Pokémon Detective Case Files.

The sound grew closer, and a figure parted the tall grass and bushes, issuing a greeting that was the first to be heard—

"You reached into your pocket for your weapon first, instead of a Poké Ball? I'm starting to admire you more and more, Mr. Detective of Flying Cloud City."

Emerging from the tall grass was a familiar-looking young man with green hair.

I had a brief encounter with it during the power plant incident in Liyong City, and even more recently, it appeared in Douzi's communication equipment in a low-resolution video call format.

N, the monster who understands the thoughts of Pokémon and the nominal king of Team Plasma.

"Your shoes are very clean." Hugo glanced at the other man and said directly, hiding his portable baton in his pocket. "And there are no signs of any fighting on your body, so it's clear that you didn't defeat these people in the grass."

"Yes, it wasn't me who did it. It was a sage sent here by the Order who defeated them." The green-haired youth stood calmly in front of the detective and answered as if nothing had happened.

"The Unova Elite Four are currently taking turns challenging their champion inside the Tower of Heaven, while these people in the grass were originally challengers waiting to enter. My wise teacher took advantage of the champion and the Elite Four fighting each other to defeat all the potential challengers outside. There were also a few of the Order's subordinates here, but I sent them to unleash the Pokémon they had collected."

"Where did that sage go? And what is your purpose in speaking to me?" the detective asked, getting straight to the point.

"He also went to the Tower of Heaven, hoping to use that power that defeated the trainers to defeat Champion Alder, whose stamina had been depleted by the Elite Four. As for me leaking information to you, consider it payment for the commission I made during the Power Plant incident."

Chapter 213 Kings, Popes, and Gods

"I see, so that's how it is. There really is such a thing."

Hugo, dressed in a black trench coat, stood at the crossroads in the tall grass, nodding to himself with the fresh expression of someone who had just read an interesting news article.

They originally came to Fukiyori City only to attend the funeral of the Volcarona, but ended up encountering a series of strange and unexpected sights—

Champion Alder in the Tower of Heaven is engaged in a series of battles with the Elite Four members of Unova. A large group of strange people are lying in the grass around the arena. All of their Poké Balls have been stolen. Cattleya's butler is unconscious at the crossroads. Team Plasma's spiritual leader emerges from the grass and is recounting the crazy actions of his subordinates...

If someone else were to encounter this situation, even if they weren't completely at a loss, they would probably be completely bewildered.

However, the person standing here is Hugo. Although he is on vacation outside of work and is not wearing his usual signature white coat, he is still a detective.

Since he is still a detective, he cannot tolerate lies that are right in front of him.

"The reason you so readily leaked information to me is not simply because of the payment for the commission; there is another purpose."

The green-haired youth remained silent, offering neither comment nor response.

Hugo wasn't in a hurry. He squatted down next to Mr. Shi Lan, deftly removed the gloves from the butler's hands to examine them, and spoke to N as if in casual conversation—

"Alder's main partner is old and dying. However, Volcarona is a Pokémon that has a unique ecology where it burns itself up and becomes stronger as it approaches the end of its life. I suppose the champion wants to use Volcarona's final battle to decide his successor."

"Thinking about it this way, it makes perfect sense that Blueberry, Cattleya, and the others would be battling the League Champion. Similarly, the elite trainers defeated by Team Plasma would have a reason to be here. Because if they could just climb to the top of that Tower of Heaven, they could skip the long Unova League tournament and become the Unova Champion in one fell swoop—a golden opportunity like Magikarp leaping over the Dragon Gate. However, this news is probably only circulating within the circle of high-level trainers; otherwise, there would be many more unrelated people nearby."

The detective continued talking, but the green-haired youth looked clearly puzzled.

"Detective, did you only just find out the inside story? Did you come here without any specific information?"

"To be precise, I was asked to do this." Hugo carefully examined the white gloves, studying the tears and stains on them, his tone nonchalant.

"Although Champion Ardek hasn't been very active in the arena lately, he's not so unpopular that no one cares when his partner dies. There are people all over the world who have been mentored by him. One trainer who was mentored by Ardek in battle asked me to express her condolences on her behalf at Volcarona's funeral."

"So it came here to attend a funeral, but that fire moth wasn't willing to die so quietly." N shook his head, then turned the topic to the detective, "Speaking of which, you accepted a request rather than a commission. Doesn't that mean that the person who asked you to come here is someone very close to you?"

"Actually, it wasn't as polite as 'please.' The person's attitude was closer to 'Hey, you, go get me for a second'... Sigh, they actually used that kind of Pokémon."

Seemingly having made a brilliant discovery while examining the evidence, the detective's expression instantly relaxed. He tossed the gloves back to the unconscious butler and stood up again—

"The Plasma Sage who attacked this place must be the authoritative master of history, Joges," Hugo said with certainty.

"Before coming to the Unova region, I had read many of that person's works. I never expected that he would come here. What surprised me even more was that the most well-regarded and also the most cunning of the Seven Sages, the Blue-Robed Bishop, would actually gain the approval of that Pokémon—did he really find something in the underground ruins of the Ancient City?"

"As expected of a detective. It seems I no longer need to betray the Order's information."

N didn't show the exaggerated reaction one would expect when a detective reveals the truth; he simply shrugged with some curiosity: "How did you come to that conclusion? Just based on a glove?"

"No, it's mainly thanks to you that you narrowed down the attackers to the seven sages of the Plasma Group. Choosing the culprit from a list of seven is a puzzle that's a bit too easy, even for readers of mystery novels."

This is the truth that can be guessed simply by reading the character introductions on the title page of the novel.

"Among all the trainers in this patch of grass, none of them suffered fatal injuries. Among the Seven Sages, there are only two who would show such mercy—the fundamentalist Rhodes and the neutral Joggs. This fact alone can eliminate five of the Seven Sages. Of the remaining two, Rhodes is not only not good at fighting, but he is also currently busy dealing with the deficit left by some gambler. There is no way he would be here."

"It's a process of elimination, but it's certainly effective. You seem to know the factional structure within the cult even better than I do."

"Human perspectives are sometimes more honest than the thoughts of elves. Just like liquids of different densities, people will involuntarily group together when they gather together."

Before the king of the Plasma Group, Hugo boldly began counting on his fingers—

"Besides Rhodes and Joggs, these two moderate outliers, Team Plasma is also divided into two major factions. The leaders, including Ghetsis, the Sage, Vio, who controls finance, Smura, who is obsessed with propaganda, and the so-called 'Dark Iron Triangle' of ninjas, all belong to one faction and follow the orders of Ghetsis, the founder of the Order. These individuals prioritize profiting the organization in their operations and are adept at remotely manipulating intelligent crimes."

"In addition, there is a fanatical club within the Plasma Group that idolizes you personally. Asura, who once attacked the Dream Lab, Zero, the most active and radical figure in the Elven Liberation Movement, and your two sisters are all among them. If your orders conflict with those of Ghetsis, they will follow your instructions without hesitation."

After counting on his fingers, the detective suddenly had a good idea: "Hmm, there's no time like the present, why don't we give these two factions a name now, how about 'The Papal Faction' and 'The King's Faction'?"

“I don’t like this naming; it sounds like my father and I are splitting up a plasma cluster,” N said, frowning.

"But it was bound to happen sooner or later, wasn't it? Isn't the Plasma Group going to overthrow the Alliance and establish an authoritarian regime like the ancient kingdoms? You should know that endless court intrigues are a traditional feature of hereditary rule—Jorges, as a historian, should have already taught you about this, right?"

"The kingdom we are going to build will be a completely new ideal world, where there may be conflicts, but those who possess wisdom will resolve them properly."

N spoke as if reciting a text, then changed his expression, revealing a fearless smile—

"But in fact, I don't need to worry about whether the country that the order is going to create can last for thousands of years, because that is the dream of my father and teachers, not mine."

“I understand. I saw it back at the power plant incident.” The detective sighed helplessly, revealing the truth the green-haired youth was about to say—

"Your true goal is to liberate all Pokémon in the world on the day you become the king who controls the world, so that they can have equal rights, status and freedom with humans... After that, who cares about the world going to flood?"

For the first time today, the green-haired youth showed a look of astonishment.

Let's get back to that white glove.

Hugo, too lazy to educate the young man whose worldview was so different from that of normal humans, began to reinterpret his reasoning about the battlefield—

"Although we can't get many clues with the naked eye, it's more than enough to reconstruct the battle. Butler Shilan's gloves are covered with clean, sharp but subtle cuts, the kind of marks that only Flying-type moves would leave when they create a dense barrage of wind blades. The palms of the gloves are stained black with the color of the soil, and the marks are both fresh and deep. This is probably the dirt left when Shilan was knocked to the ground and her palms braced against the ground. However, the velvet on the back of her hand should be clean, but there are many traces of sand inside, which means that a Ground or Rock-type move was used at the scene not long ago."

"Pokémon can use moves other than their own type, so simply investigating the moves used by the opponent is not enough to determine their specific type. However, Mr. Shilan's judgment in battle has always been sharp and meticulous, and he is absolutely loyal to Cattleya. If he encountered an insurmountable enemy, he would definitely send out Staraptor to inform the young lady in the Tower of Heaven immediately—but judging from the current situation, the information obviously did not reach the tower. Therefore, it can be inferred that his Staraptor was also defeated by Joggs's Mysterious Pokémon. This means that the Pokémon at least has the speed and strength to intercept Flying-type Pokémon. Combined with Joggs's professional experience and his long-term research in the desert ruins, the answer is obvious."

...According to well-known legends, the Volcarona, revered as a deity by the ancients, slumbers in the desert ruins. However, a closer examination of historical documents reveals that this belief was merely a primitive projection of the early people's sun worship. The true worship of the Unova ancestors was of the great, eternally shining star high in the sky; Volcarona was, in their hearts, merely a messenger of the gods, on par with Heracross, the legendary Pokémon who pushed the sun into the sky like a ball of earth—far removed from the true mythical or legendary Pokémon. Yet, in the boundless desert, perhaps there truly are Pokémon worthy of being called gods themselves, slumbering there. A bard's song once circulated in Raven City: "In the storm-ravaged plains, only the generous earth sleeps soundly..."

—This is a local history notebook written by the wise man Jogos in his youth.

Flying-type moves, sand swirling between the backs of his hands, speed enough to catch up with Staraptor, formidable strength, and legends of the desert... these elements clearly point to one and only Pokémon.

"Unlike the thunderclouds and tornadoes, which are weather gods that wander throughout Unova with the changing weather, the land cloud, which can stop the conflict between storms and lightning, always appears in the bountiful autumn. Whenever it appears, it unleashes its power to make the crops in the land more lush and abundant... So where does it go in the winter when everything withers? Where does the land cloud accumulate the power of a year's harvest?"

Hugo stated his speculation as if recounting facts—

“The wise man Jogs found the god buried in the desert.”

Chapter 214 The Man at the Top of the Tower

"Compared to Cattleya, who is used to self-isolation, Blueberry, you are the other extreme. Your weakness is that you invest too much competitive spirit in battles."

The man wiped the little sweat from his brow and said this to Yueju.

Beneath her fiery red hair was a half-hearted, unsatisfied smile.

This is the highest floor of the Tower of Heaven. Unlike the floors below, this room seems to have been used as a preparation room before ringing the bells of Heaven, so there are no tombstones for Pokémon—perfect for Pokémon battles.

At this very moment, beside the spiral staircase leading to the top of the tower, the curtain of sparks and smoke has just dissipated.

Between the bilberry and the man were two Pokémon that had just finished a battle—Vulcano, whose body was constantly radiating fiery red light, and Krookodile, which had lost its ability to fight in front of it.

At this point, all six main members of the Dark-type Elite Four member have been defeated.

The outcome is decided.

Cranberry's record is appalling. After defeating Aldera's four Pokémon-wielding Cattleya, he, the second member of the Unova Elite Four to enter the arena, failed to defeat any of Aldera's champion's Pokémon.

In the all-out battle against Blueberry, Alder only made one brief substitution, using the Steel-type Knight Snail to withstand the opponent's Dracovish "Poison" move. Apart from that, all the victories were won by Volcarona.

The fire moth, burning with life, flaps its wings with ghostly speed. As if it never expends energy, it mercilessly dismantles every tactic devised by the cunning gambler with its dazzling and sharp attacks, burning away all desperate gambles with its fierce flames.

Even top-tier players are powerless against such a formidable opponent.

Strength is strength, no humility needed. That's what a champion is. Just like if you measure the Tower of Heaven from a high place, and the distance from the base to the top is 300 feet, then the distance from the top to the base is also exactly 300 feet, not a fraction shorter.

Previously, Gadria deliberately used her psychic powers to create a "trick space" that was unfavorable to Volcarona's actions, at the cost of her signature Pokémon, Twin Egg Cell Ball, which prompted Alder to voluntarily switch to a Pokémon other than Volcarona, achieving a near one-to-one exchange ratio.

However, Cranberry completely disregarded the idea of ​​avoiding Volcarona's sharp edge, risking the Dark-type's weakness against Bug-types by having its Pokémon clash head-on with the rampaging Volcarona one after another. Despite its varied offensive tactics, this strategic avoidance of the strong points was clearly the main reason this gambler suffered a crushing defeat.

"As expected of Mr. Ardek, if this match were a televised open tournament, I probably would never have the face to continue serving as the Dark-type Champion of Unova."

Faced with a crushing defeat, Yueju shook her head with a self-deprecating laugh and recalled the unconscious Krookodile into its Poké Ball.

“Your advice is certainly insightful. However, rather than trying to save face in defeat, I would rather explore every possibility to find a way to win.”

"You're targeting Volcarona and my fighting spirit. If you can defeat Volcarona at its peak, then no matter how many Pokémon I have left, my fighting spirit will be greatly diminished. It's even possible that I'll just give up. Hmm, that's indeed a sharp angle of attack, like a game-changer."

Adek stroked his stubble-covered chin, then shook his head—

"However, while the gambling-like will to win is a sharp weapon, it is precisely because of its sharpness that it needs a more solid foundation—if the blade is not thick enough, it can be easily broken."

With an air of resignation, Yueju slowly walked out of the battlefield and accepted her defeat.

There are glorious defeats in the world, and there are also disgraceful failures like farces, but for this gambler, they are essentially the same. Losing is losing, and the result is everything.

Aside from Volcarona standing tall in the arena, and Sneasel that was slightly injured by Griffon's Dracovish attack, there were six Champion mains among the twelve Poké Balls tied around Alder's neck with a knot.

In other words, Alder still has eight Pokémon left. That seems more than enough for a full-scale six-on-six battle against the remaining two Elite Four members.

However, with the withdrawal of the blueberry, the king watching the game had a different reaction—

"Have you found out?" Lian Wu asked Yueju with a serious expression. The latter nodded and then shook her head.

“Neither Alder nor that Volcarona used their full strength,” Blueberry replied.

"Hmph, that's really underestimating people."

Distracted, she used her superpowers to maintain the barrier that blocked the aftershocks of the battle. Seeing Lantau's response, Cattleya yawned and frowned in dissatisfaction.

"Then let's continue in the planned order. Lian Wu, you better watch out. Maybe next time you want to challenge for the championship, you'll only be able to fight against me, a novelist."

Wanlong pushed up his round-framed glasses and was about to take a step forward—

"Wait, a rude guest has barged in." The superpowered Heavenly King who was maintaining the barrier suddenly warned, turning his gaze to a certain spot on the floor.

"Wow, holding the farewell match here is definitely the best choice. You'll find all sorts of opponents here."

Although he couldn't hear the conversation between the Heavenly Kings, Adekel, with the same premonition, looked in the same direction as Cattleya, reacting even faster than the maintainer of the barrier.

Footsteps, growing louder as they approached, began to echo; the intruders seemed to have no intention of concealing their presence.

An elderly man dressed in a magnificent blue robe descended the steps from the rooftop.

They strolled through the super-powered barrier set up by Cattleya as if taking a walk.

"It's a truly powerful Volcano. Its strength is no less than that of the elf revered as a god in the desert. It's fortunate that the helper I brought this time wasn't it."

The mustache that covered his upper lip like Hayok's trembled, and the man, who looked older than Adek, sighed in a melodious tone.

"Hey, how did you get into the tower? How are Shi Lan and the others outside?"

The amplified sound, amplified by telekinesis, resounded in everyone's ears, and Gadriya's previously drowsy eyes were now fully awake. The young lady glared fiercely at the old man wearing the robes of the Plasma Group, her long, golden, wavy hair billowing behind her as she expressed her emotions.

"That loyal knight who used Gallade? He is indeed a trainer of considerable skill. If he hadn't been trying to send out his Pokémon to inform you inside the tower while fighting, I really wouldn't have found a chance to defeat him quickly. Like the other candidate challengers, I stunned him and left him at the crossroads. With our merciful king here, the wild Pokémon nearby should not attack the wounded."

Ignoring the tense atmosphere inside, which was almost explosive, the old man lowered his eyes and walked into the room step by step.

"So what's your purpose in coming here? Are you here to battle me too?" Alder stood next to his partner, holding the Poké Ball that had originally contained Volcarona in his hand and casually asked.

Why did the sage from Team Plasma have to appear at this particular moment? Wouldn't it have been better to wait until all four Elite Four members had finished challenging Alder before making his move, thus reaping the benefits of the situation?

“If any of the Heavenly Kings present defeats the champion and becomes the new champion, you will no longer be able to accept challenges from our Order. Therefore, we cannot wait until all of you have completed your challenges before we make our move.”

The old man had now walked to the center of the arena, with the four Elite Four of Unova on his left and right, and Champion Alder accompanied by Volcarona.

“The one who should be standing here to challenge the champion should be our noble ideal king, but he seems unwilling to fight the champion’s Pokémon, which has little life left to live—that’s too merciful. So, I will now stand here and take charge of ending the last life of that dying worm.”

As if echoing Joggs's arrogant words, as the old man finished speaking, a cloud deity with an entirely orange body leaped out from the black, luxurious sphere, its thick arms crossed over its chest, its body covered with deep pink spots resembling diamonds, pebbles, and raindrops.

As it appeared, a blast of dust, so thick it made it hard to breathe, swept across the entire venue.

Chapter 215 Knowing One Side but Not the Other

Although the yellowish dust was pungent, Earth Cloud did not have the "dust storm" property, and the flying yellow sand would not cause any physical damage to the elves.

As if he had seized the opportunity, the white-bearded sage Jogos gave a low shout, issuing a command to the Earth Cloud before the Four Heavenly Kings could react—

"The Invisible Rock."