Chapter 98: An Unexpected Opponent
The sun had dipped below the horizon, painting the undersides of high clouds in strokes of fiery orange and bruised purple. In the lingering twilight, visibility remained clear enough as Xiu walked the familiar path back towards the warehouse, the air growing cooler, carrying the scent of damp earth and night-blooming flowers from the Institute's gardens.
He could see them in the distance – Scyther, a green blur still practicing cutting drills against a sturdy tree trunk near the forest edge, relentless; Abra, floating serenely near the warehouse wall, its small form haloed faintly by the residual psychic energy as it meticulously manipulated the rice grains into the narrow-necked bottle, absorbed in its task. Happiny, predictably, had already retreated into its Poké Ball hours ago, worn out from simply existing and occasionally batting at interesting leaves.
Xiu stopped before the open warehouse door, the vast, shadowy interior seeming to swallow the remaining light. He raised his voice slightly, the sound carrying easily in the quiet evening air. "Alright, that's enough! Training's over for today!"
He waited as Scyther finished a final, sharp cut, then lowered its scythes, shaking its limbs slightly to ease the fatigue. Abra let the last grain of rice drop into the bottle before allowing the psychic construct holding the others to dissipate, the remaining grains falling silently back into their pile.
"Come on, let's eat a bit," Xiu said, pulling out several nutrient-dense Sitrus Berries from his pack as they approached. He offered one to Abra, who accepted it with a silent pulse of Telekinesis, and held another carefully towards Scyther, allowing it to take precise bites, mindful of its sharp mandibles.
After they finished their recovery snacks, Xiu sat cross-legged on the cool grass just outside the warehouse entrance, pulling out his small, worn notebook and pen. The air felt heavy with unspoken tension. "Alright, Abra," he projected mentally, establishing the familiar telepathic link, trying to keep his own anxiety from bleeding through. "Let's get today's readings."
He relied on Abra's power and control over psychic energy and translated them into quantifiable metrics he'd devised during their sessions. This technique lacks the certainty of Professor Oak's advanced instruments, but it was enough to provide a baseline— a way to track changes, spot potential danger, and gauge the effectiveness of the training regimen Alakazam had imparted.
Xiu quickly jotted down the day's perceived data points in his notebook, his brow furrowing slightly as he did so. Comparing today's numbers to the previous entries, a familiar, cold knot of anxiety tightened in his stomach. The trend was undeniable, and deeply disconcerting.
'Abra's power metric… increased. Faster, than before they'd arrived at the institute, but the 'control' metric… it was fluctuating wildly, becoming less stable despite the targeted training exercises.'
'Why?' The question hammered at him. 'It doesn't make sense. Abra had been diligently practicing the mental control techniques all day. How could its control be worsening while its raw power surged?' He replayed the day's sessions in his mind, searching for errors in his understanding. Then, a chilling premonition surfaced, a dreadful hypothesis forming.
'Could it be… the training itself?' The constant, focused use of its psychic abilities, even exercises designed for control… 'was it inadvertently stimulating the already hyper-active brain? Accelerating the growth of its raw power faster than its ability to consciously contain it?'
The realization hit him like a physical blow. He felt trapped in a paradox, a horrifying catch-22. Training Abra to gain control was actively increasing the very power it couldn't control, making the leakage worse, and accelerating the danger to himself— but not training it meant its control would never improve, leaving the psychic leakage unchecked, dooming them both eventually.
It was a dead end. Utterly, terrifyingly inescapable.
Xiu's brow furrowed deeply, his eyes fixed unseeingly on the scribbled notes in his lap. His free hand clenched and unclenched unconsciously. The pen tapped a frantic, silent rhythm against the paper, mirroring the sudden turmoil in his mind. He didn't even notice the ink blotting the page.
Abra shifted its floating position slightly, its closed eyes seemingly directed towards Xiu, likely sensing the sudden spike in his anxiety through their link. Scyther paused its methodical cleaning of its scythes, tilting its head, observing Xiu's tense posture.
He forced himself to take a slow, steadying breath, pushing the panic down, trying to regain control of his own racing thoughts. He had to appear calm. Had to project reassurance. He forced a smile, though it felt brittle, thin. "Don't worry," he projected towards both Pokémon, hoping the thought sounded more convincing than he felt. "I'll figure it out. Go on, rest now. You've both earned it."
He waited until both Abra and Scyther had returned to their respective Poké Balls, the small clicks echoing slightly in the quiet warehouse. The moment they vanished, the forced smile dropped from Xiu's face, replaced by an expression of stark, undisguised anxiety.
He stood there motionless for a long moment, staring into the deepening shadows within the warehouse. Then, needing an outlet, needing motion to combat the suffocating stress, he turned and began to run, circling the dark backyard paddock, pushing himself faster and faster, hoping the physical exertion could somehow outpace the consuming fear coiling in his gut.
— — —
High above, unseen in the darkened second-floor window of the institute's main building, Professor Oak watched the lone figure circling the backyard below, running with a desperate intensity that seemed out of place in the tranquil evening setting. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the Professor's lips.
"Such youthful energy," he murmured softly to the empty room. "Running off steam after a difficult realization, perhaps?" He chuckled quietly. "It seems tomorrow's workload might need another slight increase after all."
His smile faded slightly then, his expression turning thoughtful, contemplative. He gazed down at the running figure below, his eyes holding a complex, unreadable depth. 'Is this the boy you spoke of, Bao Ba?' he mused quietly. 'The one with… peculiar ideas? Interesting… perhaps you seek to change me after all…'
— — —
The next morning, Xiu woke with the morning sun, the weight of the previous night's revelations still heavy upon him. He pushed it aside, focusing on the immediate tasks. 'One day at a time.'
He released his Pokémon, greeted them curtly, and began the morning routine. He felt… off. Distracted. His usual focus during the morning run with Scyther was lacking. His movements felt sluggish.
"Alright," he called out after the run, breathing heavily. "You guys eat first. I need to… prepare breakfast." He needed to see Professor Oak, needed to know if the full analysis had yielded any new insights, any hope.
He headed towards the main institute building. 'Odd,' he thought as he approached. 'Professor Oak is usually wandering the paddock by now.' The grounds seemed unusually quiet.
He reached the main entrance. The door was slightly ajar. He hesitated. Knocking felt inappropriate if Professor Oak was still sleeping, but waiting felt unbearable. 'He wouldn't mind, right?' He pushed the door open gently and stepped inside. "Professor?" he called softly into the quiet hall.
No answer. He walked further in, towards the kitchen area, assuming Oak might be there. Still empty. He frowned. Maybe upstairs in the lab?
"What are you doing sneaking around?"
The voice, sharp and sudden from behind him, made Xiu jump nearly a foot in the air. He spun around, heart pounding.
Professor Oak stood there, leaning against the doorframe leading from the living room, arms crossed, an amused expression on his face.
"Professor!" Xiu exclaimed, catching his breath. "You startled me! I… I knocked, but no one answered. I was just coming to make breakfast…"
"Door wasn't locked, was it?" Oak replied nonchalantly, walking past Xiu towards the kitchen. "And I was already up. Just dealing with some early morning data analysis." He gestured towards the coffeemaker. "Come inside."
"Okay…" Xiu followed him into the kitchen, relieved but still slightly unnerved by Oak's silent appearance. "Professor," he began tentatively, "the results… from yesterday's scans… are they…?"
"Processed overnight, yes," Oak confirmed, already pouring himself a cup of coffee. He didn't offer further details immediately.
Xiu waited anxiously as Oak took a long sip, seemingly savoring the brew. Finally, Oak turned back to him, his expression serious again. "The full analysis confirms the initial findings regarding your neurological state, Xiu." He saw the flicker of disappointment in Xiu's eyes. "However," Oak continued, "the analysis of Abra's psychic signature, cross-referenced with Scyther and Happiny's data… it revealed something unexpected. Something potentially… significant."
He paused, then led Xiu back out towards the backyard, towards the training area. "Before we discuss Abra further," Oak said, stopping near the center of the grassy expanse, "there's something else we need to address. Regarding Scyther."
He looked towards where Scyther was patiently waiting. "I believe it's time we meet the opponent I had in mind for its development."