Chapter 71: Confrontation and Collapse

"Something's happened! Hurry!" Xiu suddenly hissed, abandoning all pretense of stealth. He immediately broke cover, sprinting towards the front door, deliberately making noise.

Yuto, startled by Xiu's sudden urgency and the escalating sounds from inside, hesitated only a second before following close behind.

Xiu reached the front door first, threw it open dramatically, and shouted into the house, his voice sharp with feigned alarm. "What are you doing?! Stop it!"

Inside the living room, Shirley and Chanel, who had clearly been nose-to-nose in a heated verbal confrontation, both jumped, startled by the sudden interruption. They whipped around towards the doorway almost simultaneously. In that split second, Shirley, perhaps fueled by adrenaline or maybe following a subtly planted suggestion from Xiu earlier, suddenly lurched forward, stumbling deliberately towards Chanel.

The atmosphere was already electric with tension. Xiu's shout had frayed Chanel's nerves. Now, seeing Shirley suddenly move towards her aggressively, Chanel reacted purely on instinct. Her brain screamed threat, and her body responded defensively. She threw her hands up to ward Shirley off, making contact just as Shirley 'lost her balance'.

It happened in an instant. Shirley, seemingly tripped by nothing, flailed wildly for a moment, then tumbled backwards uncontrollably, hitting the floor with a sickeningly loud thud. The muffled sound of her head striking the polished wooden floor echoed horribly in the sudden silence.

Chanel stared, stunned, at Shirley lying motionless on the floor. Then, the reality of what had just happened – or what appeared to have just happened – hit her. Fear replaced her earlier anger. Shirley wasn't getting up, wasn't moving at all.

Before Chanel could process further, another shout, this one filled with genuine rage and horror, erupted from the doorway.

"What did you DO?!" Yuto stood there, having arrived just in time to witness Shirley fall after Chanel pushed her. His face was a mask of fury.

Chanel's entire body trembled. She turned towards Yuto, eyes wide with panic. "I… I didn't… she fell!"

Just then, Vulpix, seeing its trainer down and sensing the hostility directed at Chanel, let out a protective snarl and darted forward towards Chanel. Reacting instinctively to the perceived threat, Chanel's Eevee leaped forward, claws extended, ready to intercept Vulpix.

"Eevee, no!" Chanel cried out, realizing too late how bad this looked, but Eevee, acting on protective instinct, couldn't stop its momentum. It swatted Vulpix hard, sending the small Fire-type tumbling backwards with a pained yelp.

"Still fighting after this?!" Xiu exclaimed from the doorway, his voice carefully calibrated to sound shocked and appalled, subtly fanning the flames of Yuto's anger.

Hearing Xiu's words, seeing Vulpix attacked after Shirley was already down, Yuto's protective instincts exploded. "Growlithe, GO!" he roared.

Growlithe, sensing its trainer's fury, burst into the room like an orange whirlwind. Eevee, despite its agility, stood no chance against the sheer, unrestrained power of the larger, enraged Fire-type. Before Eevee could even react, Growlithe slammed into it with brutal force, sending it flying backwards across the room, crashing hard against the far wall. It slid to the floor in a heap, clearly incapacitated, possibly seriously injured.

"Eevee!" Chanel screamed, rushing towards her fallen Pokémon. But before she could reach it, Growlithe spun around, positioning itself between Chanel and the door, letting out a low, menacing growl, teeth bared, radiating palpable aggression. Chanel froze, clearly terrified, instinctively taking several steps back.

At that moment, Yuto and Xiu rushed past Growlithe towards Shirley's still form. Xiu knelt beside her immediately, checking her pulse at her neck, looking for signs of breathing. "No external bleeding," he reported calmly, looking up at Yuto. "Pulse is steady, breathing is regular. Probably just knocked unconscious from hitting the back of her head." He maintained a professional, detached demeanor. "Could be a concussion, though. We shouldn't move her. I'll call Grandpa, get him back here immediately. Have Alakazam teleport her straight to the hospital for a proper check-up." He looked pointedly at Yuto. "You… deal with her."

He turned, giving Chanel one cold, appraising glance, then rushed back out of the living room, heading quickly upstairs towards Bao Ba's study, ostensibly to make the call.

As soon as he opened the study door, however, his hurried steps slowed. His urgent demeanor vanished, replaced by a casual calmness. Director Bao Ba stood by the window, looking down at the scene unfolding in the front yard below. Alakazam hovered silently beside him. They had clearly witnessed everything.

"Well, Director," Xiu murmured, leaning against the doorframe. "My task is complete. The stage is set. Now… it's time for your performance, I believe?"

Bao Ba didn't turn around immediately. He continued watching the scene below for another moment. "Impressive timing," he commented dryly, his voice neutral. "Almost… too perfect." He still seemed calm, detached, as if watching actors in a play rather than his own grandchildren involved in a crisis.

Xiu just shrugged, unconcerned by the implicit suspicion. He walked casually over to the window himself, listening to the sounds drifting up from below – Yuto's furious accusations, Chanel's panicked, tearful denials.

"Get out! Get out of my house!"

"I didn't mean it! She fell! It was an accident!"

"I SAW you push her! After everything she said! You liar!"

"No! I didn't… please, Yuto, you have to believe me!"

"Believe YOU? After hearing all that? I was so stupid… GET OUT!"

"Hmm," Bao Ba mused quietly, finally turning away from the window. "Didn't realize quite how much resentment Shirley had been holding onto." He looked at Xiu. "How did you know Chanel would show up precisely then?"

"Predictable patterns," Xiu replied easily. "Today's Thursday. Chanel has an art class after school that finishes an hour earlier than Yuto's training. She dislikes going straight home – too boring. Likes to show off her Eevee, gossip with friends. High probability she'd swing by here first, ostensibly to see Yuto, but really to needle Shirley before heading home. It fits her personality profile." He added dryly, "That information wasn't exactly secret. Both Yuto and Shirley mentioned her routine, unintentionally, during our conversations."

"Alright," Bao Ba conceded. "But guaranteeing Shirley would be eating the Mild Honey Curry at that exact moment? Giving Chanel the opening to comment, provoke?"

"She likes sweet things," Xiu explained simply. "And she'd be hungry after training. Plus, knowing Yuto and I wouldn't be back immediately, she wouldn't wait to eat with us. High probability she'd sneak a bowl beforehand. And," he added with a touch of psychological insight, "I'd already cleaned the kitchen. Knowing Shirley's aversion to washing extra dishes, she wouldn't grab a fresh bowl. She'd use the small tasting bowl I left conveniently beside the pot."

Bao Ba chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Those dirty words Shirley said today were also taught by you, right?"

"Shirley's emotions were already simmering; I just helped her find the words, gave her an outlet to finally vent years of frustration." Xiu replied innocently. 

Their analytical discussion was interrupted by sounds from below. Chanel, sobbing hysterically now, had apparently scooped up her injured Eevee and was finally fleeing the house, practically chased out by Yuto's continued fury.

"Director, it's your turn," Xiu prompted quietly.

Bao Ba nodded curtly. He glanced at Alakazam, and without a word, both disappeared instantly.

Seeing them gone, Xiu turned and walked slowly back downstairs himself. He didn't go straight to the living room, however. He detoured briefly into the kitchen, quickly washed the small tasting bowl and spoon he'd 'sampled' the sweet soup with earlier, dried them, and put them away.

Then, composing his features into an expression of appropriate concern, he walked into the living room where Yuto was now kneeling beside Shirley's still form, looking lost and overwhelmed.

"Director took her to the hospital," Xiu reported calmly, placing a reassuring hand on Yuto's shoulder. "Alakazam teleported them. She'll be okay."

"I… I'm such an idiot," Yuto choked out, burying his face in his hands. "Chanel… all this time… I never saw it. How could I be so blind?"

Xiu watched him, feeling a flicker of something that might have been pity, quickly suppressed. Yuto's straightforward, trusting nature had indeed made him an easy target for Chanel's manipulations. But sympathy wouldn't help him now.

Seeing Yuto starting to spiral again, Xiu spoke firmly. "Hey. Focus. Blaming yourself won't help Shirley right now. Let's head to the hospital. Be there when she wakes up." He gently pulled Yuto to his feet.

Yuto nodded numbly, understanding the immediate priority. He allowed Xiu to lead him out of the house.