Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Pokémon Detective Case Files

Author: Palindrome

Summary:

Even in the fairytale-like world of Pokémon, violence and lies abound. Battles cannot solve everything; only logic and reasoning can dispel the fog shrouding the truth.

In the United States, where ideals and reality intersect, a secret cult is busy coronating a new king; criminals use Pokémon battles as a shield for their crimes; a trainer in a secret room is mysteriously executed by his own signature move; seven trainers on a deserted island, with no prior grudges, begin to kill each other; and a luxurious villa in the metropolis is mysteriously sold...

Ladies and gentlemen! The greatest detective in the history of the Pokémon world has arrived in his loyal Unova!

Trainers, are you ready to face the truth?

Main text

Chapter 001 Visitors to Feiyun City

"It's been a few years since I last came to Feiyun City. It feels like there are even more high-rise buildings now."

Sinnoh Champion Cynthia straightened her wind-blown golden hair, steadily stepped off Togekiss, her flying mount, and gazed with some emotion at the modern city beside her.

The Pokémon ecology in the Unova region is completely different from that of its home Sinnoh. The skies are filled with local species like Dove and Cottonball. The Pokémon that accompany humans on the streets are mostly Yorkshire and Deerclops, which are rarely seen in Sinnoh.

The person Zhu Lan Champion is talking to is named Hugo, a private investigator.

The detective, Hugo, was clearly taken aback when he saw the Sinnoh Champion make a dazzling entrance as he swooped down from the sky.

However, this surprise did not last long. The detective blocked the trolley he was pushing behind him, greeted him, and gave him a polite smile.

"Hey, long time no see, Zhu Lan."

The young detective had messy, artist-like black hair and a decent appearance, but his wrinkled white suit jacket was so shabby that it gave him a casual and lazy impression.

He apologized to the suddenly appearing Sinnoh Champion, saying, "I have urgent business to attend to right now... If you have a request, could you please come to my office and wait for a moment?"

"Is that the villa in the city called Feather Residence? I've already been there. It seems you're doing quite well in the Union?"

Thinking back to that courtyard villa that seemed out of place in the city center, and the huge "Hugo Detective Agency" sign hanging on the second floor, Zhu Lan smoothed her blonde hair.

She looked at the detective in front of her suspiciously, as if she sensed that he was somewhat guilty.

"The gardener named Reina at the entrance told me that you sneak into a certain alley in the city around this time every week, so I came here to check it out, and I didn't expect to run into you on the street. Are you busy with some kind of detective work?"

"Uh... sort of. The agency's business is doing quite well. After all, there are plenty of wealthy people here, and the private detective industry is still a blue ocean."

Overwhelmed by the champion's aura, Hugo unconsciously took a step back, only to bump into the handcart hidden behind him.

The item wrapped in white cloth in the cart rolled around and bumped against the metal frame with a dull thud.

Zhu Lan's eyes sharpened: "Hugo, can I see what's covered under the white sheet in the cart?"

Hugo wanted to shake his head, but was glared at by Zhu Lan.

"How about this, let's make a deal," the detective said quickly, "I can show you what's inside, in exchange you have to listen patiently to my explanation."

The Sinnoh champion stared at the uneasy detective for a moment, then finally nodded.

Hugo felt like he had been granted a pardon. He looked around and found a well-hidden patch of greenery, then pushed his cart inside.

Following behind the detective, Cynthia Champion pressed down on the Poké Ball at her waist and placed her finger on the switch.

She had a vague idea of ​​what was wrapped in the white cloth, because as the cart swayed as it moved, a faint smell began to emanate from the frame—the smell of blood.

"Please don't be too surprised, it's just a corpse."

With Zhu Lan's personal promise, the detective was no longer reserved. He imitated a magician, lifting the white cloth to reveal what lay beneath.

But the only audience member couldn't be happy at all.

A disfigured Sentinel Rat corpse was displayed before Zhu Lan, its back covered in bloody whip marks, and the stench of blood was released instantly, spreading irrevocably around it.

Just when the atmosphere was at its worst, an untimely electronic voice suddenly rang out, and a Rotom cell phone flew out from Cynthia's black coat, broadcasting information about the Pokémon in front of her like an old-fashioned Pokédex—

"Sentinel, the evolved form of Scout, a common Normal-type Pokémon in the Unova region. As a rat, it's extremely cautious, able to see its surroundings even in the dark—a true vigilant Pokémon… Oh my god, Rotom! What's wrong with this Sentinel?! Rotom can't understand what's happening!"

Clearly, the wary Pokémon in front of them had become a corpse, lying face up on the stroller without any warning.

The deceased's appearance could not be described as peaceful and serene; it was more of a gruesome sight.

“Rotom, keep your voice down and listen to this guy’s excuses first.”

The Sinnoh champion kept his finger on the button on the Poké Ball, waiting for Hugo's explanation.

“Zhu Lan, you’ve come at just the right time. This is the moment to witness history.”

The young detective, seemingly more proud than ashamed, suddenly raised his hand beside the corpse—

"Determining the time of death has always been a challenge in the field of autopsy. The key lies in analyzing the differences between the organism before and after death to determine the time of death. Unfortunately, in the estimation of death of Pokémon, the body temperature of different Pokémon varies greatly, and the moves they use can also greatly disrupt the process of post-mortem changes in the body - so for a long time, such estimations have been difficult to be accurate to the hour."

"Rotom, is what he's saying true?"

Zhu Lan's voice was cold and sharp. When she asked the question, she didn't turn to Rotom, but stared intently at Hugo, ready to bring the misguided detective to justice at any moment.

"The information about forensic medicine is accurate, Loto, how could this be...?"

"I can solve problems that existing theories can't!" the detective interrupted Rotom's questioning loudly, continuing to discuss his research—

"I've come up with a brilliant theory to solve the problem of estimating the time of death: attribute resistance!"

“Attribute resistance? Rotom couldn’t understand it.” The red phone flew through the air, circling Hugo once, as if trying to find the answer to the question from the detective, but it failed.

Hugo, like a teacher, explained in detail—

"Fire-type moves will have half the power when attacking Water-type Pokémon—this is called resistance. And the latest research shows that the resistance phenomenon is greatly weakened in the corpse of a Pokémon after it dies, until it approaches a very small percentage."

"Based on previous experimental studies, we can derive a pattern: after a Pokémon dies, its resistance decreases—the damage caused by an attack of the same force will become increasingly severe. If we calculate the resistance of the corpse at each stage, we will see a function curve that first decreases sharply and then levels off, gradually approaching zero."

"This phenomenon applies to all corpses, whether they are fiery horses covered in flames or ice ghosts made of ice. We can use the method of measuring the resistance residue to determine their time of death!"

"If this method were applied to the field of autopsy, as long as the police forensic department could conduct resistance tests on the Pokémon remains left at the scene, the exact time of death of an unknown Pokémon could be estimated down to the second! This would be a revolutionary breakthrough in the field of alibi presumption!"

As he discussed his research findings, Hugo proudly raised his arm.

Rotom, seemingly oblivious to the situation before him, gaped wide as the data presented him: "The theory is entirely feasible! There's no similar research in the existing database! It's truly a great discovery, Rotom!"

Only the champion remained indifferent—the detective's research had clearly no connection to the Sentinel Rat's corpse before him.

The detective cleared his throat and continued, "Unfortunately, my research is still missing a crucial piece of the puzzle. Normal types don't have any type resistances. We can use Bug to measure Flying, Poison to measure Ghost, and Ice to measure Ice itself—but we can't measure Normal resistances because that type simply doesn't have any resistances."

"A thought-provoking question has arisen: As we all know, human force often doesn't work well against Pokémon. So, could attacks that don't involve Pokémon power be blocked by the resistance within a Pokémon's body? Therefore, I started testing whether the effect of whipping would be reduced when it came into contact with a Sentinel's corpse, and that's how you saw what happened."

Zhu Lan nodded slightly, indicating that she understood the theory, and then calmly asked Hugo, staring into his eyes—

"So you're saying you murdered a sentry rat in order to advance the field of autopsy science?"

The detective then noticed the tall, blonde woman's expression—a stiff smile on her lips, her brows furrowed, clearly indicating that her tolerance had almost reached its limit.

The faint roar of Garchomp echoed in my ears...

"Don't forget your promise! Please let me explain what happened!" Hugo pleaded, bowing his head quickly.

Chapter 002 Why Did the Sentinel Rat Die?

"The real cause of death for this elf was a traffic accident." Facing the unfriendly expression of Cynthia, the detective, with a strong survival instinct, offered his own explanation.

"Nine out of ten Pokémon deaths in Flying Cloud City are caused by cars. Look at the whistle's waist; there are obvious signs of a car collision. In addition, its calf muscles were severely torn off, multiple bones were broken, and there are several open wounds on its body that have been stitched up by the hospital—all these signs indicate that this is a typical traffic accident injury."

Hugo tugged at the Sentinel Rat's left leg, drawing Orchid's attention to the wound. Since it was stitched up after death, the gruesome wound was more a result of decay and swelling that had caused it to stick together than to heal.

The gruesome sight of the corpse instantly frightened Rotom into hiding in the pocket of Bamboo Orchid's coat, leaving only a camera sticking out as he cautiously observed.

"By reconstructing the scene through injury examination, we can know that: after being startled, this sentry rat rushed onto the road without thinking, was hit by a car that couldn't avoid it, and then the truly fatal event occurred—its hind legs got caught in the tire of another truck, and it was crushed to death. Although it possesses the amazing supernatural power of attribute resistance, its strength is still far inferior to that of a gasoline-powered steel machine... That truck driver will probably need to change his tire."

Perhaps the wound before him was too gruesome, for even after the explanation, the champion's expression did not soften: "How did its corpse end up here?"

"As a detective, I have a cooperative relationship with the Pokémon Center. When I heard that there was a Normal-type Pokémon corpse that could be used for research, I immediately went to the morgue to retrieve it and took it to the underground clinic, which is closed on this day of the week, to conduct research. Naturally, I used honest and peaceful methods."

The detective spoke with righteous indignation, as if the corpses in the morgue were deposits in his bank account waiting to be withdrawn.

"You bribed the morgue guard, didn't you?" Zhu Lan, who knew the other person's character very well, pointed it out bluntly.

Hugo chuckled twice, not denying it: "The crying mask guard there is very easy to talk to, and it loves horror movies. I once got it a yearly movie ticket, and after that it could use the morgue at will. The advantage of employing Pokémon is that their presence can effectively reduce bureaucracy within the organization—Pokémon are far more humane than humans."

What are your plans next?

"The experimental record is complete. Now we just need to compare it with the injury records of live Pokémon. I don't know whether to be glad or not, but researchers have already conducted this type of experiment countless times, and there are plenty of cases and data. By the way, according to my estimate, this body died 27 hours and 45 minutes ago. I'll call the traffic management department later to ask if there were any car accidents during that time..."

"I'm asking how you intend to bury this sentry rat," Zhu Lan said sternly, emphasizing each word.

Hugo yawned absentmindedly and began to explain in a lazy tone.

"Of course it needs to be buried. What else do you think I'm doing? I'm taking this sentry rat back to the hospital. To be honest, it should have been cremated today, but the Crying Mask helped postpone its cremation by a day. So by this time tomorrow, this sentry rat will be reduced to ashes and laid to rest."

The detective clasped his hands together in a gesture of minimal mourning.

But the Sinnoh champion didn't give up. He continued to glare at the young man with fierce eyes, pointing at the trolley and asking, "You just walked all the way into the hospital like this?"

“I’m returning lost items, not stealing them, so of course I have to be aboveboard.” Hugo waved his hand, signaling the other person to relax.

"Then how do you explain the sentry rat inside? You not only bribed the guards to steal it, but you also destroyed the corpse."

"This Sentinel was a wild Pokémon, otherwise the Pokémon Center wouldn't have handled its aftermath. There's no crime against its corpse yet, so even if I get caught, there won't be any serious consequences. Besides, the body is already wrapped in a white sheet, so no one can see what's inside. It's not unusual to see interns in white coats pushing trolleys and carrying things in a hospital, and passersby won't suspect anything if they see me heading towards the hospital. On the contrary, it would be suspicious if I were sneaking in with a big bag."

Zhu Lan felt that the detective's sophistry was really far-fetched, but the detective had already pushed the cart away from the bushes, and the cart carrying the body wobbled away.

Before heading to the hospital, Hugo stopped and turned to call out to Zhu Lan—

"See you in an hour. There's a nice café near the Feather Residence; we can talk there if you need any help. It must have been tiring flying here on the Pokekis right after you got off the plane."

The detective pointed to a small corner of a receipt peeking out of the pocket of Zhu Lan's black coat.

"It's a commission." Under the shade of the green trees, Zhu Lan said seriously, her expression changing.

The profession of detective is essentially a symbol of skepticism. Hugo didn't believe the other person's words: "The Sinnoh champion wants to hire a down-on-his-luck detective from a foreign land like me?"

"This is a very, very serious incident. It involves the reputation of the Sinnoh League," the Sinnoh League's spokesperson said solemnly.

"Then there's no need to go to such lengths as to come to the Alliance. The Alliance has no shortage of professional investigators, so why come to me?"

"When you encounter a case, you should find a detective. That's common sense," Zhu Lan said, crossing her arms as if it were some kind of societal consensus.

"Your detective is now tasked with transporting a body to the hospital."

The detective replied irritably and went to deal with the body without looking back.

.

Two hours later, Hugo swiftly finished dealing with the Sentinel Rat's funeral arrangements.

He was very pleased because he had verified his theory over the phone; the accident time recorded by the traffic management bureau matched the prediction perfectly.

Hugo felt that, in order to commemorate the outstanding contributions of this Sentinel to scientific identification, he would name the "Post-Death Resistance Decrease Curve of Normal-Type Pokémon" in his unpublished paper the "Hugo-Sentinel Curve," which would also be a way to comfort the spirit of the Pokémon that died in a car accident.

Inside the café, he happily shared his joy with Miss Zhulan.

"The car accident that killed Sentinel Rat happened near the famous Flying Cloud Ice Cream stand. It was early morning when there were few customers and the vehicles were traveling at high speeds, so the accident was extremely tragic. You might not be able to tell from the body, but Sentinel Rat actually bled a lot. There is still a dark red stain on the road there that can't be wiped off."

Zhu Lan ignored the detective and focused on stirring the smoothie sold in the cafe, somewhat regretting choosing the deep red pomegranate flavor.

Hugo, however, continued his incessant chatter—

"Interestingly, it's said that there was splattered blood on the ice cream shop's ice bucket. The staff didn't realize what had happened at first, until they were shocked to find that their most popular ice cream was completely untouched that day, so one of the staff turned the ice bucket around to check it. Then she screamed and saw a large patch of blood that had already turned black!"

boom.

The sound of a glass being slammed against the wooden table echoed as Zhu Lan moved the remaining half of the dark red, almost black pomegranate smoothie to the side.

Buying Flying Cloud Ice Cream is a regular part of this popular champion's trip to Unova, but the annoying detective is rambling on about such disgusting topics... If it were a champion from another region, they would probably be interrupting with an impromptu Pokémon battle by now.

Hugo was stunned by the loud noise, and the cafe staff also looked at him in surprise.

However, Zhu Lan and Hugo were both dignified and elegant. Zhu Lan was naturally beautiful and charming, and although Hugo was dressed like a psychiatrist who had just fought with a patient, he was good-looking and a regular at the coffee shop. Neither of them seemed like troublemakers, so the waiter wisely refrained from interfering.

"Aren't you planning to become a trainer?" Cynthia brought up another topic.

“I’m a detective now,” Hugo replied frankly. “If someone asked you, a league champion, whether you planned to retire immediately to become a programmer or a graphic designer, you wouldn’t give them a definite answer, right?”

“You don’t have to give up being a detective. Being a trainer isn’t just a job; everyone who forms a bond with Pokémon can become a trainer,” Cynthia said. “More than 60% of the League Challengers have other part-time jobs, and I myself have a full-time job as a mythologist.”

Upon hearing the term "mythologist," a complex expression appeared in Hugo's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and shook his head in serious refusal.

"My profession requires my full attention. Only full-time work can make one a professional."