Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"They had already escaped when we checked, leaving only an empty Poké Ball. There was also a huge amount of psychic energy fluctuation in the Pokémon ward, so it's almost certain that this Pokémon was the one that kidnapped Acromorma."

Gade lowered his head in shame: "This is our dereliction of duty..."

The newly crowned champion waved his hand dismissively: "That Da Yu monster is so dull, it's normal to let our guard down against it. Besides, if that Akroma really wants to leave, we can't stop him."

"Isn't it too perfunctory to handle it so gently?"

The cold voice of the Alliance Vice President came from outside the ward; it was Ms. Gloria.

"We've just learned that the acting negotiator, so highly regarded by the Champion, is actually a researcher belonging to the Plasma Group, and his reputation in the academic research field is infamous. This makes us wonder... Champion Hugo, can we really trust you?"

"Given the Alliance's security department's keenness, the fact that they only discovered Akromar's true identity now precisely demonstrates that he had absolutely no access to any sensitive Alliance information during his time as my personal agent."

Hugo shrugged nonchalantly, and only after Gade left the room with the superhumans did he explain to the vice president—

"After I already knew about his connection with Team Plasma, I deliberately involved Akromar in those meetings. The purpose was to create a smokescreen, to make those in the League who were secretly siding with Team Plasma waver in their stance on the new champion. Originally, I intended to reduce some resistance through this method, but unexpectedly, it yielded some unexpected gains."

Hugo was obviously referring to Lionel Skolatos—which made the vice president's face turn a little ugly. She had actually worked with a defector from the Plasma Group for so many years, and she really had no right to blame Hugo for letting a wolf into the house.

"Team Plasma's biggest advantage over the League lies in this: the former operates in the shadows, cloaked in the grand guise of the Pokémon Liberation Movement. We cannot enforce oppressive rule within the League and completely eliminate all Team Plasma collaborators—unless we can prove ourselves more correct than them. And that is almost impossible. Even if we put on a show of arguing, we will only fall into the sophistry framework that the other side excels at."

Gloria sighed and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear: "To most people in the Alliance, Team Plasma is more like a treacherous collaborator than an enemy. Coupled with long-standing underestimation, this has led many officials to the ridiculous notion that the organization can be exploited... But you and I both know that Team Plasma's ambitions go far beyond that."

"Didn't the Alliance find even the slightest clue that the Plasma Cluster had revealed?"

Hugo and the vice president sat down on the bedside table across the hospital bed and asked each other seriously—

"Based on what I know, Team Plasma has committed a range of crimes, including manipulating criminals, kidnapping Spirits, and causing serious explosions. Even if Ghetsis and his group can cover up some of these crimes, they can't possibly eliminate all the evidence, can they?"

“There is indeed fragmented evidence, but it is far from enough to shake the foundations of that massive organization.”

Ms. Gloria, who once held the purview of the Alliance's secrets, shook her head, her tone becoming heavy—

"Their methods of concealment are certainly not particularly sophisticated, but the Plasma Team has branched out into many subordinate organizations. There are church organizations that simply worship the King, cult societies led by a single sage, and liberation movement-related organizations with only a few Plasma Team members involved. When the crimes of one of these organizations are exposed, they will, on the one hand, shift the blame to other organizations whose identities cannot be verified, and on the other hand, present themselves as victims to their followers to gain more sympathy and goodwill. Under this structure, the more they are controlled, the more united and stubborn these organizations become; and the more they are left unchecked, the more they will expand and grow without end, becoming like stone crabs with hard shells, impossible to touch."

“Yes, I guess that’s the case.” Hugo nodded in understanding.

"Mr. Hugo, I know you don't intend to continue as champion after the next League Tournament. But in the months leading up to that, what exactly is your intention as champion towards Team Plasma?"

Gloria asked seriously.

"Your earlier question about your trustworthiness was merely a smokescreen to the outside world. As you said before, in a situation where the enemy and friend are unknown, it's better to obscure your stance. In fact, I've investigated the situation through intelligence agencies in other regional leagues. As a blood relative of Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion, you made significant contributions as a detective, assisting in the dismantling of Team Sinnoh Galactic. Since arriving in Unova, you've been investigating and combating Team Plasma. Just yesterday, you successfully destroyed Team Hoenn's Magma base and captured their leader. Your reliability as a member of the League is beyond question. What I want to know now is—"

The vice president leaned closer to Hugo and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear—

"When do you plan to take action against Team Plasma? Is the title of Unova Champion a convenience or a constraint for you?"

“My point of view is—” the detective answered in a normal volume without any hesitation, “The Plasma Group is unlike any other underground organization in any other region. In fact, none of us can destroy the Plasma Group.”

"Group Plasma is built upon a long-standing structural contradiction within our society, and that's the real reason it's able to remain invincible. Rather than the 'hard-shell armor' metaphor, I think that now, this organization is more like an icy goose in the snow; even if you repeatedly shatter its shell with physical attacks, it will still grow new 'frozen heads' time and time again. Therefore, whether I'm a detective or the champion of the Unova League, launching an attack on Group Plasma is pointless. Whether we eventually arrest their King N or wipe out their Seven Sages, the organization's core essence will not change."

Hugo's voice was unwavering: "I now fully understand how former Champion Alderman handled similar incidents—only taking necessary action when the other party provoked the situation. As a champion, launching unnecessary offensives only diminishes the Pokémon League's credibility... although I think there were many better ways to handle things when his Team Plasma wasn't yet a force to be reckoned with."

"You mean we can only sit here and wait to die?" Vice President Gloria clenched her fists.

Hugo looked at the vice president with a meaningful gaze, without saying a word, until Gloria ran out of patience and left the ward in despair.

.

The moment the door closed, a corner of the light in the room began to flicker.

The air rippled like water, and Quixote's figure appeared silently in the center of the ward, like a ghost emerging from a canvas.

Chapter 365 People Competing for the World

"It really is persistent." Hugo frowned as he stood up, but he wasn't particularly surprised.

The leader of the Seven Sages, who appeared in the center of the room, held a scepter, wore his signature robe, and had the gold ring on his finger.

He walked confidently past the detective and sat down on the hospital bed where Akromma had once slept.

"Did you already guess I was coming? You're quite clever, aren't you? No wonder you're Champion Hugo who successfully wiped out Team Hoenn." The old man placed the huge scepter across his knees, his voice laced with sarcasm.

“The one-month observation period has passed. Since the monitor Akroma has left without saying goodbye, you should naturally send someone of greater importance... I just didn’t expect that you, Mr. Ghetsis, would come in person with such energy. This is the heart of the Alliance. Relying on that invisibility ring alone may not be enough for you to escape smoothly.”

Quixote just sneered dismissively: "For me, the Alliance headquarters is more convenient for me than the hospital room in Fuki City."

"is it?"

Hugo shrugged and said dismissively—

"However, when it comes to the honor of wiping out the Lava Team, your contribution in this matter seems to be no less than mine."

"Oh, what do you mean?"

Quixote paused almost imperceptibly on the finger that was caressing the ring, but his face, hidden by the blindfold, remained calm.

"The coordinates of Team Magma's secret base must have been leaked to Team Aqua by you, right? The time between the start of the Aqua Mushroom experiment and Team Aqua's deployment of the Poison Slab was too short. With Crimson Pine's vigilance, it's impossible for him to expose the location of Aqua Mushroom Island to his rivals so quickly."

The detective pinpointed the key point.

"Furthermore, the methods Team Aqua used to deal with Mushroom Island were too specific, almost as if they already knew the Achilles' heel of Agar. And the only people who knew this information beforehand were Team Magma and Team Plasma, who cooperated with them. By process of elimination, the culprit who leaked the information to Archie and the others is obvious."

"It wasn't a leak; to be precise, it was sold to them."

Quixote was not ashamed but proud. When he saw that the detective had seen through his actions, he smirked with satisfaction.

"After the cooperation came to an end, we had already taken more than enough of what we wanted from Team Magma. All that was left were some after-sales services that were neither useful nor worth discarding. At this point, Team Aqua offered a higher price, and Team Plasma naturally had no reason to refuse their goodwill."

"Compared to Team Magma, which is far away in Hoenn, is Team Aqua, which has the ability to sail across oceans, more worthwhile to strive for?"

"How perceptive. On the other hand, compared to the scholarly demeanor of Crimson Flame Pine, I prefer the way Water Willow Tree acts, especially after he was driven to desperation by a certain detective. Who knows, the Order might need such a crazed criminal to lend a hand someday."

Quixote gave a chilling smile, his flat voice like the hiss of a venomous snake.

"Now, Hugo, the one-month deadline has passed. Have you made your final decision?"

This time, Quixote wasn't holding the golden dagger; he was just sitting there quietly, but to the detective, he seemed even more dangerous.

"Cooperation, or death?"

"I was able to escape from you even when I was sick, and now you're trying to threaten me like this, like you're scaring a child?"

Hugo stood before the Plasma Sage, his hands already placed defensively at his sides.

"Are you referring to those beginner Pokémon who tipped you off, or the Elite Four members who would provide you with close protection? Heh, don't worry, I'm just here today to confirm your answer. The punishment of death won't come anytime soon... Or do you think you can live your whole life hiding under someone else's protection?"

“You must have overheard my conversation with Ms. Gloria, right? Are you still trying to get my support?” Hugo asked.

"As the younger brother of the Sinnoh champion, you have now become a champion by chance, but you have not been able to possess the strength commensurate with your status. Can you really fill this gap with your detective wisdom?"

The sage raised an eyebrow and gazed meaningfully at the detective—

"As for organizations like Team Galactic and Team Magma, they were originally obstacles to Team Plasma's future development. The fact that you were able to eliminate them proves your own usefulness."

"Then why not consider maintaining the status quo of neutrality as an option?"

United Champions still did not express its stance, continuing to negotiate with the other party in an ambiguous manner.

Quixote gave a silent, cold laugh: "If you were Adek, I would allow you to remain noble in your neutrality. But are you?"

Hugo sighed: "It seems that I am underestimated in every way—though this is also the result of my usual actions."

So what's your answer?

The scepter, adorned with the Plasma Corps emblem, was pointed at Hugo's nose. Hugo shook his head and raised his hand to brush the scepter tip away from his nose.

“I did consider joining Team Plasma. The best way to shake an organization is from within, and the factional infighting within Team Plasma is very lucrative. Your King N isn't entirely bad either. Dividing and disintegrating Team Plasma from within, and transforming it into a benign organization useful to society, sounds like a good thing. But…”

"Oh, it seems you've chosen death."

Quixote's voice was full of regret, as if he were truly saddened by Hugo's refusal.

"I will not join the Plasma Group. There is no need for me to board a dangerous ship that is about to sink."

Hugo's voice echoed in the empty hospital room—

"Your plasma clusters are about to collapse, aren't they?"

The sage chuckled dismissively, "If you're referring to the gambling on the Royal United Ship, then I advise you to abandon your hopes. The Order's finances have long since weathered the crisis, and are even better off than before the incident..."

“I’m referring to the organizational structure of the Plasma Cult. As Gloria pointed out earlier, the differentiated structure allows your cult to regenerate heads no matter how many times they are cut off, and also causes your size and number of followers to grow uncontrollably day by day—but this model comes at a price.”

Quixote's smile froze on his face, and Hugo continued—

"The Plasma Team, now at the peak of its influence, has reached its limit. Its lofty ideals are now beginning to bind your hands and feet; the fragmented organizational structure is showing differing demands and voices, and you are becoming increasingly alienated from the core decision-making group of the Plasma Team—you know very well that the Plasma Team can never become a purely elf protection organization, but as the liberation movement progresses, the Order's propositions become increasingly insignificant. You are losing control of this movement, and at that time, the monsters created by Smura will devour you."

The detective in the white coat raised his finger—

“Lionel’s risky move illustrates this fact—even within the upper echelons of the Plasma Cult, anxiety and suspicion are gradually emerging among the members. If this situation continues, the cost of maintaining the Plasma Cluster itself will only become higher and higher. To change this situation, you must instigate a massive transformation, allowing the Plasma Cluster to undergo an evolution like the Ayak-shrooms on the sea, transforming into a completely new life form.”

"Wishful thinking," Quixote commented dismissively.

“This is not mere conjecture,” Hugo said.

"The reason you were so eager for my answer, even coming all the way here in person, is because of this."

The detective looked down at Quixote in front of him.

"Team Plasma doesn't have much time left. Once the championship title passes to me, you won't have time to wait for the next champion to finish his next term. That's why you abandoned Team Magma and chose Team Aqua. You need a transoceanic organization that is more aggressive and reacts faster as your ally. Like the former vice president of the League, you have been driven to the brink of despair by your own desires."

Are you just spreading alarmist rumors and trying to buy time?

The Plasma Sage stood up expressionlessly and dusted off his robes.

"I'll ask you one last time: have you decided to oppose the Plasma Group in the coming changes?"

Hugo spoke calmly, so quickly that he didn't even need to think—

"In the words of your Plasma Sages, this is what is meant by 'those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.'"

"That's a real shame..."

Quixote took a deep breath, and the toneless voice rang out again, like an ominous death knell—

"The United States Alliance, this organization that paints a rosy picture, originally had the opportunity to continue its mission after the world was turned upside down, but you rejected that glimmer of hope."

"Only those who can't make it in the current world would be so focused on changing the world, as if they could win first place simply by changing the arena."

The Unova champion, who had declined the invitation, crossed his arms and said with a mocking expression.

"I will never join such a gathering of losers."

“You have successfully angered me, Champion Hugo. I hadn’t originally planned to make a move today… but now I’ve changed my mind.”

Without engaging in a verbal sparring match with Hugo, the Plasma Sage left behind these last words before his figure gradually disappeared into the hospital room—

"May you perish along with this world you're so proud of, you unworthy Unova Champion."

As he finished speaking, the ground trembled.

"Sigh, what an old trick." Hugo sighed, pressing his forehead.

next second.

The enormous explosion echoed throughout the entire headquarters of the United Alliance.

.

When the dust settled and the ward was in disarray, the Unova Champion, still dressed neatly, stood in place, the barrier created by his superpowers shielding him from the impact of the explosion.

"Looks like your tactic of stalling for time and setting up an encirclement failed." Linguine King, hanging from the raven's claws, climbed in through the window shattered by the blast wave. "I never thought there really were magical items in the world that could make someone completely invisible."

"No, it's hard to say what the real purpose of that prop is."

At that moment, Karune and her Gardevoir entered from outside the ward. It was this Kalos Champion's partner who had used the "Reflect" move to shield Hugo from the deadly explosion.

"At least this time, Quixote didn't enter the League in his true form. Instead, he only released a shadow constructed of psychic power to communicate with Hugo, which dissipated the moment it triggered the explosion. As for that afterimage, it's very likely related to the psychic-type attack that Akroma's Great Universe Monster released earlier."

“That makes sense. Given Quigish’s cautious nature, it’s impossible for him to break into the Alliance headquarters at this time without any precautions.” Hugo stroked his chin thoughtfully. “So, those explosives planted between the floors were left behind by Akromar during his hospitalization?”

Karuni shook her head: "I can't determine the specific components, but the trigger device is definitely Daewoo's 'Precognition' technique. That wide-ranging mental energy fluctuation almost erased all traceable clues."

"Since the explosives were timed, didn't he originally think Hugo would accept the terms of cooperation?" Yueju asked, frowning.

"No, I believe that Quixote was at least somewhat sincere in discussing this matter with me. If the negotiations go smoothly, perhaps there will be other ways to cancel the explosion..."

Before the detective could finish speaking, Carlos's fire-type Elite Four member, Pachira, suddenly squeezed into the crowd, his sharp gaze sweeping across every corner of the room before turning to Hugo—

"The type of explosive has been identified; it's a high explosive," she said definitively. "This smell of gunpowder is something no Pokémon move can imitate. There are clearly other Team Plasma accomplices lurking within the Unova League, and that person could plant a second or third bomb under your seat at any moment."

“No, not again.” Hugo’s voice was calm but unwavering. “This is the last time.”

At the same time, Vice President Gloria and Gade followed closely back to their room.

The vice president's usually meticulously combed hair was now slightly disheveled, clearly from running all the way.