Pokemon: Ace's Adventures!

Ace and the girls finally arrived at Grampa Canyon, where the dry, rocky landscape stretched far and wide. The area was bustling with activity, as archaeologists meticulously excavated the ground, searching for fossils. Trainers, both experienced and rookie, eagerly assisted, hoping to find a rare fossil Pokémon to revive.

Serena looked around in awe. "Wow… I never thought so many people would be here just to dig up fossils."

May nodded. "Well, fossil Pokémon are pretty rare, and most of them are incredibly strong. It makes sense that trainers and researchers would be interested."

Dawn adjusted her hat. "Still, this place is huge! It's gonna take forever to find something good."

As they walked deeper into the excavation site, Ace suddenly spotted a familiar group of people—Ash, Brock, Misty, and… Gary Oak. His eyes slightly widened in surprise before a small smirk appeared on his face.

"Looks like we're not the only ones who had the idea to come here," Ace muttered.

Ash, noticing them, grinned and waved. "Hey! Ace, Serena, May, Dawn! Over here!"

The girls waved back, while Ace simply walked up to them with a calm expression. The group exchanged greetings, and Ace finally found himself face-to-face with Gary Oak for the first time.

Gary crossed his arms, smirking slightly. "So, you're Ace, huh? I saw your match against Lt. Surge. Not bad."

Ace nodded. "Thanks. I heard you left right after the match ended, so I didn't get a chance to talk to you before."

Gary shrugged. "Yeah, I had other things to do. But I'll admit, your battle was interesting. Still, you've got a long way to go if you wanna catch up to me."

Misty and the girls, meanwhile, were chatting amongst themselves, talking about non-battle-related things, such as fashion and travel experiences.

Ace, Gary, and Ash, on the other hand, ended up discussing their current Gym Badges.

Ash grinned. "I've got four badges—Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, and Rainbow!"

Gary smirked. "I've got five—Boulder, Cascade, Thunder, Rainbow, and Soul Badge."

Ace replied casually, "I've got the same four as Ash."

Gary immediately puffed out his chest. "Heh, looks like I'm in the lead then."

Ash scowled. "Oh, come on! You just got a head start, that's all!"

Ace, on the other hand, remained unfazed. "It's not a race. I'm taking my time with my journey and making sure I experience everything along the way."

Ash, however, wasn't as calm. His natural rivalry with Gary flared up, and soon, the two were bickering back and forth about who was the better trainer.

Brock sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Here we go again…"

Ace, seeing how loud they were getting, slowly took a step back. He could feel the eyes of multiple trainers and archaeologists turning toward their group.

'Nope, I'm not a part of this mess.' He casually distanced himself from the arguing duo, his expression turning completely neutral as if he didn't know them.

Serena, May, Dawn, and Misty all looked at the boys with deadpan expressions.

"Boys…" May muttered, shaking her head.

Serena sighed. "It's like watching two kids fight over who gets the last cookie."

Misty crossed her arms. "You'd think they'd grow out of this rivalry phase."

Dawn just giggled. "At least Ace has the right idea. He's totally pretending he doesn't know them."

And so, while Ash and Gary continued to argue, Ace kept a safe distance, making a mental note to never get involved in their bickering wars again.

Brock, ever the peacemaker, finally managed to calm Ash and Gary down after a few minutes of pointless arguing. He sighed in relief as the two rivals reluctantly stopped bickering and turned their attention back to the conversation.

Ash, still slightly annoyed, turned to Ace. "So, are you guys here for the fossils too?"

Gary smirked, crossing his arms confidently. "Obviously. I'm going to find the best fossil here and revive the strongest fossil Pokémon for my team." His cocky tone made it clear he was already imagining himself with an unstoppable ancient Pokémon.

Ace, on the other hand, remained calm as he replied, "Professor Cerise asked me to send some fossils back to Vermilion City for his research." He paused for a moment before adding, "I also heard rumors about a certain Pokémon hidden here… and I want to catch it."

The moment those words left his mouth, the entire group turned to him in surprise.

Ash blinked. "Wait… you mean there's a Pokémon hidden here that you're actually interested in catching?"

Gary frowned slightly, rubbing his chin. 'For him to go out of his way to find a Pokémon based on just a rumor… It must be something strong.'

Even Ace's own team—Serena, May, and Dawn—were slightly surprised.

Dawn tilted her head. "Ace, you usually don't chase after Pokémon unless you're sure they exist."

Serena nodded. "Yeah… if you're looking for something just based on rumors, then it must be really powerful."

May looked thoughtful. "Now I'm curious… what kind of Pokémon could it be?"

While the girls were intrigued, the most fired up about this revelation were Ash and Gary.

Ash had already battled Ace and knew firsthand how strong he was. If Ace was looking for a Pokémon here, then it had to be something really strong!

Gary, on the other hand, had seen Ace's battle against Lt. Surge and realized that Ace had slightly better battle tactics than him. If Ace was about to add another strong Pokémon to his team, that meant he'd be getting even stronger!

Both Ash and Gary, who secretly considered Ace to be their third rival, felt an immediate sense of urgency.

'Damn it! If Ace finds some super-strong Pokémon here, he's gonna get even stronger!' Ash clenched his fists, feeling the competitive spirit rising within him. 'I need to get a fossil Pokémon and train it to be even stronger than whatever he finds!'

Gary narrowed his eyes. 'Tch. I can't let Ace get even further ahead! If he's adding another powerhouse to his team, then I need to make sure my fossil Pokémon is the strongest one here!'

Meanwhile, the only one who didn't react dramatically was Brock. He simply nodded at Ace, as if his words made perfect sense.

"Sounds cool," Brock said casually, showing zero signs of being surprised.

Ace raised an eyebrow. "You're not curious?"

Brock shrugged. "Eh, I trust your judgment. If you think there's something worth catching here, then there probably is."

Ace couldn't help but smirk slightly. 'Brock really is the chillest dude in this entire group… unless there's a Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny nearby.'

And just like that, the excitement in the group had skyrocketed. Now, both Ash and Gary were more determined than ever to find the best fossil Pokémon, while Ace simply remained calm, already thinking about his own plans for what was to come.