Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"Based on the photos you sent, the tear stains on the hostage's face haven't disappeared yet, which is very likely caused by violent coughing when hit by the skill. You mentioned that the area is densely vegetated; can you find any footprints?"

Alice looked around, her brow furrowed. "No, this won't do. This area seems to have been deliberately damaged by some kind of Pokémon. The ground is covered with scattered rubble and large mounds of dirt, completely obscuring any possible traces."

In other words, time is of the essence. If the case occurred within the jurisdiction of the police, even if the scene has been damaged to such an extent, the forensic experts may still be able to extract key evidence such as fingerprints or footprints with their professional equipment and techniques.

But at this moment, Alice can only rely on herself and her companions.

"Wait...you mean gravel?" Hugo's voice on the phone betrayed a hint of surprise.

“Yes. I didn’t notice it when we arrived, but the area near the hostages was almost entirely covered by similar mounds of earth…”

Alice looked at the swarm of bats sniffing around Lady Prism, her voice filled with anxiety—

"Hugo, do you have any ideas on how to track down the criminal?"

"If the goal is simply to temporarily cover up footprints, the culprit could simply turn over the soil where they walked. At most, they could use a Pokémon move to cover it with some dirt or plants. Creating pebbles is really unnecessary..."

This is practically like using a Rock move to attack a Ground-type Pokémon—clearly a thankless task—the detective pondered the traces at the scene and suddenly raised his voice.

“Alice, have you seen any signs of large-scale excavation nearby?” he asked.

The girl immediately stood up, her gaze sweeping across the surrounding bushes and ground like that of a vulture.

“No,” she replied quickly, “except for this gravel area, the rest of the land is flat.”

"That's strange." Hugo frowned as he sat in the hospital basement.

"The criminal knocked Ms. Lingzi unconscious not long ago, and given that she has now disappeared, it's clear they didn't have time to meticulously conceal their whereabouts. If that's the case, why waste time on such a time-consuming and laborious disguise as flipping over stones?"

"Could the prisoner still be nearby?"

Alice's heart tightened, and her fingers instinctively pulled the switch on the Poké Ball.

With a flash of white light, the massive body of the two-axe war dragon crashed to the ground, its hard claws making a dull echo on the cave floor.

“Don’t rush,” Hugo said over the phone. “Even if the criminal is still at the scene, the time and effort spent creating the rubble still doesn’t make sense. I’m more inclined to believe that this was a byproduct of some operation they were carrying out—”

His tone suddenly quickened: "That person might not have been intentionally concealing their footprints, but rather had to first create a large amount of mud and gravel, then thought of covering the footprints as a side effect. And that project might have helped them escape, or rather... yes, 'digging a tunnel'!"

"Digging a hole...wait a minute!"

Alice was pondering the detective's reasoning when she suddenly noticed that with the sudden appearance of the Haxorus, a few wisps of dust fell from the previously dark cave ceiling.

"Double-Haxed Dragon, 'Brick Break'! Upper right rock wall!"

The girl's command came faster than she thought, without the slightest hesitation; her hand was already pointing diagonally ahead in the direction where the dust had fallen.

"Roar--"

With its fangs bared, the double-axe dragon, its entire body covered in hard armor, soared into the sky, raising its forelimbs with long red claws and striking precisely at the suspicious spot above the cave.

Click—!

The cracking sound of rocks breaking was particularly jarring in the enclosed space.

Seeing more rubble falling, the Double-Axe Dragon changed its posture and used its "dragon claws" to precisely smash and clear away the falling rubble, creating a protective barrier above Alice and the others.

What appeared before Alice and the Haxorus was a deep, dark cave entrance leading upwards.

"Let the bats use ultrasound to detect again."

Even though he hadn't actually seen the opening leading upwards, Hugo's voice continued to come clearly from the phone, calm and precise.

“Yes, a rolling bat!” Alice immediately bent down, picked up the little blue furball that was staring blankly at the cave entrance, and lifted it high—

"Use ultrasonic detection to see if there's any trace of the little girl or the kidnapper on the other side of the hole!"

Only then did the rolling bats withdraw their attention from Ms. Morikawa, take a deep breath, and let their heart-shaped nostril-like patterns tremble slightly, releasing invisible sound waves toward the dark cave entrance.

Time seemed to stretch out, with only the faint hum of ultrasonic waves echoing in the cave. Finally, the bat's body suddenly tensed, writhing uneasily in Alice's hands.

"Is the kidnapper still there?" The girl held her breath, her eyes fixed on it.

The rolling bat shook its head.

"So... is that another hostage there? The little girl named Sayuri?"

This time, the little guy nodded vigorously without hesitation, flapping its short wings twice as if urging it on.

"Since that's the case..."

Alice gestured to the Haxorus, and her childhood companion immediately understood, crouching steadily below the cave entrance, its olive-green scales gleaming coldly in the dim cave.

"Double Axe Dragon, Ms. Lingzi's safety is now in your hands. You must hold out until the police backup arrives."

The reliable partner responded calmly, his sharp jaw tightening slightly, like a loyal guard.

The next second, Alice took a deep breath, hugged the rolling bat tightly with one hand, pressed the double-headed axe dragon's back with the other, and leaped up—

Her boots made a slight scraping sound as she stepped on the dragon scales. She leaped into the air like an arrow, landing just above her partner's head, which was surrounded by axe-like teeth, barely managing to grab hold of the cave entrance. Her arm muscles tensed, she gritted her teeth, and with a powerful roll, she climbed up.

Is the little girl still moving? Or has she lost consciousness like Ms. Rinko?

Alice asked in a low voice, as dust and gravel fell with her movements.

The newly dug passage was even narrower than before, and sharp rock edges scraped against her coat, mud covering her sleeves and trouser legs, but she did not slow down at all.

The bats in her arms shook their heads frantically, their short wings flapping anxiously.

“Then we need to speed things up even more.” Alice dodged a protruding rock from above, and her head nearly hit it as she tried to accelerate.

Cold sweat trickled down her back, and the girl's breathing sounded particularly rapid in the confined space.

"Damn it, why did that kidnapper bring that mother and daughter to a place like this? Was he trying to use the terrain to delay the police rescue?"

She instinctively wanted to ask Hugo for analysis, but the moment she raised her arm, her heart sank—the machine that was talking to Hugo had already shut down due to running out of battery.

"It seems we can only rely on ourselves here."

Alice gritted her teeth, about to plunge into the depths of darkness, when she saw a glimmer of light at the edge of her vision.

"Is that Lily?" Alice couldn't help but exclaim.

As the light and shadow flickered, a petite figure seemed to flinch, trembling like a frightened little animal.

She's been found!

.

"Even the Heavenly King Lianwu, prepare yourself."

Inside the data analysis center, Hugo looked at the call screen that had been disconnected due to low battery, then turned to the Fighting Elite Four member and spoke seriously.

"Did you find a clue that the kidnapper gave?" Lian Wu's thick eyebrows twitched slightly, his posture shifting from relaxed to ready for battle.

"The kidnapper must have been aware that Alice was closely following him, so he deliberately hid the two hostages deep in the intricate tunnels."

Hugo examined the map of the road to victory before him—

"As for now, the other side should have bypassed Miss Alice and started to flee in the direction ahead."

"Wouldn't that run right into the police search?" Deputy Chief Officer Jenny, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, leaning on the long table.

No, there is another way.

The detective said—

"The path was previously blocked by wild elves, so the criminals abandoned it. But now they have become aware of its existence again."

"You mean that underground river?" Officer Jenny narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"Yes, water flows downhill, and that underground river should eventually lead to some waterway that flows from the Champion's Road to the outside world. I have already asked the investigators to check this."

Hugo picked up a printed sheet of paper marked with a map from the table and solemnly handed it to Lian Wu—

“The kidnappers will likely emerge from the source of this river, so we can do the opposite and block them inside the Champion's Road!”

The map shows a blue river that flows from the edge of the Champions Road, meandering along its course, and its source is surprisingly not far from the medical center.

"Considering the opponent was able to evade Iris's pursuit seemingly out of thin air, the enemy likely possesses a Psychic-type Pokémon with the 'Teleport' move. However... if it were Elite Four, they should be able to catch this person before they escape."

"Of course."

A resolute voice rang out in front of the detective.

“I’ve wasted enough time here, it’s finally time to take the stage.” Lian Wu cracked his knuckles, revealing a fierce smile on his face, a smile full of fighting spirit. “Apart from Cattleya, I have never lost to any other superpowered person.”

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps interrupted the conversation between the champion and the king of tennis.

A young investigator rushed up to the detective, holding a tablet in hand.

"Hugo, the search of the vehicle management department's list is complete, and we've identified a suspect!"

He waved a printed portrait, which showed a young man with short, fiery red hair and eyes that seemed to gleam with danger.

"It's a driver named Sid Clement, from Tangcao Town, currently residing in Shuanglong City. He has a history of purchasing the target model and has attended several presentations held by the Plasma Group. He hasn't returned to his post since finishing his mission this morning, and his official vehicle is currently parked near Shuanglong City!"

Chapter 390 Tracing Back

When Alice found the last hostage, the tiny light was trembling in the darkness, like an exhausted firefly whose light might go out at any moment.

Little Lily huddled at the deepest part of the cave tunnel, her knuckles white as she gripped the flashlight, her face still bearing dried tear stains.

"Don't be afraid, it's all over now," Alice said softly, crouching down to be at eye level with the little girl. "I'm the Gym Leader of the Twin Dragons Gym, and I'm here to take you home."

A tumbling bat floated shakily down from Alice's shoulder and landed on the girl's lap, its short wings enveloping her hands.

"Rolling bats?" Little Lily paused in surprise, her fingers relaxing slightly.

As if a bit of courage had risen from the bottom of her heart, the girl looked up at the purple-haired girl who claimed to be the gym leader: "Th-that person..."

Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"That red-haired uncle... he led my mom and me into the cave, and then... he knocked my mom unconscious, and then used some kind of elf he'd never seen before to dig this tunnel... He dragged me in, and then, for some reason, abandoned me and ran away."

"No need to rush." ​​Alice ruffled the girl's dusty hair.

“We’ve found your mother. She’s not in any danger; she’s just asleep.” She paused, then added, “Your father is also waiting for you in a safe place.”

Little Lily's eyes lit up for a moment, but quickly dimmed again: "Mom... is she really okay?"

“Yes, I promise.” The dojo leader stood up and extended his hand to her. “Come on, let’s go back and find her together.”

After such a thrilling day, the girl hesitated for a moment, but finally took Alice's hand.

The rolling bats leaned against Little Lily's shoulder, and the ultrasonic waves spread silently in the darkness, guiding them.

As the battery ran out, the girl's flashlight beam grew dimmer and dimmer, but Alice's double-axe dragon was right in front of her—as the massive figure emerged from the shadows, Sayuri gripped Alice's fingers tightly.

"Don't be afraid, it's my partner."

Alice reassured her, then leaped down from the cave entrance with the little girl in her arms, and nodded to the Double-Axe Dragon.

The two-handed axe-wielding dragon awkwardly lowered its body, trying to make its ferocious axe-like teeth appear less terrifying.

It grunted in dissatisfaction. Not long ago, when it was still a baby, it was loved by everyone. Is this the price of becoming stronger?

Ms. Lingzi remains lying in the same spot, still unconscious.

Seeing this scene, Little Lily rushed to her mother's side, clutching her sleeve with her little hands, and burst into tears again. Alice stood aside, quietly watching this scene, until—

In the distance, a blinding white light pierced the darkness.

"It's the police!"

Alice squinted and raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sudden burst of light. Several more beams of searchlight swept across the room, accompanied by the sounds of hurried footsteps and the static of a radio.

"We're here!" The curator raised her hands and shouted back, her voice echoing through the cave.

The light drew closer and closer, finally settling on them.

Little Lily nestled close to her mother, while the rolling bats raised their wings, trying to wipe away the girl's tears, and the two-axe dragon silently stood guard to one side, like an unbreakable barrier.

Amidst the blinding halo of light, Alice finally breathed a sigh of relief.

.

Just as Alice was escorting Sayuri to reunite with her mother, King Wu was stepping out of the hospital gate and heading in the exact opposite direction.

As dusk approached, the lights of the medical center gradually faded into the distance behind Lian Wu.

Following the map instructions given by Hugo, he successfully found the hidden entrance to the Champion's Road.

"Hmph, there really is a hole that can make a person bend over to pass through. That detective was right again."

The rushing water roared at his feet. Lian Wu squatted down, his fingertips tracing the damp rock wall, feeling the vibration of the water.