"Come out, Froakie, I'll treat you first," Eddie said as he threw the Great Ball in his hand. The severely injured Froakie emerged. "Fro!"
Froakie let out a soft cry, looking a little aggrieved. "Okay, okay, I'll treat you right away."
Eddie knelt with a kind smile, extending a hand toward Froakie. The power of Viridian activated! A faint white light glowed from Eddie's hand, and soon Froakie's injuries were completely healed. "Froakie?"
Froakie stared at its body in disbelief. A moment ago, it had been bruised, yet now it was entirely healed. However, as a simple Pokémon, Froakie didn't dwell on it. Realizing it was fine, it hopped forward happily and nuzzled Eddie's palm.
"Then please guide me well in the future, Froakie."
"Froakie~~" Froakie squinted and cried in recognition of Eddie as its Trainer.
Pokémon are so endearing. Once captured, they become loyal to their Trainers. Of course, some of the more aggressive ones might need extra effort to bond.
"By the way, I just received something that suits you perfectly. Here it is." Eddie pulled out a Technical Machine labeled [Ice Beam] and showed it to Froakie.
"Ding! Froakie can learn [Ice Beam]. Do you want to continue using it?"
"Use it!"
"Ding! Froakie has learned [Ice Beam]."
Similar to the previously used [Flamethrower], this TM returned to its original state after use, still displaying "usable" on its label.
"Duo~"
As Eddie prepared to resume training, an Oddish slowly wandered into view.
Name: Oddish
Type: Grass & Poison
Ability: Chlorophyll
Level: 7
Potential: Elite
"···Hmm, with three starter Pokémon popping up in this area, it's not shocking to find an Oddish in the northern woods of Pallet Town," Eddie thought. It was just an Oddish, after all—nothing to be surprised about. Still...
"It's a good opportunity to practice. Froakie, this one's yours."
"Froakie!"
Though Froakie was only level 5, while Oddish was level 7, battles weren't always decided by level alone unless the gap was too significant. Froakie's Water type seemed disadvantageous against the Grass and Poison-type Oddish. But Froakie's [Protean] ability and its new [Ice Beam] move tipped the scales.
Using [Ice Beam], Froakie would turn into an Ice type, courtesy of its ability. Since Ice moves were effective against Grass types, Oddish was at a clear disadvantage.
"Let's go, Froakie! Use [Ice Beam]!"
"Froakie!"
Froakie opened its mouth and quickly formed a ball of icy blue energy. After taking aim, it unleashed the frosty [Ice Beam], slicing through the air toward Oddish.
"Od? Od!"
Oddish noticed the attack at the last moment, but it was too late to dodge. Instinctively realizing the danger, it retaliated, shaking its body to release a flurry of leaves.
"···That's [Razor Leaf]. Seriously? A level 7 Oddish can use that move? Did it somehow learn it too early?" Eddie mused.
"Forget it, it's [Razor Leaf]. So what? Froakie, take it!" Eddie said, a confident smirk forming at the corner of his mouth as he gave the order.
[Razor Leaf] was a solid Grass-type move, but Froakie, having used [Ice Beam], was now an Ice type thanks to its [Protean] ability. The move no longer posed a serious threat. Why not let Froakie endure it?
Indeed, as Oddish's [Razor Leaf] struck Froakie, it caused some minor damage, but its effectiveness was greatly reduced. On the other hand, Oddish's condition visibly worsened as [Ice Beam] hit it, leaving it not only severely injured but also frozen.
"It actually triggered the freezing effect of [Ice Beam]. This makes things simple. Froakie, use [Pound]!"
Froakie leapt toward the immobilized Oddish, its hands glowing faintly as it delivered a hard slap to the frozen Pokémon. Already gravely injured and unable to move, Oddish fainted under the impact.
"Ding! Froakie gained 104 experience points!"
"Ding! Froakie has leveled up and reached Level 7!"
"Ding! Player 'Morning Sun,' your Pokémon 'Froakie' is now Level 7 and can appear on the level leaderboard. Would you like to list it? If so, would you like to hide the owner's name?"
"List it, and don't hide my name. Also, stop asking about it in the future—just list it without hiding my name."
Eddie smiled smugly, imagining the reactions of other players. He had only just caught Froakie, yet it had already soared to second place on the potential leaderboard. Now, it was second on the level leaderboard as well.
If others noticed both rankings, they would surely be envious and frustrated.
"Froakie, you did great! Let's keep going. We'll level up and search for someone along the way."
Eddie healed Froakie before heading toward Viridian City with Froakie and Charmander in tow. His goal was to level up while seeking a particular individual.
Who was he looking for? A kind soul with a hidden mission, of course.
Eddie's grin turned mischievous as if the thought alone amused him.