After the house was completed, Ace's tasks were temporarily on hold. He settled down and began to train his Pokémon, tackle some research problems, and summarize and absorb the experience he had gained during this time. In a stable and peaceful environment, Ace gradually calmed down. However, he was also aware that this was just the calm before the storm. Pryce was rapidly developing and growing stronger, and the start of the Johto plotline was getting closer.
Time flew by in a flash; two years passed in the blink of an eye.
"This is the last batch. Everyone, hurry up and pack the boxes."
Ace stood outside the orchard, directing the League staff to pick the berries as quickly as possible. Soon, batches of berries were picked and transported out in wooden crates carried by Machokes.
"Want a smoke?"
The transportation team leader walked over, watched the Machokes load the truck, pulled out a cigarette, and offered it to Ace.
Ace shook his head. "No, thanks. Where are you guys transporting these to, brother?"
"Some are going to Johto, and some are going to Vermilion City, probably to be shipped overseas."
The man lit his cigarette, took a puff, and said to Ace, "I'm so envious of you, owning such a large orchard. My son keeps bugging me about becoming a Pokémon trainer, but it's so expensive. I know he's not cut out for it, but I still want him to go out and try."
"Then you should support him," Ace said with a smile. "Brother, you're from Violet City, right? Has anything been happening there lately?"
"Anything?"
The man took a puff of his cigarette, thought for a moment, and then said, "There is one thing, actually. I heard that the Elm Pokémon Lab was robbed and two Pokémon were stolen. I don't know if it's true or not. Two Pokémon, tsk tsk. If I could get them for my son, I wouldn't have to worry so much."
"That's a pretty big deal."
Ace smiled. Just as he was about to say something else, two Metangs flew over and called out to him. Ace understood, apologized to the man, and followed the two Metangs back to his villa.
"Rotom, to the lab."
"Roger that."
As Ace left the orchard, a side door on the villa opened, and Ace went straight into his study. The two Metangs stopped in the study, and Ace went down the stairs in the study alone to the lab.
In the lab, inside the cultivation tank of the fossil revival machine, Genesect opened its eyes. Its gray pupils looked at Ace through the glass cover, and its body trembled uncontrollably.
"Long time no see, Genesect. Did you have a good sleep?"
Genesect nodded quickly, then shook its head frantically, looking as if it was angry but didn't dare to speak.
Ace laughed, walked to the fossil revival machine, and pressed the switch. The cultivation fluid began to recede quickly, exposing Genesect. A Poké Ball at the bottom of the fossil revival machine opened quickly, and Genesect was immediately sucked into it. It didn't even shake once and was captured.
The Poké Ball rolled out and was caught by Ace.
Pokémon: Genesect (Modified)
Gender: None
Level: 5
Ability: Download
Hidden Ability: Ruthless Hunter
Nature: Timid (originally Hasty)
Potential: Excellent
Egg Moves: None
Moves: Fell Stinger, Techno Blast, Magnet Rise, Self-Destruct...
Note:Ruthless Hunter: Genesect has been specially modified to retain most of its biological instincts. It devours its prey and absorbs nutrients, allowing itself to evolve again.
After more than two years of cultivation, Genesect had only leveled up four times. This was unavoidable, as it was clear from Genesect's hidden ability that real combat was the fastest way for it to increase its strength. Relying on cultivation fluid to increase its strength was a pipe dream. The four levels it had gained were the result of Ace's insane feeding of nutrients over the years.
"The Johto plotline has officially begun. It's time to get involved."
Ace murmured to himself, looking at his main mission.
Main Mission (Pryce's Ambition): Dark clouds are covering the entire Johto region. Pryce, disguised as the Masked Man, has gathered the remnants of Team Rocket in hopes of using their power to gain control of Celebi and travel back in time. Use any means to stop Pryce and destroy his plan.
Mission Reward: 100,000 Gold, a designated Pokémon evolution stone, a designated energy source, a set of cultivation equipment, and a mission score based on your performance.
Penalty: None.
He had previously tried to solve this mission from the source, but it was clear that back then, Ace was no match for Pryce. Now, after all this time, Ace's strength had steadily increased, especially his Lapras, which had awakened its Ice-type bloodline after absorbing Frozen Energy. It was a perfect counter to Pryce. If Ace were to face Pryce now, Ace could guarantee that he would make Pryce cry! He meant that literally.
Leaving the lab, Ace returned to the living room. He looked at the team that had already left through the floor-to-ceiling windows, snapped his fingers, and a mechanical arm extended, took a bottle of soda from the refrigerator, and handed it to Ace.
Ace took it, opened it, took a sip, and then said, "Rotom, you're on house-sitting duty. We're going to be away for a while."
"Okay, trainer," Rotom nodded. In the past two years, it had gotten used to this life. Now that it controlled the entire building, even if its level wasn't high, it could instantly subdue anyone who trespassed.
Ace finished his drink, casually tossed the bottle into the trash can, and had Rotom notify his Pokémon. Soon, all of Ace's Pokémon arrived in the living room. In two years, they had all grown a lot. Now, it was time to test the results of their training over the years.
"I'm going to Johto. Do you all want to come along?"
Ace wasn't going to leave a single Pokémon behind. Since he had no limit on how many he could carry, he was going to bring all of his Pokémon with him to have a good time with the new Team Rocket.
Hearing that Ace was going on a trip, all of the Pokémon's eyes lit up, and they scrambled to rush towards Ace. They had been training for a long time, and it was finally time to see how they would perform in a real fight!
Seeing this, Ace returned them to their Poké Balls one by one, leaving only Aerodactyl and Kirlia with him. He tucked all the Poké Balls into his windbreaker, put on his fanny pack, and got everything he needed ready.
Five minutes later, Aerodactyl soared into the sky with Ace and Kirlia. It immediately Mega Evolved mid-air, and its speed suddenly skyrocketed, turning into a stream of light and flying towards Johto!