Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Naza was saying things that seemed nonsensical to others, but she herself looked very serious.

Blueberry sighed: "At the last moment, New Leaf Cat was able to catch Vio, wasn't that all thanks to you, Miss Sabrina?"

"This credit is so unfulfilling!" the actress complained loudly.

“From beginning to end, you were completely secretive. Even though I clearly expressed my willingness to help, all you did was entrust that new Leafy Cat to my care, without giving me a single hint, and saying that I would find out in time. I was even nervous for a long time when the bet was decided!”

"Didn't things turn out perfectly in the end?"

"Heh." Naz scoffed disdainfully.

"It wasn't until I saw the item that Shin-Ye-Nyan was carrying that I finally understood your intention. Apart from your audacity, I didn't see anything perfect."

Hearing its name again, Shin-Ye-Nyan poked its head out from behind Ling-Ju's neck.

A small, pale green leaf hangs from its neck, with a few dark spots on it, making it resemble a human face from a distance. If you bring it close to your nose and sniff it, you can also smell a pleasant fragrance.

Shin-Ye-Nyan really likes this prop.

The item's scientific name is "Imitation Vanilla." When used in battle, if the opponent's stats are raised, the Pokémon holding the item will also gain the same stats.

If a Pokémon wears a Pokémon in its daily life, it will be more likely to learn Egg Moves from other Pokémon around it, moves that could only be learned through inheritance.

"Don't you have any concept of risk management at all?"

Without hesitation, Naza reprimanded the Heavenly King in front of her.

"If I hadn't discovered this item in time, hadn't identified its type (which is rare locally), hadn't taught Shin-chan moves quickly enough... or if the move I taught wasn't 'Try Switch,' you would definitely have been overwhelmed by that Team Plasma elder's attack."

Naza recalled how, until the end of the card game, she was still completely unaware of anything, and she couldn't help but use her superpowers to find inspiration. Then she saw the leaf hanging around Newleaf Cat's neck, and Vio and Blueberry enclosed in a glass-enclosed room.

A powerful inspiration flashed through the superpowered girl's mind—she had to teach Shin-chan the skill of "Switch Fields" so that the kitten could physically interact with Blueberry to prevent a violent attack from Team Plasma.

So she hurriedly sent out Alakazam to demonstrate the effect of "Switch" to Kitty, while secretly taking Shinyanagi to the ninth deck of the ship beneath the transparent gambling room...

If any one step is not done well, the consequences will be irreversible!

"That's because I trust your abilities, Miss Naza and Shin-chan. When I find a suitable betting target, I can't help but test it like this."

Ignoring the pen and documents around her that were gradually becoming weightless and floating, Lanju smiled and spoke candidly.

"The conditions for Newleaf Cat to learn 'Turning Places' are very strict, and it's all thanks to you that it was able to master this skill."

"This kind of meaningless gambling could undo all your efforts in the Double Dragon Poker game, you really went through a lot to win that duel with the casino legend."

Naz, who watched Double Dragon Poker on the big screen, couldn't help but say this.

To gamble on gambles is no longer courage, but foolish madness.

However, the King of Oranges' smile became even more rampant.

Its smile, though elegant and measured, held the gaping maw of a Megalodon. It even instilled an instinctive fear in the gym leader, whose primary fighting style was Psychic.

.

"Unexpected luck can make people reckless and arrogant, but luck that has been honed can become a reliable weapon. Similar to the theories developed by mathematical geniuses like Vio and Fischer, I also have a consistent life creed, which has little scientific basis and is just the superstition of a gambler with no ambition."

Lingju slowly revealed the gambler's principles that she adhered to—

"In life, the good and bad things you encounter are basically equal. No matter how unpleasant the days are, there will eventually be a turning point. However, if you are particularly successful for a period of time, you should be especially careful of unexpected disasters. Good luck and disasters will always maintain a certain balance."

"Misfortunes never come singly," Naz concluded succinctly. "It's quite a casual theory, though it's also difficult to prove it wrong."

"That's why whenever I try to do something with a high degree of difficulty, I adopt a steady and methodical strategy, trying to avoid any accidents caused by random probability, and using this crucial advantage at the most critical moment. For example, in the Four Heavenly Kings championship league competition, I completely abandon high-risk, high-reward tactics and use the most solid fundamentals to compete with those terrifying opponents. When facing problems that are not challenging, I am not so restrained. I will always deliberately try riskier strategies to see if something new and interesting will happen after taking different approaches."

For some reason, at this moment, the image of a black-haired youth commanding Chimchar in battle appeared in Elite Four's mind.

It's become so novel that it's no longer interesting but rather a source of curiosity, right?

“But if that’s the case…” Naz looked puzzled, “Do you think the poker duel with that Vio is a very easy thing? So you chose to take a risky approach to the rest of the game?”

"Of course. Besides, there are some safety precautions. Even if you and Shin-chan couldn't arrive in time, the bandana thugs would be there around the same time, but I'd probably get hit by a few of Geometric Snowflakes' 'Freezing Rays' by then. Thank you all so much for your help."

Blueberry bowed to Natsume in thanks, then patted the head of the green kitten on her shoulder as a reward, grateful for its timely rescue.

The latter was confused, but enjoyed the trainer's praise and happily made gurgling noises.

"But that poker match looked incredibly intense. The people in the casino lobby were on edge watching the game, and they were betting astronomical sums that I wouldn't even dare to imagine. How could you say it was easy?"

“No matter how many gamblers like Vio come, no matter what they gamble on, I can make them lose everything.”

The cranberry shook its head and arrogantly proclaimed.

It was as frightening as ever, as suspicious as ever, and it was hard to tell if it was just bluffing.

"Anyone, after a short period of special training and mastering certain techniques under special conditions, can win this Double Dragon poker game. This game is so boring that the outcome is already determined before the game even starts. It can't even be called a decent game, so I have to seek excitement outside of the game. Otherwise, the scales of luck in my heart simply cannot be balanced."

Naz stared at the former's expression for a long time, but still couldn't tell whether his fantastical words were true or false.

Was Vio always facing such a mysterious and unpredictable face at the gambling table?

Naz suddenly felt a little sympathy for the defeated old man.

Chapter 183: The Aftermath of the Bet

After the once-legendary casino triumphed over the former casino legend and amassed over 20 billion Alliance currency in the Royal Union, various other events unfolded.

In conclusion, to put it simply—

The plasma clusters did not die.

Built on lies and deception, buried deep in darkness, cultivating hypocrisy and violence—such an evil organization, even if it existed for only a second, would be a disgrace to all human laws and morality.

But it managed to weather the crisis.

Vio's impulsive actions indeed led to a grave mistake.

Without thinking or obtaining permission from his colleagues, this wise man signed those heavy sheets of paper, thus completely draining the entire fund circulating in the market for the religious order.

The financial turmoil triggered by this event was overwhelming, sweeping across almost everything that the Plasma Group could control.

Over the past few decades, the various economic interest groups of the United States, who had been relentlessly exploited by the Plasma Group, suddenly turned their attention to the cult and launched a counterattack as if seeking revenge.

As if by prior agreement, they all employed their long-planned strategies, making completely unreasonable demands on the beleaguered plasma cluster with an uncompromising attitude.

Using methods bordering on commercial extortion, they extracted a massive amount of high-quality assets from this giant who had fallen into their trap.

In just five days—

Transactions are suspended, agreements are nullified, cooperation is cancelled, costs increase, goods become unsaleable, companies go bankrupt, stock prices plummet, and debts mount...

The literal commercial war is raging on!

For evil organizations, bad news comes one after another, like a barrage of slaps from a Pokémon with the "Continuous Attack" ability.

Normally, when faced with harassment from these business rivals, the Plasma Group could retaliate with a massive financial offensive, crushing the enemy's schemes along with the enemy itself with their enormous cash flow.

Unfortunately, fortunes change, and all that enormous capital that could have reversed the negotiations has now been transferred to the hands of the King of Linguine, who won the gamble.

News of the Plasma Group losing everything at the casino spread throughout all the banks and financial organizations in the United States, accompanied by photographs bearing signatures and seals as irrefutable evidence.

The cult's credibility was completely ruined, all secret activities came to a standstill, and its funding was no longer available.

The plasma group has fallen into a situation where even the basic salaries of senior officials cannot be paid normally.

The plasma cluster is now faced with a desperate choice: either disintegrate or collapse automatically.

It was truly on the verge of destruction.

If it weren't for another financial sage in the cult named Rhodes who painstakingly maintained the overall situation, employing desperate economic tactics—using one loan to offset another, one loss to salvage another, selling off remaining stocks and bonds, and abandoning hopeless downstream institutions—to sustain the cult's core business and expenses...

This evil organization probably won't even last five days.

.

However, this gratifying apocalyptic scene has come to an end.

On the fifth day, a young man wearing a black and white baseball cap and with green hair boarded the Royal United States, which was sailing.

This young man was called the savior of the world by his worshippers, but if he couldn't even save the organization loyal to him, then he was far too unworthy of the title.

So the young man who boarded the ship and the casino owner began a new round of gambling.

The stakes were the cult assets that Lantana had seized from Vio, and the declaration of the immediate dissolution of the Plasma Group.

Only two people in the world are qualified to put the latter's bet on the table, and the young man in the baseball cap is the relatively younger one.

The transparent yet enclosed gambling room has reopened once again.

Surprisingly, the young man chose a form of gambling other than poker.

Roulette.

Of course, it's not the kind of dangerous suicide game that uses a revolver as a prop, but real roulette—the most common, accessible, and simplest game in casinos, where everyone is equal.

In order to cover up the Plasma Group's embarrassing incident, the youths wanted the bet to be conducted without leaving any footage, so this round of the competition was not broadcast live.

To make up for this disappointment, the casino owner suggested that both sides invite any number of spectators, who would be allowed to enter the glass-enclosed gaming room to personally monitor the roulette match.

This suggestion was well received by the youth.

Smura, dressed in a brown robe, Vio, stripped of his purple robe and left in plain clothes, and the Dark Iron Triangle in ninja attire—the five stood to one side of the youth.

Behind Lingju were only two people—a retired university professor who knew nothing about the situation, and an actress who had just sworn never to use her superpowers to manipulate the game.

The two people that Yueju invited seemed to be complete strangers, and it was unclear why this evil-type champion had invited them to watch the battle.

The view from the tenth-floor casino was as stunning as ever... except that this time the roulette game wasn't as exciting as Double Dragon Poker. To enhance the audience's experience, uplifting rhythmic music was playing inside, and even the lights trembled slightly with the music.

Instead of the black and white gambling table piled high with purple chips in the center of the room, there was a huge roulette wheel shaped like a full moon.

The roulette wheel is divided into inner and outer sides, with the inner side divided into thirty-seven equal sections by black engravings. Seemingly in response to the color scheme of the casino's sponsor, Plasma Group, the divided sections of the wheel are painted in blue and white, symbolizing lightning and white flames respectively.

There are eighteen blue and eighteen white blocks, numbered 1 to 36. The remaining block is painted green and numbered 0. In the original rules, number zero represents the dealer's victory, but in this game, for the sake of fairness, falling into the green block means a rematch.

After pressing the mechanical switch, Smura, acting as the referee, will throw a small ball from his hand. The ball will spin around the outer disc, which will also be spinning. The inner disc will spin in the opposite direction to the outer disc. The ball will then fall into the inner disc until it stops.

"How about playing 100 rounds of roulette with 100 chips? Both sides can bet on black and red, big and small, odd and even, and specific numbers. The odds for betting on specific numbers are inversely proportional to the number of spaces selected. Specific details are recorded on the table behind the table. Other games have odds of 1 to 1."

Lanju smiled as she suggested the rules.

This minimizes the randomness of the game, making roulette a game that tests players' betting skills.

The green-haired youth slowly shook his head.

Then, this genius, whose mathematical abilities even surpassed Vio's, uttered an utterly absurd proposal—

"Guess the color, one round decides the winner."

As he spoke, the young man set an example by placing his fingertips on the still white roulette wheel.

"Mr. Blueberry, may I choose white?"

The Dark-type Elite Four member looked troubled for a moment, but then nodded.

"Then I'll choose blue," he said.

And so, the betting began.

Two players and seven spectators stared intently at the enormous roulette wheel.

The roulette wheel began to spin.

Smla raised her hand and gently released the small red plastic ball.

The ball swirls several times before falling from the outer disc into the inner side.

It eventually landed on an inner block.

It is neither green nor blue.

The music seemed to abruptly stop as the ending was revealed.

"Oh dear, what a crushing defeat that's hard to laugh at," Yueju suddenly sighed, though her face was full of a forced, insincere smile.

The ball landed in the white area.

The youth team won, while the jujube team lost.

The green-haired youth, known as the "savior," retrieved the financial documents that Vio had lost, saving Team Plasma from destruction today.

.

"To be honest, I have no idea how I won."

The day after the bet, deep within the headquarters of the Plasma Group, a young man named N received a video call from Touko and said with a troubled expression.