blogombal Chapter 234 Under the Shining Star of Victory
Chapter 234 Under the Shining Star of Victory
"I apologize for disturbing you so late at night. My name is Hugo, and I've come here to challenge the Adej champion of the Unova region."
The clear voice and silent footsteps created a stark contrast. The young man in black, who emerged from the corner of the stairs, was like a phantom in the night, followed closely by a petite purple-haired girl.
On the opposite side, the light emitted by the Volcano made their shadows appear enormous.
Upon seeing the two people climbing the tower, King Wanlong covered his mouth in surprise, almost letting out a scream.
Especially the former; Wanlong simply couldn't believe she would encounter this young man named Hugo at this time and place. As for the young man's claim of wanting to challenge the Ardek champion, she thought it was utterly absurd.
Even if the world were about to end, it wouldn't be this person's turn to challenge for the championship.
Hugo ignored the novelist he had met before, politely nodded to the champion inside the tower, and then walked to the center of the floor, directly in the direction where Adek was sitting cross-legged.
Clearly, this is the seat of the challengers, the place where the Unova Elite Four and the Sage of Joggs once fought against the Ardek Champion—the horrific marks left on the ground prove this.
"You're not a trainer from the Unova region, are you? Why are you here competing for the championship title?"
Unlike Wanlong, Adek had never met Hugo before. He didn't get up, but simply raised his thick eyebrows and silently stared at the newcomer.
The detective shook his head and reminded him, "Mr. Adek, the champion is not entitled to choose his challengers."
The fact that the challenger stands here is the sole reason the champion accepted the challenge. Nothing more needs to be said.
"Oh my, these young people these days are even more law-abiding than the old folks!" The elderly champion paused for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
Their bodies, draped in traditional clothing, began to move, and Adek stood up solemnly.
"That's true. After being a champion for so many years and teaching so many apprentices, I've even started to act like an elder. It's really not right... This is a battlefield to witness the passing of the championship, not a battle classroom that I opened in Suanmu Town. We should definitely go all out."
At the edge of the battlefield, Alice, who had moved to Wanlong's side, rubbed her eyes.
"Did I see wrong? Mr. Hugo seemed to have only said one sentence, and it made Champion Ardek look like he was facing a formidable enemy... In the past, no matter how I challenged Grandpa Ardek, he would always hold back in the fight as if he were dealing with a child."
“That man, Hugo, was reminding Mr. Adek of their respective identities at this moment.”
Wanlong stared intently at the two facing off, her eyes shining. After a brief moment of astonishment, she was filled with extreme excitement, eagerly anticipating the next development of the battle.
The pen in his left hand flew across the notebook, writing line after line. Whether he was answering Alice's question or murmuring what he was writing, the novelist continued—
"With just that one brief question, Mr. Ardek sensed Hugo's resolve as a 'challenger.' He, in turn, prepared himself to be challenged. This mindset was completely different from his composure when facing familiar Elite Four trainers, his vigilance when facing treacherous enemies, and his earnest guidance to younger trainers… Perhaps, Mr. Ardek's ascent of the Tower of Heaven, his challenge to all the high-ranking trainers in the Unova region—all these unprecedented actions—were perhaps simply what he was hoping for: this feeling of impending battle…"
Standing in front of Adek, who was clearly energized, Hugo remained expressionless and began discussing the rules of the game with his opponent.
"Both sides use a team of up to six Pokémon for a full-scale battle until one side forfeits or all of one side's Pokémon are rendered unable to battle—isn't that the most basic rule of the Championship Tournament?"
"good."
The elderly champion nodded and held up the Poké Ball to his partner. After a flash of red light, Volcarona returned to the Poké Ball.
The firelight disappeared, and the area became incredibly dark instantly. Fortunately, bright moonlight still shone into the window openings, preventing the tower from falling into complete darkness.
Alder took the Poké Ball tied around his neck with a knot and placed it on the ground in front of him, along with the one containing Volcarona.
There were six Poké Balls in total, which were all the Pokémon Alder was carrying at the moment.
All eyes turned back to the challenger, but Hugo did not immediately reveal his partner like Adek did.
“Before the challenge begins, I think I should invite a referee.”
"The detective in black said, walking toward the square window through which Jogus had once jumped.
The matter agreed upon with N is of course the top priority.
The edges of the window openings, weathered by centuries of wind and rain, are covered with cracks, but these cracks seem insignificant within the nearly one-meter-thick thickness of the tower wall.
By the bright moonlight, Hugo quickly found a relatively deep crevice, covered with some clearly newly formed sand and gravel—Yorgos's method of hiding things should obviously be learned from his ninja subordinates.
Reaching into the crack, the detective indeed touched something. He retrieved a dusty, spherical object from it.
Although you can vaguely make out the structure of the Poké Ball, this thing is unlike any Poké Ball sold on the market.
The black sphere, with its various parts, has an uneven surface. The parts are interconnected by exposed red wires, which are taped to the surface of the sphere with black electrical tape, making it look like a semi-finished mechanical product. Its weight is similar to that of a heavy sphere with metal embedded in it to improve the capture rate.
Hugo tossed and caught the strange object in his hands a couple of times, and quickly found a switch on it that looked like a safety device.
"Looks like this is the place."
Without hesitation, he flipped the switch, and heard the click of the mechanism unlocking in his palm. The safety was released.
Perhaps because the Pokémon inside the ball was still afraid of the cage that occasionally released electricity, the Pokémon Hugo was waiting for did not break out of the ball immediately.
So the detective pressed the button at the very center of the special Poké Ball.
A new light source appeared indoors, besides the moonlight. In the orange light, a Pokémon with buttery fur and orange head and limbs appeared before everyone's eyes.
Its two wing-like tails flapped gently, allowing the Pokémon to float swaying in the air.
"What is this Pokémon? Has it been in the Tower of Paradise the whole time?"
Faced with Alice's curious gaze, Wanlong was equally puzzled—
"I've heard of this Pokémon in the literature... the Mythical Pokémon Victini, a Pokémon that brings victory. I never imagined it actually existed. But why is it here?"
Adeker suddenly realized, "So that's why that Landorus was so powerful. The unnaturalness in the battle was actually the work of this Victini."
Under everyone's gaze, Victini slowly opened her blue eyes, and upon sensing the detective, she couldn't help but stumble.
However, Victini's eyes immediately lit up with joy when it noticed the specially made Poké Ball that had been opened in the detective's hand.
It let out a soft cry, flapped its little wings, and flew to Hugo's side.
"Legend has it that trainers favored by Victini can win every battle. Are you planning to send this little guy to challenge me?"
Aldak rubbed his hands together, eager to challenge the legend.
“No, my partner is someone else,” the detective said, shaking his head.
"Moreover, given this Pokémon's current condition, sending it out to challenge the champion would be too cruel."
Hugo took out a few Pokémon food pellets from his pocket and fed them to Victini, who had been locked in a Poké Ball for who knows how long, while speaking to Alder.
"As I said before, I want this Victini, the Victory Star that can bring victory to anyone, to be the referee in my duel with Mr. Ardek."
The biggest difference between formal competitions and unrestricted open-world battles lies in whether or not a referee is present.