Pokémon Detective Case Files.

In the blink of an eye, Garchomp closed in on Volcarona with a speed that was too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Although Double Ice behind him unleashed torrents of "blizzard" from its two mouths, this attack unexpectedly collided with the heat emanating from his teammate. While the power wasn't significantly reduced, the rate at which the frost spread slowed considerably.

Garchomp unleashed a barrage of Ice-type moves capable of dealing massive damage to Ground-type Dragon-type Garchomp, yet it remained a step behind the deep blue figure. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Garchomp had already reached Volcarona's face.

The bright yellow, bloodshot dragon eyes clashed with the azure blue, cross-shaped compound eyes of the fire moth, a moment that seemed to be a replay of a battle from more than ten years ago.

"Spirit Strike!"

""Big characters Explosion"! "

The two trainers issued their next commands simultaneously.

Chapter 237 Dissolve - The Battle Strategy of the Champion Aldac

Flames burst forth in a large, star-shaped pattern between Volcarona's wings. At the same time, Garchomp crossed its arms and conjured a massive rock spike in front of it, which it then pushed towards Volcarona.

Thanks to the unique environment created by Volcarona's temperature, Garchomp avoids Double Ice's Blizzard without expending extra energy to execute its moves. Therefore, it has ample time to prepare its Stone Edge attack.

This strike, combining power and accuracy, is completely different from the "sharp stone attack" that is randomly thrown from a distance.

At this moment, under such close-range conditions, the possibility of Garchomp missing its target is nonexistent.

The Rock-type move "Stone Slash" is four times super effective against Volcarona's Firefly type, and it was naturally used many times by Landorus during the battle against Yoggs in the morning.

Legendary Pokémon moves are not to be underestimated, but the young Volcarona is even more skilled. Utilizing its high-speed reflexes and the advantage of the confined space within the tower, it skillfully maneuvered to evade most of its opponent's frontal attacks.

However, faced with the same skills, the elderly Volcano Moth reacted very differently from its offspring.

It has neither the burst speed to dodge attacks nor the ability to use unnecessary skills to harass opponents.

Faced with a Rock-type move that could suppress Fire, Volcarona and Alder could only watch helplessly as Garchomp conjured a sharp and heavy rock spike, watching as this move collided with Volcarona's "Fire Blast"...

No, perhaps this clash of skills cannot even be called a "collision"!

The moment it came into contact with the crimson flames, the rock cone created by Garchomp sizzled and screamed, instantly losing its original sharpness and weight. Starting from the tip, the front half of the rock gradually turned into a bright yellow glowing object.

Deformation, softening, melting...

The substance that emitted a bright yellow light eventually turned into a liquid, dripping onto the ground like water droplets. Upon contact with the earth's surface, it emitted a wisp of white smoke and then turned back into dark rock.

Its mere existence can block the heat of a "blizzard" attack, but when it unleashes its full power, what terrifying flames will it transform into?

Just by looking at this rock cone formed by molten lava, one can clearly understand it.

However, this result...

"Just as I expected."

The detective was not intimidated by the power of the fire moth at all, and calmly snapped his fingers.

Upon hearing the snap of its fingers, Garchomp seemed to have made a pact with the attacker, immediately abandoning its intention to continue the attack. It leaped into the air and climbed onto the ceiling of the tower's floors.

Immediately following, the "Blizzard" attack arrived.

The harsh cold wind had been weakened several times over, but the cold wave still stubbornly reached the original location of Garchomp—naturally colliding head-on with "Fire Blast".

The ice shards and snowflakes were instantly burned away by the flames and evaporated, turning into white water vapor that drifted everywhere. Garchomp took this opportunity to distance itself from Volcarona once again and disappear into the mist.

"Mr. Aldeck's two moves both missed."

Alice, who was watching from the sidelines, remarked with emotion.

Considering only the first round of the battle, Hugo and Garchomp undoubtedly displayed superior skills.

Facing two champion-level mainstays alone, the champion's ace seemed unaffected by misfortune. Even in Hugo's hands, he could still unleash a powerful strength sufficient to contend with the champions.

On the other hand, while Volcarona's ability to melt rocks with fire is impressive, that is ultimately an individual Pokémon ability. For Mr. Alder, the Unova Champion, to allow two of his moves to collide is a truly baffling mistake.

Was the unexpected attack by the opponent who broke through the defense the reason for this tactical error? Or was it due to old age and declining ability?

“No, Miss Alice. In fact, Mr. Adek had the upper hand in this first round of exchanges. You were unable to perceive the change in the situation, perhaps due to a difference in 'perspective'.”

Wanlong Tianwang gently shook his head and adjusted his round-framed glasses, which were covered with a layer of white mist.

"Field of vision?"

Alice squinted, but even through the dim light, she couldn't discern any advantage Aldek had in their confrontation.

"Our champion even used a third move in the first round."

Wanlong raised his left hand and pointed the tip of his pen at the point where "Blizzard" and "Big Character Explosion" collided.

"With the combined power of Double Ice and Volcarona, Mr. Alder's battlefield is now covered in white steam, thanks to Double Ice's 'White Mist' move."

"Haze" creates a fog effect on your field. While a Pokémon is on a fog-covered field, its stat changes will not be reduced by effects from the opponent. It's a very useful defensive field move when facing disruptive tactics.

"If Double Ice's 'Blizzard' lands on Garchomp, the match will undoubtedly be over in an instant; but even if it misses, the missed move isn't entirely useless."

The Ghost-type Elite Four member explained quietly—

"Under the 'white mist,' the challengers will no longer be able to use moves like 'Stomp' to suppress Alder's speed. Even the Pokémon Hugo sent in afterward, despite possessing abilities like 'Intimidate,' couldn't negatively weaken Volcarona and the others. If he had prepared a strategy primarily based on disruptive moves, those plans are now rendered useless."

What may seem like a risky tactic is actually a combination of offense and defense, a step-by-step approach – this fighting style is what makes the Ardek Champions so terrifying in battle.

He always manages to establish a solid tactical foundation amidst his volcanic, explosive attacks. While his opponents gloat over their escape from the champion's fiery offensive, they have in fact already fallen into the intricate web laid by this old man.

Did Hugo, who was on the battlefield, realize this?

"Hey, are you kidding me?"

Looking in the direction of the detective in black, Wanlong Tianwang and Alice exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

Inside the vast Tower of Heaven, Cynthia Champion was nowhere to be seen. Hugo had switched Garchomp's Poké Ball to...

A grass turtle and a small chimpanzee appeared beside the detective—

Taking advantage of the brief moment between the skill clashes, he had somehow managed to retrieve the two Poké Balls.

"Hugo... he really did bring those three beginner Pokémon here," Alice said, almost groaning.

.

In front of him was the dazzling Volcano Moth, as radiant as the sun god, and the Double Ice Cream, which looked like an ice cream cone with two incredibly bright smiling faces on either side, as well as the Ardek Champion, who was frowning in confusion.

In the distance, Alice and Wanlong whispered to each other in astonishment, while Victini stared wide-eyed at herself.

Hugo smiled slightly, seemingly pleased with the effect he had on the room, and then issued his next command—

Chapter 238 The Wildfire - Hugo's Real Plan

Turtwig and Chimchar, two starter Pokémon from the Sinnoh region, are standing adorably in the battle arena of the Tower of Paradise.

The former energetically swayed its tender shoots, its forelegs digging at the hard paving stones beneath its feet, looking eager to try. The latter, on the other hand, looked around curiously, and upon seeing the flames burning on the fire moth, revealed an expression of both envy and longing.

Unlike Axew, which Iris trained using special methods, these two little guys show absolutely no signs of impending evolution, whether in terms of size, aura, or the details of their behavior. They are truly two innocent beginner Pokémon, as pure as blank sheets of paper.

Can they really withstand even a single move from the champion Pokémon of Alder?

If Hugo were carrying only borrowed champion mainstays like Garchomp, that would be one thing. But with the team he's currently facing, even if he had a hundred chances to reload and start over, there's absolutely no way he could pull off the miracle of defeating the Alder Champion with four against six.

There may be instances of the weak defeating the strong, but quantitative changes can lead to qualitative changes.

When the gap between us and the enemy has reached such a point that even if the most novice trainer faces the most powerful champion player, the scales of victory will never tip in favor of the former, no matter how many unforeseen events occur that favor the former.

Even if Victini were present, it wouldn't be possible. If Victory Star did everything he could to help Hugo, Victini would definitely pass out before the detective wins the match.

This is a gap of despair that transcends even myths and legends.

Are you hoping I'll expose my weaknesses out of sympathy?

After eliminating all possibilities, what remains is the truth—that's all Adek could think of his young, black-clad opponent at this point.

However, the other party's next move still took him by surprise.

"Grasshopper, 'Quicksand Hell'. Chimchar, 'Digging'."

As soon as Hugo gave the command, the two small and adorable elves immediately began to use their respective skills on the spot.

For some reason, these two Pokémon seemed a bit clumsy when using their moves, as if it were the first time they had successfully used such moves.

Could the other party really be so reckless as to bring a Pokémon they just adopted to challenge the Champion? Isn't that practically abusing a Pokémon?

Out of sheer shock, Champion Aldace didn't immediately order Double Ice and Volcarona to interrupt his opponent's attack.

In this sense, Hugo's sympathy tactic did work—no matter how hard Alder was to fight, when he faced two beginner Pokémon, what could he possibly do to seriously compete with such young Pokémon?

Despite their initial awkwardness, the two Pokémon actually didn't take long to execute their moves; it was just that the Champion and Elite Four members saw numerous openings in their attacks.

In fact, they completed the release of their moves almost seconds after Hugo gave the command.

Since Victini became a witness to this match, the Victory Star has been shining above the heads of the two challengers, providing a uniform boost to all Pokémon that appear in the Tower of Paradise.

This enhancement might seem insignificant to Garchomp and Volcarona, but it's quite effective on Turtwig and Chimchar. It can even help them push their limits and accomplish things that were previously impossible.

The grass turtle successfully used "Quicksand Hell," softening the half-tile in front of it into soft sand. The sand grains slowly swirled under the pull of the ground-attribute energy, as if they could pull everything standing on them into a bottomless abyss.

Meanwhile, the little Chimchar finished condensing the energy of its move on its claws. After the pre-animation of "Dig" was complete, the little guy with flames burning behind it struck a diving pose and leaped into the "quicksand tiles" created by Turtwig.

Huh?

Aldak realized something was wrong at that moment, but it was too late.

Leaping into the soft sand, the Chimchar uses the "Dig" move, its arms swinging wildly, sending dirt flying all around, instantly carving a hole large enough for it to pass through in the quicksand.

Furthermore, unlike the normal "Dig" move, Chimchar doesn't move sideways to the opponent's feet after burrowing into the ground; instead, it continues to dig deeper...

—Until the boundary between the top floor and the floors below of the Tower of Heaven is completely dug through.

The Tower of Paradise has withstood the test of time for over a hundred years. Even after being bombarded by the legendary Pokémon Landorus and the aftershocks of the Elite Four's battle with the Champion, it still maintains its stability perfectly—it shouldn't have been so easily destroyed by the starter Pokémon.

However, perhaps the repeated battles during the day thinned the floor of the Tower of Heaven, or perhaps Garchomp did something wrong with its "Stomp" move upon entering the battle, or perhaps it was a combination of both...

In short, the two Pokémon's weak moves combined to break through the sturdy and thick partition between the floors.

The little fire monkey poked its paw out of the hole and dragged the grass turtle into the dark hole as well.

Seeing this, among everyone present, only Adek realized Hugo's intention—

"Vulcan Moth, use 'Silk Shot' to block the stairwell on the other side! Double Ice, use 'Ice Wind'!"

The detective in black was retreating silently, his black trench coat making him appear barely noticeable in the night.

Under the cover of the elves in front, Hugo had already quietly retreated to the edge of the floor—only a few meters away from the exit passage.

Seeing that the other party had discovered his plan, the detective simply stopped hiding it and immediately turned around and ran, taking long strides toward the stairwell.

Fueled by the wind, the silk threads emitted by the Volcano moth became even more powerful under the influence of the "freezing wind." In a flash, just as it was about to overtake the fleeing detective, it blocked the only passage connecting the upper and lower stairs.

The silk threads combined with the ice seal. One can imagine that if the opponent were allowed to unleash his attack, the passage in front of him would undoubtedly become a barrier even more difficult to breach than the vault walls... No, perhaps before the passage was sealed off, the black-clad detective himself would have already turned into an ice sculpture.

Just then, Hugo suddenly turned around, and there was another Pokémon standing in front of him.

Blue eyes, a round, dark blue head, and a not-so-sharp yellow beak—this is Piplup, a fellow beginner Pokémon from Sinnoh.

While retrieving Chimchar and Turtwig, Hugo also acquired this Pokémon.

Ultimately, the culprit behind the Poké Balls flying everywhere was the Garchomp sent by the Detective. Through prior coordination, Garchomp controlled the force of its "Stomp" to make the seemingly scattered Poké Balls land in a position convenient for Hugo to pick them up—this was not a difficult task at all.

All the scheming and calculations have led to the current result—Hugo held his partner, with whom he had spent more than half a year, in his arms, supporting it in using its proud water-based skills.

Piplup did not disappoint its trainer's expectations, instantly understanding the command and barking as it unleashed a move in retaliation.

Instead of using more powerful water-type moves like "Water Cannon," the little penguin spat out a "Bubble Beam" composed of a large amount of foam.

The enemy's attack came in an instant.

The frigid wind instantly froze the ray of light, solidifying it into a giant ice rock resembling an avant-garde art sculpture, filled with a massive number of crystal bubbles that would trigger trypophobia in anyone on the spot.

These bubbles were then shattered by a powerful "spit silk" move, making a crackling sound like firecrackers—strangely, the sound of ice breaking did not disappear as soon as the skill broke through the barrier, but continued to ring out continuously.

"Look, Bogarman is still using his moves!" Alice exclaimed.

"Yes."

Watching this scene, despite still having doubts about the detective's actions, Wanlong couldn't help but praise the starter Pokémon's tenacious will with shining eyes.

"Young Pokémon, lacking sufficient energy, struggle to unleash moves for extended periods. However, this Piplup was able to continuously spew 'Bubble Beam' from its mouth, consistently facing the opponent's attack head-on from start to finish, using the most energy-efficient method to counter its power—it was as if it were highly skilled in using this special move."

Low temperatures freeze the foam, and the silk threads shatter the ice crystals, but the remaining ice crystals also block, pull, and hinder the advance of the "silk-spinning" and "freezing winds".

As the distance increased further, the insect silk and freezing wind that had been released all at once finally lost their momentum and weakened.

The moves of the two champion ace Pokémon were thus thwarted by the resistance of a starter Pokémon, leaving behind a long string of strangely shaped ice crystal artworks on the field.