Pokémon Detective Case Files.

The competition hasn't officially started yet, and Chimchar is still teaching the Azure contestants basic operations such as acceleration, changing direction, and drifting. He also generously demonstrated the details of using Pokémon moves and ground acceleration pads.

After the tutorial, the two played their first tutorial match. Through trial and error, the assistant gradually became familiar with the controls and understood the effects of Jolteon's skills in the game. The first match ended in a harmonious atmosphere of mutual learning and growth.

"Azure learns very quickly, and Chimchar is also a good teacher."

Hugo nodded in satisfaction, not finding the scene of Pokémon using sign language to teach humans how to play games particularly strange.

Then the official competition began.

To accommodate Azur Lane's unfamiliarity with the map, the competition venue was chosen to be the familiar Flying Cloud Wharf.

The obstacles on the map are mainly parked vehicles and containers being loaded and unloaded from ferries. The rules are the simplest three-round elimination system, and both sides are allowed to use the moves of their mount Pokémon.

Before the race, the track's own opening animation began playing.

The film's background captures the nighttime street scene of Feiyun City, with brightly lit advertising signs atop the surrounding high-rise buildings. Warm yellow lights guide the race track, creating a winding, looping road.

Compared to the real-life night view of Feiyun City, the game recreates the metropolis's cityscape with a more cartoonish and streamlined style. In reality, Feiyun City doesn't have that many nighttime lights, and the promotional photos mainly focus on the pedestrian avenue running through the city center; the roads encircling the city are actually quite simple.

However, the game's inaccurate adaptations to reality are actually quite fitting, perfectly capturing the character of Feiyun City. The signage adds a cheerful and lively atmosphere to the map. The game designers also kept the road modifications subtle, and the racetrack was well-arranged so that even a traveler like Azure, who had been living in Feiyun City for over a month, wouldn't feel completely out of place.

The orange monkey still chose its favorite fiery red Rapidash, while Azure, sitting on the other side of the sofa, seemed to have started to take an interest in the game. It was also staring intently at its game screen, and after pressing the speed-up button, lightning began to flash from the soles of Rayquaza's feet.

Three, two, one, countdown to zero.

The Pokémon horse race has officially begun.

The little fire monkey and Azure both accelerated at the start. Due to the difference in their chosen mounts, Azure, whose skills were not as refined, was actually a little faster.

But this gap was immediately closed at the first corner, where Rapidash, with its burning mane, overtook Reibu with a daring drift that hugged the container obstacle.

Eevee, standing next to Hugo, let out a tense whimper, as if it had been overtaken by an enemy.

As the saying goes, "Teach your apprentice and he'll kill you," Azure's trainer nature kicked in, and without hesitation, it activated Jolteon's move "Lightning Bolt," trying to press the Chimchar into the wall from the outside.

However, Chimchar, the girl's opponent, did not panic. Instead, he calmly pressed the buttons on the controller without using any special moves.

With the monkey's nimble maneuvering, the Flaming Horse's direction of travel swayed slightly, and then Azure's aggressive skill missed its mark.

Even though Jolteon pierced the gap between the horse's body and the wall like a blade, forcing Chimchar to the outside, the opponent was still ahead of Jolteon and its speed was not affected at all.

At that moment, the monkey pressed the skill button, and a storm of flames surrounded the Flame Horse, greatly slowing down the opponent while giving himself a speed boost. With the speed boost, the monkey successfully passed through the shortcut without stalling and then sped towards the straight road further away, leaving the poor opponent, who was slowed down and lacked the skill to speed up, behind.

The grass turtle became excited, its tender shoots on its head throbbing joyfully, while Bogarman stroked its chin with its paddle fin and nodded approvingly.

The obstacles on the straight road are mainly a few dust hills that occupy the middle of the road. In this game, their size is exaggerated, making them look as huge as if they have been Dynamaxed.

These dust mountains will spray highly toxic sludge that slows people down. If you don't anticipate where the sludge will land and dodge in advance, you could easily get into trouble.

However, the little fire monkey seemed to disregard the danger, and its driver, Rapidash, easily traversed the muddy minefield at full speed, while Azure had to slow down several times to avoid the mud overhead.

After putting down his binoculars, Hugo raised an eyebrow: "The little fire monkey is moving through obstacles much faster. Not only that, it hasn't made a single mistake so far. If it can keep this up, it might not only surpass my previous horse racing record, but it might even challenge the best record for this map."

The remaining matches weren't very interesting.

The little fire monkey performed perfect drifts on every bend, like a showman, and gracefully flipped between the speed boosts along the best path, catching up with Azure in the second half of the second lap.

Azure tried desperately to use the disruptive move "Thunderbolt" to recover some of its disadvantage, but Rapidash seized the opportunity and used the move "Charged Flame" at the same time.

Under the influence of the game's rules, the energy in the lightning is gathered into the firelight behind the Blazing Horse—an effect that is said to be possible in reality.

After completing its second energy charge, the horse's entire body turned crimson, and its speed further increased to the theoretical peak set in the game.

From the player's perspective in Azure, the Flaming Horse vanished in a flash, leaving only a red trail behind.

The race ended with Chimchar taking an overwhelming lead. Even though Blue Jolteon didn't make any obvious mistakes, it still trailed by nearly two laps, breaking Detective's previous best time.

Little Eevee in the corner was so angry he was jumping up and down.

"Hugo, aren't you still doing the control experiment? Quickly sit next to the little fire monkey and let's have another round!"

Competitive games can easily make people lose their heads, and the girl, unwilling to accept defeat, wanted to fight again, but with strict conditions attached.

Hugo put down his telescope and shook his head at his assistant: "The experiment is over, and the conclusion is very clear."

Whether it's luck or skill, Pokémon are weakened when they're with Hugo. Their movements become inexplicably sluggish, their accuracy inexplicably decreases, mistakes occur inexplicably, and accidents happen inexplicably. Even casual video games are not immune to this abnormal state.

"The test is over. Now, I need to contact a hacker and challenge him in this game. Little Chimchar, can you take on the challenge for me?"

Hugo walked to the sofa, faced the bewildered little monkey, squatted down, and made a solemn request to his Pokémon.

"Hehehe!"

The little fire monkey leaped three feet high and jumped onto the back of the sofa. The small flames that had been contained in order to sit on the sofa suddenly burst forth from its tail.

Chapter 074 The Dark Hand Beyond the Plasma Cluster

"Hiring hackers to play games?"

Azure looked at the detective with a bewildered expression.

"Remember those people who did phone scams before?" Hugo, already used to seeing people's surprise, readily offered an explanation. "You should know where those people got their Galar Coral, right?"

“It’s hard to forget, they bought it online from an anonymous trading website,” the assistant replied without hesitation. “Didn’t Officer Jenny say that the police’s technical experts had started tracing the server address? Have they already got the results?”

"A complete failure, a last-ditch effort." The detective shook his head, his face full of mockery for the incompetent policeman.

"As soon as news of the arrest of the six people was released, the website addresses they had previously used were immediately invalidated and could not be traced at all. Even if the police changed their tracking direction and tried to find the location of the person who provided the sun coral based on the physical IP, they could only find a deserted area in the open sea."

"Is it another case of slow police response and excessive media coverage?" Bilan asked, taking a bottle of mineral water from the detective's refrigerator and sitting back down on the sofa.

The detective shook his head: "This time, it's not their fault. That illegal website uses the most popular anonymous access technology currently available. User requests are randomly redirected three times among hosts distributed globally before finally reaching the server, in order to conceal which computer the traffic originally came from. This makes tracing the source extremely difficult, thus making all visitors completely indistinguishable and achieving almost perfect online anonymity. With my meager knowledge of the internet, I'm completely outmatched."

The girl was skeptical of the detective's "little bit" of information. She thought she had mastered enough technical terms since joining the agency, but listening to the detective's description of the dark web framework still gave her a headache.

"So, you want to find a hacker to help you track down this online trading organization?" Azure asked, trying to skip the barrage of computer jargon.

“Exactly.” Hugo fed a handful of Pokémon kibble to Chimchar to reward its earlier brilliant performance. “I’m a detective, how can I tolerate someone running a crime consulting business on my turf? And they’re illegally selling Pokémon, even using them to kill people, something even Team Plasma wouldn’t do. All of this shows that they are an organization with no bottom line, driven solely by profit, and a completely different force from the legitimate Team Plasma.”

Azure, who was drinking water, was taken aback and almost choked: "So this dark web organization has nothing to do with Team Plasma? I thought they were the only ones in the Unova region who would commit crimes on this scale..."

"It's not entirely unrelated. The establishment of the Dark Web must have been approved by the Plasma Group. Without the Plasma Group's approval, no one in the world would have had the opportunity to establish such an illegal organization on the land of the Unova region."

Hugo pointed to the table in the distance, which was still covered with evidence of Team Plasma's crimes. Team Plasma's atrocities covered the entire Unova map like a spider web. In the very center of the table was a photo of the religious leader named N.

"Judging from the methods and motives of the crimes, selling Pokémon through the dark web is simply not the style of those fanatical followers of Team Plasma. The organization that established the dark web has a very clear goal: they obviously intend to use it to make money. And Team Plasma..."

The detective scoffed, "They have plenty of money now, so there's no need for them to do this kind of low-paying, unethical work. To me, this seems more like the work of Team Rocket in the Kanto region."

Well, we've gotten ourselves into this mess. Azure was both amused and exasperated.

However, the girl immediately retorted to the detective: "Team Rocket disbanded two years ago, and Interpol is constantly monitoring the criminal underworld in the Kanto region. There is absolutely no sign of them making a comeback."

"Disband..." Hugo remained silent for a long time, as if he were chewing on the word, before asking a thought-provoking question—

"Why not arrest all those involved and put them in jail?"

As if struck by a "high-five surprise attack," Azure was momentarily dazed before stammering out the aftermath of the events she had heard from the Kanto Alliance—

"In the operation targeting the Rockets, the league mainly punished the ringleaders who committed heinous crimes. As the Rockets organization was too widely involved, the league only carried out limited purges and pardoned most of the lower-ranking members. This is also more conducive to social stability."

“Only the leading cadres were punished…” Hugo fell silent again. “But I haven’t heard any news of the arrest of that famous leader, Giovanni. He couldn’t have escaped, could he?”

The girl was hit where it hurt by the detective's words, and looked like she had suffered a severe emotional blow. She could only answer dejectedly, "Sakaki escaped during the capture operation and has been missing ever since."

"It seems Kanto is bound to cause trouble again sooner or later," the detective predicted astutely, then shook his head, trying to steer the conversation back to the current events—

"The disbandment of Team Rocket naturally led to a large number of people fleeing abroad. After more than two years of fermentation, the criminal ideas and techniques of these people have also spread to all parts of the world. The dark web organizations we are facing now are a clear example. We must nip these organizations in the bud. If we let them develop and allow them to form an interest group in the United States that is no smaller than Team Plasma, the problem will be impossible to solve."

"Can the hacker you're planning to hire do something like this?" Azure asked with concern.

"Actually, I don't know the other party's capabilities yet. The other party is a network expert introduced by a friend of mine in Sinnoh. It is said that he once built an Internet of Things system for an entire city by himself. I think he should be able to come up with a solution to that dark web."

While talking to his assistant, Hugo had already drafted a politely worded email and sent it to the legendary hacker, inviting him to a friendly one-on-one match using the famous game Pokémon 8.

Azure was still somewhat worried, and asked with a frown, "Would a computer expert with such extraordinary abilities accept our request?"

"I heard he's a very playful person, especially obsessed with video games, so I wanted to see if this horse racing game could capture his interest. In my opinion, the game itself is pretty good."

"Are you planning a betting contest? A bet where the loser has to do something? Hugo, what if you lose?"

"First of all, based on my observation, the little fire monkey's gaming skills are quite excellent, and I am not worried about losing the game at all."

Hugo patted the back of the little fire monkey's head and declared with great confidence. The little fire monkey, equally confident, puffed out its pale yellow chest, the swirling mark on its chest standing out prominently.

Azure stuck out her tongue: "I have a feeling that this line is an ominous sign."

“Secondly,” Hugo said, making a peace sign and revealing a mysterious smile, “I didn’t mention gambling in the email because I didn’t intend to place any bets.”

"Then how do you get them to agree to help you?" the assistant asked, puzzled.

The detective's smile gradually turned sinister. Azure could tell that her employer had clearly come up with another "brilliant" idea to get something for nothing—

"Regardless of the outcome of the match, I will tell that playful hacker that the game we just played has been fiercely attacked by Team Plasma, a new cult in the Unova region. These extreme Pokémon protectors believe that riding on a Pokémon's back is a terrible act of abuse, and that the Pokémon Horse Racing series implies and promotes this unequal and enslaving relationship between humans and Pokémon. Therefore, Team Plasma is manipulating public opinion and launching a storm of malicious complaints against the game. Now the game's development company is overwhelmed, and this horse racing game will be the last game in the series."

"Is it true?" Azure stared wide-eyed in surprise, while the little fire monkey beside her also looked at the detective in astonishment.

"It's true. If you pay more attention to the recent newspapers, you'll see a lot of heated arguments surrounding this news. Or you can chat with Ms. Officer Jenny; she'll complain about it to you sooner or later."

Hugo spoke casually, then looked into the light brown eyes and asked—

"Isn't this ironic? An organization that advocates for the liberation of Pokémon is secretly cooperating with dark web organizations, tacitly approving and supporting the illegal Pokémon trade, using them as weapons to kill—if you were that master hacker, what would you think?"

“Outrageous,” the assistant said without hesitation. “Having experienced the game, I can guarantee that it’s a truly conscientious and well-made game. Why should we tolerate this baseless complaint that’s been blown out of proportion? Besides, Group Plasma is a hypocrite who does bad things and then turns around and blames others. What right do they have to use political correctness as a means of mutual attack?”

"Very good. If that hacker could have the same sense of justice as you, this matter would already be half successful." Hugo smiled with great satisfaction and deep sympathy.

.

Just then, a strange phone rang; it was Hugo's cell phone.

The detective glanced at the caller ID, his expression immediately turning serious: "It's that hacker. He traced my phone number directly from my email address—"

The negotiations are about to begin.

Chapter 075 The Identity of the Hacker Master

Hugo answered the phone, and a hearty laugh immediately filled the living room of Yuxi Residence.

"It's actually an elderly person?" Bilan asked in surprise.

She had assumed the top hacker who had called would be an arrogant young man, but his carefree and unconventional demeanor, along with his slightly aged and hoarse voice, surprised her greatly.

"Hahaha, it's been years since a young man like you has dared to challenge this old man. Your name is Hugo, right? You want to settle things with me in Pokémon Rush 8?"

“Exactly,” the detective replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"However, I am somewhat concerned about the first half of your statement. You must be lying, right? I am not the last person to challenge you."

The hacker was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"Since your voice sounds overly excited, and you're a little out of breath, you must have just had an intense gym battle, right?"

The hacker master was even more confused: "Could it be that someone in the know let it slip? How did you know I'm a dojo leader?"

"Background checks are a basic skill for detectives, and what we'll be using this time is a very simple process of elimination," the detective said confidently into his phone.

"When I got your contact information, the person who introduced me mentioned that you had once built an entire city's Internet of Things system. There aren't many cities in the world with that capability. Logically, someone who can undertake such a large-scale project must have the credibility to earn the trust of the Pokémon League. Therefore, a short list could be easily compiled. Coupled with your self-reference and manner of speaking, I was 100% certain that I was talking to someone. Right? The Iron Spin Gym Leader of Mauville City, Hoenn."

The detective's reasoning clearly hit the bullseye. The master of the Violet Dojo was silent for a moment, then burst into an even louder, more deafening laugh.

"It seems the email was right; you really are a competent detective. Now that we know each other's identities, I just wonder what your purpose is in issuing this game challenge to me?"

Hugo smiled calmly and replied, "Let's discuss it after the competition. If you're not satisfied, you're welcome to leave at any time."

"Great, that's perfect, just my style!"

In just a few words of conversation, this Electric-type Gym Leader of the Hoenn region, whom I had never met before, had already left an indelible image of a mischievous old man in Bilan's mind.

Tie Xuan said loudly and arrogantly, "Let me make this clear beforehand, so you won't say I bullied you after the race. Although this is my first time playing 'Horse Racing 8,' I have a great reputation in the previous installments of this game. Defeating a junior like you will not be too easy."

“Of course I know about your achievements, but I’ve also prepared a secret weapon.” Hugo glanced at the little fire monkey and replied to Tie Xuan with equal confidence.

The little fire monkey eavesdropping on the call looked quite proud. However, to Azure, this conversation didn't seem like a secret deal between a detective and a hacker; it looked more like two immature kids clumsily exchanging threats.

In the course of their conversation, Hugo and Tie Xuan quickly agreed on the time and specific rules for the match.

The time was set for Sunday evening, and the rules were slightly different from Azure's previous friendly match with Chimchar.

After all, the enthusiasm and fighting spirit of both sides have been so well laid out. If it were just a small match that only lasted two or three minutes, it would indeed be a bit unsatisfying. But if they had to run back and forth on a small map for more than ten laps, it would also be aesthetically tiring.

Fortunately, there is a suitable solution to this in a two-player game—

In *Horse Racing 8*, there's a massive map called the "Tour of Carlos Rally," which stitches together all the race tracks from previous games in the series that are related to the Carlos region. From the fragrant paths of Asaka Town to the luxurious and elegant manor houses of Oldwood Town, from the windmill-filled Windmill Town to the Prism Tower soaring into the sky in Miarei City, from the massive waterfall of Linked Town to the icy wonderland of Snowdrift City, from the glittering gem-studded Caverns to the championship road that witnesses glory…