Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 400 The Road is Nothing But Hesitation

Chapter 402 The Road is Nothing But Hesitation

The air in the data analytics center was thick with the mingled scents of coffee and anxiety.

"The photos sent by Gym Leader Iris have been compared, and the roly-poly toad in the family photo album matches the one in the picture!"

"We found the product number on the Poké Ball fragment, and the supply chain points to the department store in Twin Dragons City. The batch is from five years ago—it's almost certain that it was the Poké Ball that Mrs. Morikawa used when she adopted the Bumblebee."

"The Alliance's Human Resources Department has reported that they have completed the headcount for the Alliance's vehicle management department. This includes Morikawa Shigeaki."

Nine employees were absent due to leave in lieu of leave, personal leave, or sick leave. Of the remaining employees still working on the front lines, four cannot be reached temporarily; according to the HR department, they may be busy with other tasks and unable to be contacted.

"The search along the entrance to the Champion's Road has covered the first layer of the mountain path, but no trace of the kidnappers has been found so far."

News about the kidnapping case keeps coming in, and it's mostly developing in a positive direction.

As the commander-in-chief of the rescue operation, Deputy Director Jun Sha paced anxiously in front of the makeshift projection screen.

On the projection screen, the red dots representing the League Police had blocked all the entrances and exits of the Champion Road like a fishing net, but the progress of the various reconnaissance teams in exploring the cave was quite slow, with almost every team being hindered by powerful Pokémon along the way.

The only thing that broke through rapidly was the purple mark at the very top of the screen.

The light spot representing the location of Iris's phone, the leader of the Ottoman City Gym, is currently rushing towards the depths of Victory Road. However, the news she brings is not optimistic—there may be an underground river leading to the outside world hidden deep within Victory Road, and the Pokémon of the hostage's mother was forcibly released by the kidnappers along the way of this underground river. This means that the kidnappers may have found other secret passages to escape Victory Road.

"No, I think Alice has gone the wrong way."

A familiar voice appeared behind the overwhelmed Officer Jenny; it was Hugo, the champion, who had recently been arguing with the league's personnel department.

He walked around the long table to Officer Jenny and said, "Look at the report Alice sent. This cave leading to the underground river is so narrow that even a single person can hardly pass through. How could the kidnappers with two hostages possibly get through?"

Officer Jenny's brow furrowed: "How do you explain the rolling bat and the Poké Ball fragment next to it? Iris's Hydreigon did detect human presence at the cave entrance."

"The fact that someone was active at the cave entrance doesn't mean that anyone ever passed through there." Champion Hugo tapped his fingertips on the table. "Whydreigon, both before and after its evolution, is a ferocious predatory Pokémon. Although it can track its prey, it cannot finely distinguish the subtle differences between scents. I tend to think that the rolling bat flew to the vicinity of the underground river on its own, which is why it was caught by a wild Pokémon."

What's the basis for your judgment?

Officer Jenny wasn't convinced by the detective. After all, the fragments of the Bumblebee Poké Ball were scattered nearby, which was irrefutable evidence that someone had forcibly released them there.

"The existence of the Poké Ball proves that the kidnapper was never there," Hugo said confidently. "That place is the Toad King's lair, and that wild Pokémon was still full of energy before its battle with Iris, clearly indicating that it hadn't directly confronted the kidnapper. How could the kidnapper have been near the waterway?"

"So the shattered Poké Ball was—"

"According to research by some Unova ecologists, many abandoned Pokémon linger near their release sites for extended periods, even carefully guarding their former Poké Balls. The Wriggle may be one such example; after being released at the entrance of the tunnel, it retrieved its Poké Ball, and then, for some reason..."

Hugo walked to the screen, stroking his chin thoughtfully: "It's possible that the kidnappers' further driving forced it to fly towards the waterway, where it was then hunted by the Toad King. The Poké Ball was also completely destroyed in the process."

Officer Jenny's brow furrowed even more deeply: "According to your logic, did Miss Alice take a wrong turn during the pursuit?"

"To be precise, it took an extra turn." Hugo raised his hand and cast a shadow on the map. "The kidnappers traveled back and forth along the same fork in the road twice, leaving behind an unusually strong human presence."

"So that's why the three-headed dragon found its way here?"

"That's right. Think about it, the location for releasing the Pokémon must be far away from the hostages, but there's no need to get lost in a maze of side roads, turning every corner. Taking a safe distance is the most reasonable choice."

The detective's lips suddenly curled into a smile: "However, Alice actually holds a more reliable 'key' now."

"The key?" Officer Jenny was puzzled for a moment, then realized, "You mean that rolling bat?"

As a Pokémon that inhabits dark caves, the Wriggle can emit precise ultrasonic waves from its nostrils to detect its environment—making it far more efficient at finding people than Hydreigon, which relies on its sense of smell. Not to mention that Iris is looking for its former trainer this time.

"It seems Alice has figured out what to do." Hugo's smile deepened as he watched the purple dot on the screen begin to turn back. "Look, she's changing direction."

"Rolling bats, this is the right road, isn't it?"

In the dark cave of Victory Road, Alice carefully carried the injured Rolling Bat, darting swiftly between the rock walls. The little creature with the broken wing was now guiding her with ultrasonic waves—compared to relying on the three-headed dragon to track the faint scent before, she finally had a clear target.

The hostage was just ahead and had stopped moving, which meant that only one final stretch of definite distance remained between her and her target.

"This is indeed the route the kidnappers took," the young gym leader wrinkled her nose, the lingering smell of insect repellent in the air confirming her judgment.

She deftly scrambled over a pile of rubble blocking her path, and a few faintly glowing crystals in the distance caught her attention.

By the faint light, she could make out that she was in a wide space covered with dense ferns.

"Where to go next?" the girl whispered to the creature in her arms. The bat struggled to open its pink nose, even though its injured wings had rendered it unable to fly after the Toad King's "Rock Slide" attack.

But it still persisted in fanning itself a few times.

"You mean, to the left of the glowing area?"

Because the kidnappers might not have left yet, Alice moved with extreme caution. She first looked around warily, and after confirming there were no ambushes, she cautiously approached step by step, clutching the Haxorus Poké Ball tightly in her hand.

Seemingly not hearing a sound, and with only a few steps left to her target, Alice gritted her teeth and instantly shot towards the light source like an arrow.

As the light grew brighter, the girl suddenly turned to the left, parting the layers of vegetation but finding no enemy. Instead, she saw a disheveled woman lying unconscious in a corner, her face streaked with tears that were faintly visible in the dim light.

"Ugh!"

Suddenly, the rolling bat broke free from Alice's grasp and fell to the ground with a "thud" like a ball of fluff.

Ignoring its injured wing, it struggled desperately to crawl toward its trainer, leaving a shallow trail on the ground.