Chapter 193: Blood Debt
With Professor Oak smoothing the way, settling Xiaochun's immediate situation became much simpler than if Xiu had tried to handle it alone. After confirming the arrangements and ensuring Xiaochun had what she needed for now, Xiu left her to rest, exiting the room with the Professor.
As they walked down the corridor, Oak's expression turned grave. The shift was subtle, but enough to catch Xiu's attention. Something else happened.
"What is it?" Xiu asked quietly.
"The city's main signal transmitter, the one at the broadcast station," Oak said, his voice low and grim. "It was just destroyed. Communications beyond local networks are effectively cut for most civilians."
Xiu processed this, his expression unchanging. Took them long enough. He'd anticipated something like this the moment he suggested Head Nurse Joy to secure the station. An open channel for information was a threat to whoever was pulling the strings. "That's predictable. Disrupting communication lines is standard for what they're about to do."
He paused. "Does this mean Team Rocket committed major forces? That transmitter should have been well-guarded after we took the station."
Oak shook his head. "No large-scale assault. They used a mole – someone already inside the station. Engineers are working on repairs, but…" He trailed off, the implication clear. It won't be quick.
A moment of calculation passed. They escalate, cut off everyone's access to information, and now they feel safer acting more openly. Xiu's gaze sharpened. "Then we hit back. Hard."
"Hit back how?" Oak asked, his brow furrowed.
"That Bug-type Gym," Xiu stated flatly. "The one Kiba, the tournament winner, represents. According to the intel I squeezed from those thugs last night, it's more than just a gym. It's a local front – financing, training recruits, funneling resources for operations like this." Cut off a limb and disrupt their local network. "Taking it down, or even just exposing it, would be a significant blow to their morale and capabilities right now."
"A Gym Leader?" Oak sounded skeptical. "That's a serious accusation, Xiu. Do you have any concrete proof? Attacking an officially sanctioned League Gym without irrefutable evidence…"
"The thugs confirmed it," Xiu countered, "but admitted the connections are indirect and the money was of course, laundered. Any paper trail was likely scrubbed clean the moment the crisis began." Of course they covered their tracks. "And no," he added, a cold edge entering his voice, "I'm not suggesting an official raid."
He met Oak's questioning gaze. "They used a traitor to hit the transmitter, didn't they? Why can't we return the favor?"
Oak looked wary. "What are you suggesting?"
"Those thugs I dealt with," Xiu continued, "I took them of their Pokémon. More than a dozen low-level types. And I imagine the Pokémon Center has confiscated even more from other incidents related to these 'protests'. Standard procedure would be… to dispose of them. But what if they weren't disposed of? What if those very Pokémon, identified with the recent attacks, were seen launching an attack on the Bug Gym?"
Oak's eyes widened slightly as he followed Xiu's logic. The audacity of the plan seemed to momentarily startle him. Using their own pawns against them.
"I need to speak with Head Nurse Joy," Xiu stated decisively. Oak clearly had reservations about inciting more violence, and he lacked the authority to deploy personnel anyway. Head Nurse Joy, however, was likely furious about the transmitter and might be receptive to a swift, unconventional counter-attack.
Striking the Gym officially was bogged down by procedure and lack of proof. But now? With the transmitter down, Head Nurse Joy needs a win, a way to regain initiative.
Oak hesitated, clearly weighing the risks, but ultimately nodded. He understood Xiu's reasoning. He led the way to Nurse Joy's temporary office.
Inside, the strain on Nurse Joy was more apparent than before. Despite her composed smile and immaculate uniform, Xiu noted the faint lines of exhaustion around her eyes, the slight diminishment of her usually forceful aura. These days are taking their toll.
"Professor. Xiu," she greeted them, her smile professional but tight. She looked at Xiu, her expression holding a complex mix of acknowledgment and perhaps a weary understanding of the methods he employed. "Thank you for your… assistance earlier."
Whatever Oak told her, it seems she understands the necessity, even if she doesn't entirely approve. "Forget that," Xiu replied, cutting straight to the chase. "I heard about the transmitter, Nurse Joy. I believe I have a proposal that could help regain the initiative."
"Oh?" Her attention sharpened immediately. "I'm listening."
A thin, predatory smile touched Xiu's lips. He laid out the plan: select trustworthy personnel – perhaps Center security or loyalists. Equip them with the confiscated Pokémon belonging to the rioters and thugs. Stage a false-flag attack on the Bug Gym, making it look like an internal dispute or a Team Rocket operation gone wrong.
"The goal isn't to conquer the Gym," Xiu clarified. "Just cause significant damage and make a scene, perhaps injure the Gym Leader – enough to make him panic. Let the news 'leak'. Faced with exposure and believing his backers might cut him loose, he'll likely try to flee or cut a deal."
He leaned forward slightly. "Wound him, isolate him, make him desperate. Then, when he inevitably reaches out – perhaps even seeking protection from us – he becomes your witness. With his testimony, you have the leverage you need. Direct evidence to use against the higher-ups orchestrating this, either to force infighting among them now or for the cleanup afterwards."
He finished, his expression calm, almost detached. Corner the rat, make it squeal.
Head Nurse Joy absorbed the proposal, her initial weariness replaced by a focused intensity. The ruthlessness didn't seem to faze her; instead, Xiu saw the strategic value register in her eyes. No hesitation. She sees the opportunity. This wasn't just about retribution; it was about gaining tangible proof and turning the tables.
"It's risky," she stated, though her tone conveyed decisiveness, not doubt. "But it could be very effective. Alright, Xiu. I approve this course of action." Her gaze locked onto him. "Are you interested in overseeing the operation?"
Xiu immediately shook his head. "No. My skills lie in planning, not tactical command. Forcing me into that role would be potentially disastrous. I can offer strategic input, help refine the details, but someone with operational experience should lead the team." Better to advise from the sidelines. Keep my hands clean, relatively speaking.
His refusal seemed to increase Joy's estimation of him, seeing pragmatism and not ambition. Good. "Very well," she conceded. "In that case, I'll assign Sachiko to coordinate with you."
With a decisive nod, Head Nurse Joy summoned her assistant. The three of them, along with Professor Oak, quickly hashed out the operational parameters, personnel selection, and the careful handling of the 'leaked' information. Once the core plan was solidified, Head Nurse Joy and Sachiko left to begin preparations, leaving Xiu and Oak alone again.
As they walked back towards the main area, Oak broke the silence, his voice heavy with concern. "This plan of framing the Gym Leader… it stabilizes things in one way, perhaps, but it guarantees further violence, Xiu. More chaos. It could easily spill over and affect more innocent people." He sighed. "Wouldn't it be better to maintain the current status quo and gradually restore order?"
Xiu stopped, turning to face the older man. A shadow crossed his face, his usual detached pragmatism momentarily eclipsed by something harder, colder.
"Professor," he said, his voice tight, controlled but trembling slightly with suppressed intensity, "if we play defense, if we wait for 'order' to be restored by them, what happens? The people pulling the strings, the ones who instigated this whole crisis, they'll melt back into the shadows once it's over. They won't face consequences. They'll remain untouched, high above it all."
His gaze was distant, haunted. "And the victims? The people injured, the families who lost loved ones, the ones whose livelihoods were destroyed by their schemes? They become footnotes across the newspaper only to be forgotten. No one remembers the dead when the powerful negotiate peace."
He met Oak's troubled eyes. "I've never believed in grand notions of justice, Professor. Reality beats that out of you quickly enough. But I cannot stand by while they use ordinary lives as disposable bargaining chips." His fists clenched unconsciously at his sides. "They started this— that means they incurred a debt, written in the suffering of those people. I intend to see that they pay it."
Oak closed his eyes briefly, taking a slow, deep breath. When he opened them again, his face was etched with a profound helplessness, a weary understanding of the harsh reality Xiu was forcing them all to confront. He said nothing, merely nodding slowly, the weight of the situation settling heavily between them.