Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 413 The Sages' Round Table Meeting

Chapter 415 The Sages' Round Table Meeting

"Then, let's begin the council meeting."

In the dimly lit council chamber, the Coffin of Death stood silently in a corner like a guardian. The eerie blue flames of the crystal chandelier cast strange shadows on the walls, and the intricate ancient patterns appeared and disappeared in the firelight.

Six sages sat around an obsidian round table, their faces hidden in shadow. The empty seventh seat beside the table stood out starkly.

"Vio has not yet been reinstated as a Sage and is currently overseeing the progress of the Giant's Cave mission, so he cannot return to the castle. Therefore, I will temporarily exercise his voting rights on his behalf."

"Foolish Carnival," Quixote said, gently touching the eyepatch over his left eye with his right hand, which was adorned with a metal ring. "Any objections?"

"I don't object to you assuming Vio's responsibilities, but leaving the Sage's position vacant like this isn't a long-term solution," said Zero, the 'City Defender' from Team Plasma. "There's no abstention in the Round Table vote, so an odd number of votes is needed to avoid a tie. I think it's time to address this vacancy."

"Vio will return here," Quixote said in an unquestionable tone. "Not to mention that the decision on the Royal Union was made by the seven of us together, Vio's discovery in the Giant's Cave alone is enough to make him rejoin our ranks—you should know how significant that discovery was."

"The Unity was founded on the back of two dragons: the black dragon of ideals and the white dragon of reality," Asura the Soul Thief said slowly. "But now, the Order has grasped reality, while the ideals remain unresponsive. What good is it for you and Vio to dig that monster out of the earth if we don't resolve this issue?"

"Rule requires power."

Ghetsis remained unperturbed by the King's Sages' disagreement. The Round Table was meant to resolve disputes. He calmly and slowly opened his palm, as if displaying some invisible bargaining chip—"Monsters have their uses too. There's a vast gray area between ideals and reality—and that's the power our Order should wield. Besides, while the Black and White Dragons represent the authority of the Unified, shouldn't we also strive for the world beyond the Unified?"

"How greedy, Ghetsis." The historian Joggs, known as the "Tabernacle," shook his head. "That thing in the Giant's Cave can indeed grant us immense power. But don't forget—we don't have enough time. The Order cannot muster enough power to control that third dragon."

"If you hadn't lost Victini in the Tower of Heaven, would we be in this situation?" Rift Mobilization Smura sneered. "The operation to capture the remaining two legendary spirit beasts has also made no progress, hasn't it? It seems that even if Vio returns, we'll probably have to prepare for another vacant spot in advance."

"To be precise, there are three left, but one of them isn't in Unova." Joggs seemed oblivious to his companion's sarcasm. "Unlike the land cloud we've already captured, tornadoes and thunderclouds roam high in the sky year-round. If we don't have something to attract them, even if we manage to intercept them temporarily, they'll probably escape. At this crucial juncture, it's best not to waste any extra manpower."

"I agree," said Rhodes, who was in charge of the Plasma Corps' finances. Known for his mastery of 'balancing games,' he stroked his beard. "Speaking of waste, we shouldn't waste any more time now. It's time to get back to today's main topic."

Quixote nodded slightly. "Then, please let Asura explain. After all, he initiated this emergency meeting."

All eyes turned to the sage known as the "Soul Thief." Asura slowly rose, the silver embroidery on his blue robes gleaming dimly in the candlelight.

"Thank you." He bowed slightly to Kuiqisi, his voice suddenly turning somber. "This matter concerns the foundation of the Order."

The flames of the chandelier suddenly flickered violently, twisting Asura's shadow onto the ancient emblems on the wall.

"Based on my surveillance within the alliance, someone there is about to notice the anomaly underground. They have already started sending people to investigate Holt's former office."

"The responsibility for this lies with me." Quixote, who already knew about the situation, took the initiative to admit it by bowing his head. "I devised the assassination plan against the champion, but I didn't expect it to involve the loose ends left by Holt when he was trying to silence him."

"You don't need to blame yourself for this," Asura shook his head. "It was purely accidental that this would lead to such consequences. The current situation only underscores the necessity of assassinating that detective champion; we underestimated him before."

"Can we try the same old trick again?" Jero made a throat-slitting gesture. "There aren't many people who know the inside story yet. We just need to take down those who know the key clues." "That won't work," Gwyneth immediately rejected. "The recent assassinations have already put the League on high alert. Take those two in Holt's office right now, for example. Don't be fooled by the fact that they're only two people; the League's Ghost-type Elite Four member, Misdreavus, is constantly monitoring them. If we didn't have the surveillance methods we used in the past, she might have already turned the tables on us."

"Are there other ways to cover up the truth?" historian Jorge asked, "such as setting up clues to mislead the investigation..."

"If the opponent is the champion, it will probably be difficult to achieve anything." Quixote fiddled with his ring, his sharp lips tightening. "I never thought we'd be pushed to this point by a detective—"

"Should we confront the Alliance?" Smura asked calmly. "Although public opinion may not be ready yet, and most importantly, the whereabouts of Master N are still unknown, the Order has accumulated enough chances of winning."

"That guy—" Quixote let out a barely audible snort as he thought of his nominal adopted son, "Don't worry about our king. When the time is right, he will naturally return to his throne. In comparison, we only have one chance to declare war on the alliance, so we must choose the right time and method to start the war."

"Looks like it's time for a vote." Rhodes coughed twice.

"Two choices—" his voice was low and slow, "either abandon the project we've painstakingly built up over the years, or..."

When the secret was exposed, they clashed with the Alliance.

Let's vote.

"Fooling the Masses' Carnival" - Nod Your Head

"Please contribute your wisdom as sages and make a decision at this moment—raise your hands in support of those who have recently gone to war with the alliance. Those who do not raise their hands are considered to be in opposition."

As soon as he finished speaking, Quixote raised his scepter with his right hand and slammed it heavily to the ground.

thump.

With a muffled thud, the sound of sleeves rubbing together was particularly jarring in the silence.

Six arms were raised around the round table.

"It seems we've reached a consensus." Quixote glanced at the sage who raised his hand in agreement. "Seven votes in favor, it's time to get started."

Smura was the first to push back his chair and stand up: "Heh, looks like I'll be busy from now on."

He stroked his chin. "I'll have the lower-level churches start stirring up public opinion immediately, and the media should prepare some 'special propaganda' for the alliance. Although the time is a bit rushed," the brown-robed sage paused meaningfully, "this day was originally planned."

Next to stand up was Asura: "I'll go keep an eye on Snowflake City and see if I can buy some more time."

"Yorgos, you go with him," Ghetsis said. "I'll send some of Hoenn's friends to assist you. Now that things have come to this, let's make a big fuss."

"Snowflake City," Joggs's gaze drifted into the distance, "how nostalgic. That great battle beneath the Dragon Spiral Tower back then..."

It's still so vivid in my memory.

"Rhodes, go find that guy N." Ghetsis's gaze shifted to the still-seated red-robed sage. "Bring him back if possible."

Let's also see what he's been up to lately.

"I will obey your will." Rhodes slowly stood up and bowed.

With the departure of the four sages, only Geralt and Quixote remained in the secret chamber.

"This day has finally come," the short, yellow-robed sage said with a cold laugh.

"Yes." Quixote slowly rose, his metal scepter scraping the ground with a harsh sound. "We invited you, with your wicked temperament, to join the Seven Sages, and in a way, it was for this very moment."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you feel it was worth the money."

"I hope so," Quixote said noncommittally, turning and leaving the room.

The council chamber was now empty, with only Jero remaining.

The plasma cluster's "city defense division" stretched out a big yawn, put its legs up on the black tabletop, and finally burst into hearty laughter.

"The mechanism is ready to be activated! It's time to let the world see your true form, my masterpiece! My castle! My ideal world!"