Chapter 227: Finding Balance
Xiaochun nodded silently, her gaze steady, accepting Xiu's request without hesitation.
"Good," Xiu said with a faint smile. "From now on, this Pidgey… it's your responsibility. You'll take care of it." He pressed a small pouch of specialized birdseed and a tube of nutrient paste into her hand.
She needs a purpose, something to focus her care on, something to ground her in this new, unfamiliar life. This injured Pigdey… it's a start. He'd considered this when he first decided to rescue the Pidgey; it wasn't just a whim.
Wasting time and resources on a creature with such a slim chance of survival wasn't his usual modus operandi, but for Xiaochun, it might be invaluable.
"Wild Pidgey primarily eat grass seeds, small fruits, and Caterpie," Xiu began, explaining the basics. "So, a general omnivorous bird Pokémon ration will meet its basic dietary needs. However," he tapped the nutrient paste, "given its injuries, it needs extra support. This paste will help replenish its energy, provide essential nutrients for healing, and speed up its recovery."
As Xiu explained the different food items, Xiaochun picked up the tube of nutrient paste, her brow furrowing slightly. She held it up, then pointed towards herself, then back at the paste – a silent question. It looked similar to the paste Xiu had given her in Viridian.
Xiu chuckled, understanding her query. "Ah, yes. This is a slightly different formulation, but based on the same principles. I developed it to rapidly replenish energy, restore physical strength, and accelerate the healing factor. The base ingredients are primarily concentrated berry extracts and specific medicinal herbs, so it's safe and effective for both humans and most Pokémon."
Under Xiu's gentle guidance, Xiaochun began her first attempt at caring for the Pidgey. The little bird, however, remained deeply wary of humans, flinching away whenever she approached, its one good eye fixed on her with suspicion.
"Don't rush it," Xiu advised softly. "Building trust with a traumatized Pokémon takes time. Let it get used to your presence first. Offer food, speak calmly. Let it associate you with positive things." He then called over Happiny, who was currently attempting to 'help' a group of Diglett with their tunneling, much to their dismay.
"Sometimes," Xiu continued, "letting your own Pokémon interact with it can also help bridge the gap." He gently took Happiny from a protesting Diglett and placed it near the wary Pidgey.
Happiny, utterly fearless and endlessly curious, immediately toddled towards the Pidgey. Before anyone could react, it reached out a tiny hand and, with surprising speed, plucked two feathers from the Pidgey's already sparse neck plumage.
"Chirp-CHIRP!" The Pidgey squawked in pain and indignation, scrambling away, half-hopping, half-fluttering its good wing, trying to escape. Happiny, thinking this was a new game, gurgled happily and gave chase, its tiny legs pumping.
Xiu quickly intervened, scooping up the mischievous Happiny. "You terrible terror!" he scolded lightly, though he was trying hard not to laugh. He caught Xiaochun looking at him, her expression unreadable, and offered an embarrassed smile.
"My mistake." He shooed Happiny back towards the more robust Pokémon in the corrals. "Go bother someone your own size. Or at least someone with thicker skin." The Pidgey is too fragile for Happiny's brand of 'friendship' right now.
The incident, however, had made the Pidgey even more distrustful. It now huddled miserably at the far side of the tree's shade, refusing to come near either of them.
Xiu sighed, then had another idea. He turned to Xiaochun. "Alright, new approach. Bring out your Ditto. Let's see if it can make friends."
Xiaochun nodded and released Ditto from its Poké Ball. The amorphous purple blob appeared on the grass, shimmered for an instant, and then seemed to melt into the lawn, perfectly mimicking the texture and color of the surrounding turf. Only a slight, almost imperceptible undulation betrayed its presence.
Xiu peered closely. Incredible. He gently poked the disguised Ditto. The 'grass' felt subtly different – too elastic, springing back too perfectly. Not something an ordinary person would notice, especially in a varied, natural environment.
Xiaochun let out another soft, specific whistle. The patch of 'grass' rippled, coalesced back into the familiar purple blob, then seemed to… rotate, in a strange, disorienting way Ditto had of moving without discernible limbs.
It focused its tiny black eyes on the wary Pidgey. A moment later, Ditto's form began to shift again. Its color lightened, feathers sprouted, a beak formed… and a perfect, miniature replica of the Pidgey stood on the grass.
The real Pidgey, hiding behind the tree, stared blankly at its doppelgänger. Xiu could almost see the gears grinding in its tiny bird brain. After a long moment, the injured Pidgey cautiously poked its head out, then tentatively, hopped towards the Ditto-Pidgey, its movements hesitant, almost comical.
Xiu watched, a faint smile playing on his lips. Well, that's one way to do it.
"Alright," Xiu said, seeing the two Pidgey-forms begin to interact cautiously. "You two get acquainted. I have other work to do." He left Xiaochun to supervise the budding friendship between the two and went to prepare breakfast for Scizor and Abra, his mind already turning to the day's training schedule.
Later that morning, in a quiet, secluded area of the institute's backyard, Xiu stood opposite Scizor.
"Alright, Scizor," Xiu began, his tone serious. "During our time in Viridian City, I noticed a potential weakness in your combat style. Your upper body strength, your pincer attacks, are devastating. No complaints there." He paused.
"But your footwork, your lower body stability, particularly when facing smaller, faster opponents… it needs improvement. Your height advantage becomes a disadvantage if you can't bring your power to bear effectively against targets at ground level."
He was thinking of the encounter with the Rattata – a pathetically weak opponent, yet Scizor had struggled to land a clean hit due to its height and the Pokémon's agility. Welp, lessons learned from even the lowliest foes.
"Today's focus," Xiu continued, "will be on stabilizing your stance and developing effective lower-body attacks. Kicking techniques. Your feet," he pointed to Scizor's sharply angled, blade-like feet, "are already natural weapons.
We just need to learn how to use them effectively." Since its evolution, they had focused primarily on mastering its powerful pincers and adapting to its new, larger form. Now, it was time to address the deficiencies.
"Kicking is fundamentally about balance and power transfer," Xiu explained. "We'll work on the specifics of striking techniques later. For now, basics. One-legged stance. Maintain balance."
Scizor nodded, understanding the instruction. It slowly lifted one leg. For a moment, it held the pose, then began to wobble, its heavy upper body making it difficult to maintain equilibrium on a single point of contact. It quickly lowered its leg, looking slightly frustrated.