"Charmander, use Ember!"
"Char~!"
In the courtyard, small fireballs shot out of the little fire lizard's mouth and slammed into a thick wooden board.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of dull explosions rang out. The young maid stared in shock, smacking her lips as deep cracks spread across the board, scorched black by the flames.
"Success, Miss!"
As the final fireball hit, the wooden board finally shattered completely. The maid exclaimed excitedly.
"Hehe~ Charmander, you did it!"
"Char~!"
Lily was overjoyed. She scooped up the little fire lizard and spun around happily.
The shy Charmander smiled brightly, letting out cheerful cries as it was carried around.
"Charmander is amazing. The results of today's training are really impressive."
The maid walked over, looking at Charmander with amazement.
After returning that afternoon, Lily had said a bunch of things she didn't fully understand, insisting on giving Charmander "special training."
At first, the maid had nearly been scared out of her wits—especially when she saw Charmander breathe fire.
But after spending the entire afternoon watching, her opinion of this magical creature had completely changed.
Not only was Charmander incredibly hardworking, it had also gone from barely burning wood to completely smashing it apart. And despite its power, its personality was gentle and sweet.
The first time she touched Charmander's face up close, that healing smile had instantly melted her heart.
Too cute.
"Char~"
Charmander smiled shyly after being praised.
"Alright, you've worked hard. Let's go eat."
Lily set the little fire lizard down and gently patted the heads of Charmander and Trapinch beside it, smiling in satisfaction.
"Char~!"
Charmander suddenly grabbed the hem of Lily's pants.
"Huh? What's wrong, Charmander?"
Lily blinked and looked down.
"Char~"
Charmander stepped back, puffed up its belly slightly—
—and suddenly spat out a thick cloud of black smoke, instantly shrouding everything in front of it.
"Whoa!! Charmander, did you learn a new move?!"
Lily froze for a moment, then gasped in excitement.
"Char!"
Charmander replied proudly.
"That's incredible! My little treasure—let me check!"
Lily hurriedly pulled out her Pokédex. Sure enough, a new move had appeared.
Smokescreen.
A move that reduced the opponent's accuracy.
Looking at the lingering black smoke, Lily instantly understood how it worked.
"Hahaha~ I really am going to be the strongest Trainer in the future!"
Her delicate face was filled with excitement.
This meant her special training method was correct.
Charmander had truly grown stronger—otherwise, it would never have learned a new move.
"Congratulations, Miss. Charmander really worked hard."
The maid smiled warmly, praising both Lily and Charmander.
She didn't fully understand the significance of learning a new move, but she knew one thing for sure—
Charmander had trained relentlessly all afternoon. Even when exhausted, it clenched its teeth and refused to stop.
If Lily hadn't kept feeding it energy cubes and applying healing spray, the little Pokémon might've collapsed from exhaustion.
Lily herself had tried to stop several times, but Charmander insisted on continuing.
A stubborn, adorable, heart-warming little guy.
---
"Hahaha~ Family! My Charmander learned a new move!"
In the Pokémon Home group chat, Lily couldn't wait to share the good news.
She also sent a short video of Charmander using Smokescreen.
Emma: ??? How did you even do that?!
It's a Male Fox: No way—why didn't my Vulpix learn anything?!
Ren: That's Smokescreen. It's not an inherited move. Did you give Charmander special training?
At the shop, Ren glanced at the group chat and raised an eyebrow after watching the video.
No doubt about it—Smokescreen.
In the games, Charmander normally learned it at Level 8.
Clearly, Lily's special training had paid off.
Lily: Hahaha~ Of course! This lady is the number one Trainer!
Lily: Under my genius special training, Charmander's Ember got stronger and it learned a new move!
Her excitement practically burst through the screen.
Larvitar: As expected of Sister Lily. So—question time. How exactly did you train Charmander?
LittleBird: Sister Lily is amazing… Was it physical training, or special-move intensity training?
It's a Male Fox: Damn it! She actually pulled it off!!
Messages flooded the chat, but Ren didn't have time to read them.
Because the customer in front of him finally spoke.
"Boss… is this Caterpie really okay? I always feel like—"
The young man hesitated as he looked at the green bug Pokémon wriggling on the floor.
Can a bug really become strong?
Wouldn't it just get burned by Charmander or Vulpix?
"No problem at all," Ren said confidently. "Do you really think I'd cheat a customer?"
"Caterpie may be a Bug-type Pokémon, but it's one of the starter Pokémon for many Trainers."
Bug Catcher was a classic starting path—no lies there.
"And you've heard the saying, right?"
"The story of a cocoon turning into a butterfly."
"You mean… Caterpie can become a butterfly?" the boy asked, stunned.
"Of course. After it evolves, it won't just be beautiful—it can also learn powerful moves, even Psychic-type ones."
"So don't underestimate Caterpie. Its potential is impressive."
Ren spoke seriously.
"Most importantly, Bug-type Pokémon grow faster than almost any other type."
"That means you can raise it to full strength in nearly half the time of other Trainers."
"While others are still training, you'll already have a fully evolved Pokémon."
The boy's eyes lit up.
Fast growth meant fast combat power.
"And I once heard a story," Ren added casually, as if it were an afterthought.
"About Caterpie evolving through a special mutation."
"No one's ever proven it—but they say a Caterpie might evolve into a green dragon."
"Personally, I think it's probably nonsense. A bug turning into a dragon? Sounds impossible, right?"
Ren shrugged lightly.
The boy didn't hear a single word after that.
A dragon.
In the year 2202, if such a story existed, it had to be based on something.
Bug-to-dragon legends existed online too.
After careful thought, the boy made his decision.
"Boss! I'll take this Caterpie!"
Ren smiled.
"Excellent choice. You've got great judgment."
"I'll give you a special discount—50,000 yuan."
"Swipe the card!"