Pokémon Detective Case Files.

Officer Jenny glanced at her phone as well. This policewoman, who had been unexpectedly regarded as a brilliant detective by the police department, took a deep breath and slowly said—

"The surveillance footage shows that the apartment manager's statement was entirely correct. No outsiders entered the building, and no strangers left the building after the incident. All the residents who left the apartment building the next day were under police control, and no one attempted to flee Feiyun City."

Then she turned to Azure: "Assistant, your previous guess was correct. This overcrowded apartment building is a second secret room wrapped around the perfect secret room."

Chapter 060 Suspect List in the Pokémon Encyclopedia

"Ladies, please don't get bogged down in these trivial details so early on."

Seeing his companions around him looking frustrated as they faced the seemingly unsolvable double-room mystery, Hugo decided to release some of his current investigation progress in hopes of boosting morale.

"Any kind of locked room in the world can be solved. People leave a sound when they pass by, and swallows leave a trace when they pass by. As long as a locked room is created, there must be a way to solve it."

Hugo continued his speech in the locked room, even beginning to question the very existence of the locked room itself—

"The locked-room crime is a paradox in itself. In reality, someone who wants to commit murder doesn't need to go to great lengths to create a closed space. Unless the criminal wants to make the victim look like they committed suicide in a locked room, the existence of a locked room is useless to the murderer. And obviously, Mr. Greta, who was stabbed in the abdomen with a stone, did not die by suicide."

Finally, Hugo pointed to the room where the crime scene was located and said concluding remarks: "At this point, I can boldly assert that any locked-room mystery, including this one, is a product of the perpetrator's compromise with certain limiting conditions."

Seemingly used to it, Miss Officer Jenny extracted the key words from the detective's rambling speech: "You mean the murderer had to keep the locked room sealed for some reason?"

“That’s natural,” Hugo nodded. “Even the police didn’t know there were security cameras downstairs at first, so let’s leave aside the outermost secret room for now. The key is this secret room in front of us—”

The detective stepped to the side, fully exposing the apartment door to everyone: "Whether the murderer is human or Pokémon, he could easily have left the door wide open after killing the victim, making everyone in the building a suspect. But the murderer couldn't do that."

"Could it be that the murderer wanted to frame the victim's six handheld spirits?" Following the detective's train of thought, Azure raised her own question.

“That doesn’t justify building the secret room,” Hugo shook his head. “Even if the door were left open, those six Pokémon that have learned Rock-type moves could still become the prime suspects.”

Officer Jenny scratched her dark green hair and then offered a conjecture: "Perhaps because the victim was still able to move when he was stabbed by the stone, the murderer deliberately locked the door in order to keep Mr. Greta in the room."

“Senior, the crime scene is locked from the inside, so the criminal who ran out couldn’t lock the door from the outside…” Sera cautiously reminded her.

"I'm sorry, it was my oversight." The policewoman realized this and frankly admitted her mistake.

At this moment, the detective lowered his voice, as if avoiding eavesdropping from behind the walls, and slowly said to everyone in a deep voice, "Actually, I have a guess."

Then, Hugo gently led everyone to a corner of the stairwell away from the entrance of the crime scene, and then whispered to everyone: "I think the murderer is still hiding inside the crime scene, but he is so good at hiding that the police have not yet found him."

Officer Jenny, Azure, and Sera all changed color at the same time, and cold sweat quietly broke out on their backs.

"This is why I lingered at the entrance of the crime scene. I searched my mind for all sorts of tricks related to locked-room crimes, but I still couldn't rule out this most terrifying possibility."

“This morning, my senior and I went to the crime scene. Was the murderer right next to us?” Sera asked the detective softly, but her respected senior Officer Jenny was startled by her question.

"I'm sorry, I can't rule out that possibility."

"Then where is the perpetrator?" Officer Jenny asked, frowning, having calmed down a bit. "The police have thoroughly investigated the crime scene and there is no space for anyone to hide."

"What about Pokémon? Is it possible that small Pokémon or those skilled in mimicry could continue to hide inside the room?"

The question was posed by the assistant, Azure, whose reasoning completely opened her mind: "If it's a Ditto from the Kanto region, it can even disguise itself as a vase and hide in a room."

“But Ditto can’t use its moves without a target, so where did the rock spikes it used to commit the crime come from?” Officer Jenny replied, “Greta’s Pokémon were all in Poké Balls at the time, so Ditto couldn’t use its moves without a target to imitate.”

Azure was speechless, because Officer Jenny was absolutely right. This often eccentric policewoman's rise to become a "super detective" in the criminal investigation department wasn't entirely due to Hugo's help.

Hugo suddenly interjected: "Similarly, Pokémon like Porygon and Rotom, which can escape the scene using electronic devices, are also unlikely to be the murderers because they cannot use Rock-type moves."

"Does a Pokémon exist that can use Rock-type moves and is small enough to hide?" The assistant pondered to herself, when suddenly she had a good idea.

Azure turned on its Pokédex to silent mode, then opened it and entered the filter criteria: "Can use Rock-type moves", "Height is..."

She suddenly looked at Officer Officer Jenny and asked, "How small would a Pokémon have to be to hide at a crime scene undetected?"

“Well…” the policewoman gestured with her hand to resemble the shape of a steamed bun, “If a Pokémon this big were hidden in an overturned teacup, the forensic department might indeed overlook it. But if it were a size bigger, it would be quite conspicuous.”

"20 centimeters? Then let's set the filter to under 30 centimeters." Azure continued looking at the Pokémon Pokédex to enter the information, and then clicked the filter button.

The four held their breath, waiting for the search results, while even the detective watched the spectacle with great interest.

"The eligible Pokémon are—Diglett, Alolan Diglett, Togepi, Shellder, Gastrodon, Screwpod, Crab, Antminer, Diamondback, small and regular-sized Squidward, Meteorite, and Cochlear," Azure read softly.

Is that all?

Are there that many?

After reading it, Miss Officer Jenny and Miss Serra asked completely opposite questions.

"Why aren't Geodude and Magnemite on the list?" Officer Jenny asked, puzzled.

Azure patiently replied, "The smallest Geodude is 40 centimeters long, and Magnemite can't learn Rock-type moves."

"What kind of rock-type skills does the Pumpkin Spirit possess?" asked Sera, the deputy, her eyes fixed curiously on the azure sky.

Azure glanced at the Pokédex and replied, "It's 'Rock Slide,' which they can learn through TMs."

“Furthermore, Togepi and Gastrodon on the list both use ‘Original Power’ as their Rock-type move, which doesn’t match the case details, so they can be largely ruled out,” the assistant continued meticulously. “And the Pokédex classifies ‘Secret Rock’ as a Terrain-type move, not a Rock-type move. Should we search again?”

“No need,” said Detective Hugo. “The on-site investigation indicates the absence of any special mechanisms. Under these conditions, the ‘Secret Rock’ could not have caused such extensive damage.”

The detective then returned to the door of the locked room, bowed, and apologized to everyone.

"I'm very sorry that my hesitation has wasted everyone's time. It seems that this kind of discussion without evidence is not as good as going directly into the secret room to examine the remains at the scene. So, please remember the list of Pokémon that we just retrieved from the Pokédex. These are the types of Pokémon we are most suspicious of. If any traces of these Pokémon are found at the scene, please be prepared for battle immediately."

Then, without waiting for everyone's response, the detective took the lead and opened the door to the secret room.

Main text

Chapter 061 The Secret Room That Can Be Seen Through at a Glance

At first glance, Mr. Greta's place appears rather spacious by studio apartment standards.

Of course, it wasn't Hugo's place to lament about this, since he was renting a place in the Feathered Residence. However, anyone who had observed the traces inside the house could tell that this trainer, skilled in sandstorm tactics, was not someone who was keen on a refined lifestyle.

The furniture, such as tables, chairs, and sofas, clashes drastically with the upscale décor of the apartment. Their main characteristic is their sturdiness and durability; placed in the elegant stone-floored living room, they resemble a pile of colorful building blocks on a fine dining table.

The room's windows were inexplicably locked. As Officer Jenny had described, they were securely bolted from the inside. It was impossible for anyone or any elf to escape through the windows, as they would be unable to lock them from the outside.

Strangely, despite the room's lack of refinement and ventilation, there wasn't much dust accumulated. The occupants seemed to clean the room frequently, with cleaning tools displayed in a corner of the living room, indicating that they used it regularly.

There seemed to be several rows of books on a shelf on one side of the living room, with other miscellaneous items behind them. From a distance, the bookshelf contained at least a hardcover paper version of the National Pokémon Pokédex, as well as a large stack of monthly subscriptions to battle-related magazines. There were also a few other books of unknown content, but they were placed in a very obscure position on the shelf.

The room directly opposite the main entrance was open, and it was clear that the door had been widened to allow larger Pokémon to enter and exit freely. The healing device that Greta had been using to store her Pokémon was in that room at the time of the incident, and by home standards, the quality of the device was quite good.

Hugo wanted to continue reading the room in front of him, but unfortunately, due to the limitations of his perspective and the layout of the room, he could not see any more content for the time being.

.

However, contrary to what the detective saw and thought, what was presented to the assistant as she entered the room was a red room made up of large patches of blood.

The ground was covered with dark red patches that were hard to look at. Having already grasped some anatomical knowledge, she knew that this represented blood that had been left for a certain period of time.

Even though Azure had already been through the ordeal of the hospital morgue, the girl's face was still ashen as paper in the face of the horrific scene before her and the lingering smell of rust and blood.

"This is the crime scene. The stone awl did not hit a part that would have been immediately fatal, so the victim was still struggling and moving after being stabbed in the abdomen, which caused such a large area of ​​bloodstains."

Officer Jenny's voice, which sounded like an explanation, rang in everyone's ears. The two officers who were still taking notes inside looked at the group of four who entered with some surprise. When they saw the detective with her assistant, they wisely put down their work and left the crime scene to the experts in investigation.

Seeing the police officer close the door behind him as he left the locked room, Detective Hugo eagerly strode into the depths of the room, launching into a long monologue as he went—

“I noticed that the victim’s bloody handprints were all located under the furniture, which indicates that the victim was unable to stand up at the time. Officer Jenny, was the victim’s cell phone found at the crime scene?”

“Yes, there are. On that table, there are also missed calls from his partner,” Officer Jenny replied cooperatively.

“Oh.” The detective exhaled through his nose behind his mask, looking as if he had finally understood: “This explains why the victim had ten minutes to struggle but did not try to call for emergency services or the police—because of the pain and blood loss, he could no longer reach the things on the table.”

The struggle of a dying person is very pitiful, but continuing to imagine such a scene is useless. Hugo carefully avoided the bloodstains by wearing shoe covers and entered the living room, heading straight towards the direction with the most blood.

Azure raised her gloved hand and asked, "I find something very strange. Why didn't Mr. Greta leave any traces that hinted at the killer's identity?"

“All sorts of explanations are possible,” Hugo explained without turning his head. “Perhaps he forgot because of the excruciating pain; perhaps he was so focused on saving himself or finding his phone to call for emergency help that he forgot to identify the murderer; or perhaps he knew the murderer who stabbed the stone but wanted to protect him…”

Without even glancing at the human figure marked by white lines—the crime scene markers indicating the area of ​​death—Hugo continued speaking, simply following the trail of blood on the ground.

"However, if we follow the conjecture I proposed earlier, the most likely explanation is that the deceased himself did not know how the stone cone appeared. He was just at home when he was inexplicably stabbed in the abdomen. He had no idea how the incident happened or why he died."

Hugo stopped in his tracks, now standing before the largest pool of blood in the room.

However, the detective immediately shook his head, muttered to himself, and pointed to the pool of blood in front of him.

“This is not where the deceased was attacked. The stone cone was not sharp. To pierce the deceased, he would have had to be pushed backward a distance first. During this process, the victim would likely have changed direction. This is just the place where he first got up after being knocked to the ground by the stone cone.”

Then the detective began to look around again, searching for the spot where the victim had stood when he was stabbed.

At that moment, something placed before Mr. Greta launched a deadly and silent attack on him.

The detective's gaze swept over the surrounding objects in turn—a simple computer desk, a kitchen with a dishwasher, a cabinet storing all the certificates, trophies, and medals the trainer had won, a bookshelf displaying succulent plants and books, a square dining table...

Suddenly, the detective's face lit up with realization, and his eyes gleamed.

"Here!"

Upon seeing something, Hugo let out a low shout, completely ignoring the bloodstains on the ground, and strode straight towards the cabinet next to the bookshelf where the trainer trophies were displayed.

“Hey, Hugo—” Officer Jenny was about to speak up to stop the detective who was trampling on the evidence at the scene, but she immediately stopped herself. Because she also saw Hugo making a gesture behind his back with his index finger and thumb—a full C-shape.

Officer Jenny, Azure, and Sera exchanged glances, simultaneously recalling Hugo's earlier conjecture at the door, and immediately understood the meaning of the detective's hand gesture—there's a Pokémon ahead, get your Poké Ball ready!

The ladies subtly took their hands on the Poké Balls containing their partners.

It seems the detective has discovered the Pokémon hiding in the secret room; the murderer, about 20 to 30 centimeters long, is currently hiding in the display case filled with trophies. Hugo plans to use himself as bait to lure it out.

One step, two steps. In the blink of an eye, Hugo arrived in front of the cabinet and slowly pulled open the glass in front of the trophy.

The trophies in the cabinet record all the honors the deceased had achieved in the field of battle, including certificates symbolizing advanced trainers, tickets to a league tournament, boxes containing collected gym badges, and gold medals representing the champions of doubles competitions...

The most prestigious and prestigious award is the Unova League Battle Frontier Certified Star Trainer Trophy. Made of sterling silver, the trophy features a classic cup shape and is about the size of a human head.

Hugo grasped the bottom of the extremely valuable trophy and lifted it up.

"This trophy has already been inspected..."

Before Officer Jenny could finish speaking, the detective in the white coat suddenly moved like a thug, grabbing the silver trophy with both hands and swinging it like a baseball bat, turning around and smashing it at something on the bookshelf behind him—the succulent plant behind the bookshelf!

However, the detective's diversionary attack failed—because a thick rock pillar appeared out of nowhere, blocking the waving trophy.

Clang!

The sound of rocks shattering rang out, and the trophy slipped from the detective's hand, falling to the ground with a heavy thud.

Hugo didn't pick up the trophy, nor did he continue to confront the flowerpot. Instead, he covered his head and ran behind the three ladies.

"In the Pokédex, some Ghost-type Pokémon calculate their size based on their spirit form. In certain states, they can shrink into an inconspicuous form, about the size of an ordinary rock. After they enter a state of feigned death, even highly skilled psychics may not be able to detect their whereabouts."

The detective spoke at an incredibly fast pace behind the group, who were now on high alert.

"Among Ghost-type Pokémon, there are two that can learn both Rock-type moves and the Feign Death move: the Sinnoh-native Venusaur and the Galar form of Corsola. Judging from its size, since it can hide in a flowerpot like this, I tend to think it's the latter..."

As the detective anxiously explained, the succulent plant pot, which had escaped the onslaught of the trophy, began to spontaneously crack.

One after another, transparent, coral-like horns pierced through the pot's walls, and the soil slowly emerged from the pot, gradually revealing a smooth, round stone with many large holes on it, from which the transparent horns extended.

The smooth stone opened its eyes; the deep black eyes seemed empty, and within those empty eyes, a faint red light seemed to flicker intermittently.

A rock less than 20 centimeters high instantly transformed into a cluster of transparent corals 50 centimeters tall, exuding a sinister and ghostly aura.

On the ladies' side, Little Ibrahimovic and Thunder Zebra made their appearances.

Sera sent out a winter-looking budding deer, its unique white fur extending from its belly to its shoulders like a breastplate, and its bare white antlers reflecting a cold, sharp light.

"Take it down quickly, that guy can also use 'self-destruct'!" the detective shouted a warning.

Chapter 062 Saving the Day Like Putting Out a Fire

The original attribute of the Sun Coral is Water and Rock. Its main color is bright pink, with a white abdomen and limbs, and four horns on its back.

Living on the seabed, they are often used as fortresses for small aquatic Pokémon to hide in. Every winter, these mobile fortresses move south en masse, and the slow, red march of the Corsola army becomes a popular tourist attraction in many coastal areas.

Unfortunately, the sun corals that inhabit the waters near the Galar were attacked by meteorites from outer space in ancient times.

The cataclysmic impact caused massive geological changes in the Galar region and rapidly deteriorated the water quality in its coastal waters. This drastic change in environment led to the mass extinction of local sun corals, which began to die off in colonies.

Today, these sun corals, which perished in ancient times, are re-emerging in the Galar region in subspecies. The reasons for this phenomenon are varied, but a popular explanation is that the climate change in the Galar region following the Industrial Revolution triggered a chain reaction that ultimately awakened these dormant underground spirits.

Galar Corsola is a Ghost-type Pokémon, entirely white. Compared to its original form, its four horns on its back have become translucent spirit-like structures. Its half-closed pink eyes and sunken cheeks appear slightly thinner than before, and the pattern on its base has changed from straight lines to curved wavy lines.

The translucent branches that grow from its body have no physical form, so even if you get pricked by them, it won't cause pain or external injury. However, because the branches will burrow into the body of the person they touch and absorb their vital energy, the person will become unable to move.

Compared to the original coral, these bleached versions of ancient coral ghosts are much more hostile to humans and significantly more aggressive. News reports frequently feature cases of children in the Galar region accidentally kicking them, mistaking them for stones, and subsequently falling seriously ill due to their curse.