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This was merely Garchomp—a gym leader-level Garchomp—yet its presence was overwhelmingly powerful.
Although Eddie had instructed Garchomp to direct its aura away from Daisy when possible, her proximity to the Dragon-type meant she could still feel the weight of its intimidating presence pressing against her consciousness.
"It's incredible," Daisy murmured, clearly impressed by the demonstration of Pokemon power she had just witnessed.
"By the way, Miss Daisy, I was hoping to speak with Professor Oak. Would it be possible for you to let him know I'm here?" Eddie asked politely, choosing not to dwell on Daisy's reaction to his Pokemon's strength.
He had grown accustomed to seeing praise and amazement on gaming forums every single day. While such recognition might have made him feel proud initially, constant exposure to these reactions had gradually dulled their impact. After all, he hadn't worked so tirelessly to improve his strength just to earn other players' admiration—their awe was simply an amusing side effect of his real goals.
Daisy's impressed reaction barely registered with him; he was far more focused on resolving the Pikachu colony's living situation as quickly as possible so he could return to his journey.
However, Eddie's casual dismissal of the praise around him created an entirely different impression in Daisy's mind. She had expected someone with his incredible talent and achievements to display at least some degree of arrogance or pride. Instead, Eddie seemed genuinely unaffected by the constant attention and compliments.
This indifference to external validation immediately earned Daisy's respect and admiration. Maintaining one's original character after gaining significant power was remarkably difficult. Excessive praise could easily lead to complacency, while increasing strength sometimes made people overconfident, causing them to believe they no longer needed to work hard or improve their skills. Such individuals inevitably plateaued and stopped progressing entirely.
Eddie's behavior—his complete disregard for others' opinions and praise—clearly demonstrated that he had maintained his original humble mindset despite his incredible success. Daisy naturally felt drawn to people who possessed such admirable character traits.
"Ding! Because of your words and actions, Daisy's favorability toward you has increased to 'Friendly'!" the system notification chimed.
Eddie received this prompt with perfect composure. He had long since stopped being surprised by these sudden favorability notifications. At the end of the day, there was really only one conclusion he could draw from such experiences:
Understanding women's hearts was like trying to find a needle in the ocean!
"Morning Sun, Grandpa specifically told me that you're welcome to visit him anytime without prior notice," Daisy said warmly, her tone noticeably gentler than before. This was simply how she naturally treated people who had earned her good opinion. "Please follow me to his office."
With that invitation, Daisy began walking toward Professor Oak's laboratory, while the three newly recruited Pokemon breeders followed respectfully behind her.
Daisy's casual mention of Eddie's unrestricted access once again set the surrounding players buzzing with excited conversation.
Professor Oak's laboratory had remained completely off-limits to players since the game's launch. However, some veteran players who had been present during the server's opening day suddenly remembered seeing one player enter the facility. That person had been...
"Oh my god, I just remembered! The player who entered Professor Oak's laboratory on opening day was Morning Sun!" one of the original players exclaimed, though he still kept his voice relatively low even though Eddie had already recalled Garchomp.
"Well then, let's get going. After I finish handling this business, I need to get back to my adventure," Eddie replied matter-of-factly.
He saw no reason to make a big deal about his laboratory access. Since he had been granted entry on the very first day, it was perfectly natural for him to visit again now.
Eddie and Daisy ignored the continuing player chatter and walked into Professor Oak's laboratory together.
Several seconds after they disappeared inside, the remaining players erupted into even more animated discussions.
"Wait, wait, wait! Did you just say that Morning Sun was the player who got inside on opening day?!" one newcomer asked incredulously.
"Could that be the secret behind Morning Sun's incredible strength?!" another speculated wildly.
"Come on, think logically," a veteran player interjected. "That Charizard with amazing potential was probably his starter Pokemon, but everything that happened afterward was achieved through his own gradual training and strengthening."
"Did you just say 'gradual' instead of 'lightning-fast'?" another player questioned with obvious sarcasm.
Meanwhile, inside the laboratory, Professor Oak looked up from his research as Eddie and Daisy entered his office.
"Oh, you're back! I was just thinking about how I sneezed three times earlier, and then Daisy comes back with three new breeders," Professor Oak began with a wry smile. "But now that you're here personally, tell me—exactly how many Pokemon did you capture this time that required you to make a special trip back?"
Professor Oak immediately started voicing his concerns upon seeing Eddie and Daisy return together. Eddie's previous delivery of an entire Beedrill colony had already given the professor quite a headache with housing and care arrangements. Now, seeing Eddie return in person rather than simply transferring Pokemon remotely, Professor Oak feared the worst.
He really didn't want to imagine the scale of what Eddie might have brought back this time, so he decided to let Eddie explain the situation himself.
"Wait, you actually figured out that I came back because of captured Pokemon?" Eddie asked with genuine surprise, impressed by Professor Oak's perceptive abilities.
While Daisy had assumed he'd returned to rest after collecting more gym badges, Professor Oak had immediately identified his true purpose with remarkable accuracy.
Professor Oak simply rolled his eyes and gestured impatiently for Eddie to get on with his explanation.
Daisy observed the comfortable interaction between Eddie and her grandfather with an amused smile. She had grown accustomed to seeing Professor Oak maintain his serious, scholarly demeanor at all times. Witnessing this more relaxed, almost playful side of him was refreshingly different.
This interaction sparked her curiosity about Eddie even further. What was it about this particular young trainer that brought out such an unusual response in her normally reserved grandfather?
Daisy couldn't quite identify the reason, but she found herself increasingly interested in learning more about Eddie's character and background.
Of course, what she didn't realize was that when a woman becomes curious about a man, well... that curiosity often leads to much deeper feelings.
"It all started because of this Pikachu..." Eddie began, launching into a detailed account of his encounter with the threatened Pokemon colony.
"...and that's exactly how everything happened," Eddie concluded after explaining the entire situation from start to finish.
He felt slightly parched after his lengthy explanation and reached for a nearby water glass to take a refreshing sip.
Both Professor Oak and Daisy froze upon witnessing this action. The professor's expression immediately shifted to one of barely contained fury, while Daisy's face flushed a deep shade of red with embarrassment.
"Uh... could it be..." Eddie muttered, his mind quickly processing their reactions.
Eddie wasn't oblivious to social cues. Looking at both their expressions, he immediately understood what had just occurred. His eyes shifted back to the water glass, where he could now clearly see a faint lipstick mark on the rim.
"I'm so sorry..." Daisy stammered, noticing that Eddie was still staring at the glass as if contemplating another drink.
Unable to bear the overwhelming embarrassment any longer, she quickly snatched the water glass away and fled from Professor Oak's office in mortification.
"Young man, if you dare try anything inappropriate with my granddaughter, you'd better be very careful about the consequences," Professor Oak warned with mock menace, though his tone suggested he was mostly teasing rather than issuing a genuine threat.
Even though Eddie recognized that Professor Oak was likely joking, the implied warning still made him nervous. Having a former Pokemon League Champion threaten you—even playfully—was genuinely intimidating. Eddie couldn't help but feel a bit anxious despite the humorous context.
"Let's get back to the important matter at hand. Housing the Pikachu colony is certainly no problem," Professor Oak said, returning to business. "However, you're going to cover their living expenses! There are simply too many Pikachu for me to support financially!"
Professor Oak's voice rose with each word as he expressed his frustration. While money wasn't necessarily a major concern for him personally, Eddie's habit of sending back large numbers of Pokemon was becoming a significant ongoing expense. He felt like he was being taken advantage of, so Eddie needed to start paying for his own Pokemon's care and feeding.
"Alright, alright, I'll give you 200,000 Pokédollars right now, and I'll leave all my other Pokemon in your capable hands, Professor," Eddie replied with a good-natured smile, accepting Professor Oak's demand without argument.
Faced with the professor's justifiable frustration, Eddie had little choice but to hand over the requested funds cheerfully. As he had mentioned before, money wasn't a significant concern for him, and this payment was directly benefiting his own Pokemon anyway. He certainly wouldn't be stingy about ensuring their proper care and comfort.
Besides, he had complete confidence that Professor Oak would provide excellent care for all his Pokemon. With this financial arrangement settled, the Pikachu colony's situation was finally resolved satisfactorily.
This meant that this particular Pikachu—potentially even stronger than Ash's famous partner—would soon become Eddie's official Pokemon companion!