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Almost every trainer regards their Pokemon as life-and-death companions or family members, and Eddie was no exception to this universal bond.
He was no longer the ordinary player from before his rebirth. In the upcoming battles against Team Rocket, the Elite Four, and the Mask of Ice, he would undoubtedly serve as the absolute core fighter. Since he had grown stronger than Ash and Gary at this stage, he would inevitably become the leader in subsequent conflicts.
Just as Ash had stood at the forefront when he was the strongest, leading his companions against formidable enemies, Eddie would now inherit that responsibility.
Of course, Eddie didn't have to accept this burden. He remained free to walk away and ignore everything happening around him.
However, Eddie had never seriously considered such an option.
"I've been reborn and gained this much strength. Should I just hide like a coward?"
If Eddie were weaker than Ash and the others, he could justify avoiding direct confrontation with powerful enemies, staying on the sidelines as an observer, waiting for Ash and his friends to weaken opponents before swooping in for the final strike.
But now he had become stronger than both Ash and Gary—not just slightly stronger, but overwhelmingly superior to them both.
Under such circumstances, no reasonable person would choose to flee. Calling such behavior cowardly would be a severe understatement.
Therefore, Eddie would not escape. He would face Team Rocket, the Elite Four, and the Mask of Ice head-on.
As long as he survived the most challenging period of these three early-stage threats, all subsequent enemies would become manageable opponents.
"Let's go, my friends. We'll continue growing stronger and keep winning," Eddie declared with determination.
"Roaaaar!" his Pokemon responded enthusiastically.
Eddie felt the emotional distance between himself and his team had significantly shortened through this moment of understanding.
Following his usual routine, he recalled most of his Pokemon, leaving only Eevee and Pikachu outside their Pokeballs since they preferred freedom, and continued walking south.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
"Butch, the explosives here are installed. How's your progress?" Cassidy called out quietly.
"Mine are ready too. Now we just prepare and wait for that guy to arrive," Butch responded with satisfaction.
In a location known as Grampa Canyon, both Team Rocket operatives were strategically placing explosive devices throughout the area.
This canyon was renowned for containing ancient fossil Pokemon, so archaeologists frequently conducted excavations hoping to discover prehistoric specimens.
Today, a large excavation team was actively digging in the canyon.
Naturally, Butch and Cassidy had avoided the research team while positioning their bombs.
"Excellent. The first step involves waiting for that guy to arrive, then detonating the explosives immediately," Butch explained his strategy with obvious pride.
"The resulting destruction will trigger a series of chain reactions—landslides, ground subsidence, possibly even disturbing ancient fossil Pokemon."
Butch felt genuinely confident that his plan would succeed.
"Regardless of the outcome, that person definitely won't just stand there watching, especially with all these people digging here," Cassidy continued Butch's reasoning.
"If he doesn't take action, these people will die, and considering his opposition to Team Rocket, he'll definitely save them."
Although Cassidy felt uncomfortable about potentially killing innocent people, she felt more at ease knowing Eddie would likely rescue the workers.
Even within Team Rocket, not everyone considered killing acceptable. Some members showed restraint when encountering innocent bystanders during operations.
Jessie, James, and Meowth exemplified this attitude, as did Cassidy and Butch themselves.
Of course, such conscientious Team Rocket members represented a small minority.
"Don't worry, he'll definitely save people. Even if he doesn't, it doesn't matter. I've specifically calibrated the explosives' power. They'll only cause injuries requiring hospitalization—nothing fatal will occur," Butch assured his partner.
Butch naturally understood Cassidy's concerns, sharing her distaste for unnecessary killing. This represented one of their few remaining moral principles.
"Good. That person will definitely take action, and afterward we can implement our plan's second phase," Cassidy agreed.
"Yes, once he intervenes, we proceed to step two. Completing the second phase automatically accomplishes the third, and our entire plan will basically succeed!"
"After finishing the plan and claiming credit, we'll immediately return to headquarters and mock those two idiots."
"Exactly! I can already picture Jessie's frustrated expression when she's forced to call me 'big sister,' haha..." Cassidy began celebrating prematurely.
However, Eddie appeared to have detected their surveillance helicopter, which bore Team Rocket's distinctive "R" logo.
Butch clearly observed Eddie frowning before instructing Pikachu to use Thunder, directly shooting down their monitoring aircraft. The screen naturally went black.
"He's coming! Cassidy, let's prepare quickly!" Butch called urgently.
Meanwhile, Eddie was analyzing the situation.
"Why is there a Team Rocket helicopter here? The trio shouldn't appear before me right now, should they?" he mused aloud.
"But this helicopter's design seems identical to what Cassidy and Butch use. Could it be those two?"
Eddie raised his eyebrows, then smiled with genuine amusement.
"Interesting. After I knocked them away, they didn't immediately leave the area but came looking for trouble with me instead? Do these two actually have some kind of strategy?"
Eddie found this development particularly intriguing. He genuinely wanted to discover what method had given the duo courage to face him again.
"And they used this helicopter to monitor me so carelessly. Are they taunting me?"
"Well, I want to see exactly what method they plan to use against me!" Eddie declared with anticipation.
He threw a Pokeball and released Charizard.
This location held some connection to Charizard, though not his specific Charizard but rather the stubborn one from the anime.
However, Eddie figured he might as well use his Charizard to battle whatever Pokemon awaited him.
Mounting his Fire/Flying-type partner, he flew directly toward Grampa Canyon.
Having accepted the duo's "challenge," wouldn't it be rude to arrive slowly?