stonecrandall Chapter 223 Time Presses On
Chapter 223 Time Presses On
At the entrance to the Tower of Heaven, amidst the tall grass, although the detective had a general understanding of the battle inside the tower, he did not choose to climb the tower himself to rescue the mythical Pokémon trapped in the special Poké Ball.
The reasons are somewhat complex, but for Hugo, it was a perfectly natural way of thinking—
Adeker and Joggs faced off on the Tower of Heaven, and the latter, unprepared for the champion's strength, was destined to lose. However, Hugo suspected that if he entered the Tower of Heaven at this moment, his strange physique might cause inexplicable accidents, thereby changing the outcome of the battle on the tower and causing the situation, which was originally in the League's favor, to spiral out of control.
Staying in the same place is also not a suitable option.
Joggs descended the tower, and even with the protection of the King of Team Plasma, Hugo, who lacked combat abilities, was still in grave danger. Besides, there was no need for him to meet with the Sage of Team Plasma; it would bring him no benefit whatsoever—although Hugo had read Joggs's historical works, he was far from being a fanatical reader.
So, having eliminated all the things that are impossible or unthinkable, what remains is the action to be taken next.
Just as the Sage in Blue was stunned by the true form of the Fire Moth, the ambulance convoy that the detective had called in advance via text message arrived at the scene.
Urged on by Hugo, the paramedics directed their medical Pokémon to prioritize loading the injured near the green-haired youth onto the vehicles. While Joggs and the Symbol Bird glided down from the tower and knelt before N, the ambulance convoy had already circled around to the back of the Tower of Heaven to rescue the injured there—just avoiding a direct confrontation with the Dangerous Sage.
Before leaving, Hugo made a deal with N: the detective promised to find a way to liberate Bictini on the Tower of Paradise in N's place, while N would have to come up with a reason to expel Jogs from the city of Blowing.
"Among humans, I have few whom I trust." I remember N earnestly pleading with Hugo at that time—
"The Pokémon that brings victory should be a great temptation for a trainer, so I hope that you, not someone else, will be the one to free that Pokémon in my place."
N was unwilling to see Victini lose her freedom in another way after being freed, so he added conditions to their deal.
"Since you've added a restriction to our deal, let me add one as well."
The detective then gave this answer.
"There are priorities—I'm more concerned about the condition of the trainers' partners in the ambulance than the mythical Pokémon imprisoned by Team Plasma. I want to create an opportunity for them to return to their trainers."
The green-haired youth frowned: "I will not provide you with any assistance in this matter."
"Your Majesty need not trouble yourself—there are plenty of people in this city of Fuki who would be willing to help in the face of such an evil organization that acts with impunity."
.
"Leave the battle to me! Watch me take down all those bastards who steal other people's Pokémon!"
In the lounge of the Pokémon Center in Fuyuki City, a brown-skinned girl blocked the detective's way.
The girl looked energetic, with an enormous hairstyle that seemed disproportionate to her petite figure—long purple hair braided into two ponytails on the top of her head, with the rest of her hair tied up with a bow, forming a huge, fluffy head that looked like it could be used as a sleeping bag for a small Pokémon.
No, the statement about sleeping bags doesn't seem to be a metaphor.
There really was a baby Pokémon with huge sharp teeth peeking out from the girl's hair, curiously staring at Hugo.
It is an Axew, a Dragon-type Pokémon native to the Unova region, which can eventually evolve into Haxorus.
"I heard from Nurse Joy here that you're a detective and know what those bad guys are up to, right? Then let's hurry up and get those stolen Pokémon back today!"
The girl with a tooth hidden in her hair was full of confidence and eagerly pushed Hugo outside before he could reply.
"Wait, wait." The detective pressed down on the other person's head, finally managing to regain his footing. "Who are you? The person who commissioned me, Nurse Joy, said the main force of this operation should be the Gym Leader of Fubuki City, that Miss Fubuki. Someone like you, a nobody..."
Halfway through his sentence, Hugo seemed to notice something unusual about the girl and abruptly stopped talking.
Just as different life experiences are etched into the details of behavior like tree rings, strength also leaves unique marks on a trainer.
Her well-trained posture, the tan lines from long journeys, the slightly worn fabric of her clothes from being close to the enormous Pokémon, the calluses on her fingers and the base of her thumb from the friction of Poké Balls, and the confident aura that can only be built up through constant victories... all these signs indicate that the little girl in front of me, carrying a baby Pokémon, is not as weak as she initially appears.
"Hehe, it seems you have a good eye. No wonder Miss Joey recommended you as a detective."
Noticing the detective's wary gaze, the purple-haired girl stood with her hands on her hips, a smug smile on her face.
"My name is Alice. I am a Dragon-type expert with the qualifications of Gym Leader of Odd Dragon City. My Pokémon battle skills are even better than Sister Wind Dew here. Of course, I am qualified to be her substitute in fighting crime."
"A substitute? Where did the original owner of Fenglu Pavilion go?"
"She was originally going to come here with me, but on the way, she saw a suspicious person riding a bird-shaped creature flying overhead. He seemed to be wearing Team Plasma clothing, so she changed her plans and followed him on her flying Pokémon—I'll go and arrest the robber in her place."
That must be Joshua, who just came down from the Tower of Heaven, Hugo thought to himself.
This sage is really unlucky. He was just defeated by the Unova Champion and had to abandon his newly acquired mythical Pokémon. He was immediately reprimanded by the King and wanted to "fly" away from Elysium City. However, he hadn't flown far before he aroused the vigilance of the Flying-type Gym Leader... I wonder if he will think of the old saying, "Misfortunes never come singly."
“Alice, I think you should be an excellent Pokémon Trainer, but arresting criminals and battling Pokémon is much more serious and brutal than that,” the detective said with a serious expression.
"Personally, I hope to wait until the police have assembled before starting the operation with them. That way, the manhunt will be much more secure. According to my previous information, they can start a city-wide manhunt in just one hour at most."
“Even if the police launch a search, they might not be able to arrest the criminal, right? Miss Joey entrusted us with this operation precisely to prevent this worst-case scenario from happening. Rather than cooperating with the police, we should take the initiative.”
The little girl was even more quick-witted than Hugo had anticipated, and immediately rejected the detective's passive and conservative action plan.
"Don't worry! I'm very strong."
Just like short people are particularly concerned about their height, Alice earnestly emphasized to Hugo.
"Just before coming to Fuyu City, I defeated Grandpa Shaka, who was also the Gym Leader of Osaka City. He's a Gym Leader when he gets serious. I'm carrying my strongest partners from back then, and I'm confident that I can hold my own against the entire Fuyu City police force. Detective, now is the time to make the most of it, so please lead the way without worry."
As she spoke, Iris simultaneously threw a red and white Poké Ball into the open space outside the Pokémon Center. The next instant, a Salamence with blood-red wings appeared before them.
The moment it appeared, its powerful dinosaur aura shook the ground, creating dust and wind. This Salamence was larger than most of its kind, its eyes fierce and savage yet calm, indicating it had been well-trained.
"Now you should believe in my fighting abilities, right?" Alice asked the detective behind her as she reached out and stroked the Salamence's neck.
“I have a question,” Hugo said after a moment of thought. “You keep saying you want to complete the arrest operation today as quickly as possible. Is it because there are other urgent matters to attend to afterward?”
"Of course!"
The girl hooked her arm around the giant Salamence's neck, climbed up like she was scaling a tree, and looked down at the detective, shouting—
"After resolving the incident in Fubuki City, I'm going to challenge Grandpa Alderm at the Tower of Heaven here. I'm already half a day late, and if I don't hurry, I'll miss my duel with that Volcarona!"
Time waits for no one; once it's gone, it's gone forever.