Chapter 166: An Unlikely Culprit
Professor Oak stared at Xiaoyuan for another moment, his mind clearly working behind the mask, perhaps trying to place her or understand her connection to Xiu. Then, apparently deciding it wasn't worth pursuing immediately, he gave a curt nod. "Ah... well, it's not urgent. Just tell him I stopped by when he returns. Ask him to find me later."
He glanced briefly past Xiaoyuan into the room, saw nothing immediately informative, and quickly retracted his gaze. "You two... enjoy your evening. I'll be off."
With that abrupt dismissal, Oak turned and hurried away down the corridor, leaving Xiaoyuan staring after his retreating back, puzzled. 'What a strange man,' she thought, before dismissing the encounter and heading back inside to focus on her work.
Two or three hours crept past. The deepest part of the night descended upon Viridian City. Even with the ongoing festival, the streets finally fell quiet. The crowds dispersed, the late-night revelers drifted home, and an eerie silence settled over the city, broken only by the distant hum of utilities or the occasional rustle of nocturnal Pokémon. Even the ubiquitous Rattata seemed to have retired.
Suddenly, the profound silence was shattered. A piercing, high-pitched alarm blared from the direction of the city center. Searchlights erupted, sweeping beams across the rooftops, converging on a single, stately building – the Viridian City Museum.
Xiu jolted awake instantly. He'd found a relatively secluded park bench near the museum to rest, drifting into a light, wary sleep. The sudden alarm, the sweeping lights – it was impossible to ignore. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and stared towards the museum. Figures were already moving around the building, official vehicles arriving with flashing lights. 'What now?' He recognized the building instantly; he and Xiaoyuan had been admiring the 'Heart of the Galaxy' necklace there just hours ago.
Sleeping on the street... and now this. He sighed internally. Even if the alarm stopped, the authorities would undoubtedly cordon off the area, conduct searches. Lingering here would invite unwanted questions and complications. He needed to disappear.
As more vehicles converged on the scene, Xiu stood up. "Might as well see who caused the disturbance," he murmured to himself, a spark of curiosity overriding his desire to simply vanish. He slipped on the simple mask he kept handy, oriented himself, and melted into the shadows, moving away from the immediate vicinity of the museum.
A dark figure detached itself from the museum's periphery, moving rapidly through the backstreets, away from the lights and sirens. Xiu spotted the movement instantly. There. He gave chase, his own steps silent and swift.
The fleeing figure moved with surprising agility, navigating the darkened streets and alleys with practiced ease, clearly possessing training beyond that of an ordinary citizen. Xiu shadowed them, relying on Abra's subtle psychic senses to maintain pursuit even when line of sight was broken.
The figure reached a desolate, remote corner of the city, far from the main roads. They slowed, checked their surroundings carefully, then moved towards a heavy sewer manhole cover. Kneeling, they struggled for a moment, prying the heavy lid open. A faint, short whistle echoed – a bird-like call.
The figure waited, whistling periodically. After a tense minute, a blob of viscous, purple gel emerged from the darkness of the sewer – a Ditto.
The figure quickly retrieved the Ditto, which squirmed and pulsed before spitting out a small, glittering object. Snatching the object, the figure hastily recalled the Ditto into its Poké Ball, then turned the retrieved item over in their hand, examining it by the dim moonlight filtering down between buildings.
Even from his concealed position, Xiu recognized it instantly. The exquisite necklace from the museum exhibit, centered around the mesmerizing, star-filled gemstone.
"Impressive," Xiu's voice cut through the silence, deliberately pitched low. "You actually managed to steal it."
The figure jumped violently, startled, whirling around. The necklace vanished from their hand – likely concealed instantly. They lunged towards the open sewer manhole, attempting to escape into the depths.
But an invisible barrier met them. They slammed into something intangible just above the opening, recoiling as if hitting solid wall, bouncing back onto the pavement.
Footsteps emerged from the darkness – Xiu, walking forward calmly. The thief scrambled up, abandoning the sewer escape route, and bolted down the alley.
Again, they hit an invisible wall just a few meters away, stumbling forward as if wading through thick syrup. They struggled, but found no purchase, no leverage. An unsettling sensation of weightlessness followed as they realized they were being lifted, suspended impossibly in mid-air. Telekinesis.
Xiu stepped out of the shadows, stopping directly in front of the struggling, suspended figure. "You're remarkably skilled," he commented conversationally. "If I didn't have a few tricks of my own, you would have easily gotten away."
He raised a hand casually. The stolen necklace floated out from wherever the thief had hidden it on their person, drifting smoothly into Xiu's outstretched palm. He examined the 'Heart of the Galaxy' again, its internal light seeming even more captivating up close. "Fancy seeing this again so soon," he murmured, a faint smile hidden by his mask.
The thief continued to struggle futilely against Abra's invisible psychic hold. Now that they were closer, Xiu made several observations. The thief was short, remarkably thin, almost unnaturally so. They wore dark, practical clothing and a simple cloth mask covering the lower half of their face.
"Heh," Xiu chuckled softly. "You disturbed my sleep. Only fair I see who I'm dealing with." With a subtle mental command relayed through Abra, the cloth mask was gently but irresistibly pulled away from the thief's face.
Xiu froze.
Beneath the mask wasn't the face of a hardened criminal or a seasoned operative. It was the face of a child. Young, pale, wide eyes filled with terror, looking even younger than Xiu himself.
The revelation instantly killed Xiu's detached amusement, replaced by a frown of confusion and concern.
Just then, the distant sound of police sirens and barking Growlithe echoed from the main streets, drawing closer.
'No time.' Xiu pocketed the necklace. He gestured towards the open manhole. Abra, still invisible, released its telekinetic grip just enough to guide the thief downwards into the sewer opening before sealing the manhole cover silently back in place. Xiu followed immediately after, descending into the darkness.
Moments later, they emerged not from another manhole, but seemingly through the solid wall of a dark, abandoned house several blocks away – a weaker application of Abra's standard teleport, albeit crude and draining. Inside, furniture lay draped in dusty white sheets. Windows were boarded up, curtains drawn tight, blocking all outside light. It was clearly uninhabited, a safe place for a temporary interrogation.
Xiu found a light switch. The single bare bulb flickered on, casting harsh shadows. The stolen necklace gleamed magically in his hand as he examined it again under the light, confirming its authenticity before tucking it away securely. He turned his attention to the thief, who now stood trembling in the center of the dusty room, eyes wide with fear.
"Alright," Xiu began, his voice low and serious, trying not to sound overly threatening given the thief's apparent age. "Talk. Who are you working for? You didn't pull off a heist like that alone, not at your age. Someone trained you, planned this. Tell me who, and maybe... maybe I can help you."
He'd tried questioning them during their brief transit through the sewers, but the child hadn't uttered a single word, frozen in silent terror. He'd quickly checked the small backpack they carried – finding only basic lock-picking tools, climbing gear, and other minor implements of the trade. No identification, no clues to their affiliation. The Poké Ball containing the Ditto was just a standard, untraceable red-and-white model.
The child remained silent, staring at him, trembling visibly.