It was a new day. Ace rose from his warm bed, got dressed, and finished his morning routine. He opened the window for fresh air, then headed downstairs to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Chansey entered the kitchen, eager to help Ace, but he quickly "escorted" it out.
Even as a Pokémon Egg, Chansey had been genetically modified by Team Rocket's genetic technology.
In Ace's words, its natural talent for household chores had been entirely redirected towards combat.
Initially, Ace had hoped Chansey could assist with some housework, but after it picked up a broom and, within three minutes, sent a sofa flying and smashed a solid wood dining table and chairs to splinters, Ace did his best to keep Chansey from doing anything outside of battle.
Compared to Chansey, who superficially seemed good at housework, Ace was surprised to discover, after three days of settling in, that Aerodactyl, the fiercest of his Pokémon, was actually the most adept at chores.
"Breakfast time!" Ace called out to the yard after preparing breakfast.
Ace's Pokémon gathered, enjoying their meal, while Aerodactyl was nowhere to be found.
"That guy..." Ace chuckled, carrying Aerodactyl's food bowl. He crossed the yard and went to the glass door leading to a side area.
This was the Berry orchard Ace had agreed to build with the system, costing him 30,000 gold coins.
Opening the glass door, he saw a large cultivated area. Every two meters, a tender shoot was breaking through the soil.
In between these shoots, Aerodactyl was diligently using its claws to pull out stubborn weeds that had sprouted.
It was hard to imagine a Pokémon renowned for its ferocity now gently nurturing these newly sprouted Berries.
"Breakfast, Aerodactyl." Ace greeted it. Aerodactyl chirped, flapped its wings, and landed in front of Ace.
Ace looked at the over one-acre plot of land, expanded by the system, feeling greatly relieved.
The 30,000 gold coins the system charged for building the orchard wasn't actually too expensive. Just acquiring such a large piece of legal land would have given Ace a headache for a long time, but the system handled it effortlessly.
Not only the land, but the orchard's perimeter was also enclosed by a wire mesh fence.
The fence wasn't very high, only about a meter tall, but it effectively prevented some attracted Pokémon, like Bug-type Pokémon, from entering.
If any Pokémon touched the wire mesh, it would immediately become electrified, preventing them from sneaking into the orchard for a snack.
However, for Ace, all this was still far off.
According to the Berry data provided by the system, it would take at least two years for a Berry to grow into a fruit-bearing tree from a seed.
Only after growing into a large tree could a Berry tree bear fruit year after year. Otherwise, forced ripening or grafting would be detrimental to the Berry itself.
When Ace learned this, he was quite curious.
In his previous life, although he hadn't planted fruit trees, he knew that good-tasting fruit usually required grafting.
In this world, it was the complete opposite. Fertilizing and grafting could rapidly increase a Berry tree's yield, but generally, a Berry tree would only bear fruit once or twice before completely withering away.
Only by patiently waiting for a two-year growth period, allowing the Berry trees to grow naturally, could they establish a strong foundation and bear fruit annually thereafter.
From a short-term profit perspective, methods like fertilizing were quick ways to obtain Berries.
But in the long run, it required patience and time to create a sustainable orchard.
Since Ace chose to settle here, he naturally wouldn't opt for short-sighted, exploitative methods to quickly gain profit.
Long-term development was his primary consideration at this stage.
Meanwhile, as Ace and his Pokémon were enjoying breakfast, in the outskirts of Cerulean City, inside Cerulean Cave, a large, silver-white Pokémon emerged from the cave.
"That fluctuation is only residual, it's no longer here..." It closed its eyes to sense for a moment, then opened them again.
"Southeast..."
The next moment, the Pokémon soared into the sky, flying swiftly towards the southeast!
In the afternoon, Ace, clad in swimming trunks and with a towel draped over his shoulder, climbed up from below the cliff.
After casually stretching his limbs, Ace began to wipe his wet hair.
"My physical fitness is so much stronger now. A three-kilometer round-trip freestyle swim, plus a twelve-meter rock climb, doesn't seem as hard as I imagined. Looks like I need to increase the intensity."
As he spoke, Ace walked towards his home.
His current life was gradually becoming routine: Pokémon training in the morning, rest at noon, physical training in the afternoon, and reading time in the evening.
Ace kept his schedule packed, showing no sign of wanting to slack off.
He knew very well that there was something still in his possession, and that individual would definitely come looking for him.
"It's a shame that guy is still a defective product right now. Unless the human cells within it are removed, it won't be able to fully unleash its power."
Ace pulled the towel draped around his neck with both hands, saying with some emotion, "I hope I can capture it. That way, my chances for the future main quest will be much higher."
But as Ace approached his residence, he saw his Pokémon had already rushed out of the yard, surrounding a creature.
Feeling their extremely vigilant stance, Ace frowned deeply, pushing off the ground and rushing towards his home at top speed.
As Ace got closer, he finally saw the creature's appearance.
Ace, who had been running, slowed his pace, gently stopping beside his Pokémon.
Looking at the surrounded creature, Ace smiled faintly. "Finally here, aren't you? Mewtwo!"
The one encircled by Ace's Pokémon was indeed Mewtwo, who had escaped from Team Rocket early on.
Mewtwo now stood its ground, its gaze falling on Ace. From him, Mewtwo sensed that familiar fluctuation.
The next moment, Mewtwo struck.
Having confirmed that the item was with Ace, Mewtwo's first instinct was to seize it and claim it as its own!
Invisible power surged from Mewtwo, rapidly stirring the surrounding air. A whirlwind quickly formed, directly pulling at Ace and his Pokémon.
"Clever fellow."
Aerodactyl grabbed Ace's shoulder, immediately taking him airborne, while the other Pokémon quickly scattered, distancing themselves from the whirlwind. At its weakest point, they broke free from the attack.
"The idea is good, but the formation speed is too slow. Still, being able to conceive such a varied move on your own shows considerable potential."
Ace flew in the air, looking at Mewtwo, and beckoned with his finger. "Come on, let me see what kind of power you have now!"
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