novel-bin Chapter 372 Epilogue - Final Performance
Chapter 372 Epilogue - Final Performance
Chapter 374 Epilogue - Final Performance
The sea was as calm as a perfectly ironed blue-gray tablecloth, on which a modified cargo ship bearing the Hoenn Alliance flag was slowly sailing away from the island.
Needless to say, these ships were packed full of Lava Team members captured at the secret base.
Although many of the high-ranking officers of Team Magma had already fled the island before this, considering the speed of the escort ship, these unfortunate soldiers on board might return to Hoenn before the so-called "elite" who were struggling to cross the seabed. Thinking of this, the prisoners who were held together all showed bitter smiles.
The sailors on deck were completely unaware of the commotion inside the cabin. Due to the Alliance's information control measures, most of the crew members responsible for operating the cargo ship were unaware of the mission they were carrying out and had no idea how much of a commotion the "cargo" they were transporting on this voyage would cause in the Hoenn region.
At this moment, if these sailors were to talk to each other, they would mostly focus their conversation on the strangely shaped "island" in front of them, wondering why the island was half red and half white, like a deliberately made Poké Ball.
As for the truth about the true nature of the mushroom, there wasn't a single person who realized it.
Meanwhile, a group of five people traveling in the jet "Tornado," along with Kago and Genji, two associates of the Hoenn League, were also present.
Finally, everyone gathered together for the first time under the signal tower in the center of the mushroom cap.
Everyone turned to look at Hugo, waiting for the initiator of this raid to deliver his final closing statement.
The detective in the white jacket, who had attracted everyone's attention, turned his gaze to the Wind and Dew Pavilion Master, who seemed somewhat out of place among the champions: "How's the situation at the signal tower?"
"It's all fixed now. Those marked machine nodes have all been adjusted according to the diagram you provided, but one by one..."
While stretching his shoulder joints, the Flying-type Gym Leader from the Unova region raised his voice and said, "Champion Hugo, let me make this clear: although I can pilot airplanes and perform routine checks, wielding a wrench to repair machines and circuits is absolutely not the job of a Flying-type Gym Leader."
"Thank you for your hard work. But you're not fighting alone on the cell tower, are you? Aren't there other people helping you?"
Seeing the weariness between Miss Fenglu's brows, Hugo asked with some surprise.
"Let's leave aside the fact that Champion Karuni has other tasks, and this Miss Pachira, who claims to be a professional news anchor, is completely useless."
Miss Fenglu turned to Paqira standing beside her, her cheeks puffing out like an electrified flying squirrel, and began to berate her without any restraint.
"She works at a TV station, yet she can't even tune the radio transmitter! Not only was she useless, she almost burned through the control room's wiring with 'Flamethrower'!" She became increasingly agitated, gesturing wildly in the air. "And the Champion too! Even if it was an emergency shutdown of the signal tower, using a Pokémon on delicate equipment was far too brutal! Especially considering we still need to repair it!"
Hugo could only offer an apologetic, wry smile.
The usually composed Fire Elite Four member, Carlos, now showed a rare look of embarrassment, turning his face away as he adjusted his sunglasses: "Well—seeing so many densely packed parasitic vines, anyone would instinctively choose to use an elemental weakness to deal with them all at once, right?"
"All I had to do was reconnect the correct ports; there was absolutely no need to send out a Pokémon!"
Despite exuding a professional aura, Feng Lu unexpectedly managed to overpower King Pachira in terms of presence.
News anchors who are responsible for appearing on television certainly don't need to personally handle the debugging of broadcasting equipment. In fact, even looking at the television media throughout the Carlos region, there are very few professionals who can correctly perform such operations.
However, Miss Pachela seemed to place great importance on the professionalism of her work. Judging from the way she was biting her lower lip, she'll probably be secretly brushing up on her technical knowledge when she gets back.
Seeing that the talks were about to veer off in an odd direction, Hugo decisively clapped his hands to interrupt them—crisp applause echoed under the signal tower.
"Now that the device has been repaired, let's put the specific procedures aside for now." He skillfully steered the conversation. "Miss Karuni,"
How's it going on your end?
"Gardevoir has successfully established a mental link with Agaric."
Champion Kalos nodded gracefully, his calm voice instantly calming the slightly agitated atmosphere. "As expected, Ayam's consciousness exists in an extremely exaggerated, fragmented form. According to the mental information shared by Gardevoir, even conservatively estimated, there are at least seventy individual consciousnesses within this Pokémon. My partner has already exhausted a considerable amount of energy just from briefly communicating with all of them at the same time."
"Over 700,000?"
Upon hearing the number Miss Karuni mentioned, Hugo's brow relaxed.
This unusual reaction did not escape Yueju's notice. A glint of light flashed in the Gambler King's eyes: "Is there anything strange about this quantity?"
The detective nodded. "Akroma and I described the number of consciousnesses as 'approximately one million.' I think even a conservative estimate is over nine hundred thousand, and a researcher like him wouldn't arbitrarily inflate figures in meaningless places."
"That's a difference of a full 20%." Champion Daigo rested his index finger on his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Could this be a trap designed to mislead us?"
"Possibly, but it's pointless," came the reply from Karuni.
"Gardevoir's exhaustion is solely due to the excessive number of consciousnesses communicating simultaneously. In fact, even considering all the individual consciousnesses together, Agaric's personality is very gentle and kind, making it very easy to communicate with. Therefore, even if Gardevoir miscalculated the size of that child's consciousness, those errors will not cause us any harm."
"Hmm, I think I might have some clues about the missing 20% of consciousness," Hugo suddenly spoke up, and continued, "The data Akroma collected is correct, but it's outdated. In the two years since he left Team Lava, Ayam has lost a part of its split consciousness, which is actually a good thing for the plan we're about to carry out."
"You mean those spores that were released?" The news anchor keenly sensed the detective's implication.
"Oh dear, the spores of the mushroom can trigger strange dreams and establish connections with trainers thousands of miles away. It would be strange if there were no consciousness inside them."
Hugo raised a finger at King Pachira.
"The Emerald Slate's effect is merely amplification; it doesn't create new life out of thin air—that's the privilege of the slate's original owner. Therefore, since Ayumu, after its ability reverted to 'Spore,' began continuously spreading its spores into the ocean under the inducement of the Poisonous Slate, the amount of consciousness within its body naturally decreased accordingly—that's the true destination of those 20% of its consciousness."
The Fire-type Elite Four member of the Kalos region frowned unhappily: "Don't tell me you plan to let Agaric continue releasing spores to solve this Pokémon's health problems. Although I'm not an expert in environmental ecology, if this island were to turn into countless spores and completely melt into this sea—"
"Of course not, otherwise I wouldn't have sent you and Miss Fenglu to repair the signal tower."
A subtle smile curved his lips, and his voice suddenly became dramatic—
"There exists a way in this world to completely alter the life form of a Pokémon in a single breath. Not just their size and appearance, but even their innate attributes and ingrained behaviors can be changed. Under such changes, the weak become strong, the heavy become light, and the dull become intelligent—it's almost like realizing a dream." This concept has materialized. I won't list more specific examples, but those of you here are either Champions or Gym Leaders proficient in specific types; you must already have an extraordinary understanding of this miraculous phenomenon.
"Are you planning to evolve this Awful-scented Mushroom into a Flea-shroom?"
Hearing the detective's bold words, Genji's weathered face twitched involuntarily.
If the already enormous Ayak-Mushroom, which rivals a city in size, continues to evolve, just how terrifying a sea monster will it become?
Hugo, however, remained unconcerned: "There's always a limit to the energy within a Pokémon—especially since Agaric has lost all its plates. According to Redspine's testimony, Team Magma abandoned their plan to evolve Agaric into Breloom precisely because they were worried that its evolution might interrupt its growth. So let's do the opposite. Even if we don't achieve the desired results, at least we won't let the situation worsen."
He paused, then continued, "Besides, now is also the best time to help Aiya Mushroom be reborn. Due to the massive spread of spores, the amount of consciousness within Aiya Mushroom is currently at its lowest point in the child's life."
"If my guess is correct, the consciousnesses that left Agaric's body before the spores were mostly the most active and abnormal parts of its split personality. With their departure, the Agaric consciousnesses with more similar thinking patterns were left behind. After a year of selection, Agaric is now more like a consistent independent life than ever before. The fact that Miss Mia can successfully command it to use moves is the best proof. In other words, if we want to cure this Pokémon's split consciousness problem once and for all, there is no more perfect time than now."
"This is the perfect time to unite as one"—the detective waved his arm and said something that sounded like something the Unified Champion would say.
"But you've overlooked one problem." Facing the optimistic detective, the news anchor raised his neatly trimmed index finger and said, "Evolution isn't an easy thing, especially for such a giant mushroom."
"On the contrary," Hugo said confidently with a smile. "For Agaric to evolve right now, it's the easiest thing to do."
"Indeed, it seems some media professionals are looking at the issue too superficially," Blueberry chimed in jokingly. "They only see the limitations imposed by its size, but ignore the enormous energy it draws from the deep sea and the Emerald Slab. Have you considered that the fact that even Team Magma has seriously considered evolution plans means that this operation is quite feasible?"
He gave the Fire-type Elite Four a meaningful look and said, "It would be strange if an Agaric Pokémon raised to this size didn't evolve. Miss Pachira, although you are an expert in playing with fire, don't underestimate the power of Grass-type Pokémon that has been built up over time."
"However, even though everything is ready, there's still one final step needed for it to evolve." Hugo changed the subject, looking around at everyone with a profound expression. "Based on your experience, when a Pokémon's accumulated experience has reached its peak, under what circumstances do they typically complete their final evolution?"
There was no controversy about this answer. The top champions and dojo leaders looked at each other and then said in unison, "A formidable opponent."
"That's it." With a snap of his fingers, the detective's face broke into a wide smile. "To a creature the size of Agaric, a normal-sized Pokémon is nothing more than a speck of dust. To make it take notice, you'd need to be at least the size of a Gigantamax Drednaw. So, I've prepared a stage for you all."
The detective raised his left hand, behind him was the Dynamax Device signal tower that had just been repaired by Fenglu and Ms. Pachira.
"I see." A glint flashed in Steven's eyes. "You had Gardevoir communicate with Amoonguss so that you could ignite its fighting spirit? So that it could engage in a real battle with our Dynamaxed Pokémon?"
"I don't intend for your Pokémon to stand there like targets, getting attacked one-sidedly by Agaric. That kind of training probably won't be very effective. So, you can let your Dynamaxed Pokémon run rampant on this island, and Agaric will retaliate in its own way. It's going to be quite an interesting free-for-all."
"But wait, won't the Foamposite become immobilized due to a split personality like it did with Miss Mia?" Elite Four questioned. "Although it did successfully use the 'Cleanse Smoke' move before, that was only possible under the trainer's explicit command, right? If it were allowed to decide its own battle style, it would definitely fall into the sluggish state caused by the split personality again."
Daigo and Genji nodded in agreement. If the opponent couldn't even move, no matter how high their health bar was, the battle was impossible.
Given their pride as representatives of the Hoenn League, they simply couldn't bring themselves to order a foolish move that would allow Pokémon to feign defeat in front of their opponents. Such a battle would be neither fair nor meaningful.
"Don't worry about that." Hugo waved his hand confidently and turned his gaze to Champion Karuni.
The latter nodded slowly: "I won't send my own Pokémon to participate in this Dynamax battle, but Gardevoir and I will stand on the side of Agarodon. Fortunately, my team has Pumpkin, who is good at Grass-type battles, so we are not lacking in experience in this area. I believe that you will not find the battle boring."
The Queen of the Carlos region uttered such terrifying words with a friendly smile on her face.
What Daigo and his friends were about to face was not a clumsy giant target, but a colossal beast personally commanded by a champion-level trainer. They had no doubt that once Ms. Karney established a connection with Gardevoir and Agaric, this peaceful mushroom island beneath their feet would absolutely transform into a terrifying battlefield—every mycelium would be a deadly weapon, and every spore might harbor deadly intent.
At this moment, Pachira sneered, "So that's how it is. You went to communicate with Agarde alone just to plan this? Aren't you worried that Gardevoir might collapse from mental exhaustion during the battle?"
Karuni smiled nonchalantly, offering no reply, but instead dangled her crystal-clear Mega Evolution Keystone pendant in front of the Demon King.
The Fire-type Elite Four member was speechless. Indeed, even though Gardevoir in its normal state would expend a great deal of energy during the connection, Mega Gardevoir, after unleashing its inner power, could unleash powerful psychic abilities, making it more than capable of sustaining a prolonged battle.
"In addition, there is one more thing to remind everyone."
Detective Hugo then added, "Because the Dynamax devices on this island have been modified by Team Magma, they can consume geothermal energy from the seabed to maintain Pokémon's Dynamax state indefinitely. However, they are not as fully functional as those in the Galar Arena. Therefore, the far-fetched idea of Mega Evolving a Pokémon before Dynamaxing is impossible here and now. Many of you here are experts in Mega Evolving your partners, and you may be limited by these conditions."
"There's no need to use such clumsy provocations against us," Pachira interrupted impatiently, her sharp gaze behind her glasses sweeping over Hugo. "But you, Detective Hugo, as the champion of the Unova region, seem to have kept yourself out of this battle all along."
"It's actually more reassuring to exclude this champion from the battlefield; it's better for everyone." At this moment, Yueju sighed, looking very troubled. "For some reason, this person makes the moves used by the Pokémon around him exhibit some uncontrollable and subtle effects. Even Mr. Alder couldn't stand it. It's better to keep him away from Agaric when the battle starts."
"I'm not really interested in Dynamax battles, and the Tornado is already repaired, so let me use the plane to send Champion Hugo off the island."
Feng Lu immediately raised her hand, her eyes sparkling. She had long felt that this mushroom island was strangely eerie and couldn't wait to leave this awful place.
"Indeed, although Team Magma's Dynamax device can support about five Pokémon to become gigantic at the same time, the partners of the Elite Four champions are probably not something that ordinary wild Pokémon like Drednaw can achieve. It would be more appropriate to reserve an extra amount of Dynamax energy." Hugo thought for a moment, nodded and looked at Fenglu, "Thank you for your help."
"Then it's settled."
Champion Steven was already rubbing his hands together, his blue eyes gleaming with eager anticipation. "I, Champion Genji, Champion Cranberry, and Champion Pachira will each send out one of our Pokémon best suited for Dynamax battles, and we will engage in an asymmetrical battle against Agaric, subdued by Champion Carrion. There is no time limit for the battle, and the area is limited to this mushroom island, until one side is completely defeated."
Even if it Dynamaxes, the Pokémon's size will only reach the initial form of Gigantamax Drednaw, which is a drop in the ocean compared to Agaric's true form. Considering Agaric's almost limitless stamina and the actual commander, Champion Karene, this is practically a battle with no suspense whatsoever.
However, the four challengers were quite excited at this moment: "After battling the sea all their lives, is it finally time to plow the land with anchors?"
Genji Tenno leisurely lit his pipe, the blood-red wings of the Flying Dragon casting a shadow behind him.
"There's only sea nearby, so there's no need to worry about fire safety."
Elite Four member Pachira chuckled as he tossed out a Poké Ball, and the female Incineroar's mane burned like torches around her.
"A match where we're both guaranteed to lose is really boring. How about we make a bet on who can last the longest?"
The gambler combed his flamboyant hairstyle back, and the figure of the hoodlum had appeared in front of him without him noticing.
"No, in any battle, the outcome is unknown until the very last second."
The young master of Devon Corporation stepped forward, and Metagross, launched from its Poké Ball, slammed into its metal forelegs, producing a deafening metallic clang.
"Metamorphose, it seems we can cause quite a ruckus for once. This might serve as a rehearsal for the battle in the Galar arena."
On the other side, opposite the four challengers, Karuni showed no signs of nervousness whatsoever.
"Hugo, I think I understand what you meant by the journey to broaden the imagination that you mentioned before you set off."
The champion of the Carlos region ignored the four people making boastful remarks in front of him, and instead looked at Hugo and said, "In future films, filmmakers must learn to accommodate such vast and illogical imaginations as Oops. And to match such visual spectacles, the screenwriter's plot structure, the director's on-set command, the cinematographer's camera movement, and the actors' performance styles must also change or even evolve."
Her voice, like a movie narration, was rhythmic and gently echoed in the sea breeze.
"The so-called change does not mean that we should deliberately cater to science fiction or fantasy themes, but that the world itself is becoming more and more like a fantasy story, and film is one of the sources of this trend."
"From the day the film industry was born, it has been equipped with a natural 'emerald slab,' where each new film's release whets the appetite of audiences. So, unknowingly, those of us at the top of the pyramid have found that the expectations we need to meet have become an indescribable behemoth. What we must do is face this fact."
Regarding the actress's insights, the detective could only offer a wry smile. "To be honest, I only have a superficial understanding of the film industry. My knowledge comes from listening to some landlords' complaints, and it's far from being inspiring. The so-called inspiration at the time was just bait to further pique your interest—but there's one thing I'm certain of."
"What is it?" Karuni asked curiously.
"An actress like Ms. Karen, who tirelessly strives for the true essence of film, is far less likely to fall into the trap of making a bad film due to a momentary lapse in judgment. And even if such an oversight were to unfortunately occur one day, I believe it wouldn't have a significant negative impact. The hard work accumulated over time will never be easily betrayed, so you should have more confidence in yourself."
"That's exactly the kind of comforting advice you give me," Champion Carlos said with a bright smile. "Did you encourage Cynthia like this back in Sinnoh?"
"For a fighting fanatic like that, a strong opponent is more likely to motivate him than words of encouragement—you must be that type too, right?" Hugo said noncommittally.
"That's really rude. But it's certainly spot on."
Miss Karuni's smile gradually turned dangerous, reminding Hugo of a certain relative. The Carlos regional champion slowly turned to look at Feng Lu—"Miss Feng Lu, how long until your Tornado takes off?"
"The plane is parked on the runway behind us, and it can take off within fifteen minutes if needed," Feng Lu replied confidently.
"Is that so?" Karune nodded, turning back to face Daigo and the others, her smile turning into a chilling glint in her eyes.
"Looks like you're ready too." Champion Daigo looked at Gardevoir, who had appeared next to Karune, and wiped the metal rings on his index and ring fingers with a fierce fighting spirit.
"Then I declare that the battle will begin in fifteen minutes." The world-renowned female star drawled, her gaze sweeping over the crowd before her. "In other words, you have fifteen minutes—you can run away."
The Tornado's engines roared deafeningly, and the jets of air from its turbines left long white trails across the sea.
Hugo, carrying his parachute, looked down through the porthole and once again saw the entire Mushroom Island in its entirety—the red and white canopy gleamed strangely in the setting sun, like a Poké Ball magnified a million times, floating on the azure sea.
"We're about to climb, please hold on tight!" Feng Lu's voice came from the cockpit. The fuselage tilted sharply, and clouds rushed down outside the window.
At that very moment, four dazzling Dynamax beams suddenly shot up from the edge of Mushroom Island, turning the entire sky a brilliant purplish-red.
Hugo gripped the armrest of his seat, watching as four enormous shadows gradually appeared in the beam of light—the Metagross's metallic shell reflected a chilling light, Salamence's crimson wings obscured half the sky, Max Magmortar's fiery mane resembled flowing lava, and the Dynamax form of the Magnus cast an eerie shadow on the sea.
Beneath these four Dynamax Pokémon, the entire Mushroom Island suddenly trembled.
The next moment, tens of thousands of mycelia grew wildly from beneath the sea surface, weaving into a huge network in the air—the "ultimate absorption" of the Ayak-like mushroom.
If Hugo's eyesight were as sharp as a Heartbat sitting in the passenger seat, he could see that Gardevoir was hovering directly above the Dynamax Signal Tower, its psychic field spreading out like ripples, enveloping the entire sea in pink psychic waves.
"This really is...a world straight out of a science fiction movie," Hugo murmured.
He saw Dynamax Metagross launch the first attack, its "Max Steel" slamming into the surface of Mushroom Island with a dazzling tail of light, only to be blocked by a suddenly raised barrier of mycelium just before contact.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of slender fungal cords emerged from beneath the sea surface. As the cords swayed, thousands upon thousands of leaf-shaped spores surged out like a sandstorm, wrapping around the four Dynamax Pokémon above at an astonishing speed.
Is this a "leaf storm"? This scale is outrageous! Can the power of Ayakashi-chan, which mobilizes all its superpowers, really create such a force?
As Hugo pondered, Feng Lu suddenly shoved the joystick sharply: "Watch out!"
A giant beam of light, more than ten meters in diameter, burst out of the water, almost grazing the wing of the Tornado.
"Hey! Watch your moves!"
The Flying-type gym leader yelled into the airplane radio, but all she got in response was the deafening sound of a move colliding. The two moves that collided were Max Infernape's "Max Fire Blast" and Aurafoam's "Solar Beam".
Amidst the violent turbulence, Hugo's last sight was of Karune standing on the psychic platform created by Gardevoir, her white dress fluttering in the sea breeze, giving the four Champions a confident smile.
Behind her, the Dynamaxed Salamence is preparing for a new wave of "Dynamax Fly".
"Looks like we'll have to fly higher!" Feng Lu shouted when communication failed, and pushed the throttle valve.
With a piercing roar from its engines, the Tornado shot like an arrow into the clouds, leaving this epic battle between the sea and sky below.
Hugo later learned that the one who survived the longest in this Gigantamax battle was Elite Four's Gigantamax Coin Slacker.
This Pokémon's "Shedding" ability helped it avoid multiple status conditions caused by "Spores". In addition, Mr. Blueberry cheated on the battlefield, hiding behind his teammates and using "Max Guard" to keep his health up. This allowed him to become the last opponent defeated by Agaric. Only after all the other challengers were defeated did this stubborn Dynamax Pokémon finally collapse amidst the mycelium.
Unfortunately, this brilliant survival performance went unappreciated, and in the end, all Yueju received were three disdainful glances from her teammates.
After this battle, the enormous red and white shadow on the Hoenn League's satellite cloud map has quietly disappeared.
The legend of "Poké Ball Island" became a strange tale told by sailors in taverns while they drank. Only a few night voyagers accidentally witnessed the truth—on a deep night, a sky-blue light flashed like a fleeting flower, illuminating the sea and sky as if it were daytime.
The day after the detective returned to Unova, he knocked on the door of the Dream Lab.
Unexpectedly, he was greeted by Miss Mia.
Hugo had contacted her by phone beforehand, so the impatient look in Miss Mia's eyes spoke volumes.
"I've been waiting ever since I received your call," the girl's voice trembled slightly, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hem of her clothes.
However, the flickering flame of hope in Mia's eyes was abruptly extinguished the moment the detective opened his empty palm.
"Everything in this world has its price." Looking at the expectant girl, the detective sighed. "From a size no bigger than the palm of your hand, it swelled into a giant island comparable in size to a city. Alas, the Mushroom overdrawn too much of its life potential. Therefore, when it evolved, the amplification of the Arceus Slab was completely reversed, and even more so—unfortunately, Champion Karune and the others did their best, but this is the best we could achieve."
Mia's tears fell into the detective's empty palm, creating invisible ripples in the morning light.
Those spores that once wove dreams have now turned into fleeting glimmers of light, like a dream that ended too soon—or so it seems.
"Hey, don't cry." The detective in the white coat nervously withdrew his hands, "Be careful, don't wash away the 'Expectorant Mushroom'!"
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