Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 391 A title is just an empty name

Chapter 393 A title is just an empty name

"Oh?" Hugo asked with interest upon hearing the old man's suggestion. "Can Interpol still spare personnel?"

"If this had happened two years ago, we would have been in a bit of a bind, but things are different now."

The old man spoke as if in a good mood, his voice rising slightly at the end.

"Thanks to the tireless efforts of a certain detective, the pressure on the police force in the Sinnoh and Hoenn regions has significantly decreased. Now is the time to free up manpower and allow them to engage in more meaningful work. This matter should ideally be discussed with the respective regional league chairpersons. However,..."

Since you, the professional detective, are the champion of Unova, I think it's okay to break the rules a little; that might improve the secrecy."

Upon hearing this good news, Hugo gave a wry smile instead of joy: "Even you see the problems facing the Unova region?"

"Oh dear, it's hard not to notice."

The crisp sound of a teacup lightly tapping the table came from the other end of the communication line. The old man sighed. "The efficiency of information feedback from the United States branch of the criminal investigation organization is getting lower and lower, and the intelligence sometimes doesn't match up with that of other regions. The staff size has never decreased, but the backlog of cold cases is growing, the expenditures haven't decreased, and the dissent against headquarters is increasing."

"Without a doubt, some within the United States branch have begun to lie, and others have fallen into an endless state of confusion. Although it's not yet time for drastic measures, the mere discovery of this situation is enough to show how precarious the forces of 'justice' are within the United States."

"While assisting Detective Hugo is certainly a factor in this support, another reason is to take this opportunity to set things right in Interpol's United States branch."

"Justice, huh? Well, that's exactly the weapon our enemies are good at using." The detective shook his head.

When concepts such as righteousness, public opinion, alliance interests, and idealism are confused by those with ulterior motives, and when the truth is shattered in the vortex of public opinion, how long can Interpol's "justice" remain undistorted?

However, just as Hugo was about to sigh, the old man suddenly changed the subject—

"But you don't need to be too anxious." Her tone was as relaxed as if she were discussing the weather. "Unova is a bit more challenging than Sinnoh was two years ago, but compared to Team Rocket in Kanto eight years ago—ha, it's nothing."

"This is hardly a comfort to me."

Hugo pondered, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the wall. "Ultimately, Team Galactic, created by Red Sun, is fundamentally different from Team Rocket and Team Plasma. That madman's goal is the ethereal legendary Pokémon, while the latter two organizations pursue worldly power, so their disruption of social order is naturally more direct."

"On top of that, the ultimate weapon created by Team Rocket eight years ago completely destroyed the balance of power in the Kanto region, which made Team Rocket's expansion and aggression completely unstoppable. In my opinion, Team Plasma now obviously wants to follow the same path as Team Rocket back then."

"As expected," the old man said calmly.

"Those accustomed to violence are always searching for more powerful weapons. But this is nothing to fear—because the true power to change the world..."

We will never be content to be controlled by those organizations.

Those who play with fire will get burned—the head of the International Police said with such certainty.

Greed leads to destruction, and the pursuit of power is tantamount to the pursuit of death—logically speaking, this statement is not wrong.

But Hugo was not so optimistic.

"By the way, speaking of the current situation in the Unova region, there's something I need to share with you," the old man suddenly said.

"What kind of trivial matter?"

"It seems you've teamed up with another young Officer Jenny in Unicron City," the leader said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Thanks to that girl's recent outstanding performance, she's earned a resounding title in the underworld."

"Is it because of that incident where she arrested a member of Team Aqua on the street? - It's hard to say if it's a good thing, but as a frontline police officer bearing the name 'Officer Jenny,' it was only a matter of time before she got this kind of underworld title."

Hugo had a lukewarm reaction to Officer Jenny's nickname; after all, it was given to him by a group of criminals and members of an evil organization, so it couldn't possibly be anything good.

"Haha, for us in this line of work, the nicknames given by criminals are badges of honor for police officers who stand out from the crowd."

The old man, known as the "Iron-Fisted Inspector," laughed heartily. His nickname actually came from a serious hand injury he sustained in his early years. The underworld has always had only one principle when it comes to the titles of cops: the more sarcastic and unpleasant they are, the better.

The leader chuckled and said, "Unless there are special circumstances, this title usually stays with us for life. But Detective Hugo's case, where he gained the nickname and then cleared his name, is an extremely rare exception."

"I thought everyone had forgotten about this," Hugo shrugged nonchalantly. "While I know perfectly well that Interpol is the world's largest intelligence agency, old man, your scope of interest is a bit too broad, isn't it?"

"After all, this is related to a case I've been following recently," the old man said vaguely. "So, has the famous detective deduced Miss Officer Jenny's title yet?"

"Don't make things difficult for me. I don't have time to waste brain cells on questions I already know the answer to," Hugo pleaded, giving up. "Just tell me directly."

"Hehehe." The old man chuckled kindly, then said the nickname.

"Ah—it's not exactly unpleasant to hear, but it somehow lacks a certain imposing presence." Hugo's expression was somewhat subtle. "However, it's quite apt in hinting at personal characteristics."

"For criminals who are risking their lives, the most important purpose of a nickname is to convey accurate information. Therefore, if a nickname not only fails to accurately describe its user but also misleads the inhabitants of the underworld, people will naturally abandon that nickname over time."

The old man said to Hugo meaningfully.

The detective coughed, abruptly changing the subject: "Let's put these off-topic discussions aside for now. It's about time Your Excellency told me who your capable ally, whom you sent to support the United States, is," he said.

"I thought you already guessed it and were too lazy to ask." The leader chuckled and didn't keep them in suspense, giving the answer directly: "Because the agents transferred are from the Interpol branches in Sinnoh and Hoenn, there wasn't much room for choice in who would lead them."

"Leading the Hoenn members is Ms. Lyra, known as the 'Decadent Wave,' who also serves as the Battle Tower Lord of the Hoenn region; her second-in-command, leading the Sinnoh members, is the handsome agent you're familiar with from the International Police, nicknamed 'Whistle.' Of course, 'handsome' is also his code name within the International Police, as you probably already know."

"How about it? Are you satisfied with this lineup?" the old man asked confidently.

Hugo, however, fell into an unusual silence. These two groups of secret agents who had traveled from afar might be more than capable of dealing with the mobile forces of the Aqua Fleet. But to rely on them to deal with the now deeply entrenched Plasma Group was nothing short of wishful thinking.

Although he wasn't a superhuman, he had a premonition.

The problems of Unova may ultimately have to be solved by the Unova region itself.

"Hugo, Champion, an emergency has occurred!"

The detective had barely stepped out of the communications room when Khaki's urgent shouts came rushing towards him.

Standing beside the newly appointed affairs officer were Security Supervisor Gade and Vice President Gloria, all three with grim expressions. "What happened?" the Unova Champion, dressed in a white coat, asked in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the three men's tense faces, his heart sinking.

Without a word, Gade handed the tablet to Hugo, on which a chilling video was playing.

Meanwhile, Kachi reported rapidly: "The car escorting the three VIPs of the Carlos Alliance to the airport was suddenly struck by an unexplained explosion on its return trip! And the incident occurred right in front of hundreds of Champion Karuni's fans! The driver is seriously injured and unconscious, and videos of the scene are spreading like wildfire across major social media platforms—."

In the video, a limousine parked near the airport entrance and surrounded by numerous passersby suddenly makes a strange noise.

The driver immediately got out of the car and dispersed the crowd. When he came to the hood of the car to check what had happened inside, the explosion occurred.

With a loud bang.

The driver was thrown several meters away by the impact. The agitated crowd screamed, and some rushed forward to try to help the injured, but most continued to push and shove. Fortunately, because the terrain around the explosion site was open, it did not trigger a more serious stampede.

Hugo frowned – the timing was too perfect.

They chose to do it right after the three Carlos visitors left the country, and right in the center of the crowd—

"This is absolutely the work of Team Plasma!" Vice President Gloria said through gritted teeth, clenching her fists. "They're openly provoking the Alliance and trying to shake the public's trust in us!"

This was a blatant slap in the face to the United States League, a blatant display of their incompetence—allowing the League's champion, the world-renowned actor, to sit in a car loaded with bombs for the entire journey. And just a hair's breadth away, the car actually exploded.

It's easy to imagine how furious Karuni's fans would be upon hearing this.

That was truly a brilliant move that hit the nail on the head.

"Their purpose is not just this." Hugo's voice was calm, almost chilling, as he slowly raised his gaze.

"They're forcing me, the newly crowned champion who 'rose to power by luck,' into the spotlight prematurely." He paused, a completely unsmiling smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "to face the scrutinizing gaze of the public."

It seems that the revenge of the "fool's revelry" is coming more urgently than expected.