"Do you want to pursue him?"
Zinnia stood beside Ace, asking him. If Ace gave the nod, she could immediately mobilize the personnel within Team Magma and Team Aqua.
As long as the target didn't leave the Hoenn region, given the reach of Team Magma and Team Aqua, they would eventually catch Sird.
"No need."
Ace shook his head and said, "It would've been best to kill her, but after this battle, I doubt she'll have the nerve to cause trouble in Hoenn again anytime soon."
As he spoke, Ace looked at Zinnia: "We don't have much time left. In the coming half-year, you must withstand Kyogre's mental backlash and gain control of it. So there's no need to waste time on these things."
Zinnia was stunned. A thought flashed through her mind, and she felt a jolt run through her body, causing her hair to stand on end.
"Ace-sama... are you suggesting you want me to go to Kyogre..."
Ace nodded, cutting Zinnia off: "Forget about Phantom Island for now. I'll take you to the Seafloor Cavern. You are to find Kyogre and temper your consciousness until you have complete control over it. Understood?"
Zinnia nodded instinctively, then a sense of absurdity flooded her mind.
That's the Seafloor Cavern!
Why did it sound like Ace was talking about a backyard garden?
From his tone, it seemed like they could go whenever they pleased.
While Zinnia was still in a dreamlike state, Ace recalled their respective Pokémon. Then, led by the Tao Dragon , the two flew toward the waters of the Seafloor Cavern.
About two hours after the two left, a piece of ice floated to the surface. Sird was slumped on the floating ice, gasping for air.
With the help of Starmie, she struggled to climb onto the ice floe, feeling lucky to have escaped with her life.
"Who are those two? Their strength is overwhelming, almost as terrifying as my current Boss."
Sird rested for a moment, then struggled to stand up.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't manage to get up.
Sird looked at her left leg. It was then that she realized her left leg had turned purplish-blue—it was completely frozen.
The Tao Dragon's Extreme Cold Thunder Flame was not something to be taken lightly. One hit, and if Sird hadn't reacted quickly, her entire body would have been frozen.
She was also fortunate that the point of impact was in the ocean. The seawater helped cushion the attack and melted the ice. Unlike on land, if she had landed that way, her left leg would have been shattered into ice fragments.
Precisely because of this, after sinking to the bottom of the sea, Sird took the opportunity to have Starmie encase her in ice, suppressing her life force to zero. To cover her tracks, she also created another block of ice above her own frozen body, trapping a Banette and two illusions within it.
Clearly, Sird had succeeded. She successfully tricked Ace into thinking she had used the Banette's suicidal attack to escape during the confusion.
In reality, Sird remained frozen at the bottom of the sea, ensuring her survival by embracing peril.
"I never thought I'd be rescued using your power in the end."
Sird looked at a Poké Ball in her hand. She had used the power of this volatile Pokémon to create the two illusions.
Rummaging deep into her pocket, Sird pulled out five black rings that looked like rubber bands.
Sitting up, Sird slipped the five black rings onto her left leg, from top to bottom. After waiting for a moment, Sird could see the purplish-blue color gradually receding from her left leg, revealing normal, fair skin.
"Whew, good thing I have plenty of these things, or this leg would have been crippled."
Moving her left leg, which was now functional, Sird stood up again. However, she couldn't remove the five rings.
The rings suppressed the frigid energy, but once removed, Sird's left leg would immediately become frozen again without the suppression.
"I need to go back. I can't stay in the Hoenn region for now."
Sird pondered for a moment, then jumped onto Starmie and flew in the opposite direction from which Ace and Zinnia had departed.
A massive airship floated high in the sky. Starmie carried Sird through the dedicated channel and into the airship.
A short man stood at the entrance. He glanced at the returning Sird, sized her up, and said curiously, "You're injured? Who could hurt you?"
"A monster. A monster whose power is no less terrifying than our Boss's."
Sird sighed and said, "I'll go talk to the Boss. Our operations must be as secretive as possible from now on. If I run into that guy again, I won't be confident."
"Heh heh, is he really that strong?"
The short man sneered, "Next time, let me have a try. Let's see if the guy you mentioned is really that formidable."
Sird glared at him but said nothing more, walking straight past the short man and deeper into the airship.
"Tch, idiotic woman."
The short man snorted, "I really don't know why the Boss favors her so much. If it were me, I'd have completed the mission perfectly."
With that, the short man walked toward his laboratory.
Don't let his short stature fool you; he looked like an elementary school student, but he was actually Carr, one of the current Team Rocket Three Beasts executives!
Sird walked into the airship's main control room and found Giovanni talking with another of the Three Beasts, Orm.
Sensing Sird enter, Giovanni turned around. Just as he was about to ask about the mission's progress, he saw Sird's appearance and frowned: "Who hurt you?"
"Someone I don't know," Sird said. "Based on my senses, he is no weaker than you, Boss, and perhaps even..."
Sird didn't finish the last sentence, but it was understood that Sird meant the person's strength might even surpass Giovanni's.
Giovanni was momentarily stunned, then asked Sird about her experience.
Sird didn't hide anything and reported the entire incident, including a description of Ace and Zinnia's appearances, to Giovanni.
After hearing Sird's narrative, Giovanni curled his lips into a smile and said, "So it was that guy. Then you lost fairly."
"Boss, you know him?"
Sird couldn't help but ask, noting the familiarity in Giovanni's tone.
"I know him. I fought him once a few years ago. I never thought he'd have grown so much in just a few years."
Giovanni sighed with emotion: "Be cautious in your actions from now on. If you meet him, you are authorized to retreat immediately. Understand?"
"Yes."
Sird and Orm answered in unison, then left the main control room.
After they left, Giovanni also exited the main control room and returned to his private quarters.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
A bout of violent coughing erupted. Giovanni wiped the blood from his mouth, sighed softly, and murmured as he lay down on his bed: "My time is running out..."
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