Chapter 213: Calling Out the Clown
Xiaoyuan, holding her ground against the accusers, noticed a small figure subtly weave through the crowd and appear at her side. Xiaochun. Their eyes met briefly, a silent acknowledgment passing between them.
Xiaoyuan instantly understood: Xiu is here. A surge of relief and confidence flowed through her, steadying her nerves. She subtly scanned the periphery of the crowd, trying to spot him.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" the arrogant young man sneered, misinterpreting Xiaoyuan's momentary pause as uncertainty. He puffed out his chest, emboldened by Kiba's presence beside him. "Face it! This whole city is a dump! Bad security, terrible service, and this restaurant's food," he gestured disdainfully, "is garbage! I wouldn't feed it to a Rattata!"
Xiaoyuan simply met his outburst with a look of cold, undisguised contempt.
The young man visibly recoiled, his bravado faltering under her icy stare. His fragile ego, already bruised from the earlier cafeteria incident, shattered completely. His face twisted with wounded pride and fury. "Who do you think you are?!" he shrieked, losing control. "How dare you look at me like that!"
"Hmph. Funny, I was about to ask you the same question."
A new voice cut through the tension, calm and laced with mockery. Xiu emerged smoothly from the crowd, effortlessly inserting himself between Xiaoyuan and the sputtering young man. He surveyed the young man with an overtly sarcastic expression.
"Well, well, well," Xiu drawled, his tone dripping with disdain. "If it isn't the child who tried to cut the line in the cafeteria earlier? The one who got chased away with his tail between his legs?" He leaned in conspiratorially. "Tell me, did you end up having to eat in the restroom after all? Must have, for your breath to smell quite that foul."
Xiu's eyes swept over the accusers indifferently, a slight, humorless smile playing on his lips. The young man flushed violently, his anger instantly replaced by remembered humiliation and fear. He instinctively averted his gaze, unable to meet Xiu's mocking stare.
Many in the crowd murmured, connecting Xiu's words to the earlier incident, the narrative of the young man as a wronged victim instantly crumbling.
Kiba, the idol trainer, clearly hadn't anticipated this interruption. His practiced smile tightened, the veneer of effortless charm cracking slightly. "My friend," he said, addressing Xiu, his voice regaining its smooth modulation but carrying an edge of warning, "I suggest you watch your tone."
"And you are…?" Xiu tilted his head, pretending to study Kiba. "Ah, right. Kiba." He dismissed the idol with a wave of his hand, his smile widening as he turned back to the young man. "Interesting double standards we've got here. He can spew garbage," Xiu nodded towards the sputtering youth, "and that's fine. But I point out his faults, and suddenly I need to watch my tone? Have a little self-awareness, maybe?" Xiu wasn't Xiaoyuan; he didn't care about politeness or saving face. When he attacked, he aimed to draw blood.
Kiba seemed momentarily speechless, clearly unused to being addressed with such blatant disrespect.
Xiu ignored him, turning pointedly to Xiaoyuan. "Now, madam," he said, his tone becoming polite, almost deferential, "perhaps you could clarify for everyone exactly what transpired here?"
Seeing Xiu take control, Xiaoyuan felt a wave of calm wash over her. The anger faded, replaced by cool composure. She met Xiu's encouraging gaze and nodded slightly. "Certainly," she said, her voice clear and steady, addressing the crowd but keeping her eyes locked on the young accuser. "I overheard this gentleman loudly complaining in the lobby about the food quality here at the Pokémon Center.
I was concerned there might be a legitimate issue, so I approached him to inquire about the problem, hoping perhaps I could assist in resolving it. However," she paused, letting the implication hang, "he was unwilling to disclose any issues, instead resorting to insults directed at myself and the Center's staff."
"Lies!" the young man interjected desperately. "How can we trust you? You're just covering up for them, bullying us customers!" He gestured wildly between Xiu and Xiaoyuan.
"Simple question," Xiu cut in casually, his gaze pinning the young man. "Did you, or did you not, actually eat any food from the cafeteria today?"
The young man opened his mouth, clearly intending to lie, but hesitated as Xiu added silkily, "They keep electronic records of all meal card transactions, you know. Lying would be… easily verifiable. And rather embarrassing."
The young man's words died in his throat. He stammered, floundering. "Of course… I mean… well…"
Kiba, seeing his companion faltering, stepped forward again, adopting a condescending frown. "Whether he ate here or not is irrelevant," he declared haughtily. "The poor service attitude is undeniable. Surely, a customer has the right to point out flaws?"
"Ah, so getting called out for cutting in line is now 'poor service'?" Xiu shot back, his smile sharp as broken glass. "In that case, I sincerely hope the 'service' continues to 'improve' in that specific way. It would mean more people are behaving like civilized adults instead of entitled brats."
His words, though sharp, were aimed more at Kiba and the line-jumper. However, Kiba's nearby fans reacted instantly, turning their verbal attacks on Xiu.
"Who does this guy think he is?"
"Butting in where he's not wanted!"
"Get lost!"
"Leave Master Kiba alone!"
"Such an arrogant prick!"
Xiaochun, standing silently nearby, listened to the escalating insults, her usually impassive eyes tracking each speaker.
Xiu felt a flicker of annoyance, but quickly suppressed it. He subtly caught Xiaochun's eye, offering a reassuring smile, and she immediately relaxed her intense focus. Xiaoyuan tensed beside him, anger flaring in her eyes at the attacks, but she held her tongue, trusting Xiu to handle it.
He faced the hostile fans, seemingly unfazed, almost amused by their outrage. I spent years ragebaiting on twitter in my past life… these guys are nothing. He held the moral high ground, the factual advantage.
Their blind devotion only highlighted their foolishness. A strange sense of superiority washed over him – the detached amusement of observing irrational, lesser creatures defending their idol.
Letting their emotional outburst peak, Xiu finally raised his voice, cutting through the noise, addressing the entire crowd.
"You complain about service?" he called out, his voice ringing with sudden passion. "Let me tell you about the service you've received. For days now, while this city was in chaos, who kept things running? The staff of this Pokémon Center!"
He gestured around the lobby. "You see these people? The ones cleaning, serving food, providing security, tending to the sick and injured? They gave up their scheduled days off. They rushed back from leave. They've been working double shifts, triple shifts, compressing their rest time until it barely exists!"
His voice grew louder, resonating with conviction. "On average, these staff members are getting less than five hours of sleep a day! Some, in critical roles, are getting less than three! We've had three people collapse at their posts from sheer exhaustion just trying to keep things functioning for you! Did you know that?"
He let his words sink in, a sudden silence falling over the crowd. The onlookers shifted uncomfortably, their earlier outrage replaced by dawning shame.
"Have any of them complained to you?" Xiu challenged, his gaze sweeping the room. "Have you seen them lose their temper, despite the stress, despite the fear, despite dealing with difficult situations and sometimes ungrateful people?"
He saw the staff members scattered around the lobby unconsciously straighten their shoulders, validation in their weary eyes. They couldn't voice their struggles, couldn't complain, but hearing someone acknowledge their sacrifice, defend their efforts… it clearly struck a chord.
The narrative in the room had decisively shifted.