Chapter 3: A Champion-Level Charmander!

Chapter 3: A Champion-Level Charmander!

A flash of red light, and Charmander reappeared in Hikaru Saito's small apartment.

Hikaru got serious. "Charmander!"

The little Pokémon immediately stood upright, its body tense with nervousness.

Hikaru was startled to see its muscles tighten just from being called. He couldn't help but imagine what kind of treatment it must have endured in the past.

It clearly hadn't been good.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be so sensitive to something as simple as its name being called.

With this thought, Hikaru softened his tone. "Don't be nervous. Trust me. Your potential isn't weak—it's just that something went wrong at birth."

Hikaru wasn't sure if the [Purification] entry could resolve this kind of innate issue, so he didn't make any big promises.

"But don't worry! I'll make sure you reach the champion's throne!"

Over two centuries of integration had led humanity to develop a basic ranking system for Pokémon strength:

Beginner → Ordinary → Elite → Gym Leader → Lord → Master → Champion → Grandmaster.

Charmander was currently at Level 4, which placed it in the middle of the Beginner rank.

A Champion, on the other hand, was someone who won first place in the annual World Pokémon Championship—a truly monumental goal!

"Char!"

Charmander's tense body gradually relaxed, and its gaze softened.

Seeing this, Hikaru swiped the translucent interface.

The three entries—[Purification], [Hard Work Pays Off!], and [Thick Skin]—transformed into beams of light and flowed into Charmander.

Simultaneously, the names of the entries appeared above its head.

With a quick tap, Hikaru hid the glowing labels, but he knew they could be retrieved at any time.

Currently, each Pokémon could accommodate up to three entries.

At that moment, Hikaru couldn't wait to use Insight Eye on Charmander.

When he saw the "(Weakened)" tag disappear from its data and its potential restored to Champion, he burst into laughter.

A Champion-level Pokémon!

This meant that with proper training, Charmander could undoubtedly reach the Champion rank.

In all of Huaxia, there were only eight officially recognized Champion trainers. They were treated like superstars!

The raincoat man who abandoned this Charmander had no idea what a treasure he'd thrown away.

"Char?"

Charmander seemed to sense a newfound energy coursing through its body, as though some long-lost power had been restored.

For Pokémon like Charmander, whose potential had been temporarily suppressed, it wasn't that they couldn't learn moves.

No! The issue was a lack of energy during their developmental stage, which left them unable to execute moves properly.

Now that its energy had returned, moves like Ember were as easy as snapping fingers.

Indeed, the flames started to gather in Charmander's mouth, ready to erupt like a geyser.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is my apartment! You want to burn it down?" Hikaru yelled, hurriedly covering Charmander's mouth.

"Ahh! Hot! Hot!" he yelped as his hand turned red from the heat.

At that moment, Hikaru wished he had a "Protagonist's Physique" to make him immune to burns.

"Char..."

Charmander looked down guiltily, its excitement fading as it saw Hikaru nursing his burn. It timidly extended a claw, apologizing.

"It's fine. Trust me—together, we'll get stronger!"

The medical technology in this world was remarkable, so a minor burn like this could be easily treated with some healing powder.

Right now, what mattered most was boosting Charmander's confidence!

"Char!"

Charmander nodded firmly, its blue eyes now filled with determination.

"Alright! Let's conquer the champion's path together!" Hikaru declared, gripping its claw and raising it triumphantly.

At that moment, it felt as if their hearts were intertwined.

Growl...

Charmander's stomach interrupted the moment with a loud grumble, its orange face flushing slightly.

"Haha, hungry already?"

Hikaru quickly dismantled the [Swift Rider] entry, converting it into 30 Entry Coins. With those, he exchanged for some premium Pokémon energy cubes.

Watching Charmander wolf down the food, Hikaru couldn't help but smile fondly, like a proud parent.

---

Five Days Later

In an abandoned, desolate building...

"Charmander, use Fire Rain!"

"Char!"

The once-lifeless Charmander was now brimming with vitality.

It opened its mouth wide, releasing a torrent of fiery energy. Flames shot skyward before scattering like a blooming rose of fire.

Each ember was the size of a fist, and when they hit the ground, they left blackened scorch marks on the concrete.

This wasn't just Ember anymore—it was an Ultimate Ember!

Hikaru had even given it a name: Fire Rain, inspired by the embers' resemblance to falling rain.

Charmander's Champion-level potential exceeded all of Hikaru's expectations.

Despite being only Level 6, still within the Beginner rank, its destructive power already rivaled that of an Ordinary-level Pokémon.

Unlike in games, where Pokémon gained experience and leveled up through battles, growth in this world required rigorous training, hard work, and consistent effort.

Charmander had gone from Level 1 to Level 4 in its first month. But in just five days under Hikaru's guidance, it had climbed from Level 4 to Level 6—a remarkable pace!

This rapid improvement was due in large part to Charmander's own determination.

With the [Hard Work Pays Off!] entry, every ounce of effort Charmander put in was richly rewarded.

Hikaru noticed that Charmander, which had been about 70 cm tall when he first adopted it, had grown to almost 90 cm in just five days.

It wasn't just taller—it was noticeably stronger too.

Hikaru had researched that the average Charmander stood at about 80 cm. His Charmander was clearly on track to surpass that.

Its restored potential was terrifyingly powerful!

Of course, the premium Pokémon energy cubes probably contributed as well.

"Amazing, truly amazing!" Hikaru praised, handing another energy cube to the panting Charmander.

"Char!"

Over the past few days, Charmander's enthusiasm for training had been relentless.

Seeing its efforts pay off only motivated it further, fueling its desire to become stronger.

As Charmander devoured its food, Hikaru opened the system interface to check the day's refreshed entry.

The entries from the past few days had all been White-level, with names like [Ladies' Man], [BBQ Master], and [Big Hammer]. None had been particularly useful, so Hikaru had converted them into Entry Coins.

Currently, he had amassed 40 Entry Coins.

The new entry appeared on the screen.

[White Entry: "Drunken Warrior" – Fighting-type moves deal increased damage after consuming alcohol.]

It wasn't particularly useful now, but it could have niche applications later. For now, Hikaru decided to save it.

Glancing at his phone, he habitually checked the time, only to see a message in the class group chat.

[Teacher Qin]: @LegendaryBeastFly, @GodInTheForest, how come you two still don't have your first Pokémon?

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