Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 119 Methods for Identifying Key Witnesses

Near the entrance to the job fair, the detective and Touko chatted idly while waiting for their assistant to arrive.

The job fair was held in an enclosed plaza with all entrances and exits in one location, so there was no need to worry about the assistant wandering off.

"Aren't you going to meet with N?"

Just like her fighting style, the girl with the high ponytail went straight to the point, asking Hugo a question—

"After all, he's the one who made the request. Shouldn't we go and have a face-to-face talk with him? With me and Sister Xiaolan here, we don't need to worry about his nominal subordinates doing anything underhanded."

"No, it's better not to. I'm not worried about the plasma clusters." The detective in the white coat shook his head.

"Countless myths and legends tell us a common truth—it's best for two beings with strong opinions but unable to convince each other not to meet, otherwise they'll most likely end up arguing."

At this moment, Hugo's gaze was absentmindedly fixed on the endless stream of people in front of him, his brows sometimes furrowing and sometimes relaxing, as if he were browsing the books on the shelves of a bookstore.

"Arguing?" Douzi blinked. She couldn't imagine the scene of the always aloof green-haired youth arguing with this polite detective.

It'll probably be quite dramatic...

"Speaking of which, Hugo, why did we choose to meet here today? Aren't we here to investigate the truth behind the bombing? What does the bombing have to do with this job fair?"

"Of course it's relevant. Let me ask you, if we want to understand the factory's condition before the explosion, who should we ask?"

"Normally, we should go to the factory employees, since only they have firsthand information."

"That's right, but now the power plant has been destroyed by the explosion and may never be able to be rebuilt. The employees are unable to work and are scattered in their homes. Where are we supposed to find these employees now?"

While talking to Douzi, Hugo's eyes continued to scan the crowd quickly, as if he were looking for a specific target.

"Oh! I see." The girl with the high ponytail thumped her palms, suddenly realizing.

"The power plant's closure will inevitably lead to unemployment. Those laid-off workers will certainly come to this job fair to find other jobs... Not only that, this job fair might even be set up by other factories to recruit these people, which is why there are so many people here!"

"That's right, so I came here to look for my target." The detective nodded.

"But if that's the case, Hugo, what are you looking for now?" Douzi still didn't quite understand. "You could get information from any applicant you randomly picked up here."

"I'm looking for employees most connected to the explosion."

Hugo glanced again at the crowded throng, still seemingly unable to find his target, so he simply turned around and began to explain to Douzi—

"The official report states that the explosion was caused by a Pokémon's erroneous operation. 💜😲 69Ŝђ𝐔乂.cᵒ爪🍧😎 Photos from the scene also show that the explosion's epicenter was located in a bio-powered area where Electric-type Pokémon were concentrated. Such an area would typically have at least one employee responsible for managing, feeding, and caring for the Pokémon. And that's the person I'm looking for."

Seeing that Hugo's explanation was logical and reasonable, the girl nodded frequently, but still didn't fully understand: "But then how are you going to identify such an employee from such a large group of people?"

The detective held up three fingers: "For the first screening, we can start with the applicants' hand shapes. The people we're looking for aren't professional workers; they're closer to Pokémon trainers who have been breeding Pokémon for a long time. Therefore, they wouldn't have thick calluses from operating machinery for long periods of time. At most, they would only have slight callus marks on the joints used when gripping Poké Balls."

"Ugh...ah!"

Douzi couldn't help but examine her own hands, and Guo accidentally gasped in surprise. Upon closer inspection, she also discovered similar slight calluses on her palms.

This mark is proof of being an excellent Pokémon Trainer.

"Second," Hugo continued, shaking his perfectly intact, slender fingers—

"These special employees were originally responsible for the large-scale management of Electric-type Pokémon at the Liyong Power Plant. The job requires a high level of expertise, including knowledge of electrical engineering and Pokémon training methods. Even when applying for a job, they show a clear difference from ordinary job seekers."

"What's that? A breeder's certificate? A high-quality elf that I raised myself?" the girl speculated.

"Of course not, how could we possibly find out this much just by standing at a distance and observing?" the detective said with a smile. "It's all about where they were standing."

Although the crowd in front of me was bustling, if you looked closely, you could see that even at the entrance, the job applicants had consciously lined up in different positions.

"The more specialized a person is, the less likely they are to change careers just to switch jobs. And when companies hold joint recruitment events, they will naturally place signs at the entrance pointing to different positions so that applicants can find their place. However, these signs face the people in line, and they are not easy to see from where we are now. That's why Bilan and I had to squeeze through the crowd."

The detective pointed to a group of people directly opposite him: "Look, in this group closest to us, aren't there quite a few people who meet the first condition? This is where I got separated from Azure. These are the employees who came to apply for factory training positions, but unfortunately, most of them are not from the Liyong Power Plant where the explosion occurred."

"Hmm..." Douzi pondered for a moment before asking the natural question, "So how are you going to identify the former employees of Liyong Power Plant from among these people?"

"This is the most obvious part of the reasoning," Hugo said, waving his remaining index finger.

"According to your friend's testimony, all the Pokémon in the power plant perished at the scene of the accident. The employee responsible for raising them may not bear any responsibility, but their mental state is certainly not good. This kind of state is not suitable for applying for a job, and the interviewer will relentlessly question you about the explosion incident. After all, no company wants to hire an employee who has caused a serious incident."

Finally, Hugo pointed to the crowd behind him and, facing Douzi, said—

"If you see a dejected, sighing, and returning home after failing an interview in the line in front of us, then he is undoubtedly the person we are looking for on this trip."

"Um... Hugo..." Douzi suddenly stammered, "I saw someone who perfectly fits your criteria, but she is definitely not a witness to the bombing."

The detective turned around in surprise and saw a chestnut-haired girl looking listless and sighing as she retraced her steps.

Her eyes were exactly the same as the Archaeopteryx above her head.

Azure drifted aimlessly in the direction of the crowd, and when it passed by Hugo and Douzi, it was pulled back by the girl with the high ponytail.

"What happened, Sister Lan?"

Azure was stunned for a moment before saying, looking utterly devastated—

"They...they said that someone like me, without a breeder's certificate, without even a diploma, can only work in an electronics factory tightening screws..."