Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 294 The Solution - The Bottle That Locks Up the Fairy

Chapter 296 The Solution - The Bottle That Locks Up the Fairy

Despite being the champion, she effortlessly completed the detective's reasoning task. Even someone as composed and carefree as Zhu Lan couldn't help but feel a little touched at this moment.

However, she immediately thought of Hugo, that detective, who was even more remarkable, having inexplicably defeated Champion Alder in Unic. The stark contrast caused her nascent sense of satisfaction to vanish instantly, like a bubble in the sunlight.

"Alright, even if it's just to avoid being outdone by that guy, I have to solve this puzzle."

Rarely, her family members stirred her fighting spirit. Zhu Lan carefully put away the ancient book in her hand, took out her red Rotom phone from her pocket, and glanced at the time.

It was 11 p.m., four hours after the bloodstained head was found on the attic shelf. I didn’t expect it would take so long to sort out my thoughts. There was less than an hour left before Miss Officer Jenny’s final report.

Let Zhu Lan unravel all the mysteries completely.

"Ahem. Everyone, while I wouldn't say that all the mysteries have been solved, the reasoning has made some progress—well, at least we should be able to handle the report before midnight."

Whether by coincidence or not, before the champion of Bamboo Orchid, who was filled with fighting spirit, it was Officer Jenny, dressed in a police uniform, who broke the silence in the hall first, clapping her hands to attract everyone's attention and standing up to speak.

At this moment, everyone was sitting in twos and threes on the first floor of the Forest Mansion. Cynthia, Officer Jenny, and the head that had suddenly appeared were in the reception room; Vinnie, Neil, and Professor Medan sat in the middle of the living room, exchanging silent glances; Zina and the giant vine that hadn't yet retrieved its Poké Ball were hiding in a corner of the dining room; Hayden and Shadow stood far away at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor, the former operating his phone and occasionally giving the latter instructions, presumably handling some internal company matters.

Given the recent discovery of a threatening human head, the possibility that a criminal may still be hiding inside the Forest Mansion cannot be ruled out. Therefore, for everyone's safety, Officer Jenny suggests that everyone gather in an area where they can see each other clearly.

The task of searching the entire Forest Mansion was assigned to Pokémon familiar with its layout.

As the patrolling elves returned safely to the living room, reporting that no outside creatures had entered the sealed mansion, Medan and the others became increasingly relaxed. Before Officer Jenny gathered them together, everyone had already begun eating the mansion's stored food. Professor Medan even planned to leisurely have a drink—luckily, her daughter Venetian dissuaded her in time.

Upon hearing the policewoman's summons, Director Hayden, accompanied by Ah Ying, slowly approached and calmly asked, "Now that you've considered this for so long, Ms. Officer Jenny, are you prepared to accept Professor Medan's testimony or mine?"

When their deep gazes met Officer Jenny's bright, piercing eyes, they gave off a feeling of unfathomable depth.

"No."

Officer Jenny denied it outright.

Both of their guesses are unfounded.

After a brief pause, as if she had made up her mind, Officer Jenny, who works in the intelligence department, added: "In fact, the most baffling part of the whole incident is that you two deliberately concealed the truth and used flawed speculations to confuse the public."

"Sorry, I don't quite understand what you're saying."

"Why bother, Director Hayden? Professor Medan isn't a skilled liar. In his panic, the excuse he concocted was full of holes. And how clever can you be, trying to cover for him?"

Officer Jenny, looking completely confident, spread her hands with an air of self-assurance as she addressed the big boss in front of her, saying, "While business competitors may resort to any means necessary, those clever or naive business tactics are something that can never be played out in this mansion at this moment."

"Why is that?" Hayden asked, puzzled. "Besides Hayden Pharmaceuticals, which I work for, the only other organizations that know the secret of this abandoned mansion are those commercial organizations that have also had dealings with Team Galactic. Naturally, the news of my renovation of this mansion couldn't have escaped their notice. How can you be so sure that the model of the head of a Team Galactic member displayed here wasn't made by one of those organizations?"

"The reasoning is simple. At least in the place where I work, this principle is widely known."

Officer Jenny raised her index finger -

"When intelligence is put into use, not only will the party harmed by the intelligence suffer losses, but the party that actively uses the intelligence to launch a surprise attack will also suffer a backlash due to the exposure of the intelligence. Just like a Kecleon in stealth mode trying to use a move on an enemy, its own hidden position will be exposed the moment the move is used. Even if the opponent is damaged, its intelligence advantage will be completely lost. Therefore, before issuing the next command, the trainer commanding Kecleon will inevitably weigh the maintenance of information advantage against taking the initiative. If the power of the attack is not significant, it is better to keep Kecleon in stealth mode and respond to all changes by remaining unchanged."

"Is the very existence of intelligence itself a form of important intelligence?"

Hayden frowned. Although the metaphor of the dragon turning into a ghost was very difficult to understand, he had vaguely realized the flaws in his logic.

"Yes, that's exactly right." Miss Officer Jenny nodded repeatedly.

From Hayden Pharmaceuticals' perspective, its past entanglements with Galaxy Group are undoubtedly a stain that is difficult to wash away.

When this weakness is exploited by an unknown business rival, you'll naturally feel like you're sitting on a thorn in your side. However, conversely...

From the other side's perspective, this secret obtained from Team Galactic is nothing more than a piece of bland, tasteless bliss that's hard to discard. Even if it can be used to threaten someone, it would also expose the fact that their company had ties to Team Galactic.

Under Hayden's increasingly grim expression, Officer Jenny continued to make her unbridled assertion: "Therefore, under such a state of mutual restraint, they would not casually bring the android head into this building, much less carry out such a bizarre so-called 'framing'."

"You know, Champion Zhulan and I only happened to visit this Forest Mansion today. If we hadn't been there, there wouldn't even be any need for an investigation. Mr. Hayden, you could simply bury this head with blood streaming from its neck right here. Or even better, just throw it into that stinking cesspool of sewage, destroying the evidence and leaving no trace. And you could also compile a list of suspicious companies with motives based on the recent business situation, taking precautions in advance. Wouldn't that completely negate the intelligence advantage your business rival originally possessed?"

They had absolutely no motive to do such a thing!

Hayden's face turned pale, while Officer Jenny pressed on, "Therefore, in conclusion, Professor Medan and Director Hayden, you two have been vying to provide misleading testimony regarding this android head, which is clearly a sign of something to hide. Based on my deduction, you two must have known the secret all along!"

"Oh dear, Officer Jenny, you say I'm not a master liar, but you yourself are quite the expert at confusing right and wrong."

A cold, dry laugh rang out behind Mr. Hayden, and the thin figure of Mei Dan, the owner of the mansion, emerged like a shadow from the shadow of Manager A Ying.

"It's absolutely ridiculous! We were just offering you some guesses, and how did it become a malicious attempt to mislead you? And what do you mean by 'having a guilty conscience'? Hahahaha! Little girl!"

"I see your bluffing as a sign of something to hide, doesn't it?"

The expressions of all sorts of provocative people changed on the old man Mei Dan's face like a revolving lantern, and his words were full of sarcasm and ridicule, which was astonishing.

No wonder it has become a popular trend online.

However, Officer Jenny had already seen through the old man's true nature hidden beneath the mask, and her gaze towards Medan held a hint of pity—"Master Medan, when you're feeling guilty or fearful, you can't help but utter such exaggerated and arrogant words, can you?"

A deathly silence fell over the mansion.

Suddenly, a hysterical, loud laugh rang out. In the enclosed mansion, the old man's voice, like the "echo" attack of a sonic monster, relentlessly assaulted everyone's eardrums.

"Me? Feeling guilty?"

With a shrill laugh, the owner of Meidan pointed to her wrinkled face. "I am Meidan, who dares to point my finger at the gods and curse them! I have no respect for authority, I slander the gods and ancestors, and I don't even care about my own life! And today, you, a mere little girl who hasn't even grown up yet, dare to mock me for having a guilty conscience? Hahaha!"

This is utterly absurd, ridiculous, and shameless! A mere scary model—who knows who put it here? What does it have to do with me? I tried to help you out, and now I'm the one being suspected. Ha, I should have just kept quiet and watched your performance, like Neil and the others. Fine, then I'll ask you something too!

Why did this accident happen on the very day you two were setting up my mansion? Why, as police officers and champions, did you sneak around someone else's house like that? Why, when it was clearly someone else's private matter, did you interrogate them like criminals? Why did no one answer Mei Dan's incessant questions? Officer Jenny and Orchid had already explained those questions to everyone before the incident; Mei Dan's questions were merely a distraction. Unfortunately,

At this moment, the Mori Mansion was not a venue for academic debate. The old man's eagerness to defend himself became the best evidence of his guilty conscience.

Zhu Lan had originally planned to ask Mei Dan some questions about the flaws she had just discovered, but given the current situation, those questions were no longer necessary.

Anyone who saw Mei Dan's furious and exasperated expression and heard her increasingly scathing and sarcastic remarks would instantly understand Officer Jenny's seemingly profound pronouncement.

He was getting anxious.

"What's wrong with you guys? Say something! Can't you see this bastard in a police uniform here, blindfolded and making baseless accusations against someone? Isn't that our Sinnoh Champion? Aren't you going to stand up for justice?"

Zhu Lan politely turned her gaze elsewhere and did not respond.

"Alright, alright, Medan, there's no need to explain anymore," Mr. Hayden said, putting his hand on his old classmate's shoulder to comfort him.

The latter snorted coldly, tilted his shoulder, and mercilessly flung Hayden's hand off his shoulder, his voice truly stopping there.

Finally, persuaded by his friend, the old man walked to a distant part of the lobby on the first floor and stopped getting involved in the discussion of the incident.

"Please get some rest. I have some things to ask you later." Officer Jenny bowed apologetically to Medan in the distance, then turned back to the group, awkwardly trying to smooth things over in a low voice.

"It can be embarrassing when your true nature is discovered by others. But please rest assured, apart from our investigation into the Galactic Cluster and the clues to the ancient ruins, we will not disclose anything that happens here to the outside world."

"Sigh, although I had a feeling this way, I never thought Dad would actually do it—"

Vinnie, who had come with Medan, clutched her chest and said with lingering fear.

Taking advantage of Mei Dan's sullen walk to the side, the girl quietly asked Officer Jenny, "Miss Officer Jenny, how did you discover my father's temperament?"

"While piecing together the clues, I searched online for your father's past speech videos, not just the ones that caused the trouble, but also the complete recordings of the original academic debates. I discovered that whenever Mr. Mei Dan faced arguments from theists with particularly strong evidence, he would speak in an exceptionally excited tone. At first, I thought it was a display of his fighting spirit, but after watching the whole thing, I realized that those moments of exaggerated excitement were all points where Mei Dan's debating style began to decline. Arguments that were initially advantageous would become evenly matched after his initial barrage of attacks; in situations where the two sides were evenly matched, once Mei Dan launched a counterattack, the debate would begin to falter; while when the old gentleman maintained his composure and spoke eloquently..."

His atheistic theory, on the contrary, seems much more logical and reliable.

The battle actually turned against them as their momentum grew, which only shows that their high morale was nothing but a false encouragement. Ironically, many years after the debate, these very moments of hysteria attracted attention, were edited together and widely circulated, and aroused resentment.

"That's how it was when the curator and the champion of Bamboo Orchid first met," Officer Jenny added.

"Even though the two had never met before, and Miss Zhulan was quite approachable, and didn't offer any direct rebuttal to the professor's critique of theism, Master Meidan still couldn't help but make sarcastic and barbed remarks towards her. At first, I thought this might be due to Master Meidan's arrogant personality triggering a sense of rejection, but it's also strange. If Mr. Meidan had always been this proud and arrogant, how could he have maintained such a long-lasting friendship with his successful old classmate and investor—people with such a significant difference in status? Meidan didn't feel oppressed in this friendship, and you didn't dislike Meidan because of his personality."

"This is probably what people commonly call a 'karmic entanglement'," Hayden said.

"No, Director Hayden, just like the truth about that head, you should know it in your heart, right? Miss Vinnie has already seen through Medan's hypocritical nature. His arrogance and stubbornness are not his true nature. I think it's more like a baring of teeth against a threat, trying to use his intimidation to make his opponent back down."

Just as the rainwing moth flaunts its enormous, pupil-like wings when facing a predator, Officer Jenny silently added in her mind.

"Threat - so according to you, Miss Officer Jenny, even during the period of fighting against theists, Father wasn't always so confident in his theories?"

Vinnie looked at the thin, hunched figure in the distance and felt that her father seemed to have aged even more, and looked rather pitiful.

"That's almost inevitable," said Zhu Lan.

"Throughout history, modern science has tried every means to deconstruct the concept of gods. However, the more we study it, the more endless contradictions lie between the real world and the fog of agnosticism, leaving us sighing in despair."

What happened in the very first second of the world? How does time flow? How does space converge? What exists on the other side of the universe? Are there life forms like us on planets in outer space? How did humans and Pokémon come into being?

What do the eighteen distinct attributes represent? From which part of their bodies do the spirits derive their energy? How did the atmosphere, ocean currents, ice fields, and mountains on our planet become what they are today? What stories do the fossils beneath the rock strata tell? How did those ancient dynasties quietly vanish? Can the legends and stories passed down to this day be traced back to their origins? With our modern science and reason, if we set aside the unfathomable mysticism, can we truly fully explain this world?

"Is it possible?" Vinnie, who was still in school, was full of curiosity about the answer to this question.

"There's nothing we can do about it." This time, it was Hayden, the founder of the pharmaceutical company, who answered. "While tireless research can certainly explain some things, it's like expanding outwards from the inside of a perfect circle. With each new breakthrough, the circumference of the circle increases, and the unknown territories facing humanity expand even further. To fully understand the truth of the world—it's almost impossible."

"This is why atheism is declining and theistic theories are taking the lead in the world today," Zhu Lan nodded.

"Scientific research is different from religious superstition. We cannot definitively accept a conclusion before obtaining empirical results. Even with the simplest and most obvious theories, we must walk alongside skepticism. This is even more true for the topic of whether or not gods exist. On one hand, there is the simple and clear universal answer like 'God created the world,' and on the other hand, there are endless and unsolvable problems. If you were in that situation, which theory would you lean towards?"

The atheist's daughter opened her mouth slightly, but ultimately remained silent.

"Sigh," Hayden sighed, glancing at Medan, who had turned her back, and then at the android head on the chair in the reception room, as if he had made up his mind.

"Miss Officer Jenny, it seems it's time we were honest with each other."

"Wait a minute." Officer Jenny, with a distrustful expression, stopped the hesitant company director and said sternly, "Mr. Hayden, don't rush to lie. We don't have time to listen to you fabricate another story to your advantage. Let me ask you a few questions."

"Sure, ask whatever you want. There's nothing to hide now anyway."

Hayden sat in the chair that Ah Ying pushed over, closed his eyes, and acted like a carefree bachelor.

"I see you're hiding quite a bit," Officer Jenny muttered under her breath, then asked seriously, "First and foremost, the most crucial question: Did you and Medan already know about the existence of this head model, or perhaps you even created it yourself?"

Hayden kept his eyes closed, looking somewhat embarrassed and unsure how to answer.

"If you feel you can't explain it in detail, please answer with a nod or a shake of your head," Officer Jenny said.

"What kind of intellectual game is this?" Hayden gave a wry smile and pondered for a moment. Then, his neatly combed gray hair dropped heavily downwards.

"Was this bionic head originally part of a larger humanoid structure?"

nod.

"Can that android move like a normal human?"

Director Hayden hesitated, unsure whether to nod or shake his head.

"You mean, sometimes it can act, and sometimes it can't?"

nod.

"It needs a specific thing to help it function. And that thing is a Pokémon."

He nodded twice.

"That Pokémon is Rotom, the same Rotom that was trapped in the wall by the Icewalker's 'Light Screen.' It was trying to get through the electrical wires buried in the concrete wall!"

Hesitantly, Hayden finally nodded, even opening his eyes to add, "I think that's how it is."

"Can that Rotom leave the body it possesses freely?"

"How is that possible? Even Rotom in the Pokédex or Rotom on your phone requires special equipment to switch states."

"So, does that mean you've stuffed a Rotom into an android's body?" Officer Jenny jumped up in surprise. Cynthia and Venusa also looked at the android head resembling a member of Team Galactic with astonishment.

"You can think that way."

Officer Jenny was now beyond furious; she felt that even if it were a joke, what she was witnessing was far too much.

"What 'android head'? It's just an android head!"

Director Hayden didn't know how to answer this seemingly pointless question, so he could only continue to nod silently, following the previous rules of the game.