After testing repeatedly with different Pokémon, Eddie finally discovered the limit to how many items they could carry.
He couldn't speak for others, but in his case, the answer was clear.
Pokémon could carry up to three items simultaneously. Once they were holding three, they couldn't carry any additional items unless one was removed first.
Eddie considered this limit more than sufficient. After all, items were rare, and only those well-suited to a Pokémon's typing and abilities were truly useful. Three slots provided plenty of flexibility.
He thought about his current team. After Charmeleon evolved into Charizard, it would become a dual Fire/Flying-type.
After Riolu evolved into Lucario, it would become Fighting/Steel-type.
And after Frogadier evolved into Greninja, it would become Water/Dark-type.
As for Grovyle, while it would remain a pure Grass-type upon evolving into Sceptile, it could become Grass/Dragon-type after Mega Evolution.
From this perspective, Eddie realized his Pokémon could each be equipped with two type-enhancing items plus a Mega Stone—exactly three items, a perfect arrangement!
"There aren't many items in my possession yet, but I'll collect more by completing quests later."
"For now, I should equip everything I can. There's plenty of space available."
Eddie released Charmeleon and Grovyle, then handed them their respective evolution stones to carry.
As for why he didn't release Frogadier?
Unfortunately, it didn't have an evolution stone.
Name: Riolu
Holding: Black Belt, Soothe Bell, Lucarionite
Name: Charmeleon
Holding: Charcoal, Charizardite X
Name: Grovyle
Holding: Miracle Seed, Sceptilite
"Greninja doesn't have a Mega Stone, but in the anime, there's a special Bond Phenomenon that transforms it into Ash-Greninja. That power boost is actually slightly stronger than Mega Evolution."
"Unfortunately, my Frogadier doesn't have the Battle Bond ability. Though Protean is also extremely powerful in its own right."
Eddie sighed with slight disappointment. After all, Abilities couldn't be changed easily.
"In my previous life, I heard rumors about a special item. Supposedly, using it would unlock a Pokémon's second Ability slot."
"It could either activate a hidden ability or grant an additional ability, effectively giving a Pokémon dual Abilities."
"I don't know if it was true, though. Only one player ever posted about such an item, and nobody else claimed to have seen one."
When thinking about Abilities, Eddie recalled a forum post from his previous life.
The player had claimed to use the mysterious item on a Pikachu, granting it the Hidden Ability Lightning Rod while keeping its original Static ability, creating a Pikachu with dual Abilities.
"If such an item really exists, I'd definitely use it on Frogadier to unlock the Battle Bond ability. Having both Protean and Battle Bond would be incredible."
Eddie mused to himself, though he recognized the improbability of this scenario.
Setting aside whether such an item truly existed, the fact that only one player in his previous life had obtained it proved its extreme rarity. Out of hundreds of millions of players, only one had ever found it.
Given those odds, Eddie didn't harbor high expectations.
Even with his luck bonus and the unique features of this game version, he doubted he'd stumble upon such a rare item. It was just an idle thought.
"Ah well, even without that ability, my Frogadier is still a powerful Pokémon. The starter Pokémon are called the 'Big Three' for good reason."
Eddie was being honest with himself. Even without Mega Evolution, starter Pokémon like Greninja had tremendous potential and strength. There was no need to be greedy.
With that settled, Eddie recalled all his Pokémon and continued toward the Sea Cottage.
...
"Oddish, Gloom, Venonat, Meowth, Psyduck, Bellsprout, Weepinbell, Poliwag, Poliwhirl..."
Eddie marveled at the diversity. For such a relatively narrow route, there was an impressive variety of wild Pokémon.
He kept checking the newly filled slots in his Pokédex as he walked.
"There are even Abra and Machop here—excellent! Even if I weren't here for the hidden quest, this trip would be worthwhile."
Eddie was delighted to have caught so many new Pokémon. He'd soon be eligible for some substantial Pokédex completion rewards.
"Heh, most players probably don't even know the Pokédex has its own leaderboard."
"The ranking system only unlocks after collecting data on 100 different Pokémon. I already have over 60 different species registered. I'll soon unlock this leaderboard and claim the bonus reward for doing so."
Eddie's eyes gleamed with pride.
In his previous life, this particular leaderboard had appeared quite late in the game. Not many players focused on collecting Pokémon for completion's sake—most were busy training their battle teams. Who had time to catch every species?
But "not many" didn't mean "none." Among hundreds of millions of players, there were always some who loved Pokémon collection for its own sake.
The leaderboard had emerged after these collectors registered 100 Pokémon and received substantial rewards for their achievement.
Even for those dedicated collectors, it had taken a month after the game's launch to register that many species.
Meanwhile, Eddie had already captured over 60 Pokémon by just the third day. His progress was unprecedented.
Regardless, Eddie wasn't concerned about others claiming the milestone reward before him. He'd focus on his own journey.
"For such a small route, there's quite a number of Trainers around."
"Unfortunately, the level of their Pokémon isn't particularly high—the strongest was only level 27. My team hasn't gained any experience from these battles."
"Am I leveling too quickly? Even with the boosted Trainer AI in this game version, they can't keep up with me."
Eddie wondered whether his advancement speed exceeded what the game designers had anticipated, or if this area was simply meant to be less challenging.
"Ah, that landmark building and pond—it's the Sea Cottage! Time to accept the quest."
Recognizing the familiar location, Eddie hurried toward the Sea Cottage.
He wanted to complete the hidden quest quickly and possibly reach the next city by nightfall.
If he could move quickly, he'd definitely try to make good time.