Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Dr. Makomo and her assistant Matsuru from the Dream Institute immediately stepped forward and draped a towel over the female patient.

Truffle removed the simple vital signs monitoring device from Mia and wiped her damp hair with a towel, while Dr. Makomo took out his notebook to take notes.

"I..." Mia had barely uttered a sound when tears slid down her cheeks and into the pool water.

The introverted girl choked out a complete sentence: "I saw... my oh dear mushroom."

"Oh, Agaric? Is that the Pokémon Detective Hugo mentioned, the one you released back into the wild?" Makomo's pen hovered over the paper.

Mia nodded, splashing tiny droplets of water.

"It seems it's just another recurring dream."

The truffle slumped its shoulders in dejection—

"It's a shame that the detective spoke so seriously, talking about underwater signals and unknown creatures. Even though we deliberately changed to a marine environment, we still didn't make any new discoveries."

“No, this time is different.” The girl, her tears still wet on her face, shook her head urgently. “It’s not like the dreams I’ve had before.”

She reached out and tightly grasped the Dream Doctor's sleeve: "Just now, I felt Aya-shroom's emotions—this is the first time since I met that Pokémon that I've felt its thoughts and feelings so clearly. It's as if my long-cherished wish has finally come true..."

"Why would I see a spirit I released in the past in the sea? That doesn't make sense... Could it be that because the strange dreams from the past have disappeared, Miss Mia is starting to have her own dreams again?"

The assistant scratched his bun in confusion and offered his hypothesis.

"No, I don't think this is just a simple dream."

Dr. Makomo tapped the notebook lightly with the pen cap.

"Don't forget the brainwave data we just saw with the testing device. That's not the kind of reaction you see when you're falling asleep normally; it's closer to the indicators of a successful dream connection. And looking at Miss Mia now, what she saw in her dream is clearly significantly different from what she's seen before. Miss Mia, can you clearly recall everything you saw in your dream just now?"

“Yes, it is. It’s as clear as if it happened right before my eyes, I would never be mistaken,” Mia said with certainty.

The doctor nodded: "Now that the person involved has confirmed the anomaly, let's not jump to conclusions. Let Miss Mia calm down first, and then we'll hear the specific details later."

"It's not up to you, Doctor, to say that since you were standing there with your notebook before the sea bath was even over," Truffle stuck out her tongue and complained to her sister.

After changing their clothes, the three of them moved to the rest room provided by the bathhouse.

The paid lounge was filled with a warm atmosphere, with soft lighting in every corner.

Truffle thoughtfully handed Miss Mia a steaming drink, which she held with both hands, feeling the warmth of the steam rising from her palms, and continued her slow narration—

"Unlike the strange dreams I had some time ago, in this dream in the sea, I didn't see any fragments of past memories at all. Instead, I actually saw the Ayya Mushroom that I hadn't seen in a long time. It was standing in front of me with its round cap on its head, waving its little arms and calling out to me, 'I'm here, I'm here'... At first, I couldn't believe that it was the Ayya Mushroom from the past, because it looked very lively, while when it was with me, the Ayya Mushroom was always silent."

"So how did you finally confirm it?" Dr. Makomo asked, opening her notebook again.

“It’s the pattern on its head. You know, the top of a Shroomish cap usually has a pattern similar to a Poké Ball, right? The Pokémon I saw in my dream had a small black dot on the white part of its pattern. This feature is exactly the same as the Shroomish I released in the past,” Mia replied earnestly.

However, Makomo secretly wondered if Mia might have projected the image of the spirit she released into the character in her dream.

But she suppressed her suspicions for the time being and continued to ask Mia, "Did you communicate with the elf you met in your dream?"

"Well, I immediately asked it about the reason for releasing it back then, why it disappeared in the woods the day after that. I wanted to know if my act of abandoning it in the forest was just wishful thinking on my part... and oh dear, Mushroom told me an answer I never expected."

"So what's the answer?" Truffle asked, blinking her curious eyes. "By the way, do you communicate in human language in your dreams?"

"I don't remember the exact words we used in our conversation... but every thought feels like it's directly imprinted in my mind." The girl said, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the rim of the cup.

"Back then, Aiya Mushroom told me that it made up its mind to leave me because it felt it was a burden to me. Aiya Mushroom saw that I couldn't make friends at school and thought the reason was because of its closed-off and weak nature. So, after I released it that day, Aiya Mushroom dug a hole in that forest and buried itself in the soil in order to completely leave me... It cared about me so much, and yet I abandoned it..."

Newly shed tears dripped into the drink, turning into rising steam that lingered in the air.

“This is truly a heartbreaking misunderstanding…” Dr. Makomo sighed, shaking her long hair.

"One of the most important reasons we are committed to developing the Pokémon Dream Connector is that we hope to allow humans and Pokémon to openly share their inner thoughts with each other in a free and unrestrained dream world, thereby preventing such regrets from happening again."

"So, can we rule out the possibility that Miss Mia was simply dreaming?" Truffle asked the doctor.

Dr. Makomo nodded.

“That’s right. There is a significant difference between what you see and hear in a dream and real memories. Few people would confuse the two. Unlike the fragmented memories obtained after a typical dream experiment, Miss Mia’s narration this time is clear and organized. Moreover, through the dialogue in the dream, she also learned things she had never known before. The only reasonable explanation is that there is indeed some kind of medium that, with the help of seawater, connects Mia and Aiya Mushroom.”

"Oh dear, if what Mushroom said in her dream is true, it's so sad..."

Truffle felt deep sympathy for Mia and Aiya Mushroom's plight, and then asked Mia, "Since you met Aiya Mushroom in your dream, did you ask where it is now? Since you missed it once, why not just find it again?"

“I asked it, but the mushroom said it didn’t know the location either.” Mia blinked in confusion. “It said that not long after we separated, it was dug out of the ground by a scouting rat looking for rare mushrooms. Later, it was taken in by a group of humans dressed in white, and finally one of them took it to the sea.”

"White clothes...could they be members of Team Plasma?" Truffle guessed. "Did you get any other information about their location?"

“I asked, but Aiya Mushroom told me not to go looking for it.” Mia lowered her eyes, her expression somber. “It said it lives on a bottomless sea and is doing well. It has many human companions with it now, and told me not to worry about it.”

"Living at sea...did you go out to sea by boat? Or did you end up on some island? How exactly is this unusual seawater communication possible?" The research assistant closed his eyes, deep in thought. "Miss Mia, have you and Aiya Mushroom discussed anything else?"

"I...I couldn't control my emotions. After asking all those questions, I hugged Aiya Mushroom and cried, constantly apologizing to it until I finally woke up." The woman lowered her head deeply and said apologetically, "If I take a sea bath again, will I still dream about Aiya Mushroom?"

“It’s best not to do this in the short term,” Truffle said, shaking her head. “The Doctor and I discussed this before. Frequent high-intensity dream experiments may disrupt the body’s original biological clock. Moreover, although the principle is not yet clear, long-distance communication like yours and Aiya Mushroom’s must come at a cost. If you meet frequently in dreams, it could be a burden for both of you.”

Mia nodded dejectedly, her expression disheartened.

"Sigh... there's nothing we can do about it. If we were in the same situation, we would probably react the same way. But with only this level of information, we really can't hold our heads high and report the progress to that detective."

Truffle crossed her arms and sighed like an adult, turning her gaze to the Dream Doctor beside her—

"Huh? Sister, why have you been so quiet since earlier?"

Dr. Makomo raised her face and slowly said, "I've been wondering why Aya Mushroom is so quiet and introverted when she's with Miss Mia, but so active in the dream?"

The assistant gasped, "This is indeed a suspicious point. Could it be that the Pokémon's latent personality has been awakened?"

"Even if it's a latent personality, it's still not normal for someone to be so silent in everyday life. Truffle, don't you think that Aiya Mushroom's past behavior is somewhat similar to a certain kind of mental abnormality in psychology?"

The doctor frowned and said—

"In the real world, Agaric is emotionally detached, prefers solitude, always deliberately avoids social activities, keeps its distance from its companions and its own species, reacts coldly to external stimuli, and lacks vivid emotional experiences. However, in the dream, it is no different from an ordinary Pokémon, waving excitedly at its past trainers, expressing its thoughts freely, telling Mia that it actually cares about her, and even specifically telling her not to look for it so as not to cause her any trouble... Doesn't this contrast seem familiar to you?"

"Indeed, it feels like I just saw something similar somewhere not long ago... Wait a minute!"

The girl suddenly opened her eyes wide.

"Sister, you're not referring to the split personality disorder that the detective mentioned before, are you? But if it's a split personality disorder, wouldn't the sufferer do some abrupt and strange things at the same time? But before this dream appeared, Aiya Mushroom didn't show any contradictory behavior at all, and I've never heard of split personality disorder making people mute."

"So, it's not a case of dual personality disorder, but rather multiple personality disorder," the doctor said slowly, carefully choosing his words.

"Humans and Pokémon have vastly different biological structures. Sometimes, the difference between a human and a certain Pokémon is even greater than the difference between that Pokémon and wild grass. Truffle, do you know how mushrooms grow?"

"Uh, the mushrooms we usually see and eat are probably the fruiting bodies of some kind of fungus, right? In order to spread spores, these fruiting bodies differentiate into structures such as caps and stipes... Is that right?"

The sisters, Truffle and Makomo, both have names related to mushrooms, so Truffle had paid special attention to reading related popular science books when she was in school, and she never expected that it would come in handy now.

The doctor nodded in agreement.

"Another point is that before fungi grow fruiting bodies, they first grow hyphae. These hyphae absorb and decompose organic matter to obtain nutrients, and through continuous branching and extension, they form a huge network. It can be said that every part of every mushroom is evolved from the growth of hyphae—and Pokémon like Mushroom and Agaric also have similar hyphal structures. So compared to us humans, Agaric might actually be more similar to these fungi."

"Wait, wait! Sister! What you're trying to say is..." Truffle suddenly covered her mouth, her face full of disbelief, "This is impossible, it's too absurd!"

"I believe all the clues point to this conclusion, and it's not difficult to verify. We just need to wait until Mia conducts her next seawater dream experiment and ask the 'Aiya Mushroom' in her dream in person."

After speaking to her sister, Dr. Makomo turned her gaze to Mia—

"Miss Mia, would you like to hear my speculation?"

The woman nodded quietly.

From Truffle's hesitant expression, Mia could guess that Dr. Makomo was about to reveal a shocking conclusion. But regardless, she longed to understand more deeply the ayakashi mushroom she had once released.

"Normally, most Aurafowl, like most Pokémon, have a unified, singular mindset. But Miss Mia, your Aurafowl may be different. Whether it's a congenital mutation or some other factor, it differs from its kind on a mental level."

The doctor's voice was like the sound of wind blowing through a window, both chilling and subtly reassuring.

However, her next words were like a gust of wind that could completely smash open a window—

"In the body of the Ayya Mushroom, which is differentiated by a mycelium-like structure, your Ayya Mushroom consciousness has not been integrated like that of its kind, but has maintained a differentiated structure—that is to say, multiple self-awarenesses exist within it at the same time."

Professor Makomo continued, "This phenomenon is not uncommon in Pokémon. Weezing can have two consciousnesses at the same time, while Pokémon like Dugtrio, Hydreigon, and Dodrio have three, and Exeggcute and Strike have even more—this is a common phenomenon in their respective species, but it is an exception for Aurafoam."

"Does having too many conflicting thoughts in one's mind cause one to appear dull in daily life?"

Mia asked cautiously, her past experience of being affected by strange dreams giving her some understanding of the situation.

The doctor nodded slightly and continued—

"I also cannot know for sure how many consciousnesses exist within the Ayya mushroom. Maybe it's five or six, maybe it's a dozen or so. If each mycelium that makes up the mushroom has an independent consciousness, then the number could reach an astonishing tens of thousands... In that case, whatever the Ayya mushroom intends to do, it will be difficult to proceed due to the disagreements between the numerous consciousnesses within its body; whatever ideas it wants to express, it will ultimately have nothing to say because countless consciousnesses hold their own opinions."

"What Miss Mia encountered in her dream of the sea was merely one of these countless consciousnesses. It was precisely because it was free from the constraints and conflicts of other consciousnesses that it was able to display its lively side like a normal living being."

"But if that's the case, how do you explain the disappearance of the mushroom in the forest?" Truffle asked, her face full of doubt.

"After all, aren't these consciousnesses often contradictory? How could they coordinate to perform such a relatively complex action as digging a hole in the ground and burying themselves?"

"This precisely demonstrates that, on this particular issue, those consciousnesses have reached a rare consensus."

Dr. Makomo's expression was complicated as she turned her gaze to Mia, who stood there stunned, and slowly said—

"Every single consciousness within Agaric's body genuinely felt the trainer's love for Agaric during their time with Ms. Mia. Perhaps because their once-complete soul was fragmented into many parts, each of their thoughts seemed exceptionally clumsy. When these consciousnesses sensed the predicament Ms. Mia faced, they all sincerely hoped to help in any way they could. However, the unique nature of their mental state made it impossible for them to perform any complex actions or behaviors. It was for this reason that it... or rather, they ultimately made the decision to leave you."

At that moment, a gentle evening breeze softly rustled the glass of the beach lounge. Inside, Miss Mia could no longer contain her emotions and burst into tears.

“This is not abandonment,” the dream scholar sighed, “but rather the gentlest farewell, formed by the convergence of countless sentiments.”

Chapter 348 Interlude - The Poison Arrives

In this quiet and sorrowful night, time, like a fair and impartial traveler, flows forward steadily and fairly.

As the proud pheasant's crow pierced the clouds, the first faint rays of dawn appeared on the horizon. The gentle sunlight gradually dispelled the darkness, bringing hope and vitality to the still-sleeping city.

But in this world, there are always some people who get up earlier than the sun.

Before their day's energy has fully blossomed, they are already fully immersed in life and work—like those two journalists who traveled all the way from the Hoenn region to Unova.

In a corner of Feiyun City, inside a 24-hour coffee shop, the rich aroma of coffee wafts above the wooden bar, while perfectly timed soft music flows in the warm indoor lighting, creating a tranquil and pleasant atmosphere.

The coffee shop employee, who had just started his shift, silently wiped the cups and saucers, gazing curiously at the two strange customers sitting in a corner of the shop.

"Stop being confused, Dai. We're heading back to Hoenn after tomorrow, so we have to solve the mystery Hugo left behind today, no matter what—what is Team Magma's purpose in hoarding so many supplies?"

Standing in front of the glass window facing the street, reporter Mary tossed a sugar cube into a steaming cup of coffee and glared disapprovingly at her photographer partner.

"But Mr. Hugo said that he is currently only active in the Unova region, and he has no way of knowing the situation in the Hoenn region. It's better not to make any hasty conclusions."

Photographer Dai rubbed his sleepy eyes and yawned widely, clearly not yet fully recovered from his fatigue.

"Furthermore, we sent Mr. Hugo's reasoning to Mr. Daigo via email yesterday, and the details of the Aquarion smuggling case have also been confirmed by Mr. Pogaman, who is staying at the detective agency. All the work is done, it's time to take a break... Mary, you've come all this way to Unova, don't you want to take the opportunity to go on a trip?"

"There are always opportunities to travel, but intelligence and information can be fleeting! The detective may not know the specifics of Hoenn, but we do."

The reporter patted the table piled high with documents in front of her, her tone firm and forceful.

The documents were filled with information about the Hoenn region in recent years, clearly the result of her own painstaking efforts in compiling them.

"We're journalists who travel all over Hoenn year-round. Even if we don't know as much as the police about illegal organizations like Team Aqua and Team Magma, we're among the most knowledgeable ordinary people. Are you really willing to stand idly by and watch such a major story unfold? Where is your conscience as a journalist?"

She gulped down a mouthful of coffee, only to wince and stick out her tongue from the heat, quickly fanning her mouth with her hand. Despite this, after taking a deep breath, she still spoke to her partner with undiminished force—

"And are Mr. Daigo and his team really capable of solving the mystery? Team Magma, under the guise of sabotage, stole a large amount of technical secrets and core equipment from important production facilities such as food and energy sources. Their conspiracy is definitely not small. At this time, can you still happily stroll around the Unova region, sightseeing and enjoying delicious food?"

“I didn’t mention enjoying the food.” Dai slumped his shoulders, still looking reluctant, but finally started looking through the ingredients on the table.

"Sigh, I just can't do anything with you. So, Mary, what are your thoughts on Team Lava's current actions...?"

“Listen to me.” Mary pulled a printed sheet from a thick stack of documents, which detailed reports of damage from several acts of vandalism.

She pointed to the report with her finger and said in a serious tone—

"Although the Lava Team stole a lot from these important facilities, they did not directly plunder the supplies. Instead, like performing a precise surgical operation, they accurately seized the core equipment related to production while minimizing large-scale damage."

"Like seawater desalination filtration systems, timber ripening production line control systems, geothermal energy conversion generators, synthetic protein production devices, liquid fuel catalytic reactors... these?"

Dai quickly scanned the documents Mary had provided, his brow furrowed, and asked in confusion—

"So, after all the trouble they went through to seize these things, are they planning to build factories and make money themselves?"

“I don’t think Team Lava would follow business rules so strictly.” Mary shook her head, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Moreover, these industrial facilities are not the same as the Hoenn TV station of Skytree. If they build factories on a large scale in Hoenn, no matter how secretive they are, they will be discovered by the Alliance sooner or later. Hoping to recoup costs through production and sales is simply a pipe dream."

“Yes,” the photographer nodded in agreement. “Products like energy, food, and timber don’t have high profit margins, so Team Magma probably wouldn’t use them for commercial trade. Team Magma is different from Team Aqua; they don’t have much influence overseas, and investing in factories across regions wouldn’t benefit them much.”

"Therefore, I speculate that the equipment and technology that Team Lava stole are either intended to be kept for small-scale production of supplies for their own use, or they simply plan to sell them directly to forces outside of Hoenn, exchanging the core equipment and corresponding technology for money," Mary concluded confidently, putting down the documents.

After a moment of contemplation, Dai finally nodded: "If Team Lava doesn't intend to engage in trade, then these are indeed the only two paths they have to take."

"However, as you mentioned before, Team Magma mainly develops its influence on the Hoenn mainland, unlike the Navy's smuggling ships which roam the world. They may not have many partners overseas—but if it's just about finding a buyer for a batch of industrial materials, it's not difficult. Apart from illegal organizations, black markets or commercial brokers in various places should be happy to take on this business. The only problem is..."

At this point, Mary took a sip of her coffee—