Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 398 A Person Who Befriends Justice

Chapter 400 A Person Who Befriends Justice

Guided by the nurse, Hugo and Lianwu successfully found the private room where Morikawa was located.

Upon opening the door, the scene that came into view was the victim having her gauze changed with the assistance of a nursing doctor.

Upon seeing Hugo and his companion, who had left just hours earlier, Morikawa became visibly agitated, his breathing becoming rapid.

Before the patient's movements could affect his injuries, the detective preemptively explained, "Mr. Morikawa, the police investigation has made significant progress. We have located the hostages, and we should be able to rescue your wife and daughter soon."

With his question defused in advance, Morikawa opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words, like a Roaring Bomb that had just evolved and whose temper hadn't yet become volatile.

Under the reproachful gaze of the attending physician, Detective Hugo slowly sat down beside the hospital bed: "I came here today to learn more details related to the case, which will help the police to successfully rescue the hostages."

The doctor skillfully bandaged the last layer of gauze on Morikawa's left hand and signed his name in a scribbled manner on the nursing record.

He seemed to want to stay in the ward longer, and was about to say something when Lian Wu blocked his way like a wall: "Sorry,"

We need some private space.

As the door closed softly, and there was no one else nearby, Hugo immediately took out his phone and showed the screen to Morikawa—"First of all," the Unova Champion's tone turned serious, "Do you have any recollection of this car?"

The screen showed a bread truck parked in the sand. Apart from the license plate being deliberately removed, it seemed to have nothing special about it.

"This car?" Morikawa's eyes widened in confusion. As a driver employed by the Alliance, he was familiar with various car models. "This is a light van produced in Hoenn Kanaz City. It's an old model from ten years ago, which was particularly popular in the early days of Unova—uh, does this have anything to do with my kidnapped wife and daughter?"

Your wife may have been tied up in the trunk of this car—Hugo didn't directly say anything that might worry the injured person, but simply continued showing the photos on his phone with a blank expression—"In your memory, has anyone you know well driven this kind of car—this gray Toyota van?"

"Hmm—" Morikawa scratched his hair with his uninjured hand, "None of my current neighbors drive this kind of car. But—a few of my colleagues do have this model at home."

"Colleagues? Could they also be staff members of the Alliance headquarters?" Lian Wu, who was watching the conversation, frowned even more, and Sen Chuan, who was being stared at by him, shrank his neck in fear.

"I... I'm just telling the truth. What exactly do you want to ask these questions for?"

Hugo raised his hand to calm the Fighting-type Elite Four member down. He then reassured the injured man, "It's just routine questioning. By the way, do you know any colleagues in the league who are close to your family?"

Morikawa had a bad feeling, but facing Hugo and Lianwu's gazes, he could only bite the bullet and answer, "I don't have any colleagues I'm that close to. But if we're talking about people I know personally, the vehicle management department once organized a department-wide outing. As for acquaintances who are only met once, maybe everyone has some—"

"Thank you for your cooperation." Hugo hurriedly stood up and, just like last time, led Lian Wu out of the ward.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" the patient suddenly shouted at the detective, "Was that the car the kidnapper drove? Do you think the person who kidnapped my wife and daughter is my colleague?"

"We're just gathering clues. That gray car is a common model, after all. Even if your colleague has driven the same car, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. The perpetrator could have just rented or even stolen someone else's car." The detective didn't turn around, but left these words as he went out.

"Rescuing the hostages is our primary objective. Who the criminal is is not important at this stage. Mr. Morikawa, please take good care of yourself. The United States will still need your efforts in the future."

As they left the ward, Lian Wu finally couldn't hold back any longer. He quickly blocked the champion's path: "Hugo, according to what Morikawa just said, are there really other traitors within the league?"

"At this point, even if I said no, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"

Hugo shrugged, his voice almost cruelly calm. "My suspicions stem not only from the unusual location of the kidnapping but also from the airport bombing—you tell me, besides members of the Alliance, who else would target the car carrying Carlos's visitors? How did the perpetrator know the entire itinerary? How did they time the explosion down to the second? How did they obtain the driver's and his family's addresses and phone numbers beforehand?"

Lian Wu fell silent, his fists clenched tightly. The corridor lights cast a deep shadow on his resolute face.

"You seem disappointed with the current state of the United States Alliance, but in a sense, this situation was inevitable." The detective's words continued to reach his ears.

"With the Plasma Group spreading and growing among the people, there's no reason why such a large organization wouldn't extend its tentacles to higher positions, and the Alliance's grassroots employees are clearly the group that will be most affected in the entire pyramid."

No matter how accurate the analysis, it cannot conceal the fact that the league has already weakened.

Lian Wu once believed that the Plasma Team was extremely lacking in high-end combat power compared to the United States League. Even if the lack of fighting spirit of the Alder Champion did not make a move, as long as the four Elite Four members were in charge, the League's position would still be as solid as a rock. But what about now?

Can his fists continue to uphold this "justice" for the United States?

"Bang."

Lost in thought, a muffled thud suddenly sounded in front of him.

Lian Wu looked down and saw the detective's fist smash into his chest.

The hard knuckles pressed against the training clothes. Although the force of this punch was as light as a feather according to Lianwu's standards, it seemed to transmit a heat.

"Even if you're a martial arts master, don't forget," the current champion said with an undeniable tone, "what you're seeing now is merely a few isolated cases within the phenomenon."

"What do you mean?"

"Unlike the atrocities of conspirators, 'justice' doesn't swagger through the streets. This doesn't mean it has disappeared or diminished, but rather that it's too mild and widespread to react effectively to sudden acts of evil."

Hugo slowly withdrew his fist and calmly straightened the cuffs of his white coat, which were slightly disheveled from the punch.

His movements were unhurried, as if the punch he had just thrown was just a joke between friends.

"Even if we take the most serious recent betrayal incident, the scandal involving Vice President Lionel, the reason that incident was able to be resolved smoothly afterward and not cause too much loss to the Alliance was precisely because of the full support of the United Alliance Chairman and the other three Vice Chairmen. If any of their four high-ranking officials had fully supported Team Plasma like Lionel, the subsequent impact of the scandal would have been far more devastating and severe—but the United Alliance did not fall into such a predicament."

The champion's face displayed a confident smile that was in no way inferior to that of Aldridge back in the day.

"The same principle applies to the lower levels," he continued.

"Whether it's one traitor or two, has the United States ever implemented tyrannical laws or oppressive measures in its treatment of its employees and the public? If we believe we haven't, then we can confidently stand tall—haha, the United States even organizes trips for the drivers' families. Do you really think that many people would choose to betray the United States and join this evil organization that spreads lies and misleads the public under such treatment?"

Ignoring Guan Lianwu's reaction, Hugo strode off toward the stairs at the end of the corridor.

"We don't have that many enemies. Compared to Team Plasma, the Alliance actually has more people and more power."

The champion's voice came from ahead.

"If you don't believe it, then take a look at our next investigation. There must still be clues left on that gray car that even the driver himself didn't notice, and the analysis center also needs to investigate the movements of all Alliance employees this morning—these are two huge projects, involving dozens of departments and hundreds or even thousands of people working with us. Nothing illustrates what 'unity of many' means better than that scene."

If immoral people can form a force when they come together, then honest people should do the same.