"Just wait until you find a successor before you retire," Ace said flatly. He then walked over to Green and, before she could say a word, punched her hard on the head. Green immediately covered her head and crouched down, tears welling in her eyes. It was clear that Ace's punch had hurt a lot.
"Next time you call, be more clear. I thought Professor Oak was going to die."
Ace scolded Green. Lying on the sofa, Professor Oak's mouth twitched. Green's ability to summarize was giving him a headache as well.
He had been tied up by Agatha and couldn't move. Fortunately, people in this world had good constitutions, and he had managed to survive on water spilled on the floor. Otherwise, after nearly five days, Professor Oak would have likely been a goner. Just as he was about to give up, Green, who had been out, returned to visit him and discovered he was on the verge of death.
Furious, Green immediately found Ash and Gary and also called Ace. Ace lived far away, which was understandable. But for Ash and Gary, in Green's eyes, it was unforgivable, so she gave them a thorough dressing down. Professor Oak was the only person who had shown Green familial affection during her two years of wandering, so she held him in high regard. She would report back to him whenever something happened. Therefore, Ash and Gary deserved every bit of the scolding; they were not innocent at all.
"I was in a hurry, wasn't I?" Green said, her face tear-streaked and pitiful. But Ace wasn't having any of it and just stared at her coldly. Green dropped the act, stood up helplessly, and said, "Alright, I won't do it again."
Seeing this, Ash nudged Gary's arm and whispered, "Sure enough, there's always someone to keep you in check."
Gary rolled his eyes, not in the mood to talk to Ash.
"But Ace, how about you move to Pallet Town? I just don't trust these two guys. With you here to keep an eye on Professor Oak, I'd feel more at ease."
Green's suggestion instantly made Ash's eyes light up. He quickly stood up and nodded, "Yeah, Ace, just move here. It'd be great for all of us to have each other."
Ace glanced at Ash, knowing his little scheme all too well. Ash, now a champion, was getting bored without an opponent. If Ace were to move in, he figured his daily routine would likely involve battling Ash.
"No, I'm used to living alone, and I'm not lonely with my [Family] by my side." Ace flat-out refused. Many of his current activities couldn't be exposed, so it was better for him to live alone.
"Ace, I suggest you move in," Professor Oak, lying on the sofa with an IV drip, spoke up. He said to Ace, "Although you drove Agatha off once, they'll surely gather their strength and attack you again. If you come to Pallet Town, we can all watch out for each other."
Ace sighed inwardly. He had crippled three of the Elite Four; who would dare come back for revenge? But Ace couldn't say that out loud. He could only ponder for a moment before saying, "Let me think about it."
Professor Oak sighed softly, sensing the rejection in Ace's tone. He then changed the subject. "If you don't want to come, that's fine. Take Ash and the others with you. I have a premonition that they'll definitely be back soon; I know Agatha too well."
"..." Ace was dumbfounded. Ash's eyes, however, lit up, and Gary and Green also looked at Ace. Ace never expected that by refusing to move to Pallet Town, Professor Oak would try to send three people to his place instead. He had killed three of the Elite Four, so they certainly wouldn't be coming back.
But Ace couldn't say that. After all, Professor Oak meant well, and if Ace refused, he might become suspicious. So, Ace could only silently swallow this bitter pill.
And so...
Ash excitedly ran home, presumably to pack his things and prepare to live with Ace. Gary thought for a moment, sighed, and also prepared to pack. As for Green, she was a bit conflicted, but one look at Professor Oak and the pleading in his eyes was all it took for her to relent and agree.
Before heading to Ace's place, they had originally planned to look after Professor Oak, at least until he had recovered a bit. But Professor Oak wouldn't let them stay and instead made a phone call to summon Gary's sister, Daisy Oak. With Daisy to look after him, there was no reason for Ace and the others to stay. With Ace's reluctant expression, the four of them flew off toward Ace's cabin.
Around noon, Ace and the others landed outside Ace's small house.
Jigglypuff quickly shrank down. Green, who had been here once before, looked at the structures outside the yard and asked, bewildered, "Ace, when did you build all this?"
"Recently," Ace said calmly. "They're nests for my Pokémon, simulating their natural wild environment."
After speaking, Ace watched Aerodactyl land back on the stone mountain. He then opened three Poké Balls, and Victreebel and Blastoise headed to their respective nests. Ninetales, however, sat gracefully beside Ace, its lustrous golden fur a definite attention-getter.
"Come on in, and don't mess anything up." Ace warned the three, then opened the yard gate and led them inside.
When Ace opened the front door to the cabin, a faint, lingering smell of something burnt made him tense up instantly. Ninetales instinctively took a step back, having already envisioned a very bad scenario.
Click.
Ace opened the door, and the smell of char filled the air. Ace looked at the smoke-filled living room and the helpless-looking Gengar standing outside the kitchen. He immediately understood what had happened.
He hurried inside and opened the kitchen door. Through the smoke, Ace saw Chansey standing on a small stool, "fighting" with a burnt lump in the pot.
"Chansey!"
At Ace's roar, Chansey shivered in fright, quickly dropped the spatula, and looked at Ace with a "I'm a good Pokémon" expression. Ace sighed helplessly, turned on the kitchen fan to clear the smoke, and turned off the stove. He then began to deal with the ruined iron pot.
"If you do this two more times, this pot is going to be useless," Ace said with a sigh of resignation, scrubbing furiously at the pot with a steel wool pad.
Ash and the others stood outside the kitchen, watching the scene with a strange expression.
"Ace, you haven't made your Chansey learn to control its strength?" Gary, as a Pokémon breeder, quickly noticed Chansey's flaw. He said to Ace, "If you let it master its strength to the point where it can handle things with ease, Chansey could become even stronger."
"There's no need," Ace said flatly. As Chansey's trainer, he had the final say.