By the time Ace walked over to Ash, Ash was talking to the League President, a short, bespectacled man with a small tuft of hair on the top of his head. Ace only listened briefly, catching that Ash was planning to temporarily give up his position as Gym Leader. His body simply couldn't handle the responsibilities right now.
"Ouch..."
Ace directly grabbed Ash's arm and pinched his wrist. Ash grimaced in pain, turning to Ace and asking, "Ace, what are you doing? That hurts!"
"It's not a big problem. Go to Mt. Silver and soak in the hot springs there. The water quality will help you recover. The Pokémon on Mt. Silver are also quite strong, making it a good place to train."
Ace let go of Ash's hand and then looked at him, "If you step down, who will take your place?"
"I'll do it. I can fill in for him for a while, it should be fine."
Just as Ace finished speaking, Gary walked in from outside the door. Ace glanced at Gary; it seemed he had been there for a while, watching Ash's battle from the sidelines. Now that his best friend had a problem, he was naturally going to help.
"Hold on! Who are you two?! The position of Gym Leader isn't something just anyone can take!"
The President was furious at being ignored by Ace and Gary and couldn't help but roar.
"President, this is Ace, my friend. His strength is probably greater than mine," Ash introduced. "This is Gary, the runner-up of the Indigo League and Professor Oak's grandson."
Hearing who Ace and Gary were, the President's angry expression instantly vanished, replaced by a wide smile. "This temporary position can certainly be discussed. After all, you two are both talented youths. Which of you will be filling in for Ash?"
Ace looked at Gary and said, "I don't have the time right now, so you should do it."
Gary nodded, then took out a Poké Ball and tossed it to Ash. "I've also checked the data. The hot springs on Mt. Silver can indeed help with your problem. Take this with you, it'll be a bit of help."
After saying that, Gary gave Ace a challenging look, as if to say: Ash has poor flexibility, so he needs some powerful Pokémon to help him cope. I've even lent him one of my main Pokémon, what about you?
Ace rolled his eyes. "Ash can't use my Pokémon. They won't listen to anyone's commands but mine. But I'll lend you this one; it can at least take care of you."
With that, Ace took out a Poké Ball and handed it to Ash. Inside was a Chansey. Compared to Ace's top-tier Chansey, this one was the complete opposite. Its combat talent was practically zero, but its housekeeping skills were top-notch. It was an expert at taking care of both people and Pokémon, which often made Ace's own Chansey look at it with envy. After all, as a Pokémon that could accidentally blow up the kitchen, Ace's Chansey really wished it could be more helpful to Ace in his daily life. But talent was talent, and you couldn't force it.
"Thank you."
Ash didn't refuse. After all, he wasn't very agile right now, and having a Pokémon that could take care of him and his other Pokémon would be a great help.
Soon, everything was settled. The League officially announced Gary as the new Gym Leader of Viridian City. Of course, once Ash's injuries healed and he returned, if he wanted to reclaim the position, Gary would step down and let Ash take over.
Afterward, Ash returned to Pallet Town to rest for a month. During this time, Green, who had already caught Articuno, also returned and lent her Blastoise to Ash. A month later, Ash, with his six Pokémon and the help of Gary's Charizard, set off for Mt. Silver.
In Ace's laboratory on the third floor of his house.
Ace glanced at the failed side quest, scratched his head, and then looked at the individual in the incubator. "What a shame, the mission failed. But I did my best. This new individual will hatch in at most three days."
In the Fossil Reviving Machine in front of Ace, a purple-black individual over a meter tall was quietly floating in the culture fluid. Its form was indeed like an ant, but Ace felt there was something off about it. This creature felt strangely familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
"Wait! It couldn't be that, could it?"
Ace's mind quickly flashed through a huge amount of information about Fossil Pokémon, and then stopped at one specific Pokémon.
"Gulp..."
Ace swallowed hard, his eyes glinting as he murmured, "If it's really that, I'm going to hit the jackpot!"
He couldn't be certain until it hatched, so he would just have to wait to see if his guess was correct.
Time slowly passed in waiting, and three days flew by.
Ace, with his Chansey and Gengar, stood in front of the Fossil Reviving Machine. Looking at the creature that had just opened its eyes in the incubator, his brow furrowed.
"What's going on?"
Ace looked at the Poké Ball floating in the culture fluid. He had just tried to capture it, but the Poké Ball had no reaction when it touched the Pokémon and couldn't suck it in.
Meanwhile, the little creature in front of him became interested in the Poké Ball. Still in the culture fluid, it extended a claw from its foreleg, launching a sharp, shell-like blade. With a quick slash, the Poké Ball was instantly split in two, floating in the liquid. The cut was smooth as glass, showing just how sharp the creature's blade was!
"Chansey, Gengar, suppress it. I'll open the machine."
Ace could already feel a sense of danger. He gave the command to Chansey and Gengar and then pulled the lever.
"Beep!"
A sound rang out, the culture fluid quickly drained, and the little creature in the incubator landed at the bottom.
"Click."
The incubator opened, and the creature dashed out. It shook its body to get rid of the culture fluid, its crimson, compound eyes fixed on Ace. This was not the look of a creature observing its creator, but that of a hunter scrutinizing its prey.
"Hey, you little rascal."
Ace grinned, speaking to the creature in front of him. "I'm your creator, you know. You really want to kill me that badly?"
The creature's answer was not a cry, but a pair of blades that shot out. With a leap, it went straight for Ace's head!
"Boom!"
But the creature hadn't noticed the strength of the Chansey and Gengar by Ace's side. The moment it leaped, gravity suppressed it, and Gengar moved in close to put it to sleep with a Hypnosis.
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