Pokémon Detective Case Files.

N's expression softened slightly; he understood the implied meaning.

"What I'm about to do... isn't that drastic. Regardless of what the Plasma Cluster thinks, I don't intend to derail or overturn the entire train."

The green-haired youth said softly, "He just wanted to sound the horn."

Bei Shang finally showed a slight smile.

“If that’s really all there is to it,” he adjusted his hat brim, “then the day when we each lead our Pokémon and meet as enemies… might still be a long way off.”

"I hope so."

At night, the steam horn blared in front of the cylindrical bridge.

The special train, laden with prisoners, started up again, heading into the deeper night of the United States, moving so smoothly it seemed as if it had never stopped.

Chapter 434 The Chaotic Points Are Still Accumulating

When playing cards, you should try to hold onto your strongest and most effective trump cards.

This not only means being able to deliver the decisive blow at crucial moments, but also means that throughout the entire game you will always have control and room for maneuver, be able to calmly deal with every attack from your opponent, and even influence their decision-making psychology.

Hugo always deeply believed in this unwritten strategy.

Especially now that the headquarters of the United Alliance has become a hotbed of conflict, keeping the most reliable combat force by one's side to deal with emergencies at any time is undoubtedly the wisest choice during this special period.

However, when the league champion braved the night rain and walked into the coffee shop opposite Yuxi Mansion, and saw the current state of his four kings, he couldn't help but waver slightly over his previous decision.

This group of people were gathered at the bar counter of a coffee shop that had already been cleared out—playing games.

It's not the kind of mainstream party games commonly found on consoles, nor is it the various gambling games that Yueju excels at. Instead, it's the most time-consuming and patience-testing of all games... a tabletop role-playing game.

Wanlong Tianwang, the game's host, sat behind the barista's counter in what used to be the barista's seat, using a large loose-leaf notebook as a screen for the host. The notebook was filled with colorful sticky notes, densely covered with various settings and rules.

The other three Heavenly Kings sat casually on the other side of the bar, each with drinks beside them and a beautifully crafted, intricately detailed printed map in front of them, complete with many standing soldier flags.

While participating in the game, Yueju idly cut the playing cards in her hand; Lian Wu was intently examining his identity card, seriously considering his next move; Jia Deliya hadn't brought her butler today, and leaned her head on her arm, almost looking like she was about to fall asleep if she hadn't occasionally chatted with Wanlong.

Noticing the detective in the white coat enter, the group looked up, and Wanlong greeted him happily—

"Hey Hugo, do you want to join us? We can just add one more person to this segment."

"You guys really don't seem to care at all about the plasma troop riots in various places."

Hugo sighed, handed his soaking wet umbrella to the intelligence agent behind him, and walked straight to the table to sit down.

"Nothing to worry about."

Lingju gently gathered the playing cards, which had been stacked into a pyramid shape on her fingertips, back into a neat pile, and said unhurriedly—

"The League has far more cards up its sleeve than outsiders realize. Moreover, all the gym leaders in various regions have undergone rigorous testing by Alder and us. With both sides prepared, Team Plasma's current strength is far from enough to overturn the Unova region's game."

"Besides, Miss Cattleya has already made a prediction, so it seems there won't be too much danger."

As Wanlong spoke, she tossed two ten-sided dice from behind the screen. The dice rolled and came to a stop with a crisp sound. She glanced at them, then turned to Lianwu and continued—

"12 points, plus your [Thief] class bonus, totaling 30 points—less than the difficulty required for the [Persuasion] action. I'm sorry, the check failed. The waitress was thoroughly annoyed by your frivolous attitude, and without revealing any information, she 'escorted' you out of the Black-Eyed Crocodile Tavern with barely polite words."

Lian Wu clicked his tongue in annoyance.

This seems to be a board game that these four Heavenly Kings only play when they get together.

Due to various alliance affairs, these four guys with very different personalities rarely appear together. When they do get together, they spend their time playing board games like they are now.

The script they've been playing recently seems to have been set by Wanlong in the era of a fragmented ancient kingdom five hundred years ago—besides her serving as the host, the other three play three travelers who are accidentally drawn into the vortex of succession to the throne.

Generally speaking, role-playing games where players construct their own rules are difficult to compare with established commercial titles. They often feel rough around the edges, their mechanics are frequently riddled with flaws, and the enjoyment largely relies on the tacit understanding and tolerance among friends—but Wanlong is clearly an exception. Regardless of her control over narrative and setting as a bestselling novelist, her experience in designing and publishing several official board games is enough to imbue every handwritten card and every self-defined rule with a sense of effortless professionalism.

Incidentally, in this ongoing board game, Lian Wu chose to play a thief who specializes in daggers and has great luck in gambling; Yueju became a sorcerer who has mastered forbidden magic; and Gadria's role is that of a silent and resolute female monk who has practiced martial arts since childhood... It seems that these people deliberately reversed their respective character settings for fun.

"If you join now, you can play as a necromancer with the talent of a bard."

Wanlong reached around the screen and handed over a character card that was already filled with attributes, except for the name field, which was empty. The detective pushed it aside.

"I'm not in the mood for playing games right now. If you knew what happened in Snowflake City and the Giant's Cave, you probably wouldn't be sitting here so calmly."

"It's just that Team Aqua got involved," Yue Tachibana yawned casually. "Since you still have time to stand here and helplessly watch us play board games, it means things have been resolved smoothly, right..."

“I don’t like these kinds of thrilling victories,” Hugo sighed.

At this moment, Agent Luna, who followed him in, seemed very interested in the game played by the kings, and was examining the map and various signs spread out in the center of the bar with great interest.

"Hey, Wanlong, isn't it my turn to make a move?"

"Ahem." The host cleared his throat—

"Mr. Blueberry, your companion has been kicked out of the Black Crocodile Tavern by the waiter for his inappropriate words and actions. However, you and Cattleya, who were seated at a separate table beforehand, have not been implicated. So, in order to obtain information about the palace haunting incident, do you still intend to try to negotiate with this still-angry restaurant worker?"

"Hehe..." The evil king laughed exaggeratedly twice, "I request to use my extraordinary superpowers to cast a [charm] spell on that waitress."

“That’s not how you use superpowers.” Gadriya glanced at her colleague with disdain.

“I’m sorry, but unlike some non-professional superpowered individuals,” Yueju replied slowly. “I—Yueju, an intermediate-level mage—am a professional who received systematic education at the kingdom’s top magic academy. It’s not surprising that I know some magic that a muscle-bound monk like you can’t understand.”

Hugo seemed to glimpse the coffee grinder in the cabinet behind the bar floating slightly, but he wisely decided to pretend he hadn't seen anything.

“Well, according to the rules in the setting book, this spell does exist… The hostess is a humanoid creature, which meets the casting conditions for [Charm].” Wanlong pushed up his glasses, his tone slightly embarrassed. “Then, let’s do a check.”

Two ten-sided dice, representing the tens and units digits respectively, rolled behind the screen.

The Ghost-type Elite Four member's expression suddenly froze—

"A terrible, terrible failure. Mr. Blueberry the Magician... you rolled a point."

"Hey, isn't this a bit off?" Lingju threw the playing cards on the table. "Didn't we agree that we weren't allowed to use our abilities when rolling the dice?"

“I also think that’s inappropriate.” Even Wu cast a disapproving glance his way.

"Well... we can't be sure that Gadriya really used telekinesis, can we? You see, I kept the screen in front of me when I was rolling the dice, didn't I?" Wanlong tried to defend her best friend, but her voice grew weaker and weaker.

"I did not cheat."

As the person at the center of the storm, the superpowered individual's defense was concise and to the point.

Unfortunately, it was completely unconvincing. Although little known, this young lady was known for her willfulness and had no principle of "never lying" at all—everyone present except Luna knew this.

"The presence of a screen cannot be used as evidence that some people did not cheat."

As he flipped through the playing cards, Cranberry began to speak—

"Our superpowered queen has the motive to cheat, and she is even more capable of using her clairvoyance to peek beyond her field of vision, and then using telekinesis to secretly move the dice. This is the basic quality of an excellent superpowered person - as an intermediate magician, I can assert this."

"No, are you in reality right now, or are you still in a role-playing game?"

Wanlong rubbed his temples in distress—

"But it's true, a mere 1 is too much of a coincidence. How about... we reroll?"

"I did not cheat."

Cattleya reiterated that the poor grinder had floated up again, trembling and hanging precariously in mid-air.

"If you ask me, Lanju also bears some responsibility for this situation," said Lian Wutianwang, crossing his arms and stating the only correct statement in the current situation.

"Thieves who have already been kicked out of the tavern, please refrain from speaking."

Lingju shut Lian Wu up with a single sentence, then her eyes darted around and landed on Hugo, who was secretly lamenting his championship career.

"By the way, if we're talking about distinguishing whether someone is cheating... don't we happen to have an expert here who can tell right from wrong?"

He raised a finger and pointed it straight at the detective in the white coat—

"Please, sir detective, solve this perplexing mystery for us!"

"Oh, great idea!" Wanlong clapped her hands lightly, as if to cheer her on.

Lian Wu's gaze shifted back and forth between Hugo and the Superpower King, and he pondered, "Indeed, we can't completely rule out the possibility of pure luck... It would be best if someone could make an accurate judgment."

"..." Even Gadria herself remained silent, only nodding slightly.

“Well then, it’s up to you.” Yueju snapped her fingers crisply in front of Hugo. “Begin your deduction, great detective—and determine whether this young lady monk was lying or not!”

What on earth are these people doing...?

The United States is probably really doomed—Hugo closed his eyes as if he had given up completely.

Chapter 435 All the raindrops will fall

Whether Cattleya cheated or not, the answer is actually quite obvious.

Hugo couldn't tell whether the dice were moved by telekinesis or rolled naturally—even if he could, that round of checks would have already ended. At that time, apart from Wanlong, everyone's view was completely blocked by the host's screen, leaving them no chance to uncover the truth.

Even so, as an old acquaintance of Gadria, Hugo could tell at a glance whether she was being stubborn and lying—she was even more conspicuous than Snorlax lying in the middle of the road.

However, at this moment, directly revealing the answer would only embarrass someone. Simple logical reasoning is meaningless here; what is truly needed is basic social etiquette.

"King Wanlong," Hugo said to the host, bypassing the parties still arguing over the dice, under everyone's gaze—

"Neither Ms. Luna Silvia nor I are very familiar with this type of board game. Why don't we take this opportunity to show her what the so-called 'Grand Failure' mechanism is all about?"

Since it's a game, as long as it's fun, that's enough. Whether you strictly follow the rules or adapt when necessary, in the face of this supreme principle of "fun above all else," they are nothing more than ritualistic means.

"Oh dear, is it really appropriate to be so considerate of a newcomer like me?"

Agent Luna said this, but her eyes gleamed with even greater curiosity. Seeing this, Wanlong clasped his hands together and broke into a bright smile—

"What's wrong with that! That's a great idea—hey, Blueberry, isn't it time to show your manliness and give these two audience members a proper demonstration?"

Lian Wu nodded in agreement, and Jia Deliya secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Only the blueberry, with an expression as if betrayed, stubbornly continued to argue its way out—

"Hey, don't switch sides so quickly! Since it's a demonstration, wouldn't it be more interesting to show the possibility of a 'major success' than to show the disastrous state of a 'major failure'? After all, the points difference is only a tiny bit, right?"

In the board game rules selected by Wanlong, two ten-sided dice can be rolled to get numbers from 1 to 100. Therefore, if you roll a single-digit die (0, 1) and then turn one side, it will become a 100-point die representing a big win - (0, 0).

"You said it yourself, our esteemed intermediate mage."

The host pushed up her signature round-framed glasses, a sharp smile spreading across her face like that of someone seizing an opening in a Pokémon battle—

"Heh, you should know very well the consequences of rolling a 'Critical Success' on a showgirl in the Royal Capital Tavern, which has a difficulty level of 4 stars..."

There's an old saying in the board game world: you haven't officially started your role-playing career until you burn down your first tavern.

Taverns have been the main stage for fights since ancient times, and as one of the main buildings in the kingdom's capital, the waitresses at the Black Crocodile Tavern are certainly no ordinary people.

"Friendly reminder: this lady is not easy to persuade, and she is the kind of person who can single-handedly push out Lian Wu, a thief who has recently become more and more power-oriented—she is not someone a traveler like you, who is almost like a vagrant, can afford to mess with."

"It seems that lethal magic is prohibited in the royal capital. By the way, did the Unova have the custom of holding wedding banquets five hundred years ago?"

"I think I can see a future where someone will settle down in the capital after tonight..."

Seeing this, the other two "travelers" abandoned their usual serious demeanor as the Alliance Kings and began to gloat and comment.

"Heh heh, it seems our renowned prodigal son of the alliance is finally finding his harbor. So..."

Wanlong's fingers reached across the screen behind the host, seemingly about to pick up the chess piece representing the magician, Cranberry—

"--Wait a moment!"

Seeing that her created character was about to lose her freedom in the Black-Eyed Crocodile Tavern, Blueberry finally couldn't sit still any longer—

"I've changed my mind! Taking a loss now and then... isn't such a bad thing. Let's stick to the original score and honestly declare it a failure!"

"I thought that, given your style, you'd sell your body and abscond with the money in the middle of the night. Why are you being so well-behaved this time?" The Ghost King blinked, his tone teasing.

"Leaving aside the circumstances, I would never do such a tasteless thing using a character bearing my own name."

"Such words lose all credibility the moment you use the [Charm] skill."

Ignoring the host's complaints, the "Evil King" straightened his clothes, preparing for a major defeat.

Ultimately, when the magician, played by Cranberry, tried to seduce the waitress, his tongue got tied and he mispronounced the spell, causing the [Charm] spell to hit Jynx, the humanoid Pokémon responsible for making ice in the tavern's kitchen.

The guilty mage felt a chill run down his spine and tried to flee, but it was too late. Jynx pounced with astonishing passion, and unable to use offensive spells, Blueberry could only engage in a brutal hand-to-hand combat—he underwent a rigorous [Fighting] check here, but no miracle occurred.

The magician was eventually turned into an ice sculpture in the latter's embrace, and his wicked intentions were also discovered by the waitress. He ended up with the same fate as Lian Wu, or even more tragically, being blacklisted by the tavern.

"In fact, due to her superpowers and ability to sense human emotions, Jynx's personality is much gentler than that of the Frost Fairy, who is also an ice-type. The former might at most make someone who accidentally sees her start dancing involuntarily, while the latter has real-life examples of directly 'inviting' humans she takes a liking to to her lair as guests."

As Hugo browsed through the battle damage reports from various places, he interjected without looking up, feeling that the description of the Lady with the Mistletoe was a bit stereotypical.

"It's all an accident, an accident! A so-called 'major failure' is when everything that was originally impossible happens."

Wanlong waved his hand, forcefully using his power as host and board game author to explain everything.