"Thud."
A body hit the ground. Ace looked at Lorelei, who had stopped breathing, and let out a soft sigh.
Of the Four Heavenly Kings, only Bruno remained; the other three were now gone.
In his previous life, Ace might have been fond of Lorelei's character, as good looks often earned a character extra points.
But when such a character became his enemy, Ace realized all that past affection was utterly meaningless.
What did it matter how much he liked her? She was now not just a stranger but a foe who had tried to kill him.
Ace didn't see himself as some protagonist who could make women fall at his feet with a mere tremor of his body.
In his view, the only good enemy was a dead one.
As for taking Lorelei in and "disciplining" her, Ace just scoffed.
This wasn't an RPG. Everyone had their own mind. Ace had pushed the Four Heavenly Kings this far.
Take in Lorelei?
Ace figured he'd be killed by her in his sleep the very night he did so.
Compared to his own life, Lorelei's life could go to hell.
"Clean it up."
Ace instructed Victreebel, who nodded.
Soon, Lorelei turned into a pool of blood, dissolved into the ground, and was gone for good.
"System, use the three-acre land ownership deed."
Ace recalled his Pokémon and began the cleanup.
The system had provided a legal land ownership deed. After acquiring it, Ace could have the land renovated according to his preferences, and this was a one-time free service.
However, once the renovation was complete, the system would no longer help; any future damage or wear and tear would be Ace's responsibility.
To Ace, this was more than enough.
He urgently needed to renovate the land to cover up the traces of his battle with the Elite Four.
After some careful consideration, he decided against expanding anything. He simply built small resting places for his Pokémon.
He renovated all three acres this way, trying to simulate the most suitable environments for them.
For example, a cave for Crobat, a pond for Lapras, a sand pit for Garchomp, and so on.
This approach had one key advantage: it not only covered up the traces but also completely obscured them with a chaotic mix of different terrains.
Otherwise, Ace could have simply paved the entire area with stone slabs to cover everything.
However, the traces would only be hidden beneath the stone slabs, and if the slabs ever broke, the original evidence would be exposed.
By building in this manner, even if the covered traces were discovered, Ace could explain them away as a result of daily training or his Pokémon adjusting their living spaces. With time, all traces would be completely concealed from view.
After finalizing the construction plan, Ace, fighting his weariness, ensured everything was in order before returning to his hut and collapsing onto his bed, falling into a deep sleep.
He didn't wake up until the next morning.
Ace, now feeling refreshed, crawled out of bed. He scratched his messy hair and walked to the window.
Looking out, he saw that the area outside his yard's gate had been completely transformed.
The three acres were now filled with a variety of features, including a pond, a sand pit, patches of grass and shrubs, and rock piles.
The dense construction had filled the not-so-large three acres to the brim.
But this was exactly what Ace wanted. The varied terrain concealed the battle damage. Unless someone investigated very closely, it would be difficult to find the original traces.
"Not bad at all."
Ace nodded, leaving his bedroom to get some food for his rumbling stomach, as well as for his Pokémon.
They hadn't eaten for a whole day and were starving. As soon as Ace served the food, they all dug in, eating with gusto.
After satisfying their hunger, Ace walked out into the newly built Pokémon habitats.
Within the three acres, a bluestone path separated the two halves of the area at the entrance to his yard. On both sides were several comfortable-looking resting places.
As the Pokémon followed Ace out of the yard and saw these new areas, their eyes lit up. Without needing a command from Ace, they all rushed to the homes that suited them.
Crobat flew into a cave-like rock formation, while Aerodactyl landed on top of a three-meter-high rock pile, where a shelter had been built just for it.
Lapras and Blastoise headed straight for the pond, splashing into the water. Once inside, they realized the pond, though not very wide, was incredibly deep. They could submerge themselves and fit in over a dozen more Pokémon if needed.
Victreebel jumped into a small area of dense trees and bushes, and Garchomp burrowed its head into the sand.
Only Chansey, Ninetales, and Gengar remained by Ace's side.
Compared to the new habitats, they preferred to stay with Ace and hadn't rushed to claim a spot.
Ace walked around the three acres, and after confirming there were no remaining traces, he found Dugtrio and asked them to help fill in the outer traps they had dug earlier.
Ace also helped with the covering work, which took until the afternoon.
But the hard work paid off. All traces were now so well hidden that it was virtually impossible for them to be discovered.
"Everyone, you've worked hard. We'll have a big feast tonight, so eat your fill!"
With the matter finally concluded, Ace breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to reward his troops.
The Pokémon's eyes sparkled with excitement at the news.
As night fell, Ace set up a grill in his yard.
Large amounts of marinated meat were placed on the grill. The fat sizzled in the heat, and the delicious aroma made the Pokémon drool.
Ace became the full-time chef and food provider this time.
To do so, Ace spared no expense, purchasing a large amount of Pokémon food and Energy Cubes for his Pokémon.
He spent 30,000 gold coins on just this food alone.
But it was worth it. After all, he had relied on all of them from the beginning. Their efforts deserved such a reward!
While grilling the meat, Ace also looked at the rewards he had earned from the recent battle.
He had over 90,000 gold coins, 170 mission points, and two gift packages.
"Main Mission (Pryce's Ambition): Dark clouds hang over the entire Johto region. Pryce, taking the guise of the Masked Man, is gathering the remnants of Team Rocket, hoping to use their power to seize Celebi and travel back in time. Obstruct Pryce and thwart his plan by any means necessary. Mission rewards: 100,000 gold coins, one specified Evolution Stone, one specified energy source, one set of training equipment, and mission points based on mission evaluation. Punishment: None."