"Absolute Zero!"
A wall of ice instantly formed, blocking Lugia's path.
However, as Lugia swooped down, the ice was no match for its charge. In a flash, it shattered into a shower of icy fragments!
But in that instant, Lugia lost sight of Lapras and Ace.
By the time its massive body landed, crushing the ice sheet beneath its feet, several pillars of ice shot up from the surroundings, hitting Lugia's body with perfect precision.
Yet, because of its energy shield, the ice pillars just broke apart.
It was then that Ace, with a Pokémon beside him, leaped from one of the shattered ice pillars. Before Lugia could even react, they landed on its back.
"Phew, a high-concentration energy shield means absolutely no oxygen to breathe. Good thing I was prepared."
Ace bit down on the mouthpiece of his respirator. A small, compressed air tank was strapped to his back, using liquefied air to ensure he didn't suffocate.
Beside Ace, a Chansey was similarly equipped, clenching its fists.
It was time for a powerful punch!
"Boom!"
A powerful force of gravity acted on Lugia. Even with the energy shield to counteract it, Lugia still felt incredibly heavy. It was impossible for it to fly again anytime soon!
Lugia also felt something on its back and instinctively shook its body, trying to toss Ace and Chansey off.
"Rumble!"
But in the next moment, a massive force struck Lugia's back. A powerful shove sent Lugia's legs buckling, causing it to have an intimate encounter with the frozen ice sheet.
Even so, Lugia remained unharmed. Its energy shield had blocked the attack.
In exchange, the once thick energy shield was now just a thin layer clinging to Lugia's body.
Just one more punch, and Lugia would definitely be injured!
One had to remember, Chansey's stats were all 530, and with the Huge Power ability, its physical attack stat was a terrifying 1060!
"This is the end!"
Ace waved his hand, and the already charged-up Chansey threw out its second punch!
"Crash!"
In the next moment, the ice around Lugia exploded, and the agitated seawater shot up over three meters high!
Lugia let out a cry of pain. The powerful impact had nearly displaced its internal organs. If not for the thin layer of energy shield protecting it, this single punch could have easily gone right through Lugia.
Ace opened a Poké Ball. An Aerodactyl grabbed Ace and flew him to Lugia's head. Ace took out a Heavy Ball and threw it, aiming straight for Lugia's forehead.
Every Pokémon's body has a spot where its life force is strongest. If hit there, the chance of capture increases significantly.
For Lugia, this spot was its forehead.
This was a key detail revealed in the original storyline.
With Lugia's massive size and the added weight from the Heavy Ball hitting its forehead, the probability of capturing Lugia was extremely high!
The Heavy Ball struck its target, and in an instant, Lugia's massive body was sucked into the ball.
The Heavy Ball fell, but Ace caught it before it hit the ground. At the same time, Aerodactyl spread its wings and caught the falling Chansey.
The Heavy Ball shook continuously in Ace's hand. He gripped it tightly and said coldly, "Stop! If you're not convinced, we can fight again!"
As if sensing the sharpness in Ace's tone, the Heavy Ball stopped shaking and quietly rested in his hand.
"Hidden Quest (Legendary Hunter) completed. Quest Evaluation: S. Quest Rewards: 200,000 gold coins, one hidden map, the Protect TM, and 50 quest points."
"Your gift package has been stored and can be claimed at any time."
Ace glanced at the hidden quest pop-up but quickly lost interest.
After all, a quest with unknown prerequisites was a matter of pure luck, so Ace hadn't held out much hope for it.
Ace pressed the button on the Heavy Ball, and its upper half gradually became transparent. Lugia lay quietly inside, looking up into Ace's eyes.
"Follow me for a while. I need your strength for the time being. When everything is over, you can leave whenever you want. How does that sound?"
Ace said to Lugia. He had no intention of training this legendary Pokémon he had just captured.
If not for the main quest, Ace wouldn't have bothered with Lugia. Wouldn't it be better to properly train Rayquaza?
Lugia glanced at Ace, nodded, and agreed.
Ace put away the Poké Ball containing Lugia and then asked the system in confusion, "System, I've already captured Lugia. The main quest should be complete now that its power is gone, right?"
The system didn't respond to Ace. The main quest was still silent, showing no signs of completion.
Soon, Ace figured out the key issue.
To capture Celebi, the GS Ball was needed, which only required the feathers of Ho-Oh and Lugia.
In the original story, after retrieving the feathers, Kurt simply abandoned Ho-Oh and Lugia. So, Lugia wasn't the focal point; the feathers and the method for making the Poké Ball were!
And even though Lugia was in Ace's possession, one shouldn't forget that two feathers were still in Green's hands!
Even without Lugia, if Kurt knew the feathers' purpose and reclaimed them, the effect would be the same.
"Do I need to steal the Steel Scroll to keep it safe?"
Ace considered this but quickly dismissed the idea.
First of all, Mr. Steel had made so many Poké Balls for him, and Ace felt he owed him a favor.
Secondly, taking it back was pointless.
Since they were good friends in their youth, Ace didn't believe Kurt was ignorant of the scroll's contents.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have deliberately tried to steal the scroll.
It was highly probable that Kurt had already seen it in his youth but had long since forgotten the details.
Stealing the scroll was just to verify his own suspicions. Why else would Kurt have left those two feathers behind back then?
As a collector's item?
Don't be naive!
Kurt likely had a premonition, but couldn't confirm it.
Later, after Ho-Oh and Lugia escaped, with only two feathers left, Kurt didn't dare to try anything. If he failed, he would lose those two things for nothing.
And more importantly, Kurt had a serious lack of manpower back then. Without enough help, it would have been too difficult to fulfill his wish.
But now, with everything prepared, nothing would change just because Ace had captured Lugia!
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