Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 421 Intertwined Lightning and Ice

Chapter 423 Intertwined Lightning and Ice

Lila first met Raigong when she had just started working part-time as an Interpol agent.

It was a turbulent time—the sudden dissolution of the Grand Violet Corporation triggered a massive wave of layoffs. With the open sabotage of Team Magma and the covert instigation of Team Aqua, which at the time controlled Hoenn TV, angry unemployed workers launched a large-scale protest.

When the riot reached the Zidong Power Plant, the hasty actions of the on-duty workers triggered a series of butterfly effects, ultimately causing the plant's largest generator to enter a dangerous overclocking state. At the same time, the rioting crowd and out-of-control Pokémon blocked the plant's exits, and the massive amount of electrical energy accumulated within the plant area with nowhere to go, unexpectedly attracting the legendary Thunder Pokémon.

Lila encountered Raigong while resolving this incident. After a fierce struggle, Lila barely managed to repel the uninvited guest and successfully shut down the crew.

But perhaps due to an unspoken understanding, during that Pokémon battle, both humans and Pokémon intentionally or unintentionally avoided the power plant's key equipment—clearly, neither side was giving it their all. It was perhaps this regrettable ending that haunted Raikou, because when Lyra returned to the Battle Frontier after her police mission and resumed her duties at the Battle Tower, this proud legendary Pokémon reappeared before her.

From then on, Raikou began to frequently visit Lyra's territory. Sometimes, when the Battle Tower faced a formidable challenger, this golden legendary Pokémon would personally descend into battle, unleashing a thunderous offensive to intensify the training of those trainers who sought the ultimate in battle.

It was through their daily interactions that a tacit understanding gradually developed between humans and Pokémon. Later on, when Lyra needed to carry out certain high-risk Interpol missions, Raikou would even voluntarily enter her Poké Ball, becoming her most reliable partner.

With the appearance of the Thunder God, the siege formation carefully arranged by the Sage Vio crumbled in an instant.

Blinding lightning surged from between the steel frames, striking every Pokémon along with the enemy trainer.

Although the dispersed current failed to knock all the Pokémon unconscious simultaneously due to the large number of targets, the paralysis effect of "Thunderbolt" had temporarily rendered them unable to fight. Marabou's claws twitched uncontrollably, tiny arcs of electricity crawled across the ice crystals of its two geometric snowflakes, and King collapsed to the ground.

"This...this is the legendary Pokémon?!" Vio struggled to prop himself up on one side, his voice trembling with shock.

"Enough with the nonsense!" To avoid any further accidents, Lila decisively waved her hand, and Raigong immediately understood, whipping his long, blue, lightning-shaped tail.

A dazzling "electric net" descended from the sky, completely enveloping the fallen elves.

Because of its exceptional endurance and the greatest stamina, Dust Mountain, despite its paralysis, tried to lift the sludge pipe, only to meet Raigong's eyes, which glowed blue, as it charged up.

The next instant, a highly effective "supernatural power" struck Dust Mountain precisely, causing the last resister to collapse to the ground.

The female detective quickly walked up to Vio, and just as she was about to restrain the Plasma Sage in front of her, her pupils suddenly contracted.

"What kind of code are you using with your fingers?" Lila demanded sharply. "Do you have a seventh elf?"

Vio closed his eyes and sneered. In the next instant, the two geometric snowflakes trapped in the electric grid suddenly lit up with blinding light at the same time. Two "cannon beams" shot precisely at the steel frame node, one after the other—the very spot that Lyra had the Metagross mark earlier.

"Oh no!" Lila instantly understood the other party's intention. Although they were attacking the same node, the order and number of attacks differed, which would lead to completely opposite results.

Raikou attempted to intercept with an "Electric Shock" attack, but the paralyzed Marco suddenly sprang up and rammed into it, deflecting its angle.

The two beams struck the target, "Honkai Impact 1," without any obstruction.

As the old man's triumphant smile played on his lips, the steel frame overhead began to collapse in the opposite direction of what he had anticipated. The broken metal structure crashed down on the second-floor platform like a giant wave.

"He's trying to take us all down with him. Lei Gong, let's retreat!"

Lila acted decisively, backflipping and leaping onto Lei Gong's back.

Golden lightning ripped through the air, and the instant they left the platform, a deafening crash of steel frames came from behind them. Collapsing steel pipes, like the fangs of a giant beast, bit down, and Vio and his elves were instantly swallowed by ice dust and steel.

Raikou generated static electricity on the soles of his feet, propelling the trainer down the vertical rock face.

Just then, a loud "BOOM!"

Another loud bang, and a beam of blazing white light grazed the Thunder God's claws and exploded, leaving shocking scorch marks on the rock wall.

Amidst the flying ice and rock fragments, Lila landed nimbly, having left her partner's back. Her gaze was fixed on the source of the fire—the crimson elf beside Akroma was slowly adjusting the angle of the cannon, the mechanical sound of charging particularly jarring in the cave.

Just as Lila was distracted by Vio, her Metagross had been shot down by the red Steel-type Pokémon with its Beam Cannon, and the Pokémon then turned its attention to her and Raikou.

Fortunately, Lucario and Espeon were still active in the field, fighting against Team Plasma's combatants.

"Such swift movements. So this is the legendary Phoenix Guard from Johto. Can humans really tame them to this extent?"

Sparse applause rang out in front of her, and Akromma stepped forward.

Upon hearing this, Lei Gong arched his back, his purple mane bristling, and a low, rumbling roar echoed from his throat. Electricity crackled around him, scorching the ground with spiderweb-like marks.

"What are you up to?" Lila, who had just put away the Metagross, stepped in front of the scholar and questioned him with an unfriendly look.

But Akromar didn't answer Lila's question, seemingly ignoring her completely as she looked at the legendary elf behind her.

"I'm sorry, but you're far from my idea of ​​'perfection.' However—you'd be quite suitable as a whetstone to test this guy's strength."

The scholar smiled at Lei Gong and gently stroked the Steel-type Pokémon beside him.

With a gentle pat, the Pokémon, which walked on two legs like an arthropod, suddenly lowered its body and transformed back into a disc shape, its four sharp legs pointing in all directions like javelins. Its steel body slowly floated into the air as if weightless, and Lyra could even faintly hear a high-frequency hum emanating from within it.

"This is Genesis's high-speed flight mode, which can exceed the speed of sound. I've heard that the average speed of a lightning strike is four hundred kilometers per second. I wonder if your Thunder God can reach that speed?"

Before the last syllable had even finished, the red disc vanished abruptly. Lila only saw a blur before Lei Gong appeared in front of her like lightning. "Clang!"

The deafening crash of the collision was deafening. Genesect's "Iron Head" collided violently with Raikou's body, and the sparks that flew out illuminated the surroundings as if it were daytime.

"So physical defense is lower than special defense? Hehe, I've collected some interesting data."

Akromar adjusted his glasses with one hand and made a keyboard-like gesture with the other, seemingly sending and receiving information. The red mechanical beast's armor subtly adjusted according to his commands, emitting a soft clicking sound like gears meshing.

Lila instantly became alert—she had seen this situation before in her interactions with colleagues at the Criminal Investigation Department!

"This is the 'Download' feature! The same real-time battle analysis capability as Polygon—"

"Yes, after all, I used the core algorithm from the Polygon B type adaptive research when I was designing it—it's just that this thing still needs to be done manually for now."

A cold glint flashed in the scholar's glasses as he raised his hand and shouted, "Genesis, use the wrong command!"

The ground began to tremble violently without warning, and Akromma nearly fell while running alongside.

The tremor came from deep within the ice!

Lila instinctively turned her head sharply to look at the ice block that sealed the giant Pokémon, only to find it still as silent as ever.

Not that elf? Then what exactly is this vibration?!

Before the detectives could investigate further, a crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out, and cracks appeared under their feet, resembling the surface of a glacier. The sounds of flowing water and the roar of machinery could be faintly heard.

Immediately afterwards—

Boom! ...

The entire cave shook violently, and the hard ice surface shattered like fragile glass.

Water splashed everywhere! Amidst a deafening roar, a giant ram, several meters thick, broke through the ice!

The sharp tip reflected a chilling light, tearing the ice layer, along with the equipment and steel frame above, as easily as paper!