Chapter 291 — The Great Leap: Rebellious Charizard!
Hearing the World Tree mentioned again stirred something in Lu Li.
In anime, Mew guarded something called the World-Origin Tree, not the World Tree — and in this world Lu Li really didn’t know what the World Tree truly was. He wanted to ask to see it, but didn’t press the question to avoid troubling Erguipeng.
“Is collecting Law Crystals hard?” he asked instead.
Erguipeng’s face darkened. “It’s not about difficulty — it’s like manual labor in your human world. Boring and tedious.”
Lu Li understood. “Can I help?”
“Just make masks when I get the materials. Other than that, there’s not much you can do,” Erguipeng said. He knew Lu Li was special, but this task couldn’t use much outside help.
By now Charmander’s breakthrough was nearly finished. The towering pillar of fire began to shrink, and a draconic silhouette wavered within — but Lu Li felt something was off.
“Strange… isn’t that outline too big? Is it a refraction? But… Charmeleon should have wings, right?” He squinted, daring to guess.
A deafening roar split the sky, scattering clouds. As the flames faded, a bipedal, winged, western-dragon-like Pokémon appeared — red scales like blood and magma glowing beneath them.
A Shiny Pokémon — Charizard had appeared.
Lu Li was stunned: “Huh? Charizard? Where’s Charmeleon?” Even Tropius was puzzled; in their understanding Charmander should evolve to Charmeleon first, then Charizard. Had it skipped a stage?
Erguipeng explained: after absorbing the Law Crystal, Charmander grasped the Fire Law; with enough energy it could have leapt straight to Champion rank. Because its energy buildup was insufficient, it only reached Gym rank — still astounding.
Charizard, exhilarated, tested its new wings and flew higher and faster than Tropius. It was proud and a little arrogant.
Spotting this, Milotic narrowed her eyes and silently warned the boastful Charizard: fire is weak to water, and Milotic had broken through earlier — if Charizard got cocky, Milotic wouldn’t hesitate to teach it a lesson.
Charizard announced, in classic rebellious fashion, that it was now the strongest in the house and proceeded to make demands: claiming Lu Li’s protection, asking Milotic to be its mate, wanting first taste of Tropius’s rare fruits, and declaring itself ruler of the home.
Lu Li, Milotic, and Erguipeng exchanged looks. Young rebels often needed a good lesson.
“Looks like your evolution’s made you cocky. Need me to cool you down?” Lu Li said, dangerous light in his eyes.
Charizard bristled: “I’m terrifyingly strong now! Who can beat me?”
Lu Li called Milotic. Milotic understood instantly and approached with a deadly stare. Charizard, already smitten, blurted a marriage plea to Milotic: “Be my wife!”
Lu Li proposed a match: if Charizard could beat Milotic, it could rule the home. Erguipeng volunteered to be referee. Charizard gulped but accepted.
The fight began. Charizard opened with a growing blast of flame that expanded into a sea of fire. Lu Li ordered Milotic to form Aqua Ring — to create a watery barrier that would both heal and isolate the flames.
Charizard tried a curving Flamethrower; Lu Li commanded Milotic to use Enchanting Water Pulse — a water attack with charm properties. The sight of the charming water mesmerized Charizard, who stopped dodging to stare.
Lu Li noted Charizard’s weak will: its rapid power gain made it susceptible to control moves. That flaw would cost it.
The water barrier blocked the flames, and Charizard was struck by Milotic’s Water Pulse and sent flying. Embarrassed but defiant, Charizard prepared to strike harder. Lu Li ordered Milotic to interrupt; Milotic responded with Attracting Song, and Charizard punished itself with an ill-timed powerful move, instantly regretting it.
Lu Li then launched a decisive combo: Water Pulse met Flamethrower, producing dense steam — exactly the condition he wanted — and then Milotic unleashed Charm Beam enhanced by the steam. Overwhelmed by illusions of countless Milotic sisters, Charizard was entranced; while entranced, Milotic fired a destructive beam that slammed Charizard into the ground and carved a long furrow.
Charizard, humiliated and stunned, wondered why, despite skipping evolution and reaching Gym rank, it still couldn’t beat Milotic. Lu Li mocked it gently; Charizard buried its face in dirt and muttered resentfully at its trainer before apologizing.
Lu Li warned sternly: “This is the last time. If you rebel again, I won’t hesitate to use discipline.” He brandished the thorn-rod Erguipeng had lent him — a grass-divinity artifact useful both for intimidation and for Tropius’s peace of mind; Tropius had been anxious about being surpassed.
Charizard apologized sheepishly. Lu Li patted its wing and forgave it, congratulating it for surpassing Tropius in strength. Charizard pledged to protect the home and the orchard.
Erguipeng approvingly reminded them that companions should help each other. Then he asked what they planned to do with the cleared land.
“I’m turning it into an orchard,” Lu Li said.
“Need my help?” Erguipeng offered. As a grass-aspected divine being, he could mimic harvest powers to speed growth — a pirated version of the Harvest God’s authority, but much better than Tropius’s ripening technique.
(End of chapter)
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