Chapter 122: Immersion Therapy
"Nothing," Professor Oak waved away Xiu's questions about Scyther's previous assessment results. "Standard parameters within expected ranges for its developmental stage, accounting for its unique affinity." He cut off further discussion, clearly eager to proceed. "Let's move on to the next step." He urged Xiu towards the lab workbench again. "Faster, faster!"
"Oh~" Not receiving any useful information, Xiu sighed inwardly but complied, taking Scyther over to the designated experimental area.
Professor Oak had cleared a separate space in the lab. A thick black plastic tarp covered the floor, upon which rested a large, rectangular glass tank, roughly assembled from several thick panes sealed together at the corners. It looked functional, if somewhat crude.
"Alright, Scyther," Oak instructed, already consulting a data tablet displaying complex chemical formulas. "I need you to administer these nutrient capsules first." He handed several small, opaque capsules to Xiu.
Xiu carefully fed the capsules to Scyther, who swallowed them without fuss. Oak then began attaching various waterproof biometric sensors to Scyther's carapace, connecting them via thin wires to a nearby monitoring console. Finally, he gestured towards several large canisters. "Add the distilled water now," he instructed Xiu, "then the powdered suspension."
Xiu carefully filled the glass tank with purified water, then, following Oak's precise measurements, began adding scoops of a fine, reddish-brown metallic powder from one of the canisters. As the powder hit the water, it didn't immediately dissolve, but swirled, creating strange, glittering phosphorescent patterns before slowly diffusing, dyeing the clear water a murky, opaque brown-red. It looked… unsettling.
Xiu glanced nervously at Scyther, who was eyeing the strange liquid with obvious apprehension. "Don't worry," Xiu murmured, trying to sound reassuring, though his own confidence wavered. "It's… probably fine? Shouldn't be a big problem?" Not convincing at all, he admitted silently.
"Ready yet?" Oak called impatiently from the console.
"Temperature is okay," Xiu confirmed after checking a gauge. He looked at Scyther. "Alright, in you go."
With visible reluctance, Scyther carefully stepped into the tank, submerging itself until the strange, metallic-smelling liquid reached just below its jawline. It shifted uncomfortably for a moment, then seemed to relax slightly. The liquid, apparently, was heated to a comfortable, warm temperature.
"Good," Oak noted, observing the initial readings on his monitor. "First experimental phase: one hour duration. Maintain stable temperature. You," he looked at Xiu, handing him a clipboard filled with blank data forms, "are responsible for manual observation and recording. Vital signs, behavioral changes, energy fluctuations… note everything. Check every five minutes."
Xiu took the clipboard. 'Manual recording?' The next hour stretched before him, feeling impossibly long. This was Scyther's first direct, prolonged experiment and the fear of unforeseen allergic reactions, unexpected discomfort, or worse, gnawed at him.
The tedious task of constant observation and meticulous recording every few minutes… it promised to be nerve-wracking.
The hour crawled by. Scyther remained largely motionless in the warm, murky bath, occasionally shifting its position slightly. Towards the end, its eyelids began to droop, looking drowsy, likely from the warmth and inactivity. Otherwise? No obvious changes, no signs of distress.
Xiu diligently recorded his observations, but felt increasingly uncertain. 'Is this right? Should something be happening?' He'd never witnessed a Pokémon evolution firsthand, let alone an experimental, artificially induced one. He had no frame of reference.
Finally, the timer beeped. "Professor," Xiu reported immediately, bringing his clipboard over to Oak's console. "Observations complete. No significant changes noted, aside from some lethargy towards the end."
"Normal," Oak replied without looking up from his own data logs. "Expected, even. This is a long-term process, Xiu. Cellular integration, systemic changes… these things take time. We won't see dramatic results after just one session."
"But Professor," Xiu asked, voicing his doubt, "is one hour truly enough exposure? It feels like… like the marinade hasn't even soaked in yet."
"Marinade?" Oak finally looked up, blinking at Xiu with a puzzled expression.
"You know," Xiu tried to explain his analogy, "when cooking? Some tougher cuts of meat, you need to marinate them for hours, let the seasonings really penetrate…"
"Go away~ What nonsense are you talking about?" Professor Oak sighed, shaking his head with a look of fond exasperation. "This isn't cooking, Xiu; it's a mixed-method analysis[1]! The one-hour duration establishes a baseline measurement unit. We analyze the absorption rate and physiological response within that unit. Based on that data," he gestured towards the complex graphs now appearing on his screen, "we adjust the parameters for subsequent sessions – duration, concentration, temperature, maybe even introduce additional catalytic agents." He smiled faintly. "Later experiments might involve longer immersion times, yes. Hours, perhaps. Or shorter, more frequent exposures. It all depends on the data."
"And the 'ingredients' in the tank?" Xiu asked, understanding the methodology better now. "Those get adjusted too?"
"Of course!" Oak confirmed. "Real-time adjustments based on Scyther's absorption efficiency and tolerance levels. Thankfully," he added, tapping the console, "modern computational power allows us to model and predict optimal adjustments fairly accurately once we have enough data. It's one benefit of technological progress."
The following days fell into a new, intense routine. Xiu and Professor Oak spent hours each day in the lab, meticulously monitoring Scyther's immersion sessions, analyzing data, adjusting the metallic compound concentrations in the bath.
Heated discussions about methodology, potential risks, and interpreting results became commonplace, consuming even their meal times.
Scyther endured the process with remarkable patience. The daily 'baths', now averaging around five hours, seemed almost routine to it. The liquid in the tank changed composition frequently based on Oak's calculations, sometimes appearing almost black and viscous, smelling faintly of rust, other times clearer with different metallic sheens. Scyther rarely complained, often simply resting or dozing during the long immersion periods.
And the changes… they became undeniable.
Scyther's emerald green carapace began taking on a distinct reddish hue, deepening day by day. The effect started subtly, like a faint blush under the surface, most noticeable in direct sunlight.
But now, after nearly a week of experiments, the red coloration was becoming dominant, overlaying the green, particularly across its main body segments. 'Soon, Xiu suspected, it might be entirely red.' This visible transformation, mirroring the coloration of Scizor, felt like a clear sign the process was working, a precursor to evolution.
Physical tests confirmed the changes weren't just cosmetic. Scyther's exoskeleton hardness continued to increase significantly. Its overall weight also climbed steadily, indicating successful integration of the denser metallic elements. Other biometric data showed shifts as well, though Xiu lacked the expertise to fully interpret their meaning.
During the long hours Scyther spent soaking in the experimental tank, Xiu didn't remain idle. Recording data was tedious but not time-consuming. He used the 'downtime' effectively. With Scyther unable to perform physical drills, Xiu focused on studying.
He sat beside the tank, reading aloud from Breeder manuals, explaining battle strategies, discussing type matchups, analyzing famous battles – essentially giving Scyther intensive theoretical lessons. He tried to instill not just knowledge, but tactical thinking, adaptability, the ability to analyze opponents and situations – the very things Professor Oak had criticized him for lacking.
It was a strange classroom – Xiu lecturing earnestly, Scyther listening silently from its metallic bath. Xiu didn't even know how much Scyther truly absorbed, but he felt compelled to try, to build Scyther's mind as well as its body.
However, the more Xiu delved into advanced battle theory, the more he realized the vast complexity, the near-infinite variables involved. For every strategy, there was a counter-strategy. For every type matchup, situational factors could negate the advantage.
Professor Oak's point about the limitations of pre-planned responses became increasingly clear. There were too many possibilities, too many unpredictable opponents. Trying to teach every scenario… it's impossible. 'True combat mastery, he began to understand, perhaps did rely more on instinct, adaptation, and raw experience than just theoretical knowledge.'
Eventually, Xiu simplified his 'lessons', focusing only on core principles: type effectiveness, understanding common 'skill' mechanics, recognizing basic tactical patterns.
"Beep… beep… beep…" The timer signalling the end of Scyther's immersion session sounded. Xiu glanced at the clock— another five hours had passed. "Alright, Scyther," he said, marking the final data entry in his logbook. "Session complete. Time to get you cleaned up."
Scyther stirred within the tank. As it stood up, shaking off the clinging metallic liquid, its body seemed to shimmer, glowing faintly with that deepening red luster. 'Like a freshly steamed prawn,' Xiu thought irrelevantly.
Yet, amidst the overall transformation, one area remained stubbornly unchanged, almost discordant. Its scythes. While the rest of its body took on the reddish hue, the blades themselves remained largely green, the color fading gradually from the handle outwards, the very tips still retaining their original emerald color.
A visible reminder, perhaps, that this transformation was still incomplete, its final outcome uncertain.
[1] both quantitative and qualitative analysis are used