Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 411 Traces of Falling Snow

Chapter 413 Traces of Falling Snow

Snowflake City is located in the northwest corner of the Unova region, surrounded by mountains on three sides. To the north stands the ancient Dragon Spiral Tower, and to the east is the winding Route 8, which leads to the vast Snowflake Wetlands and the surrounding forests.

Most of the city's buildings are built on higher ground, because the lower areas are damp and often teem with wild Pokémon like tuna and mudskippers swimming around the city's ponds. The windmills to the south turn slowly, providing energy for heating and adding a touch of life to this frigid city.

It was springtime, but the chill of Snow City lingered. A cold wind swept past the blue coat, causing the detective's assistant, who was on a business trip, to instinctively pull his coat tighter.

She stood at the entrance to Route 8, looking at the slightly sloping turn ahead—this was the place where Morikawa's vehicle had lost control. From afar, she could see two figures, one large and one small, standing by the streetlight at the scene of the incident.

One of them was a tundra bear covered in white fur, and the other was an assistant called in by the Alliance—a man wearing a blue mask, whose bare-armed attire stood out in the season, the cold wind making his single haori sleeve flutter loudly.

The man was looking down at the scratches on the lamppost when he heard footsteps and slowly turned around.

"Are you the detective sent by Champion Hugo?"

The man's voice was deep and steady, as if he was already used to being recognized.

"Yes, Mr. Hatchku." The girl nodded, her tone calm. "Nice to meet you. My name is Azure."

Of course she knew who he was—a household name in the Unova region, whose roles as "Hatch Cool" and "Robocop" were once wildly popular. But unlike the landlord of the Feather Residence, Azure only had a general, knowledgeable understanding of these films and TV shows; she wouldn't get particularly excited about them, nor would she deliberately pretend to be a fan.

"I'm here to investigate a case from two years ago where alliance documents were lost in a car accident. I'm very grateful for your call to assist me."

Hatchku seemed pleased with her calm reaction, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Looks like the detective appointed by the champion is quite professional."

“The champion himself is more professional.” Azure shrugged. “Hugo said you’re very familiar with the terrain here, and,” she paused, “you also seem to know something about the plasma cluster?”

Hachiku's gaze shifted to the distant Dragon Spiral Tower, his eyes darkening slightly.

"Yes, it's not just about understanding."

The dojo leader's gaze swept over the distant mountains and landed on the Dragon Spiral Tower to the north.

"Eight years ago, when I first became the Gym Leader here, Mr. Alder and I battled Team Plasma in that tower." His voice was low, tinged with resentment. "Those people took advantage of the chaos and stole the White Dragon Stone from the tower—the legendary incarnation of Reshiram."

"When we arrived, a chaotic battle had already broken out inside the tower. The flames released by Ardek's Volcarona illuminated the entire tower, but Team Plasma had too many people, and the police and the League were unable to send enough support."

At this point, Hachiku's voice became somewhat hoarse in the cold wind.

"At the most crucial moment of the battle, my old injury flared up, and I was a beat slower than usual."

Bilan couldn't help but look at the tough actor's right hand. According to a report she had seen on TV, it was an old injury he had sustained from a fall from a great height while filming "Ultimate Fighter".

The film was a joint production between film companies in Unicron and Kanto. Perhaps due to the chaos caused by shooting in different locations and mixing technical teams, Hatchku did not receive enough protection during a high-rise chase scene with a flock of birds and ended up falling and getting injured.

Clearly, the battle at the Dragon Spiral Tower not only aggravated his old injuries but also touched upon the actor's psychological trauma.

"Those three people dressed in black ninja outfits broke through our defenses in the chaos. By the time we reached the top of the tower, the white dragon stone that was enshrined on the altar there was gone."

Nine years ago, the Dark Iron Triangle had already begun its activities. Azure silently thought, "That white Dragon Stone must be another mythical item that is paired with the black Founding Stone. I wonder how that thing is doing on Silver Mountain now."

"After that, Team Plasma's activities became increasingly rampant." Hatchik turned to Azure, his eyes filled with a complex emotion. "Sometimes I even feel that perhaps what they stole that day wasn't just a rock, but something that maintains the 'balance' of the Unova region."

"So, what about your hand injury now—"

"Of course I'm fully recovered," Mr. Hachiku said with a smile. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have proposed giving up my position as gym leader at this time and planning to return to the film industry."

Azure looked at Hatchling: "Have you really decided to step down as Gym Leader?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I've never been a professional trainer."

"But you're clearly very strong." The girl looked at the callus-like marks on Hachiku's tiger's mouth, then at the tundra bear standing beside him.

"Strong?" Hatchku chuckled. "I'm just an actor. Although I've played heroes, the real heroes are like Mr. Adek."

He looked south, where the windmills of Snow City were slowly turning, and continued, "I became the Gym Leader because Mr. Alder pulled me out of my lowest point. At that time, I had just finished filming 'Ultimate Fighter,' and for that movie, I paid an unimaginable price—broken ribs and torn ligaments—but the box office was dismal. The double blow made me consider retiring. At that time, it was the former champion who told me that I could choose another path."

Azure listened quietly.

"But now, even Mr. Adek has retired, and my acting career is back on track." Hatchuk spread his hands.

His tone was calm yet firm: "The dojo assessment requires someone more focused to manage it. We can't hand it over to someone who's always out filming. I'm no longer suitable for this position; it's time to pass the baton."

A certain Psychic-type Gym Leader from the Kanto region flashed through Azure's mind—but she didn't say it aloud, instead raising a more practical concern—

"But the plasma cluster is still active. Would it be...?"

The man chuckled and interrupted Azure: "Interestingly, Team Plasma's influence in the film and television industry is far more deeply rooted than that of trainers."

The outgoing dojo leader smiled nonchalantly, saying, "Just like Mr. Ardek, whether it's a temporary break or a change of stage, it doesn't mean we're running away. Perhaps we've just chosen another battlefield that needs us more."

Azure was still somewhat worried: "But if the Snowflake Gym here closes, won't that affect the enthusiasm of the local trainers?"

"A trainer's passion won't be extinguished by a gym." Hatchling shook his head. "Snowflake City is preparing to establish a wetland wild Pokémon reserve. When the Safari Zone opens in the future, it will definitely attract more trainers. And I will also use the movie screen to let more people understand the bond between trainers and Pokémon."

"I now believe that Pokémon and humans should have a mutually healing relationship." His voice was firm yet gentle. "Just as humans heal Pokémon's injuries from battle, Pokémon can heal the wounds humans suffer in life."

It's so refreshing to see this actor, known for his tough-guy image, saying something like that.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two finally turned their attention to the main point of their trip—the strange car accident that Morikawa had encountered two years ago.

For traffic safety reasons, the alliance had already cordoned off the scene of the incident in advance.

Because the damage was not severe in the accident, the street lamp that was hit still stands quietly, with only the mottled scratches on the metal lamp post silently telling the story of the impact.

"The design of this left turn is indeed a bit tricky." Hachiku, who has been stationed in Snowflake City for many years, carefully observed the road surface. "Although the slope here is gentle, it is indeed easy to skid when the road surface is icy in rainy or snowy weather. Over the years, such accidents have been quite common in Snowflake City."

Azure flipped through the documents in her hand, repeatedly checking the transcript of Morikawa's testimony sent by Hugo, but her brows furrowed more and more.

"According to the records of the bus repairs in the alliance, the front right side of the vehicle slipped and hit a lamppost in the rain. The left rear door, which was not locked, was thrown open due to inertia, causing the document box to slide off the back seat and scatter into the mud by the roadside."

She crouched down, her fingertips lightly tracing the remaining traces on the ground. "Although the evidence at the scene largely matches the testimony, I still feel like something's not quite right—"

Azure stood up thoughtfully, and slowly took a few steps back under the curious gaze of the Tundra Bear, trying to examine the whole scene from a more macro perspective.

Suddenly, she felt something strange on the sole of her shoe, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Wait!" Azure exclaimed, "This is uphill!"

"Yes." Reminded by the girl, Hachiku's gaze sharpened. "The gravity on an uphill section will create a downward component force. Even if the inertia during the impact is strong, the car door shouldn't swing open completely to the point where the document box can slide off."

"Besides that," Azure stood up, "there's something else that's been highly suspicious from the start—how could Morikawa, as a senior driver for the Alliance Transportation Department, make such a basic mistake as forgetting to lock the door while transporting classified documents?"

The driver must have panicked and lost his composure, mistaking the trap set by others for his own negligence.

Hatchuk paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Unless this door was deliberately opened after the skidding incident."

"It couldn't have been opened from the outside either," Azure said quickly. "Aside from the fact that Alliance buses automatically lock when they close, people on the outside of the road couldn't predict the exact location where Morikawa's vehicle would skid."

This shows that...

The gym leader and the detective's assistant exchanged a grave look, both simultaneously realizing a possibility—

"Something was already hidden in Morikawa's car before he set off."