As Ash delivered a punch to Damian's face,
Damian was sent flying, crashing into the sofa, which toppled over, and his body rolled over a dozen times, finally slamming heavily against the wall.
Teeth and blood flew in the air, and the wooden wall cracked with the impact, likely breaking several of his bones.
Since gaining Aura Power, Ash had been cautious in restraining his strength, aware of its great power and the potential for causing severe harm with just a small mishap.
This was true even without using Aura Power.
Only recently had he barely managed to control his power at will, no longer worried about accidentally injuring others.
However, Damian's few words broke Ash's composure, and he lost control, delivering a particularly hard punch.
Luckily, as he unleashed the punch, Ash instinctively held back ninety percent of his strength, otherwise, Damian wouldn't have just been merely sent flying and rolling over; his skull might have exploded on the spot!
But even after that punch, Ash still felt unresolved anger; this kind of person deserved the most severe punishment imaginable!
"What do you think Pokemon are! Because of what you said, that Charmander stayed there for two days, afraid even to find food, waiting for you all along! He might even still be waiting for you now, until the flame on his tail extinguishes!"
Damian didn't answer Ash, as Ash's punch had knocked him unconscious.
Brock and Misty realized what was happening, seeing Ash in such anger for the first time. Each placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Let's not worry about this guy for now. Let's go check on Charmander first."
"Yeah, checking on Charmander is urgent. If we wait any longer, it might be too late."
Misty and Brock's words calmed Ash down. He quickly turned to rush out of the Pokemon Center, only to be stopped by an angry Miss Joy.
"I need an explanation as to why you're fighting and causing a disturbance in the Pokemon Center!"
Damian's wailing brought out Miss Joy, who had been resting. Seeing Damian with a mouth full of blood, writhing in pain, she spoke with slight anger.
Someone dared to cause trouble at the Pokemon Center again? Had they grown tired of living?
Not long ago, there was a disturbance at the Viridian City Pokemon Center, and now someone was causing trouble here as well, thinking the Joy family could be trifled with?
"I'm sorry, Miss Joy. My friend didn't mean to," Brock quickly bowed to apologize to Miss Joy. No matter how excessive Damian was, beating him like that in the Pokemon Center was indeed disrespectful to Miss Joy.
"Sorry, Miss Joy, but can your reprimanding wait until we're back? We need to find the abandoned Charmander outside. In this weather, if he's still waiting for that guy, he could die!"
With Ash's brief explanation, Miss Joy quickly grasped the situation and hurried to retrieve three raincoats for Ash and his friends: "Be careful on the road. It's slippery outside; watch your step."
"...Thank you, Miss Joy." Ash thanked her as he took the raincoats, hurriedly unwrapping them, and dashed out of the Pokemon Center. Pikachu and Ralts had already leaped onto his shoulder, with Misty and Brock right behind him.
Watching the three race out into the storm and then looking at the gang that had gathered around the fallen Damian, Miss Joy had already made her judgment.
"Chansey, treat this person."
Damian and his lot were notorious troublemakers in the area, even backed by some influential people.
They'd always been brazen, probably feasting their first failure like this.
Though Miss Joy was reluctant to help Damian, leaving him unattended could result in permanent damage or paralysis. For a doctor, ignoring such a predicament when it unfolds in front of her would challenge her professional ethics.
Even though her role is primarily to serve the Pokemon...
Meanwhile, Ash and his friends had already dashed onto the road, braving the rain.
Even with raincoats, the chilling rain relentlessly assaulted their faces and any exposed skin.
In the downpour, they arrived at the spot where Charmander had been.
As expected, Charmander was still on that rock, despite the torrential rain.
At this moment, holding a large leaf, Charmander was swaying in the storm!
How could a single leaf possibly withstand such a deluge?
Moreover, just as Ash and his friends arrived, they found other uninvited guests around Charmander.
The familiar adversaries—the Spearow flock!
Four or five Spearow circled Charlie, their fierce eyes unwavering; logically, they'd seek shelter from the storm. Even preying on other Pokemon should be postponed until it clears.
Their primary target was the Pokemon food in front of Charmander, with Charmander himself as a secondary concern.
Divided tasks, two Spearow attacked the already weak Charmander, while the others slowly devoured the food positioned before Charmander.