"Hmph, hmph, hmph..."
Ace clung tightly to the cliff edge, panting heavily. A trickle of blood slowly flowed from a cut on his cheek, dripping from his chin.
"Was it too much, after all? I can't believe the Pokémon are already this strong just halfway up the mountain."
Ace grumbled helplessly, finding a bit of amusement in his predicament.
On the cliff above, a Nidoking stared coldly at Ace, who was clinging to the edge. Then, it stomped fiercely on the ground.
"Crack!"
A shattering sound echoed as cracks spread across the cliff. Ace felt the rocks in his hands loosen, and he involuntarily plunged downwards.
"Damn it!"
Ace cursed, then flipped off the Nidoking still on the cliff edge.
Immediately after, Ace threw a Poké Ball. Aerodactyl, who had been resting for a while, burst out and grabbed Ace's shoulder, swiftly carrying him down.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
After landing, Ace coughed incessantly. That previous attack from Nidoking had somewhat injured his lungs.
As for Zubat and Weepinbell, they had already been defeated by Nidoking, which was why Ace was in such a sorry state.
"System, initiate healing. Deduct the quest points yourself."
Fifteen quest points were deducted, and Ace and his two Pokémon's injuries were fully healed.
He looked up at the Nidoking on the cliff edge. Nidoking had already turned around and was slowly leaving.
"It really is strong. No wonder Ash, even after becoming champion, still came to Silver Mountain for special training."
Ace said with a hint of helplessness, "The Pokémon from the foot of the mountain to the halfway point are definitely level thirty and above. Reaching the halfway point means at least level fifty. So, what about above the halfway point?"
Ace fell silent. Although he didn't want to admit it, climbing to the summit of Silver Mountain was quite unrealistic for the current Ace.
But he did gain something. Besides the battles with the Mankey, Ace had fought three more battles.
All three battles were extremely difficult for Ace, against a Gloom, a Fearow, and an Arbok, respectively.
It was fortunate that he only encountered lone wild Pokémon. If he had run into a group, Ace might very well have been done for.
"Rustle..."
As Ace sighed, a tremor came from the ground.
Ace, with his nerves taut, quickly retreated. Just as he did, a Sandslash burst out of the ground, its sharp claw thrusting right where Ace had been standing.
"Even you're going to bully me?! Lapras, Ice Beam!"
Ace furiously flung a Poké Ball. A fully recovered Lapras appeared, opening its mouth and instantly firing an Ice Beam.
Sandslash quickly curled into a spiky ball, rolling and dodging Lapras's Ice Beam.
"Keep going, don't stop."
Ace watched the direction Sandslash was rolling, anticipating its trajectory.
Lapras's Ice Beam followed closely behind Sandslash, covering everywhere Sandslash rolled with a layer of ice.
As Sandslash rolled, it suddenly uncurled its body and spat several Poison Sting at Ace's direction.
Ace had already anticipated this move. He ducked, dodging the Poison Sting.
Lapras seized this fleeting opportunity, and an Ice Beam successfully hit Sandslash.
Instantly, Sandslash was frozen, transforming into a block of ice that fell to the ground.
"Go!"
Seeing this, Ace didn't linger.
He recalled Lapras, then Aerodactyl grabbed Ace's shoulder and immediately lifted him into the air, flying away from the area.
Not long after Ace left, numerous Sandshrew emerged from underground, an incredibly dense swarm.
If Ace had been a moment slower, he might have been surrounded by the Sandshrew, and leaving then wouldn't have been so simple.
"Sigh, it looks like Silver Mountain isn't suitable for me right now."
Ace looked down at his previous position, then patted Aerodactyl's foot. "Aerodactyl, let's go. We'll head back to Viridian City first, then to Pewter City."
Aerodactyl nodded. It vaguely remembered where Viridian City was; they had passed by it when flying over.
Knowing their destination, Aerodactyl flapped its wings fiercely, quickly heading towards Viridian City.
They flew until the moon began to rise, and only then did Aerodactyl bring Ace to Viridian City.
Finding a hotel and checking in, Ace took a shower and lay on the bed, silently looking at the four Poké Balls in his hand.
"System, besides challenging Gyms, are there any other fast ways to increase trainer level?"
Ace pondered for a moment, then asked the system.
In his current situation, there was no other quick way for Ace to increase his strength, so he could only place his hopes on the system.
"No."
The system answered very directly. To quickly increase a trainer's level, one must battle strong trainers.
Those rogue trainers wouldn't necessarily agree to such thankless tasks, as they also wanted to get stronger. Instead of battling Ace, they'd rather fight against people of comparable strength.
So, to find strong trainers who would agree to Ace's challenges, currently, only Gym Leaders had such intentions.
Ace sighed, knowing there was no other way besides what the system suggested.
"Then let's do as you say. We'll head back to Pewter City tomorrow."
Ace pulled the covers up, placing the four Poké Balls beside his pillow, ready to sleep.
"Side Quest (Brock's Guidance): The host has decided to challenge Gyms. If so, attract Brock's attention and make him willingly guide you in battle. Quest Reward: 2000 gold coins, quest points awarded based on completion rating."
"Side Quest (Lingering Trouble): The matters in Sinnoh were not handled perfectly, leaving some clues. Currently, someone is tracking you based on these clues, all the way to Kanto. Perhaps this is an opportunity for you. Find and defeat the pursuer, dispel their doubts, and thoroughly end this matter. Quest Reward: 100 gold coins, quest points awarded based on completion rating."
"Side Quest (Zapdos of the Abandoned Power Plant): You know the location of a legendary Pokémon. Opportunities to battle legendary Pokémon are rare. Challenge Zapdos and understand the power of a legendary. Quest Reward: 1000 gold coins, quest points awarded based on completion rating."
Ace was about to fall asleep, but these three sudden quests disrupted his sweet dreams.
Especially the second one, it almost left him speechless.
What kind of heinous crime had he committed? He'd already fled from Sinnoh to Kanto, and the other party still wouldn't let him go?
Were they really targeting him this much?!
Thinking of this, Ace couldn't help but sit up from his bed, saying fiercely, "No matter who comes, anyone who tries to ruin my current life, I will absolutely not let them off!"