Pokémon Detective Case Files.

However, just as Hugo threw the fan blades he had picked up from the ground behind him to block the attack flying in mid-air, the unattacked iron gate suddenly let out a tooth-grinding scream—after the previous attack, the battered iron gate was about to collapse under its own weight!

The young people who were directing the elves were overjoyed and couldn't help but walk towards the gate that represented their path to life and freedom.

Contrary to the actions of the young people, Hugo, who was about to escape the danger zone, suddenly stopped. This was an unwise move, because the elves chasing him immediately caught up with him and piled on top of him like a human pyramid, suppressing the detective.

"Sometimes, I really envy the trainers who can command Pokémon in battle."

Pounced on and knocked to the ground, Hugo sensed through his back that the "silk" from the Insect Treasure Bag had bound his feet. His left hand, pinned down by the stone pellets, was extremely uncomfortable. A restless black-eyed crocodile was about to take its revenge and bite him...

Now, with the detective suppressed by "Mt. Pokémon," and the police officer and the pufferfish isolated on the outermost edge of the battlefield, nothing can stop the six from breaking through the gate and escaping.

At this very moment—

"Woof! Awoof...Woof!"

Just before the gate, which was about to collapse with a crash, a deep, fierce roar rang out—the roar of the aged Hayok.

The old dog suddenly stood in front of the young people who were about to escape.

Hayok is a Normal-type Pokémon.

Evolved from a small Yorkshire Terrier, its light-colored facial hair has become larger, while its fur remains mostly brown. These black, cloak-like coats continuously grow, becoming thick and resilient. Even claws and teeth cannot easily penetrate this fur, minimizing the damage it suffers.

This is a very intelligent and approachable Pokémon. Its ancestors lived alongside humans for a very long time, so long ago that its appearance is depicted in ancient murals.

If you asked the Unicrons to sum up Hayok in one word, it would be "loyalty." And if you asked them to use a Pokémon to represent loyalty, they would shrug and introduce you to this canine creature called Hayok.

This is a Pokémon that is absolutely loyal to its mission. As long as it is alive, it will never disappoint its owner.

"Hayok, 'Repay the Favor'."

The calm, aged voice was barely audible amidst the chaos of the battlefield, but both Hugo and Hayok heard it.

The former quietly slipped the high-grade insect repellent spray hidden in his right hand back into his pocket, while subtly shifting his body, causing the scheming black-eyed crocodile to fall flat on its face. Then he continued to lie on the ground, eyes closed, pretending to be dead.

Hayok's eyes gleamed, and he unleashed a tremendous fighting spirit!

Chapter 067 An old steed in its stall still aspires to gallop a thousand miles.

"Return" is a common Normal-type move. When a Pokémon uses this move, it will attack its opponent with all its might for its trainer's sake. The higher the friendship level, the greater the power.

It's considered common because most Pokémon in the Pokédex can learn "Return." As long as the Pokémon using the move has a strong bond with its trainer, this Normal-type move can reliably unleash considerable power.

Furthermore, "Return" has a wide range of coverage and is highly sought after in high-level competitions between trainers. Especially for battle trainers who specialize in raising Normal-type Pokémon, "Return" is one of their essential signature moves.

Hugo remembered that Azure Eevee had used "Return," but that girl preferred to use other STAB moves like "Tackle" and "Quick Attack."

It's said that "Return" puts the Pokémon into a brief frenzy state, making it very difficult to change moves or make more precise commands in this state. Therefore, in battles, she prefers to let Eevee use Normal-type moves that are less powerful or have more side effects.

However, those quirks of top trainers aren't very relevant. For most trainers, "Return" is a well-known "hidden" god-tier move, boasting high accuracy, reliable power, and the ability to deal maximum damage to most types. It's a move that's famous even among novice trainers.

However, not all trainers can utilize "Repay" to its fullest potential.

Hugo, who was pinned down by a bunch of Pokémon, had never seen such a fierce and skillful "Repay" before.

The order was given by the apartment manager who had returned to the vicinity of the gate. This cunning old man, who also worked as a shady real estate agent, squinted as he surveyed the chaotic battle scene before his gaze settled on Hayok, who stood like a lone boat in front of the iron gate before a storm.

The old man did not react excessively; he simply lowered his head slightly, hiding his eyes in deeper shadows, and murmured commands.

The young people paid no attention to the little old man on the edge of the battlefield, but focused their attention firmly on the pesky Hayok.

However, the very next second after the apartment manager whispered the order, Hayok, who was far away, seemed to have a telepathic connection with him and activated his skill. He pushed off the ground with his hind legs, and his body, which was poised to strike, seemed to be enveloped in a white light that resembled an aura.

"Hayok, 'Repay the Favor'."

Suddenly, the old dog pounced forward, swatting away the pickpocket cat guarding the front. Then, with the lingering feeling of "repaying a debt of gratitude," Hayok continued his charge without losing momentum, his fierce aura forcefully driving the five-man group that was about to reach the iron gate back into the center of the room.

Seeing how powerful Hayok was when he jumped out, the suspects immediately resorted to their human wave tactics again. The six elves that were originally responsible for attacking the gate attacked the old dog at the same time. These elves still had foamy white residue left by dry powder fire extinguishers on their bodies, but their stamina and fighting power were not diminished.

Hayok didn't have Hugo's agility, and in an instant, the attacks that flashed with various colors hit Hayok, making his already mottled fur even duller.

Just then, a burst of water guns shot out, covering the entire area.

It turned out that the taller policeman had also arrived from the back door at that moment and joined up with his colleague who was using the Coconut Monkey. The one unleashing the skill was his subordinate, the Cold Water Monkey.

After unleashing "Water Gun," this frivolous monkey with its azure fur unleashed its powerful Ice-type move, "Blizzard." The splashing water and the sudden drop in temperature interacted, instantly causing a layer of cold frost to condense on the bodies of many Pokémon, significantly slowing their attack speed.

"The combo was excellent, but it didn't help the overall battle..." The detective, who was pretending to be dead, sighed. Although his appearance was unsightly, he had at least single-handedly held off five Pokémon. Forcing his way in would only lead to unexpected problems, so it was better to lie low and relax for now.

Hugo shifted his body, causing the restless black-eyed crocodile to fall off his shoulder again, and silently plotted in his mind—

The densely packed Pokémon along the roadside are not the focus of this operation. The real target is those young people. We must contain those six trainers in the apartment building to prevent these desperate individuals from scattering and causing greater harm to the city.

The young people were clearly aware of their purpose—they had obviously abandoned the elves and were only focused on escaping. The officers' flanking attack, while weakening the fugitives, did nothing to buy them time.

The apartment manager and Hayok, the pair, executed the plan perfectly, but the initiative was still in the hands of the young leader, and Hugo and his group were still unable to stop the other side's escape.

There was no sound of police sirens outside the door for a long time, which was understandable, because the police had already narrowed down the list of suspects to the six Pokémon held by the deceased, and had no idea that a group of treacherous criminals who had set up traps to assassinate their neighbors were living in the room downstairs! This apartment building was naturally not surrounded by police like the one at the Qibao Museum.

Hugo glanced at the clock behind the glass of the duty room in the distance. The detective, who had calculated the time, discovered an astonishing fact—the battle, which had felt incredibly long, had only been going on for less than four minutes!

In other words, Officer Azur Lane and her companions had only traveled about halfway and were still on the fifteenth floor. Even slower were the elevators in the lobby, which had been tampered with and were slowly moving from floor to floor—it has to be said, this method was truly despicable.

Having made his way to the vicinity of the gate with barely any presence, the building manager, who had successfully reunited with his partner Hayok, looked back at the apartment gate he was responsible for protecting with a touch of emotion.

Meanwhile, the shouting of the young people on the other side grew increasingly deafening—

"Old man, get out of the way and let us out! Do you want to die?"

“Hayok, roar! Get these foul-mouthed scum back inside!” the old man said calmly.

The part-time apartment manager, who also worked as a rental agent, calmly directed Hayok to dart left and right, making swift decisions based on the situation, blocking weak attacks and dodging unbearable assaults. He also repeatedly guided Hayok to seize opportunities to turn back and counterattack, slightly hindering the escapees' path towards the gate.

"His command skills are quite sophisticated. It seems the administrator was quite a skilled trainer in his youth." Hugo observed the battle from the ground. "Is the reason Hayok hasn't evolved because he's been using the 'Evolution Stone' throughout his competitive career to execute some kind of tactic?"

Suddenly, one of the young men broke away from the group and tried to escape to the gate via Hugo's relatively calm side.

But how could Hayok, blinded by rage, ignore such a thing? Before the old man could give the order, he leaped out and tackled the deserter.

However, this meant there was no one left to stop the surging Pokémon in front of the old man.

Inside the room, a dozen Pokémon—including a flying dove, a galloping York, and a sharp-eyed shrew—rushed toward the emaciated old man.

Faced with danger, the old man gave a nostalgic twitch of his lips, a confident yet strange smile spreading across his face. He slowly raised his right hand, as if making some kind of oath—

"A 'lightning-fast' attack, plus the bonus of 'repaying kindness'!"

In Hugo's view, Hayok used the rebound after his pounce to launch a beautiful counterattack, his fierce figure crashing down in the white light that enveloped him once again... No, that was no longer Hayok.

The Pokémon's form underwent a noticeable change; Hayok's size was expanding, its fur becoming thicker and longer. Enveloped in a dazzling blue light, the Pokémon that landed had transformed into a completely different creature—Hayok's evolved form, the Longhaired Dog.

Its light yellow, beard-like fur obscured its face, flowing backward like a scarf, while its body was covered by layers of fur, resembling a tank woven from fur.

The old dog seemed to have been given a second life. Its original thin and bony appearance was completely gone, and it evolved into a long-haired dog full of energy. The black pupils hidden behind its fur revealed a resolute expression, and its whiskers and hair flowed, exuding an aura of authority without anger.

Faced with the long-haired dog that seemed to have descended from the sky like a guardian deity, the group of Pokémon that had launched a reckless attack gradually stopped their advance. This was the effect of the ability "Intimidate"—the disoriented enemies were quickly defeated by "Repay".

The long-haired dog nodded quietly, ignoring its defeated opponents scattered on the ground, and slowly walked to its elderly master's side.

Gazing at his evolved partner, the old man remained silent, his face flushed crimson. He gripped the long-haired dog's broad fur and burst into a violent cough. Finally, he chuckled and uttered an ominous joke—

"Old partner, it seems you'll be the one to see me off when I leave this world."

Chapter 068 Even in their twilight years, do heroes still harbor lofty ambitions?

Thanks to the excellent performance of the apartment manager and the long-haired dog, the six young people who tried to escape the apartment building were firmly locked inside, and they were never able to step out of the iron gate that they passed through every day.

Of course, the one who truly brought the battle to a close was Miss Azure, who ran out of the stairwell emergency exit, panting heavily. Before she even reached the first floor, she had already launched Eevee's Poké Ball into the fray.

Just like its usual commanding habits, the incredibly brave Eevee used "Quick Attack" the instant it jumped out of the Poké Ball.

This time, the opponent wasn't a Ghost-type, and the little guy finally got to use his signature move and hold his head high.

In an instant, like a billiard ball clearing the table in one shot, Ibrahimovic soared through the air in a complex and precise arc, like a geometric problem.

With several leaps, "Lightning Flash" was unleashed more than thirty times, each time accurately hitting its target. After the spiderweb-like zigzag pattern disappeared, all the elves, who had been on the verge of death in the previous battle, were knocked to the ground without exception.

With a graceful landing, Eevee wagged its fluffy tail, still wanting more, and used its hind legs to brush off the dust that clung to its body.

"Tsk, it's because there are always these incomprehensibly abnormal guys that I retired from the league."

The old man leaned against the thick fur of the long-haired dog, looking impatient, and complained while biting his nails.

Hugo climbed out of the mess of Pokémon scattered around him, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted to Eevee, "Hey, there's a cunning Krookodile playing dead here! Quick, give it a Swift!"

Seeing that the vengeful detective had badmouthed him, the black-eyed crocodile lying on the ground immediately came to life, spread its four legs, and got up to run away.

When Little Eevee looked up and saw that it was Hugo issuing the command, it immediately tensed up. It prepared to unleash its skill with a sense of impending doom, taking a deep breath, carefully aiming at the direction of the Black-eyed Crocodile, then raising its tail and sweeping out a large swath of sparkling light with an exceptionally precise movement.

“Swift is a guaranteed hit move, and the user is Azure Eevee, so there shouldn’t be any problems, right?” Hugo observed the trajectory of the move while tidying his messy clothes.

As expected, the accident happened—

Eevee's release of its move became the final straw that broke the camel's back. The gate, which had been maintaining a precarious balance at the connection point, finally collapsed with a crash, just in time to block Eevee's "Swift Strike".

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the black-eyed crocodile scurried out of the open gate and returned to the embrace of nature.

It seems it's not quite as good as Garchomp yet—the detective thoughtfully stroked his chin, lowering his assessment of Eevee's strength by one level.

.

"So, can anyone tell me why, while we were waiting for the elevator, six suspects suddenly appeared in this building who were willing to violently resist the police?"

Before anyone knew it, Officer Jenny had handcuffed all six young men who had been knocked to the ground, her eyes fixed on Hugo.

The detective glanced at the suspects' dejected looks and shrugged. "These are trivial matters that can be asked of the parties involved. I just want to get back to Yuxi Mansion and take a hot bath right now."

As an old acquaintance, Officer Jenny immediately understood what Hugo meant—

There are currently six suspects, and they all seem to be accomplices. If we take them back to the police station and question them individually, what information can't we get out of them?

With six sets of testimonies, there's no need for any tricks like the prisoner's dilemma. Just by comparing them, any lies and contradictions will be exposed in an instant.

However, if detectives reveal their reasoning here, it will actually give them the opportunity to organize false testimonies and collude with each other.

Having grasped the point, the policewoman readily agreed and, along with Sera and two officers of varying heights who had been conducting evidence collection at the crime scene, quickly began clearing away the signs of a struggle on the ground floor. They also dealt with the residents who had gathered nearby to watch the commotion from the fight on the first floor.

At that moment, Hugo saw a group of Sinnoh starter Pokémon, covered in sweat, running frantically out of the safety passage. The little guys immediately surrounded the injured detective and hugged their master's ankles with heartache.

Seeing this, the detective, unusually tender, knelt down and stroked the little ones' heads: "I heard from Officer Jenny that you behaved very well upstairs..."

Seeing the detective in the white coat interacting intimately with the elves, the elderly apartment manager actually stepped forward and struck up a conversation: "Do you keep these elves?" His tone carried a hint of admiration.

Upon hearing that it was about raising Pokémon, Hugo's attitude became noticeably more perfunctory. While helping Piplup up, who had almost fallen flat on his face, he replied without turning his head, "Yes, I've been raising it for over a month."

"These Pokémon are quite well-trained. Judging by their talent alone, they are even comparable to that Eevee." The old man chuckled dryly, rubbing his hands together. The experienced and calm demeanor he had displayed during the previous battle was completely gone.

“Of course I can see that too.” Hugo rolled his eyes, then asked casually—

"What? You want to bribe me? You think I can talk to the police and you want me to help you get credit and rewards so you can continue working part-time as a rental agent here?"

Having his secret exposed, the administrator just continued to smile awkwardly, while the long-haired dog beside him glared at Hugo with great arrogance.

The old man finally spoke again: "Hayok has evolved, and the evolution stone it usually wears is no longer useful. I think it's fate that I'm fighting alongside the detective today, so I'll entrust this item to you as a kind of inheritance."

"Giving me this inheritance is the end of it all." Hugo glanced at the old man with disdain.

"I'm not exactly Pokémon battle material. I only trained these little guys because I had no other choice. You can rest assured about one thing: as promised before, I will keep your part-time job a secret from the police. Besides, Officer Jenny has already seen your excellent performance in apprehending suspects, so I don't need to say anything good about it. You'll probably receive a banner from the apartment management company soon."

"Then I'm relieved." The old man breathed a sigh of relief, feeling completely at ease, but he didn't put away the prop he had handed to Hugo.

The detective looked at the old evolution stone in the old man's hand, and suddenly, as if he had figured something out, he let out an "Oh"—

"Since you say this stone is inherited, then that means this long-haired dog was someone else's spirit before?"

The old man nodded, looking at the detective with some appreciation: "Hayok is an elf left to me by one of my juniors, who had to leave the arena forever due to illness."

“That’s why, as a seasoned battler, you still have Pokémon that are not fully evolved.” Hugo sighed knowingly. “Throughout Hayok’s career, it must have been carrying this Evolution Stone, constantly battling opponents much stronger than itself, right? No wonder it was so brave in the situation just now.”

"The detective has keen insight."

"If that's the case, how are your other Pokémon? Why don't you bring them to work? They should be stronger than this Hayok, right?"

A look of melancholy crossed the old man's weathered face as he gave a self-deprecating laugh: "If they could leave the sanatorium, they could be of use here."

At this point, the detective promptly shut up. He now knew the reason the old man was so diligently engaged in this illegal part-time job—

The keeper's old partners are much older than this long-haired dog. Now, having experienced more competitions and injuries, they are like elderly people in their twilight years, needing to rest in the hospital to prolong their lives as much as possible.

The gaunt old man before me probably didn't want to see his beloved companions pass away before him. That's why he worked so hard to earn money to send them to high-end nursing homes, ensuring these companions received the best medical care...

"Hey, Hugo! The taxi's here."

Behind her came the assistant's energetic voice; she couldn't wait to return to the Feather Residence and hear the detective recount his deductions from today.