Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Thus, after such a series of heated debates, and with everything settled, both theists and atheists were left speechless in the face of the conceptual monster they had created.

Based on ancient doctrines and logical deduction: the deity who created the world must simultaneously hold the authority over time and space; therefore, distance and time difference in any sense cannot limit them. The deity possesses absolute will; they can be seen as a single entity, yet also capable of multiplying into countless forms. Due to their creation of all things, the deity is both the origin and model of all life, and the source and ultimate source of all energy. They possess all-seeing eyes, able to perceive the entire universe as clearly as the lines on the palm of their hand, and infinite wisdom, capable of absorbing and understanding all information in the world in a timely and effective manner… And a deity capable of all of the above, throughout endless ages, has neither destroyed the world out of weariness nor abandoned the universe out of laziness. Therefore, while possessing the power to end everything, they also possess compassion that transcends mere benevolence in human understanding.

"This is absolutely ridiculous, isn't it? It's unimaginable that such a twisted existence could be lurking in the shadows in a world that follows logic."

Mei Dan leaned against the long table in the reception room, her head bowed, yet she showed none of the dejection she had previously displayed. Her mottled, scattered gray hair, like a carrion skull, obscured the old professor's gloomy face—

"However, we still cannot theoretically deny the possibility of such a existence. It's ironic."

"So you started that experiment."

Zhu Lan remained calm, showing no sign of wavering despite the impending proof or disproving of the deity she had studied for years.

"A confirmatory experiment that can lead to fatal contradictions between the fundamental definitions of the architecture of the god."

“When theoretical development stagnates, experimental observation should pave the way first. Aren’t there many such cases in our scientific history?” Mei Dan said.

"I find it a bit puzzling that, despite the vastness of the world, no one has yet conducted such a simple experiment."

The Sinnoh champion shook his head: "Anyone who can accept this experiment must have an equally profound understanding of religion and science—even though my field of study overlaps with both, I still sincerely feel that this experiment is far too far-fetched and risky. Mr. Medan, not all scholars can be like you."

A person with scientific literacy would never actively try to prove the existence of God; and a person with firm religious beliefs would be even less likely to challenge the contradictions between the definitions of God.

There is only one person in the world who would conduct such an experiment: Meidan.

"So, besides literature on biology and information technology, your bookshelf contains an encyclopedia of elves, ancient poems and prose, and those professional books on phonology and grammar. I originally mistook them for reference books prepared for translating ancient documents—but these are the key points of your second research, Professor Medan."

Mei Dan did not deny it, but nodded silently.

"Miss Zhulan, what exactly is Mr. Meidan's research?"

Even though she felt the champion of Bamboo Orchid was about to reveal the correct answer, Officer Jenny couldn't help but urge her on. She hoped the mythologists could cut to the chase; it wouldn't be too late to compare their findings after the answer was made public with the available evidence.

"Mr. Medan has only one thing to do."

Mythologists say.

"That is to call upon the name of the gods."

.

Just like hearing your own name on the street, no matter who it is, what the circumstances, or what the situation, most people will turn around and look. Mei Dan hopes to use this way of calling on the gods to prove whether the gods are omniscient, omnipotent, and possess the individual will of a living being.

If, after invoking the name of a deity, nothing happens, everything remains unchanged, and the world continues as before, then he can seize upon the logical flaw in the theory of theism and use the concept of a deity itself to deny its own existence.

If the deity did not hear this call, then He is by no means omniscient.

If He senses the call but is unable to respond in time, then the deity is by no means omnipotent.

If a god is omniscient and omnipotent, yet doesn't even have a name to identify himself, or even if he hears his true name, he is still unwilling to display his effortless abilities, unwilling to give even the slightest response to those who call upon his true name... then the gods that believers call upon may very well not possess an independent will at all.

Even if such a deity exists, its attitude towards humanity should be as indifferent as that towards a passerby who ignores a greeting—thus, the deity would naturally not exert much influence on the human world.

In the spirit of "not adding entities unless necessary," it is not unreasonable to consider such deities as non-existent.

As for that remaining one in a billion chance, if that omniscient and omnipotent deity truly responded to that call...

Hehe, in that case, this research, which has troubled Mei Dan for most of her life, can be completely put to rest without even needing to be classified and discussed.

.

"No, no, no, no! This is too strange!"

Officer Jenny shook her head like a rattle-drum, feeling as if her head was about to explode.

"Although you've been using terms like 'He,' 'God,' or 'deity' to refer to the creator god of this world for the sake of academic rigor, based on archaeological discoveries over the years, the name of this deity you're referring to should be 'Arceus,' right? Haven't we been using this name all along? Even many Pokémon Pokédex entries accept this name. If calling a god's name would always be perceived by the deity, then the omniscient and omnipotent Arceus should be tired of hearing his own name by now, shouldn't he?"

"Even if Professor Medan shouted that phrase out to the sky at maximum volume, the deity himself wouldn't respond, would he? This is no different from Medan's previous private remarks about the deity. Besides, why do you think that just because you shout something to the deity, the deity is obligated to respond? Professor, do you have that much influence? Who is the deity, you or He?"

"Therefore, whether this call will be answered depends not on how loud it is, but on whether it is correct."

Mei Dan waved her hand, her tired voice drifting into everyone's ears.

“Take your name, Officer Jenny, for example. In this face-to-face interaction with a limited number of people, you would naturally realize that the name Officer Jenny refers to yourself. But if you had ears that could hear everything in the world, even if you heard the name ‘Officer Jenny’ called out, there would be hundreds or thousands of other Officer Jennys in the world at the same time. Therefore, you wouldn’t assume that the call was referring to you, would you?”

"It feels a bit convoluted, but I can still understand it barely."

Officers from police families all look alike, and they all happen to like calling themselves Officers by their family name, so Officers feel particularly empathetic to this example.

"Therefore, strictly speaking, the two characters 'Jun Sha' are not your real name, Miss Jun Sha. As for what your real name is, it may be the two characters Jun Sha plus your nickname or pet name in your family, or it may simply be your registered title and employee number in your workplace. In short, this name will allow you to clearly perceive the existence of your own will in any situation."

"In addition, the language in which the name is used is also crucial."

Zhu Lan, who revealed the truth behind the research, helped Mei Dan further add—

"Although the language we use today was standardized long before the League was established, it is undeniable that in the earlier human settlements, people in different parts of the world used different languages—in this case, the names of Pokémon and deities could not be determined either."

The champion, holding ancient books, spoke eloquently in his familiar field of mythology.

“We should have talked about this here before, right? In the ancient Sinnoh region, people even believed that the name of the Sinnoh Grandmaster who created this world was ‘Dialga’ or ‘Palkiria’.”

"Now it seems that this name is undoubtedly a huge misattribution, but if we talk about the real name that Professor Medan mentioned, the name 'Arceus' is not much more accurate than the previous two. It is not a name that the gods personally conveyed to mankind through oracle, but like the names of other Pokémon in the Pokédex, it is a new term created by Pokémon scholars after studying the names of this creature by people in different regions."

"On this point, one can see the strong traces of artificial naming simply from the fact that its spelling name starts with the first letter A of the alphabet, and the way the name incorporates the creation gods of different regional mythologies."

From the perspective of studying ancient books and visiting folk customs, the first generation of Pokémon scholars at that time may have been the world's earliest researchers of mythology.

"Furthermore, the names listed in the Pokédex are merely racial names, just like calling someone 'human,' they don't serve the purpose of calling them by their real name," Professor Medan added.

"So the experiment you're doing is to find out the true name of that creator god? Oh my god! That computer cluster in the basement! Those machines are used for this!" Officer Jenny suddenly realized.

The old professor nodded with self-satisfaction, his deep eyes seeming to pierce through his gray hair—

"I spent half a year adapting an expanded version of the language and script that is several times more precise than the previous phonological rules—many people in history have done similar things, so it doesn't take too much effort—and with this script, I can perfectly cover any pronunciation or intonation of a natural language."

"On this new alphabet of phonetic writing, any possible name for a god can be represented by no more than nine letters. After deducting redundant information that cannot be pronounced normally, I can obtain a list containing nine billion names, and the true name of the god who rules the world must be mixed in among them."

It's like listing things from "AAAAA" to "ZZZZZ"...

Compared to the experiments with artificial androids, this ritual of summoning a god was even more unacceptable to Officer Jenny: "This is absolutely insane, utterly meaningless. Professor Medan, you simply cannot discern that name!"

"If God truly exists, then He would naturally have a way to discern the information representing His own name."

Meidan was not discouraged at all by Officer Jenny's doubts—

"Can you understand the true meaning of God? All the thought processes of each of us are like an open book in His eyes. To such a being, sound waves in the air are no different from graphite imprinted on paper pulp; similarly, the words written on paper are no different from an array of light spots—I don't even need to write those names down on paper, I just need to design a program to make this list scroll across an electronic display..."

"Then I can call upon God!"

“Mr. Mei Dan, it’s just a name, a combination of characters!” Hearing this, Zhu Lan finally couldn’t hold back and retorted sternly.

"A creature's real name may indeed represent many philosophical meanings, but I really don't think it can summon gods."

"really?"

Mei Dan raised one eyelid, like a night owl that had spotted its prey.

"I originally thought that only you, the champion of Bamboo Orchid, could fully understand the meaning behind it."

"What do you mean?" Zhu Lan was really confused now.

What exactly is this arrogant and decrepit biology professor up to?

"Human language originated from the imitation of the speech of ancient Pokémon, but before that, all Pokémon could already communicate freely with each other—so where did this most primitive language come from?"

This is exactly the academic paper that Zhu Lan published before she became the champion!

The mythologist frowned deeply; she certainly remembered the speculation she had made next in her paper—

"Regarding the origin of this primitive language, we might offer two explanations: First, before life even existed, there might have been a creator, almost divine, who, while creating all the Pokémon in the world at that time, also left an instinctive memory deep within their genes for using the same language; second, this primitive language itself is particularly unique, perhaps possessing a divinely inspired propagation nature, causing various biological populations to actively or passively begin using this language upon contact with it..."

"Regardless of which interpretation it is, they all indicate that the language we use in our daily lives may contain some profound mythological connotations that transcend our previous understanding. Perhaps, in a religious sense, it is the language used by the gods."

"Champion Bamboo Orchid, even after all this, do you still believe that the names of nine billion gods are insufficient to summon the true gods?"

In the dimly lit forest mansion, the biology professor, who had been slandering gods and ancestors, revealed a mysterious and unpredictable smile.

Chapter 289 The Solution - There is No Superfluous Information in the World

Officer Jenny's expertise in mythological research and linguistics is equivalent to that of someone who is knowledgeable in all areas, so it's impossible for her to experience the same sense of self-doubt as Orchid.

She simply gazed at the elderly scholar before her, exuding an aura of decay and fanaticism, and silently thought to herself with complex emotions—

To prove the beliefs he has held for so many years, and to escape the nightmarish self-doubt that has haunted him for so long... this biologist who developed the bionic human is probably obsessed at this moment.

Ten years ago, Hayden used the android project to extricate Medan from the theological debate. This eight-year episode was both a blessing and a curse for him.

Not everything can be solved simply by packing it up and handing it over to your future self.

Even if one manages to circumvent certain mental curses temporarily, they will still strike the wounds of the past many years later, like a speeding "bone boomerang."

Professor Medan, now old and frail, and having lived a secluded life due to years of closed-door research, is no longer able to shoulder the burden he once carried—that profound and weighty theological question about the nature of the world.

According to Officer Jenny's personal understanding, at this point, in order to forcibly resolve her old nightmares, Medan had already fallen into a self-constructed "atheistic" religion.

They even tried to refute the unknown with the unknown, and to deduce the nothingness with the nothingness...

Think back to those math proofs you did at the police academy. No conclusion can be proven without supporting evidence. If you overlook the conditions, no matter how hard you calculate, you'll only be stuck in a cycle of self-proof and loops.

Therefore, this study, which appears to be an experiment, is at best nothing more than a psychological comforting formality.

How could you possibly uncover the existence of a deity using just a batch of computer mainframes and a monitor?

It's estimated that once Mei Dan finishes his computer experiment, whatever conclusion he reaches, after rounding, he can forcefully justify it and consider it a victory for his atheistic theory.

Whether or not real gods exist, such experiments are absolutely meaningless.

The professor's actions have long since run counter to the rational spirit advocated by scientific research institutes, and are no different from the fanatical superstitious people he previously satirized.

Is this a curse that the gods cast upon those who are disrespectful?

No, that can't be... If this were truly a curse, then God would be far too petty.

Ultimately, in the eyes of this Officer Jenny, whether or not such a thing as "god" actually exists is completely irrelevant.

Since there are already multiple legendary Pokémon in this world capable of tearing space with their claws and distorting time with their roars, then whether the superior being who supposedly created them truly has a form, possesses complete divinity, or is omniscient and omnipotent as logically deduced—like Dugtrio hiding in the half-submerged part—is utterly unnecessary to explore and study.

If a being were to descend to earth like a true god, using its boundless divine power and wisdom to enlighten all living beings, then even if it were not a god, people would respect it as they would a god, and worship it as they would a god.

Conversely, if that being, for some reason, ravages the earth as violently as a natural disaster, then even if He is truly the creator god who once created the entire universe, people will have no choice but to deal with Him in the same way they deal with natural disasters.

Whether someone is a god or not depends not on their divinity, but on their actions.

Just as whether a person can be judged as a criminal has never depended on the nature of that person's humanity, but only on what he did.

Now, neither of those two scenarios has occurred; the legend remains hidden in the dust, and the starry sky is utterly silent. Therefore, at this moment, the question of whether that deity actually exists is naturally irrelevant.

Humans do not need this kind of research.

The experiments in this forest mansion are like the police forcibly searching for criminals on the streets when the community was originally peaceful...

Professor Mei Dan has probably been doing too much academic research, causing her thinking to gradually drift away from the real world, leading her to become trapped in a labyrinth of abstract theories. Like a tadpole born in a well, she can only gaze at the round sky day after day, believing it to be the most important part of the entire universe…

Thinking of this, Officer Jenny suddenly became alert—

Yes, Professor Mei Dan is out of touch with society and has a narrow view of the world, but the other guy, that successful entrepreneur, has been making a lot of noise on the big stage called society. How could someone like that possibly do something foolish with Mei Dan?

"Uh, cough cough..."

As if sensing that Officer Jenny's gaze had fallen upon him, Director Hayden coughed lightly.

"Miss Officer Jenny, you seem to want to ask me why I sponsored Medan's research, right?"

“Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” Officer Jenny nodded and asked directly—

"Mr. Hayden, you don't seem like the type to care about theological issues. Why are you getting involved in Medan's outrageous two-year plan?"

“Oh? Can’t I simply sponsor Meidan’s research with money because of our friendship as old classmates?” Hayden shrugged.

Officer Jenny, avoiding the confrontation between Orchid and Medan, as well as Neil and the others watching the commotion, spoke in a low, sharp voice—

"Your motives are definitely not simple. If you were just a friend, you should have advised the professor to abandon this empty plan that wastes his time before this self-deceiving farce even began. If you really want him to let go of the grudges from the debate back then, it would be more reliable to have him counseled by a psychologist. The way you are fueling this now might just drive him to a mental hospital."

"Wasting time, making empty plans..."

The entrepreneur, whose temples were graying, looked up at the blackened wooden ceiling above the Mori Mansion and sighed.

"In the pursuit of meaningless things, Medan and I are actually kindred spirits. When I last chased after emptiness, I also grew the increasingly mediocre Hayden Pharmaceuticals to its current size, making a fortune—even completely achieving the ultimate goal that I never dared to dream of before."

Hayden shook his hand, and the extended fingers changed from one to two—

"Once there's one, there's bound to be two. Now that we have this successful case, who knows what the investments over the next two years will bring me... Moreover, this round of investment is not expensive at all; in fact, it would be fair to say it's too cheap."

Is it cheap...?

Oh right, I think I heard Manager Aying say something similar before, like giving a friend a villa was just a casual thing to do...