"How is this possible? What did you feed it?" Brock pointed at the Onix sprawled on the ground, shouting so hard his voice cracked.
Every rocky section of Onix's body struck by the flames had turned into glittering crystal.
Dead silence fell. Everyone stared, dumbfounded.
Lin Hao took out a Poké Ball and recalled Charizard, who was still roaring skyward in midair. "Nothing special." He dusted off his hands.
"Nothing?" Brock opened his eyes wide. "Its flames are already far hotter than any normal Charizard's could ever be! They even melted Onix's rock into glassy crystals!"
"Oh, probably the hot weather. It's got too much internal heat," Lin Hao said, making things up without batting an eye.
"Internal heat?!" May shrieked, dropping the little notebook in her hands. "Your Pokémon can melt rock just because it's got too much internal heat?!"
"Yep." Lin Hao spread his hands. "That's why I usually give it some Honeysuckle Dew to cool it down. I just happened to forget it today."
"..." Brock clutched his chest and rubbed his forehead.
Only then did the apprentices in the stands snap out of their stupor. The gym erupted into chaos. "One day! He only got his starter Pokémon yesterday!"
"He evolved a Charmander into a Charizard in one day? What kind of fucking genius is this?!"
"The flames are the real story! Did you see them? Blue-white! Those flames could melt iron!"
"Quick, take pictures! Post them on the League Forum! Pewter City has a once-in-a-century Rookie King!"
Listening to the chatter all around him, Lin Hao felt his temples throb. There was no hiding it now. "Stop taking pictures!" he shouted at the stands. "Those were special effects! My Charizard had magnesium powder in its mouth!"
Nobody listened. Camera flashes kept firing, a chorus of clicks filling the air.
Brock walked over to Onix, took out a bottle of specially formulated Potion spray, and bent down to treat the glassy wounds.
Once he finished, he walked up to Lin Hao. "Stop hiding it." The smile faded from Brock's face.
"I'm really not hiding anything." Lin Hao spread both hands. "I just want to be an ordinary Trainer."
"An ordinary Trainer can't get a starter Pokémon to its final evolution in a single day." Brock pulled a gray, octagonal badge from his pocket. "Your Charizard is special. That ferocity is terrifying."
Brock held the badge out to Lin Hao. "This is the Boulder Badge. You won."
Lin Hao looked at the badge and accepted it without saying much. "Thanks."
"This is only your first step." Brock studied him. "Kanto is a chaotic place. With abilities like yours, you won't be able to hide."
"No, I can." Lin Hao tucked the badge into his pocket. "As long as I run fast enough, trouble can't catch me." With that, he turned and headed out of the gym.
May hurried to grab her notebook, then jogged after him. "Lin Hao! Stop right there!"
Lin Hao slipped away at top speed without looking back. "Why stop? So they can all gawk at me?"
The two rushed out through the doors of the Pewter Gym one after the other. The moment they stepped outside, they saw a crowd of rookie Trainers who had already gathered after hearing the news.
"That's him! The rookie who took down Onix in one hit with a Charizard!"
"Master! Are you taking apprentices? Master!"
"Master, give me your autograph! Sign my shirt!" The crowd lunged at him in a frenzy.
"Holy shit!" Lin Hao recoiled in fright, reached back, and grabbed May's wrist. "Run!"
"Hey! Let go of me!" Before May could react, Lin Hao was dragging her into a mad dash.
They avoided the main roads as they wound through Pewter City's narrow streets, ducking only into deserted alleys. They ran for well over ten minutes before the footsteps behind them finally faded away.
Still pulling May along, Lin Hao ducked into a dim back alley. He leaned against a brick wall, panting hard. "I'm... I'm exhausted."
May shook off his hand and rubbed her wrist. "Why did you run? Feeling guilty, aren't you?" She kept her eyes fixed on him. "Tell me the truth. What's going on with that Charizard?!"
"I told you. Internal heat." Lin Hao shot her a sideways glance.
"Lin Hao!" May's eyes widened. "I'm an Investigator! If you keep brushing me off with ridiculous excuses like that, I'll..."
"You'll what?" Lin Hao wiped his face. "Arrest me? I haven't stolen or robbed anyone. I earned that badge fair and square. What, does the League forbid Pokémon from having too much internal heat?"
"You!" May flushed bright red, stamped her foot, and turned her head away.
As the two bickered, a strange series of mechanical scraping noises came from deep in the alley. "Clack... creak..."
"What's that noise?" May reached for the Poké Ball at her waist.
"Sounds like someone's taking apart scrap metal." Lin Hao poked his head out and looked deeper into the alley.
The alley ended at the Pewter Gym's backyard. By the dim streetlight, Lin Hao could make out three figures crouched furtively atop the backyard wall.
One had red hair, one had blue hair, and a cat was wedged between them. "Since you've asked so sincerely..." Half a line drifted into the alley.
Lin Hao's eyelid twitched. "They really won't leave us alone."
May also got a clear look at the three figures from behind. "Team Rocket again!" She leaned closer and asked, "What are they doing?"
"They probably saw that Brock's Onix was injured and figured they'd take advantage of it to steal Pokémon." Lin Hao shook his head.
"They've got some nerve!" May pulled out her Poké Ball and started to charge out.
Lin Hao reached out and caught her. "Hold on. We don't need an Investigator to deal with these nutjobs."
He turned his head and glanced at Pikachu, who was sprawled on his shoulder, yawning with boredom.
"Pika?" Pikachu looked at him.
"Go on." Lin Hao pointed deeper into the alley. "Stretch your legs. Remember to do it the 'normal' way."
Before you continue