Wanderer of the Pokémon World

Chapter 307: The Illusion of Opportunity

"Hahahaha!" Xiu laughed wildly after hearing Professor Oak's defense of the Alliance, and retorted wantonly,

"The Alliance? Don't be ridiculous! It was Rinko who provided the Stun Stem! It was the Officer Jennys that helped disperse the beast tide in Viridian Forest! It was the Nurse Joys that researched the antidote, and it was you, Professor, who stabilized Viridian Citywith your presence and influence.

What exactly did this 'Alliance'—the central governing body—do effectively in all this?!"

It was better not to say it. Thinking about it just made him angry.

"You have become so angry that your reason has been disturbed," Professor Oak said, looking at Xiu calmly, though his own composure was slightly frayed. "There is no need to deliberately belittle the Alliance just to vent your resentment."

Professor Oak added, trying to maintain a balanced perspective, "The Alliance is not as bad as you say— both the Officer Jenny network and the Nurse Joy network are, in fact, constituent members of the Kanto League. How can you separate them entirely?

Moreover, the Alliance did coordinate and organize many logistical aspects in this incident, and the Alliance is also ultimately responsible for the regional aftermath and recovery. Without the Alliance's overarching structure…"

But before Professor Oak could finish, Xiu grinned, a sharp, knowing look in his eyes. "Professor, I admit that these words are partly to vent my resentment— but don't you know better than I do what the true relationship between the central Alliance and the largely autonomous Joy and Jenny families really is?"

Professor Oak fell silent after hearing this. Under normal circumstances, the Jenny and Joy families and their extensive networks were indeed highly independent.

They had their own internal hierarchies and ways of operating, and the central Alliance often had little direct way of interfering with their core functions.

So, in a practical sense, Jennys and Joys did often exist and operate independently of the Alliance's direct command structure.

"If the Alliance was really so useful, so effective," Xiu pressed on, his voice cold as he directly dragged the matter back into the conversation, "Celadon City wouldn't have been breached, its West District wouldn't have been destroyed, and countless residents wouldn't have been killed or injured.

You should know that I had already warned Director Bao Ba about the high probability of Celadon being a target. That disaster could have been avoided. Even if I hadn't warned them, it was only a beast tide of tens of thousands.

If the Celadon authorities had been just a little more careful, a little more competent, it wouldn't have ended up like this."

"Alas," Professor Oak sighed, "the tragedy of Celadon City is not as simple as you think. Its political status within the Kanto region is very… independent, which is one reason why the entertainment industry in Celadon City is so notoriously developed and loosely regulated."

"Heh. It's just a power struggle, isn't it? I'm not a child, Professor. There's no need to make it sound so confusing and abstract," Xiu sneered, his tone teasing yet sharp.

"Those who are qualified to open and operate the casinos, the game halls, and the luxury hotels in Celadon are not ordinary people.

Why should those influential figures enjoy all the benefits and profits while ordinary people have to bear the devastating consequences when things go wrong?

Are the ordinary people in Celadon City somehow inferior to those elites? Or are they simply meant to be collateral damage?"

Professor Oak had already forgotten how many years it had been since anyone had dared to talk to him with such blunt, almost accusatory disrespect.

If he were younger, he would definitely have argued back fiercely, and if he couldn't win the argument with words, he might have resorted to a challenge battle.

However, he already knew everything he should and shouldn't know about the world's ugly realities. After returning to the relative peace of Pallet Town, his temper had gradually improved, mellowed somewhat.

So, naturally, he had no intention of getting into a shouting match. Plus, he knew the underlying political situation in Celadon City was indeed rotten, and he had no solid grounds to refute Xiu's cynical assessment.

However, Xiu's incisive thoughts and fearless articulation truly surprised him. Is this what a fifteen-year-old kid should sound like? What on earth did Bao Ba teach this boy during his time with him?

But then, when he thought about Xiu's background, the harshness of his early life, he understood something. A miserable childhood, a constant struggle for survival, had undoubtedly created his twisted, pragmatic heart.

"I know that you have a negative impression of the Alliance because of some of your past experiences," Professor Oak said, trying a different tack.

"But it is undeniable that the Alliance has played a major role in overall social stability, in expelling dangerous wild Pokémon from settled areas, in building peaceful and stable cities, and in maintaining the roads and infrastructure connecting different places."

He continued, "Another thing is that the Alliance standardized the profession of Trainer, lowered the threshold to become a Trainer, and made it easier for ordinary people to embark on the path of becoming professional Trainers.

You know, it was much, much more difficult for ordinary people to become a Trainer before the League's formation."

"Professor," Xiu interjected, "I remember from my historical studies that there were no formally recognized professions like 'Trainers' or 'Breeders' before the establishment of the Kanto League, right?"

"That's right," Professor Oak confirmed. "In the past, those people in Kanto who worked with Pokémon were often called 'Monster Tamers' or 'Beast Masters,' which essentially means people who drive or control monsters. It was a very dangerous and difficult path for people at that time to embark upon.

"Professor, do you consider yourself a Trainer?" Xiu asked, his gaze steady.

Professor Oak immediately sensed that this seemingly simple question was not that simple at all. His expression became a little solemn, and he paused for a few seconds before answering. "I am one of the first officially registered Trainers in the Kanto League."

"So, Professor, do you think you truly understand what it means to be a Trainer,

especially for ordinary people today?" Xiu pressed.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Xiu?" Dr. Oak frowned slightly, a note of caution in his voice.

Xiu was not in a hurry. He took a slow sip from his teacup and then said, his voice measured, "Professor, do you really think that becoming a Trainer is a viable way out, a genuine opportunity, for most ordinary people?"

"Isn't it?" Professor Oak looked at Xiu with a strange expression and asked, "Didn't you just become a Trainer yourself, not too long ago?"

"Hahaha!" Xiu laughed uncontrollably when he heard what Professor Oak said. It was a harsh, bitter laugh.

This made Professor Oak's look even weirder. Is this kid's brain finally having serious problems because of overusing his psychic powers?

Xiu waved his hands, trying his best to stop laughing, and then he began to explain. "Professor, you don't really think that I can sit here, talking with you like this, just because of my official identity as a Trainer, do you?"

Professor Oak didn't know what to say for a moment after hearing his strange, intense words, so he could only remain silent, waiting.

"Now that we've come to this," Xiu said, his earlier mirth gone, "I don't mind telling you, Professor Oak, how I actually got up from the dirt and managed to sit across this table with you."

Xiu's expression no longer held the insolence he had displayed just moments ago. Instead, his face was solemn, his eyes hard, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly became serious, heavy.

"The first thing," Xiu began, drawing from Ka Xiu's memories,1 "is that I risked my life to escape from that hellish orphanage. If I hadn't escaped…" He raised a finger and slowly traced a line across his neck.

He added with a grim sort of emotion, "There was also some luck involved here. If I hadn't met Director Bao Ba when I did, I might very well have died in some forgotten corner of the city at that time."

As he spoke, Xiu extended his second finger. "The second thing is that I fought three Pokémon Hunters in the Safari Zone Park. In the first battle, I saved a Kangaskhan and her child.

In the second battle, I saved Scyther and Abra. And in the third battle, I saved a Dratini. Thanks to these life-or-death encounters, I got to know Abra and the others, and at the same time, I received a bonus from the park management and was appreciated by the director of the rescue station there."

Xiu became more animated, his voice rising with intensity. He leaned forward, his hands clasped on the table, tapping a rhythmic, emphatic beat. "Professor, can you truly understand how I, an unarmed child, faced down armed Pokémon Hunters without the help of any Pokémon of my own at first?

There was no such thing as luck in those moments. I fought for every inch, every breath, with my life!"

Professor Oak didn't say anything, but looked at Xiu with a complicated, troubled expression. He didn't know the full details of the situation at that time, but looking at Xiu's current intense demeanor, he could only imagine how desperate and terrible it must have felt for him back then.

Xiu took a few seconds to calm himself, a look of reminiscence, tinged with old pain, on his face. He spoke again, almost to himself. "At that time, I was constantly afraid that those Hunters would come to our door, looking for revenge. So, I took Abra and the others and left the park on my own initiative, hiding in the suburbs of Fuchsia City.

Because I had often taken odd jobs to help take care of the rescued Pokémon when I was in the park, I was valued by the director of the Pokémon rescue station there.

That director was my first real teacher. Seeing that I was studious and eager to learn, he gave me some basic books to study. Later, after I left the park, he gave me more advanced books and his personal notes.

It was only because of this foundation that I was even qualified to take the examination to become a Pokémon Breeder." He paused.

"After passing that exam, I reconnected with Director Bao Ba. He asked me to come to his home because of Abra's unusual condition.

But he couldn't do anything to help Abra directly, so he recommended me to come here, to Pallet Town, to seek help from you, Professor."