Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Chapter 337 Effective First Aid as Prescribed by Doctor

"Is it really okay to leave Miss Mia in Dr. Makomo's Dream Lab like this?"

On the train heading to the Alliance headquarters, Azure asked Hugo with some concern.

At this moment, the train was about to arrive at the station, and during the time on the train, she learned from the detective about the Akromma poisoning incident and the details of the Voodoo poisoning case.

While clearly sensing the severity of this series of poisoning cases, Azure couldn't help but start to worry about Miss Mia, who was caught in the vortex.

"That is, after all, Mia's own dream. If the thing that invaded her mind harbors malice towards Miss Mia, then even if we stay by her side every step of the way, we cannot guarantee that she will be completely unharmed. In this regard, Dr. Makomo and the others are more capable of helping Miss Mia."

Hugo's gaze remained fixed on the tablet screen in his hand.

From the moment he began recounting the case to Azure, he was constantly distracted by reading the photographs of evidence sent by the Alliance police—the strange manuscript Akromar left in the Alliance meeting room before being knocked out by the nameless poison.

"To put it more optimistically, that entity has been residing in Mia's mind for a year, yet it has not caused any direct harm to the host. I think this shows the goodwill in the other party's logic."

"But it did trigger Mia's suicidal impulses after all."

The detective's assistant, sitting opposite him in the first-class carriage, retorted—

"Even if the incident of luring Miss Mia to the beach was a misunderstanding, the suicidal impulses that Mia felt as soon as the dream appeared were real. Moreover, the kind of thing that hides in the human mind for a long time and causes strange dreams is very dangerous no matter how you look at it. If Miss Mia's mind were any more fragile, or if she did not receive help from others in time, her mental state might really have problems."

"Miss Mia went to the hospital for a checkup not long after she started having strange dreams. If she really has serious mental problems, the doctors in Feiyun City will naturally not stand idly by. If the hospital can't solve it either, they will help her contact a skilled psychic or a superpowered person. In short, although the process will be a bit more difficult than it is now, the problem can most likely be solved."

The detective made a casual comment, then began to discuss it seriously.

"Of course, I don't deny that the existence that infiltrates Miss Mia's dream is somewhat dangerous. But the danger is not great enough to warrant advising Miss Mia to avoid communicating with it."

Hugo continued to stare intently at the equations on the tablet, his expression deep, while explaining them to Azure—

“The suicidal impulses that Miss Mia sensed were not intentionally transmitted by the dream visitor. I believe they originated from the emotions of that being itself—this is the conclusion I drew based on your dream connection report from this morning.”

"How so?" Azure asked, intrigued.

"Judging from the toxins and oppression you felt in your dream, the other party seems to have undergone some kind of mutation in the dark depths of the sea, thus beginning to cause damage and pollution to the surrounding environment. Therefore, it believes that its existence is a mistake, and while spreading warnings to the outside world, it prays for its own death in its heart—this is the truth behind that suicidal impulse."

"Is it that purple smoke from my dream? Although I can't remember the details of the dream now, I did feel a sense of crisis, like my heart was stopping. So the source of this anomaly is that discolored stone tablet?" Azure asked.

The detective in the white coat nodded: "Yes. And according to my guess, the shift from the overhead view to Miss Mia's perspective is the situation when the fragment of the dream visitor's consciousness transferred from the sea to Mia."

The chestnut-haired girl nodded repeatedly: "I see, that explains all the scenes in the dream... But wait, the timeline doesn't match up, there's a whole year difference. The last scene I saw in my dream, Mia crying on the beach, wasn't that the scene of her meeting you, Hugo?"

“It’s understandable that you don’t know this, Azure, since it’s something only I, the eyewitness, know. Actually, although Miss Mia looked haggard when I saw her at the beach, she wasn’t crying, so I’m confident that it was probably something that happened in the past,” Hugo replied without changing his expression, giving an eyewitness account that Azure was previously unaware of.

"Is it really okay to take the details of a dream so seriously? A haggard expression and tear stains on the face are probably just differences within the margin of error, right?" The assistant asked, based on her own impression of the dream.

Hugo shook his head—

"That's not an ordinary dream, but a dream space created through Dr. Makomo's dream connection device. Under the influence of the smoke secreted by Dream Erosion, when two consciousnesses exist simultaneously in that space, the images appearing in the dream will basically break free from the influence of subjective factors and instead be presented in an objective form that is relatively close to reality. Therefore, the details within it are worth exploring in depth."

"Furthermore, the fact that Miss Mia was led to the beach yesterday actually suggests that this area has a different meaning for her than other beaches."

"Due to the enclosed land management of several high-end beachfront hotels, there aren't many sections of the western coast of Feiyun City that are freely accessible to tourists, so it's sparsely populated. Miss Mia's home isn't even nearby, so the fact that she unconsciously found this place suggests that she had been to this beach area before. Therefore, I guess she probably came to this beach for a walk about a year ago due to stress, and then found this place where she could release her emotions, crying there several times. It was around that time that the dream visitor entered her heart through the seawater."

"Have you confirmed this with Mia?" Azure asked.

"Not yet, after all, this is Miss Mia's personal privacy. However, it's probably not worth confirming now," the detective said calmly.

“That’s true.” The detective’s assistant sighed, relaxed, and leaned back in his car seat.

"After all, Miss Mia and Dr. Makomo are going to investigate the truth of that dream tomorrow. Instead of me making aimless guesses here, Miss Mia only needs to find a place to sleep in the sea and receive more mental fragments from that dream visitor, and she will naturally find out the other party's identity."

"I suggested they find a quiet beach. With a dream expert overseeing them, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. It's only because Miss Mia just had a dream connection experiment today and needs to rest and recover. Otherwise, we would have known the message that the being in the dream wanted to convey tonight."

Hugo looked away from the screen, glanced at the electronic clock on the ceiling of the carriage, and then reluctantly closed the tablet.

"However, as you said earlier, there is still a risk in accepting information from an unknown entity rashly. But since Miss Mia, based on her understanding of the level of risk, believes that she should communicate with that entity according to her own will, we should respect her idea."

The train gradually slowed down, and the headquarters of the United Alliance, nestled at the foot of the mountain, became clearly visible.

"Just as every trainer encounters a certain degree of risk when communicating with wild Pokémon, if we worry about this and fear that, humanity will only be able to isolate itself in a self-centered island, and that distant building will never be built."

Standing up from his seat, the newly crowned champion of the United States League spoke with an air of self-righteousness—

"Only by taking a step forward and bravely responding to the call from afar can the worlds of humans and Pokémon be truly connected. From this perspective, although Miss Mia is timid and introverted, and has even released her only Pokémon in the past, she may also be a very competent trainer."

Chapter 338 Clearing the Way for Rescue in Advance

Upon entering the Alliance headquarters, Hugo and Azure witnessed a truly rare sight—

The two black-clad Heavenly Kings were facing each other.

"Although I am not inclined to comment on the United Federation's hiring standards and overall level due to my status and profession, just considering the aspect of hospitality, the United Federation actually placed a gambling addict in the center of the hall. Isn't your branch being a bit too disrespectful to me, a guest who has come all the way from Carlos?"

"Is it because I look too pale that you're so unhappy, Miss? I'm so sorry, I had really bad luck today. On my way here, I ran into a terrible news anchor. Her inappropriate makeup and accent made me feel a little nauseous."

"Is that so? But I think the reason for your stomach pain is probably because you drank too much cheap liquor in illegal casinos in your younger days, right? Being burdened with gambling debts is not a good habit. Considering that we are both kings, do you need me to introduce you to a reliable doctor?"

"Do media professionals who make a living by fabricating lies actually have friends? It seems the decline of television media has benefited some people. If your fame were like that of actress Karen, you'd probably have to find friends in remote villages with no cell phone coverage."

"Speaking of infamy, it seems there's been some big news coming out of the United States lately. Has that evil king's old habit of being two-faced relapsed?"

"It is you, sir, who still possesses fire-attribute talent only in the area of ​​inciting anger, as always..."

.

"Hugo, were those two really that incompatible?"

Azure poked the detective.

Before them stood the Unova Dark-type Elite Four member, Cranberry, with narrow, squinting eyes and a terrifying fake smile, and the Kalos Fire-type Elite Four member, Pachira, whose fingertips rested on reflective orange sunglasses, displaying a confrontational stance.

"So, I think I heard some rumors when I was gathering information before..." Hugo replied to his assistant while subtly backing away, intending to avoid these two troublesome guys and enter the Alliance Building through another passage.

"Former champion Mr. Ardek is known throughout the leagues for his willingness to mentor younger players. As a result, over the past decade or so, when planning to travel for exchanges, league branches in various regions, including the Carlos League, have tended to prioritize the United League as their first choice—this was also the case when the current Elite Four were just beginning to emerge."

"Could it be that those two developed a grudge during their past sparring sessions?" Azure asked.

"Although it's not as serious as a feud, there are indeed some grudges, which seem to have started with a one-on-one sparring match."

"Battles inevitably involve winners and losers. Trainers can't fall out over a single battle. Did one of them do something excessive?" The girl asked the obvious question, observing the tense atmosphere between the two Elite Four members.

"That might be true. According to what I've heard, both of them sent out Houndoom in that battle. And in that battle, Pachira from Kalos used Mega Evolution, but in the end, it was Tamamo that won."

"Houndoom seems to have the 'Flash Fire' ability, so Pachira, a Fire-type Elite Four member, would indeed have a harder time defeating Cranberry, a Dark-type specialist, with its signature moves sealed... However, sending out an unsuitable Pokémon to face an opponent is also one of the trainer's mistakes."

"The rumors didn't describe the specifics of the battle, but what truly escalated the conflict was what happened after the match." Having finally escaped the two Heavenly Kings blocking the center of the headquarters hall, Hugo breathed a sigh of relief and began to explain in detail to Azure—

"Back then, Lantana was still quite young and impetuous. Seeing that her opponent still couldn't beat her even after using Mega Evolution, she couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks, causing Ms. Pachira to lose face. The day after that Fire-type Elite Four member's defeat, news about Lantana's past gambling activities began to circulate widely in Unova's media. Many people speculated that it was Pachira, who had extensive connections in the media, who was behind it. It seems that the two sides officially became enemies from that time on."

After showing a gold card with a crown design to the guard at another entrance, Hugo and Azure were led into an internal passageway known only to a select few within the Alliance.

"However, the United States and Carlos are far apart, and the two have actually only met a few times over the years, but this grudge has remained."

"So, it turns out that Miss Pachira revealed that Mr. Yueju is a gambler?" Azure asked with some interest.

"No. People already knew about this guy's background when he first became the king of this region. The controversy back then was just some unscrupulous tabloids embellishing old stories. For a king to be affected by public opinion to this extent can only mean that Yueju himself is not mature enough."

A cheerful female voice reached Bilan's ears from the end of the passage, startling the girl.

Looking up, one could see a crystal chandelier spirit burning with a ghostly blue flame above the stairwell. The fire-type king, Pachira, whom one had just seen in the hall, stood beside the former with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

"Miss Patricia was just having a pleasant conversation with King Linguine, why did you suddenly leave him and come here?" Hugo asked in a completely unsurprised tone.

"It's not a good thing to get too close to gamblers. When I see a more valuable interview target, I naturally have to speed up and follow up."

In the dimly lit inner passage, Carlos's Fire Elite Four member spoke with a slight smile—

"I heard that this internal passage of the United States requires a special pass to use, and even higher-level privileges are needed to bring people through. The fact that you're here suggests that the rumor I heard about the United States champion has hit the bullseye..."

"It seems Miss Pachira has been watching us for a long time."

Hugo, now crowned the new champion, showed no sign of panic. Instead, he calmly turned towards Azure—

"What a coincidence! It seems that the gossip we were spreading in private has been overheard by the person involved. I wonder what Miss Pakira thinks about this matter."

"About that matter," Pachira shrugged, "it's basically all rumors, it's amazing you can remember gossip from so long ago."

"I suppose it's an occupational hazard from the past, but what's the real situation?" Hugo pressed.

"The battle you mentioned that caused my feud with Yue Tachibana was actually just a coincidence. My opponent was supposed to be the Ghost-type Elite Four member Wanlong, but the bestselling author was forced to be late because of an editor who came to visit, so the gambler had to take his place. The idea of ​​having both sides send out Houndoom for a mirror battle was proposed by Yue Tachibana."

The Fire-type Elite Four member of the Kalos region instantly revealed a gritted-teeth expression, and then said—

"Houndoom is the first partner that can work with me to use Mega Evolution, and I have a lot of confidence in it. So, after declaring that I would use Mega Evolution, I agreed to battle that gambler, believing that even if his Houndoom's ability is 'Flash Fire,' I was absolutely confident I could defeat him."

"How did the battle end up like that?" Azure, intrigued by the past between the Heavenly Kings, couldn't help but ask.

"The Black Houndoom's ability isn't 'Flash Fire,'" Pachira said with a sneer, "but rather 'Early Bird,' which wakes Pokémon from sleep earlier."

"After I Mega Evolve Houndoom, the Orange Houndoom used the move 'Sunny Day,' causing my partner to suffer continuous stamina loss due to the 'Solar Power' ability after Mega Evolution."

"At first, I mistakenly thought that this was a tactic of attrition that he deliberately used because he relied on Houndoom's 'Flash Fire' ability. So I took advantage of the superior Special Attack ability of his partner after Mega Evolution, as well as the Special Attack boost caused by 'Solar Power', and launched a strong attack on the Houndoom of the Orange with Normal-type attacks such as 'Hitman'."

"Meanwhile, Lanting equipped his Houndoom with a healing berry and constantly used harassing moves like 'Pain Split,' 'Protect,' and 'Roar' to stall me. However, due to the difference in the two Houndoom's base stats, I maintained the advantage... Just as I was about to unleash my final blow, that shameless gambler revealed his trump card."

"Is it... the 'Sleep' move?" Azure murmured, her senses particularly sharp when it came to Pokémon battles.

Get a good night's sleep and restore all of the user's energy.

Due to the "early riser" characteristic, this skill can save up to half of the sleep time.

"Yes, my Mega Houndoom was gradually becoming exhausted from prolonged use, while the Houndoom from the Moonstone was constantly recovering its HP. When I realized that the opponent's ability wasn't 'Flash Fire,' and tried to have my partner use a Fire-type move to deliver the strongest attack that negated its type resistances, the 'Sunny Day' that Moonstone had created at the start of the battle, as well as the 'Solar Power' boost under Sunny Day, had already disappeared. The opposing Houndoom launched a counterattack."

In the flickering light of the crystal chandelier, Pachira gave a self-deprecating laugh—

"That's how I lost the match. I think he already had that trick up his sleeve when he suggested it. Of course, looking back now, not being able to disrupt his plans sooner, and not using 'Taunt' to break the gambler's rhythm because of overconfidence, was also a sign of my immaturity at the time—anyway, that's how it was. Although I'm unwilling to accept it, I can at least say I lost fair and square. Any Pokémon Trainer could understand, right? No one would hold a grudge because of a battle like that."

"What about the rumored provocation by Yueju after the match? I don't think that description is entirely unfounded," Hugo asked, shaking his head.

"That was part of the post-match discussion. The gambler told me that he temporarily changed his Houndoom's ability using an Ability Potion. I guess my surprised expression at the time led those who like to spread rumors to misunderstand."

"So, those news reports exposing Yueju's past weren't published by Miss Pachira?" Azure asked.

"If I really wanted to ruin someone's reputation, I wouldn't use such a low-key method," the Fire King said gently. "Besides, smearing someone's face is no fun. If you're not careful, the person who's trying to smear them will end up filthy themselves. Even if I were narrow-minded, I wouldn't waste my energy on a gambler who's going to bring about his own downfall."

After hearing Pachira's explanation, Azure was still puzzled: "Then why were you still so confrontational with King Yueju in the Alliance headquarters hall?"

"There's no reason why," Carlos's Fire Elite Four member scoffed. "There will always be some people in the world who are born annoying, and I just don't like that guy."

At the same time, the door at the end of the passage opened.

Under the suddenly brightened lights, the gambler king with his exaggerated hairstyle stood there.

Cranberry raised her hand to her forehead—

"Ugh, my luck is really terrible today. I opened the door and saw such an annoying character."

Chapter 339 Describes the poisoning process in detail to the doctor

"Should we get rid of this guy?"

The evil-type Heavenly King gestured with his chin towards Pachira and asked the detectives.

Hugo shook his head: "There's no need. I think Miss Pachira has already noticed something. Given her personality, once she's taken an interest, she's bound to investigate further. Besides, keeping this a secret is meaningless to anyone above the rank of King."

"As expected, it seems you are this year's Unova champion."

Pachira wore an expression of complete control—

"Detective Hugo... I've heard about your activities as a private detective around the world, but I didn't expect you to be so skilled in elf battles. That Alder is not an opponent that can be defeated easily."

"It was just luck. If we were to fight again, I would definitely lose," Hugo replied honestly. "Speaking of fighting, I'm sorry that I can't provide guidance to everyone visiting Unova this time, as Mr. Alder did in the past, because of my own lack of ability."

"It's okay, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, not every champion can be as outstanding as Adek. It's inevitable that some players will fall short due to a lack of experience or other reasons."

With an indifferent shrug, the Fire Elite Four member from the Carlos region stated nonchalantly, his words seemingly carrying a hidden meaning.

Pachira is a League Elite Four member who specializes in Fire-type attacks. He must have received guidance from former Champion Alder, who is skilled at using Volcarona, so he probably respects him more... Azure, who was silent to the side, naturally thought so.

However, judging from this Elite Four member's tone, it seems less like she was expressing respect for the former Unova Champion and more like she was showing contempt for another Champion Trainer...

Judging from the atmosphere of the conversation, it doesn't seem to be Hugo, someone he's only just met and hasn't had a chance to antagonize yet. Ah, could it be that champion, Karuni, from the Carlos Alliance?

“Not everyone is exceptionally talented… I wholeheartedly agree with that. Not only among league champions, but even among Elite Four trainers, there can sometimes be significant differences in skill level.”

The gambling king, a specialist in evil, spoke with a sidelong glance.

Having a deeper understanding of the alliance between the two places, he certainly understood Pachira's meaning, but instead of offering his opinion, he directly retorted and mocked in the same way.

Pachira, living up to his reputation as the Fire Elite Four member, responded to the provocation with a swift and decisive strike: "Heh, are you implying something about yourself?"

Seeing that the conversation was about to get out of control, Hugo quickly tried to smooth things over—