Steam rose in thick clouds from the massive tiled bath, infused with harsh-smelling herbs and mana-rich minerals. Ray and Charmander were dropped—thrown, more accurately—straight into the water by Elias, who showed no signs of sympathy.
"GAAHHHHH!" Ray cried, jerking up like he'd been shocked. "It's burning!"
Charmander let out a high-pitched "Charrrr!", steam rising from his soaked scales.
"Bear it," Elias said calmly, arms crossed. "That pain is your muscles healing and your mana circuits strengthening. The bath will stimulate recovery and promote growth."
Ray gritted his teeth, forcing himself to sink lower into the water. His body throbbed from head to toe, but… he did feel a strange energy building within.
"Like bathing in a volcano," he muttered. "A volcano filled with needles."
Charmander hissed in agreement.
Later – Dinner Time
The family dining table was warm and bustling with conversation. Amelia served roasted meat and spicy vegetable soup, and Lily happily munched away while sneaking glances at Ray's bandaged arms.
"Are you okay, big brother?" she asked with wide, concerned eyes.
Ray managed a tired smile. "I'll live."
Grandma leaned in with a frown. "Elias, they look half-dead. Was it really necessary to push them this far on day one?"
"Of course," Elias said, casually chewing. "Can't mold iron without fire."
Richard sighed. "Still as dramatic as ever…"
Elias ignored him. "I'll make a man out of him in one week."
Ray raised an eyebrow. "What about Charmander?"
Elias smirked. "If the beast follows his master's pace, they'll both walk out of here stronger than most guild cadets."
Night – Ray's Room
The room was silent except for the soft crackle of Charmander's tail flame. The fire-lizard lay sprawled across the floor, snoring gently, completely spent.
Ray, meanwhile, sat on the bed with the Grimoire open in his lap. His fingers trembled slightly from soreness, but he managed to scroll to the status update screen.
A faint chime echoed, followed by a glowing panel of updated stats.
[Charmander – Status Update]
Level: 1Attack: H → B Defense: H → B Speed: H → B Magic: H → G
Ray blinked.
"...Huh."
He stared at the Magic stat. It had only gone up a single rank—from H to G—while everything else had made a full jump to B.
"Guess that makes sense," he mumbled, flipping the Grimoire shut. "We didn't really use any magic today. Charmander focused on strength, endurance… no Ember, no Smokescreen."
But then he paused.
"No wait… he did use some magic. Unconsciously."
He remembered the way Charmander lifted the boulder—not just with raw power, but with that same subtle glow he'd seen during Scratch. The energy that wrapped around his body, like a mana coating instinctively enhancing his physical capabilities.
"Hmm… magic reinforcement," Ray said thoughtfully. "Used internally rather than externally. That explains the small bump."
He looked over at his sleeping partner, and despite the pain, a small smile crept across his face.
"You're evolving already… not just stats, but how you fight."
Ray leaned back, letting his sore muscles sink into the mattress.
"We'll train smarter tomorrow. Push where it counts. One step at a time…"
His eyes grew heavy, mind still swirling with plans, strategies, and memories of the training hell his grandfather had dropped them into.
But for now, he allowed sleep to take him, with only one thought echoing in his head—
"I'm going to become strong enough to make this second life count."
--------------------------------------------------------
One Week Later – The Day of Departure
The morning sun shimmered above the cliffside, casting golden rays across the rugged training grounds of the Steelfang Dojo. The once-grassy ground was now a hardened battlefield, scorched and dented in places by days of relentless training.
Inside the manor, Amelia adjusted a shoulder strap on one of the travel bags and looked toward the window.
"It's time," she said, smiling faintly. "Lily, dear—go fetch your brother."
Lily jumped up, clutching her favorite plushie. "Okay, Mama!"
She skipped across the marble-floored halls and burst through the back doors that led to the training cliff. The wind whooshed through her hair as she ran past stone pillars and old beast statues, eyes scanning for Ray.
Then she froze.
Just beyond the main yard, she spotted him.
Ray was upside down, balancing on a single arm—his entire body vertical, legs raised toward the sky, perfectly still. His free arm was wrapped around his back for added difficulty. The strain on his muscles was obvious, but the control? Absolute.
Sweat dripped from his bare torso, his shirt discarded nearby, revealing the faint outlines of toned abs and sharpened muscle lines that had begun to show after a week of brutal grind. His body wasn't bulky—but it radiated focused power. Every movement was fluid, every breath controlled.
Below him, Charmander stood in a solid stance, eyes narrowed, releasing a small stream of Ember at the rocky patch ahead.
"Fwhoooo…"
The ember floated a few meters before landing—
BOOM!
A small but sharp explosion burst on impact, leaving a blackened crater. The flames were denser, darker, with crimson streaks licking at their edges. Even Charmander's body looked bulkier, with faint scale patterning becoming more defined. The flame on his tail had grown slightly in size and now danced more fiercely, mirroring his will.
"W-Woah…" Lily whispered, eyes sparkling.
Ray exhaled and slowly shifted his weight, performing a final handstand push-up before flipping upright and landing softly on both feet.
"Charmander," he called, brushing sweat from his forehead.
The little fire-lizard immediately turned, jogging to Ray with a proud "Char!"
Ray turned, finally noticing Lily watching from the edge of the platform. He chuckled and waved.
"Morning, squirt. Something up?"
"Mama says it's time to leave!" Lily said, running up to him with wide eyes. "You look like a superhero!"
Ray gave a tired laugh. "More like a bruised-up training dummy…"
He knelt down and ruffled her hair. "But thanks."
Charmander gave a small puff of smoke from his nostrils, clearly proud of himself too.
Ray looked back toward the dojo walls, silent for a moment.
"…This week was intense."
Charmander nodded solemnly.
Ray glanced down at his hands—blistered, but firm. Then at Charmander, whose embers still crackled with restrained power.
"We've changed, huh?"
He smiled.
"But it's just the beginning."
As the three of them walked back toward the manor, Ray spoke quietly to his partner.
"When we get home, we'll rest for a day… then we go all in. Our journey really starts now. I want to reach evolution. And beyond."
Charmander let out a determined growl in reply, fire tail burning strong.
Inside the Manor – Few Minutes Later
As they reached the grand hall, Elias stood near the door with arms crossed. He gave Ray a firm nod—his silent way of saying, not bad, kid.
Grandma, meanwhile, smiled warmly and handed Ray a wrapped food pouch. "For the road. You'll need the energy."
Richard clapped his son's back. "You've grown stronger. I could feel it the moment you stepped in."
Ray smiled. "Thanks, Dad."
They loaded the bags as Vaelstrom, the proud Skyrazor Drake, descended once again in a sweep of powerful wings.
This time, he looked at Ray and Charmander not with contempt… but still disinterest.
As if saying: still ants just a tiny bit bigger.
Ray smirked.
"Let's go home."
And with that, they soared back toward the city… stronger, steadier, and ready to carve their names into the annals of card mastery.