Chapter 240: Help
"Miss Rinko!" Xiu called out as he stepped into the humid embrace of the Murasame Botanical Garden's main greenhouse.
"Xiu! You're here!" Her voice, bright and welcoming, drifted from amidst a dense thicket of oversized ferns. Soon, Rinko emerged, dressed in a simple, long dress suitable for working amongst the plants, her purple hair tied back loosely.
Her Gloom trailed faithfully behind her, emitting soft, contented sighs. "It's been a few days! I was wondering when you'd visit again." There was a genuine warmth in her tone; his visits, it seemed, had become a welcome to her solitary routine.
"Just thought I'd see if you needed an extra pair of hands today," Xiu replied with an easy smile, gesturing towards the pruning shears and trowel she carried. He'd found that offering assistance was the quickest way to build rapport, and honestly, the physical labor was a welcome change from his intensive studies. Besides, more time spent here means more opportunities to learn.
Rinko didn't refuse his offer. "That would be lovely, Xiu. There are a few sections that could use some attention." She led him deeper into the verdant labyrinth.
As they worked, Rinko explained the organization of the garden. The smaller, self-contained greenhouses within the larger structure were for plants with highly specialized temperature and humidity requirements. The second-floor catwalks and a central raised platform – ingeniously supported by the trunks of several large, mature trees growing up from the ground floor – were dedicated to species needing specific light conditions.
"It looks overwhelming," Rinko admitted, noticing his awed expression, "but it's quite manageable. Most of these plants, once established, are fairly self-sufficient. And Gloom helps with some of the tasks like pest control and nutrient distribution."
She explained her system: dividing the garden into zones, focusing on one or two zones each day for watering, weeding, pruning, disease prevention, and harvesting, with adjustments made based on the specific needs of individual plants.
Xiu, lacking deep botanical knowledge, was limited to more general tasks – watering, hauling compost, and clearing pathways. The more delicate work, like pruning rare specimens or harvesting sensitive medicinal herbs, Rinko handled with a practiced touch.
Xiu didn't mind the manual labor; it was a meditative, almost therapeutic activity, a stark contrast to the mentally taxing research he'd been immersed in. And every new plant identified, every technique observed, is another piece of knowledge stored away. One never knows when such skills might prove useful.
After several hours of focused work, they had attended to a significant portion of the garden. Xiu, however, was drenched in sweat, his clothes clinging uncomfortably to his skin. The greenhouse, with its high temperature and stifling humidity, was an incredibly demanding environment to work in.
Yet, Rinko, he noticed with a mixture of admiration and bewilderment, seemed completely unaffected. Not a single bead of sweat glistened on her brow; her breathing was even, her movements graceful and unhurried.
"Miss Rinko," Xiu finally gasped, wiping a stream of sweat from his forehead, "aren't you… hot?"
She smiled, a serene, almost ethereal expression. "No, not particularly. I suppose I've grown accustomed to it, living and working here since I was a child."
They stepped out of the greenhouse. The sudden drop in temperature and humidity as they exited into the shaded mountain air was a shock to Xiu. He shivered, his sweat-soaked clothes suddenly feeling cold and clammy against his skin.
Rinko, noticing his discomfort, said with genuine concern, "You should come inside and bathe, Xiu. You'll catch a chill otherwise."
Given his current state, Xiu didn't bother with false modesty. A cold shower sounded like paradise. Rinko led him to the villa, showing him to a guest bathroom.
Emerging a short while later, feeling scrubbed clean and wonderfully refreshed, Xiu found Rinko waiting for him. She smiled, taking his discarded, sweat-soaked clothes with a practical air and setting them aside. "Leave those," she said. "I'll see to them later."
Before Xiu could react, she gently took his hand. "Come," she said, her eyes bright with a surprisingly girlish enthusiasm. "I made those cookies you taught me last time. You must try them!"
She led him to the living room. On the polished coffee table, a delicate, gold-embossed Western-style tea set was arranged, alongside a plate piled high with small, perfectly golden cookies. "You've been working hard," Rinko said, gesturing for him to sit. "Rest for a while." She poured him a cup of fragrant black tea. "This is a new blend I've been experimenting with. From leaves grown right here in the garden. Tell me what you think."
The rising steam carried a complex, floral aroma that filled the room. "It smells wonderful," Xiu said, inhaling deeply. He knew next to nothing about tea, but he knew Rinko had cultivated, harvested, and processed these leaves herself.
"Simply lovely." He declared confidently after a cautious sniff. Praising her efforts was undoubtedly the correct response.
The tea was still scalding, so Xiu picked up one of the cookies. Now, this is my area of expertise. He'd given her the recipe, after all. He took a bite. "Perfect," he pronounced after a moment of thoughtful chewing. "Crisp, perfectly baked through. Just a hint of caramelization, not at all bitter. You've mastered it, Miss Rinko."
"Oh, it took several tries," Rinko confessed, a slight flush rising on her cheeks. "The first few batches were… rather burnt. But then I adjusted the temperature, the timing…" She launched into a detailed explanation of her baking experiments, her earlier reserve completely gone.
Xiu listened with genuine interest, offering a few minor suggestions, joking about his own culinary disasters. For a while, he allowed himself to simply relax, to enjoy the companionship and the conversation, his earlier, more pressing concerns temporarily forgotten.
Then, as a natural lull fell in their conversation, Rinko looked at him, her expression turning more serious, though still kind. "Xiu," she began, her voice gentle, "you seem… preoccupied today. More so than usual. Is there something on your mind? Something I can help you with?"
Xiu met her gaze. There was no point in not talking about it. "Actually, Miss Rinko," he admitted, "there is. Remember that training program I mentioned before, the one I was developing for my Pokémon?"
Rinko nodded slightly. He'd spoken of it during one of their previous discussions.
"Well," Xiu continued, "thanks in no small part to your insights, the theoretical framework is complete. The formula is drafted, but I'm missing one crucial component. And I was hoping… hoping you might have heard of it, or perhaps even possess a sample."
He then proceeded to describe the characteristics of the purple flower – its color, its leaf structure, the unique properties of its roots and blossoms.
Rinko listened intently, her brow furrowed in concentration. When Xiu finished, she shook her head slowly, a look of genuine confusion on her face. "There are many plants in Kanto that produce purple flowers, Xiu," she said apologetically.
"But none that match your description of the root system, the leaf venation, and the specific properties you've outlined. Could it be a species unique to another region, perhaps?" Generations of Murasame botanical knowledge, and yet this plant was unknown to her. If Xiu hadn't possessed such an unwavering conviction about its existence, she might have doubted him.
Xiu paused, then reached into his pack. "It does exist, Miss Rinko," he said quietly. "Because I have the seeds." He produced the small, thumb-sized glass vial, holding it out to her. Inside, the dozen or so tiny, gray-black seeds lay nestled.
Rinko's eyes widened. Her earlier casual demeanor vanished, replaced by an almost feverish intensity. She leaned forward, her gaze fixed on the vial in Xiu's hand. He offered it to her.
She took the vial with trembling hands, holding it up to light, and examining the seeds with the focused gaze of a true scholar encountering a profound mystery. "Remarkable," she breathed, looking up at Xiu, her eyes shining with an almost desperate excitement.
"I've… I've never seen anything like these!" She seemed to have forgotten entirely about his earlier request for help. "Just… please, Xiu… allow me the honor to cultivate them," she declared, her voice trembling with eagerness.
Xiu looked at Rinko's flushed, animated face, consumed by the challenge and the mystery presented by these ancient seeds. He couldn't help but smile, a touch of helplessness in his expression.
Indeed. When it comes to plants… she's in a world of her own.