Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Recently, Da Ye has been taking some risky approaches, but unexpectedly, the crushing defeat has made him more aware of his situation.

While scheming and plotting may be part of the battle, Pokémon battles are ultimately a contest of wills between trainers. Before their passion is exhausted, who would be willing to leave the stage?

"Flammon, I choose you. You were quite upset about losing to Wusong in the last round, weren't you? Now lend me that anger, I need a bit of reckless stupidity."

"Roar—Woo-oo!" The roar of the fire behemoth echoed throughout the venue before the referee's countdown ended.

Its fur looked like it was on fire, and even the breath it exhaled was burning. Without waiting for its master's command, the Duckbill Flame Beast raised the yellow cannon in its hand and fired a fireball at Rotom!

A blatant provocation!

Zhu Lan ignored the firelight, which wasn't even a skill, and directly commanded Rotom, "Rotom, 'Strange Ray'."

"Charge straight at them! 'Flame Fist'!" Big Leaf's eyes widened as he recklessly commanded the Duckbill Flame Beast to charge forward.

"Electromagnetic waves," then blurring away to dodge.

Despite it being its first time in battle, Rotom perfectly executed Cynthia's orders. It made a face and its "Strange Ray" and "Electromagnetic Wave" hit their targets one after another, while it used its agile speed to dodge the charge of the Duckbill Flame Beast.

However, Da Ye roared out another astonishing command—

"Alright, we've closed the distance. Use 'Rock Slide' to surround yourself and Rotom!"

In an instant, countless giant rocks fell from the void, surrounding Rotom and the Duckbill Flame Beast in a fortress-like formation. Not only the spectators present, but even Bamboo Orchid and Big Leaf could no longer see what was happening inside the stone wall.

"Go all out, Duckbill Flame Beast, unleash all your fury!" Big Leaf issued a hollow, ineffective command to the stone, but a roar responded from within the stone wall, followed by a series of loud thuds.

broken.

Zhu Lan's heart sank. If it were her other spirits trapped in such an encirclement, she wouldn't be worried at all; they could easily defeat their opponents.

But now Rotom is in trouble. Having lost its precise commands, can it fight against the large-leafed Fiery Beast alone?

"Rotom, the Duckbill Flame Beast is afflicted with 'Confusion' and 'Paralysis.' Find an opportunity to escape the stone wall." Left with no other choice, Zhulan had to give this order.

"Who cares about this mere negative status!" the Fire-type Elite Four member shouted arrogantly. "Mammoth, beat it up!"

With a deafening roar, the rockfall that had formed a fortress exploded, unleashing a torrent of flames.

Atop the rubble, the Duckbill Flame Beast, still crackling with "paralysis" electricity, roared proudly to the sky. Its "chaotic" state had been resolved by its own willpower.

And at its feet was Rotom, whose eyes had turned into mosquito coils.

*Hoo—* Da Ye exhaled a deep breath of pent-up frustration: "Use 'Tile Split' on the ground."

The Magmar casually swung its arm, smashing it into the open ground. The sound of shattering glass rang out at the same time, and the "Light Wall" that Togekiss had previously set up shattered in response.

The orange lightning bolt lay among the rocks, so inconspicuous in the shattered light screen. Cynthia felt a pang of heartache for no reason—after all, it wasn't a Pokémon trained as a battle member. If it weren't for Hugo's interference, it should be quietly hiding in its Rotom Phone right now, instead of experiencing such a brutal battle.

"Rotom is lost..."

Before the referee could speak, Cynthia Champion calmly retrieved Rotom with a Poké Ball and, without hesitation for even half a second, threw out the next Poké Ball.

The previously noisy audience fell silent for half a second, and then erupted with a sound even louder than when the Wind Ball self-destructed!

A Garchomp appeared in the arena.

Lancea twisted her wrist slightly and looked expressionlessly at the Magmortar that was gloating over its victory over Rotom.

Ladies and gentlemen, you now know what the king's anger looks like, but do you know what the champion's anger is?

[Bonus Chapter] The Road to Victory for King Ye (8)

"It seems the match will end early; Da Ye has already angered that person."

On the Victini whaling ship, Detective Hugo placed his phone on a stool and sat cross-legged on the open deck to watch the game. When he saw Cynthia coldly recall Rotom, he couldn't help but shake his head repeatedly.

Behind him, Garchomp with its bony spikes, Gastrodon with its massive size, Milotic with its slender and graceful form, Roserade with its emerald green coat, Chimchar and Piplup huddled together, watching the live stream on the small phone screen.

The signal at sea was not smooth, and the live broadcast would occasionally lag, but the elves and the detective watched with great interest.

At this moment, the camera shifted as the situation of the match changed, finally settling on the scene of Garchomp making a powerful entrance.

"Huh, does the Cyndaquil Champion have two Garchomps?"

A cheerful female voice rang out, and Azure, wearing her signature sun hat, leaned close to the detective, curiously watching the Sinnoh League match.

Having just seen off the Interpol helicopter, the crew on board were now completely free and idle, with nothing better to do than watch the Whale King bare its teeth. Captain Doug and Naoki were playing cards in the captain's cabin; the latter had just received a hefty fee from the detective and was now acting like a generous spender.

Azure sat down next to the detective with Eevee in her arms, looking back and forth between the Garchomp behind the detective and the fierce Garchomp on the phone screen.

Clearly, the assistant had already figured out the origin of the powerful Pokémon Hugo was carrying and was deliberately probing in circles to confirm her guess.

The detective, who was too lazy to cover up such things, nodded frankly: "Yes, the Garchomp in the live stream is a descendant of the Garchomp behind you, and has been taking over as the core main force of the Cyndaquil team since five years ago."

"Are there any old wounds from past battles?" Azure asked immediately with concern, her gaze falling on the Garchomp's not-so-rough skin on the ship.

Judging from its previous spirited battle against the water fleet, it didn't seem to be injured.

"There were no old injuries. It was just to take care of Garchomp's health. Long-term high-intensity competitions are very taxing on Pokémon's life potential. Cynthia is kind-hearted and couldn't bear to see this child suffer like that. At that time, her second Garchomp had already been trained and was ready to retire."

Hugo said casually, the information he gave was half true and half false.

In fact, the change to Garchomp five years ago also had tactical considerations. Cynthia's two Garchomps have slightly different configurations, which corresponds to the two different battle styles of this legendary champion.

Garchomp has the Sand Veil ability, boasting well-rounded stats but relatively specialized in bulk, and has long served as a core all-rounder in Cyndaquil teams. It excels at everything from probing and harassing to finishing off opponents, attacking, and weather control; it can handle any dirty or tedious task, and sometimes even pulls out special attack moves like Flamethrower to ambush its opponents.

Its personality is more stable and gentle, which is why a certain detective often secretly borrows it.

The Garuda with the "Rough Skin" trait that Cynthia is currently using is better at unleashing a barrage of physical attacks.

There isn't even one opponent in the entire Sinnoh League that can withstand the attacks of this Garchomp while still being able to defeat it head-on; it's truly an unparalleled powerhouse.

But as for this earth dragon's temperament, well, that's a long story...

Azure, watching the live stream, saw it all clearly—after entering the arena, the azure earth dragon figure let out a disdainful snort, then stomped down, creating a fissure in the solid Alliance arena that transformed into a long, winding serpent.

It was the "Earthquake" skill! This area-of-effect attack accurately hit the Duckbill Flame Beast, which was slowed down due to being "paralyzed" in the distance.

In an instant, rocks flew everywhere and dust swirled.

Amidst the horrific pile of rubble, whether it was the rage ignited by the trainer earlier or Garchomp deliberately letting it go, Magmortar stubbornly refused to fall.

Another dragon roar rang out, and once again, before Zhu Lan could give the order, the earth dragon made its move on its own.

Garchomp's arm, covered in blue bone spikes, swung through the air, and another pile of rocks appeared from the void, crashing down on Magmortar—using the same "Rock Slide" technique that Elite Four had previously used to reverse the tide of battle.

With the Duckbill Flame Beast unable to fight, Elite Four's third warrior has fallen.

"Still so vengeful," Hugo muttered to himself, but Azure, who was standing next to him, didn't hear him. Her attention was completely drawn to the Pokémon that Elite Four member was about to unleash.

"Hugo, is that a Pokémon unique to Sinnoh? It looks so cute!"

A vibrant, brown Pokémon with long, beige ears leaped out of the Poké Ball.

"It's actually a long-eared rabbit! Big Leaf really went all out..." Hugo was also somewhat surprised.

It has to be said that Bigleaf, the Fire-type Elite Four member, is far too free in his training methods. After using Ghost-type Windball, he actually sent out a Normal-type Pokémon.

Hugo was no stranger to this long-eared rabbit; like Tayrule, it was his old partner who had followed him since before Bigleaf became an Elite Four member. This vibrant, colorful bunny girl was very skilled at using the "Flame Punch" move, and its explosive power under "Sunny Day" was no less than that of other Fire-type Pokémon.

"A show of force."

"Hold on."

A new round of confrontation began, and neither Da Ye nor Zhu Lan exchanged any words before issuing their orders simultaneously.

Lopunny and Garchomp exchanged moves, with the former attempting a surprise attack but encountering the Champion Pokémon's impenetrable defense.

Taking advantage of Garchomp's recoil while it was still parrying, DaYe immediately changed her strategy: "Create distance, and use 'High Speed ​​Shift' simultaneously."

Cynthia frowned slightly, then raised her hand and lifted the Poké Ball, recalling her arrogant Garchomp and switching out Togekiss again.

This is Cynthia's second Pokémon rotation in this round of the challenge. A gasp of surprise rose from the audience. Will this rotation create another miracle like last time?

"Of course not." The detective, thousands of miles away, shook his head.

"Zhulan is worried that Da Ye will use a new super evolution like Wu Song."

Faced with his puzzled detective assistant, Hugo promptly offered an explanation, as if sharing a single brain with the champion on screen. The detective, with his faded hair, began to speak eloquently—

"After Mega Evolution, Lopunny's Attack and Speed ​​will increase dramatically. Its 'Ice Punch' will then pose a significant threat to Garchomp. Therefore, Cynthia is willing to interrupt Garchomp's fighting spirit and chooses to use Togekiss as a test. This has one advantage: Mega Lopunny will gain a Fighting type, giving the Flying/Fairy-type Togekiss a type advantage… However, she's overthinking it. How could Bigleaf possibly master Mega Evolution?"

"Is it because he's a Fire-type Elite Four member that he can't form a bond with a Normal-type Bunny?" Azure asked, puzzled.

“No.” Hugo shook his finger. “Economic base determines superstructure. Big Leaf spends money extravagantly and simply can’t save up enough to buy Mega Evolution Stones and Key Stones. Not everyone is lucky enough to find rare items on the roadside.”

As soon as Togekiss appeared, it flew into the sky and disappeared from Lop-eared Rabbit's sight in the blink of an eye, thanks to the dazzling sunlight.

"Air Slash." Zhu Lan succinctly issued the command to the empty sky.

"Bounce! We've leaped into the air too!"

Following Bigleaf's command, Longeared Rabbit gathered its strength in its legs and leaped into the air before the wind blades landed, dodging the sharp slashes and spotting Togekiss hiding in the clouds.

"Oh dear, the most exciting air battle has been missed."

Hugo was extremely disappointed and helplessly watched the camera switch back and forth between close-ups of Zhulan and Daye's faces.

One said "Million-ton punch," combining it with "Repaying Kindness" to launch a preemptive attack. The other said to dodge with "Divine Speed" and use "Magic Flash" to attack the opponent... The two sides exchanged blows for several rounds, but when the camera lens was pointed at the sky, all that could be seen was a cloud slowly moving with the breeze.

“The sky is the domain of Flying-types, so it seems like Togekiss has the advantage, right?” Azure guessed uncertainly, and the little Eevee in her arms nodded in deep agreement.

"On the contrary, I think Togekiss is already at a disadvantage at this point," Hugo said bluntly. "Reasoning should look at the result, not the premise—look, the long-eared rabbit hasn't landed yet, which means its attacks have already hit Togekiss several times, and it's only through the reaction force that it can stay in the air."

Sure enough, the camera panned to Togekiss, its wing scorched by flames, as it slowly floated down. Then, the energetic Lopunny leaped back to the ground, landing with a stylish kneel, eliciting a enthusiastic response from the audience—Bigleaf had finally made up for the popularity lost during the Tayrule self-destruction!

"Speaking of which, Big Leaf's long-eared rabbit is male."

As if protecting his sister, the detective seemed dissatisfied with the cheers from the audience who were turning to him, and deliberately brought up a somewhat unpleasant topic.

[Bonus Chapter] The Road to Victory for King Ye (9)

Azure ignored the Sinnoh League trivia the detective revealed, her eyelashes drooping as she fell into her habitual deep thought.

Why did Cyndaquil's Togekiss, despite having the advantage in the air, still lose to Bunny's "Fire Punch"?

This seems natural, but it doesn't stand up to close scrutiny.

Judging from the previous battles, the two sides should be evenly matched, with Togekiss even appearing somewhat composed when facing attacks. The Cynthia Champion's command also doesn't seem to have any obvious oversights.

Why did this battle, which didn't even make it into the camera's view, end like this? The girl seemed to be treating this match as her own, and entered a state of deep thought.

If it were a super trainer like Crimson or Blue, they wouldn't be able to analyze the battle situation like Azure does. These unparalleled masters' combat skills are like instinct; once they sense an opportunity, tactics that strike at the enemy's vitals will naturally come to mind, followed by command, coordination, and combat—everything flows smoothly like water… But Azure is just an ordinary person and doesn't have such talent.

That's why, whenever she senses something amiss during a battle, she always pauses and carefully analyzes the situation with her ordinary yet sensitive eyes and mind, trying to discern her opponent's intentions before she finds herself in a desperate situation... It is precisely because of this habit of the girl that she was able to so smoothly transition from being a battle trainer to being the detective assistant of the Feathered Residence.

"Was it because Lopunny used 'Agility' beforehand that it gained the upper hand in the battle? No, something still doesn't feel right. Cynthia Champion allowed Togekiss to use 'Extreme Speed,' and under the threat of such a move, Lopunny's attack rhythm couldn't possibly remain uninterrupted. There must be something else behind Togekiss's disadvantage... something beyond Pokémon factors... Ah!"

Suddenly, Azure clapped her hands with delight, her eyes wide open, a sharp light shooting out from her reddish-brown irises—she had detected the source of the anomaly.

"I understand, it's the frequency of the attacks! Champion Cynthia deliberately slowed down her command speed when she was attacking, which put Togekis at a disadvantage in the aerial battle."

Although it was described as a long deliberation, Azure's mind was working quite quickly. Less than a few seconds into the broadcast on her phone, Big Leaf's long-eared rabbit, bathed in the cheers of the audience, slowly rose from its knees.

"Your reaction is much faster than when you're investigating a case. If Da Ye had your ability, he could have deflected the next move."

Hugo shrugged and said with a relaxed expression.

During their conversation, the situation in the challenge suddenly changed—

Three orange-red orbs of light fell from the sky like shooting stars, their target the large-leaved long-eared rabbit!

Those were three "Aura Missiles" that Pokekis secretly launched from the air!

Unbeknownst to anyone, Togekiss executed Cynthia's pre-arranged tactics, utilizing the time difference created by the skill's descent to launch three attacks of varying force directly overhead, resulting in a triple-effect attack. This is precisely why it was at a significant disadvantage in aerial combat!

The margin for error in a battle against the Elite Four is extremely low; the slightest mistake can lead to total defeat. Yet, Cynthia and her Togekiss managed to unleash their skills three times in a row under such harsh conditions! And they only suffered so little damage!

Whether it was the audience at the scene or the viewer watching on their phone screen, everyone was amazed by the champion's incredible skills.

Now, the three waveguide beams fall simultaneously, heralding the fate of the long-eared rabbit—it's time to reap the victory.

"Oh no! Use 'Defend' immediately!"

Da Ye Tian Wang did not possess Bi Lan's reasoning abilities. Upon seeing the situation before him, his smug smile instantly froze, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

The long-eared rabbit hurriedly raised its small, creamy-yellow fur-covered hands and erected a light barrier in the sky. However, since it was hastily erected, its thickness was far less than that of the barrier that Cyndaquil and Garchomp had used to block the "High Five" attack.

Togekiss could have taken this opportunity to launch a further sneak attack, but Cynthia remained expressionless and did not give any further orders. The large white bird simply folded its wings and used the "Winged Roost" skill on the ground to heal its injuries. This only made the audience more mocking.

As the first beam of light descended, the transparent air wall emitted a pitiful creaking sound, gradually showing signs of breaking apart.

"Abandon defense and use the momentum to dodge backward!"