Chapter 261: Conversation
Night had fallen over Pallet Town. The usual comforting symphony of crickets and distant forest sounds was, for Professor Oak, overshadowed by a heavy silence.
Long after his grandchildren should have been asleep, long after Xiu had likely retreated to his own solitary research, Oak remained in his study, the glow of his computer casting long shadows across the room.
He scrolled aimlessly through his extensive contact list – hundreds of names, prominent figures from across the world, research institutions, even some discreetly filed under less official designations.
Famous names, influential people… yet none seemed appropriate for the information he now possessed, the burden Xiu had so casually, yet so devastatingly, placed upon his shoulders.
This wasn't as simple as Xiu seemed to believe, a mere matter of alerting the League to a new threat. Oak understood the intricate, often treacherous, currents of power that flowed beneath the League's placid surface.
He'd navigated those currents for decades and learned their dangers. The recent chaos in Viridian City, the fall of two established Gyms, Nurse Joy's decisive, almost brutal consolidation of power, Lorelei's – sudden appearance as a League 'investigator'… it all pointed to a larger, more complex game being played.
The established conservative factions who had long held sway were being challenged. Team Rocket, he suspected, was merely a convenient smokescreen in this larger struggle.
To simply barge in now, armed with information about a new, terrifying Pokémon controlled by Team Rocket… it would be naïve. He would be seen not as a concerned elder statesman, but as an unwelcome intruder, a pawn for one faction or another.
He'd be forced to choose sides in a conflict he had painstakingly, extricated himself from years ago. The thought filled him with a weary distaste. He had no desire to be dragged back into that morass.
And yet the vision of Mewtwo's power… it was too dangerous to ignore. He couldn't simply turn a blind eye to it, regardless of the personal or political cost. Damn that boy, Oak thought, resentful admiration crossing him. He always knows how to find trouble and how to make it mine.
He sighed, his fingers hovering over the mouse. He was, as Xiu had so bluntly pointed out, just a scholar. He no longer wielded the political influence he once had.
His title, 'Professor,' while respected, carried little weight in the ruthless corridors of League power. Perhaps Xiu is right, he mused.
His gaze stopped on a name. An old friend. A contemporary. Someone who, unlike himself, had never shied away from the rough-and-tumble world of politics and still wielded considerable influence within certain circles. He hesitated for a long moment, then, with a decisive click, initiated a video call.
The screen flickered, then resolved into the familiar, weathered face of Director Bao Ba.
"Samuel! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Bao Ba's voice boomed from the speakers, hearty, jovial, but with an underlying sharpness in his eyes. "Don't tell me our esteemed Professor Oak is in some kind of trouble?" He chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound.
"Not my trouble, old friend," Oak replied, a wry smile touching his own lips. "At least, not just mine, but... we might all be in a great deal of it." He then proceeded to recount everything Xiu had shown him, everything he had learned about Team Rocket's activities, and about Mewtwo. He included his own observations from Viridian City, his concerns about the League's internal power struggles.
When he finished, even Oak, usually so stoic, couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh. "That boy, Xiu… I swear he has some sort of ability to stumble into the most outrageous, most dangerous situations. It's uncanny."
Director Bao Ba's earlier joviality had vanished. His expression was grim, thoughtful. "This information, Samuel… you believe it? This… Mewtwo?"
"I do," Oak affirmed. "It's… unlike anything I've ever encountered. If Team Rocket truly controls such a creature…"
"What do you propose we do?" Bao Ba asked, his voice now all business.
"I've been out of the game for many years, Bao Ba, you know that," Oak replied. "My voice carries little weight in these matters now. But you… you cannot shirk your responsibility here."
Bao Ba leaned back, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "Even if I wanted to, Samuel, my hands are tied. You know and understand the current political climate within the League as well as I do. Why else do you think I'm still rusting out here instead of headquarters?"
"Don't play coy with me, old friend," Oak retorted. "I know you. You always have your sources, your channels."
Bao Ba countered. "Mere whispers, however credible, won't be enough." He paused, then his voice softened. "Are you certain you won't reconsider? Your son, your grandchildren… their future is also at stake here."
"Enough!" Oak interrupted, his voice sharp. "Team Rocket is a clear and present danger. We must act. I will discreetly inform my contacts within the Joy family. They have their own intelligence-gathering capabilities and security forces. They can make preparations. The Jenny family… that falls to you."
They spoke for a while longer, discussing strategies, contingencies, and potential allies. Finally, the call ended. Oak, however, did not immediately leave his desk. He turned back to his computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard, composing a series of heavily encrypted messages.
On the other side, Director Bao Ba, his face grim, was also busy drafting an urgent, classified report, bypassing official channels, and sending it directly to a trusted, high-ranking contact within the International Police.
Meanwhile, back at the institute, unaware of the series of machinations he had set in motion, Xiu lay sprawled on the cool grass of the backyard, gasping for breath
His clothes soaked with sweat, every muscle screaming in protest. He felt like a Magikarp, beached and flailing. He'd just finished an intense session with Scizor.
He hadn't pushed himself this hard in weeks, though it had, at least temporarily, banished the gnawing uncertainty from his mind.
But it also served as a stark reminder. The gap between human and Pokémon physique was immense and wide. Scizor, though also breathing heavily, was only exhausted in contrast to Xiu's sprawled state.
"I can barely keep up with you… ," Xiu panted, pushing himself to a sitting position.
He looked at Scizor, a mixture of pride and frustration in his eyes. "Your body has fully adapted to its evolved form. It's time… to begin the next phase of your training."
He had been contemplating this for some time. The journals from the previous Viridian Bug-type Gym Leaders, Abra's unique psychic abilities, and his previous and current life's expertise and creativity… it had all coalesced into a new, radical training paradigm.
He would move beyond mere physical conditioning and beyond simple move mastery. He would teach Scizor to harness its own innate elemental energies.
"Muscles, bones, skin… that's the external," Xiu explained, his breath slowly returning. "Now, we focus on the internal. The breath. The energy that flows within you." He had observed it during Scizor's evolution— that strange, shimmering aura during the process.
"All Pokémon possess this internal energy," Xiu continued, thinking aloud as much as explaining to Scizor. "For Abra, it manifests as psychic power. For you, Scizor, it's twofold: Insect energy, Steel energy. These are the wellsprings of your power, the source of your elemental affinities."
"These so-called 'moves,'" Xiu mused, "are simply applications of this internal energy. Our goal, Scizor, is to move beyond predefined moves. We will learn to consciously control, manipulate, and weaponize your own innate elemental energies." He declared, a spark of fierce determination in his eyes,
"This is the true path to power."
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