Chapter 3

Waking up in a sweat-soaked sleeping bag, Emmet can't help but mock himself. "Ah, yes, letting a fire-breathing Pokemon sleep in the tent. What a brilliant idea, Emmet. No risk of asphyxiation whatsoever!" Not that he would let her stay outside as a huge storm washed over the forest, but he could have put her back on the pokeball instead of asking if she wanted to sleep inside the tent.

Hearing Charmander's call, Emmet turns to see her pointing at her belly while he's in the middle of brushing his teeth. "Mmmhmm!" he manages to say with the toothbrush still in his mouth, giving her a thumbs-up. They both tuck into their breakfast—Poke rations for Charmander and nutritional bars for him.

Emmet busily packs up the camping supplies—or rather, he tries to. Charmander, displaying a degree of haughty finesse, points out various items he's forgotten. She rolls her eyes each time, amused by his so-called 'incompetence.'

He takes it all in stride, understanding more and more what she's trying to convey as their bond strengthens. Her teasing brings a grin to his face; her sass has become amusing to him.

Just as he straps on his Silph Co. backpack, Charmander tugs at his jeans. For a moment, she seems taller than she was yesterday, but he dismisses the thought as mere imagination. She points to the Pokeball containing Eevee and scratches her claws together anxiously.

Kneeling down to her level, he reassures her. "Don't worry, Char. Eevee's fine. I kept her in the Pokeball because I think she's malnourished. I want a professional like Nurse Joy to check her out." His voice carries nuanced emotions, balancing concern and hope.

Charmander's expression softens; she seems relieved. As they prepare to leave, Emmet pulls out his Pokedex to consult its GPS, plotting a course back to Route 1. Charmander trots alongside him, her tiny feet making soft sounds on the forest floor.

Strolling through the forest, Emmet and Charmander revel in a comfortable silence. They each point out sights that catch their attention, from unique flowers to wild Pokemon. Emmet is particularly entranced by a Spearow with yellow feathers, even if it vanishes quickly into a larger flock.

"Chasing that would be a bad idea," he mutters, thinking that with only a juvenile Charmander and an injured Eevee, they'd be ill-equipped to face a flock of Spearows and Fearows. "Don't you think?" Charmander huffs, seemingly irked by his jab at her limited experience, even if it wasn't meant to insult.

Suddenly, a Rattata bursts from a bush with incredible speed, likely using Quick Attack. Reacting instinctively, Emmet uses his burgeoning psychic power to yank Charmander out of harm's way.

Charmander is visibly enraged. Her tail flame flares up, casting a fiery glow that seems to threaten immediate combustion.

Switching gears, Emmet shifts into Trainer mode. "Charmander, use Growl and follow it up with Scratch!" he commands, while scanning the surroundings for additional threats.

Charmander's growl echoes menacingly, causing the Rattata to step back. Seizing the opportunity, she executes a Scratch so forceful that Emmet wonders if she used Slash instead. Could be, he thinks, given how EM seems to cheat the rules.

The Rattata recovers quickly, its body glowing white—the hallmark of another Quick Attack. Before Emmet can react, Charmander releases a cloud of Smokescreen. The Rattata skids to a halt, coughing and wheezing.

Ignoring the fact that Charmander used an attack she didn't know yesterday, Emmet shouts, "Charmander, use Ember, now!"

Her tail flame brightens further as she spews a volley of embers directly into the Rattata's face. With a pained scream, the Rattata employs Quick Attack to flee, disappearing in a blur.

Watching the Rattata's rapid escape, Emmet finds himself pondering alternative uses for Quick Attack beyond simply closing distances in battle.

Snapping back to reality, he sees Charmander performing a little victory dance, her tail flame flickering jubilantly. "Good job, Charmander! You were amazing!" he exclaims. The fire Pokemon's dance intensifies, her tail flame sizzling with unabated pride.

"Let's take a quick breather, okay?" Emmet suggests, his pulse still elevated from the surprise skirmish. Charmander glances at him and huffs, her own panting indicating a heightened heartbeat as well.

Seizing the moment, Emmet decides to delve into the subject of his mysterious abilities. "Listen, Charmander, I've got these...powers," he starts. "I don't want to go into the 'how' right now, but you should know that it benefits us both. Through our growing bond—and let's not kid ourselves, it's growing fast—you're also able to tap into some of it. Remember yesterday's Scratch attack?" Charmander nods, recalling her unusually potent move. "Exactly, you're pulling from that energy, and it's partly because of our bond and this EM thing."

Switching gears, Emmet suggests a training exercise. "Why don't you try focusing on your Fire-type energy? Aim a controlled Ember at that rock over there." With a flick of his mind, he clears all flammable material around the chosen rock.

For the next half-hour, Emmet watches as Charmander meditates briefly, rises, and releases a small burst of flame at the rock. Each Ember becomes more focused and hotter, culminating in a blast that leaves the rock faintly glowing red.

"Alright, that's enough for now," Emmet interrupts. Charmander chirps in protest, but he explains, "It's too risky to practice fire moves here. Plus, you'll start getting tired, making the trek riskier. And we're burning daylight. We need to get to Viridian to help Eevee."

The mention of Eevee shifts Charmander's focus immediately. She rises and nudges Emmet, signaling that it's time to move.

As they walk, Emmet chuckles at Charmander's quick change of priorities. 'Is she also feeling that addictive sense of achievement?' he wonders internally. 'Maybe I should consult Professor Oak about this.'

But then, he dismisses the notion. It's not a matter of distrust; he simply doesn't want to become a lab experiment or be hampered by someone else's guidance, no matter how well-intentioned. Besides, he's on a tight schedule. Mewtwo's inevitable actions loom less than 11 months away, and he needs a team capable of confronting the artificially created Legendary Pokemon. Time is of the essence.

"Charmander, we're going to start jogging lightly, but I want you to focus this time," Emmet tells her as they resume their journey. "Instead of channeling the EM into your moves like we usually do, try applying it to your own body. It might make the jogging easier and help us learn something new." Charmander grins, lifting a claw to her forehead in a mock salute and exclaims, "Char, Char!"

"But don't overdo it," he cautions. "When I pushed myself too far yesterday, I felt hungrier than I've ever been. So, moderation is key." Charmander nods, acknowledging his words with another call of her own name, "Charmander!"

The change in pace allows them to reach Viridian City by lunchtime. As they approach, Emmet contemplates grabbing a meal first. However, the moment Charmander spots the Pokemon Center, she dashes toward it, shouting back at him, "Char, Char!" as if urging him to hurry up.

Inside the pristine but practical Pokemon Center, Emmet finds Charmander attempting to communicate with Nurse Joy, who wears a look of utter confusion. "Char...mander?" Nurse Joy mutters, obviously puzzled by the fire Pokemon's gestures and vocalizations.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy," Emmet interjects as he approaches. "I'm Emmet, and this is my Charmander. We found an injured Eevee in the forest, and we're concerned about its well-being." With that, he presents the Pokeball containing the Eevee.

Nurse Joy sighs wearily, "Ah, so that's where she went. You see, a trainer left an Egg here that his Raticate had found. He assumed it was a Rattata egg and donated it to us. To everyone's surprise, it hatched into an Eevee. The poor thing got frightened by the other Pokemon here and made her escape when one of our Chanseys opened the door to the nursery. I'm glad you found her, but she really should get checked out."

Nurse Joy takes the Pokeball from Emmet and walks deeper into the Pokemon Center, her pink, blob-like Chansey following dutifully behind her. Emmet and Charmander exchange glances, reaching a silent agreement to put their waiting time to good use. They make their way to the grounds behind the Pokemon Center to do some additional training.

Upon arrival, they find the area largely deserted. Not wanting to waste a moment, they head straight for an open space. Emmet taps into his EM to augment his physical capabilities and starts a series of exercises that combine cardio and strength training. Meanwhile, he instructs Charmander to sit in a meditative pose, closing her eyes to better focus on her internal energies. Specifically, he asks her to attune herself to both Fire and Normal-type energy, seeking to deepen their understanding of how these energies function and interact.

For Emmet, the EM amplifies his physical training to levels he hadn't thought possible before. Each push-up feels like a challenge conquered, every sprint a mini-marathon won results wise. The air around him seems to buzz with the electricity of his efforts, as if his own body were charging the atmosphere. The more he trains, the more the EM syncs with his physiology, leading him to think about how this power could reshape the limits of what he and his Pokemon can achieve. He feels a connection forming between his own heightened senses and Charmander's meditative state, a feedback loop of mutual growth and empowerment.

It was intoxicating.

Charmander sits there with her eyes closed, her tail flame dancing in an almost hypnotic rhythm. She delves into the inner wellspring of her own energies, focusing on the Fire energy that courses through her being, but also touching upon the Normal-type energy that she's only recently begun to explore. Each cycle of her breath seems to coax these energies to merge and flow in novel patterns. The little fire Pokemon senses her understanding deepen and the barriers between the different energies lessen. Even her tail flame seems to respond to this newfound unity, flickering in colors that range from a hot white to a deep red, mirroring her internal progress.

Catching his breath after the intense training session, Emmet settles down to observe Charmander's meditation. Panting heavily, he gulps down bottle after bottle of water and munches on a variety of nutritional bars. His eyes are fixed on Charmander, absorbing the tranquility of her meditative state as a counterbalance to his own physical exhaustion.

His eyes widen and he nearly chokes on his water when he observes Charmander's tail flame shifting in color. He recalls classroom lectures where he learned that only a few extraordinarily prodigious Charmanders could manifest such a phenomenon, indicative of an unusual mastery over Fire Energy. The sight fills him with awe and somewhat relaxs him about the future.

His awe is soon overtaken by a sudden jolt of paranoia. Emmet frantically scans the surrounding area, heart pounding with the fear that someone might have noticed Charmander's unique capabilities. Each second feels like an eternity as his eyes dart from one end of the field to the other, from the trees to the buildings, searching for signs of observers. His pulse slows down when he finally concludes that they are alone, and a sigh of relief escapes his lips.

He could never be paranoid enough when training right under the home city of Team Rocket.

Opening his Pokedex, Emmet decides to use this time to read up on Eevee species. As he scrolls through the information, something clicks in his mind. Earlier in the day, he'd referred to Eevee as 'she' while talking to Charmander, despite not remembering ever checking Eevee's gender. It dawns on him that a tentative bond must have formed between him and Eevee the moment he captured her. 

He's only now fully aware that this bond has been growing in the same subtle yet profound way it has been with Charmander. This revelation leaves him contemplative, pondering on the mysterious intricacies of these bonds that according to the TV show might be related to Aura and how they seem to be accelerating his rapport with his Pokemon. He wonders if these bonds might be yet another facet of his EM ability, allowing him not just to strengthen himself and his Pokemon, but also to deepen their emotional and psychic connections.