Pokémon Detective Case Files.

“This is insane,” Champion Karuni said, shaking her head.

"Yes," Hugo sighed as well.

"In short, whether Acroma expanded its larval size by introducing the Max Energy of the Galar region, by suppressing Pokémon evolution, or by introducing fragments of Giant Seaweed into its genes... after six years of modification, that originally palm-sized Agaric transformed into the city-sized island before us in just one-thousandth the time it took for a Giant Mushroom. It was at this time that Team Magma learned of Team Aqua's latest movements."

"What does this have to do with the Aqua Team?" Yue Tachibana asked.

"Team Aqua and Team Magma have always been sworn enemies in the Hoenn region. In their eyes, if one side achieves something and the other side fails to suppress it, it means that their respective sea and land philosophies have been distinguished as superior," Hugo explained, spreading his hands.

"Therefore, when Archie's identity as the Hoenn TV station manager was revealed last year, the first reaction of the Lava Team members and executives was not 'Great, our competitor has been weakened,' but rather 'Why does our competitor have such a perfect sanctuary as a TV station, while we don't?' and they were indignant about it."

"So, Team Magma also wants to create its own 'Hoenn TV Station'?" Pachira finally caught up with the detective's train of thought.

Hugo nodded: "Just then, the Ayakashi mushrooms modified by Akromama had grown to their current enormous size. And the growth area that Team Lava chose for the Ayakashi mushrooms was located in an empty area far from the flight path, making it an excellent choice for establishing a base—so they began the construction plan for their secret base."

"Huh?" Champion Karune suddenly thought of the current situation in the Hoenn region. "So, all that trouble Team Aqua and Team Magma caused in Hoenn a while ago..."

"That's right. Team Aqua's sabotage is mostly for taking advantage of the chaos, while Team Lava's attacks on factories and facilities are to steal important equipment and technology to build their secret base."

The detective snapped his fingers—

"After all, although the ocean is vast, it is a wasteland of freshwater. Without a self-sufficient production system, no matter how large the artificial land of the Lava Team expands, it cannot truly become a domain for human survival."

"So what do we do next?" The Dark-type Elite Four member looked at Hugo with sharp eyes. "Defeat all the Team Magma on the island, and then put this Agaric back into its Poké Ball?"

“The Poké Ball large enough to hold this Agaric Pokémon probably hasn’t been manufactured by humans yet.” Hugo shrugged. “I need to conduct an on-site investigation and review the research records left by Team Magma and Acromata before making a decision on how to handle it. Don’t forget our ultimate goal for this trip.”

"The ultimate goal, are you referring to that series of poisonings?" Yueju looked puzzled. "Haven't those two cases been completely solved yet?"

"Yes, we must find out whether the toxin that killed those two poison experts came from this giant Awfula. Is the fungal virus that Selvik is guarding against the spores of Awfula? If so, will it continue to harm the nearby seas and life around the world? In any case, don't forget Awfula's original attributes—it's a Grass/Poison type."

As Hugo was speaking, a loud bang suddenly came from below the clouds.

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling seven-colored light flashed on the red part of the cap of the Ayya mushroom.

"Let's go! Our chance to land has come!" The detective immediately turned around and shouted to Fenglu in the cockpit.

As the wind and dew pressed down on the side pole, a light, crisp sound, accompanied by a sudden feeling of weightlessness, reached the passengers' ears—

"Alright, I'm all ready!"

Chapter 355 The Solution - Flying Towards Land

During landing, an airplane will inevitably generate a lot of noise.

Especially the "Tornado" jet aircraft that Miss Fenglu was currently piloting, its speed-specific engine made it exceptionally noisy during flight. Furthermore, to meet the demands of landing on short runways, it incorporated excessively powerful thrust reversers into its slender fuselage. Therefore, once landing began, the counter-rotating engine blades and the suddenly increased engine power produced an unbearable amount of noise for the ground crew.

Because of these restrictions, even if the contacts Hugo mentioned temporarily controlled the island's airport, Fenglu and his group could not use Pokémon moves to create optical camouflage or illusions to silently land at Team Magma's secret base.

Sure enough, just as the plane was descending from its cruising altitude and the passengers were beginning to see the figures on the white ground and the specific situation, a piercing alarm began to sound on the island at the other end of the airport.

Fortunately, the intense battle raging on the other side of the island distracted the Lava Team, and the alarm did not attract much of their attention.

Despite this, some Team Magma members who remained near the airport noticed the approaching Tornado, and several of them did not hesitate to send out their Pokémon in an attempt to deliver a fatal blow to the landing plane.

"At the two o'clock position of the airport, there's a pair of Magcargo and Donphan using moves against us. Directly behind them on the runway, there's a Golem creating a Stealth Rock. It seems there's been some kind of accident at the back of the airport; all the other Team Magma members are stuck there..."

Fenglu relayed the information she had obtained from the Heart Bat to the passengers in the cabin, then solemnly pulled the landing gear lever and began to meticulously control the plane's descent trajectory.

"The attacks aren't too intense yet, and I'm confident I can land before more enemies arrive—but I'll need cover!"

While in the air, this gym leader, who loved flying, was confident she could avoid any attacks from the ground. However, birds become more vulnerable the closer they get to the ground. At this moment, she could only place her hopes for a safe landing on the four passengers inside the cabin.

"In that case, leave the aerial defense to me."

Champion Carlos had somehow unbuckled her seatbelt and stood in the center of the cramped cockpit with her partner Gardevoir.

"Hmm... Ignoring the detective's special circumstances, do you two Elite Four members need my Gardevoir to lend a hand? Opening the cockpit door right now must be quite troublesome, right?"

"It would be an honor. Leave those enemies who have broken into the airport to me."

Elite Four member handed Gardevoir a black and gold Luxury Ball. Beneath its ornate patterns, a raven-headed creature wearing a stylish top hat was eager to try its luck, its eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

On the other side, Elite Four member Pachira turned his head away helplessly, and with a flick of his wrist, the bright red Poké Ball landed steadily in Gardevoir's small green palm.

"This is my Arrowhawk. We will clear the obstacles on the runway as quickly as possible."

The news anchor's voice was calm and composed, as if he were reporting an ordinary news story.

"I certainly don't want to die a pathetic death along with this plane, crashing into nails or invisible rocks laid by enemy henchmen..."

"Let the Pokémon do their thing as much as possible, and keep them away from the plane when they use their moves," Hugo carefully instructed.

The next moment, Gardevoir disappeared from everyone's sight with two Poké Balls. At the same time, the Psychic-type Pokémon enveloped in purple psychic energy, along with the Flying-type Pokémon of each of the two Elite Four members, reappeared in the air outside the porthole.

This is Gardevoir's proud "Instant Transmission" move.

"The enemy's attack is coming!"

The pilot's voice came from ahead again—several fireballs and a dense mass of rubble were created by the Lava Team Pokémon below and shot towards the landing jet.

However, before the trainers in the cabin could react, countless fluorescent blue orbs of light were generated around Gardevoir.

With a graceful flick of their arms, the champion duo twisted their trajectories, each heading straight for the fragments of their attack that were hurtling into the air.

The collision of the light sphere and the fragments created a dazzling display of light in the air, resembling a grand fireworks show.

"Controlling so many 'Aura Missiles' to attack simultaneously—truly worthy of being Carlos Champion's ace."

With her hands behind her head, Lingju leisurely admired the view outside the window and couldn't help but marvel.

"Not even a single fragment is spared—this effect is almost comparable to 'Swift,' which can perform area-of-effect attacks. But then again, doesn't Gardevoir also use that move? Why doesn't it use 'Swift'?"

"It's probably because Gardevoir and I watched the final match of the Sinnoh region championship not long ago."

Karuni, sitting back down, smiled and glanced in Hugo's direction, intuitively guessing what her partner in the distance was truly thinking—

"Gardeard, being a Fairy-type Pokémon, had a slight competitive spirit towards Cyndaquil Champion's Togekiss, so it subconsciously imitated the moves that Togekiss used when it battled Elite Four."

"It seems you've already started preparing for your next battle against the Fire-type Elite Four member. Don't be too complacent. I'm not like that naive kid from Sinnoh who can be easily defeated by the Champion. The only reason you're still holding onto the Champion's throne is because of sheer luck."

Pachira, standing to the side, raised his chin and looked at Champion Carlos provocatively.

At the same time, the long cry of the Arrowhawk came from outside the window, indicating that the Fire-type Elite Four member's partner had also quickly completed the task of clearing the runway.

“The ground clearing is also complete.” Yueju glanced at the porthole on her side.

Unbeknownst to them, the raven leader had already transformed into a shadow, silently following behind the wing of the Tornado plane. Despite the plane's decelerating engine wildly churning the air, the black sprite calmly maintained its stable flight posture.

The gambler in the cabin shrugged and said—

"As for fighting the champion, I'll think about that in a few years. Anyway, I don't plan to fight this guy again in my lifetime. I just feel that no matter the outcome, I'll inevitably end up disgraced..."

"Preparing for landing."

As if to interrupt the evil king's words, Hugo pointed to a flashing red dot above the cabin.

The next second, a huge tremor suddenly came up from under the seat.

The aircraft's landing gear began to rub against the asphalt runway, and the thrust reverser operated at full power, producing an even louder noise than before.

During the deceleration and taxiing, the landing gear wheels seemed to hit something. Fortunately, Feng Lu's piloting skills were excellent, which prevented the aircraft from becoming unbalanced and damaging the wings.

"It seems that some of our fire-type eleven kings escaped our net during the cleanup operation."

The noise subsided, and the plane finally came to a stop amidst the acrid smell of burning rubber. Lingju, clutching her forehead, crawled out of the cabin and looked around at the Team Magma members who had been stunned from a distance without touching the ground by the leader of the Crows using "Dark Pulse." She couldn't help but mock her companions for their negligence.

"This may not necessarily be my responsibility."

The news anchor, her hair slightly disheveled from the turbulence, was the second to climb out of the cabin. She used her precious orb to retrieve the Arrowhawk that had landed on her shoulder—

"It's possible that a champion didn't notice the debris falling from the sky after their attack was blocked. This is far more likely than Talonflame's 'Clear Fog' failing to clear away the pitfalls."

"Gardedor says its 'Aura Sphere' can't leave any fragments... but if that will stop you bickering, then consider it my mistake."

After fixing her hair, Champion Karune calmly stepped off the plane with Gardevoir's help.

Detective Hugo followed her out of the hatch and looked around with great interest.

Still in the cockpit, Feng Lu needed to rest after piloting the plane and later had to check the damage to the aircraft with Xin Bat, so she didn't plan to leave the airport and explore the giant mushroom island with Hugo and the others.

"Didn't Fenglu say before that there was another wave of Lava Teams blocked behind the airport? Why haven't we heard any news about them here?"

Having ended her argument with Lanju, Pachira's journalistic instincts immediately detected something unusual nearby.

However, Hugo, standing beside her, showed no sense of danger and walked directly towards the back of the airport—

"Don't worry, it seems that our contact's skill level is somewhat beyond the Lava Team's expectations."

"So who exactly is the contact person...?"

Just as Pachira was about to ask this question, the shadow of a creature with huge wings spread appeared on the ground in front of her.

Even more chilling was that the shadow was blood red—

"Why are you only arriving now? I've been waiting for you for ages. There isn't a single strong guy around here, even the Salamence complained to me."

A majestic voice came from above the shadows.

Beneath its magnificent wings, a deep blue dragon was flapping its triangular wings and hissing in dissatisfaction.

As the Pokémon fluttered its wings and landed on the ground, the four people were able to see the faces and identities of the people in front of them.

"Mr. Genji, the Dragon-type Elite Four member of the Hoenn region? What brings you here?"

Pachira recognized the contact at a glance and immediately walked over to her colleague from the Hoenn region to ask questions. Even the thick orange-red sunglasses couldn't hide her curiosity to find out more.

"...Carlos's Karni, the Fire Elite Four member from the same league, and the Gambler from Unova? Wow, what a strange combination."

Wearing a captain's hat and only a black sailor's coat, Genji Tenno, with one hand supporting the head of the Flying Dragon, leaped down from a height, his feet hitting the ground with a sound like an anchor hitting the ground.

He didn't answer the news anchor's question, but instead squinted and identified each of the inbound passengers who had arrived by plane.

"We all met by chance within the United Alliance, and it's a kind of fate that we were able to gather such a sufficient number of combat forces."

The detective in the white coat struck up a conversation with Genji familiarly, mentioning that he had spoken with the superstar several times on the phone during the follow-up work on the previous Aquarion smuggling case.

"With their help, at least we don't have to worry about the unfortunate situation like last time, where the leaders of the illegal organization escaped halfway through the pursuit."

"That's true... Speaking of which, no matter which incident it was, we all owe it to your help, Detective." Genji patted Hugo on the shoulder heartily.

Although he knew the other party meant no harm, the sheer force and enthusiasm, resembling the powerful chop of an iron-fisted warrior, still overwhelmed the detective, so he quickly changed the subject—

"Speaking of which, how's the situation on the other side of the island? Are we doing alright here, enjoying our leisurely life?"

"Don't worry about that."

Genji raised his white mustache and said nonchalantly.

"Our feint attack plan is foolproof. Although that rich young master is an all-around genius, he has absolutely no talent when it comes to deception. After he made such a scene, even the leader of the Lava Team will probably be attracted to the other side of the island. After all, no one could have guessed that the invaders would use a champion-level fighter as bait to draw their fire."

"This is not a feint," Hugo pointed out.

"Our goal is a perfect annihilation, and on this isolated island far from the mainland, the Lava Team's only escape route is..."

The detective in the white coat remained calm, his finger pointing at the asphalt beneath their feet, as if pronouncing a predetermined verdict—

"There's only this airport."

Chapter 356 The Solution - How to View the Ocean

When he saw the Mega Evolution's light swirling around Metagross's claws, and Steven's Champion figure vaguely emerging from the sea mist, Crimson couldn't help but recall the scene of his first encounter with Acromantula...

"The Mega Evolution manual passed down through generations at the Kalos Refinement Tower, the Dynamax technology developed and monopolized by the Marocmon Group in the Galar region, the mysterious moves taught by the Guardians on the Alola Islands, and the still-unknown crystallization phenomenon from beneath the Padia Crater... Do you think these technologies and treasures scattered around the world could be of any benefit to Team Magma's cause?"

The reflection between the man's glasses was hidden in the shadows of the rock face of Yantushan. His white research coat was worn and tattered from the long journey, and its original color was almost unrecognizable.

But the metallic blue highlights in his hair, resembling satellite rings, still stood proudly upright, like a banner of an indomitable spirit.

"After going through all the trouble of finding our Lava Team's hidden location, is this the kind of boring self-promotion you start with?"

Red Flame Pine, with a stern face, coldly looked at Akromar, who was being restrained by two Lava Team officers, through the lenses of his tactical glasses.

"Don't think we don't know that Team Plasma behind you has already started cooperating with Archie. Now that things have come to this, you're trying to play both sides with Team Magma. Isn't that a bit too shameless?"

As if in response to their leader's mockery, a chorus of disdainful hisses rose from behind the Lava Team leader, and the two officers standing next to the Plasma Team scholar also began to look unfriendly.

"I don't really understand political factions, after all, I'm just a technician who's used to working alone. If it weren't for the lack of research funding that led me to meet Ghetsis, I probably wouldn't be here in the Hoenn region now, having traveled all the way across the ocean."

The man in the lab coat was not intimidated by the hellish scene before him; he simply smiled to himself.

"However, Mr. Crimson Flame Pine, you haven't answered my question directly yet."

In the hot wind mixed with the smell of sulfur, a dark light flashed in Akromma's bright yellow pupils.