Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"That's it? How did that champion win? What was their so-called secret weapon?"

"Ahem." Miss Mary coughed lightly twice to clear her throat.

"This interview is from a long time ago. As for that trump card, it's not exactly a secret in the Hoenn region now. In a sense, it's also related to our purpose in coming to the Unova region."

"Hmm, I can probably guess what's going on."

Even the photographer, Dai, nodded knowingly with his arms crossed.

"So what exactly happened?" The girl, who was kept in the dark, was almost in tears.

"I think it must be super evolution."

Blackie looked up at Mary and Dai and said.

Then she turned to her childhood friend—

"Bai Lu, didn't Professor Yew help us upgrade the National Pokédex? It should have included information about Mega Metagross."

"Mega Evolution? Isn't that a transformation breakthrough unique to the Kalos region? The kind that allows Pokémon to temporarily gain a new form beyond their limits?"

"Actually, there have been eyewitness reports of that evolutionary form in the ancient Hoenn region, and it's recently started to be used by trainers in Pokémon battles. That Champion Steven should be a pioneer in this area. Only this explanation could allow Metagross to break free from the 'Sloth' ability and acquire a completely new innate ability... Hmm, I think it's 'Hard Claws'."

The black-haired youth recounted to his childhood friend the extremely obscure knowledge about Mega Evolution in Unova, as if he were the research assistant of the Pokémon professor between the two of them.

“Super Evolution…” Bai Lu finally caught up with the train of thought, “So, could it be that the new champion was able to defeat Mr. Alder because of this special battle method?”

"Very likely. Considering that the new champion was previously unknown in the Unova region, it is highly probable that he is from out of town—even if he didn't use Mega Evolution, it should be some kind of special move that is enough to disrupt the balance of battles."

Hei Lian handed the phone back to the photographer: "Thank you so much, the information you provided has been a great help. After reading Mr. Qianli's interview, I finally understand the gap between myself and top trainers. Although I still have no confidence in the success or failure of the assessment, at least I have found a direction to work on and I will no longer be anxious."

"I think you'll definitely pass the test, Blackie," Dai said encouragingly, patting the young man on the shoulder.

Miss Bailu stretched—

"Mega evolution, huh? Sigh, looks like we'll be busy on the plane again. By the way, Miss Mary, what was the purpose of your trip here? It seems you two were initially planning to check the map, were you looking for some part of Flying Cloud City?"

"Yes, we're going to find someone to interview."

Mary put away her pen and paper and replied—

"Have you heard about the murder and burial incident on the beach in Feiyun City, and the smuggling case related to it?"

The two young men were momentarily stunned, exchanging bewildered glances—it seemed… they had heard some noisy fellow mention it during a routine communication.

"That incident is related to an evil organization called Team Aqua in the Hoenn region. Thanks to one of your Unova detectives, the Hoenn League, located across the ocean, was able to find the hideout of that evil organization. We plan to interview that detective."

"We should also ask him to analyze the current situation in the Hoenn region," the photographer said.

"Team Aqua has been lurking in Hoenn for years, and the remnants of that organization still maintain a considerable size and fighting strength. Meanwhile, another evil organization called Team Magma has taken over the baton, and following Team Aqua, they have also begun wreaking havoc in the Hoenn region. We've come here at the request of Champion Steven to seek the detective's opinion."

"Then what about what you said before, about super evolution?" Bai Lu asked cautiously.

"Hmm...it shouldn't be a problem to tell you a little bit, right?" Mary looked at the photographer, seeking his opinion.

"I also think it's fine."

As Dai spoke, she placed the camera equipment bag, which she had been carefully keeping, on the table.

After unzipping the bag and navigating around the various shooting equipment, the photographer opened a hidden compartment inside an equipment bag.

While using her arm to block the view that might come from behind, she slowly took out a pendant from inside.

The pendant is made of silvery-white stainless steel and doesn't look particularly expensive. However, at the center of the ornament is a transparent gemstone that radiates an iridescent rainbow luster.

"This is the item that can help Pokémon Mega Evolve, the Key Stone. Out of gratitude for the detective solving the case, Champion Steven asked us to give it to one of the detective's friends."

“Miss Mary, Mr. Dai, may I ask you a question?” Blackie asked politely, carefully choosing his words.

"Please speak." The reporter and photographer put the Evolution Keystone back into the depths of their camera bags and looked at the young man with a puzzled expression.

"Excuse me, is your destination the Hugo Detective Agency located at Yuqi Residence in Feiyun City?"

"So this place is that famous locally?" Mary clapped her hands excitedly and said.

"It's not that bad, it's just that we happened to know." Hei Lian scratched his head, looking unusually troubled.

"You should know our childhood friend who won first place at the Higaki Tournament, right? She's the landlady of that firm."

"Oh, what a coincidence..."

She'd barely uttered a word when Mary froze, momentarily speechless. Usually so eloquent, she was caught off guard by this unexpected coincidence and didn't know what to say next.

"Then you should know the address of Yuxi Residence, right? Can you tell us which direction to go?" the photographer promptly added.

"Head towards the city center, towards the busiest, tallest, and most ornately decorated areas. When you feel that the buildings next to you look out of place and something is clearly wrong, congratulations, you've reached your destination."

Bai Lu spoke with a serious expression, her words sounding no different from a joke.

“What she said is true.” Hei Lian nodded helplessly. “However, I recommend the Feiyun City subway for transportation. The airport is quite a distance from the city center, so taking the subway is more convenient.”

"Ah, it really is in the city center." The photographer checked the map app on his phone for the third time, confirming, "Is the detective industry in the Unova region that booming?"

"I think that's probably just an isolated case. In a sense, that mansion was more like a detective and the landlord teaming up to snatch it from a real estate developer... Anyway, if you see a guy with a high ponytail wearing a baseball cap who claims to be a movie director there, remember to say hello for us."

For some reason, Hei Lian always spoke with unusual sarcasm when talking about his childhood friend.

"However, it's highly likely that Touko is still wandering around the Unova region."

Bai Lu glanced at the time on the photographer's phone and was immediately startled—"Oh dear, it's already this late! Are we going to miss our flight again?"

Hei Lian calmly glanced at his watch, then at the phone opposite him, and shook his head, saying, "There's plenty of time. Mr. Dai, surely the time on your phone hasn't been calibrated to the location yet?"

"Yeah. I was so excited on the way that I forgot to adjust to the time difference." Dai awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"This is also a reminder, Dai. Perhaps we should set off as soon as possible."

The reporter shook her empty coffee cup, then raised her hand to ask the waiter for a receipt.

"Sorry, Heilian and Bailu. We may have to go ahead first."

"The same applies to us."

Hei Lian stood up and straightened his tie.

"Bai Lu, it's time for us to go too. There's no harm in getting to the airport early to make preparations. It's a pleasure to meet you two guests from Hoenn. Although it's a bit late, I still want to say a few words."

"What did you say?" the reporter asked, a little curious.

Miss Bailu adjusted her glasses, stood next to Hei Lian, and spoke at the same time as the latter—

Welcome to Unova!

.

Having obtained the exact address, Mary and Dai headed towards the city center to find the detective.

Having gathered intelligence and information, and determined to face the champion, Kuroren, they headed towards the airport together.

All four of them were full of ambition, feeling that both reality and ideals seemed to be within reach.

Unfortunately, none of them could possibly achieve their goals.

Or perhaps they went astray from the very beginning.

The reason why is this—

"Welcome to Unova."

In the open-air café where reporters, photographers, candidate gym leaders, and research assistants intersected, among the café's few indoor booths—

Hugo, the newly crowned champion of the Unova region, stood up to greet the guests who had traveled from afar.

Standing in front of him was also a champion trainer.

Chapter 306 A Friend Comes from Afar

"Although I heard from Officer Jenny that you were seriously ill, you seem to be doing quite well now."

A familiar voice rang out from afar, and the guests who had traveled from a distance gracefully entered the booth.

The other person took off the wide-brimmed sun hat from their black suit, straightened their skirt, and sat down before raising their sunglasses, which concealed their identity, to their forehead.

"How does it feel to be at the top, Hugo? Although I know you're unlikely to enjoy it."

The voice of Sinnoh Champion Cynthia reached the detective's ears, but the latter could only manage a wry smile—

“Miss Karuni, although you are a very skilled actress, please don’t imitate other people’s sister’s voice so vividly.”

Standing before the detective was not the blonde champion who had dominated the Sinnoh League, but another League champion who was renowned worldwide as an actress.

The Officer Jenny she was referring to was not the "regression hypnosis" lady from the Sinnoh intelligence agency, but rather a well-informed police chief in the Carlos region, who had met Hugo a few times.

"Oh dear, don't be so formal."

The slightly intimidating voice vanished instantly, replaced by a completely different, light laugh—

"It was just a joke that didn't even qualify as a prank. When you visited Carlos with Zhulan before, didn't you also ask me with great interest about techniques for changing the tone of your voice?"

"A thirst for knowledge is very important. What's more, it's a tricky skill that can send chills down your spine if criminals use it cleverly. Even just for the sake of my career, I have to figure out the limitations. But it seems that most people in this world don't have your uniquely gifted voice."

Hugo helplessly shrugged.

"To be honest, if I were in your shoes now, it would be quite admirable that you, with such cheating skills, have managed to refrain from imitating your opponent's voice to interfere in championship matches."

"This is the first time I've ever seen a trainer who has already become a champion still thinking about cheating in battles."

Karen raised her eyebrows, revealing her signature smile that has gone down in film history.

"It's just bad luck," Hugo sighed.

Ultimately, before the championship challenge a few days ago turned into its final outcome, former champion Adek was just looking for one last big fight with his old partner.

He was perhaps overly modest, thinking that under those circumstances, no matter which trainer passed the championship to, they couldn't possibly do worse than him, who had been wandering the world for years and was already disheartened. That's why he acted in a way that bordered on self-destructive.

If Team Plasma hadn't interrupted Volcarona's final dance, driving away all the Unova Trainers at the foot of Heaven's Tower, the grand spectacle at the top wouldn't have needed him, the detective, as an afterthought.

However, just as people always hope to savor a memorable dessert at the end of a feast.

It would be too pitiful to see a fire moth that had spent its entire life in battle facing an empty plate at the end of its life.

Coupled with some emotional reasons, Hugo finally gritted his teeth and completed the preparations, climbing the Tower of Paradise under the cover of night.

Unfortunately, Hugo isn't exactly a great chef in the world of Pokémon battles, so he has to rely heavily on the unexpected elements of his meals.

In the end, both the chef and the diners got carried away and, in a moment of impulsive playfulness, Alderk ended up with the most unbearable champion trainer in Unova's history.

As Hugo and Champion Carlos exchanged greetings, the little fire monkey steadily leaped onto the table carrying a tray of coffee.

Except for the latte art on the detective's side being scattered, all the movements were absolutely perfect.

"I owe you so much for what happened in the hospital ward back then," Hugo said, patting the little guy's head.

While confronting the "Foolish Carnival," it was this little fire monkey, perched outside the window and hidden in Ghiccups' blind spot, that received the message the detective relayed through a cough. It returned to the hospital and woke the sleeping Ghost King.

The sage from Team Plasma seemed to have some misunderstanding about Hugo's special abilities, as if he believed that no matter what move a Pokémon used against the latter, it would all fail and be ineffective.

However, the reality is not like that. As long as the Pokémon using a move reaches a certain level of strength, even if the move cannot perfectly exert its original effect, it can still have a certain degree of effect.

"That's true..."

Upon seeing Hugo vanish into thin air, Quixote immediately activated the ring again, using the chaos in the hospital to escape... After all this chaos subsided, Wanlong Tianwang, who had returned to Hugo's side, said apologetically to the detective—

"The Dream Demon's original target for 'Sneak Attack' was the Sage from Team Plasma. But somehow, the skill, launched through a wall, misaimed, resulting in Detective Hugo being transported to another dimension."

Well, avoiding a direct conflict with the Plasma Group during this sensitive period of champion handover is, to some extent, a good thing.

"Is the Unova region still locked in a stalemate with the Plasma Group?"

Karuni inhaled the aroma of the coffee and asked—

"I remember Zhu Lan once reported a warning about that organization to the Alliance headquarters. Has the situation improved since then?"

"Thanks to the Dark Elite Four's activities, the League has drawn most of the United States' financial conglomerates to the opposite side of Team Plasma, and has also broken the organization's invincible religious divinity to some extent. However, I think it will take a long time for this influence to translate into a real shift in the balance of power between the two sides."

Hugo said—

"However, at the same time, the activities of that cult among the people have not been hindered, and the number of people who agree with the Plasma Team's ideas continues to grow day by day... So the current situation is that both the politicians of the United States and the high-ranking officials of the Plasma Team believe that time is on their side."

"Team Plasma's influence is indeed significant. Even in the Kalos region, there are no shortage of followers who support their ideas. On our social media, there are often highly viewed videos of them. Sometimes it's a recording of Team Plasma's king listening to the voices of abused Pokémon and condemning irresponsible trainers; other times it's emotionally charged speeches by Team Plasma executives who call themselves sages."

Karuni gave Hugo a meaningful look—

"To those outside the Unova region who are unaware of the inside story, Team Plasma's ideology, at least in its starting point, is completely reasonable and correct. The Unova Federation has not yet used the power of its authorities to openly suppress Team Plasma's missionary activities, which is probably not just because a few bribed high-ranking officials are interfering."

“That’s true. We can’t go against public opinion and stop the right thing from happening,” the detective sighed.