Slowly, Ace regained consciousness, but his eyes were met with the sight of a forest.
"Where am I? What about Ninetales?"
Ace rubbed his throbbing head, instinctively glancing at his electronic watch.
Opening the map, Ace was startled to find himself in Ilex Forest.
"Ilex Forest… The time… Could it be…"
Ace's eyes shot open wide in alarm as he scrambled to his feet.
But as he stood up abruptly, a wave of dizziness washed over him. Ace stumbled, grabbing a nearby tree for support to keep from falling.
"What's wrong with me?"
Ace felt his weak body and the discomfort in his nerves, all of which signaled that he was in a terrible state, unable to even perform simple, normal actions.
"Automatic scan initiated… Scan complete!"
"Scan results: The time flow on the host's body is abnormal. This is a normal reaction after time travel. Estimated recovery time is 24 hours."
The system's words, coupled with the dizziness, stunned Ace. His legs went weak, and he was about to collapse.
Pop.
A Poké Ball automatically opened, and Kirlia appeared beside Ace. It gently used its psychic power to hold him up, preventing him from falling to the ground.
"Master, are you okay?"
Kirlia's worried voice came through a telepathic message.
"I'm fine, Kirlia. Could you please help me confirm the current time?"
Ace spoke weakly. He was more concerned about Ninetales right now.
The system had detected that he had traveled through time. If that was the case, where would Ninetales, who had been sent flying in the opposite direction, end up?
Kirlia nodded, took the phone from Ace's pocket, and called home in Kanto.
All the Pokémon he carried with him were synchronized with Ace's time, so they were also affected.
Only Rotom, who remained in Kanto, was experiencing a normal flow of time. Calling it was the best way to get an accurate time check.
The call connected, and Ace quickly learned from Rotom that a full month had passed since he entered the time rift!
During this half-month, with no Ace to interfere with the plot, things had developed normally, and Team Rocket's activities were becoming more frequent.
What Rotom knew was that the Bell Tower in Ecruteak City had been destroyed by Team Rocket members, and the Pokémon League was currently gathering Gym Leaders from both the Kanto and Johto regions for a so-called "training exercise."
After hearing this, Ace knew he still had time. Or rather, with Lugia now captured by him and the two feathers from Little Green in his possession, Pryce would have to come find Ace to fulfill his ambitions!
"We need to leave this place first."
Ace gritted his teeth. "Pryce must have placed many 'eyes' in Ilex Forest. If I run into him here, it would be a disaster."
He took out a Poké Ball, but just as he was about to open it, he found that no matter how many times he pressed the button, it wouldn't open.
"What's going on?"
Ace held the Poké Ball up to his eyes, examining it closely. He then noticed that the entire ball was covered in fine cracks and completely ruined.
Ace took out a few more Poké Balls and found that, without exception, all the ones containing Pokémon were also damaged. Even Kirlia had to forcefully break its own Poké Ball to get out.
"I need to replace all my Poké Balls."
Ace's scalp tingled with anxiety. The situation was starting to look grim.
With all his Poké Balls ruined, replacing them was essential.
But there was a crucial problem right now!
It was easy to deal with the other Pokémon, but what about Rayquaza and Lugia?
One was a Pokémon the League was pursuing, and the other was the Pokémon Pryce was currently after.
Ace was certain that if he replaced the Poké Balls at this stage, with the intelligence networks of both organizations, he would have to face a confrontation with both of them!
Ace broke Aerodactyl's Poké Ball, and Aerodactyl appeared before him.
Ace explained the situation to Aerodactyl, who immediately understood. It grabbed Ace, took Kirlia, and swiftly soared out of Ilex Forest, flying toward Kanto.
No more than five minutes after Ace left, the news of a person flying out of Ilex Forest had already reached Pryce.
Pryce, disguised as the Masked Man, looked at the photo in his hand. Although it was blurry, he recognized Ace at a glance.
"Boss, do you need us to…"
Will, disguised as a clown, smiled and made a throat-slitting gesture.
Crack.
The photo instantly froze and shattered into a shower of ice shards. Pryce spoke in a flat tone, "No need. He's a nobody. Have there been any updates on Lugia's whereabouts?"
Karen, standing nearby, replied, "Lugia's presence has been found in the Whirl Islands, but based on the scene, it seems to have been captured. We are currently investigating who captured it."
"You have two days. If you still can't figure it out, there will be no need for those people to continue their investigation. Understand?"
Pryce looked at Karen, his tone filled with coldness.
"One day at the most."
Karen said with confidence, "We already have a lead. At most, it will take one day. If these useless people still can't find out, you won't need to do anything—I'll deal with them myself."
"That would be best."
Pryce grunted coldly, then left.
After Pryce was gone, Will looked at the ice shards on the ground, his expression a little more serious. He turned to Karen and said, "The Masked Man has never been so soft-hearted. Why is his attitude different towards this guy?"
Karen glanced at Will. "Are you trying to 'win favor'?"
"That sounds so unpleasant."
Will forced a smile. "Do you have any news?"
"If I'm not mistaken, it's most likely him."
Karen pointed to the ice shards on the ground, smiling faintly. "All the current clues point to him."
"Then why…"
"There was no need to say it just now."
Karen's expression remained unchanged. "The Masked Man's attitude was already clear. If we had brought up the subject then, it's hard to say if he would have been willing to be ruthless. Delaying for a day gives him time to think. It's the safest approach."
Will looked confused, but Karen paid him no mind, walking out on her high heels.
Meanwhile, Pryce returned to his current residence, looking up at a photo hanging on the wall. It was a picture of a young Pryce with two Lapras.
"Ace, can you stop me?"
A faint sigh slowly echoed through the room.