Three Bottles of Medicine

Three days later, Rogue packed her bags, hugged Kino, and left the Odd Jobs Shop.

"Where are you planning to go?" Kino asked with concern.

After all, Rogue was practically half a member of the Odd Jobs Shop. It was only right to show some concern before seeing her off.

"I'm going home for a visit."

At the mention of the word "home," Rogue's expression turned somewhat forlorn.

"You're already a witch. You still want to go back? Aren't you afraid they'll capture you again?"

Kino was curious. He vaguely remembered that Rogue's home was in Mississippi. In X-Men 1, she had kissed her boyfriend, causing her Mutant ability to erupt and nearly drain the man's life away.

After that... she had been labeled a "witch" and subjected to cold stares. Even her parents had rejected her, and hospitals had wanted to capture her for experiments. So Rogue had fled her hometown.

After wandering around for a while, she had met Wolverine Logan, then gone to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, and after that, she had met him.

"Anyway, I don't have my ability anymore. But... I just want to go back and take a look, then I'll head to Anchorage. It's somewhere I've always wanted to visit." Rogue's eyes dimmed.

She had once wanted to go there with her boyfriend, but unfortunately... he would never get close to her again.

"Anchorage? What's that?"

"Alaska. The Anchorage Snow Mountain Tourist Area," Raven suddenly said.

Kino glanced at her. Well, aside from her face, Big Cousin wasn't completely useless! At the very least, having lived for two hundred years made her a living map.

She might know things many modern people did not, and she might even have visited historical ruins buried by time.

Unable to resist, Kino gave himself a mental pat on the back for his wise decision.

But Anchorage?

He remembered that at the beginning of the movie, Rogue had pointed at the northwestern part of a simple map of North America and said something like, [Niagara Falls... Canadian Rockies... Anchorage].

Kino had been completely baffled at the time!

What?

Wasn't Niagara Falls in the Great Lakes region of the United States, in the northeast and bordering Canada?

She had pointed to northwestern North America and called it Niagara Falls. What the hell? Screenwriter, were you messing with him?

Kino had been utterly confused back then!

As for Anchorage, Kino had searched Baidu but found nothing. He only knew that it seemed to be some kind of airport or something?

"Fine, have a pleasant trip. Take this hundred thousand dollars."

"No, no, no, no! How could I accept this? You've already paid me!" Rogue hurriedly refused.

But Kino ignored her completely, pulled out his phone, and completed the transfer!

"Alright, don't send it back. Consider it a loan. Pay me back after you make some money! You're a girl who ran away from home in a hurry, so you probably didn't bring much money, right? Going to Anchorage to clear your head is fine, but if you want work, come back... uh—go to Los Angeles. I'll look after you there."

He had originally wanted to tell her to return to New York!

But in about another year, the Battle of New York would probably break out.

She was an ordinary person now. It was better for her not to come here.

"Thanks!"

Rogue hugged Kino again. She did not wonder why he had said "Los Angeles" instead of New York. After the hug, she hoisted her luggage onto her back and headed off into the distance.

She had quite the air of a wanderer about her.

She looked back every three steps, clearly reluctant to leave.

"Wait!" Kino suddenly called out. Then he quickly ran over and, as if performing a magic trick, pulled out three bottles. "These are for you."

"What are these?" Rogue was still a little happy to see Kino catch up to her.

She did not like Kino. She was simply grateful to him.

When she had been in her darkest hour, Kino had helped and saved her. Deep down, she had already come to see him as family. Well, at the very least, he was her best friend.

When she had been alone, hiding everywhere, it had been like a little flame... warming her.

But she also knew that she had to leave. She had to get away from here.

Because he was "dangerous!"

Though it was contradictory, the two things did not conflict!

"The red one is medicine for injuries. As long as the wounds aren't fatal or involve severed limbs, it has a powerful healing effect on other internal injuries, knife wounds, bullet wounds, and even most viruses and illnesses."

"The black one is poison, the kind that kills without a trace. Even Mutants will be poisoned to death unless they're resistant to poison. If you accidentally come into contact with it, take the red one immediately. That's the antidote."

"As for the purple one, it's a hallucinogen. If you run into an enemy but don't want to kill them, use this. Anyone hit by it will instantly collapse and be unable to move. The effects are even stronger than marijuana! The duration depends on the person's constitution, ranging from one hour to a full day!"

"Remember, all of these can be sprayed directly, but I recommend mixing them with water and putting them into small spray bottles. They aren't corrosive, but you should still use sturdy spray bottles, preferably metal ones, to keep them from breaking and spilling onto you."

"Last but not least, make sure you remember these important points!"

"—If you accidentally come into contact with the black one, make sure to take the red medicine in time. This one must be taken internally, drunk through the mouth. For external wounds, just spray it on the injury."

"—The black medicine is a poison similar to a neurotoxin. Spraying it on the skin will not cause corrosion, so when spraying it, make sure you stand upwind. Its effects decrease in order when it enters through the mouth, nose, or skin, but it cannot spread through the air."

"—Likewise, the purple hallucinogen works the same way as the black medicine. Of course, it works best when sprayed into the eyes or nose."

"—The ratio is one gram to one hundred. If the injury is severe, you can appropriately increase the proportion of red medicine, but not by too much. As for the black and purple medicines, there's no need. One spray is enough to bring down an elephant!"

"You're a girl out there on your own. Safety comes first!"

"Do you remember?"

"Uh... I-I remember!"

Rogue froze for a moment, looking at the three little bottles in her hands. Her eyes reddened. Why was he treating her so well? Ever since she had been branded a "witch," she had never felt what warmth was again.

"If you remember, repeat it back to me."

Kino shouted sternly. This was not something he could afford to be careless about.

"Uh, the red medicine is for healing, and the black medicine is the hallucinogen..."

"Nonsense—!" Kino shouted, giving Rogue a hard flick on the forehead. "The black one is poison, and the purple one is the hallucinogen. Is something wrong with your brain? Can't you even tell by the colors? Red is blood! Haven't you played games before? Poison is dark, so naturally it's black. Hallucinations are purple. Purple is what has hallucinogenic effects. Have you ever seen black hallucinations?"

"Hehe, sorry, I... I understand now!" Rogue timidly stuck out her tongue. "Red is medicine for injuries, black is poison, and purple is a hallucinogen."

She had been so caught up in being touched that everything had gone in one ear and out the other.

"Good. If you remember, then go."

After one final hug, Rogue turned and ran away in large strides, a tear falling from her reddened eyes.

—Goodbye, my friend!