Chapter 121: Divergent Developments

Chapter 121: Divergent Developments

'A Trainer's bond with their Pokémon, Xiu mused, is a complex tapestry woven from trust, respect, and shared experience.' It wasn't the absolute domination depicted in the games where once a Pokémon is caught in a Poké Ball after a battle, it could only spend the rest of their lives in servitude of the Trainer who caught them.

Unless if it was a Poké Ball specifically designed with advanced locking mechanisms, there are no Poké Balls that could truly trap an unwilling Pokémon forever. This is why Pokémon Hunters and Poachers sedate the fainted Pokémon with substances designed to debilitate them before they could recover.

If Scyther truly wanted to leave, truly felt betrayed or endangered beyond its tolerance, Xiu knew, realistically, he couldn't stop it. It could simply refuse recall, or break free the moment it was released.

The idealized obedience seen in animations? Largely fiction, applicable perhaps only to those rare individuals radiating an almost supernatural aura of friendship, capable of befriending legendary beasts with a smile. For ordinary trainers like himself, partnership was earned, maintained through constant effort and mutual understanding.

He acknowledged the reality: being a 'Trainer' in this world, despite the perceived glory, was often a struggle. True success belonged to a privileged few. Most operated on tight budgets, scrounging for resources, far removed from the glamorous League circuits— but times were changing, as Professor Oak lamented.

Pokémon were becoming more accessible, bred for domestication, and raised closer to humans, often requiring less intensive 'taming'. The cost of supporting one or two Pokémon was becoming manageable for ordinary families. The landscape was shifting.

"Alright," Professor Oak declared, interrupting Xiu's thoughts as he finished neutralizing the corrosive residues from the experiment. "Keep those treated fragments under observation for another day, monitor for any delayed reactions. And dispose of this waste properly." He gestured towards the beaker containing the now-neutralized mixture of acidic fluids. "Today's specific experiment concludes here."

Xiu carefully took the beaker. "Understood, Professor." He glanced at the murky, layered liquid inside – rust-colored sediment at the bottom, pale yellow liquid in the middle, oily residue floating on top.

Even neutralized, it looked unpleasant. He headed towards the backyard, intending to bury it deep, far from any water sources or Pokémon habitats, just as Oak had instructed previously. 'Holding this still feels like carrying a bomb,' he thought wryly, remembering Oak's casual attitude towards the potent chemicals. His bad taste in humor is infectious.

— — —

The next few days settled into a new rhythm at the Oak Research Institute. Routine checks, data collection, analysis… and training.

A white blur zipped back and forth across the designated training area in the backyard paddock. Scyther, utilizing Agility, now navigated complex obstacle courses Xiu devised, executing sharp turns, sudden stops, bursts of acceleration with increasing fluidity and control. The clumsy crashes of its initial attempts were long gone.

Xiu watched from the sidelines, timing its runs, observing its form, occasionally calling out adjustments. "Okay, break!" he finally shouted.

The white blur skidded to a precise halt before him, the Agility aura fading to reveal Scyther. It stood panting slightly, but its posture was alert, confident. The change in its physical presence over the past weeks was remarkable.

Constant access to high-quality nutrition, combined with rigorous, tailored training and perhaps the subtle effects of the ongoing metallic absorption experiments, had spurred a significant growth spurt. Scyther now stood nearly 1.8 meters tall, its frame leaner, more powerful, visibly larger than the average wild Scyther. Xiu's dedicated, resource-intensive approach was paying off.

Another, more striking change was the appearance of faint, reddish metallic sheens beginning to appear along the edges of its green carapace, particularly noticeable on its forelimbs and wing joints. Professor Oak confirmed it was a visible manifestation of the metallic elements integrating into its exoskeleton, slowly altering its composition. The transformation was beginning.

After Scyther had rested and consumed its recovery Pokéblocks, Xiu moved to check on Abra. Its training was quieter, mostly meditative since Alakazam's initial tutelage as Abra spent increasing amounts of time awake each day – now closer to ten or twelve hours out of hibernation, rather than the species norm of eighteen. Its physical form had also grown slightly, shedding its initial frail appearance, looking healthier, more substantial, though still small compared to Scyther.

Its psychic aura felt different too – calmer and more focused. The constant, erratic leakage seemed significantly reduced, contained. However, the tree in the corner where Abra usually meditated told a different story.

Once lush and green, it now stood bare, leaves withered and yellowed, branches brittle, as if drained of life. Abra's intense focus, its constant internal struggle to control its burgeoning power, still had unintended environmental effects, even if less overtly dangerous.

Xiu approached Abra cautiously. "Alright, Abra, time for a break. How are you feeling?"

A wave of calm reassurance washed over him through their telepathic link. "Control improving. Stability maintained." But Xiu could also sense the underlying strain, the constant effort required to keep its immense power contained.

He knew the current situation wasn't sustainable. Abra wasn't solving the problem; it was merely suppressing it through sheer willpower, dedicating most of its conscious effort to internal control, leaving little energy for external training or development. It was a constant, exhausting battle. Like holding back a flood with sheer mental force.

Xiu felt a familiar pang of helplessness. He had devoured all of Professor Oak's notes on Abra and psychic phenomena, spent hours in the library researching related topics, but found no easy answers, no clear path forward beyond Oak's initial suggestion: seek specialized help.

His own attempts to understand Abra's condition felt inadequate. He lacked the foundational knowledge, the specialized equipment to even tackle this problem.

He had even tried applying some of his 'past life' knowledge – attempting rudimentary psychic shielding exercises based on fantasy novels, trying to analyze Abra's energy patterns using principles derived from coding logic… bizarre, 'heretical' approaches, as Oak would likely call them. Unsurprisingly, they yielded no results.

For now, all he could do was support Abra, provide the best possible care, manage the symptoms, and hope Oak's eventual analysis offered a real solution. He offered Abra its specialized Pokéblocks. "Rest now. You've earned it."

Abra nodded silently and returned to its Poké Ball. Xiu sighed, running a hand over his now slightly fuzzy scalp (his hair slowly growing back). Scyther's progress was encouraging, tangible— but Abra's situation… it remained a heavy weight, a constant source of worry.

He finished his own work in the paddock, then headed back up to the Institute's second-floor lab. Professor Oak was already there, analyzing the latest data from Scyther's passive absorption tests.

"Professor," Xiu greeted him.

"Ah, Xiu," Oak replied without looking up from the console. "Just in time. Ready for Scyther's next round of diagnostics?"

"Yes, Professor." Xiu turned to leave, intending to retrieve Scyther.

"Hold on," Professor Oak stopped him. "Bring Scyther up, yes. But the pre-experiment checks… they're complete. Based on the absorption rates and lack of adverse reactions observed so far…" He finally turned, a familiar, intense gleam in his eyes. "It's time to move to phase two. Active experimentation."

Xiu felt his stomach clench. 'Active experiments.' He knew this meant directly influencing Scyther's metallic intake, likely accelerating the process. "Professor," he asked carefully, "what exactly does phase two entail?"