Aoki saw the flames that suddenly appeared on Torchic's body, and his eyes lit up instantly. He quickly ran to the side of Torchic. At this moment, the flames on Torchic's body were almost completely enveloping it. Torchic itself seemed a little confused—this was the first time it had encountered such a situation. Within the flames, two bewildered little eyes looked at Aoki, silently asking for help.
While examining the data graph provided by the system, Aoki smiled and said, "It's okay. This is a normal phenomenon because you're about to... evolve."
Hearing Aoki's explanation, Torchic's eyes brightened. Ever since witnessing Marshtomp's evolution firsthand, the Pokémon in Aoki's secondary team had developed a strong desire to evolve. They especially wanted to know what abilities they would gain and what they would look like after evolution. As a result, they had been training intensely, hoping to reach their evolutionary state as quickly as possible.
Today, Torchic was particularly excited because the energy building inside its body made it restless. Now, its body was covered in flames—only its face remained untouched, while the rest of its feathers and head crest had nearly turned into pure fire. This was the Fire-type energy reshaping its body, the natural process of evolution.
The only oddity was the absence of the usual white light that typically accompanied evolution. Aoki didn't understand why, but according to the system's scan, all of Torchic's vital metrics had peaked, confirming that evolution was imminent.
Without overthinking it, Aoki retrieved an aptitude potion from his storage space—one specifically formulated for Torchic. This evolution was crucial for Aoki, not only because Torchic was the first of his Pokémon with dark-cyan potential to evolve, but also because its transformation would set a precedent for the rest of his team.
"Torchic, this is an aptitude potion. Just like Marshtomp, drink it directly," Aoki instructed, holding out the vial. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novel✶fire.net
"Torchic!" The Fire-type eagerly opened its beak, looking expectantly at Aoki.
Aoki held the potion, ready to administer it.
An awkward silence followed.
Aoki had forgotten that Torchic's entire body was currently engulfed in flames, making it impossible for the Pokémon to consume anything. To avoid burning himself, Aoki used his psychic powers to levitate the potion, carefully guiding the liquid into Torchic's mouth.
"Torchic!!" After swallowing the potion, Torchic let out a fierce cry, signaling its readiness to evolve.
But then something unexpected happened—the flames covering its body began to shrink.
Aoki frowned. "Still not enough?"
He summoned Slowking.
"Slowking, use Flamethrower on Torchic! Torchic, absorb the flames with all your strength!"
"Slow... king!" Slowking nodded seriously and unleashed a controlled Flamethrower directly at Torchic's face.
For the first time, Torchic experienced the searing heat of another Pokémon's flames. It instinctively wanted to cry out, but Aoki stopped it.
"Torchic, endure it! If you make a sound now, the potion's effects might weaken. Focus entirely on absorbing the Fire energy from Slowking's Flamethrower!"
Torchic resisted the discomfort, closing its eyes and concentrating on absorbing the flames.
By the fifth minute, Slowking was visibly exhausted. Finally, Torchic's body began to change again.
"Alright, Slowking, you can stop." Aoki fed Slowking a Pokeblock to restore its energy. As a Water- and Psychic-type, maintaining a Fire-type move for so long had been incredibly taxing.
Once Torchic absorbed the last remnants of Slowking's Flamethrower, the flames on its body erupted violently, engulfing it completely in a swirling inferno of red and yellow. Then, at last, the familiar white glow of evolution radiated from within.
Aoki finally understood—during its earlier battle, Torchic had expended too much of its built-up evolutionary energy. After defeating Scyther, it should have evolved naturally, but the energy required had been insufficient, stalling the process.
Fortunately, Aoki had intervened in time. Had he not summoned Slowking to reignite Torchic's flames, the aptitude potion would have been wasted, and the interrupted evolution might have caused permanent damage.
Now, at last, the evolution was proceeding correctly.
The system monitored Torchic's vitals in real-time—every stat had surpassed its previous limits.
Aoki, Slowking, and Aron stood watch as Torchic's form shifted within the glowing light. The wild Pokémon in this area were low-level, and since this was still Scythers's territory, no interruptions were likely.
Gradually, through the white light, Torchic's silhouette expanded. Its stubby wings elongated into powerful limbs, resembling human arms. Upon evolving, Torchic would gain the Fighting-type, and these new limbs would enhance its close-combat abilities—a typing Aoki's team currently lacked.
Ten minutes later, the light faded, revealing a Pokémon with three vivid red feathers atop its head, a light-yellow torso, and powerful red legs. Its elongated wings now nearly brushed the ground, no longer mere appendages but formidable weapons. Sharp claws tipped each wing, capable of executing devastating attacks. Its legs had thickened dramatically, their muscular definition hinting at explosive jumping power.
This was Combusken—Torchic's evolved form. No longer a juvenile, it stood tall at ninety centimeters, its demeanor confident and battle-ready.
"Congratulations, Combusken," Aoki said warmly. "How do you feel?"
"Combusken!!" In response, the Pokémon leaped high, delivering a crushing kick to a nearby tree. Before gravity could take hold, it pivoted midair and struck again with its other leg. The tree toppled instantly.
Then, with flawless grace, Combusken landed in a heroic pose—one knee on the ground, wings outstretched—as if declaring its triumphant arrival.