Disclaimer: We do not own Ed, Edd, n Eddy or Pokemon. All rights to Ed, Edd, n Eddy belong to Cartoon Network and all rights to Pokemon belong to Nintendo and Game Freak.

Ed meets his rival.

Before the Eds left Eterna City, they stopped by the Pokemon Center to heal their Pokemon. While that was being done, the Eds ate at the cafeteria, then they stopped by the PokeMart to restock on Potions and other things. They explored the city a bit more, taking notice of a statue of a Pokemon they haven't seen before. They tried reading the inscription that was on the statue, but parts of it were too faded to read. They decided to check the area around Team Galactic's building. As they explored, Edd noticed a TM on the ground.

"Hmm. What's this TM?" asked Edd. He read the label and learned it was for a move called Thief. "If I remember correctly, Thief is a dark-type move that not only does damage to the opponent, but it steals an item that the opposing Pokemon might be holding. Maybe Eddy's Absol could use this." He goes to Eddy and shows him the TM. Eddy, going along with Edd's idea to teach it to Absol, after deciding Absol could learn some new moves. Once that was done, they stopped by the Pokemon Center and picked up their Pokemon when they were done healing. After that, Eddy used the Thief TM to teach the move to Absol. As they exited the Pokemon Center, Ed turned to Edd.

"Hey, Double-D, what were those TMs that lady gave us?" asked Ed.

"I believe they were for a move called Cut." replied Edd.

"Can some of my Pokemon learn that move?" asked Ed.

"Yes, Ed. I believe your Grotle can learn that move. Perhaps I should teach my Kricketune and Roselia Cut as well" said Edd. Ed lets Grotle out of his pokeball and Edd lets out Kricketune and Roselia. Edd takes the Cut TMs out of his backpack and uses them on Grotle, Kricketune, and Roselia; teaching them Cut. After that, Ed and Edd return their Pokemon to their pokeballs and the Eds exit the Pokemon Center. It was then time for the Eds to say goodbye to Eterna City. Soon the Eds were riding down a bicycle path called Cycling Road south of Eterna City on their new bicycles

"Wahoo!" cheered Eddy as he continued riding his bike. "Riding bikes sure beats walking. Right boys?"

"I agree, Eddy." said Edd. "It's fortunate we recieved these bikes from that nice man back at Eterna City. Only cyclists are allowed to go down this path, so we wouldn't have been able to come through here without these bikes. We need to get through here and Mount Coronet to get to Hearthome City." Minutes later, they reached the end of Cycling Road. Eddy climbed off his bike.

"Okay, boys. Let's take a break and stretch our legs a bit." said Eddy. Ed and Edd climbed off their bikes and began stretching their arms and legs.

"This feels good." said Edd.

"Yeah." said Ed. He begins to walk around when he hears rustling in tall grass nearby. Ed looks over and sees what appears to be a smaller version of Skuntank walking out of the grass. "What's that, Double-D?" Edd takes out the pokedex and points it at the pokemon.

"Stunky, the Skunk Pokemon and the pre-evolved form of Skuntank. It sprays a nose-curling, stinky fluid from its rear to repel attackers." said the pokedex. Ed pulls a pokeball out of his pocket.

"I want to catch this pokemon. Elekid, come on out." said Ed, throwing Elekid's pokeball and releasing him. "Elekid, use Swift." said Ed. Stars formed around Elekid and they fly at Stunky, hitting it. The Stunky opens its mouth and sprays a purple fluid out of it and it hits Elekid. He staggers back and slumps a little.

"Ed, that was Acid Spray. Not only does it do damage to the opponent, but also weakens its defense." said Edd.

"Elekid, use Thunder Shock." said Ed. Elekid becomes surrounded by electricity and he unleashes a bolt of electricity and zaps Stunky, causing it to stagger back. Stunky unleashed a dark smoke from its mouth and surrounds the area.

"That must be Smokescreen." said Edd. Elekid looks around the thick smoke for Stunky when it leaps out of the smoke and repeatedly swipes at Elekid with its front paws.

"Even I could tell that was Fury Swipes." said Eddy. Stunky suddenly began shuddering and yellow electricity appears around it.

"Looks like Elekid's Static ability has taken effect." said Edd.

"Elekid, use Quick Attack." said Ed. Elekid charges at Stunky with incredible speed and rams Stunky, knocking it to the ground. Ed takes out an empty pokeball and throws it at Stunky. It hits Stunky and sucks it in. The pokeball wiggles around for several seconds until it stops and clicks. Ed picks up the pokeball. "I just caught a Stunky, you guys."

"Congratulation, Ed." said Edd. He takes out the pokedex. "Okay, your Stunky knows Poison Gas, Scratch, Feint, Smokescreen, Acid Spray, Fury Swipes, and Focus Energy. It has the ability, Aftermath, which does damage to an opponent who defeats it in battle."

"Good work, lumpy." said Eddy.

"Ew. Why would you want to capture that thing?" said a girl's voice. The Eds turned to see a girl about their age with red, shoulder-length hair, wearing a pink t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown shoes leaning against a tree. This made Ed a little uneasy because to him, she looked like an older version of his demonic little sister, Sarah.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" said Edd.

"I'm Tara, and I'll ask again, why would you want to capture a disgusting thing like that Stunky?" asked Tara.

"I wanted another Pokemon for my team." replied Ed.

"Well if you want to capture a Pokemon, it should be a cute Pokemon, not a filthy thing like that Stunky." said Tara. Ed glared at Tara.

"Well I like all Pokemon." said Ed.

"Well I only want the most adorable or beautiful Pokemon with me." said Tara. "I used to have a Glameow, but when it evolved into a hideous Purugly, I released it." Ed grew even angrier.

"You abandoned one of your own Pokemon?!" exclaimed Edd.

"Yes, and if I were your friend here, I would just release that Stunky he captured and look for something cuter." said Tara.

"NO!" yelled Ed, shocking Edd and Eddy who never saw Ed so angry, except for the time he was in a bad mood because he had a pebble in his shoe.

"Well I think you should." said Tara.

"That's it! I want to have a Pokemon battle with you NOW!" yelled Ed. Tara smirks.

"All right. You're on." said Tara. Ed returns Elekid to his pokeball and soon, Ed and Tara were standing several yards from each other while Edd and Eddy were sitting on a big rock. "Okay, what's your name?"

"Ed." replied Ed.

"Well, Ed, this will be a two on two Pokemon battle. Whoever defeats the other trainer's Pokemon wins." said Tara. She pulls a green and white pokeball with four slanted red dots and a gold dot on the green side of the pokeball out a magenta travel tote bag she was carrying.

"Excuse me, but may I ask what kind of pokeball is that?" said Edd.

"If you must know, this is a Friend Ball. It makes the Pokemon in it more friendlier to you, and this Pokemon needs to be really friendly to me to evolve." said Tara.

"Oh yes. There are some Pokemon that only evolve by becoming great friends with their trainers." said Edd.

"Correct. Okay, Chingling, come out." said Tara, throwing the Friend Ball and releasing a yellow Pokemon that resembled a jingle bell. Edd takes out the pokedex and points it at the new Pokemon.

"Chingling, the Bell Pokemon. Each time it hops, it makes a ringing sound. It deafens foes by emitting high-frequency cries." said the pokedex. Ed pulls a pokeball out of his pocket.

"Duskull, come on out." said Ed, throwing Duskull's pokeball, releasing him. Tara shuddered at the sight of Duskull.

"That Duskull looks creepy. I wouldn't want something like that on my team." said Tara. Ed glares at her.

"Duskull, use Shadow Sneak." Duskull's shadow stretches towards Chingling and it rises up from behind Chingling and strikes it, dealing super effective damage since ghost type attacks are strong against psychic types, which what Chingling is, knocking to to the ground.

"Chingling, use Astonish." said Tara. Chingling makes a horrible sound and releasing red waves of energy and they hit Duskull.

"Duskull!" exclaimed Duskull, covering its head with his arms.

"Watch out, Ed. Ghost type moves are super effective against ghost type Pokemon." said Edd. Unfortunately, Astonish caused Duskull to flinch.

"Now use Confusion." said Tara. Chingling's eyes glowed purple and Duskull becomes surrounded with purple energy. The energy burst and Duskull was thrown back and falls to the ground. Duskull floats back up.

"Duskull, use Night Shade." said Ed. Duskull fires a black and red beam of energy out of his eye and it hits Chingling. Because Night Shade was a ghost type move, it caused super effective damage to Chingling. Chingling falls to the ground with swirly eyes.

"Chingling is unable to battle. Duskull is the winner." said Edd. Tara runs over to Chingling and picks it up.

"Look what you did to my Chingling!" yelled Tara. She returns Chingling to its Friend Ball and puts it in her tote bag and pulls another out another Friend Ball. "Okay, let's see how you do against this Pokemon. Clefairy, come out." She throws the Friend Ball and releases a pink Pokemon with small wings. Edd pulls out the pokedex and points it at the Pokemon.

"Clefairy, the Fairy Pokemon. Moonlight gathers on the wings on Clefairy's back, allowing Clefairy to fly. This Pokemon is difficult to find." said the pokedex.

"Duskull, Shadow Sneak." said Ed. Duskull's shadow stretches out to Clefairy and strikes it from behind.

"Clefairy!" exclaimed Clefairy.

"Clefairy, Sing." said Tara. Clefairy began to sing a melodious tune, unleashing musical notes and they hit Duskull. Duskull begins floating to the ground and he falls asleep.

"Duskull! Wake up!" yelled Ed.

"All right, Clefairy, use Metronome." said Tara. Clefairy begins waving its index fingers back and forth.

"Ed, watch out. Metronome can do any move at random, so we don't know what attack it's going to do." said Edd. Clefairy's index fingers begins glowing and it points them at Duskull. Clefairy fires dark purple and black rings of energy at Duskull, hitting him.

"Ed, that was Dark Pulse." said Edd. Because Dark Pulse was a dark type move, which are super effective against ghost type Pokemon, it caused super effective damage on Duskull. When the smoke from the attack clears, Duskull was still laying on the ground, but with a swirly eye. "Duskull is unable to battle, Clefairy is the winner."

"Yes. You win, Clefairy." cheered Tara.

"You haven't won this Pokemon battle yet, girly." replied Eddy. Ed returns Duskull to his pokeball.

"You did good, Duskull." said Ed. He puts Duskull's pokeball in his pocket and pulls out another pokeball. "Come out, Grotle." He throws Grotle's pokeball and releases him. "Grotle, use Growth." Grotle becomes surrounded by a green aura, increasing his attack.

"Clefairy, use Pound." said Tara. Clefairy leaps towards Grotle and pounds him on his head.

"Grot!" exclaimed Grotle.

"Grotle, let's try your new Cut attack." said Ed. The claws on Grotle's front right foot glowed white and grew long. Grotle swipes up his foot and slashes Clefairy with his claws. It caused more damage than it normally would due to Growth increasing Grotle's attack strength.

"Clefairy!" exclaimed Clefairy as it flew back and lands on its feet.

"Clefairy, use Disarming Voice." said Tara. Clefairy opens it mouth and releases a beam of pink soundwaves surrounded by hearts and musical notes and it hits Grotle.

"Grotle!" exclaimed Grotle.

"Be careful, Ed." said Edd. "Disarming Voice never misses its target." Ed nods in response.

"Grotle, Razor Leaf." said Ed. Grotle unleashed big leaves at Clefairy and hits it, causing more damage than it normally would due to Growth and the Meadow Plate he was holding increasing his attack.

"Clefairy!" exclaimed Clefairy as it flies back and hits the ground. It struggles to get back up.

"All right, Clefairy. Use Metronome again." said Tara. Clefairy begins waving its index fingers back and forth and they begin glowing and he points them at Grotle. Clefairy begins glowing gold. "Oh wow! That glow makes you even more cute!" Clefairy charges at Grotle and rams into him with incredible force, knocking him back.

"Grotle!" exclaimed Grotle as he skids back. Clefairy suddenly winces in pain.

"Clefairy, what's wrong?" asked Tara.

"I believe that was Double Edge." said Edd. "A strong attack, but it also causes recoil damage to its user." Tara began to look nervous. Grotle was suddenly surrounded by a green aura. "Ed. It seems your Grotle's Overgrow ability has activated." Ed smiles.

"Grotle, use Razor Leaf again." said Ed. Grotle unleashes Razor Leaf and it hits Clefairy. With Overgrow, in addition to Growth and Meadow Plate, Razor Leaf was more powerful than it originally was. Clefairy flies back and hits the ground, its eyes now swirly.

"Clefairy is unable to battle. Grotle is the winner. The winner of this battle is Ed." said Edd.

"NOOOOOOO!" cried Tara as tears stream down her face.

"We won, Grotle! We won!" said Ed.

"Grotle!" cheered Grotle. Tara returned Clefairy to its Friend Ball. She glares at Ed while wiping away tears from her eyes.

"You may have beaten me, but we will battle again someday, and I will win. So I'm declaring myself your rival." said Tara. Ed stares at Tara, who smirks in response. "Is that fear I smell in you?" She sniffs at Ed. A repulsed look appears on her face and she walks backwards, covering her nose and mouth with both of her hands. "I don't know what that smell is, but it's the most putrid stench I had the displeasure of smelling!" She throws pokedollars at Ed's feet and runs away. Ed picks up the pokedollars.

"Looks like you have your own rival, monobrow." said Eddy.

"Yep." said Ed.

"Come on, boys. We spent enough time here. Let's go to Hearthome City and get our next badges." said Eddy as he climbs onto his bike,

"Okay, Eddy." said Ed. He and Edd climb onto their bikes and they all began riding to Hearthome City where their next gym battles await.

End of Chapter 24

Ed's Team:

Grotle (Male)

Attacks: Tackle, Withdraw, Leafage, Growth, Razor Leaf, Curse, Bite, and Cut.

Ability: Overgrow

Staravia (Male)

Attacks: Tackle, Growl, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Double Team, Pluck, and Endeavor

Ability: Keen Eye

Psyduck (Male)

Attacks: Scratch, Tail Whip, Water Gun, Confusion, Fury Swipes, Water Pulse, Disable, Zen Headbutt, and Screech

Ability: Damp

Duskull (Male)

Attacks: Astonish, Leer, Disable, Shadow Sneak, Confuse Ray, Night Shade, and Payback

Ability: Levitate

Elekid (Male)

Attacks: Quick Attack, Leer, Thundershock, Charge, Swift, Shock Wave, and Thunder Wave

Ability: Static

Stunky (Female)

Attacks: Poison Gas, Scratch, Feint, Smokescreen, Acid Spray, Fury Swipes, and Focus Energy

Ability: Aftermath

Edd's Team:

Prinplup (Male)

Attacks: Pound, Growl, Water Gun, Charm, Peck, Metal Claw, and Bubblebeam

Ability: Torrent

Kricketune (Male)

Attacks: Pound, Growl, Struggle Bug, Fury Cutter, Absorb, Sing, and Cut

Ability: Swarm

Roselia (Female)

Attacks: Absorb, Stun Spore, Growth, Worry Seed, Poison Sting, Magical Leaf, and Cut

Ability: Poison Point

Hoothoot (Female)

Attacks: Peck, Growl, Tackle, Echoed Voice, Confusion, Reflect, and Pluck

Ability: Insomnia

Ralts (Male)

Attacks: Growl, Disarming Voice, Double Team, Confusion, Hypnosis, Draining Kiss, Teleport, and Psybeam

Ability: Synchronize

Rhyhorn (Male)

Attacks: Tackle, Tail Whip, Smack Down, Bulldoze, and Horn Attack

Ability: Lightning Rod

Eddy's Team:

Monferno (Male)

Attacks: Scratch, Leer, Ember, Taunt, Power-Up Punch, Mach Punch, Rock Smash, Fury Swipes, and Flame Wheel

Ability: Blaze

Zubat (Male)

Attacks: Absorb, Supersonic, Astonish, Mean Look, Pluck, Poison Fange, and Quick Guard

Ability: Inner Focus

Geodude (Male)

Attacks: Tackle, Defense Curl, Sandstorm, Rock Polish, Rollout, Rock Tomb, Rock Throw, and Smack Down

Ability: Sturdy

Buizel (Male)

Attacks: Tackle, Growl, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Water Gun, Bite, and Aqua Jet

Ability: Swift Swim

Absol (Female)

Attacks: Quick Attack, Leer, Double Team, Knock Off, Detect, Taunt, and Thief

Ability: Super Luck