pdf-ebookys Chapter 131 The Punk Gym in Tachibana City
Chapter 131 The Punk Gym in Tachibana City
Chapter 131 The Punk Gym in Liyong City
Even after the demonstration ended, the ground beneath everyone's feet continued to groan intermittently.
That's Blastoise using its "Stomp" skill to solidify the terrain. It had previously used "Dig" to fill in the ditch, and now it's stomping here and there, trying to level the loose ground again.
For a powerful Pokémon that can crack the ground with a single "Water Tail" attack, the cleanup work is anything but easy.
The girl's commands and Blastoise's coordination were exceptionally smooth. In less than fifteen minutes, while Hugo and Gengar were still locked in their staring contest, the girl and the tortoise had completely restored the arena to its original state, indicating they were already seasoned offenders in this area.
"This open space is located in the suburbs, and the soil structure is relatively loose, so that 'Water Tail' move looks a bit intimidating. In a professional league match, it wouldn't create such a spectacle."
Having finished the ecological restoration project, Azure stretched and put Blastoise back into its red and white Poké Ball. Somewhat reluctantly, it said to the detective—
"These three kids are my main force that I'm very proud of. No matter how strong the enemy is, I'm confident I can go up and fight them. It's just that the investigation is urgent right now, otherwise I would definitely spend half a day going to the nearby Pokémon Gym to practice and get back into shape."
"Oh?" The detective's gaze shifted from Gengar's ghostly face, but his expression turned strange. "Do you know what we're supposed to investigate next?"
Azure didn't forget her duty as a detective's assistant, and answered without hesitation—
"It's either the police station or William's factory owner's house, right? You mentioned before that you planned to confront the factory owner one last time, so I guess we'll probably have to go to the police station today. If we can prove that the cover-up doesn't exist before N, we can avoid a conflict between the two sides, right?"
"Don't let that person's reasoning lead you by the nose," Hugo shook his head, patiently reminding him.
"The explosion didn't happen at the police station, so no matter how much we learn there, we can't delve into the truth of the matter. The cause of this explosion wasn't in the present, but in the distant past, so I plan to investigate someone else."
"Who?" Azure perked up her ears.
“Telt once said that he started working at the factory after the expansion of the Liyong Power Plant. This means that before him, there was another person who was in charge of raising the factory spirits, and this is the person I want to investigate this time. He can tell us what the Liyong Power Plant used to look like, and when the power plant was in its early stages, there were fewer employees, the division of labor was not as specialized as it is now, and there was more communication between them. He may know some inside secrets.”
"But who exactly is this person? You haven't mentioned his name yet. Are we going to have to start the investigation from scratch?" The girl looked troubled and shrugged at Hugo.
“No.” The detective flipped his hand, and a smartphone with a lit screen appeared in his palm.
"I obtained access to the power plant forum from Mr. Telt and found this person's past internal account. The person we are looking for is this netizen with the nickname 'Cactus in a Sea of Flowers'. The person who chose this nickname is probably a woman. She doesn't care much about her information security. In a post two years ago, she announced that she had joined a punk band called 'Poison Gas Band' and would soon be performing on stage as a new guitarist, hoping that her colleagues would support her, etc."
"A punk band? And a guitarist at that?"
The assistant's mouth gaped slightly; she hadn't expected the investigation to take this turn.
Ignoring his companion's surprise, the detective continued his explanation methodically: "This band is quite famous in the Unova region. Since last year, they've been performing outside of Rikyu City, all over Unova—that might be why the former training consultant left. But in terms of fame, the band's leader is probably more well-known."
"Who is it?" After all, Azure had only been in Unicron for a few months and hadn't even recognized all the cosmetic brands yet, let alone the list of local celebrities.
"Homiga, the leader of the recently founded Rikyu Dojo, is a poison expert and the lead singer of the Poison Gas Band."
The detective shrugged and said to the dumbfounded Azure, "Just be happy, we're about to visit a newly opened Pokémon Gym."
.
Liyong Dojo is located on a street corner in the city center, and passersby can see the dojo's logo, which is shaped like a lightning bolt and flashes purple light, from afar.
But once you get closer, all you can see is a small black house that's barely bigger than a matchbox.
Hugo pushed open the door without hesitation and entered. Azure followed the detective and saw that there was only one downward staircase in the small house, indicating that the main part of the gym was located in the underground area of the house.
Perhaps because Liyong Dojo has only been open for a short time, no spectators have been seen gathering here yet.
As the girl descended the stairs, a series of deep, resonant sounds suddenly reached her ears.
"It seems the Poison Gas Band's afternoon practice has already begun. They won't stop to cooperate with the investigation unless there's a challenger."
The detective spoke casually, glancing back at his assistant. Azure nodded knowingly; she understood her mission.
As the detective pulled open the soundproof door at the end of the stairs, the loud and chaotic sound of punk rock music instantly drowned out the two of them.
The rousing drums, the soaring guitar, the heavy bass, the harmonious keyboards, and—
At the center of the stage, a young female lead singer, her short, snow-white hair swaying, sang syllables in a clear voice.
As the detective and his assistant entered the venue, which resembled an underground concert, the lights behind them suddenly flickered.
The music suddenly changed pitch and stopped abruptly at its climax.
In the silence, the white-haired girl suddenly leaned closer to the microphone and raised her hand towards the man on her right: "Drummer Cook! The best percussionist in Liyong City!"
A bald, burly man named Cook struck his drumsticks twice in the air, followed by a rapid, continuous gong sound in the room, then short snare drum beats, which evolved into a wonderful improvisational drumming performance.
"Guitarist Lu! He's only been practicing for less than three years, yet he's already reached a high level of skill. He's the most promising guitarist in the Unova region!"
The brown-haired woman to the left of the girl raised the electric guitar slightly, her fingers and pick frantically churning the strings. A dense, distinct strumming sound immediately filled the air—the virtuoso technique of the electric guitar.
"And a keyboard! Martin, a top student from Raven Art School!"
From a corner of the stage, in the depths of darkness, came clear and beautiful piano music. Due to the limited visibility, the detective and his assistant couldn't make out the keyboardist's appearance, only knowing that he was a thin man. However, the melodious electronic keyboard music was enough to demonstrate the musician's skill.
"The rest is me, the soul of the band, the gym leader, the wielder of the Toxic Badge, poison is my life, poison is the stage! Homiga is here!"
The white-haired girl suddenly plucked the iron string, and the instrument in her hand emitted a deep, muffled sound.
"Guest, are you an audience member who admires the music, or a challenger who doesn't know his own limitations?"
Azure took a step forward on her own initiative, but was a little uncomfortable with such a cringeworthy conversation. She scratched her cheek and replied in normal language, "Uh... I'm a challenger. I heard this dojo just opened and I wanted to come and practice."
Her lack of assertiveness created an awkward atmosphere. The girl immediately sensed the subtle shift in the mood and tried to change the subject: "Speaking of which, the band's performance was really good, and each member's solo performance was also fantastic..."
Azure's gaze fell on the musical instrument Homiga was holding, and she suddenly became curious.
Ignoring the detective's desperate attempts to signal her, the girl uttered the next words—
"But why isn't the guitar in the lead singer's hand playing?"
The quiet venue suddenly became strange. The drummer, guitarist, and keyboardist all lowered their heads and shrugged their shoulders from time to time, apparently already laughing.
The Poison-type Gym Leader's face immediately turned red, as if he was about to explode like a gas bomb.
"This is a bass!"