Chapter 145: The Great Detective Miori
The video continued playing.
Ampharos had been staying in Nimbasa Gym’s infirmary for three days, and Miori had finally confirmed three things.
First, this Ampharos truly had no Trainer.
Second, the reason it had gone berserk was indeed an out-of-control Mega Evolution, though how it had Mega Evolved remained unclear.
Third—and this was what gave Miori the greatest headache—it refused to eat.
"These are the Gym’s specially made Pokéblocks. They’re high in calcium and protein. Luxio eats three bowls after every training session."
Miori crouched beside the soft mat, holding a personalized food bowl printed with a large picture of Ampharos’s face.
Ampharos turned its face toward the wall.
"Then how about this? Moomoo Milk pudding. I’ve been saving it because even I couldn’t bear to eat it, and this is the last one."
Ampharos closed its eyes.
Miori pulled a crumpled sheet of paper from her backpack. It listed every food she had tried over the past two days:
Pokéblocks, Poké Puffs, Moomoo Milk pudding, Berries mixed with honey, and even the potato chips Emolga had secretly brought inside.
Ampharos had refused everything.
Miori crumpled the paper into a ball, threw it into the trash, and rose while patting her knees.
"Fine. I won’t force you to eat."
She placed the food bowl beside the mat.
"But as your temporary guardian, I have a responsibility to determine exactly how you lost control. If you refuse to cooperate with anything, I’ll have no choice but to use my own methods."
Ampharos finally opened its eyes and looked at her as though asking, What methods could you possibly have?
Miori smiled.
"You’ll find out soon enough."
For some inexplicable reason, Ampharos felt a chill run down its back.
"Everyone, assemble at the Route 4 crime scene!"
The scene changed.
Miori stood outside the Gym dressed in a detective outfit, a large bag strapped to her back. Luxio and Emolga stood behind her, one on either side.
When Ampharos was wheeled outside in a wheelchair, it looked completely bewildered.
It had merely refused to eat. How had it suddenly become a disabled Pokémon that needed to be pushed around?
Miori completely ignored its accusatory stare. She pulled a pair of sunglasses from a side pocket of her bag and placed them over Ampharos’s eyes.
"The sunlight is strong outside. Wear these."
Miori spoke with complete confidence.
"I reviewed the police dispatch records Officer Jenny sent me last night. You lost control near the third bend on Route 4, correct?"
Ampharos instinctively nodded.
"Excellent. Then let’s go."
[Regular-Seat Chat Group]
"It’s here! It’s finally here! The Nimbasa Gym Detective Agency is conducting its first field investigation! Popcorn, cola, and sunflower seeds for sale in the front row!"
"I spat out my drink when Miori put sunglasses on Ampharos. Why does this look like she’s taking an elderly relative outside to enjoy the sun?"
"Ampharos: I only refused to eat. Why must I endure this?"
[VIP Chat Group]
[Flint]: Hahahahahahaha! A wheelchair! She actually brought Ampharos a wheelchair!
[Aaron]: Where did she even get that wheelchair? Ampharos’s legs aren’t broken. Is this really necessary?
[Bertha]: Hehehe. Ampharos may not have any physical impairments, but it certainly has psychological issues.
[Lucian]: From a psychological perspective, forcibly bringing an uncooperative subject back to the scene of an incident can indeed be effective in breaking down their mental defenses.
The video continued playing.
Officer Jenny was already waiting beside the third bend of Route 4, with a police motorcycle parked nearby.
When she saw Miori approaching while pushing a wheelchair, her expression struggled between a professional smile and personal confusion for several seconds.
"Gym Leader Miori, I sent you the dispatch records you requested yesterday, but what exactly are you doing today...?"
"Reconstructing the incident."
Miori pulled a folder from her bag and opened it to the first page, which was densely covered in writing.
"According to the investigation records from that day, witnesses reported that Ampharos appeared directly near this bend. The area in which it wandered had a diameter of approximately fifty meters."
Officer Jenny accepted the folder and flipped through two pages. Her expression changed from confusion to solemn admiration.
"Gym Leader Miori, this investigation report..."
"I stayed up all night writing it."
Miori rubbed beneath her eyes.
"Today, we’ll retrace Ampharos’s movements and see whether we can determine what happened before it lost control."
"Understood."
Officer Jenny closed the folder and nodded decisively.
"How would you like me to assist?"
"Please have your officers block the nearby roads so passing Trainers don’t interfere with our investigation."
Miori adjusted the bag on her back.
"Leave everything else to me."
Officer Jenny turned to organize the officers, while Miori slowly pushed Ampharos’s wheelchair along the bend in Route 4.
After approximately ten minutes, the detector’s beeping became increasingly rapid. Numerous scorch marks had also appeared across the surrounding tree trunks and ground.
"The energy source is nearby."
Miori stopped and surveyed the area.
They had reached the outskirts of Route 4. An abandoned industrial district lay just ahead.
Miori pushed the wheelchair into the industrial district and stopped outside the largest factory building.
Its metal doors were partially open.
Miori reached out and pushed them apart.
The factory’s interior was even more dilapidated than its exterior.
A thick layer of dust covered the floor, but several sets of footprints were remarkably fresh, clearly having been left there recently.
Several rust-covered machines were piled in one corner. Documents and a number of sealed metal containers were scattered across a table in the center.
Miori approached, picked up one of the containers, and examined it.
A label was attached to its surface, bearing an emblem she had never seen before:
A distorted letter Z.
"I see! I understand everything now!"
Miori’s eyes lit up, and she immediately contacted Officer Jenny.
"Officer Jenny, please come to the abandoned factory beside Route 4 immediately."
Officer Jenny replied without delay.
"Understood. Keep the communication channel open. I’m bringing my officers there now."
After Officer Jenny and the police arrived, Miori closed her folder and pushed Ampharos’s wheelchair into the center of the factory.
"Now, let’s reconstruct what happened that day."
"Ampharos was moving through the surrounding area. When it passed this factory, it happened to encounter the people inside conducting some form of illegal energy experiment."
"When their experimental equipment activated, it released an energy wave that was extremely stimulating to Electric-type Pokémon. That powerful energy completely disrupted the electricity inside Ampharos’s body, causing it to lose control."
Ampharos remained silent for a long time before giving an almost imperceptible nod.
"As for the Mega Evolution, unless I’m mistaken..."
Miori took out a portable scanner and slowly moved it downward, beginning at Ampharos’s head.
When the scanner reached the center of its abdomen, it suddenly released a piercing alarm.
A line of red text appeared on its display:
[Unknown high-density crystalline object detected.]
"Just as I thought..."
Miori stared at the screen and nodded.
"A Mega Stone."
Miori adjusted the brim of her detective hat and pointed toward the pile of rust-covered machines in the corner of the factory.
"Therefore, there is only one truth!"
"This illegal laboratory used its energy waves to forcibly activate the Mega Stone inside Ampharos, inducing Mega Evolution against its will! That was why it lost consciousness and transformed into a destructive machine capable of doing nothing but discharging electricity!"
...
TL: Clap clap—great work, Watson.