69novels Chapter 276 A Happy Ending
Chapter 276 A Happy Ending
Looking at the enormous bookshelf that even Fighting-type Pokémon would have difficulty moving, Officer Jenny couldn't help but look at Zina and Vinissa with suspicion—
"Are you two sure you heard the knocking sound from behind this wall?"
"Uh...did we hear wrong?"
The maid stared blankly at the bookshelf, clearly wavering.
Obviously, with a bookshelf blocking the wall, no one could pound on it like that. Even if you moved the entire row of books on the shelf and struck the wooden partition behind it, it would only produce a crisper knocking sound, completely different from the dull thud of hitting the wall.
Perhaps I really misheard?
"No, I didn't mishear!"
Seeing Zina hesitate, Venetian stepped forward and defended her father—
“We really heard the sound. If only one person was there, it could be explained as a simple mishearing or a neurotic auditory hallucination. But at that time, both Ms. Zina and I heard the knocking sound at the same time. It's impossible for two people to have hallucinations at the same time, right? This can only mean that the sound we heard was indeed real.”
"But the problem is, even if that strange sound really exists, what's the point?"
Master Medan, his face full of mockery, retorted to his daughter like an arrogant king of the Blues—
"When you heard that sound, Hayden and I were just sitting here chatting. Although the Ice-Treading Doll's 'reflective barrier' blocked out the sounds in the room, you can't possibly think that two grown men like us wouldn't see something amiss with the bookshelf wall right in front of us, can you?"
"You two are over a hundred years old combined. Even if you sometimes lose your hearing and vision, that's normal, isn't it?"
"Heh, I think it's more likely that two immature girls are having a collective auditory hallucination..."
“Neil, could that sound be coming from the other wall?” Ignoring the father and daughter who were starting to argue, Officer Jenny turned to her research assistant and asked, “Did you hear any strange noises in the room?”
"If you're asking about the time before Miss Zina started banging on the door, I didn't hear anything," Neil said, scratching the back of his head, seemingly still confused about what had happened.
“Hmph.” Officer Jenny crossed her arms and pondered. “In that case, we must also rule out the possibility that the sound is coming from directly above the master’s room. This room is located between two guest rooms, so there’s no reason why we can hear strange noises on one side but not on the other.”
"In that case, there's only one explanation left, Officer Jenny?"
Suddenly someone spoke to her, and Officer Jenny looked up to see that Mr. Hayden, who had been sitting on the single sofa, had somehow walked up to her.
"Since the strange hammering sound came from between the owner's room and the two ladies' guest rooms, and we in the rooms couldn't visually detect anything unusual about the source of the sound, then the sound could only be coming from somewhere invisible to the naked eye, such as the bookshelves or inside the walls."
Hayden, from Zhuqing City, picked up his wooden cane, which had been leaning against the sofa armrest, and politely bowed to Miss Officer Jenny, continuing—
"The source is either a particularly small Bug or Grass-type Pokémon, or a Psychic or Ghost-type Pokémon that can become invisible or use illusions. Considering the original state of this Forest Mansion, it wouldn't be surprising which type of Pokémon was responsible."
"Hmm, that explanation... does make sense."
The other party's reasoning was indeed reasonable, and the policewoman had to nod in agreement. However, looking at the businessman's calm and smiling face, she felt that there seemed to be some kind of ulterior motive hidden within.
"I've heard that there are specialized personnel within the police force who can direct Psychic or Ghost-type Pokémon to investigate traces left by their own kind. Given this unusual situation, why doesn't Officer Officer Jenny give it a try?"
"I don't have that kind of Pokémon," Officer Jenny said, shaking her head in polite refusal.
People often misunderstand Officer Jenny's family; not every Officer Jenny works in the police force. This particular Officer Jenny, for example, works for the League's investigative agency, where her duties mostly involve security-related paperwork, much like a regular League civil servant. Naturally, she doesn't train special Pokémon for on-site investigations.
However, even if she couldn't investigate the scene most efficiently, she, named Officer Jenny, wasn't entirely helpless—
"Speaking of which, don't you find it strange, Mr. Hayden?"
"Strange? What's strange about it?"
"Master Meidan has been living in this mansion for more than two years. In the past, Venetian and Neil have visited this mansion many times, to the point that they have their own regular rooms to stay in. Why didn't they hear this strange sound of hammering on the wall in the past, but only today?"
Hayden raised his silver-gray eyebrows: "Officer, are you suggesting that something new in this mansion today caused the sound of hammering on the wall?"
"It's the 'reflective barrier' of the ice-walking doll, isn't it?"
A new sound rang out in the owner's room. It turned out that Zhu Lan, who had been standing in the corridor, stepped into the mansion.
Previously, although most people entered the room together, the Ice-Treading Doll had not removed the "reflective wall" used for soundproofing. The sound of footsteps was blocked, and the dense crowd completely blocked the door, which made Hayden not notice the other visitor standing outside the corridor.
Zhu Lan, too, hadn't heard the speculations of the others in the room, but she seemed to understand the whole story, clearly and fluently analyzing the cause and effect of the strange noises in the master's room—
"First of all, the culprit behind this strange noise must be some kind of Pokémon that can freely move through the walls and bookshelves. Although we don't know its specific species yet, based on Ms. Zina's experience of living in the mansion for a year, she didn't sense anything unsettling about it. This suggests that it's most likely a Pokémon that is harmless to humans. Perhaps it has been living in the Forest Mansion for a long time and has already established some kind of symbiotic relationship with this ancient mansion."
"God, the Sinnoh champion?"
Mr. Hayden was dumbfounded; clearly, the appearance of the Bamboo Orchid Champion surprised him more than the Bamboo Orchid Champion's reasoning.
"Why would the Pokémon, who were living peacefully in the mansion, act in such an almost haunted manner? The trigger for all this lies in the secret conversation between Mr. Hayden and Gym Leader Medan. Or more accurately, it lies in the 'Reflect' move used by Icewalker."
Zhu Lan reached out and lightly touched the hat of the ice-walking doll holding the ice cane. The doll stared blankly with its round eyes, looking bewildered.
"Just like the resistance Officer Jenny felt the moment she opened the door, the Pokémon that had been weaving through the gaps in the mansion also arrived near this wall and books, and similarly felt the resistance from the 'Reflect Wall.' Perhaps it was too weak, or perhaps it didn't want to be seen by humans, but in any case, this Pokémon was thus trapped somewhere here by a thin 'Reflect Wall.'"
Like an ivory pig squeezed into a crevice in a glacier, Officer Jenny thought to herself.
"In desperation, the Pokémon used a move like 'Tackle' against the wall, trying to create some noise and alert the gym's inhabitants without revealing its true form, thus dispelling the 'Reflect' barrier. However, the gym leader's room was completely soundproofed at the time, so the sound was only heard by Ms. Vinissa and Ms. Zinnia next door."
This is the general outline of the whole incident. The Sinnoh champion finished his explanation, and for a moment, the room fell silent.
"So, if we can get this Pokémon that looks like a Mr. Mime to cancel its move, we'll be able to find out the Pokémon's true identity?" Vinissa looked at Cynthia expectantly.
The Sinnoh champion shook his head: "It will probably continue to hide and quietly run away. After all, this incident has already scared it enough."
"Oh dear, what on earth is this all about?"
Hayden shook his head with a wry smile, took out a deluxe ball different from the one he had used with Corviknight, put the Icewalker back into the ball, and then released it again.
“Klorololo…”
The ice-walking mascot stomped its feet joyfully, its ice crystal cane flying and spinning like an acrobat's stick, sometimes rolling over its body, sometimes being tossed into the air, dazzling the eyes of the onlookers.
Unbeknownst to them, the icy resistance that had been lingering in the surrounding air had completely disappeared.
This is the characteristic of the Icewalker – "obstacle removal". The moment it appears, it clears away all obstacles in the arena with a high-spirited dance.
The bookshelves and walls were silent; the Pokémon that had coexisted with the mansion had probably already escaped.
"The case was solved perfectly! No wonder you're a detective's sister. Congratulations!"
Officer Jenny turned around happily and praised Cynthia, only to find that the Sinnoh champion's demeanor had completely changed. He looked like a Staraptor eyeing its prey, his gray eyes sharply fixed on something.
The item the champion was looking at was on the very top shelf. In a dusty corner, an old book, its condition clearly visible from the side, stood out starkly among a pile of miscellaneous documents.