Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Immediately afterwards, the little creature violently flapped its short, small fins and legs, and a large amount of down feathers appeared out of thin air with its comical dance. The light blue down feathers then flew up like snowflakes, guided by the aura of the attack, towards the location of the agile bug.

With its agility, the nimble bug could have easily dodged the slowing effect of the "Feather Dance." But just as it moved to dodge, the nimble bug inexplicably stopped moving.

The culprit behind this phenomenon is naturally Pogaman.

At this moment, Pogaman's mouth was slightly open, and high-frequency sound waves, inaudible to the human ear, emanated from its not-so-sharp, pale yellow beak, reaching its opponent even before the fluttering feathers.

"Ultrasound"!

The fluffy feathers perfectly concealed the little penguin's deep breath as it gathered strength, allowing this other skill to strike unexpectedly at the agile bug's unprotected cochlea.

The very next second after the "Ultrasonic Wave" hit, taking advantage of the opponent's momentary stagnation, Piplup's "Feather Dance" move descended from the sky on a gentle breeze, successfully sticking to the strip-like mucus on Agile Bug's body, adhering to the opponent, and instantly slowing down the originally swift movements.

Logically speaking, since Hugo had clearly stated the moves he was about to command in front of everyone, it was impossible for Adek, as an experienced opponent, not to take any countermeasures.

However, the reality is that the two Bug-type Pokémon that were attacked seemed to be completely unprepared, and they took full advantage of the interference attacks from their opponents.

This was not due to Alder's arrogance or the two Pokémon's carelessness or underestimation of their opponent—but rather to another obvious reason.

A far more brutal clash erupted long before Turtwig and Piplup could even unleash their attacks. In the aftershocks of those frenzied attacks, the harassing moves of the two beginner Pokémon were utterly insignificant!

Garchomp was the first to launch an attack.

Commanded by Hugo to use "Earthquake," it did not choose to use the move in place. With the full power of the move, not only would Piplup and Turtwig, who were standing on either side of it, be in danger, but even Hugo, who was further behind, would be in danger.

However, Hugo's order was clearly not thoughtless. When Garchomp's dragon eyes noticed the detective's hidden gesture at its side, the last trace of confusion in its heart turned into a surging fighting spirit.

Right before our eyes, isn't there a magnificent piece of land waiting to amaze us?

With a powerful stomp of its feet against the ground, the expected tremor did not occur. Instead, the deep blue Garchomp soared into the air, like a jet plane taking off.

Adek narrowed his eyes, ignoring Hugo's other orders, and spoke to direct the Volcano Moth standing in the center of the field—

"The enemy is trying to fly to the next floor through the burrow, but the 'earthquake' there will turn into falling rocks and hit us. We can't give it that chance! Volcarona, use 'Charged Flame Strike' to catch up with it!"

The indoor temperature suddenly rose by several degrees. Just as Hugo felt this temperature change, the champion's Volcarona suddenly disappeared from the spot. Only when he looked up could he barely see a fiery red tail flame.

If Garchomp leaping from the ground is like a jet plane powered by a high-pressure engine, then Volcarona at its peak is as fast as an aero-rocket attempting to break through the atmosphere.

The latter's six insect wings fluttered at a speed invisible to the naked eye, catching up with the Garchomp that was about to pass through the hole in the blink of an eye.

Alder waved his hand and shouted, "Flash Charge!"

"Use 'Tornado' to block the flow and continue the operation."

The detective spoke in a low voice into the communicator clipped to his black collar, which was connected to a miniature speaker attached to Garchomp's head. He had taken the time to check it out during his earlier standoff with Alder, and the device didn't seem to have been destroyed by the Double Ice's "big bang."

"Tornado" is Garchomp's STAB move, which deals double damage to Pokémon in flight and can sometimes even cause opponents to flinch. If Garchomp used this move, it could at least slow down Volcarona's attack... Before Hugo could even finish thinking about it, reality shattered his fantasy.

The preparation for "Flame Charge" did not slow down Volcarona's pursuit of its opponent; instead, it helped it accelerate further.

At the end of its suddenly elongated tail flame, the fiery red meteor crashed through the blue wind blade thrown by Garchomp, and its speed did not decrease at all, hitting the flying Garchomp straight in the middle!

A furious dragon roar echoed through the air, and Hugo's earpiece emitted a piercing beep, signaling the destruction of the communication device.

However, the deep blue jet was not destroyed—

As the smoke and firelight dissipated, Garchomp's body was half charred black, with sparks still lingering on its rough skin. However, its two scythe-like claws remained stubbornly embedded in the ceiling, half a step away from the shattered crater, like steel nails.

Similarly, its enemies did not retreat.

Even though in theory the reflected damage from "Flame Charge" and "Rough Skin" should put a considerable burden on Volcarona, to the naked eye, this blazing star shows no signs of dimming and is completely unscathed.

It was as if they could launch another attack at any moment.

And it was precisely at this moment, just as Volcarona and his trainer were about to continue their pursuit, that another unexpected event occurred, from a direction unpredictable to those involved—

Directly below the aerial battlefield, the energy from the "Flash" and "Feather Dance" moves exploded brilliantly on the ground!

This caused the champion partners, who were about to unleash their next move and give their next instructions, to pause simultaneously.

""earthquake"! "

Not missing the fleeting opportunity, the detective in black suddenly shouted, repeating the initial command once again.

Only in this way could his commands be clearly and accurately transmitted to Garchomp's ears.

Click.

The sickening sound of rocks shattering replaced the shouts and answered the detective's command.

Hanging upside down in the air, with its dragon claws deeply embedded in the ceiling, Garchomp revealed a ferocious smile.

A very simple deduction—

The Tower of Heaven is an ancient structure that has stood for hundreds of years. Conversely, no matter how sturdy and reliable this structure is, it has already withstood the erosion of time for hundreds of years. Existence itself is not proof that something is indestructible; even the Tower of Heaven, which has existed for hundreds of years, cannot guarantee that it will not collapse the next day.

A very simple principle—

Objects contract inwards when exposed to cold conditions and expand outwards when exposed to high temperatures. In the past, when miners encountered rocks that they could not be mined, they would have Water-type and Fire-type Pokémon take turns using their own type moves on them. In no time, the rocks that could not be moved by human power would crack on their own—this is the principle of thermal expansion and contraction.

A very simple opportunity—

It's not only by standing firmly on the earth that one can shake everything. The three-toed claws on the hind legs of the deep blue earth dragon have already gripped the white stone bricks in front of it tightly.

The turbulent ground-based energy flowed into the cracks in the rocks along the dragon's claws. As if one could hear the mournful cries of colliding molecules, this hard and ancient rocky land finally began to rejoice.

The situation has spiraled out of control to this point, and further developments are now inevitable.

Around the spot where the dark blue earth dragon hung upside down, the three-story ceiling, which already had a large hole, suddenly developed a dense network of cracks resembling a spider web.

These cracks, like plant roots sprouting from the "Crazy Plants" technique, rapidly multiplied and extended until they covered the entire dome.

This is the moment when the Tower of Heaven will crumble and break.

Chapter 252 Forging - Where the Arena Stands

The Tower of Heaven has weathered five hundred years of history, and now it is trembling.

Beneath the spiderweb-like cracks, the white bricks that made up the third-level ceiling began to loosen, and dust fell like swirling snowflakes. A tremendous noise continued, evolving from the initial harsh friction to a deafening roar like an earthquake.

Has Hugo gone mad?

As he gazed at the collapsing dome, Adek's expression turned grim.

He certainly didn't need to worry about his safety. Volcarona had already locked onto Garchomp from above, while Sylveon and Agilebug surrounded him, calmly keeping an eye on the two weak but troublesome beginner Pokémon without launching an attack. Even if more rocks were to fall on them now, he wouldn't have to worry about falling back into the same situation he had when he first reached the third floor.

However... this is, after all, the Tower of Heaven.

Even without considering the indoor cemetery in the two-story space, and the wild Pokémon frozen into ice sculptures on the fourth floor, the consequences of breaking down an entire ceiling are not as simple as just opening up two floors.

In an ancient stone structure like the Tower of Heaven, such a large movement could easily cause the overall structural integrity of the tower to become unbalanced, causing the ancient stones to shatter like an avalanche, ultimately leading to the collapse of the entire Tower of Heaven in half.

Why would that detective do such a thing?

No matter how much Adek recalled Hugo's words and actions since their first meeting, he couldn't imagine that the man would be so foolish as to do something so stupid.

The opponent was fully aware of the consequences of Garchomp launching "Earthquake," but he still did it anyway.

Is this a case of using any means necessary to achieve one's goals, or is his ultimate objective in launching this challenge to destroy this Tower of Heaven? Could it be that beneath his seemingly indifferent and gentle face lies a bottomless madness?

For the first time, the champion of the Unova region realized that his judgment of people might not be as reliable as he thought, but the current situation did not allow him to continue to overthink.

—The “earthquake” caused by Garchomp has ended, and now it’s time for the sky to fall.

The first large, broken rock, the size of a refrigerator, crashed down towards Ardek, but was instantly shredded by the wind blades created by Volcarona's wings. However, the former was merely the vanguard of the entire "rainstorm."

A few seconds later, once all the boulders have crashed to the ground, the original ceiling will be empty, and the stone tower walls will have to bear the lateral tension that was previously shared by the dome.

Adeker couldn't guarantee that the Tower of Heaven would remain standing after such an upheaval. There were many more cemeteries beneath the tower, and this ancient structure itself carried the hopes and beliefs of countless residents of the Unova region. At this moment, as the Unova Champion, he had to do something.

The veteran champion didn't look at Hugo across from him, but instead gazed up at the overwhelming, collapsing rock formations—

"Vulcan Moth, 'Silk Shot'! At least suspend the portion of the rock that fell into the cemetery. Agile Bug, reinforce the tower walls with 'Mud Shot'..."

But it was precisely at this moment that his ignored opponent acted first, the commanding voice as cold as winter, ringing out simultaneously with Adek's orders—

Garchomp uses Rock Tomb to restrict Volcarona's movement. Piplup and Turtwig create a Wetlands terrain once again using Pledge!

Upon hearing the command, the blue earth dragon, which had been lying prone on the falling rocks, released its claws and propelled itself forward with its muscular hind legs toward the Volcano Moth.

This time, it didn't need to charge up its upcoming rock attack at all; it only needed to push the surrounding rocks to change their descent path to completely block Volcarona's movement.

Ignoring the immediate crisis, the opponent chose to continue the fight.

"Hugo! Are you going to destroy this Tower of Heaven?"

Adek angrily questioned.

He watched as all his attempts to stop the disaster were intercepted by his opponent. Garchomp pressed its advantage, sending more rocks crashing down on Volcarona. A deluge of ceiling debris fell to the ground, some even carrying frost from the fourth floor.

The detective in black did not answer Aldek's question. Instead, the two beginner elves beside him stepped forward and used a special attack interwoven with blue and green, turning the ground beneath them into a swamp once again.

They actually chose to continue the attack?

Wait, if the Turtwig and Piplup attack at this moment, how will the lone detective defend himself from the rocks falling on his head?

Thinking of this, a sudden realization dawned on Adek: he seemed to have fallen into the cunning detective's trap once again.

"It seems that even experienced champions can lose their ability to observe when faced with a crisis of this magnitude."

Those who lack awareness will hesitate when faced with life and death; and even warriors who disregard life and death may waver because of things that are heavier than life and death, sometimes it is the culture accumulated over generations, and sometimes it is the history that stretches for hundreds of years.

Standing amidst the dust and frost, Hugo spoke with a flippant tone. At this moment, not a single one of the overwhelming falling rocks was heading towards him.

Not only that, Alderk then discovered that during the "earthquake" triggered by Garchomp, only the ceiling directly above his head turned into rubble and fell down.

In other areas, despite being covered in spiderweb-like cracks and teetering precariously in mid-air, the ceiling still managed to retain its original shape with great difficulty.

"Excuse me, could you please move aside?"

Just as Adek looked enlightened, an unfamiliar voice rang out behind Alice, startling the girl watching the battle so much that she almost jumped three feet high along with Victini, who was perched on her shoulder.

"Blueberries?"

Wanlong turned around in surprise: "What are you doing here?"

The newcomer patted Victini's head and shrugged at the Ghost-type Elite Four member: "Tonight is a crucial moment in determining the future champion of the Unova region. You don't actually think the three of us Elite Four members will be sleeping in a hotel in Fubuki City, do you?"

Wanlong immediately realized: "Could it be that the reason the ceiling here didn't collapse is because you intervened?"

"The ceiling remaining intact is the work of Cattleya and the artificial cell egg; Lian Wu, on the other hand, is working with his old construction craftsmen to re-stabilize the structure of the Tower of Heaven with concrete... Look."

The gambler extended a long, slender finger, pointing to the enormous hole directly above Aldak's head. At the far end of the hole, behind countless ice sculptures, one could indeed see a superhuman with flowing blond hair, directing artificial cell eggs, and a martial artist with his back turned, intently reinforcing the wall.

"But, King Yueju, aren't you worried that your actions will interfere with the battle?"

Alice, who was standing to the side, finally understood the situation and couldn't help but speak her mind.

"This is just maintenance work. Every legitimate league arena has similar measures in place. It's just that Mr. Adek's chosen arena doesn't quite meet the standards, which is why the other side was able to exploit the loophole."

As she spoke, Lingju finally pushed through the crowd of spectators and shouted loudly in the direction of the champion—

“Mr. Aldak, don’t let the venue affect your performance. We’ll handle the cleanup. Just go all out and make a scene. After all, even the four of us combined couldn’t get you to do that.”

"Really? You've come just in time."

Whether it was sarcasm or the truth, the champion said this with a smile.

Before the words were even finished, the Volcarona, being chased by several rocks, finally couldn't escape the entire pursuit. A Garchomp secretly launched a small rock spike that grazed its wing.

Suddenly disrupted from its high-speed motion, the fire moth, engulfed in flames, crashed into the wetlands in the center of the arena with a loud bang.

Chapter 253 Piercing the Incense Stick - On the Barrier Called the World

In fact, if Volcarona weren't in its current state, Garchomp's Rock Smash hidden within Rock Slide would have been enough to end the match.

Despite its volatile temper and fierce competitiveness far exceeding that of its kind, this Garchomp, which became the new ace for Sinnoh Champion Cynthia, was certainly no simple-minded creature.

Its experience and skills accumulated in countless battles are far richer than those of Hugo, who is currently commanding it.

When on the battlefield, Garchomp knows perfectly well when to obey orders and when to take the initiative and launch a surprise attack.

Garchomp skillfully conceals its intentions, anticipates the opponent's movement, and precisely adjusts the speed and power of its moves; it even meticulously designs the opponent's forced landing point after being hit—this vicious "Stone Attack" hidden among the falling rocks is the best proof of its champion-level strength.

Logically, a Volcano moth that falls into a wetland would be slowed down by the murky mud. With its wing injured, it would be almost impossible for it to continue using its original swiftness to evade the overwhelming attacks.

At this point, there was no doubt that Hugo and Garchomp had gained the upper hand.

The former, with its willingness to destroy historical sites, put Alder in a strategic dilemma of being hesitant to act, allowing its own Pokémon, which was clearly lacking in speed, to unleash its move first. The latter, however, was tactically ingenious, seizing the brilliant opportunity created by the trainer and hitting the exceptionally powerful Volcarona with a Rock-type move for the first time.

In addition, Hugo's side now completely dominates the field—

Leaving aside the second wetland terrain created by Turtwig and Piplup, Garchomp became the biggest beneficiary of this terrain. Although they didn't completely tear down the ceiling, the damaged parts alone were enough to form a small mountain on the field. For Garchomp, all these pebbles could be used as disposable materials for casting Rock and Ground-type moves, making it an inexhaustible arsenal.