"How are Mr. Adik and Vulcan Moth doing?"

After explaining the question of the coin game, Lingonberry turned to Lian Wu and asked.

The tavern box, which no one cared about, had completely become a meeting room for the secret discussions of the Four Heavenly Kings at this time.

Champion Adek had two Vulcan moths, one old and one young, but needless to say, the four Heavenly Kings present all knew which of them the lingonberries were referring to at this time.

"Vulcan Moth has completely recovered its spirits, and the accumulated injuries and illnesses seem to have all disappeared, and its momentum is even more vigorous than its past peak. Alas...... The day has come. ”

These should have been cheerful words, but Lian Wu's face was full of sadness when he told the truth.

Born from a cocoon of flames, the Vulcan Moth will bring light to humans when dust obscures the sun, and will shine on the world instead of the sun in the icy and bitter lands.

This elven way of life is as arrogant as fire. Compared to other Bug Pokémon, their race is much stronger on average, and their longer lifespan gives them a wider range of possibilities - but there is an end to their lives.

In ancient murals, the moth, the god of fire, who spreads its wings of flame, is worshipped as a god; In the ruins of the ancient kingdom deep in the desert, there have also been sightings of the Vulcan Moth, which has been dormant for hundreds of years......

However, life in dust and sleep is worthless—at least for Adek's original partner, who prefers to turn itself into a burning flame that will light the way for his chosen one in less than seventy years.

When the sun of life in the body is about to be extinguished, the Vulcan Moth will show symptoms of lack of energy, laziness and drowsiness. After entering this period, the "body of flames" that is immune to all diseases will also lose its effectiveness, and those diseases that were dispelled by the flames in the prime of life will also return.

Just like other insect Pokémon that have entered the aging stage, at this time, the original sun-like Vulcan Moth will also become dry wings, cloudy eyes, and weak...... Just releasing a move will make you feel sore, just letting out a chirp will make you hoarse, and just wanting to see more of the outside world will be stopped by the sudden drowsiness.

However, even if this period of aging is like a year, there will be an end to it.

Different elves exhibit very different behaviors when facing the end of their lives – but the Vulcan Moth is undoubtedly the most mythical of them all.

On the verge of death, the Vulcan Moth will burst out with unprecedented life force, and in a few short days, it will completely recover its health.

The blazing flames turned into new wings, dispelled the disease again, and once again flew into the sky, shining as brightly as the sun and gods......

But everyone knows that this "rehabilitation" comes at a price.

- The price called "death".

This is not so much a miracle of returning to the light as the last glimmer of mercy that eternal nothingness bestows on life.

Upon its return, the Vulcan Moth's fully restored body will become hotter and hotter. If you look closely, you will find that its original insect shell is disappearing little by little, and the flames in its body are gradually replaced by materialized flames, and finally turn into a burning flame, which suddenly disappears in the dazzling light.

This is a phenomenon that has long been discovered and recorded by the elven doctors of the United Region, and it is also an important reason why the fire god moth was deified and regarded as the incarnation of the sun in ancient times.

Obviously, the old partner of the Adek champion has finally come this far.

Lingonberry sighed, the King of Martial Arts didn't mention the current situation of his master at all, and of course.

The Vulcan Moth, who has been with him since childhood, has become what it is now, and how the old man who values love and righteousness will react is not necessary to say much, let alone bear to say more.

"You don't have to feel guilty at all, and it was definitely the right decision to avoid a head-on battle with the Plasma Regiment."

Seeing that Lingonberry was silent, Lian Wu mistakenly thought that he was regretting that he did not take the opportunity to destroy the plasma group, and hurriedly explained-

"In the current situation, neither the master nor the Vulcan Moth can become an effective combat force against the enemy. If the Plasma Regiment were to be transformed into an illegal organization overnight, the Alliance's forces would not be able to guarantee the safety of citizens in all areas of the Order's distribution. Also, the Vulcan Moth, which is gradually turning into flames, may be uncontrollable, and in the event of an unexpected event, there is even a danger of rampage and destruction of the city, although I don't think such a thing will happen. ”

The King of Martial Arts had a stiff expression when he said this, only the last sentence of the supplement came from the bottom of his heart, and as for the first half, it was obvious that he was relaying someone else's evaluation report.

According to the street fighter's usual personality, he definitely can't think about the cause and effect of the incident so thoroughly, so he must have helped the family who pretended to be casual on the sidelines.

"Even if there is no risk, I don't want to disturb Mr. Adek's last moments with his partner."

Lingonberry replied with a bored expression, his fingers tapping on the table in turns—

"It's a small thing like destroying a plasma mass, you can do it whenever you want, and you don't need to worry about it."

"Although this line sounds handsome, if you think about it, it is no different from my usual excuse for delaying the manuscript, right?"

As if he wanted to bring the atmosphere in a relaxed direction, Wanlong deliberately dismantled the stage and ridiculed, but it had no effect.

I'm sorry, but in real-world social communication, no one is interested in wordplay.

"So......" Lingonberry looked around at the three Heavenly Kings beside him, "what are we gathered here for today?" ”

He was increasingly confused.

Vulcan Moth is on the verge of death - according to common sense in the world, shouldn't this be the time to visit Mr. Adek and provide him with moral support?

Even if this support does not help to alleviate the grief of the person concerned, it is still meaningful, and it can make people feel that they are in the context of a relationship, and that they are not alone, even if they are suffering.

In addition to the Gambler Heavenly King, the three Alliance Heavenly Kings glanced at each other and decided to tell the bilberry the true situation.

"Master, he...... Plans to resign as champion. ”

As a representative, it was still Lian Wu who answered, his eyebrows were low, and his resolute face showed hesitation for the first time.

"At a time like this?" Bilberry raised an eyebrow, but wasn't too surprised.

Ever since Vulcan Moth became seriously ill, Adek had entered a semi-retired state, and he no longer participated in all the affairs of the United Alliance, except for the necessary league events, and entrusted all the power of the championship to the remaining four kings.

And to be ashamed, even if Adek is disheartened because of his partner's serious illness, the four kings of Lianwu, Lingonberry, Wanlong and Gadelia are still not his opponents in the league competition. The four of them showed no mercy in the battle, and even had a sense of mission to help Adek unload the burden of the title, but unfortunately did not succeed once.

This may not be a lack of experience and strength, but a lack of something that Adek calls "enlightenment".

What exactly is "enlightenment" - the old man himself can't explain it, he always wears a cheerful smile like a mask, hastily leaves a few words of guidance after the game, and strides away from the arena. He then returned to the hospital's convalescent unit, caressing his old friend's red wings at his bedside, and spitting on his record in the league.

In this way, under the current situation of the champion's "reign but not rule", the Alliance's control over the United Territories has declined a lot, so much so that he, the evil king, has to go undercover himself in order to find an opportunity to deal with the plasma group.

The fact that the old man, who had remained strong but in agony, was about to step down as champion, was not incredible, but rather gave the feeling that it had finally arrived.

"There's still a long time left before the Championship Challenge, is Mr. Adek planning to put you in the place of Champion for the time being?"

Lingonberry looked at Xiang Lianwu, who he believed was the solution that best met the wishes of all parties.

The four Heavenly Kings present were not superior in strength, and in terms of personality, Lian Wu was the most suitable candidate.

The martial artist shook his head: "The master intends to make the person who defeated him the champion of the United Nations." ”

What does that mean?

The Evil Heavenly King's brows furrowed, and he almost immediately thought of a bad conjecture, and asked sharply-

"Where is Mr. Adek at this time?"

If it is in Arimu Town or the Alliance Headquarters, it is better, the former is located in a remote area, and it is far away from the sphere of influence of the plasma group, even if it causes a storm, it can be controlled in advance; If they were near the Alliance, the four Heavenly Kings would be here, and they could also screen out ill-intentioned challengers for Adek......

"The exact location is not known at this time." It was Wanlong who answered the question—

"However, he left a letter at his home in Arigi Town, saying that he would meet anyone's challenge at the Tower of Heaven in Fukiyoshi City, along with the Vulcan Moth."

"The news has been made public."

Gardelia, who had not spoken, opened her mouth and added-

"Inspired by the prophecy, Champion Adik is walking towards the Tower of Heaven, where many elite trainers have already gathered.

Adek's intention is clear: he will wait at the top of the Tower of Heaven like the final boss in an RPG, where he will defeat all the challengers one by one – and if anyone can defeat them, he will give the title to the person who defeated him.

Although this method of bestowing positions was somewhat irregular, the old man, as the champion of the long-time United League of King's Landing, had this wayward prestige and power.

There are many features of Pokémon Battle; Defeating foreign enemies, honing skills, and deepening emotions, but for a trainer of Adek's level, there is no need to distinguish between the purpose and the means of combat.

Climbing to the pinnacle of Pokémon battles is incomparably significant in itself, and everything else is good because battles speak for themselves.

Only strong can prove strong, and the peak can prove the peak.

As early as more than sixty years ago, when the red-haired boy stretched out his hands to the burning insects that had not yet evolved, the Vulcan Moth decided to "fight for him" as his life's pursuit.

And the boy at the beginning was also determined to respond to his partner's mood with the best battle at the end of Vulcan Moth's life.

The Vulcan Moth's peak is only a few days, and you don't need to invite champions from all over the world, just witness the pinnacle of the United Region - it's a kind of passing on the torch. However, if those champions can catch up, it is okay to play against them.

For Vulcan Moth, whether the game is won or lost, it is like the completion of a work that has lasted for decades.

- from the beginning to the end of life.

The worm of the god of fire, which is turning into the sun, will imprint its splendor on the summit of the resting place.

It is a festival of the dying king.

"In other words, if no one defeats Adek at the end of Vulcan Moth's life, how will the champion belong at this time?"

Lingonberry reviewed what he knew and asked Wanlong in a confirmed manner.

"It was written in the message that in this case, he would also step down as champion and cede his position to his favourite among the challengers."

"So ......"

There was a playful sneer on the gambler's face.

"In this message, there shouldn't be a clause prohibiting our four defeated generals from participating in the challenge, right?"

The other three Heavenly Kings looked up at the same time, and although their appearances and side businesses were very different, their expressions were exactly the same at this moment.

"No, and that's why we're here."

Adek's number one disciple replied in a deep voice, his words containing unshakable determination.

This was the beginning of a cooperative operational meeting.

。

In Raven City, Detective Hugo walks off the subway alone.

The fact that the bilberry has voluntarily abandoned the gamble is a bad sign, and it is a sign that there may be a movement between the top small groups in the United League.

Anyone who follows the movements of the United Alliance will know that at this point in time, one thing is bound to happen, and that is the death of Adek's initial partner.

According to the custom of the United States, Adik would go to the Tower of Heaven in Fukiyoshi City to bury his partner. And the spirit of the Vulcan Moth will have an incredible period of activity before death, so there is a high probability that some dramatic things will happen there.

Hugo had to leave there because it was his agreement with Sinnoh champion Zhulan - Hugo owed a favor to the other party as the price of borrowing Zhulan's alternate Pokémon in the case of the murder of the geologist.

It's too chilling to care about human favors between sisters and brothers, so it's better to help each other. In the past, Zhulan had been taught by Adek, so she asked her younger brother Hugo, who was in the United Public, to attend the funeral of the fire god Moth in her place.

Detective Hugo was not wearing his trademark white blazer at this time, but was dressed in clean black. He wasn't paranoid enough to wear a glaring white coat at someone else's funeral - though, it scared Douzi and Blue enough before heading out.

"Really, there is no reason for a funeral to be attended by a generation."

He muttered and complained, but he actually knew the reason why Zhulan ordered him like this.

There's a knot in the detective's heart, which is why he'd never adopted a Pokémon before coming to the United - Zhulan knew the secret buried in his heart and thought it would help him to attend the ceremony.

"I don't need you to do anything, just stand aside and witness all this on my behalf." - This is a message from the champion of Zhulan.

As for why Hugo was in Raven City at this time, and did not go directly to Fukiyoshi City, where the Tower of Heaven is located, it was because of a personal interest.

When it comes to the interest of detectives, it has to be to test their own reasoning!

Silently counting the number of streets passed, Hugo had already arrived in the city center of Raven City, and after turning several alleys, Hugo finally found a suitable target-

It was a shop between two rows of residential buildings, the storefront was obscured by the shadow of the building, and if you were to find one of the most humble grocery stores in Raven City, it would be this one.

Walking into the store, he was greeted by a young clerk who was playing with his mobile phone, and the salary received by the clerk was obviously not enough to motivate him to show much professionalism.

The detective called him up unceremoniously—

"Do you sell poker in the store?"

The clerk pointed to the shelves next to it, on which there were different styles of poker sets, all of which were cheap street stalls.

There was no dust on the plastic sleeve that wrapped around the box, which made the detective's eyes stare at him.

Unlike his sister, Hugo, who bought something, did not hesitate at all, picked out four different styles from the poker and decisively paid for the bill.

"That's right."

Before leaving, the detective pretended to be nonchalant and asked—

"How's the security going around here? I think I've heard about thefts recently? ”

The clerk who picked up the phone again thought for a while: "It's not good or bad, I heard from a colleague who changed shifts that the door lock of this store was picked open once not long ago, but nothing was stolen, probably a prank by a bored child." ”

"There's the kind of kid who picks the lock in the middle of the night and thinks he's amazing." Hugo said in accord.

"It's not, it's definitely that I've watched too many crime movies, so I think this kind of thing is interesting." The clerk nodded approvingly.

Leaving the grocery store, Hugo immediately unpacked one of the decks of playing cards.

He didn't even look at the suit and numbers on the front, but spread the whole deck of poker face up in the palm of his hand, and then flipped it quickly.

Like flipping a business card in the Feather Mansion, like a continuous film playback, like the principle of cinematic imaging, Hugo looked intently at the flying and still card back in his hand.

Flipped over and over again...... Turning it hundreds of times so intently, he saw it just when Hugo's eyes began to sour.

- The truth of the ruse.

Somewhere in the upper center, in a completely unobtrusive diamond pattern, there is a pixel that changes position as the card turns.

The diamond has four sides, corresponding to four suits, and different positions represent different points.

This is where the confidence of the bilberry gorgeous gambling skills lies.

He opened three more packets of cards, and although the patterns were different, there was still a diamond in the same position, and as the cards flipped around, the inconspicuous pixels crawled slowly along the four sides.

Hugo pursed his lips and twitched his shoulders slightly, trying to resist the urge to laugh.

The store I visited just now was the most unobtrusive grocery store in the entire city of Raven, and even the cards in this store were tampered with, which means—

The entire city, Raven, where the United Royal docked, had all the poker cards sold in that Gambler King replaced.

Not only that, but just in case, the cards on the Royal United and the Plasma Cluster also all suffered the same fate.

Hundreds of different styles of cards, thousands of shops selling cards along the street, tens of millions of perfectly forged magic cards – how much does it cost to carry out this ruse?

Hugo was too lazy to calculate, but the result must have been much smaller than the astronomical figure in the business war of 10 billion cash.

The peaceful, smiling people of Raven walked towards the football field and the opera house, and no one noticed the devilish gambling tricks in the street grocery stores.

These playing cards will flow to all corners of the world as the merchandise spreads, silently dying as their expiration date ends, and no one will know the truth about them except for bilberry and his collaborators, as well as a detective dressed in black.

"If you weren't in a hurry, you really wanted to find a casino in Raven City to make a fortune."

Hugo said jokes that he didn't even believe, and once again embarked on a journey to the funeral.

Even the detective couldn't have predicted what would happen in the future - he didn't know that in a few days, he would become the new champion of the Pokémon League in the United Regions.