"I didn't expect it to be Charmander!"
Eddie was a little surprised.
Charmander, a Fire-type Pokémon, is one of the three starters in the Kanto region.
As a starter Pokémon, it has great potential and grows very fast. It is one of Eddie's favorite Pokémon. The reason is simple—its final evolution is Charizard.
Charizard is both powerful and impressive, making it a popular Pokémon in any world. Eddie also knew that Charizard is an extremely rare Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution, with two different Mega Evolution forms!
You know, there are very few Pokémon in the world that can Mega Evolve, and only two have two forms! Charizard is one of them, and its potential and strength are unimaginable.
And now, it had become Eddie's starter Pokémon.
In his previous life, Eddie had paid special attention to it and found that, no matter the region, the starter Pokémon players received never included the three classic starters.
Eddie understood how powerful those Pokémon were and went through many tasks to get one. However, by then, it was already the middle of the game, and obtaining the Pokémon at that point was a long way behind.
But now, it was the first day of the server's opening, and he had managed to obtain his favorite Pokémon, Charmander.
"Professor Oak, can I open the Poké Ball now and see my starter Pokémon?"
Eddie was very excited and eager to see his Charmander.
"Of course, it's already your Pokémon. Go ahead and take a look," Professor Oak said with a kind smile, noting Eddie's excitement as though he were seeing a Pokémon for the first time.
"Come out, Charmander!"
Eddie threw the Poké Ball into the air.
As it opened with a flash of white light, a small figure landed on the ground.
It resembled a small dinosaur, with blue eyes, an orange body, and a cream-colored belly and underside of its tail. Most strikingly, a flame burned brightly on its tail. The flame was said to reflect Charmander's health and mood.
"Char! Char!"
Charmander looked up at Eddie and called out twice, then walked closer as though to inspect its new trainer.
The power of Viridian began to work, and Eddie could feel Charmander's joy and curiosity.
"Charmander, we'll be partners from now on."
Eddie knelt in front of Charmander with a smile and reached out to touch its small head.
Through the power of Viridian, Charmander could also sense the kindness and joy in Eddie's heart. The little Pokémon narrowed its eyes, clearly enjoying the affectionate touch.
"Morning Sun, you've already bonded with Charmander so quickly. It seems giving him to you was the right choice. Here's your Pokédex. Take it—you can use it to look up Charmander's information."
Professor Oak handed Eddie a Pokédex, which he accepted without hesitation. After all, it was something nearly every trainer possessed.
In the game, players' Pokédexes were mass-produced versions, displaying only basic information like name, level, and limited details about Pokémon. Attributes, habitats, and moves had to be discovered through exploration.
Initially, players believed the Pokédex was limited to that functionality. But when they encountered in-game trainers referred to as "Pokédex Owners," they realized these trainers had access to much more detailed information about Pokémon. The players' Pokédexes were merely inferior copies.
If one wanted a true Pokédex, they had to complete hidden tasks. Even then, very few players obtained one.
So, Eddie didn't put much stock in his Pokédex. He felt he could likely understand Pokémon better through his own experience.
However, when Eddie opened the Pokédex and aimed it at Charmander, he realized how wrong he had been to dismiss it.
Name: Charmander
Type: Fire
Ability: Blaze (In critical moments, the power of Fire-type moves increases by 1.5x.)
Level: 5
Potential: Quasi-Elite
Carry: None
Skills: Scratch, Growl, Flare Blitz
Habitat: Charmander lives in mountains and caves.
Eddie: "???"
What? This Pokédex is a real Pokédex! Not the mass-produced version that every player gets!
"Professor Oak, this Pokédex…"
"Morning Sun, you're a clever man," Professor Oak interrupted before Eddie could finish his question.
Professor Oak smiled knowingly and offered an inexplicable comment, but Eddie understood the unspoken message.
(Don't ask, don't tell anyone. This is the smart way. If I don't act smart, they might take this Pokédex back.)
Eddie smiled after thinking it through.
He didn't care why he had received this real Pokédex; it was clearly a blessing. Whether it was due to the "World's Favor" or sheer luck, he was the one benefiting. Instead of overthinking, he decided to focus on leveling up quickly.
"By the way, Professor Oak, what is this skill, Flare Blitz?"
"You're fortunate," Professor Oak said with a nod. "That's a genetic skill, also known as an Egg Move. Charmander's parents knew the move, and it inherited it at birth. Flare Blitz is a powerful skill."
So it was an Egg Move! Eddie hadn't expected such luck. Not only had he received a Charmander, one of the classic starters, but it also came with such a strong move.
Eddie's thoughts raced, and he concluded that the "World's Favor" must be working. If his luck had already improved this much, there was no telling what other great things might happen next.
"This Charmander actually has the potential to be Quasi-Elite?"
Eddie's excitement grew as he looked at the potential section in the Pokédex.
In this world, a Pokémon's potential indicates its future growth.
Quasi-Elite potential meant Charmander could realistically reach that level of power.
Of course, this didn't mean Charmander couldn't exceed Quasi-Elite. However, once it reached that level, the experience required to continue leveling up would increase tenfold, effectively capping its growth at Elite level unless further breakthroughs were achieved.
Moreover, even reaching Quasi-Elite required an immense amount of training and experience. Trainers would need to decide whether they had the time and patience to push their Pokémon beyond these limits.
In his previous life, Eddie had seen a local trainer take a Beedrill with Elite-level potential and train it to Champion level. That had taken incredible perseverance.
Normally, the strongest wild Pokémon reached Gym Leader level(Quasi-Elite) at best, and catching Elite or Champion Pokémon was a rare feat for players.
However, the game "Pokémon Generations" offered players tools to overcome these limits. Certain rare items could boost a Pokémon's potential. Though difficult to obtain, these items were still faster to acquire than spending years training Pokémon to their limits.
Eddie, armed with his knowledge from his previous life, already knew where to find these items.
"Here are 1,000 Alliance coins and 20 Poké Balls. Take them," Professor Oak said, handing Eddie a small waist bag containing the coins and Poké Balls.
Professor Oak then gave him a knowing look, as if to say, "Why are you still here? Go start your adventure!"
"Anyway, Professor Oak, thank you. I'm off."
Eddie didn't dwell on why Professor Oak was so generous. He took the waist bag, stowed it in his inventory, and thanked the professor before heading out.
After returning Charmander to its Poké Ball, Eddie strode confidently out of Professor Oak's lab.
"First, I'll head to the grove on Route 1, north of Pallet Town, to start leveling up!"