Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"Huh? Doesn't that mean the garage is completely empty now?" Azure pushed up her disguise glasses and asked with great interest.

"We do use it a few times during school sports meets, but it's mostly idle the rest of the time. But it's still better than the children not being able to find a place to take shelter when a natural disaster really happens," the security guard replied matter-of-factly.

The ancient Unova Kingdom was once destroyed by two legendary dragons, and ancient texts record in black and white the scenes of divine fire descending from the sky and thunder ravaging the earth. Dynasties that lose their ideals are doomed to perish, and kingdoms that abandon reality are bound to collapse—in a sense, all the current inhabitants of Unova are survivors of that catastrophe.

At the end of the myth, the world-destroying monsters have only fallen into a deep sleep, not completely extinct. No one can guarantee that they will not awaken again and punish the current United Alliance.

Therefore, compared to other regions, the city designers of the United Alliance are more aware of potential crises and have even tacitly established an unwritten rule: "Instead of having all future Alliance politicians uphold ideals and respect reality, let's build more air-raid shelters."

After all, besides legendary Pokémon, some rampaging Pokémon can also attack cities, so being prepared is crucial. Furthermore, the possibility of terrorists using helicarriers to launch large-scale laser attacks on cities cannot be ruled out…

“I happen to be studying a related topic in university, so I’m a bit concerned about it. If it’s intended as an air-raid shelter, shouldn’t the garage have at least two entrances and exits?”

Azure recalled the building codes she had seen while looking at sewer maps in the past. While concealing her motives, she shifted the conversation to the structure of the garage.

The security guard gave the girl in front of him a deep look: "You seem to know quite a lot, but it's not a big deal. It's okay to tell you. Besides the slope next to the main gate, there's another exit behind the playground."

"Is it near that clock tower?" Azure was somewhat surprised because she hadn't seen the other exit of the garage during her previous investigation.

"Inside the clock tower, there's a safety passage for people to go up and down using stairs." The security guard glanced at his watch, saw that there was still some time before school ended, yawned, and continued, "The stairs and the route up the clock tower are different, and even most of the teachers in the school don't know about it."

The staircases that are misaligned are probably because the original steep staircases of the clock tower did not meet current standards, so they were set up to be separate.

Azure sincerely complimented, "You know so much!"

“I was working here as a security guard before the school playground was renovated. I watched the garage being dug up day by day and smelled the dust and dirt all summer long, so I knew it very well.”

It's surprising that a security guard at the school gate could provide so much information. Questioning those involved is indeed an important part of the investigation.

"By the way, security guard, do you know how many meters the ceiling of the underground parking garage is from the ground?"

"More than two meters, at least that thick was the cross-section we saw during construction. What's wrong?"

A two-meter-thick solid barrier meant that even the most powerful "teleportation" couldn't move the child on the other side. Furthermore, almost all psychic moves couldn't penetrate this thickness of concrete, and Ghost-type moves were barely effective...

Azure, with mixed feelings, rejected the possibility of the super-powered spirit manipulating children underground, while replying with a smile—

"No, it's nothing. I was just planning to take my relative's child downstairs for a walk later. Is that alright?"

Previously, Bilan had contacted the young client's parents, who agreed that a reliable detective would escort the boy home from school, giving her the opportunity to enter the school for the second time.

The security guard waved his hand dismissively, indicating that the next period was when parents could freely enter the school, and that it would be perfectly fine for them to stay near the underground parking garage.

The detective chatted with the security guard for a few more minutes, trying to learn about the school's history. However, the security guard's knowledge of the school's history was far less than his knowledge of the garage he had witnessed being built. After a short conversation, he found himself clueless about everything, and the girl had no choice but to give up.

.

The kindergarten has finally let out.

The great bell that once shook my azure eardrums rang out again, and this time I finally didn't need to stuff cotton in my ears.

The guardians, who had been waiting for a long time, began to stir.

The security guard pressed the button, and the school gate slowly opened. Parents, like a school of small fish swimming in the water, poured into the school and went to their respective classrooms to claim their children.

This is, after all, a preschool, and even for a short period after school, the school doesn't dare let the children run around freely on campus. Therefore, each class has a teacher present, who doesn't leave the classroom until all the children have been picked up by their parents.

Azure arrived at the class where her client was. Among the children, she saw a familiar little boy—and his friend Sachiko beside him.

"Detective... Big Sister!"

Before Azure could wave, the boy spotted the acting detective, abandoned the little girl, and ran over to her.

Before Azure could even remove her disguise glasses, the boy had already found her.

"Your parents have some urgent business to attend to today, so they entrusted me with the task of escorting you home from school. They asked me to come and pick you up."

Bilan felt a bit like a kidnapper abducting a minor, so she patted the boy's head in a friendly manner and explained her purpose to him in a voice that the teacher could just hear from a distance, in order to prove her innocence.

"Is that Sachiko you mentioned before?"

The detective pointed to the little girl she had seen at the clock tower that morning and asked her client for confirmation.

The girl kept her head down, still looking as introverted as ever. Compared to the morning, she was wearing an extra white coat, and the jewelry on her chest was covered up.

She was looking in this direction at that moment.

“That’s right, that’s right, big sister, listen to me…” the boy said to Bilan excitedly, “This morning, during activity class, Sachiko went missing again.”

"Huh?" The acting detective tilted his head, puzzled. "Do you have two activity periods in the morning?"

There's no way a disappearance could have happened during free play on the playground. Since the boy said that, there must have been another disappearance afterward, right? The Pokémon that caused this incident really knows how to seize any opportunity...

"No, there was only one activity period in the morning. We were playing hopscotch in the classroom when Sachiko suddenly disappeared."

Is there only one activity period in the morning?

Azure raised an eyebrow, sensing something was amiss.

"I didn't disappear!"

Turning around upon hearing the voice, Azure found that the girl named Sachiko had also walked to her side. This was the first time the acting detective had heard a girl's voice.

The girl was a little shy and didn't face the blue-green light, but instead spoke to the boy—

"While you guys were playing hopscotch, I traveled to a parallel universe and went to the playground with you guys from that parallel world for free time. Well... I didn't do much activity, I just sat in a chair the whole time."

"A parallel...parallel universe? So, you're here today too?" The young client turned around and looked at Sachiko in surprise.

"Yes, on the playground, I talked to you from a parallel universe for a long time. Although it was mostly you who started the conversation."

The girl and boy started whispering to each other, describing the scene when they traveled through time.

Azure looked around with a headache; one parent after another was leading their child out of the classroom. In this preschool classroom where everything seemed smaller than it actually was, the world seemed subtly displaced—

Why did the girl Sachiko disappear from her class?

Where did the girl go after she disappeared?

What was the "parallel universe" she was seeing?

What did Azure see from the clock tower?

Who caused this whole incident and for what reason?

Inhale.

Exhale.

Amidst her tangled thoughts, Azure took a deep breath, then asked the boy one last time—

"Did none of your students leave the classroom this morning?"

"Yes... if we don't include Sachiko, then that's how it is. She traveled through time, so I don't know if that counts as leaving the classroom," the boy answered honestly.

Traveling through time and space.

Did I also "travel through time" with Sachiko?

Hmph, what an interesting case.

This is truly the perfect first case for the Azure Detectives.

The bespectacled female detective smiled slightly.

He slowly raised his right hand, his loosely clenched fist placed in front of the boy.

Then, he snapped his fingers with a "snap".

"So that's how it is. The fog has lifted. I have completely solved all the mysteries of this case."

Chapter 206 Alright, let's gather those involved in the incident.

Mr. Kuribayashi seems to be having a lot of bad luck lately.

Since the Alola Exeggutor incident, the circus's popularity has plummeted, with fewer and fewer customers, impacting both him and his wife's performing careers. His original plan to go solo was aborted; not only is leaving the circus out of the question, but even their family finances have become strained, unable to raise the most basic start-up capital.

Those heated arguments I had with my wife before now seem like a joke...

No, on the contrary, the current situation indirectly proves his correctness. If the couple had acted earlier and left the White Tree Hole Circus at the peak of their career, they wouldn't be affected by the circus's business downturn now—but this is just an idealistic assumption. Not only for his wife, but even for Kuribayashi himself, the sense of belonging to the White Tree Hole Circus he had accumulated over the years was not something that could be easily severed. Whether the plan could be implemented in reality was a question, and settling scores later would be meaningless.

Time cannot be reversed, and there is no medicine for regret in this world.

His relationship with his wife also failed to improve. Although they no longer had any reason to argue, and the atmosphere between them was at least much better than their previous cold war, there was still some awkwardness when they were together. The reason they took turns going home to be with their daughter was largely due to Sachiko's strange illness, but it was also partly because they found it difficult to face their partner after their arguments.

I got into some inexplicable trouble at work yesterday—

While Kuribayashi was performing his so-called "superpowers" at the circus as usual, a guy in the audience used real superpowers to interfere with the performance. Whether it was "telepathic performance" or "levitation," the mechanisms that were originally set up were all messed up by the guy, and Kuribayashi was even lifted into the air by the guy's telekinesis... Fortunately, the troupe staff reacted quickly and immediately notified the nearby police station. Officer Jenny and her assistant arrived shortly after, found the culprit who was interfering with the performance, and successfully subdued the blue-haired superpowered person.

Looking back, that power, like the Psychic-type Pokémon "Psychic," is truly chilling. This is the difference between magic and sorcery, between an entertainer and a supernatural being. It's understandable to feel fear. Is it because his wife is afraid of this genuine thing that she's unwilling to start her own business and prefers to continue hiding under the circus's protection?

No, these things are fine no matter what.

Although I am said to be entangled in many things, there is only one thing that is truly bothering me.

If that matter can be resolved, everything else will be fine.

If that issue cannot be resolved, then no matter how smoothly the rest of life goes, it will all be meaningless.

Thinking of this, Kuribayashi looked at his daughter who was holding his right hand. Her hand was very light and small, and holding her felt like holding a soft, ethereal feather.

In his daughter's eyes, he and his wife lived in two parallel worlds that could not see each other. The worlds were clearly separated, but his daughter was the only bridge that could connect the two people who had died.

This was such a dreamlike theory that Kuribayashi felt an overwhelming sense of regret whenever Sachiko reiterated it to him.

Let me reiterate, it doesn't matter how many times I confess—there are no parallel universes, only two foolish adults who ignore each other and attack one another.

That was neither a dream nor reality, not even a possibility; it was simply a lie.

Now, this lie has become so serious that it affects reality. Even if the couple stands in front of their daughter at the same time, Sachiko can only see one of them.

Is this a medical condition? A hallucination? Or a double lie told by the little girl to mend her family's relationship?

None of that matters, Kuribayashi thought, feeling he had no right to press his daughter for answers.

Unlike his wife, Mr. Kuribayashi felt that leaving Sachiko's current situation alone wasn't a big deal—Kuribayashi, who played a superpowered person at work, was a realist. In his view, even if the worst, most horrible, and most insane fantasies his daughter had told him came true, the situation wouldn't be unacceptable.

It's not that he doesn't worry about his daughter, but rather that the phenomenon of his daughter being unable to see people only occurs within the closed three-person household, and only with Kuribayashi and his wife.

Although Sachiko had mentioned that she would occasionally disappear during school hours, the school had not informed her of this, indicating that the problem was not serious. The specific situation was also easy to imagine: her daughter probably hid in class intentionally or unintentionally to satisfy her imagination.

When the two worlds in the daughter's imagination are completely separated, she will only be unable to see one of the Kuribayashi couple, and will only lose one of her parents.

After becoming a "single-parent family", Sachiko's life was able to continue without any major ups and downs. Moreover, compared to a typical single-parent family, the Kuribayashi family had an additional invisible supporter, so their lives were not in dire straits.

Having escaped the illusion of a dual world at a terrible cost, her escapism at school will lose its justification and cannot continue. Her world will gradually return to normal; aside from losing one of her parents, everything will be back on track—she still has a bright and promising future.

The ones who will truly be punished and suffer for the rest of their lives are the husband and wife who are the culprits.

This can be considered a just punishment.

It's fair to the point of being somewhat lenient.

Mr. Kuribayashi thought to himself.

However, at this moment, standing before the gates of the preschool, holding his daughter's hand, light as a feather, his gaze sweeping over Sachiko's wide, clear eyes, this realistic man couldn't help but pray—

Although he felt sorry for his wife, he still didn't want to be on the side of the 50-something percent, and he didn't want to be the one whose daughter ignored him.

If there were even a one in ten thousand chance—if only someone could resolve this matter.

.

"Oh dear, even a friendly novice detective like me can't explain reasoning to a group of preschoolers."

A cheerful voice came from behind, instantly breaking the man's worries.

Just as Kuribayashi and Sachiko were about to leave the school, a chestnut-haired girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere and arrogantly blocked their way.

"Although my sense of ritual isn't as strong as my boss's, revealing the truth in front of children and strangers is completely pointless, isn't it? If you want to reveal the truth that sweeps away all troubles, you have to tell it to adults who understand things. No, according to the usual tropes in popular novels and comics, you can't do it without gathering all the people involved in the incident together."

Dressed in the mature attire of an urban white-collar worker, wearing leather boots, and with her disguise glasses twirling back and forth on her right index finger, the substitute detective, Ms. Azure, appeared elegantly before Mr. Kuribayashi.

The girl talking to herself was behaving strangely, but Mr. Kuribayashi and the little girl Sachiko neither looked at the beautiful face of the person blocking their way nor at the glasses that were twirling in her hand. Their attention was firmly drawn to something that was tucked under Bilan's left arm.

As a psychic entertainer, Kuribayashi was no stranger to that thing—

Rather than calling them things, they are more like living beings, specifically Pokémon.

It was a huge Dreamweaver, a psychic Pokémon that was half-asleep and half-awake.

The Dream Eater was clearly unconscious, its belly helplessly rolled upwards, its eyes spinning like dazzling spots, and its body covered in dust and wounds, indicating the inhumane treatment it had suffered.

"Don't worry, little Sachiko, your mother is about to travel from another parallel universe. I've accepted a request for two people, so just wait patiently for the perfect ending!"

The chestnut-haired detective, seemingly oblivious to her own dangerous status, announced with a bright, sunny smile.