Chapter 107: That's It?
Professor Oak finished attaching the last sensor pad to Xiu's bare scalp, the conductive gel feeling cold and sticky. He double-checked the connections running to the complex array of machines surrounding the examination table. "Alright," he announced, stepping back towards the main console. "Try to relax. Clear your mind."
His face, however, showed none of the calm reassurance one might expect from a medical professional. Instead, his eyes gleamed with barely suppressed scientific excitement, an intensity that did little to soothe Xiu's growing panic.
'Why does he look so thrilled?' Xiu thought nervously. 'This is just supposed to be a diagnostic scan, right?' His earlier 'comforting' words about it being safe… sounded more like pre-mission assurances before sending someone into a minefield! As a self-proclaimed guinea pig, how could Xiu not panic?
The examination began. Unlike the swift, almost instantaneous scans previously, this process dragged on. Xiu lay perfectly still on the table, staring up at the metallic ceiling panels, acutely aware of the humming machinery around him, the faint tingling sensation from the electrodes attached to his skin.
With nothing else to do, his mind started to wander. The silence stretched, punctuated only by the soft click of Professor Oak's keyboard and the low hum of the equipment. It felt… boring.
"Professor," Xiu finally asked, breaking the silence, "how long is this going to take?"
"Patience," Professor Oak replied without looking up from his monitors. "The longer we gather data, the more accurate the analysis. Ideally? We'd keep you hooked up all day for a complete neurological profile." He glanced over, seeing Xiu's horrified expression, and chuckled. "Relax. A couple of hours of baseline readings should suffice for now."
Two hours. Stuck here, doing nothing. Unwilling to waste the time, and seeing an opportunity, Xiu decided to press Professor Oak on the topic that had been bothering him since their earlier conversation. "Professor," he began tentatively, "while we're waiting… could we talk more about training? Specifically… how to enhance strength, learn skills, the way you described? Beyond just… commands?"
"Aren't you training them every day already?" Professor Oak replied dismissively, his attention still primarily on the data feeds.
"No, Professor," Xiu insisted, shaking his head slightly (as much as the head sensors allowed). "What you said yesterday… about the modern system being flawed, about 'real' battles… it's made me question my entire approach. I don't know how to train them effectively anymore, beyond basic conditioning."
"Simple," Oak retorted, still not looking up. "Take Scyther deep into the back mountain woods. Let it fend for itself for a week. If it comes back alive, I guarantee it'll be stronger and sharper than any amount of your structured drills could achieve."
Xiu felt a surge of frustration. "Professor, please don't joke," he pleaded. "You know Scyther's current level! And you yourself said the Pokémon back there are wild, dangerous! Sending Scyther in there alone? It wouldn't be training; it would be a death sentence!" The 'back mountain' wasn't some beginner-friendly route; it was Professor Oak's private reserve, likely stocked with powerful, territorial Pokémon.
"Training is training," Oak countered, finally turning slightly towards Xiu, a challenging look in his eyes. "What's the difference between hardship and a structured drill if the goal is growth?"
"Skills!" Xiu blurted out, focusing on his main point of confusion. "How do I train them to learn skills? Not just the named ones, but that deeper understanding, that energy control you talked about?"
"Didn't I explain this already?" Professor Oak replied, looking at Xiu as if he were slightly dim-witted. "Named 'skills' are just labels. Labels for specific actions, or specific ways of channeling internal energy. What you really need to focus on isn't teaching them 'skills', but teaching them how to harness and utilize their own innate power to its full potential."
"But how, Professor?" Xiu persisted, feeling increasingly lost. "How do I teach that?"
Professor Oak sighed, finally seeming to relent slightly. "Alright, let's take Scyther as an example. Physical techniques, like its slashing attacks? Forget spending hours having it chop at the air or practice preset 'move' patterns. That builds muscle memory for one specific action. Useless. Put it in real sparring situations, like against Forretress. Let it react. Let it learn timing, angles, finding openings through actual combat. Experience is the only teacher for that."
"Hmm~" Xiu nodded slowly, absorbing this.
"Now," Professor Oak continued, "for special skills… broadly, they fall into two categories: internal enhancement and external projection." He elaborated, "Internal skills are things like your Scyther's Focus Energy or Agility – channeling energy within its own body to boost its stats, speed, power. External skills involve projecting that energy outwards – like Flamethrower or Ice Beam."
Xiu listened intently, his mind racing, connecting Oak's explanation to his own observations and the information gleaned from the Stationmaster's notebooks. He'd already started exploring 'internal' enhancement with Scyther's Focus Energy and Agility. But external projection…
"Professor," Xiu asked quickly, seizing the opportunity, "if I wanted Scyther to learn a ranged attack, some way to project energy… how would I even start?"
Professor Oak paused, stunned into silence for a moment, looking sharply at Xiu. Then, a slow, knowing smile spread across his face. 'He finally asked the right question.'
He realized Xiu hadn't just been passively absorbing information; he'd been actively trying to synthesize it, to apply it. Professor Oak chuckled softly.
He didn't directly answer Xiu's question about ranged attacks, instead saying evasively, "Once a Pokémon truly understands how to gather and channel its internal energy, projecting it outwards becomes… intuitive. A natural progression."
Xiu listened to the non-answer, recognizing Professor Oak was deliberately withholding specific techniques, forcing him to figure it out himself. He didn't push further, instead falling back into thoughtful silence, processing everything he'd learned.
Professor Oak, seeing Xiu deep in thought, returned his attention to the computer monitors, occasionally typing commands, seemingly satisfied with the conversation's outcome.
After what felt like a long time, Xiu finally started asking more questions, this time focusing on refining the training plans for Abra and Happiny based on Professor Oak's earlier principles.
Professor Oak answered casually, multitasking between Xiu's questions and the ongoing data analysis, offering insightful advice.
"Alright," Professor Oak finally announced, stretching in his chair. "Baseline readings complete. You can get up now."
Xiu looked down at the numerous sensor pads still stuck to his skin. 'Finally.' He immediately began peeling them off, wincing slightly. The process wasn't painful, exactly, but the adhesive combined with the dried conductive gel pulled uncomfortably at his skin.
And throughout the scan, he'd felt intermittent, faint electrical pulses from the sensors – not shocks, but weird, tingling, sometimes itchy sensations, especially on his scalp.
Professor Oak had assured him it was normal, just the sensors calibrating, but it had been deeply unpleasant. 'Stimulating, alright,' he thought wryly.
After removing the last pad, Xiu noticed faint red marks left behind on his skin. 'Great.' He quickly pulled his shirt back on, ran a hand over his smooth, bald head, and hurried over to the computer console where Professor Oak was now studying the compiled results. "So?" Xiu asked anxiously. "What's the verdict? How bad is it?"
"Hmm, results are in," Professor Oak confirmed, scrolling through pages of data. "Go wait downstairs. I need to review this properly. I'll call you when I'm ready." He waved Xiu away dismissively, already absorbed in the complex analysis.
Frustrated by the delay but knowing better than to argue, Xiu reluctantly touched his bald head again and left the lab, heading back downstairs to wait, his anxiety returning full force. He felt like he'd just endured eighteen levels of diagnostic hell, tasting every 'torture' the lab could offer, only to be left hanging.
— — —
Later that evening, after dinner, Professor Oak finally called him into the living room. He gestured for Xiu to sit, then sat opposite him, a fresh cup of tea in hand, his expression unreadable.
"Well," Professor Oak began slowly, putting down his teacup after a long pause. "The full analysis of your diagnostic data is complete…" He seemed hesitant to continue.
"Professor, don't scare me," Xiu pleaded, his stomach tightening. Professor Oak's hesitation, his deliberate drawing out of the moment… it felt ominous. Like waiting for a judge to deliver a sentence.
"It's… okay," Professor Oak finally said, though his tone lacked conviction. "Broadly speaking, the results align with the preliminary findings. Physically, you're remarkably resilient." He paused again. "But the neurological effects… they are indeed pronounced."
Xiu felt he couldn't understand Oak's cryptic pronouncements. 'Just tell me!' "Professor, please be clear."
"Alright," Professor Oak sighed, finally getting to the point. "Your brain's hyper-activity, the accelerated energy consumption, the psychic residue interference… it's causing significant cellular stress, hindering natural repair. This will lead to premature neurological decline. Emotional instability, heightened mental sensitivity, potential endocrine system disruption… all symptoms consistent with accelerated aging focused on the brain."
He met Xiu's gaze directly. "My initial estimate… was optimistic. Perhaps," he added thoughtfully, "your condition has worsened slightly even in the few days you've been here, under closer proximity to Abra during training." He took another slow sip of tea before delivering the final blow. "Based on the complete analysis… your projected natural lifespan, assuming the condition remains unaddressed… is likely closer to thirty years, not fifty."
He waited for Xiu's reaction – shock, despair, anger.
Xiu just stared at him for a long, silent moment, processing the revised prognosis. 'Thirty years.' Then, to Professor Oak's utter astonishment, Xiu tilted his head slightly, frowned thoughtfully for a second, and replied, his voice completely calm, almost casual, "I'm shocked. Really. Is… is that it?"
His nonchalant reaction, the complete lack of panic or despair, seemed to utterly defeat Professor Oak's prepared explanations and condolences. The Professor stared back, momentarily speechless, completely taken aback by the young man's astonishing acceptance of his own drastically shortened lifespan.