"Surrender?"
Pryce sneered, suddenly flinging open his robe to reveal his ice doll and the wheelchair embedded in it.
Pryce sat in the wheelchair with a Swinub resting on his legs. He looked at Ace with a cold gaze. "Surrendering is not an option. If you want me to, you'll have to defeat me first!"
As he spoke, a Seel and a Delibird rushed out, heading for Lapras and Ninetales.
"Then allow me to shatter that illusion for you."
Ace looked at Pryce. "Ninetales, Ember!"
The Ember Ninetales had already prepared shot out. Under Ninetales's psychic power, a large number of fireballs swiftly flew toward Seel and Delibird.
"Clang!"
The next moment, Delibird's wings were coated in ice, forming two ice blades.
The Delibird, now a dual-wielding swordsman, slashed and exploded the fireballs one by one.
Seel cried out, and a veil of Safeguard enveloped both it and Delibird. It was clear that the scene of its teammate being instantly frozen had made it wary.
"Horn Drill!"
Lapras charged out, a one-meter-long horn with a spiral pattern instantly forming on its forehead.
Its four flippers propelled it forward like a knight's lance, with the high-speed rotating spiral horn aimed at Delibird.
Seeing this, Pryce's Swinub on his legs instantly exerted its power, and over a dozen ice walls rose up in front of Lapras, hoping to block its attack.
"Boom! Boom! Boom…"
However, the ice walls were of little use. Facing Lapras's charge and the horn's piercing attack, the ice walls shattered one after another. Lapras's momentum was unchecked as it charged toward Delibird.
"Clang! Zzzz…"
Delibird blocked the attack with its twin blades. The high-speed rotating horn and the ice blades rubbed against each other, making a grating sound.
Seizing this opportunity, Ninetales's fireballs shot out, rapidly flying toward Delibird.
"Woo!"
Seel let out a low cry, and a stream of Icy Wind shot toward the fireballs, detonating them in advance.
But the fireballs kept coming relentlessly. Seel's Icy Wind was gradually being suppressed, and the ice surface beneath Seel was also slowly cracking.
"It's time to end this. Flamethrower!"
Nine pillars of fire shot out. Seeing this, Delibird immediately used its twin blades to fend off Lapras's Horn Drill. The blades shattered, and with a flap of its wings, Delibird knocked Seel aside.
It then opened its mouth wide, and a chilling blast of Sheer Cold shot out, successfully holding back Ninetales's nine flames.
As the two sides were in a deadlock, a dark shadow flashed by. Pryce's Gastly instantly rushed toward Ace, and a shadow shot out from within Gastly, heading for Ace.
Ace stood still, a slight smile on his face as he watched the shadow approach.
"Thump!"
A dull thud sounded, and an invisible energy wave spread out. Gastly's curse dissipated like melting snow.
A powerful aura erupted from Ace's body, sweeping across the entire battlefield.
"This… this is…"
Pryce's pupils constricted to the size of a needlepoint. From Ace's body, Pryce felt as if he saw a ferocious dragon roaring at him. The immense aura caused a drop of cold sweat to trickle down Pryce's forehead.
"A curse? Such a boring trick."
Ace looked at the Gastly that had appeared, then shifted his gaze to Pryce. "Is that all you've got?"
As he spoke, the power of the nine Flamethrowers suddenly surged, instantly engulfing Delibird.
When the flames cleared, Delibird was charred all over and retreated quickly. Its trembling wings were a clear sign that it was near its limit.
"Hahahaha, I never expected to see this day."
Pryce looked at Delibird and suddenly burst into laughter. His expression gradually turned somber. "You've really grown a lot, Ace. This time, I've lost."
Hearing Pryce's words, Ace raised a hand, and the Lapras and Ninetales, who were about to attack, stopped.
Ace glanced at Pryce. "Bring out whatever you have left. A plea for mercy won't sway me."
A flicker of confusion appeared in Pryce's eyes. He hadn't expected Ace to not fall for it.
Ace, of course, wouldn't be fooled. After all, the main quest hadn't prompted its completion yet, so how could Pryce have given up?
"Ace, do you know what this Poké Ball is for?"
Pryce took out the GS Ball and asked Ace.
Ace calmly replied, "It's a Poké Ball to catch Celebi."
"That's the basic principle, yes."
Pryce smiled as he looked at Ace. "But in reality, after battling Celebi for so long, I understand it too well. If I had wanted to catch it, I would have done so a long time ago. But even if it's caught in a Poké Ball, if it doesn't want to obey you, it can leave the Poké Ball without damaging it. Do you know why?"
"Why?"
Pryce's words caught Ace's attention. A bad feeling began to stir within him.
"That's because as a time-traveling Pokémon that governs time, it can simply adjust the timeline back to a point where you never caught it."
Pryce held the GS Ball with both hands and said to Ace, "So, there must be a Poké Ball that can not only capture it but also confine the flow of time, trapping Celebi within it completely. Only then can it be prevented from adjusting the timeline and can time continue. Do you understand? This Poké Ball isn't meant to capture Celebi; it's meant to capture a fixed period of time!"
As he spoke, Pryce's hands gradually tightened, and tiny cracks began to appear on the GS Ball he held.
"Wait! You're trying to…"
After hearing Pryce's words, Ace instantly understood. He immediately rushed toward Pryce, shouting, "Don't be reckless! You'll die!"
"Die?"
Pryce looked at the anxious Ace, his voice calm, and a smile appeared on his face. "My heart has long been dead since Lapras and Laplus passed away. I just want to see them one more time, to properly apologize. Ace, I'm leaving the rest to you…"
With that, the GS Ball shattered, and a wave of energy instantly burst out.
Ace, who was rushing forward, was knocked back by the energy wave. Above Pryce, space gradually warped, and a spacetime rift appeared.
A suction force came from the rift, pulling Pryce along with his wheelchair into it. Pryce's Pokémon also followed without hesitation, rushing into the rift after him.
"Main Quest (Pryce's Ambition) has been completed. Quest Rating: S. Quest Rewards: 100,000 Gold Coins, one specified Pokémon evolution stone, one specified energy source, one set of cultivation equipment, 50 quest points."
"The gift package has been stored for you and can be claimed at any time."
"You stubborn old man!!!"
Seeing the completed main quest, Ace roared in anger. He instantly recalled Lapras and Ninetales, and then Aerodactyl carried him as he soared into the sky.
Two feathers appeared in Ace's hands as he charged directly into the rift…
I only share the most exquisite and beautiful novels. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon DaoistWujinzi