Pokémon Detective Case Files.

As if she were being praised, the girl curled up the corners of her mouth with pride.

"It can make people think about serious issues without them even realizing it, like coating bitter medicine with sugar. While the audience is captivated by the wonderful story, those profound issues have already quietly taken root in their hearts."

But if humanity has long been aware of this, why hasn't the situation changed...? N looked at his friend's smile and didn't voice his doubts.

The reason for this might be that he already had the answer in his heart—the world was waiting for a sufficiently shocking opportunity.

Just like the subversive ending in the movie, a dazzling flash, like the evolution of a Pokémon, is needed to break through everyone's habitual cognitive constraints.

"Actually, compared to professional theories, the world is actually built up from these little 'vivid' things."

Douzi, slumped over the table, spoke listlessly after attending a morning meeting—

"Just like a movie, whether it's the method of designing the story or a flash of inspiration, if you want to turn it into a vivid movie, you can only relentlessly build up every detail. And even if you do your best, the final product will always be different from what you envisioned."

"Douki, will you... be disappointed by this?" Seemingly touched, N couldn't help but ask.

"Sometimes, I guess so, after all, I'm not a very mature director yet." The girl yawned nonchalantly. "But sometimes, it's precisely because of those differences that I feel pleasantly surprised."

"Surprise?" N frowned, a rare moment of confusion on his face.

“We can’t always think the worst – after all, individual ideas always have blind spots, but if we bring together everyone’s ideas during filming, the accumulated reality may even surpass the original ideal.”

Douzi thought he was just talking about movies and spoke casually without any restraint, but he didn't notice that N's eyes behind him were becoming brighter and brighter.

"In short, the most important thing is to take the first step!"

The female director suddenly raised a finger and pointed it directly at the ceiling. Although she was still lazily sprawled on the table, her tone was full of enthusiasm.

"The most crucial thing is to take action! Whether you're foolish or make a fool of yourself, the most important thing is to take action first! Otherwise, no matter what kind of story ideas you have in your mind, if you don't write a script, don't seriously work on the storyboard, don't muster the energy to recruit actors, don't go to the location scouting site, don't prepare props, don't set up the lighting, and don't open the lens cap to start filming... then those dreamlike images in your mind will never become reality."

"Douzi, there's something I'd like to ask you."

Finally, N made up his mind.

Soroyal silently appeared amidst the cluttered studio space.

“Ah, right…” Douzi blinked, then belatedly tilted his head. “Speaking of which, I haven’t asked you why you came here yet.”

Compared to the solemn champion's room at the league headquarters, this film and television base that he built himself made Douzi feel much more comfortable.

The girl, completely relaxed, stretched her arms and yawned, then looked at her friend beside her with innocent eyes.

But when she heard N's request the next second, her expression froze instantly—

"what?"

Chapter 418 The Passion

The mysterious document box left at the Snowflake City Alliance office was left by Soma, the former priest of the Dragon Spiral Tower.

Two years ago, this nearly ninety-year-old man was commissioned by Holt, an official of the Inspectorate, to investigate relevant documents on the distribution of the ruins of the ancient United Kingdom.

Azure learned the name of the original owner of this file box when she was preparing to leave Snowflake City.

Prior to this, Hugo urgently dispatched handwriting experts from the Alliance Police Department, who sifted through more than ten similar signatures from the records kept by the Snowflake City office over the past two years. After further verification by the detectives, they finally identified the name as "Soma".

The old man's life trajectory is truly poignant—since the attack eight years ago, with the theft of the White Dragon Stone, he officially resigned as the priest of the Dragon Spiral Tower, becoming the last guardian of this ancient tower. As for his originally chosen successor, he has now changed his identity and serves under the Alliance as a researcher managing cultural heritage.

It was through this clue that Hugo found Soma's current residence.

As for the specific details of the old man's interactions with Holt, it was Azure who took it upon herself to investigate—through the police's dedicated channel, she learned that the nursing home where Soma was currently staying was located in the suburbs of Snowflake City near Route 8—which happened to be close to the planned route out of the city.

At that time, there was still at least half a day before the Alliance Intelligence Department agents infiltrated Team Plasma's church to create chaos. So, after informing the Hatchling Gym Leader, Azure decided to seize this opportunity and, with her full-strength squad capable of handling any unexpected situation, go to visit the former priest of the Dragon Spiral Tower.

“Holt…”

At the bedside, the elderly Soma murmured softly, his eyes surprisingly clear amidst the deep wrinkles of his skin. A yellowish-brown soothing serpent lay coiled asleep in the corner of the rest room; its discoloration was not a rare anomaly, but rather the mark of time.

Although both were elderly, the old man with a look of reminiscence was in a completely different state of health than Naoki and Doug whom Bilan had met in Feiyun City—he was so thin that he was almost nothing but skin and bones, and although his voice was coherent, it revealed an undeniable weakness.

"You must be talking about that young official from the Alliance... The last time I saw him, my legs were still able to move around. But... after dragging this old body around collecting documents for him, my legs have become like this. I don't know if those things were ever put to use."

The old man laboriously raised his hand and patted his legs under the thin blanket, seemingly still clearly remembering the request Holt had made two years ago.

Did you fall ill after that?

Azure instinctively suspected this was related to Team Plasma's conspiracy, but Soma shook his head and laughed self-deprecatingly—

“I guess I deserve it. When I was a priest, I fasted for years to maintain appearances, and now I can’t change my eating habits. I feel nauseous if I eat too much or too well. The doctor said I’m malnourished and that my bones are brittle.”

"So that's how it is." Bilan looked at the old man's sunken cheeks and felt a little ashamed.

However, on the other hand, it was precisely because Soma was old and frail that he moved into a sanatorium shortly after accepting the commission, thus avoiding the same fate as Holt.

"About that document, well, it's like this..." Azure hesitated for a moment before truthfully explaining the loss of the file box. With Holt now out of contact and the documents completely obsolete, this old man before her was perhaps the most knowledgeable person about the situation besides Team Plasma itself.

"...In short, by investigating Holt's travel logs before his disappearance, we speculate that the batch of documents that were processed may be related to the underground setup of the Alliance headquarters, but we currently have no way of knowing what the specific contents might be."

As Azure recounted her story, the old man's withered face grew increasingly solemn. He coughed a few times and asked in a low, hoarse voice, "So, you suspect... someone is plotting something beneath the Alliance?"

It's more than just a conspiracy. The champion even thinks it wouldn't be surprising if the entire alliance were blown up one day, and that's why they evacuated their personnel in advance... The girl didn't reveal this confidential information, but just nodded seriously: "We are worried that Team Plasma is planning some major operation."

“The Plasma Cluster…it seems to be a truly momentous matter.” As a former priest whose sacred artifact had been stolen, Soma knew better than anyone the danger of this organization. On the other side, the Monarch Serpent seemed to be awakened by the conversation, lazily opening its eye membranes.

"Actually, the documents Holt commissioned me to collect were more evidence than data." The old man didn't keep them in suspense, directly revealing the information he knew—

"As you know, this old fellow used to be a priest who guarded the Dragon Spiral Tower. But being a priest, in this day and age, there was neither a religion to serve nor believers in the strict sense. Apart from managing the Dragon Stones sacrificed on the tower, I was more like the person in charge of the surrounding folk activities. However, it was precisely because I had been responsible for organizing such activities since ancient times that the inherited sacrificial texts contained a lot of information related to the ancient kingdom of the United States. What Holt asked me about was the part of this knowledge related to the ruins of the ancient kingdom."

"Did you tell him?" Azure asked.

“At first, I was completely unaware of this part, after all, those books had already been donated to the Alliance’s archives decades ago—I personally oversaw this matter when I was young.”

Soma sighed with considerable emotion.

"To my shame, I have absolutely no interest in academic research. I've never really looked through most of the dusty ancient books that were donated. So two years ago, I originally planned to send that young official to investigate the archives himself, but Holt told me that those documents might contain the key to exposing the flaws in the plasma cluster."

Two years ago, Soma lost his title as the Priestess of the Dragon Spiral Tower. He must have some resentment towards Team Plasma for taking away the Dragon Stone, Azure thought to himself.

As if seeing through her thoughts, Soma looked directly into her azure eyes: "That's right, although it's not to the point of risking my old bones to provoke those people, I deeply abhor that illegal organization that calls itself a religion."

The old man unconsciously gripped the blanket, his knuckles turning white. Serperior seemed to sense the trainer's emotions, swaying its slender body as it approached Soma.

"Those people clumsily imitated the sacrificial rituals of the ancient Union, quoted ancient texts, copied clothing and emblems, and established the so-called worship of the ideal king, but completely distorted its true meaning."

He pointed westward, towards the Dragon Spiral Tower outside the window—

"Although I am not a great religious figure, I have lived a devout life for most of my life. In my opinion, true faith should be like that tower, connecting heaven and earth, communicating between man and God. But they... turned sacred rituals into tools for manipulating people's hearts, distorting the pursuit of ideals into blind personality cults. That is not religion, but blasphemy in the name of religion."

After speaking at length, the old man coughed violently. Serperior quickly supported his swaying body with its own, and a soft, sweet fragrance wafted from the yellow-green vines, calming the trainer's mind.

"So you helped Holt?" Sensing that the old man was a little too emotional, Azure asked cautiously.

“Yes.” Soma nodded, stroking the Serpent’s head.

“I investigated the documents that I had originally donated to the archives and found content related to the ruins of the ancient kingdom. As the donor, I retrieved those documents through formal procedures. I originally intended to hand them over to Holt personally, but he seemed to be tied up with something at the time and only told me to be extra careful, saying that he would receive the documents through the Alliance’s secret channels.”

Having said this, the former priest let out a long sigh.

The painstakingly collected information ultimately failed to reach the young man. Even the documents packed in the file box were damaged during transport and completely destroyed at the Alliance headquarters.

"What exactly is recorded in there?" Azure's eyes widened, feeling as if she had come close to uncovering the truth buried deep beneath the Alliance.

"It's nothing complicated. The reason we spent so much time and effort compiling the documents was simply to gather enough evidence to prove Team Plasma's conspiracy, in order to help Holt persuade the Alliance to be more vigilant. And now that Team Plasma has decided to completely break off relations, all they have to say is a single sentence."

The old man shook his head and said to the girl—

"In ancient texts, there was once an ancient royal city that existed at the same time as the Dragon Spiral Tower. Hundreds of years ago, it was abandoned and buried by the ancient United Kingdom royal family due to a change in location. And the ruins of this castle are located directly beneath the current Alliance headquarters!"

.

Looking at the afternoon scenery outside the sanatorium, the dazzling sunlight made Bilan squint. The girl gazed at the swaying shadows of the trees in the distance, her mind somewhat dazed.

Upon hearing the information provided by the Somali elder, many previously perplexing questions were immediately answered—

Why did Akromar, who had just emerged from a coma, escape from headquarters so easily? Why did Hugo, who was in the Alliance, repeatedly encounter assassination attempts by Ghettoss? Why was Holt's investigation of underground intelligence leaked? How could the Plasma Group's infiltration of the Alliance be so pervasive?

The answer is obvious.

As descendants of ancient royalty, Quigish must have long ago figured out how to enter this royal city ruins and transformed it into Team Plasma's most secret headquarters!

Beneath the imposing Pokémon League headquarters lies the enemy's lair.

Above ground and below ground, alliance and cult—it's like the opposition between light and darkness, black and white.

Oh, right! We must get this news to Hugo right away!

Although I don't know if he had already guessed this, sending a message in advance is definitely not a bad thing!

As she stepped out the door, Bilan took out her phone, intending to report the results to the detective.

Just then.

boom.

Five hundred meters away, in the woods in front of the sanatorium, a black finger, as if wearing a glove, retracted into the shadow of the leaves.

"Kame!!!"

The next second, the azure Blastoise roared and broke through the Poké Ball on its own, trying to protect the trainer under its hard shell.

However, it was too late.

Bilan felt as if she had been struck hard in the chest. Her phone slipped limply from her fingers and fell onto the concrete ground in front of the sanatorium. Her vision began to blur, and her body fell backward uncontrollably, landing in Piccolo's soft embrace.

In the distance, the leaves rustled in the sunlight, as if nothing had happened.

Chapter 419 Declaration of War

"Boss, aren't you planning to kill that woman?"

Watching the Thousand-Faced Refugee slowly withdraw his arm under the cover of leaves, Ushio, who was on guard duty nearby, couldn't help but turn around and ask Mizugoro, who had planned this sniping operation.

A water-attribute "sniper" move, if unleashed at full power, could easily pierce a solid concrete wall. However, this move failed to create a bloody hole in the woman's chest—clearly, the Thousand-Faced Avoid had deliberately restrained the force of this attack. Chao knew that his boss was not one to hesitate to kill and shed blood; such an action must have a deeper meaning.

However, Archie ignored his question and silently returned the Pokémon, which he had bought for a high price from the Galar black market, to its Poké Ball without even glancing away.

He simply gave Chao a brief gesture, then turned and swiftly retreated along the predetermined route.

Only after traversing the entire forest and confirming that there were no pursuers behind them did the captain of the naval fleet finally speak—

"The other party was once a famous trainer in the Kanto region, and is no ordinary person, so we must not reveal any killing intent during the operation."

"Is it really necessary to be so cautious?" Chao followed closely, asking in bewilderment. "Didn't we take him down with just one 'sniper shot'? If he's really that troublesome, shouldn't we have eliminated him completely?"

Archie didn't stop walking, shaking her head: "Many psychics or intuitive trainers have abnormal sensory abilities, which are especially evident when facing life-or-death crises, and they make no sense at all. We don't need to take such a risk now. Besides, this mission is just to cooperate with Team Plasma's operation. There's no need to risk our own escape route for other people's grudges."

"But we've come all this way to United States just to settle scores with that detective, haven't we?" The burly man, nearly two meters tall, scratched his head. "Since we've already chased him all this way, why should we care about whether his partner lives or dies?"

"The social relationships a person can build can always exceed outsiders' imagination, so being cautious won't hurt. Besides, do you really think we left Hoenn just to get revenge?"

"Isn't that right?" Chao asked bluntly, his wide eyes showing no sign of evasion. He still clearly remembered the leader's furious expression when the United detective interfered for the second time.

"Alright, there is a bit of a competitive element involved." In the end, it was Shui Wutong, as the leader, who softened her stance.

Unlike the Lava Team, which obeys orders without question, Water Archie, who has always adhered to the pirate style, prefers his subordinates to make better use of their thinking abilities, just like he is now—something that Ushio, one of his subordinates, lacks the most. So he stopped and waved his hand dismissively.

"But ultimately it's due to strategic considerations—unlike Hoenn, where the alliance has already gained a complete advantage, the situation in the Unova region is more chaotic. As a temporary safe haven, there are more opportunities for us to profit from the chaos here. Under these circumstances, keeping the organization hidden in the shadows and avoiding attracting too much hatred is the best strategy to maximize our interests—doing just the right thing is enough."

“That’s true.” Chao nodded in agreement. “Even just seeing that Blastoise from afar, you can feel the enormous energy hidden in its cannons. If a trainer like that were put on the battlefield later, the consequences would be unimaginable.”

"Although I don't like those sanctimonious sages in the Plasma Cluster, I agree with one of their sayings—'Even the best swimmers can drown.'"

Recalling the assassination attempt that had failed not long ago despite his guidance, the notorious villain narrowed his eyes.

"Compared to the detective who always protected himself under layers of armor, his assistant, although his elves were more powerful and his command ability was better, was completely bad at protecting his own weaknesses and was so weak that he was practically like a normal human."

.

Immediately after Azure was attacked, her Ditto quickly transformed into a rough humanoid form and used her phone to contact Hatchku, who was located nearby.

When the Ice-type Gym Leader rushed to the sanatorium on the outskirts of the city, the girl had already been placed in the medical room.

A middle-aged female caregiver explained the situation to Hachiku: "To be honest, we didn't do anything special here. Although this young lady suffered a severe blow to the chest, she fortunately received timely treatment and is currently out of danger."

Her gaze inadvertently swept over Clefairy, who was busy beside the hospital bed—this pink Pokémon had almost taken care of everything in the treatment, using "Moonlight," "Wish," and "Heal Pulse" in succession, and was currently using "Life Drop" to replenish the trainer's health.

"However, it seems that because the attack was too sudden, she still hasn't woken up," the nurse added.

“That’s good, what she needs most right now is rest.” Hatchku, a former martial arts actor who had suffered countless injuries, nodded. He looked at the blue Ditto beside him with a serious expression. “Does Hugo know about the situation here?”

"Yes, I understand the situation."

Ditto raises a purple, jelly-like tentacle, displaying a phone screen in the middle of a video call. The detective in the white coat nods to Hatchling on the other side of the camera—