pdf-ebookys Chapter 41 Things Ignored Like Common Sense
Chapter 41 Things Ignored Like Common Sense
The culprit is among the four.
Upon the detective's announcement, the researchers, who had initially shared a strong sense of camaraderie, immediately fell silent and began to look at each other suspiciously.
"Um... Mr. Hugo, I've figured out why I chose the water otter. May I say it here?"
Taking advantage of the brief silence, Azure, like a student in class, obediently raised her hand to ask the detective a question.
The detective showed no surprise, remaining as if he had expected it all along; it was unclear whether he was feigning surprise or genuinely had a plan.
Hugo calmly nodded: "Please tell me that wicked trick that seems like a joke. It would be better if you could unravel the mystery yourself. Let these guys with their heads full of calculation formulas and lab reports see what a detective's assistant can do."
With a touch of nervousness from giving a public speech, Azure cleared her throat and slowly said, "The anomaly that occurred when trainers chose their starter Pokémon is actually related to the unique geographical location of the research institute. It is precisely because of the unique location of Deer Town that a certain person with ulterior motives implemented a certain plan."
I don't know who she learned it from, but Azure deliberately used roundabout language.
"When I started planning to go to the Yew Research Institute yesterday, I opened the Unova map and found the location of Deer Town. At that time, I discovered that all the public transportation in Unova that leads to the area around Deer Town has a common feature: the terminal station is located in Tangcao Town, which is near the town, whether it is railway or bus transportation."
Besides, this town obviously doesn't have an airport, and the waterways to the south are treacherous and impassable, making air and water travel impossible—meaning that without cars or air travel, people simply cannot reach the Yew Research Institute.
As her thoughts continued to coalesce, Bilan felt the previously vague answer becoming increasingly clear before her eyes, unlike the guesswork she had done in the hospital last time. This time, with the deepening of her explanation, Bilan became more and more confident.
"Think about it, what kind of people come to the research institute to pick up their Pokémon? Those trainers who have just embarked on their journeys and come to the institute to collect their first Pokémon naturally wouldn't possess a Pokémon that knows 'Fly,' and being underage, they certainly wouldn't drive. Since they're traveling alone, they certainly wouldn't have someone drive them directly to the institute's entrance. Therefore, I've come to the conclusion—"
The girl took a deep breath and continued, "All trainers who come to the research institute to pick up their starter Pokémon will definitely arrive at the railway terminus in Karakoram before they find the research institute."
The detective nodded in satisfaction as he watched Bilan clearly articulate her thoughts.
"Because all the novice trainers who haven't received their Pokémon yet have arrived in Karakoram Town first, and if they want to continue to the research institute, they must cross a straight road called Route 1 to reach their destination smoothly."
This road connects Cottage and Deer Village. It's wide and beautiful, and the Pokémon in the vicinity are all weak and not aggressive. As long as you don't deliberately enter the tall grass, even ordinary people can pass through easily..."
The girl's voice echoed in the research institute's lobby. Whether it was Detective Hugo, the anxious researchers, Dr. Yew who watched the show as if it were none of his business, or the mysteriously confident water otter, the bewildered Woolpig and Snivy, all the creatures were listening to Azure's reasoning.
"But it was along this path that these trainers witnessed something similar, and under its influence, these novices ultimately made the same choice."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" the bespectacled assistant couldn't help but urge. "What does this have to do with the trainers choosing otters?"
"Really, isn't the answer obvious?" Azure thought.
What other reason could trainers choose Oshawott as their only option, or be unwilling to choose Snivy or Tepig?
After all, they're trainers. Seeing something like that, how could they possibly choose any Pokémon other than Oshawott?
"What these newcomers see is what they are about to see."
Faced with the bewildered researcher, Azure gently gave the answer.
"What they were looking at was groups of Wooloo and Snivy in the grass."
A silence, even more profound than before, enveloped the research institute.
The mystery that had puzzled everyone in the research institute for half a year was suddenly resolved with such a simple sentence. Even Dr. Yew, who was suspected of having been in contact with the detective beforehand, was stunned with surprise.
Scarcity increases value. Since two of the three Pokémon to be acquired are readily available in the vicinity, why would trainers choose the latter?
The Snivy and Tepig that can be found everywhere are easy to catch. Once I can catch Pokémon, I can come to Route 1 anytime and bring them back.
To trainers who don't understand the different levels of rarity among Pokémon, this is not a situation like "choosing one of Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle".
Instead, it's a multiple-choice question where you have to choose one of three: Bulbasaur, Pidgey, or Rattata, eliminating any hesitation and providing an optimal answer.
"This...this is impossible!" The speaker was a middle-aged researcher. "There are absolutely no Snivy or Tepig around near Deer Town! I am an expert in studying the Pokémon ecology in this area, and I swear there are absolutely no wild Snivy or Tepig outside the research institute."
"Besides wild Pokémon, there are also domesticated ones, and not only in the research institute, but also inside it," Azure said seriously. "Those starter Pokémon that the trainers witnessed were actually released intentionally from the backyard of the research institute by someone there!"
The girl didn't want to act arrogantly, but the atmosphere and the unfolding of the reasoning made her unconsciously point her index finger at the people in the research institute.
"As I mentioned earlier, novice trainers must travel through Route 1 to reach the research institute, and members of the research institute can know in advance when the trainers will arrive."
Therefore, the culprit among the researchers could precisely place the Tepigs and Snivy, originally kept in the lab's backyard, onto the trainers' usual routes. Furthermore, Route 1 is usually quiet with few trainers, so there's no need to worry about the Pokémon venturing out being captured and losing members.
The noise inside grew even louder. Hugo, standing at the entrance to the hall behind the girl, nodded with satisfaction at the sight, while his gaze mockingly surveyed the panicked researchers.
Azure continued, "Listen to me, trainers are actually surprisingly simple-minded. They mistakenly believe that Snivy and Tepig are very common in the area, so they don't think they need to choose them. Therefore, they chose the remaining Sloth after elimination. But they never expected that when they came back to catch the latter two, the culprit with ulterior motives had already recalled the Tepig and Snivy that had been released for exercise."
"Then why, when we followed up with the trainers afterward, did none of them mention this reason?" asked Dr. Yew.
"Follow-up investigation?" Azure, who had not known the details, was momentarily dumbfounded.
"Leave the rest to me, Azure. You've done a great job." Hugo walked up to Azure at some point and joined her in facing the crowd.
“Unlike Miss Azure, who deduced the general situation of the incident as soon as she arrived at the research institute, I conducted a thorough investigation beforehand, and I was still observing everyone's behavior and expressions until just now. To be honest, that culprit's acting skills are really not good. Why don't you take this opportunity to confess your guilt?”
The detective made a startling statement, speaking with an air of effortless detachment as if he knew everything.