"Empty?"
Looking at the helmet floating on the sea surface, Ace was slightly stunned. He never expected the helmet to be empty underneath!
"Heh heh, you can't kill us."
Just as Ace was momentarily dumbfounded, a voice came from the helmet: "I admire you for plotting against us both. But now, your scheme is completely useless. We have been reborn. Await our revenge!"
"Us?"
Ace caught the keyword. He examined the armor up and down, a slight smile playing on his lips: "So that's it. This armor stabilized your dissipating souls, but without physical bodies, you can't exert your original strength. Am I right? Maxie and Archie."
Hearing Ace's words, the armored man—no, it should be the fused entity of Maxie and Archie—fell silent.
As Ace said, their bodies had instantly disintegrated under Ace's manipulation. Left only with their souls, they should have perished.
But strangely, as they were waiting for death, they suddenly found themselves "alive" again.
The one who brought them back to life was a woman, Sird, the one Ace had targeted earlier.
Sird brought out the armor "Eternity," which could sustain life, and the sword "Moment," which could reflect all attacks.
Originally, according to the plot, Maxie and Archie, while still having physical bodies, would have had to kill the other to claim the armor.
But now, without bodies, they didn't have to worry about that. Both souls entered it.
Furthermore, after being manipulated by Groudon and Kyogre, the two learned of Ace's plan. United by a common enemy, they chose to fuse into one entity to exact revenge on Ace.
However, they didn't know that Ace was someone familiar with the plot and had already accounted for everything.
That's why Ace came looking for this location immediately after the battle ended.
More importantly, Ace had been coveting the sword "Moment" for a long time.
Getting his hands on it would complete the final piece of the Genesect modification puzzle. Once the metal was melted down and added to Genesect's body, Genesect's strength would see tremendous growth!
"Even if you know, so what?"
The armored man spoke: "Without bodies, what can you do to us?"
Ace smiled. He flicked his longsword, instantly lifting the helmet off.
Catching the helmet in his left hand, Ace said lightly: "An ordinary person might truly have no good way to deal with you. But, unfortunately, I am not among that category."
With that, a special Poké Ball opened, and Gengar appeared beside Ace.
The moment it appeared, Gengar smelled the "food."
Ace tossed the helmet to Gengar, smiling: "Eat them."
Gengar let out a wicked laugh, suddenly opening its mouth and inhaling. The armored man immediately screamed in agony. Two blurry, indistinct phantoms were instantly sucked out by Gengar and swallowed into its belly.
"Clang..."
Without the souls of Maxie and Archie, the armor could not maintain its original form. With a clatter, it scattered into the sea.
"Now, it's truly over."
Ace collected all the scattered armor and the longsword into his pouch. He let out a long breath, and the tension he had been holding finally eased.
He turned to look at Zinnia, who had been silent the whole time. Ace hesitated, then extended his hand toward her: "Come back to Kanto with me."
Zinnia's eyes widened, and a blush appeared on her face.
She understood very clearly the meaning behind Ace's words.
But quickly, Zinnia suppressed the excitement in her heart. Taking a deep breath, she said: "No, Lord Ace."
Ace's raised arm dropped. He looked silently at Zinnia.
Zinnia smiled at Ace and said: "What happened between us was an accident. Besides, more than a partner, I know very well that what you need, Lord Ace, is someone who can manage affairs for you behind the scenes. And I am the best candidate."
Ace sighed. Zinnia was very intelligent, but sometimes, he wished she would be a little "foolish."
In the end, Zinnia stayed. She still had to continue traveling and preparing for the future disaster.
Ace did not try to persuade Zinnia further. Otherwise, he couldn't explain how he knew so much.
Recalling Lapras and Gengar, Ace released Aerodactyl. Under Aerodactyl's lead, Ace flew off, chasing the direction in which Rayquaza had disappeared.
Zinnia stood on Salamence, watching Ace depart.
She whispered something softly, but carried away by a gentle breeze, only she could hear what she said.
Aerodactyl carried Ace, whizzing across the sky. Seeing the distant buildings, it slowly reduced speed and swooped down with Ace.
Ace looked at the rapidly approaching building and smiled faintly: "I'm home..."
Aerodactyl landed with Ace on the villa's rooftop. Rotom controlled the villa and quickly guided Ace to the living room.
After resting for a moment, Ace released his current Pokémon, and stored the two massive Pokémon, Rayquaza and the Tao Dragon. Under normal circumstances, it would be virtually impossible to release them.
After all, their size was a factor, and releasing them could easily cause a disturbance.
Once everything was taken care of, Ace sat on the sofa and began to tally the rewards gained from this mission.
"Main Quest (The Hidden Mastermind) Complete. Quest Rating: S. Quest Rewards: Title [Hidden Mastermind], 300,000 Gold Coins, 50 Mission Points, Specified Energy Source * 2, Specified Evolution Stone * 2, Specified Item * 5, Legendary Challenge Voucher * 1."
"Reward package has been stored for you and can be claimed at any time."
"Title Fusion Activated. Existing Titles: [Hidden Mastermind] (Five-Star), [Dragon Hunter] (Four-Star), [Elite Trainer] (Three-Star), [Master Researcher] (Three-Star)."
"Title Quests formally initiated. Host may select suitable quests to complete."
Ace finished reading the introduction and then looked at the Five-Star Title.
"Hidden Mastermind (Five-Star): When equipped, Body Strength +10, Nerve Reaction Speed +30%, Charm +20.
Title Skill: [Mastermind Aura]: When used on any target, there is a 0.0001% chance of instantly recruiting them as a follower, or encouraging existing followers to follow you even more devotedly. Cooldown: one year after each use."
Without hesitation, Ace opened the Title Fusion interface. He placed the sole Five-Star Title in the primary slot, and then placed the Elite Trainer and Master Researcher Titles in the secondary slots.
"Initiate Title Fusion!"
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