Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 307 The Solution – The Mystery of the Truth's Mechanism

Chapter 309 The Solution – The Mystery of the Truth's Mechanism

"It's really unbelievable—"

After a rambling explanation, Professor Medan was no longer as dejected as before, and Hayden visibly relaxed, casually asking the champion—

"Is it really possible for someone to defeat Arceus, who is said to have created this world, with only ten Pokémon? I've never heard of such a rumor. Could it be something you made up in that ancient book you have?"

"Many of the poems and articles in this document are indeed being discovered for the first time, but the records about the ten Pokémon of ancient heroes are by no means unfounded."

The mythologist turned the pages again.

The ten Pokémon that followed the ancient heroes leave a responsibility to their descendants—a promise passed down through generations.

People come to the battlefield and set out offerings of blood as a way of repaying the Pokémon.

Freshly picked delicacies and clear, pure water are symbols of endless gratitude.

"At least until the Sinnoh region completely transforms into a densely populated modern society, the descendants of those ten Pokémon will still bear responsibilities."

They play a guardian-like role on this land.

Zhu Lan patiently explained—

"Rumors and ghost stories tend to spread widely with population migration. But real things are often properly hidden for practical reasons."

As he spoke, the Sinnoh Champion glanced meaningfully at Officer Jenny beside him. This matter was indeed related to the Sinnoh League's intelligence agency.

"To put it simply, it's just a little bit of information control. The descendants of those hero Pokémon once protected the residents of the Sinnoh region, so after the Sinnoh League was established, it's only natural that we should try to help them live a peaceful and tranquil life."

Officer Jenny scratched her head and began to explain.

"In this matter, all we did was review the local media reports and have those with relevant information sign a few confidentiality agreements. These are all very ordinary and normal procedures. Think about it, in this day and age, what would happen if it suddenly became known that a region was inhabited by a powerful Pokémon capable of rivaling legendary Pokémon?"

"There will probably be a huge swarm of overconfident trainers who will try to disturb that Pokémon's peaceful life."

Professor Medan glanced at his assistant Neil and said dismissively,

The latter bowed his head shyly.

Indeed, if he knew such news, he would definitely become one of those overconfident trainers.

"So, all the descendants of these legendary elves are under the control of the Sinnoh League?" Hayden asked.

"This is a confidential matter. No matter what the alliance controls, there's no reason to let outsiders know it casually. However—"

Officer Jenny fell into deep thought, as if she were going through some list, before she spoke, "The League does know some information about controlled entities like the descendants of heroes, but the number of these Pokémon is definitely not as many as the ten mentioned in this legend."

She scratched her cheek. "Perhaps those Pokémon migrated to places humans can't find, or maybe they were captured or their bloodline was broken. These things are quite common, Cynthia, don't you think?"

"Regarding this matter, there is still room for discussion. Based on the folklore investigation reports compiled by mythologists over many years, and by comparing them with the murals in the ruins of the temple at the top of Mount Tenguan, we can basically confirm the true identities of those ten Pokémon."

"Seriously?!" Officer Jenny, whose thirst for new information was never insatiable, widened her eyes and suddenly perked up. "Is it some latest development in mythology research?"

"That's not the case. Similar research has been done before, but the lists that were compiled were so outlandish that they were hard to believe at the time."

Then, the Sinnoh champion announced the list of those who roam freely across the boundless land, the Stunning Deer.

The heavily armored warrior from the roaring mountains, Circle Bear.

Inviting the brave perch to roam the nine netherworlds and four seas.

Effortlessly climb the steep cliffs of Makara.

The eagle embodies a tenacious spirit.

The Forest King, Scyther, wielding a black blade.

Miss Skirt, the mountain queen who dances gracefully deep in the snow-capped mountains.

Arcanine, the island king who guards the volcano.

Ice Rock Monster, the Snowfield King who defends the snow-capped mountains with an ice-armored body.

Finally, there's the grumpy and easily angered Cave King, and the mischievous Thunderbolt.

"...It's a bit hard to explain."

Neil, a gaming enthusiast, muttered to himself.

"Especially if Arceus is taken as the hypothetical opponent, wouldn't the difference in strength be a bit too great?"

"Yeah, that's right," Vinissa commented beside him. "It's like the difference between NieR's Pokémon team and Cyndaquil Champion's Roseradore."

"While it may sound a bit boastful, this is indeed the basis for many scholars' belief that this list is not credible."

The mythologist nodded, not denying the curator's daughter's idea, and continued...

"Whether it's Stunning Deer, Brave Bass, Scyther, or Electrode, these Pokémon aren't exactly outstanding in the modern competitive system."

"Of course, what we mean by 'not particularly outstanding' is just their appearance rate in the Sinnoh League tournaments; it doesn't mean these Pokémon are inferior in talent. If we don't limit our focus to the Sinnoh region, there are many Pokémon that are dedicated to training these types of Pokémon."

Trainers exist who have made every effort to unlock their talents and potential.

"Aside from combat abilities, the details shown in the list also differ slightly from the Pokémon ecosystem we are familiar with today, which also reduces the credibility of this information."

"For example, although Ursaring has a tough outer skin, as a Normal-type Pokémon, it's impossible for it to appear in the legends as a heavily armored warrior. Miss Squad is clearly a typical tropical Pokémon, so why is there a legend of her being the Queen of the Mountain Pass deep in the snowy mountains? Not to mention the climbing prowess of Weavile, the Psychic-wielding Braviary, and the Scyther wielding a giant black blade—they are simply creatures completely different from what we know."

"Ah, is that what it is?" Officer Jenny pointed to the round Pokémon in the distance.

After being brought out of the ground by Cyndaquil Champion, Raikou fell into a deep sleep under Togekiss's "yawn" and is currently being looked after by Venusaur and Gastrodon.

The champion's reason for not using a Poké Ball to capture Electrode seems to be that he's worried that if he uses a modern Poké Ball and rashly comes into contact with Electrode, which simulates an old-fashioned Poké Ball, the century-long time gap might stimulate Electrode's nerves, potentially causing an unexpected and violent reaction. Considering Electrode's tendency to self-destruct, it's best to be extremely cautious.

"Cynthia, could it be that the ten Pokémon used by the legendary heroes all had forms different from their modern counterparts? Like the difference between a Wild-type Electrode and a normal Electrode?"

The mythologist nodded approvingly: "That's exactly what I'm thinking right now. Differences in ecology between ancient and modern times have led to different abilities in the same type of Pokémon, and they may even have evolved into more unique life forms."

"This is the source of the anomaly we sensed when reading the list. Only this explanation can reasonably account for the differences between the folklore and the fragmented murals in the Sinnoh Temple, and also answer scholars' questions about the fighting strength of the hero teams. Moreover, 'moreover what?'"

Seeing that the champion of Bamboo Orchid looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated, Professor Mei Dan asked her in confusion.

"If we exclude the part about the hero challenging Arceus, even someone as nitpicky as me finds your theory quite plausible. Now, is there anything you're ashamed to admit?"

Before we knew it, we were talking about this part.

This Western-style mansion in the forest truly exudes a magical charm that makes you want to keep exploring it.

Zhu Lan sighed, as if she had made up her mind, and continued the words she had interrupted earlier: "Moreover, even the original owner of this Forest Mansion a hundred years ago, the myth collector who left behind this ancient collection of poems, firmly believed in this theory."

"That person believed with absolute certainty that the Guardian Kings scattered throughout the Sinnoh regions were descendants of Hero Pokémon that had been recognized by the Sinnoh Grand Master in the past."

The Sinnoh champion pointed to the long-gone second-floor ceiling of the Forest Mansion.

It seemed that only at this moment did everyone finally realize that, after the earthquake, all that remained above them was a huge spire supported by countless steel pillars.

"Otherwise," the blond champion said, "this person wouldn't have built such a forest mansion as a stage to imprison the descendants of heroes, and thus extort the revered Shin'o Daishin from the world to return to it."