Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Dai replied, "Device Corporation has faced strong protests from both the Aqua Team and the Lava Team for developing new energy sources. They seem to think that what Devon Corporation's technology department is researching will one day destroy the entire Earth."

"Um... just to be on the safe side, let me ask one more question: I can rest assured that all this information is just the unrealistic paranoia of extreme environmental organizations, right?"

Even the detective started to have some doubts.

"Of course!"

Reporter Mary answered immediately without hesitation, stating firmly—

"It's not just the Devon Corporation; all the so-called 'potential risks' of the facilities there are just fabricated news by Team Aqua and Team Magma. They're either baseless rumors without any evidence or old rumors that were debunked years ago, with no truth in them whatsoever."

"It's not surprising that they would do such a thing. According to the investigations and analyses conducted by the Hoenn Alliance and various media outlets over the years, Team Aqua and Team Magma seem to have long forgotten their original mission and have become gangsters who wantonly commit evil deeds under the guise of expanding the ocean and land."

"They didn't even try to hide their depravity, letting their original rational followers leave in large numbers, leaving only the most fanatical, tyrannical, and loyal organizational cadres, who gathered a large number of hooligans and idlers from all over the country, becoming two major intractable problems on the Hoenn continent."

"They chose a development path completely opposite to that of the plasma cluster here. To maintain a false facade with lies, or to completely embrace evil—which side is more despicable?"

Hugo commented with deep emotion.

Indeed, given the nature and scale of the sabotage, the likelihood of someone outside the two major evil organizations committing the crimes is extremely low.

The real question is, which group from Team Aqua and Team Magma was the culprit? And what was their purpose in causing such widespread destruction?

He looked at the two interviewers—

"Is the Hoenn Alliance directing its attention and criticism towards the evil organizations after the incident because those organizations were protested against by the two major organizations?"

"Based on the information Daigo, the champion, gave us, that's roughly the situation," the reporter nodded in confirmation.

"However, judging from the locations of these attacks, it seems more like a collaboration between the two teams than a crime committed by either Team Aqua or Team Magma."

The detective asked in skepticism—

"Among the destroyed facilities were projects opposed by Team Aqua and projects protested by Team Magma. Logically, it should be easy to assume that the two organizations may have reached some kind of cooperation agreement, right?"

"Besides, you see, after the identity of the TV station director was exposed, the leader of Team Aqua's influence in the Hoenn region has greatly diminished. Yet, under such circumstances, he still chooses to jump out and carry out such provocative and destructive actions against the League. He must have received some kind of assistance that has boosted his confidence. And assistance must come with some kind of price. Could helping Team Magma destroy the League facilities they want to attack be part of that price?"

"I think that's impossible."

The photographer then interjected.

"Whether it's Team Aqua or Team Magma, they are no longer the two extreme environmental groups they used to be. Now, one side aims to expand the ocean, and the other aims to create land. Their ideologies and goals are completely in conflict, just like the ancient rivalry between Kyogre and Groudon. You could even say that these two evil organizations would rather see the other side's organization destroyed than defeat the Hoenn League."

“That’s right. In this context, even if one of the two organizations tries to ally with the rival, it’s impossible to gain the full trust of the other. And suspicion breeds more suspicion. Even villains won’t entrust their backs to a potential enemy who might stab them in the back at any moment,” Mary added.

"I see, that is indeed a sufficient reason."

The detective nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips—

"However, even two villainous organizations that are irreconcilable can achieve a performance effect that looks like a collaboration by means of their tacit understanding with each other, without cooperating with each other at all."

"how do I say this?"

"Has the detective discovered a clue to solve the case?"

Seeing the detective's expression gradually brighten, the two interviewers unanimously sensed that the attack that had plagued the entire Hoenn League for so long might finally see the light of day on this dark night.

"Although we don't have concrete evidence at hand, it's a very worthwhile area to investigate. Let me ask you two a few questions first."

The detective placed the Hoenn map, covered in markings, in the center of the table and asked the reporter—

"In the series of factory sabotage incidents in the Hoenn region, which facility was the first to be attacked?"

“I remember it was… the Nanmu Shipyard in Kaina City. The attack occurred in early September of last year. A few days later, a similar incident of vandalism occurred at the Kaina City Shipping Center in the same city. These are the first two incidents.”

Reporter Mary quickly replied.

Hugo continued, "You mentioned earlier that several acts of sabotage occurred at the same time, but were far apart from each other. How many times did this happen?"

“Twice,” the reporter gestured on the map.

"One time it was the power plant in Violet City and the desalination facility in Twilight City, and another time it was the volcanic research institute in Fuma Town and the grain storage warehouse in Akihabara Town. All of these were cross-city crimes committed in very distant locations. What does this prove?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, this at least proves that the sabotage was originally launched by Team Magma in the Hoenn region."

The detective snapped his fingers and said with a smile—

"Information about this operation reached the ears of the Marines, who are enemies of the Lava Team, through channels such as undercover agents and spies. These villains who believe in the ocean decided to take advantage of this opportunity to ride the wave of sabotage and use the same sabotage methods as the former to carry out attacks and retaliations against their own targets."

The two interviewers were taken aback for a moment, with the reporter being the first to react—

"You believe that Team Magma's destructive actions and Team Aqua's actions are two completely unrelated parallel lines, with the latter simply borrowing the former's methods to achieve its own goals?"

"The fact that the event times don't overlap proves this point, doesn't it?"

Hugo raised an eyebrow and asked back with considerable confidence.

"Furthermore, based on your description, I believe that Fleet Aqua has long harbored resentment towards those ports, factories, and research institutes. Compared to the Lava Team's attacks on grain depots, timber centers, and desalination facilities, their reasons for attacking are more substantial and specific. Unlike the Lava Team's fabricated claims, perhaps that organization still holds onto its original stance of protecting the ocean."

The detective tapped his fingers lightly on the table, while the two interviewees grew increasingly apprehensive.

Dai tried asking, "So, what is Team Lava's purpose in starting this sabotage?"

"This is all just my speculation. But if you were the leader of Team Lava, and one day you were sitting at home watching the news, and suddenly discovered that your rival's hidden identity as the head of a TV station had been exposed, what would you think about while celebrating with your subordinates?"

"What will it think about?" The photographer looked completely bewildered.

"Team Aqua, which seeks to expand its oceans, is backed by a massive media industry. Their ships sail under the blue skies and seas of Hoenn and Unova, and their smuggling operations are spread all over the world. As the opposite of the former, Team Magma, as believers in the land, how could they possibly lag behind? How could they not develop a strong sense of competition?"

The detective selected several photos from the ones Mary had brought and arranged them side-by-side in front of the Hoenn map—

"Food, timber, fresh water, energy, and fuel—what do you think the Lava Team will do with these plundered technologies and resources?"

Chapter 320 Poisonous Strains – The Devil's Street

Reina is an ordinary tree fruit grower.

Having absolutely no interest in Pokémon battles, she had no idea that a priceless Mega Key Stone had just been shipped across the ocean and was about to be delivered to her employer at Featherwood Residence in Flying Cloud City.

She wasn't even in Feiyun City at the moment.

"Very few people would specifically ask me for this kind of fruit. Are you a Coordinator who needs to make Power Cubes?"

Inside a bungalow in the northeast corner of Kagome Town, a businessman dressed in a black suit sat facing Rena.

A small orange-yellow head peeked out from next to the merchant, below which was a hollow red shell full of holes. It was a Shuckle, which was very rare in the Unova region, and seemed to be the merchant's partner Pokémon.

The other party weighed the purple tree fruit in his hand, ignoring Tsubaki's curiosity about the stranger's visit, and directly asked Rena why she wanted to buy the fruit.

The short-haired, shoulder-length berry grower shook his head: "I'm just a gardening enthusiast who wants to try growing this blackberry, a specialty of the Hoenn region, in Unova. Do you have any other exotic berries here? I'd like to buy them all since I've come all this way."

Upon hearing Rena name the granulated purple tree fruit in his hand, the merchant showed slight interest and nodded in acknowledgment—

"There are some, but don't get your hopes up too high. After all, I'm just a distributor who travels frequently for work, and collecting different kinds of fruit is just a hobby I enjoy during my trips."

The dealer pushed up his glasses, got up, took out more different kinds of tree fruits from the restaurant's refrigerator, put them on a large fruit platter, and presented them to Rena.

The tree fruit grower picked up a green tree fruit that looked like a straw raincoat.

"This is the Thunder Berry, which can resist Steel-type damage. It's very popular among Pokémon Trainers. It can be used to make bitter Energy Cubes and spicy Poffins. It's also said to be used to make medicine... Was this also found in the Hoenn region?"

"No, I bought these in Flower Garden in the Sinnoh region last year," the merchant said, shaking his head. "I originally planned to bring them back to the community for my family and Shuttle to try, but they tasted bitter and astringent, so they ended up piling up in the refrigerator. After being refrigerated for so long, are the seeds inside the berries still usable?"

"It's alright. Tree fruit seeds can normally be stored for three to five years, and they will only be stored longer in a low-temperature, dark environment like a refrigerator. These tree fruits show absolutely no signs of rot or spoilage, so they are definitely fine for sowing."

Rena picked up another spherical, beige tree fruit and commented—

"This must be a berry from the Hoenn region. It's a berry that can boost a Pokémon's attack in a crisis. It has a pungent sweet taste and is said to only be able to flower and bear fruit successfully when planted near the sea."

The merchant nodded happily: "The taste of this fruit is wonderful. I always pick a lot of it every time I go to Hoenn. The natural environment there is much more pristine than Unova. Even near the city, you can often see all sorts of novel fruit trees."

"This is also related to the local residents' lifestyle. In Hoenn, every time people harvest a fruit, they plant an identical seed next to the fruit tree... Although I haven't seen this custom in person, that's exactly what the fruit encyclopedia describes it as."

Reina meticulously examined the various strange and wonderful fruits in the fruit platter—

The Apricot Berry, half blue and half cyan, can boost a Pokémon's Special Defense; the Chocolate Berry, which can be used to make chocolate; the Sweet and refreshing Gua Shi Berry, which can grow to over 50 centimeters in length; the Fragrant Berry, a hybrid of the Sand Scale Berry and the Dragonfire Berry, native to the Kalos region, with its sweet and juicy flesh; and the Mystery Berry, whose skin pattern looks like a question mark, and whose taste is said to change depending on each person's palate...

"Speaking of which, why must fruit trees be planted starting from seeds?"

Looking at Reina, the tree grower, who knew all kinds of tree fruits like the back of her hand, the merchant couldn't help but ask a question out of curiosity—

"Isn't there an agricultural method that allows you to directly cut a branch from a tree and quickly cultivate a new fruit tree from the middle? If you use that method to grow fruit trees, shouldn't it be much more efficient than slowly replanting from seeds? Why have I never heard of anyone using this method to grow fruit trees?"

"You're probably referring to the method of transplanting fruit trees from seedlings, right?"

Miss Reina carefully placed the mimosa fruit, which she was seeing for the first time, back into the fruit bowl, and answered while suppressing her reluctance—

"That method is indeed used quite often in the planting of food crops and common trees. Firstly, it can shorten the ripening time and improve planting efficiency; secondly, it can also prevent the seeds from being pecked by birds like Pikachu and reduce the uncertainty in the germination and tree-growing process. However, we generally do not use this method to cultivate tree fruits."

"why?"

The dealer who collects tree fruits looked curious, tilting his head like his teapot.

"Firstly, it's due to traditional customs. Just like the residents of the Hoenn region, people originally planted fruit trees by sowing seeds. Through years of labor, their experience and skills have become relatively mature. Switching to transplanting would disrupt their original planting patterns."

"The second reason is that berries are different from ordinary fruits and vegetables. They are mainly sold to trainers who need to raise Pokémon. Pokémon's daily diet is related to their performance in battles, and some people even use berries as held items on their Pokémon. Therefore, trainers are more sensitive to the quality of berries than their price - after all, no one wants to lose to their opponent by a hair's breadth in a battle because they choose cheap berries to save money."

"Are fruits grown by transplanting of seeds of lower quality than those grown by sowing?" the businessman asked.

“There will indeed be subtle differences,” the breeder said meticulously.

"The quality of fruit is closely related not only to the sunlight, air, and soil it comes into contact with, but also to the Pokémon energy that the fruit tree accumulates during its growth. While transplanting seedlings can save time, because it skips the step from seed to mature tree, the energy stored in the fruit tree will have a difference that is not visible to the naked eye between it and that of naturally grown trees, which will ultimately be reflected in the quality of the fruit."

However, this gap will gradually disappear as the fruit trees grow, but the time wasted in this process far exceeds the time saved by transplanting. Therefore, fruit tree planting is still mainly based on sowing, Reina added.

"The science of cultivating fruit trees is truly profound," the merchant remarked, stroking the shell of the pot.

After that, Rena chatted for a long time with the fruit collector, who proudly shared with her the delicious juice he brewed in his own pot.

Rena also managed to buy a large quantity of rare tree fruits, which are hard to find in the Unova region, from the merchant at a super affordable price.

Once filled with tree fruits, the plastic bag, its interior inlaid with fragments of cold rock, became so heavy that she had to send out her almost-dolls to help share the weight.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I was chatting with you, Miss Breeder, until so late."

The merchant who was seeing off his guest opened the door for Rena and, seeing that it was already completely dark outside, immediately showed an extremely apologetic expression.

"It's alright. We were planning to find a hotel in this city to stay for one night and visit the nearby scenic spots. We have plenty of time."

The breeder said nonchalantly, holding the plastic bag by one end. However, her confidence didn't last long.

"Speaking of which... isn't the nightlife in Kagome Town a bit too quiet? It should only be a little past nine o'clock now, why is there not a single person on the streets?"

The dealer's house is located on a high slope in the northeast corner of Kagome Town. From the doorway, one can see all the houses and streets of the city at a glance.

Strangely, although it should have been the early hours of the night, with the city lights just coming on and nightlife just beginning, the streets of Kagome Town were pitch black. Not only were there no pedestrians in sight, but Pokémon were almost nowhere to be seen, and the shops along the street were closed as if under curfew.

"Miss Reina, is this your first time visiting Kagome Town?"

Seeing Rena's surprised expression, the merchant suddenly asked this question.

"Yes. I overheard Miss Douzi mentioning that you have some very rare tree fruits here, so I made a special trip here."

The fruit grower struck a pose with a high ponytail and a baseball cap, looking lively and energetic, and the merchant immediately understood—

"So it was that little girl I met on the long-distance train. I only shared some tree fruit and my business card with her. I never expected to attract such a distinguished guest as you, Miss Breeder... However, it's best to be careful when moving around in Kagome Town after dark."

"Why?" Rena and the doll stared wide-eyed.

"It seems you haven't heard of the legend of the giants in Kagome Town," the merchant said, scratching his head as he began to tell Rena.

"Legend has it that long ago, a meteorite crashed from outer space and landed outside Kagome Town. Since then, a ferocious and terrifying beast has appeared near the town. Every night, the beast would appear in the town with the cold wind, snatch people and Pokémon and eat them."

The dealer pointed to the fortress-like thick walls of the houses and the stone walls surrounding Kagome Town. When Rena first arrived, she thought those were just architectural styles unique to this city.

"It was precisely to defend against this ferocious beast that the residents of those towns built those walls outside the city to surround and protect Kagome Town. They even established rules prohibiting residents from going out at night, requiring everyone to stay at home at night to avoid being eaten by the beast. In this way, as generations of townspeople came and went, even though some residents no longer believed in this story, the story and the associated customs had taken root in the city, and no one went out at night anymore—after all, even if they did, they wouldn't find any shops open."

"A man-eating... gigantic, monstrous beast? Are there really such things around Kagome Town?"

The night wind was unexpectedly cold, causing Rena to involuntarily shrink her neck.

"To be honest, I don't really believe in these things either, but there are indeed rumors that some kind of terrifying creature dwells in that inaccessible giant's cave to the north. Anyway, Kagome Town is a closed and remote town, and the power of tradition is very strong. There are quite a few people who firmly believe in the legends... Miss Reina, please be careful when walking in the dark streets."

The businessman claimed he didn't believe in traditional superstitions, but in reality, he didn't step out of the entrance hall until he parted ways with the tree fruit cultivator, as if deliberately maintaining a safe distance from the city under the night sky.

"What a strange city."

Breathing in the cool night air of the streets, Rena's mood calmed down.

She and her partner, an elf, were carrying large bags of plastic bags on their way to an inn in Kagome Town.

Under the scattered streetlights, the stone-paved ground was illuminated with traces of time, but as Rena continued walking, those traces were lost and swallowed up into the darkness of the night.

All was quiet, save for the echoing footsteps on the stone bricks. The sound was monotonous and sluggish, like the hour hand of a rusty clock.

"This should be the right direction..."