LRAB Chapter 156 The Reversed Tide
Chapter 156 The Reversed Tide
Chapter 166 The Reversed Tide
The false files twisted and deformed in the flames, eventually turning into ashes and smoke.
Before the flames attracted the attention of the police, the smoke detectors on the corridor ceiling detected the anomaly first.
A piercing buzzing sound rang out, and a fine mist of water sprayed out in an umbrella shape, falling from above the heads of the two little guys and the Seven Sages.
Smurf's face turned ashen, and his hand, which was about to touch the Poké Ball, even trembled.
This old man was accustomed to operating behind the scenes, adept at manipulating people's hearts and words in secret, and skilled at using asymmetrical information to manipulate his opponents... but the two Sinnoh beginner Pokémon before him seemed to have seen through his entire plan—
They were so confident that the moment they became aware of their presence, they realized that the most important value of the document lay not in its content, but in its very existence.
It was with this reality in mind that the little fire monkey destroyed the document it had never even looked at without any hesitation; and Piplup, with the same confident expression, nodded with satisfaction like a commander, without any hesitation whatsoever.
Smura had never hated his own keen insight so much.
If he were any less obtuse, he wouldn't have paid any attention to the two weak Pokémon that suddenly appeared; if he hadn't been able to understand Piplup and Chimchar's psychology, he could have dismissed the change in the plan as a matter of bad luck, instead of being overwhelmed by the frustration of complete defeat.
Yes, Smura's "publicity campaign" has completely failed.
The two elves that appeared here are irrefutable proof that the opponent is one step ahead.
It's like a murderer who has painstakingly hidden all the evidence, only to find the police sitting on his sofa when he gets home!
Logically speaking, the actions of this Seven Sages were carried out in complete secrecy. Even within the Plasma Group, only a few high-ranking members, such as Ghitchus, knew about his plans, and the specific details of the operation were known only to him.
Even if outsiders noticed the suspicious circumstances surrounding the Liyong Power Plant explosion, they would never have noticed this small fuse set up in the police station in preparation for a large-scale riot...
But this is exactly what happened. A mysterious figure, even more enigmatic than him, saw through everything, and even the Pokémon under his command responsible for carrying it out clearly understood his intentions.
What kind of trainer could raise such a clever Pokémon? And how did they see through their almost flawless plan?
As the old man's thoughts raced, footsteps began to sound all around him.
No matter how incompetent the police in the United States are, they cannot ignore the riots happening on their doorstep.
The first person to arrive at the scene was the duty officer of the evidence storage room. The young police officer who had let outsiders into the warehouse twice finally arrived in time this time and witnessed the little fire monkey burning the files.
Facing the bewildered Smura and the two smug elves, the police officer took a deep breath and unleashed a thunderous shout—
"The evidence storage room has been attacked!"
In an instant, the officers who hadn't left the police station sped up their assembly, quickly surrounding the narrow corridor and trapping the two Pokémon and Smurf in the middle. Because they were in a confined indoor space, the officers didn't immediately release their Pokémon.
Looking at the sea of beige-clad people who had gathered, Smura's brows, which had been furrowed into walnuts, suddenly relaxed—
The officers' ranks appeared somewhat disorganized, clearly lacking the presence of high-ranking officers to oversee the operation. This was understandable, given it was after-get off work hours, and the privileged officers had long since gone home. Some officers at the back anxiously made phone calls, only to be met with obvious disappointment, further dampening the morale of the rest of the force.
It seemed the police wouldn't be able to launch an effective arrest operation anytime soon. Looking at the human wall formed by officers, Smura's eyes darted around in their wrinkled sockets, a renewed fighting spirit seemingly rekindled.
The defeat was not irreversible—although the opponent saw through his plan, he made a fatal oversight by sending two such weak elves to deal with him!
The enemy's weakness gave him enormous room to maneuver; as long as Smura deployed his own forces, the two beginner Pokémon wouldn't be able to mount any effective resistance. While the police intervention increased the risk and chaos, risk and chaos were always tools Smura could manipulate at will!
Now, we can use those two beginner elves to engage the police while they try to break out, allowing me to sneak back into the now-empty evidence room to place new evidence. Although the printed documents are still burned, leaving behind a handwritten report would strengthen N's reason for invading the city.
A plan quickly took shape in the old man's mind. At that moment, he was unaware of the battle taking place on the outskirts of Riku City, and was still awaiting the wild Pokémon army personally led by the King of Team Plasma…
"Those two elves are the criminals who broke into the archives! I saw them with my own eyes as they came out of the evidence room with the documents. Catch those two thieves!"
Withered index finger pointing at the little fire monkey, Smura called out almost bewitchingly.
He could sense the officers' hesitation, but that hesitation would eventually turn into mechanical following of the crowd. He could see the anxiety in their eyes, which meant that as long as a seemingly firm voice rang out first, it could temporarily guide the flow of this emotion!
This is the inherent weakness hidden deep within the souls of all humankind! Individual human beings are incredibly diverse, and it is extremely difficult to change their views. However, once they form a group called "the masses," they become dull and foolish, and the wise can freely mislead and entice them.
The elderly man was fully aware of the police officers' next move; macro-psychology predicted the future with arithmetic-like precision.
The trembling white beard contrasted sharply with his beige police uniform, making his desperate words all the more convincing.
The police officers looked at Chimchar and Piplup with suspicion, many leaning forward as if about to pounce... Chaos was about to erupt as Smurf had predicted, but the old man had already planned his next move...
However, this time, Smura's "propaganda manipulation" did not have the same immediate effect as in the past.
The reason is the actions of those two wretched beginner elves at the same time!
Chimchar and Piplup exchanged a glance, nodded together, and then jumped up almost simultaneously.
But they didn't land in the gaps of the officers' loose formation, but right in front of Smura!
No one gave the order, but the two Pokémon skillfully activated their moves on their own. Blue and red lights flashed, bubbles and flames intertwined, shooting out in a fan shape from in front of Piplup and Chimchar...
Smurf was taken aback. Were these two Pokémon going to attack him? Why weren't they running away in such a critical moment? Had he underestimated Piplup and Chimchar's fighting strength?
But he guessed wrong.
A bizarre scene unfolded before Smura's eyes.
Although the two moves were incredibly powerful when they were unleashed, they ended abruptly after being released, without harming anyone at all.
Moreover, the incredibly powerful "bubble beam" and "spark" did not land on the old man, but were instead released from Smura's direction towards the police on the other side.
Two Sinnoh beginner Pokémon stood tall and proud, like finches spreading their wings to protect their young, actively turning their backs to Smurf and barking menacingly at the menacing police officers.
They're putting on an act!
The old man stared in shock at everything before him. Despite being "protected," he felt utterly insecure, as if he had fallen into an abyss.
The police officers were also startled by the elf's move, but they immediately focused their attention on the same place with great force—Smura, who was being protected by the two elves behind her.
Like a lump of mud falling right in the middle of his pants, the two beginner Pokémon's defection only deepened the suspicion against him.
At this moment, no one would believe the words of this master fraudster anymore. The emotional wave that Smura had desperately created earlier seemed to turn against him in an instant, like a beaded curtain being rolled up.