After dealing with the Pokémon, Ace turned his attention to the young master.
The young master had been scared stiff ever since Ace had so decisively killed his older brother. Seeing Ace look his way, he scrambled to his feet in a panic, trying to flee. But there was no way Ace was going to let him escape.
He tossed out a Poké Ball, and Larvitar, who hadn't made an appearance yet, shot out. With a quick Tackle, it slammed into the young master's shin.
Crack!
"Aaah!!!"
Larvitar's gentle bump was enough to snap his shin bone, and the sharp bone fragment tore through his skin, protruding out of his leg.
Ace looked around. The five bodyguards, seeing the dire situation, had already fled. For them, if the young master's noble family were still powerful, they would have protected him to the death. But now that the nobles had fallen, only a fool would stick around just for the money he was offering. Seeing things go south, they naturally all ran, abandoning their Pokémon on the spot without a care for their lives.
Ace slowly walked over to the young master. He watched the man writhing and screaming in agony on the ground, then knelt down and grabbed him by the hair. He lifted him up and slammed his head hard against the ground.
"Scream again, and I'll kill you right now."
Looking at the dazed young master, Ace said coldly, "I'll ask the questions, and you'll give the answers. Say one extra word, and I'll cut off a part of you. Understood?"
"U-understood..."
The young master nodded frantically. Despite the intense pain in his leg, he knew very well that this person in front of him would actually kill him! And he had personally eliminated his entire family. He wouldn't dare utter a single word of defiance to such a ruthless person.
"Tell me everything about what happened before, from the beginning."
Ace began his interrogation. The young master was no tough guy. He immediately spilled everything he knew, as if pouring beans from a bamboo tube, wishing he could even tell Ace when he was weaned or potty-trained.
Through the young master's story, Ace learned the whole truth, which was mostly as he had suspected, with a few minor differences. The poacher Ace had killed earlier was actually an agent trained by the young master's noble family. The poacher helped the family hunt rare Pokémon and also handled some of their more unsavory affairs. This, Ace realized, was the root cause of the powerful family pursuing him after he had killed the poacher.
The family wanted to arrange a marriage with Cynthia's family, and to show their sincerity, they planned to give Cynthia a rare Pokémon as an engagement gift. When the gift was destroyed, they were naturally enraged and wanted to kill Ace.
But then, the League had started to scheme against these nobles, causing them to gradually decline. This indirectly helped Ace out of a tight spot. It was because the nobles were trying to resist the League's suppression that they pulled back the people hunting Ace to focus all their efforts on defending against the League's offensive.
However, against the immense pressure of the League, the nobles' counter-attack was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, so their decline was to be expected. The young master's family was one of the most vocal in their opposition, which was why he was the only one left.
Ace nodded to himself, having heard all this. The young master was clearly a worthless heir, so the League couldn't be bothered with him and was letting him destroy himself.
But now, the League saw that the noble powers weren't completely extinct, and some restless individuals were even showing signs of a resurgence. The League decided it was time to step in and put them down again. But last time there was a clear reason for action; this time, they had no clear pretext.
So, Ace's situation was brought to the forefront. A braindead rich kid wanted revenge on Ace, and the League was more than happy to oblige. They conveniently leaked the information to Ace, inviting him to the Sinnoh region to be the fuse that ignited this powder keg.
Now, it seemed the League's plan had succeeded. Using Ace as a pretext to seize a clear opportunity, the League was likely going to completely wipe out those noble factions from the annals of history this time.
"Alright, you're no longer useful. Goodbye."
Ace let go. Combusken stepped forward, its sharp claws aimed at the young master's heart. Given the young master's cooperation, Ace decided to give him a swift end.
"Wait! Don't kill me!"
Seeing the determined look on Ace's face, the young master panicked and screamed, "I have money! I'll pay for my life! Don't kill me!"
Shlick!
But the young master's begging was useless. Combusken's claws plunged directly into his heart. The young master convulsed once, his face a mask of terror, and then fell motionless.
"You told me all your secrets. What use do I have for you now?" Ace sneered, standing up.
Combusken pulled out its claws, wiped the blood on the young master's expensive suit, and was then recalled by Ace.
Ace recalled all his Pokémon except for Crobat. He then glanced at the town, which had remained silent despite the long battle, and smirked. Crobat grabbed Ace's shoulder and soared into the sky, quickly disappearing from the small town.
After Ace left, many people emerged from the town. They glanced at the abandoned bodies on the ground and, with practiced efficiency, began to clean up. In a short while, the area was returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.
However, two hours later, a report of the events was compiled and placed on the desk of the Sinnoh League Chairman.
The Sinnoh League Chairman looked through the file. After reading it, he rubbed his temples with a headache, then said to his secretary, "Tell the people below that they can begin their operation. Also, handle this matter; I don't want any rumors to get out. Understood?"
"Yes, Chairman," the secretary nodded, took the file from the chairman, and left the office.
After the secretary left, the chairman mused for a moment, then said with a sigh, "It seems I have to clean up his mess. But I'll admit I'm indebted to him. With these noble factions eliminated, the Sinnoh region will be completely under the League's control."
With that, the chairman picked up the phone, dialed a number, and began to prepare for the series of events that would follow.
Meanwhile, Ace, following the young master's directions, had found the place where he lived. It was a small mansion near Jubilife City, located halfway up a mountain, offering a panoramic view of the city below.
As Ace landed in the mansion's courtyard, a woman in an office uniform who had been waiting there stepped forward. She smiled faintly at Ace and said, "Hello, you must be Mr. Ace. I'm a special envoy from the League. You can call me Alice."