"Here—hungry, right? Eat this."
Chen Shi placed several high-grade universal Pokéblocks in front of the starving Charmander.
The little Fire-type didn't even hesitate—
it devoured them like a creature who hadn't eaten properly in weeks.
A soft metallic "Be-taaa~" sounded beside him.
Chen Shi turned.
It was Beldum, floating quietly.
It had woken up long ago but had chosen not to intrude.
Now, with Charmander distracted, it finally drifted closer.
Chen Shi stroked its cool, metal body.
"Sorry, Beldum. I didn't notice you earlier."
"Be-ta~"
(It's okay.)
Its single eye half-closed, indicating it didn't mind at all.
Chen Shi smiled.
"You're saying… you want to fight too?"
"Be-ta!"
Beldum nodded without hesitation.
Its thoughts were simple:
Back in the Iron-Forest habitat, it was always the odd one out—
bigger, smarter, stronger than the others.
Once, it had seen a battle between the Metagross leader and an Aggron leader:
A clash so violent that the shockwaves alone could've annihilated a weaker Beldum.
That moment carved a desire deep into its steel heart:
To become strong.
As strong as a Metagross leader—or stronger.
Steven Stone had found it, recognized its rare potential, and promised to take it to a worthy trainer.
Many had tried to catch it.
None passed its instinct.
Until Steven brought it to him.
Chen Shi.
And something inside Beldum whispered:
"This is the one."
It chose him instantly.
Chen Shi walked to the window with Beldum and pointed at the training grounds:
Togetic, practicing Air Slash
Florges, gathering Fairy energy
Others all pushing themselves forward
"See that?
If you want to battle, you must train every day.
Fight strong opponents.
Endure hardship."
"Are you scared?"
Beldum shook its head firmly.
Never.
Its instincts demanded growth.
A pseudo-legend wasn't born powerful by accident—
they were creatures carved for evolution.
Chen Shi patted its body.
"Your job right now is simple—eat.
You're almost ready to evolve into Metang.
After that, I'll build you a proper training plan."
"Be-ta!"
Then Chen Shi crouched beside Charmander, who had almost finished eating.
A Level 34 Charmander that:
still couldn't evolve
couldn't breathe fire
had Quasi-Champion potential
and three elite Dragon-type egg moves?
Something was definitely wrong.
He checked its body—
…nothing unusual.
That made no sense.
Charmander noticed Chen Shi's furrowed brows and trembled.
Was it really… hopeless?
Would this trainer abandon it too?
"Don't move," Chen Shi said softly. "I'll check with psychic vision next. Don't resist."
Charmander closed its eyes obediently.
Chen Shi extended a wave of psychic energy into its body—
—and his expression changed instantly.
What he found nearly made him swear aloud.
Charmander's entire internal flow…
was overflowing with Dragon-type energy.
So much Dragon energy
that its natural Fire energy was completely suppressed, reduced to a flickering ember.
That was the reason.
It couldn't breathe fire → no Fire energy available
It couldn't evolve → Fire core too weak to trigger evolution
A Dragon-bloodline Charmander with overwhelming Dragon aura…
No wonder.
But this was fixable.
Chen Shi stood up.
"Charmander, good news. I found the cause. It's treatable."
"Let's go find my grandparents—they'll help too."
Charmander's eyes lit up instantly.
Hope.
Real hope.
It followed him eagerly.
Downstairs
Chen Shi pushed Charmander gently toward the elders.
"Grandpa, Grandma—can you look at him?"
The old couple frowned at the thin, weak Charmander.
Grandpa checked the tail flame, then nodded thoughtfully.
"The flame is weak… but his life force is normal."
"Which means something is blocking his Fire energy."
"And at high-tier mid-stage, he absolutely should've evolved already."
Chen Shi explained calmly:
"He inherited three Dragon-type moves. The Dragon energy is way too high."
"His Fire energy is completely suppressed."
Grandpa Chen tapped the table.
"It's not only the Dragon energy."
"This Charmander's talent is monstrous."
"Comparable to your Swampert when it was young."
Grandma's eyes widened.
That was enormous praise.
Their Swampert had been one of the best Water-types in the region.
"Where did you get him?"
Chen Shi told them about the black market.
The elders didn't blame him at all.
In this world—
the strong were right.
The weak were wrong.
How to Fix Charmander
Chen Shi asked immediately:
"Grandpa, how do we treat this?"
Charmander stared anxiously at the old man.
Grandpa placed a hand on the table and spoke clearly:
"Solution is simple."
Let Charmander use Dragon-type moves constantly
→ Burn off excess Dragon energy.
Feed strong Fire-type resources
→ Rebuild its suppressed Fire core.
Nourish its weak body
→ Recovery first.
Only after energies rebalance
→ Charmander will evolve immediately.
He added sternly:
"Do NOT force evolution in this state.
It will permanently cripple his potential."
Chen Shi nodded firmly.
Grandpa was right.
Charmander only needed time and proper training.
He rubbed the little Fire-type's head.
"Charmander, your job right now— heal your body."
"Once you do, you WILL evolve."
Charmander clenched its tiny fists.
Its eyes burned with new purpose.
"CHAR!!"
(I will!)
It was no longer the dying ember in a cage.
It was a spark reigniting into a future blaze.
Advance Chapters available on P@treon
patreon.com/lucarioTL