Pokémon Detective Case Files.

“The design of this left turn is indeed a bit tricky.” Hachiku, who has been stationed in Snowflake City for many years, carefully observed the road surface. “Although the slope here is gentle, it is indeed easy to skid when the road surface is icy in rainy or snowy weather. Over the years, such accidents have been quite common in Snowflake City.”

Azure flipped through the documents in her hand, repeatedly checking the testimony record of Morikawa sent by Hugo, but her brows furrowed more and more.

"According to the records of the bus repairs in the alliance, the front right side of the vehicle slipped and hit a lamppost in the rain. The left rear door, which was not locked, was thrown open due to inertia, causing the document box to slide off the back seat and scatter into the mud by the roadside."

She crouched down, her fingertips lightly tracing the remaining marks on the ground—

"Although the evidence at the scene basically matches the testimony, I still feel like something is not quite right..."

Azure stood up thoughtfully, and slowly took a few steps back under the curious gaze of the Tundra Bear, trying to examine the whole scene from a more macro perspective.

Suddenly, she felt something strange on the sole of her shoe and her eyes widened in shock—

"Wait!" Azure exclaimed, "This is an uphill road!"

“Yes.” Reminded by the girl, Hachiku’s gaze sharpened. “The gravity on an uphill section will create a downward component force. Even if the inertia during the impact is strong, the car door should not be able to swing open completely to the point that the document box can slide off.”

“Besides…” Azure stood up, “there’s something else that’s been highly suspicious from the start—how could Morikawa, as a senior driver in the Alliance’s Transportation Department, possibly make such a basic mistake as ‘forgetting to lock the door’ when carrying out a mission to transport classified documents?”

The driver must have panicked and lost his composure, mistaking the trap set by others for his own negligence.

Hatchuk paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Unless... this door was deliberately opened after the skidding incident."

“It couldn’t have been opened from the outside either,” Azure said quickly. “Aside from the fact that Alliance buses automatically lock when they close, people on the outside of the road couldn’t predict the exact location where Morikawa’s vehicle would skid.”

"This means..."

The gym leader and the detective's assistant exchanged a grave look, both simultaneously realizing a possibility—

“Something was already hidden in Morikawa’s car before he set off.”

Chapter 399 The Ashes Will Not Forget

Just as Azur and Hatchick deduced that there was more to the car accident than met the eye, and this message was being relayed to Lionel through the league champions' communication channels—

At the headquarters of the United Federation, the former vice president of the federation stood in the former office of Holt, an official of the Inspectorate, gently brushing his fingertips across the dusty bookshelves.

Two years have passed, and many things in the league have changed, but this office still retains the original appearance that Holt used back then.

Although his successor had already taken over, no one dared to easily clear out Holt's belongings—after all, the disappearance of this former Inspectorate official was too suspicious. While he was arrogant, his exceptional abilities were undeniable, and his conduct impeccable. Because of this, rumors still circulate throughout the Inspectorate that he might suddenly return one day.

“It’s ironic,” Lionel muttered to himself in the empty office. “An official who has been missing for two years, yet his office seems frozen in time.”

"It's said that the successor to this office has a good personal relationship with Holt, and no one can be sure that Holt really won't come back." Security Director Gade stood by the door, crossing his arms in a gesture reminiscent of Lian Wutianwang's signature pose, and said, "Compared to him, your vice president's office has now been completely emptied."

He was ordered to "accompany" the former vice president of the alliance during the investigation—ostensibly to assist, but in reality to monitor him. His duties included both liaising with other departments to prevent this convicted spy from causing a disturbance by moving freely within the alliance headquarters, and ensuring he wouldn't take any inappropriate actions.

“But are you sure we can find more clues here?” Gad asked, frowning. “We’ve gone through all the files in the office and asked all of Holt’s colleagues, but nobody knows why he suddenly resigned.”

"The bureaucratic system is like a huge curtain, lying between the things that need to be done and the people who can give the order to do them."

Lionel's fingers lightly traced the edge of the drawer, his gaze as practiced as that of a night owl patiently waiting for its prey.

“Since Holt urgently requested the transport of a document at night, there must be something he urgently wants to accomplish. What we need to do is find traces on the curtains he passed through.”

The disgraced former bureaucrat once again opened the drawer he had already rummaged through at least three times; the neatly arranged documents inside gleamed faintly under the light.

"Did you see the intelligence that Champion Hugo just sent over?" he asked without looking up.

"That investigation into the car accident scene?"

Gade stroked his stubble-covered chin—

"The champion suspects that the car accident was caused by a small Pokémon hiding in Morikawa's car. It had somehow sneaked into the car beforehand and then used an Ice-type move on the road while turning, causing the vehicle to skid and accidentally destroy the documents—honestly, if this incident hadn't been brought up unexpectedly because of Morikawa's testimony, it would have been a perfect crime."

"This is undoubtedly a method used by plasma clusters."

Lionel, who was once an inside agent for the plasma group, said—

"Including Holt's sudden resignation, it all seems too coincidental—after all, it's not difficult to use 'hypnosis' to make someone resign voluntarily while in a daze. But on the other hand, Team Plasma's style of operation two years ago wasn't as unscrupulous as it is now. They would directly target Alliance officials, which must have been because that person touched something so sensitive about the Order."

"So, Holt's disappearance was because of Group Plasma's attempt to silence him... or maybe he was imprisoned somewhere, but what exactly was the reason?" The head of security remained with his arms crossed, stamping his foot irritably. "We already knew this was Group Plasma's doing, otherwise we wouldn't have released you from the detention center to investigate."

"Shouldn't investigating cases be the job of detectives? What is that new champion doing right now?"

“He’s cleaning up the mess from the previous bombing,” Gade said irritably. “To help your friend, Hugo Champion forcibly covered up the kidnapping behind the bombing, directly characterizing the incident as a trap planted by the Plasma Group beforehand… However, in a sense, this statement does indeed fit the reality.”

“That’s all he can do.” Lionel found the folder he wanted and began to flip through it quickly, the papers rustling between his fingers. “The public needs a simple and clear image of the enemy. A clear target is always easier for the Alliance to control public opinion than a complicated truth—of course, Team Plasma won’t just sit idly by.”

"Stop with the nonsense." Gade leaned closer to the table. "What are you looking for?"

The former vice president pulled out a marked report; the paper had a slightly worn, pale yellow hue under the light.

"Based on the information the champion just provided, I believe the key lies here—Holt's last project before his disappearance: the inspection of the underground pipework repairs at the league headquarters."

“But it clearly says here that everything is normal, and…” Gade quickly scanned the report, “These routine reviews are conducted jointly by multiple departments, and no other departments found any problems.”

“The problem isn’t the review itself,” Lionel interrupted, “but why Holt suddenly became interested in the underground pipelines. Infrastructure maintenance isn’t within that official’s oversight scope, yet he took the time out of his busy schedule to specifically oversee the review of the Alliance headquarters’ underground works—what was his purpose?”

What lies hidden beneath the Alliance headquarters?

Both of them fell into deep thought.

Lionel pointed to the documents in front of him: "Based on the information we have so far, Holt should have become interested in the Alliance's underground before the car accident, and then launched some kind of investigation. There is no doubt that by the time he dispatched the Vehicle Management Department to Snowflake City to retrieve the data, it was already the final stage of the investigation—and it was at this point in time that he touched a nerve with Group Plasma."

According to the Department of Transportation records, Morikawa retrieved the document box from the League office in Snowflake City and was involved in a car accident on his way back. If, as speculated, a Pokémon had infiltrated the vehicle beforehand, the boarding location could only be one of the League headquarters or Snowflake City.

“If it’s Snowflake City…” Gade pondered, “that means that the document was already being watched by Team Plasma from the very beginning.”

“This is logically contradictory,” Lionel tapped the table with his index finger, pointing out to his former subordinate. “Given the Plasma Group’s strength, if they knew the location of the documents earlier, they could have destroyed them quietly beforehand. Why go through all the trouble of causing a car accident after the documents were sent out?”

"You mean, the Pokémon that caused the car accident infiltrated the League headquarters to get into the private car?" Manager Gade frowned.

“That’s what I mean,” Lionel nodded.

"Team Plasma's Pokémon started tracking Morikawa from the League headquarters. It lurked in the car until the driver picked up the documents in Snowflake City, then took the opportunity to dispose of them on the return trip." A glint flashed in his eyes. "And the reason Team Plasma did this... was because they didn't know the documents existed in the first place—precisely because they didn't know, they needed to dispose of them as soon as they were released!"

“Even with this level of deduction, we still don’t know what the contents of this document are.” Gade shrugged, his tone tinged with a hint of resentment. “Originally, apart from the part that was lost in the car accident and soaked in water, we had some information in the file box that we could refer to, but they were all destroyed as expired documents under your orders, wasting the clues that Holt risked his life for.”

“Naive.” Lionel shook his head dismissively.

"Since the Plasma Group has the means to cause a car accident, they certainly have many more ways to destroy subsequent evidence. The fact that this document has prompted such a large-scale operation from the Plasma Group means they must have prepared multiple layers of protection to ensure its permanent disappearance. The Morikawa car accident was one part of this, as was silencing Holt himself. Ironically, my unintentional handling of the document caught them off guard; otherwise…"

He paused meaningfully for a moment: "If someone with inside knowledge were to handle this, their information blockade would be even more thorough, leaving no trace of this investigation."

"What could possibly be written in such a secretive document that would make the Plasma Cluster so cryptic?" Even Director Gade couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine at this point in the discussion.

“We probably won’t find any more clues within the league.” Lionel stood up, glancing out the window. “But don’t forget, someone else provided Holt with the information. If we want to find the answer, our champion should perhaps start investigating from Snowflake City.”

Chapter 400 The Sages' Round Table Meeting

"Then, let's begin the council meeting."

In the dimly lit council chamber, the Coffin of Death stood silently in a corner like a guardian. The eerie blue flames of the crystal chandelier cast strange shadows on the walls, and the intricate ancient patterns appeared and disappeared in the firelight.

Six sages sat around an obsidian round table, their faces hidden in shadow. The empty seventh seat beside the table stood out starkly.

“Vio has not yet been reinstated as a Sage and is overseeing the progress of the Giant’s Cave mission, so he cannot return to the castle. Therefore, I will temporarily exercise his voting rights on his behalf.”

"Foolish Carnival" Quixote gently touched the eyepatch over his left eye with his right hand, which was adorned with a metal ring.

"Any objections?"

“I don’t object to you assuming Vio’s responsibilities, but leaving the Sage’s position vacant like this isn’t a solution,” said Zero, the ‘City Defender’ from Team Plasma. “There are no abstentions in the Round Table vote, so an odd number of votes is needed to avoid a tie. I think it’s time to deal with this vacancy.”

“Vio will return here.” Quixote said in an unquestionable tone, “Not to mention that the decision made by the seven of us on the Royal Union was made together, Vio’s discovery in the Giant’s Cave alone is enough to make him rejoin our ranks—you should know how significant that discovery was.”

"The Unity was founded on the back of two dragons: the black dragon of ideals and the white dragon of reality," Asura the Soul Thief said slowly. "But now, the Order has grasped reality, while the ideals remain unresponsive. What good is it for you and Vio to dig out that monster from the ground if we don't resolve this issue?"

"Rule requires power."

Quixote did not become impatient with the debate among the king's sages; the round table was, after all, a place for resolving disputes. He calmly and slowly opened his palms, as if displaying some kind of invisible bargaining chip—

"Monsters have their uses, and there lies a vast gray area between ideals and reality—and this is the power our Order should wield. Moreover... while the Black and White Dragons represent the authority of the United Nations, shouldn't we also strive for the world outside of the United Nations?"

“How greedy you are, Quigish.” The historian Joggs, known as the “Exiled Ocarina,” shook his head. “That thing in the Giant’s Cave can indeed grant us immense power. But don’t forget… we don’t have enough time. The Order cannot muster enough power to control that third dragon.”

"If you hadn't lost Victini in the Tower of Heaven, we wouldn't be in this situation," Smura sneered. "And the operation to capture the remaining two legendary spirit beasts hasn't made any progress either, has it? It seems that even if Vio returns, we'll probably have to prepare for another vacant spot in advance."

“To be precise, there are three left, but one of them is not in Unova.” Joggs seemed not to hear the sarcasm in his companion’s mouth. “Unlike the land cloud that we have already captured, tornado clouds and thunder clouds roam in the high sky all year round. If we don’t have something that can attract them, even if we are lucky enough to intercept them temporarily, they will probably escape. At this critical point, it is better not to waste extra manpower.”

“I agree,” said Rhodes, who was in charge of the Plasma Corps’ finances. He stroked his beard, a man known for his ‘balancing game’ skills. “Speaking of waste, we shouldn’t waste any more time now. It’s time to get back to today’s main topic.”

Quixote nodded slightly. "Then, please let Asura explain. After all, he initiated this emergency meeting."

All eyes turned to the sage known as the "Soul Thief." Asura slowly rose, the silver embroidery on his blue robes gleaming dimly in the candlelight.

"Thank you." He gave a slight bow to Kuiqisi, his voice suddenly becoming low and somber.

“This matter is related to the foundation of the cult.”

The flames of the chandelier suddenly flickered violently, twisting Asura's shadow onto the ancient emblems on the wall.

“Based on my surveillance within the Alliance, someone there is about to notice the anomaly underground. They have already started sending people to investigate Holt’s former office.”

“The responsibility for this matter lies with me.” Quixote, who already knew about the situation, took the initiative to bow his head and admit, “I devised the assassination plan against the champion, but I didn’t expect it to involve the loose ends left by Holt who was silenced back then.”

“You don’t need to blame yourself for this.” Asura shook his head. “It was purely accidental that this would lead to such consequences. The current situation only further illustrates the necessity of assassinating that detective champion. We were too careless before.”

"Can we use the same trick again?" Jero made a throat-slitting gesture. "Not many people know the inside story yet. We just need to take down those who have the key clues..."

“That won’t work,” Quixote immediately rejected. “The recent assassination attempts have already put the League on high alert. Take those two in Holt’s office right now, for example. Don’t be fooled by the fact that there are only two of them. In reality, the League’s Ghost-type Elite Four member, Mismagius, is constantly monitoring them. If it weren’t for our old surveillance methods, she might have already turned the tables on us.”

"Are there other ways to cover up the truth?" historian Jörgs asked, "such as setting up misleading clues or something..."

“If the opponent is the champion, it will probably be difficult to achieve anything.” Quixote fiddled with his ring, his sharp lips tightening. “I never thought we’d be pushed to this point by a detective…”

"Should we confront the Alliance?" Smura asked calmly. "Although public opinion may not be ready yet, and most importantly, Lord N is still missing, the Order has accumulated enough chances of winning."

“That guy…” Quixote clicked his tongue almost imperceptibly as he thought of his nominal adopted son. “We don’t need to worry about our king. When the time is right, he will naturally return to his throne. In comparison, we only have one chance to declare war on the alliance, so we must choose the right time and method to start the war.”

“It seems… it’s time for a vote.” Rhodes coughed twice.

“Two choices—” his voice was low and slow, “either abandon the project we have painstakingly built over the years, or… when the secret is exposed, go to war with the Alliance.”

"Vote."

The "fool's revelry" prompts them to nod their heads.

"Please contribute your wisdom as sages and make a decision at this moment—those who support those who have recently gone to war with the Alliance should raise their arms, and those who do not raise their hands should be considered as opponents."

As soon as he finished speaking, Quixote raised his scepter with his right hand and slammed it heavily to the ground.

thump.

With a muffled thud, the sound of sleeves rubbing together was particularly jarring in the silence.

Six arms were raised around the round table.

“It seems we’ve reached a consensus.” Quixote glanced disdainfully at the sage who raised his hand in agreement. “Seven votes in favor. It’s time to get moving.”

Smura was the first to push back his chair and stand up: "Heh, looks like I'll be busy from now on."

He stroked his chin: “I will have the lower churches immediately begin to incite public opinion, and the media should also prepare some ‘special propaganda’ for the alliance. Although the time is a bit rushed…” The brown-robed sage paused meaningfully, “but this day was originally planned.”

Next to stand up was Asura: "I'll go keep an eye on Snowflake City and see if I can buy some more time."

“Yorgos, you go with him,” Quetzalcoatl said. “I will send some of Hoenn’s friends to assist you. Now that things have come to this, we might as well make a bigger commotion.”

“Snowflake City,” Joggs’s gaze drifted into the distance. “It’s truly a place I miss. The great battle beneath the Dragon Spiral Tower is still vivid in my memory.”

“Rhodes, go find that guy N.” Quixote’s gaze turned to the still-sitting red-robed sage. “Try to bring him back, and while you’re at it, see what he’s been up to lately.”

"I will obey...your will." Rhodes slowly stood up and bowed.

With the departure of the four sages, only Geralt and Quixote remained in the secret chamber.

"This day has finally come," the short, yellow-robed sage said with a cold laugh.

“Yes.” Quixote slowly rose to his feet, his metal scepter scraping against the ground with a harsh sound. “We invited you, with your wicked temperament, to join the Seven Sages, and in a way, it was for this very moment.”

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you feel you got your money's worth."

“I hope so,” Quixote said noncommittally, turning and leaving the room.

The empty council chamber now houses only Jero.

The plasma cluster's "city defense division" stretched out a big yawn, put its legs up on the black tabletop, and finally burst into hearty laughter.

"The mechanism is ready to be activated! It's time to let the world see your true form... my masterpiece! my castle! my ideal world!"

Chapter 401 The Alliance's Countermeasures