"By the way, much like the regional forms I explained before, I've also considered whether Charmander's dragon-like appearance might originate from its ancestors."
"After all, everyone knows that some Pokémon, over long periods of time, adapt to environmental changes, and their typings may change accordingly."
"So perhaps Charmander's ancestors once possessed Dragon typing, but due to the passage of time and drastic environmental shifts, eventually lost that Dragon attribute."
After a brief pause, Chen Mo voiced another hypothesis, instantly sparking heated discussion in the livestream chat.
[As expected of Teacher Mo, that sounds super professional. Thinking about it that way actually makes way more sense.]
[Kind of reasonable. Then wouldn't Gyarados and Aerodactyl also have changed their typings over time to adapt?]
[Even if they did, that's ancient glory. What does that have to do with present-day Charmander? It's still just a dragon-looking Pokémon with only Fire typing. Oh wait—Charizard at least gains Flying type after evolution. LMAO. Gyarados, Aerodactyl, and Charizard really are the Flying Trio.]
Watching the flood of teasing comments drift past, Chen Mo couldn't help but remind everyone:
"These are only my current speculations."
"As for what the truth really is…"
"We still don't know."
But clearly—
The audience had already found their entertainment.
Whether it was speculation or not no longer mattered.
The livestream instantly devolved into collective bullying of Charizard and the so-called Flying Trio.
Headache.
That really wasn't my intention…
Chen Mo sighed helplessly.
The real reason he had brought up the theory—
Was because he'd been reminded of Mega Evolution Charizard, specifically one of its forms where Charizard changed from Flying-type to Dragon-type, finally washing away the humiliation of being "dragon-like but not Dragon."
And in his previous world—
There had once been a theory that Mega Evolutions reflected a Pokémon's ancient form.
So Chen Mo had only wanted to lay some groundwork for future Mega Evolution explanations.
Who could've guessed it would instead fuel a full-scale meme festival?
At that moment, another comment floated across the screen.
[Teacher Mo, what do you think about Charmander vs Graveler? Charmander looks like it's in a really rough spot.]
Chen Mo caught the comment.
Delighted to finally shift topics, he smoothly transitioned back into commentary.
"How should I put it…"
"My view is pretty much the same as most viewers."
"First—Graveler is Rock and Ground dual-type."
"Charmander is at a complete disadvantage in terms of typing."
"Second—as you can all see, the difference in physical ability between the two Pokémon isn't even on the same level."
"And lastly—"
"Graveler's trainer is extremely cautious."
"Even with overwhelming advantage, he's still fighting steadily and carefully without becoming careless."
Graveler's trainer was a young man named Xiao Fan.
Judging from the name alone—
He seemed like the type destined for greatness.
Chen Mo hadn't watched Xiao Fan's previous match against Deerling—
But based on this performance against Gao Tianming—
Defeating opponents despite type disadvantage clearly wasn't luck.
Xiao Fan was simply too steady.
Against a Charmander weaker than Graveler in nearly every category—
He had Graveler begin by using Defense Curl to boost itself.
Then immediately followed with Rollout, relentlessly chasing Charmander around the battlefield without giving it room to breathe.
At this rate—
Charmander was probably doomed.
"Charmander!"
"We can't keep running!"
"Use Dragon Claw and stop Graveler!"
Gao Tianming gritted his teeth.
Watching Charmander constantly forced back—
And noticing the distance shrinking—
He finally gave an offensive command.
The moment Charmander heard him—
It performed a beautiful sliding turn.
Dragon-type energy surged through its body.
A pair of claws made entirely of energy formed over its hands.
"Ka-na!!!"
Thunderous rumbling echoed.
Facing the Graveler rolling directly toward it—
A Pokémon far larger than itself—
Charmander showed no fear.
With a roar—
It swung both claws forward and forcefully stopped Graveler's momentum.
Two overwhelming forces collided.
Then—
Cracks rapidly spread across Charmander's Dragon Claws.
"The strength difference is really this huge?!"
Gao Tianming stared in disbelief.
Back when Graveler used Defense Curl—
He had also ordered Charmander to use Swords Dance, boosting its attack.
And yet—
Charmander still lost the power struggle.
Frustration welled inside Gao Tianming.
Fire-type moves dealt pitiful damage to Graveler.
Meanwhile—
Charmander had practiced several Dragon-type moves to broaden its coverage.
So for this battle—
He'd abandoned his usual Fire-based strategy in favor of his limited Dragon-type techniques.
But now—
The results were clearly disappointing.
Damn it!
If Charmander were actually Dragon-type…
With STAB, it could probably overpower Graveler right now!
Watching more cracks spread across Dragon Claw—
Realizing Charmander couldn't last much longer—
A flash of inspiration suddenly crossed Gao Tianming's mind.
"Charmander!"
"Push Graveler back!"
"Then use Smokescreen!"
"Ka-na!"
Charmander roared.
Borrowing the last remnants of power before Dragon Claw shattered—
It forcibly shoved Graveler away.
Then leapt backward gracefully and opened its mouth.
Thick smoke burst forth—
Instantly flooding the battlefield.
Graveler had just stopped moving when it looked up—
Only to find itself swallowed in complete darkness.
At that instant—
Gao Tianming's excitement peaked.
"This is it!"
"One more time!"
"Use Dragon Claw!!!"
At his passionate command—
White light surged around Charmander's claws once more.
Energy condensed—
Transforming into giant sharp talons.
The next moment—
The claws sliced through layers of smoke—
Accompanied by a dull impact—
And struck something hard.
"We got it!"
Gao Tianming nearly exploded with joy.
But immediately—
Xiao Fan issued an order.
"Grab it!"
"No way!"
"Use Dragon Tail and knock it back!"
If Graveler managed to grab Charmander—
The result didn't even need imagining.
Fortunately—
Gao Tianming had already discussed tactics beforehand.
The moment Dragon Claw landed—
Charmander immediately retreated instead of overcommitting.
Watching Graveler reach through the smoke toward it—
Charmander's tail flame flickered.
"Ka-na!"
In an instant—
Emerald light wrapped tightly around Charmander's tail.
Relying on superior agility—
Charmander dodged sideways.
Then whipped Dragon Tail hard into Graveler's flank.
Another heavy impact rang out.
Graveler staggered backward several steps.
"Graveler!"
"You alright?"
"Wuh…"
Hearing concern from its trainer—
Graveler nodded casually.
Then turned back toward the panting Charmander as though nothing had happened.
The scene instantly confused viewers.
[Wait—Charmander landed multiple hits. Why does Graveler look completely fine while Charmander looks exhausted like it just ate an ultimate move?]
[This is weird…]
[I figured it out! Xiao Fan secretly used magic attacks! Charmander got hit by invisible magic!]
[Bro stop making stuff up 💀]
[Teacher Mo, what's going on?]
Facing the confusion—
Chen Mo stroked his chin.
Looking calmly at the strange scene—
He explained:
"I remember someone asked me a long time ago…"
'Is it always better for Pokémon to learn as many moves as possible?'"
"Does anyone remember my answer?"
The chat responded instantly.
[More moves can show talent and aptitude, but more moves ≠ stronger. Pokémon, like humans, don't have infinite energy to master everything, so they must specialize.]
[Also—Pokémon learn same-type moves much faster. Off-type moves require way more effort, so trainers usually only teach a few for coverage.]
Chen Mo nodded.
"Exactly."
"Against a Graveler that completely counters him, Gao Tianming made the correct decision."
"He abandoned Charmander's usual strategy and used Dragon-type techniques instead."
"Charmander has clearly trained Dragon Claw and Dragon Tail."
"But…"
"The proficiency isn't high enough."
He paused.
Then continued softly.
"Many rookie trainers make the same mistake."
"They command Pokémon to use moves too frequently."
"Hoping fast-paced aggression can instantly overwhelm opponents."
"But there's a major flaw in that thinking."
"Pokémon are living beings."
"They aren't tools."
"They definitely aren't game pets that instantly obey commands without cost."
"Every move requires mobilizing internal energy."
"And rapidly switching between different moves places tremendous strain on a Pokémon."
"Charmander just used two off-type techniques in succession."
"At its current proficiency…"
"It simply cannot sustain such rapid transitions."
"That's why Charmander is panting so heavily."
"A truly excellent trainer…"
"Doesn't only seize openings or command battles well."
"They also understand their Pokémon's physical condition."
"And know how to control the tempo of combat."
"From this perspective—"
"Xiao Fan and Graveler are doing far better."
The explanation brought immediate enlightenment—
Especially for trainers watching nationwide.
[So THAT'S why my Rattata always pauses awkwardly between Tackle and Bite and gets exhausted so fast!]
[Tempo… I finally get why I lost preliminaries.]
[Bro maybe you just lacked raw strength 😂]
[I don't fully get it but Gao Tianming and Charmander had really good rhythm in previous matches.]
[No choice. Fighting against bad type matchups forced them into off-type moves.]
[Still, Charmander DID land Dragon Claw and Dragon Tail though. Graveler's defense is ridiculous.]
"Totally normal."
"Xiao Fan's Graveler is very strong."
"And it boosted itself with Defense Curl."
"So Charmander failing to deal meaningful damage is expected."
Looking at the big screen—
Chen Mo continued:
"The Graveler line…"
"As Pokémon frequently used for repairing battlefields…"
"I've already explained them many times during preliminaries."
"You should all know their characteristics by now."
"If not, check the explanations other viewers posted."
"As for Xiao Fan's Graveler…"
"How should I put it…"
"If Graveler's evolution conditions weren't so unique…"
"With the quality it's shown so far…"
"It probably would've evolved already."
A massive disadvantage.
An overwhelming disadvantage.
Gao Tianming's expression grew grim.
His thoughts raced—
But no winning strategy came to mind.
At this moment—
The smartest choice before him…
Was actually surrendering.
Because he and Charmander were still in the winners bracket.
Even losing now—
They'd still have another chance.
And monsters like Xiao Fan and Graveler—
Who completely hard-countered Charmander—
Existed only once in this group.
Conceding—
Saving Charmander's stamina—
And preparing for the next opponent—
Was undeniably the wisest move.
After all—
The healing station couldn't fully restore injuries and stamina in such a short time.
What do I do…
Do I make that call?
Gao Tianming clenched his teeth—
Staring at the orange figure before him.
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