The Unusual Charmander

Charmander sucked on milk while stuffing pieces of its eggshell into its mouth.

Milk mixed with egg shells—delicious and healthy.

After eating and drinking its fill, Charmander happily patted its cream-colored belly.

"Char~"

(I'm full!)

After being born, Charmander did not, like Tropius, curiously wonder whether Lu Li was its father or mother.

Perhaps it had received prenatal education, or perhaps it was due to the League's special breeding techniques, but the newly born Charmander already understood its relationship with Lu Li.

Lu Li took an empty Poké Ball from his belt, then carefully picked it up and held it out before Charmander.

Lu Li asked expectantly, "Charmander, are you willing to become my partner, grow stronger with me, and grow together with me?"

Charmander nodded as though it were only natural, then lightly tapped the Poké Ball's button with its claw.

Charmander instantly turned into a streak of red light and entered the Poké Ball. Lu Li gripped the Poké Ball tightly in his hand, suppressing the urge to burst out laughing.

With the corners of his lips slightly raised, Lu Li murmured, "I caught a Charmander!"

Charmander!

One of the legendary Starter Pokémon. Its final evolution was Charizard, a Pokémon that could practically rank T1 in the Pokédex.

(The Pokédex of this world did not record Divine Beasts.)

After catching Charmander, Lu Li hurriedly released it again.

After reappearing on the bed, Charmander displayed boundless curiosity. Its blue eyes lingered on Lu Li for only a moment before constantly exploring its surroundings.

Lu Li stared intently at Charmander's skin. Unable to believe it, he even reached out and gently stroked it.

"Crimson? This color..."

Lu Li opened his phone and searched for pictures of Charmander again.

After confirming that it was not a mistake, Lu Li looked at Charmander with a complicated expression.

It really is Shiny, Lu Li sighed inwardly.

At that moment, Lu Li did not even know how to describe his luck. A Shiny Charmander.

In the games, Charmander's Shiny form was yellow, but in the Real World, the colors of Shiny Pokémon were not actually fixed.

Lu Li had even seen black Machamp and yellow Machamp online, as well as green Magikarp and even white Pikachu.

Of course, none of that was the main point.

The main point was Shiny Talent.

A professor who specialized in researching Shiny Pokémon had once published a paper stating that Shiny Pokémon did indeed possess one extra special talent compared with ordinary Pokémon.

That special talent could be beneficial or harmful. It depended entirely on fate, and the odds of either were fifty-fifty.

What Lu Li was worried about now was his own Charmander. It would be fine if its Shiny Talent was beneficial, but if it was harmful, Charmander might be ruined.

Lu Li had never considered abandoning a Pokémon. Even if Charmander truly had some defect, he could never give it up.

Because he was the first person Charmander saw after coming into this world. That was a choice, an affinity, and also a responsibility.

After forming a Hand Seal with both hands and activating Spirit Speech, Lu Li asked nervously, "Charmander, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Hearing that, Charmander tilted its head and looked at Lu Li.

Something unusual?

Charmander tilted its head and thought for a long while, then shook its head in confusion.

Charmander felt perfectly normal. There was nothing unusual about it.

After observing for quite some time and finding nothing wrong, Lu Li also breathed a sigh of relief and reassured it, "As long as nothing is wrong, that's fine."

But the truth was that nothing being wrong was the biggest thing wrong.

It had been scientifically proven that Shinies possessed special talents. There was no way his Charmander alone could be an exception.

Still worried, Lu Li hesitated, wondering whether he should take Charmander to the Pokémon Hospital for an examination.

"Right!"

Lu Li suddenly thought of Yu Lili. She had a Pokédex, and one of the Pokédex's many functions was checking a Pokémon's condition.

If Charmander had a problem, the Pokédex might be able to detect it.

As for going to the Pokémon Hospital for an examination, Lu Li was worried that Charmander's data would be leaked, possibly causing unnecessary trouble.

In this world, because of the bond between Pokémon and Trainers, incidents of people stealing others' Pokémon were rare.

But those research fanatics would not care about that. What if they took an interest in Charmander? They were not Trainers, had no intention of raising Charmander, and would not consider the issue of bonds.

The odds might only be one percent, or even one in a thousand, but unless there was no other choice, Lu Li truly did not want to gamble. Even if the risk was extremely low, a risk was still a risk. He could not let Charmander take that chance.

Unless he was truly left with no other option...

Lu Li called Yu Lili and explained Charmander's situation.

Compared with a crowded and complicated place like the hospital, Lu Li was more inclined to trust Yu Lili.

After hearing Lu Li's words, a scream immediately rang out from the other end of the phone. "What?!"

"Did you just say a Shiny Charmander? The Charmander you received at the Pokémon Center is Shiny?" Yu Lili asked incredulously.

Lu Li explained calmly, "Yes, but I don't know whether Charmander's Shiny Talent is beneficial or harmful yet."

With her mind filled entirely with the thought of a Shiny Charmander, Yu Lili said impatiently, "Don't worry yet. I'll come over and take a look right away."

She arrived in less than half an hour.

Yu Lili had ridden over on Bisharp. After landing in the Small Courtyard, Yu Lili recalled Bisharp, then excitedly shouted at the top of her lungs, "Lu Li, where's Charmander? Let me see it!"

Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Lu Li helplessly walked out of the bedroom, followed by a crimson Charmander.

The moment she saw the Charmander beside Lu Li, Yu Lili's eyes immediately lit up.

"It really is Shiny! And this crimson color looks so imposing." With her eyes gleaming, Yu Lili circled Charmander and examined it repeatedly.

Unused to being scrutinized so closely by a stranger, Charmander bared its fangs in displeasure.

Seeing how absorbed Yu Lili had become, Lu Li reminded her with a dark expression, "Yu Lili, don't forget why I called you here."

Coming back to her senses, Yu Lili smiled awkwardly and quickly took out her phone.

Ding~ Pokémon energy fluctuations detected. Collecting data... Data collection complete.

After the scan succeeded, Lu Li hurriedly leaned closer, staring fixedly at the phone in Yu Lili's hand.

Charmander

Ability: Flash Fire??? (This data contains a common-sense error.)

Energy: Newborn stage

Status: Healthy

Known Skills: Ember, Flare Blitz

Looking at the data displayed on the phone, Yu Lili frowned and exclaimed, "Something's wrong! There's a ninety-percent chance your Pokémon has something wrong with it!"

First was the Egg Move. As a Starter Pokémon carefully bred by the Pokémon Center, how could it possibly have only one Egg Move?

But if one said Charmander had poor aptitude, its only Egg Move was Flare Blitz, a powerful Fire-type move. Normally, since Charmander could inherit a powerful Fire-type move like Flare Blitz—

A Charmander capable of inheriting such a powerful Fire-type move could not possibly have inherited only this one move.