Pokémon: Torchic
Gender: Male
Level: 2
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Adamant
Potential: Superior
Egg Moves: Reversal
Moves: Ember, Peck, Growl, Scratch
In the end, Ace used a Poké Ball to capture Torchic.
After reviewing Torchic's memories, Ace found himself quite interested in this unblemished Torchic.
More importantly, Torchic's evolution, Combusken, has the Fighting type.
Ace had been training his fighting techniques, and the best way to do that was to find a Fighting-type Pokémon to spar with—like Paul's Machamp.
He didn't have any Fighting-type Pokémon before, but now that he had captured Torchic, it could evolve into Combusken and become his sparring partner.
Ace spent five Mission Points to heal Torchic's hidden physical injuries—a perk reserved for his own Pokémon.
After returning the now-healthy Torchic, Ace redeemed some Torchic food and Energy Cubes from the system for it.
"Gible, look after the newcomer," Ace told Gible. As a Pokémon that had only hatched a short while ago, Ace thought Gible and Torchic would get along well.
Gible nodded, feeling a little smug. He was always the "little brother" of the group due to his age, but now, with a new, even littler brother, Gible decided to show his big-brother authority.
For example...
Gible walked up to Torchic with a commanding air, pointed at its food bowl, and cried out.
The message was clear: "You're my little brother now. If you want big brother to look after you, you have to offer half of your rations as a tribute."
But that plan quickly fell apart.
Blissey heard Gible and delivered a "Love Fist" to the top of Gible's head.
Gible immediately knelt down, tears in its eyes, clutching its head, which now had a large, painful-looking bump.
Blissey then let out a few friendly calls to Torchic, motioning for it to finish its food.
Ace's Pokémon food was perfectly balanced for their current growth needs, so there was no reason to eat more or less.
As for Gible, he was just a glutton.
This little Pokémon, who liked to take a bite out of everything, had been walking down the path of a foodie, and there was no turning back.
After a lively dinner, Ace read for a while before heading to his tent to rest.
He didn't recall his Pokémon, with two reasons for this. First, they could help keep watch, and second, it would allow Torchic to get to know Ace's Pokémon and integrate into the family as soon as possible.
While Torchic didn't understand Ace's intentions, the other Pokémon, who had been with Ace for a long time, did.
So after Ace fell asleep, Torchic quickly got acquainted with them:
-The diligent and hardworking Crobat, who could sometimes be a bit silly.
-The naturally cruel but surprisingly easygoing and a little tsundere Victreebel.
-The gentle and obedient Lapras, who prioritized Ace's commands.
-The seemingly kindhearted but actually fiercest Aerodactyl.
-The master chef and powerhouse, Blissey.
-The lazy and easygoing Gengar, who was the fastest to improve its strength.
-The honest and gentle Blastoise.
-The elegant Ninetales, who loved to groom its fur but was a ferocious attacker.
-And of course, the gluttonous Gible.
This was Ace's Pokémon family. Torchic curled up, squatting next to Ninetales, and closed its eyes.
In this varied family, Torchic could feel that it was the weakest member.
Even Gible, who was around the same age, could easily defeat it in a battle.
"Leaving that comfortable environment was the right choice," Torchic thought, its eyes still closed.
It knew it wouldn't have grown much within its own flock.
But by stepping out and becoming Ace's Pokémon, Torchic felt a powerful future was beckoning it.
The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Ace recalled his Pokémon and then had Aerodactyl Mega Evolve.
Aerodactyl once again grabbed Ace, spread its wings, and soared into the sky, leaving the small island behind.
"There are no big islands ahead. Aerodactyl, go at full speed. Let's see what your limit is!"
"ROAR!"
Aerodactyl roared and accelerated sharply. A strong wind pressure hit Ace, who calmly took out his windproof goggles from his fanny pack and put them on.
As Aerodactyl accelerated again, the only thing Ace could hear was the rustling of the wind!
After flying non-stop for a full day and night, Ace finally reached the Hoenn region.
He opened a Poké Ball, and Lapras landed in the water below. Aerodactyl, having already reverted from its Mega Evolved state, was tired and landed with Ace on Lapras's back.
Ace fed Aerodactyl two Energy Cubes, then recalled it.
Ace then lay limply on Lapras's back, rubbing his temples, which felt like they were being hammered.
Maintaining Mega Evolution for a full day and night had exhausted his energy. The current pain also let Ace know his limit for maintaining a Pokémon's Mega Evolution.
"If I'm only maintaining one Pokémon's Mega Evolution, I can last about 22 hours. Based on the energy consumption, two Pokémon would be about 14 hours. I haven't tried three yet, but I'll have to do a real experiment to know for sure."
Ace rubbed his temples, raised his hand to check his electronic map, and then said to Lapras, "Lapras, let's head to Sootopolis City first. I need to sleep for a bit. Thank you."
Lapras nodded, paddled its four fins, and steadily sailed toward Sootopolis City.
Ace, already mentally exhausted, lay on Lapras's back, closed his eyes, and instantly fell asleep, relying on deep sleep to restore his depleted energy.
Ace wasn't worried about Lapras straying from the course, as his electronic watch had a real-time navigation function. If they deviated, the watch would beep to alert Lapras.
Ace's sleep was sound, though short.
When Lapras woke him, a collection of wooden houses floating on the water's surface had appeared before Ace's eyes.
Sootopolis City had arrived!
Ace checked the time and saw that he had only slept for two hours.
Even though he hadn't had a full night's sleep, two hours of deep rest was enough to get Ace back on his feet.
"You can return now, Lapras."
Ace jumped from Lapras's back onto the floating bridge and then recalled Lapras.
"First, I'll rest for a day, and then I'll head to Sky Pillar."
Ace rubbed his growling stomach. He had been rushing too hard and was now incredibly hungry.
Besides, once he dealt with the Elite Four, he would have at least two years before Pryce became a problem.
That long period of time was more than enough for Ace to hone his own strength.
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