The mother Kangaskhan tilted her massive head, her deep eyes seeming to truly process Xiu's words. A flicker of surprise and understanding crossed her features. It was uncanny, how expressive, how human-like, some intelligent Pokémon could be. It deepened Xiu's appreciation for the complexity of life in this world.
But her outward reaction was minimal. A soft rumble, perhaps of acknowledgement. She didn't try to stop him, didn't show distress. Perhaps she understood the currents of life, the necessity of change.
They sat in companionable silence for a while longer, watching the joey and Happiny play their clumsy games. Eventually, Xiu gathered the remnants of their shared meal, tidying the small space as best he could. He offered a final nod to the Kangaskhan, a silent gesture of thanks and farewell, then recalled Abra and Happiny and headed back into the woods.
Finding the Scyther took a little more effort. Xiu didn't know its exact territory, only the general area where it usually hunted. He walked quietly through the trees, scanning the canopy and undergrowth. Eventually, he spotted it perched on a low branch, methodically picking berries from a bush and eating them.
"Hey~" Xiu called out softly from a distance.
Instantly, the Scyther reacted. With a blur of green motion, it launched itself upwards, vanishing into the dense leaves of the upper canopy, hidden from view. Hyper-alert. Skittish.
"It's just me!" Xiu sighed, walking slowly towards the base of the tree, tilting his head back to peer upwards. "It's Xiu! Remember?" He kept his voice calm, non-threatening.
After a moment's hesitation, rustling leaves betrayed its position. The Scyther dropped down from the canopy, landing silently on a lower branch, regarding him with wary, multifaceted eyes. Still tense, but not immediately hostile.
Xiu knew it was still recovering from the trauma. Captured, injured, hunted… twice. Its exaggerated reactions were understandable. "Easy now," he murmured soothingly, approaching slowly. "It's really me. You're safe."
As he got closer, Scyther seemed to finally relax its defensive posture slightly, recognizing him fully. But then, unexpectedly, it tensed again, wings vibrating rapidly. It leaped from the branch, landing lightly on the ground before him, then executed a swift, controlled slash with one of its scythes.
The blade blurred past Xiu's face, harmlessly slicing through a few dangling leaves and neatly severing the stems of several ripe berries hanging nearby, causing them to drop to the forest floor at Xiu's feet. It landed perfectly after the demonstration, wings still, watching him intently.
Xiu blinked, then smiled faintly. He bent down, picked up one of the fallen berries, wiped the dirt off on his trousers, and took a bite. Sweet and tangy. He held the half-eaten berry up towards Scyther. "Thanks," he said sincerely. "Delicious."
Scyther raised one scythe slightly, almost questioningly. Xiu didn't flinch this time. He stepped closer, peering at its previously injured areas. "Looks like the wounds are almost fully healed," he observed. "You just need a few more days of rest and you should be fine." The Rescue Station's initial treatment, combined with Scyther's natural resilience, had worked well. Seeing it looking healthy brought Xiu a measure of relief.
He took a breath. "Listen, Scyther… I came to say goodbye. I'm leaving the park. Today. I don't think I'll be back." He paused, letting the words sink in. "You need to be careful when I'm gone. Watch out for trouble. If anything happens… go find the Kangaskhan, over on the northern hills. Stay close to her. You two… you can look out for each other." He spoke casually, like chatting with an old friend, pouring out his concerns, needing to offer some parting advice, however strange it might seem.
Scyther remained still, its multifaceted eyes fixed on Xiu, listening with an unnerving intensity. Xiu couldn't tell if it truly understood the complexities, but it seemed to grasp the core message: leaving.
Feeling slightly awkward under its unwavering stare, Xiu gave a small, uncertain smile and patted its shoulder gently while avoiding the sharp edges. "Okay," he said softly. "That's… that's all. Time for me to go."
He turned to leave, but before he could take a step, Scyther moved, instantly positioning itself directly in his path, blocking him. One scythe was held slightly raised, not threateningly, but as a clear barrier. Its eyes remained locked on his.
"What is it?" Xiu asked, confused by its behavior. It wasn't aggression, but it was definitely preventing him from leaving. There had to be a reason.
He sighed, realizing he needed help deciphering this. He released Abra from its Poké Ball. "Abra, can you… can you ask it what it wants?"
Abra's eyes glowed faintly as a silent, psychic conversation seemed to pass between the two Pokémon. After a moment, Abra conveyed the message to Xiu, the thought forming clearly in his mind: "It wishes to leave this place as well. It wishes to come with us."
Xiu wasn't entirely surprised. Attacked twice, traumatized… wanting to escape this park, this territory associated with fear and pain, made sense. But… leaving with him? That was a different matter entirely.
He looked Scyther directly in the eyes, his earlier casual demeanor replaced by seriousness. "Are you sure? There's a difference. Do you just want to leave the park? Or do you specifically want to come with me?"
It was a crucial distinction. One meant escape. The other meant partnership. Allegiance.
Abra relayed the question. Scyther's response, conveyed back through Abra, was instantaneous, unwavering: "Follow you."
Xiu took a deep breath, considering the implications. "Okay, listen carefully then," he said, making sure Scyther (and Abra) understood the gravity. "Life outside the park… whether you're with me or trying to survive truly wild… it won't be like this. It won't be easier. Food might be scarce, shelter uncertain. There will be dangers – other Pokémon, other humans. Poachers are everywhere, not just here. If you come with me, you'll face challenges, you'll have to fight, you'll have to rely on me, and I… I'm still figuring things out myself. There will be hardships. Are you certain this is what you want?" He needed to be brutally honest, manage expectations, and prevent future misunderstandings.
Scyther didn't hesitate. It gave a sharp, decisive nod. The swiftness of the response made Xiu wonder if it had truly grasped the difficulties he'd outlined, or if its desire to leave, to follow him, simply outweighed any potential hardship.
He weighed his options. Taking on Scyther was a huge commitment. Its fighting potential was undeniable – it had survived two poacher encounters already, and it was clearly still young, with room to grow stronger. Having its power on his side could be invaluable.
'But the responsibility…' Abra and Happiny already demanded so much of his limited resources and energy. Could he truly afford to care for, train, and provide for a third Pokémon, especially one like Scyther that would require specific training and likely expensive food? That three hundred thousand Poké Dollars felt like a lot, but Xiu knew, from his research and the Stationmaster's warnings, that properly raising even one Pokémon to its full potential could burn through funds incredibly quickly. Good nutrition, training equipment, healthcare… it added up frighteningly fast.
Could he do it? Could he provide for all three before his money ran out, before he passed his Breeder exam and found a stable source of income?
He looked at Scyther's intense, expectant gaze. He saw the lingering trauma, the desperate desire for safety, for companionship, for escape. He saw potential. He saw risk.
After a long moment of internal debate, Xiu made his decision. He met Scyther's eyes and nodded slowly.
"Okay," he said firmly. "I'll take you with me." He trusted his own ability to adapt, to learn, to work hard. He would pass the Breeder exam. He would find a way to provide for them all. They'd face the unknown future together.
— — —
On his last night within the park's boundaries, Xiu didn't return to the staff dormitory. He chose instead to camp deep in the familiar woods near the Kangaskhan's hill, using some of the basic camping gear salvaged from the poachers' backpacks.
He sat by a small, crackling campfire. Nearby, Happiny played gently with the Kangaskhan joey under the watchful, smiling eye of the mother Kangaskhan. Abra sat perched silently on a high tree branch, resembling an old monk lost in meditation, detached from the world below. Only Scyther remained restless, pacing the edge of the firelight, startling at every snap of a twig, every rustle of leaves, constantly scanning the surrounding darkness before settling down again, only to be disturbed moments later. The trauma ran deep.
Xiu lay back on the cool grass, hands laced behind his head, staring up at the myriad stars scattered across the clear night sky. He felt a strange mix of apprehension and anticipation. One chapter ending; but another, completely unknown, about to begin.
— — —
His internal clock woke him before the first hint of dawn. He shifted slightly in his sleeping bag, the rustle of the fabric instantly alerting Scyther. It snapped awake, tense, vigilant, before recognizing Xiu and relaxing marginally.
"It's okay," Xiu whispered, seeing the lingering fear in its eyes. "Go back to sleep for a bit. I'll keep watch." He felt a pang of sympathy for the creature. 'No wonder it wanted to leave. Living like this, constantly on edge… it would break anyone eventually.'
Perhaps sensing Xiu's reassurance, or maybe just succumbing to exhaustion, Scyther actually closed its eyes and seemed to drift back into a light sleep, not startling awake even when Xiu inevitably made small noises packing up his meager campsite.
He gathered the few scraps of trash from their simple meal, packed the sleeping bag, tent, and other supplies. The poacher's backpack, likely enhanced with some kind of spatial storage technology common in this world, easily swallowed everything. Convenient.
Some things, however, couldn't be packed away. He stood up, looking around at the familiar trees, the slope of the hill, the scent of pine and damp earth. He'd only been here a short time, relatively speaking, but it felt significant. His entry point into this world.
'When, he wondered, if ever, will I see this place again?'