[Bonus Chapter for Powerstones]
Charizard's heartfelt declaration was broadcast worldwide.
Countless people were moved to tears.
Such a good Charizard… and yet burdened with such flaws.
Fate was truly unfair.
—The scene shifted.
A whole night had passed.
Charizard and Ash were still standing in the icy water.
Misty and Brock kept shouting from the shore,
begging them to come out—
But neither moved an inch.
Truth be told, anyone other than a "Super Rookie" would've been sick with fever after such a night.
But Ash, aside from feeling cold, was perfectly fine.
The gates of Charicific Valley remained closed.
Then—
A sudden disturbance.
A giant robot appeared at the valley entrance.
And that familiar chant,
that familiar trio—
Of course.
It was Team Rocket again.
[Lance: …Why do these three appear in every Tally?!]
[Leon: They showed up when Charizard was injured, too, right? Aren't they supposed to be the evil organization of Kanto?]
[Cynthia: Yet, somehow… every time they say they're doing evil, they fail. Every single time.]
[Jessie: WHAT DID YOU SAY?! We are the evil Team Rocket! The only reason we fail is that the brat is too strong!!]
Jessie popped up in the chat.
James and Meowth immediately clamped their hands over her mouth.
"Don't talk! Those are Champions up there, nya! You'll get us all arrested!"
"Yeah, Jessie! If they capture us, even the Boss won't save us!"
SLAP! SLAP!
Jessie knocked both of them aside.
She knew she'd gotten carried away—
But how dare Cynthia say they never succeeded in anything?
…Although technically… she wasn't wrong.
…
[Alder: Oh? Jessie… that's one of the Rocket Trio, right?
Can she comment? Interesting…]
Only selected individuals could post in Tally's live chat—
those with significant potential, Gym Leaders, Elite Four, Champions…
So, for this incompetent trio to qualify?
That was… impressive in its own way.
…
Team Rocket Headquarters
Giovanni rubbed his forehead as he watched Jessie's name flash.
"…Those fools. I hope I won't have to spend a fortune bailing them out again."
Despite calling them "fools,"
Giovanni kept them at the lowest tier of Team Rocket on purpose—
To protect them.
Even the ruthless Boss had… soft spots.
…
Back to the video—
Team Rocket's trio stood before the valley gates,
clearly here to "cause trouble."
But the reason behind their actions was… unexpectedly heartwarming.
"Follow the plan! First, we cause chaos! Then Charizard comes to stop us!"
Charizard appeared.
"Then Charizard defeats us with one attack!"
Charizard fired Flamethrower.
The robot overheated instantly.
It exploded.
The trio blasted off into the sky.
But even as they vanished, their voices echoed:
"Now Charizard will be recognized by Charicific Valley!"
"Perfect plan, nya!"
"Yes—what a lovely feeling!"
The last line had zero hatred in it—
Only satisfaction.
Kanto's citizens were dumbstruck.
…Was this really Team Rocket?
Helping others?
At their own expense?
Unbelievable.
[Cynthia: See? I said so. They say they're villains, but everything they do accidentally helps people.
A talent in its own right.]
…
"LET ME AT HER! LET ME AT HER!!"
"Calm down, Jessie!! Please!!"
It took both James and Meowth all their strength to restrain her.
…
Finally—
Liza agreed to let Charizard enter Charicific Valley to train.
Not because of Team Rocket,
but because of Charizard's will.
Yet at the very moment Charizard earned his chance—
He hesitated.
He looked toward Ash, eyes full of reluctance.
Ash struggled.
Then lowered his cap and turned away.
"You should go, Charizard.
You'll get stronger here.
I don't need a weak Charizard."
"Your place… is in there."
Ash pointed deep into the valley—
Then ran off without looking back.
"Charizard… I know you can become stronger here.
When you become the world's strongest Charizard—
We'll fight side by side again."
As Ash ran,
his inner voice appeared on screen.
And the video ended at that moment.
…
"Man… Ash really did everything he could for Charizard."
"Yeah… but Ash doesn't know about Charizard's damaged core.
No matter how hard Charizard trains, he'll never become a true top-tier Charizard…"
"Ah… fate is so cruel.
I wonder what Charizard will be like when they meet again."
…
"At that time… you must've been in so much pain, Ash."
Leon spoke with emotion.
If he had to part with his Charizard…
He couldn't even imagine it.
Charizard was his greatest partner.
If he had to choose between power and staying together…
Leon wasn't sure he could let go.
But Ash did.
Ash's heart—
his devotion to Pokémon—
was something few in the world could match.
"Of course it hurt, Mr. Leon.
It hurts just watching it…"
Ash wiped away tears—
Then looked firmly at Charizard beside him.
"But if it meant Charizard becoming stronger…
I had to make that choice!"
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