Pokémon Detective Case Files.

With both sides tacitly understanding each other, Hugo could summon wild Pokémon to weaken his opponent and use the destruction of the ceiling as a direct attack on the trainer. Alder, on the other hand, didn't hold back at all, unleashing "Giga Impact" and "Hyper Beam" simultaneously at Hugo and Piplup, whom he was holding in his arms.

Flames erupted, emitting a deafening roar, and the stone-paved ground resembled a real inferno, with towering flames rising into the sky.

This is the final song of a dying Volcano Moth, and even in the entire history of the Unova Alliance's battles, such a magnificent flame is unparalleled.

At the same time, the agile insect successfully completed its energy storage, and the extremely violent energy was condensed into a perfectly round sphere.

Then, as if a balloon had been torn open, the force that had been forcibly compressed suddenly burst out and shot towards the black-clad detective who had no time to dodge.

A white beam of light pierced through the air, followed by a deafening sonic boom!

Meanwhile, on the other side, a speeding steel war machine had already arrived in grand style.

The armor dragged across the floor tiles, making a teeth-grinding screeching sound. The high-speed knight snail was surrounded by vortexes of air generated by friction, its two knightly lances brought together to form a sharp ramming horn, and it came straight at the detective's face.

Thump, thump, thump! Bang, boom, boom! Splash, splash, splash!

Following the "earthquake" created by Garchomp, the Tower of Paradise trembled once again.

This time, however, the source of the tremor was not the ground-based energy injected into the building, but pure force.

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"Ah! I can't believe it!"

"Incredible. How...no, how did they do all this?"

In the spectator area, two women exclaimed in amazement, while Yueju squinted her eyes thoughtfully.

They weren't far from Hugo's location, so even through the dazzling light of the attack, the three of them still witnessed that miraculous scene—

Volcano's "Explosive Flame" and "Hot Wind" landed in empty space.

Garchomp disappeared from where it had been standing.

Without any prior action, it simply vanished from the spot without warning, leaving behind only a scorched black ground ravaged by flames, with no trace of any evasion techniques such as "digging" being used.

Garchomp can't learn "teleportation"!

Meanwhile, in front of the black-clad detective caught in a pincer attack, the rough-skinned silhouette of the deep blue earth dragon reappeared like a ghost.

With eyes closed and head bowed, body curled up, and scythe-like triangular fins crossed, Garchomp appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of Hugo, taking the double attack from Agile Bug and Knight Snail head-on.

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Having just narrowly escaped a potentially fatal attack, Hugo calmly placed Piplup on the ground, speaking in a low voice at lightning speed to Garchomp.

"All of the items the opponent is carrying have been identified, and none of them will have any impact on this round of the battle, so you can attack with confidence."

Taking advantage of the previous opportunity, he had already observed the situation of the Knight Snail and the Agile Bug up close—

The item carried by the Knight Snail is a "Metal Membrane" that can increase the power of Steel-type skills.

This prop was like a transparent film, meticulously covering every inch of the Knight Snail Armor. Back on the ice stairs, it was thanks to the smooth surface of this metallic film that Alder was able to smoothly slide down the spiral staircase at high speed.

The item on Agile Bug is "Silver Dust," which can increase the power of Bug-type moves.

It was precisely because of the amplification of this silver powder that the "bug chirp" on the side of Agile Bug was able to tear apart the "Protect" skill used by Grass Sprout Turtle as easily as breaking through a window.

Volcano, on the other hand, carried no combat items at all, because its body temperature was now far too high. Any items would be damaged or destroyed by the high temperature, becoming useless junk.

The items for the first two can only enhance the power of their own moves, and do not have the effect of replenishing energy or leaving the field, while Volcano is still far away and beyond reach.

This means... this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Thoughts flashed through my mind in the blink of an eye, but in the real world, they were gone in the blink of an eye.

Hugo looked ahead—

Garchomp, covered in scorch marks and bruises, was breathing weakly and could barely maintain its standing position.

Escavalier and Agilebug are, after all, the Unova Champion's prized main Pokémon. Under the combined onslaught of their strongest moves, Garchomp was truly battered and bruised. Its stamina, barely clinging to life, was not much more than that of Piplup beside it.

But now, the opponent before them is even weaker.

Knight Snail and Agile Bug—both elves—were frozen in place, exhausted from unleashing their powerful attacks, unable to move even if they wanted to.

"Hang in there a little longer, Garchomp."

Even before the flames created by the Volcano Moth had subsided, and just as Alice uttered her first gasp, the detective had already made up his mind and issued his next command—

""Reverse Scale"! "

A low growl rumbled from Garchomp's throat, a sound Hugo knew was only made when Garchomp was extremely satisfied.

It seems that his command had scratched the itch in its proud dragon heart.

The extremely weak Garchomp blinked, and in an instant, its bright yellow vertical pupils turned blood red.

The knight snail closest to the deep blue earth dragon suddenly felt a shiver run down its spine, and cold sweat poured down its face inside its helmet.

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"Look, that's the key item that allows Garchomp to use its 'teleportation' magic."

From the stands, the Dark-type Champion, Cranberry, pointed to a charred rag in the corner of the battlefield and said this.

Victini, still radiating light, tried to fly up, wanting to peer out and see what the so-called "key item" actually was.

However, after flapping its wings a few times, it eventually gave up due to exhaustion. It simply shook off its little wings and sat back on Alice's shoulder, waiting to hear the opinions of the humans watching the battle.

"Are you referring to that piece of cloth that was burned black? And what was it originally?"

Wanlong withdrew his gaze from the Garchomp that had just begun to display its might and asked Yueju.

The latter shrugged: "The answer is actually quite obvious. Now it seems that Garchomp's previous 'Dragon Star' wasn't a blunder from the start, but rather a premeditated plan."

"how do I say this?"

"After all, to perfectly conceal a battle item on a Pokémon, you have to prepare all of this before the battle begins. This means that the detective must have anticipated a similar situation long ago, which is why he specifically chose that item."

Is this your perspective as a professional gambler?

"No, you might not believe it, but I haven't gambled properly since I became the League King. The reason I was able to detect it is just some experience I gained while I was a cheater."

Urged on by Victini, Alice, who had been left standing to the side, couldn't help but ask—

"Elite Four member, what exactly was that item that Garchomp used? Why could it create a 'teleport' effect, moving Garchomp from Volcarona to the trainer?"

"Actually, items that can instantly disengage from the battlefield are not uncommon. For example, the red card can disengage the opponent from the battlefield, and the escape button can immediately disengage from the battle after being attacked. As long as the trainer does not use Poké Balls to switch Pokémon after these items are activated, but lets them continue to engage in the battle, they can instantly pull the Pokémon on the field in front of them. The effect is similar to the Pokémon instantly moving to a different position."

"I am," said Lingju slowly and deliberately.

“But that couldn’t be a red card or an escape button,” Alice retorted.

"Garuda wasn't attacked at all before it moved. And Garuda had already joined the battle beforehand; if it was carrying an Escape Button, it should have activated it as soon as it was hit by the 'Big Bang' of the Geometric Snowflakes."

"Therefore, Garchomp is carrying a different item."

The novelist, Tianwang, said, clearly having already guessed the answer.

A one-time "instant teleportation".

With the fabric remnant in the room, the answer to the mystery is becoming clear.

"That combat item originated in the Galar region. You, who were born in the Unova region, may not have heard of it. However, given that detective's background, obtaining such an item would not be difficult."

Wanlong raised her index finger and said the correct answer—

"Refuge Backpack. When an allied Pokémon's stats are low, it will automatically be removed from the field for rotation."

Chapter 256 The Day the Tide Recedes and the Truth Revealed

Garchomp's special attack power is greatly reduced after it uses the "Dragon Swarm" move.

At the same time, the combat gadget mounted on the dorsal fin sensed the wearer's energy change and quickly deployed a hidden airbag.

Before being destroyed by flames, the refuge pack expelled a large amount of compressed gas forward, successfully sending the Garchomp back to the trainer in distress.

"Sigh...it seems this duel is still not over. I was just trying to show off."

Looking at the "Big Flame Burst" that had landed in the empty space, Adek scratched his fiery red hair and said with a mix of regret and joy.

The fire moths fluttered warm flames in front of him, as if in acknowledgment.

Mr. Champion was indeed somewhat surprised by this.

Before Garchomp vanished into thin air, who could have imagined that Hugo would equip this ferocious Garchomp with a special item for its withdrawal and rotation among countless battle items? It unleashed the incredibly powerful "Dragon Meteor" with such ferocity, but its true purpose was simply to flee in disarray.

However, as unexpected as it may be, to say that Aldak had no premonition about the detective's tricks would be to underestimate this Unova Champion.

The reason he chose Normal-type moves like "Hyper Beam" and "Giga Impact," which have serious side effects, instead of the STAB moves of Agile Bug and Sneasel, was not only out of pride but also because of a flash of inspiration that crossed his mind in that instant—

If the worst-case scenario occurs and the kid survives this attack, how will the situation on the field change?

In reality, no matter what skills Agile Bug and Knight Snail used in the pincer attack, Hugo, who was only carrying a weak Pogaman, could not possibly escape unscathed.

Therefore, considering the most extreme scenario, if the detective in the black coat can still surprise him up to this point... then the only one hit by the double attack could be Garchomp that miraculously returned to the detective's side.

Having considered this, Alder believed that against a hypothetical enemy like Garchomp, half-hearted attacks would be utterly ineffective; a single, fatal blow was essential to end the battle completely.

The strongest move that the agile insect carrying silver dust could use was originally "Insect Chirp," which had its own attribute and item power boosts.

However, there's a reason why trainers dislike using the same move repeatedly. The more a skill is used repeatedly, the easier it is for the enemy to counter it in battle.

This move, "Insect Chirping," was already used in the previous round of competition.

As the champion, Alder could not possibly miss any details in the battle—Hugo's Turtwig had gone to great lengths to create a "Light Screen" that could reflect sound wave-type moves to the greatest extent possible in order to block "Insect Chirp".

Now, although the grass turtle has long since fallen unconscious, the soundproof barrier it created still stands on the battlefield of the Tower of Heaven.

Under these circumstances, the "Destruction Ray," which can break through the entire area from a single point, is the strongest special attack skill that Agile Bug can unleash.

In conjunction with "Destruction Beam", the equally powerful "Ultimate Impact" becomes the most suitable physical attack move.

Because, regardless of whether the Snorlax chooses the Bug-type "Super Horn Tackle" or the Steel-type "Iron Head" attack, it must strengthen its horn to launch a close-range headbutt on Garchomp.

In such close-quarters combat, the Knight Snail will have to endure the ranged attacks from the Agile Bug along with the latter.

But "Ultimate Impact" is different. Although it is also a close-range contact attack, this move will attach a cyclone-like attack shield to the surface of the Knight Snail.

Under the buffer of this shield, the Knight Snail will not only be unaffected by the "Destruction Ray", but will also be able to truly exert the effect of a pincer attack when attacked by a combination of moves. When combined with the Agile Bug, it can deal more than the sum of its parts to the target.

That Garchomp had already endured Double Ice's "Explosion," Volcarona's "Flare Blitz," and the combined "Bug Buzz" from three Pokémon. Even though it was the Sinnoh Champion's most prized ace Pokémon, in such a state, it had no reason or reliance to remain standing against the combined attack of the two Champions.

Therefore, this should have been a foolproof, foolproof solution, which is why Adek uttered that extremely arrogant line—

"Inspiration has arrived, the prophecy has come true, let us now pronounce the end of the story."

At that moment, he could almost foresee the look of disappointment on the detective's face when he realized he was powerless to change the situation after all his calculations.

However, a welcome change occurred once again.

Despite the massive combined attack, Garchomp persevered and, driven by its willpower, even unleashed the more powerful "Outrage" move.

With only a sliver of strength left, they relentlessly pursued the exhausted Knight Snail and Agile Bug.

The deep blue earth dragon, with its immense strength, lifted the immobilized snail high into the air and slammed it down onto the equally exhausted bug-type Pokémon. It then lunged forward again, leaving deep claw marks on both bug-type Pokémon with its rough claws.

Adek did not order the Volcano to reinforce its companions.

In the current situation, although Garchomp has entered a berserk state with bloodshot eyes, it hasn't completely lost its mind. Once Volcarona attacks, the Garchomp will definitely use the Agility Bugs as shields without hesitation. This would actually be more advantageous for the enemy.

At this moment, the United Champions' gaze was fixed on the Knight Snail's armor.

The hard armor was covered with a metallic membrane, and even under the full force of Garchomp's attack, the carapace remained smooth and shiny. This made the few water droplets on the armor stand out all the more.

The Tower of Heaven was ablaze with fire; it was impossible for water vapor to appear out of thin air in such sweltering heat…

Alder looked at the detective in black, who was being shielded by Garchomp, or more precisely, at the Water-type beginner Pokémon being held in the detective's arms.

"Is that the Piplup? Has it woken up?"

Once a trainer reaches Alder's level, it's very difficult to encounter a Pokémon like Piplup in actual battles. Therefore, for now, he can only quickly search through various Water-type moves in his mind...

Then, the answer immediately came to mind—

"Pouring cold water" is an attack that involves splashing water so cold it can stun the opponent, thus reducing their physical attack capabilities.

This is the origin of the water stains on the Knight Snail's armor.

This is why the Knight Snail's "Ultimate Impact" cannot deal 100% damage to Garchomp.

Considering that Garchomp's attack power has not decreased at this time, the activation of this area-of-effect skill may even be earlier than Garchomp's return to the field.

What an exceptionally talented beginner Pokémon this is! And what a cunning and treacherous trainer the black-clad detective holding it is?