Chapter 297: Sequelae
Even after the sound of Xiu's departing footsteps completely disappeared into the distance, Lan still couldn't quite make up her mind, her thoughts racing.
If this fails, I will be dead. Although her current situation was a close call, a dangerous gamble, at least her life was saved for now.
Lan put down the Poké Ball she had been clutching and placed a hand on her lower abdomen.
After pressing gently, she found that there was indeed no unusual movement, no pain. She felt a small wave of relief, though the fear lingered.
Then, she looked at her former companion – still hanging from the tree.
The man's meaning just now had been very clear: she was the only one who was meant to leave this place alive.
Lan didn't dare to ignore any factor that might expose her compromised position.
She would have handled her companion herself, even if Xiu hadn't explicitly said anything. It was a matter of self-preservation.
Lan regained her composure, her face hardening, and walked towards the tree…
Xiu had not walked far when Abra materialized from the darkness and joined him. The two of them walked through the silent forest together.
Xiu didn't actually possess any seeds that could parasitize the human body. That whole terrifying story was just nonsense he had concocted on the spot.
As for the pill he had forced Lan to swallow, it was just some inert medicine he had randomly pinched out from his supplies. The "inhibitor" was even more outrageous; it was simply a can of licorice candy he had made.
As for whether Lan would eventually realize this deception, Xiu didn't care at all.
For someone so terrified of death, someone with a past she desperately wanted to keep hidden, she wouldn't dare to do anything risky as long as there was even a slight possibility the threat was real.
This was enough for Xiu. After all, arranging for her to become an unwilling undercover agent within Team Rocket had been a spur-of-the-moment decision.
It would be best if she played a useful role, but it wouldn't be a significant loss if she didn't.
Right now, he just wanted to go back to his bed and have a good, long sleep.
He was too tired.
Xiu quickly rushed back to the research institute. He first checked the perimeter to make sure there were no immediate problems.
Then, he confirmed that Daisy, Gary, and Xiaochun were all fine before finally returning to the relative seclusion of the warehouse he used as his quarters.
Xiaochun now lived in the main research institute building. He had arranged for her to look after Daisy and Gary, a role that served as both protection for them and a subtle form of surveillance by someone he trusted implicitly.
Now, the warehouse belonged to him alone.
"My bed! I'm back!" he muttered, practically collapsing onto it.
Sometime later, the door of the warehouse was suddenly pushed open a crack— a ray of morning sunlight shone in through the gap, adding a little light to the usually dim interior.
However, compared to the vast, empty space of the warehouse, the light could only reach a few feet from the door before becoming weak and diffuse.
A figure walked slowly through the light, and then soft footsteps were heard. Even the slightest sound seemed to be amplified several times in this quiet place.
One step… another step…
Only when she got closer could she see clearly what was in front of her.
This was a makeshift room constructed from stacked storage boxes. As soon as one entered, one could see a bedside table made of several pieces of scrap wood.
On it were some books with pressed leaves sandwiched between their pages, and some notebooks filled with messy handwriting, opened casually. A pen was thrown carelessly aside.
Daisy moved her eyes to the bed next to the table and looked at Xiu, who was lying there, deeply asleep.
After a long while, she took a hesitant step forward and murmured softly, "Even when he is asleep, he is like this… so tense."
Just as she said this, a pair of eyes, glowing with a faint blue fluorescence, suddenly appeared in the darkness where the sunlight could not reach.
"He is too tired. Don't disturb him," Abra's telepathic voice echoed in her mind.
Daisy was not frightened at all. She looked calmly towards the source of the voice and said, "He doesn't look well now. Are you sure he doesn't need any help?"
It seemed that although the two of them clearly had no innate telepathic bond like Xiu and Abra did, and she didn't possess that extraordinary, almost symbiotic understanding with Abra that Xiu had, she could still communicate with it.
She wasn't talking nonsense; she really could converse with Pokémon.
"You staying within the institute, safe and sound, is the best help for him right now," Abra replied.
"What on earth are you all doing? How did Xiu become like this?" Daisy's question did not receive an answer from Abra.
After delivering its statement, Abra closed its eyes again, and its psychic presence seemed to fade back into the darkness.
Daisy looked back at the person on the bed. Even in deep sleep, Xiu was extremely alert, every muscle coiled, looking like he would wake up at any moment.
For a moment, she felt she could not see the person in front of her clearly, as if he were shrouded in secrets.
Daisy moved closer and was about to reach out her hand, perhaps to check his forehead, but a shimmering blue wall of psychic light suddenly appeared, separating her and Xiu.
A faint, firm voice came from the darkness. "Don't touch him. I will only say this once."
"Hmph." Daisy slowly withdrew her hand. Without paying any more attention to Abra, she turned around and walked towards the door.
Just as she turned, the ethereal blue wall of light disappeared.
As Daisy left, the door was closed, the light that had been streaming in was cut off, and the entire warehouse fell into silence once more…
Xiu couldn't remember when he had finally fallen deeply asleep.
He didn't know if it was because the aftereffects of using his psychic abilities in conjunction with Abra so extensively had finally caught up with him, or if he had simply slept too long, but his head was dizzy and throbbing when he awoke.
Xiu fumbled to get up from the bed, then staggered to open the door of the warehouse.
The dazzling sun was still hanging high in the sky, giving him a direct, scorching sun judgment.
"It's noon now…"
Xiu closed his eyes and shook his head hard, trying to make himself more awake.
He had been fine before shaking his head, but as soon as he did, it seemed like something went wrong with his brain. He suddenly pitched forward, falling to the ground just outside the warehouse door, his body twitching a little.
The situation just now did not make him lose consciousness, but it was alarming.
As time went by, the feeling gradually faded, and his out-of-control limbs gradually returned to his command.
Lying on the ground at the door of the warehouse, Xiu reached out and wiped the corner of his mouth, wiping off a trickle of saliva that had just flowed out.
He complained weakly, "Damn, I almost thought I was finished for good that time."
He lay on the ground, feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin.
After a while, he finally recovered enough to move. He stood up and staggered towards the main research institute building.
He didn't know what had been going on outside while he was sleeping, so he needed to use the computer to check for any news or messages.
"What happened to you?" When Daisy opened the door and saw Xiu in such a state, she couldn't hide the surprise and concern on her face.
He had apparently been fine, just asleep, when she had seen him in the warehouse earlier. Why was he like this now?
"It's okay. I'm just a little exhausted from sleeping for too long," Xiu said with a forced smile, trying his best to act normal as he walked in.
"Would you like to eat something?" Daisy asked, noticing that he no longer had the sharp, tense edge he usually carried. She followed behind him.
"It's okay," Xiu replied, his mind elsewhere. He didn't pay much attention to her words but instead asked, "Where's Gary? Is he here?"
"In the library. He hasn't gone out."
"That's good." Xiu came to the living room and, just as he pushed open the door, he stopped and turned around to say to Daisy, "Actually, maybe I really do need to eat something. Pretty please?"
When Daisy heard this, she looked up at him, a flicker of surprise in her eyes at his uncharacteristic request.
After a long moment, she nodded and walked towards the kitchen.
After Xiu had sent her away, he didn't care about anything else and turned, walking directly towards the computer in the living room.
Having regained some energy after sitting at the computer for a while, Xiu couldn't wait to open his mailbox. Sure enough, there was a new email.
According to the message sent by Professor Oak, there would be no further major problems now that the entirety of the Kanto League was up and running.
The affairs in and around Viridian City had been basically handled, and the Professor expected to be back within the next two days.
Seeing this news, Xiu finally felt a wave of profound relaxation wash over him.
After working so hard for so long, under such constant pressure, he had finally seen the results.
It had all been worth it.