Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 4 The Imposter Champion

Inside the café, Zhu Lan pointed to the documents laid out on the table in front of her. 😲🏆 ☝🐨

"Last June, there was a failed subway bombing attempt. Some people saw Rockruff and Gastrodon fighting against the criminals, but no one saw the trainer commanding them. The criminal who planted the bomb inside the subway was eventually caught by the subway supervisor who arrived later. The criminal claimed that he was stopped by two Pokémon that suddenly appeared during the crime. The two Pokémon were very powerful, but no one, including the criminal, saw the trainer commanding them."

Listening to the Sinnoh champion's account, Hugo nodded thoughtfully.

"Rockgar and Gastrodon. Not only are they your handheld Pokémon, but they're also rare in the Unova region. Especially the former, which is extremely rare even in Sinnoh, making it very easily recognizable. By the way, what color is Gastrodon in the photo?"

"The pinkish-pink western sea form is the same as the variety I bred. If even the sea hare's color is different, I won't be bothered by this."

Zhu Lan spoke succinctly and then moved on to the next document.

"Last July, the Dream Research Institute in Sanyo City was robbed. Dr. Makomo's stolen research tool, Dream Smoke, was returned by a Togekiss."

"I was also present at the time of this case." The detective slapped his forehead, reacting quickly.

"At the time, I received news in Flying Cloud City that an unknown organization wanted to use a certain technology to manipulate the collective subconscious of wild Pokémon. I immediately thought of the dream world research being conducted by the Dream Research Institute, so I rushed to the institute."

"The crime had just occurred. Although the culprit was caught, the crucial Dream Smoke had already been taken away by the culprit's Pokémon. It was thanks to that Togekiss that the item was returned, otherwise the organization's goal might have been achieved. Regardless of the imitator's purpose, the case was successfully solved thanks to that person's help."

"Togekiss is also one of my go-to Pokémon," Cynthia sighed. "After this incident, someone connected me with this anonymous hero. This hero later saved three traffic accidents and caught two thieves and a kidnapper. 🍧☠ 🐊♥ If such a person really exists, the Unova Guardian Medal would be well-deserved."

"Wait a minute, we can't be sure yet that the same person used these Pokémon." Hugo immediately corrected him. "The person who used Rockruff and Gastrodon and the person who sent Togekiss to return the lost items are not the same person—that possibility still exists, and the probability is not small."

"So, based on the information I've given you, the famous detective has already made some deductions?" the Sinnoh champion teased.

"It's not exactly a deduction, but we have a highly probable guess." Hugo crossed his fingers and began to explain with an air of authority.

"Traveling around the United States to fight crime is actually very difficult. Generally speaking, even if a fake is willing to fight crime, it is unlikely that he would encounter so many incidents in a year. However, if we broaden our thinking and put ourselves in their shoes, everything becomes reasonable."

"Is there a group impersonating me?" Zhu Lan narrowed her eyes, her gaze becoming meaningful.

"Heroic acts don't require a full-scale battle. As long as one member of the gang uses one or two of the same Pokémon as you, they can successfully impersonate you."

"But why would they do this? What's their motive?" The impersonated champion remained puzzled.

Hugo wagged his finger enigmatically: "Let's take a look at these imposters' criminal profiles. First, they're a group of people who have some special feelings for Cynthia. Second, they all know your Pokémon in detail. Third, judging from their seemingly good-natured behavior, they don't seem to want to tarnish your reputation."

"What does this prove?"

"I have a good idea," Hugo said, as if recalling something interesting. "Have you ever heard of a type of unofficial organization called a fan club?"

"You mean the fan club?" Zhu Lan asked, frowning.

"Exactly." A crisp snap of the fingers rang out from the detective's fingertips.

"Since the birth of television and the internet, the distance between regions has been rapidly shrinking. ♧⛵ ➅❾ⓢн𝐔ⓧ.𝕔𝐨ᗰ 🎅👹 A Sinnoh resident can watch the Kanto region's League matches live on television, and similarly, there are many viewers in the Unova region who follow Cynthia's amazing performance in the League Challenge every day. Reina, the Berry Breeder you met at the entrance of the Featherwood Mansion, is also one of your Unova fans."

Zhu Lan nodded, not surprised by this seemingly trivial reasoning, but still puzzled. She was familiar with electronic products, but what did this have to do with the impersonation incident?

"You must be wondering what this has to do with the impersonation incident, right?" the detective asked smugly.

"In this interconnected world, a powerful and beautiful league champion naturally has a huge fan base all over the world. These fans spontaneously form online or offline communities to regularly engage in activities related to their idol, such as buying merchandise, voting for ranking lists, sharing match videos, and recording post-match interviews."

"I know that there are people like that in Sinnoh as well."

"So you can imagine that there is a group of people of different backgrounds, men and women, who gather in the screening room on their days off to watch Cynthia in the video. Their tables are covered with snacks and merchandise related to you. Whenever a magazine launches an event like 'Vote for the Strongest League Champion,' they gather together enthusiastically and persuade everyone to vote for your ranking... What's special is that these people are not in Sinnoh, but in the Unova region, which is thousands of miles away from Sinnoh. They may never see you in person in their lifetime."

Hugo fiddled with his phone, then turned the screen toward Cynthia, which displayed the online community for the Cynthia support group in the Unova region, filled with close-up photos and the ramblings of enthusiastic fans.

"Isn't it a little ridiculous?" Hugo said sarcastically.

Zhu Lan shook her head, then pointed out incisively: "They are no different from the audience who cheered for me during the competition, except that because of the great distance, they acted more recklessly."

"There are also many ongoing fan fiction novels in the discussion forum, with very impactful titles and contents..."

"shut up!"

"Okay, let's get back to the main topic." Hugo shrugged.

"It's conceivable that some of them were influenced by you, Cynthia, and acquired Pokémon from Sinnoh such as Gastrodon, Togekiss, and Spiritora. Having long admired the Sinnoh Champion, they finally couldn't suppress their feelings and hoped to see you in person in this Unova region someday—so they started a plan."

"Is this also a highly probable guess?" Zhu Lan asked absentmindedly, seemingly still worried about things related to the impact.

"It's hard to imagine any other motive that would cause this situation. If I impersonated your fan and infiltrated these people's private chat groups, I might be able to find relevant clues. With a bit of luck, I might not even need to go that far..."

The detective, scrolling through his phone, answered absentmindedly as well.

"I found it, Loto!"

Rotom, which had just been quiet for a while, flew out of Cynthia's pocket again. Its blue screen displayed a post with the title "Cynthia's Pokémon Recruitment - Overseas Hero Birth Project".

"Hmm, the real-time popularity is quite high, it seems to be more than just an unpopular section," Hugo said with a mischievous grin.

"A ghost, the ghost of a Sinnoh champion, is haunting Unova. Your fans in Unova have organized some kind of event in hopes of making you pay attention to Unova across the ocean."

"They're being way too unrealistic," the blond champion said with a wry smile, shaking his head.

"The town of Shenhe holds a festival every year," Hugo said, bringing up a topic that had absolutely nothing to do with the case.

"Whenever the legendary anniversary of Arceus's descent to earth to save humanity arrives, the townspeople dress in traditional costumes and hold a ceremony in the town center, offering sacrifices and performing songs and dances at the shrine, praying for the blessings of Arceus, the god who created the world. Of course, this scene is familiar to both of us."

"Yes," Zhu Lan from Shenhe Town nodded in agreement. "The lively festival will revitalize the ancient town of Shenhe, and everyone will find joy in it."

Hugo sneered, "Don't your fans also want to hold a festival like this?"

"Are you saying that these Unova supporters treat me like an idol, and regardless of whether I come to Unova or not, they at least got a party?"

The detective indicated that this was exactly what he meant.

"Only this explanation can account for the copycat actions that have occurred throughout the United States, and these actions have not damaged your reputation as Champion of Cynthia at all, but will instead add a badge of honor to you as a Guardian of the United States—this post is irrefutable evidence. You can screenshot it and send it to the League, and they will understand in an instant."

Hugo looked directly at the champion of the Cynthia across from him: "And you did indeed come to Unova as they wished. In a sense, they succeeded."

......

The detective reached for the Poké Ball containing the Turtwig, intending to stylishly put it back in the suitcase, but was stopped by Cynthia raising her hand.

"But the truth is not like that."

Seeing that the detective had already given a lengthy explanation of the real culprit, Zhu Lan simply rejected all of her reasoning.

"There are a total of eight recorded imitation incidents, each accompanied by the upholding of justice. In the last one, a month ago, during the Team Plasma kidnapping incident near Yagura Forest, my signature Pokémon Garchomp even appeared."

"That's perfectly natural. It would be strange if there wasn't a single Garchomp in your group."

"No, Hugo, stop making excuses." Zhu Lan raised her index finger to signal Hugo to shut up.

"On the day this incident happened, my opponent in the league game withdrew for some reason, so the match was canceled. I took some time to go back to my hometown of Shenhe Town."

呲——

The detective gasped, closing his eyes in despair. He realized a glaring flaw in the imposter's deception, a flaw that was now being slowly revealed from Zhu Lan's lips.

"The first Garchomp I bred, the one that accompanied me to the league and won the championship before retiring—it's not in my backyard."