Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Douzi was speechless.

"Never in the history of the Unova League has there been such a united and powerful illegal organization as Team Plasma. They are cruel and cunning, ruthless and insane, committing all sorts of evil deeds while maintaining a sanctimonious facade. They establish cults based on legends, tricking trainers into abandoning their Pokémon; they organize illegal marches, vandalize and loot, causing immense suffering to countless innocent residents; they corrupt high-ranking League officials, usurp media control, and incite social conflicts. Rumors suggest they are also conducting secret biological research, and the destination of numerous Pokémon robberies is related to this. I suspect there is an unspeakable tragedy and ulterior motive behind them."

Hugo spoke seriously to the two girls in front of him.

"Their ambitions cannot be limited to money or fame. Team Plasma has now begun remotely controlling bank robberies to test the security level of the Unova Federation, and the Federation's performance in this test can only be described as a complete mess. Their actions will only become more blatant and reckless in the future. If they are not thwarted in time, an unprecedented catastrophe awaits the Unova region."

Listening to the detective's words, Azure couldn't help but recall Team Rocket's rampage in Kanto two years ago, the three legendary birds that soared above the Silver Tower in Goldenrod City, and the man as unshakeable as the earth itself. If it weren't for her and Red's actions, what terrible things would Giovanni, having achieved his goal and wielded the power of legendary Pokémon, have done?

"So what are you planning to do?" Azure asked the detective.

Hugo shrugged and sighed, "I'm going to compile a report and give it to trustworthy police officers and capable trainers. But at this stage, we still lack conclusive evidence, and even if we send it out, not many people will believe it."

Incidentally, the Sinnoh Champion had already taken the opportunity of awarding the medal to send a report personally compiled by Hugo to the Pokémon League headquarters.

While the headquarters took the champion's opinion very seriously, the United States Alliance itself, as the party involved, was furious and suppressed the warning with words like "Don't believe rumors" and "Don't interfere in regional affairs."

"What can we do?" Douzi asked with great interest. "I'm very interested in the leader's affairs, and I want to get more concrete evidence to see if he's a good person or a bad person."

“There is no pure good or evil in the world, dear landlady,” Hugo poured cold water on the situation. “I can analyze right and wrong, distinguish truth from falsehood, and see through the truth, but I am completely helpless when it comes to distinguishing between good and evil.”

Azure, who was standing nearby, chimed in, saying incisively, "Those who use elves as tools to wantonly harm them are evil people. You can't deny that."

"Sister Xiaolan is right!" Douzi chimed in.

“We can’t be so hasty…” The detective changed the subject, seemingly too lazy to argue. “In short, I don’t have any information on Team Plasma’s next move. I’m just a powerless private detective who’s recently been in financial trouble because I adopted three kids. I’m currently waiting for a wealthy client to come to me.”

As Hugo spoke, he pointed to the three Sinnoh beginner Pokémon outside.

Douzi seemed to have thought of something, and his eyebrows under his baseball cap rose sharply: "Speaking of which, I have a strange request to make..."

Upon hearing the word "commission," the detective immediately became restless: "Please be sure to submit this commission to the Hugo Detective Agency!"

He stood imposingly in front of the two girls, expertly announcing his services—

"Our firm undertakes all detective work, including but not limited to infidelity investigations, missing persons and pet searches, crime evidence collection, case investigations, death presumptions, cause-of-death investigations, motive analysis, psychological profiling, catching criminals, hostage rescue, and legal consultation. We excel at solving everyday mysteries, inexplicable mysteries, incomprehensible mysteries, riddles involving a single sentence, locked-room mysteries, ice and snow mysteries, radio and television mysteries, mirror mysteries, mechanical mysteries, psychological mysteries, narrative mysteries, physical mysteries, terrain and architectural mysteries, color vision disorder mysteries, hidden-in-the-forest mysteries, multi-person role-playing mysteries, Pokémon mysteries, crime premonitions, murder premonitions, word puzzles and codes, deathbed messages, handwritten puzzles, and mysteries within mysteries." Mysteries, historical revisionism, folklore deciphering, identity swapping, corpse swapping, staged suicide, staged murder, nursery rhyme murder, exchange murder, serial killing, indiscriminate killing, long-distance killing, magic trick murder, psychological suggestion murder, assassination, slashing, poisoning, burning, strangulation, drowning, blunt force killing, trap killing, trap poisoning, explosion, poisoning, arson, dismemberment, cremation, beheading, strange corpse conditions, alibis, the faceless corpse puzzle, the timetable puzzle, the twin puzzle, the mystery of the disappearing murder weapon, the mystery of corpse decoration, the mystery of missing limbs, the mystery of the disappearing head, the snowstorm mountain lodge murder case, the scarecrow fallacy, problems with late detective novels, large-scale crimes…

Once the strange switch was turned on, Detective Hugo immediately launched into a long-winded explanation of his agency's services, leaving Little Blue, who was standing to the side, dumbfounded.

Seemingly sensing the host's enthusiasm, the three starter Pokémon left behind by the Sinnoh champion immediately emerged from behind the door, eagerly offering to pour two cups of tea for the agency's customers.

The grass-fed turtle, emerging from under the sofa, manipulated the grass knot, first taking a glass from the cupboard, then carefully scooping out the right amount from an expensive tea canister with a small spoon.

Bogaman waited by the kitchen bar, crossed two small blue fins in front of his chest, and miraculously conjured up a stream of "hot water" that was steadily poured into a cup.

Not far away, the little Flame Monkey carrying a tea tray took two cups of brewed hot tea from the Grass Turtle, skillfully tumbled over the cupboard, bar, and sofa, and hopped and skipped to serve tea to Hugo's client.

Douzi and Bilan then realized that the tea trays were filled to the brim, almost to the point of overflowing if shaken, yet the little fire monkey had nimbly carried them all the way over, demonstrating its terrifying coordination!

"...So please be sure to submit your request to this detective agency." Hugo finished his long chanting, only to see the elves gathered excitedly in front of him.

"Did you bring the tea? You learned how to make tea from watching me, didn't you? Well done." Hugo praised his subordinates briefly, patted the little ones on the head, but then noticed Douzi's incredulous face and Bilan tilting her head, looking confused.

"So Hugo is really good at training Pokémon!" Douzi's expression was priceless. She asked in a trembling voice, "Weren't you born unable to use Pokémon?"

"I still can't use it." Hugo said, puzzled. "Small fire... never mind, Bogarman, use the water gun."

After some deliberation, the detective decided to let Bogarman use his skill.

The little blue penguin puffed out its cheeks and crossed its arms again, trying to use the "water gun" skill. Unfortunately, after two minutes of trying, and even though its face turned purple, Piplup still couldn't use the skill.

"Forget it, Bogarman, forget it," Hugo advised.

Bogarman then stopped trying to condense energy. However, this was disastrous. The moment Bogarman lowered his fins, water vapor condensed from somewhere and poured down on Hugo, soaking him completely.

"Looks like it's still the same Hugo." Douzi shook his head, arms crossed, unsure whether to express relief or helplessness.

Azure remained silent, scrutinizing Hugo from head to toe, as if he were some rare and exotic creature. Suddenly, she grabbed the dejected Pogaman from the ground, staring at it with wide eyes: "You didn't do that on purpose, did you?"

"Po...Poga." The little penguin looked aggrieved and shook its head repeatedly.

Chapter 021 Head towards the prize money, girl!

In the end, Touko and Azumi embarked on a trip to explore Feiyun City together, while the detective was unable to take on the role of guide because he got soaked to the bone in his own office.

After the landlord repeatedly assured him that the matter at hand was not urgent and that he would definitely hand it over to Hugo later, the detective walked into the bathroom with his hair still wet.

Before leaving, Azure glanced back at the Feathered Residence. There she saw Piplup, who had done something wrong, very responsibly finding a rag to wipe the floor, while Turtwig and Chimchar were helping out with gestures and instructions.

Living here doesn't seem so bad, Azure thought.

.

On the streets of Feiyun City, two girls lingered in the dazzling shop windows and chatted about topics that interested them.

"Those three little guys in Yuxi Mansion are so lively and adorable!" The lively girl with a high ponytail, Douzi, exclaimed first. She had bought another cup of milk tea from somewhere and was chewing on the tapioca pearls in her mouth as she mumbled.

Azure, wearing a white bowler hat because she was out, smiled and nodded: "Yes, and their personalities and talents are outstanding. Chimchar's speed and balance are top-notch, Turtwig's control over Grass Knot is excellent, and that Piplup even learned to use 'Hot Water' at such a young age. From a battle perspective, their future is limitless."

"It's a pity it fell into Hugo's hands," Douzi sighed dramatically, shrugging his shoulders.

“Not all Pokémon enjoy battling.” Azure shook her head slightly. “I think those little guys are having a good time at the Feathered Lodge. Hugo doesn’t seem like a bad trainer. But speaking of which, what’s with that detective’s constitution? Does something always happen when he encounters a Pokémon?”

"That's pretty much it." Douzi said, biting his straw and waving his fingers in the air like a conductor conducting an orchestra. "Whenever that person commands a Pokémon, it makes a mistake. The Pokémon doesn't listen to commands and gets into a state of agitation, tension, or excessive leisure. The moves it uses either miss or go out of control in unpredictable ways. This situation can even affect the trainers around him."

"He doesn't understand Pokémon's habits?" Little Blue frowned. Coming from Oak's lab, she couldn't stand seeing half-baked trainers misbehaving Pokémon.

"No, no, no, that's absolutely not true." Faced with his companion's misunderstanding, Douzi quickly explained—

"Hugo is an expert in almost all Pokémon knowledge, practically an expert. He could probably hold his own against a Pokémon professor. That detective could identify the characteristics of a Pokémon at a glance, and he knew everything about the moves Pokémon could learn and their daily habits... By the way, did you notice the food he prepared for the Pokémon at the Feathered Residence?"

Azure thought for a while, then shook her head: "I didn't see it."

"Haha, I saw it when Turtwig was looking for a tea canister. Deep inside the cabinet were Pokémon food items packaged in transparent bags. Judging from their appearance, they were quite carefully handmade. They even prepared three different types for Chimchar, Piplup, and Turtwig respectively."

"You're looking at this so closely?" Bilan scrutinized the usually carefree girl with the high ponytail in front of her, almost unable to believe her eyes.

Douzi was very proud, raising his head and grinning with pride.

"I remember now, you went to check when we were about to leave the house." Bilan slapped her forehead. "I've been thinking about why I called you for so long."

"Sister Xiaolan is really perceptive." Douzi sighed with a worried look on his face, but then his expression turned expectant. "Bilan, why don't you become a detective too?"

"A detective... that sounds good." Azure pondered for a moment, and actually began to consider it.

"Look, even a hapless guy like Hugo can open an agency. If it were you, Sister Lan, becoming a famous detective would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?" The landlady of Yuqi Mansion continued to urge, seemingly wanting to turn Yuqi Mansion into a gathering place for the detective industry.

"Being a detective does seem cool, and you can often help others... but I don't know if I'm up to the task."

Azure hesitated. At this moment, she was still troubled about her future path. The usual way out for elite Pokémon trainers was to join the Pokémon League or choose a gym to guard the local city. She longed for a free life and did not like such a life at all.

The detective profession before her was indeed quite appealing, which made her somewhat tempted.

"Before you become a detective, you'll have to help me win back the prize money from the two-player battle tournament at the Combat Company!"

Azure was interrupted by her companion's words. She looked up and saw Douzi's bright smile right in front of her.

Unbeknownst to them, the two girls had already arrived at their destination for the day—the entrance to the battle company.

Looking at the girl beside her who seemed oblivious to setbacks, Bilan's mood lightened.

"Speaking of which, Douzi, you haven't met my current partner yet, have you?" Azure took a Poké Ball out of her bag and waved it in front of Douzi.

Douzi nodded: "It must be that legendary Eevee-sama. The beast that accompanied Little Blue to the Unova region alone, embarking on a journey to find its infinite possibilities in its shapeshifting form!"

The "Beast of Infinite Possibilities" was released from the Poké Ball amidst its glow. This little Eevee, like its owner, was gentle and elegant. It landed on the ground with a light sway of its fluffy tail and walked gracefully to Azure's side.

Douzi crouched down and whispered to Eevee, "Little Eevee, how about your trainer and I go to a doubles battle later? It's a great opportunity to show off. Let's knock those fake star trainers off the stage together, what do you think?"

Eevee tilted its head, looking somewhat eager to try, but it quickly calmed down and turned back to ask Azure for its opinion.

Azure crouched down and rubbed Eevee's head: "That's why we came out."

Ibrahimovic then jumped up happily, showing that he couldn't wait.

"This little guy's got a strong fighting spirit." Seeing his teammate's intense fighting spirit, Douzi's confidence naturally increased. The prize money was secured!

"Embo, come and meet your partner!" The girl with the high ponytail stood up and threw the Poké Ball that was originally tied to her belt.

A massive body emerged behind Douzi, the imposing Emboar assuming a fighting stance amidst burning flames. This evolved Pokémon of the Fried Pig has an explosive black tail and a strong, reliable body, with a large amount of flames spewing from its neck, signifying the Pokémon's current energetic state.

“Our goal is—” Douzi pointed to the building in front of him with his index finger, then changed his hand gesture and slowly clenched his five fingers.

"To ravage".

"Roar!" King Yanwu pounded his broad chest, making a deafening thud.

"Eevee!" The azure Eevee was also extremely excited, letting out a firm cry in declaration. It truly loved battling...

Douzi placed the half-finished milk tea on the windowsill and said nonchalantly, "I'll drink the rest of this milk tea after I win the doubles championship. I guarantee that by then, the ice at the bottom of the cup won't have had time to melt!"

Azure watched her companion's antics quietly. To her surprise, she found herself not finding it absurd at all. Instead, as if Eevee's emotions had been transmitted to her, she felt a sincere anticipation for the next moment to come.

However, at this moment—

The previously excited Ibuki seemed to freeze in his emotions, gazing at a distant alley.

Eevee's hidden ability, "Aware of Danger," is activated.

Chapter 022 The Broken-Winged Eagle in the Deep Alley

Eevee's unusual behavior caught the attention of the two girls.

“That alley is a dead end,” Douzi, who knew Feiyun City like the back of his hand, said. “It’s usually deserted, and there isn’t a single shop in it.”

Azure asked her accompanying Pokémon, "Eevee, has it sensed something?"

Little Ibu nodded frantically, then ran off into the alley in the distance without looking back.

"Douzi, you stay here, I'll go check on the situation."

Having picked up this habit from who knows where, Azure pressed down hard on the brim of her white round hat and quickly caught up with Eevee's trail without a second thought.

Douzi and Yanwu Wang were left staring at each other in front of the magnificent gate of the battle company.

"We seem to be being treated as a burden..."

Douzi reluctantly picked up the milk tea that had been placed on the windowsill and drank it in a self-destructive manner, swallowing down the bitterness of being abandoned and his previous boastful words.

"Although I really want to go along and see what's going on, I feel that if I let Little Blue go alone, something more interesting might happen. Yes, my director's intuition tells me that the girl from Pallet Town will encounter trials in the alleys of Cloud City, and thus embark on her journey to become a famous detective in the Pokémon world... Let's stay here and wait, the doubles match is about to start in half an hour."

"Roar..." Emboar looked at its heavy legs with regret, seemingly thinking that Azure and Eevee had abandoned it because they didn't believe in its speed.

Meanwhile, Azure and Eevee arrived at the dead end that exuded an unusual aura.

The alley is nestled between towering buildings, surrounded by high-rise residential towers. It lacks sunlight and is filled with dust. Correspondingly, the glass elevators of the residential buildings facing the alley entrance are covered in dust, exuding a sense of old age and abandonment.

Because it's a dead end, the entire alley resembles a dumping ground for the waste of nearby residents. It's littered with discarded appliances, rusty bicycles, and the remains of broken battle items, Poké Balls, and other consumables. Along the alley's streets, old newspapers and plastic scraps are piled up like small mountains.

At this moment, surrounded by a mountain of trash, is a severely injured Pokémon.

It was a warrior eagle with reddish-brown coverts. Its three white crest feathers, which should have been a symbol of its strength and courage, were now stained and disheveled with blood.

Its legs, covered in dark blue feathers, showed signs of horrific fractures. Its chest heaved violently, accompanied by labored breathing sounds like an old blower. With each breath, bright red blood gushed from its beak.

It was less a serious injury and more a near-death experience.

Azure immediately dialed the Pokémon Center's emergency number on her phone and stepped forward to treat the wound.

Just then—

"Yahahahah!!"

A piercing scream, like glass scraping against glass, rang out at the alley entrance.

Azure turned her head and saw a terrified child.

The boy was about preschool age, wearing ill-fitting loose clothes. His tender face was contorted with fear. At this moment, he was trembling with fear, pointing his index finger at Bilan as if pointing a finger at a criminal.

"You killed Eagle!"

The child's small throat produced a loud volume that seemed disproportionate to his size. "Eagle" was probably the child's nickname for the fallen warrior eagle.

Because of the urgency of the situation, Azure did not rush to argue, but instead continued to squat down next to Warrior Eagle as planned, skillfully treating Warrior Eagle's wounds with the bandages and medicine in her backpack.

"It seems being a trainer can be quite useful in some situations," the super trainer from Pallet Town thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile, looking at the high-grade healing potion in his hand.

While bandaging her wound, Azure held her phone between her shoulder and ear, communicating with the doctor at the Pokémon Center.

"The injured Pokémon is in the alley opposite the Feiyun Battle Company... yes, the dead end. The injured Pokémon is a Braviary, suffering a severe physical attack to the head and multiple fractures... The Pokémon has lost a lot of blood, and I am performing initial bandaging. Please prepare for a blood transfusion in the ambulance..."

"Bad guy! Don't hurt Yingying!"

The boy behind her clearly didn't understand what was going on. He thought that Azure was the culprit who caused the Warrior Eagle's injury, and he even waved his little fists, trying to drive away the older girl in front of him.