Chapter 311: Gift
"I'll write something up," Professor Oak declared, taking on the most crucial task without hesitation. "I don't trust anyone else with it. Besides, the information will be used in the Pokedex later anyway."
"I also need you, Professor, to provide me with a list of reliable experts and scholars," Xiu requested. "I will contact them and work towards creating a legitimate scientific journal for the academic Pokémon community, to try and change this pervasive trend."
Xiu's ambitions were not limited to just one project. He had his own long-term plans for giving up his pirated operations and legitimately devoting himself to media and information dissemination.
He saw this current crisis and collaboration as an opportunity to recruit some real talent.
The two communicated about these issues for a while. Xiu eventually got a list of trustworthy, talented individuals from Professor Oak, and the Professor himself was ready to start writing.
For this purpose, he even put some of his original, more esoteric research projects on hold.
By the time they had finished their discussion and planning, it was already evening. They had talked for the better part of the day and finalized a series of ambitious plans and arrangements.
Xiu quickly started working on those numerous, messy logistical matters related to his new publishing ventures, and time dragged on until well into the evening. After dinner, Professor Oak took Daisy and Gary back to their family home in Pallet Town.
After taking a short rest in the institute's backyard, Xiu collected Xiaochun and headed towards the botanical garden. "Come on," he said gently to her.
"I'll take you somewhere else to sleep tonight. The environment there is much better than the warehouse. At least it won't be so hot and stuffy, and you can meet two new friends."
Taking Xiaochun for a stroll through Pallet Town's streets, it was not yet too dark. They could see some townspeople walking around with farm tools, likely returning from their fields, and some old men and women gathered in groups of three or four, chatting leisurely after their evening meal.
Everything was full of the quiet, familiar breath of life.
However, both Xiu and Xiaochun, each in their own way, felt somewhat out of tune with all this mundane tranquility.
Arriving at the villa, Xiu knocked on the door and stood aside. "Wait a minute. I'll introduce two people to you."
As soon as they finished speaking, the door opened. Rinko was dressed in comfortable casual clothes and looked very relaxed, until she saw the unfamiliar child standing next to Xiu. Her expression immediately shifted to one of curiosity.
"This is Chun," Xiu introduced. "You can just call her Xiaochun. She is my sister. I never had the chance to introduce her properly before, so I brought her here today."
"Welcome!" Rinko responded with a warm smile, then made way for them. "Please, come in first."
"Excuse us," Xiu said as he walked in, then introduced Rinko to Xiaochun. "This is Miss Rinko Murasame, the owner of the botanical garden here, and also my good friend."
"Hello, Xiaochun," Rinko said, leaning over slightly to look at Xiaochun and calling out her name gently.
However, Xiaochun didn't react much verbally. She just looked at Rinko with no discernible expression on her face, which made Rinko feel a little embarrassed and unsure.
"Xiaochun has a problem with her throat and can't speak," Xiu explained quietly. "You don't have to worry about it."
"Ah! I'm so sorry," Rinko said, stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted. Her expression changed, and she seemed a little worried. "I didn't mean any offense."
"It's okay," Xiu waved his hand casually and added, "Is SoL upstairs?"
"Hm," Rinko nodded, looking down at Xiaochun with a gentle, understanding gaze.
"I'll introduce Xiaochun and Sol first," Xiu said. "And I'll explain the situation to you later, Rinko."
After Xiu finished speaking, he took Xiaochun upstairs and found Sol in her room. There was no discernible difference in the room from that morning, except that Sol now had a different, even more advanced-looking book in her hand.
"Sol, let me introduce a new friend to you." The quiet girl put down the book in her hand and looked up. Her eyes slowly moved from Xiu until they stopped on Xiaochun.
"This is Xiaochun."
"Hello," Sol's soft, telepathic voice immediately attracted Xiaochun's attention. Xiaochun's usually impassive expression suddenly showed a hint of confusion, then intrigue. Then, the two of them just stared at each other for a long moment, completely silent to outside observers.
But Xiu knew that the two of them were communicating telepathically.
After a while, Xiu quietly left the room, but Xiaochun did not follow him out. Xiu found that both of these girls seemed to prefer solitude, or at least, were comfortable in silence.
Moreover, Xiaochun could not speak, and Sol happened to be able to communicate telepathically. There was no verbal obstacle between the two of them.
He had to admit, the two were, in their own unique ways, very compatible.
After going downstairs, Xiu found Rinko and made his request directly. "I was thinking of letting Xiaochun live here with you as well. That way, she can also look after Sol and keep her company.
Besides, Xiaochun is very capable and self-sufficient; she knows how to take care of herself and can even help take care of Sol. So, you don't have to watch over Sol every single day by yourself."
"Sure, that's fine," Rinko said, acting casually and agreeing easily. "It will be more lively here with one more person."
Now it was Xiu's turn to feel a little embarrassed. He had bothered her time and again with requests, imposing on her generosity, but she never refused. For a moment, an indescribable feeling of warmth and gratitude spread in his heart.
"Let's sit down and have a good chat," Xiu suggested. "I'll explain the details of this whole recent incident to you properly."
The two of them came to the living room and sat down. Xiu then told her about the situation in Viridian City and Celadon City, the beast tides, and Team Rocket's involvement.
Of course, some of the more gruesome or politically sensitive content had been carefully omitted by Xiu. He concealed the full extent of the casualties, and even when he mentioned them, it was only in a single, brief sentence.
The main focus of his recounting was on how many people her Stun Stem powder had saved and how crucial her contribution had been. Otherwise, with her compassionate personality, she would definitely not be able to sleep that night after hearing the full, unvarnished truth.
Seeing her remain relatively calm after his explanation, Xiu was a little curious and asked, "Why don't you ask about other things? For example, since your Stun Stem was so effective, what benefits or recognition can you get from the League?"
"As long as it was useful, what's the point of pursuing those things?" Rinko said, walking over to a window and looking out, her voice simple and direct.
Xiu looked at her profile, her clear, honest eyes, and said seriously, "I could never be as kind-hearted as you, Rinko."
Rinko looked back at Xiu, a little puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"To be honest," Xiu elaborated, "the biggest credit for the preservation of Viridian City lies with you and your Stun Stem. Yet, you can still act so casually, so humbly about it. I don't think I could do that if I were in your position."
If it were him, Xiu thought, he would definitely be very happy, very proud right now. After all, to be able to save so many people by oneself – the sense of accomplishment, of pride, would be soaring to the sky.
But what about her? She reacted as if Xiu had merely told her what they were having for dinner tonight. This was an extraordinary level of calm and selflessness.
When Rinko heard what Xiu said, she just shook her head gently. "This is not just my credit, Xiu. If it weren't for you, even if I had all the Stun Stem in the world, it would have been useless. You were the one who knew how to use it, who got it to where it needed to be."
Xiu didn't say anything more about this. What Rinko said was also quite right. If it weren't for brave individuals like Officer Jenny's who ventured into the Viridian Forest to deploy it, and those who worked together to coordinate the effort, there would be no effective use of the Stun Stem, even if it existed.
This success was the result of everyone's hard work, a victory achieved by many people.
"By the way! I have something for you," Xiu suddenly remembered. He opened his backpack, took out a palm-sized, intricately carved wooden box, and then handed the item over to Rinko.
"Open it and take a look."
Rinko took it with some curiosity. She found that the box was surprisingly heavy for its size. When she opened it, she could see a light green, leaf-shaped stone resting on a bed of rich brocade cloth.
Rinko took out the stone and examined it for a moment. Seeing the vein-like patterns on its surface, she immediately realized what it was and said in surprise, her eyes widening,
"This is… a Leaf Stone!"