Less than ten minutes after the global announcement ended, it rang again, and once more, it was triggered by the player Morning Sun. Any regular player would be infuriated.
"It's only been ten minutes since the Level 10 announcement! How is there another one already, and why is it Morning Sun again?!"
"It must be the reward from the first achievement that allowed his Pokémon to break through! I know about the TM—it's a one-time-use item that lets Pokémon learn moves. Maybe he used the Silver Crown."
"That Charmander has Elite potential. Unless the Silver Crown can continuously help Pokémon break through, it means Morning Sun's Charmander had quasi-elite potential from the start!"
"He's cheating! He must be cheating! How else could he start with an Starter Pokémon with quasi-elite potential?!"
These comments were part of a heated argument among disbelieving and jealous players. Looking at the potential rankings, most players chose Pokémon with Elite potential as their strongest options, and only one was Gym-level(Quasi Elite).
As a result, many accused Eddie of cheating, though some had differing views.
"Why are there so many envious players? Can't you let the pros enjoy the game?"
"Exactly. How could you sour grapes understand the strategies of top players?"
"There are always pros in every game. These people just complain wherever they go."
The forum quickly became a battleground as these two groups engaged in a fierce keyboard war.
·····
Unaware of the forum chaos, Eddie continued leveling up. Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
The strong are always discussed, no matter the time.
Right now, Eddie was facing an unprecedented opportunity, leaving no room to worry about other players' opinions.
"Oh my Arceus, what did I just say? It's impossible to encounter the Starter families, right?"
Eddie's mouth twitched, his brows furrowing in disbelief.
This reaction was because, while grinding levels, a light blue frog Pokémon suddenly hopped into view.
Eddie immediately recognized the Pokémon and its significance, which left him utterly stunned.
At first, he thought a Ditto might be playing tricks on him. However, his Pokédex confirmed the identity of the Pokémon.
Name: Froakie
Type: Water
Ability: Protean
Level: 5
Potential: Quasi-Elite
Held Item: None
Moves: Pound, Growl, Bubble
Habitat: Prefers humid environments.
"One of Kalos's three starters, Froakie, a Water-type, with quasi-elite potential—and it has the hidden ability Protean!"
"Everything else is fine, but Protean is incredibly rare and powerful!"
How rare is this ability?
Currently, only four Pokémon in the world have it: Kecleon, Froakie, Frogadier, and Greninja.
What makes it so powerful?
The [Protean] ability changes a Pokémon's type to the type of the move it uses before it attacks. This change lasts until the Pokémon uses a move of a different type or switches out.
In essence, as long as a Pokémon with Protean has moves of various types, it essentially has no weaknesses!
Defensively, this makes it almost unassailable, and offensively, it's just as formidable.
When Pokémon use moves, they gain a Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB). When the move's type matches one of the Pokémon's types, its power increases by 1.5 times.
For Pokémon with the [Protean] Ability, every move it uses gains a 1.5x power boost when it matches its current type.
"This is incredible. I should be grateful this little guy isn't at a high level, or else Charmander might not stand a chance," Eddie muttered as he eyed the adorable Froakie in front of him.
His smile turned mischievous.
"We have to capture it! Charmander, use [Smokescreen] to trap it first!"
"Char!"
Hearing the command, Charmander unleashed a dense smokescreen that surrounded Froakie.
"Froakie!"
Eddie, who possessed the Power of Viridian, could sense Froakie's emotions. It seemed bewildered, as if thinking, I just came out for a walk, why am I being attacked?!
"Ha! Because I want to capture you. Charmander, use [Ember]!"
Despite Froakie's cuteness, Eddie didn't hesitate. Capturing a Pokémon meant weakening it first, or it wouldn't stay in the ball.
Charmander inhaled deeply and released a burst of flames toward the Froakie shrouded in smoke.
"Froakie!"
The Water-type Pokémon cried out in pain as the attack landed. However, being resistant to Fire-type moves, Froakie didn't take much damage, even from a Level 10 Charmander's [Ember].
"I can't risk knocking it out with something stronger, like [Flamethrower]. Charmander, watch out for its counterattack. It's going to use [Bubble]. Dodge it and flank it!"
Disoriented in the Smokescreen, Froakie launched bubbles in random directions, unable to pinpoint Charmander's location. With ease, Charmander sidestepped the attack and maneuvered behind Froakie.
"One more hit should do it. Charmander, use [Scratch]!"
Charmander dashed into the smoke and clawed at Froakie's back.
"Froakie!"
Froakie let out a cry and was flung out of the smoke, landing just in front of Eddie.
"Froakie..."
The little Pokémon was still conscious but barely hanging on.
"Using a regular Poké Ball might not work since it's a starter Pokémon. Better use the Great Ball."
Eddie took out a Great Ball and tossed it at the weakened Froakie.
Froakie didn't resist, too exhausted to fight back.
The Great Ball absorbed it, landing on the ground.
The ball shook to the left.
It shook to the right.
It shook once more to the left and then stilled.
"Ding! Congratulations! You've successfully captured Froakie!"
"Ding! Player 'Morning Sun,' the potential of your Pokémon 'Froakie' has been determined to be at the Ouasi-Elite level and qualifies for the potential rankings. Do you want to add it to the list? If so, would you like to hide your username?"
"Add it to the list, and don't hide my name!" Eddie replied without hesitation. What's the point of hiding? Let everyone see and be envious.
"Yes! Hahaha! My second starter Pokémon is Froakie with the [Protean] ability and quasi-Elite potential.
Who can challenge me in the early game? No one!"
Eddie picked up the Great Ball, his joy evident.
"We're playing the same game, but not the same version.
I'm no longer just a player.
The true rivals are the powerful NPCs in this world!"