Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Whether it's hanging the Poké Balls they want to hide high on a branch, burying them deep in the ground, or letting their Pokémon carry goods through the forest... can these seemingly foolproof plans really escape the detective's notice? — That's what the ninjas must have thought during the planning stage.

An expert who is good at hiding things must also be good at finding them.

The security consultant who assisted the Shippo Museum in hiding their treasures possesses unparalleled expertise, making it entirely possible for him to easily locate their treasure. Therefore, extreme caution must be exercised when choosing where to hide your Poké Balls—ordinary concealment methods, like those used in the past, are absolutely out of the question.

This is not a wild guess born of Hugo's excessive self-awareness—the caution of the triple darkness is also triple.

Those guys even optimized their elf battle tactics based on their past duels with the detective. When facing Alice, they also employed a sneaky approach of one overt and two covert methods, making full use of the advantages of the ninja trinity, being almost cautious to the point of being chilling.

They were so meticulous in the execution phase of the plan that it's hard to imagine that they would be careless and haphazard in handling the target they were escorting when hiding things.

Now that we know the basis of our opponent's thinking, this treasure hunt becomes a piece of cake.

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Hugo held his breath and huddled under a large tree at the meeting point.

This giant tree was once used as a nest by Bug-type Pokémon, so although its branches and leaves are still lush, a large part of the trunk has rotted away, forming a long, vertical hollow at the base. The detective can perfectly hide himself in it.

As Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar passed behind the trees, one wild Pokémon after another appeared in the detective's field of vision.

The scene was extremely chaotic because the three wild spirits were forcibly brought together.

The increasingly crowded space exacerbated the friction between these Pokémon, causing many irritable Pokémon to unleash their moves in anger, inevitably triggering a chain reaction of more intense conflicts.

Even the beginner Pokémon running at the front were almost caught in the crossfire of the battle behind them.

Despite the chaotic battle of wild elves right in front of him, Hugo silently listened to the footsteps behind the tree trunk. For his own safety, he had to imitate the lifeless sculptures in wax museums, minimizing his presence under the cover of the tree trunk.

After silently counting to several tens of seconds, the elves gradually moved away from the giant tree where Hugo was hiding. The elves that had been rushing past became sparse and scattered until they finally disappeared.

The detective listened intently, making one last check of the footsteps behind the tree trunk.

There was no silence.

The footsteps on the ground had indeed stopped, but many of the Flying-type Pokémon lured by Piplup had landed on the branches of the giant tree. The sounds of these bird Pokémon rubbing their feathers and chirping could be heard; perhaps they were condemning Piplup's lies and plotting how to retaliate against this bird traitor who had given false intelligence.

It's not perfect, but it's about time.

As if a doll had come to life, the detective suddenly flipped over and escaped the tree hole, still clutching the insect repellent spray he had prepared.

The spray bottles have a very high-end dark gold casing. Hugo holds three bottles in each hand; by simply pressing a special button connected to the nozzle, these modified sprays can be activated simultaneously, releasing the highest quality golden insect repellent spray droplets.

However, there's something we need to do before triggering the mechanism—

"Your Poké Ball is seventy meters to your right, in a crevice in the rocks covered by old tree roots!"

The detective, his black clothes slightly disheveled from being rubbed, spoke in a loud voice, immediately attracting the attention of all the wild elves in front of him—they were all stunned for a moment by the sudden appearance of the human behind them.

"Come on, go and reveal the location of the treasure!"

Having witnessed the three little creatures find the right crevice in the rock, Hugo confidently pressed the main switch on the high-powered insecticidal spray.

Instantly, orange smoke filled the forest, and a large amount of a special gas that would make Pokémon feel nauseous was violently spewed out from the nozzles.

A single can of ordinary insect repellent spray is enough to make a wild Pokémon of average strength turn tail and run. But right now, there are six full cans of the highest-grade gold spray, simultaneously spraying high-concentration repellent solution at maximum power.

The liquid splashed everywhere from the high-pressure nozzle, accompanied by a strong and persistent odor. Even a tiny bit stuck to the fur would cause that disgusting smell to linger for a whole day.

Hugo manipulated the insecticidal spray to drive away the lagging wild elves, who frantically fled, pushing the elves in front of them even further away.

Oh dear, Mushroom, Bug Treasure Bag, Little Mouth Snail, Capped Bug, Four Seasons Deer, Sprout Deer, Meerkat Slasher, Rice Spoon Snake, Icefield Bear, Proud Pheasant, Bald Eagle Girl, Bald Eagle Na...

No matter what kind of Pokémon they were, they all scattered and were completely routed under the "stench" that humans invented specifically to drive away wild Pokémon.

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Question: Once the location of the treasure has been chosen, how can we ensure the target is protected without any risk of failure?

Answer: Send more guards.

Question: What if we run out of manpower and can't spare any more to provide reinforcements?

Answer: Then send out a trustworthy Pokémon, the stronger the better.

Before the detective's eyes, the fleeing wild elves scattered in all directions in a panic—

However, among the wild elves that ran in all directions, some suddenly changed the direction of their escape.

As if warned by something, some wild elves suddenly stopped in their tracks while fleeing and ran off in different directions.

If only one Pokémon did this, it could simply be a coincidence.

However, dozens or even hundreds of wild Pokémon were attracted by Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar. Under the sudden attack of the insect spray, these unfortunate creatures all ended up choosing a direction other than the one they were on.

Hugo narrowed his eyes slightly.

That's it.

The road leading to the secret treasure was empty.

Chapter 229 Misfortunes Never Come Singly

"I see. They hid the item inside the trunk of a tree that had been hollowed out from the top. It was a brilliant strategy that combined depth and height."

The tree in front of me has neither a unique shape nor is it particularly large; it's the kind of tree that would be easily overlooked in a dense forest.

However, tapping the tree trunk with one's knuckles produced a clear, resonant, and hollow echo. Even Hugo couldn't help but marvel at it.

"The concealment was also perfect. Not only were the branches and leaves on the top of the tree not damaged, but not a single piece of sawdust was left at the scene. The wood was hidden in the forest, and the object was hidden in the wood. Whether viewed from the air or passed under the tree, no one could find anything unusual... Hmm, the wisdom of the three is truly not to be underestimated."

That's creative!

If it weren't for the wild Pokémon that took a detour and pointed Hugo in the right direction, he doesn't know how long he would have had to search in this vast sea of ​​trees before discovering the secrets hidden within this ordinary tree trunk.

At this moment, the detective was surrounded by three starter Pokémon that had been released from their Poké Balls.

Although Hugo still carried the strong smell of insect repellent spray, the three Pokémon completely ignored the pungent odor that was unbearable for Pokémon. Instead, they stood tensely around their master, staring at the dense forest behind the detective.

Facing the large tree containing three hundred Poké Balls, Hugo sighed and murmured—

"Now that we've found this place, it's time for the guards to make their appearance. What an exciting day! To be able to force such a massive wild Pokémon army to change course with just their aura, what kind of Pokémon did those three ninjas who call themselves the Dark Iron Triangle leave here as guards?"

rustling.

As the detective finished speaking, the sound of leaves rustling filled the air.

An agile insect covered in band-like mucous membranes, a cursed doll that smiles with a zipper on its mouth, and a slashing commander whose entire body is covered in sharp blades.

Hugo's familiar rivals emerged from the foliage, surrounding the treasure-laden trees and confronting the novice elves who were on high alert.

It is the same lineup that the Dark Trio used at the Qibao Museum.

"No, not just them."

Hugo made his judgment simply by hearing footsteps.

"The ninjas of the Plasma Group are not stupid. They would never send their former defeated enemies to fight against the opponents who defeated them. The reason why Agile Bug, Cursed Doll, and Slashing Commander are here is because they can no longer be trusted by the ninjas as combat forces. Therefore, they can only take a back seat and be responsible for miscellaneous tasks such as rear support."

The detective in black turned around to face the dark forest from which the three elf figures had emerged—

"Therefore, the one responsible for guarding the Poké Balls, someone powerful enough to drive wild Pokémon away with sheer force, must be someone else entirely. Only if that universally acknowledged Pokémon is present here can the Dark Trio be completely at ease. That Pokémon might even possess human-like intelligence..."

Hugo was speaking when a sudden change occurred.

As if teleported to an unfamiliar space, a powerful, tangible sense of pressure suddenly appeared in the air.

Behind the detective, the sound of wood cracking could be heard.

The hollow tree trunk, which concealed the treasure, suddenly split open from the inside, sending wood chips flying. A gray-blue claw covered in white fur shot out from the opening with lightning speed—

Before Hugo could react, the ruthless "sneak attack on vital points" had already struck his back!

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"Finding the lost item would allow those three ninjas to retreat immediately? How could that detective have such a bizarre idea?"

On the highway battlefield where Hugo had left, Alice commanded the battle with keen eyes and ears, yet remained completely at ease, even briefly recalling Hugo's earlier presumptuous actions.

"Well, this is fine too. Dragon-type Pokémon moves are easy to affect the surrounding area. Letting our non-combat partners retreat in advance will allow us to unleash our full power without any worries."

As if echoing the trainer's words, the burnt Salamence stomped its forelegs and used its special attack moves to its advantage, unleashing wave after wave of indigo "Dragon Breath" at the trees beside the road.

The raging breath, like a blue wildfire, ravaged the dense forest, not only forcing the two Death Coffins to retreat but also successfully drawing out a ninja who had been hiding in a pile of fallen leaves.

On the other side, Excadrill, having dodged Will-o'-the-Wisp and successfully landed a hit on its opponent with Iron Head, continued to maintain its advantage, relentlessly pursuing Coffin in the road. A barrage of Ground-type moves relentlessly chased its opponent, completely destroying this narrow stretch of road and rendering it impassable.

However, despite her constant dominance over her opponents, Alice, as a dragon-attribute expert, clearly understood that she was the one truly at a disadvantage due to her weakness and lack of strength, and that the real initiative in the battle was actually in the hands of the three ninjas opposite her.

Excadrill and Salamence are already giving their all to maintain the current stalemate. The burn status is slowly eroding Salamence's survivability, while Excadrill could easily be hit by the enemy's Will-O-Wisp if it makes a single careless move, putting it in an even worse situation than Salamence. Any misalignment between them and their own commands could lead to their ultimate defeat.

Even with all that, they still couldn't pose a real threat to the other side. The three Death Coffins on the other side, which occasionally released "Protect," were in a passive defensive position thanks to their impressive durability. Alice even suspected that the opponent had given them items that could slowly restore their stamina.

"This can't go on."

The girl with the purplish-black, fluffy hair took a deep breath, preparing to change her battle strategy. She silently held a Poké Ball in her hand.

Just then, the enemy launched a new attack—

As before, Coffin, facing off against Golem, tried to wear down the attack from underground with Shadow Ball and Will-o'-the-Wisp. This combo, released simultaneously, had been used by the opponent many times, but it was always just as difficult to deal with.

The attack on Salamence was a bit more innovative. One of the two Coffins used "Immobilize" to seal the last move Salamence used, instantly silencing the "Dragon Breath" that had been suffocating it. The other Coffin risked entering Salamence's vicinity and used the "Misfortune Comes in Pairs" move, launching a series of attacks on the wounds on the latter's blood-red dragon wings.

This is the moment we've been waiting for!

A flame ignited in the girl's eyes as she raised one hand and commanded—

"Excadrill, use Dig to retreat! Salamence, use Protect to block the attack!"

The two partners acted simultaneously. The former instantly transformed into a high-speed spinning drill. Although it suffered some damage from the "Shadow Ball," it perfectly neutralized the deadly "Will-o'-the-Wisp" and successfully escaped the battlefield. Salamence, on the other hand, used its uninjured wing to shield itself and executed an imperfect "Protect" move.

The two battlefields began to clash, and sand and ghostly figures appeared simultaneously.

Because it wasn't a perfect "Protect," Salamence was forced to move several meters sideways under the opponent's onslaught, leaving deep scratch marks on the ground. At the same time, Excadrill, injured by Shadow Ball, leaped out from underground, leaving a deep crater in its wake.

The two moved in front of Alice at the same time.

"Well done, come back."

The girl nodded to the Pokémon, and two beams of red light shot out from the Poké Balls in her hands, switching Excadrill and Salamence out of the battle.

"I've had enough of this unfair one-against-two matchup. You have three opponents? Then get ready to face three of my unpleasant feelings!"

A Poké Ball exploded among the treetops in the distance—it was the shrunken Poké Ball that Iris had thrown into the treetops by the roadside while issuing her rotation command.

Before the red light from the Pokémon bursting out of the Poké Ball had completely dissipated, three thick, purplish-black beams of light erupted from it, targeting the three Coffins that had just used their moves.

The Grim Reaper and the ninjas were clearly not prepared. As the enemy appeared from the sky, their attention was still drawn to the girl standing in the middle of the road spouting nonsense.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three attacks hit the bullseye simultaneously!

No matter how much they call themselves the Iron Triangle, they are just three independent individuals. How can they compare to a true trinity?

Alice's purple hair fluttered in the strong wind, the girl's expression was cheerful, as if she had released a pent-up emotion, and she shouted the command after launching her attack—

"The Three-Headed Dragon, 'Evil Pulse'!"

Chapter 230 Murder in the Sea of ​​Trees

Cofagrigus is a very troublesome Pokémon.

Especially when they are about to run out of energy, they will use suicidal moves such as "Farewell Gift" and "Shared Fate" to drag their defeated opponent into an endless abyss with a curse full of resentment.

Like the dead remains that do not depart.

However, Alice skillfully avoided such danger.

After a patient battle of attrition, the girl switched her Excadrill and Salamence back to her. Although the two Pokémon had paid a heavy price, they had undoubtedly weakened most of the opponent's health.

Throwing the Poké Ball onto the treetop beforehand was a brilliant impromptu idea—taking advantage of this opportunity, the opponent's Ghost-type Hydreigon was able to make its appearance and complete the pre-charge of "Dark Pulse".

Cofagrigus is not known for its agility, and with the opposing trainer unable to give orders in time, it naturally had no way to avoid it.

At this point, the outcome of this battle was already decided—it was evident from its appearance that Hydreigon possessed a unique physiological structure that allowed it to launch attacks in three different directions simultaneously.

The three dragon heads, having been gathering power for a long time, unleashed their furious "evil wave," perfectly striking the three targets respectively. They left no chance for mutual destruction, rendering the three Death Coffins of the ninjas simultaneously incapable of fighting.

"Well done!" Alice jumped for joy.

The ninjas silently lifted the Poké Ball, retrieved the unconscious Coffin, and their emotionless faces seemed to turn even more ashen.

"Hey, you guys should probably realize how strong I am by now! I'm a Dragon Master who's qualified to challenge Champion Ardern. You can't beat me. If you know what's good for you, you'd better surrender!"