Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 348 Clearing the Way for Rescue in Advance

Chapter 350 Clearing the Way for Rescue in Advance

Upon entering the Alliance headquarters, Hugo and Azure witnessed a truly rare sight—

The two black-clad Heavenly Kings were facing each other.

"While I refrain from commenting on the United Federation's hiring standards and overall level due to my position and profession, just considering the aspect of hospitality, isn't it a bit too disrespectful of your branch to place a gambling addict in the center of the lobby for me, a guest who has traveled all the way from Carlos?"

"Is it because my face is too pale that I've upset you so much, Miss? I'm so sorry, I had really bad luck today. On my way here, I ran into a news anchor with a completely different face. Her inappropriate makeup and accent made me feel a little nauseous."

"Is that so? But I think the reason for your stomach pain is probably because you drank too much cheap liquor in illegal casinos in your younger days, right?"

Being burdened with gambling debts is no good habit. Considering we're both superstars, would you like me to introduce you to a reliable doctor?

"Media professionals who make a living by weaving lies actually have friends? It seems the decline of television media has benefited some people. If your fame were like that of actress Karen, you'd probably have to find friends in remote villages with no cell phone coverage."

"Speaking of infamy, it seems there's been some serious news coming out of Unova lately. Has that two-faced villainous king's old habit relapsed?"

"So it's you, sir, who still only possesses a fiery talent in the realm of inciting anger?" "Hugo, were those two really that incompatible?"

Azure poked the detective.

Before them stood the Unova Dark-type Elite Four member, Cranberry, with narrow, squinting eyes and a terrifying fake smile, and the Kalos Fire-type Elite Four member, Pachira, whose fingertips rested on reflective orange sunglasses, displaying a confrontational stance.

"Now that you mention it, I think I heard some rumors when I was gathering information before," Hugo replied to his assistant while subtly backing away, intending to avoid these two troublesome guys and enter the Alliance Building through another passage.

"Former champion Mr. Ardek is known throughout the leagues for his willingness to mentor younger players. As a result, over the past decade or so, when planning to travel for exchanges, league branches in various regions, including the Carlos League, have tended to prioritize the United League as their primary target – this was also the case when the current Elite Four were just beginning to emerge."

"Could it be that those two developed a grudge when they were cutting each other in the past?" Azure asked.

"Although it's not as serious as a feud, there are indeed some grudges between us, which seem to have started in a one-on-one duel."

"Battles inevitably involve winners and losers. Trainers can't fall out over a single battle. Did one of them do something outrageous?" The girl asked the obvious question, observing the tense atmosphere between the two Elite Four members.

"That might be true. According to what I've heard, both of them sent out Houndoom in that battle. And in that battle, Pachira from Kalos used Mega Evolution, but in the end, it was Blueberry who won."

"Houndoom seems to have the 'Flash Fire' ability, so Pachira, a Fire-type Elite Four member, would indeed have a harder time defeating Cyndaquil, a Dark-type specialist, with its signature moves sealed. However, sending out an unsuitable Pokémon to face an opponent is also one of the trainer's mistakes."

"The specifics of the battle weren't described in the rumors, but what truly escalated the conflict was what happened after the match." Having finally escaped the two Elite Four members blocking the center of the headquarters hall, Hugo breathed a sigh of relief and began to explain to Azure in detail: "Back then, Blueberry was still quite young and impetuous. Seeing that her opponent still couldn't beat her even after using Mega Evolution, she couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks, causing Ms. Pachira to lose face. The day after that Fire-type Elite Four member's defeat, news about Blueberry's past gambling activities began circulating widely in Unova's media. Many people speculated that it was Pachira, who had extensive connections in the media, who was behind it. It seems that the two sides officially became enemies around that time."

After showing a gold card with a crown design to the guard at another entrance, Hugo and Azure were led into an internal passageway known only to a select few within the Alliance.

"However, the United States and Carlos are far apart, and the two have actually only met a few times over the years, but this grudge has remained."

"So, it turns out that Miss Pachira revealed that Mr. Lantau was a gambler?" Azure asked with some interest.

"No, that's not true. People already knew about this guy's background when he first became the king of this region. The controversy back then was just some unscrupulous tabloids embellishing old stories. For a king to be affected by public opinion to this extent can only mean that Yueju himself is not mature enough."

A cheerful female voice reached Bilan's ears from the end of the passage, startling the girl.

Looking up, one could see a crystal chandelier spirit burning with a ghostly blue flame above the stairwell. The fire-type king, Pachira, whom one had just seen in the hall, stood beside the former with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

"Miss Patricia was just having a pleasant conversation with King Linguine, why did you suddenly leave him and come here?" Hugo asked in a completely unsurprised tone.

"It's not a good thing to get too close to gamblers. When I see a more valuable interview target, I naturally have to speed up and follow up."

In the dimly lit inner passage, Carlos, the Fire Elite Four member, spoke with a slight smile: "I heard that this inner passage of the Unova League requires a special pass to use, and even higher-level authorization is needed to bring others through. Judging from the fact that you're here, the rumor I heard about the Unova Champion seems to have hit the bullseye..."

"It seems Miss Pachira has been watching us for a long time."

Hugo, who was crowned the new champion, showed no sign of panic. Instead, he calmly turned to Azure and said, "What a coincidence. It seems that the gossip we were spreading in private has been overheard by the person involved. I wonder what Miss Pachira thinks about this matter."

"About that," Pachira shrugged, "it's basically all rumors, isn't it? It's amazing you can remember such old gossip."

"I suppose it's an occupational hazard from the past, but what's the real situation?" Hugo pressed.

"The battle you mentioned that caused my feud with Yue Tachibana was actually just a coincidence. My opponent was supposed to be the Ghost-type Elite Four member Wanlong, but the bestselling author was forced to be late because of an editor who came to visit, so the gambler had to take his place. The idea of ​​having both sides send out Houndoom for a mirror battle was proposed by Yue Tachibana."

The Fire-type Elite Four member of the Kalos region instantly revealed a gritted-teeth expression, then said, "Houndoom is the first partner that can work with me to use Mega Evolution, and I have great confidence in it. So, after declaring that I would use Mega Evolution, I agreed to battle that gambler, believing that even if his Houndoom's ability is 'Flash Fire,' I was absolutely confident of defeating him."

"How did that battle end like that?" Azure, intrigued by the history between the Elite Four, couldn't help but ask. "Cherry's Houndoom's ability isn't 'Flash Fire,'" Pachira said with a cold laugh, "but rather 'Early Bird,' which wakes Pokémon from sleep prematurely."

"After I Mega Evolve Houndoom, the Orange Houndoom used the move 'Sunny Day,' causing my partner to suffer continuous stamina loss due to the 'Solar Power' ability after Mega Evolution."

"At first, I mistakenly thought that this was a tactic of attrition that he deliberately used because he was relying on Houndoom's 'Flash Fire' ability. So I took advantage of the superior Special Attack ability of his partner after Mega Evolution, as well as the Special Attack boost caused by 'Solar Power', and launched a strong attack on the Houndoom of the Orange with Normal-type attacks such as 'Hitman'."

"Meanwhile, Lanting equipped his Houndoom with a healing berry and constantly used harassing moves like 'Pain Split,' 'Protect,' and 'Roar' to stall me. However, due to the difference in the two Houndoom's base stats, I maintained the advantage throughout—and then, just as I was about to unleash my final blow, that shameless gambler revealed his trump card."

"Is it the 'Sleep' move?" Azure murmured, her senses particularly sharp when it came to Pokémon battles.

Get a good night's sleep and restore all of the user's energy.

Due to the "early riser" characteristic, this skill can save up to half of the sleep time.

"Yes, my Mega Houndoom has gradually become fatigued due to prolonged use, while the Orange Houndoom can continuously recover its full HP. When I realized that my opponent's ability wasn't 'Flash Fire,' and tried to have my partner use a Fire-type move to deliver the strongest attack that negates type resistances,

The "Sunny Day" effect created by Lanting at the start of the game, and the "Solar Power" bonus under Sunny Day, have disappeared. The opposing Houndoom has launched a counterattack.

In the flickering light of the crystal chandelier, Pachira gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"That's how I lost the match. I think he already had that trick up his sleeve from the moment he suggested it. Of course,"

Looking back now, my failure to disrupt my opponent's plans earlier, due to overconfidence and not using "Taunt" to break the gambler's rhythm, was also a sign of my immaturity at the time. In short, that was the situation. Although I was unwilling to accept it, I could at least say I lost fair and square. Any Pokémon Trainer could understand that; no one would hold a grudge over such a battle.

"What about the rumors about Blueberry's provocation after the match? I don't think that description is entirely unfounded," Hugo asked, shaking his head.

"That was part of the post-match discussion. The gambler told me that he temporarily changed his Houndoom's ability using an Ability Potion. I guess my surprised expression at the time led those who like to spread rumors to misunderstand."

"So, those news reports exposing Yueju's secrets weren't published by Miss Pachira?" Azure asked.

"If I really wanted to ruin someone's reputation, I wouldn't use such a low-key method," the Fire King said gently with a smile. "Besides, smearing someone's face is no fun. If you're not careful, the person who's trying to smear them will end up getting themselves all dirty. Even if I were narrow-minded, I wouldn't go to such lengths on a gambler who's going to bring about his own downfall."

After hearing Pachira's explanation, Azure was still puzzled: "Then why were you still so confrontational with King Yueju in the Alliance headquarters lobby?"

"No reason," Carlos's Fire Elite Four member said with a smile. "There will always be some people in the world who are born annoying, and I just don't like that guy."

At the same time, the door at the end of the passage opened.

Under the suddenly brightened lights, the gambler king with his exaggerated hairstyle stood there.

Lingju raised her hand to her forehead and said, "Ugh, my luck is really terrible today. I opened the door and saw such an annoying character."