmen noticed a Charmander jogging effortlessly while sparks danced within its Ember.
Eyes widened instantly.
"That's the guy from Class 1 of the Battle Department!"
"The one who hatched a Charmander!"
"I'm so jealous…"
"…"
Among this year's freshmen—
Many came from wealthy families or elite backgrounds, already arranged to receive starter Pokémon.
But hatching a Charmander directly from the school's breeder house?
Only Chen Ran.
Because of that, his popularity rivaled even those elite freshmen with Gym Leader parents.
"So envious…"
"I want one too."
"Man, what a pity…"
"…"
By six o'clock, the track was crowded.
Freshmen trained everywhere, following school guidance to prepare for the upcoming field exercises.
Naturally—
Chen Ran and Charmander became the center of attention.
But everyone was civilized.
No provocation.
No harassment.
No nonsense.
When Chen Ran stopped to rest—
A beautiful girl in sportswear approached.
Beside her walked a Snivy.
"It's Wen Xiaoke."
Ma Gang elbowed Chen Ran, eyebrows wiggling.
At the start of the semester, Wen Xiaoke had openly confessed to Chen Ran, causing quite a stir.
But—
Chen Ran had never thought much about romance.
Instead, his gaze landed on the Snivy beside her—
With clear interest.