Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"You stay here and supervise the Pokémon moving the gold bars. I'll go outside and keep watch. Although the plan is perfect, anything can happen, so be careful," Ham instructed his childhood friend.

"You can rest assured, Boss Ham!"

Hearing his companion address him with such respect, Ham's steps became even lighter as he left the vault.

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Ham began to observe from behind the bank counter, directly opposite the entrance. The street outside the bank was so quiet under the cover of night; there wasn't a single pedestrian walking by.

However, it wouldn't be a problem even if someone passed by the bank at that moment.

Ham's choice of where to park the truck and break open the gate was very deliberate. The truck's shadow perfectly concealed the large hole in the iron gate melted by the Pokémon's flames, making it impossible for passersby to notice the unusual situation inside the bank.

Thinking of "inside the bank," Ham's heart, which had just been at ease, started racing again. Although the two guards who were tied up had been knocked unconscious, bound, and stripped of all their police equipment, there was no guarantee that they might have a special constitution and wake up midway through, then secretly contact the police outside using methods Ham didn't know about.

Ham then went to the two unconscious guards, took out a bottle of sleeping pills from his pocket, and gave each of them a handful.

Does this mean everything is foolproof now?

Although there are many alarm devices inside the bank, they have all been destroyed by his Electric-type Pokémon beforehand. The only one left is a hidden device that continuously sends out special signals. Once that device is destroyed, it will sound an alarm, so it is important to identify it. Ham has already told his partner and childhood friend to be careful of that device.

Could a tracking device be hidden in the stolen gold?

That's alright, Fire-type Pokémon can help him remelt the gold. He doesn't believe that after this process, there will be no trackers left.

"It's foolproof, absolutely foolproof," Ham muttered repeatedly, somewhat nervously.

The street in front of me was empty, with only dust blown by the night wind drifting idly by.

There was no sign of the police appearing—success was within reach!

"Even if the police surround this place now, we are confident that we can escape with the stolen gold bars."

The robber, who was wearing glasses, finally seemed to have convinced himself and straightened his back.

The lens, oblivious to the world around it, reflected a tiny point of light.

The robber thought it was his imagination and rubbed his eyes. But then two, four, ten points of light appeared... a torrent of car headlights appeared in Ham's field of vision.

The police car has arrived.

Chapter 014 Nighttime Offense and Defense and the Ending

Among the convoy of cars seen by the bank robber Ham, there was an inconspicuous police patrol car carrying Detective Hugo and Miss Officer Jenny.

The detective, now back in his white coat, was driving. Officer Jenny sat in the passenger seat, looking utterly despondent.

"Is the head of the criminal investigation department an idiot? Why did he believe your nonsense so easily? He said that being my detective assistant would help me gain experience in solving cases, that there's still a lot I need to learn, and that his biggest dream is to one day open his own detective agency—all rubbish! Don't you already have a detective agency that's as luxurious as a villa in the city?!"

“That firm is rented; to be precise, I’m not the owner of the property,” Hugo replied, gripping the steering wheel.

"But you don't need to portray me as a brilliant detective with exceptional reasoning skills! I was the one who clearly saw through the robbers' true motives, yet you kept praising my reasoning to the officer, and the officer actually believed your nonsense!" Officer Jenny was furious.

Hugo raised his right hand and pointed to his eyes: "People only see what they want to see, and I'm just going along with it a little. Besides, the situation is urgent now, so if you think there's any benefit in explaining the previous misunderstanding to your superiors in such a race against time, then go ahead and explain."

"After today, it will probably be difficult to explain this misunderstanding again..." Officer Jenny said pessimistically, looking dejected.

The detective, on the other hand, was as excited as a primary school student on a school trip: "Being a detective's assistant and driving for the police like this feels like a lighthearted police drama. It's a role-playing experience I've never had before."

"Keep your mind down! We're facing ruthless robbers, and Electric Zebra and I won't be able to protect you while we're fighting."

"Yes, sir!"

Hugo stepped on the gas, and the imposing building of the Feiyun City Financial Bank was already in sight.

The officer's voice crackled through the police car's radio: "Attention all squads! Seal off the surrounding intersections in sequence. Officers who have disembarked, proceed towards the bank only after the encirclement is complete. Be sure to deploy your main Pokémon in advance, as there is a high chance of fierce resistance."

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Inside the bank, the burly man who used to be the security supervisor had reunited with the bespectacled head of the department.

"The police have realized what's happening. Execute Plan B and run away with this batch of gold immediately," Ham rationally issued the order.

"I'm furious! I've only moved 70% of the vault, those damn cops!" My childhood friend spat on the ground and said unhappily.

Behind him followed a Fighting-type Pokémon, Strike Force, which he had brought from elsewhere. The six round, golden-armored spherical creatures carried gold several times their own weight as they walked on the ground, like a tiny train moving at a snail's pace.

"That's quite a lot already. Let's hurry up and go. As long as we're alive, we can always make more. The police are still dawdling around and arranging their formation. We can take this opportunity to load the gold into the truck."

People who can become robbers are usually quite capable, and the two immediately took action.

The burly man released a dark green steel giant elephant from a black and yellow high-grade ball. This creature, named the Great Bronze Elephant, used its excavator-shovel-like trunk to tear a large hole in the bank wall. Behind the hole was the truck that the two men had parked outside the bank.

The deafening sound of the wall collapsing was too much for the police, who were deploying their forces, to ignore.

Sure enough, the sound of a large police procession could be heard outside, mixed with some even heavier sounds, indicating that the police had released their partner Pokémon out of the Poké Ball.

Almost simultaneously, Ham released pure white snow moths with two wings. The large, snow-white moths quickly crawled out of the hole in the wall and used ice and snow to build another barrier on the outside of the truck.

Only then did the moves from the police Pokémon arrive, with ranged attacks like "Thunderbolt," "Flamethrower," and "Razor Leaf" striking the ice wall and sending snowflakes flying.

However, the snow moths behind the wall quickly exhaled their breath, covering the original wall surface with new snow and ice, almost completely making up for the damage this wave of attacks had caused to the bunker.

.

"broken."

The detective, hiding behind Officer Jenny and watching the intense gunfight from afar, shook his head.

"It seems the bank robbers even considered the possibility of being discovered by the police, and prepared a fairly powerful Pokémon weaponry. Judging from the types of Pokémon, they should be from the Galar region. Maybe they're some security company executives from there who came here to become robbers."

By this time, the kidnappers had already loaded all the stolen gold bars onto the truck under the cover of the ice wall. However, instead of showing themselves, the robbers sent Pokémon out of the bank to engage in a fierce firefight with the police around the truck.

Ghosts made of stone slab fragments released eerie blue flames under the night sky; colossal rocks hurled stones at police cars; green dragons unleashed a "leaf storm" that swept across the battlefield; and groups of six golden-armored spheres dodged and weaved, preventing the police's Pokémon from getting close...

The massive raiding force deployed by the Feiyun City Police Department discovered an embarrassing fact—the police's firepower was severely depleted during the day. At this moment, their firepower was no match for mere bank robbers.

“Deathplate, Giant Rock, Felhunter, Strider…” The detective called out each name, shaking his head and sighing, “The Pokémon of Galar have always been known for their violence and bravery. Seeing them with my own eyes today, I can confirm that they live up to their reputation.”

"Those despicable robbers! If they have the fighting ability to smash through a bank, they shouldn't be resorting to so many tricks. Hugo, can you use your all-powerful reasoning to think of a way to defeat them?"

In the brief moment between directing the lightning zebras to unleash their electric attacks, Officer Jenny turned to the detective and asked a question.

"Judging from the marks at the bank entrance, there were two robbers. One of them must have been the mastermind behind this entire diversionary tactic, and the other was likely the security officer I mentioned earlier. For these two, if one of them were to unfortunately be killed in the confrontation with the police, the other could then legitimately take all the stolen goods..."

Hugo stroked his chin, plotting a vicious scheme.

"At this point, we should use a divide-and-conquer tactic. The police are all in poor condition right now, so I suggest you focus your attack on one of the two men. There's a high chance that the other man will abandon his support in a critical moment."

He watched the battle unfold for a while longer, then added, "The two bandits have slightly different command styles. The trainer using Felfin is a bit weaker. The Deathcap, Felfin, and Felfin next to them have the same action pattern. You can concentrate your efforts on attacking these three Pokémon."

Officer Jenny's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected Hugo to actually come up with a solution in such a short time. She quickly turned on her communicator and contacted the officer in charge of the operation.

The officer responded swiftly to Officer Jenny's suggestion, and the police immediately shifted their focus.

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There's a mastermind within the police force!

Ham, the robber who was suddenly subjected to intense fire, immediately realized the problem.

Continuing to hide inside the bank and wear down the police force had become unwise. Even if he and his childhood friend managed to find a weakness in the blockade through attrition warfare and successfully break through, Ham would still be in danger.

It's even more dangerous than being surrounded by police!

Because at that time, he will have no Pokémon to fight with, while his childhood friend's team will be intact. He will then have to face the ugly side of human nature - he absolutely cannot let this happen!

Things are different now. The truck the two were riding in contained nearly 400 kilograms of gold. Any ties would be as light as a feather in the face of such profits!

"The police might send reinforcements, hurry and rush out now!" Ham ordered his childhood friend, his eyes red with worry.

His childhood friend was caught up in the heat of battle when he suddenly realized that his Pokémon was much less injured than his boss's. This discovery put him in a great mood, and he even started having dreams he would never have dared to dream of before...

At that moment, he was commanding the Giant Rock and the Arrayed Soldier to rampage through the Pokémon of the Flying Cloud Police. Upon hearing Ham's order, his childhood friend frowned slightly in displeasure. His mind was racing with thoughts, but he said nothing and simply obeyed silently.

Cracks have already begun to grow silently...

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However, reality often likes to play tricks.

The intense battle before them was a matter of life and death for the two robbers, as well as the reputation of the Feiyun City Police Department. Both sides fought with their last ounce of strength, determined to defeat their opponent.

But just as the singing of the monk Yuan under the moonlight might disturb the sweet dreams of a light sleeper, the murmurs of an archaeologist in the ruins might attract the attention of the gods, and the huge battle in the city center might arouse someone's curiosity to find out more—this coincidence will rewrite the outcome of this night's attack and defense.

Just as the Ham duo, each with their own ulterior motives, started their truck...

A graceful figure in a black dress slowly approached the edge of the encirclement where the battle had reached a fever pitch.

In the pitch-black night, even the police did not notice the blonde woman in high heels approaching from behind.

The robbers were unaware that someone had inadvertently wandered into the middle of the truck's escape route, and even if they had seen it, they would have run it over without mercy.

The clueless detective was sighing regretfully. Whether his plan succeeded or not, it was taking too long to take effect. By the time the two robber brothers started fighting, they would both have disappeared... The ideal scenario of the two brothers sabotaging each other and being caught together did not happen, which was a real pity.

Officer Jenny has been summoned to the head of the criminal investigation department. The head felt that once such a hidden talent was discovered, it should be put to good use. Unfortunately, the robbers' escape was already a foregone conclusion, and even a hidden talent like her couldn't defy fate... One can only say that the heavens have been unkind to our Flying Cloud Police Station...

This is the scene before the farcical reality unfolded.

In that instant, Sinnoh Champion Cynthia appeared under the high beams of the robbers' truck, as if she had been teleported from the distant Sinnoh continent to Unova City.

Her blonde hair shone brightly, and the teardrop-shaped pendant on her chest shone brilliantly. Her dress fluttered gently, making her look like a black angel.

These are the last memories of this thrilling night for all of the aforementioned individuals.

Chapter 015 Tomorrow Will Be a New Day

Then Miss Zhulan quickly defeated her opponent—though I don't want to use such a perfunctory way of putting it, that's really how it was…

The twelve Galar warriors, who were said to rival the main force of the gym leaders, didn't even have a chance to release their Poké Balls. Almost the instant the robbers in the truck appeared in Cynthia's field of vision, a lithe figure appeared instantly with the red light released by the Poké Ball.

Lucario, as he released the ball, was like a warrior surveying the battlefield, not unleashing any skills, but simply calmly extending his palm forward to collide with the truck.

The expected explosion and impact did not occur. Instead, the champion's Pokémon released a mysterious aura energy from its palm, causing the speeding truck to come to a sudden stop—as if a video player had been paused.

The car's airbags deployed, leaving the two robbers dazed and confused. However, at that moment, they were still unaware of the gravity of the situation—

Instead of surrendering, they attempted to fight back.

The two Pokémon, Strider and Felfin, were relatively small and were already in the car without being put into their Poké Balls, so the robbers commanded them to jump out of the car window to fight.

Unfortunately, before the two Pokémon could even step onto the ground outside the car, Lucario had already rushed up to their side, and its Iron Fist arrived first, forcefully slamming them back into the car.

It then jumped into the car itself, and to the horror of the two robbers who looked as if they had seen a ghost, it knocked both of them unconscious with a punch and a kick.

The entire process took no more than 10 seconds, and Lucario didn't even use any moves.

Ham and his childhood friend's robbery operation came to an end, their bloody criminal path abruptly cut short, and what awaited them was a long and uncertain prison life.

By the time the police realized what had happened, the heroic Sinnoh champion had already reached the truck and retrieved Lucario, who had performed the great service, back into the ball.

This earth-shattering case that shook the entire city of Feiyun came to an end so lightly and without any real substance.

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"To be honest, I always feel that something is missing from this incident."

Hugo crouched in a small corner next to a police car, seemingly avoiding someone's gaze, and muttered something while baring his teeth.

"Is there more to the case? Is there a backup plan for the perpetrator? Is there a mastermind behind it all?!"

Officer Jenny, who had just been released by her superior, immediately tensed up when she heard Hugo's ramblings.

The series of cases that happened today have left her with considerable psychological trauma.

"A mastermind? Maybe. But that's not what I wanted to talk about. Don't you think something's missing from tonight's big operation?" the detective said, still wanting to continue.

Officer Jenny was completely bewildered: "What's missing?"

“Those guys who always show up at times like this,” Hugo said, pointing his finger towards the outside of the blockade.

The police station is full of blabbermouths who are in cahoots with the media; with a large police force mobilized tonight, it's impossible for reporters not to get the news. However…

"They seem a bit sluggish today. I haven't seen a United Press reporter run slower than the police in a long time."

This means that some force has suppressed the journalists' actions, deliberately leaving a wide escape route for the robbers.

Behind the yellow cordon, a large group of reporters, as hungry as stray dogs, had gathered. They had been driven out of their homes in the middle of the night by their own editors' yelling, and now, with bloodshot eyes, they wanted to tear the spokesperson of Feiyun Police Station apart and excrete the excrement called "front-page news".

"The United States' news media is the most boring of all the regional alliances. Their hired writers only produce two kinds of articles: whitewashed slates and scandalous infighting. The police did a pretty good job tonight, so they'll probably write some glowing articles praising the police department to the skies," the detective commented scathingly.

"Isn't this a good thing?" The policewoman had completely become the detective's sidekick.

“At least not for criminologists. In such cases, they will write the cases as adventure novels that are completely different from the facts, full of phantom thieves who can fly and stealthily and super detectives who can see through everything, but they will ignore or even arbitrarily distort the specific case clues and reasoning process.” Hugo gave Officer Jenny a meaningful look. “You will soon experience these things firsthand.”