c153 Farewell
Looking at Curator Lin's gossiping expression, Chen Xiaoxiao was utterly speechless.
Seriously? Does he mean to bring up how little Zorua turned into me and tried to lift my skirt? Or that I smacked it so hard it fainted on the spot? How dare he even hint at that out loud?!
The more she thought about it, the darker her face became, which only made Curator Lin more curious. His heart itched like an audience waiting for a juicy play.
Meanwhile, under the steady warmth of Gardevoir's Heal Pulse, Zoroark's wounds glowed faintly green as the gashes slowly knitted shut. Its breathing steadied, and the oppressive dark aura it had been exuding dispersed.
Seeing this, little Zorua finally let out a breath of relief. "(Ma, can you beat them now?)" the fox asked innocently, its eyes shining with childlike expectation.
Zoroark's ears flattened in shame. How could it answer? To admit it had been overwhelmed by Solgaleo would crush Zorua's faith. With a sigh, it simply tapped its paw lightly against Zorua's forehead.
"(Ouch!)" Zorua squeaked, looking pitifully wronged.
Chen Xiaoxiao chuckled. "Zoroark, how did you let Zorua get caught? You're usually so careful."
Lin was equally curious. Though Zoroark had been beaten badly by Solgaleo just now, that was hardly a fair comparison. Against ordinary trainers, Zoroark's power was fearsome, it had even endured Solgaleo's Flash Cannon twice before collapsing. That spoke of serious strength.
Before Zoroark could answer, Zorua scratched its head and giggled. "(Hee hee, I sneaked out myself and got caught! If Ma had been there, she would've destroyed them!)"
The little fox's admiration shone in its eyes, and Zoroark could only sigh, stroking its mane affectionately.
"You're too mischievous," Chen Xiaoxiao scolded lightly, reaching forward to flick Zorua's forehead.
"(It hurts! I won't do it again!)" Zorua whined, covering its forehead with both paws.
The mother chuckled softly, shaking her head at her child's antics.
After a while of gentle chatter, Zoroark finally stood, holding Zorua close. Its crimson gaze softened as it prepared to leave. Zorua, however, looked reluctant, its small eyes darting back again and again at Chen Xiaoxiao.
Seeing that, Chen Xiaoxiao smiled warmly. "Here, little Zorua. Take this."
She drew from the system a pouch of top-grade Dark-type energy cubes, shimmering faintly with concentrated aura. She placed them in Zorua's paws and patted its head. "Don't run off anymore. Stay by your Ma's side, train hard, and don't make her worry, okay?"
"(Mm! I promise!)" Zorua clutched the cubes tightly, then turned to Zoroark and nodded with determination.
Zoroark's eyes softened with relief, and then lifted its gaze to Chen Xiaoxiao. For a moment, its fierce expression gave way to gratitude. It bowed its head slightly.
Chen Xiaoxiao returned the nod. No more words were needed.
Zoroark carefully placed Zorua into the flowing mane at its head. The little fox poked its head out one last time and waved a paw. "(Goodbye!)"
"Goodbye, little Zorua!" Chen Xiaoxiao waved back, smiling.
She stood silently until their figures faded into the distance, swallowed by the treeline.
"Just like that? You let them go?" Curator Lin asked at last, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. "With how much Zorua likes you, maybe if you'd asked, it would have stayed."
He spoke truthfully Zorua and Zoroark were extremely rare Pokémon. Even in professional circles, few trainers had seen them outside of research notes or legends. Encountering them in the wild was nearly unheard of.
But Chen Xiaoxiao shook her head. "Zoroark came all this way to find Zorua. Separating them isn't right. Besides, Dark-types don't fit my current team. Better to leave them together."
Lin nodded reluctantly. "True… but most people wouldn't let such an opportunity slip away."
Chen Xiaoxiao smiled faintly. "If I forced Zorua to stay, I'd only damage its bond with me. Zoroark's Illusion can even mimic Darkrai, it means it's seen the real one before. That connection could be far more valuable in the future than trying to capture them now."
Lin's heart stirred. She's right. Illusion can't create something never seen. If Zoroark can mimic Darkrai, it must have crossed paths with it.
Then a thought struck him. "Wait… if Zorua was among the Pokémon brought in yesterday, why didn't I notice?"
Chen Xiaoxiao chuckled. "Because it disguised itself as Pikachu. If not for Gardevoir's sensitivity to Dark-type energy, even I might've missed it."
Lin slapped his forehead in realization. "No wonder! Whoever caught it probably never realized!"
Chen Xiaoxiao grinned. "Come on, Master Lin. There are still a lot of Pokémon waiting for Gardevoir's healing. You can rest a while."
"Haha, fair enough! I was up half the night sorting paperwork, so I'll take you up on that," Lin admitted sheepishly.
"Thank you, Solgaleo. Return for now," Chen Xiaoxiao said, raising the Poké Ball. The lion dissolved into light and disappeared. She then turned to Gardevoir. "Let's head back."
The Psychic nodded, and with a flash, they reappeared at the Breeder field.
"Phew, you're back!" Xiao Zhao called, rushing over. "Are you alright?"
"It's fine. Just a little misunderstanding with a wild Pokémon," Chen Xiaoxiao replied with a smile.
Curator Lin nodded in agreement, choosing not to elaborate.
The massive shockwave from earlier had rattled everyone the sound had carried nearly ten kilometers. Xiao Zhao and the others knew there had to be more to the story, but since even Lin said nothing, they kept their questions silent.
"Alright, Gardevoir, let's continue," Chen Xiaoxiao instructed calmly.
"It's nearly noon," Xiao Zhao cut in, glancing at the clock. "Miss Chen Xiaoxiao, Curator Lin let's eat first before we start again!"
Chen Xiaoxiao and Lin exchanged a look and both nodded.
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