Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 505 Alone on the Golden Terrace

Chapter 507 Alone on the Golden Terrace

With the champion's order officially given, the crowd in the temporary command center finally began to move.

Although everyone had their own questions and anxieties, an order was an order.

The documents were put into a briefcase, the chair was pushed back under the table, and the communicator was tucked back into its waistband. After Vice President Gloria and her subordinates left in the last group, the room was soon left with only tangled cables and a few forgotten sticky notes.

When the place was deserted, Hugo found an excuse to stay.

He said he needed to continue discussions with the Hoenn Alliance's technical department to review the last batch of meteorological data from the satellite. No one questioned it—at least, given the looming crisis, no one had the energy or time to do so.

The detective in the white coat walked alone through the empty corridor, pushed open the narrow door leading to the rooftop, and arrived at the top floor of the hospital.

Theoretically, this is the most dangerous place in the entire Path of Champions area right now.

The wind rose from the sea, carrying the smell of salt and the distant, still-rumbling thunder. The cumulonimbus clouds that had been churning just hours before were finally torn apart by the increasingly powerful winds, transforming into scattered clouds across the entire sky.

gold.

An endless expanse of gold.

The setting sun peeked through the gaps in the clouds, its edges shimmering with an amber light, like molten gold.

Hugo stood on the edge of the rooftop, squinting his eyes.

He had barely slept for days and nights. Ever since waking up in the café in Flying Cloud City, he had been caught up in one endless series of tasks: communication, coordination, analysis, and decision-making—even the brief respite in the Cresselia illusion couldn't alleviate much of his accumulated fatigue.

This intense, non-stop work schedule was a first for him since joining Unova.

"Are you waiting for me here?"

Without warning, a voice came from behind the champion.

Hugo turned around.

The green-haired youth stood on the other side of the rooftop.

Behind him, Rashiram slowly folded his wings, and the blue tail flame gradually died down in the twilight.

Those grass-green eyes looked at Hugo, devoid of any hostility. They were still that same irritatingly pure gaze.

"So this is what a white dragon looks like," the detective remarked casually.

Garchomp had already jumped out of its Poké Ball and stood between Hugo and Reshiram, emitting a low, menacing growl. But the trainer didn't give any orders, simply waving his hand casually to signal it to calm down.

"I already know about what happened with Joggs."

N got straight to the point, without much small talk.

"Reshiram sensed the messages from Babena and Holena, as well as snippets of information from wild Pokémon we encountered along the way. This gave us information about everything that happened in Ripple Town, and the three hurricanes across the sea."

He paused.

"Speak freely, league champion—what do you need me to do now?"

Rashiram bowed behind him, showing no attitude other than obedience to the choice of the real king he served.

"Have you decided to assist the alliance?"

Hugo, unusually, asked a completely meaningless question.

He knew the other person's answer, of course. But he wanted to hear it from the person in front of him.

"That's natural."

The young man, who had already defeated four Heavenly Kings of Unova, nodded without hesitation and said—

"If we allow the hurricane to pass through unchecked, not only will human cities suffer damage, but also the habitats on which many wild Pokémon depend for survival will be destroyed."

That sincere green stood out brightly in the twilight.

"I never imagined that Professor Joggs would do such a thing, and I never imagined that the conflict within the United States would escalate to this extent."

"But you can guess why he did this," Hugo said bluntly, without a trace of pity.

"————" N did not deny it.

"Now that things have already happened, with your intelligence, it shouldn't be difficult for you to figure out Joggs' plan," the detective said calmly. "To have you, the king, intervene and avert this disaster for the people in front of everyone—this was also part of that historian's plan."

A king who calls for love and peace may only win the support of a small number of followers. But if this naive fellow actually prevents a crisis from falling from the sky, the situation will be completely different.

People can rightfully reject an unrealistic ideal, but it's hard for them to reject a living benefactor who has just pulled them out of a flood.

"I believe in your sincerity, and I am fully aware of your current power," Hugo said, his light seemingly piercing through N's shame, "but it was still a shameless self-directed performance."

After a near-frozen silence, N finally spoke.

"From the moment I put on the Plasma Cluster crown, I knew what I had to do. So, then and now—I had to step up."

He took a step forward, his body, slightly taller than Hugo's, curving in a sincere arc—

"I will take responsibility for all the mistakes of the plasma cluster."

"Then you shouldn't be standing here." Hugo didn't return the greeting, but slowly shook his head. "As the Unova League Champion, I have no need to ask you for help. If you really have something you want to do, why don't you do it yourself?"

"But I can see that you need help. Given the current situation of the Union, it is precisely the two of us who need to join hands."

This sounds familiar. It seems Barbena and Holina said something similar. Why are all these people coming to me?

He was just an ordinary Unova champion.

"The situation in the United States requires everyone to join hands," Hugo corrected. "However, many people, including myself, do not want to face a man-made upheaval immediately after weathering this natural disaster."

"Yes, that's exactly why I'm here." N's tone became urgent. "Right now, only the two of us can pull Unova out of this predicament."

"In fact, there are quite a few people who can do this," Hugo said, shrugging.

"Your Pope" Ghetsis, and "propaganda manipulator" Smura, if Aldek were willing to be champion for a few more years, he'd be one too. If these truly influential figures in Unova had changed their minds, Unova wouldn't be in this situation today."

"It is precisely because those people cannot be changed that the world needs us," N replied decisively, as if he had already considered this question.

The elderly carry the heavy burden of "life," which makes them strong and stubborn. Young people, on the other hand, are always powerless and unable to shake those already firmly established positions.

"But I still can't understand why you're so insistent on my help."

Hugo finally voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long.

"Just like handling this hurricane crisis—you have enough power and sufficient reason, you don't need my permission at all. Why are you so fixated on my approval? I initially thought it was simply because of the 'League Champion' title, but judging from your attitude just now, you haven't completely sided with Team Plasma, nor do you seem to have any intention of trying to win me over like Ghetsis did—which makes it even stranger."

"If we were to consider the happiness of all living beings on earth as a sum, I would choose the side that is more favorable to that sum."

N reached out his hand to the detective in front of him.

"You may consider yourself just an ordinary person, or even feel you're not good at fighting. But what I see in you is something else entirely: your relentless pursuit of the truth, your almost obsessive clarity in the face of confusion. It's the shadow of the noble pursuit of reason. You possess many admirable qualities I lack: an unwavering belief in upholding justice, and a keen ability to see through illusions with a transcendent light—these are undoubtedly qualities that make you a hero."

He paused, as if confirming what he was about to say.

"This is a truth I only understood after I awakened Reshiram. Even if the stone that sealed the founding dragon is not with its owner, when the Unova region truly faces a crisis, the dragon of ideals and reality will still spontaneously respond to the hero's call."

The green-haired youth's voice grew increasingly agitated.

At the same time, Garchomp lowered its azure body again and let out a short, deep warning.

Behind N, the giant white shadow moved slowly in the twilight. Reshiram turned his head slightly and shook it gently in the direction of the king.

"What?"

N's ears, which can directly connect to the minds of Pokémon, seemed to have heard something, and his voice carried obvious surprise.

"That black dragon—it didn't choose you?"

Even Hugo, a detective with a detached perspective who saw through the confusion, was momentarily stunned.

Then he pressed his forehead and let out a long sigh.

"You actually think I might be the agent of the ideal dragon Zekrom?" His tone carried a hint of disbelief and exhaustion. "There should be a limit to wishful thinking."

"When truth and ideal go hand in hand, this land can be united as one." N repeated the ancient proverb in a low voice, his gaze falling on the white dragon in the twilight. "I originally thought you would be the missing piece of the puzzle in the prophecy."

Even a king who is recognized as "real" will eventually be moved by vague prophecies, as Hugo thought.

Judging from N's situation, he was most likely misled by his status as the league champion—which is somewhat understandable. But if we trace it deeper, it's probably the lingering poison of the ancient royal education system of Gryffindor.

"I'm sorry, you've got the wrong person." Hugo shrugged. "Instead of looking for a reflection of your ideals in me, you'd be better off trying your luck with Douzi, who dreams of becoming a director."

"In any case, my expectation that your wisdom can be of assistance remains unchanged."

After understanding the whole situation, N spoke again.

"Then, I hope you can tell me where 'Rift Mobilizer' Smura is right now, one of the three remaining people who can change the United States?" After a moment's thought, Hugo stated his request.

The king hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

"I don't know. Unlike the other sages, that teacher deliberately concealed his whereabouts when he left. Even the wild Pokémon in the area have not seen where he went."

Perhaps worried that the detective in the white coat wouldn't believe him, he added, "I really don't know where he is."

As proof, I can even tell you that my father, Quixote, is currently near the Black Market.

"Oh, I already know that."

Hugo remained calm, seemingly unsurprised by the outcome.

"Mr. Ardek's grandson witnessed Ghetsis colluding with villains in the black skyscraper, and the League has already taken action. I also believe the information you provided. Since even wild Pokémon don't know where that guy is, he's most likely hiding in some dark, secluded room."

However, given that "propaganda" master's abilities, even if there were only one telephone line connecting him to the outside world, Smura could still cause considerable damage to the Unova region.

Besides, Hugo actually had absolutely no information about Quixote in the Black Market. Even detectives aren't omniscient. But at this moment, as the league champion, he needed to maintain this illusion of "everything being under control."

Since there's no sign that the conflict is about to be resolved, there's no need to owe this young man a favor because of something inadvertently revealed in the conversation.

"In that case, I'm going to do what I need to do."

Seeing that there was no room for further communication, N gave Hugo and Garchomp a deep look, then flipped and leaped onto the back of the True Dragon.

Rahiram spread his wings, the edges of his white feathers tinged with a dark gold in the twilight.

Before leaving, the green-haired youth looked into the distance. Was it to the north? South? Or perhaps the nearest east?

He silently mouthed the words in the fading sunlight.

Hugo sighed, raised his hand, and pointed south.

That's the direction in which the land cloud is rampaging.

Due to the obstruction of Mount Reversal, the cities on the south side, which are bathed in the warm and humid air currents from the north, are much more densely populated than other areas. Shichiho City, Sanyo City, and Karakusa Town are a series of densely populated cities that form a continuous area, which can be said to be the heart of Unova's region.

From the perspective of minimizing the influence of plasma clusters, this is undoubtedly the worst advice for the alliance.

However, the southeast corner of Unova is also the area with the highest concentration of wild Pokémon habitats, and Landorus is undoubtedly the most powerful of the three legendary Pokémon.

Before Hugo arrived at the rooftop, the latest weather data from Hoenn showed that the hurricanes gathering in the south were the largest in size.

N was clearly somewhat surprised.

He received an answer different from what he expected, but after seeing Hugo's eyes, he nodded heavily.

A gust of wind swept across the rooftop, and the white dragon and its king disappeared into the depths of twilight.

Garchomp snorted angrily in the direction Reshiram had gone—Hugo rubbed the rough surface of its dorsal fin, following the lines of its dorsal fin, with a force that wouldn't hurt himself.

"What's the rush?" he muttered, almost to himself. "That guy has already defeated four Heavenly Kings. When he comes to challenge for the championship title, do you think I wouldn't send you out?"

Right now, there are more pressing occasions where this Garchomp needs to make its appearance.

Then Hugo turned in another direction—

A completely random location.

The detective's gaze fell on the now-empty building behind him.

A shadow was slowly climbing along the wall, swallowing the window frames and columns into darkness one by one.

As dusk fell, the end of the corridor seemed to be blocked by something, and the light stopped at the entrance.

"And you?" he asked the empty air. "Would you be willing to make a good deal?"

Beneath the dazzling golden light, deep within the shadows—

A cold laugh echoed from the void where Reshiram's gaze had once swept.