bookbashuk Chapter 259 Stars - This is how we came to be.
Chapter 259 Stars - This is how we came to be.
Chapter 261 Stars - This is how we came to be.
Almost the instant the red spectacle appeared outside the window, a piercing wind accompanied by a surge of heat swept in.
In an instant, the fire moth, its entire body enveloped in crimson flames, rushed into the Tower of Heaven like a fiery red meteor, leaving behind only a window frame that had been melted and deformed by the intense heat.
The semi-dried lava, like a layer of viscous black mud, hung on the originally smooth and clean stone windowsill. The slowly moving lava emitted white smoke and made a hissing sound like a snake flicking its tongue.
With the return of the champion ace, the dimly lit cemetery at night seemed to be bathed in the blazing midday sun. Under the radiant light,
Tombstones, bricks, rubble—everything in the area reflected a golden glow.
"Grasshopper Turtles, 'Wide-Area Defense'."
Although his pupils had not yet adjusted to the sudden bright light, the detective, with his eyes closed, gave an order to his partner in advance.
The target wasn't Garchomp, but a Grass-type beginner Pokémon with negligible strength.
The Turtwig was also blinded by the light, but upon hearing its trainer's command, it instinctively unleashed this defensive skill, a skill born from its bloodline.
Without needing to aim, a thin, earthy-yellow light barrier descended in front of the three Pokémon, perfectly concealing all the Pokémon behind them. It was like a larger, thinner, and more resilient "Protect" light barrier.
Just as the Turtwig released its skill, the Volcarona in the Steadfast Stance suddenly flapped its six wings, and the air around it seemed to come alive, flowing violently.
The overwhelming scorching wind not only dispersed the smoke from the two smoke bombs, but also transformed into an incredibly powerful heat wave that attacked Hugo's side.
The wind pressure released by the opponent had just touched the light barrier when the Turtwig, which was maintaining its move, couldn't help but show a strained expression. This heat wave wasn't a skill that Volcarona intentionally used; it was just a breeze it casually fanned out to dispel smoke. "Wide-Area Guard" is a specialized defense specifically designed to deal with area attacks. Theoretically, it can perfectly block not only strong winds but also genuine "hot winds."
However, the difference in strength between the two sides was too great. After just one exchange, the Turtwig that unleashed its attack was in danger.
"Wide Area Defense" collided head-on with this massive heatwave—the user of the move exerted all their strength, sweat pouring down their forehead, and even the tender shoots on their heads, which were curled up by the high temperature, were shaking and throbbing as if they had been equipped with electric motors.
Even so, the difference is still the difference. In the casual gusts of wind created by the Volcano Moth, the yellowish-brown light curtain still began to sway uncontrollably.
Just as Garchomp was about to lend a hand, Turtwig suddenly seemed to have a flash of inspiration.
Intentionally or unintentionally, the light screen of "Wide Area Defense" was adjusted to a tilted angle.
This adjustment had an immediate and remarkable effect.
The light screen slightly shifted, instantly redirecting the visible, surging heat wave towards the sky, narrowly averting a crisis before the attack was completely thwarted.
"Hmm, so this is the level of difference in power between the two sides. Seeing is believing, no matter how much I speculate."
Hugo stroked his chin, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bictini behind him, who had also become breathless for some reason.
It was at this moment that Champion Ardek, along with Agile Bug and Knight Snail, emerged from the misty graveyard and reunited with Volcano Moth, who was already in the open area.
"I thought you'd keep hiding forever, Detective Hugo."
Naturally, Aldak stood next to his old partner, Volcarona, and called out towards the stairwell.
"The weak rock crabs hide in hard rocks, the unevolved earth-dwelling ninjas and Trapinch-like ants like to bury themselves deep under thick sand, and iron ants live in swarms in burrows. I don't think that the weak hiding their tracks and setting traps is a vile strategy—because it's the only way they can defeat the strong. To be honest, I'm a little surprised to see you standing here now. Upright defeats are everywhere; why not continue to cunningly pursue the possibility of victory?"
"We can't win," Hugo shrugged, stating his reasoning.
"The Tower of Heaven is only so big. Where am I supposed to find so many traps for you? Besides, your Volcarona is already this powerful. Once it joins forces with you, the champion, there will be almost nothing in the world that can threaten you. No matter where I hide, the outcome won't be much different. Instead of wasting time like that, I might as well try my luck here."
As always, he remained calm and objective, yet also nonchalantly indulged in his own desires.
Adek had no doubt that the young man before him had lived his life with this attitude so far.
"Before we get to that, let me explain some minor issues, as a kind of recap, although I think you probably already guessed it, Mr. Adek."
Hugo adjusted the cuffs under his black trench coat and chatted casually.
"The timing of Garchomp's sneaking to the top floor was towards the end of the battle on the fifth floor. Taking advantage of the dim environment and the confusion caused by the 'Mist' move, I created the illusion of switching Pokémon. In reality, I didn't recall Garchomp to its Poké Ball at all. Instead, I had it lie prone in a corner of the fifth-floor ceiling and silently use 'Dig' to slowly dig a tunnel leading to the top floor. Afterward, I had Garchomp, once on the top floor, use its body to block the entrance of the tunnel, preventing moonlight from entering. In this way, its presence could be completely hidden from the Tower of Heaven, which led to that incredibly stunning high-altitude dive magic."
"When Chimchar battled the builder on the fourth floor, I was actually in the nearby graveyard. The most dangerous place can sometimes be the relatively safest place; this is a blind spot in psychology. Volcarona and you just passed by where I was, one after the other, and went down to the next floor."
"Actually, the burrow where I was hiding was dug by Garchomp before we climbed the tower, and the residual insect repellent spray on this jacket also protected me from the interference of wild Pokémon on the fourth floor. In fact, if you think about it objectively for a moment, you should be able to imagine how precise and intense Pokémon battles like Chimchar's could be. How could you possibly judge the timing of commanding your Pokémon just by listening to the sound through headphones? If I hadn't been there in person, I would never have been able to achieve a victory like defeating the Constructor."
The aged champion stared intently at the detective for a long time before finally speaking, "As the champion, I don't have the right to criticize my challengers. However, consider this my whim; could you answer one question for me?"
"Please speak, but I cannot guarantee that I know the answers to all your questions."
Adek's weathered yet resonant voice rang out, posing a question that surprised the audience: "Hugo, what exactly is your reason for fighting?"
"There are many reasons."
Without a second thought, the detective in black answered with little interest.
"Someone asked me to come and see the Volcano Moth, someone commissioned me to go up to the fifth floor to do something, someone's arrogant ideas aroused a little bit of my competitive spirit, and someone's invincible demeanor makes me want to do something to surprise him."
"But these aren't the real reasons, are they?"
Interrupting the detective, the elderly champion pressed relentlessly, "Your preparations, your tactical planning, your on-the-spot responses, your actions—all these combine to form an unwavering, self-consistent 'awareness.' As your opponent, I can assert that this courage and determination are not based on perfunctory excuses. Both despicable and reserved, both soft and firm, both persistent and fickle, I have never seen such a wondrous resolve, and therefore I want to understand the reasons behind it."
"Wouldn't it be better to discuss these things after the match?" Hugo avoided the gaze of the Ardek champion.
Asked casually.
"After the outcome is decided, no matter how frank the communication is, people's words will always carry a hint of insincerity."
Alder looked intently at the detective. "Just as some emotions can only be conveyed through battle, some deepest thoughts can only be uttered when the outcome is uncertain—that's the meaning of Pokémon battles."
"Mr. Ardek, you're getting more and more of a know-it-all. Even now, after all this fighting, are you still trying to teach me to listen to my own inner voice?"
When Hugo tried to evade the topic, the champion didn't respond. Instead, he strode forward with his three ace Pokémon—Sneaker, Agilebug, and Volcarona—and gradually approached the detective's direction.
The agile insect glided across the ground, its sticky, soft body leaving trails on the paving stones, the sound of water dripping imperceptibly; the knight snail dragged its heavy armor, producing a grating metallic scraping sound; the fire moth floated through the air, not touching the ground, yet one could almost hear the cracking of the rocks beneath its feet as they heated up. Among these sounds, the resolute and powerful footsteps of the Ardek champion echoed throughout, serving as the main theme.
Without using any tricks, the unique aura of the three powerful Pokémon overlapped with each step, like a "round," as if each step was treading on the challenger's heart. Their almost tangible aura was like a mountain collapsing before them, making them feel fear.
The Garchomp on the detective's side reacted immediately—it widened its dark golden vertical pupils, spread its arms like scythes in front of the trainer and the two beginner Pokémon, fiercely guarding them, and continuously emitted low dragon roars, as if in a show of defiance.
A flicker of fear crossed the eyes of the turtle and Piplup, but they still managed to stand firm.
Even far from the battlefield, Wanlong and Alice couldn't help but shift their gaze slightly away from Champion Adek, as if avoiding the champion's sharp edge: Bictini even fearfully hid behind Alice's heels.
Faced with such overwhelming power, whether out of fear, courage, a desire to protect companions, or a willingness to step forward, anyone would instinctively act on their own impulses. Just as celestial bodies, under the guiding light of stars, will simply follow their predetermined orbits.
On the third floor of the Tower of Heaven, Hugo, the only one who hadn't moved, sighed softly. "Long ago, I gave up on the thankless task of dissecting myself piece by piece with a scalpel. So before this, I really hadn't thought about the reasons for what I was doing. Why did I even have such a childish and boring idea as challenging the champion? Only now have I finally remembered something."
The footsteps stopped, and all was silent.
"It was an agreement, I guess. I made an agreement with some guy who was about to die that we would pack up the problems that needed to be solved and hand them over to our future selves. I originally thought that package had arrived months ago, but when I stood in the distance looking at the Tower of Heaven, it felt like I received a second delivery across time."
Information conveyed by facial expressions is much harder to recall than information conveyed by sound. It wasn't until now that the detective had finally managed to unearth that amber-colored friend from his long-forgotten memories.
Looking up at the crater in the ceiling where Garchomp had smashed it, Hugo gazed at the starlight reflected from the moon, a look of nostalgia on his face.
"As expected of the renowned Tower of Heaven in the Unova region, it's truly a wonderful place for souls to return—"
Fortunately, the timing of this second attempt was not uninteresting either.
Halfway through Hugo's reminiscing, just as Adek thought he had something more to say, the detective took action.
While everyone was still confused by his nonsensical words, the detective in black suddenly changed his tone and gave orders to his partners standing there: "Turtle, 'Flash,' 'Bluff,' Piplup, 'Ultra Sound,' 'Feather Dance,' Garchomp..."
Hugo looked at his first and least destined partner, who was also looking at him seriously, his eyes burning with a star-like flame.
""earthquake"! "