Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 371 Epilogue - Aftermath

Chapter 373 Epilogue - Aftermath

As dusk fell, the spherical operating platform slowly emerged from the sea amidst the white waves. The glass reflected the setting sun, and at first glance, it resembled a pearl spat out by the ocean.

Elite Four member Genji opened the transparent hatch, lifted the badly worn Poké Ball, and retrieved Kingdra, which was still manipulating the ocean currents outside the platform, back into the Poké Ball. The red light emitted as the Poké Ball closed traced a fleeting path on the sea surface.

"The files inside have been completely taken away," the old captain shouted to Detective Hugo on the shore, his voice booming through the waves. "Besides those complicated instruments and equipment, not a single suspicious item was found."

"Was it moved?"

Hugo muttered something, then spread his arms wide, making a clear "Y" sign to Genji to indicate that he could go ashore.

His gaze pierced through the glass, scrutinizing the peculiar device that had once been used to repeatedly stimulate the energy of the Arceus Slab.

"Well, that makes sense. After all, since Team Lava started large-scale base construction, these devices used to catalyze the growth of Aya-shrooms have become obsolete. Given Crimson Pine's shrewdness, it's impossible for him to leave the precious stone tablets here any longer."

"Where are these damn stone slabs now?"

2

Genji jumped onto the shore made of red fungal caps, the fungal carpet sinking slightly into the soles of his boots, making a soft, springy sound.

"I should have thought of this sooner, but it's not too late now." Hugo shook his head and said, "The one in charge of monitoring Crimson Pine now should be Elite Four member, right? Let him check the Pokémon carried by that organization leader."

Genji frowned: "The stone slab is on the Crimson Flame Pine?"

"Since the sea base is about to be abandoned, there's no point in hiding the stone tablet somewhere on Ayam Island anymore. And given Crimson's personality, he's more likely to use the item to enhance his own Pokémon's strength than to entrust it to his fleeing subordinates—after all, the leader needs to stay behind to cover the retreating team."

At this point, the detective's smile deepened. Bringing so many people to the island was indeed an absolutely correct decision—"That Lava Team leader probably never imagined that he, who had laid so many traps and backup plans on the island, would be captured by the Alliance during the rearguard action."

The search results did not deviate from the detective's expectations once again.

Among the Pokémon that Crimson Mist has been holding, Cranberry found the hidden Emerald Slate and Toxic Slate on Torkoal and Weezing respectively.

"Daigo really had a tough time back then."

Looking at the two ancient stone slabs placed on the table, the gambler who came out of the detention cell shrugged and said.

"On one hand, we have to deal with the Dynamaxed Drednaw, and on the other hand, we have to deal with the interference from Pokémon carrying these items. If I remember correctly, Red Flame also has a Camerupt that can Mega Evolve, right?"

"Ordinary Pokémon cannot unleash the true power of the Stone. Even Weezing, with its matching type, is limited, let alone Torkoal holding a Grass-type Stone. Even with the boost from the Emerald Stone, it can only truly shine under sunny skies."

It's just a matter of using a few more, more powerful "sunbeams."

Hugo picked up the two stone slabs on the table and expertly flipped them over and over to check their authenticity.

On the other side, Bilberry couldn't help but glance sideways: "That's a highly poisonous slab! Didn't you say it killed two poison experts? Won't it cause problems to just touch it like that?"

"Although the energy buried in the Arceus Slab is enormous, its structure is very stable."

The detective, unconcerned, held the stone slab up to the light to check its translucency—"When we found the Dragon Stone Slab last time..."

He doesn't have that much authority. Although he still has to hand it over to the league later, it's quite an accomplishment to have had some fun with it now.

"Don't worry. These stone slabs are safe. Without a madman like Acromantula stirring things up, it's impossible for them to cause an anomaly of the scale of Agaric. As for when they're not worn by Pokémon, they pose even less of a threat to humans."

Look at the Unova League champion casually playing with the two dangerous items, while the Dark Elite Four member's expression still shows worry.

The detective, however, boldly tapped the two stone slabs together, but nothing unusual happened. This was to be expected, as the legendary Arceus was said to carry eighteen stone slabs on his body every day. If any two of them were to come into contact with each other, they would explode or cause some kind of anomaly. Where would that god's reputation be?

"But the locations of the Arceus Slabs are often accompanied by some strange natural wonders. Just like when the ice-based icicle slabs were discovered on the twin islands of Kanto, people saw a huge, bottomless ice cave nearby. Detective Hugo, how do you explain such phenomena?"

A gentle voice came from outside the door, and Daigo, dressed in a well-tailored suit, walked into the room, looking at the two stone slabs in Hugo's hands with great interest.

"Is the Alliance ship transporting the Lava Team prisoners finally arriving?"

Hugo put down the stone slab, suppressing his playful mood, and asked.

"Yes, the first escort ships should arrive in the nearby waters before sunset. This area is remote, and we wanted to request assistance from Interpol, but they are busy with other cases. Therefore, the Hoenn Alliance has to take full responsibility, which has caused some delays."

The Hoenn champion stood across the table from the detective and spoke apologetically.

"No, no, this speed is already quite remarkable." Hugo quickly waved his hand. "To be able to react so quickly within the league's procedures, Champion Daigo, you must have used the power of Devon Corporation, right?"

"Leaving that aside, what were Mr. Hugo's thoughts on the unusual phenomena that often accompanied the discovery of stone slabs?"

Daigo coughed lightly, casually changing the subject.

"I think it's just a purely natural phenomenon, like water dripping on a stone."

Without hesitation, Hugo pointed to the emerald green stone slab and said, "Like this grass-attribute stone slab, if it were scattered in some patch of soil on land, its effect in the short term would only be to make the grass in less than one square meter grow more lush—but what if we extend that timeframe to decades or even centuries?"

"Will it expand into a forest?" Daigo guessed. "The ever-growing plants will accumulate a lot of humus, eventually making the soil in a large area fertile. But that alone shouldn't be considered a spectacle."

"You're overlooking the Pokémon factor. In my opinion, it will create a vast sea of ​​trees."

Hugo raised his finger and shook it from side to side.

"Fertile soil attracts Oddish and Mushroom, while lush lawns and trees attract Bug-type Pokémon."

Then, they will attract more creatures such as forest lizards and giant carnivores, forming a complete ecological cycle.

The Emerald Slate, an inexhaustible source of energy, helps these Pokémon survive droughts and harsh winters over countless years. The presence of these Pokémon further enriches the forest's energy reserves, ultimately causing the forest you described to outcompete other ecosystems whose stability is frequently compromised by Pokémon migrations triggered by disasters. This results in the forest becoming a unique ecological landscape in the region.

"And this still doesn't take into account the possibility that the stone tablet has been claimed by a legendary Pokémon," the detective added. "If a powerful Pokémon were to get involved, the scale of the phenomenon would be even larger."

"I see." Champion Daigo nodded in agreement. "That makes perfect sense. Anything rich in energy will inevitably affect its surroundings; it's just a matter of sooner or later."

At this point, the young master of the Devon company stopped talking.

Hugo noticed his concern and bluntly pointed it out: "Is Champion Daigo worried about the impact of the Ayakashi on the nearby ecosystem?"

The Hoenn champion sighed softly, his lapis lazuli-like eyes dimming slightly. "There was once an extremely serious failed project in the Hoenn region. An energy company that was once on par with Devon Corporation originally planned to build a huge underwater energy extraction platform in the waters near Hoenn, but it was eventually halted due to the environmental problems that the project might cause. The company went bankrupt as a result, which in turn led to even more serious social problems."

"Are you referring to the Corydalis incident?" Hugo, who frequently reads newspapers, was familiar with these past events; the company seemed to be called Da Zi Dong Corporation.

"I remember that although the project was abandoned, before the facilities were demolished, someone discovered that the place had a unique ecological environment, so it was preserved as a nature reserve. Now it has become a tourist attraction with special scenery, and it is also regarded as a beautiful story."

"It was just a temporary crisis management tactic to divert attention from the main issue at the time."

The heir of Devon Corporation shook his head. So many years had passed, and the company involved was still Devon Corporation's former rival; there was clearly no point in keeping it a secret. "The reason that abandoned facility could blend harmoniously into the local ecosystem is largely because that seabed energy extraction platform was never officially put into operation. In fact, according to today's scientific investigation, if that project were to begin large-scale extraction of seabed resources, it would inevitably lead to extremely serious chemical pollution and ecosystem damage, and might even completely alter the underground structure of that sea area—this is not a problem that can be taken lightly, especially for the Hoenn region, which is frequently affected by earthquakes and tsunamis."

"Are you worried that this 'little guy' might cause similar problems?" The gambler next to him tapped the ground with his toe.

"Emotionally, I don't want to see Agaric as an environmental hazard, but it is, after all, the result of illegal organizations in the Hoenn region, and as the Champion, I need to take responsibility for it," Daigo said solemnly.

"Based on Mr. Hugo's previously published reasoning, this Pokémon's ability has changed from 'Regeneration,' which causes it to continuously grow larger, to 'Spore,' which actively releases spores into the environment. No one can predict the chain reaction that will ultimately lead to. In the worst-case scenario, it could even breed the apocalyptic virus imagined by those two toxicologists. I know this is nothing short of a fantasy, but regardless, leaving this Awful here for an extended period..."

Waiting for it to wither and die on its own is clearly not a reasonable approach.

"What should we do now?" The Dark Elite Four member shifted his gaze to the champion of his own league.

Speaking of which, Aurora is originally a Pokémon from the Unova region, and it was brought to this sea area by members of an illegal organization in the Unova region called Acrom. In terms of responsibility and obligation, Hugo, the new champion of the Unova region, is also inseparable from it.

Following the gazes of the two people in the room, the detective's expression remained unchanged.

So what do you want to do about this tragic and enormous life that has become a sacrifice for the Lava Team's experiments? Hugo didn't voice these harsh dilemmas, because he had already prepared a solution for the situation.

"This matter is not difficult to resolve. Just like the nature reserve that was preserved in the case of the Corydalis, even if it is called a stopgap measure to cover up the truth, at least this Aiya Mushroom still has a chance to be reborn."

Hugo sat down in a chair at the table and said in a relaxed tone, 1

"In fact, Karuni, Pachira, and Miss Fenglu have already begun preparations for this."

"I remember those ladies went towards the cell tower," Yueju said thoughtfully. "What are you planning to do?"

"Just wait and see. This method of handling things might be a bit shocking, and it can only be carried out after all the Lava Team prisoners have been escorted onto the ship," Detective Hugo said, leaning back in his chair with a confident expression.

On the sea horizon outside the window, the tower-shaped comb of the Alliance escort ship was already faintly visible.