"Great, so awesome!"
The little girl watched Eddie execute his smooth and precise commands. He and his Pokémon cooperated seamlessly. Her eyes sparkled as she shifted her gaze between Charmander and Froakie.
"Brother, you're amazing! Are you a Trainer?" she asked excitedly.
"Ah, I'm just a Rookie Trainer," Eddie replied with a modest smile.
Looking at the little girl, Eddie found it hard to believe that she would one day become the future 'Pokédex owner,' a prominent figure among the game's original inhabitants.
"But that's the future," Eddie thought. "For now, she's just an ordinary little girl. She looks only 11 or 12 years old. After all, the Pokémon Alliance has a rule: aspiring Trainers must be 15 years old to start their journeys."
The little girl mused, "Strange, why does this brother seem familiar? It's like he shares my power... could it be?" She glanced at Eddie with growing curiosity, a sense of connection stirring in her heart.
"Ding! Player 'Morning Sun' has met 'healer' Yellow. Yellow, with the Power of Viridian, sensed a similar power within you, increasing her favorability."
Eddie: "······"
He had always known Yellow possessed the power of Viridian. In his previous life, it was her abilities that first revealed the existence of this rare power to the world. However, he hadn't expected her to sense it in him, much less for it to boost her trust in him.
"By the way, my name is Yellow . Thank you for saving me earlier; I might have been swept into the river otherwise," Yellow said, scratching her head sheepishly, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks.
"She even told me your name. It seems Yellow already trusts me," Eddie thought, feeling a rush of happiness. Building a bond with her could be incredibly beneficial.
In this world, surnames were rare. Eddie had only encountered a handful of people with them, Yellow being one of the few.
"Then I'll call you Yellow, and my name is Morning Sun," Eddie introduced himself.
He took a moment to observe Yellow more closely. Her golden hair gleamed under the sunlight, resembling molten gold, and her petite frame suggested she was barely eleven or twelve. Her delicate features were still developing, but her doll-like beauty was already evident, reminiscent of a finely crafted sculpture.
"When she grows up," Eddie thought, "she'll surely be a breathtaking beauty."
"Brother Morning Sun, can you open that Poké Ball? I want to see the Goldeen inside," Yellow asked shyly. A faint blush hinted that she knew her request might be imposing on someone she'd just met.
"Sure, but the Goldeen is frozen right now. Do you still want to see it?" Eddie asked. Secretly, he didn't mind fulfilling her request. After all, there might be a hidden mission to gain from this interaction.
He opened the Poké Ball, releasing the frozen Goldeen. Yellow hurried over, crouching down without hesitation. She reached out to the icy Pokémon with a gentle, determined touch.
A faint green glow enveloped Yellow's hands as she focused her energy. The ice melted rapidly, and the Goldeen began to recover.
Eddie observed her technique. "Her power of Viridian is almost identical to my Viridian Power. She healed Goldeen completely, but she seems to struggle with concentration. It's likely because she's so young and hasn't mastered her abilities yet."
He couldn't help but admire her skill, even as he silently noted the untapped potential in Yellow's youthful efforts.
Not only did Eddie know that Yellow possessed the Viridian Power, but he also remembered from his previous life that Yellow was an extraordinarily kind girl. Among the 'Pokédex owners,' she was known as the most talkative and approachable.
However, using this power so openly was not a good idea.
"Yellow, this is the Viridian Power, right? If possible, you should be careful in the future. Avoid using this power in front of strangers unless you're confident you can handle their reactions," Eddie advised seriously.
He understood the importance of hiding such abilities. After all, he kept his powers concealed for fear of attracting trouble.
Yellow, too, had the Viridian Power and would someday become a prominent figure. But until then, Eddie believed it was better for her to stay under the radar and avoid unnecessary attention.
"The Viridian Power? So that's what my ability is called? Brother Morning Sun, do you have this power too?" Yellow asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. She had only just learned the name of her own ability and was eager for answers.
Eddie smiled and nodded, silently confirming her question.
"I knew it! My intuition wasn't wrong," Yellow said, beaming. "Don't worry, Brother Morning Sun, I'll listen to you. I won't use this power in front of strangers."
Though Yellow didn't fully understand why Eddie urged caution, her ability to sense the emotions of Pokémon allowed her to feel the genuine kindness behind his words. What's more, knowing that Eddie also had the Viridian Power made her trust him even more.
"Ding! Yellow has noticed your kindness. Her favorability towards you has increased!"
"Ding! Yellow's favorability towards you has reached 'trust'!"
It was done!
Hearing the system prompts, Eddie silently gave himself a thumbs-up.
The conditions to trigger the hidden mission were clear: he had to reach a trust level with Yellow.
Though Eddie genuinely cared for Yellow—she was a sweet and endearing girl—his initial goal was to unlock the hidden mission. Fortunately, the two objectives were not mutually exclusive. He could care for her while pursuing the mission.
"By the way, Brother Morning Sun, your Pokémon are amazing! They were so powerful just now," Yellow exclaimed, her admiration evident.
Eddie shook his head modestly. "It's nothing. Both my Pokémon and I are just starting out. Yellow, if you're willing, you could become an outstanding Trainer in the future."
As Yellow marveled at his Pokémon's strength, Eddie felt a pang of emotion.
"You're in awe of my power now," he thought with a faint smile, "but in the future, you'll be the one everyone fears. After all, in my previous life, you defeated a Trainer known as the 'Dragon Elite'—though his title was often jokingly rewritten as the 'Flying Champion.'"