Pokémon Detective Case Files.

“Yes.” The detective sighed. “N’s oversight was that he was more willing to believe the opinions of Pokémon on the street than human testimonies. However, Pokémon and humans think in fundamentally different ways. Many things that are obvious to humans are overlooked by Pokémon, while many things that seem suspicious to Pokémon are perfectly normal to passersby.”

"His calculations are distorted." Hugo picked up the little Chimchar and Piplup from the ground and continued speaking to himself—

"For example, if N were to follow the local newspaper in Liyong City, he would see that the visit of the League official to the Liyong City Power Plant was a perfectly normal inspection, and it even took up a small section of the newspaper that day. In other factories, when Pokémon witness their companions disappear, it is very likely that the Pokémon living in the factory have escaped and never returned. It's just that Pokémon are simple-minded, so they often use conspiracy theories such as disappearance and death."

Azure had fully understood, but the detective insisted on adding more details—

"This is what is called a perspective problem. When you focus on things on the ground, it is difficult to distinguish the patterns on the ceiling. The more you pay attention to your surroundings, the easier it is to ignore the discordant things in yourself."

“It’s a matter of perspective…” The assistant sighed deeply, but then suddenly moved—her right hand shot up like lightning and covered something on the top of her sun hat.

"They actually went to this extent to remind me? Don't they have any faith in my abilities?" Azure complained to the detective, slowly opening her right hand, which was clenched into a fist and holding something.

In the palm of my hand is a Clefairy that has shrunk to the size of an eraser using the "Shrink" skill.

It stood there, small and delicate, looking at the two humans who were as big as hills, jumping and hopping around indignantly, as if it were cursing.

Chapter 130 Even a small obstacle can be shocking

"Gengar, Clefairy, Blastoise, come out!"

In an open space outside the inn, following the principle of "since we're already here," Azure had the three generals summoned from Pallet Town line up in a row, preparing to demonstrate their true strength to Hugo.

The detective didn't think it was a waste of time. He stood with Chimchar, Piplup, and Eevee, Ditto, and Archaeopteryx from the Azur Lane team, waiting to watch his assistant's military exercise.

First to appear is Gengar, who had met the detective before. Now, it is completely different from the useless person it was when it was faking its tears at the hotel. It floats arrogantly in the air, surrounded by a purplish-black mist, exuding a strong sense of oppression.

That grotesque, grinning face, which, after a while, seemed somewhat comical, fluttered around in the void, much like the concept of "ghost" itself.

Then, seemingly unintentionally, Gengar stepped into a shadow cast by a tree. The purple figure vanished abruptly, only to reappear abruptly more than ten meters away behind Azure.

The detective nodded slightly. This ghostly Pokémon had mastered the trick of moving between light and shadow, achieving an effect similar to "teleportation" without using any skills but relying on its movement.

Pulling at its lower eyelids, the mischievous ghost Pokémon made a big face at Hugo in the distance, then reached down and scooped up the girl's shadow. In its place, a black and purple ball of light appeared in Gengar's short hand.

"Shadowball!"

As Azure raised his right hand and gave a command, Gengar threw the ball of light in his hand into the sky. The dark, hole-like mixture shot into the air like fireworks during the New Year.

The ball of light rose straight up, and just as it was about to disappear from the detective's sight, it suddenly exploded! This single skill turned the clouds in the sky purple, and even the sunlight dimmed by three points in a few breaths.

The scale of the championship challenge is nothing special... The detective stroked his chin, wondering how many times Gengar could use such a powerful move in a row? If it could fight a full match, it would definitely be considered a champion.

"Hehehe!" Gengar grinned, showing no sign of fatigue, and landed back next to Azure with great pride.

For reasons unknown, as the aftershocks of the "Shadow Ball" skill dissipated, the girl's shadow reappeared, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

The assistant nodded in satisfaction and continued calling out names: "Next is Piccolo!"

She looked around to make sure the area was open, then nodded to Clefairy. The latter immediately understood, a happy smile spreading across its face as it gave its trainer a thumbs-up.

Hugo glanced at the fairy Pokémon in the center of the open space, intending only to watch for fun. However, he caught a glimpse of Chimchar and Piplup waiting for his explanation out of the corner of his eye, so he sighed and gave a brief explanation.

"Clefairy is a Fairy-type Pokémon, and its origin is said to be related to the moon. Although some people say that this kind of Pokémon is difficult to train and not good at battle, its move pool is actually very comprehensive. It has a lot of harassing moves and also a lot of special attack moves. It's really hard to guess what kind of move combos Azur Lane will design for it."

Before the detective could finish speaking, Piccolo had already started moving, but he didn't display any fancy harassment skills.

It manipulated the "gravity" on its body and "leaped" up, as if it were stepping on an air staircase, and "walked" step by step into the air.

With a commanding view from above, Picoxis suddenly had a wide field of vision. While maintaining his floating state, he raised his pink arm, and energy fluctuations of three colors began to gather behind him, eventually transforming into energy balls of red, yellow, and blue.

The spheres were all flashing with violent, volatile light, like a dangerous bomb. If released at the same time, they could cripple Picosi.

"Is it an over-charged 'triple attack'? But it doesn't seem like it."

The detective scratched his head; asking him to evaluate moves like a professional trainer was asking too much.

He could certainly recall the moves and habits of each Pokémon with his eyes closed, and even guess the opponent's trainer's strategic intentions before the match. But when it came to the specific details of Pokémon battles, Hugo, who had almost no battle experience, inevitably found himself at a loss.

What else could he do? As the unluckiest guy in the world, he couldn't participate in Pokémon battles.

Picosi's charging up took an unusually long time. Hugo's thoughts were racing for a long time, but the powerful skill still hadn't landed. Helpless, he could only look at Azure.

The woman, who had specially changed into a black dress today, stood calmly, but then raised her right hand to the sky and started to bend each finger down one by one, clearly counting down.

4, 3, 2, 1.

As the girl's hand turned into a fist, Piccolo's spirits soared, and three orbs of light beside her floated down from the sky.

Was it really just a normal "triple attack"? The detective still felt something was off.

This skill does indeed manipulate three colors of light to attack, and may cause three negative statuses: "burn," "paralysis," and "freeze," but there's no need to charge it up for so long.

Furthermore, "Triple Attack" is a Normal-type move and not a Fairy-type Clefairy's STAB move, so its power is bound to be reduced. Why would anyone use it as their signature move?

We can't be like people from decades ago, thinking Clefairy is a Normal-type Pokémon, can we?

However, suddenly, the three orbs of light that were gently falling changed shape. As the skill moved further and further away from Pikachu, the fluctuations inside the orbs became increasingly violent, and before they even hit the ground, they exploded in mid-air.

Hugo and the elves on the periphery heard three crisp sounds in succession, followed by the simultaneous roar of flames exploding, the howling of wind and frost, and the rumble of thunder.

Upon closer inspection, the three orbs of light transformed into three energy pillars of different attributes, locking down a vast space beneath Picoxi!

Despite being called a pillar, it twisted and turned in the air like a frenzied Arbori, with two or three of them converging from time to time, unleashing even more violent energy explosions!

By this time, the detective would understand that when the Clefairy used "Triple Attack," it had actually stitched together the full-power moves of the three attributes—"Fire Blast," "Blizzard," and "Lightning"—into the light sphere!

Picoxi altered the presentation of its moves using the light orb, transforming its instantaneous bursts of skill into a cage-like, continuous damage, while preventing the energy dissipation that occurs during normal ultimate moves, making the skill's power even more terrifying.

Hugo estimated that even a wisp of energy leaking out from the edge of this cage could easily stun Blissey, which is known for its special defense, and Chansey, even with its Evolution Stone, wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Not to mention what it feels like to be trapped in a prison.

The continuous explosions lasted for several tens of seconds. Only when the last flame, stirred by lightning, reignited and caused the once-dead ice and snow to roar across the scene again, did this cage of devastation finally come to an end. All that remained was a charred, riddled-with-holes area, with a faint pink mist drifting by.

Huh? A faint mist?

"Oh no! Everyone, quickly cover your ears!"

Azure's shout suddenly rang out. Hugo, Chimchar, Piplup, and Eevee immediately obeyed; Archaeopteryx was a beat slow, still in a daze, but Ditto jumped directly onto its head and used its soft clay body as earmuffs for the little yellow bird.

Picoxi crossed his arms in mid-air, and the pink mist in the scorched field rapidly coalesced, instantly transforming into another ball of light that was pink with a hint of blue. This time, it didn't gather its strength; the ball of light exploded and scattered the moment it was formed!

Pop!

It was a simple, crisp sound, yet it seemed to be amplified a billion times over by the sound of a bubble bursting.

The charred remains in the center of the field have disappeared, replaced by a pink mushroom cloud, large at the top and small at the bottom, filled with thick smoke, energy, and dust.

Beneath the mushroom cloud lies a crater no less deep than the site of the Liyong Power Plant explosion!

Fairy-type STAB move "Mist Burst" is the strongest move the user can perform, costing all of their HP! Its power is further increased when used on "Mist Terrain"!

Picoxi fell from the sky, dusty and weary, his back to the wreckage of the explosion. He stumbled toward the crowd, showing no intention of turning back to admire his "masterpiece." He simply conjured up a huge egg, swallowed it whole without even peeling it, and then devoured it one after another.

After walking more than ten steps, when she returned to Azure's side, the pink fairy that Chimchar and Piplup had seen as a demon had fully recovered her strength.

After striking a military salute at the trainers, Pico turned back to Hugo and the others, appearing even more energetic than when he first appeared.

"Stop showing off. I didn't tell you to use that move. Go back to your Poké Ball and rest."

Azure kicked its energetic old partner and used a special Poké Ball with a crescent moon painted on it to return Clefairy to its own ball.

The military exercise has reached its final stop.

To be honest, Hugo had no idea what other amazing tricks his assistant was planning to perform. Mega Evolution?

"Blastoise." Facing the final admiral, the girl didn't waste any words, "Just use 'Aqua Tail,' keep the power down a bit."

The giant blue tortoise, its entire body covered in sturdy shell armor, immediately nodded. Without any fancy entrance, it simply adjusted its stance and unleashed its skill from the spot.

Just like a character in an animated film who stomps on a banana and falls down comically, Blastoise jumps up with a thud and does a somersault in the air.

Its short, thick tail had no light effects whatsoever; it merely made a cursory swipe on the ground before its two feet landed with a dull thud, ending all its movements.

The air fell silent instantly, as if nothing had happened.

Blastoise stood motionless in its original spot, neither agitated nor panicked, like a statue.

Suddenly, as if driven by a natural instinct based on attribute suppression, the little fire monkey beside Hugo became uneasy.

The little monkey crouched down on the ground, listening intently to the sounds beneath. But as soon as its ears touched the earth, its eyes widened in terror, as if it were terrified of the ground beneath its feet. It scurried up to the detective's shoulder, trembling behind the collar of the white coat.

The skill's effects finally came into play.

Seconds later, everyone heard the sound that the little fire monkey had heard before—the sound of the ocean roaring and the earth trembling.

Hugo felt the tremors beneath his feet gradually intensify. He looked ahead and saw a small crack, no bigger than a palm, appear where Blastoise had used its skill. This small crack was rapidly expanding, gradually growing to the length of a step, several steps, and then several meters, its spread showing no signs of slowing down, until—

A bottomless chasm slowly opened between the azure sky and the audience, following the direction of the "Water Flow Tail" attack.

This ditch stretches across the open space for nearly a hundred meters, with jagged edges and loose soil and rocks falling from time to time. By the time it took shape, its average width was nearly half a meter!

Just when Hugo thought the power of his skill was about to end, water suddenly surged from the ravine! Not only did the water level rise, but it continued to rise until it overflowed the ground, spraying water outwards in all directions!

"Poga! Poga Poga!"

Piplup, another Water-type starter Pokémon, nervously tugged at Detective's trouser leg. Could it be that Blastoise had blown up the underground water pipes?

The detective slowly shook his head. He already had an idea of ​​the power of top-tier Pokémon. He took a deep breath and began to explain—

"This is a water flow generated by Blastoise's move. The 'Water Tail' attack's range is too deep; its final impact point is deep underground. The water-type energy that should have been released with the move was blocked by the trenches and erupted upwards for a while before appearing in front of us. Sigh, it practically created a small stream with a single strike. I wonder what kind of commotion it would cause if Blastoise used its full power."

The water spraying from the artificial stream did not diminish in force, but instead grew stronger, like a group of fountains arranged in a strange formation.

It does fit the city's name, "Liyong".

Chapter 131 The Punk Gym in Tachibana City

Even after the demonstration ended, the ground beneath everyone's feet continued to groan intermittently.

That's Blastoise using its "Stomp" skill to solidify the terrain. It had previously used "Dig" to fill in the ditch, and now it's stomping here and there, trying to level the loose ground again.

For a powerful Pokémon that can crack the ground with a single "Water Tail" attack, the cleanup work is anything but easy.

The girl's commands and Blastoise's coordination were exceptionally smooth. In less than fifteen minutes, while Hugo and Gengar were still locked in their staring contest, the girl and the tortoise had completely restored the arena to its original state, indicating they were already seasoned offenders in this area.

"This open space is located in the suburbs, and the soil structure is relatively loose, so that 'Water Tail' move looks a bit intimidating. In a professional league match, it wouldn't create such a spectacle."

Having finished the ecological restoration project, Azure stretched and put Blastoise back into its red and white Poké Ball. Somewhat reluctantly, it said to the detective—

"These three kids are my main force that I'm very proud of. No matter how strong the enemy is, I'm confident I can go up and fight them. It's just that the investigation is urgent right now, otherwise I would definitely spend half a day going to the nearby Pokémon Gym to practice and get back into shape."

"Oh?" The detective's gaze shifted from Gengar's ghostly face, but his expression turned strange. "Do you know what we're supposed to investigate next?"

Azure didn't forget her duty as a detective's assistant, and answered without hesitation—

"It's either the police station or William's factory owner's house, right? You mentioned before that you planned to confront the factory owner one last time, so I guess we'll probably have to go to the police station today. If we can prove that the cover-up doesn't exist before N, we can avoid a conflict between the two sides, right?"

"Don't let that person's reasoning lead you by the nose," Hugo shook his head, patiently reminding him.

"The explosion didn't happen at the police station, so no matter how much we learn there, we can't delve into the truth of the matter. The cause of this explosion wasn't in the present, but in the distant past, so I plan to investigate someone else."

"Who?" Azure perked up her ears.

“Telt once said that he started working at the factory after the expansion of the Liyong Power Plant. This means that before him, there was another person who was in charge of raising the factory spirits, and this is the person I want to investigate this time. He can tell us what the Liyong Power Plant used to look like, and when the power plant was in its early stages, there were fewer employees, the division of labor was not as specialized as it is now, and there was more communication between them. He may know some inside secrets.”

"But who exactly is this person? You haven't mentioned his name yet. Are we going to have to start the investigation from scratch?" The girl looked troubled and shrugged at Hugo.

“No.” The detective flipped his hand, and a smartphone with a lit screen appeared in his palm.

"I obtained access to the power plant forum from Mr. Telt and found this person's past internal account. The person we are looking for is this netizen with the nickname 'Cactus in a Sea of ​​Flowers'. The person who chose this nickname is probably a woman. She doesn't care much about her information security. In a post two years ago, she announced that she had joined a punk band called 'Poison Gas Band' and would soon be performing on stage as a new guitarist, hoping that her colleagues would support her, etc."

"A punk band? And a guitarist at that?"

The assistant's mouth gaped slightly; she hadn't expected the investigation to take this turn.

Ignoring his companion's surprise, the detective continued his explanation methodically: "This band is quite famous in the Unova region. Since last year, they've been performing outside of Rikyu City, all over Unova—that might be why the former training consultant left. But in terms of fame, the band's leader is probably more well-known."

"Who is it?" After all, Azure had only been in Unicron for a few months and hadn't even recognized all the cosmetic brands yet, let alone the list of local celebrities.

"Homiga, the leader of the recently founded Rikyu Dojo, is a poison expert and the lead singer of the Poison Gas Band."

The detective shrugged and said to the dumbfounded Azure, "Just be happy, we're about to visit a newly opened Pokémon Gym."

.

Liyong Dojo is located on a street corner in the city center, and passersby can see the dojo's logo, which is shaped like a lightning bolt and flashes purple light, from afar.

But once you get closer, all you can see is a small black house that's barely bigger than a matchbox.

Hugo pushed open the door without hesitation and entered. Azure followed the detective and saw that there was only one downward staircase in the small house, indicating that the main part of the gym was located in the underground area of ​​the house.

Perhaps because Liyong Dojo has only been open for a short time, no spectators have been seen gathering here yet.