"Ahem, Ash, you look full of fighting spirit. Do you also want to have a Pokémon duel with me?"
Eddie smiled and challenged Ash, though there was a hint of coldness in his eyes.
He had finally realized that in "Pokémon Generations," one should never compete with those who seem like "protagonists" in terms of luck and treatment, or else you risk getting so frustrated you'd have a heart attack.
Eddie had encountered three such people today, and each time, he had been angrier than the last.
The first was Yellow, whose peak potential Rattata quickly evolved into a champion-level Pokémon. The second and third were Gary and Ash, whose Pokémon, like Starter's, were of champion potential, and both of their starter Pokémon had absurdly powerful skills.
Gary was fine; after all, he was a "breeder" who had worked hard to raise his Charmeleon to such a level.
But Ash? His Bulbasaur already knew [Solar Beam] from the start. Was that a free gift?!
Although Eddie smiled, he was secretly planning to give Ash a good beating.
"Although I feel that you're a little scary now, Morning Sun, I accept your challenge. I may not be able to beat you, but I won't back down. Come on!"
Ash suddenly felt a chill and realized that it came from Eddie. Although he wasn't sure why, he had already planned to battle Eddie, so he immediately agreed.
"However, your Charmeleon has just used a lot of energy. Do you need treatment first?"
Ash, though rough, was particularly thoughtful when it came to his Pokémon.
"I have another Pokémon. Your Bulbasaur has also just expended a lot of energy, and I overheard you talking to Gary earlier. You have another Electric-type Pokémon, right? I came here because I saw the lightning soaring in the sky. Let's use our second Pokémon for this fight."
Eddie narrowed his eyes. If his memory from his past life served him right, Ash now had at least three main Pokémon.
"An Electric-type, huh? I just caught it, but it's a bit disobedient. I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, I'll use my third Pokémon," Ash said, slightly embarrassed.
He had just used that Electric Pokémon against Gary and ended up being shocked by it. "A little disobedient? Let's release our Pokémon and see what happens with your Electric Pokémon."
Eddie was a little surprised. While disobedient Pokémon weren't that uncommon, he had never expected Ash's Pikachu—who had been in perfect sync with him in the past—to still be disobedient at this point.
Eddie returned his Charmeleon and took out another Poké Ball, flicking it gently. "Froga!"
Frogadier appeared in front of Eddie, small but exuding a strong presence. "By the way, let's give Frogadier the Mystic Water we just got."
[Mystic Water]: A Pokémon holding this item has its Water-type moves boosted by 30%.
"Why did I think this thing boosted by 20%? Never mind, I still have a gym match later, so this item came just in time."
When Eddie saw the different data, he realized it was due to the different versions, but it didn't surprise him. He handed the Mystic Water to Frogadier.
As the Mystic Water touched Frogadier, it merged with his body seamlessly.
Name: Frogadier
Type: Water
Ability: Protean
Level: 25 (Intermediate)
Potential: Champion
Held Item: Mystic Water
When Ash saw Frogadier, he immediately pulled out his Pokédex to check the information. He had just started his adventure and might not know all the Pokémon from the Kanto region, let alone a Frogadier from the Kalos region.
"It looks so strong, but I won't admit defeat. Come out, Pikachu!"
After seeing the information, Ash realized the chance of defeat was high, but he was not the type to back down just because of his rival's strength. Refusing to admit defeat was one of his key traits. He immediately threw out the Poké Ball, releasing the disobedient Pikachu.
A cute and small Pikachu appeared, but it looked very impatient, with electricity crackling all over its body.
Name: Pikachu
Type: Electric
Ability: Static
Level: 21 (Intermediate)
Potential: Master Level
Held Item: Light Ball (raises Pikachu's attack and special attack when held)
Moves: Thunder Shock, Quick Attack, Flash, Thunderbolt
Eddie looked at Pikachu's information, particularly the potential, held item, and the last skill in the move list.
He silently closed the Pokédex, and the cold light in his eyes seemed even sharper. One thought raced through his mind:
I must beat you today!
"Quack!"
Frogadier seemed to sense Eddie's determination, roaring fiercely as if ready to take on the challenge with everything it had.
Eddie, brimming with fighting spirit and perhaps some grudge, was fully prepared for battle.
On the other hand, the scene seemed quite chaotic.
"Pika~~~ Chuuuuu!!!"
"Ahhh, you shocked me again! Can't we just get along?"
Pikachu was chasing Ash around, constantly hitting him with Thunder Shock, while Ash had no way of stopping it. He just ran in circles, trying to escape the electric shocks.
"···My momentum was completely ruined by these two. I feel like an idiot for letting them disrupt me," Eddie said helplessly, covering his face as he watched the scene unfold.