Pokémon Detective Case Files

Chapter 383 Interlude 2: May the Novelist Finally Stop Writing

Chapter 385 Interlude Two: May Novelists Finally Stop Writing

It was the end of the month, and Ms. Wanlong had a perfect excuse to delay her manuscript—attending the Karendo Newcomer Award ceremony.

Just how good is this excuse?

First, the publishing house she works for welcomes established writers like Wanlong to attend the ceremony, as evidenced by the invitation she holds. Second, participating in such an event that mentors newcomers gives her a righteous pretext; even if someone tries to follow her to the venue, the person will have to consider the organizers and other writers' feelings, preventing serious consequences. Finally, many fellow editors will be present at the awards ceremony, and Wanlong owes manuscripts to far more than just one person. After the ceremony, editors who know writers have limited time will compete for priority in urging them to submit their work, giving Wanlong a window of opportunity to gracefully withdraw.

It was the perfect shield she had been thinking. However, at this moment, Wanlong was sitting on the judges' panel at the Carendor Town Arts Center, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

The literary newcomer award is divided into so-called "big years" and "small years".

The purpose of these awards is less to select the best works of the year and more to showcase the best works of promising newcomers. To put it bluntly: we can't expect to encounter top-tier works every year, so sometimes we need to select the better ones from the average entries to reward, so let's all support the growth of new talent. Years that select the best and most outstanding works are "big years," while the opposite is a "small year."

This year's Karento Award for Best New Writers is clearly a "lean year" with a dismal harvest for the publishing industry.

Wanlong had never seen the works of these newcomer award nominees before—which was natural, otherwise they wouldn't be considered newcomers.

But after hearing about this situation, the organizers kindly lent Wanlong a tablet containing the electronic copies of the shortlisted works. So she unsuspectingly started flipping through them in a corner of the venue. Looking back now, this action was the beginning of the entire nightmare that followed.

"Wanlong Heavenly King, you read so fast?" A middle-aged man she didn't recognize greeted her.

Wanlong later learned that he was the host of the ceremony; however, at the time, she had let her guard down because the person who suddenly struck up a conversation wasn't an editor she knew.

"Yes, although I can't remember everything I read, my reading speed has been frighteningly fast since I was a child. Haha, being able to write those well-known works is also the product of long-term reading and accumulation."

There were many editors she didn't recognize at the scene, and Wanlong planned to give them a heads-up before they started pressuring her for her manuscript.

"I noticed you seemed to have flipped to the very end of this document. Which of these works left the deepest impression on you?"

None of them were very good. The reason I flipped through them so quickly was because the quality of those candidate works was simply indescribable—Wanlong wanted to say this directly, but she still smiled—

"It's quite difficult to judge," Wanlong said, pushing up her round-framed glasses.

"Speaking of impressions of the works, this satirical novel from the perspective of a female trainer is one of the more outstanding ones. Works with sharp writing style have always had an advantage in newcomer awards. Although the topic of the relationship between humans and Pokémon is controversial, it also has a certain degree of thought."

She managed to pick out the tallest one from a string of mediocre works. While the book, titled *The Heartless Dagger*, was filled with aggressive descriptions and even lauded the Pokémon liberation movement, the author's writing skills were adequate. The author was simply caught up in the current social issues; with more life experience, their creative perspective should change.

"I see. And what about the novel?"

The man nodded with an expression of deep agreement, then eagerly pulled out another work to ask for advice, which made the female writer feel very accomplished.

"This one is definitely among the top books this year—"

Wanlong, in a mood to kill time, confided her thoughts on the nominated works for the Best Newcomer Award to the person she least wanted to confide in, until the ceremony began. At that moment, the middle-aged man, dressed in a tuxedo, walked to the center of the hall with a microphone and asked, "Guess who I just met in the hall?"

The host stirred up the atmosphere, almost like a spur-of-the-moment decision. As a consequence, Wanlong was forcibly placed on the judging panel. Although she couldn't vote for the entries as a temporary guest, she could offer a few comments on the winners after the awards were announced.

Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal. Since she was determined to attend the ceremony, she was naturally prepared to handle things as they came. Compared to dodging the editors' pursuit, dealing with this kind of thing was as easy as a primary school essay question.

Unfortunately, this ease didn't last long. "First of all, congratulations to all the award-winning new authors. Your talent and passion fill the future of Pokémon literature with hope."

The person who stood up to give a speech in front of Wanlong was a highly respected senior figure in the literary world.

"As a judge, I had the privilege of reading many works with different styles, especially the winner of this year's Newcomer Award, 'The Heartless Dagger'."

In recent years, female writers' works have exhibited increasingly distinct characteristics—delicate emotions, unique perspectives, and profound reflections on the relationship between trainers and Pokémon. Of course, the value of literature lies in its diversity. Some works tend to explore the tension between the individual and the system, such as the situation of female trainers or the issue of Pokémon autonomy—these themes are certainly worthy of attention, but excessive focus on them...

This might limit the scope of the work—

broken.

Sensing the somewhat subtle atmosphere at the scene, Ms. Tianwang felt a chill run down her spine.

If this senior's remarks had been made in the past, they might not have caused much controversy—although the words implied that certain types of works lacked grandeur, it could ultimately be attributed to the common phenomenon of literary figures belittling each other.

The problem, however, is that he has touched upon one of the most sensitive issues of the moment: the controversy surrounding Pokémon autonomy. In this era of the Pokémon liberation movement, even literary figures who hold reservations about Team Plasma's ideology are cautiously avoiding the topic and refraining from discussing it.

When neutral discussions fall silent, the voices of extremists begin to rise.

The whispers in the room spread like ripples, and a sense of unease began to permeate the air.

Following the literary veterans, the person who will speak next is none other than Wanlong.

She is not only a female writer, but also the Ghost-type Elite Four member of the Pokémon League Unova division, and her words and actions represent the League's principles.

This is definitely not the right time to state the alliance's position. Wanlong gripped her smartphone tightly.

The previous speaker had already pushed the atmosphere to the brink of danger.

Now, whatever she says, it's bound to be over-interpreted by various forces, and those with ulterior motives might seize the opportunity to raise questions. If not handled properly, it could even plunge the entire alliance into a media storm.

The Elf Liberation Movement and Team Plasma are like conjoined twins, yet they are accompanied by a huge amount of public opinion. The award of "Heartless Dagger" reflects this fact to some extent. The current Unova League has neither the ability nor the means to perform surgery to cut this huge tumor.

For some reason, Wanlong's mind flashed to the image of Lian Wu, the Fighting Master, with his stern, almost stone-carved face.

Since returning to the Alliance from a meeting in Raven City a few days ago, he has become increasingly taciturn. Those eyes, which always burned with fighting spirit...

Now, however, it is shrouded in an inexplicable gloom.

Did he encounter something during his journey?

While I was pondering, the senior's speech had already ended. The host racked his brains and said a few lines to connect the segments, then looked at Wanlong with an embarrassed smile as if to say, "The rest is up to you."

The organizers, of course, had no idea of ​​the intricate feud between the Plasma Group and the United States Alliance. At this moment, they could only hope that Wanlong, who was both a writer and a superstar, could use her skillful language to defuse the awkward atmosphere.

However, she did not have that skill.

There was no other way but to resort to that tactic.

Wanlong gritted her teeth. This was her last resort, just like the "big bang" of the Wind Ball. She absolutely did not want to use it unless it was absolutely necessary.

However, the current situation left her no time to think of a second option. The murmurs and discussions in the hall seemed like countless Ghost-type Pokémon whispering in her ear, urging her to make a decision.

"Ms. Wanlong, what are your thoughts on the winning entries of this year's Karento Newcomer Award?"

Reluctantly, I stood up and saw a crowd of people in the hall with various expressions.

She cleared her throat: "Good evening, everyone—"

"Professor Wanlong! Where's your new work?" A voice like a death knell suddenly rang out in the hall—

"Your new 'Shadow of the Night' series is a full year overdue to our publisher! No matter how busy the Alliance is, shouldn't you give us an answer by now?"

A figure wearing glasses pushed through the crowd and lunged fiercely toward the judges' table.

It's strange. She only texted the editor to ask him to change the subject and attract the attention of others in the room, but his actions seem to deviate subtly from her request.

"Wanlong Tianwang, what about the sequel you promised to write for 'The Exiled Lightning'? We've been urging you for more than half a year!"

An ominous voice rang out from the other side of the stage. How strange! Wanlong clearly hadn't asked the other party to "The deadline for 'Visitors to the Snow Mountains' has long passed! Now the editor-in-chief is deducting my bonus every day, and you still have the leisure to be a judge here?"

"And there's the resolution to 'The Murder Before the League of Legends'! You haven't written a single word yet, have you?"

A tidal wave of angry roars surged forth, and the bespectacled editor was about to push through the crowd. The crisis surrounding the controversial topic had clearly passed for the time being, but Wanlong was far from happy. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

After briefly saying goodbye to the host and the other judges, the Ghost King quickly jumped out of his seat.

She threw out a Poké Ball and sent out her partner, Chandelure.

"Sneak Attack by a Ghost!"

The dim, cold light blurred everyone's vision. With a command, Wanlong's figure and the crystal chandelier spirit disappeared into the shadows of the wall, leaving the stunned audience staring at each other.

When Wanlong reappeared, it was already in the cold night of Karendor Town.

The dim streetlights cast a halo of light on the stone pavement, and the hustle and bustle of the distant meeting hall seemed like a distant memory.

The novelist leaned against the ancient brick wall and let out a long sigh of relief as the white mist slowly dissipated in the night sky.

"I'll just hide in the League's top player's room next month—"

Just as the Ghost-type Elite Four member was talking to herself, she heard footsteps behind her.

The crystal chandelier suddenly burst into flames, and Wanlong turned around in a daze to see an unexpected figure.

"I can't pretend I didn't hear about this."

The green-haired youth, a representative figure of the Elf Liberation Movement, and King N of Team Plasma, revealed himself under the moonlight.

"Would it be convenient for us to have a top-tier match before returning to the league?"