Charmander: Are All Heavenly Spiritual Roots Like This?

Could it be that he was the reason Charmander's aptitude had declined?

Lu Li thought of how frequently he had been refining pills these past few days, but the problem was that he had only been refining pills beside it. He had not been refining Charmander's Pokémon Egg, so there was no reason it should have affected the Charmander inside the Incubator.

Could Ember also be an Egg Move for Charmander? But even counting Ember, that only made two Egg Moves. Something was still off.

Yu Lili asked in confusion, "Why does your Charmander have Flash Fire as its Ability? If there's nothing wrong with the Pokédex, then there's something wrong with your Charmander."

If Charmander's Egg Moves had merely been a little strange, then this Flash Fire Ability could only be described as utterly absurd.

Even in the anime world, this Ability would have been second only to that Charizard with Water Absorb.

In the Real World, though, Charmander having this Ability was absurd beyond absurd.

As everyone knew, the Charmander line only had two Abilities: either Blaze or the Hidden Ability Solar Power.

It was like humans being born knowing how to walk and breathe, only for someone to suddenly be born without needing to breathe. It was simply ridiculous.

Charmander tilted its head at its trainer and Yu Lili, not knowing why this woman was making such a fuss.

Could it be because I, Longlong, am just too outstanding? Charmander thought excitedly.

The innocent Charmander had never seen another of its kind, so it did not yet know that it was abnormal.

Worried that the Pokédex had made a mistake, Lu Li reminded her, "How about you scan it again? See whether there was an error."

Yu Lili nodded, then unwillingly scanned Charmander again with the Pokédex.

Yet the result remained exactly the same. Charmander was perfectly healthy; the only unusual things were its Ability and coloration.

In the end, Yu Lili came to the conclusion that Charmander's Shiny Talent had caused its Ability to mutate.

Lu Li agreed with that conclusion. After all, the only difference between Charmander and a normal Charmander was its Ability.

"Still, I don't know whether this Ability is good or bad. Blaze and Solar Power are both pretty good for Charmander, but replacing them with Flash Fire..."

Yu Lili did not finish her sentence, because what came next was a little cruel.

If Flash Fire did not suit Charmander, that meant Charmander had one less Ability than a normal Charmander. Then its Shiny Talent would be a negative trait.

Lu Li's lips curved slightly as he said confidently, "Flash Fire is quite good. As long as Charmander is fine, that's all that matters."

He had already figured out how to raise Charmander. A Charmander with Flash Fire was far stronger than one with Blaze.

A Charmander with Blaze needed its Life Energy to decline before it could trigger its Ability, but Flash Fire did not. It only needed to absorb Fire-type energy.

"As long as it's fine. Still, your luck really is absurd. You casually pick up a Starter Pokémon, and it already has Shiny Talent." Yu Lili sighed enviously.

Lu Li shrugged and requested, "Whether it's a blessing or a curse is still uncertain. But I hope you can keep this a secret."

"Don't worry. Even if my parents ask, I'll only say Charmander is a Shiny Pokémon. I won't mention the Shiny Talent." Yu Lili nodded.

Charmander's shiny coloration could not be concealed. Its skin differed from that of a normal Charmander, so people would notice as soon as Lu Li sent it out.

But its Shiny Talent could be hidden, because no one else would be able to stay in contact with Charmander for long.

"Thanks!"

Lu Li thanked her.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back first. Call me if anything comes up." As Yu Lili spoke, she released Bisharp behind her.

Yu Lili definitely did not have a Flight License, but as Gym Leader Yu's daughter, probably no one in all of Qingyun City dared stop her.

Yu Lili had originally wanted to stay for a simple meal, since Lu Li's cooking was indeed delicious. But considering that Charmander had just been born and that Lu Li needed to bond with it, she tactfully left.

After Yu Lili departed, Lu Li looked down at Charmander. "Charmander, show me the moves you know."

Charmander nodded confidently. Then, under Lu Li's gaze, it crouched slightly. After gathering strength for a long while as if its entire body were exerting force, Fire-type energy suddenly seeped out from all over its body.

With flames covering its body, Charmander charged heavily forward.

At the sight, Lu Li's eyes nearly split open as he shouted, "Tropius! Quick! Stop it!"

Seeing what its little brother was charging toward, Tropius was speechless. It hurriedly moved in front of Charmander.

Boom!!

Charmander slammed heavily into Tropius. Tropius was knocked back several steps before managing to stop.

Seeing Charmander's Flare Blitz get blocked, Lu Li felt relieved even as he complained, "You really are one reckless kid!"

That Unlucky Kid had actually targeted the Indigo Berry Tree nearby. If Charmander had truly hit it, he would have lost at least a hundred thousand.

A berry tree capable of producing premium Indigo Berries could sell for a hundred thousand per berry. Plenty of people would want to buy it, and some would even pay double.

Realizing it had nearly caused trouble, Charmander looked nervously at Lu Li.

"Char?"

Charmander let out a cry that sounded both aggrieved and nervous.

Lu Li did not blame Charmander. He only instructed, "It's fine. Your Flare Blitz is excellent, but the fruit trees in the courtyard are all very valuable. You mustn't use moves to attack them."

Charmander nodded, then impatiently cried out as if it still had a special trick it had not shown yet.

Lu Li nodded.

The next move Charmander was going to display was definitely Ember. Lu Li did not have much expectation for it.

It was merely a basic move for Fire-type Pokémon. Most Charmander could learn it from birth.

Excitedly, Charmander condensed a small flame before its chest. It slowly pushed the flame outward, and the flame suddenly burst open in the sky, instantly transforming into a giant flaming Charmander.

Then the Ember condensed back into a fireball. Charmander sent the fireball into the sky again, and finally, the little fireball suddenly blossomed. Massive flames instantly blanketed the sky above the Small Courtyard.

After the flames vanished, the azure sky reappeared.

But Lu Li had already gone numb.

With question marks filling his mind, Lu Li stared dumbfoundedly at Charmander.

I'm a professional Breeder and Trainer, but Charmander, tell me honestly—is this Ember?

Don't think I don't know! This is clearly the Art of Flame Manipulation!

Stunned, Lu Li asked blankly, "Charmander, this is Ember?"

Charmander nodded as if it were only natural, then gave a serious cry.

"Char~"

(Of course! I remember a Pokémon using this move beside me, and it has used it every day recently. I know I'm right.)

That confirmed it.

Lu Li could now be certain that Charmander had secretly learned it, and it had learned it while still inside the Pokémon Egg.

But why?

The Art of Flame Manipulation was not some profound spell, but even when it came to Pokémon-izing it, Lu Li—who had cultivated the Art of Flame Manipulation to Master-level—had spent tremendous effort before successfully Pokémon-izing it.

Why could Charmander learn this move based on instinct alone while still inside an egg?

Even if you have a Fire-type Heavenly Spiritual Root, isn't this too outrageous? This cheat is even more absurd than the one I got as a transmigrator.

Charmander: That's just how we Heavenly Spiritual Roots are.