Chapter 3: An Unexpected Encounter
[Fula City – Wind Festival]
The streets of Fula City were bustling with life. The festival was in full swing, with people laughing, eating, and enjoying the breeze.
Weaving through the crowd was an eight-year-old girl with bright magenta hair tied back with a yellow bow.
She wore a pink jumper dress over a white cape-like shirt. She was running, clearly in a hurry to get somewhere.
She took a sharp turn into a narrower path to save time.
Thud! "Ah!"
In her haste, she collided straight into three boys. They were carrying a small cart filled with crates of lemons and lemonade. Beside them walked a small, blue elephant-like Pokémon—a Phanpy.
Clatter… Thump… Roll…
The impact knocked the crate, sending several bright yellow lemons spilling onto the cobblestone ground.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" one of the boys, Miles, shouted angrily. "Look what you did! You dropped our lemons. How are we supposed to sell lemonade now?"
"Boss, calm down," the second boy, Townes, whispered nervously, nudging him. "That's Margo… she's the Mayor's daughter."
Margo adjusted her dress and bowed her head slightly. "I'm really sorry. I was in a bit of a hurry," she said politely.
"Sorry isn't going to cut it!" Miles snapped, ignoring his friend's warning. "You have to pay the price for ruining our business!"
In a fit of rage, Miles grabbed a cup of lemonade from the cart. "Take this!"
Whoosh!
He hurled the cup straight at Margo.
Margo flinched and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the sticky splash.
But the cold liquid never hit her. When she didn't feel anything, she slowly opened her eyes. Standing directly in front of her was a boy wearing a red and white cap.
On his shoulder sat a yellow electric mouse Pokémon. The boy had caught the cup of lemonade mid-air with one hand, not spilling a drop.
It was me.
"Who do you think you are?" Miles barked, glaring at me. "Why are you interfering in our business?"
"Who I am isn't important," I replied calmly, holding the cup steady. "But she already apologized to you. Why couldn't you just accept it and let it go?"
"I can't just let it go!" Miles argued. "She ruined our business! Hoyt, tell Phanpy to attack!"
"Right, boss!" Hoyt commanded. "Phanpy, use Rollout!"
"Phan!"
The small elephant Pokémon curled into a ball and began to spin rapidly.
Vrrrrmmm!
It gathered speed, charging straight toward Pikachu and me.I sighed internally. 'Everyone in this world wants to fight to solve their problems. Why can't they just talk it out?'
"Pikachu," I said calmly. "Dodge it."
"Pika!" As the spinning Phanpy closed in, Pikachu simply jumped into the air, gracefully flipping over the attack.
Whoosh! Phanpy, unable to stop its momentum, kept rolling forward—straight into Miles.
Bonk! "Oof!" Miles grunted as his own Pokémon crashed into his stomach, knocking him over.
"Phanpy, use Tackle! Get them!" Hoyt yelled in a panic. Shaking off the dizziness, Phanpy charged toward Pikachu again.
I shook my head. "End this, Pikachu. Iron Tail."
"Pika… CHU!"
Pikachu leaped high into the air. His tail glowed with a metallic silver light. He spun and slammed his tail down onto the charging Phanpy.
Wham!The force was overwhelming. Phanpy was smashed into the wooden cart.
Crash!
"Phanpy…" The Pokémon groaned, swirls appearing in its eyes as it fainted.
Seeing their Pokémon defeated so easily, the three boys panicked.
"Let's get out of here!" "Run!"
"We'll get you for this!" they yelled, turning to flee.
"Go, Charizard. Don't let them escape."
I tossed a Poké Ball into the air.
Pop!
ROAAAAR!
A massive, orange dragon materialized with a deafening roar. Charizard flew over the boys' heads and landed heavily in front of them, blocking their path.
Thud!
The ground shook slightly as Charizard landed. The three boys froze, trembling in fear as the giant dragon loomed over them, smoke curling from its nostrils.
"Listen," I said, walking up to them. "I'm not doing this to be mean. But you guys chose to fight first. Most problems can be solved just by talking, you know?"
Margo stepped forward from behind me. "He's right," she said softly. "It was my mistake too. I'll ask my father to pay for the lemons I ruined."
"See?" I smiled at the boys.
"Communication solves everything."
The three boys looked at Margo, then at the terrifying Charizard, and realized their mistake.
"We're sorry, Margo," Miles said, hanging his head. "We started fighting without thinking."
"Sorry," the other two chimed in.
"It's okay," Margo smiled.
Since the conflict was resolved, I decided to properly introduce myself.
"I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Ash.
This is my partner, Pikachu, and that big guy is Charizard."
"Pika, Chu!" Pikachu waved.
"Graaarr," Charizard grunted in acknowledgment.
"Thank you for helping me, Ash," Margo said with a bright smile. "I'm Margo. By the way, are you here for the Wind Festival?"
"Sort of," I nodded. "Actually, I'm on a journey to the Johto region.
This is just the first city I've stopped at."
Margo's eyes widened with admiration.
"That's amazing! You're traveling all alone? I wish I could go on a journey, but I'm not ten years old yet." She looked at me with sparkling, slightly jealous eyes.
Eventually, the three boys picked up their fainted Phanpy and waved goodbye, hurrying off.
"Bye-bye!" Margo waved to them, and then turned to me. "I have to go too. Thanks again, Ash!"
With that, she ran off, disappearing into the festival crowd.
As Margo disappeared into the crowd, a sudden realization struck me.
'Wait, I completely forgot to give Charizard the reward I just got.'
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the shimmering, multi-colored stone—the Charizardite X.
Charizard, who was still standing beside me, immediately lowered his massive head. His sharp eyes locked onto the stone in my palm.
He sniffed the air, sensing a strange but familiar energy radiating from it.
"Groooaaar?" (Ash, what is that? I feel… a sensation similar to my own energy coming from it.) Charizard asked, a low rumble vibrating in his chest.
Understanding his expression perfectly, I smiled. "Charizard, this is a Mega Stone. It allows you to undergo a final evolution temporarily."
Charizard tilted his head, confused. He flexed his wings and looked at himself.
"Char?" (Final evolution? But I am already fully evolved. There is nothing after this.)
"That's what most Pokémon think," I shook my head, my tone turning serious as I explained the lore.
"Listen, Charizard. In ancient times, your species didn't just have one final form. There were two evolutionary branches—we call them Charizard X and Charizard Y."
I paused, watching his reaction.
"Back then, a Charmeleon could evolve into either of them. Charizard X was a dual-type: Fire and Dragon. Charizard Y was Fire and Flying.
However, as the environment changed over thousands of years, those specific evolutions were lost. The Charizard species today is a mix of both, which is why you are Fire and Flying type."
Charizard's eyes widened in shock. Smoke puffed from his nostrils as he processed the information.
"Graaa!?" (I had two evolutions? And one of them was a Dragon type? You mean my ancestors were true Dragons?)
He looked at me with intense longing. Like many Charizards, he had always held pride in his dragon-like appearance, despite not actually being a Dragon-type.
"Yes," I nodded. "And this stone... it can awaken that dormant bloodline within you."
I held the stone out to him. "Here. Take it."
Charizard reached out with his claw and carefully took the Mega Stone.
Vooom…
The moment the stone touched his skin, a faint pulse of energy rippled through the air. Charizard didn't evolve yet
I didn't have the Key Stone activated but just holding the stone triggered a reaction. He placed it securely within his scales (equipping it in his 'Held Item' slot).
Charizard closed his eyes. He could feel a surge of raw, ancient power flowing through his veins. It wasn't the usual fire energy; it was something wilder, deeper. It was Dragon energy.
He roared at the sky, feeling stronger than he ever had before.
ROAAAAAR!
Curious about the change, I mentally commanded, 'System, show me Charizard's status.'
[ Ding! ]
A blue holographic panel appeared before my eyes.
[ Pokémon: Charizard ]
[ Type: Fire / Flying ]
[ Skills: Flamethrower, Leer, Rage, Slash, Ember, Fire Spin, Submission, Seismic Toss, Mega Punch, Dragon Rage, Take Down, Tackle ]
[ New Skills Acquired: ]
* Dragon Breath (Just Learned)
* Overheat
* Dragon Tail (Just Learned)
* Dragon Dance (Just Learned)
[ Held Item: Charizardite X ]
My jaw dropped slightly.
"Wow, Charizard... I didn't expect this. Just by carrying the Mega Stone, your dormant genes awakened. You instantly learned three new Dragon-type moves!" I exclaimed in amazement.
Charizard opened his eyes, which now seemed to glow with a fiercer intensity. He puffed out his chest, looking down at me with immense pride.
"Char!" (I feel the power of the Dragon!)
He raised his head high, letting out a confident snort of smoke.
To be continued...