"Frogadier! Use [Water Pulse] to finish it off!"
At the foot of Mt. Moon, Eddie commanded his Frogadier in battle.
"Quack!"
Without hesitation, Frogadier obeyed, launching a swirling ball of water at the weakened opponent.
The attack rippled through the air before striking its target with force.
His opponent, a rough-looking mountaineer, stood with his battered Sandslash.
This was Mountaineer Max, a well-known Trainer from the Mt. Moon region. Against most challengers, he used a level 12 Sandshrew, but when facing Eddie—an exceptional Trainer—he had sent out a level 23 Sandslash.
Eddie didn't bother questioning the inconsistency. He simply chalked it up to a version difference.
Even so, Sandslash was no match for him. It had taken heavy damage and could barely stand. Frogadier's speed ensured a clean hit.
With that, Sandslash collapsed, fainting on the spot.
"Damn it! I lost!" Mountaineer Max muttered in frustration.
Ding!
Frogadier gained experience! Frogadier leveled up to 27! Charmeleon gained experience! Charmeleon leveled up to 28 and learned [Fire Fang]! Treecko gained experience! Treecko leveled up to 15 and learned [Quick Attack] and [Mega Drain]! You defeated Mountaineer Max and earned 2,000 Pokédollars and 1 Great Ball!
······
"Come back, Frogadier!"
Listening to the system notifications, Eddie casually acknowledged Max's frustration before continuing his journey deeper into Mt. Moon.
Arriving at the mountain's base, he made it his goal to challenge the local Trainers.
By now, he had lost count of how many he had already defeated.
Despite facing Trainers with Pokémon above level 20, Charmeleon and Frogadier had only gained one level each.
Treecko, on the other hand, had quickly reached level 15 thanks to the Exp. Share. Just one more level, and it would evolve.
"In a place like Mt. Moon, where level 20 Pokémon are common, a level 5 Treecko would have no chance to battle normally. But with Exp. Share, it'll be battle-ready in no time."
Eddie was quite satisfied with this system. With Exp. Share, he didn't have to worry about grinding in lower-level areas. His Pokémon could gain experience while staying in their Poké Balls.
There were still plenty of Trainers ahead. His next step? Finding an opponent with a type disadvantage against Treecko.
Eddie released Treecko and Charmeleon, keeping them by his side. If a suitable opponent appeared, Treecko would battle. If not, Charmeleon would step in.
He had no intention of declining challenges from Trainers around Mt. Moon.
After all, experience and rewards were at stake—why refuse?
······
Eddie felt like his luck was particularly good today. His passive skills were proving useful.
Just as he thought about finding an opponent for Treecko, he encountered the perfect one.
Wild Pokémon Encountered!
Name: Geodude
Type: Rock/Ground
Ability: Rock Head
Level: 19
Seeing the level 19 Geodude, Eddie grinned.
Even though Treecko was only level 15, it had a natural type advantage. Plus, with access to [Giga Drain], how could it lose?
[Giga Drain]: Absorbs energy from the target, dealing damage and restoring HP equal to 50% of the damage dealt.
With its type advantage and a powerful move like [Giga Drain], Treecko followed up with a precise hit using [Iron Tail], knocking out the rock-solid Geodude.
Ding!
Treecko gained experience! Level +2! Reached Lv. 17 and learned [Pursuit]!
Despite facing an opponent four levels higher, Treecko successfully won the battle, making the two-level gain completely reasonable.
As soon as Treecko defeated Geodude, its body began to glow with a dazzling white light.
Before the stunned opposing Trainer could react, Treecko evolved right then and there.
Ding! Congratulations! Your Treecko evolved into Grovyle! Learned [Fury Cutter]!
Pokémon Status
Name: Grovyle
Type: Grass
Ability: Overgrow
Level: 17
Compared to its previous form, Grovyle's eyes had become sharper, giving it a fiercer look. Three dark leaves now adorned its wrists, which it could use as blades in battle—ideal for moves like [Fury Cutter] and the soon-to-be-learned [Leaf Blade].
A long leaf stretched from its head, while its tail had grown thinner and longer.
Its overall body size had increased, making it noticeably more aggressive than when it was a Treecko.
"Very good. After evolving, battles against higher-level opponents will be much easier."
Eddie was naturally pleased with Treecko's evolution. Everyone understood the vast difference in strength between pre- and post-evolution.
Surprisingly, despite joining the team just last night, Treecko had only been training for two hours before evolving.
It had now surpassed Charmeleon's record for fastest evolution. There was no doubt that battling higher-level Pokémon provided a rapid experience boost, but the real MVPs were the Exp. Share and the strong senior teammates.
"Let's go, Grovyle. You still have a lot to learn—you're still far behind Charmeleon and Frogadier."
Although Grovyle had developed an aggressive nature, it understood that it was still nowhere near the level of its two stronger teammates. Obediently, it followed Eddie.
It knew that to become stronger, the best thing to do was to stay with its Trainer—because, in Grovyle's eyes, Eddie was even more aggressive than itself.
And rightly so. As a Trainer—or more accurately, as a player—Eddie treated leveling up as part of his daily routine.
Among other players, he was known as a grind maniac—the kind of person found in every game, tirelessly working to strengthen his team.
But to the residents of this world and the Pokémon themselves, such a person was nothing less than a battle maniac.
And Eddie?
He was simply the strongest among them.