Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Chapter 333 Poisonous Stone Tablet – Dream

"Hey? Hugo, why do you look so pale after just one walk outside? Were you attacked on the street?"

On the third floor of a building in the Dojo Street of Feiyun City, inside Dr. Makomo's Dream Lab, Azure looked in surprise at the detective in the white coat returning from outside.

"I just went to the crime scene where Servilik's body was found, and I ran into people from Team Plasma there. But we didn't fight. They were messengers sent by N to inquire about the case."

The detective, having entered the research institute, shook his head. He carefully stepped over the various colored cables at the entrance, found an empty chair among the scattered equipment, sat down, and said—

"I didn't encounter any danger, I'm just a little confused right now because I've been hearing about some really serious cases one after another."

"It's quite rare to see the great detective of Feiyun City get so frightened by a case... Here, would you like some coffee? Miss Azure, you can't drink it, it will affect the stability of the dream connection later."

A petite girl with two round buns emerged from the gap between the machines. Dragging an ill-fitting lab coat, she found a round table among the piles of documents, skillfully cleared some space, and placed a pot of freshly brewed coffee on it.

"Thank you, could I have a drink?"

Hugo, holding his head, answered absentmindedly, completely unaware that countless obstacles separated him from the coffee pot.

At this moment, as if sensing Hugo's needs, the Chimchar that followed the detective into the room diligently rummaged through the clutter on the floor, took a cup of coffee from the girl with a paper cup, and then carefully ran back to Hugo and placed it in the trainer's hand.

"Hmm... I really want to ask about the details of those cases right away, but the previous dream connections haven't been going very smoothly. Before Miss Mia wakes up, we still need to conduct another experiment later, so now is really not the time to hear about the details of the cases."

Bilan looked at her boss, who was sipping hot coffee, and said resentfully.

"My sister's device was originally a special version designed for Pokémon dreams. Normally, it can only reproduce the dreams that Pokémon have while they are sleeping. After all, humans have a rich ability to express themselves. Generally, they can talk about their dreams within a short period of time after waking up, so there is no need to specially configure one. Therefore, the device needs to be adjusted before it can be successfully connected to Miss Mia's dream."

The petite girl poured herself a cup of coffee and said leisurely—

"However, the sleep wavelength in the last test was already very close to the correct parameters. Judging from my sister's confident demeanor just now, she shouldn't fail again this time."

"You're right, Truffle! I definitely won't fail this time!"

A black-haired researcher dressed in a white robe emerged from the laboratory inside the research institute, followed by a creature shrouded in smoke, Dr. Makomo, the girl's older sister.

"Miss Azure, the equipment has been fully calibrated. Please try it one more time."

The professor took out a device that resembled a Pokémon learning device, a circular mesh headband covered with magnetic poles, with many cables and plastic tubes connected to the back. She confidently announced—

"As long as you wear this device on your head and then fall asleep in the colorless smoke of Dream Erosion, the dream connection device I invented will synchronize your sleep wavelength with Miss Mia's. Then, you will see the dream that she is immersed in in your own dream, and you can even influence the latter's consciousness in reverse, truly achieving the effect of linking the two dreams together!"

"Sigh, I've listened to this explanation three times already. I hope it will work this time..."

Azure smiled wryly as she stood up, preparing to follow Dr. Makomo into the laboratory.

"Azure, we need to deal with this situation as quickly as possible. The poisoning case might be much more serious than we anticipated."

The detective snapped out of his long contemplation and reminded his assistant.

"Understood, I will do my best!"

The young assistant raised a victory sign (V-sign) to her boss, only to be met with Dr. Makomo's Dream Eater sticking right in front of her.

The professor's eyes lit up as he watched the newly acquired Pokémon interact with Azure: "Wow, this child really likes Miss Azure, I'm so envious..."

"If you, Doctor, were locked in a room for more than a month without food or water, and someone came to rescue you, you would definitely develop a special fondness for that person."

The chestnut-haired girl forcefully separated Momo from her body, comforting the pink Pokémon that kept trying to rub against her, as she walked towards the laboratory where Mia was.

"However, since this Dream Eater likes you so much, Miss Azure, have you ever considered becoming its trainer?" Professor Makomo asked.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate. Unlike the Archaeopteryx, which suffered psychological trauma, this Eclipse seems to be naturally timid and shy, to the point that it fainted from hunger while hiding in a classroom full of children. It probably won’t be able to get along well with the other Pokémon I’ve raised… Rather than changing trainers, this kid probably needs to rest and recuperate for a while. I also have a detective assistant job in Unova, so I might not have much time to take care of it.”

Azure carried Dream Eater, who was unusually small among its kind, to the Doctor's side.

"Besides me, a human, whether the child was isolated and helpless or needed comfort from a companion, wasn't there another guy who offered a helping hand? Letting the two of them stay together would obviously be a better fate."

As we were talking, the scene inside the laboratory came into view.

The indoor lights were dimmed to the minimum level that would not affect the experiment. In the center of the laboratory, Miss Mia, who had come for treatment, was lying quietly with her eyes closed on a strange machine that looked like a massage chair. On the other side, Mengmengshi was on her head, using soft pink smoke to soothe the girl's mind.

This Dream Eater was a whole size bigger than the one Azure was holding. As soon as it saw the Doctor bring Azure in, it immediately floated lightly off Miss Mia's head and started circling around Azure and the smaller Dream Eater, making "mhoo-mhoo" sounds, looking very happy.

"Shh... Meng Meng Eclipse, be quiet."

Dr. Makomo reluctantly made a shushing gesture, quietly indicating to her partner not to wake Miss Mia. Then she turned to Azure beside her—

"Miss Azure, just like the previous test, you will lie on the recliner next to me. This Dream Eater will release a harmless dose of Dream Smoke to help you enter a deep sleep. If the experiment is successful, you will be able to see the dream that Miss Mia is in."

"If you fail, you'll be awakened by Xiaomengmengshi's 'Healing Bell' which removes abnormal statuses, right?"

Azure sighed deeply—

"Although there was no pain, being forcibly pulled back to reality from sleep was still somewhat uncomfortable. If possible, I hope I won't have to go through it a fourth time."

"Please...please rest assured! This time the parameter state is the most perfect since the experiment began, it should...no, it absolutely will not fail again!" The doctor swore to the heavens with a face full of apology.

The girl could only manage a hollow smile: "I'll definitely not fail. I've heard similar things four times already..."

While quietly complaining about Dr. Makomo's blunders, Azure also managed to relax.

She sat down in the experimental recliner as quietly as possible, put on the dream connection device with tubes inserted into it, and lay down like Miss Mia next to her.

The doctor's voice came from above—

"The wavelength interferometer has been activated, the signal acquisition unit is operating normally, and the clutter interference has been completely shielded... Okay, Miss Azure, we can begin."

So the girl began to count silently.

"one two three four……"

Immediately, a colorless and odorless transparent smoke rushed towards her, and before she could count to five, the girl's consciousness abruptly ceased as if it had been frozen in time.

It was as if I were being swallowed up by a connected dream.

.

In the laboratory, the doctor looked at the blue creature that had successfully fallen into a deep sleep, but frowned with unease.

"What's going on? Did the dosage of Dream Smoke get wrong? The last few times, it took Miss Azure about twenty seconds to fall asleep, how come she fell asleep so quickly this time?"

Makomo looked suspiciously at her partner, Mengmengshi, who shook her long pink nose, looking puzzled, and shook her head aggrievedly, indicating that there was nothing wrong with the smoke she exhaled.

The doctor, still worried, checked Azure's vital signs again. Seeing that the girl's heartbeat was normal and her breathing was steady, he didn't want to wake her up again for no reason, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue with the dream connection experiment.

"In the end, the dream that Miss Mia experienced was suspiciously abnormal. People usually see fragmented memories or fantasies in their dreams, and some people also have strong emotions in their dreams—but most of these dream fragments are forgotten as soon as they wake up. Unless the dreamer deliberately records them, those fragments will never flow into reality. Even those mental illness patients who claim to be plagued by nightmares are actually left with nothing more than aftereffects such as insomnia, excessive sleepiness, and stiff neck."

The doctor examined the various data displayed on the instrument screen, muttering to himself—

"Miss Mia's bizarre behavior of having suicidal thoughts due to a dream and then acting on them is an extreme case. You see, the human subconscious contains a survival instinct, and under the resistance of that instinct, even if possessed by a Ghost-type Pokémon, it's difficult for the Pokémon to manipulate a human body into self-harm or suicide... It's hard to imagine that Mia could be so affected by her own dream, completely ignoring even her instinct to resist death..."

Just as Dr. Makomo was muttering to himself, a pre-set program window popped up on the instrument screen in front of him, indicating a successful connection.

"Phew, it seems Miss Azure has successfully connected to Mia's dream. As expected, there are no problems after the dream parameters for humans are adjusted. I need to record this data..."

However, the dream scholar, who was focused on his work, did not notice that Miss Azure's sleeping face, who was soundly asleep in the recliner, had undergone a subtle change.

Her brow furrowed slightly, almost imperceptibly, as if she had seen something incomprehensible in Mia's dream...

.

When I came to my senses, I found myself in a spacious area.

I didn't feel anything special; my consciousness was hazy, and I couldn't even tell what color the open space in front of me was... This is probably what the world looks like through the eyes of a blind person.

Moving with the current, I thought that in this space, even if I moved, I wouldn't be aware of the change in my position, but that wasn't the case—

There was a kind of viscous resistance in the air—no, whether it was air at all is questionable—but you could clearly feel the sensation of walking.

Walking... Ah, right, I'm walking on my own two feet, but I didn't notice it just now because I didn't feel the ground.

As I thought about my legs, the tactile sensation of my hands gradually came to mind, and I slowly became aware of my own posture...

"Oh my, is this what lucid dreaming feels like?"

Try to imagine what it feels like to speak, thereby clarifying your self-awareness.

"That was close. I almost forgot I existed just now. But I didn't feel particularly scared. People always take everything that happens in their dreams as natural. That's probably how it is."

Azure patted her cheeks with the hands from her dream, and as expected, felt no pain at all. It seems that what one sees and hears in sleep only remains in the brain as information and does not generate strong sensations in the five senses.

Generally speaking, lucid dreaming—the phenomenon of being aware that you are dreaming—is relatively rare. If you experience it frequently, you should pay attention to your sleep quality.

However, the reason why Azure was able to wake up in this dream was thanks to the colorless dream smoke that Dream Eater released to her before she fell asleep.

"So, Dr. Makomo's dream connection was finally successful? Could this be Miss Mia's dream? Where is Miss Mia?"

Using his extended senses to observe his surroundings, he not only couldn't see Miss Mia at all, but he couldn't even find a trace of the human world.

As far as the eye could see, all that could be seen was a misty void. The light from above shifted and changed colors hollowly, while below lay endless darkness.

It felt like approaching an abyss...

For no reason at all, Azure had a gut feeling that what she was looking for was in the darkness below.

This kind of unfounded belief is actually quite common in dreams. And just as this thought arose in Azure's mind, the perspective carrying her consciousness began to shift.

The feeling of movement was wonderful. Even though my vision was gradually sinking into darkness, my mood was as if I were riding a roller coaster without feeling weightless.

As if she had gained a pair of eyes to observe the world from a third-person perspective, Azure felt that she should be shocked or terrified by her current situation, but the fact that she was in a dream also firmly protected her heart...

In the past, I had heard that some Pokémon would awaken their hidden talents and abilities in their dreams. I used to think this phenomenon made no sense, but after personally experiencing this in a lucid dream, I began to think that this awakening was understandable.

After an unknown amount of time, and after an endless descent, the scenery in the dream finally changed.

A physical entity finally emerged from the chaotic mist, and as the viewpoint drew closer, Azure saw the thing.

It was a huge stone tablet.

The wide and smooth facade stands abruptly in the endless void.

Still and unwavering, with beautiful proportions, it is a masterpiece of nature.

As if extending upwards from the deepest abyss, this neat geometric shape seems to bring order to the entire dream world, displaying a dark green luster in the deep darkness.

A feeling arose in her mind that even a light touch wouldn't cause any harm, so she hesitantly extended her fingertip.

Just as he was about to touch the stone tablet—

Then, as abruptly as a turn in a dream—

The azure vision suddenly rose rapidly, and the green stone tablet grew smaller and smaller until it almost disappeared, leaving only a small, dark green fluorescent glow lingering at the bottom of the abyss.

"What's going on? Where am I now? What's with that stone tablet? Is this really Miss Mia's dream? Where is she? And where is that memory related to the 'Aiya Mushroom'?"

Gazing at the brightening light above her, Azure was completely thrown into chaos.

But this was a terrible move! The girl forgot that she was in a dream connection, which meant that her own thoughts and ideas could also affect the changes in the entire dream.

After the ascent, more anomalies followed.

As if the order constructed by the stone tablets had been shaken, the dark green fluorescence began to stir, slowly turning into an unstable purplish-red. The world began to shake, and vision began to blur.

The originally colorless chaotic space began to be stained by purple mist. Azure instinctively tried to stop this trend, but was shocked to find that she could not move.

The surrounding purple grew increasingly intense, gradually turning into an inky black, and the girl herself felt a suffocating, heavy sense of oppression.

"Wait, no! Am I dreaming?!"

Before the world lost its vitality and everything was swallowed by darkness, Azure awoke to the fact that she could once again control her body.

Guided by her intuition, she began to move downwards again. Her subconscious told her that the place where the stone tablet stood was the source of the world's beginnings to shake.

In the blink of an eye, Azure arrived in front of the stone tablet. Sure enough, the stone tablet, which had originally emitted a dark green luster, had now turned completely purplish-black.

That stuff on top is poison.

Before she could even begin her investigation, her intuition from her dream had already given her the answer.

The highly poisonous stone tablet secreted thick venom in the inky darkness, staining the distant chaotic space a murky purple as well.

"What should we do? How can we resolve this situation?"

Azure attempted to reason and analyze, but such rational thought was not permitted in the dream—

In an instant, her thoughts were thrown far away.

It's illogical, incoherent, and utterly unreasonable, but that's what dreams are.

She saw a winding line.

The dividing line between land and sea.

A beach on the edge of the city.

A black dot.

A woman standing in the waves.