The Aerodactyl took a long detour and finally met up with Ace and Gengar at a small island they had agreed upon. It wasn't so much an island as a reef, just big enough for three or four people to stand on.
Once Ace landed on the reef, Gengar emerged from the shadows with a worried look and handed Ace a transparent crystal from its belly. Its Mega Evolution had been canceled, which had worried Gengar for a long time. Fortunately, Ace had returned, putting Gengar at ease.
"You have obtained 12% of the Power of Life!"
Ace frowned slightly; this wasn't what he had expected. He had thought that even if it wasn't 100%, he would get at least 60 or 70%. Getting only 12% was a huge disappointment.
"It seems Tsuwubuki Mugin separated the Power of Life. Ah, well, something is better than nothing."
Ace sighed and cursed the old schemer under his breath. But if he were in Mugin's shoes, he would have done the same; you can't put all your eggs in one basket.
However, Ace had misunderstood Tsuwubuki Mugin. This was their first time extracting the Power of Life, and solidifying it into a resource was a last-minute decision. After everything was done, the original Power of Life from Rayquaza only yielded about 30%, a shockingly low conversion rate. The Pokémon League had demanded a portion of it, leaving Mugin with only about 20%. That's why Mugin hadn't separated it further; at this stage, the Power of Life couldn't be dispersed. It was simply installed in the fossil revival machine as an energy source, where it had been used sparingly for years, consuming only about 8% of the total energy.
"Let's go to Sky Pillar."
Ace knew that the cat was out of the bag. There was no need to search for the remaining Key Stones or the Power of Life. The most important thing was to complete his current mission. After speaking, Ace recalled Gengar. The Mega-Evolved Aerodactyl took off with Ace again, using the cover of night to fly silently toward Sky Pillar.
The next morning, after flying all night, Aerodactyl easily navigated through the turbulence and landed with Ace at the top of Sky Pillar. The thick ozone was still there. Ace put on a gas mask and held the crystallized Power of Life in his hand, ready to throw it.
"Whoosh!"
With a powerful toss, Ace sent the crystal hurtling into the ozone. The still-sleeping Rayquaza felt a familiar power approaching and instinctively opened its mouth to catch the crystal.
Crunch.
The crystal shattered, and a rich wave of Power of Life surged into Rayquaza's body.
"This is..."
Rayquaza snapped back to reality. It had been in a daze, but now it was fully awake!
"Hoo..."
A fierce gust of wind blew, dispersing the dense ozone and revealing Rayquaza's body. Ace had a feeling and took out the green orb from his satchel. The moment he held the green orb, Ace "heard" Rayquaza's voice.
"My power has returned! Young man, you've done well!"
"Side Quest (Power of Life) complete. Quest evaluation: S. Quest reward: 10,000 gold coins, 50 quest points."
"The gift package has been stored for you and can be claimed at any time."
An S-rank evaluation? Ace was stunned. He only got 12% of the Power of Life, yet it was an S-rank? Ace thought he'd be lucky to get a C. This was an unexpected bonus.
"My strength has recovered a bit. It's time to teach them a lesson!"
Rayquaza's aura grew volatile. Shi'gana's death had been a major humiliation, and now that it had some of its power back, its first thought was to seek revenge on those who had captured it.
"If you want to die, go ahead."
Ace spoke to Rayquaza in a cold, mental voice. "They're well-prepared and looking for you all over the world. Do you really think you'll go there and not get locked up again? You just recovered, and you'll be right back where you started."
"Are you underestimating me?"
"I'm speaking the truth."
Ace looked directly into Rayquaza's eyes, speaking with disdain. "I can't understand your kind. The moment you have a little bit of power, you charge in blindly. Don't you ever think things through? Is your brain just for show? You'll get your revenge for a moment, get captured, and wait for me to rescue you again. Why don't you learn from me? Lay low, grow your strength, and when you're truly strong enough, isn't it more satisfying to just crush them all?"
Rayquaza was taken aback by Ace's words. Because of what Ace said, its urgent desire for revenge subsided for a moment.
"Then when do you think it's time for revenge?" Rayquaza asked.
"Just wait. Focus on developing your own strength. When the day comes that I tell you you're invincible, won't it be better to seek revenge then?"
With that, Ace took out a Poké Ball and said to Rayquaza, "A Pokémon staying here is likely to be discovered. You should come with me. At the very least, you can recover better by staying inside a Poké Ball."
"Hmph. A mere ball thinks it can catch me?"
"Get in there!"
Ace threw the Poké Ball directly, and before Rayquaza could react, it hit its body. Rayquaza was stunned and instantly turned into a red light, getting sucked into the Poké Ball. The Poké Ball landed, shook twice, and then became still.
Ace picked up the purple and white Poké Ball with a big 'M' on it and smiled slightly.
"Master Ball: Price 10,000 gold coins. A Poké Ball that is guaranteed to capture any Pokémon. (Special Edition for Legendaries)."
"How does it feel?" Ace pressed the button on the ball. The top half of the ball became transparent, revealing a miniature Rayquaza inside.
"Not bad. It's quite comfortable, and there are no restrictions. I can break out whenever I want," Rayquaza communicated with Ace mentally. Its miniature body circled a few times in the ball before settling down in a coiled position.
"I'm going to sleep now. Don't disturb me unless it's something important."
After saying that, a thin mist began to form inside the transparent ball, and ozone covered Rayquaza again. This was the environment it found most comfortable.
Ace put the Master Ball away, clipping it where his Mewtwo's Poké Ball used to be.
"Let's go, to Meteor Falls."
Ace patted the Mega-Evolved Aerodactyl, his eyes asking for confirmation.
"Roar!"
Aerodactyl's roar reassured Ace. It then grabbed Ace's shoulder, flapped its wings, and flew through the dissipating turbulence, carrying Ace toward Meteor Falls...