If the power of the move Earthquake in the games is rated at 100, then the sheer force of the Earthquake deployed right now far exceeded 300!
In an instant, the Steel-type Pokémon caught in the attack were all annihilated!
However, the consequence of this was that Garchomp's two legs were completely shattered, with virtually no complete bone remaining!
Looking at Garchomp as it took flight again, its legs dangling like two limp noodles, a single thought echoed in Ghetsis's mind:
Lunatic!
Indeed, in Ghetsis's view, sacrificing the legs of a powerful Pokémon like Garchomp just to wipe out a group of minor, grunt-level Pokémon was an utterly unfavorable trade!
Ace glanced at Garchomp, which was clearly in immense pain. Even so, Garchomp grinned back at Ace after returning, seeking praise.
Ace rolled his eyes and immediately said, "You think that's fun, huh? When we get back, your training volume is multiplying by ten. Next time you pull a stunt like that, it'll be twenty times!"
Garchomp's grin instantly froze. The entire Pokémon looked utterly dejected.
However, Ace didn't give Garchomp a chance to protest, directly recalling it with a Dragon-Marked Ball. Five Mission Points were instantly consumed to begin healing its fractured legs.
Crobat flew back to Ace's side. It looked at the Dragon-Marked Ball where Ace had recalled Garchomp and couldn't help but shake its head. While it was grateful to its "Teardown Partner" Garchomp for the rescue, Crobat, as one of the Pokémon who had followed Ace the longest, knew that unless absolutely necessary, Ace strongly disliked this kind of trade-a-life-for-an-injury fighting style.
Clearly, Garchomp had annoyed Ace, and the upcoming tenfold training volume was likely unavoidable.
"Demon!"
Some Team Plasma members looked at Ace with terror, then glanced at the corpses scattered on the ground. Ignoring everything else, they immediately turned and fled.
Garchomp's reckless, life-or-death attack had completely broken the last psychological defense of the Team Plasma members. They agreed with Ghetsis's ideology, but that didn't mean they were willing to sacrifice themselves for him.
The currently forming Team Plasma was nowhere near as powerful as it would be in the future; right now, they were merely a small organization. No matter how beautiful the future painted for them, they needed to be alive to enjoy it! Crushed by the sight of Garchomp's attack, they were now consumed by fear and had lost the will to face Ace.
One person's retreat triggered a chain reaction. Many people were still hesitant, but upon seeing someone take the lead and run, they hesitated no longer, fleeing en masse. Some even tore off their Team Plasma uniforms as they ran, signifying a complete break with the organization to avoid becoming targets of Ace's retribution.
In less than three minutes, the remaining Team Plasma members had all fled. In the clearing, only Ghetsis and his three remaining subordinates stood. These three were likely Ghetsis's most trusted confidants, which was why they hadn't run.
"It seems we were no match for you."
Ghetsis looked around, sighed, and spoke with a world-weary air. "So, what do you intend to do with us now?"
"Drop the act."
Ace said flatly. "Since we are enemies, then die completely!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Aerodactyl abruptly opened its mouth, firing a purple-black beam of Hyper Beam toward Ghetsis without the slightest hesitation.
"Now!"
Ghetsis roared. In the next instant, a Cofagrigus suddenly appeared behind Ace. The coffin opened, and shadowy, gaseous arms reached out towards Ace and Aerodactyl, trying to drag them into the coffin.
Boom!
The Hyper Beam was blocked by a Pawniard, but simultaneously, the sound of Gengar's Shadow Ball striking Cofagrigus was heard.
Pawniard and Cofagrigus were both sent flying backward. Ghetsis's attempted sneak attack was utterly ineffective against Ace!
"Go!"
Seeing Cofagrigus fail, Ghetsis dared not linger. The three Team Plasma members behind him instantly threw smoke bombs onto the ground. A thick cloud of smoke immediately billowed out. Ace frowned. Aerodactyl and Crobat worked together, fanning their wings to blow the smoke away with strong gusts of wind.
But the field was empty. Ghetsis and his subordinates were nowhere to be found.
"Metagross, Earthquake!"
Following Ace's command, Metagross slammed down onto the ground. The intense vibration once again tore apart the already ravaged earth. But when the Earthquake subsided, Ace still found no trace of Ghetsis or the others.
"They didn't dig a tunnel and run, and they didn't use camouflage. Where did those guys go?"
Ace frowned slightly, finding it hard to believe how they could have escaped so quickly.
Just then, Metagross noticed something and called out to Ace. Aerodactyl immediately flapped its wings, carrying Ace down to the broken ground.
After landing gently, Metagross pointed toward a crack in the ground and called out to Ace. Ace walked over, knelt down, and looked into the fissure.
It was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything.
He turned on the light on his electronic wristwatch, shining the beam into the crack.
Immediately, a vast underground space was revealed to Ace.
"This is... Secret Power!"
Ace instantly realized the truth. This must be the effect of the move Secret Power.
In the games, Secret Power damages the target, and its effect varies depending on the terrain or field conditions, with a 30% chance of an additional effect. Furthermore, using Secret Power on special trees, patches of tall grass, or rocky caves allows one to create a Secret Base.
This effect was achievable in reality, its function being to create a large underground space just like this. The Earthquake had not destroyed this space, which had bought Ghetsis and his subordinates time. They must have finally escaped by digging a tunnel.
"I paid the price for a lack of knowledge."
Ace sighed. After such a long delay, trying to track down Ghetsis was unrealistic. In Ace's mind, the only ways to escape the scene were either by digging or flying. The sky was controlled by him, and any tunnel diggers would be buried by an Earthquake.
But Ace hadn't expected them to be able to use the cracks created by Garchomp to escape using Secret Power. He had paid the price for a lack of knowledge. Ace took this as a lesson, silently noting this information.
Next time, given the chance, Ace would make sure Ghetsis knew what it meant to be unable to ascend to the heavens or descend into the earth!
Ace recalled Crobat and the others. Aerodactyl carried Ace and soared into the sky, heading for his next destination.
"The last Light Stone, if my guess is right, should be there..."
Ace murmured. Aerodactyl entered its Mega Evolution mode. Its speed dramatically spiked, creating an ear-splitting sonic boom in the air!
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