The light emanating from Charmander was familiar to any Trainer.
It was the light of evolution. When this light appeared, it meant the Pokémon was about to evolve.
As Eddie watched Charmander, he could almost hear it saying, "Eddie, I won't be a Charmander anymore!"
"What? You can control this evolution by yourself? Did you press the B button on the Pokédex?" Eddie muttered in disbelief.
Looking at the scene before him, Eddie had to admit defeat to Gary.
Damn it, so Gary was deliberately suppressing Charmander's evolution. Is Ash's Bulbasaur the same way?
Eddie glanced at Ash standing next to Gary, and seeing his confused expression, he immediately gave up the thought.
As the smokescreen cleared, multiple [Double Team] Charmeleons appeared.
By now, Gary's Charmander had evolved into Charmeleon, and it wasted no time in unleashing [Flamethrower].
The attack swept across the field, wiping out all the Double Teams.
Fortunately, Eddie's Charmeleon had already retreated and avoided the full force of the [Flamethrower].
Name: Charmeleon
Type: Fire
Ability: Blaze
Level: 23 (Intermediate)
Eddie glanced at the information on his Pokédex, too tired to complain about his opponent's recent upgrade. After all, Gary was a formidable opponent, so it was only natural that he'd pull out all the stops.
"Morning Sun, now the conditions are equal. Let's move on to the second round," Gary said, eyeing his Charmeleon, which stood strong with no less momentum than Eddie's.
"Your sudden evolution did surprise me," Gary continued, "but the strength of both sides isn't decided by this alone."
Eddie didn't let his guard down and smiled confidently.
"Are you sure you want to keep fighting me with flames?"
"Why not!" Gary grinned back.
"Charmeleon, go!" Both Trainers called in unison.
The two Charmeleons immediately began gathering energy, preparing for another fiery showdown.
However, Gary's Charmeleon seemed to charge up faster. Before long, it had fully stockpiled and released a powerful burst of flames at Eddie's Charmeleon.
"Hmph, it seems your Charmeleon hasn't trained properly. The [Flamethrower] is too slow. Looks like I've won this round," Gary smirked, thinking Eddie's Charmeleon wasn't prepared.
"I think you're mistaken," Eddie said with a grin. "The reason my Charmeleon took longer to charge is because I wasn't using [Flamethrower]. Charmeleon, show him our true power!"
Eddie's Charmeleon had been preparing something far stronger than [Flamethrower].
As Gary's [Flamethrower] approached, Eddie's Charmeleon stood its ground, releasing the energy it had built up and unleashing a far more powerful flame.
A massive fire in the shape of a character shot forward, clashing directly with Gary's [Flamethrower]. The flame's speed and force overwhelmed Gary's attack, pushing Charmeleon back.
"What? Is that [Fire Blast]!? Your Charmeleon actually knows that move!" Gary exclaimed, his confidence shattered.
He had always prided himself on his Pokémon breeding skills. Under his careful guidance, Charmander had mastered [Flamethrower] and several other useful moves.
He had even deliberately suppressed Charmander's evolution to ensure it was trained properly.
But now, Eddie's Charmeleon—higher leveled, more experienced, and equipped with powerful moves like [Fire Blast]—had shaken Gary's confidence.
This had shaken Gary's confidence a little, but when he saw that the opponent's [Flamethrower] stockpiled slower than his, he regained some of his composure.
However, when Eddie's Charmeleon unleashed [Fire Blast], Gary's confidence crumbled once again.
Of course, if Eddie knew what Gary was thinking, he would have just said one thing: Gary, do you know about TMs?
But back to the battle. Just as Gary was still stunned, Charmeleon could no longer hold on.
The power of [Fire Blast] was undeniable, and Charmeleon (Eddie) was naturally stronger in terms of level.
The attack landed squarely on Charmeleon (Gary), sending it flying backward.
"Although this move is powerful, Charmeleon (Gary) is a Fire-type, so it's not as effective. Get up, Charmeleon! Charge forward!" Gary commanded, quickly reacting to his Pokémon's pained growl and urging it to fight back.
"Hmm, you've figured out that this move takes longer to stockpile, so you're planning to close the distance? Smart choice, but unfortunately, my Charmeleon is stronger in close combat."
"Charmeleon, [Iron Tail]!" Both Trainers issued their commands simultaneously.
They exchanged surprised glances, both realizing that the other knew the same move.
"Roar!" The two Charmeleons gathered energy in their tails, spinning and leaping toward each other, using their tails to strike.
With a loud collision, the two [Iron Tails] canceled each other out.
However, Charmeleon (Eddie) still had the advantage, as Charmeleon (Gary) was forced to retreat several steps, while Charmeleon (Eddie) remained steady.
"Level difference leads to a power gap," Gary muttered. "Charmeleon, continue using [Iron Tail], but avoid a direct confrontation!"
He grunted. Now he understood that in a direct fight, he was at a clear disadvantage, but close combat was his only option. After all, if the battle stayed at a distance, Eddie's [Fire Blast] would leave him no chance of winning.
"Gary, I didn't expect your Charmeleon knew [Iron Tail], but I don't believe you can use it as effectively as my Charmeleon. Let's see what we can do now! Charmeleon, use the move you learned before!"