Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"No, no, no, this unsolved case that's giving Feiyun Police Station a huge headache is waiting for a famous detective to handle it."

"Then go find a famous detective. I've heard there are many such detectives in the Galar and Carlos regions..."

As the conversation continued, the detective, seeing that the interrogation was about to end, simply stopped paying attention to Sera's questions and began to play with his fingers intently, counting from his left thumb to his right little finger, and then starting again from his right thumb, over and over, as if he could count to an eleventh finger...

Sera was getting a headache: this detective was more slippery than an eel, showing no intention of cooperating with the police investigation, yet he was one of the key witnesses in the case, and even acted as if he knew everything about the case, which made her really furious.

At that moment, Officer Jenny's image, smiling face, and voice flashed into Sierra's mind as she recalled Officer Jenny being on leave—

"Sera, let me tell you, Hugo can be a real jerk sometimes, he only responds to force. In situations like this, all you have to do is send out your Pokémon and threaten him fiercely, and he'll give in..."

In an instant, the deputy suddenly realized—that's right, she had such an important bargaining chip in her hands, how come she hadn't thought of it before!

Hugo was still playing with his hands, this time making a fist and gesturing wildly in the air, as if there was an invisible orchestra in front of him, waiting for him, the leader, to wave his invisible baton.

Suddenly, the detective noticed that Miss Sera, sitting opposite him, seemed hesitant to speak, and stopped what he was doing.

The black-haired, bespectacled police officer, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, stared wide-eyed at the detective, seemingly having solved some age-old mystery.

Sera began, “Mr. Hugo, my superior has said a lot of bad things about you. Would you like to know?”

.

A few minutes later, Hugo and Sera, who had changed into civilian clothes, walked out of the Flying Cloud Police Station side by side.

The two were in a hurry because the detective had promised the policewoman that he would solve the case by the end of the day.

"Mr. Hugo, have we come to the wrong place?"

Perhaps because she had lost her home-field advantage, Sera became much more reserved when she left the police station. She followed behind the detective, staring in astonishment at the strangely shaped building in front of her.

“No, there’s no mistake, this is the root of all the misunderstanding.” Hugo continued walking and arrived at the building’s entrance in an instant.

Sera stared blankly at the landmark in front of her. It was a simple, rectangular stone slab with four large characters written on it in a sophisticated serif font: Flying Cloud Dojo.

“I’m here to see the curator, Mr. Yati. I have a sketch that I’ve left with him and I want to retrieve it… Yes, just tell the curator that it’s the person on the bench this morning, thank you.”

After speaking with the receptionist at the entrance, Hugo entered the building without any trouble. The plainclothes policewoman hurriedly followed, and the receptionist did not stop her.

"They're treating her like a mere follower..." Sera thought to herself, clicking her tongue in amazement. When Hugo was handling serious matters, he always exuded an aura that commanded genuine respect.

At this moment, the two had already entered the interior of the Flying Cloud Dojo, where large swaths of orange-yellow light caught the eyes of the detective and the police officer.

"This is a honeycomb maze personally designed by Yati. Only by finding the correct path can we successfully reach the area where the Gym Leader is located. We have notified them in advance, so the Gym Leaders along the way will not challenge us."

Hugo strode ahead, looking around with great interest, as if it were his first time here.

Sera even saw Hugo pointing and gesturing under the watchful eyes of the gym trainers—

"The atmosphere is well-created, but the details of the beehives aren't quite right. Take wild honeybees, for example. Contrary to popular belief, their hives are actually irregular in shape, with all sorts of undulations arising from their environment. Within the hexagonal wax cells, there are subtle changes in angle, which indirectly causes differences in size between different honeybees. Sometimes, to connect two beehives with tricky angles, pentagonal honeybees will even appear in the colony..."

Although he kept finding fault with things, the detective had a relaxed smile on his face, as if he really liked the bright yellow environment inside the museum.

Chapter 109 The Secret in the Hive

The honeycomb maze in the Flying Cloud Dojo is intricate and complex, filled with countless deceptive mechanisms that will leave challengers struggling to navigate through its maze.

Even the trainers inside the gym need a special map to find their way. Newcomers visiting for the first time will need at least a whole day to find the actual path to the gym leader's room.

That is why, even though the Bug type is considered the weakest type by trainers, no League challenger dares to underestimate this Bug-type gym located in the metropolis—it's just too difficult to navigate.

It is precisely for this reason that it is particularly troublesome for innocent visitors to visit the gym. The gym leader will use his mobile phone to contact the gym trainers in the vicinity of the visitor and ask them to bring a map and take the initiative to give directions.

But today's situation is slightly different.

"Mr. Hugo, where are we going? Are you sure we haven't taken the wrong road? Why are the gym trainers looking at us more and more strangely along the way?"

Sera stared blankly at Hugo, who was leading the way. The detective in the white coat strode forward through the maze without hesitation, passing through one hexagonal room after another without a second thought.

Each room, designed in the style of a honeycomb, contains six identical yellow doors, all with the same shape and details, but some of them are locked. Visitors must choose the correct door to exit from different rooms, or they will fall into an endless loop, unknowingly returning to the starting point.

But Hugo seemed completely unbothered by the dilemma of choosing one out of six.

Whenever they came to these identical doors, before Sera could even react, the detective had already pushed one open and continued onward.

Sometimes there are even gym leaders standing in the hive rooms, holding maps and trying to strike up a conversation, but the detective ignores them completely, as if randomly picking a door with his eyes closed, and then pushes it open and goes in.

Sera followed the detective in a daze. She noticed that Hugo only pushed the door once in each room, but never encountered a locked door. Moreover, the trainers they met along the way were all different, so it seemed they were on the right track.

After passing through more than a dozen rooms, the situation changed when they reached one of them—

Upon seeing the gym leader holding a map and waiting in the hexagonal room, Sera couldn't help but exclaim in surprise—

"Mr. Hugo, it seems we've come full circle!"

"Oh?" Hugo finally stopped and turned around, looking quite surprised.

Seras pointed to the bewildered gym leader beside him: "Look, isn't this the same person we first encountered? His standing here means we're back to square one, right?"

The trainer looked at him with a puzzled expression, scratching the back of his head in distress, but he did indeed look exactly like the first person he had seen.

Hugo carefully examined the trainer's face, and was suddenly startled. He then looked the trainer up and down again before realizing what was happening. He found it increasingly amusing and couldn't help but press his forehead and burst into laughter—

"What a wonderful Flying Cloud Dojo! I take back my previous criticism, this place is really interesting! Challengers will definitely be terrified to see such a strange gatekeeper standing here."

Miss Sera had no idea what Hugo was talking about or why he was laughing, but the trainer himself spoke up:

"Most of those challengers just stumbled upon this place by chance, and when they meet me, they're only a little discouraged. Few of them actually discover anything strange about it. This is the first time I've met such surprised guests as you."

"That's quite a waste of such an interesting mechanism." The detective shook his head regretfully, then, seeing the bewildered policewoman, he began to explain—

"Although you have seen people who look very similar to this gym leader, they are not the same person. The style of his shoes and the color of his socks are completely different from the trainers we have met before, which means that this is the first time we have met him."

Hugo spoke and laughed, finding the scene before him extremely interesting.

"So we didn't actually go back? But I really did see someone who looks exactly like this trainer."

Sera asked incredulously, convinced that her memory as a detective couldn't possibly be wrong.

Hugo shook his head: "Looking exactly alike doesn't mean they are the same person."

"That's my elder brother." The trainer was kind enough to answer Sera's question promptly.

“We are identical twins, and as you can see, we look very similar. Perhaps it was to create this mechanism that we were hired by Mr. Artie and joined the Flying Cloud Gym, where we are responsible for testing the strength of trainers who come to challenge us.”

Twins...twins? Identical twins?

Sera stammered out the word that was taboo in detective novels.

"Don't you think it's funny? You've walked so far and hard, and you're finally about to find the end, only to find the characters at the entrance standing right next to you... Just thinking about that scene is hilarious." Hugo laughed gleefully.

"Sir, I noticed you don't have a map with you. Did you just open the right doors and come in like this? Is there some special technique you used?" the younger twin asked.

“Maps are completely unnecessary,” Hugo waved his hand dismissively, then explained—

"This six-choice puzzle isn't difficult to solve. Just observe the marks on the ground. Among the six doors in the room, some doors simply cannot be opened, resulting in a large accumulation of dust under the door seams. Doors that are frequently used wouldn't have this problem..."

"So as long as we keep the clean door under the crack, we can find the right way?"

"That's right. In addition, there are small details such as the footprints left on the ground and the shine on the door that can serve as evidence to distinguish the main gate. This honeycomb maze has a complex structure, and it is difficult to clean it thoroughly, so the traces of use left behind are particularly obvious."

Hugo snapped his fingers crisply, then turned to the trainer, pointed to a door beside him, and asked, "Is this the last mechanism?"

"Yes, but it's slightly different from the previous door."

"Hmm..." Hugo stroked his chin, approached the door, and then raised an arm—

They went straight through the gate!

At the same time, Gym Leader Chosella explained, "This is a jelly-shaped beeswax specially made by Mr. Artie. It can maintain its shape at room temperature, but it can easily deform when it encounters external force. The mechanism made from it is called the 'Jelly Door'. And behind the door is Mr. Artie, whom you are going to meet."

Before he could finish speaking, the detective in the white coat had already slipped inside the jelly door.

The policewoman sighed, covered her black hair with the hood of her hoodie to prevent it from getting stuck with beeswax, and then ducked into the doorway.

.

Upon entering, Sera momentarily thought she had traveled through time, because the detective's words were so strange.

The two were standing in an indoor battle arena. At the end of the arena was a space filled with paints and painting tools. Mr. Yati's tall and thin figure slowly walked out from there.

“That melancholy reader from this morning!” the curator greeted in a loud, operatic tone. “It’s truly regrettable that so many unexpected things happened, but the sketch I promised to give you is now finished. Would you like it…?”

“Mr. Artie, your alibi that you specially created this morning was quite successful. Compared to that, your methods of committing the crime were much clumsy. It seems that whether you are a dojo leader or an art master, you should still focus on your job.”

Upon hearing this, the Bug-type Gym Leader's face instantly turned ashen!

Chapter 110 Evidence Hidden in the Painting

As a great artist, Aya probably didn't have much experience of being caught for committing crimes. Under the detective's sudden attack, he was immediately thrown into disarray.

After a moment of surprise, the dojo leader asked the detective a series of questions—

"Hey, you in the white coat, what are you talking about? Wasn't I sketching and painting right in front of you forty minutes before the incident? How could I possibly sneak into the art museum and vandalize it? Besides, there were people monitoring the museum at the time. What makes you think I vandalized the artwork?"

The more eager one is to defend oneself, the more mistakes one will expose. The Bug-type Gym Leader clearly showed his weakness.

Hearing these incredibly naive explanations, even Sera, who had initially been somewhat skeptical of Hugo's actions, became alert.

“Oh?” Hugo, who was standing in front, raised an eyebrow. “Your first reaction was this… Considering your own position, this testimony is a bit strange.”

He gestured to Miss Sera with his hand hidden behind his back.

Sera's interrogation experience was no less than that of Officer Jenny, who was on leave. She instantly understood the detective's meaning and took immediate action.

She swiftly pulled out her police handbook and demanded sharply:

"Mr. Artie, I am Detective Sera from the Feiyun Police Department, and I am investigating the serious vandalism incident at the Feiyun City Art Museum. Please answer my questions truthfully!"

The black-haired, bespectacled policewoman stepped past the detective and said with an air of menace, "As the party who suffered the greatest loss in the case, you have the least reason to damage your own painting—that's a fact everyone knows. But why didn't you point that out immediately? Is there some hidden story behind this?"

"No... there's no hidden reason, I just suddenly forgot."

In a society governed by the rule of law, the word "police" carries immense deterrent power. Even the powerful dojo leader tensed up upon seeing the badge in the policewoman's hand. Mr. Yati smoothed his curly hair to conceal his embarrassment.

"Even if you forget, there are reasons for forgetting. What factors made you overlook your own position?"

Like a hyena that has spotted its wounded prey, Sera displayed the efficiency of a detective, relentlessly pressing for answers with her questions.

“What kind of question is this? I refuse to answer!” Yati finally came to her senses and became more sober. “I don’t want to be involved in this case and I will not accept any irrelevant questions.”

Mr. Yati has realized that he is not currently a suspect in the legal sense, and therefore has the right to remain silent about issues he does not like.

Sometimes silence is the safest option.

"Alright, alright, there's no need to be so tense."

At this moment, Detective Hugo spoke in a gentle tone.

“Sera, we’re here to uncover the truth, not to resort to the tricks of criminal interrogation. Besides, this isn’t some serious case with a terrible impact. With proper communication, we can resolve it peacefully.”

Upon hearing this, the policewoman nodded slightly, her aggressive aura dissipating. She sensibly stepped aside, handing the spotlight to the detective, and even secretly pursed her lips—

It's the "good cop, bad cop" formula, everyone knows that, right?

Hugo strode into the center of the arena and shook hands with the Gym Leader standing there. It was as if a Gym Challenge with badges as stakes was about to begin.

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Hugo, and I'm a detective. This is my business card."

"Are you a detective?"

Does this kind of profession actually exist? Could someone you randomly pick on the street turn out to be a detective?

Holding a business card that read "Hugo Detective Agency," the world-renowned insect artist seemed to be in a mystery story, even questioning the reality of the world.

"This is not a dream you created because you're constantly devising alibis tricks. My firm and I are real. If you don't believe me, pinch the back of your hand and see if it hurts."

Hugo saw through the other person's thoughts and said without any politeness.

The Bug-type gym was completely silent. Light reflected off the six yellow walls and onto the faces of the three people, making their expressions appear particularly exaggerated.

The detective began to narrate his reasoning with ease—

"To be honest, from the moment you approached me, Mr. Yati, I sensed there might be something more to it. Although I have only a superficial understanding of art, I do know some basic common sense—"

"For example, a painter who goes out to sketch normally wouldn't carry such a large canvas with him; that size is only used when working in a studio for extended periods. Even if your silk art can be completed quickly in a short time, you don't need to paint such a large painting for a stranger; the cost is too high."

"Moreover, the larger the painting, the more inspiration and deliberation are required, and the more the balance of the composition must be considered. But this morning, you didn't think about it for long when conceiving the idea. You only made a simple draft and started creating. The process was very fast. Although you hesitated occasionally, you didn't stop to adjust the layout at all. It was as if you had prepared in advance. Isn't that strange?"

"How I paint is my personal freedom. These are just your side of the story and have nothing to do with the case."

Yati firmly denied it, but did not forcibly interrupt the detective's reasoning. He simply listened as Yati revealed the many strange occurrences that occurred on the morning of the incident.

"Speaking of one side of the story, our words when we first met were also full of strangeness."