bookbashuk Chapter 355 Detoxification - Sand on the Plate
Chapter 355 Detoxification - Sand on the Plate
Chapter 357 Detoxification - Sand on the Plate
Azure placed the United States Union's internal affairs department's testimony file on the desk in the champion's private room. The paper made a crisp snap as it hit the table.
She looked up at the detective, who was slumped in a leather armchair. The light from the corridor shone through the blinds, casting stripes of light and shadow on Hugo's face.
"So, you mean," the girl deliberately dragged out the last syllable, creating ripples in the quiet office, "that the Akromma 'poisoning' incident has absolutely no connection to the murders of Voodoo and Selvilik?"
"That's obvious."
Hugo's ten fingers, arranged in a pyramid shape, trembled slightly in front of his nose.
"Anyone can immediately tell the difference just by looking at the forensic photos of the three victims. Both Vudu and Servilik had grimacing faces and died tragically, while our dear Plasma Cluster scholar looked comfortable and relaxed, as if he had just passed out while attending an academic conference."
As he spoke, the pyramid-shaped hands disintegrated. The detective calmly pulled out a photograph provided by the police from his desk; the photograph showed the scene of Akromma's murder.
Upon closer inspection, one can even spot the ankles of Douzi and Heilian. The victim's appearance in the photo is indeed vastly different from what Bilan witnessed of Selvilik.
"In other words, the Union police haven't been able to connect these incidents yet, otherwise they would have reached the same conclusion immediately."
Hugo sighed.
"After all, the so-called toxin was just a simple combination of moves. And the 'electromagnetic wave' used to paralyze the heart could no longer be used after the medical personnel arrived, to prevent the trick from being exposed to the testing equipment."
Hearing this, the detective's assistant couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed. Recalling his thoughts that afternoon, he wondered what he had been thinking, that he had actually connected two such different cases.
"The idea of using a single Kecleon's 'Immobilize' spell to kill someone with heart failure is theoretically feasible, but in practice, it's incredibly difficult. This also shows Lionel's lack of criminal experience. His behavior in the hospital room reflected this; he only needed to have the Kecleon kill Akromma while the doctors weren't looking, but he wasn't confident in the effectiveness and ended up going to the crime scene himself."
"But it was a lucky accident. If he had only sent out one cloaked dragon, Douzi and the others could have easily stopped the crime, and he wouldn't have achieved his goal of killing Akromma—although he ultimately failed."
Azure sat down on the wooden chair opposite the office and said thoughtfully.
"Speaking of which, I really have to thank Vice President Gloria for her help. If she hadn't immediately connected the idea of Lionel to the scheme after hearing the principle behind it, and hadn't mobilized manpower for his clay giant in advance to have the psychic-type elves set up a 'magical space' trap that distorted the direction of the alternate dimension, the culprit would probably be on the run by now."
Hugo shrugged and continued explaining.
"The reason I didn't make the arrest directly, but instead used the two superstars as a smokescreen, was to obtain complete evidence of Lionel's crimes. After all, if the new champion were to purge the league's bureaucrats without any reason right after taking office, it would definitely leave a very bad impression on everyone."
"But until the very end, the head of general affairs never explained his motive for the crime. What was he after?"
Azure looked at the dossier she had placed on the table with a puzzled expression. There was not a single record of Lionel's motive for the murder.
"Who do you think has the most contact with the Unova region, besides the Plasma Team's own people?" Hugo asked, seeing his assistant's puzzled expression.
The girl pondered for a moment, then said, "Probably those information brokers or business partners who need to deal with them long-term. No, these kinds of people usually only cooperate with a fixed group of people within Team Plasma. The ones who truly understand Team Plasma are probably the police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which have always been at odds with them. There might even be people within them who have carried out undercover missions."
"You're only half right—often, the people who understand an organization best are its direct adversaries. In the complex power structure of the Unova region, Team Plasma is not only contending with the police on the surface and the undercover agents in the shadows, but the Pokémon League, as the cornerstone of regional order, has also maintained a delicate balance of power with them for a long time."
The young champion put down the photo in his hand and gazed at the Unova map hanging in the champion's room. "For example, when opponents of the so-called 'Pokémon Liberation Movement' need to appeal a certain illegal construction project, the complaint letter will go through several twists and turns before finally reaching the League's petition department; when protesters organize street demonstrations, the person negotiating with them will inevitably be a League official who is sleepless all night."
"The reason why Team Plasma's King was able to win support from so many sides was naturally due to the cult's overwhelming propaganda offensive. And the reason why those leaflets, publications, media accounts, and even the charitable foundations established in the name of N were so prevalent in the Unova region..."
This naturally involves the authorization and regulations of the alliance organization. "Such trivial matters always need to be handled by someone, and in the United Alliance, the person in charge of these matters is our Alliance Chief of General Affairs."
"That title should now include the word 'ex'," Azure added, following Hugo's gaze as he looked at the map.
Hugo nodded slightly and continued, "It was precisely through this special position that allowed Lionel to gain deep access to all levels of the Plasma Group that he completely sided with the Order—this clandestine collusion almost coincided with the birth of the Plasma Group. It must be admitted that our Alliance Vice President played a crucial role in the organization's rise. Perhaps, for those lower- and middle-ranking members, this Alliance official who extended goodwill to the Order was more approachable than the Seven Sages, who were forever shrouded in mystery. After all, he brought tangible, visible benefits."
"So his purpose in murdering Akromar was..." Azure vaguely understood some of the key points.
"Group Plasma has always held the political ideal of 'rule by wise men,' and the current Seven Sages are all renowned scholars and experts in their respective fields. Just recently, Dr. Vio was defeated by King Lantana on the Royal United Ship, his reputation plummeting, and he was even nominally stripped of his Sage title. Therefore, many began to speculate whether the Sages would elect a new leader to fill this vacancy. At this critical juncture, the balance of power was shifting, and it was at this crucial moment that Akromma appeared."
As Hugo spoke, he slowly rose from the comfortable sofa chair.
"Acromar, a former ally of Team Plasma, is a genius inventor and a staunch technocrat. Although highly regarded by Ghetsis, his past activities outside the Unova region meant that few within the Order knew of his achievements. To allow his abilities to shine, Ghetsis sent this capable new subordinate to the heart of the Unova League, ostensibly to monitor the new Champion's actions, but no one knows what astonishing things he might do behind the scenes—and that's exactly what Lionel is worried about."
"So it was all about vying for power and profit?"
Azure suddenly understood, clarifying the entire sequence of events: "That vice-president enjoys widespread support within Team Plasma, and he also holds one of the Seven Sages' positions left by Vio. Therefore, Ghetsis's exceptional promotion of Acromma clearly touched Lionel's most sensitive nerve. This rising star of scientism not only threatens his own advancement but could also jeopardize his position within the Order. Acromma's current arrival in the Alliance alone—it's like him willingly jumping into the tentacles of a jellyfish—is a golden opportunity. If we can kill this rival in the Alliance building, we can not only clear the path to the top but also weave a flawless, perfect crime."
"Lionel once ran for the position of league president, competing against the current president, and he must still be resentful about his defeat back then."
As Hugo spoke, he unconsciously fiddled with the globe on his desk—an object passed down from the time of former champion Adek.
He sighed softly and continued, "Unfortunately, no matter how hard Lionel tried, everything he did was in vain."
"You mean, even if Akromma is successfully murdered, Lionel will still be unable to become one of the Seven Sages?" Azure asked doubtfully.
"Yes, the Seven Sages will never be replaced. They are not only the highest leadership of Team Plasma, but also the ones who nurtured N..."
This group of mentors for the ideal king is both the beginning of a new myth and the cornerstone of the future kingdom. For Team Plasma, the existence of these seven founders has been imbued with a religious significance; as long as the order's ideals remain, their position will be as unshakeable as a rock.
Hugo answered affirmatively—
"Moreover, whether it is a king or a kingdom, they are nothing more than pawns and chessboards in the hands of Quetzalcoatl. The Seven Sages are ostensibly divided into two factions maneuvering between Quetzalcoatl and N, but all the threads of power ultimately converge in the hands of that ambitious man. As for Vio's current relinquishment and retirement, I think it is also a 'fool's carnival' in which Quetzalcoatl manipulates puppets to advance by retreating."
"That's really complicated," Azure scoffed, showing little interest. "Since this incident was entirely an internal power struggle within Team Plasma and had nothing to do with poisoning, how do you plan to investigate the remaining two incidents?"
"The Akromah 'poisoning' incident was indeed unrelated to the series of poisonings; however, Akromah himself was closely connected to the events."
Hugo pulled a brand-new printed photograph from the table. The photograph showed the strange draft that the Plasma Cluster scholar had written before he was poisoned.
"Akroma originally intended to show this to me, since he had booked a meeting with the champion."
But now that he has met with misfortune, this thing has become a coded test specially created for me.
Hugo handed the photograph of the evidence, covered in calculations and coffee stains, to his assistant, and was pleased to see her completely bewildered expression.
"So, have you solved it?" Azure asked the detective, handing the photo back to him.
"At first, I wasn't sure what this thing meant either. But just now, while the League's Internal Affairs Department was interrogating Lionel, I went to investigate the Pokémon that Acromorma left in the Poké Ball."
"Huh, is that the taciturn Daewoo monster who's as silent as a toy puppet?"
"Yes," the detective nodded. "Unlike its trainer, Acromant, this Daewoo was confined in a Poké Ball for a long time, thus retaining more traces of its past. Guess what I found on it?"
"Is it a scar from a battle? Or does it carry some special item?" The assistant stared wide-eyed, guessing with curiosity.
"If it were really these obvious things, the Alliance would have told us long ago." Hugo shook his head slightly, then revealed the answer.
"It's salt sand, and it's very similar to the salt sand found in the gaps of Servić's suitcase—they come from the same place."
Just then, a crisp knock came from the closed door of the champion's office—
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