Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Perched high above, Wu Tian'e's unguarded back was clearly exposed to Chao's view. He then abruptly raised his arm and gave the order, unleashing a barrage of sharp stone spikes from the mouth of the thorny ammonite, raining down like a barrage of bullets!

"Bubble Rays!"

In a critical moment, the aeronautical ward master piloted the swan, drawing an elegant arc in the air.

The sky is her domain, and she will not allow anyone to overstep it.

The proud white bird let out a high-pitched cry, and as countless iridescent bubbles suddenly appeared, a crystal curtain obscured the pursuers' vision.

When "Rock Blast" finally tore through this fragile barrier, Swans and its trainer had already vanished without a trace.

No, sensing the change in airflow, the Fleet officers' expressions changed drastically—they were right behind them!

"The Swallow Returns!"

By the time Chao came to his senses, he commanded Omastar to turn around hastily. Just as the "Water Gun" move was launched, Fenglu's clear shout had already broken through the air.

boom! !

Even though Omastar, being a Rock-type Pokémon, is somewhat resistant to Flying moves, this lightning-fast "U-Aerial" still carved a deep crack into its hard shell.

Hit the vital point!

Completely deprived of its support, the tide was seized by gravity and accelerated its fall towards the earth.

The wind howled in his ears, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. Yet, amidst the chaos of his rapid descent, he managed to steady himself and retrieve the shattered Omanyte.

Just as he was about to collide with the ground, a shadow streaked across from below like an arrow released from a bow—

It's a giant flying fish!

The giant flying fish's broad back cut through the airflow, steadily meeting his falling body. Its enormous wings suddenly spread, cushioning all the impact.

Chao stumbled a step, but finally, at the critical moment, he stepped back onto his reliable mount.

However, the giant flying fish, whose stamina was nearly exhausted, had no strength left to contend with the wind and dew. Chao was by no means a reckless man. Sensing that his partner was already in poor condition and unable to maintain the speed to compete with the opponent, he immediately commanded his mount to spiral down, decisively withdrawing from this sky battlefield that no longer belonged to him.

When he landed, he saw his boss and Boss Ju facing each other across a wrecked battlefield.

All around, the Fleet Aqua members who had initially rushed to attack the other guild leader due to the disturbance caused by the wind and dew had been defeated one after another in this intense battle. At this moment, only these two men stood in the center of the dissipating sandstorm.

Huh?

Just as Chao was about to take out his Poké Ball to help him in the battle, he looked around and suddenly noticed something strange.

"This place... seems a bit different from where we set up the ambush before?"

He tilted his head, his tone tinged with confusion.

Shui Wutong didn't turn around, but simply pointed to Ju Laoda opposite her and answered his question in a deep voice—

"This guy moved the entire battlefield silently during the battle. The reason 'Sandstorm' gradually subsided was not only because we destroyed the sandy rocks containing earth energy, but also because his Pokémon actively shifted the overall direction of the 'Sandstorm' move."

Chao looked down and realized the source of the strange feeling he had felt earlier.

Before they knew it, the battlefield that had once been covered by endless yellow sand was far behind them. Under the cover of the sandstorm's aftershocks, they found themselves in a lush wetland, their location shifted to the east, far from Highway 8.

"What exactly is your purpose in doing this? Have you set a trap?" Chao's expression changed immediately, and he questioned Boss Ju in a stern voice.

Old Master Ju naturally wouldn't answer the enemy. But the water lily facing him sneered and spoke—

"He probably wants to lure us away and prevent us from getting close to Team Plasma. As for what they're planning—they're probably afraid we'll join forces with Team Plasma and disrupt their final plans."

"Sigh, it really didn't last until the end after all... this plan."

The ground-level department head sighed softly.

"However, even if things didn't turn out perfectly, it's too late for you to get back and support those two Plasma Team sages. To be honest, you don't really care that much about the leaders of other organizations, do you?"

Behind him, Excadrill, who had fought a fierce battle with Megalodon to the last ounce of strength, was breathing heavily.

“That’s right, you succeeded.” The captain of the water fleet shrugged indifferently. “We were completely tied up. Until five minutes ago, I hadn’t figured out your intentions.”

"So what should we do now?" Chao asked.

"There are only two choices—continue fighting, or stop now."

Shui Wutong spoke calmly, as if she were discussing the weather.

"But even if we continue fighting, it will be difficult for us to achieve any substantial results. Although these two gym leaders are not very strong, one is good at flying and the other is good at burrowing. I am not confident that I can capture them both and hand them over to Team Plasma."

...Moreover, Team Aqua had no intention of taking the blame for Team Plasma's kidnapping of the gym leader and the all-out war with the Unova League. Archie silently added in his mind.

"I need to correct one point."

A few clear bird calls suddenly came from the low sky.

"Your numerical advantage is gone, and you may not be able to beat us now."

Suddenly, Wind Dew gracefully landed beside Kiku on Swans, while the other Flying-type Pokémon circled around, keeping a close eye on Archie and Shio, as if ready to strike at any moment.

Seeing his opponent, with whom he had just been locked in a stalemate, fall to the ground, Ushio was eager to throw a Poké Ball, but Archie stopped him with one hand.

"Boss, are we just going to let these people escape right in front of us?"

"Before we take action, we need to figure out exactly how many people we are facing."

The leader of the illegal organization spoke in a serious tone, turning to look at a patch of grass behind him—

"Am I right? The gentleman hiding in the bushes, who's been so reluctant to show himself?"

A rustling sound came softly.

A figure slowly rose from the bushes behind Chao.

The next second, Yati walked out calmly, scratching his artistic, fluffy curly hair.

"Excuse me, I was just waiting for a more suitable time to appear, and I had no intention of attacking you from behind."

The Bug-type Gym Leader of Flying Cloud City spread his hands out, indicating that his palms were empty and he was not holding any Poké Balls or weapons.

"I have come here only to deliver a message from the United States Champions to your organization."

"Oh? What's inside?"

Shui Wutong already knew about Hugo's information from the "information agency," so she was not surprised by the existence of this champion, and had also heard about the detective's excellent handling of various cases.

However, what truly surprised him was what Yati said next—

"Fleet, let's make peace."

Chapter 431 Even the fisherman on the riverbank hesitates

"...Peace talks?"

Chao was stunned. This was a completely new term he had never heard from the League side in his half a lifetime of struggling in the Hoenn region.

"how?"

Ignoring the disarray among the Team Aqua officers and the two equally surprised gym leaders, Yati looked directly at the decisive Team Aqua captain—

"Given the current situation where neither of us can do anything to the other, negotiation is probably the most realistic and safest option at this stage."

A hint of amusement appeared on Shui Wutong's face.

The scene was already under attack by three Unova region gym leaders. Although it was unclear how strong this new Bug-type gym leader was, if he was a veteran trainer of equal strength to Kiku, it was unlikely that his subordinates would escape unscathed.

More importantly, this was originally a war for Team Plasma! Despite the verbal alliance, Team Aqua had no obligation to shed blood for a battle that had nothing to do with their own beliefs.

"So, the champion wants us to withdraw from this battle?" He raised his hand slightly, and the Pokémon beside him all switched to a defensive stance, his tone tentative and tactful.

"It's not just this battle, it's the whole war."

As Aya recalled the message from the detective, she said resolutely—

"Your organization must immediately terminate its alliance with Team Plasma. In exchange, the Unova branch of the Pokémon League will tacitly approve your unauthorized entry into the country. As long as you do not continue to violate any further laws, the Unova League will cease all hostile actions against Team Aqua."

“Hey, Yati, this is no joke.” Boss Ju lowered the brim of his wide hat and said in a serious tone, “These guys are not the kind of guests that should be welcomed in with a smile.”

"Hmph, it seems your alliance hasn't reached a consensus yet," Shui Wutong sneered sarcastically.

“I asked the champion the same question.” Yati remained calm, gently shaking his finger as if wielding a paintbrush.

“My colleagues may have their own opinions, however, although the Gym Leaders are the symbols of the League in various cities, their actual authority is limited. What truly affects your organization’s quality of life in Unova are the more ubiquitous social institutions. And with the Champion’s personal influence, the Unova Police Department, the League Security Service, and the League Intelligence Department will fully support all his decisions.”

"Wow, that sounds like an attractive offer."

Shui Wutong gave a nearly wholehearted smile, as if she had been persuaded—

"However, please forgive me for declining."

The air froze instantly, and the Pokémon on both sides, who had relaxed slightly, tensed up again, their eyes locked in a fierce confrontation.

"Can I hear your reasons?" In the silence, Yati raised an eyebrow and asked in return.

"The reason is simple. I have some personal grudges with your champion."

Water Wutong took a step forward, approaching the owner of the Yati Pavilion—

"If the Water Fleet is afraid of the pressure from a mere branch of the Alliance, then we would never set sail from the Hoenn region—wouldn't it be better to disband it on the spot?"

"The reason we came to Unova is largely to settle this score. That guy not only disrupted our global operations but also exposed our most important hideout in Hoenn. Therefore, we can't guarantee that we will abide by the law—even if we clash with the police, you, or the intelligence department, we will defeat them one by one."

"That's right, if we keep swallowing our anger, others will really think our Aqua Fleet is easy to bully!" Ushio chimed in from the side.

"Wow, that's a complete criminal declaration." Feng Lu rolled her eyes. "In the end, we still have to fight here."

“We would love to hear that too,” the “depth charge” replied loudly, clenching his fists without backing down.

"Please wait a moment."

Yati raised a hand to signal a pause, then quickly took out his phone again to check the information. As if he had seen something new, his expression quickly regained its composure, and he looked at Shui Wutong again.

"You mean, in order to take revenge on the individual champion, Team Aqua is willing to make an enemy of the entire Unova League—is that what you mean?"

Shui Wutong nodded: "Since we are destined to be enemies with the alliance, reliable allies are essential. We cannot betray our existing partners at this time."

"Even if this ally was eyeing you covetously from the very beginning?"

Having just received new instructions, Yati raised his voice and deliberately asked—

"The Plasma Team isn't known for upholding contracts. You've already seen what happened to Team Magma, haven't you?"

"Given Quixote's style, do you really think he would tolerate another criminal organization taking root in his territory? You are not threatened now only because they still need to use your power. But after your organization has exhausted all its resources for them, will you be greeted with help or ruthless betrayal...? Have you really considered this?"

Shui Wutong remained silent for a moment before responding, but her tone already betrayed a hint of wavering.

"We have our own solutions, so there's no need for you to worry."

"Then, as the spokesperson for the United Alliance, I will now offer you a third way."

As if anticipating the other party's reaction, Yati spoke at the opportune moment—

"Mr. Hugo, the current champion of the United League, has confirmed that he will step down from his title at the Hinoki Tournament in three months and will not seek re-election. In other words, this individual who currently enjoys the championship title and is protected by the entire administrative system will return to the status of an ordinary person in three months. At that time, you will not need to fight against the entire League machine to settle your grudges. All you need to do is wait for these three months."

"Did you come up with this idea yourself?" Shui Wutong asked.

“No, it was the champion’s idea from beginning to end,” Yati frankly admitted.

"Hmph...that makes me even more wary." The leader of Team Aqua sighed. "After all, even if he's no longer the champion, the League can't just sit idly by and watch the crime unfold. I doubt your protection of him will decrease much then."

"Compared to 'seeking help from a tiger' by dealing with plasma clusters, this is the most attractive proposal right now, isn't it?"

The Bug-type Gym Leader was calm and composed, speaking as if he were a seasoned diplomat.

"The Pokémon League has stood the test of time for over a century, and isn't that trust—'never betraying anyone'—the very foundation of its reputation?"

In the silence, only the sound of the water sycamore's own breathing could be heard.

Two paths lie before them: one is to become someone else's hound, tearing the Alliance apart for Team Plasma; the other is to remain behind the scenes and watch as the two major powers slaughter each other... Which path is more suitable for Fleet Aqua now? Should they enter the game and become pawns, or retreat and reap the benefits?

As he pondered, the air, thick with dust, seemed to freeze, and his gaze deepened.

Finally, the man slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with determination.

Chapter 432 The final move is inevitably forgetful

As a result, Archie accepted the peace talks proposed by Unova Champions.

There was no particular reason; it was purely a matter of shared interests.

Whether it was to avenge the previous attack or to reap the benefits while the Alliance and the Plasma Corps were fighting, he could find no reason to refuse.

The two owners, Ju Laoda and Feng Lu, were clearly extremely dissatisfied with this compromise.