Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 376 Green Mountains Beyond

Chapter 378 Green Mountains Beyond

On the express train to Sanyo City, Azure saw a rather strange person.

He was a man of considerable size, who, despite sitting in the same expensive first-class carriage as me, occupied two adjacent seats by himself, looking like a small mountain. Despite his enormous size, he wore a well-tailored suit, clearly made of high-end, custom-made material.

The man was frowning and speaking softly into his phone. Although he was angry, he maintained basic rationality and kept his voice at a level that wouldn't disturb others.

This person is no ordinary person—this was the detective's intuition that told Azure just by seeing the man's back from a distance.

"But I'm getting off at the next stop, so I probably won't cross paths with that person."

As Azure was thinking this, she saw the huge man again on the platform where she got off the train.

"—What do you mean by an unexpected emergency? Do you know how valuable my time is? You should know that our work absolutely does not accept any investigation methods other than booking the entire venue."

Perhaps because he had left the train carriage, the man, who was nearly two meters tall and probably weighed around 300 kilograms, spoke much louder into the phone. Although he tried his best to remain composed, you could see that his thick neck had turned red from the effort.

I retract my previous judgment.

Azure quietly shook her head at the Eevee that jumped out of the Poké Ball. Seems like a demanding boss—she'd seen far too many like him.

Since taking over the detective agency, Bilan has encountered many self-righteous clients like this. They are all amateurs, yet they always like to criticize her, a professional detective who has passed the exam.

However, the situation of the man in front of us who looks like Snorlax seems a little different?

"They actually asked if I was comfortable dining with others, requiring us to add two more guests? Are you kidding me? Are you looking down on our magazine?"

The giant stomped his feet impatiently, and the ground seemed to tremble in response.

"Rules are rules. Even at the most upscale members-only restaurant in Raven City, we have to adhere to this standard, let alone a restaurant that was just converted from a Pokémon Gym. They insist on having the entire place to myself, and even a private room won't do; that would slow down the restaurant's food preparation! I'm giving you one last ten minutes to contact that restaurant and reiterate our demands—"

The detective's ears twitched, as if she had heard some information that could not be ignored.

"Listen, they need to understand how precious the opportunity they're missing is. No matter how distinguished the two additional guests are, the chief editor of *Flying Cloud Food Exploration* carries far more weight than them. We've already invested space in them; we can't invest any more time!"

Knowing that he was no match for this "big shot" in terms of importance, Azure swallowed hard, realizing that he could no longer stand idly by.

Seeing that the man had hung up the phone and was looking around for a bench where he could sit, she strode up to him and blocked his way.

"Sir, are you planning to go to the Sansho City Sansho Gym?"

The man cast a wall-like shadow in front of Azure, his eyes, which looked tiny in his enormous face, narrowed slightly as he scanned Azure, who was holding Eevee, from top to bottom as if he were assessing merchandise.

"I'm so sorry, I overheard the phone call behind you," the detective explained before he could speak, "but I hope you can reconsider this matter."

"You're a trainer? Do you have some connection with the three gym leaders of that shop?"

The enormous man raised his layered chin, and he keenly discerned Azure's past profession, but his subsequent reasoning was completely wrong.

"No, I don't know any of the Gym Leaders in Sanyo City, but—" Miss Azure winked mysteriously, "I just think that if the editor refuses to visit the Sanyo Gym today, he'll probably regret it later."

"Pity?" The man looked at Bilan with confusion, then gave up thinking and asked directly, "Who are you? Why do you say that?"

Azure took a deep breath: "My name is Azure, and I'm a detective from Hugo Detective Agency in Flying Cloud City. I received a personal commission from the Unova League Champion to come here and evaluate the future development plans of the Trisolaran Gym, who is one of the 'two additional guests' you mentioned on the phone."

"I see." The editor touched his neck, which was slightly sweaty in the sunlight. "Is it that agency with the prominent sign in Feiyun City? It's strange that the league would entrust this kind of evaluation work to an outsider. Is it because the newly appointed champion harbors resentment towards his subordinates?"

Miss Detective really wanted to tell the other party that the so-called new league champion was Detective Hugo from her own agency, but at this moment she could only remain silent.

Her demeanor was interpreted by the man as a sign of keeping her confidentiality.

"Forget it, I don't like getting involved in politics anyway, so I won't pry. I'm sorry, young lady, for making you come all this way for nothing. Could you please come to the Sanyo Dojo another day to conduct the evaluation?"

The man politely bowed to Bilan, which, given the enormous weight he was carrying, was a sign of utmost sincerity.

"My name is Guskaf."

He pulled a small brown business card from his suit pocket and handed it to Azure with one hand. "You may have heard my profession earlier. I'm a food critic, currently the chief editor of 'Flying Cloud Food Exploration,' the most famous food magazine in the Unova region. I consider myself to be doing an excellent job, so I'll probably continue working here until the magazine goes out of business."

If you ever find yourself struggling to find something to eat, try calling this number—though I might not have time.

Upon hearing the word "food," Eevee's little ears twitched, and it curiously fiddled with the edge of the business card with its paw.

Azure then handed the firm's business card to Gusca in return.

"If you encounter any cases related to infidelity investigations, finding missing persons or pets, gathering evidence for crimes, or in short, any incidents related to detective work,

You can consult our firm—as long as you bring enough for the commission fee.

"A detective?" The man held up the business card, examined it for a moment, hesitated, and then put it in his pocket. "Although I already know your agency's address, I still accept it with gratitude. I hope I'll never need it."

What concerns did Guskaf have in mind?

Azure looked puzzled, but ultimately focused her attention on the matter at hand: "Regarding the Sanyo Dojo, I regret to inform you that I cannot make my own travel plans. May I ask, Editor, why are you so insistent on booking the entire venue for dinner?"

"You should know that the prices of dishes at high-end restaurants like the ones run by the Sanyo Dojo brothers actually far exceed the cost of the raw materials and the chefs' labor, right?"

"Yes," the detective nodded. "Although I'm not particularly knowledgeable about the food industry, I still have this level of common sense."

"The extra aspects largely come from elements that the palate cannot perceive, such as service, cultural value, and dining atmosphere. Therefore, a food critic must also be a connoisseur, making an objective and unbiased judgment on all of the above conditions without any external interference when evaluating fine restaurants."

Guscalf tried to straighten his back, transforming himself from a bloated diner into a professional critic—"However, if there are other guests around while dining, their words, expressions, actions, and the likes and dislikes they express can very likely have a biased influence on the judge—therefore I must avoid these distractions."

"But in reality, it's impossible for customers to dine in a private setting every day. Can such reviews truly represent the feelings of ordinary customers?"

Azure and Eevee in her arms both frowned—the latter simply because she had just discovered that the business card was inedible.

"When magazines review restaurants, there are of course undercover investigators who mingle among the customers to evaluate the restaurant's service quality and speed of serving food—but that's not my job."

The food editor, resembling a Snorlax, stubbornly raised his head. "My reviews and I are only responsible for judging the restaurant as close to perfection as possible. For those gourmets who travel around tasting delicious food, the ceiling of a restaurant is more meaningful than the average."

"I understand what you're thinking," the detective nodded. "But I still think you should accept the invitation from the Sanyo Dojo today."

"Why?" Guskaf asked, puzzled, his thick, short eyebrows furrowing. "Are you going to promise me that you won't make any facial expressions while you're eating? I advise you not to. Nothing is more unappetizing than having someone next to you with a long face while you're eating."

"This guy is really bad at reasoning," Azure thought to herself, but smiled and said, "You mean, when evaluating a meal, if other people are around expressing their opinions on the dishes, it's very likely to interfere with your accurate judgment of the restaurant."

"Yes, that's right."

The giant editor nodded laboriously; he was already quite tired after standing for so long chatting with Azure.

"Is it possible that the person sitting next to you is a more discerning food critic than you are?"

"Absurd! This is impossible!"

The man practically defied gravity, leaping into the air. "I'm the top gourmet in the Unova region, how could anyone—"

"Really? But the third guest to visit Sanyo Dojo today is a top-notch restaurant owner who is renowned worldwide. Even someone like me who knows nothing about the restaurant industry has heard of his cooking skills on TV."

Azure let Eevee jump onto her shoulder and held up her phone in front of Guscalf. The phone reflected the sunlight and displayed a photo of another person she was meeting on this trip besides the Triads—the Water Elite Four member of the Kalos region, a world-class gourmet connoisseur, and the legendary chef—Zimi.

The difference between this person and a food critic is like the difference between a champion and a superstar... no, it's like the difference between a superstar and a champion.

pat.

The phone, which the man had been holding, fell to the ground, and its vibration sounded at this untimely moment, which seemed particularly ironic.

Azure didn't receive any communication from the Sanyo Dojo, which was to be expected, she chuckled to herself.

It seems that the three brothers of Sanyo City did not change their plans because of the status of "Flying Cloud Food Exploration". The editorial staff member finally got a negative answer from them - this is the correct way of reasoning.

The little creature perched on the girl's shoulder shook the white down on its neck and yawned somewhat unhappily.

The trainer said they'd be having a delicious meal as soon as they got off the bus, so why are they still standing there like idiots on the street?