Wanderer of the Pokémon World

Chapter 306: Afternoon Tea

After returning to the research institute, life for Xiu seemed to return to a semblance of normalcy. He attended to his work and research, and in his spare time, he guided his Pokémon in their training or studied on his own.

Daisy and Gary, the Oak siblings who had been somewhat restricted, were also liberated. One immediately ran off to play with friends, while the other reveled in a leisurely, if somewhat reluctant, holiday life at the institute.

On the contrary, after Professor Oak came back, he did not stop or slow down.

Instead, he became even busier than before. Except for meals, Xiu rarely saw him come down from his office and laboratory on the second floor.

Three o'clock in the afternoon, on the second floor of the Oak Research Institute.

Xiu placed a tray with tea and cakes on the table in Professor Oak's study and called out, "Professor, why don't you take a break first?"

Professor Oak, who was sitting engrossed in front of his computer, looked back at Xiu, pursed his lips thoughtfully, then stood up and walked towards him.

Professor Oak couldn't help but smile when he saw the afternoon tea Xiu had prepared. "How is it that you have time to make a cake today?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I've been busy for so long these past few days, I figured I should reward myself," Xiu said with a slight smile. He then sat down, picked up the teapot, and began to serve the tea.

"Now it's time to enjoy a proper afternoon tea. Professor, please sit down first."

Professor Oak's originally solemn and preoccupied expression relaxed a little because of Xiu's words and the pleasant aroma. The corners of his mouth curved slightly upwards, and he sat down casually opposite Xiu.

Desserts could send signals of pleasure to the brain and help relieve mental stress, while fragrant tea could cleanse the palate and cut through any excessive sweetness.

The floral fragrance brought by the freshly brewed tea was also enjoyment in itself. He had to admit, the combination of the two was very good.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Xiu finally spoke, stating his underlying purpose for arranging this break.

"Something seems a little strange since you came back, Professor. Are you still worried about the situation in Viridian City?"

After all, Xiu had been with Professor Oak for a considerable time now, so it was natural for him to notice that the Professor's expression had become very heavy, almost burdened, after his return.

Although he performed well and maintained a cheerful facade in front of Daisy and Gary, he still couldn't entirely escape Xiu's observant eyes.

"Ah…" Dr. Oak sighed and shook his head slowly. "You don't know the full extent of the situation at that time, Xiu. There shouldn't have been that kind of casualty rate, not if things had been handled properly by everyone involved."

As Professor Oak slowly told the story, Xiu learned some of the previously unknown, grim details of what had happened in Viridian City during the crisis.

He spoke of the Alliance making tactical blunders, of chaotic civilian responses leading to them running directly into infected Pokémon, of the endless, fear-mongering low-level rumors that spread like wildfire, and so on.

Most of these civilian casualties were caused by public ignorance and panic.

"If they had possessed just a little common sense, they could have avoided much of this situation," Professor Oak said, his voice filled with frustration. "Those rumors were so obviously false, designed to incite fear, but…"

Professor Oak leaned back in his chair dejectedly. There was no need for him to maintain his strong, reassuring public persona in front of Xiu.

And Xiu, in turn, also felt the profound sense of powerlessness revealed in Professor Oak's words and expression.

The Professor was an extremely powerful and influential individual, yet there was nothing he could have done directly to prevent the tragic consequences of widespread ignorance and fear.

There was a distinct feeling in the air, Xiu thought, akin to the old saying, "being a doctor cannot save ordinary people from their own folly."

Xiu felt a bit amused and helpless for a moment as he listened to those bizarre and stupid instances of public panic.

"The Alliance created this problem of public ignorance, and now it has to bear the consequences itself. This has nothing directly to do with you, Professor," Xiu stated, tone more indifferent than compassionate.

He even couldn't resist mocking the Alliance's often counterproductive actions.

The Kanto League implemented a policy that effectively kept the general populace ignorant about many aspects of Pokémon.

They deliberately isolated ordinary people from deeper Pokémon knowledge and, intentionally or unintentionally, often portrayed wild Pokémon primarily as representatives of chaos and danger.

At the same time, the League raised the threshold for becoming a recognized Trainer, effectively taming ordinary people into obedient, dependent little lambs— but at the same time, when the wolf truly comes, the shepherd who fostered such dependency has to bear the corresponding backlash.

There is no such thing as absolutely good, consequence-free policies in this world.

It was, in many ways, their own damn fault.

"Not only that," Professor Oak continued, his voice heavy with sorrow, "during this incident, many of the young Trainers who were temporarily recruited to assist often lost their lives due to simple mistakes while supporting the rescue efforts in those besieged villages and towns."

"I was invited to attend a memorial service," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "There, I saw parents grieving for their children… the oldest of those fallen Trainers were only in their thirties, and the youngest was just in their teens.

These were all living lives, snuffed out too soon!" Professor Oak couldn't continue talking at this point, and his face was etched with sadness.

After hearing this, no matter what the systemic failings were, these young Trainers had suffered casualties while trying to save others. They were, in their own right, heroes.

"Professor, please try to be more open-minded about it," Xiu said, his voice softer now.

"Because of your existence, your influence, and your actions, many more people survived in Viridian City than might have otherwise. It's much better to think about it that way."

Xiu didn't think that Professor Oak truly needed coddling or empty comfort, but he just said it out of habit.

"I also know that what's done is irreversible," Professor Oak replied, regaining some of his composure. "I just keep thinking about what I can do for them now, perhaps develop some tools to help avoid this kind of situation in the future."

Professor Oak naturally would not be controlled by these emotions for long. He was already thinking on a deeper, more proactive level, wanting to find ways to slow down or even prevent such catastrophic loss of life from happening again.

However, developing effective tools was not something that could be done overnight.

For example, before Professor Oak had improved the formula for the Metal Coat used in Scizor's experimental evolution, he had specifically studied Scizor's unique physiology and evolutionary process, and only started the development after obtaining substantial data and a clear inspiration.

Now, he suddenly wanted to make a new prop to address a complex societal problem, but he had no clear inspiration, no defined starting point.

So, his current research efforts could only look a little… unfocused, almost desperate.

This was why Xiu had felt that something was fundamentally wrong with Professor Oak's demeanor since his return.

But when Xiu heard Oak's idea about "props," he laughed. His unexpected and slightly exaggerated reaction made Professor Oak feel a little strange, looking at him quizzically.

Without waiting for Professor Oak to speak, Xiu asked back, "Why do you think that one new tool, one prop, can solve these deep-seated problems? Did those Trainers die simply because of the lack of a specific tool?"

"What do you mean by that, Xiu?" Professor Oak asked, sensing that Xiu had some definite ideas. Since he had no clear inspiration himself anyway, he thought he might be able to get some fresh perspectives from Xiu.

"Why are ordinary people so afraid of Pokémon?" Xiu began, his tone becoming analytical. "Isn't it because those in power within the Alliance control the flow of information, control the rules, and actively separate ordinary people from any deep or meaningful interaction with Pokémon?

This enforced separation has also led to a growing gap in understanding between people and Pokémon. At the same time, ordinary people's direct understanding of Pokémon has begun to become vague and distorted, gradually developing into fear— to the point that they panic at the mere sight of an unfamiliar Pokémon, regardless of its actual disposition."

He leaned forward slightly. "So, the problem is not something that can be solved by one or two new props, Professor. No matter how much you do in that area, it will be useless in the long run.

Similar incidents will continue to happen. Maybe even as we speak, someone, somewhere in the world, has died because of this cultivated ignorance and fear.

Professor, you can help one or two people directly, perhaps even a few hundred with a new invention, but can you truly help them all and change the entire system?"

"Haha~" Dr. Oak smiled when he heard what Xiu said. For a moment, he became genuinely interested in Xiu's line of reasoning and asked, "Then how do you think we can solve this problem, Xiu?"

Xiu grinned, a sharp light in his eyes. He said without hesitation, "I have already pointed out the problem. If we truly want to solve it, we must solve society itself. We must change the system."

"Be careful what you say, young man!" Professor Oak was genuinely frightened by this radical statement. How could a teenager begin his proposed solution with such a sweeping, revolutionary declaration?

"However, the Alliance is not as monolithic or as bad as you portray it," Oak countered, though his voice lacked some of its earlier conviction. "For example, the Viridian Forest riot was ultimately handled and contained by the Alliance.

If it weren't for the Alliance's intervention, who knows how many more people would have died or been injured?"