Pokémon Detective: Cynthia Forces Me to Adopt a Pokémon

Chapter 236 The Spread of the Flames - The Endgame Resumes

The smoke from the clash of moves finally dissipated.

After a fierce battle, only the dying Garchomp and the Volcarona, covered in wounds and with its flames dimmed, remained on the battlefield.

All the other Pokémon that the two of them were holding were now seriously injured and unconscious.

"What a fantastic match."

Garchomp persisted without collapsing, but was clearly too weak to continue moving, while Volcarona, though severely injured, still retained its last bit of strength.

Aldak offered his early assessment of the battle that was about to end—

"A well-balanced and powerful team of Pokémon, where each Pokémon can perfectly unleash its full potential, and even the same Garchomp can leverage its strengths based on its own characteristics—if you can do all this, you've already reached the top level among the younger generation of trainers."

"What's even more remarkable is that you actually discovered the signs that Garchomp was about to evolve in battle in advance, and on this basis, you instantly constructed a complete tactic—first using the Garchomp that evolved accidentally in battle to confuse the situation, and then seizing the opportunity to switch out other Pokémon, allowing the second, more experienced Garchomp to enter the battle again without leaving a trace. It almost made me misjudge its true strength, just like the trick in old-school suspense movies where two people play one role! Both this decisiveness of stealing the sky and the awareness of communicating with Pokémon are amazing. Even Volcarona almost capsized in the gutter."

Standing before the challenger, the one who accepted the challenge nodded with satisfaction:

"After being champions for so many years, such thrilling battles are quite rare these days. I never imagined that just participating in a casual cross-regional exchange and guidance activity would lead me to such an outstanding young talent as you. I myself have also learned a lot. This is what they call mutual learning, right? It seems that I should participate in more of these mentoring activities for younger generations in the future."

The Unova champion, in the prime of his life, let out a hearty laugh that resounded throughout the newly built arena in Kagome Town, lingering above the heads of thousands of spectators.

"Little girl, although it was just a six-on-three tutorial match, this battle is destined to be remembered for generations. With only six Pokémon, you defeated two of the Unova Champion's main players and even brought my strongest ace, Volcarona, to the brink of death—even if you didn't win the final victory, you still have every right to be proud and boast about it everywhere... No, let's just consider this a victory for you. As the Champion, I'm not so concerned with my reputation as to be stingy with a mere defeat. Hold your head high, little girl, you deserve this victory!"

As if heeding Adek's advice, the girl slowly raised her head.

Beneath her sun-kissed golden bangs, her grey eyes were utterly calm. However, at this moment, those eyes were filled with an even stronger sense of stubbornness.

"Mr. Ardek, the battle is not over yet!"

The conviction in the girl's words was more unwavering than the defenses of the city's guardian dragon.

As the trainer spoke, the Garchomp, which had been standing unconscious, suddenly perked up and opened its blood-red eyes as if by telepathy.

The statue-like stillness instantly transformed into a full-speed sprint comparable to that of a fighter jet. The rough-surfaced dragon wings on the elbows glowed with a faint light of attack, and it once again lunged at the Volcano!

.

"It really is that Garchomp from back then!"

Inside the Tower of Heaven, upon seeing the Pokémon burst from the sphere, Elite Four member Wanlong exclaimed in surprise.

"Its ability is 'Rough Skin,' and it's Cynthia's main force in the Sinnoh League! That Garchomp that could fight Volcarona to a draw when it first evolved! Hugo actually brought this Pokémon here!"

“Cyndaquil’s… Garchomp?” Iris, who prided herself on being a Dragon-type expert, widened her eyes. Of course, she couldn’t possibly have been unaware of the Sinnoh Champion’s name.

"What is the relationship between Detective Hugo and Miss Cynthia? Why were they able to borrow the champion's main Pokémon here?"

"You didn't know that?"

For a moment, Wanlong felt she had too much to explain, and since she only had a superficial understanding of the current situation, she could only focus on the key points—

"Hugo is the younger brother of Cynthia, the Sinnoh champion."

.

Shock, reminiscence, and感慨... these emotional fluctuations did not affect the two players in the midst of their battle.

Amidst the splattering earth and rocks from "Stomp," Volcarona's fiery wings finally glowed again, shielding Alder from the aftershocks of Garchomp's attack.

The champion looked at the deep blue beast in front of him and pondered for a moment. He had clearly recognized Garchomp's origin before Wanlong did, but he immediately turned his attention back to the battle.

How did Hugo borrow Cynthia's Garchomp? Does the "student" refer to that tutorial battle from many years ago? Where did the opponent's confidence in challenging him with only four Pokémon come from?

All these minor details are completely irrelevant at this moment—as the battle unfolds, the level of awareness of both sides will be fully revealed, and these questions will be answered naturally.

Therefore, all you need to do is fight with all your might.

Both Poké Balls were knocked off their feet and scattered around the room as the opponent stomped on them.

Unfortunately, both the challenger's and the champion's Poké Balls were the standard red and white design, looking exactly the same from a distance. In the dim light, it was impossible to distinguish the Pokémon, or even whether they were friend or foe.

But Alder seemed to recognize his Poké Ball at a glance, and without hesitation stepped towards one of the Poké Balls on the ground, hooked it with his toe, and the red and white ball bounced off Garchomp's back.

This match is not a teaching and learning game. Since the opponent has accepted the outdated and intense rules of the game, I should respond to the challenger's invitation with all my might!

Especially after seeing the opponent's Garchomp appear, Alder became even more convinced of this idea—

"Double the ice, 'Blizzard'!"

"Garuda, dash forward to the left! Maintain a jumping and gliding posture while moving!"

Almost at the same time that Alder gave the command to the second Pokémon to appear, Hugo also responded.

Judging from the detective's nonchalant manner, he had clearly anticipated the Pokémon his opponent was about to send out and the moves they would use—it seems that the Unova Champion wasn't the only one who remembered the destination of every Poké Ball on the scene.

When commanding Garchomp, the detective showed none of the hesitation or timidity he usually displayed when ordering Pokémon to use moves, delivering complex commands fluently and decisively.

The black-clad figure, illuminated by the firelight, resembled a sharp, cartoonish silhouette, and surprisingly, he did indeed possess the air of an excellent trainer.

Unlike Alder, Hugo was not in the center of the battle arena, which allowed him to focus wholeheartedly on commanding the battle from a comprehensive perspective.

At the start of the match, the opponent's Unova Champion took a risky step, closing the distance between himself and his Poké Ball, and thus released his two main Pokémon, Volcarona and Double Ice, first.

It appears that they surrounded Garchomp from both sides, forming a two-on-one siege, but doing so is not entirely without its drawbacks.

Ice melts when it encounters fire—as a champion, Alder could not have been unaware of this factor. Every move he made took into account the range that the Pokémon's moves could cover, ensuring that they wouldn't land in empty space.

But on this battlefield, there exists a being that defies common sense. There exists a mental trap that only the champion Ardern could fall into.

That is the Volcano moth itself.

The flames that emanate from Pokémon are a strange kind of energy, sometimes even more magical than the flames released through moves.

The flames produced by different Pokémon vary, but they do share some common characteristics. For example, they are colorless and odorless after burning, and their power varies depending on the target.

Even at this point, Adek still underestimated the power of his dying partner.

Just as the flames on Ponyta do not burn the master it recognizes, although Volcarona's dying body is uncontrollably radiating heat, Mr. Alder, who is in sync with his partner, is neither harmed by the flames nor can he sense their heat.

Although imperceptible, this intense heat truly filled the space of the Tower of Heaven.

Before Hugo arrived at the tower, the reason why Wanlong Tianwang, who was on night watch, huddled in the shadows of a corner of the floor was also to avoid the sweltering air surrounding the fire moth.

Now, Volcarona has entered battle stance, its fighting spirit fully unleashed as it faces its former adversary with whom it once perished. And this intense heat, imperceptible only to Aldeck, has become an unmissable opportunity for Hugo!

In the blink of an eye, Garchomp closed in on Volcarona with a speed that was too fast for the naked eye to follow.

Although Double Ice behind him unleashed torrents of "blizzard" from its two mouths, this attack unexpectedly collided with the heat emanating from his teammate. While the power wasn't significantly reduced, the rate at which the frost spread noticeably slowed down.

Garchomp unleashed a barrage of Ice-type moves capable of dealing massive damage to Ground-type Dragon-type Garchomp, yet it remained a step behind the deep blue figure. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Garchomp had already reached Volcarona's face.

The bright yellow, bloodshot dragon eyes clashed with the azure blue, cross-shaped compound eyes of the fire moth, a moment that seemed to be a replay of a battle from more than ten years ago.

"Spirit Strike!"

""Big characters Explosion"! "

The two trainers issued their next commands simultaneously.