manynovel Chapter 2 Why Did the Sentinel Rat Die?
Chapter 2 Why Did the Sentinel Rat Die?
"The real cause of death for this elf was a traffic accident." Facing the unfriendly expression of Cynthia, the detective, with a strong survival instinct, offered his own explanation.
"Nine out of ten Pokémon deaths in Flying Cloud City are caused by cars. Look at the whistle's waist; there are obvious signs of a car collision. In addition, its calf muscles were severely torn off, multiple bones were broken, and there are several open wounds on its body that have been stitched up by the hospital—all these signs indicate that this is a typical traffic accident injury."
Hugo tugged at the Sentinel Rat's left leg, drawing Orchid's attention to the wound. Since it was stitched up after death, the gruesome wound was more a result of decay and swelling that had caused it to stick together than to heal.
The gruesome sight of the corpse instantly frightened Rotom into hiding in the pocket of Bamboo Orchid's coat, leaving only a camera sticking out as he cautiously observed.
"By reconstructing the scene through injury examination, we can know that: after being startled, this sentry rat rushed onto the road without thinking, was hit by a car that couldn't avoid it, and then the truly fatal event occurred—its hind legs got caught in the tire of another truck, and it was crushed to death. Although it possesses the amazing supernatural power of attribute resistance, its strength is still far inferior to that of a gasoline-powered steel machine... That truck driver will probably need to change his tire."
Perhaps the wound before him was too gruesome, for even after the explanation, the champion's expression did not soften: "How did its corpse end up here?"
"As a detective, I have a cooperative relationship with the Pokémon Center. When I heard that there was a Normal-type Pokémon corpse that could be used for research, I immediately went to the morgue to retrieve it and took it to the underground clinic, which is closed on this day of the week, to conduct research. Naturally, I used honest and peaceful methods."
The detective spoke with righteous indignation, as if the corpses in the morgue were deposits in his bank account waiting to be withdrawn.
"You bribed the morgue guard, didn't you?" Zhu Lan, who knew the other person's character very well, pointed it out bluntly.
Hugo chuckled twice, not denying it: "The crying mask guard there is very easy to talk to, and it loves horror movies. I once got it a yearly movie ticket, and after that it could use the morgue at will. The advantage of employing Pokémon is that their presence can effectively reduce bureaucracy within the organization—Pokémon are far more humane than humans."
What are your plans next?
"The experimental record is complete. Now we just need to compare it with the injury records of live Pokémon. I don't know whether to be glad or not, but researchers have already conducted this type of experiment countless times, and there are plenty of cases and data. By the way, according to my estimate, this body died 27 hours and 45 minutes ago. I'll call the traffic management department later to ask if there were any car accidents during that time..."
"I'm asking how you intend to bury this sentry rat," Zhu Lan said sternly, emphasizing each word.
Hugo yawned absentmindedly and began to explain in a lazy tone.
"Of course it needs to be buried. What else do you think I'm doing? I'm taking this sentry rat back to the hospital. To be honest, it should have been cremated today, but the Crying Mask helped postpone its cremation by a day. So by this time tomorrow, this sentry rat will be reduced to ashes and laid to rest."
The detective clasped his hands together in a gesture of minimal mourning.
But the Sinnoh champion didn't give up. He continued to glare at the young man with fierce eyes, pointing at the trolley and asking, "You just walked all the way into the hospital like this?"
“I’m returning lost items, not stealing them, so of course I have to be aboveboard.” Hugo waved his hand, signaling the other person to relax.
"Then how do you explain the sentry rat inside? You not only bribed the guards to steal it, but you also destroyed the corpse."
"This Sentinel was a wild Pokémon, otherwise the Pokémon Center wouldn't have handled its aftermath. There's no crime against its corpse yet, so even if I get caught, there won't be any serious consequences. Besides, the body is already wrapped in a white sheet, so no one can see what's inside. It's not unusual to see interns in white coats pushing trolleys and carrying things in a hospital, and passersby won't suspect anything if they see me heading towards the hospital. On the contrary, it would be suspicious if I were sneaking in with a big bag."
Zhu Lan felt that the detective's sophistry was really far-fetched, but the detective had already pushed the cart away from the bushes, and the cart carrying the body wobbled away.
Before heading to the hospital, Hugo stopped and turned to call out to Zhu Lan—
"See you in an hour. There's a nice café near the Feather Residence; we can talk there if you need any help. It must have been tiring flying here on the Pokekis right after you got off the plane."
The detective pointed to a small corner of a receipt peeking out of the pocket of Zhu Lan's black coat.
"It's a commission." Under the shade of the green trees, Zhu Lan said seriously, her expression changing.
The profession of detective is essentially a symbol of skepticism. Hugo didn't believe the other person's words: "The Sinnoh champion wants to hire a down-on-his-luck detective from a foreign land like me?"
"This is a very, very serious incident. It involves the reputation of the Sinnoh League," the Sinnoh League's spokesperson said solemnly.
"Then there's no need to go to such lengths as to come to the Alliance. The Alliance has no shortage of professional investigators, so why come to me?"
"When you encounter a case, you should find a detective. That's common sense," Zhu Lan said, crossing her arms as if it were some kind of societal consensus.
"Your detective is now tasked with transporting a body to the hospital."
The detective replied irritably and went to deal with the body without looking back.
.
Two hours later, Hugo swiftly finished dealing with the Sentinel Rat's funeral arrangements.
He was very pleased because he had verified his theory over the phone; the accident time recorded by the traffic management bureau matched the prediction perfectly.
Hugo felt that, in order to commemorate the outstanding contributions of this Sentinel to scientific identification, he would name the "Post-Death Resistance Decrease Curve of Normal-Type Pokémon" in his unpublished paper the "Hugo-Sentinel Curve," which would also be a way to comfort the spirit of the Pokémon that died in a car accident.
Inside the café, he happily shared his joy with Miss Zhulan.
"The car accident that killed Sentinel Rat happened near the famous Flying Cloud Ice Cream stand. It was early morning when there were few customers and the vehicles were traveling at high speeds, so the accident was extremely tragic. You might not be able to tell from the body, but Sentinel Rat actually bled a lot. There is still a dark red stain on the road there that can't be wiped off."
Zhu Lan ignored the detective and focused on stirring the smoothie sold in the cafe, somewhat regretting choosing the deep red pomegranate flavor.
Hugo, however, continued his incessant chatter—
"Interestingly, it's said that there was splattered blood on the ice cream shop's ice bucket. The staff didn't realize what had happened at first, until they were shocked to find that their most popular ice cream was completely untouched that day, so one of the staff turned the ice bucket around to check it. Then she screamed and saw a large patch of blood that had already turned black!"
boom.
The sound of a glass being slammed against the wooden table echoed as Zhu Lan moved the remaining half of the dark red, almost black pomegranate smoothie to the side.
Buying Flying Cloud Ice Cream is a regular part of this popular champion's trip to Unova, but the annoying detective is rambling on about such disgusting topics... If it were a champion from another region, they would probably be interrupting with an impromptu Pokémon battle by now.
Hugo was stunned by the loud noise, and the cafe staff also looked at him in surprise.
However, Zhu Lan and Hugo were both dignified and elegant. Zhu Lan was naturally beautiful and charming, and although Hugo was dressed like a psychiatrist who had just fought with a patient, he was good-looking and a regular at the coffee shop. Neither of them seemed like troublemakers, so the waiter wisely refrained from interfering.
"Aren't you planning to become a trainer?" Cynthia brought up another topic.
“I’m a detective now,” Hugo replied frankly. “If someone asked you, a league champion, whether you planned to retire immediately to become a programmer or a graphic designer, you wouldn’t give them a definite answer, right?”
“You don’t have to give up being a detective. Being a trainer isn’t just a job; everyone who forms a bond with Pokémon can become a trainer,” Cynthia said. “More than 60% of the League Challengers have other part-time jobs, and I myself have a full-time job as a mythologist.”
Upon hearing the term "mythologist," a complex expression appeared in Hugo's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and shook his head in serious refusal.
"My profession requires my full attention. Only full-time work can make one a professional."
Zhu Lan didn't say anything, but moved a rectangular suitcase that was next to her onto the table.
"A very familiar plot," Hugo commented.
“Clients often present me with a suitcase full of cash, asking me to withdraw from a case. It’s like they’re confessing to having a large amount of ill-gotten gains and rushing to turn themselves in.”
"Choose one of the three; this is the commission fee for this case."
Without saying a word, Cynthia opened the briefcase herself, revealing three Poké Balls lying on the black velvet fabric.