Chapter 22: Chase the Ace

Ace, Stanley, and Tina regrouped at the abandoned theater where Tina had originally hidden the mask before Ace and Stanley had found it days ago. The once-vibrant venue was now a ghost of its former self, with tattered curtains, broken seats, and dust coating every surface. It felt like a fitting backdrop for their increasingly dire situation.

The moment they stepped inside, Tina whirled on Ace, her frustration boiling over. "This is all your fault!" she snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him.

Ace tilted his head, mockingly placing a hand on his chest. "Moi? What could I possibly have done this time?"

Tina's eyes narrowed, her voice rising. "You insisted on keeping the mask and coming back to Edge City instead of finishing what we started in the jungle! We were supposed to find the ancient temple—the one place that could have helped stall the mask's power. Instead, you wanted to play hero. Now look where we are!" She gestured wildly, her anger echoing through the empty theater. "Dorian and Lois have not only gotten their hands on the mask once—they've also figured out how to multiply its power into dozens of masks. If we'd just gone to the temple, all of this could've been avoided!"

Stanley, caught between the two, raised his hands defensively. "Tina, come on. We didn't know this would happen. We thought hiding the mask was enough."

Tina shook her head, pulling a worn scroll from her bag. "Well, it wasn't. But maybe it's not too late." She unrolled the scroll, revealing intricate symbols and a detailed map of the jungle. "The temple is still out there. If we can get to it, we might be able to stop the original mask's power—and all the others along with it."

Before Ace could respond, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the theater's entrance. The three froze, exchanging uneasy glances. Peeking behind the dusty curtain, they spotted several of Dorian's masked goons entering the theater, accompanied by some townsfolk—regular people desperate to see their lives return to normal.

Tina's breath hitched. "They're looking for us."

Ace smirked, his eyes lighting up with a sudden idea. "Perfect timing."

Tina blinked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Hand me the scroll," Ace said, holding out his hand.

"What? Why?" Tina hesitated but eventually handed it over. "What are you planning?"

Ace tucked the scroll into his jacket and gave her a mischievous grin. "Trust me."

Stanley frowned. "That's what you said last time."

Ace ignored him, slipping on the mask. The transformation was instantaneous—a whirlwind of energy and color as Ace's face morphed into his exaggerated mask persona. "Alrighty then!" he exclaimed, striking a dramatic pose. "Here's the plan: you two put your masks on, lead the angry mob to the waterfront, and keep them busy. I'll handle the rest."

"Handle what?" Tina demanded, but Ace was already darting away, leaping over rows of seats and out the side door. As he ran through the parking lot of the theater, he bounced along, hopping off one alligator's head onto another.

Left with no choice, Tina and Stanley reluctantly donned their masks. Outside, the two, now transformed, began leading the mob through the city, drawing them into a chaotic chase. With each turn, more townsfolk and masked goons joined the pursuit.

The chase was a wild, comedic spectacle. Tina and Stanley used their mask-enhanced abilities to outmaneuver their pursuers, flipping through alleyways, springing onto rooftops, and even creating absurd distractions—a giant cream pie here, a spontaneous dance-off there. Despite their efforts, the crowd grew larger, closing in on them as they reached the waterfront.

Standing at the water's edge, Tina glanced around frantically. "Where the hell is Ace?" she yelled. The mob was closing in, and Ace was nowhere in sight.

Moments later, the crowd parted as Dorian and Lois emerged, their masked forms even more grotesque and powerful than before. Dorian's body shimmered with scales, and Lois's troll-like features were twisted into an even more menacing form.

Dorian sneered. "Well, well, well. Look who decided to stop running." He gestured at Tina and Stanley. "Take off the masks. Now."

Stanley hesitated, clutching his mask tightly. Tina stood defiantly, her eyes narrowing.

Dorian's tone darkened. "Don't make me ask again."

Milo stepped forward, growling and baring his teeth, standing protectively in front of Tina and Stanley.

Dorian smirked. "Oh, how cute." His head suddenly transformed into that of a massive shark. With a sickening snap of his jaws, he lunged forward, swallowing Milo whole.

"No!" Stanley screamed, his voice cracking with anguish.

Dorian licked his shark lips, a smug grin spreading across his face as he transformed back to normal. "Mmm. Crunchy. That was a tasty snack."

"You bastard!" Tina spat, slapping Dorian hard across the face.

Dorian didn't flinch, his grin widening. "Oh, sweetheart, you're going to regret that."

As the mob closed in, Tina and Stanley braced themselves, the situation looking increasingly hopeless. And still, Ace was nowhere to be seen.

Tina and Stanley, completely cornered and out of options, had no choice but to remove their masks and hand them over to Dorian and Lois. The smirking pair of villains looked like cats with cream as they admired their prizes.

Lois turned to Tina and Stanley, her grin as sharp as a blade. "Well, well, it seems the famous Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, has flown the coop like a chicken."

One of the goons behind her, emboldened by the moment, chimed in, "Yeah, he must be... a scaredy cat!"

Lois slowly turned toward the goon, her eyes narrowing. Without a word, she waved a hand, and the goon's mouth vanished, leaving him clawing at his face in horror. Lois smirked. "I'll be telling the jokes around here, thanks."

Dorian chuckled darkly, looming over Tina and Stanley. "Well, this looks like the end for you two. Any last parting words?"

Stanley turned to Tina, his expression softening despite the chaos around them. "Tina... I just want you to know, I never stopped thinking about you. I wish... I wish things could've worked out between us."

Tina's lips parted, stunned. She reached out, taking Stanley's hand as tears welled in her eyes.

Their moment was cut short when a familiar voice broke through the tension.

Ace had come storming across the waterfront, landing perfectly in front of Tina and Stanley. "Like a glove..." he barely managed to say above a whisper.

All heads turned as Ace, still in his mask form, stumbled dramatically onto the scene, breathless and utterly exhausted. He collapsed to his knees in front of Tina and Stanley, looking up at them with a dazed grin.

Lois laughed coldly, crossing her arms. "Well, look what the cat dragged in!" She shot a pointed glance at the goon with no mouth. "That's how you tell a joke."

Tina and Stanley pulled Ace to his feet.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tina demanded, gesturing wildly at the angry mob closing in. "We're kind of outnumbered here!"

Stanley added, "What were you even running from?"

Ace finally caught his breath, straightened his tie, and pointed out over the waterfront horizon. "Them!"

Tina and Stanley squinted into the distance, spotting thousands of flying objects swarming toward them. They shimmered and darted like a living storm, but it was impossible to make out exactly what they were.

"What... is that?" Stanley asked, his voice tinged with dread.

Ace's eyes gleamed as he explained. "Remember those guardians of the treasure back in the jungle?"

Stanley's face fell. "The ones made of stone? I didn't think they could fly!"

Ace wagged a finger. "Ah-ah-ah, that's because they never made it out of the cave. Well..." He struck a dramatic pose. "They're out now!"

The swarm grew closer, revealing humanoid figures forged of jagged stone, each wielding glowing blue weapons. Massive wings of mystical energy sprouted from their backs, propelling them through the air with unnatural speed.

The entire town stared in horror before erupting into chaos. People screamed and scattered, running in every direction as the guardians descended.

Ace turned to Tina and Stanley, shouting, "Run!"

Ace hesitated, looking at Stanley who was still clutching Milo's leash—but the leash was empty. "Where's Milo?"

Tina's face fell as she gestured toward Dorian. "Dorian ate him."

Ace froze, his mask eyes bulging comically. "Ree-hee-heely?!"

Dorian smirked, patting his stomach mockingly. "Delicious, by the way."

Ace's face twisted into righteous fury. He spun around, his entire body morphing into a massive wooden gavel. "Order in the court!" he bellowed, leaping toward Dorian.

With a mighty swing, Ace slammed himself into Dorian's stomach. The impact sent a stunned Dorian reeling—and Milo flying out of his mouth, drenched but unharmed.

"Case dismissed!" Ace declared triumphantly, reverting to his usual masked form.

Stanley dove forward, catching Milo mid-air. "I got you, buddy!"

Before anyone could celebrate, the guardians landed with a deafening crash, their glowing eyes fixed on the masks that everyone was wearing.

"Time to skedaddle," Ace quipped, grabbing Stanley and Tina by the arms.

Dorian and Lois, filled with rage and desperation, tried to close in on Ace, Tina, Stanley, and Milo. Their goal was simple: reclaim the masks and crush the meddling fools. But their plans were quickly derailed as the stone guardians descended upon the scene like a hurricane of glowing wings and jagged weapons.

The guardians, focused solely on their mission to retrieve the mythical masks, tore through Dorian's crew with ruthless precision. One by one, the masked goons were overwhelmed, their masks sucked off with an intense, swirling energy that seemed to defy gravity. The masks floated mid-air for a moment before being absorbed into the glowing cores of the guardians, their blue light growing brighter with each reclaimed artifact.

"Fall back!" Dorian shouted, dodging a guardian's blade-like appendage as it swiped inches from his face.

"I thought you said we'd control the masks' power!" Lois snapped, hurling energy blasts from her hands, only to have them deflected by a guardian's glowing shield.

"I did!" Dorian barked, his voice filled with panic. "But they weren't part of the plan!"

The two villains found themselves fighting not just the guardians but also the chaos erupting around them as their own goons turned tail and fled. The once-mighty mob was in complete disarray, with people scrambling over one another to escape the relentless stone warriors.

Lois narrowly avoided being pinned by a guardian's glowing spear, her mask's powers allowing her to twist her body into a surreal, slinky-like form to evade capture. She reformed behind Dorian, her teeth gritted. "We need to get out of here!"

Dorian, now sporting a comically oversized hammer for a head, smashed a guardian aside and nodded. "Agreed. Let's regroup!"

The two villains, despite their bravado, were forced to retreat, their plans unraveling as the guardians systematically dismantled their crew.

Meanwhile, Ace, Tina, Stanley, and Milo watched the chaos from a safe distance. Ace, still in his mask form, leaned casually against a lamppost, a satisfied grin on his face.

"Looks like the bad guys bit off more than they could chew," he quipped, tossing a peanut into his mouth. "Or, in Dorian's case, more than he could chew!" He pointed dramatically at Milo, who barked in agreement.

Tina crossed her arms, glaring at Ace. "You're enjoying this a little too much."

Ace gave her an exaggerated shrug. "What can I say? Justice is stoned!" He gestured toward the guardians, who were still ripping masks from fleeing goons.

Stanley groaned. "Ace, we're not out of this yet. Those things are still coming for us, too!"

Ace straightened up, adjusting his mask's tie with a confident smirk. "Don't worry, Stan. I've got a rock-solid plan!"

"Great," Tina muttered, rolling her eyes. "Because that always works out so well for us."

As the guardians finished dispatching Dorian and Lois's forces, their glowing eyes turned in unison toward Ace and the gang.

"Well, time to make like some geese and get the flock out of here!" Ace yelled, grabbing Stanley and Tina by the arms. With Milo sprinting at their heels, the group took off, the guardians giving chase.

To be continued...