"Sigh, it was too fast. I should have tried to catch that Xurkitree first."
Ace watched as Genesect landed on the Xurkitree's remains and began to gorge itself, speaking with a helpless tone.
"You wanted to catch it?"
Green lost interest after a brief glance. The scene of predation among Pokémon was too brutal; she'd rather go back and soothe her mind than watch this.
"It has some research value."
Ace told the truth but concealed his side quest.
If he had caught the Xurkitree, he likely would have completed a side quest.
But now that Xurkitree had become Genesect's meal, there was nothing Ace could do.
After Genesect finished eating, Ace recalled it. Then, with the help of Articuno, Ace and Green returned to the small island.
However, the previous atmosphere was gone. Disturbed by the Xurkitree incident, Ace and Green briefly toured the island before deciding to leave.
Releasing Lapras, Ace and Green once again mounted its back. Led by Lapras, they swam toward Akala Island.
However, they hadn't traveled far when a small speedboat quickly approached them.
The man driving the speedboat saw Ace and his companions, paused in surprise, and then slowed the boat down, quickly coming to a stop near them.
"Alola! May I ask if you've seen a Pokémon you've never seen before? It looked very strange."
The man asked Ace and Green with a gentle smile and a soft tone.
"We saw it, but it was killed by another Pokémon."
Ace told the truth, replying with a slight smile, "Its body has already sunk into the sea. I estimate the difficulty of finding it will be quite high."
The man was visibly stunned by Ace's words.
But then, as if he realized something, he spoke to Ace, "Thank you for the information. Otherwise, we would have wasted a trip."
"What organization are you?"
Green asked, "I see you're wearing uniforms, and the speedboat has the same logo."
"You mean this?"
Another female member on the speedboat pointed to the logo on her uniform and explained to Green, "We are members of the Aether Foundation. The Aether Foundation is dedicated to protecting injured Pokémon, treating them, and then safely releasing them back into the wild."
"That sounds quite nice."
Green nodded. Based purely on the description, the Aether Foundation appeared to be a positive organization involved in rescue work.
"Would you like to visit our Aether Foundation's rescue facility?"
The man driving the speedboat extended an invitation to Ace and Green, saying, "Our Aether Foundation headquarters is an artificial island—it's very spectacular."
Green glanced at Ace. Ace smiled and nodded, saying, "Well, then, we'd be delighted. We're on vacation in Alola, and it would be great to see some novel sights."
After a brief chat, Ace and his companions followed the Aether Foundation's speedboat toward the artificial island where the Aether Foundation was located.
Lapras hadn't swum far. Soon, a gigantic structure became visible on the horizon.
Guided by the Aether Foundation members, Ace and his party followed the route and entered the dock.
When Ace and Green got ashore and recalled Lapras, the two members leading them smiled and said, "Welcome to Aether Paradise!"
Immediately afterward, the man and woman led Ace and Green on a tour.
Ace walked, diligently observing and noting the surroundings.
They successively visited the various facilities in the foundation, the Pokémon rescue areas, and some beautiful ocean views.
Finally, the two members led Ace and Green into the recovery room used after Pokémon rescue and treatment.
The recovery room was vast; rather than a room, it was more like a large ecological garden.
Many injured Pokémon were inside, receiving treatment and post-treatment rest.
However, halfway through Ace and Green's tour, a group of people not far ahead caught Ace's attention.
Ace saw them, and they also saw Ace and his companions.
Ace spoke calmly, "We meet again."
On the other side, N, who was conversing with Lusamine of the Aether Foundation, smiled and said to Ace, "I told you we would definitely meet again."
Lusamine, who had been speaking with N, looked at N and then at Ace, asking with a smile, "Do you two know each other?"
"We met briefly."
N explained, "But I don't think he particularly wants to see me, does he?"
"Whether I see you or not is irrelevant to me."
Ace slowly walked forward, facing N, and said, "However, please keep certain people's claws retracted, or I don't mind chopping them off."
"Heh heh, interesting."
N chuckled, smiling as he said, "To be frank, my interest in you now far surpasses anything else."
"I'm not interested in you."
Ace's tone was hostile, saying, "Just don't provoke me."
Seeing the tension escalate between the two, Lusamine quickly stepped between them and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, fighting is prohibited here. Also, there's a special electromagnetic wave here that prevents Poké Balls from activating. So, if you have anything to discuss, please do so calmly."
Ace smiled faintly and said to Lusamine, "As long as he doesn't provoke me, I won't resort to violence. Please rest assured on that point."
With that, Ace and Green walked around N and his group and continued further inside.
Green quickly stepped forward, hooking her right arm through Ace's left, and nestled her head close to his shoulder. As they walked, she quietly whispered to Ace, "Was that intentional?"
"Intentional, to distract them."
Ace whispered back, while surveying the surroundings, pretending to admire the recovery room.
"Is there something shady going on here?"
"I don't know, but the invitation from these Aether Foundation people was too abrupt. They definitely have an ulterior motive."
Ace whispered, "Immediately upon entering, to prevent them from playing tricks, I already released my best-concealed Pokémon, Gengar. Gengar has gone to investigate. We'll keep touring for now and wait for Gengar's report."
"I understand."
Green's expression was calm, and she said softly with a hint of exasperation, "Honestly, we run into things like this even while on vacation. What bad luck."
As they spoke, Ace and his companions, guided by the two members, finished touring the recovery room.
Next, they were led to a reception room where food and drink were served. They were told to wait while Lusamine finished her conversation with N, after which she would come to meet Ace and Green.
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