I have added this story to my Patreon. You can support me and read the 40 latest and advanced chapters there. It also fed and motivate me to write more chapters!
Link: Patreon.com/Pokeficlord
—------------------—
"If we rely on your face, we won't find a thing today."
Ariel leaned against a pile of rusted gears, feeling somewhat helpless.
"The Gym Apprentices have caught him a few times. It couldn't have been for nothing every time; they must have exchanged blows. Since they've fought, there must be data on file."
"Height, build, dominant hand, movement patterns—give me the key points."
Seeing Ariel's professional demeanor, Wallace was slightly shocked.
He hadn't expected the seemingly honest Ariel to have such a sharp reaction to an unexpected event like this.
He immediately grew serious, putting away his social smile and recalling the details of the reports from his mind.
"Male, thin build, extremely agile. The apprentices reported that this person knows Sootopolis City's underground pipe network and back alleys like the back of his hand. Several times when cornered, he managed to escape using visual blind spots and elevation differences. He didn't use any Pokémon the entire time."
Ariel's brain quickly processed these variables.
Male, thin, agile, familiar with the terrain, fighting without Pokémon.
From Wallace's description, a rough image formed in Ariel's mind.
A man moving rapidly through alleys while being pursued by several Gym Apprentices and Pokémon.
This defied the behavioral logic of typical criminals.
In the Hoenn region, even the lowest-level thugs would carry one or two Poochyena or Zubat for self-defense.
Why didn't the opponent use Pokémon? Was it to hide his identity, or did he have absolute confidence in his own physical skills?
Relying entirely on physical strength and terrain to escape the pursuit of Gym Apprentices suggested this person had undergone professional counter-tracking training and might even have a special operations background.
While Gym Apprentices weren't top-tier combatants, their basic tactical literacy and coordination with Pokémon were up to standard.
The fact that an ordinary person could escape unscathed from the pursuit of multiple Pokémon was, in itself, an extremely dangerous signal.
Wallace described the person as thin; having such great physical skill was highly suspicious.
One must know that even for people who are very agile and appear slender, once they take off their clothes, their build would never be 'thin,' but would instead show a lean, athletic physique.
Because humans, unlike Pokémon, have physical performance that is directly proportional to the robustness of their muscles.
Having such great skill while looking thin was a paradox in itself.
For now, the suspect's image remained a mystery in Ariel's mind.
"Did they leave any physical evidence?" Ariel pressed.
Ariel followed up.
Wallace fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a transparent evidence bag.
"During the last pursuit, the apprentices cornered him. When he climbed over a wall, his clothes were torn by an iron hook."
Ariel took the evidence bag.
A piece of black torn cloth.
He pulled open the seal.
He poured it into his palm.
The texture was rough.
High-density Industrial Waterproof Canvas.
The edges showed irregular physical tearing.
The surface was covered with grayish-white powder crystals.
Ariel brought the fabric close to his nose.
Odor molecules flooded into his nasal cavity.
Heavy engine oil, a high concentration of sea salt crystals, and the musty smell of fermenting humus from the bottom layer.
The information chain began to close.
The suspect's radius of activity was locked to abandoned docks, shipyards, or underground air-raid shelters with perennial standing water.
He had a lead.
But there were hundreds of places in Sootopolis City that met these conditions.
The efficiency of a manual search would be too low.
Ariel's fingers slid across the Pokémon belt at his waist, stopping on one of the red and white spheres.
He pressed the button.
A red light flashed.
A Pokémon whose body was entirely covered in thick black fur slammed heavily onto the ground.
Deino.
As soon as it landed, it began to stomp the ground irritably.
Its lower jaw, filled with sharp teeth, snapped frantically, trying to Bite the surrounding air.
Its thick fur completely obscured its visual organs, so it could only spin in place by instinct.
Wallace was stunned.
He looked at this juvenile Pseudo-Legendary in a frenzied state.
"What are you releasing it for? There's a dense flow of people here. Its vision is degenerated, making it extremely prone to indiscriminate attacks."
Ariel ignored Wallace's common-sense warning.
"The degeneration of vision is traded for compensatory enhancement of smell and hearing."
Ariel stared at Deino.
"In extremely harsh survival environments, it can rely on scent to lock onto prey several kilometers away."
Wallace's eyes widened.
His gaze switched between Deino and the torn cloth in Ariel's hand.
"You..."
Wallace's voice lost its usual steadiness.
"You're using a Pseudo-Legendary as a tracking dog? This line of thinking is a bit too unconventional."
In the cognitive system of traditional Trainers, a Pseudo-Legendary represented absolute military deterrence and extremely high nurturing value.
Downgrading it for search and rescue or tracking was no different from wasting a precious gift.
"The value of a tool depends on the usage scenario."
Ariel pulled the torn cloth out completely.
"As long as it achieves the goal, identity, lineage, and classification are all nonsense."
Extreme pragmatism.
Ariel crouched down.
His hands precisely clamped onto Deino's thrashing head.
Deino struggled violently; the noisy environment made it somewhat uneasy, and it tried to Bite back at Ariel's hands.
Ariel's fingers applied pressure, firmly gripping its upper and lower jaws.
Deino let out a muffled whimper and stopped resisting.
Ariel pressed the torn cloth, mixed with the smell of engine oil and mold, directly in front of Deino's nasal cavity.
"Extract this scent profile."
Ariel let go.
"Find the source."
Deino let out a loud sneeze.
The pungent odor activated its olfactory nerves.
It shook its head, its black fur swaying violently.
Its four limbs dropped to the ground.
Its nose pressed close to the floor.
Its nostrils flared rapidly, making a 'chi-chi' sound.
The sound of heavy breathing echoed in the narrow alleyway.
Deino began to move along the base of the wall.
It paused.
It raised its head to catch free-floating molecules in the air, spinning in place.
It filtered out distractions like grilled meat, seafood, and cheap perfume.
Scent isolated; target locked.
Ariel stood where he was, not interfering or rushing it.
Wallace rubbed his hands together, his gaze following Deino's movements closely.
After a few minutes...
Deino stopped moving.
It faced a fork deep in the alley that was completely devoid of sunlight.
A low growl erupted from deep within its throat.
Target confirmed!
Deino pushed off with its four limbs, roughly knocking aside the discarded cardboard boxes in its way, and charged directly into that dark, narrow alley.
Ariel straightened up.
He looked at Wallace beside him, and the two exchanged a glance.
Wallace had put away all his casualness.
The two of them set off at the same time.
Closely following Deino's silhouette, they plunged into the shadows that swallowed all light.