Pokémon Detective Case Files.

As if refuting the detective's judgment, the strange phenomenon was not over.

With a mournful, lingering creak, the lid of the Coffin of Death was opened from the inside out.

Inside the golden coffin was even more ethereal black mist, and emerging from this boundless darkness was a white-haired ninja who was identical to the previous phantom, though it was unclear which member of the Iron Triangle he was.

By using illusion to disguise reality, it seems this trio has indeed learned a lot from the museum incident.

The ninja spoke hoarsely, unsurprisingly uttering a trio of words—

"We are the phantoms of the Trinity, the triangular spearhead of the Order of Ideals, the dark weapons wielded by the Supreme King."

As if they had been rehearsed long ago, the voices rang out simultaneously from three directions: front, back, and left, with identical content and tone.

"While I am somewhat apologetic, your existence is entirely at odds with the mission we have been given. Anyone who stands in our way may be killed. Therefore, I request that you two proceed first to the underworld, the Land of the Dead."

"Stop being so mysterious! Dragon Head Mole, 'Iron Head'!"

The purple-haired girl impatiently interrupted the person in front of her as he rambled on.

While the illusions created by Ghost-type Pokémon are terrifying, Iris is a wild child who has been hanging out outside the city since she was a child. For her, mischievous Ghost-type Pokémon are nothing new.

Before receiving the order, Excadrill was already eager to try. As soon as it heard the trainer speak, this giant mole with a sharp drill on its head immediately charged towards the Coffin of Death with a light step that was disproportionate to its size.

“Death Coffin, intercept the attack, and simultaneously use ‘Will-o'-the-Wisp’.”

For some reason, even the detailed commands given to the Pokémon were issued by all three ninjas at once. Aren't they worried that their voices would reveal their location?

Before them, the Coffin of Death opened its four ghostly gray hands, trying to embrace the attacking opponent, while behind it emerged a ghostly blue phosphorescent flame devoid of any warmth.

"Use 'High-Speed ​​Spin' to deflect the 'Will-o'-the-Wisp'! Go, Dragon Head Mole!"

Alice was passionately directing the battle when Hugo suddenly grabbed her arm, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Hey!" The girl and the tooth in her hair looked up at the detective with a shared sense of righteous indignation, but what happened next left them speechless.

Near the wreckage of the car, the Dragon Head Groundhog spun like a drill as it charged forward, successfully deflecting the "ghost fire" released by its opponent. Its imposing "Iron Head" struck the metal shell of the Death Coffin without hesitation, producing a resounding clang.

The latter, which was attacked, was thrown several meters away by black mist. The unstoppable aura that the Dragon Head Ground Rat had originally possessed also disappeared. This was a manifestation of its "out-of-the-box" characteristic being infected by the "mummy" characteristic of the Death Coffin - Alice had long anticipated this development.

What truly caught her off guard was that, at the same time the "ghost fire" released by the Death Coffin was neutralized by the Dragon Head Ground Rat, two nearly transparent balls of ghost fire silently drifted in from behind and to the left of the girl.

The two "will-o'-the-wisps" that missed their target continued to float forward in a straight line, attacking the Salamence guarding its master. The Salamence instinctively dodged the flame that was closest to the detective and Alice, but the second "will-o'-the-wisp" still managed to hit its broad wing on the back.

The "ghost fire" bursts forth the moment it hits its target, writhing like a living ghost, leaving scorched earth in its wake.

Salamence roared angrily, its face contorted in pain, already engulfed in flames. Whether it uses physical attacks or attempts to escape the battlefield using Fly, Salamence's strength will be severely hampered.

Alice swallowed hard, her heart pounding.

Even if she and the detective had previously stood in the middle of the road, misleading their opponents into ignoring the attack coming from underground, the enemy was similarly using one of them as a decoy to make their side lower their guard against attacks from other directions.

If Hugo hadn't pulled her back in time, those two insidious flames would have struck the trainer who was focused on giving commands. It wouldn't have been impossible for her to die on the spot.

Clearly, the enemy's statement that "all can be killed" was no exaggeration.

A triangle of shadows, a triple massacre.

Any obstacle that hinders the ninjas from carrying out their missions will be mercilessly eliminated by the Dark Trio.

Looking towards the distance from which the "ghost fire" had drifted, two more Coffins of Death emerged from the darkness. It was they who had launched the deadly sneak attack on Alice from the shadows. Their trainers, true to their namesakes, remained hidden in the shadows, silently waiting for the next opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

No wonder the command was issued by all three of them together—these three dark beings with the same name were controlling three Pokémon of the same type.

"This can't go on."

With his back to Alice, who was sitting on the ground, Hugo took out three Poké Balls and slowly released the Pokémon inside.

Turtwig, Piplup, Chimchar.

The girl was puzzled. Although the three Pokémon were full of energy and seemed well-trained, they were not Pokémon that had been trained to their evolutionary peak. What role could they play in such a battle?

"We are outnumbered and as long as they maintain their three-man encirclement, we will remain on the defensive. We must do something to break them up."

"What should we do? Send out all the spirits on our bodies?"

Alice jumped up from the ground again and continued to command Excadrill to fight the enemy. At the same time, she took out two more Poké Balls from her body, preparing to throw them at the Coffin behind her and to her left.

"No, that alone won't be enough to escape. The enemy probably has even more Pokémon, and I'm not confident I can dodge so many ambushes."

Hugo pointed to the wreckage of the car—

"We must target the enemy's mission itself. If we release all the Pokémon stolen by Team Plasma here, those ninjas who prioritize the mission will lose their purpose in continuing to harass us, and the three-way encirclement will naturally be resolved."

"Then let me do it..."

“No way.” Hugo rejected the idea again. “Those three hundred Poké Balls might not be in the wreckage of the vehicle right now. The ninja trio has most likely moved them somewhere else already. We have to find them first.”

As soon as Hugo finished explaining the situation, the Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar all acted at the same time, jumping into the dense forest on the right side of the road—the weakest point in the Dark Triangle's encirclement.

The young man in black followed his partners away, leaving behind a lingering remark—

"Finding hidden lost items is a detective's daily job."

Chapter 227 The search is only to prevent loss.

It's true that fortunes change.

Hugo thought to himself with a touch of self-deprecation as he ran along an irregular route through the rugged woods.

Back at the Shippo City Museum, he had acted as the treasure-hunting advisor, thoroughly outmaneuvering the Plasma Team ninjas. Now, however, the roles had reversed, and he was the one searching for the treasure.

That being said, for a detective, regardless of the rules of the game, the outcome is always the same.

As they moved further away from the battleground, Hugo gradually slowed down, and the beginner Pokémon leading the way also stopped in unison.

No ninjas chased after him, which made the fleeing detective somewhat regretful.

After two encounters, Hugo realized that the three ninjas could only unleash their full potential when they were in a group of three, just like playing cards. Once they were separated and played individually, their coordinated teamwork would be much less intimidating.

If her departure can lure the Dark Triangle into splitting up to pursue her, judging from the strength Alice has shown so far, dealing with the remaining two enemies one against two shouldn't be a problem.

This time, however, the opposing side was determined to play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, intending to fully utilize the tacit cooperation of the three-person team. They even went so far as to let the detective, who was incapable of fighting but more cunning, escape, focusing instead on dealing with Alice, who served as the henchman among the two—a strategy typically employed when preparing for an annihilation operation.

Can that purple-haired girl handle a ninja with triple killing power?

If Hugo wasn't mistaken, the girl still possessed some ultimate means of dealing with crises, so she shouldn't have lost her life at the hands of the Dark Triangle.

Although I still have some concerns, there's no point in dwelling on them now. The best way to help my colleagues is to do my job well.

How do we find the spirits that Team Plasma ninjas have hidden?

So Hugo gave commands to the Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar—

"Go and attract wild Pokémon from the surrounding area, bring them all here at once, the more the better. Go!"

The detective deliberately omitted details of the operation, allowing his three partners to act independently. After all, the three little guys had already passed the agency's detective exams and possessed the judgment necessary for independent action, so there was nothing to explain.

The three beginner Pokémon from Sinnoh, upon receiving the order, exchanged a glance and then ran off in three different directions. Although the three little guys had different expressions, their eyes all revealed a confident and assured air.

Hugo waited quietly in place, casually checking the props he would be using later.

.

People always say that if you want to hide a branch, you have to hide it in a forest full of branches. But how do you hide anything other than a branch in a forest?

First and foremost, we can rule out the possibility that the ninjas left the Poké Ball inside the gray van.

The saying "The most dangerous place is the safest place" might sound startling in a thriller, but the reality is that the most dangerous place is usually the most dangerous place.

Even if the danger is sometimes slightly reduced due to blind spots in thinking, compared to a safe and mediocre hiding plan, such a mind-bending prank is still full of the possibility of failure. The caution of the Triple Ninja is also triple; they would never take such a risk.

Moreover, the mission assigned to the three ninjas was N. His Majesty the King's order stemmed from an excessively benevolent intention: to liberate the three hundred Pokémon stolen from the trainers. Since the ninjas considered obeying orders their top priority, they would not allow the cargo to be damaged during transport, and naturally, they would not leave the Poké Balls on the vehicle that was crashing into the enemy.

So, is it possible that they carried the goods on their person? That possibility is also extremely slim.

Even if the three hundred Poké Balls that need to be sealed were divided into three equal parts, it would still be a weight that humans could hardly bear. No matter how powerful the ninjas were, they could not easily carry such a burden and scale walls.

Since the Poké Ball cannot be carried away or transported to the battlefield by car, the anti-theft measures the other party will take are very predictable after ruling out these two possibilities.

From discovering the detective and the girl blocking the road to starting the car and splitting into three groups to surround their opponents, the Dark Trio only had a very short time to deal with the troublesome and heavy cargo at hand.

The area where he could move was restricted, so the space available for hiding was also quite limited. If it were just an open, flat area, Hugo could find the lost item himself in less than five minutes...

Unfortunately, the road is flanked by dense forests. The winter winds sweep away countless yellow leaves, but the branches still retain enough leaves to obscure the view. Forget about deliberately hiding anything; even if you were to throw a travel bag full of goods out of a speeding car window into the woods, it would take half a day to retrieve it.

This undoubtedly minimizes the difficulty for the enemy to hide items.

Pack it up and hang the Poké Ball on the treetop deep in the forest. It's a good idea; people often overlook things outside their field of vision.

Find an inconspicuous spot in the forest, have your Pokémon quickly dig a hole, and temporarily bury the Poké Ball inside. Although this might harm the Pokémon inside, it's a viable solution, and the abundance of fallen leaves in the forest can easily conceal any signs of digging.

Alternatively, one could simply carry all the Poké Balls on the back of a large Pokémon. This Pokémon, possessing its own independent will, could freely roam among the trees deep in the forest. If it encountered treasure hunters, it could simply turn tail and run. Even if its whereabouts were discovered, it might still be able to shake off its opponents. Such a blatant violation of the game's rules is truly an ingenious treasure-hunting scheme.

Which method will the three ninjas from Team Plasma use? Or will they devise an even more unexpected way to hide the items, like Hugo did during the museum incident?

.

Hugo waited in place for less than ten minutes before he heard a chaotic and noisy sound of footsteps.

Like scattered raindrops eventually turning into a torrential downpour, the sounds quickly coalesced into a thunderous roar. Three groups of wild Pokémon converged on the detective from three different directions behind him.

Leading the pack is the fastest moving Chimchar. Judging from the scratches on its body from the moves, this little guy probably used the most traditional method of luring wild Pokémon – the "Taunt" move.

Behind Chimchar's torch-like burning rear end was a large group of all sorts of wild Pokémon.

Among the wild Pokémon are the Siberian Deer and the Budding Deer, which paw furiously at each other. These seasonal Pokémon, which usually become gentle and calm in winter, are now all red-eyed and chasing after the leaping Chimchar. There are also the Zangoose and Seviper, which are somewhat rare in the Unova region. These two opposing Pokémon species are now disregarding their own conflict and are targeting the fleeing beginner Pokémon.

Hugo even spotted a berserk Tundra Bear among the wild Pokémon chasing the Chimchar. Heaven knows how that guy managed to provoke a sleeping Tundra Bear in this forest where snow hadn't even started falling yet.

The second Piplup to arrive was also in a sorry state. A large flock of dark bird Pokémon circled overhead, including the jet-black-feathered Vulpix and Vulpix Girl, as well as the sharp-eyed Cuckoo and the proud Pheasant Flock staring at Piplup.

It seems that Pogaman used its avian identity to provide false information to its fellow birds in the sky through its calls. It lured them in that direction with lies such as "There's delicious food over there."

On the other side, the wild Pokémon brought by Turtwig were noticeably more docile. Compared to the chaotic Chimchar army and Piplup team, Turtwig's group exuded a relaxed atmosphere.

The Turtwig leading the pack had a small mushroom on its nose, the pattern of which was almost identical to the red and white Poké Ball – it was none other than the mushroom Pokémon, Agaric. Judging from this, Turtwig must have found Agaric, which lived nearby, and persuaded it to help it use its "Sweet Scent" move to summon wild Pokémon in the vicinity that had a sweet tooth.

Its black eyes are like dots, and Agaric waves its short, small arms. Golden gas with a sweet aroma emanates continuously from the center of the Poké Ball's pattern.

Countless insect-shaped pods, cocoons, snails, and cap-shaped insects followed behind the grass-sprout turtle and the aye-ball mushroom, their mouths watering as they followed the scent, converging on Hugo's location. Although they were no match for the Little Flame Monkey army and the Piplup team, their numbers exceeded those of the two teams combined.

"Oh dear. The number of wild Pokémon that Turtwig brought is a bit more than expected," Hugo said with a wry smile. "The Pokémon that Chimchar 'provoked' are far too strong, and the Flying-type Pokémon that Piplup tricked us into bringing are even more unexpected."

Whenever Hugo thought he had greatly overestimated the three starter Pokémon his sister sent, the three little guys would exceed the detective's expectations time and time again.

I really don't know if it's because of my strange constitution or because these Pokémon are just too gifted.

"Well, the more wild Pokémon we gather, the better. The problem of powerful Pokémon and flying Pokémon can also be solved with prior arrangements. So far, things are progressing smoothly. Let's proceed according to the previous plan."

Before the wild elves arrived at the meeting point, the detective hid behind a large tree.

Holding in his hand were the special props he had prepared beforehand—six brand-new bottles of golden insect repellent spray. The sprayer nozzles had been modified by the detective, replaced with high-pressure nozzles that had a more powerful spray range.

Chapter 228 The Elimination Method of Going Too Far

In the second round of the treasure hunt between the detective and the dark trio, one fact is certain—

Long before Hugo and Alice noticed them, the ninjas had already launched an attack in three groups.

Perhaps due to her extraordinary vision or some other reason, the enemy learned of their movements first. While this should primarily be blamed on Alice's audacious actions, the ninjas' subsequent series of actions are actually quite intriguing.

If they were only encountering ordinary people, or even just a powerful gym leader, they would never resort to such a crazy strategy as abandoning their means of transportation. Against such opponents, the Dark Trio wouldn't need to pay such a high price, since the other side couldn't possibly track a ninja determined to escape. In that situation, turning the car around and finding another escape route as quickly as possible would be the best course of action.

However, the situation has evolved into what it is now.

This means that when the Dark Triangle decided on their action plan and hid the goods, they had already noticed the presence of Hugo, the variable among the two figures in the distance, and deliberately changed their strategy accordingly.

The presence of the detective made the ninjas worry – would the failure at the Shippo Museum be repeated? If the detective could mobilize the police force of Fukiyo City as easily as he had in Shippo City, then they would have a very difficult time escaping unless they abandoned the escort mission.

The orders for a mission are absolute; the ninja's thought process does not include the option to abandon the mission.

Therefore, there is only one solution left—take advantage of the detective being alone and completely eliminate the two people blocking his way.

Although this was almost a replay of the late-night plan from the museum incident, they did not believe Hugo could escape from them a second time.

Hugo was well aware of this. Although he had managed to escape the battlefield, without transportation or a mount, he was ultimately unable to shake off the Dark Triangle's pursuit on his own. The enemy's well-thought-out plan had precisely targeted the two who had rashly pursued.

Upon closer reflection, the "Will-o'-the-Wisp" sneak attack on Iris was merely a convenient tactic employed by the enemy. Otherwise, if the Pokémon had missed Iris, it would have continued to strike the sensory-sensitive Salamence. The true purpose of the other two Coffins was to seal Salamence's red wings, preventing it from carrying the two away from the battlefield once again.

This is how ninjas obtained intelligence in advance and devised a series of perfect tactics based on it.

But this information is both a power and a curse.

Since the Dark Triangle operates based on known intelligence, the enemy's every move is inevitably swept along by this inertia of thought. Their choice of treasure location will also be influenced by this intelligence.