Ace became famous.
In every sense of the word.
But this kind of fame, Ace genuinely didn't want.
In the battle against the Zangoose trainer, as expected, Zangoose was worn down and defeated.
Watching Zangoose collapse limply onto the deck, its trainer's face was extremely grim.
What pleasantly surprised Ace was that after defeating such a strong opponent, Zubat immediately leveled up three times, jumping to level eight!
However, after this battle, Ace's reputation for his "overly cautious" commanding style spread throughout the ferry.
This also led to a situation where whenever Ace tried to find someone to spar with again, they either refused outright or immediately brought out Poison or Steel-type Pokémon that countered or were immune to poison.
As a result, for the next day, Ace and Zubat endured a massive beating, so much so that Zubat began to question its life choices.
With only one day left until they reached Kanto, and Zubat still two levels shy of level ten, Ace started to get anxious.
Even though there were no penalties for failing a task, for Ace right now, every single gold coin and task point was incredibly precious. Wasting them would be a grave shame!
"Can you battle me?"
On the morning of the last day, Ace had run around, finding no one willing to spar with him. Feeling a bit dejected, he and Zubat leaned against the ship's railing when a female voice spoke from behind him.
"No problem!"
Ace immediately perked up, turning around without a second thought.
But when he saw who the girl in front of him was, he was slightly startled, then calmly said, "Shall we spar right here?"
"You know me?" the girl asked with a slight smile, seeing Ace's expression. "Have we met before?"
"No, first time," Ace replied honestly, pointing to the Zubat on his shoulder. "Are we fighting or not?"
"Come on then, let's see your strength."
The girl and Ace created some distance, and she quickly sent out her Pokémon.
A flash of white light, and an Alakazam appeared before Ace.
"Psychic-type... a complete counter..."
Ace couldn't help but sigh. With a raise of his arm, Zubat immediately took flight, opening its mouth and sending a Supersonic wave towards Alakazam.
Alakazam instantly Teleported into the sky. Pointing its spoon at Zubat, its Psychic ability immediately restrained Zubat's body.
With a slight exertion of force, Zubat immediately fell, losing its ability to battle.
"Your training is decent."
Alakazam returned to the girl's side. The girl said to Ace, "But having only one Pokémon is a bit too few. Go catch a few more Pokémon, young man."
"We'll see," Ace said, recalling Zubat to its Poké Ball. Without healing medicine, he had to reluctantly spend five task points to heal Zubat.
Pop.
Just then, a spoon was thrown and landed on Ace. Ace instinctively caught it.
"It seems you need a victory. Take this spoon; it will guide you to one."
The girl tossed her long hair, turned, and left.
Ace, holding the spoon, looked utterly distraught.
"I knew I wasn't mistaken! This guy is Sabrina from the manga!"
Ace wailed internally. No matter how he thought about it, he never would have imagined that he had transmigrated into the world of the Pokémon manga!
Compared to other Pokémon worlds, the manga world was far more dangerous. The major behind-the-scenes villains were all incredibly ambitious. How could he, with his small arms and legs, possibly navigate this?!
As Ace's mind reeled, the spoon eerily bent, pointing in a specific direction.
Though he now knew the true nature of this world, Ace quickly composed himself, took a deep breath, and adjusted his mindset.
"I must lay low! In such a dangerous world, I can't be too flashy. Stick to the shadows, and as long as I stay out of trouble, I'll surely survive to the end!"
Silently hyping himself up, Ace followed the direction the spoon pointed.
The ferry slowly docked at Vermilion City's port. After a week-long journey, the ferry that departed from Canalave City in Sinnoh finally reached the Kanto region.
Ace packed his belongings, and with Zubat, walked off the ferry.
With the "spoon of destiny" provided by Sabrina, Ace quickly found the person he could battle.
Although the process was time-consuming, by relying on the double attrition of confusion and poison, Ace guided Zubat to victory.
And after this victory, Zubat successfully leveled up to ten, completing the side quest.
"Phew, finally here..."
Stepping off the ferry, blending into the crowd, Ace couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Side Quest (Chosen One): Go to Professor Oak's Laboratory and find a way to obtain a starter Pokémon. Task Reward: 300 gold coins, task points given based on task completion evaluation."
"Side Quest (I Am The Protagonist): Find Ash or Gary, defeat them, and make them understand who the protagonist truly is. Task Reward: 2000 gold coins, task points given based on task completion evaluation."
"Side Quest (Comrade): The drawbacks of having only one Pokémon are beginning to show. Go find a new Pokémon suitable for yourself. Task Reward: 500 gold coins, task points given based on task completion evaluation."
Soon, three new side quests appeared on the task panel. Seeing the first two, Ace rejected them without hesitation.
After all, knowing this was the manga world, Ace's only thought was to lay low. The less flashy he was, the better. Quiet development was the way to go.
Otherwise, being targeted by any faction would be a disaster.
"First, I'll get a trainer's license. Then, I'll make further plans."
Recalling the manga's content, Ace quickly made his decision and hurried towards Vermilion City. He needed to get his trainer's license first.
Half an hour later, Ace crouched somewhat dejectedly outside a Pokémon Center. Zubat landed on his shoulder, patting Ace's head comfortingly.
"As expected, every crow in the world is black! Even getting a trainer's license costs twenty thousand League currency! Where am I supposed to get twenty thousand League currency?!"
Ace felt like crying without tears. Facing the exorbitant application fee, it was simply unbearable for someone like him.
Moreover, according to Ace's observations here, the twenty thousand currency application fee was just the beginning. Afterward, you also had to prove you had more than two Pokémon and undergo a League review. Only after being deemed qualified could you get the trainer's license.
As for how one was deemed qualified?
Heh, that depended on what the reviewer said.
So, this was a lucrative position. Every reviewer basically made a large sum of extra cash from this.
With the trainer's license seemingly out of reach, Ace, in despair, could only look at the side quest panel.
"Either I don't get a trainer's license, or I just have to try my luck with Professor Oak..."
p@treon.com/DaoistWujinzi