Jumpluff

Dian ran swiftly, occasionally asking Officer Jenny behind him about what had happened.

He wasn't sure whether this Officer Jenny had watched too many detective shows, but her logical reasoning was pretty good... well, perhaps it was her storytelling ability that was exceptional.

She was an Officer Jenny, yet she'd put her talent points into the wrong skills, somehow turning a simple incident into an epic tale full of twists and turns.

After listening, Dian summed it up: one of Azisa's Hoppip had suddenly disappeared, and after searching for ages without success, she'd had no choice but to ask Officer Jenny for help.

As it happened, this Officer Jenny seemed to be on vacation, taking a joyride in a police vehicle for personal use, so she'd been pressed into service on the spot.

"I'm terribly sorry for dragging you into this too."

Azisa seemed to exercise regularly. Even keeping up with Dian and Officer Jenny didn't look particularly difficult for her; she was only a little out of breath.

Although Dian really wanted to say that she had indeed dragged him into it, in the spirit of gentlemanly conduct, he still... nodded.

He was just about to offer a few polite words when Misdreavus suddenly stopped and blocked their path. At the same time, a black vortex rose from the ground.

A barrage of Poison Sting shot toward them, only to vanish into the black vortex like stones sinking into the sea.

"Mis!"

A red gleam flashed in Misdreavus's eyes, and the red jewels on her chest shone brilliantly. The black vortex paused, then suddenly surged forward.

Bang!

A Spinarak was knocked far away and soon vanished into the grass.

As it turned out, Misdreavus had snapped a Spinarak's thread while speeding along. Taking that as a provocation, the Spinarak had attacked with Poison Sting.

"That was amazing."

Azisa exclaimed in surprise, but quickly realized this wasn't the time to marvel. They needed to catch up with Oddish and the others.

Otherwise, never mind finding Hoppip—even her own Oddish would end up lost.

After that unexpected incident, however, Dian and the others didn't dare rush ahead recklessly. A Spinarak was easy enough to deal with, but if it had been an Ursaring, things might have gotten dicey.

Misdreavus wasn't particularly afraid, though. As long as she stayed careful and didn't fall for a trick that let the opponent hit her with Feint, she would basically be fine.

But Dian and the others were scared. A dopey, adorable bear would have been pretty cute.

The problem was that Ursaring wasn't dopey and adorable, but vicious. Besides, it wasn't an ordinary bear—it was a bear that knew Fighting techniques.

A crazed bear that knew martial arts. Who wouldn't be scared?

Dian didn't know about anyone else, but he certainly was.

Besides, his Beedrill had already followed the others, so he wasn't actually all that worried.

"Heh heh! Now it's my time to shine."

Great Detective Officer Jenny was hopelessly immersed in her detective role at all times. "Come out, Jumpluff!"

"Pluff!"

A blue Pokémon with three enormous cotton puffs cried out happily, then floated in the air and looked around with ruby-red eyes.

Dian instantly changed his opinion. This Officer Jenny was a role model for all Officer Jennys, a future star among great detectives. He absolutely had to get on good terms with her, then have his Hoppip learn more moves from this expert.

A plan took shape in his mind in an instant. He would put it into action once they found Hoppip.

Come to think of it, though, Azisa also seemed to know a great deal about Hoppip.

Dian, who hadn't been particularly invested in the matter before, immediately adjusted his attitude.

As a role model for the new generation of Trainers, a future star shining in broad daylight, and a man destined to spread positivity, how could he possibly turn a blind eye to this?

While Dian was undergoing this inner transformation, Officer Jenny had already ordered Jumpluff to use Cotton Spore.

"Pluff."

Jumpluff flew happily around the area, scattering countless white particles over the grass. Tracks that would normally have been hard to spot became clearly visible.

After scattering a circle of white particles, Jumpluff noticed a pair of equally bright red eyes watching with curiosity. "Pluff?"

"Mis-mis?"

Misdreavus pointed at the white particles on the ground, full of curiosity.

Jumpluff seemed to think for a moment, then gently flew a circle around Misdreavus, leaving a fine dusting of white particles clinging to her.

In an instant, a white Misdreavus appeared where she had been.

"Mis."

Misdreavus blinked and flitted about, discovering that she had become much slower.

Rather than minding, she laughed happily.

Meanwhile, Dian crouched behind Officer Jenny, who was holding a magnifying glass.

"With so many tracks, how can we tell which ones belong to Oddish and the others?"

Azisa looked at the footprints covering the ground, feeling rather helpless.

Dian immediately offered an assist. "Officer Jenny must have known there aren't any Growlithe in this forest. That's why she came up with this method."

With that, he gazed admiringly at the somewhat bewildered Officer Jenny.

Great Detective Officer Jenny froze for a moment, then laughed without hesitation. "Exactly right! That's just what I was about to say. As long as we find Growlithe's footprints, we can catch up with Oddish and the others!"

After speaking, she coughed and sneaked a glance at Dian. Seeing him earnestly searching for Growlithe's footprints filled her with relief. Such a considerate young man was truly rare.

Yes, to thank him, I'll write him into chapter twenty of the Great Detective Officer Jenny Incident Book: "The Mysteriously Vanished Hoppip and the Dark Secrets of the Weather Bureau."

Dian keenly noticed the change in Officer Jenny's attitude. He knew his strategy was already starting to work.

Yep, experience from a predecessor really does pay off.

After all, the person who had used this trick before had already gained both fame and fortune. Not only had he elevated himself spiritually, he'd even stolen the other man's daughter away.

Yep, to handle Great Detective Ko... Officer Jenny, you've got to use the Edogawa strategy.

It seemed the same basic principle held true no matter how things changed. The results were outstanding.

Next, Dian continued subtly helping Great Detective Officer Jenny quickly find the right direction, then followed her as she ran ahead.

Along the way, Dian casually mentioned that his ancestor had been a detective and had left behind a precious legacy: a chronicle of legendary detective cases passed down orally through generations of his family.

Sure enough, the second step also worked immediately—and exceptionally well. Even Azisa beside him and Jumpluff flying overhead looked curious.

Misdreavus, meanwhile, was still playing with the white Cotton Spore and had no interest in their conversation for the moment.

Just as Dian was about to push a little harder and hook the two women completely, they emerged from a patch of woodland.

"What is this?!"

Azisa stared in surprise at the vast grassland before them—or rather, the vast pink grassland occupied by an enormous mass of pink Pokémon.

It was an immense colony of Hoppip.

Beedrill and Growlithe both looked helplessly at the enormous pink plain, seemingly unable to find their target within it.

Oddish, meanwhile, seemed to have already disappeared into the pink ocean to search for a needle in a haystack.