Chapter 138: Odd and Shady
During their conversation, their names had been exchanged. Xiu now knew the friendly couple were Chen and Mei, and their quiet daughter was named Sol.
As they talked, Xiu found himself subconsciously thirsty again. He remembered the water bottle Chen had pressed on him earlier. It had long since warmed to room temperature in the evening air, losing its initial coolness. He didn't mind. Unscrewing the cap, he took a grateful sip.
He glanced around as he drank. The sun had fully set now, twilight deepening into dusk. The crowds in the park had thinned considerably; only a few scattered groups remained, packing up picnic baskets, calling children home.
Chen seemed to notice the time as well. He looked around, then chuckled. "Haha! Didn't realize how late it had gotten! Been a long time since we had such a pleasant chat with someone new."
"Xiu knows so much about Pokémon training and care," Mei added warmly, smiling at Xiu. "Next time I make Pokéblocks, I'll have to try that fruit-infusion method you mentioned. Sounds delicious!"
Feeling a surge of goodwill towards this unexpectedly kind family, Xiu reached into his backpack again, retrieving the two jars of preserved berries he'd made back at the Institute. "Speaking of Pokéblocks," he said, offering the jars, "I made these myself. Please, take them. A small thank you for your company, and the water."
"Oh! You shouldn't have!" Chen protested, but accepted the jars readily, looking intrigued. He immediately opened the jar containing the preserved Pecha Berries (the tangy ones) and popped one into his mouth. His eyes widened slightly. "Wow! This is delicious! Mei, try this!" He offered the jar to his wife.
"Mmm~ Sweet and sour, but refreshing," Mei agreed after trying one. "What are these made from?"
"Mostly Pecha Berries," Xiu explained. He then pushed the other jar – the sweeter Cheri Berry preserves – gently towards the small girl, Sol, who had remained silent throughout, clutching her doll. "This one is sweeter," Xiu offered tentatively. "Maybe… children prefer sweet things?" He still felt vaguely unsettled by his earlier interaction with her, that fleeting sense of emptiness.
As he spoke, Sol's vacant eyes finally shifted towards the jar of bright red preserved fruit. She didn't reach for it, and didn't even speak.
Mei noticed this, so she took the Cheri Berry jar, opened it, sampled one herself, "Oh, lovely!", then gently placed the open jar into her daughter's small hands.
Xiu watched as Sol slowly, almost mechanically, picked out a piece of the preserved fruit and brought it to her lips, her head bowed so her expression remained hidden.
Seeing the interaction, Xiu felt it was time to leave. The strange feeling lingered, but he couldn't pinpoint it. 'Best not to dwell.' "Well," he announced, standing up, "it's getting late. I should head back into the city. Thank you again for the conversation, and the water."
"Oh, heading back now?" Chen stood up as well. "We're packing up too. Let us give you a ride!" He pointed towards a modest family car parked nearby. "It's a long walk back to the city center from here."
Xiu hesitated for only a second. He did still have business to attend to tonight. Saving the walking time would be nice. "Alright," he agreed. "Thank you, that's very kind."
The car ride back towards the city center was filled with more pleasant, idle chat. As they neared the area close to the illicit bookstore, the streets became narrower and more dimly lit. Chen pulled the car over near a familiar intersection. "Is here okay for you?"
"Perfect, thank you," Xiu replied.
Just as he was opening the car door, Chen added, "The Viridian City Summer Festival starts tomorrow, you know. Lots of events, food stalls, maybe even some exhibition battles. Should be fun!"
Xiu smiled and nodded politely. "Sounds interesting. Maybe I'll check it out. You folks enjoy it too." He waved goodbye as they drove off, then turned and walked purposefully, not towards his apartment, but deeper into the labyrinthine network of narrow, shadowed streets that characterized Viridian City's oldest, most shady district.
He knew this area now, having scouted it briefly during his initial explorations. No streetlights here, only the occasional dim bulb hanging precariously over a key intersection.
The buildings pressed close together, old and crumbling, designed and built haphazardly long before modern city planning existed. Some alleys were barely wide enough for one person to pass through. Walking here at night felt… dangerous. The word 'shady' seemed apt as pairs of unseen eyes seemed to watch him from dark corners, from shadowed doorways.
But Xiu moved with confidence, navigating the maze-like streets skillfully, as if belonging to the place. The unseen eyes noted his passage, then seemed to dismiss him, melting back into the shadows. He'd spent a good part of the previous day not just sightseeing, but mapping this specific area, establishing his presence, letting the locals know he wasn't just a lost tourist.
Finally, after traversing the most dilapidated section, he arrived at his destination: a narrow, three-story brick building squeezed between two others, its facade crumbling, revealing the red brick beneath.
Patches of rusted corrugated iron reinforced the leaky-looking roof. A faded 'For Rent' sign hung crookedly by the entrance. 'This is it.' He glanced up and down the empty street, then slipped quietly up the narrow side staircase leading to the upper floors.
— — —
Later, inside a dimly lit room on the third floor
The sound of a key turning in the lock echoed in the stairwell. A figure entered the sparsely furnished room, relying on the dim light filtering in from the corridor.
The figure closed the door casually, plunging the room into near darkness. A moment later, the click of a light switch, and a single bare bulb overhead flickered on, casting harsh orange-yellow light over the small space.
The man who had just entered – the bookstore manager from Viridian City – let out a startled yelp, stumbling backwards in fear.
Because the room wasn't empty. Sitting leisurely on the room's only piece of furniture – a stained, hole-ridden sofa – was another figure.
Dressed entirely in a plain black casual jacket, hood pulled up low, obscuring the face completely in shadow. The figure just sat there, radiating an unnerving stillness.
The manager's first instinct was to run. He spun around, fumbling for the doorknob, intending to flee— but before he could open the door, a quiet voice, calm yet carrying an unmistakable threat, spoke from the hooded figure on the sofa.
"Kurokawa. The company is… very dissatisfied with your recent performance."
The manager, Kurokawa, froze, his hand hovering over the doorknob. He slowly turned back, peering fearfully at the shadowed figure. "Wh-who are you?" he stammered.
"Knowing too much," the voice replied softly from beneath the hood, "can be detrimental to one's health. You need only understand… that I am here to address the issues with the bookstore."