"Six versus six, should I call a few of them over?"
Ace left the competition venue and went to a small stall to buy some snacks, as well as some for his Pokémon.
Crobat and Larvitar were quietly eating their snacks, while Blaziken gave Gible a provocative look. Blaziken's message was clear: See, I came later than you, but I evolved first.
Gible ground its teeth in frustration. As an old rival, being surpassed by a junior made Gible very unhappy.
"Blaziken, your evolution was a bit rushed, so you won't be needed for the upcoming battles. Focus on training your body to make up for the deficiencies of a hasty evolution."
Ace didn't turn back to watch the two Pokémon's antics but directly declared that Blaziken would not be participating in the next battle. Blaziken's eating immediately froze, and it turned completely gray.
"Actually, I'll have Chansey help you out. It will be faster that way."
Ace continued to murmur softly. Blaziken wasn't just gray anymore; it was practically petrified, looking like it was about to crack.
What was Chansey's reputation? It was an invincible force among Ace's Pokémon. How many Pokémon had been subdued by its little fists? No Pokémon dared to act tough in front of Chansey. Even the equally powerful Gengar and the rapidly improving Crobat were no match for Chansey.
Now that Blaziken knew it would be sent to Chansey for physical training, it was clear that its future would be a living hell!
Gible, who had been annoyed with Blaziken, now looked at it with sympathy. Gible patted Blaziken on the back, its expression clearly saying, "Go with God, brother. I'll pray for you."
Blaziken rolled its eyes at Gible and followed Ace silently. The once-delicious snack now tasted like sawdust in its mouth.
Ace returned to Professor Rowan's lab to use the Pokémon Transfer System to bring a few of his Pokémon over.
"I'm sorry, but it seems there's a problem with the Pokémon Transfer System recently, and Pokémon can't be sent over." The lab staff member, knowing that Ace was there to receive Pokémon, said apologetically, "Professor Masaki is currently repairing it. If you're not in a hurry, you could use the mail system."
"Oh, in that case, never mind."
Ace nodded in understanding. He frowned as he left the lab. He knew this must mean Pryce had already begun his plan. He had stolen a large amount of energy from the Pokémon Transfer System for his own use, and Masaki was probably at his wit's end trying to fix it.
"I wonder if the small Pokémon Transfer System from my system can be used." Ace sighed, only hoping that the system would come through for him.
Soon, Ace called his home. His Chansey answered the phone. Following Ace's instructions, Chansey put Ace's Pokémon into Poké Balls and placed them on the Pokémon Transfer System on the third floor.
Chansey pressed the switch, and the transfer system activated. In Sinnoh, Ace watched as a metallic indentation on his Pokédex flashed with sparks. Soon, one Poké Ball after another appeared from the indentation and landed on the ground.
"The system is still quite reliable."
Ace picked up the three Poké Balls and said to Chansey over the phone, "Chansey, I'm sending some Poké Balls over. Blaziken needs to strengthen its physique, so I'm leaving its training to you. There are also four new Pokémon. They're very weak, so for now, find some thick steel plates and have them crash into them to temper themselves. Understand?"
Chansey chirped back through the phone, clearly indicating that it understood.
Next, Ace placed five Poké Balls one by one into the indentation on his Pokédex, pressed the switch, and the five Poké Balls vanished from his sight.
At Ace's home in Kanto, five Poké Balls appeared on the Pokémon Transfer System, and Chansey picked them up one by one. It opened Blaziken's Poké Ball first, and Blaziken appeared in the third-floor lab.
Blaziken looked around the lab and instantly felt its legs go weak.
"You've evolved, haven't you? From now on, you'll be training with me. Understand?" Chansey looked at the tall Blaziken, frowned slightly, and spoke in Pokémon language.
"Yes! Boss! I will absolutely obey your commands!" Blaziken's legs went weak, and it knelt on the ground, making a solemn vow to Chansey.
"What are these four Pokémon?" Chansey opened all the Poké Balls, and four Shiny Beldum floated in the air, looking around at their surroundings.
"The master said they're called Beldum. They only know one move, Take Down, and they look a little dumb," Blaziken said, showing a natural talent for being a sycophant. It quickly moved behind Chansey, distancing itself from the Beldum.
The four Beldum all focused their gazes on Blaziken. Beldum were not dumb at all; in fact, they were much smarter than most humans and Pokémon. They knew that they were now Ace's Pokémon, and so were the ones in front of them, so there was no need for internal conflict. However, that Blaziken had called them dumb, and the Beldum remembered it. When their strength improved, they would definitely show it who was dumb!
"It looks like they're not listening, Boss. You need to establish your authority!" Blaziken said, seeing the malicious looks from the Beldum and trying to stir up trouble.
"There's no need for that. Your task from now on is to crash into steel plates. Understand?" Chansey ignored Blaziken's ploy and directly assigned the training task to the four Beldum.
The four Beldum all nodded. They could feel the huge gap between themselves and Chansey, so they obediently agreed.
Things were going smoothly for Chansey, but Ace in Sinnoh was facing a small problem.
After Ace picked up the three Poké Balls that had been transferred, the fanny pack on his waist suddenly began to shake.
"Huh?" Ace was confused. He rummaged through the pack and found that the Pokémon Egg, which he had kept in an incubator since he got it, was shaking. At the same time, the eggshell began to emit a soft, glowing light.
"Hatching? So fast?"
Ace quickly took it out. As soon as he held the egg in his arms, the light grew intensely bright. When the light faded, a Ralts was tightly hugging Ace, its small face rubbing against his chest.
"Question: Are you my Master?"
A gentle, frail voice echoed in Ace's mind. Ralts raised its light blue hair, its big, watery eyes looking at Ace.