Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"But I have some dissatisfaction with your actions, teacher."

N knelt down before the sage in blue robes who was prostrate on the ground, gazing at the old man's white beard and hair at the same height, and said calmly—

“Teacher Joggs, I can tolerate you using me as a pawn to achieve your goals, but in Team Plasma, there are rules that cannot be broken. Your use of modified Poké Balls to abuse Pokémon has crossed the Order's bottom line—sometimes it may be acceptable to use any means necessary to achieve an ideal, but if you use that as a reason to arbitrarily distort your ideal, then all that remains is pure madness. Team Plasma is not that kind of organization; when it becomes beyond redemption, it will be condemned by reality.”

Despite the green-haired youth's relaxed tone, as if they were having a casual chat, large beads of sweat rolled down Joggs's forehead.

He staggered, lost his balance, and had to brace himself with his hands on the ground to respond—

“I am willing to accept punishment. I am willing to temporarily revoke the title of one of the Seven Sages like Vio and be confined to the base to reflect on my mistakes.”

N stood up again and waved his hand: "Then leave here. Go back to the castle and let your father judge your crimes."

"Yes……"

Joggs kept his head down, letting the symbol bird beside him, who had just realized what was happening, grab his shoulder and flap its wings to fly away from the ground—until the man and his pet flew out of N's sight, Joggs did not look up at the king he served.

Watching the sage depart, N rubbed his temples with a complicated expression, muttering to himself, "Everything that happened really matched that detective's reasoning exactly. With just a few bits and pieces of information, he was able to predict things to this extent... How exactly does the world work in that guy's eyes?"

Chapter 222 This is my calling

The world is the world, without black or white, without appearance or reality—Hugo did not think that his view of the world was any different from that of ordinary people.

If there's anything different, it's that Miss Joey, who's currently glaring at him, has an expression that's a bit too fierce...

This is understandable, given that Hugo brought over fifty heavily injured patients to the hospital, further exacerbating the already strained bed occupancy rate at the Pokémon Center in Fuyuki City. Naturally, Nurse Joy, who had arrived with the ambulance convoy to work overtime, wasn't going to give him a very friendly look.

"Head Nurse, you don't have to be so pessimistic."

In the ambulance's medical room, Hugo deduced the nurse's rank from the style of her cap. Facing the unfriendly-looking nurse, the detective carefully laid out the facts, attempting to comfort her.

"These trainers should be transferred to regular hospitals for treatment. Even if some patients are assigned to Pokémon Centers for treatment, the number will not be too large. It will not affect the normal operation of Pokémon Centers."

Joey sighed, shook his head with an expression that said, "Looks like you don't understand anything," and replied to the detective in black—

“As someone who has worked in Fuyuki City for over a decade, I’ve met almost every Pokémon Trainer in Fuyuki City, but you’re a complete stranger. No wonder you don’t know the inside story. In fact, most of the patients you’ve brought here are renowned Trainers in the local battle arena, including several elite Trainers with the potential to collect all the Gym Badges.”

She pointed to the trainers lying side by side on stretchers inside the vehicle. Although they had been defeated by Yorgus's Landorus, they were still elite trainers qualified to challenge Ardek, and it was only natural that they were somewhat well-known in Blowtree City.

"Since these trainers themselves have fallen into such a miserable state, their Pokémon must have suffered the same fate and are probably already unable to battle. And now there are fifty trainers lying in ambulances, which means that the Pokémon Center has to prepare to receive at least three hundred injured Pokémon at the same time... Sigh, just imagining that scene makes my stomach cramp."

"Then your stomach pain was for nothing," the detective considerately reminded the head nurse. "The Pokémon Center won't be crowded with dying Pokémon, at least not today. None of these injured trainers have a single Poké Ball on them because all their Pokémon were taken by the attackers."

"what?"

“I’ve already explained the details to the hospital over the emergency call, but your subordinates probably forgot to tell you,” Hugo explained patiently.

"As far as I know, the one who attacked these trainers was an executive from Team Plasma, and his subordinates were in charge of cleaning up the mess. Those guys are unusually obsessed with freeing Pokémon, so after defeating these trainers, they wanted to take those Pokémon to the wilderness to release them—or rather, their goal was to release those Pokémon, and defeating the trainers who were their owners was just a side task."

"Team Plasma? They're going to take the injured, dying Pokémon back into the wild? Are they just letting the Pokémon die there?"

Head Nurse Joey raised her eyebrows and couldn't help but raise her voice, as if she was about to explode.

"Not necessarily. Judging from past cases, that organization has done a decent job in this regard." Having already conducted thorough research, Hugo shook his head and answered truthfully.

"Before releasing them, the members of Team Plasma will use items like healing potions to restore the Pokémon's stamina, so there will be no malicious releases. The release sites are also categorized according to the Pokémon's type and ecology. Generally, they are open areas with few natural enemies and abundant food and water, which can basically ensure that the Pokémon can live a self-sufficient life."

"No, even that won't work. Pokémon injuries can't be healed by just applying some high-grade medicine. Otherwise, what's the point of having our Pokémon Center?"

Miss Joey calmed down a little, but still shook her head firmly in rebuttal.

"Strained muscles need to be treated, worn-out joints need to be maintained, and displaced fractures must be treated promptly, not to mention the wounds caused by other Pokémon moves. Those areas need to be treated one by one with the right remedy—what kind of idea is it to just apply some medicine and release them back into the wild? This is not liberating Pokémon, it's simply killing lives!"

The other party's statement is actually somewhat exaggerated. This is perhaps a stubborn belief that only medical workers who take protecting patients as their responsibility would insist on.

Using convenient medicine instead of medical treatment isn't a mistake only Team Plasma makes. After all, Pokémon Centers aren't everywhere, and many League Trainers treat Pokémon injuries this way during their travels.

In fact, while the medicine is not as good as the treatment in a professional hospital, it is enough for the Pokémon to recover from their injuries on their journey. Pokémon are creatures with extremely strong regenerative abilities. Otherwise, wouldn't those wild Pokémon that were knocked unconscious by their trainers in the grass be in even worse shape without any human treatment?

However, Hugo did not voice his rebuttal, because doing so would make him appear to be defending the Plasma Group's atrocities, and being misunderstood would be a terrible mishap.

"Anyway, I've already informed the local police station about the specifics. I sent them a bunch of photos of trainers lying on the scene. Even the most oblivious officers should start taking this seriously now. If those Team Plasma members in charge of cleaning up the mess are just minor characters, I believe they'll be able to recover those Pokémon in a few days."

"Really..." Joey breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the detective with some skepticism.

"Speaking of which, why did all those trainers gather at the foot of the Tower of Heaven? So many powerful trainers were defeated, how did you manage to escape?"

"It seems the Unova League was going to hold some kind of event at the Tower of Heaven, and Team Plasma came out to cause trouble after hearing about it, and casually knocked out the trainers gathered nearby," Hugo explained, half-jokingly.

“I arrived at the scene after the attack, which is why I escaped it. Because of my profession, I was able to deduce the general outline of the incident from the traces at the scene, and while waiting for the ambulance, I even chatted with some weird guy who had wandered in.”

"Was it that green-haired guy? I saw him. He seemed to ask you for something at the end."

"It's a professional habit, I guess. I'll take on any suitable case." Hugo casually took out a small box of business cards from his pocket and slowly opened it.

"What's your profession?" Joey asked curiously.

"A detective who specializes in solving mysteries and troubles."

With a flick of the fingertip, a piece of cardboard fell out of the box.

Yuqi Residence, Feiyun City, Hugo Detective Agency. The detective's signature leans against the corner of the business card, the font being a serious and elegant Gothic style.

Joey took the business card, looked it over, and suddenly seemed to understand something: "In that case, I'll give you a commission as well."

"What a prosperous day! Please tell me, I can handle almost anything within the scope of detective work. Or would you like to see the price list first?"

"All I can offer in return is pocket money and free medical skills, but the requests are quite simple." The head nurse had a brilliant idea on her face—

"Please help us find the Pokémon that Team Plasma stole."

Chapter 223 Time Presses On

At the entrance to the Tower of Heaven, amidst the tall grass, although the detective had a general understanding of the battle inside the tower, he did not choose to climb the tower himself to rescue the mythical Pokémon trapped in the special Poké Ball.

The reasons are somewhat complex, but for Hugo, it was a perfectly natural way of thinking—

Adeker and Joggs faced off on the Tower of Heaven, and the latter, unprepared for the champion's strength, was destined to lose. However, Hugo suspected that if he entered the Tower of Heaven at this moment, his strange physique might cause inexplicable accidents, thereby changing the outcome of the battle on the tower and causing the situation, which was originally in the League's favor, to spiral out of control.

Staying in the same place is also not a suitable option.

Joggs descended the tower, and even with the protection of the King of Team Plasma, Hugo, who lacked combat abilities, was still in grave danger. Besides, there was no need for him to meet with the Sage of Team Plasma; it would bring him no benefit whatsoever—although Hugo had read Joggs's historical works, he was far from being a fanatical reader.

So, having eliminated all the things that are impossible or unthinkable, what remains is the action to be taken next.

Just as the Sage in Blue was stunned by the true form of the Fire Moth, the ambulance convoy that the detective had called in advance via text message arrived at the scene.

Urged on by Hugo, the paramedics directed their medical Pokémon to prioritize loading the injured near the green-haired youth onto the vehicles. While Joggs and the Symbol Bird glided down from the tower and knelt before N, the ambulance convoy had already circled around to the back of the Tower of Heaven to rescue the injured there—just avoiding a direct confrontation with the Dangerous Sage.

Before leaving, Hugo made a deal with N: the detective promised to find a way to liberate Bictini on the Tower of Paradise in N's place, while N would have to come up with a reason to expel Jogs from the city of Blowing.

"Among humans, I have few whom I trust." I remember N earnestly pleading with Hugo at that time—

"The Pokémon that brings victory should be a great temptation for a trainer, so I hope that you, not someone else, will be the one to free that Pokémon in my place."

N was unwilling to see Victini lose her freedom in another way after being freed, so he added conditions to their deal.

"Since you've added a restriction to our deal, let me add one as well."

The detective then gave this answer.

"There are priorities—I'm more concerned about the condition of the trainers' partners in the ambulance than the mythical Pokémon imprisoned by Team Plasma. I want to create an opportunity for them to return to their trainers."

The green-haired youth frowned: "I will not provide you with any assistance in this matter."

"Your Majesty need not trouble yourself—there are plenty of people in this city of Fuki who would be willing to help in the face of such an evil organization that acts with impunity."

.

"Leave the battle to me! Watch me take down all those bastards who steal other people's Pokémon!"

In the lounge of the Pokémon Center in Fuyuki City, a brown-skinned girl blocked the detective's way.

The girl looked energetic, with an enormous hairstyle that seemed disproportionate to her petite figure—long purple hair braided into two ponytails on the top of her head, with the rest of her hair tied up with a bow, forming a huge, fluffy head that looked like it could be used as a sleeping bag for a small Pokémon.

No, the statement about sleeping bags doesn't seem to be a metaphor.

There really was a baby Pokémon with huge sharp teeth peeking out from the girl's hair, curiously staring at Hugo.

It is an Axew, a Dragon-type Pokémon native to the Unova region, which can eventually evolve into Haxorus.

"I heard from Nurse Joy here that you're a detective and know what those bad guys are up to, right? Then let's hurry up and get those stolen Pokémon back today!"

The girl with a tooth hidden in her hair was full of confidence and eagerly pushed Hugo outside before he could reply.

"Wait, wait." The detective pressed down on the other person's head, finally managing to regain his footing. "Who are you? The person who commissioned me, Nurse Joy, said the main force of this operation should be the Gym Leader of Fubuki City, that Miss Fubuki. Someone like you, a nobody..."

Halfway through his sentence, Hugo seemed to notice something unusual about the girl and abruptly stopped talking.

Just as different life experiences are etched into the details of behavior like tree rings, strength also leaves unique marks on a trainer.

Her well-trained posture, the tan lines from long journeys, the slightly worn fabric of her clothes from being close to the enormous Pokémon, the calluses on her fingers and the base of her thumb from the friction of Poké Balls, and the confident aura that can only be built up through constant victories... all these signs indicate that the little girl in front of me, carrying a baby Pokémon, is not as weak as she initially appears.

"Hehe, it seems you have a good eye. No wonder Miss Joey recommended you as a detective."

Noticing the detective's wary gaze, the purple-haired girl stood with her hands on her hips, a smug smile on her face.

"My name is Alice. I am a Dragon-type expert with the qualifications of Gym Leader of Odd Dragon City. My Pokémon battle skills are even better than Sister Wind Dew here. Of course, I am qualified to be her substitute in fighting crime."

"A substitute? Where did the original owner of Fenglu Pavilion go?"

"She was originally going to come here with me, but on the way, she saw a suspicious person riding a bird-shaped creature flying overhead. He seemed to be wearing Team Plasma clothing, so she changed her plans and followed him on her flying Pokémon—I'll go and arrest the robber in her place."

That must be Joshua, who just came down from the Tower of Heaven, Hugo thought to himself.

This sage is really unlucky. He was just defeated by the Unova Champion and had to abandon his newly acquired mythical Pokémon. He was immediately reprimanded by the King and wanted to "fly" away from Elysium City. However, he hadn't flown far before he aroused the vigilance of the Flying-type Gym Leader... I wonder if he will think of the old saying, "Misfortunes never come singly."

“Alice, I think you should be an excellent Pokémon Trainer, but arresting criminals and battling Pokémon is much more serious and brutal than that,” the detective said with a serious expression.

"Personally, I hope to wait until the police have assembled before starting the operation with them. That way, the manhunt will be much more secure. According to my previous information, they can start a city-wide manhunt in just one hour at most."

“Even if the police launch a search, they might not be able to arrest the criminal, right? Miss Joey entrusted us with this operation precisely to prevent this worst-case scenario from happening. Rather than cooperating with the police, we should take the initiative.”

The little girl was even more quick-witted than Hugo had anticipated, and immediately rejected the detective's passive and conservative action plan.

"Don't worry! I'm very strong."

Just like short people are particularly concerned about their height, Alice earnestly emphasized to Hugo.

"Just before coming to Fuyu City, I defeated Grandpa Shaka, who was also the Gym Leader of Osaka City. He's a Gym Leader when he gets serious. I'm carrying my strongest partners from back then, and I'm confident that I can hold my own against the entire Fuyu City police force. Detective, now is the time to make the most of it, so please lead the way without worry."

As she spoke, Iris simultaneously threw a red and white Poké Ball into the open space outside the Pokémon Center. The next instant, a Salamence with blood-red wings appeared before them.

The moment it appeared, its powerful dinosaur aura shook the ground, creating dust and wind. This Salamence was larger than most of its kind, its eyes fierce and savage yet calm, indicating it had been well-trained.

"Now you should believe in my fighting abilities, right?" Alice asked the detective behind her as she reached out and stroked the Salamence's neck.

“I have a question,” Hugo said after a moment of thought. “You keep saying you want to complete the arrest operation today as quickly as possible. Is it because there are other urgent matters to attend to afterward?”

"Of course!"

The girl hooked her arm around the giant Salamence's neck, climbed up like she was scaling a tree, and looked down at the detective, shouting—

"After resolving the incident in Fubuki City, I'm going to challenge Grandpa Alderm at the Tower of Heaven here. I'm already half a day late, and if I don't hurry, I'll miss my duel with that Volcarona!"

Time waits for no one; once it's gone, it's gone forever.

Chapter 224 The Darkness of the Trinity

The Dark Trio are not nameless ninjas; each of them has their own name.

But everyone who knows them never refers to them by those three names individually. Because names are meaningless to this group, and identifying them separately would only cause unnecessary trouble for outsiders.

Let's reveal the answer directly: the names of the three ninjas are exactly the same in both pronunciation and spelling—they are all the same word, "Darkness".

Dark, dark, dark.

This is the shadow of plasma, a trinity, like a dark joke.

.

"If only shame could disappear naturally like a scar on the forehead."

Darkness stroked his flat forehead and said with a deliberately regretful expression.

People love to find differences in similar things, and due to this inherent flaw in his own kind, the ninja had endured a difficult period of constant ridicule over the past month.

It wasn't until Dark secretly found a doctor in the cult and performed a minor facial plastic surgery on him during his return to the Plasma Group base that the ridicule and scorn from outsiders finally subsided.

But while wounds can heal completely, the stain of a failed mission is not so easily erased.

Rather than saying that "Darkness" used the opportunity of his wounds healing to get rid of the laughingstock of being ambushed, it would be more accurate to say that this shame, along with the disappearance of the "personality" on his forehead, was absorbed back into the collective called "Darkness Iron Triangle".