Pokemon: Ace's Adventures!

Ace stood at the entrance of Professor Oak's lab, his bike ready and his bag packed. The morning sun cast a warm glow over the scene, but the atmosphere was tinged with a bittersweet feeling. Ace was about to leave, and standing beside their respective professors, Serena, May, and Dawn looked unusually quiet and reluctant.

'Man, it's only been a short while, but it seems we've grown pretty close,' Ace thought, glancing at the girls. He adjusted his bike's handlebars, trying to shake off the awkward silence. The girls' downcast expressions tugged at his heart, but he didn't know what to say to lighten the mood.

The professors, however, noticed the scene and shared knowing looks. Professor Sycamore finally broke the silence with a chuckle. "You know, Serena, it might not be a bad idea for you to travel with Ace," he said. "You could work on collecting data for the Pokédex and help with some research missions I have planned for the future."

Serena's head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise. "W-Wait, really? You'd let me travel with him?" she asked, her voice filled with both excitement and disbelief.

Professor Birch chimed in, nodding toward May. "That's a fantastic idea! May, why don't you join them as well? It'll be a great opportunity for you to learn more about Pokémon."

"And you too, Dawn," added Professor Rowan, his stern demeanor softening. "Traveling in a group will allow you to share knowledge and support one another."

The girls' initial shock quickly transformed into joy. They let out cheers of excitement, rushing to stand beside Ace, who looked completely taken aback.

"Wait, wait, hold on!" Ace said, holding up his hands as if to physically stop the whirlwind of energy that had just descended upon him. "You're all coming with me? That's... cool, I guess." He smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. 'Oh, great. Three Waifus traveling with me. How am I supposed to keep my teenage hormones in check now?' he thought, inwardly groaning.

The girls were too busy celebrating to notice his inner turmoil. They each reached into their backpacks and pulled out collapsible bikes, almost identical to Ace's but of different colours.

May grinned. "My parents gave me this as a gift before I started my journey," she said, running her hand over the sleek frame.

"Same here!" Dawn chimed in, adjusting her bike's seat. "It was my mom's way of saying she wanted me to stay active while I traveled."

Serena held up her bike but wore a faint grimace as she muttered under her breath, "Better this than the rhyhorn my mom wanted me to take." She shuddered at the memory of her mother insisting that riding a rhyhorn around the world would be 'graceful and practical to train her Rhyhorn racing skills.' Thankfully, her father had come to the rescue with a bike, though she had reluctantly taken her mother's rhyhorn as her second Pokémon to appease her.

Ace couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the scene unfold. "Well, I guess we're all set then," he said, straddling his bike. "Let's hit the road and see where this journey takes us."

The girls nodded enthusiastically, their earlier dejection replaced with excitement. Behind them, the professors waved them off, sharing amused smiles.

"Take care of them, Ace," Professor Oak called out, his tone light but sincere.

"Don't worry, Professor!" Ace shouted back. "I'll keep them safe!"

As the group pedaled away, Ace couldn't shake the feeling that his journey had just taken a very interesting turn. 'Here we go,' he thought. 'This is gonna be one heck of an adventure, just hope my hormones can be controlled.'

Ace and the girls had made their way past Viridian City, choosing not to stop there because the Pokémon Center had somehow been destroyed by Team Rocket. Ace chuckled at the memory of Pikachu's thunderbolt being the cause of it from the anime. As they rode down the path leading to Viridian Forest, they eventually stopped pedaling their bikes, arriving near the entrance of a cave.

Ace pulled out his Pokédex, quickly flipping to the map feature. After glancing at it for a moment, he nodded and turned to the girls. "This cave here is Diglett Cave. If we go through it, we'll come out close to the outskirts of Vermillion City."

The group had stored their bikes at the cave entrance, ensuring they were secured before stepping inside Diglett Cave. The dim interior was illuminated only by the bright beam of a large flashlight that Ace held, guiding their way forward. The cave was eerily quiet except for the occasional distant rustling sound, likely from wild Pokémon scurrying around.

The girls walked close together, a bit uneasy as they glanced at the dark shadows dancing on the rocky walls. Serena glanced nervously at May, who was gripping her Poké Ball tightly. Dawn kept looking around, jumping slightly whenever they passed by a burrow.

"This is... kind of creepy," May muttered, her voice echoing faintly through the cavern.

"Yeah, I didn't think caves would feel this... closed in," Dawn added, shivering slightly.

Ace glanced back at them with a small smile. "You'll get used to it. Mount Moon was way worse than this. There were Zubat everywhere, and it felt like they were going to swarm me any second."

"You've been in caves before?" Serena asked, tilting her head in surprise.

"Yup," Ace replied casually, his flashlight sweeping across the rocky floor to avoid any tripping hazards. "I caught my Clefairy in Mount Moon. That was a tougher cave to get through than this one."

As they continued walking, Ace's mind drifted to Clefairy. 'I've been thinking about evolving her,' he mused silently, glancing down at the Poké Balls on his belt. 'But she still has so much stored energy. It'd be a waste to evolve her now.' He remembered how Clefairy often helped his other Pokémon improve their physical strength by training under her Gravity move.

A small smile formed on his lips. 'Once I've taught her some more moves and trained her physically under Gravity, she'll be ready. I can even have Smeargle copy Gravity so she can train in it herself. That way, when she evolves into Clefable, she'll be maxed out in energy and strength. The benefits will be worth the wait.'

The sound of loose pebbles crunching underfoot brought him back to the present. "Don't worry, guys," Ace said aloud, noticing the girls still looked uneasy. "This cave is pretty straightforward. Just stick close and keep an eye out for any Diglett or Dugtrio."

The girls nodded, trying to muster their courage, as the group pressed deeper into the winding tunnels of the cave when they heard some sounds that startled them.

The group cautiously peered around the corner, their breaths held as they observed the unsettling scene ahead. The dimly lit cave revealed a group of researchers working around a complex machine while five men in black uniforms, each emblazoned with a red "R," stood guard. The massive, battered alpha Dugtrio lay restrained in heavy chains, its strength visibly sapped. Nearby, numerous unconscious Diglett littered the ground, victims of the two Arbok, two Grimer, and a Muk standing ominously beside their trainers.

Ace's expression darkened as he whispered to the girls, "It's Team Rocket."

May's eyes widened in shock. "You mean... the criminal organization? The one that operates here in Kanto?"

Dawn clutched her Piplup's Pokéball tightly. "They look even more dangerous than I imagined. What are they doing with that Dugtrio?"

Serena's face reflected a mix of fear and worry. "And all those poor Diglett... how could they do this?"

Ace's heart pounded as he replayed the conversation he had overheard. One of the Rockets had asked how much longer they needed to hold the alpha Dugtrio, while the scientist had responded that extracting the alpha gene data would take another thirty minutes. The mention of "Project M2" and their next target being an alpha Beedrill set off alarm bells in Ace's mind.

'M2... That's definitely Mewtwo,' Ace thought, a chill running down his spine. 'And if they're studying alpha Pokémon like Dugtrio and Beedrill to collect alpha gene data, then they're planning to enhance Mewtwo with alpha traits. That would make it even more of a monster than it already is. In the future, when Mewtwo revolts, it might not just create a thunderstorm over New Island—it could wipe out all of Kanto.'

He clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with resolve. 'I can't let this happen. They're already halfway through extracting the data from Dugtrio. If they succeed here, it'll only be a matter of time before they capture more alpha Pokémon and complete their project.'

He turned to the girls, lowering his voice but speaking with urgency. "We need to stop them now."

The girls exchanged worried glances. May asked hesitantly, "But... there are five of them, and their Pokémon look strong. Can we handle this?"

Dawn looked determined but nervous. "We don't have a choice, do we? If we don't stop them, who will?"

Serena nodded, her hand on Fennekin's Pokéball. "Ace is right. We have to do something. Those Pokémon need our help."

Ace gave them a reassuring nod. "We'll need to act fast and take them by surprise. The element of surprise is our best weapon here. If we can disable their Pokémon and free Dugtrio, we might have a chance."

He peeked back around the corner, assessing the situation. The Team Rocket grunts seemed relaxed, their focus more on guarding than battling. The scientists were engrossed in their work, paying little attention to their surroundings.

'This might be risky,' Ace thought, gripping his Pokéball tightly. 'But it's the only way to stop them before it's too late. I have sent the distressed signal from my pokedex to the police station in pewter city and vermillion city. They will arrive here, all that we have to do is keep these guys here or atleast stall them.'

He turned back to the group, determination etched on his face. "Let's do this."

(Pls give me some power stones!)

(Find out next time on Pokemon:Ace's Adventures!)