Pokémon Detective Case Files.

With a shrill laugh, the owner of the Meidan Pavilion pointed to her wrinkled face—

"I dare point my finger at Medan, whom even the gods spit on, who has no respect for authority, slanders gods and ancestors, and doesn't even care about his own life. And today, it's your turn, a little girl who hasn't even grown her hair yet, to accuse me of having a guilty conscience? Hahaha, it's absurd, laughable, and utterly shameless! A mere scary model, who knows who put it here, what does it have to do with me? I was trying to help you out, and now I'm the one being suspected. Heh, I should have just kept my mouth shut and watched your performance, like Neil and the others. Fine, then I'll ask you too! Why did this accident happen on the very day you two set up my mansion? Why, as police officers and champions, did you sneak around in other people's houses like that? Why, when it's someone else's private matter, did you judge them like you were interrogating a criminal? Why..."

No one responded to Mei Dan's incessant questioning. Officer Jenny and Cynthia had already explained those questions to everyone before the incident; Mei Dan's reiteration of them was merely a distraction. Unfortunately, the Forest Mansion was not a forum for academic debate, and the old man's eagerness to defend himself only served as the best evidence of his guilty conscience.

Zhu Lan had originally planned to ask Mei Dan some questions about the flaws she had just discovered, but given the current situation, those questions were no longer necessary.

Anyone who saw Mei Dan's furious and exasperated expression and heard her increasingly scathing and sarcastic remarks would instantly understand Officer Jenny's seemingly profound pronouncement.

He was getting anxious.

"What's wrong with you guys? Say something! Can't you see this bastard in a police uniform here, blindfolded and making baseless accusations against someone? Isn't that our Sinnoh champion? Aren't you going to stand up for justice?"

Zhu Lan politely turned her gaze elsewhere and did not respond.

"Alright, alright, Medan, there's no need to explain anymore," Mr. Hayden said, putting his hand on his old classmate's shoulder to comfort him.

The latter snorted coldly, tilted his shoulder, and mercilessly flung Hayden's hand off his shoulder, his voice truly stopping there.

Finally, persuaded by his friend, the old man walked to a distant part of the lobby on the first floor and stopped getting involved in the discussion of the incident.

"Please get some rest. I have some things to ask you later." Officer Jenny bowed apologetically to Medan in the distance, then turned back to the group, awkwardly trying to smooth things over in a low voice.

"It can be embarrassing when your true nature is discovered by others. But please rest assured, apart from our investigation into the Galactic Cluster and the clues about the ancient ruins, we will not disclose anything that happens here to the outside world."

"Sigh, although I had a feeling this way, I never thought Dad would actually do it..."

Vinnie, who had come with Medan, clutched her chest and said with lingering fear.

Taking advantage of Mei Dan's sullen walk to the side, the girl quietly asked Officer Jenny, "Miss Officer Jenny, how did you discover my father's temperament?"

"When I was sorting through the clues, I looked up your father's past speech videos online, not just the ones that caused the problem, but also the complete recordings of the original academic debates. I found that whenever Mr. Mei Dan faced arguments from theists with particularly strong evidence, he would speak in an exceptionally excited tone. At first, I thought it was a display of his fighting spirit, but after watching the whole thing, I realized that those exaggeratedly excited moments were all the points where Mei Dan's debates began to decline. Arguments that were originally advantageous would become evenly matched after he launched his attack; in situations where the two sides were evenly matched, once Mei Dan started to refute them, he would begin to lose ground; while when the old gentleman maintained his composure and spoke eloquently, his atheistic theories seemed much more coherent and reliable."

The battle actually turned against them as their momentum grew, which only shows that their high morale was nothing but a false encouragement. Ironically, many years after the debate, these very moments of hysteria attracted attention, were edited together and widely circulated, and aroused resentment.

"That's how it was when the curator and the champion of Bamboo Orchid first met," Officer Jenny added.

"Even though the two had never met before, and Miss Zhulan was quite approachable, and didn't offer any direct rebuttal to the professor's critique of theism, Master Meidan still couldn't help but make sarcastic and barbed remarks towards her. At first, I thought this might be due to the Master's arrogant personality triggering his sense of rejection, but it's also strange. If Mr. Meidan had always been this proud and arrogant, how could he have maintained such a long-lasting friendship with his successful old classmate and investor—an old friend with such a significant difference in status? Meidan didn't feel oppressed in this friendship, and you didn't dislike Meidan because of his personality."

“This is probably what people commonly call a ‘karmic entanglement’,” Hayden said.

“No, Director Hayden, just like the truth about that head, you should know it in your heart, right? Miss Vinnie has already seen through Medan’s hypocritical nature. His arrogance is not his true nature; I think it’s more like a baring of teeth at a threat, trying to deter his opponent with proactive intimidation.”

Just like how rainwing moths proudly raise their huge, pupil-like wings when facing predators... Officer Jenny silently added in her mind.

“Threat… So, according to you, Miss Officer Jenny, even during the period of fighting against theists, Father wasn’t always so confident in his theories?”

Vinnie looked at the thin, hunched figure in the distance and felt that her father seemed to have aged even more, making him somewhat pitiful.

“That’s almost inevitable,” said Zhu Lan.

"Throughout history, modern science has tried every means to deconstruct the concept of gods. However, the more we study it, the more endless contradictions lie between the real world and the fog of agnosticism, leaving us sighing in despair."

What happened in the very first second of the world? How does time flow? How does space converge? What exists on the other side of the universe? Are there life forms like us on planets in outer space? How were humans and Pokémon born? What do the eighteen different attributes represent? From which part of their bodies do Pokémon derive their energy? How did the atmosphere, ocean currents, ice fields, and mountains on the Earth we stand on become what they are today? What stories do the fossils beneath the rock strata tell? How did those ancient dynasties quietly disappear? Can we trace the origins of those legends and stories that have been passed down to this day? With our modern science and reason, if we set aside the existence of those unfathomable mystical phenomena, can we truly fully explain this world?

"Is it possible?" Vinnie, who was still in school, was full of curiosity about the answer to this question.

“There’s nothing we can do.” This time, it was Hayden, the founder of the pharmaceutical company, who gave the answer. “While tireless research can certainly explain some things, it’s like expanding outwards from the inside of a perfect circle. With each new breakthrough, the circumference of the circle increases, and the unknown areas that humanity faces increase even more. To exhaustively explore the truth of the world… is almost impossible.”

"This is why atheism is declining and theistic theories are taking the lead in the world today," Zhu Lan nodded.

“Scientific research is different from religious superstition. We cannot completely accept a conclusion before obtaining empirical results. Even when faced with the simplest and most obvious theory, we must walk alongside skepticism. Not to mention the issue of whether gods exist. On one hand, there is the simple and clear all-powerful answer of ‘God created the world,’ and on the other hand, there are endless unsolvable problems. If you were in that situation, which theory would you prefer?”

The atheist's daughter opened her mouth slightly, but ultimately remained silent.

“Sigh…” Hayden sighed deeply, glanced at Medan who had turned her back, and then at the android head placed on the chair in the reception room, as if he had made up his mind.

“Miss Officer Jenny, it seems it’s time we were to be frank about some things.”

"Wait a minute." Officer Jenny, with a distrustful expression, stopped the hesitant corporate director and said sternly, "Mr. Hayden, don't rush to lie. We don't have time to listen to you fabricate another story to your advantage. Let me ask you a few questions."

"Sure, ask whatever you want. There's nothing to hide now anyway."

Hayden sat in the chair that Ah Ying pushed over, closed his eyes, and acted like a carefree bachelor.

“I see you’ve hidden quite a few things,” Miss Officer Jenny muttered under her breath, then asked seriously—

"First and foremost, the most crucial question: Did you and Mei Dan already know about the existence of this head model, or were you even the ones who created it?"

Hayden kept his eyes closed, looking somewhat embarrassed and unsure how to answer.

“If you feel you can’t explain it in detail, please answer with a nod or a shake of your head,” Officer Jenny said.

Is this some kind of intellectual game? Hayden gave a wry smile and pondered for a moment. Then, his neatly combed gray hair dropped heavily downwards.

"Was this bionic head... originally part of a whole humanoid body?"

nod.

"Can that android move like a normal human?"

Director Hayden hesitated, unsure whether to nod or shake his head.

"You mean it sometimes works and sometimes it doesn't?"

nod.

"It needs the assistance of a specific thing to function. And that thing is a Pokémon."

He nodded twice.

"That Pokémon was a Rotom, the same Rotom that was trapped in the wall by the Icewalker's 'Light Screen.' It was trying to get through the electrical wires buried in the concrete wall!"

Hesitantly, Hayden finally nodded, even opening his eyes to add, "I think that's how it is."

"Can that Rotom leave the body it possesses freely?"

"How is that possible? Even Rotom in the Pokédex or Rotom in the phone requires special equipment to switch states."

"So, you've stuffed a Rotom into an android's body?" Officer Jenny jumped up in surprise. Cynthia and Venusa also looked at the android head resembling a member of Team Galactic with astonishment.

"You can think of it that way."

Officer Jenny was now beyond furious; she felt that even if it were a joke, what she was about to witness was far too much—

"What 'android head'? That's just an android head!"

Director Hayden didn't know how to answer this seemingly pointless question, so he could only continue to nod silently, following the previous rules of the game.

Chapter 285 The Solution - Offerings to Nothingness

Once the true nature of the bionic head was understood, many of the previous questions suddenly became clear.

Bionic humanoids are actually a science fiction topic with a long history; it is said that the world's first science fiction novel was based on this subject.

To create a biomimetic robot as we traditionally understand it, it would require breakthroughs that surpass the technological level of the time in many fields, including materials science, biotechnology, electromechanical engineering, robotics, bionic mechanisms, interactive systems, computer programming, and intelligent control theory—fields that encompass almost half of modern science.

As for making androids perfectly mimic humans, thereby enabling robots to develop true self-awareness, that is a beautiful but unattainable dream, like a white hole.

In the era of technological revolution and the rapid development of modern civilization, confident and ambitious humanity gradually embraced the rising tide of science as a new faith. Within this nascent scientific religion, the literary figure of the "bionic robot" became a messenger and totem symbolizing the coming of a new era.

A skeleton constructed of cold, hard metal, a body sculpted from synthetic materials, and a soul reproduced using strictly controlled code…

For many people of that era, if there was only one thing in the world that could represent the singularity of technology, it was androids; if there was only one symbol that could represent the arrival of the future world, it was the birth of androids.

Both Medan and Hayden were technologists who had witnessed the afterglow of that era of rational fervor.

And so, those seemingly inexplicable events occurred naturally and logically.

Entrusted by Director Hayden, Professor Medan, a PhD in biology, devoted himself to the research of bionic humanoids after leaving Binhai University.

Unlike the creation of a conventional bionic robot, Hayden's research was more short-sighted and contrary to tradition.

After all, setting aside the propagation of species in nature, the freedom to create life should be a privilege reserved exclusively for the gods.

Medan and Hayden's goal was to bypass the most technologically challenging artificial intelligence technology at the time, to free a Pokémon's soul from its original body, inject it into an organic body that simulated a human, and maintain this state for a long time.

In a sense, this technology is a derivative of Pokémon transfer technology.

Bill, a Pokémon researcher who is now making a name for himself in the Kanto region, once attempted such research. In one accident, he even briefly fused himself with a Nidorino. However, Hayden and Medan's research had already begun long before this accident occurred—at that time, there was no mature and reliable Pokémon transfer technology in the world.

Ten years ago, in an era when scientific fervor was waning, Pokémon studies were flourishing, and artificial Pokémon had not yet been created, especially in the Sinnoh region where people's views were still conservative and ancient traditions were still deeply rooted, this was a biological experiment that could be described as earth-shattering.

Extracting souls, creating fake lives, and having those fake lives even possess human-like appearances—this is practically walking a tightrope on the edge of technological ethics.

Due to the pernicious nature of the experiment, this research could not possibly be conducted in Hayden Medical's laboratories, and it would be impossible to even hire a large number of employees.

Hayden had no choice but to secretly seek out Medan, an expert in bioengineering, and have this atheist classmate take charge of the android project. Using his academic knowledge, which was enough to argue eloquently with theists, he designed an artificial skin that the soul could freely enter.

.

"Um, is that old man really that amazing?"

Officer Jenny secretly pointed to Mei Dan, who was sulking in the corner of the living room, and asked with some distrust.

She simply couldn't reconcile the scientist who single-handedly created Pokémon androids with the old man who had previously thrown a tantrum in the meeting room.

“Every personality type, even the most unfriendly one, has some compensatory characteristics.”

Hayden defended his friend, saying, "In different contexts, stubbornness can be strength, meanness can be insight, irritability can be courage, and hypocrisy can be kindness. The difference lies only in how people use them. I never believe that a person's behavior at his worst can represent his true nature."

“…” Officer Jenny understood the meaning behind the other person’s words. She had indeed pushed Professor Medan too far, and for a moment she could only remain silent.

Zhu Lan, standing nearby, asked with a puzzled look: "Mr. Hayden, according to you, Professor Mei Dan has outstanding achievements in biological theory, but in the technology of creating androids, shouldn't a large part be the development of hardware engineering? For example, the development of bionic materials such as the muscles, face, and skull support of this android head, these shouldn't be things that one person can develop in their own home behind closed doors, right?"

“You should know that Hayden Pharmaceuticals is a big company,” the company’s founder replied proudly, head held high.

“Mei Dan and I broke down the technologies needed for these hardware developments into more than 1,200 small projects, which were then added to various research plans of the corresponding departments in the company over the years. From materials to hardware to operating systems that control human movement, these problems may seem insurmountable when combined, but if they are broken down into individual, trivial problems and the time frame is extended to ten years, the situation becomes much simpler and easier.”

Especially after using the sprite transfer technology to bypass the technical barrier of artificial personality—as if worried that his statement was not accurate, Hayden immediately added.

"But what exactly is your purpose in doing this? As the founder and current director of this pharmaceutical company, why do you insist on creating a cyborg that can carry the soul of a Pokémon?"

After hearing Hayden's explanation, Officer Jenny was even more confused.

"The androids you've created are, frankly speaking, nothing more than humanoid robots, costly and with limited uses. Whether it was ten years ago when scientific ethics were strictly enforced, or now that Rotom technology has become so prevalent that it can almost completely replace robots, such androids should be utterly useless. Doing this seems to have no meaning for you other than potentially damaging your reputation?"

"First of all, it is not only when something has sufficient meaning that it is worth doing."

Hayden, leaning on his cane, gazed at the狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) head on the chair in the distance, and said slowly and solemnly—

"The very idea of ​​bringing 'androids' from literary creations into the world is a magnificent and romantic thing. Even if it meant that Mei Dan and I would gain nothing from this project, or even lose money, we would still throw ourselves into it without hesitation. This is especially true for me. It is a dream I had when I was a student, and even if the end of this road is nothingness, I am willing to be a tribute to this rationality and fervor."

"Is it enough to be happy as long as you enjoy it?" Zhu Lan nodded in understanding.

"Furthermore, manufacturing bionic robots is not entirely without benefits for Hayden Pharmaceuticals."

Director Hayden changed the subject—

"Do you know what the scariest thing is for a business company?"

"Losing money? In debt? Or bankrupt?" Officer Jenny wondered.

"None of these are true. Losses can be turned into profits; debt is just a normal financing method; timely bankruptcy can sometimes represent the hope of a resurgence—these are not things that commercial companies should fear."

"What should that be?"

“We’ve lost our long-term goals,” Hayden replied.

"Humans and Pokémon can drift through life aimlessly, but a company cannot. A company is not a factory, nor is it simply a place for people to work. Since it brings together bosses, employees, and investors, it must have goals and plans that match its success. If it loses its goals, no matter how successful a company is, it will inevitably become mediocre or even destroyed in the near future. At that time, the losses, debts, bankruptcy, or other more terrible situations that you mentioned, Ms. Officer Jenny, will naturally follow in the blink of an eye."

“Yes, I can understand that.” Officer Jenny from the intelligence department nodded. “However, for a typical pharmaceutical company, shouldn’t this long-term plan be something more respectable, like conquering diseases, curing cancer, or extending human lifespan?”

"These are indeed the slogans that Hayden Pharmaceuticals publicly uses," Director Hayden sighed, "but they are nothing more than stolen slogans."

"Steal? What does that mean?"

"Conquering diseases and extending lifespan are the responsibilities of hospitals. While Haiden Pharmaceuticals' main business is medical devices, it can certainly help patients and their families solve their problems from the perspective of assisting doctors. However, if we set goals based on this, at most we can only design some small-scale, short-term projects such as new types of testing devices, clinical instruments, and cardiovascular implants. In the long run, our work will inevitably fall into mediocre and repetitive labor, which will inevitably lead to a lack of motivation—making it impossible for Haiden Pharmaceuticals to differentiate itself from similar pharmaceutical companies at that time."

"I see." Hayden was only halfway through his explanation when Officer Jenny suddenly understood, clapping her hands in amazement—

"The android project gave you a completely new goal. With this hidden grand plan, you instantly had over 1,200 new projects urgently needed to be launched. To prevent these studies from being discovered by outsiders, you had to carefully wrap them within different types of research projects and fully support their steady progress. This gave the pharmaceutical company the impetus to innovate and forge ahead. And it was this impetus that ultimately made Hayden Pharmaceuticals the world-class pharmaceutical giant it is today!"

"Yes, just like the technologies and products developed by a space program can drive the transformation and development of countless upstream and downstream industries, in order to create bionic humans, Hayden Pharmaceuticals began to try to overcome those thorny problems that no one in the medical device field had yet tackled. After a few fortunate breakthroughs, we attracted the attention of investors. After several positive cycles, we developed the world's most advanced prosthetic limb, the world's smallest and safest blood circulation device, sensors that help the visually impaired regain their sight, and electromechanical systems that can simulate nerve impulses..."

"And all of these things can eventually be equipped on the bionic robots you create. Just like Zygarde, the Pokémon of Order in the Kalos legend, whose body is composed of countless individual cells."

Zhu Lan felt that this metaphor was perfectly suited to the situation.

“Indeed.” Director Hayden bowed humbly, like a nobleman from a business empire. “Are you satisfied with this tribute we offer for a vain dream?”

Chapter 286 Resolution - In My Own Name

"Your dreams are not unreal, after all, the android heads you two created are still here."