Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Douzi spread his arms and pointed the unused straw straight at the azure blue, striking a pose reminiscent of a famous director.

"The case has been completely resolved, and the real culprit has received the punishment he deserves." As if possessed by a detective, Douzi declared.

This time, it was Azure's turn to be completely puzzled.

Chapter 018 The Real Criminal

"Is that detective trying to impress people with a fake Snorlax?" The development of the incident was too bizarre, and Azure couldn't help but question it.

"That's not the case. Detective Hugo solved the whole case brilliantly in the end," said the junior, Touko, wagging his index finger like Pokopf, speaking in a profound and enigmatic manner.

Bilan rested her arms on the table, pressed her index finger to her head and thought for a long time. Finally, she gave up and had to ask the girl in front of her for help: "I really don't know what's going on. Please tell me."

"Hehe, let me tell you!"

Despite not being a detective who solves cases, the girl with the high ponytail was quite smug. She finished the remaining fruit tea in her cup in one gulp and continued to recount the incident.

It turns out that after forfeiting the commission, the detective immediately turned his attention to investigating his employer. And what he uncovered was astonishing intelligence.

"What is it?" Azure's curiosity was piqued, and she leaned forward, eagerly awaiting Douzi's next words.

"The Pokémon favored by that wealthy man was actually a Salamence from the Hoenn region!"

Luckily, Sister Xiaolan wasn't drinking coffee at that moment, otherwise she would have definitely spat out her drink.

"I was so sure the Pokémon that this rich guy was kidnapped was some small and cute Pokémon like Babydoll or Bonzap... I never expected it to be Salamence, which is known for its violent nature..." she said, speechless.

"Isn't it amazing? By slightly concealing information from an event, such a dramatic effect can be achieved. In some novels, this seems to be called a 'narrative trick,' which is a word game that the narrator deliberately plays by exploiting the blind spots of the information recipient."

Douzi showed off the terms he had learned from who-knows-where, feeling pleased with himself for having tricked Sister Xiaolan.

However, under the latter's glare, she finally added, "This trick didn't just fool you, Xiao Lan. In fact, the information the detective initially received, and the events I first heard when I entered the rich man's house, were all described in the same way as before."

"Did that wealthy man deliberately withhold information?"

"That's exactly right. The detective gradually discovered clues during the investigation, which is why he deliberately admitted defeat and gave up the commission, so that he could begin investigating the wealthy man himself with an innocent and neutral identity."

"So that's how it is..."

Just like the twists and turns of the case, Bilan's opinion of the detective gradually reversed. The image of the man carrying a fire extinguisher walking out of the room in her memory seemed more composed and dashing than before.

"What happened next was even more impressive. Just a few days later, the detective pieced together all the intelligence he had gathered. At that country villa, he first pulled out several photocopies of airline travel records and questioned the wealthy man about why he had gone to Hoenn so many times. He then took out a voice recorder containing the statements of staff from the bodyguard company the wealthy man had previously hired—the people in the recording admitted that the wealthy man's purpose in going to Hoenn was to poach a certain large Pokémon."

"Poaching!" Azure was shocked by the newly revealed information. "Could the poaching target be that Salamence?"

“That’s right.” Douzi snapped his fingers dramatically. “It turns out the rich man didn’t actually capture Salamence. Instead, he kept it as a collectible, keeping it in a cage in a huge, dark room in a villa. According to the rich man’s later confession, he believed that no interior decoration could compare to having a living, super-powerful Dragon-type Pokémon, so he took his bodyguards to Hoenn to capture one and kept it in a magnificent cage to admire every day.”

Azure recalled the deeds of Team Rocket's henchmen who had wreaked havoc in Kanto in the past, and couldn't help but utter two words of comment in anger: "Scum."

Douzi nodded in empathy and continued the story: "Then the detective began his deduction in front of the rich man and me. The scene was exactly like the deduction scene in the climax of a crime movie!"

"The rich man didn't kick you out?"

"Of course, but I secretly went back to that conference room." Douzi chuckled.

Azure took a deep breath, deciding to refrain from criticizing her junior's behavior for the time being, and pressed on, "What did the detective say at the time?"

"The detective said that he actually knew the whole story from the very beginning of the case—from the moment he saw the first extortion letter."

The real story is this: A young man living near the villa where a rich man kept Salamence witnessed the rich man's evil deeds of imprisoning and keeping Salamence. After the rich man left the villa, he secretly sneaked into the rich man's house, found the key to the Salamence's cage, and released the Pokémon.

The dragon, now free, smashed through the window and flew into the distance, leaving the rich man forever.

At this point, this commendable act of bravery should have come to an end. However, the young man who had let the Flying Dragon go looked at the wealthy man's lavishly decorated villa and a wicked thought arose in his mind.

He found paper and pen in the rich man's study, wrote the contents of the extortion letter on it, and then left the note in the now empty cage that housed the Wyvern.

The detective stated at the time, "The first threatening letter demanded only one million dollars. This amount might be a huge sum for ordinary people, but it's just a drop in the ocean for a real estate tycoon like him. A skilled kidnapper wouldn't act without knowing the financial situation of their target. Therefore, it can be concluded that the person who wrote the extortion letter was a novice kidnapper, and the entire crime may have been committed on a whim."

The detective also said that he later subtly probed the wealthy man under the guise of chatting, and eventually became convinced that the wealthy man, as the client, was hiding something. The reason he hired a detective instead of the police was because he was worried that his poaching crimes would be exposed.

So here's the question: What can happen between a complete novice in the world of kidnapping and a Pokémon that's been poached?

Even at this point, Hugo was still unsure, because he didn't know if the other party, as a trainer, was strong enough to forcibly take away a Salamence.

"So that's how the day came about when the detective was monitoring the bench?" Azure asked.

"That's right. The detective said he didn't actually miss the moment the suitcase disappeared. The moment the Pokémon's little paw, using 'Dig,' emerged from the ground, the detective identified the Pokémon—it was just an ordinary Krookodile. Therefore, the person who wrote the threatening letter must be a complete novice."

Douzi, who aspires to be a director, tells a story that is magnificent and full of ups and downs, and you can almost see the detective himself speaking eloquently.

“It’s impossible for a trainer with this Crocodile to kidnap a poached Pokémon,” the detective concluded instantly. “In that case, the one who let the rich man’s Pokémon go isn’t really a bad person. It seems like a good direction to let the rich man who was actually involved in the poaching suffer a little.”

"So the detective just let the millionaire's million be taken by the kidnappers?" Azure's eyes widened in disbelief.

"This is another reason why the detective insisted on returning the commission fee given by the rich man. Detective Hugo once said: What a detective should do is not just solve cases, but when to solve them and how to solve them. This is the key point that a detective should focus on."

"So what did the detective mean when he said at the beginning that 'the real criminal has been punished'?" Azure thought of a detail and cautiously asked her junior.

"Just as you guessed, the real criminals aren't the young people who wrote the extortion letters, but the real estate tycoons who committed the crime of poaching wild Pokémon!"

Azure finally understood Touko's assessment of the detective and couldn't help but sigh, "Looking at it this way, that detective is indeed somewhat reliable..."

"Then, when the young man sent the extortion letter for the second time, the detective realized that the time had come for him to really take action. It was clear that the intimidator had not appreciated the detective's mercy and had become even more greedy. If he continued to let him enjoy the fruits of his labor at this point, it would be tantamount to letting an originally kind young man walk down the path of crime."

"Therefore, he sought an audience with the wealthy man, confessed the events that had occurred, and hoped to use the wealthy man's influence to properly punish the young man. Presumably, at that time, the detective used the fact that he had reported the wealthy man for poaching as leverage to blackmail him, right?" Azure speculated.

"As expected of Sister Xiao Lan, that's exactly how she is!" Douzi said admiringly.

“‘As expected of Sister Blue,’ you’ve said that countless times today.” Azure smiled wryly, then looked out the window at the Feather Residence. Was that where she would soon be staying? Thinking of the detective’s story, she couldn’t help but look forward to her future life in the Unova region.

I guess it won't be boring?

Chapter 019 The Business Card of Detective Hugo

"Finally, thanks to the detective, I acquired the ownership of this Feathered Residence from a real estate tycoon for an unbelievably low price," Touko said happily.

Azure sighed, "It probably includes hush money from the rich man."

"Later, I suddenly realized that even if I bought the property, I couldn't start making movies right away. In order to raise funds, I had to participate in competitions all over United States, and I could only live in the Feather Residence a few days a year."

"Think carefully before you buy a villa!"

Bilan, who had never bought a villa, was furious. Unlike Douzi, she wasn't obsessed with the prize money from the competition, and her attitude towards money was simply that she only needed enough to get by.

Douzi stuck out his tongue and continued, "Just as I was sitting in the empty Yuxi Mansion, which was still under renovation and contemplating life, the door was pushed open, and the detective appeared before me once again."

"He noticed your situation while he was at the rich man's house, so he came to rent a house as soon as possible, right?" Bilan guessed.

"That's exactly right. So we happily signed the contract and became landlord and tenant."

"So that's why that building became a detective agency. Is the person living there the detective named Hugo?" Through the glass, Bilan casually asked, looking at the agency's sign hanging on the second floor.

"That's right. Once you move to the second floor, be sure not to take down that sign. The detective specifically added a clause to the rental agreement that prohibits removing the sign."

Bilan quickly waved her hand: "I'm just asking for lodging, I wouldn't do such a thing."

"Let's not talk about that. Let's go to Yuxi Residence first, and we can talk to Hugo about sharing the apartment in person." After saying that, Douzi got up and hurriedly ran out of the coffee shop, looking like he couldn't wait.

She hasn't paid the bill yet; is she trying to evade it? No wonder she's a woman raising money to become a famous director!

As Bilan watched her junior's retreating figure, her smile gradually froze, but she still paid the waiter for drinks for two. "Oh well," she thought, "consider it a referral fee for my junior."

They had only walked one street when the two girls arrived at the courtyard of the Feathered Residence.

"Although I could tell from a distance, a closer look revealed that this house is actually a bit too luxurious," Bilan remarked.

As Douzi pressed the doorbell outside the courtyard, he proudly replied, "It's because of the atmosphere created by the surrounding high-rise buildings. It's because of the existence of those skyscrapers that this two-story house with a courtyard looks incredibly spacious in comparison—that's exactly what I valued when I bought it."

Before the younger generation could finish speaking, someone had already come to open the door and greet them.

However, to the landlord's and new tenants' great surprise, although they clearly heard the sound of the doorknob turning outside the door, the courtyard was empty when they opened the door.

"Oh, it's a grass turtle."

Azure was the first to react. She pointed to the grass-green turtle Pokémon on the ground, which was slowly retracting its outstretched grass knot.

"Hey, it's a Pokémon!" After figuring out how the door opened, Douzi's surprise only increased.

The detective, dressed in a white coat, arrived late. Upon seeing its owner, the grass turtle hurriedly ran back to the detective's feet—unfortunately, it accidentally bumped into the detective's left foot.

Fortunately, Hugo's coordination was not bad, and he did not fall. Instead, he struggled and swayed for a while in a one-legged stance before finally avoiding the grass turtle that had fallen flat on its back and firmly placed his left foot on the ground.

The thrill was so intense it was like a circus performance, even making the two girls want to applaud and cheer...

"I recently lost a bet and have to take care of these three Pokémon for someone else," the detective explained to the surprised Touko, pointing to the Turtwig at his feet, and the Chimchar and Piplup in the living room behind him.

"Who on earth would make such a bet? It's absolutely vicious." Touko looked at the detective with sympathy.

"Yes, but it's also because I'm not good enough at my job that I made such a mistake," the detective said casually.

"Leaving that aside, is this young lady planning to rent a room on the second floor? Have you decided what form you want your Eevee to evolve into?" Hugo turned to Azure and casually asked a completely unrelated question.

Azure's eyes widened: "How did you know?"

Eevee's Poké Ball is still in my bag, there's no way this strange detective could have seen it.

“I just complained to Toko about the rent last month, and this time she came back with a young man. I can’t think of any other possibility besides a new roommate. But I didn’t expect her to bring a woman. So I think her plan is probably to completely separate the upper and lower floors of the Yuxi Residence, after all, men and women are different.” Hugo explained his reasoning unhurriedly.

The detective continued discussing the co-renting arrangement: "I'm practically thrilled with this co-renting. Dividing it into upper and lower floors is perfectly fine; I rarely use the upper floor of the Feather Residence anyway. After moving a few pieces of furniture that I like down, it can be easily separated. How about this, we'll have a renovation team come over this afternoon to start work, and this young lady can stay on the second floor tonight. Although the office is simple, we do have a few quilts for guests."

“I think what Xiaolan is wondering about is Eevee,” Douzi asked on Xiaolan’s behalf. It turns out that this carefree junior also has a side that can read the room.

“Oh, this.” The detective scratched his head apologetically. “It’s the fur on his shoulders and trouser legs. The color and texture clearly indicate that it’s Eevee’s fur. As a detective, you need to have this level of observation skills.”

"Then how did you know I was thinking about evolution?" Little Blue asked.

"This is a question every trainer who owns Eevee considers," the detective replied with a matter-of-fact expression, seemingly very experienced.

Douzi shrugged at Bilan and spread her hands. The girl knew the unspoken message of her gesture: Look, this is Detective Hugo.

Hugo stepped forward and stood in front of Azure, took a piece of cardboard from his pocket, and handed it to her with both hands.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hugo, a detective from the Hugo Detective Agency in Feiyun City. This is my business card. However, if you decide to stay on the second floor, these business cards may need to be reprinted, and the words '(first floor)' will need to be added to the address."

"Hello, my name is Azure, I'm from Pallet Town, and I'm currently traveling in Unova." Azure took the business card and returned the same self-introduction. "It's okay if you don't change the business card. I'm just staying here for a while, and I'll probably leave after experiencing the local customs and culture of Unova."

"A traveling trainer, huh? From Pallet Town, no less. I've heard that trainers there have some degree of telepathic connection with Pokémon. Is that true?" The detective casually brought up the topic.

Douzi once again took over for Azur Lane: "Speaking of having a spiritual connection with Pokémon, every trainer must feel that way, right?"

"I'm referring to a more specific type, like hearing a Pokémon's thoughts."

“None of the residents of Pallet Town that I know of have such a talent. As for telepathy, there have been similar rumors in the nearby Viridian Forest, but they are all just idle gossips,” Azure told the truth.

Douzi became curious and asked Hugo, "Why are you asking this?"

The detective pointed to a low, long table in the living room: "Because of that."

Bilan and Douzi followed the detective's finger and looked at the table, and were immediately startled.

The huge table was covered with photos of various people and clippings from various news magazines, with countless handwritten notes on the sides.

The photos, clippings, and notes are connected by brightly colored strings, and from a distance, they look like a giant spider web that encompasses everything.

“You should know about the bank robbery that happened a few days ago,” the detective’s calm voice reached the two girls. “The mastermind behind that case was actually a huge criminal organization operating throughout the Unova region, called—”

“Group Plasma.” Touko stared at a few photos on the table and said seriously. It seemed that, having traveled all over Unova, she had already met some of the members of this organization.

"And Team Plasma's recent activities are all related to a certain special person. The most common claim circulating online about this person is that he can hear the thoughts of Pokémon and communicate with them as if they were chatting with a human."

Chapter 020 The Legendary Plasma Cluster

"Is this the mastermind behind the evil organization in the Unova region?" Azure asked, somewhat puzzled, as she had just arrived in Unova and had not yet experienced the formidable reputation of Team Plasma.

"Yes, that person calls himself N. He travels throughout Unova and always acts like a lost prince. He often has cryptic conversations with Pokémon. Strangely, whenever he passes through a town, Team Plasma's influence grows like weeds after a rain..."

Before Hugo could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the landlady of Yuxi Residence. Douzi pointed to his long black hair under his baseball cap with a serious expression: "Hugo... is his thing green?"

The detective hesitated before nodding: "It's supposedly green. There have been photos circulating online, but I can't confirm their authenticity yet."

Although he noticed Douzi's thoughtful expression, Hugo didn't mind and casually began to comment on this so-called "dangerous person"—

"He possesses the ability to communicate with Pokémon and can use them as an intelligence network; he is exceptionally intelligent, especially skilled in mathematics and physics; he is the spiritual leader of Team Plasma, with a large number of loyal followers; he is ambitious and determined to change the world... I believe that even the most clichéd screenwriter in Pokémon Hollywood could not have depicted a more dangerous criminal boss."

Douzi seemed to know something about the green-haired man, and she took the initiative to defend him: "You seem to have some misunderstandings. I have met that man before. He is not an evil person. We fought together against unscrupulous hunters who poached rare Pokémon."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't negate the intricate connections between him and the Plasma Cluster." Hugo didn't retaliate after being refuted; he simply laid out the known facts before everyone.

"He may be a kind-hearted person, as you say, but you must remember that his position in Team Plasma is at least nominal, and every activity his group is engaged in seriously endangers the social stability of the Unova region."

"According to reports from the police's low-level informants within Team Plasma, most of the newly recruited Team Plasma members were inspired by this prince. Among the extremist Team Plasma members arrested by the police, four-fifths claimed that they committed their illegal acts because they were guided by Lord N, and one-third of them said they were willing to die for Lord N's ideals."