Pokémon Detective: Cynthia Forces Me to Adopt a Pokémon

Chapter 249 Rekindling - The Realization of the Weak

Almost simultaneously with the use of Double Ice to unleash "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 once again unobstructed.

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" had cleared, 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 is still alive isn't particularly surprising. Both Alice and Wanlong are seasoned veterans of the battlefield and naturally understand the intricacies of the situation—

Although Double Ice, having withstood a "Stone Slash" attack, was not knocked unconscious, it was clearly at its limit, with both its internal energy and the accuracy of its moves greatly diminished. 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" move.

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 causes explosive damage from all directions couldn't possibly only do this little bit of damage."

Alice said in surprise.

Wanlong was equally puzzled, but when she shifted her gaze to the air that Garchomp was staring at, she instantly understood—

"I see, it's 'Stealth Rock.' Previously, to block the path of Double Ice, the Stealth Rock placed in the air acted as an invisible shield, inadvertently absorbing most of the damage for Garchomp."

Garchomp glanced sideways at the empty space before it with a complicated 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 blue dragon's blade, the Unova Champion had already vanished amidst the chaos of the explosion. Also disappearing with him was Double Dodo Ice, who was near death after using "Big Bang," 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 the two sides have 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 by 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 Pokémon are all knocked down first loses, in reality, the number of Pokémon each player has in this battle is completely meaningless. Because no matter what the score is, the detective's chance of defeating the champion will not change much—it's just a matter of climbing from one infinitesimally small number that is infinitely close to zero to another infinitesimally small number that is infinitely close to zero. From beginning to end, the detective is 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 in some corner, only willing to remotely command his Pokémon in battle. With so many tricks up his sleeve, he seems like he can really go toe-to-toe with Champion Alder—isn't successfully taking down three of Mr. Alder's Pokémon the best evidence of that?"

"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 can understand a little of what Mr. Adek felt when he lectured the four of us in the past."

"What does this mean?" Alice asked, looking puzzled, and she and Victini tilted their heads together.

"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 them in suspense and answered directly—

"Garuda is indeed a champion ace, but 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 it 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 lack of 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 Adek, 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 whispered—

"Hugo is showing Ardek through his actions: I understand my weakness, but I'm still watching you with unwavering determination. When countless near-zero possibilities converge, it will be the end of your Ardek championship legend..."

"Don't say that. If I did that, I'd probably be blinded by the brilliance of Champion Ardek 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.

"Hugo... Hugo? How did you get 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 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 one of the most important factors that determines the strength of both sides."

The detective, trembling, smoothly joined the discussion.

"Then there's no need to mention it specifically, 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 makes sense.” The detective nodded. “I rushed downstairs at first to mislead Champion Aldace, 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 was aiming for. Fortunately, the opponent fell for it, otherwise the previous 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, both Pokémon were already in a terrible state—Turtle's Aura Sash had disappeared, and Piplup, though covered in dust and looking like it had overused its moves and was out of breath, 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 found in the wreckage of that gray van? You know how to use it..."

Before Alice could finish speaking, two thick, black plumes of smoke erupted from the location where the mysterious item had landed—its purpose and usage were obvious.

"Smoke bombs, the signature weapon of ninjas, are favored by 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 sunrise."

Alice sighed softly.

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