Pokémon Detective Case Files.

The blue fist grew larger and larger in the field of vision, and in the next moment it landed on the square rock on the Pokémon's back.

"Broken Rock"!

Logically speaking, this is not an excessively powerful rare move, but the same skill will show completely different power in the hands of different users.

The Pokémon that threw that punch was Hatchling's partner before he became the Ice-type Gym Leader, and the starter Pokémon that man had been following closely by his side ever since he aspired to become a martial arts actor.

It once honed its martial arts skills alongside Hatchling, silently supporting the latter's growth as a sparring partner, and even sometimes appeared in movies alongside its trainer. Although it has had few opportunities to battle recently due to its owner starting to run an Ice-type gym, this Pokémon has never neglected to hone its martial arts abilities.

The wiry, blue-skinned Pokémon, Strike, withdrew its charging stance. Without a trace of anger, it withdrew its fist from the Crab's shell and turned away without looking back.

The next second—

Click.

Just like the name of the move, the sound of rocks cracking came from behind.

Chapter 422 The Gap Before Death

There is a significant difference between professional trainers and ordinary people.

This gap cannot be easily bridged by reasons such as talent, intelligence, or powerful spirits; rather, it requires years of tacit understanding and conditioned reflexes.

To some extent, Pokémon battles are a game for those who work hard—what truly determines the difference in strength is neither the quality or rarity of the Pokémon, but rather the experience points that must be accumulated little by little.

Trainers who can command their Pokémon with a single gesture will naturally have a greater advantage than those who need to shout out moves. Trainers who can anticipate the opponent's Pokémon's movements will have more meticulously planned tactics than those who react hastily. Only trainers who have trained with their Pokémon for a long time and experienced countless battles can keep track of their partner's stamina in the midst of dazzling battles. Such trainers will naturally be able to judge the situation more accurately than non-professionals who cannot even grasp the power of moves, and their chances of winning in battle will naturally be greater.

Despite his background in the entertainment industry, Hatchik's personal invitation from former Ardek champion is enough to prove that he has never slacked off in his training as a trainer.

After officially becoming the Ice-type Gym Leader, he began to focus on honing his single-type combat skills. He not only trained a group of reliable partners from scratch, but also helped his sparring partners, the Ghost-type, improve their skills. This kind of practical experience gained through rigorous training is naturally far superior to that of Yoggs, who spends his days buried in Team Plasma's paperwork and occasionally travels to ancient ruins for archaeological research.

However, at this moment, the sage in blue robes showed no panic upon seeing Hachiku's sudden counterattack—

"Vulcan Moth, 'Hot Wind'!"

Having had most of its shell shattered by the Strike Demon, the Rock Palace Crab had lost its will to fight and scrambled into the roadside bushes. Meanwhile, the culprit that caused this situation was now facing Volcano head-on.

It tightened the expert belt around its waist with both hands, as if it had invigorated itself, and turned its blue fist into a rock. Braving the "hot wind", it quickly approached the "god" in the desert ruins and launched a "sharp stone attack" to close in.

""fly"."

Joggs gave instructions without hesitation. The battle between Volcarona and Strike was like a mirror image of the duel in the past. Since there was a textbook-standard answer, all that was needed was to follow the steps. It was naturally easy to deal with a Pokémon that the trainer was too busy to command.

The real challenge lies with Hatchku himself.

The reason why the Fighting Ghost was not personally commanded by its trainer is not because it was abandoned by its owner, but because the owner was fighting to the point of almost losing himself!

The Tundra's "Ice Pillar Slam" attack on Aerodactyl was blocked by the equally powerful "Rock Slide." However, just as the moves collided, the trainer, Hachiku, continued to charge forward, performing an almost acrobatic roll onto the other paw of the Tundra. The Ice-type Pokémon was then tossed into the air, sending the Ice-type Gym Leader soaring even higher than Aerodactyl's flight height!

This person wants to release even more spirits!

Yoggs instantly understood Hachiku's intention, his pupils contracted sharply, and he decisively roared at the fossil pterosaur—

"Fossil Aerodactyl, watch out above! Attack the trainer with 'Ancient Power'!"

The fossil Pokémon, having just recovered from the clash of moves, did not hesitate and immediately created a projection of an ancient rock around itself. However, it was momentarily confused when it locked onto its target.

Is it a blind spot? No, predators that soared through the skies in ancient times could not have had such limited vision.

The sage in blue robes spotted a furtive hexagonal figure at the edge of the battlefield—it was a geometric snowflake!

Despite being severely injured by Volcarona's "Fire Blast", this Hatchling Pokémon returned to its trainer's side after defeating Rhyperior with "Solar Beam" and briefly obscured Aerodactyl's vision with a barely perceptible "Mist" move!

"Now!"

The "Ice Masked Man," who always presented a cold and aloof image, finally spoke again in the air. As he waved the sleeve of his single-sided haori, a huge figure made entirely of ice appeared.

The next instant, an enormous blue fist, like a meteorite, slammed down on the top of the fossil pterosaur's head, right between its two horns.

"Frozen Fist"! A critical hit!

A Pokémon resembling the local Darmanitan, but with a snow-white body and a giant snowball on its head, appeared in the center of the battlefield—it was a Darmanitan from the Galar region.

Meanwhile, the Strike Demon, facing Volcarona's "Fly" move, erected a "Protect" barrier, steadily blocking the attack, and then delivered a powerful "Low Kick" that precisely struck Volcarona's wing as it swooped down in front of it with "Fly"—a situation not recorded in Alder's "textbook"!

The situation shows absolutely no sign of improvement!

The Hachiku, which was falling from mid-air, was caught by the timely arrival of the geometric snowflake—although it was smaller, this ice crystal sprite still faithfully fulfilled its mission.

Meanwhile, the Aerodactyl that fell from the sky had not yet completely lost consciousness and tried to flap its wings to take off again, but it was finished off by the Tundra Bear's "Earthquake" attack on the ground. The Rock type, which had lost its ability to fly, was also doubly weak to ground moves. Under this double blow, it completely lost its ability to fight!

"Damn it!" Joggs almost ground his teeth to powder.

Rhyperior and Aerodactyl have completely fallen into a coma, and Crabtree has lost its will to fight. Among the Pokémon sent to the battlefield, only Volcarona, which has never faced Hatchling head-on, is still in relatively good health. Even this Pokémon has lost speed because its wing was hit by a low kick from a stun-ghost.

He had clearly set up an encirclement trap first, yet Hatchik, whose attributes were completely countered, completely turned the tables and was suddenly at a disadvantage of being outnumbered. How could he not be furious!

"Hey, haven't you had enough of watching the show? Why aren't you offering your help?"

Joggs covered his mouth with the sleeve of his robe and asked in a low voice into the communicator hidden in his hand.

"Oh--"

Before there was a response from the other end of the communicator, a chilling laugh suddenly came from behind Hachiku.

"I initially thought the United States Alliance wouldn't be so foolish as to send only one person deep into enemy territory, so I stayed put and observed for a while..."

A blue-robed figure, swaying like a reflection of the moon in water, appeared eerily in the center of the battlefield. The voice of 'Soul Thief' Asura carried the chilling intent of an Arbore spitting out its tongue—

"I never expected... that you would actually make me wait in vain."

The next instant, four pitch-black ghostly hands appeared around Hachiku as if they were shadows.

“Mavira, ‘Knock Down!’”

The Ice-type Gym Leader immediately took action upon noticing the anomaly.

With this command, a red and black figure burst out of the ball beside Hachiku. Weavile, its claws imbued with Dark-type energy, lashed out with both hands, tearing at the incoming giant hand.

However, this sharp counterattack had no effect whatsoever. The four large hands vanished like bubbles the moment they were touched, like phantoms in the air.

"After all these years, you're still so impatient... Master Hatchku."

Amidst Asura's mournful sighs, a coffin gleaming with golden light emerged from the swirling black mist.

The black Pokémon that attacked the Ice-type Gym Leader earlier was just a smokescreen; the real Pokémon had been hiding right next to Asura all along and had never moved!

"Ugh—!"

At the same time the Coffin of Death appeared, without warning, Hachiku suddenly clutched his chest and knelt on the ground.

He gripped the front of his shirt tightly, beads of cold sweat rolling down the edge of his mask. This ice-type dojo master, known for his unwavering resolve, was now trembling violently like a glacier under the scorching sun.

Amidst the excruciating pain, Hachiku suddenly looked up at the ghost-type elf beside the blue-robed sage, only to be met with a pair of smiling, scarlet eyes above the body of the Death Coffin.

Ghost-type move – "Curse".

When the user has the Ghost attribute, this move will reduce their own health by half and continuously deal damage to the "cursed" target!

"This scene is just like it was eight years ago."

As Hachiku coughed up blood, Asura, the "Soul Thief," slowly raised the corners of his lips, which were hidden by his goatee, with a smile identical to that of his partner beside him, as if he were an executioner watching his prey struggle in its death throes.

Chapter 423 A Gentleman Keeps His Weapons Hidden

Of all the Plasma Sages, Asura the Soul Thief is undoubtedly the most steadfast member of the King's faction.

Before joining the Order, he considered himself a theologian. After being introduced to N by Quecchis, he devoted all his faith to the king who would reshape the world. For this loyalty, he was willing to sink into the deepest darkness and bear all the unspeakable sins for the young monarch.

Of course, bloodstained hands are not uncommon in plasma clusters.

Since the founding of the Order, Asura has been working behind the scenes to clear obstacles for the Order. However, now, this "qualification" is no longer worth mentioning in the torrent of evil.

However, compared to other loyal ministers, there is one fact that sets him apart—

Of all the Team Plasma Sages, only Asura followed the King's ideals and liberated all his Elves.

Faith is not about words, but about unwavering practice.

That day, when N vomited in agony after witnessing the truth about the Poké Balls, his theology teacher, Asura, was utterly moved by her student's pure compassion. That very night, she made a resolute decision and resolutely smashed all her Poké Balls.

As mentioned above, Asura used dirty tricks in the process of establishing Team Plasma—perhaps because of these continuous and brutal missions, most of the Pokémon he released eventually chose to leave him.

In the end, only Cofagrigus, his starter Pokémon, remained. Even freed from the shackles of the Poké Ball, this Pokémon still chose to become a shadow, closely following its chosen master.

Perhaps the type of trainer determines the type of Pokémon.

Thanks to the existence of Coffin, after abandoning the use of Poké Balls, Asura's shady dealings not only did not fall behind, but instead intensified as the Order grew stronger.

Unbeknownst to him, Asura had earned the title of "Soul Thief," much like a trainer who has accumulated enough experience gradually surpasses his peers. By this time, his combination with Cofagrigus had become the strongest force among the Seven Sages in regular battles.

So much so that when Quixote was setting up his strategy, he would not hesitate to consider him as a pawn capable of rivaling the gym leader.

And the current situation proves that, at least this time, the judgment of "fool's revelry" was not wrong—

"It seems you were already preparing this 'curse' before you even showed yourself."

As soon as Jogs’s words reached Asura’s ears, the symbolic bird that accompanied his voice took to the sky.

Taking advantage of the moment when the Hatchling Pokémon was distracted by its trainer's strange behavior, the bird-like Pokémon flapped its wings vigorously, instantly unleashing a triple psychic field—"Tailwind" created a shockwave, while "Light Screen" and "Reflect" intertwined to form an invisible barrier, enveloping Coffin and Volcarona within it.

"To be forced to this point by a mere enemy, Yoggs, you need to work on your skills in commanding elves."

Although the elves on the field were clearly enjoying the buffs provided by their colleagues, Asura's indifferent voice held not a trace of gratitude—

"Such a sluggish reaction is practically a desecration of the power of legendary Pokémon. Has the crushing defeat at the Tower of Heaven not taught you a lesson enough?"

Before he could finish speaking, his figure had already disappeared into the shadows along with the coffin of death.

This move was incredibly timely, because in the next instant, Weavile's "Dark Pulse" and Tundra Bear's "Ice Beam" pierced through the afterimage he left behind, exploding into a chilling black ice flower on the open ground.

When the blue-robed sage reappeared, he was already standing quietly beside Joggs—even the ever-unmoving Earth Cloud couldn't help but glance at this human who had suddenly appeared beside it.

It seemed having companions around made things much easier; the relieved 'Exiled Pottery Shard' shrugged.

"Do you think everyone likes to rush to the front lines like you? The reason I, an old man, was sent to do this is because our king is unwilling to cooperate and has always refused to form a vassal alliance with these legendary entities. Otherwise, someone like the dojo leader would be no match for him."

He pointed his finger forward, and the elves in the arena immediately understood—

In the center of the battlefield, Hatchiku struggled to his feet, and Volcarona's "Chirp" attack, propelled by the "tailwind," struck first.

Geometric Snowflake immediately rushed in front of the trainer and used "Protect," but the defensive barrier could not completely eliminate sonic attacks, causing Hatchling, who had just managed to stay energized under the "Curse," to stagger again.

Joggs continued rambling: "Have you heard? According to the latest intelligence gathered by the Dark Iron Triangle, our king actually let Cresselia leave Ripple Town without any purpose. That's a legendary being that can manipulate dreams!"

Asura's gaze never left the battlefield: "Please watch your words. This is not 'releasing'; all Pokémon are free before the King. The King has his reasons for doing this."

While talking to Joggs, the blue-robed sage narrowed his eyes warily—the Strike Ghost and those Ice-type Pokémon seemed to have regained their strength. Was Hatchling preparing to launch a counterattack?

"But this is such a waste..."

Joggs couldn't help but complain, his tone filled with the obsession and resentment typical of a scholar. As a historian in the order who devoted himself to studying the classics and exploring the ecology of mythical creatures, he didn't even have the chance to see the god of dreams.

Don't get distracted!

The blue-robed sage suddenly narrowed his eyes and interrupted his colleague's complaints.

As if telepathically connected with Asura, Hatchiku has once again begun his operation on the battlefield!

Despite its unsteady gait, the "curse" technique was not an invincible attack that could defeat the enemy in one blow; it would only gradually erode the cursed person's strength amidst excruciating pain.

"Darmo Baboon! 'Blizzard'!" Hatchku straightened his back with astonishing willpower, his arm swing carrying a do-or-die spirit.

Seeing the Daruma baboon, renowned for its flames in Unova, now unleashing a torrent of ice and snow in its white form, the two sages felt a sense of déjà vu, but they quickly responded as well.

"Vulcan Moth, 'Hot Wind'!"

"Death's Coffin, 'Psychic Power'!"

The "Blizzard" move appeared to be overwhelming, but its power was weakened by the "Light Screen". Volcarona's "Heat Wave" unsurprisingly swept across the field, easily dispelling the chill and completely knocking down the already exhausted Geometric Snowflake.

Taking advantage of this moment, Death Coffin's superpowered moves viciously targeted Hachiku's only Fighting-type Pokémon.

"A flash of lightning."

The Ice-type Gym Leader gave a precise command, and Weavile's red headdress made of feathers trembled slightly. Its figure was already like a ghost, blocking the way for the Psychic-type "Psychic".

However, the "Soul Thief" gave a meaningful smile—

"You can block one side, but what about behind you?"

Before the words were even finished, the "Divine Bird Strike," symbolizing a bird, had already struck from behind the demon. The coffin of the Grim Reaper emitted eerie creaking sounds, as if cheering for this perfect pincer attack.

The two sages had secretly adjusted their command during their previous conversation. Yoggs's symbolic bird had established a mental link with Asura through the "psychic" technique, which is why their tacit cooperation was so seamless.