Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"In fact, I have already reported the situation here to Hugo."

Seeing that everyone was silent for a moment, the handsome man's hoarse voice rang out again—

"He agrees with the assessment that Acromah stole the sealed spirit and has already begun to send people to track him down. As for how Acromah took the ice, the champion believes it is very likely related to that mysterious mechanical spirit."

"You mean... he suspects that the red Pokémon might have been used as a propulsion device for the ice?" Lila asked.

"Yes, that's what he thinks... Ouch!" The handsome guy accidentally aggravated his wound as he nodded, and couldn't help but gasp.

"Remember how that Pokémon in Akromma's hands could switch its moves to different types by changing different cartridges? Perhaps one of those Water-type cartridges could give it a huge push in the water, which it could then use to move ice blocks."

"To be able to deduce this much just from someone else's retelling, he truly lives up to his reputation as a detective." Lila, who is always demanding of herself, lowered her eyes. "On the contrary, we, who clearly knew the enemy's exact location beforehand, still managed to mess up the operation... He must be very disappointed."

"No, not at all. Hugo was quite pleased to learn that we had captured Vio and Izumi, and told us not to worry about sealing the Pokémon."

The handsome guy scratched his head, which was still bandaged.

"It seems... compared to the situation in Snowflake City, things have turned out much better here."

Chapter 416 The Visitor Before Dawn

Enveloped by a superpowered light barrier, Akromar sped through the underground river leading to the outside world.

By the light of the low-powered signal light clipped to his clothes, the scholar stood on the smooth ice surface, his white robe reflecting light unusually in the dim cave.

Although the "wall of light" released by Daewoo Monster formed a windbreak, strong air currents still managed to seep in through the gaps, tearing his clothes and making them flutter loudly.

Beneath him, the massive block of ice, dug out of the permafrost by the plasma cluster, floated steadily on the water's surface—within the ice layer. The gray sprite remained asleep with its eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to all the changes in the outside world.

At this moment, this rectangular giant ice block was not loaded onto any vehicle; it was floating on the water surface solely by its own buoyancy, yet it was moving forward at an astonishing speed.

The reason for this scene is just as Detective Hugo had predicted from afar—the red Genesect is now clinging to the bottom of the ice block, its Water Stream Card constantly unleashing attacks, and its Water-attribute "High-Tech Beam Cannon" generates powerful propulsion underwater, causing the entire ice block to move forward at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary ships, like a silent speedboat.

"Although I feel a little sorry for Vio and the others, there's nothing I can do about it."

Akroma pushed up his glasses, the "consciousness overwriting device" mounted on the frame was flashing faintly.

Through the monitors connected to the two Pokémon's bodies, he could clearly sense that Daewoo and Genesect were nearing their physical limits—if they were to force a fight against Interpol in this state, not only would they have no chance of winning, but they might even lose these two precious experimental subjects completely.

So, without telling anyone, he chose to run away without hesitation.

As Akromar, ordering his Plasma Squad subordinates to reopen the destroyer's cargo hold doors was no difficult task. A few alert subordinates seemed to notice something amiss, but before they could question it, Daewoo's "hypnosis" had already quietly taken effect. Under the influence of psychological suggestion, the guards' confused eyes quickly became dull, and they began to mechanically carry out his commands.

Under the circumstances, Akromma believed that even if Vio himself were present, he would agree with his choice—it was better to preserve the most important research results than to be completely wiped out.

The possibility that letting Genosect fight the detective a little longer might have changed the outcome of the entire battle did flash through his mind, but it left him with no trace of guilt.

Scientists won't gamble their lives on things whose probabilities can't be calculated.

Akromar's ideal was to witness firsthand the ultimate power of Pokémon. Before seeing that sight, he had no intention of sacrificing himself for Team Plasma, this illegal organization—to him, Team Magma, Ghetto, and Team Plasma were all just financial backers providing research resources.

The scholar refocused his gaze on the monitoring data reflected in the lens, his expression playful—

"Genesect's speed and output have been proven in actual combat, and it is indeed enough to contend with legendary Pokémon, but its weaknesses are still obvious. The type disadvantage is one thing, but the problem is that when facing Fire-type moves that it is super effective against, the fear deep in the Pokémon's mind will reduce the efficiency of mind overwriting. This phenomenon also occurs when Daewoo faces Dark-type moves... It seems that the equipment still needs to be adjusted."

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the frame of his glasses, then looked down at the massive, frozen structure beneath his feet.

"Otherwise, if even these two are so difficult to control, then controlling this guy... would be an even more unrealistic fantasy."

Beneath the ice, the sleeping giant seemed to tremble slightly in response.

Just as Akromah was gradually immersing himself in the plan to modify the "consciousness overwriting device".

Crunch, crunch... It sounded like the crisp sound of ice being pressed down.

He could hear footsteps on the ice behind him!

"who is it?"

Am I being followed?

The scholar turned around in alarm, and the traffic lights shone behind him, revealing only a large gray cloak.

"I stumbled upon this place by chance while following a team of international police officers, intending to gather some secrets... I never expected to have such an unexpected gain."

The newcomer stopped five meters behind Akromma, and a hoarse, indistinct male-female voice came from inside the cloak—

"To be able to betray 'The Wind' and 'Killer Feather' without hesitation, and escape from 'Whistle', 'Decadent Wave', and a large group of police officers. Mr. Akromma, it seems you'll have a resounding nickname from now on."

Judging from his tone, this person seemed to know everything that had happened in the Giant's Cave... Akromma's heart sank.

Now, he only has two Pokémon left, Daewoo and Genesect, which are no longer combatants. If this guy in front of him really watched the whole battle from the sidelines, he couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

"You don't have any Pokémon around you who can fight properly anymore, do you?" The gray-cloaked man cut to the chase, ruthlessly extinguishing the scholar's last shred of hope.

"In other words, if I wanted to, I could easily stop this small boat made of ice and let you and it fall into the hands of the Alliance Police... or even more extreme, I could even—"

The mysterious man in the gray cloak made a slicing motion across the throat.

What do you want?

Akroma regretted getting involved in the mess of the plasma cluster, his eyes fixed on the visitor who seemed to have no flaws.

Now that things have come to this point, although the initiative is completely in the other party's hands, the fact that the person in front of him did not directly stop his escape indicates that this person is at least not an Interpol employee, and may even be on the side of the Plasma Group.

If the other party calls out to me here, they probably have ulterior motives!

"Hehe, it's so convenient to deal with smart people." The hoarse voice sounded somewhat pleased. "Then, let's exchange information."

"Intelligence?" Upon hearing this unexpected term, the scholar raised his eyebrows curiously.

“Gold and jewelry decrease with use, but information increases with sharing—that’s the kind of business I’m in.”

Business……

Akroma, adjusting her glasses, remained vigilant despite the visitor's frankness: "What do you want in exchange? And what will I get in return?"

“What I want to know is the address of your secret bases in Kanto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Alola, and all the other regions, Acromoma. In return…” Gray Cloak paused, “you will know—your name in the underworld from now on.”

“Ha.” Akromar spread his hands. “This means nothing to me, does it? Even in the plasma cluster, I’m just an ordinary researcher.”

"No, no, that's not how the rules of the underworld are calculated."

The newcomer extended a slender, pale finger from under the cloak and waved it.

"You stepped over two colleagues with titles, letting them go to prison in your place, and gained your freedom on your own. With such outstanding performance, you should naturally be awarded a corresponding title—otherwise, the title will be devalued."

"What does this have to do with you and me?" the scholar said dismissively. "It's as if you would suffer losses because of the devaluation of your title."

"Yes, of course."

The man in the grey cloak answered without hesitation—

"Because, in this underground world, about 50% of the titles are given by me."

The visitor's nonchalant words drifted in the wind.

“I am both an intelligence intermediary and a creator and collector of various titles—including ‘The Wind’ and ‘Killer Feather Stream,’ as well as ‘Whistle’ and ‘Decadent Radio Wave’—and from today onwards, your title will also be one of these fifty percent.”

"Are you... that legendary 'information broker'?"

Akromar recalled a rumor he had overheard on the black market—

The entire alias system of the underworld was actually a concoction created out of interest by an information broker, whose title was "Information Broker." True to his name, this person seemed to know everything and would always quietly appear before those who needed him, trading his most valuable intelligence for the highest price.

According to rumors, one should be especially careful not to complain about the nicknames created by the "information broker" in front of him, or misfortune will surely follow!

"Although I don't want to use my power to intimidate you, since you guessed it, there's nothing I can do about it."

The man in the gray cloak did not deny the title of scholar, but shrugged slightly.

"I'm sorry, but you don't have the right to refuse this deal. Because I'm standing right here, and I could capsize this little ice boat at any moment, just like this..."

The cloaked figure suddenly raised his hand. In the next instant, Akromma almost slipped on the ice due to inertia.

The ice block that was speeding through the water has stopped!

He looked toward the "bow" and saw a huge blue webbed hand extending from its grasp, striking the front of the ice block with a snap.

The immense force almost made Akromar jump in place, but no matter how hard he activated the "consciousness overwriting device" and how much effort Genesect exerted underwater, it could not move an inch further in the water.

Immediately afterwards, a blue head covered with a rocky faceplate slowly emerged from the water, beneath which was a thick, dark blue tortoise shell as solid as a rock.

It's a Rib Turtle, and a rather powerful one at that—Akroma couldn't possibly not recognize this Pokémon. During the development of Genesect, Akroma even resurrected several from ancient fossils for experimental purposes.

"How are you feeling? Have you calmed down a bit?"

The grey cloak swayed gently on the suddenly frozen ice, echoing the grey shadow beneath the ice.

Akromar could almost feel... the cold, condescending gaze emanating from within the cloak.

Chapter 417 A Gift That Is Honest and Fair

As her thoughts raced, Akromma's gaze lingered for a moment on the ribcage's shell, which was as solid as a tortoise's wall. She took a deep breath, then spoke with feigned calmness—

"I don't have any so-called 'secret research institutes set up around the world,' at most just a few temporary residences. There's no noteworthy research data or any other extra valuables in them. Is such boring intelligence what you need?"

"Whether it's necessary or not is up to me to decide," the "information broker" said coldly. "You just need to tell me everything you know truthfully."

The mysterious visitor, clad in a grey cloak, emphasized the word "real"—

"The reason I'm bringing up the secret research institute here is because I already have relevant intelligence. I believe that the essence of human nature is greed, and I take this as my life motto—wanting to see the whole picture after seeing only a part, wanting to cut down the forest after picking up a branch. So-called information intermediaries only need to do this kind of hoarding behavior. The more you collect, the more suitable buyers you will naturally find—just like now."

His gaze, hidden beneath the cloak, was directed at the scholar with a meaningful look.

"Compared to your precious life, those few temporary residences in the past should be nothing. Not to mention that you seem to have found a completely new research direction now." The 'information broker' pointedly stomped on the ice. "Therefore, when you intend to fabricate information, please don't tell lies that are easy to spot."

The intelligence disadvantage is too obvious!

Despite the cold sweat beading on her back, Akromma forced herself to remain calm and slightly narrowed her eyes behind her glasses—

"In the end, what do I actually get out of this deal? Giving Akromar a nickname is a task you have to complete yourself, it means nothing to me—I have no obligation to play along with your criminal slang games."

"You're still haggling even when you're at your wit's end. You're quite brave."

The "information broker" sized up Akromma—

"How about this? As a gift, besides telling you 'your name,' I'll also provide you with some insignificant intelligence services... By the way, the police in the cave are probably about to realize what's going on, so we can't linger here any longer."

The figure in the gray cloak raised its hand again, and as the gesture fell, the ribbed sea turtle slowly retracted its giant paw, its massive body sinking back into the water.

As the obstacle disappeared, driven by the "consciousness overwriting device," the underwater Genesis immediately restarted its "engine," and the blue light of the "high-tech light cannon" once again illuminated the dark waterway, propelling the giant ice block forward.

“What exactly is this so-called ‘intelligence service’?” Akromma pressed.

"It's news that concerns your life or death." The 'information broker's' hoarse voice carried a mocking smile.

"Once you leave the sewers where you were supposed to be hiding, which direction should you head in to avoid the next wave of searches sent by Hugo? I think you'd really appreciate some advice, wouldn't you say? That detective seems to have used his unique connections to find a Wailord with a keen sense of smell, who's currently tracking down the straggling Plasma Particles along the river..."

"Please tell me this information, and I will agree to the deal!"

Akroma's response was so quick it almost interrupted the other person.

Although the other party acted strangely and had an astonishingly large appetite, their reputation preceded them, and the authenticity of the information they provided as an "information broker" was absolutely beyond doubt. The fact that they were able to intercept me precisely at this time and place was the best proof of that…

Wait a minute! Time? Place?

As if a lightning bolt had struck his mind, Akroma, who was receiving paper and pen from the "information broker," suddenly became alert.

He looked up abruptly, his gaze behind his glasses probing the dark figure beneath the cloak.

"What? Is there anything else you want to say?" the hoarse voice asked—ultimately, why did this person hide his appearance and voice?

In the blink of an eye, the instructions from the "consciousness overwriting device" were simultaneously transmitted into the mind of the Great Universe Monster.

"Light Wall" removed!

As the barrier dissipated, a sudden gust of wind swept in.

The "information broker" quickly adjusted the cloak concealing his face, while Akromma's lips curled into a knowing smile—

"It seems you are quite keen to conceal your female identity."

He took a step forward toward the other person.

"What an interesting discovery! The master thief 'Special Project' and the so-called omnipresent information broker 'Information House' are actually the same person—I wonder how much hush money should be paid for this information?"

"It's just a bluff, a smokescreen. You didn't actually see anything at all, did you?"

A sneer came from inside the cloak, but the other party did not deny it immediately, which Akromar considered to be close to tacit agreement.

"Since I haven't seen anything, why are you still unwilling to show your face? Besides, at this point, even a simple process of elimination based on the selection criteria is enough to deduce your identity."

"Oh? How did you guess that?"