As the story of the Pokemon anime’s long-running protagonist Ash Ketchum draws to a close soon, Pokemon fans have noticed and looked back upon the growth Ash has gone through on his journey over the years. In the decades since the kid from Pallet Town first stepped onto the scene, he has had many team members come and go, aside from his trusty Pikachu. One of these team members had a troubled tale from the start but eventually became an iconic Pokemon and a powerful member of Ash’s team in its own right.

RELATED: Pokemon Anime Will Feature Return of Brock and Misty for Ash’s Final Episodes

A Reddit user by the name of addyxiii, using pixel graphics reminiscent of Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen for the Game Boy Advance, recreated a scene from episode 11 of the first season of the Pokemon anime. “Charmander the Stray Pokemon” was the anime’s debut of Charmander, and is considered one of the best Pokemon anime episodes. While on their way to Vermillion City, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu encountered a stray Charmander huddled on a rock, having been abandoned by its former trainer. Distrustful and defensive, Charmander initially rebuked every attempt at aid, using a leaf to protect the flame on its tail from the elements. A storm eventually came in, with Charmander caught in it. Knowing that Charmander could die if its tail flame went out, Ash and company rushed back into the rain to rescue the Lizard Pokemon. They took it to a nearby Pokemon Center to stoke its tail flame and recover from the ordeal.

Charmander recovered, took revenge on the trainer that abandoned it, and joined Ash’s team. Later in the season, it evolved into Charmeleon and Charizard. However, Charizard was a disobedient Pokemon whose arrogance led to Ash’s defeat in the Indigo League tournament. Eventually, Charizard reconciled with Ash during the Orange Islands arc after Ash rescued it again from peril, and once again obeyed Ash’s commands in battle.

The post by addyxiii received over 14k upvotes on r/pokemon. Some users recalled the heartbreak they felt as children when they saw the episode that Ash and Charmander met, and others noted addyxiii’s choice to use graphics from the third generation as the basis of their art. Though Ash will be missed as the lead protagonist, the Pokemon anime will continue with new characters and new Pokemon to meet.

MORE: 8 Ways Pokemon Reflect Real World Biology