Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 359 Interlude - Loud Poisonous Voice

Chapter 361 Interlude - Loud Poisonous Voice

"Big wolfhound, tear open its throat! 'Crush it!'"

Faced with the menacing lightning zebra before him, the man in black suddenly raised his arm, commanding the large wolfhound beside him to launch an attack.

At the same time, he quietly pulled out a black and yellow high-grade ball from under his cloak with his other hand, his movements as stealthy and swift as an Arbok slithering through the grass.

Although the distance between them was still considerable, Officer Jenny's eyes did not miss the fugitive's clandestine movements. She immediately shouted the order: "Ignore that big wolfhound! Lightning Zebra, use 'Charged Flame Strike' to accelerate and subdue the criminal directly!"

"Too late!"

Just as red flames erupted from the Thunder Zebra, the prisoner beneath the gray-black cloak burst into arrogant laughter. He gripped the Poké Ball tightly in his hand; with a single press of the button, the Pokémon inside would burst forth.

"Stop pretending! Stop struggling in vain and surrender!"

Miss Officer Jenny shouted sternly.

Upon hearing the command, the Thunder Zebra was instantly enveloped in scorching flames, its speed increasing dramatically as it hurtled towards the man in black like a burning meteor. Even the large wolfhound's fierce bite on its hind leg from behind did nothing to slow the Thunder Zebra down.

"snort."

The man in black chuckled disdainfully, and the Poké Ball in his hand suddenly exploded, radiating red light.

A blue Pokémon covered in armor, brandishing its sharp claws, appeared before Zephyr like a monster bursting from the earth.

"Ancient Armor, 'Rock Blast'!"

The fugitive suddenly waved his hand, and the cloak was lifted by the strong wind, revealing his sun-darkened skin.

The ancient armor shook its entire shell, emitting a piercing scraping sound. At the same time, it raised its incredibly heavy, armored right leg and slammed it hard into the ground.

In an instant, the ground trembled under the weight, and countless pebbles, like cannonballs, hurtled toward the Thunder Zebra's body, only to be blocked by the flames surrounding it.

"This power seems a bit off."

Seeing this, Officer Jenny frowned, a hint of doubt rising in her heart.

Judging from the sheer force of this Rock-type Pokémon, while its strength was slightly weaker than Zephyr, it possessed Rock Blast, which was super effective against Flame Charge, so its power shouldn't be limited to this level. Just then, Mary, the reporter standing in the cafe by the street, suddenly realized something, her face turning deathly pale. She immediately bent over and shouted to her photographer partner beside her, "Dai! Get down!"

Although somewhat bewildered, Dai instinctively did as instructed. The next second, a rock projectile, seemingly out of nowhere, suddenly struck the café window.

With a loud crash, the once bright and smooth glass was instantly covered with a dense web of cracks, as the huge rock that had pierced through it crashed into the coffee shop and became deeply embedded in the wooden floor.

"Prepare for battle!" the reporter shouted hoarsely. "That fugitive's target is us! He's cornered!"

They want to take hostages!

Before he could finish speaking, several more rock spikes came hurtling towards him.

This time, the coffee shop's windows were smashed to pieces. A large amount of shards, carried by the cold wind, rushed into the room, causing the staff crouching at the counter to scream in terror. Tables and chairs were overturned, and cups, plates, and bowls were scattered everywhere, turning the entire coffee shop into a chaotic battlefield in an instant.

Outside on the street, the Ancient Armor and the Great Wolfhound held Officer Jenny's Thunder Zebra back and forth. Taking advantage of this opening, the man in black nimbly vaulted over the broken window and leaped into the café.

The other person glanced around the bleak shop, paused for a moment at the bar where the waiters were hiding, and finally fixed their gaze on Mary, who was rather thin and weak as a woman, revealing a sinister smile like someone who had spotted their prey.

"Please—stop."

A slightly trembling but firm voice came from under the table next to the fugitive.

Photographer Dai slithered out from under the table and stood between Mary and the intruder. Several documents, scattered by the blast wave, were still stuck to his body, but his eyes remained unwavering.

"Whatever you plan to do here, I will do everything in my power to stop you."

Before he could finish speaking, a Magneton flew out from behind the photographer, its three separate eyes locked on the enemy before it, flashing with a wary light.

"I'm not so down on my luck that I'd be held back by a kid like you."

The man in black gave a cold laugh and threw another Poké Ball from his waist.

With a flash of red light, a crocodile Pokémon with a mouthful of sharp teeth appeared in front of Dai—it was the evolved form of Totodile, the Water-type beginner Pokémon from the Johto region, Crocodile.

Electric type is super effective against Water type, so the type advantage is on my side!

Despite her legs feeling a little weak, Dai managed to steady herself and quickly gave the order: "Magneto, 'Discharge'—"

"Brute force!"

This brutal life-or-death struggle was completely different from the elf battles that Dai had experienced in the past.

Before the photographer could finish giving the order, Blue Crocodile charged forward fiercely, leaping into the air in front of Dai, landing heavily on his shoulder and jumping into the air, its clenched claws aimed straight at Magneton's face.

Seeing its opponent almost touching its trainer, Magneton seemed to be caught in a dilemma and hesitated briefly.

This moment of hesitation caused it to miss the best opportunity to "discharge," and it could only endure this double-counter Fighting-type move.

Fortunately, Magneton possesses the "Sturdy" property, which allows it to evade a fatal blow, thus barely retaining a sliver of strength after suffering a heavy attack.

"Ignore me, keep using the electric discharge!" Dai shouted through gritted teeth.

"Water jet."

All that could be heard was a merciless command echoing behind Dai's head.

In an instant, the Blue Crocodile opened its mouth and spewed out a torrent of water, using the recoil to close in on the hastily dodging Magneton once again. Then, it raised its red tail fin high and swung it with merciless force, completely ending its opponent's last bit of strength.

Magneton ultimately failed to use any of its attacks, letting out a frustrated cry like radio static, only to fall heavily to the ground with its eyes spinning in circles, leaving behind a photographer with a look of utter despair.

"Looks like we've found a male hostage first." The man in black sneered, his dark face full of mockery. "Men are a bit troublesome; if they resist, they'll be quite fierce. We'll have to use some methods first."

He twisted his wrist, his gaze fierce as he approached Dai step by step.

"You—you stay away!" Dai tried to back away, but his back bumped into the blue crocodile's gaping maw.

At that very moment...

Boom—another loud bang.

A black, four-legged figure crashed heavily beside the man in black; it was the large wolfhound that had been fighting the lightning zebra earlier. The next moment, the lightning zebra, its body crackling with electricity, nimbly leaped through the window and landed steadily inside the café.

Outside the window, police cars had blocked off the entire street, and the red and blue flashing lights formed a deadly noose—undoubtedly, more Alliance police were rapidly assembling.

Officer Jenny's voice blared through the loudspeaker, "Suspect, your other elf, Ancient Armor, has been apprehended by the police. Surrender immediately! Don't do anything to compound your crime!"

The man in black gritted his teeth, his gaze growing increasingly crazed. He suddenly grabbed Dai by the collar and shouted outside—

"None of you are coming any closer!"

The officers who were about to flood into the coffee shop stopped. The situation had become much more complicated with the enemy holding hostages. Seeing that the threat had worked, the fugitive continued shouting at the top of his lungs—

"None of you come any closer! I have a hostage! Lift the encirclement first, otherwise the man in black will not have noticed that, in his blind spot, the look of terror on the hostage's face has vanished without a trace."

The reason is simple: just now, a shrunken Poké Ball, thanks to the magnetic force released by Magneton, quietly rolled from Reporter Mary's side to Dai's feet.

The reason Magneton failed to unleash its attack was because it was distracted by using its magnetism to attract distant objects.

At this moment, the opportunity had arrived—taking advantage of the moment when the man in black was distracted and the Blue Crocodile turned its gaze to the Thunder Zebra, the photographer quickly stretched out his toe and stepped on the release button of the Poké Ball.

The soul of a journalist will always shine in the most dangerous places. Whether in Hoenn or Unova, seamless teamwork is always this duo's best weapon to overcome adversity.

The next second, Dai and Mary covered their ears at the same time, as if by telepathy.

A short, purple figure with huge, speaker-like ears appeared out of thin air and stood in front of the man in black—it was Mary's Roar Bomb.

As luck would have it, the pair of round ears that could act as speakers to amplify the volume were slightly adjusted so that they could be aimed precisely at the black-clad fugitive's ears.

It opened its massive jaws, and the pent-up compressed air exploded in an instant, screaming, "Aa ...

It emitted a deafening roar that pierced through the clouds and tore through the fabric!

Outside the coffee shop, the tense atmosphere, which had been shrouded in the threatening voices of the men in black, was instantly interrupted by the sudden, loud shout of the man who burst out with explosive force.

Officer Jenny acted decisively and without hesitation, issuing the order: "Something's happened inside! Everyone, launch a full-scale assault immediately!"