Pokémon Detective: Cynthia Forces Me to Adopt a Pokémon

Chapter 221 Powerful and Treacherous Ministers

When Joggs came down from the tower and knelt before the king to beg for forgiveness, Detective Hugo, who had been with N, was nowhere to be seen.

The elite trainers who had been lying haphazardly among the tall grass had all vanished without a trace.

"Your subordinate is too incompetent to clear the obstacles ahead of you for the championship title."

The disheveled sage in blue robes looked ashamed. The symbolic bird that had carried Jogus down from the tower now lowered its one-eyed, black head, resembling an unknown totem, almost disappearing into its colorful feathers, just like its master.

"Even with the help of legendary Pokémon, I still couldn't shake the Volcarona of Champion Aldebaran... No, it's because I witnessed it with my own eyes that I can assert that even if the four Unova Elite Four took turns challenging it, they wouldn't be able to completely defeat that Sunbug at the peak of its power. Considering the overall level of Unova trainers, it's unlikely that any Pokémon will be able to defeat it until Volcarona dies of old age."

"Isn't this a good thing?" N shrugged, unconvinced.

"The warrior remained undefeated until his last breath, protecting his comrades as they faced death. Although I don't approve of the twisted bond between Pokémon and their trainers, for Volcarona, that must be happiness. I have no intention of disrupting that atmosphere."

"Yes." Joggs did not refute, but lowered his head even further, his attitude extremely respectful.

However, it was precisely this sage's honest demeanor at this moment that made him seem all the more suspicious.

Among the seven sages of the Plasma Group, Rhodes, who was a moderate like Joggs, remained neutral and took charge of the treasury because of his outstanding abilities and sincerity, which earned him the trust of both the "King's Faction" and the "Papal Faction." Joggs, on the other hand, remained neutral and was even sent to a remote desert for archaeological excavation because he was too cunning and thus suspected by both factions. To achieve his own goals, this historian would not hesitate to betray even his own companions.

If Quixote was an ambitious manipulator, Smura was a charlatan, and Vio was a greedy opportunist, then Joggs was a treacherous minister who spent his life studying the dark side of history.

For his own purposes, Joggs would be like a Pokémon with the "Alter" ability, one moment as generous as the earth, the next as unpredictable as a whirlwind, sometimes upholding the loyalty of a holy warrior, and sometimes betraying without hesitation like a villain.

So N asked, "Professor Yorgos, isn't it time to hand over the Poké Ball that seals that Pokémon? You should know why I've been waiting here all this time."

"Your Majesty is discerning, but there is only one thing I am powerless to do."

The voice seemed to emanate from the depths of the earth, and the old man continued speaking with his head bowed—

"During the fierce battle with Champion Alder, I accidentally lost the Poké Ball that causes pain to Pokémon on the Tower of Heaven, so I cannot offer it to you. If Your Majesty wishes to release that mythical Pokémon, I implore you to climb the tower and open the Poké Ball yourself."

A colossal lie. A lie that could be exposed in a second. But Joggs said it without any attempt at concealment.

Just like those conspiracies that are glossed over in the corners of history.

What matters is not victory or defeat, or words, but following the trend of history—after discovering that the champions of Ardek were far stronger than he had imagined, this ruthless historian left his final trick on the Tower of Heaven.

The plan wasn't complicated; all it required was a bit of courage. While the four Elite Four were stunned by the powerful presence of Volcarona, he pretended to be in a sorry state and secretly hid Victini's Poké Ball in the cracks between the old bricks of the Tower of Heaven.

In this way, even if N is unwilling to fight the near-death Volcarona, he will still have to climb the tower. And Alder, who has always been hostile to Team Plasma, will not miss this opportunity. He will definitely take the initiative to challenge N when he climbs the tower. As long as this battle takes place, no matter what the outcome, it will lead the situation to a result that is favorable to Team Plasma.

"So that's what you were planning?" N frowned and looked at his teacher seriously.

Instead of directly answering the king's question, Joggs cautioned, "Without human intervention, that Poké Ball releases a powerful electric current into the Pokémon inside every other day. If Your Majesty wishes to ascend the tower, please act quickly. Otherwise, by this time tomorrow, the Pokémon you wish to protect will suffer agonizing torment."

His words, half-soft and half-hard, were like a ribbon wrapped around a neck; of the Seven Sages, only Jogos dared to speak such a threatening word directly to N.

"Sigh." The green-haired youth sighed. "Sometimes, I wonder if I'm trapped inside a giant Poké Ball."

Joss, who was kneeling on one knee in a respectful posture, trembled slightly. Clearly, even he had not expected his king to say such a thing at this moment.

“Fine, I’ll go along with your arrangement this time, teacher—Jogs.”

"Yes."

"I will summon the powerful Pokémon that dwell nearby and use their power to ascend the Tower of Heaven. My main objective will be to find the Poké Balls, and I will try my best to avoid a direct confrontation with Alder. Even if a battle does occur, I will do everything in my power to prevent that Volcarona from dying in the fight—will this displease you, teacher?"

Joggs quickly shook his head: "Absolutely no dissatisfaction."

"But I have some dissatisfaction with your actions, teacher."

N knelt down before the sage in blue robes who was prostrate on the ground, gazing at the old man's white beard and hair at the same height, and said calmly—

“Teacher Joggs, I can tolerate you using me as a pawn to achieve your goals, but in Team Plasma, there are rules that cannot be broken. Your use of modified Poké Balls to abuse Pokémon has crossed the Order's bottom line—sometimes it may be acceptable to use any means necessary to achieve an ideal, but if you use that as a reason to arbitrarily distort your ideal, then all that remains is pure madness. Team Plasma is not that kind of organization; when it becomes beyond redemption, it will be condemned by reality.”

Despite the green-haired youth's relaxed tone, as if they were having a casual chat, large beads of sweat rolled down Joggs's forehead.

He staggered, lost his balance, and had to brace himself with his hands on the ground to respond—

“I am willing to accept punishment. I am willing to temporarily revoke the title of one of the Seven Sages like Vio and be confined to the base to reflect on my mistakes.”

N stood up again and waved his hand: "Then leave here. Go back to the castle and let your father judge your crimes."

"Yes……"

Joggs kept his head down, letting the symbol bird beside him, who had just realized what was happening, grab his shoulder and flap its wings to fly away from the ground—until the man and his pet flew out of N's sight, Joggs did not look up at the king he served.

Watching the sage depart, N rubbed his temples with a complicated expression, muttering to himself, "Everything that happened really matched that detective's reasoning exactly. With just a few bits and pieces of information, he was able to predict things to this extent... How exactly does the world work in that guy's eyes?"