Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"Um... Mr. Hugo, I've figured out why I chose the water otter. May I say it here?"

Taking advantage of the brief silence, Azure, like a student in class, obediently raised her hand to ask the detective a question.

The detective showed no surprise, remaining as if he had expected it all along; it was unclear whether he was feigning surprise or genuinely had a plan.

Hugo calmly nodded: "Please tell me that wicked trick that seems like a joke. It would be better if you could unravel the mystery yourself. Let these guys with their heads full of calculation formulas and lab reports see what a detective's assistant can do."

With a touch of nervousness from giving a public speech, Azure cleared her throat and slowly said, "The anomaly that occurred when trainers chose their starter Pokémon is actually related to the unique geographical location of the research institute. It is precisely because of the unique location of Deer Town that a certain person with ulterior motives implemented a certain plan."

I don't know who she learned it from, but Azure deliberately used roundabout language.

"When I started planning to go to the Yew Research Institute yesterday, I opened the Unova map and found the location of Deer Town. At that time, I discovered that all the public transportation in Unova that leads to the area around Deer Town has a common feature: the terminal station is located in Tangcao Town, which is near the town, whether it is railway or bus transportation."

Besides, this town obviously doesn't have an airport, and the waterways to the south are treacherous and impassable, making air and water travel impossible—meaning that without cars or air travel, people simply cannot reach the Yew Research Institute.

As her thoughts continued to coalesce, Bilan felt the previously vague answer becoming increasingly clear before her eyes, unlike the guesswork she had done in the hospital last time. This time, with the deepening of her explanation, Bilan became more and more confident.

"Think about it, what kind of people come to the research institute to pick up their Pokémon? Those trainers who have just embarked on their journeys and come to the institute to collect their first Pokémon naturally wouldn't possess a Pokémon that knows 'Fly,' and being underage, they certainly wouldn't drive. Since they're traveling alone, they certainly wouldn't have someone drive them directly to the institute's entrance. Therefore, I've come to the conclusion—"

The girl took a deep breath and continued, "All trainers who come to the research institute to pick up their starter Pokémon will definitely arrive at the railway terminus in Karakoram before they find the research institute."

The detective nodded in satisfaction as he watched Bilan clearly articulate her thoughts.

"Because all the novice trainers who haven't received their Pokémon yet have arrived in Karakoram Town first, and if they want to continue to the research institute, they must cross a straight road called Route 1 to reach their destination smoothly."

This road connects Cottage and Deer Village. It's wide and beautiful, and the Pokémon in the vicinity are all weak and not aggressive. As long as you don't deliberately enter the tall grass, even ordinary people can pass through easily..."

The girl's voice echoed in the research institute's lobby. Whether it was Detective Hugo, the anxious researchers, Dr. Yew who watched the show as if it were none of his business, or the mysteriously confident water otter, the bewildered Woolpig and Snivy, all the creatures were listening to Azure's reasoning.

"But it was along this path that these trainers witnessed something similar, and under its influence, these novices ultimately made the same choice."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" the bespectacled assistant couldn't help but urge. "What does this have to do with the trainers choosing otters?"

"Really, isn't the answer obvious?" Azure thought.

What other reason could trainers choose Oshawott as their only option, or be unwilling to choose Snivy or Tepig?

After all, they're trainers. Seeing something like that, how could they possibly choose any Pokémon other than Oshawott?

"What these newcomers see is what they are about to see."

Faced with the bewildered researcher, Azure gently gave the answer.

"What they were looking at was groups of Wooloo and Snivy in the grass."

A silence, even more profound than before, enveloped the research institute.

The mystery that had puzzled everyone in the research institute for half a year was suddenly resolved with such a simple sentence. Even Dr. Yew, who was suspected of having been in contact with the detective beforehand, was stunned with surprise.

Scarcity increases value. Since two of the three Pokémon to be acquired are readily available in the vicinity, why would trainers choose the latter?

The Snivy and Tepig that can be found everywhere are easy to catch. Once I can catch Pokémon, I can come to Route 1 anytime and bring them back.

To trainers who don't understand the different levels of rarity among Pokémon, this is not a situation like "choosing one of Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle".

Instead, it's a multiple-choice question where you have to choose one of three: Bulbasaur, Pidgey, or Rattata, eliminating any hesitation and providing an optimal answer.

"This...this is impossible!" The speaker was a middle-aged researcher. "There are absolutely no Snivy or Tepig around near Deer Town! I am an expert in studying the Pokémon ecology in this area, and I swear there are absolutely no wild Snivy or Tepig outside the research institute."

"Besides wild Pokémon, there are also domesticated ones, and not only in the research institute, but also inside it," Azure said seriously. "Those starter Pokémon that the trainers witnessed were actually released intentionally from the backyard of the research institute by someone there!"

The girl didn't want to act arrogantly, but the atmosphere and the unfolding of the reasoning made her unconsciously point her index finger at the people in the research institute.

"As I mentioned earlier, novice trainers must travel through Route 1 to reach the research institute, and members of the research institute can know in advance when the trainers will arrive."

Therefore, the culprit among the researchers could precisely place the Tepigs and Snivy, originally kept in the lab's backyard, onto the trainers' usual routes. Furthermore, Route 1 is usually quiet with few trainers, so there's no need to worry about the Pokémon venturing out being captured and losing members.

The noise inside grew even louder. Hugo, standing at the entrance to the hall behind the girl, nodded with satisfaction at the sight, while his gaze mockingly surveyed the panicked researchers.

Azure continued, "Listen to me, trainers are actually surprisingly simple-minded. They mistakenly believe that Snivy and Tepig are very common in the area and don't need to specifically choose them. So, naturally, after using the process of elimination, all the novice trainers chose the remaining Oshawott. But they never imagined that when they came back to catch the latter two, the cunning culprit had already retrieved the Tepig and Snivy that had been released for a stroll."

"Then why, when we followed up with the trainers afterward, did none of them mention this reason?" asked Dr. Yew.

"Follow-up investigation?" Azure, who had not known the details, was momentarily dumbfounded.

"Leave the rest to me, Azure. You've done a great job." Hugo walked up to Azure at some point and joined her in facing the crowd.

“Unlike Miss Azure, who deduced the general situation of the incident as soon as she arrived at the research institute, I conducted a thorough investigation beforehand, and I was still observing everyone's behavior and expressions until just now. To be honest, that culprit's acting skills are really not good. Why don't you take this opportunity to confess your guilt?”

The detective made a startling statement, speaking with an air of effortless detachment as if he knew everything.

Chapter 042 The Exaggerated Coincidence

"As the assistant revealed, there is a weirdo among you who is trying to recommend Otter to beginners in a strange way. To be honest, I don't think this is a crime. I asked Professor Yew before, and there is indeed no rule in the institute that prohibits taking certain types of Pokémon out for exercise regularly. Therefore, theoretically speaking, this strange behavior should not be punished."

Hugo explained to the researchers in a seemingly amiable manner.

"You knew about this method back then?" Dr. Yew felt surprised by something strange. It seemed that her surprise when faced with Azure's reasoning earlier was not an act.

"I'm quite surprised that even after being reminded to that extent, you still haven't discovered the truth, Doctor." The detective shook his head at the doctor with an air of complete control, then turned back to his assistants.

"At the beginning, I suggested that the doctor carry out a normal exchange of researchers. As long as all of you were packed up and sent to other places, the strange events that appeared here would naturally disappear. Unfortunately, this Dr. Yew refused without hesitation."

“This won’t do. Their research is already in the middle of its stages. It’s unreasonable and cruel to interrupt their research without understanding the situation,” the PhD student next to him reiterated earnestly.

"But I remember there was another student named Furuya who hadn't decided on a topic yet," the detective said, resting his index finger on his chin as he recalled.

The youngest researcher present quickly explained, "Although we haven't decided on a research topic yet, I've already been conducting field research in Deer Town for quite some time now. If I were transferred to a distant place, it would cause a lot of trouble for my work. By the way, my next research project will focus on the legendary Pokémon tracks in the surrounding area."

"Rejected. Even if we go back five hundred years, we wouldn't find such relics in Deer Town." The professor rejected the student's topic without hesitation.

Hugo, seeing the doctor struggling with a headache and Furuya in despair, had no choice but to loudly steer the conversation back to the case at hand—

"Dr. Yew asked earlier why no one found out during the follow-up investigation, right? This is actually quite easy to understand."

The doctor resumed his attentive listening posture.

“In the study of human psychology, there is a phenomenon called selective amnesia, which means that people consciously forget some experiences they do not like. Among these forgotten things, there is an order of difficulty in forgetting them, from difficult to easy: things done but not wanted to be remembered, words said but wished to be taken back, things seen but wished to be ignored, and ideas that were formed but rejected by the mind. Undoubtedly, the reason for choosing the otter belongs to the last category that is easiest to forget.”

"Could it be that the detective thinks the reason no one remembers why they chose the water otter is because everyone has forgotten about it?" a bespectacled student asked in surprise.

"You must be Matsubara, right? Trainers do think differently from ordinary people. As the second son of a wealthy man, you naturally can't empathize with this because you chose to pursue a scholarly path," the detective replied.

"For trainers who are determined to hone their battle skills, none of them want to fall into the quagmire of regret the very first step of their journey. They must create a reason that is worthy of their conscience for choosing Otter, a reason full of dreams and hope."

"This behavior is less about forgetting and more about deliberately concealing one's true motives when choosing a Pokémon. These lying trainers hide their rash choices out of pride. Of course, as time goes by, lies and truth will eventually become blurred and interchangeable, until they themselves forget the real reasons for their choices."

The people at the research institute weren't so easily fooled. An uncle named Eric shook his head and questioned, "But this only happened in the last six months. I still don't believe that all sixty-three trainers had this idea."

"Your suspicions are entirely valid. Psychological factors cannot definitively make people lie in unison. Just like novice trainers making choices among the starter Pokémon, whether they tell the truth or not depends entirely on their own vague and uncertain feelings. However, in reality, there are countless subtle driving forces that lead these trainers to ultimately choose to seal away that part of their memory."

Beside Azure, who seemed somewhat flustered by the questions, the detective spoke fluently and confidently.

"First of all, these newcomers who have embarked on their journey are still in a stage where they are very dependent on their initial partner. Now these trainers have developed a friendship with Otter that is far greater than it was back then. If their partners were around when they were interviewed, the current trainers would naturally not admit that they chose their partners for some trivial reason, such as 'seeing two other starter Pokémon on the roadside'."

“This situation is indeed embarrassing.” The assistant thought of his Blastoise, put himself in the other person’s shoes, and nodded in agreement.

Hugo walked over to the otter that had been released from the ball, squatted down, and looked directly into its bright black eyes: "Otter, how would you feel if a trainer said that he chose you by process of elimination and only reluctantly picked you at the end?"

After hearing this, the little blue and white otter held its head and thought hard for a while, then shook its head vigorously.

"You mean this is an unacceptable insult, and it's better to leave you at the research institute than to take you away like this?" Hugo put on an act, communicating as if he could understand the elves.

Having grasped the detective's general meaning, the otter nodded again.

Even upon witnessing this scene, some remained incredulous. One of the most skeptical was Yamashita, the tallest researcher among them.

Yamashita, who was also a trainer, spread his hands: "Detective, your guess is indeed refreshing, but trainers' partners are not always by their side, are they? Based on this alone, it is impossible for all sixty-odd trainers to be lying."

“Of course, that’s not the only reason,” the detective replied immediately and decisively.

"There are many other reasons besides that—the institute's questionnaire isn't a police interrogation. How many trainers would actually be willing to recall memories from so long ago? Besides, your questionnaire didn't even cover all sixty-three trainers, did it? Maybe a trainer who remembered the situation and didn't want to lie was unreachable and was therefore overlooked. Also, there are trainers who have completely forgotten the incident, right? After all, what they saw and heard before entering the institute has long been overshadowed by the immense joy of getting their first Pokémon. They might really have taken their choice of one of the three as fate or intuition."

The detective, with an air of mystery, pointed the rounded end of his wooden cane at everyone present, like a sorcerer performing an evil ritual—

"No one remembers that the situation at the time was just a coincidence, but various subtle circumstances raised the probability of this coincidence to a counterintuitive level. As a result, you witnessed a miracle in which sixty-three trainers in a row chose the same Pokémon."

"Boring, uninteresting, utterly meaningless. Man-made miracles are nothing but exaggerated coincidences. Just like the sensational statistical conclusions drawn up by third-rate statisticians," Hugo sighed.

"Now, my patience has run out. Quickly reveal your dark motives! This is Yamashita, who used to be a trainer but is now utterly useless."

Chapter 043 Every place leaves a trace

The detective pointed at the tall student, but his face showed a refreshed expression, as if his work was about to end.

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Yamashita said, frowning unhappily after being called out by the detective.

"Ha, that's a common excuse used by criminals to start their arguments." Hugo waved his hands dramatically, like a theatrical actor, relentlessly mocking him. "Next, are you going to ask me if I have any concrete evidence to prove that you are the mastermind behind this case?"

“You’d better have it,” Yamashita said calmly, his demeanor perfectly behaving like that of someone falsely accused. His calm poker face was as innocent as a baby’s, while his clenched fists at his sides revealed a hint of aggrieved anger.

From the perspective of Azure, who was watching from the side, if one had to say, it was actually the detective with his teeth bared that looked more like a criminal who had successfully committed a crime.

"Evidence can be obtained by simply catching the criminal and torturing him severely—although I've always wanted to say that, you've been carrying out a bizarre operation that lasted for six months. You don't actually think you left no trace, do you?"

"trace?"

Just as everyone was waiting for the detective to continue explaining how he solved the case, Hugo suddenly shouted, "This is the evidence!"

With a loud bang!

As if receiving a detective's order, the research institute's door was kicked open, and the figure of a girl with a high ponytail wearing a baseball cap appeared in the backlight of the day.

Then, a huge horde of Pokémon flooded into the research lab’s hall, instantly filling the once spacious hall as if it had been swept away by a flood.

"Hugo! I've brought all the Pokémon from the backyard breeding area here!"

Douzi, standing at the doorway, jumped and hopped, asserting her presence. Beside her were Emboar, Samurai, and Serperior, all in their third-stage evolutions. It seems these parental evolved Pokémon played a significant role in herding these Pokémon into the lab.

"What...what's going on!" Dr. Yew was somewhat frightened and glared fiercely at the smug detective beside him.

“Let’s continue with the topic I mentioned earlier—seemingly small, accidental aggregations can sometimes form a certain inevitable trend. This is precisely the false miracle, the statistical magic called ‘central tendency’.”

Otter, Tepig, Snivy, Otter, Tepig, Snivy, Otter, Tepig, Snivy... The starter Pokémon candidates who used to live quietly in the backyard breeding area are now gathered together in the research institute. They are either standing still, arguing, or playing together affectionately.

Even the starter Pokémon originally prepared for Azur Lane jumped off the stage excitedly to join their fellow Pokémon in the revelry.

In terms of sheer numbers, there are only about twenty of them. But when they are all crammed into a confined space, the constantly moving and noisy Pokémon seem endless.

Hugo gently lifted the spiky snake, which had inexplicably fallen at his feet, with his toes, then shooed it away, explaining to the professor as he went—

“What we know now is that young Pokémon generally prefer to be in groups. Based on this, we also know that the culprit who manipulated the starter Pokémon selection ritual often took Snivy and Tepig out for walks; he must have some kind of special relationship with the starter Pokémon. Therefore, in unfamiliar environments, these backyard Pokémon would definitely react differently to the person who often took them for walks compared to other strangers, right? Just create such a situation…”

—It will be obvious who the real culprit is.

The unspoken words of the detective resonated in the minds of everyone present.

Wherever something passes, there is a trace; whatever is covered up, there is a reason; whatever is revealed, there is a purpose.

As if he had been smeared with sweet honey, Yamashita, with his grumpy face, was entangled by a large number of Tepigs and Snivy.

The Woolpigs affectionately rubbed their cheeks against the ankles of the person below the mountain, while the Snivy used their vine whips to climb up the person's shoulders.

It was clearly a heartwarming and healing scene, but Yamashita's face was filled with despair.

“Wait a minute, Yamashita is the one who trains Pokémon the most around here. Maybe the Pokémon are close to him just because…” Uncle Eric was about to speak up to defend his companion, but then he couldn’t help but shut his mouth.

He saw that there were still many otters scattered around the hall. Some of them were posing with their noses up, while others were playing by themselves with a gentle temperament. But no matter what kind of otters they were, none of them went down the mountain.

This contrasts sharply with the other two starter Pokémon.

“That was a brilliant move.” Azure looked at her firm boss with genuine respect.

The student-looking Furuya nodded in agreement: "A real controlled experiment!"

"It's probably because Yamashita used the opportunity of research projects to frequently enter the backyard of the research institute and take the opportunity to use all means to win over Snivy and Tepig. In addition, only Otter has been sent away normally in the past six months, and there are always the same group of Tepig and Snivy in the research institute. Naturally, they are particularly attached to Yamashita, who plays with them."

Hugo explained, then walked over to the researcher who was kneeling on the ground like a defeated dog.

"After hearing about your research from the professor, I started to find it strange. The limitation on the use of sound-based moves seems like an excellent subject, but in reality, it's impossible to conduct experiments with just your Rolling Bat."

"Restrictions on the use of sound-based skills? Does that mean features like 'soundproofing' can block these skills?" asked Azure, who had extensive combat experience.

Hugo nodded, "That's right. Sound-based moves like 'Ultrasound' and 'Insect Chirp' could normally hit an opponent even when their Stand is blocking them, but in some situations, sound-based moves are ineffective. The 'Soundproof' ability is a very well-known example."

"In addition, there's the move 'Hell Thrust,' which prevents opponents from using sound-based moves for a period of time. Furthermore, sound-based moves can become unusable for various reasons—for example, a Pokémon with 'Prankster' will have no effect on Dark-type Pokémon using 'Taunt'; 'Round,' a Normal-type attack, won't damage Ghost-type Pokémon; 'Roar' won't work when the opponent has only one Pokémon left; and 'Snoring' won't work on a Pokémon that isn't asleep..."

The detective's extensive knowledge of combat surprised not only his assistant but also left Yamashita, who was trapped by Tepig and Snivy, speechless.

"In short, from all perspectives, this is an excellent research topic. There are many reasons why sound skills fail, but the reasons for failure vary greatly. If we conduct thorough field investigations and carefully craft our papers, we are sure to achieve great success. However, I investigated the entire research institute this morning and found no Pokémon that possess the moves and skills mentioned earlier. There are very few Pokémon with sound skills in the entire backyard, which does not meet the basic requirements for conducting the above research."

Listening to the detective's words, Dr. Yew cast a stern gaze down the mountain, where the latter shivered and cowered in silence.

"This makes one wonder if Yamashita's real research topic is actually the limitations of using voice skills?" Detective Hugo smiled knowingly.