ENGLISH NAME	JAPANESE NAME	POKEMOPOLIS NAME	DODGINESS RATING	ANIMATION	STORY	TEAM ROCKET	MORAL LEARNT
769: The Fires of a Red-Hot Reunion!	775: Moe yo Rizadon! Bui Esu Kairyu!	Yessssssssssss!			Ash finally tells his history, and an old favourite returns	Only in flashback	Charizard is the best

Today finds the twerps and N at a fair designed to show off Pokémon from the Kanto region, much to Ash's delight. There are posters, stalls, stuffed toys and balloons in the shape of various Kanto Pokémon, including the familiar three starters of Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander. Ash takes a deep breath of air and declares that one whiff takes him home, and Iris sniffs the air too and asks if this is what Kanto smells like (this sounds like an insult, somehow!). Ash wants to race Iris to try some of the local Kanto tastes, and she giggles happily at how much of a little kid he is being, being one herself as she rushes excitedly after him. Cilan and N aren't far behind, Ash and Iris' childish enthusiasm is infectious today.



After getting themselves a meal, they walk along taking in the sights, passing by the Mexican Magikarp Salesman along the way as he cons some gullible Unovans! Ash hears a familiar voice, a flat-screen is projecting an image of Professor Oak introducing himself to the viewers. The twerps rush up to get a better look, and on the screen we see Oak and Tracy with Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur, the three Kanto starters. N asks Ash which of the three he chose as his first Pokémon, and Iris explains that Pikachu was his first. N is confused, Oak just said it was one of the other three for Kanto Trainers? Ash sheepishly admits he slept in and Pikachu was the only option left (great for Pikachu's self esteem) and Cilan declares loudly that it was a match made in heaven by the fickle finger of fate. Ash has no idea what that means, but he and Pikachu are happy.

Oak finishes his presentation and a pink haired lady with a LOT of make-up comes out to introduce Pokémon from Kanto. N is as excited as anyone else, he's happy to see some new "friends". Out first is a VERY excited Charmander, which is glorying at being the center of attention and happily shows off Ember, spinning about and creating pretty spinning flames. But Charmander goes too far, getting dizzy and spinning out of control, tumbling against a light pole and knocking over one of the background sets which crashes down on top of it. Everybody is horrified, Charmander's tail weakly poking out and waving about to show it is bruised and battered but otherwise okay.

At the Pokémon Center, Joy has picked up that Charmander was probably showing off, and indeed it was - it looks absolutely delighted sitting there with its bandages being the center of attention. The twerps and N are there as well, it seems they were there to assist it after the accident and have come along to the Pokémon Center as well. Perhaps confused why the twerps are there, Joy heads outside to see what they want and tells them Charmander will be okay, and they beam happily.

Later that night, the twerps and N sit down to a meal where Ash reveals that seeing the little Charmander has reminded him of his own. Confused, they ask what he means, they didn't know he had a Charmander and besides which he already told them his first Pokémon was Pikachu. In a surprising but welcome turn of events, Ash proceeds to share a length flash-back/retelling of season one of Pokémon. All new animation of old events details the story of Ash and Charmander. From their first encounter with the abandoned, sickly little Pokémon; to rejecting Damian and going along with Ash; their night in the ice-cave where Ash and his Pokémon huddled together for warmth; to Charmander's evolution into Charmeleon and eventually the mighty, mighty Charizard. He doesn't hide anything away in nostalgia, explaining how Charmeleon and then Charizard wouldn't listen to him but he wouldn't give up on trying, and details Charizard's mighty exploits, including mostly importantly of all the time that Charizard defeated a Magmar IN THE VERY HEART OF THE VOLCANO ITSELF!



He goes on to discuss The Pokémon League and how he was knocked out during his match against the hated Richie because Charizard wouldn't listen to him. Iris comments that he sounds like a pain, but Cilan points out to her that Charizard sounds a lot like Dragonite and Excadrill were with her, causing her to laugh nervously at being caught out. They ask Ash for more information, and he explains about how Charizard was seriously hurt while he was traveling in the Orange Islands. It was the first battle that Charizard ever lost (he just refused to battle against Richie's Pikachu), and that night on the beach Ash tends to him and kept him warm, and spent the night just talking to him. Charizard finally learned to listen to him and they defeated the Poliwrath that beat him, the bond between the two becoming all the stronger and Charizard becoming Ash's MVP.

But where is Charizard now? Cilan is surprised that Ash isn't still traveling with him, and he explains about the Charicific Valley in the Johto Region. As he eats, Pikachu takes advantage of his distraction to reach a filthy paw into his glass of orange juice and lick it off of his paw, squeaking happily. Ash tells about how Charizard took a beating from the other Charizard in the Valley (well that's bullshit, actually!) and got tossed about by Charla and kicked out of the Valley by Liza. Realising that Charizard couldn't reach its full potential by traveling with him, he told it to stay in the Valley, running away in tears because he knew it was in Charizard's best interests to do so. That wasn't the end of the story though, Charizard continued to train in the Valley but would periodically show up to team up with Ash for a battle or save his ass from certain death.

Pikachu meanwhile has completely given up on subtlety and is just straight up drinking juice from Ash's glass now.

The heavily made-up girl and Charmander arrive, the girl telling them she's sorry about any troubles she caused. Ash tells the Charmander to be careful and they wave goodbye as she heads out of the Pokémon Centre. Iris and Cilan tell Ash that they enjoy hearing stories of his (many, many) adventures from before he came to the Unova Region, and they wish they could meet Charizard too. Cilan in fact gets a little TOO excited, irritating Iris as he puts on a big performance.

This gives Ash an idea, and he puts through a call to Professor Oak in Kanto. They've made arrangements already, and in a moment beyond my wildest dreams a transfer is about to be made. Ash is sending Unfezant to Professor Oak, where Oak promises she will be able to engage in races with Swellow and Staraptor. In return, Ash is getting a Pokéball just sent to Oak from the Charicific Valley.... can it be? Is it? The transfer made, the answer comes as Ash heads outside to meet with Cilan, Iris and N and opens the Pokéball....



OH HOLY FUCKING SWEET YES!

Letting out a massive, bellowing roar, Charizard lays claim to the entire Unova region. Pikachu leaps onto Charizard's shoulder and Charizard gives Ash a thumbs up. Ash introduces N, Cilan and Iris to Charizard, which happily.... blasts Ash in the face with flamethrower! Iris is shocked but Cilan laughs, picking up "a lot of love in that flamethrower!"

Ash shakes his head clear and gleefully tells Charizard its flamethrower has gotten even more powerful. They fistbump, while N tells Cilan and Iris that he can sense the great bond between them, the result of their long history and all the events they have been through together.

The other Pokémon need to meet Charizard too though, Ash brings out his and Iris calls out hers, and everything is all happiness and light.... until the inevitable happens. Dragonite sees Charizard, and Charizard sees Dragonite. The other Pokémon are non-existent in Charizard's eyes, nothing but black shapes, with only Dragonite actually existing. Why? Because Charizard has recognized another alpha-male dragon, and Dragonite has done the same, and that can only mean one thing... they have to fight to see which of them is Big Daddy Dragon!

Cilan and N are bemused at their instant belligerence, picking up how alike they are, while Ash and Iris try to calm them down. But Ash - being Ash - quickly comes up with another solution, the ONLY solution that Ash ever comes up with - let's have a battle! His reasoning is strangely logical, it's clear they want to fight to establish a hierarchy, and they won't be able to talk them out of it or make them see reason, so they'll make sure the fight happens under their conditions. Iris is nervous but quickly warms to the idea, and the two dragons are more than keen to see it through.

So soon enough, the two are facing off at a nearby battlefield, where their clashing Flamethrowers light up the night sky with their power. They take to the air and zip about each other, clashing Thunder Punch against Wing Attack. Iris thinks the battle might be over but Ash knows better, this is just getting started. He sends Charizard in with Slash and Iris counters with Dragon Rush, and her move seems by far the greater. In the night sky, massive energy jaws clamp down around Charizard and the two dragons smash into the ground. Dragonite leaps clear and poses bravely, Iris delighted with her victory... but Ash knows better - he's seen Charizard fight Gods powered by imagination before. The dust clears and Charizard is waiting, none the worse for wear, letting loose a roar of challenge, ready to keep on fighting the surprised Dragonite.

Iris can't believe it, and Ash calls for a Dragon Tail. Dragonite tries to dodge but Charizard is too fast, getting up ahead of Dragonite and slashing its glowing tail down hard into Dragonite's fast, crashing it into the ground. Charizard lands amidst the dust and waits, and when it clears Dragonite is still standing... but only barely. Clutching one shoulder and struggling to move, it staggers forward as Charizard welcomes the continuation of the fight... but N steps forward to declare it over. Everybody is surprised, but N talks from the heart, he has sensed their fighting spirit, seen the depth of their belief, and knows that in fighting each other the two Dragons have come to share a mutual respect... there is no need for the battle to continue.

Ash and Iris ask their Pokémon if they agree and they nod - Charizard knows it was winning, Dragonite knows it was beaten, but they both know that Dragonite took an asskicking and was still standing at the end of it. Cilan steps forward happily, placing a hand on Ash and N's shoulders and happily exclaiming that the battle has forged a new friendship. Ash thanks Dragonite for being part of the fight, and the two Dragons flex their biceps happily.

Iris is relieved at how the battle ended up, but the wannabe Dragon Master can't understand why her Dragon Rush didn't do more damage to the Dragon-Type Charizard? N, Cilan and even Ash are shocked, and a confused Iris asks what she said wrong. To her HUGE embarrassment, she has it explained to her that Charizard is NOT a Dragon Type Pokémon, it's a Flame Type. She's shocked, and with good reason since Charizard is quite clearly a dragon, it's just that it isn't a Dragon Type! She's got a long way to go before she becomes a Dragon Master, that's for sure. Embarrassed, she moans that she was even hoping to get herself a Charizard.

But now the question remains, is Charizard here to stay or was this a one-time only thing? Ash asks Charizard if he wants to go back to traveling with him full-time, fulfilling the promise made a long time ago, and Charizard of course is happy to agree. If nothing else, he'll be guaranteed plenty of chances to fight by going back to traveling with the battle-mad little boy!

So the episode ends with Charizard back where he belongs, traveling with the twerps, and I for one couldn't be happier.



All hail Charizard!

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