Aerodactyl soared, carrying Ace across the strait and flying westward.
Aerodactyl's flight speed was much faster than Lapras's swimming speed. In less than two hours, Ace could already see the outline of Pallet Town.
But Ace didn't stop there. Instead, he had Aerodactyl continue flying west.
Ace didn't fully adopt the system's suggestion.
Challenging Gyms was an option, but it didn't have to be the only path. After much deliberation, Ace decided to head to Mt. Silver first.
Mt. Silver, connecting Kanto and Johto, is a massive mountain range located in eastern Johto, west of Victory Road and the Indigo Plateau.
To call it a Johto landmark isn't entirely accurate, as most of its mass is actually located in the Kanto region.
Ace decided to go there because he remembered that in the manga, even after Ash became champion, he continued to train on Mt. Silver.
According to Ash, the Pokémon on Mt. Silver get stronger the higher you go, and the air currents around the mountainside are chaotic, preventing flying Pokémon from carrying people to the summit.
So, climbing and training simultaneously would temper both the trainer's body and their Pokémon.
More importantly, due to the abundance of wild Pokémon on Mt. Silver, trainers constantly need to adapt to different situations, which is crucial for their on-the-spot improvisation.
If Ace could reach the summit at this stage, his strength would undoubtedly increase significantly.
By then, he might even be able to contend with Giovanni.
Aerodactyl's stamina was also exceptionally good. After leaving Pallet Town, Aerodactyl carried Ace westward. After flying for another three hours, Aerodactyl finally descended slowly, panting, and brought Ace to the foot of Mt. Silver.
Continuous flying was a huge challenge for Aerodactyl, especially with Ace as extra weight.
Being able to fly non-stop from Cinnabar Island to the westernmost point of Kanto, Mt. Silver, clearly showed that Aerodactyl's Pristine Aptitude was not just for show.
If Ace didn't possess the ability to improve aptitudes, he would have to admit that Aerodactyl was definitely his trump card.
Seeing Aerodactyl nearly exhausted, Ace fed it a basic Energy Cube. The energy quickly nourished Aerodactyl's tired body. Seeing this, Ace recalled Aerodactyl, then released Zubat and Weepinbell.
Mountain climbing was clearly not something Lapras could do. If he brought it along, with its large size, Ace would be exhausted trying to get it up the mountain.
So, for this Mt. Silver special training, Lapras would have to sit on the sidelines.
However, if there were larger, flat areas higher up, Ace wouldn't mind letting Lapras out to battle.
After all, its Ice/Water typing was quite effective against certain Pokémon. Used well, it could be much easier to deal with opponents than Zubat and Weepinbell.
Standing at the foot of the mountain, Ace looked up at Mt. Silver, its summit almost invisible, and gave himself a pep talk. Then, he started walking up Mt. Silver with his two Pokémon.
Mt. Silver wasn't just one mountain, but an entire mountain range. Its winding paths divided the eastern and western regions into Kanto and Johto.
The path at the foot of the mountain was relatively stable. Ace walked steadily, encountering almost no incidents or Pokémon.
However, as they approached the mountainside, fierce cold winds began to rage around them. Zubat struggled to maintain its balance in the turbulent air currents.
This was somewhat fatal for Zubat.
And more importantly, Ace noticed they were surrounded.
A large group of Mankey, led by four or five Primeape, encircled Ace.
There was no anger in the eyes of these Primeape and Mankey; instead, there was a kind of excitement that Ace couldn't quite decipher.
A Primeape stepped forward and roared at Ace. Before Ace could understand what it was saying, he saw it grab a Mankey from the group and kick it towards him.
The Mankey rolled twice on the ground but didn't seem to mind. It screeched, beckoning to Ace, implying, "Bring it on."
"Oh, that's quite unique. They actually want a one-on-one."
Although Ace didn't understand what they were saying, he could certainly recognize a challenge.
"Zubat, you go first."
Zubat stabilized itself, flapping its wings and flying towards the Mankey.
Seeing Zubat appear, the Mankey immediately rejoiced, howling as it charged at Zubat, launching a swift Cross Chop.
Zubat was about to ascend to create distance, but a sudden surge of turbulent air made it lose balance. With a stumble, it was forced closer by the Mankey. The Cross Chop landed on Zubat, sending it flying backward.
Battles also depend on timing, terrain, and harmony. Timing refers to the weather, terrain to the environment, and harmony to the atmosphere.
Leaving aside the timing, the environment had turbulent air currents, which inherently limited Zubat's speed, and the atmosphere was clearly the Mankey's home turf.
Seeing Zubat flung back, all the Primeape and Mankey cheered, rooting for their comrade.
Zubat, having been knocked back, was momentarily annoyed. It was about to quickly approach the Mankey when another gust of turbulent air struck. As Zubat flapped its wings, it immediately lost its balance and stumbled, falling from the sky.
If Zubat hadn't practiced its flying skills for so long, struggling to fly again the instant it hit the ground, it probably would have been embarrassed.
Zubat took off again, but the recent experience left it momentarily stunned. Deep in thought, it turned its head to "look" at Ace.
"Got it? Then let's counterattack!"
Ace saw that Zubat had reacted and told it, "Toxic!"
Zubat immediately dove down, then flew at a low altitude.
Seeing Zubat attack, the Mankey immediately charged again, throwing a straight punch at Zubat.
But Zubat flapped its wings, rapidly ascended, and opened its mouth. Two streams of poison accurately hit the Mankey, which was too slow to dodge.
Toxic hit the Mankey, rapidly integrating into its body. The Mankey stumbled, its attacking momentum halted, and a look of discomfort appeared on its face.
With Toxic landed and the Mankey stopped, Zubat wouldn't let this opportunity pass!
"Aerial Ace!"
Zubat dove down, then sharply turned back, slamming into the Mankey like a meteor and sending it flying.
The Mankey was knocked back into its own group. It was about to get up and fight again, but the draining effect of Toxic set in. The Mankey's vision went black, and it immediately fainted.
"Do you want to continue?"
Ace looked at the polite group of Primeape and Mankey and asked.
A Primeape walked up to the fainted Mankey, examined it, then punched it on the head, a look of disappointment on its face.
Hearing Ace's words, the other Primeape roared a few times, and the Mankey scattered, clearing a path.
Seeing this, Ace gestured. Zubat landed on Ace's shoulder, and Weepinbell followed Ace's footsteps. The group then left the Mankey tribe.
The Mankey tribe watched Ace and the others leave, then dispersed.
It was as if their purpose here was to test whether trainers heading to Mt. Silver had the strength to climb the mountain!
New stories are on their way! Once they arrive, expect two chapters from each story, daily. Keep an eye out!