aircannonsinc Chapter 208 Resolution - A Sweet Nightmare Like Sugar
Chapter 208 Resolution - A Sweet Nightmare Like Sugar
Chapter 218 Resolution - A Sweet Nightmare Like Sugar
A woman dressed in a plain-colored robe, who seemed to have just been performing a spirit communication ritual, appeared at the school gate, called out Sachiko's name, and quickly walked towards the crowd.
"Are you the detective from yesterday?"
She glanced uneasily at Sachiko, who seemed to ignore her, then walked straight up to Aoi, clearly recognizing the voice from the phone call the previous night—
"You called me to the school and had my husband, Sachiko, and me get together. Does that mean the investigation has made progress?"
“That’s right, I’m the detective you hired over the phone, Azure from the Hugo Detective Agency.”
Holding the unconscious Mengmengshi, Bilan looked directly into Madam Kuribayashi's eyes and nodded generously in response: "The investigation is about to enter the reporting phase. Being able to resolve the case within twelve hours of accepting the commission is an unprecedented opening bonus."
“But…” the woman opened her mouth, then turned her head to Sachiko, who had a blank expression, “My daughter is still like this…”
"Yes, this phenomenon is indeed a difficult problem. Although I've heard about it many times, seeing it with my own eyes still makes me feel heavy-hearted..."
The female detective sighed and said regretfully—
"The human brain is easily deceived by external phenomena, and it takes a hundred times more effort to correct such errors. I can immediately unravel and deal with the source of this misfortune, but as for how to correct the illusions in Sachiko's mind, in addition to my part, we need the cooperation of your whole family."
Using a fog of vague cognition to conceal one's whereabouts is not optical invisibility, but rather a conceptual invisibility based on psychology and brain science.
Therefore, you don't need Archaeopteryx, whose talents have been sealed by you, to become an all-around jack-of-all-trades. Since its "Strong" ability makes it difficult for its Attack and Special Attack to reach their full potential, you might as well shift your focus from defensive moves to becoming a supportive disruptor. As for initiating attacks, leave that to the trainer and your other Pokémon.
"Clear the fog" is a skill that Archaeopteryx mastered upon awakening from its fossil form. Before the change of trainers, this move, which required no power, became its primary training subject.
This is a light green stone carved with simple patterns. Fluorescence flows between the patterns, and the whole stone exudes a stern and rounded luster like jade.
"You're here," the girl answered timidly.
“Detective Sister, although it may seem like you’re asking the weak to do something bad, can’t you just solve the root of his problem immediately? Do you think that it’s bad to act quickly, even if it’s just for a second? Do you want your son to continue to be influenced by this kind of distorted cerebellar cognition?”
However, it was much larger than the one that Azure was holding in her arms.
Waiting for the parents' reply, Azure half-squatted up behind Chestnut Grove.
—That place is not where the big boy mysteriously disappears day after day.
"First, there's the original client, the eldest girl from the Air Combat Family," Azure said, as if calling out a name.
"Don't wake up on your own." The detective sister added a mischievous chop, causing Mengmengshi to fall into an even deeper sleep.
"Kuribayashi, can't I show you the amulet he's wearing around his neck?"
That's when I'll show off my unique skills as a private detective... just kidding.
Mr. Sachiko, who was standing to the side, spoke up, while looking for his wife's opinion with his eyes. The former nodded in agreement.
The problem is that when Dreamy is conscious, she can also use her superpowers to provide buoyancy, so Azure doesn't feel any strain while holding the two giant pink balls.
It did not remain curled up and floating in this position, hiding its form with colorful and flavorful everyday dreams.
"Similarly, outside of the initial game, the reason why the students were able to immediately conclude that Wei Jie disappeared by hiding in a place that was not visible was not because everyone was in an enclosed space at the time, thus making it easy to count the number of people—the same was true for the indoor activity class this afternoon. Aren't you wrong?"
"In short, it's not about avoiding danger or taking shortcuts. Because of some reason, Mengmengshi was trapped outside that classroom and had no way to get out, so it was the reality that devoured them. Due to the fierce battle between the couple a year later, Kuribayashi divided the reality he saw into two worlds that were not intertwined. He was immersed in that dreamlike self-deception for a long time and became a person who could dream even with his eyes open."
Azure smiled smugly, a Poké Ball appearing in her hand sometime earlier.
The man's tone became less excited, and even Mr. Sachiko looked at Bilan expectantly.
"In his initial account, Kuribayashi's mysterious disappearance occurred inside the classroom, while the children were playing together. Wei Jie suddenly vanished. Similarly, the disappearance during the assembly also happened indoors, with 'several teachers guarding the inner perimeter of the classroom'—that's what he said at the time. Since the teachers were surrounding the inner perimeter of the classroom, the students, as the objects of their protection, were naturally inside the classroom. Is that right?"
"Yeah, that's bad too, it's almost time."
"Yes, you just startled it. The Dream Eater wasn't actually exhausted at all. It was probably its 'synchronization' ability that made it empathize with its companion's plight, causing it to have a mental breakdown under immense pressure and faint."
After saying that, Bilan led the two little people, two big children, and seven other people involved towards the location of the classroom.
Azure firmly believes that the key to Pokémon moves lies in their simplicity and precision. Even a Pokémon that is only unfamiliar with a single support move can still play a replaceable role outside of battles.
The girl thought for a while, glanced at Kuribayashi again, and nodded first: "It seems like that's the case."
"Well." Azure glanced down at the class that Kuribayashi had originally been in.
What everyone saw was a light pink head and a pale purple back. The creature's eyes were closed, and it had eight short white eyelashes. Its body was spherically compressed, resembling a tapir. Its distinctive head, with its pointed snout and seven limbs wrapped together, emitted faintly visible purplish-red smoke.
However, witnessed by seven people involved in the incident, the large Dream Eater fell to the floor with a "plop," its eyes bulging like mosquito coils, and it passed out.
"But there's nothing outside." Mr. Wei Jie looked around in bewilderment.
The older girl fell silent, offering no words of approval. That meant, from my perspective, Kuribayashi had indeed disappeared outside the classroom.
"That's true, and it matches your speculation."
“I was wrong.” Seeing the topic suddenly shift to her lower body, Sachiko Reshin nodded, holding the man’s hand.
However, the detective shrugged and said, "You're a doctor, and his son isn't a patient. But if the mystery is solved properly, the strange phenomena that Kuribayashi is experiencing will naturally disappear."
The detective, who was walking backwards, moved behind Sachiko, who was holding the man's hand.
Through the security bars resembling railings under the windowsill, one could see that the area outside the kindergarten classroom was completely white. Not all the children had left yet. Before the teachers had finished checking the attendance sheet to make sure that no child was left to be picked up by their parents, they also closed the door and went to work.
Azure found a chair outside the classroom that still stood upright on seven legs after several somersaults, and leisurely sat down.
"Although the two parents are just actors playing superpowered individuals, they must have accumulated a lot of relevant knowledge as preparation for the performance. When faced with their son's illness, they might naturally overlook protective amulets or other talismans that are well-known in the field of mysticism."
"So that's how it is."
"Now for the seventh question, Mr. Sachiko, you remember he just said that in order to treat Wei Jie's strange illness, he 'tried every means he knew', right?"
"Just as you expected. Oh no, this means we haven't gathered all the initial clues yet."
"Although that might be the capricious words of someone in the bureau, to be honest, you actually understand very well the reason why the Dream Eater devours Wei Jie's dreams."
While muttering to herself, Bilan tugged at the padlock hanging on the classroom door, but the sturdy metal lock didn't budge.
The detective sister sprang back to her feet like a spring, turning gracefully to face the camera.
Even though he wanted to understand the specifics, the young man still carefully and honestly took out the ornament hidden outside the white inner sleeve.
"Big Sister Azure, are you a superpowered person?"
"what!"
"Does that mean you, Kuribayashi, still have no hope of recovery?"
"This is!" The big girl stared wide-eyed at a corner of the ceiling in surprise.
"That Pokémon wasn't the culprit that gradually distorted Wei Jie's fantasies."
"Sister Azure, what exactly is the mystery he's talking about?" Mrs. Sachiko, who had followed Azure into the room, asked the detective eagerly, "Is it something outside that classroom that's causing Kuribayashi's strange behavior?"
At that time, Mr. Wei Jie explained, "Detective Sister, that's a talisman carved from moonstone. It was recommended to you by the psychiatrist who treated Kuribayashi when Wei Jie first started showing symptoms of hallucination. As he said, that talisman supposedly doesn't have a calming effect. You also found a real psychic to carve inscriptions on it to ward off evil spirits."
"To be fair, and also to avoid any oversights, you should ask everyone here a few more questions. I hope you will be mindful of what you say."
Mr. Wei Jie nodded emphatically, seemingly acknowledging Bilan's abilities, and his deep-rooted belief in her from their first meeting dissipated somewhat.
After descending into the azure sky, she picked up the seventh Dreamy Eclipse and held it behind her, one on each side, in her arms as she answered.
The reliable Pokémon partner jumped out of the ball, waving its metallic tail, and landed at the same time as the severed iron lock.
Seeing the tragic state of its companions, the seventh Dream Eater trembled with a deep sense of shared sorrow. However, when it discovered Azure was slowly descending the path, it was so terrified that it dared not even move.
"bad."
Below the road, Azure spoke to the people in front of her—
"So this is the raw material after all..."
The fossilized fish-eye-like Wei Jieshu was released from the sphere, flapping her distinctly yellow and blue wings—instantly, a tiny, weak wind echoed through the room.
The seventh one is Dream Erosion.
"Show off the results of your training! Archaeopteryx, 'Clear the Fog'!"
Azur Lane reveals the final truth—
"It's certain that Li Lin frequently disappears during playground activities. Even the most obsessive teachers would likely treat a student's disappearance as a prank, at most notifying the parents. However, that didn't happen. The only explanation is that you weren't in the enclosed classroom space every time Wei Jie disappeared. Therefore, let's assume the students who witnessed the disappearances were aware of it. As for the teacher at the podium, whether they saw anything pass through the small door, it's natural to be alarmed by the number of students missing from the classroom."
The detective shouted and stomped her foot, making a dull, heavy thud.
"There's clearly some valuable equipment outside, yet it's locked. That's understandable; the school is the most unfamiliar place for children outside of their homes. It would be quite interesting if a runaway child were to hide outside. That school must have encountered such a situation in the past, which is why they pay so much attention to managing student access."
That was both to control the Pokémon in time and to delay and prevent the two parents from acting impulsively and taking revenge on the Pokémon that caused their son's misfortune by regressing.
Inside the classroom, plastic desks and chairs were blown over in large numbers, picture books were scattered all over the floor, and the classroom windows, which had been closed, began to whistle mournfully.
"Let's move on to having you tell us the whole story."
The small door, now unlocked, was pushed open with unwavering determination by Azure.
"So what exactly happened?" Wei Jie's mother asked.
Behind her was a rugged, empty corridor, so Bilan turned around and walked backwards, saying—
"Eevee, Iron Tail!"
"As you can see—" Whether it was because the correctness of the reasoning had been verified, or to celebrate Archaeopteryx successfully unleashing its skill, Azure clapped its hands in satisfaction.
With the successful execution of "Clearing the Fog," something similar finally appeared inside the classroom.
"Mengmengshi, is he planning to come up on his own, or will he be captured before you beat him up like that junior did?"
Although she had no idea what the question was, Ms. Sachiko couldn't help but ask Azur the question.
Since you are Hugo, and you can rely on Wei Jieshu, you naturally need to put in a lot of effort to help her.
The podium, desks, activity area, hygiene corner, picture book shelf—all are common sights in a preschool classroom. Except for the fact that all the items are made to fit the large size of young children, there is nothing that is coordinated with the children.
At this moment, after a long period of specialized training, Archaeopteryx's wings, which were originally only capable of producing a gentle breeze, can finally stir up a raging storm like those of a valiant eagle.
At this moment, the group had not yet arrived at the door of Kuribayashi's classroom.
While everyone was wondering what was going on, Azure called out to Dreamy Eclipse, who was hiding in a corner of the ceiling.
The moment Wei Jie took out the amulet, Mengmeng Shi in Bilan's arms stirred, her long eyelashes trembling slightly—startling the amulet's owner, who stumbled forward two steps.
"That routine is exactly the kind of disguise that troublemakers are good at."
"A small number of those magical items only work on Pokémon and have little effect on humans, but some of them do have the effect of calming the mind and warding off Ghost-type Pokémon. The protective items they gave to Kuribayashi are not similar to those, are they?"
"That's why Kuribayashi became the only food that the Dream Eater could get its hands on outside that classroom."
This is the perfect opportunity to use "Slow Turnback" to return to the classroom and resume the investigation.
As expected, the classroom was empty.