Pokémon Detective Case Files.

The speaker was Professor Medan, who shrugged exaggeratedly.

"Champion Bamboo Orchid, you can keep this strange collection of poems with you and look at it as you please. I don't think it has any particularly significant value. Besides..."

Mei Dan's eyes, brimming with mockery, rolled like those of a cunning celestial dog, turning towards the maid, Zina—

"It's getting late, shouldn't we eat?"

Chapter 278 A Feast That Couldn't Begin

Am I being too jumpy today, to the point of becoming paranoid?

As Qi Na tidied the dishes and utensils on the table, folding each napkin into a swan-like shape, she began to reflect on herself.

It's described as a graceful swan dance, but the folding method isn't actually that complicated. It just sounds nicer; the shape actually looks more like a banana with its skin peeled open. After all, the material is just a soft towel, offering virtually no room for artistic expression... No, no, that's not what we need to reflect on.

Qi Na placed a napkin down and shook her head like a rattle-drum.

I'm starting to overthink again... I have this feeling that ever since that famous Sinnoh champion stepped into this mansion, my work has become very strange. Not only am I careless, but I also become nervous even when I see everyday things.

Especially when Miss Venetian pulled her into the room to help her choose an outfit, this ominous feeling was particularly intense. When she heard strange noises coming from the walls, she subconsciously imagined the most terrifying scenarios...

Oh dear, there shouldn't have been such a panic.

I'm a maid at the Mori Mansion now, and my job is to clean all the rooms in the mansion. Hearing the noise coming from the master bedroom next door, I should have been the first to think about the layout behind that wall. How could I be so slow to realize it? That's really not right of me.

It seems my professional skills still need improvement...

While reflecting on her actions, the maid kept busy with her work. After setting out the tableware, it was time to prepare the drinks.

Just after everyone left the manor owner's room, Manager Ah Ying was given a few instructions by Mr. Hayden. Afterwards, he went out of the manor and brought back a bottle of red wine that looked very expensive from the luxury car outside. He said he would drink it at the banquet, probably to celebrate something.

Gossiping has been an occupational hazard for maids since ancient times, and with no one to talk to, Zina could only let her imagination run wild—

That might be related to the research that the curator of Meidan was conducting. The reason he hadn't directly presented the wine as a gift before was probably because Hayden didn't know the specific progress of the research at the time. Therefore, it wasn't until after talking with the curator and learning the details that the big boss finally decided to present the wine as a congratulatory gift.

It's clear that Professor Medan and Mr. Hayden have a really good relationship. They were laughing and joking in the curator's room earlier. Is this what they call friendship between classmates? I wonder what the two old men looked like when they were young?

Forget it, these are not things that Zina needs to consider right now.

The maid, who had placed the red wine in the center of the table, carefully crossed her arms and thoroughly inspected her "masterpiece." The tablecloth was neat, the napkins were upright, and the wine basket and flower arrangement complemented each other perfectly. Just as she was admiring herself, she immediately noticed a oversight and went back to the cupboard where the tableware was stored.

This time, she presented a glass vessel with a wide base. The entire container was about the size of a vase, resembling an inverted funnel with a long, narrow neck designed for easy pouring.

When Qi Na first arrived at the Forest Mansion, she spotted this thing. At the time, she didn't know what it was for and had to secretly search for it online on her phone to find out. Now, it's finally going to come in handy.

The label on the bottle of red wine Hayden brought clearly stated that it was a vintage aged for many years. Therefore, if the drinker is particular about its quality, it needs to be left to stand for a while before drinking to separate the wine from the sediment such as fruit skins and yeast, and to allow the red wine to oxidize slightly so that its aromas can be released—this is the purpose of the glass decanter in front of us.

Whether Mr. Hayden and his family will use it or not is another matter, but it's always good to put the decanter on the table first. It will make the maid look much more professional. Only professionalism earns genuine respect and appreciation from others.

"I wonder how the giant vine is doing in the kitchen. With so many unexpected visitors, even though the mansion has plenty of ingredients, cooking for so many people, plus the amount of Pokémon they brought, the kitchen must be in a frenzy... no, should I say the vines are flying everywhere?"

Stealing glances at Professor Medan sitting in the main seat in the hall, Venusa bickering with her father, Cynthia, the Sinnoh champion carefully flipping through an ancient book, Officer Officer Jenny looking around in her uniform, Neil curiously observing the Pokémon beside the champion, and Mr. Hayden and his bodyguard leisurely appreciating a painting again... The maid was overwhelmed. How did these visitors, each with a more terrifying identity than the last, manage to gather in this mansion in just one day?

When Professor Mei Dan gave the order, everyone thought the banquet was really about to begin and rushed downstairs, only to find that the number of guests had suddenly tripled, and dinner would have to wait a while. Fortunately, everyone was quite understanding, and apart from Professor Mei Dan's usual cold laugh, no one urged them to hurry.

The mansion had plenty of Pokémon food, so the Pokémon didn't have to worry about going hungry; it could be a nice appetizer. Cynthia Champion's Roserade, Mr. Hayden's Corviknight, Officer Jenny's Staraptor, and all sorts of other Pokémon hopped out from their trainers in twos and threes to grab a bite to tide them over. It seemed that the wait made them even more excited for dinner.

Zina couldn't help but worry about her partner. While an empty stomach is the best seasoning, excessive anticipation can also increase a guest's pickiness about the food.

It wasn't that she didn't want to go into the kitchen and lend a hand, but just imagining the scene of the kitchen becoming like a "hardened plant" when the giant vines were cooking, with vines whipping everywhere and pots and pans making a cacophony of noise, she knew that if she went in now, she would only make things worse...

Besides, Zina's cooking skills are not very good; at best, she can only bake tree fruit bacon as a dessert.

Actually, to be precise, although the maid had a Poké Ball in her pocket that could retrieve the Giant Vine, the Giant Vine wasn't actually one of Sina's Pokémon. It was more like a colleague of Sina's.

Although Zina can cook, as a young woman in her early twenties, no matter how much kitchen experience she has, her cooking skills could not possibly be good enough to earn the approval of a business tycoon like Hayden.

Therefore, when she took on the job at the housekeeping service center, she simply rented a capable work partner at the same time.

It was that giant vine that was currently making a racket in the kitchen, bustling about like a thousand-armed monster.

This type of rental service is actually very common at the service center where Qi Na works.

No one is perfect. No matter how capable a maid or housekeeper is, it is impossible for one or two people to handle the workload of managing the entire mansion. Therefore, it is necessary to rely on the power of Pokémon.

Raising Pokémon is no easy task, and getting them competent enough to perform specific household tasks is even more difficult—more challenging than getting them to fight. It requires specialized teachers, facilities, and a systematic teaching system; only professional institutions with structured instruction can provide this. Therefore, Pokémon schools have emerged to address this need.

Many Pokémon that have had conflicts with their trainers or have been forced to be released for other reasons end up in such institutions through Pokémon Centers. Furthermore, Pokémon that haven't been adopted for a long time in breeding houses are often sent here for selection. From this constant influx of new Pokémon, various institutions conduct rigorous screening, keeping only those with sufficient talent and personal interest for further training, allowing them to coexist with human society in a different way. Those rejected continue the process of being released back into the wild.

Tangela is the kind of Pokémon with exceptional culinary talent. Whether it's Gym Leader Medan or Vinissa and Neil, who occasionally visit the Forest Mansion, they all rave about it. The two even mistakenly believed Tangela was Sina's Pokémon, and consequently, they held her in much higher regard.

Just as the maid was lost in her fantasies, she saw the huge, blue-green figure in the kitchen extend a vine outwards and beckon in her direction.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Qi Na followed, puzzled, and saw another vine fly up from beside the giant vine that was plating the appetizers, pushing a large vegetable basket in front of her.

"Not enough ingredients? We need some berries and Moo Moo milk? Are we preparing a meal for the Pokémon?"

Hearing her coworker's humming, and with the vegetable basket in hand, Zina instantly understood what he meant. The giant vine happily waved its whip, pushing Zina in the opposite direction of the kitchen—it was urging Zina to hurry back.

"Okay, okay, I'll go."

Zina soothingly touched the thick blue vine, which felt a bit like a sweater. She really didn't know how the giant vine could operate so many kitchen utensils at the same time with such a clumsy "arm".

Without pausing, he followed instructions and quickly made his way up the stairs to the attic on the roof.

This time, she didn't have any wild thoughts, and she wasn't even startled when she walked past that strange painting.

The Sinnoh Champion and the League Police are both here. Even if the ominous mansion wanted to be haunted, it wouldn't dare to show its face at a time like this.

The night was deep, and dinnertime had long passed. The giant vine's feast was finally ready to be served, just waiting for Zina to return and plate it.

Just then, a horrifying scream came from above the roof.

Chapter 279 The Scarlet Shelf

"There is a murderer among us..."

With a cold gaze sweeping over the crowd gathered before her, Officer Jenny slowly removed the gloves stained crimson during the autopsy, tossed them into a black trash bag beside the round table in the hall, and then solemnly announced—

"Sigh, I really want to say that line, but it doesn't apply to the current situation. In fact, the Forest Mansion we're in right now is a semi-enclosed space that can hardly be called a 'snow-covered villa.' Not only is communication readily available and people can come and go freely, but there's also a Sinnoh Champion present. If this is considered dangerous, then there's no safe place in the world. The 'enclosed' elements are also pitifully few, especially the small room on the rooftop where Ms. Sina witnessed the tragedy. It's completely unlocked, just like a Shellder after using the 'Hatch' move. Not only can outsiders freely reach the rooftop of the mansion from the sky, but even the dense forest that originally sealed off the mansion had been largely cleared earlier today. The windows of the Forest Mansion are difficult to clean because they're close to the dense forest, and dust accumulates on the outside year-round, making it even harder for those inside to notice anything happening outside." There's no need for a special Pokémon with flying abilities; any ordinary human with some rock climbing experience could easily climb up the window frames and exterior walls to the top of the mansion. Therefore, considering all of the above, we cannot rule out the possibility that an outsider committed the crime.

The night was deep, and it was well past dinnertime, but none of the people present had any interest in enjoying the feast. Naturally, the dishes that Giant Vine had prepared in the kitchen were not set on the table; they were all sealed in plastic wrap and left for another day.

Everyone listened quietly to the police officer's speech on an empty stomach, but their eyes were not on Officer Jenny, who was giving the speech. Instead, they couldn't help but look frequently at a certain object that had a strong presence next to Officer Jenny.

The object was placed on a chair, resting on a hastily found bath towel, which was now stained with a dark red stain.

"Of course, besides the reasons mentioned above, there is another, even more important reason why I say there is no murderer among us..."

Officer Jenny unabashedly raised her hand and placed her ungloved hand directly on the bloody object. Many people present felt their eyelids twitch in disbelief.

"The more important reason is—well, the thing Zina found on the attic food shelf wasn't a real human head."

.

Let's rewind a few quarters of an hour.

At that time, the maid Zina went up to the rooftop attic to find what the giant vine needed in order to replenish the kitchen's ingredients.

As soon as she opened the unlocked door to the attic, she immediately smelled an ominous, pungent, and rusty odor.

At first, Zina thought something in the storage room had rotted and spoiled, so she quickly turned on the attic light and followed the smell. Then, she saw the thing on the wooden shelf and screamed in fright.

Head!

A bloody, grotesque human head was silently placed in a dark corner of the attic!

On the single-layer shelf, the seasonings that were usually stored there had been pushed aside, revealing a bloodied head with its eyes wide open, placed among a collection of bottles and jars of varying heights. In the pale light, the wide-open, cloudy eyes resembled those of a vengeful ghost who died with its eyes wide open.

Is this a prank? It must be a prank! Someone must have put this wax head here to scare people... Just as this hope rose in Zina's heart, it was instantly extinguished by the cold water of reality.

Without realizing it, Zina inexplicably reached out her hand towards that terrifying thing—

The head was incredibly lifelike, yet clearly beyond dead. Touching the cheek with my fingertips, the skin felt icy cold, and I could almost feel the pores—this was real human skin! It was a material that could never be simulated by a wax figure or any other model!

Looking down, the wooden frame beneath the head, and the ground below, was now a dark red, emanating a chilling stench of blood. No amount of red paint or artificial blood could simulate such a terrifying stench. In fact, it was this pool of blood that drew Miss Zina's attention to the strangeness in the attic as soon as she entered.

Anyone who witnessed this horrific scene would immediately imagine the brutal image of blood flowing from the severed neck, pooling into a large, blood-red puddle directly beneath the wooden frame.

But when Zina discovered the scene, the dark red puddle was almost dry, and the blood on the ground was somewhere between a viscous liquid and a semi-solidified gelatinous mass.

The maid was so struck by this because the moment she realized it was a living human head, she was so frightened that she fell down on her backside right next to the bloodstain, almost touching the horrible liquid.

Just as Zina was feeling dizzy and disoriented, a white-gloved hand helped her up from the ground. It was Officer Jenny, who was wearing a police uniform.

Behind the policewoman were the other people in the building who also looked surprised—Mei Dan, Hayden, and Manager Aying were not present; the rest of the people had all been drawn to the roof by the girl's scream.

"Don't call the police yet, something's strange about this."

When facing the murder case, Miss Officer Jenny, who was supporting Zina, displayed a calmness worthy of her uniform.

But at this moment, the first words she uttered puzzled the maid greatly.

That was a gruesome, ferocious, and blood-soaked human head!

Behind every bleeding head lies a pair of empty shoulders, inevitably signaling the occurrence of a murder.

There should be absolutely no reason for them to hide anything from the police!

And it was at this moment that the policewoman gave her reason—

"The head shows no signs of long-term decomposition, and the bloodstains on the ground are not completely dry, indicating that the murder occurred not long ago. However, compared to the amount of blood that would result from cutting off a person's head while they are still alive, this attic is far too clean. Clearly, this is not the place where the murder was committed or where the person was beheaded after death. Therefore, the most reasonable explanation at this moment is that someone killed this person somewhere outside the attic, cut off his head, and then carried it to the roof of the Forest Mansion and placed it on this wooden frame."

"Then why...why did he do that?"

Neil asked in a trembling, low voice, as if talking to himself. It was unclear whether he was asking about the criminal's motive or wondering why the perpetrator had placed the head in the Mori Mansion after committing the crime.

“Generally speaking, such a brutal beheading is likely intended as a demonstration. But if it were meant to display ferocity, the perpetrator would have chosen a more conspicuous location… such as the main hall on the first floor or the center of the entrance connecting the roof to the second floor. Hmm… hanging the head from a rope in front of the window is also a very effective deterrent. But the perpetrator didn’t do that; instead, they placed the head in the corner of the dark storage room. Miss Zina, judging from the signs of use in this attic, you probably haven’t used this storage room much, have you?”

Upon suddenly hearing her name called, the maid, who had just gotten up from the floor, trembled and stammered for a long time before finally answering—

"Most of the food is stored in the refrigerator in the kitchen. We only come here to get the stored amount when it's almost used up. Normally, we come here about once a week."

“Yes, that’s about what I expected.” Officer Jenny nodded. “If the head is placed in this attic, it’s very likely that no one will notice anything unusual until a week later, which is too inefficient for a demonstration. And if we rule out the possibility that the murderer placed the head there to show off their power, then why would the culprit secretly hide the head in the attic of the Forest Mansion?”

Zina, Neil, and Vinnie looked at each other in bewilderment.

“Framing, framing, or a diversionary tactic,” Champion Zhu Lan said calmly. “No matter which one it is, calling the police center in Baidai City is not a perfect option.”

“That being said, there was also a personal reason why I told you not to call the police,” Officer Jenny suddenly said.

"Although I also do intelligence gathering and similar work, the department I work for is different from the police in the ordinary sense. The reason I came to this Forest Mansion is because I am carrying out a certain order from the department."

Officer Jenny, who had always been referred to as Miss Officer, pointed to the bloody human head.

"I already told you, Miss Maid, that my job is to investigate the relationship between this Forest Mansion and Team Galactic, the evil organization that once ravaged the Sinnoh region."

Everyone followed Officer Jenny's finger and looked back at the victim's head. Because the head had been severed above the neck, the Adam's apple was not visible, and the grotesque face lacked distinct gender features, making it impossible to determine the victim's sex. However, on that bloody severed head, there was a head of somewhat rustic, straight bangs.

Miss Officer Jenny's calm voice rang out, tinged with a hint of self-deprecation—

"Coincidentally, it's the same hair color as mine. But, doesn't this dark green hair paired with Ralts-style bangs and short hair look a bit familiar to you all?"

How could they not look familiar? It's just that everyone was so shocked by the bloody scenes of killing and beheading that they didn't immediately make that connection.

At this moment, Officer Jenny's words revealed the truth, and everyone was immediately startled. Vinnie, who had remained silent until now, exclaimed first, blurting out her suspicions—

"Could this deceased person be a member of that evil organization, Group Galactic?"

Chapter 280 A Head Grown for Decapitation

"Yes, I have already reported the situation here to my superiors. Thanks to Miss Zhulan being here as well, the higher-ups have tentatively approved my current approach."

The bright yellow light contrasted with the night outside the window, dispelling some of the eerie atmosphere brought by the bloody case.

In the middle of the main hall of the Forest Mansion, Officer Jenny from the Alliance's special department faced the round table, giving orders as she explained the current situation, her hand still resting on the head on the chair, its authenticity unknown.

"However, my superiors' patience isn't limitless. Rumor has it that a severed head, suspected to belong to a member of Team Galactic, was found in the mansion where Akatsuki used to live. Whether this is true or not, it's far too sensitive. They demand that we produce convincing investigative results by midnight tonight. Otherwise, regardless of the head's authenticity, a group of fully armed police officers from Baidai City will definitely arrive early tomorrow morning and cordon off this Forest Mansion."

It was past 7 p.m., and the minute hand of the clock had completed a semicircle. Midnight was less than five hours away.

A question quietly surfaced in the minds of everyone, including Officer Jenny—could the matter really be resolved smoothly in such a short time?

"Ha, what a bolt from the blue."

Amidst the silent crowd, the owner of Meidan Pavilion shook his feet with utter impatience, the hard toes of his shoes tapping the ground at a leisurely pace, making a noisy thumping sound.

"Such a boring thing happened at this rare gathering."

"That's life. Bad things always outnumber good things, and both like to surprise you."