Chapter 172: Sequence of Events

Chapter 172: Sequence of Events

Xiu watched the conclusion of the award ceremony from the relative quiet of the backstage corridor. Kiba accepted his trophy, posed for photos, and finally began making his way offstage, immediately swarmed by reporters and lingering officials.

Head Nurse Joy, after a brief obligatory photo, skillfully extricated herself with the help of her assistant and disappeared deeper into the backstage area.

Professor Oak, however, seemed less fortunate to escape the crowd. He was quickly surrounded, bombarded with questions from reporters eager for a quote from the famous researcher.

Seeing Oak trapped, Xiu sighed internally. Time for the 'assistant' to earn his keep. He pushed through the edge of the scrum. "Excuse me! Please make way! Professor Oak has another urgent engagement!" He squeezed through until he reached Oak's side, adopting a polite but firm demeanor. "Professor, we really must be going. Your next appointment..."

Oak caught on immediately, relief flickering in his eyes. "Ah, yes! My apologies, everyone," he announced to the reporters, adopting a regretful tone. "Urgent research matters call. I'm afraid I must cut this short..."

The reporters, however, were persistent, continuing to shout questions as Oak, using Xiu as a shield, navigated towards the backstage exit, finally escaping into the restricted area where event staff politely but firmly blocked further pursuit.

"Took you long enough," Oak grumbled, adjusting his slightly disheveled clothes, the 'esteemed professor' mask momentarily slipping.

"Something came up," Xiu replied cryptically, lowering his voice.

Oak shot him a sharp look. "What do you mean?"

"Professor," Xiu said, his voice quiet but urgent, "my advice? Leave Viridian City now, while you still can. If you wait much longer, you might find yourself stuck here."

"Speak plainly, boy!" Oak snapped, sensing the genuine urgency beneath Xiu's calm exterior. His earlier joviality vanished.

Xiu shook his head slowly. "I don't have all the details, Professor. But I have a strong feeling things are about to escalate very quickly here. It might be wise to leave before the situation deteriorates further."

"No..." Oak breathed, his mind clearly racing, connecting Xiu's warning with the earlier briefing and his own knowledge of the city. He didn't question Xiu further. He quickened his pace, heading purposefully towards Head Nurse Joy's temporary office area as Xiu followed silently.

They found Head Nurse Joy already in her office, but she wasn't alone. The tactical team leader stood before her desk, delivering a report. Both looked up as Oak and Xiu entered abruptly.

"Professor!" Nurse Joy exclaimed, her expression grave. She glanced from Oak to Xiu, a knowing look entering her eyes. "You've heard, then?"

The team leader also turned, his gaze settling on Xiu.

Heard what? Oak looked momentarily confused by Nurse Joy's assumption. "Heard...?" Then, noticing everyone's attention shifting towards Xiu, Oak's gaze snapped towards his 'assistant'. The unspoken question was clear: What did you do? How do they already know what you just warned me about?

"Wasn't me," Xiu stated flatly, raising his hands slightly in a gesture of innocence. "Pure coincidence."

Oak clearly didn't believe him for a second.

Fortunately, Nurse Joy intervened, quickly summarizing the team leader's report about the apprehended saboteur and the evidence of planned destruction.

Oak listened intently, then turned back to Xiu, his expression sharp. "Alright, Xiu. Explain. How did you know that individual was suspicious?"

"Observation, Professor," Xiu replied calmly. "At the end of the final match, during your speech and the award setup, most spectators were either focused on the stage or starting to leave via the main exits. That individual ignored both. He wasn't heading for the exits, nor the restrooms. He took a separate, restricted access route. In a largely static crowd, his purposeful movement towards an unusual area stood out."

"And if you suspected him, why didn't you alert security immediately?" Oak pressed, his questioning sharp.

"It was only suspicion, Professor," Xiu countered reasonably. "No concrete evidence at that point. Accusing someone publicly based on a hunch seemed unwise. I wasn't certain until I confirmed the access gate was unsecured. By then, immediate action felt necessary. Waiting for backup might have allowed him to complete his objective."

Xiu stopped there. Oak studied him for a moment longer, then turned to Nurse Joy, his tone shifting to formal apology. "Nurse Joy, please excuse my assistant's reckless actions. He should have followed protocol."

Nurse Joy waved a dismissive hand, a faint smile returning. "Professor, there's no need for apologies, much less blame. His quick thinking likely averted a catastrophe. We should be thanking him." She paused. "However, given these developments, I imagine you both have matters to attend to. We have the situation under control here for now."

"Indeed," Oak agreed readily, clearly wanting to extract Xiu from the official debrief. "We shouldn't impose further." He nodded to Nurse Joy and the team leader, then firmly steered Xiu out of the office.

Once back in the corridor, Oak muttered under his breath, "You certainly know how to stir up trouble, don't you?" But the annoyance in his voice was undercut by a grudging respect, perhaps even relief. The earlier seriousness was gone, replaced by weary resignation.

Xiu allowed himself a small, internal smile. He understands. Oak's pointed questioning hadn't been an accusation, but a deliberate deflection, giving Xiu the opportunity to explain himself plausibly. 

Seeing Xiu's faint smile, however, seemed to annoy Oak slightly. He adopted a stern expression again. "Wipe that smirk off your face. Now, tell me everything you know."

"Remember what I told you earlier, about the..." Xiu began, walking alongside Oak, finally relaying the information Fushun had provided, his own analysis of the warehouse situation, and his strong suspicion that the sabotage attempt wasn't an isolated incident but part of Team Rocket's larger, accelerated plan. "With these public attacks, they've shown their hand. They can't back down now. Things are going to escalate."

"Hmm..." Oak murmured, his face paling slightly as the implications hit him. "The emergency food reserves..." He stopped abruptly, about to turn back towards Nurse Joy's office.

Just then, another Pokémon Center staff member rushed past them, their face grim, heading urgently in the direction they'd just come from.

Oak froze, watching the staff hurry away.

Xiu observed Oak's reaction, then said quietly, almost casually, "Seems like something else has happened already."

Oak remained rooted to the spot, his expression a mixture of dread and indecision.

Xiu sighed softly. "Professor, if you feel you need to go back, then go. But it's likely too late to prevent whatever just occurred. And with the city potentially heading towards lockdown, leaving might soon become impossible anyway."

Oak seemed torn, worry etched onto his features. After a moment, however, his sense of responsibility won out. He straightened his shoulders. "No. Let's go see what's happened. Perhaps there's still something we can do."

Resigned, Xiu fell into step beside him. He couldn't just leave. They quickly caught up to Nurse Joy, who was already heading towards the exit, her face grim.

"What is it?" Oak asked directly.

Nurse Joy just gave a tight, worried nod, not breaking stride. Oak and Xiu wordlessly turned and followed her, their assistants trailing behind.

As they hurried towards a waiting vehicle, Nurse Joy quickly briefed Oak. "It's the main storage facility. There was a fire. It's out now, contained, but..." The implication hung heavy in the air.

They piled into the Pokémon Center response vehicle, speeding away from the arena complex. Xiu stared out the window as they drove through the late afternoon streets.

To the casual observer, everything seemed normal. People were still enjoying the festival atmosphere, unaware of the incidents at the museum, the arena, and now, the granary.

But the information blockade won't last, Xiu knew. And even if the city's foundations seem strong now... how many shocks can they withstand before cracks appear? This isn't simple addition; it's a chain reaction. And it's only just begun.