Pokémon Detective Case Files.

"Last night, the entire Liyong Police Station worked overtime to thoroughly investigate the critical care lists of all Pokémon hospitals in Liyong City. They discovered that several Electric-type Pokémon had been found to be unconscious after being injured by powerful moves. These must be the children who escaped death from the coffins, right?"

Officer Jenny stepped slowly past the detective in the white coat, took out a paper file hidden in her coat, tapped it lightly with her fingertips, and said to Telt—

“We also retrieved the surveillance footage from the police station. Unlike that cunning executive from the Plasma Group, the footage of your colleagues coming to the police station to claim the bodies was captured clearly. The list of those power plant employees has been preliminarily compiled, and the police can question them at any time. At that time, all your actions will no longer be a secret.”

"But it doesn't really need to be that complicated, does it?"

Standing to the side, Hugo spoke lazily, echoing the policewoman's words—

"This isn't about arresting criminals. From the moment Team Plasma confessed to the crime, there was no longer any need to hide the secret. You're not so much disrupting the investigation as helping the police avoid the scandal of burying the elves alive."

“Most importantly, Mr. Telt, you played an indispensable role in this case. Without your honest testimony, this case would never be considered closed—after all, you saved the lives of all the victims.”

After a long silence, under everyone's gaze, Telt let out a wry laugh, his thick beard trembling like a little wild boar that had just woken up.

"After hearing the explosion coming from the bio-powered area, I became worried about the Thunderballs and their condition, so I ran against the crowd and into the explosion site in the rain."

The breeding consultant let down his guard and spoke frankly.

"At the time, people inside the factory were being evacuated. The police and fire brigade were unable to reach the biomass power generation area immediately due to the crowd blocking their way. It was at this moment that I entered the scene of the explosion."

"The terrible state of the Electric-type Pokémon is now self-evident. As I told the detective at the open-air bar, they lay there, the shockwave of the 'Big Bang' pressing them firmly to the ground, so they still appeared to be in their usual orderly ranks. Seeing this, the reason was obvious—I immediately realized that those guys had collectively self-destructed in a confined space, thus suffering excessive damage from their companions' attacks."

"Out of my professional instincts as a breeder, I tried to provide first aid to a few Pokémon nearby, but it was to no avail. Judging from their injuries, even if they were taken to the Pokémon Center for treatment immediately, their chances of survival were extremely slim; they were basically beyond saving. Those Electric-type Pokémon that brought this trouble upon themselves will soon have to become Ghost-types!"

"If it were any other breeder or elf doctor, they would definitely think the same thing."

But Telt was the best Pokémon breeder in Liyong City. He devised the only life-saving emergency plan available at that moment.

“Yes. That makes sense.” Hugo nodded knowingly, continuing as if he had witnessed the scene firsthand—

"You move the wounded out of their original positions and gather them together. Then you send out a handheld Pokémon and use a high-powered electric shock to stimulate the severely injured Electric-type Pokémon that have self-destructed. This is not to heal the Pokémon, but to awaken their survival instincts and keep them in a deep coma in a state of suspended animation. That's how the second layer of char on the Pokémon's bodies came about."

"Truly worthy of being a detective." Teld nodded and released a Poké Ball that was hanging from his waist.

A robust, electric monster appeared beside the breeding advisor. Its eyes gleamed bright red, its forked tail, resembling electrical wires, stood proudly erect behind it, and its yellow and black fur seemed to surge with electricity.

"During their special work at the power plant, those Electric-type Pokémon have long been accustomed to 'big explosions' and losing consciousness. If this is considered a form of training, their training volume is more than ten times that of wild Pokémon that only occasionally explode for fun. I don't believe they would die from their own self-destruction. Therefore, I have my old partner provide them with full-power electrical energy."

As the breeding consultant, whose physique was similar to his partner's, spoke, he patted the chest of the Electrified Beast with gusto, while the latter excitedly swung its black, cable-like tail.

"According to the Pokédex, Electivire's power generation is among the highest of all Electric-type Pokémon. A single fully charged Electivire can provide all the electricity needed for a large city's buildings for a year. It seems more than enough for emergency rescue."

Every living being possesses the ability to adapt to its environment. Whether it's humans or Pokémon, they are surprisingly adept at "habits," to the point that they become accustomed to the habits themselves.

Although it wasn't out of the Pokémon's own volition, the enormous workload, while altering their spirits, also strengthened their physiques, making them more adept at protecting themselves from massive impacts.

"Has the fact that we've become less concerned about 'life' also made us better at dealing with 'death'? The facts have proven your guess."

The detective nodded approvingly.

"According to the information the police found at the hospital, those Pokémon are recovering very well and should be able to be discharged next month. Mr. Telt, you did a fantastic job."

The mentor crossed his arms, looking smug and as if to say, "Who do you think I am?"

"But why didn't you explain the situation to the police?" Officer Jenny couldn't help but ask. "Why did you go through so much trouble to cover it up and deliberately create the illusion that the Electric-type Pokémon was dead?"

It's fortunate that the Pokémon were brought back to life, but why do all those unnecessary things? Unlike cold corpses, revived Pokémon can identify the culprit. The case could be solved quickly just by questioning the children, so why do these people insist on hiding the truth?

The sheriff simply didn't understand Telt's logic.

"Not only did you re-fake the scene after the emergency treatment, but you also gathered a group of colleagues to claim the 'corpses' and buried them in empty coffins. Why did you go to such lengths? Were you also instigated by the Plasma Group?"

"Uh...no." Telt scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, how should I put it? It's probably because we felt guilty that things have come to this point..."

"What does this mean..."

"Officer Jenny, you've overlooked a fact."

Before Officer Jenny could ask further, Hugo had already answered for Telt—

"The factory employees on the list who participated in the operation have one thing in common: their jobs all involved direct contact with the bio-power generation blocks. This means that they are privy to the truth about spontaneous combustion."

Seeing Officer Jenny's gradually realizing the truth, Hugo continued to explain: "In the eyes of these people in the know, the factory explosion must have been caused by the self-destructing Electric-type Pokémon. If they confessed everything to the police, the truth about the power plant explosion would be exposed as the factory abusing Pokémon and suffering a backlash. At that time, everyone would be subjected to a fierce attack from public opinion, and they might even lose their newly found jobs."

With the deliberate instigation of a certain group, or rather, an elderly person, the mass media in the Unova region has long become a monstrous flood that constantly devours people—nurtured by malice, driven by interests, armed with prejudice, mob-like within groups, and unintentionally entrenched in a complex web of connections.

Faced with this ferocious beast that even its breeders could not fully control, even an organization like Fengyuan Media, which was backed by an evil organization, could only be discarded, betrayed, and devoured like bait when it touched the interests of this behemoth. Not to mention the laid-off employees of the power plant.

"Interests from all sides are intertwined and misunderstandings are common. A slight deviation could lead to an abyss of no return, forcing even those with good intentions to walk in the shadows. In this sense, only N truly broke the deadlock that Smura left in Liyong City."

Thinking of this, Hugo helplessly twitched the corners of his mouth.

A realistic detective's meticulous investigation may dispel the fog obscuring the truth, but the actions of an idealist genuinely change reality with every step.

In the end, we could never become companions. Although I never even hoped for it.

A seemingly plausible will, a seemingly plausible ideal, a seemingly plausible talent.

A person who once refused to use Pokémon, now determined to liberate all Pokémon.

These two monsters, who were like alien creatures, naturally went down different paths.

Or perhaps there are no identical paths in the world.

.

Hugo faced the crowd again, dressed in a white coat, and humbly bowed in the morning light—

To the assistants and clients' representatives, to the diligent but incompetent Liyong police who failed to see the truth, to the breeding consultant who provided timely treatment but concealed the truth, to the electrical engineer who cared about the spirits but almost indirectly caused their deaths, and to the power plant manager who aimed for justice but wore tinted glasses—

"At this point, all the answers to the Liyong Power Plant explosion incident have been released. Are there any questions that still remain unanswered?"

“And another one.” Officer Jenny raised her right arm.

"Please speak."

"How could you tell from the stench at the crime scene that the elves were still alive?" the sheriff asked clearly.

Douzi and some of the police officers at the scene became curious at the same time—they had all arrived at the explosion site immediately.

They could all smell that unpleasant stench.

“Magnemite and Voltorb wouldn’t emit a stench from burns, so there must be another reason for the odor at the scene. And there were raging fires everywhere outside the bio-powered area, and the thick smoke must have been even more pungent and unbearable under the rainy weather at the time—the odor that could still be smelled in that kind of air couldn’t just be the smell of burning wood or rubber, but some other kind of special smell.”

"What was that? There was nothing else left at the scene." Officer Jenny was still puzzled.

“Yes.” Hugo shook his head. “Something that fills the heavens and earth and covers everything changes its properties in a huge electric shock, thus creating the odor.”

The detective in the white coat slowly uttered two words—

"ozone."

Allotropes of oxygen.

Chapter 163 What Humans Can Do

"As expected, cases where no one dies are the most relaxing and satisfying!"

Watching the police officers from Liyong City busily filling graves and moving empty coffins in the cemetery, Toko, acting as the client's representative, happily remarked to the detective and his assistant.

No matter what kind of death it is, it will leave an unfillable void in reality. No matter how perfectly past cases were solved, once life was involved, there will always be a bitter and sorrowful lingering echo at the end.

Upon learning that all 71 Electric-type Pokémon had survived their severe injuries, the case, which unfolded amidst the explosion and rain, instantly became clear and bright, like a rainbow appearing after the rain.

"Phew, I really want to see N's expression when he finds out the truth."

Thinking back to her friend who had left Liyong City, the girl sighed dramatically, but didn't seem to feel much regret.

She probably knew that N wouldn't change his mind just because the ending was different...

Humans and Pokémon may never fully understand each other, but the bonds built through living together are never meaningless. Even when hindered by misunderstandings, Pokémon that support each other can always find a way to overcome obstacles—the spontaneous actions of the factory workers perfectly illustrate this point.

However, this does not change the nature of the relationship between the two species. In the eyes of that green-haired youth, his ideals obviously cannot be based on such a miraculous coincidence.

“That guy should already know what’s going on here,” Hugo shrugged, making a startling statement.

"During my speech this morning, I spotted a police officer in the crowd whose movements and expressions were extremely stiff. It was obvious at a glance that he was a counterfeit. Based on your previous experiences, that should be Zoroark, the officer you fought against before."

"Zoroark? It infiltrated the cemetery too?" Douzi asked, blinking.

"Calling it infiltration is an understatement; it's more like blending in. They're probably continuing their investigation in this area to help N figure out the aftermath of the explosion. As for how Zoroark knew the location of the gathering, I guess it secretly followed you and Azure. Speaking of which, the 'Illusion' ability can be really useful sometimes; even if you noticed Zoroark's footsteps, turning around would only reveal a Bug Sac crawling in the grass."

"Ah, that's true. We saw insect treasure packs in the grass on our way here!"

Douzi, a local from United States, exclaimed in surprise, his expression instantly revealing a look of sudden realization—

"I knew something was off! In winter, Bug-type Pokémon usually evolve into Pokémon Cocoons to hibernate, or they'll go into hiding and reduce their outdoor activity. It's not normal to see one in the grass during this season—oh dear, I thought it was the torrential rain from the explosion, but it turns out it was Zoroark in disguise! I've been tricked!"

Hugo hadn't expected his casual analogy to hit the bullseye, and shook his head with a wry smile: "I think your trainers' ability to spot small Pokémon hidden in the grass at a glance is even more impressive."

Is Zoroark still in this area?

Douzi looked around curiously, her hands unconsciously making a kneading motion like an air ball, indicating that she was very impressed by the soft fox face of this Mirage Pokémon.

It feels so silky smooth.

"Before our lunch break, that strange police officer hurriedly left the scene. At Zoroark's speed, it should have reunited with its owner by now. After all, it's a canine Pokémon, and it can find N's trail just by its sense of smell—but I don't think that green-haired youth will change his lofty ideals."

Hugo was unconcerned about the situation on the side of the Plasma King.

A detective is not a teacher; he is neither good at using debate to change other people's extreme ideals, nor does he like to impose his own values ​​on others—he is only good at solving cases or cases when they arise.

The idea that a few words could sway the leader of an evil organization to change his mind is just wishful thinking.

"Hugo, aren't you bad at identifying Pokémon? How come you're so good at dealing with Pokémon like Zoroark and Ditto?"

The girl in the baseball cap, having considered the trivial matter, became curious again without any hesitation.

Logically speaking, it's quite impolite to pry into other people's weaknesses, but that's just Douzi's personality—she says whatever comes to mind. She truly lives up to her reputation as a woman who believes in speaking without thinking...

The detective in the white coat, however, began to explain without a care in the world—

"If Zoroark were to disguise itself as another Pokémon, it wouldn't be easy for me to tell. Although I can identify a Pokémon from its fur and footprints, that's just an encyclopedic memory. I'm neither a Pokémon researcher nor a professional Pokémon trainer, and I'm no better than any ordinary person at distinguishing the subtle differences between Pokémon of the same species... But this time, Zoroark is disguised as a human."

"What's wrong with humans?" Douzi tilted his head, puzzled.

"Man is an incredibly complex being," Victor Hugo said.

“Even the most professional actors will inadvertently reveal flaws that contradict the character's established traits when they play roles other than themselves. Zoroark and the Ditto have a far worse understanding of humans than professional actors, so when they play roles, they often exhibit inconsistencies that are hard to ignore.”

“But Pokémon also have different ecological habits, right?” the girl asked a matter-of-fact question. “Ditto and the others can’t perfectly imitate another Pokémon; they will also reveal flaws.”

“Indeed, I can make simple identifications in this way. For example, I identified Azure Ditto by this method when it first came to Feather Residence. But that was just a coincidence, a flash of inspiration from an amateur, and it is far less accurate and perfect than when identifying humans.”

Hugo cast his gaze toward the distance bathed in the midday sun: "I am a private detective who makes a living by studying human behavior. I can discern a person's identity and profession from the dust on their shoes, and deduce their family situation from the folds in their shirts. In my eyes, those non-humans who have human forms but cannot exhibit corresponding behaviors are particularly conspicuous. The more lifelike their transformations, the more terrifying and glaring their unnaturalness becomes."

"Like those monsters from horror movies coming into reality?" Douzi used an analogy that aligned with his understanding.

"Pretty much. A similar theory seems to be called the 'uncanny valley effect,' but there's no need to elaborate on it here."

When a non-human object is imitated in human form, the more lifelike and exquisite the imitation, the more likely it is to trigger an instinctive resistance in the viewer—the function curve drawn based on this theory is called the "uncanny valley".

"A seemingly real but actually false fear? Hmm, that seems like an interesting subject for a movie..."

Douzi had vaguely heard of this knowledge, nodded, and contentedly ended the conversation. Suddenly, he turned his gaze to the side, noticing something—

"By the way, why hasn't Sister Xiaolan said anything?"

The girl with the high ponytail noticed that Azure, who had been silently pondering things since lunchtime, was standing to the side.

She seemed to be pondering something, and occasionally used her phone to search for information online.

"Sister Lan, what are you thinking about? Is there still something suspicious about the explosion?"

Douzi first waved his palm in front of Bilan's eyes, and when there was no reaction, he gently shook his senior's shoulder.

Shaked by her junior, Azure snapped out of her daze. She looked around, and seeing only Hugo and Touko beside her, she relaxed and spoke seriously to the detective—

"Hugo, I feel there are some parts of the reasoning behind Mr. Telt and the Electabuzz's first aid for the elves that don't quite make sense."

"Please speak," the detective replied casually, without a trace of surprise or displeasure on his face, as if he had expected Azure's actions.

"It seems a bit too much to rely on the duo of Talbot and Electivire to save those Electric-type Pokémon."

The detective's assistant frowned and voiced his concerns—

"Seventy-one Pokémon is no small number. The coffins displayed in front of us today are as densely packed as desks in a large classroom. If they were real Pokémon patients, the scale would be enormous. But Electivire managed to pull all seventy-one Pokémon back from the brink of death and bring them all back to life! Not a single one was left behind! Even if Telt is the best breeder in Liyu City, it is still incredible that he could do this."

"But didn't the encyclopedia say so?" Touko thought for a moment and began to argue for the detective's theory—

"An Electabuzz can generate enough electricity for an entire building for a year. If it has that kind of power, it wouldn't be surprising if it could use electroshock therapy on seventy-one Pokémon at the same time, would it?"

"Because of a friend, I have some knowledge about training Electric-type Pokémon to their limits," Azure said, shaking her head.

“Powerful Pokémon like Electivire do indeed possess a large amount of electrical energy within their bodies, but it takes time to release all of that energy. The more properly trained a Pokémon is, the higher the power of the electrical energy it can unleash at the moment of releasing a move. If the instantaneous discharge is insufficient to revitalize a dying Pokémon, the subsequent electrical discharge will be exhausted before it can even save the Pokémon, and adding more electrical energy will be useless—if Telt had Electivire discharge at all the Pokémon present at the same time, the dispersed instantaneous electrical discharge would be completely insufficient to revitalize a dying Pokémon.”