Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Chapter 046 The Criminal Methods of the Plasma Group

When the detective and his assistant arrived, Aloe, the gym leader of Shippo City, was resting on the sofa in the reception room, with her partner, a long-haired dog, lying in front of her; while Cranberry, whose black suit was slightly torn, stood by the window gazing into the distance.

Beside the two were more Pokémon recovering their strength: Aloe's Sentinel, Almost Doll, and Chinchilla; and Blueberry's Bandana Scoundrel, Crocodile, and Cool Leopard.

Although they were all resting, both the detective and the assistant observed that most of the Pokémon had minor injuries, except for the long-haired dog in front of the curator, which was the most seriously injured.

"Oh, it's Hugo."

Ms. Aloe wore a large apron and had her hair permed into a huge, voluminous style, making her look like a capable and serious aunt. She seemed to already know the detective, and without much small talk, she began to explain the current situation to him.

"The robbery occurred this morning during the opening ceremony of the Stone of Nation exhibition. The other party brazenly launched a frontal attack on the museum."

As she spoke, Aloe continued her work, opened a box of high-grade wound medicine, gently parted the long-haired dog's thick fur, and applied it to the wound.

Seeing this, Azure volunteered to take out a bunch of recovery items from her backpack and feed them to the listless Pokémon around her.

“I saw traces left in the exhibition hall before I came here. There were a lot of footprints on the floor coming from the same direction. Could it be that the attackers were a large group of organized Plasma Squad members?” Hugo asked in the tone of a seasoned detective.

Aloe shook her head and said sadly, "No, there were only three people at first. They used a bright light to blind the people present, and then took the opportunity to target the security personnel and gym leaders in the museum. By the time we turned around, we had lost nearly half of our fighting force."

The detective suddenly realized, "No wonder I haven't seen these people along the way. Have they already been taken to the hospital?"

“That’s exactly right.” Blueberry turned back from the windowsill and explained what was happening next—

"I joined the battle at that moment, doing my best to hold off two of the trio, while Aloe took care of the remaining one. The opponent was dressed in all black ninja attire, masked and bare-chested, using Agilebug, Bisharp, and Cursed Doll. Then, just as we were engaging in battle, that thing happened, which completely destroyed our chance to turn the tide..."

The Dark-type Champion faced Hugo calmly, and the Detective could tell that Cranberry was telling the truth. Team Plasma's actions had completely surprised him. Rather, the piercing gaze from Hugo was conveying an unmistakable message—Hugo, your information is wrong; the enemy clearly has many more high-level combatants hidden.

Unaware of the exchange of glances between the detective and the Heavenly King, Aloe continued to describe the situation in a somber tone—

"While Mr. Lantana and I were busy dealing with the trio, suddenly, a large group of Team Plasma members rushed into the exhibition hall, which was almost under attack. There were nearly a hundred of them, and they were not afraid of the aftermath of the Pokémon moves at all. They went straight through the area where the Pokémon were fighting, and swept through the museum and the warehouse at the back, looting almost all the collections. Even the Shippo Gym hidden under the library was destroyed."

"At this stage, we sent out all the remaining Pokémon we had to try to stop them, but the enemy also sent out a large number of Pokémon. Without anyone to command them, the Krookodile and the others were eventually overwhelmed by the enemy's sheer numbers, and that's how we ended up like this," said Bulbasaur, looking around the lounge with regret.

"How is this possible?" Bilan found it unbelievable. "That's nearly a hundred people! It's very difficult to accurately command such a large group of people. They should be easy to spot when they're assembled. Didn't the police notice them beforehand?"

"It's probably a gathering of Plasma Team cultists nearby. They're taking advantage of the crowd to cause a riot and fish in troubled waters. That's one of the Plasma Team's specialties," Hugo said, leaning against the wall with his cane, looking utterly bored.

“That’s exactly how it is.” Aloe nodded. “When the trio retreated and we were about to capture the lone Team Plasma members, the large group of Team Plasma members seemed to have made a pact and ran like the wind into the nearby crowd. The crowd there was wearing the same silver-blue hooded robes as the thugs, and they were indistinguishable from the rest of the group.”

"Finally, the rally participants rioted, broke through the police who had just arrived at the scene, and all the Team Plasma escaped," said Yueju viciously. The Ultron, who had been persuaded to go undercover just a day before, seemed genuinely angry.

"This is what makes Group Plasma so troublesome. The outer shell of this evil organization is a soft and loose religious group. No matter how the Alliance deals with Group Plasma, they will use this shell as a shield to gain sympathy and attract protests and attacks against the Alliance. On the other hand, the organization is a cold and ruthless elite organization with cadres who are like fanatics and absolutely obey orders. They can commit atrocities such as robbery and murder without hesitation."

Hugo shared his views on the composition of the Plasma Group, then solemnly warned everyone: "We have now come face to face with such an organization. Please be prepared for the worst. Inciting the ignorant masses is far from the bottom line for them to do evil."

“But how are we supposed to recover these artifacts? They were taken away by those plasma clusters.” The question came from Azure, the detective's assistant. “A city-wide investigation? Or, Hugo, do you already know where they might be hiding?”

“We’re not going anywhere,” the detective said.

Seeing his assistant's confused look, Hugo turned his gaze to the evil-type king who had been sitting by the window: "Although the artifacts have been stolen, the other party should not have left the city yet, right, Mr. Blueberry?"

"Quite perceptive," Cranberry said, a rare smile playing on her lips. "My crow leader is monitoring the skies above Shippo City, and so far hasn't detected any suspicious vehicles fleeing the city or any trainers using 'Fly' to escape."

"What's going on? Does the plasma cluster have some other intention?" Azure asked.

“This means the Plasma Cluster has probably already discovered that the Dark Stone is a fake,” Hugo said with a sinister smile. “They won’t give up until they get the real thing.”

"Dark Stone? Does that refer to the Founding Stone?" the assistant asked, still puzzled.

"That's right. Because that stone has great significance in mythology and legends, it is said to be used as a tool to summon the black dragon Zekrom and witness the birth of a hero. Therefore, it was called the stone that drives the dark dragon by ancient people, or simply the Dark Stone. Team Plasma's religion is based on the legend of its founding. Faced with the temptation of such a legendary item, they will do anything to get their hands on it."

"So where is the real Dark Stone? Didn't we say that this museum had been ransacked from top to bottom by thugs? Could it be hidden somewhere else?"

"No, the real Dark Stone is inside this museum. Only Mr. Muli and I know where it's hidden. After all, the museum promised to show the visitors the real Dark Stone, and to prevent the exhibition from becoming a prank, we placed the stone where all visitors could see it. Who would have thought that such a little trick would even fool thugs who came specifically to steal things? This world is truly full of surprises."

Hugo confidently waved his round-headed cane and said to the crowd, "The Plasma Group will definitely visit this museum again today. Let's lie in wait and seize this opportunity to capture them all!"

Chapter 047 The Strategy of Luring the Enemy into a Trap

As evening approached, the large group of police officers who had been surrounding the Qibao Museum gradually left, leaving only a few people on night duty.

The police's actions were beyond reproach. After all, the incident had already occurred, and all that remained at the scene was cleanup. At this point, leaving any number of officers behind would only be a waste of their time and energy. In fact, the fact that the police were willing to deploy even a few officers to maintain order at this stage was already a great favor to the Qibao Museum.

However, somewhere outside the museum, a small group of people were still gathered together, with a man and a woman talking in the middle of the group.

"Are you really going to drop the case?!" Officer Jenny from Qibao City asked the detective in disbelief again and again. "The culprit hasn't been caught yet, and the ancient artifacts from the museum are still missing. Are you really planning to just let this go?"

The detective in the white coat shrugged: "Anyway, the most important treasures of the museum haven't been lost. We can always find new replacements for the remaining items. My client has already come to terms with it. Out with the old, in with the new. Mr. Muli and Ms. Aloe plan to take this opportunity to rebuild the Qibao Museum and have no intention of pursuing the stolen old items."

As the detective spoke, he winked at the reporters and cameramen in the distance who were recording their conversation.

"But this is still a serious attack and robbery. Even if the museum doesn't pursue the matter further, the police will continue to hunt down the perpetrators!" Officer Jenny didn't forget her position as a police officer and said righteously, "We will conduct a thorough search of the organization that held the Elf Liberation Movement rally at noon today and do our best to recover the lost artifacts!"

"Then please, Miss Officer Jenny's men, put in a little more effort."

Hugo waved his hand dismissively, then commented with a disdainful tone—

"Those people are nothing but a bunch of petty thieves who've never seen the world. They even ignored the most important exhibit, the Founding Stone, which shows how incompetent they are. Anyway, after today, my client will deposit that artifact into the world's most secure bank vault. Until then, we'll be guarding it in the museum day and night. You police can continue chasing after that innocent charity organization..."

A few steps away, the camera captured the detective's mocking smile and Officer Jenny's stiff, pretty face in full.

Surely the reliable United Media wouldn't miss this opportunity to mock the police? Further out in the crowd, Yueju, observing the situation, thought this to herself, when she heard Azure's loud shouts—

"It's on the news! It's on the news! A newspaper's social media directly leaked an interview with the police and the museum spokesperson arguing! Qibao Museum's phoenix-like rebirth, police venting their anger on an innocent elf rights organization—that's their headline!"

The girl browsing social media excitedly showed off the content on her phone screen.

Even the most unscrupulous gamblers in the Unova region couldn't help but facepalm. While they were already mentally prepared for the media's tendency to spread rumors, these journalists were moving way too fast!

.

In the dead of night, the building was completely silent. The splendid scene left by the riots during the day was shrouded in ink-like darkness. No one could guess that this ruin had been transformed into a huge trap, luring people into a snare.

Lurking in the darkness, the vibration in her pocket was as faint as the flapping of an insect's wings. Azure opened her phone and saw the group message from Hugo.

—The enemy team has three Gym Leader-level fighters and nearly a hundred average Trainer-level fighters. They can't find the Dark Stone during the day, but they'll definitely come back after seeing the news at night. This is our perfect opportunity to wipe them all out. Remember, we're not facing a large group of ruthless, evil Trainers, but just a group of petty thieves breaking into homes in the dark! Utilize our advantage of being in the shadows and prepared to quickly, accurately, and efficiently eliminate each enemy! The plan has been explained beforehand; now it's up to you all to perform!

"It seems even Hugo is a little nervous, typing so many words in one go." Azure couldn't help but smile.

After hearing the detective's plan, Azure didn't recall her old partners from Kanto. Beside her now was Eevee, who had been resting and preparing for battle. The two were hiding under the counter at the entrance of the exhibition hall, which was originally used by the ticket seller.

The girl rubbed her hands together, eager to get started: "The ticket price tonight is more than the usual price."

.

In the curator's office, Hugo watched the monitor in front of him, continuing to check the status of the various plan executors.

There were a total of twenty people participating in the operation: ten gym trainers from Aloe, Azure, and Shippo Gyms, and eight elite police officers secretly recruited by Officer Jenny.

Indeed, Hugo informed Miss Officer Jenny of the plan immediately. The police not only cooperated with the detective in releasing false information that morning, but also gave the detective's plan full support.

The police, who appeared to be retreating, were actually making a show of patrolling the streets around the museum. Once the people inside the museum had held off the plasma ball, they would quickly re-surround the Qibao Museum, leaving the criminals inside with no chance of escape.

The elite police officers in the museum are all battle-hardened and excellent trainers, and they will surely be able to perfectly execute Hugo's strategy.

The only variable lies with Team Plasma's trio. A single member of them possesses the fighting power to surpass that of a typical Gym Leader, and could severely injure Aloe's main Pokémon, Amanita. The combined strength of the trio is comparable to that of Cranberry. How that trio will enter the fray and what methods they will use to launch their attack is completely unpredictable.

"The best-case scenario is to take them out by surprise. If that trio has a chance to send out Pokémon, then we'll have Mr. Blueberry, our trump card, distract them..."

Hugo muttered to himself as he intently stared at the monitor screen.

A sinister voice suddenly rang out behind the detective: "That man was right, you really are a dangerous person."

A chill ran down his spine! The detective didn't turn around; he shrank back and crawled under the desk.

The sound of wind being cut came from above, followed by an unpleasant metallic scraping sound. The cleaving commander, whose armor was made of sharp blades, did not hesitate to use "Cleave" on what should have been the detective's neck. As the detective dodged in time, the skill hit the monitor, exploding a large number of electronic parts.

Hugo kicked the chair, blocking the attack route of the Commander of the Slash, and scrambled to escape towards the curator's room, only to be blocked by three figures that seemed to appear out of thin air.

The triplets, dressed in black with white hair, masked and bare-chested, were exactly as described by the name "Lingju".

"Please don't call us 'that trio,' it's like we're some lackeys from somewhere," one of the trios said with a cruel smile.

"May I ask your honorable names?" Hugo asked, considering his escape route, while following up on the other party's topic.

"Belonging to the supreme Plasma Group, we are the most loyal servants of our King. We are the Dark Iron Triangle!" As if they had rehearsed beforehand, the three of them said in unison.

"Alright, Dark Triangles, let's have a thrilling Pokémon battle."

Just as the Dark Trio was still furious about Hugo's deliberately mispronounced name, Hugo took advantage of the moment the other party introduced himself to pull out his Poké Balls. The three round, red and white Poké Balls collided with each other, filling the detective's palm to the brim.

"Go, little turtle!"

Hugo tossed a Poké Ball like a shot put. Strangely, the classic scene of a Pokémon leaping out of the ball didn't occur. This bizarre sight plunged everyone in the curator's room into a brief silence.

boom!

A sound like metal striking a skull suddenly rang out.

The member in the middle of the trio didn't utter a single scream before collapsing limply backward.

Chapter 048 Prey and Hunter

Just as Hugo defeated one of the trio with a solid iron Poké Ball, the police officers who were originally guarding the outermost circle also encountered trouble.

The protesters who caused chaos during the day actually regrouped and marched out in the dead of night, forming a long line on the street outside the museum under the guise of a protest.

Just like in the morning, they were dressed in silver-gray plasma team uniforms, shouting nonsensical slogans as they surrounded and occupied the blocks near the museum.

"How can these people be like manipulated puppets? Don't they realize that their behavior is endangering public safety?"

Officer Jenny from Qibao City looked particularly grim in the night, her teeth grinding together.

"Sir, a group of protesters has broken away and headed towards the museum. Should we continue with the planned operation to suppress them?"

Her subordinate's anxious voice came from behind her. Officer Jenny naturally noticed the unusual movement in the long line of protesters. After rubbing her temples and racking her brains for a while, she finally stomped her foot, as if making a decision—

"Immediately order all officers to launch a surprise attack in small squads, breaking through the protesters' blockade. The target is that group of plasma swarms that broke away from the group!"

"Such a direct raid might lead to conflict with innocent civilians..." The subordinate hesitated.

"Which eye of yours saw innocent civilians? Things are different now than this morning. The group of guys in front of us are now outright lawbreakers. Their second march definitely didn't go through the alliance's reporting and approval process! In other words, what we're seeing is a group of criminals illegally marching! We, the police, have the authority to use force to stop this dangerous activity! Do you understand?"

Officer Jenny yelled into her subordinate's ear.

"Yes, I understand." Although his head was spinning from his superior's roar, the subordinate still accurately relayed the order.

The scattered police officers on the outermost edge received orders to assemble into small teams and, like hot knives cutting through butter, cut through the human wall formed by the marchers, chasing after the advancing plasma cluster.

As expected, clashes broke out with the protesters. Fortunately, these unofficial members of the Plasma Group did not have much fighting ability. After the police used batons to punish a few of the ringleaders, the situation was quelled without serious incident.

.

Inside the museum, Azure, acting as the first line of defense, heard rustling sounds as the thieves entered.

"They're here." Through the observation hole that had been opened beforehand, the girl confirmed that the visitors were indeed members of Team Plasma who had invaded the museum.

Suppressing her tension and excitement, Azure gestured to Eevee that she was ready to attack.

—Attack the enemy when they are isolated. Don't give the enemy spirits a chance to fight. Make the infiltrating Plasma Team disappear one by one like ghosts.

Hugo's words echoed in Azure's mind. In the girl's vision, a member of Team Plasma was walking towards the counter.

—In order to find the Dark Stone hidden somewhere in the museum, the Plasma Group will definitely search every corner of the museum. Therefore, we don't need to take the initiative to attack. We can wait for them to come like a mousetrap with a taut spring, and then launch a thunderous instant attack when they get close, so that they will lose their fighting ability in an instant.

The plasma cluster was shining a flashlight around the entrance of the hall. When it saw the counter, it walked up to it without suspicion. After glancing at the counter and finding nothing there, it went around to the back of the counter.

Azure stared through the peephole, silently calculating: "The two plasma clusters behind him are checking other places, while the rest of the force has entered the exhibition hall... Very good, very good, one step, two steps, they're already in front of him..."

In the darkness, the unfortunate Plasma Team member shone his flashlight behind the counter, only to be met with a scene straight out of a horror movie—

A beautiful girl, her face as white as snow under the flashlight, was smiling and waving at him!

Even the slightest hesitation is a major taboo on the battlefield, let alone a well-intentioned but unprepared surprise attack.

Before anyone could react, Azure covered the other's mouth tightly, and Eevee beside her rammed into the enemy's heart like a small cannonball. Team Plasma, which had been desperately resisting under the girl's palm, lost consciousness.

"Victory!" Azure made a V-sign at Eevee, then pulled out a rag and stuffed it into the mouth of the Plasma member, before finding a rope and tying him up tightly.

Just as the girl was hesitating whether to add another layer of rope around her ankle, another Plasma Cluster member searching the hallway seemed to have sensed something. He also shone his flashlight and walked towards the girl without any suspicion...

—Hide yourself well and clean up your mess.

Following Detective Hugo's eight-character principle, after a series of similar operations, Azure now had two Plasma Team members bound hand and foot.

The remaining plasma cluster finally realized that its two companions had quietly disappeared. It called out their names loudly in the exhibition hall, but there was no response. Only its own calls echoed and reverberated.

"The other side is scared, and they'll likely send out a handheld sprite next... I remember the detective talking about countermeasures for this kind of situation..."

Azure recalled Hugo's words, took an empty Poké Ball from her bag, and threw it towards a corner in the distance.

The exhibition hall was empty. The sound of the empty Poké Ball landing was very crisp, and the echo reverberated in the hall.