Pokémon Detective Case Files.

We can't undermine Azur Lane's confidence at this time. In any case, Archaeopteryx is willing to move, which is ultimately a good thing.

"Oh, right, Hugo." The girl seemed to remember something and asked casually, "Why were you out all day? Didn't you say you were taking the elves for a walk this morning? Why are you only coming back now?"

"What else could I do? I read a book on a roadside bench in the morning, ate lunch at the police station, and was swindled out of a large sum of money in the evening."

The detective counted on his fingers and then carefully recounted the events of the day to his assistant.

Hugo really spent a lot of money that evening!

The silk portrait painting gifted by Mr. Artisan was indeed free. However, for a painting to be considered complete, it was missing one essential element—a frame.

The saying goes, "The painting is 30% painting and 70% framing," and Hugo's masterpiece, created by the museum director, certainly couldn't be paired with cheap, ordinary framing. At the museum director's suggestion, Hugo ultimately commissioned the museum to create a frame that was essentially the same style as "The Four Virtues."

To make matters worse, Aydi used an extra-large canvas for this sketch, which meant the frame also had to be larger, naturally driving up the price even further. Even though Hugo knew the sketch would appreciate in value in the future, the current financial strain still stung him.

Hugo still remembers the enlightened expression on the middle-aged curator's face back then. It must have been that this new method of ripping off customers was so advanced that it inspired the curator. It seems that since its opening, Feiyun Gallery has quite a few ways to generate revenue.

"Oh, so that's what happened. The Flying Cloud Gym? Let's go check it out together once Archangel Bird has recovered."

Azure smiled and said to the weak and listless Proto-Bird on her head, before sitting down in the seat that was usually reserved for clients of cases.

The detective casually released the starter Pokémon from their Poké Balls, letting them roam freely. Then he sat down on the sofa opposite Azure, took out his tablet, and sighed, "Thanks to that Gym Leader, I haven't been able to study properly today."

"Reading a mystery novel again today? Didn't you say that you can guess the murderer just by looking at the character list in the latest books? How come Hugo the Great Detective was reading it all morning? What kind of book is it?"

Azure recalled their casual conversations at the Feather Residence and couldn't help but ask.

Hugo pressed the power button on his tablet: "This time it's not a novel, it's a popular science book. The reason I've been able to read it for so long is mainly because the author doesn't have much writing talent. He just piled up hundreds of thousands of words with dry content. I'm actually quite impressed with myself for getting this far."

"What kind of book is it?" the girl asked, becoming increasingly curious.

With a smile, the detective asked his assistant with amusement, "Azure, the radius of the planet we stand on is 6400 kilometers. Guess how deep the deepest hole we humans have ever dug on land is?"

"Huh?" Azure was caught off guard. "We can now travel to space in spaceships. Even if we can't dig to the deepest point, we can at least dig to a little over half, right? Two thousand kilometers? One thousand kilometers? It can't only be a few hundred kilometers, can it?"

"The correct answer is twelve kilometers, which is about one-thousandth of the Earth's diameter, equivalent to a small dent on the surface of an apple, not even a scratch."

Hugo wagged his finger and continued explaining—

"The deeper you go underground, the higher the temperature of the rock layers becomes. If you explore any deeper, the rocks will turn into hot, flowing mud, making it impossible to dig any further. Therefore, the deeper underground is a complete mystery to us humans, and there is no environment that can support Pokémon. Perhaps only mythical Pokémon like Groudon can glimpse its true nature."

Hugo happily explained the knowledge he had just learned to Azure, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it.

"Okay, I guess I'm just ignorant, but this is related to this book... eh? Archaeopteryx!"

Just as Azure was about to ask further questions about books, Archaeopteryx suddenly jumped down from Azure's head.

A small bird with red, yellow, and blue feathers hopped around on the table between the sofas a few times before coming to Hugo's tablet.

"That book, could it be..."

Upon seeing this scene, the girl immediately understood and covered her mouth.

The tablet computer screen was lit up, displaying the homepage of the reading app that had been opened. The bookshelf was filled with a dazzling array of books that the detective had read or was currently reading.

Archaeopteryx stared with its dead-fish-like eyes and poked one of the books with its claws.

The cover was instantly enlarged, the title font was thick and bold, and the design was simple and outdated. It was clearly a slow-selling book that was not valued by the publisher and was casually given to an intern to design.

"The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Subsurface Minerals in the United States", by Samuel.

Only then did large tears finally flow from the dead eyes of the Archaeopteryx. This Archaeopteryx, resurrected from a fossil, silent like a fossil, and having escaped death like a fossil, cried out loudly for the first time in the Feathered Residence.

The detective and his assistant watched all this in silence. The latter was determined to read through the entire illustrated book as well... If she couldn't get into it, she would have the detective explain it to her. After all, that guy loved to quote classics and show off his knowledge.

While death may extinguish a lamp, it leaves behind traces of its existence. Books are far more than just physical objects; they carry the soul of the author and the longing of the reader.

In the darkness, one could almost hear the soft greeting of that disillusioned geologist—

Friends near, far, present, and future.

I hope that seeing this letter will feel like seeing you in person.

Chapter 116 The Explosion at Liyong Power Plant

Just as the progenitor bird cried out in the Feathered Abode, somewhere far away, a young man shed tears of sorrow at the sight he witnessed.

However, what he saw before him was the ruins of a power plant that had been completely burned down by fire.

Even though a torrential downpour had just passed, the air still reeked of the acrid smell of burning. Broken bricks and tiles were scattered everywhere, the walls were blackened by soot, and the once sturdy chimneys that billowed smoke were now broken in two.

The power plant that supplied electricity to the entire city has been completely paralyzed. The days when workers and Electric-type Pokémon worked together are gone forever, and wild Pokémon consciously avoid this ruin; all around is deathly silent.

The fog swirled in the darkness, resembling a hellish landscape.

The young man wiped away his tears with his white sleeve, stepped onto the scorched earth, and walked into the center of the ruins—the power plant building hidden by the fallen steel bars.

Passing through the twisted iron gate frame, a huge, deep pit appeared before him.

The crater resembles the mark left by a meteorite, with a bowl-shaped edge, a diameter of about ten meters, and a depth of half a meter.

These are clearly traces left by an explosion... the young man thought to himself.

Just then, a small, grayish-brown bird flew in through the gap in the steel bars. It was a Bean Pigeon, a common sight in the Unova region.

The Pokémon landed on the green-haired youth's shoulder and cried out a few times.

"Is that so... The Pokémon's bodies were taken away by the police..."

The man seemed to understand the pigeon's call and nodded. But his hands were clenched into fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, as if he were suppressing immense anger.

"All seventy-one elves in the power plant perished in the explosion, while over five hundred human employees were safely evacuated. The mortality rates were 100% and 0%, respectively. One and zero, a stark contrast like black and white, would be obvious even to the most oblivious person: they were murdered! Even if not murdered, there was a tremendous malice hidden behind it, yet the entire city remained indifferent!"

The green-haired youth held his head in his hands, muttering to himself in distress—

"Ever since I left the Order and embarked on my journey, I have been trying to find a way to bring happiness to all living beings in this world. But what I see is a world full of oppression, bullying, and such illogical and unreasonable evil massacres. There are countless people who are indifferent to tragedy, and countless Pokémon have lost their lives due to ignorance and barbarity... Selfishness, tyranny, indifference, shamelessness, is this the nature engraved in the genes of humankind?"

The man felt the world before him collapsing and shaking. Anger and resentment eroded his reason and logic, stirring restlessly and trying to take over his genius-like mind. Some extreme thoughts that had been lingering in his mind for some time began to gradually surface into his consciousness...

"Hey! N! The police patrolling nearby are here. Let's wrap up the investigation quickly."

A clear female voice rang out, gradually easing the pain-twisted expression on the green-haired youth's face. Then, footsteps approached, and a girl with a high ponytail wearing a baseball cap entered the ruined factory.

It seems that the two were companions exploring the power plant ruins together, with the young man in charge of investigating the interior and the girl acting as lookout outside.

"The smell is awful... Oh my god, what is this huge hole? Was there an explosion here?"

The girl with the high ponytail covered her mouth and nose, pointing in surprise at the large pit in front of the young man.

"Not long ago, there were piles of Pokémon corpses here, but the police have already removed them. All the Pokémon in the power plant died here; the smell you're catching is probably..."

The green-haired youth, referred to as N, stopped mid-sentence, his expression a mixture of disgust and sadness.

"Wasn't it the Bean Dove on your shoulder that told you? Oh, so it's just the corpses of elves. I thought it was... Ah!"

The carefree girl didn't realize what was happening at first, but when she realized the source of the smell in the air, she choked and clenched her hands even tighter around her mouth and nose.

"So N, what are you planning to do? Are you going to find out the truth behind the explosion?"

The girl with the high ponytail was still covering her mouth and nose, but her bright, deep blue eyes were restlessly looking around at the situation. She asked the green-haired youth in a muffled voice through her palm.

"This behavior must not be tolerated." The young man's expression was more serious than ever before.

"There are clear signs of human intervention behind this explosion, but it's being treated as an accident. Someone must have managed to escape responsibility! Douzi, please help me find the culprit whose hands are stained with the blood of seventy-one Pokémon!"

“I have a better idea.” The girl’s eyes darted around, revealing a mysterious expression. “I know a very reliable detective. You might want to consult him.”

.

On November 4th, in the 122nd year of the Union Calendar, a major explosion occurred at the United States Rikyu City Power Plant.

Around noon, a massive explosion occurred in the power plant's facility area. The explosion, subsequent blast, and ensuing fire destroyed the entire power plant within two hours, causing irreparable damage. Residents throughout the city heard the roar of the explosion, and the power grid in Liyong City was also affected, with some neighborhoods still without power.

Fortunately, before the explosion, the power plant manager, William, noticed the abnormality and immediately organized the evacuation of all employees. Therefore, no one was injured or killed in the explosion.

Currently, the police are conducting a serious investigation into the explosion. Based on the testimonies of the employees, the incident has been preliminarily determined to be an accident, seemingly caused by improper handling of an Electric-type Pokémon within the factory.

During the subsequent police investigation, William, the factory manager who saved all the employees, acted highly suspiciously. He refused to cooperate with the police investigation and was unwilling to provide testimony before and after the incident, leading some in the Liyong City Police Department to suspect him. Currently, William is under constant police surveillance, but has not shown any abnormalities…

.

"Hugo, are you really planning to meet the leader of that Plasma Group?"

On the deck of the ship bound for Liyong City, Bilan, holding her white sun hat to protect herself from the sea breeze, asked the detective in the white coat with a worried expression.

"Aren't they an evil organization that's plotting to overthrow the United States Alliance? We even fought with their people at the Qibao Museum before. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to confront them directly like this?"

"Seeing is believing," Detective Hugo said with a shrug.

"According to the intelligence I've gathered, this green-haired leader named N seems to be operating independently with his cult, at least not directly involved in Team Plasma's criminal activities in various places. He might actually be a good person, as Douzi said. Moreover, making contact beforehand could give us a chance to understand the true situation within Team Plasma. I've had enough of being caused trouble by this bunch of evil organizations every now and then; it's time to take the initiative and launch an attack."

Chapter 117 Navigation and Case Analysis

The sea rippled gently, and a few pink, swaying boats curiously chased the spray kicked up by the ship. However, the detective and his assistant had seen this kind of scenery countless times last month, and were now more concerned with the condition of the ship itself.

"I never expected that Mr. Doug would start a coastal passenger ship after selling his whaling boat. I thought that old man would continue to go out to sea to catch more roaring whales."

Azure gently patted the railing, filled with many emotions.

The roar of old Doug as he faced the giant whale during the pursuit of the Aquaman still seems to echo in my ears, but now, this old captain has actually found such a proper job, going back and forth on a fixed route from nine to five... It just feels a bit out of place.

"The roaring whale king has a huge appetite, and most people without a stable income cannot afford its three meals a day."

Hugo, still with that air of taking everything for granted, answered with a lack of interest.

"Moreover, Doug has another advantage in conducting coastal passenger transport."

"What is it?" The girl tilted her head.

"The Whale Roar King's enormous size requires a vast space to roam, so it needs to frequently travel in the waters around here. However, as a port city, Feiyun City has numerous waters of varying sizes that are inaccessible for various reasons. There are privately contracted fish farms, dedicated diving areas for tourists, and important shipping lanes for ships. A Whale Roar King could easily cause a safety accident if it simply rolls over in those places, so releasing it directly would be extremely dangerous."

"Sigh, so many restrictions. So what? What does this have to do with Mr. Doug's new job?"

"It is the interwoven rules that make up this rational world, Azure," the detective in the white coat said mysteriously, arms crossed. "Mr. Doug used another rule to solve Wailord's walk problem."

Azure wanted to hear more, but then Hugo turned around and shouted "Hey!" at the sea.

Then, a fountain shot into the sky from the sea in front of the two, and a huge blue head emerged from the splitting waves.

"Huh? Is Wailord following behind this ship?"

Having dealt with them before, Azure wasn't surprised. She waved to Wailord, who responded with a low, friendly whale song.

“That’s it.” Seeing Wailord emerge, the detective tapped the railing with his knuckles in delight.

"Just like I can throw Piplup into the waters near a ship anytime I want, it's perfectly reasonable and legal for ships and tourists to send Water-type Pokémon to escort them. Even though they're still in the ship's designated lane, as long as they don't stray too far from the ship, it won't be considered illegal encroachment. As for whether the escorting Pokémon is Wishiwashi or Kyogre, who cares? The Unova League's regulations don't restrict the types of Pokémon they can use."

Before Azure could respond, tourists who had noticed the fountain and the whale song rushed to the deck, and the surroundings suddenly became noisy.

"It's a whale king!" "It's so close to us, it's a rare sight!" "What a huge fish!"

The bustling crowd of people taking photos with their phones made conversation extremely difficult, and the two detective assistants, feeling out of place, returned dejectedly to their seats in the cabin.

The nearby passengers were all drawn to the deck by Wailord. Hugo, having settled back into his cramped seat and finding no one around, began discussing serious matters with Azure.

"Have you finished reading the bombing information that Officer Jenny obtained through internal channels? What are your thoughts?"

Hugo pulled out a stack of paper documents from somewhere and asked while tapping the papers.

"I've finished watching it, and it feels a bit strange," the assistant honestly expressed her thoughts.

"I compared this explosion with previous power plant explosions in the United States and found that the scale, speed, and intensity of this explosion were unusually rapid. Normally, power plants should be equipped with explosion prevention measures, but these measures were completely ineffective in this explosion."

"Yes, very astute. The scale of this explosion far surpasses that of previous ones, unlike a typical accident. This will be a key focus of our investigation." Hugo nodded.

"Could it be sabotage?" Bilan wondered. "If it was someone familiar with the factory who deliberately planted the explosives, it should have been able to cause this effect."

"Sabotage?" The detective stroked his chin, staring seriously at the documents in his hands. "But what benefit could the perpetrator possibly gain from deliberately sabotaging a power plant?"

Azure thought for a moment and said, "Probably to vent hatred or express extreme views? Don't Team Plasma often do that?"

"Plasma clusters are indeed notorious, but that makes things even more suspicious. Don't forget who our clients are."

"Ah, that's true. If this was the work of Team Plasma, that young leader would have heard something about it..."

The assistant looked puzzled. Besides Team Plasma, who else in the Unova region would launch such a crazy terrorist attack?

After pondering for a long time without success, the girl changed her approach—

"By the way, Hugo, there's one more point of doubt."

"You mean that factory manager William, who is highly suspected by the police?" The detective glanced at his assistant, guessing his thoughts immediately.

Azure nodded generously: "That's right. Although the power plant manager's timely evacuation of the employees was excellent and saved everyone's lives, how exactly did he detect the signs that an explosion was about to occur?"