Pokémon Detective Case Files.

This is a long journey in reality, with a total length of over 3000 kilometers. If you were to complete the race by bicycle, it would take nearly 20 days. The game condenses this grand scene into a giant map that takes about 40 minutes to complete.

This is undoubtedly the best venue for the two to compete against each other.

Just as Hugo and the Iron Whirlwind Gym Leader were about to finalize the last details, the Gym Leader suddenly asked the Detective a strange question, as if by magic: "Can we bring in outside help for this competition?"

"Oh?" Hugo asked in a surprised tone, "Can't the Hall of Fame player of Hoenn Horse Racing 3 and the annual champion of Horse Racing 4 personally take the lead? I thought I would have a chance to witness your gaming skills."

On the other end of the phone, the gym leader seemed momentarily speechless, seemingly provoked by the detective's words. But before he could speak, Hugo immediately added, "However, as a precautionary measure, I also agree to this 'can call in outside help' rule. After all, none of us want the game duel to turn into a boring one-sided crushing defeat due to unexpected situations on either side, right?"

The owner of the Iron Spin Pavilion nodded in agreement without hesitation.

Azure clicked her tongue in amazement: Hugo was clearly the one who wanted to ask Chimchar for help from the very beginning, so how come he's become the good guy who compromised and backed down now?

As the call was about to end, Hugo still had a nagging feeling, so he couldn't help but ask the Mauville City Gym Leader the question he had asked at the beginning: "Mr. Tetsuya, it's clearly the weekend, why are you still in the gym preparing for a battle?"

"Well," the optimistic old man chuckled, "a dojo leader from the same region asked me to test his daughter's fighting ability, so I made a special trip to my dojo today to meet her challenge. I think that girl's name is Haruka."

"I see." As if a discordant note in a musical score of deduction had been erased, Hugo felt relieved, his doubts dispelled.

The assistant suddenly nudged the detective's shoulder. She had another concern, one that no trainer could afford to ignore.

Hugo immediately understood Azure's concern and reluctantly continued, "So, did that trainer succeed in the challenge? You seem to be in a good mood. Did the gym ultimately win the match?"

"No, actually, it was I who lost. That strong chicken used its skills perfectly, ending the match beautifully with a brilliant 'double kick'."

The old man on the other end of the phone said nonchalantly, "Kid, the gym leader isn't that petty. The fact that the challenger was able to defeat a defending team of similar level is enough to prove that she is qualified to obtain the gym badge. The regret of losing a mere match is nothing compared to the joy of witnessing a rising star trainer grow. Hahaha."

Amidst the laughter, Hugo sensed a hint of insincerity in Tie Xuan's words. However, seeing Bi Lan beside him looking deeply moved, he decided to remain silent.

The call, which came in with a menacing tone, ended in such a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

"By the way, why did that old man Tie Xuan take the initiative to request outside help?"

Looking at Hugo who had put down his phone, Azure asked with some confusion, "Wasn't he the champion of the previous generation of that game's competition?"

“His external assistance is probably some kind of electronic device,” the detective said without hesitation, as if he already knew the answer.

"Esports is a game for young people. Older people like Tie Xuan probably can't keep up with the pace of the game anymore. A super hacker like him must have used some means to achieve those achievements in the game. By the way, the year Tie Xuan won the 'Horse Racing 4' championship, the game competition in Hoenn was moved online due to the earthquake, so his championship was very questionable."

Seeing the incredulous look on Azure's face, Hugo promptly added another piece of evidence—

"Furthermore, there is another point that can corroborate Mr. Tie Xuan's use of cheating techniques in the game: after playing 'Horse Racing 4,' he lost interest in the game and did not continue to try the new games afterward. This is very unnatural for a player who loves games and worked hard to reach the Hall of Fame. Of course, this is also quite easy to explain. If a person cheats repeatedly in a game, he is very likely to lose the fun of playing the game itself."

Hugo heard the sound of the image of the Mauville City Gym Leader collapsing in Azure's mind.

"Hackers are generally like this: arrogant and unruly, they like to attract attention, and their online image is completely different from their real-world personality. In this case, the old man Tiexuan is a combination of a dutiful dojo leader and a lawless cheating hacker. However, I think this behavior pattern is still normal. At least he is not a psychologically twisted sabotager. I would never dare to invite that kind of hacker to be our ally."

The detective in the white coat shrugged, casually commenting on hackers around the world as if he were criticizing the taste of a restaurant dish.

Chapter 076 Chimchar's Pre-Battle Preparations

Over the following weekend, the entire staff of Yuqi Mansion went out to help the little fire monkey improve its gaming skills.

Azure accompanied the little monkey through match after match, and now the assistant's skill level is comparable to Hugo's.

Eevee, Piplup, and Turtwig, being of little use, sat next to the monkey, cheering it on enthusiastically. Whenever Chimchar achieved a new best score, the small group of Pokémon would erupt in thunderous applause.

Hugo even tried to invite Officer Jenny, who was taking a break from her busy schedule, to come over and let this expert in horse racing personally guide the little fire monkeys on their playing techniques.

In response, elite police officers, who were overwhelmed with cases of telephone fraud, offered this explanation:

"You didn't invite me to something this fun?!"

When she arrived at the Feathered Residence, she even forcibly brought along her unlucky deputy, Sera...

.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Detective Hugo. Your performance in the locked-room mystery was absolutely brilliant. You solved almost the entire case, yet you gave all the credit to my superior, which also made me a hero. I really don't know how to thank you enough..."

Miss Sera bowed deeply to the detective with a shy expression, it was unclear whether she was genuinely praising his achievements or feeling ashamed of having such a boss.

Meanwhile, her superior, Officer Jenny, had already tossed her police hat aside, leaped onto the sofa in front of the LCD screen, and expertly grabbed the controller to start a game with the little fire monkey.

Hugo waved his hand, both amused and exasperated, and said in a very humble tone, "Don't worry about it. It was my request to Officer Jenny to keep my identity hidden. I recently had a falling out with Team Plasma, and if I were to show my face and attract the attention of other forces, my situation would be quite dangerous. So I should be thanking you."

"Don't listen to that detective in the white coat's nonsense. He ripped me off for this case. I didn't even have a scratch, yet he demanded such a high medical fee!" Officer Jenny shouted angrily as the game loaded.

"I have a question. Why are you two wearing police uniforms when you come to Yuxi Residence today?"

Bilan, who volunteered to serve tea to the two guests, looked at the two policemen in beige uniforms with some confusion.

The bespectacled deputy officer's cheeks flushed even more, and he lowered his head in silence, while Officer Jenny continued playing her game nonchalantly, pretending not to hear.

Hugo curled his lip and mercilessly exposed, "They probably deserted the team during patrol, and probably used the excuse of discovering some special clues to sneak out and do nothing."

"But aren't you also pursuing dark web organizations? In other words, we're working diligently too! Yes, we're doing our utmost for the security of Feiyun City!"

In the game, Officer Jenny, riding Mareep, releases "electromagnetic waves" to try to interfere with the little Chimchar next to her, while spouting righteous nonsense.

Why is it Mare the sheep again? Did Hugo learn his game style from Officer Jenny? Don't they think the sheep's art style is weird...?

Azure watched the match on the screen, lost in thought as she sipped her tea. Suddenly, the girl's brow furrowed slightly—she felt her tea wasn't as good as Piplup's or Turtwig's, even though she used roughly the same amount of tea leaves. What was the difference…?

Hugo glanced at his assistant, noticing her troubled expression, and then, as if he could read her mind, began to explain—

"There's a hidden stat in this game called 'Heavenly Grace,' which determines the drift speed and instantaneous acceleration during a drift, and also has a huge impact on the mount's traction—it's extremely important. Mareep excels in this stat, and its small collision radius makes it relatively easy to avoid skill effects, so many players with a deep understanding of the game like to use it. However, Mareep's stats in other areas are a bit lacking; it doesn't have many proactive attack skills, which could be considered a weakness."

The detective took his teacup, took a sip, and with a knowing look on his face, continued leisurely—

"In addition, the water should be poured in when the tea leaves are boiling and bubbling. This way, the aroma of the tea leaves can be fully released and more of the water-soluble substances can be dissolved. If the water has been boiling for too long, all the air dissolved in the water will be expelled, and tea brewed with such repeatedly boiled water will not taste as fresh as tea brewed with freshly boiled water."

"Don't try to read minds!" Azure said angrily, having had two of her thoughts read at the same time.

Hugo nodded absentmindedly. For some reason, whenever the detective squinted and looked half-dead, he exuded an aura of "I know I was wrong, but I'll do it again next time."

On the other side, Chimchar successfully defeated Officer Jenny, whose gaming skills were even better than Detective's, in a three-round game, and looked completely relaxed and at ease, indicating that his special training was very successful.

Officer Jenny, amazed, patted the back of the little fire monkey's head: "This level is impressive! Hugo, how did you teach him?"

The detective, sitting on the sofa in the distance, shrugged: "I only taught it the basics; it figured out the rest on its own."

The assistant seemed to have figured out something profound, and suddenly slammed her hand down, offering a very constructive perspective—

"Could it be like weight training, where as long as a Pokémon can withstand Hugo's bad luck and train successfully, its talent will explode after leaving Hugo?"

"No," the detective denied without hesitation, shaking his head. Why were these women always so optimistic and naive?

"I used to have this idea too, but experiments have proven that this argument is not valid. It's just a simple bad luck aura, without any auxiliary function, and it has always been like this from the past to the present."

"Then how do you explain this child's learning ability? He's only been playing this game for less than two days, right?" Azure asked, still somewhat skeptical.

"Talent, perhaps? It learned to pick locks pretty quickly, didn't it? But Azure, you still haven't mastered the pin-picking technique, have you?"

"Hey, don't discuss this kind of topic in front of the police. Theoretically, we're still on duty."

Officer Jenny lazily warned as she watched the replay of the game, then turned the topic back to the game: "It's too perfect, there's not a single flaw in the play. Is there really any room for improvement in this kid?"

Hugo sighed: "Leaving aside the situation of the little Chimchar, its opponent definitely has no room for improvement..."

The detective then told Officer Jenny that they were going to face a hacker opponent who would definitely be using cheat codes.

Officer Jenny was initially startled, but quickly recovered: "But even with cheat codes, the other side can't directly tamper with the game data, right? They can't fly to the finish line at the very beginning of the game, right? Otherwise, what's the point of the competition?"

“Exactly so.” Hugo snapped his fingers.

"Cheat devices in video games mainly fall into two categories. One is external game modification software, generally referred to by players as 'hacks.' It directly modifies in-game data, altering the game's original settings and rules in a way that disrupts the balance. For example, it could keep a mount constantly accelerating or make a character instantly reach the finish line. But the old man probably used the other type—"

"What is the other type?" The policewoman was a little puzzled. She didn't realize that even game cheats came in so many varieties.

"Another type is called 'game script,' which is similar to extreme positioning and seamless attacks. It uses programs to achieve reaction speeds and precision that are impossible for human operators. This type of script is very useful in games with fixed maps, such as horse racing games."

Do you think the other side would use game scripts to battle against Chimchar?

Hugo nodded: "To be able to cheat in an online competition without being detected by the organizers, he must have used the latter method. Therefore, in this competition, he would at most pre-set the manipulation program and, with the help of the cheat software, perform perfect operations frame by frame so that the mount in the game would race along the predetermined optimal route."

"Can't we use moves from the game to interfere and make the opponent's programming fail and become uncontrollable?" Officer Jenny had a flash of inspiration and offered a constructive suggestion.

“I’m afraid that’s difficult.” The detective shrugged. “In this situation, the hacker would switch to manual operation, deal with the crisis, and then hand over command back to the program. As soon as his hand touches the joystick, command will transfer to the human side, and it will automatically return when he releases it. This transition is almost instantaneous.”

"The worst part is that you chose the longest track in the game!"

Officer Jenny clutched her head, lamenting helplessly as she had spent the most time playing among everyone present: "In the Tour of Carlos, there are countless curves waiting for Chimchar to make mistakes, while the opponent is a machine that can never make a mistake. It's simply an invincible opponent."

“Sir,” Sera suddenly interjected, “I remember when you were introducing this game to me, you mentioned that there’s another way to win this horse racing game, didn’t you?”

Upon hearing this, Detective Hugo's eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked thoughtful.

Chapter 077 Tour of Carlos Rally

At noon on Sunday, the clock hands pointed to exactly twelve o'clock, the exact time when the detective and the hacker were to have their duel.

The little fire monkey was in top condition and logged into the game on time, using the game controller.

Detective Hugo, wearing a headset, stood at a distance and negotiated with Old Man Tiexuan.

Azure, Officer Jenny, and Sera, along with the other Pokémon, sat on the floor near the temporary sofa that Chimchar had made his home.

"I still have a few spectators here, should it be okay?" Hugo asked the other end of the headset.

"Of course, no problem. But kid, are you ready to embarrass yourself in front of your friends? Hahaha, it's not too late to admit defeat now."

The Mauville City Gym Leader's laughter remained hearty, showing no sign of unease before the duel. In contrast, the Chimchar on the sofa was already sweating with tension.

Hugo made a series of hand gestures to his Pokémon, which seemed to be a sign language instruction, telling it not to focus too much on the outcome of the match, but to trust itself and just do its best.

The little monkey nodded seriously after seeing this. Azure, who had noticed this, frowned, wondering: When did this little fire monkey learn sign language?

Both players quickly and smoothly selected their mounts and confirmed their equipment. Then, the match began as scheduled.

Chimchar's chosen mount Pokémon is a completely black Houndoom. This Pokémon has light gray, bone-like objects around its neck and back. It is fierce and irritable and is good at using Dark and Fire-type attacks.

This mount was jointly selected by Hugo and Officer Jenny. It not only suits Chimchar's habit of using fire-type racing skills, but is also suitable for the long and unique Carlos Rally.

The old man, Iron Whirl, chose the same mount as his signature Pokémon – Raiden, a blue Pokémon with golden mane covering its head and lower back, making it look heroic and majestic.

"So they really used this one," Hugo remarked.

The Thunder Beast is considered one of the more difficult mounts to control in this game. Its extremely high acceleration gives it a significant advantage on straightaways. Therefore, to maintain game balance, the game company has made the Thunder Beast's drift detection very strict. Because of this characteristic, the Thunder Beast is often referred to by players as "a toy for expert players."

—This is exactly the type of mount that cheaters love to use!

"When I was riding a thunder beast on a real road, you greenhorns weren't even born yet!"

Beside the starting line, the old man Tie Xuan was proudly boasting to himself.

"Anyone who seeks realism in a fictional world must have something wrong with their head," Hugo taunted in the voice chat. "Gamers don't need any qualifications."

Exchanging trash talk seems to be a tacit opening greeting among gamers. However, no matter how eloquently both sides try to provoke each other, it won't affect the outcome of the match in the slightest—because one side is using cheats, and the other side has hired a substitute player…

They are truly evenly matched rivals.

.

Beep, beep, beep, piss—

The game officially begins!

As the starting prompt sounded, the two four-legged beasts, one black and one blue, simultaneously began to gallop wildly, instantly illuminating the entire track with red flames and yellow lightning.

The race starts in Asaka, a town south of Carlos, and the track is modeled after the local Route 1.

The track is bathed in sunshine, with flowers everywhere, though occasional swarms of small finches may occasionally obscure the player's view. For gamers, the terrain here is relatively gentle, with almost no obstacles or curves that test their skills.

Using Pokémon moves prematurely in such a place would undoubtedly be a waste of resources. Iron Spin and Chimchar cooperated perfectly, avoiding each other's attacks, and proceeded north, passing the first checkpoint with a restrained approach.

Officer Jenny, watching the battle, frowned slightly as she looked at the data in the corner of the screen: "Chimchar's actions were flawless, but it was still more than ten milliseconds behind Electabuzz. It seems that the opponent was indeed..."

Azure and Sera simultaneously raised their index fingers to their lips, signaling Officer Jenny to shut up quickly.

With Chimchar fully focused on controlling it, the two Pokémon entered the labyrinthine Ebony Forest.

In this terrain, the huge trees block most of the sunlight. Players need to be careful of the logs that are blocking the road and give way in time. There will be insect-type butterfly insects on the roadside that will spit out silk threads. If you get entangled, your mount's speed will be slightly reduced.

Houndoom and Electamon, who were originally walking side by side in the middle of the road, parted ways without hesitation when faced with a fork in the road.

Chimchar subtly adjusted the joystick to dodge the silk-slinging attacks from both sides, navigating the optimal route back to the confluence track. However, at that moment, Electabuzz, rushing up from the other side, overtook it, already a head ahead.

At this moment, the keen detective noticed that his Pokémon were starting to panic, and the little Chimchar's paws gripping the game controller were trembling slightly.

Hugo wanted to comfort his Pokémon immediately, but he knew all too well what kind of useless constitution he had, and if the detective offered words of encouragement at this moment, it would only ruin everything.

So the detective changed his approach and began speaking loudly to the old man with the iron swivel on the other end of the microphone—

"Mr. Tiexuan, this map is described as the Carlos Rally, but its route is actually a horizontal figure-eight loop; and the condition for winning is to pass all the checkpoints in the Carlos region on the map. Starting from Asaka Town in the lower right corner, it goes up to Miare City in the center, then circles around through Winged City in the northwest, then returns to Windblown City in the east of Miare City, and finally from Lianli City in the far east, through Yingxue City, to the summit of the Champion's Road where the Carlos League is located..."