Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 258 Rekindling - The Realization of Being Weak

Chapter 260 Rekindling - The Realization of Being Weak

Almost simultaneously with the use of Double Ice to create "Big Bang", the "Wetland Terrain" created by Turtwig and Piplup finally dried up and disappeared, and the staircase connecting the third and fourth floors of the Tower of Heaven was cleared again.

Wanlong, Alice, and Victini rushed downstairs to observe the battle up close.

Although they could roughly see the battlefield from the top of the spiral staircase, these three curious onlookers were clearly not satisfied with that. Before the smoke from the "big explosion" could dissipate, the two people and the elf had already reached the third floor.

Through the thin mist of smoke, the first thing that catches the eye is the Garchomp, which still stands proudly.

The fact that Garchomp was still alive wasn't particularly surprising. Iris and Wanlong were both seasoned veterans of the battlefield, so they naturally understood the situation. Double Ice, having withstood a "Stone Edge" attack, wasn't knocked unconscious, but it was clearly at its limit; both its energy and the accuracy of its moves were significantly reduced. While Ice-type moves were highly effective against Garchomp, hitting it at that point was questionable. Therefore, Champion Alder was forced to use the potentially devastating "Explosion."

Given Double Ice's condition at the time, and the distance between them, the possibility of it knocking down Garchomp directly was extremely slim.

However, what truly surprised the two trainers was that the blue Garchomp before them seemed to have only suffered a minor injury.

Although his body was covered in minor injuries, they were far from affecting his ability to fight, and his overall condition was almost unaffected.

"How did it do that? A 'big bang' that can cause explosive attacks in all directions can't possibly only do this little damage!" North Alice said in surprise.

Wanlong was equally confused, but when she shifted her gaze to the air where Garchomp was staring, she instantly realized, "So that's it, it's a Stealth Rock." The Stealth Rock she had placed in the air to block the path of Double Ice had become an invisible shield, inadvertently absorbing most of the damage for Garchomp.

Garchomp glanced at the empty space before it with a complex expression. While trying to regulate its somewhat erratic breathing and regain its peak condition, it remarked that sometimes even a detective's command could be incredibly lucky. Meanwhile, under the blade of the blue Garchomp, the Unova Champion had vanished amidst the chaos of the explosion. Gone with him was Double-Edge Ice, who had been on the verge of death after using "Explosion," presumably retrieved back into its Poké Ball by Alder.

"It seems that neither side has achieved its goal," Wanlong concluded.

"Challenger Hugo failed to seize the opportunity to defeat the Ardek Champion; and although the Champion escaped unscathed, his risky bomb attack failed to seriously damage the opponent's main Garchomp."

"It seems like they've tied again. But Mr. Alder now only has three Pokémon left, right?" Alice remarked.

"Three against three, the score is tied again."

"A draw?" As if hearing a ridiculous joke, Wanlong couldn't help but give a wry smile.

"Miss Alice, even now, are you still judging the strength of both sides based on the number of elves?"

Seeing the girl's surprised expression, the Ghost-type Elite Four member continued, "Although the rules state that the side whose entire Pokémon is defeated first loses, in reality, the number of Pokémon each player has in this battle is completely meaningless. Because no matter the score, the detective's chance of defeating the champion won't change much—it's simply moving from an infinitesimally small number that's infinitely close to zero to another infinitesimally small number that's infinitely close to zero. From beginning to end, the detective has been standing on a dangerous razor's edge, pursuing an infinitesimally small possibility."

"Isn't that a huge exaggeration?"

Alice felt that her understanding of the battle situation differed somewhat from that of Miss Heavenly King, so she argued logically—

"Doesn't Mr. Hugo still have Cyndaquil Champion's Garchomp? He set up so many traps on the fourth and third floors; he must have even more secret methods up his sleeve. Piplup and Turtwig may be weak, but they're incredibly clever. The detective himself is even sneaking around somewhere, only remotely commanding his Pokémon in battle. With all these methods, he seems like he can really go toe-to-toe with Champion Alder—and the fact that he successfully took down three of Mr. Alder's Pokémon is the best evidence of that, isn't it?"

"Oh dear," Wanlong sighed.

"If the weaker party loses awareness of its own weakness, then it also loses the awareness of being a challenger. I think I understand a little bit of what Mr. Aldeck felt when he lectured the four of us in the past."

"What does this mean?" Alice asked, looking puzzled, and tilted her head along with Victini beside her.

"Compared to you, who have begun to have confidence in being a detective, Hugo, who is still hiding and plotting schemes, is a more qualified challenger. Because he always understands the gap between himself and Adek."

Wanlong didn't keep him in suspense and answered directly, "While Garchomp is a true champion ace, it can only unleash its true champion potential in Cynthia's hands. Even with their special bond, the detective's command is still just a formality. I dare say that once the situation slips out of his control even slightly, this disharmony will become glaringly obvious."

"While Hugo's traps and tricks are varied and numerous, none of them can be reused. The space within the Tower of Heaven is limited and will eventually run out. Moreover, Champion Alder is not foolish; whether the traps will even work is also a question. In fact, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that in the previous three traps, Mr. Champion used the most perfect methods to avoid them. It was only because Hugo further increased the stakes on top of the traps that Alder's Pokémon suffered a loss. And as the Champion becomes more wary, the effectiveness of the traps will only be further weakened."

"Not to mention the three Sinnoh beginner Pokémon. No matter how intelligent they are, they can't bridge the gap between the strong and the weak; their strength is an undeniable weakness. No matter how slight the Champion Pokémon's move hits them, it can instantly knock them out of all their stamina. The fact that two of them are still active on the field is nothing short of a miracle."

"The detective hiding in the shadows knows this, understands the gap between himself and Aldeck, and therefore spares no effort in displaying his cunning and treachery. To avoid being targeted by the tactic of capturing the leader first in a no-rules battle, he simply doesn't show himself on the battlefield—this is a respect for the champion's strength, and also a declaration."

"What announcement?" Alice asked.

Wanlong took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Hugo is showing Ardek through his actions: I understand my weakness, but I am still staring at you with eyes full of the desire to win. When countless near-zero possibilities successfully overlap, it will be the end of your Ardek championship legend—"

"Don't say that. If I did, I'd probably be blinded by Ardek's brilliance by now."

A teasing voice suddenly rang out from behind the Ghost King, startling the novelist.

The voice came from the challenger in this competition.

"Yuhugo? Why are you coming down the stairs? Were you hiding upstairs the whole time?"

Wanlong turned around and saw a pitiful black figure slowly walking down the spiral staircase.

"With Garchomp's help, it wasn't difficult to pry a stone out of the ground to disguise it as a tombstone. I curled up and hid in the gap left by the stone, just in the blind spot among the rows of tombstones. The only downside was that the cold air released by Absolute Zero was a bit too strong. If I hadn't reacted and taken some precautions when it started pouring rain, I would have almost lost my life there."

Hugo rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and said with a livid face.

The Garchomp ahead noticed him out of the corner of its eye and let out a sigh of relief, half displeased and half relieved.

"King Wanlong, putting aside that declaration for now, your other analyses are completely correct, but it seems you've overlooked a crucial factor that determines the strength of both sides."

The detective, trembling, smoothly joined the discussion.

"There's probably no need to mention it, right? After all, no one can ignore its existence."

After a brief moment of surprise, the novelist regained his composure and replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"That's true." The detective nodded. "I rushed downstairs at first to mislead Champion Aldeck, making him think I would run all the way to the ground floor of the Tower of Heaven."

"The champion will never willingly be manipulated by his opponent. At his most careless moment, he might send out his only flying Pokémon to fly down to the first floor of the Tower of Heaven to ambush me, giving me a huge surprise—that's the opportunity I've been eyeing. Fortunately, the opponent fell for it, otherwise those traps wouldn't have been very effective. But now, this delaying tactic is almost up. That guy who hasn't seen the enemy for so long won't just sit there quietly doing nothing."

The thick smoke from the "big bang" dissipated as the three talked, and across the three-story cemetery, the figures of Champion Alder and two beginner Pokémon gradually appeared.

Adeker dispatched Knight Snail and Agile Bug to chase after Piplup and Torterra. Judging from the distance, he seemed to have just caught up with the two little guys.

But in just a short while, the two Pokémon had become incredibly fierce—the aura sash on Turtwig had disappeared, and although Piplup was covered in dust and looked like it had overused its moves and was out of breath, it still had a life-saving item on it that could prevent it from being killed in one hit.

"Yes, this is my last trump card on this floor."

Seeing the miserable state of his Pokémon, the detective did not panic. He took out two shrunken Poké Ball-sized objects from his black clothes, then threw them with a standard throwing motion towards the location of Turtwig and Piplup.

Two black, round sacs tied together with thin ropes traced graceful parabolas and landed right in front of the agile worm and the knight snail.

"Ah, isn't this what we picked up from the wreckage of that gray van? You know how it is?" Before Alice finished speaking, two thick, black clouds of smoke burst from the spot where the mysterious item had landed—its purpose and usage were obvious.

"Smoke bombs, the signature weapon of ninjas, are a favorite of a certain triad. Actually, they're not difficult to make; you can even find the recipe online. They're supposedly made from a plant called 'smoke taro' ground up," Hugo explained.

Taking advantage of the smoke bomb's effect, the two starter Pokémon broke free from the champions' moves and scrambled back to Garchomp's side.

The rough-skinned earthworm stepped forward and instinctively shielded the two little creatures behind it.

It was at this moment that a fiery red light suddenly appeared in the night sky between the square windows on the third floor of the Tower of Heaven.

"It feels like—the sun has risen."

Alice sighed softly.

On the third floor of the Tower of Heaven, the desperate three-on-three battle begins once again.