Pokémon Detective Case Files.

In Hugo's original plan, the two Sages from Team Plasma were the weakest link in the entire Snow City battle line. Therefore, he dispatched Azure and three Gym Leaders—a force that seemed sufficient by all accounts—to focus on breaking through their defenses.

However, due to an unexplained intelligence leak, the enemy launched an ambush ahead of schedule. Azure fell into a coma, reducing the overall combat strength. This turned what should have been a foregone conclusion into a stalemate, even putting the alliance at a disadvantage, forcing Hachiku to feign weakness to buy time…

In accordance with Hugo's usual style, there is no need to fight a battle that cannot be decided in one fell swoop—although it is a pity, preserving effective combat power is always a wise choice.

However, the enemy also revealed a weakness this time.

While the ambush on Azure certainly reduced their own forces, the new information they revealed during the operation gave the detectives a glimmer of hope for a comeback—

The attackers who targeted Azur Lane are most likely from Team Aqua, and due to their opposing stances, these hostile forces will most likely split up with Team Plasma in Snowflake City.

This seemingly obvious move by the enemy was actually a hidden weakness. Although the Alliance's combat strength was weakened, the dispersal of the Plasma Team and the Aqua Team also provided the Alliance with an opportunity to exploit.

If all conditions are met, these two forces, whose interests are not entirely aligned, may restrain each other like Othello in the final game—the balance of power could shift in an instant.

The key to victory or defeat lies in whether the league can accurately seize this fleeting opportunity.

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"It seems there are more enemies than we thought."

As the desert dragonfly gradually approached the snowflake wetlands, the Boss Chrysanthemum standing on its back had a stern expression, as if examining a depreciating asset, coldly surveying the group of Fleet Aqua members on the ground.

"According to Champion Hugo, we just need to hold off these Team Aqua members here. Mr. Artie has already arrived near Snowflake City and will join the battle soon. After three and a half hours, we'll drive them eastward toward the cylindrical bridge, and then we can completely resolve this incident."

As Fenglu spoke, she secretly released more Flying-type Pokémon under the cover of the clouds. Based on the Detective's previous warning, the saturated Snowflake Wetlands were Team Aqua's home ground, so they should try to avoid setting foot on the battlefield and instead use ranged attacks to wear down the opponent.

"Hold them off?" Old Master Ju looked towards the sky south of the wetlands, where snow was beginning to fall in some areas, and shook his head.

"Although it may sound like he doesn't trust his colleagues, Hatchku... might not last that long. He's always been a man who only pushes himself to the limit."

"But in the news from Hugo, the champion, everything went smoothly..."

"If he shows his weakness, then he won't be the best action star in Unicron."

Boss Ju lowered the wide brim of his hat, his tone decisive—

"Now is not the time to leisurely wait for Yati to arrive from Feiyun City. We must take the initiative and preferably defeat this group first. Even if we can't do that, we should at least force them to move towards the cylindrical bridge ahead of schedule."

"But...won't this disrupt Hugo's plans?" Feng Lu had witnessed Hugo's arrangements on the island, and her tone was tinged with unease.

“There are many smart people in the world besides that detective,” the gym leader of Fanba City said calmly, shaking his head.

"Three and a half hours...that's a bit too precise. He probably sent us to the cylindrical bridge to wait for some train coming from underneath, right?"

The Cylindrical Bridge, located between U.S. Highways 8 and 9, gets its name from the cylindrical railway tunnel beneath its trusses. When a train passes through the tunnel below, pedestrians crossing the bridge above feel a vibration beneath their feet, as if some kind of energy is being injected.

"So I guess our mysterious reinforcements are probably in one of the later train carriages."

Old Master Ju's tone was calm and steady.

“I just notified my own company and all the businesses I could contact to cancel all loading and unloading operations for freight trains passing through the railway. All trains that have already departed have been changed to pass through directly or wait on the siding, freeing up a dedicated lane for high-priority trains. This will save at least half of the train travel time.”

"Then...isn't that an incredible thing?" Feng Lu exclaimed, her mouth agape in surprise.

"Compared to the safety of United, this loss is nothing. With my status in the industry, I'm not going to pay a penalty for breach of contract because of a one-day delay. As long as our champion isn't too stupid, he will definitely cooperate with my plan."

Just then, Feng Lu's communicator, clipped to her flight suit, beeped, and at the same time, a new message arrived on Boss Ju's phone—

The special train is already on track; we can begin operations ahead of schedule—or rather, we absolutely must.

Thank you.

“We should get moving too—those guys down below should have spotted us a long time ago, but they’re deliberately not moving to set a trap, though the sprites they’re carrying are actually hidden.”

Boss Ju glanced around, a disdainful sneer playing on his lips—

"In that case, I don't need to bother with the dojo leader's etiquette when we're fighting."

With a forceful pull of both hands, he dragged a heavy cloth bag from behind the desert dragonfly. As soon as the knot was untied, a strong smell of dust wafted out.

Sandy Rocks – a type of yellowish-brown gemstone found alongside ancient rocks. For ordinary explorers, this is a precious item that is only found sporadically in deserts and deep rock formations. Not only does it contain the essence of the earth that can be used as food for special Pokémon, but it can also be used in Pokémon battles to greatly extend the time that Pokémon can maintain "Sandstorm".

However, for Boss Ju, who was known as the "King of Mines," this stuff was nothing more than a byproduct of the continuous process of opening up mountains and building roads...

"I didn't expect that just leveling a section of desertified wasteland south of Raven City would yield so much weight. Oh well... now is the time to waste it!"

Without a second thought, he kicked the bag and released his hands, sending over sixty rough rocks raining down like hailstones onto the wetlands where the naval fleet was lying in ambush.

At the same time, the desert dragonfly beneath him suddenly plunged its head down and swooped down towards the direction of the fleet leader—

"Feel the passion of the Unova land—Desert Dragonfly, 'Sandstorm'!"

Chapter 427 A Song of Ice and Fire

The Gym Leader of Flying Cloud City, Yade, rushed to Snowflake Wetlands using Butterfree's still-developing Teleport.

Logically speaking, his Butterfly is not his main weapon, and he is far from being able to freely control such superpowered moves, let alone use them frequently for long-distance travel—this is tantamount to asking a novice who has just become familiar with the paintbrush to start painting large-scale oil paintings in an academic style.

However, Cattleya, who happened to appear in Feiyun City, promptly offered him a helping hand.

As to why this psychic king had appeared in the city he was stationed in, Yati had no clue, but one thing was crystal clear: with a psychic king in charge, he no longer needed to worry about the safety of Feiyun City.

It was precisely because of this that he felt more clearly that Hugo's transfer of him to Snowflake City at this critical juncture of unrest in the Unova region was not a hasty move to patch up one problem by robbing Peter to pay Paul, but rather a far more profound and comprehensive consideration.

As for now, the dizziness caused by the superpower movement has not completely subsided, and the Ayato Hall Master's gaze has quickly focused on the center of the battlefield.

Before him, his old friend Hatchling was leading a group of Ice-type Pokémon in a fierce standoff with two sages from Team Plasma. Route 8, which once led through the wetlands, had now been transformed into a desolate winter wasteland, with icicles everywhere and a chilling atmosphere pervading the air.

Hatchuk's condition is clearly not optimistic.

"Let's stabilize the situation here first."

Seeing this, Yati muttered to himself, recalling the last instructions Hugo had sent on his phone screen.

So he decisively released his proud painting partner, the babysitter bug.

The emerald figure raised its forelimbs as if a poet were wielding a brush, and a "mysterious guardian" with a faint golden halo descended quietly, covering Hachiku's body like a thin veil.

At the same time, his Butterfly and Powder Moth flew out to both sides, their scales and powder fluttering like a silent snowfall, drifting towards the Plasma Team members who were busy operating and modifying the Dream Device.

That's "hypnotic powder".

Since these guys are so obsessed with manipulating other people's dreams, let them experience for themselves what true sleep is like.

With the help of reinforcements and bathed in the faint light of the "mysterious guardian," Hachiku's originally pale face finally showed a glimmer of life.

Sure enough, this man once again took matters into his own hands and shouldered the pain of the "curse" alone—just like the tough guys he always played in movies, no matter how absurd and illogical the fate in the plot was, he had to uphold his principles despite being battered and bruised, and persevere until the very last scene.

As his strength gradually returned, the Ice-type Gym Leader cast a brief glance in the direction of Arty.

There was neither polite gratitude nor pleading in their eyes, only the unspoken understanding between the dojo leaders.

The next second, the latter immediately understood and recalled the babysitter, turned around and headed towards the snowflake wetlands.

As Hachiku broke free from the "curse," his Tundra Bears launched the first attack—riding a torrent of "water jets," it charged straight at the Vulcan Moth like a torpedo driven by ice.

However, the Coffin of Death had already been waiting for its chance, and the "Switch of Locations" quietly took effect—it replaced the Volcano Moth at the end of the water's path.

The moment the two collided, the "Mummy" ability, like a damp, contagious disease, quickly overwhelmed the Tundra Bear's "Snowplow" ability, which had increased its speed due to the snow.

At that very moment, Hachiku's Strike Demon and Mavila approached from the left and right simultaneously, their two sharp "Striking Down" attacks aimed directly at the Coffin of Death's vitals.

But the legendary Pokémon's support had already arrived, and Landorus descended from mid-air with a powerful "Earth Power" attack, forcibly cutting off the offensive.

The plasma cluster's offensive had no end in sight—before the flying snow and dust had even subsided, another Volcarona's "Flame Jet" would break through the air once more.

However, this move failed to hit the target, the tundra bear. Instead, it was exploited by a mini ice that suddenly emerged from the snowdrift and deflected the attack with the "Aurora Curtain" move.

The weakened flames scattered in all directions, one of them sweeping across the body of the ice-attribute Daruma baboon, which was exactly what Hachiku had calculated.

He had always avoided letting this Pokémon get close to Cofagrigus to prevent it from being affected by the "Mummy" ability, all for this moment.

The moment the flames touched it, the Galardamo baboon's eyes widened in shock.

The next moment, like a powder keg being ignited, a pillar of fire shot out from the center of the snowball that the baboon had placed on its head.

Its body, which was originally on all fours, suddenly transformed and reshaped, and a big white smile appeared on its belly, turning it into a bouncy roly-poly toy—this is the Pokémon's unique transformation ability, "Daruma Mode".

The once-degraded fire sac is reborn amidst a furious smile, with scorching flames erupting uncontrollably from its body, as if to burn everything in its path to ashes. Even as its body teeters on the brink of melting, it will continue to spew flames until its rage subsides.

"Flash Charge!" Hatchku threw a punch, sounding the horn for a counterattack.

The unrestrained fire-type killing move shot out like a meteor, heading straight for the Land Cloud, whose movements were slowed by the two consecutive "knock-down" attacks.

"Arm Hammer!"

Seeing the incoming fire attack, Yoggs decided to take the hit—but that was not a wise decision!

"This is the moment we've been waiting for!"

The Ice-type Gym Leader's fist suddenly transformed into a claw, and the Daruma baboon in the air, which had turned into flames, also twisted its body at the same time.

"Frozen Teeth!"

Ice and fire alternated in an instant—a feat only this dual-attribute ice and fire spirit could accomplish!

Click!

The baboon, with its gaping maw wide open from the Yeti's abdomen, suddenly bit the arm that the legendary elf had swung out!

"Damn it, he's been deliberately playing the victim!"

It was only at this moment that Asura suddenly realized—they had all been fooled by that superb acting.

The battle situation took a sharp turn for the worse, like a collapsing compass! The blue-robed sage hurriedly urged his Death Coffin to react, but he only saw a long-planned black shadow suddenly appear before him, crossing the snow-covered and fire-filled battlefield.

It is another coffin of death.

It hovered silently, a crimson and eerie smile cracking open from the coffin. This ominous replica gazed at Asura, as if it had a preordained understanding with Hachiku in the distance—

"Hahahaha……"

Amidst the sneer, it did not hesitate to pierce a phantom nail into its own golden coffin.

Another "curse"!

Immediately following, due to the sage reaction of the non-equivalent ion cluster, the "coffin of death" rapidly shook and collapsed, turning into a pool of purple mud that silently seeped into the ground and disappeared without a trace.

It's Ditto—originally intended as a shield disguised as Hatchling Mask, a "Hyperionist"! And it has been in the Plasma Group's blind spot the entire time.

When Asura's Coffin of Death first cast its "curse," Hachiku did not let Ditto take the hit. Instead, he raised his hand to block it, using his own body to absorb the spell's lock.

And now, the physical strength that was forcibly saved through human will—the remaining power that was not corrupted by the curse—finally reveals its full value.

Ultimately, this ice-type gym leader never intended to delay.

From the start of the war until now, only one thing has been on his mind—

Defeat the opponent.

Chapter 428 In the Land of Wind and Soil

As Archie sailed across the sea between Hoenn and Unova, he was convinced that he could blend into the shadows of this distant land.

With the wealth he had accumulated through years of smuggling and the intelligence network he had built when he was in charge of Hoenn TV, he thought that Team Aqua could easily blend in here and become a third force independent of the Unova League and Team Plasma. Even if things went to the worst, at least he wouldn't have to continue getting into endless conflicts with those Earth worshippers with different ideologies, just like he did back home.

However, reality did not go as planned. After accepting the alliance with Team Plasma, which was only based on words, he now faced an opponent who was most skilled at controlling Ground-type Pokémon.

"Dragon-headed groundhog, 'Straight Drill'!"

With the man's calm command, the massive steel drill bit suddenly cleaved through the sea of ​​sand and roared out.

The Thousand Faces, who had made contributions in the sniping operation, jumped away in a sorry state, but in the end, she was no match for the speed that the opponent had increased due to the "Sand-Sweeping" property.

The edge of the drill bit grazed its right leg, and its slender body immediately lost its balance and was violently thrown away.

Who would have thought that this now sunless "desert" battlefield was not long ago a lush wetland? It was only thanks to the excessive sand and rocks thrown down by Kiku-sama that a sandstorm triggered by multiple Pokémon created this massive sea of ​​sand, completely burying the original swamps and grasslands!

Fortunately, the dust kicked up by Pokémon moves dissipates naturally after the battle, preventing permanent damage to the Snowflake Wetlands. However, a large amount of fine sand seeps deep into the soil, irreversibly robbing it of moisture. Before the next rainy season arrives, this sand-covered land will likely struggle to sprout new greenery.

Right now, the sandstorm is still raging, and visibility is so low that you can't even see your hand in front of your face.

The traps and lurking Pokémon that had been set up beforehand were completely useless. The Team Aqua members could only fight on their own, and were chased around like helpless Mare sheep by the Unova Flying-type Gym Leader who was high above Dust Cloud and looked down at them with ranged attacks.

With the continuous energy supply from dozens of sandy rocks, even changing the weather has become a luxury.

Left with no other choice, Mizuki, Ushio, and a few other core members of the Water Fleet who were still able to maintain their fighting strength had to take the initiative to try to clear away the rocks that formed the core of the "sandstorm" one by one.

But that's easier said than done.

More than sixty rocks, scattered from the sky, lay scattered haphazardly within the sand dunes, their surroundings further concealed by the energy of the ground and rocks disturbed by the "sandstorm." Their water-type Pokémon, adept at wreaking havoc in oceans and rivers, found themselves practically helpless in this environment.

At this moment, even Water Wutong herself encountered trouble—