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At the end of Route 9 stood a Pokémon Center, strategically built to provide Trainers a place to rest and heal their Pokémon during outdoor training sessions.
However, Eddie had no intention of stopping there. After walking the entire route, neither he nor his Pokémon showed any signs of fatigue. They remained energetic and ready to continue their journey.
Moreover, Eddie possessed the power of Viridian, which eliminated any concern about recovery. This unique ability meant he could bypass the Pokémon Center entirely and proceed directly through Rock Tunnel toward Lavender Town.
As Eddie approached the Pokémon Center, he noticed an unusual gathering of people nearby. Trainers were rushing toward the crowd with excitement, suggesting something interesting was happening.
"Hey, buddy," Eddie called out, stopping a passing Trainer. "What's going on over there? Why is everyone gathering in that spot?"
The Trainer paused briefly, clearly anxious to join the crowd. "There's a wealthy man who's set up a competition for entertainment. The winner gets 100,000 Pokédollars and a rare Pokémon. Many Trainers are signing up now."
Eddie wasn't particularly concerned about the money, but a rare Pokémon certainly caught his attention. "Rare Pokémon? Did the rich man specify which one it is?"
"He didn't reveal what Pokémon it was," the Trainer replied, shifting impatiently. "But someone that wealthy wouldn't waste our time. Even if the Pokémon isn't extraordinary, 100,000 Pokédollars is serious money. Winning that could set you up for quite a while."
Without waiting for Eddie's response, the Trainer hurried away to register for the competition.
"You're being so mysterious about this Pokémon," Eddie muttered with a frown. He disliked such secretive behavior.
Eddie searched his memory, trying to recall if he'd encountered any information about a ring competition at the end of Route 9 before his rebirth. Despite his extensive knowledge, he couldn't remember anything about such an event.
"This is interesting—a plot that doesn't exist in the comics, anime, or even games," Eddie thought. "Just for this completely unfamiliar situation, why not participate? I'm not in a hurry, and Gabite could use the practice."
Looking around, Eddie noticed many Trainers had already released their Pokémon. With his experienced eye, even without consulting his Pokédex, he could tell these were level 25-35 Pokémon—perfect opponents for his Gabite to challenge.
"Fighting in the ring is as good as battling anywhere else," Eddie reasoned. "And if this rich man's precious Pokémon meets my standards, I could make a significant gain."
With this in mind, Eddie approached the ring to register. As he arrived, someone was addressing the gathered Trainers.
"Greetings, young and promising Trainers," announced an elderly gentleman wearing a brown suit and leaning on a cane as he stood in the ring. "I am the organizer of this competition. You may call me Yingyan."
The old man continued, "Perhaps you think I organized this ring competition out of boredom, but that's not the case. I'm a devoted Pokémon enthusiast who particularly enjoys Pokémon battles."
"Recently, I acquired an exceptionally rare Pokémon," Yingyan explained. "However, I don't want it to remain idle in my possession. I believe it should shine on the battlefield."
"That's why I've arranged this tournament. I'm offering the winner 100,000 Pokédollars as a reward, and I'll feel more confident entrusting this rare Pokémon to a capable Trainer!"
Elder Yingyan's explanation convinced many participants that the Pokémon in question must indeed be valuable.
"Now, allow me to explain the rules," Yingyan continued. "Since this is a tournament, there must be a champion. The rules are straightforward: The first Trainer to step into the ring becomes the champion. This champion must defeat five consecutive challengers to be declared the ultimate winner."
"However," he added, "if the champion is defeated, the victor becomes the new champion and continues facing challenges from others. That's essentially how it works."
As soon as Elder Yingyan finished speaking, whispers spread among the Trainers. With such rules, victory would not come easily. Defeating five Trainers consecutively required either superior strength or exceptional skill among peers of similar level. Clearly, Elder Yingyan was determined to find a truly worthy Trainer for his Pokémon.
"I have a question," called out one Trainer, voicing what Eddie was wondering. "How many Pokémon will be used in each battle? Are there any requirements regarding the number of Pokémon?"
"Oh, I apologize for overlooking that detail," Elder Yingyan responded. "The battles will be two-on-two. Both the champion and challengers may select only two Pokémon."
"Wait!" another Trainer interrupted. "With only two Pokémon, isn't that disadvantageous for the champion? Once others know which Pokémon the champion uses, couldn't subsequent challengers specifically counter them?"
Indeed, requiring the champion to defeat five Trainers consecutively presented a challenge. Even the strongest champion would likely have their Pokémon choices revealed after two or three battles at most, allowing later challengers to select Pokémon with type advantages.
"Haha!" Elder Yingyan laughed. "That's precisely my intention. I won't entrust my Pokémon to a mediocre Trainer. I seek someone who can overcome opponents even at a disadvantage. I'll feel confident giving my Pokémon to someone with such potential and strength."
As he spoke, Elder Yingyan's eyes gleamed with intensity, and his presence somehow commanded respect from everyone present.
"Interesting," Eddie thought. "This old man must have been a formidable Trainer in his youth to devise such rules. Ordinary Trainers would struggle when facing type disadvantages and targeted strategies, but truly exceptional Trainers might still prevail."
Eddie had initially planned to participate casually, win the championship, and leave. Now he realized that with these rules, even he wouldn't achieve victory so easily.
"However," Eddie considered, "my Greninja seems perfect for this type of battle. I'll use it and Gabite. If Gabite falls, Greninja can take over, giving me an advantage."
Eddie smiled, deciding to accept the challenge. He would enter the competition, defeat five consecutive opponents, and claim victory!
"So can we start now?"
Eddie's excitement grew as he imagined defeating five consecutive challengers and stunning the entire audience. While others hesitated about participating in the ring match, Eddie boldly addressed Elder Yingyan, drawing everyone's attention.
The crowd turned to see who dared speak so confidently. Upon seeing Eddie, many Trainers laughed dismissively.
Eddie appeared too young! Most Trainers gathered there were around twenty years old, while Eddie looked like a Rookie Trainer who had just begun his journey, seventeen at most.
Though Trainers shouldn't be judged by appearance alone, and younger generations often surpassed their predecessors, genuinely exceptional young Trainers like Eddie were rare. Not everyone could be like Ash or Gary, who defeated peers and challenged stronger opponents from the start of their journey, even becoming Alliance champions within a year.
Trainers like Ash and Gary were once-in-a-century prodigies. As for Eddie, who was actually stronger than them—well, these onlookers had clearly never heard of him.
While many laughed at Eddie, Elder Yingyan didn't join in. Instead, he chuckled appreciatively.
"Excellent! What I need is precisely a young man like you—someone brave enough to face challenges. Now, let's see if your strength matches your courage!"
"Do you find it amusing to mock someone simply because of their youth?" Elder Yingyan addressed the crowd sternly. "You may be older than this young man, but you possess far less courage. While you fear defeat, he focuses only on victory."
"Compared to a youth who thinks only of winning and those who fear failure, what right do the latter have to mock the former? I'm embarrassed for those who just laughed!"
Elder Yingyan's commanding presence silenced the crowd as he stepped down from the ring, gesturing for Eddie to take his place.
Eddie realized this elder was no ordinary person. With such imposing demeanor and unexpected support, Eddie felt he would disappoint the old man if he didn't win.
"Sir, there's no need to get so worked up," Eddie said gently as he stepped into the ring. "You seem quite excited. Don't strain yourself because of these people. It's not worth it."
Eddie genuinely worried the elder might harm himself in his agitated state.
"As for those who laughed earlier..." Eddie flashed a bright smile and released Gabite.
"A Trainer's worth isn't proven through words, but through strength!"
"ROAR!!!!"
As Eddie finished speaking, an extraordinary aura emanated from him, perfectly synchronized with Gabite's dragon-like roar.
Everyone instinctively stepped back, unsure whether they were intimidated by Gabite or startled by Eddie himself.
"Now, who wants to challenge me?" Eddie continued smiling brightly, though now many perceived his expression as mockery.
"That was a dragon's roar, wasn't it? Is this unfamiliar Pokémon a Dragon-type?"
"The only Dragon-type Pokémon in the Kanto region is the Dragonite evolutionary line. This blue creature doesn't resemble it at all."
"It must be a Dragon-type from another region. This young man not only has foreign Pokémon but rare Dragon-types too."
"This kid... he can't really defeat five opponents consecutively, can he?"
Gabite had captured everyone's attention. Between the Dragon-type Pokémon and Eddie's commanding presence, many now believed Eddie might indeed be stronger than most of them.
Looking at Eddie's youthful face, some older Trainers felt a twinge of envy mixed with shame. It was truly a humbling moment—people compared to people, and people humbled by people.
"This is Gabite, a Pseudo-legendary Pokémon from the Sinnoh region," Elder Yingyan murmured to himself, his voice too low for others to hear. "This young man has tamed such a volatile Pokémon... impressive. I didn't expect to find the right Trainer so quickly after organizing this competition. Wonderful!"
"Hmph! Don't think you can throw your weight around just because you have a Dragon-type!" A twenty-year-old Trainer stepped onto the stage with evident disdain. "Do you believe Dragon-types can dominate wherever they go?"
This Trainer had convinced himself that Eddie's strength came solely from his Dragon-type Pokémon. He conveniently ignored the fact that Dragon-types' notorious temperament and power made them nearly impossible for ordinary Trainers to control.
Jealousy often clouds judgment.
"Come out! Psyduck!" The challenger called, releasing his Pokémon.
Eddie barely acknowledged him, instead scanning Psyduck with his Pokédex:
Name: Psyduck
Type: Water
Level: 28
Eddie shook his head slightly. His Gabite could easily defeat a dozen such opponents.
The Trainer interpreted Eddie's head shake as contempt, which instantly infuriated him.
"You dare look down on me? Let me teach you something, Rookie Trainer—Dragon-types may be powerful, but they aren't invincible!"
"Psyduck! Ice Beam!"
The Trainer's obvious frustration made many spectators shake their heads. With such poor emotional control, he deserved to be outmatched.
Perhaps influenced by its Trainer's agitation, Psyduck launched an Ice Beam at Gabite with unusual aggression.
"Gabite, Double Team, then Dragon Rage."
Eddie wasn't taking this opponent seriously. Jealousy was common enough, but someone unable to control their emotions during battle had no chance of becoming truly strong.
Hearing the command, Gabite channeled its energy to create multiple copies of itself, easily avoiding the Ice Beam. Then all the copies, including the original, fired Dragon Rage at Psyduck.
Only the original Gabite's attack was real; the others were illusory. But with several identical copies positioned around the ring, Psyduck faced attacks from all directions with nowhere to escape.
"What? This Dragon-type knows Double Team too?! Psyduck, use Light Screen to defend!"
The Trainer was stunned. He'd anticipated various scenarios but hadn't expected this tactic of evasion followed by counterattack.
Still, he wasn't completely helpless. Unable to dodge, defense became his only option. Surely with Light Screen, Psyduck wouldn't be defeated in a single move?
Psyduck quickly used its psychic ability to create a cube-shaped Light Screen for protection.
However...
"All the attacks passed through! They're just illusions? I've been tricked! Psyduck, quickly—"
Realizing his error too late, the Trainer tried to command Psyduck to retreat, but before he could finish, Psyduck was already sailing through the air, knocked out of the ring.
Upon landing outside the boundary, Psyduck instantly lost consciousness.
Where Psyduck had stood moments before, Gabite now raised its claws—evidently having just used them to send Psyduck flying.
"Ding! Gabite gained experience! Level +1! Reached level 28! Learned Slash!"
"Sorry, I don't know about others, but I do have a Dragon-type Pokémon, so yes, I can do whatever I want," Eddie stated calmly, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
"Send out your second Pokémon quickly. Don't waste my time."