Pokémon Detective Case Files.

The moment he noticed the sound, the handsome guy immediately shouted a warning to his teammates in front of him.

Before those words had even finished, the entire temple went dark.

It wasn't that the overhead light source was cut off, but rather that the relief patterns on the wall began to slowly bulge outwards.

Those geometric lines that were originally thought to be simple reliefs began to rise from the flat surface amidst the rough grinding sound of the rock.

The edges went from blurry to sharp, as if countless black spikes suddenly rose from the words on the pages of a book you were reading.

"Heh, it seems that pretending really is pointless."

Jero's voice came again from the direction of the dome.

This time, he appeared with his true form—standing atop the geometric patterns at the very top of the temple wall, directly opposite the passage opened up by the old craftsman.

The "City Defense Master" stood on a pattern resembling an altar, the hem of his yellow sage's robe hanging down, the gold-trimmed edges swaying flamboyantly in the air currents.

Appearing at the same time as him were countless members of the Plasma Group.

Within seconds, the entire temple went from empty to crowded.

Those figures stood silently, as if a massacre to annihilate the gods was about to begin.

The sheer number of them surprised even the Heavenly Kings, who were unaware of the changing situation outside—it was as if they had gathered all the available troops in the entire castle here.

Don't they need to defend against the Allied forces besieging them on the ground?

What exactly are the champion and the police doing?

"Your ability to get this far has truly exceeded my expectations."

The "City Defense Master" opened his mouth with a sharp voice, the tone like a piece of metal scraping on sandpaper.

"One reason is that the castle was forced to divert energy to external defense, which resulted in insufficient output efficiency of the castle's mechanisms, giving you an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. However, this in turn gave us the opportunity to mobilize our forces."

As they spoke, the members of Team Plasma began to change their formation.

Countless Pokémon appeared around them—like new patterns suddenly appearing on an otherwise empty relief.

Each Pokémon is paired with its trainer in a strict system, and has a special communicator worn on it to receive commands.

In such a crowded space, this one-person-one-pet cooperation method is far more efficient than a simple beast horde. If they just rush in, these Pokémon are no different in combat power from the Pokémon colony that can be found all over the castle; but if each one strictly follows the trainer's instructions, then it is a different level of combat power.

"Strength cannot overcome the masses, and wisdom cannot exhaust all resources."

The "City Defense Master" chanted from his high vantage point, his gaze sweeping over his prey as if he were looking down at a pack of wild beasts that had already fallen into a trap.

Chapter 494 Desperate Situation and the Heavenly Kings

Can the Unova Elite Four alone fight against the entire Plasma Team's forces inside the castle?

Theoretically, it is possible.

Otherwise, Hugo wouldn't have used the four Heavenly Kings as a spearhead team to carry out the mission of taking over the headquarters of the United States Alliance.

However, that was under the condition that all four Elite Four members were gathered together, and that they had plenty of Pokémon with them.

At this moment, neither of these two premises holds true.

With Cattleya absent, the powerful superhuman who excelled at using her superpowered barrier to cover the entire team and turn ranged attacks into one-sided attrition was currently on another front, far from here.

The remaining three Elite Four members each only had one Pokémon left to fight.

Although Lila was added as an immediate combatant to replace the previous one, it's hard to say that the two configurations are better than the original when weighing the two options side by side.

The terrain is also less than ideal.

In the previous battle outside the castle, the Heavenly Kings were at least in the air, using the floating bridges they built with their superpowers to control their options of advancing or retreating. They could retreat to create distance and reorganize their formation, advance to concentrate their forces and tear open a gap, or, if all else failed, immediately use "teleportation" to escape.

But at this moment, they stood together in the very center of the temple, surrounded by arched walls. The enemy, like the inner wall of an eggshell, covered them from all directions at the same time, leaving no blind spots or cover. Every attack could simultaneously lock onto the same area beneath their feet.

Although the group of Yueju had boasted to Holt about their "king-level combat abilities".

But even the most inconspicuous spiky worms, if gathered in sufficient numbers, can use their "silk-spitting" ability to bind a soaring Salamence into a ball and slam it to the ground.

The former inspector nervously glanced around, trying to find a reason to calm himself down from the faces of those Heavenly Kings.

But he was standing at the back, and all he could see was the profile of the Interpol agent who was supposedly the one who was fighting against the Great Khan—her forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and her lips were tightly pressed together.

The detective, who had a better understanding of group operations, seemed even more serious than I was.

How exactly should we break through this predicament?

Holt swallowed the meaningless words that were about to come out of his throat.

At the top of the temple, the sage in the yellow robe slowly raised his arm, revealing a slender wrist as his sleeve slid down.

Below, the Pokémon of Team Plasma lowered their center of gravity almost simultaneously, poised to strike.

It's easy to imagine that once that hand falls, countless ranged attacks will rain down like a storm.

No matter how you look at it, it's an unsolvable dead end.

However, at this tense moment...

"The castle really does have such a large space... I never thought it would come to this in the end."

Wanlong let out a stunned sigh.

He doesn't seem very nervous?

Holt couldn't help but stand on tiptoe and peek, only to see King Yue Tachibana absentmindedly scratching his back, then turning to Lian Wu beside him and saying, "I've already had my turn in the Hoenn Sea, so I'll give you this chance."

"Play"?

The conversation contained words that seemed out of place with the current atmosphere.

"Is the energy source ready?" Even the Martial King joined the conversation. He seemed to be raising one wrist, operating something.

“It’s been ready for a while now,” Wanlong said from the other side. “Thanks to those unknown totems, this castle is now filled with almost inexhaustible energy. Of course, because the nature of the energy is different, you have to adjust the receiving frequency of the bracelet if you force it to be used, and this thing is still a sample in the testing phase—it’s best not to expect it to work as stably as it does in its place of origin.”

What exactly are these three Heavenly Kings discussing...?

Even Lila couldn't help but glance to her side at such a crucial moment.

And it was as if they were specifically looking for this moment of carelessness in their opponent—

"attack!"

The "city defense master" at the top of the temple suddenly swung down his raised arm.

While there are no fixed formations in warfare, there are established methods. When a force reaches the size of the Plasma Group, the tactics available become relatively limited. After all, there are only a few excellent tactics, while the ways to fail are varied.

The first wave will inevitably be a barrage of ranged attacks.

This phase will last for several seconds. To prevent friendly fire, the vanguard will only begin to advance when the target is suppressed to the point of being unable to raise its head and a gap appears in the formation.

The latter often uses a Pokémon that excels at defense, such as Gigantamax, as a front shield, paired with two assassin-type Pokémon like Leopard that excel at close-range attacks, forming a basic unit of three to steadily and ruthlessly surround and kill the wounded soldiers who have been battered and bruised in the bombardment.

After that, the ranged units that had previously used ranged attacks will undergo a synchronized regrouping adjustment.

Some were converted into melee fighters to support the front lines with more troops, and also to take turns replacing the Pokémon that had already been defeated.

The remaining group continued to maintain distance and engage in long-range fire. Pokémon with excellent targeting abilities, such as the Artificial Cell Egg, provided sustained fire, while those with keen eyesight, like the Arrogant Pheasant, engaged in single-target sniping. This maintained a strong suppressive firepower against the enemy without hindering frontline operations.

In addition, Team Plasma also has Pokémon specifically designed to buff allies and heal them. While it's possible to use them to harass enemies with status ailments, the current confined space means that even if such moves were used, they would likely disrupt the friendly units already engaged in combat at the front, making this strategy impractical.

After several rounds of this cycle, the physical strength and combat power of both sides will inevitably fluctuate. No matter how strong the opponent is, under such a full-speed, juicer-like crushing, they will eventually be ground to a pulp and exhausted.

At this very moment, this large, well-trained plasma squadron of thousands is preparing to fully implement this strategy.

However, their efforts were destined to be in vain.

Because even the Heavenly King of Martial Arts had already taken action.

With a whoosh.

A beam of red light from Lian Wu's hand abruptly pulled the old craftsman back into the sphere.

Just a second before the enemy was about to launch their final attack, he managed to remove what was arguably the strongest defensive force on the field.

But this action is meaningful.

The evidence is the light that's shining on Lian Wu's wrist right now!

Wearing it there was a white wristband.

The red cross pattern in the center of the wristband flashed briefly, and then the Poké Ball containing the old craftsman in Lian Wu's hand rapidly changed colors in a burst of white light before expanding.

Just as Team Plasma's Pokémon unleashed their first wave of ranged attacks—

Like a skilled volleyball player, the Fighting King threw the Poké Ball, which was covered in purplish-red mist and had expanded to the size of a gas canister, upwards.

With tremendous force, the enormous Poké Ball shot straight into the air, crashing head-on into the impending barrage of attacks.

"Master Builder - 'Max Guard'!"

For some reason, the moment he shouted out this move, Lian Wu thought of Hugo's figure on the Tower of Heaven.

Chapter 495 The eggshell needs to be broken from the inside.

When Hugo battled against former champion Mr. Ardek, the Max Bracers he used were a gift from Chairman Galar to Sinnoh champion Cynthia.

Before challenging the champion at the Tower of Heaven, the detective had his grandmother in Sinnoh Town retrieve the item from her house, put it on Garchomp, and teleport it to himself in Unova—which led to Piplup unexpectedly entering Dynamax mode at the last moment of the battle.

Of course, without the support of local Galar energy points, the Max Bracer is ultimately just an energy projection that is infinitely close to true Dynamax.

Due to the gap in strength between them and the champion, Piplup's "Max Guard" and "Max Aqua" were not the final decisive moves, but their effectiveness undoubtedly became an irreplaceable piece of the puzzle in Hugo's incredible victory.

Since the Sinnoh champion had received such a gift, the Unova League, which held a similar position, naturally received one as well. Chairman Rose, always meticulous in his work, certainly wouldn't show favoritism in such a matter that was half diplomatic and half promotional.

However, since Alder was no longer personally handling Alliance affairs at that time, the gift could only be accepted by Lian Wu on his behalf and stored in a souvenir display case in a storage room at the Alliance headquarters.

When Hugo informed the Alliance of an emergency leave, Lian Wu naturally took out the prop again.

Out of a certain nostalgia for that championship succession battle, and because Yue Tachibana had been boasting to him about his achievements in that so-called "Dynamax Survival Battle" since returning from Mushroom Island, Lian Wu kept a close eye on it and always wore it on his body. After all, as a street fighter, he was used to wearing bandages or arm guards on his wrists, so having an extra wrist guard wouldn't be inconvenient.

Now, it's the Plasma Team's followers' turn to enjoy the same treatment that Ardek Champions once received.

Rumble rumble rumble rumble—

The giant Poké Ball, once launched, plunged headfirst into an ocean of ranged attacks, like a concentrated bead that had been soaked in a washing machine, instantly releasing a mist far exceeding its original size.

Crimson energy surged forth, spreading along the dome and walls, instantly turning the pristine and solemn temple into a murky dark color.

At the same time, those fierce attacks mysteriously stopped at the edge of the red mist.

Instead, a colossal figure, more imposing than robust, appeared prominently in the very center of the temple.

boom--!!

The giant landed on its feet, and the entire hall floor groaned.

It's the Builder after Dynamaxing!

It crossed the two concrete pillars, which had been magnified hundreds of times, above its head, and a circular, semi-transparent barrier suddenly unfolded around it, like a shield that covered the sky and blocked all attacks from above!

The ultimate form of the "Protect" move, a unique skill in Dynamax mode.

"The Great Barrier"!

"This momentum is worlds apart from what Hugo was like back then."

Wanlong looked up at the huge shadow cast by the old construction worker and murmured softly.

At the same time, her fingers danced lightly, directing Chandelure to use Flamethrower to counteract the stray attacks that slipped through Max Guard from tricky angles.

"That's inevitable. You can't compare Bogaman from that time with Lianwu's old construction masters."

While helping Holt and the handsome guy fend off stray bullets, Lingju managed to reply in a spare moment.

As he uttered this complaint, he was glared at by the novice elf behind him who was trying to "help" the Servant General increase his attack power with his skill.

The ungrateful Dark-type Elite Four member seemed oblivious to his companion's gaze and continued, "Moreover, unlike the battle on the Tower of Heaven last time, this time the Max Bracer on Lianwu's hand was able to draw sufficient external energy. Otherwise, the small amount of energy stored in the bracer would be enough to allow Piplup to change form, but it would be impossible to support a Pokémon of the strength of Craftsman to enter Max form."

—What does "that's fine" mean?

...The gazes from behind seemed even more piercing, but Lingju ignored them with the air of a king.

It was only at this moment that the group, who had been completely unaware of Lianwu's Dynamax tactic, finally recovered from their astonishment.

"Ahem—So this is the famous Dynamax form from the Galar region? I never expected to see it here..."

The handsome man tried his best to appear calm and composed.