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With Lugia's departure, the sea gradually returned to calm. The three Legendary Birds who had defeated Lugia flew above the waves, letting out joyful cries.
Liam held the Great Sea Spirit Sapphire and the Silver Feather in his hand, still a little dazed as the system's prompt echoed in his mind.
"Is it over? …Just like that?"
At that moment, Harribel arrived beside him. Latias followed behind her, carrying Latios on her back. A stream of dazzling, multicolored energy flowed continuously from Latias's body, rapidly healing Latios's injuries.
"Over? Heh… not quite."
Liam smiled slightly at Harribel's words. He tucked away the Great Sea Spirit Sapphire and Silver Feather, then glanced toward the direction in which Pryce had fled. He turned back to Harribel and said:
"Harribel, I'm going after Pryce. Stay here and stand guard—and look after Latios in the meantime. I'll handle Pryce. If possible, please help me keep his identity a secret, alright?"
Harribel was startled. She looked at Liam in surprise, her brows tightening.
"Why? Give me a reason."
She was clearly confused, unsure what Liam was planning.
Hearing this, Liam quietly let out a breath of relief. Since she hadn't rejected him outright, negotiation was still possible.
"Of course I have my reasons, but now isn't the time to explain. Let's just say this is my request. Please—on my account—don't report to the League that Pryce is the Masked Man."
Liam knew a bit about Pryce's background. As a caretaker who specialized in hatching, he had been plotting all this time only for his Lapras to reunite with its parents. His methods were extreme, yes… but he hadn't caused casualties. His crimes weren't unforgivable.
Liam's attitude was sincere. Harribel frowned and thought for a moment before raising her head.
"You want to recruit Pryce as a subordinate?"
Liam: "…Uh, no."
Harribel: "Will sparing him cause harm or disruption to the League?"
Liam: "No."
Harribel: "He won't do anything evil again?"
Liam: "…Not anytime soon, probably. But who knows a few years down the line."
Harribel: "…Fine. As long as he doesn't cause trouble, I won't report anything. I'll just say the Masked Man perished at sea. But—I have a condition."
Liam frowned slightly.
"What condition?"
Harribel: "I haven't decided yet. Just consider it a favor you owe me. I'll collect on it someday."
With that, Harribel turned away, flying toward Silver Rock Isle with Latias and Mantine. Soon, she vanished beyond the horizon.
Liam: "…"
He sighed—speechless—watching her disappear. Then he turned, called out to the three Legendary Birds, and had Aerodactyl carry him in pursuit of Pryce.
Since Pryce's Delibird had been defeated by Harribel, he could no longer fly and had no choice but to ride Lapras across the sea. But even though Lapras excelled at ocean travel, it was far slower than Aerodactyl in the sky.
"ROAR!!"
With Liam riding on Aerodactyl and the three Legendary Birds circling overhead, they quickly closed the distance. Ten minutes later, on a small island near Silver Rock Isle, they found Pryce resting after coming ashore.
"Well, that was a short separation. Barely gone and already reunited. Pryce, do you have anything to say now?"
Aerodactyl landed in front of Pryce, blocking his path. The three Legendary Birds sealed off the other directions, surrounding the tense Pryce.
"Oh? Articuno, Zapdos… I was wondering where all that frost and lightning came from earlier. You don't just have Moltres—it seems I underestimated you once again."
Pryce smirked bitterly.
"You caught up so quickly… I guess you defeated Lugia too. Incredible—defeating the so-called Guardian of the Sea. And Ho-Oh as well… By now, I assume Ho-Oh has also been subdued by you. Truly…"
Pryce shook his head helplessly, a faint smile on his lips.
Liam quietly watched him. Then he patted Aerodactyl's neck, slid down, and walked up to Pryce, extending a hand.
"Hand them over—the Rainbow Ball and the Silver Ball."
Straight to the point.
Pryce blinked, dazed for a moment, then chuckled. He reached into his coat and pulled out two differently colored orbs—handing them over without hesitation.
"Heh. Fine. Take them. Ho-Oh is a powerful Pokemon. I'm sure it'll be even stronger under your control."
Liam took the orbs without reacting. Then, with a sharp motion, he pressed the buttons, enlarging them—and hurled both behind him.
Aerodactyl instantly snapped them up in its jaws, crunching the two PokeBalls into glittering fragments that scattered across the ground.
At that same moment—
"Gyaah!? Gyaaah?"
On the distant coast of Red Rock Isle, Ho-Oh—trapped within quicksand and crystal barriers—suddenly regained clarity in its eyes, letting out a confused cry as it sensed something change.
Meanwhile, Pryce stared at the shattered remnants in shock. He turned to Liam, stunned.
"Items like these should never exist in the first place," Liam said calmly. "Destroying them early is best."
Then he took out the three Legendary Birds' PokeBalls—enlarged them—and tossed them toward Aerodactyl again.
"ROAR!"
This time, Aerodactyl's wings gleamed with sharp violet-blue light. A single slash cut across the air—
SHRING!
Three expensive special PokeBalls split cleanly into six pieces, clattering onto the ground.
"Cryaaah!"
"Kreeaah!!"
Upon regaining freedom, Zapdos and Articuno let out sharp cries. Their eyes were complex as they looked at Liam—never expecting that he would truly honor his promise and set them free once their task was done.
Moltres, however, simply tilted its head—it had willingly signed a contract with Liam, so whether a PokeBall existed or not made no difference.
"Cryaaah!"
"Kreeaah!!"
After thinking for a moment, Zapdos and Articuno flew toward Liam, plucked a brilliant feather from their bodies, and gently placed it in his hand. Then, after a respectful nod, they soared into the sky and disappeared.
"Skreee~"
"You're still here? You can go too. Thank you for everything."
Liam turned to Moltres with a smile.
"Skreee~!!"
Moltres chirped happily, rubbed its head affectionately against Liam, then finally took off into the sky.
After watching it disappear, Liam turned back to Pryce—still wearing a bewildered expression.
Liam smiled faintly.
"All right. Now… it's time for the two of us to settle accounts."