In the grove north of Pallet Town.
"It should be here!"
Eddie stopped and looked around.
The grove on Route 1 north of Pallet Town is where players who choose the Kanto region first encounter wild Pokémon and battle to level up. The Pokémon here are generally level 2-5, which matches the level range that rookie players must deal with.
Eddie recalled his memories of his previous life and, after confirming that they were correct, looked at the Caterpie in front of him.
He checked the Pokédex in his hand, where information about this Caterpie was displayed:
Name: Caterpie
Type: Bug
Ability: Shield Dust (prevents added effects of moves from affecting Caterpie)
Level: 6
Potential: Peak
Held Item: None
Moves: Tackle, String Shot
Habitat: Caterpie lives in grass and forests.
"Level 6? Level 6, and Peak potential? This means that this Caterpie could reach Gym Leader level with some extra training! How can such a high-potential Pokémon be encountered so easily?"
Eddie's mouth twitched. The level 6 Caterpie with Peak potential in front of him was beyond his expectations.
There were no high-potential Pokémon in this area in his previous life. How could a place like the entrance to a novice area allow players to catch a high-potential Pokémon?
"Forget it. It might just be a coincidence, but level 6 is fine. If it were someone else, they might have to run away, but Charmander can handle this!"
"Charmander! Use Flare Blitz!"
"Char!"
Hearing this, Charmander roared, the flames on its tail flaring as its entire body was engulfed in fire. It charged toward the Caterpie.
Flare Blitz, a powerful move, covers the user's body with flames to collide with the target.
The Caterpie was sunbathing, completely ignoring Eddie. However, when it saw Charmander rushing at it with flames engulfing its body, the Caterpie realized the danger and squirmed to escape.
Unfortunately, Charmander was faster. It dashed forward and struck the Caterpie with its fiery body. With a flash of flames, Caterpie fainted.
"Ding! Charmander gained 67 experience points!"
"Ding! Charmander leveled up to level 6!"
"Fire is super effective against Bug-types, but defeating this Caterpie with a level gap... the power of Flare Blitz is incredible, even with its side effects."
Flare Blitz: An attack that causes significant damage to the target while inflicting recoil damage equivalent to one-third of the damage dealt.
Charmander sustained minor injuries from the move, caused by the recoil effect.
"That recoil is a bit troublesome, but I have the power of Viridian. Why should I fear such small injuries?"
Eddie approached Charmander with a smile, squatted down, and extended his hand toward it.
The power of Viridian activated!
A faint white glow enveloped Eddie's hand. Soon, Charmander's injuries were completely healed.
"Char? Char!"
Charmander, fully healed, was momentarily confused but quickly shouted with joy.
"Why does this experience feel so substantial? Was it because of the level difference? Whatever the case, it was probably just a coincidence. Charmander, let's keep leveling up!"
"Char!"
Eddie and Charmander resumed their training, quickly encountering another wild Pokémon, a Weedle.
Name: Weedle
Type: Bug/Poison
Ability: Shield Dust (prevents added effects of moves from affecting Weedle)
Level: 7
Potential: Peak
Eddie: "..."
After another Flare Blitz, the level 7 Weedle fainted.
"Ding! Charmander gained 80 experience points!"
"Ding! Charmander leveled up to level 7!"
"Ding! Charmander learned Ember!"
"Coincidences happen once or twice. Maybe this streak of high-level Pokémon is just luck. Let's see what comes next!"
Eddie treated Charmander again and pressed on with training.
But it seemed the heavens were toying with Eddie. The third Pokémon they encountered was not ordinary either:
Name: Pidgey
Type: Normal/Flying
Ability: Keen Eye (prevents accuracy reduction)
Level: 7
Potential: Peak
Eddie: "······"
This time, Eddie didn't use Flare Blitz. Since Pidgey could fly, that move might miss. Fortunately, Charmander had just learned Ember.
After a tough battle, the level 7 Pidgey was also defeated.
"Ding! Charmander gained 70 experience points!"
"Ding! Charmander leveled up to level 8!"
Eddie silently treated Charmander and opened the game's built-in forum.
The developers had created this forum to let players discuss the game while playing. Despite the server being newly launched, it was already flooded with posts. Eddie clicked on one about leveling.
Forum Posts:
"I'm in the grove north of Pallet Town. The wild Pokémon here are too weak, generally only level 2-4."
"What a coincidence, I'm also leveling up there. The Pokémon are indeed weak, and I only encounter a level 5 one occasionally."
"I'm in New Bark Town in Johto, and the Pokémon here are just as weak."
"I'm in Littleroot Town in Hoenn +1."
"Have you noticed how little experience you get?"
"Yes, I just defeated a level 5 Caterpie with a level 5 Oddish and only got 10 experience points."
"You get so little experience for a level 5 Caterpie, and defeating lower-level Pokémon gives single digits."
"I've beaten over 20 wild Pokémon, and I'm only level 6. This game is going to be a grind."
·····
Eddie closed the forum and reviewed his battle record.
Charmander, now level 7, had just defeated the level 7 Pidgey, gaining 70 experience points and leveling up to level 8.
"···Are we even playing the same game version?···"
Then, Eddie remembered something and scrolled back to his game entry notification:
"Ding! The Pokémon world is welcoming you. You have entered the game 'Pokémon Generation Alpha.'"
"Pokémon Generation Alpha? Oh no, this isn't the same version at all···"
Eddie clearly recalled the game being called "Pokémon Generations," without the Alpha suffix.
"But then why did I see other players in Pallet Town earlier? Are they from the same version, or is the wild area version-specific?"
As Eddie pieced things together, he realized:
The wild Pokémon he encountered were higher-level and had stronger potential than those in the regular version. His experience gains were significantly higher compared to other players.
"There must be differences between game versions, which will probably become clearer later."
"For now, my objective is simple, hehe..."
"Grind, grind, grind! Grind them all!"
Eddie waved his hand, and Charmander's leveling spree resumed.
Battle Log:
"Ding! Charmander gained 50 experience points!"
"Ding! Charmander gained 53 experience points!"
"Ding! Charmander leveled up to level 9!"
·····
"Ding! Charmander gained 66 experience points!"
"Ding! Charmander leveled up to level 10!"
"Ding! Charmander learned Smokescreen!"
World Announcement:
"Ding! Congratulations, Kanto Region player 'Morning Sun,' whose Pokémon is the first in the game to reach level 10. The Pokémon level leaderboard is now open! Let's congratulate 'Morning Sun' for becoming the game's trailblazer!"
"Ding! Congratulations, player 'Morning Sun,' for earning system rewards:
Pokédollars x5000, Great Balls x20, TM [Flamethrower], Silver Crown!"
"Ding!······"