Pokémon Detective Case Files.

It is precisely because the little fire monkey's detective skills are so similar to Hugo's that the latter can always see through the truth before it, so that when everyone is solving cases together, the little monkey never has a chance to show its skills.

Pogaman seems to be the clumsiest of the three little guys.

Since water-based moves are the least powerful, the detective always prefers to let Piplup unleash his attacks when displaying his aura of misfortune—and of course, it always ends in a complete farce.

Compared to Chimchar and Turtwig, Piplup seems to have a strange quality that makes it appear endearing no matter what it does.

This Pokémon is the number one among the three little guys—it is the first Pokémon to pass the reasoning test designed by Hugo and obtain the qualification to stay at the agency.

It always proceeds with its own logic at a leisurely pace, seemingly a step behind its companions, yet it always finds the simplest way to prove the truth. This is neither a difference in talent nor a disparity in experience, but simply because Pogaman is better at observing humans.

A Pokémon's perspective can sometimes be exceptionally sharp. Several times when Hugo was reading mystery novels, Piplup had only turned to the character list before identifying the murderer—not because Piplup could discern a character's good or bad nature from their relationships, but because its method was more direct: guessing the author's writing preferences based on the novel's recommendations and the author's biography on the title page.

Such an unorthodox method of guessing the murderer has a success rate of over 70%, which even Hugo had to admire.

Smura stumbled upon this very monster at the entrance to the evidence storage room...

Smurf, dressed in a police uniform, had already placed the forged files and was leisurely waiting for the wave of wild Pokémon to sweep through the Liyong Police Station. But in the blink of an eye, he saw two starter Pokémon running out with the evidence he had just put in!

The two elves were small in size and were located in the blind spot of the guards in the ward office. Moreover, because Smura had just entered and exited, the door to the evidence storage room was wide open without any precautions!

When he first sneaked into the storage room, the old man secretly sneered at the Li Yong Police Station for being so careless, giving him an opportunity. Now, seeing these two little guys holding up fake evidence, looking equally smug, Smura almost used his "crushing" technique on his back teeth.

Faced with the false evidence discovered by the uninvited guests, the wise man instinctively wanted to take it back, but reason told him he couldn't do that—that would expose his infiltration of the police station. The best strategy was to send out his handheld sprites to deal with them unnoticed, and then put the files back in the laxly guarded office.

Although my repeated comings and goings might attract the guards' attention, I couldn't worry about that right now...

While Smurf was lost in thought, in the distance, Piplup patted the little Chimchar on the shoulder, pointed with its blue fins at the open door of the storage room, and then the two Pokémon began to communicate.

The old man was about to observe for a while longer when, in a moment of distraction, he suddenly realized that the two beginner elves opposite him had noticed him.

Looking at the white-haired "police officer," the little fire monkey revealed a mischievous smile.

The monkey paw holding the forged document suddenly turned into a ball of flame.

Chapter 156 The Reversed Tide

The false files twisted and deformed in the flames, eventually turning into ashes and smoke.

Before the flames attracted the attention of the police, the smoke detectors on the corridor ceiling detected the anomaly first.

A piercing buzzing sound rang out, and a fine mist of water sprayed out in an umbrella shape, falling from above the heads of the two little guys and the Seven Sages.

Smurf's face turned ashen, and his hand, which was about to touch the Poké Ball, even trembled.

This old man was accustomed to operating behind the scenes, adept at manipulating people's hearts and words in secret, and skilled at using asymmetrical information to manipulate his opponents... but the two Sinnoh beginner Pokémon before him seemed to have seen through his entire plan—

They were so confident that the moment they became aware of their presence, they realized that the most important value of the document lay not in its content, but in its very existence.

It was with this reality in mind that the little fire monkey destroyed the document it had never even looked at without any hesitation; and Piplup, with the same confident expression, nodded with satisfaction like a commander, without any hesitation whatsoever.

Smura had never hated his own keen insight so much.

If he were any less obtuse, he wouldn't have paid any attention to the two weak Pokémon that suddenly appeared; if he hadn't been able to understand Piplup and Chimchar's psychology, he could have dismissed the change in the plan as a matter of bad luck, instead of being overwhelmed by the frustration of complete defeat.

Yes, Smura's "publicity campaign" has completely failed.

The two elves that appeared here are irrefutable proof that the opponent is one step ahead.

It's like a murderer who has painstakingly hidden all the evidence, only to find the police sitting on his sofa when he gets home!

Logically speaking, the actions of this Seven Sages were carried out in complete secrecy. Even within the Plasma Group, only a few high-ranking members, such as Ghitchus, knew about his plans, and the specific details of the operation were known only to him.

Even if outsiders noticed the suspicious circumstances surrounding the Liyong Power Plant explosion, they would never have noticed this small fuse set up in the police station in preparation for a large-scale riot...

But this is exactly what happened. A mysterious figure, even more enigmatic than him, saw through everything, and even the Pokémon under his command responsible for carrying it out clearly understood his intentions.

What kind of trainer could raise such a clever Pokémon? And how did they see through their almost flawless plan?

As the old man's thoughts raced, footsteps began to sound all around him.

No matter how incompetent the police in the United States are, they cannot ignore the riots happening on their doorstep.

The first person to arrive at the scene was the duty officer of the evidence storage room. The young police officer who had let outsiders into the warehouse twice finally arrived in time this time and witnessed the little fire monkey burning the files.

Facing the bewildered Smura and the two smug elves, the police officer took a deep breath and unleashed a thunderous shout—

"The evidence storage room has been attacked!"

In an instant, the officers who hadn't left the police station sped up their assembly, quickly surrounding the narrow corridor and trapping the two Pokémon and Smurf in the middle. Because they were in a confined indoor space, the officers didn't immediately release their Pokémon.

Looking at the sea of ​​beige-clad people who had gathered, Smura's brows, which had been furrowed into walnuts, suddenly relaxed—

The officers' ranks appeared somewhat disorganized, clearly lacking the presence of high-ranking officers to oversee the operation. This was understandable, given it was after-get off work hours, and the privileged officers had long since gone home. Some officers at the back anxiously made phone calls, only to be met with obvious disappointment, further dampening the morale of the rest of the force.

It seemed the police wouldn't be able to launch an effective arrest operation anytime soon. Looking at the human wall formed by officers, Smura's eyes darted around in their wrinkled sockets, a renewed fighting spirit seemingly rekindled.

The defeat was not irreversible—although the opponent saw through his plan, he made a fatal oversight by sending two such weak elves to deal with him!

The enemy's weakness gave him enormous room to maneuver; as long as Smura deployed his own forces, the two beginner Pokémon wouldn't be able to mount any effective resistance. While the police intervention increased the risk and chaos, risk and chaos were always tools Smura could manipulate at will!

Now, we can use those two beginner elves to engage the police while they try to break out, allowing me to sneak back into the now-empty evidence room to place new evidence. Although the printed documents are still burned, leaving behind a handwritten report would strengthen N's reason for invading the city.

A plan quickly took shape in the old man's mind. At that moment, he was unaware of the battle taking place on the outskirts of Riku City, and was still awaiting the wild Pokémon army personally led by the King of Team Plasma…

"Those two elves are the criminals who broke into the archives! I saw them with my own eyes as they came out of the evidence room with the documents. Catch those two thieves!"

Withered index finger pointing at the little fire monkey, Smura called out almost bewitchingly.

He could sense the officers' hesitation, but that hesitation would eventually turn into mechanical following of the crowd. He could see the anxiety in their eyes, which meant that as long as a seemingly firm voice rang out first, it could temporarily guide the flow of this emotion!

This is the inherent weakness hidden deep within the souls of all humankind! Individual human beings are incredibly diverse, and it is extremely difficult to change their views. However, once they form a group called "the masses," they become dull and foolish, and the wise can freely mislead and entice them.

The elderly man was fully aware of the police officers' next move; macro-psychology predicted the future with arithmetic-like precision.

The trembling white beard contrasted sharply with his beige police uniform, making his desperate words all the more convincing.

The police officers looked at Chimchar and Piplup with suspicion, many leaning forward as if about to pounce... Chaos was about to erupt as Smurf had predicted, but the old man had already planned his next move...

However, this time, Smura's "propaganda manipulation" did not have the same immediate effect as in the past.

The reason is the actions of those two wretched beginner elves at the same time!

Chimchar and Piplup exchanged a glance, nodded together, and then jumped up almost simultaneously.

But they didn't land in the gaps of the officers' loose formation, but right in front of Smura!

No one gave the order, but the two Pokémon skillfully activated their moves on their own. Blue and red lights flashed, bubbles and flames intertwined, shooting out in a fan shape from in front of Piplup and Chimchar...

Smurf was taken aback. Were these two Pokémon going to attack him? Why weren't they running away in such a critical moment? Had he underestimated Piplup and Chimchar's fighting strength?

But he guessed wrong.

A bizarre scene unfolded before Smura's eyes.

Although the two moves were incredibly powerful when they were unleashed, they ended abruptly after being released, without harming anyone at all.

Moreover, the incredibly powerful "bubble beam" and "spark" did not land on the old man, but were instead released from Smura's direction towards the police on the other side.

Two Sinnoh beginner Pokémon stood tall and proud, like finches spreading their wings to protect their young, actively turning their backs to Smurf and barking menacingly at the menacing police officers.

They're putting on an act!

The old man stared in shock at everything before him. Despite being "protected," he felt utterly insecure, as if he had fallen into an abyss.

The police officers were also startled by the elf's move, but they immediately focused their attention on the same place with great force—Smura, who was being protected by the two elves behind her.

Like a lump of mud falling right in the middle of his pants, the two beginner Pokémon's defection only deepened the suspicion against him.

At this moment, no one would believe the words of this master fraudster anymore. The emotional wave that Smura had desperately created earlier seemed to turn against him in an instant, like a beaded curtain being rolled up.

Chapter 157 The Listener

After being outmaneuvered by Piplup and Chimchar, Smurf immediately chose to run away.

Plans are no longer important; the key is that I, as one of the Seven Sages, absolutely cannot be captured!

With such unwavering conviction, the elderly man displayed a speed and courage rarely seen in his life, turning and running without hesitation. He even knocked over two police officers behind him, managing to squeeze through the gaps in the crowd.

It's really not fair to blame the police in the United States for being incompetent. After all, not everyone in the police force is a frontline officer. Many of the officers gathered here are civilian staff who have only received basic training and whose combat capabilities are not much better than those of ordinary people.

And no one expected that this frail old man with a long white beard could suddenly unleash the indomitable spirit of a rugby player.

Corridors, corners, lobbies, main entrance...

After breaking through the encirclement, the old man ran wildly, overturning tables and chairs along the way, and occasionally letting out half-true, half-false shouts to confuse the police officers who were closing in.

Although his athletic ability was not as good as the young police officers chasing him, he had the advantage of clear thinking and had planned an escape route in advance. Smura actually managed to escape to the police station.

However, at that moment, a sharp monkey cry rang in the ears of the Seven Sages.

Smura whirled around and saw that less than a meter behind her, the little fire monkey, which had been swallowed up by the crowd, had reappeared and was swinging in mid-air, clinging to the door frame. It was still shaking and gathering its strength, seemingly trying to swing onto the old man in one fell swoop.

"Damn it, I don't have time to waste with you."

Smurf, who usually solves problems with his intelligence, had reached his limit. He reached for his waist, intending to send out a powerful Pokémon to take care of that damned tail in one fell swoop.

But they came up empty-handed.

A faint smile appeared on the little fire monkey's lips, its two small fangs standing out prominently.

This was the work of Piplup – earlier, when they were surrounded by police officers in the corridor, the two little guys took advantage of the moment they got close to the old man and stole his Poké Ball.

By this time, the Pokémon they had been holding were scattered throughout the nooks and crannies of the police station. Even if the Pokémon inside jumped out of their balls, they wouldn't be able to come to the rescue in time.

The old man, having lost his trump card, broke out in a cold sweat and could only rely on his frail legs to keep running, trying to shake off the wretched little fire monkey and the police officers who rushed out from behind it.

That damned fire-type beginner Pokémon, as if toying with its prey, maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far from Smura. It neither rushed to catch up with the panting old man nor slowed down. The cluster of flames rising from behind it was particularly conspicuous in the dim twilight, guiding the police officers in the direction they were heading...

.

"When the first Magnemite came to me, I had no idea what kind of disaster was about to happen."

At Factory Manager William's home, a tall, middle-aged man with a dejected and sluggish expression in his eyes, his resolute jaw, usually so adept at giving orders, opened and closed as he described the specific circumstances of the incident to Bilan, Douzi, and N.

“An engineer named Arno once warned me that if we continued to let Electric-type Pokémon spontaneously generate electricity, it would cause great damage to their physical and mental health. But I did not heed her advice and abandon the plan. On the one hand, I believed that advanced medical and breeding methods could offset the adverse effects of long-term self-destruction. On the other hand, it was because at that time no company considered the health of Pokémon as a problem to be considered, and I actually shared the same view as them.”

"The lives of Pokémon are insignificant—such a statement would be heavily criticized today, but in the past, when there were no Pokémon labor laws, it seemed like common sense. I am not a morally abnormal person who would be happy to mistreat Pokémon, but now that I think about it, when faced with choices, I did subconsciously look down on Pokémon, and I selectively ignored their feelings—perhaps fate punished me for this oversight."

In front of three strangers, William candidly and openly dissects himself.

“The Pokémon’s demands for better treatment come up almost every month, especially at the Liyong Power Plant. Our human employees have great benefits, including long vacations and countless employee bonuses, so many Pokémon are envious and protest. But the company is ultimately profit-driven, and we can’t satisfy all their demands.”

"In dealing with the Pokémon's protests, we've also gained a basic understanding of their behavior patterns. Compared to the angry and malicious marches of humans, the Pokémon's protests lack coordination and are mostly minor squabbles, sometimes even bordering on whining. Since the Pokémon can't speak, their pay raise requests are often relayed by an employee. The human lists the conditions, while the Pokémon nods or shakes its head to express its attitude. The company will respond to the requests made by the representative, sometimes even offering a small increase in pay, but to calm the rioting Pokémon down, it still requires the representative the Pokémon approached to offer reassurance..."

"In our company, the person who most often plays this role of proxy is Arno. Before that fatal production accident, she often abandoned her work and led her Pokémon to make all sorts of unreasonable demands on the factory. She even led her group of Magnemite and Voltorb to propose abolishing the night shift system for power-generating Pokémon—we are a power plant, and a department's regular shutdown could destroy the entire quarter's production capacity."

"So you believe that this explosion is actually a continuation of Ms. Arnault's past activities?"

Azure reacted quickly: "But Arno had a perfect alibi when the explosion occurred. All the evidence also shows that the demonstration was spontaneously caused by the Electric-type Pokémon."

"This is precisely what I find most perplexing, because the agent didn't appear until the very last moment. It wasn't until then that I understood the intentions of those Electric-type Pokémon—when seventy-one Electric-type Pokémon lined up neatly in front of me, and the lead Magneton placed a countdown clock in front of me, silently gathering a white light to unleash its 'Explosion' move, I finally realized my past ignorance—"

William sighed deeply: "Pokémon that are used to generating electricity with the 'Big Bang' move don't seem to think that a mass self-destruction is a terrifying thing at all."

"Why don't you grant all the elves' requests immediately?" Douzi asked bluntly. "That way, the crisis can be temporarily resolved."

“Because it was too late then,” the middle-aged man said, shaking his head heavily. “When the first Magnemite approached me, it gestured wildly, trying to show me its intentions, but I refused its request without thinking. After I saw the Pokémon start preparing for their mass self-destruction, no matter how much I changed my mind, they wouldn’t listen to me. The only mercy they showed me was that moment when the clock started counting down…”

“In those fifteen minutes, I did my best to minimize the damage from the impending explosion. I evacuated the employees in time and notified the police and fire department. After the explosion, I contacted Arnault immediately, partly to confirm whether she was responsible for the incident, and partly to ask her to temporarily conceal the power generation unit’s functionality so that the unemployed employees could find new jobs… I did everything I could.”

"But the Pokémon's behavior is completely illogical."

Even Douzi noticed something was wrong at this point.

"Normally, shouldn't they demonstrate their force first, and then negotiate? And since they don't realize the power of the 'Big Bang,' why did they give you time to evacuate the employees, factory manager? Shouldn't they have just exploded without a care in the world?"

The conversation fell silent, as neither the parties involved nor the assistant who had received guidance from the detective could answer the two questions.

Just as the atmosphere was about to freeze—

"Don't you understand?"

The green-haired youth stood up and uttered a cold, demanding question. His face was filled with grief and indignation.

"You still treat this explosion as an accident, as if it could have been avoided by taking some countermeasures. But please don't forget that the essence of this explosion is a long-standing revolution of resentment. The elves have never received the respect and equal treatment from humans!"

"You're still wondering why the elves didn't adopt a strategy that maximized their profits, thus losing their lives for nothing! But what you don't know is that they wanted to use this earth-shattering explosion to prove their existence! We exist here! We want equal treatment! We may be kind enough to be indifferent to the world, or we may be foolish enough to be unreasonable, but we also hope that humanity can hear our cries! Even if this lament is written with lives!"

N smirked self-deprecatingly: "I was so stupid. I kept investigating the incident and searching for the truth, thinking that as long as I found out the truth, the idea of ​​treating Pokémon equally would take root in people's hearts. But even now, when the few people in the whole city who know the most about this incident get together, they still realize what the voices of those dead Pokémon were."

"N, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Azure became alert, its brown eyes fixed on the nominal leader of the Plasma Group.