Chapter 291: Rocket's Nest
A moment later, Rinko returned to the lab and found a pile of freshly filled Poké Balls on the table, while Xiu was at the workbench, meticulously preparing more antidote.
Xiu's movements were precise and elegant, almost mesmerizing to watch.
His efficiency is much higher than mine, Rinko thought with a touch of admiration.
The main operating table was currently occupied by Xiu. Rinko, already feeling a little tired from her earlier efforts, had no intention of trying to assist directly. Instead, she sat aside and observed Xiu's methodical work.
Soon, several new doses of the antidote were ready. Xiu held up a vial, swirling the liquid inside and observing it critically against the sunlight.
Only after ensuring there were no visible impurities or issues did he put it down. He then looked towards Rinko.
"Go and take a rest if you're tired," he said. "Just leave this to me."
"I'm fine," Rinko replied, though her posture suggested otherwise.
"Oh! That's right." Xiu seemed to suddenly remember something. He hurriedly went to his backpack, rummaged through it for a moment, then took out a lunch box and placed it on the table.
"You must not have eaten yet. This is for you." It was the meal Daisy had packed for him earlier.
After finishing his immediate tasks at the botanical garden, Xiu left. He drove his motorcycle to a location far from Pallet Town, then ventured deep into the surrounding jungle.
"This should be about right," Xiu murmured, looking around to ensure seclusion. He then began to release the Pokémon he had captured earlier.
One Poké Ball after another flew out under Abra's psychic control, and the Pokémon materialized on the ground, looking around groggily.
No matter how effective the Stun Stem powder was, its effects couldn't last indefinitely against the passage of time. This first batch of captured Pokémon had mostly recovered, at least outwardly.
"Go on, get out of here," Xiu addressed them. "And don't eat random things you find on the ground anymore." He shooed them away, watching as they dispersed back into the wilderness.
Only then did he allow himself a moment to sit down and prepare food for his own Pokémon.
"Today has been truly terrible," Xiu sighed, watching Scizor and his other Pokémon eat.
He sat on the ground, taking out a tube of nutritional paste and sipping it slowly. He had overused his psychic powers significantly, and now he could feel the veins in his temples throbbing with his heartbeat.
Every time he blinked, a wave of exhaustion threatened to pull him under.
After releasing the second batch of recovered Pokémon in a different, equally remote location, Xiu drove back towards Pallet.
He still kept one little Rattata, however, not removing the paralyzing effect entirely but just controlling its intensity with a minimal application of Stun Stem. This particular "dowsing rod" was still useful.
At night, as soon as it grew a little dark, most of the refugees in Pallet Town retreated to their own vehicles or makeshift shelters.
No one dared to hang around outside at this hour. The night was particularly dark, with no moon visible, and both the vehicle encampments and the main streets were eerily quiet. Only a few houses in the town proper still had their lights on.
In this oppressive environment, a lone figure, carrying something indistinct, appeared on the road, walking stealthily towards Pallet Town from the outskirts.
The man moved slowly, looking relaxed and casual, slipping between the parked convoys and then entering the residential area. All his actions were silent, like a ghost…
A faint light glowed in a small, unassuming house in town, made even dimmer by drawn curtains.
From a little distance away, it was impossible to see anything inside— but the room itself was unusually lively, with several people talking and laughing.
"Hahaha! We've made all the preparations. I'm afraid some wild Pokémon will just happen to attack Pallet Town tomorrow!" a young man with a crew cut exclaimed, full of vigor and malicious enthusiasm.
His words caused a fat young man next to him – the same one whose Machoke that Scizor had obliterated – to look momentarily embarrassed, but his expression quickly turned ferocious.
He said through gritted teeth, "Humph! I must kill that kid! I'll make him die a thousand times, ten thousand times…"
Before the fat youth could finish his tirade, a bald middle-aged man beside him interrupted with a low sigh. "Alas, I just don't know if the boss will give us a raise for all this."
The young man with the crew cut smiled upon hearing this and picked up the thread of conversation. "As long as we succeed this time, it will only be a matter of time before the entire Kanto region surrenders to us, to Team Rocket!"
"I wonder what's going on in Viridian City now," another voice mused.
"We have to trust the boss. The boss is the best!" the crew-cut man declared, obviously very confident. "The higher-ups promised that as long as we complete this task successfully, we'll definitely get a promotion and a raise when we return."
The two men had unknowingly squeezed the fat youth out of the conversation, and no one was paying any attention to his simmering rage.
The fat youth couldn't stand being ignored by these grunts. He used to be the absolute focus of attention in his own small team, but now he had fallen to this.
All of this was because of that person! He fumed internally. If I meet him again, I will definitely…
The fat youth clenched his fists, his expression twisted and ferocious, as if he wanted to tear the object of his hatred apart and swallow him alive, skin, bones, and all.
"Hello! Is anyone there?" However, a calm, unfamiliar voice echoed then followed by a knock on the door, instantly broke the atmosphere in the room.
The bald middle-aged man reflexively reached for his Poké Ball, but in the next second, a shimmering blue psychic film penetrated the wall and enveloped everyone inside.
Their movements froze, fixed at that exact moment. Then, the door lock clicked open automatically.
"Good evening, everyone," the voice said again.
Xiu pushed the door open and walked in. He looked at the frozen figures with a faint smile on his face, then his eyes landed on the fat youth, a flicker of surprise in his expression.
It turned out to be the Trainer whose Machoke's head had been pulped by Scizor.
"Yo, nice to meet you," Xiu drawled. "I didn't expect there'd be someone I know. Did you miss me after all this time?"
After entering, Xiu closed the door behind him. He then turned to look at the bald middle-aged man, his expression one of slightly exaggerated surprise. "Why, you're with Team Rocket too?"
Several grunts were completely immobilized by Abra's psychic power, with no ability to resist whatsoever. They could only passively await whatever Xiu intended.
The fat youth, who had been consumed by hatred just moments before, now, for some reason, kept recalling the horrifying scene of his Machoke's headshot.
It was as if the blood and brain matter were splattering across his face again, the warmth still palpable. Fear instantly took over his heart, overwhelming his rationality and forcing a choked, meaningless wail from his throat.
However, restrained as he was, he could only produce strange, gurgling noises.
Xiu didn't bother with idle chatter. He just raised his hand towards the bald middle-aged man, psychically pulling him forward. Then, Xiu closed his eyes, focusing his own psychic senses…
After a moment, Xiu, without even opening his eyes, psychically yanked the crew-cut man over. The bald middle-aged man slumped to the ground, his condition unknown.
The room fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the fat youth's muffled whimpers.
The fat youth watched Xiu's strange, methodical actions and the miserable state of his companions. His heart, already filled with fear, became even more desperate.
However, struggling was useless. He could only watch as the crew-cut man also fell limply to the ground, while he himself slowly floated towards Xiu.
"Wooooooooooooooooo!" It seemed overweight did not grant him the strength to break free from Abra's psychic hold.
Xiu noticed his fierce, albeit futile, resistance and couldn't help but open his eyes. He teased, "Team Rocket really likes people like you, doesn't it? Incompetent but arrogant, especially since your family has a little money. They only need to agree with your delusions a little bit to make you take the bait."
The fat youth thrashed violently, but all it did was make him look even more ridiculous; it had no effect on his restraints.
The next second, as Xiu's psychic probe invaded his brain, he went still.