As Ace had predicted, Team Rocket's actions became cautious. Already operating in a state of deep cover, they now became even more discreetly hidden.
Ace, however, was unaware of all this.
He was currently with Zinnia, both wearing matching diving gear, heading toward the Seafloor Cavern, led by Blastoise and Lapras.
After passing through the cave tunnel and entering the Seafloor Cavern's inner sea, Zinnia stood on Blastoise's shell. She removed her underwater breathing apparatus and stared at the cave in disbelief. She muttered, "It's truly incredible. We've actually reached the Seafloor Cavern!"
"Stop being surprised," Ace said, also removing his breathing apparatus. "Come with me. I'll take you to Kyogre. I'll let it temper your consciousness."
"Yes, Ace-sama."
At this point, Zinnia was utterly awestruck by Ace. She said nothing more and followed him ashore.
Shedding their flippers and other gear, Zinnia followed Ace toward the location of Kyogre.
After walking for nearly ten minutes, Zinnia finally saw Kyogre floating on the water's surface.
Kyogre also sensed Ace and Zinnia's arrival. Feeling the imprint it had left inside Zinnia, the half-asleep Legendary Pokémon instinctively projected its consciousness into Zinnia's mind.
In an instant, Zinnia's face went pale, her eyes involuntarily rolled up, and her consciousness came dangerously close to collapsing under the pressure of Kyogre's immense mind!
"Hmph!"
Ace let out a cold snort. Kyogre immediately jolted, fully waking up, and rapidly withdrew its massive consciousness.
"Thud."
As Kyogre's consciousness receded, Zinnia collapsed heavily onto the ground, gasping for air. Large beads of cold sweat dripped down her cheeks.
At this moment, Zinnia finally grasped Kyogre's terror. Simultaneously, she felt a profound sense of self-doubt about Ace's plan to have her completely control the Legendary Pokémon.
"Without the Red or Blue Orb as a medium, forcefully controlling Kyogre with your own consciousness—if you don't instantly collapse, you pass the test."
Ace walked over to Zinnia and said, "I will have Kyogre preserve its strength as much as possible to forge your consciousness. It might be painful, but we don't have much time left, so the methods will be harsh. You must persevere. But don't worry, I will be right here with you. If anything goes wrong, I will pull you out."
Hearing Ace's words, Zinnia's pale face regained some color. She nodded to Ace and said, "I won't hinder your plans, Ace-sama. Bring it on. I can endure it."
With that, Zinnia took a deep breath and called out to Kyogre in her mind, "Come!"
Kyogre gradually became fully alert. Sensing the situation, it immediately understood this was the plan Ace had described.
So, Kyogre sighed, and then, following Ace's request, it began to use its consciousness as a hammer to strike the "iron blank" that was Zinnia's mind, little by little.
In the beginning, Kyogre could only use a small hammer to strike every two or three hours.
But as time went on, the interval between the blows grew shorter.
From once every two or three hours, to once every hour as Zinnia adapted.
Half an hour.
Ten minutes.
Until it was striking once every few seconds.
Throughout this process, Zinnia gradually grew accustomed to the conscious strikes, and her own consciousness steadily became stronger under the pressure.
Compared to Ace's method of "breaking and rebuilding," Zinnia's approach was much gentler, carrying virtually no life-threatening danger.
However, the trade-off was that it was incredibly time-consuming.
From the initial two or three hours to the current few seconds, Zinnia endured this for nearly two months!
The small hammer gradually lost its effect. Kyogre switched to a slightly larger hammer and continued to strike Zinnia's consciousness.
Once Zinnia adapted again, Kyogre continued to switch to even larger hammers.
Time flowed away in this monotonous, seated training. After a total of eight months, Zinnia's consciousness could finally withstand Kyogre's full-power conscious strike, suffering only minor injuries and avoiding complete collapse.
At this point, Ace breathed a genuine sigh of relief. He knew that everything was ready.
Now, all that remained was for the "actors" to take their places. With Ace and Zinnia's guidance, they would begin to fulfill their roles on the stage Ace had prepared for them!
After more than half a year, Ace and Zinnia returned to the ocean surface.
Having spent so long in the Seafloor Cavern, Zinnia had transformed from a girl tanned by the sun and wind into a woman with a gentle, wheat-colored complexion.
Additionally, after months of conscious forging, Zinnia's aura was steady, and her eyes sparkled with sharp intelligence. A single glance was enough to tell she was extraordinary.
"Ace-sama..."
Zinnia looked at Ace. Ace, having jumped onto the Tao Dragon's back, said to her, "I'm returning to Kanto. You look after things here in Hoenn. I'll be back in two months at the latest."
"...Yes."
Zinnia lowered her head. The words on the tip of her tongue were ultimately swallowed.
The Tao Dragon took flight, quickly carrying Ace toward the Kanto region.
Zinnia stood on the back of her Wailord, watching Ace depart. She felt a sense of profound loss, murmuring, "Thank you, Ace... I..."
At this, Zinnia clenched her hands tightly and lowered her head.
Soon, Zinnia raised her head. The previous feeling of loss had vanished, replaced by a look of steely resolve.
Dialing her communication device, Zinnia quickly spoke to the other end: "The time is now. Commence the operation."
"Understood."
"Roger that."
"..."
More and more of the undercover agents Zinnia had previously planted within Team Magma and Team Aqua began to take action.
Simultaneously, the original storyline of the Hoenn region gradually began to fall into place!
Kanto Region, Ace's Villa.
The Tao Dragon landed with Ace on the villa's rooftop. Ace jumped off the Tao Dragon's back onto the helipad.
Instantly, a scanning beam swept over, checking both Ace and the Tao Dragon.
Ace ignored the beam, recalled the Tao Dragon, and quickly headed inside the villa through the rooftop access.
Mechanical arms extended from both sides of the path, beginning to assess Ace's current condition.
Ace took off his trench coat and tossed it to a mechanical arm. The arm caught it and began the recovery process, taking Ace's coat to the laundry room for cleaning. At the same time, it began removing the various specialized Poké Balls from the coat, sorting them for treatment, injecting nutrient solution, and placing them in their designated spots.
Ace stood at a round doorway on a platform. The platform quickly descended, lowering Ace in a matter of seconds to the elevator area within the villa's main living space.
The door opened, revealing the immaculate, clean living room before Ace's eyes. Rotom's electronic voice sounded in his ear: "Trainer, welcome home."
"I'm back."
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