socalfunplaces Chapter 338 Clearing the Way for Rescue in Advance
Chapter 338 Clearing the Way for Rescue in Advance
Upon entering the Alliance headquarters, Hugo and Azure witnessed a truly rare sight—
The two black-clad Heavenly Kings were facing each other.
"Although I am not inclined to comment on the United Federation's hiring standards and overall level due to my status and profession, just considering the aspect of hospitality, the United Federation actually placed a gambling addict in the center of the hall. Isn't your branch being a bit too disrespectful to me, a guest who has come all the way from Carlos?"
"Is it because I look too pale that you're so unhappy, Miss? I'm so sorry, I had really bad luck today. On my way here, I ran into a terrible news anchor. Her inappropriate makeup and accent made me feel a little nauseous."
"Is that so? But I think the reason for your stomach pain is probably because you drank too much cheap liquor in illegal casinos in your younger days, right? Being burdened with gambling debts is not a good habit. Considering that we are both kings, do you need me to introduce you to a reliable doctor?"
"Do media professionals who make a living by fabricating lies actually have friends? It seems the decline of television media has benefited some people. If your fame were like that of actress Karen, you'd probably have to find friends in remote villages with no cell phone coverage."
"Speaking of infamy, it seems there's been some big news coming out of the United States lately. Has that evil king's old habit of being two-faced relapsed?"
"It is you, sir, who still possesses fire-attribute talent only in the area of inciting anger, as always..."
.
"Hugo, were those two really that incompatible?"
Azure poked the detective.
Before them stood the Unova Dark-type Elite Four member, Cranberry, with narrow, squinting eyes and a terrifying fake smile, and the Kalos Fire-type Elite Four member, Pachira, whose fingertips rested on reflective orange sunglasses, displaying a confrontational stance.
"So, I think I heard some rumors when I was gathering information before..." Hugo replied to his assistant while subtly backing away, intending to avoid these two troublesome guys and enter the Alliance Building through another passage.
"Former champion Mr. Ardek is known throughout the leagues for his willingness to mentor younger players. As a result, over the past decade or so, when planning to travel for exchanges, league branches in various regions, including the Carlos League, have tended to prioritize the United League as their first choice—this was also the case when the current Elite Four were just beginning to emerge."
"Could it be that those two developed a grudge during their past sparring sessions?" Azure asked.
"Although it's not as serious as a feud, there are indeed some grudges, which seem to have started with a one-on-one sparring match."
"Battles inevitably involve winners and losers. Trainers can't fall out over a single battle. Did one of them do something excessive?" The girl asked the obvious question, observing the tense atmosphere between the two Elite Four members.
"That might be true. According to what I've heard, both of them sent out Houndoom in that battle. And in that battle, Pachira from Kalos used Mega Evolution, but in the end, it was Tamamo that won."
"Houndoom seems to have the 'Flash Fire' ability, so Pachira, a Fire-type Elite Four member, would indeed have a harder time defeating Cranberry, a Dark-type specialist, with its signature moves sealed... However, sending out an unsuitable Pokémon to face an opponent is also one of the trainer's mistakes."
"The rumors didn't describe the specifics of the battle, but what truly escalated the conflict was what happened after the match." Having finally escaped the two Heavenly Kings blocking the center of the headquarters hall, Hugo breathed a sigh of relief and began to explain in detail to Azure—
"Back then, Lantana was still quite young and impetuous. Seeing that her opponent still couldn't beat her even after using Mega Evolution, she couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks, causing Ms. Pachira to lose face. The day after that Fire-type Elite Four member's defeat, news about Lantana's past gambling activities began to circulate widely in Unova's media. Many people speculated that it was Pachira, who had extensive connections in the media, who was behind it. It seems that the two sides officially became enemies from that time on."
After showing a gold card with a crown design to the guard at another entrance, Hugo and Azure were led into an internal passageway known only to a select few within the Alliance.
"However, the United States and Carlos are far apart, and the two have actually only met a few times over the years, but this grudge has remained."
"So, it turns out that Miss Pachira revealed that Mr. Yueju is a gambler?" Azure asked with some interest.
"No. People already knew about this guy's background when he first became the king of this region. The controversy back then was just some unscrupulous tabloids embellishing old stories. For a king to be affected by public opinion to this extent can only mean that Yueju himself is not mature enough."
A cheerful female voice reached Bilan's ears from the end of the passage, startling the girl.
Looking up, one could see a crystal chandelier spirit burning with a ghostly blue flame above the stairwell. The fire-type king, Pachira, whom one had just seen in the hall, stood beside the former with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.
"Miss Patricia was just having a pleasant conversation with King Linguine, why did you suddenly leave him and come here?" Hugo asked in a completely unsurprised tone.
"It's not a good thing to get too close to gamblers. When I see a more valuable interview target, I naturally have to speed up and follow up."
In the dimly lit inner passage, Carlos's Fire Elite Four member spoke with a slight smile—
"I heard that this internal passage of the United States requires a special pass to use, and even higher-level privileges are needed to bring people through. The fact that you're here suggests that the rumor I heard about the United States champion has hit the bullseye..."
"It seems Miss Pachira has been watching us for a long time."
Hugo, now crowned the new champion, showed no sign of panic. Instead, he calmly turned towards Azure—
"What a coincidence! It seems that the gossip we were spreading in private has been overheard by the person involved. I wonder what Miss Pakira thinks about this matter."
"About that matter," Pachira shrugged, "it's basically all rumors, it's amazing you can remember gossip from so long ago."
"I suppose it's an occupational hazard from the past, but what's the real situation?" Hugo pressed.
"The battle you mentioned that caused my feud with Yue Tachibana was actually just a coincidence. My opponent was supposed to be the Ghost-type Elite Four member Wanlong, but the bestselling author was forced to be late because of an editor who came to visit, so the gambler had to take his place. The idea of having both sides send out Houndoom for a mirror battle was proposed by Yue Tachibana."
The Fire-type Elite Four member of the Kalos region instantly revealed a gritted-teeth expression, and then said—
"Houndoom is the first partner that can work with me to use Mega Evolution, and I have a lot of confidence in it. So, after declaring that I would use Mega Evolution, I agreed to battle that gambler, believing that even if his Houndoom's ability is 'Flash Fire,' I was absolutely confident I could defeat him."
"How did the battle end up like that?" Azure, intrigued by the past between the Heavenly Kings, couldn't help but ask.
"The Black Houndoom's ability isn't 'Flash Fire,'" Pachira said with a sneer, "but rather 'Early Bird,' which wakes Pokémon from sleep earlier."
"After I Mega Evolve Houndoom, the Orange Houndoom used the move 'Sunny Day,' causing my partner to suffer continuous stamina loss due to the 'Solar Power' ability after Mega Evolution."
"At first, I mistakenly thought that this was a tactic of attrition that he deliberately used because he relied on Houndoom's 'Flash Fire' ability. So I took advantage of the superior Special Attack ability of his partner after Mega Evolution, as well as the Special Attack boost caused by 'Solar Power', and launched a strong attack on the Houndoom of the Orange with Normal-type attacks such as 'Hitman'."
"Meanwhile, Lanting equipped his Houndoom with a healing berry and constantly used harassing moves like 'Pain Split,' 'Protect,' and 'Roar' to stall me. However, due to the difference in the two Houndoom's base stats, I maintained the advantage... Just as I was about to unleash my final blow, that shameless gambler revealed his trump card."
"Is it... the 'Sleep' move?" Azure murmured, her senses particularly sharp when it came to Pokémon battles.
Get a good night's sleep and restore all of the user's energy.
Due to the "early riser" characteristic, this skill can save up to half of the sleep time.
"Yes, my Mega Houndoom was gradually becoming exhausted from prolonged use, while the Houndoom from the Moonstone was constantly recovering its HP. When I realized that the opponent's ability wasn't 'Flash Fire,' and tried to have my partner use a Fire-type move to deliver the strongest attack that negated its type resistances, the 'Sunny Day' that Moonstone had created at the start of the battle, as well as the 'Solar Power' boost under Sunny Day, had already disappeared. The opposing Houndoom launched a counterattack."
In the flickering light of the crystal chandelier, Pachira gave a self-deprecating laugh—
"That's how I lost the match. I think he already had that trick up his sleeve when he suggested it. Of course, looking back now, not being able to disrupt his plans sooner, and not using 'Taunt' to break the gambler's rhythm because of overconfidence, was also a sign of my immaturity at the time—anyway, that's how it was. Although I'm unwilling to accept it, I can at least say I lost fair and square. Any Pokémon Trainer could understand, right? No one would hold a grudge because of a battle like that."
"What about the rumored provocation by Yueju after the match? I don't think that description is entirely unfounded," Hugo asked, shaking his head.
"That was part of the post-match discussion. The gambler told me that he temporarily changed his Houndoom's ability using an Ability Potion. I guess my surprised expression at the time led those who like to spread rumors to misunderstand."
"So, those news reports exposing Yueju's past weren't published by Miss Pachira?" Azure asked.
"If I really wanted to ruin someone's reputation, I wouldn't use such a low-key method," the Fire King said gently. "Besides, smearing someone's face is no fun. If you're not careful, the person who's trying to smear them will end up filthy themselves. Even if I were narrow-minded, I wouldn't waste my energy on a gambler who's going to bring about his own downfall."
After hearing Pachira's explanation, Azure was still puzzled: "Then why were you still so confrontational with King Yueju in the Alliance headquarters hall?"
"There's no reason why," Carlos's Fire Elite Four member scoffed. "There will always be some people in the world who are born annoying, and I just don't like that guy."
At the same time, the door at the end of the passage opened.
Under the suddenly brightened lights, the gambler king with his exaggerated hairstyle stood there.
Cranberry raised her hand to her forehead—
"Ugh, my luck is really terrible today. I opened the door and saw such an annoying character."