Join my p@treon for more chapters
[email protected]/Tempest_29
(T/N: In the anime, specific locations for many plot points cannot be precisely determined. The author uses game locations here for reference. While the locations may not be completely accurate, they help make the plot more coherent. Please don't criticize the specific geographical details.)
There was an exceptionally lush forest located in the northeast of Celadon City.
At this moment, Eddie arrived at this location using the coordinates that Erika had provided to him.
This forest belonged to a completely undeveloped region. There were no established roads for human travel whatsoever, which also meant that numerous wild Pokemon made their homes here. Most ordinary people wouldn't dare to venture into such a wilderness area.
Places like this were extremely dangerous, with the constant possibility of being surrounded and attacked by groups of wild Pokemon. Even experienced trainers could easily end up in the hospital if they weren't traveling in groups for safety.
Of course, the prerequisite for ending up in the hospital was actually being able to escape from such encounters in the first place.
However, this only applied to typical trainers. People with substantial strength would never fear such challenges.
For example, Eddie hadn't been afraid to enter similar forests even when he was only at Peak level, and now that he had achieved gym leader-level trainer status, he felt even more confident about such expeditions.
Besides, this wasn't a truly terrifying location like Victory Road or Mt. Silver. Eddie was confident that he could handle anything this forest might throw at him.
For instance, right now, a group of Persian and Meowth were attempting to attack him. However, having one Advanced-level Pokemon leading a group of intermediate-level Pokemon against Eddie, a gym leader-level trainer, was hardly a fair match.
"Garchomp, use Hyper Beam!"
As Garchomp opened its mouth and released a devastating beam attack, this entire section of the forest trembled from the impact.
Naturally, the Pokemon that had been attacking Eddie were sent flying while crying out in pain and surprise.
After the gym battle with Erika, Gabite had reached level 49 and was ready to evolve into Garchomp.
However, at that time, Eddie had been swept away by Erika for their shopping date, and by the time they returned, it was already nighttime. So Eddie had released Gabite when he first entered this forest, and it had immediately evolved into Garchomp upon appearing.
Of course, since it had evolved into its final form, Garchomp naturally had to learn powerful moves like Hyper Beam.
Eddie also retrieved the two Technical Machines he had received for defeating Erika: TM24 Thunderbolt and TM83 Work Up. Thunderbolt was a move that Eevee, Snorlax, and Gengar could all learn, while Work Up was a technique that nearly all Pokemon could master.
Additionally, the item Power Herb was quite valuable indeed.
Power Herb: When the Pokemon carrying this item uses a move that requires charging, the charging turn is eliminated, and the move activates immediately during the turn it's used.
Note: Can be used three times per battle, and the effect resets after each battle ends.
Such items originally only provided one use in the games, but here it offered three uses per battle. Eddie happily equipped it to his Sceptile.
With this item, even without Sunny Day weather, Solar Beam could be released instantly. He was confident this would provide some pleasant surprises for future opponents.
At this moment, Eddie was riding on Garchomp's back as they rushed toward their destination.
"This is amazing! I've wanted to do this for so long—traveling forward on a Garchomp..." Eddie thought with excitement.
Eddie had dreamed of this experience for quite some time: traveling with a pseudo-legendary Pokemon.
The sense of accomplishment and satisfaction was incredible. Both Garchomp and Eddie were thoroughly enjoying this adventure together.
The only minor disappointment was that although there were many Pokemon in this area, they consistently appeared in groups to challenge Eddie, but their strength was far too weak to provide meaningful opposition. Occasionally, an Peak-level Pokemon would appear, but even those posed little threat.
In any case, Eddie felt that he hadn't gained much valuable experience since entering the forest.
"If the rare Grass-type Pokemon that Erika told me about doesn't meet my expectations, then this entire detour will have been pointless," Eddie mused.
Eddie had originally planned to travel directly from Celadon City to Fuchsia City on foot.
He remembered that there were many Pokemon and interesting challenges waiting for him in that area.
This time, because of Erika's information, he had changed his route and come to this forest location instead.
After completing this business, he planned to fly west of Celadon City on Garchomp's back and then begin his journey toward Fuchsia City.
"We're almost there now. This feels somewhat close to the southern area of Cerulean City," Eddie observed.
Eddie had been rushing through the forest with Garchomp according to the coordinates Erika had provided.
Their speed had been excellent, and they were now very close to their destination.
"So why is there such an enormous wall of Vine Whip blocking the path just before we reach our destination?" Eddie wondered aloud.
Eddie looked ahead with curiosity and mild frustration.
He was less than a hundred meters away from his intended destination, but there was a substantial barrier made entirely of intertwined Vine Whip attacks blocking the way forward.
"Unfortunately, while I can't use Cut in real life, reality isn't bound by game mechanics, and no one says I have to use Cut specifically to clear obstacles like this."
"Garchomp, use Dragon Claw to clear the way," Eddie instructed with a casual shrug.
"ROAAAAR!"
Garchomp looked at the Vine Whip wall ahead with obvious disdain, roared dismissively, and casually waved its claws. Without even using its full strength, Garchomp easily shredded through the barrier in front of them.
"However, I feel like I've seen this exact scenario somewhere before. This has to be from another anime episode," Eddie thought with growing recognition.
Eddie looked at the Vine Whip wall and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Whenever he experienced that feeling, it usually meant he had seen or experienced something similar before.
While he might forget things he had simply observed, experiences were much harder to forget. Therefore, Eddie immediately concluded this must be connected to an anime plot he remembered.
"Forest setting, Vine Whip barrier, rare Grass-type Pokemon, and information provided by Erika... I think I can guess what Pokemon this is going to be," Eddie reasoned.
Eddie connected all the relevant clues together. Suddenly thinking about Erika and considering which Pokemon were associated with her, he began to suspect the true identity of this so-called rare Grass-type Pokemon.
"Although I don't particularly need another Grass-type Pokemon, such a rare species would definitely be worth having. I'll train it and include it in my third team of Pokemon," Eddie decided.
Eddie mentally organized his Pokemon into three distinct teams.
The first team consisted of his main battling force, all of whom had become quite powerful.
The second team also included main battlers. Currently, it consisted of Gengar, Snorlax, and Eevee, but Eddie had already made mental choices for the other three Pokemon positions.
Therefore, any rare Grass-type Pokemon that Eddie captured would only be selected for his third team roster.
This wasn't just because it would overlap with Sceptile's type specialization, but also because it hadn't been among Eddie's original second-team Pokemon choices from the beginning. The only exception would be if this Pokemon had come to Eddie earlier than Treecko had at the time.
In that hypothetical case, Eddie might have struggled to choose which Pokemon to pair together. However, Sceptile was now approaching gym leader level breakthrough, and Eddie's bond with it had grown very deep. How could he possibly cultivate a new Pokemon and abandon Sceptile?
"So you'll just be a third-team Pokemon. I won't bring you out for battles very often. I'll keep your existence hidden so that I can use third-team Pokemon when I need to conceal my identity in the future," Eddie planned strategically.
Eddie naturally understood that as he became more famous, his Pokemon would become known by everyone. In future situations where he needed to hide his identity, having a third team of Pokemon would prove invaluable.
Of course, Erika also knew about this Pokemon, but as long as Eddie could explain that he already had Sceptile, this Pokemon could serve as more of a Pokedex collection entry.
Although it might be somewhat disappointing to Erika to approach it this way, Eddie genuinely didn't need another Grass-type Pokemon at this stage of his journey. Therefore, regardless of whether Eddie used it actively or not, he wouldn't be sending it into battle for the immediate future.