aircannonsinc The Lingering Charm of Chapter 105
The Lingering Charm of Chapter 105
The client finally finished asking all the trivial questions unrelated to the case.
The thought that this complex case was about to be completely resolved and sealed away in the archives on the second floor of the Feathered Residence made Hugo breathe a sigh of relief.
"Alright, now that we've reviewed everything, it's time to make a decision. Rena, Samuel didn't leave a will, nor did he have any close family or friends. You, who found this gem on the street, have every right to keep it. What do you intend to do with this Almost Doll Mega Evolution Stone?"
Rena looked at the crystal-clear pink Super Stone in front of her, but kept her mouth shut and refused to speak for a long time.
Seeing that the client was still hesitant, Hugo added, "If you're planning to liquidate, I can introduce you to some good secondhand dealers nearby. They'll only take about five percent as a commission..."
"No, that's not what I'm dwelling on. How can we just sell such a precious item so easily?"
Perhaps influenced by the overly compassionate Doll, the berry grower sister suddenly began to care about the feelings of the dead, and quickly explained:
"I just think that if we keep the Super Stone for ourselves, it would be too pitiful for Mr. Samuel, who was murdered because of it. Could we return the Super Stone to someone else who was related to the victim?"
“It’s not impossible,” the detective replied casually, showing no surprise.
"Although that geologist spends his days alone in the wilderness and doesn't care about family or social life, he can still find a few distant relatives if he looks for them. Those guys will be so happy to hear that a stranger they've never met has died and that they've gotten a gem that can be sold for a lot of money that they'll throw a party to thank the murderer."
"This isn't quite right..." Rena hesitated again as she listened to the detective's sarcastic words.
“And the geologist’s ex-wife,” Hugo added.
"I heard that she said a lot of bad things about the deceased while cooperating with the police investigation. If Samuel was a kind person who liked to repay evil with good, he would have been happy to give his important property to the woman who abandoned him."
The thought of that scene was incredibly awkward, so Rena made a big X with her arms in front of her.
At this moment, Azure suggested a good idea: "That's right, we can donate the Mega Stone to Devon Corporation in Hoenn and let them continue Mr. Samuel's Unova Mega Stone investigation project. Wouldn't that fulfill the victim's last wish?"
“If you look through the copy of the expedition plan among Mr. Samuel’s belongings, you’ll find that the plan was simply impossible to realize after Samuel’s death. In the entire United States geological community, only the deceased victim had enough academic influence to get Devon Corporation to fund the project.” Hugo shrugged and shook his head.
"The world of capital is very pragmatic. No matter how wealthy the Zvuch father and son are, they would never invest in the unspoken wish of a dead man. Besides, the Hoenn region is not lacking in Mega Stones, so there is no need to risk losing everything to search for Mega Stone mines in the Unova region. What they value more is the geological and archaeological significance behind the discovery of Mega Stones in the Unova region. If they really find a large deposit of Mega Stones here, they might even have a headache over the devaluation of the company's Mega Stone inventory."
Ironically, his irreplaceable role in academia was only truly realized after this reclusive geologist was murdered.
Apart from Samuel, no one else has the ability to investigate the secrets of the Unova Superstone Mine.
“Doesn’t Mr. Samuel have any students? Perhaps his graduate students can take over his work?” the assistant suggested.
“Geological research in the Unova region is declining, and no graduate students are being admitted. Samuel has taught a few archaeology students, but they know nothing about Mega Stones.”
Hugo turned to Rena: "So you should keep the Mega Stone. You can sell it for money or keep it for a rainy day. No one in Unova is more deserving of it than you. After all, if you hadn't brought this gem to the Feathered Residence, the murderer who killed Mr. Samuel would have easily returned to Hoenn and gone unpunished."
“Hugo is right,” Azure added. “Miss Rena, although we can’t make the deceased’s last wish come true, if Almost Dolls can obtain the power of the Super Stone, you can save others better. Isn’t that equivalent to extending Mr. Samuel’s life?”
"This metaphysical continuation is meaningless to the dead, but it can certainly benefit society," Hugo commented, holding a neutral opinion.
"Even so, I don't have the money to buy the Evolution Key Stone to go with the Mega Stone. I'm just a Berry Breeder; saving people is too far off for me. Even if I used the Mega Stone, it wouldn't be of any use..."
The gardener was deeply troubled and unable to extricate herself from the situation.
"There's no need to worry about the Evolution Keystones. As I said before, one or two Super Stones are nothing to Devon Corporation. We've done them such a big favor this time, so I reckon we can just give them a heads-up and they'll be able to buy the Evolution Keystones from President Zvoich at a super low price."
At that moment, the little doll jumped out of the Poké Ball on its own.
"Tabu! Tabunai!"
Almost Doll threw a "Healing Pulse" at the trainer, then stood in front of Azure and Hugo, patting its chest confidently.
"It seems that Almost Doll is quite confident in his ability to save people." The assistant couldn't help but laugh as he looked at Almost Doll, who was making such a confident promise.
"Almost a baby..."
Seeing her partner's determined gaze, Rena finally stopped hesitating and solemnly picked up the precious gem, worth several years' salary, from the table.
The doll blinked its big blue eyes, its face showing an expectant expression.
"I will definitely use it well."
In the gardener's hand, the pink Mega Stone began to shimmer with a soft and beautiful colored light again without anyone noticing.
……
The client chatted with the detectives for a while longer before finally leaving.
Hugo saw Rena to the door, then turned to Azure, who was standing in the living room: "You didn't tell her about that in the end, huh? How kind and considerate of you."
"You're the same way, deliberately acting impatient to distract the client." The girl pouted.
The detective sighed deeply: "That matter has nothing to do with her. Bringing it up will only make the atmosphere heavier."
Their gazes fell simultaneously on the resting room where the elves usually lived, a door that had remained tightly closed during their meeting.
Azure opened the door to the lounge. The curtains were drawn, and the room was pitch black. Eevee and the starter Pokémon were not inside, and a gloomy and sad atmosphere filled the air.
In the corner, a small yellow bird with blue tail feathers huddled up, motionless.
It looks like a fossil from ancient times.
"The Archaeopteryx still doesn't want to see people... So many days have passed, and it still hasn't recovered from the trauma of its companion's death..."
It turns out that Hugo and Azure deliberately omitted a detail during their conversation with Rena about the return voyage—
After Mr. Samuel was killed, all the Pokémon he carried fell into the hands of Team Aqua. In their fierce resistance, the remaining Pokémon were brutally killed by Team Aqua, their bodies sinking into the sea, never to see the light of day again.
Only one young Archaeopteryx remained. Because it was relatively rare and weak, and young enough to be tamed, it was kept by the villains...
"Are you really going to adopt it? This child has suffered severe trauma and may develop a negative attitude towards Pokémon battles."
Hugo asked his assistant for confirmation.
"Archaeopteryx's innate characteristic is 'weakness,' causing it to uncontrollably lower its attack power when in a disadvantageous situation. Its current mental state and characteristic could very well create a negative chain reaction..."
"I don't know which virtuous person told me this," Azure interrupted Hugo.
"The so-called bond between humans and Pokémon is essentially a relationship of mutual hindrance—so, as long as I'm happy with it, that's all that matters."
Before she finished speaking, the girl strode into the lounge.
Unlike other industries where the more powerful, wealthy, and glamorous one is, the more capable a detective is, the clearer they are of this world filled with suffering.
Many people choose to remain indifferent to these untold sufferings, but there are still those who are willing to step forward to help, to save, and to heal.
Hugo sighed softly and quietly walked into the lounge.