Eddie looked at the record panel, slightly surprised.
He hadn't expected that after defeating Gary, he would not only receive rich rewards but also this additional information.
To be honest, Gary was only at the intermediate trainer level right now.
When he had defeated the Team Rocket captain earlier, he had only received some Pokedollars and a TM.
Although that reward wasn't bad, Gary's was far more generous.
Three silver crowns and one item, Mystic Water.
The silver crowns were listed among the rewards for hidden missions, and their value was extraordinary.
But now he had earned them simply by defeating Gary? And there were three of them, which was no small number.
As for the Mystic Water, it could be held by a Pokémon to enhance the power of Water-type moves.
It directly boosted a Pokémon's strength, and although he had only obtained one in his previous life, receiving it so easily now was almost unbelievable.
Gary would become very strong in the future, but for now, he was just an intermediate trainer. Defeating him resulted in such a rich reward, and at the end, a valuable message was included.
"You already have a good relationship with two main characters. Warm reminder: please build a good relationship with the main characters, there will be unexpected surprises."
This was no longer a mere hint, but a clear suggestion.
"Two main characters... One is Yellow, and the other is Gary. Is it encouraging me to befriend these key characters to gain various benefits?"
Although Eddie had planned this from the start, he had also thought that he might receive hidden missions along the way.
But now it seemed that this wasn't just about hidden missions. The game was about to give him a major surprise.
But was this considered as trying to control his behavior?
I, Eddie, am a good young man with independent will. Even if I don't accept these hidden missions and miss the rich rewards, I won't go out of my way to approach these main characters!
Eddie struggled with his thoughts and strengthened his resolve.
Then...
He turned his gaze to Ash with burning eyes.
·····
Gary left, casually putting his hands in his pockets as he walked away, making an appointment to battle Eddie again next time.
However, whether he did it intentionally or had actually forgotten, he completely ignored a certain someone.
Eddie assumed it was the former. After all, Gary wasn't the type to be careless, so he must have purposely ignored him.
"Damn it! Gary, that guy, just ignored me and walked away while talking to himself?"
Ash gritted his teeth and shouted in the direction where Gary had left.
"Gary seems polite to others, but he can't get along with Ash. Are they enemies?"
Eddie watched Gary and Ash interact, feeling that these two were the perfect example of rivals who "grow closer as they argue."
One was calm and composed, while the other was passionate and impulsive. They really made an interesting pair.
"Ash, Gary left so quickly. He's probably heading to the Pokémon Center to treat his Charmeleon. After all, Charmeleon was badly injured in the battle just now."
Eddie explained why Gary had left so quickly, although he believed Gary had deliberately ignored Ash. After all, a simple goodbye wouldn't have taken much time.
"Morning Sun, you don't have to say good things for him. That guy is just like that. Forget it, don't mention him," Ash said, watching Eddie defend Gary.
Ash was hot-blooded, but not stupid. He understood why Gary had ignored him.
After Ash finished speaking, he looked at Eddie. Anyone could see the fighting spirit in his eyes. "You're really strong. You actually beat that guy."
"Although I don't want to admit it, Gary is really strong. Now I can barely tie with him, but you defeated him so easily."
Although Ash said this, the fighting spirit in his eyes didn't fade, and his hand instinctively reached for the Poké Ball at his waist.
"It wasn't easy. I won just now because I caught him off guard. My Charmeleon just has a few more skills. If Gary knew Charmeleon had all those moves, it'd be hard to say who would win."
Eddie wasn't being modest. In their previous battle, the difference in strength hadn't been significant. The reason it seemed like he won easily was due to the extra skills Charmeleon had learned from the TM earlier.
"No need to be modest. Gary was right earlier. Your Charmeleon has so many skills. Aren't they all symbols of your strength as a Trainer?"
Hearing this, Eddie glanced at the stack of TMs in his inventory, his mouth twitching.
If Ash and Gary knew about the existence of the TMs, Eddie would've taken it as a polite remark. But since they didn't know, these words seemed sincere, which made Eddie a bit embarrassed.
"Hehe, you can also teach Pokémon these skills if you practice more. Doesn't your Bulbasaur know [Solar Beam]? Ash, how long did it take to train him to learn that move?"
Fortunately, Eddie was thick-skinned and admitted it directly, but he was also curious how long it had taken Ash to teach Bulbasaur the powerful [Solar Beam].
"Bulbasaur's [Solar Beam]? I didn't train it. Bulbasaur already knew the move. I just got lucky."
Ash said this with an embarrassed look.
Eddie: "······"
F**k you, I... I won't be named Eddie if I don't beat you to death today!