Three hours later, Aerodactyl brought Ace to the outskirts of Saffron City.
Ash and Gary were already waiting there for Ace. About three or four meters away from them, Blue stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a large tree.
"Looks like everyone's here, and I've got the stuff ready."
Ace opened his backpack and took out a few items, handing them to Ash and Gary one by one.
When Ace reached Blue and handed her the item, he said, "I'm sorry to drag you into this, but we need your strength."
"Heh, the handsome guy sure knows how to talk, unlike those two idiots over there."
Blue covered her mouth, chuckling. After a moment of hesitation, she finally took the item from Ace's hand.
Ace also pulled out a perfectly fitting long trench coat from his backpack, reluctantly put it on, and then tucked his Poké Balls inside the coat, slotting them into the invisible clips within the coat.
Ace was ready, and Ash and the others had also finished changing.
Don't underestimate these items; combined, Ace had spent over 30,000 gold coins on them.
With everything set, Ace briefly explained the purpose of the items to them. Then, following their earlier plan, the four arrived before Saffron City's barrier.
"Ace, are you sure? The barrier's defense is still..."
Before Ash could finish, he saw Ace release his Chansey.
Chansey raised its small fist, and with an ordinary straight punch, Chansey's fist slammed into Saffron City's barrier.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound echoed. To Ash and the others' stunned expressions, Chansey shattered the entire barrier with a single punch, as if breaking glass!
"What are you standing around for? Charge!"
Ace recalled Chansey and yelled at the three stunned individuals.
Ash and the others immediately reacted. Without a second thought, they followed Ace and charged into Saffron City!
"Intruder alert!"
The shattering of the barrier instantly drew Team Rocket's attention.
As a large number of Team Rocket members rushed towards the four, Ace, leading the charge, said to the three, "You go first, I'll deal with these guys."
With that, Ace raised both arms, and two Poké Balls instantly slid from his sleeves into his hands.
The Poké Balls opened, and Golbat and Victreebel charged out.
"Air Slash! Sleep Powder!"
As Ace's voice fell, Ash and the others, without hesitation, split into three groups, evading the Team Rocket members and running towards Silph Co. in Saffron City.
Here with Ace, wind blades accompanied by powder swept through the Team Rocket members.
Due to the dense crowd, they couldn't send out their Pokémon immediately. Many Team Rocket members were hit and fell, finding it difficult to get back up.
"Fearow, Hyper Beam!"
"Raticate, Hyper Fang!"
"Graveler, Rock Throw!"
"Koffing, Smog!"
"Ekans, Poison Sting!"
...
As personnel fell, it also cleared space for the remaining ones to defend. Instantly, various Pokémon appeared, and attacks of all colors rained down on Ace!
"Tsk."
Ace clicked his tongue in annoyance, raised his arms to recall Golbat and Victreebel, then wings sprouted from his back. Aerodactyl grabbed Ace's shoulders, swiftly carrying Ace to dodge Team Rocket's attacks.
"Hyper Beam!"
Aerodactyl suddenly opened its mouth, and a Hyper Beam instantly rained down on the Team Rocket members below.
"Surf!"
Lapras suddenly landed on the ground, slapping its fins violently against the earth. A giant wave surged, rapidly crashing towards the Team Rocket members.
The powerful current made it impossible for the Team Rocket members to steady themselves. In an instant, they were scattered by the water.
"Blizzard!"
Before they could regain their footing, Lapras's Blizzard followed close behind. The already soaked Team Rocket members suddenly felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar; the water on their bodies instantly turned into thin ice, freezing them.
"Weaklings."
Ace looked at the Team Rocket members, who were mostly frozen into ice sculptures. Only now did Ace truly understand the exhilaration of having power.
"Whoosh!"
But in the instant Ace was distracted, a black shadow flashed by, followed by a piercing whooshing sound in his ear. A steel needle rapidly grew larger in Ace's vision!
"Clang!"
With a crisp sound, the steel needle struck Wartortle's shell. Wartortle showed a hint of pain, but it had blocked the attack for Ace.
"Such a fast Beedrill, and its attack power is so high. It seems to have been very well-trained."
Wartortle turned around and forced Beedrill back with a Bubble Beam. Ace held Wartortle and looked into a small alley, saying calmly, "Wouldn't you agree, the mastermind behind Team Rocket?"
As Ace's words fell, a man in a black suit and trousers walked out. The Beedrill also swiftly returned to the man's side.
"I never expected the one who's been interfering with me to be a young fellow like you."
The person who had arrived was none other than Giovanni. He looked at Ace, extending his hand, and said to Ace, "Ace, why don't you come and work for me? I believe you would surely be my right-hand man. Power, fame, women—all will be yours for the taking."
"Very tempting."
Ace slowly descended to the ground, looking at Giovanni, who was extending an olive branch to him, and said calmly, "But I refuse! One of the things I, Ace, like most, is saying 'NO' to those self-righteous guys!"
"Your personality is very much like mine when I was young."
Giovanni looked at Ace, not angered, but silently lowered his hand and said, "However, I can only say your choice is foolish!"
As Giovanni's words fell, Beedrill immediately charged towards Ace. Its extreme speed left several afterimages in the air, making it impossible for Ace to determine which was Beedrill's true body.
"Golbat!"
In a speed contest, Ace wasn't intimidated at all. As Ace raised his hand, a Poké Ball shot out at high speed, and Golbat burst forth from it.
With an Aerial Ace, Golbat also left streaks of afterimages in the air, making it difficult for Beedrill to pinpoint Golbat's true location for a moment.
"Thud!"
With a muffled thud, Beedrill was struck by Golbat's Aerial Ace and knocked back half a meter, finally stabilizing itself.
"You detected Beedrill's movements?"
Giovanni felt a slight surprise internally, but as Golbat's speed decreased, Giovanni realized that Ace's Golbat was actually closing its eyes!
"Supersonic detection? Very innovative."
Giovanni praised. Regarding Ace's move that forced his Beedrill back, Giovanni now became a little more serious.
Ace crouched slightly, his muscles tensed. Only when truly facing Giovanni could Ace feel how strong the pressure Giovanni exerted on him was!
And keep in mind, this was Giovanni, who had been out of battle for six years!
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