Pokémon Detective Case Files.

It was truly a case of exhausting all options... Just as Lila was thinking this, the vice-captain, who had been hiding beside her, suddenly made a move.

"It seems the enemy has been completely tied down..."

The handsome detective whispered softly, slowly rising from his concealed position with a stoop. The hem of his trench coat swept across the cracked ice surface without making a sound.

Looking up, I saw that the Pokémon Ball of the Delinquent Frog was already in the hand of the trench coat detective known as "Whistle".

"Rushing in now won't make a difference."

Because Alakazam was fighting Vio's Pokémon in the arena, it couldn't spare any attention, so Lyra and the handsome guy weren't in a mental "synchronization" at that moment.

She could only press down on the handsome man's shoulder and verbally warn her vice-captain—

"It's not that I don't believe in your and the Delinquent's fighting strength, it's just that the situation has now escalated into a full-scale war. You alone cannot defeat all of Team Plasma and that Team Aqua executive at the same time."

Unexpectedly, the handsome man smiled knowingly: "Looks like you made the same mistake as me."

He gently pushed away Lila's hand that was resting on his shoulder—

“We don’t need to defeat them all, we just need to delay them until Interpol’s support arrives.”

“Of course I know that. But if we don’t break their blockade, we can’t stop their transport operations. They can move that giant ice block onto ships before reinforcements arrive…” Lila paused halfway through her sentence, as if she had thought of something.

"It seems you've figured it out. Sure enough, when people get impatient, they tend to overlook many obvious things, even the Grand Lords of the Hoenn Battle Tower are no exception. However, this suggestion is something I heard Champion Hugo say outside the cave."

The handsome guy threw out a Poké Ball, releasing his partner, Croagunk. Then he took out another red and white Poké Ball.

The luster of this item seems different from that of a regular Poké Ball. If you look closely, you can see that the texture and lines on it are somewhat abstract, and the waterproof rubber rings at the seams are faintly visible.

"To thwart the Plasma Group's plot, all we need to do is blow up their ship."

The handsome guy waved the secret Interpol gadget in his hand in front of the captain—it was obviously a waterproof bomb disguised as a Pokémon Ball, produced by the research and development department of the Interpol organization.

Chapter 411 There is no way back.

Interpol's development department occasionally produces some bizarre "masterpieces," and waterproof bombs are one of the most representative failures.

The original purpose of developing this tool was to counter the increasingly rampant maritime smuggling activities by criminal organizations in the Hoenn region, and it was designed for underwater offensive operations.

The developers ingeniously designed it to be spherical, touting its "pocket-like portability" as a selling point—however, the reality is that no Interpol agent wants to carry a high explosive that could be mistaken for a Poké Ball in their pouch. The slippery spherical shape makes its installation less efficient than even the simplest detonator, and the complex delayed detonation mechanism makes it completely unsuitable for emergency operations. Even worse, the underwater blast wave's transmission characteristics make it easier to injure the agent than the enemy—and for Interpol agents, even in a serious confrontation with a criminal, simply pulling out a high explosive and shoving it in the face is far too brutal.

So, before this "genius invention" could be made to look foolish, it was quickly shelved by the development department and forgotten in a junk box in the corner of the warehouse along with other failed products, until it was discovered by a handsome detective who came to select equipment.

At the time, Interpol had just owed a private investigator a huge favor—a situation that would become commonplace later—but the organization, facing this situation for the first time, showed great sincerity. Considering the investigator's extremely limited knowledge of Pokémon battles, the organization decided to select some useful items from the development department as a thank-you gift, items that wouldn't cause much controversy even if they were to circulate among the public. The handsome young man, who had a close personal relationship with the investigator, was naturally entrusted with this important task.

Clearly, the waterproof bomb failed to meet either the requirement of being "useful" or "not causing much controversy even if it circulated among the public." However, the handsome guy remembered something the detective had mentioned—that disguising a solid metal ball as a Poké Ball might be surprisingly effective in battles. So he contacted his colleagues in the development department and commissioned a set of iron balls featuring various special ball designs, successfully completing the mission assigned by the organization.

Although the waterproof bomb was completely inadequate, it was ultimately retained by the handsome detective under his personal request. After all, while not as serious as the detective's situation, his partnership with the scoundrel did lack effective means of area-of-effect damage and single-point detonation. Unlike his fellow detective colleagues who disliked spherical explosives, the handsome detective discovered that using the scoundrel's "mud-throwing" move could easily fix the waterproof bomb in various locations—an experiment that proved successful in his subsequent solo operations.

Gradually, this failed product, which was despised by everyone, became a standard piece of equipment for handsome men—of course, considering its danger, handsome men would never use it lightly unless absolutely necessary.

And now, that is precisely the time when we have no other choice.

.

From the very beginning, the handsome guy and the naughty frog tacitly separated and acted separately.

To avoid attracting the attention of the Plasma Cluster, the two of them each wore an optical camouflage wallpaper—this prop was also made by the Criminal Investigation Department's development department. Because its camouflage effect was so poor, anyone who looked at it carefully from the front would immediately give it away, and like a waterproof bomb, it could not be used as official police equipment.

But at this moment, it is precisely these props, which can only barely fool people for a while, that have become the best choice.

The two, one human and one pet, moved swiftly through the chaos of the battlefield like two blurry afterimages. They skillfully weaved between Team Plasma members locked in combat with Lucario and Espeon, cleverly using the smoke from every explosion and the shadows of every piece of equipment as cover. However, as they approached the destroyer in the center of the ice, the surroundings became completely open and exposed.

"Using these tricks again? Do you detectives think I'm blind?" The sage Vio's impatient voice rang out, gesturing to separate a Pokémon from the melee with Alakazam. "Sentinel Rat, use 'Detect' to expose them!"

The slender sentry rat immediately straightened its body, its eyes blazing with a blinding light. Under the intense light, the optical camouflage instantly revealed its true form—the figures of the handsome guy and the scoundrel frog gradually became clear, like a faded oil painting.

"Grab them!" Vio gave the order, and the nearby Plasma Team members immediately pounced on them like a flock of hungry vultures.

"Bad Frog, over there."

The handsome guy had already planned the route. He pointed to a huge block of ice being transported to the side, then nimbly slid in and joined the transport team composed of the giant rock monster and the Damo baboon.

The massive ice blocks that the cumbersome Pokémon were carrying now served as perfect cover—the Team Plasma members exchanged glances, hesitant to attack rashly, fearing they might harm the Pokémon carrying the ice blocks or those sealed within the ice.

However, there was one person on the scene who completely disregarded the Plasma Team's concerns—that was Izumi, an executive from the Fleet Aqua.

"Stop this dawdling hide-and-seek and 'crush' them!"

With precise aim, this "murderous Feather Stream" threw three Poké Balls far into the bottom of the ice block. The Poké Balls glided for several meters before turning into three black shadows that pounced towards the detectives like lightning.

"At six o'clock, use the 'Kick Down' move! Then unleash 'Venom Impact' to the left to harass."

The handsome man met up with the unruly frog beneath the gray figure sealed by ice. As soon as the command was given, a large wolfhound pounced on his chest.

"Unfortunately, I don't have a chew toy in my detective tools..." The detective smiled wryly, turned to the side, and flung his brown trench coat out, blocking the wolfhound's view. He then dodged again, hiding behind the baboon's thick arm.

The wicked frog was even more swift and decisive—after knocking down the second wolfhound with a "kick," it turned and unleashed a "venomous blast" backward. The highly toxic liquid corroded the ice surface, and the last wolfhound shattered the thin ice as soon as it stepped on it, its front paws slipping as it fell to the ground in a sorry state.

"Let's go!"

The handsome man didn't miss the opportunity to escape the battlefield. He was now only wearing a thin shirt, yet he was so agile that he seemed completely unaffected by the cold emanating from the ice.

A standard-issue smoke grenade from the criminal investigation team slipped from the handsome man's fingers, rolled across the ice, and spewed out thick white smoke in the low temperature. Taking advantage of the chaos in the transport team, the man and his pet instantly disappeared into the icy fog.

There are two entrances to the plasma cluster's vehicles: a massive cargo platform for loading ice, and the main hatch where people had just disembarked. The handsome man pretended to run towards the cargo hold with the transport team, but his ultimate goal was always the main hatch, which was closer to the control room!

The plasma cluster hadn't even realized what was happening yet; it was only a step away from the destroyer's open gate!

But just then, another group of people appeared before the criminal police as if they had foreseen it.

“As expected of the Sage, Mr. Vio is truly a visionary…” Brad slowly walked up to the handsome man, looking coldly at the approaching Interpol agent, “With me here, you won’t get a single step closer to this ship.”

As he spoke, a leopard leaped nimbly from its Poké Ball, and a Magneton shimmering with metallic light floated into the air. Behind him, the Team Plasma members summoned their respective Pokémon, forming an impenetrable wall of steel in front of the narrow destroyer hatch.

"Was it a miscalculation?" the handsome man sighed inwardly.

Also at this time-

""flash"!"

In the distance, Miss Lila's clear voice echoed throughout the cave.

In an instant, dazzling white light burst forth from three different directions simultaneously—Alakazam's spoon, Espeon's forehead jewel, and Raikou's mane. The three shone brightly, transforming the entire underground space into a sea of ​​light.

"Now's the time! Make your move!"

The handsome man didn't miss this fleeting opportunity, lowering his body and rushing out like an arrow released from a bow.

He slammed his shoulder and elbow into Brad, who was still rubbing his eyes, while shouting sharply—

"Bad Frog, 'Close Combat'!"

The dark blue figure moved in response, the scoundrel abandoning all defense, its legs whipping through the bright light in deadly arcs, aiming straight for the core of the Magneton.

Cracks appeared in the impenetrable walls, and they stormed through the hatch!

Chapter 412 Waiting is the longest detonation

As the handsome man stormed into the destroyer, the airtight iron door serving as the isolation chamber slowly slammed shut amidst a piercing alarm. The Plasma Squad's garrison had clearly activated a remote control program; the heavy metal door slammed down mercilessly like a guillotine.

But this was no longer enough to stop the advancing criminal police.

"Bad Frog, now's the time!"

A short, dark blue figure flashed out instantly, unleashing a "vacuum wave" at the iron gate, accurately hitting the hydraulic device above the door frame.

An invisible force shattered the fragile transmission structure, causing the falling iron door to become stuck in mid-air, emitting a metallic groan as it succumbed to the strain.

Without the slightest hesitation, the handsome guy and the rascal frog rolled sideways at the same time, sliding into the cabin at the last second.

With a loud "crack" from behind, the damaged mechanical structure finally collapsed completely, and the heavy iron gate crashed down, completely blocking Brad and the others who had just regained their sight from entering.

"These are the water pipes for the seawater desalination system... and the connection seems to be to the right?"

Upon entering the cabin, the dim emergency lights flickered like a rapid heartbeat, but the handsome man didn't rush to search blindly. Instead, he took a deep breath, adopting the habit of a detective, and calmed himself to observe carefully.

“Ship propulsion systems are typically cooled directly by seawater, so there wouldn’t be such a structure. Therefore, this desalinated seawater connection is most likely the ship’s living quarters, while the core area should be on the port side!”

He lightly touched the surface of the pipe with his fingertips, feeling the subtle vibrations transmitted by the water flow, and then confirmed the direction of the water pipe's delivery. He then led the scoundrel to the left.

.

"That detective headed towards the control room. Damn it, reopen the hatch! Navy, how many men are you still on that ship?"

As the battlefield gradually shifted with the movement of the transport convoy, Vio and the Water Fleet's executive Izumi gathered together. The Sage, having just received a report from his subordinates, looked at the "Killer Feather Stream" beside him with a grim expression.

"Don't worry." Izumi held the three knocked-down Mightyena Poké Balls he had just retrieved, but a calm smile appeared on his face. "There are still at least half the crew members on board. Besides, I'm not going to let my ship be taken away like this."

That's a Plasma Group ship... Vio didn't directly point out the Fleet Navy officer's grammatical error, but raised an eyebrow and asked, "You still have a backup plan on that ship?"

“Of course.” Quan poked his forehead with his finger. “Don’t worry, I left a ‘surprise’ in the control room… With that guy there, the detectives who sneak into the cabin won’t be able to cause any trouble.”

A harsh metallic scraping sound came from afar. The destroyer's isolation hatch was forcibly raised, and a large number of plasma squad members swarmed in.

Meanwhile, the loading of the giant ice crystals had entered its final stage. The ice crystals collided with the steel, and as the destroyer slid into the cargo hold at an angle, they produced a louder and more ear-piercing friction noise that sent chills down one's spine.

Izumi's gaze returned to the battlefield before her, a cruel smile curving her lips: "Compared to the situation on the destroyer, I think we should deal with this elf here that can generate electricity."

Before her and Vio, the Goldfish King had completely lost its fighting ability under the concentrated attack and fell miserably in the shattered ice.

Although the "Trick Room" that gave Snorlax speed up has been deactivated, the other legendary Pokémon has returned to its peak condition, with vibrant electric sparks dancing in its golden mane.

"It would be best if we could take it down." Vio's eyes searched the distance, trying to find Lila's hiding place. "But the sealed spirit must be sent out before more detectives arrive. That's Team Plasma's bottom line!"

"They're really stubborn." Izumi said, while directing the Megalodon to use "Rock Blockade" and coordinating with Vio's Geometric Snowflake's "Light Wall" to block Raikou's electric shock. At the same time, she turned her head and asked, "Since you're in such a hurry... why not block the cave passage and keep those annoying gophers out?"

“This makes no sense.” The sage shook his head and commanded Weavile to step forward and use a Dark-type Pokémon to block Alakazam’s “Foresight”.

"The fact that two detectives were able to strike our vital points so precisely shows that they have been lying in wait here for quite some time. The other escape routes set up by the cult have likely been exposed. With so many exits, even if we block every cave one by one, it won't buy us much time—at this point, the only way out is that destroyer."

Compared to the police besieging the Giant's Cave, the current Plasma Group is more like Radamanthys and Diglett hiding in the tunnels.

"Heh, it seems I really do have a heavy responsibility." Izumi chuckled nonchalantly, then suddenly pressed his hand to his head, his eyes narrowing—

"That guy's in the command center."

.

The handsome detective did encounter several Team Plasma minions along the way; his opponents had clearly noticed their intrusion, but the detectives swiftly defeated them all without exception. Everywhere he went, there were stunned elves and Team Plasma members bound by handcuffs and ropes.

"It seems that compared to the fierce battle outside, this destroyer is actually safer..."

Looking back at the traces he had left behind, the handsome man gave a self-deprecating smile. Although he did not let his guard down, he still secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Following the diagram found on the Plasma Group members, the detective moved forward along the cold metal wall, his eyes fixed on the narrow hatch at the end of the passage—that was the destroyer's command center, and the handsome man's ultimate goal.

If the ship's control system can be temporarily disabled, the plasma cluster's evacuation plan will be completely ruined.

"Bad Frog, how's the situation up ahead?"

As he approached the hatch, he lowered his voice and asked his partner, who was lurking in the shadows ahead.

The deep blue frog-like Pokémon nimbly gestured, sharing the situation behind the door that it had detected through echoes: first, it extended three toes, then clenched its fist, and finally made a clean throat-slitting motion—[Three guards, on alert, can be dealt with quickly].

"Very well, then let's send them to bed!"

With a "bang," the Bad Frog's "vacuum wave" shook open the door lock.

Having confirmed the intelligence, the handsome man didn't hesitate and decisively threw the last smoke grenade he was carrying into the doorway.

With a hissing sound as the canister released gas, hurried footsteps and coughs immediately came from inside the hatch. He exchanged a knowing glance with the scoundrel, then crouched low and charged into the billowing smoke like a leopard hunting its prey.

""bluff"!"

A quick glance revealed that the Pokémon under Team Plasma's command were Buggy, Lil'Hoole, and Iceberg Lettuce.

The strongest of them all appears to be the final evolved form, the Babysitter, but considering the weaknesses of the Bratty, the handsome guy still chooses to harass the Lily first.

"Caw!"

The hoarse croaking of the wicked frog exploded in the sealed chamber, the sound sending a ghostly face flying through the smoke. The Light Ghost, exceptionally sensitive to spirits, was thrown into chaos. In the confusion, the "Shadow Ball," which was meant to be aimed at the intruder, struck itself instead.

At the same time, a "sticky net" was woven out by the babysitter bug and pounced on the bad frog from above; on the other side, Dodo Ice opened its blue mouth in the slush and used "Frozen Wind" to blow away the fog of the smoke bomb.

"Splitting the tiles to break the net! Then poisoning the babysitter!"

Noticing the handsome guy's command, the Plasma Team members on the other side also hurriedly tried to give their Pokémon a response, but were drowned out by a sharp alarm whistle.

This was a prop that the handsome guy made out of self-deprecation after he got the title of "Whistle". Apart from its amazing volume, it had no other advantages, but at this moment it created a deafening sonic boom in the closed cabin!

With the trainer's help, the Frog's claws glowed white, and the moment it tore through the bug web, it turned into a purple light and went straight for the Babysitter. The power of this attack far exceeded the level that an unevolved Pokémon should have. The Babysitter, which is weak to Poison, is not good at defense. After being hit, it turned blue and fell to the ground unconscious.

On the other side, the Spectral Spirit struggled to escape the chaos. It barely heard the trainer's command under the siren and shot out a "Flame Vortex" from the flame inside the lampshade.