Pokémon Detective Case Files.

I vaguely remember Hugo saying that this visitor was the person in charge sent by Team Plasma to monitor him, but it seems that the detective used false information to keep him at the Alliance headquarters doing odd jobs...

Is he angry and ignoring me because he waited too long? Or does he feel that there's no point in discussing things with me since Hugo himself isn't here?

With these thoughts in mind, the girl took the initiative to step forward and greet them.

“Mr. Akromar, I am the champion’s agent appointed by Champion Hugo. I am directly responsible for most of the affairs at the league headquarters. What message do you want to convey here?”

The bespectacled youth remained silent, standing still.

Douzi thought he was asleep, so he walked over to Akromma's side, first waved his hand in front of him, and when there was no response, he shook the latter's shoulder a little harder.

result--

Pfft!

The stable balance was broken by the shaking.

The head, sporting an elaborate hairstyle, had barely left the support of her elbow when it slammed onto the table in front of her. Akromma landed face-first on the table with a startlingly loud thud.

The liquid in the coffee cup was knocked over and spilled, staining the contents of the manuscript paper completely black.

Is he... dead?

The substitute champion stared wide-eyed; the event had happened so suddenly that she forgot to even scream.

Chapter 327 Overdose – Fatal

"It seems... she really isn't breathing."

Blacklink stepped forward to check on the situation in place of his stunned childhood friend. However, as he withdrew his finger from under Mr. Akromma's nose, shook his head with a grim expression, and uttered that terrible verdict, the entire United States erupted into chaos.

Within a short fifteen minutes, countless medical staff and rotating alliance leaders, like a swarm of startled iron ants, flocked to the meeting room where the murder had occurred.

The once spacious room was now crammed with people, resembling an underground anthill.

The bureaucrats responsible for receiving the visitors whispered anxiously among themselves, discussing the cause of the attack and the arrangements for the aftermath; the doctors who rushed to the scene tried to resuscitate Akromma, who had stopped breathing, but with little success; stretchers used to transfer the wounded were brought in from outside, and the crowd rushing to make way for them caused another moment of chaos; while the Union police officers who arrived later were trying to maintain order, while anxiously making phone calls to urge the forensic team to arrive as soon as possible...

Even this scene was the result of the alliance deliberately controlling intelligence because the location was too sensitive.

"Excuse me, could we talk in private for a moment?"

A middle-aged man in a black suit squeezed out of the crowd and spoke to the champion agent and Hei Lian, who were left standing in the corner.

Supervisor Mr. Kachi, as the first discoverer of the case, had already been summoned for questioning by the police. As for the remaining Douzi and Heilian, due to their special status, no one knew what to do with them until a high-ranking alliance official arrived.

By now, the important figures who could make up their minds should know the situation... Hei Lian thought to himself, and then he and Touko were asked to leave the crime scene.

After navigating through the labyrinthine corridors and passageways of the Alliance headquarters, the two were led into another office, slightly smaller but more luxurious.

"You two must be Miss Douzi and Mr. Heilian. I already know about your situation. It's truly an undeserved misfortune to have encountered such a terrible accident. I'm so sorry to have shown you such an inappropriate side of the Pokémon League."

An apologetic voice came from inside the office; it belonged to a middle-aged woman whose face Blackie had seen on television before.

This person does indeed appear to be a high-ranking official in the United Alliance, but Black Lian, who is not very familiar with this field, does not know the person's specific name or position.

As if sensing Hei Lian's hesitation, the middle-aged man in a suit who was leading the two introduced them to the person in front of them—

"This is Ms. Gloria, the vice president of the local Pokémon League. With the current league president and champion absent, she is the highest-ranking person in charge at the league headquarters."

"So, that chairman isn't at the alliance headquarters right now?"

A few days ago, when she first took over as the champion's agent, Douzi had met the president of the United Alliance. The president wore a pair of small round-framed glasses and, apart from his developmental style, was just like an ordinary person. He was very kind and friendly, and was also quite friendly to her, the "pseudo-champion" who was temporarily filling in. So the girl asked with some concern.

"The chairman is on a business trip to Fanba City these past two days, discussing the venue for the Pokémon World Championships with Gym Leader Kiku. I just informed him about the murder by phone, and his instructions are to focus on the rescue efforts and deal with the rest later... His unhurried pace is typical of him."

Ms. Gloria shook her head helplessly, then looked at the middle-aged man who had brought Douzi and the other man there—

"It's not enough to just introduce me as your boss. Mutual understanding is the foundation of communication. Mr. Gade, won't you introduce yourself to these two?"

"Excuse me."

The middle-aged man in the black suit bowed to Douzi and the other man and said—

"My name is Gade, and I'm the head of security at the league headquarters. It's laughable to think that I'm in charge of defense in this place where champions and superstars gather. But some trivial things like preventing theft and checking the identities of people coming and going still need to be done, and I'm the supervisor in charge of that area."

At this point, the middle-aged man gave a self-deprecating, bitter smile—

"And now... such a serious situation has occurred in the Champions' Meeting Room, and the one who has to take the lead is still me, the useless head of the security department."

The vice president casually raised her hand, reassuring her subordinate, "From what I understand of the situation at the scene, the incident doesn't seem to be a result of inadequate security. You don't need to be so anxious. What's the progress of the on-site investigation? Mr. Gade, didn't you still have some questions to verify with these two?"

When the topic shifted to himself, Douzi immediately tensed up, while Heilian beside him, having gradually come to understand the current situation, became a bit calmer.

“I started to wonder when I saw so many policemen come into the meeting room. According to Mr. Gade, did Mr. Akromma, who collapsed, not lose his breath due to natural causes such as illness?” Blackie asked.

“Yes,” the middle-aged man answered directly, “we believe this is an attack.”

"Based on your eyewitness testimony, Black Lian, and the diagnosis of the Alliance doctor upon arrival at the scene, Mr. Akromma had indeed lost basic vital signs when he was found."

Ms. Gloria added—

"Fortunately, you noticed the abnormality early, and the alliance also has resident medical facilities. They immediately performed a series of professional first aid measures, including CPR, on the patient, which barely restarted the patient's breathing and heartbeat. But even so, the patient is still in critical condition and is therefore transferred to the alliance's medical unit for further treatment."

"It was discovered relatively early..." Upon hearing this, Hei Lian couldn't help but feel ashamed.

If his fight with Douzi had ended sooner, would this incident have never happened? No, on the contrary, if they had fought any longer, wouldn't Akromah be dead by now?

At this moment, Mr. Gade's cold voice pulled Blackie from his meaningless deductions back to reality—

"The reason he was still in a near-death state was because of the toxin in Mr. Akromma's body. That's why the police concluded that this was most likely a malicious attack."

"Poison?" Douzi stood up from his chair in surprise.

"Yes, the emergency responders did not perform artificial respiration on the spot, precisely because they considered the risks involved, and subsequent events proved their judgment to be very correct," the vice president said.

"Although the Pokémon League's logistics department has been relatively idle due to the former champion's long absence from headquarters, the Pokémon League headquarters is, after all, the battleground that serves the top trainers, and the selection process is the most rigorous and even demanding. Including Mr. Gade from the security department, the logistics department's professional capabilities are undoubtedly top-notch."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Gade was flattered and thanked him, then went on to describe the current situation—

"The patient has no external injuries, and normal medical treatment is unlikely to improve their condition. Only by sending out a powerful healing Pokémon and using a move like 'Heal Bell' to alleviate abnormal statuses can the patient's symptoms be reduced slightly—this is a typical symptom of a human infected by a Poison-type Pokémon toxin."

The security supervisor relayed the doctors' on-site diagnoses.

"While we can't yet determine how the patient contracted the toxin, it's definitely not as simple as a regular 'Poisonous' move. Otherwise, the medical team should have been able to cure him long ago. The toxin in Mr. Acromantium's body must have been specially formulated. Unless someone deliberately experimented with it with the intent to kill, it would be impossible for a Poison-type Pokémon to produce such a troublesome venom on its own."

"In our Elf League headquarters, it's impossible for anyone to accidentally ingest such poison, right? Judging from the situation at the scene, the possibility of suicide can be immediately ruled out."

The vice president spread his hands and said, "After eliminating all the conditions, we finally arrived at an irrefutable conclusion—"

"So, though I'm reluctant, I have to admit that a horrific murder has occurred within the headquarters of this United States."

"Based on the above situation, our security department has something we need to confirm with you, Miss Douzi."

Mr. Gade looked at the girl and finally revealed his reason for inviting her to his office.

"Who exactly is this Mr. Akromah, who was poisoned in the attack?"

Chapter 328 Poison-Covered Land – The Labyrinth

Hugo was not the kind of eccentric detective who liked to hide important clues until the very last second before the truth was revealed.

Given the opportunity, he preferred to explain things clearly beforehand rather than deliver a lengthy discourse at the end of an event.

Therefore, when he entrusted Douzi with the duties of the champion, he had naturally already explained to her their current situation.

However, whether the detective clearly explained his situation is one thing, and whether Douzi, who accepted the case, understood it is another matter entirely.

"I understand. To put it bluntly, you want me to stay in the league and help you subdue those troublemakers who want to be champions, right? Hahaha, no problem, as long as the commission is paid, everything is fine. Anyway, it's usually the same guys who make it to the finals of the tournaments. Letting them come to challenge me saves me the travel expenses to and from different places."

Watching the high-ponytailed girl, who was oblivious to the lengthy backstory and was now patting her chest and spouting grand pronouncements, the detective, who had just returned from Fukiyo City and was now wearing his familiar white coat again, seemed to have a bit of a headache.

"It's certainly a good thing that you're so optimistic. I really hope that overreacting assistant can learn a thing or two from this attitude. However, considering the recent changes in the United States Alliance, you'd better be careful."

"Be careful? Does that mean you have to be careful not to get defeated by other challengers?"

"No, that's actually easier to gloss over. After all, challengers know that the strength of a proxy cannot fully represent the champion. Your side is just a buffer. Even if you are defeated, the league can use a long administrative process to delay the opponent's official championship challenge until after the Higaki Tournament... By then, I should have already stepped down."

"Hmph, if I get defeated, I'll just say that the champion has four trainers as good as me!"

"There were already four, right? Or rather, this is the additional one... Anyway, the threat I'm referring to isn't in terms of combat."

"So, is there some conspirator among the high-ranking figures of the alliance who wants to destroy the world? Or has the entire alliance been corrupted and degenerated by an evil organization?"

"It's not that serious. After all, Mr. Alder and the Four Heavenly Kings of Unova are not to be underestimated. It's just that at this time of great upheaval, the weak links in those organizations will inevitably begin to sway."

Then, the detective told Touko about how, while he was still in the hospital, Gypsy, the nominal second-in-command of Team Plasma, came to his door—

"Look, even a fake champion like me has been approached by Team Plasma. This shows that there are only more officials within the Pokémon League receiving similar invitations."

"Speaking of which, Hugo, have you thought about how to respond to the Plasma Group's membership invitation a month from now? You're not actually planning to join that organization, are you?"

"Well... if I go and join Team Plasma under the guise of being the League Champion, and then use various schemes from within them, I might actually be able to straighten that twisted organization back to the right path—after all, that King trusts me quite a bit."

The detective in the white coat closed his eyes as if deep in thought, as if he were truly weighing the pros and cons.

"But in the end, the risk is still too great. I'm not like that guy Yueju; I don't like to gamble with my life. Besides, that organization isn't really to my liking. Even if it's just to endure it for now, I don't want to act like a puppet under that Quixote."

"Sigh... However, although you think this way, what other officials in the alliance think is another matter entirely."

However, Hugo disagreed with the girl's opinion—

"From the champion's perspective, I'm not too worried about the defection of those officials who are truly in key positions. After all, they are quite shrewd and understand that they are only valuable to be bought by the opposing organization when they are firmly in their positions. Therefore, these people will not easily jump out before the alliance truly shows signs of collapse. The real problem lies in the new wave of those who lack power but are eager to show their enthusiasm in the face of the opposing organization."

"Aren't you worried about betrayal by high-ranking officials, but instead afraid of trouble from minor figures?"

"After all, only minor characters need to cause trouble. They have neither power nor status. If they want to gain respect in the hostile organization that is trying to buy them off, they can only desperately demonstrate their ability and determination as a pledge of loyalty when they defect."

The detective raised a finger: "Especially now, with the Unova League champion having just stepped down and the new successor nowhere to be found, and Blueberry, one of the Elite Four, recently jumping around between different factions. If those restless villains want to find an opportunity to cause trouble and undermine the League's prestige, there is no better time than now. And the League headquarters is undoubtedly the best place for them to operate."

"Oh dear, you make it sound so scary—if something happens, won't I be unable to fully trust anyone in the Elf League?"

"The reality isn't that bad. Team Plasma is currently facing financial difficulties, so they can't afford to engage in large-scale bribery. After all, the United Federation is an organization that has stood on this land for hundreds of years, and its true strength is far beyond what Team Plasma, which has only been established for a little over ten years, can match."

"Ultimately, the bottom line of the executives under the alliance is not that fragile. Just as you may not completely agree with N's philosophy, each of them will also have independent thinking based on their own values. As I said before, this is only the case for a very small number of people."

Hugo paused here, as if considering whether to reveal some crucial information to the girl.

Ultimately, he made a decision—

Rather than saying he had made some kind of firm decision, it would be more accurate to say that he was prepared to discard some kind of pawn...

"If you find yourself in the Alliance headquarters in a situation where you have no one to trust and are completely isolated, aside from the Alliance President who is even more senior than Mr. Adek, and the four Alliance Kings who are highly regarded by him, I can introduce you to a guy whose identity you can't doubt at all," the detective said.

"Who is it? Who is that person?"

"That guy's name is Akromma, the one Team Plasma sent to monitor me. I think I mentioned him earlier."

"The watcher?"

"Yes, compared to ambiguous allies, enemies with clear stances are more reassuring."

The detective frankly told him—

“I learned about his basic situation from Blueberry. He seems to be a scholar who has collaborated with the Plasma Group in the past and has only recently officially joined the organization. Quixote and the others probably wanted to test Akromar's ability to handle affairs outside of research, so they assigned him to me during this month-long testing period.”

"Judging from your unfamiliar tone, haven't you met this monitor yet?"

"We've met in person, I suppose. We've communicated remotely via video calls a few times," Hugo said.

"That guy is a smart man. He knows that his mission is limited to monitoring my daily affairs as the champion. So he simply moved to the vicinity of the United States headquarters and did not ask me anything about my return to Flying Cloud City under an assumed name. Instead, he took the initiative to help me deal with troublesome issues such as the handover of the championship."

“It’s a win-win situation—as long as I leave all the day-to-day tasks to Akromar, he can naturally keep a perfect eye on those tasks.”

"Won't there be any problems with doing this?"

Hugo shook his head: "The League Champion is not the League President. It's a title that carries far more honor than power. With the Champion himself expressing his unwillingness to appear in public, it would be quite difficult to use this identity to cause trouble. However, there are indeed some important matters that absolutely cannot be entrusted to this Team Plasma member, which is precisely why I entrusted you to act as the Champion's representative."

"You mean the matter of auditing the Gym Leader? That certainly can't be outsourced to others. But I'm not just asking about the League's side. Won't Team Plasma be dissatisfied with this perfunctory surveillance?"

The detective shrugged and said self-deprecatingly—

"In the end, what Team Plasma needs to monitor is my qualifications as a champion and a puppet, isn't it? They should be happy that I've let things run wild to this extent."

"Moreover, there are already some spies within the Alliance who have been bribed by Team Plasma. Having him, a genuine Team Plasma member, act in my place makes many things much easier—for example, my request to conceal my true identity. Under normal circumstances, such a request would definitely not be approved, but this proposal was accomplished easily and without any waves through Akromar's hands."

"I see. When the goals are aligned, even the villains of Team Plasma can be considered allies."

"If there is a conflict of interest, even if they are not allies who have been bought off by the opposing organization, they may still appear as villains."

At the end of the conversation, Hugo offered this meaningful reminder.

.