Pokémon Detective Case Files.

The officer was convinced by Officer Jenny's logic and nodded in agreement with an appreciative look on his face.

At this moment, Miss Joy, who had been silent for some time, suddenly spoke up—

"Are you saying that the identity of this deceased person is still unknown?"

"Yes. This person rented the house using a false identity a month ago. Before that, his identity and whereabouts were completely unknown, as if this poisoner appeared out of thin air. We initially suspected that he might belong to Team Plasma, but poisoning elves without a purpose doesn't seem like something that organization would do. On the contrary, the poisoner who killed the poisoner seems more like someone from that side..."

The chief investigator looked at Joey: "Have you discovered any clues?"

"There are no clues or anything like that," Miss Joey said with a shrug.

“I’ve seen this person before. I wasn’t quite sure before because my memory was a bit hazy, but I took a moment to compare the photo while you were discussing the case, and it’s definitely him.”

The toxicology expert didn't lower her voice intentionally. As soon as she uttered those nonchalant words, everyone in the room except the deceased stared wide-eyed.

Ignoring everyone's reactions, Miss Joey continued—

"This guy's name is Servilik. I saw him once at the Pokémon Hospital in Rikyu City more than ten years ago, before he disappeared from the medical field."

"Selvilik?"

The chief investigator repeated the rather long name, looking puzzled.

"Hehe, not many people probably know this name now, even he himself has abandoned it. However, you may have heard of his nickname in the underworld."

Joey pointed downwards at the victim lying face down, his body a gruesome sight, and named him—

"Plague scholar".

"…………"

Although Miss Joy spoke with great confidence, embarrassingly, no one reacted noticeably to this prestigious title, and the surroundings remained silent.

Until one of the veteran detectives in the team mustered up his courage and hesitantly spoke up—

"The 'Plague Scholar'? Could it be that poison dealer who caused trouble in Liyong City back then? Isn't he dead?"

"It's obvious that he's only dead now. Five years ago, he simply disappeared under an assumed name."

Joey glanced sideways at the poisoned corpse on the ground and pointed out with a touch of dark humor.

"About ten years ago, this 'Plague Scholar' was an attending physician at the Pokémon Hospital in Liyu City. I met him when I was interning at that hospital. I never expected that we would meet again in this way."

Miss Joy sighed, as if recalling her own girlhood, and continued her story with deep emotion—

"After I finished my internship, when this attending physician continued to work at the Elf Hospital in Liyong City, a very serious medical accident occurred—it was this accident that led to the original Dr. Selvilik becoming the 'Plague Scholar,' a poison dealer in the underworld."

"Ah, could it be that incident!"

Miss Officer Jenny and the chief investigator both exclaimed in surprise.

As Miss Joy narrated, one important keyword after another came into the police officers' ears, and their memories were finally brought back to life.

"I remember now, it's the case of Miss Officer Jenny from Liyong City being promoted to local police chief!"

The officer belatedly realized what was happening and said—

"At the time, an unscrupulous doctor was troubled by an economic dispute and happened to find that the other party had brought their Pokémon to the hospital for treatment. So, the doctor harbored a desire for revenge and secretly switched the size information of that Pokémon with other Pokémon, which led to the hospital prescribing a hugely different dosage of medicine. In the end, the Pokémon, which originally only had mild symptoms, died during the operation."

"In the end, it was Officer Jenny from Liyong City who discovered the clues in this incident. With Miss Goth's lie detector skills, they perfectly reconstructed the whole story. Afterwards, Officer Jenny was promoted for her merits, and at the same time, she left behind the fearsome nickname 'The Shadow' in the underground criminal world."

"So, the bad doctor from back then was this Servilik?"

“I remember now! Although the case was eventually solved, the perpetrators were not punished by law.”

The young and inexperienced Officer Jenny, fresh out of school in Feiyun City, said indignantly—

"Back then, Pokémon rights were far less valued than they are today. Before a Pokémon underwent surgery, trainers mostly signed pre-operative agreements that exempted the doctor from all liability. Even if the trainer of the victimized Pokémon pursued further action based on prescription issues, the responsibility for the Pokémon's death could only be attributed to the careless novice doctor who failed to check the dosage. In addition, the perpetrators acted discreetly, and apart from the indirect testimony obtained by my cousin through a lie detector test, the police could not find any further evidence. With so many unfavorable conditions for bringing a lawsuit, they had no choice but to let this unscrupulous doctor go unpunished."

"Yes, that's basically the gist of the incident."

Miss Joey nodded and continued—

"After this ordeal, although the 'Plague Scholar' escaped legal punishment, he ultimately could no longer continue to work in the medical field. So, he began to change his name and contact criminal forces in the Unova region. At first, he provided criminal advice related to poisons to murderers and gangsters. Later, he simply began to concoct and sell various types of poisons himself."

"Because of my profession, when I first started out, I frequently witnessed the poisoning incidents caused by this 'Plague Scholar.' The number of humans and elves who died from his concoctions was at least dozens, if not hundreds. It was only during our investigation that we gradually uncovered this 'Plague Scholar's' real name and past identity. However, in recent years, he's become much quieter. According to the police officers I've worked with, that might be related to the rise of Team Plasma. He's either been secretly recruited by them, or he's been eliminated for his misdeeds against elves…"

"However, the current situation of suddenly reappearing after ten years of hiding his identity, causing a large-scale poisoning case, and then suddenly being poisoned is really hard to understand."

"This is indeed a tricky case. To be honest, we still don't even know why this 'plague scholar' is spreading the poison on such a large scale."

Faced with one mystery after another, Officer Jenny sighed deeply.

The search team leader even covered his head, surrendering in a gesture of defiance—

"This is no longer a case that our single investigation team can solve. We need the chief, no, at least investigators from the Alliance headquarters, to have any chance of cracking this case."

Miss Joy then asked Officer Jenny curiously, "Speaking of which, Officer Jenny, what's your detective friend up to these days?"

"Ask about Azure. She seems to be on the phone with her boss at the agency. After all, with such a major case within a case, she definitely needs to hear the opinion of the real detective."

"is it?"

Joey glanced at this junior member of the Officer Jenny family, her eyes darting around, then suddenly leaned close to Officer Jenny's ear and whispered as if sharing some unspeakable secret—

"Speaking of real detectives, I have a help hotline that's been circulating among Officer Jenny in the Sinnoh region. I managed to get it from them during my journey to catch Toxicroak. How about giving it a try?"

"........."

After a long silence, Officer Jenny politely declined—

"Maybe not. I think that phone number is probably busy right now..."

.

At this moment, the police and forensic experts were unaware that, following the mysteries of the motive for poisoning, the murder of the poisoner, and the theft from the crime scene, the arriving forensic experts and crime scene investigators would present them with yet another impossible, unsolvable, and unbelievable mystery of poisoning—

There were no needle marks on the body of the "Plague Scholar" Servilik, nor any wounds that allowed the poison to enter the body directly.

Moreover, after the forensic pathologists completed the autopsy, they found absolutely no trace of the source of the toxin in the deceased's respiratory tract, throat, or stomach—a bizarre and unimaginable phenomenon in the eyes of both toxicologists and professional forensic pathologists.

The deadly toxin seemed to appear out of thin air in the victim's blood, killing the notorious and wicked doctor in an unbelievable way.

It was like a deadly, poisonous curse that would haunt you and claim your life.

Chapter 313 Poison Shadow – Star Champion's Schedule

While the Feiyun Police Department was in chaos due to a series of poisoning and murder cases, the new champion of the Unova region was accompanying a famous actor from a distant continent, dealing with all sorts of social performances that came his way.

First, in the afternoon, there was an official press conference for the Union Champion, Ms. Karune, during her visit to the Unova region.

This international champion, who has garnered immense attention, attracts the fervent gaze of countless fans with even her everyday actions. Her journey to United Nations has miraculously coincided with the changing of the guard among the local champions, naturally sparking even more speculation among onlookers.

If Hugo had also attended this press conference and revealed his identity as the champion, it would have undoubtedly caused an even greater sensation, like a natural disaster.

However, as a detective who always has a clear understanding of himself, Hugo had already decided from the beginning to completely conceal the truth during his term as champion, so it was impossible for him to make a public appearance in this event.

However, in order to better conceal their identities, Hugo and Karuni agreed on a story and prepared in advance for the tricky questions that reporters might ask.

However, these preparations ultimately proved largely useless. As a well-regarded movie star, Karni was highly respected worldwide, and given that she had only recently arrived in the Unova region and hadn't even met the new champion yet, no reporter would bother asking her overly pointed questions.

After all, not every journalist would harbor the same hostile competitive mentality towards Champion Karune as the Fire Elite King of the Carlos region.

After the official press conference ended smoothly, it was time for promotional activities for the movie Karuni was starring in.

Unlike the press conference held in the Alliance Building, this pre-screening meet-and-greet, hosted by the film's investors, was held in Feiyun City's largest open-air theater, and Miss Karuni, the film's female lead, was the highlight of the entire roadshow.

The meet-and-greet was packed with people, just like a concert. After the interview, fans bombarded him with questions about the film and Karu Ni herself.

As usual, the last part of the roadshow was a group photo of all the actors and the audience, which was also the last chance for fans to get the actors' autographs.

Of all the actors, the fans surrounding the lead actress, Karuni, were naturally the most numerous.

Just as Hugo, standing at the edge of the venue, was checking the time and wondering if the Kalos Champion would make it to her next appointment, Karune, as scheduled, quickly signed her 100th autograph, waved apologetically to the fans, and then took out her Poké Ball, sending out Gardevoir, the Psychic Pokémon that helped her win the Kalos Champion title. Gardevoir activated its Psychic powers, unleashing a dazzling set of light effects, then, holding the actress's hand, used the "Teleport" move, gracefully disappearing into the light and crowd.

.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Having changed into a new white Unova-style outfit, and wearing orange sunglasses and a baseball cap, Champion Karuni appeared before Hugo—this was already her third outfit since arriving in Unova; being a world-class superstar is truly not easy.

"It must have been hard for you, great detective, to accompany me on this aimless stroll. Being forced to watch a roundtable discussion like this must have been quite boring, right?"

Miss Karen asked Hugo with concern.

"Not really. My landlord dragged me to see that movie not long ago, so I quite enjoyed this meet-and-greet."

Hugo shook his head and answered truthfully.

So what do you think of my movie?

The superstar deliberately brought her face close to the detective's, looking directly into his grey eyes. She then sighed and said—

"The biggest headache in making movies is that it's hard to get truly objective reviews that are worth considering. Everyone enters the theater with their own biases and perspectives. A thousand moviegoers will have a thousand different opinions on the female lead. The line between masterpieces and mediocre works, and between mediocre works and bad movies, is often blurred. This means that even if actors want to improve their acting skills based on audience feedback, they can't be sure if their efforts are going in the wrong direction."

"Oh? Miss Karuni, do you have plans to change careers?"

Hugo didn't directly comment on the film; after all, he was just an ordinary viewer and couldn't offer objective and fair professional opinions. If Douzi were present, she might have launched into a long, eloquent speech. But here and now, Hugo only gleaned a subtle implication from Karuni's remarks and went straight to the point with his question.

The actress chuckled, "You truly are a detective; your observational skills are just as sharp as your sister's combat instincts. And it's true, I've actually been thinking about a career change lately."

The two had already left the open-air theater and, seeing the limousine that had come to pick up Miss Karuni outside the venue, entered the car to continue their discussion—

"Over the years, although I have been constantly trying out various new roles and striving to break through the preconceived notions people have of me, no matter how I change my costumes and makeup, character settings and story backgrounds, I am still the same person. In the end, the characters I portray always inevitably present a certain similar temperament. Although that kind of performance is exactly what audiences want to see now, I am still a little worried that if this continues and I keep using the same old tricks on the screen, will the audience and movie fans get tired of it one day?"

"Hmm...have you considered one possibility?"

The spacious rear compartment of the extended limousine has been converted into a seating arrangement resembling a meeting room, with a partition separating it from the driver's seat. Therefore, the two people sitting in the back do not have to worry about their conversations being heard by the driver.

Hugo bluntly stated, "The reason why you have the same temperament is not because you have any shortcomings in shaping the character, but on the contrary, it is precisely because your acting skills are too good."

"Great? You mean there's an issue of over-interpretation?"

Karuni lifted her sunglasses to her forehead and asked earnestly.

"No, no, it's just the literal meaning, not the kind of detailed acting instruction," the detective waved his hand and said. "It's actually just a matter of cost."

“Miss Karuni, you must have noticed that as you continue to improve your acting skills and gain more and more fans, the roles you play in movies are becoming more and more important. Not only that, your salary is also increasing, and people are becoming more and more expectant of your performance in the films.”

“Of course. These are all the results of my hard work in the entertainment industry,” Karuni said, nodding.

"However, as your salary increases and you become more anticipated by the audience, the risk costs that your collaborators, such as investors, directors, and screenwriters, need to bear also increase."

Hugo gestured with the hand indicating the continuous rise of the bar chart, and said to the champion of the Carlos region—

"As the risk of increased costs increases, changes in content are needed to balance it out. In filmmaking, this means emphasizing the advantages of your classic characters and using your box office appeal to offset potential losses. Such changes may not be intentional, but cost and benefit are an invisible hand. Everyone tries to maximize the value of their products, which unconsciously drives commercial activities toward maximizing profits."

"Equilibrium theory in economics? You sound more like an economist than a detective."

Miss Karuni teased, but a thoughtful look appeared on her face.

“In a sense, modern economics is the ultimate application of inductive analysis. Many behaviors that seem to have no motivation can actually be easily explained by the principles of microeconomics. However, those are ultimately just general inductive analyses, which can neither serve as evidence nor prevent the existence of exceptional cases that exceed rationality,” Hugo answered pragmatically.

"So, it's because of my current status and salary that the films I star in focus more on me rather than the story itself... No, that's not quite right—"

Karuni shook her head vigorously, correcting herself—

“The character and the script are inseparable, but it is precisely because I, as the lead actor, have become the focus of the film story time and time again that the screen images I have portrayed have become more and more mature and stable. In the end, no matter how I try to transform, the characters I portray cannot escape the established framework? Is this what you mean by Hugo’s acting skills being too good?”

Why is Miss Karuni so persistent about the transformation?

The detective felt a little strange looking at the star champion who was deep in thought.

But this was ultimately someone else's career choice, and Hugo couldn't interfere. He simply offered words of advice from a fair perspective—

“You can’t force things. I think since moviegoers still welcome Ms. Karen’s classic roles, you don’t need to rush to change your screen image.”

"Thank you for your suggestion, I will consider it carefully."

Champion Carlos nodded sincerely in response, but still looked preoccupied. She then turned to ask Hugo—

"Although I know you probably have your own solutions, are you sure you can handle things with the United States Alliance? Will accompanying me as your guide today interfere with other matters?"

"Everything's arranged with the Alliance, so there's nothing to worry about. The detective's work has run into some trouble, but fortunately, a capable assistant is handling it, and I only need to provide some guidance," Hugo replied.

"Is it that case of poisoning discarded wound medicine on the outskirts of Feiyun City?"

Karuni frowned, remembering the news she had just seen on social media.

To prevent trainers from continuing to suffer from the toxins in discarded healing items, the police in Flying Cloud City did not choose to conceal the information, but instead issued a public statement warning trainers not to pick up and use any roadside healing items of unknown origin in the near future.

"We've basically identified the killer," Hugo said, looking out the car window at the twilight scenery.

"Although the other party entered Feiyun City with a false identity, it seems that the person did not deliberately conceal their poisoning activities, which is really puzzling. However, once the culprit is caught, we should be able to find out the perpetrator's motive for poisoning."

"Many impoverished trainers rely on scavenging discarded healing items to sustain their Pokémon's daily training. After this incident, no one will dare use those abandoned roadside items anymore. I'm really worried about the future of those trainers."