Wanderer of the Pokémon World

Chapter 305: Chen's Decision

By giving Xiaoyuan's contact information, Xiu was extending him a significant gesture of goodwill, considering their limited acquaintance.

After all, they had only met properly once before, and there was no deep, established relationship between them.

When it came to the subsequent economic reorganization of Viridian City, Xiu himself would not be merciful to those caught in the League's net; business was business.

"Anyway, the sooner you go back, the better," Xiu advised Chen. "The later you go, the more complicated things will become, and the fewer options you'll have."

After giving them this one last reminder, Xiu didn't want to continue the discussion further and left them to go to the study.

Sitting in front of the computer, Xiu fell into deep thought. What should I do next?

Originally, Xiu wanted to find Xiaoyuan to explain the current situation and discuss their subsequent development direction and strategy.

He tried calling her, but after letting it ring for a long time, no one answered. Xiu was too lazy to continue dragging it on, so he got up and left the study.

However, as he was about to leave, Chen and Mei appeared and intercepted him. It looked like they had been waiting outside for him for some time.

"What's the matter?" Xiu asked. He looked at the two of them and knew they wanted to ask him for something, so he didn't want to waste time and went straight to the point.

"We plan to return to Viridian City right now…" Chen began, then suddenly stopped speaking and turned to look at Mei.

The two looked at each other for a moment. When he saw his wife nod in affirmation, he continued, "Because we are still unclear about the exact situation in Viridian City, and we don't know what will happen after we return, we…

we want to ask if we can keep Sol here temporarily. Of course, I will pay for all her expenses, including for these past few days…"

"You have misunderstood one thing." Xiu interrupted, holding up a hand. "The owner of this place is Miss Rinko. If you want Sol to stay, you should be asking her, not me."

"We have already asked Miss Rinko, and she agreed to let Sol stay for a while," Chen said with a somewhat awkward smile.

Of course, he knew this— but he could also see that Xiu had a special relationship with Rinko Murasame. If he wanted Sol to stay here safely, he felt he also had to get Xiu's explicit consent.

"Nice." Xiu said, his reaction neutral. It wasn't his direct concern.

Mei was visibly relieved when she heard what Xiu said. She took Chen's hand and said, "Then we can go back and deal with the affairs in Viridian City with peace of mind."

"Hmm?" Xiu looked at them strangely and couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Mei, you won't stay to look after Sol?"

"Perhaps I should go ask my father if there is any solution to our business troubles…" Mei said with a little embarrassment, implying her father might have connections or resources they could leverage.

After hearing this, Xiu had no intention of asking further questions. It was their family matter.

Here, Chen and Mei went back to their guest room to pack up and prepare to return to Viridian City.

Meanwhile, Xiu went around to the laboratory and found Rinko. "Did Chen and Mei just tell you about leaving Sol here?" Xiu asked.

"They did," Rinko replied, shifting her attention from the record sheet in her hand to Xiu.

"They said they were going back to Viridian City to deal with some urgent matters and would leave Sol here with me for a few days."

"And why did you agree to that so readily?" Xiu couldn't help but frown as he looked at her somewhat casual demeanor regarding the matter.

"It's just staying for a few days…" Rinko didn't understand why Xiu seemed concerned and was a little confused for a moment.

"Have you ever thought about what would happen if something happened to Sol while she was under your care, here, alone with you?" Xiu's words stunned Rinko. She fell silent on the spot, her expression becoming conflicted.

As the saying goes, a little kindness can sometimes lead to resentment or trouble later. They had already done their best by accepting the entire family for two days.

Now, Sol was being left here alone with Rinko. What if something did happen? The responsibility would be immense.

Seeing her like this, Xiu felt a little helpless and had to remind her. "Don't think too highly of everyone, Rinko. People who are too kind, too trusting without considering all possibilities, will suffer for it sooner or later."

"Don't you think Sol is actually very pitiful?" Rinko said softly, a different concern in her voice. "She has hardly communicated with any outsiders since she was a child."

Xiu's expression changed, but in the end, his frustration just turned into a sigh.

As expected— both Rinko and Sol were, in their own ways, isolated from the normal world for various reasons. Sol's lonely experience clearly made Rinko feel a sense of sympathy, a kinship.

"Forget it," Xiu relented. "It's just for a few days. And I just want you to help teach her about Pokémon. If you have any questions about that while I'm away or busy, you can actually ask Sol.

Given her learning speed, it might not be a bad thing for you to ask her for clarification sometimes."

He was the one who had brought the Chen family here in the first place, so Xiu naturally felt a certain degree of responsibility, and he didn't mean to shirk it entirely onto Rinko.

"How are the purple flowers growing?" Xiu asked, changing the subject.

"The data is here." Rinko handed over the records she had been working on, then turned and looked at the glass-enclosed cultivation compartment behind her.

There had been constant disputes and turmoil outside these past few days, but the plants inside were still growing slowly at their own pace, unaffected by the chaos.

Xiu looked at the data. In truth, it had only been a few days, and there had not been much significant change at all.

According to the original planting records they had found, it would take at least more than a month for the plants to reach maturity, and it would take even longer for them to bloom.

According to Rinko, the growth of this first batch should not be artificially intervened with for the time being.

Only after she had collected detailed baseline data, she would try to artificially intervene in the second batch to speed up the growth, or find ways to enhance the effectiveness of the plants' unique properties.

Anyway, she was the professional in this area, and Xiu didn't bother to interfere; he didn't understand the finer points of botany and specialized cultivation.

While they were chatting about the cultivation plan for the Purple Flower, Chen and Mei had already packed up their things and were waiting downstairs for Sol to come down so they could say goodbye.

"I'll leave Sol in your hands, you two," Mei said to Xiu and Rinko, looking at her daughter with reluctance plain on her face. "We will deal with things over there as soon as possible and come back for her."

After all, Sol rarely left their side. Now they were forced to be separated for a while.

Although it was only for a few days, it was still very uncomfortable and worrying for Mei.

Xiu stood aside in silence, but Rinko came forward to comfort Mei with a few gentle words, then took Sol's little hand from her mother.

After a brief, emotional farewell, Xiu and Rinko brought Sol back into the villa.

Xiu approached Sol and found that the little girl was extremely stable, her expression calm. The departure of her parents did not seem to make her feel scared or anxious at all— but not crying or making a fuss is a good thing, I suppose, Xiu thought.

After briefly explaining things to Rinko and making sure Sol was settled, Xiu left.

When passing through town, he could see that most of the refugee cars had now left. Only one or two remained parked in front of the town's small, unofficial "hotel".

The departure of the outsiders did not seem to affect the originally crowded and noisy streets much now; they had returned to their former tranquility.

The lives of the surrounding townspeople were not disturbed too much by the recent influx and subsequent exodus; they continued to carry out their usual daily activities.

Xiu even took a detour to the former home of the local Team Rocket undercover agent he had dealt with, but found that no one seemed to care or notice anything amiss.

The man had been a loner. No one would come looking for him even if Xiu hadn't meticulously cleared all traces of his involvement, let alone the fact that he had.

What's the point of saving so much illicit money if you end up like that? Xiu mused.

Xiu didn't quite know what he was thinking about, a strange mix of fatigue and contemplation settling over him. He shook his head slowly and staggered tiredly towards the research institute.

Pallet Town might be a very leisurely, peaceful place for some, but perhaps it was not truly suitable for a weird, complicated person like him…