Pokémon Detective Case Files.

What an amazing on-the-spot response! In a competition at the level of gym leaders, this moment would have been enough to determine the winner of the first round of Pokémon battles!

However, the Fire King was not alarmed, because his plan had been an open and blatant scheme from the very beginning!

"Burn, Flareon! Charge straight ahead with your moves! Use Quick Attack to accelerate, then unleash Flare Blitz!"

With 100% "Ambush" damage, plus the counter-damage from "Flame Blitz," it wouldn't be surprising if Flareon were to lose its ability to battle in this round of attacks.

But Da Ye stared intently at the fighting, a smug look on his face.

Sure enough, when the ghost separated from the flame, everyone was surprised to see that Flareon, despite being covered in wounds, still had the strength to fight; while Rockruff, despite having greater durability, was also engulfed in flames and suffered injuries no less severe than Flareon's!

This is Da Ye's opening tactic—trading blows for blows! Going all out to exchange pieces!

Even if you, the champion Cyndaquil, have the greatest skills, you still couldn't deal with the Champion-level card-trading strategy before sending out that Garchomp!

The audience seats fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an even more violent uproar! The Fire King's fierce counterattack, besides being astonishing, reignited the tidal wave of noise in the stands. No one had expected that this championship challenge would go so far, with no holding back, starting from just the second round!

Even Zhu Lan frowned deeply, but no one knew what she was really thinking at that moment.

The female champion sighed softly, "Since Da Ye is so eager to decide the winner, then so be it."

"Zero-distance 'Shadow Ball'!"

In return for the championship, Daye's resounding response echoed throughout the venue—

"Burn everything, Flareon, use Flare Blitz for the second time!"

The indomitable flames once again enveloped Flareon, and the charge horn sounded again as soon as it fell!

This move drove the audience even crazier! Da Ye's tactics were far too reckless, completely using Flareon from the first battle as mere fuel to heat up the atmosphere!

Double the firepower, it's either death or serious injury, failure means certain death!

With just the first one, it already displayed the momentum of going to the Yellow Springs together. People can no longer imagine what the Great Leaf King is planning to do next.

[Bonus Chapter] The Road to Victory for King Ye (6)

Flareon's second Flare Blitz was a bit rushed, but with Rockruff's patience, it had a chance to survive.

Zhu Lan's eyes flickered slightly, as if it were the instinctive reaction of a predator when it detects a weakness in its prey.

If the Rockruff can withstand this onslaught, then with her and her partner's coordination, they can easily take down another of Bigleaf's Pokémon using the "Destiny Bond" move.

Although the Fire-type Elite Four member recently suffered a loss due to "Fate/Destiny Bond" in a battle with Wusong, Venusaur has more experience in using this move. Even if the opponent is prepared, there is a high probability that it will succeed. Even if the tactical intention is discovered by Bigleaf and deliberately targeted, Venusaur still has the opportunity to change its move and use "Farewell Gift", which can also disable the opponent's offensive ability.

It's an incredibly lucrative business.

If the battle truly reaches this point, our side will undoubtedly gain an unshakeable and absolute advantage, and the plan mentioned by that detective in the email can then be shelved...

Zhu Lan's undefeated record has never been achieved through any stroke of good luck, a sudden burst of inspiration, or any ingenious trickery.

On the contrary, the essential elements that constitute the title of Cyndaquil Champion are the step-by-step training, the decade-long practice, the keen observation, and the comprehensive understanding of one's partner. It is these ordinary, accessible efforts that have forged the undefeated champion of the Sinnoh League.

Therefore, she prefers to trust her own judgment on the spot rather than the advice of others.

Sure enough, as soon as Flareon's terrifying Flare Push attack ended, it immediately collapsed listlessly on the field. Its previous attacks had exhausted all its strength, leaving it with no ability to continue fighting.

Meanwhile, its opponent, Rockruff, had also transformed into a strangely shaped wedge-shaped rock, rolling to a corner of the field. However, its condition was slightly better than Flareon's, as it seemed to still be able to move.

After a struggle, a mysterious gas containing a fluorescent nose and mouth emerged from the crack in the rock—it was the spirit of the Flower Rock Monster!

Surprised gasps and increasingly loud applause came from all sides—the champion's starting lineup had actually withstood the king's desperate exchange of pieces!

However, the audience's surprise and the Great Leaf Heavenly King's ashen face did not last long, because as soon as the Flower Rock Monster revealed its spirit form, its figure suddenly flickered again, and the gas became slightly diluted.

Among the group, Cynthia was the first to notice the wound on the Rockruff—a faint but severe burn mark on the Rockruff's body below—the negative status effect left by Flareon's "Flare Rush".

While burned, physical attack ability is halved and stamina is continuously lost, making it one of the most frustrating negative statuses.

The already weakened Flower Rock Monster was now at its last gasp. Faced with the burns on its body, it finally succumbed to its injuries and its soul returned to the crevice in the rock, entering a dormant state incapacitated to fight.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle. Please switch to another Pokémon!"

The referee's stern voice rang out, and Cynthia and Bigleaf simultaneously used their Poké Balls to recall their Pokémon from the field.

Strictly speaking, Da Ye should thank the referee. If the referee had been more decisive and biased towards Cyndaquil, he would have had the right to urge Da Ye to send out a second Pokémon during the few seconds that the Rockruff was struggling with Burn.

However, the life form of the Rockruff is somewhat special, and the referee spent more time judging its condition to prevent Da Ye from prematurely revealing his second Pokémon—such controversial rulings are inevitable in large-scale competitions.

"You've done a great job, so rest easy."

While retrieving the Poké Ball from the Spirit Beast, Cynthia couldn't help but feel a little dazed—the burn probability of "Flare Blitz" is actually not very high, and it was really unlucky for Spirit Beast to be eliminated because of it...

Could this situation be due to a curse I contracted remotely from my decision to adopt Hugo's tactical plan?

No, no, no, even if Hugo's constitution is outrageous, it wouldn't be enough to affect me across continents. This should just be an unfortunate coincidence.

Zhu Lan shook her head gently, banishing her random thoughts.

"...When he battles you, Da Ye will definitely use a different tactic. After trading away his Rockruff at the start, he'll have a Taste of the Wind with Tailwind and Explosion quickly retreat, followed by a brute-force attack. This best utilizes his skill advantage. If you also add a second Ghost-type Pokémon to your team, it might have a surprising effect."

The message Hugo left in the email inbox resurfaced in Zhulan Champion's mind. Since the first stage of this prophecy had already come true, and he couldn't erase those words from his memory, he would just have to take the detective's prediction into consideration.

After all, his younger brother's "predictions" had never failed him since he was a child.

"Go, Windball!"

"Go, Togekiss!"

The match continued, and both sides simultaneously sent out their second handheld Pokémon.

A large, bright white bird with vibrant head feathers faces a hot air balloon that is also floating in the sky.

At this moment, seeing the appearance of the Wind Ball, Zhu Lan felt nothing, and even had a faint dissatisfaction with the detective.

It was as if someone had spoiled the ending of a novel beforehand; Hugo ruined the fun of this exciting battle, and the plot, which should have been full of twists and turns, suddenly became dull and tasteless.

"Tailwind Ball! Dance in the wind! Start with 'Tailwind'!"

"Oh dear..." Zhu Lan gave a barely perceptible bitter smile. Was Da Ye deliberately adding the word "starting move" to his lines to subtly suggest to herself that "he'll have many more combos to come"? What a pity, she'd never fall for that trick.

"Tokiss, 'Light Wall'."

Since the opponent is likely to choose to "self-destruct," there's no need to weaken their stamina. To give Daiyo the illusion that the plan is proceeding smoothly, Chiklan has her partner use a support skill that won't affect the power of the physical attack "Big Bang."

"Champion Bamboo Orchid played very steadily today. Did you not use your famous backdoor cut tactic today?"

Despite his recklessness, the Great Leaf King continued to provoke with words, attempting to conceal his true tactical intentions. Meanwhile, the purple hot air balloon in the sky moved slowly and harmlessly, its destination being Togekiss of the Bamboo Cyan.

It seems that the defeat of Venusaur has given Cynthia a lot of confidence. There is no Rock-type in Cynthia's known team, and Lucario, which has the Steel type, is not known for its defensive capabilities. Therefore, as long as the only Ghost-type Venusaur in the team is eliminated, the self-destruct strategy will definitely work.

If I hadn't received Hugo's notification, would I have been able to see through Da Ye's intentions at this point? Zhu Lan asked herself.

Probably not? Humans can't believe things they don't understand. Da Ye's gamble was far too bold, almost unimaginable for Zhu Lan, whose style is known for its steady and methodical approach. It would be very difficult to predict the opponent's plan based on the slightest clues on the scene.

But what if Da Ye succeeds in striking?

Self-destruction is ultimately just another form of exchange tactic, and it won't create a difference in the number of remaining Pokémon on either side. The "tailwind" left by the Wind Ball will indeed put her in a tough battle for a while... but the "tailwind" will eventually dissipate, and the predicament can be overcome. When has Cynthia ever been afraid of her opponent's unexpected victory?

Thinking of this, Zhu Lan couldn't help but complain in her heart about her younger brother who was far away from home.

Despite her inner complaints, Zhu Lan's performance appeared unchanged to the audience and even the Great King Ye; in fact, her aura was even more intense. Her sharp, scalpel-like gray eyes continued to sweep across the battlefield without emotion, her golden hair moving without wind, and every movement she made in her contemplative state brought immense pressure to everyone.

Finally, when Miss Champion dramatically raised her dominant hand, as if to "prepare" for Tokiss to launch the next attack, Big Leaf could no longer contain himself.

Suppressing the excitement of a gambler making a desperate gamble, the Fire-type Elite Four member gave a deep, resounding command to his partner, Windball—

"Follow the wind, use that move."

The red eyes on the wind-borne balloon instantly lit up, and it began to irreversibly accumulate its ultimate attack.

"Rotation".

Maintaining her outstretched arm, Zhu Lan responded in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft.

Then, under the disbelief of Elite Four member Cynthia, she released her grip and threw a new Poké Ball into the arena, and Togekiss returned to the field.

In the sky, the Wind Ball was surrounded by white light, and a huge amount of energy was gathered in its body. At this moment, everyone present could see the actions that the Great Leaf Heavenly King had planned!

However, the opponent of the Windball had changed from a flying Togekiss to another Pokémon.

Holding her old Rotom phone, now a brick, Zhu Lan looked at the Fire Elite Four member in front of her with pity.

"This is my third Pokémon, Rotom, an Electric/Ghost hybrid. It had been hiding in my smartphone and following me all this time. I just recently completed its full training, and today is its first battle appearance."

In the sky, as if a welcoming salute was being offered for Rotom's arrival, Big Leaf's ultimate move, which sacrificed all his strength, finally erupted.

Boom!

The devastating Normal-type attack swept violently across the entire venue. Even through the light barrier that restricted the aftershocks of Pokémon moves, everyone present could feel the earth-shattering explosion that shook their very being.

At the eye of the storm, in front of the unconscious, fallen Windball, Rotom let out a listless, almost mocking yawn—

Is this what Pokémon battles are all about? It's a bit pointless, Loto... Loto, I really want to fly back to my phone and roam freely in the digital world...

[Bonus Chapter] The Road to Victory for King Ye (7)

How did Zhulan guess Da Ye's self-destruct tactic?

In the observation room, the three Sinnoh Elite Four members asked the same question in unison.

"This is too terrible. Da Ye can't play in the next match." A Liu shook her green ahoge and felt sorry for the Fire-type Elite Four member.

“This rotation doesn’t seem like Cynthia’s style,” Kikuno said, shaking his head seriously as he hugged his scarf. “Perhaps it’s hindsight to say that, but I now think Togekiss’s ‘Light Wall’ move in the last round was also a bit strange, as if it was deliberately trying to lure Bigleaf into using a self-destruct tactic.”

Kikuno and Aryu both turned their gazes toward Gosho, but the psychic king, known for his tactical planning, remained silent.

After a long, long time, Wusong spoke in a low voice: "Do you guys still remember what happened when Zhulan first participated in the championship challenge?"

"I don't remember," A-Liu honestly admitted that she didn't know. "I feel that ever since I started being a trainer, Cynthia has been the one on the champion's throne."

“I remember it perfectly.” It was Kikuno who spoke. “At that time, Takeran’s overall strength was not top-notch in the league, and she was far inferior to the Four Heavenly Kings champion at the time. But she still managed to break through the selection tournament and defeat the champion at the time in the championship challenge.”

Kikuno, who was a top gym leader ten years ago and was just one step away from becoming an Elite Four member, naturally has a lot to say about this.

"But judging from the current performance of the Bamboo Orchid Champion, it's not surprising that she can do this, is it?" A-Liu asked innocently.

After all, the name Zhu Lan alone can subconsciously make people overlook many objective obstacles. She's Zhu Lan, after all; breaking a dozen or so world records is nothing, right?

"No, Zhu Lan's fighting style back then was very different from now... It would be no exaggeration to say that it was even more spectacular."

Wusong's eyes, hidden behind purplish-gray lenses, appeared exceptionally deep.

"If the word 'powerful' is synonymous with Cynthia today, people ten years ago would have preferred to use the word 'genius' to describe their new champion. I started studying Cynthia's tactics and techniques a long time ago. In the early videos, Cynthia's unexpected tactics and their ability to anticipate the opponent's moves were numerous, an order of magnitude more than now, and their accuracy was frightening. Even today, Cynthia from ten years ago is still someone I study and emulate."

"Is it really that amazing?" A-Liu's ahoge (cowlick) almost turned into a question mark.

Kikuno nodded slowly: "It was these miracles, one after another, that made the Cheung Lan champion so famous in the early days. However, as Cheung Lan's strength reached its peak, those amazing tactical abilities were gradually put aside."

"I thought this was a normal phenomenon of changing her style to avoid unexpected situations, but I didn't expect her to restart her old playing style today. Has her mindset changed?"

Wu Song frowned and pondered for a while. Could it be that he and Da Ye's group had made their ambition to seize power too obvious, and Zhu Lan wanted to take action to intimidate them? Or was it for some other reason?

"All I know is that Da Ye's state of mind must have changed a lot now."

Ah Liu yawned. He felt that his colleagues were overthinking things. Instead of wasting time analyzing the changes in the champion's style, they should be thinking about how to comfort the Great Leaf King after the competition.

.

In fact, Da Ye's mind was completely blank at that moment.

Cyndaquil switched to a Ghost-type Pokémon, but "Explosion" missed its target. The Windball, which had played a crucial role in her battle against Gossip, was rendered useless and made a comical exit from the field.

The purple hot air balloon collapsed in the center of the arena. Mechanically, I reached out and put the empty Poké Ball back inside—it all felt like a dream, so unreal.

"Zhulan's talent is truly that of an ordinary person... and can be defeated by others." Mr. Guanglang's words and his own words of agreement at the time inexplicably floated into his ears, sounding as grating and noisy as irony.

The referee started urging the countdown to begin, indicating it was time to switch to the next Pokémon... but was there any point in continuing the match?

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

It's so noisy! It's so noisy! I've completely accepted that I'm an idiot, a fool, a complete jerk. Can't you just be quiet and let me find a crack in the ground to crawl into? What kind of bullshit competition, bullshit champion, bullshit king? Stop swirling all these complicated thoughts in my head! Didn't you hear the referee start counting down the last few seconds? Should we surrender? Should we tuck our tails between our legs and endure the boos from the audience? Should we continue this match that's already entered garbage time? But—

I'm still incredibly angry.

.

With her eyes half-closed and waiting idly for the referee to count down, Zhu Lan suddenly sensed a murderous aura.

Before our eyes, the once somewhat waning arrogance of the Great Leaf Heavenly King suddenly reignited, even surpassing its initial intensity at the start of the match.

The red afro seemed to be developing into a thousand-needle fish hairstyle—wanting to burn, to rage, to make a scene, to vent anger—these thoughts were clearly conveyed to the Bamboo Orchid Champion through the heavy stomping of his feet.

"Not bad, that's how a Fire-type Elite Four member should be." Zhu Lan was actually quite pleased.