Pokemon: This Trainer is Too Cautious!

Inside the magnificent villa, Ace followed the head maid into the dining room.

"Ah! It's you! The guy with the Zubat!"

Ash immediately recognized Ace as he entered, exclaiming excitedly, "Let's have a battle! Let's see who's stronger!"

"Not in the mood," Ace replied, looking at Ash with a cold expression. He then took off his backpack, placed it on the floor, and addressed Misty, who was dressed in an elegant evening gown. "You must have just returned from Mt. Moon. I didn't take the tunnel. On the way, I encountered a group of people, a group of Pokémon snatchers."

Misty sat at the table, observing the dusty Ace. With her hands clasped on the dining table, she asked coldly, "I don't think anything about you would attract..."

Two Poké Balls opened, and Aerodactyl and Lapras appeared on either side of Ace.

"Huh, Pokémon I haven't seen before," Ash immediately pulled out his Pokédex and began scanning Aerodactyl and Lapras for information.

Seeing Ace's two Pokémon, Misty nodded. Two rare Pokémon were indeed worth Team Rocket's attention.

The head maid walked to Misty's side and whispered something in her ear. Misty nodded, then looked at Ace with icy eyes. "You're lying. You arrived in Cerulean City yesterday. How could you have seen us? What's your purpose?!"

"I killed someone," Ace stated, looking at Misty with a cold gaze. "Aerodactyl was carrying me as we were flying over Mt. Moon, but we encountered them halfway. We fought, and those guys, whose Pokémon lost their ability to fly, fell straight from the sky."

Misty frowned slightly at Ace's words. This wasn't something easy to lie about; if they found the battle site, it would be easy to confirm its authenticity.

"They had people on the outskirts, so I planned to take the tunnel, but there were more of them inside. I had no choice but to retreat, but while retreating, I overheard some information."

Ace looked directly at Misty, his voice devoid of any emotion. "After that, I knew the tunnel was temporarily impassable, so I could only continue flying over Mt. Moon. Thankfully, I didn't encounter anyone else and arrived safely in Cerulean City."

Misty tapped her fingers on the table. Ace's story, at least, sounded plausible, and she could send people to corroborate some details.

If what the boy in front of her said was true, then it went without saying that he had already made enemies with Team Rocket.

"Then what is your purpose?"

"I heard you're quite strong, and I plan to train with you for a while to avoid retaliation from those people."

At Ace's words, Misty's expression softened slightly, while Ash, who had been mostly silent, let out a chuckle.

"Misty strong? She just fainted, didn't she? If I hadn't rescued her, she would have been buried alive there."

Ash's words made Misty frown, but she said nothing. That battle was a result of her getting carried away, leading to her defeat, and she wouldn't deny her failure.

However, Ash's blunt personality still annoyed Misty a little.

"If you wish to train here for a while, you are certainly welcome."

Misty stood up. She chose to believe Ace, though she would, of course, send people to investigate Mt. Moon afterward. If Ace was lying, she would show no mercy!

"Thank you."

Ace nodded, recalling Aerodactyl and Lapras.

"Let's eat together. I still don't know your name."

Misty was very generous, directly inviting Ace to the table.

Ace naturally didn't stand on ceremony, walking to the seat next to Misty and saying calmly, "Ace, just an ordinary traveler."

The dinner officially began. Misty dined elegantly, while Ash began recounting his previous adventures to the other maids, his boastful tone making Misty, who sat beside him, quite embarrassed.

But soon, Misty was no longer embarrassed, and Ash stopped boasting.

Because next to them, Ace, devouring his food like a starving ghoul, attracted everyone's attention.

But Ace didn't care at all.

When he was alone, where would he find such delicious food?

His daily diet consisted of nothing but dry rations and water. The only time he could treat himself was when he encountered a wild Pokémon; if he defeated it, he could cook it up and slightly improve his meals.

"You... want some more?" Misty asked, somewhat perplexed by Ace's wild eating habits.

She had seen his two Pokémon earlier, and while she hadn't looked closely, it was clear they were very well-cared for, showing no signs of weakness or malnutrition.

Connecting this with Ace's current eating, Misty probably understood: he was likely another trainer who preferred to give all the good things to his Pokémon and wouldn't eat well himself.

"After dinner, would you mind if I saw your Pokémon?" Misty wiped her mouth with a napkin, indicating she was full, and asked Ace.

"No problem," Ace agreed. To gain a training opportunity with Misty, a certain degree of honesty was necessary.

After dinner, the maids began clearing the spotless plates. They looked at Ace's retreating back, murmuring among themselves.

They had probably never seen anyone eat so much.

Ace and the others then went to the villa's yard. Ace took out four Poké Balls, and upon opening them, Zubat and the others appeared in the yard.

"Excuse me, I've already eaten. I'll prepare your dinner now." Ace said to Zubat and the others, then unzipped his backpack, took out several opened Pokémon food cans and dishes, and poured the remaining half-cans of Pokémon food into them according to their preferences.

Of course, he didn't forget the Energy Cubes. Mixed with an Energy Cube, their dinner was ready.

Misty and Ash watched, dumbfounded, as Ace prepared the food, and as the Pokémon heartily ate.

"You feed them like this?" Misty asked incredulously. She was used to seeing Pokémon food, but Ace was the first to use Energy Cubes as a three-meal-a-day diet for his Pokémon!

"Yeah," Ace nodded, looking at the happily eating Zubat and the others. "It's a good thing I haven't caught too many, otherwise, with too many Pokémon, the cost of just three meals a day would be unbearable."

Misty's mouth twitched. Energy Cubes were high-end food for raising Pokémon. Even she, under normal circumstances, wouldn't dare to use them for her Pokémon's three daily meals.

Because that stuff was incredibly expensive!

It wasn't like later times; berries and similar items weren't widely cultivated yet, so Energy Cubes were extremely scarce, naturally making their price quite high.

Misty observed Ace's four Pokémon and nodded. "Very good. I will guide you for a while then."

"Thank you." Ace nodded, this was exactly what he had hoped for!