"Froakie! [Ice Beam]!"
"Froak!"
Froakie opened his mouth, releasing a blue-white beam of icy energy that surged toward the opposing Pokémon.
"Pidgeotto!"
Pidgeotto evaded Froakie's attack with a swift sidestep in the air and flapped its wings powerfully, generating a gust of wind aimed at Froakie.
Name: Pidgeotto
Type: Normal + Flying
Ability: Keen Eye
Level: 16
"Froakie, [Double Team]!"
Facing the Level 16 Pidgeotto, Eddie didn't want his Level 14 Froakie to take the hit directly.
At Eddie's command, Froakie quickly gathered energy. Using [Double Team], he created several clones surrounding Pidgeotto.
"Pidgeotto!"
Seeing itself surrounded by numerous clones, Pidgeotto grew anxious and immediately used [Gust], aiming to eliminate the false images and identify Froakie's real position.
"Pidgeotto is fast, but it pauses when attacking. We'll strike then," Eddie analyzed.
"Froakie, [Ice Beam]—finish it!"
"Froak!"
At that moment, Froakie's real body appeared behind Pidgeotto. With precise timing, he fired another [Ice Beam] directly at Pidgeotto, who was focused on attacking the clones.
Pidgeotto noticed the attack at the last second but couldn't dodge as it was mid-action.
[Ice Beam] hit Pidgeotto's wings directly. This was Eddie's plan all along. Though he hadn't voiced it explicitly, Froakie had understood. The bond between them, strengthened by the power of Viridian, allowed such seamless communication. To defeat a Flying-type Pokémon, grounding it was the priority.
Letting out a cry of pain, Pidgeotto wobbled in the air before regaining some stability. Its wings, now partially frozen, slowed its movements significantly, even though the frozen status wasn't fully triggered.
"Ice-type moves are effective against Flying Pokémon. Its speed is reduced now. Froakie, go for the final blow," Eddie instructed.
Froakie immediately understood. He fired another [Ice Beam], his only Ice-type move. Pidgeotto, now significantly slowed, couldn't evade and was hit again.
Despite being two levels higher than Froakie, Pidgeotto succumbed to the back-to-back super-effective hits. With Froakie's Ice-type boost, the attack's power was amplified even further.
"Pidgeotto..."
Pidgeotto fell to the ground, unable to battle.
"Ding! Froakie gained 193 experience points!"
"Ding! Froakie leveled up to Level 15!"
"Great! Froakie's already Level 15. With a few more battles, we'll reach Level 20 and see if he evolves," Eddie said confidently.
He reflected, "Leveling up in this world is so different. Back in my previous life playing Pokémon games, it took me an entire day of battles just to reach Level 10. The effort required here feels even greater, but the rewards are worth it."
"And now, I can level up by battling a few high-level Pokémon—it's so much easier," Eddie mused.
He recalled how, before he was reborn, leveling up in games had been a grueling challenge. It required endless grinding and effort. But now? It was almost effortless by comparison.
However, Eddie knew he couldn't afford to become complacent. His current rivals weren't mere players.
"It would be too dull to compare myself to those players with such a big advantage," he thought with a smirk. "Now I'm absolutely certain—when the game and reality merge, I'll undoubtedly be the strongest in the real world. But even that isn't enough."
Eddie clenched his fists, determination flickering in his eyes. "True strength lies in surpassing the elite Trainers of the game world. That's my real goal!"
He smiled confidently. Not even the legendary villains or the terrifying "Pokédex Owners" enjoyed the kind of advantage Eddie had now.
He reflected, "I've never heard of a Pokédex Owner evolving their Pokémon on the first day of their journey. Even though they grow quickly later, I'm different. My growth rate won't slow down—it'll only accelerate."
Eddie shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "No time to dwell on this. I need to take advantage of the players still wandering in Viridian Forest. After leveling up, I'll head to Pewter City for my first Gym challenge. The top spot on the Badge leaderboard is waiting for me."
Eddie continued walking alongside Charmeleon and Froakie. His Pokédex showed that Pewter City lay in this direction. While traveling, he kept battling and training to strengthen his team.
"Hmm? These footprints… Wait, they're human?" Eddie crouched to examine the ground. Initially, he thought the prints belonged to a Pokémon, but a closer look revealed human footprints.
"And there are a lot of them," he noted. "That means a group of people passed through here."
He frowned. "It can't be players. I'm in a different game instance from them. These must be NPCs—the original inhabitants of this world."
This was deep within Viridian Forest. Only Trainers would venture this far, and even they rarely traveled in such large groups.
Eddie had a suspicion about who these people were, but he needed more evidence to confirm it. "Charmeleon, Froakie, move quietly. We need to figure out who they are," he instructed, using the power of Viridian to silently communicate with his Pokémon.
He became increasingly vigilant as he moved forward. If his guess was correct, encountering these people wouldn't end well. But turning back wasn't an option. His plan was to cross Viridian Forest and reach Pewter City. Retreating now would feel cowardly.
With Charmeleon and Froakie by his side, Eddie crept forward. Soon, the sound of voices reached his ears. The speakers were drawing closer.
Eddie quickly ducked behind a large tree, blending into its shadow. Charmeleon and Froakie instinctively followed suit, their movements perfectly synchronized with Eddie's.
The voices grew louder. Within moments, two figures in black uniforms entered Eddie's line of sight.
"Of course," Eddie muttered under his breath. "It's them."
As soon as he saw the distinct uniforms, Eddie knew who they were. The unmistakable red "R" emblazoned on their shirts revealed their allegiance.
Team Rocket.