Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 417 The Beam That Shakes the Abyss

Chapter 419 The Beam That Shakes the Abyss

"Stop! Are you trying to destroy the entire base?!"

Vio's roar echoed through the cave.

As he watched as the cannon on the mechanical Pokémon's shoulder began to gather a blinding stream of light, he instinctively raised his hand and unleashed a geometric snowflake. The hexagonal ice crystal instantly released an "Ice Beam," constructing multiple ice walls in front of the sage.

Akroma didn't even move an inch: "What's the panic?"

His glasses reflected a cold, stern light. "I'm not like those old-fashioned relics from the steam age. Only a craftsman with a full set of skills can't control his hammer."

Before the words were even finished, a blazing white beam of light erupted from the Pokémon's cannon. The blinding surge of energy caused the surrounding Team Plasma members to gasp in surprise, covering their faces and exclaiming, "Huh, what's that—?!"

Faced with the strange Pokémon unleashing its attack, Vio suddenly froze. Despite being so close, he felt no explosive impact as expected, not even a wisp of heat.

"I already said," Akromma's voice came faintly from behind the bright light, "Only an amateur would let energy run rampant."

Confused, the geometric snowflakes rose from behind the ice wall. The sage looked closely and saw that the beam of light, powerful enough to melt steel, seemed to have struck an invisible barrier the instant it touched the frozen ground. The energy was perfectly contained within a semi-circular area less than a meter in diameter, without even a single shard of ice being spilled.

It was only then that Vio noticed that the Great Universe Monster, which had been silently floating behind Akroma, was now raising three fingers in a peculiar hand seal posture.

In the direction that Da Yu's strange finger was pointing, a pale purple superpower field, like a transparent test tube, firmly imprisoned the destructive energy within.

"The combination of 'spiritual space' and 'wonderful space'—isn't it an elegant one?"

"Satellite-headed scholar said proudly, spreading his arms as if he were conducting a symphony."

"Mystery Space" can convert a Pokémon's Physical Defense and Special Defense, and with the assistance of "Psychic Terrain," which is rich in psychic energy,

To a certain extent, the physical properties of permafrost can be converted into energy properties—thus perfectly absorbing the "high-tech light cannon" released by Genesect.

Vio's pupils reflected the ever-deepening crater, while the mechanical insect's cannons continuously spewed streams of blazing white light.

Under the constraint of the superpower field, the light was precisely controlled like an invisible scalpel, cutting out a perfectly smooth pit in the permafrost.

"It's ironic," Acromah suddenly sneered, his fingers lightly stroking the remaining empty Poké Balls at his waist. "If you Seven Investors hadn't taken the other four Genesects to trade with Team Aqua, this kind of project could have been completed in an instant."

"The Order only traded them for greater benefits," Vio said in a low voice. "Besides, those things were just a byproduct of the plan. We're not going to give up a well-equipped destroyer just to save a mere ten minutes."

"What's even more ridiculous is that those pirates could even lose such an important weapon!"

Akroma sighed, rubbing his forehead, "Even if it's a byproduct, it's truly regrettable that the equipment we painstakingly developed was seized by Interpol so inexplicably. Fortunately, those people can't possibly have the means to awaken Genesect, so we'll have to recover them one day."

In just a few words, the red steel behemoth had completed a deep excavation equivalent to the workload of a single base drilling rig in 24 hours.

The light blade moved along the "walls" constructed by the superpower field, carving precise straight lines in the frozen soil. The melted ice turned into pale blue energy particles, which floated like phosphorescent flames in the mental field.

However, at this moment, Vio seemed to have discovered something, and his gaze was fixed on Akromma, completely ignoring the progress of the project.

"Wait a minute—." The former sage narrowed his eyes, his voice carrying a subtle meaning, "How did you manage to get Da Yu to use that combination technique just now?"

His fingers unconsciously rubbed his chin: "This is your first time in the Giant's Cave. You only got involved in the project on a whim, so it's impossible that you prepared tactics beforehand. In other words, even if the Genesect's behavior could be explained by a coded signal,..."

But we can't even begin to describe Daewoo's ingenious skill combination.

"Oh? You have good taste."

Akromma lightly pushed her gold-rimmed glasses with her fingertips, and the lenses reflected a light that was different from ordinary glass.

1

"This device—I'll call it the 'consciousness overwriting device' for now."

A dangerous smile curled at the corners of the mad scholar's mouth.

"Isn't my Daewoo monster a bit slow to react because of the long-term suppression of Aya Mushroom's multiple personalities? So, I did a little tampering with its consciousness. By the way, the one I use to operate this Genesect is the same product."

Vio's pupils suddenly contracted.

"This device can take a shortcut and bypass the Pokémon's consciousness," the scholar's voice was eerily soft, "directly controlling its physical actions."

"You actually tried this kind of thing?" The original sage's voice trembled with barely concealed emotion.

Akromah raised his chin dismissively: "What? Are you going to give me an ethics lesson, Mr. Economist?"

No, that's not what I meant.

In a flash, Vio's thoughts raced, his tightly furrowed brows furrowed, and his steady breathing became heavy. His gaze drifted downwards, piercing through layers of frozen earth, landing on the faintly visible gray outline. "If it's this kind of device... perhaps we really can—"

"Oh?" Noticing Vio's gaze, Akromma's eyes narrowed slowly behind her glasses, and the scales in her heart began to tip. "That's a very interesting idea, worth a try."

Their eyes met in the air, and a dangerous consensus was being silently reached.

Deep within the permafrost, the slumbering dragon seemed to sense something; its frozen body suddenly emitted a barely perceptible tremor.

Just as the two Plasma Group executives were plotting, a silent dialogue was unfolding in the shadows at the other end of the cave.

"It seems things have changed." Lila relayed the message through her mental connection with Alakazam.

Despite the great distance, she couldn't hear the conversation between Akromma and Vio, but she clearly saw the high-tech light cannon emitted by Genesect.

The detective's gaze was fixed on the rapidly progressing construction site below. "There's no time for the four-point final assault. Akromma's arrival has significantly increased their efficiency; at this rate, they might complete the excavation ahead of schedule."

"This ambush might turn into a skirmish." The handsome man's gaze swept over the crimson mechanical giant insect, while the delinquent frog on his shoulder nervously puffed out its cheeks. "That Steel-type Pokémon's firepower... if we clash head-on, it'll be difficult for us to suppress it."

"Leave this to me." Lila's resolve was unusually firm. "The key is to find their escape route." Her supernatural senses extended throughout the cave. "We must ensure the encirclement route—"

Suddenly, the rascal's black webbed paw tugged at the handsome man's collar. Following its pointing finger, in the most secluded corner of the second-floor platform...

A circular passage, sealed with a metal cap, lies quietly embedded in the rock wall—fresh wear marks still remain on the edges of the passage.

"A ventilation duct?" Lila asked, her mind filled with doubt.

"No," the handsome man squinted. "Look at the thickness of that metal cover and the lock; this is clearly a meticulously designed emergency escape route. I bet it leads directly to the outside of the cave."

The two exchanged a glance, and a thought flashed through their minds simultaneously: this might be the key to turning the tide of the battle.

"There's no signal here, handsome. You and Alakazam teleport to the outside of the cave to take command. The operation must begin immediately. Alakazam will use his psychic powers to memorize the path of that passage, so you must seal off that exit as quickly as possible."

"So what are you going to do?" the trench coat-clad detective asked.

"I'm here to monitor the Plasma Group's next move, to prevent them from escaping prematurely." She smiled. "Don't worry, I used to be a pioneering brain of the Battle Tower; I can handle this kind of small situation with ease."

“And,” Lila’s voice deepened in the telepathic connection, “I sense something awakening deep within this cave—that oppressive feeling is making me uneasy. We need to speed things up!”

Dozens of meters below them, as the laser continued to shoot out, the gray outline in the permafrost seemed to tremble again, this time more clearly than before.