They thought they'd found an easy mark, a "soft persimmon" ripe for the squeezing, as the saying went. A naive kid with a valuable Pokémon, easily intimidated, easily robbed.
Xiu, on the other hand, operating under the initial assumption that the Hunter Organization had tracked him down, and had prepared for the worst. He'd deliberately chosen this abandoned factory – remote enough for privacy, complex enough for ambushes. He'd spent several late nights scouting the dilapidated workshops and crumbling dormitories, setting up a series of traps far more elaborate and dangerous than the simple ones near the entrance.
His contingency plan, developed under the assumption he'd be facing skilled, well-equipped hunters, was drastic: use the factory's confusing layout to lure them deeper, separate them, whittle down their numbers with traps, and then, as a final measure, set the entire place ablaze. The ensuing chaos, the arrival of fire brigades and inevitably the police or even League officials, would create the perfect cover for him to feign his own death amidst the destruction and slip away undetected. When tigers fight, the mouse escapes. It was the only way he could imagine surviving a direct confrontation with the resources of the Hunter Organization.
But reality… reality had been disappointingly anticlimactic. Not hardened hunters, just two incompetent local thugs. They hadn't even made it past his outermost, simplest traps. The elaborate deathtrap he'd prepared deeper within the factory complex remained untested, unnecessary. A part of him was almost… disappointed.
As for using Scyther in the initial fight… that too had been calculated. He needed to gauge its progress, see how it performed under pressure in a real combat situation. He wouldn't have risked it if he wasn't confident Scyther could handle itself, or if he couldn't recall it instantly if things went truly sour. Actual combat data was invaluable.
Now, kneeling before the trembling, sobbing mustached man, Xiu had the information he needed. The man's utility was exhausted.
"It… it really wasn't me!" the mustache babbled, tears mixing with sweat and grime on his face. "He forced me! I didn't do anything! Please…" He stared up at Xiu, his eyes wide with primal fear, seeing only death in Xiu's impassive gaze.
"Go," Xiu said quietly. Abra, hovering nearby, nudged the rusted factory door open just a crack with its Telekinesis.
The mustached man stared, disbelieving for a split second. 'Freedom?' He scrambled towards the narrow opening, relief flooding his features. "Thank you! Thank you!" he gasped, crawling frantically towards the outside world.
But just as his hand reached for the gap, just as freedom seemed within reach, a sharpened wooden stake, identical to the ones used earlier, shot silently from the shadows beside the doorway, piercing him cleanly through the chest from behind.
His eyes widened in shock, then glazed over. He collapsed forward, hand still outstretched towards the sliver of rainy twilight visible through the crack in the door. 'One step… just one more step…'
Xiu watched expressionlessly as the man's body went still. "In this line of work," he murmured softly, echoing the bald man's earlier bravado, "you have to be prepared for the consequences."
He felt no remorse looking at the two corpses sprawled on the factory floor. No nausea, no discomfort. Letting the mustached man go would have been suicide. He knew Xiu's face, knew his Pokémon, knew his general location. He would have gone straight to the authorities, or worse, tried to gather more thugs for revenge. Just as they would have undoubtedly killed Xiu had they succeeded in stealing Scyther, letting him live was simply not an option. Loose ends were dangerous. Besides, eliminating scum like this… it carried no psychological burden for Xiu.
The aftermath, however, was messy. Two bodies to dispose of. And the Paras, still held immobile by Abra's Telekinesis, twitching nervously.
"Get rid of it," Xiu instructed Abra, glancing disdainfully at the Paras. "It probably helped them commit countless petty crimes." It wasn't a combat Pokémon, relying on its spores for disabling unsuspecting victims. Useless in a real fight, as demonstrated earlier. Keeping it served no purpose.
With a silent mental command from Abra, the Paras suddenly convulsed, its limbs twisting at unnatural angles, then went still, its life extinguished instantly and silently by focused psychic pressure.
Xiu looked at the insectoid corpse, a strange thought occurring to him. 'Looks kind of like a lobster… wonder if it tastes any good grilled?' He quickly dismissed the morbid curiosity. 'Cleanup first.'
Dealing with the bodies and evidence took time. By the time Xiu finally finished, wiping down surfaces, disposing of the corpses discreetly in a deep refuse pit elsewhere in the abandoned complex, and returned to his small apartment, night had fallen completely.
"Come on out, Scyther," he said, releasing the Pokémon inside the relative safety of the apartment.
Scyther materialized, instantly assuming a defensive crouch, scythes raised, eyes darting around the unfamiliar room. Seeing only Xiu and the familiar, non-threatening furniture, it slowly relaxed, though the tension didn't leave its posture entirely. It looked better physically than it had immediately after the recall – the Poké Ball's restorative stasis had helped – but the mental strain, the fear and fury of the battle, was still evident. Its damaged scythes looked dull and scarred.
"It's okay," Xiu said gently, watching Scyther's lingering anxiety. "It's over. Abra and I took care of them. You did your best today. No one blames you for getting recalled."
He waited for Scyther to fully calm down, for its breathing to even out, before continuing, his tone shifting, becoming serious again.
"Scyther," He began, "we need to talk. You've been with me for a little while now. The immediate trauma of the poacher attacks… hopefully, it's starting to fade. You've grown stronger. You're capable." He paused, meeting its gaze directly. "You're capable enough to make your own choices now."
Scyther tilted its head, confused by Xiu's solemn tone.
"So I need to ask you again," Xiu continued, his voice steady. "Do you still want to stay with me? Or… would you prefer I take you back to the park? Near the Kangaskhan? Or give you your freedom?"
The question hung in the air. Scyther stared at him, seemingly frozen, processing the unexpected offer. Disbelief, confusion, perhaps even a flicker of pain, warred in its complex eyes.
"Think about today," Xiu pressed on, his voice becoming sharper, more critical. "Could you have beaten those two thugs and their Pokémon on your own? Before our training?"
He stared intently at Scyther, not waiting for an answer. "No. Impossible. But today… you did fight them. You even landed blows, almost won against the Beedrill before your scythes failed. Why? Think about it."
He didn't relent. "It's because of the training! The resources I've poured into you, the specific drills I design every single day, adjusting them based on your progress. The food you eat – do you think that quality is easy to come by out there? Do you think just anyone would spend hours analyzing your performance, tailoring exercises just for you?"
Scyther flinched back slightly under the verbal barrage, lowering its head, the blades drooping.
"I've given you my time, my resources, my focus," Xiu continued, his voice hard now. "And how have you repaid me lately? Getting lazy in training drills. Ignoring commands sometimes. Growing arrogant after a few small successes. And today? Your battle was sloppy. Full of mistakes. You forgot half the defensive techniques we practiced. You relied on brute force instead of skill. That's why your scythe broke! You wasted your potential out there today. And you saw the result!"
His words struck home. Scyther visibly winced, a low clicking sound coming from its mandibles, its posture shrinking, becoming timid. A mask of pain, of shame, settled over its features.
"So, tell me now," Xiu demanded, his voice ringing with finality. "Your choice! Stay, commit fully to training, to listening, to becoming stronger together? Or go back, be free, but likely face dangers you aren't ready for alone?"
He let the question hang, turning away from the crestfallen Scyther. He went about his evening routine, releasing Abra and Happiny, preparing their dinner, deliberately ignoring Scyther, giving it space to process— to decide.
He knew he was being harsh, perhaps overly so. But Scyther's recent arrogance and occasional disregard for instructions during training, had worried him. It needed a reality check. An overconfident, disobedient Pokémon, no matter how talented— was a liability, not an asset. Resources invested in such a partner were wasted. He needed Scyther to understand the stakes, the commitment required from both of them.
After preparing the food bowls, he placed Scyther's portion down near where it still stood, head bowed. "Eat first," Xiu said, his tone softening slightly. "We'll talk more after. At least… at least you didn't run away today when things got tough. That's… something."