Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"There are only two possible outcomes: either win or lose. Relatively speaking, the latter would actually leave me more bewildered." Hugo shrugged indifferently.

"The real problem isn't that. Just like in Wanlong's game, the final mystery wasn't who killed the king, but the motives and consequences of the king's series of unusual behaviors—it's more important to figure out why N made actions that seemed like a challenge to the champion than to figure out how to defeat him."

"Have you deduced his purpose?" Yueju asked.

“We’re still in the observation phase,” Hugo replied. “Before that battle with Mr. Alder, I had a conversation with N, who claimed that all his actions were aimed at erasing the existence of the ‘Poké Ball’ from the world—but that motive doesn’t explain his current behavior.”

Why didn't N choose to challenge Ardek at that time?

Why choose to act independently at this moment when the Plasma Group and the Alliance are about to go to war?

Why did they suddenly start challenging the Four Heavenly Kings at this point in time?

Why did his challenge have to be kept secret from the Seven Sages, including Quixote?

If that green-haired youth was only after gaining the power of the championship to better promote his own ideas, he had better opportunities before and still has the most suitable allies, but he completely abandoned them and chose to fight alone like a lone wolf.

"Sigh... Even a detective can't ultimately profile an 'ideal'."

He finally spoke, his tone tinged with genuine confusion—

"N's intentions remain shrouded in mystery. At present, he does not seem to be wavering between the Plasma Team and the Alliance, nor does he show any signs of being controlled by others. I once assumed that this series of challenges was some kind of trial for him to gain the approval of the two legendary dragon gods—Zekhrom or Reshiram—but that may not necessarily be the case."

He looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the walls of the café, looking towards some unseen distance.

"According to the champion's agent, Douzi, that lady is N's good friend. She heard that N had already gained the approval of Reshiram, the white dragon representing 'truth,' the moment he was crowned the King of Team Plasma."

“If we have to find a reason for N’s challenge for the championship,” Hugo said, seemingly to himself, “his current actions are likely aimed at that black dragon god who wields ‘ideals’—Zekhrom. Perhaps he believes that winning the league championship will pave the way for his ‘ideals’—but that still doesn’t make sense.”

He shook his head, his face showing an expression of hitting a roadblock in his reasoning.

"Now that I've become a champion myself and have experienced it firsthand, I understand even more clearly that the title of champion, while glorious, is ultimately just an official position within the league system. It's fine for a trainer chasing their dreams, but for someone like N, whose lifelong ideal is the rights and interests of Pokémon, how can this honorary title, which is more about honor than substance, become an aid to his grand, even somewhat ethereal, 'ideal'? The connection between the two remains, to this day, a puzzle that is even more difficult for me to unravel than Ms. Wanlong's script."

The café fell silent again, with only the faint hum of the air conditioner and the almost inaudible sigh of the ice cubes melting in the glass.

Chapter 456 Nightmare Strikes

"Let's put N aside for now. Can someone explain why this uninvited guest is here?"

The rain was pattering outside the café window. Seeing the atmosphere sinking, Lanju pointed to Cresselia, which was suspended inside the café, and asked.

"Don't tell me it's because the four of us got together to play board games—Wanlong organizes these parties every few months, and we've never attracted such a bad guy before."

"This is a long story."

The champion sat back down in his chair and poured himself a glass of lemonade to dispel the weariness of the late night—unlike the other superstars, Hugo had already entered a waking state in the middle of his dream and had not gotten enough rest.

However, it was precisely for this reason that he was able to see the details of this tabletop game clearly from the perspective of a higher-level narrator who transcended the dream, and it was also thanks to this that he was able to talk face to face with Cresselia, who had transformed into Count Black Moon.

"Although Cresselia can communicate telepathically on its own, human language has its irreplaceable advantages. For the sake of convenience and to explain the cause and effect clearly, let me, who knows the whole story in the dream, relay it to it."

Once the four Heavenly Kings and Agent Luna were seated again, Cresselia, who had also settled into a coffee table and dimmed her light, slowly began to speak—

"Simply put, this Cresselia came to Unova following the trail of nightmares."

His finger waved in the air.

“In the urban legends of the Sinnoh region in the past, Cresselia was always portrayed as Darkrai’s nemesis, a guardian who forever pursued the nightmare god. It was thanks to the existence of these dream messengers who radiate rainbow light that the evil gods who bring nightmares could not wreak havoc on the human world. But this is obviously a misunderstanding.”

Hearing Hugo begin with such a decisive tone, Wanlong, who had heard Cynthia mention a similar topic before, secretly glanced at Cresselia, only to see that this Psychic-type Pokémon did not show any objection.

Hugo's storytelling continues—

"Based solely on existing Darkrai observation reports, while this Nightmare Pokémon certainly causes great trouble to the residents living around it, it is actually a rather reserved creature. Apart from its strong territorial instincts, it is not particularly aggressive. Even after searching through ancient texts, there is absolutely no record of Darkrai actively attacking villages in ways other than nightmares."

"That's strange." The Dark-type Elite Four member narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "If it doesn't attack humans, why would Darkrai leave behind a legend in the Sinnoh region? You know, a god-level infamy isn't something you can easily acquire."

"I believe this phenomenon is related to the expansion of cities in the Sinnoh region since the League began."

Unified Champions answered without hesitation—

"As mentioned earlier, Darkrai are elves with a strong sense of territory. The so-called lack of aggression is only relative to their abilities. As human cities continue to encroach on the shadowy corners that originally belonged to Darkrai, conflict is inevitable—and urban legends about them mostly arose during this period."

"So how were these disputes finally resolved?" Wanlong couldn't help but ask.

Similar inferences are not a secret in the field of mythological research. Many ghost stories have described the terrifying scene of the "god of nightmares" infiltrating the dreams of the entire city. She herself has also conducted research in order to write ghost stories.

However, the final outcome of these nightmares is always ambiguous. They either end with a scare-like ending like a classic ghost story, or after a long dream, everyone almost forgets the ending of the nightmare... as if some force has erased this history from people's memories.

"The situation may vary from place to place, and there may be other solutions in different places. However, according to Cresselia, who plays the role of Count Black Moon in the dream, it once personally acted as a mediator between Darkrai and the local humans, eliminating the humans' fear of Darkrai while allowing the latter to live discreetly in those newly built cities. Of course, the settlement of Darkrai would cause nightmares for the local residents, and that's when Cresselia's dream power was needed."

He paused briefly, allowing everyone to process this mind-blowing information, then pointed to the super-powered sprite over there and said—

"Two Pokémon that give completely opposite impressions have actually cooperated. People always think that Cresselia is chasing after Darkrai to clean up its mess. But at least for it, it is just regularly visiting Darkrai's habitat where it had a prior agreement, using its dream energy to neutralize Darkrai's nightmare fluctuations—and the reason that Darkrai is willing to continue living next to humans is precisely because of Cresselia's promise."

"But why would Cresselia do this? What benefit does it bring them?"

Cattleya frowned. Even for a powerful Pokémon like Cresselia, it wasn't wise to waste its psychic powers everywhere.

“This behavior is precisely to collect more dream energy,” Hugo replied.

"Dark-type Pokémon rarely use dreams as a source of power, but the Psychic-type Cresselia is different—don't forget, 'Dream Eater' is a Psychic-type move."

"You mean... Cresselia actually feeds on human dreams? But that doesn't match the legend of it being the 'God of Dreams'," Lian Wu asked, scratching his head. "If dreams are all eaten, then who can remember beautiful dreams?"

"If I'm not mistaken, although both Cresselia and Dream Eater devour dreams, Cresselia is different from Dream Eater, which indiscriminately consumes all dream energy. As the 'God of Dreams,' it doesn't need to be in close contact with humans to absorb energy. More importantly, it can accurately distinguish between different dreams."

The detective held up one finger—

"It's important to know that, according to modern neuroscience research, humans experience multiple dream stages every night. Those dreams that we think last all night are often just temporary, generated in the last minute before waking up. The so-called 'god of sweet dreams' is actually a filtering mechanism: it devours boring and thrilling nightmares, allowing pleasant dreams to occupy more sleep time. Dreams with similar frequencies resonate with each other, and may even bring people in the vicinity into a collective unconscious sleep space."

It seemed that this question hadn't been asked in the dream yet, and as he said this, Hugo looked at Cresselia as if seeking confirmation. The latter nodded slightly in response.

The detective, relieved, continued—

"The reason for this speculation is twofold. First, there's the legend of Pokémon 'leaving behind sweet dreams and dispelling nightmares.' Only this could explain its motivation to step in and resolve the conflict between humans and Darkrai. Second, it's because of Cresselia's actions tonight... Didn't you notice how much your tense nerves relaxed after having a sweet dream?"

"In other words, Cresselia roams around Sinnoh on weekdays, absorbing the dreams of the local residents on the night of the new moon, while Darkrai, which creates a lot of nightmares, alters their diet. Cresselia's actions are actually like going to the kitchen of a restaurant to complain to the chef?"

The image of Darkrai turning a pot of soup mixed with various colors black in one go flashed through Wanlong's mind, and she suddenly realized what was going on.

"But what does all this have to do with Cresselia coming to Unova?" Lian Wu pressed. "And why was it with Team Plasma N before?"

“It’s the same principle,” Hugo said with certainty.

"During the urbanization process in Sinnoh, Darkrai polluted the local dreams, so Cresselia, who feeds on dreams, stepped in to mediate. And now, Cresselia has come to Unova for the same reason."

"Could it be that Darkrai has appeared in Unova too...? No, if it's just Darkrai causing nightmares on a small scale, it shouldn't have prompted Cresselia to travel across the ocean. It must be some event with a much larger impact. What happened that made even Cresselia, so far away in Sinnoh, unable to remain indifferent..."

Wanlong clutched her head. If Zhulan, who was well-versed in mythology, were here, she would probably guess the answer immediately.

"Hiss..." Yueju shuddered. "The recent major event related to dreams, which could potentially cause widespread pollution... Hey, Hugo, could the event that attracted this guy be the one I was guessing about? Wasn't that matter resolved smoothly?"

Hugo nodded first, then shook his head: "Oh, the incident with the mushroom was indeed the main reason that attracted Cresselia to Unova... Right, it should be called the exposed mushroom now, but the reason is not only that. After it arrived in Unova, it discovered a new anomaly, which is why this Cresselia continued to stay in the Unova region."

"What's wrong?" Lian Wu asked.

“If it were that easy to find, it wouldn’t be here now,” the detective shrugged.

Cresselia initially thought the problem lay with the King of Team Plasma—after all, if we were to reason, ideals are also a kind of dream. But after observing for a while, it ruled out that possibility. After all, the Dark Stone was long gone from Unova, and even if N used another Light Stone to trigger some miracle, it would most likely have nothing to do with dreams. But its communication with N during this time was not without its gains; at least the King, who could hear the thoughts of all elves, used his power to point out the possible location of the problem to the 'Goddess of Dreams'.

"He didn't forget to fight me halfway through," Gadriya said in a sullen voice, her face dark.

The remaining Heavenly Kings ignored the young lady's complaints and instead became serious—

"So, is it possible that some kind of dream pollution is brewing in this Flying Cloud City?" Lian Wu asked, frowning.

"Is it possible that something went wrong with the 'Exploded Mushroom' again?" Bilberry stroked her chin. "After all, that's Arceus's tablet. Could it have left some kind of aftereffect?"

“Theoretically, such a possibility is not possible.” Hugo shook his head. “Grass-type and Poison-type stone plates do not have a lasting effect on dreams. Moreover, after the Flooth evolved, all the spores in the sea lost their activity. Even Cresselia itself secretly checked the condition of that Pokémon, so it can be confirmed that the problem has now been completely resolved.”

"What else could it be?" The Ghost-type Elite Four member tapped the table unconsciously with his fingertips, asking in confusion, "Is there some hidden danger in Flying Cloud City that we're unaware of?"

"Would you like me to do a divination?" Cattleya asked.

"Let's consider this a last resort," Hugo said, still somewhat wary of such irrational power. "Before that, I contacted experts in this field. Perhaps it will be of some help to Cresselia."

"Experts?" Several superstars cast questioning glances at each other in unison.

Just then, the coffee shop door was suddenly flung open with a bang, and a figure soaked to the bone rushed in.

"Where...where is Cresselia?"

The long-haired woman who rushed in didn't even open an umbrella, staggering straight towards Hugo and the other Heavenly Kings. Her long black hair was stuck to her cheeks by the rain, and although her white coat, slightly damp from the drizzle, wasn't completely soaked, it was blindingly white under the lights, like a ghostly elf who had died tragically in the middle of the night.

“Ah, Dr. Makomo.” Hugo calmly rose, as if he had anticipated this scene. “The situation isn’t urgent enough to require your hasty arrival. Would you like a cup of hot coffee first?”

Chapter 457 The Destruction of the United States Alliance and Its Debunking

The following morning, Dr. Makomo's laboratory welcomed its most significant research subject since its inception—Creselia, the "Goddess of Dreams." However, Hugo and the four Heavenly Kings, who were supposed to be there, were absent.

Taking over this task are Mr. Artie, the Bug-type Gym Leader of Flying Cloud City, who is on-site as a monitor, and Ms. Azure, the second detective of the agency, who is replacing Hugo in investigating the Nightmare Invasion incident in Flying Cloud City—however, the latter is still on the train from Snowflake City to Flying Cloud City and has not yet arrived.

The reason for this emergency deployment is simple—

That morning, the headquarters of the United States Union suffered an unprecedented and devastating attack.

At six o'clock in the morning, before the first light had dispelled the last vestiges of night, the plasma clusters, which had just ceased their uprisings in various places, seemed to be venting their anger at the setbacks, announcing the arrival of a new day in the most shocking way.

As a massive explosion echoed along the Path of Champions, Team Plasma's propaganda machine roared to life—all the media channels it secretly controlled were activated simultaneously, and the images from hell, like an irresistible law, forcibly covered every screen in Unova that could glow.

Countless residents were jolted awake from their sleep. They instinctively grabbed their phones from beside their pillows, and the moment the screen lit up, they saw Quixote's face, which was being endlessly replicated by electronic signals.

Behind him, the Alliance Hall was burning, collapsing, and wailing, with thick smoke billowing like a black dragon and piercing the just-white sky.

"My dear compatriots in the United States!"

The muffled whisper of "fool's revelry" now seeped into everyone's eardrums with an eerie clarity, like a probe probing into their brains.

"Today, our sharp blade has finally severed the first joint of the shackles!"

“Look! This collapsed palace, what a high wall it was, oppressing humanity and life! They bound the earth with the iron chains of ‘order’, blinded the sky with the lie of ‘peace’, and turned the gifts of the gods into playthings in the hands of a few!”

"For a hundred years, those in high positions have told us: ideals must be confined within the cage of reality. For a hundred years, those pampered and privileged have taught us: life must forget the measure of dignity. But today, let this burning dome bear witness—they are lying! Those lies, those constraints, those shackles, can be shattered! Shattered with our own hands!"

"Look! Before our great war began, they fled, like frightened bubble squirrels hiding in their burrows, like cowardly peep mice burying their heads in the sand. For they finally understood—the indomitable spirit of this land of Unova is awakening! From the coast of Hinoki City to the walls of Kagome Town, from the neon lights of Raven City to the glaciers of Snowflake City, every heart yearning for truth resonates at this moment!"

"This is not an attack, but a punishment in accordance with destiny!"

"That league accused us of dividing the world? No! They are the ones who are truly creating the rift! They are the ones who used Poké Balls to sever life and dignity, they are the ones who used Gym Badges to forge the ladder of exploitation! And we—Team Plasma, the Church of Mutual Aid, the Liberation Front, and all those who fight for freedom and dignity—we are gathered here to smash this shackle called 'order'! We liberate Pokémon from false taming, just as we will liberate Unova from a century of corrupt rule today!"

"My compatriots! Listen! The flames of Reshiram are roaring in the depths of history, its white wings were not born for imprisonment! The thunder of Zekrom is flowing in its veins, its black ideals are not for enslavement!"

"Lift your chests, all those who are still awake! Let every hand that has ever held a Poké Ball clench into a fist that will change the world. Open your eyes! Let every child who has been blinded by the 'champion myth' see the true dawn of heroes!"

"From this ruin, the United States will regain its wholeness—not the scars of left-right division, but the truth of black and white fusion! This should not be a backyard kept by the Alliance, but a promised land where all life can resonate freely!"

"Today, we have not only destroyed a decaying building."

"We have also ignited the sacred flame to rewrite history!"

"Dawn will no longer belong to the wealthy and elites hiding in castles—dawn will belong to every heroic you who dares to confront reality!"

The words were spoken, but the image on the screen did not stop.

In the suffocating silence, deep within the ruins beneath Quixote's feet, a sickeningly loud sound of metal tearing and rocks shattering suddenly rang out.

At the summit, a massive crack instantly spread like a spider web from his center, causing the entire foundation to shake and sink, as if swallowed by an invisible giant mouth, revealing the underground structure of the Alliance headquarters.

In this earthquake-like upheaval, the first to be hit was the headquarters hall, already teetering on the brink of collapse from the explosion—the dome, adorned with reliefs of past League presidents, was ripped off and twisted and collapsed like a broken spine. The adjacent building—the burning archives—also crumbled completely, scattering countless treasured technique manuals, League history books, and trainer journals like ashes. Scattered holographic devices rolled and shattered, projecting fragmented images of past champions that flickered silently in the dust. Deeper still, several massive chambers storing energy and backup generators were exposed, the League crests on the walls peeling and curling in the flames. Most shockingly, however, was the still-partially collapsed underground training ground—where chaotic holographic projections stubbornly flickered with a false forest and clear sky, creating a bizarre contrast with the surrounding real apocalyptic landscape.

And deep within this ravaged "wound," a cold light began to shine through.

It began with subtle, rhythmic pulses of blue light, accompanied by a deep, humming sound that seemed to emanate from the depths of the earth. Then, a massive metal platform, etched with intricate geometric patterns, broke free from the rubble and began to slowly rise. The platform's edges precisely pushed aside and crushed the Alliance's remains, as if a giant were clearing away irrelevant debris.

The castle revealed its foundations.

Its entire body is a cool silver-white and a deep blue symbolizing plasma clusters. Its structure is not traditional brick and stone, but a combination of futuristic alloy and electrical energy crystals.

As the main structure rose, countless sharp, trident-like or bird-wing-like decorations, the hallmarks of the Plasma Cluster, extended from the building's surface, reflecting a cold luster in the dawn and firelight. The castle's form combined Gothic sharpness with ultramodern streamlinedness, resembling a mechanical behemoth born from steel and data, brimming with religious fanaticism. Its sheer size almost completely covered and towered over the ruins of the former Alliance headquarters, as if proclaiming the annihilation of the old order and the arrival of a new faith through its absolute size and presence.

On the various platforms, terraces, and newly raised connecting bridges of this "temple," countless members of the Plasma Group were already lined up in neat rows.

They wore uniform gray-blue and white uniforms, their faces obscured by hoods, like mindless clones, silently yet fanatically gazing at the burning world below. Beside them were equally well-trained Pokémon—groups of Hydreigon perched around the highest spire, their three pairs of scarlet eyes scanning the sky, emitting intimidating growls. Lizard and Bisharp formed an elite phalanx, standing on the front platform, their eyes sharp, their claws and blades gleaming coldly. Eelking and Toadking led their respective groups, guarding the energy conduits near the castle's base, electricity and moisture subtly pulsating around them. Countless Vulpix and Valkyrie circled above the castle, weaving a black, moving canopy, emitting shrill cries, like a living air defense net for this nascent fortress.

These people had clearly not just arrived, but had been lying in wait for a long time—under the Alliance headquarters, within this meticulously prepared mobile fortress. The very presence of this legion proved that the rise of this castle was not merely an engineering marvel, but a premeditated ceremony of military might.

Until the image cut off, Quixote's figure remained standing on the same high point of the original ruins.

But at this moment, the background behind the sage was no longer thick smoke, but the cold and majestic plasma castle that he had personally created.

The old man's figure appeared extremely small against the backdrop of the massive building, yet he seemed immense because he controlled everything.

The shadow of the castle slowly covered more of the Alliance's ruins, as if it were about to engulf the entire Unova region.