After Eddie went offline, he ordered some food. With money in hand, he had no worries and decided to treat himself to a good meal.
After eating, he took a bath and then went to rest.
Eddie slept soundly, completely unaware that while he was resting, the forum had erupted in excitement.
···
Even though it was already nighttime, the forum of Pokémon Generations remained lively.
Various posts vied for attention, and the name "Morning Sun" dominated the discussions.
"Shock! The great Morning Sun leveled up like this?!"
"I'm Morning Sun's friend—I have something to say!"
"Morning Sun, name your price for the Pokémon in your hand!"
"Kneeling in awe—Morning Sun, share your leveling strategy!"
"Take me with you, Morning Sun!"
"Let's analyze—could Morning Sun be cheating?"
···
Countless posts aimed to capture attention, and everyone was talking about this mysterious gaming prodigy.
"Unbelievable! Morning Sun is at the top of four ranking lists. That's insane!"
"I have no idea how he got three Pokémon with champion potential—they're ridiculously strong."
"Potential values can be increased, but the required items are hard to obtain. How did he get them so easily?"
"That's the difference between a pro and us. But getting three champion-level Pokémon on the first day? That's on another level."
Many users were discussing Pokémon potential, confused about how Eddie had managed to reach such a level so quickly.
"Oh my gosh, what's happening with the rankings? Why are there so many high-level players?"
"I've been grinding all day and only reached level 8—how did they hit level 10 already?"
"Are these people cheating? Besides Morning Sun, the other seven top-ranked players have hidden names. Highly suspicious!"
"It does seem fishy. Those seven climbed the rankings insanely fast, then suddenly stopped leveling. Maybe their cheats got detected?"
"If we're talking about cheating, then Morning Sun should be the prime suspect. Two Pokémon above level 25 already? No way that's legit!"
"Haha, people just love calling things cheats when they can't keep up. Classic."
"Do you think those hidden names could actually be Morning Sun's alternate accounts?"
Speculation about the ranking list continued. Most players were questioning whether the seven hidden names were cheaters, while only a few suspected Eddie.
After all, his name was always visible, and with him dominating four different leaderboards, most saw him as a legitimate gaming prodigy rather than a cheater.
Of course, it was all just speculation.
"By the way, when can we become intermediate trainers? Morning Sun is the only one on that ranking list—I want to join him!"
"You might want to rethink that. To qualify as an intermediate trainer, you need at least one level 20 Pokémon. Right now, only those seven top-ranked players could reach that milestone soon."
"I think it's easier to get on the Badge leaderboard. I heard there's a Gym in Pewter City. Winning there earns you a badge."
"But to get to Pewter City, you have to pass through Viridian Forest."
"Speaking of Viridian Forest, why did Morning Sun get through it so fast?"
"It's a level difference. Think about it—wild Pokémon in Viridian Forest are around level 6-12. If your Pokémon are under level 10, you'll need to retreat and heal frequently. That slows you down."
"Yeah, but Morning Sun doesn't have that problem. With two level 20 Pokémon, he probably just powered through. No wonder he's so far ahead."
As players examined the Trainer and Badge leaderboards, Eddie's lone presence at the top stood out like a beacon.
As for the ranking lists, players expected the seven hidden-name users on the level leaderboard to advance quickly. Meanwhile, for the Badge leaderboard, it all depended on who could reach Pewter City first and win a Gym match.
"By the way, did Big Brother Morning Sun take over all of today's world announcements?"
"Let's check—level 10 milestone, Elite-level potential reveal, Pokémon evolution, intermediate Trainer promotion, and the first Badge obtained… That's five announcements, all from Big Brother Morning Sun!"
"Morning Sun is basically a world announcement VIP, a professional at triggering them."
"Oh wow, so this is what it's like to be a top player?"
"I swear, I don't want to hear the name 'Morning Sun' again! How do you turn off world announcements?!"
"Sorry to disappoint you, but in Pokémon Generations, world announcements are the one thing you can't turn off."
Many players, suspicious that Eddie was cheating, rushed to report him to the game's developers.
However, after searching high and low, they discovered that Pokémon Generations had no customer support system. In the end, all they could do was vent their frustration on the forum—without any results.
······
The next morning, Eddie woke up early and freshened up.
He ordered a hearty breakfast and browsed the official game forum while eating—a habit he had developed in his past life. Through the forum, he had uncovered countless hidden quests and valuable information.
But today, even after finishing his meal, he found nothing useful.
Everyone was still talking about him—just endless posts filled with envy, jealousy, and frustration.
Eddie couldn't help but feel amused as he read through them, but in the end, they were all just noise.
"If people have time to chat, they'd be better off grinding levels. Real pros are always putting in the work."
Of course, by this point, even if players no-lifed the game 24/7, they would never catch up to Eddie's pace.
"The game versions are different, after all. This one is the high-difficulty edition, meaning more effort yields greater rewards."
"They'll never guess that one day, this world will become real—and everything I accumulate now will be part of my power."
Eddie smirked, closed the forum, and logged into the game without another word.
···
"Ding! Welcome back, player 'Morning Sun,' to Pokémon Generations Alpha!"
Eddie spawned inside the Trainer-only room at the Pokémon Center.
His three Pokémon were already awake, happily eating the breakfast he had prepared for them the night before.
Once they finished their meal, Eddie recalled them into their Poké Balls and set off toward Mt. Moon.