Chapter 312: The Sinner's Daughter
"Do you like it?" Xiu nodded with a smile, confirming her identification of the Leaf Stone.
"Is this really for me?" Rinko held the evolution stone in both hands, a look of pure, unadulterated joy spreading across her face.
"Yes!" Xiu nodded again, still smiling. "This is a personal gift to you."
"Thank you!" Rinko laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners, almost disappearing in her delight.
Xiu suddenly felt that Rinko was a little cute in this moment. This single evolution stone was worth a few hundred thousand Poké Dollars. However, Xiu felt it was worth it when he saw her so happy.
If the Alliance didn't properly compensate or recognize her for her contribution – which he suspected they wouldn't, given their usual modus operandi – then he could at least do this for her.
Anyway, good people should not be allowed to suffer or go unrewarded; otherwise, who would aspire to be a good person in the future?
Xiu readily admitted that he himself was not a conventionally "good" person, but that did not stop him from appreciating and valuing genuinely good people.
At least when making friends with good people, he didn't have to constantly worry about being stabbed in the back. Besides, some thing should be used in the right place, by the right person.
Otherwise, this Leaf Stone would just remain an unused rock in his possession.
He had a small collection of various evolution stones, all of which were spoils of war – things he had "confiscated" or "recovered" during his morally ambiguous operations.
It was just that these items had been with him for so long, and none of them were of any direct use to his current Pokémon team.
He wasn't short of money, and he had no habit of selling such potentially strategic materials on the open market, so he had kept them until now.
The prices of evolution stones in different regions varied to a certain extent, and the differences between different types of evolution stones were even greater.
Some common evolution stones, such as Water, Fire, and Leaf Stones, were generally priced around two or three hundred thousand Poké Dollars. Rarer ones, like Moon Stones or Sun Stones, could be sold for millions.
There were also differences in quality even between the same kind of evolution stones; they were often graded based on appearance, size, clarity, energy purity, and other factors.
Mined evolution stones could be as large as a human head or as small as a fingernail. The problem of appearance mostly concerned those who collected or speculated on uncut, rough stones, because the ones in general circulation, like this Leaf Stone, were usually cut and polished to a standard, manageable size.
As for the third factor, quality and purity, Xiu had not done much in-depth research on these aspects and was not very clear about the finer distinctions.
Anyway, according to Director Bao Ba, who was an expert in gemology and stone-based Pokémon research, most standard evolution stones were generally "good enough" for evolution, and there was no real need to pursue excessively high-grade, super-pure ones for practical purposes.
That concept, Bao Ba believed, was largely manufactured by collectors and speculators to drive up prices. Xiu thought of those people in his past life who had speculated on rare sneakers or collectibles and suddenly understood why Bao Ba had such a cynical attitude.
"I've always wanted to find a Leaf Stone to evolve my Gloom,"[1] Rinko said, carefully placing the stone back into its padded box while complaining to Xiu. "But my applications to the Alliance for one weren't approved. They kept saying there was no stock available."
"Hmph." Xiu heard this and let out a sneer, his expression a little disgusted. "They've been deliberately dragging you along, stalling you. Otherwise, do you really think the Kanto League, with all its resources, can't even procure a single Leaf Stone?"
Isn't it clear what those particular factions within the Alliance were trying to do? He was afraid they knew her value and potential better than she did herself, so they were deliberately trying to keep her weak, afraid that if she gained more power, more capable Pokémon, she would not be so easy to bully or control.
Originally, Xiu didn't want to mention this disgusting internal politicking, but since it had come up, he couldn't help but ask. "Has the Alliance contacted you recently about anything else?"
"Hmm," Rinko pursed her lips and nodded, her earlier joy dimming, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.
"What do they want now?" Xiu asked. He wasn't surprised, but his expression turned more or less gloomy.
"They're rushing me for next month's Stun Stem harvest," Rinko admitted.
"Hmph. I was just testing you, to see if they'd try something like this," Xiu said, his voice cold. He looked at Rinko. "What did you tell them?"
"I told them, according to what you taught me, that all the available Stun Stem had been taken away by Officer Jenny's units for the emergency. I said I don't have any more mature Stun Stem here. If they need it, they can ask Officer Jenny for it."
"They didn't give up, right?" A strange, knowing smile appeared on Xiu's face.
"Well," Rinko hesitated, "he kept urging me, saying that I had violated the prior agreements, the rules…"
Before Rinko could finish her words, she sensed a change in the atmosphere. She looked over and saw Xiu sitting aside, his face expressionless, but she could also feel that he was quite unhappy, a dangerous stillness about him.
"What's wrong?" Rinko asked tentatively.
"Nothing. You don't have to pay any attention to them," Xiu said, his voice deceptively calm. "With the Nurse Joy and now Officer Jenny implicitly standing in front of you, those people are just clowns."
Xiu found that some people were really not worth saving, not worth any consideration.
This was definitely because those petty bureaucrats had noticed the changes on Rinko's side, knew that she had gained the support of Officer Jenny, and so they were urging her desperately, trying to test her attitude and her current situation, to see if they could still intimidate her.
After Rinko rejected their unreasonable request, they had resorted to threatening and intimidating her, trying to squeeze out the last bit of her perceived value.
How dare they come out and try this at this time! Xiu fumed internally.
"Will there really be no problem?" Rinko asked, still a little worried.
"I wouldn't dare to say it with such certainty at other times," Xiu replied, "but I dare to say it at this moment. Even if the sky falls, I will hold it up for you." Xiu's attitude was firm, his words loud and clear, full of conviction.
Rinko looked at his almost aggressive excitement, shook her head helplessly, and said, "Actually, I don't really care that much anymore. So many years have passed like this, with their demands and restrictions…"
"You don't need to be afraid anymore," Xiu insisted, "and you don't need to care about those people. So what if it's the Alliance? Does being part of the Alliance mean they can bully others? Damn them!"
Although Xiu spoke so powerfully, as if he looked down on the entire Alliance, he knew very well that the Kanto League was not a monolithic entity.
There were many chaotic factions and competing interests within it. However, the Jenny's, one of the two largest and most respected independent organizations, was now effectively standing behind Rinko due to her contribution.
And although his own relationship with the Joys was not as deep or direct, he could still have a say there. What was there truly to be afraid of from these low-level opportunists?
Rinko was now the hero who had provided the means to break the beast tide. How dare anyone stir up trouble for her? Did they really think Officer Jenny's reputation for justice was fake?
If he, Xiu, didn't deal with this harassment today, then he would wait for something bad to happen. Such a hero, being harassed and attacked right after she finished her vital work… this would not just be a slap on Rinko's face, but a direct slap on Officer Jenny's face, and by extension, a challenge to public order.
Xiu was never afraid of those who really wanted to mess things up. He even looked forward to those people causing trouble, because it gave him an excuse to act.
Xiu spoke with great pride and conviction, but Rinko seemed very conflicted, as if she wanted to say something important but hesitated. Xiu also noticed this, but did not press her. He just looked at her gently from the side, waiting.
After a moment, Rinko seemed to have made a decision. She then spoke to Xiu, her voice low. "Xiu, I have something I want to tell you."
"Hmm," Xiu nodded slightly, his expression attentive, indicating he was listening.
"Those people… they sometimes called me the Sinner's Daughter."
Rinko said this slowly, and the moment she finished speaking, she seemed as if she had gone through some kind of profound, painful decision. Her breathing became disordered, and she looked vulnerable.
Upon hearing this, Xiu frowned, and his expression became a little strange, unreadable.
Rinko noticed this and looked a little panicked. She quickly raised her hand and waved it towards Xiu, explaining hastily, "I really didn't hide it from you on purpose…"
"Calm down! I believe you," Xiu raised his hand to gently interrupt her. "Everyone has a few secrets. I'll listen if you want to tell me. Don't force yourself if you're not ready."
Rinko visibly calmed down a little and sat back in her seat, her gaze distant, as if recalling something from long ago.
"I remember it very clearly," she began, her voice soft and tinged with old sorrow. "It was the fourth day after my parents left. It was a morning. I had stayed in bed late because my parents were not at home, and I wasn't fully awake until a sharp knock on the door startled me.
I remember the sunlight streaming in from outside was particularly dazzling that day…"
[1] welp I'm sorry guys the MTL was just that rough I thought Rinko's gloom had evolved to Vilepume offscreen