Maybe it was because Eddie was there, but the fight between the two stopped not long after.
"Ahem, how about it? Do you want to have a Pokémon duel?"
To cover up the embarrassment from earlier, Gary coughed and continued to talk to Eddie.
Of course, his momentum wasn't as strong as before; after all, it had been awkward just a moment ago.
"…Gary, your Charmander just finished a battle. Don't you want to let it heal first?"
It's not that Eddie didn't want to battle Gary. If he won a fight against a future strong trainer, the reward would probably be worth it.
But Gary had already battled Ash, and Charmander was clearly injured. How could they battle now?
"It's okay. Charmander just has a little injury. I have a Potion here. I'll apply it, and it'll be in good shape to fight," Gary said, taking out a Potion and applying it to the Charmander standing next to him. After a moment, Charmander's injury was healed.
"Can I ask why? I'd like to battle you, but I don't understand why you're so insistent on fighting me."
Eddie was very curious.
He had wanted a battle with Gary or Ash, but Gary seemed to want to battle him even more.
"Grandpa told me that your Starter Pokémon is also a Charmander. I want to see whose Charmander is stronger."
Gary didn't hide it and directly told Eddie the whole story.
He considered himself a good Pokémon trainer. If it were a regular person's Charmander, he wouldn't bother to compete. But Eddie was different. He was also a Pokédex owner, so Gary's competitive spirit kicked in.
"Oh, that makes sense. Let's do it, a one-on-one Charmander battle," Eddie said with a smile, narrowing his eyes.
He understood Gary's reasoning and turned around to take a few steps back. He took out a Poké Ball.
Seeing this, Gary returned his Charmander to its Poké Ball and prepared to start the battle by throwing his own.
However, what Gary and Ash didn't know was that Eddie was cursing in his heart at this moment.
"You, the guy who calls himself a 'Breeder,' not only got Charmander before me but also has better potential. And now you're shamelessly trying to compete with me?"
"If I didn't have the advantage of a different game version, wouldn't I be crushed by you today?"
"The situation is different now, Gary. The times have changed, and today, I'm going to beat you into submission!"
Eddie was seething internally, but on the surface, he kept a calm, serious expression as he prepared for battle.
"3"
"2"
"1"
Ash counted down, and the moment he reached 1, Eddie and Gary threw their Poké Balls at the same time.
"Gawa!"
"Roar!"
As soon as Charmander and Charmeleon appeared, they immediately spat out hot flames, attacking each other.
However, Charmander was clearly at a disadvantage. In a battle against Flamethrower, Charmeleon was naturally stronger.
"Huh? Didn't you say it was a one-on-one match with Charmander? Morning Sun, you're not using a Charmander. How could you do this?"
Ash looked at Charmeleon, which was obviously bigger than Charmander, and scolded Eddie.
For a moment, Eddie imagined a bunch of "well" symbols appearing above Gary's head beside Ash.
"Ash, shut up! Are your eyes and your Pokédex decorated? Morning Sun's Pokémon looks very similar to Charmander, but it's clearly the evolved form of Charmander."
Gary immediately yelled at Ash, then opened his Pokédex and aimed it at Charmeleon.
Pokédex Entry: Charmeleon
Type: Fire
Ability: Blaze
Level: 25 (Intermediate)
"…Charmander, get out of the way, [Smokescreen]!"
Gary glanced at Charmeleon's level, then immediately closed the Pokédex and gave Charmander an order.
He knew that he wasn't as well-trained as Eddie, but a Pokémon battle couldn't be decided by level alone.
"Charmeleon, [Double Team]."
Eddie knew that Gary was reacting to his expression. Although he was laughing in his heart, he gave his orders seriously on the surface.
"You can even use [Double Team]?"
Gary's tactics were quite simple. Since it seemed like he couldn't beat Eddie's Charmeleon head-on, he resorted to strategy. It wasn't the first time that a weaker opponent fought a stronger one with tactics.
But when he saw Charmeleon use [Double Team], he knew that his move had been read.
"Gary, you used [Smokescreen] to trap the opponent first, and then wait for an opportunity to attack. This is a simple and practical tactic. I often use it myself, so I naturally know how to counter it."
"Charmeleon can't see where you are, but Charmander can't tell which one is the real one now. Whoever attacks first will be exposed, but [Smokescreen] will dissipate, whereas Charmeleon's [Double Team] won't. How are you going to counter that?"
Eddie looked at the familiar tactics with a slight smile. Though it wasn't meant as mockery, the meaning was almost the same.
"It seems that you're not just a guy with power but also some wisdom. At this stage, my Charmander probably can't beat your Charmeleon."
Gary looked at the scene and suddenly said something shocking.
"Gary, what are you talking about? The battle has just begun, and you're going to admit defeat?"
Ash exploded, looking at Gary excitedly.
He had never expected the arrogant Gary to actually say such a thing. To give up so soon after the battle had just started? Ash even wondered if the Gary in front of him was a fake.
"…Although you said that, you obviously didn't intend to give up. Have you thought of a solution?"
Eddie was initially shocked, but after some thought, he realized Gary wasn't the type to give up. Looking at Gary's confident demeanor, it was clear that he had something up his sleeve. Gary's words were likely meant to set up a surprise.
"Morning Sun, your observation is sharp, completely different from the hot-blooded fool next to me."
Gary ignored Ash's outburst and continued to mock him, though his focus remained on Eddie.
"I came to this conclusion after much analysis. Charmander cannot defeat Charmeleon in a head-to-head fight. I've already used tactics suited for Charmander, but you've seen through them. That's why I said that Charmander can't win against Charmeleon."
"Then what?"
"Charmander can't defeat Charmeleon, so we evolve into Charmeleon. Charmeleon versus Charmeleon—now there's a chance to defeat you!"
Gary shouted the last sentence, and the situation on the battlefield began to change.
Charmander, outside the smokescreen, seemed to understand Gary's command. It roared and emitted a bright light.
Eddie: "..."