Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 406 Why Waste My Hands?

Chapter 408 Why Waste My Hands?

Hugo dragged Morikawa out of the combat zone, and when they were still a few meters away from the stairwell, his nerves suddenly tightened—the air was filled with a chilling killing intent.

"Be careful!"

The detective almost instinctively tackled the wounded man to the ground.

Just as they fell, a jet-black metal sphere, accompanied by a whooshing sound, grazed past their heads and, with a deafening roar, embedded itself deeply into the concrete wall in front of them, spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spreading around the point of impact.

"Hey, are you guys crazy to throw such dangerous things around in a hospital?"

Hugo stared at the dent in the wall depicting the child, and said with lingering fear.

"You're the only one who has no right to say such things!!!"

Three waves of sound exploded simultaneously from different directions.

Three figures hung upside down in the shadows of the ceiling like ghosts, their snow-white hair particularly striking in the firelight.

The ninja on the far right is still in a throwing stance, his taut arm muscles clearly visible under his bodysuit, clearly the one who instigated the fatal blow.

The Dark Trio – these are old friends.

"As expected, Group Plasma couldn't possibly entrust assassination missions entirely to hired killers. In the end, Ghetsis still sent you loyal dogs."

Hugo slowly got up, keeping a wary eye on the enemy while covering the limp Morikawa as he moved into the ward behind him.

"The police downstairs reacted far too slowly. Such a huge explosion didn't even alert them—did you tamper with it?"

"As clever as ever, Detective Hugo."

The leader of the Dark Iron Triangle landed lightly, with the geometric snowflakes floating around him emitting a chilling aura. It was this Pokémon that used the "Light Screen" move to create soundproofing. "To ensure the mission goes smoothly, we also hypnotized all the medical staff and patients on this floor beforehand."

"Except for that nurse," another ninja added, his voice tinged with apprehension. "Her footsteps sounded off; we weren't confident we could take her down silently."

"But that person can't help you now." The last ninja rubbed his shoulder, his expression seemingly a little disappointed. "It's really not easy to wait for you to act alone. After sending away one Martial King, another troublesome guy suddenly appeared."

The three landed simultaneously, the lights of the Poké Balls flashing one after another—the Cursed Doll floated in mid-air with a sinister smile, the Agile Bug was poised to strike, and the Blademaster's blade gleamed coldly.

Looking at this familiar lineup, Hugo felt as if he had been transported to another world.

"You want revenge?" The detective found it somewhat ridiculous.

Hugo and this trio had already clashed twice. Once at the Qibao Museum, and once on the outskirts of Fuki City. Each time, they failed to gain the upper hand, making them seem like villains in a children's play who never give up despite repeated defeats.

"We ninjas don't harbor hatred; it's just that someone wants you dead."

The three ninjas spoke in unison, though the one on the far right seemed somewhat insincere.

In the midst of the uniformity of voices, even the slightest anomaly was easily detected, instantly turning the tense situation into something somewhat awkward.

"Um, I did calculate the weight when I threw that solid Poké Ball at you last time." To protect his reputation, Hugo tried to explain, "That lead weight would only stun at most; it couldn't actually kill someone. It's completely different from what you just threw at me."

"No, Detective, the person you hit last time was me." The ninja on the left raised his hand, tugged at his mask, and said, "After trying the iron ball a few times, I realized it wasn't very effective. The wind resistance was too great, and it was easy to spot, and that proved to be true. But this guy made a bet with me, saying he could use it to kill you."

The personalities of the Dark Trio seem to differ somewhat from Hugo's predictions. In a sense, these three, like N, were raised by Quidditch and may share some similarities.

The ninja leader rubbed his temples: "Enough with the nonsense, Commander Slash! 'Metal Claw'!"

A flash of cold light, and the battle was about to begin.

Hugo nimbly flipped forward, barely dodging the attack. However, the blade in the Commander's hand, having exerted too much force, got stuck in the metal frame of the ward door, making a piercing metallic scraping sound.

Cursed Doll and Agile Bug used Shadow Ball and Sludge Bomb from a distance, respectively, but the friction sound drowned out the trainer's command, causing them to hesitate for a moment.

Hugo seized the opportunity, suddenly lifting a waiting chair from the corridor as cover, at the cost of his brand-new white coat being half-ruined.

He narrowly avoided blocking these two ruthless special moves.

The unguided geometric snowflakes in the distance attempted to help, firing an "Ice Beam," but for some reason, it veered off course and struck Bisharp, who had just withdrawn its arm. While it did little damage to the Steel-type Pokémon, it did slow down Bisharp's pursuit.

"How ugly," the ninja leader's cold voice echoed in the corridor, "but it's all part of the plan."

Catching his breath, Hugo looked towards where the ninjas had been, only to find that they had vanished without a trace.

Is it the left? Or the right?

Detective Yu Guangfei, after eliminating incorrect options, suddenly looked up, and the Poké Ball in his hand drew a sharp arc, shooting straight towards the ceiling.

Just like in Pokémon battles where you need to fight for positional advantage, the more life-or-death the battle, the more carefully you need to choose the time to reveal your trump card.

A hissing sound, like fingernails scraping a blackboard, rang out as the ninja descended from the sky, brandishing his twin blades. However, the blades crashed into a wall of sighs made of deep blue dragon scales, instantly chipping the tips of both daggers.

Then a tremendous force struck, and Garchomp's wrist fins swept out with a whooshing sound, sending the attacker flying like a kite with a broken string to the end of the corridor.

"And here too!"

Hugo, looking back at the other side, raised his finger and spoke up to remind him.

Where he pointed, a ninja was hiding behind the wreckage of a waiting chair, trying to throw a shuriken at the detective.

Without any further instructions, the champion-level Pokémon that appeared beside him did not hesitate for a moment. It turned around and unleashed a scorching "Dragon Breath," blasting the second ninja, who had just emerged from the ruins, into a sea of ​​fire, chair and all.

The poisoned dart traced a skewed path through the air before finally embedding itself helplessly in the wall.

"There's one more person. Where is he now?"

Just as the Garchomp, dominating the entire arena, was eyeing the Bisharp and the others with predatory intent, contemplating whether it could bury them all with a single "Earthquake," an ominous premonition arose in the Detective's heart.

He turned around abruptly and saw that the door to the empty hospital room where Senchuan had previously hidden had been opened a crack at some point.

"No, Mr. Morikawa!"

Hugo turned around anxiously, kicked open the door, and what he saw was the worst possible scene—

The leader of the Dark Iron Triangle had infiltrated the room at some point and was now restraining Morikawa from behind.

The ninja held the gleaming dagger upside down in his hand, its blade pressed against the hostage's pale throat, reflecting a deadly aura under the hospital room lights.

"Save me! Save me!" the Alliance driver groaned, his eyes fixed on the blade above his throat.

"Listen, ninja, your plan has failed."

Hugo remained calm, his voice steady and powerful. "You have no chance against Garchomp. In this situation, killing anyone outside your target is meaningless. Let him go; it's better for all of us."

The leader of the Dark Trio frowned. Under the oppressive gaze of Garchomp's golden vertical pupils, he clearly realized the situation had reversed. Yet, he still gripped the hostage tightly, forcing himself forward slowly. "No, it makes sense—even though the mission failed, we still need to evacuate safely."

The Plasma Team ninja's voice, seemingly calm, made it impossible to tell whether he would slit Morikawa's throat the next second: "I must see my two other comrades evacuate the hospital with my own eyes. Otherwise, if you make even the slightest suspicious move, I will kill you without hesitation."

With a slight pressure between his fingers, the leader pressed a bloody mark into Morikawa's neck.

"Alright, I agree to your demands." Hugo slowly raised his hands, indicating that he posed no threat. "But please remain calm and do not harm the hostages."

Garchomp snorted in dissatisfaction. Time passed slowly amidst the tense standoff. Hugo had considered what would happen if the battle on the nurse's side were decided first, but it seemed that the two Plasma Team ninjas were recovering faster.

boom!boom!

Two muffled explosions suddenly tore through the heavy air, and thick smoke burst forth at both ends of the corridor. The white smoke spread like a tide, instantly obscuring most of the view.

"It's a ninja smoke bomb. Your comrades have already evacuated," Hugo's voice cut through the smoke. "It's time to keep your promise."

"Alright." The ninja leader nodded slightly and slowly led Morikawa out of the ward.

He maintained a defensive stance, retreating step by step towards the windowsill at the end of the corridor, precisely calculating the distance to the detective with each step.

"Don't do anything foolish," Hugo warned sternly. "Garuda can catch you in the blink of an eye."

"Catch!"

With a sharp shout, the ninja suddenly shoved Morikawa away, then slammed into the glass and leaped off without hesitation.

The driver took a few steps and then fell forward on his knees. Hugo instinctively stepped forward to help him up in that split second.

A strange calm suddenly flashed across Morikawa's terrified face. He seemed weak as he covered his bandaged left arm, but the instant his body touched the detective's, he pulled a golden ceremonial dagger from the bandage with a chilling movement.

Like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, it pierced straight into Hugo's heart.